Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. These drabbles are just kind of randomly scattered around the life of Tenten up until the age of sixteen or such.

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Forever

Tenten is one year old when she holds her first real kunai.

She is three when she first throws it into the dead center of the target.

Her mother enrolls her in the Academy when she is five, and her instructors note the girl's uncanny accuracy, even at that young age.

Tenten is a genin at twelve.

It takes her fourteen years to completely master the art of wielding of almost every single implement of shinobi weaponry. That is when she makes chuunin.

She passes the jounin exams on her first try, at twenty years of age. It is another four years before she takes her first genin team, and begins to pass on her knowledge to the next generation.

At twenty-five, Tenten will be offered a position as an ANBU assassin. Within the next two years, she will become one of the leading experts in that field.

Eight steps on the long path to achieving a dream.

(Tenten knew, by the time she was twelve and standing between Neji and Lee, looking up at her new sensei with shining eyes, for the very first time, that this was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.)

Blood

Prior to her first mission, all the experience that Tenten had with blood came with the few pricks and scratches she would get while working with her weapons.

The first time she sees a kunai pierce a man's heart, she stays standing straight and tall and keeps her eyes focused on the enemy-nin's empty eyes, not the gaping, ragged hole in his chest with the leather handle of Gai-sensei's kunai protruding from it.

Then little drops of his blood land on her arm, and it all seems to hit her.

Tenten staggers away and vomits into the bushes.

Lee and Neji avoid her gaze for the remaining part of the mission.

It isn't that she is afraid of it, most definitely not. She can handle blood in small quantities; all good shinobi must. It's just that seeing so much of it disturbs her. The strange, metallic smell, the slipperiness of it beneath her hands, and almost as bad – the ragged, torn area of skin that surrounds the entrance wound. It's enough to make her shudder.

Once, Lee gets slashed on the field. It's a monster of a cut – shoulder to wrist. The mere sight of it is enough to make Tenten want to vomit, or faint, or run away, or all three, but it's Lee screaming in agony, and her who has the bandages fastened onto her belt, and Neji who's doing his best to protect all three of them, despite increasing odds.

Tenten will never forget the horrifying experience of holding Lee's arm together in her own bare hands. Or what it looks – and feels – like to have his blood on her hands.

The bandaging is haphazard, and within minutes the first few layers have already soaked through with blood. But those few minutes have saved him from bleeding to death, and it's enough time for Neji to grab her arm and her to grab Lee's hand, and for all three of them to run for their lives out of the blood-soaked forest.

They meet up with Gai-sensei, and the four of them take refuge in an isolated cave. Their sensei rebandages Lee's injured arm, while Tenten tries to wash the blood off her. She's fairly soaked in it up to the elbows, and there are splatters of it on her shirt as well.

Within five minutes, she feels so hopeless that she throws herself into the river and anchors herself to a rock, letting the raging current sweep the ribbons of red away from her body and clothes.

Her physical being is clean at last, and she's sitting against the wall of the cave and shivering. Neji comes over, at last, and throws a rough blanket over her, before sitting down as well. "At least it's off you now," he says.

Tenten holds her hands out to him, and he can see the haunted look in her eyes without the aid of the Byakugan. "I can't get the feeling away," she whispers, and he wonders what it's like to hold two pieces of your teammate's arm.

A little awkwardly, he takes her hands in his own, and tells her that it's going to be all right.

Tenten concentrates on Neji's hands in hers; holding them safe, warm, together. Feeling a little comforted, she leans against him, closes her eyes, and slips into her blood-soaked nightmares.

Sickness

One of the things that Gai-sensei first mentions to them, as a team, is that they will always care for each other when they are hurt or sick.

Tenten, Neji, and Lee all nod solemnly in agreement, but they don't register the full meaning of his words until a few months later, when Neji doesn't show up for training, leaving Lee and Tenten to kick their heels alone in the clearing and wonder if his fangirls have finally mounted a successful attack and abduction.

Then Gai-sensei appears in a cloud of smoke, a very serious expression on his face, and informs them all that Neji is grievously ill, with that scourge of the lives of all genin – chicken pox.

Tenten and Lee, who have already had the dreaded infection, blanch at the thought of stoic Neji suffering the itchy, feverish agony.

