A/N: I have to say, this chapter was a PAIN to write. It took me twice as long as I wanted to write this, I had to find motivation to write it because I knew that I had so much to write for it! Dx. I'm sorry for such the long wait, especially when I promised like..what 2 weeks ago for it? But anyway, I love this chapter, even though I couldn't put everything I wanted to, but it's an EXTREMELY hilarious chapter. This is only part one of the mission :/ Part two is gonna take a while seeing as I am typing up my 'Bleach Ribbon of Faith' story. So if you like Bleach, please check it out it'll really mean alot to me. Anyway I'd like to thank Kuki Salazar for editing this :D
Song for this chapter: This Time by Vanessa Carlton :D
"A mission?" Kisho asked, slightly confused, the new Hokage: Lady Tsunade.
"Yes, and a B-Ranked one at that." Tsunade nodded, looking at a piece of paper.
"But Lady Tsunade, do you really think that the four of us could pull it off?" Renji asked respectfully.
"Are you doubting you and your students, Renji?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"No, no, of course not. You see, we've never been on a B-Ranked mission."
"Well, to answer your question: No, I don't think that you and your three genin can do it by your selves. That's why I'm assigning two more genin to go with you. I originally wanted this to be a double team mission, but seeing as one of the other genin is unavailable right now…" Tsunade sighed. There was a knock on the door. "Ah, that must be them now. Come in."
"You wanted to see us, Lady Hokage?" A familiar male voice asked as team five turned around. There stood Neji, Tenten, and Gai, who closed the door behind them.
"Yes. You see, I have a mission for the two of you." Tsunade told them. Neji stopped and stood next to Lina, while Tenten stood next to Neji. Lina, Shibano, and Kisho all looked at Neji and Tenten with shock and confusion.
"Yo-you've gotta be kidding me." Kisho stuttered, sounding really disappointed. "This is the team that's going with us?" Kisho shouted as he pointed towards Neji. "I'll go with Tenten, but replace that bastard! I refuse to go on a mission with him!"
"You will go on this mission with Neji Hyuuga and you will like it, or else I'll rip you from our ranks. You hear me Nakasumo?" Tsunade shouted at him.
"Kisho, shut up!" Lina sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration. It's been like this for weeks now; Neji this, Neji that! If I didn't know better, I'd have thought that Kisho was the one crushing on him. Lina thought.
"Oh, here you go defending him again!"
"I'm not defending anyone!"
"Oh yeah, sure looks like you are to me!"
"Well, you better get you eyes checked, because I'm not defending him!"
"Yes, you are! Why wont you just admit it? That you put Hyuuga before me!"
"I do no such thing!"
"Yeah, right! What happened last week? 'Hey, Lina! Let's go get some ramen!' 'No, Kisho. Sorry, I'm going over to the Hyuuga compound to hang out with Hinata' Oh, yeah right! You went there to be with Neji!"
"I did not! I was really with Hinata! Ask Neji, he was there!"
"Oh, so you admit it!"
"Admit what!"
"That you were with Neji!"
"He lives there, dumbass!"
"But you're not denying it!"
"Oh my God, you're so stupid!"
"See, you're not denying anything!"
"I don't have to prove anything to you."
"This only proves to me that you put Neji before me!"
"Oh my G-uuugh. Stop being an idiot! I do not put Neji before you. If anyone, I put Shibano before you."
"Hey, don't drag me into this." Shibano commented.
"Oh gee, thanks Lina! That makes me feel loved." Kisho glared at Lina. Lina and Kisho continued to bicker with each other. Renji and Shibano had nervous smiles, sweat dropping at the pair while Tenten and Gai looked shocked at the two bickering teammates. Neji just sighed and crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
"Believe it or not, Hokage, Lina and Kisho work extremely well as a team." Renji assured her. Tsunade rubbed her temples.
"I don't know who is worse: Kisho and Lina, or Naruto and Sakura?" She mumbled to herself. "WILL YOU TWO QUIT IT?" Tsunade shouted, causing everyone in the room to jump. Lina and Kisho stopped fighting and nodded, looking to the floor.
"You two are a headache." Neji stated simply, Lina's and Kisho's eyes' twitched.
"WHAT!" Lina shouted at the Hyuuga boy.
"You heard me, or do you need your ears checked? You and your teammate are a headache."
"Well if I'm a headache, what does that make you? A cold sore?" Lina grumbled. Kisho, Shibano, and Tenten snorted, trying to contain their laughter.
"No, it makes me more mature, for I don't argue over such petty things." Lina's eye twitched.
"You, mature? Hah! I didn't know you were a joker, Neji!"
"What makes you think I'm joking?"
"Because, you always joke around: acting all high and mighty, you're so arrogant."
"Well, you're annoying."
"So, we're playing this game again?" Lina glared at him.
"What game? I'm only stating the truth."
"That's so like you! You egotistical ass!"
"You're just so naïve."
"I'm naïve, you're heartless."
"You're too considerate."
"That's a bad thing? You don't do a damn thing for anyone!"
"I bought you flowers!"
"Yeah, because Tenten made you!" Lina glared at him.
"Well, I wouldn't have wasted my money otherwise!" Lina looked at him. She was hurt, but she tried not to show it, so she glared at him.
"You are such an ass! I hate you!" Lina shouted at him as she turned away from him.
"Those two, we're not sure if they work well yet." Gai and Renji said at the same time, sweat dropping at their students' bickering.
"Well, you'll find out." Tsunade sighed as she picked up another piece of paper. "This mission is a B-Ranked mission; you six will be traveling to the Land of Sea. There, you will guard the Feudal Lord and his family." Tsunade informed them.
"Why?" Kisho asked, crossing his arms; he thought it would be stupid to guard a lord and his family.
"Because for the past few weeks they have been given death threats; they believe that someone is going to assassinate them and try to take over the country." Tsunade answered seriously. "You guys will also be gathering information and will be on the look out for anything or anyone suspicious. If, or when, you find something, you are to notify the Lord immediately, and then notify me. Do I make myself clear?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the six shinobi, who all nodded their heads. "Good. Renji, everything else is now up to you."
"What? Gai-sensei isn't coming?" Tenten asked, surprised. Gai shook his head.
