Nejiten - Gesunheit

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Tenten’s sorta POV)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night was cold and unforgiving, chilling the souls of every Konoha resident. It was then, in those moonlit, freezing evenings that two ninja trained in perfect sync, one fairing far better than the other.

Tenten panted as another barrage of weapons passed her fluent hands and at her sparring partner, Hyuga Neji. They always trained like this for unkept hours at a time. Tenten rubbed her hands as silently as she could, Neji pausing when his Byakugan caught sight. He made his way to his teammate.

Tenten stiffened slightly as Neji uncharacteristically placed one foot in front of the other walking towards her.

“Tenten.”

She looked up.

“No training tomorrow.”

The girl shot him a curious expression. When he refused to answer, she cleared her throat to grab his attention.

“Not telling.”

Didn’t see that coming.

And with that he left her to her thoughts and weapons. What did he have to do that was so important to miss training? THE Hyuga Neji…missing training? On purpose? And without telling his closest friend (at least she assumed she was) why? That was like Gai-sensei wearing something other than green.

The girl couldn’t stop wondering, but she pushed it aside and picked up her weapons. Heading home, she took a soak and cuddled in bed with her panda doll. She wished one day she could get a new one. It was rough and raggedy, and one ear was bitten off because of her cat, and-

She fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Tenten’s sorta POV)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TAP TAP TAP

“Ehhh…”

TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP

A groan vibrated through the halls of the house.

TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TA-

“I’M UP! I’M UP! JUST CUT IT OUT!”

As Tenten screamed at the bird on her window sill, the causer of the annoying noise, the creature dropped a note into her hand and flew off frantically. Noticing the solid substance touching her skin instead of an icky liquid as she expected, she ceased her shouting and read the note aloud.

“Dear our youthful and beautiful flower…”

Gai-sensei…, the student thought irritably.


Please meet our team at the Academy Campus Veranda ASAP! See you there!


Tenten turned towards her alarm clock on the table beside her. 1:05 AM. The brunette sighed. If she had weaker tolerance for her career, she would have screamed at her teammates each time they woke her up because they ruined her beauty sleep. This was what she gave up to be a true kunoichi.

Tenten sat up, her long braids softly hitting her back. She’d never tell, but she braided her hair to avoid knots in her sleep while still managing to keep comfortable. The girl smirked. She wondered if Neji did the same.

Tenten motioned off her bed, slipping on her kunai-shaped slippers and headed to her bathroom. After some anime sounds of crashing and splashing, and bonking and banging, she exited her home looking like she would always appear to. No make-up, weighed down with weapons, the regular smile on her face, and a sleeveless shirt.

It’s cold.

But she ignored it. She figured her team was there already and she knew that the heater was right beside the veranda. She’d be fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Tenten’s sorta POV)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The brunette pouted as she leaned her head against the wall of the veranda entrance. Why couldn’t he stop with his speeches for one damn day?! Tenten thought furiously. Glancing at her impassive teammate beside her, she wondered if he had on earplugs. Her eyes sliding down to his puffy shirt, she wondered how hot he was.

Nice one, Tenny, real nice.

Oh, put a kunai in it, Tenten thought back against her Inner. Everyone had a little voice inside their head, telling them right from wrong.

I love my job.

Shut up, voice. Don’t make me poke you with a Q-tip again!

Alright, alright, jeez…mediums…, Inner Tenten muttered.

Sighing audibly, Tenten wondered if the Hyuga Neji had an Inner. If so, if it was as annoying as hers.

“…and in short, today’s training is cancelled so that we may all find presents for each other. Neji and Tenten,” the 13 year-old girl jumped at the sound of her name, “and my precious Lee and myself.” Gai paused to shine his teeth over his pupils and to give them a thumbs-up. “Well, what do you think?”

Neji muttered something under his breath, Tenten was still recovering from shock, and Lee…well, let’s just say he got too excited and tripped over his own two feet.

“THAT IS INGENIUS GAI-SENSEI!”

“Lee!”

“Gai-sensei!”

“Lee!!!”

“Gai-sensei!!!”

“LEE!!!”

“GAI-SEN-”

Incoming shoe.

SMACK.

“Tone in down, will ya!” shouted a villager woken up by all the commotion. “Darn cats…”

Neji cleared his throat, claiming attention to everyone around except for the villager who had already fallen back to sleep. “So basically…we use our training time tomorrow instead to do a mission to look for early Christmas presents for each other.”

