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50 Shinobi Prompt 10 — Thunderstorm
She hated fighting in a thunderstorm. The rain poured down hard obscuring her vision and blurring objects that should never be blurred. The lightning flashed brightly, momentarily blinding her from her surroundings. And quite possibly worst of all, the thunder roared loudly across the landscape blocking her hearing. It was like fighting with all your senses impaired.
On the positive side, the falling water cleaned her stinging cuts. No danger of an immediate infection.
Tenten stopped and tried hard to locate the position of the assailant.
How she wished she could just retreat. But this time she couldn’t. She could not just leave — her teammates were counting on her and she would not leave them out to dry.
Tenten cried out sharply as she felt a kunai embed deeply in her back. Turning abruptly she sent a barrage of weapons in the direction the kunai had been thrown. “Coward!” She cried. “Come out and face me!”
“Do I look stupid?” The trees whispered mockingly at her.
She pulled a scroll out, gripping it tightly in her hands, eyes darting around the landscape Where was he? She sense the next kunai coming and managed to move far enough to avoid any vital spots. The kunai instead dug into her upper arm. She pulled it out, wincing as she did so.
She had to do something soon or else she’d end up dead, and Lee and Neji could be next.
She pulled open the scroll, time to make her move. Blinking blearily through the heavy rain she bit down on her thumb.
Weapons spilled out from all around her, hitting each and every direction in a 360 degree radius. She smiled satisfactorily as she heard an audible cry of pain over the thunder. The enemy nin stared cruelly at her.
Tenten didn’t hesitate. Fishing her favorite blade from within her pants she made to drive it straight into his heart. A flash of lightning streaked as she brought it down momentarily blinding her. That momentary blindness was all the assailant needed to pull out his own weapon of choice and driving is straight into her. Tenten choked on her own blood, but didn’t halt her actions in digging the blade in further. “Die.” She sputtered blood dripping from her mouth.
“If I die. So do you.” He choked out. He dug his blade further in.
Tenten thought of Neji and Lee and Gai-sensei. She thought of her village and her friends and the life she’d led. Her lips curved up into a smile. “So be it.” She pushed her blade in all the way just as her opponent did the same. She felt overcome with dizziness and queasiness. The last thing she heard was a flash of thunder and she sunk to the ground.
Yeah, she really hated fighting in thunderstorms.
Maybe if she was lucky, she’d wake up to fight in a thunderstorm another day.
50 Shinobi Prompt 47 — Soap Suds (Bubble)
“This is just fantastic!” Tenten grumbled sarcastically as she followed after her silent teammate. “Why am I always the one who ends up with clothes so drenched and dirty that I can’t walk properly?”
“Because you’re the clumsy one.” Neji said stoically.
Tenten snorted. “Jerk.”
“I’m letting you in the compound so you can fix up, aren’t I?”
“It’s your fault I need fixing up.” She grumbled.
Neji scoffed. “I didn’t push you in the mud hole. You fell all on your own.”
“Oh, whatever, Hyuuga.”
Rolling his eyes, Neji pointed her in the direction of the shower. “Hinata or Hanabi will bring you something you could probably wear when you’re done. I’ll be in the kitchen. You remember where that is don’t you?”
Tenten’s eye twitched, remembering the escapade in which she got lost in they Hyuuga compound. Neji and Hinata had laughed at her for weeks. “I’ll manage.”
Neji smirked.
Sometimes, Tenten really wanted to smack that boy.
—
A while later, Tenten managed to find her way into the kitchen, admittedly that was after stumbling into some old lady’s room. Red-faced, Tenten had apologized and tried to hightail it out of there as fast as she could.
Neji was sitting comfortably at a stool chewing on an apple. “Why are you red?”
“N-No reason.”
“Who’d you walk in on?”
“Nobody!” Tenten lied.
Neji smirked. “You really aren’t very good at lying, you realize.”
Tenten glared at him. “Oh, fine. I walked in on some old lady.” She could feel herself blushing more furiously, “I don’t know what she was doing, and let me tell you, I do not want to find out.” She leant against the counter. “Where are my clothes?”
“Getting washed.”
“Where?”
“Laundry room.”
“Which would be?”
“You wouldn’t be able to find it.”
“You could tell me anyway.” She protested.
“I could.”
“Well?” She demanded.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, what?”
“Where is it!?”
“In the east wing of the compound.”
Tenten groaned. “And where is that?”
“East.”
“Dammit, Neji!” She scolded in annoyance.
He snickered at her. Tossing his half eaten apple in the garbage, Neji stood up and headed out of the kitchen. “Come on. Just follow me.”
“You are an unbelievable jerk, Neji Hyuuga.” Tenten grumbled.
“It’s amazing how that doesn’t bother me.”
“Amazing isn’t the word I would use.” She muttered under her breath.
She followed after him through an amazing amount of long and confusing hallways and turns. How on earth did the Hyuuga ever make their way around the stupid compound? It was a wonder some of the kids didn’t get lost and die of starvation in one of the many rooms. She would have asked how that had never happened before, but all that she needed was a glance to recall why they never got lost — their stupid eyes.
Neji stopped abruptly before a door causing Tenten to smack right into him. “Jeez, give a warning, will ya?”
He didn’t reply just opened the door.
