A/N: I am deeply sorry by the very long delay! Never thought starting on a new education could eat up my time and leave me tired every time I am free! I am so, so sorry! And I hope you all will enjoy this chapter and that it does not disappoint you!
A different side of Tenten will be shown and Hiashi role in the story gets yet another twist!
I apologize for any grammar errors /spelling mistakes there may or might be. I try my best to avoid as many as possible.
Main pairing: Nejiten
Side pairing(s): Naruhina and possible others
Warning(s): Possible OOCness, medieval era, mild mature hints (nothing graphic or explicit)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!
A Sense of Duty
Chapter 4: A Sense of Teasing
Neji stared. He just stood and stared blankly at the sight before him. It almost seemed like his mind had turned off.
Neji blinked.
Unable to find his voice or move his body.
He was frozen still.
He simply did not know how to react, he has never seen in a situation like this before! He has never seen nor pictured how a woman looked like without most of their clothes!
And he felt oddly aroused by it… well his body felt that way! His mind… felt nothing, but panic and shame.
Panic because he feared this woman's unpredictable temper and shame because of his own body's reaction to the situation.
It was not like Tenten was standing there completely naked like a new born child! No, her womanly areas where covered, but only a little…
She was wearing white, short underpants and her hair covered most of her chest area, although it did not leave much to the imagination.
A cleavage, collarbone, stomach and the bottom part of her womanly chest were all exposed much to Neji's despair.
The messy, still wet hair was dripping small drops of water down the floor and she was looking at him with an unreadable expression, blinking her eyes as if she was just as speechless as he was.
Neji swallowed deeply before he managed to speak.
"By God's fist, Tenten put some clothes on!" Neji spoke out loudly before he forced himself to cover his eyes with his hands while he looked in the opposite direction.
A few moments passed before Tenten reacted to Neji's outburst.
"I would have loved to, but your stupid uncle's stupid maids took it and have yet to return it to me! Why does, me lacking clothes bother you so much? It was YOU who walked in without knocking!" Tenten pointed out while she crossed her arms over her chest.
Neji started to sweat nervously. He, himself, was starting to wonder why he walked in without knocking.
"I-I only walked in because I realized that I had let you take your dagger with you and I wanted to confiscate it before someone gets hurt," Neji explained, "Also, I did NOT expect you to be looking like THIS!" Neji turned around to look Tenten in the eyes as he finished.
Tenten blinked at him.
"Like what? Half-naked?" Tenten then, took notice in how Neji reacted and a sly, devilish smirk appeared on her face, "Do not tell me that you have never seen the feminine gender naked before, Mister Swordsman?" Tenten teasefully bended forward while she pushed her breasts together with her arms creating a deep cleavage.
Neji felt himself blush as he forced himself to look away from the sight.
"N-nonsense, Tenten!" Neji denied as he turned his head away from the smirking brunette.
"Why so shy all of a sudden, Mister Swordsman? It is not like am not any wearing clothes because I am just not so much" Tenten teased Neji even further for her own sinful amusement.
"Will you cut it out, Tenten? This is not amusing at all!" Neji hissed at Tenten with heavy pink cheeks.
"But it is! It is very, very amusing" Tenten disagreed with Neji while she grinned at him slyly.
His embarrassment was her pleasure.
"That female devil is going to be the death of me if this continues" Neji thought to himself while he forcefully tried to look in a different direction, far away from Tenten and her half-naked body.
"Please Tenten, put something on to cover yourself up with, I really do not need people to get the wrong idea" Neji explained while he continued to look the other way.
Tenten frowned.
"You know, I think I know what you need," Tenten looked at Neji with evil expression, "A loving, heart melting hug from the superior gender, me" With that Tenten began walking over to Neji with slow steps and an evil-looking smirk on her face.
Neji finally looked at Tenten, who was coming closer and closer at him, with a panicking look and he began walking backwards slowly, but before he had reached the door Tenten jumped into his arms and Neji felt his face turning red while his mind turned off, once again.
A panicking Neji now had a half-naked Tenten's body pressed against him with a smug smile planted on her lips.
The two was so busy with each other that they did not notice another person walking into the bathroom.
