Heaven's Tale
Chapter 7
Friday...
"I'm hungry." Slender, tanned hands reached out for the room service menu on the marble vanity table in front of her. The tips of her fingers brushed at the crisp white pages and she turned the pages one by one while scanning the contents. "Have you eaten?" Tenten asked, looking over her shoulders to the brooding man, half lying and half sitting, on the bed behind her with 2 pillows propped behind his back.
"No," Sasuke replied, watching his girlfriend's figure in front of him.
Satisfied with his answer, she returned her attention to the menu. "Ok, then, let's get 2 oyako-don," She waited for his answer expectedly.
"Hn," Sasuke agreed, picking up the phone and dialling the number for room service. "Sit," he told her.
Tenten smiled and placed the menu on the vanity table. However, she caught the sight of several documents on the desk. "Scripts?" She asked him, still looking at the thick bundle of papers but not making any movement to read it. She knew not to since it was supposed to be confidential.
"Hn..." Sasuke stood up and walked over to her side. "These days I get movie scripts."
Tenten who wore an oversized gray hoodie with floral black lace tights and combat boots, beamed. "That's great; you always wanted to do movies."
"Yeah," He agreed, rearranging the scripts. "This one is good," he pointed out, his finger landing on a bounded stack of papers which have a blue cover.
"You should do it," She encouraged him.
"Yes, I've a meeting with the director in 3 hours."
"Oh," Tenten replied, unable to hide her disappointment. She thought they would be able to hang around with each other the whole day. He touched her shoulder. "I'm ok." She looked up at him and smiled.
"You can say it," he told her.
"Say what?" Tenten replied dumbly.
"What you're thinking?"
"Oh..."
"Well."
"You know..." Tenten started, adjusting her oversized hoodie as she sat down on the edge of the hotel king-sized bed. "Once I start working, I won't be able to see you as much. Only on weekends."
"We'd manage," Sasuke reassured her and took a seat next to her.
"We only had to adjust to your schedule but now it's both of our schedules," Tenten argued, turning her body to look at him.
"We'd managed," he repeated again. "It's not like you to worry."
She sighed. "Yeah..."
"You're afraid I might fall for another actress," he stated, bluntly.
"No, more like drift apart," she replied. She let out a laugh. She was not the jealous type and besides since her boyfriend is anti-social there's nothing for her to worry about.
"We won't." Sasuke touched her fingers tenderly. Tenten smiled brightly at the gesture.
A comfortable silence enveloped the two of them. "Are you coming to the Konoha charity ball?" Tenten asked, a huge smile on her face.
"The mayor invited me to the ball with Kurenai-san and Ino," Sasuke watched his girlfriend's reaction. "I've yet to get the invitation but I will make an appearance."
Tenten cocked her head to the side cutely and smiled at him. "An appearance? I want you to meet my friends," she told him. "Besides I'll be there and Naruto and Lee and Ino too," she pressed. "You won't be lonely."
Sasuke gave her one of his rare smiles. "Ok. I'll stay."
"Great, I'll meet you there then cause I'm sure the mayor will want to introduce you to the other VIPs or something," she continued, her eyes twinkling in excitement. "Oh, what are you wearing?"
"I'm not sure," The raven-haired man, replied quietly, contemplating. "Don't wear anything revealing," he told her. The last time she did, she caused massive nose bleeds from the male students and not to mention he nearly had a cardiac arrest.
She threw back her head and laughed. "I won't. I'm wearing a Kimono."
"Hn," Sasuke replied, approvingly.
Just then, the hotel door bell rang. "Foods here," Tenten stated, standing up and making her way to the door to greet the hotel staff.
2 hours passed by…
Tenten made her way into the hotel lift and pressed the '40' button where Neji's office was situated. Neji's family owned a string of 5 star hotels called the Hyuuga Hotel. Their main office was at the Konoha Hyuuga Hotel which consisted of the top 10 floors while the remaining 30 floors were the hotel. Sasuke stayed at the 5th floor at the standard room. He did not believe in living luxuriously.
The elevator 'ting'-ed to a close and she waited patiently for the ride upwards to come to an end. Sasuke wanted to hail a cab for her before he went for his meeting with the movie director but she declined. She told him that a good friend of hers worked at this hotel and so she'd hitch a ride with him since he lived at the same building as her. He agreed hesitantly and, so, that was the reason why she was in the lift heading towards Neji's office.
