A/N;; j23d - Thank you for your review, glad you're enjoying it so far. I try to take on each character personally. Never actually reading Naruto, I have just been basing them off what I've seen (strictly anime). Tenten is always up for interpretation, and I wish she had been featured a little more in the series. Her free will and views on gender equality don't exactly scream innocent, but definitely not girly. It's interesting that you mention Sakura as being less visibly emotional because I see Sakura as being a pretty emotional woman. Like you said, this being Suigetsu's POV, Tenten's development will evolve alongside his. Their dramatic similarities/differences are what attracted me to writing them together. Suigetsu is only a little easier because of his distinct personality. Thanks again for your feedback and for following. :)


Tenten crossed her arms at the sight in front of her, stifling a sigh. What the hell was he doing?

She hadn't really thought he'd turn down the invitation in the first place, but when he told her to come to the inn he was staying at.. she never imagined finding him like this.

Suigetsu was floating happily on his back in the river, donning only gray pants as swimwear. He truly seemed to not have a care in the world.

She didn't even know this place had a body of water behind it.

"Uh, I'm supposed to be showing you around, remember?"

Was he this much of a water fanatic?

"Um, yeah, I know. But isn't this cool?" He carelessly spurted water from his mouth, drenching his hair simultaneously. "Am I lucky or what? A room with this kind of view!"

"Sure," Tenten took a step back from sparkling water, uncrossing both arms. "You ready or what?"

"Don't rush me," Suigetsu fused into one liquid substance briefly, hoisting himself up onto the bank athletically. He made a point to flex his muscles as part of his show-off. You don't just pass up that opportunity, no matter who you are.

The weapons user tried not to blush at the shirtless view she was given. Could he be any more obvious? "Where's your sword?"

He gestured to a nearby tree that was, indeed, plainly conspicuous. "You didn't think I actually let it out of my sight, did you?"

Just because she used his sword as a diversion didn't mean for a second that he missed her checking him out.

He might have wished she reacted differently subconsciously—if only his ego were less superficial about her interest in Kubikiribōchō. He could practically feel the envy radiate from her being.. it doesn't surprise him in the least, but what does surprise him is that he's able to read her easier than most women.

Almost as if she couldn't trust him to wield such a tool.. how insulting.

Water dripped from every inch of his body, sliding off his roots and down over his toned chest. The look on his face just screamed, 'cocky bastard'. She felt like he knew so much about her life and passion—a good part of what drove her, and yet she knew very little about Suigetsu himself—he could say he wasn't a mystery all he wanted. So far, not one person had vouched for him.

She had to believe that he had seen dark times in his past, going off of his outburst the other day.. or maybe it wasn't just in his past. Still, she wasn't the best at reading people to begin with. She could have been blowing her assumptions out of proportion. But she couldn't shake the thought of there being something so different about him. So, so different. He wasn't someone to be figured out quickly.

Anyway, if she had a type, he was definitely not the fit.

Tenten scoffed lightly. "Oh, wow. I'm surprised it isn't rigged with traps."

"How'd you know?"

"Seriously?'

"Why don't you test it?"

"Unbelievable," She huffed at him. "let's go."

"Aw, c'mon, don't be like that," Suigetsu took on a patronizing front, something she didn't know him well enough to see through. "In fact, I was just thinking.."

The brunette raised both eyebrows expectantly.

"You've done so much for me lately," He smiled artificially, "that I might even let you sharpen Kubikiribōchō now."

"For real? You mean it?" Tenten couldn't help but get excited, eyes practically bursting with cheerful plea. "Seriously?"

"No way!" He crushed her hopes like they were tangible dreams. "are you kidding me? I couldn't help myself."

"You jerk!"

'How could I ever fall for that?', she immediately reprimanded herself. Too good to be true. He must've treated the thing like it was his baby. It seemed like his ultimate goal was to get rises out of people.

"Hahaha! You should've seen your face! That's hilarious!"

Tenten let her temper flare, backhanding his shoulder roughly. She forgot all about his strange water powers, pulling her hand away once it became soaked. "You really are a piece of work, you know that?"

"Ouch," He faked pain so maybe she wouldn't hit him again. "I told you, it's nothing personal."

