Reassuring Faith

Neji needs Tenten to comfort him. A bit of smut and fluff.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, I'm just a spoony bard.

When Tenten realized she wasn't alone in the small kitchenette of her apartment she didn't panic. She slipped the kunai from the open refrigerator door and turned around. The sight that befell her caused her to drop the kuanai, and the gallon of milk she'd been holding in her opposite hand.

A blood soaked and splattered, white masked ANBU stood in her living room. His uniform was cut open, and in several places he was still bleeding. His long dark hair was so saturated with gore that the ends dripped onto the rug. His shoulders slumped, his face turned to the floor. He took two ragged steps towards her. She tensed, unsure what to do, but he dropped to his knees, a ragged muffled sob escaping him as he buried his mask in his gloved hands.

Tenten stepped towards him cautiously. The ANBU looked up at her again, having removed his mask, and she looked into the white face of her lover. Tears streamed down his face. The mess in his hair had dripped under the mask and streaks of red marred his features. The rug beneath him was stained around his knees and feet.

"Neji?" She rushed to his side as another sob escaped him. He seemed dazed, only acknowledging her presence when she finally touched him. Then he was clutching at her, blood rubbing off of him onto her as he cried, almost howling in agony from whatever had put him in this state.

Tenten hadn't known Neji had joined ANBU. It was obviously new, or probationary, since his mask was still unpainted save for the speckles and splotches of blood across it. ANBU took the worst missions, the bloodiest, the most vicious. Many ANBU members went insane by the end of their career, and judging by Neji's appearance, Tenten didn't have t wonder why.

He sobbed in her arms for an hour. When he seemed calmer, Tenten sat him up and began to remove his uniform, throwing the bloody clothes in an empty trash bag. After all the sobbing, Neji seemed slightly numb, unmoving, hugging himself as he sat naked and blood smeared on the floor. She grabbed the med kit form the bathroom and examined the wounds she had seen previously. She cleaned each one, noting that none of them were major.

It took some coaxing to get him off the floor and into the bathroom. He stood dumbly, arms still wrapped around himself as she started the shower. He stepped inside without any help ad simply stood under the hot spray. He made no move to do anything, and Tenten feared he might be crying again. The water that ran off of him had run mostly clear when he dropped to the shower floor, the despair he felt written clearly on his face and Tenten shed her clothes to help clean him up.

He flinched away at her first touch. She whispered some utterance of reassurance, sitting behind him on the shower floor and holding him. She poured a palm full of shampoo onto his head. He relaxed as her fingers massaged through his hair. It took three washings for all the filth to be cleared form his raven locks. She got him to his feet again and noticed he was avoiding looking at her. Whatever had happened must've been truly horrible. She finished washing him, turned off the shower, and turned him to face her.

"Neji?"

He moved then, his hands shaking as he reached for her arms, holding her still. He leaned forward and pressed his ear to her chest and closed his eyes. His hands slid down her arms and around her. Tenten forced him to look at her, her face etched in concern. His eyes darted around her face before his hands shot form her waist to grasp her chin as he smashed his mouth into hers.

He was desperate for her, for her warmth, her aliveness and it showed through his scorching kiss. They never used any ninja tactics in the bedroom at all and Tenten was surprised to find herself suddenly against the shower wall with her hands pinned tightly above her head. His mouth hadn't left hers, still punishing her lips with his. She gasped as he kissed down her neck and bit her. He was never this rough or demanding, and it both frightened and aroused her.

His fingers gripped her wrists hard enough it almost hurt. He had both in one hand, the other was tearing her buns down, throwing the pins over his shoulder and dragging his fingers through it as it cascaded down over her damp skin. He tangled his fingers in the strands and yanked her head back, planting a kiss that was more teeth than lips on her throat before crushing her mouth beneath his again.

He released her so quickly she almost fell. The sudden loss of contact made her shiver. Neji stepped out of the shower and pulled her behind him into the other room. He pushed her down to the mattress with one hard shove and she sprawled across it. He crawled up to her, his eyes blazing and completely focused on her. His wet hair dripped on her as he made his way up her body to claim her mouth again.

The passion overrode her fear and she moaned into his kiss, arching her back to try and make contact with the rest of his skin. One hand pushed her back down to the mattress and the other grasped both her wrists again. He held them above her head as he lay on his side next to her. He ran a hand over her breasts, pausing to twist her nipple, eliciting a gasp form her. He continued to pet downwards, using his fingers to trace the fine muscle structure in her abdomen before plunging his fingers between her legs.

She cried out his name. He dipped his head and took a nipple into his mouth, his digits playing her folds. She came, hips bucking against his hand and before she had finished her orgasm he was over her. He plunged into her, pulling her legs over his shoulders and groaning as he sank into her. Tenten was lost in a sea of sensual torment, coming again and clutching his shoulders.

He gripped her hips hard enough it hurt. Kisses were hard, breathy, and edged in teeth. His thrusts were rough, bruising, and as he climaxed, he sank his teeth into her shoulder. He didn't move after, but he let Tenten's legs drop around him as he kept his face buried in her hair. His breathing was still ragged and he was shaking slightly. She wrapped her arms around him and held him.

