keroRiBBIT, FruitySmell, I love you guys. A big thanks to the new followers, favouriters, and all-round supporters as well. 3
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There was something therapeutic about soaking in a hot tub, especially after a week's worth of brutal training. Desert Rose, her favourite scent, wafted through the air and filled her nostrils. She slowly let the troubles that plagued her mind drift away as her work-hardened muscles melted underneath the water. It was just her and the steamy environment surrounding her. Temari allowed a content sigh to escape her mouth as she sunk lower into the water.
Tomorrow morning, she'd gather up her team and discuss their strategy together. They didn't need 'spunk' in the battlefield, and the nicknames were unnecessary, however hilarious they were to her. Spikehead, Sockpuppets, and Lovey were the ones given to her little family trio, and she loved hers. Though, she wouldn't be letting go of Lovey - his tattoo was ridiculous. Sasuke and Sai, the resident jerkheads, dubbed themselves Thing 1 and Thing 2; it saved them the trouble of having embarrassing nicknames, while still being able to pull them off. Buns was her personal favourite, while the owner thought otherwise, and if it wasn't obvious before then Sai's reverence of Ino's beauty was clear for all to hear. Goddess.
In all honesty, Temari loved her little band of misfits. They'd all banded together for different reasons, but shared the same goal - a family, however makeshift it was. Temari, Kankurou and Gaara were the first, being siblings and the Kazekage's puppets, then came Sai after they rescued him from a bunch of bullies. Artistic passion wasn't prized in the harsh climates of Suna, so the pasty-skinned artist was ostracised by his classmates before he even had a chance to make friends.
A moody and depressed Sasuke joined a year later, followed by Ino. They'd formed a strange, physical bond with each other, but after one night together as an experiment, decided to never cross the line again. Ino became slightly distant with the family after that, joining only for training sessions and the occasional gatherings. Sasuke, on the other hand, developed a whole heap of sass. It was as if they'd switched personalities.
The last to join the gang was Tenten, though it wasn't through a traumatic event at school or a sudden bonding experience like Sasuke and Ino. She was brought in by the Kazekage, who merrily handed her over to them and told them to 'get her ready for training'. Temari pitied her immediately - yet another pawn in her father's plans.
Tenten had always been beautifully strong to her. Suna's rigid societal structures went from the underground roots of the village to the very top tiers, so surviving in the village was both mentally and physically taxing. Thus, her orphaned status and subsequent outcasting from the peer groups was immediate. Temari would've intervened and forced the immature gits to pay for their actions, if it weren't for Tenten's backbone. She crushed those bullies with a swing of her metal arm and threatened to pummel them even further into the ground if they tried to ruin her again.
She supposed that was how Gaara became so attached to her in the first place. Of all the lost souls in their little gang, those two had the most traumatic pasts. A knock resounded on the dorm door. She sucked in a deep breath.
"NARUTO!" Qualities of being a wind manipulator: amplifying sounds was her forte. She heard the blonde boy stumble out of his room while muttering a string of colourful words.
"WHAT do you want, woman?" She smirked into the steaming bathtub.
"Someone's at the door, idiot."
"Answer it yourself then!" She snorted loudly, making sure Naruto could hear it. "Come on! You've been in that tub for hours!" Temari sent blasts of steam out from underneath the door. She could hear Naruto choking on Desert Rose as he mumbled out a begrudging "Fine, toad."
The spiky-haired blonde was in the process of relaxing back into the water when her door came crashing down, prompting her to conjure up thick puffs of steam to conceal her body. She threw on a bathrobe before turning to the perpetrator.
"Please tell me you won't keep making a habit of storming down doors with naked girls behind them. Tenten wouldn't stop ranting to me about it the other day." Sasuke gave her a cheeky smirk.
"You both have everything under control anyway."
She sighed. "Why are you even here? You should be getting some rest before the Tournament."
He looked solemn, for reasons unknown to her. "Likewise."
"I," Temari crossed her arms over her chest, donning an expression of mock-anger, "was having a fan-tas-tic rest before you blew my door down. Ever heard of knocking?"
"'Mari, what if something goes wrong?" Sasuke's sudden sincerity shocked her, although she didn't show it. She was briefly reminded of their younger days, when Sasuke was gloomier and much more pessimistic.
"What do you mean?" He was starting to worry her; a worried Sasuke was never a good Sasuke. Temari placed a comforting hand on his shoulder - they'd never been the hugging type, and this was as far as she would get with her affections. "ChiChi, you know you can tell me anything."
