Warnings: everything is cheesy and full of fluffy crap. Enjoy.
Auburn
It is the release of warm coffee on a biting winter day. It is the feeling of being ensconced in blankets fresh from the dryer. It is the scent of a bakery with a fresh batch of cinnamon cookies. It is the beauty of a blazing sunset falling just to let the moon shine with the promise of coming back tomorrow.
But most importantly, it is Tenten's hair when she wakes up in the morning still ruffled from sleep.
Giddy
She was having way too much fun at his expense. Again.
But this time it would be worth it. Because even though his pale white skin was slowly turning a salmon pink under the scorching sun, she was wearing that fetching red bikini and her hair was in long swinging braids and she was smiling at him enough to be a whole new sun altogether and she was holding his sweaty clammy hand like she owned it. In short, he was willing to suffer for her sake. Again.
So he let drag him through the water park all day, after safely ditching the more exuberant part of their team. They spent most of it doing completely asinine activities such as jumping around like idiots in the wave pool, getting swept along in the current of the lazy river, and standing underneath a play structure as a giant bucket of water poured out on top of them. His hair was drenched in chorine and his eyes had gone red from irritation, but he was having a surprisingly good time.
It all culminated up to when Tenten brought him to stand in line for half an hour to sit in a rubber doughnut and get thrown down a slide with water in it. At first Neji had refused, taking one look at the leaking structures and turning his head. But somehow Tenten had convinced him anyways, and so here they were at the top of a forty-foot high platform. Looking back on it, Neji could have walked away that entire time. But he didn't.
So here he was, sitting cross-legged with Tenten in front of him mirroring his position in a large innertube about to be sent hurdling down a large pipe. Neji held onto the plastic bars provided at the side, wondering why he allowed himself to be tempted by such a mousey little woman.
In front of him, Tenten was giggling and squealing with delight as the man working there began to push them towards the mouth of the slide. Neji suddenly realized that the entire thing was enclosed, and was about to protest before the two of them were pushed inside. The line to the ride took thirty minutes, and yet the ride itself was all of twenty seconds.
Yet in those seconds, Neji watched as Tenten's eyes lit up with such elation that all words were slain on his tongue. She laughed loudly as they went down, her hair flailing around her as she stared back at him through the dark. In that not-even-half-a-moment Neji knew what it was like to feel his heart flutter.
Natural
Neji liked a clockwork schedule. Getting up in the morning doing the same thing over again. Brushing his teeth and combing his hair. Getting dressed and eating breakfast. It became so routine that he no longer needed to think about it, freeing him to ponder about other things.
In the beginning, his delicate equilibrium was turned upside down like a fragile fish bowl getting its water suddenly dumped out. He had loathed his new teacher and freakish teammate. They became the youthful thorn in his side, and he hated them for making every day a trial. Only the girl seemed to be decent, and thus he stuck to her. She was bland and didn't even have a last name, but Neji was used to disappointment and he believed he had picked the lesser of two evils.
After nearly seven years of the same thing every day, Neji had to concede that his life was once again spinning on its axis. A completely different axis, mind you, but spinning peacefully none the less. His teacher was a respectable man who was passionate and loved his students dearly. His teammate was a hard-working man who defied the odds and continue to do so. And the girl had grown to become his trusted friend whom he could rely on through thick and thin to be there for him.
But Neji was bored with same. True, his definition of 'same' could not be normal anymore from the amount of hazardous missions he undergoes, violent explosions ricocheting off his system from time to time, and withstanding maelstroms of steel on a daily basis, but Neji found himself thirsting to doing something more. His life was now too complacent for his liking, much to everyone's belief that he was a boring stick in the mud (he is, but that doesn't mean he didn't like adventure).
So one day he proposed to Tenten.
Thankfully she agreed (Neji had no idea what he would have done if she said no; beg, maybe) and they married that following autumn. She moved in with him at the Hyuuga household, impressed all of his relatives with her expertise in everything metal, and wowed him beyond words on their honeymoon.
