Deep-set ebony eyes gazed deep into ivory ones, joining together in a timeless moment as each one reflected the love of the other. Callous hands worn from hours of hard work in the sweltering sun raised up to caress a smooth cheek, still untouched by the scars of battle that so many had fallen victim to. She smiled softly at the touch and the rare feeling of his skin brushing against her own. A light blush settled in when the kunoichi realized what it was they were about to do, but still she waited in quiet anticipation for him to make the first move, as it had always been.
Needing no signal other than a simple twinkle in her eyes and an assuring smile, the shinobi leaned in and captured her lips in a chaste kiss, not their first and certainly not their last. Her eyes involuntarily slid close to quietly revel in the feeling of his love. It was over as quickly as it had begun, but still the heat and passion behind it lingered, serving as a reminder of his unsaid affections. Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment as she finally remembered that they had a very captive audience.
Tenten smiled from where she stood across the room, watching like everyone else was as Lee and Hinata gave in to the tradition and shared a kiss under the mistletoe. They had only been its latest victims in a long line of casualties that night. The predicament that pitted Shikamaru and Sakura under said sprig-leaf was particularly interesting, but none could top the twin blushes from Ino and Kiba as they fell prey to the season. Knowing full well how traditional the eldest of the sand siblings could get around this time of year, the leaf-kunoichi made it a priority to steer clear from the main entryway where clusters of mistletoes were hung over the arch, reserving herself to using side doors she had to leave the room.
Customs and rituals are fine and all, but I’d rather not subject myself to THAT tradition, the weapon mistress thought warily to herself.
With a drink in hand, the leaf-kunoichi averted her attention to the rest of the room. As expected, the grand hall where the holiday banquet was being held had been filled to the brim with elected officials and diplomats from a majority of the shinobi nations in the region, all decked out in their seasonal best for the benefit of showing off their financial stability. Tenten couldn’t help but scuff at the blatant show of the collective power and pride on display. Having been brought up in a modest home, the kunoichi never could understand the allure of boasting about one’s well-being in front of those who could hardly afford such lavish lifestyles.
The celebration had been a sudden diplomatic suggestion from Temari in order to assure the trust of all of Sunagakure’s allies in the upcoming war that was expected to break out, inviting everyone that belonged in the Kazekage’s social circle to join in on the village’s festivities. The precession of representatives had lasted for days from what she had heard, bringing the small desert village into an uproar as they prepared to host the extravagant gathering. Considering the short amount of time they had to organize the planning, the sand siblings had managed to pull together all the details in time for the main event of the Holiday Festival in Sunagakure. Tenten could attribute most of that to Temari’s endless effort in guaranteeing that the Sand Village’s newly appointed Kazekage made a exceptional impression. The other diplomats already questioned his abilities, not only because of his shady past, but for his young age as well. Doubt was something the Sand Village could not afford, especially with the decline in their economic status after their brief alliance with Otogakure a few years prior.
Of course, the fact that baby brother is the new Kazekage might have something to do with it, she pointed out with a smirk.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” a familiar voice deep voice that had filled her younger days.
“As much as one can in an upper-class gathering such as this,” Tenten responded without missing a single beat.
Pivoting around and stepping aside to avoid bumping into a rather important looking official and his wife as they danced their way around the room, Tenten found herself face to face with none other than Hyuuga Neji, her teammate and longtime friend. She greeted him with her usual smile, a gesture that he returned in his own fashion as the two settled down at the bar side by side as they had done for many years now.
“It’s almost enough to put the parties at the mansion to shame, don’t you think?” the Hyuuga clan prodigy inquired while glancing around at the other guests, keeping a light air to his tone.
“I should have known you would manage to find me, Neji,” the kunoichi commented with a shake of her head, glancing back down at her drink.
“The Byakuugan does come in handy on occasion,” the young Hyuuga prodigy responded nonchalantly with a shrug.
Tenten couldn’t help but chuckle a little at his understated comment, knowing full well that the Byakuugan had saved their lives and the lives of countless others on several occasions. Sarcasm was certainly a friend to Hyuuga Neji despite the fact that he had been accused of possessing no sense of humor at all by most of the shinobis in Konoha.
“Enjoying yourself?” Tenten inquired, sitting back in her chair to better view her surroundings in a more neutral position.
“You know how I feel about these kinds of things,” the clan prodigy replied, taking the opportunity to grab a sake glass from a passing tray, “I’d prefer not to be here at all.”
“But because you’re a representative of the Hyuuga clan, you have to be here, I know,” the kunoichi recited from memory, having heard the excuse several times before, “But that doesn‘t mean you can‘t at least try to have some fun while you’re here.”
