So this is supposed to take place in the same place as the fabulous video "dance of war". If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it. Hope you all enjoy!
"If having this ceremony puts your mind at ease, then I'd be happy to assist you." Neji turned and prepared for their spar. Summoning up the chakra required for his Byakugan, he took the stance.
Tenten's muscles also tensed. She knew Neji was a formidable opponent. She probably knew it better than anyone. Often, Gai-sensei and lee would go off and train on their own, leaving Tenten to spar with Neji. That was fine by her; it allowed her to hone her skills. With his focus on close-rang e attacks, she was able to learn how better to use her long ranged ones.
She barraged him with some of her favorite ordinary weapons- exploding kunai, shuriken and of course her swords.
"Oh don't you dare look back.
Just keep your eyes on me."
He looked back for just a minute, as the heat off the explosives almost consumed him. yes, the showiness of the weapons was one of the reasons they were one of her favorites among the usual weapons. Neji was shocked to see how much of a punch they packed. He hadn't expected so many, but he had expected them. Tenten was a master of ninja tools. However, they did have the flaw of creating a routine in battle. He countered quickly and leapt away as she threw another exploding kunai.
They had sparred so much that they had become in sync one with another. They could read each other's movements. It had helped on missions. Neji would keep the enemies at a reasonable distance for Tenten, and she would keep them away from his blind spot.
Neji wasn't so sure this was all Tenten had in her.
I said, "You're holding back,"
She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"
"Are you making sure to show the forest your best moves?" Neji called out.
"Of course. But I'm saving the best for last." Tenten smirked. "Just watch me dance!"
This woman is my destiny
She said, "Oh, oh, oh,
Shut up and dance with me."
Neji wondered what she meant about the dance. Of course there could be some dance moves involved in their battle. Tenten twirled in the air as though she were a professional gymnast. She had such an elegance that played into the idea of a dance. But they weren't dancing, were they? Surely, as she flung at him with her kunai in hand, they would be blocking and thrusting, as if two dancers on a stage.
Quickly, as she threw more weapons, he spun around and blocked the tools with his kaiten. He had to get out of that spot. Without a second thought, Neji used the substitution jutsu and leapt behind his teammate.
We were victims of the night,
The chemical, physical, kryptonite
Helpless to the bass and the fading light
Oh, we were bound to get together,
Bound to get together.
From the very beginning, Neji had sensed that there was something about Tenten. Sure, at first she was very ordinary. She couldn't even do many jutsus. Summoning and throwing weapons were just about all that she had. But, to be honest, she was the first friend he had had. She wasn't intimidated by his cold exterior. She hadn't shown resentment. She had always admired him and stood by his side.
With as much time as they had shared, of course a relationship was going to bloom between them. Neji had never put words to his feelings. That was simply unnecessary. He knew as he looked into her brown eyes that she loved him. He tried to reflect that love back, but it was hard to show when there was a war going on. Perhaps after the war, he could….
There was no time to think that way. In the blink of an eye, he began to barrage her with his eight trigrams, 64 palms move. This would end the dance, but to attack her with anything less than his best would be an insult to how much Tenten had grown.
She took my arm,
I don't know how it happened.
Blinking back into reality, Neji realized that Tenten truly had grown stronger. Intentionally, after preforming the eight trigrams 64 palms move, he had left the chakra points open, so that she would be able to make it home. Not without difficulty, and not without a bit of pain. But he was so certain that they had finished. When Tenten moved, he was genuinely surprised.
But only for a moment.
"I told you to stop underestimating me, didn't I? How can I let our ceremony end when things are just beginning?" Tenten brought out her kunai.
That was more like her.
We took the floor and she said,
"Oh, don't you dare look back.
Just keep your eyes on me."
"Better not look away, Neji! I have learned a thing or two in our time here in the forest. Just you wait." Tenten smirked.
The pain was searing through her arm, but using the breathing techniques Neji had taught her, she was able to take the pain and turn it into focused rage. She would need the extra boost.
"And I'll make you proud." She thought to herself.
I said, "You're holding back,"
She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"
This woman is my destiny
Neji got back into his stance. She surely was a strong woman. With no real background to speak of, she had made herself into an exceptional warrior.
The only past she really spoke of was being adopted by her neighbor, among many of the orphaned children in her apartment building when the nine tailed fox ravaged their village, killing hundreds of ninja. She ended up taking care of most of the little ones until it was her turn to enter the village and fulfill her dreams of becoming like lady Tsunade.
"hm." Neji thought. "I would say you've surpassed Tsunade and made yourself into a real warrior."
She said, "Oh, oh, oh,
Shut up and dance with me."
"Now, are we going to stand around and wait for lee, or are we going to dance?" Tenten breathed.
A backless dress and some beat up sneaks,
My discothèque, Juliet teenage dream.
I felt it in my chest as she looked at me.
I knew we were bound to be together,
Bound to be together
"Of course. Come at me if you can." Neji beckoned.
She took my arm,
I don't know how it happened.
We took the floor and she said,
"Oh, don't you dare look back.
Just keep your eyes on me."
I said, "You're holding back,"
She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"
This woman is my destiny
She said, "Oh, oh, oh,
Shut up and dance with me."
They continued sparring with all the intensity of two dragons. Neither wanted to give in to the other. One of them would win, regardless of the cost of stamina. In this moment, Tenten pulled out her swords and began swirling them around. As Neji blocked, he looked for an opening to use gentle fist. Tenten could see what he was thinking and placed her weapons in all the right spots so it would be impossible. Yes, it was from doing this very thing that Tenten had become able to see his soul.
