Welcome to the first chapter of Paper Memories! I'm starting a new story which is set outside of the Ninja world still contains the same elements. I've to keep the characters close to their personalities with maybe a little exaggeration here and there. If you like this story give it a fav, follow and review. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!

-X-

Neji loved books.

He was intrigued at how a few flimsy, ink stained pages could enable him to escape the dull blandness of reality and transport him into a void of vivid colour, insoluble questions and complex ideas. Books were a source of knowledge and power where you could live more than one life at a time, lose yourselves in the endless pages but find yourself again, provoke thought and challenge your own ideologies.

Neji loved reading so much that his part time job consisted of him working in a small bookstore known as the Crooked Shelf. He spent many hours sitting in a small room at the back of the store surrounded by his own universe of paperbacks. It was a magical place – his own little utopia.

It was there, in that tiny bookstore, where he first ever met Tenten.

That day had been the hottest day of his life. It was late-July and the mercury was soaring to a very unpleasant thirty-eight degrees Celsius, melting the tar on the roads and increasing the risk of heatstroke. Neji had switched on every fan he could find and cranked the air-con down to a very agreeable twenty degrees. The paper streamers that hung from the ceiling flittered in the gust of air.

He had received no customers all morning due to the sweltering heat so he retreated into the back room, poured himself an iced water before plopping himself down on a lounge. He settled his water on a small coffee table and replaced it for a book which had been placed open, face down, reminding him which page he had got up to.

Neji's eyes scanned to find where he had last finished reading until he heard a small 'ding' and the door creek open. His brow creased with annoyance but also with curiosity at who would be as stupid enough to go out in the blistering heat and proceed to make their way to a bookstore. He closed the book around his middle finger so he would remember what page he was on and wandered out to the front desk.

He saw three girls strolling down the aisles, too loud to need his assistance. He noticed one girl, tan skinned with chocolate brown hair wrapped into two messy buns, touch one of the streamers he had attached to the ceiling before floating down the Best Sellers aisle.

"Hey, Tenten," one of the other girls with vibrant pink hair called out from across the room. "Come check this out!"

The brunette gazed tenderly at one of the book covers before joining her other two friends who were flipping through the pages of a very large book.

"The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet," her other friend, who had sweeping blonde hair, read the title aloud. "This is just what I need!"

"Dieting again, Ino?" Tenten pulled a disapproving expression. "If you were any skinnier, you'd practically be invisible."

She then made her way back into the best-selling aisle, silently scanning the name of the books with intense intrigue.

Neji sat on a stool as he waited for the girls to leave the store and reopened his book, however he couldn't quite concentrate on the words due to the loud chatter that was taking place.

"Hey, you."

Neji gazed up to see the blonde, Ino, standing on the other side of the counter placing the Mediterranean cookbook on the counter. She was pretty in a very dramatic sort of way with long limbs, a makeup painted face and a flirtatious smile. Neji pictured her as some sort of model or actress.

He slowly arose from his seat, placing his book down on the chair and greeted the girl with a silent nod.

"Thank god you've got the air-con," the girl expressed, fanning her face with her hands. "It's like a hundred degrees cooler in here."

Neji didn't reply but gave her a small smile in acknowledgement to her statement before scanning the book and putting it in a plastic bag in one fluid movement.

"Nineteen-ninety," he told her and the girl pulled a petulant expression but handed over a twenty.

"Keep the change," she told him as he handed her the plastic bag.

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with the ten cent coin so he just left it on the counter next to the cash register.

"What's taking so long?" the pink haired girl strolled over to the blonde. "Flirting again, are we, Ino?"

"Depends if it's working," she replied before turning to Neji who shook his head with a smile, answering her unasked question.

"Oh well, you can't win every one," Ino laughed impressively at Neji's rejection before calling out, "Tenten, we're leaving! You coming?"

The brunette snapped her head up at the mention of her name before gracefully following her friends out of the store without sparing a single glance at Neji.

-X-

"Ino, you really are shameless," Sakura laughed once they were out of the freshness of the store and back into the burning heat of the sun.

"What do you mean?" Tenten inquired with a curious grin as she walked between the two girls on the rather cramped pathway.

"She was trying to hit on the worker in that bookstore," Sakura explained. "The poor boy."

"Hey, he was good looking," Ino defended herself. "Besides, he blew me off. How rude."

"I'm starting to like this guy already," Tenten chirped earning a playful slap from Ino.

"If you guys have finished berating me, let's get out of the heat. My makeup up is sweating off me face."

The trio made their way to Ino's car which was parked in one of the side streets, and drove back to their apartment.

"You know what I feel like?" Ino announced once they were through the door of their flat. "An ice cold vanilla milkshake."

Tenten rolled her eyes as she dumped her bag on the kitchen counter.

"You just bought yourself a dieting cookbook and you're going to make a vanilla milkshake?" she asked dubiously before filling a large glass full of water and drowning the contents in two mouthfuls. "You are the most ironic person I've ever met."

Ino waved her off before cluttering around the kitchen, getting the equipment and ingredients she needed for her for her drink.

