Naruto-

Ambitions and Issue

Chapter 7- Step Seven: Pondering

The next morning she didn't feel any better. In fact it felt like her head had blown up to be twice the size of her head and bouncing it against a nail sudded floor plus tossed in some needles inside her head for fun.

"Morning," Sakura looked up from the TV, "Coffee?"

"Hnn," she managed to reply. She shuffled into a chair and collapsed on to the kitchen table, "Monday's suck."

"Monday's after Day light savings suck even more," Sakura commented putting a plate and cup infront of her.

Tenten forked some eggs, "How am I going to survive after you marry Sasuke and move out?"

"You could always just marry Neji and have a maid do it." Sakura ignored the unpleasent look she received, "Just saying. There are some perks to marry Neji."

"There are also unperks."

"The only unperk I can think of is of a lowered ego," Sakura patted Tenten's shoulder on her way to the door, "Think about it."

"How can I not?" Tenten yelled at the closed door. Glancing up at the clock, she barely reacted when she saw how late it was. Her boss wouldn't mind if she was late.

----

"Your late." Ok maybe her boss would mind.

Tenten slumped into her desk, "Oh no, I've ruined people's lives by not being here at seven in the morning to plan their vacation in six months to a year from now. How will I ever live with myself?"

"Can the attitude," her boss, Kurenai Yuhi, was strict yet successful running her own independent travel agency. She didn't mind bringing in customers even if that meant wearing short skirts and low shirts. She even went as far as making sure that all female employees wore skirts all the time. Which in Tenten world was torture. "Uchiha Corporation is working with us again and wants you as the head planner. Make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Yes, maam," Tenten sighed distracted. What would it hurt to marry Neji? She did like him, a little. He wasn't ugly or anything. Plus he's rich and totally could fight. But he was arrogant and a bastard sometimes. Plus he like manipulating her too much. Why did she like him in high school again?

"Tenten."

Maybe it was because all the other guys were lame and weaklings, but none of the guys now were any better. Just stupider older versions of high school guys.

"Tenten."

God, her parent's speech was annoying her. But now would be good age for kids. Imagine being 35 and having a kid. A little dangerous, remembering her mother's often speeches about neighbor's daughters.

"TENTEN!"

That snapped her out of her thoughts, "What!?" Tenten braced herself, "What's going on?"

"Your phone is ringing," one of her coworkers pointed to her phone.

"Oh," she sheepishly grinned, "Thanks. Sorry about that." She took a deep calming breath before picking up the phone, "Yume Co. Travels. Tenten speaking. How may I help you?" Her face fell.

"I'm impresse," her boss looked up from the fax sent, "Hyuga Corps. wants you to plan their summer employee trip. Are you sure you're going to be able to handle the Uchiha and the Hyuga trips?"

"I am a bit worried about that," Tenten admitted, "They are within the same time frame and both want it in very different countries."

"Unfortunetly both of them specifically asked for you," Kurenai leaned back in her chair, "I could have some of the other assist you in teams."

"I really wouldn't want to bother them. They have their own work."

Kurenai layed the sheet down, "Nonsense, these two groups are very important and influential groups. I'll have Matsuri assist you as vice lead and I'll send you a list of the others that can be used to assist you."

As Tenten bowed, Kurenai's expression softened, "By the way if something personal is bothering you. You could always ask me for help. I am married."

Was her issue that apparent? Tenten pondered, "Thank you, but it's no big deal."

"Just saying. You're at an age where relationships get real serious," she sighed, "I used to be that age a while ago."

"How…" it couldn't hurt, Tenten figured, "How did you figure that your husband was right for you?"

"I didn't want to kill him." Kurenai laughed at Tenten's horrified expression, "Odd I know, but you and I are very similar in one aspect. We have short tolerance for people we don't like and tend to irritate those that don't like us. So if you find a guy that you can tolerate and he can tolerate you, consider him as a keeper."

-

Tolerance. It just made marriage sound like a prison sentence.

