a/n: I know you guys were anxiously waiting for what was to come after the little cliffhanger! Yes , I'm evil for doing that; I've been told! :)
Anyway, here it is, Chapter 9 but I'm terribly sorry to say that it's incredibly short! :O Since the beginning, each chapter was centered around each day and it began to jumble together and I would end up cutting off in the middle and it just drove the little OCD girl inside of me crazy! So I apologize profusely for this chapter and I promise the next one will be worth the wait! :D
disclaimer: Neji, Tenten, and other characters(c) Masashi Kishimoto
kisses,
Iris:D
Chapter 9
Neji was watching her, giving her a sideways look.
"Wh-what are you doing h-here?" Tenten spluttered in a most Hinata-like way. She tugged at her shorts, feeling extremely self-conscious.
He shrugged and leaned against the doorframe in a cool, casual way. "Thought I'd stop by…"
Tenten bit her lip. "Why didn't you tell me who you really were?" she demanded, finally finding her voice again.
"What are you talking about?" He blinked rapidly.
"I know you're Neji Hyuga, prodigy of the Hyuga Horsemen…one of the highest winning streaks behind your uncle, Hiashi Hyuga," Tenten spat. "You know, that's worth mentioning the first time you meet someone!"
"I thought you wouldn't be interested." A shrug punctuated the statement.
"Of course I would be fucking interested," Tenten hissed. "Why didn't you tell me?"
He ignored her. "Who told you who I really am?"
"Naruto asked Hinata and Hinata told him," snapped Tenten. "But don't change the subject. Why didn't you tell me?"
"You were never this intent on my background in the past," Neji commented evenly.
"The past?" Tenten repeated. "The past was only a week!"
"Still…" Another shrug. "Anyway, if you heard this from Hinata, then you'd also know how I escaped from all the pressure and the fan-girls."
"So? I'm not a stupid fan-girl," Tenten told him defensively. "I won't chase after you or stalk you like you stalked me-" She ignored his stupid smirk. "-and I won't scream crazily every time I so much as hear your name. And I won't beg you for an autograph or fantasize about getting married to you! Don't you get it? You could've told me! I'm not a fucking fan-girl!" She broke off, panting from her outburst.
He studied her, his smirk slowly fading. Neji sighed. "No, you're not a fan-girl. Because I utterly despise them and try to avoid them at all costs. I ignore their advances and try to tell them in the most polite way that I'm not interested. I'd never kiss a fan-girl-" Tenten blushed and dropped her gaze. "-and I most definitely would not have feelings for one of them."
"I'm not a fan-girl," Tenten repeated, her face red.
Neji grabbed her hand and she took a step back, allowing him into the room. "I know."
The door shut and the room plunged into darkness. It was ok, though, because Tenten didn't need to see to know that Neji had seated her onto her bed, a spot he must have been focusing on all the while.
He kissed her gently, both of his hands gently cupping her cheeks. The kiss grew more passionate, hungrier, as if she were slowly slipping through his fingers and he wanted to make the most of the time they had together. His hands roamed her body; clutching her hair, on the nape of her neck, resting on the small of her back.
She shuddered as his hand found its way to her inner thigh and she fell back onto the bed, bringing him on top of her. Tenten broke away from the kiss, looking up at Neji's white eyes.
"Something wrong?" he whispered, fingering her jawbone.
"I'm not sure," she mumbled, twisting her head away from his touch.
"What is it?" Neji asked. "Do you not want to?"
She shook her head. "No, I want to…it's just…"
"Yes?" he pressed, playing with a strand of hair that had fallen loose from her pair of buns.
Tenten knew she must look enticing. Lying on her back with her hair messily framing her face; her tank top rumpled up to reveal her midriff; and those stupid short shorts she had donned. Tenten swallowed. "We can't do it. We just can't."
"Why not?" The words were laced with refutation and a hint of hurt.
"We're not even going out," Tenten murmured. "If I lose my virginity to you and people find out we weren't dating, I'll be labeled as a slut, a whore."
One corner of his mouth lifted. "I have an easy solution."
She looked up at him with anticipation.
"Tenten, will you go out with me?" he asked softly. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
She was too choked up with emotion. All she could produce was a slight nod.
He smiled. "Problem solved."
What followed was a blur, an intermingling of kisses, caresses, and embraces. The two were intertwined, connected physically and mentally. It was hot and musty business but it was one of love. Yes, perhaps it was possible for one to fall in love so quickly. Tenten just never knew it would happen to her. All night, until Sakura and Ino stumbled in at ten-thirty and Neji had to escape through the window, their hands were entwined, their fingers interlocking, their bodies pressed together.
Their hearts beating the same rhythm, so quickly they might have been flying…
Oh…to soar even when we lack wings…
Tenten was unsure of how to tell her friends that she was no longer single. Last night, she had stopped Neji before he could take her virginity, saying that she just wasn't ready. He agreed, though slightly reluctantly, and they had just lain there, breathing on the same beat.
She was no longer single. Neji was her boyfriend. If anyone had told her of the future a week ago, she would've been thoroughly disgusted. But now, it just felt…right.
