I've been receiving some confused inquiries about the premise of the prologue, and will pull out an age-old response: Keep reading to find out! Trust me, it will make more sense in due time.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Tenten Sarutobi (12A - 2015)

TUESDAY

9:00AM - 9:45AM Physics (D. KATO)

9:50AM - 10:35AM Gym (M. GAI)

10:35AM - 11:05AM RECESS

11:10AM - 11:55AM Chemistry (I. UMINO)

12:00PM - 12:45PM English (K. YUUHI)

12:45PM - 1:45PM LUNCH

1:50PM - 2:35PM Biology (JIRAIYA)

2:40PM - 3:25PM Mathematics (D. SHIMURA)

Pomp and superiority complexes aside, the Academy schools exactly four hundred trust fund babies per year, making it the educational facility with the lowest number of students in all of Konoha.

I kid you not, Konoha is a huge metropolis with about seventy secondary schools alone, most of which have over a whopping seven hundred students per school. That's over forty-nine thousand horny, pubescent teens crammed into schools all over the city.

("Tenten?")

Logically, all that government funding should be going into "creating a cleaner, healthier environment for the next generation" - and it is, kind of, if you ignore the increasing lack of actual green spaces around the city.

("Tenten!")

Going by what I've seen, a lot of the money still seems to be going into building sky rises to accommodate for a never-ending baby boom.

"Tenten!"

A low, muffled groan that definitely did not come out of my mouth is suddenly audible, preceding a sharp jab to my stomach.

"Ow! What is your problem?"

Shikamaru moves his head the teensiest bit, so that there's just enough room to drawl out a response but not enough to uncover his face from his arm-pillow - God forbid that happen. "Listen to the damn teacher."

Mr Kato, AKA Konoha Academy's Resident Hottie (and, unfortunately, the principal's husband), casts a shadow over our desk, simultaneously wearing a scowl that could make Hiashi tremble. If he was capable of trembling, anyway.

Hiashi. Hinata. Hyuga. Neji. Hot. Damn it Tenten, focus.

"Uh, good morning?" Mr Kato's scowl deepens. "Sir?"

"Good morning indeed, Tenten, and detention."

"What?" I gawk out, momentarily glaring at Shikamaru for snorting. "But, sir."

I paste on my best angelic face, the one Hinata uses to get out of trouble when she hangs out with Naruto after school, but, sadly, it only seems to work on the more mischievous teachers.

"Wednesday, Principal's office, right after sixth period." He glances over at a sleeping Shikamaru, and narrows his eyes. "The same goes to you, Shikamaru - students must be awake at all times while on school grounds and adhere to the dress code."

Right. So, Konoha Academy's also really anal about pressed shirts being buttoned all the way up, and what not. It's not a bad-looking uniform, honestly. The design is simple - black blazer, white under shirt, red tie and a red tartan skirt. And the standard black stockings don't exactly freeze people to death in the winter either, so it's a fair trade for having to iron-press the uniform every night.

The only questionable item, though, is this weird (fore)headband that has the school's symbol on it - a curly leaf. Apparently it's to honour Konoha's previous history as the world's espionage capital, but since being a well known spy hub is the biggest contradiction in the history of contradictions, no one needs to wear it anymore.

The only one who does is like, Naruto, who practically lives in the Principal's office because he insists on leaving his shirt halfway open while donning a long black cape with his name scrawled on it in huge letters. Hinata seems to love his pseudo-bad boy image, and he's a genuinely nice guy when he's not blatantly insulting every teacher he sees, so that's why no one's tried to pummel him into the ground yet. Yet.

Shikamaru shoots me a half-assed glare when he sees I'm not paying attention again.

"School sucks." I slam my physics textbooks open, purposefully letting it blast wind into his face. It does so perfectly; these books are gigantic.

Once Mr Kato resumes writing on the board, his head drops down to the desk like a magnet.

"Preaching to the choir, sister."

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow."

