The Perfect Moment (To Confess)

Bold" :Tenten's thoughts.

Side Note: Characters may be somewhat out of character, but it's needed for the cliche.

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto.

Monday

I let loose a sigh, though I'm not exactly sure of what, whether its desperation, frustration or maybe even despair. I let my head drop in my arms and close my eyes as I try to distract myself with the sound of the school's fountain behind me.

"Hey Tenten!"

Or maybe with another distraction.

"Hi Sakura, Hinata, Ino," I hear myself mumble.

Sakura sits next to me saying, "Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine today. What's up?"

Ino sits on my other side while Hinata stays standing next to us and with my head still in my arms I give a feeble attempt at pointing to the basketball court below, lifting my head looking at my friends with a sense of desperation, "Guys! Just look at him! He keeps getting cuter! It's not fair!" I feel myself pout, not like my normal self… but I'm already frustrated.

"That's it?" Hinata asks.

"Well, what did you think it was?"

"Oh, I don't know! Oh! Maybe Neji came over and confessed to you taking your hands and said 'Tenten! I can't live without you! I need you beside me! Even your presence beside me is good enough! I love you! Will you marry me?" Ino mocks.

As Sakura and Ino cackle at the jokes, I glare at them. Hinata then suddenly says, "Why not just tell Neji you like him?"

I give her a quizzical look, "Just…tell him I like him?" I let my eyes look heavenward, "You know, that's a good idea!" I exclaim while standing. "I'm going to go now!"

I begin walking toward the basketball court when I'm pulled roughly back to my seat by both Ino and Sakura.

"Hinata didn't mean just like that!" Ino states in a 'are-you-stupid voice'.

"Then what did you –, " she cut me off.

"You have to wait for the perfect moment," Sakura says dreamily.

"The perfect moment?" I repeat dubiously.

"The perfect moment!" Ino repeats with enthusiasm.

Sakura gives both Ino and I annoyed glances before she continues, while pacing in front of us, "Yes, the perfect moment. You can't just march up there and tell him! What is wrong with you!" she gives me a reproachful glance before continuing, "The atmosphere has to be perfect, the situation, the way you'll say it… it all has to be –"

"Perfect!" Hinata chimes in.

Sakura smiles and nods, "Perfect."

I roll my eyes and put my head in my hands, "Guys! I can't wait for the perfect moment! We don't even know how long that will take! If- If I don't tell him now I feel like I'm going to explode!" I say in an overly dramatic fashion.

All three give me strange glances and Ino even scoots away from me and I sigh, "I don't mean literally Ino."

"Of course you don't," she says with a nervous laugh and returns to her former position.

"You don't have to worry about the perfect moment Tenten, leave Hinata, Ino and I in charge of that. I've already got an idea." Sakura says with a smirk and starts laughing under her breath, Ino decides to join and now they're both in full blown laughter looking like total dorks.

As Hinata and I walk away from them, knowing they haven't noticed our departure. I let my gaze go up to the clouds asking myself, Why do I have a bad feeling about them making a 'perfect moment'?

Tuesday, at lunch

Sakura and Ino push me out the doors of the cafeteria with Hinata trailing after us.

"Neji is sitting under that sakura tree, like he always does on Tuesday's. Now is your chance Tenten!" Hinata says excitedly.

Ino and Sakura nod their agreement but I stay where I am, hesitating.

"I don't know guys, his eyes are closed, what if he's sleeping?"

Hinata waved her hand in a dismissive manner and says smiling, "Don't worry about that, Tenten. He's meditating as he likes to call it, as soon as you say something he'll open his eyes."

I don't move still nervous but another push from Ino and Sakura has me walking towards Neji, with shaky legs. I stop a few steps away from me and just stare, his eyes are closed and his posture is relaxed.

"Hey Neji," I say quietly.

Maybe if I speak quietly he won't hear me and I can confess later.

He opens his eyes and smiles at me while saying, "Hey."

Then he pats the spot next to him, an invitation to sit down, which I take. After I sit he closes his eyes again and we're both quiet.

After a few moments of silence Neji says, "Just because my eyes are closed doesn't mean my ears are."

I look at him and quickly look away muttering, "Right."

Still I don't say anything, cursing at the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

"Tenten..." Neji says hoping to prompt me into talking.

