A/N: Happy belated Fourth of July! Now on with the story!

Chapter 11

"Complicated"

Tenten POV

I bit my lip from torture, struggling over what to say. Neji freaking Hyuga was sitting in my living room in all his Neji-glory like it was something he did everyday. 'Should I offer him something to eat?' I shook my head at the thought. 'Late as it was now?' I glanced at the wall clock to my left and sweat dropped. 'No tens, bad idea.'

"A-ano? Would you like something to drink— water perhaps…?" I finally suggested shyly. I closed the fridge behind me, secretly thankful for the groceries stored inside from days before, and turned to gaze back at the man sitting on my couch.

"Hn." He responded. I had no idea what that meant, was he trying to say yes or no? I shrugged and mumbled. "I'll take that as a yes then."

To say that I had been shocked to find him outside my door only minutes before would be an understatement, but to say I was incredulous…

I carried the tray over to the coffee table with shaking hands before setting the glass of water in front of Neji and sitting on the couch closer to the TV, just in time to see his disbelieving stare.

"Water?" He asked inquiringly.

I blinked back at him with a raised eyebrow as I felt the annoyance start to rise and my right eyebrow start to twitch. Damn that rich bastard, he can't even drink water without complaining. I took a sip of the cold water and glared at him.

"Is there a problem? Is my normal and average lifestyle any trouble for you, Oh-Great-Rich-And-Holy-One? Should I pull out the expensive wine while I'm at it?"

My legs suddenly turned to Jelly when he smirked back at me. I tried to stop staring at his attractive face, but failed miserably. The smirk was still glued to his features when he replied. "I believe you forgot to add the candles and the music."

He stood up from the couch he was sitting on earlier and sat right next to me. Even from my position near the edge of the seat, his cologne was strong; not an overwhelming kind of strong, just enough for me to smell it and want to jump him. I turned my head to the side to hide my blush and scolded myself.

Without a warning I felt a pair of warm soft lips on the base of my neck and reflexively, I turned to smack the intruder away. I stared at Neji's innocent face, his eyelashes staring back at me in fain purity; one in which I would comment of being cute if I wasn't in this position. My heart was beating a mile away, my face, as red as a tomato, and my eyes smoldering.

"W-w-what the HELL!" I screamed. "What did you just do to me?"

He calmly stared back at me and shrugged. "What are you talking of? I did nothing to you."

I pointed a quivering finger at him accusingly. "I'm not stupid, genius; there are only two people in this whole apartment, and I felt you're l-lips on my neck." I turned even darker after saying it out loud. "Y-you just molested me, you...you perv!"

He cockily smirked again, amusement blazing from his gray eyes. "I can assure you, I'm no perv or molester. Besides," He looked over at me challengingly. "You couldn't prove anything even by trying. Could you?"

I crossed my arms across my chest dejectedly; there was no winning with this guy. "Why are you here anyway?" I asked him warily, standing as I did so. "Normal people don't stop by other people's house at night just to say hello."

He smiled slightly at me before standing up too, and my heart did summersaults at the action; I mentally reminded myself to tell him to smile more often, he would be less of a jerk with it on his face.

He reached into his pocket and came out with a small plastic bag before handing it to me. "Hinata-sama informed me that you left this behind in her room." he said. "I was told to deliver it to you." I glanced at him suspiciously and slowly checked to see the contents inside.

I lifted my gold bracelet up from the bag and smiled. "Thank you, I must have left it in the bathroom someplace. Please tell Hinata that I appreciate it." He nodded at me and stared at my hand; the one that twirled the bracelet around.

"Is it important to you?" He asked after a moment of staring at me and I almost fainted at the serious look in his eyes. I shook my head in agreement. "It is. My parents gave it to me when I was very small."

The silence kind of grew after that as I stared at the bracelet and all kind of memories from the past bombarded me. I didn't know why he wanted to know, but then I figured that he was still human and that even he had to have something dear to him that held important memories.

