AN: This one is slightly different. I have been writing these to prompts, and this one inspired, not a short story, but more of a blurb/monologue thing. It's happened once or twice, so more of these will probably appear once in a while. If you don't like them, skip them! Also, please review.
Neji was a king.
Well actually he was more of a Hyuga. But that was close enough. Clans with their exclusive airs, their stares that say keep out. Neji could command attention by walking into a room, and that's something only royalty can do.
Kings are supposed to be powerful. But kings can also be playing cards, manipulated by higher forces. If Neji was a playing card, he would have been the king of diamonds. Diamonds are the hardest minerals in the world, glinting but unyielding. But if you know the correct lines to cut along, you can slice them up the same as anything else.
Tenten could always cut Neji down to size.
She was the sort of girl who would fade out of your vision if you weren't paying attention, but even if you forgot her, she didn't forget you. She kept an eye on you and pretty soon knew all the cards you were carrying, your strengths, your weaknesses, and how to exploit you. She could pull on Neji like she had him on a leash, quietly smiling at his obstinacy and mocking his hard words. He hated her for it, the way she could treat him the exact same as anyone else.
Then one day he realized, she didn't treat him the same as anyone else. She just treated him as an equal: A privilege reserved to few.
And he realized: If he was a king of diamonds, she was the queen of hearts. Which meant he could pretty much lay down arms and surrender right now. Trying not to love her was a lost cause.
As for Lee, his role in the game of shinobi warfare was never really clear. But he was hardly nobility. His enthusiasm for youth, his honesty, his sweat and that ridiculous green jumpsuit all made him somewhat laughable. So many thought he was a joker, and they thought that meant he was a joke.
They forgot. The joker can be substituted for any card in the game. Of all the cards, the joker is the least predictable, and with time it can become the most powerful.