I sigh before throwing my nerves out the window and turning my body towards Neji and started, "Well, I just wanted to say that... uhm...I li-" I was cut off when a shadow suddenly dropped down from a branch in the tree in front of us, scaring me and making me jump.

"What the?" I exclaim.

Neji opens his eyes and we both stare at the fan girl in front of us. I tilted my head and saw that more were coming, I felt Neji shift beside me and knew that he noticed the group coming too.

He stood up and gave the girl grinning in front of us an annoying glance before looking at me saying, "I'm sorry Tenten, can we finish this later?"

He didn't stop to hear my answer and jogged away, trying to get away from his fan girls before they mobbed him.

I sighed as I watched him, I wasn't sure whether to be thankful to the fan girls or angry, but when the girl in front of me grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me to face her she makes the choice for me.

Angry.

"Listen here Tenten," she said, by now the other fan girls had reached us and were glaring at me too, "I know what you were going to do and we don't like it. So we'll be watching you!" she continued.

I calmly took her hands off the front of my shirt and smirked at her, "And I should be scared of you because?"

She huffed before giving a pointed gesture to all the girls around us and saying in a mocking voice, "You seem to be missing something Tenten, for you are clearly outnumbered."

I tilted my head to the left slightly and my smirk turned into a grin and I positioned myself into a fighting stance.

Their eyes widened before they took a step back from me, scared. I made a motion as if I was going to hit the closest girl making her scream and run away, the others following after her.

As they ran away I laughed evilly.

That'll teach 'em.

Wednesday, in the gym

"Alright everyone, pair up and let's begin the lesson," Gai said happily.

Kiba raised his hand and Gai motioned for him to speak, "Why do we have to learn how to ballroom dance anyway?" He scoffed when he finished, fully displaying his disinterest in learning.

Gai laughed and said with a big smile, "Because young Kiba, there will be a school dance soon that requires students to dance formally. Plus it is youthful!"

Most of us rolled our eyes at the youthful part because for Gai, just about anything is youthful.

"Yes! I will do my best to learn this dance!" Lee said to Gai, who nodded at his student proudly.

Lee then turned and tripped and fell making a lot of laugh, but not in a cruel manner, we were used to Lee falling. Sakura, who was closest to him, gave him a hand to help him up.

After he stood up he exclaimed, "Oh beautiful Sakura! Would you be my part-" he didn't get to finish when Sasuke approached Sakura and grabbed her hand dragging her off to another part of the gym, claiming her as his partner leaving Lee pouting.

I giggled slightly, Poor Lee. I turned towards Ino when I noticed she wasn't next to me anymore and was arguing with Temari over who got to be Shikamaru's partner. I was fully laughing now, Shikamaru wasn't even paying attention, he was staring at the ceiling.

"Tenten."

I turned to see Neji had approached me while I was watching the others and I smiled at him, "Yes?"

"Would you be my partner?" he asked.

My smile widened as I agreed, after everyone was ready and Gai had taught the basics, everyone was dancing and talking to their partner.

Staring into his eyes, with his arms around my waist and mine around his neck, and with him smiling at me, I had the sudden urge to tell him my feelings. So I went for it.

"So uhm Neji, about what I wanted to tell you yesterday-" I started but he interrupted me.

"Thanks for being my partner, I really didn't want to end up with a fan girl." Neji said smiling at me in thanks.

After hearing that the want to tell him how I felt then, instantly died out. The smile on my face dimmed a little but he didn't notice.

"Don't mention it," I said simply.

There went that chance, he totally just ruined the moment. Ugh.

Thursday, after school

Shaking my head I closed my locker, I can't believe I got here so early.

Walking down the hallway I noticed Neji at his locker. I looked both ways and made sure no one was around so there would be no one to interrupt me this time.

Satisfied I approach Neji greeting happily, "Hey Neji!"

He turns and sees me approach and smiles, "Hey, how are you this morning?"

I reach his locker and say, "Good and you?"

"Good," he puts a book in his locker and stares in, probably thinking if he needed anything else.

I took my chance, no longer caring for Ino and Sakura's perfect moment, and spoke, "Neji, I -".

Once. Again. Interrupted.

But this time by the shrill sound of the fire alarm, which has set off the sprinklers on the ceiling which is now causing water to rain down to the floor, including down on Neji and I.

