Note: The author of this fanfic story only borrowed from the characters of Naruto.


Moments Alone

Continuation

"Hmp!" Tenten swept all the things on her desk off to the floor with one swipe of her arm and ignored the clatter they made as they banged on the wood. A creaky, cranky voice from the apartment below hers told her to "Keep it down, young missy!" to which Tenten responded with an uncharacteristic stamp of her foot. After sitting down on her bed, Tenten spread her thighs and set her elbows on her knees to support her aching head. She stamped her foot again and glared through the spaces between her fingers at the cross-stitching she was working on. She straightened her spine and closed the space between her legs, lowered her lids and took deep breaths slowly. She did not take any notice of the irritated thumping on her floor, which was undoubtedly caused by Morito-san, the oldest resident in the apartment building by his sixty-four years.

At the tenth exhale, Tenten took up her towels and her thicker robe. It was wintertime already and it was so cold that her breath sometimes fogged as she breathed. She went down to the communal bath on the ground floor where she refreshed herself with a well-deserved soak in one of the large tin tubs. She just came in at her apartment three-quarters of an hour ago after a more rigorous than usual training session with Neji.

"He sure is energetic today." Tenten remarked to herself as she closed her eyes and leaned back on the tub. She dozed and woke up fifteen minutes later with the water so cold, her jaw started to shake as if she's fighting off tears.

After a washing and a trip back upstairs to her studio in the third level, Tenten sighed at the mess her bad temper caused. She scooped up the cross-stitch, her thinning spools of thread, needles, a crumpled pattern, and placed them back on the table before she picked up a group of photo frames. The glass covers seem to have all survived, all except for—

"Oh no!" Tenten hugged to her chest a frame which has lost its glass. She then looked at the picture so intently as if willing it to stay intact. She placed the picture back on its position of glory on the middle of her desk, put back all the other pictures and went to her closet where she pulled fresh undergarments and her old cotton nightgown. It was given to her as a parting gift from Mame-san, the manager of Konoha's orphanage. The nightgown was worn in places due to years of use and continued washing. The hem which used to reach down to her toes was now at the top of her knee. Since it was too cold to consider such nightwear, Tenten put the nightgown back and had put on pajamas instead, thick socks and other articles for the season, since the heater in the apartment was weaker and needed to be repaired once again.

Lying down on her bed with five blankets, Tenten looked back at the picture on the middle of her desk and got caught up in memories as her mind went back to the day the picture was taken. In the picture's far right, there was a man in a bowl-cut hairdo standing in his trademark position, his right-hand thumb up and the rest of his fingers fisted while showing off his white, perfect teeth. On his right was his junior look-alike who jumped with his arms spread-eagled. He bumped the girl with her hair in two buns on her temples. The girl's eyes and mouth were open in irritated surprise as she caught her balance by clutching the shoulders of a frowning, long-haired boy who managed to maintain his momentum as he let the girl hold onto him.

The masked man behind the camera caught the whole tableau. He laughed when the long-haired boy lost his balance due to the junior bowl-cut's excited jumping jacks after the picture taking. The boy with the long hair fell with the girl to the rough, sharp grass. The masked man only stopped laughing when he caught sight of two white orbs fixed on him with murderous intent.

Bowl-cut Man gently reprimanded his junior. He wanted to have a try at a more formal group picture but the remaining male member of his team stalked off after snapping at bun girl's profuse apologies. He scathed about how his time was wasted on such tomfoolery, before walking away with the Bowl-cut Man calling after him.

Tenten winced at the memory. She got used to the long-haired boy's snappy attitude but didn't miss it one bit after it turned to a softer yet still firm demeanor. Her lips smoothed with a smile as she closed her eyes and let the darkness and cold engulf her in sleep.

* * * * *

The next morning, after she went to Morito-san and apologized for her rude behavior, Tenten went to the Hyuuga compound and asked Hinata to show her how to form a shape she was having trouble with in her stitching. After thanking Hinata abundantly, Tenten left the compound and went inside Shikamaru's cubicle in the Chuunin Office. He was sitting with his hands crossed on his nape with his sandaled feet up on the edge of his desk. He was dozing and opened the eye nearer to the door to see who dared interrupt his nap before lunch, which would soon be invaded by Chouji. When he saw Tenten, he smiled in greeting and yawned while stretching his arms upward. He straightened his posture and aligned his swivel chair to the desk with his fingers idly tapping the wood.

"What?"

"Just here to return the documents you foisted on me." Tenten paused as she considered where to place the five-inch pile of paper she was holding. The desk was cluttered with disks and computer, a tray with crumpled sandwich wrappers, an earthenware cup and a pitcher and papers untidily placed in the IN and OUT holders. As the cubicle is about the size of a closet, there was little space to be had except for walking around the desk to the opening.