"I am sorry for the delay, but I have some clothes for y-" The person froze and stopped speaking. Neither Tenten nor Neji took notice in the person at first, too busy trying to deal with each other.
"C-cousin N-Neji, w-what are d-doing?" The person stuttered out in pure shock.
Neji froze. He knew that voice!
"Lady Hinata?" Neji managed to say as he found himself looking at his blushing cousin with a shocked expression on his face and a half-naked girl pressed against him.
His reputation as a gentleman and man of duty was doomed!
"Ah, Miss Tenten, I see you have met my daughter, Hinata" Hiashi said with a little smug smile on his lips. He almost chuckled when he saw the redness on his daughter, his nephew and Tenten's faces.
They all walked in without saying a word. Hinata was avoiding eye contract, busy looking down herself while both Neji and Tenten seemed to try their hardest not to avoid looking at one another.
Once they had taken a seat down at the large wooded table in the middle of the even bigger dining room, Hiashi spoke out with calm asking voice:
"So, Miss Tenten, do the clothes suit your taste or it is too womanly for you to wear?"
Tenten glared at Hiashi with a dark look on her face. She was dressed in a rather elegant looking dark green dress and looked almost like a real lady. The once, who does not attack other people.
"It is," Tenten frowned, "Fine" Tenten looked away with her arms crossed over her chest.
"My, my, what a transformation," Hiashi spoke out joyfully, "Neji, did you tame her?" Hiashi looked at his nephew, but before Neji even had a chance to speak Tenten slammed a fist down on the table.
All eyes turned to look at Tenten, who was glaring darkly at Neji.
"Tame me?" Tenten looked up with sarcastic look in her eyes," As if! In fact, it was quite opposite, I was the one taming him" Tenten exclaimed proudly with a loud spoken voice. This made Neji stand to defend his own honor.
"Since when? You where the one getting all touchy and…" Neji paused, "womanly" Neji blushed a faint blush while he forced himself to look away.
"Well you where the one who decided to walk in on me! I was merely teasing you, Sir 'I-have-never-seen-a-woman-half-naked'!" Tenten pointed out, making Neji's face turn a brighter red color.
"Will you please shut up! I thought you would never submit yourself to a man?" Neji looked at Tenten with a questioning look.
"And that is true! No man can make me go down on my knees!" Tenten stated out loud.
"On your knees or pressed against me, I really do not see the difference here, please explain it to me" Neji mockingly said with a careless look, making Tenten's blood boil in anger.
Neji looked at Tenten, waiting for her to burst, but rather than bursting all her anger out of him Tenten did something else. She took a deep breath, looked at his uncle before she pointed at his cousin and said:
"Old man's daughter, Hinata, please tell your dear father what you saw when you walked in on us"
Tenten could tell, by the look on all their faces that neither of them had expected her to say or ask that. Hiashi looked at his daughter with a raised eyebrow while Hinata flushed and looked down at herself shyly while folding her dress with her nervous hands.
"Well… I was on my way with the dress and…"
FLASHBACK
Hinata was in a hurry. It had taken a little too long, finding clothes for her cousin's female guest. Hinata did not know the size of the guest and was therefore forced to look after clothes that could adapt to different body sizes, which was not an easy task when you have as much clothes as Hinata.
"I really need to ask Ino to sort some of it out, I barely have time to wear all of it" Hinata noted herself while she walked with fast steps towards the guest bathroom, where her cousin's guest was supposed to be.
Once she had reached it she noticed that the door was open and it sounded like there were people inside speaking with each other quite loudly. She could not make out what they were saying or who they where, so she shock it out of her head and walked over to the bathroom.
Hinata took a few steps inside and…
"I am sorry for the delay, but I have some clothes for y-" Hinata froze in shock.
What Hinata walked into shocked her beyond her own imagination. Right before her very eyes stood her dear older cousin, Neji, with a girl pressed up against him.
But it was not the fact that her cousin had a woman in his arms that shocked her, it was the fact that the woman was half-naked!
"Oh dear lord, my cousin is a closet pervert!" Hinata shouted to herself mentally.
