Hey, well let's just say that this is my first real try at a proper fan fiction. All my others have OC incorporated in somewhere. Please leave a little review at the end; I really don't care what it says…(flames accepted)
I own nothing…
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Her life was so much different from anyone else's here in the village of Konoha. Most of the rookie nine had parents alive and well at this very moment, but she had no one. Her apartment was just as empty as Naruto's and Sasuke's, although no one really knew. No one ever considered that she might have no family, no name to proudly carry around like some of the other ninjas in this village. Everyone assumed that she was happy all the time because she had a family at home and not a care in the world. The truth was that her happiness was only a mask. The best mask that anyone could ever make, because no one ever questioned happiness. They saw her happy demeanor as a weakness and a flaw that an enemy ninja could use to their advantage. She saw it differently; only as a cover to hide behind, a way to stay invisible.
Her mind was not free from worry like so many thought either. She had so much to worry about. She constantly worried about her team's well being, paying her bills, helping Neji train, and improving her skills. That's why she trained so much with Neji, it was to make herself a better ninja and help him as well. She needed to prove herself to so many; she'd lost that chance at the chunin exams. Although it still worked out to keep her under the radar.
She found herself at the training fields more then at her home. The tattered targets gave her more company then her lonely, cluttered apartment. She was always throwing her weapons at these hallow bags of sand. Practicing for hours on end to make herself better, stronger, tougher. She was herself in this wood, her sad, angry, self pitying self. All fake emotion was gone from her face, replaced with the look of a ninja: deadly and merciless.
She liked to train alone at night with the moon shinning over head and lighting up the area. She didn't mind training in the rain if only she could see the moon. The moon was hers', and only hers'. It was the one source of real happiness that she found in her life. The moon was the only constant, her only place of comfort. It shown over everything, but she chose to think that it only followed her around. When she was young she though the moon really did follow her, and from then on thought of the moon as her best friend. With its cratered smile and mesmerizing white glow, it played above her head and watched her train.
"Tenten!" she heard a voice. She put on her smile and turned.
"Neji, what are you doing here? It's late," she asked
"I could ask you the same thing." He walked over to her; she tossed the kunai in her hand at the target.
"It's too far off target! That isn't good enough, he'd still be better." She thought to herself. To anyone but her the kunai hit dead center.
"I'm just training, I couldn't sleep." It wasn't a lie. She never really had a good nights rest.
"Hn," he looked at the target, kunai, shiriken and throwing stars littered the circle. "How long have you been here?"
"An hour or so?" it had been much longer then that she knew. "I should probably get going."
"You've only been here for an hour." He said
"Yeah, practicing my aim." She said back
"Hn,"
She looked away and headed over to the dummies. Pulling each weapon out with ease, she collected her things. She put most of the blades into her scroll, only attaching a few kunai into the pouch at her side. She brushed the hair into her eyes and turned to the direction of her house.
"Bye, Neji." She waved without taking her eyes off the path in front of her. "Don't train too long, we'll be sparing tomorrow!"
He watched her leave with his usual look. She seemed to be lying. He couldn't tell what about but he was sure she was trying to hide something from him. He didn't like that she was doing this, and he didn't like that he couldn't tell what was bothering her. He had the best eyes in the village and yet he was missing something that played right in front of him. He sighed, looking towards one of the dummies and taking out a kunai from his pocket. He activated his byakugan and prepared to throw it at his mark.
She seemed to be off more as of late. He could sense the tension plaguing her mind, and saw the stress tattooed under her eyes. If she continued with these emotions he was sure that she'd get herself hurt. Neji gritted his teeth. He would not allow her to get that low.
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She walked through the village with silent treads. The moon followed along beside her and lit her path. It was much later then she thought. In the distance she could see the rays of light from the sun cutting through the dark clouds of night. The moon sat just above the tree tops, fighting the sun for the rights to the sky. A ghost of a smile appeared on Tenten's lips.
"You don't have to wait for me, Mr. Moon." She said "I can get home on my own."
In her mind the moon laughed, not put off in the least by Tenten's request. The few stars left around the moon giggled along as well.
"Really, let the Sun have the sky for a while. You need your rest anyway." She waved off the imaginary protests.
She skipped up the stairs to her door. Pulling her key out of her pocket she turned back to the moon.
"Good morrow, Mr. Moon." Turning the knob she closed the door behind her. Her days of reading old Shakespearian plays were still engraved in her mind, reminding her of a happier time.
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Her few hours of sleep had done her some good. Neji called the late training exercise a few days earlier, for which Tenten was glad about. She walked the long way to the field, savoring the beauty of the morning. The clouds swam across the sky and the tree swayed with the light spring breeze. Flowers bloomed at the bases of trees and on the side of the dirt roads. The bubbling spring under the red bridge twinkled with the passing light, and birds sung their songs happily in the trees. She could see why Shikamaru sat around and enjoyed these things all day long. She wondered if she could do the same thing without regretting the images that would come to her mind.
