Almost forgot to update.. forgot it was Tuesday today, since yesterday was a holiday. ;)
Naruto and its characters do not belong to me.
Complexities of Blackmail
Chapter 22: The Gliese Beta Shooting Party
Gliese Beta, Jan 11, 2031, 1630 hrs
"Touchdown!" Lee exclaims with a joyous whoop, punching fists in the air.
"It's been so long since I was last here!" Ino says at the same time, as they land on Gliese Beta, in a shopping district close to the site of the shooting competition. Both the Silver Blade and theByakugan have been disguised - the spacecrafts are highly valued, and especially vulnerable to theft the longer they remain in the same place.
"Same here, babe," Kiba drawls, unbuckling his seatbelt. "What d'you say to you and me getting out and doing some... exploring?"
Ino throws him a flirtatious smile, and Tenten glowers at them.
"Hold it, Inuzuka. I don't need you wandering off even before we've decided on a location to bunk these few nights," she grumbles. "The competition starts tomorrow, and I've only just checked us in. We need to collect our ID tags first."
"Fine, fine," Kiba grumbles, popping his joints as he gets to his feet. "Damn, that sure was a long ride."
Tenten shrugs. He had the option of moving into a bunk bed during the fourteen flight hours. "You fell asleep in your seat, and you only have yourself to blame for that," she tells him.
"You suck," Kiba complains. Tenten rolls her eyes.
"You're the best leader ever, Tenten," Lee counters with a bright grin, and she smiles back at him.
"Come on, let's move out and join with Hawk first. I don't want the booth to close before we've got our ID tags," she explains, glancing around to make sure that they're all dressed in plain clothes, instead of the identifying Konoha uniform.
It is close to sunset on Gliese Beta; orange shades are starting to creep up from the horizon, and lights are flickering on in the low-rise establishments, with dozens of neon signboards lighting the streets. The parking lot is almost full, and scents of food are wafting slowly through the air.
Neji, Kotetsu and Izumo are waiting for them at the base of the Silver Blade by the time Tenten gets her team down the ramp, riled and on the verge of pulling her hair out.
"For the last time, Kiba, shut your trap," Tenten growls, glowering at him. "Ino, please. I don't want to regret bringing you guys along."
"I'll keep him in line, Ten," Ino grins. She wraps an arm around Kiba's neck, and claps a hand over his mouth, earning herself a woeful stare from the man.
"Thanks," Tenten mutters, though her throat goes dry when she finally looks at Hawk Platoon.
Neji is dressed casually in a button-down shirt and jeans, his ebony hair hanging loose around his shoulders, thumbs hooked into his pockets. Tenten stares. And just barely remembers to move her feet.
Lee catches Tenten when she stumbles down the rest of the ramp, muttering a string of curses. Neji's eyes are boring into the back of her head when she turns back to the ship to make sure that the ramp is back up and locked in place.
"What's wrong with you?" Ino asks, concerned.
"I'd like to know the answer to that, myself," Tenten grumbles, still refusing to look at Neji. To the rest of the party, she announces, "We'll have to collect our ID tags first, before the competition booth closes."
Snippets of conversation start up as the group follows Tenten to the competition site not too far away - there are huge tents set up, some lit, some not, and Neji fades from her mind when she catches sight of the shooting ranges - rows upon rows of alleys, each with its own target board and counter, from which one aims.
"Wow," she breathes, glancing over at Lee, who is just as excited about the set-up as she is.
"I can't wait to practice my shooting," Lee gushes, quivering with energy. "May I do that once I obtain my tag?"
The participants of the competition are allowed to drop by the shooting ranges to practice - Tenten is especially thrilled about the flying targets segment, though there aren't slots available for that at the moment - night is falling soon, and flying target practice is only open during the day.
"We'll need to find a place to bunk for the next few days first, remember?" Tenten reminds him (as well as herself), leading them to the registration booth.
She ducks beneath the flurry of colorful flags across the booth entrance and pulls her confirmation slip out, handing it to the bespectacled man behind the wooden booth. He accepts the slip of paper, glances shrewdly over her shoulder at the gathered group. "Team Dragon-Hawk?" he asks, scanning her printout quickly.
"Yeah," Tenten confirms. "Six of us in all."
The man ducks behind the counter, riffles through a box, and pulls a knotted handful of lanyards out. "There. Matches start tomorrow. The schedules and instructions are on the table. Don't be late."
