I'm glad to say things are looking up for me :DD My grandfather is stable (for now) and the vacation is now going to be from the 7th-15th. So, like I said last time, unless I get a signal there won't be any more chapters until I get back 8( But I swear I'll write them and post them the minute I get home
Just so you know, I still haven't read any reviews XD So I have no idea if you like the randomness or the romance better, but from here on out the randomness will be cut down.
I was watching Naruto Shippuden 19 before this and was like ogling Neji the whole time xDD He and Tenten look so hot after the timeskip! –drools- It's helping me write this chapter xD (though this is just useless author note crap. Feel free to ignore)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Tenten didn't see Neji again after that night. Sure, he was there in gym class, and sure, sometimes he was in the lunch lines, but he never spoke once to her that week. On Tuesday she had another nightmare and sprinted to the hill to see if he would be there. Her hopes were in vain, however, as the hill stood alone.
"Why did I even bother?" she sighed, propping herself up against the tree on the top. "It was a one time deal". But she couldn't help but to wonder if she'd made him mad. After hours of deep thought, Tenten finally concluded that this wasn't abnormal. After all, Neji had never talked to her before. Maybe she had a lucky couple of days but now things were back to the way they were supposed to be.
And so that week was both slow and sad for her, the party she knew was waiting for her only making things worse. Tenten didn't want to go to Sasuke's and Sakura's party. This mostly had to do with the fact she hated parties, period, but a party held by Sakura could only be hell. Though after four days of non-stop phone calls asking for party favor color advice, bubbling on about snacks, and endless sighing over Sasuke, Tenten wished it would be over with.
And yet, there was Neji. She hoped he'd somehow remember her invitation and come, but seeing as he hadn't spoken to her all week, she was starting to seriously doubt the realism of her hope.
As slow as the week was going, Friday came all too soon. Tenten had convinced herself the previous night that she would be sitting in a corner all by herself watching everyone but her have fun. Then she'd trudge home, unhappy and candy-less, and fall asleep. This image played over and over in her head. Having fun at the party wouldn't be possible.
Sakura, however, kept telling Tenten that she would have fun, there would be lots of dancing and tons of cute boys for her to dance with.
"Sakura, how many times do I have to tell you? I've known the same guys for over five years. If any of them were cute, I think I would've seen it by now. Unless you invited some random guys we don't know, in which case I'm out for safety reasons, there will be no one, I repeat, no one there I'd like to dance with" Tenten forced onto her friend. Sakura smirked.
"Well you said you invited Neji. He could be there" Tenten snorted.
"Yea, and I'm showing up in a stripper costume. It's not going to happen, Sakura. Face it" She crossed her arms across her chest and blew upwards into her bangs.
"That's too bad. I would've liked to see that" came from behind her. Whirling around, she found herself looking up into the face of Neji.
"God damn! Do you always have to do that? And why are you talking to me?" She quickly took a few steps back, their closeness scaring the crap out of her (yet making her spine tingle). Neji frowned.
"Am I not allowed to?
"No! Wait, yes. I mean, you've practically been ignoring me all week. What's with the convo now?"
"Well you seemed so doubtful of my presence tonight, I thought I'd assure you I'll be there. It's either that or trick-or-treating with Hanabi. And you can imagine what that'd be like" Tenten shivered, the images too horrible.
"Were you eavesdropping or something? Most people who do that are considered rude, you know" She glowered at him from underneath her bangs.
"Perhaps. But I think you'd agree I'm not most people. If I hear my name mentioned more than twice in a conversation, I get curious. Besides, you should blame your poor eyesight. I was practically right next to you the whole time"
"You know what? Just…shut up! You aren't Mr. Know-it-all!" Tenten threw her fists to her side and stormed outside to finally go home. She left Sakura standing awkwardly across from Neji.
"See you tonight" she mumbled, waving nervously before rushing off after her friend.
Sakura had caught Tenten outside the school, murdering the flowers by the sidewalk. She then convinced Tenten to come to her house to prepare for the party. It was a very painful three hours, mostly because of Sakura. Tenten herself was done in twenty minutes. Her witch costume was on and, due to the discomfort of wearing a hat on two buns, her hair was once again in a very long French braid. Black lipstick was applied (by herself, of course), as well as green eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and a fake mole. She had to admit, knowing Neji was going to be there motivated her.
Sitting on the bed, she watched as Sakura prepared her outfit. She had picked a bunny costume, though not the usual ugly ones you abused at Easter carnivals. No, this was more of a playboy bunny. Her legs were covered in fish net stockings, running up to meet a black leotard. On the back of the leotard was a cotton ball tail. A black bowtie went around her neck and a pair of floppy black bunny ears on a headband rested upon her head. Her feet held small black ballet flats.
"Er, Sakura. Don't you think that's a bit….exposing?"
