Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, etc.
Summary: Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )
He turned to her and she was surprised at how serious he looked. He took her hand. Tenten's eyebrows furrowed. "Sasuke," she prompted, nervous about not seeing any joke going on here. "What are you doing?" She laughed nervously but it abruptly ended as he put her hand between his own.
"For your birthday…" he said, "… I give my heart to you."
Tenten's eyes grew wide from surprise and she tried to swallow down the lump that was in her throat. She didn't know what to say… or do. She considered him. He was a nice guy… A nice guy… Who was the person that had shown her the city afterwards? Who was the guy that got her a cup of coffee afterwards?
… So why did she snatch her hand back so quickly?
Tenten sat there momentarily, her hand – the hand that used to be between his, still dangling in the cold air. She noticed that the snowman was slightly disheveled… she must've bumped into it when she removed her hand from his.
There was a deep moment of awkward silence as Tenten, still shaky, stood up. "I… got to go," she muttered, making eye contact on the ground. "I'll see… you around." Even her own voice sounded foreign to her ears.
She walked away quickly until she couldn't see him anymore, and then broke into a run without waiting for the bus.
-
It was awhile until Tenten's run turned back into a walk again. She had made a mental decision not to go back to the Hyuuga household. It would've been awkward entering and seeing Neji again after all that had happened so far. Ino's apartment was a little closer too.
Why hadn't she accepted?
She turned her face up to the sky, breathing in the air deeply. "Neji," she muttered, a little hotly. It always went back to him. She kept on walking and then shook her head. She wasn't concerned about that right now… but…
What was she going to tell Sasuke once she saw him again?
Tenten had never imagined a love confession from anyone. It was something that was put back into her mind, buried under the stress she had since she was young: making sure that debts were repaid, money was available, food was–
She put a brick wall in front of those thoughts to stop them before they ran amuck and sighed. There she goes again.
Turning her mind back to what had just happened recently; she realized that she had not answered his question fully. What she had said… how did he take it? Did he take it as a rejection, or a time to "think it over"?
Tenten shook her head. "Oh what the hell," she muttered to herself.
She didn't even know how to take her own answer.
Tenten approached the door of Ino's apartment, knowing it was the only place she was able to stay at for the night without having any awkward situations about what had happened. Ino, Shikamaru, or Naruto didn't know about Uchiha Sasuke and her… extremely strange situation with Neji.
She refused to use "feelings" instead. She hated him right now. She didn't know why, but she did. Part of her thought that if she kept her idea of him to that, things won't get complicated. How they would get complicated, she had no idea.
The door opened with a sleepy Ino on the other side.
"Tenten… 'S that you?" She squinted at the figure. "Tenten?" she repeated. She blinked once and her eyes widened. "Tenten… What the hell are you doing here?"
She tried not to look too troubled, so she put on a grin. "I just wanted to stay over for the night," she said happily, trying to shove her recent thoughts to the back of her mind.
Ino arched an eyebrow, her eyes still sleepy. "At three?" she muttered.
"I uh…" Tenten made a face. It was that late? "I uh… is it ok?" she asked, unsure how to respond to that statement.
"Huh?" Ino mumbled, dazed. And then, "Oh yeah. Ok, ok." She nodded her head rapidly, opening the door wider for Tenten to squeeze through.
As the girl entered the apartment, Ino closed the door shut. "You don't look so hot," she said to her. "Something happen?"
"No!" Tenten blurted loudly. She covered her mouth automatically after hearing her voice echo throughout the dark hallway. In a quiet voice she confirmed again, "Nothing. Nothing happened."
"… Right. So, uh… you want something to eat?"
Tenten shook her head. "Not really."
"… To drink?"
"Not really."
"… To drink?"
Tenten caught the persistence in Ino's voice and gave a weak smile to her who gave a sleepy one in return. It was an invitation to talk to her at one in the morning when everyone else was asleep. Tenten had wanted to leave everything the way it was for now. Them not knowing anything, Sasuke left without a real answer, and Neji left there to….
