Sunlight shined through Tenten's home, illuminating her bed where she and Neji lay together, wrapped in each others arms.

Had there not been an alarm clock in her room, they might've stayed blissfully asleep.

The clock went off and Tenten opened her eyes slightly to find her head resting on Neji's chest. Her body tensed up. She wanted to scream; to hit him even.
But he felt so warm up against her in the chilly room. They had long since kicked the covers off, and had then gone to each other for warmth.

However, the blissful feeling she once had was replaced by reality the moment Neji opened his eyes.

He shifted before sitting up straight, rubbing his eyes in the process.

He looked down at Tenten, causing her to blush slightly and give a slight smile. Neji stayed indifferent despite enjoying her slightly adorable look. "Morning," he said softly, scooting out of bed.

Tenten dropped her smile and said, "Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Well enough," he replied, stretching his arms, "How about you?"

She giggled a bit and said, "I slept well. You were quite warm."

Neji blushed at Tenten's statement and nodded, turning to look at her. "Well... You weren't so cold yourself," he replied, allowing himself to smile softly in front of her.

She blushed hard before slipping out of bed and stretching herself. "Guy Sensei and Lee should be here soon. I made sure to set the alarm thirty minutes prior." Neji nodded and walked towards the bedroom door, opening it and walking towards his clothes.

'What a blur,' he thought, 'Did... Did last night even happen?' He slipped on his pants and turned over his shoulder to find Tenten watching him.

When she realized he noticed, she shut the door quickly, causing Neji to shake his head in confusion.

'Sometimes,' He thought, slipping his shirt on, 'I 'm afraid to know what runs through her mind.'

Neji gripped his forehead as sudden pain lashed through, worse than it had before.

It seemed like it continued to get worse every time and there was little he could do about it.

Whatever the pain was leading to, Neji didn't like it.

It reminded him to ask Hiashi a few questions when he got back home. He sighed and grabbed his forehead protector, slipping it on and glancing at his reflection for only a quick second. He officially didn't trust mirrors and it only helped to remind him about his nightmares.

'I'd never hurt Tenten like that,' Neji thought, 'even if my heart stopped beating.'

Tenten's heart raced suddenly as she leaned up against the door.

She was losing her damn mind. 'It was just one night, I bet. He was just feeling sorry,' she thought, walking to her dresser. 'No way he'd ever truly care for me like that. Don't kid yourself Tenten.'

She rubbed her forehead, feeling a slight headache creep up.

She groaned and shook her head. She needed to train but the pain in her arms and legs told her otherwise. It would indeed be a few days until Tenten could get back to training, but the real question was, why stop the whole team from training?

She knew for sure that Might Guy and the boys were up to something. She knew it wasn't her birthday and figured it wasn't because of something that happened back then.

'So why?' she thought.

She opened her drawer and reached for her usual green pants, when she stopped herself. For some reason, she didn't feel like wearing pants. She wanted something loose on her.

'Why should I wear pants if I'm not even going to train,' she thought, pulling out a dress she rarely wore, 'I'm tired of looking like a tomboy, for crying out loud.'

With a slightly painful grunt, she lifted the dress over her arms and slipped it on.

She looked into her closet and pulled out a pair of matching slip-ons. Once she properly put them on, she walked out the room and huffed. Her hair was still down, but she didn't even feel like putting it up.

When Neji turned around, he blushed, almost hard. She reacted to his reaction by blushing as well.

"H-Hi," she said, feeling really uncomfortable. Neji nodded and said, "Hello. You look... Different."

She giggled and said, "Yeah, I guess I do look different. I felt I should dress in something a little more comfortable today since I wouldn't be training." Neji nodded and drank in the sight of her. He didn't even realize he was doing so until she ended up smiling shyly.

Neji cleared his throat and said, "I'm not quite sure if Guy had something planned for us or not, but since today's an off day, what do you plan on doing?" Tenten looked up thoughtfully. "I don't know," she stated honestly, "but I do know that I need to pay Hinata and the others a visit. How about we go and visit a few shinobi with Lee if Sensei has nothing planned?" Neji hesitated.

