I love you.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

She blinked. In a way she couldn't believe the words that just flew out of his mouth. It was so unlike Neji to say something like that to her. But he was serious; the look on his face was anxious. Tenten pursed her lips together unsure how she felt about the situation. They had spent their day off relaxing at their respected homes. Then he came knocking on her door and they took a walk to the lake. There was a comfortable silence before he said it. And boy was she shocked.

"Neji..." She looked at him, a bit unsure.

The Hyuga himself wasn't too sure how to explain himself. He was never good with feelings. He always surpassed them, but slipped from time to time. For some reason, and for the first time in his life, he was speechless. Painfully speechless. Standing there he just looked at her for a reaction. His chest was pounding uneasily and he wasn't sure if he had done the right thing. Granted, he did know that Tenten had feelings for him (thank Lee and Shikamaru for that paid info), but was it too much?

"I..." He started.

She looked away from him.

"Uh..." Shit, say something genius.

Tenten sighed to herself.

"How sudden," she said.

Neji blinked, his chest still pounding and now he was clenching his teeth. He was hoping her feelings would match his. But it didn't seem as though that was the case. Perhaps it was too soon? It wasn't like they were dating to begin with. They were teammates...best friends...flirting with each maybe she did feel the same way, but couldn't process it.

"I..." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry."

More silence.

Neji's hands balled into fists. Great, he thought. She probably thought of him lowly now; a feat he had ever since he turned fourteen and started having feelings for her. He was just about to turn and walk away when a hand grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Why are you apologizing?" She asked.

He didn't look at her.

"For inconveniencing you." Was his reply.

Tenten's eyes went wide as she bit her lip.

"Look at me." She murmured.

He didn't move.

"Neji, look at me." She pressed on.

He slowly turned his head to her. Grabbing her hand, he brought it up to his chest. He wanted her to feel how fast and hard his heart was beating. The sensation was incredible, the bun head thought.

"Where did this come from?" She asked referring to his confession.

Neji's face became sad. He wanted to tell her how he felt before anything were to happen to him. He was a jonnin now, which meant more dangerous activity. Neji wanted to make sure she knew what was eating at him for the past two years before it was too late.

"Just in case," the Hyuga said. " one day, I don't come home with my eyes open."

Tenten blinked. She felt her eyes getting watery at his explanation. Her hands turned into fists and she pounded on his chest.

"You idiot." She trembled. "How could you say that?!"

Neji was unsure what to do at this moment. The girl he loved was about to burst into tears and he couldn't think of anything to say to comfort her. On top of that, she hadn't given him a response. Wrapping his arms around her, the Hyuga pressed himself against her and paused. Tenten didn't pull away, so he squeezed her.

"I'm sorry." He repeated.

"I didn't want to make you cry."

Tenten nuzzled herself into his chest. She hated the thought that one day he wouldn't return to her alive. She accepted that, but she didn't want to think about it.

"I love you, Tenten." He whispered. "Please don't cry."

The weapons mistress shook her head. No, she wasn't going to cry, she thought to herself while holding back the tears. After a minute or so, Tenten looked up at him. Neji had his eyes on her, a face full of mixed emotions that she had never seen before. Blinking, she realized he was waiting for her answer. Tenten knew she couldn't live with herself if she didn't return her feeling that she had bottled up for years. Taking a deep breath, she spoke.

"I'm not to sure what love is. The kind of love you have for me could be the same as I have for you; I can't say."

Neji waited, seeing her thinking face.

"But, I know my kind of love is that I can't bare to think of you leaving me. I can't imagine my life if we weren't together. I'd probably never get over myself if you were to leave me. I imagine us together. Always together."

The Hyuga let out a breath he was holding. He brought his lips down to hers in a kiss.

"Of course," Neji whispered.

"I love you, Neji." She said. "Don't you ever put that thought in my mind again."

The Hyuga smiled and kissed her again.

"I won't."