"All right, you two," Gai-sensei says, looking at his remaining precious students. "Our mission for today is to slowly, gently nurse our beloved Neji back to full health. I have informed Hiashi-sama that we will be entering the compound around noon to begin the proceedings. We have approximately an hour and a half to ready ourselves. Lee, you will go and do some research regarding chicken pox, and also prepare for Neji a delectable, yet mild, lunch that will not upset his sensitive stomach. Tenten, you and I shall begin shopping for products that may cease the unpleasant itching sensation, burning, and feverishness that our poor teammate is suffering."

Lee salutes. "Yes, Gai-sensei!" He whips out his small notebook, and sprints off in the direction of the nearest grocery store, raising a formidable cloud of dust behind him.

Gai-sensei gives Tenten a thumbs-up. "Now, Tenten! What is the extent of your knowledge regarding ways to cease the suffering of chicken pox patients?"

Tenten tilts her head thoughtfully, trying to remember when she had the illness. It had been several years ago, and it's hardly clear in her memory. All that she really remembers is her mother smoothing some sort of mildly fragrant lotion over the painful red sores on her skin. "Eh…calamine lotion?"

Gai-sensei nods sagely. "That shall be our first item to pick up."

Tenten spends half an hour trailing after Gai-sensei as he heads to the library, checking out several medical volumes. Finally, they both end up at the grocery store, both of their noses buried in said books. "Ah, Gai-sensei, it says here that Neji would need to take baths with sodium bicarbonate or antihistamine medication to stop the itching," Tenten says, wrinkling her nose at the foreign medical names.

Their sensei strolls down the medical isle casually, plucking assorted tubes off the shelves. In response to Tenten's curious glance, he brandishes the fine print on said tubes. "In order to achieve the desired effect, we must empty the contents of these medications into warm water – ideally, a bathtub – before depositing Neji in said bathtub. We must take great care to clean his skin, before giving him this acetaminophen in order to reduce his fever."

It takes Tenten a few moments to process all the information. However, her brain gets stuck at one particular place in her sensei's instructions.

"We…have…to…give Neji a bath?" she croaks disbelievingly.

"Ideally, yes." Gai deposits a tube of calamine lotion into the shopping basket. "Now, Tenten. What scented bubble bath do you think Neji would be more likely to prefer? Lavender or strawberry?"

A wholly unnecessary image of Neji relaxing in a cloud of fragrant bubbles springs to mind, and Tenten almost faints. "L-lavender would be good, Gai-sensei."

"Excellent, excellent," Gai muses, checking his supply list. "Tenten, if you wouldn't mind picking up some sponges and perhaps a rubber duck or two, to ease ailing Neji's nerves, while I enter myself into the line?"

Sponges? Rubber duck?

The mental images hovering in Tenten's mind become more pronounced. Strongly resisting the temptation to ask her sensei what they plan to do involving Neji, sponges and a rubber duck, the kunoichi wanders, dazed, back into the isles. She has a feeling she wouldn't like the answer, anyway.

…Or maybe she would. Too much.

Tenten curses her hormones.

By noon, all of them assemble at the gates to the Hyuuga compound. Lee is there early, a bag of yet more books on chicken pox (and, Tenten dreads to note, the effects that chicken pox has on the human mind) slung over his shoulder, as he balances a tray of what appears to be steaming chicken soup.

Unfortunately, she is stuck holding the grocery store bags that contain the bubble bath, sponges, and rubber ducks, which makes her feel slightly ridiculous. Of course, Gai-sensei is the one who gets to prance about holding all the important medical solutions and tubes.

Upon one rap of the solid iron knocker, the gates swing open of their own accord. Gai-sensei leads the way inside the rather austere-looking compound, with his customary carefree grin and bouncy step, while Lee and Tenten follow in his wake, throwing apprehensive looks at each other.

Tenten gazes at the sprawling compound, eyes wide with amazement. She and Lee have never ventured this far into Neji's home, although she can only assume that Gai-sensei has been here before, what with his self-confident stride through the intricate pathways of the compound. She sees something that appears to be a manor, to their left, and the rest of the place seems to be comprised of numerous dojos, gardens, and outdoor practice areas. Tenten can only assume the main living areas are in another section of the compound.

