Chapter 2

"Don't be too anxious, it's good that you're safe. I'll go, so that you can take time to rest." He spoke upon rising from his seat.

She couldn't hide it forever…nonetheless, she never wanted to deceive him. Not like this…

"Neji…" She called, her voice sounded so tiny that looked almost imperceptible.

He stopped and glanced at the slender body covered with white blanket.

"I need to tell you something." Her voice was shaking. Neji went nearer. He felt her penetrating anxiety. Her body language and facial expressions suggested something. Something that his mind could not perceive.

"I'm not pregnant." She uttered staring at the window.

"What?" He confirmed his face looked dismayed.

"I said, I'm not pregnant..!" She spoke in an almost scream as the tears burst out of her eyes. "We didn't make it."

Neji walked over to stand before the window. The dusk complimented the mood. He could not think clearly. He felt so weak. He felt so useless. He felt stupid. He felt guilt. He felt anger. He felt…

"I'm so sorry…Forgive me for all of these." Her tears would not stop from flowing.

"Why Tenten?" He asked with clenched fist, he turned around so not to let her see his frowning face. Unstoppable tears were slowly forming at the base of his eyes.

"Because I don't want to lose you, I'm so in love with you." She wiped her tears away with the back of her palms.

"Stupid!" He declared rigidly, as he spun around to face her.

"You know what kind of fate I have! You know what kind of life I'm going through! You really think I'm so happy to have your child! You really think I'm so concern about you, your health, your dignity!"

"THAT'S ALL A CRAP! I want to die without descendants…without anyone at my side." He said wrathfully, making Tenten cover her face with her two hands. She wouldn't want to see Neji's face in deep agony.

"Stop it Neji! Stop it! I don't wanna hear it anymore!" Tenten shouted, pulling the blanket over her body.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! But I'm just a human, Neji. Your attitude makes your life difficult." Tenten sobbed.

Neji left her and slammed the door as he shoved out. He saw none of his three subordinates outside the room. He searched around and called their names one by one. He went down the stairs and met them carrying their own packed meals.

The three kids got stunned and dropped the packed meals on the floor upon seeing their mentor's activated Byakugan eyes. And, nobody attempted to pick it up. Fear spread throughout their bodies as he stepped nearer to them.

"Where have you been! Why didn't you tell me that you're going somewhere else!" He summoned.

"We're sorry Neji-sensei, we felt so hungry that's why we went to the cafeteria for a while." The group leader explained with a shaky voice. The only girl in the group started to cry, while the other one was looking at the floor.

"I've told you it's too dangerous to go places without my permission! If our enemies find you, then you create a big problem! I will not tolerate your stubbornness! I'm gonna give you a punishment for this one! I will give it to you when we reach Konoha."

The three were speechless, with shaking knees. That was the first time they saw their teacher with such fearful expressions.

"Understood?" He asked, pointing a finger at their direction.

"Yes." They chorused.

"Go to Tenten's room and none of you has the right to be noisy. She needs a lot of rest to recover easily. And no one is allowed to go even outside the room. If I catch you playing or doing silly things, I'm gonna tie your bodies together and stuff you inside a garbage bag!" he warned.

"We understand, sir!" The kid leader said. A nurse passed by him and greeted him. She asked him to come with her in the nurse's station. The kids grabbed the meals from the floor and went immediately to her room. When he reached the station, a middle-aged doctor faced him holding a patient's chart.

"Mister, your friend is not in good condition. She has a fever right now. We're sorry but we can't let her go by tomorrow because we needed to observe her condition furthermore."

"No problem…just do what's best for her. Thank you very much." He nodded, and turned his back.

Early in the morning, Neji left the hospital together with his subordinates. He brought them in front of the Ninja Academy, and waited for the Hokage office to open. He surrendered the necklace to Tsunade-sama and made a report. He was told that he was about to receive his payment in three days. He slowly went out of the office and eyed Lee from afar. He thought of a way to escape so Lee would not be able to see him. Right now, he was not in the mood to ride or listen to Lee's drama.

He knocked two times and gently shoved inside. Tenten was sitting on the bed, reading a newspaper.

"Good Morning." She greeted. And he said nothing. "Why did you come here still? I could go home all by myself…" She uttered softly.

"Then, why didn't you leave while I'm gone? You don't have fever anymore, do you?" he said sarcastically. Tenten gazed at his eyes as he walked to the corner of the room. His eyes were dark underneath that showed lack of sleep. Then she lied on her back. After a few seconds, she turned to the other side to see what he was doing. He was sound asleep in a sitting position.

Neji woke up, lifted his body while scratching his eyes, and looked around. He saw her sitting at the edge of the bed swinging her legs back and forth. She was not in a hospital gown anymore, and her backpack was ready beside her. He stood up and glanced at the wall clock. It was 5:00 pm already.

"I already paid the hospital bill." She said nonchalantly.

"Okay, then let's go." He said as he opened the door and walked out.

Neji stopped by a sleazy bar a few miles away from Konoha. He was tired, he wanted a drink. He glanced over his shoulder to see his teammate.

"You can go now." Neji spoke coldly.

"W-Why? I don't have anything more to do tonight so I'll be fine! Don't worry, I'm not in a hurry." She assured with a discontented grin.

He proceeded and approached the counter. He looked over the seats and got one at the very nook. Tenten followed him and sat down facing him. She stared at him all the way noticing exhaustion in his face. He looked away, he never wanted to exchange looks with her. A pitcher of beer was served by the waitress in less than five minutes; followed by the two shot glasses with ice and a bowl of spicy nacho chips. Neji poured the beer first in his glass.

