Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... unfortunately...

BONUS CHAPTER 6!!!!

dedicated to...

silverdragon994!

The couple(s) or character(s) it's dedicated to is/are: NejiTen

This is the first part of a two-part bonus chapter. Also, the sentence that Hiashi says in the end of this chapter was silver's idea :D (I just edited it a little bit...)

Enjoy!

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♥ Chapter XXX: The Key to Victory! You Aren't Alone ♥
---

Back when Tenten was a little innocent (not) child, all guys called her 'the boy-girl' or 'the scary girl' or 'the girl who hits you when you call her panda' or 'AAAAH! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, EVERYBODY! IT'S HER!' whenever she approached them.

But all she really wanted was to hang out with them.

It wasn't her fault that her fist 'accidentally' collided with either their face, or arm, or stomach – or just any body part for that matter – when they said she was too girly for them.

Not that Tenten didn't like other girls. Sure, she had lots of fun with Hinata playing with dolls or jump ropes; but it was just that from time to time, she'd get bored. The guys played much more fascinating games; like war, or soccer, or…

… basketball.

As long as Tenten could remember, she had always found basketball extremely fun… and interesting. She wasn't exactly short, and she was speedy, and she loved throwing balls – so why not? But whenever she tried to join the guys, they'd just taunt her and tell her to go and play with Barbie dolls instead.

And then, they'd get punched. It was amazing how they never learned their lessons; some actually had some sense punched into their heads, because when Tenten came around next time, they'd run for their lives, but some continued to tease Tenten. And some just plainly ignored her and let the rest deal with her.

One of those who ignored her was Neji. He, too, was fond of basketball, but in his opinion, girls were whiny and weak, so if they let a girl join, she'd just complain that ow, I got a ball on the head, and why won't you apologize, you jerk? So when Tenten came around for the twentieth time in a row, he at last said in an annoying voice something that the other boys hadn't really thought of:

"Do you really think you're good enough to play with us?"

At this, the others had silenced. Tenten had narrowed her eyes and glared bravely at him. "Yeah, I do," she had snorted. "You know, there are girls that can be as good as guys."

"Yeah, right," another boy had laughed scornfully. "You girls complain about everything. You get hit in the head with a ball, and then you start bawling and whining and call us idiots or jerks."

"Why don't you test me?" Tenten challenged. "If I win, you let me play with you afterwards. If I lose, I won't bug you anymore."

The boys had exchanged glances, suddenly worried. But Neji, who refused to believe that girls weren't weak, just smirked. "Go ahead."

And so she had done. She had gone ahead… and won. Ever since, she had been allowed to play with the boys. And that's how she began hanging out with Neji… or rather, was forced to, after the two of them had once been the only ones left after a basketball game, and their parents had come to pick them up and mistook them for being friends, and everybody else had expected them to be friends, too.

After all, they were the 'fighting master' and the 'fighting mistress'.

A lot of people that had grown up with them – such as Naruto, Ino, Hinata and others – were still rather fond of bringing up the topic of how Tenten had made herself acknowledged among guys, and how she had first become friends with Neji, because it was, in their opinion, rather hilarious. Even now, when they were almost about to graduate from high school.

"Hey, do you guys still remember when Tenten beat everyone at a basketball game?" Naruto therefore grinned, when the gang was having their usual (forced) bowls of ramen at Ichiraku's after school.

"Yeah," Ino laughed. "You were a bit basketball crazy back then, weren't you, Tenten?"

"Are," Tenten corrected her. "I'm still crazy with basketball."

"But you don't play it as much as before," Neji remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, we've been so busy lately, I haven't really had time for it," Tenten shrugged. "But there're a few months left of school, right? Maybe I should play basketball during the time that's left. Are you guys up for a game after this?"

The others groaned in response. "C'mon, Tenten," Sakura said, "after school, who has the energy to do that?"

"Me," Tenten firmly replied. "You guys are so lazy. Neji?"

"Sorry, Tenten." Neji shook his head. "I'm tired, too."

"Tch," his girlfriend snorted disgustingly. "You guys have become too lazy."

"It's you who's too hyper," Naruto argued.

