Sign Me Yours

I played Tenten and Lee and Mali played Ino in addition to the normal.

--

Increasing his speed, it didn't take long before Neji arrived at his team's usual training spot, wondering what his teammates would say that he was so late. Not that he cared, but he was in no mood to deal with nosey teammates.

Tenten jumped back, dodging a mediocre kick from Lee and swung a restrained punch at him which he managed to dodge as well.

They went on like this until Lee spotted Neji and straightened up as best he could, waving at his teammate with a wide grin. "Ohayo, Nej--" He was cut off with a kick to the face that sent him sprawling, Tenten not able to stop in her attack when he was distracted.

Tenten landed on her feet and looked down at Lee, huffing a bit but concerned. "You can't get distracted, Lee, especially when you’re still recuperating!" she admonished as she turned her gaze to Neji, calculating.

Shaking his head at the oh-so-typical behaviour of his teammate, Neji came to a halt in front of them.

"I apologize for being late," he said stiffly, watching Lee get up on his feet again after dragging over a crutch and using that for help, noticing him rubbing his cheek. Tenten was not one to take lightly as an opponent, not even during training.

"It is not a problem, my friend!" Lee said, putting another grin on despite his cheek already starting to bruise and swell. "I am sure you were only late because you were taking time to build your Youthful Spirit!"

"Youthful is right," Tenten muttered to herself, shaking her head. "So, Neji," she started, casually walking up to him, eyes curious. "Just how close are you with that other boy?"

Raising an eyebrow at Tenten's question, Neji felt as though she was implying something, but he couldn't seem to figure out what. Deciding that he would figure it out later, he replied rather neutrally.

"He was visiting yesterday," he just said, leaving out why because it didn't seem important. "It was raining, and the door sticks shut sometimes in that sort of weather. So he stayed the night. That's all." He looked at his team-mate, slightly curious, "What were you thinking of?"

Tenten gave a pout, cheeks puffing up a little, putting her hands on her hips. "If that's all, then why were you two all cuddled up and cozy together in your bed?" she asked, voice just short of accusing.

Lee blinked, looking at his two teammates in confusion. What were they talking about? He hated being left out!

Frowning faintly, Neji was by now a hundred percent sure she was implying something, but, because he had been overprotected all his life, he knew there was something he was not getting.

"I do not know," he replied flatly. "Do you control everything you do in your sleep?" he asked back, although this news troubled him slightly. They had been cuddling when she entered the room? What irked him was that, usually, he was in control of himself, even when asleep. It was unusual for him to move around.

Tenten narrowed her eyes a little, staring at Neji. There had to be something else going on. It just didn't make sense otherwise! Of course she knew her teammate was sheltered, but he wasn't oblivious. Right?

She heaved a sigh and crossed her arms, looking off the side, eyes still narrowed. "Whatever. Let's just train," she said, dropping it. For now. Oh, she was going to find out what was going on...

Nodding, Neji agreed to what his team-mate had said, however... he did decidedly not like the look she had gotten in her eyes. It was a look that said she was nowhere near done with this subject, and she would not stop until she got to the bottom of it. It was a look he and Lee had gotten to know quite well.

--

Sighing to herself, Ino was bored to death where she was standing behind the counter of her family's shop. It was one of those silent days with not many visitors or customers, and nothing really to do. She had checked that all the flowers were fresh; twice. She had made sure they were all priced correctly and she hadn't seen the shadow of her friends and team-mates all day. And now boredom was slowly killing her, she was sure of it.

After thoroughly exhausting Neji with a barrage in weapons (not that he'd ever admit to being tired) to help him master his byagukan and saying farewell to both him and Lee, Tenten meandered down the villages streets, wondering just how she was going to get to the bottom of this... mystery.

It's not like she could just go up to the Nara and attack him with questions; they didn't know each other well enough for that! And obviously Neji wasn't going to say anything. Or had nothing to say.

She was getting nowhere and quickly frustrated, wanting to just take a kunai and stick it in someone's--

She paused her train of thought and looked at the sign hanging in front of her. She smiled slowly; if she remembered right, the Yamanaka's ran this shop and Ino was her teammate's potential lover's, well, teammate. Maybe she knew something.

Tenten turned and opened the door to the shop, bell chiming as the door hit it, and walked in.

Looking up as the door bell chimed softly, announcing a visitor, Ino stood up straight immediately, wanting to look her best for whoever it was, and she most decidedly did not look her best slouching over the desk like that. Blinking at the unusual visitor, she smiled in recognition of Tenten, one year her senior that, like her, had attended the Chuunin exam and almost gotten through to the final test. Almost.

"Irrashaimase," she greeted her fellow kunoichi, giving her a friendly nod. "Is there anything special you are looking for?" silently adding a 'you're not someone we see often in this shop' in her head.

