Neji's eyes opened wide as he panicked, sitting up seconds before realizing he wasn't in pain anymore.

Hiashi and Hinata sat before him; worry planted on both their faces.

He shook his head dizzily and looked at his cousin and uncle in confusion.

"Neji, you're okay," Hinata said happily. Neji looked at her, unsure if he should feel safe by those words, or afraid.

Her smile went away and she asked, "Do you not remember?" Neji didn't know what she was talking about. 'What don't I remember-' 

Neji started shaking in slight fear and anger as he spoke, "That woman! Who was she, where is she?!"

Hinata shrunk and Hiashi placed his hands firmly on Neji's shoulders, saying, "Neji, calm down. What are you talking about?" Neji looked up at his uncle and said, "There... There was a woman. I remember falling down in so much pain... I thought my seal was activated but it was something else. I remember seeing a woman with short hair... She was a Hyuga."

Hiashi hung on to his every word, becoming tense and more worried than he was beforehand.

Neji continued, "She stabbed her hand with what looked like a claw and made me drink her blood. I don't know why she did that, but afterwards, the pain left me. But I have a migraine now."

Hiashi nodded slowly, studying Neji. He looked fine on the outside, but it was the inside Hiashi was worried about. Hinata looked frightened.

"Neji-San, are you going to be alright?" she asked. Neji looked at her and nodded. "Yes, I'll be fine. But I have to go now, the team is grouping up."

Hiashi, concerned for his safety, was about to order him to sit tight, but it was just a headache for the time being. If Hiashi found Neji's condition got worse, then he would have to stay put.

Hiashi nodded and watched as Neji got up and stretched before walking towards the door leading into the halls.

Before he exited the room, he turned and looked over his shoulder at Hiashi.

Hiashi nodded and smiled slightly before Neji could say anything. Neji couldn't help but to smile back as he left the room.

Hiashi dropped his smile and looked at Hinata. Hinata looked at him and asked, "Will he be okay? That's very strange for one of our own to do that."
Hiashi shook his head and said, "Everything will be fine Hinata. I assure you. But for now, just keep an eye on him, and inform me of any changes in general."

Hinata nodded and smiled a little. But deep down, she was just as worried as he was.

~

Neji groaned and rubbed his forehead.

Whatever that Hyuga woman did, he was sure it wasn't anything positive.

He was expecting his teammates to be at their most hyper, and wasn't sure if he could muster the strength to handle it.
However, snapping at his teammates and teacher might do some good for everyone, but it was not in his place to try that.

Along the way, he ended up running into Sakura and Ino near the flower shop.

Ino batted her eyelashes and said, "Nice seeing you around Neji."

He rolled his eyes. Ino still tried from time to time to flirt with him, and he hated it.

Sakura rolled her eyes as well and waved at him, smiling softly. Neji waved back. He never thought much of Sakura. She was a sweet girl with a temper that kept some boys at bay. She also had that obsession with Sasuke before he up and left.

Neji still didn't care to think about that unfortunate day.

Sakura asked, "Where are you off to? Another team meeting?"

Neji nodded a bit and said, "We're celebrating the anniversary of when we became a team." Sakura smiled wide and said, "That's great! Enjoy yourselves, okay? Don't let Lee get drunk." Neji smiled and nodded.

Ino whined, "Aww come on, stay a little longer?" Neji held his temper and said, "I'll pass. Tardiness isn't acceptable today."

Ino was about to open her mouth again, but Sakura covered her mouth, saying, "Tell Tenten to visit us sometime! She seems a bit lonely now and days!" Neji nodded, sprinting off and yelling, "Will do!!"

~

Lonely.

'Is that how Tenten feels?' he wondered.

Surely not; she seemed to get along well with the guys and girls.

However, Sakura wouldn't have asked what she did were that the truth. Neji wondered if Tenten either didn't care for them or if she disliked them.
She didn't spend much time around Hinata either.

If Neji was going to find out anything in general about her, he would need to be on her good side. Neji made a mental note to not scold or insult her as much, as it had become a habit.

They were a bit older now; he should be able to control his tongue.

Neji's legs moved quicker as he made his way towards the training grounds. He had forgotten to bring a meal but he honestly didn't care at that point; he had gone a long time without food before. He looked in the distance and saw Lee and Guy, but Tenten was nowhere in sight.

Neji's eyes almost widened in surprise.

Tenten cared about the team as much as everyone else. In the back of Neji's head, worry built up over the usual annoyance. 'She wouldn't miss this day for the world,' he thought. 'So why isn't she here?'

