Sorry I haven't updated in a while guys but I've been so busy it's crazy! Anyway enjoy the third chapter to this story. I've had so much positive feedback and I think it's the fan fav out of all my stories so far and I've only done two chapters! Remember to fav, follow and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!

-X-

Tenten hadn't realised how far she had led Neji into the woods until it took a good fifteen minute walk back to where Shikamaru and Sasuke had set up camp. The sky was begin to change from blue-yellow to orange-red and if it hadn't been for Neji's Byakugan they would have been disastrously lost. However, they made it back to the clearing to find Sasuke tending a small fire and Shikamaru setting down the bedding in a U-shape around the burning logs.

The Uchiha glanced up from tending the flames as he noticed the two figures heading towards them and he couldn't help the sardonic smirk that now dominated his features.

"Done already?"

It took all of Tenten's willpower to resist snapping Sasuke's neck in half. She could hear Neji growl softly from beside her and she guessed that she wasn't the only one who wanted the raven haired boy beaten to a pulp.

"Even if that were so, it's longer than you could ever do," the weapons mistress retorted haughtily before sitting across from him on a log that had been dragged out. "I hear from Sakura that you finish within about five minutes. Is that all the great Uchiha can do?"

Both Neji and Shikamaru made sounds of supressed laughter and Tenten could feel the smug satisfaction welling in her chest as she watched Sasuke's expression morph from jeering to humiliated anger. In all honesty, she probably shouldn't have kept her mouth shut but he deserved a taste of his own medicine.

Sasuke could feel rage flaring throughout his body and if he hadn't had such good control over his composure he would have snarled at the girl. Instead he took a breath and relaxed his tense shoulders before replying, "You ought to learn to not comment on subjects you know nothing about. After all, you're the inexperienced one with no sexual experience whatsoever. It's rather pathetic that you have to be taught all these things."

Tenten could feel herself turning three different shades of red and Sasuke knew what he had said hit the mark. She opened her mouth to retort but nothing came out so she just gave Sasuke one last loathsome glare before turning her back on him. The raven haired boy couldn't remember a time where he had felt more thoroughly enjoyed. The kunoichi was feisty, stubborn and defensive which made it all the more satisfying for Sasuke when he mocked her.

"Let's get dinner ready," Neji suggested before turning to Tenten expectantly who nodded in understanding.

She pulled a small scroll out of her pocket before unravelling it onto the ground and muttering a summoning jutsu. A split second later, and a tray piled with rice balls, dried fruits, nuts and tender meats appeared alongside a frying pan which Tenten picked up before planting herself in front of the fire.

"I'll cook the meat," the brunette said as she placed the pan on top of glowing coals. "You boys can start dividing the dry food into four equal portions."

The three men nodded before silently grabbing a plate from Tenten and serving up the food. The air was suddenly filled with the sound of sizzling as Tenten tossed the cuts of meat into the pan. After the meat had been cooked she scraped a portion onto each of the four plates and the shinobi began digging in ravenously.

"Right, let's go over tomorrow's plan," Shikamaru spoke up once they were halfway through their meal. "We'll begin travelling again at first light and continue on to Suna. We shouldn't encounter any problems on the way there and once we get to the village we can recuperate a bit more and Tenten can continue with her training. Plus, we can stock up on supplies and buy some different clothes for when we near Kumogakure."

"Perhaps we should gather some intel on Ryoku as well," Neji suggested. "Ask around and see if anyone knows anything about him."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement before eating a mouthful of food.

"The Kazekage should have files on him and I'm sure he won't be averse to sharing the information with us."

"Gaara?" Tenten piqued up with interest. "I haven't seen him in the longest time. I'm sure Temari will be happy to see you again Nara prodigy grunted disapprovingly at Tenten's sly remark.

"Actually, maybe you should alert her to the fact that you're now dating Ino," the brunette suggested. "It's not nice to give people false hope you know."

