#3. Explaining Their Relationship to Others (who didn't know)

Shame.

A ruthless, persistent emotion dedicated to making a man feel like the dirtiest scum on the face of the Earth.

He'd witnessed it bring men to their knees, his uncle bowing on the floor to him on that day four years ago, groveling, begging him for forgiveness. He'd seen it in Naruto's shattered eyes when he had failed to return the Uchiha to the village despite the costly sacrifices made by his fellow ninja just for that purpose. He, too, was a victim, having spent the greater half of his teens regaining the trust of his (now, most treasured) cousin for his immaturity at the exams back then. Such failures on his behalf were things that he preferred to not think about too often. But this tactic… was not proving as successful he'd like it to be on the morning afterwards.

Last night had been one of the most peaceful trances of sleep he ever slumbered. There had been no dreams, no nightmares, no lingering lethargy and he woke up feeling… content. More content than ever precedented. Neji couldn't remember ever awaking so refreshed, so prepared to take on the day and all its challenges.

But… how?

Then he remembered.

Embarrassment creeped back into his skull and burned his cheeks red. He facepalmed harshly, eyebrows pinched, internally berating himself. Losses of restraint could not be tolerated. Shame on him for such a colossal failure to resist his male urges. If he was incapable of withholding against this newfound lust, then how could he trust himself around Tenten? They simply were not ready for sex, and if something as precious as her virginity were lost prematurely on a spur-of-the-moment tryst then it wouldn't mean anything.

Since when had the idea of… of doing that with Tenten become so appealing, anyway? It hadn't ever crossed his mind even once. To say "Tenten" and "sex" in the same breath might make him suffocate. Together or not, he simply didn't think it possible to see himself going that far with her—because he'd known her since she was the twelve year-old girl in the pretty pink top with the chubby bright cheeks.

But then… last night she had shown him a wholly new side of her, and it was with some added guilt he acknowledged that he'd rejected that side of her in the least fashionable of ways.

Neji found himself wondering just how often she thought about him… amorously. Couldn't she understand that it was too early for that sort of thing? Perhaps some blame belonged to him for not making that clear beforehand at some point. Maybe then some embarrassment would have been spared on both their parts.

But it wasn't as if sex were some exquisite, wonderful thing. All men seemed to strive for it, and that had struck him as so bizarre up until now.

That was the danger. He had forgotten about how disgusting it was as soon as he delved into it even slightly. In actuality, propriety and prudishness be welcomed, the act of sex really was quite repugnant. There were a lot of unsavory fluids involved, and honestly, those illustrations of the female genitalia from Sex-ed with Anko-sensei were anything if not queer and unappealing.

To be fair, penises were also bizarre in their own right, and to say that they were inconvenient would be a tragic understatement. It would react to the randomest things and spring up at full length without his consent for no reason at all and refuse to back down for hours. As a person who preferred to be in complete control of his thoughts and actions of all times (a reason why he swore to never touch alcohol), these things were the worst kind of failure. Just as a body had its various functions, it was also prone to malfunctions—and that was what he saw them as. Mere mistakes, troublesome bodily miscalculations from his pubescent years (and that was one of the reasons he'd adopted so drastic a change of attire age 14, a looser ensemble much better suited to concealing those nuisances). He was well aware, of course, that random erections and puberty were indivisible, but having high expectations for himself made succumbing to the frivolous whims of his sinister male appendage especially upsetting.

Now, however, years later, the nature of his problem had shifted slightly. Because they weren't "random" at all.

His fingers tousled his inky, loose bangs in resentment. Masturbation was one thing, but committing such sin and using Tenten as material was an entirely separate matter—that was something to despise himself for. Fleetingly, he wondered if any other men had ever used her likeness in the same way he had, and then banished the thought as quickly as it came because it only made him angry.

Neji was someone who actually cared about her. So much more than any depraved man imagining what lie beneath her baggy layers of clothing could. How could he have failed to consider Tenten's feelings? She was so much more than a body to compensate for his inability to control himself. It was disrespectful. It was the exact kind of degradation of women that she hated. He believed that anything of that nature should be done with purpose between two consenting individuals at the proper time and place and he had yet to supply any of those things. The guilt was irreparable—and there was only one thing he could do.

He had to tell her.

