i do not own Naruto

Tenten was twelve years old and so, so glad that she managed to land on one of the few genin teams that had two girls.

Nejiko Hyuga wasn't friendly, exactly, or even very nice, but she was a girl, so it meant that Tenten would have someone else to lean on and commiserate with while Gai and Lee ran around each other in circles, ignoring the two of them in favor of their newfound bond.

When it became clear in the next few weeks that the favoritism of Lee was going to be permanent, Tenten had expected Nejiko to speak up in her demanding Hyuga way- because Konoha practically worshipped the Hyuga Clan, and its members acted that way too- but instead she had watched Nejiko swallow her words and keep her silence.

So Tenten had bellowed at Gai-sensei and Lee that the two kunoichi were going to the edge of the field for target practice, and they spent several quiet hours letting their kunai and shuriken thump into the targets.

Nejiko eventually broke the silence. "I have several techniques with my kekkei genkai that I'd like to practice. Will you spar with me?"

Tenten shrugged and glanced at Gai and Lee- not ignoring the kunoichi, exactly, because the team trained together all the time, it was just that the two got tunnel vision sometimes- and replied to her teammate, "Sure."

And so they went.

Being a kunoichi was hard enough with two of them on the team. Tenten didn't even want to contemplate what it would have been like if it had just been her.

Tenten was fourteen years old, and had a giant, embarrassing crush on Temari no Sabaku.

She was the kunoichi who had brutally defeated her in the chunin exams, who would have killed her if she had been given the chance, who had betrayed the village- but now she was a diplomat, the villages were allies, and Temari was just. So. Hot.

Ugh. Tenten wrenched her eyes away from the sight of Temari's crossed legs, sleek and tan in their protective mesh. What kind of kunoichi let herself get so addled by a lust-based crush? A pathetic one.

"Tenten." Based on the impatience in Nejiko's voice, she had been trying to get Tenten's attention for a while now. Tenten crinkled her nose guiltily. "Sorry, what?"

The two of them were close now, after the disastrous chunin exams when so much of Nejiko's family life had been laid bare. The daughter of the unfavored son, condemned to bound servitude as she watched her cousin be bent and broken into the role of heir, Hinata's own sister- "the spare"- ready for the moment she faltered.

Nejiko's conflicted emotions over Hinata made perfect sense to Tenten- because she was forced to subjugation despite her talent even as her cousin was forced to lead despite her incompetence of mind, body, and spirit. Hinata lacked the strong Hyuga fighting techniques, she did not have the seemingly necessary cruelty of the Clan Head, and she had no desire whatsoever to be the heiress.

So Nejiko both understood and envied her cousin, and those conflicting emotions boiled over in a match that ended with Hinata in the hospital and Nejiko in a seething, desperate rage.

("Fight back!"

"I- I can't-"

"YOU ARE THE HEIRESS. YOU ARE THE REASON FOR MY SUBJUGATION." (Nejiko's voice had cracked.) "PROVE TO ME THAT YOU DESERVE IT! FIGHT BACK!"

Nejiko came into Tenten's hospital room not to visit, but to have a place where she could let all of her tears- complicated, angry tears- run dry in privacy.)

And then Naruto had stumbled onto the scene, loud and brash and golden-haired (and golden-hearted), and Tenten had learned things about Nejiko that made her ache for her teammate.

But she kept it to herself, because Nejiko never wanted pity. But it seemed like she wanted friendship, now.

Also, she was pissed at Tenten for ignoring her. "Stop staring at her."

Tenten felt hot and itchy. "I'm not staring at anyone."

"Liar." Nejiko's flat voice and blunt words made Tenten grit her teeth. "You are staring at the Suna kunoichi who defeated you in the chunin exams. For some reason that lies in anger, I assume, because you would not be so stupid as to develop feelings for someone who betrayed our village."

Tenten sputtered, completely thrown off. Nejiko narrowed her eyes at her and waited.

Finally, she blurted, "Well, you have feelings for Naruto!"

"Only sometimes," Nejiko responded, surprisingly honest. "Most of the time he's too stupid."

Tenten forgot her anger and grinned. "You think everyone's stupid, though, so you may as well crush on someone who really is stupid."

