AN:

Fair warning, this chapter involves a lot of political topics. I try to argue both sides, because I am not writing this to further any kind of political agenda. The characters opinions are their own opinions. It's essentially a vehicle I'm using to make N and T talk about heavier topics than they otherwise would. I mean... without Ninja stuff and weapons what do they really have in common??? I initially wanted to make it sports, but I know nothing about sports, so that was a no-go.

The most inflammatory political topic is argued about in a peer y surface level manner (I don't think I had very deep nuanced opinions at 16, so I suppose I projected that onto the characters), so hopefully they won't anger anyone too intensely...

Ive also changed the book description from NaruHina to NejiTen for now. Hinata and Naruto will have their moment later, but I figured I'm kind of mischaracterizing the story in its current form. Sorry for NejiTen haters. This story will mainly focus on four couples and they are kind of the first...

Please follow, favorite, and review :) Constructive criticism only please.

November 20, 2003

Konoha Tribune- Obituaries

Minato and Kushina were the golden couple of Konoha. The pair attended Konoha Preparatory Academy. There, Minato was the class of 1994's Valedictorian. He was also the Captain of the Football Team and Prom King in his Senior year.

Kushina was no less successful. She was the Student Body President and Prom Queen her Senior year.

The couple began dating during their Freshman year of high school. They were beloved by their classmates and teachers. They were kind to everyone and a beautiful example of love and commitment, even in their high school years.

They completely adored each other, so it was no surprise when they both attended Boston University. After their schooling, where they both excelled, they invested in a restaurant called Ichiraku Ramen, which has since opened franchises all over the East Coast. Due to their early business success, they were both able to focus on their passion for education. They both found careers they loved at the school they first met at, Konoha Preparatory Academy. They married shortly after.

While the two were committed to their business ventures and careers at KPA, they were always devoted to their friends and blossoming family. Minato served as a mentor for local students interested in business. The two hoped to have a large family together. Both were only children, so they loved the idea of their kids having many siblings.

Kushina gave birth to a son in 2002. She was thrilled to be a mother, and Minato was so proud.

Their friends and family will always remember them as fiercely loyal friends, pillars of their community, thoughtful mentors, brilliant students and entrepreneurs, and devoted parents.

They were preceded in death by their parents, Arthur and Joan Namikaze, and Eugene and Gladys Uzumaki. They were survived by their one son (to remain anonymous for safety purposes while the investigation of their death is ongoing).

Tuesday, October 7th, 2017

"I think you should sleep with Sasuke," Ino said casually one evening when the girls were walking back to their dorm after cheer practice. Sakura had learned to stop gasping every time Ino said something ridiculous. Still, it did take her a moment for her brain to wrap around what she'd said and form a response.

"I'm sorry… what?" She asked, bracing herself for whatever Ino was about to say.

"Don't play dumb, Forehead. It's not cute." Ino said, flipping her platinum hair behind her shoulder.

"Could you please explain your statement then?" Sakura asked, irritation evident in her tone.

"I've been thinking about it, and we both need to lose our virginities this year." Ino was so nonchalant Sakura struggled to respond.

"Why would we need to do that? Neither of us is even dating." Sakura tried to reason.

"You're so naïve sometimes, Forehead. Being a virgin is social suicide." The blonde rolled her eyes as if Sakura had the social skills of a child.

"I am 100% sure that that is not true, Ino," Sakura said, looking at her friend quizzically. Was this why she had almost hooked up with Kiba? Sakura had never quite figured that out.

"Well, then," Ino said with a hmph, "when were you planning to have sex?"

"I don't know, Ino," she sighed. "Probably when I'm dating someone, and we both love each other." It was a loaded question that Sakura had assumed wasn't something she needed to worry about in the near future. She wasn't dating anyone, and she didn't see herself seducing someone at a party like Ino had more or less attempted.

Ino gave her a patronizing look. "Sakura, you don't want to start dating someone you like and then be bad in bed. You want to work out all the kinks before you find someone you want to actually be with."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. She was pretty sure this was the exact opposite of the conversation she had had with her mother at the beginning of middle school. She wondered if Ino's conversation with her own mother had led to some of this. She had essentially told Ino she and her father were too young and inexperienced when they got together. Or maybe Ino was just trying to show her parents that if they didn't play by the rules, she wouldn't either.

"Wouldn't it be socially worse to be bad in bed with multiple people you go to school with for four years?" Sakura attempted to use some counter logic even though this conversation was anything but logical.

Ino shook her head, "that's why it's best to do it with someone who either already knows what they're doing or that you won't see again."

This argument was totally ludicrous.

"So why on Earth are you saying Sasuke is a good choice?" Sakura countered.

"Well, for one, he seems like he'd have some experience. Two, you like him." Ino said.

