Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Hopefully, the characters are in character *crosses fingers*

Heaven's Tale

Chapter 9

It was early Sunday morning and already the day began in a way that Neji had not planned. Here, he was, the proud Hyuuga, on his hands and knees scrubbing the wooden floorboards of the dojo with a toothbrush. It was a scene, Neji was sure Gaara and the others would pay to see.

"Cheer up, Neji," Tenten called over to him, secretly amused to see her best friend sulking. "As soon as we finish, we can spar."

He met her gaze and held it, not knowing that he was making Tenten hold her breath at the sight of his piercing gaze. He sighed at her reply and surveyed the dojo around them. There were windows to wash, ceilings to dust and sports equipments to wipe down. The floor was half way done and the store room, toilet and office are still left untouched. At this rate it'll take them at least 2 hours for everything to be clean once more.

Tenten made herself focus on brushing the wooden floor. His gaze caught her off guard and she convinced herself that any girl or guy for that matter could be swayed by Neji's penetrating eyes. Besides, she has a boyfriend whom she adores and she has moved on now. He was, she assured herself, just her childhood crush. "Let's do Judo after this," she suggested, dipping her toothbrush in a bucket of soapy water.

"Hn," Neji replied, agreeing with her suggestion.

"Judo it is then, honey buns," Tenten whispered, giggling as she saw the tips of Neji's ears redden. A few years back, Tenten was invited to a Hyuuga family gathering much to Neji's dismay. Never had Tenten seen Neji look more mortified or embarrassed in her entire life.

"You shouldn't have come," Neji voiced out to his best friend, his right hand grasping firmly around the door knob.

"Hey, Neji," Tenten beamed, she held a basket of tangerines with one hand. "I was invited by Hiashi-san. So of course I'd come. I bought your family some tangerines." She walked closer to the entrance but was blocked by a human wall. "Aren't you going to let me in?" She told him, impatiently.

"No."

Tenten rolled her eyes. Well at least he was honest. "We can do this the hard way or the easy way," she explained with her free hand resting on her hip. Neji gave her one of his infamous glares. "Right," she stated, knowing that he very much answered her question. She took out her cell phone. "Well, I'll just call Hiashi-san then to let me in."

Neji released his grip on the door knob and stepped to the side to let her in. "Don't let the door hit you on the way in."

Tenten laughed. "Neji! You seem really tense today." Neji sighed. He seemed to be really out of character today. He must be really nervous.

He led her into the dining room which was able to seat 50 people. Most of his relatives were there mingling with other relatives. Hors d'oeuvres were passed around by waiters in a black tux. Suddenly, Tenten felt conscious as she noticed the rich air of the gathering. Most wore suits, cocktail dresses and kimonos. "I'm a little underdressed, aren't I?" Tenten asked Neji, knowing that what she said was an understatement. She wore a blue cheongsam top and a black skirt that ended below her knees. She knew she should have raided Sakura's closet instead of hers.

"You look fine," Neji assured her, placing a hand at the small of her back and pushing her gently in the direction of his cousin, Hinata.

Tenten stiffened at the contact but turned around to face him. "So why was I invited today?" She babbled, hoping to overcome her sudden awkwardness.

"To witness my humiliation," he muttered, noticing the smirk his uncle gave him.

Tenten waved at Hiashi. "Why? Did you do something wrong?" She prodded, wanting to know more.

"He did nothing wrong. Today, we are also celebrating his belated birthday," Hiashi told her, as he walked over to where they were standing.

Tenten looked at Neji, startled. This was obviously news to her. Lee never made it known that he was also invited.

"Only Tenten?" Hiashi asked Neji, waiting patiently for his answer. "Where are the rest of your friends?"

"… Busy…" The younger Hyuuga male, looked expectedly to his best friend for help.

"Y-yeah…" She replied, her feet shuffling nervously under the gaze of the two men. "Lee has a test tomorrow," she lied, hoping the older Hyuuga did not know that all 3 of them are in the same class.

Hiashi nodded but still gazed suspiciously at his nephew. "Of course." Hiashi looked to his left and beckoned a waiter to take the basket of tangerines out of Tenten's hand. He, then, looked to his right and nodded his head towards Hinata. "Excuse me…" He turned towards Tenten. "I have some things to attend to."

