The journey continues…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!

Tenten awoke feeling very refreshed but also slightly disorientated. Her eyes were still closed as she mentally worked up the energy to open them. She didn't remember going to bed. In fact, she didn't even remember walking home from Hinata's party at all. She must've gotten home one way or another because she could feel the comfort of her soft bed underneath her body.

She rolled over on her side, sighing with contentedness before she realised something was wrong. Tenten's eyes flew open as she discovered the scent coming off the pillow wasn't her own and her vision was obscured by a wooden bedside table which was completely unrecognisable. What was going on?

The weapons mistress bolted right up as she took in her surroundings before realising she was still in Neji's room and in Neji's bed, no less. How did this happen? Tenten ran through the memories of the night before. She remembered coming in to check on Neji and then…Tenten mentally slapped herself. She had fallen asleep on his floor! What a stupid thing to do. She should've returned home when she had got the chance.

Tenten did wonder, however, how she managed to get into his bed. Did she crawl in herself? Or did someone put her there? The kunoichi had no idea but she spotted a large glass of water sitting on the table next to the bed and she realised just how thirsty she was. She grabbed the glass and drained the contents in two mouthfuls.

As Tenten sat the cup back down, another thought crossed through her mind. What should she do now? Was anyone else awake? She didn't even know the time. Tenten slipped out from underneath the covers and carefully made her way across the room to open the door. She peered outside and saw that the corridor was desolate and silent indicating that possibly no one else was awake yet.

Tenten waded down the hall, quickly checking the room where the party had been last night in case there was anyone still in there. She was surprised to find the room completely immaculate, already cleaned up of any mess or decorations that had filled the spacious area.

"Tenten?" came a voice behind her.

The brunette spun around to find the Hyuga heiress staring at her questioningly.

"Oh, good morning Hinata," Tenten managed say with an awkward smile.

"W-What are you d-doing here?" the shy girl mumbled with curiosity before explaining, "You d-disappeared last night a-and we c-couldn't find you so we as-assumed that you went h-home."

Tenten's embarrassment increased as she shifted her weight from foot to foot uncomfortably. She could feel her cheeks growing redder by the second. How was she going to explain this?

"Well you see, it's a bit of a long story and I –"

"She's with me," a cold voice cut across her and Tenten immediately knew that Neji was standing behind her.

"N-Neji-nii-san," Hinata greeted him with a rather terrified squeak and the Hyuga prodigy bowed his head in politeness before turning his gaze on Tenten.

"Come with me," he ordered her vaguely before trudging off down one of the corridors.

Tenten gave Hinata an apologetic glance, promising to explain everything when she got the chance, before dashing off to keep up with Neji.

"Where are we going?" Tenten asked in a low voice once she had caught up to her teammate.

They were down a part of the house she had never seen before. When he didn't reply, Tenten bit her bottom lip before saying, "I'm sorry I fell asleep, Neji. It was a really stupid thing to do, I just had too much to drink and it was late and it was a really big day so I guess my body was going into shutdown mode and I –"

"You talk too much," Neji broke in, but his tone was light and Tenten shut her mouth and felt her cheeks burn.

He came to a halt in front of two double doors before opening both and gesturing for Tenten to enter first. Once the lights switched on, Tenten realised it was a very large kitchen with a long counter and stools to sit on for when eating.

"What are we doing in a kitchen?" she questioned confusedly as Neji strode past her before opening the fridge.

"You must be hungry," he stated simply as he pulled a platter of bread from the fridge and placed it on the marble counter.

Tenten hadn't noticed she was starving until he had mentioned it and she could feel her stomach churn with longing for food.

"Is there anything in particular you would like to eat?" Neji asked as he busily bustled around the kitchen pulling out plates, cups and utensils from the cupboards and drawers.

"You're going to make me breakfast?" the weapons mistress was frozen with incredulity.

Neji halted his flow of work to stare at his teammate before replying, "Unless you would like to eat someplace elsewhere. I can take you –"

"No!" Tenten burst out hurriedly before regaining her composure. "No, this is fine. I was just surprised."

She pulled out a stool and sat up at the counter while she watched her teammate pour her a glass of water which she drank immediately.

"What would you like?" the Byakugan user inquired as he filled her cup up with more liquid.

"I'm not sure. Something simple. I don't want to eat too much of your food."

"Tenten, you choose whatever you want," Neji told her. "And eat as much as you want. We have enough food here to feed the entire Leaf Village."

"Oh, ok," Tenten said in a small voice. "Well, what is there that sounds good?"

"There's a barbeque platter left over from last night, some boiled rice – I could make a stir-fry if you would like…" Neji suggested as he rifled through the contents of the fridge. "…eggs, rice noodles, some dango…"

"Eggs on toast sounds great," Tenten interposed before the white eyed prodigy pulled a frying pan out of a drawer.