"Not this time, I've got matters to do here. I trust Renji with my life, he's been a great comrade and friend for the past few years and I am happy that he is the one leading my youthful students!" Gai smiled at his students, then at Renji, who only smiled and nodded. Shibano, Kisho and Lina blinked at the two older men.
"I don't want to know." Team Five sighed in unison.
"Well, you all are dismissed." Tsunade told them, politely telling them to get out of her office. The two jounin and five genin exited the room.
"Alright Team, and Gai's Team. The Land of Sea is a good two days' trip. I don't know how long we're going to be there and I don't know what we're going to be doing, either. So pack normal clothes, training clothes, swimming clothes, and-just in case- formal wear." Renji told them. Lina, Shibano, and Kisho nodded; Tenten looked at Renji strangely.
"Why do we need swim wear and formal wear?" She asked, confused.
"Because if we're going to be guarding a feudal lord and his family, don't you think they'd like to go swimming?" Renji asked with a smile, "and they're nobles, they may have to attend something fancy! And with us being paid to protect them at all times, we are currently invited." Renji smiled even more. Lina, Kisho, and Shibano sweat dropped and sighed, giving their sensei a disgusted look.
"Oh, I guess that makes sense…" said Tenten when she thought about it. Renji-sensei just wants to go on a vacation. That's the only reason we're bringing that crap. Lina thought as she sighed.
"Right! Teams, pack, and meet at the gate in one hour!" Renji smiled as he and Gai walked off.
"I hope you guys know that the reason he told us to bring swim wear and formal wear was so that we can be lazy and still do our job, right?" Lina smirked, raising an eyebrow at Tenten, who obviously didn't get it.
"What! He made it sound so true!" Tenten sighed as the five genin began walking out of the Hokage building.
"Yeah, that's Renji-sensei alright! He knows how to convince people into doing something they're really iffy about doing." Kisho sighed as he placed his hands behind his head.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's going to convince the feudal family to go to the beach." Lina sighed as she put her hands in her pocket.
"Aw, come on guys! Stop dragging on Renji-sensei!" Shibano stepped in to defend her sensei.
"You just like him because the two of you are almost exactly alike." Kisho glared at his brown- haired friend.
"We are not!"
"Oh yeah, you are! If you absolutely don't have to do work you try and avoid doing it at all costs!" Lina laughed at Shibano, who pouted as they exited the building.
"So not true."
"Aw come on, 'Bano Bumble Bee, you're lazy! You got Konohamaru to do your chores one day, saying it was a C-Ranked mission!" Lina laughed even more.
"Uh, Lina...I'd rank Shibano's room is an S-ranked mission." Kisho cut in, looking quite scared.
"Hey, my room isn't that bad!" Lina gave Shibano a pointed look. "Okay, maybe it is, but I mean...okay, I'm lazy; but I mean the beach! In the Land of Sea! That's awesome!" Shibano exclaimed with a smile. Lina shook her head, Tenten looked at them weirdly, and Neji wasn't paying attention. "Well, Kisho and I gotta go this way." Shibano spoke up as they reached a fork in the road.
"Hey, me too!" Tenten smiled at Shibano and Kisho.
"We've gotta go straight." Lina told them, referring to her and Neji. "We'll see you guys soon!" Lina waved at Tenten, Kisho and Shibano as she and Neji began to walk straight ahead. "Can you believe it! We're going on a mission together!" Lina smiled at the Hyuuga, he just 'hn'ed and continued walking. Lina just looked at him and then to the ground. "Well I, at least, hope this mission goes well- not that I don't think we won't complete it successfully or anything, it's just that I hope all of us, as a team, get along..."
"You're the devil to me, Hawatye. You're a pain in my ass and you annoy the hell out of me," Neji started as they walked down the dirt roads, "Nakasumo hates the sight of me, and Umino thinks no differently then Nakasumo, she's just too nice to say anything. I highly doubt that "us, as a team" can get along." Neji told her harshly and continued to walk; Lina sighed and walked behind him.
"Well...I'll see you at the gate." Lina smiled and waved at him, running into the flower shop.
"Got a mission, Ino! I don't know how long it'll take! Tell your parents for me!" Lina exclaimed as she ran up to her room. The pink-haired girl quickly grabbed her backpack and began to pack everything Renji-sensei told her to: training clothes, swim wear, formal clothing. She also packed everything else she needed: an extra change of clothes, unmentionables, toiletries, all the necessities that she usually brought on missions. She packed kunai and shuriken, along with a few senbon (She and Shibano had learned how to use them from Renji) into her pouch that was usually attached to her back pocket. She packed a few paper bombs and some first aid supplies. The apple-eyed girl smiled, satisfied, when she finished packing. She turned to her clock and saw that she had enough time to pack some snacks before meeting the team at the gates. Lina ran downstairs and into the kitchen, looking for a good ten minutes before she realized that her mission food was gone. Her pink eyebrow twitched as she walked into the flower shop. Her eyes caught sight of Shikamaru and Chouji talking to Ino, a sight with a bag of chips in Chouji's hands.
"CHOUJI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH MY FOOD!" Lina shouted as she walked slowly to the other genin. Chouji looked at Lina, scared, and stood behind Ino.
"I-I was hungry, I'm sorry..."
"DON'T EAT MY MISSION FOOD! GOT IT? NOW I HAVE TO RUN TO THE MARKET AND BUY SOME MORE!" Lina shouted at him. She took a deep breath to calm down. Lina turned around and walked back into the house section of the building, slipping into her sandals and strapping her boomerang onto the back of her backpack. She exited the house and walked out of the flower shop. Out of frustration, Lina clenched her fist as headed toward to grocery store. "Stupid Chouji, eating my last bag of chips!" Lina grumbled as she walked down the market street. She stopped and bought a few apples and oranges before continuing walking. She came to the grocery store (where everyone bought snacks, so really, it was a snack store). Walking in, she bought a few bags of chips and some rice, along with some ramen (Shibano and Lina couldn't go a mission with out ramen!), the girl paid and exited the store, running down the street toward the gates.
"Sorry, I'm late guys! Chouji ate my last bag of food, so I had to buy some!" Lina panted as she came to a stop where Renji, Kisho, Shibano, Tenten, and Neji stood there waiting for her. "Shibano, how much room do you have in your bag?"
