A/N – Here we go again…Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto!
-X-
The alarm on her bedside table startled Tenten wide awake. She groggily rolled over in the covers of her bed and pressed the button on her alarm to stop the blaring noise that was assaulting her ears far too early in the morning. She groaned into her pillow, wanting to bury herself deeper beneath the blankets and just relish in its warmth and comfort.
Three days seemed to fly by much more quickly than Tenten had anticipated. She wasn't used to being home for three consecutive days in a row and even though it was nearing Christmas time, the life of a shinobi was always demanding and breaks like these were almost a luxury.
Whenever she wasn't training she spent most of her time at home, cleaning the house or playing go or shogi with Shikamaru. The Nara prodigy himself became more despondent with each passing day to Temari's impending arrival. While he was usually quite lacklustre on a daily basis, his depression just created a sombre atmosphere that affected the whole household. He had even resorted to asking the Hokage herself for any missions he could undertake whilst Temari was here. But Lady Tsunade had nothing for him to do stating that she "couldn't afford to have number one strategist away from the village". Shikamaru had been most unimpressed with her answer.
Deciding it was time to get up, Tenten sighed as she got out of bed, wincing when her bare feet touched the cold floorboards. She quickly made for the shower, hoping to warm herself up before getting changed. She made sure to put on an extra jacket on before twisting her hair into her signature buns and running downstairs for a quick breakfast. She filled a bowl with leftovers from the previous nights dinner and began scoffing it down before she heard Shikamaru scuffle into the kitchen.
"You're up early," Tenten commented between mouthfuls.
"Couldn't really sleep," he replied as he dug through the fridge for the juice carton. "Besides, Ino and Choji want to meet up for breakfast this morning. What a pain."
"I was wondering why you were dressed up," the brunette said. "Where are you guys heading?"
"Ino wants to take us to that new teahouse just down the street."
"Oh, the one that just opened? Ichiriki Chaya?"
"Yeah, that one," Shikamaru nodded as he poured some orange juice into a glass before downing it in two gulps. "It's supposed to be one of those places for couples, you know, she's been there with Sai a couple of times. I don't know why she's bothering to drag me and Choji along with her. Troublesome woman."
"Stop your complaining," Tenten chided him before standing up to put her bowl in the sink. "At least you still get to do team breakfasts with your squad."
"Well, at the very least it'll keep me occupied and out of Temari's way this morning," he yawned, stretching his arms behind his head in a nonchalant manner. "And you'll get some quality time with Hyuga."
The weapons mistress simply rolled her eyes and replied, "Can you please stop with that? He's getting married. Get that into your genius brain of yours."
"And I'm sure Neji is just over the moon at the prospect of getting married," Shikamaru said sarcastically.
"He didn't seem too upset when he told me."
"You know that's just his pride and sense of duty coming through. I bet you by the time the wedding comes around, he'll definitely be second guessing himself."
"It doesn't matter anyway because I'm not trying to get with Neji," Tenten countered hotly before securely tying her kunai holster to her leg and making sure she had all of her provisions. "And as much as I'd love to stand around and listen to your little matchmaking schemes, I've got to go."
"Good luck with my ex," was all Shikamaru offered with a lazy flick of his hand and Tenten gave him a sardonic smile before heading outside.
-X-
Neji was already waiting at the front gates of the village when she arrived. He stood impassively, leaning against one of the beams, arms folded, eyes closed. One might've assumed he was resting but Tenten had seen him many a time with that same expression and knew instantly he was meditating.
She inwardly smiled as she remembered back to the many hours they would spend sparring tirelessly before plonking themselves down under the shade of the great oak tree that took residence at their training grounds. It was Tenten's most favourite spot and even regarded the magnificent tree as a part of Team Gai. Whilst the other trees at the training grounds were mere targets for Tenten's lethal weapons and Neji's chakra infused palms, the brunette always made it a rule that the oak tree was never to be touched.
She loved watching it grow and it was a reminder of their teams' growth as well. It was a constant companion and it watched over them every single day for years. However, since Team Gai had disbanded, she'd never bothered to return to that particular spot, for it served as a painful memento of the day she, Lee, Neji and Gai were no more.
