Please see first chapter for disclaimer, etc.
Prompt: Everything
Part: 3/3
Special Thanks: goes out to kenzinator, DarkAnonymous324, Kratos Wilder, rao hyuga 18, NejiTen, naash, KNO, minniemousemom, and kimbi07 for all your reviews! You all are some of the most amazing people in the world, and I appreciate you all - thank you so much for helping me reach 200 reviews, I'm simply blown away!
Author's Note: It seems hard to believe that I've reached the end of this trilogy already. I've put so much time and effort and planning and thought into these three pieces that it seems like they should still be in my future, not my past. I really hope that this chapter doesn't let you all down, and thank you again so very much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting this collection!
*~Everything~*
She could sense everyone staring at her, watching her with anxious eyes, wondering what she was thinking.
This time, when Tenten looked at herself in the mirror, she didn't see the uncertain woman who had been looking at her last time. This time, she saw someone who was confident about the decision she was making.
Now as she stood before her reflection, she had four women rushing around her, doing last-minute adjustments to her hair, her dress, her makeup. Part of her was tempted to wave them off – after all, if she didn't look presentable enough now, she was never going to be – but she continued to allow them to fuss over her.
Drawing in a deep breath, she swallowed the butterflies flitting around in her stomach. Everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong already, so now she had absolutely nothing to worry about. Now she could just go out there and get married. I'm ready for this. This time she wasn't saying it to convince herself, or anyone else. It was a statement of pure fact.
As Sakura knelt and fiddled with the hem of Tenten's kimono, the brunette's mind flitted back to the conversation she'd had with Gaara, right after their wedding had been interrupted.
The breeze felt good against Tenten's heated skin as Gaara escorted her out onto the balcony. She was trying desperately not to hyperventilate, but panic was squeezing the air out of her lungs and she was forced to gasp in and out to get any oxygen. She wasn't sure why she was reacting so violently – after all, hadn't she spent years learning how to control this silly impulse? – but she knew that if she didn't get it under control soon, even worse things would start happening.
Once more, Gaara's warm, familiar hands settled onto her shoulders. "Tenten," he said softly. When she didn't react, he placed one hand alongside her face so she'd look up at him. "Tenten, calm down. It's okay."
She forced herself to match her breathing to Gaara's, and once she did, the lightheadedness she'd been feeling eased away. "Sorry," she murmured. "I'm just…" She trailed off, groping the recesses of her mind for the right word.
"Surprised?" the Kazekage supplied helpfully.
"Shocked." Tenten flexed her fingers, wishing she had a weapon of some sort to grasp. But she didn't even have her bouquet anymore, since she had thrust it into Ino's shocked hands before following Lady Tsunade, Gaara, Kakashi, Hiashi, and Neji into the Hokage's office. "I just – after all this time, and being told over and over again that he was—" she stopped herself, realizing that she was babbling almost incoherently.
Gaara, seeming to realize her problem, grasped her hand in his. "Do you need to sit down?" His eyes shone with a softness only she was ever allowed to see.
Tenten shook her head. "No. I'm – I'm fine." That wasn't true, but in all honesty, sitting down was not something that would help her current situation. She drew in a deep, calming breath before speaking again. "Gaara, I'm so sorry. I just—"
The fingers of his free hand settled over her lips, stopping her. "It's all right," he said. "I knew that you loved him. You never told me how much, but I could see the pain and loss on your face and in your eyes every time someone mentioned him. It wasn't hard to figure out."
Frustrated tears welled into her eyes. "Gaara, that doesn't mean I'm just going to leave you for him! I do love you, too." Perhaps this was the first time she'd admitted it to herself. Yes, she had entered a relationship with Gaara, and had even gone so far as to accept his proposal and prepare herself to marry him. But she'd done all that while never feeling sure of her love, or lack thereof, for him. She had cared for him, and counted him as a friend and ally for years. But love? Until now, she hadn't let herself admit it, perhaps for fear of betraying Neji's memory. Now he was back, alive and safe, and something inside her had broken. At the same time, it had allowed all the feelings she hadn't been allowing herself to experience for so long to come rushing back, and she knew for sure that she did love Gaara.