"Enough to split the food." Shibano smiled, which Lina returned. Shibano took off her backpack and opened it up.
"Alright, well I bought apples and oranges for everyone! So we have some type of nutritional value." Lina smiled. "There's enough for six days. I can fit them in my bag, everything else can go into yours." Lina told Shibano; the brown-haired girl nodded and stuffed the chips and ramen into her bag. Lina took off her boomerang, handing it to Shibano-who struggled, even with the help of Kisho and Renji, to hold it up. How the heck can she carry this thing all the time? Doesn't she get tired? Shibano thought to her elf.
How the hell! I never knew Lina was this strong, carrying a thing this heavy around all day. Kisho thought as he, along with Renji, continued to struggle with the giant boomerang and Tenten and Neji looked on with amusement. Lina clapped once after she zipped her bag closed. Putting her backpack back on, the pink-haired girl took back her weapon, strapping it back into place. Kisho, Renji, and Shibano grunted and fell to the ground, panting and sweating. Lina looked at them and blinked, a weird expression on her face: right eyebrow raised, the left frowned, and her lips puffed out in a pout-like manner. Tenten laughed at her and the other three shinobi on the ground.
"What's wrong with you guys?" Lina asked, completely oblivious to the fact that her boomerang was too heavy for the three shinobi to hold.
"WHAT'S WRONG? THAT DAMN BOOMERANG WEIGHS FIVE MILLION TONS! HOW YOU CAN HAUL THAT THING AROUND ALL THE TIME IS BEYOUND ME!" Kisho shouted as he, Renji, and Shibano stood up (Tenten helped Shibano up and Neji helped Renji). Lina blinked.
"It doesn't weigh five million tons Kisho, that'll be impossible to carry! Haha, it only weighs...I don't know, maybe two hundred pounds?" Lina smiled as Renji, Kisho, Shibano, and Tenten all fell to the ground. Lina just laughed and shook her head, "You guys are funny." Renji sighed as he stood back up.
"Right, team, and...Team Gai! Let's move out!" Renji nodded as they began to head south, except Kisho headed north.
"The Land of Sea's is THIS way." Neji told Kisho, who turned around and death glared at the Hyuuga.
"No, it isn't! It's this way!" Kisho shouted as he held the map.
"No, it's SOUTH! Not north!"
"It's north!"
"It's south, you nimrod!"
"Nimrod! You bastard! Land of Sea is north!"
"It's south!"
"North."
"South." The other four shinobi turned their heads back and forth, watching the two boys bicker about which direction to go.
"As amusing as this is, it's simply the wrong time." Shibano sighed. "Why can't they at least put aside their differences for the mission?" She asked, Tenten, Lina, and Renji sighed and shrugged their shoulders.
"It's north, Hyuuga, it says so on the map see!" Kisho shouted as he stuffed the map in Neji's face.
"You idiot! You're reading the map UPSIDE DOWN!" Neji' shouted as he flipped the map right side up and returned the previous gesture. Kisho blinked and looked at the map.
"OH HEY! Let's go south! Damn, Neji! Can't you read a map? Why were you thinking north?" Kisho smiled at the Hyuuga and walked passed Renji, Lina, Shibano, and Tenten. Neji's eyebrow twitched, and the four other ninja looked at him, slightly scared. For as long as they've known Neji, the three girls had never seen Neji this mad, and he was about to pop a vein. Neji's hands balled into fists as he bowed his head, anger seething off of him. Lina laughed nervously as she took a couple small steps towards Neji.
"It's alright Neji, Kisho is an idiot sometimes!" Lina tried to calm Neji down.
"Oh, so you're taking HIS side!" Kisho shouted from ahead. Lina sighed and shook her head.
"NO, YOU IDIOT! WILL YOU SHUT UP FOR ONCE? YOU'RE SO ANNOYING!" Lina shouted. Renji and Tenten sighed, but Shibano burst into a laughing fit, falling to the ground-the brunette was laughing so hard tears began to fall from her brown eyes.
"Oh, oh that-AHAHA!- was- HAAHAAH- was so-HAHAHA- funny! The look on- HAHAHA-Neji's-HAHAHAHA- was so-HAHAHA- It was priceless!" Shibano laughed. Renji, Tenten, and Lina sweat dropped; Neji's vein began to get bigger.
"Let's get this mission over as soon as possible, the sooner it's over the sooner I get away from you three." Neji glared at Lina, referring to her team.
"Aw, now Neji you don't mean that! You love my company!"
"No, I don't."
"Sure ya do!" Lina laughed as she and Neji walked, leaving Tenten to get Shibano, with Renji walking after them.
"No, I hate you. I believe I've established this earlier."
"But, Neji! It's our destiny! You can't fight it! It's pre-planned that we were to meet!" Lina smiled largely a him. Neji's eye twitched.
"Shut up."
"It's our destiny, just accept it!"
"Stop saying that!"
"But it's true!"
"I'm going to ignore you now."
"Aw, don't say such things. You know if I died on this mission you'll miss me!"
"No I wont. I'd be happy."
"Now don't lie to yourself like that. I mean, if you just come to realization about your true feelings for me, I'll understand. I may not feel the same, but I'm sure we can figure something out! I mean, it was fate that brought us together!" Lina laughed at Neji's expression.
"No, I would kill myself before I could EVER like someone so damn annoying as you. I'd rather date Lee than you-actually, I'd rather date NARUTO than you." Neji told her.
"Now, Neji. What did I say? Don't lie to yourself."
"God, you're so annoying." Neji sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"But you LOOOOVVVEEEEE me! You want to huuuug me, you want to kiiiissssssssss me, you want to maaaarrrryyyyyy me! You want me bear your chiiilllllddddreeen! Just imagine! Mini-Neji's and mini-Lina's running around Konoha!"
"Oh, God. Kill me." Neji sighed. Tenten, Kisho, Shibano, and Renji watched the two genin in amusement, all containing the urge to laugh.
"But Neji! If you die, whose going to look after Sho and Madoka?" Lina whined, Neji almost choked on air.
"You've named our nonexistent children?" Neji's eye twitched.
