Chapter 3: Details

Tenten was frozen on the spot and not just because of the snow storm that had started. She made a beeline for where he'd fallen in not caring in the slightest that she could fall in as well; but she was stopped in her tracks.

"Where do you think you're going?" the leader asked smugly

"Get out of my way!" she tried to kick him but he caught her leg

"Face it, you don't have the strength to fight me right now plus I'm sure there's something else you'd rather be doing" he turned to look at the cracked ice "Give me the necklace and we'll gladly leave you to rescue him"

She looked at him with contempt. They both knew she had no choice, if Neji stayed down there any longer he could die. Tenten sighed and removed the necklace and handed it to him.

"That wasn't so hard now was it?" he turned on his heel and walked towards his subordinates "We got what we came for, we're leaving" he disappeared first, his men shortly after.

The quiet that followed apart from the howling wind made Tenten's heart beat even faster. She carefully made her way over to where Neji had fallen in, completely disregarding her own freezing body as she was still in her dress. But since the fighting had come to a stop she could feel the cold. Tears welled up in her eyes when she arrived-he wasn't there. The lake was massive, he could've been trapped anywhere under the ice.

An idea came to mind.

She closed her eyes and focused her mind. If she couldn't find him with her eyes, she'd use her chakra. Her training to sense his chakra would be a bit more difficult this time round because he had so little after their fight but she didn't give up.

After a few moments of concentration she'd sensed him. It was feint but it was something. She quickly went over to where he was and readied her scroll. She opened it and released a fireball to melt away the ice. Her heart sang with relief even though they weren't out of the woods just yet. She pulled him out and supported him as she walked to the shoreline. They both needed to get out of the bitter snow storm or they'd both freeze to death.

Xxx

A combination of things stirred him back to consciousness. The howling of the wind outside was one. The sound of crackling wood burning in a fire and the comfortable warmth that enveloped his body were the others. The last thing Neji remembered was getting Tenten out of the way before the ice had given way beneath his feet. The rest was a blank. He didn't even have the slightest idea of where he was or how he'd even gotten there. He assumed Tenten was the answer.

He tried to sit up but was somewhat restricted. There was a weight on top of him that kept him from moving freely. The young Hyuuga opened his eyes and looked down at his chest to see a mess of brown hair. Tenten raised her head so her eyes met Neji's. They were both silent.

"You're finally awake" she said as relief washed over her

"Where are we? And why are we…" he left the rest of the question hanging

"We're at a small inn . It's halfway from home. We actually passed it on our way to the land of Woods. And as for why we're like this…" she faded off

They were on a chaise in front of the fire with him on his back and she on top of him. There was a blanket over the both of them and only when Tenten sat up slightly and the blanket slowly slid off her shoulders did he see just how intimate their position was. His arms were around her, hers resting on his chest. The both of them were shirtless and Tenten straddled his waist in only a bra and shorts.

"You were wet and freezing so I brought us here to get away from the snow storm. As soon as we got here you were shivering uncontrollably. Getting into dry clothes and putting you next to the fire wasn't working fast enough so I thought of the next best thing. Sharing body heat was the fastest way to get your temperature up and it worked so…I actually could've gotten off a while ago" she looked away from him hiding her embarrassment

He put his hand under her chin and guided her gaze back to his.

"I'm glad you didn't" he said confidently

There was silence between them. His words made her heart race. His sentence was a short one but it said a lot. It basically summed what neither of them could directly say to each other. They both had a sure look in their eyes as they got more comfortable. Her arms looped around his neck and his rested on her thighs. They both leaned in, their eyes flittered shut. Tenten's lips hovered just above his.

"I wish we'd said something sooner" her lips brushed over his as she spoke

"I think we're way past talking" he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers

Tenten immediately relaxed into him and kissed back. Her mind went completely blank, forgetting that they'd just come out of a perilous situation or that they were still on a mission. The only thing on either of their minds was the sensation of their lips in contact. Their kiss was passionate because it was their first and as if it was their last. Her lips were soft against his but he could taste the desire on her them-he knew it because it's how he felt as well.

