Chapter 12! Thank you to EVERYONE that left me a review =) Thank you also to the ones that point out my mistakes! I went back and fixed them, hehehehe. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and review!

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Words...

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Claire stared at the beautiful green dress in front of her, her eyes sparkling.

"The dress is lovely!"

Tenten glanced at the said dress and smiled. The dress was a silky - green halter top dress that was low cut in the back and tight around the waist area. From the hips, down, it cascaded in a stunning way. The dress increased Tenten's intentions of going to the ceremony and actually acting like some type of rich woman. Hopefully, they won't find out that she's a farmer.

"It's very beautiful," she complimented it, running her hand in the soft silk.

"Yes, it is. It's made from the best silk out there. Your fiancé ordered me to buy it just for you."

A light blush arose on Tenten's cheeks, never thinking about the king being her fiancé.

"I also know what to do with your hair to make the whole outfit look nice, also the type of shoes you're going wear, jewelry, and make up. I will turn you into a queen!"

Tenten imagined herself as queen: taking long strolls with her family under the burning heat, eating good tasty food, having house servants clean everything while she basically did nothing.

"What about my father? He's coming too."

"Ah, yes. Your fiancé ordered several suits, all of them are different sizes, for him and tomorrow morning, he'll try them all and see which one looks best on him."

She gave a nod in agreement and turned towards the exit, but before she left, she turned her head to Claire.

"He's not my fiancé."

Claire cocked an eyebrow. "Does it matter? Sooner or later, you two are going to get married."

"…But we're not even engaged."

"That'll change in a few days, girl. The king likes you, and you like him…what other clue can I give you about you two hitting if off soon? Don't act dumb, Tenten."

The brunette left the room, thinking about it. They weren't engaged, and he was just giving her some time to see if she enjoyed the new life she would have to adapt to if she ends up becoming his wife, and although everyone knew that, they all seem to think that they're going to get married no matter what.

Neji appeared in front of her, wearing no shirt and sweat trickling down his body.

"What have you been doing?"

"Training. Your ride is ready for you."

She wrapped her arm around his as they walked through the silent hallways, nothing being said between them. She wanted to ask him what he was thinking, but wasn't sure if she should. The peasant was also curious of whether he still liked her or not. Nothing in his actions had motivated her to do that, but she was still curious. Neji showed no emotion most of the times, and because of that, she wasn't even sure yet why he wanted her of all women out there.

Maybe he was using her?

Tenten's thoughts broke once Neji let go of her arm and opened the door for her. She got inside and looked at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, he shut the door and the horse carriage started to ride down the street. Tenten looked out the window, thinking.

To her, the king seemed a little different than usual. Sure, he was apathetic (towards the exception of her), but right after today, he seemed less interest in her. Was she starting to get boring?

Her thoughts drifted to tomorrow's ceremony. She wasn't too thrilled of going to the ceremony, mainly because she and her father weren't on the same class as the invited guests were. One of the many things that Tenten knew about the Hyuuga clan was that they were very proper and elegant, wearing expensive clothes each day and eating fancy food.

Tenten had been raised with 'eating whatever is given to you and appreciating it'. Due to the immense hospital bills and medicines, she had never bragged about wanting anything. Just seeing her parents stress over bills and other things made her not want anything in life but a healthy family.

The horse carriage halted in front of her home, but before the driver could've gotten off and opened the door for her, Tenten opened it for herself and got down.

"Thank you, mister."

The man nodded his head a bit and smiled, soon leaving off.

Tenten headed towards her small house, but stopped once she felt eyes on her. Turning half way, she stared behind and saw a few women staring at her with smirks on their faces.

"Tell us, Tenten, how big is the king?" one of them asked, and the other women burst out in giggles.

Blushing, Tenten rolled her eyes and walked inside.

-

Majeshiama looked up and smiled.

"Did you tell the king we were going?"

"Yeah. He really wants to have that talk with you."

Majeshiama put down his cup of tea as Tenten sat down by his side and rested her head on his shoulder, though not completely, not wanting to put too much pressure on him. He had arrived from the hospital a few hours ago and was already feeling better.

