Chapter 4: For the Love of...Tomato?
Normal pov
The wedding was a large success and everything had calmed after the actual ceremony, the world seemed at peace, until they realized that the competition was coming up and they hadn't trained, being the procrastinators they were. So they rushed away upon reaching Sasuke's house.
Tenten, Sakura, Hinata, and Temari were all sitting in the backyard of Tenten's house, attempting to figure out the easiest and quickest way to train Hinata.
At the same moment at Neji's house, Neji, Gaara, and Naruto were trying to get Shikamaru off his back to train.
While Neji and Tenten were having a hard time at their houses, Sasuke, Kiba, Deidara, and Sasori had gotten right into training.
The day it was announced that they were to fight in groups, Deidara and Sasori had grabbed Sasuke, and Kiba. They would have normally been in a group with Itachi, but he had already formed one with Konan, Tobi, and Kisame. The other Akatsuki were already in a group, so they were left with Itachi's younger brother and the random boy standing beside him, they had rushed over to grab them before anyone else could, knocking over a girl with brown hair in two buns, and she fell into Hyuuga Neji.
#&!
Tenten's pov
I knew of only one way that I would be able to train Hinata in time for the competition, it was the same way that my brother had trained me, it worked great for me, not so much him.
Flash back
"Right, Tenten, it's time to begin your training", my older brother Kimmimaru said, he knew that I had gotten into many fights, as did Shizune had, and she had gone through his training, because our parents are always to busy for us.
Kimmimaru had trained me with diffrent tactics for two weeks straight, but none of them had stayed with me, I was a disappointment, to my whole family, and I had told Kimmimaru to stop bothering with me, but he didn't.
Kimmimaru and Shizune had walked away together, while I was left standing in the arena that they had tried to train me in, I saw Shizune had Kimmimaru something, but I couldn't see what it was.
"Tenten", Kimmimaru said calmly, when he returned in front of me, "I have your cookies", Kimmimaru pulled my boxes of cookies from behind his back, I reached for my bucket, "and your bucket", no not my bucket, no one touches both my cookies and my bucket.
If my eyes could they would have turned red, I charged at my brother, beating him into the ground, I grabbed my bucket and cookie, and turned it over so I could sit down, doing so I glared at my older brother and began eating my stolen cookies.
"Ma Okias, Oh Ouchi", I said my mouth full of the most sacred of things, my precious cookies.
"What?" Shizune asked clearly not understanding my 'clear' statement.
"My cookies, no touché", I repeated once I swallowed my cookies, only to stuff more in my mouth.
"I think, *twitch* we *twitch* found *twitch, twitch* a way *twitch* to train *twitch* her *twitch, twitch, twitch*" my brother said from the crader he had formed with his body, and he continued to twitch.
End flashback
I chuckled at the memory, though, I have to give him credit, and I'm a pretty good fighter now, ten times better with my bucket.
"I've got it", I said out loud drawing everyone's attention to me, I was pretty use to it, after having to dance down the road in the rain screaming something about a crazy bucket lady. I crouched in front of Hinata, "do you have something you really care about or like, a lot?" she nodded, "now pretend I stole it"
It worked, really well, she started to get mad, like I expected, but what I didn't expect was what she yelled at me.
"HOW COULD YOU STEAL HIM?" Hinata yelled when she got to her feet, and got ready to attack, "YOU ALREADY HAVE NEJI!" Hinata's face was red with anger now, "HOW COULD YOU STEAL HIM?" Hinata charged and I ran, "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO NEJI?"
Hinata had caught me with the last yell of her cousin's name, and began to beat me into the ground, I learned two things today, Hinata has a crush on some guy, and this wasn't the method.
In a few hours of healing, I happy again, Hinata had finished her training for hand to hand fighting, and I was healed, we were just about to start some weapons training, my specialty.
"Okay, before we further beat ourselves up, go grab your weapons" I said pointing to Sakura and Temari, "and find one that will suit Hina-chan" I called, this way I had time to do a few things, like go talk to neji, because I needed to do that, grab my bucket, and some cookies, "Hina-chan lets go see Ne-chan"
#&!
Normal pov (Neji's house, with cookies!)
"JI-CHAN!" Tenten called out as they entered the house, "would you like some cookies!", Tenten called again, 'I offered him cookies, what is wrong with me!',she thought distressed, if she kept offering people cookies it be the end of her, and the cookies!
"SURE!" he called back, "we're in the basement", Tenten and Hinata followed his voice to the basement.
