AN: This story was originally a one-shot, but the idea of it being continued was mentioned, and so this was born. I don't plan on doing anymore with it, unless something really pokes my muse until she can't ignore it anymore. Hope it lives up : )
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Neji closed his door behind him after having dropped Ino back off at her house and began to let the panic he had been fighting the entire night seep into his still shocked mind.
'They were all there,' he thought, feeling a bit helpless, 'The entirety of the rookie nine were at that restaurant. There is no way anyone will believe Ino and I were there as anything but a couple.'
Of course, Ino hadn't seemed the least bit upset that all of her classmates were there, obviously watching them. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was enjoying it. But how could anyone enjoy being the sudden source of gossip for Konoha's younger generation?
He threw himself onto his bed with a sigh and tried to calm his thoughts. He was going to need a good nights sleep if he was going to be able to deal with the aftermath of all this tomorrow. He was sure that word would spread fast and when the news reached Gai and Lee it was all over. He was going to have to endure hours of talk about 'embracing love in the springtime of his youth,' and what not.
He groaned and rolled over, closing his eyes.
'Maybe Hanabi would be willing to just knock me out, she'd probably like that.' he found himself contemplating the prospect when he was drawn out of his inner musings by a tapping sound at his window. He looked up in time to see Ino opening the pane and sliding gracefully through. His eyes went wide.
"What are you doing here!" he hissed, "Do you realize that anyone could randomly decide to look through a wall and find you!"
Ino raised a brow at this statement and settled herself on the edge of his bed.
"And how often do you do that around the house?" she asked in a reasonable voice, "I would think the risk of catching your relatives changing would keep you from doing so."
He blinked. She was right. Why had he never thought of that before? It didn't matter, he had bigger problems at the moment. Blonde, sitting on his bed type problems.
"I thought I dropped you off at home." He tried to sound unemotional.
"You did, but I thought maybe we should talk about dinner. I noticed the way my friends kept looking over at us, like we were on a date…"
'Oh thank God. She has a plan to let them know nothing is going on.' he carefully kept his features neutral and nodded for her to continue.
"So I was thinking it might be best if we just go with it." That was the second time in one evening she had managed to dash all of his hopes with a simple sentence. He took a deep breath to compose himself.
"Ino, we aren't dating. What good will it be to let people believe we are?" She gave him a look that he suspected she saved for particularly slow children.
"I was suggesting that we do date." she answered. He was pretty sure he heard her mutter 'baka' under her breath before she continued, "Anyway, no one will believe us if we say we're not dating anyway, and we are a good a match."
"A good match?" he asked, knowing there was no arguing with the first part of her statement.
"Yeah. You're quiet, I'm out going. I fight with my mind, you fight with your body. You always think everything through, I have Shikamaru do that for me." He looked at her wondering how showing they were opposites did anything to prove they made a good couple. She must have seen his thought process on his face because she shoved his shoulder lightly and explained, "We balance each other."
He nodded slowly and her eyes lit up.
"I guess that makes sense." he responded.
"So we're officially a couple?"
"I guess we are." She beamed up at him and snuggled into his side, catching him completely off guard. What was he supposed to do now?
"So…" he began, "I helped you get a boyfriend by not using my byakugan?"
She giggled.
"Yep."
He wrapped the arm she was laying on around her shoulders and allowed a hint of a smile to ghost his lips.
"Well that was unexpected."