Title: Only Just Begun
Characters: Neji, Tenten, Ino, Sakura, Hinata, Naruto, Temari and Shikamaru.

Theme: First (F.O.I.L.)
Rating: T
Changing scenes:

'talking' indicates thoughts

talking -flashbacks

"talking" –normal conversations

Tenten silently sipped her tea, staring off at nowhere. The four kunoichi have been lounging out at a cozy tea house, every now and then they would gather up and just stay there talking out for few minutes. It's what would Ino term with her syrupy voice, "bonding". Beside Tenten who sat in a two seat sofa, Ino was chatting on endlessly, "Tenten-chan, I think you need a date… I mean look at us."

Ino gestured to the other kunoichis present in the room, Temari who was visiting from Suna rolled her eyes. Hinata smiled a small one, still not used to such meetings while Sakura… she even add fuel to the fire. "Ino's right Tenten-chan, look at us at least we all have gone to dates…"

The next words that Sakura said have blurred to Tenten, her mind wandered off to yesterday's activities.

--o.0—

"Tenten, you're late." Neji looked at her through Byakugan, clearly seeing her worn-out panting expression. 'Well, Neji who in their right minds would set a sparring session, 3 in the morning?' Tenten would have wanted to retort but unfortunately she needs to regain her breath. Tenten slumped on the floor and tried to relax her muscles. Neji only gave her few moments, and after letting her regain her stature he positioned forward in a stance.

"You know the consequences." "Oh jolly, another overtime," she commented sarcastically readying her weapon scrolls.

He paid no notice but motioned for her to attack. He gestured with his one hand forward; such body language transmitting, 'Come'.

Thud!

The sound of metal hitting disturbed the forest's silence; Tenten released a shuriken to Neji who deliberately missed it two centimeters from his ears. Kunai, smoke bombs, senbons, shuriken, bo-staffs, exploding tags, chains, barrage of weapons almost thousand in numbers soon followed after. It all streaked out of the scrolls scurrying towards. They all wheezed past the clusters of thick trees directed at its target.

Neji.

"Hakkeshou Kaiten!" was heard all throughout, thus starts another battle.

-------

Dust and sweat covered Tenten; she was exhausted, tired and weak. She paid no heed though as she calls forth of her bo-staff. Delivering a hit, Tenten aimed her bo-staff at flawlessly timed directions. Left… right… right… up, down, up… Neji countered all of her attacks perfectly. He brushed the strikes with Jyuuken correspondingly without trying to dodge, he only blocks. Several failed attempts later, she found no use of her bo-staff and disposed of it, she resorted to another method. Chakra strings. She gathered what little of chakra she had and assembled her weapons, trying to hoist them all from the grounds in an instant. Sharp edges of her weapons sticking out from the earth were all scattered around the area making the place look like a battle ground.

Swoosh!

Pivoting in air, Tenten did a somersault in the mid-air succeeding in collecting her arsenal. 'This would be the last attack,' her mind noted registering the fact that she only had little-to-non-existent chakra left. Giving Neji one last smirk, she launched her technique.

"Soshouryuu!"

-------

"That's enough for today." He looked on and checked his team mate's appearance. Covered in dust, bathed in sweat, and damaged clothes to minor cuts here and there. 'Good'. She's not gravely wounded and this had been one of those normal trainings. Both got lost track of time and from 6 in the morning, with a little break for lunch, they have sparred until 5 in the afternoon.

"I see you're getting more precise on your chakra control, Tenten." Tenten shrugged trying to ease the soreness of her body; it's as if she wasn't that good before. That is why she became the Mistress of Weapons after all. Chakra control in chakra strings is one of the basics in using projectiles and angles.

"Well you seem to improve your absolute defense even more, Neji." She commented looking at his meditating form. Before Neji would have trouble spinning around inside Kaiten, his revolution under such event makes him vulnerable after finishing the attack. That was what they were trying to improve, his Kaiten and her chakra control.

