It was a little longer than usual to get this up due to some testing and Thanksgiving and other goodness. Mayhaps I will update again this month as a little present for you all :)

AN: I only own the plot line and Watson :)

He didn't kiss her. Oh, that would have been so wrong. For reasons Neji didn't really want to contemplate, he still held what shred of dignity he had left, and didn't do anything to potentially cheat on Sakura.

Though Tenten, for some strange reason, was making it extremely difficult—when did she become okay to look at? When did seeing her dripping with perfumed bathwater make him slightly hot and bothered, and not in the way he usually was with a temper and irritation?

She was taking him in slowly with her aura alone.

But when he was almost dragged in by temptation, at the last minute he shifted his face so his mouth was by her ear instead. He could almost feel his lips becoming frustrated at the lack of contact—why didn't you kiss her, idiot? You were right there!

Answer? He didn't want to ruin their already fragile relationship, so he didn't do anything sensual.

Nothing.

He, like the douche he knew she saw him as, instead blew in her ear and snickered, "You look like you wanted something?" even though he knew he was the one that had really been anticipating.

He missed his chance.

And of course, her face embarrassingly red, scrunched up in anger and her hand flew to her ear as if he had tickled it with his breath. "You are the WORST," she hissed, voice croaky like she hadn't used it for a while.

He let her shove him back under the lukewarm bath water, and could only watch her dripping figure pull itself out of the tub.

She looked like a drowned, miserable, and totally ticked off cat.

Tenten didn't even want to think about what had just happened. Like, what? It had all been fun and games for a while, she had been enjoying herself, and of course she had been kindofnotreally checking him out, but that was okay because he was really damn attractive in the first place. It was fun to battle with him in retrospect, it was entertaining when she was yelling at him and letting him know what a jerk he was with no real intended consequences. And that was only because her blindfold fell off.

But then he did something un-Neji-like which made her confused. She couldn't place the look on his face when she met his eyes, but it was as if he wasn't seeing the "her" that was on the surface. It was like he was sitting in a submarine and sinking through her memories to find out who she really was, and discovering her at the bottom of the ocean floor.

And for the first time, she felt like he had opened his world to her. Was it so wrong to think that it actually may have meant something? Something that she too could think about and mull over at night—

No.

NO NO NO.

She wrung out her shirt and felt her face with her palm. Yep. Still hot.

"Shit," she swore, which didn't happen often. Her head hurt. She couldn't deal with stuff like this anymore. She was on the job. She needed to make money, she needed…

Her hands were craving something. Something to hold, something to touch, something that was definitely Neji's skin and Neji's everything that she saw moments ago. When he had reached over and touched her, it wasn't with the same intent that he had when they were doing the shoot. It was tender, it was thoughtful, hinted with normal hesitation, and sparks were dancing on his fingertips.

It was like everything that was their relationship had culminated up to a certain point, and then exploded in her face with flashing lights and red balloons. How was she to face him in the morning when only dirty thoughts pervaded her mind? When did these thoughts of wooing him, of taking him away from his girlfriend, of hoping he would look at her as more than just someone to irk and make fun of and bother crop up?

How was she to face him when she couldn't admit to herself that yes, she had been waiting for something when he leaned towards her.

Is that what they called "a moment"?

Tenten groaned and shook her head in confusion. With a hurried mentality, she stripped herself of her wet clothing and bundled herself up in a towel, scrunched over in herself, sitting and thinking.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She needed to get one thing straight.

Did she like him?

She thought long and hard, and then sighed when she realized her answer.

She didn't know. Not yet.

And that was the worst. It would have been easier to come to a definite decision, but Tenten honestly didn't know. Did she hope she would leave a good impression on him? Sometimes. Did she wish for his approval? All the time. Was she attracted to him?

…Physically, yes, no doubt. But there was always the issue of his personality to get over, and…

"I don't want to think about this," she whispered.

Boys were too complicated.

oOo

There was only one thing to do.

Because it was late in China, she was able to avoid him by pretending to be asleep in the other bed. It wasn't difficult. She was thinking things over—the best way to go about everything was to pretend like it hadn't happened. That way, both of them would be spared the awkwardness of the next morning.

But no. He had to sense that she was awake.

"Oi," he called out, throwing a pillow at her sideways turned head, "Stop avoiding me."