The girl… well woman was probably a more fitting term for her cousin's guest because she had the appearance of her woman and she, in Hinata's mind, looked absolutely beautiful with soft-looking, curly brown locks and matching brown eyes. The woman was beautiful.
Hinata could not help, but to feel a bit self-conscious about herself.
"Maybe if I was as beautiful as she is, Naruto would recognize me?" Hinata wondered to herself before she with pink cheeks stuttered out:
"C-cousin N-Neji, w-what are d-doing?"
Hinata saw how her cousin, Neji, froze in shock before he turned his head around to look at her with very surprised look on his face and bright red cheeks.
"Lady Hinata?" He managed to say.
The two cousins just stared at each other, neither of them knew what to say.
"Well this is kind of awkward" A voice next to Neji spoke. Both Neji and Hinata looked to Neji's side to see that it was the woman, Neji had been getting cozy with, who had spoken.
Neji looked back at Hinata, who looked at the woman with a surprised look on her face. Neji, wanted to save his younger cousin's innocent mind from seeing things she should not see, managed to free himself from Tenten's embrace and decided to hide Tenten's half nude body by standing in front of Tenten.
"Lady Hinata, why are you here?" Neji gave his cousin a questioning look as he asked her, still wondering why his cousin was here in the first place. Hinata looked at him, although her glares sometime went to the woman Neji was with and replied:
"Well… father told me that you had a guest over and he asked me to find some clothes for her to wear, so well… I found this dress and I hope it suits your guest's… taste" Hinata shyly pulled the dark green dress she had been carrying forward for both Neji and Tenten to see.
"It was also about time someone came with something I could wear, I beginning to feel cold and we all know what happens when the feminine body feels cold" The woman joked with a somewhat cocky voice while she walked over to Hinata, not caring that she was practically naked.
Hinata stared blankly at the woman with pink cheeks while she handed the dress over to her.
"Ehm… m-may I ask who you are, m-miss?" Hinata nervously asked the woman, who looked at Hinata with raised eyebrow before she grinned at the shy girl.
"The name is Tenten" Tenten pulled her hand forward for Hinata to shake, "Just Tenten, not miss Tenten, not Lady Tenten, just Tenten" Hinata took Tenten's hand with a little hesitation and smiled softly as she said:
"It is a pleasure to met you, Tenten, my name is Hinata, Hinata Hyuuga" With that Hinata bowed down politely.
Neji, who was following Tenten's movement closely was in shock.
"This cannot be real, it must be a hallucination! Tenten being polite?" Neji shock his head in denial.
"Hallo hero, what is wrong with you? You hit you head or something?" Tenten asked Neji with lifted eyebrow. Neji looked at Tenten before he asked with an annoyed look on his face:
"Will you please explain to me why you can be so rude to my uncle and me, and yet be so polite to Lady Hinata?"
Tenten smiled at Neji smugly before she replied:
"Because Hinata here is cute while you and the old man are not"
Hinata blushed a deep red color while Neji paled.
"C-cute?" Hinata stuttered out confusedly with a blushing face. Tenten smiled at Hinata brightly before she pulled Hinata into a tight hug.
Neji stared at the scene with a pale face.
Hinata's red face against Tenten's naked chest.
"Just great first she tries to kill my uncle and now she molesting my cousin, why did I bring her along? This woman is going to destroy the honor of my family and my life!" Neji hopelessly uttered out to himself while he sighed deeply.
A few moments after Tenten released Hinata and went to take on the dress she had brought along with her.
"While I do not like overly feminine dresses, I really like the fabric of this dress. It is so comfortable!" Tenten joyfully pointed out as she had taken the dress on.
After that they had all walked together to the dining room where Hiashi was waiting for them to arrive, neither of them spoke a word while walking.
END OF FLASHBACK
Hiashi looked at his daughter with unreadable expression before he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I see" Hiashi mumbled as he looked at his nephew and Tenten with an expression that made them both feel rather uncomfortable.
Neji swallowed unconsciously, he feared his uncle's reaction and was preparing himself for the worse.
"I am prepared to take my punishment as a true swordsman for breaking the codex of honor!" Neji promised himself sincerely while he closed his eyes tightly and folded his hands together.
