Notes: Cowritten with CCS AnGeL00. Yes, I realize my profile says that it's finished but I haven't posted the complete fic up for any number of reasons, mostly that I'm still editing later chapters and I'm rather busy this month. Shorter and a slightly more serious chapter this time around, but next chapter makes up for it, when I get around to posting it, which will be tomorrow or the day after, most likely.

Part Four: The In-Laws from Hell

Tenten had to admit that the inner court looked lovely in the pre-dawn twilight, but it wasn't pretty enough to warrant getting up as early as she had. One of the maids had shaken her awake, telling her that Neji-sama wished to see her in the inner court. Bloody hell; did that rooster just give her a dirty look? Much to her surprise, Hinata and Hanabi were already there, sparring by the time she arrived.

"Tenten-san! You're awake!" Hinata exclaimed, signalling a pause from her sister.

"Unfortunately," yawned the older girl. She had spent most of the night tossing; she couldn't figure out whether or not she had imagined Neji's kiss. She probably had. Probably. But then, he did compliment her. That was what? Twice in a week? That had to be a record. Oh hell, it was too early for this. "What are you two doing up at this unholy hour?"

"This is early for you? How pathetic," scoffed Hanabi.

Tenten narrowed her eyes. It was really way too early to be starting this. "Normal people rise after the sun," she replied pointedly.

"You mean the weak do," corrected the girl. Then again, this was Hanabi.

"I wouldn't count on that, Demon Child."

"Going to back out, huh? I don't blame you. I wouldn't want to fight myself either if I were as weak as you."

"Hanabi!" chided Hinata.

Tenten closed her eyes and counted to ten. Twice. itstooearlytokillitstooearlytokillitstooearlytokill, she chanted silently.

"What's the matter?" Hanabi grinned. "Scared I'll beat you sens—"

"THAT'S IT! YOU ARE GOING DOWN, BRAT!" Tenten whipped out her scrolls and was about to bite her thumb when Neji caught her wrist.

"Never show your trump card to the enemy unless you have to," Neji said, his eyes turning glacial. Hanabi flicked her hair with an annoyed gesture, and returned her attention to Hinata. Muttering under her breath, Tenten shoved her scrolls back into their hiding place; she'd really show the brat later today. She winced when she heard the rooster crow. Wait, it was still dark.

"Isn't it too early for the rooster to be crowing?" she grumbled."

"Our roosters are trained to wake us an hour before other roosters," explained Neji as if it were normal. Right. Normal. Nothing in this house was normal.

"Oh." She stifled a yawn. The crowing was giving her a headache. She really wanted to shoot it dead with a few shuriken or something. Then again, it'd probably just leap back to its feet and peck her to death. Damned mutated roosters. She really wanted to go back to sleep. Maybe if she just put her head down just so, he wouldn't notice. . .

". . .Tenten, are you sleeping?"

Then again, this was Neji she was talking about. "No," she grumbled, irritated that her nap had been cut short.

"Following tradition, you will be moving into the main compound as soon as possible. I'll send some servants to help you pack."

That certainly woke her up. "WHAT!" she yelled loud enough to make Hinata and Hanabi pause. "Neji, I am not moving in here!"

He folded his arms. Shit, he was going into 'I-am-so-emotionless-and-stubborn-because-I-am-cooler-than-Uchiha-Sasuke' mode now. "It's tradition for Hyuuga fiancées to live at the main compound the month before the marriage.

"A month?" What the hell? So soon?

"Well, usually. Since we're getting married next week it'd be best if yo—"

That was it. She had had enough! "I never agreed to marry you!" she exclaimed.

"What's the problem?" he asked, looking puzzled. "I like you. We're getting married."

". . ." Okay, at least he admitted to having some sort of feeling for her; that was an improvement. Still. "You haven't even ASKED ME YET!"

He quirked an eyebrow at her, clearly not comprehending. "Does that even matter?"

She leapt to her feet just so she could stare down and yell at him. Actually, she wasn't going to yell; she was going to scream at him like a harpy on a bad hair day. "I put up with your hellish training every day! I put up with not getting chocolates or flowers." she was reaching notes she never knew she had before. And she was still warming up. "I BARELY complained about you not expressing any sort of affection or emotion for me!"

He stood up; he probably hated being stared down at. "I offered t—"

"THAT WAS NOT AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE, HYUUGA NEJI!" Tenten wondered how he was putting up with her screeching without flinching; Hinata and Hanabi had already put their hands on their ears. "But I will NOT marry you without A PROPOSAL!"

He sighed as if this were a very tiresome thing. She was this close to sticking a couple of kunai in his throat. But after she cut off hi—

"Fine. Will you?"

"NO!"

"AND! DON'T! YOU! '. . .'! AT! ME! HYUUGA! NEJI!" she screamed, poking him in the chest at every syllable.

He caught her finger before it could gouge his heart out. "Tenten, this is pointless. I suggest you start packing as soon as possible."

"ARGH!" Even Neji looked taken aback by her scream of frustration. He took two steps back. "YOU JUST DON'T GET IT, DO YOU?"

