A collection of one-shots about the secret lives of our favorite characters. I'll be writing one every day or every other day. If you have any requests for new characters to do, please input it into a review. I may or may not do the character depending on my feelings about the character. Leave suggestions, critiques, flames, etc in a review, and I'll reply when I have time to.

After years of fighting to the death with each other, they each thought they knew each other. But did they really? Everyone has their own secrets, and the Rookie 12 are no exceptions. Collection of one-shots. Dark. Mentions of cutting, rape, abuse, etc. Ratings may go up.

.:The Secrets Within:.

.:Tenten: Strength:.

I oiled and greased the clawed glove carefully, making sure that it was spotless as a mirror. I was using a grease rag that had seen better days, as it was grayed and tattered. My father ducked his head out from behind the counter to observe me, but he didn't say anything. We both knew that I would do a superb job, as I always did. That wasn't conceit speaking, either. I spent so many years practicing and learning by trial and error to help my father.

I am adopted by my foster father, who currently owns a weapon shop that I help run sometimes. He's kind to me, puts clothes on my back, and works to put food on the table for the both of us. It's not really a secret; my entire team knows about it, and they understand. Some other people don't know, though, because they never bothered to know. They don't ask, I won't tell. That was my own promise to myself.

My father's voice echoed through the store, forcing me to look up from my work. "I'm going to do some inventory on the new arrivals of merchandise in the back. Run the store while I'm gone, will you?"

I nodded and placed the clawed glove—which I affectionately named, like I named most of the weapons and gears that came into the shop, the Crimson Lotus—back into its display case. Then, I gave the case a bit of a shining before heading to the cash register to do my duties.

A few customers came in and exited, some restocking on kunais, shurikens, and paper bombs, some picking up ordered customized items, and some simply looking over the commodities. I was doing a few calculations when the chime above the door rang, signifying another customer. I recognized her, being one of the kunoichi my age and a frequent customer. "Konnichiwa, Kaoru-san. What brings you to my humble store?" I nearly gagged on the formalities. I didn't like Kaoru much, since she always came into the shop doing the same things in a routinely matter. First, she would great me casually and walk around the store, as if she would actually buy something. Then, she would grab a random bag of kunai and pay for it, but not before asking me about him.

"Konnichiwa, Tenten. I just wanted to replenish my supply of kunai." Kaoru flashed her a nervous smile, before roaming the shop, letting her eyes dart around the room. Sure as I had predicted it, five minutes later, she nearly threw a kunai pouch at me. "So," she started dramatically, "how's your genin team doing?"

I scanned the barcode on the pouch and inwardly smirked as she looked at me impatiently. I knew that she didn't really care about my genin team at all. She just wanted to know about Neji. I didn't like her, but she was still a customer, and she did spend a lot of money over the months on her kunais, so I felt like I at least owed her that much for her determination. "Our team is doing great, especially with Gai-sensei helping us improving our taijutsu. His training really helped me grow, you know? Neji has improved a lot, too. He's quite proficient with his clan taijutsu, and can easily beat both Lee and me in a taijutsu-only spar."

I pretended to listen as Kaoru gushed about Neji. Soon, she left with her products, and I leaned back happily onto the counter, falling into my own daydreaming world.

My name is Tenten, and I am the Weapon's Mistress of Konoha, although I am still young and in training. My dream is to be a kunoichi as strong—no, even stronger—than Tsunade, the legendary slug princess and one of the three Sannin, is.

It sickens me whenever I look at those weak, pathetic excuses of kunoichi, the ones that blather about clothes and makeup and boys. They make the rest of the female ninjas look inadequate. I'll admit, Neji is cute. Attractive, even. And with the many insufferable months that I've spent with the boys, they've all really grown onto me, especially the Hyuuga. I begrudgingly admit that I have a teensy weensy crush on Hyuuga Neji. It's very small—just a speck. If you blink, you'd miss it. I hate that. I don't want to like him, because then I'd be seen as weak and too dependent, like my mother was.

I have to be strong so that I can show them all that kunoichi are in fact equal to men in terms of battle prowess. Ever since I was five I want to be a medical-nin like Tsunade for so many reasons. She saved countless of lives when everybody else gave up. I wanted to save my biological father, who passed away from heart cancer when I was nine. Heart cancer was extremely rare, incurable disease that less than 0.1% of people with cardiac tumors get. Because of the rarity, very little was known about the disease and every hospital and doctor we tried just couldn't find a cure.

"We're sorry, Mr. Hisaryuu. We've tried every method we could, but without surgery, it's impossible to know what's wrong with your heart."

Tenten's mother sobbed into her handkerchief as her husband tried to calm her down. A seven-year-old Tenten glared at the doctor. "Just watch! When I grow up, I'll be a better doctor than you ever were! I'll surpass Tsunade, the legendary Sannin, and I'll find a cure for your sickness, daddy!" she exclaimed. "So that you can play with me and buy my toys and clothes and take me places like we always do!"

THWACK! A hand came flying at Tenten's cheek, causing her stumble back a bit. Her mother had slapped her, she realized. Her cheek was scarlet and it stung. Tenten held her face as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. As soon as her mother realized what she had done, she cried even more, retreating back into her seat. "I'm sorry, Tenten..."

She was so used to everything being handed to her on a silver platter, whether it was from her parents, grandparents, or husband, that it was difficult for the two of us to adapt to the harsh environment when he died. She fell into depression, but we couldn't afford to buy her medicine.

"It'll be okay, mommy. Please don't be sad anymore. Daddy's looking down at us from heaven and he doesn't want us to be sad."

Her mother stared at her with angry eyes. "Don't speak to me like you understand anything! You're too childish to learn that when you die, you die, and that's the end! There's no such thing as heaven! That's a fool's tale to lessen the pain of death!"

Tenten recoiled in fear of her mother's harsh words. She realized that her mother was right. They were never going to be a family again. Her father and she would never go sneak outside to eat sweets again and the three of them would never go to the park to play on the swings or have a picnic again. He was gone.

She was too in love with him that she couldn't let him go even after death. I never want to get attached to someone like her, clinging on for dear life.

My name is Tenten, and my darkest secret—the secret that I want no one to know—is that my mother, who was far too dependent of my father in the first place, committed suicide when he died from heart cancer.

Ninth chapter done. Gah, had to do a late update (still trying to aim for the one chapter a day thing). My friend got me addicted to an MMORPG and I totally forgot about this. Had to rush this chapter, and this chapter was difficult to write in the first place. Don't kill me! Dx By the way, I made up Tenten's last name, Hisaryuu, which means long-lasting dragon, if you ignore the bad grammar.

Next Chapter: Rock Lee

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