A/N: Here's a new chapter. Enjoy!

My thanks to:

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Started: Monday, May 11, 2009

Draft Finished: September 9, 2009

Fiction: Continuation

Rated: PG-13

Disclaimer: The character and names of Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. This story belongs to me.

Anime: Naruto

Pairings: NejiTen

Genre: Romance

Summary: Tenten's life was simple and ordinary until one night, an unexpected person appears in her apartment with a gun pointed to her head. Wounded, Hyuuga Neji needed her assistance to save him from a fatal wound in the aftermath of an assassination job gone wrong. Then, complication ensues when he decides to stay.

Job Gone Wrong

Day Three

After doing the dishes, Tenten decided to explore the rest of the house. Normally, she would oppose to the idea, but for the time being, she didn't care. She was bored out of her mind and apart from that, she didn't want to spend her whole morning doing chores. Of the many entrances to the kitchen, a couple of steps led Tenten to the living room. It is a typical living room apart from the simplicity of it. A couch, a lamp, a coffee table, and a wide screen television set completed the room like it was straight out of a home magazine.

Long corridors, pristine white walls and hardwood floors went on forever as Tenten walked throughout the quiet house. One thing she noticed in particular was the limited amount of windows. Whether it was out of safety or paranoia, the lack of light did not disrupt the open space in each room. Whoever designed the house knew what they were doing. Mildly impressed, Tenten continued to speculate the entire main floor. There wasn't much to see because most of the doors remain locked. Obviously, Neji didn't want her to sneak around, although she had a feeling that she'd find out the contents in those rooms soon enough. Not pushing her luck, Tenten roamed around, making a mental map in her mind.

The one place that held her interest was the front entrance. Upon the wall was an antique mirror that had an intricate amount of engravings running along its borders. Curiosity got the best of her and before she knew it, her hands were gliding along the sides, feeling every cool letter and symbol against her skin. However, her hands stopped when she felt something different.

Immediately, Tenten withdrew her hand. Concealed behind the mirror's edge was a weapon. The elegance it held disappeared like a puff of smoke. In that one instant, it occur to her that this house is indeed built for a purpose, not merely just for protection. Sure, everything looked ordinary but in every room, there was no doubt that she'd find more weapons that were strategically hidden to the untrained eye. That thought didn't scare for matter. It was finding the weapons that crossed her mind. Knowing that there were hidden, her mind would consciously wander to them, knowing that they are sitting there, waiting to be use in the time of need. A part of her told her to forget about it, and the other pushed down her anxiety at the possibility of actually needing to use the weapons.

+0+0+0+

After what it seemed like hours, Tenten wanted to take a shower, which was probably the best idea since Neji was nowhere to be found. On top of that, walking around the house was beginning to feel like walking in a museum. Everything was there out in the open, but a lingering voice inside of her head would tell her not to touch anything in sight.

When Tenten arrived at the top of the stairs, she went straight to the room she was placed in the night before. To say that the room belonged to her was not the first thought that popped in her mind, although the fact that her own duffel bag was on top of the bed said otherwise. How it got there? She didn't care as long as she can take a shower and change out of her dirty clothes.

Opening the door of the adjacent bathroom, Tenten quickly locked it and went to turn on the water. Once the temperature of the water was to her liking, she stripped out of her clothes and sighed when the hot water cascade down her body, washing away all the dirt and grim from last night. Comfortable with her setting, Tenten hummed a couple of songs to keep her mood up. Being in a big empty house gave her the creeps, but then she remembered that she isn't the only one in the house. That was evident when the brunette heard a loud knock on the door. It scared the crap out of her, though she didn't make a sound. Tenten simply turned off the water and wrapped a towel around her body before stepping onto the bathroom floor.