"Got it. Thanks." She takes the lanyards and a handful of instructions and schedules, before heading back to Lee and the rest. "Here, schedules and instructions. Read them before you do anything else."
The group falls silent as the tags and papers are distributed; Tenten checks her lanyard, then shoves it into her pocket, scanning the instructions first. They're already familiar with the rules - there wasn't much else to read on the way to Gliese Beta, after all.
"Seems like the first event tomorrow is at 1000 hours," she remarks, eyeing the schedule. "The opening ceremony isn't compulsory if you have a hangover."
"I'll be shopping and contactable by radio if you need me tomorrow," Ino informs them, grinning wide. "Three straight days of shopping. I'm in heaven!"
Tenten smiles when Ino hugs her, looking back at her schedule. There isn't anything else pressing to deal with, save for their accommodations. "Well then, does anyone have information on the nearest lodgings already?" she asks.
"Most hotels are fully booked," Neji answers, slanting a look at her. Tenten gulps, winces. There aren't many rooms left due to the competition. "The nearest one with three rooms available is a minute's walk away from the competition site. Pricey."
"Any others?" she asks, walking over to where he's holding his palm-sized computer up, holographic screen on display.
"The Blue Mountain. Five minutes' walk, one suite left - two bedrooms." Neji glances at her, eyebrows raised.
Tenten bites her lip, looking at the price. "Book that. We'll win this competition to pay for it."
Neji hasn't removed his attention from her. "Are you really that impoverished, Lieutenant?"
Heat surges into her cheeks. "No, I'm not!" she snaps, glaring at him. "But I'm not born into money, like some of us are."
"I'll put it on my card first, then." Neji shrugs, glancing at the rest of their teams, who have been watching their exchange with no shortage of interest. "There are also a couple of fold-out beds in the suite - all of us are spoken for."
"Fine," Tenten acquiesces, folding her arms. "We'll need to check in next."
"That was a delicious dinner!" Lee exclaims, as they step into one of the open, lit tents for shooting practice - between the Osiris mission, checking into their suite, and grabbing dinner afterwards, there isn't much time left over for shooting practice at all. Night has fallen by now, though the town is still abuzz with music and merry-making.
"It was also expensive," Tenten mutters in an undertone, walking over to the central booth, where a range of shooting equipment are available for purchase. Pistols and holsters are on one side, while earplugs, ammo, and other accessories are on the other half of the booth.
"The look on your face when you had those dumplings, though," Neji responds just as quietly next to her, "I'd have thought you came just by eating them."
"Shut up, Hyuuga," she bristles, glowering at him. "I do not recall asking for your opinion."
He smirks, but says nothing else, pushing ahead to the equipment booth.
"Get your own supplies," Tenten tells the team over her shoulder. (Ino has returned early to the hotel to get started on her beauty treatment, though everyone else is present in the tent.) "I'm not paying for you guys."
"You could stand to be a little more generous, Leader," Kiba jibes, elbowing her as he makes his way to the booth. "Be someone like Hyuuga, you know."
"He didn't say he was paying for your room and board," Tenten snaps, at the same time Neji answers, "I'm just providing the bunch of you with a loan."
Tenten snorts at the expression on Kiba's face, and elbows him back as she proceeds to the counter, looking at the pistols through the glass cases. The competition rules that the participants have to use any one of the specified semi-automatic models - it isn't something Tenten minds, because it'll just be another to add to her collection, anyway.
"Which pistol are you getting?" Lee pipes up next to her, inky eyes roving over the various sizes and models. "I only have those we were issued," he explains.
Tenten shrugs, looking for one that would give her the highest accuracy for the competition, yet fit her hand perfectly. "It's common sense, Lee, pick the one that you're most comfortable with."
It takes a few tries firing in the range with different pistols before Tenten makes her decision and purchases a gun, together with a holster that fits it. This is why I don't have money for the room,she thinks to herself. The particular model she's chosen is smooth and quick to reload; perfect for firing at multiple targets in quick succession.
"Nice pistol," Neji remarks next to her some time later, twirling his own weapon on his index finger.
She smirks at him. "I put my money where my gun is."
"Ah." He sends her a measuring glance, sliding his weapon into the holster on his belt. "I should've known."
Tenten looks over her new pistol, admiring its hard lines and sleek form. "Didn't you?" she asks, glancing at him. He, of all people, knew her tendency to spend her allowances on ammo, when they weren't allowed to own guns yet.
