Chapter Three:: Drunk Personalities
I'm so, so, so, so, so, so SORRY that this chapter took forever for me to post. It took me a while to write (but there will still be TONS of typos) and then FanFiction wouldn't let me upload this document and it took me forever to figure out how to get this chapter UP. I'm an idiot. But thanks for waiting for me and my incompetence. xD
Yeah all my readers and reviewers are freakin' awesome. :)
'Don't kill. Killing your friends is bad. Don't look angry. Ino might take it the wrong way and think that you like Neji. That's absurd...I would never...' Tenten tried to calm herself down mentally, but thoughts of little blond babies with lavender eyes were prancing through her head, 'I have GOT to stop that!'
"Tenten?" Ino had an innocent look on her face. Well this was great…Tenten couldn't really say 'HELL no, I won't fix you up with Neji!' for fear of the blonde girl crying again.
Instead she turned to Ino with a blank face and thought of an excuse, "Um...Neji is such a hard guy to get, why not go for an easier guy like Chouji?! He's really sweet, and he's gotten pretty cute. Plus, he loves butterflies. What more could a girl want?" Unfortunately, the Yamanaka girl wasn't that easy to bullshit.
Ino countered with ease, "If you think he's so great, you go out with him. I want Neji."
Those words struck Tenten like a slap across the face. She didn't even know why. She could tell by the smirk on Ino's face that she WANTED Tenten to be jealous. 'Well I'm not that easy to trick!!' she imagined screaming at Ino.
"Ok, I'll get right on that." was all that Tenten said before walking straight over to Neji, who was sipping sake quietly.
"Neji," she decided to get straight to the point, "What do you think of Ino."
The Hyuuga shrugged, "She is moderately good looking." Tenten wanted to slap him.
Resisting her slapping impulses, the weapons mistress continued, "But what do you think about her personality?"
"She's kind of annoying." Neji stated bluntly, making Tenten want to hug him, "Why do you want to know?" he continued.
"Um..." Tenten searched for an excuse, "I'm just, taking an...interest in your love life?" she slapped her forehead mentally. The excuse was pretty lame, but why not try and milk it? "So what do you think about Sakura...?" she got a mischievous look in her eyes.
Neji looked over at Sakura, who was waving cutely at him and blowing occasional kisses. He rolled his eyes and took a large sip of his drink before answering, "Overly affectionate." Was his reply.
When Tenten saw Sakura openly flirting with Neji she flinched slightly. She saw Sakura walk over to talk to Ino and she could just imagine the two of them giggling about how cute Neji looked. Neji was now the new Sasuke. Prodigy allure.
"Dead...girls...walking..." Tenten said under her breath. (I stole that line from Angelgirl18647, so that's where the credit goes! xD)
"What's that?" Neji asked. Damn him and his good hearing.
"Nothing..." she grumbled as Neji shrugged and tossed down another round of sake.
Suddenly, as if having an epiphany, Tenten remembered the present for Sakura in her back pocket. It would undoubtedly make her forget all about Neji. She uttered a quick goodbye to the Hyuuga before sprinting off to where Sakura and Ino were standing.
"Sakura!" Tenten smiled a bit too big, "You have to see my present for you. It's actually more of a delivery...I ran into someone while I was on my mission and he wanted me to give you this..." Reaching into her back pocket, Tenten pulled out a thin envelope with Sakura written hastily on it.
The medic-nin caught her breath; the handwriting was obviously Sasuke's. Her shaky hands undid the envelope and read the letter inside.
Sakura, it read.
I know that I haven't been around much. Being ANBU is a full-time job, and unfortunately it leaves me no time for things like relationships. I know that getting married and reviving my clan is important, but right now my top priority is avenging my family and killing Itachi. I thank you for being patient, kind, and loving to me, especially after I returned to Konoha, but I'm sorry that all your waiting for me has been in vain. Maybe some day...
Until then,
Sasuke.
Tears lined Sakura's emerald eyes. Any feelings of hate Tenten had towards her were forgotten when sympathy intruded, "Sakura...are you ok?"
Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up confidently, "I'm fine. I'm great. Thank you Tenten. This is the best present I could've received, because now I can stop focusing all my energy on Sasuke and truly live my life."
"That's good to hear," Tenten replied warmly. She hated seeing people cry, no matter if they were her friends or enemies, or in Sakura's case, both at the same time.
"So Tenten, what about my Neji-poo?" Ino asked, smirking.
''Neji-poo'? Ino, you are one strange girl sometimes...' the brunette kunoichi looked strangely at Ino.
"I'm still trying...to get you guys together..." Tenten had to keep herself from scowling. She didn't' succeed.
"Don't worry," Sakura said as Ino started to laugh, "Ino-pig never wanted Neji. We all know that she would never stand a chance with him."
Ino stopped her laughter, ignoring Sakura's slight insult, "And all Sakura's flirting with him hasn't been sincere. We just wanted to see how you would react!"
