Enlightenment

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Okay, before you read on, I just want you guys to know that I have a huge problem with tenses... I apologize for that, but I can't help switching from one form to another :P I should really get a beta reader... but anyways, I hope its not that big of a problem. Oh, and before I forget: I'm obsessed with commas. I don't know why, but I often use them. I've been that way since I was a kid :D So if you find a randomly or wrongly placed comma, I apologize. Like I said, I can't help myself. Okay, so, R&R! Enjoy :)

Tenten and Neji had been traveling through the forest all day. As the sun was disappearing over the horizon, they decided that they would stop to set up camp under a big oak tree. So far, their time spent traveling together had been quiet. Neji kept to himself while Tenten was absorbed in her own thoughts.

"Tenten, I'm going to go look for some firewood." Neji told her, quickly disappearing out of Tenten's sight.

Tenten sighed as she rolled out their sleeping bags. She then proceeded to take out the canned food that they brought along and a small pot. Once the fire would start, Tenten would pour out the delicious soup and devour it once it was heated. The journey had exhausted her physically, and although she was used to being put under lots of physical strain, she only had so much stamina. She could not wait to curl in her sleeping bag to rest. She could not help but think of how tired she would be in the next two days traveling to the Hidden Mist Village, and how mentally exhausted she would become in the next eight months.

She sighed again. She was really hungry but she could not feed her growling stomach until Neji arrived. She sat on the ground where the fire would start, waiting for Neji's return. Suddenly, Tenten wondered whether she should tell Neji her reasons for wanting to meet with her biological parents. After all, they had been teammates for about six years and in those six years they never kept secrets from one another. Tenten simply did not lie to Neji. It was almost an unspoken rule between them, one that she applied at the start of her genin days.

To this day, she still did not know why.

...

Neji scanned his surroundings cautiously. He was always careful when he was on missions. One mistake could mean the failure of the mission, and although he really could not see how he could fail on this particular mission, a mission was a mission.

He picked up a piece of wood, frowned at it, and threw it back on the ground just like he had done with the last twenty pieces of wood. Apparently, yesterday had rained leaving all wood useless for a fire. He sighed and decided that he was just going to have to pick a branch from a tree. Hopefully, the leaves had provided enough coverage from the rain. The lower branches should do.

He spotted a tree that looked relatively dry and began tearing the branches off it. They were still a bit damp, Neji noticed, with a small frown. However, it was better than nothing. He hoped that the wood would start a fire because he did not want to witness a hungry Tenten...again.

Neji recalled the day when he was training with Tenten. They started at sunrise and they were supposed to finish at lunch time. He had learned a new technique and had not quite gotten the hang of it so he made Tenten stay with him until sunset, which meant her skipping both lunch and dinner. She had complained all day long about her need of food but Neji would simply not have it. Therefore, Tenten had screamed bloody murder at him and lashed out at him with all the remaining kunais that she had left, directed at his blind spot. He tried to block them with his rotation, but he was too late and a few grazed his skin. He had cuts and bruises on his body for months. It was then when Neji learned not to come between Tenten and her 'precious' food.

Neji winced at the memory and quickened his pace toward the big Oak tree where he had left her and she quickly came into his line of visibility. She was sitting on the ground looking up at the sky with a thoughtful, confused expression on her face. Neji frowned. He knew that something was wrong with her, though he did not know what. Perhaps she was stressed out about the meeting she would have with her biological parents. Then he heard her stomach growl and he quickly started making the fire.

He dropped the wood near Tenten and she gave him a small smile.

"Took you long enough," Tenten exclaimed. "I'm starving!"

"Hn," Neji replied.

...

Tenten watched as Neji placed the wood in such a way to resemble a small hut. She wondered if she should tell him the truth. Definitely not the whole truth, but something that explained why she had changed her mind about meeting her biological parents. The absolute truth was she could care less about them, but she needed to make Neji believe that visiting her parents what was she really wanted to do. She would tell him that curiosity had gotten the better of her, that everybody deserved a second chance...

