They are the hardest words he has ever had to utter. Looking at the brown- eyed girl who is now trying valiantly to hide her nervousness and her blush, he steels himself and says in a voice deliberately wiped of emotion.

"I am sorry, Tenten, but I have never considered you as more than just a friend."

She freezes for the smallest of moments before jerking her head up to look at him. She is smiling at him as she has always done, though her eyes are suspiciously bright as she says that it's all right, and she understands, before turning around hastily, leaving him standing alone in the corridor. He hates that he is the one who has made her cry, and hates even more that he can do nothing as he sees her walk away from him, even though there is nothing else he would have liked to do in that moment but pull her into his arms.

But such is fate, and it has dictated that he and she are not meant to be. Neji closes his eyes in silent despair as he leans his head against the beige walls. For his friend's happiness, he would sacrifice himself, although he can feel a sudden breathless ache in his chest as he recalls the way her tears had shimmered in those beautiful eyes and the slight tremble of her lips just before she walked out of his life. Neji looks down at the item she handed to him after her confession. The kanji for his name stands out in navy thread against a simple white and cream handkerchief. Clenching it tightly in a fist, Neji stares unseeingly at the row of empty classrooms as the shadows in the corridor lengthen. It is well past sunset before he picks up his schoolbag and slowly walks out of the school.

The next morning as Neji makes the familiar route for another day of high school, his best friend and partner in crime for most activities bounces out of his house and enthusiastically greets him. "Ohayo! Here, my mum made me too much food for breakfast again. She asked me to pass these to you." Toru Mashida presses a bundle of freshly made sandwiches into the hands of his best friend. "She says you had better eat it. Must be 'cause I always complain about them at home, hah! Now you are my scapegoat! So, wanna round of basketball after school today? Naruto and his team are planning a game today at the usual place." Toru goes on a stream of random chatter as the duo makes their way to school. The boys have been mates since childhood, and the pair gets on very well together, with both enjoying many of the same activities. Both Toru and Neji belong to the basketball and kendo clubs in school, the former being the captain of the basketball team, the latter the president of the kendo club. Kendo is where both boys met Tenten two years ago, and Toru has not made an effort to hide his liking for the strong- willed, sassy teammate who can wield the bamboo sword with serious skill. Tenten… Neji's lavender- gray eyes darken as he recalls the happenings of yesterday.

"Neji! Hey, are you listening to me? Man, I said that I'm going to approach Tenten today and tell her that I like her! Do you think she will say yes if I ask her to be my girl? You seem to know her best out of all our other teammates in kendo. Any pointers for your good ol' buddy?" Toru's excited voice cuts into Neji's reverie, and he stiffens almost imperceptibly as his friend's words sinks in. He should not be surprised that Toru would make his move on her someday. After all, Toru has already confided about his feelings before on one of their guys' night out with the basketball team. Recalling his resolve to help his friend find happiness, Neji gives Toru's query some thought before he remembers Tenten's passing comment about liking the taste of something.

"You could get her some chocolate mints from the Yamanaka sweets shop. I remember her saying that she likes them. You would probably score some major points with her for that." He adds his usual smirk to the last statement, but it feels rather forced and he stops quickly. Toru, excited over the gem of information about his ladylove, does not notice his friend's sudden sullen expression. Neji has never been a morning person anyway. Only half- listening to Toru's grand plans of confession, Neji stares straight ahead as they reach Konoha High's gates, and against his will, glances around for a twin- bunned girl with sparkling eyes… She is right ahead of them, walking alone to school for once instead of with her clique of girls.

"I'm gonna say hi to her! Catch you later, Neji!" In a flash, his "best" friend abandons friendship for love. Neji stays at the back of the student crowd, seeing Toru mock- scare Tenten from behind. He smiles a little as she squeals in outrage and smacks Toru for his antics, before resolutely focusing his attention elsewhere. Toru would be able to make her laugh with his high spirits. His decision yesterday had been right. Neji squares his shoulders and makes his way to first class.

School passes in a daze of lessons and it is three in the afternoon when Neji slams his locker a little harder than usual as he waits impatiently for Toru. He has not seen him since lunchtime when the male zoomed off to find his ladylove for his confession. Neji convinces himself that he does not care how Tenten would react to Toru. She is after all not his, although she could have been yours, his traitorous mind whispers. Again, yesterday's events cross his memory and he recalls those sweet words that had tumbled from her mouth as she looked at him with the courage he knows she has always had. "I like you very much, Neji, and I have wanted to tell you so for quite a while now. It's- it's kind of a relief having it out. I made this for you. Hope you appreciate it." Neji's hand reaches unconsciously for the handkerchief in his pocket. He has not managed to resist bringing it along to school. Deciding not to wait around for Toru (he cannot stand the suspense any longer), Neji strides away from the lockers, making his way to the basketball courts. Turning the corner before the exit, he spies a familiar figure sitting by the side of the stairwell. Hesitating, he finally decides to approach her. "Tenten?" Rejecting her yesterday does not mean that he does not care, and he can feel the way she stiffens that she is still hurting from his words.

