Disgrace
By Ashira-chan
Summary: He was banished. She was not fit to be a ninja anymore. He was called a disgrace; she was called a disgrace. All they had to do was part away from each other. Love, for once, has little chance of pushing through. Will it still go on? Or will it give up? NejiTen
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"Neji…"
Today is when he would leave the village.
"Are you really…leaving?"
Today is when he must let go of his life—Konoha, the Hyuuga Clan, being a ninja, and…
…Tenten.
"You…can't just go!" The pained look in her face seemed to kill both their hearts.
The Hyuuga Clan banished him for not loving a Hyuuga. He was supposed to keep the clan pure, but love kept and sought its ways.
Drip…Drip…
…on went the sound of the tears that fell from sad brown eyes. A kunoichi she was, and ninjas are forbidden to show emotion. She had obeyed this rule for so long—
—and she, for the first time in her life, had broken it.
He, a prodigy he was, suffered pain, humiliation, and torture. The Hyuugas called him a disgrace. He received countless whips on the back, numerous angry shouts from his uncle, piercing glares from the Hyuuga elders, and more. Even Hinata, the successor of the mighty Main Branch power, the one with the second highest Hyuuga position, the one with the most compassionate heart, cannot help lift up his somber soul, despite the best of her kind efforts.
However, is it fair to decide on whom one should love without his consent? Is it rightful to force one to love someone he doesn't love—or not to love someone you love? Our young prodigy has answered these questions—
—and decided: He sacrificed his stature, his reputation, for the sake of a certain brown-eyed girl, for the sake of their happiness, for the sake of their love.
There were nights when he would just look at the dark moonlit sky and let tears stream down his pale face. He never blamed the girl for falling in love, because he is always there to catch him. He was willing to catch her, because he loved her too.
Circumstance did not allow them to be together; fate was trying to break them apart.
It did, and it did a good job.
However, Neji, amid his being a child of fate, decided to go against it.
Fate and Circumstance looked at the two with disappointed eyes. Long had they decided that they, the suffering souls, should not be with each other.
The crestfallen female ninja's name was Tenten. Bitterness and pain were etched clearly on her face. Her broken right arm, to her, was of no use at all. Since it cannot and will not heal any more, she considered herself weak and useless.
Depression and desperation led her to quit being a ninja. However, she was on a strict assassination squad: once a member, always a member. Yes, she was not only a ninja but an assassin as well. The squad members knew one of her reasons of exit: Neji.
Others insisted that she would go on, but they just said so because they were oblivious to what this used-to-be kunoichi had gone through. The pain, the sorrow—oh, if only they knew!
She had suffered much—most of those close to her died right at her own eyes. Her once strong self gradually turned into a frail slump of life. She blames everything on the war, which destroyed most of her self.
What was left behind—a weak left arm and a grieving soul—was useless for her. She was mostly destroyed, if not completely. She had gone through too much, and all she could do is to cry.
Forcedly hidden tears from so long ago, now flowing, made her look weaker than she already is. In fact, it made her weaker.
The cloth covering her right arm was like her might to conceal everything—her failure, her heartache, her sorrow, her pain.
Unfortunately, it did not.
Yes, these two tortured souls, for fate and circumstance, were not meant for each other—for they both suffer, they both were hapless souls; they both were called a disgrace. If ever they would be together, chances are, they would not be happy for their hearts are both broken, both suffering, both in pain.
Here these unfortunate souls stand—the ground, with sad dust, laden with bitter rain—near the Konoha gate, the ever-standing one, with red paint chipping off it, revealing its rusty interior.
"Tenten…"
Neji's milky eyes went aglow as tears began to form on its edges. He must go and leave what he has achieved.
"I…must leave."
These words seemed to crush both of their hearts. The two formed tears at the same time. Both were fully aware of the consequences—if the two would stay together, the Hyuuga Clan would capture Tenten and eventually slay her.
The Hyuuga prodigy would simply not let that happen. He would rather leave Tenten than let her be mercilessly killed by his own family.
If the two stays together, Tenten's former assassin members would slay Neji as well. Yes, Neji was a genius. He was strong and incomparable to most ninjas. However, considering his present state, he simply cannot fight.
Simply stated, they have no other choice.
"Fate…Circumstance…why do you have to be so cruel?" Love's pleas, although loud and resounding, never reached the ears of the said two.
However, what has been said has been said; what has been done has been done, and cannot be undone.
The auburn eyed kunoichi—no, Tenten, cried out the last of her tears. As her tears flowed, she let out a choked gasp and looked away. "G-Goodbye then."
Neji slowly looked at the horizon and vowed never to look back—for in the past there is Tenten, and will always be. He believes that eyes are placed in front because it is more important to look ahead than to dwell on the things of the past. Without a word, his heart breaking painfully, he walked towards the outskirts of the village.
That was his silent farewell…
Truly, Fate and Circumstance have won the battle. Two against one was never a fair match. However, have they won the war?
For Tenten, Neji was her only wall to lean against, her only shoulder to cry on. To her he was a shield, her only hope—
Tenten also walked towards to the opposite direction, hands clutching her chest, her aching heart. However, she felt a strange tug surrounding her. It was something called—something called…warmth.
She slowly tilted her head to see what the matter was, and saw Neji—the pearl-eyed one, her only wall—embracing her.
"Neji? How…Why?"
She was at complete loss for words. However, the warmth, the sense of longing made her close her eyes and stay where she is.
"Tenten…"
She opened her eyes and continued to listen to the timbre of Neji's voice.
"If I were to leave, I would make sure you will come with me. Disgrace or not—I don't care."
—Weak as she calls herself, the pearly-eyed Hyuuga was still there for her. That was something she did not understand.
It was called love, and Love had won the war.
The End
Ashira-chan: Probably the saddest fan fiction I have ever written. I almost cried. Apologies for torturing these characters so much… The story's short though. It's mostly made up of descriptions…
Best quote? The ending.