Neji however did not bat an inch, offering her a, "Hn" for reply.

Tenten started to pack out her things. Summoning them all back into her scrolls, she was able to retrieve every single weapon. All ends well and she hopes that she'll have a long warm and comforting bath back home. "So I guess tomorrow again?" she inquires preparing to walk away.

"Hn," another grunt. Taking that as a yes, Tenten walked out of the training grounds.

"Tenten."

Before she could fully leave the area, Neji's voice sliced through the looming silence. "What…?" she asked stopping in her tracks looking at him questioningly.

"You have been late." Tenten fall anime style complete with the sweat drop present. "I am that's why we have gone extra hours of training right? We were supposed to be dismissed around 3 or 4 in the afternoon."

Tenten explains patiently drawling the sentences as if trying to make a point to the crossed-legged lad under the shade of a tree.

"No Tenten that was not your punishment, we were supposed to conclude at 6 p.m. if taken account of your penalty. You're not yet off the hook," he replied now breaking away from his earlier position standing and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well I suppose we can just leave it like that Neji, see I'm tired and exhausted. I don't think I have enough chakra left for another round." Tenten turned her back away from him really wanting so badly to get soaked under a hot bath endlessly.

"No."

"What?"

"I don't accept this had always been the rules, spar overtime if late. Of all the people, I thought you know that perfectly well, Tenten." He gave her a leering look challenging her with his arrogant remark.

Tenten twitched once, she twitched another, Twitch; one never failing to respond to that kind of retort, she faced him and bluntly replied: "Well, do you have ANY chakra left for another one?" She was itching to dab a finger at him wanting to say desperately she and maybe he too had enough.

Neji smirked, "Of course."

--o.0---

"Hey Tenten-chan are you listening?" Ino dabbed a finger at Tenten startling her out of her reverie. "Huh?" was the dazed reply they got. "Ino-pig said that if you would like to go on a double date with her, " Sakura answered, "It may sound better than having you out alone in a date. At least in that way you won't feel awkward in such events. Ino-pig and Shikamaru-san would be there with you."

"Eh?" Tenten blurted out, utterly confused. While she was dreaming out in 'Lala-land' what have they been talking about? Was it about her and dates? "That Ino!"

"So?" Ino tapped her fingers on the table impatiently, they had been counseling for minutes, this never-been-in-a-formal-date-friend of them… and all they got as a reply are "Huh" and "Eh?"

"I think I'll pass."

Was the good natured response, Tenten took a drink from her untouched tea gaining others attention. Ino almost spit out the tea she earlier drunk looking at her friend as if Tenten sprouted two heads, her anger collecting slowly. One. Sakura instinctively put her hands on her ears preparing for an explosion. Two. Hinata and Temari both diverted their glance from Tenten to Ino who was looking fired up, about to explode. One word described their expressions, trouble. Three.

"WHAT?"

Ino screeched taking the attention of the other costumers inside the tea house. "YOU MEAN, YOU'LL PASS AFTER THAT STRENOUS 15 MINUTES OF PLANNING AND CONSIDERING EACH PLAUSIBLE SITUATIONS JUST FOR YOUR DATE?"

"Eheh… Ino-chan…" Tenten along with the other three cowered in fear; she gave Hinata, Temari and Sakura a face, indicating 'help me here!'

Sakura smiled apologetically her hands still covered on her ears ready for the continuation of Ino's steamed speeches. 'I'm sorry.' Then Hinata, 'Gomen…' she signals reverting back to her mannerisms, a shy blush and two fingers pointed in each other. Temari on the other hand was a lost case even from the beginning, she smirked haughtily sneering at Tenten then motioning to the still-red faced Ino. 'What great friends they are.'

---o.0---

"Look Neji, I'm depleted." Tenten motioned to her state, "So can we just cancel this out tonight? Or better yet, can you go find Lee for that match? I'm sure he'd be more than willing to help you out."

