Dedication: Chirisaa Tomoko , this chapter's dedicated to you, hope you enjoy. (And thanks for the honesty, lol)

Chapter 17

"Seeing the line"

Tenten POV

"Tens, it's been, like... forever!" Ino squealed as she hugged me. I smiled weakly and hugged her back. "Yeah, I know. I missed you too, Ino. I felt like I was going to die if I didn't see your face before another century!"

Ino rolled her eyes after pulling away and said, "You know what I'm talking about. After the birthday party, everyone just kind of faded apart with things to do, so don't give me that sarcasm young lady!"

I laughed at the look on her face. Then, I scanned her over. "Wow, you look pretty good Ino." Her eyes seemed brighter some how, much more full of life and happiness than I remember them being. And…did she happen to gain some extra weight?

Ino blushed at my compliment and waved her hand nonchalantly. She quickly ushered me inside. "Well you know, I try here and there."

I gave her a suspicious look after I stepped in and she closed the door. "Who are you trying so hard for?"

It was strange watching her blush and struggle for an answer. "She's trying so hard for her new boo!" came a teasing voice from behind me. I grinned when I recognized that it was Temari.

"Hey," I greeted.

"What's up Tens!" She replied giving me a high five and a quick hug.

"Who's her new boo?" I asked again with interest.

Just as she was about to tell me, Ino swiftly jumped in between us babbling uncontrollably and red with embarrassment. She said, "T-t-that doesn't r-really m-m-matter!" Temari and I both gave her a strange look,

She wavered under our stares. "Ok, fine." She relinquished.

She breathed heavily then turned to whisper something to Temari. I watched as Ino whispered and Temari listened to her with a raised brow. "Screw all that shit!" Temari yelled when she was done.

"She's going out with Kiba now, that's her new boo. And that's why this one here," She looked Ino up and down, "Is trying so hard."

"Hey! That isn't how I wanted you to tell her!" Ino complained, angry. "What the hell Temari?"

Said women shrugged and rolled her eyes. "She was still going to find out either way Ino, right? I mean you make the biggest fits over the stupidest stuff!"

"I make the stupid fits? What about you and your—"

I ignored the rest of their argument after that, in confusion. Who the hell was Kiba?

"Tenten-san, it's so nice to see you again." A figure appeared suddenly in a pink apron and I smiled when I realized that I had forgotten about her. "Hinata!"

I placed down the cake and a few of my bags along with my car keys on the table near the front of Ino's condo, and went to go give the blue haired women a well deserved hug. Since we weren't in the same classes and I hadn't been in the best of moods this past week, I haven't once seen a trail of Hinata.

Honestly, I had just completely forgotten about her. (And yes, I am a horrible friend for saying that.)

"How are you?" She asked when we pulled away. Being that she was a bit shorter than me, it was kind of awkward looking down at her as I tried to answer her question. I felt like Neji, when we first met. Except now the roles were reversed and I was the one being the intimidating Hyuga.

I shook my head at the image and smiled. I am not going to think about him right now.

"I'm good, it's been kind of hard after the party, but I'm doing better now." I hope my voice sounded as confident as I wanted to feel.

"Oh thank goodness," Hinata answered in relief. "I was worried sick after the whole thing. I didn't know what to do or how to help out. Neji ni-san refused to tell me anything, and I was afraid you were too upset to even talk to me. But I'm glad that you're ok."

I laughed at the look on Hinata's face. She looked so hopeless and sad, almost like she was about to cry, and I just had to laugh when I realized she truly had been worried about me.

"You don't have to worry so much Hinata, I'm a strong chick, and I think I can take care of myself." I turned back to the two blonds who were both now literally sticking their hands down each others throats.

"Now those two, we do need to be worried about."

The Hyuga nodded slowly and at first I thought she saw through me but then she smiled and agreed.

"HEY BLONDES!" I yelled. "If you invited me here to watch you argue all day then I'm leaving!"

"No, no... don't go." Ino stopped immediately to change my mind. "Come on tens, seriously, you already came all the way down here."

