A/N: Honestly, I'd never even considered the idea to make a sequel to Dental Care until yesterday. xDD You know some of those sequel fanfics that just can never compare to the first one? I was like, eh, I'll leave it off at Dental Care. But then of course the raging plotbunnies took over my mind and I got some ideas for Neji. x33 I based his experience a LOT like mine. (You can ask my sister. She was there. xD) Anywhoozle, this fanfic is dedicated to AliceOtaku, DylanGirlLovesPaul, mayumi mizuki, MissFaerieKaiti, Someone, and kimbi07, all of whom asked for a sequel. This is for you guys!
Disclaimer: I dun own Naruto. How many times do I have to say it? ARE YOU TRYING TO DEPRESS ME? D=
xD I hope all of you enjoy this! ^_^ I had bunches of fun writing it. Neji..xDD Once again, this is in TenTen's POV. Oh, and since Dental Care obviously took place in the original Naruto, this fanfic takes place in Shippuden. ^.^ Oh, and btw, this fanfic will be kinda breaking the fourth wall. xDD You'll see..
I was the first to hear the news.
Hinata timidly approached me in town one day and informed me that Neji was scheduled to have his wisdom teeth surgically removed. Internally I was dancing a jig, because this meant my revenge for three years prior was finally imminent. It only got better when Hinata added that her father requested to have me accompany him to and from the oral surgeon's and back to their place. She was wearing an apologetic expression as she relayed this to me, but if only she knew this was what I had been waiting for!
But I didn't let on, of course; just politely smiled and responded that I'd be happy to do it for a comrade.
Only too happy...hehe.
So anyway, on a bright, early Friday morning I arrived at the oral surgeon's with a grim Neji, in all his man-skirted glory. He knew something was coming; I'd warned him as much the day after my own surgery. So I was pretty much experiencing deja vu as we sat impatiently in the waiting room and Neji was muttering again and again how ridiculous the whole procedure was, how it would hinder him from important Jonin duties, blah blah blah, etc. All the while I was smirking to myself.
Finally a nurse called out, "Neji Hyuga," so we followed her down a long corridor that led to a room with a reclining chair, a table littered with operating tools, an x-ray of his teeth on the wall, the works. The nurse asked Neji if he had any questions, and naturally he answered no. Then she told me that I could only be present until the IV containing the K-O medicine was stuck in Neji's arm - then I had to sit in the waiting room for the remainder of the surgery.
A while after she left the oral surgeon came in with two assistants. He smiled welcomingly at us and addressed Neji, "Your girlfriend?" Neji and I both answered curt no's at the same time, which made my cheeks flush brighter. I wanted to smack that perceptive smirk right off the guy's face, but before I could make a move, they went right to work. The assistants placed these circle things that by my best guess tracked his pulse on his shins and wrists. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor got on my nerves after a bit.
I listened to the Vocaloid songs coming on the intercom radio and admired how fancy and precise everything was as the oral surgeon stuck the IV in the top of Neji's hand, where his vein was. Of course, he took it like a man and didn't acknowledge it but instead surveyed his surroundings with hard, pupil-less eyes.
I gave a dainty wave as I inched toward the door. "Well, guess that's my cue to leave. Happy operating!" I made sure to give Neji a devious smile as I slipped out.
As I sat fidgetedly in the waiting room, I noticed how, naturally, the Hyuga's had given Neji the best money could offer. His fancy schmancy appointment, how ordered and arranged everything was here, more like a doctor's office than a dentist's; very professional. I'd been stuck at a cheapo place, one only my parents could afford. I couldn't complain; after all, Neji was in a clan, and I'd grown up in a poor family. Oh well. My revenge would be worth it.
After a long forty-five minutes ticked by, they came out rolling a crying Neji in a wheelchair...wait, crying? I had to do a doubletake. Apparently the oral surgeon noticed, for he was quick to explain. "The drugs can do that to a person, make them cry for no apparent reason." He gave me some last-minute instructions and handed me some papers, a rinser, some gauze, and painkillers to give to the Hyuga's for Neji. I tucked them into my pack securely and pushed Neji out the door in his wheelchair.
