A/N: Ah, an update. I feel proud.
Very proud.
So, the climax will be in a chapter or two-ish.
Just warning y'all.
Thanks to all my reviewers! Ta, dahlings.
Enjoy chapter ten:D
Disclaimer: I own the plot. Go me. That is all.
"Merry Christmas."
Neji held out a rather large gift wrapped in beautiful wrapping paper. His pale eyes were adverted from Tenten's face as she stared at it. After a moment's hesitation she took it with a tentative smile. "Thanks, why don't you come in for some tea?"
Something in his mind told him that she was being oddly polite, but he pushed that aside. It was Christmas and all. Slipping off his shoes he followed her into the living room where Haterou was playing with several shiny new toys.
The room was very festive. A pine tree stood handsomely in front of the window with lights flashing different colours. There were paper snowflakes that hung from the walls and the fireplace was roaring. Neji walked over to the young boy and kneeled down. "Merry Christmas Haterou."
Haterou took the gift with such a huge smile that you would never realise he was sick. "Merry Christmas, Neji-chan!"
He smiled and ruffled the child's hair. Standing up, he walked to the kitchen where Tenten was boiling some water. She didn't look up as he sat down at the table. "Christmas is the time for family, Neji. Shouldn't you be with yours?"
"You know, you sound like you don't want me here." His tone was joking, but the statement was serious. "It's only ten o'clock. Hanabi probably isn't even awake yet. Besides, I needed to give you your gift."
"Oh. Well, thank you." The kettle whistled and she was silent as she poured the tea. "It's not that I don't want you here…it's just that Kankorou's coming by soon and, well…"
He took the tea gratefully. "And he wouldn't be happy to see me."
Tenten smiled. "No, he wouldn't be."
She sat down across from him and they were silent for a moment. "I saw you with him the other day."
"Hm." Tenten reached out for a magazine, which just happened to be sitting right next to her. "You did, did you?"
"Hn." It was silent for a moment and all that could be heard was the turning of a page. "So are you two…"
"Together? Yeah."
"Ah." Another silence. "Why?"
Tenten looked up, her chocolaty brown eye narrowed. "What do you mean 'why', huh? I like him, he likes me, we got together. What's to 'why' about that?"
He shrugged and took a sip of his tea, his pale eyes staring directly into hers. "I mean why. The last time I met him, I recall him punching me in the jaw. It bruised, you know."
"So you're telling me not go out with him because he hit you?" she said in disbelief that somehow seemed forced, "I'd be surprised if there was anyone who didn't want to hit you, with your high and mighty attitude."
Neji remained calm, as was the Hyuuga way. "Do you want to hit me?"
"Huh?" his statement had obviously caught her off guard and she now looked at him win genuine disbelief. "Me? Well, I, uh…" She rambled on for another moment. "Yes. Yes I do."
He turned his head slightly so his right jaw was facing her. He tapped it. "Then go for it. Hit me as hard as you can." When she didn't do anything, he smirked and righted his head. "Since you're not going to, can you answer my question?"
"Your question…?" She trailed off. "Oh. That question. Well…" she placed a hand on her cheek, something Neji noticed that she didn't when she was thinking. "He seemed really sincere when he was apologizing. And I felt that Haterou should get to know his father. He's really attached to Kankorou-kun, you know."
"Ah." Neji took another sip of his tea, which seemed to just lose all its flavour.
After another moment of silence Tenten's face suddenly turned into a scowl. "What about you? Don't you have girlfriend?" Something in her voice made hte question seem accusing.
He put down his nearly empty cup and stared at her for so long that Tenten started feeling unnerved. "Do I?"
"Well that's what Sakura said…"
"And why would Sakura kno – oh." He now remembered at the mall. "You mean her."
She frowned, not quiet understanding what he was saying. "Her? Probably…? So who's she?"
"Just a girl." It was no lie.
"Is she your friend?"
"Yes." Still no lies.
"So she's your girlfriend."
Neji was now the one wearing the expression of disbelief. "How old are you, Tenten?" Said girl furrowed her eyebrows, trying to detect the faint sarcasm she swore she heard. "Honestly. You're a girl and you're my friend aren't you? You need to start acting mature."
"It's not that I'm immature." She started, finally putting down her own tea. "It's just that you're too mature to be twenty-two years old. I mean, come on! We're at our golden age where we can do practically anything we want before we're strapped to a family and mortgage. You need to get out more, head out to the bar, get drunk, act your age." She stopped, picking up the magazine again. "If I didn't know better I'd say you were an old man. The only thing that makes you your age is your hormones." She let her words sink in for the effect. "Who's the girl anyways?"
"Someone."
Tenten sighed in frustration. "Fine. We're playing twenty questions. If I guess right, the you'll tell me." Her tone made it clear that he had no say in the matter. "Do I know her?"
"Yes." Very well, in fact. Neji had picked up his teacup again.
"Is she your girlfriend?"
"No." She already has a boyfriend.
"Is she pretty?"
"No." She's beautiful.
Tenten, being a very smart girl, sighed and rephrased her question. "Is she beautiful?"
"Yes." Very much so.
"Do you like her?"
There was a pause before this answer. "Yes." I might just love her.
"Does she like you back?"