"Hey Block head, Shika-pineapple head, Gaara, Ji-kun", Tenten said as she stuffed a cookie into Neji's mouth, "Whatcha doin'"
"Trying to get Shikamaru here motivated", Naruto answered pulling on Shikamaru's pineapple looking hair.
"Hmm, Hina-chan, you have any ideas?" Tenten asked with a smile.
"N-no T-Tenni-c-chan" Hinata stuttered with a blush.
"Oh, hey Hinata", Shikamaru said sitting up, "what are you guys standing around for?" Shikamaru got off of the chair he was sitting on, "I thought you said we had to train", Shikamaru then began to fight with Naruto.
"Ne-Rue", Tenten whispered, "I bet you ten bucks..." Tenten trailed off but finished the sentence with a shifting of her eyes between Shikamaru and Hinata.
"You're on Tenni", Neji said using, what he didn't know was, an endearing name, which made the girl beside him blush without his noticing.
"Don't call me that", Tenten said furiously, hitting his arm playfully.
"Neji! Have you seen Tenni?" Temari called from upstairs, and Tenten began to hit her head.
"Yeah! She's down here", he yelled back, laughing at the bun headed girls misfortune.
"Can we train down here too?" Tenten asked as Temari and Sakura came down.
"Sure"
"Thanks, now I'll be right back", and with a blink of Neji's eye Tenten was gone, with another blink of his eye she was back.
"Uh... Ten, why do you have a bucket?" Neji asked noticing the object that she had brought back.
"Oh, it's my weapon, it's the only weapon I'll fight with, most of the time", Tenten explained with a grin, and the only thing that he could do was nod, mostly because he was trying to decided who had the weirdest weapon, Tenten, Sakura or Temari, "Saki, Tema, did you find Hinata a weapon?" Tenten asked, once again ignoring Neji.
"We found something", Sakura answered, "Can't say if it's good, but it's something"
"A s-shovel? Hinata asked picking up the red plastic device, Temari and Sakura laughed nervously, and Tenten just laughed.
"It'll work", Tenten said after a while.
The girls began training with their odd weapons, Tenten used her bucket against Temari's fan, and Sakura blocked Hinata's shovel with her block of wood.
They fought for a while, until Temari's fan was knocked out of her hand, it flew through the air and hit Naruto in the head.
The blond boy turned and blinked, once then twice, and looked down, seeing the fan he blinked again, and finally it registered.
"TEMARI!" Naruto yelled, and the chaos began. Naruto ran after Temari wielding her fan, "WHY DID YOU HIT ME?" Naruto wailed as he chased the blond math geek/ punk.
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO, TENTEN HIT THE FAN OUT OF MY HAND!" Temari yelled, running away from the blond boy who chased herfor once.
The two blonds had attracted everybody's attention now; they had stopped their current sparring to watch the scene.
"TENTEN!" wailed the two blonds, both running toward the brunette, who paled, looked around a bit, grinned and took off running.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shitshitshitshit", Tenten chanted as she ran from the psychotic blonds, "NEJI! HELP ME!" she shouted running toward Neji.
"NO YOU DON'T, YOU'RE NOT DRAGGING ME INTO THIS!" Neji yelled as he started to run away from the crazy brunette and the psychotic blonds that were chasing her, " HINATA, HELP YOUR DEAREST COUSIN!"
"NO WAY NEJI-KUN, NO WAY!" they were all proud of Hinata but right now wasn't the time to stop and congratulate her, "SAKI-CHAN HELP!"
"HUH? HINA-CHAN NOO!" the pink haired girl yelled as she ran up the stairs and over to Sasuke's house, completely forgetting about the two boys still in Neji's basement.
Sakura had managed to find where ever it was that Sasuke was training, "KIBA! HELP ME!" Sakura yelled, Kiba paled, he wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew he didn't want to be involved.
"SAKURA WHY DRAG ME INTO THIS!" Kiba yelled trying to avoid the crazy train of his friends, "SASUKE GLARE AT THEM MAKE THEM STOP!" Kiba yelled, heading straight for the chicken ass man.
Sasuke did as what was asked of him and glared with all his might, which was ignored. Sasuke's glare was ignored; they had gone off the edge, twice.
"ITS NOT WORKING!" Sasuke yelled, once again not being like himself, granted his glare hadn't worked so he was in rights being freaked out, "RUN!", he shouted again, though they weren't sure who he was talking to so they all ran faster.
While Sasuke, Kiba, Sakura, Hinata, Neji and Tenten ran from the punk and jock, Shikamaru, and Gaara came over and talked with the stunned Deidara and Sasori.
