Because of Red Wine

Story dedicated to people who love NejiTen pairings written in fluffy ways.

I never own Naruto so don't sue me.

It was a party night in Konoha, streamers were hung everywhere, expensive-looking food was served, the music was on, giving away classical tunes for dancing purposes, and some youngsters were already roaming about the dance floor, giving away romantic chemistry around the room.

It was a celebration of Konoha's successfulness of being a ninja village, and Tsunade has invited basically everyone who was associated with the shinobi and kunoichi world – just to have fun, she has pressed, and that it will be a formal affair.

And there she was, sitting on the couch in her peach-colored strapless gown beside the cocktail pump. She looked very pretty for that matter, even though maybe not as pretty as Haruno Sakura was in her own cherry-blossom sprinkled pink gown to Lee's eyes, but yes, she really was pretty.

The way her dark hair fell down on her bare shoulder – she has finally let it down just for the night, after all the persuading the males of Team Gai (including him, with no apparent reasons) applied-, covering her slender neck, the way her eyes gazed around the room, partially in a daze, partially in pure boredom, the way her fingers held up a glass of red wine, the way her ruby red lips sipped the cup… He may never admit it, but to his eyes she looked like a goddess.

"Until when are you going to stare at her, Hyuuga?" Uchiha Sasuke appeared behind him, bringing a glass of red wine for him and himself. They have become friends – they wouldn't go as far as saying that they have become best friends, but they have grow friendly towards each other, having the same title as 'prodigies'.

To Neji's dismay, he felt blood rushing to his cheeks as Sasuke worded it. Regaining back his old somber self, he glared at the self-proclaimed avenger. "It's none of your business, Uchiha." He replied, receiving a glare back to himself. They both smirked as they noticed that they haven't grown fed up of the habit to call each other with their surnames.

"It's making me itch when you just stare at her like you want to eat her alive." Sasuke continued his teasing.

Neji glared at him again. "And it makes me want to kill someone when you just wander around hopelessly, wanting Haruno to ask you to dance!" He shot back, half teasingly, half seriously, "Gain up some courage, Uchiha, and ask her before anyone ask her first!"

"The same goes for you."

"Hn."

"So, are you up for a bet or not?"

Neji stiffened. "What bet?"

"Which one gets to ask her first." Sasuke explained, activating his Sharingan purposelessly and deactivating it once he realized that he was activating it. It was all his reflexes, anyway. "If I dance with Sakura first before you get your Tenten to dance, you have to do one thing I tell you to do. And if you get Tenten first, then I'll do whatever thing you want me to do." He looked at his rival-yet-friend's eyes, and noticed that he was considering over things. It has always been a characteristic of him, being so deliberate over anything, even a tiny bet like this.

"Well?" Sasuke arched his eyebrows, "Do we have a deal here?"

Neji frowned, "How about no?"

The Uchiha feigned a surprise look on his face. "I always thought that you are braver than that, Hyuuga." He said, pasting his surprised look in his onyx eyes, "Never thought that you are lower than a mice."

"A mice?" Neji repeated dangerously, his cloudy eyes reflecting murderous intent.

"Well… Why not, anyway?"

He cringed on the spot hearing Sasuke's question. Glaring at the younger man, he said, "Why not? Why yes?"

The silent Uchiha glared back before glancing at the weapon mistress they were talking about – partially. "You like her, don't you?" He shot right before Neji could throw anything at him. "I've seen you glancing at her most of the time we're here…"

"I don't even know why I'm here." Neji muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed, "And no, Uchiha, I don't like her."

"Hmm… Makes me wonder." Sasuke teased unconsciously, "Anyhow, the bet is on."

"I've said no, didn't I?"

"And I've said yes. So it's on." He paused before turning at the taller Hyuuga prodigy, "Come on, don't look so annoyed. You might want to thank me after you get to her – who knows if she's a good dancer or not?"

"No."

"No?" Sasuke asked, arching his eyebrows as he fingered his chin. "Makes me wonder again. Should I go and ask her instead… in place of you?"

Neji scowled unconsciously hearing the half-threatening, half-teasing words. "Don't ever try."

"Then go and get her!" Sasuke said.

"Is there any reason why you want to set me up with her?" Neji asked suspiciously.

Sasuke smirked mysteriously. "Wouldn't hide it. Yes, I do." He answered calmly, crossing his arms over his chest. Looking at Neji's arched eyebrows, he continued, "Nothing you should worry about. Just ask her and let's see who get to the dance floor first." He gazed at the weapon mistress, who was sipping her red wine on the couch, looking slightly bored, "Oh, look. Someone has already approached her, Hyuuga. You have to be quick or you'll lose her."