Soon, waking up with Tenten, eating with Tenten, living with Tenten, and even sleeping with Tenten (who was known to be a kicker when in slumber, much to his chagrin) had become just another routine. To Neji's surprise, he had no problem with this new lifestyle. Because this new routine just felt so right.
Sleek
Tenten's skin was not smooth. She did not have the model-like qualities Ino had such as incredibly long legs, or the enormous bust Hinata possessed since she was fifteen. Sakura was on the polar end of the spectrum, necessity of medic-nins not being hit in battle allowing her alabaster skin to go completely unblemished throughout the years. And when asked if he would have preferred her looking more like a woman, Neji had no idea if he should comfort her woes of chuckle in her face.
Tenten's skin was not smooth, but Neji liked it anyways. He could feel every fading scar and bump when he massaged her, which he frequently did to both their benefits. Muscled arms and shoulders, a waist that just wasn't slim but still absurdly flexible. Rear and legs incredibly fit from running marathons with two bowl cut-haired loons. No, this wasn't the body of a woman, but it was the body of a woman. A breathing, living woman who chose to love him despite himself.
He could hold her in his arms without fear of her breaking, of pulling her to his side because he could depend on her, and leaning on her because sometimes she proved to be strong enough to hold both of them up.
Tenten's skin was not smooth, but she was real and there. And Neji preferred that any day.
Thorn
One day Tenten found a swallow in a rose bush. It had been attacked trying to defend its friends from a bigger bird, and although it had won, it landed with two thorns puncturing it in the shoulder and stomach. The swallow was rushed to a hospital, and a surgery had to be performed.
The swallow did not wake up for two days, and Tenten never left its side. Sometimes, the bird would restlessly chirp in its sleep. Sometimes it would stay so still you would think it had passed away there and then. Tenten would always fear for it when those happened.
Thankfully the swallow did open its eyes. Tenten's elation was short-lived however, when despite a broken wing and excessive blood loss, the swallow began to peck at its cage. It wanted to fly.
But if it flew, Tenten knew that the swallow will just crash and burn once more. So she stayed by the cage, telling the swallow to let itself heal before it was allowed to be free. The swallow didn't like that. It squawked angrily at her, flapped its wings in her face and sometimes tried to swipe at her with its talons. But every time Tenten would apologize for restricting the swallow's flight and the swallow would feel remorse over the one person that wanted to stay with it through its recovery.
Soon, the swallow took gradual steps to flight. It would stretch its wings more and more, and all of the punctures have been filled. Finally the day came when the swallow could take off, and Tenten opened its cage.
For a moment, the swallow was incredibly happy. It left her to be with its family, mending ties and fixing broken bonds. Tenten didn't complain, for the swallow can fly but it will never even think of taking her with it. She went back to her average life, but found it dull compared to her time spent with the swallow. Tenten dismally knew that the swallow will forget about her in time, and tried not to feel so left out about it.
Until soon after, the swallow came right back to her, asking her to never leave it ever again.
Laughingstock
A little cruel, Neji admitted as he walked away from the fuming Yamanaka. She was incredibly pretty, but using her looks to woo the enemy right there on the battlefield was a highly risky and fatal move that would have cost her team all of their lives had he been less benevolent.
He jumped into the trees, having wasted his remaining time running into the newest Ino-Shika-Chou formation. Along the way though, he thought to his female teammate. She would never try to use her beauty to distract a man, mainly because she would never let down her hair. But also because she never found herself gorgeous enough to pull it off, a fact that Neji still scoffed at under his breath.
Indeed her looks were simple and plain: wide brown eyes with galaxies of amber stars within them, high rounded cheekbones that made her appear more innocent than she really was, and a scrawny awkward body just breaking into puberty. But Neji already knew, and predicted, she will turn out to be a wonderful woman whose heart was seen before her looks. Any fool who cannot see her warm nonjudgemental heart did not deserve to gaze at her in the first place. Yes, Neji concluded, he will make sure no one will look at her the wrong way as long as he was around.
