Tenten sat back in her seat, eyebrow rising, "You want me to what?"

Sakura wiped her mouth with her napkin, sticking her fork back in her stack of pancakes, "Tenten, please! I just need you to distract Neji, just for this afternoon! We all know Neji would be dead set against this!"

"You're right...And I'm not too thrilled about the idea either...Setting poor Hinata up on a blind date," the brunette grumbled, stuffing another forkful of waffle into her mouth, "It's not right."

"It's all right, Tenten-san," Hinata spoke up quietly, "It'll just be this one date. And Sakura will be there."

"Still...," Tenten bit her lip, unsure. She was one hundred percent positive Neji wouldn't like this. Both Sakura and Hinata looked at her with pleading eyes and Tenten felt her resolve crumble. She cursed her inability to resist puppy dog eyes...It had gotten her into more trouble than she cared to count.

"All right! All right! I'll take care of Neji," she huffed, wincing when Sakura emitted an earslitting squeal, "Just don't let anything happen to Hinata, got it?"

Sakura's green eyes shone with triumph, "No problem!"

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Neji had been doing his early morning exercise when he got an unexpected yet pleasant surprise. He'd just finished his meditation when a servant had announced that Tenten was in the garden, waiting for him. Pleased but still a bit puzzled as to why she was there, he changed quickly and made his way outside. He had been planning on calling her so they could meet...there was something he wanted to share with her, something he'd been planning the last few weeks.

He slowed as he neared her, taking a moment to observe her. The morning sunlight brought out the deep brown of her hair, done up in their trademark twin buns. She wore her usual attire, red capris and a tight fitting white v-neck. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted up as if she was absorbing the sun's rays.

"How long are you going to stand there watching me?"

A wry smile twisted her lips and she cracked open one eye, turning to look at him.

He smirked smugly, walking the rest of the way toward her, "Hn."

"A good morning to you too," she chuckled, shaking her head. A quick look around confirmed there was no one nearby and he took the chance to bend down and peck her on the lips. She hummed in pleasure, obviously happy with the small token of affection.

He knew he wasn't the warmest person to be with but Tenten had accepted him as he was, never once complaining about the lack of public display of affection. Still, he was sure he more than made up for that when they were alone. A smug smirk had somehow emerged up on his face and Tenten smiled ruefully, shaking her head again.

"Neji Hyuga, get your mind out of the gutter," she teased playfully, grinning when he frowned petulantly.

"Hn," he grunted, reaching for her hand, "What are you doing here so early? I though you were going to be spending the day at the orphanage."

"What, not happy to see me?"

"Hn," he tugged on her hand, hugging her to him and bending down till his lips were by her ear, "Of course I am."

He smirked when she shuddered, stepping away gracefully. She glared at him sternly, whacking him lightly on the shoulder. He could have dodged it...But he decided not to. It would just encourage her to begin a full-out brawl and although he liked training with Tenten, at the moment he was content to just be in her presence. They hadn't seen each other in a while due to his 'promotion' and he had missed her company.

"Actually, the orphanage cancelled at the last minute," she shifted, flicking her bangs away from her eyes, "So I thought we could go somewhere."

He narrowed his eyes, suspicious. He'd known Tenten long enough to know when she was hiding something. He could hear it in her voice...There was obviously something she wasn't telling him.

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Tenten could tell Neji was suspicious...He was staring at her through narrowed eyes, his pearly gaze encouraging her to tell him the truth. She hated hiding things from him but she had made a promise to Hinata and Sakura and she was a woman of her word. She took a small breath and looked up at him, pouting.

"Do you have other plans?"

His eyes visibly widened and he took a step forward, hurrying to reassure her, suspicions forgotten, "No...Hinata-sama and I were supposed to spend the day training but she cancelled. I would be...delighted...to go on an outing with you."

Tenten felt the guilt weighing her down but pushed it away. She was doing it for Hinata. And it had been a while since she and Neji had gone out on a date. Neji had been unusually busy. His uncle had named him the successor of Hyuga Enterprises and Neji had been spending long hours in the office. She missed spending time with him but understood that this was important to him so she sucked it up and immersed herself in her Tae Kwon Doe class. She was able to forget her loneliness temporarily as she trained. She didn't want to burden Neji or make him feel guilty.

"So...We can go out? Just the two of us?"

He chuckled, bring her close again, "Hn."

