More Than You Bargained For [Neji]

[Tenten]

Stand In The Rain, Stand Your Ground, Stand Up When It's All Crashing Down...

~She Doesn't Know Why, But She Knows That When She's All Alone, Feels Like It's All Coming Down~
❃♈❃ тєитєи ❃♈❃
"Okay, if you insist, remember you asked for it!"

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It wasn't too terribly hard for Tenten to tell that Neji's ego had been a little cut by Sakura's punch. Anyone who knew him as well as she did would know that him taking a hit from a girl other than Tenten and not even being able to defend himself was quite an ego-bruising incident. Ah, well, she gave him credit for trying to hide it, at least. Better than him flaunting it to the whole world, that was for sure.

"Oh yes, you lipped off to her... At least, in her little mind, you did. I did hear part of the conversation... I wasn't that out of it," she lamented, picking up her pace to match his. "She wasn't making fun of me. Friendly banter of sorts, I guess... But she was also praising the fact that I'd walked in with hidden weapons and you couldn't even tell." Hell, why not at least point out his mistake? That way he could learn from it... She wasn't trying to beat him down, she was simply stating the truth. Everyone got something wrong every now and then, right?

As soon as they came to the Hyuuga district, Tenten saw someone she really didn't want to see... Someone short, with sleek black hair like Neji's, and the same lavender pupil-less eyes. Hyuuga Hanabi. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, Tenten thought, really hoping that she could keep her cool around the young Hyuuga... After all, the girl had been known to be rather teasing about the two of them. As the little girl came forward, Tenten mentally prepared herself for whatever would come...

"Neji-niisan~ Obaasan sent me to look for you! I told her you were with Tenten-chan! Hanabi chorused, skipping up to the two. The tone in the eleven-year-old's voice made Tenten cringe mentally... She knew exactly why Hanabi had said such a thing. In the mind of the little Hyuuga girl, her and Neji were closer than they seemed to be... And were hiding it well. Ah, may as well let her have her imagination while she could. Soon she'd grow up and forget about it all...

"Obaasan~ Neji-niisan's back! The little girl said happily as she dashed back inside, obviously going to see her aunt, Neji's mother. For a moment, Tenten looked up at Neji and gave him her 'oh great, kill me now' look in regards to his cousin... Already she felt even more sorry for Neji. Here he was, with a bruised ego, a split lip, still wearing some rather dishevelled clothing - although he'd straightened it as best he could - and carrying his shoes. Double note to self, they were definitely going to stash a set of clothing at her house for him... Just to save his ego the next time something as stupid as that happened. At least she could preserve some of the ego that lay within him... If there was any left by that point.

"I feel for you," Tenten muttered, following Neji towards his home. "How about I save part of your dignity and speak to your mother for you...?" She offered, trying to be nice. She wasn't treating him any differently... Not really, anyway. Hopefully that would give him an indication that one, she knew his ego and dignity was shot to hell, and that she didn't mind a bit... Or rather, that it didn't make her think any differently. She didn't think of him any differently, after all. Just a typical male who had a typical dense moment... And pissed off Haruno Sakura. She didn't blame him for not being ready for the hit; Sakura was good at giving the illusion that she wasn't pissed off. It was a specialty of hers... Her whole demeanor became pleasant until her fist found your face.

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You Stand Through The Pain, You Won't Drown, And One Day What's Lost Can Be Found...

[Hyuuga Neji]

That was all that he needed was Tenten hearing what hse had said to Sakura last night and telling him that she was in her right to smack him like she did. One thing for sure he didn't know exactly how the girls joke towards each other, he was not to close to either one of his female cousins nor other girl besides Tenten. He could tho understand what Tenten said was correct going back to thinking about it. He would not admit that he was wrong of what he did last night to anyone but himself. He had no doubt in his mind tho, Tenten would pick up on it from him. She read him like a book and that was something that he trusted her for. All he did was give a small grunt to say that he got what she meant. There was no need to drag this on anymore than what was needed.

What made it worse was the next thing he saw coming from his own house. His littlest cousin Hanabi. His eyes widen a bit and is lip twitched slightly when she came yelling towards them. "....Damn it...this is not my day."When Neji could not go any worse things got worse. This must have been just things just turning bad for him today, he had gone out with Tenten because he was nice like that, and now things was going worse than he could have imagine. Before he could put his cousin in her place about her comment about him being with Tenten she darted off back towards his house of all places. He sighed slightly to himself.

He looked behind him slightly when Tenten offered to explain to his mother. He thought he was better off explaining but because of his lip that would be awkward and would hurt even more. Without agrueing about it he nodded his head, as he lead her to the house that the young shinobi just disappeared into. Maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as he was thinking it was going to be.

He saw Hanabi and Ren in the house and smiled weakly at his mother and pointed to his room. He was going to go change get out of these clothes. He leaned closer to Tenten and mumbled to her. "Thanks...I owe you one...I will be right back..." He talking was slightly better and was able to make out the complete words with a few pains here and there.

Before his mother asked any questions he was already walking back to his room. He walked in and locked the door just in case Hanabi wanted to come bug him. Placing a lock on his door was something he placed there because of her. He then took off his clothing and threw them in the hamper. He placed the white bloody fabric on his dresser. He threw on his normally every day outfit. He left the black cloth off tho. There was no need to wear it. He placed a bandage wrap around his forehead and threw his headband in his pocket, just in case.

Once he was done he looked at his lip in the mirror and grinned. At lease it had stopped bleeding now, and just looked swallown with dry blood on it. He walked out of the room and into the bathroom and cleaned up his lip before his mother made a fuse about it and Tenten didn't see it with the blood on it. "....I wont trust that pink hair idiot again...when she storms up to me..."

When he was finished with cleaning up his lip. He walked to the living room again. He slipped his normal shoes on. "Tenten I am ready." He waved at Ren and Hanabi slightly, not really trusting their faces at the moment. "Come on we should go now. I will see you later Mom....Hanabi-chan...."

He walked out the front door knowing Tenten was behind him. He lead them out of the small district and looked around slightly. He wanted to punch something right about now after all that happened today. He went to bite his lip but twitched slightly when he press pressure on his sore lip. "Where Lee when you need to throw some punches..." Lee was his punching bag specially when he was made about something. He had whispered it not sure if she picked up on what he just said.

[Tenten]

Stand In The Rain, Stand Your Ground, Stand Up When It's All Crashing Down...

