Part of being in Team Guy, aside from being known for their wacky outspoken Sensei and their skintight jumpsuits, was the absurd "training" regimen that said Sensei made them partake in and was infamous amongst other ninja and in the Leaf for.
When they were first assigned as a team, he had stranded his pubescent pupils in some woods near the outskirts of the Village so they could "bond". After a day or two, they got back to the Leaf, irritated and tired. Well, at least two of them. Lee, awestruck and deadest on imitating Might Guy in all his glory, did not see anything wrong with abandoning children in the middle of nowhere without shelter and resources.
That first encounter made the only two sane members of the team (or at least that's how they liked to view themselves as) to form an alliance. A connection one formed with an individual when experiencing a shared trauma if you will.
And so, they did again and again when Might Guy made them climb mountains with only their pointer fingers. When he made them swim backwards against a river current. When he made them train in thin shirts and pants in the dead of winter. When he made them stuff themselves in the ramen shop with the pretext of paying their food for a hard day at training then making them run ten laps around the village. With their hands.
When asked the reasoning behind doing such outrageous exercises, Might Guy would come up with the craziest explanations.
"What if you break some of your fingers and don't have chakra for a Walk-Wall technique? This just might save your life!" Understandable, but the odds of that happening were slim.
"What if someone uses a water technique and tries to drown you?" Reasonable. Could happen. (In the future, this proved to be pointless as they didn't need to swim, being trapped in water prisons didn't allow for it, they just needed to breath!).
"What if the enemy catches you in your underwear in the dead of winter? You have to be ready at all times!" Okay…
"What if the village is attacked just as you are finished eating and you can't help because you're too stuffed?" Sigh.
"This is insane," Tenten, the straight man of the group, would whisper from the corner of her mouth to Neji, the other no-nonsense member of the team, almost in denial.
The Hyuga boy would nod in resentment, yet strangely enough they would follow through with their Sensei's instructions. When questioned about it, they would say that they had learned long ago that resisting would get them nowhere. It was easier to tread a bad road quicky and be done with it…then put up with Might Guy as the saying went.
Today was no different. Usually, Might Guy would try to create a scenario around the question what if after subjecting them to his own twisted idea of training. Training first, explanations later.
However, this time around, Might Guy greeted them with, "What if you were unable to use your strengths in battle?" At the blank stares from his students, he went on to explain, "What if you couldn't use your Drunken Fist or Eight Gates, Lee? What if you couldn't use your scrolls and weapons, Tenten? And what if you couldn't use your Byagukan or Huyga techniques, Neji?"
Lee giggled at the premise, already coming to his own conclusion of what they were going to be doing that morning. Neji and Tenten shared a dreadful look, one their Sensei seemed to ignore as he droned on.
"There is a lot of talent in the Leaf. It's a no brainer that we need to play to our strengths. What works, works. What doesn't, well, you know. You might end up somewhere dead if that's the case. That's why I think the Fundamentals are important in a Ninja's upbringing. When you don't have chakra and special techniques, what kind of ninja are you made of?" He let the question sit in the air for a moment. "What if all those things were stripped away? What would you do then?"
"How is that even a real scenario? There isn't a jutsu or anyone, for that matter, that could make such a thing possible," Neji cynically said as he crossed his arms, already opposed to what Might Guy was going to make them do. "This is absurd."
"Yeah," Tenten agreed quickly, thinking she could plead their case. "It's summer, it's more than 100 degrees out. Can't we take it easy today, Sensei?"
Might Guy stared at his group as if he were actually considering their words.
They were in Lee's secrete dojo at their probing that the sun was going to cause them heat exhaustion, something even their extremist teacher agreed on after persuading him about decaying youth and the sort and were in comfortable training-summer attire.
Tenten was wearing some short black pants and a cropped purple off-shoulder shirt, more revealing than she usually preferred. Neji was sporting a matching set of black pants and a cotton short-sleeve shirt. His normal low hair tie was higher than normal, and a blue band wrapped around his forehead, absorbing preparation. Even Lee ditched his green jumpsuit for a loose Shanghai Tang suit and matching color headband. Sadly, Might Guy was still wearing his. He was already used to having it on 24/7, so nature's elements did not seem to persuade him in the least.
In a serious somber tone, Guy told them, "This will not require a lot of exertion." Then he smiled wide and gave them all a thumbs up, "Besides, what do I always say?"
