30 seconds

What is the meaning of happiness?
What is the meaning of loneliness?
Does being around people mean that you are loved?
Who knows who I really am…?

Tenten woke up to the sound of a noisy ring. She groaned and slammed her hand down onto her alarm. The last ring echoed in the tiny room. Tenten sighed and rolled over. It's too early for this, she thought. She opened her eyes and blinked at the blurry clock. Innocently it read 5:17 AM. She groaned again. The sun was already up and pooling into her room. Birds were singing happily outside. They're too happy for their own good, Tenten grumbled.

Tenten rolled out of bed before stretching her hands upward. She yawned and glanced at the clock again. 5:21 AM stared back at her. Slowly Tenten roamed around the room hunting for her clothes. She then walked into the bathroom where she turned the water on cold. With a jump she was immediately awake. People like Sakura and Ino might think I'm crazy for taking cold showers, but it just feels more natural. Plus it gets me awake, she thought turning off the water. Tenten was always a nature girl. She went barefoot whenever possible and did whatever she could to feel closer to the earth.

The rest of the morning past quickly like always. The room was silent minus the echoing ring of the quiet. Tenten never knew how nice it was to wake up to a made breakfast, warm smile, and comforting greetings. All she knew was silence. But she was already used to that. Pulling her hair up into her normal style she ran out the door locking it with a quick turn of her key. 5:35 AM watched her leave.

"You're late," a sharp voice spoke.

"Yeah well it's better than being not here," Tenten drawled. She was already used to Neji's constant need to be on time. She had already used the "but I was____" excuse and the "actually today I'm following the Sand standard time zone so I'm actually early," and whatnot but all of them were answered by an extra hour of training.

"One more—"

"Hour of training. Got it."

Neji blinked. Tenten usually complained saying she had other things besides training to do. She usually never accepted things so easily. He peered closely at her. She looked the same. Same hair, happy smile, clothes… but what was different?

"Neji. Let's start." Tenten was saying.

"Right."

Lee was already off with Gai doing their "youthful laps." Neji and Tenten expected them back at lunch for team training. Neji closed his eyes and moved into position. He waited, but he didn't hear the familiar whistle of a kunai flying at him. New tactic I guess, he thought. He waited some more but still he heard nothing. Finally he opened his eyes preparing to glare at Tenten and demand her to start. What he saw was the said girl sitting on the grass, stretching. He blinked.

"Tenten, what are you doing?"

"Did you know that stretching before exercising allows for more adequate muscle control, flexibility, and range?"

"Does it matter? We're not exercising. We're training."

"Okaaaay. Did you know that stretching before a PHYSICAL activity allows for mo—"

"Yes yes. Now let's get started."

"You haven't stretched yet."

"I stretch as I exercise now let's go." He voice became curt.

"Hai, hai…" Tenten said, rising slowly to her feet.

Neji closed his eyes again and within a fraction of a second he could feel Tenten approach. Her hands held two dual swords. Their edges curved around her arms forming a U around her body. She twisted her body as she approached allowing her blades to slash and whistle through the air. 1 second.

Neji backed up. He wasn't sure how to attack. If he used his Gentle Fist, his hands would most likely be cut by her blades when she moved to block. The blades aligned with her forearms perfectly so she could block and attack at the same time. He could use his Air Blade, but pushing her blades could cut through with a bit of chakra. Best option was to get the blades away from her. 3 seconds.

He drew a kunai in each hand and proceeded to attack. He knew he would have to be quick because Tenten was more skilled in attacks with weaponry. He forced his chakra through his hands and into the metal. His attacks became stronger. Tenten began to back up. 5 seconds.

Neji swept his feet around the ground. Tenten leapt into the air. He threw his kunai upward. Tenten flipped and threw her blades, allowing them to spin and hit the kunai. Four blades clanged onto the grass. 7 seconds.