~

Neji skidded to a stop in front of his team, his mouth moving faster than his mind, "Where's Tenten?"

Lee looked at his teacher and then back at Neji. "We thought she might've been with you," Lee said.

Neji couldn't believe it.

Guy looked around and said, "It's a nice windy day today. It might rain soon, so why don't we go visit Tenten at her home?" Lee nodded and said, "That's a great idea! I've only seen her house a few times."

Guy nodded and lifted the picnic basket he had brought, taking off in the trees.
Lee grinned at Neji and followed his Sensei. Neji stood there for a moment, feeling strangely warm inside.

'It's just Tenten's house you idiot.'

Although it was silly, he couldn't help but feel a slight surge of happiness inside.

Neji proceeded to follow his team into the forest.

'At least if I go, maybe I could ask her a few questions.'

Lee said, "I hope she's doing okay!" Neji nodded and said, "Hn. It isn't really like her to feel down and miss out, is it?" Lee shook his head, leaping ahead of Neji.

"Whatever she's going through, I'm sure we can help her out, not only as her team, but her friends as well," Guy said.

Both boys agreed with their sensei and picked up the pace.

The closer they got, the more hopeful Neji became.

'Maybe nothing was wrong with Tenten', he thought, 'Maybe she just needed cheering up.'

Lee sped ahead and made it to her home first, and was welcomed by a dreadful sight. His smile disappeared quickly as he assessed the situation.

Lee exclaimed, "Tenten!!"

Guy looked at Neji urgently and they both sped up. When the home was in sight, Neji's stomach dropped the moment he looked in the direction of the porch.

Lee was crouching there, holding the brown-haired girl, who was knocked out, bloody, and bruised. Guy rushed to her, checking her injuries and breathing out a sigh of relief moments later.

Neji forced himself to move closer, his breath uneven and short as his eyes locked to her body.

She seemed almost lifeless.

Guy held up his hands and said, "Minor injuries, followed by a light blow to the head. It's nothing we can't handle. Neji, go inside and find bandages quickly." Neji did just that, trying not to stare at the unconscious Tenten.

His mind was racing as he thought of all the reasons she would be attacked by anyone in general.

As he passed a mirror in her house, for a moment he stopped and looked at it. He could've sworn someone paler than him was just in the mirror.

Neji shuddered and quickly found her first-aid kit, heading back outside.

Whatever he saw in the mirror, he didn't like it. And something deep inside him told him that the image wasn't his imagination.

But he couldn't be bothered with that at the moment.

Lee and Neji gently wrapped Tenten up in bandages on her arms, legs, and waist.

Less than an hour later, she came to, and Guy was grinning in relief. Neji, who hadn't left her side since she was bandaged up, looked down at her and studied her as she tried to open her eyes.

She barely managed to say, "N-Neji..."

His eyes widened a bit; he figured the last person she'd ever call out would be him. Her eyelids opened more and she looked directly at Neji, smiling faintly.

Lee said, "Thank goodness you're alright! You had us worried! What happened?"

She shook her head and sat up slightly. She said, "I... I don't know. I remember staying up and training... Someone attacked me. Kinda my height but I couldn't tell. All I remember was hurting everywhere and passing out."

Neji felt like he should reach out and rub her back; give some type of comfort.

He refrained however and simply said, "Whoever hurt you won't get away with it. I assure you, Tenten; we'll find the culprit." She nodded, but her face showed slight disappointment, as if she expected Neji to say something different.

He contemplated on what he could've said differently as he and Lee helped Tenten up on her feet.

Both shinobi slowly walked her to her bedroom. Tenten smiled faintly and said, "Thank you."
Guy walked in and rubbed Tenten's forehead. "You need to stay off of your feet for a bit, so we'll stick around and look after you. It is, after all, our team anniversary."

Tenten smiled wide and replied, "Thank you, Guy Sensei!" He nodded and said, "Lee, come with me and we'll set the lunch I had made for us all!" Lee jumped up and exclaimed, "Alright, Sensei! We'll be back Neji, Tenten!"

Both young shinobi nodded slightly and watched as the duo stormed out of the room.

Tenten looked at Neji for a moment, before looking down at her hands.
Neji watched curiously for a moment before looking elsewhere.

Neither uttered a word for what seemed like a while.
Tenten simply felt out of place, and Neji felt like there wasn't any need to talk.
He wondered if Tenten felt the same, or did she just feel awkward because he was sitting in her bed?

