Hey readers, thanks for stopping by. I wanna apologize for that last chapter, I know the last half was a little rushed! Forgive me! :( anyway, at least Sasuke had a little more time in the story. This chapter will be a little sad, but it's also gonna be good! I love reviews!

I do not own Naruto and I never will

Chapter 6* awakened

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Tenten had come home directly after dinner with the team and had a few glasses of wine. Maybe she had the entire bottle, she couldn't remember. She stumbled from the kitchen and plopped herself on her bed. Sighing heavily, she turned to her side and caught a glimpse of a photo of Neji she had on the night stand. She reached her hand out to grab the frame, but in her drunkenness, she only knocked it over. "Ahhh dammit." She slurred. She groaned and rolled her body out of bed and smacked her head on the corner of her night stand, rendering unconscious. Her face landed on the cool glass of Neji's photo, and body lay limply on the floor. And the dream began.

Tenten was surrounded in white and gold. It appeared to be heaven or something close. She felt warm, and welcomed. Looking ahead, she could see someone running to her in the distance. As they came closer, Tenten realized it was none other than Neji. She gasped and brought a trembling hand to her mouth.

"Neji." She whispered.

"Hey!" He called out to her, as he continued sprinting.

Tenten rushed toward him with her arms wide open, ready for an embrace. He came closer and closer until finally he reached her. Instead of running to her arms, he walked right past her and embraced a slender brunette woman, who appeared to be a Hyuga as well. The woman had two small children at her side, who also harbored the Byakugan eyes. Tenten blinked several times in confusion. What is this? Neji turned his head and caught a glimpse of his former teammate. He let go of the woman and turned to face Tenten. His face looked a bit older, his hair a bit longer and his curse mark was no where to be found. He smiled warmly at her and took a step toward her.

"Tenten. What are you doing here?" Neji's firm hands were now on Tenten's shoulders and he found two round chocolate eyes looking up at him, tears threatening to fall at any given moment.

"Who are they?" She whispered in response. Her body tingled at his touch, he was so real.

"Oh, they're my family." Neji started. "That's my wife, Satomi. And our daughter Tsuni, and our son, Tidus."

Tenten shook her head in disbelief. How could Neji have a family? He just died, there was no way he would move on so soon from Tenten. He loved her. "Wh..what?!" Tears fell from her eyes now, and she stepped back from Neji's grasp. "How could you? Why?!" Tenten's heart sank even deeper than it had ever been. The woman he called a wife should be her, instead it was a beautiful Hyuga. Something Tenten could never be, no matter how badly she wished she could. It stung her to the core, and felt like utter betrayal.

"Because you're still down there. This was my destiny. This is my eternal family, Tenten. Did you expect me to hope you died in order to join me?" Neji retorted. He gave her that stern look he normally gave when he reprimanded her. Tenten looked down at her feet. She was in shock.

"Yes I did. I did expect for you to wait for me here." She sobbed, shoulders shaking as she inhaled to catch her breath.

"Tenten, I don't expect to see you here for a long, long time." He put his warm hand to her chest. "Tenten, your heart is still beating." He took his other hand and grabbed hers, he then placed her hand on his chest. "Mine is not. What can happen between us now, Tenten? Death has severed our bond."

"No!" She shouted. "You can't leave me like this! You can't be with her! Stop it! Stop it!" She looked up at him with an angry scowl on her face.

"Tenten!" Neji wrapped his arms around the hysterical Konoichi and pulled her close. He placed his hand behind her head and pushed her face against his warm chest. Tenten heard no beat, she simply stood and cried. "I will always love you. I will be here when you need me, but please, live your life. Move on from us, pursue your own dreams. I'm happy here, and I want you to be happy down there, without me. I'm not coming back, there is no pain here, no sorrow or suffering. I am truly free. I want you to do the same." He paused and kissed Tenten's forehead. "Please." He whispered against her skin.

"You betrayed me!" She screamed into his chest.

"Oh Tenten, I would never. You have to face reality." He said calmly, holding the shaken girl tighter.

"But you said you loved me! This doesn't make sense!" Her trembling fingers gripped the back of Neji's shirt tightly. She inhaled deeply, taking in his familiar scent that she missed so much.

"My family was waiting for me when I arrived. Somehow it was just destiny. You have to find yours now." Neji slowly released his grip on Tenten, easing away from her. "Go on now. Go fulfill your own dreams. I'll be here." He said, poking her chest.

"No! Neji! No! Don't go!" Tenten screamed frantically, groping at the form before her which was slowly disappearing. "Neji.." She whispered. She closed her stinging eyes tightly, wishing more than anything Neji would come back to her. so many things were left unsaid.

"You did well, Neji." Itachi said, as Neji returned to his heavenly abode. Neji and Itachi had met up in the afterlife, and began to hatch a plan. Neji, although he hated to do it, decided to meet Tenten in a dream to urge her to move on, he wanted nothing more than to see her happy. Sasuke just so happened to be his new replacement, and Itachi had his own wishes for Sasuke. Their goals were alike. They both wanted their left behind loved ones to press on, to live again, for love and happiness, for virtue and strength. They decided to come together and try to set the new teammates up. Neji's eyes widened and he gasped as he looked down upon the Konoichi he once called his love. She resolved, though in her sleep, she would meet Neji in the afterlife. She was angry with the words he left her. Her hand clutched a kunai, revealing white knuckles, she held the blade to her wrist.

