"You really don't have to do this, Lee."

Tenten's discomfort went unnoticed as her teammate lifted her onto his back, shaking his head vehemently.

"I could not be there in your time of need, so this is the least I can do! After all…" he shot a sidelong glance at Neji, who was watching the spectacle through half-glazed eyes. "… I cannot allow myself to lose to my eternal rival!"

Tenten rolled her eyes, but admittedly, Lee's antics weren't holding her attention. As the three began their trek back to her apartment, Tenten gave Neji another glance, confirming her worry.

Neji was always pale, but today he looked especially ghostly – there were actually bags beneath his eyes. According to Shizune, he had stayed at the hospital the entire night, and long into the next morning, only leaving once to get breakfast, mostly because the medic practically forced him out the door. While Tenten certainly appreciated his devotion, she was worried; she didn't think she had ever seen Neji look this tired.

Lee, meanwhile, was continuing his rant.

"…if I had known that the youthful blossom of our team was in such pain, I would have arrived in an instant!"

Tenten allowed herself a chuckle.

"Lee, it's fine, really. It all turned out fine. Right, Neji?"

The remark didn't even draw so much as a nod from him.

"Neji?"

He glanced up at the second mention of his name, his light eyes taking a few moments to focus on her face.

"Yes?"

"My youthful rival, you are not looking so youthful." Lee remarked, his tone oddly serious.

"Hn." Neji shrugged it off, looking away from his two concerned teammates.

Neji was silent for the rest of the walk back to Tenten's apartment, and though Lee continued with his usual chatter, even that was slightly subdued. By the time they reached the front door, he had run out of things to say entirely, which never happened; Tenten almost pinched herself just to confirm that this was, in fact, still reality.

"Would you mind just taking me to my room, Lee? I'm a little tired." Tenten allowed her teammate to carry her into the house – even if she had wanted to protest, she wasn't entirely sure she was strong enough to make it on her own.

"I'll wait out here, Lee." Neji said, taking a seat on the couch. "We can head to the training field once Tenten is comfortable."

"Training field?!" Tenten glanced between the two of them – Lee was as lively as ever, but Neji looked like he could collapse at any moment. "Are you crazy? You're going to train when you're practically—"

Tenten abruptly ended her rant as she realized that she was being swiftly transported away from the living room.

"Lee, you baka!" She hit him in the shoulder, though weak as she was, it was barely a swat. "What did you do that for? Neji looks like death warmed over and the two of you are going to train? What kind of—"

"Tenten." Lee's tone was so solemn that she immediately stopped. He set her down on the bed, taking care not to twist her leg. "I am aware of Neji's state, and I am also concerned, but if Neji wishes to train, that is what we shall do."

"But, he…"

"…has probably already fallen asleep on your couch." Lee finished, crossing his arms, as if daring her to defy him.

Tenten stared slack-jawed at her teammate. Since when was Lee the rational one?

As if nothing had happened, Lee changed the subject.

"How are you feeling, my youthful blossom?"

Tenten shrugged, adjusting the pillows behind her head. Compared to last night, she was feeling wonderful.

"A little tired, really."

Lee chuckled. "That is understandable."

With a noticeable glance back toward the living room, where their other teammate was likely collapsed on the couch, Lee cleared his throat.

"Still, it is fortunate that Neji was able to help you."

Tenten heard the question in his statement, and a blush sprang unwittingly to her cheeks. She had gotten similarly questioning gazes from Shizune in the hospital – it made her insides squirm a little. Was it so unusual that her teammate would be concerned enough to stay around and make sure she was alright?

But, then again, he had called her lovely…

"Yes, very fortunate," she finally mumbled.

"But you are sure you are feeling alright?" Lee's question was hushed – decidedly atypical for the boisterous shinobi.

"Lee…"

Tenten looked up at him, but he didn't meet her gaze. His entire body was tensed, his fists clenched tightly at his side. While it wasn't rare to see such agitation from Lee, generally it was associated with training. Tenten had been getting strange vibes from him all afternoon, but she assumed that if she waited long enough, he would just tell her. Lee was good at many things, but keeping his emotions concealed was not one of them.

But apparently, today she was just going to have to come out and ask.

"Lee, what's going on?"

Lee continued to study the shadows on the floor with great interest. When he spoke, it was with great hesitance.

"We are both simply… concerned, for our teammate."

"Concerned?" Tenten narrowed her eyes. "Lee, you heard what Shizune said. I'm doing better, much better than I was."