~She Doesn't Know Why, But She Knows That When She's All Alone, Feels Like It's All Coming Down~
❃♈❃ тєитєи ❃♈❃
"Okay, if you insist, remember you asked for it!"

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It seemed that Neji's mother fully understood his reasoning for staying back the night... Mentally, Tenten could sigh in relief. At least she'd helped him with that much... She also saved his ego with the split lip, too. According to his mother, Tenten's boneless inertia had caught him in the face the night before, and she'd given him the split lip accidentally. Well, it made sense, now didn't it? Boneless inertia could do that, and it explained why he hadn't been able to stop it, either. She owed him, big time. All the while, Hanabi was bombarding her with some interesting questions... She was rather glad when Neji finally came out, ready to leave.

Once they were out of the Hyuuga district and Neji piped up about punching Lee... Tenten started to giggle, then burst into full-out laughter. So he wanted to use Lee as a punching bag, now did he? That was hilarious to her... Quite hilarious, actually. A bright smile cracked across her face, lightening the mood quite a bit. All she could do was shake her head and giggle... Because it was such a riotous comment.

"If it makes you any happier, I covered for you, and no, you don't owe me," she said, walking around to face him. "Instead of you getting punched in the face by Sakura... My boneless inertia accidentally caught you in the face," she said, hoping he'd get what she meant. She was referring to last night, when she'd fainted... It made perfect sense, and she knew for a fact that it was better than her telling his mother he'd literally been belted in the mouth by Sakura... Hey, she tried, right?

Taking a single look at his face, she could reach all of his emotions just through his lavender eyes. His ego was definitely bruised, he was slightly embarrassed, glad that she'd offered to cover for him and explain things, and a bit frustrated with all of it. Her expression became much softer, and she felt absolutely terrible for him. At the same time, she felt guilty... Because it'd been her that caused most of this. Sakura wouldn't have teased her about the weapons if she hadn't had to've been called over... If Tenten wouldn't have passed out and suddenly been sick, Neji would've gone home like he normally would have, instead of staying to keep an eye on her... She hoped he wouldn't catch the guilt in her brown eyes, at least.

Without a second thought, she reached forward - hoping the gesture seemed friendly - and wrapped both of her arms around him... Yes, she hugged him. She felt he deserved it. "I'm sorry, you're having a seemingly terrible day today..." she said, her tone soft and hopefully comforting. She was apologetic, too... She still felt quite guilty. Hopefully he wouldn't catch that in her tone... She swallowed thickly, her own pulse picking up just from it all. It almost felt... Good, rather, right, to be like this... The question was... Was it really right for him?

Unintentionally, as she drew a breath, she caught a whiff of his scent... She'd never really noticed it before, but he smelled... Good. She couldn't quite put it to anything, but it was just... Perfect, to describe it best. Maybe if she got lucky, something good would come of this... And if that happened, it would just be lucky for him too, now wouldn't it?

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You Stand Through The Pain, You Won't Drown, And One Day What's Lost Can Be Found...

[Hyuuga Neji]

Once they was out of the Hyuuga District and he was looking around Lee he heard her giggle at the fact that he wanted Lee to punch on. He was not sure what she had told his mother but all things consider it really didn't matter because he got out of there without actually himself explaining to his mother what had happened since he left the house last night. He turned around to ask her what she was finding so funny at the moment, but seeing her laugh like that made him realize that he shouldn't really snap at her to start with.

He felt his stomach twist just slightly when he realize what he was about to do, she didn't deserve his foul mood. His face soften just a bit has he watched her giggle. She of all people somehow could lighten his mood and he just didn't understand it for the most part. He had seen the couples around the village, and each day it seemed like the once children was moving out of their little kid phrase and into a more adult phrase. He didn't think he could lose the respect that he held for Tenten even if she did grow apart from him, which he doubted in the long run of things. She hadn't shown any interest in any other male...

He was drawn out of his head has she explained to him what she had told his mother and cousin. His respect level for her grew slightly, mainly because he did see it in her eyes that she was guilty about last night and having him take care of her. They was even in his book in the long run for the simple fact that she didn't think of him has a ass for the most part. "Huh, thanks. Don't worry about last night Tenten...I would have done it for you anyways...." He looked at his feet at the moment when he spoke, he would serious do anything for her.

What came next spent a small but powerful excited shiver up his spine. He was looking at his feet but then found himself looking at the top of her brown hair. He couldn't exactly explain what was going on in his head for the moment, actually there was nothing. For the first time in his life he found himself unable to move and unable to even speak. He felt his heart beat starting to race. She was literally hugging him because he was having a bad day. Everything that had happened up until this point of time seemed to fade away has he focus on her.

He was in a little dazzle not knowing what to do at this point. Without even thinking about it he wrapped his arms around her, nearly as he was protecting her from anything that might just come after her. By the time he realized what he did it was too late, but it wasn't like he wanted to draw back from her. In fact he stepped closer to her. His lips parted slightly into a small smile. "Tenten.....," he whispered. For once there was a a bit of excitement in his voice and he was not sure why he had just whispered her name.

[Tenten]

Stand In The Rain, Stand Your Ground, Stand Up When It's All Crashing Down...

~She Doesn't Know Why, But She Knows That When She's All Alone, Feels Like It's All Coming Down~
❃♈❃ тєитєи ❃♈❃
"Okay, if you insist, remember you asked for it!"

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At the same time, Tenten was both surprised and not. On one hand, she was surprised that he'd actually reacted the way he did, but... On the same token, she wasn't. They were close, friends... right..? It only made sense to react that way. However, what made it so surprising was the way he said her name. The tone itself was different... And she was almost perfectly molded to the shape of his body, as if they were two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly... God, what's wrong with me!" she screamed at herself, mentally slapping at her consciousness.

She could hear it and pick it all out: excitement... She could literally sense the smile behind the words. Just the changes in his body stance, his movements, she could read... She really could read him like a book. Easily. Something was different about this... There wasn't any hesitation, she could tell, and the way he'd stepped closer... It made her think, truly and thoroughly... Now seemed like the perfect time. Maybe... maybe he'd possibly accept the fact... If luck was with her, return it... But she couldn't get ahead of herself. Cross the roadblock before you start thinking of the positives...

"Neji," she whispered, her voice sounding much smaller and a hell of a lot more nervous in her own mind. She hoped it didn't sound that way to him. "I... Have something I think I should tell you," she continued, her voice still holding that nervous tone. There was a pregnant pause as she thought of how to properly word things... Something as lame as 'I think I've fallen for you' or something along those lines wouldn't do, not at all. No... Something more complicated and drawn out, and less cheesy. Cheesy simply wouldn't cut it for her.