After a couple minutes of silence, Neji rolled his head back to look at me, his mouth swollen from the gauze in it. "Hi, TenTen," he greeted cheerfully, speech impaired by the gauze.
"Hi there, Neji." I discreetly switched on the tape recorder in my pocket. I'd come prepared.
"I wanna marry you, ok?" I stopped in shock. Even drugged, hearing those words come out of Neji's mouth was...weird. But a good and confusing kind of weird. Before I could even think of how to respond, Neji had taken a different route. "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SHI-KA-MA-RU!" His head bopped to the beat.
I forced back laughter as I pushed the heavy wheelchair along. He stopped suddenly and whipped around to face me, his face the picture of horror. "TENTEN! My friend Kenny got shipped in a box at Wal-Mart to Cincinnatti! NOOO! NOT CINCINNATTI!" Neji wailed and gripped the edges of his wheelchair. "OH MY GOOP! WE KILLED KENNY!"
I squelched the desire to laugh hysterically. What the heck was Wal-Mart? Where was Cincinnatti? Goop? And what kind of name was Kenny? "You don't say," I managed, laughter ringing in my voice. "How about we go for some ice cream?" I added, mostly just to get him to stop screeching.
"How can I eat ice cream when my best friend's on LAYAWAY?"
I blinked as we started to approach the more public and busy streets of Konoha. "Don't be so loud, Nej."
Neji was glaring hard at a tree as we passed by it. "That better not follow me home."
"Rest assured, Neji, the tree won't follow you home." I pushed the bangs out of my face.
Needless to say, we got a lot of glances our way as Neji yelled about how a cow was going to run us over and I better stop and milk it, how pink shouldn't be my favorite color because it was his, and when he reached up and stroked my head (messing up my buns) and called me a nice kitty. I was pretty much over amusement and moving right along into irritation right about then. Stupid Hiashi.
Anyway, Neji didn't notice any of the strange/amused looks thrown at us. But in one of his quiet moments, when we were passing by a house, a woman hanging up laundry on her clothesline gave us a fleeting glance and moved on. Of course, that was the look Neji decided to notice.
"TenTen! That woman was looking at me weird!" he snorted indignantly, thrashing around in the wheelchair.
I sighed. "No she wasn't, Neji."
"Uh-huh she was! She shouldn't make fun of people just because they have cotton in their mouth!" Neji declared, looking almost childish. "Tenten, go beat her up and stick a kunai up her-"
"Neji!" I interrupted hastily, not wanting to know what Neji was getting at (after all, he was still Neji underneath all the meds), only to be cut off.
Neji didn't even skip a beat. "-Better yet, shove the wheelchair toward her! I'll slam into her and use the element of surprise!" Ever heard Neji giggle? No? Be glad you're spared. It's almost creepy. Maybe it's better he has no sense of humor.
I kept pushing adamantly, trying to get his mind elsewhere. "See the sky, Neji? It's so pretty today!", so on and so forth.
It worked temporarily. We exitted town and headed into the more foresty/meadow terrain of Konohagakure.
..That's when things went haywire.
Neji gasped loudly. "TenTen! That squirrel! It stole my catfood! What a big bully, stealing catfood from defenseless ninjas!" Wasn't that an oxymoron? "COME BACK HERE, DIRT SQUIRREL!" He leaped out of his wheelchair and darted toward the woods. His movements were slow and sluggish and clumsy from the meds, but then his ninja abilities and instincts kicked in, and he took off like a streak into the forest.
Horrified, I hurriedly folded up the portable wheelchair and tucked it under my arm, bolting in Neji's direction and screaming his name. "NEJI! NEJI HYUGA, SO HELP ME-"
After a good twenty minutes, my ears perked up at the sound of - Neji singing? No. Way.
I leapt from tree to tree until I perched myself on a branch above the creek. There he was, doing the Macarena. I kid you not.
He was humming the beat and putting his arms out. Up, up, shoulder, shoulder, head, head, hip, hip, back, back, shake. ..It was too much.
Then Neji sat down and dipped his feet into the current. "This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home.. this one took a cold bath.." he said in a sing-song voice, playing with his toes.
..Those images have been forever burned into my retina.
