"Just giving you a heads-up: it's project day in Guy's class," Kiba said as I sat down to lunch.

"You're kidding," I sighed. Just the news I had hoped to hear.

He shook his head. "I wish. But you get a partner, so it's not that bad."

"'Not that bad', he says," Shikamaru quipped. "You know as well as I do that I'm going to be doing this entire project."

"Well, duh!" Kiba grinned wolfishly, to which Shikamaru sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead.

"Kiba, be nice," said Hinata. She turned her pale eyes to Naruto. "You will be helping me, right?"

"Uh..." Naruto swallowed a mouthful of noodles and seemed to shrink back a bit from the weight of his girlfriend's stare. "Is that a trick question?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "Idiot."

While they talked, my eyes scanned the lunchroom for Sasuke. The table that he sat at with Sakura was occupied by other students; eventually I spied the latter's pink hair, seated with Ino and Sai. I sighed to myself and turned back to the table just as Neji leaned over toward me.

"First lesson after school," he said without looking at me.

It took me a moment to realize what he meant. Then I grinned. "Really?"

He tilted his head and cast me a sidelong glance. "That is, unless you've changed your mind?"

"Oh, no," I said hurriedly, shaking my head. "Not a bit."

He nodded once, and that was all he said for the duration of lunch. Repeatedly I caught myself stealing glances at him, wracking my brains for something to say; by the time fourth period rolled around, he still hadn't said more than a few words to me.

"Neji," I said softly, leaning over a bit in my desk. "Are you okay?"

Again, he barely spared me a second's worth of a glance. "Fine," he replied evenly as he scribbled something down in his notebook. I let out a short sigh through my nose and tried turned my attention back to the front of the room with little success: my eyes repeatedly were drawn to Sasuke's empty desk a few rows up.

"All right, my young pupils!" Mr. Guy clapped his hands together loudly, making a few people jump. "Now it's time to discuss the parameters for your project."

Ino turned sideways in her desk to look at me and propped her chin in her hand. "Great," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Just what I needed."

"With a partner-" Immediately the room was filled with chatter, and exchanged glances were flung in all directions. Ino mimed something, and I followed her gaze to where Sai sat a few desks up. He made a gesture that could only be interpreted as "whatever" and nodded.

"Ugh, he's so cute." Ino fluttered her lashes dramatically. "Don't you think?"

"Um..." I could only shrug in response as I cast a glance at Neji, seated motionlessly beside me.

"I'll assign each group a topic tomorrow," Mr. Guy was saying. "And it's your job to put together a presentation that you will present to the class." Scattered groans. "Some questions on your final exam will be on the information presented, so pay close attention!" He flashed a blindingly white smile.

"Why Lee fanboys over this guy, I'll never know," Ino said with a shake of her head. She turned around as Mr. Guy continued on with his lecture.

With an odd feeling of nervousness I looked once again at Neji. He had made no attempt to join the search in picking a partner and instead sat as straight as a rod in his chair, muscles flexing in his forearm as he took notes; I realized I was openly staring and gave myself a mental shake.

"Neji," I whispered. "You want to be partners on this?"

He continued writing and nodded once in response, never taking his ghostly eyes off his paper, and I bent over my own notebook, wondering why that made me so inexplicably happy.

I threw the pencil down onto the desk. "That's it, I'm done. Can't do it."

Neji, for what seemed like the one hundredth time that afternoon, picked up the discarded object and held it out to me. "Yes, you can," he said patiently.

"I really can't." I rubbed my forehead, winced at the pounding in my skull. "If I so much as see the words 'power series' again I might have a stroke."

"You almost had it." Neji surveyed the sheet of notebook paper, riddled with scribbles and scratch-outs. "Come on, Tenten. It's a very simple mistake. Look very carefully."

With a sigh I took the pencil from him and dutifully leaned forward. I looked at the problem, retracing my steps that spanned almost the entire page. How Neji seemed to so effortlessly keep all of the information straight was beyond me.

"I don't see it." I thumped my head onto the table and groaned. "Just kill me now."

"Keep trying," was his level response. I didn't raise my head. I was being difficult and I knew it; no doubt Neji was reconsidering his acceptance of the job. "Tenten. Try again."

"All right, all right." I sat back up and rubbed my eyes, then examined the paper once more. I blinked once, twice. Could it really be that simple? I covered my eyes with a hand. "I am a disgrace," I said, shaking my head. "I'm not worthy of your presence."

"Tell me what you did wrong," Neji said with a faint hint at what might have been a smile. At once I was reminded of my mother, and the way that she would scold me whenever I got into trouble as a child. "Tell me what you did wrong," she always said. The way that she would look at me never failed to get an honest answer; it was ultimately the fear that, if I lied or hid something from her, she'd be disappointed in me. And to me, that was worse than any punishment on the earth.

I felt that same fear again as I removed the hand from my face and looked at Neji. "The interval of convergence is negative one-half," I said.

