Tada, I'm back.
Sorry for the long update. I don't particularly have an excuse so… My dog ate it?
Also I want to promote the video 'Kakuzu batman' on youtube... Not because I know the person or because I made it myself, just because it is hilarious and needs more views desperately! It cracks me up anyway haha
Shikamaru glared at Neji in annoyance.
And said dark haired shinobi probably would have glared back, had he not been sitting on the ground with his legs crossed entranced by a frog.
Despite wanting to figure out what was going on, Shikamaru really didn't want to find someone who was actually under this spell of some kind, it asked for all kinds of trouble.
Not to mention that the one definite thing that had been occurring was spontaneous kissing and he really didn't want to have Neji of all people jumping on him.
Troublesome…
From a safe distance, Shikamaru had been trying to question the Hyuuga prodigy, all the while trying to piece together what was going on in Konoha this fine day.
He had stumbled across Neji 10 minutes earlier and upon seeing him unmoving in front of the hideous little amphibian, had darted behind a tree and watched for signs of movement.
Shikamaru suspected that some sort of genjutsu was taking place and was anxiously trying to draw hints from his little test subject as to how to break it.
From what he could tell, Neji was able to speak with his mind intact, but only answer questions.
That is, he couldn't call for help if he needed to.
Shikamaru had tried everything physical he could do to stop the strange behavior.
Trying to release the genjutsu didn't work and neither did slapping the Hyuuga across the face (which they both know he only did for his own amusement rather than trying to help Neji break the curse)
So after ten minutes of half hearted curse breaking attempts, back to phase 1, Shikamaru had resumed the questioning.
"What happened when you saw the frog?"
"My limbs stiffened and I couldn't move or talk."
The genius sighed.
About as much as he figured.
So far he had been lucky and Neji hadn't gotten all creepy on him but who was to say that would last?
The Nara was trying to get this over with as soon as possible.
"Hello Neji, Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru glanced at Tenten as she walked towards them with a smile.
He nodded in response and from the ground, Neji grunted.
This in itself wasn't surprising, Neji probably wouldn't have spoken any differently had he not been under a genjutsu.
Which was probably why Tenten got so annoyed.
After all, the team she was on was infuriating.
Neji was a jerk most of the time and was only really nice to her when he wanted to train, Lee was a hyperactive, colorblind schizoid and Gai sensei was just… Creepy.
It didn't help that they didn't even know her last name and the fact that the only greeting she ever got from Neji was a grunt made her blood boil.
It was about time she stood up to the Hyuuga and gave him a piece of her mind.
"What is wrong with you Neji?! For once in your life I wish you would actually say a word when you see me instead of grunting!"
Having not been asked a question, Neji could do nothing more than sit quietly and accept the lecture his teammate was giving him, which he had to admit was long overdue.
Unfortunately for him, Tenten found his silence extremely disrespectful and the fact that he didn't even acknowledge her feelings made her hurt all the more.
"And now you are ignoring me!? You are being such a… such a Hyuuga!"
Shikamaru was willing to sit back and enjoy the screaming for a while, taking immense joy out of watching the small drop of sweat that slid down Nejis brow, but when Tenten started beating her teammate, he figured he might intervene.
Moving up cautiously behind the rampaging kunoichi, he tried to gain her attention by waving his hand and tapping her shoulder.
"You never talk to me unless you want to train, you never look at me when I speak, you never- STAY THE FUCK OUT OF THIS SHIKAMARU!"
Said genius jumped back behind the tree he had been hiding behind before she arrived and sent Neji a look that clearly stated 'Sorry, bro. I tried."
He knew that Neji saw him because he bit his lip and despite the lack of emotions on his face, he radiated fear.
One thing was for sure, that was the last time he tried to stop Tenten beating someone up.
Her mindless screaming continued for several minutes and he winced at some of her language.
Courtesy of the jutsu, Neji still hadn't moved and the weapons expert became furious.
To Shikamarus horror, she withdrew a scroll from her pouch and summoned a flurry of kunai that were flung at her team mate in rapid succession.
Shikamaru groaned and covered his eyes until the stomping of feet caught his attention.