"Hello Tenten-chan!" the green beast called from the clearing "Are you having a youthful morning?"
"Yes, I am, thank you Gai Sensei." She smiled
"That is wonderful dear Tenten!" Lee called from beside him.
"How youthful of you to say to our flower, Lee!" Gai said "Well, Lee and I are off to run a few hundred laps around Konoha."
Tenten nodded
"Good luck, Tenten. I wish you luck on your youthful duel with Neji!" Lee chimed
"Thanks Lee." She said
The two disappeared in a flash of green smoke down the dirt path Tenten had come along. She turned to Neji and started to walk over to him. She placed her hand on her scroll, ready for the spar, but was interrupted by Neji's voice.
"Sit."
"What?" she looked up at him.
"Sit down and explain." He added
"Explain what?" she asked
"Hn,"
"Neji," she growled, but sat down at the base of the tree across from him. "What is this about?"
"Something is bothering you. It is effecting your training." He said bluntly
"Nothing is bothering me. It's none of your concern anyway, I'm sure." She said
"Hn."
Hn. That word always mage her fist clench. Her mind screamed each time he said that word, and she couldn't help but feel that way now. He was a genious and all his vocabulary consisted of was that One. Damn. Word. She really couldn't stand it anymore, the stress was too much. She couldn't be like this forever.
She closed her eyes and willed for the thoughts to go away. The images flashed in front of her inner eye and she dropped her head into her hands. She took deep breaths; this was no place to break down. Especially after all the time she'd been able to hide the facts stowed in her mind. After a moment she looked up and met his eyes.
"I'm just a little tired, I haven't been sleeping well, and I know it's affecting my training but I don't know what else to tell you." She said
"What's affecting your sleep?" he asked
"I told you what was bothering me, Neji, so can you use get off my back?" she asked
"No," he said
"Can we spar now?" she asked with a huff.
"No, you must tell me." He commanded
"Tell you what?" she faked ignorance.
"You know exactly what I mean. Tell me,"
"Oh, right my sleeping, right?" he nodded once "Why do you care?"
"Like I said it is affecting you training, and soon it will affect our missions."
"I'll make a deal with you." She sat up a bit "If you win our spar, I'll tell you…everything. If I win, you'll only know when I feel like telling you, but you can't pester me for the answer. Deal?"
He thought for a moment, before nodding his head and taking her outstretched hand. "Deal,"
She smile, and after shaking his hand jumped up into a nearby tree. Neji quickly stood, and activated his byakugan. Scanning the area for her charka he spotted her in a tree far away. From what he could see she was pulling something in her hands. He jumped to the left as a cloud of weapons came towards him. He looked around again and saw her in another tree. This time he started the Kaitien. Spilling quickly as more weapons fell down on him, he pulled out a few of his own.
He looked around the trees, searching for her charka signature. Not to his left, not to his right. He looked again, only to see shadow clones on both his right and left. Turning quickly he spotted another behind him, each with a katana at the ready. He got into position, waiting for the clones to strike.
Suddenly he heard the sound of weapons flying through the air. He turned, praying that she wasn't desperate enough to use his blind spot. He started spinning again, and the weapons were batted away like flies.
"Tenten!" Neji shouted
She landed on the ground a few yards away. She smiled at him, but he could see how forced it was.
"No more weapons, you must improve your tijutsu." He was at the ready.
She nodded and her smile faltered. She charged forward, and the two started their long hand to hand combat.
Back and forth, went the blows. The spar was intense and merciless. Both had injuries, and were breathing heavily. Tenten had lost the use of her left arm when Neji cut off one of her charka points, and many growing bruises. Neji had a cut on his arm and a badly injured knee, from when Tenten tried to kick his legs from under him.
She didn't use very many weapons, which made him think that she used most of them during her long range attack. But now he saw the glint of the silver and saw the leg swinging towards his rib cage. Before his eyes her speed increased faster then he comprehend. Her leg was a blur when it hit him, and once he was on the ground, she had the kunai pressed to his throat.
He stared up at her with wide eyes. Sweat poured down her face, and there were spots caked in dirt. She was breathing just as hard as him, and he could see her shaking. From exhaustion, or excitement he wasn't sure. He saw something flash in her eyes, before she sighed and pulled the knife away.
"Good match Neji, but I think I won." She said "Which means that you won't know anything until I feel like telling you."
She held out her hand, and helped him up. He was confused when he saw relief in her eyes, but she turned away to fast for him to look any further.
"I think that's enough for the day." He said. They were sparring for hours; he realized now how late it was.
"Okay, see you…" she said as she picked up her weapons quickly and left the training grounds.
He watched her go, his concern growing with each step farther away she got.
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Okay so that's it for chapter one, I hope you liked it. Sorry for any mistakes, and Please review!