Happy Birthday
Tenten sat on the low wall, her legs up. She twiddled the kunai absent-mindedly between her fingers. She was bored. She lay back closing her eyes; a voice woke her from her dose making her sit up suddenly.
"Happy Birthday Tenten-san, you're 19 right?"
"What? Oh, yeah. Hey Hinata; do you want to train with me today?" Hinata blushed slightly at the casual tone that Tenten addressed her with.
"What about Neji-niisan?"
"He has a mission today."
"Oh."
Tenten swung her legs off the wall, jumping down lightly to stand next to Hinata.
In the past the two girls had not got on too well, Hinata being far to shy to ever approach the older kunoichi. Tenten, having always seen Hinata through Neji's eyes, felt she was weak and too submissive. This all changed, however, just after the chunnin exams, when Tenten saw the younger girl for who she really was during the fight against her cousin.
Over the years since then the two had become almost like sisters, and whenever Neji wasn't around Tenten often trained with Hinata.
They meandered through the village, heading for the training grounds.
"So, Hinata..." Tenten grinned as she looked down at her. "How's it going with you and Naruto?"
Hinata blushed a deep red at this and pushed her fingers together as she thought of the answer.
"It… It's good." She smiled to herself, and when Tenten didn't ask her anything else, she relaxed again, letting her hands fall to her sides.
They reached the clearing and began to spar almost immediately. Hinata didn't have kaiten, like her cousin but that didn't mean to say she was less of an opponent. They sparred for a good couple of hours Tenten spinning weapons at Hinata, who would just as easily catch them and fling them back, or deflect them at the very least.
Hinata finally brought Tenten down with a kunai to her leg; they stopped at this point. Sitting under one of the larger trees she bound her leg before they shared her lunch.
"Tenten-san, if you don't mind me asking…"
"Hinata just say it! You know I don't mind!" Tenten rolled her eyes as the younger girl's eyes widened at her sudden outburst.
"Well, what about you and Neji-niisan"
"What about us?"
"You asked me about Naruto-kun, so I'm asking you about you and Neji-niisan."
Tenten rolled her eyes again at this; this seemed to be Konoha's favourite question right now. She leant back on the tree closing her eyes before answering.
"We're best friends, team mates, sparring partners, what more do you need to know?" she asked sarcastically. She opened one eye to see Hinata smiling slightly, in what could only be described as a knowing way.
"Oh come on! He's a Hyuuga for god's sake!"
Hinata raised one eyebrow at this in a spitting image of Neji.
"Yeah okay, I know, you're a Hyuuga too, right? Well he's a special brand okay!" she sat up again to put all her weapons carefully away. Curiosity eventually got the better of her.
"Why do you ask anyway?"
"Well, you spend so much time at the compound that you practically live with us. Whenever I see him out in Konoha you're never too far behind. You're always going on double missions. He will train with you and only you. And besides Tsunade, Hanabi and me, you are the only female he will so much as acknowledge."
"We're team mates" Tenten said again fingering the tassel on the end of the katana he'd bought her a year previously.
"He also asked me to give you this." She held out a small box wrapped in white paper and tied with a black ribbon.
Tenten took it tentatively pulling the ribbon lightly and folding back the paper. To reveal a box made from reeds. Inside the box was a plain looking chain with a compass on the end. Tenten gasped, pulling it out of the box, turning it over to show a watch face on the other side. In the bottom of the box was a small piece of folded paper, it read;
'Tenten,
You have no more excuses; stop being late and getting lost it's just plain annoying.
Neji
Ps. Happy birthday'
She smiled and passed the note and chain to Hinata to read.
"Maybe a bit more then team mates?"
"Wow Hinata that was brave. Run!"
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