Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

Home

A tune plays in her head now and then and she has never been able to identify it. She searches for the answer, but it evades her, as though they are in a game of hide and seek. For a moment it seems like she's on the verge of recalling the name of the song, but her mind taunts her, for suddenly she can't remember the melody.

Now, as she lies on the bloodstained grass, the song plays, loud and clear in her head. She still doesn't know it's name -she doesn't have to- but now the song is accompanied by words, a soft melodic voice singing it and lulling her to sleep.

Her eyes are closed, but she can see. Someone, a woman, is singing that song, as she cradles a bundle, a child. The woman's face is hidden by the shadows but somehow, Tenten feels like she knows her.

Then, she stops singing and opens her mouth to speak.

"Tenten!" A deep, usually smooth voice, now laced with an edge of concern, panic and fear, breaks the silence that serenades her. The image she sees grows blurry, and disappears with the sound of a soft landing in the grass beside her.

Gentle fingers brush the hair from her face, and Tenten struggles to open her eyes. It's him.

"Are you alright?"

She laughs weakly, but it turns into coughing. She wishes that he didn't have to see her like this, covered in cuts and bruises, a large gash in her side and her hair matted with blood.

"Neji?"

He wipes the red liquid from her lips and returns his gaze to her eyes.

"Please… Take me…home, okay?"

He nods silently, and carefully lifts her into his arms.

She rests her head in his shoulder as he leaps easily from the ground up into the canopy. His scent of wind and wood washes over her and her grip on him tightens. In response, his arms pull her closer to him, to his heart.

She gazes up at him, and sees his profile as he looks ahead, the full moon in the background casting shadows over his features.

"Neji?" She calls him again, her voice breaking.

"You'll be okay." His face is free of expressions, but she sees the pain and worry in his eyes.

Reaching up to touch his cheek with shaky fingers, she traces the angular planes of his jaw and cheekbones.

"I know."

She continues to watch him as he carries her home, contented to spend her final moments with him.

The song starts to play again in her mind, and the image of him imprints itself in her mind, even deeper than before.

The crescendo rises as her eyes flutter shut for the last time.

I'll always watch over you…Neji.

End.

A/N: Ahh! It's so sad. I'm such an angsty potential psycho! Sob sob… I'm so sorry, Neji! I didn't mean to kill Tenten-chan!

I hope it wasn't to over-the-top… My first NejiTen oneshot! I love this pairing…

I'm sorry for not posting anything for so long… I've got a new project in the pipelines, which I plan to complete before I rewrite and finish up Rediscovered. I'm really sorry, but Fire's Breath will be discontinued until I come up with a more solid plot, which may take forever.

Ade, you happy now that I've updated? )

Happy Birthday, Nge Hwee! Good luck to everyone for EOYs!