"We have to be there hours before the ceremony. We're going to be dressed and transformed into rich folks."

Majeshiama chuckled and kissed her forehead. "They can play dress up all they want with us, but we aren't changing who we are just for them."


The orchestra sat on one large corner of the room while the guests danced, ate, and talked around the large free space that was available to them.

Rich handsome men talked about their empires and wealth, some of them seducing young rich women with that as they all had a cup of Sake.

Kings and queens congratulated the young new king, giving him advices on ruling a country and not messing up. Neji simply nodded at each advice and looked around, waiting for Tenten to arrive any minute.

"Where is that girl, by the way, that you have your eyes on, King Hyuuga?"

Neji turned his head again and looked at the prince next to him. "She should be coming soon."

The orchestra changed their song and played a new, slower song, and couples were soon eager on dancing.

Neji was ready to look for Tenten, but when he turned around, he stopped immediately and a slight smirk arose to his face as he found Tenten walking around the room carefully, making sure she didn't bump into any of the dancing couples. Amused, he watched her for a few seconds as she almost slipped, noticing the silent swears that escaped her lips as she glared at the green heel shoes she was wearing. The silky green dress she wore hugged her petite form until it reached her hips, where it cascaded a bit around her legs and ankles. The dress revealed a fair amount of cleavage, and for the first time since he had seen her, he could not stop staring at her breasts.

Though not wanting to be caught looking at them, Neji directed his eyes towards her face. Her pink lips glistened in the bright room light as she tilted her head left and right, trying to figure out where she would go. Her hair was tied in a large bun with her bangs waving in front of her face. Around her neck laid a beautiful necklace with a jade stone and matching earring on her ears.

Neji was fascinated at how Claire transformed a deprived peasant into a goddess in just one day.


Tenten looked around, watching as couples danced and talked around the soft melodic music. Already feeling left out, she tried to walk towards one of the room corners, but slightly, her ankle twisted and she grabbed onto a random shoulder, causing herself to balance once again.

She looked up at the woman she had held on to and giggled sheepishly. "S-Sorry…I almost twisted my ankle…"

The woman stared at her shoes and then looked up back at her. "You must be that peasant that King Hyuuga's after. Hm, what does that king see in you? You can't even walk correctly." With that, the red-headed woman left, head held up high.

Tenten rolled her eyes and continued to walk, her feet soon aching.

"Having trouble?"

She looked up and saw Neji staring down at her, the end of his lips curved upward.

"Yes, I'm having trouble…..Wish I could just take off my shoes and walk around barefoot."

Doing that would be a complete humiliation towards Neji, the rest of the Hyuuga clan, and herself, and because of that, she kept her shoes on and took Neji's hand once he offered it to her.

The song changed again, and the new couple began to awkwardly dance. Neji had barely attended ceremonies, but when he did, he didn't bother dancing. Now, he was just moving his body in a slow rhythm as he held Tenten's hand.

In the other hand, Tenten had never danced in her life at all. Uneasily, she stared at their feet as they slowly moved along with the melody. One of her hands was holding onto Neji's while the other one was lightly placed on his shoulder. With his hand placed on her bare small back, he pushed her forward. Tenten looked up at him, and for a moment their eyes locked. He moved his head downward as their lips touched. Once again, she was pushed against his hard body and she felt her head twirling.

His hand went downward, a little too downward, until it almost reached her rear end. Forgetting where they were, Tenten paid no heed, until, that was, she heard someone coughing behind them.

Stopping, they turned around and saw Majeshiama standing near by them, a small smile placed on his lips.

Flushed, Tenten walked to her father and held his hand. "Hey. You look great, father."

"Thank you. You look beautiful, darling."

Majeshiama then directed his eyes towards the king and held out his hand. "I'm Majeshi-Ama Kudari, Tenten's father."

Neji took his hand and shook it, "You already know who I am, sir."

"Of course I do! You're the king of our land! Ruler of our country!….And you have your eyes set on my little girl."

