How Hyuuga Neji Got A Friend

Do not own

Merry Christmas!

No AN at the bottom so erm, please review and I thought it seemed totally different from 'Memories' so, it's not there and a total standalone.

I might do this for other stories I post, too.

Anyways, I found it was annoying to keep on switching pairings so I'll be dealing with that before school starts so…

I'm chopping the two stories and making a separate one for SasuSaku, NejiTen etc.

'Kay, feedback's appreciated.

This has been reposted due to an error somewhere about CCBS... Thanks.

-♥-♥-♥-

Little Tenten stared adamantly at Hiashi.

"Neji needs a friend."

"Neji," he retorted placidly, "must not be distracted during training."

Little Neji stared in almost awe at the young kunoichi.

'Almost' since the cold, jaded and powerful Hyuuga Neji was never awed.

Even when he was eight years old.

Tenten glared fiercely at the Head of the Hyuuga clan. "What did you DO to him!"

Hiashi's brow furrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"This is the first time I met you. But the first time I met Neji was almost five years ago, not this year at the Academy."

Little eight year old Neji gaped from his spot where he had spent many a long, long day sullenly brooding and swearing eternal vengeance upon the Main family.

Hiashi stared at the girl. If that was the case, then she... this girl knew Neji from before the seal.

"Little girl, your parents are probably looking for you."

The 'little girl' laughed humorlessly. "If they would, they'd be looking AFTER me. From heaven." She chuckled bitterly. "They're gone, they died in the war seven years ago. Of course, they had a reason to fight, and they were very brave.

"They would NEVER force anyone to protect people by sealing little children so that they would be utterly under someone else's control. Or else they'd die.

"How they'll die? Their own flesh and blood would kill them heartlessly, not even ten seconds, and it would be too late. The -murderer- doesn't even need to be in the same room!"

Hiashi glared at Neji. He was a very promising shinobi. However... he should never tell anyone about clan secrets.

Tenten caught his look. "He didn't tell me, much. He just said it was the Main family's fault. I investigated," here she smiled almost impishly. "I snuck out of the orphanage and into here. I was worried, since he used to meet me every day and didn't come, once. The next day he came, with bandages on his forehead and said that soon, he wouldn't come at all. I asked what his problem was... You know his answer. If you want to know how I found out about the seal and what it does... Let's just say your elders need a crash course in secret keeping. I thought it was odd that he always came in the first place, since he had parents, after all. But then..." she trailed off, shrugging.

Hiashi's face had softened during the course of her story. It hardened again now. "That doesn't change anything. Neji can't have friends."

"He can, meaning that he's physically able to. You just won't let him." Tenten huffed. "Come on Neji, let's go... You don't always need to listen to HIM."

"He won't go."

"Why? Will I need to prove myself?"

"I suppose you will have to, won't you?"

Tenten sighed dramatically, it was true that as a young growing girl, she was taller than most boys... And will be until they hit puberty, she reached into her weapons pouch on her waist.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed. A normal ninja would have his pouch filled with merely the necessities, the added weight would merely slow them down and mess with their equilibrium. But this girl's pouch seemed completely full.

Ninjas always had training in various fields, however, it wasn't uncommon for them to specialize in a certain field. This girl seemed to specialize in weaponry, seeing the scarred hands that showed long hours of practice.

Tenten smiled impudently at the clan leader. "If it helps, not all of these are caused by metal. See? This one here's a paper cut."

Hiashi's stance relaxed as he ignored her and he walked off, gesturing at Neji to follow him.

Little Tenten pouted as she stopped Neji from following Hiashi. "No one wants to die."

"Yes, no sane person wants to die," Hiashi responded quietly.

"Why do you Hyuugas force your own blood to die for you, just to protect your clan... Not even giving them a choice!"

Hiashi was then reminded of his brother. 'Hizashi, your son has a very interesting taste in... friends.'

He watched the little girl hold a kunai, twirling it on her finger and staring at him.

"At least let him have a friend..."

Hiashi strode off, and with a burst of speed, Tenten cut him off.

'So, this girl takes her training seriously, at least.'

Tenten put her hands firmly on her hips, kunai still clutched in her hands. "What about picking on someone your own size?" Tenten said heatedly.

"Like who?" he retorted at the two feet shorter than him little girl.

"Like me," she kicked him viciously. "See?" she smiled grinning as he doubled over, clutching his foot. "Now we're around the same size. You could at least care for Neji, you know..."

Little Neji rolled his eyes at his classmate's antics.

He would be cold and indifferent, and he would hate, detest, and utterly abhor the Main family. However, if he changed...

When he changed, five years later, she was the one who smiled the most, saying 'You're back!' almost tearfully.

She was the one who stuck with him all those years of being a human ice block.

She was the one who helped him grow stronger, who helped him whenever and however she could, even if she did end up in the hospital.

She was the one who stopped them all from getting out of line with a firm shake accompanied with the victim's head rolling limp.

She was the one crying over Neji's side after the operation that saved his life when Kidomaru had literally drilled holes into his body.

When he'd questioned her, she answered 'Of course I wasn't crying over you like you were dead. You weren't! I was crying because I wasn't sure if either of you would come back!'

She was the one who helped him keep his sanity when Gai and Lee was... less than sane.

He'd be cold, but then...

Just maybe, Hyuuga Neji would change his projectile up his posterior attitude, just a little bit. For her.

Hyuuga Hiashi looked at Tenten, this time appraisingly, and nodded approvingly. "Fine, Neji can be your friend."

Tenten grinned widely. "Hey, Neji! My accuracy in shuriken and kunai is ninety nine point nine percent. My accuracy in senbon is improving too! I'm going to be a great kunoichi, just like Tsunade-sama one day!" she rattled off statistics as she dragged Neji off.

"Hn."

"I'm proud of your accomplishments too," she retorted sarcastically. "Although," she smiled softly, "you have improved."

Hiashi stared at the retreating students.

His nephew certainly was growing up fast, Hiashi noted as he noticed the way Neji let her drag him away, and how she looked at him, the warmth in her eyes...

How she really had missed him though being children, were supposed to be unable to feel the pain and sorrow of loss.

Soon, his nephew would end up -married-, and Hiashi would be willing to cast his vote behind that girl, Tenten.

Hm... It would speed things along if he was on the same team as her, right?

Hiashi decided to meet the Hokage and the academy teacher to discuss... long term plans, effective when they graduate four years from now.

Aside from that, they really do need to tighten security, if a three or four year old child could sneak in...

Tenten would be good for Neji's caged bird-ness (Years later, Hanabi would cheerfully dub it CCBS or 'Chronic Caged Bird Syndrome'), and Neji did remind him of his deceased brother at his age.

With all the 'hatred of the Main family thing.

He -did- have a good reason though... Hiashi probably should explain it to him before he starts on some genocidal quest for justice.

Which would be like what Uchiha Itachi did, though Itachi had no good reason and Neji's would be justified, because the Hyuugas' traditions were a bit too uptight in places that would be considered heartless.

But yeah, Neji and Tenten would make a good match.

Hiashi stood horrified, he was acting like his FATHER! Jeez, he was getting OLD.

Little seven year old Hinata smiled serenely at the exchange, still keeping a watchful eye on little two year old Hanabi.

She knew then that she would fall in love with someone who stood up to the harsh strictures of her clan.

Someone who believed in her, who didn't think she was worthless.

The next year when she started attending the academy, she met Uzumaki Naruto.