Title- Take a Heart Leave a Heart

Author- 4give4get

Rated- T

Pairing- NEJI X TENTEN ALL THE WAY!

Chapter- One (Your Average Tomboy)

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto. I don't even own a cat.

Serena- I'm back and pumped with a brand-spanking new story! Less humor than the last one, but still for all you NejTen lovers out there… THIS IS THE STORY FOR YOU! I CANNOT STAND EITHER OF THEM WITH ANYONE ELSE, SO TOO BAD IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT! NEJI AND TENTEN ARE SOUL MATES AND ANYONE YOU WISHES TO CHALLENGE ME ON THE MATTER MAY FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME, BUT BE READY FOR A 10-PARAGRAPH ESSAY TO HEAD YOUR WAY ON WHY THEY SHOULD, COULD, AND WOULD GET TOGETHER! Thanks!

Your Average Tomboy…

Tenten's POV:

"Training again?" Yutaka, my fiancé asked, as I headed for the door.

"Uh-huh, yeah." I answered, flashing him a smile.

"I'm not sure you should be around that guy, Neji." He added, I was already gone.

Yutaka was living with my parents and me since originally he was from another village and had nowhere else to stay. Both of our parents came up with the idea, and he agreed to marry me. I wasn't so fond of the idea at first, I mean, I'm only eighteen, but decided he was an okay guy. Some girls were engaged by their parents to people much worse. Like my best friend, Ino. Her parents decided to give her a while to see if she found love on her own. After a few months, they found a guy who was ten years older than her. I still remember the morning of the wedding.

"B-b-b-but, T-t-tenten-ch-ch-chan!" Ino sobbed, "I d-d-d-don't w-w-w-w-want t-t-t d-d-d-do th-this!"

"Shhh," I hugged my friend tightly, "I know. It's going to be okay. Try and eat something."

"M-m-m-m-my l-l-l-life is r-r-r-ruined!" she continued to cry harder.

"I'm so sorry, Ino-chan," I felt tears trickle out her eyes too, "I tried talking to your parents, they just wouldn't listen."

"Th-th-they h-h-h-had a d-debt to s-s-settle w-w-w-with h-him!" Ino hiccupped bitterly.

"No matter what your parents owe, or who you marry, you'll always be my Ino-chan, okay?" I assured her, "You're my best friend and I love you, got it?"

Ino nodded, though more tears fell, "I l-l-l-love y-you too."

"Okay, now let's get you some ice cream!"

And I really did mean everything I said. Ino is my best friend. Sure, she can sort of be a snob sometimes, but she's possibly the only person who's ever been completely, entirely honest with me. That, and I happen to love her like she was my sister.

I arrived at the team's usual training spot. Lee and Gai were having a conversation about youth, and Neji was meditating. I stood there for a while, annoyed that no one even noticed.

"HELLO?" I said, loudly.

"Ah! Tenten, our beautiful, youthful flower!" Gai exclaimed as he turned to look at me, finally.

"Hai!" Lee exclaimed back, "She is both beautiful, and youthful, and most diffidently, our flower!"

At first, it was a little awkward to have that kind of thing said about you two or three times a day, but I was used to it by now.

"Well, said!" Gai began to have tears in his eyes, "Isn't she the most enchanting, beautiful, astonishing, smart, sweet, YOUTHFULLY PERFECT girl you've ever seen, Neji?" he draped his arm over the no longer meditating Neji.

"Uh, sure." He replied, rolling his eyes, "Now that we have acknowledged Tenten's here, can we begin?"

I sniggered at that. Neji shot me a look, and I suddenly didn't see any humor in his words.

Training was horrible, as usual. Neji and I sparred, until I was on the ground, exhausted, with cuts and scrapes from my own weapons, and Neji was still not even touched. It got frustrating, as he began to meditate again.

Why can I not even stand and he hasn't even lost chakra?

I pushed my feet under myself and tried to stand. I got about halfway, when my muscles flat out refused to. I fell back down, my chin sank into the ground. I hissed in pain, and at my own weakness. How pathetic I must look to Neji!