"Shut up." Nejiko gave her a look- it was one of the ways she smiled now, because she still tried to hide it a little bit but let parts of it show, where her lips would purse and her eyes would do all the smiling for her. "We have training. Let's go."

She set off down the road, hair flowing behind her, and not for the first time Tenten was struck by how differently Nejiko was from her cousin Hinata, even just physically- she was the tallest girl Tenten knew by far, with lean muscle and narrow shoulders.

Maybe once she was done with her lusty crush on Temari, she'd get one on Nejiko.

The thought made her grin spread even wider and a chuckle simmer in her throat, but she swallowed it down when Nejiko snapped her fingers at her impatiently, not even bothering to turn around. Crush alleviated, she ran past her teammate and towards the training field, tugging on Nejiko's silky hair as she went by.

Nejiko let out a small gasp- of indignance, presumably- and gave chase.

Having a friend who was also a girl was nice. When Tenten unexpectedly got her period on a mission, Nejiko had extra tampons. She also let Tenten do up her hair in elaborate styles for festivals, because it was a hobby that Tenten enjoyed but rarely got to practice. They went to the hotsprings together once a month and got lunch together on their days off. They were best friends, probably.

Tenten was sixteen and the blood sang in her veins.

They had just finished a day of team training and Tenten had staggered away from a spar with Gai with a black eye and and sore muscles, but they'd also had a great time practicing nunchucks together. Nejiko was planning on escorting Hinata to the hotsprings and they'd asked Tenten if she'd like to come along, then somewhere along the way Sakura and Ino were invited. It promised to be a fun time, and Tenten set off for her apartment to get changed and grab her bag before she met up with the Hyuga cousins.

She paused long enough to scrub some of the residual sweat and dirt off her face, then, adrenaline still buzzing from her day of sparring, ran to the Hyuga compound.

Hinata and Nejiko were just outside the gates and beginning a slow walk towards the springs. Tenten jumped down from the rooftop and landed next to them, splattering Nejiko with the water droplets that had been caught in her hair. "Hey!"

Hinata greeted her quietly in return, while Nejiko flicked water off her face and back onto Tenten with an irate frown. Tenten grinned guiltily.

"Sorry, did I get you?"

"Yes." Nejiko made a face. "Why are you so wet, anyway?"

"Washed my face before coming over."

"Why?"

Tenten squinted at her. "Is that a trick question?"

Hinata shifted on her feet awkwardly, and Nejiko glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "Whatever. Let's go." She marched out, arms folded over her chest and plainly expecting them to follow.

In the changing room, after Nejiko had stalked out of the room with Sakura and Ino, Tenten quietly asked Hinata, "Did something happen at the Compound? She was in a good mood after practice…"

Hinata stilled, then slowly resumed putting her bag away. "She was called away to talk to Father and the others. I am unsure of what transpired, only that it was brief and she seemed upset for a few minutes before becoming… angry."

"Oh." Tenten watched the end of her teammate's hair flick around the corner. "I'll talk to her later, maybe, and hopefully the hotsprings will have eased some of the tension." Hinata nodded.

They walked into the spring, chatting about easier subjects- like the advantages of senbon over shuriken, but the superiority of kunai over both (which was a stance Tenten would not budge on, no matter what, ever.)

Sakura and Ino were both slowly melting into the water, looking pleased, but Nejiko sat stiffly in the water, staring straight ahead. Tenten sat the way she usually did in the water, elbows propped on the sides of the spring as she stretched out her back.

"Ahh, that feels nice."

Ino cracked open her eyes to look at her. "Always such an old man, Tenten-senpai."

She ignored her, and they all sat quietly for the next few minutes. The only sounds were from the water rippling softly against the walls, the steam in the air, and their breathing.

Tenten cracked open her eyes from where she had closed them in time to catch Nejiko giving her a half smile and turn away again, her shoulders finally relaxing. Tenten smiled at her profile before closing her eyes again and sinking even deeper into the water.

A few minutes later, Nejiko said, "Tenten."

She blinked up at her sleepily. "Hm?"

"You're humming."

"No I'm not."

"You are," Sakura chimed in. Hinata nodded in agreement, and Ino said, "Sounded nice, though."

