-Flashback-
A young Hyuuga Neji had just been released from a day at the Ninja Academy, along with his class. It was early in the afternoon; Neji's life was pleasant.
He was considered amazing among his teachers and fellow students. Things always seemed to go his way, and he had a gentle father.
At that time, though, he did not know much about the Main and Cadet branches of his family. He had seen his father express hatred, maybe jealousy, towards the Main branch, but hadn't realized why. He was barely interested in the subject, anyways, so it didn't matter.
Taking the usual path back to the Hyuuga mansion, he heard odd sounds from another direction.
Thok!
Crack!
Thok.
Bam.
Neji followed the peculiar sounds, going across many dirt roads. When the constant 'thoks' became closer, he looked around
Surprised, he saw a girl his age in the training grounds. She had chestnut eyes and deep brown hair in buns; her outfit looked sort of foreign. He soon recognized her as the weapon mistress in his class. A 'cute, tiny bear' was what he had first thought of her hairdo, when he met her at the academy. They hadn't talked much.
He watched her for a while, as she threw various weapons at targets. Her aim was pretty good, hitting bullseyes most of the time. She never missed.
Eventually, he approached her for conversation. His face was deepened with curiosity as he walked closer.
"Hi, what are you doing?" he questioned, sitting down next to her.
She grinned, and threw a shuriken at a small target. Thok. Bullseye!
"Training! I'm going to be strong like Tsunade-sama, one of the sannin." she stated proudly. Her voice was pure and innocent.
"Oh...I see." he answered.
The girl seemed to have an endless stock of equipment. She threw each and every weapon gracefully; Neji just watched her in awe.
"You're Hyuuga Neji, right?" she blurted.
He nodded.
"Everyone says you're a prodigy," she asked Neji.
A bit surprised, he stared. "Really? No one has called me that before." he replied
"Well, that's at least what I've heard! I'm Tenten, by the way."
"I like your name."
"Thanks!"
After a while, she stopped training and sat down next to him.
"Your eyes...why are they white?" she asked.
"It's my inherited bloodline. I have byakugan eyes, you see," and he activated his byakugan.
She looked at his eyes, mesmerized. "Wow...what do they do?"
"I can see through things, and far away. Oh! And I can see anyone's chakra points, even though they're so small."
"Awesome!" she giggled.
Neji then asked her what a weapons mistress exactly did. She was eager and happy to explain to him what she did, and he talked to her with true interest.
He stood up, and held out a hand to help her stand. Laughing, she took it.
"Tenten, will you help me practice my ninjutsu?" he questioned.
She smiled. "Sure!"
Pretty soon, they were on the training field. Neji activated his byakugan, went into his stance, and waited for Tenten to attack.
Drawing kunais quickly from her bag, she threw them constantly at Neji. He bent in almost every direction, twisted his body in all sorts of ways, and moved his legs swiftly. One by one, he evaded every single kunai.
"Heh...you really are a prodigy," she exclaimed.
When she praised him, it felt good. He liked to receive such positive words. But also, there was something about Tenten that made him cheerful.
Anyhow, Tenten decided not to hold back. Neji really was good; he was not to be underestimated.
Neither was she.
She released her full potential at him. With extreme agility, she sent tons of weapons flying at him. Senbon, kunai, shuriken, and more, were slashing the air centimeters from the Hyuuga's body. He dodged it all just in time.
Except for one. He wasn't paying attention as much, believing he had finished evading all of the attacks.
That was when a kunai harshly stabbed him in the arm. He grabbed the wound, and didn't show true pain.
"Ah! Neji! I'm sorry," Tenten ran up to him and took out bandages.
He took the bandages hesitantly. Help from a girl wasn't really what he wanted, but his gushing arm needed it.
"Hn," he mumbled while wrapping himself up. (A/N Geez. How about a thank-you, Neji?)
When he was done, Tenten got up. She started to collect her things; it was almost evening.
"You can keep them," she said, referring to the bandages.
Nodding, Neji began helping her pick up her weapons. Staring at the gigantic shuriken that she used, he wondered how the heck she could throw something so huge! Was she one of these prodigies too? Who just wasn't recognized?
Soon, everything was packed away, and Tenten picked up her heavy load.
"Well, I have to go home to my mommy and daddy," she told Neji.
He stared at her, an amazed look creeping up his face.