Finally I heard him whisper. "Are they—" He didn't finish the question, but I knew what he was trying to imply. "mm-hmm," I hummed hoarsely, my throat suddenly, very dry. I cleared my throat and tried to ignore the stinging sensation in my eyes. "It happened when I was two."

Images of the fire and my parents screaming flashed through my eyes, the yellow and orange flames clouding my vision. The sight of a miniature two year old version of me appeared, bundled in all kinds of blankets, crying silent tears in a brown crib, and hanging on to consciousness for dear life.

Suddenly back in the real world, everything gave around me, small and blurry, as I collapsed to the ground. I winced in anticipation and waited for the impact; one of which never came.

A pare of strong, muscular arms surrounded my waist and supported me against its chest, before I could reach the ground.

I cracked my eyes open a fracture, gazing through them, back up at Neji's face. He lifted me bridal style and laid me down on the couch. I blushed a bright red as I my head hit the soft cushion. His face was so close to mine; I could feel his warm breath on my cheeks.

"Wait right here. I'll only be a moment." I heard him say to me, although the voice sounded far away. "Do you have any tea; nod your head yes in response if you do."

Hazily and unhurriedly I nodded my head.

His presence disappeared all too quickly and I fought with myself not to cry out his name. I closed my eyes in an attempt to stay calm. This is why I didn't think about these things. This is why I leave the past where it was; in the past. I hated to think of the fire and all of the pain that came with it. My past would forever be then but the present was now. That's what I needed to focus on, the now and tomorrow.

I felt the couch sink beneath Neji's weight. "I put on some tea for you; it will only be a moment. The drink might do you're nerves some good." I felt his warm palms brushing a strand of hair away, soft like a feathers touch; and at the intimacy of the whole situation I could feel the heat burning my cheeks. (Weren't we just arguing moments before?)

"T-thank you." I whispered. My eyes were still slammed shut but for some reason I knew he was smirking when he said, "You're welcome."

I heard it as the water boiled; it placed me in a calmer state of mind. At some point of the whole night Neji's hand found my own and I found solace and reassurance come with the touch. I drank the tea once it was prepared, sitting Indian style with four pillows behind my back. I sighed after the cup was empty, feeling a whole lot soothed than I did before.

"Are you alright?" Neji asked me, and I turned to the sound of his voice. He was sitting next to me, our hands still clamed together securely; and he gave mine a reassuring squeeze. I smiled back at him, sleepiness beginning to evade my mind. I stifled a yawn and answered, "Yeah, thanks."

He frowned at my drooping eyelids. "You're tired." He stated and then checked his watch to tell the time.

"Well yeah," I said mentally rolling my eyes. "I was about to go to sleep before you came."

"I've been here longer than expected. I will leave you to rest then." I heard him say before starting to stand.

I opened my eyes once I felt his hand pulling free of my grasp and tightened my hold on him. I felt really silly. Almost like a school kid with a crush. I didn't want Neji to think of me in that way but…

"Will you stay?" I whispered. His eyes widened in surprise but he returned his jacket to its place over the couch and he stopped pulling free from my hold. "I mean, I don't want to be alone right now. If you can't it—"

"Do you want me to stay?" He cut through my sentence before I could complete it; all cockiness and amusement gone from his face to be replaced with a stern expression. "Well…yeah." I admitted honestly.

"Then I'll stay." He said in a staid tone, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

I realized after a while that I was squeezing his hand a bit too harshly, and blushed, embarrassed. "M-my bad." I stuttered.

He didn't say anything and we sat in silence for a while. The wariness returned after a few minutes of listening to our even breathing and the refrigerators hum. I laid my head on the back of the chair for comfort, my hand turning limp in Nejis own. I fell asleep soon after, but not before I felt him pull my head into his lap. I smiled contently, gladly greeting the heavy darkness known as sleep.

That next day, I woke up to the sound of my front door being unlocked. I jumped from my position on the couch, my disheveled hair flying all over the place. I looked at the blanket sprawled over me, confusion plaguing my mind. When did….

