NejiTen Month 2019 is here! Prompt #1:Gender Bend. Somewhere along the line we as a fandom all agreed girl Neji is Nejiko...or we all read Aquarius Galuxy's fics.

NejiTen Month 2019
Prompt: Body/Gender Bend

Nejiko narrowed her eyes at him, and tsked in disgust. "Must you wear your hair in that ridiculous man-bun?"

"It's called a 'top knot,'" he said, carelessly tossing a shuriken into the center of a target with less than a flick of a wrist, "and you're still losing." He stepped to the side to let her stand at the line and take aim, his expert eye assessing her form and determination with both respect and amusement. Nejiko was a skilled warrior, and used to being the best. The fact that she could not beat him in these kinds of contests irritated her on the cellular level, and showed in her posture.

"You'd probably do better in this heat if you'd just pull your hair up," he offered as she adjusted her stance.

"It's fine," she muttered, wiping her hand down the front of her clothes before palming the shuriken and taking aim.

He was tempted to make a noise, or do something to distract her - just for the fun of it - but Ten always played fair, and she would never forgive him if he cheated.

A bead of sweat slid down the side of her brow to disappear below her collar, even as she impatiently flicked her hair over her shoulder.

"Stubborn," Ten muttered, coming up behind her. "Here," he put strong hands on her shoulders and adjusted her stance. "One of these days you will remember that your muscle balance has shifted because you spend so much time practicing your rotations in one direction. This arm," he tapped her right shoulder back, "will always want to cross your midline, and this one," he tapped the left shoulder in, "will throw wide of center. You need to adjust your stance accordingly."

Nejiko made a grunt of something that might have been a protest, but probably fell closer to begrudging gratitude.

That was until she felt the ghosting of fingers against her neck.

Her spine went rigid and she gripped her shuriken tighter to keep them from clattering to the ground.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

"It is half a million degrees out today," he said, running his fingers under her hair, and gathering it quickly. "Since you insist on wearing all of those layers in the heat, you have to cool off somehow. I'm fixing the problem. You know, our hair is about the same length."

"I doubt it," she snorted, ignoring the heat that was flaring up her neck, even as the air felt cooler against her skin.

"It's true," he continued conversationally. "But yours is more slippery. Guess it's a good thing I can braid, too."

"Braid?" she sputtered, "Hyūgas don't wear braids!"

"Is that another one of your grandfather's innumerable rules?" he asked, pulling her hair into a high ponytail before quickly braiding it. "Let me guess," he began to loop the long braid around into a bun. "They are uncivilized? No - wait - undignified. That's gotta be it it, right?"

She gave a small huff but couldn't contradict him because that was exactly what her grandfather would - and often did - say, but she refused to dignify his statement with a response. Ten shook his head with a smile, but otherwise ignored her indignation with the good humor of a long-time friend.

"Well, undignified or not," he pulled several senbon out of his pocket, "they are a great place to hide weapons. I might have to rethink my hairstyle."

"Maybe two buns," she quipped as he crisscrossed the senbon through her bun, pinning her hair into place.

"That'd be overkill on me, but you could probably rock that look."

"Don't even think about it."

"Lucky for you I take pride in my work and won't undo it for no good reason. Now," he adjusted her shoulders again, "show me what you've got."

Nejiko willed her body into perfect alignment and took aim. The shuriken that flew from her hand came much closer to the mark than her previous tries, and she couldn't help the smirk that tugged at her lips.

"Guess that settles it," Ten clapped a warm, sure hand on her shoulder. "From now on, you have to wear your hair in an undignified manner, if you hope to have any chance at beating me."

"Desperate times," she said gravely, looking up into those hazel eyes that she could never quite pinpoint for color, but that were never lacking in warmth.

He smiled at her, and something fluttered in her chest - something that was getting harder to dismiss.

Ten gave her arm a light punch. "I'll reset the targets. You get the drinks."

Nejiko turned to get them a cool drink, while Ten smiled to himself. He could hit one hundred out of one hundred every time, but his latest target was proving to be trickier than most.

"That's alright," he thought as he traded Nejiko her shuriken for a cold drink, beaded with condensation. "Any target worth having is worth pursuing."

He lifted his glass, silently toasting her health, their friendship, and his quiet plans to win her over, using whatever means - even the undignified ones - he had at his disposal.

When she hit the bullseye and turned to beam at him in that way that never failed to quicken his pulse, he amended his decision.

"Especially the undignified ones."

Welcome to NejiTen Month! Can't wait to see what the fandom has in store!- GL