A/N: Another day, another chapter. I hope you enjoy

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.


The recent 'breach in security' of Konohagakure had put a damper in the plans of a lot of people. The Sand Siblings were forced to leave for their own safety and the engagement party had to be canceled, since it would be unwise to have one with an 'assassin' running about. It was pushed back an entire month, meaning the marriage itself was pushed back an entire month. Under any normal circumstances, the parties involved would have been very disappointed at the news, but these circumstances were not normal.

Tenten was thankful since now she had more time to contemplate her decision.

Ino was thankful because now she didn't have to explain to her father why 'Neji' was engaged to another woman.

And Neji was thankful that he just didn't have to deal with it all anytime soon. He took time out of his day to thank the Hyuuga ancestors for the recent turn of events.

However, unbeknownst to him, the Hyuuga he should be thanking isn't even dead. But of course, Hanabi would never admit to her role in an international plot to kill a Kage. That was something both she and Hinata were taking to their graves.

And so, if only for a little while, things weren't so complicated.

xXxXxXx

You, Me, Her, and It

Chapter Nine: Flipping the Script

Upon arriving for her shift at the hospital, Ino immediately knew things were different. It became painfully obvious why: People knew her secret. The civilian nurses weren't very good at keeping their voices down when gossiping. Ino could easily hear them as she sat in the lunchroom.

"Look, there she is!"

"She does look a little pudgy, huh?" multiple giggles were heard.

"My dad told me that her dad said she was engaged to Hyuuga Neji! I've never seen them talk before!"

"The poor girl must be delusional," even more giggles erupted.

Sakura wasn't nearly as quiet as Ino during these conversations. It felt weird having to protect the usually outspoken and confident girl, but Sakura could tell she needed it.

"Oi," Sakura walked over to the group, "Get back to work! Don't forget that I am your superior and can easily fire you for slacking off!" Another way to interpret her words was of course, 'Mess with my friend and you'll regret it.'

Ino waited until the females walked off to talk to the pinkette, "Thanks, Sakura, but you didn't have to do that. It's kind of interesting hearing what people have to say about you," the blonde looked down.

"So uh…what's with the engagement thing? I feel like I'm missing something here." Sakura took a seat across from her friend. So what if she was taking her break a little early.

"You have nooo idea." The blonde then proceeded to fill her in on everything from etiquette classes to the messenger proposing to her.

xXxXxXx

Over at training ground twelve, Neji could also tell things were different. His teammates were being freakishly quiet. Him and Lee were sparring but the boy was even more distracted than usual.

"Lee, if you aren't going to take this seriously, I am only wasting my time," the Hyuuga then walked away from his comrade to join Tenten on a lunch break.

"Please accept my apologies!" Lee exclaimed. The boy then decided he would rather be anywhere else than sitting with these two casually eating bento boxes. How the hell did Yamanaka do it? He couldn't bare the thought of being in his best friend's presence knowing he had confessed to his fiance only last night and was now even having unyouthful thoughts about her.

Tenten still hadn't given him an answer, which may ultimately be a good thing. Before Lee abruptly took off last night, he did happen to be there when Naruto walked back into the room. The loud mouth blonde then proclaimed that something must have been in that pudding since both of their faces were so red. Hinata and Hanabi also immediately turned red at the mention of something being in the pudding, so Naruto suggested they all get checked out for food allergies. Oh, the irony.

'I wish there was someone I could go to for advice besides Ino,' the green clad ninja wandered off from the pair as he began running through names, 'Not Gai-sensei, not Naruto, not Sakura-chan….' He decided to just ask the first person he ran into, which was…

"Kakashi-sensei!" the gray haired jounin turned around to see the young shinobi.

"Oh, hello, Lee," Kakashi closed his orange book and put it in his pocket, "Do you need more help hiding from Gai?"

Lee gave the man a confused look before deciding to just cut to the chase, "What would you do if you really really liked a girl but she already had someone?" The boy looked at him hopefully.

Kakashi contemplated telling Lee about a similar situation in one of the Icha Icha novels, but decided against it, "I'm afraid I can't help you. I've never been in that situation," of course not, he was the one the girls wanted so he couldn't relate, "but I do know someone who can possibly help." With that, Lee was on his way.

….

"Jiraiya-sama! What would you do if you really really liked a girl but she already had someone?"

Jiraiya put his hand to his chin and smirked, "Well you see," he gave a lecherous grin, "sometimes you have to fight dirty."

"…That is not an option." Lee would try this the noble way first before flat out sabotage.

The silver-haired Sannin frowned before continuing, "That doesn't work anyway. But really, it's a female thing. They like jerks over the good guys, like us!" he pointed a thumb at himself.

"How can I possibly change her opinion if it is truly a female thing?" Lee was beginning to lose hope.

"Hmmm. You know, I've been chasing after the same woman for over forty years. How's about you go ask her why?" And with that, Lee was on his way.

….