The lift 'ting'-ed as it reached its destination. The iron doors slid open and she stepped out onto the carpeted floor. There were 8 offices in total which was where the CEO and his 7 right-hand men worked at. The 8 offices each also had another small office connected to them which is for their own personal secretaries. There were also 2 huge bathrooms and a huge pantry which was more like a kitchen with state-of the art equipment. At the south part of the floor was a filing room which was for important documents. Next to that was a meeting room which could fit 50 people. This was the second time she was here; the first time was when she accompanied Neji to see his uncle. Hiashi left a couple of documents home so he asked Neji to bring it over the office. The first time she stepped on this floor she was in awe and the second time, well, she was still in awe.
Tenten wondered which office was Neji's when she realised 7 of the offices had secretaries, however, another office which was situated at the North part of the building did not. She walked up to the door and knocked the door. "Come in…" A gruff, baritone voice called out. She smiled. Yep it was Neji's office alright.
"Hey," Tenten poked her head into the room. "I'm not disturbing you am I?" She asked him, strutting across the carpeted room towards his desk. His office was bare except for three stacks of files, a laptop and a couple of leather furniture.
White eyes glanced up from his laptop. "Tenten," he said surprise evident in his eyes but he hid it well.
"Neji," she repeated.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her with his right hand tugging at his tie to loosen it. He, then, proceeded to unbutton the top two buttons of his pale blue shirt revealing pale white skin.
She forced herself not to look and smiled normally. "Well, I was here in the hotel and I thought I can hitch a ride with you back home once you finish work," she asked hopefully.
"It's only 3. I'm off work in 2 more hours," Neji stated, giving his Rolex watch a brief glance.
"I know," Tenten replied, taking a seat on the leather bound chair across from him. "I was just bored." She noticed him crease his eyebrows. "You won't notice I'm here. Honest."
He sighed. "Alright. I've got a lot of paperwork," he warned. "I don't want to do an all-nighter." She nodded eagerly and put on a pair of earphones to listen to music. Satisfied with her answer, he continued to type vigorously on his laptop.
Half an hour passed by when suddenly his phone started to ring. Neji picked it up and spoke quietly into the receiver. Tenten watched him out of curiosity. It was weird to see him work. He was new to the position but he carried out the job with ease. She switched off her walkman as she noticed his tense face as he put down the phone into its cradle.
"What's the matter?" she asked him, sitting up straight in the chair.
Neji let out a tired sigh. "Tenten, you should take a cab back home. I'll be working late tonight."
"What? Why?" She asked him, a little worried. She did not mind taking the taxi home but Neji looked like he needed help.
"I'll call Lee to come pick you up," he suddenly replied, reaching the phone situated on his desk again. "Or maybe Hinata."
Tenten stood up, the chair creaking back in protest. She bent over the desk and snatched the phone away from his hand and put it back in its cradle. "I can help," she reassured him, her face inches away from his face.
"Hn," Neji replied after an eternity. He felt a little weird at the close proximity but he waved it off due to his fatigue.
Suddenly aware of her bold move, Tenten stood straight and coughed slightly to hide her embarrassment. She folded her arms across her chest. "Well?"
He looked up at the slender female whose chocolate eyes creased slightly with worry. "It's the charity ball."
She cocked an eyebrow. "What about it?"
"We can't do it at the Hyuuga Hotel's ballroom," he stated, leaning back into his chair.
"Ahh…" Tenten sat down, understandingly, a thoughtful expression on her face. Neji flinched at the sound she made, his face heating up slightly. He was glad she did not notice his face redden. "Yeah the entire Konoha population can't fit in there. What about the hotel grounds near the pool?" she asked him, her brown orbs meeting his pale ones.
"It's not big enough," Neji responded. Sure the hotel grounds were huge. However, with the amount of trees they have and the other amenities such as the outdoor restaurant, tennis court, olympic size pool and also a children's park, the space was now limited.
"It doesn't have to be at the Hyuuga hotel does it?" she asked him, a smile slowly creeping onto her face.
"No."
"Neji… What would you do without me?" Tenten replied, smiling brightly when the obvious answer came to her.
He let another tired sigh. "Just spit it out."
