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plutowrites · 4 years

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Surprise Party! A Nejiten One-shot

"I get what you two are saying but I just don't understand why you need to stay in my apartment until I get back?" Tenten squints at her two teammates, standing in her doorway. The boys knew it was going to be hard to get past Tenten's strong sense of intuition and skepticism, and it's already not looking so good.

"Because..." Lee starts, fixing his green turtleneck that suddenly feels super tight around his neck.

"You're right. We don't need to stay here. We just wanted to hang out with you afterwards but it's fine. We'll see you tomorrow." Neji grabs Lee's arm, who is sending him a confused look. This wasn't part of the plan.

"Ouf, don't have to be such a grump, Neji. You guys can stay. I'll be back in an hour." Tenten slips on her shoes and pushes past the boys, before abruptly stopping in her tracks and pointing a finger in their faces. "Don't go snooping through my room. I will find out if you do." And with that, she leaves.

"They don't call you a genius for no reason!" Lee exclaims, patting his friend on the back.

"Hn. Let's just get this place set up."

"What if she comes back and we're not ready?"

"Don't worry, she won't come back for a while. I made sure of it."

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As Tenten briskly walks through the village center, she thinks back on how odd Lee and Neji were acting earlier. What's even odder is Gai Sensei urgently needing to see her. Usually, he would just stop by her apartment to talk to her. He never insisted she walk all the way over to his place before. The only times she's been at his house are when he demanded the team taste whatever he's recently learned how to make. Tenten never complained when that happened though, Maito Gai is a good cook.

After 10 minutes of walking through slush and snow, and Tenten cursing the weather every couple of minutes, she finally makes it to his house.

"My precious, youthful flower! You look so cold, please come inside." Gai opens his front door as wide as possible and makes room for her to enter. Tenten takes a good look at him, trying to detect anything wrong from his appearance, in attempt to figure out why he wanted to see her. She concludes that he looks normal.

"What's wrong, Gai Sensei?"

"Wrong? Nothing is wrong!"

He leads her to his living room where Kakashi is seated on the floor, nose deep in a book. Not that you could actually see his nose though.

"Hi Kakashi Sensei." She waves to him with a smile, but deep down she's confused on what is going on.

"Hello Tenten." His eyes squint in a smile and he closes his book. "I'm sorry for what Gai is about to tell you. I told him not to bother you but he insisted."

"Oh?" She frowns, turning her attention to her teacher.

"I needed you to be the judge of something. Earlier I made a passing comment about how pretty I would be as a woman and Kakashi here turned it down immediately..."

-----------------------

Lee feels his lungs starting to hurt with each breath he blows into the balloon in his hand. After the 15th one, he collapses on the sofa and takes a break.

"We have a balloon pump. Didn't I tell you that?" Neji smirks, placing a birthday banner from one wall to another.

"Yes, but I know my lungs are far superior than any pump. I can do it without the tool!" Lee exclaims, standing right back up and reaching for another balloon.

"Slow down. You're gonna hurt yourself." Neji mumbles, getting down from a chair. Of course his teammate doesn't listen, he rarely does especially when he has something to prove.

"No time to waste!"

Lee eventually finishes blowing up all the balloons and watches Neji move Tenten's coffee table to the side to make more room.

"I've never seen you put this much effort into anything" Lee says, cocking his head to the side.

"It's for Tenten, so." Neji replies but immediately realizes what he said and blushes a bit.

"You're right. She deserves the best."

Neji nods in agreement and continues with the table.

The two boys move in silence as they decorate the entire apartment with birthday decor but a sudden knock on the door makes them both jump.

Lee looks at Neji in terror, his wide eyes going back and forth between the door and his friend.

"It's probably just Hinata with the cake." Neji whispers.

He walks over to the door and opens it a small crack. He was right, it was his cousin.

"I brought the cake." Hinata says with a smile.

--------------------------

Tenten cannot believe she spent almost the entire day judging how two grown men looked as women. She cannot remove the sight of Gai Sensei in a short dress and awful makeup from the back of her mind. Tomorrow was her birthday but she might have to spend the whole day rinsing her burning eyes out. You thought his eyebrows were hairy? You should see his legs.

Don't get her started on Kakashi. She wasn't expecting he would dress up in drag too but his competitive streak was far too strong for him not to do so. Tenten was a bit confused when he walked out with his mask still on. It defeated the whole purpose but she had to admit he had a nice figure when he came out wearing a tight dress. She was a bit jealous.

When it was finally time to make her decision she ruled it as a tie and ran out the door as fast as she could before they even had the chance to pester her.

When she's almost halfway back to her house, she breaks out into a fit of laughter as she thinks back on what just transpired. She's quite satisfied in her response. Serves them right, making her rush to the house just to be the judge of a stupid competition.

Tenten finally reaches her home, and places a hand on her doorknob, but stops turning it when she hears some giggles on the other side.

Is that a girl's voice? Did they use my apartment as a bachelor pad?

She wastes no time in opening the door, trying to catch Neji and Lee in the act but instead she enters and it's all dark.

"Huh?"

