A/N: Alright, This fic is getting so much more attention than when it came out the first time! I am so HAPPY! Like, I'm giddy with happiness! Honestly. People are actually READING the crap I write! You know how much that flatters me that 77 different people read this already? It means TONS!! And, I actually got reviews! Like, as in, real live gosh darned reviews! As in . . . WOW! Honestly. I was totally kidding about the give me review and I will give you a chapter thing. If I even got one review, I was going to post another chapter! But . . . WOW! You guys are actually subscribing and . . . I'm totally AMAZED!!

But enough of this crap, I know that you guys just want to know what the heck is gonna happen . . . So . . . here we go . . .

By the way, this chapter is dedicated to weaponsmistressbunny, who stuck with this fic from the first time it came out to now. I'm SO TOUCHED by the fact that someone is staying with me through all this! sniff I feel so special!!

And, thanks so much to my AWESOME betas! I couldn't have done this without you guys, Your Existence and The Indigo Schemer! You guys rock! Like, totally!!

Chapter 3: Bonding Time

"Hinata, what have you been doing lately?" Neji asked his cousin. However, before the kunoichi could reply, there was a knock at the door. A servant entered, bowing, "Lady Hinata, your visitors are here."

Neji looked blankly at the girl, "Hinata, it's 9:30. Visitors? If it's Naruto, I'm going to have to be present the whole time, under your father's wishes. You do know that, right?"

Hinata blushed at the mention of Naruto, who had recently started noticing her, "It's not Naruto. It's the girls."

Neji looked confused, "What are they doing here at this hour?"

Hinata laughed at her cousin's confusion, "It's a slumber party, Neji. We've been going on missions for a long time, this is a good chance to have some girl bonding time."

Neji shook his head, "What will you be doing? Doing your makeup? Making each other dress up? I thought you were grown up, responsible kunoichi, not children playing dress up!"

Hinata rolled her eyes at her cousin, "I-It's no different than you guys beating each other up. Female bonding time is much less . . . life threatening."

Neji grunted. Last time all the guys got together, there was massive chaos. Kankuro and Gaara were visiting Konoha at the time, and showed up to the gathering. What proceeded was . . . interesting . . .

Lee grabbed Neji's hand, dragging him off to training ground where the guys agreed to meet.

Chouji was hovering over the portable barbecue grill, still with perfect concentration. Kankuro and Kiba were guzzling sake and Akamaru was so drunk that he couldn't even walk straight. Shino and Sasuke were discussing different jutsus with Gaara, totally ignoring the scene in front of them. Naruto joined the drinking group, betting that he could drink more than Kiba, who was already half drunk. Sai looked on the whole scene, impassive, as Lee headed over to the half tipsy guys with sake bottles. Neji made no move to stop him. After all, it was funny when Lee got drunk, albeit rather destructive. Shikamaru laid down on the grass and started stargazing, since it was a cloudless night.

Soon, there was a fine line between the sober and the drunk. Everyone except Sasuke, Shino, Gaara, Sai, Neji and Shikamaru was drunk. Naruto was loudly talking as the others laughed, goofy expressions on their faces.

" . . . and then she started moaning and screaming. . . " Naruto never finished the sentence though. Neji had already socked him with a chakra filled fist, and Shino's bugs were going in for the kill.

"No one talks about my cousin like that and gets away with it," Neji declared in a low voice.

"What did you do to Hinata?" Shino asked, his voice threatening, as his bugs starting to coil around Naruto's body.

Kiba interfered, "H-Hey now . . . n-no need to be . . . hic . . . hasty, right?" his words were slurred.

"He was talking trash about Hinata," Shino's voice was low and threatening.

"O-Oh!" Kiba tried to get into a fighting stance, but couldn't, because he was too drunk, "C-Come . . . on Akamaru . . . Man-hic-Beast Clones." Then the two of them charged at Naruto, running drunkenly.

Lee defended Naruto, "He was o-only retelling . . . hic . . . what he heard between Sh-Shikam-maru and I-Ino."

Shikamaru became livid, "He WHAT??"

Then, there was an all out brawl of every man for himself. There were quite a few complaints made to Tsunade about it being too loud. Eventually, Sakura and Ino were sent to investigate the matter, since Tsunade didn't want to bother with it. They had arrived to a scene of utter disaster. All the guys were on the ground, moaning. Several were puking their guts out, also. All of them were sent to the hospital, and Tsunade was rather miffed that some of her best ninja and the visitors from Suna had a party with sake and didn't invite her. Then again, it was called "male" bonding time for a reason . . .