"But this is your chastisement, Tenten," the only stubborn reply she extracted from him. Tenten looked at him questionably. 'What now Neji?' last time she remembered this scenario, Neji asked her a 'favor' for being so graciously late.

"All right, spill it. I'll do anything but not for the spar tonight." 'Gotcha!'

Tenten sighed… Neji the perfectionist. Why hadn't she got another team mate instead of him?

"You do know the agreement. I decided I'll give you two choices. First come with me to the Hyuuga gathering on the Saturday or second we train furthermore today."

Tenten groaned, damn Neji. Damn him. Gathering meant over lavished foods, too suffocating elegant dresses or kimonos and more arrogant blasted Hyuugas. Definitely not her taste.

But she certainly can't and don't want to train tonight, she's too washed-out for that matter. "First," she said accepting her loss. "Just make sure I'll never be harassed again!" she spats afterwards.

Neji gives her a smirk. 'I won.'

"Deal"

--o.0---

"Tenten! You'll go by hook or by crook!"

"No!" Tenten declared, "I mean… Ino-chan--" she continues seeing Ino's fuming expression. Sakura, Hinata and Temari all redirect their attention once again to Tenten. She crosses her arms positioning into a childlike defiance.

"I've went to dates Ino-chan, it's not like there's a need for more--" Ino cut her off, putting a hand before her face. "Tenten, those were not dates, pray tell can you enumerate what kinds of meetings you have attended like those we usually go to?"

"Remember? Shikamaru and I?" Tenten started, "We went at Asuma-san's place and I believe we both forgot the time and stayed longer than expected."

"That was a chess match."

Ino's voiced sliced through, now gone was the angry-laden voice. She reverted back to her old cheery disposition aware of any plans she'll lay out to have Tenten checkmated.

"And, Tenten-chan, Shika-kun's, mine." Tenten flails her hands out after hearing Ino's heavily sugarcoated reply, "Geez, no need to be over defensive Ino-chan." She tried to ignore Ino's audacious testing physique.

"Let's see… well, Chouji and me, at the 13th training grounds? You have been there weren't you?" Temari looked on surprised; she never knew that coming… Chouji and Tenten? Temari didn't anticipate that, Tenten and Neji would have been of a more obvious choice, but… "That was a picnic, Tenten-chan, besides Shikamaru, Shino and Kiba were there too weren't they?" Ino stressing on the last parts replied in a sing-song counter.

'And I almost bought that,' Temari brings her attention back to Tenten, feeling quite foolish to have almost bought one of Tenten's failed excuse. "Lee and I!" Tenten bolted, suddenly remembering one instance. She gives Ino a smirk, surely Ino wouldn't have not known anything about that things right? It was their mission, Lee, her, Sasuke, Naruto, Kankurou and Chouji were the only person's present.

The other girls were now darting their eyes to Tenten and Ino. There's no way their little blossom have gone to a date without them knowing even a single detail from it, not even a gist? 'It looks like Tenten won this fight,' Sakura gives a slight shrug deeming the game over.

Ino only moved her head showing disagreement. "Dearie, I know better. You and Lee-san did not even talk much, you trained. Naruto and Sasuke did the hunting for foods and Chouji and Kankurou prepared the tents." Ino moves on forward flicking on a finger Tenten's shoulder. 'I won.'

Tenten silently groaned, 'Oh brother'. She then tried to get their reactions. 'How come Ino knows all of this?' She expected miserable faces, empathetic glances and concerned statures. Ino had been on her I-have-something-big-planned-syndrome and Tenten have been put on spotlight again.

Instead of comforting visage what she got was smirking facades.

'Great!'

Still not backing out?

"Sakura-chan," Ino addresses in that special voice of hers. "Bring in the hostages."

Sakura fishes out a pair of things, donned in a pink color with a ribbon securing the opening out, she got out a scroll. A weapon scroll. Not Ino's nor Sakura's but hers.

"I'll give you a choice Tenten-chan," Ino does it the way she works at the special interrogation unit. She speaks to Tenten with a professional voice twirling the scrolls out in thin air.

