This is a NejiTen story I felt like writing, 'coz Neji is FATED to get Tenten. Enjoy

Age 5: Neji

He walked to his destination with a little less speed then he normally would walk with. He watched as other children his age ran to the same place he was heading; the building which would be their second home until the age of twelve. Finally reaching the gate, he took a deep breath (because he was tired, not for fortification) , waved at the Branch member who had dropped him here, and entered the building, whose large board proudly proclaimed the Ninja Academy now open.

Walking into the building, he found out which class he was in, and went there… where he was immediately surrounded by chattering, snotty five year olds. He took note of the weird ones almost immediately – a boy with a black dog drooling on his head, a girl with spiky hair sleeping on her desk, a boy with bushes for eyebrows. Eyeing these creatures suspiciously, he walked to the other end of class and sat next to a girl with two brown ponytails and a missing front tooth. She was doodling on a piece of paper. Looking up when he sat down, she grinned and said "Hi! I'm Tenten." He looked at her and decided that she wasn't too weird and replied.

"….Hn"

She scrunched up her nose and then said "Is that your name? It's really dumb."

He didn't bother to correct her. He was to realise that she had a strange sense of humour and found joy in annoying him. He would be called Hn for five years before he caved and begged her to call him by his given name.

Hyuuga Neji.

Age 10: Tenten

"You're doing it wrong, Hn."

The pale eyed boy bristled – whether at the name or at her words, she wasn't sure. He stood up gracefully, and she thought once again that he looked so much like a girl. The ten year took aim and let the kunai in his arm fly, and scowled cutely when it missed, ignoring her laughter. Finally giving in to his irritation, he walked up to her and stuck the kunai on the ground next to where she was sitting, saying, "You do it then." She grinned, took the kunai and let it fly towards the target, then quickly took out a camera and snapped a picture of his face before he could gain control of his features again.

"See Hn? I told you that you were doing it wrong."

The boy snapped. "STOP CALLING ME HN! MY NAME IS NEJI! HYUUGA NEJI!"

She stopped laughing and pretended to think, even though inside she was cackling madly. Then she looked up with a serious ten year old face and said "How can I be sure you're telling the truth?"

"…..seriously?"

"Yup."

Neji's expression seemed torn between exasperation and confusion. Thinking for a while, he said, "Ok. See my eyes? Only Hyuugas have these eyes. That's proof that I'm a Hyuuga."

"But your name could be Hyuuga Hn…. How are you going to prove that your name is Neji?"

Neji huffed in annoyance. She took pity on him and said, "Ok, I will call you Neji…. If you treat me to some food … and if you get on your knees and beg."

She waited. She had been steadily driving Neji to this point by telling everyone his name was Hn and that he had Pokémon Syndrome (the ability to only say his own name with slight variations). This meant that he had to speak in full sentences just to prove her wrong. He was at snapping point… right… about…

"Fine!"

…now. She watched him look around furtively, get on his knees… "Pleasepleasepleasestopcallin gmeHn!"

She blinked, but accepted it with a regal nod of her head, causing her hair, which was in two braids on either side of her head, to swing. "Very well then. Pick me up tomorrow for soba."

This incident would provide endless amusement to Tenten, especially when Neji realized that soba, especially Herring soba, which he had previously considered 'commoners food' was the best thing in the world. This incident would also cause Hiashi to have a semi nervous breakdown when a branch member reported that Neji appeared to have gone on a date with some random girl, and Hinata would forever cherish the memory of giggling with Hanabi as they watched Hiashi look up and ask forgiveness for making his beloved twin's son a player, or worse.

Neji, meanwhile, had his first date with a brown haired girl who spent the whole time laughing at him, and threatened to stab him with a kunai she made appear from nowhere if he didn't act like a perfect gentleman.

Tenten.

Age 12: Teammates

His first thought was that he hoped he got people who wouldn't hold him back too much. His second thought was that he should probably kill himself if Tenten was in his team and save himself from humiliation. His third thought was interrupted by Iruka-sensei's voice calling his name. "Team nine will be Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee and Tenten."

….damn.