Tenten saw Neji's eyes snap open once he had sensed her presence. She gave him a small wave and he responded with a slight nod of his head which did nothing but accentuate his jawline. She noticed he was dressed rather warmly, and she unconsciously pulled her jacket around her body even tighter. It had begun sleeting which indicated that snow wasn't far behind.
"Morning," the weapons mistress greeted him with a slight yawn. "Bit cold, isn't it?"
"It's a good time to train," Neji responded, pushing himself off the beam he was leaning against so he was standing upright. "The body doesn't perspire as much."
"You and your training," Tenten said with a slight shake of her head. "Glad to see that hasn't changed at all."
"It's brought me this far," he said fairly. "Can the same be said for you?"
Tenten knew he didn't mean it in an unkind way. Neji was always a blunt person but she supposed she wasn't used to his coarseness after being away from him for so long, so she heard herself saying, "I'll have you know that I'm a fully qualified Jounin now, Hyuga."
She couldn't keep the sneer out of her voice when she said his last name and Neji's eyes widened ever so slightly at this new piece of information.
"I didn't know you'd been promoted," he admitted calmly. "I suppose it's a little too late to offer my congratulations."
"A year too late," Tenten agreed. "I'm surprised you didn't know. I thought at least Hinata would've said something to you."
"Apparently not. Is there anything else that Hinata knows that should come to my attention?"
Tenten didn't miss the slight joking tone in his voice and fought down a smile. She also fought down the uneasiness welling up inside of her at his comment.
Was the fact that her and Shikamaru living together something that should be brought to Neji's attention? She supposed it wasn't something that he needed to know. But now that they were sort of reacquainted, it was only a matter of time before he would find out, and she much preferred that he hear it from herself rather than one of their rumouring gossiping friends. However, it was just such an awkward thing to just bring up.
Oh yeah, I've been living with Shikamaru for the past two years. Yes, I know we hardly knew each other before I moved into his house and no we're not dating even though his girlfriend dumped him. We're just good friends, really!
The bun -haired girl inwardly cringed. Even in her own head it sounded stupid.
"Tenten?"
The sound of Neji's voice seemed to bring her back to reality and she just offered him a meek smile. Now wasn't the time to tell him – she'd bring it up later down the track.
Over Neji's shoulder she could see three figures emerging from the forest and the Hyuga prodigy turned to see what Tenten was staring at. A slight haze had begun to set in but Tenten could make out those silhouettes from anywhere.
Both she and Neji took a few steps forward and dropped into low bows to greet the three Sand Siblings.
"It's been a while, Lord Kazakage, Kankuro, Temari," Tenten addressed them formally before standing up straight and gazing at the new arrivals.
They were dressed even more warmly than her and Neji – layers of jackets piled on top of one another and scarves draped around their necks and wrapped around their heads for warmth. It was understandable as they normally lived in the desert where it was constantly dry and very hot. They were not used to the cold and wet. Tenten doubted that they'd ever seen snow before.
"Lady Fifth informed me that you two would be guarding us," Gaara spoke in his usual monotone voice. "I had much hoped to see you both again."
The brunette could tell that Gaara still hadn't forgotten about the time she, Neji and Lee had saved him during the Chunin Exams all those years ago. She could see his gratitude and respect as he bowed politely towards Neji and then to her.
"Hey there, Tennie! Long time, no see," Kankuro addressed the weapons mistress with a sly smile and wink.
"Who are you calling Tennie, makeup man!" Tenten retaliated hotly – she hated that name.
"It's not makeup, it's Kabuki paint!" Kankuro defended with a slightly pained expression.
Another unexpected friendship that seemed to blossom overtime was that between herself and the puppet master. It all sort of began after (once again) rescuing Gaara from the clutches of the Akatsuki. They found that they had a lot of things in common and even though they rarely ever saw each other, they made a point of trying to annoy the hell out of each other whenever they did.
"Keep calling it what you want," the brunette said. "We all know the real truth."
The older boy just huffed and replied unwisely, "You're just jealous cause I'm more feminine than you are."
Tenten's expression instantly morphed into one of sickly sweet, undeniable murderous intent.
"Are you saying I'm not feminine?" she growled, her hand twitching ever so slightly towards her leg holster.