“Oh, damn.” Tenten breathed as she looked at the room. “Your laundry room is not supposed to look ritzy!”
Neji frowned. “It doesn’t.”
“Oh, trust me. It does.” The washing machines were shiny and seemed to call in tantalizing whispers for people to wash. The walls were a perfect pristine white. The clothes waiting to be washed were actually folded and, in Tenten’s eyes, appeared very clean. The ready clothes were folded and fluffy and looked so perfectly pretty lying on the polished oak tables. The windows had not one streak and the floor was spotless — not even a splash of water.
“It’s not.” Neji mumbled obviously confused.
“Stop by the orphanage sometime and you’ll see what I mean.” She headed forward then stopped abruptly. “Where exactly are my clothes?”
Neji headed in the opposite direction she had been walking towards, stopping in front of a machine. “Still washing.”
Tenten peered at the machine. “Oh, it’s just fine. Look, all the dirt is gone.”
“It’s still washing.” Neji repeated.
“Nah, it’s good.” Tenten pushed him aside and pulled it open before Neji could utter a word of protest. She shouldn’t have attempted it. As soon as she wrenched the door open a large stream of bubbles and cold water splashed over her.
Tenten sputtered. “Yeuck. I think I got soap in my mouth.” Tenten squeezed the water out of the shirt she was wearing. “Wow, that was cold. Guess, I should’ve listened to you.”
She shivered. “Do I have to put these clothes in the wash again? I mean, the ones that aren’t mine.” Tenten tried to stand up, but slid on the soap suds as she struggled up. She winced. “Oww.”
Noting Neji’s silence, she turned around. “Hey, what’s–” Tenten stared mouth agape at her teammate. Her usually composed teammate was drenched in cold water, hair stringy and clothes falling around him from the water’s weight. Soap suds dusted his chin, lips forehead, hair, and just about every other visible part of his body. He looked like a child who’d just realized that water created a big mess. His mouth was open just the slightest bit, his eyes blinking slowly, and his left eye twitching. Tenten couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Neji’s eyes narrowed at her.
She stifled her laughter as best as she could. “Look, Neji, I’m really, really sorry.”
“Tenten-”
“I didn’t mean to!” She protested. Tenten edged away more than just a little frightened, “Oh, come on! It was an accident! You know I’m an idiot sometimes!”
Neji sighed. “Alright. It’s fine.” He wiped some of the suds off of himself.
Tenten huffed. “Look, don’t do that. I really am sorry! What do you want me to do?”
“It’s fine. You didn’t mean to.”
“Stop pretending it’s fine when you want to kick my ass.” She scolded.
“Tenten-”
“I could clean-no, wait, I’m no good at that. I could-”
“Tenten, relax. I forgive you.”
She frowned thinking it over. “I suppose I could-”
“Tenten!”
“Or maybe, I’ll-”
“Tenten!”
Tenten continued rattling off possible things she could do to make up for drenching him, not even noticing that his eye twitch had started again. In severe annoyance, Neji ambled over to one of the unoccupied washers and filled a bucket with freezing cold soapy water. Tenten, still preoccupied with thinking up ways to make it up to him, didn’t even notice he’d moved. Neji walked over to her and dumped the contents of the bucket on her head.
“HOLY SHIT!” Tenten screamed. She hopped up and jumped up and down periodically on one foot as if it would take away the freezing pin needles crawling up and down her skin. “DAMMIT, NEJI!”
“Are you happy now? We’re even.”
“N-N-not e-ev-even! Th-That was f-f-f-f-freezing!” She shivered. “B-b-besides, what I d-d-did was on ac-ac-acci-accident.”
“So was what I did.”
“L-Liar.” She accused.
“The bucket slipped.”
“Bullshit.”
Neji smirked.
“Wh-What?” She stuttered.
“The soap suds piled around your head make it look like you have devil horns.” His smirk grew more pronounced, “Quite fitting wouldn’t you say?”
“Oh, you’re just a h-horrible jerk.” She growled, somehow still feeling despite her irritation that this was one of the most warming bonding moments she’d ever had with Neji. “H-how you became my friend I’ll never know.”
“I know.”
She blinked. “Oh?”
“You’re like glue; you wouldn’t leave me alone and soon enough I got used to you.”
“You kept saying that I was w-weak! It was so unbelievably sexist. I had to p-p-pr-prove you wrong.”
“Then how come I still think you’re far too weak?”
“Oh, I abs-absolutely h-hate you.” She growled.
Neji rolled his eyes.
50 Shinobi – Prompt 17 (Hopscotch)
The stupidest, or perhaps smartest, thing Gai-sensei had ever proposed to his team was one of his many ‘bonding’ exercises. His ‘bonding’ exercises tended to range from cooking to, oddly enough, playing a prank on the current Hokage. Of the all the exercises they conducted, the pranks never tended to end well. Neither Tenten, nor Neji, nor Lee, nor Gai, were any good at pulling a well orchestrated prank. it was usually either a lame prank or they got caught doing the prank at the worst possible time. Over time, Tenten and Neji became clever enough to find a way out of the training exercises, but in the beginning they were forced along.
