More than Friends

Summary: Tenten's out to find true love. Tired of hearing her best friend, Hyuga Neji, talk about how easy it is to get a girl. Tenten says she can find someone special before he ever could. Neji doesn't know the first thing about love--all he knows about are hormones. But after weeks of dating misery, both are ready to accept defeat...until Neji suggests they date each other. Do friends really make better partners? Pairings: Nejiten and Sasu/Saku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Rated: PG

Chapter 9

When Neji opened his eyes on Friday morning, he knew that there was something wrong. It took him a few minutes to piece together the disastrous events of the previous night. Then he remembered. He Kissed Tenten. He groaned and knocked his head lightly against the wall. What had made him kiss her? He had broken the rule of a platonic friendship and now Tenten hated him. There was also the matter of Ino. Technically, he had cheated on her. Even thought kissing Tenten was a moment of temporary insanity, there was no denying that the kiss had taken place, not that Ino would ever find out.

Another question bothered Neji. If Ino knew about the kiss, would she even care? Her pride would be hurt but would she be truly upset or just plain angry? She told Neji that she would call him but he hadn't heard from her yet. Neji sighed and shifted his thoughts back to the Tenten problem. How was he going to face her now? Before he could start thinking of how to salvage their friendship, there was a knock on the door.

"Neji, are you awake?" his dad called, opening the door slightly.

"Yeah." Neji replied groggily and rolled on his back, hoping that he would take the hint and go away.

"Tenten's downstairs."

"She is?" Upon hearing her name, he quickly sat up and jumped off his bed. "Give me a minute, and then send her up."

Neji hopped around his room, trying to get dressed and comb his hair at the same time. The door opened as he was buttoning his shirt and Tenten stuck her head in the room.

"Can you give your ex - best friend a moment of your time?" she asked.

The sick feeling Neji had since he woke up instantly disappeared. Tenten's voice sounded friendly; everything would be okay.

"Only if you'll delete the "ex" from that question." He answered and opened the door.

"I bought a peace offering." Tenten said. She handed him a box of doughnuts and sat down at the end of his bed.

"You know, I woke up this morning craving for doughnuts and here you are."

"I know you too well Hyuga." She replied. "I didn't get much sleep last night." She added.

"Me neither." Said Neji as he grabbed a doughnut from the box and held out the box for Tenten.

She took a piece and said, "We can't let this ruin out friendship. We bothe overreacted."

"I couldn't agree more." Said Neji.

In the light of the day, the whole incident didn't seem like such a big deal. It was just a kiss and it wasn't like it was the end of the world. After all, there were teenagers and teenagers kiss all the time. It wasn't as if they had committed murder of something. Tenten chewed thoughtfully for a moment.

"I mean, if we actually enjoy kissing each other, then we might have a problem. Here we are, two friends of the opposite sex. Its just natural that we would have a certain amount of uh..curiosity about each other. Yup, and now that we have the kiss out of the way and forgotten, we know we never want to kiss each other again and we won't. End of story."

Neji was a little upset that she could dismiss his kiss so easily. For him, the experience had been like shooting though space. He couldn't deny the fact that she had excited him to a dangerous level. Nevertheless, he wasn't about to argue with her and ruin their friendship. He just wanted to make up and move on.

"Yup, end of story." Neji confirmed as he stuck out his hand and Tenten shook it firmly.

"Glad that is resolved. I'm sure we'll both sleep better tonight."

Neji gave her a smile and said, "Yeah, absolutely Tenten." Neji leaned back against his pillow and thought that his world wasn't going to collapse after all and he was grateful for that.

Neji had butterflies in his stomach as he drove to Ino's house on Sunday evening. Ino had finally called him and now he was just minutes away from seeing her beautiful face. He had been thrilled to hear her voice because he felt as if they were going to have a brand new start. Since the whole kissing episode with Tenten, Neji had realized how much he missed Ino, definitely more than he thought he would. Obviously, he had projected those feelings onto Tenten, who in turn had projected her feelings for Itachi on him. Yup, that was what happened, Neji thought. The temperature was currently below freezing point and when Ino suggested they go ice skating at Ormandy Park; Neji thought the idea was great. He started to imagine the two of them holding hands and circling the pond. Afterward, they would go to her house, drink hot chocolate and kiss far into the night. He couldn't wait!

When Neji arrived at her house, Ino opened the door immediately and twirled around.

"How do you like my new skating outfit?" she asked.