"The enemy can attack from anywhere at any time," Lee was the only one to respond, way too excitedly. "Of course, Guy Sensei!"
Neji sighed. "What is it that you want us to do exactly?"
Tenten snapped her head at Neji, eyes widening as if to say You're giving in?
"Well, my fellow students," Might Guy said, chuckling as he produced something from his flak jacket pocket. "I have four folds here, one for each of us."
"Oh Sensei, please tell us what we are supposed to do with them!" Lee prodded at his suspenseful pause, one he seemed to do on purpose.
"Your opponent will have to take it from you."
"Sounds easy," Tenten muttered.
"Not quite, my youthful flower. You must wrap it around your strength and only protect it with your weakness."
"You're speaking in riddles now, you're not making sense," Tenten complained, shutting her eyes as if she could make it all go away. As if she could be off on a beach, relaxing, cooled. Far away from crazy.
"It is simple, Tenten," Lee elaborated, his whole being practically vibrating with excitement. "I must keep my opponent from taking my fold without using Drunken Fist or Eight Gates."
Tenten pondered over it for a moment. "That would seem fair, Lee, but you are a pro at Taijutsu, the only thing that doesn't require chakra or any special technique. How is that a challenge?"
"You are right," Lee agreed, his mind working around the problem. Realization painted his face almost automatically. "But remember that the fold is supposed to be wrapped around your strength. Of course, our Sensei anticipated this! I will wrap the fold around my hands, and I will defend myself with my other limbs."
"You go it, Lee," Guy praised, seeming to wipe proud tears out of his eyes. "I will do the same!"
Lee gasped in amazement, his eyes shining with the light of a thousand appreciating stars. "Guy Sensei!"
"Lee," Might Guy practically shouted, "you have made me proud! Because of that, I will be your opponent."
"Guy Sensei, it would be my honor!"
Like that both teacher and student wrapped the folds around their hands and started… doing something. Neji and Tenten stared, heads almost tilted, as they tried to understand the weird scene before them. They were sprawling with their feet, heads, knees, elbows. Ears? Soon, the dojo was too small, and their shouts could be heard outside, all around, scaring every bird nearby.
Tenten looked at the fold in her hands for a second and then at Neji, "Want to ditch this and go grab something cold?"
Neji smirked but remained at the center of the dojo where he ran a finger over the black colored fold. "I don't know. This seems to be an interesting challenge."
"You're kidding, right?" Tenten held herself from smacking her forehead with the heel of her palm. "Has the heat gotten to you?"
Neji shrugged, seeming to debate what to do.
Tenten narrowed her eyes in irritation than lit up as an idea sprung to mind. "Okay. Listen. If you get my fold, ice cream is on me. But if I get your fold, lunch and ice cream is on you."
Neji seemed to hold back a smile. "Well, that doesn't seem fair, Tenten."
Her response was waving the fold in her hand with a roll of her eyes. "Neither is this."
"That would make for a more interesting challenge, setting stakes and whatnot. Deal," Neji agreed with little coaxing, starting to tie the fold around his eyes.
Tenten did not expect Neji to budge so quickly. If he hadn't, she would have figured out what to do with the piece of cloth in her hands. As she watched Neji secure the fold around his eyes, she tried to determine where she should tie hers. Her hands? Sure, she used her hands to summon weapons and wield them, but not using her hands against Neji was suicidal. Just like her eyes. They were key to her accurate targeting but not special like Neji's.
At seeing that he was almost done, Tenten tied it around her thigh, double knotting it just to be sure. Her legs were a special asset she supposed.
"Wait," Neji said, straightening as he realized something. "I didn't see where you tied your fold."
Tenten smirked as if he could see that too. With a sarcastic tone, she said, "Didn't you want a challenge?"
This time Neji smiled with all his pearly white teeth. "More stakes, I see."
"You better not be, though." Tenten started circling Neji, accessing her best course of action. She was trying to be silent on her feet, but it seemed that being temporarily blind was heightening his hearing somehow. "If you're using your Byakugan right now, you're cheating. There's no deal if that's the case!"
"If you want to win, you better not be so loud, Tenten."
