Haircutting, a naruto fanfic

Disclaimer: I own Naruto (A smack) in my dreams!

Summary: Accidents happen, you know. That's why Tenten accidentally cut off Lee's hair. And that's also why Lee cooks up a revenge on her. If only she knows what he planned...

Pairings: Neji x Tenten

Dedication: All Neji x Tenten lovers. (Including me!)

Author Notes: Err. What should I say? I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! On with the story!

Haircutting

Hyuuga Neji, nineteen years old, was one of the geniuses you can find in Konoha. Even though he comes from the branch family in the famous Hyuuga clan, he was indeed more talented than most of them there. Having mastered almost all techniques (or jutsus, preferably) that could be offered by the clan, it was not confusing that he had girls practically drooling over him in streets.

Unfortunately for them, he claimed that he had no interest in girls and opposite-genders relationship.

Or so he says.

It was quite a cold morning. Wind was being especially harsh today, blowing cold air here and there, making some people freezes in their blankets, not wanting to get up. Unfortunately, the sun had just waked up from its peaceful slumber. Oh yeah, it had just set up, but our Hyuuga prodigy had already walked from his compound, fresh, but still cool.

Just as he entered his training ground, he saw his only female teammate, and immediately noticed that something was wrong with her.

Okay, he knew Tenten was a big fan of training, but if he can recall it correctly, just some days ago Tenten had completely rejected Lee's request to untie her ribbons and wear her hair down. For once, Lee had said, and Tenten had him impaled to a tree seconds after that.

"Tenten?" He let out a soft call.

The girl stopped throwing her shurikens and whirled back. "Hi, Neji!" Her seriousness turned into a cheerful grin after she realized who called her. "Training today?"

"Err..."

Tenten arched her eyebrows to Neji's unusual "Err...". After quite a long silence -Neji staring to her hair and she staring back at his hair, she asked, "What is it?"

"Why did you...?" He paused, arching his eyebrows and gesturing her hair. At that second, Tenten immediately realized what Neji was trying to bring up. She touched her hair. "Oh, this?" She blushed, "You see, it was very cold today, and my neck itches whenever I feel cold. So..." She shrugged, as in saying, "Whatever."

It was indeed cold, Neji realized as he zipped his jacket up again. He turned towards the poor, poor targets. Tenten had been giving them piercing blows of her extremely sharp weapons. He whirled around and moved away from Tenten, choosing to practice his kaiten stance before Lee comes.

Tenten shrugged once more and turned towards another target, now twenty yards away from her. She slipped a fuuma shuriken between her fingers, released a small amount of chakra to boost its effects, and threw the sharp thing across. As usual, it jabbed the target, right on the middle...

After cutting a huge amount of hair of a certain boy that just happened to be Rock Lee.

Tenten gasped. Lee shrieked. Gai screamed. Neji turned.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Lee screamed on the top of his lungs, watching his hair falling to the ground in slow motion.

"NOOOOOO!" Gai-sensei screamed, also on the top of his lungs as he watched his favorite subordinate's beautiful hair fell to the ground beautifully.

"Oh, no." was all Tenten could muster. She hurried over to Lee, who was practically sobbing and hugging with his sensei, as she put on a very apologetic expression on her face. "Lee... I'm sorry."

Neji, wanting to know what Tenten had certainly done, approached his teammates in silence. He managed a small laugh as he realized that Lee was practically half-bobbed right now. Tenten glared at him, and he turned his laughter into coughs. "Lee? Are you okay?" She asked, tapping her crying teammate's shoulder.

"Oh, Lee! THE flower of our team is apologizing to you!" Gai said, also sobbing, but somehow between those sobs he managed a pinging smile. "Oh, flower! Look what you have done to your friend!"

Tenten lowered her head, forcing an apologizing smile on her face. "I'm sorry, Lee. I'm sorry, Gai-sensei." She said automatically. She touched Lee's shoulder again, "Now, let me see what I can do for you." She said as she half-dragged Lee over to the bench where they usually sit after a long-day training.

Gai chuckled. "Oh, flames of YOUTH! The springtime of LOVE has finally come!" He grinned as he watched Lee and Tenten settling down on the bench, "Shower us with LOVE!"

He wouldn't have chosen to say that if he knows that a certain genius was clenching and unclenching his fist, feeling hot all of a sudden.

