Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; all right belong to its respective copy right holder. Believe me, if I did own Naruto the Sand siblings would have been back on long ago and Neji and Tenten would have more scenes together.

Temporarily reluctant birthday girl

"Gah! This can get to be so troublesome!"

Tenten was on her hands and knees panting, staring haplessly at the ground as if it could provide a solution to her problem.

"Troublesome? You sound just like Shikamaru." Neji smirked, standing in the middle of a sizeable dent, the result of a continuous use of kaiten.

"It's my birthday!"

"What's that got to do with anything? You want me to go easy on you just because it's your birthday?"

Tenten thought than grimaced. "I suppose not. That would be cheating. I wouldn't be winning fairly."

Neji smirked again. "You couldn't beat me even if I didn't use kaiten."

Tenten through a kunai at him in response. Neji caught it between his fingers easily; throwing it aside he approached the sulking kunoichi.

"Hn."

He offered her his hand and Tenten gratefully took it, Neji helping her to her feet.

"Ah well, sparing with you would be no fun if you weren't this good." She admitted admiringly.

"You could always train with Lee, I'm sure he would be more than willing." Neji suggested slyly.

"That would leave you lacking a training partner. And Lee's brand of training doesn't really appeal to me…"

"What, don't you want to run youthful laps around our village?" Neji murmured, smirking slightly.

Tenten shuddered at the very thought much to Neji's amusement.

"At any rate, what do you want for your birthday?" Neji asked, casually, closing his eyes and leaning against a nearby tree, preparing himself for the scolding he was sure would come.

Tenten gave an agitated sigh. "I told all of you, I don't want anything for my birthday." She growled.

"You must want something. Other whys you wouldn't have raised the issue."

"You consider my birthday an issue??"

"You're a really bad liar. Pretending to get angry to change the subject won't work on me, Tenten."

Tenten closed her eyes for half a second. "Since when were you the type to push something like this?" She asked, approaching Neji, planting both hands on her waist and leaning into his face to glare.

Neji's eyes fluttered open.

"I find it amusing to watch you get angry."

"Flattering."

Neji frowned. "Stand still. You have a smear of dirt on your cheek." He ordered, putting one hand on his shoulder and using the other to wipe away the brown mark on her face.

Tenten rolled her eyes and Neji chuckled.

"As I said, amusing."

"Hn."

"That's my line."

"You seem to be in a very good mood today." Tenten observed as Neji finished wiping away the dirt, still he didn't remove his hands from where they were.

"It's you birthday."

"Yeah, mine. That doesn't explain your good mood."

"Well, you're in a foul mood so I'm making up the difference." Neji explained, studying Tenten's face.

They stood silently for a second and Tenten felt the fain beginnings of a blush begin to work its way up her neck and on to her face.

"You're blushing."

"Nothing gets by you, does it?"

Neji smirked. "No. Nothing at all. I have an idea of something that'll put you in a good mood."

"Oh, yeah? Run it by me."

"Actually, it's a birthday present…"

"Grawr! Neji I said no presents!" Tenten moaned, averting her eyes.

"Oh, I'm actually letting you chose what you want…"

Neji's face came closer to hers and Tenten's eyes widened, the blush deepening.

Wow. I never noticed Neji had such nice eyes… How many people have silver eyes? Not counting the rest of the Hyuuga's of course…

"I… Err… Um…"

Tenten had lost the ability to form coherent words.

"Have you decided what you want yet?"

"Uh… Umm… Maybe…"

Tenten let the sentence hang, not able to finish. Neji smirked, seeming to enjoy just how helpless she looked.

His face came the final inch closer and his lips softly met hers and Tenten finally figured out what she wanted for her birthday.

Neji pulled away and Tenten leant dizzily against his chest.

"You're eyes made me dizzy."

"Hn. Did you figure out what you want for your birthday?"

"I did."

"And that is??"

"Well first, another one of those kisses of yours, than some cheesecake."

"I thought my kisses made you dizzy – wait, cheesecake? Where did that come from?" Neji wondered, tightening one arm around Tenten.

"It was your eyes that made me dizzy, not the kisses." Tenten corrected, clutching herself closer to him.

"You seem to be in a better mood." Neji observed, pulling himself away and placing his fingers in a pistol grip on her chin, tilting her face up to him.

"Well, it is my birthday."

I couldn't resist putting Grawr in there! My apologies! =P