Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
A/N: NOW… it's officially over (or it?...lol) make sure to read the ending authors note… enjoy the epilogue.
THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!
DEDICATION - This chapter is dedicated to my reviews... thank you Midnight Memories, Shikyo no Amatsu Shinsei, Apple Bubblegum, Shadeehue, Nichi Nara, Kunoichi-of the-Leaf, BleedingHeartHeiress-v2.0, Amaya Zorifuki, Shenhui, callistocat, Ceridwen Inari, CaffineFreePepsi, kiniro no hana, NejiIsMineXD, shining kitsune, Princess of Storms, JoshRand1982, Valechan92, AnimegirlKiki, animefreakoO, Hexxgirl, SnowCharms, sexyinumama, Nightshadow Dweller, -kyuubi11-, lovingmylife, fmorgana-bluenausicaa, thenarutofanfreak22, saya-plus, Hibana, littleflower101,Mysterious Smiles, Seesay, debilicious, SMOKe13, and everyone else who reviewed the first few chapters back when it was still in 1S:NxT, especially to those of you who followed the story over here to W&D. THANKS FOR READING THE FIC AND FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT! XD
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EPILOGUE
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Five years had passed since the night Neji and Tenten had escaped Konoha using the secret Furi-iki tunnels running under the Nara forest. It had been frightening at first, to think that they would never again see the village they loved or the people who had meant so much to them. It had been thanks to those special people that the couple had been able to escape in the first place; so for them, and for their sacrifices, Neji and Tenten were determined to find a way to live a happy life; even if they never saw their home again.
As long as they had each, they knew… everything would be okay.
"Good morning Hyuga-sensei." The friendly old man standing in front of the butcher's counter greeted Neji.
"Good morning Saitou-sama." Neji politely greeted the elder. (1)
"I hear one of your dojo's students won last month's kendo tournament." Old man Saitou commented, after giving the butcher his order. (2)
"Hai." Neji nodded; before placing his order as well.
"And another of your students is a finalist for next week's taijutsu competition." Saitou added.
"Yes, that is correct." Neji confirmed.
"That is quite impressive sensei." Saitou praised. "That your young dojo could already accomplish placing entries into the most prestigious competitions in the region. And with only two masters no less; it is a true testament to your skill."
"Arigato Saitou-sama." Neji thanked the elder. "But I believe it is also a testament to our student's dedication and will."
"That is a very noble sentiment, Hyuga-sensei." Saitou admiringly replied.
The butcher soon returned with their orders; handing each a package of freshly cut meat.
"That is a large quantity of meat for your small family." Saitou commented on the bulky package Neji was given.
"Hai." Neji smirked, before opening the door to the shop and allowing the elder man to exit. "My wife has taken to feeding the orphan children who live in the area." He explained, as the two began walking down the street together.
"Oh yes." Saitou gently nodded. "I have seen them accompanying her in the village on a number of occasions." He smiled as he remembered. "You wife is quite skilled at handling children it seems."
"…" Neji resisted the urge to chuckle at the old man's comment, as he remembered a time when Tenten herself had believed she would forever be cursed with having no maternal instincts whatsoever. To think, one day she would actually be leading a pack of orphans, ranging from ages five to twelve, to behave properly in public as they helped her with her errands; no one ever would have imagined. "That she is." Neji replied.
"Most women find it difficult enough to raise twins," the old man continued. "And yet she manages to care for your two young sons, and still have the patience and skill to disciple and nurture those seven orphans." He shook his head in disbelief. "She is certainly a remarkable woman."
"I have always believed so as well." Neji nodded.
"Please send my regards." Saitou waved as the two finally reached the street corner where their paths would part.
"Thank you. I will." Neji replied.
"And congratulations." Saitou exclaimed before he walked away.
'Congratulations?' Neji paused; wondering what of all things that was in reference to. 'Ah.' He nodded; understanding; before he too continued on his way back.
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The sudden sound of the front door opening, made Tenten turn to face the entrance of her kitchen where she was preparing for the evenings dinner. "That was quick." She smiled at the man walking towards her.
"Hai." Neji placed the package on the counter nearest to him. "The butcher's shop was not that busy." He explained.
"See, I could have gone then." Tenten replied, shaking her head as she continued to chop the vegetables for their meal.