"Tenten... Tenten..." Lee sobbed, "How cruel you are, my friend! I thought you hold no grudges on me sticking more to Neji than you!"

Tenten coughed loudly as she pulled out her kunai and examined Lee's hair. "I do not hold grudges against you, Lee." She said as she started cutting Lee's hair carefully, "And why do you sticking more to Neji than me have something to do with me?"

Lee shook his head violently, making Tenten accidentally chopped off a little piece of his green spandex.

"YOU SEE!" Lee yelled loudly. "This is the proof! You are jealous of Neji and me! Admit it, Tenten!"

"That was because you move so much!" She said, flashing her eyes dangerously at him, "Now stop moving and I'll finish this off for you. And I'm not going to admit it when it's not even true."

Lee settled down and silenced for a while, before Tenten started chopping more of his hair. "... TENTEN!" He practically shrieked, "Isn't it enough that you had ruined my hair? Why should you ruin it more? Do you want to make me bald?"

Tenten gritted her teeth. "I wasn't going to bald you, Lee." She exclaimed impatiently, moving her kunai to his hair again, "But since you are so energetic about it, it doesn't seem like a bad idea to me. Now, stay still!"

"Only if you promise not to make me bald!" Lee demanded childishly, taking three steps away from the weapon mistress.

Unfortunately for him, Tenten wasn't one to be patient at times like this. Tenten sighed and placed her hands on her hip. "Lee. Here. NOW!" Her eyes shone dangerously, and Lee quickly proceeded to the pointed place without saying anything else.

"Tenten..." Lee let out another call.

"Hmm?"

"Why are you... wearing your hair down?"

Tenten blushed at the mention of that. "Was it weird?" She asked, ignoring Lee's question.

Lee, who was being stubborn too, shot back, "Did you wear it down because you want me to chip-chop it?"

Tenten narrowed her eyes at Lee. She touched her kunai to Lee's neck and said in a threatening voice, "I'll kill you if you dare."

"SEE? YOU ARE HOLDING GRUDGES AGAINST ME!" Lee shouted energetically, almost not noticing the cold blade touching his neck. He shrieked when he felt something liquid rolling down on his neck to his green spandex. Blood. "My, TENTEN! Are you trying to kill me?"

"Purely accident." She shrugged as she held her kunai away, "Sorry, Lee. Now STAY STILL. I'll finish your hair in two seconds and then we'll work on your neck."

Lee sulked and turned away from Tenten, as the weapon mistress did a quick job of chopping Lee's hair off. She felt two pairs of eyes watching her from inside the training grounds, and knowing who was in the grounds, she immediately knew that the owner of those eyes were Hyuuga Neji and Maito Gai.

She smirked.

What exactly will Gai-sensei said when she tells him that she has no experience in hair-cutting?

Neji stood and activated his Byakugan and examined his surroundings.

Nothing to be anxious about.

He deactivated his Byakugan and shrugged.

Why was he anxious, anyway?

It's not like he feels angry when he saw Lee practically clinging to Tenten's arms.

It's not like he feels like he wants to punch Lee in the face when Tenten held his shoulder to keep him from moving.

And it's certainly not like he feels jealous of them two!

No, no, and NO! It's just can't be. Hyuuga Neji did NOT feel jealous. At all.

Or so he says.

"Finished." Tenten gasped, putting down her kunai on the bench as she examined the now durian-shaped head of Lee. "..." She was about to say "I'm sorry I ruined it. Again.", but then she thought that it would be much better if Lee didn't know about his absolute freaky hairstyle.

So, instead of saying it out loud, she decided to apologize to him in her heart.

I'm sorry, Lee. She practically put her hands together and prayed.

"So, Tenten." Lee smirked, breaking her prayer. Tenten looked up and managed to stifle the laughs that were coming. "Y-yes, Lee?" She muttered, holding down her breath so that she will not laugh.

"Are you finally going to tell me that you love Neji?" Lee arched his eyebrows, "Haven't the springtime of love finally come into your heart and blossomed your love to Neji?"

"I said, I do not love him." Tenten replied again, now through gritted teeth. Lee seemed so unbearably annoying every time he brought up this subject. And hell, it's not like she was going to admit that she loves Neji, right?

When I do not love him, Tenten added in her heart as she took a band-aid from her pocket. She always brought supplies... Just in case. You never know what's going to happen, right? I could not admit that if I wasn't in love with him. I do NOT love him.

