[A/N: Woof! My first ever Naruto-related story, done because my cousin challenged me to write something… she supports the NT fandom, so this is dedicated to her.]
Pairing: slight Neji/Tenten
WARNINGS: language
Disclaimer: All Naruto characters belong to Mr. Kishimoto-san.
First Meet
The kunai was out before he could open his mouth.
Smoldering. That was the only word that could describe her gaze.
He returned the silent gesture, challenging her with his own stare. At that sign of his acknowledgement, she lunged forward without a word, fully focused on his sleeve.
A slight shift of a foot, and she skidded quite a ways from him, panting heavily on the solid dirt. He turned to face her, but she had retrieved her kunai in an instant.
He muttered a single word softly, more to himself than to the frightened crowd.
"Interesting."
The creases gracing her forehead deepened, and the tension within her body wound up a coil.
"What the hell do you want?"
He stood calmly before her outburst, eyeing her weapon rather than her face.
"I thought Iruka-sensei had banned all weapons within this vicinity."
"If you want something, Hyuga, you better spit it out. Otherwise, get the hell out of my sight."
He smirked. "I see you know my name."
"Well, who wouldn't? You think you're so great… denying any training partner because you're too good to handle, acting all high-and-mighty around the instructors, strutting around like an a-"
"Hn. Such colorful vocabulary, for a little girl."
"Such an overinflated pig-head, for a little boy. Tell me, how do you keep it on your shoulders?"
The smirk grew wider at her comeback. She was feisty.
The girl stood up and held the kunai up front, unblinking. Upon closer inspection, he saw a drop of red along its edge.
"It seems like you aren't very good at handling that."
"You wanna bet?"
"Maybe I do."
"Then you better start running."
"And why would I?"
She twirled it once around her index finger, shifting the position of the kunai's edge. It was now facing away from him.
"Because it would be so much fun for me to see the great Hyuga Neji running to sensei like a crybaby."
Around her, the girls gasped and the boys muttered among themselves, anxiously anticipating the next move. The girl didn't give them a slightest bit of her attention, nor did the Hyuga. After a few seconds, a redhead detached himself stealthily from the group, heading away from the confrontation. However, before he could go a few paces, he gave a terrified yelp.
A shriek rippled through the playground and the crowd dispersed, chaos trailing after those who had witnessed.
Neji flexed his neck before turning around nonchalantly. Behind them, the redhead tried to stem furious tears as he struggled to detach himself from the kunai pinning his sandal to the ground.
"Tenten, was it?"
Silence.
"Spar with me."