Summary: Neji and Tenten. Tenten and Neji. Two people who have been best friends since time immemorial. Now seniors, the two are still as inseparable as ever. Thirteen years they have stuck together, no secrets, no lies. Well, except for one. They both harbor deeper feelings for each other. Although their relationship already runs deeper than any friendship, they still put up that invisible boundary, in fear of losing the other as a close companion. This year, Tenten wishes to step across that borderline before it's too late.

Pairings: NejiTen, ShikaTema, SasuSaku, NaruHina, KibaIno

Yo. I have, like, a million plots stuck in my head. So I decided to write it out before I explode. Anyway, this story's set in an AU. Neji, Tenten, Temari, and Shikamaru are seniors. And the rest of the gang are juniors. So without further ado, I give you Crossing Boundaries.

--Crossing Boundaries--

Chapter 1 - New School, New People, Same Best Friend

'I wonder how this year will turn up. . .'

"Tenten. ."

'. . .Will I make any new friends?'

". .Tenten. ."

'. . .Will I be made fun of or picked on or--'

"Tenten!!"

"Huh?" The brunette snapped out of her daze and looked around at her surroundings. Cream leather seats, seatbelt, black dashboard. She took all of this in as realization dawned on her.

'Oh, that's right. I'm riding with Neji to school.' The girl thought

"Something wrong?" The boy beside her asked. "You looked a little out of it there."

"I'm fine, Neji. Just thinking." She said, looking at her best friend before looking out the window to presume her thoughts.

"Hn." Neji looked at her in concern before turning back to the road. Tenten sighed, pulling at one of the Chinese buns on her head.

What she just said was half lie, half truth. She really was thinking, but she wasn't fine at all. Ever since she woke up this morning, her mind has been revolving around one thing.

School. . .

'Dang, I'm going to be the new girl again.' The girl thought exasperatedly.

'It wouldn't be that bad would it? I mean, Neji was the new guy there last year and it didn't seem like he had a hard time fitting in. . .Okay, I have to admit, the guy could fit in ANYWHERE with his good looks. He even had a fan club in our last school.' Tenten snickered at her own thoughts which made the boy beside her look at her strangely. She only replied with a shy smile and looked at the passing trees before going back to her trail of thought.

"I'm just glad I got away from those brainless bimbos. But then again, knowing Neji, he probably has fangirls here too. God, why are all fangirls big idiots? Can't they take the fact that they CAN'T be with that guy? Sigh. I guess it comes with being a born heartthrob eh Neji? Long brown hair and pale silver eyes can really do a number on a stupid fangirl these days' Tenten sighed.

She had a feeling that this was going to be a long year.

"Hey Neji, you sure I'm gonna fit in?" She asked him.

'Well that sounded odd.' The girl thought. 'Whatever happened to the uncaring me? I would usually care a whole lot less about what others thought about me. So why the freakin' hell am I caring NOW??'

The Hyuuga beside her rolled his eyes.

"Relax, Ten. You'll fit in just fine." He assured her for what was the thirteenth time that morning.

But it didn't work. . .again. . .

"But what if I won't make any friends?! What if I get picked on?! What if I don't have any classes with you and I end up being ignored by everyone?!" She asked, getting frantic.

. . .To say that she was overreacting would have been an understatement.

Neji twitched at her little outburst. "Who the hell are you and what did you do to Tenten?" He asked sarcastically.

"Okay, okay. I know I'm blowing things out of proportion. I could've done without the sarcasm though. I'm not even sure why I'm acting like this." was the other teen's depressed reply as she slumped on her seat in the passenger side.

"Tenten, don't worry. I'm sure you'll make lots of friends. Besides, Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama are there too. You can always go with either of them during breaks. And I'll probably be with you in most of your classes. Everything will turn up fine. Come on, cheer up for me will you?" He told her. Tenten smiled.

'Neji really was the only one who could cheer me up just like that.' She thought.

If it was anyone else, they would have been surprised to hear the prodigy say something like that. To a girl nonetheless. But Neji and Tenten have known each other practically since time immemorial. They grew to trust each other with anything and everything.

"And I'm pretty sure you won't go unnoticed. Who knows, maybe you'll get yourself another fanclub." This time, the girl couldn't help but scowl at the prodigy's smirking face.

'Way to ruin the moment there, Hyuuga.' She mentally put out. Unfortunately for her, Neji wasn't the only one who had to avoid his fans back at their last school.

'UGH. If there was anything that I hated more than Neji's fangirls, it would be those creepy stalkers.' Tenten involuntarily shivered at the thought. Everyday there was the same. It was either being harassed by Neji's fangirls or being stalked by her own admirers. It spelled H-E-L-L for both of them, while it spelled D-O-O-M to anyone who came within a 10 feet radius when both Hyuuga Neji and Tenten were pissed.

"Thinking about your past run-ins with fans?" Neji's amused voice brought her out of her thoughts. Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Good job Neji. Have a cookie." Neji rolled his eyes at this point. "I felt like I went through Hell when you and Hinata switched schools last year, you know. What pissed me off more was that my so-called best friend left me to get jumped by fanboys. Not to mention the fact that it was dead boring without you or Hinata around."