She thought very carefully and thoroughly how she would say things... And then finally brought herself out to say it. She couldn't hide the nerves that were creeping up on her... Those nerves of steel she seemed to have didn't quite fit to this sort of conversation or statement. "I don't really know how to say this without sounding... Crass," she started, just to cover her own ass should it sound remotely cheesy. "But well... We've been best friends for what... Three, four years now? And... Well..." It was blatantly obvious to anyone or anything that had even half a brain to know that she was one, nervous, and two, trying to dance around the subject. She was unsure about whether she should go through this... But she couldn't stop herself now. He absolutely deserved to know. Being honest and truthful was going to be her goal with this...

"Well... Aw, hell, if you laugh because I sound cheesy, I don't blame you," she stated flatly, her voice losing its nervous tone. Sheepishly she laughed lightly, but continued. "Well... I really care for you... A lot... And I've noticed something that's really quite... Well... Pr-prominent." Oh God, she was stuttering now? She sounded like Hinata. Mentally she slapped herself, but continued. "It's... Well... D-different." Deeply she sighed... She knew she was still dodging the main subject. God, she might as well get to the damned point already. If she sounded like a cheesy idiot, well... she wouldn't blame him for laughing...

"To state it bluntly... I think I've fallen for you." Immediately a blush crept up her face... She could feel the heat rising. She swallowed again, her throat thick from the tension. She hoped this wouldn't drive him away from her... If it did... She wouldn't openly admit it, but she would probably burst straight into tears, especially if it meant he wouldn't ever associate with her unless it were absolutely necessary. It wasn't because she was some stupid fangirl... And she wouldn't let those antics be seen by him, either. No, it would be because it would be an absolutely wounding blow to her... It would cut her deeply. Very deeply. Good thing he couldn't really see her face... Otherwise, she might've stuck herself with a kunai to spare them both the embarrassment.

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You Stand Through The Pain, You Won't Drown, And One Day What's Lost Can Be Found...

[Hyuuga Neji]

Neji was not sure what exactly was coming over him or Tenten for the matter. He knew things was about to change maybe for the better. She really was his best friend and trusted with everything that was dear to him. Sure he was not known to talk to much about things but that was just because things they did really didn't require that much talking, she could read him like a open book most of the time, and then he just picked up on her movements to read her most of the time. Six out of ten times he was clueless about things tho and that was mainly dealing girls, and taking a hint when to shut up.

He closed his eyes when she did not pull away from him, he was not even surprise that she kept a hold of him, it felt kinda nice to be this close to her for the moment, he head read some books that involved romance, but never thought he would hold Tenten of all people in his arms. It made him think back about things, of all the things that she had done for him and how he never really took the time to get to know her. This made it more special to him now, and it seemed that his day was getting better now.

He blinked slightly when she said that she had something to tell him. He took a deep breath and was afraid about something, maybe she would tell him that she liked someone else, and that he was just in the way. Just thinking about that was like a blow like the one he took from Naruto in their first Chuunin Exam. It made him want to hold her like this and not let her go. unconscionably he wrapped his arms around her a bit tighter. "Yes...what is it?" It was just has softly has it had been when he muttered her name a few moments ago.

He listened to her has she ranted on about how she was about to sound cheesy and everything. He wished that she would just shut up and explain to him what she wanted to say. The longer she took the more he was getting excited but worried at the same time at what she was going to say. He felt his heart beat going up more, and then he felt her's against his own chest, he seemed to calm down. It was like they was in sync about something at the moment and the more she wasted on getting the point, the more he felt contend just holding her in his arms.

He blinked slightly when she said that she was falling for him, he had never heard that exact phrase, and he was kinda shocked that this what she had been holding back from him. It was not like her to hold things in. He wanted to know how long she had been feeling this way towards him, and now he didn't even know exactly how to react towards at this. His mind was slowly starting to form their own thoughts once more and trying to come up with the prefect thing to tell her. One wrong move he knew he could end up with a worse busted lip than he already had.

He took a deep breath noticing that she was not looking at him. What she afraid of what he would do? He was not even sure what to do. He really had just started to notice how much he did care for her and well her in general now since last night, maybe he shouldn't just stand there and prolong her suffering and this matter, it was cruel specially if they was thinking about the same thing in the end.

He cautiously looked around them for a second. Once he was sure there was no lurking ears around, specially his cousin Hanabi, he smiled down at her. He brought his hand up and placed it under her chin and brought her head up to look at him. 'You to huh?" He still had the smile on her face. His was slightly flushed at the moment too, but he was not trying to hide it from her.

He thought for one split second and leaned his head down and placed a kiss against her lips. Sure it hurt like hell touching his lip at the moment, but he wanted her to realize at how much she really did mean to him and he was not pulling her chain with all of this. He didn't pull away just yet, he wanted it to last, kissing her was sending the exact same excitement tingle up his spin when she first hugged her. It was something he wanted to last.

[Tenten]

Stand In The Rain, Stand Your Ground, Stand Up When It's All Crashing Down...

~She Doesn't Know Why, But She Knows That When She's All Alone, Feels Like It's All Coming Down~
❃♈❃ тєитєи ❃♈❃
"Okay, if you insist, remember you asked for it!"

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As Neji was utterly silent after her little speech, a cold feeling began to settle itself down Tenten's spine. She wasn't looking at him, so she couldn't read whatever was lurking behind those lavender eyes... But the thing was, she didn't want to look at him yet... Because all in all, she was truly afraid. Terribly afraid that she'd lose even the small bond she had with him... Their friendship. Her pulse was picking up quickly from the nerves, her heart feeling as if it were going to burst through her ribcage at any given moment.

She became even more unsure as one of his hands released itself from her back... Was he pulling away? That question was answered when his soft yet slightly calloused, warm hand lifted her chin up to look at him... His eyes could have told it all, but him choosing the route of speaking to be absolutely sure she understood made it final. Surprise and shock covered her entire face when he said it... Obviously she hadn't expected something like that. It was as if electricity were running between the two of them... Mainly she was focusing on remembering how to breathe properly now... And she noticed... He was smiling. Brightly. And his face was flushed a little... Mentally, that made her giggle.

