Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

" If you want me to fall for you, you got to give me something worth tripping over."

- Unknown

Reason To Fall

Everyone knows that Hyuuga Neji doesn't fall. Whether it was dodging a kunai in midair, being overcomed by the tug towards the Earth or simply slipping on a stray patch of ice, people do fall.

But no, Neji somehow devised a way to escape from gravity's irresistable pull. When he leaps through the air, pulling out a hidden weapon from his sleeve or performing some complicated jutsu technique, he comes back down precisely when and where he wants to, the landing all planned and calculated. So it doesn't count as a "fall".

Perhaps the question if Neji did fall or not began when they met at the interviews in the Acadamy with their soon-to-be teachers. He had just finished his and she was about to go into hers. Though her family wasn't poor, her clothes felt shabby and bedraggled next to his rich and unsullied ones. Eyes colder than a lake on a winter's evening bore into hers, making her shiver, despite it being a warm summer morning.

Nevertheless, she gave him a tentative smile and a "Good morning." He, on the other hand, walked past her, as if she didn't exist, brushing aside her greeting like a pesky fly.

Even though she had fallen for him, Hyuuga Neji didn't fall.

Years rolled by and she grew restless staring at the back of his head. She counted that she sat exactly four seats up and nine across from him, a total distance of 8.539 metres away. But she saw and heard many things that she normally wouldn't have if she had sat closer to him.

The other girls giggled and oogled at him whenever he was in their presence, whispering in what they thought were quiet voices. " Did you see that jump he just did?" one girl squealed while another girl sighed dreamily, saying " He's so lucky. I bet his parents are so proud of him" or something like " Neji-kun or Sasuke-kun ... I don't know who to pick! They're both really cool" But they were blinded by their one-sided infatuation. If they weren't, they might have realized that Neji doesn't have parents anymore.

The boys were barely any better. Though outwardly, they seemed resentful towards the prodigy but inwardly, they wanted to be just like him. They wanted to act like him, talk like him, walk like him, even dress like him. Even all the teachers respected and praised him, always talking of how he was so talented and perceptive.

It seems to her that Neji preferred to ignore all this senseless chatter and attention he was receiving. He was just concentrated on his studies, which made TenTen come to realize that:

Even though everyone in the Acadamy has fallen for him, Hyuuga Neji didn't fall.

When Team Gai was formed, she, him and another boy sat together, waiting for their new sensei to show up. TenTen could barely contain her excitement. She, out of all the girls, got to be in the same team as Neji. This was her chance to prove to him that even though she was one of the few remaining girls in the Acadamy, she was just as good as any boy.

She eyed the other boy curiously, wondering how someone like him could want to pursue a career such as this. He had no talent in ninjutsu or genjutsu. He was only able to use taijutsu. He was handicapped before he even started his career of being a shinobi.

Suddenly there was a loud bang and an explosion of smoke. TenTen yelped and the other boy gave an alarmed shout. A strange man in a strange pose appeared before them on top of a turtle when the smoke had cleared away.

" Behold!" the man shouted dramatically. " I am the Leaf's proud green beast who has slumbered for centuries until this moment where I shall meet my new pupils -"

By then, Neji had already kicked the man across the face and he hurled his shurikens, successively pinning the man's sleeves to the nearest pillar. With a smirk, Neji charged forward, ready to use his Gentle Fist to defeat the enemy.

" Wait! Wait!" the man grunted through his broken nose. " I'm Maito Gai! Your new sensei! Damn, that was a good kick."

Neji dug his heels on the ground to stop his run, his face revealing no astonishment or confusion. " WHAT?!" TenTen and the other boy simultaneously exclaimed, completely dumbfounded.

Even though their sensei just fell several respect points, Hyuuga Neji didn't fall.

There was that one time when Gai treated his whole team after Lee successfully learned the Ura Renge. Everything went as normal as it could be. Until Lee accidentally grabbed Gai's sake, which was standing innocently on the table and took a small sip of it. Before any of them could register what had happened, Lee was already drunk.

Very, very violently drunk.

Tables, chairs and food went flying. People shrieked in alarm, scrambling away from their table. Gai and Neji attempted to calm the drunken boy while TenTen hurried to move all the villagers away from harm. But of course, things had to go from worse to unquestionably disastrous.

Lee somehow managed to elude Gai and Neji and grabbed TenTen, pinning her down on the wall in a noticeably awkward position. " You're - very - pretty," he belched out. His breath reeked of sake, nearly making her gag. She tried to break free from his grasp but Lee was too strong for her.