Ever since she'd walked out of the bathroom in that damn tempting dress earlier that night he'd wanted to taste her lips and to have her close to him. Their sensual dance had only intensified his feelings. The way her arms moved from around his neck and to his chest made him hold her tighter. She let out a moan as he slowly slid his hands up her thighs and around her waist. It was the skin-on-skin contact that ignited something in them both. Thighs on thighs, arms, legs, hands and chests together generated a lot of heat and desire between the two shinobi. So much of their bodies were exposed and in contact from Tenten's plan to raise Neji's body temperature with her own. The sound of her moan only urged him on as he broke away from the kiss and pressed his lips to her pulse point on her neck to which she responded by throwing her head back to grant him better access.

He planted slow soft kisses across her skin. She curled her fingers in his hair and bit her lower lip to suppress an agonisingly euphoric moan as she suddenly remembered that they were at an inn and did indeed have neighbours. She did however let out a strained sigh and positioned her lips by his ear to be sure he heard it. He smirked against her skin when he felt the vibrations from her neck. He brought his lips back to hers to which she responded with much fervour for a final long kiss before they separated.

"I'm glad we finally cleared the air" Neji started slowly catching his breath as was Tenten. She chuckled at his words

"Me too" she smiled at him and got comfortable in his arms "I think now's as good a time as any to talk"

"Are you sure talking is what you really want to do?" he asked as he kissed her cheek and slightly squeezed

"Tempting as that sounds, we're still on a mission" she pecked him on the lips before getting up to fetch a gown

"Just making sure you're still focused"

"Oh sure because I'm the one that needs to be checked. If I hadn't brought up the mission you'd have wanted a second round"

"And you wouldn't?" he grabbed the map he'd kept and sat in front of the fire. He looked at her slyly

"Anyways…" she sat next to him and opened the map "The land of woods ends here, and the inn we're in now is next to this river. We should be able to see the forest bordering the land of fire by noon if we leave here at dawn"

"What happened while I was out?"

Tenten sighed and looked away from him "The leader gave me an ultimatum. I either had to give him the necklace and they'd back off so I could get you or I keep the necklace and leave you and fight them off but I was outnumbered and out of chakra. I didn't see the point in both of dying for nothing. I couldn't…wouldn't leave you"

"I see, so I guess the mission was unsuccessful"

"I never said that" she pulled the black choker with the diamond teardrop jewel in the centre from her pocket

"I thought you said…"

"I gave him a necklace, just not the one he wanted"

"When did you use substitution?"

"During our escape from the palace. I wore the real necklace to the party so everyone could see it and when we lured them out I substituted it before we got outside. I was wearing the fake throughout the battle. There's just one problem-"

"The substitution won't last until we're back home; it'll undo long before it gets to the client; alerting him to his mistake. A mistake he will intend to fix. We need to cross the border before that happens."

"Well we definitely can't leave now, the storm's still raging. We'll leave as soon as it subsides"

"Might as well get packed and some rest before we take off. We can take it in shifts, we need to leave the minute it's safe enough to travel. I'll take the first shift" he stood up and went to the bathroom to change clothes

"Are you sure you're fully recovered enough?"

"Trust me Tenten, you got me at top strength"

"Didn't know that counted as healing" she raised a brow with a mischievous look

"If you're really that concerned about me we can always do it again"

"You're such a-

He interrupted her with a passionate kiss. It was deep and meaningful. They slowly pulled apart.

"Don't get used to silencing me like that" she poked him in the chest and he gave a cheeky smile "Goodnight Neji" she smiled at him before leaving his arms and getting in the blankets

Xxx

"The storm's died out. Now's the perfect time to head out" he said securing his backpack

"And we better keep our eyes open. Getting home won't be easy, they're probably desperate to get this necklace back"

The two shinobi took off immediately. The air was biting and freezing, the clouds from the previous night had vanished as if they were never there in the first place. Jumping from tree to tree was more dangerous with snow covering majority of the branches. The surrounding forest was deafeningly silent, not a single bird or insect flying around. Neji was ahead of her, Tenten was in her head, distracted. Last night shouldn't have happened, she told herself. It'll just make things more difficult. She was shocked back to reality when she hit the ground.

