ten.

—

"There is just so much to do!"

Tenten looked up from the list she was reading and stared at her cousin, who was currently sprawled over her sofa looking as if she wanted to die right then and there. Putting down the list on the table, she took her seat across it and beamed.

"There, there," she soothed, "I'm here to help you, remember?"

It had been roughly three weeks since she got back from a spur-of-the-moment research trip to Okinawa with Sakura and life more or less had settled. Her work was going great, her relationship with Neji even more so, and her aunt had given up demanding that she got married as soon as possible, only resorting to biweekly calls now.

When Hayashi Kirika, Tenten's cousin from her father's side and also one of Tenten's closest girl friends, dropped by two days ago, the news she brought wasn't exactly surprising: she was getting married, and she wanted Tenten to be her maid of honor, which Tenten said yes to. From then on Tenten had taken the responsibility of calming the twenty-six year old interior designer down whenever the latter got too nervous—as she often did—and helping her plan the wedding. She had made no less than thirty calls today to various people, and so far they only got down the decoration and the place.

Kirika was right: there was a lot to do.

"Maybe you should hire a wedding planner," Tenten thought aloud. "I mean, at least it'll get the wedding reception part done, right?"

"I suppose," Kirika sighed. "But I've always thought I should do it alone. It's my wedding, after all… and I want it to be really special. Unless we get a really unique wedding planner I'm just afraid it's going to turn out the same as everyone else's wedding."

A smile spread on Tenten's lips at the soft declaration. When they were twelve years old, they had this quite interesting talk about the kind of man they wanted to marry in the future. At that time Tenten wasn't interested in boys yet, but Kirika—brown-haired, blue-eyed, always pretty Kirika—had gone through a few admirers, and even then she already had a dream wedding in mind, down to the kind of flowers she wanted in her bouquet (calla lilies and perhaps hydrangeas) and the flavor of the wedding cake (lemon with layers of vanilla). Now that the big moment had finally come, of course she would want everything to be perfect—that much, Tenten could understand.

"Come on, don't give up now—we've barely started!" the romance novelist coaxed. "Show me your ring again."

Kirika held up her hand, the jewelry glinting underneath the sunlight trickling through the windows. It was actually quite simple in design—a single diamond on a silver band—but something about it was breathtaking. She sighed dreamily. "I know I'm not one to talk, but I think this is one of the prettiest ring I have ever seen—if not the prettiest."

"It is very pretty," Tenten laughed. "I never thought Yuuma has an eye for jewelry, especially the kind that women would love."

When she met Higuchi Yuuma, Kirika's three-year boyfriend, the thirty-year-old male programmer had been really serious and quiet, only speaking when addressed to and keeping to himself the rest of the time. He wasn't unfriendly, just very reserved—perfect for Kirika really, who in contrast was quite a chatterbox around the people she was comfortable with. Not only that, Yuuma was very good at what he did; and he was also the one who introduced Tenten to Zaku. The two men had been colleagues at one point of their lives; Zaku worked at Yuuma's office for a short period of time before he decided to quit and pursue his 'real' passion, which happened to be sleeping in and lazying around all day.

Seriously, thinking about it now, how could she have thought that Zaku was attractive? While he wasn't bad-looking, that man was only a little more than a cheating, lying bastard who cared more for himself than her. And to think that she had spent two years of her life on him… she shuddered just thinking about it.

Thank God for Neji. He was worlds better than Zaku ever was.

"The wedding is in three months," Kirika sat up straight, reaching for her notebook and copying a phone number from her phone screen. "That's October. Do you think your parents can make it?"

"I think so, yes," Tenten shrugged. "They've been wanting to visit me anyway so your wedding should be the perfect time to come, right? I'll give them a call tonight, talk to them about it." She peered at the list of guests that Kirika was writing down. "Do you want me to talk to Sakura, too?"

"Yeah, I have her name written down somewhere," Kirika tapped at her list thoughtfully. "Her invitation should come in the mail sooner or later. Hmm… oh!" she looked up at Tenten, her face brightening in sudden inspiration. "You should take your new boyfriend with you, Ten. What's his name again?"

Tenten laughed at her cousin's excitement. "Neji," she answered. "Sure, I'll take him."

"You should, he's hot. Black hair, white eyes… hot," Kirika looked at her mischievously. "Oh, don't look so surprised. You haven't introduced me to him but that doesn't mean I haven't done my own research. I have my ways, you know."

"Let's hope they're all legal."

Kirika gasped in mock theatrics. "How could you!"