Deidara, the blond male who looked more feminine, and Sasori the shorter male who looked like Gaara with less make up and longer hair, explained to the others what had just accrued.
Shikamaru and Gaara then set off in a slightly faster walk, to try to rescue at least two of the people who were caught up in Tenten's madness, if only they knew that they were caught in her tangled web too.
#&!
Normal pov (chase scene)
Temari and Naruto were at a dead run, chasing Tenten for a reason they couldn't remember, they had watched as the line of people they had chased gradually got bigger.
Running through Sasuke's house, they split up, hoping that they would lose the two blonds who weren't giving up.
Sasuke rounded a corner and spotted his bedroom, grabbing Kiba the huddled in the room, not moving, not breathing, not daring to make a sound until the sound of pounding feet passed by the room, and then they let out their breaths slowly, and waited.
Sakura didn't see it coming, one minute she was running, afraid for her body and the bodily harm that would be inflicted if she stopped, then the next moment she was pulled into one of the guest with Gaara holding hr elbow.
She blinked and everything fell into place, Gaara had saved her. The sound of people running by froze them, Sakura with her mouth open, as she was just about to thank him.
Hinata had seen Sakura being pulled into a bedroom, but she didn't dare stop, she ran down the hallway, then turned down another, only to be pulled into a bathroom by Shikamaru, Hinata mouthed her thank you, knowing the others were close behind her.
Tenten and Neji ran down the hall looking for a place to hide, Temari and Naruto were still a hall behind them.
Neji spotted a door that he assumed was another guest bedroom, and pulled Tenten into it. However like most things his assumption was wrong, it was a linen closet, a very small linen closet, which led them into a very uncomfortable and awkward position.
#&!
Tenten's pov
I looked around, and saw, nothing, I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, which took a few minutes, and then I was, still nothing.
"Neji where are you?" I whispered, 'damn him and his black hair', I cursed looking around once more .
"I'm right here", he mumbled, "stop moving your head", I didn't listen, however I was dimly aware of something moving on my neck, but I shrugged it off as my hair or clothing.
"Where?" and then something bit me, "OWW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" I shouted forgetting about the homicidal blonds after me for something, which I wasn't sure of to begin with.
When I saw the murderous intent in their eyes I headed for the hills, well, actually Neji, 'I wonder what I did now, I'll ask them if I live through this'.
That's when blonde and her stooge opened the door, 'shit', I cursed again, I waited for them to drag me out and torture me, until I did what they wanted. Nothing happened, I looked over at them, and they were staring back.
"Tema? Blockhead?" no response, "you guys okay?" still no response, "whatcha starin' at?" they lifted their hands and pointed.
I looked around, up, nothing, then down and saw sheets, Neji between my legs, boxes, nothing unusual, 'wait, WHAT?'
#&!
Neji's pov (still in closet, before Temari opened the door)
When I pulled Tenten in I didn't know that it was a closet, but by time I actually figured that one out she was already in and the door closed.
I could see her dimly stick her foot out to balance, it hit the wall, and boxes fell on me, pushing me and her against the other wall.
The foot that had hit the wall was stuck there because she couldn't pull it back, leaving me between her legs and my mouth on the juncture of her neck and shoulder, because of the boxes that fell on me, which here surprisingly heavy.
I heard Tenten whisper my name and ask me where I was, I answered the best I could with my mouth covered by her, she asked again, so I bit her, and she screamed, well yelled.
Right after that, was when the door was yanked open and everything fell silent, after a while Tenten identified the people who opened the door and later asked them what they were staring at, and I could only guess it was me.
They would have seen my face bright for the first time ever, if it wasn't for the fact that it happened to be nuzzled in Tenten's neck.
#&!
Temari's pov (staring at Neji and Tenten in the closet)
'This was worse than the cookies incident, or close to it', I thought, there was Neji, his face buried in Tenten's neck, while her right leg was around the same height as his hip, and was planted on the opposite wall as the rest of her body was pinned, so he was literally between her legs.
Well one thing was for sure we caught them at a very awkward time, in whatever activates they were participating in.
I was about to suggest that we leave them to their business when I head mumbling coming from Neji, "What did he say?" was what I ended up asking.
"Ji-perv asked if you could help us, well because we're kinda stuck", Tenten said, expelling any thoughts of what they could have been doing, when she called him 'Ji-perv', well from my mind anyway, Naruto's mind was harder to read then a book to a blind man.
