Tenten is twelve at the time of her first kiss.
She recalls it seldom now, with all the missions and work. She's grown so close to her team that she hardly remembers what it felt like to have other kind of friends.
But she did, once.
Her friends were mostly her neighbors, which included both classmates and civilians. One of her best friends, an energetic boy called Katsu, had an older sister Tenten used to look up to. She was the only shinobi in her family, she was intelligent and pretty, and her name was Naomi. Naomi was the first person to tell her about Tsunade and her burning admiration. She was very determined, and although she used to talk to both Katsu and Tenten as little kids (they were three years younger than her), Tenten didn't mind, as long as she could hear her stories of ninjas and missions and victories.
Naomi was the first shinobi Tenten emulated, the reason she wanted to become a ninja in the first place. She entered the Academy against the will of her parents but with Naomi's blessing.
As it is with most non-genius folk, the Academy years were hard. It took her a while to discover her talent – bukijutsu (same as Naomi, by the way)– and even then she did most of the training either by herself or with Naomi. As she grew older, her group of friends got smaller, eventually even Katsu became distant. She didn't mind that much, by then she already considered Naomi her best friend. She even invited her to some training sessions with her own team – training with genin, can you believe it? – and helped her ease her way into the ninja world.
Finally, Tenten graduated. It was a fantastic day, her parents were proud and happy, Tenten was ecstatic. That is, until she noticed Naomi's absence. She tried not to think about it that much, but the truth is that she hadn't seen her in quite a few days and she knew she wasn't on any mission.
That night, a rock thrown against her window woke her up. She glanced outside and saw Naomi telling her to come meet her. Tenten went. Naomi took her into the forest by the hand and showed Tenten her present – a picnic. Tenten laughed and thanked her and they both ate with pleasure. After that, Naomi gave her "the real present" – her scrolls.
At first, Tenten was happy, then stunned. Shouldn't Naomi need her scrolls? Those were her weapons, after all. You could arm an entire army with the things contained in those scrolls Naomi's expression turned a little sad and she said she wouldn't need them anymore. Some disagreements with her parents, some things that just weren't working out. "It's hard for people to accept those who are different." Naomi said " I wanted to congratulate you above all else, but I must also say goodbye. I'm not sure how long I'll stay here. I might leave tonight, tomorrow…but I know I won't stay long."
Tenten felt a bitter sadness taking a hold of her. She couldn't fathom a world without Naomi, a Naomi who is missing. Or perhaps even a missing-nin?
"No, I just won't be a shinobi anymore. It's for the better."
They started packing the dishes and clearing the place. Tenten wanted to cry, but she didn't wanted to look weak. When they started going back to the house, right before they left the protection of the woods, Naomi grabbed her arm and kissed her.
Tenten didn't know what to say. The kiss seemed to last ages. She started kissing back and Naomi touched her cheek. Finally, Naomi backed away slowly.
"I'm sorry, Tenten. I don't want you to be like me."
And then she was gone.
For the longest time, Tenten didn't know what to feel. She loved Naomi, but she was a girl, and her friend. Or maybe not? Either way, she was gone. And wasn't she supposed to like boys? She was quite taken with Neji the first time she saw him. Though he was delicate…like a girl? No!
She started feeling the need of kissing, of another body. She wanted someone close to her, but her teammates were either too energetic or too cold. She felt a little lonely, and at the same time, a little disturbed by this strange feeling taking control of her.
For a while was confused, but other, more important things, demanded her attention. Now, she just felt happy it happened.
Sometimes, some girl or other exhales the same attraction Naomi did. Sometimes, a boy does it. Either way, Tenten is happy. When she gets the time, she'll make out her mind about these things. Before that, she can always hold onto to that first kiss.