Chapter 8: Dresses and Set Backs

The girls left in Ino's carand arrived at the mall by 09:00 in the morning, ready to spend the entire day at the mall looking for the right dress to wear to the school dance. Their first stop was a boutique filled with elegant dresses. The girls walked in and began browsing around.

"Ooh look at this dress, its stunning." Ino held out a crimson strapless dress in front of her.

"This one looks great too" Hinata held out a one shoulder black A-line dress

"I think it's a little too formal for a school dance" Tenten commented

"I like it, all it needs is the perfect pair of shoes" Sakura held up a pair of silver heels

They tried on a few dresses then moved on to the next shop but not without buying a few. It was better for them to have a few options to choose from.

Xxx

The girls had splintered off in their own directions of the mall. Tenten was on the top floor at a small shop that had very few people inside although she got some unwanted attention from one of the cashiers. As she strolled around the store he never took his eyes off her—he always watched her with a smirk on her face. She picked out a silver knee length sweetheart cut dress and went to try it on in the changing rooms. As soon as she stepped out he came to talk to her. He had short uneven black hair and piercing bright green eyes. He was quite handsome—she supposed.

"Excuse me miss but do you need help with anything?" Tenten wasn't oblivious to the way he suggested it. She could hear him flirting with her but she wasn't interested in the slightest and didn't entertain him.

"No thanks I'm fine" she was about to walk back into the changing room when he grabbed her wrist.

"Are you sure, I mean that dress looks pretty tight I could help you out of it" he took a step closer to her.

"That won't be necessary, now get away from her" Neji icily commented from behind him. The cashier turned around to face Neji.

"And just who the hell are you tell me to back off"

"He's my boyfriend" Tenten walked past him and stood next to Neji "Now kindly leave us or you'll have to find yourself a new job" he gave them one last look before walking away

"Alright now you're starting to scare me; this is the second time you've found me without me telling you where I was" she raised an eyebrow at him "Even though it was unnecessary thanks for the save"

"Unnecessary; if I hadn't arrived who know what he would've done to you?"

"Oh please; you think I can't handle amateurs like him. He wasn't a threat at all" she turned around and back to the changing room "Now let me get out of this dress so we can get out of here"

"I'll help you out of it"

"Neji Hyuuga don't you even dare" she walked in and closed the door then locked it

"Locking the door?"

"Clearly I can't trust you to not walk in here while I'm dressing" she finished dressing and walked out then she left the shop with Neji.

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked

He answered her question by holding up a shopping bag from a suit store—an expensive suit store. Her eyes widened slightly when she remembered the popular shop for the wealthy.

"Don't the price tags on the cheapest suits end with three zero's. I see you spared no expense"

The two of them walked around the mall for a while until they met up with the rest of the girls. Tenten said goodbye to Neji then headed to one final shop with the girls as they still hadn't found their dresses yet. Each of them picked out a dress and went to try it on in the dressing room.

"We look amazing, these are definitely our dresses" Ino squealed as she looked at herself and her friends in their dresses. They bought their dresses and headed to the food court for lunch.

"…And then he grabbed my wrist and offered to help me out of my dress" Tenten explained her story

"What a jerk; so what happened next?" Sakura asked

"Then Neji stepped in and I threatened to get him fired" she took a sip from her ice tea

"Talk about perfect timing" said Ino

The girls finished up their shopping and drove back to school. They walked into their room with two bags on each arm.

The next day in gym class Neji and Tenten were sparring in the boxing ring—Guy Sensei had given them the hour off because he needed to take care of some business but he still ordered them to do some form of exercise. They stood on opposite sides of the ring then they ran at each other. Tenten leaped in the air and tried to kick Neji but he ducked and tried to sweep kick her leg as it touched the ground but she countered by back flipping out of the way.