On not one occasion could Neji recall ever experiencing the debilitating dread he felt showing his face at training that morning. The instant Tenten came into view the second he stuttered on his resolve and questioned his choice, doubting himself. Confessing for his crimes, which seemed a very appropriate term to him, had sounded like the best way to alleviate the shame he felt, but in its execution lay the real danger and uncertainty. What would he say? How would she react? She was a reasonable, practical person and unlike any of the other girls in their age group; she distributed her emotions equally at impeccable intervals and was the perfect mix of calm, intelligence, expressiveness, and liveliness, rarely ever irrational or overdramatic. He needed that in a mate, because he couldn't possibly tolerate a girl who was too sweet or too meek or too obnoxious or anything else but exactly the way she was.

For a moment, as he approached Team Gai's training grounds, he forgot about his worries and was enrapt in appreciation for Tenten. What would he be without her? His most trusted comrade? The mediator? His only sanity on a team of morons? It was so strange to call her his girlfriend; they were "together", but that term just seemed too superficial and immature to describe what they had. Nearly two months, just two months had their "relationship" spanned so far and it felt somewhat ridiculous that that was all they had to speak for despite being together for over five long years. Nobody in his life compared to that bond. No one came even close.

It was then Neji decided that he would never do Tenten wrong again. She was too important. She was irreplaceable. Any obstacles in their path were insignificant, and nothing like lecherous thoughts or forbidden temptations would stall him from doing right by her.

He arrived at the grounds and was greeted by a jubilant Lee, whom he acknowledged obligatorily as he did every morning. His sights were really set on Tenten, though, who was casually practicing her aim on a very victim-like tree. Obviously now was not the appropriate time to tell her, not with Lee so near. It would have to be later, after training, probably, where they could have some privacy.

"Tenten," Neji called as he approached her from behind. Observant as he was, he saw her shoulders jump and the kunai she threw skeered a centimeter off its desired path. She froze like that for the whole of two seconds until she unsealed another weapon and hurled it up at a branch, which plundered to the ground and crashed.

"Good morning, Neji!" She beamed in an oddly cheerful voice, not turning around to face him. His eyebrow raised. Tenten always greeted him with a wide smile, and she usually just said, "'Morning. You ready?" and he would nod in response.

He waited for her to say more. She didn't.

So he offered, "Do you want to spar?"

"Ah, no—" Tenten hastened, drawing one kunai after the other, speaking far too fast to be normal, "we shouldn't because Gai-sensei should be getting here any minute and I think we have a mission today—so we shouldn't."

Her reasoning made sense, but he didn't want to leave her be just yet. She seemed very intent on not making conversation (and as the talkative one, that was her choice of role in the relationship), and pushing Tenten with weapons in her hand was a very dangerous risk. Instead, Neji seated himself in front of a tree nearest to the one she practiced on and meditated.

Birds rustled in the leaves and chirped. Lee's voice showered the vicinity as he counted each push-up ( "One hundred and eight, one hundred and nine, one hundred and—" ), and a thunk accompanied each weapon of hers just as it pierced bare bark. Minutes turned into half an hour, and by that point Tenten was plainly sealing and unsealing a lone shuriken for no reason at all and Lee was kicking at the empty air. They were all thinking the same thing.

Gai-sensei should have been there by now.

"Did he seriously ditch us without saying anything?" Tenten finally wheezed, hands on her hips. Lee sprang to attention.

"Do not be silly, Tenten! Gai-sensei would not make us wait for no reason. I am sure he has a good reason for not being here yet!"

"But for half an hour? For a sensei who insists on punctuality, he's not doing a good job of enforcing it!" She clicked her tongue, whirling around to collect her weapons embedded in the tree. "I say we go home already. It isn't fair to us to keep waiting around."

"You have no faith, Tenten! Tell her, Neji! Gai-sensei will be here soon, yes?"

Both pairs of eyes were on him, he could feel them. Neji sighed, opening his own.

"We will wait five minutes. If he isn't here by then, it's his own fault that we'll be gone."

Tenten sighed, boredom carved into her features. If he knew one thing about her, it was that she hated being bored—not that Tenten got bored easily, but when she did, it was obvious that she didn't know what to do with herself. Her shoulder rolled, and with a swing of her arm she unleashed a league of shuriken into the sky and they landed in a circle surrounding her. A basic, incomprehensible theatric of hers.