But now she thought that it would be nice. It would be nice for her to release something. To break that brick wall in her thoughts.
"… Tea?"
Ino smiled. "What kind?"
"Anything strong."
"Right… Want something to eat?"
"… Something fried and smothered in chocolate."
A chuckle. "Not good for your figure. How about an apple?"
She arched an eyebrow. "Apple and… tea?"
A shrug.
"It's healthy."
-
Ino set the teapot down once both of their cups were filled near the brim. She pushed the plate of apples in between her and Tenten. The light in the kitchen was the only light that was on, but Ino dimmed it a little so that nobody would wake up from the brightness.
Part of her was still sleepy, but she shoved her seat forward, understanding that there were some things that were more important than getting her beauty sleep, protecting her face complexion, etc. Once they settled down, however, things got awkward from there.
"So… How's Neji? How's your job?"
Tenten stiffened at the sound of Neji's name. "It's…" she began, but stopped soon after. "I don't know," she admitted. "Sometimes it's nice," she stated slowly, remembering how he had offered to take her to the 63rd Building, "and other times…" Her eyes narrowed. "He can be such a jerk."
Ino shifted her gaze to Tenten, studying her, but deciding not to point out how she had used the word "it" in her first statement, and then "he" in her second. She shook her head. "So?" she prompted.
Tenten's head snapped up. "… What?"
The girl in front of her leaned on the table, putting her head in one of her hands. "Are you going to quit?"
Her eyes widened and she looked away from her friend. "What do you mean?" she countered.
"Don't pretend," Ino said. She heard a sharp intake of breath coming from Tenten and she pursued the topic. "You've been out of it ever since you accepted that job from him. You've been depressed since Haruno Sakura came back to Korea," she accused. "I – I mean, we can tell what it's doing to you."
Tenten took another sip of her tea, avoiding eye contact with Ino. Mixed feelings threatened to burst out of her, but she kept her composure. "The money's important to get," she defended. She sighed, her eyes scrutinizing at the tea leaves floating at the bottom. "It… It just turned out harder than I thought it would."
Ino shook her head, a smile on her face. "You like him, though."
Tenten's heart skipped a beat. "I don't like him," she said, feeling her face heat up.
"The media talks, you know," Ino told her. "Rumors about Haruno Sakura hooking up with someone due to her rare visits to the tennis court to practice. I wonder who she –"
"It's nothing," Tenten said firmly, making a clear mark to where the subject ended. "I'll continue to work for him… Iruka, Kakashi… They need the money… And so do I."
Ino opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it instead after thinking about it. "… Right," she said slowly, getting up from her seat. "Maybe you should get some sleep… I mean… I guess you have a lot to think about right now."
Tenten nodded and put her dishes in the sink to be washed tomorrow morning. "Yeah," she agreed. "I guess you're right." She watched the last of her tea flow down into the drain and then began to make her way over to the stairs.
"Tenten."
She turned back to Ino who was still at the kitchen counter. "What is it?" she asked. She rubbed her eyelids, a bit surprised at how tired she was feeling.
Ino's eyes flickered a bit before continuing. "You're doing the job for Iruka and Kakashi… They're counting on you… you know that, right?"
Tenten nodded her head. "I know that," she said. "Why else would I be doing this ridiculous job?"
The blonde ignored her last comment and continued. "If it's killing you, just stop. Iruka and Kakashi wouldn't want you to push yourself. They think that… And the others think that too."
Tenten couldn't help but chuckle. "You're saying that like it'll be the death of me or something." She took a deep breath. "Relax. I know what I'm doing. I don't know if I'll find another job that'll pay as well as this one. So… I'm going to stick with it until the debt is repaid and we have enough to survive on our own." She forced a small smile. "I know my limits. If I know I'm pushing them, I won't continue."
Ino nodded her head slowly. "You better know when you're pushing them –"
"I'm fine, ok?" She sighed. "I'm kinda tired right now… You get that, right?"
The girl across from her nodded her head again and Tenten went up the stairs quietly.