'That's another thing I don't like about this blockhead, he doesn't understandanything, oh no, you could explain everything slowly, and in terms that any normal stupid person could understand, yet he won't get it, you could draw him a picture, nothing, act it out for him, nothing, and trust me Sakura triedeverything to explain what Ebisu meant by the birds and the bees, he still doesn't understand, if I had a dime for every time he-'
"Yeah a little help would be greatly appreciated, right about, I don't know, NOW", Tenten's voice broke through my rant, damn.
I stood there for a minute before I was able to remember what I was about to do, "stupid birds and bees", I muttered, not quietly.
"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" screamed Naruto, who although I was just ranting about, I totally forgot he was there.
"He doesn't know what that means?" Tenten asked, shocked by, what I assume is, how idiotic our little blond headed guy friend really is.
"Nope, we tried everything to explain it to him", I said as I pulled her from underneath Neji, which he then fell forward, the boxes piling on top of him, again.
"I'll try, but first", Tenten smirked, and helped Neji, up from under the boxes, "HENTAI!" she yelled, red faced, and began to slap him, because, I'm assuming she didn't want to hurt to him too bad.
I heard footsteps running, and looked back at Tenten, whose face was red as a tomato, and then looked to the other side of the hall, where Sasuke was first to appear, 'oh crap', I thought as Sasuke stared at Tenten's face.
#&!
Normal pov
Sasuke stopped in front of Tenten, and just stared at her, oddly, hunger evident in his eyes as he stared at her tomato colored face.
"Tenten", Sasuke said, a little more than a hoarse whisper, "your face...", he started to advance on the girl, his hand reaching up as he took each step closer, his fingers barely brushing her red cheek, unaware of everybody's stares, and Neji's and his boyfriend's eye twitch.
"Sasu-", Tenten started, her alarm at what was happening clearing her voice, making Neji's eye twitch even faster, making it look like the whole section of his face was having a seizure.
"Shhh, it's okay let me finish", he whispered again, his other hand joining his first as he lightly brushed all over her face, "I-I don't think I've ever been this attracted to a girl b-before", he choked over some of his whispered words.
"Sasuk-", Tenten tried again.
"No, no, I'm not done yet", Sasuke whispered again, "Tenten", He whispered her name softer then when he had cut her off, "I lo-"
Sasuke never got to finish his confession that would have made any fan girl's heart flutter, because a really pissed of Neji pulled him off of her.
"I LOVE YOUR TOMATO FACE, TENTEN!" Sasuke yelled as he was dragged down the halls of his own house.
Everyone expected Tenten to cry, either because that was incredibly disturbing, or because like any other fan girl that has been told by the guy she was fan-girling that he was in love with, her very embarrassed face, that happened to look like a tomato.
However she surprised them all by laughing, and laughing, and laughing some more, now they were concerned why she was laughing.
"Tenten?" Hinata said without stuttering, which went unnoticed, and forgotten by everyone who was watching the hysterical girl, "are you okay why are you laughing?", Hinata asked clearly concerned for their bun headed friend.
"Yeah *laugh* I'm *laugh* okay *laugh* that *laugh* was just *laugh* really * laugh* creepy", Tenten continued to laugh for a while longer, "Hina-chan you're not stuttering", Tenten pointed out once she had regained her composure.
"Just something that happened when I was younger, and I've been afraid of it happening again, but not now thanks to you Tenni-chan, and you two as well", Hinata said, not going any farther, nor did they press, but they did forget to ask why Tenten's face was red in the first place.
#&!
Tenten's pov
We went back to the main room in Sasuke's house and did what we did best, goofed around, Deidara and Sasori joining in for the hell of it.
At certain times during the many hours of doing shit all, I was dimly aware that something somewhat important was missing, but I couldn't remember what this thing was.
"Let's play a game", Temari suggested boredly, rolling over on the couch so that her knees were on the floor and her shoulders on the couch with her back arched.
"What?" I drawled, from my position on the coffee table.
"TRUTH OR DARE", Naruto yelled pumping his fist in the air, only to receive a pillow in the face.
"No", I drawled again, lying back down on the coffee table.
"Let's do karaoke", Hinata suggested, her voice getting less shy my the minute.
"Yeah alright", Sakura said, and Gaara nodded agreeing with his girlfriend.
"Probably the only reasonable suggestion", I drawled once again, rolling off the table on to Shika-pineapple head, effectively waking him up.
"What a great idea!" Shikamaru said, amazingly enthusiastic and I was sure he had no idea what he just got himself into.
"Great, where's the karaoke machine?" I asked smirking as I saw Shika's eyes widen.
"Right here Tenten", Sasori said holding up said machine, "and here are the mikes", he held up three mikes.
"Now, who knows how to set this thing up?" I asked and all went quite, the worst thing was that Hinata looked really disappointed; apparently I wasn't the only one to think so.
