Right Kind of Wrong

By:
Blade Redwind
and
Nokito-chan

Warning: This fic is rated M, so please be aware of that and turn back if instances of profanity and sexual situations are abhorrent to you.

Disclaimer: Neither Blade Redwind nor Nokito-chan in any way own Naruto or its affiliated characters.

Know all about,
About your reputation
And how it's bound to be a heartbreak situation
But I can't help it if I'm helpless
Every time I'm where you are
You walk in and my strength walks out the door
Say my name and I can't fight it anymore
I know I should go
But I need your touch just too damn much
Loving you, isn't really something I should do
I shouldn't want to spend my time with you
I should try to be strong
But, baby,
You're the right kind of wrong

-The Right Kind of Wrong
by LeAnn Rimes

Chapter 6

"Drink?"

There were people everywhere; much as there had been at the house party a week ago. It was loud; the sound of music blaring from different devices almost grating on his ears. Three girls had already hit on him, inebriated beyond any measure of good; one had nearly thrown up on him before he'd shoved her at Suigetsu and Kiba.

His only saving grace was the cool night air, evened out by the sporadic fires all over the place.

He found himself raising a brow at Kiba as he leaned against the hood of his car—if nothing else but to prevent other people from doing the same stupid thing while drunk. Usually, he said no right away. Long ingrained in him by his uncle were the dangers of alcoholism; however, his agitation made him take an uncharacteristic pause before he shook his head and pushed the cup aside.

"You know I don't."

Kiba shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for trying. I figure if you do, you might relax a little, since sex is supposedly out of the picture.

"And, ya know, that's the only thing that's convinced me you haven't slept with that hot little arch-nemesis of yours. I seriously have this theory that it'd suck all the pent-up aggression right out of you and you might actually be normal for more than five minutes."

As tempting as it might have been to smash Kiba's head into a nearby tree... he remained impassive and offered an eye-slitting glare.

Kiba's grin in return wasn't helping, his laughter that followed made the play-by-play in his head that much more tempting to make real. The ear-splitting shrieks from behind where Karin and Ino were now screaming at Suigetsu only made matters worse.

Neji closed his eyes, sighed and counted down from ten.

"Hey, where'd Hinata and Hanabi go?" he heard Karin ask.

"Uh..." Ino started, obviously thinking about it. "Oh, yeah!" she snapped her fingers as she replied. "Her friends came over and dragged her off to roast s'mores. Why?"

"No reason... just didn't see them around; and they were here, what, a second ago?"

Ino laughed. "That's because you were too busy trying to suck Suigetsu's face!"

"Ugh! No way!"

"Yes way! Don't deny it."

"Did someone say my name?" the aforementioned party piped up.

But, by then, Neji wasn't listening anymore. He found himself standing up and turning around to where he'd seen his cousins not three minutes ago before Kiba had started in on him. Both of them were gone—naturally. Not that he would have usually cared (too much), but...

Damnit.

"Ino," he called out to the blonde, grabbing her attention. Her bright, blue eyes snapped to his, brows raised.

"Yeah?"

"Was that Sarutobi brat in the group that Hanabi went with?"

She frowned. "Tenten?"

His lips twitched into an irritated frown even as his fists tightened in his jeans. His patience was wearing undeniably thin. "No. Konohamaru. Her cousin."

"Oh," she said stupidly before taking a sip of her drink through her straw. "Um..." she echoed as she looked upward, brows raised once more. "Actually, yeah, he was, now that you ask."

He didn't wait for her to ask why. Instead, he turned to Kiba.

Kiba spoke before he could address him, "If you want to know, the hot little nemesis—whom you're not fucking—got here about ten minutes ago. I saw her wander by with her Billy Idol wannabe."

"Who?" Neji couldn't help asking, not—for once—noting the gleam in his wolfy friend's eyes.

He rolled them next. "I forgot; your taste in music sucks."

Neji sighed. "Kiba..."

He took a swig from his cup, the one Neji had refused. "I dunno his name. The one she was suckin' face with Monday."