Neji had been giving her fighting lessons for a few months and she was really improving—if she did say so herself. Next he was on the offensive as he tried to punch her but she caught his wrist and was about to punch him but he caught her wrist. They were deadlocked—each had the others wrist but Neji managed to break free of her grip and while he was still holding on to hers ; he pulled her into him and unbalanced her feet making her fall backwards, he managed to pin her on her back. They were both breathing heavily. He smirked at her annoyance.

"Don't look so upset Tenten, you're improving" he held out his hand to help her up

"Yeah yeah, but I'll get you next time" she eventually cracked a smile before taking his hand and standing up

After a few minutes of resting they got back into their fighting positions and came at each other again. This time Tenten slid through his legs and stood up behind him and tried to kick him but he caught her foot then released her; he turned around and tried to kick her as well but she dodged it. He came at her with a dozen punches but she managed to dodge all of them; she did a front flip to get as close to him as possible then delivered a final kick to his leg—an extremely hard kick.

Neji fell to the ground holding on to his injured leg.

"Oh no Neji!"

Xxx

"Wow Tenten what did he do for you to have hurt him like this?" Sakura teased as she wrapped a bandage around his leg

"It was an accident; we were sparring in Gym class and I came at him really fast then I kicked him"

"Well Neji your leg is going to hurt for a while so it looks like you're stuck in here for the next week and a half." Said Sakura then she looked at Tenten who slightly lowered her head and Sakura understood why. The timing couldn't be any worse.

Sakura and Tenten were on their way back to their room when Tenten spoke up.

"A week and a half but the dance is only a week away, cant he just for that one night—

"Absolutely not, if he puts pressure on his leg before it's completely healed he'll make it even worse. I'm sorry Tenten"

"Hey guys what's the problem?" Hinata caught up to them

"Neji has an injured leg that won't be healed in time for the dance" Tenten explained as they all walked into their room.

"And after all that time we spent looking the perfect dress and shoes and everything. I was really looking forward to spending the night with him at the dance. It was going to be our first time going as a couple" she sat down on her bed

The next day Tenten decided to visit Neji during her free period when she—unfortunately—found Naoya coming from the direction she was going in. Naoya glanced at Tenten so she stopped to confront her.

"And just where do you think you're going Tenten?"

"Like it's any of your business" said Tenten

"Well I just got back from visiting Neji; I was comforting him, I mean being hurt by his girlfriend must've been terrible for him. He'll come around Tenten just you wait, he'll leave you in the dirt and choose me" Tenten just rolled her eyes and tried to fight the urge to laugh in her face

"Who the hell do you think you're trying to seduce? Neji isn't a fool who would fall for some tramp in a mini-skirt and showing a lot of cleavage. He enjoys the finer things in life" she said referring to herself then she carried on walking until she reached the infirmary. She walked in to find him reading a book

"Wow, hello Mr. Popular" she walked in with a smirk on her face as she saw the room had gift bags and 'get well soon' cards pretty much everywhere—courtesy of his many fangirls.

"I just came to see how you're doing but clearly you're being taken care of" she couldn't stop smiling even though he was glaring at her "Okay okay I'll stop" she sat next him on the edge of his bed "But seriously how's your leg?"

"It still hurts a little" he replied then he smirked at her making her look at him with confusion "So I only enjoy the finer things in life do I?" he put his book down and looked her in the eyes

"You heard that?" she blushed

"You'd be surprised how well the sound carries in the hallway" he then folded his arms "I never knew you had that side to you Tenten" he was clearly amused but Tenten didn't seem to notice as she was too preoccupied with going through the gift bags.

"Hey don't get it confused with your arrogance. I'm only like that when I need to be; you're arrogant pretty much all the time" she playfully poked him in the chest then resumed looking through some of the gift bags and took some of the chocolate.

"Are you finished going through my gift bags?"

"Hey you and I both know you don't particularly like chocolate, so I'm helping myself" she opened the chocolate and took a bite "You do realise they'll keep coming right? You have a lot of fangirls and they'll just keep sending gifts up here"

"You don't have to jealous Tenten" he smirked

"Me jealous? I have no reason to be"

"Oh yeah and what makes you so sure?"

