A/N – Ok here is the second chapter for this story. I have so many ideas for this and I'm very excited to see where this thing lands. I hope you enjoy and thank you to all my avid readers and fans out there! I couldn't do what I do without you!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto!
-X-
Tenten stood over the stove, a ladle in one hand and a salt-shaker in the other. She softly hummed to herself as she stirred the brew that was bubbling away in front of her, steam rising in swirling spirals before quickly evaporating into the air. The scent of beef stew wafted through the kitchen and filled the entire house with a sense of security and comfort. She wasn't a bad cook – being left alone at such an early age, Tenten had to learn to fend for herself. Plus, take out was expensive and she wasn't particularly wealthy, so home cooked meals worked best.
A soft 'click' from the lock at the front door made Tenten's head snap up as Shikamaru entered the house, cheeks flushed pink from the early winter chill.
"So, how did it go?" the weapons mistress inquired, raising an amused eyebrow when he slammed the door shut none too gently.
He dropped himself wearily onto the couch and a small groan escaped his mouth as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
"Not good?" Tenten tried again when he didn't reply.
She grabbed a pair of fluffy oven mitts, carefully lifted the pot that had been cooking on the stove and set it gingerly on the kitchen bench before grabbing two bowls and ladling the thick stew into each of them.
"Well, if you're not going to talk, you might as well eat," she said, carrying the two bowls over to the dining table.
"Why does life have to hate me?" the Nara prodigy moaned in frustration, unmoving from his current position.
"Life can't hate you that much. I just made you lunch and brought it over for you," Tenten settled with a small grin forming on her lips at Shikamaru's obvious disgruntlement. "I'd say you've got it pretty good."
"Oh yeah?" he countered disparagingly, pulling out a piece of paper from his jacket pocket.
He unfolded it, pushed himself up from the couch and shoved it in Tenten's face. He sat down and picked up his spoon, slurping the piping contents into his mouth as he gave Tenten a moment to read the first few lines. Her features began to relax into a sly smile and after a few seconds she gently laid the paper back down on the table and began stirring her food.
"It's hard to feel sympathy for you," she told him, "all things considered…"
He pointedly ignored her comment and said, "Why do they have to come now, of all times?"
"Well, the paper mentions only the Kazekage will be coming –"
"You know that means all of them, Tenten," the shadow user cut across her knowingly. "Since when does Gaara travel anywhere without his siblings."
"Well, I don't know why you're making such a huge fuss about it," Tenten said between slurps. "If anything, it'll be good for you to finally see Temari. How long has it been since you guys last talked – like two years?"
"And what a blissful two years those have been."
"Liar," the weapons mistress countered instantly. "She's the only woman for you and you know it."
"Obviously not, since she broke up with me."
"Well who's at fault there?"
"We're not going over this again."
"Fine, but if one of you had just swallowed your stupid pride, Temari might be living in your house instead of me right now or you might be comfortably be living in Suna," Tenten remarked pointedly.
"I get the feeling that you're still insinuating this to be all my fault," Shikamaru said as he noticed her pertinent glare.
Tenten hesitated before her lips curved into a smug smile.
"I was going to say that you're the man and that you should've just sucked it up and moved to Suna, but then again, Temari was really the one that wore the pants in the relationship."
The Nara prodigy raised an entertained eyebrow before responding, "I would've thought you of all people would have the least reason to doubt my masculinity."
He watched amusedly as her face turned a bright shade of red at his previous comment and she waved her arms frantically in order to hide her rising embarrassment.
"Ugh…please, don't remind me," the bun-haired girl mumbled through her fingers.
"Was I really that bad?" Shikamaru asked giving her a mock offended look.
"Ok, ok, ok, next topic!" Tenten said hastily through a mouthful of food.
Shikamaru let out a low chuckle before turning back to his meal.
"In any case, at least I don't have to be their escort this time," he commented. "I can just hide away and pretend that I'm not here."
"You are such a coward sometimes," the brunette shook her head with a sigh before continuing, "Do you know who their escort is going to be? Anyone we know?"
But before Shikamaru could open his mouth to answer, a sharp knock came from the door.
