This fic has been in my head for quite a while, but it got done because of my anime club's recent fanfiction contest... Here's to you guys ;). Anywho, I had a lot of fun writing it, so hopefully you feel the same reading it. Enjoy!
Boys Will Be Boys
When Tenten first met them, the first few words she thought of was out of their freaking minds.
Because really: how else would you describe a white-eyed, dreary boy who talks absolutely nothing but of the woes of fate; a narcissistic freak of a man that insists on putting a picture of him in a speedo under their pillows every night; and his mini-me copy (in the same, blindingly tight jumpsuit, no less) with eyebrows you would expect to hop off on their own into the sunset?
You see, Tenten was born in your basic, ordinary family. Dad owned a weapons store (where she most likely attained her love for pointy things) while Mom was a teacher at an actual academic school. So, really, you have to imagine the "culture shock" she went through with... That. It was bind-boggling.
And as she sat there, taking in Gai-sensei's tirade about the beauty of teamwork, Lee's bursting into inspired tears, and Neji's face as it looked like it would explode any minute- she thought, My god, what have I gotten into?
As time went on,the insanity didn't change (she hoped too much), but sometimes things compensated for it- Gai-sensei praising her target practice even if it wasn't the greatest that day; Lee exclaiming (yes, exclaiming) that he must pull out her chair for her every time because, despite her weaponry prowess, she was a lady and that was how a lady must be treated; and even Neji, finally deeming her worthy enough as a sparring partner.
Now, she's created relationships with them that she can only explain with strange analogies. Gai-sensei's that crazy uncle everyone seems to have, the one that you know loves you regardless of your good or bad days (because, frankly, things don't get as eccentric as him). Lee, on the other hand, is that little brother not many have. Sometimes annoying, yes; but so earnest and warmhearted that you can't help but love him back. And Neji... Well, Neji's Neji. There's not really any comparison that can be made to him; but it doesn't matter, because when he carefully examines her wounds and bandages, she knows he cares about her too.
She's considered that perhaps she's the only one that thinks all this, the only one that can stand Team Gai's chaotic group of boys. But Tenten also thinks that maybe...
A little craziness makes you sane.
.(C).
As for Hinata, it's the complete opposite- when she thinks of her team, the first word that she associates with them is normal.
Granted, it's not your everyday perception of normal. A team with an oversized dog, a boy that speaks with said oversized dog (from which some can easily assume he has some serious identity crisis issues), and a somewhat creepy kid who deals with bugs- isn't exactly the picturesque portrait of what "normal" is. However, if Hinata can have a say, they are a lot less.... Well, different than the rest of her generation's genin teams today (b-but of course, no offense is intended toward them!).
For the reason that... If you knew them through her eyes, you'd just see two teenage boys like any other.
Kiba is perhaps the most glaringly obvious of the bunch, the stereotypical version of that "prankster rebel" you see in every high school movie: confident, with a touch (okay, more like a shove) of recklessness, an ever-present smirk on his face, just begging to cause mischief; and yet... A serious side, one in which he would gladly die for what he believed in. This, right next to his grin (on behalf of her honest belief that one smile can make the world a much better place) is what Hinata admires the most about him.
As for Shino, it's harder to tell- but not quite as microscopic as one might think. She thinks of him as the boy who doesn't say much, that can't quite communicate with words as well as he can with gestures. And these gestures- like when he persuaded a butterfly to land on her finger the day of her birthday- have revealed that he is just as kind, just as desiring for human companionship as anyone else.
Yet it's this one trait in both of them that convinces her they're such... Boys, that makes her even more inspired to keep up with them during missions: they're both bursting with ambition, energy, and most of all, hope.
This kind of normal might sound boring to someone else, but maybe it's just what Hinata needs. In her life of restrictions, impossible expectations and harsh criticisms (which might well be the cause of her near constant stammer), she is starting to conclude that normalcy isn't a bad thing at all. One day, she hopes to have an average enough life like theirs, one in which she can stand proudly- without a trace of pink on her cheeks- right beside these two team mates of hers.
(By the way, she cannot exactly say she will stand on Akamaru's behalf of being normal... But she'll say she still loves him nonetheless.)
.(C).
Temari doesn't prefer to think heavy, deep thoughts about them- since she thinks enough of that has already been done over the years- and that she should start thinking simply for a change: they're her brothers, and that's that.
... But the one time she did, she could only marvel at how different they were (and how they'd become).
Where Kankurou was obnoxious, Gaara was reserved; where Kankurou's apartment was a complete disaster, Gaara kept a surprising tidiness in his office and quarters; Kankurou had a bawdy sense of humor, and while she knew Gaara had one, his was just.... more tasteful. And quiet. Very quiet.... Moving on.
Her second brother had, to his own dismay, the very face of their father, the hair and skin of the rough sand stone they were surrounded by. Gaara had similarities to the late Kazekage, but also bore the more delicate features of their mother. Kankurou had a bit of a stocky, more muscular build in comparison to the younger's lean, very lightly toned one (although this doesn't stop the girls in the village from drooling, she's noticed).