"What?" She practically yelled. It had to be Neji. Of the nerve. First he dragged her to a place that was in the middle of nowhere, then ordered her to clean the entire house (alone at that), and now he was interrupting her moment of bliss. Can't a girl just take a freaking shower? Apparently, not in this house. When Tenten didn't get an answer, she decided to open the door to see what he wanted. Securing her modesty with a glance at the mirror, she pulled the door ajar.

Standing in front of her was Neji, holding his hand his wounded side while the red bandages sat unraveled around his hips. Face etched in pain, maybe annoyance (she couldn't tell), it immediately change the moment he saw that the only thing she had on is a towel.

"I need new bandages," he told her, eyes lingering on her wet skin. Seeing that she was rooted at the bathroom's entrance, the assassin held onto the doorframe for support and leaned closely to her. "Now." The low tone of his voice sent shivers to her spine. Perceiving it as a demand and not a threat, Tenten concluded it is a matter of life and death. As if her body had a mind of its own, she moved away from the door to let him in. Though she was glad that the bathroom did not compare to the small space of her former bathroom, it didn't help at all because the moment he grabbed the materials he needed, Neji pulled her closer to him.

"What are you doing?" She yelled in protest. He let go of her wrist once she stood beside him. Settling himself on top of the bathroom counter, he removed the rest of his clothing and ignored her yelp of surprise at the sight of his wound. Eyes trained upon the burned flesh on the verge of healing, Tenten couldn't help but stare at it. His wound had reopened.

"It's not like you haven't seen it before," the assassin said with a hint of arrogance. Tenten almost wanted to slap that smirk off his face, but decided that now was not the best time to do so. Then, it dawned on her that she was still in a towel. Not to mention he is half-naked and that they are alone in the bathroom. Inwardly groaning at the cruel joke heaven's playing on her, the brunette pulled herself together before dismissing the possibility that Neji might actually want to see her naked.

"You could have waited for me to put some clothes on," she scolded at him. Sure, she could have walked out of there and let him suffer and die, but being a nice person, Tenten didn't want to leave him dying on the bathroom counter. She figured that faster he's bandaged up, the faster he'd leave so she can finish her shower; what's left of it anyways. Grabbing the bottle of disinfect, Tenten soaked the liquid in cotton balls and wiped away the blood closest to the wound while her other hand loosen the bandages around his waist. "What did you do?" Hands concentrated on the task at hand, the auburn haired girl didn't pay attention at her patient, nor did he make a fuss while she touched areas of his skin that would make a normal male jump in surprise. His slight twitches, however amused her while she patched him up.

"That's none of your business." Tenten scoffed at his simple retort, throwing away the old and dirty gauze into the bin and continued on. It was not her nature to pry into other people's business. Tenten felt that people kept secrets for a reason. Whether it was to protect another person for getting hurt or whatever, it was their secret to keep. The telling part, that bit is complicated. Despite that, she cannot help but want to ask him why he's an assassin in the first place. It's such a strange profession. With his mysterious demeanor and anti-social attitude, she could have pegged him for a detective, maybe. His less-than-friendly appearance scared her at first, however it occurred to her that his lifestyle made him that way. Assassins were different from everyone else. They do their job, get pay, and move on. Easy as that.

She didn't need him to tell her what he did that caused him to reopen his injury. She could tell he must have exerted a high amount of pressure on his abdomen. That was the only logical explanation. Not that she specialize in the medical area, but having spent sleepless nights helping Sakura prepare for her midterm and final exams, medical tidbits just stayed with her, only to emerge when she needed to heal Lee after his training exercises with Gai. At the sudden reminder of her friends, Tenten couldn't help but think back to last night. It wasn't every day you wake up and find yourself in a safe house that is practically in the middle of nowhere. Of course, it's not every day that she'd assist in healing an injured assassin who can pass for a model either.

"How did I get to bed last night?" She asked him, wanting to confirm her theory. Carefully, she wrapped the new dressing around his cleaned wound. Normally, he should be resting and taking painkillers to ease the pain while his body recovered. Of course, the circumstances were different and since he was a professional killer and all, Tenten was sure he could survive in the absence medical supervision and without having the need for the law on his tail.