He landed in front of the kunai planted into the ground that marked their temporary campsite. The Forest of Death was an apt name; if anyone saw the kunai they would merely pass it off as just another random mark. Tenten was already there, having found nothing but winding up skewering an enormous centipede.
"Just imagine that thing crawling up your back!" she shivered at the mere thought. Meanwhile, Neji was envisioning her at the supple age of seventeen. A growth spurt and lean muscles, toned stomach not too narrow but containing no traces of fat at all. Her face had become more oval rather than round, yet her eyes still held galaxies in them. Her legs were unusually long, sleek expanses of tan that glowed in the sun and seemed to go on for miles. Maybe she'll still have her signature buns, maybe not. And most importantly smile that could make his world just feel alright... "All those billions of legs climbing over your spinal cord! Hey, where's Lee?" She looked around, suddenly just a little girl once more, trying to find their third comrade. "That's not like him, to be late. He's always so diligent."
"Yes," Neji agreed. It was all he could say after being abruptly woken from his daydream.
"Could he have run into the enemy...?" Tenten swiveled her head to look at the surrounding foliage, hoping that a spandex-wearing goofball will drop from the branches, but around them was only haunting silence. She turned back to him with concern on her features. "You don't think...?"
He closed his eyes for a moment, smiling softly and taking pride in the fact that she looked to him first for guidance. "Let's go get Lee," he offered, and the two hurried back into the trees to find their missing piece. Yes, Neji wouldn't go for a girl like Yamanaka, who pushed her looks first for all to see. He'd be a laughingstock to the whole village if he did.
Dun
"What?"
"...What?"
"Tenten."
"Neji, I don't know what you're confused about."
"I am confused of what you just said about a minute ago."
"I said what?"
"Before that."
"Neji have you seen your old dun-colored shirt?"
"Yes, that."
"What about it?"
"What does dun mean?"
A giggle. A frown.
"You don't know?"
"No. Enlighten me."
A smile. A huff.
"Dun's a greyish brown color, used to describe your old shirt back from our genin days."
"You couldn't have just said it was grey?"
A playful roll of the eyes. A kiss on the lips.
Revealing
Neji had always wanted to see Tenten naked. He had dreamed of it from a young age, disturbing his sleep patterns and pushing him outside his comfort zone whenever he thought of the possible curves of his female teammate's body.
Well, today he practically saw Tenten naked and he didn't like it one bit.
One, her breasts were bigger than he thought. He didn't like big-breasted women (they were all either scary, quick to throw a fist, or his cousin).
Second, her new clothes could not be considered clothes because clothes are meant to cover the body. What she is wearing is no better than a strip of cloth and a 'take me now' sign strapped to her rear end. Which, Neji will admit, is a lot better than his creativity could have ever imagined. Those things were flawless... - ahem.
Lastly, but more importantly, not only could Neji see everything of Tenten but everyone else could as well. What will he do when the fanboys he had spent the majority of their genin days fighting off see her in such a scandalous outfit? He will have to literally beat them off with a stick.
So Neji did what he always did when faced with opposition. He threw a dignified tantrum. "You are not even allowed to leave this dressing room in... that." He couldn't even put a name to what Tenten was wearing. There just wasn't enough cloth.
She huffed, putting her hands on her hips as she looked up at him defiantly. Even in her regular pink top and navy pants she could fire his blood with that one look, but now that everything was bared for him to see, he felt all blood redirecting itself to most... unfortunate regions. He was only fifteen, he shouldn't have to put up with this bullshit yet.
"Your cousin wears fishnets," Tenten said. Neji scoffed.
"Underneath a conservative and practical jacket," he retorted.
"Sakura wears skirts."
"Sakura wears spandex shorts underneath." Tenten swore under her breath. Very unladylike but so like her that Neji almost chuckled.
"Ino doesn't." She met his stare confidently. As if she had won, how cute, Neji thought with a smirk.
