Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or Tenten, or Sasuke, or Neji, or any black-mail worthy footage of them all in their sleepy state…

A/N: Yes, Neji is whipped and I love it. This is probably the last really funny chapter for this story. Sure there'll be some cute moments but nothing really fluffy. So enjoy it! Also, I don't know if they're reading this but thank you to Tenten0-9 for keeping me laughing between updates.

Chapter 7: Lonely Nights

'Am I dreaming?' Tenten looked around her and saw a glowing forest. It looked like an area off to the side of their training area where she would go to be alone.

'No, this is your mind,' A feminine voice said and Tenten turned around. She gasped as she saw Uchiha Kaede walk over to her and kneel. Here was a weapons mistress she'd always admired- her Mother- and she was here talking to her. It was her mind, she had to be dreaming.

'This can't be real,' Tenten noted the surreal appearance around her. The trees were sparkling and the grass was almost blue. It just wasn't real.

'True,' Kaede laughed. 'This is your special place, every member of the Neko clan has one. And you can come here anytime that you want. Anytime you need me I'll help you, just come here.'

'How did I get here?' Tenten asked.

'The first time you used your foresight brought you here. From now on, just meditate with a kunai on a white background.'

'How do you know that will work?' Tenten laughed sarcastically, trying to hide her surprise that Kaede knew what she'd used.

'Because that's what I always did,' Kaede cupped a hand around her daughter's cheek. 'I can't believe how you've grown, you're so strong.'

'I wish I could've known you and Itoichi-san,' Tenten placed a hand over her Mother's and smiled sadly.

'Don't smile when it hurts, your cousin was right about that,' Kaede took back her hand and pulled something out of her robes. 'I want you to have this,' She placed a necklace around Tenten's neck. 'It's the Neko clan symbol, it's time you started wearing it.'

'Thank you' Tenten looked at it. It was a half moon, one side dark blue and the other pale blue.

'You should go now, you need the rest,' Kaede smiled at her. 'Sweet dreams.'

Tenten woke up the next morning with her head feeling fuzzy. Curiously, she reached up to her neck and found the necklace her Mother had given her there. 'So it was real,' Tenten thought.

She got up and slowly remembered that Neji and Naruto had spent the night and were still sleeping here somewhere. Tenten got dressed quickly, forgetting to put up her hair, and hoped neither of the guests had gotten up first. She could easily see Naruto wandering around the manor aimlessly and getting hopelessly lost. She went out into the hallway and turned towards the kitchen.

"Neji, don't watch me like that," She stopped and turned towards a spare room. A door slid open and an irritated Neji stepped out into the hallway with her, raising an eyebrow.

"How did you know?" He wondered. 'Wait, her hair is down… It looks so different…Like everything else…' He noticed but said nothing.

"I can sense techniques now, and you were using byakuugan," She answered simply. "Hungry?"

"Hn," He replied and she smirked at him as he followed her to the kitchen anyway. Tenten made sausage, eggs and hash for four people. Neji just sat at the table and waited for her. He looked around and noticed the white rose in a vase on the windowsill and smiled without realizing it. She finally finished and set out the food for the others to just serve themselves.

"What are you smiling about?" She asked and he was pulled from his thoughts.

"Hn," Neji started eating.

"'Hn'," Tenten mocked. "We used to talk."

"I used to know what to say," He answered. "And it just seems…"

"Seems…?" Tenten tried to get him to continue. Neji glared down at his plate, how was he supposed to tell her it felt like he was losing her? He couldn't just be that selfish with her.

"Is this about the spar yesterday? It was nothing-" She started.

"That's not it, Tenten," He finally looked up at her again. "It's just…. Ever since you became Uchiha Neko, it just seems so different. I feel…"

Tenten watched him with more interest now, ignoring the fact that her breakfast was still there to tempt her. He was studying the table once more and she seemed to know what he was going to say. Since when had things gotten so tense? He used to open up about the complication with the Branch family and the Main family. Now he was so quiet about this.

"I feel like I'm losing my best friend," He finally said and risked looking back up at her.

"Neji…" She trailed off. Tenten couldn't think of anything to say and just rested her hand on his. "I'm sorry."

"It's not you, it's how everything is so sudden," Neji admitted, allowing his thumb to rub her hand slightly.