One of his few successful exercises was rather impromptu and proposed back when his team was still undeniably at odds with each other. It had began with the end of a rather unorthodox training session in which Gai-sensei had them work on how long they could hold their breath while sparring using only taijutsu. Tenten lost almost immediately. On average she was okay in her taijutsu, combine that with holding her breath and it spelled disaster. Although, she was the best when Gai-sensei allowed them to use weapons while holding their breath; but without weapons she failed miserably. Lee lost about twenty seven times to Neji before finally winning one, though Tenten attributed the win to the fact that Neji was getting exhausted and Neji just didn’t hold the same resilience Lee did at that time.
Lee would eventually surpass Neji in taijutsu, but at the moment, Lee was still lacking in everything but heart.
“Can I go home now?” She had complained to Gai-sensei once Lee had finally bested Neji. “You know, since we’re done?”
“But we must train harder!” Lee protested.
Neji just sat there stoically.
It was at that interval that Gai-sensei seemed to find it appropriate to try to unite them closer as a team once again. Tenten had told him constantly to quit trying. She, Lee, and Neji were far too different to ever get along appropriately. But Gai was just as hard-headed as Lee – they both refused to ever give up on anything.
“I know what youthful exercise we can do!”
“Please no.” Tenten pleaded at the same time Neji sighed in aggravation.
“Let us play hopscotch, my young students!”
Tenten felt her eyebrow twitching. “Hopscotch?” Of all stupid things, Gai had picked hopscotch? She wondered yet again if someone had hit him too hard in the back of his head in a mission. He had to be mentally unwell in some retrospect.
“I have to–” Neji tried to wrangle out of it, but Gai-sensei hushed him with another long monologue on how hopscotch would surely light the inner fires of their youth.
Tenten had no reservations about telling her sensei to shut the hell up, but she’d long since realized that doing so only made his monologue longer. So rather, she picked herself up from the comfy spot on the floor and started digging a kunai into the grass so that the lines of the hopscotch squares were clearly evident by the brown lines of dirt through the brightly colored grass. “Fine. Let’s get it over with.” She interrupted, hoping this would, in effect, shut him up.
Neji hesitated. “I don’t know how.”
Tenten yawned. “How what?”
“How to play.”
It took her a few seconds to register the information, though seemingly it seemed she was the first to understand. Lee gaped at Neji in astonishment and Gai looked a cross between a child who’d just had his candy taken away and a child who couldn’t understand where his mother had gone when peekaboo was being played.
“How can you not know how to play?” She asked baffled. “Doesn’t every kid play hopscotch? Hell, I’m poor as dirt and have no parents, and I’ve played the game.”
He scowled. “Well, I’ve never played.”
She straightened, realizing that she may have inadvertently offended him. She blinked, “Look, I didn’t mean…It’s just…It’s weird okay? I didn’t expect that, especially from you.” Without as second thought, she took his hand in hers and dragged him over to the game she’d just dug into the grass. “Okay, look, there’s these squares.”
Lee seemed to have regained his composure and moved to stand beside her. “They are numbered.”
Tenten nodded. “Right. And the object of the game is really just to get through all the squares and back, but you have to hop through them.” She hopped through her design, “Just like this.” She showed him again coming back.
Lee picked up a pebble. “And you throw a rock to get to the right square. If you do no’t get it in or if it touches the line, you lose your turn.” Lee tossed the pebble in example.
“Also, if while you’re hopping on a single square your other foot touches the ground it’s a violation. Your turn is disregard and you go back to where you lst were. Same thing happens if you hop on a line.” Tenten showed him what she meant.
Neji frowned. “Well, it’s a pretty easy game for a ninja wouldn’t you say?”
Tenten analyzed her rudimentary design. “Now that you mention it…”
“What if we play on a mountain?” Lee suggested.
Tenten nodded. “Yeah…Oh! And instead of a pebble we use a kunai, but we also draw a target on each square where we have to get a bulls-eye or else have our turn skipped!”
“I know!” Gai interrupted, finally falling out of his revere, “We also separate the squares by 25feet!”
Neji’s eye started twitching. “How about between five and eight feet?”
Tenten nodded. “Yeah, five or eight sounds good.” Twenty-five was just ridiculous.
Thirty minutes later, they finished constructing their game of hopscotch on one of the steepest mountains in the village. Despite Tenten’s initial disinclinations to the game, she found herself having fun. “Hey! Cheater!” She accused, pointing her finger at Neji. “You toed the line!”
“I DID NOT!” He protested.
Tenten turned to Lee. “You be the judge. Did he or did he not?”
Lee shook his head. “Tenten, I did not see him touch the line.”
“Gah!” She protested bitterly. “You’re both in cahoots.”
“Who says ‘cahoots’ nowadays?” Neji smirked.
“Who says ‘nowadays’?” She shot back.
“Bitter.” He smirked.
“Cheater.” She snapped. “EP! STOP!” She yelled at Gai.
Gai froze, halting before going to the next jump. “What?”
“You cheated.” Neji explained.
“Exactly.” Tenten harrumphed.
“I did not cheat!” Gai protested.
“Lee?” Tenten inquired.
“Gai-sensei,” Lee said smiling, “you touched the line.”
“Ha-ha!” Tenten grinned. “Told ya!”
Neji rolled his eyes. “It’s about time one of your accusations proved to be true.”
“Hey,” She protested, sticking her tongue out at her teammate. “They were all true; this is just the first time I could get one of you pinned.”
