The Beautiful Letdown
Summary: A date between Lee and Sakura changed Tenten's hairstyle forever. [LeeTen, SasuSaku
A/N:
Just a little oneshot, possibly a two-shot. I just HAD to make a LeeTen, since I'm in such a writing fever right now. I can't stop.
Just a cute idea appeared in my head:
What if Tenten fell for Lee? Would he ever see that, or would he be blinded by his love for Sakura?
And, I'M GOING CRAZY! Her name is Tenten, okay? Not Ten Ten, Ten-ten or TenTen. IT IS TENTEN.
I'm sorry LeeSaku fans, but it won't be any hints of that except the date.
And that is ONE time.
Yeah, I'll stop my rambling now...
So say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight.
Don't you dare look him in the eye.
"Dance with the Devil" – Breaking Benjamin.
Miracle boy.
Tenten thought that the nickname fitted him. He truly was a miracle. From being bullied from other rookies when he couldn't use any ninjutsus or genjutsus, to admired from the other citizens.
She also wanted to be a miracle.
Yes, Tenten was known for three things.
The first one was that she was a weapon mistress. She could handle almost every weapon in the world, and by just a glance, she could tell which year it was made and so on. THAT was her miracle. And the closest she could ever come to a miracle.
The second one was that she had no last name. She didn't know why it was so important, she really didn't care. Yes, she lived alone, but who didn't? Just 'cause she can't remember her last name (her parents abandoned her when she was ten) doesn't mean that she's miserable. Even once, she signed into a mission as Rock Tenten (!), just because the man they had to protect was from an important family, and he didn't like 'nameless strangers'.
The third thing was the most known fact.
She was in Team Gai. Team Gai that consisted Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee.
Two geniuses.
And how Neji was considered a genius by many.
"Genius? My ass." Tenten said, training all alone in the forest. She hit bull's eye again, and when she decided to look, she saw that none of the weapons that she threw had reached the ground.
She was getting better and better.
But she wasn't near Lee's or Neji's level. They were geniuses, remember?
She was only... the link that kept Team Gai together.
And THAT was nothing special, many thought. She was just a girl, seen with the same hairstyle for five years and could throw weapons.
Neji wasn't the only genius. With time, Lee evolved to a true genius.
With hard work and a fighting spirit that Tenten adored him for having, he succeeded in being a chuunin, therefore making the other shinobis accepting him for not being able to use any kind of ninjutsus.
People couldn't help but smile when they saw him walk down the street.
Tenten smiled too. A lot. Especially when she saw him. He was like a happy magnet; You couldn't stop smiling. The second he smiled, everyone else smiled.
Tenten was satisfied with her life. She didn't want to be special; she wanted to be good. That was enough for her.
And she really was happy.
Until that day...
"Have you heard, Tenten-san?"
Tenten turned around to see Shizune, smiling and holding Tonton in her arms. She was in the same store as Tenten that were busy buying food so she wouldn't have to leave her house during the weekend.
"Heard what?" Tenten grumbled, as she accidentally dropped one of her milk bottles, and the white liquid was drowning the floor.
"That Sakura and Lee-san are dating." Shizune happily said, earning a 'doo' from Tonton.
The world stopped moving.
"They are?"
"Yes! Lee-san asked her out again, and Sakura finally said yes! Isn't that amazing, Tenten-san?!"
She still couldn't move.
"...amazing, you say..."
"Yes, it is truly a miracle."
Miracle.
And with that, Tenten weakly smiled and waved goodbye to Shizune.
She shouldn't be angry at her, for crisis sake! She just told her the truth.
But, still...
At that moment, she felt like kicking Shizune until the world would end.
Rock Lee is a miracle boy.
He managed to catch the most beautiful girl in the whole village.
He managed to go on a date with Haruno Sakura.
The following day, Tenten cried in Neji's arms. She felt so hopeless.
He had never seen her cry. Not even when she broke her left arm on a mission. She just cried out in pain, but no tears.
A darker side of him yearned to see her cry. To see her chocolate brown eyes filled with glimmering tears.
Now that he got what he wanted, he was not happy.
Not at all.
Because emotions could endanger the team.
Yeah, the team. Of course, Neji.
"You said what?"
"I know that you're totally the wrong person to go, but-" Tenten ignored the look Ino gave her when she talked, and continued. "I want to be noticed."
