◊ (Neji doesn't like being Tricked) ◊

∆ (Their Bedroom) ∆ - VP: Neji - ¤ (After the Switch) ¤

"That wasn't smart Tenten." I said.

"Not smart, excuse me, I was training her."

"Come on, you think that was a good way to train her?"

"She did amazing, admit it." Tenten said smirking

"So she tricked me, if…" I started.

"Yeah, yeah, you and your beautiful eyes of yours know it all but she tricked you out of using them didn't she?" I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

She leaned up against my chest and came me a look, which some man correctly named 'the puppy 'deceiving and receiving' eyes'. When girls do that, they win. Unless it's one heartless guy, which you're fighting, but you wouldn't use it then. However, it works on me, Tenten, you need to be taught to respect your husband, I'm sure Kunoichi training taught you that.

"So?" She begged.

"Yeah, yeah, she did a great job. You taught her didn't you?"

"But of course," She said smiling. "I gave her all the important stuff that might happen as a Hoshikage, and how to keep you from harassing her?"

"Ahem?" I said.

"Hey, it's unwanted physical contact for her, that's harassment. I'm fine with it." Tenten said trying to calm me down. I nodded understanding where she was coming from.

"I didn't think you were that well in Seduction." She looked at me seriously.

"I am a Weapon Mistress and Seduction is something I refuse to do, period." She said clearly. "I am gifted with the skills of deception though, which is what I taught her mind you." She said. I kissed her causing her to calm and melt into my arms.

"You need to calm yourself Tenten. So what did you do today while I was being deceived by a Tenten clone?" I asked.

"Hm… well…

Ж (Flashback) Ж - VP: Tenten

Diana and I had traded places and I was going to her place and she was staying and doing Hoshikage work. It seemed like a good trade off… she was training for her assassination, deception mission and I got a day off.

I walked along the road and showed up at her place. I took out the key and opened the door. Milo was sitting on the couch. "Hey, can I make you something?" I asked. Diana had informed me that Milo was very space oriented, he was old fashioned he waited until the marriage for any forms of physical contact that was more than any two normal people had. She said just do whatever he asked and ask to do things for him.

"Sure, Ramen would be nice. I haven't had it in a while. Since the dinner that we had with Tenten and Neji." I nodded.

Surprisingly enough Milo had fallen in love for Ramen, even more so then Naruto. I thought Naruto had a lot of Ramen, this guy had a whole room stuffed with it, and it was ridiculous. I sighed, made it for him and sat across the room from him after making it from him.

"You seem tired, did anything go on while you visited Tenten today and told her about you wanting to be a Kunoichi." I bet its best I tell him about the mission.

"Yeah, I volunteered for a mission." I said calmly.

"Really, what kind?"

"A kunoichi assassination and deception mission," I said. That didn't sound like Diana but I wasn't sure how she'd break it to him.

"Isn't that advanced for a starter?" You bet it is, I'm a Jounin kunoichi and I don't take those missions ever. Only on important life or death times.

"Yeah but see… Tenten was going to do it but the country needs her and would fall apart if she did the mission herself. So I volunteered." I said just as she would have.

"Oh, I'm sure she's thankful to you."

"Of course she was, she was so relieved but she was scared about how I would handle this sort of stuff."

"What sort of stuff?"

"Deception and Assassination,"

"that hard?" He asked.

"Taking a life can be hard." I said looking at the ground like Diana would. I noticed her character traits, this was how she acts.

"Deception means Seduction," I looked up.

"Of course not, Tenten told me that she's been on countless of these missions."

"And…"

"Well, they turned out most of them didn't require it at all, it's on missions in enemy territory alone that you have to worry." I said. I don't know how I wouldn't explain this to Diana but I had to secure him about his fiancée.

"Don't get yourself hurt or injured or anything else, got it." He said with a smiled. I smiled warmly back and I got up.

"I'm going to take care of the gardens." He nodded. Diana loved caring for the gardens; she said that was a way to make him sure that I could deceive him. It was also a way to waste a lot of time, and not worry.