"We will not be lingering around any longer than necessary," Shikamaru interposed sharply and Tenten knew it was just a cover up so he wouldn't have to face the scary blonde.

"Coward," she muttered, shaking her head slightly as Sasuke snickered across from her and the lazy boy rolled his eyes in response.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence and once they had finished, Tenten ordered her teammates to rinse their plates in the river before she returned everything back into the scroll. Dusk was upon them and the brunette was absolutely exhausted. It was hard to believe that only an hour ago she had been forced to learn how to kiss with Neji as her training partner. It had turned out to be a very strange day indeed and she had a feeling that the worst was still yet to come.

"We should turn in early and restore our strength," the pineapple haired boy stated as he stretched his arms above his head. "I'll go on first watch and we will rotate every few hours: Tenten, Sasuke and then Neji. I'll alert you if anything happens."

Everyone nodded in understanding before Shikamaru leapt up into one of the trees and settling himself on a thick branch. Tenten slid into her sleeping bag, moving slightly closer to the fire to keep warm. She noticed she was only three metres away from where Neji lay and – thank god – opposite of where Sasuke slept. Within half an hour, both prodigies were fast asleep but Tenten was wide awake, eyes open and hands folded gently on her stomach. The stars were beginning to shine through the wispy clouds and the wood on their fire crackled and popped. The brunette closed her eyes attempting to drift off into sleep. An hour passed and even though she was physically and mentally drained, her body still refused rest. Instead, she crawled out of her sleeping bag and jumped up onto the branch Shikamaru was guarding from.

The Nara prodigy looked weary and bored, one leg dangling over the branch while his other leg was drawn into his chest.

"You should rest. We've got a full day of running to do tomorrow," the boy advised as Tenten sat next to him.

"If I could sleep, I would," Tenten answered with a small sigh.

She gazed downwards and realised they were a good thirty metres above the ground. She could still make out Sasuke's and Neji's sleeping figures and the moon was directly above them. A chilly breeze began to pick up and a shiver radiated over Tenten's body which didn't go unnoticed by the boy sitting next to her.

"You should sit next to the fire where it's warmer."

"It's fine," Tenten assured him casually as she stretched her back delicately.

"You won't be saying that once your fingers and toes begin falling off."

The weapons mistress rolled her eyes before glancing at Shikamaru. She could just make out his face in the dim moonlight but his expression remained blank.

"Do you really want me gone that badly?" she asked sarcastically.

"I never said I did."

"Well, you're heavily implying it."

"Don't assume things."

"I'm not assuming, I'm stating it how it is."

"You're too troublesome," the man muttered, throwing his head back to gaze at the night sky and Tenten grinned lightly. "You're crucial to the mission. We can't have you getting hurt, sick or impaired in any sort of way."

"I know," the bun haired girl said sombrely. "You don't have to keep reminding me."

"It's ok to be afraid. I remember going on my first seduction mission."

Tenten eyes widened with curiosity and shock as she stared at the Nara prodigy.

"You've been on a seduction mission?"

Shikamaru let out a short humourless laugh as he turned to face the weapons mistress.

"Yeah, I failed though," he told her. "I miscalculated and overestimated my abilities and my client managed to get away."

"You failed?" Tenten murmured in disbelief. "Wow, never thought I'd hear you say that."

"None of us are perfect."

"I guess so. Does Ino know you've gone on a seduction mission before?"

"Sure," Shikamaru shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't feel the need to hide things like that from her."

"More like you can't," the weapons mistress smiled. "I bet she digs into your mind using some Mind Reading Jutsu. She does that on me a lot."

"It's troublesome, I grant you."

"I couldn't agree more," Tenten mused as she tucked a few strands of stray hair behind her ear. "How long do you think my training will take?"

