So chapter 16... I never thought it would be this long, when I started I expected 10 chapters... now I'm guessing about 20.

This is to date, my most reviewed and longest story. I recently recieved my 101th review, so congrats to: Neji For President. They have asked for a one shot of NaruSasu, that at some point in the near future I will be posting.

I have also gotten my first commission from a friend from work. They asked for a HinaNaruSaku, so I did my best to deliver. This is also posted. He has also asked for another one, but so far plans have not been made.

I recently have begun to dabble in drabbles as seen by my collection of Team 7 drabbles in Sakura's POV. But more recently I have begun writing short vingettes inspired by the challenges from '31 days' on LJ. These can be found on my fictionpress account.

I apologise for the overall depressingness that my writing seems to be going thorough. There will hopefully only be a few more chapters like this, but it'll get better. I promise.

Oh and one last thing. Thank you to Hitotoki without you I probably would have forgotten and not posted this till like March. XD.

Just as Tenten was about to unlock her door and go inside she heard a loud crash followed by some muttering. She tried the door and found that it was locked, had she left a window open perhaps?

So she quietly opened the door and prepared to attack the intruder, the lights were off everywhere except for in the kitchen so she carefully crept towards the kitchen. She heard some more muttering and so she launched herself out from around the corner and fired one carefully aimed warning shot.

Then the kunai whizzed over Gai-sensei's head. "Tenten-chan, flower of our team you have returned!" Gai-sensei was exuberant and she carefully motioned for him to keep it down, it was late and most people were trying to sleep.

"Er… Gai-sensei what were you doing here?" She asked somewhat sheepishly as she pulled her kunai out of the wall. "Sorry about that," she added.

"I was just sorting through your mail so that when you returned you wouldn't have too," Gai-sensei seemed pleased with himself for helping her.

"Thanks Gai-sensei but that was hardly necessary…" While she'd been talking Gai-sensei had picked up a letter of hers that he had just opened. It was in formal print, with carefully prepared paper the kind that official documents were delivered on.

"'You've been accepted into ANBU'…?" Gai-sensei read her letter out-loud. Even as she snatched it out of her sensei's grasp and read it once herself, she knew that Gai-sensei had been looking through her things. How was she to explain this to him?

"Well you see… I just wanted to see if I could. I didn't actually want to be part of ANBU it's just to… you know keep my options open!" This was all she could come up with at the moment.

Gai-sensei became thoughtful. "The ANBU could always use more people like you. You could do well in ANBU, if that's what you really wanted. If you want I could write a letter of recommendation for you. I still have some contacts…"

"Gai-sensei?" Tenten interrupted softly.

"Yes, Tenten-chan?" Gai responded.

"I think I might actually join the ANBU."

"Oh Tenten-chan, make Team Gai proud!" She didn't even bother to try and shush him this time. She was too shocked and too worried about how she was going to break this to her team.

"Gai-sensei if you could… could you please not mention it to anyone just yet? I'd rather the others hear it from me first."

To her relief he didn't seem to find anything wrong with her request. "You have my word." Finally Gai-sensei left after blathering on about the springtime of youth and how glorious it was that Team Gai's precious flower was blossoming.

Once he was gone and Tenten had finally climbed into her own soft, glorious bed her mind lingered over how Lee and Neji would react to this news. In her minds' eye she could already see the hurt accusing look in Neji's eyes.

It was that thought and the absence of company that caused her to get very little sleep that night. But despite her exhaustion she was still up bright and early for training with Lee and Gai-sensei. Because at least this way she could forget about her worries for an hour or two as she concentrated fiercely on improving herself.

Her muscles ached pleasantly from the workout, she'd been sparring with Neji and Lee all afternoon and even though she had lost she couldn't help but feel pleased with her efforts. Slowly she caught her breath, her lungs no longer heaving for oxygen. "We're done for today." Neji as always made most of the decisions.

He and Lee were just about to head off when Tenten called out, "Neji! Lee!" Both turned around to face their female teammate. Neji waited patiently for her to speak, and even Lee was strangely silent.

They were both waiting for her to speak; she nervously licked her lips, biting down on the moistened skin. How would she tell them? How to explain? "I… I'm joining ANBU," she started, staring down at the ground, as she couldn't stand to watch the hurt flash across her teammates' faces.

"Pardon me, could you please repeat that?" As always when knocked off balance, Neji reverted to his former way of speaking.

"I said I'm joining ANBU. I requested a transfer and I've been accepted. Gai-sensei thinks I should follow through." She jerked her head up for a quick glance; Lee was crying manly tears and vowing that he'd be strong because Gai-sensei had said so.

Neji's cold, distant look made her heart ache and mouth go dry. He was shutting her out, like he'd done before when they were much younger. Neji looked at her as if not really seeing her. "I'm sorry, Lee, Neji." Her hands extended themselves before her, pleading almost for their forgiveness, but mostly for Neji's.

Lee reached out to clasp her hand, forcefully grabbing Neji's. They remained like that, partially linked for an awkward moment before Neji's hand reached out to clasp hers, forming a circle. "This is the end of Team Gai, but not of us," she whispered.

"This is an end…" she told them. "But we are still together," she reinforced the words by lightly tugging on their hands.

