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"Do you want to look again?"

Tenten had moved to lean back against the arm of the couch, legs drapped across Neji's lap as he rested his still warm palms on her, one on her shin and the other under her figure hugging black shirt, directly over her belly. He had been staring unknowingly at the hand on her belly and looked up at her hopefully, "Am I allowed to?"

A short, sharp laugh escaped her and he thought it was the most honest sound he had heard in days, "As long as I know about it, yes…" she smiled and watched his face as he activated his bloodline trait and examined the second chakra signature pulsing slowly underneath his hand. It was hard to read what emotions he was feeling when the Byakugan was active but she thought she might have seen a fleeting glimpse of awe as he examined what was completely invisible to her,

"What do you see?"

"Trouble, I expect…" Shikamaru was standing in the doorway, having apparently come back into the room without either of them noticing. Maybe Neji had been more distressed than Tenten gave him credit for, but his interruption snapped them both back to the immediate reality of the impending confrontation.

Neji's eyes returned to normal and he removed his hand from under her shirt, but made no move to rise or lift her legs from his lap. Tenten had the feeling he was trying to soak up an extra moment or two of peace so she turned to Shikamaru to ask the question that had been forming in her mind for the last couple of minutes.

"I admittedly don't know much about the inner workings of clan politics, but something about this situation just does not feel right to me..."

"What do you mean?"

She tossed her hair back over her shoulder so she could see him more clearly before answering, "Well, don't you think it's a little strange that this guy thinks he will get away with conspiring with the enemy," she ticked off her list using her fingers as she spoke, "murder, abduction and betraying clan secrets and still be able to take over the leadership?"

"Hn," Neji's response didn't exactly inspire certainty one way or another and upon seeing her expectant expression he elaborated, "There is no way he would get away with it but that doesn't mean he doesn't think he would. My uncle said he was bent on revenge so it stands to reason that he isn't thinking clearly…"

"Speaking of which, we should go and get into position before your cousin's associates arrive, they should be here within the hour." Shikamaru shared a meaningful look with Neji and moved towards the front door.

Neji followed his lead, lifting Tenten's legs from his lap and allowing her to rise with him. She instantly moved towards Shikamaru and the door but was stopped by her boyfriend's hand wrapping around her upper arm,

"Oh no you don't…you are staying here." He didn't leave the statement open for negotiation as he stepped in front of her to block her path, but she tried regardless.

"What do mean 'I'm staying here'? What if you need backup? You're probably already outnumbered, I should come with you." She imitated his voice when she repeated him.

Neji's subsequent expression suggested she had lost her mind and Shikamaru had to hide a smile at being able to see the two of them stand toe to toe in opposition. They were so perfect for each other it was ridiculous.

"We didn't bring you here so that you could walk straight into the firing line, we brought you here to hide you, Ten. You are staying here, where I don't have to worry about someone using you as a bargaining chip or worse." He said it with force but there was a conversational tone to it that she hoped meant he would be flexible.

"But…"

"No…" His voice maintained his command despite remaining low and, sensing defeat, Tenten slumped sulkily against the side of the couch and crossed her arms over her chest, "Please don't make me argue with you, just do as I ask?"

He lowered his head to catch her eye and waited for her reluctant nod before leaning in to kiss her quickly on the forehead, "Thank you."

Before he could turn around her right hand reached out to grab the front of his shirt and jerk him forward into her. She kissed him forcefully and hoped the emotion she wanted to convey came across as strongly as she meant it to, "Be careful…" she glanced towards Shikamaru and added, "both of you."

The two men nodded and she released her hold on Neji, watching them leave before taking a look around the house. She thought it might be worth doing quick check of the house so she quietly moved through the different rooms, checking entry points and refreshing her memory of the floor plan. It didn't take very long and soon she found herself sitting in the lounge room again, trying to decide the best way to spend the time without worrying or thinking too hard. The information overload she had experienced tonight was made more intense by the lateness of the hour and having being suddenly torn from sleep, but she wasn't overly surprised. While she definitely hadn't expected she was pregnant, she had been feeling a little off – more tired, slower at training, quicker to anger – and after the dizzy spell with Lee she had considered going to get Sakura to check it out but hadn't gotten around to it.

A baby…Tenten had never really considered having children. She worked all the time, which wasn't an ideal home environment, and having never had a family herself wasn't sure she would make much of a mother. She wouldn't tell Neji, but she had wondered once or twice what it would be like for them to maybe get married and have a family. The one thing she was sure of was that he would be a great father. A smirk crossed her face as she imagined him as a dad; he was outwardly hard and cold but privately very gentle and attentive. She could envision him scaring away a daughter's suitors or teaching a son to use his bloodline trait, teaching them his cooking skills or protecting them from nightmares…

But there was one glaring reason he had never wanted children and she remembered him mentioning it back when they were teenagers. His curse seal. Neji didn't want anyone to suffer that and had always sworn that so long as the clan continued to brand members with it, he would never bring a child into the world. Tenten could understand why he felt that way, but she had never been faced with the reality of it before. There was a strong likelihood that the clan elders would find out that Neji was the baby's father, assuming they didn't know by the end of this investigation, and find a way to brand it like they did him. Tenten shuddered at the thought, knowing that neither her nor Neji would allow that to be done. They would fight whoever they had to in order to prevent imprisoning their child in that curse.

Leaning back, she rested her hands on her stomach, wishing she could see what Neji and Hinata did when they looked at her and wondering how long it would take for her to be able to notice a change. Hinata must be dying to talk to her about it. She was good at keeping secrets but she loved kids and Tenten thought she would be excited to have a niece or nephew to spoil. Neji might disagree, but she would even go so far as to say that his uncle would be pleased at the addition. While Hiashi hadn't stopped the Elders from continuing to use the curse seal, he was not a supporter of it and there had been rumours that he was considering to propose discontinuing the practice. Perhaps a great-niece or –nephew would be just the impetus for the change.

And suddenly that was it…that niggling feeling that something wasn't right fell into place and an explanation for the planned leadership coup took her breath away. Maybe that wasn't it; maybe she was just making leaping connections because of her heightened emotions.

Or maybe they really did need back up.

Standing up, Tenten located her training bag, which Shikamaru had deposited on the kitchen table, and began rummaging through it for a couple of spare kunai that she kept in there for emergencies. She hadn't expected to need her arsenal when she rushed out of the apartment so hadn't brought much, but there were enough to maintain her lethal reputation if she needed them. Neji had told her to stay put but she couldn't sit here and wonder, and as much as he hated to admit it – someone had to protect his blind spot. Wracking her memory of the earlier conversation, she grabbed her things and set out for Shikamaru's apartment to find Hiashi. If she was right, she would need his help.