Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any affiliates. Daichi, however, is mine.

A Blossom with Reason

By Tanya Lilac

Innocence

Tenten woke, feeling heavy and weary. Her nose was red and stuffy, her eyes were red and bloodshot, there was not a drop of moisture on her lips or in her mouth, and her head pounded when she tried to sit up. After she tried to sit up, she saw nothing but sparks, and gave up. There was no longer any point in denial.

Tenten was sick.

There was a frantic pounding on the door. After a few more knocks, Mai swept graciously into the room, and opened the curtains with a sharp snap, letting the harsh sunlight stream through.

"Tenten!" She exclaimed when she saw her daughter's face. "Are you okay?"

"No!" she groaned, and had quite a long coughing fit.

"Aww… my poor baby!"

Mai fussed and fussed and fussed for a long while after that, and Tenten, despite being grateful for her mother's ministrations, felt in need of fresh air before long.

"I need… air!" Tenten gasped.

"Oh! Of course!" Mai turned around and opened her daughter's bedroom window, and turned back to fuss some more. To her shock, young Tenten was no longer in her bed- she'd bolted out the door, with her blanket around her body, and was currently sitting on a bench, in the sun, in the front garden.

"Tenten!" Mai shrieked, running haphazardly over to her ill daughter. "What are you doing?"

Tenten panted (completely over exerted) as she mumbled incoherently and leaned back on the column behind her.

"What was that, Tenten?"

"I'll be fine in the sun." Tenten sighed. After some fretting, Mai went back into the house and continued her housework, leaving her daughter to rest.

A pair of inquisitive green eyes peered over the picket fence.

An eleven year old shinobi- a weapons mistress in training, Tenten was very, very observant. She opened her eyes, and the other eyes disappeared.

They played this game for over three days- her watcher seemed to come and go.

On the fourth day, Tenten was out in the sun; once again, kneeling in the grass as she sipped at the bitter medicine Mai had brewed for her.

She seemed to be very relaxed, but her eyes stayed open, and she searched for her watcher.

"Who are you?" she asked slowly, softly- she knew that the person was there.

The green eyes, partially hidden by a scruffy navy blue fringe, became more visible after obvious hesitation.

"Well, what are you waiting for-" she smiled warmly. "Come on in- introduce yourself!"

The boy shuffled past the gate. He held his hands behind his back as he bowed, introducing himself with a blush and a mumble.

"Daichi." He said softly. "My name is Yori Daichi."

"I'm Tenten!" the girl replied, holding out her hand for him to shake.

He took it shyly and shook her hand daintily.

Tenten smiled warmly, and Daichi looked away for a few moments before handing her a single flower, and dashing away.

It was a perfect, white freesia.

Tenten touched the blossom in wonderment, finding the delicate fragrance from the petals very soothing.

Yori Daichi, she mused quietly with a shrug and a smile.