She ignored him and rustled slightly to show that she was irritated.

Which she was.

"Oi." Another pillow hit her with a thump.

Again, Neji's efforts were promptly disregarded. Tenten still pretended to sleep. Did he lack brain cells for common sense? Could he not tell that she didn't want to deal with him? A good night's rest always changed outlooks, and right now, Tenten just wanted to be refreshed so she would have thoughts of him dancing through her mind.

But apparently he didn't really get the message, so a slipper hurtled through the air and smacked her in the head.

That was the last straw.

With a fuming personality, she threw the covers off herself and stormed over to his side of the room where he was watching her idly from his bed. She hit him with his own slipper across his chest. "You are so immature! Don't you know when to quit it?" she hissed, dropping the offending object on the floor.

"Well, you weren't answering me when I called," he answered coldly.

"I was sleeping."

"Like hell you were sleeping."

"…Well you finally got my attention. What was so urgent that you needed to throw two pillows and a slipper at me? Got a stain on your arm? Hair a millimeter out of place?"

This was not going how she had planned it. In fact, it was straying far. In the opposite direction.

She was still too harsh and too brash and too unlike Sakura.

"You're still mad, aren't you?" Neji sighed. "Listen. I just wanted to ask how you were feeling. You did take a pretty bad fall. Will your ankle be alright for travel tomorrow?"

A chauffer was driving, so it really wasn't much of an issue. And walking? She wasn't going to be doing too much of it. But still, Tenten was mildly surprised at his concern, so she answered only snippily. "I'm fine." Her leg was ok, and her body was only slightly sore, albeit a bit black and blue in some areas.

"Oh. That's good." He was looking down at his hands. Then he looked at her and pursed his lips. She raised an eyebrow, as if to say "what?"

"I'm really sorry. About…the tub incident."

Which one was he talking about? The initial trick? Or the one where they just looked at one another and she restrained herself from kissing him?

Too many questions.

She let out a breath through her nose. "It's fine, Neji. I'm used to your awful bullying tactics anyways." She smiled to let him know she was only joking. Halfway, at least. "Relax and...just forget it. Get some rest. your schedule is packed tomorrow."

He looked a little confused, but he also sent her a rare smile. "Thanks Tenten."

"Mhm."

She walked back to her bed, tossed him his pillows back, and turned off the lights so they were in darkness. After a while, Neji's voice rang through the silence, carrying a compliment she had never heard before.

"And…I just wanted to let you know…you're the most capable person I know. Thank you for being my manager."

The words sent warm tingles all the way to her toes and back.

oOo

"Get up, get up, get up!" she was shaking him so vigorously she thought she might break him, but that wasn't really important. What was important, on the other hand, was the fact that their chauffer had casually decided to not to his job and oversleep.

So now they had no transportation.

And Tenten's body was so effing sore that trying to wake Neji was really taking all the effort she had.

Eventually he groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes and blinking blearily around. "Is it time to go to the makeup studio?" he yawned.

Tenten nearly hit him upside his head. "We're in a crisis here, Neji! Wake up and wash up—we have no time to go to the beauty parlor since the stupid chauffer bailed on us and I was a dumbass for waiting for half an hour. I'll be doing your makeup instead."

This seemed to register in his brain, for he looked at her apprehensively.

She sighed.

She didn't have time to deal with this.

"Just wash."

He crawled out of bed and obeyed. A moment later he was refreshed and rubbing droplets out of his hair with a towel.

"Took you long enough," she scolded gently, sitting him down in a plush leather chair. "Brush," she commanded as she handed him a comb.

For the next ten grueling minutes she fixed his hair to a reasonable level.

Once that was finished, she pulled out her makeup bag. Neji flinched. "Oh, grow up! You use the same things!"

"But…you've touched all those products."

She gave him a light punch to the arm, recognizing the friendly insult. "Just shut up. Not a big deal."

Was the makeup even necessary? Maybe she should cut it out for future planning…Neji didn't really even need any. He was so gorgeous without it that Tenten felt it was somewhat of a shame to put something on his face that wasn't there originally.

But she ultimately did apply some, slyly using it as a reason to observe his facial structure more while his eyes were closed. It was light, really—but when she was done, she could only admit that he looked even more attractive.

Damn, she was good.

"Did you draw a moustache on my face with eyeliner?" Neji asked dryly, looking at a mirror to check the finished product.