"Wow!" was all Neji could say.

Ino looked stunning in a short pink skating dress. Her long legs were covered with flesh colored tights, and she was holding her white skates on one hand. To be honest, Neji didn't think that Ino would be outfitted for ice skating. He usually just wore jeans and a sweater but he wasn't about to complain, she looked like an Olympic athlete turned supermodel.

"Let's go! Everyone else would be there soon!" Ino said as she grabbed Neji towards his car.

Neji didn't know what she meant by everyone and he was still speechless from the aftermath of her dress. If he opened his mouth now, whatever came out of it would probably be s squeak.

The parking lot was half full and Neji recognized a few of the cars that were already there. Suddenly, he had a sinking feeling who Ino meant by everybody.

"The whole gang is here!" Ino cried happily as they made their way to the crowded pond.

"You didn't tell me that half of Konoha High was going skating tonight," Neji said, a little more sharply then he had intended.

"Isn't that great? I'm so excited to see everybody!" exclaimed Ino and she ran ahead of Neji, disappearing behind the crowd of people.

A few seconds later, Neji could hear Ino squeal and when she came into view; he saw that she was hugging Alice Springs and Amanda Carlson. Neji frowned as he thought those two girls were the most superficial and stupid and best at backstabbing and manipulating people. Ino dragged Neji towards to pond where he pulled his skates out of the bag he was carrying. At that moment, he saw Josh Mayor, Eric Shields and Jeremy Shonberg. His dreams of having a romantic evening with Ino was all dashed. Neji's opinion of Josh had not improved since the homecoming dance and he absolutely hated Jeremy Shonberg!

Jeremy had a thing for Tenten during their sophomore year of high school. She went out with him once, detested him and never wanted to speak to him again. And Jeremy had been a totally cruel jerk to Tenten at school. When Tenten didn't respond to his baiting, Jeremy wrote graffiti about her on the walls of the guy's locker room. Neji caught him in the act one day and it led to the only fistfight he ever had. After they were pulled apart, Neji swore never to punch anyone again. The next year, Jeremy switched schools when his parents moved to another district and Neji had been able to avoid him ever since. Tenten, by the way, never found out about the fight.

Neji started to put on his skates and hoped that after one and a half years, Jeremy had probably evolved into a human being. As long as he was nice to him, he wouldn't create an ugly scene. Ino had already started skating and Neji joined her a minute later.

"This is so romantic." Giggled Ino as Neji held her hands.

"That's because you're here." Answered Neji. Neji did a quick stop when he saw Jeremy Shonberg out of the corner of his eye. He was headed straight for them and he was sneering. Neji gritted his teeth and forced himself to look friendly.

"Hey Jeremy, do you know Ino?" Neji asked.

Jeremy looked at Ino from head to toe and he gave her a sexy smile. "Only now, nice to meet you Ino."

Ino gave him a flirtatious smile. "How come I haven't met you before?"

"I go to Rosedale High. But I like to keep in touch with my old friends." Jeremy said as he looked at Neji. Neji could tell that Jeremy was dying to tell him something. He ignored that and grabbed Ino's hands and started to leave.

Jeremy put his hand on Neji's shoulder, stopping him. "Speaking of old friends, Josh told me that out mutual sweetheart Tenten is going out with Uchiha Itachi."

Neji saw Ino narrowed her eyes but he couldn't blame her. Jeremy made it sound as if Tenten and himself were an item. Neji decided to explain to Ino later on.

"Yup, and they are very much in love." Neji said, satisfied to see his sneer turn into a frown.

"Is that so? Well, you might want to pass a message from me to her."

"What's that?" Neji could feel his muscles tensed up but he didn't want to show Jeremy that he was getting to him.

"I saw Itachi and Mia looking very friendly at Sam's Pizzeria on Thanksgiving night. In fact, they were making out in a corner." Jeremy grinned at Neji and sniggered.

"You're lying."

"I don't care if you don't believe me Hyuga. But you should really tell Tenten that Uchiha was just using her until he could get his hands on Mia again."

Neji was trembling with anger and he couldn't stop himself from taking a step close to Jeremy. He was determined to wipe that smile off his face.

"You're just jealous because Tenten wouldn't go out with your pathetic self!" Neji said angrily.

"Tenten's a loser and a geek! Ask anyone!" retorted Jeremy.

Then Ino spoke up, "You know, he does have a point Neji. Everyone knows that Tenten is sort of…strage."