"And? I have a car Ino, I can drive back. If all you guys plan on doing today is arguing, then I'm leaving." I've had enough of arguments today anyway, I thought sourly.

"We'll stop." Temari said for my sake. She could tell that I was serious.

Ino got the hint after a while too and she said, "Yeah, were no longer kids and Temari and I can handle this like adults. We won't fight anymore Tens."

"Thank you," I said while fishing through one of my brown bags. "Now," I slid the can behind my back and turned back to the three of them. "Who wants Whip Cream?"

I sprayed the can of Whip Cream over each of their heads. Smiling as I did so.

At the looks of disbelief, shock, and anger. I took of running.

"Tenten!"

"Omg, my hair!"

"T-Tenten-san!"

Ah shit.

He was calling again, and I tried to hide it from the other girls. I made the decision last night, and now I had to live with it.

Neji was the last person I wanted to hear from right now. Now that I was hanging out with my other friends again, the pain of losing Sakura didn't bother me so much anymore, and I loved it. I loved not being so bothered by this like I used to.

Thinking of Neji, talking to Neji, it would all just bring a new pain back. He made me feel guilty for having a friend. He mad me feel guilty for being happy, for wanting what I needed, and that wasn't what I wanted right now.

"Tenten, were about to throw the fire crackers, where are you?"

Ino's voice reached me all the way in her master bedroom, (The place I had ungracefully rushed into the moment my phone started to ring. I still couldn't believe I hadn't put it on vibrate!)

"Uh, yeah ok. I'll be right there!" I replied back.

"Alright,"

I sighed at the retreating footsteps and glanced at my phone sadly as 'Incoming call from Neji' flashed continuously. Why did we have to fight yesterday? Why did he get mad, why did I get mad? Why did I have to open my mouth and ruin absolutely everything that mattered to me?

I turned off my phone completely, unwilling to see the amount of times he would try to call and apologize. I really wanted to pick up and accept his apology, to amend for all that went wrong yesterday, but...

No. I need friends. He's not the only one I need. Unlike Sakura, I like having someone to talk to and have fun with. Love that is romance isn't the only thing important in this world, and I'm going to prove that to the both of them. (Even it hurt so much that it felt like all my organs were turned inside out.)

I laid my phone face down on her dresser, making myself promise not to forget it, before walking out of the room, and silently closing the door behind me.

-Flashback-

I turned down the heat on the stove and grabbed the mugs from the cabinet, careful not to spill the hot substance on my trembling hands. As I entered the room, two somber faces raised to meet mine. The air was stiff and awkward but I tried my best to ignore it. I forcibly smiled at the both of them, placing a respective mug in front of each person.

I felt Neji glaring at Matt when I placed his mug down before his own, and mentally, I just had to roll my eyes. How much more immature could those two get?

From the moment we had left the diner Neji and Matt haven't been on the best terms. Matt kept making it a point to talk about the past and when we were once together. ALWAYS one to linger on the subject too, like how soft my lips were when we had kissed, what we did when we had been together, the fun we had…

Neji, my now current boyfriend was no where near pleased about it all. Everything about his aura spoke of deadly and annoyance. Imagine how the introductions had gone…tsk, imagine how the drive home had gone! Well I'll tell you this, neither event made it to my list of memorable moments, that's for sure.

I sank lazily into the couch and purposefully sat next to Neji. "So, tell me. What's been going on with you Matt? I mean, the last time we saw each other was in high school and everything."

Matt laughed and took a sip of his coffee. "I have actually gotten into bicycling. These past few years have been for nothing but practice!"

My eyes widened and I got a flash of the old basketball lover that I once dated. Bicycling?

"Wow that's…amazing but, weren't you focused on basketball and making it big someday in that sport? What happened between then and now?"

Matt widened his eyes in hyperbole. "MANY things changed between back then and now."

I shook my head in confusion, wasn't it just five years ago that we were together?