The first thing Neji and Lee woke up to, the next day, was a screaming Tenten. She ran around their shared hospital room, yelling at them for being such dumbasses and for almost killing their friends. Lee had asked her to be quiet because he had a raging headache, courtesy of the 4 bottles of sake he downed last night. That caused her to scream even louder about how irresponsible men were and how the village will have a shortage of ninja this week thanks to them. Then, she began to rant about how all the men on her team were crazy or irresponsible or prone to do rash things, or all of the above. Then, the poor guys had to hear Tenten continue in her extended lecture until they were sent home by Tsunade.

Yep, Tenten was not a happy camper that day.

Neji smiled at the memory of the "male bonding time", but a voice broke his reverie.

"N-Neji?" Hinata looked worriedly at her cousin, "Y-You've been spacing out."

"Hinata?" Hinata heard Ino's high pitched voice.

"Bye!" She slipped out the room to greet her guests.

Ino, Sakura and Temari followed Hinata into the heiress's room. She motioned for them to place their bags by the wall as they entered the room, giggling and talking amongst themselves.

"Hey, Hinata?" Hinata turned to the pink haired girl, "Why isn't Tenten here?"

"Yeah!" Ino turned from her conversation with Temari, "Where is she?"

Hinata shrugged, "I-I don't know."

Temari looked at the shy girl carefully, "You're hiding something. What happened?"

Ino looked skeptically at Hinata, "Hinata, you didn't have a fight with her, did you?" The idea of sweet Hinata quarrelling with Tenten was so absurd that Ino, Sakura and Temari burst into giggles. However, the giggles faded awkwardly at Hinata's pained expression.

"No kidding?" Temari frowned, "You had a fight with Tenten?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows, "For real?"

Hinata shook her head, her long hair swishing around her face. She looked down, nervously, and began to play with her fingers, "W-Well . . . n-n-not me . . . specifically . . . "

Ino furrowed her brow, "Tenten's nice. I mean, yeah, she's dangerous. Heck, even Hinata is deadly. But, she's nice. She doesn't go around picking fights for no reason."

Hinata nodded her head in agreement, "T-That's what we thought too . . . "

Temari narrowed her eyes, "We? Tenten picked a fight with more than one person?"

Hinata shook her head again, still not looking up from her twiddling fingers, "Sh-She didn't r-really pick a fight . . . "

Sakura flopped onto the floor with a sigh, "Now you're just confusing me. Start from the top, Hinata."

The pale eyed girl knew her friends wanted to help, but this wasn't exactly her secret to tell, "B-But . . . it's not really about me . . . "

Ino frowned at Hinata, "Look, we want to help. If there's something going on with Tenten, we can help. We are her friends, but we are also your friends. You've gotta let us in on this."

Hinata nodded her head slowly, finally looking up to meet the eyes of the three concerned kunoichi, "Y-You s-s-swear not to tell?"

Ino pouted at Hinata, "We would never tell!" Sakura gave the blonde a sideways glance. Ino crossed her arms over her purple midriff shirt, "I would never tell Hinata's secret!" When Temari also gave a skeptical glance, she sprang up from her seat on the floor, "Damn it! I'm not going to tell, okay?"

Temari turned and smiled at Hinata, encouraging the shy girl, "We won't tell. Go ahead."

All three girls leaned in to hear Hinata as she explained that she was worried about Neji because he was confused by Tenten's contradicting signals . . .

Neji stared at his ceiling, trying to concentrate on anything except a certain brunette girl. Yet, wherever his thoughts wandered, she appeared out of nowhere. Damn it! His thoughts circled his head.

I can't think of any logical reason as to why Tenten would stand me up.

You so sure about that?

She would never play with my feelings like that!

She just did!

Neji ignored his nagging inner self to focus on his thoughts. He could hear her speak in his head, picture the way she smiled, remembering the way she cried for him when she thought he was dead on one of their most recent missions . . .

Wet . . . something wet . . . what is this?

It's sticky . . .

And warm . . .

Tastes like iron . . .

Blood . . .

My blood . . .

Is this the end? . . .