But upon closer examination, he noticed that it wasn't as precise as it usually was. One of them was very lopsided, and the arrangement was so off it resembled a very confused oval.

"Your aim is off, Tenten."

Blunt or tactless as his tone may be (though he didn't mean it as an insult), his comment came with warranted concern. The absence of anything but perfection in Tenten's accuracy was the surest sign that something was wrong with her, and all signs pointed to it being related to the events of last night.

"Is it—I didn't notice. Thanks!"

Now there was no question, because he'd just insulted something Tenten was very prideful about and she had responded as if it were praise. That, and she was very adamant on not looking at him directly.

Being discreet or hiding her feelings was not one of her talents. She once vocalized an indignant complaint at never being assigned any espionage missions because Gai and Lee were too obnoxious to handle one, but he couldn't imagine that she would fare all too well undercover either. She still broke out laughing at the word "pudding", for gods' sake.

Neji rose and appeared at her side, lowering his voice. "If this is about yesterday, Tenten, I—"

"Neji, I get it. We talked already, remember?" Finally she turned to him, but her eyes refused to make direct contact with his. The fakest of smiles curled her lips. "I just… cut my palm the other day, and it stings, so my throw is off. And I'm still sleepy. That's all."

He didn't believe a word. "Then let me see it."

"I don't want to."

"You're lying."

"Would you just let me—"

In no less than a second they darted their heads forward and jumped out of the way just as a kunai zipped past them and lodged itself in a tree. Defensive-mode kicked in for all three teammates and they readied themselves for any attacks, his byakugan activated, a scroll in Tenten's hand. He scanned the perimeter for enemy chakra signatures and found none to count for, but that didn't stop them from keeping still for a good ten seconds longer.

Adrenaline subsided and his heartbeat slowed down. Neji lowered his arms.

Lee asked, "Did you see anything, Neji?"

"No. Whoever threw it, he's gone now."

"It came from your left," Tenten added. "That means whoever did it was inside the village."

"Perhaps it was someone's idea of a joke!"

He shook his head, "Not at that speed. If we weren't trained, that could've killed us."

"Then... who?"

"I don't know, Lee."

Silence consumed them. He and Tenten snuck glances at each other and locked eyes. So long as danger existed, personal matters were irrelevant. That was the message they exchanged.

"Look, there's something attached to the kunai!"

Tenten pointed and he saw the little white tag dangling from the handle with a wire. With his trained byakugan he examined the rectangular paper, and in it there was a faint amount of chakra concentrated at the center. Black lines decorated the interior. His eyes widened.

"I think it is a message! I shall read it, then!"

"Lee, don't! It's—"

The rest of his sentence was lost in the black and red explosion that blew Lee back ten feet into the forest as congested smoke swarmed them and Tenten's hacked coughs filtered in his ears. Neji found her kneeling, doubled-over form despite the thick fog and rushed to her side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He hooked his other one underneath her knees and sprung out of the top of the smoke. Hovering in the air, he noticed a figure clothed in black sprinting away from the scene, and in the assailant's arms was an unconscious boy in dark green tights.

"Damn it, he's got Lee." Neji frowned, connecting his feet to a branch with chakra. The girl in his arms groaned laboriously as she came to and lifted herself out of his hold. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah—" She stumbled slightly and leaned against the trunk. "Yeah, I'm fine. What happened?"

"The attacker has made off with Lee, and he is retreating as we speak."

"Damn," she swore. "Should we report this to someone? Tsunade-sama?"

"There's no time. We have to follow him now before he's out of sight."

She nodded, her voice severe. "Right. Let's go."

They took off.

He didn't even find it strange how he and Tenten halted what might've been the bloomings of a dispute—he could count on one hand the number of times they've argued over anything, because they were usually so in-sync with one another—and cut to action as soon as the situation demanded it. That was another thing he liked about her; she'd had her priorities straight since she was a genin, to become a better ninja. Whatever was on her mind, it could wait until Lee was safe.

"Neji, what do you see? Is he okay?"

He focused his eyes on the man they pursued and zeroed in on their teammate. Lee's limbs hung loosely in the arms of his captor and he offered no resistance against it. From the looks of things, he was breathing and alive, but Neji could tell that he wouldn't be waking up any time soon.

"He's fine," He announced, hearing her sigh of relief. "But from being that close to the explosion, a concussion isn't unlikely. We must retrieve him as soon as possible."

