Tenten cackles as she swings her to-go bag of ramen, completely satisfied with the shit storm she has started.
"Tenten-sensei! Tenten-sensei!"
Tenten halts, whirling around to lock eyes with a pair of shimmering green eyes, her student. "Hello, Asami!"
The girl skids to a halt in front of her, hands on her knees, heaving deep breaths. "We just finished moving all of the weights to the new dojo!"
"Oh, you three are so efficient, aren't you?" Tenten coos, reaching out to pat the girls pretty black hair that Tenten doesn't like to admit she's a little jealous of. "Well, if you haven't heard, our Hokage is opening up another dojo! So, you all better get back to the equipment store and pick up some more weights!"
Tenten grins down at the girl as her demeanor visibly deflates. "Oh, really…? Another one…?"
"Mhm!" She nods. "After that, you all can turn in, okie dokie?"
"Yes, sensei." The girl bows respectfully, just like Tenten knew she would, and bolts away.
Was she telling Lee to build dojos for her to run and make cash from? No.
Was she casually slipping it into conversation every once in a while? Maybe.
And fine, maybe it was a little more than every once in a while. Maybe it was every time she swung by for a quick check-in and chat. Maybe Lee is a little too easy to convince. That's not her fault, she lays blame for these dojos on Shikamaru.
Not Neji, though. Never Neji.
She skips away with her hand hooked into the handle of the bag, now with a pleasant image of Neji's mean face painted in her mind. She sighs longingly as she looks out towards the mountainous area of the forests, a little frown tugging on her lips as she thinks of Neji. How long had it been? Months? A year now?
"Hey! Took you long enough!"
Her face falls into a deeper frown as she looks up at her current partner in crime waving at her from the watch tower. She heaves a sigh as she hops halfway up the ladder, then skitters her way up to the top.
"What do I owe ya?" Kiba asks good-naturedly as she sets the bag down between them, then falls into a lotus position. She looks up to see him giving her that fangy smile and it makes her smile, too. Neji's not here, but Kiba's face isn't so bad to look at, either.
After unlidding the bowls of ramen, she pinches her index and thumb together and brings it to her lips. "Flower."
"Aha," Kiba snickers, looking down at his lap as he digs into it, "of course, only the finest for the finest lady of the Leaf."
"Smooth," Tenten retorts as he pulls out a little baggie and tosses it at her. She catches it, then swiftly seals it away. "Thank you kindly."
"Y'know," Kiba starts as he pulls the container to his mouth, "don't have to get me lunch to score. Whenever you're in need, just uh—drop by. Anytime."
"Even in the middle of healing someone?" Tenten perks an eyebrow as she takes a sip.
Kiba winks at her. "Anyone would understand having to wait for a lovely woman."
"Even one that's dying?"
"Eh."
"Who in the world let you become a medic?" Tenten shakes her head, scooting back to lean against one of the support beams. Kiba leans forward and she crinkles his nose at the way he so effortlessly ignores her attempts at brushing him off. "And whoever let you be on guard duty with me?"
"Ah, that was you, sweetheart," Kiba taunts, taking a purposefully forceful bite of pork. "You can't resist Akamaru."
"Ah, yes." Tenten nods in agreement as Akamaru perks up at his name being mentioned. The old dog tilts his head at Tenten when she reaches a hand out. Happily, he scoots over on his belly and puts his head in her lap and she gladly indulges him. "The true handsome devil of the Leaf."
"Ha!" Kiba laughs, nudging his foot against the dog, who kicks his foot without looking back. "Aint that the truth. Can't believe he got that added to his official title."
"Have you met our Hokage?" Tenten asks, seriously before slurping down the rest of her soup. With a little 'aah', she sets it to the side and rests her head back. "I'm surprised he didn't go for something more. Like—Lord Seventh, Rock Lee, Handsome Devil of the Leaf, Green Wild Beast, Taijutsu Master, Trainer Extraordinaire, King Centipede Brows, God of the Eight Inner Gates!"
Kiba blinks at her, a noodle hanging from his mouth. Tenten shrugs. "You have that one packed away or somethin'?"
"I'm a literary master, didn't you know?"
Kiba chuckles at that, setting his empty container aside. He wipes at his mouth and she raises her eyebrows as he gets on his knees and starts crawling toward her. She rolls her eyes and turns her head when he leans in, his attempt at a kiss missing her lips, instead making contact with her cheek. She shoves her palm in his face and he whines—she won't admit it's kind of cute. "Aww, c'mon babe, don't hafta play so hard to get."
"I told you not in public!" Tenten seethes, squinting her eyes at him as he smirks at her. Her eyes land on that fang poking out from his upper lip and she groans, pushing at his cheek. "Neji could be back any day—"
"You guys aren't together—"
"Officially! Officially!"
"So what's the harm?"
"We're working!"
"Booooring."
"And you have pork breath." Kiba frowns now, sitting back on his haunches, looking like the sad little puppy he is.
Tenten's not stupid. She knows when she's being manipulated. But she has two choices in front of her: tell him to suck it up, buttercup, and let him be a cute, pouty mess for the foreseeable future on their watchguard duty, or give in and let him be a cute, stupid mess for the foreseeable future on their watchguard duty.