He nodded. "Remember: just because it says 'interval' does not necessarily mean it has to be two points." Then his lips curved up slightly at the corners. "Good job."

I corrected the answer and sat back with a sigh, but I couldn't help but smile at his approval. "That was way too complicated," I said, trying to dismiss the warmth seeping into my face. With each passing second I grew more keenly aware of the fact that Neji was there, seated mere inches from me, his arm resting atop the table dangerously close to my own. I found myself gripping the pencil tightly and forced myself to let it drop.

"You overthink it too much," Neji said. He started to pack away his things. Watching him, I felt a small twinge of what I realized to be disappointment and shook it away.

"Neji," I said before I could think to stop myself. "Are you sure you're all right?"

He paused, and I saw his knuckles tighten around the notebook he was shoving into his bag, shining white through the skin. "I already told you," he said without looking at me. "I'm fine."

I sighed softly and propped my chin up with my hand. "Okay," was all I could think to say. "Just wondering. You seem a little..." I couldn't find a word.

"I assure you, I'm quite well." He stood up abruptly and shouldered his bag. "See you tomorrow." And I watched him leave the library with a sinking feeling that immediately turned to one of confused joy as Sasuke walked through the sliding doors. He barely brushed Neji's shoulder as he passed. I simply sat at the table, too stunned to speak or move as his black eyes landed on me, and the furrow that had been creasing his brow disappeared. The surprise only deepened when I realized that he was heading right for me.

At last he stopped at the table, rested a hand on the back of the chair Neji had previously occupied beside me, and leaned over. "Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey," I breathed, looking up at him. He dropped his bag to the floor with a heavy thunk and sat down. "What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you, too," he remarked dryly.

Looking at him, a myriad of emotions swirled inside my stomach. Anger, hurt, confusion, joy. Happiness. And before I realized what I was doing, I flung my arms around him and buried my head against the side of his neck.

"You're an asshole," I said, words slightly muffled against the fabric of his jacket. The familiar scent of him filled my nose, and I felt as though I could breathe it in for ages.

"So I've been told." I felt his cheek press against my head as he leaned into me. The gesture summoned the dreaded sting of tears to my eyes as the all-consuming happiness faded to be replaced by anger; I moved away and began pummeling him with my fists.

"You-are-an-asshole!" I hissed. I hit every area I could reach: shoulders, arms, chest, thighs. He made no move to stop me for a few seconds, then caught both my wrists effortlessly, one in each hand. It wasn't tight enough to be painful, but not relaxed enough to garner release. I glared at him in silence.

"I know," he said. He leveled his eyes with mine with intense focus. "And I'm sorry."

Don't cry. Don't cry. I didn't dare blink as the tears threatened to spill over, blurring my vision. He let one of my hands drop and tugged gently on the other as he stood up; I almost forgot to grab my bag as I followed him out of the library and into the chilly fall air. My eyes dried almost instantly as the cold wind nipped at my face. I drew my jacket tighter around me.

"Why weren't you in school today?"

He offered me no answer. "Come on," he said instead, gesturing to his car.

The drive to his house was silent. I followed him through the front door where Mrs. Uchiha sat in the living room with Itachi; when his mother saw me, she smiled and waved. "Tenten! It feels like it's been ages since I've seen you."

Sasuke shifted beside me. "Sorry. I've been busy," I said by means of explanation. "Math is kicking my butt, so I got a tutor."

"Oh," Mrs. Uchiha said with a nod of understanding. "Well, it's good to have you around again."

I could tell that Sasuke was itching to leave, so I flashed a smile and a quick "thank you" to his mother and followed him up the stairs to his room. I took in the familiar surroundings that, in truth, I'd wondered if I'd ever see again. As we neared his room a familiar scent made me stop and sniff a few times.

"Is that kitty litter?" I asked. It seemed to be coming from Itachi's room, but I didn't dare open the door to peek inside.

"Oh," Sasuke said, "Itachi found another stray a few days ago."

"Why am I not surprised."

I dropped heavily onto Sasuke's bed and leaned my back against the wall as he closed the door. This was what I had been missing. Just him and me hanging out after school, like nothing had changed. Sasuke came to sit beside me, and for a few moments the room was filled with silence.

"It's been weeks," I said finally. I didn't look at him, simply folding my arms and staring directly ahead at the opposite wall. "Too long."

"I know." He let out a long breath through his nose.

"When you said 'keep my distance', I didn't realize that would entail not speaking to me, or not sitting with us at lunch, or staring at me all the time as though I was the one ignoring you." The words spilled out almost unchecked as my swirling emotions fought for control.

"I know."

"Do you really?" Now I turned to him, anger rising in my stomach like a dragon rearing its head. "Did you ever stop to consider how I felt about all this?"

"You have to know I did." He looked at me through the fringe of his long black bangs. "I thought I was making the right decision," he said quietly. "Seems I was wrong."

I stared at him, confused. "What, things aren't better with you and Sakura?"