"The Konoha forest," she answered. Neji sat up straight in his chair. It was the perfect place. It belongs to the entire Konoha town. "Just think Neji, sure its 40 acres but remember there's a 6 acre opening. No trees nothing just a plain open green space. It's beautiful at night."
He nodded. The forest was not far either it was a 10 minutes drive and another 5 minutes walk to the opening. "I'll have to think of transportation and the details."
"I'll help," Tenten responded excitedly.
"It's not your job," he protested.
"It doesn't matter. I want to help," She smiled softly.
"It'll be a long night," he told her cautiously.
"Well then let's order some food from the hotel later for dinner," she responded eagerly.
Neji knew that he lost. "Hn."
"Alright," Tenten said, getting into business. "Pass me that paper and a pen please. We need lights, a bus to shuttle the guests, tables, chairs, food…. A stage, fireworks," she wrote hurriedly while Neji watched from where he sat. He smiled softly. He forgot what it was like to have Tenten around. She always seemed to make everything…. Uncomplicated.
"There's a budget," he reminded her.
"Yes the sponsorships," she looked up from the piece of paper in hand at him.
"This is the proposal. Since we don't have time, we'll use this and just adjust it. The digits needed are all in here," Neji moved to her side and flipped open the file for her eyes to see.
"Ok so this and this needs to be adjusted," Tenten pointed out. "Where's the seating plans? I need to adjust that too and the VIP list."
"It's in the file," Neji replied, bending slightly to flip the pages to reveal the seating plan and the VIP list.
Tenten turned her head slightly. "You know…" she said softly. He smelled of his mint toothpaste.
"Hn…" Neji replied aware of their close proximity.
"You need to call the mayor about the change in plans and also for his consent of the ball in the forest," she stated suddenly. "There's just not enough time. We need to get this done by tomorrow."
"Hn…" Neji replied, making his way to his chair. He reached out for the phone and dialled the mayor's office.
Saturday came soon enough. The entire town was excited about the charity ball. Last minute shopping was done and beauty parlours were filled to the brim. At around 5pm, shops closed early so the owners and workers could go home and get ready.
As for Tenten, she was in her bedroom fixing her hair into an elaborate single bun. She used a white bone hair piece which had floral designs carved into it to hold up her hair. Then, she blow-dried her bangs and swept it to the side. After she was done, she stood up, looked into the mirror, double checked her make up for smudges and smoothed out her kimono before opening the door to Lee and Gai who was waiting patiently for her in the living room.
"What do you think?" she asked them, shyly. It was the first time they had ever seen her all made up. Around them, she was always in sweats, jeans, cheongsam tops or a t-shirt. She would wear a skirt once in a while but never was she dressed up to this extent.
Gai immediately teared up and started sobbing. "My beautiful flower how you have bloomed!" He managed to choke out.
Lee looked at her in shock and then with pride. "Okaasan's kimono fits," Tenten announced proudly.
"You're as beautiful as your mother," Gai replied, wiping his tears with a handkerchief. "Always have been, my sunflower." Sure enough Tenten did look beautiful. Her hair was partially braided and then intertwined into a single elaborate loose bun, her fringe was also side swept. She had on light makeup which consisted of powder, light blush, dark cat-like eye-lined eyes and a hint of rose coloured lipstick. She wore her mother's favourite kimono which she made sure to dry clean before she wore it since it has been in the storage for 10 years. It was a midnight blue silk kimono with silver embroidered sakura blossom and gold coloured leaves.
"Thank you, otousan," Tenten replied, sincerely with a smile blossoming on her face. Her father walked up to her and gave her a long embrace, not the usual bear-crushing hug, but one of heartbreak. Lee joined them. "It's already 7pm. The ball starts in half an hour. We should go now," she told them, feeling Lee loosen his grip on her and their father. "You two look really handsome tonight." She beamed at them. Since their family decided to wear something traditional, both Lee and Gai wore dark green Yukata's that showed their toned and muscular bodies. At Tenten's request, both the males toned down on the hair gel products. Lee's hair was in its usual waves. The waves framed his face nicely and the fringe was side swept to the side just like his sister (think of jdrama actor eita). As for Gai, he had naturally straight hair which he side parted and tucked behind his ear (think kenichi Matsuyama). Without the exaggerated hair and clothes, their attractiveness increased twentyfold not that Tenten did not think they were attractive before this. But the females will definitely see that tonight.