Being around his cousin was always awkward and he never cared for the teammates she worked with, especially Kiba Inuzuka.

However, Tenten seemed to like that idea, so with a slight nod, Neji said, "Sure. Sakura had mentioned you yesterday, so why not?"

Tenten giggled and looked towards the door as the doorbell had rung.

Neji inwardly groaned and proceeded towards the door, not at all ready to face his teammate and teacher.

~

Lee continued to walk on his hands as he, Neji, and Tenten headed for the flower shop.

Neji did his best to ignore Lee's ridiculousness all the while Tenten was cheering him on.
He shook his head and watched the both of them as they carried on with their shenanigans.

"Yo," a voice called out.

They all turned their heads to see Shikamaru and Choji walking down the way.

Tenten waved and said, "Hey, Daydreamer!" Shikamaru blinked for a moment before saying, "You have your hair down? That's unusual."

She nodded and said, "We're taking a break from training so I decided to leave it down. I know, it's weird." Shikamaru nodded before saying, "Where are you three headed off to?"

"The flower shop," Neji replied flatly.

Choji smiled and said, "Ino's down there if you wanted to talk, Tenten. I've been hearing that they've been worried about you."
She nodded and said, "Neji informed me earlier this morning."

Shikamaru nodded and glanced at Neji momentarily before saying, "Oh, did you guys hear that shrieking the night before last?"

Tenten shuddered and nodded before saying, "Whatever made that sound attacked me the same night."

Choji looked at her, stopping himself from munching on another chip. Shikamaru's eyebrows lowered as he said, "That's anything but good. Are you alright?" Tenten nodded and said, "Just slight gashes on my legs and waist. Nothing too brutal."

Choji smiled wide and said, "That's great. Why don't we all head down to the flower shop?"

The trio nodded and walked with Choji and Shikamaru down the trail.

As they closed in on the store, Neji had noticed Hinata's team stationed down there as well, which made him all the more irritated.

It's not that he hated them; they were just annoying, Kiba mostly. He found kiba's rudeness annoying about anything else. To him, it felt as if Kiba was always asking for a fight.

Hinata caught sight of them and waved them over, smiling softly.
Ino and Sakura turned their heads and smiled as well. S
hino merely glanced and then continued studying a bug as Akamaru barked and whined softly.

"Ey, what's up," Kiba asked, turning to look at Neji and the rest. Tenten giggled and waved, causing Ino, Hinata, Sakura, and Kiba to give second looks.

"Now there's a change," Kiba said, "who finally managed to get you to keep your hair down, Tenten?"

She laughed and said, "Myself, thank you very much!"

Sakura giggled and said, "It's a good look on you. Makes me wish I had my long hair again."

Ino nodded in agreement and said, "So how was your guys' anniversary yesterday?"

Tenten's smile faded as she looked towards Neji for an answer. Neji knew that look and said, "It didn't go exactly as planned. Tenten was attacked the night before and we found her unconscious on her porch. We believe that whatever screeched that night was responsible."

As the words flowed out of Neji's mouth, he realized he never did hear what the creature sounded like.

That realization left him feeling a bit disconcerted.

Hinata looked worried and Sakura said, "But you're okay right? You seem okay. Was there any internal damage?"

Tenten shook her head and said, "No, I'm fine really. I was shaken up but it seems like whatever it was isn't around anymore. I'll just have to be better prepared next time."

Ino nodded and said, "You really should consider moving in an apartment nearby." Tenten shrugged and replied, "Maybe. I'll think about it." Neji shook his head, agreeing with what Ino stated.

It was dangerous to live outside the village and away from the watchful eyes.

Kiba snorted and said, "As long as Tenten keeps training, I think she'll be fine. She lives where she wants to." Tenten nodded in agreement.