"That idiot!" Tenten exclaimed. "I'm gonna teach him a lesson for being so stupid once we get to him!"

He smirked. Something like a fierce beating would be the last thing Lee would need if he really did have a concussion, but he certainly wouldn't be the one to interfere with her choice of discipline.

They maintained a distance of about twenty feet from the attacker and swiftly leapt from branch to branch. The chase had spanned over three minutes with no developments except the growing vexation on Tenten's part. "Neji, we've been at this for forever! I can take him down quick in one shot if I get a tiny bit closer."

"Be patient," he assured. "The enemy could slit his throat faster than any weapon you could throw. Don't risk it."

"Argh… But I really think I could do it!"

In his graceful stride he turned his head and met her gaze that focused ahead. The feathered shadows of looming leaves curled around her forehead like a crown. She looked like she was flying, her long airy sleeves rippling as the wind soared divinely beneath the fabric. There was a gleam in her eyes whenever the opportunity to use her weapons arose and this time it was brimmed with determination and fortitude. He softened.

Neji had nothing but confidence in her abilities—more than anyone he had gotten to witness the truth behind her acclaimed title as the mistress of weapons that steeled the Leaf Village. It was that uncanny accuracy that had compensated for his blind spot a hundred times over in his ninja career and he never doubted it to keep him secure. No one else, no other randomly assigned kunoichi to their genin squad could have accomplished the things she had.

If Tenten so set her mind to it, believed that she was capable, then there was no reason for him to not think the same.

"Take to the far east and slowly close in from the side. Be discreet." Her eyes brightened as he spoke, excitement visibly hushed by her lips. "I will keep him distracted and then you can make your shot from the skies. Attach a chakra string to it just in case and aim for the spine."

She nodded with a smile, "I'm on it."

The girl leapt to the left and disappeared into the trees.

Neji followed suit with the plan and maintained the same pace and distance they'd kept thus far. The enemy seemed to have not yet realized that one of his pursuers had disappeared, and that was fortunate. It all depended on Tenten's speed and aim, to kill him before he realized the kunai had been thrown.

With not even a sound to accompany her as she sprung from the treetops Tenten flipped and hovered in the sky, twirling a kunai that shone betwixt her rolling fingers. The chakra wire pulsed electric blue and fluttered behind the arm that raised backwards and angled it perfectly, and the wind whistled with the blade as it flew from her hand at lightning speed to pierce her target. Her form was perfect.

She is perfect, he thought, admiring her gracefulness.

And it was her perfection that had nearly cost the wrong person their life, because he had been stupidly distracted and hadn't noticed the girl that suddenly jumped in the kunai's path with a raised fist. He shouted for her to fall back.

"Tenten, withdraw!"

"Huh? Oh, sh—"

" SHANNARO! "

CRASH.

The sheer force of Sakura's punch actually blew him backwards. Tenten fell from the heavens and performed a series of flips just so that she'd land on her feet. Dust and debris bursted from the newly born gaping crater that sunk several yards into the ground and he coughed, shielding himself from himself from the blunt of her wrath.

As the fog dissolved, Neji found that three new characters had made an appearance on the perimeter. Sakura, the kunoichi he remembered from Naruto's team, an unfamiliar boy with white skin and black hair who landed next to her, and another enemy ninja—one that sprinted ahead and escaped with his accomplice.

Haruno whirled around, adjusting her glove, and nodded at her silent companion. Tenten called her name and waved, "Sakura!"

Honest surprise graced her features as she ran over to them, the other boy closely following. "Tenten! Neji! What are you guys doing all the way out here?"

"It's Lee. He's been kidnapped by the guy you attacked just now!"

Sakura gasped. She looked to the unnamed shinobi behind her for a long breathless second and then returned. Her eyes darkened.

"I think we might be having the same problem."

"So you're saying that Naruto fell for the same stupid trick?"

Neji hadn't even realized that Tenten and Sakura were friends. To him, calling the latter kunoichi an acquaintance would be a label too generous for the both of them. He hardly associated with anyone outside of Team Gai and his clan and assumed the same of Tenten, though he now understood that that was unlikely. She was, after all, the least socially stunted member of the team; it only made sense that she'd extend some length of friendliness to other ninja of their generation. He just wondered when the development arose, because he'd never seen her interact amicably with anyone that wasn't Gai, Lee, or himself on a regular basis. Just how wide was her circle of friends?

