Neji swore repeatedly under his breath as he glared at the immoveable metal door in front of him. It was the door Tenten had disappeared behind…with Tyran.

He was not concerned for her safety, entirely. Tenten was a tough girl. She could take care of herself when it came down to a fist fight.

But this wasn't a damn fist fight.

He was concerned for her virtue and following that, his sanity. Because never in his life had he felt more on fire than he did at the very moment.

Tyran had her in his arms and had the opportunity to do whatever he wanted with her at that very moment and Neji was stuck behind a goddamn metal door.

He knew what Tyran would be doing to her. He could see every detail clearly in his mind. First, he'd kiss her slowly, firing up her frenzy into an all-out inferno of desire and once he had her under his control, he'd leave her lips and start moving down…down the side of her neck, over her collarbone. Then the dress would get in the way, so he would lower it. Slowly, so not to startle her into clarity, but by then she'd be so far gone that it wouldn't matter. And he'd keep lowering the fabric until it exposed her…

Neji punched the wall in frustration as he let out another foul curse. He had to get in there. He knew what Tenten's response would be. It was inevitable. She was inexperienced, innocent and, worst of all, curious. Why would she stop him? She'd seemed to enjoy that bloody kiss well enough. The kiss that she'd instigated on his account.

He should have been more careful. He should have continued to focus on his cover instead of focusing on the way Tyran's hand rested on the small of her back and the way she smiled up and him and didn't move it. If he had only remained focused, Tyran wouldn't be trying to ravage her at that very moment because the desire to do so wouldn't have been ignited so quickly. He would have had more time.

He could only hope that by the time he found a way in there, it wouldn't be too late.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Why did warehouses have to be so bloody big? She supposed it made sense that they were because, well, how else would one store all that stuff? But it was so inconvenient. She just wished that the illegal goods would be wrapped in bright red or, better yet, fluorescent yellow and would have written on them in big, bold letters – ILLEGAL GOODS! That'd make her job so much easier.

But alas, all the boxes looked the same and the only big writing was FRAGILE or HANDLE WITH CARE. She didn't give a damn about what was fragile and what should be handled with care. In her current mood, she wanted to punch in the bloody boxes just for some sort of sick satisfaction. But no, she couldn't even do that because no one was supposed to know that she'd been there.

She believed she deserved some sort of reward for doing what she was doing. She'd gone through the torture of training, the torture of the beauty spa, the unpleasantness of Tyran's attentions and she was currently wandering through a grossly huge room filled with an ungodly number of boxes to locate but a few. It defined the expression 'looking for a needle in a haystack' and she didn't have much time. People would know Tyran was missing soon, if they hadn't already. But she refused to leave without finding some sort of proof of Matsuri's illegal activities or lack of them, because she refused to have suffered through all the previous torture for nothing.

If it weren't for the dress she was wearing, she would have been able to ninja-jump all over the room. But no, she couldn't do that without tearing a split down the backside of her dress and she had no desire to walk back through the mass of partygoers with half her ass exposed. Not even the damn mission was worth that.

Well this sucks.

Understatement of the year.

And then firm hands grabbed her from behind, but she didn't flip the perpetrator over her head like she usually would have because she knew instinctively who it was.

Neji.

She didn't know how she knew, she just did. And that knowledge was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

He spun her around, his grasp firm on her shoulders and scanned her with his Byakugan. He looked…worried. She'd like to think she'd gotten to know Neji quite a bit over the years and she'd like to think she knew how to read his expressions, few though they were, and this definitely seemed like worry. But why? It had only been one man. No big deal.

Flushing at his intense perusal, she pushed his hands away. "Don't look at me like that. I'm fine."

Neji slowly straightened up as his eyes returned to normal. "Where is Tyran?"

She grinned. "Oh, didn't you see him passed out by the door on your way in?"

Neji's expression was curiously unreadable. She was used to his expression being unreadable. It was his adopted expression of choice, after all. But this was different. She could tell he was making an effort to keep it that way. The muscles of his face looked too tight.

"I didn't come in by that door," he replied evenly.

"Oh…then how did you get it?" Tenten asked.

Neji shook his head. "That's not important. What is important is that people are looking for Tyran and they're going to come in here any second and they're not going to be happy when they find him passed out by the door. It's time to go."