Suddenly the lights are turned on and Tenten gasps when she sees her apartment has been decorated with colourful balloons, banners, and streamers.

She steps back, shocked, when her friends jump out from behind the couch, armchair, TV stand and some come out from the kitchen.

"SURPRISE!" They all chorus, releasing party poppers and blowing on glittery party whistles.

A hand flies to Tenten's mouth. She takes in everyone. First, she sees Akamaru who is overly stimulated by all the noise and is running laps around her apartment. Then she sees Gai and Kakashi and wonders how they beat her to her own home. Then she sees all the teams. And lastly, she sees Lee and Neji near the back looking smug and satisfied.

"I wasn't expecting this." Tenten shakes her head softly in amazement and awe. "Thank you guys so much!"

She doesn't want to cry in front of all these people, so she bites down hard on the inside of her cheek. She tells the party that she's going to get changed, since she's seriously underdressed and a bit frumpy.

When she reaches her room, she closes the door and slides down it. She finally lets out her tears.

No one has ever done something like this before. Tenten never even celebrated her birthday before joining Team Gai. She didn't see the point of spending a birthday alone, she had no family.

A gentle knock on the door interrupts her thoughts and she wipes her eyes before opening the door.

"You were crying?"

Neji.

"Do you not like the party? I can tell everyone to go home." He adds with a look of concern on his face. He places a hand on her upper arm.

"No! I was crying, yes, but only because I was so happy." Looking at Neji and seeing how concerned he was for her, the tears come back.

"Hn. That's odd but I'm glad you're happy."

Tenten grabs a tissue from the box on her bedside table. She sneaks a quick glance at herself in her mirror and groans. "I look so ugly. My eyes are puffy and red."

Neji smiles a bit and Tenten catches it in the reflection. "That's rude ya know."

"I smiled because there's no way you could ever look ugly. It's impossible."

Tenten rolls her eyes but deep down she feels butterflies. The butterflies have been frequenting her stomach a lot lately, all thanks to him.

He takes a step back from the doorway and slowly closes the door.

"Wait!" She shouts out. When she reaches him, Tenten wraps her arms around his shoulders and whispers 'thank you' in his ear.

Neji didn't need a thank you from her. In fact, Neji wanted to thank her instead. Tenten always made all of their birthdays into such a big deal, she makes them feel so special and loved. It's only right they did the same for her.

All Neji wants is for Tenten to know that even though she spent her birthdays alone in the past, as long as he's alive she will never have to experience that ever again. He will make sure of it.

"Anything for you."

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Thank you @shana4anime for the prompt, I had SO much fun writing it. I hope you enjoy!!

#NejiTen #neji hyuga #tenten #neji and tenten #nejiten oneshot #nejiten fanfiction #nejiten fluff #naruto fanfiction #Naruto Shippuden

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ap-kinda-lit · 2 years

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Genius in Love

cutesy NejiTen drabble. Neji is one of the best shinobi, a genius and a stone cold stoic. He's fantastic at everything he does...except for trying to court the girl he really likes.

He cleared his throat and began in his serious, all-business tone, "Tenten. Would you-" He was cut off by rich brown eyes with long lashes and rosy cheeks. In a milisecond, all his confidence and determination went out the window. Neji froze with his mouth open. He again cleared his throat and said, "Would you…train me with me today?" "Of course! Let me get my scrolls!" she beamed and spun around to go gather her scrolls.

Mentally, Neji smacked and called himself every name in the book. He was so close, but then he saw that damn precious face of hers and he went and screwed it all up. It was so ridiculous. He was Neji Hyuga, for crying out loud. If he was a natural as a shinobi, then he should have little problem asking a girl out on a- "Alright, let's go!" Tenten's chipper voice broke him out of his self berating. Neji sighed and followed. Staring at the back of her head, he wondered to himself if training sessions could count as a date.

#nejiten #neji x tenten #drabble #oneshot #one shot #ficlet #fanfic #fanfiction #my work #neji hyuga #tenten #naruto #fluff

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aarcanechaoss · 2 years

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16. Seeing Red

Masterlist

Shikamaru had been gone for days, Tenten had barely arrived home after her mission and Shikaku had been absolutely terrified when Shikamaru didn't come home, so here he is now in the Hokage's office learning something terrible.

Warnings: swearing, blood, ptsd, war, death, tears

"P-pregnant? Temari are you sure?" Gaara didn't know what to do, embrace his sister or force her from the battlefield.

She'd lost her husband, her best friend and they both lost their brother. God he couldn't bear to have her lose this child, this proof of her and Shikamaru's love.

She squeaked out a yes, a hand pressing to her abdomen, tears streaming down her cheeks as she grasped Shikamaru's cold hand.

"Temari-" Ino gasped out, but she too couldn't hold back her sob.

So much death.

Too much death.

Yelling could be heard from outside the tent. Three voices, loud, angry, demanding.

The opening of the tent swayed and in they walked.

"Fuck." They said before rushing over.

"Ria-" Gaara began, the brunette just stared, green eyes wide and teary.

"How many..." Myra asked, Kakashi by her side as she looked to Guy and Lee.