"Would have added much more to your lame face," Tenten countered, knowing it wasn't true.

She watched him give himself a once over, and then he nodded. "Looks good."

"Yep, and did it in half an hour. Not bad, right?"

After urging him for a while longer, they were out the door with coffees in hand (thank the lord for room service), and Tenten flagged down a taxi cab so they could get to the interview station on time.

Her native tongue came fluently to her as if she had never left.

"That's really cool," Neji commented after she was done speaking. Tenten raised an eyebrow. "You must be joking. You've heard me speak when we first got here!"

"I know," he mumbled, turning his gaze out the window. "Just thought I'd mention it now. In case I forget. Or something."

She laughed. "Well, thanks for the compliment I guess…better later than never, right? You can learn too. Well, scratch that, you'll have to learn if you're going to make a name for yourself here."

The cab slowed to a stop after half an hour of driving, to which Tenten promptly paid the man and sent him on his way. "The chauffer will be able to get us to the rest of our destinations today," she prompted Neji as they walked up the building's stairs.

Before they entered the interview room (it was a nice place to hold one, to say the least—with marble flooring and crystal lighting), she gave him a once over.

She ended up taking out her comb and fixing his hair the slightest bit, trying not to focus on the light smell he exuded when she was near him. "There. Oh, and one more thing." She put the comb back in her bag and passed him a lint roller. "Go de-lintify yourself."

He sighed but complied, getting rid of white fuzzies that had grown attached to him and his suit. Well, she couldn't blame them—he did look rather suave.

Anything could get attached, really.

"Get my back," he said, giving her back the lint roller.

With careful hands, Tenten picked up stray strings and hairs with the roller, attempting to disregard his broad shoulders and the slight curve of his back and the light muscles that defined his shoulder blades. But still, she ran her palms gently down his spine when she was finished, feeling his muscles arch slightly toward her touch.

"Done," she said sternly, placing the lint roller into her purse once more. "Now get in there and don't mess up."

He smirked. "Do I ever?"

"Good point," she replied reluctantly. "Well, you can never be too sure. Best wishes…I'll be translating, but I can't give you any hints."

He pushed open the doors, and held it open for her to step through the doorway first, then walked to the stage and podium table. Cameras flashed as they reached the stage, and Tenten sat down in the open chair for the translator. Neji was left standing with a podium in front of him and a mike in his face.

She sighed. Hopefully these reporters weren't going to be as dumb as most of the rest.

Neji sighed. The reporters were just as dumb as most of the rest. How many interviews had he gone through which each revealed the same questions and answers? Tenten was doing a fantastic job with translating—he was actually surprised by the quickness at which she spoke, conveying no additional biased tone. Like a professional.

Damn.

Did she have to be good at everything?

Apparently so.

"Mr. Hyuuga—how do you feel about Sasuke's recent photo-shoot for that clothing line? Were you not offended that you weren't asked? And we heard you oversaw the proceedings as well. Any comments?" Tenten translated, but this time, he heard a little sharp biting tone in her voice.

So she was a little ticked by this one. Understandable, considering she was directly involved in the incident to begin with.

"I was not offended," Neji stated confidently. "Each person has their own taste, and the producer of that shoot in particular preferred Sasuke over me. To each his own. And, I felt extremely honored to look over the proceedings. It was enjoyable to see a fellow star at work."

He watched his manager's shoulders relax slightly, then retranslate it over.

He had given an adequate answer, then.

The reporter squiggled down what Tenten had said.

…Neji was already sick of him. Neji had been watching that specific man. That journalist who seemed only a little too keen to listen and hang onto every word that came out of his manager's mouth. The male reporter was looking at his translator with inappropriate eyes that she was too oblivious to notice, but he did and he was not approving of it.

Any of it.

If that man asked another question, Neji was going to produce a "no comment" answer just to piss him off.

He tried to prevent a vengeful smirk from covering his face. The thought of that man's miffed face—that was something to see.

But to his dismay, the rest of the interview went off without a hitch, with no complicated questions or probing interrogations. And that man said nothing.

"Thank you," the proctor said, concluding the end of the interview. Neji bowed and said his thanks in Chinese, then gently led Tenten by the arm out of the room.