"Are you saying you want to be like Ino? Konoha's greatest seductress and biggest flirt in the village?" That got her. Tenten sighed as she looked down at what she was wearing, now feeling a little foolish. It wasn't that Ino was a wanton whore or anything wretched like that, just that Tenten didn't think she would ever want to be like the peppy, earnest blond.
Dejectedly she turned back to the clothing room and pouted, folding her arms underneath her chest and emphasizing her bust (which was usually restrained but now seemed to be spilling out of her top). "Then what would you suggest, of great fashion expert Neji Hyuuga?" Neji glanced down at her outfit one more time, silently savoring that fact that he made sure only he saw her like this.
"I have an idea...," he began.
And thus explain's Tenten's new outfit.
Selflessness
"Sometimes you are just so blissfully, inexplicably, deplorably selfless," Tenten hissed at him as she barely restrained from tightening the bandages around his arms too much. "You saved me, go you. But you didn't have to dive into the street to do so. He would have stopped." Neji smiled wearily at her, allowing the rough treatment because Tenten just didn't know how to show her concern anywhere else. For a girl raised like a man, her heart was so delicate.
"I survived. The motorcyclist survived - though he may need a new front wheel. And the you survived. I think it was win." He tried to reason with Tenten, though even he couldn't explain why he did such an asinine thing - nearly flying from the sidewalk in the path of the upcoming cyclist as Tenten was running through the street to where he was. It was uncanny for him, school president and 'arrogant cocky bastard'.
But sometimes being with Tenten made him do incredibly selfless things. He would stay up all night studying with her, watching sappy moves with her when she was feeling down, and apparently even throw himself in the way of a moving vehicle for her. Though Neji could imagine giving his life for his cousins and uncle, it was because they were family and dear to him. Tenten was his friend, and so was Lee and Naruto and (begrudgingly) Sasuke. Only Tenten he could think of giving his life away from without a second thought. Was their an illness for this type of thinking?
Neji hissed as his scrapped arm, the one that had slid against the road when he pushed Tenten out of the way and dodging under the motorcyclist that crashed into a nearby mailbox, was bandaged with expert fingers. Tenten wasn't a nurse by any means, but Neji didn't want to go to the hospital and explain to his uncle why he had to pay for a motocycle that wasn't even his. Besides, Tenten was very skilled with her hands.
"You know what I dislike most about your selflessness?" Tenten inquired, suddenly so very near it took a moment for Neji to register her breath ghosting over his face. She smelled like mint and a cinnamon latte sprinkled with lemon. Neji couldn't help but breath her in, her hair completely unbound from getting shoved on the pavement so abruptly.
Swallowing thickly, Neji asked, "What?" She was closer than she had ever been before, edging across the boundary the two of them had placed up yet woud admittedly lean over from time to time. Her lips were just touching his. There was no more space left, and Neji's heart was hammering in his chest just like the way it did when he thought Tenten was going to get run over.
"You selflessness," Tenten whispered, smiling softly as she tenderly wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him that one small distance closer, "makes me feel so blissfully, inexplicably, deplorably selfish."
A/N: Take a word. Make a small story out of it. Seems to fit me well. This is all for now but I guess I'll try to make more or something if I feel the desire. Here are some quick inferences to the words I felt would need description.
1- Auburn is Neji trying to describe the feelings he gets when he thinks of the word. 5 - The swallow is Neji I guess. Or an actual swallow. But symbolically it's Neji. 6 - based off of what Neji said to Ino-Shika-Chou in the Forest of Death arc. 8 - I purposefully did not describe Tenten's clothing. And the last line means why Tenten wears a white/red outfit in Shipuuden. 9 - Impractical AU where motorcycles exist and their location is imaginary. Hehe.
I have this habit of making Neji completely in love and leaving Tenten ambiguous/hinted at. Maybe I am just tired of all the plots where Tenten works hard to get his feelings or I am one-trick pony.