Neji found himself saying, "But she can't always handle things on her own. There's no telling when and if she'll get attacked again, and by whom."
"Well you're not her parent so you can't really say anything, now can you," Kiba said, smirking. Neji saw that as a challenge of not only his logic, but bait for a fight.

"I may not be her parent," Neji said, almost glaring at Kiba, "but I AM her teammate. I am one of her friends and I won't simply sit back and watch her as she hurts herself." Kiba scoffed and said, "Friend? Loose term for you, Hyuga. You're always lifting your nose up at others and saying this and that. You don't even care much for Hinata, yet you say that about Tenten?"

Neji grit his teeth as his shoulders tensed up. Hinata exclaimed, "K-Kiba!! You went too far!!"

Tenten looked from Kiba to Neji, unsure of which side she should take.

Kiba was simply amused that he pressed a button; a big button at that.

The rest of the young shinobi had slightly backed up from the scene and it didn't take long for Tenten to realize that Neji was about to explode.

"Let's just calm down here, there's no reason to be going back and forth," Tenten said quietly but firmly.

Neji glanced at Tenten and asked, "He's right, isn't he?" Tenten was caught off guard by Neji's question and stammered before going quiet completely.

Neji shook his head and turned to walk away.

"That's what I thought," Neji said before walking elsewhere.

"Kiba you're an idiot," Ino said, looking in the direction Neji had walked towards. Kiba shrugged and said, "I simply stated the truth that everyone knows."

Tenten sighed softly and looked down, unsure whether she should agree or defend Neji.

Up until recently, Neji had been a bane in her existence, and three days ago, she would've agreed.

Hinata said, "Kiba. You're wrong. Neji does care about me. He's treated me better in the past several months than he did in the Chunin Exams. He does care about me and he does care about both Tenten and Lee."

Tenten looked up, shocked to find that Hinata was defending Neji.
She knew that their relationship had gotten better, but not like that.

Kiba winced at her words and said, "Okay, okay, so maybe I was out of turn in saying that. I'm sorry." "Tell it to Neji," Hinata said, frowning slightly.

Sakura giggled slightly, glancing at Ino and Tenten, and finding that Tenten looked slightly distraught.

"Tenten," she said softly, "what's your opinion on Neji, since you're around him a lot?"

Tenten sighed softly and said, "I don't know... He's.... Neji's strange. I'm kinda confused. I should go look for him."

Sakura gave Tenten a sideways glance before nodding and saying, "Be careful, okay?" Tenten nodded and took off running in the direction Neji went off to.

Ino glanced at Shino and Shikamaru and asked, "What do you think she meant by 'I'm kinda confused?' She should already know, right?"

Shikamaru simply shrugged, but Shino said, "Something happened between them, probably right before or after her incident." Sakura frowned and said, "I wish I knew more. I guess I'll have to ask her when she returns."

While Sakura and Ino continued to discuss things concerning Neji and Tenten, Tenten searched around for the young Hyuga, but found nothing and ended up wandering for almost an hour.

When she finally found him, she found that he was in the middle of their training grounds.

Neji was practicing; his body almost a blur as he attacked one tree and went to another. Several other trees looked dented and limbs were taken off. Tenten had never seen him so angry before.

She took a step forward before noticing that he looked different.

His skin looked paler than normal; a slight growl coming out of his mouth.

It frightened Tenten but it didn't stop her from saying, "Neji...?" He stopped moving suddenly, almost skidding in the dirt and creating a dust cloud.

He glared at her, his eyes glowing red, and it almost stopped Tenten's breath.

The eye color changed back to normal as Neji realized it was her. He straightened his posture and looked at her, trying to control his breathing in the process.

She looked at him for a moment before opening her mouth again, "Neji... You... You didn't have to get all worked up like that. You already know what and who you are. You already know Hinata means a lot to you. Same for Lee and I. We all know you care, even if sometimes we get angry."

Neji continued to stare at her blankly so Tenten sighed and said, "Say something at least. You just walked off when you could've ignored him."

