"That bastard! I'll kill him!" Ino yelled, throwing her shoe across the room. When Tenten had showed up to her house in tears, she called all the girls over and Tenten told them what happened at the training grounds.
"Calm down Ino Pig, I'm sure there is a good explanation for Neji's behavior."Sakura said, holding Tenten. She turned to Hinata, an urgent look in her eyes.
"D-don't cry Tenten, Neji isn't trying to intentionally hurt you. H-he doesn't r-really love Mira." Hinata spoke softly. Tenten looked up wiping her red rimmed eyes.
"Oh yeah? Well why's he marrying her then?" She asked bitterly.
"B-because he's being f-forced t-to. It's an a-arranged m-marriage." The girl explained. "N-neji hates Mira. They've n-never gotten along." Tenten bit her lip. If that was true, then why did he say such a hurtful thing to her?
"See Ten? He probably does like you. I bet he was about to tell you when Mira showed up." Sakura said.
"Well I don't care what his reasons are, he made Tenten cry and I'm gonna kick his ass." Ino said. It was the first time any of the girls had seen Tenten cry.
"It's fine Ino, I'm okay." Tenten replied. Neji never did anything without a reason. Maybe there was someone or something that forced him to say that.
"Hina, there's one thing I don't understand. Why would Neji say that to me?" She asked, her eyes pleading. The girl looked around quickly before leaning in closer.
"N-neji likes you b-but if anyone in the c-clan found out, t-they'd s-separate you. H-he was p-probably saying it m-more to h-himself than you." Tenten's eyes grew wide. Neji...liked her?
"H-he was t-trying to convince h-himself t-that he'd n-never have you b-because he has to m-marry Mira."
"So technically, he wasn't even talking to Tenten, so Ino you can calm down." Sakura said.
"I guess." The blonde replied. She crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. She never liked Neji and was hoping for a chance to get at him.
"Nothing to worry about Ten. He does like you." Sakura said smiling. Tenten nodded her head slowly.
"Alright, enough of ths." Ino said. She held up a makeup brush with a devilish grin on her face. "Who wants to give Tenten a make over?" Sakura squealed, grabbing the brush from Ino and Hinata giggled. Tenten groaned but gave in with a smile. The girls always knew how to make her feel better.
Saturday, 1500 hours. Three hours before the wedding.
Neji sighed in frustration, slamming the brush on the dresser. He had only a few hours left before the wedding and so far, none of the servants had come to help him prepare. He had dressed himself with quite some difficulty, and it had taken him more than an hour to figure out the formal attire. It was exceedingly different than his normal set of clothes and he was not accustomed to dressing in such garments. He wore a white traditional style long sleeved shirt, with a slightly darker chinese vest. The vest was decorated on the upper right side with a pattern of light pink roses. He had on white pants and shoes, and a headband, matching the color of his vest covered his cursed seal on his forehead. looking at it, it seemed simple, but he was fooled. He was now trying to figure out what to do with his long dark hair as Hinata entered the room.
"N-neji, you're all alone, there's n-no one helping you! I'll go fetch one of the servants." She squeaked.
"No, don't please, just stay and help me. Lady Hanabi said the same thing three hours ago and never returned, nor did anyone come to help." Neji said, irritation creeping into his voice. It was bad enough he hated who he was marrying, but having to ready himself made it worse. Hinata giggled into her hand as she made her way to the dresser. Picking u the brush, she removed the band he had tied his hair up with. She ran the brush through his hair a few times as Njei struggled to keep his eyes open. He would never admit to it, but he loved having his hair played with, it often soothed him.
"It looks better when you l-let it loose." Hinata said, letting his hair fall around his shoulders. He smiled slightly at her in the mirror.
"Thank you Lady Hinata." He said. He and Hinata had become closer and he had begun to care for her like a younger sister. Over the years, their bond had become strong and was almost inseparable.
"I'm sorry you have to do this Neji." She said quietly. He closed his eyes slowly, sighing before turning fro the mirror to face her.
"Don't worry about me Hina, I'm just fulfilling my duty to the clan." Njei said, opening his eyes. He saw Hinata's serious face as her pale eyes looked into his own.
"I-I know how you f-feel about Tenten." She stated calmly. Neji wasn't surprised, he knew his cousin was one of the only people who could read him like an open book.
"I know." He whispered.
"A-and Tenten dies t-too." She whispered back.
"How? Did you tell her?"
"Yes, s-she came c-crying to us after what y-you said to her last w-week." Hinata replied. Nej walked over to the small couch in the room and slowly sat down. He didn't meet Hinata's eyes again, instead looking at a small piece of lint on the carpet.
"W-what did she say?"He barely managed to choke out. He was afraid of what his cousin would say, afraid that the woman he loved had turned her love for him into hatred.
"N-not much, b-but i could tell she was relieved. S-she thought you loved M-Mira and that's why you were m-marrying her." Neji didn't respond. He just continued to stare at the carpet.
"I-I know she still l-loves you Neji." She said. Only then did he lift his head to look at her.
"She does?" He asked.
"O-of course. Tenten would still l-love you even if you d-did love someone else. She would rather be a-alone than with with anyone else b-but you." Hinata said. She gave Neji a reassuring smile before helping him to his feet.
"So don't be s-sad Neji. Even if y-you are not m-marrying Tenten, find c-comfort in knowing she still l-loves you." Hinata hugged him, and then pulled away smiling bright;y.
"Thank you Hinata." He said and sighed. "I should make my way out there now." He looked at the clock. They had been talking longer than he thought, and it was almost time for the wedding.
"I'll see you out there." Neji gave her one of hs rare genuine smiles before exiting the room, leaving the blue haired girl smiling to herself.
Thirty minutes later: The wedding.
When the wedding march began, everyone stood and all eyes turned to the bac as the arrival of the bride was announced. As Mira appeared in the doorway, Neji sucked in a breath. He could hardly recognize her. The top of her dress was a pale gray, the same as his own vest. The shirt of the dress was long and slim, pooling around her feet. It swayed smoothly when she walked, revealing the small white flats she wore on her feet. The skirt was white, and matched the long robe she wore over it. the robe went to the end of the dress, with long sleeves that reached her fingertips. it lacked a collar, showing off the chinese style one she wore on her dress. It was decorated with the same flowers as Neji's vest and she carried a small bouquet of white lilies. Her long hair was pulled to the side in a braid, and a clip with white blossoms held her bangs from her face. Neji stared in awe as she slowly made her way down the aisle. He realized he had been holding his breath and released it. He had to admit, she looked beautiful. As she arrived at the altar, he took a deep breath and gave one last wistful glance at Tenten. She smiled softly and gave him a small nod, tears filling her eyes. His gaze lingered on her a little longer, then he turned to face Mira. It was time to begin his new chapter in life.
Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the long wait, i know it's been forever since I've updated, but I'm going tot try to start updating regularly! Please tell me what you think of the story so far, I love reviews! See you next time! ~Aquarius
