"Oh little one I'd tell you good news that I don't believe
If it would help you sleep
Strange mercy"

- Strange Mercy
St. Vincent


"Tenten! Did your boobs get bigger?"

Tenten blushed and sunk further into the bath, covering herself. Ino was being awfully nosy today.

Neji had warned her that he didn't think a trip to the bath house would be a great idea, but Tenten was aching for a good bath. And she certainly hadn't expected Ino, Sakura and Hinata to also decide to take a bath. It wasn't like she had a stomach to expose. At eight weeks, Tenten thought she looked like she had gained a couple of pounds.

But her breasts had started to swell. She had noticed and had to buy some bigger bras, but she didn't think that others would have noticed. After all, it's not like they'd grown as big as Hinata's.

"I don't think they're any bigger," she muttered in a weak defense.

"Well, I just wanted to say good for you!" commented Ino. "I wish mine were a bit bigger."

"Yeah, me too," Sakura snorted.

"It's not so great," mumbled Hinata, "they kind of get in the way." She blushed.

Tenten abandoned the conversation, turning her back to them to lift herself out of the water. She didn't want to soak for too long.

"I should get going," she said as she climbed out of the water.

"Tenten, I didn't mean anything by it," said Ino, "I hope I didn't hurt your feelings!"

Tenten secured her towel tightly around her body before turning back to the girls, with a smile. "No, you didn't Ino. I was just feeling a bit overheated."

She turned and left to change. The water splashed behind her and Tenten noted Ino following her out of the bath. "I'm ready to get out too."

Tenten nodded to the blonde and silently worried about dressing. Tenten was not normally very shy in the dressing room, but she didn't need to take any risks. So when she and Ino found the lockers they'd stored their clothes in, Tenten turned into a corner and pulled her underwear on under her towel as best she could. The bra was the most difficult part. Trying to hide her swelling breasts and darkened nipples while keeping the towel wrapped around her (no longer completely flat) stomach was quite a challenge.

"Are you sure you're okay, Tenten?" Ino asked as she secured her skirt around her hips.

Tenten wiggled into her pants and nodded, back still to Ino.

"I'm fine, really. You didn't upset me, Ino, I promise."

"I hope so."

Tenten flashed her a reassuring smile, buttoning her shirt.

Turning back into the corner, Tenten stuck her hand in her pocket and tightened her fingers around a slim gold chain and band. It was her ring.

Pulling her fisted hand out of the pocket, she next stuck her hand in the collar of her shirt, letting go of the ring. She felt the ring tap against the top of her stomach before she discreetly secured the chain around her neck and tucked it in her collar.

"What are you doing now," asked Ino.

"I don't know, I was probably going to head home and make some dinner."

"We should all cook something together. Would that be something you're interested in?"

Tenten cocked her head to the side and thought. She didn't have any plans, at least none she intended to disclose to Ino. Her cheeks warmed slightly.

"Sure, I could do that. Although," she added, "I have to warn you that there's always a chance Lee or Neji will stop by, so we should be prepared to feed them as well."

Ino fanned her hand at Tenten.

"Choji is my teammate, Tenten. Do you think I'm unaccustomed to having extra food on hand?"

They both laughed.

"Ok, well, I've got plenty of stuff to cook."

"I'll still stop by the store and get a few things, and I'm sure Hinata and Sakura will want to bring something too."

"Bring what?" Sakura padded into the changing room, with Hinata in tow.

"We're having a girl's night! We're all going to Tenten's to cook dinner!"

Sakura clapped her hands together.

"That sounds fun!"

"I agree!" Hinata chimed in, a smile playing lightly on her lips.

"Okay," said Tenten, "Let's go!"

~o0o~

Tenten bit into a frozen chunk of brownie and relished in the sweet flavor of her ice cream.

Cooking dinner had been fun, and Tenten was now enjoying desert. Sakura had picked up four small containers of ice cream, one for each of them.

Ino, of course, had somehow secured a bottle of wine. Tenten hadn't asked how, but she had accepted a glass and nursed it all night, nervously.

She had heard rumors of alcohol being harmful during pregnancy, but she had no one to confirm this with. And she knew turning down the drink would raise eyebrows, especially because Hinata had accepted a glass as well. She couldn't fathom half a glass doing much damage to her.

So she sipped the sweet white wine, ate chicken and noodles and veggies and dug in to her ice cream.

She was happy and giddy and lightheaded.

All four were happily giggling now as Sakura recalled the way Sai would criticize Naruto and his manhood.

Tenten was certain the only thing keeping Hinata from fainting was the way the wine seemed to relax them all.

The front door clicked open and Tenten grinned when Neji let himself in.

"Hi Neji!"