"Yeah. I'm gonna make him pay for that one," she scowled. "Tenten, how long has Lee been unconscious?"

"About ten minutes or so. You'd think that such a hard-headed guy would have woken up by now!"

"Actually… I think you're right. I've seen Naruto and Lee get back up immediately from things way worse than explosions."

"Perhaps there was poison laced in with the tag, Sakura-san?"

Conversation halted at the addition of her teammate, whom she had introduced as "Sai", one of two new members to Team 7 (news which provoked a raised eyebrow—the Uchiha was rogue and gone, but why replace the presumed Kakashi?).

"Unlikely," Neji finally said, though it was more of a statement to the group than a response to Sai. "I would have noticed Lee's chakra levels diminishing had he been poisoned."

Tenten followed, "Then why are they both still knocked out?"

"No idea. I think we just have to keep following them, as much as I'd hate to play right into their plans."

Tension festered in the air above them as Sakura's words settled in. They soared up and over the branches in prolonged pursuit of the kidnappers. Another five minutes of chase did they give, and the restlessness wore on his nerves like corroded sediment. There was no reason he could see why Lee of all people, a relatively unknown ninja outside the village, would be a prize for enemy nin along with Naruto. Neji pondered this, and though he arrived at a handful of possibilities the most simple reasoning anchored in one idea—that they were bait.

And then it all clicked.

He moved a ways closer to his teammate and lowered his voice for only her counsel.

"Tenten."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it's strange that it was Lee who was taken, after Gai failed to make an appearance?"

She paused in thought. "... Maybe. Why? You think those things are related to each other?"

"I believe so. It's odd that the enemy hasn't made any attacks during the chase. That could only mean that they're leading us somewhere."

"That makes sense. We've been doing exactly what they want for the past twenty minutes!"

"Yes. Now, do you see what direction we're headed in?"

"The end of the forest or Mito's Lake, I think."

"And what day is it?"

The realization hit her harder than an anvil could have if it was dropped on her head. She facepalmed and cursed.

"I'm killing them, Neji. I'm going to kill them."

Somewhere along the course of the day, Neji had gotten lost.

In the company of a little under twenty people had his energy run dry and depleted. Socializing with a large group, putting in actual effort to casually speak with anyone that wasn't Tenten or Hinata made him ache to just go home and meditate or train privately on the Hyuuga grounds. At least there, everyone was introverted and few bothered with conversation at all.

It seemed that the bubbliness and energy of the group had been sufficiently drained on the timely schedule of the setting sun, because when afternoon breathed into evening and the air cooled and the sky lessened its intensity, the Konoha ninja had simmered down at the theater of a campfire. Everyone except he and Shino leisured with roasting marshmallows atop thick makeship log chairs. Tenten sat on his right, Naruto his left, and the rest generally circulated near their teams as the sensei had retired early to the village.

Eventually all chatter faded and the background noise became more pronounced in their silence. Crickets beeped and buzzed. The fire highlighted sleepy smiles and left the world behind them in eager swarming black. Akamaru barked to be fed another marshmallow. Hinata gasped as her tongue burned for biting into hers too hot before it could cool down. Unusual pleasantness and easiness blanketed them.

"I can't believe I forgot that it was Chuunin Appreciation Day." Tenten sighed, drawing attention to her aisle.

Sakura chuckled, "Don't beat yourself up, Tenten. We all did."

"Not me!" Naruto beamed.

"Nor did I!" Cheered Lee.

Tenten scowled. "That's because you morons tricked us into thinking you were kidnapped!"

"Indeed we did! It was all an elaborate plot that Gai-sensei put together with the help of Captain Yamato!"

"And you guys all fell for it! Even you, Neji!" The blonde broke out into boisterous laughter and Lee joined in, filling the camp with eyerolls and annoyed groans.

"Grow up, Naruto. Neji figured out your plan before we even got here."

Naruto stuck out his tongue. Tenten did the same.

He took a little bit of silent pride in her appraisal. Even since they were kids, Tenten had taken no reticence in boasting of his strength or intelligence or prowess as a ninja to other people like it were nothing. It was probable that, he wagered with a slight smile, he would never run out of reasons to like her.

