Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (yet).

Uchiha Sasuke was not only known for his razor sharp eyes. He was also renowned for his infallible hearing that could detect everything from the flutter of a scroll to the rhythm of a shadow clone's footsteps. And so, just as Sasuke stirred from the uneasy state of half-sleep that had been plaguing him the entire night, his ears were assaulted by a deafening taunt that broke the sound barrier from two hundred meters away.

"Neji and Tenten sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a weapon-wielding white-eyed baby in a –"

Before Naruto could wrap up his playground taunt, the forest rang with the sound of metal drilling through bark and perhaps a few layers of fabric. If Sasuke concentrated extra hard, he could detect the faintest tremors of chakra points being closed off by the Gentle Fist technique.

Forget about K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Naruto was just plain S-T-U-P-I-D.

Sasuke shook his head in contempt as more shouts rang through the trees.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO… You aren't seriously going to dangle my Super Ramen Special in front of me while I'm hanging upside down from this tree branch, are you? I mean, Neji – I can understand. But Tenten-chan, you wouldn't be that cruel!"

Sasuke could practically hear the diabolical smile curving Tenten's lips in the silence that followed Naruto's plea. He sighed. Trust him to be best friends with Konoha's village idiot. As Sasuke ran a beleaguered hand through his hair, he heard another sound, this time just a few feet away.

Sakura's laugh.

He looked across the clearing, where Sakura was leaning against a tree, her head cocked toward Naruto's voice. As knuckleheaded blond grew increasingly desperate in his pleas for freedom and ramen, Sakura shook her head in amused resignation, a twinkle dancing across her eyes. Laughter creased the corners of her mouth as the morning sunlight caught the gleam of her teeth.

Sasuke wrenched his gaze away, annoyed with himself for staring like some weak-kneed lovelorn fool. He squeezed his eyes shut as her words from the night before ran through his mind. It's never too late to start, Sasuke-kun.

Never too late, huh? Well, Sakura had always been an idealistic dreamer. Sasuke pulled himself up from his bedroll and almost immediately wished he hadn't.

"GOOD MORNING SAKURA-SAN, MY BLOOMING FLOWER OF YOUTH!"

Sasuke cringed as his eardrums imploded. Lee bounded into the clearing, a squirrel perched at the top of his head. It nonchalantly munched on an acorn as Lee deposited a mountain of wildflowers at Sakura's feet.

To his surprise, an embarrassed flush suffused Sakura's cheeks. "Lee, you've got to stop doting on me. It's…unhealthy." She smiled as she twirled the stem of a flower around her finger. "But thank you for the flowers. They're lovely."

Sasuke could barely stop himself from rolling his eyes. The first time they had met Lee right before the chuunin exams, Sakura had been so enamored with him that she hadn't given Lee the time of day. Now she was fueling the lovesick fool's pointless infatuation with her innocent smiles and blushes.

Sakura stood, tucking one of Lee's flowers in her hair. "I'd better go check on Naruto. Heaven help us all if the idiot goes crazy with ramen withdrawal." She shot one more of her devastating smiles at her admirer before heading off in the opposite direction.

Sasuke took one look at the hearts visibly emanating from Lee's eyes and shook his head in disgust. He watched as Lee picked up a daisy and began to pluck the white petals off one by one.

"Sakura-san loves me… Sakura-san loves me not… Sakura-san loves me…"

Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke quickly counted the number of remaining petals. Then, satisfied that Lee would end on "Sakura-san loves me not," he made his way across the clearing and took a seat next to his teammate's number one admirer.

Lee blinked up at him, his expression as befuddled as that of the squirrel perched in his unfortunate bowl cut. "Oh, hello Sasuke! Are you here to enjoy the wondrous blooms of youth I have gathered this youthful morning?"

Sasuke glanced at the "wondrous blooms of youth" carpeting the forest floor and raised a sardonic eyebrow in response.

But Lee, being Lee, was immune to any and all forms of sarcasm and mockery. Holding up his half-denuded daisy, he announced, "This pure flower is a symbol of my undying devotion for Sakura-san." Ignoring Sasuke's flat stare, he continued, "If the petals of fate indicate that she loves me, then I will ride the winds of destiny and claim her heart as my own. But if these petals prophesize that she does not love me…" The force of Lee's resolute grip crushed the stem of the daisy. "If so, then I will defy fate itself and win her love with one hundred and ten percent determination! I will pile roses at her doorstep each and every morning! I will bake her oatmeal raisin cookies on Sunday afternoons! I will serenade her in Gai-sensei's old green jumpsuit reserved only for special occasions! I will –"

"Good for you," Sasuke quickly interjected. He leaned forward and skewered Lee with one of his patented "Answer Me or Prepare to Die" glares. "How many guys has Sakura gone out with in the past five years?"

