Here's a new story for you guys! The rating may change sometime in the near future though...be prepared.

But for now, here we are!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, though I really wish I did.

He really didn't expect to see her ever again.

But there she was, waltzing back into his life as uncharacteristic as a hurricane, brown hair out of the stiff plaits he had last seen her in. She strolled through the open doors of his company, folders in hand, heels clicking, suit pressed, cleaned, and professional. Her stride was bold and confident, like she didn't give a damn about what people thought of her. That part, at least, hadn't changed.

But as Neji stared on, his mind was telling him only one thing.

Well, this is awkward.

The sandwich in his hand was actually slipping out of his fingers, threatening to drop on his $500 shirt and spread bread crumbs over his designer pants. He quickly clamped his mouth, which had unhinged itself for some strange reason, and forced it into the thin grimace it was in most of the time. Turning his gaze away, he focused on his lunch and began to walk back to his office. He had only gone downstairs to have a word with his secretary. And now that he had finished, there was no longer any reason for him to stay. He pretended like he didn't see her and took the elevator up.

With any luck, she wouldn't recognize him. It had been quite a while after all. He had grown, and so had she—matured out of the tomboyish girl with braids he had met in the countryside.

Back then, they had laughed and loved together for six months. And as quickly as the romance started, he ended it with his departure to the city. And that was that. Done. Finished. Never again would she coax him to climb a tree, skip rocks across the lake, or persuade to bundle up with her in the winter cold. But there she was, clear as day and inserting herself back into his monotonous life-cycle almost seven years later.

He was pretty sure he didn't want her to.

They weren't exactly on good terms.

The door to his office opened without a sound, having been greased the night before. He sat down in his leather seat and took another bite of his lunch. The gourmet sandwich tasted like paper and fell apart like cardboard in his mouth. Neji forced himself to swallow and go back to his work. There were things to finish, and not nearly enough time. After graduating from college at the top of his class, he had proven himself, finally gotten his Uncle's approval, and succeeded the Hyuuga business. This was no time to let distractions like her get in his way.

It was unnecessary.

As long as he didn't contact her in any way, nothing could possibly go wrong.

She always found a way to shatter all his expectations.

Without a care in the world, she strode through his office and over to his desk—a courageous feat in itself—and plopped her various documents on the table.

People were really incompetent these days. Not only had his secretary failed to stop her from following him, but also failed to warn him of her presence. And now she was in his face, frowning and probably simmering with anger beneath the surface. He glanced up at her, unimpressed with her entrance. How she managed to get in his company in the first place was unfathomable. Sure, she wasn't unintelligent by any means, but he highly doubted she had anything to contribute—after all, she did come from the country. The papers careened out of their bindings like a waterfall, knocking against his stapler, laptop, and assorted binders. Her eyes were burning, but with what he couldn't tell.

Neji forced himself to look impassive. He could take whatever she would throw at him.

But to his surprise, she smiled winningly, teeth bright as ever. He was confused for the merest second. And then the illusion was shattered by what came out of her mouth: "Remember me? I'm Tenten. You know…" here, she lowered her voice to a deadly whisper, "…the girl you decided to ditch a few years ago?" If Neji hadn't been a high-level official, capable of handling all types of threatening situations, he probably would have collapsed to the ground in a pile of helpless nerves. Her voice usually had that effect on people. But being as he was, he kept his poker face, waiting for her to finish.

Tenten cocked her head to the side and leaned in closer, so close he could smell the light perfume on her body and feel the heat radiating from her skin. Their foreheads nearly touched. She took a breath and her next words ghosted over his lips. "You are an asshole, Neji Hyuuga."

Now that was crossing the line. He had made a personal promise to himself—personal life, business life, two separate entities. He would not mix them, no matter what the situation. His secretary was really in trouble…her incompetence had led to this undesired situation. Now he would have to get rid of Tenten by himself. So, steeling his eyes and hardening his gaze, Neji let out the coldest voice he could muster against her. "I must ask you to refrain from such profanity. If not, you shall be fired immediately and escorted out of the premises. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," she snarled, immediately pulling back and snatching her portfolios up again. The heat left as quickly as it had come. "I'll just be taking care of the rest of my work. Don't bother checking up on me."