"Come on, Tenten! You're like the most known kunoichi in the whole village! Well..."
"Well?"
"Maybe after Sakura..."
"SHE BEATS ME AGAIN!" Tenten cried out again, slamming her fists into Ino's floor, not bothering to react to the 'what's going on up there?' from Mrs. Yamanaka. Ino gave her friend a worried look.
"Tenten...does this have something to do with Lee's and Sakura's dating?"
Tenten closed her eyes, pretending not to hear her question. As she heard Ino sigh, she muttered a "maybe", just to make her happy.
"But I thought that you liked Neji!" Ino exclaimed, surprised.
"Who could possibly love that human ice-cube?"
"You could."
"Can not."
"But, Lee..." Tenten was sure that Ino made a face at the thought of her and Lee together.
Tenten did not make a face at that thought (ok, maybe a face that was smiling).
"I know what do to." Ino happily said, after five minutes silence (Tenten was busy thinking about Lee).
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, yes. Now, just let me-" Ino jumped down from the bed and sat down next to Tenten. And, without a warning, she pulled out the hair band that held the hair up.
"INO!"
Ino could just look how Tenten's wavy, brown hair fell down at her left side. And she gasped.
"Oh my gosh! Tenten, you're beautiful!"
"I am NOT!"
"Now, let's fix those things..."
"W-what are you doing? WAIT! INO, damn it! Don't. Pull. Out. The. Other. Bu- NO! INOOOO!"
Insert wrestling match here.
"Sakura-san, what should we do in this youthful hour?"
"I really don't know, Lee-san. What about you?" Sakura smiled sweetly, which made Lee cry tears of joy. As the tears were streaming down his cheeks, he sniffed.
"As long as I'm with you, Sakura-san, it really doesn't matter. As long as your lovely youth will continue to blossom, I'll be happy! AS LONG AS YOU'RE BY MY SIDE, MY LIFE WILL BE-"
"Lee-san, let's not scare the kids." Sakura said, giggling as she pointed at two little girls that walked by, and was afraid of the green clad Chuunin that were screaming things they couldn't understand.
"Yosh! Kids are wonderful creatures! They will soon grow up, and learn LOVE!"
"Lee-san, really..."
"SAKURA!" Ino stopped Lee from starting his love speech, as she dragged along another girl Sakura had never seen before.
But wait, didn't she know another girl with brown hair and hazelnut brown eyes?
Yeah, Tenten.
But...Tenten never had released hair.
Right?
"Yamanaka-san! And, who's this? A lovely friend of yours?" Lee asked as he took a couple of steps closer to the unknown girl. As she blushed, Lee smiled happily. This girl reminded him of Tenten (his youthful female teammate), but with...Sakura clothes.
Yes, yes, that was the word. A Sakura and Tenten girl.
"What's your name, shy flower?"
Ino felt like throwing up.
"I am not shy, Lee."
The girl knew Lee-san's name... Sakura thought.
Sakura once again looked at the girl (she was still a couple of metres away, standing behind Lee) from the distance, and was greeted by a cold glare.
Forget all thoughts about shy and nice girl.
This was like Tenten in fighting mode.
And, yes, Tenten was fighting.
Fighting for a boy that had never seen her as anything else than a teammate.
A boy that had love dreams of a pink-haired kunoichi.
And that pink haired kunoichi was still in love with a traitor.
Traitor.
She was in love with that traitor.
And that made her a traitor to Tenten.
Tenten met Lee's confused gaze, and smiled.
"Hello, Lee."
Ino grimaced; the plan of making Tenten appear as Tenten's long lost twin sister had just...been destroyed.
Well, if Tenten continued talking like she had known Lee for...five years (like she actually did), he would figure out who she was.
"WHO IS THIS LOVELY GIRL?" Lee exclaimed happily, happy that someone he didn't know could say his name without even a hint of disgust (he still wasn't used to the fact that he was popular).
Ino sweat dropped as she saw Sakura groaned.
"Just to make this perfect, we'll let you appear as a long lost sister to you!" Ino said, happy that she had thought of such a good plan.
"Ino... I look exactly the same, but with my hair down."
"Oh, then let's say you're her twin sister!" Ino grinned.
"Not a smart idea, Ino."
"Well, then you can ask Lee what he thinks about your twin sister. Am I smart or am I smart?"
"I'd vote for stupid."
"Come on, Tenten, don't be such a bore!"