"NEJI!" a heart wrenching scream tore around the clearing, "Neji! NO! Don't leave. Don't leave me! Please! Don't go . . . Don't go . . . Don't leave . . . please! I need you . . . please! Neji! Neji! Neji, stay with me . . . focus . . . Neji! Don't leave me! Don't leave me! Don't leave me, please!" Tenten whispered the last word, pressing her forehead into his bloody chest, "Neji . . . don't die on me!" the words were muffled by her tears and his tattered robes.

Who is that?

Tenten?

Yes . . . Tenten . . .

Why is she here?

Leave me alone, Tenten . . . I want to sleep . . .

Leave . . .

Another voice could be heard, "His heart rate is dropping! We have to get him back to Konoha and to Lady Tsunade!"

Me . . .

"Lee . . . we can't move him in that condition. There's not enough time . . . "

Alone . . .

A scream pierced the air as the pale eyed boy's heart stopped beating. Hands were placed on his chest. One thrust . . . Two thrusts . . . Three thrusts . . . Lee focused on the chest compressions.

What is this?

Tenten opened Neji's mouth before gently placing hers on it.

Warm . . . wet . . .

She gently blew in. Once . . . twice . . .

Tears . . .

"He's breathing again. There's also a pulse," Gai mumbled through his tears. He embraced Lee and ran joyous circles around camp.

Neji opened his eyes to see Tenten's chocolate eyes staring down at him, tears streaming down her scratched and slightly muddy face. Her pink shirt was slightly torn and her hair was disheveled. Still, Neji thought it was the most beautiful sight ever.

She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand, "I thought I lost you . . . " Then she buried her face into his chest, sobbing into him. Surprisingly, he didn't mind. He smiled down as the usually tough brunette dropped her guard. For some odd reason, he liked the fact that she didn't keep up the tough outer appearance with him . . .

Neji winced as the memory brought a twinge to his chest. He heard the giggling voices of the girls and automatically thought about Tenten's laugh.

He flopped onto the bed, smothering his face with a pillow in hopes of diverting his thoughts. However, his mind stuck persistently to the thoughts of the weapon's mistress.

He got out of bed and changed from his Hyuga robes into a fishnet shirt and some shorts. However, instead of going to bed, he sat down at his desk, fishing scrolls from different drawers. He rubbed his face with his hands before beginning to read the scrolls.

No doubt about it, he would get no sleep tonight.

Still, he couldn't focus on anything. His mind refused to cooperate and think about the words on the page. He rubbed his eyes, tired, before trying to read the contents of the scroll for the fifth time. Tch, of course he knew all too well why he couldn't pay attention to the scrolls he was trying to study. A certain brunette was plaguing his thoughts. He sighed, pushing his hair back from his forehead. He stood up and walked over to his closet, getting his ninja clothing.

Maybe some training alone was just the thing for his wandering mind.

"Hey!" A certain hyperactive knucklehead shouted as he spotted a familiar figure in the dark street, "GAARA!!" Naruto ran across the street toward said redhead. He lunged at the ex-jinchuriki in a bear hug. Gaara didn't really appear to be angry at this form of greeting, just rather annoyed. Kankuro, on the other hand, was still amazed that Naruto was able to touch Gaara affectionately, without being killed. On the other hand, Naruto was a bit different from the fangirls always fawning over Gaara . . .

Naruto finally broke from the hug, because Gaara has limits even with his closest friend. Naruto didn't mind too much, after all, Gaara changed a lot since the first time they met at the Chuunin Exams.

"This is so stupid, Naruto," A bored voice was heard from behind the blonde kyuubi host, "Why the hell did you drag us out here in the middle of the night?"

"I agree with Sasuke. This is all so troublesome," this came from a specific Nara, who yawned as he said this.

"Well, you see . . . " Naruto rubbed his head, smiling, "Sakura said something about the girls having some sort of bonding time together. It's been a while since we all spent some time together, and Gaara and Kankuro are here. So, I decided that we could have another go at some male bonding time."

This automatically drew a response, "Oh, God, no! Heck, even Akamaru had a hangover last time!" This comment was accompanied by a whine.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "So, we just won't have alcohol this time. It can't be that bad, can it?"

There were several mutters and moans. However, a voice piped up, "It will be a gathering where men bond together in their youthfulness by fist fighting!" Lee stared up at the late night sky, tears running down his face, "Oh, Gai-sensei, I will do you proud!" He did the "nice guy pose", gleaming white teeth flashing, bushy eyebrows raised, the whole shebang.

