I forgot to add the intro before the 1st chappie so sorry about that.

The second chapter of the 3D is here!

And any of you asking what the main and side pairings are… Well, you guys can find out soon enough. Especially since I'm mentioning someone in a relationship in this chapter, okay?

Thanks to the ones who gave this fic a chance and R&Red. It means a lot to me.

So, without further ado, let's get on with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other Sci-Fi thing Neji mentions in this chapter.

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Chapter Two:

'Either go Stag or Ask Him Out'

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"Let's list down a few things that are worst than Tenten's attempts to snag a date." Neji joked as he drove through intersection at an alarming speed, turning his head to look at me on the back seat.

I grumbled something under my breath and I growled, "Shut up. I am not taking part. And can you put your eyes back on the road, please?" And as I slumped back against the car window, I downed some of my iced coffee and proceeded to blink my eyes in frustration.

After a roll of his eyes, Neji turned back to the street and began, "Number One: Lee's poetry actually getting published in the school newspaper." As Neji laughed away like a maniac, I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah!" Lee suddenly blurted out from the third seat in Neji's Innova in a series of boisterous laughter, but he then paused and then suddenly yelled out, "Hey!"

He ignored what Lee's reaction like always and went on, "Number Two: My cousin losing her dentures when in truth, they're just in her mouth."

I paused and contemplated on what he just said, "Hinata wears dentures? Or Hanabi?"

"None of them do." Neji explained, stopping at a red light and taking a sip out of his extra strong espresso. He licked his lips and concluded his remark, "And that's the point."

Sometimes, Neji really doesn't make any sense.

The red light never turned green within the seventeen seconds of silence so Lee then added something to the 'list', "Number Three: Neji going stag last prom and ending up getting crowned Prom King." Lee laughed on his own. I muttered. Neji made a swift turn, making us all fall off our seats.

When he was driving through a semi-packed street, he took another sip of his espresso and he yelled from his seat, "Can I get something clear about last month's prom, guys?! I went stag coz my girlfriend broke up with me the day before the prom! And I was crowned Prom King only because the Prom Queen's date was dense enough to get himself dethroned immediately."

I couldn't help but gaze downwards when he said something about his ex. Usually, when someone mentioned anything about his first and last girlfriend, he'd go on a rampage. And whenever he saw her in school, he tripped her. Why is he mentioning her now?

"Makes pretty much no sense once again," I growled after downing more of my iced coffee, "Ino was Prom Queen and Shikamaru is her boyfriend, her date and was supposed to be Prom King! Why did you come in second place then become Prom King? You're a geek!"

"And what does that make you?" Neji snapped back, angry like Tsunade-sensei on drugs, "Besides, you're labeled 'Batch Sissy'. Lee's the 'Gay Crap Sissy' and I'm the 'Geek-Of-Nature Sissy'. Makes us all even, right? The Sissy Trio. Peachy!"

I hated it whenever he reviews our school labels. Neji's label is still forgivable since despite it, he's still hot. I admit that I can't survive high school with Lee's label, though. But my label? 'Batch Sissy' made me the queen of all Sissies and Crap. I was second to the worst with Lee on number one. I think Neji's label's just tenth to the worst!

We stopped at another red light and it was just our dumb luck that it's the longest red light in the metro. And as the cruel red light shone, Neji turned to the sulking back seat rider (that's me) again and he then noted in a calmer voice, "I see Sasuke's wimpy rejection's still getting to you."

Indeed, I looked like I just went through a broken marriage. "I died." I whimpered, throwing Neji a saddened and next to sobbing face. It was just my misfortune that I had a huge crush on Sasuke and I never thought this would happen.

"Get over it," Neji snickered, staring back at me with his warm and sparkling Hyuga eyes and his model's grin, "Tell you what: If ever you do go to the Ball stag, you're not gonna be alone since I plan to go stag all my life. I'm done with girls."

Look who's talking. The guy who's telling me to get over the Sasuke thing is the same guy who can't move on from his ex-girlfriend. Not that he wants her back. In fact, he hates her. He just can't stand seeing her. Seeing her and just her. He didn't love her anymore but he hates her. Harsh.