"So…" She began, making sure that Neji's uncle was a fair distance before continuing her sentence. "Lee never told me he was invited. Gaara too for that matter or Naruto or Sakura."

"I bribed Sakura and threatened the others," Neji told her, earnestly. He grabbed two glasses of sparkling grape juice from a passing waiter and gave a glass to her.

"Ah…" Her chocolate eyes widened in surprise. "And why was I invited again?" She took a sip of her drink.

"Because…" He raised his glass to his lips and took a sip. "If no one accepted my uncle's invitation, he would be suspicious."

"And you picked me because…." She asked, pressing for his answer.

Suddenly, lights were dimmed and a projector was wheeled into the dining area.

"Because," Neji continued, watching the projector getting switched on by Hanabi and the projector light getting directed to a white wall. "You are my…." He hesitated, eyes unfathomable. "… best friend." Tenten gave Neji a soft smile. This was the first time that he ever admitted that they were friends. She was touched that he opened his heart to her. He never does.

Hanabi 'tinked' her empty glass with a silver spoon repeatedly in order to get everyone's attention. She cleared her throat and directed a smug smile to her male cousin. "When otousama suggested that we should make this a family gathering as well as a belated birthday party for Neji, I jumped at the suggestion." Her eyes scanned the crowd. "I have yet to give my beloved cousin a gift. So, I thought long and hard on what type of gift I should give him. And then I realised. Not many people knew my cousin really well especially since he's usually robotic-like. Therefore, I decided to show my cousin's human side. And what better a gift to show this than a slideshow of his life. With the help of my otousama and several relatives, I have made this 30 minute video presentation." She smiled slyly and pressed the 'play' button on the remote. "Please,watch. And Neji, I hope you love this video as much as I loved making it. Cause you'll remember this moment for the rest of your life." She chuckled.

Tenten saw an unhidden mixture of fear and discomfort in Neji's pale eyes. "And I trust that whatever happens in this room stays in this room," He pressed, urging for her agreement. She nodded, not knowing what was so bad about a slideshow.

15 minutes in and Tenten finally understood Neji's reasoning of not inviting anyone. His entire reputation would be tarnished. Tenten as well as the room's occupants roared with laughter. The corny cheap music, naked baby photos, embarrassing home videos especially with one where a 5 year old Neji was taking a dump near a tree was too much to take. Hanabi really did outdo herself with this birthday presentation. But the icing on the cake was a 13 year old Neji being smothered by an elderly woman's well-endowed chest as well as being pinched in the butt and being called 'honey buns' by an equally elderly man. "Oh, Neji," She doubled up in laughter looked over at Neji's heated face. "weren't you just precious."

"Do not say a word…"

"I should definitely get my hands on that CD."

"Not before I do," Neji uttered under his breath, wanting to just kick down the projector and break the CD in half.

"What are you doing?" Neji snapped, the tips of his ears still flaming red.

"Quit that," Tenten laughed. "I'm just walking down memory lane that's all. Do you think Hanabi still has that presentation? "

"No," he told her adamantly. He broke, burned and buried all the evidence. "I'm not that interesting," he huffed, scrubbing the floors furiously.

"Pffttttttttt…" Tenten began.

"What?" He demanded.

"Remember the time that otousan wanted us to clean the dojo for the first time because we lacked funds to hire a cleaner," she reminisced. "You 'accidently' dropped a 10000 yen bill on the ground and pointed to it saying that someone dropped it." Neji cheeks pinked in hue. "You hinted to otousan to use that money to pay for a cleaner but, otousan, instead said that the money should be returned to its rightful owner." Tenten laughed, her sides aching. "That was a good 10000 yen well spent."

Neji was not lazy. He cleaned his room, washed his own underwear and washed his dishes after each use. However, Gai's severe cleaning method was as bad as Lee's training routine. Once, they had to clean a window with a toothpick. "Where's Lee?" Neji asked the laughing brunette, wanting to change the topic.

