Expressing Emotion

Tenten silently crept out onto the Hyuuga roof. As silently as she could, she sat down on a place where she could view the full moon tonight perfectly.

"Tenten."

Tenten jumped when she heard the familiar deep voice call her name, "N-Neji!" she squeaked, blushing furiously.

Neji approached her with his hands stuffed in his pockets, wearing his usual black shorts, and a white t-shirt. He glanced at the moon and sat down next to her, "Why are you here."

She smiled slightly, "You can see the moon better from here, rather than my house!"

He frowned, "You like looking at the moon?"

"Hai!"

She turned her attention back to a moon. A single tear slid down her cheek, but she wiped it away quickly.

Unfortunately, it didn't go unnoticed by Neji, "Tenten, you all right?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, fine!" she said cheerily, "HEY LOOK! A—"

Neji's hand clamped over her mouth, "Damnit Tenten, don't be so loud, the others will wake up! And yes, a shooting star…"

She removed his hand, "Wasn't it pretty?"

"Hn."

She went back to gazing at the moon, "You know Neji, the moon is a lot like you…"

"…Something that rotates around the earth with no atmosphere or wind, something that makes no light of it's own, getting it's light from the sun?"

"NO, like… no scientifically!"

"Then what?"

"See the moon? The side we see has craters, but the other side has even more craters! The moon shows us a tough side, but inside its been scarred a lot, but it's tough side covers its true self. It's true self isn't the ice cube that it shows us, but a caring side that's hurt easily."

"…"

"Okay. So you're tougher."

"Thank you."

Neji laid down with his hands behind his head, and noticed more tears roll down Tenten's cheeks.

"Tenten… you all right?"

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine!"

"…You're crying."

She hastily wiped away the tears, "No I'm not!"

"Stop denying it."

"Well, I wasn't!"

Rub away another tear.

"…"

She gave up, "Okay fine, I was crying. Happy?" she snapped.

Neji stared at her. Her? Tenten? The weapon mistress? His sparring partner that never gave up? The toughest tomboy in all of Konoha? Well, she was pretty much the only tomboy, but that's not the point.

"So what if I was crying?" she continued, "Nothing wrong with that! Crying is part of being a human being damnit!"

When Neji didn't say anything, it enraged her even more, "Damnit Neji, just because you haven't cried, doesn't mean crying is for weaklings! Not LOVE, THAT'S for weaklings! Wait, no it isn't… OKAY!"

Tenten paused, and didn't notice Neji staring at her, "Okay, if you're in love, you just make them weak! Like I love you! I don't tell you, because then you could use it to blackmail me, DAMNIT NEJI, STOP STARING AT ME!"

She glared at him and stood up to leave when she felt his hand around her wrist. He pulled her down, and she ended up sitting between his legs.

"You love me?"

"What? How did you know?"

"Idiot, you screamed it."

"I did?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"So. Do you?"

"Do I what?"

Neji sighed. His patience was running thin, "Do you love me?"

She blushed, "Um… well, hahaha, you see…"

"Spill it."

"NO!"

He smirked and pulled her back so she was leaning against his chest, "Hey Tenten…"

"Mmhmm?"

"…Why don't you ever cry?"

"That's a random question."

"Answer it."

"…Well, I guess because crying is for a weakness. I want to be a strong and tough ninja, just like Tsunade! And to be strong, you can't cry! Crying is for weaklings!"

She sighed, and looked at the stars, "I just want to be someone that people will like…"

His hold on her tightened, "Crying isn't for weaklings," he murmured as he let her go and she sat next to him.

"I said I wouldn't cry."

"It's all right to cry."

"I bottle up my feelings."

"It's not good to bottle up your feelings. You have to let them out sometime."

"Well too bad, I don't!" she declared, but she felt a lump in her throat.

He sighed and leaned back, "If you did love someone, but never told them, he might move on. You'd have to express your affection toward him."

"Nn."

The lump grew bigger, and her eyes began to tear up.

Oh, probably allergies…

In the middle of the night? Yeah right Tenten.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of crying. It's part of being a human."

"Well… w-well, I don't wanna!"

Sniffle. Yes, allergies, that was it.

Tenten sniffled slightly, and rubbed her now red eyes furiously. God, it was just allergies… was she allergic to the moon or Neji?

"Tenten."

A single tear rolled down her pale cheek, and more followed as the tears spilled out of her water brown eyes.

Neji sighed as he held her closer.

She was so damn stubborn.

But it was so damn cute.

"Neji…"

He could hear her crying, "Hm?"

"You won't think I'm –hic- weak, will you?"

"…No," he said softly, burying his nose in her hair, "I won't."

Tenten let out a shaky sigh and leaned back against his chest, smiling through the tears.

I said I wouldn't cry, but I did, and I'm not ashamed.