Restless Days I

Tenten smoothed out her skirts as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her uniform was freshly pressed and crisp for her first day at Konoha High. She slept well; she wasn't nervous at all. Probably because she was going to school with people she already knew. She and her upstairs neighbor had recently found out they would be in the same class, which delighted the both of them of not having to start from scratch in terms of making friends and being in that awkward stage of hoping someone would like them enough to sit with them at lunch. Not that it mattered to Tenten, but there was still comfort in knowing that she wouldn't be alone.

Bzzt bzzt

The bunhead grabbed her phone from the bedside table and smiled as she read the message;

Ready when you are, Lotus.

Grabbing her bag, she kissed her parents goodbye before meeting her older brother at the door. Tenten Hua gave a gasp of excitement as her neighbor was already waiting downstairs in his uniform. He greeted them with a smile.

"Wow, sick haircut." Her older brother said.

"Lee, you didn't tell me you were changing it up for the first day." Tenten awed. "I liked your long hair."

Rock Lee hummed and shrugged. He wasn't a fan of the long hair; it was too much in terms of management and he figured it would be a great way to start their new adventure together. They began walking down the street, their apartment building was conveniently only a twenty minute walk from their new school and like a stereotypical scene in an anime, it was beautiful outside. Tenten chuckled to herself at the thought.

"So, how are my first years feeling now that you're in big kid school?" Tenten's older brother asked after a few minutes of walking.

"I am excited to begin this new adventure!" Rock Lee exclaimed. "I will join the track team, the MMA club, maybe even the karate club…"

Tenten grinned. "I'm going to try out for the cheer team."

Rock Lee cocked a surprised eyebrow at her. "The cheer team? Why?"

"Well, I have been keeping up with my gymnastics over the years. And the Kendo club is cool and all, but I want something more…thrilling."

Lee looked at her with confusion.

"She wants to be thrown in the air and tossed around." Her brother clarified.

The bowl cut teen gave a hum of understanding before smiling at her and offering her luck on her future tryouts.

"Shin, how does it feel to be going into your third year?" Tenten looked at her older brother.

Shinten Hua thought to himself as they walked along. He wasn't expecting anything exciting, he'd be applying for college overseas and would be spending most of his time hanging out with his friends. He wanted to make his last year as smooth as possible, without any headaches.

"I still can't believe mom and dad said you could go to America for university." Tenten groaned. "And leave me here to deal with high school by myself!"

Shinten laughed and pinched at her cheek.

"Ow! Let go!"

"You gonna miss me, Ten?" He teased. "Aw, that's cute. You'll be fine without me though, you have Lee."

The bunhead rubbed her now pink cheek and swatted at her older brother. The good thing was that he wouldn't be around to embarrass her in front of her classmates. Not that he intended to, but he still treated her as if she was a child, and it was annoying. Shinten was very protective of her, and although she could handle herself, Shin would make it his business to be in her business. Rock Lee was an exception because they've known each other for so long.

"Well, whatever happens this year, I'm sure it will be a great time. I have a friend I want to introduce you to Tenten. I think you two will get along." Rock Lee said. "He was top of class in my middle school and I have no doubt he'd be in our class too."

The Hua teen shrugged, she was down for making more friends. She has heard of this guy before from Lee, he would talk about him a lot whenever they would study together for their middle school exams. Well, it was more that Lee would complain about how more good looking and how much smarter his friend was, and even proclaimed him to be a rival of some sort. Tenten went to a different middle school where she was keeping up with her mandarin language classes; but they had a lot of the same work.

"Oh? A friend of yours?" Shinten ran a hand through his brown shaggy hair. "So, you'll be starting your first year off as a trio. Very nice."

Rock Lee and Tenten nodded. Yes, they thought. The three of them would make it through high school together. Lee had given Tenten a very vague idea of who this new person was he wanted her to meet. He seemed like a normal guy, but for some reason Lee had this vendetta against him for being a "genius". She had told Lee that his academics were terrible, he was good enough. Sure, he could use some more studying in some areas but he shouldn't compare himself to someone who was a genius; he'd just disappoint himself in the end. Shinten chuckled at that idea, himself being student body president currently as well as captain of the track team.

"Let him live, Ten." her brother mused. "Having some competition does you good. Keeps you on your toes and makes things interesting."

"Whatever, Shin." Tenten rolled her eyes. She wanted to just exist at her own pace for the next three years. "I can handle myself, without all that."

Shinten grinned. "Whatever you say, baby sis."