Neji shook his head and asked, "How do you feel, Tenten?"

She smiled a bit and said, "Better. Kind of scared, but more relieved that I didn't die. Whatever it was... It acted more like a confused, wild animal. I couldn't tell if it was a male or female."

Neji nodded a little, looking at her. She looked so tired and frail. He looked back out at the doorway and then at Tenten once more.

With what courage he had left, he grabbed onto Tenten's shoulders and pulled her to him, hugging her gently in the process.

Tenten could feel a blush spread from cheek to cheek in response to his action, but instead of pushing him back like her first instinct said to, she simply relaxed into the hug.

'Even assholes care,' Tenten thought as she closed her eyes and sighed out of exhaustion.

~

When dinner was made, Neji helped Tenten into the kitchen, where they sat and ate with Guy and Lee. Despite the noise out the storming weather outside and chatter, both Neji and Tenten managed to ignore the pain added to their headaches.

When all was said and done, Neji ended up staying with Tenten as Guy and Lee prepared to leave.

"Are you sure you want to stay, Neji? I don't want to be a burden," Tenten said, studying Neji.

He nodded and then turned to his teacher. "If my uncle asks about me, tell him I decided to stay here and watch over her. I want to be here, just in case whoever attacked her might come back."

Guy nodded and said, "You two stay safe and get some rest. I noticed how you both were rubbing your foreheads to no end today."

Tenten glanced at Neji in slight surprise.

She hadn't even noticed.

And even though Neji didn't glance at her, he was just as surprised.
'Why didn't I notice it before?' Neji thought. 

Guy said, "Take care, you two. We'll be back first thing in the morning. And one other thing; we won't be training for a few days so don't worry about that, Tenten."

Both of them nodded and watched as he and Guy left.

Neji turned to look at Tenten and found she was blushing and staring at the ground.

He ignored the blush and said, "Are you tired yet? A bath might help you relax a bit." She blushed harder as she said, "Y-yeah, it might. But... I kinda can't."

Neji was confused.

"Why? I can always wait in the living room for you to finish."

She shook her head as her breathing became irregular. "No... I uh... I can't really move well and getting in and out of the tub will be difficult..."

At first, Neji didn't understand. But when her eyes met his, he found himself blushing hard as well.

She meant that he would have to help her in the tub, wash her, and help her back out. Neji cleared his throat, trying to come up with something logical to say but falling short.

Tenten shook her head and sighed. "Don't worry about it Neji, I don't smell that bad," she said.

"Even so, depriving you of a bath is wrong. You did train last night."

She nodded at his words, unsure on how to react. "I guess so...," she replied. He grabbed her hand gently and said, "Don't worry, I promise not to look as much as possible."

Tenten nodded and allowed Neji to help her into her bedroom. Neji felt really awkward, but he was more than positive that he could help clean her without fully looking. That's what he had hoped.

~

When they got to the bathroom, Neji turned his back to Tenten and began filling up the tub with water, straining to keep from expressing how weird it felt. 

All the while, Tenten started getting undressed as fast as she painfully could.

She didn't know how long Neji would have his back turned, but she didn't want him suddenly turning around and finding her fully naked. However, he stayed still, as if he was waiting for her to say something.

Tenten reached out and wrapped a towel around her naked body, touching the back of his shoulder.

He turned and immediately blushed. She smiled a bit and looked down at her feet.

"I know this is... Awkward for you... But I thank you."

Neji nodded and said, "Hn... Ready to get in?" She nodded and walked towards the tub.

Neji grabbed her arm gently and helped her step in. He then proceeded to slowly unwrap her bandages from the side and look away as she removed the towel from her body. Neji sat on the toilet and closed the shower curtain as she washed herself.

Tenten felt weird cleaning herself knowing that Neji was on the other side of the curtain. But after a few minutes, she relaxed, and started humming as she took her hair down and started washing it.

Neji smiled slightly and swayed a bit to her humming, relaxing a little more.
Tenten stopped humming and said, "Hey, Neji." Neji raised his head and found she had opened the curtains; her chest covered by her cloth and soap. He almost looked away until she asked, "Can you wash my hair?"

He nodded slightly and reached for the shampoo moments before staring at Tenten's hair in slight amazement.

Her hair was long and dark brown, close to a dark chocolate. It was wet and sticking up against her shoulders and back, the ends and then some floating in the water.

Neji was starting to lose his cool and proceeded to wash her hair to hide that fact.

Tenten relaxed and started humming again, which Neji found more than adorable.

