Naruto - To Forever

And like the pure innocence of a child, the blond looked to her in a mix of curious confusion as she pulled out a bottle of champagne and two glasses. "Isn't it a little too early to be toastin' to graduation, Tenny?"

"Maybe... it just felt appropriate, for some reason," she replied with a shrug, pouring him a glass of the bubbly and sliding it over, "Cheers?"

Usually not one to argue, especially when it came to Tenten and/or alcohol, she watched as he simply gave a nonchalant shrug and gently clinked their glasses together before emptying his of all the contents inside.

This was becoming more and more of a habit in recent days -- weeks even -- coming to his place of business and work after hours to help with the clean-up where she could. Tenten knew the layout well, after all, having spent a good number of months working alongside him while she had been in between job prospects. And as tiring as it had been fending off advances or keeping him from tossing out the more crude and questionable customers, those had been the best days of her life, if the young woman would allow herself to be perfectly honest.

Sure, the hours had been long. The pay could have been substantially better. And the sleazy men slinking in at the later hours of the night looking for a nice piece of ass became annoying at best. But the camaraderie -- the closeness that came from working side by side with one of her best friends -- was something she lacked in all of her other employment ventures. And while the Far and Wide Cafe was not exactly exiling, her co-workers there simply could not compare with the bond she had with Naruto. The years of companionship and questionable relations that they held under their belts only grew with the passing time.

And she would miss it when it was gone.

As far away as it was from the present day, graduation was still looming on the horizon. And as the days spiraled faster and faster towards their destination, Tenten was certain that it would arrive in no time. Pretty soon they would be done with their studies and the university system. And then they would be taking that step into the real world, the one both had been trying to avoid since leaving Konoha no Gakuen Boarding School a lifetime ago. Heading down their separate paths of life.

But wherever the road would take her -- wherever Tenten ended up -- a part of her trusted and knew instinctively that this would never change. That they would never mean any less to each other than they did now in this moment. An invisible chain linked their hearts, after all. Stretching across great distances to tie one to the other. Like a pair of handcuffs clenched around their souls, keeping them forever connected. Bringing with it not only a mountain of uncertainty, but endless possibilities. For the both of them, separate and together.

And Tenten would not have it any other way.