A/N: A certain someone's going to be evil in this chapter 8D He has a dark side and he's not afraid to reveal it.

This one is for ScarletCamellia (: For sticking with me and calling me a 'good writer' even when (which is...always) I feel like I'm not. Thank you ^^ You know who the real good writer is? It's her :D Thanks, woman ;)


Night devoured the last traces of sunlight.

One by one, the stars took their places in the sky and the moon shone on the faces of the three ninjas on the ground.

"I remember coming across a small cottage in no one's possession around here," Lee pondered out loud.

Tenten breathed a sigh of relief. Their journey had taken its toll on her and she felt like she was about to collapse any minute. Though they would have loved to pick up their speed and leap on the trees, they couldn't because the horse pulling Kawamoto's carriage couldn't very much do that, can it? Her stomach growled stubbornly. She was starving for she had taken a very light breakfast back home in a haste to get away from her family and hadn't eaten lunch at all.

"Is there food in the cottage?" she asked hopefully.

"I'm not sure but I wouldn't bet on it," the green beast replied apologetically. "It's just a shelter for ninjas on long missions. No one really looks after it."

Tenten filled her cheeks with air and blew it out forcefully. She was awfully hungry and the only animals in the area were small creatures like squirrels (she's sure a certain teammate won't appreciate her roasting one of his furry friends alive) and birds (and she's positive the other one won't hesitate to give her the cold shoulder if she barbequed the birds as well).

She felt someone nudge her from behind and she turned around. Neji was holding out an onigiri, quietly telling her to take it. She smiled at him gratefully.

"OH, HOW I WISH GAI-SENSEI WAS HERE TO WITNESS THIS EXQUISITE DISPLAY OF LOVE!" Lee cried, his eyes shimmering.

The door of the carriage violently swung open, revealing a bewildered Kawamoto. "WHO'S GETTING LAID?"

Tenten and Neji cringed at the two booming voices. They are not going to live through this nightmare.

"No one's getting laid," Tenten mumbled in embarrassment.

The merchant grinned. "Well, that's good. That's good." He winked at Tenten, who glared at him. "Are we going to get some rest any time this century?"

"Soon," Neji replied.

Tenten looked at the Hyuuga with envy. He didn't sound tired, not even a trace of fatigue in his voice. He was so used to this, to annoying clients, to long, draining missions. He's just so amazing. He could be training to be a Hokage or a Sannin and he still chooses to waste his time with her and Lee. She felt guilty all over again for bothering him and lying to Ino.

"Hey," she said softly. "Neji."

He turned to her.

Tenten stared at her feet. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Neji replied, a little confused why she was apologizing but felt like it was what he was supposed to say.

When they reached the cottage, Kawamoto had gotten to bed early, informing them he had eaten in the carriage. Neji offered to stay up for a few hours and wake one of them up to take the second shift, but Lee assured him it was perfectly safe. Team Gai ate dinner while talking about the recent economy boost of the Grass then headed on to the rooms when they encountered a problem. One that made Lee stifle a laugh and Tenten glance at Neji nervously. Now, the cottage was small and housed a kitchen that doubled as a dining room, one bathroom and three bedrooms. Their client occupied one and now only two were left.

"Um, there are only two rooms left," Lee stated the obvious, mischievously leering at his teammates.

Tenten cleared her throat. "Well, I'm pretty sure you and Neji would do just fine in one."

"I get nightmares. I thrash around a lot at night."

The kunoichi narrowed her eyes. This is a lie. She knew it for a fact. Lee slept soundly on every night they had missions. Tenten cracked her knuckles, knowing this was going to be a battle. Lee could be unreasonable if given the chance.

Neji cocked an eyebrow. The green idiot is messing with him, just like Gai. Really, those miserable morons are bent on destroying him! It's a conspiracy!

"You're lying," Tenten said.

"Neji isn't going to like it if I keep hitting him in my sleep."

"You don't get nightmares, Lee."

"Okay, but I snore."

"You're a terrible liar," Tenten retorted.