Neji was awake before his alarm this morning. He spent the time meditating with tea in his hands. He had packed his bag the night before and his parents had sent him money to have his uniform pressed. The condo was quiet. Boxes still took up space by the front door as evidence of his parents moving out. Rather, they were leaving him here in Konoha City to finish his education while they went overseas to handle family business. His parents kept tabs on him as they traveled back and forth, taking more and more with them. They left him with the furniture and appliances, they really only took their belongings and computers. Everything else was left behind for Neji to use at his leisure. The new found silence was a bit difficult for him to get used to, to his surprise. He figured his parents not being around would offer a new found independence that he would prosper in. However, he found himself feeling a bit forlorn when we woke up to an empty house while his cousins stayed at the main estate with everyone else. Slowly, he was getting used to the silence. He sort of missed the light clanking of pots from his mother making breakfast and the low volume of the television as his father sat at the table to watch the news before heading downtown to the office. He didn't have to worry about bills or rent, his parents paid for everything, and even left him an allowance. Neji was wise enough to save it in his bank account, and even take up a part time job tutoring so it seemed as though he was not just mooching off of his family's fortune (for his own pride).

BZZT BZZT

Neji glanced at his phone as he slipped his shoes on. His younger cousin had wished him luck on his first day of high school. Sending a quick reply in gratitude, he took one last look at himself in the mirror by the door before leaving. The morning was bright, and he would be driven to school by the taxi service his uncle had provided for his daughters and Neji (as a favor to Hizashi. Even though Neji was content with taking the bus). The black car was waiting outside the condo complex and his driver had the door open and waiting.

"Good morning, Master Neji."

Neji nodded in greeting before ducking into the back seat. The luxury car was clean and roomy as he sat in the back. This was a bit much for a public school student, he thought. He had refused to go to a private academy due to his name specifically; he didn't want to be hounded by other rich-kids just because he belonged to one of the richest families in Konoha City. The goal was to keep a low profile, which would be a challenge. Once attendance is called, everyone will know that a Hyuga will be in their class.

"How annoying." he mumbled to himself.

Friends were also out of the question. He wasn't sure he wanted to go through the trouble of making friends who potentially only wanted to talk to him for his family's money. There was one kid in particular that he did become friendly with. He could tolerate him, though sometimes he was a bit loud and his energy could be very…exaggerated. And yet, he was kind to Neji and never brought up his family or money. They were going to be in the same class, and hopefully he will have a quiet three years. His phone buzzed again in his pocket.

Hey! See you in class, my friend. I have someone I would love for you to meet! - Rock Lee

The Hyuga cocked an eyebrow and sent a standard reply. This other person was probably the friend that he was talking about in middle school. The girl who was in his building that he was friends with since childhood. He hoped she was nothing like Lee, Neji doesn't think he could take two spontaneous balls of energy. He sat back and plugged his ears with his ear buds. Lee had been talking about this girl for a long time. He would boast about her honesty, how head strong she was, her talent for sports. The Hyuga wondered if Rock Lee may have had a crush on this girl. Crush or not...he's determined to introduce us, Neji hummed to himself. She didn't go to the same middle school as them, through he wondered if he has ever seen her in person before with Lee. He doubted it, though he never really paid attention to the other people that his friend had hung around; he found them all annoying. Yet, when it came to Lee, there was something about him that he found to be rather amusing. Perhaps, it is that the bushy browed teen went out of his way to actually attempt to have a regular conversation with him and treated him like how he treated everyone else; unwavering kindness. Lee didn't seem to care about his money or prestige, in fact Neji was told by Lee that he found all that to be unimpressive. A smirk came to the Hyuga's lips as the thought about it. Unimpressive was the word he used which intrigued Neji. And that was after Lee had confronted him for being a natural born "genius". Again, Lee was annoying and his friends were mediocre at best. But something told him that this girl was more than what was described. He didn't to make new friends, but his interest was perked about this girl and perhaps he could make an exception. Neji had already seen a picture of her, curtesy of Lee. He would send him pictures of his summer activities and extend an invitation to hang out-to which Neji would refuse politely and spent most of his summer studying and becoming independent. Speaking of, now that he was alone in the condo, he could actually redecorate and theoretically have people over if he wanted to...but did he want to? His hair danced as he shook his head to himself. Probably not, no one really needed to know his business.

The car had stopped on the corner of the block by Neji's request. Yes, he could still be seen exiting the vehicle but he supposed it would be better than being dropped off right in front of the school itself. He thanked his driver before adjusting his bag on his shoulder and took his time walking to the entrance.