Disclaimer: Naruto Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto
"Well done boys, well done!" Gai exclaimed, giving them a flashy smile.
The team had just been pushed to run 200 laps around the school fields; and as always, Tenten found herself one of the last to finish. Sasuke had come second to Naruto, which was no surprise since Naruto always seemed to constantly have an endless supply of energy. Currently, he was the only person still on his feet. The rest of them, even Sasuke, had collapsed onto the grass; frantically refilling their lungs with oxygen. The air was nippy and cold since winter was due, and it almost hurt when it rushed through Tenten's nostrils. She thought she could almost see the air emanating from her flushed cheeks condense into the cool air.
"Men!" Guy sensei's voice boomed. "As you all know, the tournament starts next week!"
Oh yes, the tournament started next week. Tenten knew; of course she knew. For the past few weeks, she and the rest of the student council had been working unceasingly in preparation for the project. She and Sakura had been put in charge of the Ball.
"There's no way I'm getting involved with that party." Kabuto had spat.
Oh well. Who would trust a guy with party planning anyway? Although technically, Tenten thought, she was supposed to be a boy, but then, she was secretly still a girl… Meh, whatever. That was not important.
"Ignore him." Sakura had giggled. "Hyuuga Hinata from the other class told me that Ino heard from his sister that he's already got an outfit and a mask and everything!"
The council had decided the theme of the party would be 'Masquerade'. Sasuke claimed it was 'mysterious' and 'classy'. Tenten reckoned it had something to do with 'hiding from fan girls.'
"Therefore," Gai sensei's voice pulled her away from her straying thoughts. "It's time I split you guys into first and second string."
"What?" Tenten exclaimed as she shot up into a sitting position. "I thought this was first string!" she said to Naruto who had made himself comfortable on a patch of grass next to her.
Nobody had mentioned anything about first and second string throughout the term, so she had just assumed that in this school, there was no such thing. Well apparently not.
"Eh?" Naruto replied, scratching his head. "Gai sensei doesn't like to split the team into first and second string, so most of the time, he doesn't."
Tenten watched as Gai flipped through his papers and scribbled something next to a name once in a while.
"But when an actual game comes along… you kinda have to, don't you?" Naruto grinned. "There are 15 people on the team, you know. You know how the game goes."
Tenten nodded.
"I suppose…" she agreed. "But why doesn't…"
"ALRIGHT!" Gai suddenly exclaimed at the top of his lungs, and Tenten was forced to stop.
"Listen carefully. First string: Uchiha Sasuke," he gave the team captain a visible wink. "Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Takahashi Mao, Ichikawa Ben aaaaand…"
Tenten had felt her heart sink a little every time a name not hers was read out, but could this be…
"ROCK LEE!" Gai almost screamed, and Tenten could feel a hush of groans and disappointment running through the rest of the team. She sulked.
"Hey, turn the frown upside down!" Naruto patted her on the shoulder. "You always have next game."
She nodded as she watched Lee jump into the air and did a dramatic back flip. Gai sensei managed to shout a "DISMISSED!" before running off into the sunset; teary eyed, with Lee.
Sighing, Tenten flopped back onto the grass as the rest of the team trailed off towards the changing rooms. She had become accustomed to waiting until the rest had cleared off before going in herself. That was fine; it gave her time to think of what had gone wrong. Had Gai not been crying about how 'youthful' her basketball skills were just a few months ago? What had happened to that?
"Stop trying to be something you're not." A deep voice came from above her head. She looked up into the dark, handsome features of Sasuke, and frowned as she sat up.
"Go away." She huffed.
"Do you remember when we were little and we used to play with my brother in the Uchiha mansion?" he asked.
"Yes, what about that?"
"You always used to win."
Tenten narrowed her eyes at him.
"Are you mocking me?" she asked testily.
Sasuke only shrugged and followed the rest of the team towards the changing rooms.
She decided that no matter what happened, she was going to get herself into first string by the tournament.
About an hour later, Tenten left the changing rooms and absent mindedly made her way back towards the White Room, a large, office like room exclusive to the student council. It was a place where they worked on projects and held meetings apart from the ones with the headmistress. The name was taken from the large, white, round table situated in the middle of the room directly underneath a large sky window.
"How was basketball?"
"Hyuuga!" she acknowledged, somewhat surprised with his sudden appearance. She noticed he was sweaty and flushed.
"Basketball was horrible. How was soccer?"
"It was ok. What happened?"
"I got put into second string."