I jumped down quietly and unraveled the wheelchair, wishing it had a seatbelt. "Neji," I called out sweetly, taking some gauze from the pack. "Time to change out your gauze."
"AH! DARTH VADER!" Neji was braced to bolt, but at the last second turned to look at me and relaxed upon recognition. "Oh, it's just you, Tenten." He grinned, blood from the used gauze flooding down his face. "You found me! Good, this old stuff is nasty!" He spit out the bloodsoaked wads of gauze into the creek. I sighed and watched it float away. Oh, well. Nothing I could do about that.
I wiped his face clean and carefully placed new gauze on his gumholes. The whole time Neji seemed to be scrutinizing me, his eyes deep in thought. Finally he spoke when I finished, his face only inches from mine. "I guess I can't kiss you since I'm so bloody, huh?"
I was stunned into silence. Just then it hadn't sounded like the childish, on-drugs Neji with his high voice. It was normal Neji, with his deep, pensive voice. Of course still drugged, but it sounded more like the normal him. Finally I regained my speech and took a step back, inhaling deeply. "Let's see about later, alright, big guy?" At my command Neji got back into his wheelchair happily, squirrel and catfood forgotten.
..You ask how hard it is to steer a wheelchair containing a built man through the woods over protruding roots and around crowded trees? ..Extremely.
It didn't help when Neji jumped out and kicked a tree once, shouting, "You better not follow me home!" With a warning and one showing of my kunai, Neji remained seated in his wheelchair the rest of the way.
I felt like trumpets should've been blown and a welcoming committee at the front door should be congratulating me as I finally reached the Hyuga estate. I settled for nearly fainting on the steps.
..But at least the Hyuga clan had the decency to treat me to dinner.
Long after the effects of the medicine had worn off and I had given Hiashi all that the oral surgeon had sent me with, I headed up to Neji's room with a full stomach and cocky demeanor.
When I opened the door, Neji was comfortably seated in his fluffy bed surrounded by pillows and eating frozen yogurt with one hand, holding an ice pack to his jaw with the other. It was so unfair! Not one trace of swelling, bruising, or even cracked lips on Neji's porcelain face. Grrr.
Neji looked up and frowned upon my entering. "What do you want?"
"Hello to you too, Mr. Personality," I quipped, crossing my arms. "Just wanted to check on you before heading out."
"You know very well there's no need for that," Neji retorted. "I'm in good hands."
"Hm, it's never just right or wrong with you, is it, Neji?" I snapped and turned sharply to leave.
I was so mad I almost missed Neji's soft beckoning. "..TenTen, wait." I stopped and spun back around, eyebrow raised. Neji averted his eyes. "I..remember something about a kiss."
My heart nearly stopped. I searched his face, searching for any hint of jest. But he was as serious and genuine as could be. "..You do?"
Neji nodded and allowed the tiniest hint of a smirk. "Is it later now?"
I stepped closer and lowered my lips to his, surprised at the electric spark than ran through my body, the tingles going down my spine. I pulled back only when I had to breathe, eyes wide from the encounter. All I could say was something intelligent like, "..You taste like frozen yogurt."
Neji leaned back and smiled. "..Thanks. For accompanying me."
I smiled back, brightly. "No prob. It wasn't easy, though."
Neji rolled his eyes, but I could sense his contentedness. "I suppose now you're going to tell me what else I did?"
I smirked. "No." I tossed him the tape recorder, which he had to stop eating his yogurt to perfectly catch. "..I'll let it speak for itself." I practically skipped out of the room, shutting the door behind me, only taking one step outside before jumping up and down and shrieking for joy. He kissed me!
If I know Neji (and I know him better than anyone), curiosity will overcome his anger and he'll have to listen to it, sooner or later. ..And when he does, I'll be there waiting.
After all, there's nothing I do better than revenge.
A/N: Hehe, I have to admit, I got the last line from Taylor Swift's "Better Than Revenge". xDD But did y'all like it? I sure did! ^_^ Please review and leave some positive feedback Thankies! ^.^
Ohh! And much thanks to AliceOtaku for her Spongebob/Shikamaru idea. x3 I loved it! xDD
