Restless Days II

Students along the hallways, buzzing excitedly for the start of the new term. Rock Lee and Tenten were escorted to their lockers by Shinten. The older teen was greeted by various peers, his popularity was very apparent to the younger students. Tenten was actually surprised that her brother was okay with escorting them around…let alone being seen with them. She figured her brother would be embarrassed to some capacity to have his little sister in the same school as him now. However, Shinten showed no wavering as he introduced Tenten and Rock Lee to his friends and peers. They awed at her, commenting on their very close similarities in their appearances.

"Here's your homeroom, Ten." Shinten gestured to the classroom. "Class 1-S."

Tenten hummed as she peaked through the door. There were students already at their seats, talking to others as they sat around waiting for class to begin. She turned to her brother.

"Thanks, Shin. I'll see you later?"

"If you want to meet up for lunch, I'll be by the main courtyard with the rest of the track team." he smiled.

He waved the two of them off before turning on his heel and trekking to his own classroom on the third floor. Rock Lee offered a sparkling grin and wished for them to have an excellent first day. Entering the classroom, didn't make eye contact with anyone as she looked for her desk. She could hear Lee excitedly conversing with someone else in the room, his voice was loud and clear. As she located her seat and began to unpack her books into her desk, the freshly bowl cut teen walked over to her with someone in toe.

"Tenten!" he chirped. "This is my friend from middle school. I wanted all three of us to be friends."

Tenten forced herself to keep a neutral expression as Lee gestured to the teen standing next to him. He was about the same height as her and Lee. His hair was long and looked silky to the touch. His eyes were the color of opal as the sunlight hit. He's…attractive, Tenten blinked and pursed her lips together to keep from gawking.

The teen nodded at her and introduced himself dryly. "Hyuga Neji."

The bunhead nodded back, her eyebrow cocked curiously. Lee is friends with a Hyuga? Wait, what is a Hyuga doing in a public school? Lee informed her that Neji was middle school president and was top of their class. It was nauseating how smart he was, and how cool everyone found him to be. Tenten let out a laugh when Lee mentioned that Neji was his rival for the past few years, and he will work hard this year to keep up and eventually beat him. The Hyuga stood there with a straight face, unfazed by Lee's decoration. He's probably used to Lee's energy by now, she thought. As her friend got wrapped up in his own moment of youth, she stood and held her hand out to Neji.

"Hua Tenten," she introduced herself sweetly. "Lee and I live in the same apartment building…we're neighbors."

"Ah, I see. He's been talking about meeting you since we found out we were all attending the same school." Neji replied, taking her hand politely. "I've heard quite a bit about you."

"Oh?" the bunhead glanced at her friend. "I see my reputation hasn't scared you off then."

Rock Lee grinned. He was boasting about her athleticism, her youthful personality, and her unwavering devotion to being an amazing friend. She would keep him on his toes and was not afraid to put him in his place when he faltered. A blush crept onto Tenten's cheeks as she shushed her busy browed friend.

"Anyway, hopefully we will all get along and make great friends." She offered Neji a smile and released his hand.

"Hn." a curt nod. He was rather stoic, not uninterested however, unreadable to Tenten.

The bell rang for homeroom to begin. The students were all seated by last name in rows. Tenten hummed as Neji sat at the desk behind her. Lee sat on the other side of the room, surrounded by people from his middle school. Role was called and as expected, there were whispers and glances shot the Hyuga's way as he raised his hand. Even the teacher seemed to be surprised to have him in class as she read his name out loud. His ears twitched as he caught some conversations; some commenting about his appearance, his family's worth…some from his old middle school commenting on how unfriendly he was last term and how he pushed people away except for the annoying bushy brown classmate.

"How annoying. It's only the first day…" Tenten sucked her teeth loudly, causing some peers around her to look her way. "Fucking, leeches."

