Nejiten - Meant To Be (Completed 2014)

Chapter Four

Neji quickly ran towards the group surrounding Tenten, taking them out quickly and mercilessly. As the sand came off of Tenten, she collapsed, and he quickly caught her and ran behind a tree.

More rebels came, and the shinobi were retreating due to low chakra.

'For the love of Kami, the rebels can't win!!' Neji thought.

He was more frightened than he had ever been in his life. He looked down at Tenten, who wasn't in good shape. Her breath was heavy and the open wound continued to bleed heavily.

She looked pale and lifeless.

Neji shivered at the sight and held her close. More than anything, he realized, was that he didn't want to lose her.

Tenten's view cleared up a little and she could clearly see what was going on. They were losing quickly.

'As long as I can move and breathe,' Tenten mentally declared, 'I will fight!'

She tried to get up and continue fighting, but Neji pulled her back onto him and held her head to his chest. "Don't move." He said. "You don't need yourself injured anymore. Stay quiet and don't move or you'll further open your wound."

Tenten looked up at Neji with great confusion and then looked around. Lee was also pretty beaten up and leaning up against a tree, but he looked at his teammates with a smile of hope.

Tenten slightly shook her head. Hope was something they needed but didn't have.

Tenten tried once again to get up and cried out, "Let me fight Neji, I am still perfectly able to move!"

Neji pulled her back down and hugged her tightly to him. She blushed hard at this action and felt a sharp pain around her waist.

"Tenten please don't be stubborn this damn time! You've already ripped your wound open even more."

He loosened his grip and was breathing heavy. To him, the whole situation felt more like a war than a battle. He ached all over and couldn't keep a very steady grip on Tenten.

He knew she'd try to move again. And eventually, she did.

Neji couldn't stop her, but he could fight by her side to keep her from getting any more hurt than she was.

He turned his head away from her for no more than ten seconds, and her scream could already be heard. He cursed himself and quickly came to her aid.

Another gash was found on her waist. He lifted her up quickly and jumped up to a nearby tree, staying out of sight. Tenten was no longer in condition to fight, and Neji couldn't help her in any way. Hinata and Sakura could do no help, as they were too far away to try to help.

He looked helplessly at Tenten. She looked up at him with a painful, faint smile, and said, "I-I'm sorry, Neji.." Her body went limp as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Were they not in the middle of a battle, Neji would've lost it. It wouldn't be long before Tenten's breathing stopped altogether, and he knew it.

'Anything but that,' he thought, holding her close and protectively.

Her body was going pale and cold before his eyes, and he started doing something he hadn't done in a long while; Neji started to cry silently.

He continued to say her name over and over, begging for her to keep fighting; to stay alive and that he was sorry for hurting her earlier. "Please Tenten, I'm sorry, please don't go. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."