Naruto-

Ambitions and Issues

As the door opened, a 26 year old woman walked in with a single bun in her hair and an angiated look on her face. Her roommate, who was sitting on the couch looked up as she walked in and instantly understood, "Tough time with your parents?"

The other girl heavily sighed as she thumped onto the couch, "You'd think they'd be happy with me having a good job and health at this point."

The other girl prodded her, "But?"

The bun-haired girl continued, "But they want me to get married and to have children so they can see their grandchildren, 'before they die.'" She said rolling her eyes, "They're only 45! They have many more years on them!"

Her roommate sighed, "Tenten, you have to understand it from your parent's perspective," she pointed out, "You're 26, getting near that dreaded 30 and right now, you're parent's probably think you're either scaring all the potential husbands away or that you're a freak of nature."

Tenten glared at her, "And I'm which scenario?"

Her roommate shrugged, "Which ever that won't get me killed," ignoring Tenten's death glare, "Look at it, everyone we know is either in a relationship or going to get married. Even Hinata's engaged and she's had a crush on the guy since middle school."

Tenten frowned, "Well, Naruto was always an idiot."

"But he's now an idiot who's going to get married."

Tenten abruptly sat up and started to the kitchen, "And what am I suppose to do about my 'problems?'"

Her roommate turned to look towards the kitchen, "Well you could always quite grilling a guy before you meet him and quit being so cynical about guys. They're not all evil."

Tenten's head poked out, "Are you serious? Coming from you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Tenten walked back out, "I mean, Sakura, you're fiancé was a gang member at one point."

"Was is the key word here," Sakura pointed out.

"Well the 'was' of me ever in a relationship was in high school, and that's a long 'was' away," Tenten firmly decided.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Tenten, you never had a relationship, you had a bro-mance."

An eyebrow rose, "A bro-mance?"

"Yeah, you know, a relationship with a guy friend that's never said out loud, so the other guy never knows."

"I did not have a …bro-mance as you said," Tenten argued.

"You had a bro-mance."

"Did not."

Sakura leaned forward, "Well, let's go down the list of requirements for a bro-mance. One, did you ever say, 'I like you,' in a romantic way?"

Tenten furrowed her eyebrows, "No, but-"

Sakura interrupted her, "Two, did you ever have a real date at one time?" before Tenten could answer, Sakura continued, "One not involving helping him choose a gift for his girlfriend," when Tenten opened her mouth, Sakura barreled on, "Or cousin."

Tenten frowned, "Well, no. I'm not liking these questions."

"That's because you know that I'm right," Sakura replied, "So now you know your problem."

Silence passed, "And that problem is?"

"You're hung up on the guy in high school," Sakura easily replied, "Get over it."

"GET OVER IT! Says the girl who's in a relationship with a guy that she started dating in middle school. How do you just randomly 'get over it'?" Tenten demanded, doing quotation marks during, get over it.

Sakura looked at her like she was an idiot, "By moving on with life."

All Tenten could do at this point was scream and ran to her room. Sakura yelled after her, "Remember that bridemaid's dressings are tomorrow!" All she heard was another muffled yell, and she picked up Hinata's letter. Her interest peaked at the best man's name, "well this ought to be interesting," Sakura said before she hid the letter from Tenten.

"Have you ever wondered why they make bridemaid's dresses so hideous?" Tenten asked, inside the wedding store. Sakura nudged her, "That isn't the brightest thing to say in a wedding store."

"She's right, Tenten, and besides the fact that I predicted this would happen, so I designed the bride maid's dresses," Ino, their friend, said, picking up a dress. Sakura and Tenten looked at each other.

"You predicted that all the dresses would look horrible?" Sakura managed to question after going down a long list of possible responses.

"Yup," Ino chirpily said.

Sakura pressed a finger to her temple, "Why don't you predict the next lottery number then, genius?"

Ino frowned, "Hey, would you rather be wearing that?" pointing to a puffy little bo-peep dress.