And then it felt like a freight train hit her, minus the pain of the impact, and that a five-ton weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. For a full two seconds, her face was frozen in absolute shock and surprise. Thoughts such as "Did he really just do that?" or "Am I dreaming" or other various similar thoughts were methodically shoved to the nether regions of her subconscious as she started to return his kiss... Now it felt as if there was a real bout of electricity between them, escalating... Now there was a warm feeling crawling down her spine, and it sent a cool yet involuntary shiver... But she didn't stop. Excitement was reigning, but she knew if it lasted too long, well... His lip was still split and probably in pain, and she didn't want to push that too far. Feeling slightly dizzy because she'd forgotten how to breathe, she [sadly] pulled back, blinking and trying to remember how to think, breathe, and talk properly.

"I..." She started, still not able to fully find her voice. Multiple times she tried to speak, but simply couldn't get anything out... She was still quite shocked. Carefully she was trying to focus on breathing calmly rather than hyperventilating... Of course, she still felt like her heart was trying to bounce straight out of her chest every single second. Strangely enough... Being this close... She could feel his own heart beating against her body, too. And although there was a breeze blowing, and her arms were bare... She wasn't cold.

In the matter of a second, she took in everything that was around her... She wasn't coiled up as tight as a spring like she had been for the past few weeks... Ever since the Sanctuary mission where she'd approached the subject of the festival itself, she'd been coiled tighter than a spring, according to her mother. Now, it was as if the tension had slowly been released, after it had built up over the course of less than twenty-four hours to an almost unbearable degree. Neji's one arm was still around her... both of hers still around his torso... His other hand was underneath her chin... And he'd literally just kissed her. His stance, even with one arm... It radiated a sort of excited yet... Protective aura. She could basically feel it radiating from him. And yet now... She was unsure what to do.

Awkward silence much?

As if on instinct, she pulled herself closer to him, not wanting to give up even a little bit of anything...

Hanabi knew for a fact she was a sneaky little child, that was for sure... And now she'd seen it all. Yes! She was so very happy, she was almost giggling with pride. Her espionage skills were amazing! Of course, it was never prudent to spy on your cousin, but... Well, she thought she might at least bring her bubbly attitude to him and maybe make him a little happier. He'd seemed really down today, as if he was having a terrible time... Hanabi could see why [sort of]. Being caught in the face by his teammate's boneless inertia, then having to spend the entirety of the night taking care of her... then to come home looking like he did? It definitely grated on him, that Hanabi could tell.

But now... Oh, now it was just amazing. She'd known there was something deeper between the two! Here she was... A good thirty or so feet away from them, but using her Byakugan to watch everything. Hey... At least it was some form of training to her. She was working on her espionage skills! A bubbly giggle escaped her lips; at least she didn't have to worry about Neji seeing her, not unless he used his Byakugan... And Tenten would neither see nor hear her. This was just great.

Tenten heard something rather familiar all of a sudden... A frown crossed her face, one that basically said 'I know who that is' and that she didn't like it. That frown still wrinkled her delicate features as she pushed back a bit from Neji so she could look him in the face... It spoke confused, but not about what had happened before. No, this was something totally new...

"I have a feeling someone we know a little too well is being an observer. Care to crack some heads?" she asked, trying to add a little humor to the situation... As if she knew, sort of, she leaned slightly to the side, peering slightly past Neji's arm. The way she was doing things was actually quite funny, if one truly thought about it... She had that slightly mischievous yet suspecting look on her face... She could swear she knew who that was. Peering through the trees, she looked even closer, picking out the form of a small girl who looked... Jee, vaguely like Hyuuga Hanabi. Oh yes. Head cracking was definitely on the agena...

"I think your little cousin needs to be taught how rude it is to spy... Brat," she muttered, her voice excessively loud with the sentence, but lowering with the added name for the Hyuuga girl. A smirk crossed her face as she had an idea... If it would work, anyway. Perhaps if she could angle herself just right and cover her hands from Hanabi's Byakugan - using both of their bodies to block, possibly; the Hyuuga girl didn't have as much skills as Neji possibly did - she could use a quick Henge and confused Hanabi.

"I hope you're a good actor," she whispered in the quietest of tones, her lips barely moving, as if she were a ventriloquist. "This ought to be fun." Carefully and methodically she pulled her arms out from around Neji and brought them to the front. Had anyone looked, it would have simply looked almost the same... Her hands made a few quick seals, and her clothing changed slightly, as well as her face;her facial and body structure became - underneath the baggy clothing, which made the changes a lot less noticeable - much sharper, and less curvy... Even her bust decreased quite a bit. On the front of her shirt she made the design of a colourful dragon, and changed the colour of her pants from navy to jet black. Her shirt became a deep green colour, and her hair a deep shade of navy blue. She knew how parts of the Byakugan worked... Like the fact that one didn't see colour using it. Hanabi wouldn't be able to tell the colour difference unless she deactivated the Byakugan, which would mean coming closer.

Formerly-brown, now a deep amethyst, her eyes came up to Neji. He would be able to see the wheels turning in her head... Ditch Hanabi and confuse her, her eyes told him, and she raised a single brow. Aw... Well, why not have a little fun? At least her ideas weren't overly enthusiastic and tiresome... But it would be funny nonetheless. Too bad his cousin had ruined the moment. She'd pay for that, very dearly...

"I do believe I will spar with your cousin tomorrow, Neji," she muttered, and he would possibly know exactly why. She wouldn't kill Hanabi... But it would be interesting nonetheless.

[[Chea! 1,432 words! ^_^]]

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You Stand Through The Pain, You Won't Drown, And One Day What's Lost Can Be Found...

[Hyuuga Neji]

Neji hoped that this was what she meant by falling for him. He didn't want to get punched for a second time again by someone that was unexpected. He was not even sure what he was doing at the moment when he had kissed her. It was all so strange and new to him but at the same time wish that things wouldn't end.

Neji could not exactly pin point out why this felt so right to him to start with. He just wished that the time that he didn't have a busted lip that hurt so much that he was literally pushing himself to keep kissing her. He lips was thobbing in pain and there was nothing he could do about it. He wanted to hold the kiss because it was exciting him like nothing had really ever done for him. The shiver was still in his spine has he thought.

When she pulled back away from him, he nearly almost pouted but held back. That was no way for him to act now was it. There was limits to what he would show out in public and pouting was not one of them. His eyes tho showed everything to her, how he was excited, happy, and sad that she pulled back away from him. The excitemint was still there in the long run, specially when she stepped closer to him.

