Disclaimer:I don't own Naruto
DEDICATION: This chapter is dedicated to BleedingHeartHeiress for reviewing all the way from chapter one ;) you're so awesome!!
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DO YOU?
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It was in the early morning hours that Neji sat waiting in the middle of his team's training grounds. He was growing increasingly irritated that his usually punctual sparring partner was two hours late. At first he had worried that something may have happened to her, but knowing that Tenten was fully capable of taking care of herself, he began to grow increasingly angry. Though it was very unlike Tenten to bail on practice, this piece of information didn't much help to squash the Hyuga's growing fury.
As the rising sun's first rays began to paint the morning sky, Neji stood from his spot up against the tree; he had had enough. He quickly began making his way through the forest, headed straight for Tenten's house. Though he had been to Tenten's house a handful of times, usually only to walk her to the door, he always seemed to have trouble finding the place. The fact was, Tenten lived on the opposite side of Konoha from the Hyuga compound, an area Neji was not all too familiar with.
After searching tirelessly with his Byakugan, his eyes finally found a familiar house in what, he presumed, was the right neighborhood. As he approached the front door, he became certain that it was the house he had been searching for. He was within seconds of barging through the door in a fit of rage, but being the stoic Jounin that he was, he calmed himself enough to appear outwardly cool and collected. On the inside, his mind was clouded by the desire to break the door down and drag Tenten out of house to go training, but being the genius that he was, he didn't want to ruin his icy image by showing such intense emotion. Pushing his frustration down, he calmly knocked on the wooden door.
Neji could hear a pair of heavy footsteps on the other side of the door. Out of proper etiquette, he never used his byakugan to see into other rooms unless he were on a mission and it was a necessity; but even without his bloodline-limit, he knew those footsteps could not possibly belong to the petite Tenten.
The door opened and a man stood before Neji, a stern look on his face. "Who are you?" the man demanded in a deep and intimidating voice.
Neji was never one to be easily intimidated, but even he felt a slight sliver of fear run down his spin as he looked up at the looming figure before him. The man seemed to be taller than any one Neji had ever seen, easily a half a foot taller than even Jiraiya. The man had dark hair, piercing brown eyes, chiseled features, and a broad build. From the looks of him, Neji could surmise that the man was an experienced Shinobi, though he'd never seen the man before.
"Hyuga Neji." Neji responded, successfully recovering his initial apprehension. He wasn't sure what it was about the man, but there was something that made the usually fearless Hyuga, feel like a small timid child.
"Ryoku.(1) Leave the poor boy alone." a familiar voice called out from behind the man who stood almost as a human wall, completely covering the owner of the soft voice from Neji's line of sight.
"ffh." the giant man groaned before turning to face his wife.
"Oh, hello Neji-san." A petite Chinese woman walk forwards from behind the large shinobi.
"Good morning Mrs. Furi-iki." (2) Neji slightly bowed before the small woman.
"You know this boy, Xiu-Juan?" Ryoku asked the woman besides him.
"Of course," Xiu-Juan (3) smiled up at her husband. "This is Neji-san, Tennie's friend."
"Tenten's friend?" Ryoku intensified his glare on the young man outside his door. He'd known upon opening the door to the handsome youth that he didn't like the look of him, Ryoku just hadn't been sure why exactly that was… until now. "Tenten's not home." he informed the young man through clenched teeth.
"…" Neji tensed almost visibly.
"Please come in Neji-san." Xiu-Juan motioned for the boy to come in, moving her husband from blocking the door, "Tenten-chan will be back soon." she informed him, before pulling him in herself.
"Where did Tenten go?" Neji asked after sitting down at the breakfast table, where Xiu-Juan set a cup of tea before him and Ryoku.
"Tsunade-sama called her to her office early this morning." Xiu-Juan proudly replied.
"Hn." Neji took a sip of his tea.
"So tell me Neji." Ryoku's loud voice broke Neji away from his cup of tea. "How exactly do you know my daughter?"
"We're teammates." Neji responded almost automatically.
"So you've known each other a long time." Ryoku questioned, glaring intensely at the young Hyuga.
"Hai." Neji replied in the affirmative, trying not to be intimidated by the older shinobi's glare.
"Neji is the teammate Tennie trains with every day." Xiu-Juan informed her husband.
"Is that right?" Ryoku asked, a mixture of irritation and approval in his tone.
"Hai." Neji replied calmly.
"So you're the reason my little girl's out the door every morning at 4am?" Ryoku intensified his glare on the Hyuga.
"She's a very dedicated Kunoichi." Neji replied.
"That she is." Ryoku softened his gaze upon hearing Neji's complement.
"She takes after her father." Xiu-Juan informed Neji with a proud smile.
