Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Red Bull

No saltines were harmed in the making of this FanFic

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It was 10 o'clock and no one gave any sign of wanting to quit the partying. Sakura and Sasuke had kept dancing, as did Tenten. Kiba had been flirting with Hinata for a while, and Temari was sitting on the couch, feeling the results of her limited amount of sleep. She sighed and got up, going out back. Most everyone had abandoned the back deck when it got to cold to be comfortable. She sat down in one of the lounge chairs and stared into the night.

"Isn't it a little cold to be out here?"

She looked up and saw Shikamaru standing there, looking down at her. She made a face. "Maybe for you. I'm fine though," she said. Exhaustion made her bitchier then normal, and it was definitely coming out now.

He rolled his eyes and sat down in one of the other lounge chairs. She looked over at him. He still had his hair up like a pineapple and Temari kind of wondered what would happen if she poked it. "Something wrong?" He asked, and Temari realized she had been staring at him. She glared at him in response.

"No."

She turned back to him. "One thing. Why are you out here? You're the one who said it was too cold."

He sighed. "I don't really mind the cold, and its to noisy inside."

She frowned slightly and turned her head back to where she had been staring before he came out. She shivered slightly and realized ruefully, he was right. It was cold. Something hit her on the head, and she grabbed it. It was his coat. She narrowed her eyes, but laid it over her arms. "What was that for?"

"I figured you wouldn't be one to go back inside…" he said. She blinked and turned her head again. She sniffed his coat when she was resettling herself. 'It smells… like soap… and something else,' she thought. She couldn't place the other scent but whatever it was she liked it.

"Thanks."

Inside…

Tenten had drunken a Red Bull and 6 cups of this punch Ino had set out, and was on top of what she thought was a sugar high. She was still dancing, and giggling like crazy. Hinata had left a little while ago so she didn't have to look out for her and/or Naruto anymore. She didn't know where Neji was anyway. She tripped over something and went sprawling. "Whoopsie," she giggled as someone pulled her up. 'Speak of the devil,' she thought as she came face to face with Neji.

Neji looked at her with a slightly disgusted expression. She hiccupped. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Tenten… are you drunk?" he asked.

Tenten frowned. "I don't thisk so," she said, her words slurring together. Neji groaned and dragged her over to Ino.

"Ino, what did you put in that punch?"

"Um, I didn't make it," Ino said. "Sakura did."

Neji went over to Sakura. "Sakura, what's in that punch?" Sakura stopped dancing to look at Neji.

"Um… some fruit juice, sugar, and some stuff in this bottle Ino told me to use."

Ino came over. "Oh fuck," she muttered when she heard what Sakura said. "Sakura, did you use the brown unmarked bottle?"

Sakura nodded. "Um, yeah. Isn't that the one you wanted me to use? You said unmarked."

Ino dropped her head with a sigh. "T-that was the cooking sherry…" Ino mumbled. Sakura gasped and covered her mouth.

"Shit."

Tenten giggled. "I'm drunk? Wow…"

Ino shook her head. "It wasn't really your fault Sakura. I didn't tell you what it actually looked like." Both girls looked at Tenten. "Um, Tennie, do you want us to take you home?"

Neji sighed. "I can do that," he said, before steering Tenten to the door.

"Where are we goishing?" she asked. Neji handed her coat to her and grabbed his own.

"I'm taking you home," he said, sounding annoyed. He was. Mostly at Sakura and Ino for letting this happen, but in the background he heard Ino getting rid of the punch so at least she was fixing the problem. Kind of.

Tenten followed him out, letting Neji steer her by her arm. She giggled as they walked. "Why'r you sho annoyed?" she asked as he got to his car.

He ignored her and opened the passenger door, before going into the driver's side. He had a black Saturn. 'Shiny,' was all Tenten thought as she got in. "You didn't ansher my queshtion," she said.

"Well, other then Ino and Sakura making a major fuck-up, no reason," he growled as he started to drive.

Tenten huffed. "Well, your really rude when your annoyed," she said, crossing her arms.

Neji rolled his eyes. They were halfway to Tenten's house when Tenten groaned. "Pull over," she said. Neji looked over at her, and pulled over quickly. Tenten threw the door open and jumped out, before barfing. Neji got out and walked over to her. He waited until she was done, and then helped her back into the car, and they drove to her place. Tenten rubbed her stomach. "I feel like shit," she muttered.

Neji helped her up to her house, practically carrying Tenten who was not taking the aftereffect of being drunk very well. "Neji, my momsh not home," Tenten mumbled. "She took my shiblings to vishit my grandmother…" Neji nodded in acknowledgement, and opened the door. He gave up on trying to help her up the stairs, and instead just carried her.

"You know, you don't take being drunk very well," he said to her. She nodded in agreement.