She threw her arms around his neck, snuggling her face into it. He tensed but instead of gently pushing her away like he usually did, he brought her in even closer and placed a soft kiss on her own neck. She gasped softly, unprepared for the tsunami of emotions beating against her with that simple action. Looking up into Neji's smoldering eyes, she was sure she wasn't the only one whose temperature had skyrocketed in those few seconds. She could feel his steady heartbeat against her own chest and hers seemed to slow down to match his pace.

She still felt unnaturally flushed though.

"Neji," she whispered softly, leaning her forehead on his, "Have...Have you missed me?"

She was sure he caught the uncertainty in her voice because his eyes softened and he caressed her cheek tenderly, making her heart skip a beat.

"More than you can imagine, Tenten," he sighed contentedly, "More than you can imagine."

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He'd been caught by surprise, Tenten's lips grazing his neck sending all rational thought down the drain. He'd underestimated how much he had missed her. He hadn't had the strength to push her away. And for once, he let his feelings control his actions. He'd felt a surge of pride when he felt her shudder against him as his lips came in contact with her soft skin. When he pulled back, he was pleased to see Tenten's cheeks aflame, a feat that was hard to pull off. And when he saw her uncertainty and vulnerability as she asked her question, he promised himself that from that point on he would be more open with his feelings and more affectionate with his girlfriend.

He replied sincerely and was rewarded with a beautiful answering smile that had him struggling for breath.

Some of his relatives had once commented that they found Tenten plain; They saw nothing exquisite about her, just an ordinary woman.

To Neji, she was the most beautiful creature on this planet.

She might not have outstanding features, such as Sakura's pink hair or Ino's crystal eyes, but her soul was what had attracted him to her, a strong warrior's soul. She wasn't something fragile that he felt he had to protect...She was his EQUAL, someone who was worthy to stand beside him. And he believed this date could be the perfect moment to share the good news with his soulmate.

"What are you thinking about?"

He blinked, snapping back to the present, "...You."

She flushed again, "Neji, you sure you're okay? Do you have a fever?"

He swatted her hand away from his forehead, scowling, "Hn."

She grinned widely, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, "That's the Neji I love."

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "Where do you want to go?"

She smiled shyly, her chocolate brown eyes warm, "It doesn't matter...As long as I'm with you, anywhere is fine."

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Tenten felt all those feelings of loneliness vanish as she walked hand-in-hand with Neji. They had spent the morning strolling through the park, the one where they had first met. She'd been playing with her friend Lee when Neji had shown up in all his 6 year-old glory. He'd been a downright bully and had humiliated her bug-eyed friend and she'd delivered a hard punch to his perfect pale cheek, startling him. They had soon become fast friends, an unlikely trio.

Then, in High School, Neji had confessed to her and she'd been surprised to learn that she felt the same way. They'd been a couple ever since. It had been nice, walking past places they had once played as children.

Then they'd gone to get a light lunch and afterward stopped at the small local mall to watch a movie. Now they walked along the sidewalk across from the zoo, with her listening to the Hyuga talk about the work his uncle was having him do. To her the topic didn't really matter...He could have been talking about the monstrous size of Lee's eyebrows and she'd still be hanging onto his every word...She adored listening to his deep even voice.

Neji wasn't a very talkative person, so when these rare moments of him talking openly surged up, she encouraged him, listening attentively even when she didn't completely grasp the subject matter.

He suddenly paused midsentence, pulling her to a stop.

She blinked, puzzled by the abrupt stop, "Neji?"

He shuffled nervously, which was strange...It wasn't often she'd seen him acting like this. Neji was rarely nervous.

He took a deep breath then bent down toward her ear.

"Tenten," he whispered, "I...I love you...Just wanted to make sure you knew that."

Touched by his words, Tenten roughly pulled on his white shirt, kissing him deeply, not caring if anyone was watching. She pulled away but kept their heads close together, her heart hammering in her chest.

"I love you too, Neji," she smiled happily as she noticed his cheeks were tinted the lighest pink and he was smiling softly. Not a smirk but one of his real, heart-melting, jaw-dropping, gorgeous smiles.

"Tenten, there is something I must urgently discuss with...," he paused, his eyebrows furrowing and his jaw going slack.

Tenten cocked her head, "Neji?"

But his gaze wasn't on her.

