Okay everybody, I'm starting to write this story because it's a safe subject for me and because I LOVE the NejiXTenten pairing. This story was originally going to be a NarutoXHinata pairing as well, but....complications. Anyway, I hope you all like this story, and I will be waiting for reviews and constructive criticism.

NOTE: POV will be indicated before a piece is written, and omnicient POV will be used throughout the story.

.xXx. Angel .xXx.

Chapter One: Well, That's Just Perfect!

.xXx. Tenten's POV .xXx.

Hi there. My name is Tenten. Yup, just Tenten. Last name? Oh, I don't have one. Nobody in Konoha knows where I came from--including me. Konoha is my town, but it technically isn't my hometown, My parents--whoever they are--dropped me here as an infant while they were on the run from the law of Cloud Country. Nobody actually saw them leaving me here, but I've been told all the rumors. Tsunade, my Hokage and general over-seer, told me that she thinks my parents are from the Wind Country, but that doesn't help me much.

I know I seem kinda cocky for an abandoned child, but that's just my personality. And besides, it's not like I miss my parents or anything--I have something better. That "something" is the Shinata family, and they adopted me. There are six of them--my mom Hisana, my dad Tadase, and they're four children. The oldest is Daichi--he is eighteen, and going to college next fall in Sunagakure. He is the most amazing big brother on the face of the planet, even if there are days when we want to linch eachother and then parade the bodies around Konoha. Next is my little sister Karin, the most badass fourteen year old you will ever meet. She is sarcastic, cynical, and generally pessemistic. Oh, and she tends to label people within the first thirty seconds of meeting them. Lucky for me, I was a part of this family before she was even born, so she grew up loving me to death and then some. Finally, there are my two littlest siblings, Ria and Akusho. They are five years old, and twins. Because Akusho is a minute older than his sister, he has decided that it's his personal job to protect her from everything. But in reality, it's Ria who wears the pants. She's always bossing Akusho around, and he acts as her most loyal servant, doing everything and anything she asks of him to the very best of his five year old abilities. I love each and every one of them more than I can even explain.

Hisana and Tadase adopted me when I was a year old, and they have taken care of and loved me like they're own ever since. I'm seventeen now, just one year younger than Daichi, and I have grown well into my place in the family. Lucky for me, I look like I belong. My mother, Hisana, has long, wavy red hair that frames her petite, heart shaped face and large green eyes sparkling with humor and passion. Her skin is pale, and her smile is delicate like a pearl. She loves to laugh. My dad, Tadase, has thick, straight black hair that he usually has spiked up, and cow brown eyes with crow's feet and laugh lines in the corners. He has tan, weathered skin, and an enormous grin that hardly ever falters. Where Hisana is short, my dad is tall. And they're offspring were of just the sort that I could physically relate to. Red and black hair made jet black hair for Karin, flaming red hair for Ria, and a soft, dark brown hair color for Daichi and Akusho that conveniently and perfectly matched mine. Green eyes and brown eyes made brown eyes for Karin and Daichi, and beautiful hazel eyes for Ria and Akusho--eyes exactly the same color as mine, a mix of oakish sepia and emerald green. I could blame my size of 5'5 on Hisana, because we were petite, as well as my heart-shaped face that was much the same as her's and Karin's. And the credit for my olive complexion went to my dad Tadase. Unless you had been told the story or living in Konoha for eighteen years, you could never tell that I didn't belong. The only different thing about me is that I didn't take the name Shinata. I chose not to have a last name, as a reminder of where I really come from.

So I grew up in Konoha, along with all the other kids my age. I went to the Konoha Ninja Academy when I was seven and graduated from it when I was twelve. I have a circle of best friends--Sakura, Ino, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Naruto. We are all chunin, and are going to take our Jounin exams next July. I have made a perfect life for myself, and I'm completely happy with where I'm going and what I'm doing.

..........Yeah. That's what the old Tenten would have said a week ago if you asked her about it. I happen to be singing a slightly different tune now.

I'm guessing I owe an explanation now, right? Ah, well. Fine. It all started last friday, when my mom called me into the kitchen from my room to talk. A small, inconsequential thing like that. I never in a million years thought that it would ultimately end up causing the end of my life and my sanity. But I guess that's just what I get for expecting anything less.

.xXx. One Week Ago--Omnicient POV .xXx.

Tenten went loping gracefully down the stairs in an old black tank top and her favorite grey sweats. Her long hair was up in one sloppy, casual bun, and her feet were bare. She was in a great mood--she was trying unsuccessfully to whistle on her way to the living room. Her mother had called her down in the midst of preparations she was making for a sleepover that night with Sakura and Ino; her plush, bright red carpet was covered in pillows and blankets, a pile of magazines was spread out on her double bed, and her black stereo was blasting Lady Sovereign from the corner of her room. She was heading down the stairs because her mother had called for her from the living room on the main floor. Her friends were going to be there in about half an hour, so she wanted to get any implications out of the way before they got there.