"Didn't you hear me out there? You're not a fool Neji, I know you wouldn't fall anything stupid" she leaned in and kissed him for a few seconds before breaking away

"But I do know what you would fall for" she smiled at him

"Oh yeah and what's that?"

"Kissing me" she smiled

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me"

"I think your idea is a little flawed" he raised an eyebrow at her

"Oh so you're telling me that if I came in here everyday and leaned in like this and hovered my lips above yours, you wouldn't eventually lean in and kiss me" he remained quiet for a moment "That's what I thought Neji" she glanced down at her watch

"Free period is almost over; I need to go, see you later" she kissed him once more before heading to the door and leaving for class

An hour or so later Sakura walked in, it was an hour before school ended. She had a roll of bandages in her hand.

"It's time to change your bandages" she walked over to his bed and untied and unwrapped the old ones from his leg. There was a large bruise on his leg that she began wrapping in the new bandages.

"Do you know where Tenten is now?" he asked

"Yeah she's in English class with Sasuke" she answered while concentrating on bandaging his leg. A long pause filled the room for a moment before Neji spoke up

"May I ask you something?"

"Of course" she finished then took a seat in the chair next to his bed

"You are aware that she spends some time with him right?"

"I know they've been friends for a few years, yes, why do you ask?" Neji remained quiet for a moment "Are you worried about her spending so much time with him?" another pause

"Well I don't think you should be; they've made it very clear that they're just friends. If they wanted to try something they would have done so by now but look she's with you. And when she's with me, Ino and Hinata upstairs she always talks about you, she's crazy about you" when she finished speaking he looked away

"Hey don't look so down Neji; you trust her right?"

"Of course"

"Asking a question doesn't mean that you don't, I mean he's tied for first place as the most desired guy in school so what you're thinking is understandable. But she's only interested in the guy tied with him and that's you Neji." She smiled at him "It's almost time for class, I'll see you later Neji" she picked up her bag and headed to the door

"Sakura" he called making her turn around and look at him. He just looked into her eyes for a few seconds. She smiled when she understood what he was trying to say.

"Don't worry I won't tell her" she then walked out the door and left

Chapter 9: Conclusion

The day of the dance finally arrived and there seemed to be a wave of excitement throughout the school. All the girls were talking and showing each other pictures of their dresses and asking for opinions. And the guys—not as excited—but still looking forward to the evening were doing the only thing they knew how. They were bragging about which girl they were taking to the dance—from the captain of the cheerleading team to the captain of the drama club.

It was probably the most unproductive school day as none of the students were focusing—at least not on school anyway.

At the end of the school day the corridors were empty in five minutes as well as the school parking lot as most of the students went to town for last minute preparations and girls to get their hair done. Tenten and her friends would have done the same thing but they didn't need to because of Ino. She had as much skill with a curling iron as any professional hair stylist did. Ino got ready first so she could help the girls with their hair and make-up.

Ino had her hair done in a single long braid that sat over her left shoulder. She had on mascara and a plum purple lipstick. Her dress was a silver backless halter dress that was mermaid cut to accentuate her curves.

Hinata had her hair done in a French braid and had a nude lipstick. Her dress was a thick strapped mauve dress which was A-line and chiffon.

Sakura had her hair done in a classic bun and had colourless lip-gloss on. Her dress was a teal coloured strapless pipe dress with a mid-thigh slit on the right side.

The three of them looked amazing by the time they were done. They were dressed and ready—all except for Tenten.

"Aren't you going to ready Tenten?" Sakura asked

"I'm just going to spend the night with Neji"

"Oh okay, that reminds me I need to change his bandages" she quickly left the room and went downstairs to the infirmary. She walked in and to his bedroom.

"It's that time once again and it's better I do it now and not later" she began unwrapping and then wrapping his leg.

