Author's Note: It's been a while (that is what we call an understatement) since I've updated. Sorry. I had a lot going on. But I'm back. I'm sure I've lost a heck of a lot of readers. But what with school blowing in my face and all that other great stuff, I didn't make time for this. I am glad that I've gotten a chapter up, finally, and hope you like it as much as I do. Onward.

Key:

Thoughts/Stressed/Flashbacks

"Dialogue"

Chapter Four: The Reunion of Team Gai

Tenten was the first to smile. "…So, how are you guys?"

"Fine, thanks," Lee said stiffly. He seemed somewhat ill-at-ease; his movements were jerky, like a puppet controlled by a novice. He didn't know what to say to her. They lived in the same village, for heaven's sake! And yet he could not form a sentence in which he could express the emotions building in his throat and chest. Lee was too apprehensive of how they would see him. Generally, this would not be a problem, but this was like the first time he'd ever met them.

There was an expectant pause where the obligatory response from the last member should've gone. But it didn't.

Instead of prompting, as she would've done years ago, back when they were a team, Tenten closed her mouth and scuffled her shoes.

The air was tense, silent, and wary. After a minute or two of this uncomfortable setting, Lee spoke up.

"How have you—"

"How fun," said Neji suddenly, his voice perfectly even, "would it be to be dragged across Fire Country to attend a stupid reunion with people you don't even want to be around?"

Always the cold tongue, thought Tenten.

Even Lee, his old rival, couldn't even make a retort to the blunt insult. He clamped his teeth together.

"This is hopeless," continued the Hyuuga. "Go home, you two, and let me leave."

What would Gai do? Lee's brain began to whirl.

Abashed, humiliated, and teary-eyed, the female turned. Her team didn't like her anyways…

"Neji, you kidder." Lee stepped forward briskly and slapped him on the back. "You were always gruff when you were excited!"

The young man, taken by surprise, was now the speechless one.

"How are you, really?"

"Horrible."

"…Why are you here if…if you don't want to be? I mean, Gai-sensei couldn't have made you if you really didn't…want to." The voice was soft and bitter. Tenten had not taken lightly Neji's primary response.

He ignored her.

Neji sat across from Gai, staring him down. The thought of Gai rummaging through his closet to find his bathrobe was most unappealing. Unfortunately, the proof was there—his teacher in one if his robes, puffing imaginary smoke from a pipe, and comfortably lounging in one of his armchairs.

"What. Do. You. Want?"

Gai chucked the pipe behind him and smiled gently. "For you to come back to Konoha, Neji. It's high time."

"No. Leave my premises immediately." Although the Hyuuga knew these words would have no effect whatsoever on Gai-sensei's resolve, he had to keep his face.

"Your team has slowly fallen apart. Tenten is a recluse and fashion impaired, Lee, my prized student, scarcely knows what he's doing with his life because of the tragic wedding of his love. Of course," added Gai, "he's happy outside, and tries his best, but my poor Lee has nothing to live for! If you can't come back and bring them back together, we're all in trouble. Rumor has it that the biggest war is coming. If we've any chance to go…it's now."

"And you want your team to help out Konoha, is that it? I'm sure. If there were any signs of a war, I would've seen it."

"You've been locked up for years. How could you know?"

"I just do."

"But go…because…not because of that. Because your team…you know, well…"

Neji scowled at Gai-sensei and turned away scornfully. "What?"

"She needs you."

Tenten persisted, voice cracking slightly as her annoyance grew. "What's wrong with you? You're so aloof now; it's worse than when we were a team!"

"Sorry." Neji strained to ask a question on his own. "So what have you been up to?"

"I'm a weapons specialist, as you may know."

Lee shot forward, eyes twinkling. "I am Rock Lee, the Head of Jounin Special Missions!" Neji was not surprised. "And also the Head of the ANBU Art Department!"

The Hyuuga arched an eyebrow. He asked quietly, "There is an art department?"

Tenten grinned slowly. "Sure. Naruto-sama made that division just for the 'Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha.' Lee's very happy with the progress."

A smile chipped away at his solidly serious visage. Taking it as a hint to continue, she added, "Though I'm sure those he's been 'commissioned' to make masks for are less than overjoyed."

Neji finally smirked. "Such a nice thing to know; things haven't changed much, have they?"

"They have changed."

"But not everything."

She digested that.

Lee, tired of being left out of the conversation, struck one about the Hokage and his wife.

He could bear with the pain, so long as their conversation would flow… "So, did you hear about Naruto-kun and Sakura-san?"

Tenten gulped. "Lee…you don't…you don't need to—"

"Actually, tell me about it."