"No." I can only wish she did.
"Is she a blonde, brunette, redhead?"
"No, yes, no." Jeez, it's so obvious, when will you figure it out?
Before any more questions could be asked, the doorbell rang. The look on Tenten's face looked as if it were death himself. "Shit. That's Kankorou, he'll be really mad if he knew you were here. Did you drive your car?" The boy shook his head. "Thank Kami. Go out the back door." Before he could reply the doorbell rang again and he felt himself being pushed out the door. She yelled to the front door as she opened the back one. "Coming!
"Merry Christmas, Neji!" then the door slammed in his face.
Tenten ran to the front and opened the door. Sure enough, it was Kankorou wearing a goofy grin and holding out a present. "Hey girl, Merry Christmas."
She smiled weakly back and took the gift. "Merry Christmas. Come in, yours is in here…"
She trailed off remember she'd never gotten Neji a gift. Scolding herself, she led him into the living room where Haterou had somehow fallen asleep on the couch. Before anything else could be done, Tenten felt herself spin around as Kankorou placed a hand on her forehead.
"You okay, girl? You seem kinda out of it. Have you been stressing yourself again?" Tenten smiled meekly and looked over to her, their, child. Kankorou followed her gaze and smiled too. "Don't worry, kay? He'll be fine. Everything will be good after the operation."
"Yeah…" She was silent for a while. "Come in the kitchen, I'll make you some coffee." Kankorou preferred coffee over tea, which she didn't much approve of. Tea was better for you.
He followed her into the kitchen and noticed at the same time he did that there were two cups of tea on the table. Both half empty. She swore mentally as he frowned. "Did you have company over?"
What to say, what to say? Tenten racked her brain for anything that could get her out of spilling that Neji was there. "Ino said something about reading tea leaves. She said that if you have to cups on a special day and interpret the leaves then something good'll happen." She thanked herself for using tea leaves that morning. "I'm not that kind of person, but Ino was so into getting me to do it. And Christmas is a special day, right?"
"How come they're not empty?"
Tenten raised an eyebrow. "What's this? Twenty questions?" Ah, the irony. "Are you accusing me of something?"
"No girl, definitely not." He walked up and kissed her warmly. "I love you."
"Uhm." He obviously expected her to say the same thing back. She buried herself into the hug and said into her shirt to it was muffled. "I love you too."
But one question hung in her head.
Do I really?
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"You're a baka."
That was the first thing Hanabi said to him when he walked through the front door of the Hyuuga manor. Neji was about to retort when he looked up and saw much of the family there. Cousins and distant relatives and such. Obviously Hiashi had planned a whole get-together for Christmas.
Oh joy.
Neji slung off his coat and slipped off his shoes and begun to make his way around saying greetings. He put on a fake smile as people congratulated him for inheriting the company.
"Neji-nii?" He turned around to see Hinata smiling up at him in a very un-Hinata manner. He raised an eyebrow. "You've been with Tenten again, haven't you?"
"How did you know?" This was getting suspicious.
"You smell l-like tea." She noted the bewildered look on his face. "Tenten-chan loves t-tea. Her whole house s-smells like she's always drinking some. You smell like tea t-too, Neji-nii." Odd. Neji'd never noticed the tea scent. Maybe because he liked tea so much himself. "D-do you like her, Neji-nii?"
Damn. It was something about those silent types; they're such keen observers.
"We're just friends, Hinata."
"Oh. Well a-anyways. I don't want you t-to worry. I don't think s-she'll be with Kankorou-san for long." With that, the girl turned and walked away to have a conversation with another girl her age who Neji didn't recognise, but shared the same eyes as the rest of the family.
"You're a baka." It was Hanabi again. She was back to torment him.
"Would you mind telling me why I'm an idiot?"
The younger Hyuuga smirked and started tailing him as he walked away. "Isn't it obvious, Neji-nii?" One look to his face told her that it wasn't. "Well I could tell you, but it will take some persuasion. How about lending me your car another week?"
"No. Ask your father to buy you a car. I bought mine myself, and I'm not letting you wreck it."
Hanabi frowned. "I won't wreck your car! I just love the looks people give me when I step out of it. It gets a lot of guys you know." Great, Neji did not need to hear this. "You know what, I think I might get one. How much was it?"
"Too much for you to afford on your own."
"Hm." She said thoughtfully. Both cousins smiled sweetly as an elderly Hyuuga came by to talk to them. After the old woman left, Hanabi said. "Tenten likes you."
The statement caught him off guard, but he had a reputation to keep and he made no show that it meant anything to him. "So? She has a boyfriend."
"Romantic interference, the best part of the plot." Hanabi had been reading many romance fanfictions lately. "Just tell her you like her and she'll dump him for you. Believe me, that's what always happens to characters – oops, I meant people. People, not characters – that are meant for each other."
"This isn't a story, Hanabi. It's life."
But the younger girl merely laughed and winked. "But Neji-nii, you'll find the best stories are based on life."
A/N: It was surprisingly easy to write about Christmas in March..
I love writing Hanabi. She's so flexible.
As well as any other non-main characters.
You manipulate them to your will.
bwahaha.
Thanks for reading! Reviewers get Christmas cookies ;)
fanny-kun