-The rest of the day went smoothly, not a bump through the whole day; I had mastered being my close friend Diana easy. I just hoped that being me was the same.

Ж (Flashback Over) Ж - VP: Neji

"That seemed really simple."

"It was. Deceiving a non-Shinobi oriented person. He had no reason to suspect anything to begin with, like you." She said smiling. I just stared at her. "I meant the not suspecting anything part." She defended herself.

"I know." I said smiling.

I didn't like being deceived because it gave me reasons to doubt her, her skill, reasons to worry, made me consider how many other times she would do this, it was just like throwing a stick in the road and causing me to wipe out. It made me worry about wiping out again.

"I'll try not to do it again." I looked at her.

"What if I have to?" She asked.

"If you have to, then fine but it makes me doubt you and I don't like that." I said. She smiled and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Sorry but I figured that you would be the hardest person to deceive so it would be the best way to train her. You don't get better from training with something you can do right?"

"You're right but next time; don't involve me in your plans." I said wrapping my arms around her waist. I was currently sitting on the bed and Tenten was currently sitting in front of me kneeling on the bed.

"I'll try not to. I hope we don't have to. I'm worried that this mission may turn into a Seduction required mission." She said looking at the space between us. I pulled her closed the space by pulling her toward me.

"You have to believe in her or she won't believe in herself." I whispered.

"I know, but I mean, if she ends up how I was after it happened then…" Tenten was having a flashback.

"Tenten," I said getting her attention.

"Thanks," She said. I knew she didn't want to remember that mission. It scared her a lot. It was only a few months ago that I had remembered parts of that mission, she explained it to me. I was just as scared for her as she was and I knew that that played an important role in our lives. To know how important she is to me, whom I've always known since we were on the same team.

"Today was one annoying day," Tenten looked at me and smiled.

"Really, how come?"

"You were acting extremely weird." Tenten broke out into laughter knocking me back and she laid on top of me.

"How weird?"

"'Of course Neji-sama', 'yes Neji', 'alright?'" Tenten was laughing even more and I flipped her over so I was above her.

"I missed you. I didn't actually figure it out into 9 but with that stuff I figured something was going on, come on, didn't you teach her the formalities you use?" I asked her.

"Yeah but it's hard to correct a habit that she's had for a while." Tenten answered back. I was still above her and she didn't seem to care. It wasn't as if I was hurting her. This was one weird way to sleep, who would. I flipped her back on top. I weighed a good amount more then her so if I rested my weight down on her I would hurt but she wouldn't hurt me.

She smiled happy to be resting on me. She climbed off of me and rested her head on my chest. She seemed like a little cat or something that was settling itself next to it's master. That look on her face, I didn't want to laugh at her but she was just too funny. It was too funny to resist. "Are you enjoying yourself?" I asked.

She looked up at me, blushed and hid her face in my shirt. I laid my hand on her back and I kissed her head. "Neji… that wasn't nice." She mumbled in my shirt. I laughed and pulled her head up. She was blushing furiously.

"One, it's not nice to mumble. Two, it's impolite to mumble into someone's clothing." She blushed furiously. She looked at me.

"Be fair." She said.

"What's not fair is you leaving me for a day." I stated.

"I'm sorry." I kissed her head again, wrapped my arms around her, and pulled her closer to me and I rolled to my side so I could look at her.

"I know you are, but if you had to do it then I respect that. Good job." I said. She smiled and tucked her head back into my shirt and I rested my head up. "Oh, and tell her I'm sorry."

She looked up at me. "For what?"

"For almost killing her," Tenten pushed herself away from me and looked me clean in the eyes. "She's not at your level." She attempted to smack me, I caught her wrist and pushed it back down to her side.

"Neji…" Tenten said worrying.

"With deception the person has to be as strong or stronger then the person they are being, correct?"

"Yeah but," I put my finger to her lips.