"I know," Tenten sighed. "Wasn't it about a week ago I had no family? Now they were all killed by my cousin the missing-nin."

Neji stared in surprise at how light she made the situation sound, but he could see from her eyes that it was deeper rooted than that. She'd found her family, but someone power hungry had once again denied her the chance at knowing them. Then again, her parents had been disowned. Would it matter if her relatives were still alive?

"Tenten, I-" Neji started but stopped when the door pounded open. Both of them looked up in surprise and saw Sasuke standing there looking utterly exhausted. Tenten sighed once more and got up to guide him to a spot at the table and fixed Sasuke a plate. Neji watched in wonder at how naturally she dealt with the situation. 'Do they always do this?…' He wondered. Once Sasuke had a plate in front of him, Tenten sat down next to Neji like before and watched him curiously.

"Momma?" Sasuke stared at Tenten with his wide, sleepy eyes. She looked back at him in shock at the name. "That's not Daddy…Who's he?…Is he…The 'other man'?…" Sasuke's head slowly inched forward and he fell asleep on the table, managing to narrowly avoid sleeping in his breakfast. Tenten continued to stare as Neji looked back and forth at the two cousins.

"Did he just call you…'Momma'?" Neji asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"I… think so…" Tenten got up slowly and took back Sasuke's plate. She paused when she found a strange symbol on his neck. 'What on earth is that?' She touched it lightly with a finger and her eyes widened. Neji was confused by the look on her face but said nothing.

Tenten ignored the sensation and went back to dealing with the boy sleeping at the table. She put one of his arms around her neck and lifted him up. Neji grunted in annoyance and took Sasuke's other arm. Tenten smiled at him and led the way to the room. Like the day before, Tenten tucked Sasuke into bed, this time Neji was watching from the doorway. He found the whole situation oddly amusing. Tenten seemed to be the parent Sasuke had lost, and he was the family she'd never been able to care for. It was an interesting relationship.

"He's going to be out for awhile," Tenten closed Sasuke's door behind her. "He did this yesterday too."

"Did he call you 'Mom' that time as well?" Neji smirked.

"No," Tenten grinned at the memory. "He fell asleep in the food that time." Neji gave the slightest of smiles at the remark and the two continued towards the kitchen.

"Wait," Neji stopped and activated his byakuugan. Tenten raised an eyebrow and drew one of the kunai she always had ready, he slowly grabbed her hand and pulled it back. "Naruto's sleep-walking. I think he's in your bathroom."

"Great," Tenten sighed and took a shortcut to where the blonde was. Neji followed and nearly bumped into Tenten when she stopped suddenly, then saw why. Naruto was playing with her make up. Tenten's make up, which was now spread all over the counter. 'Wait…Since when does she have make up!' Neji thought and his mouth fell open.

'How can he do that so well? I can hardly figure out the eyeliner!' Tenten thought and turned red. She ran up and grabbed it away from Naruto.

"Hey, I want to look good for her!" Naruto's eyes were only half-open but expertly covered with a lavender shadow. Tenten began to wonder what Sakura did when she had overnight missions with her team. Tenten then took all of the beauty supplies from Naruto and put them into a bag, then threw it to Neji.

"Naruto-kun, you don't need make up to impress her," Tenten took a towel and got it wet with hot water.

"But she's so smart… I couldn't impress her otherwise…." Naruto whined and squinted as Tenten rubbed his eyes with the towel. He tried to pull away but he was still asleep and she held him down firmly.

"Sakura isn't as shallow as you might think," Tenten laughed at Naruto as he squirmed. Neji rolled his eyes at the scene and leaned against the doorframe. They were going to be late, but he couldn't just leave without her. And the whole scene was just too… interesting. First Sasuke, now Naruto, does it ever end?

"No, it's not Sakura," Naruto said as Tenten went back to wet the towel once more. The other two occupants of the bathroom looked at him in surprise and then shared a curious glance. It had never been much of a secret who Naruto liked, but apparently he'd changed before telling the world for once.

"Not Sakura? But I thought that was who you meant yesterday at the Ichiraku," Tenten sounded confused. 'Well, I guess it explains the pickled egg…'

"No, she's nice and pretty and everything, but this one is so much more. She's nice to everyone, and she was never mean to me during the academy days," Naruto looked like he was about to fall asleep again. Neji was watching him closely as Tenten went back to wiping the last of Naruto's make up off.