Tenten's eyes darkened and she pulled out two tessens. They were decorated so that if the angle was right, it looked like a Yin and Yang sign, one on each. Her movements became faster as she snapped the fans open and close to draw the air. 10 seconds.

Neji sealed her left arm's tenketsu. It fell limp at her side. Tenten leapt away and quickly wrapped a tekko-kagi around her useless hand. Her right hand still held the fan. 13 seconds.

She rushed again. Charging forward, her fan guarded her face. She shot into the air and landed into her web of chakra strings. There she began her usual assault of weapons. When Neji began his Kaiten, Tenten immediately stopped and began falling down toward him. Neji stopped rotating as Tenten opened her tessen again and senbon shot effortlessly at him. They imbedded themselves into the trees taking with them 3 drops of blood. 19 seconds.

Neji activated his Byakugan. The game was set and the match was over. 30 seconds.

Tenten landed on the grass with a soft fwump. Her body seemed exhausted yet it was only so short amount of time. Neji was working on training his fighting without using his eyes. So far his record vs Tenten was 48 seconds before he needed his eyes.

"I didn't know you had new weapons." Neji's eyes showed approval.

"I didn't want to use them until I knew how to use them perfectly," Tenten responded. She lay face up toward the sky. Birds danced in front of her face, "They're mocking us Neji."

He blinked, "What?"

"The birds. They're getting ever closer to the sky and mocking us earth-bound people. "

"Earth-bound?" he was amused by her sense of view.

"I can only stay in the air for 30 seconds Neji. Any longer and I fall. Those birds, they can stay however long they want in the air until their tire. And once they rest again, they have that time all over again."

Neji stared at Tenten. He rarely heard her say these types of things. She usually cheered when she set a new record or would stand up and demand a re-match. She looked so drained.

"Then let's set a new record." He held out his hand to Tenten.

She cocked her head at him before taking it. Immediately he was running, sprinting. Tenten was in his arms as everything became a blur. Suddenly they stopped on a cliff near the Hokage Faces.

"Neji what was that about?"

"Look."

Tenten looked but she could see nothing but Konoha and a forest of trees waving back at her.

"What?"

"This."

With that he picked her up and threw her into the air. 1 second.

"NEJI!!!!!" Her screamed spread into the air. 3 seconds.

Neji leapt up into the air after her sending a gust of chakra filled air as he went. 4 seconds.

They flew ever higher using each other to send each other higher. Neither of them touched the ground. 8 seconds.

Tenten began to smile. Then laugh as they danced through the air. She flipped and turned in the air. She redrew her tessen and used them to bring her ever higher. 13 seconds.

Neji smiled warmly at her. She looked alive again and her smile was contagious. 17 seconds.

Tenten pranced her way to Neji and took his hands. Together they flipped through the air, never falling but dancing. 26 seconds.

At the height of their ascent, they looked out to Konoha again. It was small. The forest became the norm. Small pools of blue were splattered on the landscape of green. Tenten smiled brightly and hugged Neji.

"Thank you Neji."

They were caught in an embrace when they began to fall. The air around them pressed and covered them. Their breath taken away as they stared into each other's eyes. Time was of no importance.

As they approached earth, they separated. They began to flip and dance in the air again. There was no limit, no cage trapping them.

They landed softly on the grass again and smiled with mutual understanding.

"I think we've set a new record."

"Yeah. But time doesn't matter."

Tenten softened, "Yeah. We have all the time in the world together

"You know, Tenten, we'll have to add another hour of training for your small detour,"

"What?! Seriously?! But Temari and I were going to meet up today!"

"Cancel it."

"WHY!! That's TWO hours you've added. TWO!!!"

"Too bad."

"NEJI!!!"

Time in the air: 57 seconds.

Hey. Thanks for reading.

Granted I haven't been writing for a long time and the tab things not working...

Anyways I was thinking about turning this into a 5-part thing.

Hope to hear your thoughts.

Thanks again and please review :D

Hikari Reiko