She turned to Lee and forcefully pinched his shoulder. The boy shrieked in exuberance as usual, "TENTEEEEN...! How dare you? You know that your pinch hurts, right? You know that-" She stopped him by slapping his cheek gently. And when he turned to glare at her, she took the chance to stick the band-aid to his neck.

"There. Done." She rolled her eyes, "Actually, we could have done this easier if you didn't move, Lee."

"Ah! So now you're going to admit it?"

"Admit what?"

"You. Love. Neji." Lee was saying every word clearly and slowly.

"For the last time, Lee." She shrugged and slapped his cheek softly once again, "I. Do. Not. Love. Neji. What makes you think otherwise?"

"By noticing that you love to stare at him." Lee answered cheekily. Tenten watched her teammate in awe yet in anger too. She suspected him to cook up revenge, but not this soon. And please, please, please - not about Neji! Not him! Anything but him!

"Lee, shut up." Tenten said, readying her shurikens between her fingers. If he has gotten further than this, she will be more than happy to pin him upon a tree. Yeah, that sounds nice.

Lee continued, ignoring his female teammate's anger. "And also by noticing that you seem to blush every time he's talking to you..."

"Lee." Tenten repeated as she inserted a venomous glare, "I said, shut up."

Lee stuck out his tongue. He was enjoying this so much! Well, it seemed like his hair were chopped of not for nothing. He smirked. Maybe this could get them together at last. He had been quite sick - yes, sick - by their behavior towards each other. One was too arrogant yet cold to admit it, while the other one was too shy and stubborn to even realize it.

Oh, and there's another reason, of course.

He loves his hair.

And Tenten chopped it off without even warning him.

Lee smirked. He was not going to let her go that easy! "Ahhh.. and Tenten," He continued, "I can't help but notice that you have been hanging out with him awful lot lately."

Tenten stared at him darkly. "Shut up." She said again, placing her kunai on Lee's neck. But this time Lee wasn't that stupid to realize that there's a blade sticking to his neck.

He moved four steps away from Tenten, still wearing his smirk, "... Andddd, Tenten. I also can't help but notice that he too has been staring at you between our sparring matches!"

That caught Tenten off-guard - almost. She glared at him, "Lee, you know how I hate lies, right?" She asked in a dangerous quizzical voice, "And you know what I do to liars, right?"

"Yeah. You pinned them to a tree with your special daggers that used a whole lot amount of chakra to release." Lee answered, stepping back carefully. Tenten was especially dangerous when it comes to lies and liars. "And you let them on the tree for seven days without food. Ah, and you pull off the daggers one by one per day. If in total was ten daggers, you would let them hang another ten days before letting them go."

"Stop exaggerating." She ordered darkly. "I do not let them suffer for seven days. Three days are enough. And I do not take the daggers one by one. Lee, you fool!"

"..." Lee smirked again, posing "Nice Guy" to Tenten. "I'm sorry, flower! But you could have said it so that you don't have to deny the love that's flowing in your heart or the major heartthrobs that you get when you see Neji!"

"As I said..." Tenten stepped closer to Lee, throwing one shuriken at him which he easily dodged, "I do not like Neji."

Maybe, she added in her heart.

"You do not like him." Lee agreed, and Tenten let out a breath of relief, but the inhumanly enthusiastic guy had cut her breath first, "You love him."

Tenten whirled closer to Lee and held up her hand to smack him. "Lee. I do not feel anything at him. GOT IT?" By now, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were glaring spears, daggers, kunais, shurikens, swords - anything that's sharp and murderous - at Lee.

"And, Tenten, you know what?" Lee smirked. Strangulation was too kind for him, Tenten thought as she eyed the green beast furiously. "Just some days ago I spotted him blushing because you -accidentally- touch his cheek."

By this time, Tenten was already mad. "Lee, SHUT UP!" She yelled, picturing finality in her voice.

"Okay." Lee nodded.

Tenten tilted her head suspiciously. It wasn't like Lee to give up that easily.

The green beast grinned wickedly as he watched his female teammate looking suspicious at him. "Ah! The springtime of love has finally dawned on you, TENTEN!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "YOU LOVE NEJI! YOO-HOO, NEJI! COME OVER HERE! TENTEN LOVES YOU!"

