Tenten was not having a good day.

Between becoming the new residence of the three potential heirs to the Hyuuga Main House, throwing Elders out of her house and her best friend maybe almost killing himself, the return of the storm was not something she needed at the moment.

Neither was the blackout.

"Are you girls okay?" Tenten asked lighting a handful of candles and setting them around the house.

"Yes," Hinata said, Hanabi was already dozing on the folded out couch, head cushioned on Hinata's lap. Neji had already gotten the rest of the candles down from the cabinet and was lighting them, "I don't think Hanabi's going to wake up for anything short of the world ending," she said, her eyes bright with affection for her sister. Tenten smiled faintly and looked over at Neji.

It looked like Neji thought the world had ended. It took Tenten a moment to remember that Neji Hyuuga had run out of the hospital, he hadn't been released. He had also been out in the rain. And then he had lost more blood after he had sliced his hand open on the kunai. Tenten felt the guilt well up in her again. He had been injured because of her. She remembered that she had bee avoiding hi because it was her fault that he had been injured in the first place. Because she was an incompetent ninja. None of this would have happened if she hadn't almost gotten herself killed.

"Ten," Neji called her over. She shook herself out of her stupor and trotted over to him, "are you alright?" he looked over at her.

"I'm fine," she said, giving her biggest smile. It happened to be one that he could see through, "really I--"

"Tenten," he said narrowing his eyes.

"Neji," she looked at the ground.

Neji looked at Tenten. All he could see at the moment was the top of her buns. He remembered that before he had shown up at her apartment the night before looking like he was about to keel over, she had been avoiding him. He wasn't stupid, he knew she blamed herself for what happened. Considering his life had been pretty much shattered and the only thing that made any sense was his team, he couldn't bear the thought of Tenten pushing him away for any reason, even if he could see how she would think it made sense. He grasped her wrist and pulled her into the bedroom, ignoring her shocked inhale.

"Neji--" she began, still not meeting his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault," he said quickly. Her head flew up, her eyes widening, "I chose to take that hit. I know that you would have stopped me," his eyes hardened, "its not your fault."

"But you took that attack for me," she protested, "If I had seen it--"

"Ten even I wouldn't have seen it from where you were," he looked at her seriously, "we're team mates Ten, we watch each other's backs, thats what we do."

"I think that's the most I've heard you say in a very long time," she said with a wonderfully small, crooked, genuine smile, "I'll repay you somehow," she said.

"You're helping my family and me," he said, "I'm the one in your debt."

"Family," she smiled, "you're a big brother Neji," she said.

Neji's heart fairly stopped in his chest. He was. He was a big brother. Sure he was also the apparent heir to the Main House now and the eldest child of Hiashi Hyuuga, but he was a big brother too. The way Tenten said it though, she said it like it was not a bad thing. Like it was a good thing. Like maybe the world had ended but maybe it was also beginning anew.

"I--" he looked at the door, knowing the two girls were on the other side, "I am."

"You know this means you have to beat the tar out of Naruto now," she told him.

"I can beat him," Neji snapped, remembering the last time they fought Naruto almost put him in a bodybag.

"I'm sure," she smiled as the two walked out into the semi-dark apartment.

Night was not awkward. Hinata and Hanabi were asleep on the couch in the main room so Tenten and Neji shared her bed again. Tenten was exhausted and out the second her head hit the pillow. Neji didn't go strait to sleep though. He couldn't. He looked over at the form of his sleeping team mate and found himself quite unable to drift off. At night the joy that usually filled Tenten's face was replaced with a quiet sort of peacefulness. Her hair was always wavy from the buns that she had it in, though he had wondered if it was naturally strait. The waves fell down her shoulders, a few shades lighter than his own even though her skin was a few shades darker.

Neji didn't know why she seemed to be able to make everything better but at the moment he hadn't felt this good in days. He looked at her small form and wondered if he would ever have the courage to tell her that he'd take a thousand weapons for her. That he'd do anything for her. That here, in the small apartment, minus Lee, was his family. He remembered the elder telling her that he would have no time for her and was inwardly furious. He was the product of an unhappy arranged marriage, he wouldn't dare let that happen to anyone else. He was going to marry Tenten or not marry at all.

Now if he could only find a way to tell her.