Sakura sputtered inelegantly. "I do not."

She did.

She had always had a thing for Sasuke, but she was very actively trying not to pursue or acknowledge it. She knew he was emotionally unavailable and would never like her back. She didn't want to waste her time pining over someone like that. Or for other people to know she was pining after him.

Ino's look made it clear she didn't believe her. "Yes, you do."

"Pig, I do not," Sakura said emphatically.

"Mmmhmmm. So you wouldn't mind if I go for him?" Ino asked, making it clear she knew Sakura would very much mind.

"I doubt you'd want to. You're totally wrong about him being experienced. I'm fairly sure he's never touched a girl in his life." Sakura said, trying to deflect the argument from her own feelings.

"Anyone as hot as Sasuke is an exception from the rules. And you don't know that. He probably slept with people after you left Leaf County." Ino argued.

Sakura still doubted that. Sasuke avoided people when he could, and she certainly had never seen him flirting.

"I've never seen him interested in anyone," Sakura said, annoyed with the conversation.

"Well then, maybe I'll be the first." Ino winked. Sakura knew she was intentionally trying to rile her up, so she forced herself not to react. She wouldn't give Ino the satisfaction.

Tenten was beginning to think she had imagined the sweet, open conversation she'd had with Neji on the steps a few weeks ago because he was being an utter dick today.

They had found out in the past few weeks that their politics clashed dramatically. Lee was easily swayed, so he often became caught in their arguments. Despite Neji's progressive opinion on euthanasia and Tenten's initial resistance, they found that Neji tended to be the conservative voice for most issues, and Tenten tended to be more liberal. Tenten was open-minded and likely wouldn't have cared much about their differences of opinion if he hadn't been so outrageously condescending.

After the euthanasia debate, they moved on to universal, subsidized, and privatized health insurance, where they were assigned to argue against the enactment of the Affordable Care Act. Tenten already found the topic uninteresting, and Neji's droning on about tax penalties made her want to chop off her own arm, so she'd have to go to the hospital for the rest of the week lest she bleed to death.

Everyone seemed bored by the week on patient autonomy. There were fewer squabbles in the classroom, and many students seemed checked out.

This week's topic had the opposite effect. Everyone had an opinion on abortion. Teams were assigned issues like public funding for family planning, bans on late-term and early abortion, policies on fetal anomalies, and of course, the topic they'd been assigned to defend, policies on rape and incest.

The group had met in Lee's dorm room to work on their debate, and she and Neji immediately started arguing.

"I don't understand how you can be so nonchalant about ending an adult's life and stubborn about a non-viable embryo," Tenten growled.

"That embryo will become a person. And that unborn person has no say in whether or not he loses his life. An adult opting for euthanasia would."

"That's suicide, Neji! Just because they choose it themselves doesn't mean we should support it."

"It's much more nuanced than suicide Tenten. It's not like healthy 30-year-olds are opting for euthanasia." He scoffed. "And they're adults. They should be able to make their own decisions."

"I'm sorry, do women not fall under the same category? Are they all children in your mind? Why can't they make their own decisions?"

"Because their irresponsibility got them into the predicament in the first place! It's not a person's fault if they have a terminal or life-impairing illness." He said, his cool voice rising.

Tenten gasped. She didn't know where to start.

"It's not a woman's fault if she was raped!" She yelled, going for the low-hanging fruit.

"Look, I empathize if that's the situation, but murder is not the solution."

"That's disgusting, Neji. A victim should have a shred of autonomy over her own body. You're so high and mighty about death with dignity. What about a woman's dignity? You're down to kill a family member before giving a woman a choice!"

Neji stood up from the desk chair, his eyes darkening, "you have no clue what you're talking about. You've never had a family member in that situation." He said with a dangerous tone.

"You don't know what you're talking about. You've never had a uterus!!" She stood up to glare back at him.

"Please, you don't have any more insight than I do.

It's not like you've ever been pregnant."

She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, "Are you sure, Neji? How the hell would you know?"

He was right. She had never been, but the way he squirmed was so goddamned satisfying.

"Guys!" Lee interjected, brows furrowed. "This is enough! How dare you yell at each other for having differing opinions. This class is supposed to teach us to see all sides of an argument."

"It's difficult when some of us can't see logic," Neji bit out.

"God, you're arrogant." Tenten clenched her fist. Neji scowled.

He looked at her furiously before nodding his head, "Fine. You can work alone with Lee tonight. I'll go work on my part on my own."

Tenten had a difficult time working after that. As she researched and added information to the team's Google Doc, she came across more and more arguments she wished she'd used earlier with Neji. Why hadn't she thought to say that? Unfortunately, she also came across many points of debate he could have used with her. As she delved through opinions and facts on the internet, she could acknowledge that it was a challenging topic to discuss. There was no right or wrong. Her opinion hadn't changed, but she regretted her tone with Neji. Yelling wouldn't make him change his opinion. It was the opposite, in fact. He was stubborn, but he did listen to logic. A fact-based approach would have been much more successful than their emotionally driven altercation.