Puzzled, she turned, trying to find the reason for Neji's shock. Unfortunately, she got a shock of her own.

Straight ahead, at the entrance to the zoo, stood Hinata, a blonde boy hugging her from behind.

She quickly turned toward Neji, keeping a firm hold on him, "Neji. Please. Stay Calm."

His expression had turned from slack-jawed shock to a murderous glare that had a few passerby's quickening their pace.

As if he hadn't heard her, he shouldered her aside, striding across the street toward the oblivious couple.

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He couldn't believe it...It just couldn't be true. His pure and sweet little cousin couldn't have LIED to him. HIM of all people! He'd expected this from Hanabi but Hinata...Never had the thought even crossed his mind! He barely heard Tenten's footsteps following him.

"Hinata-sama...?"

Both Hinata and the boy draped over her turned, Hinata looking at him with frightened lilac eyes. The boy looked confused, looking from him to Hinata, but the expression soon turned wary as if he had caught on to Neji's fury and inner desire to strangle him. He was about to take a step forward toward the couple but a firm hand was holding him back.

He turned to the person, his eyes blazing. Tenten glared right back, not the least bit intimidated, though several in the proximity took a step back.

"Tenten, let go,"he hissed, his lips set into a hard line.

"Neji, don't do this. Be reasonable," she reasoned, almost close to pleading.

"You knew about this," it wasn't a question but a statement.

Tenten looked down guiltily but then squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye, "I'm sorry, Neji. But you need to understand. Hinata is allowed to go out and have fun. She's not a child!"

"She can have fun with those of the female gender,"he replied stoically though his glare was anything but. If looks could kill, the blonde beside Hinata would have died at least three times over.

"Neji, you're being ridiculous," Tenten exploded exasperatedly, throwing her hands up. He gritted his teeth, attempting to remain calm but it was difficult. Tenten had lied to him, obviously on Hinata's orders. And although it irritated him that she would try to trick him, his anger stemmed from another reason...A certain orange-clad, blonde reason.

He'd always thought of Hinata and Hanabi as his sisters and had always been extremely overprotective of them.

And, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw his little cousin and the color blind idiot dash away, he acted on impulse, running after them. Tenten yelped in surprise and dismay behind him, followed by the sound of her running footsteps.

"Neji! Neji, wait!"

But he was on a mission...And not even his girlfriend could deter him.

He dodged people and children, keeping the laughing couple in his sights. Tenten's footsteps and voice never faded behind him, keeping up but not being able to overtake him.

They came out at the parking lot, running between parked cars and startled pedestrians. Neji had almost caught up to the two when he heard a sound that turned his blood to ice.

Tires screeching as someone tried to dodge hitting something...or someone.

He turned just in time to see the car fully hit Tenten, her body flying a few feet and landing with a dull thud, rolling away a few paces till she came to a complete stop.

He couldn't feel ANYTHING. All his mind could process at the moment was that Tenten, the woman he loved, was lying motionless in front of him. He was by her side in a flash, hovering but afraid to touch her. Cautiously, he moved her onto her back, supporting her head with his hand.

There was a large gash on her forehead, blood already trickling out of the wound. Her arms and legs were a bit scraped but other than that, she looked fine. He hadn't even registered that his cousin and her date stood beside him, so frightened was he.

"Tenten?"

His heart was gripped with fear's icy claws as she lay there unresponsive, her eyes still closed.

"Tenten...? Tenten, please,"his voice broke slightly but he was beyond caring, "Tenten, open your eyes."

As if she had heard his plea, her eyes fluttered open, the chocolate brown clouded with pain, "Neji...?"

"I'm here," his eyes stung with unshed tears but he held them at bay, "I'm going to take you to the hospital. Just hold on."

She nodded weakly before her eyes fluttered closed and she was once again unconscious. The blonde boy laid a hand on his shoulder, his blue eyes serious, "My friend has a car...I'll call him and he can drive us there."

Neji nodded, gently gathering Tenten up into his arms. The boy stepped back, cellphone already in hand. The driver who had hit Tenten stood by, apologizing profusely. His pudgy face was ashen white and he looked ready to puke.

"I'm so sorry, I tried to stop but...Is there anything I can do?"

Neji shook his head, his moonlike eyes dull. Hinata wisely took the rotund man aside, talking softly and calmly though her hands were shaking.