This guy was a new breed of obnoxious. He should've known that was like a cruel joke to her. It had been the golden opportunity to dash her hopes. To see and really fight somebody with that one of a kind sword.. and he was just the perfect combination of skill and flamboyant personality. She was all too jealous of it, in reality.

And he knew it. He knew it because he had been the same way.

But that only made it twice as fun to annoy her.

She couldn't help but wonder in the back of her mind if what Karin and Ino said were true.. if he really was just some arrogant jackass. If he wasn't worth the trouble, if he pretended to relate to someone of her rank, if he had some type of secret connection to Orochimaru.. or worse, if he had underlying intentions.

Why would he waste his time on her?

Would there necessarily be some sort of gain?

If she went by what he said, he was visiting Konoha and didn't plan on staying. She had thought of a few potential reasons he would be in the Leaf—however, he didn't seem connected to anything in particular. And on top of that, it looked like Suigetsu kept deliberate distance from the few connections he did have.

Anyhow, it wasn't like the Hidden Mist and Hidden Leaf had a stellar relationship, even now.. Peaceful times didn't set anything in stone for real ninja. Or at least—not yet. He could just be filling them out for investigative research. Or getting information out of them only to report back somewhere.. was there a possibility that he was still a bad guy? Absolutely. There was no way, though, right?

Tenten grappled with these feelings in a positive manner so far. Paranoia gave her the authority to stay somewhat calm. She was sure she was overestimating him. But then again, she could've been completely wrong about every assumption. But she couldn't bring her guard down, truthfully. Even if she wanted to. The one thing that stood out, though.. it was strange to her that he didn't wear a metal headband. She wondered where his loyalties were. Or where they were currently lying. She had learned to take most of what he said with a grain of salt. She tried not to give off the impression that she was studying him analytically. At least—she hoped he wouldn't be one to notice.

Suigetsu didn't seem privy to overthinking, slipping in to his magenta shirt and adjusting his belts. He doesn't bother to dry off. "So, where do we start?"

"Well," This would be as good of an opportunity as any, she realized, to get to know him better. "what would you want to see? Konoha has it all."

'Familiarize with the Leaf'. He had to force himself to be open-minded. Were all Leaf shinobi a mixture of overconfidence and indiscriminate friendliness? It was so foreign and new to him—he couldn't allow himself to care for it, really.

"Hey, how about the training grounds?" Tenten proposed thoughtfully, scanning his expression for a reaction.

"Fine by me," Suigetsu shifted his weight and smirked mischievously, "and food. We should definitely go get food later. Treat me to something good."

W-What? Was she reading too far into things again or did he just suggest a date? No, that was crazy. They barely knew each other, after all. They were just friends.. if she was lucky enough to get him to trust her. And she was having trouble with that alone..

"S-Sure, what do you like?"

"I'll eat anything, really." Suigetsu went on to list, "Meat, poultry, steamed vegetables, flesh.."

"Flesh?" Tenten echoed, receiving a satisfied look in response.

"Oh, my bad.. I must've meant to say fresh."

She could be pretty fun to mess with, he thought. Free entertainment.

The brunette bit the inside of her cheek, glaring at him sideways. Was he really just trying to fuck with her? He must have come from somewhere duller than his personality, that was for sure.

"Come to think of it.." Suigetsu trailed off, stroking his chin. He followed this up with a quaint smile. He didn't want to scare her off yet. "I don't much care for cuttlefish."

With how jagged those teeth looked, he certainly wouldn't have any problem tearing through some human skin. She almost shuddered at the image.

"So," She broke off ahead, clearing her throat. "you like to swim?"

"I love to swim," The Hōzuki was much more interested in that topic. "water is a great camouflage, you know."

He walked side-by-side, leaving her to lead the way. Might as well try to make some pleasant conversation and kill time.

Tenten could tell right off the bat that he was a sneaky style of fighter. He had the best means of intimidating his victim—or victims.. The way he carried himself, the way he spoke too bluntly, the way he didn't even flinch when an ANBU guard approached him and tapped his shoulder. And last but not least, he always had a hidden weapon in his technique if needed. No matter how he acted otherwise, she guessed he had been extensively trained in discipline.

If not for the fact she caught him off-guard, he would have won their fight without a doubt.