"Too many." Guy whimpered. "Far too many."

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

There was no real funeral. There was no time for a funeral, not when more death raked the lands and those beasts would attack whenever they deemed fit.

Tenten, Shikamaru, Shino, Kankuro and... Kiba (who had passed shortly after seeing his friends leaving Akamaru to cry loudly once he did) were brought to the far back of the war base. The rest of the team- granted still injured- watched as their bodies were laid to rest in the pit... it was not a pit fit for their friends; it was however for the war heroes they had become.

Flames reached high into the sky that night, and sobs echoed throughout the camp, more death would come and it seemed that nothing could stop it.

Two pairs of eyes, one silver like the stars and the other as dark as the night sky stared out across the battlefield from their place high amongst the trees. They can only hope they made the right decision... that things will change.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Ever since she woke up back in time Tenten felt like someone was watching her... someone's even. She hadn't yet brought it up with Shikamaru but perhaps she would once they reached the Leaf Village again but that feeling was crawling up her spine in slow dangerous waves. They were watching again.

The mission had been a success, granted it was a small mission in regards to helping a small family travel a few towns over, nothing that wouldn't take more than three days to complete and Tenten was content with that. Small missions meant more training, small missions meant uncovering more information that she hadn't known before, small missions meant getting stronger and that is what she wanted.

She'd gotten better at least, she could look her team in the eye now though not for very long but she counted it as a win, they never mentioned it at least but she knew they knew. They knew she was anxious being around them, they knew she couldn't bare to look them in they eye without that flash of fear running like ice in her veins.

Gods was she pathetic.

No.

Tenten was not pathetic. She had seen a war no one in this time had yet and she prayed they never would. She had seen more death in her twenty-seven years than Guy sensei could comprehend. She was a woman not a child, not some weak young girl with nothing to go for her.... No she was strong and she would prove it.

As the team stepped back into the village she knew where to go first, her apartment where Shikamaru most likely spent the last few days and straight to the Hokage. It felt like something was guiding her towards a goal, trying to help her stray from the original path that the gods had made. It's time to tell their story to someone they can trust, someone who could find a way to understand and make sense of it all.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Shikaku didn't know what to make of the last few days when Shikamaru didn't come home. He didn't know what to tell his wife when he couldn't find neither heads or tails of their son. Yet... there he was in the middle of the shopping district watching as Shikamaru was being tugged down the street by Tenten, hair a mess and uniform unkempt. Quickly Shikaku pulled himself out of his stupor and sped off, keeping a reasonable distance between himself and the two young Chunin. They were making their way to Hokage tower, by why?

Shikaku liked to think he was a trustworthy father, lazy yes but trustworthy nonetheless. He didn't understand what made his son so afraid, so... he couldn't even look at them, no, he wouldn't look at them and it hurt both himself and his wife. Shikaku can't even imagine the worry their guests would have felt. Shikamaru had been different for a while, the last few months had been a rollercoaster from him being in the hospital to nightmares and disappearing to train with Tenten he just didn't know what was wrong and hoped his son would come to him on his own... he hadn't.

"Ah Nara sir good to see you." Kotetsu said with a smile. "Have a meeting with the Hokage today? I just saw your son and Tenten rush in a minute ago."

"Ah yeah just needed to ask her a few questions is all... Don't you and Izumo have gate duty?"

"That's tomorrow, today's Sari and Hana." Shikaku gave a nod and continued on his way until he reached the Hokage's office doors... they hadn't even shut the door all the way.

"We would like to take you up on that offer Lady Tsunade." Tenten began and Shikaku could hear that little bit of fear lacing her words.

"It's time we told people." Shikamaru added sounding equally nervous and tired all at once.

"Are you sure? I'm not pushing you into revealing this secret and you are more than able to tell whoever you wish whenever you wish." Shikaku frowned, even now they sounded cryptic and secretive- granted they aren't quite behind closed doors. "And considering your father is by the door Shikamaru."

Shikaku froze, what did he expect she is the Hokage after all. He pushed open the door and bowed.

"Sorry Lady Tsunade, the door was left open and I had seen my son rush over her- I haven't seen him in days as you can imagine I was worried." Shikaku answered honestly and he could see his son look down in what seemed to be shame.

"Why is that?" Tsunade asked.

"I- I had a nightmare Lady Tsunade." Shikamaru answered and Shikaku could have sworn the Hokage's eyes softened in understanding and sympathy. But why? What did she know?

"Ah I'm sorry to hear that. Now..."

"We can tell dad." Something was wrong, different, eerie. Like they knew something no one else could know and he was about to be let in on this secret too.

"Are you sure?" Tenten asked. Shikamaru nodded- he looked so tired. "Okay. Mr Nara you may want to take a seat... this is a long story."

And so he sat.

And so they spoke.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Tenten remembered the first death of any importance to her when those monsters appeared. It was the two people who had adopted her, her mum and dad. She remembers how much it hurt and how much she wanted to scream when she saw their bodies torn and so very, very dead. Next was Sakura's parents... that was hard on the medic-nin, especially since she could barely glance at them for conformation. Tenten remembered having to shut off that part of her mind, sympathy and empathy would get her nowhere on the battlefield against beasts they couldn't even see.