Tenten watched him hustle as he prepared to make her breakfast. She analysed his movements as he sliced two pieces of bread before popping them in the toaster and cracking two eggs into the frying pan that was now settled on the stove top. It felt rather surreal, sitting here in the Hyuga Manors' kitchen and watching her teammate cook her a meal. She noticed that Neji had changed back into his traditional white robes and he looked rather out of place in the kitchen. The scent of baking bread and fried eggs began to fill room giving it a comforting homely feel. It was like watching a future Neji cooking in a kitchen for his own family one day. It was a pleasant scene to watch as the boy was intensely focused on his work.

"What are you thinking?" he suddenly asked as the bread popped out of the toaster.

"I'm thinking it's very sweet that you're making me breakfast," the brunette replied with a sincere smile, watching as Neji scraped butter over her golden-brown toast. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I've already eaten," the boy replied simply.

"Oh, what time is it?" Tenten queried.

"Almost nine-thirty."

"That late? I slept in quite a bit."

"You were very exhausted."

Neji's statement made Tenten's brows rise questioningly.

"Speaking of which, do you know how I got into your bed?" she asked thoughtfully. "I think I may have dragged myself in but I can't quite remember."

"I put you in there," he replied as he took the frying pan off the stove. "Do you like your eggs flipped or…"

"Flipped," Tenten nodded before continuing, "Wait, how did you get me in there?"

"I picked you up," Neji stated like it was obvious and Tenten blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm really sorry," she apologised for what felt like the fiftieth time this morning. "Where did you end up sleeping then?"

"In one of the guest quarters just down the hall."

Tenten groaned before covering her face with her hands in humiliation.

"You should've woke me up! I feel so terrible now."

"I tried," Neji responded with a slight smirk. "I didn't realise you were such a heavy sleeper."

Tenten's cheeks were flaming as she tried to hide her blushing face with her fingers.

"Here you go," Neji said pushing a plate over towards her.

Tenten uncovered her face and stared at the meal in front of her. It wasn't anything fancy – just two pieces of toast with eggs. However, she couldn't get over the fact that Neji had made it for her.

"It's not there for you to stare at," the Hyuga commented before the brunette turned and pulled a face at him.

Tenten picked up her knife and fork before delving in.

"Wow, you're a really good cook. These eggs are amazing," Tenten complimented.

An entertained smile etched itself onto Neji's perfect features.

"It's just eggs," he smirked. "Don't all eggs taste the same?"

Tenten merely shrugged and ate the rest of her breakfast in silence, oblivious to the fact that Neji was watching her tenderly the entire time. Before she knew it, she had scarfed the entire meal down within a minute.

"Do you want more?" the Hyuga asked taking her plate from her and Tenten nodded unthinkingly. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

Tenten shook her head with a laugh.

"Since when has Neji Hyuga been this hospitable?"

"Since always," Neji replied as he began making her a second meal.

"I feel bad just sitting here and watching you do all the work," the kunoichi confessed with a rather ashamed expression. "Can I help you at all?"

Neji shook his head before a silence fell between them. In his own thoughts of his mind, the events of last night was still running though his head. He couldn't shake the image of Tenten lying blissfully asleep in his bed or the feeling of how soft her skin had felt underneath his lips. He mentally scolded himself for having such thoughts, especially when the girl was right in the room with him. He was fully aware of Tenten watching him while he worked his way around the kitchen. She looked beautiful in the morning light and even more so in the context of the kitchen. Her hair was messy and her clothes were rumpled but for some reason Neji found it rather appealing.

"Can I ask you a question?" Tenten spoke, breaking into his thoughts.

Neji nodded silently as he placed her toast neatly on her plate.

"I was just wondering, is there anything you're not good at?" she inquired, a hint of envy in her tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Well you're just good at everything you do," Tenten explained slowly. "You're a strong fighter, a natural born leader, highly intelligent and very motivated. You're even a good cook. I was wondering if you've ever found something you're not good at."

"Not really," the boy replied, before flipping her egg.

"What it must feel like to be perfect," Tenten mumbled under her breath.

Neji scooped up her eggs and placed them carefully on the toast before putting the plate in front of the girl.

"Thanks," the weapons mistress dug in immediately, too intent on eating to speak.

Neji began cleaning up the mess on the stove and counter, dumping the dirty dishes into the sink.

"You should come over and cook for me all the time," Tenten suggested through mouthfuls of food.

Neji replied with a low chuckle as he put the food on the counter in the fridge.

"Tenten?" a new voice came from the doorway.

Both Neji and Tenten's heads whipped around and both their eyes widened with surprise to see Kiba leaning against the door frame, obvious relief spreading across his face.