"I know it is. I want Sasuke to think I look hot. Don't worry, I haven't become a slut or anything like that"
Tenten sighed doubtfully, then waited patiently for Sakura to finish applying makeup.
As if dressing wasn't bad enough, Sakura dragged Tenten to help set up at Sasuke's house two hours before the party started. They knocked on his apartment door and he opened it, dressed in his normal school clothes.
"Sasuke!! What're you doing?! We established this was a Halloween party. You're one of the hosts for christ's sake. If you aren't in a costume, then no one else has a reason to be" Sakura told him forcefully. He shrugged.
"I don't feel like dressing up for this stupid thing. I'm obviously doing it just for the project. There's no way in hell you can put me in some stuffy hot suit and make me wear it for hours" Sakura grumbled, but gave in. She couldn't beat her love to a pulp, now could she? (a/n: -chants- yes she can! Yes she can!)
"Whatever. What do you think of my outfit?" She turned, sticking her hip out seductively and batting her eyelashes.
"It's nice," was all he said with another shrug, then turned and walked back in, leaving the door open. Sakura's shoulders slumped.
"Seriously. Is he gay?" Tenten leaned over and whispered in her ear. Sakura glared. "What?! I'm just saying!"
By the time they were done decorating, Tenten had to take a towel and wipe the sweat from her underarms. They sat on his couch admiring their handiwork. The blinds had been closed to keep the remaining sunlight out, strings of lights were hung from wall to wall to give off dim lighting, fake cauldrons bubbleb, cobwebs stuck in every corner, witch and Frankenstein dummies were propped up against the wall…oh the list was endless. Who knew Sakura had so much Halloween stuff? Luckily she had prepared all the food in advance. Fake eyeballs and worms sat in decorated bowls at a table in the corner. The only other piece of furniture was the couch they were sitting on and another table with the sound system.
"Five minutes until it's time," Sakura squealed, rushing to check herself in the mirror again. Tenten just sighed and began to snack on purple chips and green salsa.
Exactly five minutes later, a knock came at the door, and after that knock came many more. The people trickled in, Sakura greeting each person as enthusiastically as the last. They eyed her costume, some reacting positively (most guys), and immediately began to dance. To Tenten, the costumes were more interesting than the people. Kiba was dressed up as Scooby Doo (no surprise there), Naruto was a pirate, Lee was a flower with the word 'youth' across his front (holy shit), Hinata was a princess, Shino was the grim reaper (he had a thing with hoods, apparently), Shikamaru was a ghost made from a sheet (too lazy to buy a costume, apparently), Ino was a cat, and Chouji was Elvis. There were many other people she didn't recognize, though, and she assumed they were all from Sakura's classes. The only person she didn't see was…
"Having fun?" came the smug voice behind her. Mouth full of chips, she could only glare. He took a seat beside her.
Tenten looked him up and down. He was a vampire. Not too original, but then again, neither was she. He had on black slacks and shoes, a loose white shirt with a black vest over it, a black cloak lined with red satin (much like hers), and of course, vampire teeth. They were obvious when he smirked. Somehow he was sexier with fangs, she decided.
Swalllowing, Tenten replied, "First, let me establish you have a problem. When you approach people you do it from the front where they can see you. Second, I must say you got much more into this whole costume thing than I thought you would. You weren't secretly looking forward to this, were you?" His fangs flashed again.
"Hm. You'll never know I guess. But what I don't get is why you're over here eating during a party. Your best friend's party, at that"
"If you knew a thing about me, you'd know I actually loathe parties. And you'd know that the only reason me and Sasuke even helped with this thing was because we're scared of Sakura. She's…scary" Tenten explained, pushing away the salsa bowl. It was too distracting. Neji glanced at Sakura in her bunny outfit. She saw where he was looking. "Trust me, she is"
Apparently he took her word for it because he fell silent. Tenten blushed. This was so awkward. A shrill voice saved her.
"TENTEN! I need to talk to you! Come here!" Sakura yelled, storming over and grabbing Tenten by the elbow and dragging her across the room. She mouthed 'sorry' to Neji, but was secretly relieved.
"Oh my god! I can't believe he came! Are you going to ask him to dance?" she asked in a hushed whisper once arriving in the kitchen.
"Sakura, I hate dancing. I hate parties. This one is no exception. And I can't even talk to the guy without you dragging me away"
"…oops," she said quietly, embarrassed. She briefly gave Tenten an overview of the party's progress, the guests, the approvals, etc.
They walked out of the kitchen and stood together by the bar, scouting for their men. Sasuke was being emo in a corner (a/n: lmao!). It took Tenten a minute to spot Neji, but found him dancing with a blonde girl, a very pained look on his face.
"Holy shit! Sakura! You invited a Neji fangirl here?!" Tenten gasped, angry.
"I didn't mean to! I swear! She must've snuck in! Yea, that's it!" Sakura tried to protest, flushed.
