A Night to Remember

Chapter 5

From the sidelines, Tenten had watched Hinata with a proud smirk on her lips. She never expected Hinata to go this far, but she was pleased that she was able to get her mind of the blonde Hokage for once. It was strange though, seeing a stuck-up person like Sasuke dancing with with her normally shy friend, but she didn’t think of it any further as she spotted her own crush sitting with the same blonde bimbo as before.

Even from where she was standing, Tenten could see she was flirting with him. Normally she wouldn’t be so concerned, because she knew Neji’s type, which wasn’t of the obnoxious –leave nothing to the imagination- sort.

But this girl seemed to be persistent, exploiting her huge assets in every way that she could.

And since kunoichi’s were supposed to be masters in the art of seduction, Tenten knew every guy had an eventual breaking point. So when she catched the usual stoic Neji leering the girl’s chest her instinct told her to do something, a sudden determination to save him from those dangerous claws.

Neji noticed her approach and snapping out of his sudden daze, he shrugged of the women’s wandering hands.

“Tenten...” he started, but the women interupted. “Tenten? Thisis the girl you were talking about?” she said disapprovingly and raised an eyebrow.

Although a part of her was curious about what he’d say about her and she was even a bit flattered he’d talk about her at all, Tenten didn’t like the women’s tone and she briefly balled her hands.

None the less, she spoke with fake cheerfullness: “Yes! I am!” she streched her arm “Nice to meet you... uhm what’s your name again?”

The woman looked at the offered hand like it was covered with some kind of contagious infection and frowned.

Annoyed, Tenten retracted her hand and gave the women seated in front of her an angry look.

At this sight, Neji sweatdropped and quickly spoke “Tenten, meet Hiroko Kaori, she came all the way from Water to attend this wedding.”

“Yeah, the wedding was very nice,” Kaori stated,”although I was amazed at the many ordinary people that were allowed to attend , I thought that the guestlist would contain only those of the higher establishment, after all this wasn’t an ordinary wedding,” she glanced at Tenten, “but it seems they really let everyone in.”

“Even the slutty type like you, it seems,” Tenten shot back, clenching her fists ”Let me ask you something, do you get payed for being here?”

“How dare you insulting me!” Kaori stood up and slammed a fists on the table.”I’m the heiress of the most prestigious clan in whole Water. I’m not a freakin’ prostitute!”

“I don’t know, let’s ask Neji-kun shall we?”

Neji tried to avoid getting involved in this but at hearing his name he blinked his eyes. She hasn’t used that suffix since we were little. She must be really mad.

He was about to say something, but it’s seemed the question was rethorical, because they continued to bicker. He definately needed do something, because he had the feeling this was not going to end before one of them had some blood spilled.

“Ahum” Neji coughed as both women were now engaged in a glaring contest, “Tenten, what was it that you wanted again?”

Tenten looked up at Neji in surprise. So what, if she just waltzed over here without a proper plan. She just didn't want him to be alone with that poor excuse of a women! Still, she didn't want to look like a fool, so she quickly thought of something say.

“Uh, I guess, I guess, I wanted to ask you something.” Her face was getting flustered and she turned her attention to the floor

“Doyouwannadance?”

“Excuse me?” Neji asked

“She asked if you wanted to dance with her,” Kaori spoke as Tenten just opened her mouth to repeat the question, “but dear, Neji-kun doesn’t dance I’m afraid, I’ve asked him several times already. And if he says ‘no’ to me, a peasant like you definately don’t stand a chance. So I suggest you move your skinny behind away from here, so we can continue our...”

“Sure” Neji interrupted. “let’s go”

And before Kaori could protest, Tenten had already hooked her arm in Neji’s and gave the dumbfounded girl a victorious smile.

“So, I thought you didn’t dance?” she asked, when they were out of hearing-distance..

“I don’t,” the long-haired jounin responded calmly..

“So why...”

“She’s annoying.”

“But why...”

“I have to.” He sighed “and now no more questions please. You got your wish so let’s just leave it at that okay”

“Uh okay.”

---

Just as they approached the dancefloor, Tenten spotted Hinata standing abnormaly still between te rest of the dancing couples. She narrowed her eyes and noticed Sasuke’s head was buried in the crook of her neck.

That was one thing she definately didn’t want Neji to see. Everyone knew how much the Hyuuga loathed the Uchiha. Why, was a mystery to her but she figured it had something to do with their clan’s rivalness.

She also knew how protective Neji could be towards his cousin. He never really appreciated her attempts to hook up Hinata with any men whatsoever.

If she didn’t knew him better, she would say he has a little crush on the heiress of the Hyuuga-clan. From time to time, she got jealous at the way he treated her, which such unusual kindness, but she waved it of, convincing herself that it was nothing but her imagination.