Later on that day, she thought of herself in a literal prison cell.
"Tenten," Matsuri, a small shy girl with ginger hair waved a hand hesistantly in front of her face, "Are you alright?"

Tenten snapped out of her daze, "Fine, just thinking. What's the matter?"

"Ano," she kept nervously glancing at the door, "Mr. Hyuga is at the door."

"Mr. Hyuga?"

"THE Mr. Hyuga," Matsuri repeated, her hand starting to fidget, as was her bad habit, "And that's not the worst part."

Tenten felt like slamming her head on the table, "There's more?"

"He wants to change his trip to be a Hyuga/Suna relations trip."

God, she was going to kill him, "Suna?"

"Right," Matsuri's normal nervous expression turned into paniked, "And Mr. Gaara's out there too."

"Gaara," Tenten sighed. All her friends loved plotting against her, "Don't be so worried. They're…almost harmless. They're old friends from school."

"What freaky school did you go to?"

Tenten's eyes widen at Matsuri's rare sharp comment, "It was private. I was a scholarship student."

"Ok then," Matsuri took a nervous breath, "I'll bring them in."

They did not look out of place in her rather small private office lounged in chairs that definetly cost more than their shoes. Matsuri had taken the first chance to escape not after an interesting interaction between her and Gaara.

"Gaara," Tenten sighed wearily, "Quit scaring my coworkers. I need her help thanks to someone," casting an evil look at the man next to him.

Neji scoffed, "Consider it as helping you with your job. Who else is requested to host trips for the top three corporations in Japan?"

"But please not at the same time," she lost control for a moment and ended up standing pointing a finger at Neji, "I swear it's not enough the stress your giving me, but now all this!?!"

"On the business side of matters," Gaara calmly interupted dropping a folder on her desk, "We want a Europe cruise trip visiting the sites of our new project."

"Which contries," she slumped back into her chair.

"France, UK, Spain, and Italy," Neji said, "And toss in a stop at Greece for fun."

Tenten leaned over to her phone, "Matsuri, could you come in here?"

Several heartbeats later, the door creaked nervously open and Matsuri's head peaked in, "Yes?"

Tenten pinned her down with a serious look,"You're fluent in Greek, aren't you?"

"Yes," Matsuri sense something bad was going to happen, but didn't know what to do about it, "I am."

"What other languages are you fluent in?"

"Italian, English, French, Chinese, and Spanish," Matsuri tilted her head in confusion, "Why?"

"You're going on this trip with me."

It took a moment for the meaning to sink in, "Oh…oh… OH! No, no, no, no," Matsuri stuttered walking around the desk to Tenten, "I can't. I have a trip already then."

Tenten grabbed her shoulder and turned so they were facing the wall and whispered, "I need mental support, plus it saves me the expense of having to find a Italian/French/Greek/English translator. Please!"

"But, I really have a trip," Matsuri was not ashamed to whine, "And I don't wanna!"

"I'll give you a raise."

"No thank you."

"A vacation."

"You can't give me one."

"I could convince Kurenai to give you one."

"…how long?"

"A month."

Sigh, "… let me just go make some calls first."

"YES!" Tenten turned to do a cheer dance and saw amused glances from both Neji and Gaara, "Yes, this is how annoying you two are. You made an innocent girl," grabbing Matsuri again, "have to face the torture of being with you two for…"

"Two months," Neji supplied.

"Two months," Tenten continued on, "trapped on a boat filled with workaholic men who don't know the value of life."

"It's only 10 people total," Gaara commented, smirking at a depressed Matsuri, "Besides it's going to be a big boat."

"You want a big boat as well," Tenten slammed her hands on her desk, "Ok, that's a little too much. I can't possibly find a boat this late in the season that isn't reserved. STAY," pointing a finger and the creeping Matsuri who was a hand away from the knob, "You're going to face the torture with me."

A soft whimper was heard, "…yes, maam."

---Author's note---

Yay to Issues! They make the world go round and send people to asylums!

NinjaPower signing out!