She slammed the door on her way out. A plaque on the wall clattered to the ground from the force. Neji rubbed his temples in frustration. Really. Not cute at all. What had he ever seen in her? Now that he was looking back on it, perhaps it had been better when he had ended their relationship. Sooner or later, it would have ended with her hating him and him hating her—vice versa, mirror images, so on and so forth.

The click of her heels disappeared down the hallway. Neji went back to his lunch and finished up his documents. His phone began ringing, but he paid it no heed. There were more important things that he needed to handle.

His eyes shifted and glanced at the number—it wasn't one he was familiar with. The shrill sound echoed through his empty office, again and again and again. After a brief moment of deliberation, he made a decision that would alter the course of fate and plant him straight in the arms of luck.

He picked up the phone. What followed was a complete depiction of his current secretary's embezzlement of company funds, scandals with other coworkers, and proof it had occurred with a series of testimonies.

It seemed like his work load was getting more and more frustrating every day. Without hesitation, Neji called his secretary over. And then he uttered the words that would set him careening into more trouble he would have ever liked.

"You are fired."

She ran away crying, slamming the door in the process. Another certificate fell to the floor.

Neji closed his eyes. He never liked her much anyways.

He could manage without a secretary for a while. It was fine with him, by all means— many were too infatuated with him to do their work properly. Well, he couldn't blame them…part of his egotistical mind whispered that he did have fine qualifications. He was rich, successful, and not too bad in the looks department. Then why…

Neji looked at his hands. Long pianist fingers and smooth skin.

Ring-less.

How was it that he was everything a woman wanted, but unable to get married? It simply didn't make any sense. He let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair, clasping his ring-free hands in the back of his head. He was at work. He shouldn't be thinking about these kinds of things.

A knock came on the door. Neji prayed it wasn't another woman again. They had a habit of ruffling his feathers in the wrong manner.

Maybe if he pretended he wasn't there, they would leave him alone. And didn't they have to go through his secretary before getting to meet with him—oh, that was right…he just fired her. Neji let out an exasperated hiss. Everything seemed to go wrong at the worst of moments.

And then the she-devil herself appeared, entering without his consent. Neji narrowed his eyes. "You're back? I thought you had to 'take care of the rest of your work.'"

"Oh. About that," she said, eyes twinkling in a mischievous manner he knew only too well, "I found something that was definitely a better option than looking at forms all day." With a smirk, she held out her cell phone and snapped it shut for emphasis.

Neji's eyes widened. It couldn't be…

She laughed at his expression, disregarding the fact that he was her superior. "Did you like my call?"

"Loved it," he seethed.

"You are really not perceptive," she stated, rolling her eyes. "I've only been working here for five days and I've seen that girl with ten of your coworkers in that time period—talked to each one for testimony, viewed our funds, hacked into her computer, and discovered where our missing money was going."

"Impressive." Not. Wasn't going through personal belongings illegal? "But my real question is: why did you suspect her? You've only been her for five days—and by the way, I have no idea who had the crazy idea to hire you in the first place—and you immediately discover something like this? As much as I admire your ability, it just doesn't seem right."

She rolled her eyes again. "You really have no idea what's going around here, do you? Cooped up in your little office like an agoraphobic bird."

That was an insult.

"She's been siphoning your funds out little by little, week by week, a couple hundred that aren't going missing just because of errors in addition. But if you just want to know how I did it, I heard her talking on her cell phone at a restaurant; about how you guys were a bunch of dumb asses that you didn't have a clue what she was doing. Long story short, anyways." Tenten glared at him, fingers clutching the edge of his mahogany desk.

