The NejiTen spin off of my fanfic, 'Hinata the Matchmaker'. I plan on making it a short series. ChoIno and ShikaTema and NaruHina should be coming. Hehe. And some LeeSaku maybe.
Thanks to exFlygon, Sierra, and stachys for the request to do more! That makes me feel good. Enjoy. And sorry about Hanabi. I love her and wanted to put her in there but she ruined it. --
"Just a little higher next time, Hanabi-chan," Hinata recommended softly to her younger sister.
The genin smiled gratefully, then looked down at the kunoichi with brown hair wrapped into two tight buns, sitting cross legged on the ground near Hinata. "What do you think, Tenten-nee san?" She asked.
Tenten grinned. "I agree with Hinata. Just higher next time, and focus your chakra a little sharper."
Hanabi nodded, a determined expression hardened her soft face slightly. "Thanks. Now..." She closed her eyes and the blue fire-like chakra appeared in the flat palm of her pale hand.
"Hanabi-sama." Came suddenly from the house.
The three girls turned in surprise to see Neji's violet eyes widened in surprise. "Eh? Everyone's here. Tenten...?"
The skilled nin blushed suddenly, and darted her pretty brown eyes from him to Hanabi. "Ah, um. Hinata invited me over for dinner. Is that alright?"
Neji barely blinked. "Hai. It's fine. Hanabi-sama, your father thinks you should stop now. It's almost time to eat anyways."
Hanabi groaned, and her quiet voice, somewhat like her older sister's pleaded with the elder Hyuuga. "Arghh, Neji-nii saaaan. I'm almost done. Hinata-nee san and Tenten-nee san are both helping me train. Just once more, ne?" She finished playfully, smiling and widening her already large eyes at him.
Neji made a sighing noise. "That look..." he muttered at his cousin and finally nodded.
"And you know you don't have to call me that," Hanabi grumbled at him as the chakra grew in her hand.
"Hanabi-sama?" Tenten asked Hinata, turning her head up slightly so she could make eye contact.
Hinata giggled. "Yes. Hanabi-chan doesn't like it when Neji-nii san calls her that. She much prefers–."
"Hana-chan, okay? Now that was enough for today. Let's go eat." He asked her, trying and failing to sound persuasive.
"Girls don't give up so easily!" Tenten shouted teasingly as Hanabi made a pouting face and slumped onto the ground, bare arms folded over the Konoha hitai-ate tied around her waist.
Neji shot his teammate a rather dirty look as he walked over to the small girl. "Hana-chan..." Tenten started laughing at his tone of voice. Like he was begging the twelve year old to stand up.
Neji's face flushed and Hinata smirked. "Fine!" And in one swift move grabbed the girl from the ground and stuck her on top of his shoulders. "I will forcibly carry you."
Hanabi looked surprised but then started laughing and swinging her arms out happily. "Yay!" She shouted, her large smile reminding Tenten of Hinata when she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
Tenten watched as her teammate carried Hanabi into the house. Such a different side of him. She thought, her face starting to heat.
"He's so wonderful with Hanabi-chan, isn't he, Tenten-san?"
Tenten whipped her head up at Hinata's voice. She was watching Neji open the door and try to duck through the entrance with some difficulty.
"Why did you invite me to dinner here, Hinata?" Tenten asked, suddenly very curious.
The kunoichi blinked as if waking up from a daydream. "Eh? Gomen, I didn't hear you."
"I was wondering why you invited me to–."
"Ah! Look! Father wants us to come in, too." She interrupted, placing her hand around Tenten's arm and pulling her to her feet. "We shouldn't make them wait. Neji-nii san seemed pretty hungry, eh?"
Tenten ignored Hinata's avoidance of her question for the time being and followed her into the Hyuuga estate house.
The Konoha kunoichi almost whipped out one of her many kunai from the scroll on her back, to poise it over her heart and threaten to kill herself. If that would even lighten up the mood. She couldn't stand the silence.
Hinata and Hanabi's father ate in a cold silence, not making eye contact with anyone, nor acknowledging Tenten or his daughters for that matter.
Neji glanced at Tenten and raised his dark eyebrows every so often at Hinata, seeming to question her why his teammate was eating with them. He somehow looked amused that she was able to keep still for that long.