Cold, biting ice made a path down his spine; he couldn't help it or stop it. Ultimately, it made his agitation from earlier worse. His heart felt resolved to find her, but his mind convinced him it had nothing to do with kissing her or someone else kissing her; rather, that it had to do with keeping Hanabi away from Konohamaru. As the eldest, it was her job to keep her brat of a relative under control—just as it was his.

At least, that's what Hiashi had drilled into him for years. And right now, it sounded as good an explanation as any for his present condition.

"Whoa! Where ya—Hey! Neji!" Kiba's voice cried out behind him as he stalked out into the night.

The Inuzuka boy grunted, watching Neji slowly disappear into the crowd. "Well... if that's not jealousy..."

"If what's not jealousy?" Karin piped up next to him.

He offered her a charismatic, wolfish grin. "Watching you swap spit with Suigetsu, babe." He mock pouted. "What about us?"

She shoved him, making him half-laugh and grunt in the same moment. "Shut up, prick."

But Neji heard none of this; by this point he was dodging one person half-stumbling after another and carefully avoiding ninth graders he didn't know while at the same time trying to spot ones he knew were friends with Hanabi. What he really failed to realize was how his opaque hues stuck on one brown head of hair after another.

He shouldn't have to do this, shouldn't be forced to go off searching for his slip of a cousin, who—like Tenten was to Konohamaru—was more of a sister to him than cousin; actually, more so, given that he'd grown up with her as far back as he could recall. Hell, he'd been present right after her birth.

Maybe that was it; maybe she just didn't understand the dedication required of him. After all, the Sarutobi household was much more relaxed, especially if her grandfather was allowing her to hang out with the likes of... of... that. On a much more sane level, he might have really considered that looks weren't all that true; however, he really wasn't. Thus, at best, he saw the punk as everything but good. He grasped onto that angry feeling of Tenten not really caring or understanding what it meant to be family like he did, like the Hyuuga did.

He was only trying to protect Hanabi, which was far less than he could say of Tenten with regards to Konohamaru. If she understood, which she didn't, she wouldn't put her little 'brother' in this predicament. She would also grasp that it wasn't Neji, but his uncle's wishes he had to follow.

"—Hey!"

His head snapped; his body nearly swung around as he heard her voice. And there she was, hands on her hips, talking to Moegi—Hanabi's friend... and the girl Konohamaru had been hitting on... but he was nowhere in sight.

His eyes were slits.

He didn't even realize he was walking forward until Tenten got closer and he knew she wasn't moving. To the outward observer it wasn't walking however, it was stalking. He managed to stop short about five feet away from her near a tree—which he leaned a shoulder against as he crossed his arms over his chest. In this position the shadows around him blocked out the dancing flame-light.

He couldn't really hear her very well, not from this distance because of the low tone she was speaking in to the younger girl. She looked quite intent however. Unconsciously, his eyes roved over her.

She was wearing sneakers, like normal. Long legs went on for what felt like forever, honed from a few years at lacrosse. About her hips, riding low and hugging her bottom, was a tight, little, black jean skirt fastened with a studded belt. Her midsection, much to his shock, was bare; her upper form was covered only by a grey cotton top. Her arms had the usual bangles and bracelets. But, her hair... it was down again. Opaque hues trailed the chocolate waves from where they cascaded like dark honey down her back.

His chest tightened, warmed, hummed and the feeling exploded from there outward; it pricked at his skin, just as she pricked at his senses and his pride. Goosebumps made a path along every area of flesh, tapering with heat. It pooled in his groin, electrifying him without consent.

Enough!

He couldn't keep doing this, torturing himself. What was the point? He asked himself this as he turned his line of sight away from her and towards the ground to his far left. Strands of his hair fell, toppling across his temple to half-curtain his features from the passerby.

She was just another girl. There shouldn't be anything amazing about her, nothing to drive him to this insanity. But there was, his heart rallied back, ignoring his superior sense of logic and reason.

His jaw tightened, clenching to the point of pain. His fingernails mirrored the action into his palms. His knuckles would have met the same fate against the very tree he leaned against were it not for her.

"Now to find that Hyuuga bastard."

And then the aforementioned logic and reason reminded of just why he'd been looking for her.

Hanabi. Konohamaru.