Once there, she set up her bed again and jumped down on it, not bothering to take a hot shower or anything. She decided to put it off until the morning just like the rest of her thoughts and go to sleep. But as she was on the brink of slumber, she remembered Sasuke's question and her answer to that question and realized that she did not give him a complete answer.
And then she realized that tomorrow was the party for Sakura and that he was to escort her there.
-
Tenten woke up, thinking that it was still early in the morning. But as she went down the steps, she realized that two people were up, using the kitchen to make two cups of morning coffee. Knowing who they were immediately, she grabbed her coat that was lying on the couch and made her way toward the door.
"Tenten?" Kakashi popped out of nowhere behind the fridge door.
"Tenten?" Iruka sputtered, nearly dropping the coffee mix. "What – She never wakes up this late!"
"I'm off to do my job," Tenten informed them, putting on her coat. "When Ino wakes up, just tell her that and she'll know."
"Your job?" Kakashi repeated. "What kind of job makes their employees wake up at –"
"There are some jobs that make people wake up at one in the morning, you know," she told him. "The faster I earn the money, the quicker we can get out of this debt-repay hellhole." And on that happy note she charged out of the apartment leaving guilty faces on the two men.
And as she charged outside, she nearly went back inside to go to sleep again or something until it really WAS morning because it was actually four in the afternoon.
Well, she did go to sleep around three in the morning.
As the Hyuuga compound came into view, Tenten stopped in her tracks and checked her watch. Five twenty-five. "That's good," she said to herself, working hard to put on her best smile. Neji would… Well, he SHOULD be at work right now. She rubbed her hands together to keep warm. Boy was it chilly today. "Act like the world's a fair place," she instructed herself.
She was dumbfounded at once, however, when she opened the door because two people had been waiting at the edge for her and tackled her once she walked through the door. She was STILL dumbfounded as Kurenai handed her a dress with a pair of shoes and Asuma handed her some make-up and Hiashi was watching from the sidelines with a smile on his face.
But when she was shoved into her room to "make herself all nice and pretty," her eye caught the small invitation that was given to her from Sakura. And then she realized that the party was at nine and she was no where near to ready.
Tenten snapped to realization at once and grabbed the dark green dress that Kurenai had given her. It was a simple one with no straps that her clumsy arms had to fit through and a zipper that was on the back for easy wear. Even so, she went through hell putting it on since… Well, she never really wore a skirt before – a dress even less likely.
She cringed at the extra fabric that became pools around her feet. She began to fret. "Is it supposed to BE like that?" she squeaked to herself. Honestly, she couldn't believe dresses like this existed. I mean, she thought to herself, why waste all of that extra fabric?
She tried walking around (more like scooting around) on her bare feet and nearly crashed into the small table near the TV. "For Pete's sake!" she sputtered, rubbing her sore shin. That was definitely going to leave a bruise. "How the hell am I supposed to manage this in… heels?" she wondered angrily as her eyes drifted to the pair of shoes of the same color that lay on the floor.
Tenten crawled over to them (not trusting the way her legs operated in the dress) and picked them up. She stared at them for awhile and then sighed. She then proceeded to put them on, and by doing so, entered through chaos trying to figure out how the buckles worked. Then, taking a deep breath, she stood up and bent backwards into the wall.
Quickly she steadied herself. "Grace, Tenten," she told herself, taking slow steps at a time. "Think womanly, think… think girly!"
And as she began to walk back and forth across the room, slow at the beginning, but faster at the end, the grin on her face grew wider and she truly felt that she was a woman.
-
"Do I need jewelry?" she asked herself. She pondered this for a moment, having the time of her life after conquering her "walk in a dress with heels on" problem. Tenten shook her head. Jewelry wasn't really her thing. After all, she skipped the make-up part, didn't she?
And then a knock came at her door.
"Tenten?" It was Kurenai. "Are you done yet?"
She gulped. Was she done? Sure she had mastered the art of balance and perpetual motion (at least in her mind), but was she ready for the big battle yet? Was she ready to enter that party with total control – confident that she wouldn't ram into a stone statue at the beginning or do a face-plant in the celebration cake?