"I don't take mucsh shtuff like this well…" she mumbled as he set her down at the top of the staircase, and helped her into her room. Her walls were a cream color, and she had hard wood floors. Most of the walls were decorated with either awards she had won for sports, or posters of her favorite sports teams and martial artists. She had shoved her bed into one corner, and ditched the idea of a desk or anything like that for a floor mat and a rack on which she had placed a few weapons she worked with when she practiced kung fu. She had a guitar and an amp as well, and they had been placed in front of one of her closer doors.

Neji looked around before getting her over to her bed. Tenten moaned and collapsed on it. Neji looked down at her. "Do you need anything?"

Tenten shook her head, and he started out.

"Um… actually Nejshi… could you shtay over… not in here… I jusht don't want to be alone here tonisht," she mumbled, looking embarrassed. Neji looked back at her and nodded.

"Sure. I'll stay on your couch downstairs." Tenten gave him a weak smile of thanks and shifted herself so she was lying vertically on her bed.

"Thanksh…"

The next morning…

Tenten moaned as she woke up. Her head was killing her. Suddenly something shifted in her stomach, and she bolted into her bathroom. She threw up what felt like everything she had eaten in the last few days, and more. She dragged herself downstairs when she was done and collapsed in the living room. Neji came in with something in a glass, and a box of saltines he had obviously found in her pantry. He handed her the glass.

"I wouldn't look at or smell it," he said. "Just pinch your nose and drink." Tenten did so and gagged.

"It's disgusting!" she said.

"It'll help your headache," he said. Then he handed her the saltines. "And I think you know what those will help you with."

Tenten nodded and ripped the box open, before grabbing a handful and shoving them into her mouth. The phone rang and she swallowed, grabbing it. "This had better be important," she grumbled into it.

"Tennie, it's me Ino."

"And Sakura," a voice shouted in the background.

"We just wanted to apologize. It was such a stupid mistake we made," Ino said, sounding worried.

Tenten gave a small laugh. "It's fine. We were all so tired yesterday, no wonder we screwed that up," she said. "I really don't blame you. I do have to go now though. Talking is really not doing much for me right now," she said.

"Ok. We'll come over later. I've got this tea that really can perk anyone up," said Ino.

"'Kay… bye," Tenten said, before hanging up. She sighed and shoved some more saltines in her mouth, before flicking her TV on. She looked up at Neji. "Um, you can grab anything you want to eat for breakfast," she said. "I've got cereal, toast, fruit… um we have some eggs and st--"

Neji kissing her cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

Tenten hadn't really been kissed like that before. She had had a few kisses by guys who then suffered an extremely painful death, but never like Neji kissed her now. She let out a sound of surprise, and dropped the saltines on the floor. His hands cupped her face, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. She was completely absorbed in it. He pulled back and looked at her.

"And why, might I ask, are you stopping?" Tenten choked out. Neji smirked and kissed her again, and all thoughts of hangovers completely flew out of Tenten's mind.

Later that day…

Sakura was in the library again. She normally went there when she was upset and she was now. She couldn't believe she had made a mistake like that, and now Tenten was paying for it. After she had found out Tenten was drunk she had left the party, and wandered home. Sakura herself wasn't surprised she was taking it so hard, but then again, that was just her way.

She had curled up in a chair in the study room. It was empty again, and she was staring at the cover of a book she had picked up. The door opened and she looked up. It was Sasuke again. "Oh… um, hi… sorry for leaving so quickly," she said, biting her lip.

He shrugged. "It's fine. I figured you were upset about whatever you were talking about with Ino and Tenten. Something about punch?"

Sakura nodded miserably. "I put cooking sherry in the punch by accident, and Tenten got drunk. If Neji hadn't realized, she might have even tried to drive herself home. I mean, what if someone else had gotten drunk? What if someone got into an accident when they were driving home? What if--"

Sasuke cut her off. "Do you always think of the worst scenario?"

She nodded. "Most of the time," she said.

He sighed. "Nothing did happen. You can 'what if' into oblivion but that won't change the fact that nothing happened."

"But something might have happened. That's the point. I put like, and entire bottle in there. A whole bottle!" she said, her voice getting higher and higher. "I got lucky! But if I can make a mistake as stupid as mixing up bottles, imagine what else I can screw up!" she said jumping up. It was a good thing the room was soundproof, or else Sakura would have been thrown out by then.

Sasuke stood up, and gently pushed on her shoulders to make her sit down again. She glared at him. "Do you even get what I'm talking about?"

He nodded. "I do. Everyone makes mistakes though. Don't beat yourself up over it." Sakura sighed. "Come on. I mean, is Tenten ok now?"

She nodded. "I think so."

"Then maybe you did get lucky. It'll just help you not to fuck up again," he said, his face impassive. She nodded.

"Ok." She stood up. "I'm going to get going then… thanks for the help," she said with a small smile.

"No problem."