"Of course! Sho will be our first child, it's a boy obviously. He's going to look just like you, but he's going to be a mommy's boy. Madoka is going to look like me, but with you know...paler green eyes without pupils! But she's going to act like you, she's going to be daddy's girl! Sho will be fifteen, while Madoka will be thirteen, they'll be two years apart obviously. THEN! Because you love me and our family so much, you got me pregnant again with a third child! Boy or girl we decided the name was going to be Hiro!"
"What if we have three boys?" Neji asked, raising an eyebrow. He hardly thought her delusional future was EVER going to come true, but it was amusingly annoying nonetheless.
"Well...if we have three boys…then ,well…first will be Sho, then second will be Hiro, and our youngest will be Hizashi! Then if we have another boy his name will be Kikaze!" Lina smiled at him. Neji choked on air again when she said that their third son would be named Hizashi. "I may not like you, but I've always thought about my future kids with almost all my guy friends! Although our kids are the only ones I can actually picture, hahaha!" Lina laughed, Neji sweat dropped.
"You're a moron, your fantasy will stay a fantasy. The chances of me confessing my love for you are as good as a princess confessing her love for me."
"I'll hold you to that then." Lina laughed and Neji scoffed as the party of six continued walking south to the Land of Sea. Lina just smiled at him, but decided that she had annoyed him enough for the time being and began to walk beside Shibano and Tenten instead, quietly discussing the amusing scene that occurred only minutes ago.
The first day of the journey went uneventful, no more arguments, and no attacks; it was peaceful and they all secretly enjoyed it. When the sun started to slowly set, the group decided to stop for the night. Renji ordered Kisho, Neji, and Lina to get water and wood. Lina didn't understand why he couldn't go, but Renji told her that if she was there then she could control Kisho and Neji.
"That bum is just too lazy to actually do something." Lina rolled her eyes as the three walked into the woods. After bringing back water and wood, Renji started the fire and Lina began heating the rice. After everyone ate, they all discussed the look out order.
"Why do I have to be the first one to be look out?" Shibano whined.
"Because you're the hardest to wake up!" Kisho glared at his brown-haired friend. "Don't you remember the last time you were second to be look out? When I tried to wake you, you punched me!"
"Oh, yeah...Hehe, sorry." Shibano smiled at Kisho. Renji sighed but continued.
"After Shibano, I will take watch, then Kisho, Tenten, Neji, and finally, Lina will wake us all up."
"Why am I the last one? And why am I the one that has to wake everyone up?" Lina glared.
"Because, you have the...what I mean is, you are, um...more capable of waking all of us at the same time, rather than spending more time waking each separately." Renji smiled, Lina glared.
"Fine, whatever." Lina grumbled as she took a rice ball from the bento box, passing it around to Shibano. Lina sighed as she took a bite from it, taking a look at the sky that was now turning an orange-yellow. Green eyes looked around the fire; Shibano and Kisho were talking about something stupid- Lina didn't really want to listen in and find out what exactly it was. Renji was eating and staring at them like they were crazy, which, in fact, they were; Tenten was smiling at Neji, talking about something while Neji replied simply to her, nodding to indicate that he was listening to her as he ate. Lina looked back down at her rice ball, well-glared down at it, actually. She didn't know why, but she felt...angry? It was as if she was getting punched in the stomach over and over again; Lina had no idea where the sudden feeling came from or why she was feeling it, she had never felt it before. She clenched her eyes and shook her head, and when she opened them again she looked at Tenten and Neji, feeling it again. Lina tore her eyes away and glared at her rice ball. Why do I feel angry? I have no reason to be angry at Tenten talking to Neji, it's not like I LIKE him or anything, it's NEJI of all people. Plus, Tenten is my friend, even if she did like Neji I would support her and encourage her to go for it. Lina thought as she continued to glare at the rice ball that only had a bite taken out of it.
"Uh...Lima bean?" Shibano asked cautiously; Lina jumped and looked at her brown-haired friend.
"Yeah?"
"Are you-are you going to finish that rice ball?" Shibano asked sheepishly. Lina blinked and looked down at her rice ball, then back at Shibano.
"Sure, go ahead, I'm not that hungry anyway." Lina shrugged her shoulders as she handed the rice ball to her friend. Shibano took it and looked at Lina, who was staring into the fire, worried. She wasn't going to push her, Shibano knew that Lina would come to her when she was ready to talk.
"Well, I'm tired, I wanna get some shut eye before I have to wake up." Kisho yawned as he went left to lay down. Renji nodded.
"Yes, that's smart. The rest of us should get some sleep before our shifts." Renji advised them. Lina, Tenten, and Neji nodded, leaving the fire to lay down.
"Lina, wake up!" A female voice called from Lina's door.
"Hmm...?"
"Wake up, sleepy head." Ino laughed.
"Wha...? When did I get home?" Lina asked.
"The night before last; you seemed pretty exhausted so we decided to let you sleep. I want to hear all about the mission!"
"Wha-what do you mean?"
"What I mean is that, Neji was carrying you! He brought you to your room and tucked you in. Something like that usually doesn't happen when two people 'hate' each other, now does it?" Lina just blinked at her blonde cousin. "Now spill."
"I…I honestly don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on, Lina! I know something happened between you and Neji! Shibano told me so!" Ino narrowed her blue eyes at Lina, who blinked again. "Ugh! Fine, since you're obviously too dense to remember how you got your first boyfriend!" Lina choked on air. "So from what Shibano told me, on the way there, you were being-well, you! And were talking about your future kids with Neji just to annoy him, which does sound like you. Neji then told you that the day he confesses his love for you will be the day that a princess confesses her love for him. Well, on the last day the feudal lord's daughter told Neji that she was in love with him and asked him if he would stay with her. Well, from what Shibano and Tenten told me, before you all went to bed that night, Neji told you that he, in fact, liked you but didn't want to tell you." Ino laughed. All Lina could do was blink and look at her cousin with wide eyes.