"Otousan?" Lee exclaimed, unable to conceal his excitement. "Let's take a family picture!"
"That's a great idea, Lee," She agreed. It's been a long time since they took one. The last family picture was when their mother died 10 years ago. Gai went into his bedroom and took out a digital camera he bought 2 years ago but never used.
"Here, let me do this otousan," Tenten told him. She placed the camera on top of the TV and adjusted the position. "Lee, otousan… Why don't we sit on the couch? Otousan you should sit in the middle," she directed. "Ok we got 5 seconds." She pressed a few buttons and ran to the couch. She took a seat next to Gai and they smiled for the camera.
"Ino, are you sure you don't want a ride to the ball with us?" Ino's mother asked her, watching her daughter from behind the counter.
"No, I'm waiting for my friend to pick me up," Ino insisted, smiling at her parents. "He'll be here in a few minutes."
"Alright," her father agreed. "Remember to lock the front door and switch on the alarm."
"I will," Ino reassured them. "I'll see you there." The blonde watched her parents walk out the door and get into the car with the Nara's and the Akimichi's since they decided to car pool. Ino sat behind the counter in her family's flower shop. She glanced at her reflection in the glass window. She looked gorgeous, she had to admit. She wanted to wear a backless dress but thought it'll be a little too revealing. Besides, Gaara did not seem the type who would appreciate a woman who'd reveal a lot of skin. Not to mention since the ball was outdoors and at night, it might be cold. Hence, she decided on a one-sided long Grecian dress that floated behind her when she walked. The ice blue silver colour of the dress brought out the beauty of her cerulean eyes.
She stood up and walked over to a flower pot which contained white roses. It was her favourite flower. She picked one up and inhaled the sweet scent. Maybe she should give a stem to Gaara. However, the white carnation meant innocence which does not represent the rebellious air that Gaara had. She strolled over to another vase and smiled. "Perfect," she breathed out and snipped a single red carnation. It means admiration. Although she was sorry with her outward brashness to him and was a little annoyed with his forward attitude, she did admire him. He was strong, honest and considerate. She knew that if she insisted on payment for the modelling contract, he would have paid her the money. She knew he'd make a great friend.
Suddenly, the door to the shop opened and the person she was waiting arrived. Ino's smile widened and she turned around to greet Gaara. "You're here," Ino greeted him and gave him a one over. She let out soft breath at his appearance. He sure knows how to clean up. Although that bad boy persona was still there but it was more refined. "You look great," Ino told him appreciatively and walked over to where the 5ft 11 man stood. Gaara wore a dark brown Prada suit that was unbuttoned. His crisp white shirt was fitted perfectly and hugged his every muscle. The top two buttons were unbuttoned and the black tie he had on was loosened. His crimson hair was styled so it seemed like he just came out of bed but in a very model-like way. "Here," Ino reached for his breast pocket and placed the red rose in it. She stood back and looked at the flower placement. The rose complimented him a lot giving a more romantic feel to his already bad boy front.
Gaara looked down at the rose. "Thank you," he told her, their eyes meeting. He noticed her cheeks flushed and he felt a little embarrassed at the brief close contact. When he first walked through the door and laid eyes upon Ino, his heartbeat accelerated. She looked angelic. Although she did not wear a revealing dress which he thought she would, she went with a more demure approach. However, to him, she appeared very sultry with her blood red lips and thick eye lashes. "You look…." he trailed off, unable to think right.
Ino laughed. "I know. I look good." Her azure eyes sparkled. "Well we should go now. We don't want to be late," she told him, looping her right arm with his. Gaara froze upon the contact but regained his composure.
"The car is this way," he told her tugging her in the direction of his red Ferrari car.
"Wow…." Tenten and Lee breathed out. The entire forest looked like Christmas in the night except for without the reindeer and Santa Claus. There was a rather large path to where the ball was held. On the ground was a large red cloth ,which expanded from the entrance where the guests were dropped off by the shuttle bus and also where the parking lot was for those who chose to drive, to the opening where the charity ball was situated. It'll take a 5 minute walk to get there not that any of the guests would mind. The sight was really breathtaking and the air was cool. The trees that surrounded the wide path were strewn with ornaments and lights of different shapes and sizes that were donated by every family in Konoha. It shone brightly in the night sky. At the end of the path a huge arch of red roses, lavenders, tulips and orchids greeted the guests.