Neji was quiet for a few seconds.
"Huh." He finally said. "Is this part of your plan?"
"No!" Tenten exclaimed. "My plan was to beat Sasuke at… everything! And steal his fangirls!"
"Has Sasuke said anything?"
"Pfft, no." she rolled her eyes. "All he's said was something like… stop trying to be who I'm not and how I used to beat him in basketball but can't anymore… whatever. I don't really care."
"He said that?"
"Yes!" Tenten threw her arms in the air. "You know, I just don't get it!"
Neji had turned quiet again.
"How is it that no matter how hard I try, Sasuke always just seems to shoot more goals than I do, and has more stamina than me?"
Neji just stared back.
"What is it with you boys? I bet it's this magic stuff you guys keep drinking." She snatched Neji's water bottle from his hand and studied the frothy, brown liquid floating around inside the bottle.
In a flash, Neji had grabbed the bottle back.
"Hey!" Tenten exclaimed, trying to reach for it. He held it above his head, and since he was much taller than she was, she had lost.
"Oh come on! Share your secret! All you guys carry them around. What is it? Stardust and cow balls for extra manliness?"
"For your information." Neji smiled, stretching his arm further away from her reach. "These are protein shakes; for muscle building."
"Aha!" Tenten grinned. "The secret formula!"
"It's not a secret formula, and please don't start drinking it."
"Why not?" she teased. "Perhaps muscle building is the key to becoming a first stringer."
"There's nothing wrong with your body right now." He said, and continued when she arched an eyebrow at him.
"You know, Uchiha may be right."
"Oh come on! Not you t…"
"No, listen." Neji interrupted. "What I mean is, you should take advantage of what you have, not trying to surpass what he's good at. Uchiha has been a boy for 17 years now, and you're only just starting. Do you really think you can beat him?"
"So… what do you…"
"You're a girl." He stated. "You're smaller, skinnier, faster…"
"So you mean… I should play like a girl, in a boy's game…"
"Exactly." Neji smiled "It's something nobody's ever done before; I bet Gai would love it."
Tenten grinned at him.
"You know, Hyuuga." She said. "You're not bad for a spoilt prodigy."
He snorted.
"Shall a thank you?"
"No." she replied carelessly. "But you can help me with making the tickets for the Ball." And she continued her way towards the White Room.
"Oh, but one thing."
She stopped in her tracks.
"Maybe you should take a shower first."
*****
By the time Neji and Tenten had finished printing and cutting up the tickets, the sky had turned into an inky black dotted with stars. Tenten yawned and checked her watch.
"Whoa…" she said mid-yawn. "It's really late. Sorry for keeping you Hyuuga."
"Hn." He replied her as he folded up the last piece of paper. "You owe me one."
She rolled her eyes.
"I think…" she squinted at her watch. "If I walk fast, I might be able to catch the last bus. Do you mind locking up for me?"
Neji checked his own watch.
"Tenten, it's 11 o' clock."
"Yeah, so?"
"I'll drive you. Where do you live?"
"No, it's ok…"
"I said I'll drive you."
She frowned. Obviously, when it was not about vengeance on Sasuke, he was like all the other spoilt rich kids in the school.
"Wait for me here." He ordered her when they reached the school gates, and he walked off to get his car.
Weighing her gains and losses, Tenten decided taking the bus was a better idea. It would do her more harm than good to get involved with another one of these people again. Sure, they may be 'partners', but it was best if they did not get too close. Stupid prodigies… She checked her watch again, and decided that if she ran really, really fast, she could probably still catch the last bus. Looking that the Hyuuga was not anywhere near, she ran out the school gates and into the dark streets, feeling the night wind rush through her hair. The streets were empty, apart from one or two streetlights here and there. Her breath appeared in front of her like smoke.
It was a great feeling, and the knowledge that she had just pulled a fast one on a Hyuuga was even more exhilarating. She could not help but smile as she ran, turning a corner which led her away from a line of houses and into a main street full of closed shops. She could see the station now, and she picked up speed.
Just as she passed an old bookshop, a group of people emerged from a back alleyway in front of her. Not able to stop in time, she ran into one of them, and knocked the glass bottle he was holding out of his hand. It landed onto the floor with clear 'clang'. The beer or whatever had been inside spilled out and ran across the cement floor.