She had only agreed to let him go because he had insisted it would be too time consuming, and the village boys would soon arrive to have dinner with them. But with no lines, she could have easily gone without taking up too much of her preparation time.
"It was too much meat." Neji replied, moving towards her side of the kitchen.
"So?" Tenten scoffed. "I've carried heavier."
"The doctor told you not to strain yourself." Neji countered; as he slowly approached her from behind; placing his right hand gently over her midsection.
"That's only because she doesn't know I'm a kunoichi." Tenten argued. "She said the same thing when it was the twins, and I still trained right through to the end."
"Hn." Neji brought his face down into her loose hair; inhaling her fragrant scent.
"Kunoichi's are built different from other women." Tenten continued. "We're stronger, more resilient. We can handle anything."
"I know you can." Neji's muffled voice responded from within her flowing locks.
"Well then, there's no reason why I couldn't have gone for the meat myself." Tenten matter-of-factly stated.
"Yes, but then I would have had to wait here with all the boys if there had been a line." Neji groaned. "And I am not as adept at handling them on my own as you are."
"That's because you don't speak up." Tenten explained. "I told you they would eventually become immune to your glares." She paused. "And who glares at children anyway?" she turned accusingly at him; though she couldn't see him from his position.
"You would too if they were constantly asking you an endless array of questions." Neji replied, as he moved he face from the back of her head to rest his chin on her right shoulder; this way he could see her better.
"Well whose fault is it they saw your curse seal?" she argued; returning to her task. "I told you that day to put your bandages back on, but you didn't want to listen."
"It had almost completely faded by then." His right hand rose to rub the now pale surface of his forehead, where his curse mark had once been. "I did not believe anyone would be able to see the pale markings."
"I told you, kids see everything!" Tenten scolded. "Of course they were going to ask you what it was; and even more so when it finally did disappear."
"Agh." Neji brought his hand back down to her side. "Those children as so noisy." He groaned. "Tell me…" He tilted his head on her shoulder to better see her reaction.
"Huh?" Tenten turned to her right to look at him; their faces mere inches apart.
"Is it your intention to take those children in?" He wondered.
"Well,… I hadn't really thought about it." She began. "They seem perfectly content to live their lives the way they have been so far. And from what I understand, they never stay in a village for more than a few weeks."
"I have heard that as well." Neji nodded. "But they have already remained for nearly half a year. Perhaps they have finally found a place they enjoy being." He observed.
"Maybe." Tenten smiled, before turning back to what she had been doing before.
She hadn't considered it, but it might be nice. The boys were already constantly over at their house anyway; and the twins really seemed to enjoy having them around.
"You know," Neji smirked; watching his wife skillfully cut the carrots in front of her. "If we keep them," he moved his hand down to gently rub her barely noticeable belly. "This one would make ten." A soft, teasing chuckle escaped his lips as he remembered a memory from long ago.
"Ten, huh?" Tenten bit her lower lip to keep herself from laughing; the kitchen knife now discarded. "Imagine if it's a girl… you'd have seven boys, besides her brothers, hanging around her all the time." She mockingly enlightened; not turning to see his reaction.
"…" Thinking it over for less than a second, Neji visibly stiffened. "Ryuuken! Hitori!" He called out behind him. "Get over here, we're going to start training!" he yelled out for his sons, before exiting the small kitchen to go in search of the twin toddlers. (3)
"Hehe." Tenten giggled as she watched her husband make his exit. "What do you think Bu-mu?" she turned to face the full grown dog sitting against the far wall. "Dad, or Neji and the boys? Who do you think will be worse?"
BARK! Bu-mu loudly replied.
One could only image…
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"So…" The green figure overlooking the busy village below smiled. "This is the village where the genius and precious flower of our team haven been living?"
"That is correct!" The man standing beside him bellowed. "And it's about time we bring them home… Don't you agree." He turned to the looming figure standing to his other side.
"Hn." A curt grunt followed by a nod in response.
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THE END (4)
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KEY:
(1) I did a "common Japanese surname" search online and just randomly picked that one… XP
(2) Kendo is the Japanese martial arts of fencing.