"No more, she should know that. In order to replace a person you have to be stronger to convince them. I figured it out pretty well this morning when she got 30/100. I knew even when you weren't trying very hard you wouldn't get that bad." Tenten laughed.

"I guess I should have helped her out. I didn't think she would be that bad. I guess I did a bad job helping her out. I slept in the gardens all day."

"I didn't sleep well last night did you?"

"I slept in a straw bed, what did you expect?" I looked at Tenten.

"You mean…" Tenten broke out into laughter. I gave her a glare that said as Tenten would say. 'Neji, that was mean.'

"No, it was me but you should see your face." I smirked and she squirmed as I took a hold of her arms. This would be fun. I pulled her close to me and glared at her shocking her into fear.

"Neji…" She was close to tears. Now she was crying and now… I feel bad. I held her close to me. I place my hands carefully on her back and I sat up holding her as she cried.

"Sh… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." I said holding her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head in my shoulders. "I'm sorry, I really am."

Tenten wasn't weak no matter what anyone said and this didn't make her weak. It made her human. She feared something that was perfectly normal, for a girl. It was extremely abnormal for a guy. The fear that it would happen to her again; she'd be attacked and almost rapped. It scared her because she was human, and a female.

She didn't want to be pregnant, meaning that she would be impure and possibly killed depending on the decision of the trial. It also meant that I probably wouldn't be able to marry her which I probably would feel so horrible. I don't think I'd ever get over it if that happened to her. That's why it scares me about the same as her. I don't really know but I think that Tenten is afraid, well terrified to become pregnant. After all with young ninjas, there's a high probability, a child before 18 could kill them. Tenten while just being 18 a few days ago was still worried. I understood.

I wanted to know that Tenten wasn't suffering constantly because of this. It seemed that these kind of things happened many times in Kunoichi life. She just didn't want to be the kunoichi who was killed for the success of the mission on the stone when the success meant being pregnant and dying.

"Tenten, are you alright?" She gave a tiny nod and I held her closer. "Sorry." She nodded again.

"I don't like being played with. I hate it Neji. Can you promise not to do it again, please? It scares me." More tears continued falling from her face. I pulled her away from me and I brought her eyes up to me.

If I was Naruto, I'd probably play a joke or say something to lighten the mood but I'm not. Moreover, I think any jokes wouldn't work. I also didn't think Sasuke way of getting back after upsetting Sakura worked either. I'd be me.

"Yeah, I promise. I'm sorry. I believe I told you I wouldn't before. I'm sorry." I said. She nodded and I held her. I wasn't sure I promised her before, but I figured with how she is, I had. I just don't remember.

"I don't want to be a tool, to be used and tossed away Neji. I don't." I held her and looked on at her. She kept looking down. I used my fingers to lift her head to meet mine.

"You're no tool Tenten, and you'll never be one. Not to me at least, I promise to try my very hardest no matter what the consequences to myself to protect you from being used like that. I love you Tenten, and I don't want you to be hurt." I said kissing. She just melted and cried some more. This time she slumped down into my knees. I leaned down on top of her and hugged her. "It's alright Tenten, it is." I said to her.

She fell asleep like that and when I was sure that moving her wouldn't awaken her. I picked her up and slid her next to me and I gently wrapped my arms around her and rested my head above hers. "You're no tool, and no one will use you. I love you Tenten, sleep well." I said going to sleep holding her. While I slept, I dreamt of the day's events.

Ж (Flashback) Ж

I woke up to find Tenten had already left. There was a note on her place. I opened it up to read a note from her. She had a lot of Hoshikage stuff to take care of, she'd meet me at the practice field at 7. Soon it was 7, and I went to the forest and Tenten was sitting up in a tree.

"You ready?" She looked down on me, jumped down and nodded.

"What do you want to practice?"

"I don't know." She answered.

"Why don't we work on your reversing Kaiten?" I suggested. Tenten had created a way to attract enemy weapons using the kaiten to slow it down and turn into in a scroll.

"Um… I guess." She said. That was weird; usually Tenten would be more excited about it. She took her place in the middle of the field.