"Hokage-sama, Why did you chase after other men when you had a perfectly good suitor the entire time?"

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"There's this girl I really really like but she's in love with a complete asshole! At least…she thinks she's in love. I want to believe otherwise."

"Well, uh…" The Hokage turned to her two errand workers, "Izumo! Kotetsu! Help this young man win over this girl he speaks of! Consider it a D-rank mission," she glanced back at Lee and looked him up and down, "Actually, make it a C-Rank."

The two men were very shocked by their impossible assignment but led the boy out nonetheless.

"Tsunade-sama! Should we really waste manpower on this?" Shizune questioned her superior.

"Those two don't do anything anyway," she said as she pulled out a bottle of sake. The truth is, the woman felt bad for the way she treated her ex-teammate Jiraiya, even thought her heart was barricaded for a reason. So she wanted to give Lee a proper chance at the girl of his dreams. Hopefully, whoever she may be, she won't make the same mistake as the Godaime.

xXxXxXx

When Ino arrived home that afternoon, the first thing she noticed were the many Hyuugas carrying boxes of her belongings out of her home.

"Wh-What's going on!?" she marched over to nearest Hyuuga and attempted to take her favorite fluffy pillow from him, but he would not release it, "What is your problem?"

"We have strict orders not to let you pick up any items in your condition, please just relax until the moving process is complete." The random Hyuuga told her, much to her chagrin.

"Yamanaka-san," the voice belonged to the Hyuuga messenger, "I informed Hiashi-sama of the conversation that took place last night and he has happily offered you a room at the compound."

Ino fell to her knees and cried out to the sky, "Why, Hizashi! Why is this happening to me!?"

"Yamanaka-san, I could have told you praying to Hizashi-san would be poin-" the boy was interrupted.

"You! I am going to kill you!" and so, the blonde began to chase Tokuma throughout the streets. To the other villagers, it looked as if she were chasing her fiancé whilst screaming profanities. Well, their home obviously isn't as happy as Inoichi let on then.

xXxXxXx

Neji was not a happy camper, this was one conversation he had not been anticipating, "What did you just say?"

"I said," Tenten forced herself to make eye contact with him, "We need a break."

"What do you mean? You want to go on vacation?"

Tenten knew he knew what she meant, "No, like a breakup. But a temporary one."

"Tenten, no."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

Neji scooted over to get closer to her, "We're engaged. We don't have the luxury of taking breaks anymore. You've always resorted to breaking up with me but you can't do that this time. Not now." He grabbed her hand.

The old Tenten would have blushed at their proximity and then read his gesture as a sign of his undying love. However, this was not that Tenten, "I just need to work some things out. Something came up and…" she pulled her hand away and stood up, "Don't take it…personal." Actually, he should very much take it personal.

Perhaps he should have called after her as she walked away, but he didn't. He knew she would come back to him. If not, he'll just chase after her until she did.

And so, the script has been flipped.

The story of the prince with two princesses has transformed into a tale of a princess with two princes.

xXxXxXx

Lee skillfully intercepted Tenten as she walked away from the training field, "I found her," he whispered into the microphone on his jumpsuit. He also had a transparent earpiece in his ear.

'Kotetsu here. I'm on a bench at two o'clock.' Lee turned around. 'No, no! Don't look!'

'Izumo here. I am picking up litter about thirty feet from you location.'

Lee felt confident with the older, more experienced chuunin helping him out. They totally had to have experience with chicks, right?

"Hey, Lee!" Tenten closed the distance between them, "You kinda ran off without telling us where you were going."

"Uh..well, um…" Lee stalled as he waited for the chuunin to give him something to say.

'You don't need our help with regular conversation, dobe!'

"Well I wanted to give you and Neji some privacy, I guess," Lee smiled at her.

'You're cock-blocking yourself! Don't make her think you support her relationship!'

Tenten eyed him as she wiped a dirt smudge off of her face, "Oh…"

"Even though I totally do not support your relationship!" Lee happily told the girl, taking Izumo's words exactly as he said them.

Tenten blushed brightly. Well he's certainly being straightforward knocking Neji like that.

xXxXxXx

Neji arrived home not long after the breakup. Not that he would ever admit it was a breakup. Putting that aside, he couldn't help but wonder why Yamanaka was in the grand hall practically wrestling with Ko over a yellow sundress.

"Yamanaka!" he walked over to the pair, doing his best to assert absolute control, "Get up, that cannot be good for the baby."

The blonde in question let go of the item of clothing, sending Ko flying back a few feet, and swung a chakra infused fist at the jounin in front of her. However, since he is in fact a jounin, he easily evaded her attack before grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her, causing the girl to yelp.

"Calm down! What is your problem?" the Hyuuga was not in the mood for this. His fiancé was being complicated and now even his baby's mother was becoming a complication.

Ino submissively watched as Ko neatly folded her dress and placed it back in the suitcase before carrying the bag to Hyuuga knows where, "Thanks a lot you jerk!" She had to strain her neck to try and look at him behind her, "And actually, I should be asking you the same thing!"

