Naruto 1. Zealous

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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There are few things in this life that he guards so zealously. She is one of them.

He doesn't allow anyone else to see her with her hair down. And though most find it strange that he is so set on her hair, they would understand if they saw her the way he does.

You see, when her hair is up she's working, running errands or hanging out with her friends. She's just Tenten.

But when her hair is down, she's at home wrapped in his arms and they're making love. Rich, chocolate brown hair flowing down around her shoulders, only for him. It's then that she is Neji's Tenten. No one else can see her that way. No one else can see _his_ Tenten.

And though some may laugh thinking he is absurd or frown thinking he is possessive can you really blame him?

After all there are only a few things Neji guards so zealously. She is the most important.

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed. :)**


	2. When Words Fail

If you were to ask Neji what he thinks of Tenten you will get an answer something along the lines of how she is a dependable ninja to have on a team, follows orders well, knows how to think on her feet, has the deadliest aim of anyone he knows and that there is no other ninja in Konoha that he would rather have at his side in a dangerous situation. And that would be the truth about what he thinks of Tenten.

If, however, you ask Neji what he feels for Tenten you will not get an answer at all. The response you will get will be a slight relaxation of his usual scowl as different emotions course through his mind. But he would never tell you how he feels. You see, for Neji, there are no words elegant enough to describe the sway of her hips when she walks beside him, or descriptive enough for him to express how the way she fights makes him feel as if he is watching an intricate dance, or poignant enough to explain the way he feels when she is wrapped in his arms and everyone else on the face of the earth ceases to exist, or deep enough for him to share how much she means to him.

If you ask Neji what he thinks of Tenten you will get a technical answer. But if you ask Neji what he feels for Tenten you will get no answer at all. So don't take his silence as meaning that he feels nothing for Tenten. For you must see that there are times when words fail even a prodigy.


	3. Not Falling

As the music softly begins to play, she wraps her arms around his neck and they slowly move together as they share their first dance as husband and wife. She gazes up into his pale lavender eyes and sighs contentedly; this is what she has waited so long for. To be his wife, his helpmate, his other half, _his_.

Everything seems to disappear and time comes to a stop as he stares down at her, all her emotions playing openly in her eyes and on her face, there for him to read. How was it possible for one person to enter his life and fill it so completely that nothing else mattered or even existed? She was now his, and nothing would ever change that.

Now this was true bliss. As they danced, holding each other closely, it was as if they were falling. But there was no fear of falling because although it felt like falling it wasn't. No with them it wasn't falling at all, for when Neji and Tenten were in one another's arms they could never fall. When they were together, they flew. They would never fade. They would never fall. Their love would never end.


	4. Fate

Fate ruled Neji Hyuuga's existence in every way. What Neji found so amazing about Tenten was the fact that fate held no reign over her at all. The weapons mistress held no belief in fate or luck, they were beneath her. If fate had apparently decreed something that Tenten did not accept, she flat out refused to bend to its will. It was as if fate was a tie that bound people to its every whim and Tenten was a knife that would destroy those bindings. That's what drew him to her; Neji knew the only possible way for him to fight fate was with Tenten beside him.

With the knowledge that no matter what happened, Tenten would always stand by his side, Neji didn't hesitate to stand against his uncle when Hiashi informed him of his fate to marry for the good of the clan. He looked his uncle in the face unflinchingly and told him he refused to be the clan's pawn. Neji stood fast through Hiashi's angry retorts and when he had finished Neji left the Hyuuga estate with the few things he could call his, leaving his family name behind. It was a small price to pay to be free from the chains of fate.

As he knocked on Tenten's door that day he wondered what fate had done to make Tenten leave behind her name.

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A/N: I have always wondered why Tenten doesn't have a last name.


	5. Confessions

Tenten watched her teammate as she rubbed her shoulder. The new taijutsu move she was working on was murder. After weeks of debating with herself over the sensibility of what she was about to do, Tenten had finally come to a decision. She swallowed the lump in her throat and opened her mouth to spill forth her confession.

"Neji, I love you." Tenten waited on pins and needles for his response.

Neji only looked at her strangely, showing no sign of any similar feelings for her. "That technique wants perfecting." was his only reply.

Tenten was crushed. Her heart had room only for him and yet Neji seemed unaffected by the depth of her love.

The following day Tenten's only wish was to hide in her room. She had no desire to think about how her words had changed things between her and her teammate, or how her teammate had seemed to clearly show his lack of feelings for her. But there would be no solitude for the Kunoichi; for Team Gai was sent on a mission to retrieve a scroll that had been stolen by a group of missing nin, and Lee's exuberance for the mission did little to mend Tenten's lowly spirit.

