Naruto: still not mine.

Update next week :)

Underneath it All
***You're really lucky, underneath it all...***

Per the terms of their bet, Neji and Tenten stored the bulk of their undergarments into separate scrolls, which were then secured with a seal that required the two of them to open it. They then switched scrolls, and set about their daily lives rationed to her seven and his five undergarments for the duration of their bet (and the loser for a month beyond that). For Tenten, handing over her entire cache of underwear felt like leaving for a mission with only one weapons scroll – she felt massively underprepared for life in general.

It had taken her ages to decide how best to divide her seven garments between bra and underwear. Could she survive with only one bra? She could just wear bindings in a pinch, but it just was not comfortable over long periods of time. No. Having only one of anything was a blatantly open invitation for disaster, and she had an appreciation for redundant systems. So two bras definitely. Was three better? Three meant only four pairs of underwear and that made her downright nervous. Better to go with the 5:2 ratio, and make a point to win the bet. So far, she couldn't really complain. As long as they were in the village with access to laundry, the limitation on her undergarment selection was barely even an inconvenience.

The days were busy, even if they were uneventful. She still trained, worked on weaponry, and kept her meetings with several different funinjutsu experts to keep working on different weapons sealing techniques. Today, she was sitting at the counter of her shop with Sai. They were comparing two completed scrolls and working on a third. She was so engrossed in their work that she didn't hear the bell over the door, and didn't look up until the familiar silhouette fell over the parchment.

"Need something?" she asked, not taking her eyes from her work.

"Is that how you usually greet your customers?"

"You aren't a customer, Neji," she said, looking over at Sai's scroll. "Looks good."

"I think that is the last of the transcription," he said.

"Good," she nodded. "Try rearranging to the second array."

Sai ran through a few quick hand seals and the ink lettering was released to swarm about the page and slid into a different configuration. Tenten peered over his shoulder. "You'll need to make sure these characters don't get switched," she pointed to the scroll, "or the seal will be unstable."

"Shall we test this here?" he asked.

"Not if you don't want to risk blowing up the neighborhood," she stood and stretched. "Let's lock up and head over to the detonation area, just in case."

She looked up to find her teammate eyeing her work with mild interest. "What did you need?" she asked, packing up her supplies.

"I came to purchase more oil, and other supplies for maintaining my weapons."

"Didn't I just re-stock the team?" she asked, confused.

"I've been busy," he shrugged.

"Well then, if you are a customer," her impish smile was bright, "I'm much happier to see you." She grabbed a few things from under the counter and put them in a bag before handing it to him. When he reached for where she knew he kept his money, she waved him away. "Settle up with me later," she said, gathering her own supplies. "I want to get this testing done before our next mission, and Sai and I are on a schedule today. Ready?" She asked Sai.

Sai nodded and moved quickly around the counter to get out of her way. She set her traps by the register and rare merchandise, and shooed them out of the door so she could lock up. Neji followed, keeping stride with them. Tenten knew her teammate well enough to know that he had something to day. She glanced up, gauging the sun's position, and decided she had a little time.

"Sai, let's split up. I'll pick up what we need from the market and meet you at the training ground. You go ahead and make sure our traps and barriers from last time are intact and ready to be activated. I don't want anyone to accidentally stumble into our maybe-blast-zone."

"Don't be long," Sai said. "We still have to report in to Kakashi-senpai."

"I won't" she promised, and Sai left with little more than a nod. She gave a small exhale of relief. He was still trying to find a nickname for her, and it was a painful, painful process. She turned to her teammate, and paused with a small frown. "Are you alright? You seem to be walking a little funny."

Neji scowled at her darkly. "I am not."

"You are," she repeated, looking him up and down. "Did you hurt your leg? Pull a groin muscle?"

What really happened is that somehow the clanswoman that had done his laundry managed to shrink his underwear. He hadn't realized what had happened until it was too late, and he was left with two pairs of underwear that were comfortable (and now in the wash) and three that were decidedly less than comfortable.

"Rough spar," was all he would say.

"What do you need?" she asked walking toward the nearby market, "Because I really do have to get to work on this project."

"We're one-and-one, you know," he said, watching her from the corner of his eye.

"Well what would you expect?" she asked wryly. "Not sure why we bothered with the first two parts of this challenge; I knew I wouldn't beat you at taijutsu, and you knew you wouldn't beat me at marksmanship. By the way, how is your jaw?"

"Fine, after being healed from a cheap shot," he narrowed his eyes.

"All's fair, Neji," she grinned. "And I lied. I know why we bothered with the first two - we each wanted to kick the other's ass at something."

Neji's mouth curved into a knowing smirk. "You're probably right."

"So we're one-and-one. What about it?"

"Did we agree on the last challenge?"

Tenten frowned. "Was there a point when we disagreed on it?"

Neji's shrug was elegant. "I wasn't sure that we had ironed out the details."

Tenten stopped at the small vendor stand where an old man handed her a bulging bag of supplies he'd obviously prepared for her. She thanked him as she handed over payment, and waved as she turned to head toward the training ground.

"As much as I'd love to stand around and discuss the finer points of how you are going to lose this bet," she shifted the bag on her hip, "Sai was right. We really have to finish up and report in to Kakashi."

"We'll talk about it over dinner. Consider it a farewell meal for your winning streak."

"I'll consider it as payment for three bets ago," she smirked. "Same time?"

"I'll be by," he said idly.

"I'll be ready," she returned.

They parted ways, and Tenten took to the rooftops to catch up to Sai.

Neji decided to take a less vigorous means of travel, as he was already uncomfortable with minimal movement. He headed home with a renewed determination to win this last leg of their three-tiered bet and to do it with all possible haste.

Thanks for reading, friends - gl