"Nice job." The book said flattery was appropriate in situations like this. "Now please take your leave. I appreciate what you've done. You have good moral standing."

She wasn't moving.

Neji wasn't used to his orders being refused. He gave a little cough. "Away with you now. Thank you for your time."

"Did you really think I did what I did because I have good moral standing? You really don't know anything about me. I did it because I wanted to steal her job." Like hours before, she pressed herself forward so that mere centimeters separated their faces, baring her teeth. "Social hierarchy, right?"

It had been so long since he had been so close to her.

Time froze.

The smirk on her face slowly disappeared, face changing from one of superiority to one of anticipation. Neji licked his lips which had suddenly grown very dry. Their breath was mingling together—he was breathing her air, and she was breathing in his. Neji vaguely remembered a situation similar to this: a moment before or after a kiss and they would break away, gazing at each other, sharing the air around them. Every exhale would brush against his cheek like a caress. Tenten was still staring at him, unable to look away.

He could only answer her with a whisper. "Right."

His body remembered the motion of years past and began closing the distance on instinct alone. Her mouth looked delectable as it always had been, and her cheeks were dusted with a faint blush. He was now close enough to see the eyeliner she probably carefully drew on that morning. Neji took a breath of air through his nose, encountering a pleasant scent. It was the perfume emanating from her skin…and it was intoxicating. He fought the urge to press his mouth against her exposed collarbone and nip the flesh that was there. Their past was filled with light butterfly kisses and hugs, but that wasn't enough...

It had been too long since he had any contact with women. After his last encounter, he had been feeling a bit sexually frustrated—he reminded himself that that was the only reason he was letting himself go with the flow. Now that she was so close, the lingering touches of the past, gentle hugs of adolescence weren't what he wanted. Neji wanted to feel her body flush against his, curves fitting into him like pieces of a puzzle, hands in her hair and up the trimmed blazer she wore.

He must have been really messed up in the mind to find her even the slightest bit attractive in that situation.

But it would just be a little taste of her lips...

She seemed to recall their moment too, for her eyelids began fluttering shut, tilting her head for better access to his lips. Neji mirrored her and allowed his eyes to close. As he leaned to meet her, his knee knocked against the desk. The pain jarred him and brought him back to reality, and Neji's eyes snapped open, heart thumping wildly within his ribcage.

Red alarms began ringing in his head.

This was Tenten. His ex-girlfriend. And he had just recalled she existed a few hours ago.

He slammed on his mental brakes and dispelled the haze of lust that had somehow covered him.

He was just about to ki…no. That was absolutely not allowed.

Personal life.

Business life.

Separate.

Tenten pulled away like she had been bitten, looking flustered and almost a bit angry, like she couldn't believe she had actually gone with it for a moment. "Let me have her position," she said strongly, like nothing had happened.

Which it absolutely didn't. Neji tried convince himself it had just been a slight motion of his neck, there was no hidden meaning behind it whatsoever. And even if there was, it had been the work of his hormones. His mind wasn't conscious of it so it wasn't of his own free will.

The explanation satisfied him for the moment.

Trying to save face, he let out a stern voice, ignoring the heat that was coiling around his heart. Her presence was really throwing him off. "You think you can steal away her job? That just because you reported her, that you now have the credentials to become my secretary? What delusional life are you living? In case you haven't realized by now, we're no longer the same people that we were seven years ago. Things have changed, me and you both. Our previous connection, as well as this conversation, are now over."

"Oh. Or so you think," she hissed. "Did you not hear all the crap I just did? I pretty much uncovered a scandal in your company, which by the way, I didn't know was yours till yesterday—and you're not going to reward me? I can fully take on any shit you can pull out."

"Would you like to bet on that?"

She looked surprised for once, losing character and slipping into her professional accent. "I'm sorry?"

"Would. You. Like. To. Bet. On. What. You. Just. Said," said Neji slowly, rolling his tongue to enunciate each word with emphasis and precision. "In other words, if you can handle, and I quote, 'any shit I can pull out' as my secretary, I will give you something in return. And if you fail, you will give me something in return. That's how bets work," he said dryly. "Or did you not know what they were in the countryside?"