"Ok, that's enough," Temari cut in curtly as she shouldered her travel bag. "Some of us would actually like to get out of the cold and put our things down instead of listening to you two squabble."
The pair both simmered down quickly enough but Tenten couldn't help but notice the blonde girls' slight animosity towards her. Even though she was good friends with her older brother and even pretty well acquainted with Gaara, Tenten found it much harder to form a relationship with Temari. And though she held no grudge over her brutal defeat from their fight in the first Chunin Exams, there was always a sense of hostility whenever the blonde was around.
"Of course, you must be tired after such a long journey," Neji acknowledged. "We'll show you to your lodgings."
"Actually, I'd much rather eat first," Temari stated. "Is there any place we can get a meal and warm up?"
Tenten felt as if a light bulb had just lit up inside her brain at Temari's comment.
Karma really is a bitch, the thought to herself with a slight snigger. She couldn't wait to see Shikamaru's reaction.
"I know the perfect place!" the brunette said with a big grin. "Follow me, there's this great new teahouse that just opened…"
-X-
They were greeted with the fresh scent of sweet tea. A gush of chilly wind wafted through the shop as they walked through the door. It was a cosy little place, decorated with paintings of flowers and exotic scenery. The furnishings were obviously very new and everything was coloured in pinks and reds. It was definitely a place meant for couples, just as Shikamaru had said.
At the very least it was warm and the Sand Siblings began taking off their many layers and placing their jackets on the stands that stood at the front door. Tenten, however, quickly scanned the room and in no time found what she was looking for. She spotted Shikamaru, Choji and Ino sitting in the far left corner next to a large window. Ino was chatting away idly while Choji was scoffing down cakes, Shikamaru just looked bored as he stirred his tea, gazing outside the window. However, he brought his gaze to the front of the shop and instantly locked eyes with Tenten. His expression seemed puzzled at first before his eyes drifted towards the moving bodies behind her.
Tenten swore she'd never seen the colour drain out of anyone's face faster than the Nara prodigy's had just done. She watched delightedly as he physically gulped which caught the attention of Ino who turned to see what her teammate was ogling at. The blonde girl lit up instantly and began waving at them.
"Hey, Tenten! Come over here! Bring everyone and sit with us!" she yelled sitting halfway out of her seat.
Tenten wanted to double over in laughter at the shocked yet dreaded expression that enveloped Shikamaru's face. He caught her eye and gave her a desperate pleading look and the brunette just shook her head with a cunning smile before leading Neji and the others over to Ino's table.
The weapons mistress wasn't quite sure what to expect. But the moment Temari stopped in front of the table and fixed her regard onto Shikamaru who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there, her body instantly stiffened and her face hardened. And even though the shop itself was very warm, the air suddenly got a lot colder and all eyes were on the cowering, pineapple-haired man and the stoic, pigtailed blonde.
For a scary moment, Tenten thought Temari was going to pummel Shikamaru into the floor right then and there and she wondered if she'd maybe made the wrong decision. As much as Shikamaru deserved it, she really didn't want the establishment to be destroyed especially because it was so new. Besides, she'd had her fair share of covering the expenses of places Lee had destroyed over the years – she doubted whether she'd be able to pay for this one.
Luckily, Ino jumped in and attempted to defuse the very tense and awkward situation.
"Well, it's good to see you guys," she said addressing the Sand Siblings. "Shikamaru here was just telling us that you guys were planning to stay for a while."
"Did he now?" Temari asked as if to herself in a dangerously low voice.
Her eyes were boring into him and the lazy prodigy hadn't even had the courage to look at her once.
"Well," Ino said rather loudly, pretending to be oblivious to the entire situation, "How about you sit down and we'll grab someone to take your order."
She stood up and began to shuffle everyone around. Soon enough, Tenten found herself squished between Neji and Shikamaru with Choji sitting on the end. She'd noticed that Ino had purposely seated Shikamaru and Temari as far away from each other as possible which was probably a very smart idea. A waiter swiftly arrived, his eyes widened with shock as he noticed Gaara and greeted the Kazekage stutteringly, before jotting down their orders and bustling away to prepare their food.