Tenten glanced around the shop for a second, taking it all in quickly. She really didn't like talking with other girls much but as obviously annoying the other girl could get she did need help.

Taking a breath, she walked over to the counter, returning the smile with one of her own. "Actually, I was wondering if I could talk with you."

"With me?" Ino raised an eyebrow in surprise. Tenten wasn't exactly a girl that liked to hang out with her kind of people; at all.

"Ah, alright," she smiled then, before looking around. "Here? Or somewhere else?" she asked, secretly hoping that the other girl had come to tell her about her teammate (Neji obviously, not the other one!) having a crush on her or something like that.

"Um," Tenten paused, worrying her bottom lip a little. "Somewhere a bit more private would probably be better." Who knew who would over-hear them talking and as much as she wanted to know about this, spreading it around (yet) wouldn't be smart.

"Alright," Ino nodded, looking into the backroom, and, spotting her mother there, she yelled.

"Okaa-san! I'm going out, watch the shop for me!" taking her apron off, she pulled the older girl with her out of the shop before her mother could retaliate. Feeling satisfied that she had gotten out of the most boring afternoon ever, they rounded the house until they got at the back door. Opening it, she invited the older girl into the part of the house where they lived, and into her own bedroom. Somewhere more private was near impossible to find.

Tenten blinked, allowing herself to be pulled along. She glanced around what was obviously the other girl's room, trying her best to not show how stupid she thought it looked; who needed all those knick-knacks and, well, everything else?

Casting a look out the window, Ino pulled her pink curtains for to block out everything else before going to sit on her flowery-decorated bed, letting Tenten have the only chair in the room.

"So... what did you want to talk about?" Ino asked cutely at the brunette, wondering what it could be.

Tenten sat down in the chair with a small sigh and fixed her gaze on the younger girl. "Well, uh," she started, realizing she hadn't really thought up a way to talk about or ask this. "Did your teammate, uh... Shikamaru? Has he said anything to you about the previous day?"

"Huh?" Tilting her head, Ino was confused. What the hell? Shikamaru? Why did Tenten want to talk about him? As if he ever did anything strange... well, strange enough to be talked about, by older shinobi nonetheless.

"Um... no?" she looked questioningly at the older girl, noticing the way she fumbled with her words. "I haven't really talked to him in a while... he's just not been around, I guess... What has he done now?"

Her lips tilted upwards in a slight smile. "That's what I'm trying to find out," she said.

"See, this morning, my team was going to train like usual, right? But oddly enough, Neji didn't show up," she started to explain. "And he's never late; not for training. So I left Lee by himself to go see what was wrong. I got to his apartment and he was still asleep and, well... cuddled up and all-but clinging to Shikamaru. In his bed."

Listening curiously to Tenten's tale, Ino's eyes widened considerably at the end. It wasn't what she had been hoping for, but it was the juiciest bit of rumors she had heard in a long while. It was almost as good as what she had hoped for, she decided.

"Really?" Ino giggled at the thought of her teammate with Hyuuga Neji; it was strange, yet certainly appealing. Maybe she could ask for some pictures... that certainly would be hot.

"Gee, I never knew that Shikamaru had a knack for guys..." she paused, "but I should'a guessed." She giggled; so that was why Shikamaru would always moan about women being troublesome. However, her inner self pouted, if it was true that the two boys were together like that... no way Shikamaru would get away with not having told her! Never mind that if he had, it would have been a known fact in the whole village within twenty-four hours after she was told.

Tenten smiled, inwardly rolling her eyes a little, "Yes, but... Neji says it was nothing. I mean, I know he's socially inept, but he can't be that much, right? I was hoping you'd know if something was actually happening between them or not."

Almost groaning at how stupid guys could be at times, Ino cursed whatever it was that made some shinobi messed up in some way or other. Neji was one of them.

"Sorry," she shook her head, pursing her lips. "Shikamaru isn't one to talk about his social or private life, except maybe with Chouji... and he's not gonna tell on him." Then, a mischievous smile crept over her lips.

"We'll find out though." She stated confidently. They were kunoichi after all.

Tenten's smile shifted into a smirk and she nodded. "Neji said his door was stuck, which does happen often, but that still doesn't explain why Shikamaru was there with him in the first place."

There were just so many things that didn't sit right with the weapon's girl. But either way, she thought to herself, they'd make a pretty cute couple anyway.

Ino nodded, agreeing. "You know..." she said thoughtfully, remembering something she had forgotten (mostly because her beauty had been insulted by the Hyuuga). "Come to think of it... Not too long ago, Shikamaru mentioned watching Neji train," she grinned at the memory, definitely leaving out a few details about her own behavior.