Tenten's eyes widened. She'd known she hadn't that much time, but she'd thought it'd be more than that! "But I haven't found-"

"I know they say a shinobi's life is never more important than a mission, but you are not investigating a matter of life and death so I hardly think it's valid at present. We're leaving."

And his tone left no room for argument. She knew that tone all too well. It was easier for everyone just to go along with it. He was right, anyway. He usually was.

"Okay."

Without another word, Neji grabbed her wrist and started pulling her in some random direction. She didn't know where the hell she was going, but she trusted Neji.

And then she heard voices and heard Neji curse and the next instant she found herself crouching behind an array of dishevelled boxes straddling Neji.

Oh. My.

He'd moved so fast that she'd just fallen on top of him and he did not seem inclined to move. They couldn't, really. While the space was big, the shadows were not.

But this was too much, really. Her already indecently bared thighs were now almost completely bare because the damn dress had ridden up so much, and those bare thighs were clamped around his narrow waist and her hands were gripping the fabric over his hard chest and she could feel him inhale and exhale beneath her fingers, his heart pounding as rapidly as hers. One of his strong hands was gripping her waist while the other was pushing her back closer towards his chest so that their heads were side-by-side. And his legs – oh god – his knees were bent upwards and his thighs pressed against her back along with his hand. She doubted they could have gotten any closer even if she had been lying on top of him.

It was utter torture.

And she never wanted it to end.
-----------------------------------------------------------
This was going to be the end of him. It had to be. This was just…gods. Surely no man should be placed under this amount of temptation. It was unholy. It was simply not right. How could he be expected to withstand it?

He should have been worried that their enemies would find them. It wasn't that great a hiding place, but it was the best he could find under the space of three seconds.

No, he was only worried that Tenten would feel his raging erection. But how could she not, seeing as she was on top of him?

All he could think about were the bare thighs open to his gaze and the feel of her chest breathing hard against his and the way her fingers clenched around his shirt and the closeness of her face to his and the fact that if he just turned his head sideways, he'd be able to kiss her.

Don't do it. Don't you dare do it.

He had to think about something else. Anything else. Something utterly repulsive. Something like Gai in green spandex. If there were ever a better cure for unwanted erections, he didn't know of it.

So he tried to picture Gai in his head, amazed that he was actually willingly doing so, until the seemingly brilliant plan completely backfired on him because then he started imagining Tenten in green spandex, the fabric clinging to her every curve, the curves he could now feel with every inch of his body.

This is not happening.

His one salvation hadn't even been able to help him. He was lost. Completely, utterly, totally, wholly, entirely, absolutely…

What is that?

He had unconsciously moved his thumb down on her waist and encountered something suspiciously hard. He moved his hand lower, not missing Tenten's sharp intake of breath, and immediately felt a lot better because it seemed that she too was not completely unaffected by their scandalous proximity.

Well, either that or she was unbelievably uncomfortable with it.

Banishing the thought, he brushed his hand over the junction of her thigh and waist and, sure enough, he felt something solid.

He turned his head towards hers, bringing his lips next to her ear.

"Tenten, what is this?" And to make sure she could suffer no confusion from his words, his wrapped his hand around the object through her clothes, now becoming quite aware of what it was.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Damn, he'd found it. She knew that technically she wasn't supposed to have hidden a weapon on her person. It was a dangerous risk. Tyran would have questioned her identity immediately upon finding it. But she just wasn't comfortable going anywhere without the familiar, assuring weight of a weapon cool against her skin. Weapons were an integrated part of her biology for some whacked-out reason and she didn't feel complete without one on her person at all times.

And she should be concerned that Neji had found it because he surely wouldn't be happy about it, but she couldn't quite bring herself to be worried because Neji's lips were currently at her ear and his hand was gripping the knife through her dress.

No, all she could do was remember how to breathe.

She gasped, unable to stop herself, unable to care. He was just so close and…

And then it got worse…and so much better.

"Tenten…" he coaxed gently but surely.

"It's a…uh…it's a knife." Her voice sounded scratchy and breathless and she couldn't do a damn thing to stop it.

Then his hand was on her thigh. His cool, bare hand on her hot, bare thigh. What the hell was it doing there? And could he please move it a bit higher?

"Why is it there, Tenten? You know you're not supposed to bring weapons on a mission like this. It could have blown your cover and the entire mission."