"No...no way!" Lina exclaimed and Ino nodded with a smile. Lina threw off her blanket and ran past Ino and out of her room, running down the stairs and putting her shoes on and running out of the shop. Lina continued to run down the streets of Konoha. The pink-haired girl came to a halt when she reached the Hyuuga compound, where she stood there glaring at the door: she had no idea if he was home. She shook her head and remembered that he usually trained with his team. Lina turned around and made her way towards the training grounds, in hopes of finding Team Gai. After searching five different training grounds, Lina finally came across the one where Team Gai was training. It was Gai who saw her first.
"Ah, if it isn't Lina Hawatye! You've come to see your other half! Such youth!" Gai exclaimed, giving her a thumbs up and a smile that pinged. Lina stopped in her tracks and raised an eyebrow at him, shaking her head. Now Tenten and Neji turned towards Lina, and Tenten giggled as Neji turned away.
"Is...is what Ino said is true? About what Shibano told her about the mission?" Lina asked. Neji turned towards her and was about to say something when Lina face planted into the ground.
"LIMA BEAN!" Shibano exclaimed as she stood up.
"Of course you go see your boyfriend before your actual friends." Kisho rolled his eyes. Lina turned over and laid on the ground, looking up at the sky. She saw stars and different colors.
"Lina...?" Neji's voice came. "Lina...Lina, wake up...Lina..."
Green eyes shot open to see pale, pupil-less ones. "Good, you're awake; it is your turn to take watch." Neji told her as he stood up from the ground. Lina yawned as she sat up, the pink-haired girl began to stand but lost her footing. Luckily, Neji was still there to catch her. "You're such a klutz..." he told her, helping her stand up straight. Lina looked up to him-well, it wasn't much of 'looking up,' because for the first time she realized how much taller he really ways compared to her. Lina stood at five feet and one inch, and Neji wasn't much taller than her, maybe an inch or so. Lina blinked as she looked into this pale eyes, and his pale eyes stared into her apple-green ones. Lina did not want to move, she didn't even want to blink, fearing that if her eyes tore away even for the slightest millisecond that the "moment" would be ruined forever. Neither moved nor blinked, and it seemed like an eternity until Neji blinked and tore his gaze away from her, and during that moment, that pregnant moment Lina realized: I…I like Neji. Her green eyes widened, and a small gasp escaped her lips. Neji turned to her with a raised eyebrow, and Lina backed away from him, her eyes wide and staring.
"What are you doing?" he whispered, trying not to wake any one up, but Lina just shook her head, closing her eyes.
"Nothing, you should get some sleep; it'll be sun rise soon..." Lina told him; Neji only continued to stare at her. Lina avoided his eyes, she didn't want to look at him, she didn't even want to be near him right now. "Well...get to bed!" She sneered at him. Neji rolled his eyes at her and headed to his sleeping spot. He laid down, and without looking at the pink-haired girl one last time, closed his eyes. Lina sighed as she looked over her shoulder at the Hyuuga boy; she glared at him, tearing her gaze away from him to the look out post and sat there; looking up at the sky.
"It must be at least four a.m." Lina said to herself as she sighed, resting her head on her hand, which was propped up on her knee. "Kisho was right, Shibano was right...They were all right! How could I have been so stupid, so naïve and oblivious! I'm sure Neji can see it..." Lina whispered to herself. "And what have I been doing! Openly FLIRTING with him! How stupid can I be! It is no wonder why Kisho gets so angry about it, I'm practically THROWING myself at the guy...Ugh!" Lina shook her head and hid her face in her hands. "Of all the guys to like...why him? It's obvious he likes Tenten!" Lina brought her knees closer to her chest, then hid her face. She didn't want to, but she couldn't stop it, she could feel them coming: warm liquid started well up at the corners of her eyes; she tried to blink them away, but they kept welling up. She wiped them away with her arm.
"I'm such a cry baby! I shouldn't be crying over a guy, a jerk-ish guy, no less..." Lina sighed as she kept wiping her eyes. "What's there to like about him anyway! He is a total jerk! An ass who thinks he's so much better than everyone else! He hates the family he should cherish! A know-it-all! He gets on my nerves all the time! All the arguing with him is just annoying! And...and...his stupid face, it's just too perfect!" Lina ranted about the things she hated about them, but stopped mid-rant when she realized: "That's why I like him. His jerkiness, him being an ass and acting like he's better than everyone else and a know-it-all is why I like him! I like how he gets on my nerves because I have a reason to think about him, I like when we argue because he's paying attention to me! Noticing me! And his face...his eyes are just so...captivating!" Lina sighed as she shook her head again, looking out at the horizon. She didn't know how long she was staring at the sky, but when she could see the whole sun, she decided it was a good time to wake the others. She walked over to the group and woke up Renji-sensei, then Kisho, Tenten, and hesitantly woke up Neji.
"Uuuggh! Lina, it's early!" Kisho whined as he stretched and yawned. "And how come you didn't wake up Shibano?"
"Because, waking up Shibano is an A-ranked mission that needs a team of five shinobi to do." Lina answered, looking aggravated. Kisho, Tenten and Renji laughed at Lina's remark.
"Lina..." Kisho started as his cerulean-blue eyes shifted to the pink-haired girl who was gripping his arm for her dear life. "Are you okay?"
"Y-ye-yeah! Why? Why wouldn't I be-be o-okay?" Lina stuttered as her right hand gripped Kisho's left arm tighter.
"Well...you're starting to cut off the circulation in my arm, and I'm pretty sure it's the same for Neji." Kisho pointed out as he stared at Lina's hand gripped to his arm, then to Lina's other hand that was gripped to Neji's arm.
"A-am I re-really? I-I'm sorry." Lina apologized shakily.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were scared." Neji stated with a small smirk playing on his pale face. Lina glared at him and 'hmph'ed.
"Ye-yeah right! I-I'm not scared." Lina lied.
"Really? Prove it." Neji smirked. "Let go of mine and Nakasumo's arm." He challenged her. Lina glared at him and took a deep breath, slowly taking her grip off the two male ninjas' arms. She exhaled when she thought she was safe. Neji, wanting to prove that he was right, rocked back and forth, causing Lina to freak out. The pink-haired girl yelped and latched onto the Hyuuga boy and buried her face in his shirt. Renji, Kisho, Shibano, and Tenten looked at the scene going on before them with large smiles. Shibano and Tenten tried to contain their laughter at the two kekkei genkai users. Even though Shibano didn't like Neji, she knew Lina did, and seeing Lina embarrassed like this made Shibano laugh; she knew she'd have great black mail on her pink-haired friend later. "See, I'm right you-Lina?" Neji began but cut himself off when he saw Lina shaking. Renji, Kisho, Shibano, and Tenten's smiles fell from their faces.