"If I wanted to know what he thinks of me, I'll just ask him myself."
"You'd do that?"
"Of course."
"Then, let's go!"
"W-what?"
"You said you could do it! Now, let's find Lee and Sakura...um, I mean Lee."
"There's no need of hiding it, Ino, they're probably with each other right now."
"I still think that you should go for Neji, Tent-"
"I DO NOT WANT LOVE ADVICES FROM YOU, INO!"
"Lee-san...it is Tenten."
Lee turned around and was greeted by Sakura's green eyes.
YEAH BABY, SHE'S NERVOUS! Tenten's inner self were having a field day.
"Tenten?" Lee looked at the girl in front of him, as she smiled (again!) at him.
"I need to talk to you, Sakura." The girl suddenly said, and walked by Lee, who was still in shock. Sakura silently followed Tenten, giving Lee and Ino one last look. As she continued to walk after Tenten, she could hear screams like "IT SOUNDED LIKE TENTEN TOO!" from Lee and a gaze from Ino that lingered after Sakura that screamed, 'don't leave me with this freak!'
Sakura was getting nervous. They had walked for what? Five minutes? And not a word was exchanged between the girls.
And still, she liked Tenten a lot.
(More like admired her for surviving the days with Team Gai)
Suddenly, when they were on Team Seven's training ground.
How in earth did she know where this was?!
Tenten noticed Sakura's surprised stare, and let out a sigh.
"I followed Lee when he stalked you when Team Seven were training."
Oh.
Of course.
"Haruno Sakura, I have a problem with you."
Sakura was not nervous. Damn it, she could break stones with a touch of her pinky, and crush the ground with one hit.
But dealing with Tenten wasn't funny.
"You are dating Lee, while you are in love with Uchiha Sasuke, correct?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I won't repeat myself. I just want to ask you; why say yes now?"
"...because I thought that I..."
Tenten's eyes widened as Sakura started to cry,
Uh oh.
Tears were not appreciated. Tenten wasn't good with the whole comforting thing.
"I am sorry."
"What?"
"For taking him...I mean, that's why you're angry, right?" Sakura sadly smiled as she met Tenten's nervous gaze.
"Don't look so surprised; I've been through conversations like this before, you know."
"..."
"What? Did you really think that being on the same team as Sasuke-kun would be a walk in the park?"
"You mean that-"
"Yes, I can't even count the times that girls, alone or in groups, dragged me to a place and demanded to know what I did to Iruka-sensei so I could be on Sasuke-kun's team."
"They actually thought that you cast a spell on him?"
"Yeah, something like that." Sakura giggled, as Tenten accepted the smile that was forming on her lips.
Tenten dragged a hand through the brown locks, irritated. This was supposed to be easy, she was not supposed to feel sorry for the enemy.
She sat down, thinking.
Sakura joined her, and sat down a meter in front of her.
"So, you're still in love with Uchiha?"
"Yeah...I accepted Lee's invitation because I wanted to move on! I do NOT want to love him anymore! He's hurting me, Tenten! He only causes me pain..."
The tears returned to Sakura's eyes.
Tenten was shocked as she herself felt tears.
Tears on her own cheeks.
"I...I know what you're feeling now, Sakura."
"You like him, don't you?"
"Yeah..."
"But, you're mad at me because I still love Sasuke-kun?"
The sadness and hurt she felt seconds ago were blown away.
"He almost killed Neji! And Lee! How can you? I mean, he's a MURDERER! And-"
"Who isn't a murderer?"
"Pardon?"
"We're all murderers, Tenten. We're shinobis, remember?"
"But...he betrayed our village!"
"Would you stop loving Lee if he ran away?" Sakura asked, looking at her shoes.
Wait.
Who said something about loving Lee?
"Sakura, I never said that I love Lee."
"But you do."
Unwillingly, Tenten could feel herself blushing. Trying to make it disappear, she bent down her head.
"I do not-"
It was like she said it to herself, not only to Sakura.
She was telling herself that the feelings she had for Lee was just platonic admiration and maybe, just maybe, she liked him.
Love?
"What is love?"
Sakura decided not to answer. She looked at Tenten that had her head between her legs, her brown locks covering her eyes.
"I do not love Lee, Sakura."
And she laughed.
Tenten laughed.
"I do not love him, I-"
Her laughter turned into hiccups.