Tenten flushed a little. "Uh, thanks." Nejiko was smirking at her, and Tenten stuck her tongue out at her in response.

Hinata, Sakura, and Ino departed together half an hour later to do some shopping before Sakura's shift at the hospital, and Tenten and Nejiko settled into the water again after saying goodbye. Tenten faced forward and watched her teammate through half-closed eyes, wondering when the best time would be to bring up her earlier anger.

She should have known better than to try to watch a Hyuga discreetly.

"What is it, Tenten?" Nejiko hadn't even opened her eyes.

Tenten twitched a little. "When we left training today, you were in a pretty good mood. Hinata told me you had to talk to some Elders, and then you were pissed. What'd they do?"

As she had been talking, Nejiko's shoulders had slowly stiffened again, until she was ramrod straight and staring ahead once more. "Nothing."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Nejiko, come on." She stood up and crossed so she was next to her teammate- who had blushed and averted her eyes at the sight of Tenten's naked torso. (It was flattering, maybe, because Tenten still didn't know if Nejiko liked girls too, but it was definitely a cute reaction.) She grabbed Nejiko's arm so she'd meet her eyes again. "Tell me. Please."

Nejiko seemingly couldn't look at Tenten, staring at some spot next to her face. "It is the same as usual. I am a Branch upstart and must settle into my place. Every achievement I make reflects poorly on the strength of the heir. This time it was brought on by my recent promotion to jonin."

Tenten grimaced. "That sucks."

Nejiko nodded, her gaze falling to the waterline. She seemingly had nothing else to say.

Tenten released her grip on her arm and sat back again before realizing that she'd inadvertently flashed Nejiko again. She didn't really care, personally, but Nejiko went full crimson and slammed her eyes shut.

Tenten chuckled low in her throat. "You have breasts too, Nejiko." So saying, she reached out and poked the upper part of Nejiko's chest, at the very top of what could be considered breast and not collarbone. Nejiko startled like a cat, and Tenten laughed outright (and tried to ignore the pink of areola that could be seen rising from the water, and the pretty flush working its way down Nejiko's neck and tops of her breasts.)

She grinned at her teammate, saying "Wow, and I thought only retired ANBU were that jumpy-" when Nejiko suddenly set her mouth in a determined line, staring at Tenten with a blazing expression. Tenten blinked. "Uh, what-"

She was cut off as Nejiko jerked forward, and pale, soft lips pressed against her own.

"Perhaps, if I had been a man, my burdens would not be so heavy," Nejiko mused to Tenten once. "I would have that advantage, at least."

Tenten lifted her head up from where it was pressed against her hip, Nejiko's long fingers carding through her hair. "And then things would be all that worse for Hinata."

"That's true." Nejiko ran her fingertips over Tenten's mouth, her cheeks, her eyelids. "And I would not have you."

"Yes you would."

"You do not like men that way."

"Yes, I do. I just like women more usually, is all." She peered up at Nejiko through her lashes. "And I like you no matter what."

"Mm." Nejiko smiled tenderly and resumed the steady motion of her hand through Tenten's hair. She rested her head back down at her lover's side.

Tenten was twenty and in love.

The single, slight advantage they had over the Hyuga Clan and its antiquated views and traditions was that it never even occurred to them that when the Hyuga prodigy went to spend the night at her female teammates house, it was because they were fucking all night long.

Two women? Having sex? No indeed, just gals being pals. Tenten thought to herself giddily as Nejiko flipped them around so Tenten was beneath her, then grabbed her hands and raised them above her head. The position stretched out her torso and pushed her breasts against Nejiko's ribs, and she smirked as the Hyuga paused to take in the sight of her.

Under that pale gaze, she narrowed her eyes and smiled, preening like a smug cat.

Nejiko responded by covering her mouth in a harsh kiss and dipping her hand into those lacy red panties that matched the lacy red bra that Tenten had been wearing under her little black dress, both of which were now somewhere on the floor along with Nejiko's beautiful kimono.

So yes, Tenten told Lee later, date night had gone very well, but she would spare him the details.