"Would you shut up?" Temari swats my arm, successfully leaving a small bruise in the process. I check my arm. Or, maybe not. Whatever. "You're such a baby."

I lean on Temari's shoulder like it's my lifeline. "You wouldn't be saying that if you had gym with GAI." She grins back at me. "AND LEE."

"That is true. Aren't you hating yourself for not dropping out of gym now?"

"Keep walking, Spikehead."

"Aye aye, captain."

We make it to the cafeteria at record speed, which is surprising as the hallways are usually littered with underclass men the moment any break begins.

Thankfully, one of the perks of having gym is that the gymnasium itself is literally two minutes away from the cafeteria - most likely violating several health and hygiene codes, but when you're the richest school in the state, that's probably not a problem.

Hinata's already at our usual table (on the side, away from the centre, where Naruto normally starts massive food fights) with Ino, but there's two new additions to our little...crib.

One is a heavily-muscled bodyguard with tinted sunglasses and a stoic expression on his face. He's standing next to Hinata, diligently giving us ninety-degree bows and introducing himself as 'Yamato, Lady Hinata's loyal bodyguard'.

The other is equally stoic, but much intense, if the light wave of greeting is anything to go by.

"Hey, Neji, what's up?"

He shrugs, somehow making it look like the most refined gesture there is, and does nothing else.

Yamato stops what he's doing as we sit down to eat, and starts shooting me suspicious glances every now and then. They go unnoticed most of the time, except by Neji, who shares a knowing glance with me.

Hiashi has eyes everywhere.

Woodstock, as Temari so aptly nicknames him, has a silently overbearing presence that hardly dissipates throughout the rest of lunch and chemistry (and, hey, Neji really is in the same class as me), lasting all the way up to maths with Mr Shimura. Unfortunately, having most of my classes with Hinata doesn't seem to be alleviating that elephant in the room at all.

Shimura is easily the craziest of all the staff in Konoha Academy, as well as the grumpiest and most sadistic. Rumour has it he was a ruthless gang leader back in his hay day, and has Illuminati-styled eye tattoos running down the length of his right arm. Freaky.

Point is, he's so wound up about maintaining order in the classroom that the moment Yamato strides in behind Hinata, the door slams shut in his sunglasses-clad face. Boom.

The class quietens down as soon as he fixes his one-eyed gaze upon us, and he turns towards the board to begin working. Hinata's studiously copying down the day and date in the corner of her page like a good girl, refusing to even look at me.

I frown; it's not like Yamato's here to babysit her anymore, shouldn't talking be fine now? I rip out a page of my exercise book, careful not to alert Mr Shimura to any unwanted sounds.

hey, everything okay?

It takes a few tense moments for her to send the paper back my way. The reply is in her usual, immaculate script.

yes, why do you ask?

I frown again.

you've been avoiding me all day? Is this about last night?

She sighs deeply when she reads my message, and doesn't reply for the next ten minutes.

yes. I don't think it is a good idea for us to be friends anymore.

look, I am so sorry for causing trouble with your dad, and I can understand why you're upset with me. Is breaking up really that necessary?

Hinata looks at my reply, looks at me, drops it onto her books to do her work, then picks up the piece of paper again. She angrily shreds it in two the second the bell starts ringing for the end of the day.

"Goodbye, Tenten."

At the very heart of Konoha is a quaint little ramen place called Ichiraku's, where a certain blonde boy spends 80% of his time eating, and 10% pouring out his life story to Ayame, the owner's daughter.

When discount fries and burgers aren't, well, discounted, Hinata normally drags us into the stand for some hearty noodle gorging (and ogling, on her part). However, seeing as today is not a normal day, and prices are rising for fast food, I'm the one dragging Temari into Ichiraku's.

Ayame gives us a huge smile when we enter, directing us to a cozy corner booth. Naruto looks up as well, throws us a wave, and goes back to his munching with... Hinata.

"I'm no expert on human behaviour or anything," Temari starts after settling herself into the chair, "but are you two fighting?"