The brunette glared at Neji, her cheeks coloring slightly in anger. Already had she allowed this buffoon to talk as though they were mere insignificant underlings; to hurt Lee more? She couldn't let him. Again she was consumed in bitter fury.

"No need, no need," she chimed in quickly; angrily. "There's absolutely no need to go into that! Haha, just know that they got married, you… you… Neji." Having thus insulted him in her own, different fashion (she hadn't been able to think of anything worse than that), she turned away.

Rock Lee shook his head. "No, no, Tenten, it's okay. I want to tell him all about what's happened while he became a hermit." Before Tenten could argue, he shot right into an explanation. "See, Naruto-kun liked Sakura-san for years, really, poor Hinata-chan, really…anyways. Okay. Naruto-kun liked Sakura-san, and Sakura-san liked Sasuke-kun, but as you know, Sasuke-kun went off to Orochimaru and after the big fights and everything she stopped. So they married, are in love, and happy.

"As for Sasuke-kun, he went off on his own adventures." Lee paused, sorted the events out, and was about to continue when—"OUCH!"

Tenten shoved past Lee, silenced him with a pinch, and said, "Why don't we hear about what you've been doing?"

Neji ignored her.

Tenten, to fill up the stony silence, began her own tale, "I just finished a great commission for Kakashi-san. I've created a technique where when you throw it, it doesn't just have seamless air-cutting precision, but—"

Neji said brusquely, "I trained."

Tenten and Lee exchanged relieved looks, and turned attentively toward their former teammate, who seemed to have nothing else to say. Wrapped in this awkwardness for a few more moments, they looked uneasily at the ground.

GRUGUGRGRUUUUUMMMBLE.

"What was that!"

Lee's cheeks flushed pink. "My…my stomach!"

The female ninja nearly slapped herself in the face, resisting only with the thought of what Neji would say if she did. "Why don't we go somewhere and eat?"

"Please?" begged Lee, wide eyes fixed pleadingly upon the other man's face.

Tenten gripped her creamy skirt tightly, knuckles whitening. This is so bad…this meeting went so badly so far…damn it… She wished with all her soul that he would accept and they could be happy once more, together; the three of them.

The Hyuuga stared intensely at her, eyes scrutinizing every ounce of her outfit, hair, and face, as though memorizing her. "…Fine."

Lee punched the air triumphantly, kicking and flipping and dancing with glee. "YESS!"

… … … … … … … …

"Ramen? This is your idea of food?" The Hyuuga was disgusted. He'd always avoided eating here before; now should be no exception. He loathed "fast-food." It was beneath him and quite unhealthy. To mask his initial repulsion, he added spitefully, "For anyone who desires to be as powerful, eating such fat-filled foods is unthinkable."

"I didn't know the great Neji was so afraid of gaining a couple extra pounds," snapped Tenten viciously.

Neji found himself grasping for words behind his unruffled exterior. He finally stopped shuffling for a retort and said nothing.

Tenten grinned—finally, a mark in the old Hyuuga pride! She nearly beamed with pleasure as Lee dragged Neji and her to a table outside, shaded from the moon by an umbrella.

"Hello, I'm Minako!" A waitress approached them, slender legs leading to an amazing body. Her tiny waist miraculously held up pounds of cleavage, sigh-worthy curves, and a brilliant smile. She tossed her long, lustrous onyx locks over her shoulder, dimpling as she winked at Neji with green eyes. Tenten was suddenly very aware of her simple brown hair and boring brown eyes. "How can I…help you?"

Neji didn't look at her twice, merely placing his order and handing her his menu. His eyes didn't stray to her chest, nor to her legs.

Tenten sighed gustily.

"What was that?" whispered Lee loudly. "Why did you sigh? Are you okay!" Now his whisper was a shout.

"Yes, Lee, I'm alright!" she hissed, covering his mouth with a firm hand. Tenten smiled too brightly at onlookers. "Nothing, I've…got…a…stomachache…"

While she assured Lee that a mere sigh did not mean that she was being overcome with depression, Minako had begun to address Neji in a sweet manner, seating herself atop the table.

I forgot how fun it was to be with my team, thought Tenten wistfully. Lee and I lived in the same village, too…how could I have forgotten? She grinned blithely at the green-clad shinobi, very glad to be in his company that night. She then turned her eyes toward her other companion, more than willing to share her sentiment, but…

"I was wondering…there's a fantastic place just down the road…it's a spa…I double as a massager there…"

Minako twirled her hair expertly and leaned over, stroking his collar unnecessarily. Neji brushed her off, eyes unemotional and expression rather bored. He stood abruptly and turned towards the restrooms.

