I actually wrote most of this story a year ago on a writing binge, but then I got sidetracked with my Homestuck and Persona 4 fics and never got around to editing and posting it. So if you've read my other stuff and think this isn't quite up to par, it's because the fic is old. If you think it's good whether you've read my other stuff or not, then yay :)

I do not own Naruto. As far as I'm concerned, chapters 614 and 615 never happened.

Today was going to be an amazing day. Tenten just knew it.

She wasn't exactly sure why she knew it. Maybe it was her kunoichi sixth sense. Maybe she had just had an especially good night's sleep. Maybe it was because Gai sensei hadn't burst through her bedroom window, exclaiming the about the wonders of youth and spring and flowers and youthful spring flowers as he had a tendency to do at least once a week, usually on Tuesdays.

Perhaps it was a combination of all of the above, and having already woken up in a cheerful disposition, she was going to do her best to make sure the feeling carried throughout the day. As such, she took extra care with her morning regiment. During her morning shower, she decided against using her regular, almost scentless shampoo, in exchange for a more floral type that Ino had given her as a Christmas present. It wasn't her usual taste, but she had appreciated the thought, so she only used it for special occasions. She guessed today could count as a special occasion.

Once she finished her shower, she took extra care fixing her hair. She still wore it in the usual style, of course, considering she was supposed to meet Lee and Neji later, but she brushed it very thoroughly until it shined.

As she did so, her thoughts drifted to her teammates. Or rather, one teammate. She thought about Neji and about how recently he had been… different. But not in a bad way! No, lately he had been more… thoughtful. Not in the sense that he pondered more often, but in the sense that he was actually a little more considerate of other people's feelings. (The fact that she had to mentally clarify was testament to the need to re-explain things to Lee from time to time) And he seemed less arrogant and unapproachable. And then there was yesterday…

It was after Team Gai's usual training session. Gai sensei had spotted Kakashi and run off to challenge him to another match, and Lee had eagerly followed his eccentric teacher. Tenten was about to go follow them, for lack of anything better to do, when Neji had stopped her. He seemed a little nervous at first, but then asked Tenten what girls liked to get for their birthday.

At first, Tenten had been floored. Her 18th birthday was coming up in a few weeks, and as part of the Team Gai tradition, she had of course been expecting a gift from Neji. But she thought it would be more ninja tools. He always gave her something practical, something a shinobi would want. But to ask her what a girl would want…

She decided to tease him a little, and ask him why he wanted to know. He did something she never thought she would see the Hyuga prodigy do. He broke eye contact and mumbled 'just curious' while blushing. Blushing!

Tenten giggled as she finished getting ready for the day. Maybe that's why she was feeling so good today. Perhaps today would be the day that her feelings would be reciprocated. Perhaps today would be the day she got a love confession from Neji Hyuga.

Tenten walked along the streets, humming a tune as she headed toward her team's usual training spot. The birds were singing, the sun was shining brightly, kids and adults alike were smiling and laughing, Lee was running at her at full speed… Oh crap.

"Tenteeeeeeeen!" The miniature green beast shouted as he continued his one man stampede through the streets of Konoha. She stood and waited, hoping the inevitable dust cloud that was following him wouldn't ruin her perfectly groomed hair before she even got a chance to see Neji today. "Tenten! A most horrible travesty has occurred! Our beloved Gai sensei has been called out for a mission, and our training session has been canceled!" he spurted out, having come to a stop mere inches from where she was standing. The giant dust cloud was still catching up.

"Seriously?" Tenten said, genuinely disappointed. That meant Neji might have gone home.

"I know! It is almost too much to bear!" Lee exclaimed, being more dramatic than usual. Tenten couldn't figure out why until she remembered Gai was supposed to teach Lee a new move today.

Tenten forced herself not to sneeze as the dust finally caught them. "What about Neji?" she asked, ignoring Lee's dismay. He would get over it eventually and run 2000 laps around the village or something else absurd.

"He was the one who told me about Gai sensei, so I rushed off to tell you! He may still be at the training ground," he replied, looking as thoughtful as Lee could possibly look. "Perhaps I should not have been so hasty in my desire to inform you of this misfortune. He might have wanted to train! I have abandoned my comrade!" he practically shouted, startling Tenten as he grabbed his head in a fit of anguish. "I must punish myself by running 2000 laps around the village! Goodbye, Tenten!" And he was already halfway down the street.