Tenten looked at the dress in fear, "No thanks!" and ran into the dressing rooms.

"This is a good opportunity to talk about Tenten's issue," Sakura said, ignoring the "Don't have an issue," from the dressing room.

"You mean the one where Tenten's hung up on that him?" Ino asked, picking up her own dress.

"Exactly," Sakura said, relieved that she some one, meaning everyone but Tenten, agreed with her.

Tenten came back into the room, "I do not have an issue." Ino walked around her, "Hold still, I need to fix the hem."

Tenten continued, "I wish you would quit telling everyone that. Just because I'm not as lucky as you guys to find your one true love in high school doesn't meant that you have to make fun of me."

Ino and Sakura sent each other mental messages and sighed in agreement.

Tenten instantly got the clue, "What are you guys telling each other? When double simultaneous sighs occur, nothing good happens."

Ino raised an eyebrow, "When do good things ever happen to you?"

Tenten thought, "Well how about-no…oh! Wait, I got the flu after that…there must be a time…" Tenten huffed, "Just because I can't think of one, doesn't mean there isn't one."

As Tenten walked back into the dressing room, Ino muttered, "Well, your luck is about to get worse."

The day of wedding practice, Tenten was with a paniking happy bride to be.

"You're forgetting to breathe, Hinata," Tenten absently commented, after the millionth time that Hinata said, "I can't believe this is actually happening."

Hinata hugged Tenten, "Thanks for agreeing to be my Maid of honor, especially after what happened with him-"

Tenten jerked, "What do you mean with him!"

Hinata looked questionably at her, "Don't you remember? I sent you a letter telling you that Neji was going to be the best man."

"You did."

"Yes?" Hinata asked questionably, apparently there was something she was unaware of. Tenten forced a grin on. Oh Sakura was going to die. "Excuse me for a moment, there's something I need to clear up."

Walking out, spotting Sakura talking to the whole other gang, minus the best man, grabbed her arm tightly. Sakura, in the middle of talking to Lee, turned to see Tenten with fire and a deadly intent in her eyes, instantly realized, "Hinata told you, didn't she?"

Tenten cracked an evil smile, "Yes, Hinata told me and I wonder if she didn't tell me, who was going to?" She dragged her outside, away from all the others, staring at them in confusion, minus for Ino. When they got outside, before Tenten could speak, Sakura spilled everything, "Ok, so I knew that Neji was going to be the best man, but if you had known you probably wouldn't of come at all, wouldn't you?"

"That's not true," Tenten started.

"Liar, every year when the whole gang gets together, something just 'happens' to come up, for you not to come," Sakura said irritated.

"Hey, one year I really did have the flu!" Tenten defended.

"So? One out of 8 years?" Sakura yelled, "Admit it, your chickening out! That's your issue!"

Tenten yelled back, "I do not have an issue! And how do you know that the reason that I don't go to the get-togethers is because I'm a secret ninja on a mission, eh?"

Sakura just stared at her is disbelief, "That's the most stupidest reason I've ever heard!"

"So? And stupidest isn't a word!" Tenten yelled, mentally agreeing with Sakura.

"That's not the point!" Sakura pushed Tenten. Tenten glared at Sakura.

"Then what is the point!" Tenten asked, shoving Sakura back.

Sakura shoved Tenten against the wall and held up a fist, "The point is that your going to stick through this, not just for Hinata, but for yourself, and you're going to get over it!" and punched the wall next to her, making a huge hole in the wall.

"Wow, the cat fight's have already stared?" a new voice said. Sakura and Tenten turned to see who it was. They both gaped. Neji was standing right in front of them, "I thought fights weren't suppose to happen until the day before the wedding. I suppose that's the only thing you've been early for Tenten. Have fun with that." Neji, then, walked into the church. Tenten shoved Sakura off, after he walked in, "You're so dead after the wedding!" and stomped back in. Sakura, brushing off, smirked, "No, you'll be thanking me."

--author's note--

...ah, the joys and pains of marriage and love...