After various seconds it stops and Kakashi's head appears from behind his classroom door frame, he stares at us before saying, "Everything's fine...and sorry," before disappearing.

Neji chuckles softly at the situation and I fake a laugh to hide my anger.

But it's too late, for that short time the water was falling it was enough to soak us both. I didn't get to confess and now I'm soaking wet and it's cold!

That's it! I'm done.

Friday, after school

"What do you mean you aren't going to tell Neji you like him?" Sakura whispered fiercely.

"Sakura, I tired to tell him three times and all three times I failed! It's clearly a sign not to tell him at all!" I say with a huff of anger.

"You're being ridiculous, Tenten." Ino said.

"Tenten... maybe you could try to tell him one more time?" Hinata added hesitantly.

"What about you guys!" I snap and look at Hinata and say, "Have you told Naruto?"

I look towards Ino, "Shikamaru?"

Then turn towards Sakura and say, "Sasuke?"

They look away from me, but not before I see the hurt in their eyes.

I sigh and apologize, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you guys, but just forget it okay? It's done."

I leave them and walk away, I drag my feet along the sidewalk as I make my way home. After a few minutes a car comes up to me and honks. I turn and see Neji grinning at me and he yells to me, "Need a ride?"

I think about saying no but then just nod and hop in, I turn around expecting to see Hinata but nobody else is in the car.

"You mind going somewhere with me?" Neji asks.

I shake my head giving him the affirmative and as he continues driving I ask, "Where's Hinata?"

"I asked Naruto to take her home."

My head snaps in his direction and I stare at him with surprised eyes, "You let Naruto take her home?"

He chuckled before looking at me and saying in a threatening voice, "I already warned him not to try anything, or else."

I laughed imagining the scenario in my head and we continue the drive in comfortable silence. After a few more minutes driving Neji stops at Konoha Park. He gets out so I follow his example and get out, we walk the path a bit before he leads me into part of the park with a lake.

There's trees all around and the lake is so clear I can see little fishes swimming around in it, I turn to the left and see a rose bush.

I smile and as I reach out to caress a petal say, "It's so beautiful."

Neji makes a noise of agreement and I look at him from the corner of my eye hoping he looked at me when he agreed but alas he was looking at the lake. I straightened up and stared at the lake too.

"What's up?" Neji questions.

I turn towards him and look at him weirdly, "What do you mean? You're the one who asked me to go somewhere with you."

He shakes his head, "That's not what I meant. You've been trying to tell me something all week and I want to know what it is."

"Ah," I say finally getting his meaning and answer somewhat regrettably, "It was nothing, just forget it."

He steps closer to me and I step back, we continue until my back is pressed against a tree and he's standing in front of me. We locked eyes and I felt he was trying to tell me something before he stepped back.

As I try to regain the breath I had lost at our close proximity he says while chuckling lightly, "You didn't have to try find the perfect moment to tell me Tenten. I like you too."

My eyes widen and my jaw drops and he turns towards me and when he sees my expression starts laughing. Embarrassed I stepped towards him and started banging my hands on his chest lightly and demanded, "How did you know what I was doing?"

Neji grabbed my wrists and said while looking me in the eyes, "For one Tenten, I'm not dumb. I knew something was up with you."

I looked to the ground and asks quietly, "And the second?"

Neji let go of my wrists and said, "The second... Hinata told me."

After hearing that my head shot up and I stared at him incredulously, "Impossible! Hinata couldn't have told you!"

He laughed and nodded, "But she did tell me! She even said she was annoyed that you agreed with Ino and Sakura's plan to begin with!"

I was dumbfounded. Awestruck.

I barely felt Neji slide his arms around my shoulders and pull me closer to him, though I felt my arms wrap themselves around his waist.

"Personally," he continues "I agree with Hinata. Although, this will make a funny story!"

I open my mouth to protest but he shuts me up. By placing his lips on mine.

You'd think that after he knew what I had been doing, I would've broke the kiss and complained about being toyed with... but when Neji Hyuuga kisses you, the last thing you do is complain.

Authors Note:

Oh , wow! I updated yesterday and today, the ideas for this story are flowing a mile a minute, I barely have enough time to write it down! Lol

Thanks to the people who have been reviewing, including you cousin :P, I'm glad you guys like it.

To the one who have read and don't review, I hope you've liked it ;)

'Til Next Time

Read and Reviiiewww ;)

~nita