Whether it was dumb luck or whether Naruto actually saw what was going on and decided to intervene remained to be seen.
A large group of shadow clones darted in between Neji and Tenten, unwittingly blocking the kunai and shouting in anger as they poofed into smoke and fell to the ground.
Six or seven remained intact once the attack stopped and they growled at Tenten, though having the sense to stay a safe distance away from her as her face turned red with fury.
The real Naruto remained hidden or maybe he was never there to begin with, Shikamaru wasn't sure but he was damn glad that his shadow clones had shown up.
Explaining to the Hyuuga family that Tenten had killed their descendant wasn't something Shikamaru pictured himself doing.
Whatever the case, the fact that only one kunai managed to scrape the side of Nejis face, barely cutting the skin, made Tenten all the more distraught.
"NEJI WHY CANT YOU STOP BEING SUCH A JERK? WHY CANT YOU SHOW SOME SENSITIVITY FOR ONCE! I HATE YOU!"
Unknown to the three, the magic words had been spoken.
Before Shikamaru could release his shadows to stop him, Neji had jumped from his position on the ground and tackled Tenten to the ground.
Her eyes sent him a smoldering glare but her hate speech was cut short when her mouth became covered with his.
She squeezed her eyes shut and struggled slightly, more because the idea of Neji ACTUALLY showing sensitivity creeped her out more than she actually disliked the kiss.
It seemed that the effects of the jutsu didn't last as long on Neji as it did on others and mere seconds after he had kissed her, the Hyuuga jerked back with a very confused look on his face.
Shikamaru bit his lip in amusement and fear or Tentens reaction while the remaining shadow clones unashamedly burst into laughter.
From beneath him, Tenten gave him a look and grimacing sheepishly, Neji rolled to the side so she could stand up.
Shikamaru glanced nervously between the two from behind his tree, not particularly wanting to get involved.
The shadow clones had followed him and were tapping him on the shoulder and giggling amongst themselves while replaying the scene without getting too close to each other.
Tenten dusted herself off, shooting Neji glares every few seconds.
The Hyuuga himself twiddles his thumbs and awkwardly glanced around for something to do.
"That's not exactly what I meant when I said you need to be more sensitive… But that's okay. We can practice that kiss later…"
Nejis head shot up incredulously as Tenten winked at him and ran off giggling.
The look on his face? 'What the fuuuuck?'
Shikamaru cleared his throat and stood out from behind the tree, making Neji grimace in remembrance that someone else had just witnessed his little slip up.
Before he could speak, Shikamaru mouthed 'You aren't the only one.'
The shadow clones darted from behind the tree and slapped his back in congratulations, their mindless chattering filling up the silence that would have reigned otherwise.
Sitting down with raised eyebrows, Neji motioned for Shikamaru to continue.
The Nara started off with a question however,
"Was there anything unusual about the frog?"
Neji furrowed his brows,
"Like what?"
"Just… anything! Something different about it?"
Neji looked at Shikamaru in confusion, the boys tone had conveyed an urgency that made him wonder, even the clones had stopped whispering and were watching the scene with interest.
Shrugging his shoulders, Neji replied,
"Its eyes were red with black markings but that's about it."
Shikamarus eyes widened and before Neji could hear the rest of the story, he lazy boy dashed to his feet and tore away from the clearing, back to the village.
Neji and the clones sighed, knowing that they were going to have to find someone else to explain to them what was going on.
He buried his head in his hands and growled to himself, wallowing in self pity until a tug on his sleeve reminded him of his company.
Neji glanced at the shadow clone that had worked up the courage to gain his attention and raised a brow.
With a massive grin, it asked, "Wanna go get some ramen?"
Neji glanced at the time on the watch he had begun to carry then back to the seven shadow clones.
Rolling his eyes and sighing Neji muttered, "Fine, lets get this over with."
Multiple cheers and 'dattebayos' emitted from the clearing.
Woo! Any other pairings guys? Please? Help me!
I think the people who are so far untouched (or unmentioned) are Shino, Hinata, Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru himself, Lee, Choji, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro - assuming I do the sand siblings.
So let me know :D
Rates and reviews always appreciated! (Although I don't think you can actually rate these stories anymore…)