Shikamaru's first death in the war was just as bad... he was there when Kankuro and Shino were swept away by those damn bronze eyed beasts, well when their torso's came flying across the sea of bodies that had already accumulated on the field and their lower bodies crashed to the ground. Shikamaru saw it all and so desperately wanted to bring up any and all food he'd had that morning as he rushed to meet with Tenten.

They were just supposed to be scouting the field, finding any bodies that hadn't been taken back to camp to be buried or burned. That is what they'd been doing for days since their friend's deaths. Kiba's mother was found next, Tsume and one of her dogs laying strewn across each other, on not much further away was Iruka.... Naruto would be heart broken over that.

They kept going, talking quietly between them as the fog began to settle, marking places where they found survivors for the medical teams to rush through before the next wave hit... but they had no idea just how close that next wave was.

Bronze eyes, pain, tears, screams. That's the last of their memories. If Tenten really tried to remember she would know about how Guy and Lee were begging her not to go. If Shikamaru really tried to remember he'd know he saw more than bronze eyes, he'd have felt more than Tenten's weight as she crashed atop of him. But both couldn't stand it, couldn't stand the pain and anguish, the absolute nightmare of a life they'd led during their time in the battle. It can't even be called a great war considering they weren't even up against humans.... It was fear that kept them awake, fear that kept them from looking their friends and mentors in the eyes.

So when they told Shikaku everything they remembered just as they had Tsunade neither bothered to hide their nightmares this time, their fear and how much weight was on their shoulders now. They told him everything from when the Akatsuki began their war, to the attack on HQ, to Shikamaru's marriage and son, to their deaths and Shikaku... he believed every word.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Shikaku couldn't fathom how terrified they had to be, two wars were coming and one with a much higher death toll on all of the Great Nations at that and suddenly Tsunade's reaction to his son's nightmares made sense, she'd known. Gods above how long had they been back, how long had the Hokage known?

"Then we woke up a couple months ago here, sick and in so much pain it hurt to breathe." Tenten finished. Shikaku remembered that, seeing his son collapse in the middle of a meeting was terrifying, let alone knowing he woke up just after he'd left him at the hospital only to pass out again. That was a terrifying day.

"So that nightmare you had, that you said you couldn't tell me about, it was about that right? The bronze eyed beast you saw when you-" Shikaku didn't want to think about it, his son's death was far to taboo for him to even ponder- and why would he even want to ponder such a thing? Shikamaru nodded, he was so pale and his eyes had rings so dark it almost scared Shikaku. Tenten wasn't any better, her makeup barely hiding the fact that she hadn't slept and the loosely wrapped bandage around her forearm didn't make her look any healthier either.

"I dreamt that, that he killed Te- my wife and Shikadai, my son, they'd been killed the same way I had been. I dreamt it had taken their form and made me watch as they died. I just... I couldn't look at anyone you all the eyes when I woke up I... I needed to leave. So I stayed at Tenten's while she was on her mission." Shikamaru said glancing apologetically at his father. He'd scared both his parents and his guests when he vanished and he knew no amount of apologising would be good enough.

"Shikamaru, I wish you'd come to me earlier but I understand." Shikaku gulped. "If anything I would be more than willing to help you fix this, help you both find a way to make sure we have less deaths- no- so that no one dies at all.

And gods did it pain him when both Chunin dropped to the ground in tears, sobbing loudly as he scooped them into his arms with Tsunade watching with tears pricking her eyeline.

"I do want to suggest at least one other person to tell." Shikaku says after a moment and Tsunade nods, seeming to know what he's about to say.

"Who?" Both Tenten and Shikamaru ask.

"Inoichi Yamanaka." They freeze, they know what he'd about to say as well. "I want to help you both but I'm not a professional but I can see what PTSD is. He can help and will keep it in confidence between you two and if you want myself and Lady Tsunade."

"He was one of the people I suggested in the beginning, but they needed to be ready first." Tsunade chimed in. Shikaku nodded. Tenten and Shikamaru turn to each other, their eyes met and like some secret language only known to them they nodded.

"Okay... we'll talk to him. Um Mr Nara?" Tenten asked, the man looked down as he was still holding them rather tightly in a hug.

"Could you please talk to him first? Before we have to explain it all again." Shikamaru finished and Shikaku only gave a sympathetic smile and nodded.

"Yeah, I can talk to him first. How about you both head back to either Tenten's or the Nara estate and get cleaned up, have a rest."

"We've been doing that a lot lately." Tenten joked through her sniffles.

"And it's been well deserved." Tsunade said sharply, raising and eyebrow at the Chunin.

"Mine first then yours?" Shikamaru offered.

"Yeah that sounds good."

"What will we tell your mother? Yoshino has been worried sick since you left and the Sand siblings left this morning making me promise to let them know when we found you."

"Tell her a half truth." Tsunade offered as the Chunin tried to think of something. "Say Shikamaru had a difficult mission not that long ago, use the training period I gave Tenten and Shikamaru as the time period, and you hadn't realised something was wrong."