“That is correct, Neji-kun!” answered Lee.

“Damn.”

“Dear, Neji! What’s wrong? Is it for your lack of training? Do not fret! There shall be double work for you once the gift giving is said and done! Hahaha!” Gai declared gloriously.

Neji merely turned away to look out into the trees full of peacefully slumbering brown birds. Four…Five…Six…Se-

Then there was a cold spec of white on the tip of his nose. He blinked, cutely looking cross-eyed at it. The rest of his team stared up into the sky and saw that it was snowing.

“Wow! What is it!?” shouted Lee, actually being right to be surprised by the sudden weather.

“Why Lee…,” began Gai, crying, “it’s snowing…”

“Snowing?” questioned the Hyuga, wiping the white off his nose. “What’s that?”

“You don’t know?” said Tenten, perplexed by something she knew that the Hyuga prodigy had not. He scowled at her in response to her smirk.

“I wouldn’t be surprised that he doesn’t, our beautiful flower,” said Gai. “It hasn’t snowed in years. Ah, it brings back memories…”

Tenten cutely stuck out her tongue to capture a small snowflake. Neji, catching sight, mimicked her movements.

“It’s just water,” he stated.

“Correct, my student!” declared Gai. “Now let’s not wait a single second! Go split up and find each other a present!” and the crazy man took off.

“The passion of youth burn strongly in both of you, together with the power of youth you shall succeed! Do your best to make Gai-sensei proud!” shouted Rock Lee as he ran on home the long way leaving the two other students to themselves.

“Heh. Are you actually going to get me something, Tenten?” Neji questioned her when things got too quiet.

The girl shrugged. “That depends. Are you planning on getting anything for me?”

Neji smirked. He stretched his arms and said, “I’ll let you sleep on that,” disappearing into the snow soon after.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Neji’s sorta POV)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was around 2 in the morning at the Hyuga household. Neji had to get some sleep for tomorrow. He silently cursed his team, excluding Tenten, for this dreaded mission. He was going to skip training anyway, but he didn’t want to be seen buying Christmas presents. He couldn’t even send one of the Hyuga servants because of that Gai-sensei! Neji sighed, picking up a comb and using it with great skill. After tying his hair into many small braids, he jumped into bed.

“What am I supposed to do?” he asked himself.

Go to sleep, genius, advised Inner Neji.

“If you’re my conscious, can you just knock me out already?” Neji returned.

That wasn’t part of the deal.

But it was in your résumé.

I hate my job.

Then quit so I can be sane again! And with that, Neji forced himself to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Lee’s sorta POV)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a glorious day and Lee could not wait to go out and get his wonderful Gai-sensei a gift! The only question was what to give him. Gai had everything! Great strength, dazzling looks, popping style, and above all, YOUTH! What could Rock Lee possibly give him? That was when it him like last night’s incoming shoe. He knew exactly what to do! Ooooh, that rhymed! He was on a role!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Gai’s sorta POV)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today was the day of gift-giving. Maito Gai’s pupils had yet to be seen. It was snowing as usually unusual as that was, and he waited for them to arrive.

Any second now…

No sooner than when his Inner proclaimed that did his precious Rock Lee arrive.

“Good morning, Gai-sensei!” saluted Lee as he would everyday. But today, Lee had on red leg warmers instead of orange and a squirrel was perched atop his head, clinging for dear life.

“My Lee! What is that adorable creature clawing your head?” cried Gai enthusiastically.

Just then, Neji waltzed into the training grounds, his body only slightly shivering as he attempted to keep his cool.

Heh. Get it? Cool? I crack me up, thought part of Gai while the other remained focused on Lee.

“What are you buffoons doing here with nothing but s-spandex?” Neji mocked, regrettably stuttering the ending.

“Neji, Neji. What about you? Your teeth are chattering already!” Gai laughed, Lee smirking after him.

The Hyuga scowled. “Don’t be ridiculous. The cold is nothing to me. I…just have trouble saying the word ‘s-spandex’,” Neji said, purposely stammering this time.

The beautiful flower was next to arrive, running gracefully to her comrades. “Hi guys!” she called waving.

“T-Tenten…”

“What is your excuse this time?”

“Can it, Lee.”

The kunoichi stood in front of the two boys panting. “Did you guys pass out the presents yet?” she asked excitedly.