Lips tightly forming into a thin line, Neji remained silent as she tugged the thin fabric around his waist. She didn't dare meet his eyes, for she could feel his heavy gaze in their close proximity. The fact that her hands were partically around his middle did not help her abrupt movements from pulling the bandage tightly around the wound, making him winch slightly.

"Take a guess," was his answer. Letting out a little sigh, Tenten finished securing the gauze and stood up to face him. The assassin slid off the counter, making her take a step back, not from intimidation, but from the way he looked at her. Matted hair wet from her shower, the length ran down just below her shoulders. With the sunlight emitting from the window above, he could make out the soft features of her face. Unconsciously aware of how attractive she looked in a towel, Tenten remained within his vicinity that tempted him to reach out to touch her naked skin.

"I'm sorry," she said, knowing that his attempt to get her to safety had exhausted his body's limit. Tugging on his shirt, the Hyuuga male made no avail to acknowledge her guilt. In his mind set, what's done was done. He chose to drag her with him to the safe house away from her friends and away from her so called life. He was responsible for her whether he could help it or not. There was no point in bringing it up. The fact that she came willingly with him was enough to assure his decision had been the right one. He couldn't have left her behind. Not after putting her in danger.

With the last of the medical materials stored in their rightful place, his ivory eyes once again focused on her. Then, without a second's notice, he left. Shocked to say the least, the brunette female huffed in frustration at the closed door from his lack of response to her apology. He could have at least said something before he left. Maybe a thank you would have sufficed. Out of irritation and defeat, Tenten dried herself off and got dressed in a hurry because the option of taking another shower flew out the window after the assassin's unwelcomed interruption. She was going to show him that she will not be ignored. Ungrateful prick.

+0+0+0+

Tenten found him in the kitchen. Fixing two sets of sandwiches, the assassin spreaded mayonnaise evenly onto the slice of wheat bread balanced in the palm of his hand. At the sight of his actions, her attention wandered to the digital clock on the microwave and was surprised to find that it was indeed time for lunch. Still a little irked at his egoistic attitude, Tenten didn't think twice before placing herself on the kitchen stool. Donned in cropped pants and a high collar mandarin tank, the auburn haired female was unfazed when Neji pushed the completed turkey sandwich in her direction.

"Eat," he told her. Tenten stared at the plate in front of her, then raised her eyes to meet his silver depths. Stoically, Neji stood there as if daring her to disobey him. This small gesture from him almost made her want to forget his intrusion upon her time of privacy. Well, almost wasn't enough to make her want to throw a tanrum like a little girl either. Thinking it was probrably for her own good, Tenten took a bite of the sandwich. She would figure out another way to get back at him. Maybe she should walk in on his time of privacy. Then, smacking herself inwardly at how creepy and wrong that sounded, the brunette looked out the window to find a distraction.

This served two purposes. One, it would keep her mind off of Neji, who was eating in front of her. It was the first time she has ever seen him eat and she couldn't help but watch him silently. Then, it occured to her that staring at him may not be the best thing to do. She didn't want him to think she's fasinated by him. The other reason is much more simple. Through the large glass doors, a small garden catches her eyes. It was the most open area she has seen since she got here. She admits that she felt kind of clausophobic. With a house full of limited windows, the wide glass doors brought warm sunshine into the kitchen like a summer's day, filling the room with light and openess. She must have stared at it for a long time because Neji had already finish his sandwich while her half-eaten sandwich remained untouch.

"Do you want to see it?" Wordlessly, Tenten got up and followed Neji to the door. The fresh breath of air hits her when the doors slid apart. Then, her amber eyes observe Neji as he watered the garden. "Daisies," he said to her. "You need to water them once a day." Great. Figures he'd show her something without a hidden agenda. But inwardly, Tenten was thrilled to handle the task. The simplicity of the chore escaped her mind and the idea of actually spending outdoors for a couple of minutes in a familiar setting brings a smile to her face.