With that, Neji threw the first punch. Tenten easily moved out of the way. Though graceful as ever, Neji's strategy was sort of uncoordinated with his newfound blindness. This time she tried to be mindful of the sounds she was making as she turned and kicked him behind the knee.
Neji grunted as he fought for balance. Once regained, he readied his stance and stood in alert. Tenten was earie aware that Neji was facing her straight on, as if he knew she was standing right in front of him.
She thought for a moment, holding her breath in case that would give her position away. She knew she needed to distract Neji long enough to remove his fold. She was sure the knot wasn't even that tied too. He wasn't securing things on a daily basis like she did with her weapons and straps and everything in between. That and he might not want to damage his hair by tangling it in a knot. The thought gave her an idea.
Slowly, she reached for her hair and removed one of the pins holding it in place. She was sure he was honing his hearing like a blacksmith with a sword and every second that passed made it sharper. She was almost certain Neji could hear a pin drop right now. Tenten was going to put that to the test.
She threw the pin to the other side of the dojo. A faint clicking sound could be heard as it hit the wooden floors. It was enough to send Neji sprinting to it. Tenten grinned maliciously. She was right (she almost always was).
As soon as he started running, she followed, matching his footfalls like a perfect shadow. He wouldn't hear her this way. Or so she thought. Tenten supposed she might had kept off tempo at some point because before Neji reached the metal pin on the floor, he abruptly stopped and swung another fist at her.
Luckily Tenten ducked just in time, swinging her legs against his, and brining Neji down with a loud thump.
"Will you stop that," Neji grumbled, already annoyed.
She snickered. "I just like seeing you on your knees, Hyuga." She bit her tongue, another satirical remark on the verge of breaking out. She saw no harm in it, so she said, "Now how can I get you to beg, hm?"
Without a word, he stood up, seemed to contemplate something, and then started clicking his tongue. Tenten was about to make a snarky comment about it but realized what he was doing a second before he charged at her again.
He was using echolocation. Like—like the bats did.
Tenten couldn't even acknowledge what an ingenious idea that was because Neji was coming at her full force. Clearly wanting his revenge. He was landing more hits than before, and she could only keep an offence. Deflecting seemed to be the only feasible thing at the moment.
Neji seemed to delight in this new role reversal and Tenten was loathing him all the more for it. There wasn't anything worse than a man with a superiority complex.
When Tenten rolled on the wooden floor for the fifth time, she let out a curse.
"I like hearing you crawl, Ten," he said with an air of arrogance, holding back a grin.
"Yeah, well, it didn't sound half as cool as mine." She tried to convey an eye roll with the tone of her voice.
Neji shrugged, unbothered with the burden of not being considered aloof or clever, already preparing his stance and inevitable beating. He yawned and she supposed he did it to spite her. "I'm bored. Let's end this. It's not a challenge anymore. I want to get some ice cream."
Tenten scoffed as she got to her feet, concluding that being silent was not going to help her this time around. What could give her an advantage? With this echolocation schtick, he didn't even need his vision. Maybe she needed to do the opposite of what she was doing now. After all, Neji embraced not seeing. He made his weakness a strength.
So… what if she was loud? Maybe that would draw out the sound of the clicking long enough to beat him.
"Want to high the stakes even more?" Tenten practically shouted, sniggering at having startled Neji.
"I don't see how doing that will change the outcome."
Tenten laughed raucously. Neji put a finger on one of his ears, trying to muffle her. She was sure focusing all his concentration on hearing could be a very sensitive experience when someone was being this loud.
At the moment, he didn't seem to catch on to her plan. It wouldn't take long before he did, so she knew she needed to act fast.
"Whoever losses will have to invite Lee and Guy Sensei and pay for their food," she boomed.
"So, you like wasting money and headaches?" Neji summarized, moving as if trying to determine exactly where she could be.
"No," she thundered. "You do!"
Tenten threw herself at Neji, latching to him like a mosquito. He yelped as they struggled for a second before falling to the floor. Once she had a grasp on the fold, she started pulling, amazed that it wouldn't give away as easily as she thought. The knot was tight, but not as tight as the one on her thigh.
One Neji seemed to try to find. He must have known that this fight was going to be over soon and that if he didn't act quick enough, he would have to spend money and have horrible company. Without much method, he started to touch her face and hair, shoulders, arms and hands, her neck and torso.