Tenten glared kunais at Lee, who was practically waving and shouting at Neji, who of course was not deaf. The Hyuuga boy turned to Lee, and blushed when hearing his sentence clearly. As Tenten saw that, she blushed too and turned away to slap Lee, this time hard. At the same time, Gai coughed loudly, smiling knowingly after glancing to both Tenten and Neji. He wasn't paying enough attention to his favorite subordinate, unlike always - but this time, he decided, it may be worth it.

"LEE!" Tenten gave Lee a murderous glare.

"I didn't do anything!" Lee screamed, obviously scared to the new look of Tenten. Yeah, if it was pictured in a manga, one would say she looked like a demon. She took her needles hastily and threw all of them to him, successfully moving him closer to a tree.

She got her shurikens out and impaled him to the tree, easily enough because he didn't even think of dodging it.

"I told you to shut up." Tenten started, "I told you that several times!"

"I'm sorry!" He said, even though he doesn't look apologetic at all in Tenten's eyes.

"You're not forgiven." She told him, getting one of her special daggers and jabbed it to the tree, through Lee's green clothing. His eyes watered ruefully as he gazed at Tenten, mimicking puppy-eyes at her. She shook her head. "No, and I mean it." She said darkly, "Stay there until 5 PM."

"But, Tenten-!"

She gave him a venomous glare. "Shut up." She simply said, and Lee was left in silence.

What was that? Neji asked himself for the twentieth time this minute, what was that?

He changed his position to a jyuuken stance, but found himself dumbfounded.

Did Lee actually say -no, shouted- that Tenten loves him?

Did he, or it was just his imagination?

Neji smacked his forehead subconsciously. He turned and met gaze with the one woman he had been thinking desperately about. Tenten was staring at him, her face blank. "Oh. Tenten." He said, a little nervous.

The girl looked up at him. "Hi again, Neji." She replied, also nervous. "By the way, your jyuuken stance is not as it usually is. Then, goodbye."

She waved her hand as Neji bolted his body upright. Jyuuken stance? What the hell was that? He stared and stared to the ground for several moments before his mind had finished mulling over words. Oh. Right. Jyuuken. I'm training my jyuuken.

As he concentrated his chakra to the end of his fingers, Neji found himself very lost and confused.

4.20 PM. Lee gazed at the clock tower miles ago. Thankfully he had strong eyes that he could see something that was far away from him. Literally.

Tenten was having her usual target-hitting practice. She managed to get most of her weapons in the middle, but soon get herself exhausted from running fifty yards over and over again to collect her weapons. She eyed Neji, who was now observing his surroundings with his Byakugan. Again. She cursed herself.

Why does she have not enough courage even to ask him to a sparring match? It was far too exhausting having throw weapons here and there all day!

She settled down on a bench and put her weapons down, gazing to Lee who was staring at her with a smirk. She glared at him dangerously, and he turned away.

"Tenten." She felt a hand on her shoulder. As her eardrums acknowledged the owner of the voice, she whirled back. "Neji!" She was half-surprised and half-relieved that she wasn't the one who call each other first.

The Hyuuga prodigy sat down beside her silently, their back facing each other, practically touching. They were both too nervous to open up, but thankfully Lee had jumped in to open up their conversation.

"NEJI! TENTEN! OH, THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH HAS FINALLY COME TO BOTH OF YOU! NEJI, TELL TENTEN YOU LOVE HER TOO!" He shouted gleefully, and in a second, a fuuma shuriken was thrown to his hair, chopping a teeeeeny little bit of it. Again.

"NOO…" Lee shrieked, but the two were far too occupied by each other to even look at him.

"Tenten." Neji started.

The weapon mistress blushed furiously. He must wants to speak about this, she thought as she felt her cheeks reddened.

"Tenten." Neji tried again, this time louder.

Still no reply.

"Tenten!" This time, Neji put his hands on her shoulder, shaking her gently, "Are you alright?"

"What? Oh, yeah! I'm fine." She replied, zapping back to reality. "What is it, Neji?"

He was never one to show courtesy at times like this. "Is what Lee said true?" He asked, straightforwardly and distinct.

Tenten flinched and blushed. "You mean, about I love you and blah blah blah?" She took a deep breath and avoided Neji's eyes, -she was just not ready to confess- "No. It's not." She coughed loudly and turned away. "What about you?"

