AN: TO ALL MY REVIEWERS: I LOVE YOU GUYS J
Also, I don't own crap. Um, I am going to show a different side of Neji in this chappy. It is something we rarely see. In my last story, I showed how much of a cold hearted bastard he could be, but, I decided to show the flip side of that personality in this story. Hell, you may even like him a little more. Yes, we get to see his sensitive side. He has one, he just learned that tapping into it every once in a while won't kill him. Onward. OH BE SURE TO REVIEW> I LOVE GETTING EMAIL :)
The next couple of days were a blur as I was sent on a mission to Suna to meet with Gaara-sama. I had packed my bags the morning of my departure and finished up a little business at my office. Saying my goodbyes to my uncle and friends, I headed out of the village. The trip was uneventful, and it was kind of nice to distance myself from the chaos of our village. I met up with the sand siblings who were sent as a personal escort and we proceeded to Gaara's office. Unlike Naruto-sama's office, which was warm and inviting, Gaara's was meant to cause fear. There were no windows and very little furnishings. One's attention was to only be on him. Effective. After being shown in by their ANBU guards, I take a seat.
I guess after so many years of knowing him, I am not as intimidated by Gaara-sama. Once I figured out that he was an OK guy and not so hell bent on killing everything, he seemed normal to me even if he had a demon in him as well. He smiled at me, which in itself is a rarity. After I handed the paperwork to him from Naruto-sama, we discussed the construction of Konoha and how he wanted to commission the Wave workers to do a little maintenance to Suna once they were done with us. We also discussed the upcoming selection exam. I bragged of course about our fine genin who were well trained and ready to ascend. He laughed and said his were better. After a few hours of talking politics, he asked if I was heading back to Konoha. I said yes and he recommended I stay the night in Suna as guest of the Kazekage.
The most memorable part about that night was dinner with the siblings. I've seen their team dynamic and clearly Gaara was in charge. However, since he was the youngest, I found it hilarious that Temari sat at the head of the table. They argued a few minutes about that, but there is nothing stopping a woman who is as determined as she is. I believe she put it, "I cooked the meal, I am the oldest, so I sit where I please until I get married." Gaara carefully reminded her that he was the Kazekage, and she stuck her tongue out at him. Typical sibling rivalry I suppose. But it was refreshing. Talk then turned to Konoha and she wanted to know how everyone was doing. I can safely say that a weird friendship was made between them and us.
"Oh everyone is fine. Lets see, hmm, Kiba and Shino are currently helping the farmers and the mill workers to reestablish the gross village product so we will have a new food source. The hawkers in the market are making a killing because of the limited food. They are driving prices up so much that they are more of a burden than anything."
"I can help you there. I know a few creative ways of getting rid of annoying people." Gaara chimed in.
"Thank you, but Naruto-sama is handling the monopolizing. Sasuke and Lee, as well as other jounin instructors are having their genin cells help with the irrigation and the removal of debris. Shikamaru and Choji have been put in charge of renewing their medical supplements. Contracting out for these supplies is a killer to any village budget. Sakura and Hinata are working crazy hours at the renovated hospital. Ino just found out she is pregnant. My sensei as well as a few of his buddies are pulling guard duty voluntarily. Why I will never understand, but I think they see it as a competition as to who can hold out the longest. But that's it really. We've all been really busy and the progress is moving swiftly. These Wave workers are very skilled and have great time management."
"So, Neji-san, how is dear TenTen? I heard about her poisoning." Temari-chan looked at me and I knew the history of these two women, but I know that over the years a loose respect was earned for each other.
"She is fine. I had to donate some of my blood, but, she recovered and is supposed to get her stitches out tomorrow. There is a lot of scarring on her back however. She is limited in her mobility for one more week. She is pacing so much, I think Ibiki-san is scared of her. Right now, she reads to the children who are still waiting to hear from their families."
"YOU donated BLOOD? Isn't that forbidden in your clan? Blood limits are to be kept in the family. What will your family say?" Kankuro wanted to know.
"We can give blood, but we have to be able to back up our reasoning very well. The most he will do is activate my seal, but I know a few people who will have something to say about that. He knows I am stronger than him and his daughters, and that scares him. I gave it for a good cause and Naruto-sama gave me a direct order to save my teammates life. How could I refuse?"
"Are you ready to fully back up that decision?" Gaara asked.
"Once I make a decision, I stand behind it. To not do so is weak to me."
"That's not what I mean, but OK. I will support you if necessary."
"Thank you."
"Naruto-sama is sly as a fox. Good one." Kankuro smirked. Gaara and I looked at each other. We knew about the demon, but others didn't. Kankuro didn't realize how close to the truth he was.
After dinner, I headed for bed. The nights in Suna were warm and breezy. My room at their place was richly furnished and the mattress was extra fluffy. As soon as my head hit the pillow, it was lights out for me.