Neji released her, "If this is about the din-"

"Great! Admitting you were wrong is first step in fixing a problem." Ino said as she rubbed her arm, never turning around to face him.

"I never said I was wrong." Of course he was wrong. But that Hyuuga pride…

The silence was impeccable. It wasn't like her at all so Neji walked around to the front of her and was horrified to see hot tears running down her face.

"Yamanaka! I did not hurt your arm that badly!" seeing her cry was making him angry.

"Why are you such a jerk!?" she practically yelled.

"Is it that big of a deal to you? From what I understand, didn't Lee keep you good company last night?" He accused.

"Yes, actually!" She pointed an angry finger at him before turning around to continue her choked sobs. Those pesky hormones.

The man groaned with angry frustration, "What can I possibly do to make it better? Just tell me."

"…..Take me to dinner."

"No."

"At that five star restaurant! That's where I want to go."

"No."

"I'm going to get changed then I'll meet you in the front," she walked out and turned towards the branch residence. Wait, how is she going to get changed over there?

Neji let the thought drop from his mind as he walked out of the opposite door, looking left and right before letting out a long sigh.

All lined up against the outside wall were many Hyuugas, old and young, eavesdropping on the couple. Apparently the argument drew a lot of attention in the normally quiet home. It looked as if they had all dropped what they were doing instantly to listen in on the noncouple's exchange. Kokoro, the kitchen Hyuuga, was even stirring a bowl of gravy.

Dinner with Yamanaka suddenly seemed much more appealing.

xXxXxXx

Tenten was staring at her teammate with a calm look, "It's rather unexpected you would ask me to accompany you to dinner, Lee."

'Tell her you're more interested in dessert than dinner, with extra emphasis on des-'

'Do not say that. Tell her you love being in the company of a beautiful woman!'

"I'm more interested in dessert than being in the company of a beautiful woman," Lee responded to Tenten confidently.

The brunette looked at him oddly, "Oh, um….I thought only Choji would put food above chicks but…okay," Tenten looked the other way. Lee could not understand why her mood changed so suddenly. He had combined two awesome pickup lines, didn't he? Maybe girls really did only respond to jerks.

"Where would you like to go, Tenten? Anywhere from ramen to the most expensive place in Konoha, you choose!" he gave her a shining grin. Luckily, he just received a generous paycheck from a B-rank mission. He could afford any choice she made.

"Mmmm…it doesn't matter," she gave him a reassuring smile. So much for a choice.

'Oh Kami, it's a trap!'

'Lee, do not think for a moment that it does not matter! The girl knows what she wants and she expects you to guess correctly!'

Lee had no idea what to do, "A-Are you sure, Tenten?" he grabbed her hand, "I would really love you to pick."

'Good job with the hand, impressive impromptu work.'

"Well, I've never been to the Imperial….we can go there!" Tenten began to walk in the direction of Konoha's only five star restaurant.

'Tear her boyfriend down! She gave you a perfect opening!'

"Wow, all this time and Neji's never taken you here?" Lee asked 'innocently'.

Tenten smiled, "Neji doesn't like eating out. He would never go somewhere like that." Of course, she didn't particularly enjoy eating out either but she would make an exception.

xXxXxXx

Neji looked around the restaurant curiously. He didn't see what the big deal was.

"Everything sounds so yummy!" Ino was practically drooling.

"…You do realize that's only the beverage menu, right?" Neji asked her.

"There are so many drinks I've never had before!" Ino turned to the waitress, "Can you mix these four together?" She pointed to four names on different parts the paper.

"Sure," the waitress was only mildly disgusted by the girl's requested concoction, "And you, sir?"

"Water." Neji had an ominous feeling. For some reason, bad things always happened during meals. The time at the picnic table when Ino practically made him tell Tenten the truth, that awkward dinner last night where Hinata and the Kazekage were practically engaging in foreplay, and now here he was casually sitting with his mistress in a popular location! Something just had to happen.

Neji continued to look around the room, "Why are so many people staring at us?"

"Oh, that," Ino shifted her eyes side to side, "I guess 'cause we're an odd pair to be seen together?" Or maybe because everyone was curious to catch a glimpse into the life of the happily 'engaged' couple, whatever.

"Yes, we are an odd pair," Neji suddenly thought of something, "why didn't you just ask Lee to accompany you?"

Ino blinked at him, "you're the one who stood me up, not Lee."

"Won't Lee be upset we are here together?"

"Uh," the Yamanaka was confused, "Lee…has his own agenda today, I'm sure."

"So it is only casual, then?" Neji feigned disinterest

Ino tilted her head and continued to blink excessively, "I guess you could call it that."

"You spent last night with him, did you not?" the Hyuuga didn't realize how much force was put behind the question.

The girl across from him unconsciously began clenching her fists, "so you knew about that?" He knew her condition and didn't even bother checking in on her!

Neji's cold eyes bore straight into hers, "of course."