"Well then, I can already assure you that you won't be bored at all here." Tenten gave him a questioning glance.

"Hn. Do you remember Naruto and Sasuke?" She nodded.

"Of course, who would-- sorry, who could forget those two?" Both Neji and Tenten met the two a while back when they went to the same school. She had to admit, she really missed their antics. It was such a shame that they had to move three years ago.

'Wait. Why is Neji talking about them all of a sudden...?! No way...!!'

"They're here?" Neji nodded, hearing the happiness in her tone.

"Anyway, with Uchiha and Uzumaki's antics, running away from fans, and the drama High School brings, there won't be a day passing without something interesting happening." Tenten didn't know whether to be overjoyed because she'll be able to see Sasuke and Naruto again, or frustrated because of fangirls and possibly, fanboys. So she settled for a straight face

"I'll take your word for it." She said in a monotone voice. Neji seemed to notice her mixed emotions and laughed at her. Tenten smiled at the sound. Silence passed as they made their way through the streets.

"Tenten, look up." The girl did and saw one of the most amazing schools she has ever seen, and she's seen a lot. Now she knows why Hiashi made Neji and Hinata transfer here.

The school itself was surrounded by lots of trees. It looked like a huge clearing in the middle of the forest, although it's not. There were about 5 big buildings, an open field, a courtyard, and two parking lots, one for the teachers and one for the students.

Tenten said the first intelligent thing that came to mind.

"Whoa."

Okay, maybe not that intelligent.

Neji chuckled at her awed expression. He parked at an empty space and turned off the engine.

"Do you plan on staring the whole day, or are you coming inside with me?" He asked once he was out of the car. This seemed to snap Tenten out of her reverie since she hastily got out, all the while bouncing up and down.

"Oh my God! This place is so cool!!" She said while looking around her surroundings. Neji smirked at her childish antics.

"Glad you think so. Come on. We still have to get you to the Principal's office. Preferably sometime this morning," He said, still smirking. "And in one piece."

"One piece? What do you mean?" She asked. He looked around, prompting her to follow as well.

What Tenten saw was very...varied, to say the least. Some students were also coming out of their cars, or just staying by the parking lot. Most of them were staring at the two in awe, but most of the girls were glaring in jealousy.

"If looks could kill..." Neji started.

"..I'd be buried six feet under by now, thank you very much." Tenten finished.

"Not really. But beware. Your fanbase starts growing right now." Like he said, there were some guys who were already checking her out. Tenten shuddered and grabbed Neji's hand.

"Shit. Let's go." She said as she hurried out the parking lot.

"Do you even know where you're going?" He asked, still being pulled along.

"Actually, yes. Away from there. Before any of them start declaring any crappy lovey-dovey stuff like the ones last year."

They slowed down once they were out of the parking lot. Tenten let go of his hand and let him lead the way, since she's never been here before. On the way, they heard a really loud and irritating voice.

"Kyaa!! It's Uchiha Itachi-kun and Sasuke-kun!!" Tenten winced at the high pitched squeal.

"O. . kay. . . What the friggin' hell was that?" She asked as they walked along.

"Fangirls." Neji muttered. Tenten shuddered, having some bad experience with them.

"OMG!! Naru-kun!!" Another round of shrieks were heard.

"Please don't tell me they have rabies." She said while following Neji into the school.

"I can assure you that I have no idea if they do." Tenten managed to crack a smile at his joke. At the same time two blurs, a orange and a blue one, passed them. Followed by numerous girls.

"AHHH TEME!! RUN FASTER DAMMIT!!" They heard the orange blur scream

"I'M ALREADY RUNNING FASTER THAN YOU, DOBE!" was the irritated comeback of the blue blur.

"Were the two blurs that just passed us Sasuke and Naruto?" She asked him. He nodded wordlessly, but she could tell he was amused at the two who just passed.

"Poor them. Being chased around like that." She continued.

"Speak for yourself, Tenten. You might end up like that judging by the stares you're getting." Tenten groaned

"Ugh. Don't remind me." With that, they continued on their way. (Wow. The school must have been huge if they're still walking)

"The building on the right is the gym. The one on the left's the cafeteria. High school building, middle school building, extra curricular building and the open field." Neji told her while pointing to each of the buildings and/or facilities. As they walked, Tenten didn't miss the stares the students gave them, particularly her.

'Okaay... Freaky. Some of them are giving me the "Hey. It's a new girl" stare, some are giving me the "Dude, she's hot" stare, with drool - ew, and almost all the girls are giving me the "What the hell is she doing with that hot guy!?" glare.' She thought, reading the others' expressions like a book.

'Great. I really hope Neji's wrong about the fanbase thing. But knowing him, it's true. What a messed up world this is. And it's still the first day.'She thought as she walked in step beside Neji, trying to ignore the eyes that were on her.