"You mean the way you ignore me, Tenten," Neji asked. She was taken aback. "I don't," She started out, but went quiet, knowing he was right.

"That's what I thought," he said, turning around, "I know how you think of me. You despise me. Hate me behind my back and front a smile, all because you can't handle an insult." Tenten felt hurt but she couldn't deny what he was saying.

"It's all in how I say it, right," he growled, balling up his hands, "Well let me make this VERY clear, Tenten. If you can't handle criticism or an insult, then I guess you don't have a backbone; you're just as weak.  So don't you dare try to tell me to calm down when you run home crying because I 'made fun of you.' Because I told you that you suck at fighting or because you obviously don't think properly."

Tenten balled up her hands, fighting back tears as a familiar anger and hate grew deep inside her.

"If you would stop leaving your head in the ground and maybe think for a second before opening your mouth, then maybe I wouldn't tend to run home crying," Tenten snapped, her voice cracking, "We're one in the same Neji! Because you tend to open your mouth before thinking as well!! You let anger take over! You can't stand over my shoulder and watch everything I do like a parent!"

Neji shot back, "Well maybe if you had ANY parent in general then maybe I wouldn't have to!!"

Before he could stop himself, he brought a fist to Tenten's face, sending her flying up against a tree. He never remembered being so unstable and angry in his life. Tenten curled up against the tree, holding her cheek and beginning to cry.

Neji watched her as she came undone, unable to move or say anything. She glared up at him despite her sight being blurred by tears.

"Leave," she said, her voice quiet but stern, "go away, just like you always do! Leave me alone to cry! We'll forget about this tomorrow, just like always! Just like you always did to me! While I was left to remember every damn bruise you gave me!"

Neji stared down at her, coming undone.

She laid her head in her arms and cried hard, curled up against the tree.

Neji simply turned around and walked away as tears of anger, fear, and sadness started coming down his own eyes.

~

Lee looked over his shoulder and sighed.

It had been almost two hours since both his teammates left and he knew that they wouldn't be coming back.

He smiled at Sakura and Ino and said, "I should be going to look for my teammates now.

Ino said, "My dad is nearby, so we'll just come with you."
Kiba nodded at Hinata and said, "We're coming with as well."
Lee grinned and said, "Let's split into teams then. Hinata-chan, are you okay with looking for Neji?" Hinata nodded and Ino said, "I'll come with her."
Sakura giggled and said, "Then I'll join you and Kiba."

Kiba shrugged and looked up at Akamaru, who was fast asleep.

The five then split ways as Shino stayed behind, shaking his head. 'Something's not right,' he thought as he looked up.

While Hinata and Ino raced to find Neji, it didn't take long for Lee, Sakura, and Kiba to find Tenten up against the tree; holding back tears and failing miserably.

"Tenten," Sakura said softly.

She looked up at the three young shinobi, her lips quivering as she began to lose her composure once more. Lee crouched beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Tenten," he said softly, "what happened?"

Tenten shook her head, bursting into sobs as she gripped her hair in frustration.

"It's Neji," she spat out, "It's always Neji! Always him helping to make my life a living hell!! I always gave him my support and trust, but it was all for nothing!! He's a stuck up bastard, Lee!! He'll never say sorry; never admit he's hurt me so many times!!"

Sakura covered her mouth with both hands; Kiba simply staying quiet as Akamaru whined on top of his head.

Lee rubbed her back gently and said, "You just can't change some people, Tenten... I'm sorry."

She shook her head and replied, "I'd rather die than see him again..."

Sakura's eyes widened as she practically yelled, "Don't say that, Tenten!! He's just an idiot, don't mind him!!"
Tenten stood up and glared at Sakura; tears streaming down her cheeks. "I can't just 'not mind him' anymore!! I love him!!"

She took off running before Lee and the others could stop or question her.

She had had enough of talking to anyone about the Hyuga.