Neji placed the watering can down and joined Tenten who was sitting on the small white bench. They sat there in silence, soaking up the sun and examining the small garden. Golden centers surrounded by ivory long petals emerge from a curtain of green leaves and stems underneath. Droplets of water reflected the light emitting from the sun, giving the flowers a slight sparkle. The sight of the pretty little flowers were mesmerizing. Combined with the calm and fresh air, Tenten could stay here forever.

"Why do you have a garden of daisies?" Those words slipped out of her mouth before she can stop herself.

"It's yours now." He stood up. Looking down upon her, his light words made her gasp. Without a chance to compose herself, Tenten sat there, mouth agape with astonishment. Did he just give her an entire garden?

"Thank you," she said to him, not knowing what else to say.

"Hn," was his response. With a slight turn, his gaze gave the garden a once-over. The presence of the flowers did not fit into the rough landscape. If not, it made the background brighter, more appealing. "I expect you to take care of it."

"Of course." His attention to returned to her, eyeing the geniune smile on her face.

"Good," he replied. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a piece of paper and hand it to her. "I'll be upstairs." Then, poof. He was gone, leaving a bewildered Tenten with a list of chores to do for the rest of day. The feeling of calm washed away and was crushed by the feeling of "What the hell?"

'What the hell, indeed,' her mind echoed when she read through the long list of endless chores.

+0+0+0+

Cable television, long afternoon naps, and the freedom to walk beyond the front door were a thing of the past for Tenten. Right now, all the time she had reserved was for cleaning. Sweeping the kitchen floors, vacuuming the stairs, dusting the living room, and wiping down every square inch of every surface in the house was absolutely torture when you have to do it all yourself. She had doubts about Neji being the cleaning type; that damn hypocrite. In a mere four hours, Tenten was able to accomplished half of the list Neji generously gave her. She wanted nothing more to tear it up and throw it in his face, but decided against. It wasn't like she was scared of him or anything; the bastard went upstairs before she could even mumble a word. Besides, the chores would give her something to do. It was better than sitting and watching television all day, that was for sure.

Stepping backward to speculate her work, Tenten bumped into another body. Thinking it was Neji, the brunette turned around to yell at him for sneaking up on her. To her surprise, she found a man, whom she would have mistake him for an elderly person had she not look at his face carefully. his hair however, reminded her of a scarecrow.

"Yo," he waved casually, checking out the pink apron she had on at the same time. his brow rose in amusement. "My, my," he drawled out lazily. "I wouldn't have pegged Neji for wanting a domestic life." What was he talking about? Placing his hand on her shoulder in earnest, he said, "Tell me." She tilted her head to the side in confusion and could have swore a twinkle of mischief was evident in his only visible eye. The silver haired male leaned into her personal space, "How Neji is in bed?" At that, Tenten's left eye twitched. It was official, all assassins were perverts.

The first thing Tenten did was remove his hand off her shoulder. The second thing she did was took a step back. Then, in a piercing scream, she yelled Neji's same so loud that it echoed momentarily throughout the house. In an instant, the assassin arrived at the bottom of the stairs, coolly striding over to them.

"Kakashi," he nodded in acknowledgement. His pearl orbs wandered over to the flustered brunette who had a tint of red on her cheeks. "What's wrong?" Her lips pursed and she said nothing but glared at the silver haired man.

"Just a little joke," Kakashi said with a lazy wave of his hand. Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right, you pervert!" Neji raised a brow. "Ask him," she grounded out and turned away to walk out of the room. Of course, the Hyuuga assassin didn't bother, knowing that Kakashi wouldn't pass up a chance to make a comment without lacing sexual innuendos and connotations, and he had the orange book to thank for that. Not.