"So what are you guys doing here anyway?" Ino questioned specifically towards Gaara who seemed slightly uncomfortable at the proximity of the blonde. "I thought you'd all want to be home this close to Christmas time."
"I have some meetings to attend to with the Raikage and the feudal lords of the Kumogakure concerning treaty negotiations," the red-head man simply answered. "Konoha was on the way so we decided it would be wise to spend some time with our allies. We will be spending Christmas here and setting out for the Hidden Cloud once it's over."
"Oh, so like a mini holiday?" Ino chirped. "You're in luck, I reckon it's going to be a white Christmas this year – it's about to snow!"
"I can't stand the wet," Kankuro shuddered slightly. "Or the cold. I might just have coup myself up inside the whole time we're here."
"Why did you even bother coming then?" Ino asked, a slight hint if annoyance in her voice.
"Are you kidding me?" the puppet master demurred. "Who's gonna look after Gaara?"
"Well, if you're guarding Gaara then why are you two here?" Choji questioned pointing at Neji and Tenten and bun-haired girl just rolled her eyes.
"Because Lord Kazakage's bodyguards needs bodyguards," she responded eloquently leaning back in her chair.
"As is we'd ever," Kankuro snorted.
"Either way, they're VIP's and Lady Tsunade has ordered us to be their escorts," Neji intoned. "If anything were to happen to them whilst in the Leaf Village and we had no measures in place to keep them safe, that would reflect very poorly on our village."
"I gotta say," Ino opined, swishing her long hair behind her shoulders, "I'm surprised Lady Fifth put you and Tenten on a mission together. Your team broke up ages ago and I remember you telling me, Tenten, that you hadn't even spoken to Neji since then."
The brunette wanted to whack the blue-eyed girl from across the table but was interrupted by their food arriving. As their plates and cups were being set on the table she felt a slightly forceful nudge from Shikamaru which pushed her into Neji's arm. She managed to catch a whiff of his scent – fresh and sweet and it startled her. She saw him glance down at her at the sudden contact and the weapons mistress quickly sat up, a little flustered and her face slightly red from embarrassment and apologised. She then sent her best death glare at the Nara prodigy who tried shake off the intentional nudge as a by-product of him stretching.
She pulled another unpleasant face and he just shrugged. Fine. If he was going to be a jerk, two could play at that game.
"About that," Tenten said in response to Ino's previous statement. "Originally it was supposed to be Shikamaru here who was supposed to take on this mission. However, he managed to talk his way out of it because he's too much of a coward to face you."
At that last part she jerked her head towards Temari who looked slightly gleeful at Shikamaru being called a coward.
"That's a fine description," the wind user taunted, not bothering to look at the lazy shinobi, "Coward."
"Can you not?" Shikamaru suddenly shot back and Tenten was surprised to hear him speak at all.
"Why not?" Temari countered, her voice raising a few octaves. "It's all true."
"Not here, Temari."
"What? You just expect me to sit here and pretend nothing happened?"
"Be mature about this, please?"
"Well it's not my fault that things got screwed up!"
"It takes two to tango."
"Ha. Like you ever did anything in our relationship."
"If our relationship was so awful why are you still going on about it?" Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, obviously quite irritated. "You should be happy it's over."
At that comment Temari stood up abruptly, her expression almost livid as she glared at Shikamaru who looked down at his shoes.
"I'm going to the bathroom," she announced loudly before storming off and disappearing behind the crowd.
"Well that was intense," Kankuro said letting out a breath of relief once Temari was out of sight. "I thought she was about to smash you in the face."
"Wouldn't be the first time," Shikamaru replied almost miserably as he sunk lower in his seat. "Women are so troublesome."
"I just think you've got to get better at talking to women," Ino remarked. "I would've thought you'd gotten better at it after living with Tenten these past few years."
Silence engulfed the table and Tenten wanted to reach over and strangle the blonde girl until the life was choked out of her. She saw Shikamaru cover over his face with a hand in complete exasperation and she didn't have the courage to look and see what Neji's reaction was. Her heart was beating a million miles per hour.
"Wait, what did you just say?" Kankuro asked incredulously as though he misheard what she'd said.