Still, she didn’t want him to notice this little interaction between Sasuke and Hinata, because she was sure that it was going to ruin her chance to finally spent some quality-time with her object of affection.

“What’s wrong?” He asked her when she moved in front of him, blocking his vision.

“Eh nothing, I just thought that you wanted to wait until this song is over?”

Neji knew what she meant, the music was slow and the lyrics romantic, a song intended to be danced very intimately on.

He couldn’t help but blush at the thought of them dancing that close.

“Uhm, it’s okay... I-I mean if you want to of course?” Damnit.
He always encouraged Hinata to drop the annoying stuttering, and here he was, doing it himself!

Tenten eyes widened. She never expected him to agree, but she was excited none the less.

“Yes! Yes of course!” she wished that came out less desperate, and blushed as well.

“But let’s go dance over there, it’s less crowded;” she added, remembering the scene behind her.

Neji merely shrugged and followed her lead.

Crisis averted, Tenten thought as she dragged Neji to the other side of the enormous dancefloor.

Finally finding a good spot, she halted and turned around. “Here?”

“It doesn’t matter...” he said as he took her by surprise and encircled her waist, pressing her against his muscular chest in one smooth move.

“Neji!”

“What? Isn’t this how you are supposed to slowdance?” he smirked.

“Yeah, but don’t be so rough!” she said, as she put her arms around his neck.

He gave her a smile, and it amazed her how such a simple gesture could melt her into a total puddle of goo. Maybe it was because he hardly ever smiled, but Kami, was he handsome when he did!

“Did I tell you already, that you look very beautiful today?” he whispered into her ear, and his warm breath made her whole body shiver in excitement.

“Have you’ve been drinking Neji?” she laughed, but couldn’t hide the apparent redness on her cheeks.

He gave her another of his dazzling smiles. “Just a little. But seriously. You look incredible, the dress fits you very well”

Tenten blushed harder at his flattery, and she made a mental note to thank Sakura for picking out the dress for her.

“Thank you. You look very beautiful yourself.”

“Well, I shall take that as a compliment, but being beautiful isn’t really a way to describe a man, you know”

She let out a atypical girly giggle and rested her head on his shoulder.

This is nice, she thought, I wish we could stay like this forever.

They couldn’t, because suddenly the music stopped and the spots went back on. He immediately let go of her hips and stepped backwards. She missed his warmth already.

When Sakura climbed up the stage, Tenten cursed her for ending their intimate moment.

Whatever she had to say, she better say it quickly!

Luckily the speech didn’t take too long, and afterwards she turned her attention back to Neji, who seemed equally annoyed by the interruption.

Great, now he’s in a bad mood.

And to make things worse, Sasuke and Hinata had suddenly appeared behind him, moving towards the exit. It seemed Neji didn’t notice yet, but the only thing he needed to do was turn around and he’d spot them immediately, which could mean a potential fiasco. It would not only spoil everything for her, but for her friend as well. Hinata deserved to have a good time, as did she.

“Uhm shall we go for a drink now?” she asked nervously, tugging his arm with suspicious urgency, but he did not move by an inch.

“What? I thought you wanted to dance?” he said a bit surprised by her sudden need to get away.

“Yes. I mean no! I mean, I wanted to dance, but not anymore. Hehe.” She rambled.

Neji frowned. Women really were inexplicable.

“What are you looking at?” he asked, as he saw her unconciously glancing towards something behind him. He was about look for himself when she suddenly grabbed his jaw and pressed her lips against his.

He froze, but Tenten kept her two hands securely around his head, her lips forcefully clashing his. She watched Hinata en Sasuke leave and sighed into the kiss, allowing her eyes to close shut...


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The walk to the Uchiha-district was long and annoying. The streets where crowded, as many guest had left the party, some continuing the festivities outdoor.
Sasuke snickered at the sight of grown up men behave like little children, running around without clothes on, attempting to woo the females, who were almost as disgusted by the scene as himself.

“Drunken idiots” he muttered, although he knew he wasn’t one to speak, because alcohol seemed made him behave like a total moron as well. That, and the presence of one exeptionally bold and very tempting little Hyuuga.

Thank Kami he managed to get rid of her.

What was she thinking? Saying those silly things about wanting comfort, insulting him by assuming that he needed that too?

He liked being alone. He was not interested in her company.

So of course he backed off; he had not spent so many years avoiding the opposite sex, for then to have his walls smashed down by some woman he hardly knew in one temporaly state of insanity.

“Man you really need to find a girl to break that hard shell of yours, you know that?” , a familiar voice echoed inside his head.

Shut up baka! He shook his head and sighed,why must that idiot haunt me everywhere I go?

Again, he didn’t need anyone. He felt just fine being alone.

Naruto never really understood, nor did he accept it.

He kept prying into his life, dropping by uninvited, annoying him with merely his presence.