"Eh, Gai-sensei?" inquires Lee at last. "Do you know where we may find Neji?"

Gai turns around promptly, a slightly abashed look on his face as he faces his trusting young students. "…No idea."

Tenten resists the urge to facefault.

Through some stroke of luck, and the kindliness of an old lady taking a walk – whom they later discover is Neji's infamous great-aunt – they all finally end up at the Hyuuga manor.

Neji's room is the highest one at the top of the tallest tower. Somehow, Tenten finds this oddly fitting, but she can't shake the thought of 'Princess Neji.'

Tenten has to admit that she feels a thrill of excitement at the thought of seeing Neji's room for the first time. However, when she, Lee, and Gai-sensei walk inside, she has to admit to feeling a little stunned.

First of all, it's dark. So dark that she has to squint to see the red spots adorning Neji's usually…immaculate…features. All the windows are shut, and the Hyuuga prodigy himself is lying on his bed, one arm thrown over his eyes in a rather melodramatic fashion. Suddenly, he gives a low moan, and turns on his side, away from them. "The light…it…it burns…"

Tenten closes the bedroom door with a sigh, seeing as Lee is too busy trying to stifle his giggles. "For heaven's sake, Neji, it's like you're on your deathbed."

Neji cracks an eye open to give his female teammate a baleful glare. "Do not mock my condition, Tenten."

"Never fear, Neji!" Gai-sensei booms, springing into the Good Guy Pose. "Lee, Tenten, and myself are here to nurse you back to health!"

Neji groans.

Tenten spends the next half hour beating Neji's pride into a box while she spoon-feeds him the chicken soup. Neji appears to be rather sulky at his teammates seeing him when he's not his best, and when he asks where Gai-sensei is and Tenten replies, offhandedly, "Probably fixing your bubble bath," the look on his face is just pure gold.

It takes the combined efforts of Lee and Tenten to haul him to the bathroom after he's done with the soup. Neji doesn't lower himself to kicking and screaming, however much he may want to, but Tenten can swear that he tries to dig his toes into the fabric of the carpet.

One of the most awkward moments in Team Gai history to date: Neji, Lee, and Tenten standing in Neji's bathroom, all of them with their arms crossed and looking everywhere but at each other, while Gai-sensei blithely tests the water temperature with his finger and wonders aloud whether he should have gotten the rose-scented calamine lotion for Neji.

Once Neji figures out that yes, the idiots really do intend to give him a bubble bath, he points at Tenten with the rubber duck, and states bluntly that he is not disrobing until she is out of there.

Which leaves Tenten to kick her heels in Neji's room while listening to the yelling, splashing, screamed insults, and ominous crashes that are now coming from the bathroom, all the while cursing her bad luck and lamenting the lost opportunity.

By the time they have exhausted everything on their "Steps To Nurse Neji Back To Health" list, darkness has fallen. Neji lies in his bed, wearing a fluffy purple bathrobe and about two inches of calamine lotion slathered on every visible inch of skin. Gai-sensei has fallen asleep in Neji's rocking chair, Lee is sitting cross-legged in front of Neji's closet, looking quite disturbed and holding the rubber duck for security, and Tenten is sprawled right in the middle of the floor, having decided that she'd rather cut all her hair off than ever spoon-feed anyone ever again.

All in all, this goes down as one of the most taxing (and emotionally scarring, as far as Lee and Neji are concerned) missions in Team Gai history. Another one for the record books.

Then, calamine-coated and fluffy-bathrobe wearing Neji actually smiles and thanks them both, and Lee punches the air with triumph and Tenten grins, and for once, it's all good.

Melody

Unfortunately for them all, Gai-sensei and Lee think that they can sing.

Neji and Tenten, to their dismay, discover this on the way back from a successful mission. Lee and their sensei are so hyped up that Lee comes up with the brilliant idea to compose a song about their victory, and of course, Gai-sensei eggs him on.

"Neji, like poison ivy, so soft and pretty, but really…prickly if you're an enemy—"

Neji has remained silent through the previous three verses. Now, however, he cracks, and using an extra burst of chakra, springs forward onto Lee's branch. "Who are you calling soft and pretty, spandex boy?"

Tenten winces at the ensuing crashes, but despite the awful singing, has the courtesy to stop and help scrape the groaning and twitching Lee off the tree branch.

