Tenten x Sai
Tenten wasn't a big person on proms and such.
She just had to be there because she helped decorate and was helping DJ the music.
"There you are. You're so late." Lee sassed her.
"Please Lee. I'm not late. I'm arriving as everyone else is." She said rolling her eyes.
Lee opened the door for her and helped her set everything up.
"Hello. Need any help?"
Looking up Sai was standing there. As super smart as he was, music wasn't probably the best subject to him. Unless it had a paint brush.
"Thanks Sai. But I think we got this." She smiled.
He nodded and left.
"You seriously think he's not stalking you?" Lee asked.
"You mean like you are with Sakura? It's a surprise that Garra hasn't killed you yet." Tenten said. "I'm sorry." Realizing what she said. Garra did nearly kill Lee already. But three years before he and Sakura ended up together.
"It's fine. I know you and Neji are still on edge over it." Lee said calmly.
"Hey you guys! Ready to get this party going?" Kiba and Ino walked over. "Yea. Almost." Lee told them.
Tenten ignored the rest of what they said and finished getting everything plugged in.
Once it was taken care of, she got right down to it and started the music.
Lee began his "session" of relaxation, while Tenten stood on the side lines in case Ino or anyone needed her.
"Tenten."
"Hello Neji. Did you come with Hinata?" She asks.
"Nope. She came with Sasuke. Maube because she's dating Kiba and Sasuke is Ino's date." Neji said.
"I still can't believe that he would ask HER out. Of all the girls."
"Can you believe that Shikamaru is here? WITH Temari?" Neji asked.
Tenten looked out in the crowed and saw them right dead center of the dance floor. "Yup. Can now."
Neji chuckled shaking his head. "Well, then have you noticed Sai is sitting alone in the bleachers?"
Tenten did see him there. She's been watching him the last few minutes just sitting there. "If things get out of hand or-"
"I know. You'll take care of it." Neji smiled. "I wish you'd give him an answer already." He told her. Neji made his way to the dance floor leaving Tenten to keep herself open and an eye on Sai.
The night lasted pretty long. Tenten wasn't needed for a while. "I can't believe you!" Till she heard yelling. And by the girl's voice. It was none other than bossy Karin.
"He asked me. Not my fault." Ino spoke.
"Shut the hell up bi-"
"Karin. Enough. It was my choice." Sasuke snapped. His cold voice made anyone think twice on speaking to him. Never get on his bad side. Unless your Naruto, you can't handle it. Or Sakura who always is on his bad side but never shows it.
"SCREW YOU ALL!" Karin yelled and stormed off.
"I hope everything's alright here." Tenten spoke.
Ino took a breath. "Yeah. We're good." She smiled shyly.
"I'll have a word with her tomorrow after this." Sasuke said and walked away.
Ino frowned. "If you care about him then let him do what he needs to. Karin is his...friend?" Tenten questioned.
"Yeah. But It feels like he doesn't care about being here at all."
"Then it's the crowd. Just take him outside of the building and talk to him." Tenten told her.
With a nod Ino did exactly that.
Tenten made her way to the ground floor and walked around the edge of the room back to the wall. Just observing everyone dancing and drinking, eating, having a great time.
"You alright? Enjoying the dance?" Looking in front of her was Sai sitting on the bleachers drawing.
"How are you drawing in all this noise?" She asks.
He just smiles. "I like seeing everyone's smiling faces. Brings me inspiration." He said.
"Something about a person's smile, it brings out their deeper thoughts. What they're truly feeling. Like Kiba is gleeful being around his puppy. Naruto loves the food. Sakura looks annoyed at Naruto. And Sasuke is shy about talking with Ino. It's the "welcome" mat to the door of a house."
"Like windows to the soul, through the eyes?" Tenten asked.
Sai nodded. "A smile is the mat to seeing emotions." He said.
Tenten smiled at the thought of it. Looking down at the paper, she saw Sai drawing an animal. "Is that a bird?" She asked.
"Yes. I like drawing a lot of birds and fish over other animals. I have good memory of their movements so it's easy to make them look real." Sai said while finishing the one he was working on.
"Well, if you need quieter, you can go outside." She said.
"Have fun then." He spoke as she walked along the wall again. Observing everyone in the building.
But her mind went back to Sai sitting alone in the bleachers just drawing. Everyone else was dancing for the most part. But he was sitting alone.
Tenten was also alone, but she was helping her friends.
Sai did want to help. But the only reason why is because...he had been leaving her pictures of whatever he's drawn of her in her own locker. Lee says he's stalking her. But it's every time she's smiling. And that's when she's alone in the park on the weekends. To feed the birds and fish in the pond...
Maybe he was stalking her.
Heading back to where he was sitting, she was going to get an answer about the pictures from him.
He hadn't moved so he was easy to spot.
"Say, why do you give me pictures of me? I get one every week in my locker and I know I only smile like that at the park on the weekends. I never see you there. How are you getting that?" She asked him.
Sai looked calm. He didn't smile but he didn't seem scared of her question. "Because your smile...is a peaceful one. You hardly smile a real one at all in school. Like tonight. Your smile is best and real when your alone in the park. And I'm there in the trees. I have a tree close to the pond that I climb in because I'm waiting for a nest of baby birds to hatch. I just happen to see you there over the last couple months." He explains.
Tenten is stunned hearing Sai's explanation. It wasn't because he was stalking her. It was because she was alone and felt her happiest there. "I see. I'm sorry everyone has been thinking that you've-"
"It's alright. I have that kind of face to some people. But once they know me, they see I'm not that kind of person. Like Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. And now you." He adds.
Tenten then sat down next to him. "You have any more pictures of birds and fish?" She asked.
Sai smiled and flipped through his pad of drawings. He really was artistic. He was really good. And you can't just assume things with people. After this, Tenten knew she'd be good friends with Sai. He has so much talent, and few people to talk to.
"I like this one. What is that?" She asks.
"An attempt at trying to get you skateboarding. But that was a long time ago." He said shyly.
"Really? I was in 6th grade. And terrible. Sasuke was the best at everything then." Tenten laughed.
Sai chuckled. "I have this too." It was Ino in class staring at Sasuke out the window.
"Good capture. You should give that to her. She'd like that." Tenten smiled.
Sai nodded at her idea. See, good friends.
"Tenten." Neji and Hinata walked over.
"Come on and dance. You've worked so hard here." Hinata said.
"I'm good. I'm going to stay here and see more of Sai's drawings." She said.
Neji looked confused but didn't press her. "Let's go Hinata."
"But she did work hard on all this." Hinata frowned.
"You should go have a good time. Don't need to sit with me." Sai said.
"I don't like dancing. I'd rather see more of your work. It's my choice." She smiled.
Sai nodded and the two spent most the night looking at art.
"I better get home." Tenten said as she saw the clock.
"I'll drive you." Sai said.
"Thanks. But I have my car here. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Tenten said.
Sai nodded as she left.
Sai went to his own car and went home. Coming to his place his room was covered in pictures of animals and Tenten's smile.
"I finally got you. And soon, you'll be all mine. My masterpiece." He grinned seeing all his work on his walls.
She thinks everyone's wrong about him. Please. What she sees, is on the surface. Deeper down, Sai is more obsessive then any human being.
The End