He was leaning closer. She clamped down hard on her instincts that told her to scream like any girl would in this situation. She retreated from him until her head hit the wall. There was nowhere else to go or move. His puckering mouth was mere inches above her own.

Fortunately, Neji came just in time, knocking Lee away from her. As Gai wrestled with his student, successfully subduing Lee, TenTen sagged in the ground in exhaustion. It was not how she wanted her first kiss to be. Her eyes inevitably slid to the silent and cool boy standing overhead, as if this was a daily occurrance. She blushed at the thought if he was the one to pin her down, to lean forward for her to gaze endlessly into his translucent eyes, his nose brushing across hers ...

" Are you all right?" he asked mildly, extending a hand towards her.

Her blush deepened. " Y-yeah," she stammered, accepting his hand and standing on wobby legs.

Even as Lee fell unconscious, Hyuuga Neji didn't fall.

As the Chuunins approached, Gai constantly warned them to expect the unexpected. But TenTen couldn't hold back her gasp when she saw Lee sprawled on the cold ground of the Forest of Death, in his attempt to protect Haruno Sakura, another Leaf Genin. Neji was more rational, handling the situation accordingly. But even he could not suppress a sliver of rage that flashed across his face at those who hurted his comrade.

When they took Lee to a more peaceful area to tend his wounds, TenTen cursed her lack of attention when her sensei was teaching the young kunoichi about the basic first aid. As her eyes trailed from bruise to bruise, from cut to cut, she clenched her fists in helplessness.

" Here." Neji uncorked his bottle, dabbed a clean hankerchief with water and handed it to her. " Use this to clean his cuts."

She did as she was told, watching Neji as he expertly checked for any broken bones. He announced that there were none but Lee's bruised ribs and damaged ears might cause him some trouble. And TenTen was finally able to release the breath she was holding since she first saw Lee in this condition.

As they silently continued to bandage Lee with what they could, she thought how lucky they were to have Neji with them. He was the unofficial leader of Team Gai. Both her and Lee look up to him, respecting him and listening to his recommendations if he had any for them. And Neji didn't seem to mind them much, despite his glares and dry comments.

Even though she fell short on her memory, Hyuuga Neji didn't fall.

They finished the second round of the Chuunin Exam and advanced onward to the final last round. TenTen could feel the exhilaration from the ends of her hair, running down her spine, coursing through her blood and down to the tips of her toes. This was it. Thirteen years of blood, sweat and tears paid off as she stood, participating in the preliminaries.

She peered at the other contestants, their faces solemn and tense. She glimpsed at her own teammates. Neji was as stoical as normal and even Lee displayed signs of being serious. If fate would have it, she might have to fight one of them. She knew the chances of her winning against them were less than thirty percent. Nevertheless, TenTen would hold her head high and like she swore when she first became part of Team Gai, she would prove to them that she was just as good as any of them.

Though it was deemed that she would not fight against Neji or Lee, it was decreed that she would be defeated by Temari of the Sand. She never felt more humilated and weak as she laid across her opponent's fan. Her weapons were scattered on the ground, none of them finding their intended target. When Temari threw her off like she was some despicable thing, TenTen wished for nothing other than to disappear.

Instead of crashing hard to the ground, she found herself held by strong arms. Dimly, she heard Lee yell at Temari, defending her honour. If she squinted through her blurry eyes, she could spot Neji standing impassively above her in the balconies. However, she was surprised (and slightly pleased) to see one of his hands clenched knuckle-white on the rail. Perhaps her loss, along with his father's revenge, was what goaded him to fight so ruthlessly and mercilessly with his cousin, Hinata.

Due to her injuries, she wasn't able to see Lee's fight with Gaara of the Sand. But when Neji came to visit her later, no words were needed to say. His eyes told the entire story to her. From Lee's determination to his inevitable defeat by the tremendous and frightening power of Gaara. Her only regret was not being there to cheer Lee on.

Even though his two teammates fell, Hyuuga Neji didn't fall.

It was during his battle with the "loser" Uzumaki Naruto that most people saw Neji physically fall. For some reason, TenTen didn't feel disappointment that her teammate had just lost. In fact, she felt relieved and a little bit happy that his fall proved that he was still human.

She was going to visit him, just as he had visited her. Her hand hovered by the doorknob when she heard Hyuuga Hiashi speaking to his nephew. Neji rarely talked about his remaining family and if he did, it was only with bitterness. And yet the man that Neji abhorred the most was on his knees, pleading him to forgive him.