After they make their way back home, Tenten resolves to teach her male teammates the finer points of good music.

It is a noble ideal, but one that she is forced to give up after the first ten or so fruitless attempts. Neji insists on falling asleep through her carefully prepared selection of orchestral scores, and Lee's attempts to improvise ballads to sing along with the music to are just as bad.

So it becomes a regular occurrence to find them all in Tenten's apartment, with the record player on. Neji sits cross-legged across from the coffee table, nodding off, an oddly peaceful expression on his face. Lee balances precariously on the edge of her armchair (it helps his creative juices flow) warbling happily.

Tenten reclines on the sofa, ruefully smiling at the sight. This is a particularly peaceful arrangement, comprised of slow, graceful legato strokes on the violin and cello. The two instruments make a wonderful duet together.

Neji's soft snoring serves as a steady, regular metronome to the four/four beat – as well as Lee's ballad about the glorious springtime of youth.

Odd as it seems, it's a melody that she wouldn't trade for the world.

Star

Tenten loves astrology. It's a hobby she's had for years, and one that she's slowly, gradually trying to introduce to her teammates.

They take small steps, though. When she had first told them about it, Neji had scoffed that it was a chancy way to interpret fate at best, while Lee seemed vaguely intrigued. They both grudgingly accepted her invitation to stargaze with her, though, which, in Tenten's eyes, is a perfect activity for a person just beginning to foray into the world of astrology.

Which is how they all end up in the meadow outside of the forest, lying in a circle, gazing at the expense of stars. For Tenten, who has memorized an extensive list of constellations, as well as the twelve that make up the zodiac, the stars practically form words of silver against the black expanse of the sky.

…Neji and Lee, however, are not so enlightened. Tonight is perfect for the viewing of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, in particular – the Fire signs. The Lion is in the Archer's sights, as Aries hovers in the background, she explains, tracing the star-lit figures. She smiles, the celestial figures reflected in her eyes. "Sagittarius has plans for a Leo…" she murmurs, almost to herself. "Do you two see anything?"

Neji appears to be scanning the skies with his Byakugan. "…I see a pig!" he exclaims at last.

Tenten blinks, and slides a little closer, so that their heads are almost touching. "How do you see a pig?"

Neji points proudly.

"…Neji, that's Canis Minor."

"…Well, it looks like a pig."

The astrologist inside of Tenten dies a little.

"Tenten?" Lee asks, after a little while. "Is that Ursa Major, the Great Bear?"

Before Tenten can get close enough to see what he's talking about, Neji snorts. "It looks more like Gai-sensei eating a potato."

Tenten and Lee exchange puzzled looks. "Eh, Neji, that's definitely the Great Bear," Tenten ventures at last. "See his claws? And the mouth, right there?"

Neji considers the constellation deeply, before coming to a conclusion. "You two show a remarkably uninspiring lack of creativity while viewing the stars."

Tenten squeaks with indignation. "Neji!"

"You said the Archer has its sights on the Lion? Well, to me, it looks like Hiashi-sama chasing that Inuzuka kid out of the compound."

The weapons mistress regards the stars for a few minutes, and is completely unable to see the connection. "Well, Neji," she says with a grin. "It looks like you just have a unique perspective when it comes to stargazing."

Neji mutters something along the lines of, Damn right I do.

Lee proves himself to be a little more of a promising astrologer. He picks out constellations with relative ease, Tenten taking the opportunity to glance at the positioning of the rest of the planets in relation to Mars. Neji's mutterings regarding the stars to figures from daily life, however, can't help but distract the both of them, and Lee and Tenten find themselves giggling several times at the vivid descriptions Neji paints, given no more ammunition then a limited view of the celestial body.

Even Tenten is lured away from her more serious practices, eventually. "Look," she says, during a lull in the conversation, pointing at three stars, off in the distance. They are all unusually bright – they may actually be planets, come to think of it. "That's us."

Neji blinks. "We're so…isolated."

Lee disagrees. "We're next to each other, aren't we?"

Tenten grins. "And we're some of the brightest out there."

The three genin exchange smiles, and Tenten has to admit that there may be some benefits to non-astrological stargazing, after all.

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Reviews appreciated!