Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.
"Are you sure that this is alright?" Tenten asked, walking into the mansion. Although she'd been here many times before, the place still never failed to impress her with its sheer size. The gardens were all trimmed to perfection and every single surface on the house was spotless.
"Of course – I told my uncle," Neji reassured her. "He's fine with you helping me look after the place while they're away. Hanabi's still here, but she's a quiet girl. She shouldn't be too much trouble."
"I hope not," she smiled. "When's Lee getting here?"
Neji's face went a light shade of pink. He looked away from her. "Well… I thought that this would be a good opportunity for just the two of us to bond, to improve our teamwork as a couple. Oh, not that we are a couple of course, not in that way…"
Tenten smiled. For a genius, Neji could be an idiot sometimes. She liked that about him.
"Oh, well what sort of 'teamwork exercises' did you have in mind?" she asked him flirtatiously. Neji coughed nervously.
"Er, shall I make tea?" he asked. Tenten laughed.
"Sure, I'd like that."
Neji nodded and hurried off into the house. Tenten took a seat on the wooden floorboards, looking out into the night sky. Just her and Neji for the night – it would be nice. Normally the only time they ever saw each other was with Lee or Guy-sensei around, who spent so much time yelling out things about 'youth' and 'passion' that her and Neji didn't really get a chance to speak to each other much.
But tonight it would be just the two of them. Tenten sighed happily. Neji was a nice, caring guy, as well as being incredibly handsome. He may be a little socially awkward sometimes, but he was a genius – it was to be expected.
Neji walked out of the house, followed by his cousin Hanabi. She was an introvert, much like her older sister Hinata, but she had a lot more confidence in herself and her abilities. She smiled in greeting at Tenten, and she smiled back at the young girl.
Neji handed Tenten her cup of hot tea and sat down next to her. "Hanabi's off to bed now, she just came out to say goodnight," he explained. Hanabi bowed her head.
"Goodnight, Tenten-san," she said politely.
"Night – sleep well, mkay?" Tenten replied. The girl smiled brightly.
"Thank you," she said, and walked back into the house. Neji smiled, a rare sight even for his teammate.
"She seems to like you," he commented. Tenten shrugged.
"She's a nice girl," she said. "She's been raised well here."
"Yeah," Neji agreed with her. There was an awkward silence. Neji looked like he was about to say something, but stopped himself.
"Is something the matter, Neji?" she asked, trying to get him to loosen up. Neji took a big swig of his tea and sighed, steeling himself.
"Tenten, we've known each other for a long time now haven't we?" he asked.
"Mmm?" Tenten replied.
"Well…" Neji hesitated for a moment, collecting his words. "I know that with Guy and Lee around we don't really spend much time together just the two of us. And I was hoping that we could change that, because… Well, if you don't want to I understand, but…"
Neji turned and looked her straight in the eye. Tenten felt herself blush, waiting to hear what he would say.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is… I like you, Tenten. As in, really like you." Tenten giggled to herself. Neji looked confused and embarrassed. "Well, I mean, if you don't feel the same way…" he said, backtracking.
"No, Neji," she said, and leant over and kissed him. The surprise on his face was priceless. "I've been waiting a long time for you to say that," she admitted, and Neji let out a short laugh as well.
"Holy crap, I was so worried," he said. Tenten leant over and they kissed again, this time for longer. She smirked, putting her hand on top of his.
"I think you and I are going to have a fun night tonight," she said suggestively. Neji smiled back, still a little dazed at the fact she had returned his affections.
And then it came.
The bloodcurdling scream from inside the house.