When he finally moved, it was only to tuck himself into her arms, the way she often did to him. He put his ear back to her chest. For a long time he was silent, just listening to the beat of her heart. She jumped when he spoke.

"I joined a week ago." Tenten didn't answer, afraid that if she did, now that he'd finally spoken, he'd stop if she said anything. "Tonight was my first mission." The statement explained a lot. ANBU missions were of the highest rank. They were reputed to be the bloodiest, most horrifying, sometimes inhuman missions. "I can't- I can't even-so much blood, and I spilled most of it." Tenten said nothing, but began petting his hair. "I wasn't sure I could still- I felt so numb, and I needed you."

Tenten finally spoke. "I'm here."

"How can you stand to touch me after what I've done? Ten-chan, I- "

"You did your duty as a shinobi of Konoha. Whatever the mission entailed, it doesn't matter."

He went quiet after that. He wasn't sleeping, but holding her and staring out the window. She knew he must feel something akin to heartache. Neji wasn't one to voice emotions, preferring to show them in his own subtle way. He was afraid she'd walk away, be disgusted by his ruthlessness in the battlefield now that he was ANBU.

She pulled herself form beneath him and leaned over him. "Neji, I am proud of the sacrifices you are willing to make for our village." She whispered it to him, her lips a fraction of an inch away from his ear. "How can I stand to touch you? How can you ask me that? I could ask the same of you. I too have killed. I've been soaked in blood. I've cut an enemy into a dozen pieces. I can touch you because i know we both regret the killing, even if we accept it must be done. And because I love you, and I know you love me too." She was struck with the desire to show him she wasn't afraid to touch him and leaned down to kiss him gently. She kept her mouth on his as she swung her leg over him, dragging herself up to straddle him. Her hands roamed his chest, plucking at his nipples. He moaned, and she dragged her kisses down his neck and chest, scooting down as she explored him with her mouth.

She discovered he was hard again when she wrapped a hand around his prick, squeezing and stroking it at the same time as Neji moaned her name. She knelt between his legs, one hand braced on his thigh, the other alternating running her knuckles and palm over his erection. She kissed his navel, and then down the light trail of hair until it spread out and she was face to face with the hard flesh in her hands. She kissed the tip of it and Neji's hands shot into her hair. She licked it and he groaned, his fingers tightening in her hair but not quite pulling. She licked her lips and opened them over the tip, sliding them down the shaft as far as she could.

He was groaning and panting as she experimented with her mouth on him. She had never seen him quite so worked up. The emotional state of the night had heightened the physical reactions. When she knew he was about at his limit she pulled back and climbed back over him. She straddled him, bending to kiss him as she reached between their bodies to align herself directly over him. With her hands on his chest to steady herself, she dropped her hips, engulfing him in one go. Her thighs flexed as she began to ride him.

They found the right rhythm, her bringing her hips down into his as he thrust upward. Tenten found that after coming twice more she couldn't hold herself up anymore and dropped down to his chest, her hips still moving with him. He wrapped his arms round her when she dropped, pulling her in for a kiss and thrusting faster. She moaned into his neck as another orgasm crashed over her, dragging him behind her as his arms tightened around her. He buried his face in her shoulder and swore as he came.

She lay on his chest, sweating and panting. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. Neither of them noticed when they fell asleep.

Tenten awoke to find Neji was already up. The bag containing his bloody clothes form last night was gone as well as the small rug he'd dripped blood all over. He was sitting at the table wearing her pink bathrobe, reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee. She sat up and winced. She was bruised from the rough part of the night previous. Several bite marts decorated her neck and shoulders and she had obvious finger shaped bruises on her hips. She slid out of bed and grabbed an oversized t shirt from her dresser.

She went into the bathroom to find that it too had been cleaned. There were no streaks on the shower tiles and the water that she was sure she'd find everywhere was nowhere to be found. The clothes she'd gotten blood on helping him were gone. She went about her morning routine, brushing her teeth and putting up her hair. She found her pins on the counter and wondered briefly where Neji had found them after last night. She had to fight with the tangles in her hair and it took her twice as long as usual to tie it up.

When she finished, she joined Neji at the table, grabbing a cup of coffee for herself. He set the paper down and looked across the table at her. "About last night," He reached across the table for her left hand and kissed the sapphire star on her finger. "I cleaned everything up. The rug was un-savable."

"It's ok. It's an ugly rug anyway." Tenten sipped her coffee.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For not telling you." He wsa referring to his ANBU position.

She sighed, "I forgive you."

"I'm supposed to meet with the Hokage to report on last night."

"You came straight here? That's unusual for you, I'm surprised you didn't go do that while I was still sleeping."

Neji raised an eyebrow at her. "I need some clothes."

Tenten took a good look at him in her pink bathrobe and started laughing.

AN: So here I am working away on a DIFFERENT story and this just decided it had to be HAD TO BE written. Total fluffy smut. Hope you liked it.