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Vertigo – Chapter Two.

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Tenten wakes up the next morning with a new sense of purpose and resolve.

…Not the usual kind of purpose and resolve she feels every morning. Not the, "oh, a new day in which I may go out and prove my worth as a kunoichi by excelling at any mission that I must perform," kind.

The, "oh, a new day in which I may go out and, uh, inform Rock Lee of the depth of my hidden romantic feelings for him, which may or may not involve poorly executed seduction techniques," kind of purpose and resolve.

Tenten rolls over in bed, facedown, and pounds her pillow.

This process would doubtless be much easier if she had any clue how on earth to inform anybody about deeply hidden romantic feelings. Shockingly enough, the seduction techniques would actually be easier.

However, if she strolled up to Lee wearing her strapless red cocktail dress (exclusively reserved for seduction missions), stiletto heels, and the string of very fake diamonds that usually adorned her neck on such events, he would be more likely to commit her to the Konoha Hospital under the mental confusion ward than sweep her off her feet with a passionate kiss.

Just her luck.

So the kunoichi stumbles out of bed and takes her usual cold morning shower. This has absolutely nothing to do with whatever she dreams at night, because Tenten does not dream at night, and even if she did, it would most definitely not be of Lee, shirtless, pouring a bucket of water over his head after training and getting all hot and sweaty after a spar with Neji—yes. Never would she dream anything as ridiculous as that.

She then proceeds to get dressed in her customary outfit, after twining her hair up in its customary buns, as always. (While doing this, Tenten refuses to spare a glance at the limited store of makeup in the very, very back of her cabinet.) She puts on her stylish but practical heels, gathers her impressive armory about her – her summoning scrolls and the coils of hidden weapons she keeps secured on her person, concealed by her loose sleeves and pants. The Godaime has scheduled a B-rank mission for them today, and that should require the majority of her resources.

In a matter of a few minutes, Tenten is strolling out of her locked apartment, all ready for her mission. She tries quite hard not to think of, or look for, somebody who is doubtless finishing running his thirty laps around Konoha by now. And if anybody who she passes catches the sweetly aromatic scent of plumeria and mango lingering around her, they are certainly delusional, because she is not wearing perfume. At all.

The streets are relatively deserted as she strolls toward Hokage Tower, not in any particular hurry. She is half an hour ahead of schedule, anyway. To any outward observers, if there had been any, Tenten would be the picture of a perfectly calm, happy kunoichi making her way through the village, physically and mentally ready for her next mission.

…Which isn't extremely far from the truth. However, instead of preparing herself to be an amazing bodyguard to the young son of a very rich lord, she is preparing herself to keep her composure when faced with Lee.

Lee. Honestly. It isn't as if Lee is…Neji or anything. Lee can't be intimidating if his life depended on it. He wears green spandex and loves ducklings. Green spandex. Ducklings. Nothing to be afraid of there.

Repeating this mantra to herself, Tenten eventually finds herself at the entrance to Hokage Tower. To her surprise, Neji is lounging outside already, leaning against a lightpost. His eyes are closed – unusual enough – and his long hair isn't cascading down his back with its usual degree of almost indecent glamour. Curious. Maybe the dango last night hadn't agreed with his sensitive constitution.

Tenten approaches cautiously. "Uh, Neji?"

He opens his eyes so easily it doesn't even seem as if he had been snoozing against a lightpost a moment ago. "Good morning, Tenten."

The girl in question peers at him curiously. "Are you all right?"

Neji stands up straighter, before stretching. "I am fine." In response to her continued dubious gaze, he sighs. "Fine. I just happened to be up a little later than I would have liked, thinking about certain issues."

"Issues, being?"

If he had been anybody else, a slightly sheepish look would have been clearly etched on his features. "The operation that was in discussion yesterday."

A few moments of silence. Tenten cocks her head. "I can't decide whether your dedication to the cause is rather sweet or downright creepy."

Neji crosses his arms and makes a point of staring at a fixed area somewhere a foot over her head. "I would prefer that it be labeled neither. Besides…"—he gives her a rather predatory smirk—"I'm not the one wearing perfume."

Tenten turns an alarming shade of red and tries to punch him in the arm. "Shut up! I'm not wearing perfume! I don't know what you're talking about."

Neji sidesteps the blow easily. "If it would not be so blatantly out of my normal character to do so, I would be running around in circles, taunting you about your crush on Lee and the fact that you're wearing perfume. …However, since I am fully aware about the degree of disturbance that would cause you, I shall restrain myself."