"Huh? Don't you have parents waiting for you, too?" she asked.
"I have a daddy...but I don't remember having a mommy..." he said, innocently with interest.
"Does that mean your parents are gay?" Tenten looked at him, wondering.
"What is 'gay', Tenten?"
"Oh, I'm not really sure."
"But you just said it."
"Well, it's like, when you have two daddies. Do you have two daddies?"
"Umm...does Uncle Hiashi count?"
"Who?"
"Huh?"
"Neji, you're confusing me!"
"Okay, I think I have one daddy."
"Oh, then your parents aren't gay. You just have one parent."
"Hn. I see." he looked down, a bit disappointed. Only one daddy! I didn't know I could have two, he thought to himself.
Then his face brightened. "But my daddy is very nice!" he exclaimed.
Tenten grinned. "So is mine!" she replied. Smiling, she started walking.
She turned to follow a path that went the opposite direction of Neji's house. Before she could go out of sight, Neji called after her.
"Will I see you tomorrow, Tenten?" he asked.
"I think so!" she called back.
"Okay, bye!"
"See ya."
-Afterwards-Tenten's POV-
(A/N She's 16, narrating.)
The next day, there was a festival. It was to celebrate our pact with another country, Mom said.
Every clan and every family was supposed to be there. I looked everywhere for Neji; but I couldn't find him.
What was weird was, when Neji came to the academy the next week (he was absent for a looooong time) he ignored me.
He was like an ice cube, geez. Acting like he never knew me. What a tard.
His personality was the total opposite of when I met him the other day. He turned from happy-go-lucky innocent boy to a feelingless icy dude. I even went up to him once, saying 'It's TENTEN!' and he walked STRAIGHT PAST ME. I couldn't tell anything about his eyes. They still glittered like I always thought. But for some reason, he just wasn't the same, and sported this new headband on his forehead. Well, I know what it's for, now, but I didn't before.
"Neji, Neji, what's the headband for?" I ran up to him once, asking him.
He gave me a...death glare. Gah!
"It's all the Main branch's fault!" he yelled back.
"What?"
"Now, I don't have any daddies." he said silently.
He turned his back to me and walked off.
I just pondered. No daddies?
That could mean...
1) He has two mommies now.
2) His daddy got lost.
3) His daddy was killed!
...Number 3 makes the most sense. I don't know what the heck I was thinking back then.
So I presumed that was why for many years. He never talked to me, well, barely.
-A lot of years later! xD-
Soon, we graduated into genin, and were put into cells of three people.
I was put with Lee, and our leader was Gai-sensei. And then, there was the last of our cell.
Hyuuga Neji.
He had become...well...pretty hot! His hair was still long, and he tied it up in such a perfect style. You could see his arms and legs bandaged; they made him so cool! The way he dressed was sleek and cute, too. And then his eyes, oh, they were still so sparkly white. That hint of purple in them was cool. And, oh, his skin-
Okay, I never knew I had thoughts like that.
So, anyways, we all went on missions and trained together. Like anyone would. But Neji never really noticed me the way I wanted him too...
When the chuunin exams came, we were all eager to get in. We went through the paper test, the Forest of Death, the preliminary rounds- ugh, Lee and I got beaten, and then Neji made it to the final rounds.
That was when he revealed the curse mark, and his story. It all matched perfectly in the time when he stopped being all innocent.
His father WAS killed, and he always wore something over his forehead because of the caged bird curse.
He had told us, his cell, before, but it was nice to learn it again. So it wasn't my fault he ignored me...I think.
...To be sincere, he looked sexy with no headband. Eheh.
-Present time-
After the chuunin exams, Neji warmed up to me a little. Hiashi had told him what really happened to Neji's father.
I trained with Neji every day; I did almost everything with him. I became like a loyal puppy or something. He was still cold for a while, but then, um, stuff happened between us. Sometimes he was the way he was when we first met.
I realized we were in love. I could never stop thinking about him. It seemed he felt that way, too.
Our relationship budded when we were little and met each other.
It froze while he ignored me for those years.
Then it thawed, and began to grow, when he learned the truth of his father's death.
And after all these years, it started to blossom, bringing us together.
Finally, it's fullgrown; and has become a passionate love.
And that's why he's holding me right now, as I search my memories.
And that's why we cannot be separated.
Because I love him. And he loves me.
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