"Didn't you know?" Ino said innocently. "Tenten's been living at Shika's house for a couple of years now. Long story but it was the talk of the town when it happened."
Shut up, Ino. Was all Tenten could think as she clenched her hands into fists under the table. She was now seriously regretting bringing them here and wanted nothing more than to sink into her chair and disappear.
"I had no idea," the puppet master said almost in and awed state and then he rounded on brunette and shadow user. "So you guys dating then? That'll make Temari real happy."
But before either other one could say anything, Ino burst out in laughter and replied for them, "Oh, the dirty little rumours and stories I've heard about these two…! You'll be even more surprised when you hear –"
"Ok, Ino, that's enough!" Shikamaru cut across her with a warning look and the blue-eyed girl seemed to calm down before reading the atmosphere of the table.
She glanced at Neji and her eyes became very round before realisation seemed to sink in, her cheeks flushed a dark pink before she turned to her left and began striking up a random conversation with Gaara who very much seemed like he wanted to leave.
Tenten, on the other hand began sipping her steaming tea and waffling down her cake almost as fast as Choji to avoid talking to anyone. She knew her face was probably all red and she wanted to kill Ino for her carelessness. Once in a while she wished that the blonde would learn to just stop running her mouth.
She wondered if Neji thought lowly of her now. Would he be angry? Indifferent? Jealous? Tenten mentally shook her head at that last thought. There was no way Neji would be jealous. There was no way he'd ever think of her romantically, they were still barely friends and he was getting married.
After a few minutes of watching Ino try to engage Gaara in conversation before giving up and chiding Choji for eating everyone's food, Temari returned to the table without a single glance at the lazy prodigy and proclaimed it was time to leave.
"See you when you get home," Shikamaru mumbled at Tenten who just nodded before waving goodbye.
Ino gave her a sheepish look and the weapons mistress returned a forgiving smile but with a promise of a serious talk. Choji seemed to be the only happy one as he stashed everyone's leftovers into a carry bag for later on. They all bid Team 10 farewell before paying at the counter, grabbing their coats and facing the cold outside.
It was still sleeting and the temperature was dropping even more, so they decided it was best to head to the hotel and warm up there. It was a silent walk and even the normally talkative Kankuro found he really had nothing to say. Once they'd reached their destination Gaara turned to face the two Leaf shinobi.
"Thank you for escorting us," he said. "But I think we will spend the rest of the day here. It's been a long journey."
He cast a sideward glance at Temari who just huffed indignantly before marching inside without a word.
"You are dismissed for today. I'll see you both here tomorrow," Gaara instructed.
Neji and Tenten both gave a bow before the red-head followed his sisters footsteps inside the complex.
"See you later, you two," Kankuro winked.
But before he could turn around, the brunette swiftly caught his arm, made sure Neji was out of earshot and said, "Are you going to tell Temari about Shikamaru and –"
"She gonna find out sometime," Kankuro shrugged. "Might as well hear it from me."
Tenten frowned slightly but continued, "Just let her know there's nothing going on with me and Shikamaru. I don't want to be put on her hitlist too."
"I've got it all under control," the puppet master told her in a very disbelieving tone.
"Why do I get the feeling you don't?"
"Have some faith in me. Besides, do I really look like I want to cause another Great Shinobi War?"
"You're always one for chaos."
"True, true. Now could you let go of me, my ass is freezing off."
Tenten released him and gave him a slight smile.
"You complain like a girl."
"I've learned from the best," he replied giving her a wink before dodging Tenten's fist and ducking inside laughing.
-X-
"So you and Nara."
Tenten was surprised to hear Neji's voice and spun around to face him. He was just standing, hands in pockets, gazing at the building in front of them.
"What?" she said confusedly.
He glanced down at her, expression unreadable and said, "I didn't know you and Nara were so close."
Tenten could feel her cheeks heating up again and her stomach felt uneasy as she shifted her weight from side to side. Even after all these years she still felt anxious under Neji's penetrating gaze.
"Oh, well…yeah. It's a long story."
"So you are…dating?"
"What? No!" she stammered, waving her arms in front of her face as if that would clear up the misconception.
He raised an eyebrow before turning on his heel and walking away. Tenten took it as an indication to follow and explain. She fell into step with the Hyuga prodigy and looked up into his unfairly handsome face. He looked expecting.