"Frankly, I'm surprised you're pretending to care," Ino sat back with her arms crossed, "Lee was there for me when you weren't."

"Ha, that's rich. So you were desperate enough to find a replacement for me."

SMACK!

The bold Yamanaka had stood from her seat to give the Hyuuga a nice one right across the face. She could've straight up punched him but everyone knows a female's slap is so much more impactful emotionally.

Satisfied with the Hyuuga's look of disbelief and grimace of pain, Ino made a motion to leave the restaurant before being pulled back to the table by the male she just assaulted and forcibly put back in her seat.

"What is your problem, Neji?" Ino was furious, "it's like you just WANT people to hate you!"

"Calm down," the male grumbled.

"Calm down? Seriously? Do you even realize what you just told me? Please tell me you know that was wrong," the blonde said pleadingly.

Neji looked around the restaurant at the curious eyes peering at them, intentionally avoiding the blue-eyed gaze in front of him. The Hyuuga genius was stumped. What was he supposed to say?

"Neji…" Ino's voice was quieter.

"Maybe you should go find Lee. I'm obviously not good for you." He was sincere.

Ino looked at him with a pained expression, "Lee is a great friend but he's just that. A friend."

The long-haired male looked shocked and mildly disgusted, "Friend? Friend? That's what you call it?" he ignored her confused look, "is that what we were as well, Ino? Just friends?"

Something suddenly clicked in the girl, "Oh my, Hyuuga," she leaned forward, "you think me and Lee have something going on?" After unsuccessfully stifling her laughter, Ino began a hearty round of laughter.

"How stupid can you be? I mean really, you're a genius, right?" Ino laughed some more before placing her chin in the palm of her hand and smirking at the male across from her, "So I guess this means you're jealous, right?"

Neji, realizing his mistake, chose to ignore her and thank the waitress as she brought over their drinks.

"The silent treatment?" the tokubetsu jounin pouted, "I should be the one mad at you, you know."

"Are you mad?" He asked, still looking away.

Ino hesitated before replying, "um, well…you basically called me a slut just now," her face lit up, "wait, I never answered your question."

"What question?" Neji looked at her curiously.

"You asked…what were we. Me and you," she explained, "I don't know, to be honest. But…"

Neji watched her intently, "go on."

"It doesn't matter now. You're engaged to Tenten," she said, surprisingly accompanied by a smile.

"…."

"…."

"…."

"….Neji?"

"Are you ready to order?" the cheerful waitress suddenly popped up again.

"Oh, uh," Ino glanced at her 'date' then back at the woman, "just give us a few more minutes."

"Alrighty!"

xXxXxXx

Izumo and Kotetsu walked into The Imperial, taking seats at a table in the corner. Nothing unusual there. The pair was nearly always seen together.

However, the next pair to walk in attracted a fair amount of attention.

"That girl is Neji's ex! I remember them dating!"

"Ew, look at him. What a downgrade."

"Neji and Ino are so cute! They're like a little family when you include the baby!"

"Bun bun girl is probably super jealous."

The hostess sat the pair at a table on the opposite side of the restaurant.

….

Ino had a bored look on her face, the boy across from her shut down and now refused to converse with her! Her eyes drifted to the small lantern with a candle in it. It made the table glow red since that's the color it was tinted. The color looked really pretty reflecting on the wooden surface.

"Neji," she began.

"Hn"

"I just wanted to say thank you," well that caught him off guard, "I know you really don't want to be here."

Neji stared at her as the waitress brought over some silverware, "Maybe I do want to be here."

Ino let out a small laugh, "Yea, right! In that case, I must be Tenten."

….

"Sooo…" Tenten searched for a topic. Since when was talking to Lee so difficult? "You never told me how exactly you managed to hide from Gai-sensei for so long."

Lee stared at her blankly. One word came to mind: Yamanaka.

"I let my inner-boar guide me," he said.

Tenten had no idea what to say, "Oh."

'Lee. Are you trying to bore her to death?' Kotetsu breathed into the mic.

'Order her food for her. Women like that.' Izumo advised.

"Tenten is not like most women," Lee mumbled under his breath. She was an independent, fierce kunoichi, he already knew the gesture would insult her.

The brunette looked up at her name, "Did you say something?"

"No, I was just reading the menu to myself. Are you ready to order?" he played it off smoothly.

Tenten giggled a bit, "Actually, I'm having difficulties. I have no idea what half of this stuff is."

Lee beamed at her, "Neither do I!"

…..

"What language is this menu in? What is es-ecs-esar," Ino was attempting to sound the weird word out.

"Escargot. Don't worry about it, I'll order for you," Neji didn't even bother looking up from the menu.

Ino couldn't help but smile. At least he was talking despite everything a little while ago, "How do you know if I'll like it?"

"Because I know you."

"Do you really?" the blonde asked skeptically.