"I did. Are you up for a shootout?" Neji asks, looking sidelong at her. "Loser pays for everyone's dinner tomorrow."
Tenten laughs. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're going to lose, Hyuuga."
Neji raises an eyebrow, smirks at her. "I'm serious."
"Sure. We'll go through a box of ammo each. I'll even buy yours, 'cause you're going to be doing dinner tomorrow," she tells him, trying not to smile too widely.
He shrugs, watching her placidly, and Tenten almost skips back to the equipment booth, returning shortly after with ammunition and earplugs for them both. Neji is standing by a couple of booths with the display screens above them set to a linked game.
"I created a match for us," he explains, waving towards the screens. "The computers will keep track of our scores. 50 rounds each."
"Sure." Tenten sets Neji's share of equipment on his counter, before wearing a earplug and loading her magazines. The gun came with three magazines, each with a capacity of fifteen bullets. She'd have to reload one close to the end. "I'm ready when you are."
"Good luck, Lieutenant," Neji murmurs, so softly that his voice is almost drowned out by the resounding shots from other shooters in the range.
"Save it, Hyuuga. You'll need it." With the magazines fully loaded, Tenten leaves the remaining bullets on the counter and pockets two of the magazines, sliding the third into her pistol with a click. Next to her, Neji does the same, before putting on a pair of amber-tinted safety glasses.
All sounds are dampened the moment Tenten inserts her other earplug. Neji is moving beside her, though all she sees is her lit target fifty yards away. She wears her own glasses. The exhilaration in her veins isn't quite as intense as with moving targets, but she smiles anyway, racks the gun, and cocks the hammer.
It's not easy to want to stop firing once she's started - Tenten watches as her bullets fly through the bulls-eye of her target board in quick succession; each shot is graded with faint light beams behind the board. Her anticipation builds with each recoil of the pistol and the thickening scent of gunpowder, and the bullets are spent in a flurry - she's reloading the last five bullets into her magazine before she realizes it, letting them loose just seconds later.
Neji is still firing by the time she's done. Tenten takes a step back and looks at their scores on the blue-tinted screens above them - she's got a perfect hundred percent; Neji is at ninety-five. Her face splits into a huge grin.
He turns to her a minute later, shoving his pistol back into its holster.
"I win," she declares triumphantly when he's taken his earplugs off, glancing up at the screens. "A hundred shots, a hundred bulls-eyes. Dinner is on you tomorrow, Hyuuga."
Neji raises his brow, steps back to look at the scores for himself. "So it seems," he remarks with a tiny smile. "Congrats, Lieutenant."
There's a hint of warmth in his pale eyes that she thinks she sees. Surprised, Tenten flounders, and turns away, finding the rest of their teams standing a short distance away, watching them.
"Tenten! You're as youthful as ever!" Lee shouts, running over to envelop her in a hug.
"We were wondering what the commotion was about," Kiba drawls, and saunters over. "It was quiet at first, and all of a sudden, it sounded like hell broke loose or something."
Tenten pats Lee on the back, before extricating herself from him. She looks archly at Kiba. "And? Did you get any practice in, Inuzuka?"
"Not yet," Kiba answers. "We were watching the whole time. It was too good to miss, you against Lieutenant Hyuuga."
She grins. "Well, he's treating us to dinner tomorrow."
"All of us, or just you?" Kotetsu asks, waggling his eyebrows. Tenten looks towards the ceiling of the tent.
"You heard her. Dinner's on me tomorrow," Neji says flatly, looking as if he would dearly love to roll his eyes.
"Chinese food?" she asks, hopeful.
"But we already had Chinese today," Kiba whines.
"Well, I won against Hyuuga, so I get to choose," she says, making her decision right then. "Any objections?"
"Your case is probably set," Izumo tells her, "Neji's actually smiling."
At his words, all eyes lock onto Neji, who drops his expression just as quickly. Tenten stares doubtfully at her rival. He's still looking at her, and some of their teammates are following his gaze, glancing towards her instead.
Tenten feels vaguely uncomfortable beneath their probing stares, and snaps, "Well, get back to practice. I don't want to see any of your scores below ninety percent, you hear me?"
Kiba and Kotetsu wince. Tenten looks at them in challenge - she knows, for a fact, that Kiba drops to an eighty-five percent accuracy sometimes. As the men retreat to their own alleys, she turns to Neji.
"What's Kotetsu's accuracy like?" she asks.
He shrugs, glancing after his men. "Ninety on average."