His lips were still moving against her ear and his hand was still on her thigh so all she could manage was a little, breathy exhalation in response.

"Why is it there, Tenten?" he repeated and punctuated his words with his thumb moving against her skin.

Tenten inhaled sharply as hot pangs of something stabbed her body everywhere. "I…" she started; impressed she'd actually managed to get that much out.

"Tenten, answer me," Neji persisted and his hand moved up a fraction of an inch.

Unable to bear the sweet torture, Tenten focused all her remaining energy on giving him a reply.

"I…uh…I…"

It wasn't going too well.

His hand squeezed.

Gods, did he really think she'd be able to say anything if he kept doing stuff like that?

"I'm sorry…" she finally managed to get out. She didn't really want to apologize, but it was the easiest response her brain of mush could form at that moment.

Then she was rewarded by his hand moving under her skirt and up to her panty line.

Oh…

And then all thought ceased whatsoever.

His long, graceful fingers whispered against her skin as he deftly removed the knife from its hold in the strap of her thong and she absentmindedly wondered if he even realized she was wearing a thong.

It was an interesting thought indeed, but then his hand started moving against her skin again and she couldn't think anymore.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Good gods above, she was wearing a thong. A bloody…

Gods help me.

He hadn't meant to – quite literally – stick his hand up her skirt, but one thing had led to another and she really shouldn't have had that knife anyway.

But he knew it was less about the knife and more about touching her skin. A lot more.

And she was wearing a thong.

This really couldn't do. He had to get out of there before he did something he feared he'd never regret but she would. Sure, she'd seemed receptive enough to let his hand up her skirt if her lack of coherent sentences was anything to go by, but he remembered she was inexperienced, innocent and curious – the lethal combination – so she would of reacted that way to anyone. She would have reacted that way if it were Tyran.

Now that thought brought a fresh wave of angry jealousy that cleared his thoughts a bit.

He needed to move, but he couldn't move if people were still lurking around the warehouse. He activated his Byakugan and searched.

As far as he could tell, no one was around. And even if they were, it would be safer to move than stay in their current position because if they did, they'd be making a lot more noise than if they didn't.

Yes, it was definitely time to move.
----------------------------------------------------------
One second she was pressed up against Neji in the most intimate way possible and the next she was flailing against air.

She looked up at him in bewilderment.

"It's clear," he replied stiffly to her unspoken question.

Well, he obviously hadn't been affected by their close proximity whatsoever because he seemed completely his usual self. How very annoying…and embarrassing. Because there was no way in hell that he wouldn't have been able to tell that she was.

She wanted to die. Even walking through the masses of partygoers with half her ass showing seemed preferable to this torment.

Oh, how she wished that she could have remained in control of her spiralling emotions and burning desire, but even as much as she wished it, she knew it would have been utterly impossible.

But now…now it seemed as if those magical moments hadn't even occurred, as if they were just some figment of her warped imagination. Had she just imagined the seductive tones of Neji's voice and did her overwhelming desire make every moment last longer, prolonging the contact of Neji's hand on her thigh? It seemed unfair that she would not even be able to begin to answer those questions.

But now that she looked at Neji, she couldn't imagine him sticking his hand up her skirt for the sole reason of sticking his hand up her skirt. It was utterly ridiculous and she felt utterly whimsical and juvenile for even thinking such a thing.

"Let's go before they double back the search."

That was all he said before he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along again, running at amazing speed.

Usually she wouldn't have had a problem keeping up with him. She was used to it after years of running behind him. But in this dress and in these shoes? No way.

"Neji!" she hissed.

He came to a dead stop and she slammed into him. He steadied her, but didn't push her away.

Tenten shook her head clear. She had to think of more pressing matters than her reaction to Neji's closeness.

"I want to run that fast, I really do. But I can't with what I'm wearing."

Neji looked her over briefly and nodded. "I understand. I find moving in these close quite encumbering."

It was only now that she really noticed what he was wearing. Before she'd either been too pissed, too surprised, or too bloody turned on to notice.

But, oh, did she notice now!

He was wearing black dress pants that shaped his lean legs exquisitely and a white shirt open at the collar that did nothing to hide the lean strength of the body beneath it. She'd never seen him wear clothes like that and it was damn sexy.

Focus!

