AN: I know this is a bit late to publish a New Year fic but I hope you enjoy it none the less.
'That ice block. I won't be surprised if he completely forgets its New Year's Eve,' Tenten thought as she continued to mutilate the straw figure with her weapons. She was too busy to notice the horrified male members of the rookie 9 and team Gai in the nearby bushes.
"What's wrong with Tenten?" whispered Naruto.
"I don't know, but…don't you think the straw doll looks like a voodoo doll right now?" asked Kiba. A shiver ran through the group of 9 as they imagined themselves as the doll.
"What could have possibly made our youthful Tenten so savage?"
"Those hags are always the same. If it isn't clothes, its boys," said an annoyed Sai. Shikamaru nodded in agreement while thinking of his high maintenance girlfriend/team mate.
"Boys huh…" Chouji thought out, loud while munching on another packet of crisps. "Did you forget her birthday or something, Neji?"
"I didn't it was ages ago and I got her the latest weapon from the Earth country!" exclaimed the Hyuuga.
"New Year..." mumbled Shino quietly.
"You promised to plan something for New Year's Eve every year because you have to spend Christmas with your family leaving her alone at Christmas." continued Sasuke.
"I think Tenten ended up planning it last year. Ino told me that Tenten was really disappointed that you forgot. She nearly bought the whole weapon shop when they went shopping to cheer her up." Shikamaru said.
Everyone looked at Neji and sighed. "What? It's not like you guys would remember, let alone plan something good!" he exclaimed.
Contrary to popular belief the rest of the boys were actually very romantic. Sasuke, Naruto and Shikamaru had been on countless dates with their girlfriends. They would go to the beach, have picnics and just basically spend time together. Neji on the other hand wasn't quite such a good boyfriend. A lot of the time he would have to be dragged by Tenten if she wanted a date, and his definition of spending time together was training. When the boys pointed this out to him, he seemed to come to the surprising realization that Tenten had every right to be angry.
"Damn! No wonder she is angry with me." The group was silent, waiting for him to react.
After a while "GO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT THEN!" the other boys shouted as they kicked the Hyuuga prodigy.
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
A Few Days Later
Tenten was on her way out around 5 pm when she saw a note.
Go to the Yamanaka's Flower Shop. Neji
When she arrived at said shop she found Ino, Sakura and Hinata standing in front of the shop. The moment they caught sight of Tenten, they ambushed her and took her inside.
"Hey what are you doing? Where is Ne...?" She paused when she found the flower shop had been temporarily transformed into a salon. On the wall was a beautiful red cocktail dress. It wasn't something Tenten would have chosen and she felt that she would look silly if she ever wore it. It wasn't known but Tenten felt conscious about her boyish figure. "It's a surprise." Ino replied putting her finger in front of her mouth, the universal sign for secret. Tenten quietly accepted that it was probably another one of Ino's stupid idea for a girl's night out. Tenten put on the dress and had her hair braided into a thick fishtail plait with red hydrangea florets woven into it. The dress had a thick diagonal sequin strap that started at the waist. The cutting made it hug her waist and from the waist, the fabric was like silk and reached mid-thigh. She also wore a simple pair of peep toe pumps and very light make up. Strangely, she liked the feel of the dress on her, and she didn't feel like a child trying on her mothers make up, the whole outfit felt… perfect. It was a change from her normal style and she liked it.
When the girls were done, they blindfolded Tenten, careful not to damage their work, and led the weapon mistress slowly through the back streets of their city. On the main street, all the citizens of Konoha waited avidly for the count down to begin.
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
It took a few minutes for Tenten's eyes to adjust when they took off the blindfold. She was at her usual training site; this made her slightly worried that there would be a surprise attack, to test how well she performed in different situations! The thought soon left her mind when Neji stepped out from the forest wearing a three piece suit.
"What's happening?"
He replied by taking her hand and leading her back into the forest. As they walked down a small path, she saw even more red hydrangeas. They came to a clearing where a small black table set was placed beside a lake; the whole area was spotted with red hydrangeas, it so beautiful that she had to blink a few times to get the scene through her head.
"Happy New Year, Tenten," Neji whispered from beside her. Tenten couldn't take it anymore and hugged Neji tightly, hiding her crying face in his neck.
"I'm so happy you did this for me. You don't know how much it means to me!"
After a while of soothing whispers from Neji, they sat down to eat the meal prepared. All of it was Tenten's favorites, even expensive ones and some that Neji didn't like. There were fried dumplings for starter, stir-fry noodles for main and a random selection of my favorite side dishes. Then it was the course that she knew Neji dreaded the most, dessert. Neji wasn't one for sweet things and would usual reject it if offered but this time; he ate the large cup of mango fool they shared with a barely concealed dislike. It was a sweet gesture but that didn't stop Tenten from laughing at his disgusted face.
"Why are there so many red hydrangeas?" Tenten asked after the 'repulsing' dessert.
"I was told by someone that red hydrangeas are a symbol of love and gratitude..." Tenten was shocked at the words. She never thought that such romantic words would come out of his mouth. "You have been with me through everything…and although Naruto was the one that made me realize how wrong my life was, it was you who kept me fighting. Thank you." He slowly took Tenten's hand and both of them leaned forward simultaneously, the cheers from the countdown reached their ears, and their lips brushed together in a sweet kiss. Somewhere far away, a clock chimed twelve and fireworks lit up the sky, a new year has started.
Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me! If it DID, I would give Tenten more screen time!
