Title: Beautiful Flower
Author: Anorexia
Pairing: Neji Hyuuga x Tenten
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: #11 - Gardenia
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did there would be a lot more romance.

Author's note - Although the Gardenia only blooms in the mid-spring and mid-summer, this story will have to be in-accurate since Tenten's birthday is in the very beginning of March. So please, bare with me.

What was the best flower to give a girl?

I looked at the many bouquets and singles the flower shop had along the walls. Roses, Lilies, Daffodils, some of the flowers I had never seen or heard of before. The different colors and aroma's of the plant irritated my eyes and nose. I knew it didn't have to be a flower, but it seemed to be the easiest thing to give a girl.

"Neji?" An irritating and prideful voice called out my name. "What are you doing here?"

I turned and faced the person who called out my name - Yamanaka Ino, her family owned and ran the small flower shop. She had a quizzical look on her face, one of her hands placed on her hip and her body was tilted in a feminine way that most girls in the village stood. The girl never did give out proper manners, so instead of asking me if she could help me with my search she moved the topic into herself.

"You didn't come here to see me did you?" She giggled lightly. "I doubt you're here to buy flowers."

"No. That is the reason why I came here." I was becoming more annoyed then I already was.

Her face went back to it's confused look. "You came to buy flowers? For who?."

"A friend..." I looked around the walls a bit more, hoping to hurry my visit at this flower shop.

She raised her eyebrow. "Okay...well! I would recommend the rose, it's the symbol of love and passion." She picked up a single red rose and held it close to her face, becoming passionate with her definition of the flower.

"It's not what I'm looking for." I said stiffly.

She dropped the flower away from her face and frowned. "Fine. How about the Gardenia?" Ino pointed to a large humid casing with several white and pale yellow flowers. "They're sell really big in the mid-spring and mid-summer. But they also are very hard to grow, they need warm, high humid areas to live. If you buy a Gardenia, I'll even give you the correct potting soil if you want to plant it in the ground." Her voice went back to it's annoying and prideful tone.

I looked at the flower, it did seem to match what I was looking for, elegant petals and a sturdy looking steam.

"That will do."

Ino gave a smile and gently prepared the Gardenia, encasing it in a smaller casing and wrapped it up in a royal blue wrapping paper. "Here you go. Enjoy Neji." She gave me a small wink and handed me the flower.

With the Gardenia in the palms, I walked down the streets of Konoha. I was given a few looks of curiosity as I passed by. "It will be worth it." I told myself, finally reaching my destination. The building was small, but large enough to fit a family of four. I knocked on the door and awaited for someone to answer.

"Neji! I'm so glad you came!." My teammate, Tenten opened the door. I was amazed she didn't change her clothes for the occasion. It was still the pink Chinese top and deep green pants. She wore her Headband across her forehead as always and kept her hair in it's usual buns. "Come on in, Gai-Sensei and Lee are already here." She stretched out her arm and pulled me in. "You can leave the gift on the table." She then pointed to a small coffee table that stood alone in the hallway, but was accompanied but two packages.

Tenten guided me her living room. There was my other teammate and our Sensei.

"Neji, it's about time you joined us. Tenten already cut her cake." Lee said, holding up a large piece of chocolate cake.

Gai-Sensei nodded. "Yes. What took you so long?"

"Buying a birthday gift isn't really that easy." I snapped as Tenten handed me my own piece of cake.

"I suppose since everyone is here, we can open the gifts now." She suggested, walking back to the hallway, and then bringing out one gift at a time.

She first opened Gai-Sensei's. It wasn't a surprise what had given her; another matching outfit like his.

"You told me earlier this year that you outgrew your old one, Tenten." He smiled and a small flash from his teeth appered. "So, I went and bought you a new one!."

At first her expression was in shock, but she managed to cough through it. "Th-thank you Gai-Sensei..." She set the gift aside and returned his smile.

"The next one is from me, Tenten, open it!." Ecstatically, Lee handed her the package.

I could tell that she was unsure about the gift. Knowing Lee it had to be something to do with training.

"Oh, Lee, it's beautiful!."

She pulled out a deep pink with gold dragons Chinese gown.

"It's made from some of the finest silk from the Village Hidden in the Rain." He said proudly. "When we went on our mission there last year, I knew your birthday was coming up, so I decided it would be the perfect gift to give you!."

Tenten stood up and held the gown firmly against her body. "Thank you so much Lee."

I glanced down at my gift. I'm sure it was the one thing Tenten wouldn't want for her birthday, something that needed so much humidity, and would die our within a couple of weeks.

"And Neji, this is from you, right?." She picked up my gift and began to remove the wrapping.

"Oh it's gorgeous, Neji! What kind of flower is it?." She held up the casing and examined the flower more.

"It's a Gardenia." I said. "They normally grow around tropical areas in the mid-spring and summer. They also need a lot of humidity."

"I've heard of those flowers." Lee started. "Sometimes people will give them to a person only if they have deep love for them."

Tenten turned a light pink. "Did you know that, Neji?."

I shook my head. "No...Yamanaka Ino sold it to me, she didn't give me that kind of information though."

The birthday "party" went for a few more hours, and it was late before we left.

"Neji. Thank you for the Gardenia..." Tenten said quietly, holding the case against her chest. "I've never seen such a beautiful flower before."

I shifted my eyes to her. Her head was hung low and I noticed a light blush underneath her eyes.

"You're welcome." I said, I may as well be nice to her on her birthday.

"It may seem girly, but I really like flowers. And I just want to thank you so much for giving me the most beautiful flower of all." She lifted her head up and gave me a small smile.

"So..." She gently pressed her lips on my cheek, giving me a small kiss. "Thank you."

Author's note - Oh so cheesy! Lol.

Thank you for reading.