“Sure.” Neji said. “Suure.”
Somehow, that rather strange game of hopscotch made friends out of strangers and teammates of outsiders. As friends, they would always be called the oddest bunch, but that day Tenten found, it really wasn’t so bad. Being friends with them was rather nice, because beneath their skin they were rather different. And it was special to be able to say that she was one of the few who could see it.
Also, it turned out that their modified version of the game of hopscotch became not only the most popular game among shinobi, but one of the only ‘fun’ training exercises that senseis could use to mold their students.
Hunh, they were starting trends. And all because Gai-sensei had another harebrained idea.
50 Shinobi – Prompt 45 (Ribbon)
It was a well known fact that shinobi were often times required to do things of the unsavory nature. Things that left the shinobi reeling with guilt or disgust at some times. She thought the ones that had worst were those who’s justus were specifically designed to kill in stealth; like Shikamaru or even Neji. They could kill someone before the person even realized what was occurring. Tenten wasn’t a stranger to these acts. She’d seen more than her fair share of blood and heard enough screams to last her a lifetime.
Every time she came back from one of those missions, she would despair. She would sit and wallow and cry to her heart’s content. Shinobi aren’t supposed to show their emotions, but when the mission was over, she had to let it out, or else she could never go back. It was all for the best, she knew, but that didn’t make it any easier.
That night, Tenten crouches underneath a large oak tree trying to will away the memory of the day’s actions. She can still hear her scream and see the crimson blood stain the landscape. After the deed, Tenten had wiped and washed and polished the murder weapon forty-seven times. It was the cleanest she’d ever seen it, but everytime she really looked at it, the image of blood dripping around it would not disappear. Killing was one thing, not something appealing, but easy enough to do. Killing your best friend was entirely another.
Tenten had had to kill the only friend she’d had when she was a young girl. She had been kind and affirmative — not the type you’d expect to be the heir to a crime stream. It hurt. It was all for the good, but it still fucking hurt.
There’s a rustle in the leaves and suddenly Neji and Lee are in front of her. Lee frowns in concern. “Tenten?”
She turns just the slightest bit, not even caring that they can see the tears pooling down her face. “Yeah, Lee?” She never liked for others to see her cry, but she was in no mood to pretend it didn’t hurt when it was tearing her apart inside.
Lee opens his mouth to talk, but Neji silences him with a hand on the green-clad boy’s shoulder. Silently almost unbidden the boys sit next to her, one on either side. Lee holds her hand gingerly and squeezes it in comfort. “I’m sorry, Tenten.” His voice holds none of his usual perkiness and overbearing resilient tone, instead he’s comforting and empathetic. She thinks he really means it when he says he’s sorry.
Neji brushes the damp stringy brunette strands out of her face, and braids them gingerly. Neji’s never really done anything like that before and Tenten finds herself more than just a little shocked. “It won’t feel so bad tomorrow.” He says quietly. “We’re here for you.”
It’s then she lets herself break down completely. Neji and Lee sit there beside her. Not condescending, not pushy, not anything. They’re just there for her, and she’s never felt better.
She wakes up at some point her head against Lee’s shoulder and Neji’s head on hers. She stirs, trying hard not to disturb either of her two friends. The sun is rising over the horizon tinting the sky an array of pink and red. There’s still a gaping hole in her chest, but she feels a lot better.
White ribbon dangles in her hair from the braids Neji had done in her hair. Tenten fingers the ribbon carefully and settles back into her previous position. Yeah, shinobi often times have to do things, they would really rather not do. Shinobi often left their completed missions feeling with guilt and shame; but in retrospect, it was really alright. Someone had to do the horrid deed, and someone was always there to help them through the misery.
Since that day, Tenten always tied up her hair into her customary buns with the white silk ribbon Neji had tied her braids with. Through every deed she’d ever done, the weight of the white ribbon reminded her, that her friends would always be there for her. That she was not alone, even when it felt like it.
50 Shinobi — Prompt #22 (Cathedral)
“I won’t go in! You can’t make me!” She protested vehemently, shaking her head to and fro furiously.
Neji stared at her in aggravation. ‘Tenten, it’s just-”
“It’s evil, that’s what it is!” She complained loudly. “EVIL!”
Neji’s eye twitched. “It’s a cathedral. The last thing it could be is evil.”
Tenten narrowed her eyes at the pale Hyuuga. “Just because it’s a cathedral doesn’t mean it has to be good.” She shuddered. “Just look at it! All big, and gothic-like, windows high, and lights low.” She stared at the building before her. “It’s the epitome of evil, my friend.”
“It’s a cathedral.”
“I WON’T GO IN!”
Neji seemed to want to kill her. He seemed to want to wrap his hands around her neck and throttle the life out of her.
She crossed her arms and stared resolutely at the floor. She would not budge. She would not, she would not, she would not! It was filled with evil. She really couldn’t say why she thought so, but she just didn’t like it. Something about the building was unnatural and-and just plain wrong. Maybe it was haunted. Or maybe worse… She dug her feet into the ground. “Let’s go home.”
Neji stared at her quietly for a bit, before giving a resigned sigh. “Tenten, please.”
Tenten hesitated. Never once, in all her life, had Neji ever said ‘please’ to her. Not once. She looked back at the looming and frightening building. She sighed. “Why do you need to go into hell-I mean, the cathedral, again?”