"Look who's talking," Sasuke sarcastically commented.

"Hey!"

Hinata giggled, and then smiled at Tenten: "Tenten-chan, why don't you join the girls' basketball team? Since Kari-chan left, it means they're in need of a new player, so why don't you try get into the team? You're great, so it's a big chance you might get in."

"That's a great idea," Tenten beamed. "So, when're the tryouts?"

---

"Out of the way! Out of the way, folks!"

Tenten, Sakura, Hinata, Ino and Temari made their way through the crowd that had assembled at the bulletin board, and then peered at the paper that said 'Girls' Basketball Team Tryouts, on Friday 13th, 5 p.m.! Don't miss them!'.

"Friday 13th?" Sakura frowned. "Geez, talk about choosing the wrong day…"

"Great! I'm free that day!" Tenten's grin was so wide that her cheeks ached as the five girls pushed their way away from the bulletin board. "Guys, can't you accompany me? I need support! Haven't you heard something like… 'the key to victory is support'?"

Temari groaned. "Tenten, please, don't talk about keys."

"What about them?" Ino wanted to know. "You've played Kingdom Hearts again?"

Temari nodded grimly. "And lost," she muttered angrily. "I can't believe Gaara has already gone to The World That Never Was! I'm still stuck in stupid Agrabah with that stupid magic carpet, having to defeat that stupid boss."

Hinata giggled. "Why don't you play something else, Temari-chan?"

"Yeah, you can borrow my Dancing Petals, if you want," Sakura generously offered. "But you better be careful; Sasuke-kun wouldn't be pleased if I said I had lent it to somebody."

"Thanks," Temari sighed. "Well, I'm busy on Friday, Tenten, sorry."

"Me too." Ino wrinkled her forehead. "I need to get Shika-chan to the mall. He always wears the same shirts!"

Sakura laughed at the remark, but then turned serious. "Yeah… and I've finally managed Sasuke-kun to promise me that we'll go out shopping too. He hates it."

"Why don't we shop together?" Ino suggested excitedly. "That'd be fun!"

"I… don't know, Ino," Sakura sweatdropped at the thought of having Sasuke go shopping together with Ino and Shikamaru. "We'll see."

"Hinata…," Tenten begged. "Can't you come? Please!"

"Gomen, Tenten-chan, I can't go. I have a date with Naruto-kun…"

Suddenly, a voice interrupted them. "Hey, I'm fr-"

Tenten turned towards her boyfriend who was approaching them, her eyes fiery and threatening. "NEJI, I SWEAR IN KAMI'S NAME THAT IF YOU DON'T COME ALONG, I'LL FRIGGIN' KILL YOU WITH MY NOTEBOOK."

"Uh… okay… I was just about to say I was going to come anyway… but don't kill me, please?"

The others sweatdropped at this, while Tenten seemed to calm down, a sweet smile on her lips. "Okay."

---

"Now girls, y'all probably already know that Hikari Hikari has quit this school – well, she was probably expelled, seeing how much she clung to Sasuke-kun without even being in our club," the leader of the basketball team, the Ino-lookalike Jasmine said with a sneer. "Thus, we're now looking for new recruits. Please take your seats, those of you who won't be tested yet. First out is…"

Tenten sat down on a bench, rolling her eyes at Jasmine's stupidity. Even though basketball sure was fun, about 80 percent of the team consisted of Sasuke's fans. They'd probably give her a hard time getting in, seeing how they were jealous of how she could be around Sasuke everyday without him getting irritated.

Like she wanted Sasuke anyway. He was just an annoying kid. In her opinion, he was too hard to dominate. Neji was just so much easier…

Besides, even though she'd never admit it, Neji was damn hot. And he was her childhood best friend, after all. He had always given her strength… just then, she heard his voice behind her say, "Good luck, Tenten."

She turned around with a grin. "Thanks."

---

"And we're done for today." Jasmine paused. "As of now, though being hugely astounded at her skills, even though she knows absolutely nothing about fashion, the one who's most likely to become the new member of the team is Tenten. But we'll announce the results on Wednesday. Bye, everyone."

"So…," Neji said as he put his hands in his pockets, just as Tenten proceeded towards the girls' changing room. "You're free after this?"