"I'll get it," Tenten volunteered, jumping up from her seat.
She opened the door and couldn't help but wince at the chilliness that suddenly breezed into the house. A man stood on the doorstep wrapped in layers of clothes.
"Tenten," he addressed her.
"That's me," the weapons mistress nodded.
"The Fifth Hokage has requested to see you in her office as soon as possible," he recited.
"Thanks, let Lady Tsunade know I'll be there as quick as I can."
The man gave a small bow before swiftly disappearing and Tenten turned back inside.
"Well," she sighed heavily before shrugging on a large jacket, "Duty calls."
Shikamaru only gave her a blank stare, head cocked to one side as he watched her get ready to leave.
"What's that look for?" Tenten demanded, her eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion.
"Nothing," he replied smoothly before returning to his meal. "See you when you get back."
A feeling of uncertainty began to nag at her, however Tenten pushed it to the back of her mind before saying, "Well don't go eating all the food, we'll have the rest for dinner. Be a darling and put it in the fridge when you're finished."
He waved a lazy hand at her as an indication to leave.
"Yeah, yeah…"
The brunette simply rolled her eyes before dashing out of the house and into the cold. As soon as the door closed the shadow user let out an amused chuckle to himself and murmured, "Good luck."
-X-
Tenten had arrived a few minutes early and now she was patiently waiting in the Hokage's office for the arrival of her supposed teammate for the mission. She relished in the warmth of the office, for December had brought about an early spell of bitter chill that the likes of Konoha had not seen in many years. The skies were now a stormy grey instead of its bright blue – she supposed it would snow very soon.
Nostalgia flooded her thoughts as Tenten gazed around the room. The only sounds she could hear was the shuffling of papers that Shizune was rifling through and the tapping of the long, red-painted nails against the wooden desk as Tsunade frowned at report that lay in front of her. In over the seven years she had been visiting this office, nothing much had changed except for the fact that instead of waiting for her former teammates of Team Gai to arrive, she was awaiting someone else.
It was usually herself and Neji that arrived first, exchanging small talk – mainly consisting of them chiding Lee and Gai sensei's tardiness. Ten minutes later, the two green-clad, spandex wearing men would burst into the room with cries of apologies for being late and declarations of youth over whatever crazy training regime they had managed to accomplish to which Tenten just rolled her eyes and Neji scoffed in disregard. It was the routine they lived by and it was just one of the things that made them inexplicably Team Gai.
The click of the doorknob and the scuffle of feet snapped Tenten out of her reverie and she saw Tsunade's head shoot up to see who had just entered the room.
"Ah, you got my message," the blonde woman said as she lounged back on her chair, "Come in, Neji."
Tenten swore her heart stopped beating.
Neji? What in the hell is Neji Hyuga doing here? He's an ANBU now – ANBU's don't take missions outside of their division.
All at once she could feel her head spinning in confusion, cold shivers running up and down her spine and her palms were clammy, clenched into tight fists, and she hadn't even turned around to face him yet. It had been nearly three years since she last saw him properly and even longer since they'd held a civil conversation together. And the fact that he was standing right behind her after they'd left on such bad terms didn't help the panic that began to arise in Tenten's chest. She was in fight or flight mode and she felt ashamed – this wasn't some enemy ninja or life or death situation she was facing, it was just her former teammate for Christ's sake.
The weapons mistress drew in a deep breath and took a moment to compose herself before slowly turning around.
Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of him.
She had forgotten just how quite good looking he was and although Neji had always been appealingly handsome, now he was just unfairly and devastatingly gorgeous. His eyes were more piercing and intimidating than Tenten remembered – the kind of eyes that could strike fear into anyone with just a single glance. He had grown considerably and was now at a least a good head taller than she was. The most noticeable change, however, was how much he had filled out. The Hyuga prodigy still had his lean build but the gruelling missions and training with the Anbu saw Neji's body transform into something exquisitely divine. His rather tight fitting clothes showed off the rippling muscles that hid underneath with the slightest movement. His shoulders were strong and broad, and his jawline was even sharper and more rigid than before. He definitely looked older, more mature – no longer boyish but now a man.
