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"Tenten, why do you look so un-youthful today?" Lee's eyes widened with concern as he stared at his best friend. Tenten had woken up after spilling her guts all over the Hyuuga's shoes in her house, with Sakura tending to her. Sakura had scolded her about drinking, but said nothing of Neji. Maybe Sakura didn't know.

Since it was nearly noon, and Gai sensei was out on a mission, Tenten had invited Lee to lunch. Her treat, she insisted. Lee obliged, and the two were sitting in Ichiraku's. Lee had delved into his ramen, but Tenten picked at hers. She still couldn't get the Hyuuga's words out of her head.

"Hinata-sama and I are betrothed."

"Tenten?"

Tenten turned her attention back towards the spandex-clad boy. She shoveled some ramen down her throat a little too quickly, and the heat scalded her tongue.

"Careful, Tenten! The ramen is burning with unrelenting passion!"

She rolled her eyes playfully at her friend. "Lee, I'm fine. Aren't you a little too passionate today?"

Lee cast his eyes at his ramen. "Just trying to make you feel better, Tenten."

She gave him a light smile, and patted him on the back. "Thanks, Lee. I really appreciate it."

They ate for a few minutes in silence before Lee asked, "What do you think, of Neji and Hinata's arrangement?"

Tenten stopped eating. She stared at her half-empty bowl, and began fiddling with her chopsticks. The one question she had been delaying all night and morning had finally been asked to her. She didn't get to react to Neji's testimony the night before, unless puking all over him was a testimony. Since Sakura didn't ask her about it, the question was just sort of left to dwell in the darkest part of Tenten's mind. Her stomach knotted.

"I…I guess if that's what they want. I'm happy for them." She forced the words out of her mouth, smiling one of Sai's fake smiles at Lee. "I mean, what else can we do at this point right?" she poked a fish ball with her chopstick. "We can't do anything about it, can we?"

Lee nodded. "Very wise words, Tenten." He lifted up his bowl and slurped the last of the broth. He set his bowl down and thanked Ichiraku behind the counter. He turned his attention back towards Tenten.

"We should go congratulate Neji. He wasn't at practice this morning. I suppose he was at another clan meeting."

Tenten nodded, feeling a little green again. "Yeah. I guess we should." It was the right thing to do after all. She liked Hinata and she… liked Neji, she supposed, and the two were a good fit for each other. Both were fair and polite, and they were both from the Hyuuga clan. What was she thinking? Thinking she could end up with Neji… She wasn't even a Hyuuga. She didn't belong to some clan, either. There would be no political marriage for her. She sighed, leaning on her palm. If only she had been born in a different family. If only she had been born a Hyuuga.

"Tenten, are you ready to go?" She snapped her attention back to Lee, who had stood up.

"Mmm." She hopped off the chair and walked in step next to her friend. At least, she hoped she was ready.

"Mmmm…" Ino woke up with the sun hitting her face through the blinds. She recoiled slightly. Her head hurt like a mother, but she was starting to get used to the side effects of a wild night out. She sat up, rubbing her head. The other side of the bed was empty, and there were no signs of the motel room having occupied more than one. One of the good things about having relations with a ninja, she supposed.

She sat up, and walked bare-foot to the bathroom. Upon analyzing herself in the mirror, she saw dark circles underneath her usually bright blue orbs. Her long blonde hair was mussed—the Inuzuka boy's fault, of course, having run his fingers through it throughout the night—and there were a few scratches from the mission before. Other than that, she looked like the same old Ino Yamanaka.

Not caring what time it was, she turned on the hot water in the shower, and after a minute, stepped in. Her father would probably just think she was still out on her mission or something. Not that he would notice. He was used to her being out at night, either on missions or "sleeping over at Sakura's", as she told him. He probably wouldn't care if she came home at three in the afternoon again.

Letting the warm water run over every inch of her body, she had time to contemplate. The first person that came to her mind was the Hyuuga boy. He had walked into the bar and demanded to speak to Tenten. Running soap over her arms, she wondered what he needed to speak to her about.

Maybe a mission, or something or another. But she wondered why he had so quickly rejected her advances. Sure, she was under the influence and maybe a little gross from the previous mission. But she was pretty. She was charismatic. Any man in his right mind in Konoha, hell, anywhere for that matter, wouldn't have rejected her advances.

But then again, she considered the fact that maybe Neji Hyuuga wasn't in his right mind. She squirted shampoo into her palms, and lathered it through her hair. She would just ask Tenten later what Neji had talked to her about. Or maybe she thought flirtatiously, she'd ask the Hyuuga himself.

Neji Hyuuga was not in his right mind. Tenten… releasing her guts all over him was just a precursor to the rest of the night and the following day. After he had dragged her to Sakura's apartment, with no word of explanation, he went home and had to change. He thought that maybe he would ask Hinata to make it the first priority of the Hyuuga clan to develop a jutsu that removed stains from white fabric.