"As long as is necessary," Shikamaru answered truthfully. "You've got a long road ahead of you. We have to get you more physically prepared in order to seduce Ryoku. I don't know if you've thought about it or not but you – "

"I have," the brunette broke in, her body tensing at the thought.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as he stared at the bun haired girl. Her lips were pursed into a tight, thin line and eyes were intense and downcast. He knew she was scared and she had every right to be. If he had been her position he would have pissed himself knowing that there was a high possibility that he would lose his virginity to a complete stranger in order to complete the mission. Ino had been sent on several missions where she had to prostitute herself to other men and although she was no longer 'innocent' he knew it was still no more pleasant or any less traumatising for her. So he could only just imagine the fear and mental torment that Tenten was going through.

"I'm hoping it won't come to that though," the brunette boy spoke up softly. "I'm betting on him confessing the whereabouts of the missing scrolls before anything can get too serious."

"You're not very good at cheering people up," Tenten pulled a face but sighed calmly.

"I'm just being realistic not optimistic," Shikamaru pointed out as he readjusted his position on the tree branch. "However, hoping never really got anyone anywhere."

"And now you've converted to pessimistic," the weapons mistress threw her hands up in mock exasperation. "You sure change philosophies fast."

"You're too troublesome."

"Everyone is troublesome to you."

Shikamaru dismissed her remark and a quietness passed between the two. Subconsciously, Tenten drew a kunai out of her holster and began twirling it around her fingers before scraping the bark off the tree branch. It was a little habit of hers, fiddling around with a weapon to distract herself. She cast her eyes downward and focused on Neji's sleeping figure. He always looked more captivating when he slept. His normally sharp, focused features were much more serene and relaxed and the air of authority and power around him seemed to slip away. Instead he looked much more tranquil and vulnerable and his pale skin glowed luminously under the moonlight.

An inaudible sigh escaped her lips. She hated feeling this way – caught between what was right and what she wanted. She wanted to love him, for him to love her but she knew it would never happen. They weren't destined to be together. He was a god, the pride of the Hyuga clan and an honoured shinobi whereas she was just…Tenten. Fate was cruel, putting Neji beside her, knowing they would never be able to be with one another and breaking her heart.

Shikamaru caught the brunette's saddened expression and knew immediately she was thinking about Neji. He had never really felt sorry for anyone before but he couldn't help but feel sympathy towards the bun haired kunoichi. Neji was proud, much more than he or even Sasuke was. But at the same time he was a lot more susceptible to his emotions, as hard as tried to conceal them. Somehow, the Hyuga was just too dense to realise that he couldn't be with any other woman except Tenten. The Nara prodigy hoped that by then end of this mission, should it succeed, that Neji will finally come to terms with his feelings and the couple would be just as happy as the rest of their friends are.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep since you're already up," Shikamaru voiced before standing up and stretching his body.

"That's fine," Tenten replied, craning her neck upwards so she could see his face. "I'll wake Sasuke in a couple of hours. Hopefully by then I'll feel the need to fall asleep."

The boy nodded before leaping gracefully to the ground and sinking into his sleeping bag leaving Tenten to ponder about the stupidest prodigy Shikamaru had ever met.

-X-

It wasn't even first light but Neji had woken the rest of the squad in order to head out as quickly as possible. It took five minutes to pack up camp and the four shinobi bounded into the thick trees in the direction of Suna. A day into their running and the earthy ground turned into sand and on the second day they reached the Sand Village. Tenten had noted on their journey how many words were exchanged throughout the two day trip. Let's just say the amount of words that were said between the four of them wouldn't have formed a one line sentence. It was dark once they had reached the front entrance to Suna and Tenten felt as though she was about to collapse from sheer exhaustion.

"We finally made it!" she gasped, placing her hands on her knees to steady her breathing.

"Luckily we didn't run into any problems along the way," Shikamaru asserted as they passed through the entrance. "Let's quickly find an inn and set up base there. We will sleep and then we can go stock up on supplies and gather information in the morning before heading out."

Everyone was tired from the journey and didn't argue as Shikamaru led them to the nearest inn. It was small and quaint, made of sandstone and a small elderly man, who Tenten guessed was the inn keeper, greeted them cheerfully as they entered.