Another knock. "Tenten?"
"I… I, uh… I got my dress on?" Tenten said, not knowing what else to say.
"WHAT?!" Kurenai's voice was full of sheer surprise. "THAT'S ALL YOU DID –"
"And the shoes, too!" Tenten quickly added after hearing the woman's voice. "The dress AND the shoes!"
"It's been an hour and you only put on your dress?!" Her voice was near to screeching.
"AND the shoes!" Tenten hastened to add, emphasizing on the word "and."
The door banged open. "What about your make-up?!" Kurenai cried, taking Tenten's head between her two hands and squishing it. "You look too pale! At least put on some blush! (15)"
"What?!" Tenten cried, forcing Kurenai's hands off her face. "I don't need that stuff!"
"Yes you do!" the other woman protested. "I mean –"
She was cut off by a loud voice crying out, "NEJI!" Kurenai immediately went out of the room. "Neji's here already!" she exclaimed. She turned to Tenten. "Forget the make-up! Just get down there!" She rushed down leaving Tenten surprised in the doorway, her eyes wide.
To be honest, she didn't expect Neji to be home so soon. That is, until she looked at the clock on the wall and realized that it was six thirty.
Neji stepped into the household and instantly became utterly surprised at the big group standing at the foot of the stairs. He was back early expecting to bring Tenten to the party himself and then going with Sakura for the rest of the time. He was also instantly shoved forward by Lee in the back as the young boy was totally psyched about what was happening…
Neji did not know what was going on.
"Neji!" Lee cried happily. "Wonderful timing! You'll be able to witness our young bud blossom into the feminine flower in the fresh spring!"
The Hyuuga decided not to point out that it was practically winter already.
He watched as Lee bounded over to his spitting image and arched an eyebrow at Lee and Gai who were conversing together, exchanging words that Neji had wisely decided not to care about. There were loud bangs coming from the stairs and Neji caught a flower pot that was about to hit the floor and shatter into pieces.
Kurenai jumped into the scene and shoed the people away from the stairs. "She's coming down!" she cried.
"What's going on here?" he muttered, an eyebrow arched. His suspicions were wiped out however, as Tenten appeared from the top of the stairs. She began to walk down and then stopped at the foot of the stairs, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
Neji's eyes widened. Was that really Tenten? Tenten in a… dress?!
This was some kind of joke, wasn't it?
The others went up to her and she laughed and joked with them. Hiashi wheeled himself over to his nephew's side. "What do you think, Neji?" he said loudly, his voice surprisingly (there's a pattern here) nice to him. "Doesn't she look nice?"
Oh… Now he got it. He was the crazy one. He was the loony bird?
"We bought that dress from Europe, you know." Hiashi began to ramble. "And the shoes from Peru. Good thing they're the same color…"
Neji tuned him out; as he thought about his uncle's question and decided that he was blind. No, not blind, just heavily lacking of intelligence. Even blind people would be able to see the radiance that came from her. It wasn't the dress or the shoes or the simple necklace that was around her neck that made her that way either. No, it was how happy she looked, her eyes shining with joy and the grin on her face the biggest he had ever seen.
He couldn't help but notice the way her eyes were making contact with everything but him, however.
"… and Sasuke will be escorting her over to the party…"
Neji's vision suddenly shattered and before he could stop himself…
"She's ugly."
All noise immediately went away as if someone had pushed the "Mute" button on the remote control of the TV.
"Green doesn't suit her," Neji went on, noticing how Tenten was pissed, but not noticing how his uncle was even more pissed. "And –"
"I think I look perfectly normal!" Tenten declared. "And don't even start analyzing how green doesn't go with brown and all that –"
Ding.
The doorbell cut Tenten off. Asuma opened the door and Sasuke stepped in. He sensed the tension in the room, but noticing Tenten, he walked over to her, holding out his hand. "Are you ready?" he asked her. Neji watched silently, although he wondered if this was all a big mistake and he was the one who was supposed to take her there.