"I never say yes!" Neji muttered under his breath, but still complied with Sasuke's request. He walked over to her, his heart beating faster for no apparent reason, his cheeks blushing furiously because god-knows-why, and butterflies flew in his stomach without him even realizing it.

The Hyuuga prodigy stiffened as he saw a shorthaired guy held out his hand towards the weapon mistress, who looked surprise. He was a guy around the age of twenty-three, from his looks, two years above them both.

"Hello, miss… My name is Hiro. Tamenabe Hiro." The mysterious guy said, "You look lovely, but lonely." –Neji cringed as he heard this, and he could swear that he saw Tenten wincing- "Would you please dance with me?"

Neji stoned on the spot, feeling himself seething in jealousy with unknown reasons. And boy, he was glad when she shook her head as she sipped her red wine once more.

"… No, thank you…" He heard Tenten say, her voice amazingly soft yet clear, "I am not in the mood to dance with someone I don't know well. Sorry… Maybe next time?"

Hiro looked surprised, but then a sneaky look appeared on his face as Neji stayed completely silent, watching his teammate and him without making any voices. "Are you waiting for someone, Miss?" Hiro asked tenderly, "If you want, I could wait with you until he comes."

"Umm…" Tenten gaped uncomfortably, glancing around her to find someone that could delay her unnecessary breakdown. She has never liked being the center of attention of guys – especially guys like Hiro, who randomly snatches up girl from here and there. In the corner of her brown eyes, she caught Neji, and quickly pointed up to the Hyuuga prodigy. "Yes, I'm waiting for someone, and apparently that someone has came!" She said loudly, waving to Neji. She then turned to Hiro, "Thanks, Tamenabe-san…"

"Tsk." Hiro muttered under his breath as he followed her waves, "A girlfriend of a Hyuuga, apparently."

Saying no more, he moved away, leaving Tenten in relief as Neji approached her.

"Hey." She greeted him fondly, motioning him to sit beside her, "Thanks for that."

"Who was he?" Neji asked, his voice unconsciously demanding, but still as low and husky as it usually was. His eyes shone dangerously as Tenten arched her eyebrows, disbelieving the expression of the Hyuuga in front of her.

"He is nobody important." She replied at last, still staring at his. What was that in his eyes – a flicker of jealousy? Or was that a trick of the disco light? It could also only be hallucination… She never thought that his eyes could reflect that feeling. Not to mention that she thought he never really allow himself to feel, anyway…

Tenten smiled after gaining understanding, and drank her red wine again. She was not a sucker when it comes to alcohol, but she could stand them if she needs to – thankfully. "My, my…" She started, her voice cutely teasing him, "Don't tell me that the Hyuuga Neji is jealous?"

He glared at her as if he would like to cremate her on the spot, but she let away a little smile before she entwined her fingers between his and pulled him up. He blushed slightly as she gave a little laugh, a bit surprised with the sudden change of emotion in his eyes, but pleasantly excited too. She drank the last of her red wine and put the glass on the table beside her, smiling at him.

"Let's dance, Neji." She said slowly yet softly, pulling him onto the dance floor with her. She stopped at one open space and put her hand on his shoulder, the other pulling his hand up. When he didn't move, she tilted her head and whispered loudly at him, rivaling to the loud music around them. "Put your hand on my waist."

"It's waltz?" The Hyuuga prodigy asked, spontaneously putting his hand on her slim waist, doing as instructed. She smiled and pulled him closer, keeping the distance between them just right as their noses parted only by an inch. He stiffened by their closeness as she wrapped her arms around his neck, moving around as she hummed to the classical music.

He never knew that she was such a good dancer. He has thought that she was only good with weapons and sharp, pointy things like that, but not with dancing, and most certainly of all not with being a woman like she was being right now.

A perfect woman… to his eyes.

"Come." She whispered breathlessly at him, keeping the distance between their lips fixed. She was not going to allow her emotions to take control of her saneness, her conscience – no way. But the dim light, the soft music, the slow yet breathtaking movements, the closeness they held together, the way his eyes were fixed into hers and hers only… She was losing herself in a way she never has experienced before.

He himself was in a daze. "Tenten…" He whispered her name, his lips incredibly close to her ruby red ones. Her hair was covering her bare shoulders, some of her dark tresses caressing the back of his hand on her waist. Yes, her hair was that long. She lowered her head, breaking eye contact with him as he almost gape in disappointment, but restrained himself just as she lied her head on his chest.