Neji's eyes found hers and if he was at all surprised to see her, he didn't show it. He made his way across the room and supplanted himself beside her without a word. Tenten couldn't help but notice that he'd purposely put a decent amount of space between them. And even though the brunette cherished the fond memories she and the white-eyed prodigy once had, the anger, resentment and hurt was all still there. She decided that she hated that good-looking face of his.
"Right, let's get down to it," Tsunade asserted in an attempt to diffuse the rising tension in the room. "We just received word from the Hidden Sand that the Kazekage will be travelling to the Hidden Cloud to discuss treaty negotiations over the next couple of weeks. However, Gaara has decided to stop in Konoha for a few days over the Christmas period during his journey. So naturally, while he and his siblings are staying with us, you two will be their convoys."
Tenten felt her jaw clench tightly and she almost cursed out loud.
Damn that Shikamaru! she thought inwardly as she remembered back to those odd looks he was giving her before she left. He knew. Of course he did. Tenten made a mental note to kick his ass when she got home.
A million emotions and unanswered questions swirled around inside the weapons mistress and before she could stop herself, Tenten found herself blurting out, "But why choose us?"
Her voice wavered slightly on the last word and she wondered if Neji had noticed. But before she could look at him to see his reaction, Tsunade sighed, "Well originally Shikamaru was supposed to take this mission."
Tenten's eyebrow twitched.
"However, he came up with some very good points and suggested that yourself and Neji would make a much better team instead," the older woman continued. "After all, you two both saved his life all those years back in the Chunin Exams. I'm sure Lord Gaara will be confident in your abilities to watch over him during his stay here."
Scratch what she said earlier – Tenten was going to KILL Shikamaru when she got home – painfully, slowly and without any remorse whatsoever. The brunette was so angry she didn't realise she'd audibly ground her teeth together in an attempt to control herself from bursting on the spot.
She could practically feel Neji's eyes boring into her. But at that moment she was too busy thinking of innovative ways to murder Shikamaru to care about much else.
"Is everything ok?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes in apprehension at the girls' livid expression.
Tenten quickly shook her head and hastily replied in a voice way too high, "Everything's fine!"
"Good," the Hokage nodded and she continued detailing the mission. "Gaara and his siblings will be arriving in three days from now. You are to greet them at the front gates once they arrive and you must accompany them at all times unless you are dismissed. I'm hopeful nothing bad should happen but you can never be too careful. Even though it's Christmas, we can't afford to let out guard down. That is all."
Both Neji and Tenten gave a low bow at her dismissal before swiftly and silently leaving the room. As soon as she was outside, the bun-haired girl stormed off, swearing under her breath at the predicament she now found herself in. Tenten was so caught up in her thoughts that she forgot that half the reason of why she was so angry was following closely behind.
It wasn't until they were outside and facing the cold that she heard, "You seem angry."
Tenten whipped around in surprise at the sound of his voice. At least that hadn't changed – despite his monotone resonance, it was still such a pleasant sound to hear; rich, baritone, melting velvetiness. After not hearing his voice for so long, she found herself craving to hear it.
Wait. What?
Tenten mentally slapped herself. She did not crave the sound of his voice; she was still mad at him. She was mad at Shikamaru. Hell, she was mad at the entire situation and she felt the irresistible urge to punch something (or someone). So, she turned her anger into something productive and rounded on her former teammate.
"Really, Neji?" she hissed venomously. "Really? After all this time, that's all you've got to say to me? I seem angry? Geez, I wonder why."
Ok, so she wasn't being completely fair. Sure, she was furious, and he was 80% of the problem but Tenten just couldn't help herself. The shock of seeing him without even so much as a warning wasn't going to wear off any time soon. This wasn't how she imagined their first encounter to be like.
Neji just stood there – expression blank, arms folded. His lack of reply only made the weapons mistress even more vehement.
"You know," she began, voice now raised, "maybe an apology after everything that's happened would be nice! Even a, 'hey, Tenten, good to see you. Sorry for abandoning Team Gai and refusing to talk to any of you for three years', would suffice. Maybe a little remorse for ripping apart our team and breaking Gai sensei's and Lee's heart!"