"And which Hyuuga would that be?" he found himself almost demanding in that smooth, aggressive tone he regularly tried to cow her with—in vain—as he stepped forward and out of the shadows. "Somehow I doubt you're referring to my cousins, Sarutobi."

Tenten spun around, surprise briefly evident in her eyes. And then they narrowed as she hesitated. The first thought to jump to mind was: how much had he heard of that? Of course, all depending on how much he had heard would explain his current mood. After all, they'd left on a pretty good note earlier today... too good, actually. Then again, Neji could be moody in general. Who knew.

So, she chose to roll her eyes and cross her arms over her chest. "You never know. Hinata might have pissed me off sometime in the last six hours or so since we spoke."

The flare in his eyes told her he thought otherwise. This was especially so when they shifted to Sasuke, lingered, and then drifted back to her.

"Where's Hanabi?"

"How would I know?" she replied. "Isn't it your job to keep a leash on your little cousins?"

Neji could feel a vein beginning to twist just above his brow. "Wouldn't you? Assuming your little cousin is with her."

She frowned. "What's your problem, Hyuuga? Konohamaru hasn't been hounding after Hanabi for a while now. Remember? He's being sniffing up Moegi's skirt."

A smirk began forming as he took a step toward her. His hands slid to his hips as he made some level of an attempt to intimidate her by towering over her; which, wasn't very effective considering she was only a hair shorter than him. Heels only made it worse—when she wore them. "Yes, but I just watched Moegi speak to you and run off. Now, presuming you're not going to try to lie to me, Konohamaru isn't with her. So, it stands to reason he's with Hanabi."

"And why does this matter?"

"Because I have a problem with it," he bit off, leaning closer. "And if something isn't done about it, I'm going to make it your problem."

She snorted, staring at him through lowered eyelashes. "Doesn't seem like I'm losing out too much, since you're already making it my problem." Her brows rose. "Now, do me a favour and back out of my personal space, Hyuuga."

"Ten—."

"I'm fine, Sasuke. Promise."

His sigh was audible.

Again, Neji's eyes flickered to the guy with her. Sasuke was his name, apparently. He brought his gaze back to hers, smiling a little snidely. "So, tell me, Sasuke, do you make a habit of making out in a school hallway with your friends?"

Tenten blinked at this remark. What...

"If they're good kissers, why not?" Sasuke shrugged lazily. "I do even more if they're up for it and the chemistry's there." And then that smirk came as he lit a cigarette. The sinful one that generally made Tenten want to roll her eyes at his arrogance.

And then he winked. At Neji.

Tenten blinked. Twice.

"But you know, they say the best ride is one with your enemy. How 'bout it?"

Tenten slapped a hand over her face. She shook her head. Sasuke, you and your mouth... sometimes...

"Ten here was an amazing ride."

And then the flash came. Tenten jumped into action as soon as she realized what was going to happen. She grabbed the back of Neji's collar and pulled him back. "What the hell is the matter with you, Hyuuga?" She shot a glare at Sasuke, mouthing, 'What the hell?'

Neji jerked in her grip, turning to glare at her again.

As he opened his mouth to shout something at her she interrupted him, whispering tightly, "In case you haven't noticed, we're gathering a crowd. So, if you want to continue this... talk, we need to go somewhere else." Her eyes shifted left and right, touching on one lingering set of eyes and ears after another.

Neji paused, following her gaze for a few brief seconds. After a moment, he bit off, "...Fine." He jerked again and out of her hand as she let go of his collar. "After you." He motioned towards the woods.

She rolled her eyes, but went first nonetheless, nearly stomping the whole way.

Stupid fucking Sasuke.

She tilted her head around to glare at him again for making this all worse. However, in reaction all she got was a thumbs-up.

Jackass.

Really, she loved him to death; however, sometimes he could be just a... bah, it didn't matter. The real point of fact was that he'd helped her get Neji right where she wanted him—away from Konohamaru and Hanabi. That kid had no idea how much he owed her. Surely, she'd gone above and beyond what she owed him for the hallway incident.

"Here is fine," she heard him say from behind her.

