Done on a night when my body refused to sleep... Ah brain, Y U NO WORK LIKE THIS WHEN I STUDY? –sigh- Such is one of the mysteries of life...

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. If I did, NejiTen would be so canon.

(^.^)(^.^)

Clean Up, Aisle 17

Many people believed that Hyuuga Neji was a blessed individual. Born from a prestigious family in the land of fire, Neji was gifted with the looks and the wealth. Although he had lost his parents at the age of six due to a horrible car crash, he was immediately adopted by his uncle Hyuuga Hiashi, who raised young Neji like his own son, grooming him to become the heir of their business. Not only that, Neji also had two adorable young cousins who looked up to him and treated him like their older brother.

Hyuuga Hinata, the eldest of Hiashi's daughters, had no problems regarding the arrangement of having Neji inherit the family business and even offered to help her "Neji-niisan" in any way that she can. Hyuuga Hanabi, the younger sister, also believed that "Neji-niisan" was a better option than her and Hinata combined and also offered to help her older brother if he ever did need assistance. Neji, on the other hand, was grateful for the trust that was given to him by his uncle and cousins, and he promised to himself that he would never let them down.

At Konoha Private High, the teachers regarded him as a genius and a born leader. Not only did Neji excel in academics, he also had talents in every sport that he played. Currently, he is the captain of the school's basketball team, the Konoha Spitfire (it should also be mentioned that he has led the team to consequent victories, garnering the title of champions for 3 straight years).

To his male classmates, he was an "ok" guy. Because with all the wealth he had or the praises that he was receiving, Neji remained a humble person, never flaunting his money or his abilities. The only flaw about Neji, according to the male population, was that he was such a quiet person. In fact, he opted to always remain in a quiet environment, making him look like he was unapproachable. That, and he always blamed fate for every time he committed a mistake or two (his closest friends –also members of the basketball team- always teased him about it and thus gave him the nickname, "Lord of Fate.")

However, to the female population, Neji was a god who descended upon the Earth as a gift to women and therefore he was flawless. From his dashing good looks to his well-toned body (with an added bonus of him being a gentleman), Hyuuga Neji was every woman's fantasy. The fact that Neji was single only fuelled these girls' dreams of becoming his "one and only" someday. Every day Neji would receive countless gifts from different women, all of which were ignored by the young Hyuuga. His indifference towards the mountain of gifts did not deter any of his fangirls, and they continued showering him with gifts and undying proclamations of love. The girls also competed against each other, most of which always ended up in catfights or a trip to the principal's office or the school clinic (sometimes even both if the fight turned uglier than expected). But as said before, Neji was a god-given gift for women, and for that, every effort was worth it if they could get Neji's undivided attention.

(^.^)(^.^)

It was a tradition for the Konoha Spitfire basketball team to have practice games during summer vacation. According to the captain, this was the most effective way for each member of the team to polish their skills and at the same time, they don't even have to worry about school work. The practice games usually end at six and after that, all members were free to do whatever they want. It was also at this precise moment that Uzumaki Naruto, the loudmouth blonde and point guard of the team, invited their team captain for dinner at his favourite ramen stand called "Ichiraku Ramen."

"It will be fun," Naruto grinned as he tried convincing Neji to join him and the others, "plus, Sasuke-teme's treating us today." At the mention of his name, the dark-haired Uchiha Sasuke scowled and muttered a soft "Dobe." Naruto heard this and glared at Sasuke who ignored him completely.

"Thanks, but I'll have to decline," Neji answered as he finished packing his things inside his bag, "I still have a lot of things I must do." And with that said, the Hyuuga simply nodded his goodbye to his teammates before walking away.

"That guy sure works hard," Naruto commented and let out a soft whistle as soon as Neji had left the room.

"Troublesome. Of course he does," replied Nara Shikamaru as he finished tying his shoelaces, "He has an image to keep after all." Beside him, his best friend Akimichi Chouji nodded in affirmation while eating a pack of potato chips.

"Not like you would know what an image is, dobe," Sasuke added, smirking slightly.

"What did you say teme?" Naruto screamed as he sprang to his feet, pointing a finger at Sasuke, "You lookin' for a fight?" Thus ensued another verbal argument between the two rivals/ best friends, their conversation about Neji long forgotten.