Tenten flushed and turned sharply at the other woman as soon as Neji disappeared. "What are you doing?"

The waitress gave her a syrupy, saccharine smile. "Just talking…"

"I don't think your boss would like it if you approached a customer like that!"

The dark-haired woman's eyes widened sarcastically. "I don't think there's a rule like that. I don't think he'd mind at all, actually." Her tone dared Tenten to interfere any further.

"Well, that's too bad. Because…because…I…I mind!" Tenten stood violently and kicked her chair back, launching it into the dark night with her ninja strength. Unintentionally, of course…

"Tenten, I don't think you should—"

"Shut up, Lee!"

"A ninja, I see," Minako challenged passionately. Apparently this fact did not frighten her. "Well, unless a rough girl like you can get a little…more feminine…" She stared bluntly at Tenten's plain blue top. "I suggest that you stay back and let a real woman handle these situations."

Tenten's fists clenched. She had spent more of her time than she cared to inside a boiling shopping mall stuffing her feet into tiny heels and suffering humiliation galore at the hands of her fellow kunoichi to look as she did at the moment. She'd felt pretty for the first time in years. And this little woman thought she could undo all of Tenten's self-control with a comment about her looks? Well…she was right. Tenten lost all thought of consequences.

"I am letting a real woman handle it! I'm handling it right now, don't you see!" she shouted, fist darting out rapidly. She grasped the woman's blouse and yanked her ferociously. "What kind of woman are you!"

Suddenly, Neji's cool voice layered the scene. "Tenten."

The kunoichi did not drop the waitress.

"Let go of her."

Tenten made one last evil face at her opponent and then dropped her unceremoniously on the ground.

"Let's go, guys," she said quickly, striding from the restaurant.

Lee stood by Tenten's side, wisely saying nothing. He seemed to sense Neji's wintry aura and Tenten's fiery one; he decided to be silent until further notice. But this evening was a disaster. For sure.

After a few minutes of following his furious friend, he was startled to see her crying. She dabbed at her face casually with a metal polishing cloth that she had incidentally had instead of a handkerchief, and in the process washed away all of her makeup. Her hair was slightly scraggly from her fight. She'd left the house a beauty and planned to enter it a wreck.

"I'm sorry, Lee," she whispered. "I didn't mean for it to happen…"

Hunger forgotten long ago, he place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Neji walked behind them. He'd known it would be a debacle. A complete failure to bring them together. And yet, even thinking these smug thoughts, he felt a pang of disappointment. No, it went as planned. I'll leave Konoha tonight.

But something propelled him forward. He snatched Tenten's ridiculous metal polishing cloth away and handed her his own personal handkerchief.

She blinked. And blinked once more. And then, one more time simply to make sure. "Th…thanks." She wiped her eyes and held unto it, eyes no longer misty with tears, but with thought.

A few minutes of this calmer silence followed.

"Guys…?"

"What?" asked Lee gently.

"I…I want to show you something. Follow me."

So they did; watching her walk clumsily in her high heels but with a grace that seemed to come from her sudden smile. She led them though dark paths and streets that they knew as well as she to her house; a small place that she lived in alone. Tenten fumbled for her keys, unlocked it, and dashed inside.

The men exchanged looks, neither having much to say to the other. Long years, it had been, and there was a bridge that should be walked on before any comfortableness could ensue. But it would be crossed soon enough.

Tenten scurried from her home to hold two things. One she held up for them, leaning in close. "Look…"

But the order was unnecessary; they were mesmerized by the simple photo she had revealed.

Lee had his arm looped around Tenten's shoulders, proudly showing off his green jumpsuit and freshly bowl-cut locks. Tenten, in turn, was grinning widely and had placed a hand on Neji's untouchable shoulder. Neji had a faint smile upon his lips, and Gai-sensei was in the background, leaping furiously into the air.

"We were twelve then…"

Suddenly, it was as if there had been no distance between them for so many years; Neji smirked, Lee guffawed and murmured something about "youth," and Tenten…well, Tenten unfolded the second item she had taken from her home.

"I found this in the mail slot."

You are cordially invited to the Reunion of Konoha's Best Ninja!

Hosted by Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino.

Date: June 8th.

Where: Meet in the Hokage's office for a welcoming.

Time: Arrive at six o'clock.

What: A formal dance and dinner. Come in formal dress.

Yours truly,

Sakura and Ino

P.S. If you are unable to attend, we shall be very displeased.

… … … … … … … …

Author's Note: Is this fic now kind of AU? I mean, look at the current manga storyline… OH WELL. (: And…no review answers from now on, sorry. I really just want to get the chapters out to you guys.