Tenten wiped the tears out of her eyes. "I don't know," She stopped scrubbing the floor and had a thoughtful look on her face. "He left in such a hurry after otousan mentioned about clean up duty that I didn't have the chance to ask."

Neji continued brushing the floor, aggravated that Lee was playing truancy.

All of a sudden, a whirl of green came bursting through the only door of the dojo. A gleam of white teeth. A practiced cool guy pose. Yep, it was definitely Lee. Neji and Tenten looked at Konoha's green beast in slight interest. "I have searched all through Konoha and found the greatest toothbrush mankind has ever created," Lee announced, showing off his newly purchased toothbrush. "With this toothbrush, I shall beat you my eternal rival by cleaning this dojo more vigorously and cleaner than you."

"Let's just clean. It'll take a few minutes for him to finish his speech," Tenten urged Neji, focusing back on the dirtied floors.

"This toothbrush has multi- angled bristles that are designed to increase contact with the surface and lift out dirt from tough spots. It also has bristles 20 times thinner than that you are holding my rival. Not only that but it removes surface stains and polishes teeth which in turn would help give a youthful glow on the floors." Lee flexed his cleaning tool. "It is also as flexible as a gymnast."

Out of the blue, a gust of wind pushed in dried leaves, twigs and dirt into the dojo. Dirtying up what clean floor was scrubbed. "Lee!" Tenten cried, looking at the mess on the floor.

"Oops…" Lee said, sheepishly. He, however, snapped his mouth shut as he saw a glowering Hyuuga.

Tenten looked up, eyes wide. "Neji, please have mercy on my brother." Neji merely stood up, his fists clenched.

"I'll go find a broom," Lee declared, when a hand grasped his shoulder tightly.

"Hand it over," Neji replied, agitated. He spent the last hour cleaning. Only to find that he has to spend another 3 hours washing the floor and everything else that needed cleaning.

"No, please. Anything but that," Lee sobbed dramatically, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Neji snatched Lee's toothbrush and painstakingly, slowly snapped Lee's beloved toothbrush into two.

"Nooooooooooooooooo," Lee dramatically verbalized, falling down to his knees. In his hands, he held the remains of the toothbrush in his hand.

"That'll be 1600 yen," Ino smiled politely as she wrapped a dozen lilacs in yellow paper.

"You're that model, Ino," a small female teen with braces, red oval cheek markings and pig tails commented, star struck.

Ino tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. "Yes, I am." She smiled, taking the 1600 yen from the petite teen.

"Do you think I can have your autograph?" she asked, uncertainly.

"Sure," Ino exclaimed. "Should I sign your book or...'

"My shirt," the girl told her confidently.

"Who should I sign it off too?" the blonde asked and took a felt tip pen from the stationary stand.

"Moegi," the younger female replied, watching Ino sign her sleeve. "Thank you," she told Ino as Ino placed the felt tip pen back into the stationary stand. Moegi took the lilac bouquet and bid her farewell.

Ino glanced at her Cartier wrist watch. It was 1pm and still no Shikamaru. She sighed. Well at least now they can eat lunch together. Besides, Shikamaru is always late. 'If he stood me up,' Ino thought as she cracked her knuckles. 'I'll give him hell.'

"Ino," a raven-haired male, called out to her, hands in his pocket.

The blonde snapped out of her reverie and sat up straight on her stool. "Sasukekun!" She exclaimed, thoroughly surprised to see the brooding man.

"I've been standing here for 2 minutes now," he told her, eyebrow raised.

"Ah," Ino managed to say. She stood up from her stool and walked past the actor and to the door. "That's strange I didn't hear the door bell ring. It must be broken."

"It rang," Sasuke told her.

"Oh ," Ino smiled sheepishly, smoothing her apron. "I didn't know you knew where my family's shop is."

"I didn't. It was the first flower shop I saw," he explained.

"So why am I bestowed with your presence today?" she asked him. It was a little strange to find him in a flower shop. She didn't find him the romantic type. "You need something for Tenten."

"Do you have apple blossoms?" he asked her, his hands stuffed into his pocket.

"I do," Ino confirmed, smiling. "They're pretty rare. We're the only florist who sells them here in Konoha. Well there was another florist but they closed down a few months ago." She walked over to a large vase containing the pale pink and white flowers. "Is a dozen enough?" she looked at him expectedly.