Neji shifted awkwardly. “My mother’s grave…”
Tenten scowled. “Okay, okay. Let’s go in.” She bit her lip. “But…don’t laugh at this okay?” She waited until he nodded before she asked her question. “Can you hold my hand as we go in?”
Neji nodded and Tenten could’ve sworn he looked glad she’d requested that.
She swallowed her fear and took her hand in his gripping it tightly. “The things I do for you people.” She whispered silently.
“I’m grateful for it.” He said silently, almost so softly that the wind attempted to swallow his words.
Luckily, the wind didn’t succeed.
She smiled. Fear was a powerful thing, but friendship topped it by far.
50 shinobi — #12 Tadpole
Best friends are totally aware of how stupid you are, but still manage to be seen with you in public.
Tenten sat comfortably on the ledge of the building looking down at the passerby. She always sat on the ledge of some building every Saturday morning to think. She believed if one didn’t sit down to contemplate things in their life they might miss something important. She only had one life, might as well think about it even if it was just a little bit, right?
Today she was settled on the top of her favorite bakery staring up at the sky. The sun plagued by timidity, was barely showing the tip of it’s head to the sky. In return, the sky blushed a pink and orange array at her lover’s reemergence.
Tenten imagined someone would surely question her sanity if they ever knew she compared the sky and sun to lovers. With a heavy sigh, Tenten leaned forward and rested her head on her upturned palms. Soon enough she’d have to move, the pressure of her elbows on her thighs was something she could only put up with for so long. Her elbows were just so damn bony.
Not too far away she could see a green awkward looking creature jumping and running about. The creature seemed to be exercising.
Tenten jolted out of her revere as the slamming of doors and voices below her punctured the lofty silence.
Her vision cleared and the objects resembled what they should resemble once more. The green jumpy thing off in the distance, she noted, turned out to be Lee exercising. “What a youthful day!” He cried in jubilation.
Tenten wasn’t sure if she would smile at his enthusiasm or wince in embarrassment for her friend. Lee really never was embarrassed, sometimes that in itself proved embarrassing for her.
“Ugh!” A girl complained from somewhere below. Tenten shifted just enough so she could look down at the events occurring right at the foot of the building. “Won’t he shut up?” The girl complained. Tenten knew her well enough. She was the skinny, pretty, dark-haired civilian who worked in the bakery she was currently settled upon some days. On average, Tenten really didn’t like her. She was too jittery, gossipy, and flirty. Tenten found most civilian girls tended to be that way: savage without really getting their hands dirty. Words did alot more damage than people ever gave them justice for.
“He’s such a freak.” The dark-haired civilian gossiped savagely.
“Incredibly so.” Another girl agreed with her heartily. “How he ever became a ninja is beyond me.”
“Doesn’t he remind you of a frog?” Another voice chimed.
“No way! There’s no way he could possibly even be a frog! He’s more like an ugly warty toad.”
“A fly!”
Tenten tuned out the rest of the conversation, feeling more than just a bit annoyed. Just like them to talk about things they knew nothing about.
“Are he and that kunoichi dating?”
“The one with the two buns on her head?”
“I wouldn’t think so,” The bakery worker laughed, “she’d be smart enough to stay away from a dork like him.” She grinned viciously, “I bet it’s just pity. I mean, just look at him. Who would be friends with that voluntarily?”
Tenten bristled. Truth be told, on more than one occasion, she’d been accused of liking Lee or Neji. Apparently, being teammates with two boys meant she had to shack up with one of them. Also on more than one occasion they’d accused her of not liking either of them.
That accusation was more on the mark than the previous one. Upon getting assigned, she had made it painfully clear to Neji, Lee, Gai, and anyone else stupid enough to cross her the day the teams were assigned, that she did not like any of them. She’d told Lee he was an utter dork. She’d told Neji he was a poor excuse for a human being. And she’d told Gai she didn’t want him an idiot for a teacher.
By nature, Tenten was easily embarrassed. Lee and Gai were the walking talking incarnation of embarrassment; and Neji, to put it simply, he was just a jerk.
She was a jerk too.
She knew that now, and had done everything possible to rectify her original cruel statements.
Yeah, Neji was mean, but he was also nice when he let the walls down.
Yeah, Lee was a dweeb, but he was a very good person.
Yeah, Gai was weird, but he was an excellent teacher.
She swung off the building, landing right before the group of chittering girls. “Oh, buzz off, flies. Lee’s a really nice guy.”
“He’s a freak.” The bakery worker said cheekily.
Tenten leaned into the girl so her lips hovered right above the cocky girl’s ear. “Better than a bitch, wouldn’t you say? At least freaks are worth a person’s time.”
The girl flushed red and seemed ready to start yelling at her, but Tenten simply turned away from her. “Hey, Lee!”
“Tenten!” He belted out cheerfully. “Have you been having a youthful morning?” He asked cheerily. His eyebrows then creased together in worry. “Do you still have cramps?!”
Tenten groaned and bopped him fiercely on the head as she reached him, trying her hardest to avoid any passerby’s eyes. “Remember how we said that certain things should never be repeated to the general public?”
