A/N: It will get fluffier soon! I have a one-track mind, so it's hard for me to do multiple pairings at once. Hang in there. Just keep in mind that stuff IS happening behind the scenes of the story to the other less-mentioned characters, and bear with me. Also, I'm a basher of character death, unless it's really well written, (and I can't write character death well AT ALL), so it probably won't happen.

-

Traveling Moon,

Humming Phase:

Before

-

Nothing is too good to be true.

-

Tenten was going to have a seizure.

She had been yelling at Neji at the top of her lungs for the past hour like a rabid dog, but she might as well have been ranting at a stone statue. At least a statue might have given more of a response: Neji just sat there and took her verbal abuse like it didn't exist.

If Neji was yelling back, it would have been much better than this. He was reducing her to a piece of worthless dirt, and it was making her shrink. Tenten did not want to shrink. Shrinking was for cowards, and she was anything but. Dealing with Neji was supposed to be her area of expertise. She was going to work and work that expertise until it paid off.

Which could take a few centuries, she reasoned bitterly, glaring at Neji's immobile figure.

"It is a beautiful sunset," he said flatly.

"HYUUGA NEJI, I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT SUNSETS!" she roared. "I AM TALKING ABOUT THE SUICIDAL THINGS THAT YOU AND THE UCHIHA ARE ABOUT TO DO AND HOW I AM TOTALLY NOT ALRIGHT WITH IT! ARE YOU LISTENING TO A WORD THAT I'M SAYING! NEJI!"

She felt a gush of relief when he turned to face her, though his face was still like it had been carved from a chip of icy granite.

"I can hear you perfectly well," he finally said.

Tenten's neck, face, and forehead flushed bright red. "Darn well, you better hear me," she snapped at him. "Boys don't have a bit of sense in their heads, and I've been given the most unpleasant chore of putting some into your skull."

This time, his pale eyes flashed. "Tenten, you do not know the definition of maturity."

"Actually, I do," she snapped back at him, "And I demonstrate it much better than you. You're not taking suggestions from anybody, and we're supposed to work together, remember?"

"You believe that you could do better? Your self control is not nearly complete." He turned away again. "This truly is a wonderful sunset. You should learn to appreciate the works of nature and Fate more, Tenten. Then you will be truly great."

"No self control? Neji, you're the definition of self control, and I learned from you," she blustered, accidentally sending spittle flying through the air. He raised an eyebrow at her, sensing that his teachings were obsolete, and made a small motion at her head. Tenten's hands flew to her hair, and to her dismay, two furry brown ears had poked out in between her buns.

She paused. "Alright, so it could use some work. I don't see what that has to do with you going to kill yourself."

Neji was looking openly angry now. "Tenten, I thought you trusted my judgment."

She was stricken. "Neji-kun, I do, it's jus-"

"And I thought that you trusted me."

"You know that I do, but this is dif-"

"I'm not that weak," he said and turned back around, closing off the discussion. Tenten shrank slightly. Being weak didn't have much to do with the argument, and both of them knew it. Tenten was worried like a doting mother, and Neji was the rebellious son. However, neither had the willpower to admit it.

"I never took you to be suicidal," she snapped, and stalked out the door to escape the tension.

-

Tenten sat, pigging out on Maraschino cherry ice cream in a small ceramic bowl and fuming at the world in her head, cross-legged at a small wooden table on the collapsing back patio. The sun had almost completely set by then, and the stars were flickering. She was highly suspicious that they were actually helicopters.

The screen door behind her slid slowly open. She was about to curse at whoever it was, but it turned out just to be an innocent 6-year-old boy, looking frightened at her devilish facial expression. He scooted sideways off of the patio and raced to join another of his friends, glancing at her behind their hands and whispering.

She angrily clawed the last bit of pink ice cream that was sticking resolutely to the bottom of the bowl and licked it off of the silver spoon. She left the dishes out for somebody else to find as a surprise and went back inside, feeling miserable.

Matsuri came around the corner and anxiously spared her a glance before pulling out a container of mint chocolate chip from the freezer. "Er, do you mind?" she asked timidly, pulling out a chair at the indoor table. Tenten shook her head. As if her opinion mattered.

"A-Anything wrong?" Matsuri asked by way of trying to make the icy silence go away. Tenten jerkily shook her head, and discovered that her brown hair was down all the way for once, as the ears had taken away the buns.

"Alright then," Matsuri shrank and went to her ice cream. Her eyes were wide, scared, and those of an innocent girl. Tenten felt a sudden surge of shame for taking out her bad mood on her. She was so unsuspecting.

These charitable thoughts were destroyed when the sound of heavy footsteps stopped around the corner, and she looked up to the cold demeanor of Subaku no Gaara, having obviously followed his student down. She scooted out of her chair so fast that she nearly lost her footing. "I don't suppose you'd care for ice cream," she waved her arm sarcastically in Matsuri's direction. Gaara remained immobile.

Tenten's anger flared. This wolf had tried to eat Hinata, for Heaven's sake!

"Stop looking at me," she commanded in a deadly voice, taking a step forward. This time, Gaara's red eyebrows rose, prominent against his pale features, as if daring her to make him. She was that close to throttling his pretty little neck when a voice said, "That will be all, thank you."