Sasuke nodded at his old nickname, not bothering to lash out at his dislike of it. Should he tell her about the Akatsuki cloak, or was it all just an elaborate prank to scare any foolish teenagers? He opted to smile at his leader and first sister instead.
"It's nothing, probably just the nerves."
Hyuga Hinata found herself beside her mother's grave again, decorating its exterior with delicate peonies and wildflowers. She twirled her hands twice, signalling the flowers to curl around her mother's portrait. Satisfied with her work, Hinata kneeled down in front of her mother, careful not to get her black gown wet.
"I'm back, mother." The portrait smiled back at her. "Our tournament's in two days. Father has been supervising over my training, and he looks proud. I've even lost my stutter!" She beamed at the portrait, despite knowing that she'd never receive a response. Still, talking to her mother helped her de-stress. The Hyuga female had always been the strict clan's beacon of light, with her exquisite beauty and sunny personality. Even the clan elders treated her nicely, something very much uncommon with the old crones.
Everyone had mourned her untimely death.
"I'll help Konoha win this Tournament, mother. To make you proud. To make Father proud."
"What about yourself?" She let out a high-pitched squeal, throwing her arms up in the air. Grass shoots shot out from her direction, clamping the intruder onto the lawn within a split second. Hinata chided herself for not being more aware of her surroundings; it was a Hyuga golden rule. She looked at the intruder's face, immediately releasing him when she saw his shocked features.
"Naruto-kun! I-I am so s-sorry!" She chided herself on allowing her stutter to return again. She gently stroked his back while he lay coughing on all fours, gagging out reassurances at the same time. "S-sorry!" Naruto stopped hacking out grass shoots and turned to her angrily.
"Stop saying you're sorry!" he shouted. Hinata recoiled in shock. "Are you going to keep apologising to everyone for everything? You have nothing to be sorry about!" Hinata was still paralysed in her position on the ground. Naruto was yelling at her. Granted, Naruto had always found a way to yell at people in one way or another, but never at her. Naruto glared into her frightened eyes and sighed, softening his gaze. "That was a kickass move, Hinata. You really need to stop being so mean to yourself."
She nodded once, twice, then slowly smiled at him. She rarely heard praise from anyone other than her trainers, even then they were at a point of exasperation most of the time. Hearing compliments from Naruto always made her day.
"Thank you, N-Naruto-kun." The blue-eyed boy grinned from ear to ear, hoisting her up as he stood. "May I ask...why are you here?"
"Just...visiting. Your mum was a pretty cool lady, 'ttebayo." Hinata suddenly remembered the last time she visited her mother's grave with Naruto, when he'd been intending to call her back to the Hokage Monument.
"Naruto-kun, how do you know my mother?" Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Oh yeah! I was meaning to tell you that. She used to come over to my place after my parents...you know. I remember her bringing me food and putting me to bed most nights for a few months. She was even pregnant later on! I was so happy for her, told her I'd finally be getting a little sister, dattebayo." Hinata gazed at him in amazement. Hinata recalled her mother putting her to bed every night as well, she was like a superwoman.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. She stopped visiting after midway through her pregnancy. I got a note from her a few months later saying that I was like the son she never had, and never will have. I didn't understand much at the time - just thought she'd be back to show me a new sister. She was like a mum to me, you know?" He caught sight of Hinata's downcast gaze. He reeled her in for a hug, enveloping her as she gasped in surprise.
"Guess that's one more thing we have in common."
Tenten sat in the dining hall by herself, loading massive cargo of steak and rice into her mouth as she pondered over what would happen during the Tournament. From what she heard from past competitors, it seemed like a formidable arena, with booby traps and genuinely deadly creatures littered all over it. They would be pitted against each other, team by team, until one of them retrieved a certain object from its location and bought it back to the base. It seemed easy enough, hearing it from their lips, but they'd all had haunted looks in their eyes when they recounted their journeys.
She was scared, frightened, and a tad bit excited. This was what Team Suna had been training for since their little family formed, courtesy of the Kazekage. Tenten felt a new presence across from her, settling down his plate and joining her food safari. They shared a brief nod of acknowledgement.
"Hyuga."
"Tenten."
They ate in an awkward silence for a few minutes. It was a miraculous feat, given their track record of screeching their lungs out whenever they saw each other. Their silence was an improvement. But she hated silence.
"So..." He glanced up from his plate, raising an eyebrow. "Looking forward to the Tournament?"