"Kiba? What are you doing here?" the brunette questioned as Neji shot the boy a venomous look.

"Well you disappeared last night and no one could find you so we assumed you went home," Kiba began to explain. "So I swung over by your place today to see if you were ok and when I realised you weren't at home, I ran over to the Hyuga Mansion to tell Hinata but she told me you were still here."

Tenten gazed down sheepishly feeling utterly foolish for causing such a panic.

"Oh, yeah, long story," she managed before running a hand through her hair. "Sorry for causing all this trouble."

"I'm just glad you're safe," Kiba shook his head with a prolonged sigh.

"You worry way too much," Tenten laughed light heartedly and the dog lover joined in.

"Someone has to," the boy replied with a sly smile and a pointed glance towards the Hyuga.

"Great," Neji spoke up firmly, his glare intensifying with every passing second. "You've achieved what you've come here to do. You know she's safe so there's no more reason for you to still be here. Leave."

"You really shouldn't jump to conclusions, you know," Kiba told the older boy with an exasperated sigh before turning towards Tenten with a knowing look. "I was wondering if you wanted to do some training with me today."

"She does not," the Hyuga cut in before Tenten could open her mouth to speak. "You've eaten up enough of our training sessions as it is. Don't you have your own teammates to train with?"

"I think you should let Tenten speak for herself," Kiba replied coolly, irritating Neji even further.

The weapons mistress caught Kiba's expression, and immediately knew he wanted her to tell him everything that had occurred last night, using 'training' as an excuse to get away from her teammate for a while.

"Sure thing, Kiba," Tenten replied with a smile as she hopped off the stool. "I'm ready to leave when you are."

"Let's get going then," the boy turned his body to leave, not before throwing Neji a smug expression.

"Thank you, Neji," Tenten beamed at the white eyed prodigy who's expression was now impassive. "Breakfast was amazing! I will come train with you as soon as I can."

With that, Kiba and Tenten dashed off, leaving Neji standing alone in the middle of the kitchen, clutching a dirty plate in one hand and a dish cloth in the other. Neji didn't know how long he had been standing there, staring at the spot where Tenten had just been. In an instant, there was an ear splitting crash as Neji brought the porcelain plate down on the table, shattering the dish to fragments. The broken shards slashed his palm, oozing fresh blood onto the floor but Neji was too outraged to even notice the pain.

Hinata found him half an hour later, slumped against the kitchen counter in a pool of his own blood, as he longed for the love and pain he felt for his teammate to disappear.

-X-

"So are you going to tell me what happened?" Kiba interrogated the girl once they were outside the Hyuga Mansion. "I can feel a good story coming on!"

"Nothing happened, Kiba," Tenten rolled her eyes at Kiba's suggestiveness. "It's not even that exciting."

"Come on, just tell me!" the boy answered with anticipation.

"Well, he was in his room and I went to check to see if he was alright and we talked for a bit before I fell asleep and he put me in his bed and left and I woke up and he offered to make me breakfast this morning."

"That's it?" Kiba blinked and Tenten nodded. "Damn, that was so anticlimactic."

"Told you so."

"Here I was, hoping there was some romantic crap going on…" the dog lover complained as he threw his hands up in the air.

"Well he did make me breakfast," the brunette said thoughtfully. "That was kind of romantic."

"Sure, if you're into that sort of stuff," Kiba laughed sarcastically. "Either way, the festival is tomorrow and that is the last phase of the plan."

"Don't remind me," Tenten grumbled. "Are you even sure this is going to work? Can't we just leave it as it is?"

"Getting cold feet, are we?"

"No," the girl replied instantly before hesitating and amending her statement, "Yes. I just don't want to ruin what Neji and I have already. And so far, I've barely seen signs that indicate he might have feelings towards me."

"For a kunoichi, you are rather unobservant," Kiba cited with a grin. "Everything will be fine. Guys like Neji need a little push in the right direction sometimes. I mean look at Sakura and Sasuke. That magic didn't just happen overnight."

Tenten's face lit up with a laugh.

"I'll admit, that was by far, one of Ino's finest moments. I never believed the Uchiha would confess to Sakura that quickly. And publicly for that matter."

"See, Ino knows what she's doing," Kiba assured the girl.

Tenten made a face and replied, "She has also had some infamous moments as well."

"Haven't we all?"

"Ino more so than others."

"You need to relax," Kiba commented. "If you don't trust Ino, then trust me."

Tenten released a defeated sigh.

"I suppose you're right."

"I always am," the boy smiled self-righteously. "You'll see, Tenten, that life sometimes does have its happy endings."

A/N – I love this chapter! Hope you guys did too. Let me know your thoughts and predictions!