Tenten tried to focus on working with Lee. His presence, though eccentric, was somewhat calming to her that night. He must have known to tread carefully with her. He was particularly polite, relatively quiet, diligent, and maybe even a little afraid of her. Lee was a natural debater. Despite being n emphatic person who made wildly bold pronunciations, he was good at seeing both sides. He was able to give validity to either side of any debate, unlike her and Neji. Realizing that she was being outdone by Lee in this way made her feel immature.

Even though she despised some of the comments he'd made earlier, she decided she should apologize. She knew his views were driven by a personal experience, and she was stirring up dangerous emotions within him. She hadn't been her best self, and she hadn't been an easy partner.

After she and Lee finished up for the night, she texted Neji and asked him where he was. It was already dark outside, but he was sitting at the base of a tree outside the dorms typing away on his laptop.

As usual, he had earbuds in his ear, and he took them out when he saw her approaching. She slid down onto the dirt to sit next to him.

"Hey." She said softly, crossing her legs at her ankles to prevent anyone who might pass by from seeing up her uniform skirt.

He nodded at her but didn't say anything. Yep. He was definitely too arrogant to apologize first. She would have to be the bigger person this time around.

"I'm sorry, Neji. I should be trying to understand where you're coming from, not calling you names." (She had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from saying she still thought he was a condescending, arrogant jerk). "I also should have never brought up anything about your family. That was shitty." When he stayed quiet, she added, "And just to be clear, I've definitely never been pregnant…." She laughed awkwardly at the ridiculousness that she had to clarify that after their fight. It had been a dirty tactic.

She was relieved when she saw one of his classic smirks grace his face in the dark. He cleared his throat and hesitated a bit before speaking,

"I apologize as well. I may have let my emotions get in the way of my manners." She could tell he was fighting his own stubbornness to apologize. It was lackluster as far as apologies go, but she knew it took a lot for him even to say that. She nodded in acceptance. "If there were an obvious answer, it wouldn't be part of the class, I guess."

He sighed and closed his laptop screen, apparently done for the night. Everything around them became darker, with only the lamp posts and dorm room windows to provide any light. The sky was cloudy, so they couldn't see the moon or stars. They sat in silence for a minute. They could hear some students in the distance and the sound of cicadas off in the trees.

"Neji, can I ask you a question?" She swallowed nervously, looking over at the stern face next to her. She was surprised to see it had softened and looked even a little relaxed. He met her gaze and shrugged.

"Don't answer this if you don't want to. I know it's personal. I'm just trying to imagine how your experience made you feel the way you do. What…. what exactly changed your mind?" She asked, trying to clarify her question as she spoke. "You clearly grew up with a lot of conservative views… why'd you change your mind just about that one thing?" She met his eyes hesitantly, trying to gauge his reaction as she broached a personal topic. "I know you saw your dad die," she said, her voice just barely above a whisper, "but why- why did that make you change your mind?"

She knew it was a personal and loaded question, and a large part of her didn't expect him to answer. She wasn't surprised as the quiet dragged on.

"He was diagnosed with lung cancer," she heard him sigh, "we knew from the beginning it was terminal. He still tried everything though. All the treatments they offered…. I know he felt bad leaving me without a parent," he paused, and Tenten stared at his profile as it glowed in the dark.

"What happened to your mom?" She asked quietly. She supposed she had gone all in on invasive personal questions.

He sighed and looked away. "She and Hinata's mom died in an accident when we were little." She looked down at her hands in her lap, unsure how to respond. She hadn't known he had lost both of his parents. She didn't want that knowledge to change how she thought of him, but it did. He had had just as much misfortune in his life as privilege.

"I'm sorry," she said, lifting her eyes just enough to give him a sad smile. He shrugged as if to say it was what it was.

"My dad was a brilliant, strong guy. It was terrifying seeing how vulnerable he became. He lost 60 pounds and looked like a skeleton." She watched his jaw tighten, and she fought the urge to grab his hand like she had weeks before.

"It wasn't like what you see in the movies where it's a normal-looking person- maybe with no hair at the most- passing peacefully. He was unrecognizable by the time he passed. He was malnourished and couldn't use the bathroom on his own. He was in pain all the time. He couldn't eat much. They had to use a feeding tube because he was aspirating so much and had lost so much weight.

And it's weird when it happens. Even though your biggest fear is for them to die, you fear it so much at some point you just want it to happen already, so it's over. The anticipation is torture. I wanted him to be out of his misery, but I also just needed to get the worst of it over with.

