Tenten's Guide to Bodyguard Dating - Part 2
AN: The public (keroRiBBIT, Wintry Leen, fanofthisfiction, imjustanotheroneofthem, Nairil) has spoken, and I shall deliver.
Or,
Brought to you by another spout of intense procrastination!
Pairings: NejiTen
Hyuga Industries; Level 36
June 27| 0910 UTC
Neji paused in his tracks, taking took a long, hard look at Tenten's shocked indignation before slowly turning his wide-eyed gaze away to face his uncle. He seemed to have recognised her, if the dawning comprehension that embraced his features was any indicator.
Hiashi coughed politely. "I see that you two have already been acquainted." Ignoring their dumbfounded reactions, he pressed forth. "Splendid; saves me the trouble of introducing people. I do appreciate the temporal efficiency, Tenten." Hiashi gave her a brisk nod of approval and, barely moving from his stance, handed her a thick manila folder of files. "Your contract," he clarified, handing her an exquisite fountain pen with 'Hiashi Hyuga' engraved on it in cursive font. She gingerly held it in between the tips of her forefingers as he flipped open the folder and motioned towards the first signature line.
"Sign here." Tenten, having never used such a pen before (they weren't exactly 'bodyguard' practical), clumsily scratched her signature onto the paper. Blinking, Hiashi wordlessly continued to point her to page after page until she'd somehow attained a degree in fountain pen artistry, then sniffed and slammed the folder shut. Neji was yawning from his seat by the time they'd finished. "Thank you, Tenten. You are officially an employee of Hyuga Industries. Work commences as soon as Neji's meeting ends; in the meantime, Ms Yamanaka will give you a brief tour of the building."
She tucked the manila folder beneath her armpit and followed the secretary out of the door. All in all, Tenten felt positively horrified, but any reservations she'd had about her new client were dissipated when the woman waved a cheque underneath her nose.
"For insurance," the blonde giggled, "We do this for all the new bodyguards. You'd be surprised how difficult your job can be, especially when you're a woman."
Tenten struck while the iron was hot, and graciously accepted her bribe. "Why is that?"
The secretary led Tenten into a sleek, communal area before setting up the coffee machine. She opened the fridge, pulled out a carton of slim milk and made a face. "You'll realise soon enough. A quick heads up: don't wear anything other than black pantsuits and shades with him in public. You'll be hard-pressed not to punch the paparazzi if you don't."
Been there, done that. Guarding the rich and famous was more than a chore, especially when people actually liked them. She'd never known how annoying it could be to stop someone from being mauled by crowds of rabid fangirls until Sasuke assigned her to Killer B a few years back. Needless to say, his retirement from the rapping industry came as a blessing to her.
"Not exactly a challenge," Tenten replied, suddenly grateful for the multitudes of business suits strewn all over her apartment, "Anything else?"
"I'm Ino Yamanaka," she finished pouring out the coffee into a grey mug and held out her hand, "Come to me if you need anything. If it's to cry or pig-out from stress, I know a place a few levels down." Ino gave her a playful wink, to which Tenten responded with a firm handshake and an uncertain grin.
"Come on," Ino led her out of the room and back to Hiashi's office, where Neji was closing the door behind him and simultaneously eyeing a new intern. Tenten sighed, parting ways with Ino as she followed her new boss into an office down the hall.
Do it for the money, Tenten. Do it for the money.
Monday, June 27. 11:00 AM
From: tampon
I have words for you, Tennie, and none of them are as pretty as I am. You owe me at least ten boxes of macarons for ditching your date last night.
Hyuga Industries
June 27| 1101 UTC
Tenten emerged from the women's bathroom, brows furrowed. Now was definitely not the time to concern herself over minute details like being unjustly accused for something she didn't do, for once, so she switched the phone to vibrate and pocketed it. Heels inaudible against the marble flooring, Tenten hurried back to Neji's office, frown deepening when she noted his secretary's empty desk. She hadn't had the time to do a security check on Neji's personal staff yet, so any paranoia she had over potential security threats hadn't been quenched. This guy was going to be the death of her and her career, if he kept this up.
A knock on the door, and a twist on the handle led to a sight she'd naively hoped not to come across, ever. Even so, Tenten didn't bat an eyelash when they struggled to readjust their shirts. The brunette fixed a sharp glare on their intruder, to which Tenten replied, "Mr Hyuga, I'm sure you wouldn't mind that I perform a security check on your secretary. I'm afraid no employee is exempt from this precaution - for your own safety, of course."
