Tenten; 6 Years Later

Age 19

-His Choice-

What had happened two nights before wasn't a fluke.

But if that was the case, why wasn't Lee calling me?

He still didn't let go of Garu. I could see why, though. She was a beautiful girl who was also very nice to him. She loved him, I could see that much. Usually we didn't let things get out of hand but…well…

I guess that's why he wasn't calling…

This wouldn't be so hard if Garu wasn't so nice…

It was now going to be put to rest, though. And, even though I promised myself I'd never do this, I was going over to Lee's house at this very moment to ask him to choose between Garu and myself.

I couldn't live like this.

Half of it was the guilt…but the other half was me. I wanted Lee all to myself and didn't want to share him.

I climbed up Lee's front steps and went to knock.

I hesitated.

Then I took a deep breath. If I could brave the Forest of Death then I could easily just TALK to Lee. That's all we were going to do after all…

Just…TALK…

Finally, I knocked on the door.

It opened up and Lee was there.

"Tenten!" he said.

"Hi Lee." I said.

"I—meant to call you…" Lee stuttered. "Come in."

I nodded and went inside. What was I doing? I couldn't ask him to choose. I was going about this all wrong…

But if I didn't ask him now then I'd tear him apart!

"Lee, I have to ask you." I said. "Do you love me? Or is this just a fling?"

"I do love you." Lee said, grabbing me by the hands. His hands weren't soft, but they were certainly strong.

I couldn't look at him.

"Do you love Garu?" I asked quietly.

I felt his grip on my hands loosening.

I understood. Things weren't ever going to move from this spot. I felt tears start flowing down my face as I turned away from him so he couldn't see me crying, even though it was quite obvious that I was.

"I have to go." I said.

"Tenten, wait, please." Lee said.

I waited. I wanted him to tell me that he didn't love Garu.

That's when I saw someone coming up the front steps. HER. It was Garu.

"Hi Lee!" she called since she could see us both. "Hi Tenten!"

I turned away from where she was coming. I didn't need her to see me crying either.

"Oh…" she said. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No." I said. "Nothing at all. I was just leaving."

"Don't you want to stay for a little while?" Garu asked.

"No, that's all right." I said, walking by her and out the door. She waved to me.

"Bye Tenten." Said Lee quietly.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't hate Garu. I just couldn't.

So what now?

I got rejected from Neji pretty harshly. I thought my heart could never love again.

But then I loved Lee.

And got rejected again.

Would my heart be able to recover for a second time?

I saw Sakura ahead of me. She was leaning over a fence and looking at the Uchiha residence. She above all people knew about recovery. Something clicked in her last year and she suddenly became the same old Sakura that I remembered back before the world got complicated.

She was completely captivated by the home that she didn't even notice my approach. I quickly wiped away my tears and took a deep breath.

"Sakura?" I said, but my voice was hardly above a whisper and she didn't hear me. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Sakura?"

She looked up and smiled. "Tenten, hi!" I said. She peered at me curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing really…" I answered. Even though I wanted to tell her what had happened, how would anyone be able to understand my situation? I'd just look like the village tramp! "I'm just taking a walk…"

Sakura bit her lip.

"So…do you like being a chuunin?" she said.

Sakura was smarter than that. She knew something was upsetting me but she was purposely avoiding asking what.

"It's okay." I replied. I couldn't see myself remaining a ninja for very much longer but it was fun while it lasted.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked after a moment of internal battling.

Everything fell out. "I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed." I said. "I sort of miss being a genin and having Lee and Neji on my team. I mean…things were so less complicated back then."

I didn't even realize until just then that that's what my problem was. I wanted to go back to that place before I realized that I needed someone's love.

"Things can't stay uncomplicated." Sakura said.

She was right. "I know…" I said. If I couldn't return to that time, I could at least go for a nostalgic visit of our old training area. Maybe that would make me feel better. "I was just going to go and stop by the place where we always used to train." I didn't want to be alone. "Do you…want to come?"

"Oh um…" Sakura stuttered. "I actually… um… am doing something right now. Sorry, though!"

Doing something? Like obsessively watching Sasuke's house in home that he might stop by?