Suddenly getting courage out of thin air, he removed his hand from her waist and held her chin, fixing his gaze with hers. Without warning, he leaned down and softly kissed her lips, sucking the breath out of her. He didn't care that they were in public; he didn't care if people will see him as a horny man, and he didn't care what they would think of the so-called prodigy of the Hyuuga clan. There was only the urgency – the feeling that he needs her so, and for that moment, it was the only thing that matters to him.

It was when he was out of breath did Neji broke apart, feeling her gasping for air.

He looked down at her, and smirked when he noticed the dazed expression on her face. He placed his hand on her waist once more and led her around the dance floor, responding to the rhythmic beat of the classical music.

Tenten could only follow his steps as she pondered over what he has just done – to her, of all people. No, she was not shocked because the Hyuuga Neji has kissed her, or was she shocked because her teammate has kissed her – she was simply surprised (and pleased, I might add) that the man she loves has finally kissed her.

"Neji?" She called him in a loud whisper, hoping that she was loud enough to rival over the loud music. As he looked down at her, she knew she was, and she was glad for it. Seeing his eagle eyes stared right back at her own brownish orbs, she blushed as she gave thanks that the light was quite dim that he probably wouldn't notice the pink shades on her cheeks.

He looked at her, simply dazed. "What?"

"Thank you." She said softly as she stopped dancing. She held up a finger and placed it right on his lips as she continued, "Don't ask why. I don't know why, too." She gave a soft laugh that she knew he wouldn't hear if he wasn't paying much attention at her. "Maybe it was because of the red wine I drank just then…"

But she knew it wasn't.

Alcohol was never strong enough to kick away her strong will, her conscience and her tricky mind. It never overwhelmed her, and she never intended that fact to change any time soon, too.

Then again, she did have a reason to thank him…

She smiled at him and held his hand once more, "Never mind." She said softly, dancing around with him, "Let's just keep this on."

Sasuke stormed off to Sakura's house, looking extremely pissed as Neji strolled lazily behind him, his fingers playing cleverly with the ring of a kunai, following the younger and shorter, twenty-years-old Uchiha.

"Damn it!" Sasuke cursed as he kicked an empty rubbish bin over, and stormed away quicker, leaving Neji to stand it up once more.

The Hyuuga prodigy sighed, "Look, Uchiha, I know you're pissed, but this is all your stupid fault." He said quietly, standing up the next rubbish bin Sasuke has just kicked over. "I did win the bet…"

"She asked you first!"

"The bet is just on who gets to the dance floor first, right?" Neji shot back, wiping his hands from imaginary dust. As Sasuke winced on the truth of his sentence, he continued, "And so I win." And I got more than what I bargained for… thanks for that, Uchiha.

"Yes, but what you just tell me to do is-"

"Indecent? Vulgar?" The Hyuuga helped, trying to be helpful.

"Yes. Thank goodness you know." Sasuke whirled back at him, obviously pissed off as he glared hardly, "I know I just need to do what you tell me to do, Hyuuga, but asking me to peep on Sakura when she takes a bath myself?"

"Yes?" Neji looked innocent. "I never want to see her naked… It's for your own favor, Uchiha. You can thank me later on."

"I will never thank you for this!" The Uchiha cursed as he stormed off the road, heading to Sakura's house. "Why on earth is the task that, anyway?"

"Hmm?" The Hyuuga prodigy hummed, "Maybe the red wine I drank last night affected my brain…"

"If I don't know you better, Hyuuga…" Sasuke said through gritted teeth, "I would say that you are a pervert."

"Whatever…" Neji replied teasingly as he jabbed his kunai into his waist pouch, realizing that they were already in front of the pink-haired kunoichi's house. "Anyways, good luck and bring me good news when you're finished."

"Damn you!" Sasuke let out another string of curses again, but the Hyuuga has already vanished in a puff of smokes. He then gazed at Sakura's house carefully.

It's now or never.

Moments later, a very loud, high-pitched, shrieking scream could be heard even to Team Gai's training grounds. Both Lee and Tenten gasped as they stopped their individual tasks for warm-ups and gazed at the trees in surprise as birds fluttered away in shock.

Neji, who has finished his warm-ups earlier and was leaning on the gates of their training grounds, simply crossed his arms over his chest and gave a very arrogant smirk. He better thank me later on, he thought, somewhere between… umm, his unrevealed feelings.

He then gazed down at where Tenten was already throwing targets once more, and this time a secretive smile appeared on his lips.

But then again, he also needs to thank the Uchiha for something…

Just as he thought that, a kid happened to pass by with his mother.

"Mama! That freaky blind gay guy is smiling by himself!"

The End

End Notes

This is a one-shot I wrote as I watched the TV for no apparent reason and no apparent channel… I hope you all like it.

Please review, and thank you!