I'm sorry that this chapter is so short. There is a lot of dialouge, and I just thought of this, last minute. For those of you who were following along with the story from the begging, next chapter is where they are older.

"Tenten..."

'Uh-oh'

"Tenten!!"

'Crap'

"TENTEN!!"

'Shoot, shoot, shoot!'

Stomp, stomp, stomp. Her mother's footsteps echoed through the hallway menacingly.

"I know you're awake!"

She was getting closer and closer to the door, while Tenten was running around, wondering what to do before diving into bed silently and skilfully thanking the lord that she was a gymnast, and shoving the crane under her bed quickly, hoping her mother wouldn't find it.

"TENTEN!!" boy, her mother was angry. 'She couldn't have heard….could she?'

Knock, knock.

At least she had the courtesy to knock, and as soon as she did, Tenten slowed her breathing, and pretended to be asleep. But that act was interrupted soon.

"Tenten." Her mother said, seething with rage. "Tenten." She said again. She was getting closer and closer to her bed, and her voice was shaking with rage. Tenten shut her eyes extra tightly and clutched the covers to her chest, but they were soon ripped off by her mother, and she was soon grabbed by the shoulders, and was harshly shaken 'awake'.

"Tenten, what the HELL were you doing up? You know I need sleep, and your trainers need their sleep. Hell, I could care less if you sleep, as long as you perform well in the upcoming competition, and I get the prize money, I may consider you as a 'good' child. But you, disobedient little girl, need to shut up. People like you should be seen, not heard. I should have disabled your vocal chords when the doctors offered, but no, I had to listen to your father. Look where that got me. Shut up, and let me go to sleep."

Her voice was full of venom, but she released her grip from her frightened daughter's shoulders, rubbing the bridge of her nose, and walked out of her room, slamming her door and then walking back to her own room, mutter incoherent curses under her breath.

Tenten sighed, and tried to go back to sleep. 'That, was close. At least she didn't hit me, although, I'll admit, my shoulders are going to be sore tomorrow.' She thought.

Little did she know, someone was still watching.

--

The next morning Tenten woke up, her shoulders sore, as she expected, and was not allowed breakfast when she went downstairs. It was 'strictly prohibited' by her mother, because she had been an 'insolent, stupid child, who did not do what she was told.' She was then sent out to do practice outside on the trampoline. Something her mother knew she hated. Although, she didn't hate it as much anymore, especially since she had the feeling that somebody was waiting for her

--

"Why do you let her treat you like that?"

"…What?" She knew it was Neji, but what was he talking about? Unless….

"I saw what happened last night. How can you just sit back and let her treat you like that!"

"Well, tell me this much, how can I defend myself? She's my mother. What am I supposed to do, run away?"

"Well, that is always and option…"

"I didn't mean it seriously! Besides, I've been obedient all of my life; I can't bear to let her down. Regardless of the way she treats me, she's still my mother."

"You keep using that as your defence! Do you honestly think she's that great?"

Tenten sighed. She was defeated, yet again. "Well," she said, admitting defeat. "What do you propose I do?"

"I 'propose', you listen to me, and follow my plan."