It wasn't long before he started rinsing off her hair, raking his fingers in her long, soft strands. He found himself really enjoying the feel and got so lost in caressing her hair that Tenten had to look over her shoulder and at him.

He retracted his hands, feeling a bit ashamed.

She smiled shyly and said, "I think I can rinse myself off now, Neji." He nodded and stood up, closing the curtain and turning around, wondering why everything about her was starting to make him feel...

'Happy.'

~

Tenten sat at the edge of her bed; hair still down and a bit damp.

She looked over at Neji, who was staring outside and watching the rain fall, seemingly in a daze.

He had helped her get dressed and looked away as much as possible when he had to bandage her sides and thigh. He had never touched her so much before and he'd seen more in one night than he ever had in general.

He wasn't the type to peek or fantasize over women much and had no intention of being the curious type for the longest.

He felt like he had violated her in some way, but was sure that everything that he did was the logical and right way to handle the situation.

Everything, but raking his fingers in her hair.

That wasn't part of what he was supposed to do. He wasn't supposed to feel anything for his teammate, other than the fact that she was someone he had to protect.

But since yesterday, he was introduced to situations he wasn't used to, and didn't know if he was handling everything correct or not.

His thoughts were interrupted by movement in Tenten's bed behind him. She had sat up and glanced up at him before looking elsewhere. It confused him greatly. Before he could stop himself, he asked, "Tenten, are you alright?"

Tenten looked at Neji with unsure eyes and replied, "I'm... Fine. Just a bit tired and confused."

Neji straightened up before opening his mouth again, "Confused how?" She shifted slightly before saying, "I'm confused with you... It's not really like you to volunteer to help... Me. I had actually expected Lee to offer."

Neji tried not to be offended by what she said. Even he knew her words were correct; he never really cared to be involved with her.

He simply said, "I felt that maybe you'd like the peace and quiet better." Tenten nodded, knowing he was right about that.

Still, it wasn't adding up for her. '

What is Neji's true intention for being here?' she thought.

Tenten could feel his eyes bearing down on her, as if he expected her to say something. When she didn't, he went back to looking outside.

The rain had stopped considerably and Neji somehow felt the need to stare at the moon while it was in sight. He hadn't even realized Tenten had gotten off the bed until she crouched next to him.

Neji looked down at her as she looked outside the window.

"The view is nice, isn't it," Tenten said softly, "It's even more beautiful when it snows. Frost hits the window but thaws quickly and all you can see is snow. I hope it snows this winter." Neji simply listened in while Tenten spoke. He didn't see the need to interrupt while she told him about the surroundings of her house, as well as the inner detail.

She told him about how the back room always freaked her out because she believed in ghosts.

Neji shook his head and almost found himself chuckling at her. "Ghosts don't exist," he said, smiling slightly at her.

She pouted and said, "Yeah, they are! I see one from time to time! Haven't you ever heard the stories?"

Neji said, "Of course I have, but it's illogical. I mean think about it. If ghosts exist, wouldn't werewolves exist too? Or the boogeyman? Or vampires even? None of them exist, Tenten. They're all stories to make us go to bed on time and never stay out too late. I thought you'd know this by now."

Tenten replied, "Well fine, you keep your head in the dirt. I'll believe what I like."

"You do that then," Neji replied, scoffing and looking back outside.

Afterwards, everything went quiet. Tenten sighed softly. Even if it was something simple, they had found a way to argue about it, and it irked her. Neji heard her sigh and shook his head. Whatever connection they had was gone moments later.

Neji thought maybe he took a step forward with her, but her head was way too in the clouds for him.

He rolled his eyes and looked at her once more, only to find her looking outside sadly.

He was taken aback. Neji didn't know how long he could go on without asking what was truly wrong. When he mustered up the courage to ask her what was bugging her, thunder clapped outside, causing Tenten to squeal and grab onto Neji's waist.

Heat flushed his face quickly as he watched her grip him for dear life.

He somehow found himself smiling at her reaction to the weather outside. Tenten whimpered a bit before realizing just who she was holding onto and let go quickly, backing up. However, before Neji could stop himself, he grabbed onto her arm.

Tenten felt her whole body heat up from his action.

Neji gulped slightly.

He didn't exactly know why he was grabbing onto her. He didn't even want her. But the fading heat had somehow scared him to an extent. Tenten looked up at him and said, "I think we need to rest."

Neji nodded and slowly let go of her, standing up. Tenten said nothing as he walked out the room, shutting the door behind her.

