Please see first chapter for disclaimer, etc.

Prompt: Birth

Pairing(s): Neji/Tenten, Hinata/?

Special Thanks: goes out to SuzuGamerGirl, Hebi R, naash, DarkAnonymous324, SeiraXD, Franoncrack, and KNO for all your sweet, encouraging reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Author's Note: I picture this oneshot as taking place in the same universe as Ambiguously, and any things that might seem strange or unanswered is explained in the author's note at the bottom. Thank you all again so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting my story, and I hope you enjoy this piece!

*~Birth~*

Neji woke in the wee hours of the morning to an empty bed and the sound of screaming. He jolted upright in bed, blinking owlishly, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the sounds of agony. Tenten?

He quickly got out of bed, hissing in anger and pain as he accidentally rammed his foot into the bedpost in his haste as he headed for the door. Throwing it open, he limp-ran down the hall toward he direction of the sound, blinking rapidly when he rounded a corner and bright lights hit his night-adjusted eyes.

Hiashi, his uncle, looked up from where he was seated on the floor outside one closed door, his features twisted with worry. "So you're awake, too."

"Tenten?" Neji demanded, without bothering to answer his uncle.

"In there." The elder Hyuuga tilted his head toward the door. "Don't worry, she's fine."

Now that that had been confirmed, Neji let out his breath and sank to the floor next to the clan leader. "What's going on?" He discreetly hid his yawn, feeling a bit disorganized.

"It's time." Hiashi's eyes flashed briefly in anger, but just as quickly, the emotion was gone behind his usual serene mask. "It is just a pity he is not here to witness the joyous event."

Neji raised an eyebrow but said nothing. It had taken a long time for his cousin to talk her father into agreeing to her desired marriage, and Hiashi still had times where he made it clear he didn't approve. He didn't leave by choice, he thought, but didn't speak. Hiashi was Hiashi, and nothing Neji said would change his mind.

"You'll be here when your child is born." It was not a question.

Clearing his throat, Neji avoided his uncle's unwavering gaze. "If I have anything to say about it, yes," he said. It was a not-so-subtle reminder that Hinata's husband had not had a say in the matter. The Hokage had, regretfully, called him away on a crucial mission two days before, one that only he could complete.

Unsurprisingly, Hiashi did not reply. He merely turned his gaze forward as another scream rent the air, making both men flinch unintentionally. Perhaps it was a good thing, Neji thought grimly, that Hinata's husband was not here. The thought of Tenten going through what Hinata was now suffering was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat. He could only imagine what feelings the real thing would inspire within him.

Behind them, the door shot open. Both men turned around to look, able to glimpse Hanabi's pale face as she breathed heavily for a few seconds before snapping the door shut again. It promptly opened once more, this time to reveal Tenten, wrapped in the lavender robe Neji had given her for her birthday. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes wide, and her hair fell in tangled waves over her shoulders, framing her face. "It shouldn't be much longer," she said. Then she shut the door, muffling the sound of reassuring female murmurs and Hinata's moans of pain.

Tenten had, on several occasions, said that she felt she would be useless in a birthing situation. But Neji knew she was there to support her friend, her cousin-in-law that was more like a sister, and he admired her for her bravery. In her place, he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to do the same thing. He'd much rather face down an entire army by himself, without a single kunai or shuriken at his disposal.

Hiashi chuckled suddenly, and Neji turned to stare at his uncle. Had he lost his mind, to laugh at such a strained moment?

"You look like Tenten's the one in there giving birth," the elder Hyuuga said. "Relax, nephew. Despite what others may think - what I have thought, in the past - my daughter is strong. She will be fine." There wasn't a hint of doubt in his voice.

Neji chose not to reply. Instead, he turned his gaze forward again, focusing on the patterns painted on the wall across from him. He felt tense, anxious, emotions brought on by the conversation he and Tenten had so recently had, inspired by Hinata's impending motherhood.

*~Flashback~*

"Neji?"

"Hmm?" He didn't open his eyes at his wife's soft utterance of his name, but he did ease out of his meditation so he could devote his full attention to her.

Tenten's shoulder brushed his as she sat down next to him, propping her back against the trunk of the tree beneath which he sat. They still often visited their old training grounds to spar, as much for the memories as the terrain. "Have you thought any more about - children?"

He and Tenten had discussed the subject on and off both before and after they'd married. With Hinata pregnant and ready to give birth any moment now, Neji would be lying if he said the thought hadn't been on his mind a lot as of late. "Yes."

She must have sensed the tenseness in his body, because she shifted over to rest her head on his shoulder. Taking his hand in hers, she twined their fingers together securely. "You know my thoughts," she said. "I don't know what kind of mother I'd be. I don't have the benefit of knowing my own, and the woman I came to think of as a second mother died before I really got to know her." She hesitated for a long moment, and Neji knew what was coming next. "But I don't know how you feel about it."