The day seemed only to worsen, for while fighting the enemy, Tenten dislocated her shoulder performing the little practiced taijutsu move; the same one Neji had berated her on. For her injury Tenten received nothing but scathing looks from Neji on the return trip home.

That night Tenten woke to the sound of someone pounding on her door. She opened it to find an angry Neji who entered without invitation only to begin yelling at her the moment the door shut.

"I cannot believe you would do something so _reckless_ Tenten! I told you to practice more! You should have listened to me!" Neji's angry tirade continued as he paced back and forth in her living room.

Tenten didn't realize she had hung her head and began to cry until she felt Neji wrap his arms around her and tell her in a voice that cracked, "You must be more careful Tenten. I cannot live without you."

She was sure she had heard him incorrectly and lifted her head in confusion. She willed herself to calm as her voice left her in barely a whisper. "What?"

Neji gazed down at her and her heart skipped a beat. "I love you Tenten. I have since before I can remember."

Tenten rested her head on Neji's chest and basked in his confession.


	6. What Is In A Name

Autumn was Tenten's favorite time of year. The air was crisp and cool; the leaves were every shade of yellow, orange, and red you could imagine, it was as if the trees had caught fire. To Tenten, autumn looked how excitement felt, vibrant. Sometimes it was hard for her to not just stand in the woods all day, watching the leaves dance in the air.

Pulling her gaze away from the splendor of the forest around her, she quickened her steps, heading for the clearing where her team was practicing. Soon she would be able to practice with them again instead of bringing lunch for the three men. Though at least this way she felt she was contributing to the team.

Once she reached the training grounds, Tenten headed to where her Sensei stood, shouting encouragement at the whirlwind of leaves that tore around the clearing. Lee was running circles around his opponent. In the midst of the leaf tornado stood an unperturbed Neji, calmly assessing the situation and looking for an opportunity to attack. With a swiftness that still amazed Tenten after all this time, Neji struck, sending Lee to the ground. The leaves once caught in the wake of Lee's circle fell to the ground in a flurry of color.

Neji offered Lee his hand, which Lee refused, springing from the ground unfazed. The two men then joined Tenten and Gai, who had chosen an ancient maple tree to sit under. Tenten handed each man a bento box and chopsticks. With two shouts and one soft 'thanks for the food' they began their meal.

Before Tenten knew it Gai and Lee had finished their lunch and were racing off on some hair brained self inflicted test of endurance. Tenten just grinned, placing their forgotten boxes neatly to the side, and enjoying the rest of her meal in Neji's quiet company.

Finishing their meal, Neji and Tenten sat under the old tree, Tenten leaning her back against Neji's chest. A breeze played gently across the couple, rustling the leaves. Tenten let out a light giggle when she noticed Neji's hair. "Neji you still have leaves in your hair from your sparing match with Lee."

Tenten scooted forward as Neji stood. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the leaves, but they only seemed to cling more stubbornly to his hair. He then started running his fingers through his hair which got most of the leaves out. A few determined leaves still had a foothold in the back of his hair where he couldn't quite reach. The whole time this is happening Tenten is smothering the mirthful giggles that are trying to escape from between her lips.

Neji sat down with a loud "Harumph", turning his back to Tenten and pretending to sulk. 'Oh the drama,' Tenten thought as she rolled her eyes and knelt behind her teasing husband. "Neji sometimes you are just too funny for words." She said as she began picking leaves out of his long hair.

Tenten loved that she was one of the few people with whom Neji would tease and be silly around. Humming softly to herself she brushed the last leaf out of his hair and started combing her fingers through the silky soft mane. Neji sighed and leaned back to lay his head on Tenten's swollen stomach.

"I still think they could be wrong." Neji said, resting his hand lightly against Tenten's belly. "The baby could still be a boy."

Tenten frowned. "Are you really that upset that our firstborn is a girl?"

Neji sighed, "It's not that I'm upset, it's just I wanted to name our firstborn after my father."

Tenten gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Neji's ear as she smiled down lovingly at her husband. "Not all firstborns are male you know. We'll name our first son after your father."

A leaf let go of the branch it had grown from and fell softly from the tree. Neji snatched the maple leaf by the stem before it could hit the ground. "What are we going to name her then? I was ready for a boy."

Tenten removed his forehead protector and kissed his brow. "I was thinking either Akiye or Kaede."

Neji twirled the maple leaf with his fingertips and smiled. "I like Kaede."

Neji and Tenten both gasped when their daughter kicked in what they felt was her approval of Neji's choice.

Tenten giggled, "Kaede it is."

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A/N: Akiye means Autumn Painting and Kaede means Maple.


End file.
