Chapter 13: A Springtime Wedding

Almost two years have passed since Hatake Kakashi took office as the Sixth Hokage. Life in the village was sublime to the young ninjas who survived the war. News of Naruto's and Hinata's engagement excited the youths, sending each wedding guest on a treasure hunt to find the perfect gift for the happy couple.

Tenten examined some weapons in her shop. She strongly considered gifting them weapons despite the time of peace. She smiled as she questioned some of the most treasured weapons in her collection.

I don't know if I am willing to part with these. They may never be used in a fight, but they still make for excellent decorations, Tenten thought. If their children decide to become ninjas, they may use them. However, these are too nice to be given to an inexperienced ninja.

Tenten sighed as she returned to her seat behind the counter of her quiet store. She thought about Naruto and Hinata, remembering first meeting them.

It's weird to think of them having kids. We were all just kids only a few years ago, Tenten thought as she sipped her tepid tea. It's wild to consider how much their lives are about to change. And here I am, still single and running a stagnant store. Opening a weapon store after a war was such a stupid idea…

Tenten glanced up when she heard the bell of her front door chime. It was Lee. She smiled.

"Hey, Lee. How are you doing today?" Tenten asked.

Lee seemed disturbed.

"Oh, Tenten. I am having the worst time." Lee said dramatically.

"Huh? What's going on?" Tenten asked as Lee approached her.

"I am so ashamed to admit it." Lee sighed.

He looked at her. He found himself caught up by her curious brown eyes. His heart fluttered.

"Lee, what's the matter?" Tenten asked. "You're acting weirder than usual."

"I do not know what to buy as a gift for the wedding." Lee said bashfully.

"That's it!? Seriously?" Tenten spat. "You had me worried for a moment there that you had a serious problem."

"But Tenten, it is serious!" Lee insisted. "Think about it, those two are making a lifetime promise to each other and I cannot find a gift to honor such a commitment!" Lee cried.

"Don't worry about it, you big crybaby. You'll think of something before the wedding. You have a whole week." Tenten added.

"That is not enough time!" Lee stressed. "I feel like I am going to faint."

"Alright, alright. Calm down." Tenten said. "I can help you."

"Thanks, Tenten. You are the best!" Lee said.

"I don't know about that." Tenten flushed. "After I close up for the day, we could go look around for ideas." Tenten said.

"That is perfect!" Lee beamed, his iconic pearly white smile returning.

Tenten smiled. Despite all the life changes, Lee still had his can-do attitude from his younger days. She felt her heart flutter.

"You know what, it's not so busy. It won't hurt to close up early today." Tenten said as she reached for her keys.

The green handkerchief she kept in her pocket tumbled out again. Lee noticed it and blushed. She reached down to pick it up. Its edges were tattered, and it looked quite worn.

She kept it, after all of this time… Lee thought as his heart drummed.

"Want to get something to eat first? I skipped lunch today. I got so embroiled in the book I was reading." Tenten said as she walked with Lee toward the door.

"Oh, what is it about?" Lee asked, attempting to forget about what he had just seen.

"It's a mystery novel." Tenten said as the pair stepped out of the door, and she locked it up tight. "It's boring. I have a feeling the butler did it." she said. "There's a romantic subplot in it that is about as infuriating as the rest of the book."

"How is it infuriating?" Lee asked as he walked along Tenten's side down the street.

"It's annoying. It has that cliché in it. You know, the one where the main characters both love each other, but they're both afraid of making a move." Tenten explained. "I hate it when authors do that. You have to have an overactive lack of imagination to write something so banal." she said as she frowned.

"Ha, right." Lee chuckled. "That sounds very frustrating."

Silence fell between the two as they walked. They arrived at Ichiraku, the ramen shop that was a classic hangout spot for the young ninjas. The smell of the pork broth made them salivate.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't even ask if ramen is what you wanted." Tenten said, embarrassed as she scratched the back of her head.

"I did not even think about where to go." Lee chuckled. "My feet just took me here."