"Hi Neji!" The other three chimed in and giggled. Ino topped off her glass of wine.

"Am I interrupting?"

"No!" Insisted Tenten. She placed her ice cream on the coffee table and rose from the couch. "We just decided to all have dinner together. I figured you or Lee might stop by, so we made extras. I can make you a plate." She crossed the room, ready to head into the kitchen.

"Thank you, but I just ate."

"Ok, then come have some desert?" She winked at him and beckoned him over to the couch.

"I can come back later…"

"Later?" Ino raised a brow at him. "It's almost 10pm! What are your intentions with our Tenten?!"

Neji furrowed his brows in annoyance at her. Ino laughed.

"Come on, Neji," Tenten grabbed his wrist and tugged him to the couch, where she commanded him to sit between her and his cousin.

"You're difficult," he muttered.

She pretended not to hear him. Instead she held out her wine glass to him. He accepted it, reluctantly, and tipped the glass back, taking in a mouthful of the tart drink.

He put it back on the table and watched, bored, as the four women finished their ice cream.

Of course, Tenten shared hers with him. It was loaded with chunks of brownie, cookie dough, fudge, marshmallows, caramel swirls, and everything in between. When it came to her favorite sweets, she was indecisive at best.

With a boy present, the girls tried to make the conversation more bearable for Neji, focusing less on crushes and more on recent events.

Tenten faded in and out of the conversation. She had polished off the last of her wine and was feeling the warmth that spread through her body. It started in her stomach and radiated out into her limbs, making them tingle softly. She rested her head back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. She was trying very hard to fight the urge to rest her head on Neji's shoulder. His body heat was radiating, beckoning her to him and his shoulder always made the perfect pillow.

Tenten was holding her container of ice cream, just over halfway gone. Her fingers were numbing and she sat up, placing it on the table in front of her. Leaning back into the plush couch, she had an idea, and grinned.

Neji was talking quietly to Hinata about their training schedule for the next few days, so he couldn't see Tenten's hand creep towards his neck. She looked to Ino and Sakura and winked at them. They smiled and watched eagerly to see what kind of reaction he would have.

After all, he did not typically react more than he felt necessary so it would be fun to catch him off guard, and they all knew that his teammate was probably the only person who could get away with something like that.

She laughed when she felt him shiver when her icy fingers pressed into his warm neck. He caught her wrist and looked at her blankly, expectantly.

"Can I help you?"

"My fingers are cold." She pouted at him before giggling. Two more sets of giggles followed hers. Hinata smiled, biting back at a light laugh.

"And my neck is the appropriate place to try and warm them?"

"Maybe?"

"Maybe you've had a bit too much wine?"

"No, I just…" Tenten debated how to finish her sentence. She had a few ideas, but none were appropriate for the current situation. I just want to hug you. I just want to cuddle. I just want you to take me to bed. I just want everyone to leave us alone. I just want to kiss you.

"You look tired."

Tenten nodded slightly, silently grateful for the way he always seemed to be able to read her mind. She was getting too comfortable, any longer in this environment and she might develop loose lips.

Neji leaned forward and picked up her ice cream, putting the lid on it before standing. He offered her his hand and she let him pull her up.

"I should get ready for bed, if you don't mind." She looked over to Ino and Sakura and caught Hinata stifling a yawn out of the corner of her eye.

Sakura stretched in her chair.

"That's fine, I'm getting tired too."

"Agreed," said Ino.

"I will walk you home, Hinata-sama," said Neji, who gave Tenten a quick glance that said I will be back shortly.

~o0o~

At ten weeks, Tenten sat on the bathroom floor. She was miserable. She had no clue how long she was supposed to keep up her charade when she couldn't even make it to her morning training sessions. She rested her face on the toilet bowl, as the unending waves of nausea continued to surge in her stomach.

And they had a mission coming up. How was Tenten supposed to handle that?

While she had yet to puke, she had been unable to crawl out of her bathroom. She expected she looked like a ditzy girl after a night at the bar.

Tenten was miserable.

And she'd only been experiencing morning sickness for a couple of days. How long was this supposed to last?

Normally, she'd ask someone for advice with a medical condition, but Tenten really couldn't go to anyone with her questions. It was an awful feeling. She had so many questions about pregnancy and childbirth and mothering, but no one she could ask. She should have had a mother-figure to seek advice from, but she was alone.

She whimpered.

As if on cue, Neji came into the bathroom. He had let himself in, no doubt, concerned when she didn't show up for training.

Their training schedule was mostly kept for appearances. They did spar, but much gentler. If it had been up to Neji, she wouldn't be training at all, let alone going on missions, but that conversation hadn't happened yet. He knew that Tenten would fight him on the matter and, worse, they would need a very good reason for such a long leave of absence. Instead, Neji doubled his efforts to make sure she stayed safe and unharmed.