As she bounced lightly into the living room, she felt a wide grin cross her features, just like it always did when she crossed the room's threshold. Although Tenten and her family had lived in this house ever since the Shinatas adopted her, this room's beauty never failed to warm her insides and momentarily steal her breath. The room was large and wide, with a low ceiling covered in flawless white paint that actually had a nearly intraceable hint of yellow in it. Large, sparkly slabs of grey and tan granite had been masterfully masoned into the sides of two conjoined walls, creeping up from the floor and curving gracefully around the windows, which resembled the curved windows in old castle turrets. The rest of the walls were covered halfway up in bloody blush oak, cutting off into a beautiful red paint, and the floor was a lighter shade of honey kissed birch. In the stony corner of the room, the same large slabs of granite had been artfully worked into the floor, spreading out a space in front of the handsome rock-hewn fireplace. In that fireplace was a cheerfully roaring fire--no surprise, considering that her mother lived there--and the sturdy furniture was arranged tastefully around it accordingly. There was a long, high-up couch with wide cushions and a comfy back upholstered in black leather with stainless steel legs, placed off to the side. A large, low glass coffee table was placed in front of it, and on the table was a cracked red-china water vase overflowing with babybreath and red and yellow wildflowers. On the other side of the room there was a chaise-lounge upholstered in brilliant white suede, and this too had a plush body and stainless steel legs. In front of the fireplace there were two chairs, inclined slightly towards eachother. One was a soft, pretty white that turned a rosy color in the firelight. It was a cushy recliner with wide arms, and it had a brilliant crimson afghan thrown over the back. This chair was her mother's. The chair beside it didn't go with the rest of the room at all. The chair was old, worn, and bimongous. It was dark green, and very artistic and yet strikingly masculine splashes of earthy maroon, sandy brown, and brilliant blue swam across the fabric in feathery brushstrokes. It had an old wooden handle on the side to recline it, and there was an ancient scrap-worked afghan folded over the seat, leaving the back bare. It was her father's, and it was older than Daichi. None of the children knew where their father had gotten it--he would never tell them. The classic hanging chandelier in the center of the ceiling was on, casting bright golden light everywhere.

Her mother was currently sitting in her chair in front of the fire, and she smiled and beckoned as Tenten's eyes focused on her pretty face. She smiled easily in return, and walked over to plop into her dad's chair beside her.

"What's up, mom? I came as soon as I heard you calling."

Her mother settled herself further into her chair as she scrutinized her daughter with large emerald eyes. "I'm glad to see you're in a good mood, honey. I need to discuss something with you. Something...pretty important." She had to look away on the last part, and her eyes focused instead on the fire.

Oblivious to her mother's discomfort, Tenten responded in a voice that was light and teasing. 'What is it, mom? Is dad going through another one of his fudge-eating stages?"

Her mother's eyes shifted again. 'Not exactly."

"What is it, then?"

Her mother shifted yet again before she spoke, so that she could look her daughter in the eye. "Tenten, it's your first day of march break, and you have a week off of school. You're in your Junior year now, and you've grown into a very successful and beautiful young lady with many talents. It's time that you started growing up some emotionally, too."

Tenten's mood had sombered as her mother spoke, and now when she replied, her voice was serious. "What are you talking about, mom?"

Hisana actually squirmed as she looked into her daughter's hazel eyes, and her voice fell a couple octaves as she continued. "We're talking about your future here, Tenten. Your father and I have been discussing things for quite some time, and we've decided that it would be in your best interest if a change was made, during your spring break. You aren't going back to Shinobi High next week."

Tenten's mouth gaped open as she gasped in horror. "WHAT!?"

Her mother grimaced, and looked back into the fire. She managed to make her voice firm as she delivered the last sentences. "We've enrolled you into the Konoha Academy of Excellence. It's a boarding school, so you'll be there during the week. You're going so you can get an elite education......and find a good husband. You have until Saturday to break the news to your friends. But don't worry, love. This is a good thing--you'll see."

Ahha, cliffhanger!! I sense an explosion in the very near future, don't you? ^^ I appreciate reviews, no matter what they say. Sorry this chapter is so short, but I thought it would be best to start it this way. Following chapters will be much longer, I promise. As a last side note: All of my characters will be In Character about 99.83% of the time. So be prepared.

Until Next Time,

.xXx. Angel .xXx.