"Itachi! Tenten's about to do something stupid! Oh no!" His eyes filled with Tears, he hadn't been dead long enough to have access to the human world, like Itachi. Itachi, for his extreme selflessness in life, had been granted unlimited access to the human world as a guardian. He was already on it.

Sasuke tossed and turned that night, something was just unsettling in his gut. He was laying on his tiny bed, his long legs hanging off the edge of it.

"Sasuke!" Itachi shouted, as he shook his little brother's shoulders. Sasuke's eyes snapped open and his hand gripped Itachi's neck out of reflex.

"What?! O..oh." Seeing who was before him, Sasuke released his grip on his brother and smiled. "Ni San." He sighed happily.

"No time for teary reunions, Tenten is in trouble, you must go to her now." Itachi said firmly. Sasuke's smile vanished instantly. He jolted out of bed, throwing the cover to the floor. He grabbed a pair of pants and pulled them up and dashed to his front door. "Thank you, Itachi San." Forgetting his shoes, shirt or any type of weapon, Sasuke rushed as quickly as he could through the dark streets of Konoha. His heart pounded hard and fast in his chest. Tenten, please be okay. Dammit, what did you get yourself into?! His pace quickened as his feet grew colder from the chill of night.

Finally he reached her home and turned the knob of her front door. Damn. Sorry Tenten, I'll fix this later. Sasuke angled his body to the side and threw it against the door, busting it open. His Sharingan eyes studied the apparent. When he sensed her chakra he rushed down the dark hallway to her room. His ebon eyes widened at the sight before him. Tenten lay slumped over on the floor with her head laying on the upper part of her left arm, and on her wrist, a deep gash that was spilling blood onto her wood floor. Her round face was as pale as a ghost, her eyes were closed and her hair was strewn around her. "Oh shit Tenten!"

Sasuke rushed over to her and picked up her limp body. Immediately he scooped her into his lap as he sat on her bed."Tenten, you gotta talk to me, hey, Tenten!" His voice cracked as he spoke frantically. He examined her frail form, he could see her eyelids flutter slightly, and her chest was slowly rising and falling. Sasuke reached acrossed her body and grabbed a small roll of medical tape laying on her nightstand. He was thankful it happened to be so near. Judging by the pool on the floor, Tenten had lost a good amount of blood. Shit... Oh Tenten, why? Sasuke placed the tape in his mouth, and quickly began closing the wound on her frail arm with chakra enhanced hands. He had no medical training, but he did his best. The wound closed enough to stop the bleeding. Then, while still holding her in his arms, Sasuke bandaged up her wrist the best he could.

Sasuke scooted back on her bed and pressed his back against the wall. He pulled her close, and lay her head on his chest. "Come on Tenten, wake up. Please." He whispered as he gently stroked her hair. Suddenly, Sasuke heard a muffled moan from the Konoichi. His eyes widened and he leaned back to see her face. He watched as her large, chocolate eyes opened and stared directly up at him. After blinking a few times, Tenten gasped and pushed away from him.

"What's going on?! Why are you in my bed?!" immediately after speaking, Tenten felt dizzy, and nauseated. She grabbed her head and started leaning backward.

"Tenten!" Sasuke exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around her once more, catching her before she fell to the floor. "What's happened to you?" He whispered. He could tell she was confused by the situation by the perplexed expression that sat atop her face. He could also tell she had been drinking, prior to the self inflicted wound.

"Sasuke?" She asked, as her mind started to clear slowly. Suddenly, Tenten cringed. Her nose crinkled and eyes slammed shut tightly. "Ah.. sss!" She opened her brown eyes and looked over at the source of pain on her wrist and gasped. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I just... I knew something was wrong, so I rushed over here as fast as I could, and I found you this way. You tell me what happened, Tenten." His eyes studied her face. He was now, just as confused as she was.

Tenten let out a loud sigh. "Sasuke?" She started. "Can I tell you something?" She inquired, looking straight into his deep, dark eyes.

"Yes." He said with a small nod. His grip around her waist loosened as she scooted closer to him.

"Before the war..." She looked down, paused and then looked back up at him. "No, forget that part. Let's just say that.."

"Go on, I'm listening." He gave her a small, knowing smile.