"Just saying," Tenten shrugged. "Face it, Kiri, your ways aren't always… appropriate. Don't give me that look! I still remember that time when you dragged me to 'investigate' this old crush of yours, okay? I also still remember what happened. You landed all of us—including him—in detention!"

"That was the first year of university!"

"And I was your decoy."

"I didn't have anyone else! I only knew you then! Besides, who knew Takashi would scream like that and scare the instructor that he fell into the swimming pool and gave us detention?"

The romance novelist rolled her eyes, though her lips curved into an almost impish smile. "What do you think Yuuma would say if he knew you went into the boys' locker room to get a good look at Takashi?"

"What do you think Neji would say if he knew you went into the boys' locker room to get—"

"Ah, but I didn't went willingly. You blackmailed me."

Kirika only grinned. "I had my hope that you'd forget about that already."

"No way!" the bun-haired woman laughed. "If we're doing wedding toasts, that's going to be one of the first things I'll mention, Kiri: how you so cleverly blackmailed me into snooping with you. And to think that his abs weren't even that great…"

"I didn't know that," Kirika mumbled regretfully, blue eyes downcast. "The only time I'd seen his abs was when the wind blew his shirt, you know. And I had to check! Everyone was crazy about him."

"Everyone was crazy about him until he gave out that girly scream thinking we were evil spirits, that is. We ruined him, Kiri!"

"Oh hush you, we didn't," Kirika huffed. "We got him a girlfriend. An understanding girlfriend who loved him for who he really was instead of the Mr. Popular he kept showing us. We went to the wedding, Tenten! We were there, we saw them get married!"

"Well, it is true love," Tenten laughed. That much was right; the 'girly scream' incident had landed Takashi a girlfriend in front of which he didn't have to pretend.

"It's true love," agreed Kirika, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear and refocused on her list. "Hey, Ten, you know what? We should go on a double date sometime soon, I'm sure Yuuma would love to meet Neji."

The romance novelist paused. "That sounds like a great idea, actually," she admitted, "I don't know when he'll be free, though. He's been really busy, the only times I've met him is when he comes here or when I go to his house!"

"Comes with the job," Kirika said sympathetically. "Yuuma also stays at the office really late sometimes, especially when he's revising a program. I bet Neji's even busier than that, sometimes. But it's going fine, yes? Better than… it was with Zaku?"

"Oh, Neji's excellent." Brown eyes softened as an almost wistful expression settled on Tenten's face. "He's nothing like Zaku. He may not speak as much but he doesn't need to, you know? And he makes me feel so…"

The interior designer supplied, "Safe?"

"Safe, yes," Tenten laughed. "I was going for happy, actually. It's like I don't have to worry that he'll ever cheat on me. Guess this, his ex-girlfriend's name is Kin, too."

Kirika's blue eyes widened. "Like the woman Zaku cheated on you with?"

"Yeah."

"That's… unusual."

"I know."

"Could they be the same person?" Kirika wondered. "I mean, there aren't that many Kins in this world. I don't even know anyone named like that."

"They shouldn't be," Tenten shrugged. "We haven't talked about it much, but Neji doesn't seem like the type of person who would go out with a woman like Kin, you know? I don't think he's… patient enough."

"Maybe," the blue-eyed woman conceded. "Still, Ten? I think you better check. Talk to him about it, just to make sure. Nothing wrong with that."

The romance novelist blinked. "Why are you so worried?"

"I'm just looking out for you," said the designer softly, reaching forward to squeeze Tenten's hand. "It's the kind of things cousins do, right? I don't want you to get hurt."

Tenten smiled. "Thanks. I'll be careful."

"Just take it as I'm bribing you not to share that Takashi incident at my wedding. Yuuma knows, but my parents don't and I have a feeling they might kill me if they know I went into the boys' locker room on purpose. Imagine them killing me on my wedding day! Do you know how tragic is that?" Blue eyes wide, Kirika looked like as if she was really imagining it, before her expression turned earnest and she met her cousin's gaze. "Just… promise me you'll check? As soon as possible?"

Though she looked stern, Tenten's eyes were warm. "Fine," she promised, "I'll ask him about it tonight."

Kirika beamed. "That's my girl!"

—

"… and she wants you to come to her wedding, basically," Tenten narrated to Neji as they rode the elevator up to his apartment on the seventeenth floor, "It's still three months away, but do you think you can come?"

"Which cousin is this?" Neji asked.

