Cursed to be 'Mom'
A/N: Written for the LJ community 50 shinobi. I know, weird, but I've claimed Tenten as my character. I've decided to try writing someone other than my usual. Tell me what you think.
"Stop that." Tenten scowled at the Inuzaka boy. The brown-haired boy was happily occupied throwing pebbles at Lee, who was currently training.
Kiba rolled his eyes at her. "Yes, Ma."
"He's training, Kiba," She snapped crossly, she was always annoyed when the boy called her mother, "if you can't do anything productive, don't pester other people."
He yawned and slouched closer to the ground. "Aye, aye, mother."
"Quit calling me mother."
"You act like one."
Tenten was sitting cross-legged on the grass underneath a large willow tree glaring at the boy. She had previously been relaxing, occasionaly glancing at Lee –who was going overboard as usual – before the Inuzaka had shown up. "Well, someone has to chastise you if you insist on acting so immature." She huffed.
Kiba smirked. "You're only proving my point further."
"You know, it's your fault everyone calls me 'mom'." It was starting to irk her. Kiba started it, then Neji continued it merely to annoy her. Following Neji came everybody else. They would tease her all the time: Naruto, Ino, Chouji, Lee, Shikamaru, Shino, Sakura, even Hinata for goodness' sakes.
The three sand siblings called her 'mom' too.
"So?"
"So, it's-" She sighed irritably, "Just forget it."
Kiba raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, come on, don't tell me it really does bother you?"
Tenten toed a pebble idly. "I…" She kicked it and winced as the smooth round stone hit Lee squarely in the head. "Oops."
Kiba laughed.
"That's not funny." She mumbled. Maybe she was doomed to be the mom of their generation. She was the one who snapped at them when they needed snapping at, comforted them when they needed comforting. She was the one that really didn't partake in the stupid things or even knew about them until after it was all said and done. She was the one that had her hair pinned up and dressed the most modestly of them all. She was the one who fixed their blunders and gave them hell for screwig up so badly after fixing it up later. She was the one who told them not to swear and more often than not, her advice was ignored on the grounds of being too practical. She sighed. She was a mom.
There used to be a time when she as just as childish and immature as the lot of them. Why did she have to be the one to grow up first?
"Seriously," Kiba looked at her his head inclined to the side. "Does the idea of being a mom bother you THAT much?"
Tenten didn't respond.
"Fuck, Tenten, you should–"
"Don't swear. It's unseemly." She interjected absentmindedly, not realizing that she was cleaning his language until after she'd said it.
She grimaced. Further proof that she was mom.
Kiba smirked, obviously content that she kept meeting his standard on mom-ish behaviors. "Shoot, Tenten, you should feel happy and proud that we recognize you as mom."
"Oh, really?" She scoffed, eyebrows raised. "I should feel content that I'm always the odd duck out? That I'm always the one excluded from 'fun' endeavors? That I'm always the one who isn't really a buddy?" The ever-prevalent feeling of resentment stirred within her. It just wasn't fair! Why did she have to feel like the mom; why couldn't she fit in the same way the all managed to?!
Kiba stretched, obviously unbothered by her bitterness. "You should feel content that you're more than just a buddy to all of us. You should feel content that we would all trust you with our biggest issues. You should feel content you're not the odd duck out, because you're the duck we all inevitably follow even though we stray from time to time. You should feel content that you keep us all together the way only a mom can." He chucked a pebble at her forehead. "You should also feel content because it means you're boss. Come on, who doesn't want to be boss?"
Tenten tried to stifle her smile. "Stop spouting nonsense."
"Hey, I'm being honest, ma."
She scoffed. "Oh, like you were being honest when you told that nice redhead you were a Jounin to get a date with her?" Tenten asked eyebrows raised.
"I was honest enough." Kiba defended. "She found out later."
"Because I twisted your ear until you told her."
Kiba grinned. "And she thought I was sweet for being honest with her. All the more reason I'm glad you're you."
"And you two idiots broke up a week later."
"Meh." Kiba waved his hand about. "Irrelevant details."
"Fickle." Tenten rolled her eyes and soon after Lee plopped down beside them. "Done, Lee?" She asked him.
He grinned. "Yes! All four-hundred and seventy three laps!"
Kiba's lips quirked up into a devilish grin. "I could've sworn you said you'd do four-hundred and seventy four laps before you took a rest….Ah, well, four-hundred and seventy three is just as good."
Lee blinked. "Did I really say…?" He stood up. "Now I must do seven hundred laps!"
"Lee-" Tenten began to protest, but the green-clad boy was already doing his laps.
Tenten smacked Kiba across the chest. "Jerk."
Kiba snickered. "Oh, come on, it's funny."
She slapped him again. "Go run with him."
"Do I look insane?"
"No, you look suicidal." Tenten stretched her limbs. "At least tell him it was a joke."
"HEY LEE!"
"YES?" He asked cheerfully. Tenten always found it odd beyond compare that he could be so cheerful after and during bothersome work-outs.
"I THINK YOU SHOULD MAKE IT SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE LAPS–OWW! DAMMIT, TENTEN!" She smacked him hard across the chest again. Kiba scowled. "Fine…" He grumbled to her. "LEE, I WAS JOKING! YOU REALLY HAD SAID FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE!"
"I know Tenten told you to say that!" Lee called as he ran the track. "I know it is not true!"
Tenten gave an irritated sigh. She looked at Kiba eyebrows raised. "Well?"
"You heard him."
"But you were lying."
"Hey, I tried." Kiba shrugged, "It's not my fault he doesn't believe me."
"I wonder why." She commented dryly.
"And why would that be?" He questioned, a smile daring to dart across his lips.
Tenten pursed her lips. "You're a horrid person."
He chuckled softly. Kiba picked up another pebble and aimed at the running green blur. "I'm okay with that." He tossed the pebble and it struck Lee in the forehead.
Tenten threw a pebble at Kiba. "I told you to stop that."
He smirked.
Tenten groaned. "Ugh. Boys."
Kiba stretched up. "You wanna go get something to eat? Lee will still be her by the time we get back."
Tenten looked at him speculatively. "And you're inviting me why?"
"I can't be kind?"
"No."
He rolled his eyes. "Well, it's the son's job to take care of his mom, right?"
She smirked. "So you're paying?"
"Yeah."
Tenten stood up, thinking over his proposal. "Does this mean, Kiba, that anytime we ever go do anything you have to pay for me?" She cracked her knuckles. "And that you have to buy me a mother's day gift? Or do menial chores for me, like fix my toilet or garbage disposal?" She smirked. "I mean, that is what a son would do right?"
He stared her. "You sure know how to milk things don't you?" He shook his head in mirth. "I never said I was a good son. Maybe your other kids are better to their mom."
"Jerk."
"Well do you want food or not?"
"Eh, why not?" She grinned.
Kiba wasn't so bad, he was annoying at times, but he wasn't so bad. Neither were the rest of the shinobi in their generation. They were all special in their own wonderful way.
Funny, that they chose her to be mother.
Maybe, she thought, it wasn't so bad to be the mom.