Lee crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. He's doing her a favor. "Please, Tenten, I think I'd need the bed alone. After this traumatizing day, I would love it if you'd just allow Neji to sleep beside you." Then he peered at them curiously. "There's something called trust, isn't there?"

Neji resisted the desire to wring his neck. Maybe Lee meant it and maybe he didn't. But Neji was sure he heard the capital letter.

"'Traumatizing day'?" Tenten repeated in disbelief. "I was the one who was alone with the PeDOCreep, not you!"

"Neji's comforting presence could soothe you," Lee replied calmly.

"It's indecent," Tenten hissed.

"It's an act of friendship," Lee stressed the words. "You're the one who's adding malice, Tenten."

Neji was quiet throughout the whole argument, like he was just so cool that the people he's known for years are fighting over which one of them would be the sucker who'll be stuck with him for one night. It was unknown to everyone why he's in this state whenever people talk about him as if he's not there.

"I am not adding malice!" Tenten quickly defended herself. "And it's true! I think that as a lady, I deserve to have the bedroom alone!"

"Neji says you're a man-lady," Lee said. "And yes, you are."

Tenten was baffled. Man-lady? Her eyes met Neji's. "I'm going to pretend that's normal." Her attention turned to Lee again. "Lee, that's not fair! I—I want to sleep alone! And you have no problem sharing a room with Neji. You're both guys and even if he and I are together, it doesn't give us licence to share a room. What if one of us gets tempted or something?"

Lee stepped forward to protest once more, but then faked tripping over something and stumbled all over the place as his arms flailed around. "Oh, nooooooo, I'm tripping! Watch out!"

He bumped into the walls and continued to stagger towards an empty room then fell on the floor. "Oh, my ankle! It broke! I'm in pain! Pain, I say! If you don't mind, I'll take this room. Please don't disturb me in my sleep. I need to rest this broken ankle of mine."

The door slid closed. Tenten breathed deeply and tried to control her rising temper. The room was a good ten feet away. How Lee managed to cover the distance on a 'broken ankle', she doesn't know.

She walked to the last available room and sighed. The bed was so small. It was obviously meant for one person.

"I'll sleep on the floor," Neji said, surveying the room.

"No, no," Tenten said, shaking her head. "It's fine, really. Lee's just...being playful. He enjoys this, I can tell."

Neji nodded. "I know. He's my teammate, too."

Suddenly, Tenten wailed, "You're surrounded with idiots! How do you survive?"

Her teammate, surprised, blinked. Then he smirked. "The same way you do."

Tenten's lower lip jutted forward. "What are you talking about? I'm a member of their species."

She dragged herself to the bed and lied down. Seconds later, she was already sleeping. Her steady, rhythmic breathing was in sync with the rise and fall of her shoulders. Neji watched her sleep then walked out into the night. He settled down on a wooden chair, his pearl-gray eyes wide open for any possible dangers lurking in the shadows. It was silent except for the breeze that ran through the night, making the leaves of the trees rustle, the reeds whistle a haunting melody and nocturnal animals howl far away in the unknown.


The next day, Tenten woke up and found the boys outside, waiting by the carriage.

"GOOD MORNING, TENTEN!" Kawamoto and Lee sang in unison.

"Good morning," she said, smiling, to them and to Neji, who returned the greeting.

They resumed their journey to the Water Country. The rest of the trip was uneventful, aside from a short clash with five thieves. It wasn't a big deal but Kawamoto kept clinging on to Tenten and screaming, being the damsel in distress. In the end, Tenten got some cuts. They weren't fatal but Tenten was irritated. She disliked battle scars. They display your weaknesses and where you've gone wrong. Around four in the afternoon, they reached the shores where a ship was waiting. The figurehead was a mermaid.

"THIS SHIP IS MINE," the merchant said to Tenten and winked. "AFTER THIS MISSION, I'LL HAVE YOUR PRETTY FACE CARVED INTO THE FACE OF THE MERMAID. WHAT DO YOU THINK?"