The elevator dinged and they both strode out and made their way to the flat. "Kirika's my closest cousin, the one I went to university with. She's also the one who made me accompany her to the boys' locker room—I told you about that, didn't I?"

"No." White eyes turned to her even as he fished out his key and inserted it into the lock with deadly precision. "You haven't, actually. What boys' locker room?"

Cripes, Tenten thought, offering Neji a sheepish smile as she filled in the story. "It's one of the most embarrassing things that has ever happened to me," she said when she was done, "Seriously, for someone to think that we were ghosts! It wasn't like we were dressed up or something."

The corners of his lips curved upwards as they entered his apartment. "Will you be wearing a dress?"

Though taken aback with the question, she nodded, her expression puzzled. "Of course! I'm the maid of honor."

The smirk on his face widened, something akin to mischief gleaming in white eyes. "I'll come."

As Neji went to take a shower, Tenten settled on his couch, opening her laptop to work a bit more. Ever since her last novel became quite a bit of a hit, her editor Rima had been extra hard on her, demanding that she worked twice as hard to keep it up. Between writing for magazines and for her own novel, she had less free time for herself now. The old Lee would have been both proud and concerned—proud because she was improving but more concerned because she was throwing herself more and more into work—but ever since he met Neji last weekend, it seemed like her male best friend was convinced that she was 'living the life' and was contented with it.

Humming to herself as her fingers tapped on her keyboard, Tenten concentrated on her work before the landline phone suddenly rang, distracting her. Straightening up, she reached for it, "Hello?"

"Hello, can I speak to—wait, is that you, Tenten?" Hinata's soft voice came through.

"Yeah, it's me," she replied. "What's up, Hinata? Neji's in the shower."

"Oh, so that's why he doesn't pick up my calls!" the Hyuuga heiress said, sounding relieved. "Oh, okay. Um. He's… uh, he's needed at the office, Tenten. Can you tell him that? I—I'm sorry for disrupting your evening… but it's kind of urgent, so…"

Laughter escaped the writer's lips, more for Hinata's benefit than for herself. Poor Hinata must have been fretting about, and Tenten could just see her concerned and apologetic face in her mind. "It's fine," she told her, "I'll tell him once he's done, and I'll make sure he'll be there as soon as possible, okay?"

"Okay. Um… thank you so much, Tenten. I…"

Tenten quickly reassured her. "It's no problem at all, really."

There was a slight pause before Hinata returned with a stuttered goodbye and another thank you and Tenten hung up. It was another two minutes before Neji came out of the bathroom, dressed in the collared shirt she bought for him about a month ago and casual pants.

When he looked at her, she smiled. "Hinata called," she said, "You're needed at the office as soon as possible. You should go, Neji. She said it's urgent, and she needs you."

"Oh. But you—"

Her lips curved into a bright smile. "I'll be fine," she told him, gesturing to her laptop, "I have work to do, anyway."

He looked at her, white eyes scrutinizing her face before he sighed. "Stay."

Tenten blinked. "Really?"

"Stay," Neji repeated, more softly. "Just because I have work doesn't mean I don't—or I won't—have time to spend with you. I'll be back."

Slender brows rose above mocha-colored eyes. "You're going to trust me with your home?"

"Yes," he answered, and then mischief tugged on the corners of his lips as he fought to keep his mirth at bay, "as long as you promise you'll have dinner first. We can have supper later, when I get back."

She grinned. "I'll order."

"That would be ideal."

Her grin widened even more. The last time she cooked at his place she had turned the kitchen into a haphazard, chaotic mess that the cleaning up process had taken three hours. While she was pleased with the results—her beef bourguignon, while not exactly mouth-watering, turned out to be pretty okay—he wasn't happy that she spent more time cleaning up rather than eating with him. That had been about ten days ago, and while she had plans to cook more at his place (his kitchen was perfect for risk-takers such as herself), he didn't need to know that.

After Neji left, Tenten ordered some Korean food from the restaurant down the block. The dishes arrived in about thirty minutes and she ate alone, the only sound heard was from the TV she turned on. For about an hour she watched Castle, until at about eight PM the doorbell rang and she leapt to her feet to open the door.

Much to her utmost surprise, it was Kin.

"You!"

"You!"

For a moment the two women stared at each other, before Kin suddenly grabbed the door and swung it forcibly, glancing at the apartment number. When she realized it was, indeed, the correct one, she glared at Tenten, flipping her long midnight black hair behind her shoulder as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Tenten. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the very same thing."

