Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 29: It's his birthday, after all.

A/N: I was SUPPOSED to post this on his birthday, but I got sooo busy. So, belated Happy Birthday Neji! We all love you. 3

Yes! I've finally finished this one shot! Insert contented grin here. :D I got the idea for this about five years ago(just when i finished chapter three of this story, specifically, when I was playing in a pool with my cousins. It was just stored up in my mind for all those times. Until now that I've finally penned it up.

Yay me.

I've considered so may ways to end this , given the span of time I was given to mull over it, but I ended up with this, which is funny, because this is far from how I originally planned it to end. Hope you like it!

Dedication: To Jaylonni Love for reviewing the last chapter, and for her story suggestion! Thank you! :)

BIRTHDAY CHANCES

It was his birthday, so he could get away with what he wanted.

...Right?

With her, he couldn't be sure. With her, everything was confusing. Until the night before. He had finally got his thoughts together. He had finally realized what he wanted them to be, what was going to happen, and how he felt for her. And then, he had decided that today, June 9, he was going to be brave enough to tell her how he felt.

He winced from his own thoughts then, realizing what a coward he was being. This was all her fault, of course. Cowardliness was one of her other effects on her, aside from the confusion. There were a whole lot of other things, but listing them would have broken him. Two things were shameful enough.

The steam was rising up like silver snakes wriggling slowly from the pool. The water burned though his skin, but he had gotten used to its heat. She was sitting comfortably next to him, her head rested on the pool's edge. They were in a bath house, one located miles and miles away from the nearest town, and so it was no wonder that only a few other people were her, aside from their team.

It was a special day, however. So they had decided to rent one of the hot pools for their own—the widest one at that. Neji was adamant at first, birthdays were stupid, and there was no reason for them to celebrate his. But of course, he was forced to agree in the end (by no other that the female seated beside him).

And now here they were.

She started humming, then. And he turned to watch at her, but looked away just as quickly. She was dressed decently, even for a hot dip. She had a large shirt on and brown shorts, so there was no reason for him to be feeling like he was, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't. Besides, it wasn't only now. It got harder for him to look at her for long periods these days. Just another of her effects on him to add to his list.

"It's great to go for dips every once in a while," she commented, and he was forced to look.

He nodded.

"Are you sure? You don't even look like you're enjoying this!" she pouted.

"Hn," he commented.

"Come on, smiiile, Neji," she grinned, pulling his cheek so that his lips would arch upwards, but fell back dejectedly when he only rose a brow at her. "Pft. You're no fun," she stuck out her tongue, before gazing around the large pool. "Oh I know," she grinned, moving closer to him, causing a slight blush to rise to his cheeks that, thankfully, she didn't notice.

She pointed to the other side of the pool where Gai and Lee were busy playing a game of pulling each other down to the water. The pair always looked silly, but something about the way they gasped for air, water dripping down their face, made them, if possible, look even funnier.

Despite himself, Neji couldn't help but smile.

"There," she grinned back. "You should be happy. It's your birthday," she smiled.

"Hmp," he smirked at her. "I don't need to watch them to be happy, and you know that."

She grinned again, silently agreeing. He didn't need to smile to show her he was happy. She could see it in his eyes, like he also saw it in hers. She looked away then, trying to hide the slight blush on her cheeks. She might have been over thinking things, of course, but she would see that glint in her eyes even more than usual whenever they were alone, just like in this moment now. She didn't want to entertain the thought however; she didn't want to hope on something that would never happen.

"Thank you, Tenten," he said suddenly, causing her to look back to him.

"Huh?" she asked, surprised.

"Thank you," he repeated, looking straight at her. "For this," he gestured to what they were doing now. It was all her plan of course, the getaway, the pool.

She blushed again from the intensity of his gaze, this time not bothering to hide it. "You're welcome," she mumbled.

Not only for his birthday, though. For everything she was to her, he wanted to say. There were so many things he wanted to say. Three words especially, that he had saved for today, again remembering that it was his birthday. And remembering how people got away with so many things during their birthdays. That was the reason he had reserved the words for today, so that maybe, if she wouldn't reciprocate his feelings, she would soften the blow a bit more for him. Still, he wanted to be positive. If it was a birthday gift that he would ask for to be granted, it would be that she feel the same. He had suspected feelings from her, long before, but he might have easily mistaken them for admiration. And he would not pull back today.

"Tenten, I have something to tell you," he began, when everything—even the noise Gai and Lee were making—seemed to quiet. "I think... I..." he began, turning away, because he couldn't bare to look at her face now. "I love you," he said decidedly, cringing as he awaited for an answer.

Surprisingly, though, no answer came.

He waited for a while still not looking, and beginning to get worried—and the he heard a splash beside him. Quick as lightning, he turned around, only to see the brown haired kunoichi arising from the deep water, just as he had watched his other two teammates earlier. She gasped for breath, a few locks of brown hair falling damply to her face. "Lee!" she laughed, when she had wiped the water from her face. Shouting to the bowl haired boy also arising from the pool.

"Got you, our youthful flower!" he laughed, before swimming back to their sensei with a big thumbs up.

She chuckled again at their playfulness, but her cheerfulness soon disappeared when he saw the horrified look on Neji's face. "N-neji?" she asked, worried. "I'm sorry, Lee surprised me there," she hurried to explain. Then putting on a serious face, "what were you saying?" she asked, attentively.

"..."

"Neji...?"

He sighed. A long, deep sigh that seemed to last for hours. "Nothing," he said finally.

She cocked her head to the side. "Are you sure?" she asked, curiously. "You seemed pretty serious, and I lost you at the word 'tell,'" she explained.

"It's getting dark," he indicated to the now gray sky.

She looked curiously, and nodded in agreement. But she could tell that there was something he had yet to say. She smiled at him, then. And, quickly—before she lost her courage—gave him a quick peck on his cheek. "Happy Birthday, Neji," she told him breathlessly, and then quickly disappearing as she left the pool.

He remained stunned for a few minutes, sitting motionless as he processed the scene that had just occurred.

He smiled then. Grinning, more like. And his hand swept gently over his cheek, trying to maintain the heat and warmth that had been there.

He looked to the door she had disappeared to, before standing up to follow her. It was his birthday, after all. He would be allowed second chances.

END

AN: Ooooh shit. Only now do I realize that I've already worked on the idea (chapter 23). I only hope that this is different enough for you to appreciate it.

P.S. I still need suggestions for future chapters. Thanks!

Review, dearies?