Tenten wonders if there's a nearby tree she can slam her head into. "Thank you, oh great, merciful Neji. I will never forget this great deed of kindness."

Her teammate yawns. "Anytime. Besides, I am sure you would want to remain composed for the moment, due to the impending arrival of your object of affection."

She gives him an incredulous look. "Do you have some kind of…of Lee-radar or something?"

Neji snorts. "No, I would be happy to leave that sort of madness up to you. It's called the Byakugan, Tenten. It comes in rather useful at times like this."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. I'm falling over with amusement right now, Neji. I hope you know that."

"As a matter of fact, I revel in it."

Tenten is distracted from her search for a witty reply by the sight of a rather formidable, rapidly approaching, dust cloud rising up on the far side of the street. "Oh dear," she manages.

"No time to lose your nerve now," Neji observes astutely.

"Time to utilize those compartmentalizing skills Gai-sensei's always going on about?" she mutters out of the corner of her mouth.

"Neji! Tenten!" The ever-enthusiastic voice preempts Neji's reply, and now the two of them can clearly see the vivid green outfit, shiny bowl-cut, and impossibly bright smile that are characteristic of the one and only Rock Lee. He skids to a sudden stop in front of them, beaming and not even out of breath.

A thin layer of dust settles over Tenten's clothing, and she coughs. "Hi, Lee."

Lee regards her dusty appearance with an expression of abject remorse. "Tenten, I am so sorry!"

"Lee, really, it's okay—"

"No, it is not okay! My carelessness has caused your youthful morning freshness to become destroyed!" In stark contrast to Lee's distressed expression, Neji is smirking over his shoulder. So much for the perfume, he mouths.

Tenten tries her hardest not to knock Lee out of the way and hit Neji hard on the head. "I'll just dust it off," she tells her concerned teammate, and proceeds to sweep the dust off her shirt with a little more force than necessary.

Lee looks a little alarmed at Tenten's vehemence, but just as she had planned, a few flecks of dirt land on Neji's completely spotless Hyuuga robes.

Neji's expression is torn between crestfallen and murderous.

Tenten beams.

…However, the happy expression soon turns into one of surprise as she feels Lee's hand on her shoulder. Stroking it. Caressing it.

"—The son of our client is allergic to dust, remember, Tenten? I do not wish for his father to be displeased if we accidentally send him into a fit of allergies…"

And then Tenten realizes that Lee is just dusting her shoulder off.

Deciding that it would be too highly suspicious if she jumped away and insisted she was perfectly capable of dusting herself off, Tenten has no choice but to subject herself to Lee's careful ministrations, until her shirt loses the coffee-colored tinge and is crisp white again. So that she isn't responsible for the kid they're guarding having an asthmatic fit or anything.

However, all this means that she gets to see Neji trying very, very hard not to laugh at the both of them. Obviously he finds the situation amusing. She glares, but that seems to have no visible effect.

"There, that is much better." Lee stands back from her and admires the effect that his extraordinary dusting has had.

Tenten has to admit that her shirt does look as good as new. She smiles. "Thanks, Lee."

Lee strikes a noble pose. "You are welcome, Tenten! And I would like to say that your new shampoo smells very fragrant. The scent of plumeria and mango is very pleasing to the senses."

After she is finished cursing her tendency to blush easily, Tenten can't hold back a triumphant grin. "I'm glad you like it."

(She is pleased to note that, while this exchange is going on, Neji seems to be on the verge of retching.)

"So, shall we go in?" she suggests airily. "Gai-sensei said he'd meet us inside."

"Of course."

Neji leads the way, sweeping through the heavy wooden double doors of Hokage Tower, with Lee and Tenten following dutifully. The two chuunin on guard duty nod respectfully at all three of them, although they both give Tenten roguish winks as soon as her two teammates' backs are turned. She rolls her eyes and they grin at her.

Before they can even make it up to Tsunade-sama's office, though, they are interrupted on the third flight by a loud crack and an accompanying plume of smoke, so that the area of the hallway is completely opaque. Tenten jumps back, startled, her hand instinctively going to the kunai holstered at her waist. Lee's green spandex is all that her visual cortex can adequately register in this less-than-ideal lighting, and he moves to stand in front of her, both hands clenched into fists and his feet placed in a defensive guard.