Deja vu

"First, you can go on a blind date for me sweet plums or second you just need to ask somebody else out." She looked at Tenten straight in the eyes daring her. 'So?'

"I won't!" Tenten responses indignantly not liking the way her friends pry into her love life. She gave Ino and Sakura the deadliest glare she could ever muster.

Sakura gives a nonchalant shake of head, not really threatened. "Oh well, what a waste of such resources. What do you want Ino-chan? Burned? Torn to pieces? Or Crushed?"

---o.0---

"You look well," the owner of the voice almost shocked Tenten's wits out. She was having a bad day all throughout from the morning, and now she has to undergo 6 longs torturous hours of this unwanted… date.

"Neji?" she squeaked responded. Why him? Neji was never the type of guy to go into this types of events, she recalled him saying something along the lines of, "A pitiful waste of time."

But now. Him. Here. Together with Her. Both. On a First Time. Date.

'Too out of place, ne?'

"So Neji, what brings you here?" Both have already found a place to sit on. Ino and the others planned this date all point blank. The venue and the reservations, everything was ironed out fully well. They have also been informed of their next destination, the park. It was such a perfect date. Things are all organized and the thing was on the dot.

"Hn. Nothing." He replies taking off a bite from the food afterwards. "Eh? I mean you were never the type of guy to go on this… these… events." She gestures, pointing to both of their attires. They wore formal clothing; a tie and a coat and matching with a dress from her. Too formal, too sophisticated. Too unlike him and her.

Neji looks at her for a moment, ready to respond. However not long after he finds himself recollecting the reason why he's out there.

---o.0---

"Neji-kun! You have to do it!" Lee cries out loud. "I mean… I can't go, I need to cover up a mission and the affair can't be cancelled! Sakura-san, Sakura-san would be badly disappointed if I don't attend."

"I don't care." Neji curtly answers sitting down trying to silence his thoughts and meditate.

Calmness. Silence. Peace.

He would have succeeded meditating if it weren't for Lee who appeared right in front of his face. "Lee." He states quite surprised. "Don't do that again."

"Well, well Neji-kun? Do you accept? I really need to leave for a mission tonight!" Lee tries to reason out once again making gestures with his hand truly in a distraught state.

"No." Another rejection. Lee just couldn't get it into his thick head to register that he's not interested. Not really seeing the need to stay any longer he stands and starts to leave.

"If you won't then... I'll tell, Tenten-chan! I'll show her this!"

It was Lee's first blackmail and Neji is his first victim. Lee shoved out a charcoaled colored piece of some thing—a paper? The one Neji borrowed from Tenten and accidentally burned. "You wouldn't." For the first time in his company with Neji, Rock Lee sees something unimaginable, Neji expresses freely an expression in the form of greatly flabbergasted.

Lee's mouth curves out into a smirk. 'My trump card.'

---o.0----

It wasn't that bad. Tenten thought summoning up everything that happened on her the blind date. 'Good.' That one thing summarized what happened between her and Neji. At first both of them just ate silently wishing the day would end and they can go back sparring once again.

However minutes after, just in a seat a table away Tenten heard it. Whispered voices it was muttering some things discreetly packed in that little space, two… no more than three. She sent Neji an inquiring glance. "You heard that?"

"No." he gestured minding his food once again. Of course Neji knew it, he was blackmai asked by Ino, Sakura and the others about this date. He couldn't do anything but follow. And he was asked to keep silent about it, Lee still hold out for his trump card. The burnt thing.

'Hell hath no fury like a woman does.'

Tenten was not a normal kunoichi however; they have gone through different missions together. They overcome different trials within the team and mostly it seemed as if they have memorized their body languages faultlessly. She knew it right away.

Instead of blurting out that she uncovered their secret she played along, Neji may not have spoken it out loud but she knew—they were there spying.

"Neji-kun," she says startling Neji and a couple of others with her syrupy tone. "Eat this… ahh." She gave Neji a spoonful of a chocolate ice cream.