"Tenten said she'd come down later and I think I've got an idea as to what she's going to do so I'm going to do you a favour even though I shouldn't" she finished

"So what's the favour?" he asked and watched as she walked to the door and turned the handle

"Don't hurt your leg" he got the message immediately and smiled at her as she winked at him and walked out the door

Back in the girls' room

"Well it's half past six, the dance will start any minute now, we should get the guys and head down" said Ino as she did a last minute make-up check in the mirror

"Before you go Ino, could you help me with my hair, I want to do something special for Neji" she looked at her with a small smile on her face

"Of course, you two go ahead I'll meet you at the dance once I'm done here" Hinata and Sakura said their goodbyes then went to meet Naruto and Sasuke by the Gym for the dance.

They met Naruto and Sasuke at the entrance of the Gym. They both looked incredibly dapper in their suits. Naruto wore a navy suit and a white shirt with the first two buttons undone; showing off his necklace. And Sasuke wore a black suit with a white shirt and a black skinny tie.

"Wow you two look great" said Sakura as she walked up to Sasuke and hooked her arm around his

"Not as great as you two" came Naruto as he took Hinata's hand and guided her inside "Shall we?" the four of them walked in together and were greeted by the loud music and exquisite decorations. The theme for the dance was an 'Enchanted Forest' so there was a lot of green and blue along with fake vines growing over the tables and a fog machine used to create the mist on the floor.

Upstairs with Ino and Tenten

"There you go, all done. Your hair looks great and now for your make-up" said Ino as she retrieved her mascara from her bag.

"I'm really glad things worked between you two. You really like him don't you?" Ino asked as she did the finishing touches on Tenten's make-up

"Words can't describe how much I do. I just feel so amazing when I'm around him" she couldn't help but smile

"Well then go show him a night to remember" she helped Tenten up then gave her a hug "Aren't you going to put your dress on?"

"I will when I get there, I want him to be the first one to see me in it" she winked at Ino before heading out

The corridors were completely empty while Tenten made her to the infirmary. The sound of her heels echoed with every step she took. She stepped in to the room and found Neji with yet another book in front of him although he looked very debonair as he was already in his suit. He wore a black suit with a grey shirt which matched the grey braiding on his blazer and his pocket square. It was accompanied with a black skinny tie.

"Tenten aren't you going to the dance?" he acted like he didn't know what was happening

"Like I would have good time at the dance without my boyfriend there with me" she stood next to him then kissed him for a moment "But I do have a surprise, just give me a few minutes"

Neji watched her leave and walk into the bathroom but nothing would prepare him for what he was about to see. Ten minutes later Tenten walked out of the bathroom in an off the shoulders navy dress—but only from the top of the dress until the hips was navy. From the hips downwards her dress was white and mermaid cut. She had her hair curled and sitting over her right shoulder along with mascara and red lipstick.

"You're the first one to see me like this, so how do I look?" she twirled around and the flowing garment turned with her.

"You look absolutely breath-taking" and he meant every word of what he said. She almost left him speechless, she was so beautiful

"I really wanted to surprise you" she sat next to him and he put his arm around her

"You sure did a great job but it goes without saying that I think you look great in anything you wear—even your underwear" he whispered the last part of his sentence

"Hey don't get any ideas in that perverted mind of yours" she chuckled at him

"Me a pervert? That's insane"

"Clearly you think I don't know you as well as I do Neji. That day I answered the door in my underwear, I knew exactly what you were thinking and those thoughts weren't exactly innocent" she smirked at him

At the dance

Sakura was at getting drinks for her and Sasuke when Naoya came up to her.

"So Sakura I guess desperation does pay off"

"Excuse me?"