"Hn..."

Ino chose the best Apple Blossoms and wrapped the flowers in white paper with a matching white satin ribbon.

"How much?" Sasuke asked her, taking the bouquet from her hands and taking out his wallet.

"It's on the house," Ino revealed. "Don't worry about it," she told him before he could protest or shove money into her hands. "The next time you buy flowers you can pay."

"You sure," he asked, putting back his wallet into his back pocket of his jeans.

"Yeah." Ino nodded before noticing a familiar male strut lazily into her store. "Shikamaru! Do you know how late you are?" She scolded. The two males flinched at her loud voice.

"Late enough to come with takeout," the Nara male answered.

She glanced at the paper bag in his hand. "I'm still mad at you."

"Simmer down," Shikamaru told her, warily. "You'll break a blood vessel."

"Well you don't have to be sarcastic about it."

Sasuke stood in the middle of the store, unsure whether to leave or stay. Through both their bickering, he noticed that they had a strong friendship and a little sexual attraction towards one another. He saw Ino redden with annoyance and took a few steps back just in case she started flinging flowers with thorns or worse the vases. "I'm leaving," he called out.

She snapped her head towards Sasuke and calmed herself down. "Sasukekun. So soon," she told him sweetly, a little too sweetly.

"I need to pick up Tenten."

"Ok well, before you go," Ino smiled at him a little too brightly. "Meet Shikamaru and Shikamaru meet Sasuke." Both of the males looked at each other in acknowledgement.

"We met," Sasuke told her. "He's my family's lawyer."

"Shika hardly talks about work matters to me. If he did, i'd known that you two have met," Ino huffed.

"There's a thing called client confidentiality," Shika yawned.

"Whatever, Shika," Ino told him. "You better go," Ino told Sasuke. "I wouldn't want Tenten to keep waiting. "

"Hn. It's late" Sasuke agreed, making his way to the front door.

"I'll see you around," Ino called out to him, watching him open the door and, then, close it.

"Let's eat," Shika told her, opening the paper bag to reveal McDonald's. She looked at her childhood friend and opened her mouth to continue her rant. Shikamaru sighed as he chewed on a French fry.

After 5 minutes of ranting, Ino calmed down. "You know you're going to give me a heart attack one day."

"That's the plan." Shikamaru answered, biting into his burger.

Ino thwacked his arm and laughed. "You're an idiot you know that. Hurry up and eat. I can't wait to show you the studio."

"So, this is it," Ino revealed, opening the door to her studio and switching on the lights. It was an empty dusty space which had boxes and a little bit of trash strewn around. "Well, what do you think?" she asked Shikamaru.

He walked into the middle of the room and looked at the mess. "It has potential," he admitted.

"Exactly." Ino kicked some boxes away. "There's the toilet. It just needs some plumbing work. Then, the office would be there. Next to it would be the dark room and the store room." She pointed towards the back area of the shop lot. She, then, turned towards the front area near the entrance. "Imagine, Shika. There would be a sofa and two chairs and a coffee table. A coffee making machine and also the receptionist table," Ino told him excitedly. "And right here." She looked at Shika. "Would be where the magic happens."

"What about the other two floors?" Shikamaru asked. "From my understanding, you bought the entire shop lot including the two floors above. "

"Yeah I did but I wanted to start small first see. Then, once business is booming, I can use the space above," Ino explained. She took out the floor plans and showed her best friend. "What do you think?"

"I think you should maximise the space below," Shikamaru advised her. "Make a makeshift office, dark room and storeroom on the floor above. That way when your business becomes too troublesome you can utilise the above rooms without renovating the ground floor."

Ino nodded. "Yeah that makes sense. What would I do without you, Shika?" Ino stated, leaning against his arms slightly.

"You'll do the most troublesome thing."

"And what would that be?"

"Shop."

Ino laughed. "You're a typical specimen of a man. Do you know that, Shika?"

"So I've been told," he told her, amused.