He knew that things between them was about to change and he was not sure what exactly what they was going to be now, but whatever it was at lease he was not about to get slapped by it. When she dropped her hand tho from around him, he blinked and was unsure if that was going to hit him, but then he heard that annoying giggle...

It didn't take him take his mind long to know who it was, in fact there was only one person that would dare to follow him like that, and that was Hanabi. Of all days to follow him, he just didn't understand why she followed him and bugged him like he was her big brother. It was getting annoying because Neji himself didn't know how to act around her. He held her with her training like her father wanted, along with Hinata who showed really nothing in his mind.

"Byakugan," He muttered slightly and pin pointed where she was exactly was. A smirked formed around his lips, maybe he would should his cousin a lesson in her spying. Don't get caught. He was about to say something when she started to change and started that she wanted to cracks heads, she was feeling annoyed that they had been interputted and everything. He knew exactly what she was thinking and feeling now. He smirked slightly and nodded. 'Lets."

He watched her changed and smirked even more. This was going to be fun in some ways. He did like when she got ideas like this. It was something that he was always looking forward to doing. Then she informed him of sparring with Hanabi he nodded. "Teach her not to mess with us." She had his approval on the matter. "I will watch from here and start setting up a little trap my own once you are done."

[Tenten]

Stand In The Rain, Stand Your Ground, Stand Up When It's All Crashing Down...

~She Doesn't Know Why, But She Knows That When She's All Alone, Feels Like It's All Coming Down~
❃♈❃ тєитєи ❃♈❃
"Okay, if you insist, remember you asked for it!"

______________________________________________________________________________________

Tenten's mind was already rolling, but... It seemed Neji was thinking along a totally different line of thought than what Tenten was... Sort of. Tenten had thought about that line first, but now she was thinking along a totally different train of thought... one she didn't expect him to understand a single bit. If he did happen to understand what she was thinking of, well... He was either a real genius or just a little bit strange. Whichever one... She didn't care. So long as he understood.

"Well, Neji, for one I don't think we're thinking along the same lines," she stated, raising a single eyebrow and placing her hands on her hips... And having to look up at him. Again. Being shorter sucked. "And if we are, then you are a true genius, my friend," she stated, not actually meaning the 'friend' part as one usually did. For that statement, it was just to add to her words. "And for two... It becomes hard to follow someone when they can watch you fro a mile away, you know... Which is why I need you." She knew for a fact Neji's Byakugan range was a lot further than Hanabi's... He'd been using it for that much longer. Not to mention he'd taught himself a good deal of what he knew.

"What I meant by 'spar'... Was to beat her at her own game. I could bet you my life she's going to Ino right now." That one wasn't a hard guess... Ino was the resident gossip. However, she assumed Hanabi had no solid proof but her own eyes... And even the eyes can lie, easily. It could very well be made up, from her own little imagination. Oh my... She hadn't done something like this since Sakura had decided to confront her about... Well, the same lovely situation that had just been ruined by Neji's irritating little cousin. And Sakura was a lot smarter than Hanabi, too... She, at least, knew when to quit.

"So what do we do? Lie low, get what we can." It was getting a little tough to have to look upwards into his face... Because she was basically touching him, the way she was. Well... The closer they were meant the quieter they could talk, which meant that little ears wouldn't actually hear much. Even Neji would probably be straining slightly to hear her words. "So long as she doesn't have solid proof, we're fine; shit, did she have a camera..?" Uncharacteristically, Tenten swore, but the situation called for it. If Hanabi had solid proof... They were really screwed. Guessing now that Hanabi would probably be closer to the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Tenten released the Henge and returned to her regular-looking self. It was probably awkward for Neji to be staring into a set of purple eyes rather than brown...

To reassure him that it wasn't his own intelligence that had caused her to explain, she wrapped her arms around him once again and continued speaking. "I don't expect you to understand what exactly I'm going to do... Because most males who do know that are either... Well... They either spend a lot of time around gossips, have friends - or girlfriends - who do a lot of that... Or are just very, very strange." After emphasizing the strange part, she chuckled. Well... Neji was dense, sometimes... But she couldn't compare it to a few other males she knew and associated with. And who was probably the most dense male of them all? According to Sakura, it was Naruto...

"But first, I'd rather enjoy the day. Let her do what she's going to do... If it gets out... I have smoke bombs," she added as a joke... He would get what she meant. It wasn't hard to tell the joking tone that was in her voice when she said it. "But, well... If you want to go for Hanabi, then that's fine," she added, trying to keep the slight pain out of her voice and averting his gaze so he couldn't see how deep the statement cut her. She didn't feel like chasing his cousin at the moment... No, she would rather spend time with him.

"Oh, I was uh, wondering... I-if you wanted... There's going to be more dancing tonight... Do you want to go?" she asked out of the blue, mostly just wondering. To be honest, she really wanted to go... Aside from the little incident, she'd had fun, and she'd enjoyed herself. But then again... There was the matter of publicity, too. Well... That wouldn't matter. Hanabi had already ruined that one for them, sort of... Gossip was just gossip. If they went public with it, then it wouldn't be gossip any more, now would it?

Girl, sometimes, you are a genius.

______________________________________________________________________________________

You Stand Through The Pain, You Won't Drown, And One Day What's Lost Can Be Found...

[Hyuuga Neji]

Neji looked slightly down to her when Tenten started to talk about that she meant something else other than literally beating up his cousin. Hanabi had deserved it and Tenten was not going after her to bomb raid her with weapons. Anyone else that they would have seen here Tenten would release her full fury on them. He kinda felt that she was letting her off the hook, either way he was going to have to hear to all sooner or later from his cousin and that was not something he was looking forward to doing. There was other important matters to deal with besides dealing with her bugging him about his relationship with Tenten.

As he listen to her tell her exactly what Hanabi was going to do and then mentioned the camera. He frown slightly, he didn't believe his unle would allow her something like that in the mist of her training. He would have broke it if he found it in her room. He shock his head slightly. "Hanabi-chan wouldn't have a camera. Ojisan would have broke it if he found it, and Hanabi has never been good at keeping things well hidden in her room from him..." He took a breath to think exactly what she was plotting to do, until Tenten said something about running to Ino about everything. That would just make things worse around the village. His mother was not going to hear and he would have to talk to her about this.