As for her own contrast of relationships for them: Kankurou will always be the annoying, I-know-everything-about-you little brother, and Gaara is... Well, she's still trying to figure that out.
Still, for all their differences, both of the siblings are doing the best they can to actually be a family. Kankurou will be as much of a big brother to the Kazekage as is allowed, and Gaara now acknowledges both brother and sister by their names (a feat that shocked them the first time, but now Temari's wondering if it's just her imagination that he says it with the tiniest bit of affection). She herself has sacrificed her tough pride to act a bit like the mother they never had, cooking and doing laundry. The nights they all privately have dinner together- as often as they can- can be slightly awkward, since they don't exactly have anything to say to one another ("So... How 'bout those sandstorms?"), but they give each other credit for effort.
How dysfunctional were they, she laughs bitterly, that it took their father's death to bring them together?
So no, her brothers won't ever be the two inseparable siblings with the same default personalities and looks; both are polar opposites, hardly believed to be related. And Temari's proud of that.
.... She thinks it's absolutely priceless, though, when they both had the exact same look of horror on their faces as she brought home Nara for dinner the other night.
.(C).
.... Okay, so this might seem totally weird, but the first thing that pops into Ino's head for her team is the Korean BBQ place.
WTF, she knows. And a little gross, too, considering the place is literally sweating grease.
She can't even remember who introduced it to the rest. Was it Asuma-sensei...? Yes. It had to have been. Ino wouldn't even consider of going to a restaurant stuffed with that many calories, and Shikamaru (although he'll never admit it) was a complete mama's boy when it came to Yoshino's cooking. Chouji would have been everyone's first guess, but she's found that- since earning his own money-he likes to start at home, then spread his way out, trying each restaurant nearby. The Korean BBQ place was clear across town. On the other hand, Asuma-sensei lived right around that area, so it was a short walk for him on his way home from work. So that's why he always brought them there...
Typical, lazy man.
Anyway, it doesn't matter whether he did or not- that became their place. The only one where she would ever eat greasy, fatty (but oh my god, delicious) steak. The only one Chouji wouldn't feel self-conscious about gorging himself (hard to believe, but he actually did limit his diet in other places.... slightly) because, yes, the rest of them were doing it too. Shikamaru smiled in there more than he ever did outside, allowing himself to stop that ever-churning brain of his and just be his age (but he's been smiling more than usual lately... There is some spying to be done). Asuma-sensei would often just watch his team, not saying a word... And grinning. It was in their spot, at the back corner of the restaurant, though, that he showed them Kurenai's ring.
The owner threatened to throw them out due to Ino's uncontrollable squeals.
She remembers, vividly, the only two occasions that she's been there without her whole team: one was was with a couple of girlfriends who were starving for something nearby, and the other was just her, Chouji, and Shikamaru a month after Asuma-sensei died.
Neither times did the food taste quite the same.
.(C).
Sakura doesn't know any words that describes her team, doesn't believe there is any, actually. But she knows this much: whenever she thinks of them, she thinks the feeling is something akin to heartbreak.
She feels ridiculous for thinking so, like she's still that twelve year old girl full of whimsical innocence and sweet fantasies- not the strong, mature kunoichi Tsunade trained her to be. And she feels like a horrible person, because when she looks at the other girls and their boys- so happy, with true smiles on their faces- jealousy twists in her stomach like a thick knot (Why? Why does it have to be mine with the darkness over our heads?), and then... her heart cracks just a little more thinking about her own team mates. After this, she has to paste a smile back on her face and try to tape her heart back together (but tape can never hold in a leak for long).
Because for all the sorrow, for all the moments she's cried over them.... She still thinks her boys are absolutely perfect.
Yes, it was Sasuke that caused all this, Sasuke that's the name on everyone's mind- but... She can't hate him. Ever. There's a part of her (of them) that still believes that in that cold, unfeeling body there's Sasuke, drowning, waiting to be pushed to the surface. Meanwhile, the rest of them give her reasons to face the world each day: Naruto's unyielding promise (no, not just promise; his word) that they'll be a team again, a family; Kakashi's more-obvious-than-he-thinks pride in each of them, his eyes that no longer reflect the past; even Sai- who she can tell feels strange in this new setting of emotions and team work and actual friendship- tries his best to help his new family in any way he can. If he can't fill that empty hole, he at least wants to put a tarp over it.
It's in these moments that Sakura looks back and believes, without a doubt, that she wouldn't change any of them for the world.
For the time being, she's working on this weak heart of hers, so that one day it will be she that protects them- from both their enemies and themselves.
.(E).
Author's Note: I... I think this was my best (and longest) fic in terms of writing that I've written thus far. My personal favorites to write were Team Gai and Team 10 xD. Thanks for reading and please review! :)