The woman flushed, then shot a glare at Neji, who seemed remarkably amused by this turn of events. "Of course. Your professionalism is greatly appreciated."
"Who are you?" She huffed, throwing a blazer over her shoulders.
"Close Protection Operator," Tenten said coldly. "May I check the contents of your bag, Miss?"
"Mrs," she corrected snootily. There was no response. "And yes, you may."
Tenten strode towards the table, politely extracted the handbag from her open hands and quickly turned the bag inside out before replacing its contents. All the while, as she was trained, her expression didn't budge from its mask of apathy. From the corner of her vision, she saw Neji watching their interaction with keen interest.
"You're clear," she thanked the secretary for her cooperation, and watched the woman shuffle out of the office with her head held high. Inwardly, Tenten sighed in relief. Her job was always significantly more difficult when people didn't want to cooperate, and seeing how Tenten was going to be around the secretary more often, she really didn't want to create enemies on her first day. "Thank you for your patience, Sir."
He dipped his chin solemnly before leaning back in his chair and observing her intently. "I've received word that the guest house has been prepared for you. You and the executive security team should be able to keep in close contact from now on."
Tenten kept her response to a minimum. "Yes, Sir."
He nodded, then rifled through his files nonchalantly. "So," she snapped back to attention, "Are we going to talk about it?"
"About?" Tenten feigned ignorance.
"Our first meeting. Wasn't it ironic?"
She avoided his sharp gaze. "The one person who has ever managed to place me in a compromising position is none other than the woman designated to protect me." Tenten winced, now that he was laying out her mind's torment before him. Neji seemed pleased by her reaction and shook his head smugly. "I admit, I am far from pleased that my Uncle has assigned me a new bodyguard, especially when I'd explicitly expressed a lack of need for one. However, considering last night, I am relieved. Welcome to the team."
Tenten didn't know what to make of his impromptu speech, nor his sudden and disorienting change in character, so she chose to give him a brief smile and a gentle, "Thank you, Sir."
"Neji," he held up a hand, "When it is just the two of us, call me Neji." At her conflicted look, he added, "Sir makes me feel old, which I am not. Clearly."
"Clearly," she allowed a small smirk to filter through her mask of indifference. Maybe this job wouldn't be so bad, after all.
MISSED CALLS (6)
6:23 PM
tampon (3)
8:00 PM
sakura (2)
11: 45 PM
tampon (1)
Monday, June 27. 9:13 PM
From: sakura
Hey Tennie, you okay? Temari's blowing a fuse over here. Call soon, yeah?
Sign in to VidLeaf
Username: ten_ten
Password: ********
Group call: saku_ha, temari_no_sabaku ?
Hyuga Manor
June 28| 0010 UTC
"Hey guys," she rasped out, "Sorry I've been MIA lately."
Temari sniffled. "You'd better be. I haven't had my fill of macarons yet."
"Gross. Moving on," Sakura's beaming face peered up at Tenten through the monitor. "How's the new client going?"
Tenten silently turned the laptop around and showed them the interior of Hyuga Manor's guest house. They gasped immediately, and ordered her to move it around the area to get a closer look at the wine cabinets. "Better than I'd expected," she said, after finishing their house tour. "Hyuga Industries works insanely quickly. I had no idea they'd be able to clear out an entire house in less than thirty minutes. It was magical."
"You're so lucky," Sakura crooned. "Most businesses make you book expensive hotel rooms and expect you to trail after them like dogs."
"Don't I know that," Tenten walked the laptop over to the dinner table and resumed her late, late dinner. "The security arrangements are still crazy, though. I don't think I've had to memorise so many procedures in my life."
Another, deep, voice was calling Sakura from her little square box. Tenten winced when Sasuke's stern face appeared. "Hey, sir."
"Hey, yourself. Shouldn't you be asleep?"
Temari yawned. "We're catching up, after you so cruelly sent her to work at a diamond-cutting factory."
"Hardly," he snorted, then glared back up at Tenten. "One AM, no more. You hear?"
"Yes, sir."
There's a lull of silence, then-
"So, about your blind date."
"Bye." Tenten closed the lid. Without missing a beat, Temari's face appeared on her phone's screen.
"Hello?"
"Tenten," Temari said delicately, "Did you lie about being at the Tavern?"
"Nope. I was there. I have alibis!" She stuffed a forkful of steak into her mouth and started chewing, viciously. "And, you should know that Neji Hyuga can fully vouch for my presence."
