Chapter twenty one – preparing for the dance

Tenten examined her face in the bathroom mirror, a towel wrapped tightly around herself as she turned her head from side to side.

It wasn't so bad this morning. Tenten had decided against wearing the bandaids on her face. Neji had dabbed some sort of Hyuuga miracle cream on her wounds, for the deep gashes were now faint scratches and her bruises which should have been a brilliant purple or a royal blue were faint lilac.

She grinned. The only think that hadn't faded properly was the pain on her bruised ribs. But the foot print had long since vanished.

Tenten dressed cheerfully, tugging on a baggy, white sweat shirt and a fresh pair of jeans, expertly twisting her hair into buns she bounced out of the bathroom, regretting it when her ribs throbbed.

Neji was waiting patiently by the door, an expression that all too clearly spelled 'you're going to miss breakfast, and then you are going to moan and groan about if all day.'

Tenten grinned ruefully, plucked her school bag from the floor and wished fervently at that she had not left her favourite bag in the park. It was when Neji was locking the door that her stomach turned inside out.

"Oh…. No…."

"Tenten?"

"How am I ever going to explain to Ino about her boots? I left them in the park… And her shirt isn't in good condition either." She heaved a sigh as she trudged grudgingly to Ino and Sakura's room .

"I'm sure she'll be more concerned about you then a pair of boots. You look better, but you're still pretty battered." Neji's muttered words were almost immediately proven true the second the girl's door swung open.

"Morning Tennie-chan! How did your date--."

Ino blanched a Tenten's face, decorated in its fading colours. "Huh?" Sakura peered over Ino's shoulder and did a double take.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad." Tenten said impatiently. Neji nodded.

"Your should have seen her last night." He muttered grimly. Ino covered her mouth with one hand.

"D-did, Renhero do that to you?" She whispered tragically as Tenten tugged her from the room. Tenten nodded distractedly.

"What did he do?" Ino asked in a shrill voice. Tenten rolled her eyes at a perturbed looking Sakura.

"He got mad." She said simply. "Or jealous. I don't know."

"Why would he get jealous?" Sakura asked.

Tenten shrugged exasperated. "How am I meant to know how a boy's brain works?" She asked, then glancing over her shoulder at Neji she added, "no offence." She received an hn in response.

"Yo!" They glanced up a few steps away from their usual breakfast spot to see Temari jogging towards them, Hinata looked worried a few steps behind her, Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, Lee and for some reason Sasuke having a backward walking contest. Bar Sasuke and Shika who were walking with very annoyed expressions on their faces.

"What happened to you!" Temari gasped when she saw Tenten.

Tenten rolled her eyes and told everyone to shut up.

***

Everywhere she went all Tenten could hear were people talking about the dance the next day. About dresses, dates, hair and makeup. About music, what their friends were wearing and about what boys might be free it drove Tenten up the wall.
"You'd think." She said to Neji as she left her last class for the day, English, "that people could save their excitement till the actual day."

Neji gave a sort of amused smile. "Hn." Tenten rolled her eyes at the lack of response she received to her question.

"You taking anyone, Hyuuga?" She asked just to get a win on the score board. He didn't even look surprised by her question.

"No, as I am sure you knew." He said bluntly. Tenten grinned and nudged his arm as they left the school building g and made their way towards their dorm. "Bet you've been asked! The amount fan girls you have." Tenten shook her head in wonder.

Almost as if to prove her point, a girl with fashionably short brown hair strolled up to them with a seductive smile that wanted to make Tenten puke.

"Hey… My name's Maya. I was sort of wondering weather you were free. For the dance you know?" She fluttered her thick eye lashes and as Tenten studied her she bit her lip and glanced up at Neji. Maya was rather beautiful, and she felt sure that Neji would accept the invitation. She wasn't sure why, but that bothered her.

Neji turned her down flat. "No." He sounded barley interested in what he was saying, already walking away to the dorm. Maya looked shocked. Tenten felt a sense of unwarranted victory.

"Better luck next time." She chortled as she walked past and fell into step beside Neji. Maya glared at her over her shoulder.

"That was rude." Neji said as they climbed the stairs.

"Hack! You're one to talk!" She accused flinging open their door with Neji's key (Hers was still left in her bag in the park which she was sure was gone by now.)

She tossed her bag on her bed and stretched, relived to feel the pain in her side had diminished somewhat.

"Come here." Neji demanded reached for a small tin container that held what Tenten had nicknamed the miracle cream.

Tenten heaved a false groan and slumped down on her desk chair. Neji rolled his eyes as he knelt down beside her and began softly spreading the cream over her wounds.

"Have you seen what's going on with Temari and Shika lately?" She said conversationally to take her mind of the pain.

"Hn. They keep arguing." Neji muttered with a tone that clearly said, interest, minimum.

"But he's not sleeping which is a massive improvement." Tenten emphasised.