The only bright side to all this today, was the fact that he has made a move on his best friend. He knew their relationship was now changing towards something more. It was something that scared him and excited him at the same time. He was not sure how she was feeling about all this until she gave him the choice of doing something with her or going after his cousin to try and stop something that was bond to happen sooner or later. He really didn't think that them being together would really remain a secret anyways. If others found out about them through Hanabi than it meant less work on his and Tenten's part trying to explain to them exactly what happened. Well mostly on Tenten's part because Neji would not really talk about it, he felt no need to explain on his and Tenten's relationship to someone that wouldn't even understand in the long run.

He was not that completely dense about the look in her eyes when she suggested that they could run after Hanabi if they really wanted to. He saw the pain in her eyes slightly, it was something that was there last night and he was worried about it, now they was back again in her big brown eyes. He didn't think he could let her down and go after Hanabi, he would deal with her later. "...I'm not going after her." That was all that was needed to say on the matter at the moment. He dropped his Byagukan, he didn't need it right?

When she suggested that they go back to the ball, the first thing that crossed his mind was that he was going to have to dress up in that awful suit again and deal with his mother while getting dress. That was not something he was looking forward to. "Do I have to dress up again?" He was slightly worried about that, other than that he would do just about anything for Tenten at the moment.

He dropped his hands from around her and took his oversize hand and embraced her smaller hand. This might have been the first time that he noticed the size difference in them. She was smaller than him not by much, but a noticeable difference to him at lease. He started to walk slightly towards the training ground, he knew she would come along. He had her hand, plus there was some spot there that only the two of them trained in so they could get away from anyone that might try to find them and question them on what his little cousin was talking about.

[Tenten]

Stand In The Rain, Stand Your Ground, Stand Up When It's All Crashing Down...

~She Doesn't Know Why, But She Knows That When She's All Alone, Feels Like It's All Coming Down~
❃♈❃ тєитєи ❃♈❃
"Okay, if you insist, remember you asked for it!"

______________________________________________________________________________________

Tenten was relived when Neji said Hanabi wouldn't have had a camera and that he wasn't going after her. When he asked whether he would have to dress up again, Tenten started laughing and rolled her eyes. Well, the comment was really quite funny... Hyuuga Neji rarely complained about anything, at all; he was usually level-headed, but this was probably just the fact that it was such tedious work was probably what made it so... Complain-y. Tenten understood fully.

"Speak for yourself," she lamented as he released her and settled for taking her hand as they walked. "You just have to basically get the whole thing on. I have - or had, rather - to do that, as well as fancy myself up with cosmetics, jewellery, make sure my hair looks just fine... Rather tedious, if you ask me. Not to mention a few other things," she added, easily keeping pace with his slightly longer strides. When one simply took a passing glance, the size difference between them wasn't that much; then again, the both of them tended to look a fair bit larger than what they were with their baggier style of clothing, too. Nobody ever really noticed the soft curves of the weapon mistress' body underneath her normal clothing, nor did they ever notice her busty torso, either... She wouldn't admit it openly, but she knew full well she easily rivalled Yamanaka Ino, surely. The only two people she knew she didn't have a chance to outshine were probably Tsunade and Hinata...

Of course, Hinata was a definite surprise when one thought about it. Shy and quiet as she was, she was also one of the softer, prettier girls that Tenten had ever seen, and she didn't go around flaunting it, either. That was one definite plus in Tenten's books for the Hyuuga girl... But it was hard to rival her. She seemed to hide it well, too, even as a Genin; that baggy coat sure did something for her, that was sure. Even at twelve she'd been quite busty, too, from what Tenten had seen.

Nonetheless... If one looked rather closely, Tenten looked quite small compared to Neji. She was lightweight, her body built more for strength and quick movements rather than brute force, but she was also feminine about it; she had gentle curves around her hips and buttocks, in her waist, and over her chest and shoulders. He was built more... Well, like a male. Broader shoulders, a more V-shaped body shape, but he was built for speed as well; strangely enough, his arms were quite powerful, too. Tenten had learned that one a few too many times... For as small - and quite lightweight, to boot - as he was, he sure did pack a punch when it came down to it. Tenten could recall having a few nice bruises even when he hadn't used his chakra. Rather painful, actually.

Realizing there had been a short break in the conversation, Tenten continued with another statement. "Though... I wouldn't mind having to do that for one more night. You could probably bring everything you needed over to my house and get ready there... I-If you want, of course." Why not offer that? For one, it would mean they'd get to spend a little more time together, and for two, if the reason he complained about it was what she guessed - his mother, because she knew just as well that mothers could be rather nitpicking and tedious about everything, and his was no different - he might not actually mind that. Although... Tenten would still be slightly nitpicking about it, but only to an extent.

"I'll go through the tedious work of getting ready again," she said softly, not sounding distraught about all of the interesting stuff it would involve to just get ready for a single night. "Sure, you'll have to get dressed up again... But hey, we can suffer through it together, right? Maybe if I'm brave I'll wear heels and hope I don't faceplant... At least that way we'll at least be at relative eye-level," she muttered, obviously grumbling about her own height more so than his. It really did suck being short. Nonetheless... She was at a perfect height for him... The top of her head reached approximately to his chin or so... Which, to her, seemed to be a perfect height.

Glancing around... Tenten realized she wasn't exactly sure where it was they were going. The area was familiar, but she'd been too immersed in her own thoughts or in the conversation to notice. Her eyes flicked this way and that to take in the scene... Her perceptive abilities were what told her where they were going. The 'secret' little clearing that nobody but they ever went to when they trained. As they entered the area, it was almost too familiar; a rather large and fairly deep crater in one area, a few scattered and rusted weapons, two thin logs that were clearly out of the range of whatever had made the crater, and a few other miscellaneous things. A smile broke out across her face... At least here, they could have some peace and quiet. Better than being interrogated every five seconds while out on the streets, now wasn't it?

______________________________________________________________________________________

You Stand Through The Pain, You Won't Drown, And One Day What's Lost Can Be Found...

[Hyuuga Neji]

Neji looked over to her when she commented about speaking to himself, when he commented about having to wear that suit again. He was not to keen about wearing it again or even explaining to his mother exactly why he was going back over to Tenten's house. He knew that she would want a mother and son talk about how to treat women and making sure he watched his tongue around them. He was also sure that his mother somewhat saw through the lie Tenten told her about what happened to his lip and just went along with it. He could never lie to his mother about things even if he was trying hard to.

He was not exactly sure what to tell her about getting dress back up and going to the dance with her again. He could tell that she wanted to go again, her voice and look said it everything. The fact that she wanted to go back into her high heels again and dress up again only made it worse to tell her no, something that was crossing his mind right about now.