The line was silent. "Neji? Hinata's right-hand man?"
"Yeah?" Tenten slowly drew out her words. "Wasn't he the one you'd set up? For me?"
"No? That was Gaara."
"Gaara." Tenten struggled to grasp for words. Snot-nosed Gaara from pre-school? "You tried setting me up with your brother?"
She hasn't seen him since they'd graduated from nose-picking toddlers to fighting ones, which was approximately twenty years ago.
"Tried," Temari remarked bitterly, "And failed."
Feeling mildly guilty, "I don't think that'd be a great idea, Temari. I mean, I'm busy, and-"
"Yeah, yeah. I get it. No hard feelings." Her chipper tone sounded a little forced to Tenten, but she ignored it, grateful that Temari was veering away from the topic. "More importantly, Neji Hyuga? How did that happen?"
She parroted the Date's events to Temari, making sure to exclude specific facts, like her baiting him towards the corner-booth woman, and then catching him in a very mutual interaction with his secretary the day after. In the midst of her recount, Tenten struggled to process why he chose to be so kind to after she'd interrupted his... session. His reputation preceded him, regardless of who he was to her. Neji Hyuga was not known for tolerating rudeness easily.
"It could just be his reputation, you know," Tenten could hear a bubble of gum popping on the other end of the receiver, "Sometimes actions and words don't speak loudly enough about a person."
"That sounds plausible," she said diplomatically.
"Anyway," Temari perked up, "Since Neji's your boss, and all that entails, how about you meet someone new?" Tenten rolled her eyes as she carried her plate over to the sink and doused it in detergent. "For instance, someone influential? Looks a little like me, but with red hair and less striking features? To make up for leaving him at the altar?" Her friend doled out a barrage of questions in desperation.
"The barstool, you mean," she wiped the dish down and settled it on the rack.
Tenten wanted to say that her new timetable was too hectic to schedule in anything that exceeded the five-metre radius of a certain Hyuga, but kept her mouth shut when she decided to rationalise before she argued. There was no harm in making an effort, for once.
It wasn't as though she had never met Gaara before, either. At the very least, she knew that she could trust Gaara to be honourable and respectful, having been raised by the stern Rasa no Sabaku himself. There was no way that Gaara would be a jackass, unless he became a murdering psychopath with a thirst for blood. Overnight. It was impossible.
And, even as children, she and Gaara had never shared any bad blood. They were always the ones who silently, in knowing solidarity, observed Naruto and Sasuke's in-class spats from the seats together. The more Tenten dwelled on this particular topic, the more she found herself looking forward to clearing her schedule for a night and meeting him again. It helped that she did, after all, owe Temari for being a pain in the ass for three straight years. "I'll think about it," she said, vaguely, "I mean it this time."
Her friend cackled in relief. "Finally."
She laughed. "So, what's he like now?"
"Is that interest I hear?" Tenten coughed. "He's running along the same lines as us, somewhat. Kankurou tells me his transferral to LPD is finishing off this month, so he's moving to Konoha to get settled in for the time being."
"A police officer, then." Tenten let out a low whistle, thoroughly impressed.
"A sergeant, actually," she iterated cheekily, "And he's only twenty-six."
"Colour me impressed. I'll get back to you about this, for sure."
"Looking forward to it," Temari yawned, "Alright, I've had enough of you. Laters."
"Night."
The line fizzled out, leaving Tenten to stand by at the sink pensively. She didn't want to be alone for the rest of her life, even if the demanding, fast-paced (and well-paying) nature of her job thrilled her to the core. There were still times when, if she lingered long enough for her brain to rationalise one deeply-concealed thought at a time, she wondered if being a shadow was enough. If being hidden, eternally working behind the flashing lights and the humdrum of society, would be fulfilling enough for her to dedicate her life to forever. It'd be nice, at the very least, to have someone who could understand her.
There was a sudden tapping sound at the door of the guest house. Tenten stared at it long enough to realise that it was knocking and let out a deep breath. "Tenten." She heard a familiar voice call her from the other side, startling her into a frenzy of hair-tying and jumper-pulling - anything to fix her appearance. She bristled when the knocking grew more persistent.
Finally pulling on a pair of denim jeans, Tenten pulled the door open.
It was Neji, hand still positioned in mid-air, where the centre of the door used to be, eyes widened in alarm. He schooled his features into a softer expression and smiled.
"Hey, dinner?"
~ Daily Horoscope ~
Never look a gift-horse in the mouth!