"I know you aren't considering barbecue because you eat it too much with your teammates. I know you won't eat chicken because they come from Tea Country and you've seen them stomp on the birds. I know you only eat salad with cherry tomatoes in it, which are out of season. I know you'd like pudding for dessert but I am not ordering that for reasons I will not disclose," Neji looked up to see Ino gaping at him, "I am going to order you a pasta dish. Satisfactory?"

Ino honestly didn't know what to say, "Okay." So she just went ahead and agreed.

Neji smirked, "don't ever accuse me of not listening during your random, incessant babbling."

"Oh yeah, you're just such a great listener. That is considering the fact you rarely contribute to the conversation," Ino couldn't help but giggle some. The pair were semi-reminiscing on the days they were closer.

xXxXxXx

Halfway through their meal, Lee's earpiece started to fall out. He had to excuse himself to go correct it. As he walked to the little shinobi's room, it just so happened he bumped into someone he did not expect to see. His inner-boar.

"Ino!"

"L-Lee?"

The two carefully stared at each other. Lee kicked off the Q&A session.

"Why are you here?"

"Dinner! Who are you here with?"

"Tenten! ('Tenten!?) Are you with your teammates?"

"No! Neji! Why are you with her?" Ino's expression suddenly turned incredulous. Yes, the boy did tell her something about courting but she didn't believe he would do something like take an engaged chick on a date.

"I uh…just because! Why are you with her fiancé?"

"Because he stood me up last night, remember?"

"No, no, no! You two can't be here!"

"I didn't come here on purpose! You think I want Neji to see you playing 'Mr. Steal Yo Girl'?"

"WHY ARE YOU EVEN STILL TALKING TO NEJI!?"

"Are you saying I should just hate him? I can't help but lo–" Lee slapped a hand over her mouth as a middle-aged woman passed by.

"Ino," he released her, "Neji is dangerous to your health."

"I know you're concerned about me but I'm concerned about you! I told you Tenten WILL break your heart!" she slapped a hand over her own chest.

"We don't have time for this," he peeked around the corner to make sure his date was still in place, "Either way, the two are still engaged so it's wrong for you to be out in public with Neji."

Ino stopped him, "Woah, woah, hold up! Foul on the play!" she grabbed his shoulder and leaned in before whispering, "I know you aren't here with friendly intentions so you are way more wrong than I am this time! At least I'm not here romantically."

"I didn't mean it like that," Lee insisted, "I just don't want to see you…hurt. Not again. Not after last night. You said you were out of this and you're the one who emphasized that they are engaged."

Ino's expression softened, "I am out of it, Lee. I've accepted the engagement. On the other hand, you–"

"Yes, I know. It's not a youthful thing for me to do this but…I still feel like my teammates are making a mistake," Lee looked slightly hesitant, "Just don't let them see each other, okay?"

Ino crossed her arms.

"Think of it as payment for all the times I saved you and Neji!" Lee told her.

The blonde's face began to falter before she suddenly turned around, "Okay."

And so, the screenplay has been flipped.

The drama of a man covering for his best mate has transformed into a production of a former-mistress covering for her newfound friend.

Ino took her seat in front of Neji and then glared at him, "If Tenten caught us together without her, would it be a big deal?"

"…No." the Hyuuga looked at her strangely. The two were finally getting along and now she's acting all weird.

"I'm ready to go."

"But you barely ate."

Ino forced a cough, "I'm ready to go, Neji." The blonde knew remaining in the resaurtant was risky.

Lee arrived back at the table and looked around nervously. Perhaps he should've asked Ino exactly where the pair were seated.

"Lee," Tenten looked at the boy inquisitively, "are you okay?"

"Never better!" Lee picked up his spoon, "this meal is so delicious, is it not?"

Tenten watched him devour his bowl with unnecessary haste, "it's not bad, I just didn't realize we ordered stew." The downside of blindly ordering food off a menu you can't understand.

"The beef will serve well for energy if you wish to train later," Lee said without thinking.

'You baka! Why would you bring up training?'

'This is good, Lee! Now repeat after me word-for-word.'

"We can have a real good training session at my place, baby!" Lee gave her his signature grin with a thumbs-up.

The chocolate-haired girl gaped at the person across from her. Did Lee just…hit her with a sexual innuendo?

Lee had questions of his own. Why would Kotetsu want him to say something so silly? Everyone knows training is best done outdoors!

Tenten looked uncomfortable, "um, well…I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Hm? But you love training," Lee was confused.

Meanwhile

"Kotetsu, you idiot! He's about to crash and burn!" Izumo was not pleased.

"It's not my fault he's dense and couldn't sell it," his partner replied.

Izumo face-palmed, "that's not the point!"

"Dude, we so got this," Kotetsu then began concocting a plan.

Back at the Table

"We should probably go," Tenten suggested.

"Wait, Tenten," Lee quickly got her attention, "I do not wish to leave your company yet."

The weapon's master looked conflicted. This was wrong. Technically. But at the same time…

It felt right.