Tenten purses her lips, mulling over their chances of winning this competition. The sound of shots being fired resounds around them.
"Did you participate in this last year?" Neji asks, removing his safety glasses.
It isn't as if she wants to practice shooting more in this alley (especially when she'd rather spend money on ammunition for flying targets), so Tenten pulls her glasses off as well, tucking them into her belt. "No, we were on a mission that clashed with the dates," she recounts with a grimace. "I haven't attended the shooting party in years."
"Want another match, then?" Neji asks, glancing towards the alleys again. "No penalties this time."
Tenten purses her lips. "If you're buying the ammo," she allows. "But I'd rather practice on something different."
Neji lifts a shoulder, turns towards the exit. "Sure."
"We'll need to update the rest on our location, though," Tenten tells him, glancing at their comrades. All four men are focused on shooting, and scarcely paying them any attention.
"I'll handle it," Neji offers, striding over to Izumo. He taps the man on the shoulder, leaves a short message when the latter removes a earplug, and motions towards the exit. Izumo glances briefly at Tenten, nodding. Tenten is hovering by the large doors of the tent when Neji returns, examining a map that came with the competition schedule. "Done," he tells her. "We'll meet them back at the Blue Mountain."
It vaguely registers in her mind that she's going to be spending time alone with Neji on an entirely voluntary basis. Tenten shoves the thought away, waving her map at him excitedly. "There's another range not too far from here," she suggests, "It appears that they do have moving targets for practice at this time, just not flying ones."
Neji doesn't object, so she leads the way out of the tent. Nightfall on Gliese Beta isn't quite as inky and suffocating as that of Aesis; streetlamps light a number of worn dirt paths away from the range, and Tenten picks one, following the directions on the map. They pass several other gigantic tents - most tents along the way are lit and available for practice. Tenten glances into each one (the targets are all stationary, however) until they arrive at the only tent with moving targets, finding more shooters practicing in there than at the previous few.
"Pick the alleys. I'll get the ammo," Neji says, heading for the equipment booth in the middle of the tent.
Tenten vaguely wonders at the profit being generated by the shooting party - the entrance fee wasn't anything to snort at, and the sales of guns, ammo and accessories probably rake in some sort of profit margin. Multiply that by the number of participants...
"Thinking about me?" Neji asks, when he joins her towards the back of the tent, where the alleys aren't as crowded.
Tenten snaps her gaze away from the multitude of alleys, frowning at him. "I wouldn't be thinking about you, Hyuuga," she scoffs. "There are far better subjects to occupy my attention with."
"Like?" he presses, and deposits two boxes on her counter. Tenten stares - a hundred rounds each this time. She has not expected generosity to that extent. "Is that too many rounds?"
"I can buy my own ammo," she grouses, hiding her delight at the sheer number of shots he's just got her.
"Yet you seem captivated by these," he returns easily, smirking. Neji pulls his pistol and magazines out, beginning to load them.
"Shut up. I was just surprised," Tenten retorts. She tears into the first box of ammo, slipping the cool shells into her magazines. "Two rounds of fifty, or one of a hundred?"
"Two rounds of fifty," Neji answers, sliding a confident look at her. "So you'll have another chance at beating me."
She snorts. "Right."
Little other conversation occurs before they next start shooting; the earplugs and safety glasses are back in place, and Tenten finds herself enjoying this range better. At the end of twenty-five yards is a series of three targets, each smaller than the one before. Two targets swing from the same axle on the right, and the third swings from one on the left. Tenten soon realizes that the swinging intervals do not remain constant - once the match has started, the targets begin increasing in speed, only to jerk to a stop once she's got a hang of their momentum.
Next to her, Neji is doing decently - he's figuring out the patterns of the targets, too. Tenten grits her teeth and focuses, cursing as she overestimates the swing of a target - her shot slides through the target, just short of the bulls-eye.
It happens twice over the course of fifty shots, and Tenten steps back at the end of the match, looking up at the scoreboards with dread.
She's scored ninety-eight percent, while Neji trails behind her at ninety-six.
Tenten winces. Ninety-eight percent is a huge disgrace to her perfect record, even if Neji's looking at her with some semblance of admiration.
"You did well," he compliments.
"That sucked," she replies, and the words are bitter on her tongue. "I don't miss."
"Next round?" Neji asks - she nods without saying a word.
Tenten punches the buttons on her counter to restart the match, and begins reloading her magazines over. This time, she's going to reclaim her perfect accuracy - both for herself, and for her team.
