Hi peoples! This is my first fic, and I had a great time writing it. I don't know how long or good it will be, but here goes!
(Disclaimer: I- sob- don't own Naruto!-sob- Thanks for reminding me that I'm not Masashi Kishimoto! 'Runs away crying')
The Love of a FriendChapter 1
The brown haired kunoichi yawned, stretching as she walked. It wasn't yet light out, but she was used to waking up early. Ever since she was put in a cell with Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji, she had gotten up earlier to get a head start on training. It was the worst feeling: knowing that you're the weakest one on the team. Shifting her pack on her back, Tenten realized that she'd reached the training grounds. She placed her bag in it's usual spot under a Sakura tree and began unpacking her scrolls and weapons.
"You're here early." Tenten jumped at the voice behind her. Whipping out a kunai in a split second, she flung it expertly at the source of the sound. The teen relaxed, seeing her teammate catch her kunai in the hole of another one. Tenten let out the deep breath she was holding.
"Neji! You scared me!" She scolded, placing a hand over heart. The boy in front of her just raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here so early?" She asked, sitting down beside her backpack.
"I was about to ask you the same thing." He said coolly, claiming the spot on the other side of her. Tenten bit her lip. She didn't want to tell him about her little morning routine.
"He'll laugh, and tell me it's pointless." She thought. "He'll say it's fate that I'll always be weaker than him and Lee." As if reading her mind, the boy looked at her.
"I won't laugh." He said, his expression unreadable. The girl beside him hesitated.
"You first." She smiled. Neji stared at her for a moment before answering.
"I was going to watch the sun rise, then get a head start on training." He answered, peering at the horizon. Tenten followed his lead, watching brilliant colors come into focus. "Now you." He calmly demanded. She sighed.
"I was doing the same." The sun peeked above a distant mountain, beaming new light on the hidden leaf village of Konoha.
"See? That wasn't so bad." Said the fourteen-year-old Hyuuga prodigy, referring to Tenten's reluctant answer. She turned to him and smiled, the warm sunlight illuminating her soft features.
"No, it wasn't." She replied, looking once again at the distant dawn of a new day.
"She's pretty." He thought, observing her bright brown eyes and petite nose. Neji never considered Tenten in this way.
"What's wrong?" Tenten inquired, snapping Neji out of his thoughts. The boy noticed he'd been staring at her, and a pink tint rose to his cheeks.
"We should probably start." He quickly covered, being the genius that he was.
"I suppose you're right." Tenten sighed, lifting herself off of the ground and offering her hand to her brilliant friend. He stared at it, never wanting to accept any help, but grabbed it and pulled himself up anyway. A small smile graced her lips as she took her starting battle stance. Neji followed suit, readying himself. As if set on a timer, the two simultaneously leapt into action. Tenten took to the trees for cover, and her teammate fell into a defensive stance, activating his Byakugan in the process.
- - - - - - - - - - - - (Time Skip)- - - - - - - - - - - -
Tenten wiped the sweat off her forehead. She looked up at the sun, noting that is was close to noon and her overly dramatic sensei and his younger counterpart hadn't arrived yet.
"Neji." She called, coming out of hiding. "Let's take a break. It's almost lunch-
"No. Go again." He ordered, cutting her off. Tenten's eyebrows furrowed. He was so determined to perfect his new move.
"Lee and Gai sensei aren't even here yet." She argued.
"Let's go." He said, ignoring her protest. With a sigh Tenten back-flipped into the trees once again, and sent another wave of assorted weapons at him. What about her? She had new moves that she wanted to practice, too. Tenten frowned at how selfish her teammate could be sometimes. She didn't mind helping him; she liked it, actually. But it hurt every time she thought about how he uses her to get stronger without a word of thanks. A sparring partner was all she was. The idea tugged at her heart, but she still helped him, knowing that she wanted him to be happy. Did he know how much she cared?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Tenten collapsed against a tree, breathing hard. Neji took a seat next to her, also breathing heavily. The two watched the sun slowly sink behind the trees, spraying the last of its colors across the sky. Tenten bit her lip: a habit that was growing on her.
"Neji?" She asked in a small voice.
"Hm?" He looked into her eyes. Seeing that she had his attention, she decided to venture further.
"Do you think…I mean… 'Kami, why is this so hard?'… am I your friend?" Tenten replaced her lip in its new favorite spot between her teeth. Neji blinked at the simplicity of the question, and hated the complexity of the answer. His brow furrowed in thought.
"I never really stopped to wonder if I had friends…" He stated, looking down as if he were pondering it right now. "What is a friend, exactly?" He glanced at the kunoichi next to him, wondering if she would give him an answer, or leave it to be a rhetorical question.
"A friend," Tenten began, "is someone who cares about you. Someone who is there for you no matter what. A friend would do anything for you." The boy stared at her, trying to register everything she said. "And a friend," she continued, "loves you no matter what, accepting your faults and praising your talents." She paused for a breath. "It's someone who makes you happy just by being themselves." When she finished Tenten looked at Neji and bit her lip – AGAIN. Neji decided he thought it was cut when she did that. "Do I qualify?" she asked, her eyes full of hope. Neji stared at his comrade, surprised at how much this seemed to trouble her. He smiled, and Tenten almost melted. He smirked A LOT, but rarely smiled.
"Yes," he replied, "You qualify." He almost laughed when her face brightened and she grinned at him. Both of them went back to watching the sun set in a comfortable silence. It was already dark when Neji felt a weight on his shoulder. He looked down to find that Tenten had fallen asleep.