'Lee, listen closely,' Lee instinctively placed a hand over his ear, 'offer to walk her home but take a long route. Make sure you pass The Big Man Pub.'

Lee was confused. That wasn't a very romantic part of town to take a stroll in. Well, he had to trust them.

"Well, at least give me the pleasure of walking you home," Lee looked at his 'date' hopefully, feeling his heart skip a beat when she smiled and nodded

xXxXxXx

"You know, I don't purposely try to be the bad guy," Neji spoke to Ino as the two of them walked at a leisurely pace, no real destination.

"People always look for a bad guy in every situation," Ino stated to him, shrugging her shoulders at the same time. Neji stopped walking and looked up briefly. It looks as if it may rain soon.

"It would appear as if everyone hates me now." He looked at the girl next to him.

"I don't hate you," She turned to look at him as well.

Silence.

"I might not hate you either."

Ino smiled briefly before turning away, "I should hate you, though."

"But you don't," Neji confirmed. The girl shook her head.

"Hello, you two," Ino's eyebrow twitched as she recognized the voice behind them.

Sai.

Neji turned to greet him, "Sai-san." His blonde companion, however, refused to acknowledge him. The less words, the better.

"I wish to congratulate you on your engagement," Sai gave his trademark false smile, "your fiancé is truly beautiful."

Ino huffed, "Yeah, okay, Sai. Now run along."

Sai turned to the girl, "You don't seem very happy."

"I am happy," Ino hastily replied. She already knew Sai believed she and Neji were engaged. No one really knew about Tenten.

"You can look happier, ne?" Sai smiled again, "I've read that females enjoy weddings the most."

Neji intervened, "are you trying to patronize her?"

Ino began to sweat. Neji thought Sai was purposely rubbing it in that she wasn't marrying her baby's father. Little does he know, Sai really does believe they are engaged!

"For what reason would I have to patronize the br –" Sai was cut short as Ino head-butted him.

"Oops!" she laughed nervously, "sorry about that, I lost my footing."

Neji gave her a bizarre look. That movement looked completely calculated. Sai, on the other hand, didn't question it and simply pulled out his sketchpad.

"If you wait roughly two minutes, there is something I wish to give you," Sai explained as he hastily scribbled on some paper.

Ino grabbed Neji's arm, "oh no, we really have to go!"

"Yamanaka," he pulled away from her, "have manners for once." She agreed, albeit reluctantly. The girl nervously watched as Sai folded the paper in half and handed it to Neji.

"For the happy couple," he smiled and bowed before walking away. Neji curiously began to open it before Ino snatched it away.

"Yamanaka!" he protested.

"Ummm," she racked her brain for an excuse, "I'll save this for your engagement party! Wouldn't that be better than receiving it on the street?" She held her breath as she awaited a response.

Neji stared at her suspiciously before nodding and continuing to walk. Ino finally let out a baited breath and proceeded to unfold the parchment while Neji walked safely ahead of her.

It was a sketch of Neji and Ino under an alter kissing. The ponytail gave it away that the drawn character definitely was her and not Tenten. She then quickly shoved the evidence into her pocket.

The girl made a mental note to burn it once she got home.

xXxXxXx

Lee and Tenten walked through the 'bad' part of town. Lee convinced her the longer route was simply for exercise but Tenten still thought it was bizarre.

"Ino agreed to allow me to cut her umbilical cord," Lee excitedly told his teammate, "I figured Neji would have no interest, anyway."

"You're probably right," Tenten's mood turned bitter at the thought of the Hyuuga.

"Hey! You!" a large and beefy man, at least an entire foot taller than Lee, cut in front of the couple, "you got some nerve coming back 'round here!"

Lee blinked in confusion, "I believe you've confused me for someone else."

"Suzaku! Heero! Champ! That punk is back!" the man called out into a nearby pub. Three equally large men then rushed outside.

One of the men walked over and gave Lee a shove, "yeah, that's him, alright. I can't forget dem eyebrows and that ugly forest green!"

"More like garbage green!" Lame…

"Let's make this quick," the leader of the gang cracked his knuckles and walked forward.

Meanwhile

Kotetsu and Izumo were perched on a nearby rooftop watching the unfolding events, one in excitement and one in disbelief.

"Dude," Izumo addressed his friend, "what the hell did you do?"

"I used henge to transform into Lee and then went sucker punched a bunch of people in The Big Man Pub. Then I told them to remember my face and that I'll be back soon to whoop their ass again and show off my hot girlfriend at the same time."

Izumo couldn't believe what he just heard, "that is the absolute dumbest plan you have ever come up with!"

"Just watch, man. Lee is gonna defend the chick and she'll definitely screw him tonight."

"The mission is to get them together! Not just…whatever," the man resigned and continued to watch the scene below them.

Back on the Ground

Lee easily evaded the angry man's fist, "Sir, you are mistaken!" He tried to plead. He really didn't want to fight angry, drunk civilians.