He shrugged in a very un-Hyuga-like way. "Fate will dictate what will happen during the Tournament. I just need to play my part."
She held his gaze for five seconds before looking away, smirking.
"What?"
"You're boring." Neji scoffed.
"I do not appreciate being insulted to my face, Tenten. Now if you'll exc-"
"Chill, Hyuga. I'm just kidding around. Loosen up a little - you'll be surprised how much better life is when you're not so wound up."
"I am not-" He cut himself off when he realised the futility of arguing with Tenten. She could chatter away about 'chilling' all she liked, but he was not going to stand for her judgement. Neji made a move to leave the table, but Tenten seized his arm before he could leave.
"Look, Hyuga. I'm sorry." Neji sat back down, icy white pupils softening their withering glare. "I shouldn't have judged you so quickly, alright?" When he made no move to respond, she felt her anger flare up. "Hey, I'm not the only asshole in this situation! You've been a jerk to me for the past week, and for no reason! I've only defended my friends and fought for my team, yet you're just throwing hissy fits down the hallways like I'm the bane of your existence!"
"I do not throw hissy fits." It was her turn to send him a withering glare. Neji had to admit, his honour-bound brain thought her glaring was on par with his uncle's.
"And on the tour day as well! You see me with a random cloak and you just rush in to beat my into the wall! I was just hiding it from the public! You call me out for being irrational, and here you are having a tantrum just because I told you to chill. You're so wound up about everything! I'm serious, Hyuga, you really need to let that steam out before you blow up. It could be dangerous for you, not to mention your health. Do you know what stress does to someone?" Neji sat in his seat, eyes widened. Had Tenten's rant just transformed from an enraged bashing to a doting lecture?
He wasn't used to being told to care for himself in that manner, normally it was because the clan demanded absolute perfection for his performances. But Tenten, Tenten, was sitting here, yelling at him to care for his health and safety. For him. It was too novel.
"Tenten."
"And Fate? So Fate dictates your actions? What about you, Neji? What about fighting for your own freedom? Did you ever consider that?"
"Tenten!" She paused when he rose his voice, stunned by the sight in front of her. Neji was...smiling?
"What?"
"I'm sorry." Tenten reeled back.
"For what?"
"For everything. I should not have been so uncivilised towards you. You're right, it was foolish of me." She nodded, and their shared a brief smile.
"Still got that stick in your ass, though."
Ino strode into Tenten's room for their team meeting. It was strategy time, what with the Tournament being two days away, and they were all on an emotional high. She was the last one to arrive, as per usual. Temari had a whiteboard in the centre of the room, with each of their names drawn up. Sasuke and Gaara were sitting on the couches, both with intense expressions on their faces. Tenten was sitting on her bed with a blob of metal hovering above her hand, forming different shapes while listening to Temari's strategy intently. Kankurou was on the ground, steadily falling asleep. She rolled her eyes - it was stupid of him to go clubbing the night before. She sat next to Sai, who immediately drew her a luxurious armchair. She smiled sweetly at him.
"Alright team, I'm repeating this one last time. On the other team we have: force fields, superhuman abilities, cloning, empaths and a freakishly intelligent shadow guy. These are some kickass powers, people. According to the Principal, we'll be in a forest of some sorts, so my best bet would be that Hinata's their main girl. She's got the plants on her side. Watch out for Shikamaru as well, I wouldn't want to be in his way - the guy's a genius."
Tenten was the first to speak up. "Should we all split up?"
"No." Temari, Sasuke and Gaara said together. Sasuke led the explanation.
"We have three weapons specialists on our team: you, me and Sai. We can work together in a unit, with you and Sai crafting the weapons, but your metal and my lightning are otherwise useless, unless I electrocute a massive bear. Sai would be able to scout out areas with his mice, but we would be just that: an offense team. Temari can feel her way around with the air - it's everywhere, and we'd have a massive advantage that way. Kankurou's knowledge of poisons will be invaluable to us - for obvious reasons. Gaara and Ino are fantastic for scouting - she can feel presences and Gaara can sense movement on the sand. We have a working unit together. Separation would divide our abilities too extremely. We move like we always do," Sasuke stood up, "as a family."
Ino could've sworn she saw Temari tear up slightly. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Sasuke." Their wild-eyed leader faced the entire group with a gleeful grin on her face. She looked at Tenten and Ino.
"Let's not forget our secret weapons."
~misspandalily