"O-okay. Let's just say that Neji and I were together. And we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. But, as you know, the war had other plans. Neji died protecting Hinata and Naruto, and now, I have nothing left." Her eyes were welling up with tears, but she fought them off. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but Tenten continued. "I guess I was dreaming, but, I saw him. He was in heaven, he was glowing like an angel." She looked away for a moment. A small gasp escaped her lips when she felt Sasuke's hand grip onto hers. Immediately, she felt comfort and warmth that she had never experienced before. His kind gesture gave her the courage to continue. "Neji had a family of his own. A wife and two children. He told me destiny had other plans for the two of us, and that somehow I needed to move on, and fulfill my own dreams. I guess I didn't believe him so I decided to go up there and meet him. I was angry with what he said to me, but I really had no control of my body." She examined Sasuke's face. He seemed to understand what she was saying. She knew that he had dealt with more than his fair share of grief and suffering. She also knew that his heart must've broken 100 times worse than she could ever phathuum. As she was explaining her dream to Sasuke, she began to wonder if Neji was right. Somewhere, Deep down inside of her heart of hearts, Tenten knew the answer.

After a few moments of silence, Sasuke finally spoke. "I'm so sorry, Tenten." Part of him wanted to smack her for damaging herself so badly, but he was also thankful that she opened up to him as much as she just had. He imagined she hadn't spoken much of this to anyone, knowing how stubborn she was. Before he knew it, he was speaking again. "I'm here for you now." He placed his hand gently on her face and wiped away a stray tear with his thumb. Tenten gazed intently into his eyes. Her heart thumped rapidly when she got lost in those ebony orbs. She was surprised at herself, but she couldn't help but feel comfortable with him. It was inexplicable. She deducted that it must be the alcohol.

I'm here for you now. Did Sasuke Uchiha just say that to me? "Th-thank you, Sasuke. Sorry to have dragged you into my mess." Tenten sighed, yanking her deep gaze away from Sasuke, to the fluffy pillows of her bed set.

"Tenten." Sasuke said firmly as he placed his free hand beneath her chin and turned her face to him. Tenten gulped and looked at him nervously. "Don't do that again, please." His face was full of sorrow and concern. His brows were low, his eyes were big and glistening. This troublesome girl was beginning to tug at his heartstrings. He couldn't help but care for her, and Sasuke didn't care for much of anyone. Sasuke's reaction gutted Tenten. She realized how foolish she had been.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. Please don't tell anyone about this. I won't do it again. I promise." Her hand squeezed his tightly. Sasuke yanked his hand away and tore his gaze from hers. Tenten instantly felt like an idiot and tears stung the corners of her eyes, but then she felt his warm arms wrapped around her tight, she could feel his breath on the side of her neck as he held her. Tenten shivered and then relaxed in his embrace. What was this? Tenten couldn't explain the feelings that flooded her when he was near. He was the ultimate comfort, yet she felt as though he was also the ultimate sin. Regardless of that final factor, Tenten was finally thankful for Sasuke being a part of the team. Had it not been for Sasuke, she would have bled out. She reciprocated his embrace and squeezed him tightly. "Thank you, Sasuke." She whispered in his ear. She was finally beginning to feel like herself again. Tenten wasn't normally rude or standoffish, She was usually kind and happy. She did, however, have an angry streak at times. That side of her never seemed to come or go through the entire ordeal.

"Go to sleep." Sasuke whispered back as he slowly eased up on his grip around the girl.

Tenten wanted anything but to sleep. She was fearful of another nightmare, and another unforeseen attempt to take her own life. She was simply petrified, but she didn't want to tell Sasuke. She already felt like a weakling in front of him after spilling all of that unneeded information to him. She didn't have to tell him, Sasuke could see it all over her face.

"You want me to stay?" He asked quietly, narrowing his eyes and leaning in toward her face. The way he asked, and the action that paired the question was enough to make Tenten's heart pound right out of her chest. At that same moment, Tenten realized Sasuke was shirtless. She acknowledged the fact that he had an incredibly toned upper body.

Holy shit! When did Sasuke get so seductive?! Tenten, flustered, turned her face away and paused for a moment before giving a definitive answer. She really was unsure. No, she was sure. What she was fighting with was guilt. Complete and utter guilt. She felt angry at herself for the feelings she may or may not have for the Uchiha. She just lost Neji. Even if this had nothing to do with feelings, there was still reputations to be upheld. Words spread like wildfire in Konoha thanks to the gossip queens, Ino and Sakura, who would most likely kill her if they knew Sasuke stayed the night at her house. Not to mention, Gai Sensei would probably beat the snot out of Sasuke. But Tenten didn't want to go back to sleep alone. Sasuke could be anyone, and she would feel better. She had decided. "Yes." She whispered.

"Okay, I'll stay." Sasuke replied quietly. He could almost hear her inner battle while she decided. He had resolved to stay, even if she said no, there was no way he was going to let her stay by herself in her condition. But Sasuke figured it was better to have her permission, rather than her scold him and attack him in the morning. His motives were not perverse in the slightest, although he would be the first to admit she looked beautiful as the moonlight illuminated her face through the window. "Lay down, I can sleep on the floor. Right after I clean all that blood up." He shook his head and gave her a playful smile. Tenten put her hand to her mouth and gave a little giggle. Sasuke's ears perked at the sound. It was new for him. He enjoyed her giggle, and resolved to make her do it again sometime. Sasuke gently scooted around Tenten and placed his feet on the cool, wood floor. He was about to stand when he felt her hand grip onto his arm firmly.