Not wanting to intrude any longer, TenTen turned to leave, only for the door to open and Hiashi stepped out. Their eyes met in surprise. She quickly bowed her head in respect and to hide her shame at being caught eavesdropping on them. Nevertheless, he gave a curt nod and a smile before he walked by her.

When she finally swallowed her embarrassment, she found Neji looking out the window. To a stranger, it may seem like he didn't acknowledge her presence but TenTen knew that he did. For many minutes, he remained seated on the bed, staring outside, while she remained standing, silent and patient, until he spoke.

" The birds look happy today, don't you think so, TenTen?" he asked her. It was the first time she'd seen such a gentle smile on his face.

Even though everyone believed he had fallen, Hyuuga Neji didn't fall.

He was the first of the Genins, the first of the Konoha 12 to become a Jounin. He trained long and hard during those two and a half years since Uchiha Sasuke left Konoha, since Naruto went off to train with Jiraiya and since Neji narrowly escaped death from his battle with one of the Sound Four.

Over those two years, he trained the most with her. From early in the morning to late at night, they fought, improved their skills and developed new ones. TenTen felt the most alive during these times. And as a compensation for training with him, Neji would be a gentleman and walk her home if they do carry on too late into the night.

They rarely talk and if they do, it would be of the training. No "So how's the situation with the main branch?" or "I see you used the ribbon I gave to you last Christmas." No causal talks and no questions about the other's personal life. Until one day, TenTen's father invited him into the house.

There was a rather perculiar expression on Neji's face as he tried to politely decline. By then, TenTen's mother heard the noise and now he couldn't refuse. The two of them sat side by side uncomfortably as her mother poured tea for both of them. " You must be Neji-kun." TenTen's father smiled over the rim of his cup. " TenTen's been telling us so much about you."

A dull flush coloured his normally pale cheeks while TenTen spluttered, speechless for words. " How long have you known each other?" TenTen's mother asked, changing the subject but not in a way that her daughter had liked.

" Three years," Neji replied evenly.

" Three years?" TenTen's mother echoed thoughtfully. " That's quite a long time."

Thinking it would be wiser if he didn't reply, Neji simply sipped on his tea. Wishing to spare Neji (and herself) from further humilation, TenTen quickly said the most common excuse when escaping from parents. " It's getting late. He has to leave now."

" Well, it was a pleasure to meet you." TenTen's father shook hands with Neji. " TenTen, make sure you bring your boyfriend in the next time he takes you home."

Neji's eyes widened and TenTen's face turned furiously red. " Dad!" she shrieked in embarrassment.

Even though she wished for nothing other than the ground is disappear so she could fall out of sight, Hyuuga Neji didn't fall.

Neji was what most people would call the perfect ninja. He deals with the mission thusly and doesn't even blink an eye if there was a sudden change or if something that did not go according to his plan (which was quite rare). His opponents would be thrown off by facing such an emotionless and calculating enemy. The younger generation of Konoha often look up to him, while the older generations are proud that they have one like him in their ranks.

He can be proud and arrogant at times, in which TenTen and Lee comes jumping in to bring him back down to earth. He prefers to work independantly but he knows he can depend on others if he needs it. His relations with the main Hyuuga branch has improved immensely. He now enjoys sparring with Hinata and Hanabi occasionally.

There were times he can be unpleasantly unpredictable. In the least suspecting moment, he might casually throw out a joke that surprises even himself sometimes. His reaction to anything, whether expected or surprise, is frightfully fast, to the point where Lee quips that his Byakugan has become a premonition for Neji. One moment he could be standing next to someone and the next, pinning a suspicious person to the ground, a kunai already at their throat and all their possibilies of escaping gone.

TenTen admires how he can dodge all her weapons, even defeat her ultimate attack, the Soshoryu. She adores the way his eyes shimmer every colour possible when his gaze is upon her. But she can't seem to ever forget the times he had bestowed upon her one of his seldom smiles and fall in love with him over again. His fine, handsome features often attract unwanted attention, much to TenTen's displeasure. How she wishes that his heart was hers alone.

Even though she and everyone else had fallen for him many, many times, Hyuuga Neji didn't -

" TenTen?"

She looked up at him. His eyes, which were once cold and distant, were now alive with emotions and currently with curiosity. " What are you doing here?" he asked, cocking his head at her.

Giving him a smile, she shrugged. " No reason really."

He sat next to her on the grassy plains, a thoughtful frown on his face. " You need a reason to do something," he pointed out. " People don't just do something without a good reason."

" What if I don't want to have a reason?" TenTen asked mischeviously before she pulled him down and kissed him.

This time, Hyuuga Neji did fall.