I blinked a few times to clear myself, and saw Neji in front of me. He smirked.

"Don't push yourself Tenten," he stated, pulling my arms over his shoulder to carry me on his back, "You're done, I'll take you home."

I sighed in spite of myself. I was pissed off at how easily he just defeated me. It was like this most of the time, too.

"Everyone progresses at different rates, Tenten." He said, as though he could read my mind.

"Sure," I sighed, not convinced.

I didn't have to be able to see his face to know that he was smirking again. That made me frustrated all over again. Neji rang my doorbell, and Yutaka answered the door. He glared at Neji.

"I'll see you later, Tenten." He said, as though he didn't notice Yutaka. He lowered me off his back.

"Sure." I waved, just able to stand with leaning most of my weight on the door knob.

And he was gone in a flash. I stumbled into the house, Yutaka held my shoulder.

"What happened to you?" he asked as soon as the door was closed.

"Just training." I answered, heading for the stairs, "I'm taking a shower."

A lot of the time, I wished Yutaka was my brother, not my fiancé. He cares about me, sure. And I cared a whole lot about him, but just not in that way. But every time I thought that, my guilty conscience would bring my thoughts back to Ino. At least I could get along with him right? He wasn't ten years older than me, right?

I thankfully washed all of the mud off of my body, and got into some clean clothes. I was still a little shaky on my feet, but it was much better. As I came downstairs, ravenous from all of the training, Yutaka stopped me.

"How exactly did you get like that?" he looked concerned, "I thought it was only training."

"It was," I replied, searching the fridge, "Neji and I were sparring."

"Neji did that to you?"

Shit.

"It's no big deal, I'm fine."

He scowled, it was pretty obvious that he didn't approve of me being a ninja, anymore than he liked me being around Neji, for reasons, I didn't see at all. A lot of times, I almost told him that before he came, I trained everyday until I couldn't stand, and spent most of that time with Neji, and I'm still alive today, aren't I? But I didn't want to start an argument.

"Hey, wanna go and visit Ino with me?" I asked, changing the subject.

"No, I got work in an hour." He replied, leaving the room.

I put my hair up and hurried out the door, not wanting to talk to him when he was in one of his moods. When I got there, a tired looking Ino answered the door, and ushered me in as soon as she saw it was me.

"Thanks for coming over, Tenten-chan." She said, squeezing my hand.

"Hey, shouldn't you be training with your team?" I asked, frowing.

"I skipped. It's sort of weird, for them I think. Just the concept of me being married."

I felt so bad for her, that must be horrible.

Suddenly, I felt a hand from behind me, reach over, and grab my left breast. For most girls, when this sort of thing happens, their first instinct is to whirl around, and punch the fucker in the nose. I did the whirling around part; I had a fist high and ready. But before I could make contact, I saw exactly who it was, grabbing me there.

Ino's husband. His breath smelled like sake.

Figures.

Ino screamed, and I finished my blow, sending him backwards. She hugged me and whispered, "I'm sorry, he's been like that since, well, forever."

What? Had he tried anything on her? I knew he probably didn't get away with it. Ino was quite a strong ninja, with a powerful bloodline limit.

"You need to leave him, Ino." I said, looking her in the eye, "You can stay at my house, my parents won't care."

She nodded, "I thought about it. My parents would disown me."

"Your parents don't deserve a daughter like you." I insisted, "And you don't deserve parents that make you marry some booze-wreck. You'd be better off disowned, trust me."

I said this with knowing. My own parents had come close to disowning me, many times. First, when I decided to become a ninja. It took them a few months to get over that, and another time, when I threatened a guy with a kunai who would stop following Hinata and I when we were out shopping for a kimono for her, and also, when I first met Yutaka, I said I'd chew my own arm off before I'd bring myself to touch him. They were pissed and made me apologize, which, reluctantly I did.

Ino bit her lip, "I'll think about it."

End Chapter

Serena- Hope you like it. Don't worry, after the speech I made at the beginning there is no way I'd turn around and let Neji and Tenten NOT get together, so just be patient, I know it doesn't seem like they will now, but THEY WILL!!

Luv ya all, plox review!