Entry thirteen features Tenten.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Gladiolus means strength of character.
Apart from red poppies, the peach-colored gladiolus is Tenten's favorite flower.
The color of a peach-colored gladiolus is strong and warm, something Tenten likes (mealy, mild, insipidly-colored flowers are absolutely unacceptable to her). Also, the name gladiolus comes from the Latin gladius meaning "sword", because of the sword-shaped leaves of the gladiolus plant. Tenten is fond of swords.
Tenten lives her life by the edge of a sword. In battle, hair-trigger reactions and split second decisions rule supreme. Tenten has learned in life that there are few situations that can not be solved by the edge of a keen weapon.
Battle. There is little she knows that does not have something to do with battle. Tenten, is, in a word, utterly obsessed with battle. It is, everyone around her supposes, simply the product of her shinobi training. If everyone had been trained the way she had, they would not be as obsessed as she is, but they would probably come pretty close.
Tenten does not shy away from battle, or from any thorny situation. It has never been in her nature to avoid the difficult things. She jumps right into things, no matter how delicate, strained, or potentially explosive.
Tenten tends to say things without thinking. It's gotten her into trouble from time to time, and it explains her somewhat confrontational relationship with Sakura, whose behavior concerning the situation with Sasuke defecting and Naruto determined to find him and the way Sakura's dragging it out to ridiculous levels irks the brunette to no end.
Tenten isn't just battle and weapons and rough but keen edges. She is capable of being gentle when the situation demands, of being soft and comforting.
With Hinata, there is always the urge to protect. Hinata, Tenten knows, is becoming stronger, stronger with every day, but she needs someone to help her become stronger.
When Hinata was still something of a weakling, Tenten always felt somewhat protective of her. She disapproved strongly of Neji's treatment of Hinata, and didn't hesitate to tell him so. Sometimes she told Neji with her fists. He certainly listened then. And ducked.
Tenten was the first person Hinata went to when she wanted to train to become stronger. Not Kiba, not Hinata, not Kurenai-sensei, not even her father (though that doesn't surprise Tenten at all), but her. Tenten was a bit confused by this, and asked Hinata what had made her come to her of all people.
Hinata simply answered that she could count on Tenten to be fair no matter what the circumstances.
Even when Hinata is strong, Tenten is still protective of her, because Hinata has become about as close to a younger sister as Tenten's ever had.
Tenten is capable of gentleness if the situation is conducive towards it. She knows how to dull her blade and soften her rough edges. She is adaptable to any and all circumstances.
But one thing is assured. Tenten's sword, though occasionally blunt in appearance, is like the gladiolus. It's blunt, but just waiting to become sharp once more.
Wow, this one became a Tenten character piece really quick. But then, a lot of them are character pieces. I hope this sort of explained why Tenten seems to take a low view of Sakura in my other fics that feature them.