"WHAT?!" Tenten was livid, "Why were you messing with me like that?! I was all freaked out and—"she stopped, realizing that this was the kind of jealous reaction that her girlfriends had wanted, "I know what you're thinking, but I wasn't jealous. I would never be jealous..." Ino and Sakura looked smug; they didn't believe her. Tenten wasn't even sure if she believed herself.
"Tenten, it is fate that we should be together."
"Neji..." Tenten said softly, saying the name of who she believed to be the owner of the voice she had just heard. Except when she turned around, it wasn't Neji.
"Temari?" Tenten's face flushed in embarrassment.
The blonde sand-nin laughed, "You like my Neji impression? I've been working on it!" more laughing ensued.
"WAIT!" Tenten halted the guffawing, "Were you on this 'make-Tenten-like-Neji-by-making-her-jealous' thing too?! Was everything today fake?!"
Ino answered, "You know it! I'm...fine...if Shikamaru wants to be with Temari."
"We may not be friends, but we don't hate each other. Shikamaru is just a guy." Temari smiled strongly at the other blonde. Ino smiled as well; it was a pained, forced smile, but a smile nonetheless.
Tenten still felt mildly sorry for Ino. She and the blonde kunoichi had never been great friends either, but Tenten could tell that Ino was really hurt by Shikamaru's choice. Then the weapons mistress remembered that she had current romantic problems of her own, "How come everyone is so insistent on getting me to like Neji?!"
"We don't have to make you like him; we know you already do." Shikamaru had appeared, and had his arm slung loosely around Temari's waist.
Almost everyone rolled their eyes in Tenten's direction when she blushed. She refused to let them be right, even if she knew that they…sort of were, "Sorry," she stated definitely, "But your little plan didn't work. I've never felt any feeling towards Hyuuga Neji except for feelings of friendship." Her hands were on her hips and her nose was in the air.
Shikamaru sighed and Chouji approached the group, "You don't have to lie, it's okay! And the good thing is," he said smiling, "you and Neji have about the same hair color, so your kids won't look all that strange with the Byakugan eyes! They'll be experts in weaponry AND gentle fist style!! Your kids will be SUPER NINJAS!!!"
Chouji quickly backed off when Tenten gave him a death glare worse than Gaara's. Well maybe not. I'm not sure how you could manage a death glare worse than Gaara's...
"EH...YEAH!!" Naruto yelled as he jumped into the group.
"Is everyone getting involved with my love life?!" Tenten shrieked at the hyperactive blond ninja.
He, in turn looked confused, "I don't really know what you're talking about so...no?" then he got a perverted look on his face, "But I can be..." he wiggled his eyebrows provocatively.
"Don't even try." She stated simply.
Naruto was wise enough to back up off of his new teammate, "Okay okay. But what were you guys talking about anyway? Tenten's non existent love life?"
"Pretty much," Shikamaru shrugged with a smirk, "But she seems a little resistant to our attempts to hook her up with Neji."
A finger was pointed at Neji, "You'd have a hard time trying to get an ice cube like him to go out with anyone." Tenten said, slightly bitter. Luckily her bitterness wasn't picked up on.
Meanwhile, Neji cocked an eyebrow at the large group Tenten was attracting around her, and the accusing finger she was pointing at him,
"What the...?"
"Besides," Tenten continued, not noticing that Neji had inched closer to the group and that she now had his full attention, "I don't need a man."
Neji scoffed quietly where he was, a couple yards off, 'I knew she was never a romantic, but I didn't know she was so adamant about being single...'
The weapons mistress then smiled, "But nice try," she said, ruffling Chouji's hair and pushing Shikamaru closer to Temari (which neither of them objected to). Neji found himself smiling warmly towards her, admiring the way she just attracted friends like a magnet. Tenten had come out of her shell quite a bit since they were genin. He remembered the many missions they completed after the Chuunin exams; each one making her a little bit stronger and helping her to form a personality.
Now she radiated. When a smile lit up her face, it lit up the whole room too. She made heads turn; she made people listen to her. Even someone like Neji began to take an even greater notice of her.
The Hyuuga prodigy snapped out of his little daydream to catch the last part of Tenten's conversation, "So you don't like Neji as more than a friend? Not at all?!?!" he heard Ino's disbelieving voice.
Tenten answered firmly, "No," was all she said in reply. Unbeknownst to her, Inner Sakura did a victory dance, but Ino looked disappointed.
For some reason, after that answer, Neji was left feeling rather crestfallen. He knew that Tenten was his best friend. He knew that she was a beautiful and kind person, and that he admired her skills as a kunoichi. She was strong; she spoke her mind and always told him when he was being an ass which, surprisingly, made him respect her and her blunt honesty. But he had never put two and two together and thought about his relationship with her. For a genius, he could be pretty dense.
"NEEEEEEEJIIIIII my main MAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN, hic!!" Neji's serious thoughts were interrupted by a blatantly drunk Kiba yelling in his ear, "the mean man at the bar won't give me any more sake!!!" he whined, grabbing the cup in Neji's hands, "Gimme some of yours!!" he then took a hearty sip, only to spit it back out in Neji's face.
