"At the Speed of Her Hand"
It was late. Not too late, but just late enough to notice the coming of nightfall. The two shinobi had been training since daybreak, however, and things one normally wouldn't notice, like a bit less sunlight to shine through the trees, was something the two of them noticed immediately, and tiredly, willingly accepted. They'd need to get home soon. The next dawn waited for no man, and they were certainly no exception. There was sleep to be gotten, and more training to be done another day.
Neji Hyuuga was never one to be impatient with the night, as he knew the benefits of rest well. Tenten had always been a bit different, despite her teammate's knowledge.
"C'mon. We should get back," he said, having no hesitation to begin his walk from the training grounds the team had been using for a while now, ever since they'd become a team to begin with.
But instead of a reply, the Hyuuga got a kunai knife soaring mere centimeters from his front side, dangerously passing and slamming into the tree that stood right behind his position.
Shocked for an instant, he immediately swerved to face its wielder, the girl he'd known as a comrade for about a year. And while he eyed her as if she'd made a direct attempt to wound, the female didn't appear the slightest bit apologetic for the move. In fact, the traces of a faint smile could be seen upon her lips.
He hesitantly spoke, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
The words came out in an almost flustered manner; her weapon had been, after all, not even inches from his face. One wrong move, and he could've lost an eye, and surely, having been with him for so long, she knew the value of a Byakugan eye. But Tenten's expression didn't change. She still had that faint smile, and her next words weren't even the tiniest bit less confusing.
"Shut up," she paused. "You trust me, don't you?"
The girl had been training nonstop the entire day, perhaps even vigorously than he'd been. She was obviously tired, half out of breath, and perfectly vulnerable to mistakes. And she was asking him to trust her? No. Not asking. Confirming. Confirming the trust he held for her, as a comrade. The two of them, and Lee and Gai, had been a team for a year now. Neji knew her strengths. Tenten could throw a dozen weapons at a time, never once missing the mark she'd set out to hit. She could put up a pretty good fight with Lee, even if taijutsu wasn't nearly as good a strong point for her as weaponry. And she, though not as loudly as the rest of them, was always trying to prove herself. Always trying to be as good as other shinobi she'd known. Did he trust her? Of course he did.
He answered. "Of course I trust you…"
Before he could even finish, she continued.
"Then sit down."
It was nearly inconceivable to him that she could ask of such a favor. Trust was not broken by caution, and it certainly wasn't proved by doing stupid things. She was out of her mind if she truly expected him to go along with being the living object she needed to avoid. Acts like these were nothing but pure recklessness.
"Are you out of your mind? Tenten…"
"I said shut up! Neji, I've been training for days now, and haven't had a single touch of improvement. And I'm never going to get any better, unless I have a reason beyond hitting a target. Now sit down, and trust me."
Hesitating, the boy finally did as she asked, swallowing down the fear of being hit, and allowing her to put him to good use. If she was truly this desperate to improve, he couldn't allow himself to destroy those hopes. They were teammates, after all, and would be for the rest of their shinobi lives.
In the moments forward, one weapon after another sped toward him. Shuriken, kunai, senbon, dozens of dozens, all at the speed and accuracy of her hand. He could've closed his eyes, chosen not to watch, but he couldn't bring himself to. So he kept his stare straight, looking on with white hues. As the weapons fired forward, there were times he could've sworn they were headed for a direct hit with him; the ones that flew by his head, he could hear, like a slicing wind capable of splitting trees in two. So close. So capable. Yet not a single one even so much as grazed his sweating body. It felt like an hour was passing as he waited for the sharp pieces of metal and wood to come to an end. And the more he waited, the colder his body became. The darker the sky became.
With the sign of the first stars, Tenten put an end to the practice. Neji exhaled, feeling almost as if he'd held his breath the entire period. The few minutes she'd used felt much longer to him. But as they were over, the length mattered not. He watched in amazement as his comrade fell to the ground a ways away from him, just as sweaty and fearful as he was. He didn't even have to be near her to understand how relieved she was to have succeeded.
The two of them remained silent for a few moments. And finally, the brown-eyed girl met his eyes with the same smile she'd given him before they'd even begun.
"Alright. Let's call it a day."
Ahhh, I must say, I'm kinda proud of this - I can only tolerate NejiTen when it's filled with weapons and trust.
Technically, this wasn't "legit" NejiTen, but hopefully you enjoyed it whether or not you're a fan.(:
Thanks for reading! Reviews & favs are appreciated!