"The only reason Sasuke would ever go to the dance with a nobody like you is that he felt so sorry for you that he had to say yes"

"Hate to break it to you Naoya but Sasuke is my boyfriend" Sakura smirked when she saw Naoya's eyes widen in shock

"But it doesn't make any sense I'm way prettier than you and Ino, the guys should be lining up just to stand next to me"

"Just face it; Sasuke's not interested, Neji's not interested, Shikamaru's not interested, heck not even Naruto would go for someone like you"

"Oh please I would never go for that fool Naruto"

"Like you're even in his league, and don't you dare insult my best friend like that" she took her drinks and walked away from her

"What was that about?" Sasuke asked as he took his drink from her

"Oh Naoya was just complaining about how she thinks she's better than us and how she deserves the top guys in the school"

Ino and Shikamaru were sitting at one of the tables since they were tired from dancing while Naruto and Hinata were on their way out for a walk. A slow song started and a few moments later, Sasuke held out his hand to Sakura. She smiled and took his hand and walked to the dance floor with him. She put her arms around his neck and he put his arms around her waist as they slowly danced around the room. They were in their own world; eyes locked on each other. It was sheer bliss for them both.

Naruto and Hinata were walking hand in hand; looking up into the clear evening sky with the brilliantly bright full moon pouring its light into the darkness.

"Hey Hinata I haven't seen Tenten around is she sick or something?" Naruto asked

"No she went up to the infirmary to spend the evening with Neji" she explained

"Oh I see" he said in an incredibly suggestive way

"Not like that Naruto, I'm sure they're just talking"

"I say we go find out" he took her hand and guided her in the direction of the infirmary. The stopped when they got to the balcony

"How do plan on calling her they're a floor above us"

"I don't want to interrupt so I'll be subtle" he quickly looked for a pebble to throw at the window. Once he found one he threw it and the pebble hit the correct window almost cracking it in the process

"That wasn't subtle at all Naruto"

With Neji and Tenten…

"What was that?" Tenten asked and walked to the balcony to see the pebble on the ground then she looked below her and saw Naruto and Hinata looking up at her

"Naruto you idiot, did you throw this? You could have broken the window!" she yelled down at him

"Oh Tenten I didn't think you'd be dressed since you're up there alone with Neji and—"

Hinata elbowed him in the arm "I just told you they wouldn't do that Naruto"

The gears turned in Tenten's head as she tried to figure out what they meant by that. Then realisation finally dawned on her.

"Wait you thought that Neji and I were…" she immediately blushed and she was completely unaware that Neji was standing at the door to the balcony. "You know I'm seriously considering jumping off of this balcony to kill you Naruto" she clenched her fist then calmed down

"Anyways how's the dance going and why are you two outside?" she leaned on the rails

"The dance is great but we just decided to take a walk and then check on you two to find out if you were doing anything" Naruto grinned slyly, Tenten just rolled her eyes at him

"Well I don't want spoil you're evening so Hinata please take your boyfriend and enjoy the rest of your night" she watched them walk away then looked up into the sky; gazing at the full moon.

"It's a beautiful moon tonight"

"Yeah it is…" for some reason it took her while to realise that Neji was standing next to her "Neji what are you doing out of bed? Sakura said you're not aloud up on your feet until your leg is completely healed"

"Actually what she said was that I shouldn't hurt my leg so as long as I don't put too much pressure on it I can move about"

"Wow she did you a favour, that's so unlike her"

"Actually she did you a favour; she knew you were coming here and that you'd miss the dance so she wanted to make sure you'd still have a great evening"

"Neji I'd have a great time with you even if you were bed ridden. Being with you is enough to make me smile"

"And what about if I did this…" he put his arms around her waist and she relaxed into his chest with her eyes closed

"That feels amazing" she then turned around and looked up at him while putting her arms around his neck. She embraced him for a while then broke the hug to talk to him

"You know this was quite a year but I don't think I'd change a single thing about it because I ended up having you by my side" she leaned in and kissed him then rewrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer to deepen the kiss.

The setting was perfect; the moon was full and shining on them as they shared their intimate moment. A gentle breeze swept past them; the wind let Tenten's dress run through its fingers like liquid. They were alone and totally lost in their world. After a few minutes they separated but they kept their arms around each other and looked up to the sky together. Their evening was a picture perfect—almost as though their lives were a story.