"I do", Shikamaru stated and began to set up the machine he was sure would doom him.
"Thank you Shika-kun!" Hinata cried happily rushing over to hug and a peck on his cheek. I laughed silently as Shikamaru blushed and mumbled something that I could only guess was his trademark 'troublesome'
In no time the karaoke machine was up and running, Hinata went first, followed by Shikamaru, then Kiba, Sasori, Deidara, Gaara, Naruto, then finally Temari Sakura and myself, singing I won't say I'm in love.
#&!
Normal pov
"If there's a prize for rotten judgment
I guess I've already won that
No man is worth the aggravation
That's ancient history been there done that"
Tenten sang, reading from the screen before her.
"Who'd ya think you're kidding?
He's the earth and heaven to you
Try to keep it hidden,
Honey, we can see right through you
Girl, you can't conceal it
We know how you feel and who you're
thinking of"
Temari and Sakura sang, they two focusing on the screen, all three not noticing the looks they received from their audience.
"No chances, no way, I won't say it, no, no"
Tenten's voice got stronger as the song went on.
"You swoon, you sigh, why deny it, uh-oh"
Temari's and Sakura's voices going as Tenten's did.
"It's to cliché; I won't say I'm in love
I thought my heart had learned its lesson
It feels so good when you start out
My head is screaming get a grip, girl
Unless you're dying to cry your heart out
Oh-"
Everyone looked on in shock, she sang as if she really been through it, or that's what Neji thought when he and Sasuke walked in on that one part.
Suddenly he was overwhelmed with a feeling of jealousy, but he denied such feeling, not wanting to examine it closer, he would always deny it, or at least as long as he was able to.
"You keep denying
Who you are and how you're feeling
Babe, we're not buying
Hon, we saw ya hit the ceiling
Face it like a grown up
When you're gonna own up that you-"
Temari and Sakura sang, together.
"Got"
Temari sang.
"Got"
Sakura sang.
"Got it bad"
Temari and Sakura sang together again.
"No chance, no way I won't say it, no, no"
Tenten sang with a smile, as the other two bubbled with laughter, they were sure they weren't going to make it to the end of the song.
"Give up, give in
Check that grin
You're in love"
Temari and Sakura sang, pointing at Tenten's smile, and Neji was flushed with another wave of jealousy at who Tenten was thinking about.
"This scene won't play
I won't say I'm love"
Tenten sang swatting away the other two's hands.
"Shoo doo, shoo doo"
Temari and Sakura sang as Tenten sang the next line of her part. (A/n the next part under this)
"Your way off base I won't say it"
"She won't say it"
Temari and Sakura repeated
"Get off my case"
Tenten sang as Temari and Sakura gave her suggestive glances.
"Shut up, shut up"
Temari and Sakura sang quietly as the song was coming to an end.
"At least out loud
I won't say I'm in love"
Tenten sang, and the song was finished, and the three girls started to laugh.
"That was fun, but now I'm hungry", Temari stated, turning from a laughing Temari to a very serious one, about the state of her stomach.
"Well then let's deiced what to have for dinner", Sakura chirped happily.
"Yeah, but there's something missing, and its important, I swear, I just can't put my finger on it ", Tenten said as she pointed behind her, coming in contact with something soft, and mushy, well not mushy, squishy, no, Tenten couldn't think of the right description, and she didn't realize that the soft thing her finger was on was Neji's nose.
"Ten get your finger off my nose", Neji said, only slightly agitated that she hadn't realized that he had left along with Sasuke.
"Oh, yeah, Neji", Tenten said as she removed her finger from its cushion, aka his nose, "hey Ne-perv where've you been?" asked just realizing that he wasn't there for their little goof off session, and the start of the karaoke,
"Hey Sasuke were you with him?" Tenten asked completely ignoring the other male, looking closer she saw a light bruise on his cheek, "oh, what happened there?"
"N-nothing, nothing at all, nope", Sasuke said very aware of the glare Neji was giving him, and he didn't want a repeat of what happened a while ago.
"Oh, okay, Neji why are you glaring?", Tenten asked not using her voice, and Neji jumped on this.
"No reason"
"Who wants what for dinner?" Tenten asked ignoring the two dark haired males that where now behind her.
"SALAD!" someone suggested loudly.
"NO, BAD SHIKA-PINEAPPLE HEAD!" Tenten yelled/scolded.
"Fine", Shikamaru muttered, walking into the kitchen and sitting in front of the open fridge, starring sadly at the head of lettuce sitting there.
