Rain in Spring
It was approximately nine in the morning, and the people of Konoha were already busy. And on that street, more than a few heads turned when they noticed who was there.
A girl with dark brown hair sloppily pulled up in two buns was standing in the middle of the street, panting. She had a sock on one foot and a sandal on the other. She sported a navy blue sweatshirt that reached her knees and a pair of lime green boxers, and she did not look happy.
Tenten squinted at the furry black cat standing a couple yards away from her. A cat that just so happened to have her forehead protector in its mouth.
Thieving feline…Tenten thought, her eyes twin balls of fire. First it attempts to make off with my underwear, and then it steals my forehead protector—the day we were supposed to receive our three-man teams! She took a hasty glance at her watch. Her eyes glinted, and in one sweeping movement, she lunged at her target. Several kunai and shuriken bounced along the pavement, barely missing the victimized cat as it dodged and swerved, running farther along the street.
Tenten immediately saw her chance. She dug her heel into the ground and launched herself at her opponent. Her fingers were so close…just a little more…an unidentified hand reaching down and scooping the cat away…wait a second. Something didn't fit quite so well in that last scene.
The bedraggled girl skidded across the pavement as the unidentified thwarter of her plan stepped aside. She immediately jumped up and pointed an accusing finger at the guilty party.
"What was that for—" Tenten began.
"You should…take better care of your belongings," someone said, in an oddly familiar voice.
She looked up.
A boy, looking perfect and pristine, wearing a white jacket and a pair of neat shorts, was standing there, the cat held in one hand.
Shoot, Tenten thought to herself.
He had white eyes. White eyes could only mean one thing. She struggled to remember his name. That really popular and talented person in her class.
"Hyuuga…Negi…?" she asked tentatively.
"Neji. Hyuuga Neji." He sounded slightly annoyed. "I believe that you are in my class at the Academy."
"Ah…thank you for bringing that back to—"
"Are you stupid?"
"…huh?"
"I asked you, are you stupid?" He sighed. "Honestly, who in the right mind loses her forehead protector to a cat? And on the day she was to be assigned a three-man team, right after she received it? And then attempts to utilize shuriken and kunai on said cat in an act of unnecessary violence?"
"Well,excuse me, Mr. Superior," Tenten said, trying to keep her composure. She couldn't even duck before her forehead protector was thrown into her face, hitting her nose with a satisfying squishy sound. Her hand immediately went to the red liquid trickling down her face.
"And really, get a fashion sense."
"…" Tenten was silent, her cheeks red, before she yelled, "THESE ARE MY PAJAMAS, IDIOT!"
The cat meowed.
"I'm here, I'm here! I'm not late!" Tenten was panting, sweat coursing down her face as she stood in the doorway. She took a second to flatten the wrinkles in her pink Chinese-style top and walked to take her seat. As the teacher began to explain the three-man teams, she looked over at that perfectly evil Hyuuga sitting across the room. And suddenly he was looking in her direction out of the corner of his eye.
Did he just smirk?
"Team 13…Rock Lee…Tenten…and…"
Tenten gulped.
"Hyuuga Neji."
"I can't believe this!" Tenten muttered to herself, trekking up the hill. She spotted her favorite tree, where she had always hidden when she was small. Whenever she was in a bad mood, she went there.
She turned her back to the tree trunk, sat, and leaned against it. She was frustrated, and understandably so. The person that she had labeled as a "first-class jerk" was in her three-man team, and the other two were "first-class freaks." Her life had just about hit rock bottom.
She was about to drift off to sleep when she heard a low,
"You aren't very observant, for a kunoichi."
She jolted upright, her back still to the trunk. She sat upright and alert, her hand creeping towards her weapons pouch.
"You just sat down and didn't notice my presence at all. Don't tell me…you don't recognize my voice…?"
Tenten sighed. "Hyuuga."
"…and your name is…two-two…seven-eleven…?"
"TENTEN," she said, seething.
"Watch yourself. You were the one who called me 'Negi', Miss Boxers."
"You annoy me," Tenten said angrily.
"I feel the same about you." Tenten couldn't think of a smart retort, and so stayed quiet.
Everything was silent for a few moments and the heated atmosphere seemed to cool down. Tenten, uncomfortable in the awkward silence, decided to say something.
"Do you…come here often?"
"Occasionally."
"Do you like it here?"
"You can see Konoha. This is also a nice tree."
"I'll take that as a…yes, this is a very nice place?"
"…hn."
"Fine, do what you want! I won't talk to you anymore!" Tenten said angrily. Her tree-buddy was silent.
Huh…? Cold…Tenten blinked. It was dark—she could tell from the sky that it was early evening. Grass swayed inches from her face. She jumped upward from shock.
"Are you awake yet?"
She jumped again in surprise. It seemed that her tree-buddy was still present.
"I…fell asleep," Tenten said lamely.
"True."
She languished in silent embarrassment for a few moments, then said,
"Why don't you leave? It's late."
"I don't feel like it. Besides…" he paused. "…same to you."
"I live alone, most of the time. My mom is away a lot. I am free, independent, and I can make my own rules."
"…hn."
"I bet you're jealous."
"Of course."
"…what a plain and sarcastic response."
"What did you expect?"
Tenten was quiet for a few seconds. Then she began to laugh.
"Wh-What are you laughing at?"
"I used to think you were such a stuck-up loser who stayed silent all the time, but you actually talk a lot, don't you?"
"…" She could practically sense his embarrassment.
"…hey. Hey, you. I'm talking to you." Tenten rapped her knuckle on the tree trunk.
"…"
"I wanted to say that I hope we'll get along in the future."
More silence.
"After all, we're going to be doing a lot of dangerous things."
"…I wouldn't trust my life with you in any circumstance."
"Hey! I was trying to be friendly with you!" I jumped up and looked around the trunk. The Hyuuga looked up at me from where he was sitting. He smirked (it annoyed me how he could look smug even when looking up at me someone).
"Nice to meet you."
END OF CHAPTER ONE
Author's Note: I plan on making this three to five chapters. Just a short little story of NejiTen goodness. Please review. Was it too long? Too short? Too hard to understand? Too simple? Too out of character? Weird in general?
By the way, "negi" means "spring onion" in Japanese, I believe.