Though he had tried to sleep, images of that night kept popping into his head. Of everything, of everyone. What everyone would think that he was marrying his cousin. Of course, in the older generations it was not uncommon for people of the same clan to marry. But nowadays, clans were intermixing left and right.

Shikakaru-senpai did not marry Mikoto simply because she was a Nara by birth. She wasn't. Inoichi-senpai did not marry his wife simply because she was an Inoichi by birth. She wasn't. Hell, the Yondaime Hokage and his wife the Jinchuuriki hadn't even been from the same clan. Times were changing. Why couldn't the Hyuuga too?

Of course, he had nothing against marrying Hinata. Hinata was a beautiful girl, kind, intelligent, and could definitely hold her own. But the thought of touching her and being intimate with a girl he thought of as nearly his sister made him a bit uncomfortable. Actually, not just a bit.

It made him very, very uncomfortable.

Besides, didn't she still have that crush on that Naruto boy? Neji didn't know how he'd feel about his wife loving another man. Though he had no romantic interest in her, he was possessive of what should've been his. But Hinata shouldn't even have been his.

He knew he wasn't thinking rationally. At all. In any rational case, this would be the best, political marriage. It would actually be perfect. They would marry inside their clan, keep the bloodline, and also reunite the Head Family and the Branch Family. Everything would be perfect.

Except Neji couldn't get the idea out of his head that maybe that's not how it was supposed to be. Who was the clan to say whom he could and couldn't marry? Sure, defying them would mean possibly kicked out of the clan and disowned. But they wouldn't do that, not as long as he had the eye prowess they so longed to keep safe.

He thought of all the things that could happen. Naruto, the future Hokage, could fall in love with Hinata, and shun the Hyuuga clan because he couldn't handle the pain. Or, Neji could fall in love with another. Or—

He had mentally slapped himself. When he had he gotten so melodramatic? It must've been those dramas he had been forced to watch by Gai sensei, who insisted that it was good if shinobi's had an emotional outlet.

After not being able to sleep, another clan meeting had began at six a.m. sharp, removing all opportunities Neji had of sleeping in. Then his uncle had wanted to spar with him privately, then this, then that… he was beginning to lie down on his futon around five o'clock for a quick nap when someone knocked on his door.

"Neji-nissan? A girl is here to see you." It was Hanabi, Hinata's sister's voice. He groaned quietly. He wondered what Hanabi thought of the whole situation of her sister marrying her cousin.

"Send her away, I am resting," he replied, shutting his eyes once again. He heard mumbling and a feminine voice urging Hanabi to press him. A few seconds later, Hanabi spoke again.

"Uhh, she's kind of persistent."

"I said send her away."

"She has flowers."

"I said send her-,"

"Neji Hyuuga! I brought you Yamanaka flowers, the best flowers in all of Konoha and you refuse me?" Ino threw the door open, and stomped in. Neji sat up, opening his eyes. He glared at Hanabi.

"I thought I told you to send her-,"

"Now you're just being rude." The defiant blonde crossed her arms over her chest. She was clad in her usual purple garb, though it barely covered much. To a normal man, he might have been tempted or lustful looking at her—but Neji, Neji was not shifted by such simple things. He was a Hyuuga.

He bit his lip. A long, blonde bang covered one of her orbs, and he was tempted to sweep it out of her eyes. He wondered why such a tasteful-looking girl like herself covered her best feature with her hair. Her other blue orb shown brightly, showing him that she wasn't truly angry with him. Just a bit annoyed.

"I heard that you're engaged to Hinata."

"Hn."

She narrowed her eyes at him. He felt a headache come along in his right temple.

"I heard that the clan told you to do it."

"Hn."

"I heard you agreed."

"Hn." Where was she getting all this information from?

"I heard Tenten threw up over your shoes."

"Hn."

"That's probably because she was wasted and in love with you."

Neji gaped. Ino smirked. "She… Tenten is not in love with me," he said, firmly. That was absurd! Why would his teammate, one of his closest friends be in love with him? The idea itself was blasphemy! If Ino was a Hyuuga, she'd already be pinned to the ground and exiled! Well, maybe not, but still. Tenten was not in love with him.

Ino, much to his annoyance walked over and plopped down next to him on his futon. "Sure, she isn't." She rolled her eyes, then smiled in a way Neji couldn't describe—almost as if she was a cat stalking her prey. "Wanna know what else I heard?" her face was only inches from his own.

Neji didn't reply, knowing that she would tell him anyways. It was better to pretend that he wasn't interested.

"I heard Hyuugas are amazing in bed," she smirked. "So with the two of you it must be out of this world-,"

"HANABI I SAID SEND HER OUT OF MY ROOM."

I hope you guys enjoyed!:) Please review, and feel free to leave constructive criticism! hehe:)