"Oh no I ain't," the man swung again, "and for the record, your girlfriend is ugly as a dead cow."

Tenten suddenly maddened, "why the hell are you bringing me into this!? And I'm not his girlfr–" the brunette barely dodged a pipe one of the men tried to bash her head with.

"How dare you attack a lady!" They finally pissed off the green beast. He yanked the pipe out of the man's hand then kicked him a good distance away. Next, two of the men came at him at once prompting Lee to uppercut one with his elbow then grab the other, twist his arm around his back, and use him as a shield against the third man who had picked up the previously discarded pipe.

The man screamed in pain as his friend slammed the metal pipe into his chest. Using the distraction, Lee shoved the man hard enough to knock him and the man in front of him down. Looking around and seeing all four men down for the count, Lee turned to Tenten.

"Are you okay?" he asked her slowly.

The girl had a strange look on her face, "I could have defended myself, Lee."

"I do know that. But I wanted to protect you," Lee grabbed the girl's hand, "please forgive me if I insulted your pride."

'Dude, you might want to get the hell out of there.' Kotetsu warned.

Confused by the chuunin's remark, Lee scanned his surroundings. More thugs began pouring out of every bar on the street. Some with baseball bats, more metal pipes, brass knuckles, and even chains.

The male squeezed Tenten's hand tightly, "I know you hate to retreat but I feel this may be necessary," without waiting for a reply, he took off full speed yanking Tenten along.

As the pair ran, Tenten watched the way her hand fit almost perfectly in his. The angry mob was far enough now that all she could hear was the beating of her own heart. When was the last time she and Neji held hands?

Completely out of breath, the pair made it to an apartment complex near the center of town. Lee unlocked one of the doors then ushered his teammate in. The two then dropped down on the sofa, panting from the run and just general disbelief of the situation.

'So you took her to your place? You sly dog, you."

"Lee-san, please don't listen to anymore advice from that idiot. He almost caused your date to get her head bashed in."

"YOU HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT!?" Lee screamed into his earpiece.

"Lee, what the hell?" Tenten gave him a strange look, "I didn't have a damn thing to do with what just happened."

"O-Oh, of course," he grinned sheepishly at her. The pair then sat awkwardly, each with the same question on their mind.

Now what?

xXxXxXx

Ino subconsciously got a bad feeling in her chest. Hopefully Lee isn't doing anything too stupid right now.

'Don't do anything I wouldn't do, bushy-brows," Ino thought to herself before realizing it was probably a good idea she didn't tell him that, considering everything she'd done in the past.

"Yamanaka," Neji pulled the girl out of thoughts as he handed her an ice cream cone.

"Oh em geee!" the girl excitedly accepted the sweet, cold treat, "you remembered strawberry is my favorite!"

The Hyuuga took a seat next to the girl, "well of course. You keep a tub of it in your freezer."

Ino put a finger in her ice cream then brought it to her mouth, "so you remember that too. Are you trying to prove something, Neji?"

"Hn," the male crossed his arms, "I guess I'll confess. Tenten hates me right now and I don't know how to fix things."

"So you're experimenting on me?" the girl didn't even bother feeling used as she licked her sugary treat.

Neji watched her pensively, "it isn't that. I made you angry as well. The difference is, I know how to make you happy."

"Neji…" Ino looked at him sympathetically before lowering her head, suddenly feeling guilty for being out with the jounin casually enjoying ice cream.

"I want this marriage to work for the sake of the child. Even though Tenten forgave me for impregnating you, I still feel like proposing to her wasn't enough to fix that."

"Wait, that's why you proposed? Because you felt bad?" Ino was finally getting to the bottom of things.

"There's also the fact Tenten and I have been partners for so long. If I am forced to marry because of this situation, I wish for it to be with no other but her." Neji confessed some more.

Ino flipped her bang out of her face to get a better look at the male beside her. He almost looked…remorseful. Despite everything he opened up about, she still couldn't tell if he really loved Tenten. Not just boyfriend/girlfriend love, but husband/wife love. There was a huge difference.

"Just talk to her," the blonde could offer no other advice.

"I will see this through to the end. It is my duty now," his attitude suddenly changed.

Ino placed a hand over her belly, "y'know, sometimes I forget this thing is here."

"Well you aren't exactly showing yet," he said in the most obvious tone, not exactly enjoying talking about it.

"I also forget that its daddy is Neji and its mommy is Tenten," the girl smiled sadly, giving him her own confession.

"…"

"That's probably so silly to you, isn't it?" the female gave half a laugh.

"I should probably walk you home now."

xXxXxXx

"I should probably walk you home now," Lee suddenly jumped up after the awkward silence became unbearable. Tenten simply nodded and the two were on their way.

Meanwhile

Izumo hit Kotetsu on the arm after seeing the pair finally come back into view.

"Ow," Kotetsu lifted his head from the hot rooftop and then placed his gaze on the couple, "did they do it that fast?"

"Dammit, Kotetsu!" Izumo was just aggravated now, "I keep telling you 'doing it' is not the end goal."