Just as they were about to enter the high school building, Tenten heard multiple shrieks. She also heard someone say; "OMG!! It's Hyuuga Neji!!" followed by another round of shrieks.

"Shit. Just when I thought I could get through this morning without running into them." Neji muttered darkly. Tenten's eyes widened at his statement.

"Please don't tell me..." She trailed off

"Then I won't. But that doesn't mean that they're not coming." said the Hyuuga prodigy.

Out of nowhere, rabid fangirls suddenly started crowding them. Some were simply shrieking and some were raving on about Neji's apparently "hot" outfit. AKA, the school uniform. A simple white dress shirt with the school symbol stitched on the sleeve, black blazer which was currently slung on his shoulder, black pants, Black tie, and casual footwear. In Neji's case, white sneakers.

'How predictably Neji. Wearing the EXACT SAME thing everyone else is wearing and yet girls STILL think he's hot. Tch.' Tenten thought to herself. Fortunately for her, it seemed that the girls were too preoccupied with Neji to notice her. So for now, she's safe from being chased by the idiots, telling her to back off.

'It's times like these that I appreciate their small, feeble fangirl minds.' Suddenly, a high-pitched voice could be heard above the rest.

"Oh My Gosh Neji-kun!! You are so hot." A girl said. Tenten twitched and tried to contain her laughter.

'Was that supposed to be seductive? 'Cause it sounded REALLY awkward due to her annoyingly high voice.'She managed to control her laughter into a snicker. Neji heard it and smirked, which caused the fangirl to think that he was smirking at her. The fangirl tried to touch Neji but Neji rolled his eyes swatted her hand away. The girl fainted on the spot. Tenten just stared.

'Who knew that someone could actually faint from simple hand contact? Whoa. Neji's like a drug to these brainless girls. Poor things...NOT.' Neji sighed. Tenten looked at him.

"This happen often?" She asked.

"More than you know." Came his irritated mutter.

"Gee, what a whoop-dee-doo-dah-day. Any idea how to get out of here?"

"As a matter of fact..."

The white eyed boy - who was currently the object of the fangirls' affection, or rather, obsession - looked at one fangirl and walked up to her. The girl was practically giddy with excitement. Neji looked at her then caressed her face.

"Let us through?" He asked her in his deep voice. Tenten's jaw dropped.

Hyuuga Neji was flirting with the girl.

'Oh. My. God. Hyuuga Neji just turned playboy on me. I have officially seen everything there is to see in life. Someone call the Devil and tell him Hell has officially frozen over. Twice.'

The fangirl nodded silently and quickly obliged. Neji, who had enough of seeing their faces, started to move forward and out of the crowd. Tenten, on the other hand was still staring at the fangirls, her mouth still open. Neji seemed to notice this and pushed her jaw back up, then grabbed her hand to pull her with him away from his horde of fangirls.

"Ugh. I hate those girls." He said once they were out.

"Ahh, so you were faking it. I thought you turned playboy in the short span of roughly five minutes. I was almost going to smack you on the head and ask you where the real Neji was." She said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "But seriously--" She was cut off by the girl from a while ago who was screaming "OMG Neji-kun just touched me!!" at the top of her lungs.

"Idiots." Neji and Tenten mumbled at the same time. Tenten laughed openly as Neji let out a quiet chuckle.

"Oh my God. You have to FLIRT your way out of your FANGIRLS?" She asked as they made it to the High school building.

"Yeah. And from the looks of it, you're going to do a lot of flirting to save yourself too." Neji replied and turned his gaze outside. Tenten followed his amused gaze to the many boys who were looking at her intently. Tenten said the first intelligent thing that came to mind.

"Fudge." She muttered then turned back to the halls.

"Fudge indeed, Ten." She and Neji laughed at this.

"God, I missed you so much. Last year was so BORING without you around." Neji looked thoughtful then smiled a small smile at her.

"I have to admit, the previous year was uneventful without my best friend beside me, and that says a lot since I was with Naruto and Sasuke the whole year." Tenten smiled at him as they headed for the Principal's office.

So far, a lot has happened already. She rode in her best friend's totally awesome car; She saw Konoha Academy for the first time; People kept staring at her because she was apparently walking with one of the hottest guys in school; And she got surrounded by Neji's fans.

'Not to mention my own fanbase that's probably gonna stalk me for the rest of the year. And it's still Monday morning too.' Tenten sighed.'This is gonna be a heck of a year. At least Neji's here with me. I missed everything about him in school last year. It was such a bummer not to see or hear him in any of my classes last year.'

Once they arrived at the Principal's Office, Tenten felt the familiar wave of anxiety overcome her again. Neji noticed this and put a hand to her shoulder, causing her to look up to him.

"Look. If it's bothering you this much, I'll go with you. I don't know what help that would be exactly but, I'll go with you." He flashed her a small smile to reassure her. Tenten smiled a grateful smile.

"I'd like that. Thanks."

Chapter 1 - End

Well, how do you like the story so far? I know it kinda sucks but please bear with me. Review please! It would be a huge help! You know you want to ;)