"She broke up with me over the weekend," he said in a monotone. "That's why I wasn't in school today. Needed some space."

I blinked, and the dragon lowered its head a bit. "Oh. I'm sorry, Sasuke."

"I knew it was coming," he said with a shrug. "It was all a matter of when." His tone was casual, offhand. But I knew him, knew what he had to be feeling, and it made me forget the hurt and anger and resentment that felt like a boulder pressing down on my heart. I moved closer to him, arm-to-arm, and leaned my head against the curve of his neck.

"Wanna tell me about it?"

I couldn't see his face, but felt him take a deep breath and slowly release it. "She couldn't shake her doubts."

"She still thinks there's something between us," I said in disbelief, sitting up to look at him again. "So all of this shit over the past few weeks didn't accomplish anything?"

He thumped his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."

I let out a long sigh. Being angry wasn't making it any easier for either of us. "Hey." I reached up and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "It's okay, all right? I forgive you. I'm not mad anymore."

He opened his eyes at my touch and moved back from my fingers. "You should be."

"No." I shook my head. "You did what you thought would keep you guys together."

"And fucked you over in the process," he muttered. "Not the fairest of trades."

"Sasuke, look at me." He obeyed, and I put a finger to his lips. "Yes, I was angry. Yes, I was hurt. But it was all because I missed you. No matter what you say or do, no matter how stupid or whatever else, you'll always be my best friend. Okay?"

He nodded once, then caught my wrist in his hand again and lowered it from his face. "You always forgive me too easily. I kinda prefer earlier when you were beating me up."

"You want more?" I held up my fists and grinned. "Because I can give you more." Before he could respond I pushed him over, pounding him with light punches, but he recovered and knocked me onto my back with that dangerous, triumphant smirk he got whenever he was about to do something he knew would piss me off.

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't you dare," I warned, trying to squirm away from his approaching fingers. "Don't you even-"

With one swift movement he jabbed my sides, between my ribs, and I jerked so violently I caught him in the stomach with my foot. He groaned a bit and fell onto his back.

"That's what you get," I said indignantly, folding my arms. When all he did was wince with pain, I leaned over him. "Sasuke, are you okay-?"

He sat up so fast we almost cracked heads and bowled me over for a second time. "Got you again," he said with that same damning smirk, looking down at me.

"Child," I retorted. "You haven't pulled that since we were, what, twelve?"

"You still fell for it."

"Hey, I did kick you pretty hard. I'm surprised you didn't cry."

"I'm sure you'd love to see that." He rolled his eyes and laid down on his side next to me. I folded my arms behind my head, and for a few minutes we stayed that way in silence. Just me and him, side by side, no sound but his deep, even breaths. It was as though a prized possession had been broken, but returned just as new and whole as it was before.

"Sasuke." I rolled onto my side to face him. His eyes were closed, chest rising and falling rhythmically. Gently I prodded his arm. "Sasuke?"

"Mm?" His eyes slowly blinked their way open.

"Someone's sleepy," I remarked, noting the dark smudges beneath his eyes. "You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. Just tired is all." He smothered a yawn with his hand and rolled over onto his back.

"You sure? I can go if you want."

"Oh, no, you don't." I had begun to sit up, but he seized the back of my shirt and tugged me backward. "Stay put."

"Yes, sir." I rolled my eyes and turned onto my side to face him once more. He wore that smirk again, but it was thrown off by the drowsiness in his half-lidded eyes.

"Tenten," he murmured. His voice was subdued with a hint of sleepiness, but it bore a strange tone that made me inexplicably nervous.s

I propped myself up with my elbow. "Hm?"

"You said you'd always be my best friend, no matter what I said or did. Right?"

"I'm not sure I like where you're going with this," I said, raising my brows.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Just making sure," he said finally. Then he smirked. "Couldn't stay mad at me for long, could you?"

I gave his shoulder a shove. "Shut up."

He made a sound low in his throat that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle and closed his eyes once more. "So," he said after a long silence, almost making me jump with the sudden sound of his voice. "Who's this Neji guy?"

I blinked a few times. "Oh, he's Hinata's cousin. He just moved in with her family."

Sasuke gave a low "hm" in response, opening his eyes halfway. As I looked at him a warm feeling spread through my chest; I leaned forward almost unconsciously and pressed a loud kiss to his forehead.

"The hell?" Now his eyes were wide, and his normally composed expression turned to one of comic confusion. For just a moment I pictured him as his moody eight-year-old self; I could still remember the way his cheeks reddened the first time I ever gave him a kiss on the cheek. He gave me the silent treatment for the rest of the day.

I smothered a laugh with my hand. "You're just so cute when you're tired," I snickered. "Come on, Sasuke-you act like you've never been kissed before."

Something flickered across his face, but it was gone so quickly I almost thought I imagined it. "Fuck you," he muttered.

I rolled my eyes, then smiled as I reached out a hand to mess with his hair. "I missed you."

He closed his eyes and didn't answer.