Tenten drummed her fingers on her desk. She could still see Neji's face, how calm he appeared but how eager his cool white eyes were. A date...with Neji Hyuuga. Neji Hyuuga. The nephew of the leader of the richest clan in Konoha. The pride of the Hyuuga clan. The inheritor to the Hyuuga's Bloodline Limit. The fact that he was a Hyuuga was amazing even - amazing that he would make such an offer. Tenten was fully aware of the political side of this but the personal side she couldn't cope with.
She had always respected Neji. His frequent bouts with Lee clearly showed his abilities and the Chunin Exams had only enhanced her regard for him. But a date? Tenten tensed. Did she really feel that way about him?
Would it be foolish not to accept? Neji Hyuuga was a powerful Konoha shinobi. Even though he had lost to Naruto in the Chunin Exams finals, it was rumored he was going to become a chunin. His clan was rich. It probably wouldn't be the wisest decision to be on their bad side. Although what they would do exactly was a mystery...
On the other hand, it was a mere date. One little outing. And Neji wasn't the heir to the Hyuuga Clan. He was just the cousin of the heir. He wasn't even in the main branch.
Tenten groaned.
"Neji! Why did you have to say that?" She shouted at her ceiling. Tenten put her head on her desk. "This is unbearable..." She moaned.
The whole matter would have been much less complicated if it weren't for one thing: She liked Lee.
Maybe.
It hard to tell. During training when she and Neji had decided to take a break and Lee had continued, she'd find herself gazing at Lee. His toned muscles, the determined glare in his eyes and the way his hair glistened when the sun caught it - Tenten was almost surprised so many girls thought he was repulsive. However his awkward way of talking and the way he doggedly chased after Sakura Haruno were a bit of, well, a turn off.
These manners were best reserved for thinking about when she was going to go to sleep or taking a bath. A dreamless night or hot water would wash away complicated emotions the second they arose. But sitting here at her desk, her jumbled thoughts ran together and invaded every fiber of her being with chaos.
"DAMMIT NEJI! YOU AND YOUR STUPID HORMONES!" She shouted, slamming her head down on the desk. A jolt of pain ran through her. "Dammit..." Tenten looked up. The sky was turning navy as the sun sank lower on the horizon and the clouds were beginning to fade into blackness. Tenten took a deep breath, let it out slowly and pushed her chair away from her desk. She stood up and stretched. "I should probably get something to eat..." She mumbled, doing her best to put her troubled thoughts behind her.
Neji was colder than usual at practice. He barely talked and the icy concentration on his face almost scared Tenten. He didn't stop practicing, not even for lunch. Gai-sensei was summoned by the Hokage so he ended practice. Lee went off to practice on some different grounds, leaving Neji and Tenten alone on the field. "So," Neji said, rebinding his wrist arm bandages, "do you have your answer?" Tenten looked at him, somewhat dirty and certainly sweaty from his training. She almost said 'no' but something in her buckled and she couldn't make the choice.
"I don't know." She choked out. Neji stood up from his kneeling position and walked towards her.
"You said you'd think about it." He reminded her. Tenten nodded.
"Yeah, I still need time to think." Tenten ducked away but Neji grabbed her arm. She turned back to him and met his cold eyes. They stared at each other until Neji let go.
"Think about it." He said finally. He turned away and began walking toward the center of the village. Tenten let out a sigh. It was definitely time for a hot bath.
Tenten smiled as she stripped off her sweaty clothes. The locker room was warm and slightly misty from the steam that drifted under the door from the hot springs. Finally, some peace and quiet from her own thoughts. It was just what she needed. Tenten grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her hair. She noticed there was another figure in the spring. Long, pale hair floated on the surface of the water. She submerged into the bubbling liquid and squinted. Tenten shot up to the surface, gasping for air. "Ino!" She cried. Ino smiled.
"You sound surprised." Ino smirked. Tenten shook her head.
"N-no it's just I've never seen you here!" She cried. Ino slid her hand through her wet hair creating slick grooves.
"I like to take some days off now and then." Ino sighed, leaning against the large stones that lined the hot spring. "So what's wrong?" She asked. Tenten started.
"What? What are you talking about?" She demanded.
Ino laughed. "If you want to hide your emotions you're going to have to do better than that. No one is as uptight as you are in a hot spring. So, tell me." Tenten shifted, not sure whether to trust her.
"Neji..." Ino perked up, already interested. "Neji asked me out." Ino laughed. Tenten glared at her. "What?"
"N-nothing. I was just thinking: finally." She snorted. Tenten gripped the stone ledge she was sitting on.
"You mean you think we're meant to be together?" Tenten almost wanted to cry. Could all this mental anguish be gone in one hot bath?
To her dismay, Ino shrugged. "Maybe. I mean, you're always telling that Lee that Neji is so much better than him during practice, right? Although, is that because you want to protect Lee or compliment Neji?" Ino smiled at her slyly. "I know exactly what you should do." Ino said abruptly. Tenten grinned.
"Really?" She cried.
"Sure." Ino nodded. "But I'm not going to tell you." Tenten felt her jaw drop. Ino stepped out of the hot spring and grabbed her towel. "It's more fun to watch you struggle. But you're smart. You'll figure it out. But can I offer one word of advice?" Tenten sat up.
"Yes?"
"Don't sit in a hot spring to work out your thoughts. You'll get relaxed and you won't be able to think straight. You need to go somewhere quiet and think about who you really want to go out with and then ask them out. No matter who it is." Ino flashed her a smile. "See you!" She called. Tenten dropped under the water just as the door to the locker room closed.
Ino... She sighed inwardly.
Tenten stayed in the water for another hour and then she finally wrapped herself in a towel and crept off to the locker room. The small business was bustling with women who had just gotten out of work. Tenten dressed quickly and went to the training grounds where Neji had first asked her on a date. She leaned against one of the logs and looked up at the sky. Okay...She thought, breathing slowly. Where do I start?
---
Neji and Tenten ate in near silence. The dango shop was fairly empty and the clattering of the dishes in the kitchen only made the meal more awkward. Neji finished and rested his elbows on the counter, hunching his shoulders. His eyes were hidden in shadow. "So, Tenten...have you made up your mind?" Tenten looked at him and titled her head slightly. She looked closely at him and put a hand on his forearm and kissed him on the cheek.
"I'm sorry, Neji. You are my teammate, my friend but..." Tenten didn't finish the sentence; she couldn't. Not that she needed to. Neji bowed his head. She left some ryo on the table and left silently. Neji held his head in his hands and buried his fingers in his dark brown hair.
"Tenten..." He whispered.
"Lee!" Tenten shouted. The young boy looked over. His teammate had caught him during a short break in his training.
"Tenten!" He cried. Tenten ran over to him. Lee cocked his head. "Tenten, what -"
Tenten wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "Don't talk. Please." She said quietly. Lee stood stiff for a few moments, confused as to why his teammate was showing such affection. But after a time, her arms grew warm around his torso and he let himself relax in her grasp. "I do not quite understand what is going on, Tenten but I will stand here for as long as you need." Lee said firmly. Tenten hugged him tighter.
"Thank you, Lee." She murmured.
Thank you...