Lee promptly pulled her into a huge hug and she could feel his tears landing on her head. Neji remained at a respectful distance his hands tightened into white fists.

Once Lee had calmed down and left, only she and Neji remained in the training grounds. He said nothing and she could only wait for him to speak, to accuse her, to demand why she hadn't told him, and maybe worst of all to ask why she was leaving him when she'd promised she'd always be there.

"Neji… I…"

"I will see you later tonight, Tenten," He said finally and then left in a swirling of leaves. She stared at where he had been and resisted the strange urge to weep. She almost wished he had been angry at her rather than this liquid cold that froze her insides with guilt and despair.

That night Neji was in her room, she could tell that he had climbed in through her window because the curtains blew gently in the cool breeze. But despite the cool evening his body was tense like a coiled spring. "You said you wouldn't leave. Why?" Neji asked, his cold voice making her eyes close against tears.

Finally he was asking the questions that she had expected earlier, the ones that threatened to break her to pieces. "There are some promises that can't be kept. And there are some that should never be made."

"I don't care!" He raged. "Why?!"

She remained still in the storm of his fury. "Because I needed to leave you before you could leave me. When I promised before I meant it… I truly did. And I'm still here; you still have me even if I'm not on your team anymore. Even if I can never be your wife."

"This is so wrong." He looked like a broken man as he sat down hard on the edge of her bed. Guilt hit her full force, an ache that came from destroying the team that for eight years had been her life. But even more than that, she had promised that she would be there for Neji always.

"Neji…" her voice seemed to bring him back and he looked up at her. "This is wrong but all I know is that there's nothing I can say to change that part." A watery chuckle escaped from her lips. "This is just one more, 'just for tonight's' in a long succession of them."

He would have said something, but she covered his mouth with hers. She had stepped forward to rest half her weight on the bed. He responded gently, taking his time and making it long and through. This was not accompanied by the frenzy that their love making usually entailed.

The first time had not been like this; it had been too full of need and haste to reassure Neji that she was alive to have been like this. The times after had been fierce and rough an effort to forget the world around them, it had been their silent rebellion against the way things were; no it was not like this.

His tongue probed against her lips for access and she gave it, reciprocating in turn. He took his time, before leaning forward to press a series of hot, open-mouthed kisses to her throat. "Neji," she moaned beneath his ministrations. He maneuvered her fully unto the bed so she rested beneath him.

He undressed her slowly; taking care to layer kisses upon each new patch of exposed skin. Her hands are threaded into his hair, gently tugging him up to her mouth for another kiss, this one demanding. He pulled back and kissed her languorously, ignoring her demand. One hand traced teasing circles on her hip, the movement itself causing her to arch slightly into him.

She was still half-dressed and she wanted him so badly it hurt. Even as her body tried to find the release it yearned for her throat ached, because it was still a mistake, one horrible mistake that they couldn't erase. Her pants were soon gone, thrown somewhere in her room. Neji however was still clothed.

She gasped when Neji lightly tweaked her left nipple. "Neejii," she groaned out when he continued on to her right nipple. She tugged on his shirt and hoped he would get the message. He ignored her, and she felt his mouth swirl around her breast avoiding the centre. Then her nipple was in his mouth and he sucked fiercely, while tweaking the neglected one once more. Her eyes slammed shut.

"Please…" she moaned. He lifted his head, and she almost whined before she caught herself. Then she felt a small gush of air as he threw his shirt away; she smiled briefly as it landed on top of her mirror before she was pulled into a kiss.

One hand rested on her hip, while the other hand travelled lower between her legs. When his finger brushed her, she let out a small whine her eyes closed once more. Her hips tried to buck, but the other hand held her down. She opened her eyes to find that Neji was smirking, his face above hers, admiring her visage. "Neji, please…" she whispered.

Then a finger entered her, and she moaned. Her body twisted desperately trying to draw him in. Then he crooked his finger, hitting some place inside of her that made her vision go white. Her fingernails dug into his back, but he found he couldn't mind watching as her face twisted in bliss.

She was still recovering when he entered her, drawing another gasp. The pace he set was a slow rocking. Tenten didn't seem to mind, her nails no longer digging into his back. They came together, and as she lay gasping for breath beneath him he whispered, "I should go."

"Mm…" she replied. "You probably should."

He didn't move to leave, only continued to lay still her head still resting on his chest. There was silence, and he thought that maybe she had fallen asleep. "I can go later."

"Yes, you probably can." She curled closer and he thought he felt a few tears land on his skin, but he said nothing. He would let her cry in privacy. "I'm sorry I'm not on your team anymore."

"Hn," he wouldn't say anything. He had been so selfish to ask her to stay.

"I just wish we were a little more free."

"Me too."

He woke slowly in the middle of the night; Tenten lay beside him her hands threading through his hair. She stopped when she realised he was awake. "Oh sorry, did I wake you?"

"No," his voice was hushed. Her hands resumed their soothing task. He glanced at the clock. "I should go." Her hands pulled back, leaving him free to leave.

She watched as he gathered up his discarded clothes, trying not to let despair and regret crush her. He paused at the window, but left without a word. She closed her eyes against the bitterness of tears. She knew she wouldn't see him tomorrow.

Tomorrow she would be trading in her team for a black and grey suit, a mask of porcelain, and a scabbed over tattoo.