“No, but we’re just about!” shouted Gai. “Alright! First up-”

“Me, Gai-sensei, me!” begged Lee.

“Ah, of course, of course. Lee, what did you get me?”

My sensei is so good with his words! He is an even better rhymer than I! the bowl-cut haired boy thought.

“THIS SQUIRREL!” he declared, throwing it at his beloved sensei. Luckily, being the ninja he was, he caught the little ball of fluff.

“OH LEE! HOW CONSIDERATE!” a pause. “Oh, and here is your gift.” Gai tossed his pupil a tiny box.

“WOW! I CANNOT WAIT TO OPEN IT!”

“Open it after Neji and Tenten exchange gifts, my dear student!” Lee groaned a bit, but he obeyed nonetheless.

~~~~~~~~~~~(…am I supposed to say something?)~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well? Where is it?” Neji said, pointing out that she had brought no box of the sorts with her.

“Oh! Me first?”

Duh. Boy, she’s a real catch.

Silence!

Retrieving a scroll from her leg holster, she opened it up and splashed blood onto the letters. A puff of smoke appeared but cleared quickly. There was…a katana?

“Merry Christmas, Neji!” Tenten cheered. Carefully plucking it from the ground, Neji examined the weapon. This was not just any ordinary metal; it was the strongest his Hyuga eyes had ever seen. The blade was sharp enough to split a hair in two, and there were eight bird inscribed on the handle. Beautiful.

“Yeah! And I designed it so that your chakra can flow through it!” Tenten explained. He tried to smile, but sadly it came out only as a smirk.

“Okay, Neji. What did you get me for the mission?” His smirk grew.

“Nothing.” Gai and Lee panicked.

Not good!

“What do you mean ‘nothing’?”

“Nothing, as in, I didn’t get you anything for the mission.”

“Neji,” Gai started bluntly. “You’re not getting paid if-”

“He’s not getting paid!?! He’s not gonna live! Gimme that katana!”
Lee attempted to restrain her, but it only became more difficult with Neji’s taunts. It was not until Neji moved a safer distance away did Lee lose hold on the girl. She ran at him, blind with rage and perhaps something else as well. She was just about to ring that pretty neck of his, until…

“I didn’t want to give you a present for the mission, because I wanted to give you a present from my heart.”

Tenten stopped her fist in mid-swing, her eyes shadowed by her bangs. Neji stood motionless, sweat rolling off the side of his face.

“I didn’t get you anything for the mission, because I wanted to give you something of my own free will for once.” She still stood unmoving so he continued. “That’s why I canceled training. I needed the time to go out and buy your gift.” Her arms returned to her side, but Tenten refused to look at him. Neji silently panicked. “I’m sorry,” he sputtered.

The squirrel ran frantically around in circles as what it just heard.

The evil white boy said sorry! it thought.

“Well?” she finally asked, looking up and gluing her hands to her hips. “Where is it?”

Duh, commented Inner Neji.

Ignoring it, Neji pulled from inside his warm shirt a panda doll. Her hands left her hips and interlocked with each other, hearts in her eyes.

“PANDA-CHAN!” Neji blinked several times stupidly as he watched Tenten snatch the doll away from him and have her cuddle it cutely.

“I take it you like it then?” Neji said, semi-smirking.

“Of course! How did you know?” a small pause. “No wait, lemme guess. A little birdie told you?” she giggled.

“Actually, more of a cat,” he said, turning that grin into a small smile. “Hanabi is quite the actor. She transformed into a cat and posed as your own.”

Tenten punched him playfully in the arm. “Stalker.”

“It’s called spying.”

Lee, after viewing the performance from atop a tree, at last ripped open his gift. He looked oddly at it and then bent over to look down at his other two teammates.

“Hey, guys. What is this?” Neji and Tenten looked up to see a mistletoe.

Didn’t see that coming, went Neji’s Inner.

Oh, hell ya! exclaimed Inner Tenten.

After frowning distinctively at the green idiot, the white-eyed prodigy looked back at his female teammate to see her face coming towards his. He flushed red. Slowly but surely, he followed suit.

Mustn’t break tradition, he thought cleverly. That’s the first rule of the Hyuga. And I’m a Hyuga all the way. I lo-

Tenten sneezed.

…

Awkward silence was replaced with laughter as the Hyuga continued with his previous thoughts.

I love this time of year…

FIN!