"I know what a bet is," Tenten said angrily.

"I'm glad," he said stiffly, folding his arms across his chest. "So do you accept?"

"If I didn't take the opportunity to completely humiliate you and rub your face into the dirt, I would be an idiot," she said, extending a hand across to him.

Neji shook it, pushing away the odd tingle that erupted when their hands touched. Her fingers wrapped around his, warm and alive, heating his cooler ones like they always did whenever they held hands. He gave a strong shake to assert his authority, and let go, disregarding the desire to linger against her touch. "Discuss your new terms with Shikamaru on floor two. He'll get you sorted out. You start work tomorrow."

"Peachy," she said. "Until then, Mr. Hyuuga."

"Good day, Ms. Kurenai. Be prepared, or I will fire you in a heartbeat."

For the first time that day, the door didn't slam closed. Neji allowed himself a moment of meditation, then opened his eyes and sighed. What had just happened? He almost kissed his ex-girlfriend, made a bet with her, and then hired a new secretary. His forehead fell into his hands, mouth whispering words he never thought he would say.

"Damn it. That was stupid."

It was way more than just simply "stupid." She infuriated him at every single twist and turn. Sure, she did her job well enough, but that didn't mean he enjoyed having her as the substitute. Tenten had grumbled with every job she was assigned: whether it was getting him tea from the coffee shop down the street, or filing papers, or sending forms to people. He wanted to ask her, "You wanted to steal her job even when you hate everything you've been doing?" but he chose not to.

After all, it was purely a business relationship.

"Mr. Hyuuga," she said over the mike, voice cloying and dripping with sarcasm, "You have a client coming in, in approximately...two minutes."

Neji pounded the desk with his fist. "And you didn't tell me this two hours ago because?"

"Well sir, I was getting your tea and arranging for another meeting," she replied nonchalantly.

Neji wrenched the speaker closer to him, hissing into its depths. "There is something called a cell phone, Ms. Kurenai. Since we have given you one, we expect you to use it to its full extent. Now send him in."

"As you wish."

The door opened and Sasuke Uchiha stepped in, looking as cocky as ever. Neji motioned for him to sit. "Nice secretary you have. Much less chatty than the last one," he commented, crossing his legs.

"Thanks. Trust me, it wasn't of my own free will to hire her. Now, what brings you here?"

Sasuke cuffed up the sleeves on his suit. "Nothing much. We'll be needing some of your people back at our corps. Something's going wrong with our funds, and we're looking for actuaries that can find out where the money's going."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Uchiha, my people don't come cheap."

His counterpart gave him a smirk in return. "I know Hyuuga, I know. But they are the best of the best, and we can only settle for such. And don't act like we don't have the money to pay for it."

Neji rubbed his temples. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately...the stress was piling up in unhealthy ways. He would need to meditate when he got home. "Let's discuss the terms of the contract. How many, how long, how much?"

"Fifty-three, one year, twenty grand each."

It wasn't a bad proposal. Neji pressed the button to call Tenten, and she brazenly stepped through the doorway, pens in her hand. "What can I help you with?" she asked sweetly.

Neji rolled his eyes. It was her usual mask of chipper happiness. After Sasuke left, she would be a hissing banshee again.

"These are the terms of our next contract." He thrust a sheet of paper at her, which she walked towards him to take out of his hands. Neji continued with the instructions. "Type them up, use lawyer language, and by that, I mean type in the most roundabout way possible, then send the form back to me. You have half an hour."

He could see a complaint already bubbling at her lips, eyes protesting about how it was nearly impossible. But then she took notice of who else was in the room and bit her lip, obviously not wanting to seem unprofessional. So, she agreed and walked out.

