Authors Note:
Here's Chapter 2 to the story, which is going to expand on Tenten going out with the girls, for some well-earned and needed girl time. I hope you enjoy, please leave reviews~
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chapter 2: A Little Fun Never Hurt Anyone
Tenten finally got out of the bathtub, and stretched. She let out a soft hiss as her muscles pulled uncomfortably, and groaned. She stepped out of the tub, one soaked leg at a time. Her feet met the soft fabric of her rug and she reached to her right to grab her towel. She rubbed herself dry and then wrapped it around herself, and walked toward the mirror. She wiped her hands on the mirror, trying to clear the condensation that had gathered on it. She began undoing the braid and her buns, and ran her still slightly damp fingers through her hair.
Her hair was now to her chest, wavy and the color of mahogany wood. She glanced at her reflection for a moments, and wondered if she looked plane. Her eyes weren't lilac pools like Hinata's, or a fearless green like Sakura's, or an alluring blue like Ino's. Her eyes were just brown, she wasn't blessed with such a radiant eye color. She had hated her eyes when she was smaller, always jealous of her friends for having such interesting eye colors. Thinking back on it Tenten had hated a lot about herself when she was younger…but she was more confident now. She supposed every woman had her setbacks at times, and faltered in her confidence. Tenten definitely considered herself more confident now, especially in combat.
Tenten decided to leave her hair open, and made her way to her bedroom. Her wet feet felt cold against the wooden floors as she walked to her bedroom. She pushed down the hinge of the door and entered her bedroom. It was nothing special of course…Tenten had never been particularly interested in painting her walls a bright color, or decorating her room with ornaments. The only real indication of Tenten's personality that was spotted in the room was her weapons. They were all organized on a beautiful shelf that was against the left side of her room, and her bed was just beyond it against the wall facing the street. There was a large window beside her bed, which was Tenten's favorite feature of the house. She loved watching people walk past her apartment, and sometimes she'd make it a habit of making up little stories about them. For example, if she watched a family go by, Tenten gave them all names, and stories.
She wondered whether they were on their usual afternoon stroll, or had groceries to buy. She had a small table with three drawers next to her bed, and a desk next to her closet on the right side. Tenten made her way to her closet, still firmly wrapped in the white fluffy towel. Tenten opened her closet with a sigh, her brown eyes scanning the few items of clothing she did possess. Maybe this shopping thing wasn't such a bad idea, she thought. She was in need of new clothes and shoes, to say the least. Tenten ended up settling for a pair of jeans, and a white shirt which she tied at the bottom. She slipped into some black flats, and decided it was good enough. She glanced into her mirror, and wondered if the girls would wear makeup.
Should she? Tenten closed her closet door and made her way to the small bedside table. She opened the first drawer and glanced down at her collection of makeup, which consisted of: a mascara, a lip gloss, and a chap stick. Tenten groaned and let her head fall forward, her brown waves falling over her shoulders. Yeah shopping definitely was a good idea….I bet if Neji saw her impressive collection of makeup, he'd definitely think she was a guy. Tenten tensed at the thought of him and rolled her eyes, god she was pathetic.
She wasn't any better than any other hormone struck teenager, dreaming of her coworker like some love struck girl. Tenten decided to settle with the lip gloss, and applied it generously by utilizing the mirror on her closet door. She then grabbed her phone, key and wallet, which she stuck in her back pocket. She made her way out of the door, and down the steps of her apartment. She pulled her phone from her left back pocket and went to message Hinata. 'Hey I'm done, where are we meeting?' She stopped on the side of her apartment for a second, waiting for a reply. It only took a few seconds before her phone let out a soft 'ping' indicating that she had received a reply. 'Meet us by Ino's flower shop, we're just going to start shopping around there,' Hinata replied. Tenten stuck her phone back in her pocket, and made her way over to Yamanaka Flowers, the shop that belonged to Ino's family.