And now here he was, giving his standard fate speech while Tenten glared at him and his other teammate seemed on the verge of bursting (he couldn't tell whether he was going to burst into song, burst into tears or burst literally. At this point, all were possible). The crisis was averted by their new sensei revealing that he was at least as cracked as Lee was, if not more. Tenten's face was priceless. He distinctly heard her mutter, "Great. I'm stuck with two crackpots and Neji." He got the feeling that she wasn't very happy with him on her team.

He wasn't sure how but he found himself at that dango place with his new teammates (plus sensei). As Lee and Gai spoke about Youth and training, he leaned towards Tenten, who looked vaguely shell-shocked, and asked "What exactly happened?" she turned to him and in a strangely awed voice said, "Forget taijutsu, I think Lee should go into genjutsu. He and Gai-sensei managed to create…" her voice trailed away to a strangled yelp and said, "…that!" pointing with a shaking finger at their sensei and teammate, who were currently hugging. He watched in perverse fascination as a background of a sunset and waves appeared behind them. He heard Tenten give a squeak and turned to her. She looked at him and then said "Well, much as it pains me to say this, but you seem to be my most sane teammate."

He looked at her and shrugged, "It appears to be my fate to be stuck with weaklings." She glared at him and a kunai appeared in her hands. He quickly amended that statement. "I mean, it is our fate. You are perfectly strong, of course." She appeared to be satisfied with that statement, and he suddenly felt a strong feeling of déjà vu. Strange. But the fact remained that she was the sanest person, other than himself, on the team, and to his surprise, he found himself enjoying the conversation he was having with her. And whether it was the fact that his team's craziness was rubbing off on him, or the fact that Tenten proceeded to scare the crap out of all the waiters, he didn't mind much when they were kicked out of the restaurant due to Lee's inability to hold his alcohol. Of course, watching Tenten shout at the dumbstruck waiters who were practically begging them to leave while Lee destroyed the place, was highly enjoyable, and he even felt, to his surprise, the urge to laugh when she confided that she just wanted to see their faces when they were confused between catering to the customer, or getting rid of said customer.

He dropped her home after the little fiasco that Lee had caused while drunk. She smiled and said, slightly sleepily, "Looks like we will be together for a while, huh?" He felt his emotionless mask melt slightly, and he smiled (well, his lips twitched. That counts) and said, "It is our fate." She glared at him, then laughed and shut the door in his face. He walked home thinking of her and to a certain extent his other new… acquaintance. The people he would spend most of his ninja life with.

His Teammates.

Age 14: A True Smile

She watched in pride as her teammate shocked his family yet again with his easy, instinctive grasp of techniques, and felt another surge of pride when she remembered that it had been because of her attack that he had come up with this 'ultimate defence'. Although the easy camaraderie they usually had was missing now, had been missing ever since the prelims of the Exams. She hoped that Neji would come back to normal, and stop obsessing over stupid stuff like fate…

She watched in shock as the blonde idiot, who had employed a brilliant strategy which contradicted his status as idiot, broke through and proceeded to beat Neji up.

She visited him in his room after his match. He was sitting up and staring through the window at the sky. She let him stay that way, knowing that he had an almost unhealthy obsession with birds, but couldn't keep quiet for long, and finally burst with the pent up frustration, worry and annoyance with her stupid, genius of a teammate.

"You idiot! You annoying, self-centred, stuck-up, emotionless, piece of trash! Do you have any idea how worried I was? First you completely close up, leaving me to the tender mercies of Lee and Gai-sensei, and then you suddenly decide you must have my help to prepare for the exam, and then you completely disregard basic courtesy and refuse to even acknowledge me. You then proceed to underestimate your opponent, and…and… you deserve to lose for making such a stupid mistake. Do you have any idea how scary it was for me to stand watching as you got hurt?! I…" She was interrupted by a pair of lips on hers. Neji leaned back again and gave a small smile, causing her already wide eyes to widen further, and a she felt blood rush to her cheeks as she figured out what had happened. Neji was back to emotionless, although a blush was visible on his pale face. He said, "I am aware of the fact that I treated you abominably. Allow me to make it up to you by taking you out for Sesame dumplings. They are your favourite, are they not?"