"How about making me one?" Sakura asked the blonde before crashing on the lounge and turning on the TV. "Can you also put some nutmeg in mine too?"

Ino made a small noise in acceptance before intently focusing on her work. Tenten knew better than to hang around the kitchen while Ino cooked and whisked off to join Sakura on the couch.

"Anything interesting on?" Tenten asked the green eyed girl who was flicking through the channels.

Sakura shook her head, frowning, as she settled for a documentary on the National Geographic channel about Antarctic penguins.

"It sucks that we're finally on holidays from university and there are no good shows on whatsoever," she grumbled turning the volume down so it became more of a background noise.

Tenten shrugged before saying, "I'd prefer not to spend all my time in front of the TV anyway."

A sudden shrill of sounds made Tenten jump before she realised it was a ringtone from someone's mobile.

"Oh, that's mine!" Ino shouted as she ran, licking her fingers, to retrieve her phone.

Tenten smiled happily as she watched Ino busily bustle around the kitchen, talking rapidly into her phone which was squeezed between her ear and shoulder.

"Have you ever marvelled at how good of a multitasker Ino is?" she pointed out to Sakura who grinned.

"Sure, she lives a busy life. I guess you have to be good at doing more than one thing at a time."

"I don't know how she does it," Tenten shook her head awe.

Ino's life was extremely chaotic. She was a professional model doing photoshoots for a few well-known companies yet she was still at uni, completing her Bachelor of Food and Nutrition course whilst working part time at her parents flower shop and managing to have a flourishing social life. Tenten didn't know how she found the time to do all those things and manage them effectively, but it sure was impressive.

"Guess who's got a super-hot date for tonight!" Ino declared as she handed Sakura her milkshake, squeezing between the two girls on the lounge.

"Who is it this time?" Tenten sighed with mock gloom.

"Is it Sai?" Sakura asked playing along with Tenten. "Or is it that cute guy from that restaurant you met two weeks ago?"

"No, you idiots," Ino scrunched her face up jeeringly before sipping her milkshake. "Shikamaru."

"Again?" the pink haired girl raised her eyebrows in surprise. "That's the third time this week. Sounds like he really likes you."

"No man can handle this," the blonde whipped her hair over her shoulder before gesturing to her magnificent body.

"You know, I'm actually more amazed by the fact that only half an hour ago you were flirting with some poor bookkeeper boy and now you've managed to hook a date with Shikamaru," Tenten snorted with laughter.

"It's one of my finer talents," Ino boasted proudly. "Talking about dates, you haven't been on one in a while Tennie."

Tenten just shrugged her shoulders before Sakura rounded on her too.

"If I recall correctly," she smile, eyes twinkling mischievously. "She's never actually been on a date."

"Okay," Tenten interjected, standing up before towering over the two girls. "We don't really need to discuss my love life."

"Or lack thereof," Ino murmured quietly which didn't go unnoticed by the brunette.

"Look I'm not really looking for love at the moment," she confessed hotly, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I'm more interested in finishing university and making enough money to travel soon. Besides, I'll know when 'Mr Right' comes along. Might as well go with the flow of life till he decides to turn up."

"I don't think it happens just like that, Tennie," Sakura broke in softly. "Most people go through at least four or five people until they find the right person. Look at Ino, for example."

Tenten chortled with laughter.

"I'm sure Ino's probably not the best example for this. She goes out with a different person each week. That takes her total of romantic partners up to about ninety people. No offense."

"None taken," Ino replied airily.

"It won't hurt to go out on a few dates," Sakura pressed on, leaning forward as she placed her elbows on her knees. "You might surprise yourself."

"I think I'm good," Tenten grimaced at the thought. "If we're finished with this conversation I think I might go take a shower. I've got work tonight."

"Hey, if you change your mind, I can hook you up with somebody! I got a lot of contacts!" Ino called after Tenten, waving her phone in the air, as she made her way down the hallway and into the privacy of the bathroom.

"I don't think that worked," Sakura concluded once the brunette was out of hearing range.

Ino sighed and chucked her phone on the empty spot on the couch.

"I worry about her," she acknowledged as the coldness of the glass in her hands began making her fingers numb. "I think Tenten's into all that movie romance. You go along with life, you meet a cute guy and BAM!happily ever after."

"I know what you mean," the pink haired girl agreed, staring hard at the bathroom door. "It's going to be hard on her when she finds out that's not the case. Maybe we should set her up with someone?"

Ino shook her head.

"Na, she would never go along with that. Besides, remember she has major trust and commitment issues because of what happened in her past? She deserves a happily ever after more than anyone else."

Sakura gazed sadly at her blonde friend before nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, I know."

A/N – First chapter is over! I've got such great ideas for this story. Will Neji and Tenten end up as a couple? If so, will they fight to stay together? What's Tenten's secret past all about? You're going to have to wait and see! Please review and let me know your thoughts and critics. Also if, you have the spare time, go check out my other works to! I'm still working on Falling for the Extraordinary and that will be completed soon. Thanks again for reading!