"I think I have it worse," she mumbled. And she did. While he had to suffer in black dress shoes, she had to suffer in bloody six-inch heels and if she spread her legs too far apart the back of her dress would rip and not only would she have completely humiliated herself with Neji, she would run bare-assed through the mass of partygoers. Not a good thought.

And amazingly, Neji smiled and it made him more devastating than ever. It was probably a good thing he didn't smile - truly smile - often because surely every female within sight of it would melt into a puddle on the ground. She sure as hell was about to.

"I think you do too," he said in amusement before he grabbed her wrist again and moved off in a brisk walk.

This she could handle, but by the gods, she was going to have a multitude of festering blisters come morning. But if she could handle broken bones and multiple stab wounds (there was a reason mothers rarely let their children play with knives), she could handle blisters. She wasn't a weakling.

Then Neji abruptly changed direction and headed towards the metal door she had come in.

"Neji, why are we going back that way?"

"I was going to get out the way I came in, but you made me aware of the state of your dress and I highly doubt you would have been able to accomplish such a feat."

She gave him a death glare. And he could feel it.

"It would have been no problem were you properly attired," he remedied quickly.

"It's not my fault I had to dress like this," she mumbled.

But Neji either didn't hear or didn't care to respond (probably the latter; he heard just about everything) because he only continued to move on.

When they had reached the door, the first thing Tenten noticed was that Tyran's body was no longer there and that Neji had activated his Byakugan and was currently scanning the door with it.

"Why are you scanning the door?" she asked.

"I'm not," he replied. "I'm scanning the mechanisms that trigger it, looking for a weakness in the wiring."

"Isn't that a little…far-fetched?" Tenten asked tentatively.

"It's either this or wait gods know how long for a guard to walk by, open the door and let us render him unconscious. Even if that is the option we must choose, I prefer to do something useful while we wait patiently."

A hint of impatience had crept into his voice and Tenten knew that she had been reprimanded. Neji didn't like to be questioned. He liked to be obeyed. This was nothing unordinary, but at that moment it rankled her. But she refused to let her temper overcome her common sense. He was right, after all. She'd only take him to task the day that he wasn't, and so far that day hadn't come, frustratingly enough.

Seconds turned into minutes and the silence was killing her slowly. She desperately wanted to say something, but didn't dare less she threaten his concentration.

And then finally…

"Yes! I found it!"

He sounded like an excited little boy who'd just learnt his first ninja trick and she wondered if this was what he had been like when he'd been a little boy with his father still alive and teaching him the ways of the Hyuga. Had he gotten that faint smile of accomplishment, or had it been a toothy grin?

She was betting on the grin. Even though she could hardly imagine Neji as boyish now, she could imagine him boyish when he was younger, strangely enough.

How the world changed people.

Neji walked over to the sensor on the wall, took her former knife out of his pocket, infused it with chakra and cut through the wall. It was a neat trick that never ceased to fascinate her. The only thing cooler than a knife cutting through flesh was a knife cutting through metal.

"Can I do it?" She couldn't help asking the question as she hovered near him with childish excitement of her own.

Neji's lips lifted in amusement. "Can I trust you not to get carried away?" he asked and she realized he was teasing her.

She scowled at him and grabbed the knife out of his hand, the action speaking for itself.

Then he laughed. He laughed.

And the knife was instantly forgotten.

This was utterly ludicrous. Not only was Neji laughing – laughing – he was on a mission and laughing. Neji never laughed and he was never less than deadly serious on any type of mission, no matter how insignificant it was.

Something was wrong, but she was too distracted by his laugh to even try to begin to figure it out.

Neji sobered quickly, as if embarrassed by his outburst. The fact that she was still staring at him dumbfounded couldn't have helped.

"Are you going to do it, or should I?"

Tenten wordlessly handed the knife back over and it was Neji's turn to look surprised. As well he should. She never willingly relinquished a weapon. Never. She didn't even know why she had in the first place. It was her weapon, after all. She'd just been too distracted to care. She still was, even as Neji sliced into the metal.

Neji exposed a wide array of wires that she couldn't even begin to make sense of. Her brain was not made to understand technology.

But Neji seemed to understand it fine, as most men did, annoyingly enough. He wiggled a few wires around, pulled a few out, and reconnected a few more and then, miraculously, the door opened.

He pulled her through in a matter of seconds and the door shut behind them a matter of seconds after that.

"Sorry," he said, though he sounded anything but apologetic. "I didn't know how long it would stay open."