And then, when it did happen, I realized I had already mourned part of him. The part that was there with me my whole life. By the time he died, he'd already lost so much of what made him him" Neji looked away, and Tenten could tell he had shared more than he'd intended to. She couldn't stop herself from grabbing his hand. He looked surprised, but she could tell he wasn't thinking about her. He was too wrapped up in his memories to acknowledge her hesitant attempt at comfort. This time reaching for his hand felt more emotionally charged. She knew he was telling her something he hadn't told anyone before. She didn't really know why. Just because she asked?

He looked straight ahead into the dark shadowed buildings and trees, not acknowledging her gesture.

"The point is, we spent so much time trying to extend his life, we weren't thinking about the quality. I don't know if everything we do in the end to keep people alive is worth it. It was my dad's choice, and I'm glad he did what he wanted. But if I ever end up that sick, I just…I wouldn't want all that. I don't want my loved ones watching me waste away. I want it to be over when I still have the energy to care and say goodbye." She could tell he was emotional, but it wasn't because of anything obvious. His expression had remained composed, and his voice had remained strangely passive. It might have been the slight hunch of his shoulders or how his eyes shone in the dark, reflecting the spread apart sources of light around them.

"Neji," she whispered, squeezing his hand gently. He straightened up a bit and faced her. "I think as long as the physician deems it appropriate, people should be able to choose what they want. I have a feeling my father would have chosen to fight until the bitter end, no matter what other options he was given. He was dismissive of the palliative care options to begin with. Those options matter, though…" he paused and looked at her briefly,

I know you find it ironic that I believe in choice for that but not abortion."

She did, and more than ever, she wanted to know why. She had never imagined that Neji would have such deep, provocative reasons behind his political decisions. She wanted to know if his thought process behind being pro-life was equally compelling. Probably not. She didn't think he had any personal ties to the topic like this one. She didn't dare ask after he had been so open with her already.

She looked up at him, "it's okay. We don't need to talk about that now," she said, watching his expression closely, noticing how his lashes caught the shadows and his eyes caught the light. "Thank you." She looked down at their hands and entwined her fingers with his. "For telling me. And for helping me understand."

She had meant it as a caring gesture, not a romantic gesture, but she couldn't help but notice her heart flutter. There was a strange emotional tension in the air. Her chest felt heavy, and she felt connected to him. She felt connected to someone she hardly seemed to agree with anything.

She wondered if he felt it, too, because he wasn't stopping it. He hadn't pulled away his hand or gotten up to leave. He hadn't told her her questions were rudely personal. He had told her about his dad, and she knew it meant something. She was surprised howdesperately she wanted it to mean something.

And that was the moment she realized she liked Neji Hyuuga. She had found him insufferable for most of the day, but she couldn't deny that she wanted to stretch out this moment where he trusted her and shared with her and squeezed her hand back almost as if he were grateful she was there.

The intimacy of the moment made her uncharacteristically self-conscious. She looked around nervously, trying to settle how her neck was starting to feel hot and her stomach was knotted. She needed to break some overwhelming tension floating around them. When his phone lit up because of some incoming notification, her eyes settled on the screen as a distraction

Her eyes settled on the screen as a distraction and her eyes fell to the paused music on the screen.

"Neji… were you… were you listening to The Climb before I came over?" Tented asked, her tone slightly bewildered.

Neji instantly pulled his hand back and snatched his phone, a frown marring his otherwise beautiful features. "It's my little cousins. We all have the same Spotify account." He said harshly.

His defensiveness made the corners of Tenten's mouth tug up in amusement. "Hinata?" She asked, trying to keep a straight face.

He looked at her haughtily, "No, her little sister, Hanabi. She's thirteen."

"Well, that explains it," Tenten allowed herself to giggle, "that was what I listed to at thirteen too." She grinned at him and nudged him to try to loosen the frown on his face.

"Still," she mused, "I don't get why her music was playing on your phone…" her voice was teasing, but Neji was sullen. She heard him mumbling under his voice as he got up to stand, hiding his phone in his pocket. He started walking away back toward the dorms, leaving Tenten scrambling to stand and follow him,

"Oh, come on, Neji!" She called, "We were having a good time." She failed to suppress a final giggle that emerged as he stalked away and gave her a last angry glare.

Neji Hyuuga was more and more of a mystery to Tenten. He was clearly very intelligent, a bit uppity, generally conservative, filled with a surprising vulnerability and thoughtfulness; he had zero chill, and he was very guarded about the music he listened to (perhaps for a good reason?).

Ten walked back in the dark, simultaneously relieved and disappointed that she had broken the thick tension between them. She wondered what would have happened if her characteristic need for humor amid seriousness hadn't taken over. She honestly didn't know. Neji was a wild card.