Tenten's eyes widened a little. "Neji mentioned something before about that, too," she said, leaving out that he'd said the boy was annoying. "If it weren't for us being his teammates, I'm sure Lee and I wouldn't be welcome to train with him."

She nodded slightly. "There has to be something going on..."

"Mnhm..." Ino was already thinking about how they were going to find out the truth. They would definitely have to stalk them a bit. She doubted that Neji would ever admit to having a lover, and Shikamaru... well, he would think it was too troublesome with all the rumors there were bound to be.

"I'll at least have a chat with Shikamaru today," she smirked. Oh, the brunette would have no idea what had hit him when she was done with him, should it show that their suspicions were correct. How dare he keep something juicy like this from her?

Tenten raised an eyebrow at her smirk, wondering just what she would do. She almost felt sorry for the other boy.

Looking at the other girl, Ino grinned as they started going through plans for "Operation Stalk Shikamaru and Neji" as she named it.

--

Training in his usual field, Neji was aware of how it now almost resembled a real battlefield after he had finally gotten to practice on his own, which meant, no one that could see him at all, enabling him to use some techniques he wanted to keep secret, as a back-up just in case. Not that he would need them, but it couldn't do any harm. However, soon enough he took a break, his mind going to the younger Nara. He used to be there, in the field cloud-gazing, at this time of the day, and he wondered faintly where he was before frowning at himself. What did he care anyway?

Shikamaru sighed as he idly ambled over towards his usual spot. He watched the sky as he walked, wishing he had more time to laze about like normal. Yoshino had scolded him sharply for not coming home and then he'd actually had to train with Asuma and Chouji.

Lucky Ino, he thought. Gets to just sit in her shop all day and do nothing since her parents were too busy...

Just then, a kunai swooshed through the air going close enough to Shikamaru's face to make a thin, shallow wound, drawing a little blood.

Freezing in his tracks as he watched a little blood trickle down the younger boy's cheek, Neji just stared, almost paralyzed. He hadn't meant to hurt the other, or even to throw anything even potentially dangerous at him, even though he knew the other was probably able to avoid them, but he hadn't noticed the other before the weapons had left his hands. Now it were embedded in the target he had hung up on a tree a little to Shikamaru's left, having hit the bulls eye perfectly, just like all the other kunai he had thrown.

Shikamaru blinked and brought a hand up to his cheek, feeling the small sting. He took it away and glanced down to see the deep pink tinge to his finger now. He breathed out a soft 'troublesome' before glancing up again, spotting Neji.

"If you're aiming for me, you need a lot more work," he said, smirking, obviously not caring much. Besides, who knew how many cuts and bruises a shinobi got daily anyway? Another wouldn't make a difference.

Crossing his arms a little defensively, Neji glared half-heartedly, feeling slightly guilty.

"It's your own fault anyway," he snapped back, starting to feel a little annoyed with both the way the other shrugged it off, and the fact that he was bothered a little by it. Hyuuga’s didn't do bothered. "Coming into the training grounds like that, as if you were strolling in the park," he almost sneered, if it wasn't for the fact that Neji didn't sneer, or let himself get worked up about anything. Right. He was certain that the younger genius had long since figured out when he started practice and when he ended it by now.

Shikamaru absently wiped his hand on his pants before stuffed said hand back into his pocket. His smirk just widened a little.

"I know no one comes here except for you, and, silly me, I'd figured you'd be able to see me with your byakugan," he responded teasingly.

"Which I'm not using at the moment," Neji felt himself flush ever so faintly in anger over the Nara's insult. Yes, while he did most of his practice with his byakugan, it still took chakra to use it a lot. During missions he would not be guaranteed he would always have enough chakra to have his eyes activated, so today he was doing something different. Because Hyuuga Neji, no matter how unnecessary, didn't like not being good in some things, and while proud of his bloodline, if not his clan in general, he did not like relying too much on it.

The Nara resisted the urge to roll his eyes and just shrugged. "Either way, I'm fine and you hit your mark. Unless, that is, you were aiming for me?"

"Don't be stupid Nara!" Neji frowned slightly before settling with glaring at the younger boy. "Just get to your usual spot and stop interrupting my training."

To be honest, Neji didn't know why he felt so grumpy that Shikamaru was late or that he had interrupted his practice in a way that had gotten him hurt. It really shouldn't matter, and he was sure Shikamaru had had worse injuries than that.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, lips twitching into a smirk again. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get your panties in a twist, Hyuuga."

He snorted softly. "I'm glad you've reserved this spot for me then," he said, walking over to said spot lazily before just-short-of flopped down on his back.

"I'm not a woman, Nara!" Neji replied, eyes narrowing at another insult. What the hell was Shikamaru getting at? He had been much more friendly (if you could put it as such, polite maybe?) at Neji's apartment the previous day.