Tenten stood there awkwardly, the recent events rushing to her head. "Y-Yeah," she managed, taking his hand. "Let's go."
Hiashi, who returned to his bitter state, gritted out, "Don't forget your coat."
She nodded, and quickly picked it up, acknowledging the "KILLKILLKILLL!" vibes radiating from him. Then she turned to Sasuke and they both went out of the house together, heading for the party.
Once the two of them left, Hiashi turned to Neji, completely stone-faced.
"Everybody out except Neji."
The darkness in his voice was especially noticeable, so everybody moved out of the room and went into their own little private corners of the house. For Asuma and Kurenai, it was hitting the soap operas (except with the volume on low). For Lee and Gai it was as far away from Hiashi as possible.
The drive to the party was quiet. Not the comforting silence either. The really, really, really awkward kind – like the kind when you'd rather be far away in an island full of cannibals and raging storms and hot weather and…
Ok, maybe not that extreme.
But the silence between Tenten and Sasuke was definitely not comforting. Then again, it wasn't totally like the silence when you'd rather be far away in an island full of cannibals and raging storms and hot weather and…
You get it.
It was the kind of silence when either of them didn't know what to say. Tenten took a peek at Sasuke next to her and then quickly looked away at the road.
"Sasuke…" she began. "About… yesterday…"
"Forget it," he said.
Her eyes grew downcast. "Still… I mean…" She took a deep breath. "It was sweet. Really sweet."
This time Sasuke sighed. "Let's pretend it never happened," he told her.
Tenten shifted a little, sinking into the seat. More silence. And then…
"Yeah…" she muttered in agreement. "Yeah. Ok. I guess we can do that."
Is that it? she thought. If we just say to forget about it… I mean, I can do that… But what about… She looked over to Sasuke who was concentrated on the road and frowned. She could never really tell what he was thinking behind that face of his. Neji seemed to be a lot easier, but she couldn't help but still feel guilty about rejecting his offer.
Just take Sasuke's advice and pretend that nothing happened, Tenten thought to herself. I mean, if that's the way he wants it, then I can't really do anything else but follow… right?
-
"When I asked, 'Doesn't she look nice?' what did you answer?"
Neji did his best not to completely tune out Hiashi's lecture to him since he knew that the man in front of him would be beyond the level of anger he was in right now. The room had emptied out quickly, leaving the two of them there for their own privacy. Things always seemed tense when they were both alone together – one on one.
"I said that she was ugly," Neji answered truthfully. What else could he do? There were witnesses littering the house who had seen the short, ugly exchange of words between him and Tenten. He sighed. Could their feud be any more public? He was practically positive that he would receive dirty looks throughout the household now.
"And what were you supposed to say?" continued Hiashi, voice still as icy as ever.
Neji reeled. What was he supposed to say?
"That she's…" His voice trailed off. Beautiful.
Hiashi's eyes narrowed at the way his nephew stopped in mid-sentence. "That she's…" he prompted. He huffed when he received no answer and shouted, "THAT SHE'S…?!"
"Beautiful," Neji muttered.
Hiashi folded his arms across his chest and arched both of his eyebrows. He was clearly not fully satisfied with Neji's answer, apparently, when it was a perfectly decent one. However, Hiashi, being the tough beans that he is, wondered where Neji pulled that answer out of his eyes.
"Say it in a complete sentence," he instructed.
"She's beautiful," Neji said, trying his best not to roll his eyes.
Hiashi nodded. "Let's try this again, shall we?" he said, clearing his voice. "Doesn't she look nice?" he asked Neji, replaying the words he had said to him when Tenten had come down the stairs. Neji chose not to mention how his voice was not as happy as it was when he had first asked that question. Instead, he answered truthfully.
"She's beautiful," he said.
"Good," Hiashi declared. "Now go and get dressed for the party."