Lee rubbed his head as if it were to take away the pain. “Yes…”
“That was one of them.” She knew her face was that disgustingly bright red it tended to turn when she was horribly embarrassed. “You know, Lee,” She mentioned casually, trying to will away her embarrassment, “Sometimes, you’re really embarrassing.”
Lee looked crestfallen.
If she were to designate every person she knew as an animal, Lee would be a tadpole. He didn’t look like much and he wasn’t very nice looking, but one day he’d surprise everyone. He was already surprising her. “But I’m glad you’re my friend.”
He grinned happily. “Let us run ten laps around the village!” He proposed in excitement.
She scowled, “Hell no.”
Summary: There were some mornings when she woke up, that she just hated herself.
A/N: This story was inspired by a very annoying day I had about three months ago. I spent all night doing a stupid lab write-up for Chemistry and shoved the info in my bag. Upon getting to school i realized I’d neglected to stuff the most important part in my bag. There’s three lost hours of sleep completely wasted. After spilling out this story, I’d managed to erase the negative feelings and managed to cram the info out by the end of the day. My teacher allowed me to turn it in by after school that day, and I managed it, thought I considerably owe my best friend a lot for being able to finish it.
Light filtered in from the expanse window and struck the table. Birds sand from somewhere outside and the chatter inside the room seemed to melt together. All the voices within ran into one another so that the noise seemed to be just a loud unintelligible whisper. It sounded just like a lullaby to her ears. Temari struggled to keep her eyes open. Beside her, Nara Shikamaru was staring at the ceiling in disinterest. Temari couldn’t say for sure if she thought he was listening or not; Shikamaru, interestingly enough, paid attention even when it seemed like he was not. Tsunade was resting her chin on her palm, eyes glazed over. Temari was sure the Hokage was only paying half attention.
Meanwhile, the elders were arguing ceaselessly over some topic that really had no merit: the next Hokage. Everyone in Konoha, shinobi and civilian alike, knew who the next Hokage would be. Even the Suna inhabitants knew. Arguing about it was just a pointless waste of time.
And sleep.
Temari did her best to stifle the loud yawn that slipped from her lips. It didn’t work very well. She slouched down in her chair as the pointed eyes of the elder council turned to glare at her critically. Even when she was at her best, the council looked at her as if she were a traitorous bug. Sure, she understood why they looked at her that way, but it was very annoying. Especially since she was always working her ass off for them. Shikamaru smirked at her obvious discomfort. Temari gritted her teeth in frustration. “Hypocrite.” She hissed at him. His eyes glittered. Underneath the table Temari balled her hand into a fist. He was making fun of her! How dare he?! He was always dozing off during meetings, and unlike her current situation, he never had a feasible reason.
Tsunade straightened. “Well, we should discuss the more pressing issue.”
The council members looked stonily at the current Hokage.
Temari silently thanked the higher deity in charge for the deflection in hostility. Foreign ambassador really wasn’t worth the money she was paid.
“Temari-san?” Tsunade prodded.
Temari straightened and reached for the folder she’d placed on her desk. The sooner she was done, the sooner she could rest her weary body on a bed. She pulled the papers our of her folder and flicked through them sluggishly, trying to find the correct one.
Her heart sped up as her fingers grazed over the sheets without finding the most important sheet. Her fingers rested on the very last sheet.
No…
“Temari-san?”
Temari shut her eyes tight and counted slowly to ten. With a heavy decisively annoyed feeling in her gut she opened her eyes and replied tersly through gritted teeth. “I don’t believe I have the calculations necessary.”
One of the elders gawked at her in a mixture of astonishment and disguts, “You didn’t do–”
“Of course I did it!” She snapped in annoyance. Temari ground her teeth. “I just…don’t have it with me.”
Shikamaru snickered silently.
Without a second thought Temari acted out on her anger and kicked the lazy man swiftly under the table. “Let me just drop by my hotel and I’ll bring the paper back.” She was honestly surprised she could talk as intelligibly as she could with her teeth ground together as strongly as they were.
“I’ll accompany her.” Shikamaru volunteered lazily.
“No, you–” Temari began, but was cut off by an elder.
“Just go get it.” The elder snapped.
Temari felt her control over her demeanor slipping. “Very well.” Temari pushed herself away from the table and walked out of the room, desperately trying to convince herself not to damaage any property (or people) on her way out.
Things would be fine. The paper was on the table, she’d get it, present it, and voila, no hours wasted.
Shikamaru smirked at her again as she made her way swiftly through the village.
“Wipe that expression off your face before I ground you into dust, Nara.”
He shrugged, “I just find it humorous that the responsible one forgot–”
“I did not forget. I just…don’t have it.” She finished rather lamely. She just had to have deemed herself the ‘responsible one’, didn’t she? Ugh, he was going to annoy her about this even forever.
“Did you even do it?” He pressed again, a teasing smile on his lips.
She growled, “Of course I did. Why do you think I’m so tired?”
“Partying.” She stopped in her tracks and turned on him, ready to knock him out. He held up his hands in front of him in self defense. “Hey! Joking! Calm down, will you? It’s not so bad. You did it. You just pick it up, bring it back, dilemma solved.”
“Shut up.” Temari turned away from him and continued on her trek back to the hotel. Some days that boy just did not know when to shut up.
He rolled his eyes at her. “You’re crankier than usual.”
“What did I say?!”