Once they were alone again, Sasuke pointed her out. "I really do like her more than your previous secretary. At least you can trust this one to type up a proper contract: the last one spelled 'we' as w-h-e-e. I was seriously wondering why you hired that sorry excuse in the first place. I'm quite satisfied that you had her replaced."

Neji scowled. "If you like her so much, then by all means, take her. If you haven't realized by now, I don't really want her as my secretary. Standing her is impossible, which is not what you want for a woman that is in charge of your schedule and business affairs."

"Just send her over then," said Sasuke, "I wouldn't mind. Or you could just fire her—my employees would pick her up quicker than you could blink. God knows how hard it is to find a good secretary these days."

"How do you even know she's good?" Neji asked, leaning back into his chair. "You've only seen her for a few minutes."

"Please. Anyone that can be in your presence and not go insane from your dumb expectations is already above and beyond the norm."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

They chatted for a while longer, then after 26 minutes on the clock, Tenten stepped in and dropped a packet of three pages on Neji's desk. "Your contract, Mr. Hyuuga," she seethed.

"Thank you," he said, picking up the papers and flipping through it.

She looked surprised for a moment, and her voice reflected it. Gone was the usual menace, left with her normal speaking tone. "You're welcome, sir." Her eyebrows scrunched together like they always did whenever she was confused, and then she shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "I'll be taking my leave then."

She left the office and went back to her post, closing the door with a gentle click.

Neji scanned over the papers, pleasantly encountering the language he had hoped. "It looks good," her murmured. He never praised anyone, but perhaps now would be an exception.

"You must really like her. Saying her work is good is truly an improvement," smirked Sasuke, reaching for a pen to sign the contract.

Neji nearly dropped the papers from shock. Him? Liking her? Maybe a few years ago, but not now. Definitely not now.

Sasuke continued his drawl after scribbling his signature on the dotted line. "I mean, you dodged the question when I asked if you would have her transfer over."

"It's not that I dodged it. We just changed the topic," Neji muttered, stowing the proposal in his desk. But he wouldn't hand her over to Sasuke's company. Somehow, seeing her work for Uchiha Inc. didn't sit well with him. No, she would stay until the bet was done for and he won.

Right. It was all about competition.

"So I'm guessing she's not coming with me?" Sasuke asked, getting up.

Neji rolled his eyes. "She's not coming with you."

"Oh well. There are plenty of fish in the sea," Sasuke said. They shook hands and sealed the deal.

"Isn't that term coined for lovers' relationships?" Neji said.

Sasuke gave him a veiled smile as he turned to the door, uncuffing the sleeves he had rolled up. "So? What are you trying to say? Don't think too hard, lover boy."

Before Neji could utter a response, Sasuke left, and Neji was feeling more conflicted than ever. Maybe he would have to change to two hours of meditation instead of one.

He took out the newly made contract and set it out, copying it to his computer and then filing it away. Then he was back at work, but his mind wasn't. Sasuke's words were still echoing in his mind. Don't think too hard, lover boy. Neji grit his teeth. He wasn't a "lover boy." He was the head of a very successful corporation, and just happened to not be married. There was nothing to poke fun at. Besides, Sasuke was single too, wasn't he? There was nothing wrong with being single—

"Mr. Hyuuga," said Tenten's voice over the intercom, "I believe someone has just driven into your car. There are no fatalities, but there is a big dent near the driver's door."

A groan escaped Neji's lips. What the fuck. "There will be fatalities soon enough," he growled. "Report them, and then have them beheaded. Do you know how much that car cost me?"

"No," she said bluntly. "Nor do I care. And beheading is not allowed. But I can report their names if you would like."

"Please," he muttered, swiping a hand through his hair. Scratch that—he would make it three hours of meditation. "And then call my insurance company. Get things straightened out."

"Sure."

A pause.

"Thank you," he said.

A longer pause.

He wondered if she heard him.

And then her voice came back, quiet and normal again, hinted with a bit of friendliness. "You're welcome."

And then there was the click, ending their conversation.