She loved Gaara, there was no doubt in her mind about that now. The problem was, however, the fact that she still loved Neji, as much if not more than she did when he'd left.
For a long time, the Kazekage of Suna studied her with his perceptive eyes, those intense orbs that missed nothing. At one point in her life she had been scared of those eyes and what they saw – both in the distant past, and recently. She wondered what he was seeing in her own eyes, in her expression that she was too exhausted to hide.
"I wondered," he said at last, quietly. "You're a one-of-a-kind woman, Tenten. No one can ever measure up to you. I've admired you for so long, and I admit that I was … very happy when you accepted my offer to enter a relationship. I wasn't sure, at the time, if you loved someone else, then or ever. Eventually I did figure it out, when I said those three little words and you only smiled and replied, 'I know.' But I cared for you, loved you, too much to let that stand in my way. I knew you were hurting, and I hoped that I could be the one to heal you, to help you love again. I had hoped that, in time, you would come to love me, too, even more so when you said yes to my proposal." He held up a forestalling hand when she went to speak. "I saw your face when Hyuuga Neji walked in. You still love him."
Tenten fisted her hand into his robes, halfway wishing that everything had just gone smoothly and that she and Gaara were on their way to Suna now to start their new lives. It wasn't that she wished Neji was dead, it was just that she wished her heart wasn't breaking in two: one half drawn toward Neji, the other toward Gaara. She couldn't marry them both, and honestly, she wasn't sure who she loved more at that moment. If she even loved either of them enough to promise him forever, or if it was fair to promise forever to one when she still had feelings for the other. "I don't know what to do," she whispered. "Gaara, I – I don't know what to do."
Expression solemn, he reached up to tuck a stray curl of hair behind her ear. "You're a passionate woman. You've always followed your heart, laid your loyalties upon those who deserve them most. That is one of the things that first drew me to you, Tenten. You know how I feel about you. And I could see on the Hyuuga's face the moment he saw us how he feels about you. He loves you as well. Probably – probably as much as I." The words if not more lingered between them heavily, but neither was willing to voice them. "In the end, all I want is for you to be happy. If that means you choose Hyuuga Neji over me, then so be it." A wry smile curled up the corners of his lips. "I am Kazekage, after all. Should we marry, my attentions and loyalties would be divided. Once we were married, I would have been offering you much more attention than Suna and my duties." Leaning forward, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, making her shiver. "Suna will always be able to wait for you, Tenten. And so will I."
Tenten tightened her fists in his robes and clung to him for a long moment, holding him in place with his lips against her forehead. Gaara and Neji were quite similar, really – probably more so than either of them would be willing to admit. They were both strong, quiet, passionate about their beliefs, willing to stand up for what they believed was right no matter what they cost, and they both offered their love unconditionally, willing to do whatever it took to protect those for which they held affection.
In truth, she too had seen the mingled love and heartbreak in Neji's eyes when he'd looked at her. However, she saw the same thing in Gaara's. They both loved her, and she loved both of them. Was there a right decision to make here? Did she have the right to break Gaara's heart by going back to Neji, or vice-versa? Did she even deserve either of them?
A knock on the door pulled Tenten's mind back to the present. Smoothing the front of her kimono one last time, she accepted the bouquet of flowers Ino handed her as Hinata went to open the door.
"You ready to go, Tenten?" Kakashi asked as the four bridesmaids slipped past him into the hall.
Swallowing back the nervous butterflies now fluttering up into her throat, Tenten crossed the room and slid her hand into the crook of the arm her older brother offered. "Yes I am," she replied confidently.
Kakashi smiled as they followed Hinata, Sakura, Temari, and Ino toward the grand hall where everyone else was waiting. "You look happy," he said quietly.
"I didn't look happy before?"