"My, you look like you've travelled a long way," the man observed as he glimpsed their headbands.

"Yes, we're looking for a place to stay," Shikamaru answered politely, "Would you have any spare rooms available for overnight?"

"I have two rooms left. Although, there is only one bed per room," the man glanced pointedly at Tenten. "I would think the young lady might prefer a room of her own. I know another establishment – "

"The two rooms will be fine," the brunette seized the opportunity to continue his matchmaking scheme. "We'll take it, thank you."

The inn keeper nodded wordlessly before bustling behind the counter and producing two room keys.

"If you need anything let me know. Enjoy your stay!"

Shikamaru turned to face his teammates with a blank expression.

"Ok, Sasuke and I will share one room and you and Tenten can have the other," he told Neji as he handed them the second key. "You two are teammates so it will be less awkward if you bunk together. Besides you'll have a room to yourselves so you two can…uh…practice."

Both Tenten and Neji were too weary to detect the underlying intentions in his voice and merely nodded.

"Right, get some sleep and we'll meet back here at seven o'clock in the morning."

The four shinobi made their way up the flight of stairs before heading opposite ways to their rooms. As soon as Neji had unlocked the door to their room, Tenten collapsed on the bed with a relived sigh.

"A real bed," she murmured appreciatively as she buried her face in one of the pillows. "I haven't slept in one of these in the longest time."

"Three days, Tenten," Neji reminded her as he placed their bags on a small table. "Don't tell me you're missing something as trivial as a bed already."

"Three days is a long time," the brunette defended before sitting up on the mattress. "Besides, a bed is a lot more comfortable than the ground."

"It's all part of being a shinobi."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it though."

Tenten pushed herself off of the bed before rummaging through her bag and pulling out a change of clothes.

"I'm going to have a shower," she announced as she made her way to the bathroom. "Do you mind getting out some food?"

As the prodigy shook his head, Tenten closed the door, turned the shower tap on and a gush of water streamed out of the nozzle. The water was warm and refreshing especially after running for three days covered in grime and sweat. The heat seemed to loosen all the tension throughout her body and her muscles felt less sore and much more relaxed. After a good ten minutes she switched off the tap and quickly got changed before tying her long hair back into two messy buns. As she stepped out of the bathroom she could see Neji had already placed a plate of food out for her and was now laying a few blankets by the foot of the bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked before picking up the plate of food and eating with her fingers.

"Attempting to create a makeshift bed," Neji replied as he smoothed the blankets over the floor.

"Why?" Tenten's brow furrowed with confusion as she popped a piece of dried apricot into her mouth.

Neji replied by glancing pointedly at the bed and when Tenten still didn't understand what he meant he sighed exasperatedly.

"There's only one bed, Tenten," he proclaimed like it was obvious and the brunette could only blush as realisation dawned on her.

"Oh, right," she managed with an awkward laugh. "Of course. Well I'll take the floor then. You can have the bed."

"Don't be ridiculous," Neji told her as he grabbed a pillow off the futon and nestled it at the top of the sheets on the floor. "I'll sleep on the floor and you can sleep on the mattress. We're not arguing over this."

Tenten opened her mouth to retort but she knew it was no use arguing with Neji, his logic would always triumph hers. Neji also headed for the shower and Tenten summoned a few weapons and began cleaning them. She heard the rush of water gush from the bathroom and she couldn't help but think about the intimacy of the situation. They were to spend the night together in the same room and he was standing twelve feet away from her, behind a closed door, undressed and the weapons mistress remembered the way his body felt against hers when he was kissing her, strong and dominant. Imagine if he had been shirtless with his chiselled abs sliding against her stomach and –

No.

Tenten halted her thoughts before they could continue any further. She was just the same as any other nineteen year old, horny girl fantasising over an unfortunately good looking boy who just happened to be her teammate no less. The fact that her old love for him was kicking up again didn't help the situation at all.