Dismissing her cold tone, Kin blew her bangs away from her face. "You know Neji?" she demanded huffily, "Wait. Don't tell me—you're Neji's girlfriend, aren't you?"

Brown eyes narrowed at the figure in front of her. "What's it to you?"

"Tenten," Kin sighed, sounding almost bored, as she cocked her hips to the side. "I'm his ex-girlfriend."

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Tenten muttered aloud, massaging her temple with her fingers as she groaned. God, she should have seen this coming! Even Kirika did, and she hadn't even met Neji yet. She was cursed—that would be the only logical explanation—and Kin was her curse.

Kin only waved her hand dismissively. "Is Neji inside?"

"No, he's not."

"Can I come inside?"

"You—" Tenten stopped herself from cursing, for it wouldn't be of use, especially with someone like Kin. "No. No, you can't. Seriously, Kin. Of all the people in the world, you chose Neji. Do you have a grudge on me or something? Some unfinished business? Or are you always only interested in people who are taken?"

The black-haired woman smiled winsomely, her dark eyes glittering prettily. "I don't have a grudge on you, Tenten, darling," she answered breezily, "Don't flatter yourself. Oh, and I'm not only interested in people who are taken, so to speak. I'm interested in people who're worth something, and Neji definitely is—especially compared to Zaku, am I right? You should know that as well as I do. As for unfinished business," her eyes gleamed even more brightly, "I only have some with Neji, not you."

"Okay," Tenten sighed, reaching for the door handle.

But before she could close the door, Kin extended her arm and pushed it wide open. "But you know," she continued wickedly, "I suppose I should relax if it's you instead of anyone else. I should be thankful."

Brown eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I know how to snatch a guy from you," Kin said. "We've been down this road before. Why should this be any harder, right?"

Tenten stared at the woman in front of her incredulously. She had always had a feeling that Kin, despite the very few times they have met, was sort of… proud, for the lack of a better word, but tonight she had just proven herself to be even more conceited than everyone Tenten had met before, almost like an insolent brat. She didn't know why she expected better, though—she really shouldn't have.

"Anyway," Kin released her grip on the door, tapping her heel patiently as she studied Tenten's face, "Just tell Neji I'm looking for him. He'll know where to find me. Did you know, Tenten," she leaned in suddenly, her voice dipping into a low, husky purr, "that we had coffee together recently?"

At her taunt, Tenten willed herself to stay calm though there was nothing more she wanted to do than slam the door in her face—but that wouldn't be any good. That would only prove to Kin that she was insecure, uncertain, worried about her relationship with Neji, and she couldn't have that now, especially now. Taking a deep breath, she narrowed her eyes at the woman standing haughtily in front of her as her lips curved into a sneer.

"It must have slipped off my mind, Kin," she said, voice coated with sarcasm yet as sweet and thick as dark honey, "because apparently you're not important enough to be remembered."

Kin's dark eyes narrowed, but her lips twisted. "I don't believe you."

The bun-haired woman shrugged, "You don't have to."

"You're right," Kin nodded. "I don't have to. Hey, want to know a secret?"

"No."

"I'll pretend that's a yes, so listen carefully. Why don't you go check the drawer under his coffee table? It's still the wooden one with the carvings, right?"

At her correct guess, Tenten stiffened slightly, but she didn't say anything.

"Go check, Tenten dear. You'll love what you'll find there."

With that, Kin turned around and headed for the elevator, her designer high heels soundless against the cream-colored carpet of the hallway. It was when she finally disappeared from view that Tenten closed the door quietly, a sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach as she went inside the living room.

Laying a tentative hand on the slick, smooth surface of the coffee table, she stared at the object for a while, contemplating on what she was about to do. The table had three large drawers under it, and she knew that this was where Neji kept his most-looked-for things, such as newspapers and stationary and others. She opened the utmost left drawer first, finding a bunch of envelopes, a stack of pens, and other writing materials in it. Moving on, the utmost right drawer contained empty folders lest he needed one as soon as possible, for he often worked at home as well as at the office. When Tenten opened the drawer in the middle, a bunch of newspapers greeted her.

And then she noticed it.

—

At ten minutes to eleven, Neji returned to the apartment after a rather heinous meeting, expecting to see Tenten asleep on the couch or working on her laptop.

Instead, all he got was a small Post-It note on top of his coffee table:

Neji,

Dinner's in the fridge. Make sure you take the lid off when you reheat. I had to go, sorry.

-Tenten

PS: Kin came at about eight. She said you'll know where to find her.

—

tbc.

—

OCs can be such wonderful things.