She was a pathetic mess, whimpering on the floor. He pulled a wash cloth out of the closet and soaked it in cold water. He then sat down on the floor behind Tenten and stroked her back gently.

"Neji," she whimpered his name. She felt pathetic. He brushed her hair off of her neck and placed the cold wash cloth against her neck.

The relief was almost instant. She felt her stomach calm.

"Are you alright?" He watched her slowly spin around to face him. Her face was pale and painted with a frown. She was still dressed in her pajamas, shorts and a tank top. Her hair was an array of kinks and curls around her.

His eyes trailed down to her neck where her wedding band hung off of a slim gold chain. They had decided to wear them around their necks and under their clothes. The ring disappeared between her swollen breasts. He felt his ring heavy against his chest and pulled her in for a hug, kissing the top of her head.

Tenten's fingers found the ring under his shirt and traced the shape under the folds of fabric.

"I'm nauseous," Tenten finally exhaled.

"I can see. Is the cloth helping?"

She nodded.

"Good." Neji shifted his weight, leaning them to the side, fishing in his pocket. He pulled out a small bag and held it up to Tenten. The bag had small orange candies, that looked chewy in texture.

"Ginger," he said as she took the bag from him.

"Thanks." She opened the bag and pulled out a piece. She left the open bag in her lap and nibbled at the candy timidly. Ginger was not a flavor she particularly enjoyed, but she knew it would help her nausea immensely.

It wasn't long before Neji had her out of the bathroom and dressed. By the time she began moving around she felt much better and her nausea was replaced with hunger.

Neji watched, impressed, as Tenten made her way through two bowls of rice with egg, miso soup, some leftover salmon, some leftover chicken, and two small bags of chips.

"Don't you dare say anything," she warned, pointing a spoon in his face. She prepared a third bowl of rice and dug in with a sigh.

~o0o~

Tenten had eaten her way through most of the day and was trying desperately to restrain herself now. She was roughly twelve weeks pregnant and enjoying a girls night out. Dinner was barbecue. She had intended to use the night to cheer up Hinata, who was missing Naruto, but instead, she spent most of the evening trying not to rival Choji in food consumption.

When Tsunade drunkenly lowered herself into the booth next to Hinata the mood shifted. Tenten briefly wondered how good Tsunade was at keeping secrets when intoxicated.

"What's this? A girl's night out?" The hokage slurred and slumped against Hinata who whimpered nervously.

"Y-yes," said Tenten, glad she had something to distract her from the empty cavern that was her stomach.

"And why wasn't I invited?!"

"Well," she poked around for the right words but couldn't find them. "You're not quite a girl, Tsunade-sama."

The fifth frowned at her and Tenten scolded herself. She had meant to say that Tsunade was too old to be a girl… well, too much older than them… well, that she was more of a woman than them… Well, Tenten didn't really know how to word her thought process without upsetting Tsunade.

But Tsuande seemed to be having the same thought process as she leaned forward and squeezed her large, fat, soft breast roughly. "Is it because these are too big?" She jiggled it in her hand to make a point before dropping it. It swayed with an injured pride, hell bent on recovery.

"N-no Tsunade-sama!" Tenten was grasping at straws. A drunk hokage was not easy to manage. She was glad she was not Shizune.

Tsunade then looked up at Tenten, through half-lidded eyes.

"Speaking of which, Tenten, have your breasts gotten bigger?"

The table across from them silenced and Tenten felt two dozen eyes on her. She hid her hand in her face. Then Ino chimed in.

"I just asked her that the other day! They are bigger, aren't they Tsunade-sama!"

It might not have been so bad if the stares from the other table weren't those of her male comrades.

She briefly heard Kiba start to mutter something, a grin in his voice, before he fell abruptly silent. She supposed Neji had been the one to shut him up.

She knew she was doing this for Hinata, but this girl's night out was beginning to be more trouble than it was worth.

~o0o~

When Neji came over that night, she was flustered.

It had seemed to take forever for him to walk Hinata home before sneaking back off the compound and to her apartment.

When he arrived they pulled off their clothes and put on their rings.

With the war on the horizon, Tenten was desperate for as much time with Neji as possible.

"So," he pushed Tenten's bangs out of her eyes and she furrowed her nose. His scent was strong tonight, or maybe it was just another miserable symptom she had to endure. "It would seem your breasts have gotten bigger."

Tenten sat up and sighed, exasperated. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

Neji chuckled and looked up at her, taking in her form.

"Because it's true." He cupped a breast and ran his thumb over a stiff nipple.

She relaxed back into the bed, moaning soft sighs as he caressed her breasts.