Shikamaru stood up and took the documents from her and pushed with his feet a pile of papers under his desk. He put Tenten's papers on the side of his left foot.

"Thanks, Tenten. I really needed the help. Shizune demands that I finish here but there's just too much of it—"

"No need to explain. I resigned myself to help poor lazy you since I already finished my own load."

Shikamaru ignored the affront since it is true. "Thanks anyway."

The sounds of fingers pressing the computer's keyboards became clearer as a quiet descended in the cubicle. A sentimental popular love song about love lost and another love found was playing in a radio two cubicles away. Shikamaru laid down his head on hands he intertwined for the purpose.

Tenten debated with herself whether or not to ask Shikamaru with his and Ino's problems with their stormy friendship. After being ambushed by missions for months, Tenten was not able to catch up with her girl friends and missed many heart-to-heart talks. Before she left the compound, Hinata confided in her that she feels frustrated on not being able to advise Ino with her love problems. She narrated how Ino cried one night a week ago and hiccupped while telling how she could not move on after Shikamaru's reaction to her confession of deepening feelings for him. Ino told how long his silence was, so much so that it seemed that years were creeping with the minutes as she waited for his answer, which was composed of only…three…words. He said, "I'm sorry, Ino," and walked away from her with a slow gait which angered Ino so much she threw a decent-sized rock at him that he dodged with a mere positioning of his neck to the left.

Tenten grabbed her courage by the ruff of its neck and directly asked how Shikamaru is coping with Ino's avoiding him then the cold shoulder and sarcastic treatment. Her fellow chuunin raised his head and examined the IN and OUT trays littered with candy wrappers as if they hold the answers to the universe's most pressing issues. After a few moments, Shikamaru responded with a question. "How is she?"

Tenten shuffled her feet and admitted to herself that she should not have opened up this can of worms with Shikamaru. "I did ask her about that when I saw her today on the flower shop but she just hugged me and thanked me for my concern."

Shikamaru rested his right cheek against his right fist with a little smile playing on his lips. "I could hug and say 'Thank you, Tenten, for your concern,' but someone would see us and that tidbit would reach that person who'd pound me for touching delicate little you."

Tenten waved her mittened hand a little and did not rise up to Shikamaru's attempt to get her goat. She knew that Shikamaru knows that she hates to be called 'delicate' or some such word. "Oh, Neji doesn't care about things like that."

Shikamaru straightened his posture and leaned back on his chair. He stretched his arms by holding on to the edge of his desk. At Tenten's reply, his smile widened. "Did I say that Neji would be the one to fight me? I could have meant Gai-sensei."

Tenten snorted and rolled her eyes. "Gai-sensei would have teared up and bawled. He would have announced to all and sundry how his little flower is growing away from him and is now hugging a member of the opposite sex, enjoying the springtime of her youth. Lee would have joined him too. Together, they would throw a party for me with a green motif with little pink hearts hanging from the ceiling." Tenten raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru and silently dared him to refute her.

Shikamaru shuddered at the image Tenten's words caused. He was about to make a rejoinder when someone knocked on the cubicle wall. He and Tenten turned simultaneously and saw Shizune. At her entrance, Shizune remarked at how lucky she was to catch both of them together. Before either Tenten or Skimamaru could ask what she meant, Shizune explained that Tsunade-sama wants to see them both in her office.

* * * * *

"So you two would be going to Suna and stay there for two weeks for the goodwill games and the New Year festival. You will accompany and supervise two genin teams who will serve as our representatives for the games. Intervene when necessary if fights erupt between our teams and those of the other villages. Coordinate with the shinobi of Suna to do so. Guard your backs against the other representatives especially with the Cloud Village. Understand?"

Tenten and Shikamaru nodded in sync.

"Since the Kazekage himself requested the both of you to supervise our two genin teams, I want no protest from you two." Tsunade looked pointedly at Shikamaru who was staring at the panorama in the window behind the Hokage's chair. Tsunade threw a paperweight at Shikamaru's direction. "Nara, pay attention!"

Shikamaru caught the projectile in mid-air with his shadow technique and made it float back to its original position.

After narrowing her unlined hazel eyes at Shikamaru, Tsunade continued her instructions. "As I was saying…"

Tenten could not get herself to listen. She wanted to shout, "No! Please send somebody else!" But the moment she heard about Gaara's request for her and Shikamaru, she became puzzled. There were no real interaction with her and the readhead Kage of Suna. Why could he want her to come, she thought. Maybe Temari-san is bored and wants to poke fun at me.

"You would start your journey in three days and stay in Sunakagure for two weeks…"

Wait. Two weeks?! No! I can't possibly finish the cross-stitch in three days! The New Year festival in Konoha is in seven days and I have not yet finished with the last—

"Tenten!"