“Alright, alright, woman!” He grumbled. The lazy shinobi drew his hands up behind his hand, dark eyes watching the clouds as he walked.
Sometimes, she really hated Shikamaru.
He was lazier than a damn cloud and regardless, everything always went well for him. He might do something ten minutes before it was needed and he pulled it off with great splendor. He never had to stay up at ungodly hours to finish something. He could just do it in two minutes.
Ooh, yes, sometimes she hated him.
Though that hatred was just because at those times, she wished she could be him.
Still in the same grumpy mood, she reached the hotel and yanked open the door with way more force than unnecessary. She marched up the stairs bitterly, Shikamaru following after her languidly. She opened the door to her room, making sure to slam the door in the lazy shadow ninja’s face behind her, and crossed over to the table where she’d been working on the papers.
It was one giant heaping mess.
Temari pushed papers aside and thumbed through the sheets looking desperately for the right one.
“Uh…Temari?” Shikamaru interrupted uncertainly.
“What?” She snapped angrily, not happy considering she cold not locate the necessary information. Shikamaru held a shredded piece of paper up for her to see. “This wouldn’t happen to be it would it?”
Temari’s anger tripled. “What did you do to it?!”
“Not me.” He defended. “Your dog.”
“I don’t have a dog!” She screamed at him.
“Fine, your neighbor’s dog. Whatever. Furry little thing with blue eyes.”
Temari stared at him for a few second before kicking the wall. “I hate this day!” She slumped to the floor arms crossed and eyes squeezed shut. “I hate, hate, hate today!”
Shikamaru crouched before her. “Temari?”
“Go away, Nara,” She grumbled, feeling tears behind her eyes. She didn’t want to cry over something this ridiculously stupid, but she was just beyond frustrated.
“You can–”
“Just shut up and go away!”
He sighed in annoyance. “Fine, let’s spar.”
Her eyes flicked open in shock. “What?”
“You need to release your irritation. You obviously don’t want to talk it out right now, so let’s spar.”
He hadn’t agreed to spar with her ever and she had asked continually. Why was he…What…Why now? “Why?”
He blinked. “Why, what?”
“Why would you spar–”
“Because you’re obviously frustrated and this will help.”
“But why for me?” She understood why he might suggest something so out of character for Ino or Chouji, they were his best friends; but she…she was just that bossy, loud, Suna girl who was always pestering him. Why would he bother doing something so decidedly troublesome for her?
He looked slightly uncomfortable. “You’re important to me.”
Temari blushed a bit. Before she could think through her actions, she found her arms were wrapped around the indolent man.
She was hugging him.
She jumped back immediatly upon the realization of her actions. She awkwardly rubbd her shoulder. “Umm…Wont the council…”
“I can take care of it.” He shrugged. “Don’t worry.” He smiled slightly at her. “And after the spar, I can help you redo the numbers.”
She bit her lip and smiled. “You’re not so bad.” She brushed her hair out her eyes. “You know, for a lazy crybaby anyway.”
He rolled his eyes.
Some days, she hated herself.
Some days, she hated her luck.
Some days, she hated the world.
And some days, she hated fate.
But then fate reminded her even thought it liked messing her up, it always gave her someone to pull her through the troule.
Thank goodness for friends.
They were there even when you didn’t know they were.
(Even though sometimes, you hated them just a little bit too.)
Tenten really despised being looked down on because of her gender. As such, she tried hard to prove to the world and the moon she was just as good as any male.
Temari abhorred being on the receiving end of skeptical glances and doubting sneers because she had breasts instead of a dick. So she worked insanely hard to prove she was better than many males.
Tenten hated Ino and Sakura. They were poor excuses for shinobi who spent most of their time after some boy instead of tuning their skills. Even now, as better shinobi (which they only became for a boy) their p
riorities still revolved around impressing a guy they ‘loved’.
Temari didn’t hate Ino or Sakura, she just didn’t like them. They were good shinobi (now at least), but they were always off on how some man was better, and they only ever improved their skills so they wouldn’t be a burden. It was never for themselves. They weren’t trying to be great, not even good — they just wanted to be acceptable.
Tenten loved Neji and Lee like brothers. Best of all, they didn’t think of her as a girl; they saw her as a shinobi. When she had flaws they helped her fix them. When she had problems she could talk to them (granted, she was embarrassed talking to both of them, but she still could).
Kankurou and Gaara were crass and not very touchy-feely, but they always saw Temari as a person not a female. They always helped her get better, and never looked down upon her because she was of a different gender. Talking to them about personal problems was always a bit awkward, but they were always listening if she needed them.
Tenten hates that unless a woman is born with a kekkai genkai, her choosing the life of a shinobi is looked down upon in Konoha. She hates that it’s okay for a man without a bloodline limit to choose this path, but not a woman. It’s because of this social code that very few women take the shinobi life; very few women think they can.
Temari detests that in Suna female kunoichi are more of a rarity than rain. She hates that because of the standard the elders give out to the city the females are seen as unfit to take such a harsh life. She is furious that men are seen as the tougher species — the protectors, and women can not and should not fill that role.
Tenten is proud that Tsunade is the first female Hokage. She thinks the women carries and deserves the title well. She’s certainly better fit than many Kage’s other villages have had. Although Tenten is glad of this triumph, she thinks it’s not enough.