"Well, does she know you like her?" Tenten tossed the towel back in the sink after finishing. She took Naruto's arm and guided him up and out of the bathroom towards his room. Neji took the other arm when it looked like Naruto was about to fall, and Tenten looked back at him thankfully.

"She doesn't know…We don't talk enough…" Naruto sighed sadly as they reached the room he was staying in. "Besides, I'm not good enough for her…"

"What? Don't say that!" Tenten got him to lay down on the bed and was being reminded more and more of talking with the other female ninjas she knew. They talked about their boy problems and she helped them fix it. It's not like she had a boy problem to share. Right? Right?

"Thanks Tenten," Naruto smiled as she pulled up the covers. "But Hinata's way out of my league." Both Tenten and Neji went silent as Naruto started snoring. She looked over at her friend, whose eye was twitching furiously. He looked ready to kill and Tenten ushered him out of the room quickly.

"Did he say what I think he said?" Neji's voice was dripping with scorn and he was glaring at Naruto's door.

"He's dreaming, Neji," She put her hands on his shoulders. "Relax. This is Naruto, not someone like… like…"

"Like?" Neji directed his glare to her.

"Uh…Lee?" She shrugged and thankfully saw Neji fighting back a smile. She'd won a third time. He visibly relaxed and she went down the hall towards the phone.

"What are you doing? We need to go," Neji frowned at her.

"Sakura should know what happened to them," Tenten waved him away. "Go away, girl talk."

"Like I didn't hear enough of that already," Neji said sarcastically.

"Neji," She glared and he left reluctantly. "And don't mess with Naruto."

"How would you know?" He called from the other room.

"I'm psychic now, remember?" Tenten said with a smile.

"Hn," He finally went silent and Tenten waited for an answer on the other end. It didn't take very long.

"Haruno," Was the answer.

"May I please speak to Sakura?" She asked.

"This is Sakura," Was the response.

"Oh, okay. This is Te- I mean, this is Neko," Tenten began. "Listen, Naruto and Neji spent the night here with Sasuke and I. Sasuke hasn't been a good morning person lately, yesterday and this morning he was seeing… someone, and fell asleep at breakfast. And this morning Naruto was using my make up."

"You have make up?" Sakura sounded most surprised about that part.

"Yeah, I'm not very good with it but I think Naruto might be able to show me," Tenten said and Sakura laughed.

"They've always been like that in the morning. Once we all had to sneak into an all girl's school, so I had to put make up on them, Naruto seemed to be okay with it," Sakura recollected. "So they're still asleep?"

"Yeah, just thought you should know. Since you have training-"

"Don't worry they'll be up before Kakashi-sensei shows up," Sakura laughed again.

"There's one more thing," Tenten wasn't sure how to phrase it. "About the seal on Sasuke's neck. Does that affect him mentally?"

The other side was quiet for a long time and Tenten immediately knew she'd touched a sensitive subject. Sakura took a deep breath and went on.

"How did you know it was a seal?" Sakura wanted to know.

"I saw it when he was slumped over this morning and touched it. I got a vision of someone biting him there, then I saw it spreading all over him and giving him more power," Tenten answered.

"It reacts with his chakra usage. Only the person who gave it to him can control it, but he won't admit how serious it is," Sakura explained. "It seems to give him stronger urges than normal, like once when he was fighting in the second part of the exam, he…"

"I think I get it," Tenten heard the reluctance in Sakura's voice and stopped her. "Thanks for telling me. I've got to go."

"Okay, bye," Sakura hung up with her and let out another sigh. She thought about it for a moment and came to a slow realization. 'Neko, huh? She's not too bad, sounds like she was genuinely concerned. I guess she can stick around…'

"Okay, let's go!" Tenten dashed past Neji, who mentally barraged himself for not seeing her coming. He couldn't quite place it but something lately was throwing him off. Especially when she was around. A thought crossed his mind as they made their way to training, when the sun hit her hair just right lighting up those lighter browns in her hair. But it couldn't be what he thought it was throwing him off.

Right?

A/N: I don't believe it. By word count, this is by far the longest story I've written. And I'm dragging it out so much for once. Yay me!