I would first like to say that this was a random idea I decided to set down. It's the rain. Really, it is. That's why I decided to look at things oddly today. xD Honest. Second, I like NejiTen a lot. And third, I don't like flames a lot.
Thanks. Enjoy.

----

Everyone, even if they wouldn't admit it, secretly believed TenTen liked Neji. But what if Neji was just a friend? Maybe, in reality, she kept him close to have someone she could use as a playful rival, so she would have a companion easy to poke fun at and irritate. Maybe, TenTen just thought of him as another female friend, and it was the most hilarious thing to say.

The idea of TenTen and Neji floated through everyone's mind at least almost every time they saw the two train, and everybody knew that eventually the weapons mistress would fall romantically into the Hyuuga's arms out of exhaustion, they would instantly be struck with everlasting love, and live happily ever after.

Who's idea was ever right?

They said he was Hyuuga Neji the prodigy - cold and heartless, cruel and insensitive, selfish and uncaring. Everyone believed him impossible to reach, and that he had been in denial since the moment his father died. TenTen knew him different.

They only saw her as the TenTen they could physically see – sweet and innocent, the biggest tomboy to walk Japan and a lonely orphan. She was found to be distant and withdrawn. Not particularly shy, but laid back. Neji knew a very different girl.

What no one ever understood was what TenTen saw in Neji. Putting themselves in her shoes, nobody could figure out what the attraction was. Everyone's been thinking it for so long that it's just turned into a reality. TenTen and Neji; that's how it was. They never should have assumed that those were really TenTen's shoes to begin with, but that's how things happened.

And then there's Neji. Everyone seemed to think he was secretly madly in love with her, but being the denying soul that he was, he hadn't yet realized it. They shouldn't have jumped to that conclusion, either.

If anyone had a real brain, they would have questioned how much they really knew the two ninjas, and found that in reality, they actually had about zero information concerning them. Shikamaru possessed this superior power and more, but even thinking about them was more than he cared to do. But considering how relevant he is to this, I suggest you leave that forsaken thought behind. It's time you knew Neji and TenTen. That is, the ones that didn't ever go together.

He was Hyuuga Neji the prodigy – insecure and relatively intolerant, isolating and a little more than mildly depressed. It was difficult to reach him, but certainly not impossible. Oh, no, not even close. If anyone had ever really tried, they would've known the real Neji. They would've known that most of his uncaring, cold shell is less than skin-deep, and most everything people saw the Hyuuga to be was pretend. Inside he was just like everyone else. TenTen knew that well.

She was TenTen; nothing less, nothing more. An orphan, but far from lonely. Concerning the weapons mistress, most were right about the same two things. TenTen was reserved, and there was nothing noticeable that would attract her to Neji. It wasn't too hard to see. If they had actually used half their brainpower, they would've noticed that her withdrawn personality wouldn't help them at all in learning about her, and matching that with the fact that there was no known reason that she might like Neji, it was highly unlikely that she did.

TenTen, in actuality, was a witty, charming, and outgoing girl – once she warmed up to you. It was clear that she was a bit of a tomboy, but not the biggest even in fire country. Her apparel was never particularly flattering, nor did she regularly do anything special with herself, but the main reason that no one ever saw a dolled-up TenTen was because she was more interested in comfort, training, and trying to top Neji in even the smallest, most insignificant ways, which called for being able to actually move her body. She was practical and goofy at the same time. Neji saw that, Neji loved that. Hell, Neji really loved that.

The weapons mistress may be the only living woman able to actually make an impression on Hyuuga Neji. Everyone had it backwards the whole time. TenTen never thought of her teammate as anything more than a teammate, but Neji had it sweet for her from the moment he got to know her. They had much more in common than anyone could've guessed. Around him, TenTen was funny and playful, and with her, Neji was interesting and fun. They were able to joke with each other and act like they always wanted to. This hit the Hyuuga in a funny way, and he'd quickly come to realize that she meant a lot more than he really wanted her to. And don't forget about TenTen. She adored Neji, too, but not like that. It affected her in a different way. Neither ever said anything, because, well, for one, TenTen had nothing to say, and for two, Neji didn't want it to go up in smoke.

That's how it was; how it really was. The way no one knew.

----

If anyone had ever gotten a hold of TenTen's diary, they would have been utterly shocked. Even disbelieving, maybe, despite the fact that down to the smallest detail it was clearly her handwriting; fancy, slanted cursive, and written with sparkly purple ink.

You never would've guessed that the one trip to save him would have made her fall totally head-over-heels in love with him. If you didn't bother yourself to think about it very much, you would find no reason for her heart to belong to Sabaku no Gaara. And yet it did.

Funny, isn't it? How nothing ever makes sense.

Let's look at things from the time the ninjas had returned home to Konoha after rescuing the Kazekage. Maybe things will unfold, and somehow, there will be some understanding of this complex situation. The one all of us have to figure out. The one we call life.

Next Chapter;
Enter: Regular is Hardly Normal.

----

Hey, I didn't want to put this at the top to avoid spoilers, but I don't particularly care for GaaTen, either. xD So, like I said, this is a random idea. I thought it was kind of cool. Tell me honestly what you do. Ha.

Reviews are love, and make people update. You should leave them. They're nice.