"Neji did well," Gai acknowledged as he stepped into the opening where the charity ball was. Tenten smiled. He really did do well. Of course it took her help but he did the most work. The entire place looked breath taking. At the north point of the opening a large stage was put up for the band to play at. Towards the west side was the buffet table which was 100 meters long and 100 tables that can seat 1000 people. On the east side was another buffet table which was equal in length and had another 100 tables. At the northeast corner was the VIP corner where the sponsors, VIPs and also the mayor sat. 100 meters away from the flower arch, where the entrance was, were the portable toilets. In the middle of the opening were the dance area and also where people mingled around to chat. At the south side of the opening, there is a big tent the size of a large cottage where the caterers get to place their food and drinks. The forest or trees that surrounded the opening was dressed in more lighting and ornaments. There were also 12, 20ft tall outdoor arena lighting, situated at the edges of the greenery, that were used to illuminate the ball. Although the tall lights were bright, however, different bulbs were used to create a more romantic feel. Thus, the light were dimmed and gave everyone a golden glow.
It looked like everyone in Konoha was there. Everyone was simply stunning since they dressed their best. Most of the town's people wore evening dresses and suits but some did wear Kimonos as well as Yukatas. Even the children were dressed to the nines. "My rival and Asuma-san is here," Gai exclaimed. "I shall go and greet them. You kids have fun." He smiled before walking over to his friends.
Tenten looked over at Lee who had his eyes focused on the buffet table. She laughed. "Lee. Why don't you see what there is to eat. And if you don't mind bring me a glass of juice," she told him. "I'll go find the gang." He gave her a smile and a 'ping' and was off to the buffet table. At a distance, Tenten saw a group of girls giggling and eying at her brother. Yes, she knew once there was less hair gel and with a little sprucing up, he would start getting noticed. Maybe he'll find a girlfriend soon.
She started to walk in the direction of the dance floor when she bumped into Hiashi and Neji. "Oh… hello," Tenten smiled at the two man.
"Tenten," Hiashi welcomed her and pulled her into a fatherly hug. "You look radiant tonight."
"Thank you," Tenten replied, feeling the heat creep up to her cheeks as she felt Neji's eyes on her.
"Neji told me that this ball was all your doing," Hiashi pressed on. "You did a great job."
Tenten smiled. "Well I helped him outline the plan but the decorations and the planning was really all him." She looked over at Neji and their eyes met. Tenten beckoned Hiashi to come closer and she whispered to him. "I really do think Neji needs a secretary. He's too proud to share his workload."
"I feel the same way, my dear. He's too stubborn for his own good but its because he's a Hyuuga," Hiashi replied a little loudly so that his nephew could overhear them. Tenten giggled softly.
"See Neji, even your uncle thinks you need a secretary," Tenten told him. Neji wore a black suit that fitted perfectly with his lean body and he also had on a dark blue tie over a mint green shirt. He looked handsome especially with his locks tied in a low ponytail.
"I'll think about it," he reassured his uncle.
His uncle nodded satisfied with Neji's answer. "Well I'll leave you two to be. I need to have a small discussion with the mayor and the other CEOs."
Neji watched his uncle walk away and turned his attention to Tenten. He noticed her swollen rose red lips, her high cheek bones and also her large almond eyes. Suddenly, the makeup made her features stand out more. When he first saw her, he felt his breath hitch inside his throat. He couldn't believe this was the double-bun haired, tomboy girl he grew up and trained with. He never once saw his best friend as a woman but, today, he finally did.
Tenten noticed his stare on her. "Do you like it?" she smiled at him, holding her arms out and making a slow 360 degree spin so he could see her Kimono.
"Hn," he replied. Truth to be told, he thought it looked damn good on her. The kimono hugged her curves and accentuated her beauty even more.
"It's my mothers," she told him, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I always wanted to wear it but I could never fit it until now." She looked up at him and smiled. "It's beautiful don't you think."
"Yes," he nodded, taking in her entire being. "It is."
"So where's Sakura and Hinata?" she asked him, looking out into the sea of people.
"They went to the dance area," he explained.
"Let's go find them," She told him and walked into the sea of people.