I sigh. "No? I don't know? I think she's mad at me for last night."

She nods in silent understanding. "Did you apologise?"

"Yes!" A few of the other patrons give me startled glances when I slam my hand onto the table. "On paper," I admit quietly, "during Shimura's, and after she stormed out of class! Something must have happened to make her that angry."

Sweet, sweet Hinata wouldn't even be remotely upset if someone broke her priceless porcelain doll collection - that's how much of a sweetheart she is!

"Well, you did go on a tangent about truffles to her crazy dad, and indirectly demote her abilities in the eyes of the aforementioned crazy."

I cringed at Temari's blunt words. "I know that, but she didn't look unbelievably enraged at that point. What happened after I left?"

An uncertain expression passes across her face. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" I ask incredulously, "you were there!"

"Yes, and no. After you left last night, we just finished dinner - it was the tensest moment, like, ever - and the Hyugas kind of just... asked us to leave." She finishes off, thumbs twiddling. "So we did."

I sit back in my seat, glancing over to where the female Hyuga sat. "Just like that?" I whisper.

"Yeah."

We sit in a moody silence for a few minutes before Ayame walks over to take our orders. I force out a smile and point to a random item on the menu ("Temari?").

"What she's having," Temari replies. She trots away happily, leaving us to stew again.

A new figure makes their way to our booth. We both look up at the same time and-

Holy Hokage.

I don't believe in miracles, or any form of mystic power, but if Monet's works come to life and have a love child with Da Vinci's sculptures, it would be Neji.

With the school-issued headband, and short hair. Which he's currently sporting as he gets closer and closer by the minute.

...

"Hi, Tenten."

"Neji," I squeak back, ignoring Temari's raucous laughter, "How are you, this fine, fine-"

"Fine." Shut up, Temari.

"-evening?"

"I am well; thank you." He smiles politely, and it starts to resemble more of a devilish smirk now that his hair is sticking up at odd angles.

"That's...great." Cue the uncomfortable staring contest. I bite my lip. "Do you usually come here?"

"No," he states simply, "I am substituting for Yamato for now - Uncle is expecting him at the mansion." Temari cocks an eyebrow.

"So, why the head makeover?"

"It's...personal."

"We won't pry." I send Temari a pointed look; she responds with a hand motion towards my side of the booth.

"Take a seat, buddy, our food's coming soon."

He does as she says. "What did you order?"

Er. "Item number five, I think?" He throws me a questioning look, as though I should have known what I'd ordered. And, to be completely honest, we probably should.

"I think it was number fifty," Temari says with finality. A waiter pops up in the corner of my vision. "Ten bucks I'm right."

"You're on."

"Two vegetarian beef noodle plates for table six?"

"Which number is that?" Temari leans forward a bit too eagerly.

She frowns slightly while I confirm that indeed, we are number six. "It's item number one hundred and seven." We both slump back into our chairs.

Wait a minute.

"Vegetarian beef noodle plate?" The waiter nods impatiently. "Why does that even exist?"

"Ichiraku's experiments with a variety of flavours and constantly searches for dynamic palettes for the revitalised enjoyment of yours truly. Enjoy your meal." I look up at him for the first time, arguments ready to pour out of my lips, but he and his stupid spiky hairstyle are already hurrying away from our table.

Naruto turns around in his seat and signals the guy over to him; and as all meetings with the blonde go, they're already becoming friends. We grin stupidly, because even though he annoys us to the ends of the earth (Neji with more of an excuse than others) the guy really knows how to click with people.

Hinata swivels around in her's as well, gently greeting the scumbag waiter. Then she looks over at our booth, spots Temari, Neji and me in the same area and glowers angrily at us.

Sweet, sweet Hinata indeed.

Hey! I was planning on updating on New Year's Day, or earlier, but life caught up with me so I only just uploaded this chapter today. Thank you to all the people who have favourited/followed/reviewed - it means a lot. Happy New Year, and please provide feedback for this story by clicking the button below!