"That would be believable." Shikaku hums. "Tenten do you mind if Yoshino frets over you too?"

"I suppose that's fine?"

"Good. Because I want you both to come to me, Tsunade or Inoichi if you feel you need it alright? It's difficult I understand but you have people in your corner, you aren't lying to us so we believe you both wholeheartedly. You don't have to tell anyone else alright?"

"Thank you Mr Nara." Tenten said shakily as she tried not to cry again.

"Thanks dad." Shikamaru sniffled.

"Anytime, any time."

#Naruto #Naruto angst #Naruto fluff #naruto smut #Shikamaru Nara #Tenten #Shikaku Nara #Tsunade #seeing red #nejiten #shikatema

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ykks · 3 years

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FANFICTION!

(SPOILERS) In an event where Neji survived the war. Tenten ends her day and thinks about what had happened after the war. She reminisce moments and realizes the changes happening in the village and people around her. She heads to her apartment and was greeted by an old friend (?) of hers. A NejiTen one-shot fanfiction.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13982764/1/A-Gift

#fanfiction #naruto #romance #nejiten #neji #tenten #fluff #oneshot #naruto shippuden

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cr3sswellsgf · 3 months

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one of my favourite neji headcanons is that one of his primary love languages is gift giving because hes a #richBoy and he has so much money, which he enjoys spending on those he loves. like, imagine one of his friends (probably lee or tenten, mostly) (OR hinata and hanabi) mentioning needing/wanting something VERY BRIEFLY/in passing & then later opening their door to find a package on their steps with the best model/highest quality piece of said thing.

and they'd immediately know who the culprit was.

and then the exchange would go something like this:

“???”

“?”

“neji, this is insane!! why would you buy this for me ??? how much did this cost you ??? how did you even KNOW I WANTED THIS —????”

“you said you wanted it, right..? 🙁”

“HOW MUCH WAS THIS!!!!”

“it was not very expensive. please do not worry about paying me back or anything of the sort.”

“how. much.”

“...$$$$”

“WHAT TEH FUCK”

DO YOU SEE THE VISION ‼️‼️‼️‼️

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theshitthatidoishere · 4 years

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NEJITEN MONTH 2020 DAY 19: QUERENCIA AKA SPANISH IS MY FIRST LANGUAGE AND I DIDN’T HAVE IDEA WHAT THAT WORD MEANT

And finally...fluff

#nejitenmonth2020 #neji hyuga #neji #neji hyuuga #nejiten #tenten #naruto #naruto shippuden #drawing #fluff #neji x tenten #chibi

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gerardwayissexah · 1 year

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If you prefer - fanfiction.net link

This fic was especially challenging to edit - but hopefully someone still enjoys it! :) Written for NejiTen Month Day 7 - Ring/Necklace.

Title: When Love is Free

Rating: T

Words: 1.9 k

Summary:

Ten-ten never imagined fleeing with Neji on the night before his arranged wedding, or marrying him with only tall, silent trees as witnesses. But neither would have it any other way. Even as penniless runaways, she discovers that they still have the most priceless - yet totally free - gift of all.

#nejiten #nejitenmonth2023 #naruto fanfiction #hyuga neji #tenten #my fanfic writing #wedding #fluff and angst

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shikatemarchives · 3 years

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Truth Or Dare (Astroboy) - chlorineobsession - T/M, 4k+ words, one shot, humor & romance Just crack head uni students being themselves- a group of friends. Or maybe more, who knows? Shikatema/sasusaku/ Kankukiba and some others

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nonawaaa · 3 years

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Different ways Tenten give assurance to Neji

(because i want to and i can and in my mind neji lived and married tenten)

"Hey I'm here are you having nightmares again? Don't worry I'm here"

"I'm glad you're safe"

"I got us some soba! I know its your favorite"

"You don't have to worry about not going on missions, training children is just as important!"

"I love you, you know that right?"

"Do you want to help me with training?"

"Thank you for helping out in the shop"

"I saw the kids that you've been training! They really improved so much!"

"Some kids ask me to give you this flowers mister hyuga prince"

"Do you want to visit Gai-sensei in rehabilitation?"

"I bought some dumplings!"

"Thank you for maintaining the shop when I'm gone"

"Not gonna lie the weapons you sharpen is really good"

"Hey let me hug you"

"Here's some tea for you"

"Thank you for helping us get peace"

"How can your hair be so smooth?!"

"Can you help do my hair?"

"Thank you for fighting"

"Thank you for living"

#Do they deserve more? YES #im gonna give more fluff 😠#nejiten 4 lyf #nejiten #neji hyuga #tenten

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kawaragimysticalsenju · 3 years

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Prologue for my Sasuke x Oc story on Wattpad — 'Poison but Tasty'

—

It was funny how life worked.

Now, this odd, rouge thought wasn’t completely out of place in a nine year old’s mind. But somewhere between the hoax smiles and forced chatter, it wasn’t what most children would think of. Then again, Tsukiko Risa or Risa Tsukiko as they scripted it in the U.S. of A, was recognized to be one of the more ‘mature’ kids in the neighbourhood. See, she didn’t really fit in with all the proper mannered kin of wealthy businessmen and women having an unfiltered mouth and an even larger ego. The tea parties and dress-up for outings were enjoyable to an extent but repeating the same cycle over and over again like clockwork- no thanks!

