Rebecca's Point of View

"Good morning." Lauren, who looked like she had been run over by a bus…and an SUV, trudged through the door into the kitchen, hair sticking up in every way possible.

"More like good afternoon, I'm about to make lunch. Where were you all night?"

Her cheeks brightened slightly, the first I had seen them do in the three weeks she had been here. I knew this was about a guy.

"Who stayed up until the wee hours of the morning with you this time?"

She folded her arms. "No one that matters to you…" She tried to slip away, but she had just woken up, so I got to the door faster.

"Was it Kiba?" She gasped and said, "That mutt boy smells too bad to be with me! And besides, I want to hear about your night." She tried to change the topic. Nice try, but I didn't just wake up like her.

"Who was it?"

"No one."

"Who?"

"No one."

"Who?"

"No one."

"Were you safe?" Her eyes widened at my question.

"I wouldn't do it with Shikamaru after only dating him for three weeks!!!" She slapped her hand to her mouth after she said it, astonished that she had fallen for that trick. Oldest one in the book Lauren. Jeeze.

Whatever the book is.

"I didn't…no, that's not what I meant. I am not dating Shikamaru. I promise." She smiled her cheesy smile, but I wasn't fooled. She was so busted.

"So you didn't tell me about Shikamaru and yet I told you about me liking Neji huh? Some friend you are."

"Okay, so I was. But, I didn't have sex with him. I'm not that much of a whore." I rolled my eyes and grabbed the boiling water from the stove.

"Do you believe me Rebecca?"

I looked up at her over the kettle, and saw light green eyes peering at me, full of hope. I sighed.

"Yes, I believe you." She sighed gratefully, putting her hand over her heart.

"Do you want ramen? I might as well make some since Tenten and Hinata are going to get hungry soon." She nodded, and then leaned on the counter, facing me.

"So…what happened last night? Will I have to sew someone's mouth shut?" I grinned.

"I never realized that Neji was so attached to his lips. He was so freaked when I said I might not tell you." She laughed with me, and then added, "So you two are dating now I assume?" I blushed slightly. "Yeah, I guess."

As soon as I said that, Neji walked into the door. "I heard the words 'sew' and 'dating'. Does that mean I go unharmed here?" I smiled.

"Your lips are free to do as they please," Lauren said.

"Then the first thing on my list is…" He leaned down and kissed me, making Lauren make gagging sounds.

"Get a freaking room."

"It's my house." Neji replied, in between our kiss.

I heard Lauren mutter something as she left the room.

"What'd she say?" I looked up at him.

"That she shouldn't have gotten us together in the first place."

I rolled my eyes. She wasn't going to get away with that. I put my head into the living room where Tenten, Hinata, and Lauren were sitting.

"Next time you're over at Shikamaru's, use a goddamn condom."

From behind, I could see Lauren's face turn beet red, and Hinata and Tenten whipped their heads around and started asking questions.

"Is that where she went?" Neji asked after I returned to the kitchen.

"Yes, it is. And don't worry; she didn't really do it with him. I just wanted her to be interrogated by two very pesky kunoichis." I winked, and pulled Neji down to my height so I could crash my lips into his.

After a lunch that everyone attended (that I cooked), we all went to our respective homes. Tenten was probably going to go spread around that Neji and I were going out, and that Lauren and Shikamaru were going out. I didn't care. All was perfect right now. I had a boyfriend I loved, and my best friend was with me. Best of all, I wasn't in Corpus Christi anymore. I was in Kohana, my new home that I loved and protected as a shinobi.

Speaking of shinobi, Tsunade's calling for me.

"Rebecca, I have an assignment for you. I need you to go and meet with the captain of the sand village, and give him a certain package for me. I would send someone else, but everyone is out working on something. You can pick someone else to come along with you if you'd like. I have a map for you, but you might want some company."

"Alright. I'll do that. Once I have the person coming with me, I'll come to your office." She nodded at me, and then started walking back the building in which her office was.

"So you're telling me, I'm going on a mission with you alone?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's not. When do we go?"

"Start packing your stuff, and when you're done, just come over to my place. We'll go to Tsunade after we have all of our stuff."

I stood in the doorway of Neji's room, arms folded. He walked over to me and brushed a bang out of my face.

"See you in a while," he said, brushing his knuckles across my cheek.

"Yeah, yeah loverboy. See you later." I kissed his cheek, and then started back to my house. Time to tell Lauren I was leaving.

"What do you mean you're leaving?! You just ditch me? Is that it? REALLY?!" I put my hand over Lauren's mouth before her rant could continue.

"Yes. I'll be back in a few days' time. It's not like I'm going back to Corpus or something. Chill." She sighed.

"Fine. You just be careful. Got it? Don't die on me. You're my best friend." I smiled and hugged her.

"No worries, Neji won't let anything happen to me."

She practically growled. "He better not."

As I packed my things, I heard a knock at the door in the front room. When Lauren answered it, I heard her say, "Look, if anything happens to her, you're going to wake up with a meat cleaver in your eye and a butcher knife in your penis. Got it?"

"Lauren, I think he gets it." I walked down the stairs, bag strapped around my shoulder. His eyes were widened from Lauren's inhuman threats, but he recovered quickly.

"Ready to go?"

"More than ever."

"Bye Rebecca! Remember Neji, meat cleaver!!"

"How are you friends with her?"

"Not a clue in the world. I just am. We get each other. Care about each other. Stuff like that. We stood up for each other when our teacher told us to spell our full names in kindergarten. It's when you're about four."

"I don't get it."

"Well, my full name is Rebecca Leah Harrison. That's not exactly the easiest to spell when you're four. Hers is Lauren Amber Vandercamp. She called him a sick bastard, and ever since then, we were best friends." I smiled at the memory of me and Lauren when we were so young.

"I see." Neji folded his arms, no doubt trying to imagine a young Lauren calling a teacher a bastard.

"And that is your assignment. All you have to do is deliver it straight to Gaara-sama."

I took the object and scroll and put them both in my bag.

"We'll be back soon Tsunade. See you later."

And with that, Neji and I started off on our journey to the Hidden Sand Village.

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