She had always known that Neji had self- confidence and seldom hesitated to state or show his opinion on things. However, for things that were important to him, she usually had to either tease it out of him, or guess at them with her intuition (which was usually spot- on, but only when it came to things regarding him). It had been like this the night before the chuunin examinations, when she had caught him uncharacteristically gazing into space after training that day. She knew that he was recalling the past chuunin examinations in which he had lost to Naruto, and all the changes that had occurred afterwards, not least was the bittersweet truth about his father's death. Thus, she knew that he was feeling a little wary about the surprises that the next day would bring, confident though he was about his improved abilities. She had silently sat beside him on the gentle hill overlooking the village of Konoha, letting him know that she was there. They had stayed that way for a couple of hours. Before leaving, she had passed him an amulet that she had obtained from Konoha Temple, which carried a prayer of success and safety. He had not said anything that night but the next day, when the finals of the examinations had ended, she had been the first he told about his newly- gotten rank as chuunin. She had seen the sheen of victory on him then, and had felt ridiculously touched that she had been the first to know the news. Team Gai had celebrated with potluck and copious amounts of tea and sake (for Gai sensei only) that night at Lee's apartment.

A few months later, on a day when they were scheduled to have training, Neji had been nowhere to be found. After waiting for two hours, Tenten had proceeded to train by herself until lunchtime. She had then gone straight to the Hyuuga compound and requested for him. Neji had come out then, seemingly stoic as usual, but Tenten had known better. Deciding that food was the way to all man's hearts, she had brought him to have lunch where his favourite herring soba was sold. There, she had managed to find out what was troubling him that day. It turned out that a few Hyuuga elders had complained not so quietly about Hyuuga Hiashi teaching the branch member, prodigy though he was, the clan jutsus originally for main clan members only. Neji had been forcibly reminded that he was still just a branch member and was not worthy of the jutsus. He had finally had enough of the narrow- mindedness of the elders, and had spoken his mind for the first time about what he thought about this distinction between branch and main members when it was obvious to him that they were family, and discrimination such as this should not have been present in the first place that would just strain the bonds of blood and kin in the oldest clan of Konoha. Hyuuga Hiashi had listened to the impassioned speech made by his nephew, and had seen, as he had seen on the day of the first Chuunin examinations, the foundational changes that had matured Neji. Hiashi knew then, that now was the time for progress for his clan, and he believed that his nephew would be the power that drove this progress and release the clan from the internal strife and hurt that had tainted it for decades. Neji and Hiashi had then spent that day discussing about the future of the clan, and Neji had, in his involvement, forgotten about the training that he had scheduled with Tenten. Accepting his apology with a wave of her hand, Tenten had leaned excitedly across the table and grasped his hands in hers tightly, telling him how glad she was that his dream of being free, not just for his generation but the next as well, was no longer just a dream, but a work in progress. Neji had smiled then, a true smile that she had never seen before. Tenten had felt happy herself for the rest of the day after waving goodbye to him after lunch, and she had decided to walk about the village to absorb in the day that had suddenly become brighter, fresher, freer. Passing by an ink and calligraphy store, Tenten had almost immediately spied a painting of a single dove in flight, its wings spread out in triumph as it flew from a single cage. She had bought it without hesitation, even when the storekeeper had told her that it was the work of a famous painter and the price had been exorbitant. She had presented it to Neji in a flourish the next day, smiling widely as she saw his eyes widen and then cloud over with unspoken emotion at the significance of the painting. They had sparred extra vigourously that day, and she could almost feel the weight of an age- old burden lifting from his heart as he spun in a blue- silver whirl and she flew in the sky with her twin scrolls of weapons.

It was the same for the Jounin examinations. This time, a few years older and wiser, Tenten had acknowledged that she was in love with him, and she had given him a hug and a kunai that she had wrought specially for him, the kanji for passion, pride and strength carved into the right side of the blade. She had told him that she was confident that he would pass as spectacularly as he had done for all their missions leading up to this. He had accepted the kunai with his usual care and composure, long fingers grazing hers slightly as she handed it over. Again, he had said nothing but a quiet word of thanks before they had parted for the night. Tenten was expecting his arrival at their training grounds after the examinations, and was not surprised when he told her about the good news. Instead, she had started packing up her weapons, and with a grin, had proceeded to tell him that Gai and Lee were already at Lee's apartment, complete with confetti, food and drinks for the celebration. The night had been especially joyous, since they were now of legal age to drink, and drunken stories of that night would remain a tradition for Team Gai for years to come.

The relationship between Tenten and Neji remained unchanged throughout the next two years, with only her guessing whenever he was troubled because his usual demeanor always presented a calm façade. However, Tenten would know, and she would bring him to eat herring soba or a teahouse for green tea, and when food did not work, she would sit with him silently above the hill overlooking Konoha, much as they had done since Chuunin days. Always, she would find a little trinket or a small ornament to give him as encouragement and a reminder that she would always be there for him. He had always received them with a small smile and a nod, and they would part as before, him back to the Hyuuga compound, and she back to her apartment downtown.