Lee hung his head from the third seat and scolded Neji like always, "Don't say that, Neji! Tenten is a magnificent frog that will get a prince to smack her revolting amphibious lips on the romantic night of Graduation Ball. And look at it this way, Tenten: How many guys have you asked?"

I wanted to strangle Lee, "One. Sasuke." I replied sourly.

"See?" Lee said, shining with optimism, "There are more guys in school and I bet at least one of them would turn out to be the beautiful prince that will fall for your glittering, dewy frog skin's charm." Gawd, I hate Lee's poetry and his optimism.

Still, I know I can only trust Neji's opinion and advice. Neji went through the same hell when his ex ditched him for Kiba, the school's soccer star. Actually, he transforms soccer to wrestling, sometimes. He keeps pretending that he's alright and the only girl he ever talks to is me and no one else.

"Lee, take the wheel." Neji demanded as he unbuckled his seatbelt and proceeded to cross over to the back seat with me. Lee obediently nodded and gracefully threw his thin leotard-drabbed legs over the seat then to the driver's seat. During this kind of 'seat exchange', I freak out like hell whenever we're not at a red light.

Once Neji is finally beside me while Lee's already at the front seat, manning the wheel, he turned to me and flashed a comforting and rather friendly smile at me. It's the smile he usually does to hide anything true, but he normally smiles like that at me.

"What about the guy you went to the prom with, Tenten?" Neji suggested, "I bet he's willing to go to the Grad Ball with you." Yes, Neji was the only one who went to the prom stag.

I shook my head wearily and explained, "Do you seriously think that that freshman would go to the Grad Ball this time around? I can't bribe him again." Hearing that, Neji just nodded and made a face that said 'Sure, sure.'

"I'm mocking you as I say this, okay? So don't kill me. Here:" Neji began as he held his paper cup of coffee near his lips. I wondered what he wanted to say, but then he mumbled after sipping his coffee, "Why don't you take Lee with you?"

He burst out laughing as I sat up and whacked his head with my palm. "That is not funny!" I yelled, my veins throbbing. Even so, Lee just added something, "Oh, that can't be, Neji! I'm going to go to the Ball with my mother!"

When everyone thinks Lee is gay, they're half-wrong. In fact, I'm guessing he's a fan of incest a la Cleopatra x Ptolemy XIII and XIV.

Actually, even if I did ask Lee out, he'd decline nicely. I swear that's true. And Neji? I've thought of it over and over already but a few things are holding me back: One thing used to be his girlfriend but she's out of the question now. Second is our friendship.

Would it ruin our friendship if I asked him out? Would he do the same thing he did to the three unsuspecting girls who asked him to the Sadie Hawkins Dance last year to his own best friend if I asked him out? Those three girls couldn't feel their cheeks for weeks from his slap.

Believe me, Neji wouldn't hold back even if you are a girl or two years old.

So, my two best friends aren't considered as choices. They gave me choices.

When the traffic light shifted to green, Lee gently pushed the gas and sped his way across the intersection… at what seems like just 20 mph. Luckily for now, Neji didn't mind. Usually, he'd be screaming at Lee, telling him to drive like a man.

"Try out Shino." Neji suggested, tossing his empty paper cup out the half-opened window, "He's the school deejay and the school paper's photographer, right? He'd say yes, I think. He's probably desperate, too, with that weird afro and his weekly color changing sunglasses."

Shino Aburame? The guy who just shuts up during class but cracks jokes and explodes in fits of laughter faster than a comedian? Please.

I threw Neji a skeptical glare and grumbled, "I think I'd rather go stag to the Grad Ball than arrive arm to arm with the school hippie." After one more gulp of my iced coffee, I went on, "He's Hinata's gym partner and a part of her gang along with Kiba. You've got to hear what Hina has to say."

Probably curious, Neji arched a brow and questioned, "Really? She said something about Shino? I'm not surprised, but what?"

"Well," I began, still slouching on my seat, "Shino disapproves of football since he says it's 'sports violence that breaks the harmony between rival teams'. She also said that Shino is the kind of hippie who preaches about carnivorous diets. He says we must save the plants more than the animals. How ironic that he's like that even if he has Kiba as a friend."

