xXBabyxDollxLaceXx: Sorry it took a while, I had to move out of my dorm and move back into the city with my parents. I've already worked on some chapters for the future so maybe it wont take me as long to update, well it may because I started to look for a summer job and I enrolled myself in a local community college for summer so my brain wont rot. I looked at my GPA and saw it was a 3.4 something. Truly disappointing since my GPA last semester was a 3.56 so I got dumber. Any who, I'll stop my rant now and I'll let you read. OH! BTW, this chapter is dedicated to my two reviewers, imf cutie and animegirl9989. I've had more than 150 something hits but only two reviews, 'tis sad. So I am eternally grateful to you both.

Unattainable

Tenten unlocked the door to her apartment and set the keys on a table nearby after she walked in and closed the door. On the bright side she didn't have to train during the hottest hours of the day when she felt she was at her weakest. On the down side she wouldn't spend time with Neji and he probably thought she was as always, weak.

She sighed and walked up to her room as she discarded articles of clothing as she went. A very cold bath would be welcomed at the moment since she could feel sweat and dirt caked on her back and legs. She turned on the lights of her bedroom and made a beeline for the bathroom. The bathtub filled with water within a few moments while she let down her hair. She looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Just an ordinary face with ordinary brown eyes with unusually long but ordinary brown hair. There was nothing special about the girl staring back at her. Neji could never want someone as ordinary as her when he was nothing short of extraordinary himself. Long dark chestnut brown hair, unusual white eyes, and a body that seemed to be chiseled to perfection by training. Tenten envied Neji for being so beautiful. She laughed at the last thought, how silly was she for being envious of Neji's beauty.

She stopped staring at the mirror, turned the faucet off, and slipped her body into the cold depth of her tub. The one thing she loved about hot days was soaking herself in her bathtub full of cold water. She liked to pretend she was on a beach, swimming in the ocean. Her thoughts turned to Neji again. He was acting weird today cutting training short and resuming it later, it was very unlike him. What had caused him to act that way was beyond her comprehension, but still, she couldn't wait until she saw him again later. Something about training at night seemed romantic to her, although she suspected nothing would be out of the ordinary. Neji would give her hell during training and she would try her best not lose to him with the end result involving her defeat. She sighed and sunk her head underwater.

Neji arrived at the compound heading straight to Hiashi's office, he needed to discuss his intentions with the clan leader. Neji knew Hiashi was hoping he would continue tradition and marry within the clan but Neji didn't know of any reasonable women that could be considered an option. He was also sure Hiashi could fix that problem but there was no changing Neji's mind.

Neji knocked on Hiashi's door and heard his uncle allow him entry. Hiashi was standing in front of the large window overlooking the compound's courtyard, his back turned to Neji, while he made his way through the room. His uncle's presence would have been enough to scare anyone, it was overbearing and exuded the strict rigidness of his character. Hiashi's demeanor didn't phase him, he was used to dealing with such behavior on numerous occasions.

"Uncle, I have made a choice concerning a bride."

Hiashi turned to look at Neji and smiled at him. "Who is your choice? "

Neji looked at his uncle straight in the eye. "I have chosen someone outside the clan. I can not marry within the clan, not a single women suits my tastes."

"I never thought you would be picky when it came to choosing a bride but somehow I knew you would exercise your freedom of choice on an outsider. I suppose I would be correct to assume that your choice would be the one girl lacking a surname with no blood-limits."

Neji didn't take too well to Hiashi's harsh description of Tenten. Although she had no surname or blood-limits he could think of plenty redeeming qualities she possessed. Since Neji was intent on marrying Tenten anyway, she would not be surname-less for long. And her lack of blood-limits would make the Hyuuga's blood-limit easier to pass onto their children, after all the Byuukugan was a recessive trait. Wow, pro-creating with Tenten was not something he had thought about before, but he suspected it would not be terrible deed to accomplish, especially since Tenten was physically attractive.

"She is a great shinobi and will not be without a surname for long. I intend on giving her ours through a union. It does not matter if they disapprove, I will do as I please. I just wanted to make you aware of my intentions before you heard them from someone else. Gossip in this village spreads fast, it spreads even faster once inside the walls of the compound."

Neji bowed and turned to leave but Hiashi stopped him with a question he was not expecting.

"What if she will not have you? You have your mind made up but you have no idea if she will agree to become your bride."

Neji, with his back still turned to Hiashi, responded calmly. "She will not refuse me."

"You place so much confidence in this young woman. I hope for your sake that she agrees, for if she does not, you will marry within the clan. I will make it easier and choose for you. Do not take what I said about the girl to heart Neji, those are only the worries of the elders. If she chooses to have you, I will try my best to keep the elders from making you regret your union."

To any other person, Hiashi may have seemed cruel but Neji knew him better. It was his way of showing concern for his nephew. The elders could be harsh when their wishes were not carried out as they desired and they sorely wished for Neji to marry within the clan in order to produce powerful heirs with their perfected blood-limit.