"Ji-ji," Naruto called out, scanning the crowd for any signs of his father. He sighed. "He's probably after some girl," he reassured himself. He walked into the crowd and looked for anyone he might recognise when he finally saw Gaara and Ino talking with Lee. "Gaara, Ino, Lee," the blond called out, grinning when they saw him and waved.
"Naruto," Lee greeted him and gave him a bear hug.
"Lee, you're not wearing any hair gel," Naruto said surprised, feeling soft locks of hair against his cheeks.
"Tenten convinced me and otousan to let our hair relax for tonight," Lee replied, smiling widely.
"It looks good, Lee," Naruto told him, taking in his wavy hair. "You should keep it like this." True enough the man he secretly nicknamed thick eyebrows was very striking tonight. He looked like a model who stepped out from the Sandaime era. He never knew he was this good looking. Heck he's a guy and he thought Lee looked hot.
"That's what I told him," Gaara uttered quietly. He wore a dark brown suit with a white shirt and a black tie. Even though he was the heir of Subaku Airlines, he still had that rebellious air around him what with his 'ai' tattoo and long-ish crimson hair. Gaara was glad that he finished his round and brief chats with the VIPs. Now, he got to relax and have fun with his friends.
Naruto smiled, knowing that Lee would not listen and gel his hair back the next day. Suddenly, Naruto saw the two cups that Lee held in his arms. "Lee, is that alcohol?" he asked him worriedly. The last thing they need was a drunken Lee smashing his way around the ball.
"No, it's Konoha's finest juice," Lee told him. "It's for Tenten and the other is for this beautiful flower," he bowed slightly and handed a glass to Ino who was quietly standing by Gaara's side.
She blushed prettily at the gesture. "Thank you, Lee." She told him, hoping she got his name right.
"Don't worry," Gaara told Naruto. "I checked the punch. No one spiked it."
Naruto nodded, feeling himself ease a little. He looked over at the stunning blond. She wore a pale blue-ish silver long Grecian dress that showed off her shoulders and hugged her body in all the right places. She wore her hair in a high ponytail with wisps of loose hair framing her face. Any guy would give her a triple take. "This is Tenten's brother," Naruto told her. She looked at Lee in surprise and smiled. "Lee, Ino here goes to the same university as Tenten, Sasuke and I."
"It's nice to meet you Lee," Ino told him, smiling at the green beast of Konoha. She did not have many friends but the few friends she had, she'll treat them like gold. She stuck a hand out to shake his hand.
"We don't do that here," Lee told her, pulling her into one of his famous hugs. Ino stuck out her hand with the drink so she would not spill it as she felt his muscular body envelope hers.
Gaara looked over at the pair with annoyance. "Lee," Naruto warned. "You're not supposed to do that to Gaara's date."
Lee let go of Ino and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Gaara. You can do that to my girlfriend in the future."
"She's not my girlfriend," Gaara maintained, his face passive. "She works for me."
Ino glared at him. "I'm doing the airline company's campaign," she explained, glancing over at Naruto and then Lee.
They nodded. "You are a model," Lee exclaimed. "With a flower as beautiful as you, being a model is very befitting."
Ino blushed again. Lee was very charming. Gaara tried not to role his eyes at his best friend. Only Lee could charm a woman and not know he was hitting on her as well.
"Where are Tenten and the rest?" Naruto asked the red haired.
"I've yet to see them," he told Naruto. Gaara glanced at Ino and Lee who seemed to strike up an immediate friendship. "Why don't we find them?" he told the blond haired man.
Naruto shrugged. "Sure."
"There you guys are," Tenten called out with Neji following behind her. "We looked all over the place." Sakura and Hinata turned around in the direction of her voice and smiled. Kiba and Shino were also there and gave a curt nod towards Tenten and Neji. "You must be Shino. It's nice to meet you finally," Tenten told the quiet man who wore dark tinted glasses and a very expensive dark blue Armani suit. He was handsome in a quiet way and had a mysterious air that she was sure drew a lot of female suitors.
"Likewise," Shino told her.
"Don't mind him," Kiba told her, grinning widely. "He doesn't talk much like Neji here," he stated, laughing a little while Neji gave him glare. Tenten smiled as she took in his dark gray yukata with silver details. To her, he looked like a silver wolf, tall and muscular with dark rugged good looks.