Another guy would be taken aback from Sasuke's casual directness. But Lee simply looked up from his lopsided daisy, and without a single beat of hesitation, answered, "Seven."

Sasuke's left eye twitched, an unconscious indication that he was irritated. He had expected the number to be much smaller. Like two. Or one.

Or zero.

Before he could reflect on this turn of events, Lee piped up again. "Zero at age 14, zero at 15, two at 16, three at 17, and two so far this year."

"Was she…in a serious relationship with any of these…" Morons. Imbeciles. Assholes. "…people?"

A sudden shininess suffused Lee's eyes. Sasuke inched away, for fear that the overly emotional ninja would begin bawling.

"Sakura-san only went out on one date with six out of seven of those people," Lee finally said. His eyes turned glassy again. "If only I had such a wondrous chance to woo my splendid Sakura-san. Just a single date! That is all I need to –"

"And the seventh person?" Sasuke interrupted.

"The seventh person…Sakura-san went on TWO dates with him. It was the talk of the village for weeks afterwards, for it was the first time she had ever followed up with a second date."

Before Sasuke could pin him with an "Elaborate, or Else" glare, Lee leapt up, flashing a blinding smile that took up nearly half his face. Sasuke just barely dodged Lee's perky thumb's-up from gouging his left eye out.

"Fear not, Sasuke! I WILL persevere! I WILL get my date with Sakura-san, even if it costs me the full power of my youth!"

Sasuke was silent, patiently waiting out the storm. He lasted about five seconds. Before Lee could go into another fanatical tirade about youthfulness and Gai-sensei, Sasuke wisely cut in. "Who?" he demanded, careful to keep his voice flat and disinterested.

"Ah," Lee replied, "that lucky man would be my eternal rival…Hyuga Neji."

The wind picked up then, rushing through Sasuke's ears. Or was it simply his blood pounding through his head? Either way, Sasuke's muscles tensed, and he felt the inexplicable urge to strangle something.

Even Lee must have sensed the malevolent aura emanating from Sasuke's every pore, because he discreetly took a step backward, releasing the squirrel into the wild lest Sasuke was fond of animal abuse.

When Sasuke finally spoke, his voice was laced with tension. "Hyuga…went out with Sakura?"

Lee nodded solemnly. "And not just once. They went out on two dates. It was all anyone would talk about for the next month, because everyone knows that Sakura-san has been pining after you for an eternity and a half."

Sasuke froze. "Two dates?" he bit out. One, he could chalk up to a minor lapse in judgment on Sakura's part. But two? That had to mean Sakura actually liked the guy. Sasuke heard his teeth grind of their own volition.

Oblivious to the killing intent festering less than a foot away from him, Lee blabbered on. "When Neji took Sakura to dinner on their first date, there wasn't a soul in Konoha who didn't spy on them." At this point, he blushed. "Of course, I attempted to uphold my strict moral code and wish them the best of luck even though Neji is my greatest rival and Sakura my purest love, but even Gai-sensei had been curious."

Sasuke didn't speak, just flexed his fingers in frustration. Of all the people in Konoha, what did Sakura see in the Hyuga? Sasuke would almost have preferred it if she'd fallen head over heels in love with Lee. Because then, he could at least attribute it to the fact that she had gone insane and lost grasp on all sense. But the Hyuga… Damn. The Hyuga was actually a catch. And Sakura – for two entire dates – had let herself be caught. It should have been insignificant, really. Just a trivial fact in a world where trivialities usually spelled out your death sentence. But that didn't stop it from lodging in Sasuke's mind, stubbornly refusing to dispel.

-x-

In the end, Naruto was saved by his fussy pink-haired teammate who inadvertently mothered him at every mishap (which, considering it was Naruto, occurred at least thirty times a day). Neji and Tenten watched in amused silence as Sakura dragged Naruto away by his ear, the blond impassionedly shouting about ramen the entire way.

A heavy silence cloaked the forest, as if filling in the void where Naruto's boisterousness had been. Neji shifted slightly, sliding a glance at Tenten's profile out of the corner of his eye. He watched as she slipped Naruto's Super Ramen Special coupon into her pocket, a tiny half-smile curling the corner of her mouth.

He meant to say something flippant like "Naruto is an idiot." Or maybe something sensible like "We should get back." But instead, he asked, "Why were you smiling just then?"