"Lina, are you okay?" Tenten asked with worry as Lina's grip on Neji's shirt tightened when the boat jumped over a small wave.
"Lina's really scared of big bodies of water and boats." Shibano informed Tenten and Neji.
"And you didn't tell us this BEFORE we got on the boat?" Neji glared at the Umino.
"The question was never asked. Hehe." Shibano laughed. Neji glared at her, then sighed as he rested his left hand on Lina's head.
"We're coming up to the Land of Sea. We should be at the dock in ten minutes." Renji informed them all; Neji, Tenten, Shibano and Kisho nodded.
Ten minutes passed and when they finally reached the dock, it was really hard to get Lina detached from Neji's shirt. Kisho grabbed Lina's shoulders and pulled her back while Neji grabbed her hands and detached them from his shirt. Once Neji was Lina-free, he stepped out of the boat.
"Give her here." Neji told Kisho dully as he nodded to Lina. Kisho looked at Neji, then at Lina, nodding his head as he gently pushed his pink-haired teammate towards the Hyuuga boy. Neji grabbed hold of her wrists and gently pulled her out of the boat. "You're on solid ground now." Neji told her reassuringly. Lina looked at him for a moment and looked around her to see that she was on the dock. She took a deep breath and exhaled, relaxing a little. Shibano and Kisho hopped out of the boat, then Renji and lastly, Tenten. Lina watched as Neji grabbed Tenten's hand and hoisted her up on the wooden deck. Lina's green eyes turned away quickly and looked at the water. Shibano and Kisho noticed the look on Lina's face when she saw Neji pull Tenten out of the boat.
"Well, we should head to the feudal lord's palace." Renji spoke up, and everyone nodded as the party of six began walking towards the palace.
"You six, I assume, are the ninja of the Hidden Leaf?" Asked a man who appeared to be forty years old. Renji-sensei nodded and bowed, the other five following suit.
"Yes, Sir. My name is Renji Makane, and this is my team."
"My name is Kisho Nakasumo." Kisho introduced himself as he bowed again.
"I am Shibano Umino."
"I am Lina Hawatye." Lina smiled and bowed.
"My name is Tenten."
"I am Neji Hyuuga." He bowed in respect.
"Well, how rude I appear to be, not introducing myself and my family." The lord said, referring to the people around him. "I am Lord Fukaru. This is my wife, Koharu, my daughter, Hiyono, and my son, Ringo." The lord introduced his family. They all looked almost alike: dark brown hair, and green eyes. Except his wife, who had blue eyes.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all." Renji bowed once more. "Until we find out who it is that's after you and your family, I have decided to place each of my students in charge of watching after a member of your family."
"But there are four of us, and six of you?" Lady Koharu asked.
"I want to be paired up with him!" Hiyono exclaimed as she pointed at Neji. Neji and Lina blinked, their eyes widening at the princesses' words.
"Hiyono, Sweet Heart, it isn't polite to point." Lord Fukaru scolded his daughter.
"But Daddy! Only the best looking men can look after me! I want the Hyuuga boy!" She whined. Lina's eye twitched, and her hands clenched together, balling into fists. Shibano and Tenten looked at Lina worryingly, feeling the anger sizzling off of their female friend. Kisho, Renji, and Neji noticed the change in Lina and looked at her with worry and caution.
"Hiyono! A lady does not act as such!" Lord Fukaru scolded his daughter more.
"Spoiled little brat, thinks she can get whatever and who ever she wishes!" She grumbled under breath so that only the five ninja can hear her. Shibano and Tenten elbow Lina in the side and smiled while Lina gripped her sides and groaned out of pain.
"Anyway, that has already been fixed Lady Koharu. My student Kisho and I will be looking after you, Lord Fukaru. While my student, Shibano, and her team member, Tenten will be looking after your Lady Koharu. Ne-"
"Does this mean I can be with Neji?" Hiyono asked excitedly. Renji paused, looking at Lina for a second and Neji's pleading look. His eyes were practically screaming "NO!" Renji sighed and nodded his head.
"Neji and Lina will be in charge of looking after your children." Renji laughed nervously as he could feel the atmosphere around the six of them drop about twenty degrees. Renji could feel both Lina's and Neji's cold glares on him, knowing neither of them wanted to be stuck with the Lord's daughter.
"Yay!" Shouted the little boy as he stood up and ran towards Lina. "I'm glad. You're pretty!" The little boy smiled at her; he didn't appear to be any older than five or six years old. Lina's face reddened a bit and smiled at the younger boy.
"Well aren't you adorable, yourself?" Lina giggled at Ringo. Neji scoffed.
"He obviously hasn't met decent looking girls then." Kisho and Shibano snorted, trying to hold back laughter, and Lady Hiyono burst out in laughter. Lina's eye twitched as she glared at Neji.
"Watch it, Hyuuga. We're in front of royalty, not to mention children." Lina replied sweetly to Neji as she smiled, overly sweet, at him. Kisho, Shibano, Renji, and Tenten looked at Lina with a little fear.
Everyone split up into their roles; Lina and Neji were stuck with the clingy little boy and the annoyingly obnoxious girl. "Isn't this just romantic Neji? You and me, walking down the street together?" Hiyono giggled as she tried to latch herself onto Neji's arm. The brunette boy side-stepped her, but she was persistent, and after five minutes of Neji trying to prevent the princess from attaching herself to his arm, he was defeated. The party of four continued to walk down the street; Neji glaring into the ground, obviously not happy about an amoeba attached to him, and Lina glaring at the princess. Neji turned from the ground and looked at Lina and the little boy, Ringo; Lina didn't seem to mind Ringo. But why is she glaring at me? He asked himself, raising an eyebrow at the pink-haired girl. Hiyono looked at Neji, her green eyes followed his opal ones to see Lina glaring at them; the brown-haired girl's eyebrows frowned as she glared at the pink-haired girl.