"Go away, Neji. I'm fine."

Frowning, the long- haired boy ignores the stubborn outburst and sits beside her. "Tenten, I still car- we are still friends, right? Could you please stop being stubborn and tell me what's wrong?"

In a flash, she turns and practically shouts at him. "Yes, Neji, we are still friends. Everything is going perfectly fine. After all, it's not everyday that a girl gets her heart trampled on one day and then confessed to by another boy the very next day! And the be-best part is that I rejected a perfectly nice guy who likes me because I still lo-love a bastard who says that we are friends, just friends! So, everything is fine and dandy! You can go in peace now can't you!" Her chest heaves rapidly as anger swiftly turns into tears that she struggles from releasing in front of him, though they still escape her eyes. She wipes at them uselessly before grabbing her bag and descends the steps swiftly, leaving Neji alone once again, battling with the now familiar ache of yearning and guilt. Basketball game all but forgotten, Neji slams a fist against the railings, his mind in turmoil over not only Tenten now but also his best friend. Why is life so goddamn complicated!

Toru is uncharacteristically subdued for the rest of the month, seeming lackluster even during basketball and kendo sessions. Neji tries his best to cheer the usually spirited boy up but he himself is not faring well either, missing several easy baskets in a friendly basketball match against Suna High and suffering a surprising defeat when sparring with a junior in kendo club. His eye often wanders over to a certain brown- eyed girl in the school canteen and in the dojo where they practise kendo, and he misses the times when they would meet up for lunch and enjoy the breaks together between sparring. In kendo club, when Neji sees her struggling to perfect a difficult kendo technique, he goes forward without thinking and adjusts her hand position with his own. She steps away from him, thanking him in a clipped tone that she has never used with him before. Shocked, Neji lets his hands fall to his side, and she chooses another sparring partner that day, even though they have been partners for the past year. Another time, he observes her while she spars with her new partner. Her skills are great as always but recently, she has tired herself out by going all- out every single time. His eyes widen and he rushes to her when he sees her stumble before falling backward, her left ankle at an awkward angle. He catches her just before she falls fully on the mat, and he flares up at her, irrationally angry that she has hurt herself.

"What did you think you were doing, sparring like that? I thought you knew better than to strike recklessly without the proper defense movements!" He unconsciously tightens his grip on her arms.

Tenten pushes herself away from him, struggling to stand despite a sprained ankle. "I don't need you to tell me what to do!" Her best friend, Sakura, glares at him before she brings Tenten to the school nurse. Tenten does not turn up for kendo for the next two weeks. Sakura refuses to update him on her ankle, and Neji feels increasingly frustrated.

A month after his failed confession, Toru finally comes out of his shell and seems a little more cheerful. "Ne, let's go play basketball after school today! Soda's on me." After playing a full three hours on the court, in which Toru easily beats Neji, the two friends sit quietly on the bleachers, each holding a sweating can of soda. Neji's mind is, as it has increasingly been, on a certain girl whom he has rejected but cannot seem to ignore. Toru observes his friend thoughtfully, sipping at the soda as he recalls the day he confessed to Tenten about his feelings.

"Tenten- san! Wait up!"

The pretty brunette, who has seemed lost in thought, turns at his call and smiles at him. "Hey Toru- san! Nice to see you around. Is something up?"

Toru skids to a stop in front of her and holds up a silver box with the words "Yamanaka famous sweets" embossed on the lid. Brightly, he grins slightly shyly and says, "This is for you! I heard from Neji that you like them, and well, I just wanna tell you that you are as sweet as chocolates, and would you be my girlfriend?"

She looks at the prettily wrapped box of sweets, and he notices her eyes clouding over at the sound of his buddy's name. She presses the box back in his hands as she says, "Toru, thank you for this, for liking me. But, I-I have somebody else whom I like, though he has rejected me. I cannot accept your gift though, because it would be unfair to you. I-I have to go now, really, thank you once again!" He remains standing in the same position as she all but flees from him. Suddenly, Toru does not feel so upbeat anymore. He brings the box back home after school and keeps it from view.

Snapping back to the present, Toru wonders if the conclusion he has arrived at after a long month of recovering and observation is correct. Being a member of the basketball team with Neji, he has noticed how his friend, the most valued player of last season, missed several easy baskets during practice and friendly matches with other high schools, seeming distracted as he glanced at the audience. He recalls how Tenten, a regular presence on the bleachers during past similar friendly matches, has not appeared for a while now. In kendo club, Toru, as with the other members, has not failed to note that Tenten now spars with Kiba, the co- captain of kendo, instead of with Neji. The two, always affable, have snapped at each other a few times, though Toru, understanding his buddy most, sees the confusion and hurt that flash across Neji's face after such confrontations. Tilting his head back to look at the clouds floating lazily by, he takes a sip of the now- warm soda, and wonders why he has been so blind to his friend's need for so long.

"Neji, do you like Tenten?"

Toru notes the way his friend freezes slightly at his question. Smirking softly, he stretches down on the bleacher. "It's ok to admit that you like her you know. It's not always that friends have to give friends things, especially something such as love. You get what I mean, stupid ass?" He tosses his empty can at Neji, confident that the agile teen would catch it before it hits his head.