"You know I didn't mean it that way, Panda. I just mean that you look happier than the last time we were in this situation. Like you know for sure that the choices you're making are the right ones, made for the right reasons." They paused at the end of the aisle, waiting for the bridesmaids to finish their march before following.
Tenten thought for a moment. "It wasn't easy to get to this point," she said. "It took me almost another year. But things are better now, and I know I'm doing the right thing. I'm doing this because it's what I want, not because it's what I feel I have to do." She watched for a moment as the crowd shifted restlessly, waiting for their cue to stand and turn to see her and Kakashi advancing down the aisle. "But everything that happened … well, I know it all happened for a reason. I'm not the same Tenten I was before. I'm closer to her than I was a year ago, but all the changes that have been made to me are for the better, I believe."
"I'm happy for you, Tenten. And I'm proud of you."
Those words meant more to her than Kakashi could ever know, and she took a moment to hug him and press a kiss to the skin of his cheek above his mask. "Thank you, Kakashi."
Perhaps she'd imagined it, but she saw a slight sheen in his open eye. "C'mon, Tenten. Let's go get you married." Then, so softly she almost missed it, she heard him say, "I wouldn't entrust your safety and happiness to anyone else in the world."
She carefully blinked her eyes to keep the tears there from falling and messing up the makeup Ino had so skillfully applied. Grasping her bouquet with one hand and her brother's arm with the other, she half-walked, half-floated her way down the aisle. Tenten felt absolutely nothing inhibiting her as she had last time. In fact, part of her wanted to let go of Kakashi, throw away her dignity, and race down the rest of the aisle until she reached her soon-to-be-husband's side.
Despite her urge, Tenten smiled serenely and kept up her respectful pace, exactly in step with Kakashi. She could not, however, keep her gaze from skipping ahead of her as she sought out one pair of eyes in particular among the wedding party's.
Gaara's sage-colored eyes met hers squarely, that warm light she was so familiar with brightening them. He smiled, a small movement of his lips that made the nervous, excited fluttering in her stomach ease slightly. She returned his smile, feeling the last little bit of tension in her body ease away. Her concern over any difficulties or awkwardness she might encounter vanished, wiped away by the reassurance and happiness she saw in his expression.
At last, Tenten shifted her gaze from him to rest her eyes on Neji. She had had few opportunities over the course of their time knowing each other to see him in dress robes, and how he looked right then made the other handful of times seem poor and insignificant in comparison. His pale eyes were wide with amazement as he looked at her, his loose dark hair shining in the light of the candles lit everywhere. He was smiling in a way she'd never seen before, making him look so happy. More so than any other time, he took her breath away.
After a walk that had seemed to stretch on for forever, Kakashi kissed her cheek and gently placed her hands in Neji's. As his long fingers curled around hers, the flutters in her stomach started up again, more frenetic than ever. But their frenzy was an excited one, and she couldn't help but grin in response.
Tsunade gazed at them for a long moment, then looked toward the door at the back of the hall before clearing her throat and starting the ceremony. A grin was tugging at the corner of her mouth as she spoke, even though she was trying so hard to look the piece of the noble, stalwart Hokage officiating over one of the most important ceremonies ever performed by a person in the office she held.
Sunlight slanted through the windows lining the hall, painting everything in an ethereal glow. A beam fell directly across her and Neji's intertwined hands, as if casting its own blessing over the union taking place. This was the way things were meant to be, and Tenten couldn't ask for a more perfect day.
Her only moment of true anxiety was when Tsunade said the traditional words, "If anyone so objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace." Tenten held her breath, not daring to look away from Neji to see if there were any dissenting persons staring back - one, in particular. But when no one spoke, the Hokage allowed the grin she'd been holding back through the entire ceremony to stretch her lips as she looked back and forth between Neji and Tenten. "I proudly present to you Hyuuga Neji and Tenten. Go on and kiss her, Neji."
Tenten's breath caught in her throat as Neji's arms wound firmly around her waist, pulling her to him as he lowered his mouth to hers. She let out a breathless, excited laugh as she slid her own arms around his shoulders, hanging on to him as he gently tilted her back slightly and kissed her, his hair falling over his shoulder in a curtain to hide them from the enthusiastically applauding crowd watching them.