At first he was a huge jerk. She didn't like him at all after that first day. He was rude and arrogant. She could feel that he was looking down on her, as if she weren't even fit to carry the title of ninja. That stung a lot, but she couldn't let it get her down. After all, she was out to prove that women truly were just as good as men. That was something her adopted mother had always told her. it helped her get through the days when her older adopted brothers teased her for being so short.
Breathing heavily, they both were about to lunge at each other again, to spar anew. However, they were disrupted by their third teammate, spouting off something about how he and their sensei had been talking again. Honestly, neither Neji nor Tenten cared. However, they took the time to listen to his excuses.
"I am here now and we can continue with the ceremony!" lee exclaimed, arm out and ready to fight.
Before Tenten could scold him for keeping them waiting, Neji interrupted.
"No, I think not. We are done for the day. Let's go, Tenten." Neji sighed. "Think of it as punishment for tardiness, you hot-blooded idiot.
Looking at lee once more before following the prodigy, Tenten nodded her head to the other team mate as if to say, "Should have been on time."
Oh, come on girl!
They went to their usual lunch spot as lee cried out in remorse for missing what must have been a splendid show of youth. Neji and Tenten ignored the distant cry and pulled out their lunches. They ate in silence, Tenten occasionally wincing at the soreness in her arms from the disrupted chakra flow from earlier.
Deep in her eyes,
I think I see the future.
I realize this is my last chance.
They said nothing, but understood everything.
Lunches were one rare time when Neji let his guard down a bit and they would talk. Sometimes it would be about Hyuuga family business- Tenten had somehow been adopted into the branch family. Hiashi loved her, and had her over for lunches on Wednesday with Hinata and Hinabi. As far as anyone realized, Tenten was an honorary Hyuuga.
As Tenten looked into Neji's pearly eyes, she noticed something different in them. She had noticed how Neji had occasionally seemed distant during the battle. Beforehand, he had encouraged her to unleash all of her feelings at him. She didn't think he had done the same.
"Neji, that looks so good! Did you make that as well?" Tenten stared in awe.
She always did. Although she was an expert marksman, her cooking was terrible. Neji had grown accustomed to making enough in his lunches to share with her. they continued to eat in silence, each in their own world, until Tenten couldn't take it anymore. She just had to know.
"Neji…..during the ceremony, you had a faraway look in your eyes. For just a minute of course, but I'm curious. What were you thinking about?
He had forgotten how perceptive she could be.
"It was nothing." Neji lied.
"It didn't seem like nothing to me. Tell me, what's bothering you. Are you still afraid about the war?" Tenten hushed her tone towards the end.
"No, it wasn't. It was…." Neji blushed a bit.
"It was about you." he thought to himself.
"Was it about Hinata, or one of your other family members? I don't know how well Hinata has been sleeping lately. Do you want to take her out to dinner sometime with me? It might put her mind at ease." Tenten suggested.
"No, although I am concerned about Lady Hinata. She is strong, but shouldn't have to be exposed to war." Neji responded.
"We were born in war. All of us were, or very nearly all of us. We have been fighting all our lives. Besides, she is strong. Just like you. That's what I love about being on your team. You always seem to know what I'm going to do right when I think to do It." Tenten smiled. "And you make delicious food!"
Neji smiled a bit. There wasn't a situation she wasn't able to turn around. It must have been nice to be so carefree. That was something Neji loved about her. She was able to be so rational, even in times of great distress.
She took my arm,
I don't know how it happened.
We took the floor and she said,
"Oh, don't you dare look back.
Just keep your eyes on me."
I said, "You're holding back,"
She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"
This woman is my destiny
She said, "Oh, oh, oh,
Shut up and dance!"
Neji had finished with his food and looked over to his tired teammate. She was already lying down under the shadow of the large tree. It was springtime, and the buds were coming out. The wind moved around the field scattered with ninja tools of all types.
He looked over to her sleeping face. All of the muscles were relaxed, and she was seemingly unaware of what was going on around her. So much of Neji wanted to stay there, with her in the field.
He couldn't express to her what she meant to him. He didn't know if it was love, but it certainly matched up with how everyone seemed to describe it. With just one look, Neji could tell what Tenten was thinking. He was intimidated by the idea of taking her into his arms or, heaven forbid, give her a kiss in public. He was sure she knew how he felt. Why would he have to tell her?
"Oh Neji." Tenten opened one eye and looked at her friend. "There was one more thing that's getting me anxious for when we go to war."
"What's that, Tenten?" Neji looked back at the girl, who was now sitting up.
"The idea of not coming home is frightening, but there's a reason why I want to come home. I can't die in war because there's something I have to tell you. But it'll have to be our little secret." Tenten smiled.
"Huh? You can't tell me now?" Neji looked at her, intrigued.
"Nope, it's a way that I can insure that you'll come home from war. I have a secret, and won't tell you till we get home. You should think of one, too." Tenten searched his eyes.
"I suppose I can, but do you think it will work?" Neji asked.
"Sure! Mom and dad did it all the time." Tenten admitted. "And besides, this is really important."
After a pause, Neji gave a rare smile. "Okay, Tenten. I know just what I need to say to you when we get home."
"It's a promise." Tenten smiled.
With that, they finished up their lunches and went to walk around town. There was a little shop that Tenten had spied out and wanted to show Neji. She promised to him that someday, they would run the best weapons shop in all of Konoha there. They would make it, she was sure.
"Oh, don't you dare look back.
Just keep your eyes on me."
I said, "You're holding back,"
She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"
This woman is my destiny
She said, "Oh, oh, oh,
Shut up and dance with me."
Oh, oh, oh, shut up and dance with me
Well everyone, hope you liked it! Thinking about the dance of war and the song really tied in together beautifully for me. Really, they could have been such a fun couple.
Well, remember that I own nothing, since I failed to remind you of that at the beginning.