He drew his lower lip to the side as he flinched, "Kiba's the guy who almost started a food fight the other 'Veggie Thursday' frenzy in the cafeteria, right? It's gonna be scary of those two get closer."

"They're already best friends…"

"Then I'll be expecting cannibalism to be normal by then."

Once again, Neji doesn't make any sense. Such an issue.

"Lee," Neji called to our friend, "Do you know where the hell Shino Aburame lives? You know, the hippie with the multi-colored glasses?"

Hearing that, Lee nodded and explained, "I was hired to stalk him once by Choji, I think. Why do you ask? Are we going there?"

I landed a soft punch at Neji's thigh, making him squeak. He's got to be kidding. We can't go to Shino's place so I can ask him out now! Not now! Not ever! "Yeah, Lee!" Neji said, motioning Lee to drive faster, "Tenten's gonna--…"

"Shut up! I'm not asking Shino to the Grad Ball!"

"You can't ask a guy you don't exactly know to the Grad Ball like it's a blind date," Neji snapped, positioning his hands in a way that seemed like he's telling me to chill and understand, "That'd be just using him, which is sickening." Yep, Neji is pretty sensitive when it came to 'guy or girl using' since his ex used him, actually.

The run of the car increased to 25 mph. Not much difference, but it's Lee's driving for you. Soon, Neji continued his explanation, "You're going to ask him out today, yeah, but not to the Ball yet." He paused as if to encourage suspense, "You're gonna ask him to a movie date."

"A movie date?!" I tried to oppose, but I had a feeling he had more to say.

He nodded and kept talking, "If you two go on a movie date, you'll get too know each other with some of your attention on the movie rather than on each other. This will remove some awkwardness towards the other. After that time, ask him to the Ball. By that time, he already knows you better and would most probably say yes."

Not bad. It could be the last thing that would get to my mind, but I guess I can do it.

"You're a genius, bud." I complimented him, softly giving him a punch on the arm. He just smirked and answered, "No problem, best bud."

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"Uh, I'm sorry, I don't talk to strangers."

The nerve of this Shino guy!

"W-We're not strangers." I tried to get him to talk to me, "I'm Tenten. I'm a senior in Konoha High, like you. Don't you know me? We share the same Music class! I sit three chairs behind you!"

Still, he didn't recognize me. He arched a brow and I bet behind his deep vermilion sunglasses (he's got a new one every week), he's throwing me a pathetic glare. Oh, gawd, how I wanted to just pass out on the spot and let this go.

Nearby, Neji's car is parked and I bet he and Lee are staring through the tinted glass rather fervently. Maybe Lee is squealing, too.

I heaved a sigh and tried to describe myself during Music Class, "I'm the one who got a D- on our second oral test! I was the one who got my head hit against the gong by the board! I'm the out of tune dunce on fourth clarinet!"

"Oh, yeah," Shino muttered, snapping his fingers, "I remember now. Sensei was freaking out the other quarter, saying that the player of fourth clarinet needs to stop abusing the poor instrument. It was you."

Great. If ever I manage to change my high school label before graduation, I'd be 'Wanted for Clarinet Abuse'. Peachy.

Now that he knew who I was, he proceeded to say, "So, tell me whatever you wanna tell me, fellow carnivore. I have to pass by my brethren's home so I can go help him spread a scandal to the school paper. And I have a photo shoot for the faculty's portion of the yearbook in five hours."

I wanted to fall over and laugh till my stomach hurt whenever he uses 'fellow carnivore' or 'brethren'. It makes him too much of a hippie.

"Cool, uh, so mind if we catch a movie together?" I offered nicely and somewhat shyly. My hands were folded together to make a good impression and my cheeks hurt from jaw muscles stretching too far.

He carved what looked like a smile that wasn't (you know, it's when your lips just quiver then… there's no emotion coz it's just there.) and he replied with a nod, "Okay. But you're paying and I'm bringing my friends with me. Just in case."

Just in case? What the hell did he mean by 'Just in case'?

Oh well. "Sure, bring them along! I don't mind!" I lie a lot. With his friends around, I'd be both out of place and suffering from having to put up with either more of his peace-and-flower-power friends or Kiba and his pets with Neji's rich party girl cousin, Hinata.