'It seems that this 'Lina' girl is distracting Neji from me.' Hiyono glared at Lina and turned forwards again.
"I'm hungry!" Ringo pouted as he tugged on Lina's hand. Lina blinked and turned to the younger boy with a smile.
"Well, so am I! How about some ice cream?" Lina suggested with a large smile.
"Yeah!" Ringo shouted as he ran off, grabbing his sister's hand on the way; detaching her from Neji. Neji sighed with relief.
"Thank you, Ringo." He sighed and crossed his arms. He and Lina continued walking after the royal siblings. Neji turned to Lina with a raised eyebrow and sighed again, shaking his head. "I'm going to regret asking this...but, what did I do this time?" Lina looked at him puzzled about what he had asked her. I've learned in the past year that if a girl is glaring at you out of no where, it usually means you've done something wrong. Thank you, Tenten. I honestly don't know what I did wrong this time, I haven't done anything, or said any-Oh! Is she still upset about that comment about her not being good looking? She must know by now that I was kidding. He thought, then blinked when realizing what he had thought only a moment ago. I can see why Ringo would call her pretty, she keeps herself up, I guess? I mean she isn't like Umino and Tenten and wears her hair up ALL the time. She isn't like Umino and Tenten at all, she actually acts like a girl sometimes and looks like one. Her hair and eyes are exotic I guess, but so is Sakura's and Ino's; I wouldn't call Lina PRETTY but above average in looks. Compared to other girls in Konoha. Neji thought to himself with a stupid look on his face, causing Lina to laugh. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What?"
"You're face. Were you thinking of a reason as to why I would be mad at you?" She asked and Neji nodded. "Well, I'm not mad at you; it's HER" Lina glared at Hiyono, and Neji raised his ey brow higher. Why would Lina be mad at Lady Hiyono? Hiyono hasn't done any-Wait. Is Lina jealous of her? Neji thought, then a smirk started to play on his lips.
"Is the Lina Hawatye, JEALOUS of Lady Hiyono?" Neji asked, smirking at the pink-haired gir, who glared at him.
"What! No! Why would I be jealous of her! She's just a spoiled little princess who thinks she can get whomever she wants."
"Uh huh, sure. Keep telling yourself that." Neji smirked. "Just admit it. You love me, you want to hug me, you want to kiss me, you want to marry me, you want bear my children!" Neji mocked her from the previous day; Lina narrowed her eyes at him.
"Shut up! I do not feel such things towards you!" Lina shouted at him with her face beginning to turn a little red, causing Neji to smirk.
"Sure you don't. But Lina, you cannot run from your destiny for long." Neji smirked.
"Shut up!"
"But Lina, it's what you said: it's our destiny! You mustn't run from it." Neji smirk only grew. Lina turned to him and punched his arm.
"Shut up!"
"You know if we get married, that means you'll be in my room all day and night." Whispered to her as he leaned closer to her. Lina's face reddened even more.
"Shut up!"
"But you know, that means I can finally take your ridiculous picture off my wall because I'll be able to see your 'beautiful' face every morning when I wake up." Neji continued to smirk and stood extremely close, Lina's face was as red as a tomato.
"You're mocking me, aren't you?" Lina asked glaring at him, and Neji didn't say anything. "Wipe that smirk off your face or I'll tell Lady Hiyono you'd like to see her tonight at eight to watch the sun set!" Lina glared at him, Neji's eyes narrowed.
"You wouldn't."
"Oh, Neji, I would." Lina smirked.
"Well I'd like to see you try." He smirked as he got closer to her. Lina's green eyes widened and her face became even redder. Neji was only an inch away when he smirked and pulled back, looking at her face and beginning to laugh. "You seriously think I'd waste my FIRST kiss on you? You're such a moron." Neji laughed, and Lina glared.
"SHUT UP!" Neji shook his head and began walking towards the ice cream stand, Lina following after him. "What ice cream are you going to get?" Lina asked him as they caught up with Hiyono and Ringo, Hiyono glaring at Lina. "I'm going to get strawberry!"
"I'm not one for ice cream."
"WHAT! Oh, well I'm ordering for you. You look like a vanilla kind of guy." Lina smiled at him as she turned to the ice cream man. "Hi! I'd like to order two ice cream cones! One vanilla and one strawberry please." Lina smiled at the man, who nodded and got the ice cream cones, handing them to Lina. She handed the vanilla one to Neji. "Hold this while I get my money out."
"No." Neji told her as he went into his pouch and got out some money, handing it to the man. "You paid for lunch. I pay for ice cream." Lina smiled at him and nodded.
"Okay." Lina smiled as she licked her strawberry ice cream and Neij took the vanilla cone from her hands and licked it. Lina smiled when she saw Neji take another lick. "Good, huh?" He nodded. "We should do this again! It can be the...the, uh...THE NEJI AND LINA WEEKEND TRADITION!" Lina giggled as she saw his eye twitch. "I pay for lunch, you pay for ice cream!"
"Sure, why not." He answered dully, eating his ice cream.
"Excuse me, I have a question." Hiyono butted in, stepping in between Neji and Lina. Lina glared at Hiyono. "But, are you two, you know-DATING?" She asked. Lina's cheeks pinked a little.
"What makes you think that!" Lina asked.
"Oh, I don't know…the flirting, and him buying you ice cream." Hiyono sneered the world 'you', as she glared at Lina.
"Well, what if we were? What are you gonna do about it?" Lina smirked.
"I'm the princess of this land, I can get any boy I want." Lina's and Neji's eyes twitched, Ringo stood beside Lina, looking curious at the scene. He tugged on Lina's green shirt.
"Miss Lina, what's flirting?" He asked so innocently. Lina smiled. Aw, he's so cute.
"It's when big kids like Neji and I joke around with each other because we're such great friends!"
"Tch." Neji scoffed and Lina glared at him.
"Oh okay!" Ringo smiled and ate his chocolate ice cream cone. Lina turned back to Hiyono and glared.
"Just because you're a princess doesn't mean you can HAVE Neji like he's some possession!" Lina shouted at the girl.