Sasuke entered the elevator and glanced at the dry leaf that Tenten had written her address on yesterday. He already memorised her address but wanted to make sure for the umpteenth time that day that he did not get the address wrong. He did not even know why he was so nervous. He guessed that maybe it was due to him going to his girlfriend's house for the first time. According to his brother, Itachi, it was a big deal. He pressed the 6th floor button where her apartment was situated and waited for the door to close.

Suddenly, a hand interrupted the movement of the elevator and in stepped a tall male. Pale eyes acknowledged Sasuke's presence but Sasuke knew that it also held a tinge of surprise. "Neji right," he greeted, emotion withdrawn from his voice. He knew Neji was Tenten's best friend, so he wanted to make an effort to be somewhat pleasant around him. The elevator door closed behind Neji.

"Sasuke," Neji responded, his voice equally emotionless. He took a glance at the elevator buttons and saw that the number '6' was highlighted. He, then, took another glance at the paper bag Sasuke was holding with his right hand.

"Sesame dumplings," Sasuke said, confirming Neji's suspicions.

"Hn," the long haired male replied. "She'll like that."

"I know." Sasuke smirked.

Neji watched the monitor as it states that they were on the 3rd floor which is 3 more floors until Tenten's apartment. "Did Gai and Lee have the talk with you?"

"Hn," Sasuke uttered, knowing where this conversation would lead to.

"Good." Neji smirked, pressing the red button on the elevator to make it lurch to a stop in between the 4th and 5th floor. "It's my turn now."

"Of course," Sasuke muttered, turning to face the Hyuuga male.

"If you ever make her cry, I will gorge your eyes out," Neji warned Tenten's boyfriend, stepping into his personal space. "And if you ever try anything on her that she does not want to do. I will do that exact same thing to you," Neji continued. "Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Sasuke said, sincerely. At that moment, the raven haired male realised that Tenten might be more than a best friend to Neji only he has yet to realise it. Sasuke took a step closer to Neji. "I want to remind you Hyuuga. You have a girlfriend now."

Neji glared at the male, not liking what he was trying to insinuate. Tenten was nothing more but a best friend to him.

"I trust Tenten but I don't trust you," Sasuke retorted. "Remember your boundaries and I'll remember mine."

"Hn," Neji agreed, smirking. "I don't trust you either but I don't hate you, Uchiha."

"I feel the same way." Sasuke smirked back, an understanding of each other being reached. And, with that, a start of an unusual friendship.

Neji pressed the green button and in a few seconds the elevator reached the 6th floor with a ting. The elevator door slid open and both the males stepped out. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I'll take you to her apartment," Neji explained.

Neji strolled over to a bright green door with Sasuke following him close behind. He rang the door bell and waited. The faint sound of quickened footsteps and locks turning could be heard.

"I'm sorry I was in the shower," A flustered Tenten, explained as she opened the door to two good looking, hot-blooded males. She felt their eyes roam all over her towel clad body.

Sasuke felt his body temperature rise and he was sure Neji was feeling the same way too. He knew his girlfriend is hot. However, seeing her in a small towel that stopped mid thigh and showed a hint of cleavage with drips of water running down the slope of her neck to her collar bone was, well, captivating. Not to mention her hair was up in a messy wet bun.

"Well this is awkward," Tenten smiled nervously.

"It wouldn't have been if you had clothes on," Neji told her, averting his gaze away from her.

"I will after I finish taking a shower," Tenten retorted, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Sasuke." She looked over at her boyfriend and blushed at his intense gaze. "Close the door ok. I'll finish up," she told him, walking over to the bathroom to continue her shower.

Sasuke stepped inside the apartment and proceeded to close the door when Neji stuck out his arms to stop the door from fully closing. "I'll keep you company," Neji stated. He wanted to make sure Sasuke would not try anything on her. However, his phone started to ring and he saw Sakura on his caller id. He almost forgot that they had a late lunch date today.

"I won't try anything," Sasuke told him. "Besides..." Sasuke smirked. "I've seen her in something much less." With that Sasuke closed the door and went over to sit on the plush cream coloured couch, his face revealing a small, satisfied smile.