Next to him Tenten was feeling a sensation of annoyance and discomfort. She did not like Hiashi's expression at all!
"Everything about that old man just tends to disturb me to no end!" Tenten growled to herself as she looked at Hiashi with narrowed, brown eyes.
An amusing smile slowly formed itself on Hiashi's cold face as he with an amused look looked at his nephew and his nephew's dear guest. Hiashi chuckled to himself before he said:
"What a lovely surprise"
"L-lord Hiashi?"
"O-old man?"
"F-father?"
Hinata, Neji and Tenten looked at Hiashi with their mouths agape. They were all in pure shock.
Hiashi did not seem to have notice the shocking look on their faces as he just continued speaking:
"I have always believe that you where not one of those male-loving males, my dear nephew," Hiashi looked at Neji, who looked dumbfoundedly at his uncle,"To think that you have finally embraced your manly desires and not only seen the beauty of the womanly body, but touched it! I am so proud of you!" Hiashi finished while he whipped a fake tear away from his face.
Neji stared at his uncle with a pale face and red cheeks while Tenten was debating whether to kill Hiashi or make fun of Neji. Hinata, on the other hand, was staring with her mouth wide open in shock.
"L-lord Hiashi, what happened to you?" Neji almost cried out.
"This cannot be the real Hiashi! The real Hiashi would NEVER say something like that! It must be some sort of trick, a dream, something supernatural! My uncle NEVER acts like this to anyone!" Neji shouted out to himself, as he tried to convince himself that he was dreaming and when he woke up there will be no proud Hiashi, no annoying and rude girl with the name of Tenten and no one calling him either feminine or male-loving! Everything would be back to NORMAL!
"Touched me?" Tenten blinked at Hiashi confusedly, "No, no, no, I am afraid you are misunderstanding it all, old man! I was the one doing the touching! Not him, me!" Tenten pointed out.
"You did not touch me, you attacked me, you crazy wom-person!" Neji hissed at Tenten with burning red cheeks.
"Quit calling me by my gender!" Tenten warned Neji.
"I did not!" Neji defended himself while Tenten lifted a judging finger as she said:
"But you were about to" Neji looked at Tenten as if she had gone mad.
"This woman drives me insane!" Neji cursed to himself.
From the sidelines Hiashi and Hinata looked confusedly at the scene before them. Hiashi learned over to Hinata and whispered in her ears:
"I think it is best if you leave, Hinata my dear" Hinata looked at her father for a moment before she nodded her head.
"Ehm cousin Neji, Tenten, I am sorry, but I have to leave" Hinata interrupted the two, who quickly stopped their argument with each other.
"Huh?" Neji and Tenten looked at Hinata with confusion in their eyes before they nodded their heads slowly.
"Okay, Hero's cute cousin! Hope to see you some day!" Tenten said cheerfully while she waved at Hinata.
"I apologize for Tenten's behavior, Lady Hinata, please take care" Neji bowed his head politely.
Once Hinata had left, Hiashi finally spoke out:
"Now, where was I?" Tenten and Neji blinked at him. They had completely forgotten what had started their discussion in the first place.
Hiashi being proud!
"In the middle of humiliating your nephew?" Tenten had a big grin her face as she spoke.
"Acting out of character?" Neji asked, completely ignoring Tenten.
"Ah I remember! I was in middle of telling you, Neji, how proud I am of you for showing me that there is still hope of you having your own children, your dreams have not completely destroyed the desires every man has in their blood" Hiashi explained without removing his eyes of his nephew.
Neji felt himself broke a sweat under his uncle intense stare. His uncle was up to something, but what?
"Old man, are you finished because I have places to go and people to meet" Tenten butted in. She was looking at Hiashi with a bored expression.
"Tent-" Neji was about to speak, but Hiashi interrupted him by saying:
"Not so fast, Miss Tenten, I am afraid I cannot let you leave" Tenten looked at Hiashi with a raised eyebrow, as did Neji.
"And why not, old man?" Tenten asked while she looked at Hiashi with narrowed eyes.
"Yes, uncle, why not? I only invited her over for dinner and nothing else" Neji looked at his uncle with an unsure look. He simply did not understand his uncle's logic at all!