"Tenten, let's do this; I will go back to Lee and say that I won't date him anymore, and then you will-"
"Don't!"
"What?"
"I want you to continue date him. I...I do not want him hurt."
Sakura smiled.
She knew that feeling.
"But...don't fall in love with him. With you as my rival, I wouldn't win."
"You know, I am already your rival."
They laughed.
Sakura laughed as she remembered her feelings for a certain Uchiha boy, and the times she stalked him. And to the fact that Tenten loved her stalker.
Tenten laughed at how pathetic she was.
And that, yes indeed, she was in love with him.
She was in love with Rock Lee.
She wanted him to be happy.
She wanted to see him smile.
And, if just for one time, she would like to see him smile for her.
"Just so you know...I am going to have him in the end." she said, half joking, half serious.
Sakura smiled.
"No worries there. So, would you really stop loving Lee if he ran away from the village?"
Tenten smiled.
"Tenten! Neji-kun! GOOD MORNING!"
Both mentioned shinobis muttered a 'good morning' to the hyper bowl cut shinobi. There was one difference though.
Neji glared.
Tenten smiled. Like she always did when he was around.
"How'd the date turn out yesterday, Lee?" Tenten asked, and Lee turned hyper again.
"Great!" (Lee turned into the nice guy pose, and smiled at her) "And, know what, Tenten?"
He walked to her.
With one swift movement, he released her hair, so the brown locks fell down, past her shoulders.
His usual naive, smiling face was turned into a mature face; into a man that was looking a girl. Nothing more.
"You look even more beautiful with your hair down."
Epilogue.
"Is that Team Gai?" A citizen of Sunagakure asked, as he was on a business trip in Konoha. A man with a beard that stood in front of him nodded.
"But, the girl had buns before, right?" And the man pointed at the girl with shoulder length brown, wavy hair and prettily giggled at something the boy in a green jumpsuit said. Another man (he could've sworn it was a girl until the "girl" gave him a death glare) with long, brown hair was pretending not to listen at their conversation, and walked in silence.
The beard-man's wife that stood behind her husband, and was busy watering her roses turned around and smiled at the man.
"She changed her hair the moment she decided to win a man's heart. Romantic, isn't it?"
"Tch, young people these days..." Her husband snorted, and received a punch from his wife.
As Team Gai walked in the streets of Konoha, Neji avoided eye-contact with the citizens of Konoha as usual, and waved goodbye to his team as they came closer to the Hyuuga mansion.
As it was only Gai, Lee and Tenten left, Gai screamed something about a promise and Hatake Kakashi.
"I HAVE A MEETING WITH MY ETERNAL RIVAL TODAY! And, I promised myself if I came to the meeting late, I would run around the Hyuuga mansion on my hands a hundred times without being hurt by Neji! So, I have to go! Yosh, Lee and Tenten, I'll see you tomorrow!"
Lee and Tenten blinked at the empty spot where Gai used to stand, and then looked at each other and laughed.
"I'll be going then, Tenten! I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
And he smiled.
At her.
"Wait, Lee!"
Some guys...
"Want to eat ramen with me?"
...are worthy of taking a chance for.
Lee smiled.
"Sure."
"I would never stop loving him. He's a part of me. The part of me that can do whatever he wants, and be proud of it."
A/N:
My first attempt of LeeTen, whooo!
I've noticed that this isn't a popular pairing, mostly due to the popularity of NejiTen and LeeSaku.
And that's a shame.
I love this pairing. Even if it's a little difficult to write about it (it ends up with Tenten getting OOC), it IS funny to write.
Um, sorry LeeSaku/NejiTen fans. But I happen to like this pairing.
Go read a SasuSaku story instead (I recommend it!).
And, I know! I said up there points at the summary that it would be SasuSaku and LeeTen.
Um, if you can't see the SasuSaku, I AM TRULY SORRY! I just had to mention it in the summary, because it IS SasuSaku in this.
And, yes, Tenten decided to have her hair released since Lee thought she was even more beautiful with her hair down (um, OOC moment from Lee, but I guess he can be mature sometimes).
I made this in an attempt to excuse myself to write about NejiTen (just a little hint, but whatever) in my other ShikaIno story, "One Day Remains".
The sentence at the end are the sentence Tenten answered Sakura with when Sakura asked if she would stop loving Lee if he ran away, not Sasuke.
And, cookies for those who reviews and can figure out which album this title came from!