And mine, she wanted to say but refrained from doing so and continued, "Just maybe even some sort of emotion other than that stupid, blank look on your face! Something to show that maybe you once actually cared about us. Oh, but then again who am I talking to? Of course, Neji Hyuga who doesn't give a single fuck about anyone but himself! Neji Hyuga who has goals and dreams and can't waste any of his time on his teammates who will just drag him down."
She was throwing his words back at his face, the words that had officially ended Team Gai and her and Neji's friendship. She should've stopped, should've taken a moment to breathe deeply and calm down but she was on a roll.
"You know what? I'm done. I don't care anymore. You know why? Because you're not worth it. You're never going to change. I bet you don't even think that any of this is your fault. Well, screw you Neji Hyuga. You're just a heartless, selfish bastard who's going to grow old and die alone."
Silence.
Tenten wondered if she had gone too far. She braced herself for the wrath she was sure to follow but all she was met with was a smirk and the words, "Are you done?"
Tenten let out a deep breath she didn't even know she was holding. She felt deflated and tired. She had said everything that needed to be said. All the feelings and thoughts that she had bottled up for years, and now that everything had been finally released, she felt better, lighter.
"I'm done," the bun-haired girl conceded huffily before turning on her heel and walking down the street.
However, she didn't get too far before a hand spun her around as Neji forced her to face him.
"So, you expect me to just let you insult me and walk away without me having to say anything about it?" he asked her, indignance clear in his voice.
"What do you want from me, Neji?" Tenten demanded as she shook of his hand, her skin burning at where he had touched her.
"Some maturity," he replied seriously and Tenten could only laugh mockingly.
"Some maturity? Piss off, Neji."
"I've never known you to use such vulgar language, Tenten," the white-eyed prodigy remarked hostilely, and she winced ever so slightly at the way he had said her name.
"Well, a lot of things have changed, haven't they?" she said. "You'd know if you had made an effort to reconnect with us."
He was frowning now and Tenten couldn't help the small smirk that began to creep onto her features at the sight of his expression.
"If I recall correctly, I didn't see you or Lee make an effort to reconnect with me either," he countered.
"What, you actually expected us to make the effort to talk to you after you were the one who decided to leave the team?" Tenten asked incredulously.
"It's not my fault that –"
"Right. Cause nothing is ever Neji Hyuga's fault."
He scowled unpleasantly (however no look could ever be unattractive on Neji's face) and stalked past her with indignation.
Tenten wanted to slap herself right in the face. Wasn't this supposed to be her chance to mend things with Neji not make him angrier? Did she really want him to go back hating her more than he already did? At the very least, she didn't want to be stuck on a mission with an angry Neji whilst trying to babysit the Kazekage. So she ran after him and yelled, "Neji, wait!"
When she had finally caught up to him, the Hyuga-prodigy turned around and growled, "What?"
The weapons mistress inhaled sharply before answering, "Look, I'm sorry. I've said some things that I shouldn't have. Things aren't going to magically change overnight. We can't go back to the way things were before all this, so let's just forget about it. At the very least, for the sake of the mission."
She tried to sound earnest. But in all honesty, her legs were shaking with fear. She was completely petrified. What if he wanted nothing to do with her after everything she had said? What if he preferred to not be acquainted? After all, he had survived quite easily without her for three years. But as soon as she stared into his silver-pearl like eyes, all the tension seemed to dissipate from her body.
"Fine," he replied curtly and Tenten gave him a genuine smile.
He didn't smile back but his shoulders relaxed considerably, and he didn't look so angry anymore and that was all the brunette could ask for.
He began walking again and Tenten fell into sync with his steps in awkward silence. They weren't exactly friends again and though Tenten knew that Neji preferred the silence, it just didn't feel right. She felt as though he was a stranger to her and for all she knew, he probably felt the same way about her. So in an attempt to diffuse the awkwardness, she found herself asking, "So why have you been assigned this mission? Last I heard you were a captain in the ANBU now."
He raised a neat eyebrow at her enquiry.