Neji had grown on her. She was beginning to like him more and more. She had been thinking about him all day during classes. But her practical sense was back and she had convinced herself that she didn't love him. What had occurred last night was something many couples went through before the 'love stage.' No, Tenten didn't love Neji but she was sure that, in time, she would.
And so her current dilemma was how to tell her friends. Tenten could practically imagine their reactions. Ino and Sakura would bombard her with hugs and squeals and "I told you so's." Naruto would grin smugly while Shikamaru would show mild surprise and congratulate her. Sasuke was bound to tell her that she succeeded in 'breaking the status quo' for a third time. But there was no point in denying it.
Tenten looked at her friends, gathered around her in the Freshman Lounge. She cleared her throat and they looked up at her, waiting. "Well…um…"
"What is it, Ten?" Ino asked, pausing her IPod.
"I have a…" she hesitated. "I have a boyfriend."
It was so quiet you could hear an IPod and a textbook drop to the floor as pounding feet launched themselves onto Tenten.
"Oh my God!" Sakura shrieked, causing many heads to turn her way. Sasuke waved them off with a glare. "Our little Tenten has her first boyfriend!"
"Get off of me," Tenten growled, trying to break Ino's and Sakura's grip.
"No! We can't!" Ino protested. "This is the moment we've been waiting for ever since high school! Tenten is actually going out with someone!"
"It's a complete miracle!" Sakura added.
"Let go of me!" Tenten succeeded in pushing Ino and Sakura off of her. She sat there for a moment, fixing her hair. "I know you two are happy-"
"Hell yeah!" Ino and Sakura chorused in unison.
"-but that doesn't mean you get to strangle her," Sasuke ended for his friend. "I'm sure her boyfriend would be devastated."
Tenten shot him a grateful look.
"So who is it?" Shikamaru asked.
"It's…uh…Neji…" Tenten mumbled, blushing and looking at the floor.
Naruto shot up and punched the air. "Yes! I knew it!"
"Well, congratulations," Sasuke told her sincerely.
"You guys going on a date anytime soon?" Ino inquired.
"I…don't know…" Tenten admitted.
Sakura held out a hand. "Give me your phone."
Tenten instinctively clutched her cell phone. "Why?"
"I'm just going to text him, pretending to be you, and arrange a date," Sakura told her.
Tenten reluctantly handed it over. She glanced around the room as she watched her other friends slowly get over the shock and return to whatever they were doing before. Ino retrieved her IPod from the floor and put in the earphones, dancing in her seat. Shikamaru and Sasuke were reading their own novels and Naruto was working on Sudoku.
Sakura grinned. "Maybe a double-date?"
A double-date would ease the tension and the awkwardness, Tenten thought to herself. "Uh…with who?"
"That depends…" Sakura tapped her chin. "Who would you rather it be with?"
Tenten glanced at her friends. Ino was sure to ruin it, though she had good intentions and wouldn't do it on purpose. Shikamaru would be no fun. And Naruto didn't have a girlfriend. That left Sakura and Sasuke. She supposed it would be alright. Sakura was one of her closest friends and Sasuke was one of her closest guy friends. Though Tenten was sure that he'd be slightly protective of her. He'd always been like that.
"I guess with you and Sasuke," Tenten said out loud with a shrug.
Sakura's eyes glittered. "Yay!"
Tenten waited patiently as the phone periodically beeped and vibrated and buzzed. At last, Sakura snapped the phone shut in a satisfied sort of way.
"It's all set, Ten," Sakura announced.
"Let me see it," Tenten ordered, rubbing her temples.
Sakura handed her the phone and Tenten scrolled through the conversation.
Tenten: Hi
Neji: Hey wat up?
Tenten: R we going on a date anytime soon?
Neji: If u want 2
Tenten: I do
Neji: So when?
Tenten: Tuesday aftr riding? I can skip archery lessons.
Neji: Sure, want me 2 come watch?
Tenten: Yea. Do u mind if its a double date?
Neji: W/who?
Tenten: Sakura & Sasuke
Neji: I guess. Wear do u want it 2 b?
Tenten: Dinner the Grille?
Neji: K, Ill come 2 ur lesson and we can meet S&S there.
Tenten: Sounds good! Bye!
Neji: Bye
At least Sakura had made it sound as if it were actually Tenten instead of an imposter. As Tenten slipped the phone into her pocket, it vibrated once more.
I cant wait until I c u again. Ill b thinking of u.
Her heart fluttered.
She was seeing a new side of Neji. So far, she had only been exposed to Creepy-Stalker-Neji, Extreme-Badass-Neji, Intense-Protective-Neji, and Hungry-Lustful-Neji. But this was new. He was being…sweet. Like a real boyfriend.
Because he is your boyfriend, Tenten reminded herself. She couldn't help it. Eighteen years of being single and all of a sudden she gets a boyfriend? It would take time for her to adjust.
a/n: Yeah, this chapter kinda sucked. Probably because of the lack of enthusiam because I had already planned out what would happen over the next few chapters and I reallyREALLY wanted to write it! Haha! Welp, I can safely say that this was one of my worse chapter; perhaps the worst!
Chapter 10 is coming out on Friday! I'm sure you'll enjoy that one! ;)
kisses,
Iris:D
