NejiTen's The Party
Neji always thought of himself as leader of his team when Guy Sensei was not present and after they were no longer students he pretty much kept his position amongst the ninja trio. As the holidays approached he knew Tenten would start fussing over presents and how hard it was to buy for ninjas. She always threw a Christmas party the day before the Hyuga family big holiday extravaganza and this arrangement had work great for Neji. This way he was always able to make it to Tenten's party. This year things were turning out to be a little different and it wasn't until days before that everyone found out the Hyuga White Snow Extravaganza was happening on December 22nd, the same day of Tenten's party. He had to come up with something to say to his teammate before she gifted him with a bomb for Christmas. He knew Tenten had already paid for the catering and the party supplies because she had dragged him along. Now he was torturing himself thinking nobody would show to her party. He was not about to call people and ask so he delegated the task to Rock Lee.
"Why do I have to call? You are worried about it so that means you should call"
"I am not WORRIED about it…" he said trying to play cool in front of his team mate.
"Her family will still be there so it's fine"
"Are you going?"
"And miss the Hyuga Extravaganza, no way; that's like the highlight of the year man. You Hyuga's really know how to spend your cash. But don't worry man, I will call our friends and get a head count, I would hate for Tenten to be all stood up at her own fiesta"
"Thank you Rock, I want to give her a heads up you know"
Tenten was pacing up and down her room, her nails no longer in existence, and talking frantically to herself.
"Why on earth would they change the date so late? Surely the people who told me that they were coming to my party will still show up here. It would be so rude if they didn't. Neji and Hinata well they probably won't come, although it would suck if Neji don't come. My party is the only chance I get to dance with him… darn it! He is the only real reason I do this stupid party to begin with. But I am not going to cry; I am a badass, independent ninja chic." she was trying to convince her tears to go back into her eyes but she was mad and sad and that meant the tears were coming weather she wanted them or not.
Back at the Hyuga mansion Hinata was trying on her gown for the extravaganza when Neji came into the room.
"Don't you know how to knock? I am naked! "She said quickly covering herself with the gown she had half way up. " You are lucky that Naruto is not here; he would beat you to a pulp.
"Whatever, I came to ask you if you have talked to Tenten"
"Oh yes poor girl she was so upset, I called her to excuse myself from her party you know. You better call her yourself and try to be polite about it…I know how hard it is for you to be polite" she said in a condescending manner while pushing him out of her room.
Neji laid down in his bed waiting to hear from Rock Lee but the call never came. He found out the next day that Rock Lee had suffered some major injuries after being caught spying on Sakura while she bathe in a nearby hot spring.
He was still unconscious at the hospital so there was no way he could talk to him. This meant that Neji would have to be a man and face Tenten himself.
Tenten was cleaning her weapons on the back yard of her house, like she usually did in the afternoons, when she saw Neji coming her way with a weird expression in his face and she knew he was coming to tell her he wouldn't be able to make it to her party.
"Hey Tenten got a minute"
"Don't bother Neji I know you can't make it tomorrow to my party"
"I really want to Ten but …you know how it is at the mansion"
"Can't say I do Neji"
"Hey don't be mad ok. Besides I'm sure all your friends will come"
Tenten was thinking how none of her friends matter; she wanted him there; the man she had loved in secret all her life.
"Well then I might as well cancel the whole thing" she said fighting her tears
"Don't get upset over a party Tenten; this is not you. I know you and you don't get upset over having or not having parties. Look around you at all these weapons; you are a bad ass ninja and bad ass ninjas don't cry over parties" he said punching her shoulder lightly.
She wanted to tell him that even ninjas cried for love but she just smiled and punch him in the chest in a playful manner.
"See, that's more like it and I will help you with the cancellation fees and stuff if you do cancel, after all it's the Hyuga's fault your party was…well you know.
Neji left and Tenten ran to her room to give her bed a good beating. Why couldn't she tell him how she felt, how she really felt? Why couldn't she confess to him? Deep down inside she had a feeling he would say no and that was the reason she never said those three words.
The next day it was the White Snow Extravaganza which began with a parade from downtown to the Hyuga's complex. Just outside the mansion vendors lined up their booths offering drinks and food paid for by the Hyuga family. Inside the mansion itself only the elite enjoyed a more refined menu and entertainment. The whole celebration ended at midnight with a spectacular fireworks show. Everybody was present; that is everybody except Tenten.