She then realized that was a lie, too, and she could not help but feel guilty. She had always confided in Neji and she wondered if he could sense when she was lying. However, if Tenten did not give Neji an explanation, it might make him wonder, might make him assume the wrong things. But if she told him that she truly wanted to meet her biological parents because she had a change of heart, it would be further lying to him on her part. She sighed. What was a girl to do?

"Tenten," Neji said as he kindled the fire. "I think it would be best to heat the soup now."

"Yeah, yeah," Tenten mumbled.

She took the tomato soup and poured it into the pot, which she held over the fire. Tenten thought that this was the most annoying part; staring at food whilst you know you can not have it... yet. She sighed yet again. How many times had she sighed today? Too many for her to count.

She sighed again wondering whether or not she should tell Neji another lie or not. She decided she would because she had to make him believe that was the sole purpose of the journey. What would he think of her when he found out the real truth? He would undoubtedly call her a pathetic, useless kunoichi who let her emotions get the better of her. This lie would save her a lot of trouble when he confronted her with his assumptions of why he actually wanted to visit her parents.

"Hey, Neji," Tenten said preparing her next few sentences in her head to make sure that nothing would come out wrong.

"Hn," Neji simply said.

That one syllable word was used to tell Tenten that Neji was listening. He was sat directly underneath the tree, meditating, something that he would do whenever he found time to.

Tenten thought the best way to start the conversation was when she first uncovered her real feelings to Neji and Naruto that one day.

"Remember that time I said those, erm, not so nice things about my real parents in front of you and Naruto?

Neji opened his eyes and nodded. Because Neji had granted her his full attention, Tenten began to fidget nervously. She thought it would be much easier to discuss this subject with him while he did not look at her with those eyes that seemed to look right into your soul. She was quite comfortable talking to him actually, with only half of his attention directed at her and the other part of it focused on his meditation. But now he had accorded her his full attention, and Tenten suddenly wondered if there was anyway she could backtrack out of this one.

"Yes, I do recall that incident." Neji said.

"Yeah, well, that's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about... You see," Tenten began, but Neji interrupted her by holding his hand up.

"Tenten, you do not owe me an explanation for anything. If you want to visit your biological parents you do not need to tell me the reason for your motives."

Tenten wondered if Neji would ever stop acting like a person worthy of everybody's respect. She had known Neji to be a complete gentleman since she had first met him. If you looked past his cold and emotionless behavior, you would know it was because he minded his own business and respected other's privacy. She wondered if that was because of his own will or because of the way he was raised. After all, an improper Hyuga was a rare one indeed.

"Well, yeah, I kinda have to," Tenten said, pouring the steaming soup into two separate bowls, handing one to Neji.

"You see, Neji, everybody deserves a second chance... And I know that sounds cheesy and all, but it's true."

Tenten took a sip of her soup and Neji did the same. They sat in silence for a while before Tenten continued, grateful that Neji was not interrupting this time around.

"There are lots of people out there, who spend their whole lives not knowing anything about their parents or wanting them back, and I have a chance to meet them and it seems kinda weird not jumping at an opportunity to do so."

Tenten glanced at Neji, knowing that her comment also referred to him in some small amount, because Neji had lost his father. Then there was also Naruto, who had never even met his parents, and Sasuke, whose clan had gotten wiped out. She knew that those three boys would do anything to be with their family members again, while Tenten could care less about hers probably because they were still alive. She knew that they would all jump at the opportunity she had.

"I understand," Neji said wryly.

They both continued to sip their soup in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

...

"Tenten," Somebody muttered. "Wake up."

Tenten felt a strong pair of hands gently shaking her former sleeping form. She opened her eyes a bit and everything around her was dull and hazy. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, sitting up as she did so. She noticed that her back felt stiff from sleeping on the ground with nothing but a piece of fabric to separate the cold, hard ground from her body. No matter how many times she had slept on the ground during missions, she had never gotten used to it. She had always preferred her nice, comfy, soft bed. The thought of her bed alone threatened her eyelids to close once again, and Tenten was appealed to the prospect of sleeping for a few more hours... in her bed, of course.