"What the-" she looked around trying to find the reason she'd tripped

A closer look at the area above the tree she was just in showed a wire gleaming in the sunlight.

"Tenten, are you alright?" he kneeled next to her to take a look at her twisted ankle

"Yeah I'm fine" she sat up and winced when she moved her foot

"We should stop here and rest"

"No I can keep going"

He narrowed his eyes waiting for her to continue

"If they had the time to set that trap and I just triggered it then they already know that we're here and probably headed this way. We should get some distance, get closer to home before we fight again"

"Alright then, but you're not traveling on that foot"

"I don't need you worrying about me" she snapped then looked away from him

Her words stung but he hid it well.

"You'll slow us down. If they get you then they get the necklace. I'm thinking about the mission"

She sighed and surrendered, he was right. They'd be traveling at half the speed if she tried carrying on with her injury. She wrapped it in a bandage and with his help, got on his back and held on as he took off.

The wind always whipped at their faces when they travelled at top speed but something felt different this time. Feeling the wind on her face as she was relying on Neji made her feel safe. For a moment she closed her eyes and just enjoyed the feeling.

What am I doing? I shouldn't have yelled at him like that.

She slightly tightened her grip on his shoulder.

"What's the matter?" he asked

"I-look out!" three kunai whizzed past them; one of which grazed Tenten's cheek

Neji landed on the ground. They were surrounded by the enemy, the leader directly in front of them.

"I believe you have something we need. Sorry about your girlfriend. Believe it or not it isn't personal. Now hand over the necklace or we kill you"

Tenten glared at him but that only seemed to widen his smirk. She looked past him in the direction they were headed. The forest surrounding the Leaf village was so close, close enough in fact that the border guards would be able to see them if an all-out battle broke out.

"Neji put me down"

"Tenten-

"You can't fight your way through them all and carry me, I'll be fine" she reached into her pocket and pulled out two black spheres. Neji smirked and got into position.

"You really think you can escape us with smoke bombs?"

"Who said anything about escaping?" she threw them to the ground and the area exploded into purple smoke

Neji activated his kekegenkai and began blasting the enemy ninja out the trees using his air palm. They dropped like flies on the forest floor. Tenten couldn't see a thing but could hear them coming. She used her training with Neji to her advantage-she closed her eyes and focused on everyone's chakra. She could feel Neji's not too far behind her-he'd already taken out quite a few but more were in coming. She took out a roll of wire and threw it at one of the enemy's headed towards her. Without even seeing but focusing on his chakra she'd tied him up and reeled him in then threw him at the next one coming for her. She tied up two more and summoned lightning from her scroll and knocked them out.

Two more came through the smoke and ran towards her. She readied her scroll and launched a fireball but an enemy from behind almost kicked her in the back but she evaded and the fireball shot to the sky. Neji took care of the last three with his air palm.

The leader was the last one remaining. He looked enraged and slightly unhinged. All his subordinates were taken down while the two of them were basically unscathed. He started weaving signs and Neji and Tenten stood ready for whatever move he'd use but the next moment he was hit from behind with a water style jutsu.

The two shinobi relaxed since their plan had worked. From behind one of the trees Izumo and Kotetsu appeared with other Chunin to arrest the leader and his subordinates

"We saw your signal with the fireball clearly, well done"

Xxx

Three days later, Tenten was sitting on her bed reading, her foot resting on a pillow. Sakura ordered her to stay off her foot for the next few days. She heard a knock on her sliding door on the balcony. She smiled when she saw who it was and waved them in.

"It looks like you aren't going anywhere for a while" he took the chair from her desk and sat next the bed

"Doctor's orders" they both laughed lightly

"We need to talk" Neji turned serious

They were both silent at first. He meant what he'd said about wanting to talk but he suddenly couldn't find the right words to start.

"What did you mean?" Tenten started "When you said I'm even more dangerous when I can't see, what did you mean?"

"When your eyes are closed and all you have to go on is your ability to see an enemy's chakra, it makes you more perceptive, more precise. You know what's at stake if you miss, so you don't. That's what makes you so incredible" he took her hand in his

"Now let me ask you the same question. What did you mean when you said you didn't need me worrying about you?"