"Lord Hiashi and the elders of my clan believe it is time for me to…settle down and take my place as one of the leaders of the clan," he replied after a moment of consideration. "They are trying to secure a suitable candidate to become my wife, so while they get preparations underway, I will no longer be serving as an ANBU captain."
Tenten's eyes widened and she could feel her eyebrows rising towards her hairline. There was a slight tug on her heartstrings at the word 'wife' but she pushed it to the back of her mind.
"I didn't realise your clan still held practices like that," she said. "But congratulations on finally becoming one of the clans' leaders. I know Hinata and your uncle worked really hard in abolishing the side branch. That was one of your dreams, wasn't it?"
"It was, thank you," he replied sincerely, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "It's been one of the good things to have happened over the years."
Tenten stared thinkingly into the distance before saying, "Wow…you're getting married. I can't believe it."
"At some point I will be," he murmured disgruntledly, obviously displeased by the fact.
"You don't sound too happy about it."
"It's one of the reasons that often makes me question if it's worth it."
"But if the side branch doesn't exist anymore," Tenten pondered, "aren't you free to choose your own wife and in your own time?"
"Choosing wives has always been a long standing tradition within the Hyuga clan. It's never been reserved for just one side of the family." Neji explained dully.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It is what it is. It's just another one of the freedoms that will be taken away from me."
They came to a halt at a fork in the road and Tenten turned to face her teammate.
"I suppose I should head home," she told him. "I guess I'll see you when Gaara gets here."
She gave him a small wave before setting off down one of the streets, but she had barely taken five steps she heard, "Where are you going?"
She spun around to see Neji standing in the same spot, staring at her with a slightly confused expression.
"I said I was going home," she reiterated with a disconcerted look that matched his.
"Your house is this way," he blatantly stated, pointing down one of the other streets and all at once realisation dawned on her.
Firstly, Tenten felt somewhat flattered that even after all these years he still remembered the way to her old apartment. She felt a small blush adorn her cheeks at the sentiment and she tried to ignore the fact that her heartbeat had gotten a few paces quicker than usual. Secondly, it was clear that Neji had absolutely no idea that she had been living with Shikamaru.
To be honest, Tenten couldn't fathom how Neji couldn't have known. It was the talk of the town for months when it first began, and even if he wasn't a fan of town gossip, he would've at least heard of it from Hinata or Ino. But apparently not. And now the weapons mistress was stuck in a very uncomfortable situation.
How on earth was she supposed to say that she'd been living with another man for nearly three years without sounding like a total whore? And how was she supposed to explain that it was…well…Shikamaru? The last time she and Neji were together the both of then barely realised that the shadow user even existed.
"Oh," she started, fumbling for words, "Yes…well I…got evicted from my old house…couldn't afford to pay the rent, you know. So I moved elsewhere."
It wasn't a total lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. But then again Tenten doubted that Neji needed to know the whole story anyway. It would save a lot of questions and awkward explanations on her part, and with her relationship with Neji as delicate as it was, it was better for putting this off for some time later down the track when they had a more solid foundation.
When he didn't reply Tenten took the opportunity to say, "Look, I really need to get home. I left food out on the stove; I should probably check that the house hasn't burnt down by now."
She let out a nervous laugh at her lie and she watched as Neji pondered before saying almost absently, "I suppose I'll have to come visit your new place sometime."
"Oh…yeah," she responded skittishly. "Of course. Anyway, I guess I'll see you in a couple of days when Gaara arrives. And I'm glad we could sort things out…kind of."
Neji simply nodded in affirmation and replied, "Me too."
"See you, Neji."
"Bye, Tenten."
And the two shinobi headed their separate ways home. Tenten heaved a huge sigh once the Hyuga prodigy was well out of sight. What an emotionally draining day it had become. But it wasn't over yet; for when she returned home, she had some serious ass kicking to attend to.
-X-
A/N – Don't kill me! This took me so long to write, man I was struggling. I really hope things with Neji and Tenten didn't feel too rushed with them sort of making up. I did want that part at the beginning of the story though because the rest will be about the journey from their regained friendship to, hopefully, their blossoming love. We shall see. Anyway let me know what you thought of this chapter, critiques and compliments are always welcome! Don't forget to fav and follow!