The memories from the night before slowly replayed in my head and I blushed from humiliation. How could I have asked him to spend the night? He must have thought I was insane.

I heard the click of the lock and the sound of the door being lunged open. I turned my head in the direction of the door to find a cheery Sakura carrying…shopping bags, I checked the clock; at seven in the morning. What the hell?

She looked at me and grinned. "Oh you're up already? Good. I have so many things to show you." She lifted a finger at me and continued. "Hold on, I'll be just a sec. I have more bags in the car." She grinned sheepishly before closing the door behind her and heading off to the parking lot.

I sweat dropped; she had MORE bags? Sometimes I regret giving her a spare key, because then she gets to wake me up whenever she so damned please, like this!

I rubbed away the sleepiness in my eyes and did some stretches to wake me up. His cologne still remained and It was even stronger from where I was sitting. I smiled as I remembered how gentle Neji was being last night. The way he hugged my hips protectively, talked to me, almost like he cared…

I grinned to myself (which when you think of it is kind of weird…who does that…?) and placed my hand over my head. Suddenly my eye caught sight of the gold bracelet and my heart clenched painfully.

I picked it up and a piece of paper fell on the floor. Slowly I bend down to pick it up, only to realize…it was a note.

I apologize in advance for leaving in the middle of the night, but I'm sure that it would have only caused great difficulty for both me and you in the morning to have to explain our position. Do not worry about the glasses I have taken the liberty to wash them ALL (Do you have any idea how filthy you are?) I can't say I enjoyed your hospitality, but I did appreciate you opening up to me. Looks like you're trusting me more.

PS: Your adorable while you're sleeping (You should keep your hair out more. It looks better.)

Neji.

I growled at his sucky attempt at complementing me. "Filthy? Can't say he enjoyed my hospitality?" Damn that idiot of a baka. I smiled at the letter despite the harsh things he said.

Abruptly I remembered something. 'If Sakura see's this note, she'll start questioning me for sure.' I groaned at the thought and raced to my room. I lifted my mattress and placed the note in between them. She couldn't possibly find the note there.

I grabbed the bottle of febreeze from the bathroom cabinet and sprayed the can around the leaving room. Sakura's footsteps sounded from the hallway and I knew she was near. I ran back to the bathroom, placed the can back in its place, and returned to the living room out of breath; sitting on the couch the exact moment the door unlocked.

Sakura gave me a look that said, "I know you were up to something but I don't want to know what it was," and carried the remaining set of bags to the kitchen counter. "You would not believe the awesome things I brought!" She squealed and I rolled my eyes.

I stood up from the couch to join her just as she turned to me, her nose scrunched up and her eyebrows kneaded. "Why does it smell like febreeze in here?"

I shrugged my shoulders impassively and began to rummage through a shopping bag.

"Weird." I heard her say. "I don't remember smelling it before."

I shook my head in a non caring matter. As long as she didn't know Neji was here, then I was cool. "Ok, so the other day Sasuke said green goes well with my eyes and that I should wear it more. So I took the liberty of shopping this morning for some ward—"

Was it strange that I wasn't paying any attention to a word Sakura was currently saying, but instead had my mind on a long haired, gray eyed, cocky, rude, yet sometimes sweet, Hyuga? Kami, I prayed not. It was perfectly normal to think about a guy you didn't like… right?

A couple of days later...

I switched my bag across my shoulders for what felt like the hundredth time that dreaded school day. No wonder I hated Thursdays so much. They were so….Thursday like. The day had seemed to drag on endlessly, almost like in slow motion. Ever since Gai sensei had that talk with me about my poems, the guy has been a lot more demanding when it came to my work. Always correcting me about something stupid like grammar, it was like nothing I wrote was right anymore! Ugh I hated Thursdays!

Hinata and I have gotten a lot closer after her sleep over. We were friends even before the whole thing, but now it felt like we understood each other more. After all I did find out she was rich. I mean I knew the girl wasn't poor, but she was on a whole different level on being rich. You have to go to her house first to see how wealthy she really was.