The trip home was just as uneventful. When I reached the gates of Konoha, I was pleased with the progress. The barrier had been reinforced and a lot of debris was gone. I headed towards the hospital. I knew she was getting her stitches out around lunchtime. The hospital was now complete and it was rather nice. The building had a whole new façade and our village symbol had been integrated in the middle of the Red Cross. Inside, the waiting room was still packed, but the atmosphere wasn't suffocating. I greeted a couple of my acquaintances and headed to the vending machine for my regular cup of coffee. One thing about the hospital is that they have to have good coffee. Medic-nins demand it. Hearing my name being called from down the hall, I turned and saw Gai-sensei and Lee-kun. I headed towards them.
"I thought you were pulling guard duty, sensei." He slapped me on the back.
"I won that bout with Kakashi. The score now stands 1-0 me."
"1-0. Isn't that a little low? I remember it being much higher."
"We started over. We've lost count over the years. It was just easier. I see you got back safe."
"Yeah, just now. Hey Lee, is she almost done?"
"Yes, finally. You got lucky. Not that I mind spending time with my favorite flower, it's just that she is, how can I put this delicately…?"
"Driving you nuts with her inactivity?" I finished. He pinged at me
"Yeah." I knew what he meant. It happens though. Not being able to do anything for a month is rather annoying.
"We planned on taking her to lunch to celebrate her youthful recovery. Of course you are invited." I nodded my head and we waited. And waited. And waited. Damn it what was taking so long?
I was about to inquire when her father walked out of her room.
"Hello gentlemen." We all said our hellos and talked for a few minutes. I asked about her and he said she'd be done in half an hour. There were a lot of stitches after all. After he left, I leaned back against the wall and felt the present Temari-chan sent for her in my pouch. I didn't open it, but I thought that maybe I should get her something also. I excused myself and headed to the center of town. I passed the Yamanaka flower shop and stopped inside. Ino had a group of genins she was giving seeds to and she dropped them when I entered.
"Well, Neji-san. You're back. What can I help you with? If you are looking for Shika-kun, he is in the back." She looked at me strangely. Ok, so maybe this was the first time I had ever really been in here. I decided to get his help with this matter. At least he would find it too damn troublesome to say anything to anybody.
I walked past boxes of flowers and vases. Or was it "vahzes?" I never knew. I knocked on the office door. Shikamaru looked up from his book of accounts.
It took him a few minutes to form actual words.
"Does Naruto-sama need something? Or are you here for more nefarious purposes?"
'Not nefarious, but I need a gift of sorts for Tenten-chan. She's getting her stitches out right now."
"So ask Ino for some flowers. I have to do these troublesome numbers."
"Um, no. That's why I found you. No offense but I want to keep this quiet. Get in, get out."
"You know, you are the second one today who's asked me to do this."
"Oh really, who was the first?"
"Shino."
"Shino? Shino Aburame? Mister mysterious?"
"Yeah. Apparently, his little trip to Suna was very productive with Temari-chan."
"Wait, Temari? Didn't you two used to ….?"
"No. That was a big misconception. We are friends only. In fact, she and Ino get along famously."
"Ahh.."
"Speaking of Shino, I heard a rumor that our advisor got bested by his cousin? You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" He looked at me and holding in a laugh handed me some random flowers from a nearby box. He put them in a vase with water and put a ribbon around them.
"Yeah. How did you hear about that? Let me guess. Shino?"
"Yeah. We had a meeting. As head of my department, am I going to have to find a new advisor? I can't have my top jounin bested by a twelve year old girl." He slapped me on the shoulder and I told him where to shove it.
"No, I am more than capable of doing my job. By the way, you have such ease with these girly flower arrangements, maybe our resident genius, you, should be replaced by a guy who isn't quite as sissy." Ha!
"Sissy? Me? You are the one sneaking around buying flowers." Damn, he had me there. Never get into a battle of wits with a man who can out think you before you get a chance to think. He smirked at me and I left with a "see ya at work."
As I headed back to the hospital, Lee and Gai were already in the room. I walked in and she turned her attention towards me. She had on her fatigues and was putting her hair up. The way the sun glinted off her hair kept me in awe until a blur of green and brown damn near tackled me.
"Hey, you're back. I've missed you. How was your trip?" She flung her arms around my neck and giggled. I was stunned for a few seconds and then I hugged her back. I know, I know, there was an audience, but seeing her cheery made my day.
"Well, glad to see you are feeling better. My trip was fine. If you loosen your grip, I have a few things for you."
She let go and I handed her Temari-chan's gift and then I gave her the flowers. When her smile brightened, I knew that I had made the right decision. Gai looked at me questioningly and Lee got dramatic. Typical.
She sat on the edge of the bed and took a big sniff of the roses. The pale yellow and cream of the petals looked wonderful against her skin. I admitted it then that this woman was perfect. I propped my foot against the wall and leaned back against it. She glomped over the flowers for a few seconds before opening the box from Suna.