She decided then and there to forgive Naruto for beating Neji; and Hiashi for all the wrongs he had done to Neji. After all, it was thanks to them that Neji looked so… peaceful. And he had spoken three whole sentences without making any references to fate. She nodded at him, and he inclined his head in acknowledgement… and then she decided that she wanted to see another look on his face, and kissed him gently on the cheek. His face heated up, so he looked surprisingly like his young cousin when she looked at Naruto. Grinning, she got up to watch the rest of the matches, and then remembering something, turned around again, and with a glare on her face said, "Alright, you're forgiven for now. But I swear, if you ever make me worry like that again, I will find you, torture you, kill you, bring you back to life, castrate you, and make you eat your own balls. Then I will hunt down Tsunade-sama, force her to heal you, and then kiss you until you die of lack of oxygen. Got it?"

His lips twitched, but he bowed gracefully and said," I could not think of a better way to die then by your hands – Or should I say, your lips?" He dodged the kunai she threw at him and waved at her to get out of the room, which she did, grinning.

She would forever remember that day, but not because it was the day Orochimaru attacked, or the day the Third gave his life, or even the day Naruto proved that he wasn't the dead last anymore by beating the future Kazekage. It wasn't even because it was the day Neji stole her first kiss and she didn't protest. She remembered that day because it was the first time she saw an expression on Neji's face that wasn't mild irritation or arrogance. He had smiled for the first time since his father died that day. A smile of joy, shyness, peace.

A true smile.

Age 15: Comrades

He flew through the trees, the strange spider/man in pursuit. The thought crossed his mind that Tenten would probably love that bow of his, with the arrow which couldn't miss. His next thought was that Tenten probably wouldn't need something like that; she would hit the target anyway. Then he didn't have time to think about anything but the fight as he defended against those arrows.

He felt the arrow enter his body a little before it actually happened, like a phantom of death. He concentrated, and pushed the arrow away, before dealing with his opponent. He felt the life leave his body, just as it left his enemy's. His final thought before the blackness overcame him was that Tenten was not going to be happy that he hurt himself.

He woke to the sound of beeping… and the angry growls of a very angry Tenten. He turned his head slightly, wincing at the pain it caused, and saw Lee and Gai struggling to keep a hold on Tenten. She was screaming abuses at him, which only increased on volume and creativity when she realised he was awake. Gai and Lee exchanged looks, and then they pulled her out of the room, Lee shouting out that he was sorry, but they would visit later. His lips twitched, and he relaxed, but was startled to hear a voice from his other side. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. It seems to be true. Women are so troublesome."

Turning his head, he wasn't too surprised to see his team captain sitting there, looking like he hadn't slept for days. From what he knew of Shikamaru, he probably hadn't; not while his team was in the hospital. Suddenly remembering their mission, he whispered, "Sasuke?" Shika shook his head.

He sighed…and his eyes widened as the door suddenly slammed open. An irate Tenten flew through the door and slammed him against the wall, glaring at him. She snarled, "What did you promise me? You swore you wouldn't get hurt so bad you would die, and then you do exactly that? How could you? I swear, I am never going to forgive you for making me worry, you…" he cut her off, kissing her hard. When they finally broke apart for air, she looked at him, a blush visible on her face, and said, "You're lucky you're a good kisser, Hyuuga." He smirked and brought his lips down near her ear, whispering, "I know, I know."

She glared at him and said, "To pay for that comment, you are treating me to Chinese food. Got it?" He put on a mock serious face and saluted her, causing her to giggle slightly before she left. He looked at the door after she left, and then looked at his warm, comfortable bed… which was currently occupied by Shikamaru. Sighing, he touched his lips, thinking of her, the girl he called his teammate, his best friend. He looked at Shikamaru, sleeping on his bed, and then listened as she heard Naruto's voice promising that he would never give up on Sasuke.

Ninjas are, for the most part, human. They laugh, they cry, they bleed. But their mind-set is different from civilians. While most civilians form bonds, they do not hold them in as much importance as shinobi do. After all, it is these bonds that cause people to give up their lives for each other, for their friends, their teammates…

Their comrades.

Age 16: Love

She waited impatiently for her boyfriend to pick her up. There was a festival in the village, and he had promised to take her. She sensed his chakra before she saw him, and ran to meet him, bouncing on the balls of her feet like a little kid. He smiled at her, like he never did for anyone else, and held out his hand. She took it and almost dragged him along, chattering and vaguely reminding herself of Naruto. She dragged him all over the place when they reached the festival, with minimal complaints.