"Sure it does! I'm sure if he was presented with the chance to leave with you or stay here with me, I'm pretty sure he'd rather stay here with one of such elegance as myself." Hiyono smirked. Lina death glared at the princess. Neji just stood next to Ringo, looking confused. 'Did...she...is she confessing her love for me?' Neji thought. 'I hope not, because that means I have to go out with Lina.' Neji sighed, then felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It had suddenly gotten colder, and he could see why: if looks could kill, both females would probably be dead.
"I think it's time to go back to the palace." Neji interrupted the glaring contest. Lady Hiyono and Lina turned away from each other. Neji sighed and began walking back to the palace. Hiyono and Lina glared at each other as they both walked on either side of Neji; Lina was holding Ringo's hand and eating her ice cream while Hiyono tried to grab Neji's hand, which he stuffed in his pocket.
Before they reached the palace, Lina, Ringo, and Neji discarded their ice cream cones, figuring they'd be eating dinner soon. The four walked inside and was greeted by their team and their charges.
"Hey guys! How'd the outing go!" Kisho asked with a smirk, then faultered when he saw the glares Hiyono and Lina were giving each other. Kisho, Shibano, and Tenten sighed. They could feel the tension and the anger coming from the two girls.
"Hey, Lima-bean! Tenten and I are going to get ready for dinner! Let's go!" Shibano laughed as she and Tenten grabbed hold of Lina and dragged her away to their rooms. "So we all got our own rooms! We're all next to each other, and the boys are across from us!" Shibano laughed as they walked down the long hallways. They turned the corner and saw a small hallway that had seven doors. "These are our rooms, yours is in the middle." Shibano told her with a smile. The three girls walked into their respected rooms. Lina saw her bag on her bed, going to it to grab her casual cloths: a short-sleeved green shirt, a light blue sleeveless keiko-gi that buttoned up instead, and a black skirt. Lina changed and looked at herself in the mirror, she tugged her hair and pulled out the small green rubber bands that held her hair up in pig-tails. She shook her head and let her pink locks flow down to her waist. She smiled at herself in the mirror and went to pick up her clothes; she folded them neatly and placed them on her bed. She opened her door and saw Tenten and Shibano about to knock.
"What are you guys doing here?" Lina asked.
"Well, we wanna know what happened today?" Shibano asked being nosy. Lina shrugged. "Aw, come on Lina! I smelled Ice cream!" Shibano glared and Tenten raised an eyebrow.
"We had ice cream." Lina replied.
"Who bought it?" Tenten asked curiously with a smile. Lina blushed lightly and looked away and mumbling something. "What was that? Shibano and I didn't hear you."
"Neji did." Lina mumbled a little louder.
"Neji bought four ice creams?" Shibano exclaimed.
"Pfft no. Ringo and his brat of a sister bought their own, Neji bought mine and his, seeing as I paid for his lunch a couple weeks ago." Lina answered.
"Oh, so...I'm guessing you and Lady Hiyono didn't get along?" Shibano asked cautiously. Lina glared at her brown haired friend.
"HELL NO! She's so...so...BRATTY! UGH! She was ALL OVER HIM today! It made me sick! You know what she said! She said that Neji belonged to HER! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!" Lina shouted as she started pacing, throwing her hands up in the air out of frustration. "She said that if the chance 'presented' itself to him, he'd stay here with the likes of HER rather than go back to Konoha with ME! GOD, CAN YOU BELIEVE HER! THAT SPOILED, LITTLE, SELFISH BRAT!" Lina screamed.
"Uh...Did you hear that?" Kisho asked Renji and Neji as they began to get closer to their rooms.
"Yeah...it sounded like Lina." Renji sighed. "I wonder what got her mad this time."
"Lady Hiyono." Neji told them and continued walking, Renji and Kisho looked at each other then back at Neji.
"Why does it bother you if he stays here with her?" Shibano asked as she and Tenten sat on Lina's bed.
"Because! She's a brat and thinks she can get whomever she wants! And she's SHALLOW! She only likes Neji for his looks! There is SO much more to Neji than his stupid face!" Lina grumbled as she continued pacing back and forth. "I mean…He's a strong ninja! He's a cool guy once you get past his pompous ego! He has a somewhat sense of humor! He's actually nice! Again, if you get past his stupid attitude! His looks just add to him! But no, she's so shallow she wont see past his face and his body! God!" Lina ranted, still pacing. Shibano and Tenten blinked and looked at each other, then back at Lina.
"Uh, Lina if you don't mind me asking but, do you LIKE Neji?" Tenten asked cautiously. Lina stopped pacing and stared at the door. She wasn't expecting someone to ask her that, she actually forgot that Shibano and Tenten were there. Lina's cheeks blushed as she looked from the door to the ground. Lina couldn't bring herself to say the words out loud, so she just gave her head a small nod. Shibano and Tenten smiled at Lina. It's about time she admits it. Lina turned around and looked at them.
"It doesn't matter though. He likes Tenten." Lina sighed, then Tenten started laughing. Lina's pink eyebrow raised in confusion.
"Oh, that's funny, Lina." She laughed and shook her head. "Neji doesn't like me. We're teammates and friends." She told Lina with a smile, still laughing a little.
"Yeah, and we all know that Neji loves you." Shibano started laughing. "I mean...Lady Hiyono pretty much confessed to Neji that she liked him right? He's going to be coming up to you any day now and to tell you he likes you." Shibano and Tenten started laughing. Lina sighed, she had forgotten about that little promise. There was a knock on the door, causing all three of them to jump. They all secretly hoped that it wasn't Neji. Lina slowly went to the door and opened it there stood Renji and Kisho, and behind them, leaning up against the door in front of Lina's, was Neji.
"He-hey guys!" Lina blushed. "What are you doing here?"
"Dinner." Kisho smiled; Shibano cheered and ran out of the room, and Tenten and Lina walked out of Lina's room. Lina shut the door behind her. Renji sighed and walk to get Shibano; Kisho and Tenten walked behind Renji, leaving Lina and Neji walk behind them.
A/N: Well there's chapter Six. I really hope you enjoyed it! I don't know when I'll get chapter 7 out, seeing as I have to finish typing up Bleach and I have to still register for college :/ But I WILL GET IT DONE! D8 If I don't...well I don't know xD
Anyway, please review. It makes me happy when I find out that people favorite this story, but I'd also like the some feed back as well! :D