Typical Lee, Tenten thought, not unfondly as she dusted herself off. Lee was really too sweet and naïve to be genuinely angry at, although his antics did occasionally wear her patience thin. Most of the older members of Konoha felt the same way, having lived through the era of the original Green Beast. The younger generation, however, was not quite as accustomed to his personality, and they often gave him a hard time about it.

This never ceased to make Tenten angry. Lee worked harder every day than some people did in their entire lifetime, and while it was true that he was not always the greatest shinobi, he was indeed a great shinobi, and deserved more credit than he was given.

But Lee's standing in the village was not the most pressing thing on her mind at the moment. Neji was. There was a chance that Lee was right, and he might still be at the training spot. She would check there first, and then perhaps swing by his house. She didn't like to visit the Hyuga manner; it was a very cold and unwelcoming place (not unlike how Neji had once been!), but today was Tenten's to seize, and she felt more than prepared to visit Konoha's most arctic household if it meant spending some time with Neji.

As luck would have it, she didn't even need to walk all of the way to their usual meeting place before running into Neji. He looked like he had a lot on his mind, and didn't seem to notice Tenten until they were relatively close. This did not disappoint her though; if he seemed a little distracted it might actually be a good thing for her.

"Oh, Tenten, I was looking for you."

"Really?" she asked, trying not to sound too eager.

He blinked, perceiving a difference from her normal demeanor, but too distracted to figure out exactly why she sounded so excited. "Er, yes. I assume Lee told you about Gai sensei?"

Tenten nodded. An odd lead in…

"It actually worked out well, since Lord Hiashi wanted me to train Hanabi today, but I was hoping we could meet later. There's something I want to talk to you about."

It took all of her kunoichi discipline not to squeal in excitement. Later, she would be disgusted at herself for having such an undignified urge in the first place, but for the moment she was enjoying herself. "Sure! When and where?"

"How about Ichiraku's around 8?"

Tenten was a little put off. Ichiraku's didn't really seem like a very romantic place for a first dinner. Then again, this was the ever stoic Neji, who had only recently come out of his shell, and he probably didn't understand the nuances of romance very well. But then she focused on the statement 'around 8.' Neji was a precise guy. If he said he was going to be somewhere at 8, he was going to be there at 8. Not 7:59, not 8:01, but 8 exactly. By saying 'around' instead of 'at' he was leaving some degree of uncertainty. Neji was not an uncertain guy. He must be pretty nervous!

Tenten had to suppress the urge to make a fool out of herself as she replied "Fantastic." It came out more enthusiastically than she would have liked, but he seemed to not notice, too caught up in his thoughts.

"By the way, do you know where Lee went?"

Tenten relaxed a little, now that the subject had changed. "Running laps."

Neji rolled his eyes, his own tension dissipating. "Typical. I'll see you later."

With that, he headed off to search for his self-proclaimed youthful comrade, leaving Tenten to figure out what to do with herself until 8. Even though she didn't have a sparring partner, she could train, but it wouldn't be nearly as productive. So she might as well go shopping for a new outfit for her date tonight! Well, technically Neji hadn't said it was a date, but if Tenten's assumption was right it wouldn't be long before he actually did take her on a real one.

Though she wasn't normally into things she considered super-girly, such as shopping for frivolous clothes and doing makeup, today would be one of the few times she made an exception. She was going to get something cute, but not too obvious, since she didn't want Neji to know she suspected anything!

With that in mind she headed to the part of the village where most of the clothing stores were, not even giving a passing thought as to why Neji wanted to talk to Lee.

Most of Tenten's friends thought she didn't really have a strong sense of what was fashionable and what wasn't. Her wardrobe consisted of only a small variety, most of it passing for the bare minimum in style, and all of it highly practical. Even her most 'stylish' dresses served an alternative purpose; they were often utilized in seduction missions (despite the fact that she was so awkward with Neji, she was well trained in how to fake flirt). This was because of her general disdain for all things stereotypical teenage-girl. However, in order to disdain current fashion trends, she of course had to know the difference between fabulous and frump.

It took her several tries to find an outfit that was just right for her; cuter than usual, but still something she would be able to wear in public without feeling too out of place. It was a soft pink top with blue flowers and a blue undershirt, which just barely showed a hint of cleavage, and a black jean skirt which was short without being scandalous. Tenten was a little surprised at the season's fashion, but in all reality it was of little consequence that this would go out of style as quickly as it had come in. She only needed it for tonight, and maybe once or twice for casual dates. She had a nice pair of kitten heels and a few pieces of jewelry back home, so she happily paid for the two articles of clothing and made her way home to prepare for her pseudo-date.