She pulled out a scroll and spun around with the scroll while expelling chakra yet making the chakra hold the weapons so she could put them in a blank scroll and defend her. It was also one that I was trying to master; except I couldn't put them in a scroll. I stored them in my pocket to toss back at them.

"Ready?" I asked. She nodded and I tossed about 20 and she successfully expelled chakra but it was sloppily done and not everywhere, just some places, she wasn't even expelling chakra, she was losing chakra. She was getting hit by the weapons, I stopped, and she fell onto the ground. "Tenten!" I said running to her. I picked her up, took her inside, and was going to wrap her arms, legs and back but she said she'd do it herself.

"I need to go do more work, sorry." She said. I grabbed her arm and turned her around.

"It's not nine." I said. She came out and nodded.

"I'll be going now." She ran off in the direction of the office. She's acting weird. I wonder why she did so horrible in the training today. She could have killed herself. Tenten has never messed up before or been hit before. I didn't seem like her. I went to her office where Shino was on guard outside.

"Does something seem of with Tenten today?" He shrugged.

I broke in the door. There was a kunai to the right and left of me and I stopped in my tracts. Tenten would have been perfectly able to nail me to the door. "Tenten?"

"Sorry Neji," She said sighing and taking the kunai out of the wall. She sat down at her desk and continued to read.

"When did you go in this morning?"

"3," She answered not looking me.

"You should really go to sleep them, you did horrible at training, and you could have been killed." She looked up.

"I'm just exhausted is all, sorry for worrying you." She said smiling. I nodded and left the room.

"Shino, keep an eye on Tenten."

"I kind of have to. It is my job, Neji." He answered. I nodded and walked off.

When lunch came around, I found another note.

Dear Guys and Neji: I made lunch and I'm off to visit Diana today to talk to her about her newest mission. –Tenten

That was definitely Tenten's handwriting. I activated my Byakugan and looked over the note, it contained Tenten's and another person's fingerprints. Someone forced her to write it, no, that's Diana's fingerprints. Diana probably came over and some how looked at the note and whatever.

The rest of the day Tenten watched me train the ninjas. Diana asked if she could spar with me a bit. I looked to Tenten and she shrugged so I continued. Diana was good, her shuriken skills were very precise, a lot of practice where Tenten was when she was before she came to the academy but that's saying a lot. Her sparing left much to be desired but it was good for a new kunoichi of only a year's practice.

Then I realized that it was dinner so everyone was dismissed and Tenten had already left to start dinner. I hoped that she was all right from this morning. I didn't mean to hurt her. If she wasn't so exhausted my attacks wouldn't have got within 5 feet of her and she wouldn't have been hurt.

We sat on the couch and relaxed Tenten seemed a bit more tired and laid herself down in a recliner. Normally should would have slept on me the entire day, I guess she doesn't want to burden me and what not. Something is seriously messing with her mind, I should talk to her about it later.

"Tenten seems unusually spacey and tired. What did you do to her Neji?!" Lee said pointing at me. I slapped his finger down.

"She's tired but I don't get the spacey issue either. Everything was perfectly fine last night and then I got up and she had left a note for me. She had only gotten 3 hours of sleep with all the Hoshikage work she's been doing. I accidentally almost killed her during training today. She couldn't even work up enough energy to exhort chakra."

"That's really weird." Kiba said. "Tenten is use to major stuff going on and little sleep from what you tell us, this shouldn't be this hard on her. She's seriously asleep." Kiba said looking at her.

"She was fine when she went in this morning." Shino said.

"She was a bit perkier then normal actually. Something must have happened while she was in her office." Choji said.

"What about that mission?" I asked.

"Yeah, you might want to ask Diana about that one." Kiba said. I nodded and went to the phone. I called the number.

"Diana?" I asked.

"Neji? Hi, what's up?" She said perkily.

"Do you know what's going on with Tenten?"

"What do you mean?" She said concerned.