So maybe that was why life threw occasional lemons to spice up that journey? But Risa came to know very quickly, those citrus of proverbial phrases weren’t always pleasuring. Her parents seemed to enjoy the mindless ambling and monotony, though. And look at them now, slumbering for eternity in a cold casket, six feet under the surface with merely two stone tablets to reminisce them. It was almost laughable.

That didn’t mean she was unable to feel grief. Oh, she had experienced her share of tears and disbelief. It was vaguely a week prior that she was living a pretty normal life. Her world was occupied with school, dance class and talk that made no logical sense to anyone who possessed a mind advanced than a preteen.

“Mama! Hurry up! The bus is here.”

The girl with wine red hair braided into neat plaits whined petutantly, hands on her hips and nose in the air. The blue standard issue blazer was stacked neatly under a tower of books in her arms. It was the last day of school before a week-long break due to unpredicted heavy rain. The honks outside grew louder.

A petite woman stumbled down the staircase carrying a bucket load of laundry and a dirty lunchbox. Sighing exasperatedly, Ayari blew an errant strand of hair falling on her nose. “Coming, coming! Jesus, you’ll give me a heart attack.”

Jumping on the counter, the little girl shrugged as a sly smile crept onto her lips. “Well”, she drawled, “If I miss the bus, it will be your fault.” She stuck her tongue out as a moist hand pinched her pale cheeks.

“Stop worrying, chipmunk. If the bus does leave, I’ll drive you.”

“Really?” She commented dryly, turning around to face her father. Unlike her slim, short mother, Naoto was a bulky man, easily towering over the rest of his family. “I will make you take me to school anyways, Papa. Also, Princess Cockatoo is waiting for me so he’ll likely also miss the bus.”

A finger flicked her forehead as her mother handed her lunch, wearing a chastising look. “Risa”, she lamented sternly, “I don’t ever want to hear rude names from your mouth again. Do I make myself clear?”

Yes, she remembered she was a spoilt brat. She was a snobbish little kid with wealthy parents who let her walk all over them. But they put they’re foot down whenever any of their kids acted like delinquents.

In her mangled memories she saw herself being fussed over by this endearing woman before she was scooped up by her father and carried to the lawn. By the sidewalk, a sleek black car was already on the standby. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the obvious attempt at one-upping said neighbors.

But her interest was captured by something else, a lean figure – a boy, she assumed – standing by the bus stop sign, tapping his feet on the concrete. She felt herself shout something, being rebuked by her father before she jumped off from her makeshift throne and sprinted towards the boy, throwing her arms around his neck. The most absurd thing? His features were undefined as if she was staring at the face of a demon.

All she could make out was his spiky obsidian hair and coal black eyes, twinkling like pearls. She couldn’t hear his voice nor recall his name.

And throughout that memory and many more, the unnamed boy appeared several times. Too many times. If she did forget him, then how did she? While most of her thoughts were frazzled and distorted, one particular stood out the most.

She was standing under the downpour as her parents acknowleged the defaced adults and a teen while the same boy, clad in a navy blue jacket, stood before her. Once again, she couldn’t read his expressions, or the lack thereof, but she vividly remembered the unclenching of his jaw as he spoke inaudible words. She felt her face heat up as a fleeting touch lingered on her cheek. She caressed the spot with a furious blush illuminating the tips of her ears while a single piece of jewelry jingled on her wrist.

She didn’t know what importance it held but her conscience refused to let her part from the silver bracelet. It was uncanny how much she liked the little charms hanging on the beautifully crafted metal. She must’ve forgotten what they meant- a cat, a tomato, a bottle of wine, a lily flower and a star.

She found herself fiddling with it as the droplets of rain showered over her in a strange melody. That was, until she couldn’t feel the droplets of water falling atop her. Looking up, she was met with the underside of an umbrella which her smiling aunt held. She looked eerily giddy for someone whose brother just lost his life.

Risa could smell the remnants of one too many drinks the woman must have downed. Hiding her discomfort, she chirped like the perfect girl whose role she had to play, “Auntie Hana. What do I do now?” It was disgusting how people always had to play a certain part in life like in a drama.

“Well,” the older woman cleared her throat, subduing her cheeriness, “The last of the guests just left. Tomorrow some er- some nice people will come to take you to your new home. Until then, go and pack your clothes and anything you might need from your parents’ room before I close it. Okay?”

Grimacing at the thought of revisiting the room which once held warmth but now radiated gloom for all it’s worth, she held back a sharp retort. If they were playing the lying game, she might as well play it right. “Do I have to do it? Maybe you can help?”

She regretted her choice of words as she was dragged into a choking hold dubbed as a ‘hug’ but she pulled away before the air could be squeezed out of her lungs. “Oh, you poor thing! I would have helped if I could sweetie but you see your Uncle Gary is waiting outside. Shoya will be staying with us for the night but we will be back bright and early tomorrow.”