Neji whispered a 'Thank you' and exited Hiashi's office. He had not even considered the possibility of being rejected by Tenten. Would she have him? What if she felt obligated to say yes? He did not want to force her into something she might regret later in order to help him achieve a goal that was set forth by his clan. He made his way to his room in order to gather his thoughts and retrieve something he would need for later.

After her bath, Tenten had planned on going to see Tsunade, she wanted to know if she was willing to discuss the mission in further detail, but she realized she still had not had eaten lunch let alone breakfast and her stomach was demanding something be put into it soon otherwise its growls would be audible to all of Konoha. The ice cream Neji had treated her to was just a snack to cool her down, so she changed her plans and decided to cook herself some lunch. It had been a while since she had cooked anything in her apartment and she could only suspect that both her fridge and pantry closet were void of any sustenance. Her top priority now was to head to the grocery store, but first she needed to get dressed, she was currently in just a bath towel.

She rummaged through her dresser drawers for any clean clothing and found only a black pair of shorts and a black top similar to that of Ino's without the collar and it had long sleeves. It was not all her style of clothing, usually she would chose to dress in a more conservative fashion. In fact, she didn't even recall purchasing the clothing, but they were the only things she had available at the moment. She looked at herself in the full length mirror and she would much have preferred to put on her usual garments even though they were sweat and dirt stained. Her conscious would not let her change back into something dirty after a bath, to her displeasure she kept her current clothing on.

There were a number of things wrong with the outfit. For starters, the shorts only reached mid thigh and were cut too low on her naval, and secondly, the top only managed to cover her clavicle bone and chest, leaving her stomach, lower back, and legs exposed. She hated the way she looked. She was starting to debate whether or not she should even go out in public in such a racy outfit, her stomach managed to convince her when it let out a growl. She could only find a single hair tie so she put her wet hair up in a high ponytail. Off to the supermarket she was.

On her way there, she noticed she was getting a lot of stares. Grabbing the whole village's attention was not exactly what she had set out to achieve, she was not the type of person who liked the limelight. She could understand why they were staring, it was not often they got to see the weapons mistress dressed so provocatively. It almost made her giggle. Those stares were usually reserved for Ino or Sakura and from time to time Hinata but never where they directed at her. She wondered if Neji would notice also. Although Neji was very observant, she doubted he would ever notice if she dressed differently or did her hair differently from what he was used to seeing. There she was again, dreaming up silly things.

At the grocery store she picked up a few items and on her way out Ino spotted her. Ino looked at Tenten up and down and flashed her a big smile, approving her outfit.

"You're wearing the outfit I gave you for your birthday last year! And look, you put your hair up in a ponytail too! I knew you wanted to look more like me. Honey I don't blame you, you'll have Neji wrapped around your finger dressed like that, just like I have Shika."

Tenten's jaw dropped. Now that she thought about it her appearance resembled Ino's closely. She could pass as her brunette twin sister.

"Close your mouth Tenten, its unbecoming."

"I knew I wasn't responsible for this horrible outfit."

"Oh Tenten-chan, you don't like it? You look wonderful!"

"No. I look like you. I don't need to be ogled by everyman I pass by. And what are you talking about me having Neji wrapped around my finger? Our relationship isn't like that. In fact, I don't even think we can call it a relationship, we're just teammates!"

Ino took no offense to Tenten's response. It only widened her smile further.

"Sure, Tenten, you're just teammates. That's why you guys always go on lunch dates together and that's why you stare into each others eyes lovingly because you're just friends. All of Konoha can tell, its just you two that can't see what's so plainly in front of you. I'll see you later I have to go meet Shikamaru and Choji at the gate soon. Bye Tenten!"

The flighty blond blew a kiss at the stunned brunette and ran off into the crowded streets. All of Konoha knew? What could they possibly know about her and Neji that they didn't. Nothing that's what. She walked back to her apartment deep in thought. They did often go out to lunch together but she wouldn't consider those dates and they did not stare at each other, Neji just liked to think and as a result he just looked at her. And she looked at him back cause he was really beautiful to look at. She sighed.

"Stupid Ino."

Neji sat on the floor of his room and meditated. He never intended to marry but he knew he would never have that much freedom. He was bound by family duty and thanks to his father, he could at least have a choice in the woman he would be bound to for the rest of his days. Growing up, he knew what being born into his family meant and from the moment he turned ten, Neji was constantly lectured on his family values and duties. To be able pass on the perfected family genes onto the next generation of Hyuugas was top priority. It disgusted him to think that he was just a baby making machine for his family but he didn't have much of a choice. What if he was sterile? That possibility made him chuckle, the elders would gauge their own eyes out from disappointment at the prospect. Sure Hinata could have her own children but it would not be the same. He, Neji, was supposed to be the epitome of the perfect Hyuuga male: young, powerful, handsome, intelligent, and very, very fertile.