She was mad still and by all she had she was not bowing down. She took three bottles of champagne and walked to the hot springs. She had a plan which involved getting naked, getting wet and getting drunk. Three things she much rather do with Neji but that was not a viable option so the springs would have to do.
Neji kept looking out of the mansion's window into the crowd outside for signs of Tenten but to no avail. He saw Tenten's family there but no sign of her. Unable to really leave all the important guests unattended he tried his best not to think about Tenten and how lonely she must've been feeling. Finally it was midnight and he would be able to ask about Tenten to her mom. Every guest gather outside the mansion to wait for the fireworks. Neji went over to Tenten's family to ask about her.
Her mom had not seen Tenten since breakfast that day but she didn't seem at all worried. Snow started to fall slowly while the colorful flashes of light adorned the sky. The air was filled with the scent of burning powder and the sounds of ohhs and aahhs as the big finale light up the whole village. As people started to leave the snow picked up and covered the ground with the perfect ending to a perfectly named party.
It was three in the morning and Neji could not stop thinking of Tenten. He had never felt that sensation before, that worry which was making him feel awkwardly sick. He knew he should have hugged her back in her yard offer her more than the old buddy punch. Yes she was a kick ass weapons expert but she was also a girl, a friend and something he felt too scared to even acknowledge. He needed to apologize for been so dry and he needed to do it now; if he ever was going to fall asleep.
Neji put on his coat and headed down to Tenten's house. She slept on top of her garage to be close to her weapons; so as long as he was quiet he wouldn't alert any other family members of his late visit.
He opened the door to her room and found Tenten naked on the floor covered in blood and passed out drunk. His eyes about popped out of socket, more because of the blood than anything else. The surprised was quickly replaced by an all encompassing rage and anger toward whoever or whatever did this to her. He already knew that either animal or human, it would not outlive the night; if only he could get her to come back from oblivion. He ran towards her and was surprised by how freezing her naked skin was. Her lips were almost blue and if it weren't for the movement he saw on her ribs and the shaking of her body, he would have thought her dead.
He picked her up and ran to the bathtub, were he ran a warming bath for her, to get her body back to a normal temperature and so he could study her body more clearly to find the source of the blood. He began rubbing her body with a small cloth and cleaning the blood from her face and neck. He was mad, embarrassed, and very annoyingly horny. He was feeling creepier and creepier as his hands wash closer to the prohibited parts of her body and more so when a moan escaped her now cream lips. He looked up at her face and even though her eyes were still close she began to murmur some drunken gibberish. He pulled her out of the bath and laid her on a towel on her bed. The blood was all gone so it was surely some unfortunate creature's blood. Her cream body was perfect and much more beautiful than he had ever imagined it before and believe me he had imagined it. She turned sideways and covered herself with the towel which made him snap out of his perverted spell and rummage through her drawers for some night gown. He found a warm long gown and as best as he could put it on her as she called him mom and tried to help her arm into the arm hole. He got some water from the sink and helped her drink it down along with some aspirin he grabbed from her bathroom cabinet. He felt much better now that she was warm and cleaned and snuggly in her bed. Now he needed to run home and do a thousand sit ups to clear his head and calm the beast in his pants. He was about to leave when he heard her pleading voice
"Please stay"
He turned to see Tenten's glassy eyes on him.
"You are drunk my friend, you don't need me, you need to sleep"
"No Neji, I need you much more than I need anything in the world…hiccup! I need you more than I need aaa-ir"
"You are drunk, silly girl" he said struggling to swallow and feeling his heart flutter out of control.
"I love you NNN-eji…drunk or not I ssstill feel it the same way… but I am really sleepy so shut the door and come snuggle with me. You owe me my Christmas dance anny-way.
Neji looked at her and smiled. He couldn't help it. He was in love with this silly drunken girl. He took his slippers off and got on the bed behind her. She quickly molded her back to the front of his body and wrapped his arm around her.
"So is this better?" he asked feeling somehow at home with this woman in his arms. But something was still bugging him, he had to ask,
"Tenten what was the blood on you? If you remember I mean you are the drunkest I have ever seen you"
"Yeah I know …I'm still sleepy….bear aha yeah … This brown bear maan…the pervert…I killed it man…with boott-le…" she slurred one last time before falling asleep again. Neji laughed and actually felt bad for the poor bear. He kissed the back of her head and closed his eyes.
In the morning Neji would talk to Tenten again and he would say what he knew now he really felt for her and if she was up for it, he would teach her a brand new dance.