Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; all right belong to its respective copy right holder. Believe me, if I did own Naruto the Sand siblings would have been back on long ago and Neji and Tenten would have more scenes together.
What's imagination?
"It's to quiet around here." Tenten said, eyeing the streets of Konoha with suspicion.
"That's what happens when both Lee and Naruto leave on missions. It's peaceful." Neji murmured.
"Yeah, but now I'm starting to miss them. Everyone looks so somber when it's silent." Tenten replied, sitting down on a stone bench slightly off the side of Konoha's main street.
"Hn."
Neji sat down beside her, staring at the ground and swinging a kunai from their training session back and forth like a pendulum.
Tenten sighed, rolling her eyes at Neji's silent demeanor she lent back, staring up at the sky, watching the clouds roll by.
"Hey Neji, try to find shapes in the clouds."
"Sure. That one looks like… a cloud."
Tenten chuckled slightly and strained her eyes so she could so see Neji sitting silently beside her.
"You have zilch imagination, Neji."
"Hn. Imagination's a useless thing."
"I don't think so." Tenten argued. "Without imagination life would be pretty boring. Don't you think?"
"Hn."
"You're a talkative one." Tenten commented lightly, sitting back up she studied Neji's hunch figure, a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention and she turned to see a small grey chipmunk watching Neji swing the kunai in awe.
"You're going to hypnotize that chipmunk if you're not careful." Tenten warned. Neji smirked.
"That might be interesting." He muttered.
As if the chipmunk could understand what they were saying it backed up, the fur on its back going on end it scampered away.
"Well, there goes my only means of entertainment." The Hyuuga sighed, letting go if the kunai so it speared in the dirt, creating small crack in the ground.
"You could watch the clouds with me." Tenten suggested, sprawling out again.
"I'll pass."
"Neji, Neji, Neji. One of this days that little shred of imagination you have is going to shrivel up and die."
"You're all about imagination today, aren't you?" Neji sighed. "Fine, if it makes you happy I'll watch the clouds."
Neji tilted his head skywards, leaning back slightly on the bench, using his hands to prop himself up.
"That's a pretty cloud. It's pink and yellow at the same time." Tenten said, tracing the drifting clouds shape with her finger.
"Hn. I don't see it."
Tenten sat back up, grabbing one of Neji's hands and folding it so the index finger was pointing out she outlined the shape.
"Isn't it pretty?" She asked, slowly lowering his hand back down.
"Hn. I suppose."
Tenten have a frustrated sigh.
"Am I annoying you?" Neji smirked, turning to regard Tenten's expression.
"You are."
"Ahh… maybe I just don't have any of that imagination you were talking about." He suggested.
"Maybe. But you make up for you massive lake in imagination in other ways.
"Such as? Flatter me."
Tenten rolled her eyes.
"Well… You're the Hyuuga prodigy for one. And you are incredibly logicaly, strong and are always able to dodge my attacks. That's gotta count for something." She answered, blowing a thin wisp of hair out of her face.
"Hmm… Interesting."
"You also have countless fan girls, so you mustn't be that hard on the eyes. Wait that came out wrong."
Neji raised an eyebrow.
"I don't mean that in a bad way…" Tenten backtracked, "I meant that to others you must be rather good looking." Tenten frowned. "I'm not saying this right, am I?" She asked.
"No." Neji agreed easily, looking thoroughly entertained as Tenten tried to explain herself.
"So I guess that means you cute." She eventually settled for.
"You guess?"
"Why are you so determined to get me to say it from my point of view?"
"I'm not. You seem to be staggering over what to say and I'm just picking out the things and normal person would find insulting." Neji smirked.
"Fine. You're cute. Happy?"
"Sure."
Tenten looked at him in surprise. "Wow. I really expected to be beaten half to death just than. I don't remember you being so receptive to that kind of flattery before." Tenten said.
"Only when it's coming from you."
Tenten blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Neji smirked. "You're smart. Figure it out."
"Hm… Ah… Wait…! Ah - -."
"Tenten?"
"Hmm! I got it!"
Neji's expression went serious. "And?"
"You like me! Am I right?"
Neji smirked again.
"Finally! I've been waiting a long time for you to say something along those lines."
Neji looked surprised. "You have?"
"For a genius you're pretty dumb. You're even more clueless than Naruto. How long have we known each other?"
Neji considered. "A while." He eventually answered.
"And you couldn't have told me you felt that way sooner?"
"Hn."
Neji smirk widened and he took Tenten's hand relaxing back on the bench he studied the sky.
Tenten hesitantly leaned back with him.
"You see that cloud Neji, the one from before? Isn't it pretty?"
"Beautiful." Neji agreed.