"We got assigned a mission together," she began slowly, trying to file through her memories for it felt like such a long time ago. "We were on the same team. It was just supposed to be a simple recovery mission. We were ambushed on the way home and we managed to defeat the enemy without too much effort. However, Shikamaru didn't actually check to see if he'd killed his opponent and he managed to survive before catching us and attacking me. I got severely injured and I was in the hospital for a couple of months. I almost lost my life. It took even longer for me to be rehabilitated. I told you I was evicted from my old home, right? Well that's why – I wasn't able to go on missions and make money so I couldn't afford to pay my rent. Shikamaru offered for me to stay at his place. I think he felt guilty and responsible for the situation I found myself in. I agreed but it was only supposed to be for a short while until I could afford to rent a new place. But we became really good friends over that period of time. Besides, he and Temari had just broken up (as you saw yourself) so he didn't really have anyone either. So I just never really left."
After she'd finished her explanation, Tenten drew in a deep breath and sighed. Neji's face remained impassive as ever as he took in all the information and Tenten felt almost nervous though she had no idea why.
"I see," was all he said and Tenten felt a slight pang of disappointment settle in her chest.
What was she expecting? She didn't know why but she felt as though she almost…wanted him to be jealous. She shook her head. That was insane.
"What was Ino going on about?" he asked suddenly and Tenten's attention immediately refocused on her former teammate. "Those rumours and stories…?"
"Don't listen to her," Tenten told him rather hastily though she hoped he wouldn't notice, "You know Ino, she just likes to create gossip."
"Hn."
They walked in silence for a few moment before it came time to part ways.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," the bun-haired girl offered.
"Can I see?"
Tenten seemed rather taken aback by his sudden question and responded, "Can you see what – oh!"
The brunette just blinked as she let the realisation sink in before stuttering, "Oh – um…yeah…I suppose?"
So he followed her down the street, still unspeaking and it was during times like these that Tenten really wished she knew what the Hyuga prodigy was thinking. After another five minutes they found themselves standing outside Shikamaru's house – aka her home – and Tenten spread her arms out, as if in welcoming, and presented, "Well, this is it."
It definitely wasn't a shabby house but compared to the Hyuga manor it was relatively plain.
"I thought there was an estate where the Nara clan resides," Neji inquired as he analysed the house.
"Yeah, they do," Tenten said. "However, he told me sick of his mums nagging and so he bought himself a place of his own. You know Shikamaru, he likes his peace and solitude."
"If you need a place to stay, I can always help you out," Neji turned to her, his expression serious.
Tenten gave him a confused look and said, "What, as in like…rent me a place?"
"Something along the lines of that," the white-eyed prodigy answered with a slight smirk.
"What? No, Neji!" the weapons mistress burst out, flustered at his offer. "There's no way I'd ever take your money for a reason such as that. Besides, I've got money of my own – I could comfortably rent my own place."
"Then why don't you?" he asked and Tenten thought she could detect a slight hardness in his tone.
"Cause I'm happy here," she confessed nonchalantly, "Besides, I don't think Shikamaru would know how to survive without me looking out for him anyway."
She grinned at the thought and looked Neji who seemed lost in his thoughts.
"Are you sure?" he queried after a long moment, eyes narrowed.
"I'm sure. I'll move out eventually but for now, everything's as it's supposed to be."
"If that's how you see it," Neji murmured. "I'll be heading home now. I'll see you tomorrow."
And without another word, he leapt up onto one the roofs and disappeared into the morning haze.
-X-
A/N – So a bit of a longer chapter guys and Neji finally finds out that Tenten is Living with Shika! I know we really didn't get to see Neji's true reaction towards this little bit of info but we will see it next chapter. However, I dropped a few hints into how he's sort of feeling if you can guess what it is. I hope this wasn't an awful chapter. I know I didn't do much with the Sand siblings but they'll get a little more time as the story goes on. I know some of you really want some Temari and Shika action happening and it will, don't worry! However I am going to keep it to a minimum cause remember it is a NejiTen story! Again let me know what you think, review, follow and favourite. Thanks so much for all your support. Love you all dearly!