"There he is," Hinata's date sighed in relief, signaling to a dark-haired boy. Neji would have felt surprised to see Sakura beside him on a normal day but right now he barely took note of his cousin's roomate.

"What happened?"

"Sasuke, we need to get to the hospital," the blonde explained what had occurred in a rush, barely taking a breath. 'Sasuke' instantly reacted, bringing his car around and helping Neji climb in, closely followed by the others. Neji watched the scenery rush by, all the while thinking that he should have been the one to be hit by that car.

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When Tenten came to, she was staring up at a white ceiling, the pain her side dulled, an obvious sign she had been given painkillers. A small pressure on her hand captured her attention and she turned her head, wincing when the action brought on a nauseating pain. Neji frowned, his silver eyes flashing in warning.

"I'm okay," she reassured him, smiling wearily. She felt as if she had just taken a long, not-really-needed nap.

His frown deepened and his silver eyes turned stormy gray, "Two sprained ribs, several scrapes and three stitches on your forehead."

Tenten squeezed his hand tight, hearing the anguish deep in his voice, "It wasn't your fault, Neji."

He sighed, his expression tortured, "I shouldn't have run off after them...I should have protected you."

"Well," she smiled wryly, "You're right, you shouldn't have given chase...You never leave your girlfriend alone to go after another girl, no matter who she might be. Unless she's in danger, then you can. As for protecting me...You're not Superman or even that stupid Edward Cullen. No matter what you might think, you wouldn't have been able to stop that car."

"But...," she cut him off, putting her hand against his lips.

"But nothing. Stuff like this happens. I'm okay now," she leaned forward and kissed his cheek as if to prove her point. He sighed again but she could tell he was a little less bothered now, his shoulders not as slumped. They sat in comfortable silence, the beeping of the machines the only sound in the room.

A sudden memory popped in her head and she looked over at him curiously, "Neji, before you saw Hinata, you said there was some urgent business we needed to discuss...What was it?"

He looked surprised then he shook his head ruefully, chuckling, "Aaa, yes...I'd almost forgotten."

She shifted on the bed, careful of the wire hanging from her arm, "Well?"

He smirked knowingly, looking a bit more like his usual self, "You already know that Uncle has named me his successor for the company and I've had to spend these last few weeks learning the ropes. But that isn't all I was doing."

He paused and Tenten glared at him after he made no move to continue, nudging him, "Would you just hurry up and tell me already?"

He chuckled again, "I was also seeking my Uncle's permission to ask for your hand in marriage. He, of course, gave his consent but it was a little more challenging in getting the elders' approval. I had planned something more romantic, flowers, wine, candlelit dinner and such, but it seems my plan was thwarted."

Tenten sat there, not knowing what to say, her mouth hanging open, "M-Marriage?"

Neji nodded, his cheeks now a light pink. He cleared his throat, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small ring case, "Tenten, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Tenten felt the prickling of tears in her eyes and she gave a half-sob, half-laugh, nodding her head, "Since it seems I ruined your wonderful plans, I guess I'll have to make it up to you by saying yes."

A sincere and happy smile, one that had Tenten feeling faint all over again, lit up Neji's face as he took her hand and slipped the diamond ring onto her finger, "That is indeed the least you could do."

She laughed happily, pulling on his shirt until she was able to reach his lips. He eagerly responded but was obviously still aware of her injuries. They broke apart and Tenten scooted over in order to have space for Neji to lay beside her. Tenten laid her haead on his chest, listening to the erratic beat of his heart...The only telltale sign of how nervous he'd been. She wasn't surprised when she noticed her heart was speeding just as fast, a matching beat.

A sudden thought infiltrated her mind and she glanced up at him, "Hey, Neji...?"

"Hn..."

"You...You didn't do anything to Hinata's date...did you?"

He raised an eyebrow, his expression masked, "...No."

Tenten breathed a sigh of relief, laying back down on his broad chest and snuggling into it. She was soon asleep, her breathing deep and even.

So she did not hear Neji's quiet comment after he was sure she was fully asleep.

He smirked menacingly, looking out the small window, "...At least, not yet."

*Author's note: And there you have it. I hope you guys have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I apologize if any of the characters seem OCC. I had a very fun time writing all of these even if I experienced a bit of writers block on some of them. Sorry if this chapter seemed a little more...serious. But this is Neji we're talking about...Anyway, thank you for all you kind reviewers. I appreciate the feedback.