The words surprised him, even as they were rolling off his tongue, finding purchase in the open air. It was rare that he ever asked Tenten a question, especially one that was so offhand, so seemingly insignificant.

Tenten must have sensed this to, because when she answered, there was a curious tilt to her dark brows. "Well…" she started slowly, "It's just…it's been so long since I've…" She paused, tapping a finger against her chin as she fished for the right words. "…since I've played a game," she finally said. "An honest-to-goodness game."

"A…game?" Neji drew out the words, as if it were a foreign concept.

"You know, like the crazy stuff we used to get up to during mid-morning break at the academy?" A soft chuckle slipped through Tenten's lips. "Okay, maybe not you, Mr. Top-of-the-Class. But you have to at least have some sort of recollection… Capture the Kunai? Duck Duck Ninja? Hokage-sama Says?" She looked at him expectantly.

Neji just gave her a blank look.

Tenten looked at him incredulously, as if he'd just committed some heinous crime right before her eyes. She shook her head gravely. "Geez, you were even more deprived than I thought."

Neji scowled. "I hardly call perfecting my kaiten with no guidance whatsoever deprivation."

His declaration was met by a single raised eyebrow. "Yup," Tenten muttered under her breath, "Disgustingly deprived."

He was just about to retort when Tenten suddenly glanced up, her eyes zeroing in on a long, broad tree branch. Neji bit back a groan as he saw the proverbial light bulb turn on in his teammate's head.

When she turned back to look at him, the grin on her face was far too wide, far too impish. "I think," she said, her brown eyes twinkling, "we ought to rectify that."

"And I think," Neji returned, "we ought to get back to the clearing and act like responsible, duty-bound shinobi." He carefully enunciated the last three words, all the while shooting Tenten a pointed look.

But she seemed not to hear him, instead concentrating chakra to her feet and flying up the nearest tree. Landing soundly on the broad branch she had been eyeing earlier, Tenten smiled down at him, beckoning to him with one hand.

"I don't think –" Neji started to say, but ground to a mental halt as a ray of sun pierced through the canopy, shooting needles of bright pain into his eyes. "I really don't –" he tried again, but this time, it was Tenten's smile – not the sun – that froze the words on his tongue.

"Come on, Mr. Top-of-the-Class," she called down, her wide smile seeming to span a century. "It must be tough, being perfect all the time."

It was the summer heat. Or the intense morning light. Or some strange, unbreakable genjutsu that tugged him to the brink of sanity and sent him plummeting off. Whatever the reason, Neji felt his mouth forming an agreement even as his mind struggled to catch up. "Okay."

The first thing he saw when he landed on the tree branch was the astonishment splashed across Tenten's face. "You…you want to play a game? With me?" she managed to get out.

Neji raised his eyebrows. "If you're backing out now, then I'll just be on my way –"

"No, wait!" Tenten said hastily, grabbing his wrist as he turned. Both their gazes immediately fixed on where her fingers wrapped around his wrist, sending prickles of feeling down his arm.

Tenten pulled away jerkily and took two large steps backwards. "We have to start the game in this position," she announced authoritatively. "Now, take off your headband and tuck one strap into your waistband, like this." She demonstrated as she spoke, leaving the metal plate dangling at her side.

"This is silly," Neji scoffed. "If this is what you did all day, then I'd go back to leading a deprived childhood any day."

Tenten stuck her tongue out at him. "Are you playing or not?"

Neji rolled his eyes, but nevertheless did as she said. "Fine. Happy now?"

Once again, she seemed a little surprised that he had complied so easily. Frankly, he was surprised himself. And not so sure anymore that it was the sun or the heat or some obscure genjutsu that was triggering his odd behavior. But before he could over-think it, Tenten piped up again.

"All right. Now we stand on one leg…" She waited until he had mirrored her movements. "…and then we…GO FOR THE PRIZE!"

Neji barely had time to let the information sink in before he registered that Tenten was hopping toward him at lightning speed on one foot, the triumphant light of victory already dancing in her eyes as she lunged for his dangling headband.

Neji narrowed his eyes. He was a very sore loser.

Author's Note: Holy flying pigs – has it really been two months since I've updated? With all the love of my new way-too-adorable Itachi plush, I beg your forgiveness! In my (very feeble) defense, I had been slaving over college apps…but I am ecstatic to say that I was accepted early action by my dream school last Thursday. :) So with these happy tidings, I've brought you this happy chapter. In case anyone was curious, Neji and Tenten are playing a form of "Chicken." Don't try this at home. ;) Thank you - all of you - for reading and reviewing! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!