She had tried so hard to shove thought of Neji away for the longest, but now it was torment for her, and she couldn't hold back how she truly felt.

She didn't want to love someone who didn't feel the same. She didn't want to have feelings for someone who'd hurt her.

~

Neji dipped his whole head in the cool water flowing near Tenten's house.

He wasn't sure how he had made it there, but he knew it wasn't for her. Not for the lost girl. Maybe he was just as lost, but he didn't want to think about it.

Neji didn't want to think about anything.

He lifted his head and stayed still as his now-damp hair flowed gently with the light breeze. He was soaking his shirt but that mattered little to him. He looked down at his hands before looking at his reflection. 

'Nothing out of the ordinary,' he thought, 'except for me.'

He sighed and stood up before noticing something yet again different about his reflection. The same image he saw earlier that morning had once again appeared before him.

Neji quickly turned before rubbing his forehead; his fingers grazing over the curse mark.

He realized that it might've been best to go to his uncle about his visions before they got worse. However, as he turned around, he saw Ino and Hinata running towards him. He figured it was about his leaving so he stood as they slowly came to a stop before him.

"Neji," Hinata said, "you're alright. We were worried about you and Tenten."

Neji tensed up before saying, "I'm fine. She might be; I don't know. Your search was for nothing."

Hinata looked elsewhere as Ino huffed and stated, "You idiot, you had us worried more than we needed to be. And we figured, or at least hoped that Tenten was with you. Or did she ever find you?"

Neji didn't feel like talking about their meeting and simply said, "Yes, she did. But our meeting ended short as she had left for other reasons."

Ino nodded slightly and said, "Well, we're glad you're alright. Did you want to walk with us back to the flower shop?"

Neji shook his head and replied, "I have business to handle with my uncle. Now, excuse me."

After saying that, he walked past them, putting his forehead protector back on.

Ino put a hand to her mouth slightly and watched as he left.

Hinata sighed and shook her head, looking at Ino in a sad manner. Ino, who was more than confused by her face, asked, "What's wrong, Hinata?"

Hinata sighed and said softly, "He's in pain. It doesn't show easily, but something's eating at him. It could be Tenten, but I don't know. Something else has been happening; more than he's let on."

Ino sighed and said, "I'll say. He didn't even bother to put on his protector until AFTER he left. Do you think he'll be alright?"

Hinata looked at Ino and sighed softly. "I don't know," she almost whispered, "but I fear for him." Ino smiled softly and put her hand on top of Hinata's head. "Me too, Hinata," she said, "Me too."

~

Neji stood before his uncle, having told him everything in a manner of haste and slight desperation.

Hiashi kept himself composed despite the panic running through him and tried to think of a way to explain to Neji just what was happening to him.

Neji felt it was out of line to try and interrupt his uncle while he was deep in thought.
Hiashi finally stopped and turned towards Neji, sighing softly. "I'm quite unsure of how to explain this to you... I feel it's best if you looked through the scrolls yourself." Neji was confused.

"Scrolls?"

Hiashi nodded and began to walk, waving for his nephew to follow. They walked down the halls quietly; Neji not once asking where they were going. They were turning down halls he'd never seen before; going through doors he was sure never existed before.

And all throughout their mini journey, Neji kept getting weird sideways glances from other Hyuga; even ugly looks.

He paid little attention to the looks, but he did have to wonder why he was looked at that way.

Finally, Hiashi stopped short, and Neji almost ran into him due to him staying close behind his uncle. "We are here," Hiashi said softly. He opened a door and walked in, waiting for Neji to walk in before closing and locking the door behind him.

He then flicked on a light, revealing a room full of bookshelves with assorted books, papers, scrolls, and the like.

Neji turned to his uncle and asked, "To save you the trouble, where are they located?"

Hiashi silently pointed towards the second to last tall bookshelf before opening the door. "The bottom shelf is where the scrolls are located. I will be outside if you need me," he said softly, before walking out and shutting the door.

