A/N: Don't hate me for never updating it. Inspiration comes at horrible times. I hope you like this chapter, I'm sure my writing style has changed quite a bit but the feels of reading the last Naruto chapters has me needing to write about it. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

These Ties That Bind

Hyuuga Neji wakes to moonlight streaming through the windows onto his pale face, an empty space where previously had laid a sleeping brunette, and the realization that somewhere in the house were the sounds of soft sniffles. Hyuuga Neji wakes to the sound of Tenten crying.

Hours earlier, the two had returned from the hospital to the shared home of the other anbu operatives starving and exhausted. Tenten hadn't responded to his declaration of loyalty to her, but she hadn't needed to. Their relationship, if it could be labeled so superficially, had always been self explanatory. If Neji was somewhere, Tenten was likely in the shadows- clad in an impressive assortment of weaponry and daring someone to attack the small sliver of the world that Neji could not see. If Tenten was somewhere, she was always in his sights, no matter how far away, and he resisted the urge to use the Byakugan to determine where she was now and why she was crying.

He would wait for her to tell him on her own time.

x-x-x-x

She doesn't know why she wakes in the middle of the night, but she does. She is curled into Neji's side, feeling his breaths lift her cheek up and down as he recovers from a mission that must have taken more energy than she realized, as he always wakes as soon as she does. The night is beautiful and she slowly eases herself up to admire the beauty that is a sleeping Neji.

Silky dark hair is splayed on the pillow, contrasting with the pale skin that covers his ceramic, marbled body. He is beautiful in a royal way and she smiles because he is hers. Lightly moving a piece of stray hair that has settled on his forehead, her fingers still and she exhales- an overwhelming sadness creeps on her, stills her heart, and steals her breath.

The Hyuuga curse mark gleams on his pale forehead and stares at her with an arrogance that screams, "He does not belong to you! He does not even belong to himself!"

And then suddenly she is remembering a young thirteen year old boy glaring at the walls of the hospital room as she sits up in the uncomfortable bed listening to his account of his Chuunin Exam preliminary fight against Hinata. She had been upset about her loss to Temari, but Neji had quickly brushed it aside with a, "Her wind elements directly contrasted your style of fighting. It says nothing about your ability, we will just have to find a way around it."

Even a young preteen Neji, caught in the ill fate of the Hyuuga branch house and believing himself to be nothing but a caged bird knew to encourage her. Even now, she feels sadness for the young boy who believed he was alone and trapped inside a life that no one believed to be worth more than protecting another life.

"Every jounin came out to protect her, Tenten. As if the mere thought of me laying another hand on the precious Hyuuga heir was so catastrophic that every single jounin was forced out of his seat. Her words hadn't bothered me, they had no basis. She was foolish to even stand up," his hand had clenched and she had pretended like she did not see that he was trying to convince himself of his indifference to Hinata's accusation of his internal hurting.

She pretended not to see the lonely look in his eyes.

And then she is remembering an angry, spiteful Neji standing above a paralyzed Naruto speaking of his father's murder and his clan's betrayal. She had been in the crowds, smiling proudly at his achievement and the raw display of power he was showing everyone in Konoha. Today was Neji's day to prove to Konoha that the Hyuuga clan was flawed and that a Branch member showed more potential than the likes of them.

She had never ever expected him to tell the world of his tragic past. She remembered staring down at this boy, standing alone in the center of the stadium, and being overwhelmed with the sense of loneliness that he must feel every day trapped in a clan he hated.

The worst memory comes last. She remembers Neji returning from a failed mission to retrieve Sasuke, broken and with a literal hole where she believed his heart would be. He had fought with every last breath for the ideal that Naruto had instilled in him of his own worth. He had fought with every intention of dying and Tenten remembered feeling breathless and broken as she waited for news that this ill fated boy had conquered what appeared to be his destiny for a life of tragedy and loss. He had almost killed himself to protect the values he believed contradicted the mark on his forehead.

And here she was, in the middle of the night, staring straight at the brand on his forehead that would not leave him until death.

Knowing she would wake him, she pushed her sore and aching body out of bed and collapsed on the floor of the hallway in tears. It was indescribable, the sadness she felt for him. Hyuuga Neji had been through hell every step of his life and would continue to live with a curse branded on his forehead until his death.

Tenten wraps her arms around her knees and cries until she feels like she is gasping for every breath and her body has repaid Neji's suffering in the form of tears.

x-x-x-x

He is not asleep when she returns to the room and he doesn't pretend to be. She smiles, embarrassed, and scratches the back of her head as she stands next to the bed and looks down upon him. He sits up and raises an eyebrow at her, "What's wrong?"

With those two words, her smile fades and she rushes onto his lap, stradding his waist. Cupping his face in her hands, she kisses the end of his curse mark, planting quick hurried kisses on each section until she has kissed the entire width of his forehead. Planting her lips on his, her hands busy themselves with unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it to the side of the bed hurriedly.

Their breaths are shallow in the night and he quickly strips her of her clothing, rolling her off of his lap and onto her back. Pushing her knees apart, he enters her in one swift push and drowns out the sounds of her moans with his lips on hers. When it is over, he holds himself above her, staring into soft brown eyes that are undecipherable to him.

Although he isn't complaining, the Hyuuga prodigy has no clue what has gotten into his teammate. Before he can question her, Tenten lifts a hand to trace the light circular scar right above his heart. She plants a soft kiss on it and then stares straight into his pale questioning eyes.

"I love you."

His expression screams confusion but she doesn't explain. Instead she squeezes her eyes shut, wrapping her hands around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug.

"I love you, I love you, I love you. And I need you to know that," she whispers as she buries her face into his neck.

He has suffered, he will continue to suffer, but he will not do so alone.