Suddenly recalling that someone had wakened her up, she glanced at that person and she could not help but scowl. Even though Neji had waken her up gently, which she was grateful for, he still knew that she was not a morning person. That and the fact that for the last few months she had not been sleeping well deepened her frown even more. He could have at least let her to sleep an hour longer... They had eight months to get to the Mist Village for crying out loud.

"Tenten we should head out now," Neji said, more like ordered, while strapping his belongings onto his back.

What were the chances of convincing Neji to wait an hour before they left, anyways? Going on this journey was her idea after all, so she should seem more joyous about it. She decided to give in because they really should be heading out now. The sun was beginning to rise so Tenten guessed it was around six fifteen a.m. If they waited any longer, somebody could attack them. The longer they stayed in one place the more endangered they were. There was no denying Neji's logic.

"Yeah Neji, I'm right behind you."

...

The rest of their journey was pretty uneventful. Only a few words were exchanged between the two teammates, but the silence did not bother them. After knowing each other for so many years they knew when to speak up or when to stay quiet. Besides, the silence was not awkward for any of the two, and nobody bothered to strike up a conversation, anyways. Silence was almost like second nature to Neji, and Tenten decided the less Neji knew the better. She knew that if she spoke with him he would be observant enough to pick up something wrong. It would not take long for a genius like him to figure out that visiting her biological parents was not the only intention she had.

'Silence is golden,' Tenten thought.

"We're here," Neji announced, as the gates of the Village Hidden in the Mist came into view.

Tenten did not know whether to feel happiness, relief, or despair when she set her eyes upon the gates. Would she find the answers she was so desperately looking for in the Hidden Mist Village or would she come out of the eight month trip with no progress at all, or even worse? Would Neji find out, would her parents send her away yet again? Even though she did not care for her biological parents she wanted acceptance just like any other human.

She stopped abruptly when two guards came in front of her and Neji. Both guards were taller than Tenten, but not quite as tall as Neji, even though they appeared to be in their late twenties. The two men looked so much alike that Tenten thought they were brothers. They both had short black hair and brown eyes, and their lips were in the shape of a frown.

"State your business here," One of the guards said.

Tenten looked at Neji as he stuck his hand in his pouch. Her eyes widened as she thought that Neji wanted to attack them with a kunai. Both of the guards got a similar impression and positioned themselves in a fighting stance, but they relaxed when they saw the item Neji was holding in his hand: a scroll with the Hokage's stamp on it.

"We're here on a mission. The details, of course, are confidential, and we would be grateful if you would let us through. We would like to find the Mizukage to deliver this scroll ourselves." Neji informed them, in a polite tone.

The two guards exchanged glances for a few moments, probably wondering whether or not they should let Konoha shinobi run freely in their streets. The scroll Neji held firmly in his grasp could be forged, for all they knew. That and the fact that Neji's eyes were cold and unfriendly did not help matters. The glares the guards sent towards Neji and the glares they received from him made Tenten sigh, knowing that she would have to mediate between them.

"We understand that you have no reason to trust us and we simply cannot give you the scroll to deliver to the Mizukage yourselves." Tenten began.

All men turned to look at her wondering where she was going with her statement. All three of them gave her a look that translated to: Thanks for pointing out the obvious.

Tenten ignored their gazes, and her pride for that matter, knowing that starting a full out war with Neji and the guards was not something she would come back alive of.

"What I mean is... Well I think the best solution would be for you to accompany us to the Mizukage's tower. That way you would be rest assured that we won't do anything... Not that we would do anything, anyways." Tenten said.

Cleary Tenten's solution was logical and probably the best one. The guards and Neji would have to see the reason and logic behind her proposition, which they did, surely enough. Neji nodded towards her, not quite pleased, but not that bothered with her solution either. The two guards seemed to find no fault with her suggestion, so pretty soon they found themselves heading to the Mizukage's tower.

Tenten took this opportunity to study her surroundings. The Village looked similar to the village back in Konoha, but there were slight differences. Tenten could not help but notice that the air in Kirigakure was more humid than the one in Konohagakure, and the leafy smell that she had been accustomed to in Konoha was not found here. There was also a slight fog beginning to settle around everything, almost making the place look ghostly, except for the fact that children were running around laughing and playing with each other. The children seemed to make the potentially eerie place, well, not eerie.

