My Story of NejiTen 🤍

crushes fade

They arrived in Konoha a little before sundown and when she finally arrived home, she didn't have much time to process or even really think about what had happened because her parents wanted to spend time with her. And well, she also wanted to spend time with them!

Now it's the next morning and Tenten is sitting on her bed and had just been reading a book but she can't concentrate.

Her thoughts keep going back to the Nigurashi Mountains. To the hole surrounded by heavy rocks. To Neji.

"ArgH! No. This can't be!" she can't help but say to herself

It was just Neji. They've known each other for years, grown up as shinobi side by side. How can this be any different now? Just how?!

And also what did he mean? She were open and welcoming, so I've probably had a relationship before?? 

Oh, what the hell. Tenten keeps on contemplating, her mind a race.

This can't go on.

So she decides to do the thing that never fails to clear her mind.

Training.

Tenten grabs her things and hurries off to her training ground.

after spending some time warming up and throwing practice that shattered her wooden targets, she concludes: it's horrible.

It's a disaster. 

While doing all these things, Tenten kept thinking back to the cave situation! Nothing helps! She can feel her cheeks going red. 

She decided it is time that she'll practice some melee fighting on a tree at the training grounds.

She starts to throw punches. One then another. One and then another!!

"AARGH" It's pointless! Tenten stops wrecking up this poor tree and lays down panting on the ground.

The grass is nice and cool on her skin and it demands her to calm down a bit.

'Okay. Maybe... I can't do anything about it' her thoughts starting to clear up

'Maybe I have a crush on Neji...'

she sits up slightly to wipe away the sweat on her forehead.

She has never really had a crush on anyone. Maybe found people attractive but nothing more, really. So this was a.. revelation? To know what it seemed to feel like. But...

"Oh this is bad, very bad" she speaks out loud

'I want everything to stay as it is right now. We are a good team. I don't want these things to go possibly mess things up...'

'Neji doesn't want a relationship any way, let alone him liking me back. Haha!'

'Why do I have to feel this way and how can I get rid of this??'

In the midst of being wrapped up in her worry, her shame and the disapprovement of her feelings she is reminded of something someone once said to her.

When Tenten was younger she was very close with her grandma. She died a few years ago but she was very old, died of old age and had a good life, as she had always told Tenten.

She was also a shinobi and keeps being Tenten's inspiration to this day. But anyway her grandma and grandpa met for the first time at their wedding. They a were part of a rather political marriage between two families.

Her grandpa had died long before Tenten was born and so she only knew him by stories but one day she asked her grandma how they had met and hearing this story of an arranged marriage Tenten asked if they had loved each other.

Her grandma's answer to that was that 'love is a choice' at least that's sorta what Tenten remembers. 

She explained that you might not be able to make decisions "for the heart" but we all have a choice to decide weather we care for our love or don't. And she decided to choose love and nurture it and it worked for her.

While Tenten remembered she found this explanation quite unromantic it speaks to her now...

'If I don't want to like Neji, then maybe I just I don't nurture it...'

she remembered Neji's words "Not everyone wants a relationship" yes, so she will just not want a relationship. 

crushes fade, right? Everyone always seemed to have so many crushes but nothing comes off it and every week it was someone else. She remembered some of the girls talks she had back in the days. 

She'll just not pay attention to it. 

It'll pass.