In the eyes of the elders, his mission in life would only be complete once he had his own heirs that would one day surpass him in the qualities that made him so perfect. So in order to do so, he needed the perfect bride who would only aid him in creating the heirs that were so highly desired and not taint them with foreign blood. It didn't matter to Neji in the least bit if his family didn't find Tenten suitable, it was his choice after all and he wanted her. She was the only girl that didn't annoy him, the only one who seemed to hold her own as a kunoichi, and the only that didn't expect something from him. Tenten was perfect.

Neji got up from the floor, walked to his nightstand, and opened the first drawer. The only item he was looking for sat inside a little velvet blue box with the Hyuuga clan symbol. In it was the ring his mother had worn throughout her marriage and it would be the ring that Tenten would wear throughout theirs. He took the box out and set it atop the nightstand. He needed to prepare himself and the perfect proposal for her. The rest of the afternoon he would spend it meditating and making plans for the wedding. He was very valuable to the elders and marrying Tenten without their interference was going to be nearly impossible.

The rest of the afternoon flew by and Tenten never got around to seeing the Hokage, she ended up falling asleep on her couch after eating lunch and having very unusual dreams featuring a certain white-eyed shinobi. By the time she woke up it was time for her to meet Neji at the training grounds. She got up in a hurry and readied all her weapons and scrolls for training and took off. Time seemed to drag on when she wasn't spending it with Neji and the closer she got to the training fields, her heart beat faster from the excitement of seeing him again. She was acting like an infatuated school girl for the nth time, she couldn't help but be a little ashamed. Neji would always be but a distant dream to her. She had tried to shake off her feelings for him for years and she could never fully come to terms with herself. He would always be unattainable to her.

When she got fairly close to the training fields she started to walk there. She needed to be able to have control of her body when she saw him again, somehow that included not blushing madly when he got really close to her. Tenten's heart started to beat erratically. He was already there, waiting for her. It had been a long day for her and at long last she would get to see him again.

Neji had arrived at the training grounds long before Tenten had showed up. It was not customary for Neji to be nervous about anything. He was known for being cool and collected and so sure of himself. Earlier, when Hiashi brought up the possibility of Tenten rejecting his proposal, Neji tried to keep his mind from wandering to that unlikely possibility. If he thought about it even the slightest bit, his concrete foundation would crumble and his self-assurance would surely melt away. Nervousness would consume him. He was trying his best to appear confident.

He could feel her approaching him slowly. He didn't need to sense her chakra to know she was close, his body could always tell. The tiny hairs on his arms stood up on their ends, any second now she would emerge from the trees. She had no idea what she was in for.

She stepped through the trees and he had to take a closer look at her to make sure that it was in fact her. She was dressed not at all like herself but she was stunning even if the outfit was too revealing. He had never seen the contours of her body clearly before until that night. She had matured into a very attractive woman, that was obviously clear. He really liked her hair in a single ponytail too. As if she knew what he was thinking, Tenten blushed and approached him shyly. She had never seemed more darling to him than in that moment.

"Am I late?"

"I was just early."

She smiled and looked up at him through her eyelashes. She had always been much shorter than him, which he liked. He liked to look down at her and he secretly wished he could kiss her forehead, and maybe, possibly kiss her lips.

"You look...nice."

Her blush deepened. "Um, Ino's birthday gift from last year. I had nothing clean so...Thank you. You look nice too, well you always look nice. Uh. Should we, um... Should we start?" She started to unpack all her weapons as she made her way through the field. She mentally slapped herself for blabbering on.

"Yes, well I kind of needed to ask you something."

"What is it?" She continued to walk with her back turned to him. As if her heart was not beating fast enough, it's pace accelerated.

"It's something really important."

"Yeah." She kept walking.

"Would you marry me?" She stopped dead in her tracks but did not turn to face him.

"I don't think I heard-"

"Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Her heart stopped. Had he really just ask her to marry him or was she still asleep in her apartment, dreaming of this moment? She was quiet for a few moments which worried him. He had a feeling he was about to be turned down.

"Neji, I never expected those words to ever come out of your mouth, let alone be directed at me. Are you aware of what you're asking me?"

"I need an answer."

She turned to look at him slowly. Oh, no here it comes. "Neji, I-"

xXBabyxDollxLaceXx: Cliffhanger, huh? Does this chapter seem incomplete? I think it was rushed a little. I kinda just wanted to get it published cause I had y'all waiting a couple of weeks already and I had a new idea for a story. It's going to be set in an alternative universe during the Victorian Era in England. I got the idea from all the various romance novels I own. Yeah, so let me know if you guys would be interested. I think its something unique and different that I have not seen published yet, well to the extent that I'm planning on developing it. I don't think I'll post it until I'm done with this story though. Let me know if I should stop doing author's note things cause I talk too much! Review!