Looking back, she was never really fond of Hana Kleenfield. She was a teacher at the local school but what exactly she taught was beyond Risa’s understanding. She married young, according to her late father. After her miscarriage, she couldn’t have kids of her own and thus pursued a career as a kindergarten teacher. Risa could see why she was always hogging her brother’s attention. She used to do the same with her but when the elementary schooler started vehemently protesting against her aunt’s affection, she was left alone.

Jogging up to the front door, she unlocked it to reveal a teary-eyed Shouya with Gary Kleenfield. Upon her entrance, the man regarded her with as much as a nod, letting her brother run up to her. Risa braced herself for an impact as the five year old boy jumped into her hold.

His eyes were dazed with a heart wrenching awe, snot running down his red nose and tears pooling his brown eyes. “Risa! Are Mama and Papa back yet?”

That was a blow to her heart. ‘Are Mama and Papa back yet?’ How was she supposed to answer the innocent seeming question of a toddler? How was she supposed to explain the gravity that life and the notion of death carried with it? Hell, even she didn’t know what it was and how it would affect her future. But there was one thing that remained unwavering- the gone can never be brought back.

“No, not yet.” She answered, tousling his brown hair. It would be futile to say she didn’t foresee the fat tears starting to fall down his face. She hastily went to clarify, “B- But, we will meet them again. Someday.” The last bit was a breathy whisper which remained unheard by Shoya, who’s eyes lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July.

“Really?” He asked for confirmation which Risa gave and sent him waddling towards their aunt. “Auntie Hana, did you heart what sissy said? My parents will be here! So then I don’t have to go with you, right?”

Breaking out of her reverie, she pulled him close again, relishing in the warmth his body provided. “Shoya-chan, you will go with the for tonight.”

His face scrunched up as he went to yell, “But why-?!”

Pressing a finger on his lips, removing it quickly as he licked it micheivously, she answered with as much patience she could muster, “See, Mama and Papa wouldn’t be home and you know how the creepy crawlies come out at night, right?” He gave a reluctant ‘yes’.

She took at as her cue to continue, motioning for her aunt to stay where she was, “Yeah, and since Papa isn’t here to fight them off, Uncle Gary will. Plus, you’ll be back home at morning. Will you be a good boy till then and listen to Uncle and Auntie?”

Looking after children had always come naturally to her. But that didn’t mean it was easy. After a good fifteen minutes of coaxing, she was waving at her brother as the Kleenfield woman walked him towards their car. Just as he was out of her sight and she was out of his, the smile dropped from her face. She eyed the man standing beside the door skeptically.

“Kleenfield, you’re hovering. Speak up or get out.”

Truth was, she was never on good terms with the man, even after knowing him for most of her life. No, he wasn’t bad, so as to speak. She even respected him, if only a little, for putting up with her crazy aunt’s bullshit. But they just did not click and his random and ungodly timed meetings with her parents were anything but suspicious. Sue her for having trust issues because being picked on had it’s psychological tolls.

To her surprise, he fished out a hundred dollar note from his pocket, new and crisp, and offered it to her. “Hey, look. I’m sorry for what happened, kid. Uh, I asked Hana if you could come with but she was against the idea. Take this and order pizza or whatever you like.”

Frowning subtly, she accepted the money before turning away without another squeak. Just as she heard the door’s hinges creak, she stopped him. “I didn’t want to go anyways. But I have a favor to ask. I know the authorities will come by tomorrow and who knows if I’ll ever see you again. So”, for once she was forced to swallow her pride, “So can you bring Shoya to me one last time.”

Pale magenta eyes clashed with blue before the man turned on his heel. “I’ll see what I can do.”

She wasn’t mad, far from that actually. She was grateful. The moment she realized her extended family were involved with the funeral organization, Risa caught on. There was no way they would take her in and that meant she would likely be separated from her last living relative. Even an empty promise seemed like God’s gift then.

She stayed rooted in front of the open door and watched as the car picked up speed and disappeared into the night, leaving behind a silent home , the company of moonlight and herself. All alone.

The morning and the days after she woke up in a hospital after an episode of her panic attack were filled with paperwork, planning a grim occasion and otherwise faces she did not know or remember. Now that it was all over and done with, she couldn’t help but feel how alone she was at that moment. No mother to disturb for food, no delicious home-cooked meals, no father to pester as he did officework and no dad jokes to nag at.

The silence was unnerving.

Rubbing her hands against her arms, she soothed the goosebumps crawling over her skin, she padded over to the stairs. It had been a while since she had been in the house. She took one step, then another and so on forth before she was facing the door to the master bedroom. The mahogany wood was standing tall as if taunting her. She reached for the handle and twisted it, opening then pathway to the room. It was just like she remembered- perfectly made bed, the desk occupied with the computer and random papers and folders covering it. It was like the room had two sides, a refraction of different hobbies and behaviors. It was just so like her parents.

Risa dropped onto the bed, creating wrinkles on the bedspread. Her head darted towards the pillow as she took a whiff of the scent. It smelled like honey and cinnamon, something she had come to associate with her Mama. As her eyes closed, a picture flashed before her.