"Thanks for you opinion Ino, but just shut up. This is between me and Jeremy."

"Want to fight Hyuga?" Jeremy asked.

"You're not worth it, bastard." Neji snapped.

While Neji was looking away, Jeremy took the opportunity. Out of no where, Jeremy's fist hit Neji squarely on his chin and Neji fell backwards with a groan.

"Tenten is the coolest woman I ever know and she puts any girlfriend you could get to shame!" shouted Neji.

As Neji tried to stand up, Jeremy lunged himself at him again. But before he could punch Neji, Josh and Eric grabbed him and pulled him several feet back.

"I think this skating party is over," Josh said as he and Eric dragged Jeremy off the ice.

Neji stood up, feeling furious. As he turned to look at Ino, she saw that Ino was glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

"If you like Tenten so much, maybe you should go out with her!" Ino yelled. "You two deserve each other."

Neji was shocked at her words. Before he could say anything, Ino gave him a cold smile and said, "We are through, Hyuga."

Neji watched Ino skate away and hurried towards Jeremy. Neji stared at her back until he couldn't see her anymore. He sank back onto the ice, too tired to move. He was hurt that Ino had broken up with him but deep down inside, he already knew that this relationship would never work out. She had more in common with Alice and Amanda then he ever wanted to admit. Now, he could finally see how superficial she was.

Cold wind whistled in his ears and the night was silent. Neji gazed around the now empty pond, shaking his head and said to himself, "I guess this means I lost the bet…"

On Monday morning, when Sakura and Tenten walked into creative writing class, Tenten's palms were all sweaty and she was feeling queasy. She had not talked to Itachi since Thanksgiving night and she had spent the whole of Sunday explaining to herself why he hadn't called her. Maybe his grandparents wanted to spend time with him or maybe he had a gig somewhere and he had to practice. Or maybe he had to shovel the snow in his driveway. Still, Tenten felt pessimistic at the thought of seeing him. She almost expected him to wear a sign saying "I spent the whole weekend making out with Mia".

Sakura could see that something was bothering her friend.

"I'm sure he's just busy." She said soothingly. "Mia is nothing. She's all style and no substance."

"Oh, I feel so much better now," replied Tenten wryly. "Everyone knows that guys prefer style to substance. What planet are you on anyway?"

"Hey at least I'm looking at the bright side." Said Sakura.

"There is no bright side," Tenten replied glumly.

"Hey at least you're in better state than I am." Said Sakura dejectedly.

Tenten looked at Sakura, waiting for her to continue.

"He hasn't talked to me at all since that night. I guess I meant nothing to him."

Tenten could see Sakura's eyes glistening with tears.

"Aww, come on, think on the bright side! That's what you said, isn't it? Maybe he's too busy or maybe he's just afraid." Said Tenten gently as she put her arms around Sakura's shoulders.

"Afraid? Afraid of what? I took the first move; shouldn't he do something if he likes me too? I'm a girl you know, I don't want to be the one making the move all the time. I feel like I'm no different from the other silly girls."

"He probably needs time...erm..to sort out his feelings?"

"You know what? I changed my mind. Forget it. I don't want to sit here and pine for him any longer. I'm no different from his fan girls. Gosh, why did I say those things to him that night! I know he doesn't like me, end of story. I gotta move on. There are plenty of other guys out there who are better than him."

"Sakura…" Tenten started but Sakura broke her off.

"I should find another guy and forget about that jerk. Since he doesn't want to make peace with me, I should just forget him and return to being his enemy since he hates me so much."

"But he…"

"And I think I know who my target is."

"If you're talking about Lee …"

"No, please! Not Lee. He…he's a nice guy but…nah, not Lee. I was thinking about Neji, after all, he is my crush for 3 years…"

Tenten almost choked. "What? But he just broke up with Ino!"

"Hey they broke up. So I have a chance now!" said Sakura with determination in her eyes. She had to show that jerk!

"But…I…He..."

"You're not in love with Neji, are you?" asked Sakura.

"W..what are you talking about? Of course n..not! I've told you a million times already. We're FRIENDS!"

"Ok, that's good then…" replied Sakura.

Just then, Sasuke walked pass. He glance at Sakura and then looked away immediately when she looked back.

"Hey Ice block, don't get in my way!"

Tenten looked at Sakura and then at Sasuke. Sasuke looked confused as he stared at Sakura. Sakura glared back.

"I said get out of the way, idiot!"

Sasuke's confusion turned into anger.