Neji took a deep breath and quietly walked towards the bookshelf, leaning down and pulling out a dusty, small box.

It was never touched, it seemed, and Neji felt curiosity sinking in.

He grabbed a nearby cloth and started removing the dust and cobwebs, untying the ribbon around it and opening it.

Inside lay three scrolls; each one purposely numbered, as if telling him which he should read first.

With great hesitation, he reached for the first scroll and opened it, his breathing going quiet.

As his eyes slowly wandered from the top of the scroll to the bottom, he found his hands shaking. Neji shuddered and set the scroll down, taking his forehead protector off and rubbing his forehead.

'It doesn't make sense,' he thought, 'None of it does!!'

He took a deep breath and pulled out the second scroll, reading it from top to bottom and once again feeling the same fear and uncertainty he felt when walking into the Hyuga Compound.

Neji wasn't sure he could bear looking at the last scroll and simply backed himself up against the wall.

His breathing was becoming uncontrollable as he struggled to comprehend what he read. "Uncle," he said softly, looking towards the door. Slowly but surely, it opened, and in came Hiashi.

He slowly made his way towards Neji before sitting in front of him cross-legged.

Neji looked up at him in anger, fear, and above all, disbelief.

"Why," Neji started out, trying to keep his voice from cracking, "why did you keep this from me for so long?"

Hiashi stated flatly, "Your father wanted me to wait until the time was right. Had you never had the nightmares, or envisioned your... other-worldly state, I would've kept it from you even longer. He felt it was necessary to only show you if you showed the signs."

Neji shook his head in disbelief and said, "I... I can't be that. Things like that don't exist, Uncle." Hiashi said, "Oh but they do, dear nephew. Do not think of me and your late father as sick, twisted beings. Your mother, however..."

Neji found himself angry at his retort. "Uncle," he said, standing up abruptly, "so what you're saying is... I'm... I'm that?" Hiashi nodded and said, "Yes... Just like your mother."

Neji grit his teeth and turned around; his hands gripping his own arms in self-comfort.

"Uncle," he said quietly; shakily, "I hurt Tenten earlier today... My teammate. I don't know if I should confront her about it."

Hiashi looked up at Neji and watched as he tried to maintain his anger and confusion. Hiashi said and said, "If you want to tell her, I will not stop you. However, I will advise being careful about your anger. It will be uncontrollable and above all, dangerous. You must be wary of getting into any spars or fights, for it will cause your... Bloodthirst to become uncontrollable as well."

Neji turned to look at his uncle and nodded slightly, keeping his composure in place even if inside, he was falling apart in fear; fear that would soon overwhelm him if he didn't learn how to control it.

~

Hinata smiled shyly as Ino and Sakura put flowers in her hair.

The trio was picking flowers to take to Tenten's house, feeling that she might need the cheering up, when Neji walked by, clearly disturbed.

Hinata watched as he walked by and paid no attention to them. Sakura stood up and asked, "Was that Neji?"

Hinata nodded and said, "Something's on his mind... I feel I should go talk to him, do you girls mind?"

They both shook their heads and seconds later Hinata took off after her cousin. "Neji," she called out, running towards him, "Neji, wait up!!" Neji turned around to look at his cousin.

"Hinata," he said softly. She looked at him and asked, "What's wrong, Neji?" He shook his head and replied, "Nothing is, Hinata. I'm simply in thought." "Yeah," she said, "what are you thinking about so much then?" Neji shook his head and replied, "Nothing worth mentioning."

"It is worth mentioning if your face looks like that," Hinata said.

Neji looked confused. He asked, "What face?" "You look disturbed, Neji-san," Hinata said, almost angrily, "and you hardly look like that. Please, I beg of you. Tell me what's wrong."

Neji sighed softly and said, "Let us find someplace quiet, alright?" H

inata agreed and followed Neji as he led her to a quiet area a good distance away from the village; one with few trees and surrounding waters.