"Hai!" Startled, Tenten looked straight at the Hokage and the vein which seems to be about to burst open near a temple on her forehead. The Hokage was showing her teeth and not in a smile, either. More like a grimace of supreme annoyance. Thank the kami that she has learned to school her face to show no expression, thanks to many years of companionship with Neji.

"My apologies, Hokage-sama. I was…thinking about the mission." Tenten looked into Tsunade's eyes straight, her hands still at her sides. At her peripheral vision, she saw Shikamaru look at her and smirk.

"Any thing you want to clarify?"

"None, Hokage-sama."

"All right, then. Dismissed!"

* * * * *

"Wah!" Tenten pressed her mittened palms to her cheeks pinkened by the weather. "Shikamaru!"

"What?"

Tenten just shook her head and did not say anything. She picked up the salt and pepper shakers instead and clicked them against each other. At her non-answer, Shikamaru sighed, looked up to the ceiling and muttered, "Girls."

The two chuunin were sitting in a table for four in a corner of Ichiraku's. They were waiting for Chouji to arrive, since he would be the one who would pay for all their lunch.

"Let me guess. You don't want to go to Suna."

"You're a mind reader." Tenten set her elbows on the table and pressed her hands to her cheeks again. She looked down at the wood and exhaled through her nose. Shikamaru smirked at her pouting lips and thought of a certain jounin who would be most put out if there would come a time when he, Nara Shikamaru, would go on a date with Tenten.

Neji is hemming and hawing like a darn hamster, Shikamaru thought. Why couldn't he see that he's so into this girl in front of me?

Just then, a girl with her hair in braids skipped to their table and greeted both of them. She was Kimi, a genin, and was whispered to be a budding gossip. Shikamaru had a nasty premonition over the whole scenario. He winced as he planned his coming funeral. After bowing, Kimi went out again and forgot to pay for her order in her excitement. As Teuchi was swearing malevolently about non-paying customers, Shikamaru listened in sympathy while he deliberated on a good epitaph.

* * * * *

It was more than half past eight in the morning. Weak sunlight pierced the cloud-covered sky that cast down so much wet snow that it made flying to the trees slippery. Neji was nearing his old team's training grounds. He was running late, which was unusual in itself, as Hyuuga Neji and late do not come together. He had woke up late today for he could not sleep for almost half the night due to a rumor he heard from a braided girl who claimed to have seen Tenten and Shikamaru, alone, having lunch together at Ichiraku yesterday. According to a braided girl's dubious eyewitness accounting, Tenten and Shikamaru's heads were so close together as they sat side by side and whispered sweet-nothings to each other's ears. This girl had then went out to the training grounds and all over town to spread the news that Tenten and Shikamaru is an item.

When Neji heard this story, he clenched a fist on his side and leashed his desire to Jyuuken the girl. He just turned his back on the noisy female and snapped that if she does not stop spouting such nonsense and make herself scarce, he would—

Neji's fingers spread themselves at the memory, as if seeking tenketsu to close. Tenten and Shikamaru together. The picture sickened him so much he wanted to gag. Yesterday, he cursed Tenten while mulling over why she is having lunch with the lazy, good-for-nothing-but-fighting bum. He was so furious he could not concentrate on his meditation and almost broke the earthenware utensils in the tea ceremony he officiated for his uncle yesterday afternoon. Hiashi asked what bothered him with concern but he could not answer with the bubbling cauldron he had become. He bowed his head and asked to be excused, which further perplexed his uncle and the elders.

Neji does not know why he cared so much about the rumor. He did not want to analyze why because he was too busy thinking of the two of them together and keeping the lid on his temper. But deep in his consciousness, Neji thought of reasons why he was feeling this way. The results are three conclusions:

1) Maybe he's mad because only he, Lee or Gai used to have lunch with Tenten together;

2) Maybe he doesn't want Tenten for that unworthy pineapple head whose lazy demeanor, which only changes when he's playing shogi or engaged in battle; or,

3) Maybe he's just the plain, old-fashioned green-eyed monster now that Tenten's with another guy who seemed (in the girl's account) terribly interested in her enough to cause a public spectacle.

Neji shook off the third conclusion. No. That could not be possible. To be jealous was to mean that he, Hyuuga Neji has deeper feelings for his teammate of more than three years.

As he traversed the last sludgy, snow-frosted tree, he heard Lee moaning about how Tenten would be gone, gone, gone, which almost made him slid down had he not caught his balance in time.

He jumped down behind Lee who turned to face him. He barely restrained himself from keeping his face away from Lee's as he took a deep breath to regulate his voice. At a reasonably modulated tone, he asked, "What do you mean she'd be gone?"

* * * * *

A/N: Thank you for those who have enjoyed this story. Special thanks to those who made this their favorites! Thank you for your appreciation. As always, please read and review, as your comments are most precious to this writer.