Five minutes later, everyone was still blinking at the blinding flash of Lee's teeth. Except Shino, that is. But he was wearing sunglasses, and that's cheating.

After everyone could finally see clearly, Naruto looked at the gang of guys in front of him.

Okay . . . Naruto, check. That was a given, after all, he initiated this meeting.

Sasuke, check. Naruto dragged the Uchiha out of his apartment first, though the raven haired boy cursed and tried to resist. However, he knew that Naruto wanted him to be there, and he knew that Sakura would also like him to put in the effort to at least try to look like he is trying to be social. Heh, who was he kidding? The Uchiha? Social? But, hey, it's the thought that counts . . . So, he went, albeit with grumbling.

Chouji, check. Naruto showed up at Chouji's house, Sasuke in tow, and "persuaded" him to come by bribing him with a knapsack of chips. Of course, Chouji doesn't like turning down free food. So, he went without a complaint, munching chips along the way,

Shikamaru, check. When Shikamaru opened the door to see the blonde, dragging Sasuke along, and Chouji pigging out behind him, he knew what was going on. He didn't want to go to any stupid "male bonding" things. Heck, last time was a disaster. Tsunade had given him a lecture about them not being responsible (though Shikamaru knew that she was just peeved at not being invited to a party with sake) and having many of her best nins to become unavailable for a prolonged period of time. Then, his mom showed up at his hospital room, which inevitably led to another long lecture. Women. But, it was too troublesome to fight back, so the hyperactive ninja used his free arm to tow the Nara along.

Kiba, check. Kiba was walking Akamaru when the group crossed him. His mom was out on a mission and Hana and her boyfriend were at home. Being an Inuzuka means that he has keen senses. With that comes acute hearing. However, the fact that he can hear Hana and her boyfriend going at it from a block away is just downright gross. He didn't want to hear his sister screwing a guy. That's just wrong! So, rather than argue, he just went along with the other guys. Anything to get his sister's screams off his mind.

Shino, check. Okay, it took a while to get Shino out. But then again, it's not like Shino's really against being social. It's just that he doesn't really want to talk much, which kind of beats the point of being social. However, Naruto used a Shadow Clone and he ended up being dragged along with the group. In actuality, Shino didn't really mind going along. However, that would break his image of being an antisocial guy. So, he was dragged by Naruto on their way to recruit more people.

Lee, check. They didn't actually have to go looking for Lee. The green clad taijutsu user ran to join them, all too eager for another go at some "bonding time" and to hone his skills against his friends.

Sai, check. Sai read in a book that "male bonding time" was important in friendship, so he went along, smiling his cheesy smile the whole time. The fact that he reads this stuff was kinda creepy, but they were all used to it, eventually.

Gaara, check. They were going to go to the Sand Embassy to drag Gaara out. However, they encountered them on the street just now.

Kankuro, check. Kankuro was with Gaara when the guys met them. Rather than put up a fight, he just went with the group. After all, Naruto was good for Gaara. And, it was actually pretty funny the last time they did this.

Naruto frowned as he studied the chatting group.

That only leaves Neji . . .

"HEY!" he instantly grabbed everyone's attention, "We're getting Neji, and then heading off to training ground 4!"

They entered an alley, making their way to the Hyuga Compound when they stumbled upon a huddled figure on the ground.

They stared, horrified, at the sight before them.

"TENTEN!!"

A/N: And, I know everyone demands reviews at the end. But, seriously, they are SO encouraging to the writer. Honestly, like, I'm not even kidding! So, please just review. Send me your feedback, do you like this fic? Any ideas for the plot? Anything you particularly hate? Any pairing that particularly bugs you? Is it so OOC that you're going out of your mind? Is it so cliche that you think I'm just copying it from some cheezy Soap Opera? Or, do you just want me to hurry my ass up and post the next chapter? Seriously. Feedback, please? I get motivation by reviews. You don't really have to say much. Just review. And I will work on posting the next chapter ASAP if you do! Actually, nevermind about posting the next chapter faster if you review. I'll cut you a deal. If you review, you get a preview of the next chapter over PM. How bout it? A review for a preview. And, the next chapter should be out very soon . . . Hopefully . . . XP