Simple and Clean

Pairing: NejiTen with a hint of GuyShizu
Word count:  1,457
Prompt used: Vacation
WARNINGS: General fluffy goodness, for all of you that complain about my angst obsession. For the record, I had angst ideas I ignored for this. Brief mentioning of past child abuse. Some sexiness at the end. Or the closest I've ever done.

Oh, and more pregnant TenTen, because I think it's sweet.

Disclaimer: Does TenTen have screen time yet? No? Then, no, they still aren't mine. Also, the title IS from the Kingdom Hearts song. I just…had it playing in my head as I wrote. Oh, and Guy's quote, before I forget, I read somewhere but have never been able to find since. It's one of my favorites, though.

Simple and Clean

Normally, Neji wasn't one for vacations. It just wasn't his personality, and eight years of being on Team Guy had only reinforced it. In all that time, they'd only had one break, and that was because Tsunade had decided the rest of the village needed a break from them. Which was why, when Shizune first suggested it, Neji's instinct had been to turn it down. So what if it was his twentieth birthday? The same old small celebration with his team would be just as acceptable this year as all the ones before.

That was before Shizune had forced a brochure into his hands, advertising a small beach cottage only a day's travel from Konoha. Just a small one room thing, with a bed, a bathroom, and a kitchenette. A covered porch that faced out to the water. The once white paint was faded grey in places, a little worn, but still functional. It wasn't much of a place, but maybe that was why it had struck him as so perfect the moment he saw the picture.

Staring out the window, TenTen was bathed in golden light. As he watched her, dressed in one of his shirts that rested snuggly against the small swell of her stomach, Neji was silently grateful to his sensei's girlfriend for insisting. In his eyes, TenTen had always been beautiful, but now the sight of her literally stole his breath away. The new curves of her growing belly and breasts, her thicker wavy hair, and healthy look to her skin-how could anyone not one to snatch her right up and never let go?

His beloved's brown eyes never left the softly rolling waves gently lapping at the sand, the gentle rush of water still audible from this distance. "Guy-sensei once told me that everything in the world could be solved with salt water."

"Oh?" A cool breeze blew through the open window and door, leaving a salty film on his lips and bare chest; it pulled on his hair and the collar of her shirt, creeping in a welcome whisper.

Now she did turn to look at him, strands of her loose auburn hair blowing across her face. "Yes. Through sweat, tears, or the ocean."

Raising his arm, Neji motioned for her to climb into bed next to him. She silently crossed the faded, gritty, pine floor, the crème sheets catching on her knees as she crawled awkwardly over to him. With one arm he pulled her gently down onto her side, so her head could rest securely on his chest, just above his heart, where he could easily lean forward and softly kiss the top of her head. Layers of fabric separated the new curves of her body from his, but still the rise of her belly against his side was distracting. "I didn't know you had anything that needed fixing."

"There's always something that needs to be fixed."

Neji closed his eyes as one of her hands lazily stroked along his abs. This is what he loved the most. These quiet moments where nothing needed to be said, and they were talking simply for the pleasure of hearing each others voices. No expectations, no weighty responsibilities or talk of clans, expectations, futures. Just Neji and TenTen, enjoying each other's company. "What are we fixing then?"

"Me."

The hand that had been resting comfortably behind her now reached up, grabbing the loose ends of her auburn hair and letting them fall through his fingers. "You? What about you are we supposed to be fixing?"

She shrugged, making a soft humming noise. "It's hard to be scared in a place as peaceful as this."

"Scared?" Shifting his weight a little, Neji managed to turn so he was facing her a little more directly without moving her any further away. "What could you be scared of?"

Brown eyes flicked down, and Neji followed them. Her arms were currently hidden by the long sleeves of his shirt, but they both knew that underneath lay a maze of scars. A silent testament to the years of abuse she had suffered at the hands of her mother.

His hand switched automatically from playing with her hair to rubbing soothing circles in her back. "TenTen, we talked about this. You're nothing like your mother. You won't hurt our baby."

Our baby. It didn't matter what the context was, every time he thought those words it made his stomach turn. Their baby. Her baby, and his.

"But how can you know for sure?"  She shivered against him, but Neji doubted it really had anything to do with the evening sea breeze. "We've known about this baby for two months now and," her voice trailed off, so quiet he couldn't hear her over the waves anymore.

A soft squeeze of her shoulder. They could talk now, or they could talk later, but never before she was ready. Forcing her to talk had been the reason she had broken up with him just after telling him about their baby. This time, he could wait, until she was willing to face her demons.

She sighed, her warm breath leaving a wake of goose bumps as it ghosted across his collar bone. "What's wrong with me, Neji? Two months, and I don't love my baby."

Yes, they'd known for two months, and she'd been pregnant for four, but only now was she really starting to show in an obvious way. In the last few weeks she had stopped being sick every ten minutes, and it had been in the last week that the chakra system had developed enough that Neji could separate it from TenTen's.  

He rubbed a hand down her arm and leaned down, kissing each of her eyelids. "I don't either."

"What?" TenTen jerked away from him, small pink lips parting slightly in an almost frightened look. "You don't? Why not? I thought you were excited about this."

"I am. But," he pulled her close again, pretending not to notice her slight resistance. How could he describe this? The last thing he wanted was to upset her more. "If I told you that you had a sister that lived in Mist that you couldn't remember, would you love her?"

The blankets made a soft scratching noise as she shifted, settling closer to his side. "I suppose that; no, I wouldn't. Just because you told me...I don't think I could imagine what having a sister is like."

"Exactly." Neji couldn't help smiling a little as he bent to nuzzle her face. For someone that spent as much time outside as she did, TenTen had extremely soft skin. He could still smell the salt on her from their afternoon out in the water, too. "Right now our baby is like that. Something far away that we don't understand. Too small for you to even feel it moving. But you will, and I know that when that happens-when you get to know him-you will love him."

"Him?" The playful shine had returned to her eyes, and Neji could feel the corners of her mouth tugging into a smile against his bare skin. "What makes you so certain it will be a boy?"

She shivered again as his hands slid down her new curves, sliding under his shirt to draw circles on the small baby bulge. Once again, Neji thought with some smugness, it had nothing to do with cold. "I'm not. I just like seeing you all worked up."

"Oh, I'll bet you do." She ran her head along his chest, making him gasp as loose strands of hair ghosted along his pecs. "You know, I'm never going to understand you."

"Probably not." It took some wiggling, but thanks to years of ninja training he was able to fold over slightly and capture her lips, brushing them ever so slightly with his tongue before pulling away. "That's why I know you're going to be such a good mother. You can manage to love me."

Rolling over again, his little minx straddled him a fluid movement that would be impossible for her in a few short months. Bare thighs on either side of his hips, TenTen grinned down at him, tucking some loose hair back behind her ear. "It isn't that hard. I'll even prove it to you now if you want, as a special birthday present."

Oh yes, he was definitely going to have to thank Shizune for this.

Neji sat up halfway, weight on his hands, to kiss her again, this time sliding his tongue between welcoming lips and running it along ever flat surface he could reach. When she whimpered, he pulled his tongue back and murmured against her mouth, "I would like that very much."