Tenten was freaked out but politely declined. She sure as hell wouldn't want to resemble a mermaid outside the bow of a ship and go through everyday life, knowing very well that somewhere on the high seas, her wooden 'twin' is getting wet and hit by the salty waves.

They loaded the cargo onto the ship and soon departed land. Kawamoto had gone down to the cabin of the captain, who was a friend of his, to chat. Tenten, Neji and Lee rested on the forecastle deck.

"How was your sleep last night?" Lee asked in mock-innocence, addressing Tenten and Neji.

"Pretty well," Tenten said. She knew better than fighting with Lee again, which would make Lee tease them more.

"Oh," Lee said. "So..."

The weapons' mistress smiled victoriously, inwardly daring Lee to go on.

"A cruise is such a romantic thing, don't you think?" Lee asked rhetorically, hit by a sudden inspiration.

Tenten glowered at him. Hasn't anyone told Sakura the whole subtle "How romantic. Don't you think, Sasuke-kun?" thing is totally not working? She made a mental note to threaten Sakura to quit it before anyone else other than Lee picks up on it.

"I suppose it is," she replied guardedly.

"Neji," Lee said. "You know, most boyfriends would stroll around with their beloveds when on a ship. Or anywhere else, for that matter. You're not acting like a boyfriend at all, you know that?"

Tenten started to panic. Is it that obvious? Oh my. This is bad. Everyone knows!

She tried to approach it the same way she did to her friends: denial. "That's nonsense."

"Okay." Lee sounded unconvinced. "Whatever you say."

"See, Neji's not one of those conventional boyfriends," Tenten tried again.

Neji was unaffected. Seriously, he's just an observer! Not a word was coming out of his mouth. The next thing Tenten might say, he's a transvestite-Jinchuuriki who was rejected by Concubines of Orochimaru Inc. after Sasuke was discovered. And he'd still be poker-faced. Yup. A day in the life of Hyuuga Neji.

"He has his own ways of expressing his love," Tenten continued.

Lee was unimpressed. "Like how?"

Tenten helplessly threw her head back and stared at the vast blue sky. "Well, most boys would, as you had said, walk around with their girls, enjoying the sceneries. Neji would, um, prefer to meditate and prompt me to do the same because, um, he—"

"Wants you both to achieve nirvana?"

"No. And I'm telling the story here, thank you very much," Tenten snapped. "Besides, we practice Shinto. Anyway, he wants me to be at peace. That's it. And it's a thousand times more refreshing than wasting time by loitering."

Lee was still skeptical. "That's not very romantic."

"Because he's not the usual guy!" Tenten cried, exasperated. "And it depends whoever you're talking to what's romantic and what's not. And I find his ways very touching. Like, um, when guys would give girls unhealthy food like chocolate, he'd go out with me and we'll drink herbal tea. He's concerned for my health."

"Go on," Lee replied.

He questioned the methods of his rival. Even a single person like him who was rejected by his crush countless times knew chocolates were more preferable, compared to tea.

"And when the ordinary guy would tell the girl she's pretty or sexy, Neji would tell me I'm good in combat or I have great stamina!"

Tenten listened to herself shout out the examples. She wanted to puke. It was lame! She doesn't blame Lee if he still didn't believe her. What kind of boyfriend would make her drink herbal tea and sit around, doing nothing, and tell her all the things she doesn't want to hear? Well, sure, it's cool that someone as great as he is would compliment her on her skills but still. She's still a girl and like any girl, she wants to be told she's wonderful and beautiful. She wants to be seen as a girlfriend, not a comrade. She's a little glad she was just faking it with Neji and he's not actually doing those things. But only just a little. Nothing's more depressing than 'dating' your crush when it's not the real deal at all.

"And when guys kiss their girls, he'll respect my privacy and wait for me to make the move," Tenten finished.

And when the girls are sick, their boyfriends would come over and feed them chicken soup. When I'm sick, Neji would make me take medicine that makes me want to throw up but makes me better. And when guys take their girlfriends out on dates, Neji trains with me so I'd be the best ninja out there. And when guys make love to their girlfriends, Neji would stay over at my house and we'd discuss politics. Oh, yeah, I can just talk about this all day. Aren't I the luckiest girl in the world?