(3) Ryuuken and Hitori are Neji and Tenten's twin sons. Notice they were sort of named in honor of their granddads. Ryuuken for Ryoku and Hitori for Hiashi and Hizashi. As for what the names mean… Ryuuken means Dragon Strength, and Hitori means Fire Bird (or Fire in the heart), both of which correspond with Ryoku and Hiashi's names… (Ryoku's name meaning Strength, and Hiashi's name meaning Spreading of Fire).
(4) dundundun… lol… of course, I'm sure no one needs any explanations as to who those three were XD…
A/N: (yes, I put the Key first…)
OK, well, first off, I want to say THANK YOU all for reading this story and for sticking around to the end. And also thank you for all of you who reviewed, and who sent in suggestions… I hope the story lived up to your expectations. SECONDLY… well… if you noticed form the last little scene… this really isn't the end… it's the end of W&D… but not the end of the story… there will be a sequel (you may all thank JoshRand1982 for that one… I hadn't even considered it until his review).
ABOUT THE SEQUEL: I'm not going to start on it until after I do the GaaraTentenNeji fic… and until I figure out what it's going to be about. I know it's going to center on Neji and Tenten's married life AFTER the epilogue, but as far as a title, and plot (especially the conflict), I do not know exactly what I'm going to do yet… so, if anyone has any suggestions, send me a PM. Oh, and just so you know, I'll be posting a chapter 21 author's note when I do start the story, just so anyone who has this story on their story alerts, will get an email letting you know when the sequel comes out.
SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER:... should I have Neji and Tenten take the orphans with them? or just stick to the twins and maybe have the orphans show up in the village to visit (maybe)? I think it'd be easier with just the twins and then the baby girl when she's born (which should be a very exciting chapter XP)... Should I have the other couples already married? (mind you, their stories won't be too detailed in the overall plot... and I will be sticking to my favorite pairings... i.e. ShikaTem, KibaHina, and NaruSaku) Or should I have them still be single/dating? (they would all be at least 22-23 years old at this point) Should any of them have kids of their own? Any other major changes in the village that you'd like to see?... (SPOILER...no asking for Sasuke, cos since he just turned evil, he's dropped even further on my list)... anyway, anything else you can come up with... seriously, no ideas at the moment... (and I do so want to sequel to live up to the original)... anything you've got would be appreciated. THANKS
Once again, thank you all for all your support! XD
SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
I listed the "dedications" in order of No. of reviews.. color me shocked (not) that the top 7 just so happen to be some of my most favorite people on fanfic. net XD Thanks girls! I appreciate your consistent support :hugs:
Shikyo no Amatsu Shinsei, Apple Bubblegum, Nichi Nara, Kunoichi-of the-Leaf, and BleedingHeartHeiress-v2.0. thanks for reading my stories, I always look forward to your girl's reviews XD.
Midnight Memories - Jue... what could I possibly say to you that I haven't already said?... your reviews are awesome! always the best. XD... and of course they inspire me to review just as wonderfully to your fics... lol... thanks so much... oh yes... one more thing... BUMU rules!! and she's all thanks to you... who knew a trip to the post-office where you got stranded outside because of a little puppy, would lead to Bu-mu XP...
Shadeehue- lol... you were the first one to suggest making "DO YOU" into a multi-chapter story... going all the way up to a marriage... who knew this would actually happen? XD
callistocat- I believe it's the first time I've come across you on fanfic, but I must say I hope to look forward to seeing you in the future. Your reviews were very helpful and much appreciated.
JoshRand1982- I've never before seen you on fanfic until this last chapter, but I love you! XP... I hadn't even considered doing a sequel to this story until you mentioned it, but now I'm completely convinced it needs one. Thanks for the suggestion! And I look forward to seeing you for the sequel. Thanks! XD
Valechan92 - I'm honored you've requested to translate my NejiTen stories; lol.. and now I'm goign to add more to your load by extending W&D in the sequel... lol...
Hexxgirl - Hexx, Hexx, Hexx,... (and Blue and Kin of course)... another one of my favorite peoples on fanfic... You are so totally and completely to blame for all this!...lol... Because of MISSION (ch.4) I fell in love with Ryoku, and as a result the stories got pulled out from 1S:NxT to become W&D... thanks!
And again, to everyone else who reviewed, thank you so much XD