"We're here," One of the guards said as they were heading up the stairs leading towards the tower.

The Mizukage's tower was just like the Hokage's tower except that it was slightly smaller. As soon as they reached the top, the guards instructed them to wait outside a big door, no doubt the entrance to the Mizukage's office.

"They're so uptight, don't you think?" Tenten asked Neji as now they were alone.

"Hn," Neji simply replied as he looked at her with those eyes of his.

Tenten knew that if she did not avert her gaze she would be lost in those moon pools of his forever. However, she could not tear her gaze from Neji's. Even since their genin days Tenten would always find herself staring at his eyes. When Neji told her to stop staring at him so intently she had always muttered an apology, obviously embarrassed. She did not want him to think that she was rude for staring at him, so when she spoke to him, she almost always looked at something other than his eyes. Of course, her refusal for eye contact did not go unnoticed by Neji. Nothing did.

Thankfully, the Mizukage's door opened revealing the two guards, saving her from her trance.

"She said you could come in," One of the guards said, anxiously.

"Thank you," Tenten said, smiling at the guards, hoping to gain their trust.

One of the guards attempted to smile back while the other muttered something that sounded like 'No problem.'

Tenten's smile quickly vanished into a thin line. 'Wow, they're really uptight,' Tenten thought. The guards made room for them to enter the Mizukage's office, and from the corner of her eye, she saw Neji scowl at them. She bit back a smile as they approached the Mizukage. As soon as Tenten and Neji reached her desk they bowed to show their respect.

"So," The auburn haired Mizukage said, leaning on her desk. "What brings Konoha shinobi to Kirigakure?"

"We want to track down two people, if they are still here, that is." Neji replied in a formal tone as he handed the scroll to the Mizukage.

The Mizukage, also known as Mei Terumi, wordlessly read the scroll that Tsunade must have written. Tenten wondered why she had given the scroll to Neji and not herself because it was her mission, after all. She assumed it was probably because she had left Tsunade's office hastily, leaving their Hokage no time to even write the scroll, much less hand it to her. Neji had been in the Hokage's office after Tenten to receive his escort mission, and since Tenten had not gone back to the Hokage's tower, Tsunade must have decided to give it to him.

Tenten saw the Mizukage studying her intently with her light green eyes. Tenten felt self conscious under her scrutinizing gaze, but held her ground, showing no fear towards the powerful kunoichi in front of her.

"Very well then," The Mizukage said at last. "I have no reason to deny your request, although how do you plan on finding your parents?"

"I have their last address, Mizukage-sama." Tenten replied as politely as she could.

She looked at Tenten from head to toe again and mumbled something to herself along the lines of 'similarity.' Tenten wanted to ask her what she said, but she thought against it. Firstly, the Mizukage was not talking to Tenten directly, and secondly she did not want to question her since she was in no power to do so. 'Silence is golden.' Tenten reminded herself.

"Very well, I will send your Hokage a messenger bird to notify her that you have arrived safely." Mei Terumi said.

Tenten recalled that Tsunade had told her to send a messenger bird but she was not going to tell that to the Mizukage. Tsunade might have asked the Mizukage to send her a messenger bird instead in the scroll.

"Thank you, Mizukage-sama." Tenten and Neji replied in unison.

"You are dismissed."

Tenten and Neji bowed politely and exited the room and started walking down the stairs that led to the streets of Kirigakure. The fog had lifted and Tenten turned her face up upwards so she could see the beautiful sunset that adorned the sky and clouds with purple, blue, orange, and red hues. It was a beautiful sight indeed, and she could not remember if Konoha had similar sunsets. She had always been so busy training from dawn till dusk that she had not noticed the beauty of nature before. She frowned and mentally took a note to appreciate the beauties of nature more because when she looked at the sunset she had marveled in its beauty, and a smile had found a way to her face and she felt at peace.

"Tenten," Neji said, snapping her out of her reverie.

"We should find a place to stay for the night. I'm sure you want to visit your parents as soon as possible but it's getting late."

