Of Last Names and Drunken Confessions
The first time, Neji had been reading scrolls on his bed when Tenten suddenly shoved the sliding door open. His head snapped up immediately, freezing in shock as he took in her disheveled appearance- ragged uniform, dirt-and-blood smeared cheeks, and wild, panicked expression. Her eyes latched onto his for a moment and then she launched herself at him.
Taken aback, Neji grunted as she slammed into him, smashing her lips to his. Gently, he pried her off and, without asking any questions, pulled her close again, arms wrapping around her waist. He stroked her back and whispered comfortingly into her ear as she began to sob into his chest.
When she had started to hiccup quietly, he shifted so that her back was facing him and began untangling her hair. "What's wrong?" He asked quietly, running his fingers in soft strokes through her waves. She'd never cried in front of him before.
She didn't say anything, and he didn't push.
The second time, they had been training. He could tell she was distracted- her chakra system was disturbed and even without his Byakugan he could see her emotions slipping like quicksilver across her face. That something bad had happened was obvious.
Still, he acted like he hadn't noticed. They took their usual break and he settled down under his tree to meditate.
He didn't miss the fact that she had slipped into the forest.
She wasn't back when the break was over. He had decided to give her a little space, but as five minutes passed, and then twenty, and then an hour and she still hadn't returned, he resolved to go look for her.
He found her sobbing under a tree, on her knees with her arms wrapped around her chest as if her torso was aching. Her teeth were clenched as she tried to hold back the sobs that wracked her body.
Quickly, he crossed the clearing and kneeled beside her, pulling her into his lap. She didn't resist, just shook silently until a gasp ripped its way from her throat, followed by another, and she tossed her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder.
Again, he held her until she calmed down, asked her what was wrong, and didn't pry when she didn't respond.
The third time was during a festival. She was wearing a pink yukata, and him a gray one. He hadn't noticed anything was wrong until she started trembling as she walked, her steps stiff and slow. He'd excused both of them to smug grins and knowing looks. She didn't cry, just smashed her person to his and gazed out his window.
Today was her birthday. She had just returned from a mission, distracted, when Sakura had pounced on her and announced that they were going to a club to celebrate. Usually, Tenten would have rolled her eyes and promptly rejected the idea, but this time she jumped at the chance.
Neji watched the whole thing unfold- the slight, two second hesitation and then the almost desperate agreement. He would have to keep an eye on her.
At first they just sat there, sipping drinks and chatting. He watched her down two cups of sake before the other girls had finished their first, scrutinizing the relief in her expression. This was not the daring drinking of someone excited for their birthday- it was the mindless drinking of someone who wanted to escape. Soon, she was alone. First Ino left, and then Sakura, and finally even Hinata-sama as a rambunctious Naruto dragged her to the dance floor. Tenten sat by herself, slowly finishing off cup after cup of sake and then moving on to bottles.
She was on her third bottle when he decided it would be a good time to intervene.
He had to wrench green glass away from her grasping hands.
When he had seated her carefully on his bed, he started yelling. She sat quietly through it all, her eyes glazed over, though he knew she had a strong alcohol tolerance. It would take more than what she had downed to get her sufficiently drunk.
He knew that she knew that he was yelling because he was worried.
She looked at him when he had finished, her eyes glassy with tears now. He held her gaze for a moment before sitting down next to her and pulling her close.
This time, there were no gut-wrenching sobs. Just tears slipping down her cheeks and soaking into the cloth above his heart.
This time, she told him everything.
He grasped her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes, asking, for the final time, "What's wrong, Tenten?"
There was a moment of silence as she took a deep breath and began. "The mission," she replied in a broken voice. "There was so much fire."
He was confused. They had been on a lot of missions that required burning and fires. What was so special about this one?
She continued. "The first time-" they both knew what that meant- "I burned a house. I didn't mean to… but it was dry, and my exploding tags just… and there was a dog. It looked so scared. I couldn't do anything."
"The second time," she murmured softly, "there was a little girl. I killed her parents." Her eyes began to fill with tears. "I didn't even know she was watching. I just… I murdered her parents and she had to…" Neji began wiping tears off her cheeks with his sleeve as she composed herself. "The third time I… I passed a little girl and her aunt. She was wearing a pink kimono." Neji was about to question how exactly this had made her upset when she started again.
"I killed a family this time, Neji," she whispered. "A whole family with children and parents and aunts and uncles. And there was so much fire and it made me think of- of-"
She stopped.
"It made me think of… what happened to me," she admitted, so quietly. For a moment there was nothing but an eerie silence.
Tenten took a shuddering breath. "I was four," she began in a small voice and speaking in short, simple sentences as if she were too tired to be forming more complex ones. "I had a cat. And a dog. It was my birthday. There was a huge celebration. Mama sewed me a new kimono. I was so excited. It was a kimono, you see, but it also had Tea Country touches- little gold thread buttons, a collar. She put my hair up in two buns. The kimono was pink. They attacked while we were eating dinner." It took a moment for Neji to process the abrupt change. There was no transition, and Tenten kept speaking in a flat, soft voice. "I don't know who did it. Maybe bandits, maybe another country. There was fire. I watched as every single one of my relatives was slaughtered."
Neji was frozen, remembering the time he had finally cracked and shouted at her the story of his childhood. She had flinched, but she understood, he realized. She had always understood.
Tenten continued in monotone.
"And then they came. I was scared at first, but the lady told me not to worry, that I was safe. And then she took me here. She left the village a little bit after. I never got the chance to thank her. But when I found out who she was, and what she had done… I don't know. She was my hero. She was my idol."
Something clicked. "Tsunade-sama?"
"Yes. She saved me. I grew up here. I never had a family. I don't have a last name, I don't-"
"We're your family," Neji interrupted. He sounded urgent. "Team Gai, Sakura, Ino and Hinata, Naruto, everyone else- we're your family."
Tenten closed her eyes. "And my last name?" She asked quietly. "I can't even remember my last name. I was four, Neji. What's my last name?"
Neji spoke without thinking.
"Hyuuga."
Yeah, I have mixed feelings about this one... but meh. So basically: Tenten's mom is from Tea Country (which is like China). She made Tenten a pink kimono and put her hair up in buns= Tenten's outfits. Tsunade saved Tenten= why she idolizes her. Yay. And yes he did propose at the end. Just not really. For the competition over at Tenten's Revenge. Go check it out! ^_^
The rest is just shameless NejiTen fluff.
The first time I envision to be around when they're fifteen or so. The rest take place between then and now.