She started as Neji moved to stand in front of her. "Come on, Tenten."

It was not an order, but she felt inclined to obey. She followed meekly, sparing a hairy eyeball for Gaara as he moved to sit next to Matsuri.

"I thought you were mad at me," she finally said as Neji sat down quietly on the same steps that they had sat on weeks ago. Neji looked up at her, his loose ponytail swinging slightly, and looked back down. The ponytail slipped and fell onto the steps. The sleek tips of his hair fell forward along his well-structured face and brushed his elbows.

He made a movement to reach for the band, but Tenten got there first. "I'll do it," she said softly, her hands slowly binding his hair back into place. Neji's back was stiff. It was too much like their childhood: the hours they spent up in trees when Tenten was apologizing. She'd often bound his hair before. He had been too remote to do the same for her, which seemed oddly backward, since she was the girl.

"There," she said, sitting down.

Neji grunted. "Hn."

"You didn't need to take me away. I was fine on my own," she said, a line of defiance in her tone and totally ruining the mushy apology. "Gaara's getting on my nerves. He threatened Hinata."

Neji glanced at her. "You forget that Hinata is my cousin."

"Oh. Right," she said softly. "Well, thanks for standing up for me anyways, Neji-kun. I'm sorry about…before." Neji grunted again in acknowledgement, and they sat in an awkward but comfortable silence. Neither made a move to break it.

"I will come back," Neji finally said, getting up. "My Pack is waiting for me."

Tenten felt a plummet of slight disappointment in her stomach. Why was it there? Was it because he had not said anything about coming back to her? Her alone? Yet, why should he?

"We'll be waiting for you," she said brightly instead, putting on a smile. He paused.

"I'll think of you," he said formally. It was only meant as a polite statement, but it sent tremors of pleasure down her spine anyways. Her cheeks glowed. She struggled to come up with something wildly witty to say back to him.

What came out was, "Same here".

-

"That's great! Sugoi, Hinata-chan!"

An over-enthusiastic Naruto smiled and clapped, dancing around. Hinata had just managed to grow her nails and shrink them back in. He wasn't exactly supposed to teach her that yet, but it wouldn't hurt…right? Now, ears popped out on her head in mass embarrassment at the praise.

Naruto sat back down and smiled. Naruto-kun…

His cerulean eyes blinked widely at her, overfilling with happiness. "Isn't this great? We can be best friends now without ever worrying about me hurting you! Besides, if we hang out a lot, maybe Sakura-chan will notice me more too as a bonus," he said cheerfully.

Hinata felt a rush of disappointment. Was that why he was hanging out with her? To get close to Sakura, and not just for her?

Naruto seemed to have realized his offense for once. His eyes widened and quickly he hugged Hinata. "I really like you too, Hinata-chan, you're one of my best friends! I want to hang out with you and Sakura-chan is all."

Hinata flushed to the ears, bright crimson, and Naruto released her, this time oblivious.

Naruto winced and stood up, picking up a book that he had been sitting on. Hinata's eyes widened, panicking, as Naruto opened it. "Hinata-chan, did you write these?" he asked quietly, sitting down again.

Hinata was mortified.

"These are so beautiful. They'll be even better once you sing them…why don't you show them to Ino and we can play them in the band?" asked Naruto seriously. "You never show off your talents."

"I d-don't have any," she said quietly, the red receding.

Naruto looked shocked. "You can't really believe that!" he said, sounding indignant. Hinata nodded slightly. He hugged her again, gently this time, cradling her head. Red flushed up her neck and whiskers sprouted on her face.

"Hinata-chan, you have a lot of talents. Don't stop trying. Ever," said Naruto softly with the voice of somebody who knew what they were talking about.

"Naruto-kun, why are y-you hugging m-me?"

"You smell nice. Like ramen."

Hinata flushed more. Coming from Naruto, that was probably as close to a "thoughtful compliment" as you got. Despite herself, a slight giggle escaped her lips, and Naruto chuckled.

They laughed for a long time.

-

"So…what's this guy about?"

Sakura curiously poked her head around a corner as Tenten smirked. "Trust me, you have no idea."

The pink-haired wolf had long wished to meet Tenten's training partner, the rumored eccentric Rock Lee. She had at last gotten her rhetorical wish at an unexpected and random time. Still, she was curious as to see if the rumors were true.

"Hmm…he should be around back. We're supposed to train today," Tenten explained, sliding open the back screen door. Sakura smiled at her friend. She was in a good mood: Ino had canceled band rehearsal, something everybody in the house had come to dread with a fervor.

"Where is he?" asked a ticked Tenten. "He was supposed to be here…"

"TENTEN-SAN!"

"AARGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

The bowl cut of truth emerged from the large tree above their head. He landed on Tenten's shoulders and they collapsed on the ground. Sakura's eyes bugged. "Tenten-chan! Daijoubu?"

Lee turned and saw Sakura.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

"Oh, flower of youth! Who are you, and what have I done to be granted this honor of meeting you?" he asked, reaching for her hand to kiss. Sakura immediately drew it away. "Er, how are you?"

Oh, God.

A/N: Please review!