For his part, Neji just sighs. "Gai-sensei, must you do this every Tuesday?"

A few moments pass before Tenten registers his words. She sighs. "Gai-sensei?"

A sheepish cough comes out of the smoke, which is now beginning to dissipate. "I am sorry, my students. I got the slightest bit carried away in my youthful fervor!"

Lee is the first to recover. He bounds forward and high-fives his sensei. "It is quite all right, Gai-sensei! That was a thoroughly charismatic and winning entrance!"

"Thank you, Lee," Gai-sensei says, wiping away a tear of joy. "It is nice to know that I am not losing my flair in my upcoming autumn of middle age."

Tenten, somewhat at a loss at this display of un-Gai-like emotion, gives him a weak thumbs-up.

Gai beams with pride.

Lee grins in approval.

Neji rolls his eyes.

"In other news—" Gai whips out a scroll from one of the innumerable pockets of his jounin vest. "I have collected the official parameters of our mission!"

Neji, Lee, and Tenten all nod in understanding when he's finished. Lee is as psyched for a mission as usual, fairly bouncing with excitement on the balls of his feet. Tenten feels mildly apprehensive anew at the thought of watching over a little kid. Neji simply looks repulsed, doubtless because of his bad experiences babysitting in the past.

Tenten blinks. She must have spaced, because Lee and Gai-sensei are walking down the hall already, doubtless to meet the client outside of Konoha's East Gate. Neji hangs back. "So?" he mutters out of the corner of his mouth.

"…So?" Tenten mutters back.

"Plan of action."

"Plan of action?"

"Why are you echoing my words, Tenten?"

She notes offhandedly that Neji would make an excellent ventriloquist. "Because I don't have a plan of action, Neji."

Neji spares her a disapproving look as they stride along behind their two teammates. "You are supposed to."

"Relax," she hisses as they narrow the gap between themselves and Gai-sensei and Lee. "I'll come up with something."

-

"I'm a pathetic failure."

Neji watches Tenten take a deep swig of her lemonade and push her bowl of ramen away, disheartened. He pats her shoulder. "Nonsense. You just…did not come up with anything that involved you and Lee getting any closer on the mission."

Tenten sighs. "Thanks."

Neji lifts his chopsticks and inspects a piece of chicken before biting into it. "Maybe it was not fated to happen today."

Pulling her bowl back to her, Tenten gazes into its soupy depths. "We're relying on fate now?"

"Yes."

"So what should we do?"

"We wait for a sign."

Tenten blinks at him. "What?"

Neji waves a hand impatiently. "You will see."

They sit in silence for two minutes, until, for the second time that day; an object cloaked in a cloud of smoke materializes on the stool next to them. Tenten blinks, and when the smoke clears, she is faced with the sleepy-looking visage of Nara Shikamaru. "Yo," he says laconically, raising a hand in greeting.

Neji blinks in surprise. "I thought you said you weren't coming tonight."

Shikamaru sighs. "This isn't for dinner. Although," –he casts a longing look at the pot of steaming ramen that the Ichiraku owner is currently tending—" that does sound tempting right now. You do know what time of year it is, right?"

Tenten blinks at the sudden change in subject. "It's near…midwinter."

"Which means?" prompts Neji.

"The annual midwinter ball, of course," Shikamaru yawns.

He is greeted by stunned silence by the other two members of Team Gai. "Oh yeah. You three were on a mission this time last year, weren't you?"

"In Sunakagure," Neji affirms. "Which explains why this is unfamiliar news."

He sends Tenten a significant look.

Tenten is feeling all her motor and mental functions slowing down as her mind slowly connects two and two.

"…Yeah, Neji, I wish I could stay, but Tsunade-sama has me delivering this joyous news to twenty more people by the end of the night."

Neji nods. "See you tomorrow, Shikamaru."

The other chuunin disappears in a similar puff of smoke. Neji turns around slowly and fixes his gaze on the now horrorstruck Tenten.

"No. Way." she manages. "No. This is a conspiracy."

"No," Neji corrects. "This is fate."

Tenten's mouth opens and closes, but no sound comes out.

"I sense that you are in need of assistance," the Hyuuga prodigy cuts into her inner meltdown smoothly. "There is a midwinter ball in a week. You are going to ask Rock Lee to be your date to said midwinter ball."

"And how would I do this?" Tenten squeaks out.