Now, he walked her back home, as he had done for all their dates. She knew it wasn't because he thought her incapable of defending herself; he just liked the excuse to spend time with her without training. In a fit of pure giddiness, he had bought her a little stuffed tiger, and she hugged it to herself and called it Hn, knowing that he would get the reference. He dropped her at her house, kissing her gently, and then hesitated. She looked at him, curious, and he mumbled something under his breath. She cocked an eyebrow at him, silently asking him to repeat. Neji fidgeted and then finally said, "I love you." Then he ran, leaving her to stare at him in shock, a blush growing on her face.

Tenten would search for a day before she saw him again, and would make him admit that he had run because he didn't want to hear her say she didn't love him too. She would tease him by pretending to hate him, before taking pity and telling him that she had always loved him and would always love him. They would live together with the most powerful bond ever.

Love.

Age 17: Its over

He felt a sense of peace in the fact that he was dying. He looked at the shocked faces of Hinata and Naruto and wondered why they looked so surprised. Oh yeah. The thing sticking out of him was meant for them. He muttered "I finally realise why you died in place of Hiashi-sama, father. It is nice to choose your death." His name, shouted by both Hinata and Naruto, was the last thing he heard before blackness swallowed him.

He woke to the sound of his girlfriend crying. He briefly thought that something bad must have happened for Tenten to cry before pain registered and he groaned. Her crying was abruptly cut off and she said, "Neji? Are you awake? Sakura! Do something!" Sakura's voice was heard, saying, "Tenten, calm down. He is stable, so he should be fine." Then he blacked out again.

He woke up to the beeping of the machine that counted his heartbeat so that everyone would know if he slipped into the land of the dead. Sakura, who was in the room, jumped in surprise when she heard his voice, rough with disuse, saying, "What happened?" Her eyes widened and then lit up as she replied, "You're awake! Thank Kami! Madara has been defeated and returned to the fond embrace of the Shinigami, and the masked man has vanished. That was taken from Naruto's speech, by the way; we suffered a lot of damage though. How are you feeling? You barely made it." He grunted assent, and her eyes softened, before she gently, hesitatingly kissed him.

It is a proven fact that when the soul teeters on the boundaries of life and death, and returns to the land of the living, the body celebrates its return by releasing a surge of hormones. Sakura knew this, and thus kissed him then, as he would be too caught up in the rush of adrenaline to do anything, except kiss her back. Which he did.

In all fairness to Sakura, she wasn't aware of the fact that he was in a relationship; they hadn't advertised the fact as he didn't want his uncle finding out before he was prepared to tell him. So their age-mates were unaware of his and Tenten's relationship.

Tenten, entering the room at that moment, however, was aware of it. She walked in to see her boyfriend passionately kissing another woman. He saw her out of the corner of his eyes and immediately came to his senses, pushing Sakura away. Tenten slowly walked up to him, ignoring his semi-incoherent babblings of 'Tenten I can explain' and leaned close to him, whispering in his ear before glaring at Sakura and walking away. His eyes followed her as his brain finally caught up to his ears, her words and the meaning registering. When it did, he ran after her, but was too late. She was gone.

"We are through, Neji. It's over."

Age 18: Jealousy

She watched him walk in; mentally noting that he didn't seem to be dealing with their break-up very well. This thought gave her a warm feeling, which was replaced by clenching, writhing, darker emotions when his date for the evening walked in – a blonde slut, her mind, or maybe these feelings, whispered. For a brief instant, her eyes met his and recoiled at the pain and the pleading look that begged her to forgive him, to give him a second chance, before she turned away, towards her date for the evening…who happened to be Lee.

After she had broken up with Neji, things had been awkward. She had become so used to his constant presence that she found herself turning to say something to him, only to remember his betrayal and turn back again, pretending not to notice that brief flash of hope in his eyes when she turned. On the surface, he had moved on, dating Sakura, followed by a stream of girls, none lasting for more than a few weeks, all making her feel this sudden urge to strangle them. She too had gone out with people, but she knew, deep inside, that it was to make him feel this same feeling that she felt. They were Jounin now, and thus did not have to work together anymore. She decided that it was a good thing, or their teamwork didn't stand a chance.

