way too early in the morning

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It's well past 6 in the afternoon and Tenten is getting ready to slowly close her weapons shop in Konohagakure. 

She is making sure that she has all the recites of the weapons people purchased so she knows how much of what she will have to restore. She will have to clean the floor and to double check that the chests, where the real crazy weapons are held in, are closed.

It's a beautiful sunny day today. She had just grabbed for the broom and started cleaning in front of the store when she overhears a conversation of two girls.

"But what do you really think of Koharu?" one says giggling.

"K-Koharu? why all of a sudden?"

"Haha, Mai he obviously likes you! You are as blind as a mole!!"

"Pah, so what!" The girls cheeks turn red "I don't need a boyfriend or a relationship! I've got enough on my plate. No, thank you." she cofidently stated, arms crossed.

"Uh, cold! Well, for me, a strong man who will give anything to rescue me when I'm kidnapped? Who buys me flowers and takes me on romantic dates to walk by the lake in spring? Seriously, what better is there!" the other girl says dreamingly.

"Haha, who is going to kidnapp you??"

"Hey!!" both laugh "haha, just let me dream!"

Is roughly the conversation Tenten hears while they walk past her. 'Haha, cute' Tenten thinks and it takes her back to when she was about as young as the two girls.

Back when Tenten was about 17 she spend her days either training or attending to missions. It was her, the Hyuuga genius Neji, the passionate Rock Lee and Gai Sensei.

They had known each other and been a team for over 5 years and so were well trained and figured out how to perfectly work as a team. They completed their missions skillfully and Tenten was content.

The time she invested in training and mastering her craft of weaponry were long showing its affects and she hasn't been in better shape as a Shinobi.

It was on a sunny day like this that she, too, had a conversation very similar to this.

-

"Tenten..." Sweat is dripping from the bushiest eyebrows you might have ever seen, rolling after the previous drops to the nose and falling on the grass.

"Lee, what is it?" It's 6 in the morning. Tenten was just about to put away the weapon scrolls she was checking and renewing, Neji standing a bit afar doing his morning warm up, as their teammate Rock Lee was at his 134th push-up. 

"Do you ever want to get married?" he asks

"Uh, get married?" Tenten was a little bit taken aback by the randomness of the topic.

"You heard me!" he said kindly but the effort he puts into pushing himself off the ground well to be heard. 

"Uhm, I mean, not now! But maybe some time else if I meet the right person." to be honest, she hasn't really thought about this much.

"I see. Isn't it a motivating thought?" he said "To have someone to come back to, to fight every fight for, for that very person and think about them everyday and them thinking about you everyday! What a reason to fight for! What a reason to keep trying your hardest!!!" he beams full of enthusiasm.

As he looks up Tenten can see, apart from the flame of determination in his eyes, not only sweat drop down his face.

"Lee..." It's 6:15am. just what drives this boy??? and why does it have to make him so.. embarrassing?

"What's wrong with him?" merely a rhetorical question, but it is Neji approaching, calm and collected mixed with a pinch of hopelessness.

"Eehh..." Tenten goes while Lee is holding his left arm behind his back to continue for his 141th push-up.

"Neji! Do you ever want to get married?" he sobs

Neji and Tenten exchange glances, it's nice having Neji around. It keeps her sane.

he sighs "While I can't know what the future holds, I would say that these things can wait."

"But Neji, what about your true love? Don't you want to find them? What will you tell them if you find them - like when - tomorrow!!" Lee conters.

"I am content with my life as it is, not everyone is looking for a relationship, Lee. I have many much more important things to do."

"Important things!? But Neji, true love-" but Lee is cut off by Gai Sensei arriving to the meeting spot.

"Gooood Morning, Team Gai! Are we ready to leave for todays mission?" He asks full of casually and enthusiastically, only then he discovers the situation. "Have I interrupted something? Lee, why are you crying?"

"Gai Sensei, Neji thinks true lover isn't important!" Lee explains

"Mhm" Gai listens "True love, you say? Neji, how very unwise of you. It is not only great sholars that understand the value of true love but even the most common people. It is one of the most important things in life, taking on full bloom in your youth it can help you get through many obsticles and hardships," Gai starts his never ending lecture "back in my days, I too, had the honor of finding my true lo-"

"Neji, what mission are we having today again?" Tenten tactfully interrupts

"Nigurashi Mountain Cave, finding a lost scroll." Neji stated

"It's quite far, we better get going, huh?"

Neji nods and they walk off to start the mission.

"Gai Sensei! You true love? Tell me everything, who was she, how did you meet, what happened?" Lee insists

the smile on Gais face freezes as he accepts the disinterest of his two teammates and students.

he gives a thumbs up and adds "Le'ts go, Lee! Off to the mission we go."

"But Gai Sensei!"

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