"Yup. You're treating me to dinner, right?"

Neji laughed at her straight-forwardness. "Of course. See you later, then." He waved as he exited the gym. Tenten smiled for herself before walking into the girls' changing room.

---

"No, Ino!" Shikamaru groaned. "I don't want this… this Gucci shirt or whatever it is!"

Ino pouted. "Actually, Shika-chan, it's not Gucci. It's Ralph Lauren! It's a huge difference, you know. Right, Sakura?"

"Exactly!" Sakura crossed her arms as she glared reproachfully at her boyfriend. "Sasuke-kun, this looks good, you know!"

"No, it doesn't," Sasuke calmly responded as he focused on not losing his temper and marching out of the store.

"I agree with Sasuke for once. You two have the worst sense of fashion ever," Shikamaru moaned as he attempted to go back into the dressing room.

"No, we don't!" the girls exclaimed in chorus. The two boyfriends rolled their eyes before going back into the changing rooms. Just then, Sakura caught sight of something – or rather, somebody – outside of the shop.

"Hey, Ino!" she said, poking the blonde on her arm.

"Nanda?" Ino followed her gaze and then grinned evilly. "Oooh. Naruto and Hinata on their date, huh?"

"Yup. I wonder where they're headed?" Sakura giggled.

"To the bakery, I guess." Ino joined in the giggling. "We've got to go there too! I'm going to start crying out of laughter when I see Kankorou and Gaara with pink aprons."

---

When Neji and Tenten were little kids and their parents forced them to play together, Neji always refused. Then, Tenten would start plead and beg that they'd play house… which Neji refused even more. ("Like I want to be your husband and have your babies! Ew!")

This always resulted in that Tenten pulled Neji's hair until the poor boy agreed to play whatever she wanted to, and after about a week, Neji would tell his parents he didn't want to see the little panda-girl anymore. ("KAAAA-SAAAN! KAA-SAN! SHE'S PULLING MY HAIR!" "Oh, look, how cute, our children have become best friends.")

"Why, Neji-chan, she's awfully kind," his mother had replied, desperately trying to find one girl the boy wouldn't push away.

"No, she's awfully dominating," Neji would huff and go back to his room. Then, after two days, Tenten came to visit Neji instead. And thus, they continued playing house. And sometimes, when Tenten was in a good mood, she'd let Neji decide.

That was the first thing that came to his mind this particular afternoon, when they were going to have dinner together.

And even though Neji had always said he didn't want a girlfriend who'd be dominating – here he was with Tenten, the scariest girl he had ever befriended, romantically arguing about what they were going to eat.

"I want to eat a hamburger!"

"But c'mon, Tenten, the noodles are really delicious," he tried. "I promise, you'll absolutely LOVE them –"

"I. Want. Hamburger. NOW."

"… O… kay…" Neji sweatdropped as his girlfriend smiled a sweet smile before forcefully dragging him off.

---

"Anou…"

A vein popped on Naruto's forehead as his friends cheerfully chattered around him.

"Guys…"

Hinata looked at her boyfriend worriedly.

"DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE HERE?!"

Ino, Shikamaru, Sakura, Sasuke, Gaara, Kankorou and Temari all stopped talking. Then Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I've got to be here because this is where I work," he pointed out. "Besides, it's you who's disturbing us, not the other way around."

"Yeah, exactly," Kankorou chimed in.

"What's wrong with a little friendly encounter?" Ino remarked with pretended shock. "My, my! I feel offended, Naruto. Don't you want us around?"

"Not… on… my… date," Naruto hissed through gritted teeth as another vein popped on his head.

"You should be glad," Sakura sighed. "I don't want to go home just yet. Sasuke-kun has got guests, so I can't go to his place either. My aunt has invited some friend who's driving me nuts."

"Better than me, at the very least," Ino muttered. "My parents are holding a party filled with people that are driving me nuts."

"A-anou…" Hinata smiled shyly. "We've no guests tonight, so if you want to, you can come…"

"Wow! That'd be awesome, Hinata! Thanks!" Sakura grinned. "Hey, can't we have a sleepover? We haven't had one for ages!"