But there was still a residual somberness to Nejiko that hadn't been there before the war, before Hiashi was killed and the clan forced Hanabi and Hinata to fight for the position of Clan Head. Hinata would never truly regain the use of her right arm- Hanabi was always more forceful and dutiful than her sister- but the sudden and abrupt heart attack of one of the Elders had halted proceedings, and Hinata and Hanabi were doing such a smooth job jointly running the clan that the Hyuga Council had just let the matter go.

(It had been the most hilarious coincidence of timing that Tenten had ever seen, when Hinata and Hanabi were preparing to clash again and the Elder let out a little "hurk!" and keeled over. There were definitely some branch members who had walked away with a little spring in their step.)

By Tenten's own diagnosis, the cure for Nejiko's PTSD and somberness was lots of kissing, cuddling, and sex with her girlfriend. Also the Hokage-mandated group therapy sessions.

Nejiko was mostly just living with Tenten at this point. They split rent and utilities and groceries, most of her clothes were in the larger dresser they'd just purchased together, she slept almost nightly in the larger bed they'd just purchased together, she'd moved all of her personal knicknacks into the apartment, and- most intimately of all- Nejiko's tea set, the one left to her by her parents, was used every morning by the Hyuga to start their day together.

Tenten was just waiting for Nejiko to officially state her desire to live together. Whenever she was ready.

One night Nejiko was dropping by the Hyuga compound to meet with Hinata, Hanabi, and a few choice Elders, so Tenten was alone for the night. She dropped by the hospital to chat with Sakura over her break, then at the medic's request brought Ino a container of something labelled "Biohazard" (and Ino had looked manically pleased to receive it, then squinted at Tenten and hissed, "No questions!" Tenten had just held her hands up innocently and backed away.)

She found herself in a bar, chatting lightly with Shikamaru and Temari as they stumbled their way through flirting with each other. It was fun to watch- like a spectator sport, where both teams were working towards the same goal and also tripping and flailing and getting flustered every time they made eye contact but determinedly trying to get the other team into their pants.

Shikamaru was briefly called away to chat with another person from Shizune's office staff- he wasn't officially an advisor, but he was in every other way- and Temari turned to Tenten. "So, how are things with Nejiko-san?"

Tenten grinned, always delighted to talk about her girl. "Pretty good! Huuuuuuuuuge sex increase after the war, because we're both fuckin' traumatized and want physical comfort!"

There was a long, drawn out silence.

Tenten wrinkled her nose. "Hm. I'm more drunk than I thought."

Temari did not do a good job stifling her laugh. "No- um, you seem- uh, really coherent. Full- full sentences and everything."

Tenten mock-toasted her. "I'm not too drunk to discern a terrible lie, though."

"And use such fancy vocabulary." Temari clinked her glass against Tenten's with that fierce grin that used to make Tenten go weak in the knees. The thought made her blurt out, "You know, I used to have such a crush on you."

Temari set her cocktail down with a jerk. "You- you did?"

"Yuh-huh." Tenten nodded sagely. "After you kicked my ass at the chunin exams. I was so pissed and you were so hot and I was going through puberty and just so horny all the time and everything boiled over and if you so much as looked at me I melted."

"O-Oh." Temari blinked at her, mouth opening and closing as she searched for words. "Well, thanks?" Tenten threw back her head and laughed, the absurdity of the conversation finally catching up to her.

After her giggles had petered out- Temari had buried her own laughter in her arms, propped on the bar in front of them, so at least they both looked ridiculous- Tenten opened her eyes, head still tilted back, and found the softly smiling eyes of Nejiko staring down at her.

She lit up. "Hey!" Nejiko leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Hello." She turned to Temari and gave her a much less loving smile, but no less warm. "Good evening, Temari-san." Temari stifled her last giggles in her hand, weakly waving in greeting at Nejiko.

Tenten watched, enthralled, as Nejiko turned back to her. "Would you like to stay any longer, or should we head home?" Her mouth was so fascinating when she talked, lips pressing together and separating, tongue tapping against teeth, words forming and falling from the back of her throat.

"I love you," Tenten mumbled. That lovely mouth parted in shock, then a soft, wonderstruck smile curled the lips upwards.

"I love you too."

"Noice," Tenten blurted. She was so pleased she fell off her barstool.