She could hear the water shut off and within a minute Neji stepped into the room in a fresh change of clothes. His hair damp and loose of its usual ponytail and wet strands of hair kept sticking to his beautiful face.

"We should continue with your training," Neji advised and Tenten raised a confused eyebrow.

"Training?" she muttered to herself before understanding struck her. "Oh, right. I wouldn't really call it training."

"It is what it is, Tenten."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who has to be schooled on how to be seductive."

"That is true," Neji murmured as he picked up one of her weapons she was cleaning and inspected it. "Shikamaru gave me some…instruction on how to train you. He wants us to focus more on the physical side of things."

Neji did his best to keep his grimace off of his face. What the Nara prodigy had asked him to do was damn near impossible and downright degrading. He knew Tenten wouldn't be happy with it at all and just the thought of doing it made him feel sick and – god forgive him – anticipated at the same time. Shikamaru wanted her to 'touch him' and for him to 'touch her'. She must learn how to properly touch a man in order to arouse him and she needs to get used to the fact that Ryoku will most likely touch her as well, Neji remembered the Nara prodigy saying. He didn't quite need that mental image in his mind but that fact that he would have to touch his teammate and friend in a very sexual manner was a little difficult to shake out of his mind. He remembered the last time they kissed and he could barely control his raging hormones. He feared for what would happen this time around.

At his words, Tenten's brow furrowed and she folded her arms before saying, "And kissing isn't physical enough?"

"You will have to do a lot more than kissing if you want to seduce Ryoku," Neji told her. "You're still inexperienced, you've got a long way to go. Remember, one wrong slip up and the mission is over."

"And you're so experienced, right?" Tenten drawled sarcastically as she grabbed the weapon off him and returned it to her scroll.

"More than you are," he replied with an amused smile and before Tenten could begin questioning him on what he meant he added, "Come on. Let's get this over and done with."

He stood up and made his way to the middle of the room and Tenten followed him tentatively, awaiting his instruction.

"So, what did Shikamaru tell you to instruct me on?" she asked casually, trying to keep her nerves out of her voice.

Neji ran an exasperated hand over his head, trying to find an easier way of going about it. How on earth could he explain what he intended to do?

"I-it's difficult to explain with words," he contemplated with a solemn expression. "It'll be easier if I demonstrate. I apologise in advance for what I'm about to do."

And before Tenten could say another word, his lips crushed to hers without hesitation. His hands found their way to her back, pulling her in closer as his mouth slipped over hers in a hungry frenzy. Compared to their other kisses, this one was wild and untamed, full of passion and desire and Tenten was in absolute heaven. Her lips eventually parted and his tongue darted into her mouth and ran along her lower lip line and she resisted the urge to moan aloud. Her fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt desperately and she felt his hands leave her back to grab hers, all the while without breaking the kiss. Neji moved her hands towards his stomach until they were under his shirt, instructing her fingers as they touched his skin, hoping she would understand what Shikamaru wanted her to do.

As soon as Neji had moved her hands under his shirt, Tenten let out a small gasp in surprised embarrassment. His fingers moved over hers, sliding her hands over his chiselled stomach all the way to his toned chest. She could feel herself getting rather moist but she didn't want to stop. She knew it was wrong but she wanted more.

After Tenten had gotten the hang of touching his body without his guidance, Neji retracted his hands and slowly moved them down her body, feeling the curve of her breast to her small waist line to her beautiful hipbones and eventually to her thighs. He kissed her even harder and faster and she was now caressing his chest which sent heavenly chills radiating over his body. It was difficult to think with a clear head, and though he was beginning to cross the lines, he couldn't bring himself to stop. In an instant, he hoisted her leg until it wrapped around his waist and he began stroking her outer thigh.

Tenten was completely taken by surprise when Neji lifted her leg to fit around him and as soon as he began stroking her thigh she couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips. Mission or not she wanted this. He bit her lower lip, hell it was amazing, and she moaned again.