"I have a proposal" Hiashi stated with a calm voice.
"A proposal?" Tenten and Neji blinked at him.
"Yes, a proposal that involves both you two" Hiashi clarified.
Neji and Tenten found themselves looking at each other with lost looks. Neither of them knew what Hiashi had in mind, which worried them both. Tenten felt like Hiashi was mocking her while Neji feared that it would destroy his chances of becoming one of the Knights of Konoha.
"How?" Tenten asked coldly.
"How what?" Hiashi looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Tenten gave Hiashi a murderous look before she answered:
"How does it involve us and what kind of proposal are you talking about?"
Hiashi chuckled as he replied:
"Easy there, I was just about to tell you"
Neji and Tenten looked at Hiashi with intense looks, which Hiashi seemed to ignore as he began explaining:
"My proposal is that Miss Tenten can stay with us for 3 months and over these 3 months you two are going to learn from each other"
"Learn from each other? Uncle, I am afraid I do not quite follow you, what do you mean by that?" Neji asked while he looked at his uncle with a lost look on his face.
"What I mean is that you will teach Miss Tenten how to control her pride, anger as well as teach her some proper manners while Miss Tenten will teach you how to relax, be free and follow your own beliefs rather than to follow other people's beliefs. A give and take relationship to be more precise" Hiashi calmly explained to his nephew.
"Uncle, you cannot be serious? Learn to be free, nonsense!" Neji objected Hiashi's idea harshly.
"There is nothing wrong with my manners, old man!" Tenten yelled at Hiashi angrily.
"Will you two be quiet, I am not done speaking!" Hiashi shouted out loud, making both Neji and Tenten stop yelling at him.
"Old man can get angry? Unbelievable!" Tenten thoughts to herself with a surprised look on her face.
"Lord Hiashi is angry and determined, there is no way out of this proposal and that is for sure" Neji sighed to himself.
"If you two agree on my proposal and you both successes in teaching the other what they need to learn within the 3 months, I will award you greatly" Hiashi assured the two, who was looking at him with disbelief in their eyes.
"What kind of award?" Tenten pressed on, hoping that Hiashi would clarify what he meant by 'awarding them greatly'.
"Exactly, could you be more specific, Lord Hiashi?" Neji followed Tenten's example and asked his uncle for a better, more clear explanation.
"What I meant is that I can fulfill one of your deepest wishes by using the power I held as one of the few who knows the queen on a personal level," Hiashi pointed out before he continued, "For example, Neji, I could increase your chances of becoming one of the Knights of Konoha and for you, Tenten, I could promise you an audience with the queen, if that is what you wish for of course" Hiashi added.
Tenten and Neji looked with shocking looks at Hiashi. Hiashi's proposal was tempting, but what will happen if they failed? Nothing? Or maybe some sort of punishment? The thought made them hesitate a little.
"What if we fail the task?" Tenten suddenly decided to ask, "What will happen if we were unable to achieve success?"
Hiashi rubbed his chin thoughtfully before he answered:
"I have yet to think of something, but I guess you two just have to avoid failure at all cost" The look Hiashi was sending them was giving them both shivers.
"So? Do you two accept my proposal or do you not?" Hiashi looked at the two, who stared right back at him before they both smiled to themselves and replied:
"We accept"
Hiashi smiled at them before he stood up and made his way over to the door. He paused just before it and turned to look at them.
"From tomorrow the 3 months begins, use them wisely and remember, either you both win or you both loss" With that Hiashi left the room leaving behind a determined Neji and strong-willed Tenten.
"I will teach Prince Charming how to live life like a man!"
"I shall teach that woman how to be woman!"
To be continued…
A/N: DONE! I little bit longer than the previous chapter, but only a little! I hope you all enjoyed it!
The plot is now up and running! Let's just say it won't be easy for either of them!
I will try my best to finish the next chapter sooner!
Leave a review and tell me what you think! :)
P.S. I debating whether to change the rating to M or not, there will not be any lemon in the story, but there will most like be both violence and blood in later chapter as well as a mature undertone (although it won't be graphic, but hinted). What do you guys think? Should I change it or should I wait until I know for sure what "mature" content there might come in later chapter?