Neji dismissed the little jump in his heart that came with the sound of her voice and focused on his job again. There were things to finish, and so little time...

"What do you mean you don't have an escort?" Hiashi Hyuuga asked sternly, setting his tea cup down and glaring at his nephew. Neji sipped his tea calmly, refusing to answer for the time being. "The company party is in just a week, and you're saying you don't have anyone to go with? Hire someone, I don't care. If you really want to avoid the paparazzi questioning your marriage status again, just get a damn ring on your finger."

After downing another sip, Neji set his cup down too. Why was this party so important anyways? He didn't really think it was worth much, just a bunch of rich people with nothing to do congregating and gossiping. He was never one for social events. "To be honest, I don't really want to go."

And about the ring on his finger...he doubted he would like anyone that showed even the slightest bit of affection towards him. He did have high expectations for a future wife: she would need to be capable, strong, witty, and attractive, able to keep up with his job and not bring him down or distract him in inappropriate ways.

So, not Tenten.

It wasn't too much to ask.

Hiashi sighed. "You're the heir of my company. We have to make good connections with other companies to heighten our relationships. And you, showing up without an escort, is unheard of. Back in my day, women would be clamoring to be on my arm."

Women weren't clamoring to be on Neji's arm. They were having cat fights.

Neji looked at the tea leaves in his cup. It was true he didn't want a date for the party. If he did have one, scandals would be all over the papers, and he would have even more trouble on his plate. "Would you rather me hire a prostitute?" he asked dryly. "Anyone will do, right?"

"Neji Hyuuga! I made you my successor in hopes you would be less selfish and think about your company!" his uncle said loudly, eyebrows narrowing in barely concealed anger.

There was really no talking to him when he was like this.

"Very well. I will go to this 'company party.' But I'm not staying long. I will say a speech, show off whoever my escort is, and then take my leave. Is that enough?"

"Get married. Find yourself a girl and settle down. You've been single for too long. I feel like your stress is piling up because you haven't relieved—"

God, he could be so embarrassing.

"I'm not getting married yet, Uncle Hiashi. I'm only 24. And my stress isn't piling up due to sexual frustrations, I assure you."

"You talk like an old man, Neji." That was a low blow. "Find yourself your escort. Get a ring on a finger of yours by the end of the year, and allow me to die a happy man."

"You're not that old yet Uncle," Neji said, wiping his lips with a napkin.

Hiashi waved for the waitress, who quickly refilled their pot of tea. "You understand me though. Having someone so successful as you without a woman on his arm is quite unsettling. It's alright if its for a month or so, but really? Seven months? I found nothing wrong with the last girl you dated."

The steam was rolling out the spout in waves.

"Sakura...wasn't my type."

"Why? She seemed nice enough."

It wasn't the question of niceness. She was nice. She was the embodiment of what he wanted in a future wife. The physical relationship between them wasn't terrible in the least, but every time she lay beside him, covers over her body, it felt like there was something missing. It didn't feel right. And finally, Neji had been unable to stand it anymore. They had parted ways as friends, albeit awkward ones, but friends nonetheless.

He hadn't touched a girl since.

And maybe he was getting a little sick of having to relieve himself with his hand.

"Women...no longer interest me."

His uncle's surprised look told him he phrased it the wrong way.

"I mean, I'm too focused on work to worry about a romantic relationship. I've got papers, a new contract with Uchiha Inc. and a new secretary who seems to enjoy ruining my life. I don't have time to think about anything else," he explained.

"A new secretary? You've never mentioned that before." Well, there was a reason for that.

"To tell you the truth, the other one made me want to shoot myself," complained Hiashi, pouring himself another cup of tea.

Neji sighed. "I've gotten that complaint so many times I've lost count."

"Yes, yes, but that's not the point," said Hiashi, "Who is this new girl? I have to know who's being in charge of you from now on."