Tenten did not know if there had been a trace of sarcasm in his voice when he said 'I'm sure you want to visit your parents as soon as possible,' but she let it slide and simply nodded.

"Yeah, okay, I'm exhausted from all that traveling."

A smile crept onto Tenten's face when an image of a nice warm bed flooded her brain. She would take a shower and she would succumb to a long lasting slumber, one which Neji would not be able to awaken her from because Tsunade had instructed him to keep his nose out of her business.

She turned to look at Neji and asked him where they would be staying.

"On our way here I saw an Inn." Neji responded.

Tenten saw his mouth open like he wanted to say something else, but when it closed, Tenten frowned. She wanted to know what he had wanted to say. She followed him for a few more moments, probably to the Inn he saw on his way to the tower, when she finally decided to ask him what he wanted to say.

"Eh what did you want to say?" Tenten inquired.

She knew that Neji was polite and would not ask or comment on things which he knew would make her uncomfortable, and she knew that she should probably give him the same courtesy, but curiosity got the better of her.

Neji's eyes locked with hers.

"Nothing important."

Tenten rolled her eyes and left it at that. She knew where she stood and what her limits were.

After a few more minutes of walking in silence they had reached the Inn. It was a normal Inn, not too extravagant looking but not too poor looking. There was a small garden around it but the caretaker of that garden did not seem to care for it because the flowers were wilted and weeds grew everywhere. The building itself was made out of cement, but it did not resemble a prison. To Tenten, it looked almost welcoming in a strange sort of way.

Neji, being the gentleman he was, opened the door for her. Tenten mumbled a 'thank you' to him and the approached the counter to check in. She took in her surroundings and noticed that there was a small and simple chandelier hanging from the ceiling and that red carpeting covered every square inch of the floor.

"Welcome to the Misty Inn!" An old lady, probably in her late fifties, greeted them cheerfully.

"We would like two separate rooms, please." Neji said.

It never bothered Tenten that Neji did all the talking. Contrary to what people know, Tenten was much shyer around strangers than Neji was, however, when in the presence of their friends, the situation was reversed.

"I'm sorry," The lady said. "But there is only one more room available."

"That's quite alright," Neji said, not bothered at the least. "Could you perhaps tell us the directions to the next available Inn?"

The lady looked at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry, deary, but there are no other Inns available. Judging by your forehead protectors, I assume you are not from around here. You see, the Hidden Mist does not attract many tourists, so that's why not many Inns are available. This is the only Inn in at least a twenty-five mile radius.'

Tenten bit back a giggle when the old lady called Neji 'deary'. She had seen his eye twitch, something that Tenten had not seen since Neji first met Gai sensei and Lee. The thought of his eye twitching alone made Tenten want to laugh out loud because it was a rare sight, and not to mention downright weird. However, all amusement in her died down when the lady said that this was the only Inn they could possibly stay at.

Tenten groaned, wondering why fate had to screw with her so much. If they stayed in the same room Neji would surely wake her up and he would surely notice her mood changes. Both Neji and the lady looked at her questioningly, probably wondering why she had groaned. She noticed one of Neji's eyebrows was raised. She had never cared if she had to sleep next to him before, like the previous two nights on their way here, but this was a different matter altogether.

"How many beds are there?" Tenten asked finally.

"One, but its King sized." The lady responded.

Tenten looked at Neji and noticed that he was totally unperturbed about the information. He always hid his emotions so well so she did not actually know if he also had a problem with it.

Tenten sighed, giving in. After all, what choice did they have?

"How much?" Tenten asked.

...

Okay, so I know this chapter was kind of boring and totally uneventful but it was essential. I know there has not been any romantic interaction between the two 'youthful' love birds, but you might have noticed that I referred to their genin days and to their past and how close they are to one another and how much Tenten respects Neji.

It will be a while between any romantic feelings are declared, I'm giving you a heads up on that, but you know what they say, time builds character! But anyways there will be lots of stuff going on now ;) I feel kinda bad ending the chapter just when Neji and Tenten were going to go to sleep together (not in that way!) but suspense is very good.

Again, I apologize for any tenses and comma issues.

Please review!