"Lee, will you go to the dance with me? Six words. We have a day off training tomorrow, but he's going to be in the forest during the evening. Just do it then."

"Six words," echoes Tenten, suddenly wondering where all of her fearless kunoichi bravery has gone. "Just six words, right."

"Piece of cake," Neji supplies encouragingly.

Tenten squares her shoulders, a grimly determined resolve sliding over her. "Order me another glass of lemonade, Neji. I'm definitely going to need it."

-

I am fearless.

I am a ninja.

Fearless ninja.

Reciting this three-line sentiment to herself over and over again, Tenten looks up from her studied observation of her feet, only to notice with something akin to dread that she is approaching the forest.

Tenten hurries her pace until she is slipping with ease through the trees, retreading a very familiar path. It is a matter of a few minutes until she is standing, just barely concealed behind the old oak tree, watching Lee batter the life out of a nearby tree with his fists. His punches are fueled by raw strength alone – no chakra involved. Every time his fists connect with the tree, more and more pieces of wood splinter off the bark. To her relief, she notes that his fists and arms are tightly wrapped, so that he won't be sporting any ghastly cuts on his knuckles the next morning. In solitude, he has abandoned his skintight green spandex for a pair of gray pants and a threadbare white t-shirt, the collar already soaked through with sweat.

In solitude, she allows herself to admire the look of pure determination in his eyes as he continues to hammer the tree. For both of their sakes, she lets him finish his first one hundred punches before she clears her throat ever so slightly and steps out from behind the tree.

"Lee?" she asks, her voice thankfully remaining calm.

At the sound of her voice, he spins around, his eyes widening with surprise. "Tenten!" Abandoning his post at the tree, he runs over to join her, before flinging his arms around her shoulders in his usual hello hug. Whereas normally her hormones hardly protest such a greeting, on this particular day, Tenten is hard pressed to stifle a groan of misery. He really has to make this hard for her.

"Are you going to train with me?" he inquires innocently. But then, something else obviously catches his attention, and a look of worry registers on his face. "Tenten? Your hair…have you misplaced your senbon again?"

Tenten shrugs self-consciously, now more then ever aware of the long, soft weight of her unbound hair down her shoulders and back. "Um, yeah, actually."

"I can help you look for them," Lee offers, ever helpful. "But your hair looks just as nice like this, too. So you shouldn't look so sad."

Tenten smiles, hoping fervently that she isn't blushing as red as a tomato. "Thanks, Lee. But…" she takes a deep breath, steeling herself. "But I didn't come here to train. I, um, wanted to ask you something."

Lee obviously senses nothing out of the ordinary from this request. He leans against the trunk of the old oak tree, looking at her. "Yes, Tenten?"

Tenten inhales, exhales, and reminds herself that she is a kunoichi of the Leaf. "The midwinter ball is coming up," she says, her eyes focusing on determinedly on Lee's, even as her fingers involuntarily grip and twist at the ends of her Chinese-style blue top. "I…I was wondering if, if you wantedtogototheballwithme."

The last part of her sentence, to her mortification, comes out entirely too rushed, leaving her to just look up at him with a rather plaintive expression in her eyes.

To his credit, Lee pieces together the slightly mangled query in record speed, and he gives her a blinding grin and hugs her again, so that her boot-clad feet leave the ground for a moment. Tenten, thoroughly shocked, grips his shoulders and wonders if the stress has caused her to suddenly lose her mind.

"Oh, Tenten! I would be honored to be your escort to the midwinter ball!" Lee sets her down again, still grinning happily. "It's going to be so much fun!"

At this point, Tenten is feeling somewhat as if her mind has disengaged from her body and is soaring around somewhere up by the treetops. "That's…oh my god, Lee, you're amazing!"

Before Lee can even blink, Tenten has thrown her arms around him, kissed him on the cheek, and disappeared into the cover of the trees.

A few moments pass.

A bird chirps.

Lee touches his cheek, not quite sure what on earth happened there.

Oh dear.

-

"You did not ditch training with Tsunade-sama just for this," Tenten says, aghast, as soon as she opens the door to her apartment.

Sakura walks in and drops her bag on the floor, unfazed. "I left a note. She'll understand. Besides, this is important."

Tenten gives her friend a skeptical look. "I told you we could go on Saturday."

"The day before the ball? No, Tenten. Have you ever gone dress shopping before?"

The look Tenten sends her way says it all.