Behind the closed door, Neji flipped open his phone to answer his girlfriend's call. He knew he should not care what couples do behind closed doors because it was normal. But it still bothered him. "Sakura, I'll be up in a minute," he assured her, flipping the phone shut to a close. He glanced back at the closed green door one last time before heading to the elevator.

"Where are we heading?" Tenten asked Sasuke, popping another sesame dumpling into her mouth. Sasuke got her 2 dozen dumplings on which she bought four into the car as she was starving. She left the remaining dumplings at home with a note for Gai and Lee to snack on if they were hungry.

"It's a surprise," Sasuke told her while making a right turn into a private housing area where Konoha's elite usually stays at. Well with the exception of a certain Hyuuga family.

"Want the last dumpling?" Tenten asked him.

"Hn," Sasuke agreed. Tenten smiled as she brought the sesame dumpling to his pale lips.

"It's good right," Tenten expressed. Sasuke nodded, still chewing his food. His eyes were focused on the road. "Where did you buy it from?"

"There's a small Chinese restaurant next to the Yamanaka's flower shop," he revealed, feeling Tenten dab the corners of his mouth with a tissue.

"You mean Ino's family flower shop," She asked, eyes widening. Sasuke's eyes flickered to her cherub face in agreement. "That's great. I can go visit her and then have a snack at that restaurant."

Tenten placed the dirtied tissue into a plastic bag that she took her sesame dumplings in and tied it up so she can discard it in the rubbish bin later. She, then, looked up and assessed their current location. They were at Konoha Heights where she knew Gaara lived and the Hyuuga family used to reside. "Gaara lives somewhere here," she told him, a little fascinated by the size of the houses or in this case, mansions. From her calculations it'll take at least 20 minutes to walk from one mansion to the next.

A few minutes later, Sasuke took out a small remote and with a press of a green button, initiated the automatic gate to open. He, then drove, into the drive way and parked in a designated parking space along with 2 other expensive cars. "This is where I live," Sasuke disclosed, turning towards his girlfriend.

Tenten was stunned. His house looked like a traditional Japanese palace. With intricate floral motives carved into the expensive wooden beams of the house. The roof was made of strong clay and was in a deep shade of blue. There was a huge front empty garden which Tenten guessed is used for banquets. "Am I meeting your family?" She asked him slowly, looking down at her plain jeans, black tank top and mustard colour cardigan.

"Yes," Sasuke answered.

"You should have told me," Tenten cried, exasperated. "I came empty handed and my clothes aren't appropriate."

"You look good and my family won't expect anything from you," Sasuke reassured her calmly, reaching for the Apple Blossoms situated at the back seat.

"Its common courtesy though," Tenten expressed.

"They won't think any less of you," Sasuke comforted her stepping out of the car.

"Hopefully," Tenten told him worriedly, following his lead. She smoothed down her hair and glided lip balm on her smooth lips. "Can I hold the flowers? It'll make me feel less nervous."

Sasuke handed her the bouquet and unlocked the front black wooden door with his house key. The couple took off their shoes and wore the slippers made available. "Aniki, Ojisan," Sasuke called out.

"Maybe they went out," the bun haired girl stated, a little relieved.

"Hn," Sasuke replied, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Tenten followed him into a large living room where there was a large Victorian upholstered sofa fit for four people and three, dark brown leather single sofa accompaniments. "Sit," Sasuke articulated. "I'll find them."

"Ok," Tenten replied, uncertain whether she should wait or follow him but she sat down anyway. She watched Sasuke's retreating back before focusing her attention to the details in the room. There was a bookshelf lined with thick leather bound books and also a large gold vase in each corner of the room where she imagined used to contain stalks of Sakura, Callas or Aster. She made a mental note to buy some flowers for this room the next time she visits.

An older man walked into the room, his eyes a matching onyx as Sasuke's, hair greying and face as handsome as it was aged. In short, Sasuke would look like him in four decades and still be as handsome as when he was young. This family had one of the best genes in terms of their physical attributes. "Who are you?" the older man asked his voice cold. Another Uchiha family trait, Tenten guessed.

Tenten shot up from the sofa. "I'm Tenten," she told him, politely.

"What are you doing in my house?" he asked her, apprehensively.

"To meet you," Tenten revealed, a little nervous by the death glare he was giving her.