She would've loved to see what that blade was capable of in full-scale battle. She wondered if..

"What's it like for you around here, anyway?" Suigetsu asked randomly, wanting some honest opinions of shinobi. He also wanted to get a better idea of her experience as a kunoichi. Usually, he wouldn't be curious about another village and its inhabitants. But she had proved to him that she wasn't downright average. She seemed worthy enough of his judgment, and that was a good compliment coming from him. "your team faced any tough opponents?"

"Well, one in particular you might know.."

"Oh yeah? Doubt it," He belittled her sudden change in tone.

"Kisame Hoshigaki."

Suigetsu stiffened, pausing to think back on his elder and their interactions. He has to focus on moving his feet while avoiding her gaze. "Really? When?"

"Around the time Akatsuki was fairly active," She closed her eyes briefly, "he trapped my team and I in three water prisons with three shadow clones. Even our sensei had to tackle him head-on."

His hand tightened around his sword momentarily. "—Yeah. His blade sure will be a hard snag."

"He was strong."

"Trust me, I know. He was in the previous generation of swordsmen that I used to train under. That is, before he went rogue."

"What did you think of him?"

"I wish I could have finished up my battle with him," Suigetsu felt a bit discouraged, "hell, I'm surprised your team survived the Monster of the Hidden Mist. That's something to put on your résumé."

"You'd go up against him on your own?" She looked at him like he was crazy. "he was one of the toughest opponents I've ever seen. We found out later that he wasn't even using half of his strength. It was just part of some plot to stall us."

"Sounds like him, alright," He added before wisecracking, "good thing I'm not afraid to kill someone from my own village!"

Tenten didn't know if he meant that as a joke.. or not. She must've displayed a healthy amount of skepticism in her expression.

"Oh, no, I don't think you understand. You know I was raised to be a prodigy in murder, right?"

"I would've said you had swordsman skill when we first met—but nothing like that.. To be honest—I knew the second I saw it. The Executioner's Blade is nothing to be messed with. I'll admit that those water techniques are awfully dangerous. I've never seen anything like you, Suigetsu. I can't doubt that kind of proficiency." She sped up her pace a bit, hoping the compliment wouldn't rush to his head. "I imagine you would have a hard time making that up. Especially if you've lived through the reign of the Blood Mist."

Suigetsu expected she would know the minimum about that. Something so dark was not to be discussed very often. Life for a child in academy training at the Leaf would be a cakewalk compared to Kiri a number of years ago. He had no trouble living through them, but his tales could scare any ordinary individual.

Still, she proved to be more perceptive than he thought. Most of her reasoning was spot on—he hadn't decided if he appreciated that or not.

"I've never seen anything like you, Suigetsu." He just had to play off those words. Flattery was a newer emotion to him. He had felt a lot of other people's emotions on him before—whether he wanted to or not. Disappointment, wonderment, frustration, mistrust, disbelief.. but to hear something like that was special. Maybe not to others, but he strangely found himself wanting more praise.

"Sure, Kirigakure is peaceful now. But I was trained to kill. To kill multiple foes at once. To never hesitate and always kill. To strike them dead with one fatal blow."

"You must excel at intimidation, then."

'Broads,' He thought to himself, switching on the charm. She was ignorant of how menacing he could be. "Who said anything about that? You wouldn't just warm up to a crazed killer now, would you?"

"Would you quit bragging on yourself, sheesh. You act like you're the only ninja who's seen war here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He became defensive, wondering what the point was if he couldn't gloat on himself. Why couldn't girls just say what they meant? He never appeared to pick up on social cues.

"I saw things that I had never even considered before.. Up until the war began—I was just a kunoichi lucky enough to survive up until now. I always thought I'd go up against powerful enemies, but the fact that I'm so lucky to be alive..."

"So everyone almost dies a few times," Suigetsu said in a carefree tone. "rolls right off your back, right?"

She stopped at a wooden post embedded with shuriken from her last training session. She wondered about that a lot, lately.

How lucky she was to be alive. After war and every mission she'd ever gone on. How some weren't as blessed with that opportunity.. after the relentless fight for peace.

"Did you do this?" The swordsman stood next to a target, anticipating her nod. So, she has good aim. "..wanna see something actually cool?"