She had always enjoyed visiting the shop, there was something so serene about being surrounded by so many vibrant colors. After about a five minute walk Tenten arrived, and she entered a bit hesitantly. Hinata, Sakura, and Ino where all already waiting on her. The long haired blonde was leaning against the register of the store, wearing a pair of jean shorts and a lilac crop top which showed off her stomach and chest. Sakura was wearing an aqua colored dress which flowed around her pale legs. Tenten was thankful for Hinata, who was in a pair of jeans and a shirt as well. The pink shirt the Hyuga Princess was wearing was tight and showed off her flat stomach and chest.
Tenten sighed, she paled in comparison to her friends, who walked toward her. Tenten laughed as they each wrapped her into a tight embrace, letting out an array of squeals. "Calm down" she laughed, finding her cheeks heating up a bit. "Are you wearing lip gloss Tenten? It looks really good!" Ino pointed out, and Tenten blushed even more. "Thanks, yeah I figured I'd do a little something to keep up with all of you beautiful women" she stuck out her tongue, and it was the other three girls turn to blush a bit. Hinata shook her head, her long blue hair moving around her like a curtain. "Tenten are you kidding me? You're gorgeous, you're naturally beautiful you don't even need makeup".
Sakura nodded and then pointed to Ino "Pig over here needs all the makeup she can get though". Ino immediately let out a growl "Hey forehead you have room to talk!" Tenten laughed at the two best friends bickering, which ended a few moments later. She felt a bit uncomfortable, but she told herself she would adjust. She just wasn't used to being around so many women. "Alright girls let's go shopping!" Ino grinned jumping up dramatically, her long blonde hair bouncing with her. Sakura immediately grabbed Tenten's arm and dragged her out along with the rest of the girls. They started off by visiting a few of the clothing stores near the flower shop.
Tenten walked between aisles, her eyes scanning over the clothing. Tenten could usually just scan shops, if she found anything interesting she would investigate more. The other girls had already tried on several articles of clothing, asking Tenten for her opinion. Tenten wasn't very good at knowing what was fashionable, or looked good. In her opinion her friends looked great in anything. Tenten raised an eyebrow as a red piece of fabric stuck out to her. Her tan fingers reached for it and she pulled a red dress off of the clothing rack.
It was a beautiful red dress which had a plunging neckline, and flowed down elegantly. She heard a small gasp beside her and turned to see Sakura wide eyed. "Wow that's gorgeous Tenten, you should try it on. It would look really good against your skin tone" she said encouragingly. Tenten sighed "I don't know…what would I wear this for? Plus I bet it's a fortune", she murmured glancing at the price tag. Mhm not that bad, Tenten thought. It was only 5000 Yen, she could definitely do a lot worse. Tenten nodded "alright…I'll try it on", earning an excited grin from Sakura. Sakura accompanied her to the dressing rooms, and waited outside of hers. Tenten took off her pants and shirt, and slipped into the dress. The silk fabric of the dress easily moved against her skin, and felt nice. Tenten glanced at herself in the mirror, and her eyes widened. She actually looked…good.
The neckline of the dress revealed an ample amount of cleavage, and hugged her upper body nicely, and she loved the way the red dress flowed at the bottom. It stopped a bit below her feet, but with a pair of heels…it would definitely work. Tenten opened the curtain, being met by the eyes of her friends, who just stared. Tenten immediately felt her chest tighten…maybe she didn't look as good as she thought. "Is it bad?" she asked hesitantly, panic written across her face. "No Tenten…oh my god, you look fucking gorgeous. Like holy shit…" Ino exclaimed, shock written across her face. Sakura nodded eagerly "You look so good Tenten, if you don't buy the dress, I will buy it for you". Hinata smiled softly at her "you look amazing Tenten, you should definitely get it". Tenten blushed softly and smiled at her friends, her chest filling with affection for the strong women standing in front of her.