"… It works for me," Ino smiled. "Anything to skip going around and smile to those ancient people who tell me, 'Why, why, aren't you an adorable young lady' when they're actually thinking, 'This little bitch's parents won't give me a raise'…"

"I'm free," Shikamaru shrugged.

"So am I," Sasuke added. "My parents have come home, so I don't necessarily have to meet the guests. They're not particularly important anyway… and they've come to see my parents, not me."

"Well… I'm in…," Naruto sighed.

"I want to come too!" Temari smirked. "I won't miss the fun for sure."

"Gomen ne, but we're busy," Kankorou responded.

"Busy?" Temari repeated, quirking an eyebrow. "Dates?"

"Aa," Gaara casually answered.

"Whoa, this baking business wasn't too bad after all, was it?" Ino teased.

"I guess," Kankorou shrugged with a sheepish grin. The others just laughed.

---

After a somewhat pleasant (though this was questionable as Tenten and Neji argued once more about what kind of hamburger they should eat) dinner, Neji decided to escort his girlfriend home. But just as they were outside the front door…

"Neji…"

"Nanda?"

"… Nobody's at home."

"So what? You've got the keys, haven't you?"

"… Er… actually…"

"NO. Don't tell me. You –"

"- forgot the keys in the girls' changing room at the school, yeah."

"But can't you sleep in anybody else's house? Like… Sakura… or somebody…"

"Well, uh, Ino's parents are throwing this party for the staff of their company or something, so it'd be weird if I turned up there and just asked for a room to sleep in. Sakura's aunt doesn't have a spare room, because her aunt's friend is visiting from Marseilles or whatever. Hinata's off on a date with Naruto, isn't she? So I can't disturb her. That leaves…"

"… me?!"

"Yeah." Tenten's eyes flashed dangerously. "You dare to refuse?"

"Um… no."

"And also, if you're uncomfortable with me sleeping in your room or whatever, I can just go sleep in Hinata's. You share the same mansion, don't you?" She grimaced. "Anything but to sleep in one of those creepy guest rooms."

Neji couldn't help but smirk. "You still haven't gotten over last time when you slept in my place, huh?"

"It's not that," Tenten grunted. "I just don't like them."

Neji chuckled. Tenten never admitted she was afraid of anything. "C'mon, then. Let's get going… good thing you aren't alone, huh?"

He already knew that this sleepover wouldn't be like the others they had had so far… if the poor guy only had known what was awaiting him…

---

"Neji..."

Tenten suddenly stopped in the long corridor in the mansion, grasping Neji's sleeve. "Yeah, what?" her boyfriend asked.

"You know, uh, your dad..."

"Otou-san? What about him?"

"He's not... he's not with Hinata's father again, is he?"

Neji slapped his forehead with a moan. He had totally forgotten that today was the day his father was coming home. And whenever his and Hinata's father met (the two of them were twin brothers) they'd usually celebrate by drinking all night and 'cherishing some lost memories', as he remember his mother poetically describing it when he was younger, but in Neji's opinion, it was more random rambling. Last time when Tenten had come over, Neji's father had scared Tenten out of her mind by accidentally showing up in her bedroom after Tenten, Neji and Hinata had seen a horror movie.

"I think he is, unfortunately," Neji muttered. "But hey, I don't think they're going into Hinata's room tonight, so you don't have to worry." At least, I hope they won't.

"Okay...," Tenten replied unsurely. Just then, somebody appeared behind them.

"Neji?" the voice said. Tenten almost shrieked out of fear as she hid behind her boyfriend. "What have you been doing after school?"

"Just hanging out with friends, otou-san -", Neji began, but was interrupted by hiccups from his father.

"Is it something with the young girl that you always stare at when she's near you? The... the one who looks like a... giraffe... gomen, I mean... panda?" Hiashi giggled unclearly as his sentence was finished with some more hiccups. Neji frowned.

"Her name's Tenten, otou-san, you've met her before."

"Panda?" his father repeated with a sheepish grin, only hearing what he wanted to hear. "Yeah, that's her name... I think..." Then, a stern expression came across his face, mixed with some horror. "Or wait.. if you didn't hang out with Panda... are... are you GAY?!?!?!"