"Well she's been like spacey and she's exhausted."

"I'm not sure, how did your guys' practice go. I know she went in early to take care of a big mission stuff for me but I didn't know how early and if it would mess with her the rest of the day. She probably doesn't want to burden you. Give her a bit of space." I sighed.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." I hanged up the phone and figured Diana being similar to Tenten who have the proper mindset and since she was the most informed about Tenten's goings on which sort of concerned me, I figured I'd do best to give Tenten space and let her rest.

I walked into the living room. Everyone looked up at me. "Diana said she's just exhausted and needs space so she wouldn't worry me, which isn't the smartest thing but whatever."

"You trust Diana?" Lee asked.

"Who else knows about Tenten's goings on today? Tenten barely talked to me today and if it is its just normal talking, nothing important so I give her space and let her rest." I said sighing.

I walked over to Tenten and picked her up. Her frame structure seems slightly different then normal but she looked normal. Something was going on with her and I wished to find out. I set her down in my bed and sat next to her while giving her, her space.

"Morning Neji-sama," She said and rested her head on the pillow closing her eyes. Her sudden use of very formal terms was strange. She stretched looked and her watch and jumped out of bed. I followed her to the door and stepped in front of her.

"Where are you going?" She looked surprised that I was stopping her. "I mean…" She placed her finger on my lips.

"I have to finish paperwork with Diana and I'm already late. Okay Neji?" She asked now being formal.

"I guess as long as you come back by an hour." She nodded.

"Of Course Neji." She said walking out of the room which made me suspect more.

I wanted to check with my Byakugan but she was gone. I sighed. Relax Neji. Just go rest; she'll be back in an hour.

¤ (Hour Later) ¤

Tenten without a word walked back into the room with no energy and collapsed on the bed. Diana said that you were worried about me, on the phone huh?" She asked.

"So, am I not allowed?" A smiled came to her face and she rested her head on me.

"Yes you are, and sorry." She said to me and closed her eyes. "I was tired and well a bit overworked and I needed some space. Sorry if I worried you." She said smiling.

"For a lot of time there, I thought you were another person." I said leaning back. "I tried to check with my Byakugan but you were gone."

"That wasn't nice." She said pouting me.

"I wanted to make sure it was you, but now I know it was you." She laughed.

"No, you were right."

"What?" I said sitting up. I looked at her.

"Yeah, Diana and I switched lives for a day, to live theirs."

"Why?"

"To train her." Tenten said simply.

"For what?" I asked.

"A typical kunoichi mission, deception. I figured it would be a good idea."

"A good idea?" I asked her.

"I mean you're a genius, if she can act enough to where you didn't find out before we switched back my pre-training did great." She said smiling triumphantly.

"If it wasn't that she was a friend of yours who's been around the house and the fact that there were no jutsu tracks or anything on her, I would have figured it out."

"But you didn't accuse her of it, until now. You didn't, did you?" She asked.

Ж (Flashback Over) Ж

That's where we left off, this afternoon. I still couldn't believe that she did that me. I mean, I don't like being used. Tenten was back to being her and I had her.

"You could have done better?" She opened one of her eyes to look at me.

"What?"

"During training with me, that was you right?"

"During the sparing match, yeah. I had to make in convincing, you do know I can handle it right?" She asked smirking.

"Yeah I know, you were quite convincing on the phone as well." I smiled.

"Thanks, I'm glad I know that I could trick you into believing I'm someone else but let's hope this doesn't happen again." I said. I pulled her closer to me and rested my head on hers and we slept until 9 due to the crazy events of the day.

"I really am sorry I had to do this but I didn't want to endanger her life because of me not training her properly." I kissed Tenten's lips. She looked surprised.

"Don't worry, she'll do fine. Moreover… I understand." I said holding her and finally sleeping.

The Reasons Why… He doesn't like to be tricked.

1. it made him doubt her

2. made her doubt her skill

3. made him worry

4. made me consider how many more times

5. they missed each other

6. it was weird

7. it was offset