She was certain the imprint of his fingers would be moulded into the skin of her upper arm for the rest of her days, but she supposed Neji's imprints beat anyone else's so decided not to care.

"Let's just get out of here," she said in reply, not really meaning it. Sure, she wanted this abominable mission to just be over, but she was rather relishing every moment spent alone in the company of the man she loved.

But she didn't want him to know that, of course.

They cautiously moved down the various corridors, gradually getting closer to their desired destination – the party. There were so many people there anyone could get lost in the mess, which was exactly what they desired.

Unexpectedly, Neji halted abruptly and put his hand out stiffly, indicating her to do the same. She did, trying to listen over the sound of her own breathing.

Then Neji swore. Something was wrong.

He glanced around briefly but frantically until his gaze settled on a hallway off to their right. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her around.

The hallway couldn't really be considered a hallway in her mind. It wasn't long enough. It was really just a small passageway to another room. Neji tried the door, but there was no handle. Another sensor pad.

Sensing Neji's concern, she tried to placate him.

"Just do that thing you did before."

He shook his head and put his hands on his hips in frustration. "We don't have time. That took minutes. People will be here sooner than that."

So people were coming. She'd figured.

"We'll just make a run for it," she suggested.

Neji shook his head again. "Far too suspicious if we get caught, and we will get caught while you're wearing that dress, even if you do take your shoes off. And why would you be running without shoes anyway? No. We need a cover that doesn't seem suspicious, for there is no way out of this."

Tenten racked her brain and was struck with the frustration of desperately wanting an answer but being unable to find one; like she had a song stuck in her head and couldn't figure out who sung it.

And then Neji was looking at her so intently there was no way she would understand what conclusion he had reached, because he had obviously reached one.

He took in a deep breath and moved towards her. "Just follow my lead."

"Wha-"

And then he kissed her.

Tenten was so surprised that her body wasn't even able to react. How the hell was she supposed to react, anyway? Neji had just kissed her! Correction. He was kissing her. Present tense.

Oh…my…

Then the pressure of his lips disappeared and he pushed her against the smooth, metal door behind them and brought his lips to her ear.

He didn't speak at first. He did something much more devastating.

His tongue ran from the base of her earlobe to the tip and then right back down again. She shivered.

"Kiss me," he whispered urgently.

Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she'd hear those two sweet words uttered from Neji's lips.

Kiss me.

Surely she should be saying those words to him. Wasn't she the one who wanted it so badly?

She wanted this, cover-up or no. She wanted to feel his lips on hers. She wanted this experience, no matter what the circumstances, because she wanted to know what it would be like to kiss the man she loved. She wanted to know if it'd feel any different because it was him. She wanted to have the memory so she could cherish it as close to her heart as possible as she waited alone at night for sleep over overtake her.

She wanted this.

And then his lips were on hers again, slow and smooth, and his body was pressing against hers and his hands lifted her arms above their heads and he moved his hands up until their fingers were intertwined.

It was the most lethal combination. His lips and hands intertwined with her lips and hands.

And the heat began. It started like a small flicker in her belly and then as his lips continued to move against hers, steady and careful, the flicker turned into a flame. And then as his long fingers pressed her hands against the door harder and his body pressed against her body harder and his lips grew more insistent, the flame started to spread.

And the moment his tongue slid against hers, it turned into an all-out, blazing inferno.

She moaned.

"Good," he whispered before he claimed her mouth again.

She moaned again.

"That's it…" he coaxed, followed by a lingering kiss, "Keep going…" then kissed her again.

He couldn't have had any idea of the effect of his whispered words of encouragement, what they were doing to her body and her sanity. She didn't know what the hell she was doing; she just knew she wanted more.

And more and more and more…

And then more.

Just as his tongue found hers once again, Tenten became aware of a bright light being shined in their general direction.

Neji must have noticed it too, because he had pulled his mouth away from hers. But not his body, thank the gods. She surely would have collapsed on the floor in a quivering heap of helpless, uncontrollable desire if he had.

"Oi, what are you two doing down there?" a loud, boisterous voice demanded from behind the light.

They'd been caught, apparently, but all Tenten could do was despair because it seemed Neji would stop kissing her now.

Neji lowered his lips to her ear. "Put your arms around me and kiss my neck."

Tenten's eyes widened and Neji released her hands and rested his on her waist.

