Short chapter, but an update's an update, right? Right? ._.

And I recognize that Neji's girlfriend is a bit of a Mary Sue, like I already mentioned I wrote this a while ago and while I've done some editing I don't feel the motivation to revamp her entirely. (I bet you're wondering why I'm only updating once a week if the story is finished. As stated on my profile, I alternate updates between stories. So if the Homestucks have to wait then so do you, it's only fair)

I do not own Naruto. Chapters 614/615 still are not a thing to me.


"He has a what? Are you serious?" Sakura asked as she practically leapt out of her chair, slamming her palms on the counter of the ramen stand. The young kunoichi couldn't believe her ears.

Sakura wasn't the only one who nearly left her chair. Hinata nodded shyly after regaining her composure, suddenly unsure of her decision to tell Sakura about Neji's significant other. "She just arrived today, and since she lives in another village she's going to stay for two weeks. I've already met her. She seems very nice." Sereva had been very energetic at first, but had taken it down a few notches when she saw how nervous Hinata was. The heiress appreciated the thoughtful gesture.

"I don't believe this." Sakura shook her head as she returned to her seat. "I thought for sure the only person he would ever be able to date was Tenten. It seemed like she was the one girl who could put up with that snobby personality of his, although I guess he has been softening up lately." Her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. "Oh, Kami, does Tenten know?"

Hinata nodded, and Sakura let out a sigh of pity. "Crud. I haven't seen her in a few days. I knew she had a crush on him in the past. I just hope she already gave up on him before this happened."

Hinata was probably the only one who realized Tenten was indeed still in love with the Hyuga prodigy (since she herself had the same problem concerning Naruto), but thought it might be best not to say any more than she already had to Sakura. She wasn't sure her heart could handle another outburst so soon.

Speaking of her heart, the quiet, shy girl nearly jumped out of her seat yet again when the subject of their discussion entered the ramen stand. "Hey, what's up?" Tenten greeted in a, if not chipper, at least not bitter, tone.

"Not much," Sakura shrugged as Tenten took a seat next to still startled Hinata. "How are you? You look sort of worn out?"

In truth, Tenten hadn't slept much the past week. She had been too preoccupied fluctuating between completely murderous and severely depressed to do something as unproductive as sleep. Despite looking under the weather she was feeling a little better today, though, since the lack of sleep was actually beginning to mellow her emotions. "I'm fine."

"So, have you met Neji's girlfriend yet?" Sakura asked, innocently enough (for someone who got a kick out of watching another girl (Ino) struggle with her love life).

The mellow decided to abandon Tenten to the clutches of shock. "She's here?" the girl nearly shrieked, jumping out of her seat and practically giving Hinata a heart attack. She loved her friends dearly, but maybe she should start spending some time with people who were less highly strung.

There was a brief pause while Tenten tried to catch her breath and sort through her frantic thoughts. She was dreading having to meet the girl that stole Neji's affection. Yet she was also excitedly anticipating the opportunity to size up (and potentially scare off) her rival. Tenten was tough, one of the toughest kunoichi in the Hidden Leaf, and she was confident in her ability to intimidate this yet-to-be-seen opponent. Not that she was planning on mutilating the girl! (maybejustateenylittlebit) More or less, it was just a chance for Tenten to prove that she would be a better partner for a shinobi of Neji's caliber.

These slightly sadistic thoughts were brought to a halt when Tenten noticed that her two friends were staring at something behind her. She turned to see Neji standing with… well, the person she assumed was his girlfriend.

She was just slightly taller than Tenten, but with a smaller chest and wider hips. The pear shape of her body was accentuated by a pair of white jean shorts and a deep purple tank top with electric blue vines swirling around the lower left corner. A purple jacket completed the ensemble, giving it a more balanced look. Her hair was black and curled gently, and ended just past her slender shoulders. Large, violet eyes underneath slightly furrowed brows took in Tenten's shocked expression. After a brief moment, the confusion faded and was replaced by a happy look, her not too full lips curling into a smile.

She was really quite attractive.

Tenten immediately wanted to kill her. In a horribly slow, violent fashion. Potentially involving removing skin from flesh and using it to make a new weapon scroll.

"Hi!" Tenten greeted, sounding mildly pleasant. Really, her acting skills were worthy of an Oscar.

"Hello!" the girl greeted, moving forward despite Neji's sudden hesitation at the blatant murderous intent he could see splayed over Tenten's face. Startling the three kunoichis, she grabbed Tenten's hand to give it a hearty shake. "My name is Sereva! You must be Tenten!"

"Umm, yeah," Tenten muttered, not really sure how to handle this enthusiasm.

"It's nice to finally meet you. I've been looking forward to meeting Neji's teammates."

Tenten finally figured out how to react to all of the energy the girl was giving off; disgust. How fake could you possibly be?

Sereva finally seemed to notice the other two girls present. "Oh, hello again, Hinata! And who might you be?"

The two girls stood, and Sakura moved to stand beside Tenten. "I'm Sakura," she said, taking Sereva's hand. She squeezed it a little harder than necessary, putting some of her (in)famous strength into it. Feeling the pressure, Sereva tightened her grip slightly and continued her greeting without so much as flinching.

"You've got a good grip there," she sincerely complimented the pink-haired girl, who looked beyond shocked at discovering Sereva was unbothered by the crushing handshake.

Neji, who had been nervously watching the exchange until that point, breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that Sereva seemed genuinely pleased by Sakura and especially Tenten, and if Sereva already liked them, he couldn't foresee any problems between them, his faith in his girlfriend's judgment absolute. (Sakura would have laughed if she'd known how whipped he was) "Tenten, we were going to head over to the practice area to find Lee, and maybe do a little sparring. Care to join us?"

"Certainly." It was a golden opportunity to show off her skill with sharp, deadly things. That and… Wait, what the hell? That little twit could spar?

Neji looked a bit surprised at the tone of her voice, but said nothing. If Sereva noticed she gave no indication. Instead she smiled. "Would you like to have a match with me? Nej here tells me you're a weapons specialist, and I've never met one before!"

Two things ran through Tenten's head simultaneously. First, where did she get off calling him Nej, and second, this was too good to be true! The unsuspecting girlfriend might as well have been served up on a silver platter for Tenten to carve and serve at a dinner party. It would have saved the little interloper the embarrassment of being quickly and thoroughly defeated, at least.

"Of course we can spar!" The emphasis was lost on everyone as the three ninjas left the other two to their meal and headed toward the edge of village to where Lee was surely training hard in an attempt to prove/enhance his youthfulness.