I didn't say that, though. "Okay, that's all right." I said even though I was thoroughly upset. "See you later, then?"

"Yeah." Sakura said.

I swallowed hard and passed by her.

Why was Lee just fooling with my heart?!

I took another deep breath.

If he didn't love me, he could just tell me. Neji had the decency to at least do that.

As I drew nearer to the training area where we used to train all the time, I could hear voices.

"I don't want to bother unless you KNOW you're stronger." Came Neji's voice.

"I am stronger!" It was Lee! "I'm stronger than you are!"

I poked my head out from around a tree. It was both of them, looking like they were getting ready to fight.

"Are you?" Neji said.

"Yes, I am!" said Lee. "And I'll prove it!"

"Then let's see." Said Neji.

They both were so strong. Lee, so kind and nice. Then there was Neji who, despite the fact that he was so bastardly and cruel to everyone for no reason whatsoever… was just the biggest stud in the entire village. He was studlier than even Uchiha Sasuke, in my opinion.

That's when I noticed that Lee was looking at me.

I hadn't been paying attention and pretty soon, Neji was looking at me too.

I cleared my throat in an embarrassed fashion. I should have been paying attention rather than admiring them.

"Hi guys…" I said. "Are you fighting again?"

"It's just a spar!" said Lee, walking over to me. "Nothing serious!"

I looked at Lee.

He wasn't attractive…but I could get used to that face.

"Lee, I think we're done." Neji said.

"What?" said Lee. "We've hardly started! Strike that, we HAVEN'T started!"

Neji didn't respond to that. He only started walking away.

But he stopped when he was right by the two of us. I knew he was going to say something because he wouldn't have stopped if he didn't have something on his mind that he was going to be vocal about.

"Neji!" said Lee. I suppose he realized that Neji was going to say something hurtful too.

"Lee, you are no stronger than when I last fought you five years ago." Neji began.

Once he gets started, all you can really do is brace yourself and take it. Otherwise, you could be down for days.

Just look at me.

I was down for a year.

"I cannot believe I even began to think you would be a worthy opponent and that you actually progressed all these years. You're the same as you always were."

"Neji, stop!" I said. He was going WAY too far.

"There is a REASON why you can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu." Neji said with complete disregard for my request. "It is not in your fate to be a ninja. If it was your destiny then you would not have been born with that impairment."

Lee didn't answer.

I could tell he was shocked.

I knew nothing I could say would make him feel better. Neji had hit him just where it hurt.

Neji had done his damage so he was going to pack it up and leave. I see Neji's back far too often.

Lee and I stood there in silence for a long time.

"Tenten." He said. "About earlier."

I forced a laugh out. I didn't want to make him choose.

"Isn't it a coincidence that all three of us came here on the same day?" I said, trying to change the subject.

"Tenten, don't change the subject." Said Lee.

How did he know?

"Well, what is it then?" I said, trying to put on an angry face. But I wasn't really angry… though sometimes it helped.

"This is a very hard time in my life right now." Lee said. "Everything is very complicated. I can't handle it all."

"I can't handle any of it." I agreed as I felt more tears trying to escape.

"I'm sorry." He said. "I'm working to become a good ninja."

He was choosing.

But he wasn't choosing Garu or me.

"What does this mean?" I asked.

"I have to focus on my training." Lee said. "I've told Garu this."

"Garu, Garu, Garu!" I said. "I don't want to hear her name anymore! All I want is a straight answer, Lee! You have to tell me if you love her or me!"

There. I had done it.

And I regretted it a moment later.

"I…"

He stuttered.

"It's like…"

"Just…just…" I started as I stood up on my toes and put my hands on his shoulders. I brought him down just a little bit so I could reach him. He looked like he was ready to kiss me.

But all I could think of was Garu.

And I'm sure that's all he thought of too.

I put my hand on his chin and angled his head down. I gave him a small kiss on the forehead.

"So…that's the way it is." Lee said.

"I'll wait for you." I told him. "So when Garu isn't what you imagined, I'll be here."

I relaxed.

It wasn't any easier, but hopefully I had gotten a weight off his chest. I turned my back him and walked away.

He didn't do anything to stop me.