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"What is this stuff?"

Neji stared hard back at my tangled and sticky hair as I sat in my house clothes by his kitchen sink. "A mixture of gum, root beer and mayonnaise with some popcorn and a bottle of maple syrup." I pointed out and up till now, I can't believe I remembered everything in the gunk.

"Crap," he muttered, poking my scalp with his finger, "Who did you piss off?"

I furrowed my brows as I leaned my head, hanging it to make my long, brown and polluted hair strands into the sink just below the faucet. As I felt Neji turn the faucet, the cool water splashed onto the back of my head soothingly.

"And do I really have to do this?" Neji complained as he watched my hair get drenched, "This is a disruption to my manliness. Get Lee to wash your hair instead. I can't do this." Here he goes again about his foolish male pride.

I sighed and said, "You've got those gorgeous locks of yours. I bet you know exactly what to do. I can't trust Lee with my hair. You've seen his own hair, right? What do you think could he do to mine?"

Luckily, he got the point. He started squeezing shampoo onto my hair and before I knew it, he was massaging my soapy head. He did this kind of thing like a real professional and I can't help but go limp and relax.

"What happened, anyway?" He brought the subject of my movie date with Shino and his friends, "Kiba must've been there. I can tell. Shino has friends who are the kind of hippies who hate maple syrup since they say they come from maple trees."

I rolled my eyes and felt weaker and sleepier as Neji kept massaging the sides of my head with a circular motion. Ah, he is too good. "Yeah, Kiba and Hinata were there. Shino says he doesn't go with strangers without his friends. Then, Kiba mixed some of his chewed-up gum, a fourth of his root beer, the mayonnaise off of his hotdog and a whole bottle of maple syrup from who knows where into my popcorn bucket."

"Why?"

"The hell do I know." After Neji washed the shampoo away, he rubbed his soft palms down my hair as he applied the conditioner. And, man, whenever he touched my nape, a chill that made me feel good went down my spine. For a geek, he's could work at a spa.

"Then what happened next?" He eagerly asked but it wasn't easy to tell from his voice.

I groaned and exclaimed, "The jerk went wild in the middle of the movie. Voldemort was going to kill Cedric when-…"

"Oh, gawd, you watched Harry Potter? That is a load of sh--…"

"Anyway, he jumped up from his seat beside me and accidentally sent the bucket with the gunk flying and it landed on my head. Hinata scolded him for being so rude and misbehaved. But I could see her stifling a laugh."

I felt Neji's hand run down my wet hair as he commented, "Whoa, didn't know my cousin would actually find that hilarious."

Once he was done, he got my towel and towel-dried my hair until it's not dripping anymore. He says that washing my hair was already enough so he told me that I do the combing. I agreed since he was sweet enough to wash my hair and even get my mind straight.

In a while, I got my hair back in my usual buns and I decided to stay in his house for a little while. "When I asked Shino to the Ball," I then said as he logged into my e-mail account for me (yes, he knows my password and only him), "He said he's going with Kiba's sister."

"Shot down by a hippie." He whispered under his breath, not really helping.

I sat beside Neji on the couch as he kept his laptop snugly on his lap. He wouldn't let me put it on my lap until it got uncomfortable hot. Then, his eyes grew and his brows rose.

"Who the hell is DemonFalcon?" He asked out of nowhere.

I heard him and moved closer to get a look at the laptop screen. And there, inside my inbox, is an e-mail from someone named DemonFalcon. I knew no one by that chat name and his or her real name wasn't shown. Who the hell is he, indeed?

"Huh? I don't know anyone by that name." I said, "But what does the e-mail say? How do you think did he know my e-mail address?"

Neji simply shrugged and proceeded to click on the e-mail subject, 'Good Day to you, Tenten', and check out what's with this DemonFalcon guy.

"Let's check it out."

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Hey, guys! I've got a poll in my bio about this story so please be considerate and answer it. Thanks!

So, here's the second chapter. I hope you guys liked it. Anyway, I'll be trying to update as fast I can so there won't be a lot of delays.

Please leave a review! After all, it's free and legal! And, thank you again for those who read and left reviews!

By the way, Kankuro will be back at Chapter Three, okay?