Sakura sighs and grabs Tenten by the arm, fairly dragging her out the door. "That's what I thought, wonder kunoichi. Let's go."

-

An hour before the midwinter ball, and Tenten is curled up on her armchair in a fetal position, rocking back and forth.

A little voice inside her tells her that this is undoubtedly extremely childish of her. Hell, she's faced death with a straighter face.

I mean, what should have been the worst part is over, she tells herself, clutching her knees tighter to her chest. I asked Lee. He said yes. It wasn't terribly humiliating or cringe-worthy. The world hasn't ended. And yet…

And yet, Tenten, clad in her glimmering claret red halter dress, new black and strappy high heels, with her newly wax-straightened (Ino had practically tied her down to the salon chair) hair falling to her waist and looking a glossier shade of brown than usual, her eyes tinged with kohl eyeliner and red eye shadow, is having super huge grips of foreboding.

Technically, according to her recent conversation with Neji, the Green Beast has already been captured. He is her date to the dance, after all (the words still have a somewhat surreal quality to them), so what else can go wrong?

Almost immediately after thinking this, Tenten's mind is suddenly filled with no less than thirty scenarios regarding Things Going Wrong.

She buries her head into the nearest pillow and groans. Stupid sense of foreboding. Stupid crush on Lee that is causing stupid sense of foreboding. Gah.

There are times when Tenten hates her kunoichi sixth sense. This would have to be one of them.

-

One of the sights that Neji did not ever think he would see in this lifetime: Rock Lee wearing a tuxedo.

And, even though he is completely heterosexual, thankyouverymuch, it takes only a few seconds for the Hyuuga prodigy to note that Rock Lee is looking damn fine in said tuxedo, too.

Between thorough mental chastisements of his own self for making such a horrifying statement, Neji thinks that Tenten will rather enjoy the Tuxedoed Lee Effect.

They are congregated at the fountain slightly away from Hokage Tower, waiting for their respective dates to show up. Lee is fairly bouncing with nervous energy - this is his first non-mission-related official social event, and he is determined to do Gai-sensei proud. He had taken extra care with his attire, forgoing his special dressy spandex (a fetching shade of lime green), for what Shikamaru had assured him was proper attire. He has a bright daisy for Tenten in his right hand, which is ready to be presented to her at the first possibility.

Lee is also aware that this is technically his first official date. Therefore, he had learned how to dance properly for the occasion. Armed with the tuxedo, the daisy, good dancing skills, and a carefully groomed visage and extra-bright smile, Lee is confident that tonight is going to be a good night.

This illusion is shattered by a puff of smoke.

Well, the puff of smoke isn't the thing directly responsible for the shattering of his confidence. It is the girl who steps out of the puff of smoke – Tenten, yes, the same Tenten that he has seen every day of his life for the past four and a half years.

Lee is a strong shinobi. Thus, seeing the sparkly dress, the longer-than-he-ever-knew-it-was-and-super-shiny-hair and the makeup, well, that doesn't change anything.

It's really the smile on her face that does it. It's the somewhat shy (Tenten, shy!) smile and the blush that has nothing to do with any cosmetics that puts the final nail in the coffin. The fact that she's so happy to see him here, waiting for her, ricochets about inside his brain, and something inside him notes the vaguely surreal quality of this whole evening.

"You look really nice, Lee," she offers, that radiant smile still on her face.

Somewhat dazed, Lee offers her first his arm, then the daisy, too stunned to even make a proper flower of youth analogy. "You look lovely, Tenten."

Somewhere between her hand in his as she takes the daisy and the even more joyful expression on her face as she takes the daisy, Rock Lee cracks. He doesn't suddenly vomit or develop a powerful migraine. However, he does have to restrain his knees from wobbling.

Something has changed. He has no idea what it is. Maybe he's coming down with the flu. Maybe the miso for lunch hadn't agreed with him.

Lee knows that he is probably not very emotionally actualized. But as he walks into the newly opened doors of the seasonally decorated Hokage Tower with Tenten on his arm, whatever new, uncertain sentiment he is feeling threatens to overwhelm him.

And, with a rather strong sense of apprehension, Lee knows with a sudden surety that nothing is ever going to be the same again.

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Okay, so this wasn't the last chapter. There will be one more, dealing with the Happenings Of The Midwinter Ball, the ensuing drama, and Lee and Tenten being extremely obtuse. XD

Reviews appreciated!