Neji was utterly confident that Tenten would be a good mother, despite what she thought. He always reassured her of that, and she would smile at him, a little of his confidence seeming to rub off on her. Perhaps, though, he had been trying to avoid the subject of his own feelings on the matter, because his own childhood had marked him so deeply that the thought of his own child going through that… It was a painful thought, indeed. Hinata, her future as the clan leader now cemented because of her impending motherhood, was already working on trying to improve things for members of the clan that weren't part of the main branch. But she could only do so much.

His wife, so attuned to him by now that she could correctly interpret all his silences, as well as read between the lines of his few words, sighed softly at his stillness now. "I had a feeling," she said softly.

This time Neji did open his eyes so he could gaze down at the top of her head. "Hmm?"

A cool wind rustled the leaves of the tree beneath which they were sitting, and Tenten tucked herself a little tighter against him for warmth. "I would be lying if I didn't think about the fact that any children we might have would be marked." Her voice was hushed, lined with the slightest edge of sorrow. "You know how I feel about that." This time her voice was strong with anger. She had told him that she hated the curse mark on his forehead; had, a few times, confessed in a whisper at the darkest part of the night as they lay together that she wished she could take it from him and bear it herself, if someone had to wear it.

"I do," he confessed. Squeezing her hand a little tighter, he pressed his lips to the crown of her dark hair in a brief kiss. "And I know that Hinata is working to make things better for the offshoot branches of the clan. But…"

"In the end, either way, it is a decision we would be making for that child, and you feel like it is one we have no right to make." Tilting her head, she gazed up at him with solemn eyes. He missed the warm sparkle of humor and happiness he could usually find there, and he hated the cause of its disappearance. "I know. I feel the same way."

Neji nodded. Once again, she had known exactly what he was trying to say. "I could never condemn our child to the life I had while growing up." This was as open and honest as they had been with each other on the subject, for neither felt so comfortable discussing such things within the walls of the Hyuuga compound. The subject had been lingering silently between them for months, and it was doing them both good to finally voice their thoughts to each other.

They had come to a tenuous agreement that day. As long as the Hyuuga clan teemed with such instability, they would wait. But someday…

*~End Flashback~*

"It's a girl!"

Hanabi's excited cry pulled Neji from his inner musings. He looked up as Hiashi stood, opening his mouth to ask the question that his younger daughter answered before he could voice it. "Both mother and child are healthy."

She motioned for her father to follow her, then shot Neji an inquiring look. He shook his head, choosing to remain where he was, at least for the time being. Hanabi shrugged, then shut the door.

Letting out a ragged breath, Neji tilted his head back to rest it against the wall. So much was happening. So many things were changing, most for the better. And yet…

The door slid open again, and Tenten slipped out. She smiled at him, face and eyes bright with happiness. "She's so beautiful," his wife whispered as she sat down next to him. He knew she was not talking about Hinata.

Neji smiled slightly, reaching out to secure Tenten's hand in his own. A wordless understanding passed between them as they sat and listened to the happy goings-on inside the room behind them.

After a little while, Tenten's breathing evened out, and he realized she'd fallen asleep. She'd been woken out of a sound sleep in the middle of the night to be there when her friend gave birth; now the excitement and adrenaline were wearing off, allowing her exhaustion to take over.

With the silent gracefulness years as a shinobi had given him, Neji shifted so he could slide one arm around Tenten's shoulders, the other her legs, and lift her into his arms so he could carry her back to their rooms. She stirred as he lowered her onto their bed, murmuring a soft thank-you as he helped her out of her robe. Then she curled up against him as he climbed into bed next to her, and he wrapped his arms around her with an indulgent smile.

The first rays of the morning sun were beginning to touch the window when Neji felt sleep start to tug at his own eyes. As he rested his head against his wife's and closed his eyes, he heard familiar, rushing footsteps pass by the door. He smiled: Hinata's husband was home, and undoubtedly anxious to see his wife and child.

Tenten hummed in her sleep as he twined his fingers in her loose hair. Yes, he thought as he eased into sleep, perhaps, someday, that will be us…

*~The End~*

Author's Ending Notes: I feel this oneshot requires a few explanations. I picture it as taking place in the same universe as my oneshot Ambiguously, though obviously some time has passed between that one and this. (Also, anything that might seem strange or unexplained here has ties to my upcoming multi-chapter story, Threads, which I first mentioned at the end of Ambiguously.) You may have noticed, as well, that I did not mention the identity of Hinata's husband, the father of her baby. I did this deliberately because, though in my mind this takes place in one of my pre-established universes, I also want it to be able to stand alone, and I know people differ in their opinions of who Hinata "belongs" with. Though I have my own ideas of the identity of the person in this story (and Threads), I ultimately decided to leave it up to you readers here as to the identity of Hinata's husband. Thanks for reading this really long ending note, thanks for reading this story, and I hope you enjoyed it!