Tenten smiled. The pair stepped through the curtains, and Tenten ordered her favorite.

"I will have Naruto's favorite dish, please! Eating it may give me inspiration for the perfect gift!" Lee beamed as he ordered.

Tenten and Lee chatted over dinner about work and the wedding. Lee's face hurt from smiling so much. It had been a while since the pair dined together. It reminded him of their old days as a team.

However, Tenten was now a grown woman. She filled her dress nicely, and her long braided hair rested along her spine, reaching her mid-back. Though she was less active than she was years ago as an active shinobi, she retained lean muscle. Her eyes seemed more mature as the hard years would do to a person. Lee felt he had looked the same, unchanging as he had still clung to his memories of better days.

Tenten observed Lee. Though he looked the same as she remembered him, his onyx eyes were dulled. His face appeared slimmer, showing his more defined cheekbones. The changes reminded her of their Sensei, whom she still missed. Without him, the village was much quieter and less exciting.

"Aww you two are so cute." A patron near them commented. "How long have you two been dating?"

"Oh, uh…" Lee froze.

"We're just friends." Tenten said, embarrassed.

"Are you sure? I saw how you were both looking at each other. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul." The lady said.

Tenten and Lee sat awkwardly in their seats, silently finishing their ramen. They were reluctant to look at each other, fearing they may stoke the flames of their longstanding crushes. Eventually, Tenten gathered her courage to break the silence.

"Hey, Lee. Have you thought of a gift yet?" Tenten thought as he finished his bowl.

Lee looked at the empty bowl and then back at her. Flames from the cooktop across from them reflected in her brown eyes. Lee blushed and felt his heart pound.

"Oh, uh, yes! I believe I know what I am getting Naruto and Hinata as gifts!" Lee chirped as he looked away from her and returned to his feet. "I can just get it tomorrow; I am sure you are tired after a long work day." Lee said, forcing a fake smile.

"Huh, okay." Tenten said, taken aback. "So, what did you have in mind?" Tenten asked as she slid off of her chair.

"Oh, I must keep it secret!" Lee lied, looking to his left sheepishly. "But thank you for joining me for dinner. I forgot I have some things to do, so I should get going." Lee said. "Please, allow me to pay for your ramen since it was my idea." he said as he reached into his pocket.

Lee pulled out his wallet. Something small and peach-colored fell out of his pocket as he took out his wallet. Tenten picked it up. She examined the shell. Memories of their trip out to the sea filled her mind. She felt her heart drum in her chest as she held the shell. Lee turned to her after paying for their meals. He realized what she was carrying.

I must have dropped it when getting my wallet, Lee thought as he blushed and felt his body become hot.

Tenten handed it to Lee. She looked into his dark eyes and wasn't sure what to say. Lee looked longingly at her brown eyes, before reluctantly pulling himself away. He took the shell and placed it back into his pocket.

"Forgive me. I must go." Lee said before he exited through the curtain.

Tenten stood, unable to move her feet. She felt paralyzed at that moment by the memories of her and Lee. She reminisced on her old crush on him and their time as teammates. She remembered all the silly mistakes he would make and the times it frustrated her when he did not take some things seriously. All of them seemed like water under the bridge now. She now saw him as a man fighting himself; his team had left him to deal with his problems alone.

Her heart ached the farther Lee walked away from her. She felt her eyes become heavy as she left through the curtain and watched Lee disappear in the distance. Her guilt resurfaced.

As your friend, I should be inspiring your confidence, Tenten thought. But I know I'm the reason why it's shattered. I am not confident enough to tell you how I feel. I have hurt you enough.

Tenten walked home. She hung her head, staring at the ground as she walked. She stumbled into another pedestrian and apologized profusely for her carelessness. She rushed home, desiring to be alone with her thoughts.

She shut the door behind her only a second before tears spilled down her face. She ran to her room, her shoes still on. She lay in her bed and clutched her pillow tightly as she sobbed into it.

Lee, we're only getting more hurt going on like this, Tenten thought. If something doesn't give soon, maybe we can't even be friends anymore.