"How…" she trailed off, terrified. Kiss his neck? What the hell did that mean? Surely she couldn't just…kiss it.

"I don't care how, just do it," Neji whispered urgently.

Tenten was left with no choice but to obey under the circumstances. She wrapped her arms around his neck which wasn't too hard, considering the extra height her heels gave her, and then she was faced with the smooth, masculine curve of Neji's neck as he turned his head to face the guards.

And then she understood why he wanted her to do it. They had to appear as though they were mindless with desire, and while she certainly was, she had to express it.

So she pressed her lips against Neji's skin and as she pressed another kiss and then another, she was surprised by the delight she felt at doing the simple task. She was vaguely aware of Neji talking to the man behind the light, but was so intent on her task she didn't quite register what they were saying.

As she continued to press kisses against his skin, she felt the flame fire up again and she started to become more adventurous. She opened her mouth wider and moved her tongue against him. She felt rather than heard the sharp intake of breath and figured that was a good sign so she kept going…and going. Neji's hands dug into her waist and she didn't know whether or not it was a sign to stop, but she was having far too much fun so, once again, decided she didn't care.

Her hands seemed to move of their own accord, away from his neck, down the hard planes of his chest and under his arms to flatten against his back. She liked his back, she decided. She liked the firmness of it and the slight concave of his spine and the muscles that flinched under her touched.

And she really liked his neck. It was amazing the simple pleasure she received from doing such an unselfish deed. Well, it wasn't entirely unselfish, she supposed. She was having a damn good time.

Then she recalled what Neji had done to her ear. She'd sure liked it, so perhaps he would.

All that was left was to try it.
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Neji knew it had been a bad idea from the moment it entered his head. It would probably have to be the worst idea he'd ever had, though that wasn't saying too much as he rarely had bad ideas. However the premise remained the same - it was a very bad idea, but it was effective and they'd had no other choice that he had been able to identify.

And there was no way he was able to reject the idea when the thought of executing it filled him with inexplicable pleasure.

And by the gods, did it ever. He loved the feel of Tenten's body meshed against his as though they were one and the feel of her hands intertwined with his and the way her lips moved against his in perfect harmony, though she must have no idea what she was doing.

He didn't care. Every touch was perfection.

At first she'd been hesitant, inevitably. He'd kissed her suddenly, without warning - an unorthodox action, to be sure. He'd hardly expected her to respond with reckless abandon (though it would have been nice). But he had received the most exquisite pleasure from coaxing that desired response from her, knowing that it was he who had done it and that she was enjoying it as much as he was, if her moans were anything to go by. He was perceptive enough to know the difference between real moans and fake ones. Hers were real (thank heavens). Besides, she was not experienced enough to be able to even think of executing a fake moan (thank heavens).

And when his tongue had slid along hers…

No explanation necessary. Even if it were, he would not be able to offer one anyway. There were no words apt to describe it.

Unfortunately a light had interrupted them.

"Oi, what are you two doing down there?"

Like it was not already quite obvious.

Normally Neji would have thought such a callous voice annoying. Now it was utterly insufferable.

He lowered his lips to Tenten's ear and whispered instructions sure to surprise her.

They did.

"How…"

She sounded terrified and he could hardly blame her. In any other situation he would not be so insensitive as to ask her to perform a duty she knew not how to execute, but at that moment he had no choice.

"I don't care how, just do it," he whispered back, hoping she'd grasp the urgency of his tone.

She did. And she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her front more intimately against his, and if he thought that action was hard to think past, it was nothing compared to the feel of her lips touching his neck.

The sweet hesitancy of her actions made him want to recapture her lips and show her just how much better it could get.

But not now.

"I asked you a question!" the intruding presence yelled.

"Can't you see I'm a little busy?" Neji replied testily. His irritation was no act.

"You're more than a little busy, I'd say," a second voice teased, and Neji wished they'd turn the blasted light off so he could see how much of an audience he and Tenten had.

He hated the thought that she be so humiliated.

But she was carrying on her job splendidly. A bit too splendidly, actually. He was finding it quite hard to concentrate. Her tongue had joined her lips now.

Concentrate…

"Yes, so if you would be so kind as to leave us alone," Neji finally replied.

"Normally we would, but we can't right now. There's been an infiltrator that harmed Tyran-sama and we are evacuating the building," the first voice said.