She stopped and turned, looking beyond him and back to the party. He wasn't wrong, surprisingly enough. They were just far enough away that she could hear muted laughter and dim music. "I guess," she replied with slightly less enthusiasm than before. Her arms crossed her over her chest and she levelled him a look. "Mind telling me what your issue is?"

"I believe I already told you that," he replied, hands on his hips again. This time there was a good two feet between them. "You just fail to grasp the concept that your cousin and mine should not be spending excessive amounts of personal time together."

"Oh, god, what is with you about that already?" she said, exasperated. Her hands spread in front of her, arms wide. "What? Is Konohamaru not good enough for your family, or something?" It dawned on her that this was a topic that had never really come up between them, not even since her little imp of a brother had told her of his interest in Hanabi. But, she realized, like an epiphany, that it had to come up eventually. And right now, with her anger rising higher than it really ever had before with Neji, it seemed as good as time as any other.

Neji opened his mouth to speak, but then snapped it shut, for once not entirely sure how to answer such a question presented so directly. His mind couldn't really find a diplomatic way to say, why yes, my uncle thinks your entire brood is lower than horse manure.

"What?" she snapped, taking a step forward. "Can't say it, Hyuuga?" Her teeth were half -bared, only partially open in a slight snarl. Her brow was knit and her eyes aflame. "Go ahead, say it. Konohamaru isn't good enough for Hanabi, right?

"Why? I don't even understand what it is! We're just as good as your family! Hell, we make just as much fucking money as you do even if we don't flaunt it!"

"It's not my decision!" he shouted back as his voice returned to him, one arm spreading out in front of him as if to emphasize his point more clearly. "Do you think I even give a damn about that? Seriously?"

"Oh, but it is!" she cried back, unable to stop herself. "It's your whole damn family! Too good for Konohamaru, too good to mingle with the other students, too good to pick on them like your friends do," she spat. "No, you have to be worse!" She took those final steps forward, poking him in the chest, jabbing even. "You just stand there! Haughty bastard! Watching while your buddies bully others!"

How had this become about him? Wait, was she touching him again?

"You think I enjoy hanging out with them?" he replied, revealing much more than he cared to without realizing it. "I do it because it's expected I spend some time with my peers!"

"And how do you define peers!" Her hands were at her sides now, fisted. She was shaking with rage. Her face was as red as his, if not redder, as she seethed up at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, no one else is good enough!" she shouted the last two words louder than the others, practically in his face.

She—he—godamnit! He wanted to—no. The urge to hit her or... something...wasn't as strong as it had been with Kiba; no, it was stronger. Kiba never got under his skin like this one girl did. For years, they'd bickered back and forth; they'd traded insults and tolerated one another moderately at best. But now—Christ!

"Ugh!" she cried out suddenly, turning away from him. "I can't believe I ever kissed you! You're so...so..."

"Insufferable?" he offered, bite in his voice ever-present. "No, I believe you're looking to attribute that word to how you are, Sarutobi. Not the other way around."

"Oh!" she cried, turning those fiery chocolate orbs to his as she pointed at him. Amber danced just there, making them look almost realistically alight with aggression. "You—you—!"

"If it makes you feel any better," he interrupted smoothly, "I never wanted to kiss you to begin with! It wasn't all that pleasant!" Lies.

Her mouth was wide; it became an O of much wider surprise than just moments ago. "Ohhhhh!" she growled the word out. She wanted to murder him! The liar! "Really? Is that where you're going to stand with this? Again? Because we know how well that ended for you last time."

The sudden images that sentence conjured in his mind were almost immediate and just as vivid as always. The car; her scent; her hands; the way she grasped...

No! Enough!

"I'm leaving," he bit off finally, closing his eyes tightly and turning his head away. Running was never his forte. But, he knew, he just knew if he stayed here much longer... He swallowed and turned on his heel, desperately avoiding her gaze, and trying not to look at any part of her.

Insanity.

"You're what?"

"Leaving!" he retorted even as he walked away, trying not to actually run. "Exiting, departing, removing my person from this place! Take your pick, Sarutobi."