'Didn't even bother to say goodnight,' she thought, walking towards her bed. 'But then again... Neither did I...'

~

Neji continued to toss and turn on the couch in Tenten's living room. Pain attacked him from head to toe, causing him to cringe and shake in his sleep.

But that wasn't all; he dreamed about things that didn't exist.

He dreamed about vampires attacking his village and he was too helpless to stop it.
He dreamed Tenten was sucked dry and had turned into one.
In another dream, it was he who had taken Tenten out, ripping her apart as she screamed in agony.

Neji woke up in a sweat, breathing heavy as the thunder clapped outside.

He took off his head protector and looked outside, finding that it had started raining hard again.

He shook his head and got up to walk to the bathroom down the hall. When he got there, he flicked on the light to find himself looking paler than normal. Neji shivered and finished up in the bathroom before walking back out.

'I've got to stop being so scared,' Neji thought, 'Then again, I may need to stop looking in mirrors.'

Neji walked past Tenten's door and stopped seconds later. He could've sworn he heard crying. At first, he wanted to ignore the thought and just go back to bed. However, as his mind cleared up, he could very well hear Tenten crying in her room.

He tensed up for a moment. He wasn't fully dressed; Neji was only in his boxers and he was sure Tenten wasn't fully dressed either.

However, he wouldn't have forgiven himself had he just left her to cry like last time. He prepared to knock on the door, but stopped himself last minute.

She would simply pretend she was asleep and Neji was having none of that. He quietly opened the door to Tenten's room and found her curled up and out of the blankets, sniffing and sobbing quietly.

Neji glanced around the living room quickly and found a box of tissue.
Picking it up, he quietly made his way into the room and shut the door, alarming Tenten.

She quickly turned and threw a kunai, and had Neji not dodged quickly, she would've hit his shoulder, or possibly, his neck.

She looked terrified for a moment before settling down into her uncomfortable state. He kept his cool, despite being all but naked, and handed her the box of tissues. Tenten watched him carefully for a moment before taking the box, pulling out a tissue and blowing her nose.

Before Neji even gave a second thought, he sat at the edge of her bed.

She looked at him in confusion. Neji clearly didn't know why he was in her room either, but he was damn sure he wasn't leaving her to cry alone anymore.

Finally, she asked, "Why? Why are you in here?" Neji hesitated before saying, "You need to stop all this crying."

Tenten stared at him and Neji realized quickly how bad that actually sounded, so he quickly added, "You shouldn't have to cry. Not that it isn't okay to... But you shouldn't suffer alone."

Tenten's shoulders relaxed as she glanced at him softly.

She then noticed that he didn't have his head protector on. She mindlessly reached out and touched his forehead, her fingers grazing over his seal.

He stuttered, asking, "T-Tenten, what are you d-doing?"
She blushed a little before saying, "I don't know honestly... I kind of always wanted to touch your seal. S-sorry if that sounds weird..."

Neji looked elsewhere before saying, "Why were you crying?"

Her hand froze.

She sure as heck wasn't about to tell Neji what she knew, but she couldn't just not answer in some way.

"I... I just had a nightmare. That's all," she said, retracting her hand from his forehead. He looked at her and said, "I understand..."

Afterwards, silence filled the room. Tenten didn't want to say anymore, and Neji didn't know what to say. However, when she yawned,

Neji said softly, "May... May I rest with you?" Tenten's cheeks turned red in a matter of seconds as she looked up at him. "Neji...," she started to say.

Neji shifted a bit and said, "Don't you ever tell anyone I said this... But I... had a nightmare as well. It might not help, but I wouldn't mind... Sleeping with you."

Tenten hesitated.

It was one thing for him to walk into her room with almost no clothes on; it was another to offer to sleep in the same bed as her, when she herself had little clothing on. However, Tenten shoved logic in the back of her mind and nodded slightly.

She didn't feel like sleeping alone.

Neji awkwardly crawled his way over to the other side of the bed and laid down, feeling slightly exhausted.

Tenten sniffed and wiped her eyes, laying down herself. Despite the cool air, both shinobi were profusely sweating, and felt evenly nervous with the other's presence.

Tenten wanted to close her eyes, but couldn't, even as Neji did. She watched as his breathing slowed to an extent; his hair resting on her pillow and his shoulder.

She found herself enjoying the sight of him and felt comfortable to close her eyes as well.

Just before she fell asleep once more, Neji murmured out, "Sleep, well Tenten..."

~

Note(7/3/2015): Grammar errors fixed, a few things have been re-written, but not much changed.