“Come here, little monkey. Lets tie your hair. I still don’t get why you keep it so long and yet refuse to take care of it.”

Just as she was about to dose off with the humming that rang like a record and sweet, sweet moments replaying in her mind, a violent beep startled her awake. Jumping to inspect the cause of the painfull screech, she advanced towards the computer. The screen, previously blank, now flashed with an odd symbol. A crimson cloud, outlined with a thick, white border.

A conversation was displayed on the website with a single message flashing with a burst of colors- “Tsukiko, underestimating us was your biggest mistake.” It made no sense in a standalone way. Until something peculiar caught her eye.

Taking hold of the mouse, heart thumping in her chest, she exited the messaging site. A highly decorative one popped up with articles ranging from ‘Akatsuki activity spiking’, ‘Death toll increases in Japan with a truck carrying the Uchiha symbol crashing into a shop at the Shizen Festival. KPD discovers arms shipment records and more’, ‘Uchiha Enterprises suspected of criminal activites. What does Uchiha Fugaku have to say about accusations? Is he truly hiding in he U.S.?’, ‘Heir to the Uchiha business empire: Uchiha Itachi found dead after oil truck crashes with car on Suna Highway. No further statements have been released from family.’

The name Uchiha intrigued her. Not because of it’s origin but it sounded strangely familiar. But what struck her odd was the twisted symbol, forming a leaf to a far stretch. She had seen it somewhere. That being in a contact card in her father’s pocket. Copying the URL in her phone, she searched up the site. There were no matchups except a highly encoded and password protected one. In retrospect, there was nothing madly screaming Red Flag about the situation. But to see a card, find a cryptic message and some strange web search all in a device that was restricted to anyone but her parents, and that too after their demise, something wasn’t adding up. Clicking a random news article, she scrolled to the very bottom but no signature was signed. Not even a mention of a writer nor an editor, just a string of letters and numbers.

She set aside the device in her hands and shoved the documents above the table aside. The cleared area revealed a glass interior with trinkets and whatnot scattered in it’s protection. Lifting the glass cover, she lifted the bunch of keys. The chair tumbled aside as she sat on the ground, looking for a match for the lock on the drawer under the desk. Each got stuck and she struggled to pull them out of the keyhole. None of them fit.

Think, Risa, think! Where would dad trust to keep a key?

The answer was instantaneous. Flinging the closet door open, she threw off the hanging clothes off the racks. A proud smirk she adorned as she found a small black vault behind the glass slide. Taking a sturdy box in her hands, she hit it over and over again until it shattered with a loud noise. Brushing aside the pointy shards, she retrieved the black metal vault.

It was locked.

Cursing her rotten luck, she twisted the knobs to numbers that held some meaning. It was neither her parents nor her or her brother’s birthdates. It wasn’t phone numbers or pin codes. Nothing seemed to match. Running a hand through her hair, she was tempted to pull at the roots. She kicked the vault aside, wincing when a small piece of glass penetrated her skin and a line of blood trickled onto the floor. Just beside her phone where the website’s name was written on the search bar.

With a shove of energy from her newfound motivations, she carried the box out of the closet and scampered to a seat at the desk. The random string of letters were turned about and the box opened with a small click. She slammed it open to reveal an antique-looking key.

And just like that she found the folder in the desk’s drawer and unloaded all the printed papers and bits of uselessness, in search of one small, laminated card. It took ten minutes to go through two folders and she wished the third time was a charm. And to her immense joy, it was. The small piece of paper was stuffed into a black envelope.

“Konoha Special Investigation Forces”, she mused to herself. In a bold font was a phone number printed on the off-white background, with a messy writing on the back. She couldn’t decipher what it was. Seeing as it was her only option, she headed towards the plastic hamper sitting on the bed. Reaching inside she looked for a certain belonging. Hitting the half-destroyed phone that she was used to seeing her father yell profanities to brought a smile out of her. Somehow, it still worked!

The Phone app was an easy find and so was dialing the number but deciding whether to call or not was the real dilemma. Maybe I am overthinking this, she thought to herself. There’s a chance all this is some elaborate prank. Yeah, dad loved pranking. But even she couldn’t deny that all this made her brain a mess of curiosity and wariness. And just like she did with most choices in her life, she decided to wing this based on her guts.

The line rang for while before a female voice answered. “Hello? Is this Agent 669? Hello? If this is Agent 669, you are requested to explain the incident on Suna Highway. You were able to get away, weren’t you? Official Danzo has requested an audience with you and Agent 378. Don’t call back on this number, please. Thank you for your co-operation.”

The phone slipped from her grasp as the line went dead. Risa wasn’t proficient in Japanese but she was sure she wasn’t imagining whatever she just heard. Why did her father have a Japanese agency’s number? And what was this ‘Agent’ bogus? As far as she knew, her parents were both trade owners in. . .Japan. A strange coincidence, or not.

Flipping the card over, she could read the jumbled writing now and she couldn’t help but feel that she had dug her way into a mess way, way beyond her imagination- 'Special issue for Agent 669 : Tsukiko Naoto.'

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