This time it was Neji who coughed loudly. He pushed down his disappointment to the bottom of his heart and turned to look at Tenten, who by now had turned back and gazed at him. "It's true." He said clearly.

Tenten gasped.

Lee cheered silently.

Neji forced a laugh, but to the kunoichi's ears, the laugh sounded dull and unhappy. The Hyuuga boy looked anywhere but her as he put his hands together, breathing softly to calm himself down.

"Neji..." She began. "... I'm sorry."

"... It's okay." He stated, a little unconvinced as he forced another bitter laugh. "I wasn't hoping anything, anyway."

The Hyuuga boy stood up, not wanting his pride or dignity to be trodden over again. But Tenten wasn't going to give him up just like that. She touched Neji's wrist with her free hand and softly pulled him back to the bench. He looked at her in confusion, as the girl leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

By this time, Lee was already crying waterfalls, touched by the scene in front of him.

"No, Neji." She said, her voice firm but lovely to Neji's ears. He looked at her, dumbfounded un-Hyuuga-ly as she continued, "I mean, I'm sorry I lied that what Lee said was wrong. It's true... very true."

Neji went red as his genius head processed every word slowly. A genius he was, Neji was never quick when it comes to romance. "Really?" He asked, and Tenten nodded. He held out a hand, touched her free hair, and pulled her closer. He leaned in and kissed her forehead lightly. "... Well, I guess... I could say that you look beautiful today."

Tenten giggled. "Thank you. You look beautiful too, Neji."

Neji smirked the infamous Hyuuga Smirk™. "I love you, Tenten." He confessed, a slight blush creeping to his cheeks as his eyes glowed in excitement, "But you do know that liars got punished, right?"

The weapon mistress blushed too, but she soon recovered herself and smiled at him. "Try me, Hyuuga."

Lee cheered loudly, "YAY!" as Maito Gai, who silently witnessed the scene, smiled in satisfaction and said to himself, "Ah... love blossoms everywhere. I wonder whether I should get myself someone."

Maybe yes, Gai-sensei. Maybe.

"Tenten?" Neji asked to his former teammate -now his girlfriend-, who kept glancing behind as they both walked home. "What is it?"

"I think I forget something." She said, furrowing her eyebrows suspiciously, and trying her best to remember, "But I sorta don't remember what was it."

Neji shrugged. "Your weapons all there?" He suggested.

"... Yea-Wait. NO!" She cried frantically as she checked on her bag once more. "Oh, my favorite fuuma shuriken is not here. My special dagger too! I left them..." She was stunned. Now she remembered! "... With Lee."

"Where is Lee?" Neji asked, unaware that his girlfriend had impaled his stubborn and clumsy teammate to a tree back then.

"Oh. My. God." Tenten breathed and she looked at Neji. "He's nailed on a tree."

"How so?" Neji asked again.

"... I pinned him there." Tenten replied, "And I told him that I would let him go at five."

Neji smirked. Typical Tenten. "So, you wanna go back and help him out?" He offered generously.

And to his amazement, Tenten shook her head as she grinned. "I said, five PM. I did not say 5 PM today." She shrugged, "Let's just let him be for now."

The Hyuuga smirked again. "Okay." He agreed.

After all, leaving him there may refresh his mind.

Or so we think.

Lee was frantically struggling to free himself. He was stuck in a major dilemma, for one thing.

He had a hard time choosing between two options: get free easily (he may do that, he's a ninja after all) but rip his favorite green spandex into pieces and have to wear normal clothes because he can't sew, or wait here until tomorrow so that Tenten may help him out - but it was freezing cold out here!

Oh boy.

This was the hardest choice ever he had to make.

Lee closed his eyes.

I'm sorry, Gai-sensei, Tenten, Neji.

Lee held his breath.

For I will certainly catch a cold if I did not do this.

He blinked and exhaled the breath just to say…

"TENTEEEEEEEN... HOW DARE YOU!" He screamed on top of his lungs. "I HELP YOU TO GET TOGETHER WITH NEJI, RIGHTTT?"

And suddenly, the whole village acknowledged that Hyuuga Neji was going out with Tenten.

End Notes: Not too much fluff? Too sickening OOC? Forgive me, fellows! I was outta my mind when I wrote this. Flames if you must, since I must know how much I suck. Reviews are greatly welcomed…

… Please?