Now that they was more than just friends, and something he would not be able to hide from anyone in the village thanks to Hanabi now. He had no doubt now that his mother would find about it because of Hanabi as well. He wanted to tell his mother it would have been better coming from him of all people than the mouth of an eleven year old kid right? Things was changing and there was no way out of most of this that his cousin was getting him into. At lease Hinata was not one to go gossiping around the village.

He didn't say anything to Tenten has his mind was still in conflict with itself on what side he was going to side with her on this matter of the dance. He could not denial that she had look good all dress up last night and he was not sure if he was going to see her like that again for a while. He might has well just agree with her and go with her, not that he minded her regular clothing, it just she had taken her time yesterday to get all dress up that it amazed him in the long run.

He knew that his long silence was probably killing Tenten at the moment, and knew he would probably get scolded for it sooner or later. Once they came up to the back of the training ground a bit deeper than what they was use to training at, he stopped and turned to her. He watched her and reached for her second hand. He studied her hands for a moment and nodded slightly to her. "Alright Tenten. I will go." He hoped that this was the answer that she was seeking from him. He did hate to let her down about things.

[Tenten]

Stand In The Rain, Stand Your Ground, Stand Up When It's All Crashing Down...

~She Doesn't Know Why, But She Knows That When She's All Alone, Feels Like It's All Coming Down~
❃♈❃ тєитєи ❃♈❃
"Okay, if you insist, remember you asked for it!"

______________________________________________________________________________________

Tenten was a little frightened - if that was even the right word to describe the feeling - about Neji's sudden silence... She knew he was thinking, and she knew what he was thinking about, but she wasn't sure whether it would be a good answer or a bad answer. It wasn't like he absolutely had to go... She wouldn't have minded if he declined, but to make up for all of the trouble she'd caused and that had happened last night, another night wouldn't hurt... would it? At least it would allow them to get over the publicity aspect... Though Tenten wasn't going to wear heels. She wanted to be able to run if need be, after all.

As he was silent and contemplating about... Whatever exactly it was about the night that he was mulling over, Tenten herself got lost in her own thoughts from the silence. She, however, was thinking a little more along the lines of what to wear than anything else. It was one night she actually gave a damn about how she looked, because most of the time it was just look presentable, look casual, or keep your damn hair out of your face. Perhaps she could let her hair down... Na. Well, maybe if she wore it in ringlets... Yeah, ringlets might not be so bad. Straight hair, for her, never looked good anyway...

A single thought crossed her mind, and it was definitely an odd one at that. She'd just noticed... Neji's hair was probably about twice as long as hers. Mentally, she giggled. How often did that happen? Then again... It wasn't like she wanted it any shorter or anything. In her opinion, he pulled it off damn well... She simply couldn't see him with short hair, at all. Though she wouldn't admit it... It looked damn good on him, too, and she could swear it looked a lot better than her own.

As they stopped deeper into their private little clearing - the area that had obviously been used quite a bit... a large crater in the ground, numerous cuts in the trees from flying weapons as well as in the ground, a few old and rusted weapons scattered along the edges, and two rather long, dead branches - minus any small branches, twigs, and leaves, of course - that was just far enough out from the crater to assume there wouldn't be any backfire or whomever stood there - which, of course, had always been Tenten - wouldn't have any painful experiences. A smile crossed her face. It was so nostalgic...

Tenten was surprised slightly when they stopped and Neji took both of her hands in his much larger ones. What was he going to say? She wasn't entirely sure... As a result, she found the answer in his eyes, noting it before he even said it. He would go... For her. It seemed he didn't want to disappoint her, which she could tell from the look in his eyes and the tone in his voice. There was also something else there... It looked like amazement. The third thing was easy to recognize; caring, compassion, and a genuine attraction. The reason for that was blatantly obvious.

Gently she smiled at him, hopefully to reinforce her statement. "Well... At least it won't be as... Er... 'Awkward'?" she commented, tilting her head slightly to the side and unsure whether that was the proper way to describe it or not. Chocolate-brown orbs regarded his own lavender ones, her eyes reflecting the smile. "Besides... The night was ruined last night, anyway." As she spoke, she leaned forward and rested her forehead against the front of his shoulder, inhaling his scent. It was almost mesmerizing... And she absolutely loved it.

______________________________________________________________________________________

You Stand Through The Pain, You Won't Drown, And One Day What's Lost Can Be Found...

[Hyuuga Neji]

Once they stopped and Neji answered Tenten's question. He had not doubt that she knew his answer before he gave it. She just had the look to her that she knew. He really needed to get better at reading her like she was with him. In the long run tho because he normally didn't have to express himself in words to her she knew exactly what he wanted to say and felt at those times. It was kinda nice in a way that he didn't have to keep on repeating himself to her. Now that things was going to be different between the two of them this would come more in handy than what he might think it would. He was thankful to her that he didn't have to explain or express himself towards her that much, it would have be a handful if he did and a headache.

He listened to her talk about how it wouldn't be that awkward now. He was not sure what exactly that she meant by that. Was it not going to be awkward because they both pretty much knew how each other felt about one another or the fact that she was feeling better. He raised his eyebrow slightly when she said that statement. He wanted her to clear up her statement about the matter. One should never leave it hanging like that it was just wrong in the long run. "What exactly do you mean by that Tenten?" He did feel that last night was ruined by her becoming sick, but if she hadn't would they still be this much closer to each other and had these feelings out among themselves? Maybe with everything did happened last night and today was suppose to be, he was not sure anymore about the whole destiny crap, but with everything that did went down things was looking up for him.

He blinked slightly when she rested her forehead on his shoulder. He looked down at the top of her head and dropped her hands and wrapped his arms around her once more. He stepped closer to her once more. He was not sure what love was but he did hope that it was the feeling that gave him the excitement from holding her in his arms like this. Seeing her smile and everything. It was something that he was actually looking forward to seeing tonight. He didn't care about the clothes, just has long as she was happy in the long run.

He bite the inside of his lip, on the other side of his busted lip. He was thinking about something that just crossed his mind in the long run. He was not sure how Lee or Gai would take the news about them being together, he knew that both him and Tenten was mature enough to handle missions together without their personal feelings getting the better each other. In the end there was nothing that was going to stop him from protecting her, but then again she was the most powerful sharpshooter that he knew in Konoha and knew she could handle herself for the most part.