"Oi!" said the man. "Watch where yer goin'!" He had a heavy suburban accent, and his hair was greasy and dark,
"I'm so, so, sorry!" Tenten squeaked. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She had been told by the other students in the school, that however safe the area was during the day, it was best not to be roamed around alone by night. The other kids who lived close by; the so called 'townies', were more than unpleasant when come across; especially when they found you wearing the Senju uniform.
"Aww, sorry, ain't ya? Why aren't you drivin' in the car daddy bought you?" The three other men he was with walked up and sniggered. Tenten bit her lip.
"Eh? Speak! Can't you speak? Don't they teach you to talk in that school?" One of them shoved her hard on the shoulder, and she fell back. Another one standing behind her shoved her again and she felt herself being jerked roughly back.
"Listen Biff." The first man growled. "I aint playin' around here. You made me drop my drink."
"I said I was s…"
"Not enough!" he smiled. "Why don't we take a look at what's inside yer wallet and then we talk, eh?"
"Seriously, I'm not rich…" Tenten started to say. "I'll…"
"What!?"
Tenten assumed he had wanted to grab hold of her hair and bring her head closer to his face, but by doing so, he ripped off her wig, and Tenten watched as her long, brown hair cascaded down her shoulders. The group was stunned in silence, before the one standing on Tenten's right guffawed out loud.
"What the… blimey! It's a chick!" he said.
"Thought you were a bit too good lookin' for a lad." The greasy haired man said. He held a painful grip onto her arm.
"Well, well, I guess we're in for a treat boys."
"No." Tenten's lips trembled. "Don't touch me." They laughed again.
The four men began closing in on her, and she stepped back slowly simultaneously, until her back hit a cold, brick wall.
"Where ya' runnin now?" One teased
She was about to open her mouth to scream, when suddenly, a bright flash of lights startled her; and the men too.
"Stay away from her." said a familiar voice
Tenten was not sure what had happened next, but she knew that somehow, the four men had left. Lights from a car on the road next to them shone brightly at her face. Somebody grabbed hold of her arm and led her towards the Lamborghini Reventón, which she recognized immediately. Her heart sunk as he pushed her into the passenger's seat.
"I told you to wait for me!" Neji said as he climbed into the driver's seat. "Why did you run off?"
She had never seen him look so angry before.
"I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't know…"
"Know what? Have you forgotten that you are still a girl? Has this whole boy thing gotten to your head? Do you know how dangerous it is for you to be walking around at this time?"
"Why do you sound like my mom?" she scowled, falling into her seat as the car started forward.
"Put your seatbelt on." He ordered.
She did so.
They were silent for a long part of the journey, and Neji seemed to have realized this, as he turned the radio on and slow music began drifting throughout the car.
"You haven't asked me where I live yet." Tenten reminded him a few minutes later.
"Hn."
"Leighton Hill, just so you know." She said jokily, trying to change the atmosphere. He did not reply.
Feeling awkward, Tenten began occupying herself with the interiors of the car. It was amazing. She had never been in a Reventón before. Heck, she had never even been in a Lamborghini before. She felt the leather and Alcantara she was sitting on. They were smooth and smelt strange.
To her right, she found a line of buttons, none of which she knew was for. She pressed the first one, and the air conditioning in front of her turned up. She pressed it again, and it was suddenly jetting powerful wind at her face. She quickly pressed the button again, and the wind stopped altogether. Exhaling, she smiled a little to herself, and pressed the second button. This time, the window rolled down, and the cars rushing by had suddenly increased into loud roars. She pressed it again to close the window.
The third button she pressed, somehow turned the radio volume up to its loudest, and Tenten jumped in her seat as the noise suddenly screamed out into her ears. She could feel the bass vibrate inside her body.
Neji frowned, leaned over, and turned the radio back to its normal volume.
"Whoops!" she giggled half to herself; and she was glad when she found the corners of the Hyuuga's mouth had turned up slightly as well.
"Look, I'm sorry, ok?" Tenten tried again. "I won't have to be going home so late anymore anyways. The preparations for the Ball are nearly finished."
He did not answer, and she looked over at him.
"C'mon, talk."
"Hn."
"Why the heck do you drive a Lamborghini to school anyway?"
"Because I can."
"Pfft. You guys ask for it, you know."
He only smirked
Neji walked her until they reached the elevators of her apartment building, and when the doors closed with a thud, she leant against the railing and sighed. What a day it had been. She looked at her reflection through the shiny walls of the elevator. Her face looked pale and tired, and her hair hung in loose curls around her face…
Her hair…and this uniform…
Wait a minute…
…HER WIG!
I'm sorry it took so long for me to update. Please review!