"I love your yukata," she told him, admiring the fabric.
"I love your kimono," Kiba retorted honestly back, flashing her grin. "Or rather the person in it." Tenten blushed at the comment. Behind her, irritable vibes pulsated from a certain Hyuuga male.
"You did a great job on the ball, Nejikun," Sakura told her boyfriend, tiptoeing to give him a peck on his cheek. Tenten turned around to see Sakura hug her boyfriend of 4 years. They look really good together, she told herself for the millionth time. Sakura wore a long red empire waist dress which displayed her small waist. It also had a slit on the right side that started mid thigh which revealed her long legs. She had her soft pink hair in large curls and it tumbled a few inches above her waist. For her makeup she went for the smokey eye and pale pink lips. She looked beautiful. Next to Neji, they both looked like the golden couple of Konoha which they very much are. Both of them are attractive and smart.
Hinata flushed at the sight of affection from her cousin and Sakura. Sure it was romantic and sweet but she felt uncomfortable watching them. Shino nudged a drink at her direction and she smiled at him. She took a few gulps of juice and calmed down. "Tenten, you look beautiful," Hinata told her friend.
Tenten looked over to her and gave her a soft smile. "You look good too, Hinata." It was true Hinata looked very attractive. She wore a lavender coloured kimono with silver, white and dark blue embroidered doves on it. She wore her short, dark hair in soft waves and pinned a lavender shaped diamond encrusted clip behind her left ear. Her skin was clear and pale. She had on black eyeliner and red lip gloss. She was the epitome of Japanese beauty.
"Where's Lee?" Hinata asked her, looking around for her brother.
Tenten scanned the crowds as well. "I'm not sure. He was supposed to get me a drink. He's taking a really long time."
As if on cue, Lee and the others found them. "Hey guys, what's up?" Naruto called out from a distance.
Lee walked over to his sister and passed a glass of juice to her. She looked inside noticing her half-empty glass. "I got thirsty," he told her sheepishly. Tenten smiled and drank the leftover punch quickly. She placed the glass on the empty tray of a waiter who happened to walk by.
"Tenten," Ino rushed to her and hugged her. "Why didn't you call me?" Ino pouted.
"Sorry I was a little busy," Tenten apologised.
"Yeah, Gaara told me that you helped organise the entire ball," Ino looked at her proudly. "You should have done interior designing for your major instead."
"Maybe I should have," Tenten laughed. "But it was all Neji really. I just helped a little," she told Ino, pointing towards the tall Hyuuga.
"I met Lee," the blonde told her excitedly. "He's so charming."
Beside her, Gaara joined Naruto, Lee, Neji, Kiba and Shino in their conversation about their latest developments over the past 4 years. Well, Lee, Naruto and Kiba talked but the other 3 quiet men listened and added in comments here and there.
"Oh Ino, this is Hinata and also Sakura," Tenten introduced her.
"It's nice to meet you Hinata," Ino embraced the petite woman. "You're so cute," she told Hinata at which she received a shy smile and blush.
"Ino-pig," Sakura slowly uttered, not knowing whether it was her long lost primary school friend.
The blond turned to look at the pink-haired female. "Forehead girl?" Ino said slowly and then broke into a huge grin.
"It is you," Sakura laughed, hugging her long lost friend.
"My gosh. It's been years," Ino replied, releasing Sakura.
Tenten and Hinata stood and watched the two friends greet each other. "You know each other," Hinata asked timidly.
"We lost contact when I entered a different high school. We both went to Suna Elementary school together," Sakura explained. She turned her attention towards Ino again. "Why didn't you call me?"
"You never gave me your new number at all silly," Ino told her, smiling. "I would have gone to your house but I don't know where that is."
Sakura laughed again and together the four of them caught up on lost time.
Sasuke stood beside the mayor and made small talk with the other VIPs. It's now 8.30pm and he mingled with the VIPs for an hour now. Beside him Kurenai laughed and told a short story on something that happened while she was filming their drama 'Late Nights'. A group of young adolescent giggling girls came and asked for his autograph which he gave. He wanted badly to go look for Tenten, Lee, Naruto or Ino. He kept on making small glances to the crowd in case he spotted them but to no avail. He wanted to excuse himself and search for them but he could not since it was rude.