"THIS IS NOT ALCOHOL!!!' he roared.
Tenten, attracted to the scene by Kiba's yelling, inspected the cup, "Neji?" she had a quizzical look on her face, "This is…water."
"I...have poor alcohol tolerance..." he replied quietly. He could feel his testosterone level lowering. But he was surprised when he felt Tenten's comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Haha, apparently neither does Kiba." She laughed. Neji noted mentally how pleasant her laugh was, ringing in his ears. His stubbornness had never let him notice before.
But the moment was short-lived, as he saw Tenten heading to the bar with her arm around Kiba, supporting him.
"Don't worry Kiba," she said laughing kindly, "I'll buy us a round!"
Sakura snickered with a slightly evil look in her eyes when she saw Tenten walk off.
Ino eyed her, "What's the laugh for?"
The pink-haired kunoichi's green eyes swept the area to make sure no one was listening, "Can you keep a secret?" she asked...secretively. (That was a lame adverb to use. –sigh—)
"Yes!! You can absolutely trust me!!" the other kunoichi replied eagerly.
"Tenten doesn't have a romantic interest in Neji...but I think that I actually might." She grinned slyly.
Her blonde comrade seemed surprised and slightly freaked out...at first. But it wasn't long before she too was giggling evilly and plotting a devious plot to get Sakura and Neji together.
Well, before they were interrupted.
"YOOOOOOOOSH!!!!!!!" Neji could hear the cracking sound of wood as Lee smashed a few tables with his elbows and wobbled out of the bar yelling. Sakura quickly grabbed her on-the-go medical supplies and ran after him. Both of Lee's former teammates watched him with concern, but they knew that it was Sakura's turn to handle him.
A year earlier, when going to bars and coming into contact with alcohol became normal, Tenten, Neji, and Sakura had decided that when Drunken Lee emerged, one of them would handle it so that the others could still have a good time. They took turns and it just happened to be Sakura's turn. This had been hard for Tenten to take; she always wanted to baby Lee and make him better, but she saw it as a logical plan and followed it anyway.
And now that Lee had exited the bar with Sakura in tow, Neji had something else to focus on; Kiba and Tenten.
Her light laugh tickled Neji's ear, "Kiba! That's so perverted!" he hear her squeal. Neji sighed, assuming that Kiba had told her one of his corny pick-up lines, or perverted jokes.
"But you liked it..." he slurred out in a sultry voice. Tenten giggled shamelessly, fingering the shot glass full of vodka she held.
'It's odd for her to be acting so friendly with someone she barely ever talks to...' Neji eyed Kiba and Tenten. Then he saw his former teammate down another shot of vodka, 'Well that explains a lot...'
But Neji couldn't keep his cool when Kiba's right arm slithered around Tenten's waist, or when his left hand touched her hand ever-so possesively. Both of them were blatantly drunk; Kiba was a flirty slut when he was drunk, and Tenten turned into a giggly mess.
"Oh Kiba-kun..." she grinned evilly at him. Neji felt a heap of resentment. This jerk was going to get it soon enough.
"Tenten you see all the presents there?" Kiba motioned to the large pile of gifts for Tenten from all the ninja she knew that had accumulated. Well except for Neji's gift, this was tucked in his back pocket. He was waiting for the perfect moment to give it to her.
Neji watched Tenten nod, and Kiba move closer to her; he stiffened and tried not to stare at them. More like GLARE at them.
"Well," Kiba continued, "I have a very special present for you, but it's nothing that I can give you here." He winked and took another sip of his drink, "So you'll just have to come over to my house and get it from me..." Tenten giggled and pulled a strand of hair out of her buns. She suddenly felt the urge to pull them out and wear her hair down.
The thin package with the short sword and the earrings that was resting in Neji's holster suddenly felt very cold and impersonal compared to how grand Kiba's gift sounded. But as Neji's mind began to wander and he thought about what it really could be, he had to suppress a blush and the urge to punch the dog-boy over the bar.
His angry glare followed them as they got up and swaggered over to the door to leave. Before they could leave, Neji spoke, "Wait Tenten. Don't go with him." His voice wasn't loud, but it always seemed to make Tenten sit up and listen. Unfortunately for the Hyuuga prodigy, Drunk Tenten didn't roll like that.
"Awwww, are you jealous?!" Drunken Tenten slurred and hit Sober Neji on the shoulder.
"No, but going...home with him is just foolish of you!" Neji felt over-protective, but it was too late to stop now.
Drunken Tenten sneered at him, "I'll do what I want." She grabbed Kiba's hand and they exited the bar. Drunk Kiba gave Neji a quick provocative grin.
Before they set foot on the sidewalk and headed to Kiba's house, Tenten looked back at bewildered Neji and a confused Sakura who was tending to a passed-out Lee. The weapon mistress' alcohol flooded mind was thinking only one thing.
'This is payback.'
Don't worry; there will be NO MORE KibaTen in this story. I like crack pairings but there are none here. Well maybe just a little...
Mori