Tenten was astonished at how fancy the hotel building was. The Hyuuga hotel was nothing compared to this. This hotel was more than five stars. It was like… The girl frowned at that thought. What was it like? She shook her head, temporarily abandoning it and followed Sasuke as the two of them walked through the large hallway to the marble staircase. They both descended it to the top where the party was to be hosted.
"Tenten, Sasuke!" A voice greeted them and Sakura came into view. "Glad you guys came. The press will probably come later on, but don't worry. You guys won't be included in any shots… Unless you want to." She turned to Tenten. "Have you ever been around celebrities before?" she asked her. "If you haven't, I can introduce you to a few."
Tenten just smiled and as she walked, she thought of her lessons in her room and was happy to find that she practically glided across the floor.
-
And…
The party was a drag. At least to Tenten, anyways.
All super, duper rich people. Celebrities, fashion designers, music artists, movie actors! The list went on and on. Sakura did say that she would introduce her to a few, but Tenten decided to refuse the offer. I mean, a rich person being involved with one of her status? As the preps at her old school would say (when she still attended school), "Puhleez!"
And even if she was introduced, what would she say to them anyways? "What's your favorite kind of cheese?" Oh great conversation starter right there.
And that last sentence was sarcasm.
Sasuke was known pretty well and was already greeted by old friends, acquaintances, and etcetera. Tenten tried to stick around for the first part of their conversation, but decided to leave shortly anyways because… Well, she just felt so out of place. Especially out here.
Not only that, but her feet were getting sore by her shoes. Even so, she did her best not to stumble and fall in order not to create a scene.
And so, Tenten was left hovering near the snack bar, eating all of the strawberry-puff pastries without even realizing it and reducing the brownie plate to crumbs. In fact, she had stolen the last mini hot dog snack from a blonde supermodel (that was pissed afterwards), but she didn't realize that either. The only one who DID notice was Sasuke from the corner of his eye, who couldn't hold back a smirk.
-
Seconds turned to minutes…
"Are you feeling alright?"
Tenten looked up at Sasuke who was staring at her. She was seated on one of the velvet couches and she had practically been there ever since the both of them arrived at the party. She shrugged at the question and thought for a moment. She looked at her hands that were settled in her lap.
"I dunno…" she began. "I just… Don't feel right here." I feel like an outsider. She looked at Sasuke. "I think I'm just going to take a rest for awhile," she said.
His brow furrowed. "Do you want me to drive you back to the Hyuugas?" he asked.
Tenten shook her head. "No thanks… I think I'm just going to go somewhere else… You know, where there's less noise and everything."
He nodded his head and she stood up, making her way over to the staircase. She climbed down until she was near the end of the stairs. She collapsed on the third-to-last step and began to massage her feet that ached from her shoes.
"Stupid heels," she muttered to herself. Her thoughts went to Neji. Had he said she was ugly because he knew that she wasn't used to heels? That maybe her feet would get sore and…
"Stop thinking about him, Tenten!" she hissed to herself, her anger heating her up again. It soon died down however, wondering if her recent thoughts were the truth. But she abandoned those thoughts too and looked up at the chandelier that hung from the ceiling, its lights dancing off the walls.
Maybe if I pretended I was a princess… she thought, … I can fall in love like one.
Neji entered the hotel, but, unlike Tenten, did not seem to notice the fancy decorations. He checked himself in the mirror to make sure that he was presentable to Sakura, and then made his way to the end of the hall where the staircase, that would take him to the second floor, was. He checked his watch. A little past eight, but that was ok. He saw a figure at the stairs and he squinted to get a better look.
And he was surprised to find Tenten slumped against the wall on the steps, massaging her feet, the pair of shoes she was wearing before held up in her hands as if they were a flag for surrender.
Judging by the events that had happened just today, Neji was still under the impression that she hated him. He sighed, realizing that he still hadn't apologized to her directly. Knowing that the two of them were alone down there, he walked over to her…
Maybe now's the perfect time.
-
"What are you doing down here?"