"Hey," Tenten shrieked as she fought off a chortle at his fingers tickling her bare stomach. With a jolt of frantic panic, she realized that he was searching for her fold. She gathered all her strength and pushed him, rolled until she was on top of him, overpowering him. She tightened her grip on the fold and pulled on it.
It started to give around the same time Neji's hands slid down to her thigh. The triumphal aha! died in her throat. However, it wasn't quite over yet and Tenten started to laugh maniacally as he struggled with the knot.
Something she regretted for those seconds she took to gloat were critical and gave him unbelievable leverage. She could feel the fold around her thigh loosening.
"No, you don't," she grumbled as the fold in her hands started to give away, Neji's hair already wild and free.
"We'll see," was the last thing Tenten heard as he used all his strength to push her off him, rolling one more time, making him be on top this time.
In the process Tenten ripped his fold and headband, digging three of her nails on one side of his face. She could feel his fingers on her thigh, a death grip, as he tried to pull the fold off her leg, elevating it in a rather immodest position.
They stared at each other shocked, both panting and out of breath. Slowly she saw Neji's face go red, and she felt a flush all over her body as his overly invading touch registered at last, like a burning path. Something he must have borne as well—she wondered if his hands were scorching too. Not only that, but the nearness and strange arrangement they found themselves in seemed to be overbearingly inescapable. There was nowhere else to look.
Incongruously, they didn't seem uncomfortable in the slightest. Quite the opposite.
The moment seemed to stretch, his hand still on her thigh, his touch easing but not letting go. He seemed to be fighting over what to do. Tenten place a gentle hand on his forearm, putting his mind at ease. As if commanding him to stay.
He swallowed at the underlining implications but didn't move. She looked at his lips before flickering to his lavender eyes, a question in her brown irises. He did the opposite. He stared at her eyes and then her lips, an answer. They both seemed to be thinking the same thing.
What if…
Neither did anything.
Impatiently, Tenten arched her back and lifted her face, an open invitation now. Neji seemed surprised for only a second but leaned down without much convincing, his hair fanning out like a curtain protecting them from the outside world. Both of their eyes were wide, surprised at what they were about to do. As they got closer, their lids started to close, heavy. Their breathes mingled together, both nervous and fretful.
Yet, before their lips could touch, Lee and Guy's shouting broke them from the spell they were under. They both shot up with a startle, looking sheepishly at one another.
"You're bleeding," Tenten gasped as soon as she noticed…she had been so preoccupied before.
Tentatively, Neji put a hand on the three scratches running along one side of his face. He examined his fingers after, looking at the red drops. "I guess I am."
"Hold on."
She ran off to where she had dropped her bag, rummaging through the contents until she found what she was looking for. Then she made her way back and sat on the floor, cleaning and putting some band aids on the small wound.
"Did I hurt you?" He asked after she was done, motioning to her thigh.
"I'm fine," she answered quickly, even as she knew she might end up with bruises the next day. She would just have to avoid wearing shorts for a while. For both of their sakes.
Neji looked at her as if weighing her words and their veracity. He closed his eyes, seeming too distracted, and sighed, "I guess this means you won. I never got your fold."
Tenten hadn't realized until he pointed it out. She chuckled, feeling embarrassed at how she accomplished that. At what they were about to do. It seemed wrong to make him pay for lunch and dessert now. "Better yet, let's make this a tie." She removed the fold on her thigh and place it on his hand. He looked at her curiously. "You treat us to lunch, and I'll treat us to ice cream."
He seemed to think about her offer for a moment. "What about Lee and Guy?"
"They don't have to know." Tenten smiled, feeling shy for some whole other reason. It felt like fear and a swarm of a million butterflies bubbling in her stomach. "It can be just us."
Neji seemed flustered for a moment, as if debating some inner monologue. Moments later, he grinned, his eyes crinkling. A strange sight to behold. "It's a deal."
Later, when Rock Lee and Might Guy finally walked in, announcing their teammate had bested his teacher, he looked at Neji's bandaged face and Tenten's bruised thigh and said, "I think this went better than I expected."
A/N: Hi, guys. I was working hard this week to get this out for NejiTen month. Did you notice they were dressed in their Ending 15 attire and the shout out to Lee's dojo that was never mentioned in the series before? Leave reviews with your thoughts. My sister said it was cheesy fun. What do you guys think? See ya on the next one.