Neji stared at her. Hard. 'What are you playing?' 'Just tag along.'

After few of minutes of contemplating Neji accepted the spoon into his mouth; He tasted the sweet tooth-aching ice cream. "Here, one more," Tenten motions for another bite. Neji takes it once again slowly, trying not to get the whole desert hurriedly dipping his mouth into sudden coldness.

"Aw! Look at them! Who knew Tenten had it in her!" Ino looks at the couple with hearts pasted in her eyes. 'Matchmaking Success!' Sakura was in the same state, she clasped her hand in front happy that the dilemma with their dateless friend is now over. "Che, mendokuse." Shikamaru scratches his hand at the back of his head wondering how he got involved in these activities. Naruto on the other hand was skeptic.

"Eh, Sakura-chan… isn't it weird? I mean Tenten never did that kind of things. I thought she was more of a tomboy type?" "B-a-k-a." Sakura replies giving Naruto a hit on the top of his head. "Tenten-chan would never be like that in front of you guys. She's a secretive type of woman you know!"

Sakura goes on dictating that Tenten-chan is not a tomboy and she's a romantic girl at heart. Ino and she had been drop dead sure that Neji is the only answer to Tenten's love life. And guess what? He was.

"Sakura, I think Naruto's right—Look." Shikamaru states. "Shikamaru, I guess Naruto's idiocy is rubbing off on you too," Sakura retorts. She looks at both boys with her hands on hips.

"Well, Sakura-chan… just look." Naruto says meekly afraid for another strike. Sakura gives him a glare, 'What now?' "Oh well," she states afterwards. Seeing what they are doing wouldn't hurt right?

"Oh my!"

To her utter surprise, she found Neji and Tenten. Kissing.

-------

They really stunned them greatly. That was Tenten thought after seeing Naruto, Sakura, Ino and Shikamaru's reaction to them mouth-to-mouth. She laughed real hard after seeing those priceless looks. They almost make a living breathing fish out of the water from the way their jaws drop, opened and closed again.

They hadn't had to know, it wasn't him and her kissing. Rather it was their clones. Neji and her sneaked out to leaving their clones behind to do the sappy scenes.

"Oh well, all ends well," she mutters truly happy that once for her life she wouldn't have to wake up in the morning having to get clothed—in girly dresses. The gathering at the Hyuuga had been fine too, it was good that the other little Hyuugas were absent; there was no one to bug her out and say, "Tenten-nee-chan! Neji-nii-san's girlfriend," shouts over and over again.

She's on her way now, to their training grounds. Good thing Neji did not scheduled it out again, too early in the morning. She approached the place and found him as usual, under the tree meditating.

"Neji," she calls out. He opens an eye out.

Before Tenten can continue her sentence some thing caught her attention. She approached, kneeling over it and held it, studying the object. A charcoaled colored something, it was burnt… a scroll. And it was hers.

Neji tried to look for Tenten certain that she had been just there earlier. Looking out to the area trying to locate her, he finds her.

-------

He had seen her through various nerve wrecking scenarios. She lost three-fourths of her beloved chocolate hair but she did not whined out once. Her house almost got cooked but she didn't fuss over it. She was near to losing her limbs but she didn't complain. And she almost got raped but she did not flinch.

Duty first before honor. That's what she had always prioritized. She never cried for petty things that can have other girls traumatized. She never did. Not once.

But this Tenten, this Tenten… sobbing her poor eyes out for the first time… he never could imagine. Tenten crying a river for a stupi simple burnt scroll?

Neji finds such scene hilarious; and despite being uncharacteristically not him, laughs out loud.

Author's Note:

First one done, three more to go... xD

And I still have my Neji essay, Sakura and Hinata unbashing... I'm not really busy, ne? I'm not sure if I can type up the other three remaining --I only have the draft and stories planned-- but I do hope I can...

The entries were great and I'm sure many would be so much cooler than this piece of junk, any ways God Bless!

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