The random outburst resulted in that Neji kicked his father... hard. He knew he'd pay for it later, but as of now, his face was as red as a tomato. "OTOU-SAN!"

"... what a beautiful moon tonight...," was all Hiashi managed to stutter between giggles and hiccups.

"IT ISN'T A MOON! IT'S A LAMP!" Neji yelled. "C'mon, Tenten, let's go."

Tenten just sweatdropped. "Sure..."

Please Wait...

Okay, so I know that this might not have been the most interesting chapter ever, but I hope at least it's okay x.x; It's soon to be followed by another chapter! Meanwhile, check out my new SasuSaku threeshot, Snowflake:) Also, next chapter is dedicated to NejiTen, but it's actually more humoristic than romantic xD;

Reviews Corner (C'mon, people, let's reach 800:) )

I don't know how many times I've said this, and how many times I will keep saying it, but I LOVE your reviews! So keep on reviewing!

Many thanks to...

cherry blossom petals

Crazy Gal42 (Thanks for the PM telling me the fillers are going to end! XD And yeah, I'm really happy, but are you sure it's an official statement? Because I've heard many predictions about when they're going to end... like, at first, in the beginning of December... then they said before Christmas... then after Christmas... then after New Year's... but I really hope that they're going to end in Feb! God, was I growing tired of those fillers... -.-; You mean in my fic or in the real manga/anime? XD Here I've said they were dating in the 25th bonus chapter, but in the real manga/anime it's not revealed before... um, Asuma's death, and I hope you knew about it, and if you didn't, that you don't mind spoilers x.x; )

Pale Moonlit Nightsky (Lol, I seem to have a tendency to make all the parents in my stories weird :P And the random typing... it's always when somebody hits him xD And Happy New Year to you too! x3)

Kawaii IceCream

animefreak2203

nickygirl

everlasting memories (Same to you :D)

Blackieismybaby

frienz4ever (The same to you! ;) )

silverdragon994 (Lol, the Hiashi sentence was hilarious. xD Thanks for adding it to the request!)

Claud-kun (Omg... I'm your mother! XD Just kidding. It's just that the whole telling-people-about-your-day-and-nobody-listens and the Prison Break love is similar to me :P Prison Break... -drools- BUT MY SISTER HAS GONE AWAY TO HER BOYFRIEND'S WITH ALL THE EPISODES! T.T No more Wentworth Miller for me until next week... -cries-)

Coming Up Next...
The 7th bonus chapter for This Is Not My First Time, Lost, dedicated to une see, a tribute to NejiTen!

Three tips after watching horror movies the entire night: One, don't let the host's/hostess' drunk parent(s) go ANYWHERE in the house.

"Oh my god... it's so creepy...," Sakura whispered. "Sasuke-kun, where the hell are we anyway?"

"Panda... hiccup... san? Have you seen Neji?"

Sakura turned around, and only seeing pale skin beneath black hair that covered the face, and a figure dressed in white with a stinky breath, did the most natural thing one could do. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! IT'S HER! THE GIRL FROM THE RING!"

Two, always make sure your electric torch works right.

"This is so silly," Temari muttered. "Why the hell did we go looking for ghosts in here anyway? Not like there're any -"

Just then, her electric torch faintly lit up something in the room. "AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Temari shrieked. "SOMEBODY'S BEEN KILLED! THERE'S A CORPSE! A CORPSE, I SAY!"

"Temari-chan... I think that's the life-sized Barbie doll Hanabi got for Christmas...," Hinata sweatdropped.

Three, don't, absolutely DON'T, go into the house's gigantic cellar when it's totally dark.

"NEJI! I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE, OR I'M GOING TO KILL YOU WITH MY NOTEBOOK LATER!"

"Fine, fine..." He impatiently grabbed the doorknob. "Just skip the fun, then..."

Silence followed. A frantic sound of somebody trying to turn the doorknob and open the door with no success echoed in the maze.

"... Neji-onii-san?" Hinata said nervously.

"Great," Neji mumbled. "We're stuck in here."

Thus, don't miss the next chapter!!