Temari is disturbed that Tsunade is the first female Kage in all the villages. She is even more disturbed that her own village will never accept a female Kazekage. She is pleased that Tsunade is breaking the mold, but thinks there’s still a loong way to go.
Tenten hates that women let others’ attidues influence their own.
Temari despises that women can be manipulated by the thoughts and words of people stuck in the past.
Tenten was a diehard feminist.
Temari was a diehard feminist.
When you see another feminist, it’s hard not to like each other (even if you were beat up by her).
Their relationship is filled with snide insults, biting retorts, nonsenseical laughter, angry rants, bittersweet confessions, and love.
Temari and Tenten are violent, confident, and feminist. But together they let the masks and defenses fall. They let the anger and tears dissolve.
Tenten hates being a woman most of the time.
Temari hates men most of the time.
But they’re okay with that: friendship makes it all better.
50 Shinobi Prompt 41– Rivals
It was in that moment that Tenten feared Lee had started to rub off on her. The rough and bossy Suna bitch stared at her, no lingering remorse on her expression. It probably should’ve disturbed Tenten that Temari didn’t even bother to apologize for her last action or even garner the decency to look sympathetic. It simply didn’t, in fact, she surmised that if the blonde tried to apologize, she might very well be tempted to hit her. Instead Tenten was satisfied with the reaction if not pleased. The frightening thing about this for her was Temari had beat her up horribly and instead of hating her like any normal person would, she liked her. Just like Lee liked Gaara. It also seemed Temari liked her, just like Gaara liked Lee.
Apparently beating people up (some cases to the point of near-death) was the equivalent of ‘Hi, let’s be friends.’ in Suna speak.
“Don’t fuck up this time.” She said obnoxiously
It would’ve been nice for Tenten to be able to say she hated her or even wanted to beat her silly, but she found no trace of hate or lingering vengence in her bones. Which, she supposed, had to be a good thing. She didn’t want to end up like Sasuke after all…
“I’ll make Chuunin, Blondie.” Tenten responded haughtily.
Her lips quirk into a smirk, a challenge, “Only if you don’t go against me.”
Tenten snorted. “Shikamaru made Chuunin last time and he went against you.” Tenten found herself relaxing with this fierce blonde woman.
“Any fool can get lucky.” Her hands brushed blonde bangs from her eyes. “Do make Chuunin.” She commented seriously, “If Pinkie and the mind-swapper hack it and you don’t, I’ll be gravely dissapointed.”
Tenten scoffed. “If your brothers hack it and you don’t I’ll consider you a disappointment to all females.”
She smirked, “I do hope I go against you again. Apparently, I didn’t kick your ass well enough.”
“Any fool can get lucky.” Tenten smirked.
As they both stood smirking at each other one coherent thought occurred to Tenten: Lee was really starting to rub off on her. Temari was starting to sound alot like that odd ‘rival’ relationship Lee claimed to have with Neji.
Oh, that would be just ghastly.
But…it would also be nice.
xXxXx
“Breathe.” Shikamaru whispered into her ear as he held her tighter. Her body shook in his arms. Never before had he thought of her as fragile until now.
Swallowing breaths and shaking fingers. Temari clutched at his clothing her fingers digging into the
cloth. With her eyes squeezed shut and heart in her throat she couldn’t think. All she knew was that she was tired.
She was dead tired.
“Breathe.” He repeated again. “Just breathe.”
Temari fingers clutched him tighter. She wasn’t even sure if she remembered how to breathe.
xXxXx
It was all blood.
Blood stained her hands.
Blood stained her soul.
What was she supposed to do with all the blood?
Without a word, Lee took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes. “Tenten, it will be fine.”
Fine.
Fine.
How can…How can anything be fine?
“Tenten.” Lee’s eyes search her. “Say something.”
Behind him Neji watches her in apprehension too. He’s worried. Tenten looks at her hands. Is she in such a state that even Neji can look worried? Is she so…
What’s with all the blood?!
Arms wrap around her.
Words are murmured to her.
Someone squeezes her hand.
It will be fine.
Can it? Can it be fine?
xXxXx
Kankurou stares at her.
How could she understand? How could a stupid girl like her ever understand? “Go away.” He tells her. Like he’s told her countless times before.
This time, instead of heading his command she kneels before him. Her pale fingers wrap around his hands, her head bowed, dark brown bangs covering her brown eyes. “I’m here. You matter. I’m here.”
“You don’t know anything.”
She squeezes his hands. “Then tell me.”
Her eyes connect with his.
Tell me.
Blood and sacrifice is matted around his heart. Around his soul. He doesn’t know what’s right anymore. He doesn’t know…He doesn’t know anything but duty anymore.
“Tell me.” She whispers. “Help me understand.”
He knows she isn’t a saint. But he doesn’t want her to carry his troubles on top of her own. “Go away.” He whispers again.
Shinobi are such fragile things. They break so easily.
She nods. “But you know, regardless of how many times you tell me to go away,” She smiles lightly, “I’ll always be here.”
xXxXx
She cranes her head at him. “I think, it’s not so bad.”
He’s aware that he’s shaking. “You think.”
“I think.” She confirms.
The world turns on it’s axis and runs and walks and talks as if he is of no consequence. As if…What does it all matter?
