The Man Who Lived

Chapter 10: The Invitation

Tenten pretended not to notice and returned to the cashier's desk. People came in and out of the store slower than usual. Not many people were looking to buy ninja tools these days, but to be there for four hours without a single sale was taking a toll on her.

Soon, Lee came stumbling into the store at full speed.

Tenten sighed, wondering when Lee would learn the definition of maturity.

"Hi Lee," she said trying her to best to hide her annoyance.

"Tenten-chan!" he shouted, "I would like to cordially invite you to your very own Power of Youth Birthday celebration!" he shoved a decorative invitation in my face that was stamped with an image of Lee and Guy holding their signature thumbs up. 

She began to sweat nervously, "Please there's no need to.."

"Nay, we must!" Lee slammed his hands on the countertop, "You only turn 20 once Tenten-chan, we must embrace your youth!!"

Knowing there was no way she could get out of this, she sighed and nodded, mumbling "Thanks Lee."

"I will you see you Saturday night, Tenten-chan!"

Tenten was never really into celebrating her birthday. Though deep down, she appreciated the time and care Guy and Lee would put into a frivolous night for her. Neji was usually there too, but he was as enthusiastic as she was about it and didn't bother much with the details.

"Good afternoon Tenten," a familiar voice made her heart flutter.

"H-hi Neji-kun," she smiled nervously. 

"You're back early! Ino and Sakura filled me in on what happened in the woods that day," he chuckled, a rose tint rising on his cheeks.

"Yeah, the Sand took over after the first day so I wasn't needed anymore," she shrugged, disguising the angst boiling up inside of her.

"Well, I'm glad you're back," he smiled, tapping her hand with his palm. He walked away, still smiling.

Tenten let out a sigh of relief. 

After her shift was over, she was just about ready to return home and sleep off her weariness from the past couple of days, when the bell rang announcing a customer.

But it wasn't a customer. It was Neji.

"You're off now, right?" he grinned.

She nodded hesitantly.

"Would you join me for dinner, Tenten?"

The way her name fell from his lips still sent shivers down her spine. She nodded again, unable to conjure the nerve to speak.

"Ichiraku has changed a lot since I've been gone. Mind if we eat there?"

"Sure!" Tenten finally was able to muster.

Their journey there was quiet. Tenten felt a mixture of uncertainty and guilt. Was this a date? It's not like they hadn't eaten together before. They trained a lot together as teammates and would limp into the closest, cheapest restaurants to regain their strength. Was this any different?

"Are you okay, Tenten?" Neji asked, picking up on her inner thoughts. "You seem different."

"I'm just tired, I think," she said bluntly. She hated how rude she was coming off. If this was their first date, then it's what she wanted, wasn't it?

"We can do this another time..." Neji started, feeling discouraged.

She instinctively grabbed his arm, "No, let's do this Neji."

She figured this would be a sure way of finally settling her feelings.

"What were you talking to Dazai about earlier?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.

It was Neji's turn to get flustered and tongue-twisted.

"I was looking for a certain weapon," he replied.

"Which one?" Tenten asked, excitedly. 

It was then Neji realized the mistake in his lie. Tenten knew more than anyone everything there is to know about every ninja weapon and tool. How could he possibly stump her?

"Well, that's just it. I don't know which one. I wanted something that could compliment my byakugan, but I wasn't sure which would do it best," he shrugged.

She nodded in thought, "What did Dazai suggest?"

Shoot. He didn't through the rest of this conversation either. 

"Ummm... swords?" 

Tenten nodded in thought, "I wonder about that..."

Neji felt sweat droplets creeping on his forehead.

"That makes sense! Your ability to detect vital chakra points can make for a nearly 100% accurate hit every time. How cool would it be if you wielded a Garian sword? Imagine that! You can control your chakra the best I've seen anyone do it! This sword would not only amplify it, but change it's form. I never even thought about that! That Dazai knows what he's talking about," she laughed. Neji had never noticed how much her eyes light up when she gets excited. He realized how much he underestimated not only her skills with ninja tools, but her passion for them.