Kotetsu watched Lee and Tenten walk down the street with disinterest, "so he didn't get any dessert or private training? Talk about mission failure."

Izumo could only face-palm and sigh at his perverted friend.

Back on the Ground

Tenten hummed quietly while Lee looked at the ground during their walk. He couldn't tell what the girl was thinking. Did she enjoy herself despite the mishaps?

'Lee-san, now you should be thinking about whether or not you will go in for a kiss at her doorstep,' Izumo advised in his ear.

'Wait, what? You said the mission was to make them a couple! He should just ask her out then,"

Kotetsu being straightforward again.

'The mission didn't really go…as planned thanks to someone who doesn't need to be named.'

Lee was only partially listening after that. The older male did make a good point. Asking her out was out of the question (she's engaged for Kami's sake!) but a kiss wouldn't be too…bad. Lee mentally berated himself for even thinking about kissing a taken woman.

"Neji?" Lee was pulled out his thoughts by Tenten's voice. Sure enough, the stoic Hyuuga and pregnant Yamanaka were right in front of them.

'…I am way better at covering than this girl,' Lee couldn't help but think to himself. At least he never allowed Tenten to catch the two together. Once fully registering the situation, the green beast began to sweat.

The aforementioned pair turned around to see Tenten with a freaked out looking Lee behind her.

The Hyuuga spoke to his ex who was still technically his fiancé, "Yes?"

"…..Hey, Ino-chan," Tenten decided to just not talk to the male in front of her.

"Hey, Ten," Ino smiled, "I just bumped into Neji here on my way home." The blonde stuck a thumb in his direction. A small little fib wouldn't hurt.

"Oh," Tenten feigned disinterest.

"Ino! You beautiful youthful flower! Let's give the engaged couple some privacy!" The male grabbed his friend and pulled her a good distance away.

"You didn't tell Lee you broke up with me?" Neji said in a shocked, somewhat hopeful voice.

Tenten was still doing her best not to look at him. This wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"What the hell, Lee," Ino was peeved.

After looking over his shoulder to make sure they were out of earshot, he turned to the blonde, "what happened to making sure they didn't see each other?"

"It's not my fault you guys walked up on us! You should've took her to your place or something."

"I did," he quickly elaborated after seeing her shocked expression, "nothing happened! It's actually a rather long story…" It was the truth.

Ino crossed her arms and gave him a scrutinizing look, "well for the record, nothing happened with me and Neji, either."

"Hey! Lee!" Tenten called out to him, prompting the two to rejoin the couple, "I'm just gonna take off now, okay?"

Lee and Neji both jumped to stop her.

"Wait, Tenten, we need to talk."

"Do you not wish for me to continue to walk you home?"

Both males looked at her expectantly. Tenten looked back and forth between her teammates. She was so confused!

"Tenten just wants to be alone right now!" the brunette jumped and took off via rooftops.

Ino made a visor with her hand and tried and follow the kunoichi with her eyes, "well what's her problem?" After seeing both men sulking, Ino sighed then informed them she was heading home as well.

"Wait," Lee interjected, "don't you live that way?"

Neji narrowed his eyes at him and mumbled, "of course you would know that."

"Nope!" Ino corrected him, "I live in the Hyuuga Compound now."

Lee looked at his teammate in confusion. Said teammate lifted an eyebrow as the female walked off.

"I…did not know that," he confessed as he then turned towards Lee.

The two remaining individuals stared at each other and the air suddenly tensed. Neji couldn't understand why. It was only Lee. His teammate. His best friend.

"Neji. From this moment on, we are more than just rivals as shinobi!" Lee had fire in his eyes.

"…Yea. Sure," the male took the same path home as the Yamanaka before him.

Lee watched him leave as Izumo and Kotetsu suddenly appeared at his side.

"I hate reporting failed missions," Izumo sighed.

Kotetsu looked slightly more chipper, "At least you're way closer to your goal now!" he said as he slapped the green beast on the back, "it looks like she equally dislikes both of you!"

Lee once again thought back to the conversation he had with Ino two days ago, something he found himself doing a lot.

"We're in similar dilemmas, whether you like it or not." Ino's voice echoed.

"It is unfortunate but unlike you, I will not hurt others to get what I want. It is against everything Gai-sensei has taught me!"

Ino may have given up on Neji, so the two were no longer in similar dilemmas. However, that fact isn't going to sway Lee away from uncovering the truth regarding Tenten's feelings about her impending matrimony. So…

Perhaps Gai-sensei can forgive him for breaking his nindo just this once.

End Chapter Seven

xXxXxXx

A/N: Yay! Another chapter!

Sorry if anyone is offended about where this going. Last time I posted this story, people complained about me "pawning Tenten off" to Lee. Buuuut, it's my story, sorry.

Please drop a review if you have time. Ya know I love those : )

Also, 'Succumb to Me' is finally updated! Two story updates in one day.

High five?