Neji's eyebrow cocked upwards at her hushed comment. She has quite the mouth on her. He watched as her head tilted back slightly, an indication that she had rolled her eyes. A small smirk grew on his face as he started at the back of the bunhead's head. HIs usual effect on girls had them cooing all over him, he knew what he looked like. He was very aware of the looks, the love letters presented to him and shoved in his desk when he wasn't looking. Girls would blush and giggle as he walked by, pushing each other to go talk to him. Tenten's vibes were…not that. She had looked him dead in the face, shook her hand, and sat back down. It seems as though she hadn't batted an eye to him; he was just a friend of Lee's she was introduced to. He held no significance to her other than that for now.

"Within the next few weeks we will be holding elections for classroom representatives. Please take this time to get to know each other, and be ready to apply in two weeks. Then, we will vote."

Neji sat back in his chair. That position will be his as it always was. One of his goals for his high school career was to become student council president. It would be good for his university applications and be a huge flex to feed his ego. He held great pride in his academics as well as his ability to be a leader, as he proved in middle school. It must be genetic, he thought. Well, for me anyway. His younger cousin was nothing like him, he often wondered how she managed to be functional with how fragile she was. Without him, she would be a social mess. The bell for their first subject rang and another teacher entered the room. The class stood and bowed in greeting.

The first part of the day went smoothly. Neji had already impressed his teachers and established dominance quickly by his ability to answer questions correctly. It came to a point where the other students aired a vibe of intimidation at his intelligence. He did find it interesting that the girl, seated in front of him, was also raising her hand quite often. However, their teacher would mostly call on him. Probably to see if I live up to my family's reputation, Neji thought. At some point, Tenten had stopped raising her hand and had crossed her arms over her chest. It was obvious she was irritated at him to the point where she just gave up trying to answer any questions. At some point, Neji had also stopped raising his hand in wonder if she would attempt to participate again. Their teacher had looked his way expectantly, however ended up looking about the room when she realized he wasn't raising his hand. That's when Tenten raised hers. She answered the question correctly, which caused some murmurs to spur; did the Hyuga not know the answer? Why hadn't he raised his hand? Who was this girl who knew the answer that he did not? She's smart, that answer was clear and to the point. Neji thought as he looked at the back of her head. How in the hell is she friends with Lee of all people?

The lunch bell had rung and the class was dismissed. Tenten stretched her arms over her head and twisted her body to Neji. Her glare was pointed directly at him and her cheeks were puffed up slightly.

"We get it," she huffed. "You're smart. Save some answers for the rest of us!"

Neji blinked in surprise. Was she really mad at him for his constant participation? That was first for him. Usually, his classmates would allow him to take over, allowing them to dodge questions they were not paying attention to.

"Establishing academic dominance within the classroom is essential to become student council president. Besides, I let you answer the last one." he retorted.

"Weird flex, but okay." She rolled her eyes and stood. "Lee! Let's go!"

"Yosh! One moment, Tenten." Rock Lee waved at her. "I will meet you in the courtyard! I must touch base with the others first!"

Tenten nodded and smiled a bit. Lee was chatting up the people around him. All former classmates from middle school. She shrugged and looked at Neji, who was putting his books neatly back in his desk.

"Have any lunch plans?" she asked.

Neji shook his head as he stood.

"Great, now you do." the bunhead gestured to the door. "Come have lunch with us."

The Hyuga cocked an eyebrow at her. That wasn't a question, more of a demand. He wanted to head to the library, or to the athletics building to inquire about the sports club; potentially join the track team. He didn't have any interest in mingling at the moment. In fact, he'd rather spend his lunches alone.

"My older brother is the current student body president since you seem to be interested in getting into school politics," she hummed in clarification to her invitation and shrugged. "But suit yourself, I guess, genius boy."

His lips pursed as Tenten pivoted as she grabbed her lunch bag and started making her way to the door. That last remark was a taunt, not a compliment. He wasn't used to that tone coming from someone other than his family. She didn't look back at him as she walked into the hallway. Usually if he were to be bribed, he would be given a plethora of offers for introductions, favors…things like that. However, this seemed like a genuine invitation. She didn't seem to be asking for anything in return either by how she didn't even glance back over her shoulder at him.