"I'm assuming that's your ward." The slightest nod came from the young man. "You sure picked her well."

"It was an accident," he said reassuringly.

"Whatever it was," his hand raked through the messy hair tiredly. All of the humor vanished off his face. "She can't stay here."

"I know." They both heard the hum of a vacuum in one of the other rooms.

"Three weeks," Kakashi held up his fingers. "She must leave in three weeks. That's an order."

"After we take care of this mess." A flash of anger appeared on his stoic features. "Where the hell is Shikamaru?"

"Working on the plan. We'll go over them tonight, assuming that the rest are cleared from Akatsuki's surveillance, which I presume will be soon."

"Fine," Neji scoffed. All of a sudden, they heard an audible yelp over the noise of the vacuum. It was Tenten. Without a moment's time, they both rushed toward her direction.

When they arrived, they found the brunette on the floor and looming over here was a familiar associate dressed in black. His hands were crossed and a bored expression was evident on his face. At the presence of Neji and Kakashi, the red haired male merely gave them a glance before returning to Tenten, who was apparently still in shock. Clearly, she wasn't amused. Embarrass beyond belief, she got up quickly, rubbing her bottom slightly to ease the pain from her fall.

"Nice of you to join us, Gaara," greeted Kakashi. "Came through the back door, did you?"

"Who is she?" He asked, noting the rhetorical question.

"You assassins should really start wearing a bell or something." The words came out of Tenten's mouth in a hiss. Just because they are assassins, it didn't mean they should keep sneaking up on her, not to mention scaring the life out of her at the same time.

"My guest," Neji told him as he ignored Tenten's comment.

"I see," Garra said softly. His eyes never wavered from the auburn haired girl. Stoic as ever, Tenten studied his face. Gaara's skin color was pale in comparison to her own. She could easily spot the dark rim around his eyes, probably from the lack of sleep. Though he appeared to a bit younger (and shorter) than her, she couldn't shake off the hardness of his light turquoise colored eyes that held the intent to put her six feet under if he wanted. Then, opening his mouth, he told her, "You look like a panda."

"What?" She choked out, unsure of how she should take his observation. Was he making fun of her hairstyle? How dare he! She didn't even get (more like did not have) a chance to say anything about his features, especially since he was the one who didn't have any eyebrows. He shouldn't be the one making judgments about her looks. Either assassins have no social skills or they just wanted to piss her off just for laughs.

"I like pandas." Or to confuse her because right after that, he brushed passed her and walked down the halls. Tenten's gaze followed him with disbelief until he disappeared upstairs.

"Hmm, I did not know that," Kakashi drawled out as an afterthought. His attention turned to Tenten. "Don't worry about Gaara. He won't kill you now that he knows you're a guest." Was that suppose to make her feel better?

"That's comforting," she retorted sarcastically. "Will we have any more visitors today?"

"Yes," Neji answered her. "We'll be upstairs." Like clockwork, she watched them walk away down the halls and up the second story of the house. Satisfied that they were going to leave her alone, Tenten went ahead to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of juice. Working for hours with a break was starting to kill her. To tell the truth, she kind of lost track of time. It wasn't like she was having fun or anything. She was just in a daze, just cleaning and figuring out where the supplies were since Neji conveniently forgot to tell her. That bastard.

Whether it was out of fatigue or sleep deprivation, Tenten didn't notice that the cup had overfilled, spilling all over the kitchen counter and onto the floor. Her dark eyes followed the wine colored trail with discontent as the liquid created a puddle around her feet. Great, now her feet are sticky. Groaning angrily, she grabbed a towel and wiped the mess up. It wasn't until she reach the sink that she saw her own reflection on the kitchen faucet. Specks of dust cling to her clothes like sprinkles on ice cream, not to mention they were in her hair as well. After minutes of examining the horrors of her unclean self, Tenten decided it was time for another shower. Just seeing herself dirty from head to toe made her uncomfortable. Like the assassins before her, she walked up the stairs and headed toward her room.