"Listen," he whispered in her ear (though it was kind of unnecessary—he just wanted to put his face close to hers to either irk her or just because…well, he wanted to), "Be more conscious of your surroundings."

She poked his face so he moved away from her. "Why are you whispering?" she accused, squinting her eyes. "And I'm perfectly conscious. What are you talking about?"

Just then, the male reporter came up to them.

The male reporter that Neji definitely did not approve of.

Neji was glaring holes in the man's head, sending brain waves that said things along the lines of "fuck off" but he didn't seem to notice.

"Hello," he said suavely, looking at Tenten. "I just wanted to say that you're a great interpreter of languages. Seeing as I'm native Japanese as well, I was surprised by your fluent speaking style."

Oh, way to brag asshole. It wasn't like being Japanese was a big deal in Asia. If that reporter thought that buttering Tenten up would get him on her good side, he was sorely mistaken.

Tenten smiled politely, but Neji could tell she was uneasy. He smirked. Good. Meant she shared Neji's viewpoint on the suck up. "Well, thank you for your compliment. Now excuse us, we'd best be on our way."

That was right.

REJECTED.

The reporter looked just a little shocked. Neji smirked. "See you around, sir. And have a nice day." He made sure his voice was a little caustic at the end.

As they left the building, dodging rabid fans and sliding into the car, Tenten commented, "You didn't have to be so mean to him."

"What are you talking about?" Neji said innocently, choosing to look out the window instead of look at her.

"You really spit out that last sentence. The sarcasm was literally dripping off your words."

Oh. So she noticed.

When did she become able to notice those things?

oOo

The rest of the day went smoothly.

Yes. It was surprising for Neji too.

Tenten was, quite possibly, the best translator he ever had. He had half a mind to pay her extra, then realized that she didn't need the money and he wasn't going to spoil her.

But the real change was in the atmosphere of all the places he ended up working. And it was odd, because even as she was simply sitting in the studio she brought a kind of vitality that made the place seem a little warmer.

Of course, he wasn't going to tell her this, but it was nice to keep in mind.

"Where would you like to eat?" she prompted as they drove back to their hotel. Night had fallen, so the city lights had sprung up into combinations of rainbows and colors.

"Somewhere fancy."

"You want to spend even more money?"

"Not like we're going to spend it on anything else."

"…I'm warning you, Neji. Good food here is no cheap deal. You gotta be willing to fork over a large sum of money."

He shrugged. "I just want to go somewhere fancy. Take me."

She snapped her planner shut and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "You just love making things difficult. Fine. I'll take us somewhere nice. Just…sit tight while I figure this out."

She pulled out the phone he had given her (ha! Sasuke never gave a phone), and scrolled through its contents. She had better be grateful: that was the only thing she was going to receive from him. Neji snorted.

It hadn't been cheap either, but Watson had insisted on getting the top of the line cellular device, or else it just wouldn't do for "Ms. Tenten's daily delegations."

She wasn't a princess or anything. Any nice smartphone would have been fine, but that one was custom made just for her—even the case Watson had picked out and hired a designer for.

"What is the big deal?" Neji had said indignantly. "Why are you treating her so nicely?"

"Well," Watson had replied patiently, putting the finishing touches on the phone, "It's nice having a girl in the household, isn't it?"

And the way her face had lit up when they presented it to her before leaving for China…well, maybe he could accept the price.

"We're leaving now," she announced, hauling her work bag over her shoulder. "I'll call a taxi."

Neji followed her into the elevator, absentmindedly checking his phone for messages. Ah, Sakura texted him. How nice.

Hi Neji! Hope China is going well. I miss you. Can we have dinner together when you get back?

Hello Sakura. I would love to. I will ask Tenten to make arrangements.

There was a longer time for her to respond which was unusual.

Well, that's one of the reasons I texted…haha. I was wondering if we could just make it the two of us involved in this? What I mean is, don't ask Tenten to plan for us…she has a lot on her plate already. And I want you to stay over for the night.

How forward.

Neji smirked.

If that was what Sakura wanted…

"You look like a cat that's got the cream. Stop texting your lover and get in the freaking vehicle."

"I can multitask," he retorted.

Very well, we'll plan this ourselves. I'll just her know I'll be heading out.

Their text messages always had a formal tone to them for some reason. Face to face was never a problem, but when it was via technology…that changed things. Not to mention, they never called each other sweet-heart names—mostly because Neji couldn't stand that kind of disgusting mushy stuff. And he loved Sakura so much more because she didn't ask him to.