The target boards almost seem to mock her as they swing, up and down, up and down, and Tenten bites her lip as she aims, waiting just a little bit longer to have a better grasp of their movement. Her heart pounds.
The first shot is the perfect bulls-eye, and so is the second, and the third. Tenten breathes slow and deep with each precise set of movements - aim, pull the trigger, catch the recoil. She regains her confidence after the tenth shot, and the thrill of shooting seeps back into her with full force. Her shots gain momentum; she fires in shorter intervals than Neji does, hitting the bulls-eye each time.
She finishes the set of fifty quicker than Neji does, and steps back - a hundred percent.
Tenten is in the middle of a victory dance when Neji turns to look at her after his set. She freezes, embarrassed, drops her limbs. He doesn't comment on her behavior, instead glancing towards the scoreboards. This time, Neji is further behind in accuracy - ninety-five percent, like their first match.
"Guess there's no beating you in that, Lieutenant," Neji remarks, holstering his gun. He glances at her.
She blushes faintly and looks away. The Neji of her trainee cell would never have doled out compliments like that. "Yeah, well, you knew it anyway."
"More practice?" he asks, still watching her.
Tenten frowns, looks at the digital wall clock. 2204 hours. They've got a full ten hours of rest on the ships before and after Osiris, and she isn't the least bit tired. "I don't exactly require practice," she tells him dryly.
"Another match, then," Neji suggests. "This time, with a penalty to it."
She raises her eyebrows, flexing her fingers. At some point, though, her hands will need a break, to prepare for tomorrow. "What're you trying to bet this time?" Tenten questions, looking askance at him. "I can't see you volunteering to pay for dinner on every other night here."
"Not that," he agrees, leaning against his counter.
"What, then?" Tenten folds her arms across her chest, looks between him and the still-moving target boards. "You know that you're going to lose to me."
The words sound good rolling off her tongue.
Neji flicks a glance over her, and Tenten suddenly feels aware of herself, of the T-shirt and jeans she's wearing. "In which case, you should decide on the prize, shouldn't you?" Neji returns, the corners of his lips quirking.
"This just sounds like a bribe," she tells him, slipping her empty magazines back into her pocket.
Neji follows her out of the tent, into the cool night air. "What would you want, then, if you could have anything in the world?" he asks.
Tenten looks at him, taken aback by his question. "Why do you ask?" she counters suspiciously. "Are you trying to bribe me into more sex?"
Amusement flickers through his eyes. "This isn't about sex, Tenten."
She draws a sharp breath at the sound of her name on his lips. The only times he's spoken her name recently is in the form of a low whisper, in her ear, when he's sharing an incredibly intimate moment with her. Not something she wants to think about right now. "What're you trying to get at, Hyuuga?" she asks, refusing to take his bait.
"Nothing," he says simply. "Just attempting to know you again."
His words hurt more than she thought they would. Tenten bites her lip, looks down at the dimly-lit path they're walking, to nowhere in particular. "There isn't anything to know about me," she tells him roughly. "We should return to the hotel."
They walk in silence for lengthy minutes, until Tenten realizes that they aren't getting anywhere closer to the cluster of shops and hotels. The streetlamps are still lit, though, leading to dimmed-out places along the competition grounds.
"What changed?" she asks Neji suddenly, looking towards him. "You stopped talking to Lee and I after you graduated. You only spoke to us on missions, and then you left on some training, as you put it. When you got back-"
Neji shrugs. "My life isn't my own."
"That doesn't explain anything," Tenten retorts, reluctant to stop talking now that she's started. "First you got back, you started blackmailing me, and now you're buying me things on the pretext of getting to know me again? The hell are you doing, Neji?"
He inhales quickly and stops walking. She slows down, turns to face him.
There's a curious mix of emotions in his eyes that Tenten can't read, and she stands rooted to the ground as he approaches her slowly, closing the gap between them. Her pulse thuds in her veins.
His face is inches from hers, solemn, pale eyes locked onto hers. Tenten stops breathing; Neji is so close that she feels his breath on her lips as she stares at him.
For a moment, she thinks he might kiss her - then he's pulling away, facing down the path they've just walked.
"My life isn't my own," he repeats, not looking at her this time.
Tenten blinks at him in confusion, wonders what might have happened, had he not pulled away. She doesn't like him. (Does she?) There are too many things between them now, too many mistakes and secrets, and she never wanted to be with anyone in the first place, anyway.