+0+0+0+

Her cleaning routine was short. First, she would scrub from head to toe, getting rid of any dirt from under her nails and such, and lastly, she would wash her hair. After making sure every speck of dust was off her body, Tenten shut the water off and got out, wrapping a towel around herself. The next second, she heard a faint knock on the door and rolled her eyes. It was probably Neji telling her to get back to work. Sighing, she opened the door ready to explain that she was not slacking off. She was merely taking a break. Yeah, that's it.

It wasn't until the steam cleared up that Tenten realized that the person standing in front of her wasn't Neji. Along with a loud scream, Tenten slammed the door shut, locking it at the same time. "Who the hell are you?"

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing," said the stranger from the other side. "Is Neji in there?"

"NO!" The young female wasn't afraid, per se, though the circumstances beg to differ. You'd think she'll be used to the appearing act assassins do oh so well. Of course, it still scares the crap out of her. Then, she remembered that he is the last visitor. "Are you an assassin as well?"

"No shit," was the reply she received. Tenten scoffed and heard him murmur something about "troublesome women" and decided that assassins don't keep the nicest company.

"Shikamaru," she heard through the door. It was Neji. "Where's the file I asked for?"

"Right here," he answered. Before she knew it, Tenten opened the door to find Neji and Shikamaru at the entrance of the bedroom. His dark eyes scanned her from head to toe and then he turned to the Hyuuga male. "That's the girl from last night?"

"Yes, she is." Whether it was the way he said it or the chilled air, Tenten shivered and crossed her arms when Neji looked at her. "Taking another shower? His lips formed a slight smirk, and suddenly Tenten felt her cheeks warm up as memories from the morning came into her mind.

"I have a name, you know." Getting impatient that they were still in the room while she isn't dressed, the brunette strolled over to them. Within the second she stopped, Tenten sneezed. Damn, why couldn't they just leave her to finish her shower? "Now if you don't mind," she gave them both a shove toward the hallway. To think that assassins would have better timing, but in reality, they simply do not. "Get out." With that, she slammed the door in their faces.

+0+0+0+

It didn't take long for Tenten to get dress, dry her hair, and style it to her satisfaction. Feeling refresh, she thought it was time to see what the assassins were up to. Walking down the stairs and down the long hallway connecting to another private room (that was previously locked), she started to wonder if she's the first normal person to walk down these halls. Her thoughts ran short when she found the visitors in a large office. Peering inside, she could see Kakashi and Gaara, who are leaning against the wall while Shikamaru and Neji remain seated. With seldom expressions etched on their face, each of them discussed lightly with technical terms that are reserved for their profession. Whether she is eavesdropping on them or listening to idle chatter, it didn't make a difference to her because she could not comprehend a single notion of it.

Sitting in a leather chair, the Hyuuga assassin's stature loomed over a lone file while Shikamaru sat across from him, smoked. Kakashi stood silently, inserting remarks and questions along the conversation like a royal advisor. Gaara, on the other hand supplied the discussion with his knowledge of casualties and among any thing that associated with politics. It seems all of them were well-rounded in providing information. She couldn't help but admire their talents.

Ironically, she coughed to announce her presence rather from the toxic embers emitting heavily in the air. Upon acknowledging her, the assassins merely glanced in her direction before returning to their prior actions.

"Do you need something?" Came Neji's inquiry when she stepped into the room. Like always, curiosity got the best of her.

"What are you guys doing?" As if on cue, Shikamaru took the question.

"Planning a suicide mission," he told her. Inwardly, Tenten flinched at the hardness of this tone. A part of her wished he was only joking. "Thanks the fuck up of a few rogue assassins," Shikamaru added bitterly. His fingers flicked the cigarette on his hand, dispensing the gray ashes into the tray that sat on the mahogany table. "You're lucky to be here." She wanted to roll her eyes. Yeah, she has always wanted to be in a house full of hired killers, lucky her. Snapping out of her reverie, her ears focused on his question. "What was your name?"