"Tenten, control yourself. This isn't like you."

She closed her eyes and counted to ten. Twice. "Hyuuga Neji," she said, her words as sharp as the kunai she was now clutching, "you do NOT rule my life."

His eyes narrowed. Neji did not like being yelled at. Well too bad. She was going to go live in the mountains. Screw Konoha. It could become the next desert for all she cared. "I don't see why you're making such a fuss about this. I did train you after all."

". . ." she felt something inside of her just snap. She saw red. Grabbing every piece of weaponry she could with her hands, she threw it all at him before launching at him with her bare hands, screaming like a banshee in heat. She was going to castrate him before anything else and then she was going to rip his heart out an—

"Tenten-san, calm down!" Hinata said in her left ear. Tenten became aware that the Hyuuga heir was clinging onto her shoulder and arm for dear life. "Save your energy for your fight later."

"Yeah," smirked Hanabi on her right, who was holding her by the waist. "After all, you'll need all of your energy to keep up with me."

"Tenten, I really do think you're overreacting," said Neji stiffly.

". . ." she really couldn't take this anymore. She just COULDN'T. She felt Hinata and Hanabi tighten their grip. She took a deep breath. "I," she said, enunciating each word as precisely as she could, "am going to go back to bed. You," she extricated herself from the sisters' grasp, "can go to hell."

She spun on her heel and left.

-

"I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry," she muttered until she slammed the door shut to her room. Shit, she was pissed. She was so pissed that she was going to cry. She never cried. Tears were for the weak. Shit, did she just think that? She was becoming Neji. She really was going to cry. She threw herself onto the futon, and bit her lip very hard. She had to stop before she made herself bleed; the very last thing she needed to see or smell at the moment was blood.

"Anou. . ." Hinata slid the door open, "Tenten-san? May I come in?"

"Sure," replied Tenten, letting her hair down from its buns. She ran her fingers through her hair and winced when she found a particularly nasty knot.

"Here, let me," said Hinata, rummaging through a drawer and coming out with a comb. Tenten sighed. "He really doesn't mean it, you know." Hinata's voice was very quiet as the younger girl ran the comb through her hair.

"Yes he does," Hanabi said tartly from the door. She was leaning against it, her arms crossed at her chest. Tenten groaned; she really couldn't deal with the Demon Child right now.

"Go AWAY, Demon Child," she muttered.

"No. And since you seem to despise me so much, I'm going to stay," smirked the girl before she shut the door behind her.

In the distance, Tenten could hear a rooster crow. She blinked, distracted. "Was that. . .?"

"It crows twice," explained Hanabi, who was now sitting in front of her. The Demon Child reached over to grab a piece of her hair. "Wow, you have a lot of hair," the girl marvelled as she pulled on it. Hard.

"H-Hanabi," chided Hinata.

"H-Hanabi," mimicked the younger sister. "I really don't know why I should listen to you; they're going to kick you out and make me the heir anyway." She grinned at Tenten. "And since you're marrying into the branch house, that means you have to listen to me!"

"In hell, Demon Child, in hell."

Hanabi pouted. "Since when did you get so mean?"

Tenten gave her a look that spoke volumes. "Since I met your cousin."

Hinata and Hanabi nodded in unison. This they could understand. "Yeah, sorry about that. Even I wouldn't wish him on you," Hanabi said. The little girl then peered closely at Tenten's forehead. "I think you have a zit."

"Hanabi," Tenten said from between gritted teeth as Hinata stiffened behind her, "if you do not get out of this room in the next three seconds, I am going to KILL YOU!"

"Psh," the girl scoffed. "You're weak. I can break you."

"HANABI! Apologize!" Tenten blinked; was that Hinata? Since when did she sound so stern?

"Sorry," the Demon Child said, sounding curt. Then she looked up through her lashes in the cutest manner she could possibly contrive. "Besides, would you hit someone six years younger than you?"

"Yes," answered Tenten without hesitation.

"You're mean. You're not even pretty enough to be a bitch; you're just mean."

Tenten closed her eyes. "Should you be using such vulgar language at such a tender age?"

"What are you going to do?" The youngest Hyuuga child got up and skipped to the door. "Beat me?" She left before Tenten could even open her mouth.

Hinata sighed. "S-Sorry about Hanabi. I should really be more firm with her." The girl was now braiding Tenten's hair.

"It's fine. It's Hanabi; I don't think anyone can control her," reassured Tenten. "The most you can do is hire an exorcist since she's a demon spawn. Like Neji," she added darkly.

Hinata's mouth twitched. "A-A-About that. I'm r-really sorry."

"It has nothing to do with you. Don't worry about it," sighed Tenten. Hinata really had to stop apologizing for everything. Before she knew it, she'd be apologizing for the apocalypse before it happened.

"I meant your engagement."

Oh. That. "Yeah. Thanks." Tenten sighed. "Is there any way I can get out of this, Hinata-san?"

The younger girl thought for a moment, tying off the end of the braid as she did. "M-Maybe. . ."

Tenten brightened. "Go on," urged Tenten. "I'm listening. . ."