It was a place few knew about and for Neji it was a place he could find his mind in one piece. Hinata looked around in awe and smiled shyly towards Neji. N

eji barely smiled back before sitting up against one of the trees close to the water.

"Hinata," he said softly, "something's wrong with me." She looked at him in concern before sitting next to him.

"And what might that be, Neji?" she asked softly.

He sighed before rubbing his forehead. He asked, "Would you believe me if I said I wasn't who I thought I was?"

Hinata looked at him, unsure of what to say. He continued, "I'm... I'm not just human. I'm something else... Something I thought didn't exist." Hinata held her breath and kept eye contact with him.

"I read in scrolls left by my father... For me. They pertained to my mother and the past."

"Your mother," Hinata said, surprised.

Neji nodded and said, "Yes. As it turns out... She wasn't just a shinobi and a Hyuga... She was a monster." Hinata shivered and repeated, "Monster...?"

He nodded and said, "A vampire. That's what she was." She sat up straighter and said, "A vampire? I thought creatures like those didn't exist?"
"They do," he replied, "and from what I've been seeing... From what I've read... I'm one of them. I'm a vampire. Or at least, at the first stage of transforming into one."

Hinata shuddered, looking at her cousin in confusion and fear. Neji didn't blame her. Anyone might've reacted that way after hearing something as fabled as that.

"So you're a vampire... W-Will you have to suck blood or stay away from garlic?" Neji sighed and replied, "I'm unsure. There were three scrolls, but I've yet to read the last one. I'm afraid of what I'll find on there."

Hinata sighed and looked at Neji. He wasn't the type to fib or joke around, she knew that much. But it bothered her to know that deep down, he was possibly a monster. Neji stood up and looked down at Hinata.

"I know it must sound unrealistic and absurd, but trust me when I say I'm not lying to you. I've been seeing things and dreaming about harming my comrades. And one of my dreams almost came true today... Kiba made me really angry with what he said and all I could think about was harming him. I left because I was afraid of hurting someone. And when Tenten followed me, I almost hurt her as well. No... I did hurt her. I hurt her emotionally... I put my hands on her."

Hinata hung on to his every word, feeling frozen even though her heart was still beating.

She wondered if he could hear her heartbeat.

"You... You should go apologize to her," Hinata said softly, "and mean it this time. Otherwise, neither of you will move on." H

e looked down at her and shook his head, saying, "Even if I did, she'd never believe me. I think I really messed up this time."

"Then you need to prove to her that you really do mean it," she replied, standing up and turning to him, "Take your time to see that she's happy. That she isn't lonely. That's how she's been feeling, Neji."

Neji nodded and said, "Yes, I know. Guy had asked me to investigate and find out why she's feeling that way, but after today... I'm back to square one. Then again, I never really did take a step with her. It's only been about three days."

Hinata looked out at the crystal waves of the water as the sun shined down on them, her voice quiet as she spoke, "Did you know she loves you?"

Neji glanced at her in surprise. He asked, "Tenten?"

Hinata nodded and continued, "She expressed it before crying and running off. It would also explain the way she was acting and how she did act at one time. I guess she never got over you."

Neji inwardly groaned and leaned up against the tree, sighing heavily. '

If that's the case,' Neji thought, 'then I really did mess up this time.'

Hinata looked at Neji once more and said, "You can fix this, Neji. Slowly, but in time she'll forgive you. But you have to put an effort into it for her to really believe you."

Neji nodded once more before closing his eyes. He wanted her to forgive him.

Even though his actions weren't entirely his own, he knew that his own inner anger fumed out. He was getting tired of hurting and watching her get hurt. Neji could only hope his patience would agree with him, for Tenten was not an easy person to deal with.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was all in his head. Maybe Tenten was calling out for help. If that was the case, then pride or not, irritation or not, he would answer her call. But how?

~~~

Note(7/3/2015): I changed Neji's strike area from her stomach to her face. #MessingWithFeels Once again, grammar is fixed and the picture has been put.