After all, so much in contrast with his own dark and uncertain one, Naruto’s future was very bright, and one thing he certainly didn’t need, was to be constantly remembered of it.

Uzumaki Naruto became with his 18 years the youngest Hokage in Konoha’s history, making Sasuke his lower in command, a role that didn’t suit him very well. That, and Naruto tend to rub it into his face more often then he could handle.

Now, Naruto had realised both of his lifetime objectives by marrying his pinkheaded teammate within the timeframe of less then 6 months.

Sasuke on the other hand, had completed his primary objective after 4 years of searching for his traiterous brother, leaving him barely breathing afterwards.

Even when completing his goal, the darkness that surrounded him did not dissolve. Instead, killing his brother had left him empty and purposeless, which was probably exactly what the bastard wanted. The nightmares did not go away and even became more vivid, repeating their final encounter over and over.
Day and night, his thoughts were occupied, questioning the meaning behind Itachi’s words. It was a lie, Sasuke convinced himself, a desperate attempt to corrupt his soul even after death.

Still, he poisoned his mind in a futile attempt to forget.

He groaned with frustration. He was getting way too sober. I definately need a drink.

“Getting laid every once in a while will help too...”

Screw you baka, his own voice hissed inside his head.

But although he would never say it out loud, tonight, Hyuuga Hinata had definately perked his interests.

He closed his eyes and tried to remember her scent, and the feeling of her skin against his lips.
It did feel good holding her against him. Too damn good.

He cursed himself for allowing Naruto to influence his strain of thoughts like this.

Sasuke never really was very much interested in sex, which seemed to be uncomprehendable to the blonde and resulted in having lots of akward conversations and an unwanted box of porn, which he never bothered to open.

Yet tonight he longed to touch that pearly and incredibly soft skin of hers. He wanted to taste her, feel her, in every way possible. His whole body craved for her, and he was disgusted by it.

What the fuck did she do to him?

He was supposed to be dead inside, so how come he suddenly felt so alive?!

“Stupid hormones!” He grunted out loud fisting his hands in his spiky hair and pulling it with frustration. Causing a group of passing by youngsters to look up and stare at him in bewilderment. And if it wasn’t dark, they could have seen that his cheeks were faintly covered with redness.

One of youngsters began to laugh but was quickly silenced by a whack on the head from his friend. “Idiot! Don’t you know who that is!” the boy said, muffling his voice with his sleeve, although Sasuke could clearly hear, “That is the Uchiha.”

The raven haired men pretended not to hear and putting his hands in his pockets, he continued to walk in the same slow pace he did before, giving the boy a ice cold look when passing by.

The youngsters out of sight, Sasuke chuckled at his own unusual display of emotion.

Idiot,he thought, although it wasn’t very clear to who exactly he was referring to.

Sasuke decided to blame it all on the dobe. After all, if his former teammate didn’t trick him at staying for his weddingparty, or heck, if he never got married in the first place, none of this catastrophical night would have happened.

He slowdanced for kami’s sake!He even sniffed her neck! And was about to devour it too, if he had not come to his senses in time.

Tonight must have been his new time low, surpassing the accidential kiss he shared with Naruto in first academy year by a long shot.

Sasuke sighed in relief when he finally approached the Uchiha-district. The streets where empty, as people didn’t dare being near this place.

They believed this place was cursed, haunted with the people that lived and died here.

Utter nonsense of course, Sasuke knew, as the only thing thas was cursed down here was himself.

He slammed the door of his temporaly home – he moved every few weeks to another house – shut behind him and never bothering to turn on the lights, he took of his jacket and dropped it on the floor.

In the dark, and still fully clothed, (except for the jacket) he went to lay down in the couch. Looking through the window in front of him, he noticed it was raining. Sasuke never much liked the rain – he hated getting wet - so he felt lucky to be inside when it started.

He thought of Hinata again, and couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for leaving her out there all by herself.

Whatever, she’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.

Yet alot could happen at a night like this, in the state that he left her. His mind was filled with possible scenarios, none of them being any good.

He pressed a pillow against his face and grunted.

Fuck this!

Throwing the pillow away, he stood up and walked over to the liquorcabine, taking out a bottle of sake and pouring himself a cup.

After one cup followed another... and another until there wasn’t a drop of sake left.

Slightly drunk now, he lazily perched himself onto his couch.

With nothing left to do, and not able to catch some sleep, Sasuke was getting utterly bored and frustrated.

Perhaps he should have invited her over, he briefly thought, but smacked himself on the head for even thinking such a ridicolous thing.

And then there was a knock, which he ignored, but as the knocking didn’t cease he waltzed over to door. He half-expected it to be Naruto, before remembering that he was currently engaged in some late-night activities.

Even so, he prepared himself to scold whoever stood at his door, and dared to disturb him this late at night.

But when he opened the door, all those intentions went down the drain.


“Hinata?”

---TBC---