"I mean," He continued with a grin. "Basketball is great and everything but it's not me anymore and besides, you quit being my cheerleader so it wasn't as fun anyway with you gone."

I blushed…hard. How could I have forgotten about that?

"You were his…Cheerleader?" The cold voice of Neji Hyuga filled the room, like a gun shot on an abandoned street, and I cleared my throat awkwardly. He sure knew how to make a conversation turn cold…

"Uh, not really. It was just me and a couple of girls fooling around, no biggie." Brushing something off was never a talent of mine, and I knew he could tell too.

"Oh don't be so modest Tenten," Matt said with a sparkle in his eye. I didn't like that look very much, so I glared as hard as I could at him.

Matt completely ignored me and turned to Neji. "She was the cutest cheerleader out of the whole squad and the loudest too. My first name was stitched across her chest and my last name, I believe, was right across her butt."

Neji's eyes shortened into slits and I gulped down my tea nervously.

"Shut up Matt, shut up Matt," I chanted in my head. But Matt would not shut up.

"Oh, and how did the cheer go again. 'He's number 1, can't be number 2! Matt Erickson will mop the floor with you!' something like that, right Tenten?

Damn Matt and his big mouth. (Something told me he did that on purpose too)

I glared at the boy (Well, now man) that sat across from me, making sure to stare straight in his eyes. Why was he doing this to me? Didn't he know that all of that stuff was in the past?

"Uh, yeah something along those lines…" I answered weakly, making sure to mumble so that my words sounded mused together.

Neji shifted uncomfortably to my left and I knew the conversation was headed in a wrong (Possibly damaging) road. "Okay," I said standing up after a moment of silence.

"It's so nice that you came to Konoha again, Matt; But you must have other people to visit," I straightened my lavender blouse (A gift from Hinata) and walked to the door. "And places to go to, so, I won't keep you."

I opened the door to make my point, waiting. Both men stared back at me but I pointedly stared at Matt on purpose, who was now scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Actually," He declared while staring at the floor. "I didn't plan on a place to stay at at all."

I sweat dropped in defeat…what the hell?

"So were you planning on crashing on the streets instead?" Neji's voice held authority but the teasing, and banter overruled it.

Matt scoffed and stood up. "No of course not, I'm not an idiot!"

I ignored Neji's not so silent 'could have fooled me' and asked Matt, "Well where are you going to stay?"

He looked at my carpet and continued to scratch his head sheepishly. "I was, uh, kind of hoping…maybe, here?"

In a flash, Neji was tackling my ex to the floor, my night was completely ruined, and anger, hot and boiling for the long haired prodigy seeped through my system.

"You can NOT attack my Ex's, do you hear me? What you did in there was completely out of line."

My voice was controlled.

"I mean are you kidding me Neji?"

I was so, completely and utterly in control.

"Not only did you punch him repeatedly, but you literally banged his head against my floor, while declaring 'Hell no you can't stay here you pathetic imbecile' through clenched teeth!"

I was pacing now, right in front of my bed in which he now laid, but I was still-my voice included- in absolute control.

"You have absolutely no right. NO RIGHT! To make my decisions for me, do you hear me, DO-YOU-HEAR ME?"

….Ah shit, I lost control.

He stared back at me from his position with cool emotionless eyes, and that only made to fuel my anger even more.

"Are you even listening to me?" I spat out with venom, as my hands made way to rest on my hips.

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Who couldn't with the way your screaming?"

"I'll give you a word of advice mister," I threatened in a hushed tone, on the brink of bursting, "Your witty, sarcastic comebacks wouldn't be the best choice of words at the moment."

He stared, I stared. This continued for about 10 minutes before I had to look away.

"I mean, what the hell?" I continued, "That is so embarrassing for me!"

"Well forgive me, if being defended is embarrassing for you."

"I'm only embarrassed when I don't need to be defended! Matt did nothing wrong! YOU are the one with the problem! Matt and I were having a good time, but you make everything so unbearable and awkward, that I just had to attempt asking him to leave." My chest heaved painfully at the loudness and effort of each word. It hadn't ac- cured to me then that I was screaming loud enough for Matt to hear in the living room, and trampling over a grown man's pride.