She was respectable and modern.

On the other hand, his messages with Tenten were curt and blunt and hers in reply were even more so.

Hurry up.

Wait woman.

You're slow.

Shut up.

Don't forget to drop off the thank-you note.

I'm not stupid.

It just went to show how uncultured she was.

The cab slowed to a stop. Tenten paid the man and crawled out the door, fixing her skirt in the process.

Neji thought he heard something along the lines of "stupid tights…"

He drew his coat a little tighter against him. It had turned chilly a little too quickly for his liking.

"Let's go in," Tenten suggested, cocking her head towards the doorway.

For once she wasn't full of bologna.

His manager had chosen a relatively nice place. The floors sparkled with marble and velvet carpets. The waitresses, dressed in red for luck, were all exceptionally good-looking, and greeted them when they entered. Several of them widened their eyes when they saw him, and whispered excitedly amongst themselves.

His popularity was not to be trifled with.

"How many?" a waitress asked, smiling sweetly.

"Two please," Neji said.

Tenten nodded in approval. "Nice to see you're practicing your Chinese."

"Always learning."

The woman led them to a small table near the darkened windows where Neji could clearly see the bright lights and chandeliers reflected off the panel. A single peony was set in a vase as the seating's centerpiece.

"Nice place," he commented. "Watson never took us anywhere like this."

"Probably because he couldn't be swayed by your whiny nature," she snorted, taking a napkin and placing it elegantly across her lap. She shifted her utensils slightly on the table.

"Unsure of how to use them?" Neji prodded sarcastically.

She shot him a glare. "I've been to many fancy pants dinners. I know how to hold my utensils western style and Asian style. In short, no, I don't need your advice for this."

"Harsh…" Neji replied, taking his own napkin and laying it across his lap. He opened the menu and scanned the contents.

Then he closed it. He couldn't read any of it anyways. "What should we order?"

"Let me do it," she said not unkindly.

When the waiter came around with a complimentary pot of tea, she rattled off a list of names without even looking at the menu, and rolled her neck slowly when he left. Neji tried not to watch the lightly tanned expanse of her collarbones and focused on the peony instead.

"Are you always so passive when you eat with Sakura?" she prompted after shrugging her shoulders a couple of times to stretch.

He shrugged. "Depends on the day. She picks sometimes, and sometimes I pick. We trade off."

"Hm." She sipped her tea and then set the cup back down. "That's good. That means you guys treat each other like equals."

"Well, it's not like that's difficult. She respects me, and I respect her. So we achieve that balance."

Why was he sharing his personal life with her again?

…And why was he okay with it?

"Well, duh. It's never a good thing when the guy does all the work. I mean, I personally like a guy who gives me a chance to do stuff. But not like all the chores in the entire household and then some." She gave him a playful reprimanding look, and then laughed. "Honestly Neji, you've made my life a pain in the butt."

He sighed. Of course she would complain.

"…But I really enjoy my job. You've given me some direction. Let's just say…" she looked at her cup, refusing to meet his eyes while talking. She swished the cup around, and Neji could almost see the tea leaves swirling in a whirlpool. "I was a real brat before I came to meet you and Watson. And I feel…even though this work is hard, and sometimes I really dislike it, I wouldn't trade this position for the world." Then she looked at him, really looked at him, and treated him with a rare personal smile. "You've kind of given me a goal and a way to fend for myself. You know, a purpose for being here. And in case you didn't know that, and in case I never get to say this ever again: I just wanted to say thank you."

In that moment, Neji felt an overwhelming tug in his chest. One that kind of hurt and constricted his heart. It was the same kind he felt whenever he thought of Sakura—but on a much larger scale.

It was like he had been pushed off the Tokyo tower at night and plummeted while watching the lights of all the other buildings streak upwards towards the sky, then hit water without making a splash. Descending down in an aqua world, slowly, slowly, slowly, until he could touch a sandy shore and wash up onto an expanse of midday sun and blue refractions.

Damn.

It hurt.

And he didn't know what to do with himself.

Yay plot development :D
What do you think will happen on their dinner? (which is actually an author's planned date in disguise? MUHAHA)

Suggestions, comments, complaints, happiness; all welcomed. :)

R&R :D