"Toru, I—,"

"Shut up, Neji. I know what you want to say. If I had not confessed to her and known her true feelings, perhaps what you have been doing might feel right to me, a stupid act though it is. But she does not like me, and I have accepted that. You don't have to… hold back anymore all right? Go get her before some other asshole does." Having his fill of man-to-man talk for the day, Toru rises and turns to face his dumbstruck friend. "You are an awesome friend, but if you let her go, then this friendship is over." Smirking again, Toru claps his hands on Neji's shoulder. "So you'd better keep her!" Leaping from the bleachers, the energetic boy waves a goodbye to the other teen before heading for home.

Toru is a good friend, and Neji knows that it is not easy for him to admit about losing Tenten. But Neji also knows that Toru is true to his feelings. He would not lie about getting over Tenten if he has not. And the part about giving his blessings to Neji and Tenten, Neji knows that Toru can only mean it truly. Feeling a burden lift from him, Neji drains the rest of the soda before standing up with determination. He will not keep his feelings hidden from her any longer.

Damnit, where is she! All day long, Neji has searched in vain for her, whether it be in her classes, along the corridors, or at the cafeteria, only stopping short of looking in the ladies. Finally, he gives up and seeks out Sakura, her bright pink hair obvious from a distance away.

"Sakura- san!"

The girl pauses mid- step, and turns towards her kendo club captain. She is amused to see the usually cool- headed boy in frenzy over something, which she suspects she knows. "Yes, Neji- san? Looking for someone?" She cannot resist teasing him.

"How did you kn—Yes. Do you know where Tenten is? She does not seem to be in school today."

"Hmm, give me a good reason why I should tell you. Because I won't give someone another chance to hurt my best friend!" Sakura nods silently in approval when he looks dismayed at her statement. So he's not so unfeeling after all. Maybe that's why Tenten still loves him.

"Sakura- san, I know that what I did to Tenten was a mistake, but it is not because I meant to hurt her. Things are different now, and I would really like to see her and tell her something personally. It's too important to wait another day." Neji is too far from being calm to care about his pride.

Deciding to take pity on her captain, Sakura relents. "She did come to school today. Look for her at the rooftop."

"Thank you Sakura- san. I really appreciate your help." Neji has turned and started striding rapidly towards the stairwell when Sakura calls after him. "Neji- san!"

"Yes?"

"You'd better take care of her!" She shakes her fist half- threateningly at him before walking away, a smile on her face.

Neji ascends the steps leading to the school rooftop rapidly. Reaching the metal door, he swings it wide open and steps out into the windy terrace. At first, there does not seem to be anyone around, and he feels a sense of disappointment so strong that it surprises him. However, a small figure at the far end of the landing catches his attention. Neji starts walking, his heart starting to pound as he sees that it is really Tenten there, leaning against the ledge, her bread and milk lying forgotten at the side. She looks lovely standing there, the wind teasing her hair and ruffling her skirt, a slim arm supporting her upturned face as those expressive eyes see something far away. He walks up to the ledge to stand beside her wordlessly, gazing at the landscape of Konoha that stretches below. She seems a little startled but regains her composure quickly. The sounds of students and activity are muted up here and they savour the peace as the breeze blows around them. Finally, Tenten turns to him, and he does the same, both of them gazing at each other with quiet sincerity.

"Neji, I'm sorry for being so bad- tempered around you this past month. It does not feel good to be like that to you." She chews her lips a little as she admits this to him, her eyes showing her contriteness.

Smiling ruefully, Neji tucks an errant tendril of hair behind her left ear. "I won't accept your apology, because there's no need for you to apologise. But I have something that I need you to forgive me for."

"To forgive you? If you mean your rejection of me, there's no need apologise for that, because well, everyone has a right to his feelings, and I accept yours. Even though it's hard to do so." The last part is almost whispered and Tenten looks down at the floor, fingers unconsciously gripping the ledge tightly.

Neji sighs, regret spreading in him. "Tenten, I'm sorry for lying to you. You are not just a friend to me. I said it that day because I knew that Toru liked you, and I didn't want to take his happiness away. But I'm tired of keeping away from you. Tenten, I have liked you for a long time too, and I hope that you would give me another chance." He waits for an excruciating moment as the silence stretches out, afraid that he is too late. But he relaxes when she releases her hold on the ledge and turns into his arms, the softness of her pressing along the length of his body. "You are a stupid, stupid boy. A kind, considerate, stupid boy. How could you even think that Toru and I would be happy together when we both love you so much? I was devastated that day, you know." Neji hugs her closer and rests his chin on her head, rocking her slightly as he feels the front of his shirt becoming damp from her tears.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise." Taking out the only handkerchief he has in his pocket, he gently wipes the tears away from her face. They grin at each other goofily as she recognizes the napkin.

"Want to go for lunch? I might have some chocolate mints for dessert." Neji smiles as her eyes light up with delight. They leave the rooftop together, fingers interwined tightly.