"Yeah, okay." Lee finally surrendered, giving it up.

Tenten wondered if Sasuke had spoken to Lee as well. Was her longtime friend also trying to expose her and Neji? It's so frustrating, she thought. Damn you, Uchiha.

Gai's favorite student walked away, leaving behind Tenten and Neji. As soon as Lee was away from earshot, Neji talked.

"You have to give me more credit than that," he said, amused at her outrageous lies.

"It was a spur-of-the-moment thing," Tenten said. "Lee was being just like Sakura and Ino and Hinata. Did you know they already got the feeling we're not together?"

That caught Neji by surprise. Those girls were sharper than he had thought. "They figured it all by themselves?"

Tenten smiled at him. "They're not dense. But no, they didn't. Sasuke's the mastermind. Remember the dinner? And I told you that Sasuke and Sakura were acting as my parents, you remember that? You didn't even ask why they did. Well, that was it. Sasuke felt like we're not together. Call it criminal's instinct that he developed and never got over again or whatever. We're gonna have to be one step ahead of them."

"I've always liked competition," Neji said, a smirk forming on his lips. "Don't worry. Uchiha is going to lose this one. Like he always does."

They didn't continue the conversation after that. The contents of their renewed deal stayed in their minds for a long time. Plans were carefully calculated. They consulted with each other. Their intentions were completely different but their strategy was one and the same.

Later, during dinner in the inner chambers of the ship, Kawamoto asked Tenten how long she had been dating Neji.

"Oh, um, not that long. Four days," she answered.

Kawamoto joyfully said, "WELL, NOT THAT LONG, I SEE! YOU KNOW, OFTEN, SO OFTEN HAVE I SEEN YOUNG GIRLS GET HURT. YOU KNOW WHY?"

Because you're a creeper and you want to get in their pants? Tenten darkly thought.

"WHEN THEY WERE IN THE EARLY STAGES OF A RELATIONSHIP, THEY WERE SO HAPPY. THEY ACTUALLY BELIEVED THEY WERE IN A FAIRYTALE. BUT THEN REALITY CAME ALONG AND THEIR PRINCES AREN'T AS PERFECT AS THEY HAD THOUGHT," Kawamoto said, shaking his head. "I JUST WANTED TO WARN YOU, MY DEAR. INEXPERIENCED BOYS DON'T DESERVE YOU."

"Oh, don't worry," Lee piped up. "Neji takes care of Tenten. He lets her drink herbal tea."

The floor trembled when Kawamoto erupted in laughter. Lee shrugged at Tenten, who sent the merchant an icy look.

"I make her happy."

Everything came to a standstill. They all stared at Neji, who was calmly eating his meal of salmon. Kawamoto leaned back, sizing up the young man.

"I've heard her laugh. She enjoys my company, as I enjoy hers. I would do anything for her, she knows that," Neji continued.

"THAT'S QUITE A GOOD SCRIPT YOU WROTE UP, BOY," Kawamoto sneered.

"You don't know anything about her," Neji frigidly said. "I've known her for almost my entire life. You feel like you're in love, but you're really just a lonely man with a crush on a teenage girl. I love Tenten. She's not going to elope with you or live with you or marry you. Sorry."

He stood up and left the dining room. Lee's eyes were as huge as saucers, unaware his rival had such passion. Kawamoto was unresponsive, his mouth taut. Tenten was staring into her plate, her heart beating violently against her ribcage. She was sure that any moment now, her ribs would break and her heart would jump out and run after Neji, offering itself to him.

I love Tenten, he said. He loves me.

Then she lifted her gaze. Lee was smiling broadly at her, now fully convinced. She fiddled with her spoon. Their plan was coming into action.

Hyuuga Neji, as she had predicted, was truly a captivating actor.

A/N: WOAH, PASSIONATE!NEJI IS IN THE BUILDING :D Achieving nirvana (eternal bliss) is the goal in life of Buddhists. Shinto, on the other hand, is the major religion of Japan.