As it were suggested by the title, Chuunin Appreciation Day was a celebration of the village chuunin, usually carried out by their assigned teachers (though Neji and the Nara boy, who was present elsewhere by the fire and silent, were past that rank already). Unfortunately, their generation of nin seemed to all have sensei who thought they were funny, and would go out of their way every year to prank their disciples before throwing them a party of sorts like this. Mito's lake had been the venue two years ago, fitting in perfectly with Neji's earlier suspicions. It was a waste of time, and an utterly nonsensical venture for their sensei to participate in at all; they were supposed to be strong and professional. They should not bother with trivial, childish pursuits such as this. But Neji seemed to be the only one present who lacked any humor about the situation; even Tenten had asked him to lighten up. So he had minded his tongue, and only insulted Gai-sensei a handful of times when enduring his relentless, obnoxious teasing.

As their teachers were long gone by this point in the day (hopefully off to do more important, worthwhile things with themselves than aggravate him), the ninja in their circle were generally calm and amiable with one another. Ino had taken it upon herself to recount the tale of how her and Hinata's team had gotten caught up in the ploy of their own sensei for Chuunin Appreciation Day.

"Asuma-sensei tried to keep it a secret, but he couldn't stop snickering with Kurenai-sensei. He really thought we were fooled!"

Sakura asked with a giggle, "Aren't those two dating now?"

"If they are, they're not gonna say so! Technically, jounin sensei aren't allowed to date each other. It's not like it's enforced by Tsunade-sama, though."

At this point, most of the twelve (as in, the male shinobi) had zoned out of the conversation. The relationships among their teachers wasn't especially interesting to Neji either, so he watched Tenten sleepily create shadow puppets for them in the blanket of the looming fire. She formed something like a dog and a rabbit and told an unclear story where they apparently attempted to kill each other, became friends, and then the rabbit betrayed the dog by… eating it or sitting on top of it or something. She didn't illustrate it well, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

Soon then time came where a consensus was reached to spend the night in the forest and sleep. Most carried sleeping bags or blankets regularly, and for those who didn't (Lee, Naruto) Tenten was able to supply spares.

The girls moved their camp to the opposite side of the little lake with promised death threats should any of the boys try to sneak over. Tenten wished he and Lee goodnight (without the quick hug or kiss she often gave him before parting due to others being around), and they all settled into their beds.

Even though his intentions had honestly been to retire, neither the girls nor the boys shut down after separating. He could hear faint conversation from their end, gossiping, probably, and a few of the boys chattered on. Their loud, whining voices kept him from sleeping.

"Man, I thought they'd never stop talking about relationships and all that junk!" Naruto moaned, his cheeks held in his palms. "Why do those girls even bother talking about boys? I'm the real stud here!"

"Get real," Kiba taunted. "What girl would wanna date your ugly mug?"

"Lots of 'em! And I'm way cooler and more good-looking than you, Kiba!"

He growled, "You wanna say that again, punk?"

"Gentlemen, please!" Lee intervened. "It is common knowledge that no shinobi is more handsome than the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha, Rock Lee!"

Blank stares decorated Lee's boasting form. A withering exchange was shared between the latter two boys.

Kiba resisted and began stroking Akamaru's back. He tossed a raw marshmallow into his mouth and rolled his eyes. "No way am I uglier than this guy. Girls are all over me like bees to honey. Tell 'em, Shino."

"Bees are not attracted to honey, Kiba. A better comparison would be bees to pollen, because they actively seek it out from the stamen of regular flora and carry it to separate pistils which they use to—"

"Blah blah blah, I get it. Just answer the question, will ya?"

"In actuality, you did not ask me a question"—Kiba interrupted him with a groan—"but the logic behind your argument is fundamentally flawed. Why? Because physical appearance is not the only trait that females consider when choosing a mate."

Naruto snorted. "Oh, yeah? Then what else is so important, Professor Know-It-All Shino?"

"I cannot answer that, Naruto. There are too many factors to be named. But intelligence, for example, is important to many females. This would be an issue for all three of you."

The blonde whined, "How come?"

"Because you are not very smart."

Raucous outburst exploded from the three that brought insistent "shush"ing from the girls' camp, as well as him wishing that he could have stayed with Tenten instead of these moronic failures of human evolution. Neji pressed his head further into the cushion of his sleeping bag and tried to tune them out.