"Alright I'll get it, but I'll need an occasion to wear this too" she winked and Sakura grinned widely. "No worries girl, we'll go out to a fancy dinner, and some drinks after". Tenten nodded softly, and went back into the changing room. She slipped out of the dress, and put on her regular clothes again. She put the dress back on the hangar, and exited the dressing room. Her friends waited for her to check out, and she met them outside. They spent the rest of the afternoon shopping as well, and besides the dress Tenten found some other things. She found a few shirts, a pair of pants, and a few items of makeup. Ino had helped her pick out what she considered was good makeup, and had helped Tenten match to her skin tone.
Tenten accompanied the girls down the street, all of them carrying several bags. They decided to stop for some ramen at Ichiraku Ramen Shop. The owner had put out a few tables in front of the shop, in order to accommodate for his ever increasing customer base. They took a seat at one of the tables, and Tenten sat down exhausted. Her feet were killing her, but she was definitely glad she stuck with flats instead of heels. She grabbed a menu and contemplated for a bit, when a figure in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She immediately gasped as the tall figure of Neji Hyuga, who was accompanied by Shikamaru Nara and Naruto Uzumaki. She could feel Hinata stiffening next to her at the sight of Naruto, and she giggled as her friend began to blush. Tenten's giggle caught Neji's attention, and the tall man turned around. Tenten met his beautiful lilac eyes and gave him a soft smile, and he returned one in turn. Tenten knew it was ridiculous for her heart to be beating like a drum in her chest, the man just smiled at her.
Yet for that split second Tenten had felt all tension lift from her shoulders, and she was only able to focus on him. After the guys talked to one of the waitresses they walked over to the table, and Naruto grinned widely. "Hey ladies you're all looking beautiful, mind if we join you?" Hinata shook her head "N-No not at all" she murmured shyly. Tenten glanced over at Hinata and grinned wickedly. "Hey Naruto, why don't you sit beside Hinata? I'm sure she wants to show you the cute clothes she bought today" she said and Naruto smiled softly. "Yeah, sure. I'd totally like to see the clothes you got". Tenten got up with a triumphant smile and let Naruto sit beside Hinata. Tenten helped Shikamaru move another table over, so they could make more room for the others. She sat down at the other table, and she stiffened a bit when Neji sat down beside her.
One of the waitresses came over to the tables, and got their orders. Tenten glanced over at Neji, who was looking down at his phone. His eyebrows were furrowed a bit, and his long brown hair was in its usual tied back state. A few of his dark brown strands fell from the hairstyle, framing his beautiful pale face. He bit his bottom lip, and Tenten almost fainted. His lips looked really soft, and were perfectly shaped. Tenten wondered what it would be like to brush her own lips against his, or brush her tongue against his…. "Is there something on my mouth Tenten?" she immediately jumped. Tenten turned bright red as she looked up at Neji, who had an eyebrow raised. His lilac eyes were staring into hers, a mixture of curiosity and something else Tenten couldn't quite make out. "N-No you're good" she murmured, looking away. She put a hand over her mouth, her face still feeling hot.
God, she was an idiot. Could she make it any more obvious!? She was sure Neji thought she was a total weirdo, who the fuck stares at somebody's mouth like that!? She was glad when there food arrived, and she distracted herself from her embarrassment. She ate the ramen hungrily, and watched the others chatting curiously. She caught Ino's eyes, who was discussing something with Shikamaru. "Hey Tenten are you still up to go drinking sometime this weekend?" she asked softly, and Tenten nodded. Ino ran a hand through her long blonde hair, and grinned. "I was thinking we should invite the guys. We're going to dress nice though…Naruto" the blonde said, directing her attention to Naruto. Naruto groaned at her "whatever blondie, I have nice clothes…somewhere" he murmured. Tenten couldn't help but laugh softly, and then dared to glance over at Neji again.
"Wow Tenten I'm surprised you actually want to go out, I figured you'd be at home cleaning your weapons or something" Neji murmured, aggravating Tenten a bit. "I can have fun too, thank you Neji. Despite the fact I love to kick your ass at training, I'm still a female" she said, crossing her arms. Tenten knew she was being a bit dramatic, but Neji's pompous ass did annoy her. Neji gave her another raised eyebrow look again, and Tenten just glared. "You don't kick my ass at training Tenten, last time I remembered I had you on your back".
