One Week to go

Tenten had never looked so ridiculous in her entire life. She was a small beanpole shrouded in a sea of white. The skirt of the dress had a radius of at least two feet, and weighed about the same as a full pack of weaponry. The sleeves ballooned from shoulder to wrist. She looked like a puffer fish trying to intimidate its enemies.

Her mother, her soon-to-be-mother-in-law, and various tailors nodded in approval as they took in the waist and shortened the hem. This dress was not of Tenten's choosing; apparently it had been passed down the Tomoyo line for generations, and she would be slandering the entire Tomoyo clan if she refused to wear it. They forbid any alterations other than the purely necessary (like length and width), so it's not like she could make it her own either. She will walk the aisle as a Pomeranian drowning in her own fur.

She had resigned herself to this fate, so she felt she shouldn't fuss. Neji made it very clear that he wanted her to stay, and she rejected him. She wasn't even sure why.

Maybe it was because she knew he wasn't rash like that. He never lets his feelings cloud his judgment, and once this all settled down he would realize how preposterous it would be for her to call off the wedding.

Beyond that, Tenten was just tired of not knowing her future. With Neji, she never knew if tomorrow was the day the clan married him off to some pristine bimbo she would never meet. They left so many things unspoken, it was hard to tell where they stood, ever. At least with the Tomoyo family, she knew that she was in it for the long haul. She would have stability; she would know who she was with and that they wouldn't up and leave her.

Then again, maybe, at this point, she was just making up excuses.

Her mother circled her one more time, taking in the dress in all its fluffy glory.

"You'll make a beautiful bride, Tenten," she said softly.


The week flew by in a blur. Tenten did as much as she could with her friends in Konoha, saying goodbye to each and every one of them before she left for good. She trained hard too, knowing that soon her rigorous training sessions would be limited. She trained with Lee and Guy, and even Hinata, Sakura, and Ino for a little while. She gave them as many tips on flinging weaponry as she could, knowing it was probably the last time she'd be able to do so.

Somehow, the week was now up.

Her mother insisted on getting her into bed early. She didn't want Tenten to have any bags under her eyes for the ceremony. It was probably for the best. If Tenten tried to stay awake she would only talk herself out of this decision and escape out the back door.

Her mother came to bid her goodnight for the first time since she was a child. Tenten was staying at home, not at her apartment. She would be polished and groomed tomorrow morning by her mother and female cousins, so it was best she stay close to home and within their reach.

"I am proud of your composure during this chaotic time, my dear," her mother said.

Tenten shrugged. She was trained to remain calm and collected in the most stressful of situations. Trying on dresses and compiling a guest list were hardly as difficult as taking out five armed shinobi with only a pair of hair ties (Lee still talked of that mission with awe in his voice; she was quite proud of that).

"I certainly was not as calm before my wedding to your father. I spent the night before wringing my hands and rearranging the flower centerpieces. I was convinced that daisies were far too generic. Imagine that!"

Wringing her hands and arranging flowers were two things Tenten had never done in her life, but she could understand her mother's feelings. Tenten was certainly unsure of the expectations that would be put upon her in her new household. The Tomoyo clan had wanted to add a Konoha kunoichi to their family in order to strengthen their bloodline, but she didn't know if they would approve of her continuing her training and fighting.

"Now, Tenten, after the wedding there will be certain…expectations for you, as a wife…"

"Mom!" Tenten screeched, cutting her off before she could continue. "Mom, I know what you mean, and I assure you we do not need to have this conversation," she all but screamed.

Her mother's whole body sagged in relief. "Oh, thank goodness."

Tenten crawled under the covers of her childhood bed and turned away from her mother. She just wanted to sleep and forget about the sex she would be having with some stranger the following evening.

Her mother stroked her hair and whispered a few final words before she left her to her rest. "I am proud of you Tenten. You have done right by our clan."

And while she had never much cared about doing right by her clan, it was still nice to hear her mother say.


"Two hair ties, hm?" Neji says, smiling down at me.

"Cross my heart and hope to die, that was all I had on me, and these guys were loaded with kunai and shiruken and katanas. I would've sworn I was a goner," I grin back.

He looks me in the eye, sizing me up, analyzing me like he always does. I don't even notice his silent scrutiny anymore. It's just a part of being with him. He finally replies.

"I would expect nothing but victory from you."

I am taken aback. He rarely ever voices compliments to me, and he definitely has never shown such confidence in my abilities. He is a man of few words, choosing to save his comments for constructive criticism only.

"Well, thanks, Neji," I say.

He leans in closer, and my heart starts beating rapidly, like it always does when he kisses me. We've stolen kisses and embraces here and there since the day I made the first move at the pond, but it never ceases to make my pulse pound.

He's grown bold in his advances of late. Instead of the previous quick pecks and brief touches, he lingers. His fingers find my face and draw me closer to him. I wrap my arms around his torso to steady myself.

"I need to get home," I tell him between making out.

"Do you though?" he smirks, moving his fingers down to my waist and holding me against him. I lose my train of thought entirely as he does his best to change my mind. Neji always gets what he wants, and now he has yet another way of persuading me to bend to his will. And damn, is he persuasive.

"You could come with," I say. He pulls back then, looking me dead in the eyes. "Are you sure that's what you want, Tenten?"

I love it when he says my name. Rarely do we need to acknowledge each other by anything more than "hey." Hearing my name from his lips is a luxury.

"Yes," I whisper.

His eyes smolder. He wants it too, I can feel it. We haven't discussed where this is going, what we're doing, or how we plan to continue, but he wants me and I want him, so what does it really matter?

I take his hand and slowly guide him towards my place, letting him take his time to process what is about to happen. I'm nervous, of course, but I trust him. I trust him with my life.

Tenten woke in a cold sweat. It was early. The sun hadn't risen yet, but the birds were awake. She could hear a mourning dove cooing gently outside her window. She lay motionless on the bed, letting the slow burn of the dream peter out. She could remember how his hands felt against her skin for the first time. She could remember how it felt to lose herself in him. She breathed deep, and when she exhaled she imagined all of those feelings and memories leaving her body in one fell swoop.

Today was the wedding. She could have no more thoughts of what might've been, and so she resigned herself to being an obedient porcelain doll for the day.