All I can say right now is this: Stupid LSS.

Kankuro: Her newest LSS is 'I'd Lie' by Taylor Swift. Thank goodness this shot isn't a song fic.

Me: -goes to YouTube-

Kankuro: And here she is, ready for her dose of the song. –puts on ear muffs-

Me: Oh, by the way, this was requested by coke.pepsi.sprite, a good friend of mine.

To coke.pepsi.sprite: Damn, I am sure that this is good enough.

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Hasn't it gone through your mind by this time?

Note: Academy days. When they were about 5 years old or so. And it's pretty short, I guess.

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NejiTen One-Shot Number Twenty-Five:

"Greatest Dream"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Every brush stroke was foreign. Each smudge was different. All of the colors failed to merge.

Her wrist would jerk sharply as she tried to coat one side with the paint and the stroke would become misled, resulting into another mistake. Frustration got the best of her and, again, she whines then takes the other brush and dips it into the white. With this, she covers the error.

Indeed, a painter always finds the first smudge of color to be the most difficult to find right. Even if the picture is definite in their head, even if it's in front of them, they'd never know how to start correctly, as if every attempt was wrong.

When the canvas has returned to its flawless state, she clicked her tongue and contemplated once again. Was it a good decision to even begin? She had no experience and she, definitely, wasn't famous for painting.

And with this, she heaved a swift sigh before she let her brush slide against the black paint this time.

A little shaky, Tenten ran the brush bristles against the canvas yet again, creating a streak of ebony contradicting to the pale canvas. The lone river of color sparkled under the light, ironically. How ebony and ivory seemed to blend was amazing.

Satisfied with her move, she soaks the brush bristles in black, darkening the first streak.

To her, it'd become a great masterpiece. She was so sure that'd it be so marvelous that everyone would love it. Da Vinci would envy her. It was so because she had given her all, her heart and soul, into making the painting.

Several directions flew through the color, the strokes easily seen. When she was glad with what she saw, she picked up another brush, a clean one, and coated it with a refreshing hue of apricot, a rare mixture of orange and countless blots of white.

Tenten loved mixing the colors together to formulate a new one whenever she needed. It made her feel supreme, especially since her classmates and friends didn't know how to mix paints yet.

Again, the magic begins. Tenten slices her arm through the air as she paints onto the canvas, piecing her creation like a puzzle, carefully yet enjoyably. It made her grin just thinking of what it would look like in the end.

With the apricot and black finally in place perfectly, she smiles thinly and her brown eyes sparkle with desire.

She drops the brush into a container of water nearby, beside her palette, and vigorously beats it with the water to melt the paint away. As she did, the apricot transforms the water into another tint, miraculously in such a child's eyes.

When she was sure that most of the paint has gone, she smeared a generous amount of handsome silver and began to splatter it cautiously onto the apricot, overlapping the two colors without combining them. To her, those silver orbs were the highlight of her work.

The silver had the most magic, a spell that has bound her from the very first time she saw them. A spell that was unbreakable. A spell she had no plans of running away from. A spell of enchantment… delight… romance…

Finished with the silver, Tenten dipped her brush in some gray and started to form something yet again, watching the form so that she didn't destroy the picture in her mind that would soon become her magnum opus.

There was still time, but all she could do next was stare at her incomplete work. She couldn't help but sigh dreamily. Why couldn't things like these just come alive before her very eyes?

She gazed around to find the world indifferent. Everyone had their own focus on their own work. It didn't matter. As long as her masterpiece was there before her, she was fine. Nobody had to tell her that it was beautiful. She already believed it to be so.

And there, when she was sure the paint was nearly dry, she took her pen out from her back pocket and popped the cover off. With that, she leaned forward and ran the point across the apricot, running a thin line that curved up. When this was done, she backed a little and smiled.

Perfect, that's what it was.

Immediately, she raised her hand and exclaimed, "Sensei, I'm done! I'm done with my painting!"

All eyes turned to her and, eventually, everyone had gathered around her, every classmate and her sensei. Seeing this, her sensei grinned and began, "Well, alright. Today's Art class' theme is dreams. Explain your work, Tenten."

With that, Tenten nodded fervently and quickly began as everyone watched her prepare, "Because the theme is dreams, I decided to make a painting of my greatest dream. And here it is! Nice, isn't it?" She held her hand out, pointing her painting out to everyone.

The other students, girl or boy, stared back at the frozen image on her canvas. The colors were finely chosen, compared to everyone else's, and it indeed could've been Tenten's best work so far. But then, someone questioned, "I… I don't get it, Tenten. How is this your greatest dream?"

Strangely, Tenten was glad that someone asked. Proudly, she beamed and explained wholeheartedly…

"This is a painting of Neji-kun in a tuxedo at our wedding."

True as it is, her amateur painting depicted an image of a pony-tailed boy with silver eyes in a gray tuxedo. His smile felt heavenly and he looked at Tenten with joy in his tiny, lifeless eyes. Indeed, it was Neji Hyuga.

At the statement, everyone fell silent, including Neji, who was standing in the back of the crowd. His blank stare remained the same, yet something made him want to thinly curve his lips up in happiness. Even if this was so, no one could tell.

Then, the anonymous voice came, "You think Neji would actually marry you? That's weird!"

Laughter followed and Tenten's world felt like it had turned into a blur. Amused faces haunted her in every direction and the humiliating laughter was melting her on the spot. Tears formed heavily in her eyes as she glared back at every face that mocked her…

… until he stepped forward.

He was there, out of the crowd, and in front of her with a plain smile on. He held his canvas in his hands as he gazed back at her. It shocked her to find him in such a state. She thought he'd be laughing with them or even fuming.

And Neji showed off his painting of a brown locked kunoichi with gorgeous eyes, a blush on her cheeks and a white gown. It was definitely Tenten in a wedding dress, no doubt about it.

She grinned happily with him as he said...

"I like your painting, Tenten. It matches mine."

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I know the story feels incomplete, but believe me: It's enough.

Kankuro: I sure am glad that you didn't paint me…

Me: I painted Kabuto…

Kankuro: What?!

Me: Kidding. –takes out painting- I painted you!

Kankuro: Oh, gawd!

Me: Make up your mind, will ya?!