"Who let you in?" he asked again.

"Sasuke," Tenten told him, quietly. "I'm his..."

"She's my girlfriend," Sasuke explained, appearing from behind his uncle. "Tenten this is my ojisan, Uchiha Madara."

"It's nice to meet you, Uchiha-san," Tenten bowed.

"Well," Madara smiled in amusement. "Who knew I'd live to see Sasuke's female interest." Tenten reddened at the comment. "Call me ojisan. You're family now."

Tenten nodded, she relaxed a little. "That's it." Madara continued to look at her in interest. "No test no nothing."

"Test?" he questioned.

"To see if I'm suitable for Sasuke," Tenten explained.

"That won't be necessary," Madara answered, smirking at the glare that bore into his skull. "I trust my nephew's taste." He looked at Tenten and took in her sunny appearance. She was exactly what his nephew needed. A breath of fresh air.

"OK," Tenten said, smiling.

"I'm just glad he's into girls. I was beginning to question his sexuality," Madara replied, chuckling quietly as Sasuke glared daggers at him. Madara noticed the flowers in her hand and looked at his nephew knowingly. "Do stay for dinner. I'll call for food to be delivered," he requested her.

"I'd like that." Tenten looked over at Sasuke for confirmation just in case he had other plans. There was no objection on Sasuke's end. "Do you always eat takeout?"

"We don't have time to cook with our busy schedules," Sasuke replied.

"Well, I can cook," she said brightly.

"It's not necessary," Sasuke conveyed to her.

"I know that," Tenten started. "I want to. I came to your house empty handed. And when was the last time you had a homemade meal?"

"Hana poisoned us," Sasuke revealed, remembering the last time a female cooked for them. The three Uchiha males were bedridden for a week.

"Well I wouldn't."

"Then, it's settled. Tenten will cook us dinner," Madara agreed before his nephew could object.

Tenten smiled in satisfaction. "Great. Where's your kitchen?"

"I'm afraid our pantry is empty aside from milk, green tea, bread, cereal, rice and eggs. Make a list of ingredients you need and Sasuke will call the local supermarket to have it delivered," Madara explained. "I'll be in my study."

"I'll call you, then, when dinner is ready," she agreed.

"Did you make the call?" Tenten asked Sasuke. She was sitting at the courtyard situated at the back of the mansion. It has a tsukiyama design with shrubs, a few Sakura trees, bamboos, Japanese black pine,a small koi pond with a stone bridge and a stone pathway. There were also several stone lanterns as well as stone basil. It was like a little bit of heaven on earth.

"Hn," Sasuke told her, taking a seat beside her.

"I love this garden. It's calming," Tenten told him, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Okaasan designed it," he quietly stated. "My otousan was a man of few words. But when my okaasan finished with the garden, he commented that the garden represented the beauty of that of my Okaasan's soul." Sasuke looked around the garden.

"I'm sure she was beautiful," Tenten contemplated. "I wished I'd have met them." Sasuke seldom talked about his parents and when he did, Tenten was grateful that he shared a piece of his life with her. She knew how hard it was to talk about a parent who has left this earth. "I wished you'd have met my okaasan."

Sasuke turned his head slightly towards her and touched her cheek with his right. "Let's go," he told her, standing up and pulling her up to a standing position too. "Bring the flowers."

"Where to?" She asked, puzzled. Sasuke kept subdued as he held her hand and led her deeper into the garden. They walked on the stone pathway and over the stone bridge. 3 minutes later, the garden opened to a medium size opening. It revealed two grave stones.

"These are my parents," he told her, falling to his knees to pull out the weeds on the patch of land. Tenten followed suit. She knew how important it was to keep a burial place kept. She also knew that Sasuke would do the same for her okaasan's grave. "They died in a car accident when I was 7. The traffic lights malfunctioned and their car smashed against a passing truck. "

"I'm sorry." Tenten placed a hand over his. "My okaasan was very sick. She'd cough out blood sometimes or had dizzy spells where she couldn't get out of bed for days. She finally succumbed when I was 12."

"I'm sorry too."