"We're not done yet, Hyuuga!" she shouted to his back, watching as he did exactly as he said he would. He couldn't be serious. He was going to actually walk away? After saying that? "You're a liar, Hyuuga! If you don't like me, fine. That's obvious! But don't try and tell me I do nothing for you.

"Because in the end, you're just bullshitting yourself more than me."

He stopped and then, ever so carefully, turned to look at her with one eye. A cool, translucent orb met her own determined ones. "I'm collecting my cousins and going," he snapped and then paused, eyes narrowing further.

"I don't want you," he said, voice slapping. "I never did," he stated next, driving the nail home. "I never will," he executed with finality, and convincingly, with deliberate force.

And then he really did leave.

All she could do was glare, fume, angrily at his back as childish insults formed in her mind—breeched the passage of her lips in incoherent mutters shortly after. Some part of her wondered, briefly, what was she doing? Hours from now, perhaps days even, she would look back on this night and ask herself:

Who was that girl?

Sasuke was standing exactly where she had left him, the only difference being the addition of three or so blatantly flirting girls. Normally, the sight would have amused her. However, at the moment, Tenten was too incensed for amusement of any shape or form to make much of a dent in the general waves of anger that exuded, nearly palpably, from her frame. She stalked closer to her friend, almost twitching, and not at all reluctant to spoil his chances to score and ruin the night for him. Hyuuga had effectively ruined hers, after all, and didn't they say that misery loves company?

Her footsteps crunched loudly over fallen leaves and twigs that littered the area around the fire. They were far enough away from the various pieces of blaring music that Sasuke glanced up at the sound.

"Ten, what-″ he started, eyes narrowing as he took in Tenten's dishevelled appearance; the bright spots of angry color that adorned her cheeks.

"That … arrogant … insufferable … unbelievable …"

Words failed Tenten, the anger that Neji had ignited, and that had swirled relentlessly in her gut throughout her stomping walk back to the party, temporarily overcame the ability to speak coherently.

Helplessly, Tenten raised her shoulders, forcing her breathing to even out as she shifted her glance so she was glaring at the ground instead of at her friend. Strong, familiar, soothing hands cupped her shoulders; Sasuke manoeuvred her over to a large rock, applying pressure to make her sit and Tenten simply followed the directions.

"Here," he said calmly, pushing the cup dangling from his fingers into her hand. "Drink; you need to calm down."

Without further urging Tenten grasped the plastic container, gulping a generous measure of the liquid down in one swallow, only to choke as she realized that Sasuke had been drinking whiskey when she had been expecting the much more generic beer. Spluttering and coughing, trying to breathe through the burn, Tenten glared at Sasuke who was still crouched down in front of her, amusement lurking in his dark eyes.

"Shit! Sasuke! You could have warned me!"

She refused to acknowledge the near-whining note that lurked just beneath her half-choked words. The angry prickling behind her eyelids also refused to totally subside but, for the umpteenth time since Neji had left so abruptly, Tenten swallowed the tears of impotent rage. She grimaced inwardly as Sasuke's expression shifted, minutely, from amused to real concern; the fire must have reflected the suspicious brightness in her eyes…

Tenten took a deep, shuddering breath, "Okay, better now. Thanks." She smiled at him, hoping she appeared convincing though knowing that he knew her far too well to buy the fake smile. "Really, it's all good. It just that …. Ugh, Hyuuga knows exactly which buttons to push!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and shifted, with that almost preternatural grace Tenten had always secretly envied, so he was perched on the rock next to her. She moved over a little, giving him more space and he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, fingers interlocked and head tilted towards her. It was Sasuke-speak for 'what the hell happened' Tenten knew, but she couldn't even begin to gather her thoughts. After a moment she decided that it didn't matter; Sasuke, of all people, would be able to make sense out of even her most drunken ramblings. Her mouth opened, and almost against her will the words started to flow.

"Well, apparently, my cousin isn't good enough for his! No one will ever be good enough for His-fucking-Highness. Can you believe that? And then he had the sheer audacity to try and justify that kind of thinking!"

The anger had barely begun to recede but even just recalling their conversation for Sasuke's benefit brought the roiling waves of rage rolling back in: high-tide reclaiming the sands of calm. She brought the cup back to her lips and, prepared this time, took a small sip.