"Hn."

Neji gestured for her to show him her ribs she complied and he dabbed some cream on it. Not that it would help the actual ribs, bit it would bring down any swelling and make the bruise fade.

Tenten's skin tingled as she dropped her shirt into place and she let out a massive yawn. "Hn. Perhaps you should go to bed." He suggested, screwing the lid back on and tucking it away in a desk draw.

She looked at him in disbelief. "It's about three thirty!" She protested.

"You're injured." He pointed out.

"I'm going to see Sakura!" She said, standing up and heading for the door. She hesitated when she heard no protests. She immediately realized what Neji was going to do when she left.

"And if I hear around that Renhero's been hurt I'll know who did it. Not that I have any objects to that bastard obtaining any injuries but if you got in trouble…" Tenten trailed off and left the room without looking over her shoulder, leaving a very startled Neji staring after her.

"I swear she must be a mind reader…"

***

Sakura's door swung open when she knocked on it immediately and she was ushered in by a nervous and twitching Sakura.

"What's up with you?" Tenten asked, sinking down onto the pink and white clad bed as Sakura jerked the door closed.

"N-nothing." She stuttered, fiddling with the simple lace trimming on the bottom of her plain, white shirt.

Tenten raised a disbelieving eyebrow and Sakura bit her lip.

"You're fooling no one, Sakura. Just spill it."

Sakura's eyes flicked nervously around the room before she sighed and sank to the bed in resigned defeat.

"Can I have your opinion on something?" She asked, fidgeting in a very Hinata like way. Tenten smirked.

"Shoot."

"Well…. What would you say if there was this girl, and she used to fan girl over this boy… And then for certain reasons she stopped being a fan girl and started hating him… Then she forgives the boy but the girl still sort of doesn't trust the boy. And the boy then asks the girl to… anou…. A dance or something, and the girl says maybe so she can think about it. What should the girls final answer be" Sakura said all this in one breath. Tenten stared at her blankly then blinked as she finally comprehended it.

She leapt of the bed. "Sasuke asked you to the dance?!" She squealed loudly. Sakura wrung her hands nervously.

"God Sakura! You spent half your life fawning over the guy and the other half mourning him and you need to think about what you'll say! Are sick or something!" Tenten demanded, leaning over to press her hand to Sakura's forehead. She batted her away.

"I know… I still… Well… I think I still like him…." Sakura was red and staring at the floor.

"Then what's the problem?" Tenten demanded.

"I'm worried he'll hurt me again." Sakura said in a hushed tone. Tenten's heart turned icy and she sat down beside Sakura again.

"I mean," Sakura looked frantic with worry. "What if he leaves Konoha again? To go hunt down Itachi… I mean he still wants to kill his brother as bad as he used to… What'll I do then? It took me years to recover after he left the first time."

Tenten bit her lip, unsure what to say. "Well, there's one good thing that came out of how long it took you to recover." She offered. Sakura looked at her tersely.

"At least now you know you love him."

Sakura's mouth turned up in a small smile. "Yeah I guess so…" She chuckled. "Yeah!"

Tenten laughed with her. She decided not to voice that fact she had no idea how Sakura could love someone like Sasuke.

(A:N/ Hint hint, nudge nudge. The author of this story does NOT agree with Tenten… Eheheheheheh…. I don't dislike Sasuke… Honest…)

"Tenten… Well we're on the topic of love, there's something I've wanted to ask you. Well, more tell you considering you're still in the dark…" Sakura shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "It's about Neji." She added.

"What about Neji?" Tenten asked.

"Well… The thing is…. I want to know… Do you love --."

"HEY FORHEAD!"

The two girls fell of the bed as Ino charged in, loud as always. She studied the two girls as they clawed their way upright, death glaring her.

"What?" She asked innocently.

"You scared us. I mean how could you not with a face like that." Sakura growled.

I fight insured and Tenten sneaked out the door.

She leant against the wall and listened to the sound of the hall.

What about Neji? What I'm I still in the dark about?

***

The next day all the classes were bludge sessions. The students were too excited about the dance to actually do any work.

"I guess this is the only good thing that comes out of dances. You're not expected to work." Tenten sighed as she scrawled all over her science book, the only subject she shared with absolutely all of her friends.

"What do you mean the only good thing? Dances are great!" Said Ino mortified, looking up from a small palm mirror that she was using as a guide to slather on lip-gloss. Temari pretended to barf in her desk. Shika rolled his eyes at her and she grinned tauntingly back in way that dared him to tell her to act more mature.

"I-I think that i-it's nice to see so many people happy." Hinata murmured, blushing she fidgeted nervously.

"That's so like you Hinata!" Naruto called out loudly, slinging an arm casually over her shoulders and giving her a shake. Hinata looked ready to faint but Naruto took no notice, instead grinned at Neji as if wondering why Hinata's Ni-san looked ready to kill him.