"Don't be. I was glad she passed away. She was in so much pain." Tenten looked at him with sorrowful eyes. "You must think I'm a horrible person."

"I don't," he told her, placing a chaste kiss to her forehead. Sasuke placed the apple blossoms on her grave.

They both sat there in silence, remembering, dreaming until the cold autumn winds wafted through the garden.

2 hours later...

"It looks ok," Itachi prodded the beef with his chopsticks in the boiling broth. "Edible."

Sasuke gave a defiant stare to his brother. "I hope so," Tenten uttered, worried. Tenten made sukiyaki for dinner. It consisted of thinly sliced beef, negi, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, shungiku, Chinese cabbage and soba noodles. She even made a few side dishes which consisted of agedashi tofu, grilled aji, cherry tomatoes and tuna sashimi.

Madara took a beef from the boiling pot placed in the middle of the table and placed it in his mouth. He gave a chew or two before giving her a small smile. "This is delicious, Tenten."

Itachi looked at his uncle and tasted the meat. "It really is good," Itachi told her, surprised. He scooped out more pieces of meat, mushrooms and some Chinese cabbages. Sasuke was filled with pride at his family's comments. He knew they would love Tenten.

Tenten wiped her sweat of her brow and wiped her hands over her apron before picking up her chopsticks. She looked at the food around the table and decided to eat the tuna sashimi first. "Where did you learn how to cook?" Madara questioned her.

"Well I'm the only female in the household. When my okaasan passed away I resumed her role," Tenten answered, chewing her sashimi and then scooping some soba into her bowl.

Hana ladened some soup, tofu and negi into her bowl. "You really can cook," the Inuzuka female commented. Tenten was relieved that she made enough food for five people instead of three since Itachi and Hana joined them for dinner. "Could you help me in my cooking?" Hana asked.

"Of course," Tenten told brightly, sipping on her soup.

"I don't think it'll help," Itachi protested.

Hana thwacked his arm. "For that you are going to taste every morsel of food I make for the rest of the week." At that comment, Itachi paled. Sasuke snickered. "I could make extra for you too, Sasuke," she told him sweetly. Sasuke glared at her.

"Ojisan," Tenten exclaimed, trying to shift the mood and subject. "Have a tuna sashimi." She placed the piece of fish onto Madara's plate.

"Just marry her already, Sasuke," Madara teased the young couple earning an amused snicker from Itachi and Hana. Both Sasuke and Tenten flushed in embarrassment. "Tell me, Tenten. What is your father's opinion on pre-marital sex?"

"Uh... Use protection," Tenten believed not wanting to meet Sasuke's eye.

"Use protection or don't use protection. With a wedding matrimony or without. I'm just happy to have a grandchild," Madara held.

"Ojisan," Sasuke started, embarrassed. Maybe it was a mistake for bringing Tenten to meet his family.

"Relax, Otouto," Itachi said, enjoying the embarrassment his brother is going through. "I went through this talk too remember."

"Do you have a sexually transmitted disease?" Madara asked her seriously.

"No," Tenten told him, shaking her head.

"Good. Then, unprotected sex would be safe," Madara told her satisfied. "You don't seem the type anyway."

"Sasuke is my first," she retorted before realising what her sentence must have sound like. "I mean he's my first boyfriend."

Madara looked at her with his dark eyes. "I may be old and people might think I'm traditional but I am lenient." He chewed on a cherry tomato and swallowed. "If you do get pregnant with Sasuke's child I will be a very happy old man."

Tenten smiled, graciously. "Thank you."

"Just don't break my nephew's heart," Madara told her sternly.

"She won't," Sasuke reassured his ojisan, clutching her hand with his own.

TBC...

A/N: I am so sorry for the late update.

Thank you to Just. Smiilee , kimiko77, rixclassa, darkanonymous324, cherryflamingo and miifrii for reviewing and also for those who added my fic in storyalert and fave stories and fave author.

This chapter is dedicated to Just. Smiilee who reminded me to update. Sorry about the late update, my laptop monitor was broken and I had to fix it. And I still owe you a sasuten scene which is still yet to come.

This just a filler chapter. After the 10th chapter. I'll fast forward 2 months and let the heart break and romance begin.

naash