In her sleep Tenten mumbled something incoherent and turned over. if the bed hand been a bit bigger, if he hadn't been lying on his back watching her, then when she rolled over she wouldn't have landed on his chest. Neji stared, not even feeling the jostling of the bruises on his chest as Tenten shifted slightly to get more comfortable. Her auburn hair fell across the blanket as her body curled around his. With careful movements he worked his arm free so she fit into the crook of his shoulder. Tenten didn't seem to mind, she didn't even wake up. Carefully Neji lifted the hands he used to kill people, the hands that were rough despite their fame for the so-called Gentle-fist. They were large and rough and delicate was not a word he would use to describe them.

Still delicate it what it was when he laid his hand on waist, pulling her lithe body against his. Tenten made a sleepy sound of contentment. Neji smiled faintly down at the sleeping woman in his arms and shifted a bit to get comfortable. He used a bit of his precious chakra and glanced around to make sure no-one was going to come in and hurt his family. Assured of that he powered down his Byakugan and allowed his eyes to close, his arm holding Tenten just a bit closer.

Break

"Wait let me get this strait. Neji's your brother?"

Hinata bobbed her head. Shino and Kiba traded looks before returning their gaze to their female team mate. Hinata, understandably, blushed before she meekly bobbed her head in response. Akamaru snuggled closer to her in his own silent from of comfort. Hinata reached out and scratched the dog's ears. She knew that she probably shouldn't have told her team the truth but she just couldn't keep things from them. Especially not something like this.

"Wait wait, how do you know?" Kiba demanded.

"My father told me," she said softly, "I've been staying at Tenten's house with Hanabi and him," she hugged her knees tighter to her chest, "I can't go home right now."

"Yeah but, 'Nata, he's your brother! Stick-up-his-ass, Main-house-is-awful, I'll-kill-you-bitch-Neji!" Kiba sputtered.

"He's not that bad," Hinata said looking over at him, "we get along now, remember?"

"Yeah but still, your brother!"

"What does this mean for you?" Shino broke in looking at her, "your age was the main factor in you remaining the Heir Apparent," he frowned, "if you are no longer the eldest," he trailed off.

"Shut up Shino!" Kiba broke in, "God, you don't have to be so depressing!"

"I don't know," Hinata said looking at the ground, "I guess Neji will be the Head," she sighed and leaned her cheek against her knee, a smile on her lips, "its kind of a relief anyway. He's always been much stronger than me."

"That's not true 'Nata," Kiba cried, "you've gotten way stronger!"

"I'm no prodigy, Kiba," she said, "the Hyuuga family needs someone who can change things and I don't think I'd be very good at that."

Kiba grumbled but said nothing, his hand idly petting Akamaru's leg. The dog wined and nuzzled Hinata's knee. She laid her legs down and he shifted, laying his head in her lap. She scratched his favorite spot, right behind his ears. It wasn't so bad, really, the idea of Neji being her brother. Kiba and Shino were like overprotective brothers already. And she hadn't been lying. She and Neji had become much closer after the Chunin Exams. If she found out Neji was her brother after the Chunin Exams when he tried to kill her, well, she'd probably be a bit more upset. As it was she didn't mind the thought so much. She, Hanabi and Neji had formed a sort of mini-alliance within the Hyuuga compound so they spent a fair amount of time in each other's company.

"And the Seal?" Shino asked.

"Shino!" Kiba practically screamed.

"Its something that needs to be addressed," Shino pointed out.

"If I have to wear the Seal," Hinata said, "then I will."

"No, no, no!" Kiba threw out a hand, "no way in hell are we letting you be Sealed. You or Hanabi. That's not fair! Neji's got his off, you two shouldn't have to wear it! We'll fight any Hyuuga who comes your way. Promise!"

"Thank you Kiba," she said with a smile, "and you, Akamaru," she looked over, "and you, Shino, but I don't want any of you getting hurt because of me," she sighed, "I just hope Hanabi won't have to wear it."

"None of you are gonna wear it!" Kiba snapped.

"Thank you," Hinata said with a smile.

"Hey, Hinata," Sakura appeared next to her, "Tsunade wants to talk to you," she nodded and got to her feet, walking off.

"Hold it," Kiba said, "if Neji's in the Main House now, does this mean he can still marry Tenten?"

"They haven't even dated yet, Kiba," Shino pointed out dryly.

"Well, yeah, but even a blind dude can see that anyone who puts a move on Tenten will get their ass Gentle-fisted faster than they can ask her out," Kiba pointed out scratching behind Akamaru's ear.

"Well its a good thing you have no plans to ask Hinata out then," Shinso said looking over at Kiba.

"Nope," he said with a faint shake of his head, "none at all," he added, his mind thinking of a different set of Byakugan eyes.

An

Woo hoo! Next chapter will be longer, promise. Just getting back into the mode. AN