Her legs swiftly carried her outside to the courtyard where she spotted her brother and a few of his friends sitting by the school fountain.

"There she is. Tenten over here!" Shinten called to her. "Where's Lee?"

"He said he would catch up in a few. He's talking to some classmates right now."

Shinten nodded and introduced some of the group to her. There was a girl with bright red hair and glasses who nodded at her and offered a sly smile, introducing herself as Karin. This is the girl that Shin would talk about at home…damn, she looks like she's ready to eat him by the way she's staring at him. Tenten returned the smile. The older teen sitting on the other side of her brother she already knew. Itachi Uchiha had come to the apartment a few times to help her brother with student council things…he was the vice president, if she recalled correctly. Itachi also had a younger brother as well that was a year under Tenten. He would also come to the apartment to hang out when Itachi was over. There was also a boy with round glasses and white hair. His name was Kabuto and he was also on the student council.

"You look just like Shin," Karin awed. "How cute of you to have lunch with your brother on the first day of school!"

Tenten pursed her lips together, unsure if the redhead meant that in a demeaning way or if she was actually found to be "cute" by her. Shinten sent a frown to Karin before motioning for Tenten to sit with them. She ate silently as they discussed various things, mostly about student council duties, events they needed to plan for the upcoming school year, and enrichment.

"Tenten, tryouts should be starting soon." Shinten looked at her and took out his phone. "I will send the captain's contact info. She's really nice, I'll introduce you later."

"Tryouts for what?" Karin asked. "And look at you doting on your baby sister. Let her live her life, Shin!"

Itachi chuckled at his friend's exasperated expression. Shinten explained that he was not doting on her, in fact he was trying to make sure her first year went as smoothly as possible so that when he leaves, he wouldn't have to worry about her. Kabuto looked up from the book he was reading and stated that he was indeed doting on her and giving her special treatment. The Uchiha commented that he would do the same for his brother if he was in this position.

"Whatever," Shinten looked at his sister. "Meet me by the track field later, Ten. The cheer team will also be meeting there and you can take a look at their team."

"Cheerleading, huh?" Karin cocked an eyebrow and adjusted her glasses. "I'm on the cheer team."

"Oh," Tenten mused as she ate her lunch. "So, I will see you at practice then."

"That's if you even get on the team, bunhead. First years usually never get on the team, and if they do, they're not even in the main squad until they've finished conditioning."

Shinten hummed and sat back. His sister was a trained gymnast and was on a team for extra curricular in middle school. Karin looked at the younger Hua for a moment. Her legs were toned well and her physique seemed solid. Maybe she did have a chance of getting on the squad.

"Besides," Shin side-glanced at Karin. "Aren't you still in condition training, Karin?"

Karin's face turned bright red. "T-that's because of an injury, Shin. You know that!"

"Oh, right." he smiled. "So, my sister can take your spot on the main squad then while you recover fully!"

Chuckles were heard between the boys. Tenten refrained from showing any reaction by looking away and focused on her lunch rather than the look of shock that had sprouted onto Karin's face; no enemies, she wanted no drama. The redhead stood angrily and stuck her tongue out at them before storming off.

"You're so mean," Kabuto smirked. "And she likes you way too much to be acting this way. She should know better, three years later."

Shinten shook his head, his brown locks dancing on his face. "Karin isn't for me. Plus, I didn't like the tone she used with Tenten. If I'm going to be with someone, they have to respect Tenten, too."

Tenten smiled softly to herself. Her brother always had her back for everything. He held no ill intentions of trying to embarrass her and he wasn't embarrassed of having her around. He was himself around her and others and never pressured her to change how she acted when his friends came around. Shin was just cool all around. And when he graduates at the end of this year, she will try not to smear his name in anyway. Though, she can't make any promises yet…it was only the first day of school.

"So," the older Hua leaned over after a moment. "Tell me about this friend Lee introduced you to."

Tenten rolled her eyes. He was a pompous Hyuga who was too smart for his own good. She understood why Lee was determined to "beat him" in anyway. The rivalry was-for sure-justified. All morning, he answered every single question, the teacher ignoring her hand to see how smart he was and to just listen to what the Hyuga had to say. At some point, he stopped raising his hand, and Tenten was finally able to answer a damn question. Itachi and Shinten chuckled.