“You mean like you, huddled in the corner away from everyone?” Neji effectively retorted, lifting his drink up to take a quick sip.
“…Touché, Hyuuga,” was Tenten’s simple reply, finding that she had no choice but agree because of the truth behind his words.
Thin brows furrowed together at being caught by her own words, a feat few had ever managed to do because of how meticulous the weapon goddess was about practicing what she preached. But as all humans are, she was not perfect, even though she held herself to a very high standard. And the simple fact of the matter was that after years of being the shadow that she was, Tenten had grown accustomed to the more anti-social nature of the shinobi life as her mind worked to ignore the instincts to stay alert and out of sight.
“You know, there’s something to be said about taking your own advice, Tenten,” the Hyuuga clan prodigy added before pushing back his stool, “Now if you’ll excuse me.”
Nodding his goodbye to the kunoichi, the proud Branch house member left before she could say a departing word in return. With nothing left to do besides returning her attention back to the drink in her slender hands, Tenten watched as her esteemed teammate weaved his way around the crowding people to join up with the rest of the Konoha shinobis gathered near the main entrance. There stood Hinata and Lee at the very center getting all of their attention for the open display of endearment under the mistletoe earlier. Even Neji, who years before would have spent the duration of the night chasing the taijutsu user around the ballroom for such an intimate act towards the heir to the Hyuuga clan, seemed pleased with their obvious show of affections for each other.
Dipping a slender finger into the sparkling liquid, she traced around the rim of the glass to produce a clear and steady sound that rose above the even chatter milling about her, doing well to quiet the growing doubts and concerns trapped in the corners of Tenten‘s mind. There had been times before where such occasions that had been held to promoted peace were used as a diversion to some underlying plot meant to disrupt the alliance that had been set up among the five reigning shinobi nations. And each time had only resulted in more pain and degradation for everyone. Cloud, Sound, and Sand had already fallen prey to such temptations, all during peacetime and using a distracting event to mask their true intentions.
Sliding out of her stool and abandoning her empty glass at the counter, the kunoichi began wandering about the ballroom in order to avoid further encounters with her peers, slowly making her way towards the side door for a discreet escape. The kunoichi had made her appearance, and would be content with spending the rest of the evening indulging in her own solitude much like she had always done in the years before her friendship with the sand siblings had formed.
“They just don‘t get it,” Tenten mumbled quietly to herself, “It’s always been like this.”
Another roar of laughter stopped the steel goddess in her tracks as the sound rang through the hall, peaking her interest for just a moment as Tenten glanced back at the main entryway. She couldn’t help but smirk at the smug look on Kankuro’s face as he boasted on about his most recent conquest, knowing perfectly well that the elder sand-nin’s blatant confidence was only a mask to hide his own secret insecurities. After being in a relationship with him for the few months that she did, shei had learned a thing or two about the way he worked. And while his charms could chip away at the hardened walls encasing every girl’s heart, the puppet master had a problem with commitment that would hinder all attempts at a lasting relationship.
“I still don’t understand some of these…traditions,” came a well recognizable toneless voice, startling the leaf shinobi from her hushed musings.
Quickly regaining her composure, the leaf-kunoichi let her gaze hesitantly slide to the left where the she was faced with the intimidating presence of the young village leader, better known to his former opponents as Sabaku no Gaara. Her efforts of trying to avoid running into him all night had been in vain. Taking slow steps in his direction, Tenten settled into her defeat with all the grace that could be manage.
The white of his Kazekage robes shone brightly under the light of the lanterns that littered the dimly lit hall, accentuating the blue trim and matching sash draped across his chest. Standing solid as he leaned against the frame of the archway with his arms resting immovably by his sides, the young sand shinobi glanced in her direction before returning his attention to the puppet master‘s antics across the room. The sight was entrancing, distracting the better part of the older shinobi’s common sense for a moment before she shook the thought away.
“What’s not to understand?” the kunoichi responded to his previous statement, “Any two people who get caught under the mistletoe together have to kiss each other, simple as that.”
“And the point would be?” Gaara inquired further, keeping a flat and uncaring tone.
“You’re guess is as good as mine,” Tenten admitted with a shrug, furrowing her brows slightly at the thought as she stood beside him, “All I know is I’d rather avoid the Mistletoe Effect and such similar situations all together.”
“The…Mistletoe Effect?” the young sand-shinobi recited slowly, making apparent his confusion on her choice of words as he turned fully to face her.
“Heh, don’t ask,” Tenten replied with a chuckle, “I’d rather save you from that notion.”