"They're aright… I guess." Sakura said eyes sliding over to Sasuke who was sitting beside her and not even contributing a snide remark to the conversation.

"Yosh! It is a youthful time of beauty and wonder!" Lee announced, thumping his fist into his palm to emphasize his point.

"I'm not going. They never let dogs in." Kiba muttered, playing with Akamaru who was tucked secretly into his school bag.

"T-that's a nice rabbit T-Tenten." Hinata stammered, pointing at the bright green creature that Tenten had scribbled on her book she grinned ruefully.

"It's meant to be a dog."

"Oh. I-It looks like a dog too… I guess. If you turn your head this way…" She blushed and looked uncertain at the creature on her book.

"Let me see!" Naruto used the arm already draped around Hinata to snag the book off the desk and pull it into his view. He jabbed at it with his pen. "What are you talking about Hina-chan? It's obviously a kangaroo!"

"Yosh! You are wrong Naruto-Kun! You can quiet clearly see that it is a bilby!"

Sakura pulled the book over to her and squinted at the scribble. "Are you sure? I think it looks like a tiger."

"I think it looks like some form of bird." Sasuke muttered.

"You only say that because your hair resembles a chicken but." Naruto pointed out.

The squabble over what she'd drawn continued and Neji's idea of reassurance was to tell her at least they were all naming animals.

She glared him.

***

"I can't believe the dance is just over an hour away!"

The girls were all crowded into Ino's room as the blonde herself jumped up and down in excitement, ponytail bouncing on her back.

Ino was doing their hair, refusing to allow hairspray or any other liquids near them while they had their dresses on, they were still in their street clothes.

'Ino… Are you sure about what you're doing." Sakura's voice was nervous, too worried about Ino fiddling around with her bubble gum pink hair to insult her.

"I know exactly what I'm doing. My mum used to work as a hair dresser before we bought the flower shop." She said confidently as she twisted Sakura's hair into a messy bun at the back of her head, leaving a few strands out she slipped a beautiful butterfly pair of chopsticks in.

Sakura stood up, fingering her hair nervously she looked in the mirror just as Ino sprayed her with hair spray.
"-hack hack – Ino you –hack hack -." The rest of Sakura's reprimand vanished as she coughed loudly into her fist, Ino grinned and looked over to wear Temari was pining Hinata's fringe back, leaving the longer strands out the front free.

She looked stunning even without her dress.

"Naruto won't be able to look anywhere else all night." Tenten vowed, causing Hinata to go bright red and wobble.

She turned to see Ino watching her with a devious grin. "What…"

"Your hair, Tennie, your hair."
"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

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"No."

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"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No for god sakes and I mean it!" Tenten snapped backing away, but alas, it was worthless. Both Temari and Sakura had joined in the advance and Tenten found her back pressed against the wall as demonic hands reached for her.

***

"You look… Amazing, Tenten. Stunning."

Ino was rubbing her eyes as she stared at the brown eyes brunette who could usually be seen skating up a storm at a local park in tomboyish clothes or slurping smoothies on campus in a very un- lady like manner. Now said tomboy was standing in the middle of Ino's room in a simple summery halter neck white dress, the top section was black and her hair was dead straight and dropped to just below shoulder length. Ino had to say, she was proud of her. She was even wearing some eyeliner and mascara which had gone on with Ino only sustaining minor wounds.

"I. Feel. Like. An. Idiot." Tenten said through tightly clenched teeth. She was utterly humiliated at the thought of going out in public dressed as she was. She studied the rest of her friends jealously.

Ino was in a purple, strapless dress that clung to her body then flared out at the knees while Temari was wearing a black kimono with a red obi and patterns of autumn leaves.

Hinata how ever was wearing a very traditional white kimono with a light purple tie. She looked fantastic.

Sakura was in the dress she'd bought at the mall wither hair in a messy bun at the back of her head.

Tenten. Felt. As previously stated. Like an idiot.

"Come on! The guys are going to meet us in the hall! Considering none of us bothered to get dates we're just going as a big group I guess—Sakura, why are you looking so nervous?"

Sakura avoided Ino's suspicious eyes. Almost instantly the other girls glanced at Tenten who was not exactly the greatest at keep secretes.

"What! Don't look at me! Whether Sakura has a date or not has nothing to do with me!"

It took Tenten a second to realize she'd just dobbed Sakura in.

"OMG SAKURA! YOU'RE GOING TO THE DANCE WITH SOMEBODY! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US EARLIER WHO IS IT?!"

Temari snorted at the blonde's ignorance. "It's Sasuke, of course."

Hinata blushed and looked to the side to minimize Sakura's embarrassment whilst Ino gaped openly at her.

"You and the Uchiha babe – whom you 'hate' – are going as a date?!"

"Maybe."

Ino reached a new frequency.