"Ah, I understand. We'll be right out. Now would you please give us some privacy to finish off here? It won't take long."

That reply elicited exactly the response he was looking for. The guards snickered and proceeded to walk away.

But as soon as the light disappeared, Tenten bit his earlobe.

He flinched. He couldn't help it. And then he gasped, because he couldn't help that either.

Good gods above, how was it possible that she was so innocent when she seemed to know exactly what to do?

She retreated immediately. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" she asked with a mixture of hesitancy, embarrassment and horror.

Hurt him? God.

"No," he growled and lowered his head to reclaim her lips, but she foiled his attempts by speaking.

"They're gone?"

"Yes."

"Are we going now too?"

Gods no.

"We should probably wait a bit longer. I said we weren't going to leave straight away." This was possibly most feeble excuse he had ever fabricated, but he found it hard to care as long as it kept her in his arms a little bit longer.

She swallowed. "I see."

He couldn't form a reply. He was too busy staring at her tongue darting out to wet her lips. A nervous gesture and an incredibly seductive one, too.

"So, um…" she continued, "What should we do?"

Neji didn't answer, at least not with words.

He kissed her.
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Tenten hadn't been expecting Neji to kiss her again, but if he thought that was the best plan of action then who was she to disagree? But this time…this time it was different. He kissed her as though he wanted to devour her, so she kissed him exactly the same way.

As their mouths grew more and more fervent, his hands started to follow. First they stroked up her sides and he lifted her slightly. She couldn't understand why until he inserted a thigh between her legs.

The heat within her exploded.

Suddenly she was grasping at him, desperate to touch him. She pulled his shirt out of his pants and slid her hands under the frustratingly present material to feel the smooth, sinewy skin of his back. He groaned and responded by moving a hand down to her thigh, hoisting it up. Her leg immediately wrapped around his hips, bringing them impossibly closer and then it was her turn to groan.

His hand slid along the bare skin of her thigh much as it had done earlier that evening, but it had an entirely different effect when his mouth was moving against hers with such urgency. She wanted his mouth closer so she removed one hand and wove her fingers through the silky brown locks that she had always secretly longed to touch, simultaneously pressing his mouth harder against her eager lips. The hand urgently gripping her waist moved to dig itself into her hair, as though he too wanted her closer.

Somewhere in the haze of overwhelming desire it occurred to Tenten that this was what a kiss should be like. She didn't know what would happen five minutes from now, but at this moment Neji wanted her. She knew it. She could feel it. He wanted her as close to him as she wanted him to her. Also just like her, he couldn't get enough. And she wasn't going to question it or even try to explain it - she was just going to let it be and treasure the moment for however long it lasted.

And if she was lucky, maybe it would never end.
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Never had Neji experienced such intense desire in his life. He hadn't even come close. This…this was…

Everything.

The connection wasn't just physical, it was emotional in some way he didn't understand and it was everything that it should be. No, he didn't understand it in the slightest, didn't think he even wanted to for once in his life because he was absolutely terrified of it. This feeling was all-consuming and it banished any last modicum of common sense within him. He knew he shouldn't be doing this - he'd known it from the moment he'd first kissed her - but, by the gods above, he couldn't stop. And he wouldn't stop if something didn't forcibly interrupt them soon. They'd keep going because Tenten was lost in the same abandon he was, a knowledge that simultaneously thrilled and terrified him . He experienced soaring elation because it meant this insanity wasn't one-sided; however, he was also terrified because it would be so much harder to ignore now.

And he did intend to ignore it. He had to. His greatest strength lay in his ability to be logical in all things, to not let his feelings cloud his judgment. Well, these feelings – whatever the hell they were – would cloud everything and he simply couldn't exist in that environment. It was too overwhelming.

And yet despite knowing this within his very bones, he still couldn't stop.
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Tenten wasn't sure how long they stayed there, entwined like a rope that had not been coiled correctly, but she immediately recognised the exact moment the intensity was dissipated because reality came crashing down on her like a 50 ton anvil.

Neji's intercom crackled.

"Neji?" It was Gai. "Neji, where are you? The guests are being evacuated and you're not among them. Is something wrong?"

Oh, something was wrong, alright. Everything was wrong.

Realization hit them concurrently. They looked each other square in the eyes and instantly identified the significance of what had just occurred.