"What about my tummy?" she whispered, between gasps.

"Looks pretty similar to me."

She ran a hand over her stomach, feeling the way it was no longer flat, but beginning to protrude slightly.

"Come on," she argued, "you can see."

Neji ran his fingers over her stomach, feeling the way it rose ever so slightly.

"I suppose." He hunched down and pressed a kiss on her stomach. Tenten giggled at the sweetness of his actions.

However, her giggles quickly subsided and she began to gasp and moan as he moved his kisses lower.

~o0o~

By the time Tenten reached sixteen weeks, her morning sickness had subsided and war was inevitable.

The allied forces were beginning to gather, dozens of troops arrived in Konoha every day, from all corners of the map.

Tenten was happy that she had enjoyed the loose fit of her shirt for so long, because her stomach was protruding.

While no one would ever guess her condition in her normal attire, she could no longer risk being seen in anything more revealing. Alas, Tenten had to give up her trips to the bath house a couple weeks earlier.

Everyone had been given the standard issue uniforms of the allied forces and many had already donned them.

Today Tenten was to join them with her uniform. Today they would be receiving their assigned devisions.

The pants were snug around her hips. Luckily they stretched a little, and worked around her bump. She pulled the black turtle neck on. It hung loose enough around her, her stomach protruding only slightly.

She was grateful for the vest, which was thick and hid everything.

Lastly, she tied her hair up in two buns, along with her new forehead protector. She no longer bore the symbol of the leaf on her, she now shined the symbol for the army she had joined, along with everyone else she knew and everyone she didn't.

A soft knock pulled her away from the mirror she'd been eying herself in, and she went to the door to great her teammates.

"Lee, Neji." She pulled them each into a hug.

"Tenten! Are you ready to learn how we will spread our youthful talents to our allies?!" Lee was ever optimistic and Tenten couldn't help but smile and his positivity.

Together they left for the Hokage's tower, hoping that this was not their last assignment as Team Guy.

They walked mostly in silence, and as they grew closer to the crowds of shinobi getting their assignments, Tenten began to worry.

She wasn't sure if she could cope with the possibility of being separated from Neji and Lee. They were strongest in their group. They played off of each others strengths and defended each others weaknesses. There was no way they could possibly be separated.

They pushed and struggled to find dozen of tables lined up. They noticed the groupings went by names and prepared to separate.

"Neji, Tenten," said Lee. "It would appear that everyone is being given packets with their information. I think it would be very youthful and appropriate if we opened our assignments at the balcony where we first shared our dreams with each other!"

Tenten nodded and Neji agreed with his silence. She knew she would have an easier time reading the information with just her teammates around.

They parted ways and stepped into their respective lines.

When Shizune placed the heavy manilla packet in Tenten's hands, she felt as if it contained the weight of the world. She flashed Shizune a fake smile and wished her well for the rest of the day. Once the pleasantries were exhausted, Tenten left and let the shinobi behind her claim his fate, as she had just done.

She carried the heavy packet away and hurried quickly to their meeting place.

She was the last to arrive. Lee and Neji were sitting on the bench, packets on the table in front of them.

She placed herself between them and felt the rush of memories flood her.

They had come very far in just six years. Lee had become focused, strong, and determined. And Neji, Neji had changed completely. He had left his childish attitude behind and was on track to be a father. Tenten's fingers trembled and she felt tears prick at her eyes, even before they read their packets. Stupid hormones, she thought. I'm supposed to be stronger than this. Why does every god damned thing make me want to cry? She took a deep breath and looked to each of her teammates, her family.

"Are you guys ready?" She was asking herself more than them, but was soaked in the strength that radiated off of both of them when their deep voices echoed in her ears.

"Yes."

They both picked up their packets and Tenten squeezed her eyes shut as she opened the pouch and dug her hand in, pulling out a stack of papers, no doubt containing maps, charts, stats, and other info on her new devision.

She heard the rustle of paper on both her right and left.

"Third Devision," Lee announced.

"Second Devision," read Neji.

Tenten took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Her voice fled her as the words in front of her turned blurry. Hot tears singed her eyes and dripped down onto the assignment on her lap.

Tenten choked on a sob and Lee and Neji were immediately at her side, rubbing her back and holding her hands. Together they hugged as a trio while Tenten's sobs rung loudly in her ears as all the stress and worry she had been carrying broke her.

The papers slid off her lap and scattered on the floor in front of her, but no one cared to pick them up, to consumed on the realization that began to sink in.

Luckily, her reaction told them enough, and Tenten didn't need to read the words printed in a large typeface, staring up at her from the ground.

First Devision.


A/N: Sorry that update took a while. I got stuck with this chapter. Luckily for you I already have the next chapter written. ;) Please leave a review!