"They are beautiful, Neji-kun. Thank you. Oh look at these." Inside was a book of different sayings of inspiration and underneath them were a new pair of ribbons for her hair. She took out the note enclosed and "awed and ooh-ed" as she read it to herself. She asked Lee to help put them in and when he tied the bow, I wasn't exactly comfortable with another man touching her. Sure they were teammates, but it didn't sit well with me. Clearing my thoughts, I watched her as she picked up her things. They left the room ahead of me and I noticed the note on the floor. I picked it up and followed them.
We had lunch at one of the only still semi-standing restaurants that served, in my opinion, way over priced ramen. Ichiraku was still being rebuilt. Damn. We discussed different things. Gai-sensei had to get back to work, and Lee said he left his genin near the forest cleaning up stuff. Tenten also had to relieve Iruka-sensei. We finished up and I paid.
"Don't you dare pay for me, Neji-kun. I've got it." She protested and I ignored her. Lee and Gai insisted on paying and I wouldn't let them. They sent me death glares then said thank you. We all departed and went our separate ways. I walked Tenten back to the tower since I had work to do as well.
"So, how is your place coming along?" I asked her.
"Oh great. We got a lot of the stuff restored. The workers were in our section of town last week and our place is almost done. We have some work to do around the yard, but the house is finished. Konohamaru-kun was real helpful helping us go through stuff. He is such a great kid. Lee sent his genin to help me around the house and to go shopping since I couldn't lift anything. That was so nice. People have been so kind to me since my surgery. I have to send them all a big thank you when we get reestablished."
"Great. Glad to hear it."
We entered the tower and I dropped her off at the room. She let me know that the kids I helped found the remains of their families and that their father's were very grateful. Things were falling into place nicely, I thought to myself.
"This will be great. I have some new material to read to the rest of the kids. If I give you a note, would you give it to Temari-chan on your next visit. I want to thank her for the ribbons. They are wonderful."
"Sure." I would be sure to drop it with Shino. After all, those flowers of his will need to be delivered. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
"Well, this is my stop, so thanks for the flowers. I know I have been a pest lately with my boredom. But you three have done so much for me. I am glad I got you guys as my team. Once I return to work next week, I will treat you all to dinner."
"We'll see." As I turned to leave, our looks held and I glanced away first. Amidst all this confusion of the past nine months, I may have found my path through it all. It was right in front of me. I didn't mind a bit.
I headed to my office after reporting in and getting crap from Naruto-sama about the "genin incident". Who else knew? Damn. After putting in a few hours of work, I turned out the lights to my office and headed down a couple of flights. As I approached the reunion center, I saw Inari-san standing by the window looking into the room.
"Hello, Inari-san. I would like to compliment you on your progress."
"Thank you, Hyuuga-sama. We should be completely done next week. Thank you for having the village of Suna hire us. The money will help our country."
"No problem. Is there anything you need? I am on my way out."
"No, but I was curious. Who is that girl over there?" Looking in the window, I saw Anko and Kureani and TenTen, of course. I looked for girls his age but didn't really see any.
"Which one?"
"The one with the two buns on her head. Everyday I come by here from Naruto-kun's office and I see her. She is always smiling and entertaining these kids. I know I am only a teenager, but she's like an angel. She moves so gracefully. She reminds me of my mom. I guess that's why I like watching her."
I looked at her and saw the apparent stiffness in her back. Her controlled movements were something I had gotten used to over the last three weeks. She looked up from her book and waved at me. I signaled back and smiled to myself. She was really good with those kids. She was so animated when she read to them that they just sat there paying attention. She really had the patience for a child's antics. It was a side of her I've never really seen. She really inspired hope in the children.It was so feminine, so natural. How could I have missed it all these years? Oh yeah, because she is usually throwing a weapon at you. But it was so nice to see a softer side of her.
"Her name is Tenten. She's a friend of mine. I can introduce you if you'd like."
"Oh no. I am rather shy when it comes to dealing with females."
"Follow me and I will take you to meet her. You've worked alongside her father. If anything, he is a safe topic to discuss."
"True, but I would rather admire a treasure like her from a distance."
"Suit yourself. Well, if you need anything, feel free to find me. I wanted to tell you we are planning a celebration once the village is done. It's for you and your workers. After all, as liaison to the Wave Country, you are the guest of honor."
"Cool. We look forward to it."
Once we parted ways, I headed home thinking about her. I was acting like a lovesick teenager. This was so awkward for me. Not that I hadn't been with a female before, it is just that this female was different. She was unique. She missed me while I was away. Hell, my own family didn't hug me when I came home. Not that I expected a warm welcome, but something would've been nice. She even hugged me. That was weird. I mean, I've hugged her before, it's just that this time, I felt something. Shit, I was falling for her. It's natural, right? I mean, she is my teammate after all. She is strong, loyal, and dedicated. She's amazing in the field and even more amazing when she is being herself; kind of clutzy, full of energy, and unguarded. The shin obi side of her is dangerous, but the woman under the cool exterior is simply, Tenten. Crap. Now I really sound like I am a wet-behind the ears schoolboy. Somehow, she has unintentionally wormed her way into the dark recess of my heart, and the best thing about that? I liked it. I am in trouble, and in a good way.