He placed his chin on her head and looked up at the trees for a moment. He wanted to ask her a question for the moment but was trying to get it out without sounds a bit stupid on his part. It was never good when he did sound stupid, and his last stupid statement ended with a busted lip. "Tenten....would you due me the honors of being my girlfriend?" He thought that actually asking her was the proper way of doing it other than just assuming right? Assuming stuff meant getting hurt if his guess was wrong, like with Sakura. The last thing he wanted was getting stabbed without warning from something that Tenten had hidden under her clothes.

He was not even nervous about the question. His heart beat remained the same, the only thing that was exciting to him was the fact that she was this close to him and he didn't want to let her go. They was deep in the training ground forest and Hanabi had fled the area before they took off out here so he knew she wouldn't be dump enough to come out here without a good reason on the most part right? If she was, he was going to have to place her in her place then. He would not have her running around and bugging him and Tenten with her childish games.

[Tenten]

Stand In The Rain, Stand Your Ground, Stand Up When It's All Crashing Down...

~She Doesn't Know Why, But She Knows That When She's All Alone, Feels Like It's All Coming Down~
❃♈❃ тєитєи ❃♈❃
"Okay, if you insist, remember you asked for it!"

______________________________________________________________________________________

She was quite a bit surprised when he asked about what she had meant by the statement of 'awkward' things. She would have thought he would have guessed the most obvious one, but then again... The last time he'd assumed things or made a stupid comment, he'd ended up with a split lip from none other than Haruno Sakura. Well... Tenten's wasn't stupid nor outrageous enough to stab him with anything, at least not something that would leave permanent damage... Or something that was even possibly sharp, either. Did fingers count?

As he gently drew her towards him as well as moved closer himself, Tenten decided to answer the question in the way she thought the best. "For both reasons I hope I can... Safely assume you're thinking of." She wasn't afraid of Neji... At least, not in matters like this. A spar, perhaps, yes, she would definitely be a little bit frightened. He could kick her ass and walk away unscathed if he really wanted, as well as not be cocky about it, either. Nor was he overconfident... A trait that she liked. He was confident in his abilities and confident that he could handle different situations and the like, but he didn't let it get to him... At least, from what she could tell.

"Though... I was referring more to the other reason rather than my being sick," she added quietly, simply enjoying the sensation of being there. It was as if a strange excitement were running through her, making the feeling and the utter bliss of the moment so much more... Serene and charitable. Her own arms snaked around to wrap around his torso, the one hand gently running her fingers down the corded muscles of his back... Her touch was so light, it probably wasn't noticeable; she herself didn't even really realize she was doing it. It was more of a subconscious gesture than anything.

For a moment, she wondered how some people were going to take the whole public aspect of the two of them... Sakura and Ino would be rather predictable; gossipy and happy... Hanabi would just be utterly pleased that she'd been correct all along [or so she would think, most likely]... Tenten's mother would be fine with it, she knew, and probably leap at an opportunity to scare Neji if possible... Neji's own mother, she couldn't really account for, nor his uncle. Hinata would be shy as always... Although, Tenten would admit she was a little frightened to find out what his uncle might say. For some odd reason, the elder Hyuuga made her cringe a little in fear.

Naruto... Probably would be too dense to figure anything out, which would be rather hilarious, as Tenten knew. Most others would probably be apathetic, such as Shino and Shikamaru, and Chouji was too interested in food to care about much else. Gai and Lee, however, were also the odd ones out... Knowing them, however, it would somehow involve some form of 'youth' or being 'youthful', in one way or another. Lee would most likely congratulate them, as would Gai, but Tenten could almost imagine Gai's line already... Perhaps something about them 'exploring their youthfulness'. Mentally, she shuddered. She wasn't sure if she wanted to find out what either of them would say... Hopefully, they would be too immersed in praising each other and creating new challenges for themselves to even really care. The rest of the Jounin that they knew - Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma - probably wouldn't say much. Although, she'd heard that Asuma and Kurenai'd had eyes for each other... So perhaps there would be some commentary there.

Tenten was drawn out of another one of her bouts of thinking as Neji rested his chin on her head and asked quite a... Strange-seeming question. It sounded funny when he said it, for some reason, because she knew very well that he knew the answer to that one. It should have been obvious from the situation they were in - at the moment, anyway - but it seemed he was avoiding stupid assumptions to avoid any painful confrontations. Well, oh yes, Tenten would do the duty of stabbing him with something, surely... In the chest, too. What would she use? Her index finger.

Almost abruptly she pulled back slightly to look him straight in the face, her look a mixture of abashed and surprised. A single hand snaked its way to the front to abruptly poke him in the chest. Yes... She was going to be straightforward about this, absolutely!

"I do believe, Hyuuga, that you already know the answer to that one," she stated, continually poking him to drive her statement home. Well... The poking part was more of a playful gesture than anything. It wouldn't hurt, now would it? She wasn't poking hard enough to do any sort of damage, but just enough for him to feel her finger, at least. "But, since you insist," she added, turning her head upwards and to the left slightly as if she were annoyed [though it was obvious that she wasn't; she was merely playing], and then looked him straight in the face, sliding upwards to stand on the tips of her toes. She was almost eye-level with him at that point, but it was tough to balance and not have the both of them fall over. She leaned close, her lips stretching for the ear she knew was hidden under those ebony locks.

"Yes, I will," she whispered, her voice utterly soft, caring, and loving at the same time. Very slightly she drew back, planting a quick, soft kiss on the undamaged half of his mouth. She was deftly avoiding the split area... The area which she would almost literally bully Sakura into fixing. She could tell it was bothering him, and that wasn't hard to see. A split lip hurt like a b*tch, especially when touched. The hand which had been poking him in the chest came up to gently trace the outlines of his lips... Very carefully avoiding the direct area of the split.

"I'm sorry, I probably should've stopped Sakura from doing that," she said, the guilt showing slightly, "But I know you probably won't disagree with the fact that you did kind of ask for it," she added sheepishly, hoping he wouldn't take it the wrong way. She tapped him on the nose once, a playful smile playing across her face, driving her next statement home. "It's very dangerous to lip off to female shinobi," she scolded, raising a single eyebrow. "I didn't teach you that with flying knives and explosives?" she asked, that single eyebrow still raised and a grin stretching from ear to ear. Well, she was obviously enjoying herself...

______________________________________________________________________________________

You Stand Through The Pain, You Won't Drown, And One Day What's Lost Can Be Found...