Tenten thought back to their last training session, Neji had knocked her down. He had stopped before delivering his finishing blow, hovering above her body. He hadn't been extremely close, but Tenten had been able to smell the scent coming off of him. It had been a delicious mix between pine, sandalwood, and Neji's sweat from their training session. Tenten could feel her face heating up again "Well whatever, I'm sure I'll beat your ass next time". Neji let out a deep chuckle that made Tenten's legs shake. "I'll hold you that", he said softly with a grin. All Tenten could do was nod, and she went back to eating. Why was she being so ridiculous? He was just talking to her, and yet it made her feel like she was on cloud nine. Everyone finished their dinner and Tenten turned to her friends "I'll see you guys later, I'm going to make my way home". She hugged Ino, Sakura, and Hinata and then turned to the guys.
Naruto enveloped her into a hug before she could even utter a goodbye, and she laughed softly. "Bye Naruto" she said softly, ruffling the blonde man's already messy hair. She then turned to Shikamaru, who gave her an awkward one armed hug. She glanced at Neji, who had his hands in his pockets. "I'll walk you home" he said softly, and Tenten gasped. "You don't have to," she softly. She wanted to scream 'Yes you do', but she didn't want to be awkward or overly enthusiastic. Neji shrugged "I have nothing better to do, might as well. Plus I have to pass you where we'll be training anyway".
Tenten watched as Neji turned to the others "See you guys later", and waved nonchalantly. Everyone uttered a "goodbye" and Tenten waved eagerly at her friends, before turning to walk to her apartment. Neji kept his distance from her of course, but Tenten still felt giddy with him walking her home like this. The night was pleasant, and the moon was full. There were soft chirps of bugs, and Tenten glanced down at her flats. "We're going to be training in the open area near the school tomorrow again, it's just going to you and me this time. Sensei Guy and Lee are going to go off on some adventure apparently. Something about discovering the power of youth", he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Tenten liked the way Neji's nose wrinkled every time he was annoyed, his eyebrows furrowed in a scowl. She giggled softly, and Neji glanced at her in surprise. "Sorry I just think you look cute when you get annoyed", and she had said it without thinking. Neji stopped in his tracks, and Tenten stared at him wide eyed. Neither of them said anything for a moment, and Tenten wanted to be swallowed up by the earth.
Neji let out a soft 'tch' before shaking his head, laughing softly. "You're ridiculous Tenten…but thanks" he said softly, and they continued walking. Tenten let out the shaky breath she had been holding back, and continued her leisurely pace. They chatted about their family's the rest of the trip. Neji uttering his annoyance of the usual Hyuga rules, and Tenten telling him about her mother. Tenten's mother loved to travel, and currently she was visiting her sister. Tenten was slightly disappointed as they arrived at her apartment, and she turned to Neji.
"Well I'll see you tomorrow" she said softly "usual time?" Neji nodded softly. "Yeah just meet me around 8, I'll see you tomorrow Tenten", he murmured glancing at her. Neither of them moved for a moment, and Tenten decided to be a bit brave. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Neji, who stiffened under her touch. After a moment his arms wrapped around her, and Tenten sighed happily. His arms were warm, and strong around her. She could feel his hardened muscle pressed against her body, and she wanted to move closer. She wondered what the muscles of his abdomen felt like, pressed against her own stomach. She ignored the thought and moved back. Neji turned and began to walk away, and she watched after him for a few seconds.
Tenten then made her way up to her apartment, the warm feeling still present in her chest. Tenten unlocked her door and went to her bedroom. She put on a pair of pink PJ shorts and a matching top, before going to the bathroom and brushing her teeth. She washed her face, and then made her way back to her bedroom. She turned off her bedroom lights and climbed into bed, pulling the covers over her. She allowed thoughts of her day, and mostly Neji to move through her mind, before she fell asleep.