"Uchiha-san," A man in his 50s came towards him. He was still handsome in his old age. Sasuke noticed that he had the same pearly eyes as the girl he met a few days ago.
"Please call me Sasuke," Sasuke told him in his quiet, baritone voice. He extended out his hand and it was gripped firmly by the man. "And you are?" He asked again politely.
"Hyuuga Hiashi," the man smiled, his eyes crinkling. "You are a guest at my hotel. How is your stay? Are you comfortable?"
"The hotel is good. I have no complaints," Sasuke honestly replied.
"Very good," Hiashi said, nodding. "I heard that you requested for a standard room. Would you like to be upgraded to a suite?"
"It's very kind of you," Sasuke bowed slightly. "But I do not require a bigger room. Just the basic room will do."
Hiashi nodded, impressed by the down to earth young man. He thought that Sasuke would be arrogant but he was pleasantly surprised.
"Sasuke! How Tenten would be pleased to meet you!" A loud, cheerful voice startled them from behind.
"Gai-san," Hiashi acknowledged his friend. "You know this young man?"
Gai gave his bear crushing hug to his friend and then to Sasuke who cringed in pain. "This here is my future son-in-law," Gai revealed, patting Sasuke on the back.
Hiashi appeared startled. "Tenten's fiancé?" he asked Sasuke, looking at the young man for his answer.
"Boyfriend," Sasuke replied.
"They have my blessing," Gai said, beaming at Sasuke. "Tenten is waiting for you. She should be in the centre area near the dance floor."
"Thank you…" Sasuke said, unsure of what to call him. "uncle…" The young actor looked at Gai for his reaction.
"Don't be shy," Gai said excitedly. "Call me otousan." Sasuke nodded.
"Well, Sasuke," Hiashi joined in. "Go and look for Tenten. You must be bored standing around old folks like us," He urged Sasuke. "Don't worry about the mayor. I'll deal with him. Besides you've been here for an hour already," He added, upon seeing Sasuke's hesitance and furtive glance to the mayor.
"Have fun!" Gai told him, pushing him into the crowd.
"Thank you…. Otousan," Sasuke told him, gratefully. He walked into the crowd which seemed to part a little when he came walking by. He scanned the crowd and gave a tiny smile when he saw his girlfriend deep in conversation with her friends.
"So, Ino. You're the one who gave Tenten a makeover," Sakura asked Ino, impressed. "I tried to give her one years ago."
"Yeah, I showed her what to do with her hair and what clothes look good on her," Ino babbled on. "But the product of today," she looked at Tenten appreciatively. "That's all Tenten. I doubt I could have done any better."
"What happened?" Sakura turned her attention to Tenten.
"What do you mean?" Tenten asked the pink haired female.
"For you to want to change," Hinata added, her voice soft.
Ino laughed. "You guys don't know. It's because of someone," She said, mysteriously. Sakura smiled widely while Hinata walked in closer.
"Who?" Sakura and Hinata both asked.
"My boyfriend," Tenten revealed, watching for both their reactions.
True enough both of them looked shocked but it was at something behind her rather than from her statement. "Oh My God," Sakura gasped, at the sight of her favourite idol. "Sasukekun,"she quietly mouthed to herself.
"Brother-in-law," Lee voiced out, his mouth widening into a toothy grin.
"What?" Tenten asked, confused only to have her slender body enveloped by strong arms.
"Found you," a deep, soft voice breathed into her ears.
TBC…
I really had fun writing this chapter and I think my writing has improved a lot. I'm getting my writing abilities back.
I am so sorry for the long wait.
It's been a month to 6 weeks since I last updated. I wanted to. But my email got hacked and I couldn't even enter it. All the data I had for this chapter of Heaven's tale was gone and I had to start it all over again from scratch. I tried for 2 weeks to open my email hoping that I'll be able to sign in but to no avail. In the end, I managed to write it all down and to tell you the truth it's much better than the original one. Much more detailed but yet the dialogues is a little lacking. In the end, I doubt I can make it any better. So here it is.
To my friend Julie Ahn, who I hope will be reading this. Please PM my fanfiction account. I want to give you my new msn and email account. I've been so worried and truthfully I tried to hunt you down on the net but to no avail.
Thank you for reading and sorry for the abrupt ending. The ball scene is longer than I expected to be. The next chapter will be out by the end of this week or Monday.
Please review.