Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto (goes off in a corner and cries)

Dedication: Ninja-Tenten-Weapon-Mistress, Tears Like Crystals, BloodHeron, Maiyuko-chan, Suki dah Turdle, A Crazy Girl of Many Names, Duhreah, and SharinganUser. Thank you for your reviews.

Summary: Written in Lee's POV. Lee observes how Tenten has changed Neji.

Changed

I've known him practically my whole life. Sure, Neji and I've never been on exactly the best of terms, but he's been there for me.

Maybe we weren't friends, but we were something more than acquaintances.

And I noticed how he was. Sparring, he'd taunt me, trying to get me to give a little more to it. He was cold; his demeanor, icy. Hyuga Neji was a stoic, unemotional boy… or as some bluntly put it, a brat.

But that was only until she came along.

Tenten. Our third member of the team, our missing link—she was everything we needed. Or, according to Neji, everything we didn't need.

"Lee, she's weak," he'd mutter to me, on those rare occasions that he was in a good enough mood to share with me. His usual way was to ignore me, or 'share' his criticism.

I tried to defend Tenten. I really did. But some things never change I guess. In my mind, Neji would always be some far-off genius, someone who I envied; he was my say, inspiration to become stronger. Tenten was like a sister to me though. She was sweet, in her own way, and though we had our fair share of arguments (most of them concerning that pompous Hyuga), we got along closer than anything. She really changed me, as a person.

And, although she didn't notice it, she changed someone else too. Neji.

Before he met her, Neji had this thing where he acted untouchable. He labeled other kids on first impressions, no matter how ridiculous. If someone tripped, and that was the first time Neji saw them, they'd be forever branded a "worthless, bumbling klutz" in the Hyuga's eyes. But Tenten changed all that.

She was…different. She refused to tell us her surname, she barely spoke to anyone during our academy days, and, boy, her 'first impression' with Neji is something worth mentioning.

Neji walked out of the academy, Lee trailing behind him, along with several girls too timid to actually approach the boys. Eyes closed, Neji relied on balance and worn in memory to walk his way down the path. But that was before he walked straight into someone. A little girl.

Her brown hair hung over her eyes, and her face was smudged with dust. Sheer annoyance was written in her expression as several long moments passed by in silence.

"It's nice to APOLOGIZE when you walk into someone!" she screeched, oblivious to the fact that all the kids around them fell deathly silent.

"…Do you know who you're talking to?" Neji asked coldly, a murderous glare flaming in his eyes.

"A pompous jerk."

"Shut up, you dirty filth."

"Arrogant prick."

"…"

Lee placed a hand on Neji's shoulder, and offered to help the girl up. "Let's all be friends, now, eh? I'm Lee, this is Neji, and you are…?"

"Tenten," the girl replied, brushing herself off, and pointedly ignoring the Hyuga. "Nice t' meet ya Lee."

Lee snickered at the memory. Needless to say, it took several years for that sore impact on Neji's pride to wear away. He probably still took it as a personal insult. But Tenten sure was something…

Slowly but surely, she had earned Neji's respect. Nowadays, Tenten was the one the Hyuga prodigy trained with. Tenten was the one he confided in. Tenten was the one he 'hung out' with. Tenten was the one he spent time with. Not Lee.

'But…' Lee mused, gazing over at his chatting teammates. Er, make that teammate, as in Tenten was talking, and Neji was patiently listening. 'I think I prefer it that way…'

It had taken time, on both their parts. But in the long run, it was worth it.

Tenten had grown from a hotheaded little misfit to… well, a hotheaded, yet beautiful young woman. She was, indeed, beautiful, both inside and out.

Neji had evolved from an arrogant, mean jerk to a stoic, collected leader. Even though grudgingly at first, he accepted both Lee and Tenten with open arms, guiding them through hardships and missions alike.

Lee smiled, closing his eyes in a rare moment of relaxation. 'Yep. Both of them have changed.'