Neji fought the urge to lie to his uncle's face, and instead, gently avoided the question with: "She's not anyone too special. She's plain. And annoying. And takes personal pleasure in doing everything perfectly and complaining about it each time." The tea was hot against his tongue. "I strongly dislike her, but she's competent so I can't fire her."

Plus, I made a bet.

"Is that so? Well, someone has to bring a little fun and trouble to your life, young man. You seem too stuffy most of the time."

"Uncle, you are not one to talk."

"Nonsense. Hinata says I've become much cooler than I was before."

"To her, any improvement is good improvement."

Neji's cell phone buzzed against his leg. "Excuse me, I have to take this."

The caller ID read that it was Tenten.

He answered her call with a stiff voice. "Neji Hyuuga. What do you want?"

"I know who this is, you don't need to tell me your name again. There is something called a 'phonebook' that this cell phone has, and I intend to use it," she said sarcastically.

Even over the phone she was crude and annoying.

"Anyway, just letting you know about Mr. Uchiha; he's scheduled to come to your party. He asked me to pass on his message immediately. 'Don't disappoint me, Hyuuga, I'm bringing Sakura along. Can you match that?' End of message."

The plastic phone nearly cracked from the pressure his hand was putting on it. So Sakura had gone over to Sasuke's side. He was not angry about that, he was more upset with the fact that Sasuke had gotten in contact with Tenten without his consent.

Wait, that wasn't right.

No, he was upset because Sasuke had warned him not to disappoint him. That was it.

"Tell him," he said, voice deadly quiet, "That he can go fuck himself."

Her voice laughed over the line. "I'm not sure that would sit well with him, sir."

It had been years since he had last heard her laugh. Neji relished in the sound a little too long for his liking, and then coughed to cover it up. "Then tell him I accept his challenge. I'll not only match him, but I'm going to go above and beyond."

Just then, his mind came up with the most preposterous idea ever, and he took it. Why not ask the only person who would think of the escort as another job? The girl that would hate him regardless of what happened?

A devilish smirk unknowingly found its way onto his face.

She would hate him so much for what he was going to say. And that made it all worth it.

"Ms. Kurenai, I hereby order you to be my date for the company party. If you don't accept, I'll assume you've lost the bet."

He could imagine her face at that moment. She would be completely livid, but her competitive attitude wouldn't let her back down. He almost laughed. Really, after all these years, she hadn't changed in the least.

"But—that's not—"

"Fair? Well, of course not. I've never made anything fair for you. I'm going to push you like a pack mule."

"You absolute dic—"

"No swearing against your boss, Ms. Kurenai."

"...Fine." And then she hung up on him. It was highly likely she would be cursing the heavens for her bad luck, possibly kicking over a trashcan and punching a wall for good measure.

Well, not that it mattered. He had won the past few battles; he did have more authority after all.

He was basking in his victory, sliding his phone back into his pocket and taking a gentle whiff of his tea before drinking it.

His uncle watched him slyly from across the table. "That was a woman on the phone. You talked to her quite familiarly, didn't you? To Ms. Kurenai?"

The tea in his mouth nearly spluttered out. He had completely forgot Hiashi was there.

"Simply my new secretary. Nothing special."

"Well, no matter. You've found an escort I take it, so our little meeting is over. You've become an eloquent speaker while I've been gone, Neji. Although I wouldn't use the words 'fuck himself' in a conversation with a business partner."

The impact of his uncle's statement hit Neji with the force of a charging elephant in a sumo wrestling match.

He had just gotten an escort.

And it was Tenten.

Neji cursed his impulsive action to the ends of the earth. What had pulled him to something so completely unlike himself? At least things couldn't possibly get any worse than they were.

And then fate decided to send another package of misery to him, like it was having fun mocking his current state.

It started to rain.

And he had walked to the tea shop. Without an umbrella.

...Damn it.

Tah dahhh! This won't be a long fic, but the chapters will be HUGE! Hence the long waits that will ensue.

Please R&R, that would be lovely!

And a favorite or alert would be just as wonderful :)

-Miss S