Unfortunately, the answer is clear. She rolls her eyes and lifts her finger up to beckon him. "C'mere, dummy."
She's tempted to smack the smirk off his face when he gets back up on his knees, but instead relents and lets him tackle her down.
"You idiot!" she laughs as her head bumps into the post beside her and shoves him down, rolling on top of him.
"Cute idiot?" he asks with that sly smile that he knows she can't say no to.
At least not right now.
She lets him yank her down to meet their lips and gives in.
Until he ruins it—as he's so prone to do.
"Shit—is that—?"
"Seriously, what?" she asks, annoyed as she pulls up to see him inhaling deeply through what looked like just one nostril. She rolls her eyes into the back of her head as she reels off of him back onto her butt. He sits up and peaks between the slats of wood, and she sees a grin spread over his face. "Who is it?"
"Hinata's brat sister!" His tone is sinister, and she smiles at it. "You know what that means~"
"Can't let the girl have a break today? I like Hanabi." Tenten tilts her head, peaking over the edge to see Hanabi walking with several others—including Konohamaru. They both look beat to hell. "Heard she had a rager last night."
"Exactly." She hears the laugh bubbling inside of him as he concocts a plan. He turns to her and holds out a hand. "Gimme one of your explosive tags."
Tenten tuts, shaking her head all the while obliging his request. "You're making a mistake."
"It's mine to make, aint it?" She smiles at the way he phrases it as he snatches it out of her hand.
Tenten really didn't think she'd be spending her days as a 20-something on top of a watchtower, making out with an Inuzuka and pranking a Hyūga heiress, but she can't really complain. Better than the alternative, she supposed, fading into obscurity and making nothing of herself. Plus, she was a sensei, and as much as Guy-sensei infuriated her at times, she had the utmost respect for him and all the other senseis.
Except maybe Kakashi when he parades around with that damn book. But otherwise, mad respect.
Tenten sighs faintly as she watches Kiba bite his thumb and slam down a summoning seal and a cute little puppy appears in front of him. She tilts her head at the little white pup, who excitedly hops into Kiba's arms. Kiba laughs as he tucks the scroll into the dog's headband. "Emi, see that Hyūga over there?"
"Got it," the pup responds instantaneously. She's the only one of his summons that will put up with his antics, and in fact enjoys and partakes in them. She wonders if Pakkun will appear this time to scold the unfortunate pup for being so easily influenced by Kiba. Akamaru growls to the side as the pup named Emi goes flying off the side of the watchtower, spreading its limbs as if it's some flying squirrel.
It bolts towards poor, miserable Hanabi, who instantly brightens up at the sight of the cute pup. Both she and Konohamaru instantly get on their knees to greet them, and then the pup does a full 360, then a 180, and it disappears, leaving the activated explosion tag—
It's a small one, Tenten swears it. Just enough to make them a little dirty in the face. Maybe singe off the tiniest piece of their eyebrows. Not anything to get too riled up over…
"INUZUKA!"
"You should run."
Tenten watches as Kiba leaps to the nearest tree top, his cackling laughter echoing around them. She gets to her feet and sets her hands on her hips as she watches Konohamaru grab Hanabi from behind around the shoulders to hold her back, all the while curses freely falling from her mouth for the entire village to bear witness. Peering over her shoulder, she sees the villagers nearest to the gates stop and look at one another, hushed whispers.
"Never you worry, folks!" Tenten cups her mouth as she shouts over the people. "Everything is a-okay! Just some pranksters!"
The look they give her tells her they are wholly unconvinced, but also not worried enough to push for more information, and they get back to what they were doing. She turns around to see Hanabi stomping towards the gates and Tenten tries to offer a friendly wave and greeting. Hanabi's eyes shoot up to Tenten's and she seems strained in her smile. "Hi Tenten. It was Kiba, wasn't it?"
"Well…" Tenten is interrupted when Akamaru gets on his hind legs to look over the edge, barking down at Hanabi. Hanabi groans and rolls her eyes. Tenten giggles.
Akamaru isn't one to let Kiba get away with such antics. Hanabi shakes her head. "I'm gonna get him…I'm gonna get him so hard."
"Sure you are," Konohamaru comments to her side, poking her in the side. "You're gonna get him so hard. Nasty, nasty."
"What the—" Hanabi sputters, her eyes turning veiny and her cheeks turning rosy as she faces Konohamaru. Tenten covers her mouth and bites her lip. "How dare you!"
Tenten shakes her head and tuts as Konohamaru doubles over, chakra point swiftly closed. He won't be reopening that one for a while. Then her eyes drift to Hanabi, who is marching away, looking red from her forehead to her collarbone.
Poor thing.
Tenten knows Kiba is messing with her because that's just how Kiba is. He messes with everyone. She just wishes he knew that doing so with a heart as delicate as Hanabi's was a dangerous game.
Love is stupid, Tenten knows that. But she can't help but be in love with Neji. Sometimes she wonders if Kiba is in love with her. She knows Hanabi is in love with him. And Konohamaru, as good as he is at playing things off, is hopelessly in love with Hanabi.
These kids were far too predictable. Tenten could see through it all.
What a mess.