Chapter 11

Tenten and Sotaru

Part 1

"Dad, do I really have to go to work with you?" Tenten whined the entire way to her dad's law firm.

"Yes, you do. Now that your mom is working again, you have no choice. We can't have you sitting home alone all summer long with nothing to do. I could always use extra help in the office, and I'd love to be able to spend more time with you while you're off from school."

"I'm fifteen, I can be home alone!"

"Yes, you can, but not all day everyday all summer long. If it was a few hours during the day, I'd be more comfortable with leaving you home alone, but this is all day until mom gets off work. Sorry love, but you're stuck with me."

Tenten groaned. "But your office is so boring!"

"You have your camera, your laptop, your sketchbook and all your art supplies, I promise, you will be entertained when I don't need your help."

Tenten wanted to argue more, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. This was going to be one long summer break.

Tenten spent her days sitting in her father's office listening to him take phone calls, and watching him write up reports or whatever it is lawyers write on important documents. The only time she wasn't in his office was when he was meeting with a client, so she had no choice but to explore, or talk to his secretary in the waiting room.

She was perched on the back of the couch completing a sketch of Miss Shizune, her father's secretary, one day in July when she noticed that the usually empty desk that sat beside Shizune's was littered with paperwork, a brief case, and a suit jacket.

"Hey Shizune?" Tenten asked to get to woman's attention.

"What is it dear?" she smiled sweetly.

"Whose stuff is that?"

"Oh, that's Sotaru's things. You're father's intern."

Tenten didn't recall her father ever mentioning that her father had an intern. "Did he start today?"

"No, he started back in January, but he's just returned from visiting his grandparents in the States for two months."

"Oh." She went back to drawing in her sketchbook and thought nothing more of it, until the next day, when she saw him for the first time.

Sotaru was the most beautiful man Tenten had ever seen. His blond hair was messy, but in a neat, professional kind of way. He was tall, and skinny, but not too skinny, he definitely had some muscle to him. His eyes were bluer than the pencils she had worn down to the nub and his teeth whiter than the unmarked paper in her sketchbook. He was the definition of perfection.

"Hi Tenten," he smiled at her, "it's nice to finally meet you. You're father never shuts up about you. I'm Sotaru."

Like the day before, Tenten was perched on the back of the same couch. She couldn't move, all she could do was stare at this beautiful man in front of her. "H-hi," she finally choked out.

From that day forward, Tenten didn't mind going to work with her father every day. She spent less and less time being bored in her father's office, and more and more time sitting on the opposite side of Sotaru's desk. They talked a lot, mostly about meaningless things like what his family was like, and who his friends were. He showed a lot of interest in Tenten's life as well, especially when she drew.

Tenten laughed at everything Sotaru said, even when it wasn't that funny. He was so nice to her, and so good with everyone that came into the office. She was enraptured by both his physical appearance, and his personality.

"Tenten," he said to her once day while she was curled up in the chair that faced his desk, "what are you drawing?"

She froze, refusing to meet his gaze. She didn't want him to know that she was drawing him. What would that make him think of her? She knew exactly what he would think; the weird high school emo girl, with the under part of her hair dyed hot pink, with the thick black eyeliner, and the yin and yang gauges in her ears, was in love with him.

"N-nothing," she said attempting to discretely flip to another page.

"Come on," he pressed, "let me see."

"No, it's not good," she lied, blush obviously dusting her cheeks.

"It can't be that bad," he laughed, then reached across his desk to playfully wrestle the book from her hands. She tugged back, really not wanting him to see her work, but she lost the battle and had no choice but to allow him to look through her sketchbook.

"Tenten, these are amazing!" he gawked at the images in front of him, "how could you say that they aren't good?"

"Thanks," she mumbled, averting her gaze.

She glanced back up to Sotaru, to see if he had gotten to her latest creation yet. He had. He stared at the sketch with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, and she squeezed her eyes shut to prepare for any yelling that would be coming her way.

"Is this me?"

She opened her eyes to read the expression on his face. He wasn't angry at all, he was in complete awe. "Yeah," she answered softly.

"I'm completely blown away, Tenten. You're so talented!"

She couldn't fight her smile. She loved hearing such praise coming from his perfect lips. It made her feel warm, and made her heart flutter.

He handed the sketchbook back over the desk and she accepted the gesture. Before she left that night, Sotaru stopped her in the elevator and rode down to the lobby with her. It was quiet between the two of them until he hit the emergency stop button. Tenten freaked a little, not knowing exactly what would happen since there was obviously no emergency.

"Tenten…" Sotaru began. He looked as if he was internally fighting with himself about what to say next. "Your father told me something interesting today."

Tenten's jaw dropped…no…he didn't. She played dumb, "what was it?"

"Is it true? Do you have a crush on me?"

Tenten thought she would die of embarrassment right there. She thought right, her mom and told her father that she was crushing on the intern. She was going to kill her mother. She thought she was going to cry.

"I um…I…"

"Tenten, it's alright. You can tell me the truth."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Tenten refused to look at him. If she hadn't been suicidal before, she definitely was in that moment. After she killed her mother for spilling her secret, she was going to jump off the nearest bridge.

She jumped slightly when she felt him place his hand on her shoulder. She shook herself mentally and forced herself to look up to him. He was smiling.

Wait.

What?

He turned to face her, and his hand went from her shoulder to her cheek. She couldn't breathe. He was touching her. He began to lean into her, and his smiled changed into a small pucker. When his lips met hers, her eyes instinctively closed. She had no idea what she was doing. Nobody's ever kissed him before, she felt stupid for not reacting.

He pulled away and brushed her cheek with the tips of his fingers once again. "I like you too."

No. This was some sick joke. There was no way someone as perfect as Sotaru liked her back. She was being punked. She had to be.

"I mean it," he added.

"I'm fifteen…" She mumbled. No. Now why the fuck would she say that? Tenten was going to ruin everything. She mentally slapped herself.

"I know," he frowned. "There's a big age difference between us, and we'll have to keep it a secret, especially from your parents, but I trust you, we can make this work."

"What is this?"

"Whatever you want it to be."

"Like…you're my boyfriend?"

"Yes! I'd love to be," he kissed her cheek. "Tenten, I know there's eleven years between us, but I've never felt a connection like this towards any other girl, you're special."

She sure felt special at that moment.

Sotaru flipped off the emergency stop button, and the elevator jerked as it began to descend once again. The entire ride down, she held his hand in a very happy silence.

Deep inside her, Tenten knew that this was wrong. He was eleven years older than her. He was graduated from college and she had only just started high school. She's never had a boyfriend before this, and it was exciting, but terrifying all at the same time. It wasn't like they could do anything too crazy, or that she planned to. She just enjoyed his company, and now his kisses as well.

They would take it slow…extremely slow.

In a few years she would be eighteen and everything will be okay. She could wait until then. She thought he could too.

How wrong she was.

A/N: I think like Neji and Mika's story, Tenten and Sotaru's will be three parts. Review please!