It was one perfectly mundane day that he had suddenly invited her to his house for lunch, instead of going to their usual haunts. She had accepted the invitation, and, feeling more than a little curious, had followed her teammate back to the large Hyuuga compound. They had had a silent lunch in the rock garden of the compound, and Neji had seemed disinclined to enlighten her on this sudden invitation. They had gone to his room after lunch, the first time that she had ever seen it. Neji had excused himself to retrieve something from another room, and she was alone for a while. Taking in the serene layout of his room, Tenten was not surprised to see that it was very well kept and done up in a colour scheme of cream, white and navy. Her glance sweeping over the wall of calligraphy beside his folded futon, she stopped at a familiar painting. It was the ink- drawn picture of a dove in flight, and it was currently framed in an exquisite mahogany frame that she knew had to be an heirloom in the Hyuuga clan. Softly tracing the frame with a finger, Tenten returned to observing the room that the one she loved spent his time at home in. She could not prevent a sense of happiness from spreading when she noticed the amulet, prayed over so long ago in a dusty temple, hanging securely as part of a wooden wind chime that looked hand- carved. The gentle breeze that blew in from the window caused the tiny bell hanging from the amulet to ring sweetly and softly in tandem with the chimes. Tenten slowly began to walk around the square room, and noticed the kunai placed in a laquered box on an end table holding a bonsai tree and some scrolls. The kunai still gleamed as though it had been recently cleaned, and its blade was as sharp as the day she had crafted it. It was clear that its owner had never used it before but had still regularly cleaned and sharpened it. Heart beginning to thud rapidly in her chest, Tenten recognized the little trinkets and ornaments that she had given him over the years, and she saw his care in handling them, whether it be the calligraphy paintbrush she had given him three years before, still sleek with no split ends despite it being obviously regularly used, the ivory brush for his hair two years ago, set neatly in its holder on the side of his table, the set of shuriken smelling of fresh cleaning oil that she had made for him a year ago…

Turning her head at the sound of his bedroom door sliding open, Tenten's heart felt that it could surely burst when she saw him, those liquid- silver eyes gazing at her with all his emotions bared for her in a single moment of absolution. He started walking forwards, holding an intricately wrapped box in his hand. Coming to a stop in front of her, Neji placed the box down on the table, and he started untying the hitai- ate from his forehead. The moment the protector was removed, Tenten gasped. The seal marking his fate, as a branch member of the Hyuuga clan, the curse that had bound him against his will for so long, was gone. Trembling, she traced a finger across the smooth expanse of skin. No longer resisting, she tiptoed and gently placed a kiss where the hated "X" had been before. She felt his arms wrap around her and pressing her to his chest, his chin coming to a rest on hers. She thought she heard a sigh escape him as they both relaxed into each other, acutely aware that this was surely a turning point in their relationship, where she would no longer need to use trinkets and ornaments to stay by his side.

"Tenten, I wanted you to be the first to know about the changes that have occurred in this clan since I told you about it a few years ago." His baritone sounded slightly muffled as he nuzzled the top of her head. His arms tightened involuntarily around her as he continued. "Did you know the amount of courage you gave me when you handed me that painting? It was the first time that the clan had listened to me, that the elders had even bothered to listen. I wasn't sure if I could succeed, even with Hiashi's support. But, that day when you gave me the painting, and I saw it, and I saw you, I knew then that I could do it. Tenten, thank you."

Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. Blinking rapidly to disperse them, Tenten leaned back to look at him, silently memorizing this view of his face, carrying the most wonderous mix of fearlessness and vulnerability. She had never imagined the effect that her gift had had on him, much less imagined that it had pushed him to accomplish the biggest breakthrough in one of Konoha's most powerful clans. Her body trembled as his long fingers moved to sweep some loose tendrils of hair that had escaped from her buns.

"The amulet you gave me so many years ago, I tied it to my belt when I was fighting my opponent in the final stage. The kunai that you made for me for my Jounin exams, I kept it in my pouch and refused to use it even when the examiners had pushed me to my chakra limits. For some reason, the kunai seemed to be telling me not to give up, much as I imagined you would say, if it had really be you there instead of your gift." Smiling slightly, Neji continued. "The calligraphy brush is the only one I could use now to write, I can't seem to get used to the strokes of other brushes. Trust me, it's hard to keep it in good condition." Picking up the ivory brush, he smirked and said, "I couldn't believe it when you gave me such a… girly gift. But I couldn't say no when I knew that you would have spent effort looking for it. And the shuriken. Let's just say that no enemy is worthy enough of being pierced by them." Lastly, he moved to take the box that he had brought in with him. "Tenten, this is for all that you have given me, and for all the times you have been there for me. Please accept it."

Tenten slowly took the box from him, and their fingers brushed against each other's in searing tingles. She opened the delicate wrapper and lifted the lid of the wooden box. Lying within was a magnificent pendant shaped in the form of a dove, with ruby stones set as its eyes. Lifting it up from the box, Tenten turned the pendant to its other side. Small but clearly discernible were the kanji for "Hizashi and Miyaki" carved into the wings of the dove. "It was the first gift that my father had given my mother. I-I thought that you might like it." She looked up when he started speaking and noted the light blush dusting his usually fair skin. Tenten clutched the pendant to her chest, and, speaking despite the slight tremor in her voice, said, "How is it that I could always tell when something was bothering you, but not see, this?"

Taking the pendant from her clutched fists, Neji placed the necklace around her neck, clasping it firmly closed. Tenten closed her fingers around the dove, now resting directly above her heart. Turning around to face him, Tenten saw the thing that she had never guessed that she would see from him, intuition or not.

"I love you, Tenten."

They shared their first kiss in his neat room, surrounded by the objects that had always conveyed her love for him.