"Why, you change pretty fast! First you said you liked me and you want to be my friend and now you hate me again? Was that night just a joke?" asked Sasuke furiously.

"YEAH, it was a joke! I was just playing you, you fool!"

"Sakura…." Said Tenten.

"Stay out of this Tenten! You know what; you're the biggest jerk I've ever known in my life! How can I possibly fall for a bastard like you? Use your stupid brains!"

"Oh Yeah Miss Know It All! You're a big fat liar and the worst person I've ever known in my life!" said Sasuke, his anger rising.

"That's enough you guys! Stop it!" yelled Tenten. "Both of you like each other so why don't you guys just admit it!"

"AS IF!" yelled Sakura and Sasuke and then they both stormed off in opposite directions.

"Oh man…this is getting ugly…" muttered Tenten as she ran after Sakura. Sakura ran pretty fast and Tenten couldn't keep up. Finally, she lost track of Sakura. Tenten started to hunt for her in the locker rooms and finally found her at one of the toilets. Sakura had locked herself up in a cubicle and was sobbing her heart out.

"Sakura…Why did you do that?" Tenten asked.

"I don't know..I really don't know what got over me. Sorry Tenten, I just want to be alone right now. Could you tell Mr Finn that I'm sick?"

"But…"

"I'll be fine Tenten. Don't worry about me. Hurry, you'll be late for class."

"Ok…cheer up ok?" Tenten said as she left for class.

After class, Tenten rushed back to the toilet to look for Sakura but she wasn't there anymore. So she went to her lockers to get her books out for the next class. When she opened her locker, she found a note addressed to her. She opened the note and it said, "Tenten, meet me right after school. Love, Itachi."

Tenten's hear soared. Maybe Itachi really did had a good reason for not calling her. All she could do now is hope for the best.

Later after school…

"I can't talk long," Tenten said to Itachi, pulling shut the passenger- side door if his convertible. "I have to tutor this junior in half an hours time."

In a black sweater and dark blue jeans, Itachi looked as handsome as usual and his eyes were bright.

"He's happy to see me! Finally everything will be back to normal." Tenten thought to herself.

"I'm sorry I didn't call you this weekend," he said quietly.

"Oh that's ok; I was really busy with my grandparents anyway."

"Yeah I was pretty busy too…" said Itachi.

Tenten decided to ask him about his old girlfriend. She had to ask once and for all and this would be the time. She had no reason to be jealous if it was all in the past.

"So, did you get to meet Mia this weekend?" Tenten asked casually. "I heard she was in town."

Itachi bit his lip and stared at his steering wheel.

"Uhh.. yeah. That's actually why I was so busy."

"Oh…" There was nothing more Tenten could say. The combination of guilt and excitement in his voice had told her everything she needed to know. Tenten just sat in silence waiting for him to say something.

"She didn't meet anyone at school and she really missed me….I guess I missed her too."

"Oh." Tenten said again, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes and she blinked rapidly. She wasn't about to let Itachi see how humiliated and hurt she was.

"We're going to try out a long distance relationship," he continued. "It's not that I don't love you Tenten…I think you're a really great girl. But Mia and I…we're fated to be together."

Tenten swallowed hard and sat up straight. "I think that's wonderful Itachi." She said. Amazingly, her voice sounded smooth and pleasant.

'It is?" Itachi asked sounding surprised.

"Yes, because there's something I wanted to tell you too."

"There is?" Itachi asked again.

"Yeah, this weekend, Neji and I realized that we're in love." She lied. Even as she was saying the words, she didn't believe that they were coming out from her lips. "Sorry Neji," Tenten thought silently.

"Oh…" said Itachi.

Tenten felt a bit of satisfaction that Itachi seemed slightly off balance.

"Isn't this the funniest coincidence? We're both so lucky that we didn't have to hurt the other person." Said Tenten, trying to sound as happy as possible.

"Yeah," Itachi said, sounding confused.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around." Tenten said and she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she opened the door and got out of the car.

"Bye Tenten."

"Bye Itachi." Tenten replied, slamming the door behind her. It wasn't until Itachi pulled out of the parking lot that Tenten's knees buckled and she fell to the ground, sobbing.

Thanks to all my reviewers and readers once again! You guys are the best! Wow, 2 break ups in one chapter…hehe. Poor Tenten and Neji. Next chapter: Sasuke jealousy, more Neji/Ten tension. Sasuke and Sakura will get together soon! See ya then!