"Hyuga, huh?" Itachi looked at her. "I never thought I would hear that name in a public school."

"Oh, come on," Shinten rolled his neck. "No one thought they'd see an Uchiha in a public school either."

Itachi exhaled through his nostrils. That part was true, both families were wealthy and at some point distantly related as well. He couldn't say he knew any of the Hyugas personally, however he had been to various events with his parents and had been introduced; but it was strictly business. Tenten hummed as Itachi continued to talk about how the Hyugas owned many overseas companies and had a well established hand in politics as well. These damn rich kids… Tenten groaned to herself.

"I do recall meeting your classmate at an event, Tenten." the Uchiha sipped his thermos. "Hyuga Neji, right?"

Tenten nodded her head. "He wants to be student council president. To be nice and offer my wonderful friendship-I offered to introduce him to you guys. But, he totally brushed me off. Him and his flex of academic dominance…"

Shinten couldn't help himself but look amusingly at his sister. They had just had a conversation on the way to school about this; a rivalry. He bet she understood exactly how Lee felt and was now on the same train.

"Tenten, be nice. He may not be a 'pompous' rich prick." the older Hua draped an arm around the Uchiha sitting next to him. "Itachi is rich, however only slightly pompous, and not even close to being a prick!"

Itachi rolled his eyes but let out a laugh. "If you require anything Tenten, do not hesitate to ask. We are here for you."

The bunhead looked at him in gratitude. She was lucky to have any kind of support through this important time in her life. After a while, Kabuto rose from his spot and announced he was heading to the science building to prepare for class; he wanted to go over some things with his advanced placement chemistry teacher before the lab. The group waved him off and fell into comfortable small talk.

Neji frowned as he was cornered by Rock Lee in the hallway. The bowl cut teen was determined to have lunch with him and to round up Tenten so they could build their friendship. The Hyuga repeated to Lee what he had told Tenten; he wished to be alone. He had things he wanted to do and wasn't interested in being social at the moment. As usual, Lee chose to ignore his words and grabbed Neji by the arm. He dragged the Hyuga all the way to the main courtyard and almost immediately spotted Tenten and a few upperclassmen.

"Lee there you a-" Tenten paused and side glanced at the Hyuga behind him. "You brought him with you?"

Neji pursed his lips together; he was unwanted. This was an uncomfortable feeling for him, her glare was sharp and he brought himself to match her gaze.

"I did! We should build our friendship since we will be together for the rest of our youthful high school days!" the bowl cut teen exclaimed.

The upperclassmen didn't flinch as Lee pulled Neji down to sit with them. Neji could still feel Tenten's glare next to him. Shifting awkwardly, the Hyuga nodded at them.

"Ten, introduce us to your new friend." Shin nudged her with a smirk.

"This is Hyuga Neji," Tenten grumbled and pointed to Shinten. "This is my brother, he is your current student council president. And Uchiha Itachi, the vice president."

Neji eyes the pin at the color of their uniform jackets. A golden pin with the numeral representing third years was in full display for both upperclassmen. The president held his hand out to the Hyuga with a very charming smile.

"Hua Shinten, pleased to make your acquaintance."

Neji took his hand firmly, surprised at how gentle the older Hua's grasp was. He was conditioned to always shake firmly and hold even eye contact with whoever he was talking to. Looking between the two siblings, Tenten and Shinten could be twins if they were born at the same time. Same round faces and tanned skin tone; both sporting chocolate brown hair. The only difference was the eyes. Tenten's eyes sparkled gold as the sun hit them where Shinten's gave off a green hue. Her eyes were expressive and easy to read. He wouldn't be surprised if you could read her thoughts by just looking at her face with those…loud eyes. That's what they were; loud. The glare she had shot him after their morning classes nearly sent a shiver down his spine; he was very taken aback by her attitude and her eyes added an extra element that he has only witnessed through his uncle. His eyes attract plenty of attention. He had been teased about his eyes when he was a kid, they looked lifeless and stone cold to a lot of people. Some would avoid looking him in the eye because his eyes were intimidating. But Tenten's were warm, they looked welcoming; Wait…why was he still looking at her eyes? Neji blinked, realizing he was caught staring at the bunhead herself. She hadn't drawn any attention to it though; she just stared right back. Curiously, she was looking at him.