Tenten's head snapped up, immediately recognizing the sound of his voice. She was too tired to keep up that wall anger that she had with him and looked away instead. "Nothing," she replied. "I was just…" She trailed off. You were just what? she thought to herself. She bit the bottom of her lip and chewed it for a moment. "I was just thinking," she stated.
Neji snorted. "About what?"
No answer. He sat down.
Silence. And then…
"I think I'm going to leave," she said, turning to him.
"Why?"
She sighed. "I don't think I belong here," she confessed. "Too many rich people… Too many famous people. I can't talk to any of them without wondering if I'm perfect or –"
"You're talking to me right now," he answered. "Are you saying I'm poor?"
She scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself," she muttered. A pause. "Do you think Sakura would mind?"
He shrugged. "It would be better if you told her yourself," he remarked.
"Hmm…" She turned her face to the ceiling again. "I guess you're right."
And it was as if time had turned back and he was still the arrogant man, but she became the dense girl that he had met at the beginning. The girl that always asked stupid questions, who disappeared when he had accidentally left her at the 63rd Building.
And as that memory came into his mind, Neji said what he had been putting off for days.
"Sorry," he muttered. Saying those words lifted an enormous burden off his back. He expected Tenten to say something witty back such as, "What was that?" or "Did you say something?" Something along those lines anyways. But she didn't.
"It's…" She paused. "It's ok," she said.
They sat there for a moment longer, the two of them saying nothing. And the silence between them wasn't the really, really, really awkward kind – like the kind when you'd rather be far away in an island full of cannibals and raging storms –
Alright. I'll stop doing that.
The silence between them was one of silent agreement. And both felt comfortable in its presence, although it had been there ever since Neji had begun talking to Tenten and she began talking to him back. But the two of them sat there, making it last longer.
At last, Neji stood up. He extended his hand.
"Let's go," he said. "Weren't you planning on telling Sakura that you were leaving?"
"Nah." She grinned. "I think I might've planned on staying," she replied.
Neji rolled his eyes and she laughed, taking his hand. And for a moment, she completely forgotten that he was with another person he loved and that her love for him could never be complete. For a moment, she saw herself as a princess… No, a peasant and Neji as her prince charming who had come to rescue her when she needed it the most.
But that dream soon shattered as Sakura smiled a bright smile and Neji let go of her hand to hug Sakura. Tenten watched from the sidelines and smiled a sad smile. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sasuke come up to her.
"Where were you?" he asked. "I thought you were leaving."
She shrugged and looked at Neji and Sakura who, arm in arm, were near the refreshments table getting some punch for themselves. "I feel like staying all of a sudden," she said. Sasuke followed her eyes and his narrowed once they made contact with the pair.
"Attention, couples!" The music from the party stopped and then replaced with a lovey-dovey song. "Now is time for the Lover's Moment!"
Tenten had never heard of such a thing, but she saw how the pairs around her kissed one another on the lips. And all logicalness slipped from Tenten's mind as she saw Neji and Sakura stop what they were doing and look each other in the eye. And slowly, they leaned toward each other for a quick... a quick…
Oh dear Lord.
The couples moved to the dance floor, Tenten not realizing that she was standing in the middle of it. A couple bumped into her clumsily and she felt herself falling, falling to the floor. She closed her eyes, expecting to hit it in a matter of seconds, only to be saved by Sasuke who caught her back, leaving her hanging in mid-air.
"The person you like," he said, "is Hyuuga Neji."
(15) I don't know a thing about make-up.
A/N. Really sorry for the long wait. Summer vacation and relative visits, you know. I plan on writing a lot faster now that the mostly hard part is done. XD The beginning was super hard to write for me.
I think I'm looking for beta testers for my new NejiTen story that I hope to release soon. XD If you're really good with grammar and all that jazz, I'd appreciate the extra help. 1-2 will do.
Thank you to those who read and reviewed. Or just read. That's ok too. XD
Thank you for 300+ reviews.
Also, thank you for the PMs that I received. All of your comments really helped me mooch along. :D Special thanks to runjumpfly07 who PMed me about Ch. 20 and also this chapter as well. :)