Tenten gave her father a stern glance, and his smile widened. "I've been meaning to talk to you, sir."

"Same here. We shall head to my office and have our conversation there."

"That's perfect. Tenten, I would like you to stay here and enjoy yourself." her father said, "I would like to know our king myself."

Tenten nodded and watched the men walk away. Sighing, she decided to sit down and watch everyone have fun. It was the only thing she could do since she knew nobody and didn't feel like meeting them. Some guests had already pointed her out and had even whispered loudly when talking about her and how she looked; some calling her beautiful and others whispering that she wouldn't handle the pressure of the Hyuuga family.

Thirsty, she got up and walked over to the refreshments. Two men stood behind the counter, taking people's orders. Patiently, she waited behind two women, who had turned around once they had noticed her and smirked. Annoyed with the ladies' act, Tenten rolled their eyes at them and folded her arms.

Once they were gone, Tenten walked towards one of the men and smiled.

"May I have small glass of Sake."

The man nodded and grabbed a small glass. He walked over to a gray hose and held it downwards on the glass. Pressing his thumb on an ejected piece of the hose, Sake poured out and into the glass. Once the glass was filled, white foam arose above the liquid and the man handed her the glass.

Murmuring a soft thanks, Tenten grabbed her glass and took a small sip, her face making a disgusted as the strong-tasted liquid went down her throat. She had drank Sake a few times before, and was still not used to its odd taste.

"H-Hello, y-you must be Tenten Kudari."

Tenten looked in front and saw a Hyuuga female member standing before her. Instantly, Tenten recognized her as Hinata Hyuuga, Neji's younger cousin. The younger girl smiled timidly at Tenten, her long hair cascading behind her back.

"Yes, I am. And you are Neji's cousin, Hinata Hyuuga."

The timid girl in front of her nodded with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Tenten said, bowing down a bit.

Hinata's eyes widened and she rapidly shook her head. "No. No. Don't bow down, please. No human being should bow down to another human being, no matter who's superior and who's not. Besides, you're almost in the family."

Tenten's smile increased and she led out a giggle. "Alright, then."

Hinata nodded once and then took her hand. "Great. Now, come with me. I have some friends that want to meet you."

Before Tenten could've responded, Hinata dragged the girl across the dance room, with the addition of bumping into everyone that was standing in front of her, until they reached the front area of the room.

Sitting on cushioned seats were three non-Hyuuga women. All of them looked up once Hinata arrived with the feet-aching girl.

"Hello, Hinata. Is this the girl?"

The Hyuuga girl nodded. "Yes, this is Tenten Kudari, the girl Neji wants to marry."

The ladies smiled and introduced themselves, though Tenten wasn't paying too much attention to them due to the fact that the three women were wearing a lot of make up and gold jewelry. Tenten had never seen so much gold in her life.

"So, Tenten, I hear that you live on a farm."

Snapping out of her gold trance, she looked at one of the women and giggled nervously. "U-Um, y-yeah….I live on a farm….taking care of animals….and stuff."

The woman looked at her oddly, and Tenten sat down on a nearby chair.

"Interesting. So, you just watch the animals to make sure they don't escape…." She didn't finish her sentence as she gave Tenten a confused look.

Sighing, the peasant held onto her glass of Sake nervously and then replied. "W-Well, that's one thing. I also feed them, sell them if I have to, butcher them, clean up their homes and their shi-" Tenten looked at the women in front of her and quickly shut her mouth, watching as they all looked at her with wide eyes.

"Well….that's one interesting…occupation that you have and - how old are you?"

"I'm seventeen."

"You're seventeen and deal with that dirty job?! Honey, you really need to get married with the king. Such a gorgeous girl like you cannot be touching animal garbage." another woman said, taking a sip from her rum.

Tenten's eyes narrowed a bit, but she did not glare. "It's not that bad. I've been doing it ever since I was three years old. And, it's fun! I like to talk to the animals about my problems, even if they probably don't know what I'm saying or maybe they do but don't really care, -"

Again, the women looked at Tenten with a weird expression.