Sasuke remained silent, merely sitting and looking at her, knowing without being told that they'd barely begun to scratch the surface. Tenten grimaced; he really knew her far too well … knew that she honestly cared very little what anyone thought of her or her family, for that matter. Still, she couldn't quite quell the little voice at the back of her mind that warned her of her precarious footing on treacherous ground: what exactly was bothering her if it wasn't the aspersions being cast on her cousin's suitability for Hanabi? A cloud of chocolate hair flew around her shoulders as Tenten shook her head angrily. No, goddamnit, I will not let that insufferable prick cow me into hiding from anything.

"Then, if you please, he just had to go and pull the same repetitive bullshit from before. For someone who claims to have hated kissing me he definitely had no problem with it while it was happening!"

A deep breath did nothing to alleviate the anger.

"Argh!" Nor did the growled, whisper-scream help at all.

Before she was entirely aware of what she was doing, the cup had flown from her fingers, liquid splashing in silver streaks onto the ground.

"That was good whiskey, you know," Sasuke remarked mildly, staring at the glimmering patches seeping into the trampled grass.

Her fingers tangled into the long strands of dark hair spread in a disarray across her shoulders, spilling down her back, and her nails dug into her scalp as Tenten buried her face in her knees. "Why am I letting him get to me this much?" she groaned, "and why the fuck is it only getting worse all the time?"

No pearls of wisdom left the Uchiha's mouth; in fact, he rather looked like he was forcing himself not to say anything when Tenten glanced up at him, which had to be a first…

Sudden understanding widened her eyes, jerked her spine upright and with a toss of her hair Tenten rounded determinedly on Sasuke. The studied indifference on his face gave way to mild alarm but Tenten didn't even notice.

"You were right," she told him quietly, carefully enunciating each word. "I have to get this out of my system. He's always bugged me but never this much. I hate how angry I get, so that I feel sick for days … and the only explanation is that the anger is more intense because of the sudden sexual side to our fights. "

Warily, Sasuke watched but still said nothing, as Tenten took a deep breath.

"I have to sleep with him."

Dark eyebrows rose, and Sasuke briefly closed his eyes, lashes forming dark crescents against his pale cheeks.

"Er… You know, Ten, when I said that angry sex wasn't necessarily a bad thing …″

But Tenten wasn't listening. She jumped to her feet, determination firming her jaw, muttering under her breath, and glanced around as if searching for something. Slowly, Sasuke followed suit, moving forward until he stood in front of her, blocking her view of the crowds of teenagers. "Tenten," the words were low but firm, "think about this. If you really hate the guy so much then fucking him won't make you feel any better-″

Surprise widened her hazel eyes and Tenten laughed, the sound empty of mirth. "Who ever said anything about hating him?" she interrupted, "I revile the asshole, yes … but hate is reserved for someone you actually cared about before you wound up hating them. And I don't. Care about him, that is. At all. No, Sasuke, this has nothing to do with hate and if I can prove a point into the bargain … then why not?"

Sasuke gave up. There was no reasoning with Tenten when she got like this.

In a whirl of hyperactive motion Tenten purposefully strode away, pushing through the crowd and, for the moment, Sasuke let her. Finally, sighing and cursing under his breath, he followed after his oldest friend as she stalked towards the woods again.

"Where are we going?" he called after her, not bothering to try to catch up.

"I have to find Konohamaru and Hanabi," she called back, clear purpose ringing in her tone. Now that her mind had been made up Tenten couldn't believe that she'd been so dismissive of Sasuke's suggestion at first. She already felt better. Of course he'd been right; in Tenten's experience it had been proved time and again: the only way to normalize any kind of male-female interaction was to remove sex from the equation first.

Doesn't want me? Never has and never will? Yeah, right! Oh, how much fun it will be to make you eat those words, Hyuuga!

She was barely aware of the moonlight and the distant glow of fire that lightened her path through the woods, barely heard Sasuke's muttered curses from behind her, never even saw the beauty of the lake at night-time. Her focus was absolute, her eyes peeled only for the sight of human figures. Unfortunately, Konohamaru and Hanabi weren't the only couple at the party to have retreated to the privacy of the lake and Tenten grimaced at the sound of giggles and rustling that broke the stillness of the night air as she walked down the well-worn path, visible even in the moonlight.