It's been a whole week since I have last seen Neji. No call, no visits, nothing. I mean I knew he could call me if he wanted, Hinata had my number and if he was capable of finding out where I lived, I'm sure asking for my number wouldn't be THAT much trouble.

I sighed before pushing through the doors that led outside the building. My iPod was held tightly in my right hand, and my left hand grabbed on to my bag. I grinned when I saw the person I had wanted to see the most these past few days, leaning on his car. It wasn't often I saw his vehicle parked in the university's parking lot, but I was glad to see it there today.

I walked up to his smirking form. "Hey," I greeted with a smile taking out the earphones from my ears. (This time my smile was different. For some reason I couldn't bring myself to hate him the same way I had in the beginning. It was….complicated.)

"Hey yourself," Neji greeted back, a smirk pulling on his lips. He held his hand out for my I-pod, and I willingly handed it to him.

"Satisfaction by rolling stones?" He asked. "So you're a fan of theirs, huh?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, astonishment written all over his face. "I don't see you as the rock and roll type."

"Why is that?" I pouted, hoping to look hurt. "I look like the soft soothing music type?"

He shook his head with fain shock. "No…just more ….normal." He stated slowly each word coming out as a sentence.

I punched his right arm since it was the closest to me. "Don't underestimate me alright." I ordered, with a grin. I tried to ignore the way my heart sped when he smirked back at me. Isn't it illegal for a guy to look so good while doing that?

"I won't."

I felt nervous after accepting the I-pod from him. "Listen, about the other night…."

I stared down at the little device in my hand in an attempt to hide my rising blush. "Thank you, again for staying with me." He smirked down cockily at me and my eye started to twitch.

"Don't think that just because you helped me out a bit, that I'm going to suddenly be buddy- buddy with you." I reminded him. Just for the reason that I didn't dislike him as much as before didn't mean that I liked him. He was still a bastard in many ways.

"Really," He interrogated with a raised eyebrow. "It appeared to me the other night that you were warming up to me."

"Its all in you're head." I said, turning my head the other way. (Why did I blush so much around him!) "Are you waiting for Hinata?"

"Hn," he responded.

I frowned, agitated. Oh, I guess we were going back to the monotone responses. How wonderful.

"Alright." I stuck the earphones back in my ear and turned to leave. "I'll see you around then."

"Hold on a moment," he declared after me. I stopped to look back up at him. "Sakura's birthday is on Saturday, and Sasuke was going to get as many people he could to help throw her a surprise party. Since you're a close friend I thought maybe you'd like to help too."

I stayed glued to my place, my eyes as wide as saucers. Sakura's birthday was on Saturday! How could I have forgotten? She's my best friend and yet I forgot her birthday? What would I have done when Saturday came around?

"Id love to!" I exclaimed. "I've wanted to do something nice for her eighteenth birthday ever since February. I'm glad Sasuke thought of something, she'll be glad to know he thought of it."

Neji nodded in agreement. "I'll pick you up on Friday afternoon at your place?"

I was about to tell him not to come pick me up and that I could drive on my own, but then decided against it. His car did look comfy and all….

"Sure, I'll see you then." I waved back once and continued on the sidewalk to where I remember parking that day.

I unlocked the passenger door with my keys and dropped my bag in the seat next to me. I had no idea what kind of relationship Neji and I had. Was it secure to say we were friends now? I think it was safe to admit we had a much stronger bond now than before but yet….

I sighed. I can't think about stuff like that, it would only make my head hurt. Our relationship was too confusing, too…..complicated.

I reversed the car from the parking lot and sped my way back home.

A/N; Yay for reviewers! Remarks, criticism (that's not rude but is helpful) they are all very welcome.

How was Fourth of July by the way? Was it boring, was it fun, and was it…ok?

If you want in you're reviews tell me what you did. (Only if you want to)

Oh and for those of you who might notice; I know I said her birthday was months away before, but I went back and changed that. So instead it was only a few weeks.

Bye!

Please review!