Before Tenten got the chance to respond, he used both hands to form something like a water gun. The instantaneous loud bang nearly ruptured her eardrums. Bullets of pure liquid had turned both pieces of equipment into obliterated rubble.

"Okay—whoa. Was that water?"

Suigetsu was very pleased to show her up, "Yep. So in other words.. even without a sword, I'm golden."

He gestured to the post with his now-freed hand. "Your art may be weaponry, but mine's murder for sure—and that beats it all."

Tenten's cheeks flushed, annoyed by his flashy behavior at last. "Why can't you just give compliments like a normal person!?"

Analytic nature would only go to waste on someone like Suigetsu.

"Maybe because I'm the farthest thing from a normal person."

That he was.


"I appreciate your condolences."

Tenten dipped her head at the stoic man dressed in robe. She almost couldn't find the words— she didn't even think the first stage had kicked in yet.

"Please let us know if you need anything."

"I should offer you the same," He reached out to grasp her shoulder, and it nearly broke her. "you lost a good friend and a teammate. I think you and Lee are faring quite well. Please.. continue your duties as ninja."

"Neji would be proud of the both of you."

"Thank you, sir."

The senior Hyūga didn't waste time getting lost in the many stages of grieving. "I owe you an apology. As his uncle, you would think I'd be more capable of protecting him. And now I've lost the best Hyūga heir and failed my brother in more ways than one. I wish I could have done things differently."

Tenten didn't believe he owed her any sort of explanation, and his vulnerability was unsettling. "Please, don't worry about us. We will carry on Neji's legacy. I'll see to it personally that you are not let down."

Hiashi smiled gently, bowing his head. "You are a formidable kunoichi, Tenten. Thank you."

Her unwavering composure and sorrow nearly swallowed her whole, and she couldn't handle it much longer. That piteous stare, that overly-serious tone, that man who was finally regretting his mistakes.

"Neji would have made a wonderful suitor to you. However, I hardly think that matters any more."

She didn't like what he suggested at first, begging herself to stay strong. The pride of being a war hero didn't compare to the feeling of death. The casualty rate was high, but she had believed he would be the last to die. Why Konoha Eleven suddenly felt so much smaller—what it was like to lose someone you cared so much about. Why the repercussions had just started hitting her.. it outweighed any glory and absolutely any regret. Neji Hyūga was a precious comrade who never lost his cause. They couldn't begin to think of replacing him. And when she heard someone like Hiashi talk like that—she wanted to believe it and not believe it at the same time.

Regardless, it only caused the ache in her chest to worsen. And made it so much more difficult to let go.

"I must be going now. Forgive me."

Tenten swiftly passed by some of the memorials laid for Neji on her way out.

It was too much.

Why—why did he have to die?!

She snatched one from the ground, tears finally falling out of glaring eyes.

Their team would never soar beyond without him..

He was so selfish.

He was always selfish.

But his death proved—he wasn't as selfish as she wanted to believe.

Everyone admired Neji, but if he ever thought of her as more than a teammate, then..

He had no right to keep it to himself.

And now she would never get the chance to know.

Tenten felt like she was climbing through the pits of denial, begrudgingly and pointlessly. She couldn't allow herself to accept this yet—because she had admired him from afar and never done anything about it. If it was her fault for being so young and dumb.. for so long.

Would they have worked out eventually?

She couldn't turn a blind eye to the blossoming relationships amongst their friends, and she might have dreamed of a happy ending one day.. and it didn't get any more ideal than Neji Hyūga. While inspiring and touching, Tenten just knew she was overshooting.

They were trained together in synchrony with one another, and for years—it would never be the same. She struggled to cut the bond psychologically. Wishing they could just talk one more time..

There would be no Sakura and Sasuke love story for them, or even a Naruto and Hinata love story. There was no teammate for every girl to fall in love with. Fate could be a cruel reality, and she refused to be tortured by the unknown. She was a formidable kunoichi, and her personal feelings would only hinder their overall performance. Tenten would never question life's meaning, and she would never turn her back on Neji's legacy. No matter what her emotions screamed, she refused to give into them. He was not bound by her feelings, that much was clear. He was never hers to consider.

But he would've made a fine choice.