"I know about the letter Neji" his eyes widened "I was talking to Sakura a while back and it kind of just slipped out of her. You're going to be an ANBU and honestly I couldn't be prouder…

"But…" he knew there was more to her words

"But I also didn't want to lose you before finding out what we mean to each other. That's why I wanted us to talk; but then the mission-

"We can talk now, we can still talk about it"

"I don't think there's anything left to say. After you woke up and we kissed like that it's clear that we have feelings for each other"

"And you don't think we can make this work, is that it?"

"When we were on Team Gai, I was always watching your back, that's how our formation was created. Things are different now, now you're so far ahead that I can't see you anymore. You'll have your missions and I'll have mine. All of yours will be S-rank, anything could happen"

"There were never any guarantees that we'd come back from any of our missions. No matter our rank as shinobi or the rank of the mission, any of them could've been our last. What's the difference if I'm an ANBU going on an S-rank mission versus the mission we just completed?"

"The difference is this time I won't be there with you. When I snapped at you on our way home, that was me deciding to distance myself from you, to make the transition easier. I didn't…I don't want you focusing on me, I want you to be the amazing shinobi I know you are"

"If I'd told you about the letter sooner, would it have changed anything?"

She paused a while before answering.

"I don't know"

He took a seat next to her on the bed and held her in his arms, she immediately wrapped her arms around him.

"You're meant to be an ANBU; your skills are top notch. I mean you were the first of us to become a Jonin. I don't want you second guessing or hesitating because of us. We can all see it and I know you want it too. I'd never forgive myself for holding you back."

"Who says you'd be holding me back? If anything it would just make me work harder to come back from a mission; to come back to you." He paused for a moment

"I do want to get into the ANBU and when I got the letter I was happy but at the same time there was something that was sitting at the back of my mind. Even before the mission, before we decided that we needed to talk; I thought about what losing you meant if we didn't decide anything. And during this last mission I was scared as well. When we were fighting on the lake. I wasn't thinking about saving myself, I knew had to get you out of danger and my body just moved. It answered a question I'd been lingering on" he was looking straight in her eyes

"I'm just scared…I feel like I'm walking right into a trap. ANBU are top class but that just means there are people out for you. Do you know how valuable a captured ANBU is? That's why you're never allowed to be a prisoner so if you ever got captured you'd have to…"

Silence took over.

"Sounds like I'm being underestimated" he ran his hand through her hair with a cheeky smile

"It's not that believe me" she playfully rolled her eyes

"I'm just making sure we both know what this means for us not to mention we'd barely see each other"

"Better than not seeing each other at all and drifting apart"

She sighed.

"You're right" she looked up at him; he returned her gaze and the two of them kissed passionately

Xxx

It was late afternoon when Tenten stood atop the Hokage stone faces. A gentle breeze swept past her, sweeping her bangs across her face. Her usual twin bun hairstyle was instead a simple long braid down her back. She looked at the village and the how small all the villagers looked. A smile of familiarity graced her face when she looked down at the stone carving she was standing on.

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

"I didn't expect things to have changed this much"

"You're the one whose mission went through Naruto's entrance ceremony as Hokage. A lot's changed"

"But I'm glad somethings stayed the same" he held her tighter and kissed her neck

She looked down at his arm and saw a cut wrapped in a bandage. She rubbed her hand over it.

"It's noting really"

"Just more proof of things staying the same" she remained in his arms a little longer than walked to the edge of the stone faces

"But you never know when things will change" he said to himself with a smile and fiddled with the small black box in his pocket

He watched her retreating form; before she made her way down she turned back to look at him and that moment he'd always remember. It's as if time stopped for him. The way she looked at him with that genuine loving smile; her big brown eyes shone brilliantly and the breeze gently swept her hair.

The gleam of the setting sun behind her made her glow. He felt something in his chest tighten when he looked at her. He was just swept up in looking at her. He gripped the box tighter in his hand.

"Something wrong?" she asked

He gave her a small smile and took her hand in his.

"Nothing at all. I just know I'm making the right decision" he didn't answer when she gave him a questioning look. The two of them walked back to the village hand in hand; completely enjoying every moment of being together.