"That can't be true! Neji is plenty smart and he doesn't have a girlfriend!"

"Yeah! Explain that, girl expert." Kiba affirmed.

Lee then chimed in, to his angered chagrin, "Ah, that is where you are wrong, Naruto-kun, Kiba-kun, because Neji does indeed have a girlfriend!"

It was perhaps three seconds of pause after Lee's statement before the shouts ensued.

"WHAT?"

"FOR REAL?"

"NO WAY!"

"WHO? "

"Is it not obvious?"

"Lee," Neji warned, raising his head, "be quiet —"

"It was our dear Tenten who has stolen the heart of my youthful rival!"

Somehow he got the impression that Lee's answer was very anticlimactic, because the lack of surprise and spurr of boredom that befell both Naruto and Kiba's faces indicated a prior hope for a more interesting, sordid, shocking answer.

"Well, I guess that makes sense," said Naruto with a frown.

"If any girl were to date that bag of ice, it'd probably be her." Kiba concluded.

"I was also not surprised when you informed Gai-sensei and I of your development, Neji!"

These lines marked the unavoidable rope that finally dragged him into the conversation, because all eyes (including the curiously silent Akimichi and Sai) were on him as if expecting some sort of input.

"Who knew this guy was such a lady's man, yeah?" With a strangely prideful grin Naruto patted Neji's exposed shoulder a couple times, and he recoiled. "I'm kinda proud of you, Neji! When we first met, I never would've thought you'd manage to get yourself a girlfriend!"

He did, in fact, acknowledge that he never would have gotten together with Tenten if not for Naruto's intervention that time several years ago. For that, he simply batted the boy's hand away instead of punching him out of the tent.

Kiba yawned, "How long have you guys even dated?"

"Was it you or Tenten that professed your undying love and affection first?"

"Have you both had sex yet?"

"Is she hotter with her hair down?"

"Do you guys—wait, WHAT?"

All heads slowly turned in disbelief on Sai, who's innocent plain smile met the gaping dropped jaws of his company. Shikamaru snorted. Lee seemed confused. The rest shared varied expressions of shock and embarrassment.

Before Neji could even begin to fathom a coherent response, Kiba stoked the flames of the subject matter, "Well, have you?"

He remembered a period when Inuzuka had feared him as "Hinata's evil cousin" and felt himself missing those times, because his insolence was making it more and more likely that he'd get jyuuken'd right into the lake.

The honest answer was no, he and Tenten had not slept together, that last night was the first time they'd done anything more than chaste kissing, but such facts were not information privy to an audience or anyone except those involved. As of right now, the sexual aspect of their relationship was mutually uncertain and neither knew exactly where they stood or what the future held, but Neji's intent was to push anything like that as far away as possible. Just thinking about it brought the guilt and shame back in droves, because he still had yet to confess to the terrible thing he'd done to her or clarify his actions from yesterday.

But he was honestly disgusted that Sai—someone he didn't even know—and Kiba had the audacity to even ask him about that. What made them think that they were entitled to know anything that private and personal about his life?

"It would do you both well to learn," Neji finally started, his voice hardened and threatening, "that my relationship with Tenten is not any of your business."

Surprisingly, Sai actually seemed repentant. "Ah, my apologies, Neji-kun. I was under the impression that such subjects were common amongst social gatherings."

"That's 'cause they are. Neji just doesn't wanna spill anything 'cause he's probably one of those guys that's gonna stay a virgin until he's married."

"Kiba-kun, how dare you mock the sanctity of abstaining from sex until marriage!" Lee jumped out of his sleeping bag and grabbed Neji by his shoulders with an iron grip, forcing him into eye contact. His voice was nothing but grave and forceful, his eyes fixated severely into his own. "Neji, my rival, you must promise to me that you will not deflower with Tenten until you are betrothed! You may be on the path to adulthood, but a child is a serious responsibility and raising one would prematurely extinguish her passionate flames of youth! For our dear comrade's sake, you must not impregnate her! Promise!"

The word "deflower" out of Lee's mouth was probably the worst, most vomitous thing that Neji had ever heard at any point ever in the course of his seventeen years of existence. Of all the things to make sex sound unappealing, that had to be it.

And yet, even though they shared the same sentiments on premarital sex, Neji chose not to promise Lee anything.