I saw something flash in his eyes dangerously, and he shot out of bed. "What?"

Any other time I would have bolted at the fear that shook me, but I stood strong regardless of my inner turmoil. "You heard me," I said, breathless from dread. Why did I feel like the sweet compassionate Neji I knew just left?

He was in my face now, and eventually after backing up so much, my back hit the door.

"That is the last fucking time I ever defend you, then. I can't believe you can't see that he still has feelings for you, and that this 'Sleeping over' façade is his way of getting closer to you! What the fuck is wrong with your head?"

I was just about ready to say something, but then warm; strong calloused hands reached for my shoulder, awfully close to my neck. "Listen to me, Tenten! He is not who you think he is anymore!"

I was trying so hard to listen, but his hands dug through my skin like a hot rod, and I screamed in agony. "Neji-Stop, your hurting me!"

"He is nothing but a desperate loser that wants to get in your pants, it's obvious!"

My hands did my best to pry his fingers away but they were like steel and I doubt they even budged. My shoulder burned from the contact, that it was all I had, to just bite my lip before screaming again.

"Stop it, Stop! You're hurting me!" With one last shove, I managed to push him away and the door behind me lunged open without warning. Before hitting the ground however, a pair of strong hands caught me, and I sighed inwardly.

"Let go of her!" The growl came from Neji, or whatever remained of him. Of all the times I saw him angry, nothing could compare to the moonlight glint in his pale eyes right then. They were almost…animal.

"You don't have any right to speak to me that way after what you just did to her!" Matt said, speaking with authority. "I'm Tenten's friend and-"

"She doesn't need any friends," He announced. "She has me!"

It was all too much. Sakura appeared, Sasuke and Karin, Neji and Matt, Sakura's concerned parents, ...everybody.

And they were all doing the same thing…

Ten's please, I just need this... just give me space right now

Tenten we need you to call us the minute you hear from Sakura again

Tenten we need to spend more time with you, its not the same

Tenten I need you to trust me, please…

Tenten, or whatever your name is, you need to leave Sakura and I alone

Ms. Kurosaki I need you to work a bit harder next time

They all needed something from me…always telling me what to do, but really…what did I want for once?

"Get out!"

It was so quiet at first that I didn't even know I had spoken. I couldn't control it; my lips had a mind of their own.

"Get the hell out of my apartment Neji!"

'There it was again…was it really me speaking?'

"Tenten I-"

"How dare you fucking tell me what I need? How the hell would you know something like that? I need friends too, yes you're my boyfriend, but no I don't only need you. Your not that important, who put your ass on a fucking pedestal?"

"Ten—" He tried to intervene, but I quickly stopped him.

"No!" I…I didn't know what I was saying.

"Get the hell out of my house!"

'What the hell was I saying?'

"And if you can, get out of my life too, because I don't need anyone else on my plate, about what I fucking need!"

Silence.

'No, stop him!' Something inside me screamed as I watched him head for the door silently.

'This isn't what I want, stop him!'

But I didn't, he left that night, as pissed at me as I was at him. And all I could think of as I slept through the night was the sound of the door slamming loudly when he walked completely out of my life.

A/N: I hope this wasn't confusing to anyone. Tenten was so upset because she finally got tired of people telling her what to do, and Neji well…he was just jealous. I see him as the 'I 'm going to claim what's mine, and stop anyone that try to steal it' kind of guy.

AND PLEASE DON'T HATE ME, THE BREAK UP SHOULD BE TEMPORARY...should!

So sorry about not being able to update, you have all the reasons in the world to hate me. But I did ask and most of you did say you'd prefer it if I updated when I could instead of typing it all at once and updating regularly. School is killing me. And now, I happen to have crushes, so everything is just so much more horrible.

Hoped you enjoy the chapter,

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!

(Were almost to 100! You all rock!)

Jane,

Animehostess