"And at least I know where you are then," he huffed. No, he hadn't reserved a spot for him, but it was beneath his dignity to tell him that. He had simply noticed the other had a preferred spot to stay in while doing his cloud watching.

Shikamaru just made a vague, acknowledging noise in the back of his throat and waved a hand a little before partaking in his favourite pastime.

If only the Hyuuga could take a joke, it would be so much more fun, he thought with a soft sigh.

Narrowing his eyes, Neji decided that the Nara would need to be taught a lesson. Well, later, when he was done with the first half of his training. Refocusing on his task, he continued persistently what he had been doing.

Shikamaru's attention shifted between the sky and the other ninja every now and then. He wasn't sure why, but the other's movements were oddly... hypnotizing as he trained.

Almost raising an eyebrow, he caught the other looking at him every now and then, without actually giving away that he had caught those puzzling gazes. For some reason, it hadn't bothered the Hyuuga when he had been spied on, but these... less concealed gazes did bother him a little. It was simply because Shikamaru normally didn't even as much as look at him while he was training otherwise; at least, that's what he told himself.

Shikamaru scowled to himself slightly, closing his eyes and just relaxing in the grass. He let out a long breath, somehow relaxing his muscles further, except for the small frown that stayed on his face.

Just then a soft thak could be heard right beside him as a kunai embedded itself in the ground, only a handful centimeters away from his head.

Shikamaru tensed slightly, opening one eye to look at the weapon. He opened the other and turned his gaze onto the Hyuuga, raising an eyebrow as he sat up slightly, resting his weight on his lower arms.

Smirking slightly from the branch he was sitting on, Neji threw another on, this time missing the Nara's head with only a couple of centimeters. Hm, he thought to himself. Not bad.

Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly and he forced himself not to flinch lest he move the wrong way and get cut again.

"Uh, Neji? You do know what I said earlier wasn't an invitation to use me as target practice, right?" he asked.

Another kunai followed, and another, both missing the other with only a few millimeters this time around. Neji was satisfied.

"It sure sounded like one," he just called back, smirking at the suppressed flinch of the Nara. His byakugan was activated this time around, enabling him to see the other clearly, and to aim right, even from that distance.

Shikamaru scowled and just mumbled a 'troublesome' before lying back down. Normally he wouldn't care and might even be willing to help, but now he was just tired from his earlier training. Besides, he trusted the other enough to know he wouldn't actually get hurt.

But that didn't mean he wanted to now. He fought back a smirk as he started at the Hyuuga, letting his shadow stretch out as thin as it could, creeping towards the tree.

Throwing another kunai, this one nicking Shikamaru's jacket slightly, but didn't touch skin, Neji pretended not to notice the chakra-filled shadow creeping up on him. Did the Nara think he was totally oblivious to his methods? Not likely, not after the Chuunin exam. Moving as fast as he could, he moved, almost casually, beside the younger shinobi with a smirk.

"Think I'd be trapped that easily?" he asked rather cockily, not really caring if the shadow caught him now that he was sitting close by; he had been thinking about taking a break in practicing anyway.

Shikamaru smirked before raising a hand and gripping the cloth at Neji's shoulder. "Got you now, don't I?" he asked in the same tone (though far less practiced, because, really, Shikamaru's no Hyuuga in smugness).

On impulse, he leaned up and pulled the older boy down, their lips connecting harshly and clumsily for a few seconds before Shikamaru's brain functioned correctly again and he froze.

Tensing up, Neji's eyes seemed to widen impossibly as he was pulled down so their lips met clumsily, awkwardly, stealing his first kiss. He hadn't minded when the other had grabbed his shoulder, that was normal, but this... this wasn't normal was it? At least, not among friends.

Seemingly frozen like that, Neji was starting to panic, his mind running a mile in a minute, telling him he should pull away, no push the other away harshly, and run. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on who was thinking, Neji's body didn't listen to his brain.

Shikamaru's grip loosened on the other's shirt before letting his hand completely fall off as he pulled back from his first kiss. His lips parted slightly and he glanced away, tongue absently flickering out against his own top lip.

He put more space between them, lying down before rolling away and pushing himself to his feet. He chanced a glance back at the other, putting his hands into his pockets. "U-um," he started, clearing his throat a little as his voice broke, "See... you..." he muttered, walking away at a faster pace than normal.

Eyes still wide, and unreadable, Neji couldn't do anything but stare at the younger boy as he let go of him and sat back. Silently, he felt grateful his bloodline made it hard to read his eyes, and his control stopped him from doing anything stupid in the almost-panic he was feeling.

As Shikamaru disappeared, Neji just sat there, staring into empty air, having forgotten all about his training.