She sucks a deep breath in, straightens her shoulders, striding to catch up with him. "Well, you're a really good actor, in case no one's ever told you that before," she informs him matter-of-factly.
He doesn't answer her, not for a long time. Tenten glances sidelong at him, but his eyes are hooded, carefully blank. "We're returning to the hotel," he says eventually.
"I figured," Tenten answers, her tone dry.
It is almost midnight when they return to the hotel. The suite in the Blue Mountain is spacious, with a couch, an armchair, and a coffee table in the living area, a flat-screen TV on the wall, and a balcony overlooking the low-rise establishments. To the side, there are two bedrooms with double beds, each with a desk and chair, as well as an en suite bathroom.
Various bags and belongings litter the suite - every other person in the group returned before they did. Tenten scans the place and notes the positions of their teammates, though what makes her pause in the doorway (and what is probably also the reason Neji's breath catches behind her) is that only the double bed in the adjoining bedroom has been left empty. Lee is snoring in the fold-out bed of the armchair, and Kotetsu and Izumo are curled around each other in the hideaway bed of the couch, surrounded by empty beer cans. The bedroom door further from them is shut tight - probably Kiba and Ino.
Tenten pinches the bridge of her nose. "Oh gods."
Neji eases past her into the suite, pulling the door shut behind them. "What are you going to do about it?" he asks quietly.
"I can't just wake them up," she mumbles, dragging a hand across her face. Did Lee and the rest do this to her on purpose? "But I didn't think they'd actually make me sleep with you."
Maybe Ino told them about her and Neji. Tenten cringes, sets the thought aside.
"Are you scared, Lieutenant?" Neji probes, almost slyly. "I don't bite."
She glares at him. "I've never slept beside you before."
It suggests a sort of intimacy that she doesn't really want to think about.
"I'm paying for the suite. I'm not sleeping on the floor," Neji tells her, his eyes resolute.
"Can't you be a gentleman for once?" she mutters, heading over to the bedroom with the overnight bag that she brought up earlier, after they checked in. "Should've taken dibs on the armchair when we first got in."
"The bed's big enough for two," Neji maintains. "It's not like we haven't seen each-"
"Shut up," Tenten hisses, looking over her shoulder at the men in the living room. All three continue to sleep soundly, and she shakes her head, watching as Neji sets his duffel bag on the desk. He begins to unbutton his shirt. Tenten stares - he raises an eyebrow at her, and she flushes, shutting and locking the door behind her with a click. "Just for tonight, I swear."
She sheds her belt, jeans and shoes, before taking her bag along with her into the en suite. "I'm showering first."
Her privacy is short-lived, however - Neji is still in the bedroom when she emerges in a tank top and pants, feeling far more comfortable after the shower. He looks her over; Tenten stares at the other end of the room, setting her bag by the bed and tucking a different, but loaded, pistol under her pillow.
"I was under the impression that you slept in the nude," he remarks softly.
Tenten rolls her eyes. "Disappointed?"
"No, I expected this," he returns, before heading into the bathroom with a handful of clothes, and his own bottles of hair products. Tenten bites a snicker down.
She's under the covers and pretending to sleep by the time Neji emerges, bringing with him a wave of humid, warm air into the bedroom. Tenten keeps herself still as Neji slips beneath the covers himself, though he remains seated in bed for some time. The sound of quiet keyboard taps fills the room, and Tenten appreciates that he isn't attempting to get any closer to her. He's probably checking his email.
Neji finally sets his computer down, and turns the lights off in the bedroom, tucking himself into the covers beside her. She's weaving towards the edge of slumber, vaguely aware of his warmth at her back.
"Still awake?" he asks a moment later.
She makes an unintelligible sound in response.
"Sleep well," Neji says softly, not touching her, and Tenten succumbs to unconsciousness soon after.
A/N: That almost-kiss scene - if you're pulling your hair out over that, believe me, I felt exactly the same writing it. LOL Side pairings in Blackmail, now that we're in the Gliese Beta arc (which is probably my favorite arc in the story) are InoKiba with a faint bit of InoCho, as well as IzumoKotetsu. These will be carrying over into the sequel, whereas ShikaTema won't, basically because they won't be in the sequel.
That aside... ugh I'm not fond of the writing style in Blackmail - it needs to get tightened up. I have also noticed that reader responses have decreased on all updates last week - are you guys busy or something? :P
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did... it gets better. ;)