"Nevermind. I'll take care of it" Tenten marched over to the two, grabbing Neji's arm and pulling him back to the bar.
"Neji, Sakura needs your help er…moving…something" Neji nodded, eager to go help 'move'.
"Neji-kins can do whatever later! We're dancing!" She grabbed Neji's other arm and yanked. Tenten yanked back.
"Hey Tenten? I'm not a game of tug-of-war, thanks"
"I know," Tenten said, gritting her teeth and pulling again, "but I'm not letting go"
A ring formed around the three, a wide-eyed Sakura up front, chewing on a nail. They started chanting things like 'cat fight' and 'bitch slap her!'. Tenten glared at them, but pulled again on Neji's arm. Damn. Those girls couldn't do squat during gym, but when pulling on a guy they had superstrength?
"Why don't you stop slut dancing on this innocent guy and let him go?" Tenten hissed.
"No," the girl growled.
"Whore," Tenten muttered.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" the girl shrieked, letting go of Neji and causing him to fly backwards.
"I said wh-or-e" she grinned, pronouncing the word slowly. The girl went up in flames.
"YOU LITTLE BITCH" and with inhuman speed, tackled Tenten to the ground clawing at her fiercely.
"Sakura! Holy crap, get this nut off of me!" she yelled, pinned and pathetically helpless. Seconds of fierce clawing later, she felt surprisingly light and the girl was being lifted off her by her collar. Not by Sakura, no, but by Neji.
"Than-" Tenten started, rubbing her head as she sat up, but stopped when everyone, including Neji, looked at her with wide eyes. "What? She attacked me! I swear!" She started to protest, wondering why it was so silent all of a sudden. Someone whistled loudly from the group.
"Uhm, Tenten, look down," Sakura whispered, blushing. She picked helped her friend off the floor then moved in front of her as if to block her from some attack.
"What is it- OH MY FRICKIN GOD!" Tenten's shirt was in tatters. The leather was ripped to pieces by whatever claws the fangirl possessed, leaving nothing but a very skimpy strapless bra. She quickly crossed her arms across her chest to cover herself up.
"Damn!" someone snickered. It was Kiba.
"You better shut the hell up Scooby doo! I'm going to kick your ass for this on Monday!" and she ran out the door.
"What?! All I was saying was that she had nice-" Sakura growled. It was silent again.
Turning to Neji, Sakura pleaded, "Neji, please, can you go make sure she's okay? I would but I have to stay here and keep an eye on the party. Please…she's my best friend, and even though she's tough on the outside, I'm sure she's embarrassed out of her mind right no-"
"I'll go" he said simply, cutting her off.
Tenten ran as fast as she could, covering herself with as much arm as possible. She wasn't going to cry, but she was angry and humiliated. Neji, not to mention half the school, had seen her in her lingerie. She knew the party would turn out horrible, and it did. Tenten was always right, a fact she hated.
She slowed down a few blocks away from her apartment, out of breath and nearly spent from running all that way. Her nostrils flared when she smelled smoke. That was funny…no one had a barbecue on Halloween…
Her pace quickened again, an ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Someone was burning their trash. Yes. That had to be it. Despite her inner arguing, she knew that this much smoke didn't come from things like those. She could only pray that…
Her legs took off running again, fear clutching her chest. Something felt wrong- terribly, terribly wrong. Was her aunt okay? She hadn't seen her all day. At this time of night she had to be…Tenten's mind numbed with the realization. Her aunt was at home.
Everything went in slow motion then. It was like an outer body experience. There Tenten was, turning the corner. There she was, eyes widening as she saw flames engulfing her enormous apartment complex. And despite the hopelessness of the situation, all she could think was 'Not again. Don't take her from me. She's all I have left'
She didn't remember running faster than she had ever run before, faster than her muscles were physically able to. She didn't remember the falling concrete pieces and fire shooting out around her. She didn't remember finding her bedroom window and jumping up, smashing the window with one elbow, causing it to bleed fiercely. She didn't remember running through her burning bedroom, searing flames burning her skin, yet not feeling it. She didn't remember running down the hallway, only to turn into her aunt's bedroom and find her limp figure on the ground. She didn't remember her wordless scream, the tears that flowed freely down her face as she realized the fate of her last remaining people on this earth who cared for her. She didn't remember the rumbling sound above her as plaster and wood came loose and began to fall. She didn't remember the fire that grew around her, trapping her, surrounding her. Nor did she remember the piece of ceiling that hit her head, knocking her to the ground.
All she remembered was darkness.
And then nothing.
Sorry if this was rushed x[ I really didn't want to go into the party scene, obviously not being able to wait until the end ;P I guess you'll just have to wait until the 15th to find out what happens ;O (unless I have time to write another chapter tomorrow)
See you then! (unless something happens) :