"Are you a weapon's master as well?" Neji inquired curiously; he'd often wondered where Tenten had learned to master her weapons so well.
"Hai." Ryoku smirked, "Although I'm certain my little Tenten-chan will be much more skilled than I am soon enough." he proudly beamed.
"Hn." A still silence fell upon the two as Neji contemplated this thought. Neji didn't know how talented Ryoku may have been, though from the look of him, the boy was certain he was no easy adversary, but he was certain the man spoke the truth; Tenten would indeed one day surpass the greatest weapon masters of all time, in that, Neji had no doubt.
"Do you have feelings for my daughter?" Ryoku asked, breaking the silence that had fallen upon the trio as Neji took a sip of his tea, losing himself in his inner thoughts.
"…" The cup Neji had been holding in his hand fell crashing down to the floor, shattering into tiny pieces as the young man remained frozen in place from the shock. Xiu-Juan immediately ran over to the broken cup and began pick up the pieces as Neji and Ryoku continued staring at one another; Ryoku, to see Neji's reaction to his question, and Neji out of sheer shock.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home." Tenten yelled out as she walked through the door. "Neji. What are you doing here?" she asked upon seeing the Hyuga.
"…" Neji broke from his trance, quickly turning to face Tenten.
"Oh no." Tenten gasped, "I'm soooo sorry Neji." she pleaded, "I completely forgot to have someone tell you about my meeting with the Hokage."
"Hn." Neji regained some of his usual composure.
"I'm sorry, I promise I'll make it up to you." Tenten did her best puppy dog eyes.
"Hn." Neji stood from his chair and politely bowed to Tenten's parents. "Thank you for the tea."
"You're welcome Neji-kun, come back anytime." Xiu-Juan smiled cheerfully, having already picked up the broken pieces of his forgotten cup.
"Yes Hyuga, it was a pleasure to meet you." Ryoku added.
"And you as well." Neji replied. He began walking towards the door. "Tenten."
"Oh, coming." she turned and followed the young man, "Bye, I'll see you later." she called out to her parents before walking out the door.
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"So what'd you think?" Tenten asked, as the two teammates began their spar.
"About?" Neji asked, though he was certain he knew what the girl was referring to.
"That was the first time you met my father right?" Tenten asked.
"Hai." Neji responded, as he dodged a kunai.
"Well?" Tenten asked again, pulling out her scrolls.
"You resemble him." Neji replied, moving into a defensive pose.
"Really? Most people think I resemble my mom." Tenten replied, preparing to call out her first barrage of weapons.
"Hn." Neji smirked. It's true that physically Tenten resembled her petite mother, but he had seen her at her most intimidating, and that was something he definitely saw her inheriting from her father, whom was the only person besides Tenten who could send shivers down his spin.
"I think you made a good impression on him." Tenten replied.
"Hn." Neji grunted, but truthfully he really hoped that Ryoku had liked him, after all, he wouldn't want to have a man like that angry at him.
"So…" Tenten smirked, as she twirled a kunai between her fingers.
"…" Neji arched a perfectly chiseled brow indicating her was waiting for her to continue.
"Do you?" she simply asked.
"Do I?" Neji repeated, feeling slightly unnerved by Tenten's smirk and the fact that she was no longer paying attention to the spar, having dropped her weapons and began moving towards him.
"Do you?" Tenten smirked, inching closer towards him; the smirk never leaving her face.
"Do…" Neji suddenly froze, realizing what Tenten was asking. "Hn." (4)
"Well?…" she asked, looking directly into his eyes; the two mere inches apart.
Neji took the opportunity to lean in closer. They're eyes meeting for a brief moment before Neji closed the small gap between them and lowered his lips onto hers.
"I thought so." Tenten smiled after the two broke their kiss.
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THE END (5)
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(1) Ryoku means Strength and Power. I wanted to make the name fit the description of the intimidating man I was
(2) Furi means Free, Iki- means spirit… I don't know, I had the hardest time coming up with a last name for Tenten, I kept thinking Heaven and Earth would work, but Heaven kept coming up Ten, and come on, Tenten Ten… that's a little took much. So anyway… this will do.
(3) Chinese name that means Elegant and graceful.
(4) in case you didn't get it, she was asking Neji if he had feeling for her. So basically she had heard what Ryoku said before she walked in and interrupted.
(5) Not really since this story ended up being expanded in WIND AND DRAGON
A/N:Ummm… I'm not so sure how I feel about this… it was initially supposed to be a oneshot of Tenten's dad being a little over protective and not liking Neji all that much… but then it turned into this… You know what, I might end up rewriting this a little and making it into a longer chapter story… but not until I have more time… for now I'll be a oneshot…