Tenten noticed this and shot him a glare, which kept the young Hyuuga's eyes on his plate for the rest of the meal.
"I never want to eat with that family again." Tenten proclaimed quietly to herself as she sat down on the porch-like side of the main house. She sighed contentedly as a warm summer breeze blew some stray pieces of hair from her face.
She heard the door slide open and closed behind her. "Ah!How can you stand that sil–." She stopped abruptly as she spun around to meet not the pale eyes of Hinata...but Neji.
"Damn." She stated and he smirked.
"You didn't know it was me did you?" he asked, sounding smug but Tenten knew he was just teasing her about her inability to keep from talking for very long.
She didn't answer stubbornly but blinked in surprise when he sat down next to her.
"I think I know why Hinata-sama asked you to dinner," he muttered, more to himself than to her.
Tenten rolled her eyes in good nature. "Gee, already? You're quick."
He looked at her suddenly, his eyes wide with unnatural shock. "Eh? You know?"
Tenten smiled and tried to ignore the instant heat in her cheeks. "She's trying to set us up. Didn't you see Ino and Chouji on the way home?"
Neji looked uncomfortable. "Hinata-sama did that?"
She answered him with another question. "Did you see Shikamaru and Temari?"
"Er..no."
"Exactly."
"Explain further, please." He sounded almost distressed and Tenten giggled.
"They were getting away from her, Neji."
The thought seemed to soak in. "That's why she was so happy. Must be his absence that's making her bored." He said wryly, leaning onto his back and staring up at the sky.
Tenten didn't need to ask who he was referring to. She started to speak before she thought about what she was saying. "It must be lonely for her, though." She said softly and Neji's eyes found her dark ones. "I mean...the one person you respect and love the most. Him being gone for so long...it must hurt a little." She paused before she spoke again. She made sure her that her eyes were still locked on his when she did. "I know I would be."
Neji blinked and sat up quickly. "Tenten..." He had never heard her admit to being hurt before. Especially when it came to something like this.
A stirring on the other side of the door made him flinch and Tenten sighed and whispered. "She's been there the whole time."
"Byakugon?"
"Byakugon."
"Then she can see us as well as hear us."
"Yep. Pretty much."
It was Neji's turn to sigh and he hit the edge of his palm again his forehead in embarrassment. He found himself smiling automatically at Tenten's amused laugh. He was beginning to like that sound a lot more.
"Might as well give her what she wants." He stated in exasperation and the kunoichi's mouth parted slightly.
"Wha–?"
She was interrupted as Neji's mouth connected with hers.
He slowly began to pull away as Hinata's squeak of satisfaction was heard from inside, as well as Hanabi's noise of shock, but he seemed to think better of it and continued to kiss her.
Tenten's heart rolled around her chest. She began to wonder if the genius was only doing it to make his cousin happy, but when he didn't stop she smiled to herself.
A loud fweee boosh! sounded in the distance and the two broke away and looked up just in time for their faces to be lit with a red and yellow firework.
"How pretty!" Tenten exclaimed excitedly.
"Do you want to go see?" Neji asked her and she smiled and nodded. The change in his personality around her warmed her to the toes and she was going to take full advantage of it.
He stood and started hurrying toward the light and sound. A few other Hyuuga children opened their doors and dragged their parents into the beautiful summer night.
He looked backed at her and she pouted. "Carry me." She wanted to test and see how far she could go.
He cocked his head, and she expected a look of "No way, that's weird," but instead he tapped over to her and stunning her speechless (for once) he tipped the rather light (he soon discovered) ninja into his arms and spun her around before lightly dumping her into a patch of long grass.
His expression was emotionless but her face was lit up completely with a brilliant and happy smile. "Fine, fine. I get it. Let's go."
And she raced off towards the dazzling fireworks, her mind and heart lighter than ever as she murmured her appreciation.
He finally allowed himself to smile as he struggled to keep up with the girl he knew had just grabbed his heart and claimed it as her own. He thought on the person who had helped them on their way.
"Thank you, Hinata." They spoke simultaneously.
Hinata watched on blissfully as her cousin and fellow Konoha kunoichi laughed and practically skipped towards the fireworks.
"Naruto-kun," she whispered. "I really wish you could see this."