Chapter 2: Money and Laundry
- . -
The bad thing about paying for expenses in credit is that you would not really feel the amount of what you are purchasing till a later date. You may also be entertained by buying without immediately paying, and would end up getting more than what you really wanted or needed. Money, as it is, is one of the major problems of most individuals especially when debt is involved. It is not unknown that money is also a major cause of conflict between couples.
- for her-
Tenten stared at the bill with both amazement and disbelief. She knew that she should expect something expensive to wound up; but not as costly as the plain, troublesome letter stated.
"Half a million ryo? How come?"
"The breakdown is indicated, Tenten."
"But half a million ryo? All in one day?"
Neji sighed but did not look up from the pot of boiling miso he is watching.
"If you want, I would shoulder sixty percent of the bill -"
"But it is our wedding and reception we are talking about so we should split it in half!"
Tenten has the means to pay, even the full amount, but she is reluctant to part with her cash. True - the kimonos and dresses were of good quality, the ceremonial tea and sake certainly not cheap, and the food was more than edible - but she somehow has the feeling that the bill could have been cheaper than what it is, even by at least five percent. She knows, though, that she would never allow Neji to pay more than half as it would be unfair.
Neji hesitated with his next statement.
"Is it... that you do not have the necessary amount?"
"I do, but when I think of what else I could buy... weapons, three month's worth of food, medical supplies..."
"Do you regret spending on the wedding day, and would rather put your money elsewhere?"
"It is not like that, just being practical -"
"But it remains that you are disappointed about the wedding affair -"
"Well, sorry for trusting that you would be sensitive enough to get better deals for the money that doesn't just drop at my doorstep."
Neji turned off the stove and not-so-gently set the soup down the table.
"I know that as well as you do - my mistake was just thinking you might consider the occasion worth it."
Tenten looked up from the bill and saw that somehow, she caused offense.
- for him-
Neji never had a money-related problem, having inherited well from his father and lately earning five to six digits in missions. He could see where Tenten is coming from, being one of the more practical females he know, but he could not see why she makes such a big deal over a matter she could easily let him take care of. There is no undoing what was spent, so if she has an issue doling out half the indicated price he is more than willing to give a bit more of his fortune. Does Tenten not want any of his good intentions? Do they have to split all expenses in half? Could he not give if he wants to? Although there is no relationship between wedding and marriage, he feels as if she regrets getting married to him.
Tenten squirmed uncomfortably in her seat under his gaze.
"I just do not want to be a burden, Neji. I do not want to become some housewife depending on her husband's income. I want to stand my own in this marriage, and for me to do that I need to be practical and heed my needs over my wants. I would have been content too with a less extravagant wedding and a smaller reception party."
Neji felt frustration drain from his body. He took his seat gently across his wife and shot her what he hopes to be an apologetic look.
"You were never a burden to me. And I doubt you would be. If you could still do something for me, even if you do become some housewife, I would be happy."
"Sorry. But next time, let us discuss our purchases more clearly and calmly. And this one's a fifty-fifty payment for both of us, please."
"Alright. And... I apologize, as well."
Neji has a feeling that being married would help them both grow, and that he would be uttering more apologies in the near future than the amount he uttered till now. He currently thinks, though, that he does not mind doing so and that enjoying a peaceful dinner with Tenten is something he might grow fond of.
- . -
Some ninja missions are too easy, some require no going out at all, some even happen in libraries and laboratories that for a good, sturdy, experienced ninja it would be a laugh to get dirty doing those. There are some, though, that would require a miracle of some form to finish without a nice crimson spray of blood on an otherwise clean shirt or mud annoyingly wetting sore bottoms or very fine sand somehow stuck to undergarments and private parts.
Washing mission clothes is a pain in the ass if there are such difficult stains on, especially when given the chance to dry up on the way back home. Unfortunately for a very physical ninja like Tenten, literally dirty missions consist of seventy to ninety percent of the work load.
- for him-
Neji is a very clean and neat fighter. His techniques allow little to no blood in defenses and attacks and his bloodline limit, byakugan, allows him to avoid unnecessary troubles in both nature and man. He returns from missions with minimal mess, and if he ever has to deal with dirt, gore, and grime he has the liberty to dispose his garments and just have new ones made or bought.
He is therefore surprised to find Tenten, among all the places he searched upon hearing her return from a rather difficult A-rank mission, bent over a washtub in their bathroom surrounded by blood-red bubbles and dressed only in her undergarments.
He continued to stare for three seconds before being forced out by a very red Tenten.
- . -
"If you do not want me walking on you, you should've locked the door in the first place."
"You were supposed to be training with Lee till night."
"He was sent off to a mission."
"Oh."
An awkward silence ensues save for the steady chop-chop-chopping with a knife Tenten does preparing fried rice.
"Do you not want a new set of clothes instead of washing away laboriously?"
"I only get a new set when I could not get the old one stain-free."
"Then could I already dispose of that dried up thing last week?"
"What thing?"
"The one with the blood-stain left on your shirt. You got a new set for that."
"I am planning to use that to wrap my weapons."
"Our place might get very messy at no time in this rate -"
"Fine, fine. Do what you want with it. But I'm going to continue washing all my mission clothes."
"You use the laundry room next time, there are washing machines as well, save time -"
"I can't. I have to do it at home."
Neji shot her a questioning look, urging her to go on, ignoring the blossoming pink flush across her cheeks.
"I like doing my laundry with as little clothing on as possible. I always end up wetting myself, and I don't like wetting clothes only to wash them again. So unless you're fine with me doing my thing in the clan's laundry area -"
"Alright, alright. But I am going to give you a washing machine, so that you can start cooking on-time unlike today, and do lock the door next time."
When Tenten finally laid their late lunch on the table, Neji couldn't help - for a split second - but imagine the image of the woman across him bending over a washtub in mere undergarments; to which he blushed furiously and avoided the curious look of his wife. He doesn't know if his sharp eyes and attention to details are good or not, but knowing that Tenten is his wife and that he may look at her like how he avoided looking at women before in such a different way makes him nervous if he is somehow turning into a disgraceful pervert despite his will not to.
A seat across, Tenten is mortified to realize how she would like Neji to admire her body and wonders what would have happened if she did not drive him out of the bathroom. Fanning herself, she is surprised that Neji is as out-of-sorts as she is with what she learned to read as a plain-embarrassed look, both of them avoiding catching the other's eye but failing to do so.