"Tenten," she answered, not knowing how to take the information.

"Nara Shikamaru," the genius supplied, taking another drag of his cigarette. "Intelligence surveillances and part-time assassin." A few rings of smoke flew out of his mouth. "I take it you haven't killed a person yet." It was a statement. Tenten didn't have time to respond when the Kakashi opened his mood to lighten up the mood.

"Well, then," he said, closing his orange book in a snap. "I think it's time for dinner." When the book disappeared behind his pocket, he turned to Gaara. "You must be hungry." The red haired assassin threw Kakashi a glare before heading towards the door, silently agreeing. Then turning to Tenten, she could have sworn he winked at her when he walked passed her. "I'll leave the cooking to Neji, assuming that he won't burn the house down," they heard him announce as he traveled down the hall.

Shikamaru and Neji stood up from their seats. Snubbing his cigarette, Shikamaru chuckled lightly at the joke Kakashi made and walked out the door, leaving Neji and Tenten to stare at each other. Like an unknown force, the serious atmosphere dissolved the instant Kakashi opened his mouth.

"Let's go," Neji told her, pulling on her elbow. "I don't want them ruining the work you've done all day." Tenten heard his comment and couldn't help but smile a bit. Though it wasn't his nature to be open about his emotions, he just admitted to her how he appreciated her presence. Maybe it was a good thing she was here after all, filling his day with a little normalcy. Grinning widely, Tenten followed him, letting Neji led her down to the kitchen full of assassins without the desire to pull away, and she didn't, nor did he.

A/N: Still interested, or should I just stop writing this story?

Preview of Chapter Four

Picking up her chopsticks, she scooped more rice in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully while her eyes bounced from one assassin to another. Apart from their horrible timing, social attitude, and manners, Tenten was surprised to say the least because currently, they were sitting at the table and actually being friendly instead of hostile to one another. Dinner was a quiet affair, yet she couldn't help but observe them from afar. One by one, she watched their movements. Their motions were fluid, precise, and quickly executed like a well-tuned machine. Their efficiency was hard to ignore when they made it look so effortless.

Occasionally, the eyes of every assassin would dart to the auburn haired female from time to time, although the light turquoise eyes of Gaara were more frequent. Whether it bothered Neji, he did not show it. Sitting next to Tenten, the Hyuuga male merely ate his meal and took part in conversations when his opinion was needed. Soon, Tenten took notice of their fleeting gaze and caught Gaara's light colored eyes for a split second. She couldn't place her finger on it, but it seemed that they are hiding something from her. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and opened her mouth to ask them.

"Why does everyone keep looking at me?" Everyone at the table stopped eating and turned their attention to Tenten. "Is there food on my face?"

"No," Gaara intoned. "Our minds are occupied with the sleeping arrangement, that's all." Tenten narrowed her eyes with suspicion. That can't be it. Surely the house is large enough to make sure that everyone is given privacy.

"I've already made the arrangements," Neji assured him. "A room is prepared for each one of you." Tenten rolled her eyes.

"No thanks to you," she scoffed. "I did all the work." Kakashi let out a dry cough. Automatically, Neji sent a death glare at the silver haired man before he can make a verbal connotation. Then, realization hit her. "Wait," the marbles clicked in her head, comparing the number of rooms to the number of people currently in the house. "There aren't enough rooms for everyone to have their own." Clearly they all already figured it out because the next thing she knew, their full attention turned to Neji, who gave her the horrible news.

"You will be sharing a room with me." Right then and there, Tenten wanted the floor below her feet to open up and swallow her. He had to be kidding. No, of course he wasn't kidding because there wasn't a hint of amusement in his tone of voice. Inwardly, she smacked herself on the forehead. What had she gotten herself into?

Thank you for reading!