"Honey, you definitely need to get out of that hideous life you have! Once you get married with Neji, you won't have to worry about any problems! If you want something, you'll have the money for it, and if you don't want it, you can easily get rid of it. I feel bad for poor people like you."

Tenten tilted her head sideways and smiled, replying to the woman in a sarcastic tone, "...And I feel bad for conceited heartless rich people like you."

The third woman laughed, "Oh sweetie, not every rich person is like that. Every wealthy person deals with troubles. Oh, I think your first trouble will be the mistresses Neji's going to have once you get pregnant and won't be able to enjoy your sex life with him."

Tenten frowned, her heart suddenly pounding faster. "Wh-What are you talking about?"

"What do you mean what are we talking about? We're talking about mistresses! My husband has three of them….every wealthy man has at least one, especially the married ones. So, when you won't be able to give Neji good sex, he'll turn to his mistresses. Easy as that!"

"….A-And you women don't mind these mistresses?" To Tenten, they seemed more like prostitutes.

"Well, of course we mind, but what use do we have if we just complain about them? It's not like these men are actually going to listen to us. Besides, after a while, we stop caring at all."

Tenten lowered her head, imagining herself with a huge eight-month pregnant stomach and Neji not lying on the same bed with her, but on the bed of another woman. No, she couldn't stand it. She wouldn't.

"D-Don't worry, Tenten, I know Neji; he would never do something like that." Hinata spoke for the first time ever since the conversation had started.

Tenten continued to stare at the floor, not sure of what decision to take anymore. Hinata placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her, but instead, Tenten got up and smiled at the women.

"I think I'm just going to go home. Thanks for the…um…conversation…I guess." she said, her voice a whisper at the end.

Turning around, she walked away, planning to search for her father and go home. She was tired, both physically and mentally. She knew that a few blisters were forming on her feet. Oh God, how she hated heels.

Tenten stopped as she soon found her father with Neji and his uncle, Hiashi Hyuuga. She walked towards her father and took his hand.

"How did it go?" she whispered anxiously.

"It went great, except for the fact now that his uncle is trying to kick us out."

Frowning, Tenten looked at Hiashi's cold glare.

"He thinks you're not worthy enough for his nephew."

Hiashi pulled his head up higher. "She's not. I am not going to allow some peasant become a part of the Hyuuga clan!"

Neji's eyes narrowed. "Uncle-"

"You won't have to worry, sir, because I'm not even planning on getting married with your nephew!"

Swiftly, Neji turned towards Tenten and grabbed her arm. "What are you talking about?"

Hurt was read in her eyes, but she ignored it. "You heard me! I'm tired of this rich policy crap! And yeah, I cursed even though rich women aren't supposed to! But do you know what I say to that, bullshit! I curse as much as I want! C'mon, daddy, let's go. We deserve better treatment than this."

"Tenten, wait-"

"Let her go, Neji. You don't need that misbehaved woman and her poor dying father! Her father will just spread his awful disease to us and wipe our whole clan away!"

As Hiashi's words stung Tenten and her father, the Sake that had been previously inside the glass was suddenly stinging Hiashi's eyes once Tenten had thrown the liquid on to his face.

"Asshole…" she said loud and clear, grabbing her father's hand and walking away.

Neji ran after Tenten and placed his hand on her shoulders, but once he did, she squirmed out of his grasp and glared at him.

"Do me a favor and don't ever speak to me nor look for me again, sir. My father and I would like to walk out of here in peace, or else I'll have to shove my shoe up your uncle's ass….unless something's up there already."

With that, she turned around, still holding her father's hand, and walked away; head held up high with pride.


Ruby, why do you always finish your chapters at almost midnight? Idk, Ruby....I think I'm just stupid like that. Ooh, no wonder... Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please tell me what you think about it & if you see any mistakes, tell me and I will slap myself and correct them...but specifically tell the mistakes, please, so I can KNOW. Anyway, I saw that District 9 movie...and love it! Aliens are cool and that movie made humans look like jerks. hehehe

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