"I bet you hear this a lot," she spoke after a moment. "Your eyes are kind of like opals. They reflect the light around us in a cool way."

The Hyuga's lips parted and his eyes grew wide. "Actually… I haven't heard that one yet."

"Oh, well I'm sure you get complimented plenty anyway."

Neji scratched the back of his head. "Yes, but… not like that."

Tenten shrugged and told him it was true. That's just what she thought and hoped he took it as an observational compliment and not her being a weirdo. To be fair though, he was the one staring at her to begin with and she just matched his energy. He shook his head and looked at his lunch. To be compared to a crystal was a first for him. It was rather…charming? Was that the word he was going to use to label this interaction? Sure, might as well, he thought to himself as he reached for his meal.

"Neji and I were going to try out for the track team, Shin." Lee exclaimed. "When do tryouts begin?"

"Soon, don't worry you'll be the first to know Lee. I have a meeting later to discuss tryouts and upcoming events with them." Shinten mused. "Don't think that just because you're my sister's friends means I will go easy on you two for tryouts."

"You're…also track team captain?" Neji cocked an eyebrow.

Shinten grinned and ran his hand through his shaggy hair. He was involved in a lot of extracurriculars at this school; which is why he was "top dog" here. Itachi chuckled next to him and glanced at his watch. They still had some time before the afternoon classes began, however he excused himself to stop by the administration office to drop off some paperwork for the student council. That left the Hua siblings, the Hyuga, and the bowl cut teen. Lee began to talk about his expectations for the school year having gone through the morning. He brought up how Neji was showing a display of impressive knowledge, to which he pointed at the Hyuga and declared war. Neji looked at Lee in utter confusion and also concern as his bushy-browed friend made a promise to catch up to the Hyuga in grades and even compete against him during track. The Hyuga rolled his eyes and retorted that Lee would never measure up to him…even if he tried. Tenten snapped to the Hyuga and called him an arrogant asshole for assuming that Lee was incapable of keeping up with his prestigious-ass, rich-having ass, pretty-princess boy-looking ass self and even warned him not to underestimate Lee or herself when it came out keeping up with him; he wasn't the only intelligent one in the class. Neji looked at her, mouth slightly ajar at her outburst; she had insulted his genius, his character, his socio-economic status, and his appearance in one run-on sentence just to leave him with a threat. The older Hua siblings let out an amused laugh at the scene before him. Neji was gobsmacked by the younger Hua; slightly intimidated by the vibe she radiated off of her. That was another first for him; being intimidated…though only slightly. And by a girl he just met no less. A sting of irritation and intrigue shot through his spine as he stared wide eyed at her.

"Tenten, be nice." Shinten wiped his eyes as he settled his laughter. "You're supposed to be friends.

"I'll be nice," she snapped and gestured to the Hyuga next to her with her thumb. "When he plays nice! Besides, friends should be able to hold other friends accountable. Right?"

Shinten let out another burst of laughter as his sister puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms over her chest. Neji made a mental note that Tenten was indeed protective of Lee, and her outbursts were nothing short of troublesome. He should avoid such interactions. Though, her outburst did leave a little room for excitement. She must be great at arguing for her to hit so many points and basically shoved her fist in his mouth verbally. Not even his cousins could hold up against him in an argument, which is why they avoided arguing with him in the first place.

"What?" Tenten exclaimed. "You keep staring at me! Do you have something to say, Hyuga?"

Fuck, Neji grunted and rolled his eyes. Again, he was caught staring at her, but this time she called him out on it. He could feel Tenten's eyes boring into the side of his face. However, he brushed it off and ate his lunch in silence.