Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. So if you recognize anyone or anything from the anime, I'm just borrowing.
Takes part sometime before Shippuuden.
This chapter is shorter and largely contains Tenten and Neji. Thanks for reviewing!
Chapter 4
Tenten retrieved the last of her kunai and replaced them in her scrolls. The morning training had gone well. Gai-sensei and Lee were jogging somewhere…on their hands. She preferred not to think about it. She was just wondering what had happened to Neji when he appeared on the path in front of her.
Neji smiled when their eyes met, and Tenten felt a tiny jolt in her heart. She straightened and grinned.
"Did you sleep in today, Neji?"
Neji, his bright smile still in place, shook his head. She'd never seen him smile for this long, or with such pure joy on his face. He stopped right in front of her and took her hands.
"Neji…?" Is he going to confess?! shouted Inner Tenten.
"Tenten, I want to show you something."
"Oh…okay, sure. What is it?"
He pulled her to the shade of a tree and sat her down facing him. Then he took two deep, calming breaths before releasing her hands and moving his own to undo his hitai-ate, the Konoha forehead plate that always sat on his brow.
Neji pulled the forehead protector away and set it on the ground beside him, never taking his eyes off of Tenten's.
Tenten gasped. "Neji! The seal!"
Neji's brow was smooth and perfect, unmarred by the cursed seal that had weighed on his heart and mind for so long.
Tenten reached up unconsciously and ran her fingers over his forehead in awe.
"What…? When…?"
"Hiashi-sama…. Iie, Uncle Hiashi removed it this morning."
"I thought it could only be removed after death."
"That is the tradition. And I also thought it could not be undone. It turns out that the Head of the Hyuga Clan alone knows how to undo the seal. And Uncle Hiashi thought it was easier for him to remove it because he was the one to place it there."
"So you're a Head Family member now?"
Neji paused thoughtfully. "I suppose so. Uncle Hiashi has been training me in the ways of the Hyuga Clan all of this time, though."
"So…is he making you his heir then?"
"I…don't know. He has asked me to keep this quiet from the rest of the branch family until he's had a chance to explain his actions during a clan meeting." Neji carefully replaced his forehead protector.
"Neji…I'm so happy for you," Tenten said, her eyes filled with pride and joy.
Neji's arms, without the command of his brain, reached up toward her about halfway. Tenten grinned and moved into them, wrapping her own around his shoulders.
They were still embracing, the beautiful early afternoon sun shining down on their entwined figures in the shade of the large maple, when Guy-sensei and Lee inconveniently came around the bend and caught sight of their "passionate"—albeit upside-down—"secret tryst."
"OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!" Shouted Guy Sensei. "MY BRILLIANT PUPIL HAS FINALLY DISCOVERED THE FLAMES OF YOUTHFUL LOVE! NICE, NEJI!" Guy flashed him a proud thumbs up while balancing on one hand.
"Ch-ch-chigau," Neji stuttered, uncharacteristically sounding like Hinata for once. He and Tenten had separated as soon as they heard their sensei's jubilant voice. "I-I-It's not exactly like that."
Not exactly like that? wondered Inner Tenten. Does that mean…it's sort of like that?
"Nice, Neji!" repeated Lee, flipping to his feet and flashing a matching proud thumbs up.
Tenten sighed and rolled her eyes before yanking the flustered Neji to his feet. "Come on, Neji. Let's go get something to eat."
Neji and Tenten walked away quickly as Guy and Lee stared after them with proud tears streaming down their faces.
When they were safe out of harm's way in the shelter of Ichiraku's awning, Neji let out an unhappy groan.
"Aw, come on, Neji. Is it really that bad if they think we're…well…something or other."
"No, it's not that! It's just that…well, Guy-sensei's going to want to give me 'The Talk' again."
"The talk? What talk? How come I don't know about it?"
Neji shook his head and buried it in his hands. "It's too terrible to discuss with a lady."
Tenten burst out laughing. "Neji, it can't be that bad."
"There were charts, Tenten. Detailed diagrams. Diagrams drawn by Guy-sensei!"
Tenten sat in puzzled silence for several moments as she worked out what was going on.
Chouji and Shikamaru slipped in and sat down to grab a bite to eat, glancing curiously at Neji's bowed head and Tenten's "Think, Think, Think" face. (A/N: Yes, she looks like Pooh.)
"Oh! You mean, like, you and me having sex or something?"
Chouji and Shikamaru abruptly fell over while Neji's head shot up.
"Chigau!" Neji shouted, his face a shade of red to give Hinata a run for her money.
"Oh, so just general sex then?"
"Tenten! We're in public!"
"Well, yeah, but-!" Tenten's voice trailed off as Neji grabbed her and raced out of sight, leaving a bewildered Chouji and Shikamaru at the counter.
OOOOO
"Okay, are you sure you want to know?" Neji whispered.
"Neji, why are we under a shed?"
"So no one will hear us," Neji explained patiently.
"Man, there are a lot of bugs here."
"Just ignore them."
"Alright, so tell me. What's 'This Talk' all about?"
Neji took a deep breathe and plunged right in, holding back none of the gruesome details about the diagrams of "youthful passion" and the "progression of passionate love" and the "responsibilities of flaming youth."
"Oh, I see," Tenten nodded. "Good thing I'm a girl. Kurenai-sensei took me aside and we had a nice girl chat over ice cream."
Neji sighed miserably. "The Talk" was coming. He could feel it. Plus, on top of it all, his brief hug with Tenten had been cut short.
In his bug-keeping shed, Shino looked down at the wooden planks below his feet and raised a single eyebrow.