(^.^)(^.^)

Though it was true that Neji was indeed a busy man, it did not necessarily mean he had no room for fun. It was just that he chose to spend his time being more productive. However, he did have one "activity" he managed to cram in his work-related schedule which he added two weeks and three days ago.

At that time, Neji was going to a nearby store to buy himself an energy drink when his phone rang. Seeing his uncle's name flash in his phone, Neji immediately answered, expecting to hear important news. He was not prepared for what his uncle had to say.

"Neji," his uncle said, sounding very serious.

"Yes Uncle?"

"I've heard from Hanabi that you are going to a store to buy drinks... is this correct?"

"Yes Uncle."

"Good. While you are at it, buy some sanitary napkins for your cousin as well. She did not expect her period was today and had forgotten to restock her necessities. Thank you nephew."

The phone call ended immediately before Neji could say no to the request. As such, Neji stood frozen at Aisle 17 where the sanitary napkins were placed together with tissues and baby diapers. And being a descendant of Adam, he had no clue what to get since there were a lot of products to choose from... and he had no idea what the difference was between "with wings" or regular, and between "cottony soft" and "panty liners."

Neji visibly twitched and turned to leave, but there was also a side of him that chided him, telling him that his sweet cousin needed those things. His internal struggle was, in the words of the wise Shikamaru, troublesome. So distraught was he that perhaps he had been standing way too long and was garnering attention from other shoppers because one of the store's employees came to his side to help.

"Do you need anything sir?" came a feminine voice beside Neji, snapping him back to reality. Neji turned towards the voice and found himself face to face with a cute girl. Her brown hair was tied in twin buns and she was wearing the standard uniform of the store. Her nametag which was located at her left breast read "Tenten", as Neji noticed.

"I need... to buy one of those things," Neji answered hoping to fight the blush that was slowly showing in his pale cheeks. Inwardly, he cursed his being too pale, conveniently forgetting that he was a Hyuuga and Hyuugas always have pale skins.

"For your girlfriend?" the employee asked, giving him a sympathetic smile.

"No, cousin," was his terse reply.

"Does she have any preference?" asked the employee again, this time turning her attention towards the sanitary pad-filled shelf. Neji, in reply, raised a brow to prove he had no idea regarding his cousin's choice of pads which earned a soft giggle from the brunette.

"You might as well get the regular, since it's the safest choice," commented Tenten as she reached out for the pack, "anything else you need?"

"Nothing else," replied Neji bluntly.

"Well okay, I'll just put this in the counter for you so you wouldn't feel embarrassed," Tenten said as she made her way to the counter with Neji following her silently.

"Thank you for your assistance," Neji said, letting out a soft sigh as he began massaging his temples. He was later handed his purchased item and fortunately, Tenten had asked the cashier to use a paper bag and not plastic so that the content would not be visible.

"No problem," exclaimed the cute girl, grinning a bit, "It's always my pleasure to help." She gave Neji one last smile and a wink before returning to her work.

"She's cute," Neji thought as he gazed at the girl before allowing his feet to mechanically get him back home. He was only a block away towards the Hyuuga mansion when he realized with a jolt that he had forgotten to buy his energy drink. He scowled and released another sigh. He blamed fate for his forgetfulness.

"Although it would be a good reason to see that girl again," his mind added. Neji quickly erased the thought before traces of it would be seen in his face.

(^.^)(^.^)

Neji checked his watch for the third time as he entered the store. The time on his watch was 6:30 and he hurried his steps towards Aisle 17. He stopped at Aisle 16 where the shelves were filled with different milk brands and started scanning the area for something...

"THERE!"

He mentally screamed as his eyes rested upon a cute brunette who was mopping the floor, her brown hair tied in twin buns just as before. She was too absorbed with her work that she failed to notice a pair of lavender eyes examining her secretly. Meanwhile, an internal debate had started within Neji... to introduce self or not? He was about to walk towards the girl when his feet stopped and Neji felt himself turn around.

A soft sigh, and then "Maybe next time..."

(^.^)(^.^)

Author's note

I decided to make Neji a bit mellow in this story, maybe because I've read too much fic wherein Neji's an asshole –pardon my language-. And yes, Neji and Tenten aren't classmates or even schoolmates. And yes (again), Neji's a stalker... Pretty much like Hinata, in this case. ^.^

Please read and review. I appreciate helpful tips and grammar corrections. And if you have some ideas, please share them. It will definitely help me. So big thanks, and I hope you enjoyed my writing.