She was interrupted by Lee calling her. Blinking, she looked at him. He flicked his eyes to where Neji was standing and said, "Why is my eternal rival staring at me like he wants to tie me and roast me slowly over a fire while cutting my fingers with a blunt knife?" She grinned at that. Lee could speak Neji proficiently, and she didn't doubt he wanted to do just that. She shrugged and said, "C'mon, let's dance." She took his hand as music started, noticing that Neji had done the same with his bitch of a girlfriend. Those feelings came back, writhing and twisting and whispering in her mind that he was hers and some scantily dressed bitch wasn't going to take him from her. Then she realised what the feeling was; it was the same feeling she wanted Neji to feel.

Jealousy.

Age 18: Destined

He saw her as soon as he came in, and felt the usual surge of guiltlovesadness that she always managed to cause, followed by jealousy when he saw Lee with her. He took his dates hand, desperately trying to remember her name (Marissa? Mai? Megumi?). Then was saved when the girl's equally slutty friend called her name (Ami…oh yeah). Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lee say something to Tenten, and the little green monster stirred. Trying to forget about her and Lee, instead of him, he led his date to dance… only to see her do the same with Lee. Gritting his teeth, he proceeded to ignore them for a whole dance…

… except the next dance was a slow dance, and he was annoyed of his date, and jealous of Lee, and he couldn't handle the sight of her being touched by anyone else. Lee had no warning before he was pushed aside, away from her, and he grabbed Tenten and stalked out, ignoring the shocked whispers, and looks.

He dragged her out of the building and into an alley, where he pushed her against the wall (but gently. He wasn't going to hurt her when he was apologising) and told her to shut the hell up when she tried to speak. Then he began speaking. "I am sorry. I was heavily medicated and Sakura kissed me first, but I apologise for breaking your trust. I apologise for not apologising earlier, I'm sorry that you had to suffer Lee and Gai without a sane person with you." She smiled at that, tears starting to gather in her eyes. He bent down and kissed her gently, and then continued, "I'm sorry I never got the chance to tell you that the only reason I dated Sakura was a sense of duty, and the reason I broke up with her, and so many others is because they weren't you. They weren't brave and smart and pretty and violent like you are. And most of all, I'm sorry I never told you how much I loved you. Tenten, I love you so much that it is physically painful to see another man touch you. I love you so much that everything I see reminds me of you. I love you so much that Hinata's crush on Naruto looks like a mild attraction." She giggled at this, and he kissed her, softly, lovingly. "I love you so much that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I don't care what my family thinks. So, Tenten, will you please, please do me the supreme honour of being my wife?" she looked at him and nodded, not speaking. He smiled in relief, which morphed into an expression of mild alarm when a mischievous twinkle appeared in her eyes. She said, "You know, when you propose to someone, a ring is generally given. So, where's my ring?" he gulped and then caught sight of Ichiraku's stand. Dragging Tenten behind him, he walked to the stand, grabbed a fishcake from Naruto's ramen bowl, and cut out the centre. Then he put it on Tenten's finger, saying, "This is temporary." Ignoring Naruto's cries of 'Fishcake Destroyer! Thief! We hates it forever!' they walked out of the stand and shunshined to the ring maker, where Tenten chose a ring and finally emerged as future man and wife.

Neji and Tenten would marry after a year and a half, when the war ended. The Hyuuga clan had mellowed by this time, and Hiashi disbanded the elder council and took control. The wedding was attended by all their friends (except for Sasuke, who was in protective custody as an S-class nin). The reception was attended by all the ninjas of the leaf, as well as the friends they had made during the war from other countries. In a year, they had a son, and in two more years they had a daughter, both of whom grew to surpass their parents. Tenten became second in command of ANBU, and Neji became joint head of the Hyuuga clan with Hinata, signifying the joining of the two estranged sides of the family. And they all lived happily ever after.

And that is how the story goes… or would have gone if I owned Naruto, but since I don't… well, you know the result. This story is AU, seeing that Neji is very much alive here. Review please. Any criticisms, tell me.

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS STORY. HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT.