Enjoy this cute chapter... :)

Disclaimer: Don't own any of these awesome characters! (Damn..)

"Cleaning Roofs"

"Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage and student of the Third Hokage, is who we will be studying today. She is also known as one of the 'Legendary Sannin of Konoha'. Her monstrous strength and extraordinary healing abilities have been unsurpassed to this day. She is also—um, yes Tenten? Do you have a question?" their teacher stopped her lecture on historically important people of Konoha.

"Well I was wondering where she was right now." Tenten said shyly.

Their Academy teacher pushed up her glasses and frowned in question. "No one knows for sure. I'm sure she is a very busy woman; travels a lot."

"What's she like?" Tenten asked with enthusiasm.

"Well, having never met her before, I can't answer that." She replied curtly.

"Is she beautiful?"

"I'm sure she is but—"

"I've decided! I'm going to become like Lady Tsunade!" Tenten declared with a glimmer in her eye.

"I'm sure you will," said their teacher, her voice getting exasperated now. "But first you need to graduate from this academy, and until you start taking notes in my class and practicing your chakra control you won't graduate!"

Giggles and whispers broke out throughout the classroom making Tenten flush. A determined frown set on her face. One day, she'll show them how strong of a kunoichi she's become! Someone to her left her nudged her. It was Lee the most annoying boy in her class but somehow Tenten had grown fond of him after years of being assigned to sit next to each other. He leaned in closer to whisper with an encouraging smile. "Don't worry Tenten, I think you'll be able to become like Lady Tsunade. You just have to work hard for it!" Tenten smiled back; glad she had a supportive friend like Lee.

Below her Neji was taking neat notes of the lecture. Stupid Neji, always such a good student—making all the teachers love him. If she really wanted to be like Lady Tsunade she'd have to start being a good student as well. What better way to do that then to cheat of the smartest boy in her class?

Their teacher handed out a written quiz, which Tenten vaguely remembered her mentioning yesterday. Of course Tenten hadn't studied, but she wasn't worried; she had Neji to cheat off of. Immediately Neji got to work, she did her best to catch glimpses of his quiz. After Neji turned it in she looked over her own test. Satisfied, she turned it in.

Tenten had a hard time making friends with the girls at the academy. They didn't share much in common except that they wanted to be kunoichi like Tenten. But these girls all had fathers; they enjoyed picking flowers, doing their hair, and played with dolls. Tenten lost her father at five, hated how flowers made her sneeze, hated how unpredictable her hair was, and didn't play with toys. However, the greatest difference she and the rest of her female classmates had was that they were all either insanely obsessed with Neji or with how cute Sasuke (the boy a year younger them) was.

She couldn't stand how they would all sit around in a circle to watch Neji practice his kuni and shuriken throwing. It's not like it was hard to hit the target. And the way they all saved a spot for him during lunch but he still went off to eat by himself infuriated her. It was as if Neji thought he was superior to everyone else, and everyone else only fueled his arrogant ego by treating him like that. Even the teachers never scolded at him. She often found herself wishing she had a bowl of lemons handy to throw at him.

It not like Tenten hated him, she'd never hated anyone in her life but she just…well…Neji wasn't likeable. He didn't even try to make others like him so why should she like him?

Well she didn't. And that was that!

But Tenten did happen to like Hinata. Tenten hadn't met Hinata until her second year at the academy when Hinata was old enough to enroll, and even though they were one year apart and didn't share any classes they would talk during lunch and even walk home together sometimes. (Tenten had been able to see the Hyuuga's residence once while walking Hinata and her jaw literally dropped.) Hinata is the only reason Tenten knows so much about Neji. Not because she's a fan girl who stalks him but because Hinata talks about her family almost constantly. And, well, she can't help but listen to what her friend has to say.

That's how she knows that Neji only has white, gray, beige, brown or black colored cloths. And that his favorite color is green, his favorite animals are eagles, and how he never borrows anything because he hates having to remember to give things back and say thanks. That's how she knows Neji likes girls with brown eyes.

…

Scratch that! Tenten was almost positive that last one was a just rumor from one of his fan girls and not directly from Hinata.

Either way Tenten got along with Hinata so well she wondered many times how Hinata could be Neji's cousin. Hinata was so sweet and tender; Neji on the other hand was cold and haughty. Tenten and Hinata would talk about anything and everything. Today was no different; during their break Tenten and Hinata sat under a tree and ate their lunch in the cool shade. Somehow or another they'd come to the topic of marriage.

"I want my marriage to be like my parents. Not too big or small, but classy. Preferably an outdoors wedding, with a view to the entire village. What about you Hinata?" Tenten said.

"W-well, it's tradition that anyone from the Hyuuga clan get m-m-married in our estate." Hinata said softly biting her onigiriOnigiriOnigiri.

"I see. So do you have any idea who you're going to marry?" Tenten asked.

Hinata almost choked on her rice ball. "N-n-n-no, not r-really. Besides if you live in the m-main branch of the Hyuuga clan y-y-your marriage is arranged."

"That's awful!" Tenten exclaimed. "So you can't get married to whomever you want?

"It's not t-t-that bad, Tenten. We can't marry s-someone we completely hate, the parents of the couple have to make sure the c-c-c-couple are at least compatible. Besides they are usually from well-known families."

"Okay, so why is the main branch the only one that has to do it?"

Hinata looked uncomfortable. "Well, s-since the main branch is the o-one with the blood line we have to make s-s-sure the secret of the b-b-b-byakugan is kept so our clan can go on."

"What about Neji? I remembered you said he wasn't part of the main branch once, but he has the byakugan doesn't he?"

Hinata looked around uneasily not knowing how to answer Tenten's question. It finally dawned on Tenten that she was asking questions too closely related to the Hyuuga clan's secret. "Sorry," Tenten apologized. "You don't have to tell me anything if you're not allowed to…"

"That's not it!" Hinata exclaimed. "I mean your question can be answered, it's just I don't know how to. Everyone in my family says Neji is a prodigy and it's true he can use the byakugan even though he's not part of the main branch—you should have seen how shocked my father was when he found out. I don't know…maybe Neji will be treated like the main branch in that aspect, because I don't think my clan would want to waste talent."

Tenten blinked in surprise, she didn't know which one was more surprising: the fact that Hinata hadn't stuttered or the fact that maybe for the first time Neji won't get what he wanted.

"I wonder who's going to want to marry that jerk." Tenten joked openly.

Hinata knew about Tenten's dislike towards Neji but she still couldn't help but frown and counter with: "You'd b-b-be s-surprised."

"Hey Double-Ten!" someone called. Tenten looked up to see Koharu Takoyaki, a classmate of Tenten's, walking towards them. If there was one person Tenten disliked more than Neji it was her. Koharu was a cruel showoff kind of girl who also happened to be Neji's number one fan. She had long red hair and eyes the color of the sea. She was the type of girl any parent would want as a friend for their child. Her clan was a respected one and she was talented, at least with her blood line limit, she was horrible at throwing kuni and almost as bad as Tenten at her chakra control.

"What do you want? Don't call me that!" Tenten yelled angrily. She narrowed her eyes at Koharu, you could never be sure what Koharu wanted from you, and whatever it was she almost always got it.

"I don't want anything with you." Koharu said crossing her arms looking at Tenten like if she were outdated milk. "Our Sensei wants to see you and I, being a nice person and all, decided to get you."

"Why? What did I do?"

"Beats me, whatever it is that ninja with no last names do is beyond me." Tenten could feel her face heating up. It's true she had no last name, but her father had died bravely in an important mission as a ninja and that was good enough for her to know she could qualify as a ninja as well.

"T-T-T-Tenten is still a n-ninja like us." Hinata said loudly with a sudden look of horror that she'd just spoken to her senior.

Koharu finally looked at Hinata as if only then realizing she was there. She eyed Hinata carefully and said, "Look just hurry up or you know had mad she can get."

Tenten left her lunch, said a quick goodbye to Hinata, and rushed to the building. On her way she could hear Koharu sweet talking to Hinata. Koharu knew Hinata was related to Neji and that was probably why she'd taken the effort to get Tenten, because Tenten hung with Hinata. Tenten regretted having left Hinata behind.

Tenten reached the classroom of her Sensei and stopped in her tracks. Her teacher wasn't the only one in there, Neji was too. He didn't even bother to look at her.

"Come closer Tenten." Their teacher said calmly.

Tenten did so until she stood next to Neji and in front of the teacher's desk. "What is it? What's going on?"

"Well it seems there was a little problem in the quiz, if just so happens that you and Neji got the same grade."

"But that happens all the time doesn't it? Kids get the same grades a lot." Tenten said panicking. She knew were this was going, but she couldn't believe she'd gotten caught. Surely their answers would have all been right and they'd both gotten full credit, but if somehow….if somehow…

"Well of course Tenten, but you see when that happens if not always because they got the exact same answers wrong." Their teacher held up both quiz papers. One had questions answered in neat handwriting and the other had a slanted almost unreadable handwriting. Both quizzes had their first question right the rest of the questions were marked with tiny "X"s.

This is what Tenten had been afraid of. She'd foolishly copied all the answers down without thinking that Neji might have forgotten to study for the quiz as well. Tenten opened her mouth to speak but the teacher stopped her.

"I don't care what you have to say, it is pretty obvious you both cheated and so you will pay the consequence. In the real world a ninja can't merely copy or steal something if they want to succeed, ninja's must work hard to get what they want. Therefore, you will both stay after school and clean up the roof."

Tenten couldn't believe her bad luck.

"And don't forget to tie these ropes around your waists and then I will tie them to this tree here."

"Iruka Sensei? What exactly are these ropes for?" Tenten asked curiously nevertheless doing as she was told. Iruka Sensei had just finished giving them instructions on how to clean the roof and given them their materials to do it with. All that was left was to get the up here.

"Well, it's so I can pull you up there, but cleaning the roof is also dangerous so I'm tying it to the tree so you won't fall off and get hurt."

"Oh." Tenten replied simply. What kind of awful teacher would make her students do something as dangerous as this as a punishment!

"Don't look so worried Tenten! I'll be here until six so I can keep an eye out for you. Don't worry about a thing!" Iruka smiled. Tenten simply nodded nervously. "Alright are you ready?"

Neji and Tenten both nodded and Iruka pulled on their ropes sending them high and they both landed easily unto the roof. He quickly tied the ropes to the tree and gave wished them good luck. Tenten's keens began to shake as she got to work. She looked over at Neji who was working patiently and diligently on scrubbing the roof. He seemed to treat even cleaning like if it were homework.

"Aren't you scared?" Tenten asked urging her voice not to shake. Neji shook his head. "Well we could fall any second you know!"

"That won't happen unless you don't pay attention where you're going," Neji pointed at her feet. She looked down at them and saw the edge of the roof was less than a foot from where she was standing. Tenten screamed getting on her knees and hands as she crawled up the roof.

"Relax," Neji frowned, obviously irritated by her reaction. "It's only two stories high, you can't die from falling that high."

"Glad you're having so much fun!" Tenten yelled hugging the bucket that held the water and soap they were supposed to use to scrub the roof.

"I don't want to be here anymore than you do!" Neji said. He really looked angry now. It caught Tenten off guard. Sure, he wasn't exactly the nicest guy but Neji had never snapped at her.

"Sorry Neji," Tenten began looked at the soapy water in the bucket. This was all her fault and she felt so guilty about it. "I want to say that all this is my fault. It's my fault we're stuck up here cleaning the roof, I shouldn't have copied you're answers. It wasn't the right thing to do and I will never do it again. I guess I did it because I… I just never thought you wouldn't know the answers to the questions."

"Who says I didn't know the answers?" Neji said stopping his work.

"What?"

"Of course I knew the answers to the questions Tenten, and I also knew you were copying me."

"Are you…are you trying to tell me you let me copy your wrong answers on purpose?"

"I wouldn't be much of a ninja if I had no idea what you were doing." A slight smile appeared across his face.

"You… you….you JERK!" Tenten screamed. Suddenly she forgot they were on a roof and she launched at him. She'd only meant to shove him to prove her point that she was mad at him, but in the process she'd managed to trip over some cleaning material and she'd stumbled on to Neji who grabbed the rope around her waist in order not to fall off the roof. Tenten still hadn't let go of the bucket and it splashed all over them covering them up in a soapy mess and unfortunately making the roof they were standing on even more slippery. Tenten lost her balance. She clutched Neji's rope from his waist which sent them both flying through the air and getting tangled in each other's rope. Finally their struggle came to a stop as they hung in midair about eight feet from the ground.

"Great, look what you just did," Neji fumed breathing heavily next to Tenten. They were tied right in front of each other, neither knowing how their rope would have gotten into such a mess. Neither could move much except their heads and fingers.

"I am not apologizing to you again!" Tenten said struggling against the ropes.

"Stop doing that, you moron! You'll break the—"

CRRrrrr…..!

Both their heads snapped up to hear where the sound was coming from. The rope they were hanging from was tied to a rather small branch ready to break.

"Oh no…" Tenten whispered willing the branch to be strong.

"Don't move." Neji hissed.

CRRRRRRAK!

"AAAAAH!" Tenten yelled shutting her eyes closed.

The tree branch snapped sending them crashing to the ground. They landed with a big moan. Tenten's body ached, but she couldn't have had it as bad a Neji who'd gotten the real hit from underneath her. The only part of Tenten that had landed on something soft was her lips. She opened her eyes to see opaque white eyes staring back at her as her lips touched Neji's.

HAHAHA! aw that was just too cute, i had fun writing that fall.

anyways thanks for the wait and hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner. Holiday season is always crazy for me

REVIEWS are awesome and I love them… (actually, I may be addicted to them O.o so please feed my obsession)

-Cyan