“…Very well,” Gaara responded after a brief pause to debate on whether or not he should pursue the matter further.
Relieved that the young Kazekage had left the matter at that, Tenten allowed a ghost of a smile to grace her lips. She had no qualms about explaining the unmistakable truth of how the mistletoe worked and the effect it seemed to have on all if its victims. Years of observations have shown that those who feel under the ‘spell’ of the holiday mistletoe seemed to feel obligated to explore the possibility of a relationship after sharing one random kiss. More often than not, the attempt lasted longer than the relationship itself.
Though he had spent almost the entirety of his life in blissful ignorance to human emotions aside from the need to destroy and kill, Tenten could expect Gaara to understand the logic in reaching that conclusion. That was not the source of her hesitance. It was the undeniable possibility of those involved in the exchange already having deep emotions for each other that had stopped her from speaking further on the matter.
Sort of how things are between us, she thought admittedly, sneaking a glance at the young Kazekage out the corner of her eye.
In such a situation, a seemingly meaningless kiss would open the floodgates to repressed and ignored emotions that both parties had kept locked away. For years, Gaara and Tenten had existed in a comfortable arrangement of support and understanding that neither could seem to find elsewhere. But somewhere in between distant acquaintances and where they stood now, the two of them had developed something more that moved beyond friendship or anything else that could be considered as so. Tenten had came to the realization that one day during a sandstorm as they stood huddled against the side of the house, sharing the functions of Gaara’s sand shield to stay protected from the harsh winds. When the reclusive sand-nin had reached the same conclusion she could only guess. No matter; it had been wordlessly agreed upon that the subject was never to be discuss. Avoidance was key in maintaining what little was left of their unaffected friendship.
“Well, well, what’s this we have here?” called an all too pleased call from the eldest of the Suna siblings, sending foreboding chills up Tenten‘s spine, “Our next two victims?”
“Victims?” Gaara responded flatly in his usual manner, sparing his sister a glance as he quirked an invisible brow at her statement.
Rather than giving a verbal response (because wordless taunting was so much more fun), Temari pointed a slender finger upwards to something over their heads. Following the line of the pale digit, the steel mistress looked up to find herself standing under the dreaded holiday mistletoe…alongside Gaara. Stunned speechless at the thought, Tenten could only stand there watching as her companion processed the information in his mind. The expression on the young Kazekage’s face could only be called shocked as his black-ringed eyes widened just a fraction at the revelation of what his dear sister had done and the position she had now put them in.
“Hey everyone,” Temari called out to the entire hall, “Look what I found.”
Years of purposeful neglect and feigned ignorance to their growing attachment to each other had been thrown out the window in mere seconds; all laid out in public for the world to see. Attention was something Tenten had never really formed a preference to, having been overlooked for so many years of her life. She had grown accustomed to stepping aside and allowing others to shine, disappearing into the shadows where she was most comfortable. So when the brunette found herself the focal point of everyone’s interest, the kunoichi could not help but fidget a little under their intense gaze. Gaara did not seem to fair any better under their scrutiny and appeared just as eager to get out of the spotlight as she did.
“You know the tradition, Tenten,” came Ino’s cheerful tease, “Anyone caught under the mistletoe together have to - ”
“I know, Ino,” the older kunoichi said curtly, “We were just getting to that.”
Experience told her that in such situations it was best to move quickly and have it over with before there was any chance to think about it. So with the speed that was expected from any student of Maito Gai, Tenten leaned in and gave the unsuspecting Kazekage a light kiss on his pale cheek. The kunoichi felt him flinch under her lips, too stunned to question the absence of his sand shield that would normally protect him from sudden movements towards his body.
And just as quickly she was lost in the crowd of party-goers, slipping away before anyone had time to react like the ghost that she had always been. A lingering tingle on her lips and a warming sensation in her palm from when she had touched him were all that the weapon goddess had to remember the encounter, ensuring that the brief kiss actually did happen and was not something she had imagined. Tenten could feel her cheeks burn at the memory of feeling the softness of his skin while years of fond memories flashed through her mind.
“…I should’ve never told Temari about the Mistletoe Effect,” Tenten mumbled to herself, slowly tracing a finger along her lips.
Glancing back at the entrance where her friends were still standing in awe of her disappearing act, the leaf-kunoichi caught the attention of the young leader of Sunagakure as their eyes locked together for a brief moment. All the words that needed to be said reflected in their eyes while a silent debate conducted between them. Both knew and understood that had been a moderately manageable camaraderie had disappeared into the night following their brief kiss.
There was only one question left on both of their minds: What happens now?