Their bodies were still tangled like a knot. Neji's hair was mussed and she doubted hers looked any better. His eyes were wide and wild, probably mirroring her own. His lips were kiss-swollen and she felt as though hers were in the same state. She was gasping in air like she'd almost been drowned and every single part of her body was throbbing with the after-effects of the massive rush of adrenalin and desire he had inflicted upon her.

And they just looked at each other - blankly, wordlessly - until Gai's voice crackled over the intercom once again.

"Neji? If you don't answer, I'm coming in."

Then they looked at each other in horror. That absolutely could not happen. It'd take longer than the time it took for Gai to find them for her to get herself together - mentally and emotionally.

Neji, undoubtedly thinking similarly, removed the hand that had been cradling her face and pressed the appropriate button on the intercom, his eyes never leaving her face.

"We're fine." His voice was hoarse. Hopefully Gai wouldn't notice over the static. "We're coming now."

"Okay." And the line went dead.

Neji still couldn't seem to move and she was glad because she wasn't quite sure she would be able to stand just yet. Besides, she wanted to relish the feel of him for as long as possible because he would undoubtedly avoid her like the plague after this. And the sad thing about that was she should want to avoid him too, for the sake of both her pride and emotional stability, but the thought of being separate from him was slowly killing every happy emotion that resided within her, ruthlessly suffocating all her naive and innocent dreams of reciprocal love and acceptance.

But what choice did she have? He didn't want her, not really. Not beyond tonight. And he never would.
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Neji slowly, ever so slowly, retracted his hand from her thigh and his thigh from between her legs before painstakingly separating his body from hers. However he could not seem to help but remain close enough for their bodies to tantalizingly whisper against the other. His hands settled on her waist once again, as though to steady her, prepare her body for his imminent departure, but he knew he was only stalling for time, finding another excuse to touch, preparing himself for a physical separation he did not desire.

Regardless of the desires she wasn't aware he possessed, Tenten followed suit by removing her hands from his person, slowly - ever so slowly - regaining her equilibrium as she did so.
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But did Neji know, Tenten didn't want it back. She would rather remain in a state of breathless vertigo if it meant she could have his hands on her once more, grasping and closing in on her feverish skin as though his very world, his entire existence, solely depended upon her touch, her presence, her being.

She leaned her head back against the cool metal that supported her and shut her eyes, thinking, thinking, and yet unable to form a thought.

“Uh...Im sorry, Guess we got carried away...huh?” she tried to lighten the mood yet it only backfired.

A deep, awkward silence settled among them

Neji exhaled deeply.

"Tenten…"

His voice was so incredibly heavy, burdened with that which she could never hope to guess.

But yet she understood everything he meant by that one word - her name, falling through the air between them, oppressed by the weight of what she would never have.

"I know," she replied, faintly realizing her voice was as heavy as his.

Why wouldn't it be when they'd just agreed to never speak of, never think about, never hope to experience this again? It would be swept under the rug like an old, unwanted memory, too irrelevant to the future to have a place in it. Like something they had to be ashamed of.

Was he ashamed? She desperately hoped not because she would never be and even if he refused to retain the memory, she'd never let it go.
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So it was settled. They would pretend as though this night had never occurred. At least this part of the night - the part that mattered most, consequentially.

No doubt she wanted to pretend it had never happened. How could she not? It – whatever it was – had been sprung from a previously empty void that was now bursting with emotions they could not understand or express. Neither of them knew what to do with it - didn't want to know, perhaps. It was too new, too unknown, too forbidden.

But he did want to know. He wouldn't lie to himself any more than he would lie to another. He wanted to know what it was and when he was alone he'd probably turn the question over in his mind tirelessly, but for all outward appearances he would remain unaffected and unaltered.

But he was affected and altered to the very core of his being, to the point he hardly recognised himself anymore. What made him even more terrified was that even though he'd implied he'd forget this life-altering encounter, he knew he never would.

Because he didn't want to.

Be honest, were you fangirling/fanboying or what?! Hehe I tried to make it smutty but save some for later, if you get my meaning 😉 Plus I told you id have it up by today! The next chapter might take a while though, but I promise it'll be worth it!

Will Nejis and Tentens relationship be affected by this sexy, unfortunate event?

I dont know...well I do...But you don't! Tune in next time. Till then

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Word count:7724 (Not counting these words, but a lot of writing in just one day huh?!)