At the sound of Tenten's moan Neji could feel himself getting hard. She sounded incredibly sexy and for some reason it gave him great pleasure to know he had that effect on her. His lips left hers and began travelling down her neck however Tenten could feel herself beginning to fall off balance and the couple toppled over onto the bed with Neji hovering over the top of her. They broke all contact and it was at that moment that Neji realised he had gone too far and instead of kissing her again he stared into her eyes for a few moments before heaving himself up and straightening his clothes.

"Sorry," he apologised in a husky voice, averting her gaze. "I hope that wasn't too uncomfortable for you."

Tenten took a moment before answering. Her cheeks were flushed and her breath was unstable. She had never felt so exhilarated in her entire life but she managed to sit upright and reply, "No, it's fine."

"He wanted us to be more physical with our hands," Neji explained referring to Shikamaru as if it justified his actions. "He wanted you to sexually arouse your partner more and he wanted you to get used to the idea of being touched. I apologise again if it was too much for you."

"Oh," was all the brunette could say in a small voice.

She could feel her hands trembling and her heart ached with longing to kiss him again and now she was hot and bothered and just plain horny. And the only way to stop that was to keep going.

"Let's keep practicing," she voiced firmly, lifting her gaze until it aligned with his. "I need to get this right."

Neji could feel his erection throbbing in his pants and he was grateful to the fact that she hadn't noticed it yet. He wasn't quite sure how much he could take before his teammate realised he was probably too aroused from their make-out sessions and it wasn't really a predicament he wanted to find himself in. However, he couldn't seem to bring himself to refuse and he found himself nodding in agreement before taking her in his arms and continuing the kiss.

Tenten hadn't expected him to agree. She thought he would have flat out told her 'no', saying that they were done for the night. But somehow she found herself in Neji's vice grip as he pushed her back onto the soft mattress and Tenten wished she could feel the weight of his body pressing down on her.

"Take my shirt off," he managed to say through gasps of breath.

Tenten halted for a small moment in fear and shock. Take off his shirt? How?

"Don't hesitate, Tenten," he growled softly. "You'll have to do the same thing to Ryoku and if you mess it up you'll get yourself killed."

Without another thought, the weapons mistress began tugging his shirt out of his pants and Neji helped her lift it over his head before his mouth went back to assaulting her senses. It was proving to be nearly impossible to contain all the moan and noises of pleasure that were trapped inside of her. She ran her hands down his exposed skin and she could feel the Hyuga prodigy shiver at her touch. Her lips curved into a small smile. It was pleasing to know that he was enjoying himself even if it was just a little bit.

Neji was getting much too hard to the point where it was painful. And he was sure that soon she would find out and he would have to face the embarrassment. He needed to stop. He had to stop before it could go on any further. This was his teammate and his friend. This was Tenten. He shouldn't be enjoying this. He was helping her train for a mission and thus he shouldn't be feeling any pleasure whatsoever. His mind was screaming at him to stop but his body was telling him to keep going and Neji wasn't sure which one he should listen to. And why hadn't she scolded at him to stop yet? He was clearly beginning to pass her cautious lines. His hands had reached her pantie line and yet she hadn't indicated for him to halt his actions at all. Maybe she thought that this was part of the training, a further step in their lesson of seduction. But even Neji knew he was just using I as a feeble excuse to be close to her.

All of a sudden a sharp knock on the door brought them both to their senses and the couple completely froze.

"Shit," Neji whispered harshly as he tore his lips away from Tenten's.

Tenten could feel her heart exploding in her chest as she stared into her teammates striking eyes. They were completely unfathomable except from one emotion in the depths of his iris's that hinted regret. She could feel his body retract from hers before pulling his shirt back over his head in one fluid motion and heading to the bathroom, indicating that Tenten was to open the door. However, the bun haired girl was too stunned to move. She just laid on the bed, staring at the spot where the Hyuga had been standing only seconds ago thinking to herself, what the hell just happened?

A/N – Third chapter done and I am so happy! Hope it was ok let me know your thoughts!