The little voice she refused to acknowledge was whispering again, asking how much of what she'd told Sasuke was true and how much of her decision had been born of wounded pride and the electrifying promise of having Neji's hands and lips all over her skin again … Her gaze drifted, a slight shiver chasing down her spine and Tenten paused in her head-long rush, long enough for Sasuke to catch up.

"I know this is pointless but I'm your friend so I'm going to say this again: I don't think this is a good idea, Ten."

He frowned down at her but her attention was caught by a couple of shadows right down by the shore. She'd know Konohamaru's silhouette anywhere.

"Come on," was her only reply as she started towards them.

Throwing his hands up into the air, in a gesture of exasperated surrender, Sasuke followed as they wound their way carefully down the slight embankment leading to the edge of the lake. The youngest Hyuuga was playfully pretending to kick water at Konohamaru but all levity ceased the moment Tenten converged upon them.

"Oh, god, he knows," the Hyuuga girl said, fingers rising to hover over her mouth, a horrified expression visible in her pale eyes, even in the dim light.

"No," Tenten corrected, "but he suspects. And he's looking for you. So you'd better go find him before he gets really pissed and makes life even more difficult for you."

And for me, she added mentally. Grimly, Hanabi nodded but before the younger girl could say anything Tenten jumped in with her, admittedly, strange request.

"Hanabi, can you get me into your house a little later?"

"Fuck, Ten! That's your brilliant plan?" Sasuke's raised voice carried over the water and, from somewhere, someone squeaked in alarm.

"When did you go all prim and proper on me, Uchiha?" Tenten demanded, hands on her hips as she whirled around to fix Sasuke with a piercing glare.

"Fine, fuck, whatever, on your own head be it," he snapped back, turning away and digging his hands into his pockets.

For a moment, Tenten could've sworn she saw the tiny frown-lines between his eyes that only appeared when the Uchiha was planning something … something that she usually didn't like very much, but then she remembered her cousin and his little girlfriend standing in front of her, gaping in bewilderment at the strange exchange, and she shook her head as she turned away from the Uchiha. If he was plotting something she'd have to cross that bridge when she came to it.

"So, Hanabi, can you do it?"

"Um … yeah … I guess," hesitance was written in every line of the Hyuuga girl's frame as she watched Tenten anxiously, "why?"

Tenten turned on the Hyuuga girl so suddenly that she took a step backwards.

"Because your cousin and I have a discussion to finish," she growled through gritted teeth.

Surprisingly Hanabi smiled, "No less than he deserves, I'm sure." She giggled, "Can you be at our gate in about an hour? My dad called Hinata a while ago, he's got to go away … something about an urgent business deal. But, yeah, by then everything should be calm and I can sneak you in, no problem."

Tenten grinned at Hanabi, surprised to find that despite Neji's incredible talent to get under her skin and Hinata's general diffidence, she quite liked the spark in the youngest Hyuuga.

"Perfect."

Blade AN :: Hi, guys. Sorry we held you up again. I think it's been over a month since we updated, anyway. -shrugs- Ah well. We try to get it out at a decent time.

So, what did you think this chapter? Good tension? How'd you like the fight or Ten's decision? Do you agree with Sasuke and think she's going too far with Neji? Only time will tell, right? So, next chapter things will definitely get more heated. Expect a little more M-rated goodness. If you're not into that however, you might want to try and skim over it. I warn you, between me and Noki, it's gonna get a little... -ponders- well, I don't know that there's a word for it, but you know what I mean ^^.

Thanks ahead of time for the RnR.

—Blade

Noki-chan a/n: Yeah, apologies for the delay but it's only because we want everything to be perfect for the readers!

Don't you just love the Neji-Kiba friendship-interaction-thing? –stars in eyes- too cute!

Soooo … -coughs- nejiten lemony goodness ftw, yes? ^^ … but before we get to that, please remember to leave a review and let us know what you thought about this chapter!

~Noki-chan