Never mind the fact that I wasn't doing very well to begin with…

"Neji told me about the therapy… about your progress."

Tenten's blood ran cold. What did Neji even know about her progress? She had been keeping that strictly to herself – the only people she'd even discussed it with were the attendants at the hospital…

Slowly, it dawned on her.

She gritted her teeth; she and Shizune would be having a very serious talk about doctor-patient confidentiality in the near future.

Taking her silence as affirmation, Lee continued.

"Tenten, why did you not tell us? We were under the impression that you had been recovering, but Neji has informed me—"

"It's none of Neji's goddamned business!" Tenten snapped. It wasn't true, and she knew it – Neji had every right to know. But still, she couldn't stand the idea of him thinking that she was… weak.

In the face of such a comment, Tenten would have expected Lee to be completely shocked. She would have expected him to be upset, in a teary sort of way. She might even have expected a comment on her language.

What she was not expecting, however, was what followed.

"It is all of our business, Tenten!"

Tenten couldn't remember the last time she'd heard Lee raise his voice in such a manner. She stuttered to respond, but he wasn't finished.

"You say that it is not our responsibility to care for our teammate, but it is! Neji and I want to help you, but we cannot do so if you lie to us! Why did you not tell us that you had not regained the feeling in your leg? As your teammates, we thought you trusted us, but if you cannot tell us—"

"I do trust you!" Tenten yelled, the words coming out before she could stop them. The last thing she'd wanted to do today was get into a screaming match with Lee, but it seemed she was left with few other options.

"I do trust both of you, more than anyone, but how was I supposed to tell you? How was I supposed to tell you that I couldn't feel my entire lower leg? How was I supposed to tell you that the therapy wasn't working like it was supposed to, and that the medics were running out of other options? How was I supposed to tell you that my stupid failure might cost me my career?"

The questions tumbled from her mouth, hitting the air before she could stop them. Tears of frustration coursed down her cheeks, which only served to make her angry. Her last statement came out as little more than a choke.

"I do trust both of you, but how was I supposed to disappoint you?"

A pregnant silence stretched between them. Tenten clenched her fist around the sheets, until the skin was as white as the fabric. Unable to look Lee in the eye anymore, she let the tears rain onto her skin, coursing off the side of her hand and soaking into the cover.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lee spoke.

"Neji was there the entire night."

"I know he was." Tenten said guiltily.

"We care for you, Tenten." He paused. "Neji… he has been especially concerned. I believe he feels responsible. He…"

Lee stopped, biting off the end of the sentence. There was some unspoken truth hanging in the air, and Tenten desperately wanted him to finish that statement, but it was gone.

"We only want to help."

"Then leave me alone."

Tenten regretted the words as soon as she said them, but there was no way to get them back. She didn't have to look at Lee to know the expression of hurt that crossed his face.

"Tenten, I did not mean…"

"Please go." She amended, her voice shaking as more tears bubbled up.

Lee did as he was told and made his way to the door. Only as he reached the hallway did he turn around.

"What about…?"

'…Neji.' Tenten realized. If his earlier pallor was any indication, Lee's assessment had probably been right. Neji had probably already fallen asleep.

"If he's asleep, don't disturb him." She said quietly. After all, it was her fault that he was so exhausted in the first place. She didn't want to cause him more trouble, not after all of this.

"Of course." Lee hesitated, as though he were about to begin speaking again, but he thought better of it and turned away.

Tenten stared down at her leg in revulsion. She wished she could just cut the cast off, throw it away, burn it, destroy it in any way possible. Not that it would solve the real problem, but maybe at least she could achieve some sense of catharsis from such an action.

Only when she was sure she'd heard the click of the front door shutting did she give herself over to audible sobs, burying her face in her hands.

A/N: Whoa. So I originally did not intend this chapter to be quite so angsty, but... eh, I guess it needed to happen. Sorry for the delay in releasing the chapter. I really intended to have it out sooner, but I had a crazy week of deadlines. (5 tests/papers/presentations in 2 days. It was NOT fun.) However, I have few excuses for delaying this weekend, other than work. Blame tumblr. It's addictive!

Thanks to pusa. is. me, Melodies Unwritten, DarkAnonymous324, VampireKunoichi14, McKazekage, Ami1010, Fearless Rider, NuitNuit01, shadeeclipse66, Ani, touch. the. sound, and Dancing-Souls for your amazing reviews! You all are so, so wonderful for sticking with this story and I couldn't be happier to have such a fantastic bunch of readers.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love to hear what you think!

- Senka Hitomi