The music started up as they finally broke apart, Neji offering her his arm as they started their trek back up the aisle. Tenten gazed at the happy faces in the crowd as she sensed Gaara and Hinata, Naruto and Sakura, Lee and Temari, and Shikamaru and Ino fall into line behind them. The applause was still filling the hall, and Tenten couldn't stop smiling at them all. She had never felt happier, more fulfilled, in her life.
They all adjourned to the dining hall, where happy chattering and laughter bounced off the walls. Neji and Tenten, seated at the head table, were kept occupied by a steady stream of well-wishers. They were given a break long enough to eat, then the speeches were made, and they left the table to move through the hall and visit.
Tenten pressed a soft kiss to Neji's cheek and murmured a, "Be right back" to him. He offered a surprised look, then followed her gaze and nodded once, understandingly. He went back to his conversation with Gai, Lee, Naruto, and Ino, leaving her to quietly slip away to where Gaara had just bowed over Hinata's hand, leaving her to her next dance partner as he headed for the drinks table.
"Thank you, Gaara," she said as she paused next to him. She and Neji had spent a long time discussing whether or not his idea of having Gaara as his best man was a good idea or not. Neji had told her in confidence that he was glad Gaara had been helping her be happier, to heal her, and that if anything ever truly happened to him, he'd want her to wind up with someone like the Kazekage. When at last they had proposed the idea to the leader of Suna, he had smiled and looked grateful that they were including him in their wedding. But she wasn't really sure of how he felt.
Setting aside his cup, he turned to face her and smiled slightly. "Thank you, Tenten." He glanced over her shoulder for a moment, then stepped closer and tilted his head slightly. "Are you happy, Tenten? Really happy?"
She gazed up into Gaara's solemn face, allowing no secrets to hide in her expression as she responded. "Yes, I truly am." Reaching out, she took his hands in hers and squeezed once. "Thank you so much, Gaara. For everything you have done for me."
He pressed a quick, brotherly kiss to her forehead. "I would do it all over again in a heartbeat, so long as I know you'll be happy in the end."
Blinking back a fresh wave of tears, she swallowed hard. There were no sufficient words to convey the emotions bubbling up inside her in response to his sentiments.
Gaara smiled reassuringly. "If there's ever anything you or Neji need, don't hesitate to come to me. All right?"
She nodded. "Thank you."
He squeezed her hand one more time before letting her go, and in that moment Tenten saw just a flash of a much deeper emotion in his eyes, one that vanished before she could fully analyze it. "Neji's looking for you. Go, Tenten, and be happy." He bowed one last time, then turned to answer a hail by his older sister.
At the same moment, Neji's arm slipped around her waist, and his lips pressed a kiss to her temple. "You okay, Tenten?" he murmured for her ears only.
Leaning her head against her shoulder, she looked away from Gaara's retreating form up into her husband's shining eyes, feeling her giddy happiness return. "Yes, I truly am," she repeated. She would always love Gaara, for he had been with her during a time when she had felt so alone and isolated, and desperately needed someone. Had things gone differently, it didn't take much of a stretch of her imagination to imagine herself with him in Suna, building a new home and a family with him.
But standing there with Neji, his arms around her, their future stretching before them like the hopeful pages of a good book, she knew that that was where she truly belonged, where she would be happiest. She held absolutely no doubts that there was someone else out there for Gaara, someone who could complete him in the same ways that Neji completed her, and she silently wished him all the best as she closed her eyes and snuggled her head into Neji's neck. "I love you, Neji."
She felt him smile against her forehead as he replied warmly. "I love you, too, Tenten."
*~The End~*
Author's Ending Notes: Happy Easter, everybody! And now we've come to the end of the trilogy, which makes me sad, but I'm happy because this means we can move on to new things now. Thank you all again so much for reading, and I hope this conclusion didn't disappoint!