"Neji, this recent mission is not supposed to be a class C mission. There were chuunin ninjas involved. The Hokage office had actually given incomplete information." Tenten spoke.

"That happens occasionally. It was not a big deal for me." He flatly said, gulping the entire liquid in his glass. Tenten just nodded her head in agreement and leaned back to contemplate about it.

"But you have worked double time to protect your subordinates—"

"I have no problem with the recent mission I had!" he cut her sentence and put the glass down annoyingly. "It was part of the training…for all of us. The reward does not matter. Experience is the most important especially for my students." He brusquely poured another amount of liquid into his glass that spilled around.

"Neji, you shouldn't drink too much..!" she warned.

"What do you care if I drink all the beers here?" He retorted, stuffing a few chips in his mouth.

"Oh, I should say…drinking wouldn't solve any of your problems." She mumbled feeling so offended.

"Please don't act as if we're okay, coz' we're not okay! We'll never be okay!" He exclaimed in an almost scream.

Tenten felt her heart pierced caused by his unkind words. Her hand reached for the pitcher of beer. She poured it over her glass and gulped it. She made a bitter face and coughed aloud. She would never ever appreciate the taste of beer; so she just picked a few pieces of nacho chips. Damn! It tasted so hot, it felt literally like cutting her tongue. She grabbed the glass before her and forgot about its own taste. The spicy taste was still present inside her mouth. The pitcher felt light as she lifted it. Neji's head was now resting on the table; his hand still cupped around the shot glass.

"Neji..?" She called out. She shook his arm and he answered a soft "Hn" to her.

"Excuse me, ma'am." A waitress approached her. "We have rooms for rent upstairs. We can help you bring him there if you want." She said naughtily. She glanced at her watch. It was 11:45 pm. She felt dizzy in a second, which was followed by a headache.

"I want to go home…" he spoke in a drunken voice.

"No way! We can't go home like this..!" She worried. She heard nothing from him afterwards.

Abruptly, Neji dropped his body on the bed. Tenten looked around the room. It was old with a strange smell. The ceiling had thin cobwebs with a visible hole in the middle. The floor was made of vintage wooden planks that were broken on some portions. The walls were filled with vandalism. She bent down to remove Neji's boots as well as his socks. She crawled up to clear his face from stray hairs that stick due to perspiration. She cringed as Neji opened his white eyes. She swallowed hard and moved a bit away.

"Why don't you leave?" he asked.

She did not answer. Suddenly, Neji rose a little, gripped her shoulders, and pushed her down next to him. Her eyes widened in shock, her chest went heaving violently.

"Neji, what do you think you're doing?" she reprimanded, glaring at him eye to eye.

"I was gentle on the first time we did it. You wouldn't come here if you don't expect something like this to happen." He whispered mockingly.

His face was drawing closer and closer to hers. She attempted to push him away by raising her arms but Neji caught it with one hand and pinned her wrists above her head. Her body arched as she felt his burning lips touched the base of her throat. The muscles there went so tensed as she tried to release herself from his trap but he was too strong. So strong that it seemed that, no other way was ever possible to overpower him. His rock hard body pressing against her slender ones and his palm pressing above felt all the way painful to her whole being.

"Neji, you're hurting me..!" her voice seemed lost, she could not scream. She could not counteract him. He mastered all her moves and techniques.

He continued as if he heard nothing. The more she struggled, the more he put pressure on her. The more it felt ever so painful. Until she felt a hand working on the buttons of her blouse, she started to cry. She squealed as she felt his hand moved down, and quickly unzipped her pants.

"Prove me the kind of love you can offer!" he challenged. His harsh lewd voice entered her ears that sent strange shivers throughout her body.

"Stop it!" She cried.

He crushed his lips against hers. Neji could follow her mouth wherever she turned it, left or right. He freed her wrists from his powerful hands. He encircled her body with his muscular arms and sensed her not struggling anymore. She mimicked his action and responded to his hot kisses. Their moans got louder and louder that looked like they were competing. She felt no pains but pure pleasure. At the back of her mind, he was right when he accused her. That she expects something like this to happen. She could leave him there or they could go home together. But she chose to stay with him in that sordid room. She wanted him…so badly…like this.

The sunlight streamed inside the room that touched her face warmly. She woke up, the blanket was wrapped on her naked body. She lifted her body through her elbows and grimaced because of a shooting headache. She looked at him who was lying on his stomach, butt naked. His long, silky black hair spread messily over his scarred behind. She raised her wrists to her eyes and noticed bandages wrapped neatly around it. She smiled although it ached a bit, and stood up. She dressed up, hung her backpack, and walked out the doorway without noise. The door closed gently.

Neji opened his eyes without emotions.

A month has passed since that night. Tenten received two missions consecutively. Neji received one, a jounin mission that subjected his subordinates on two weeks vacation. Lee received three, two minor missions, and one major.

One day, Tenten was not feeling well. She excused herself from her afternoon class and called for a substitute teacher. She was inside her cubicle in the faculty room, clearing her things on the table. Suddenly, she felt a nauseated sensation from her stomach and rushed out of the faculty room. She accidentally bumped on Neji who was coming towards the room. She mumbled a soft 'sorry' without stopping.

Inside the bathroom, she bent over the sink and vomited. She was panting heavily; she slowly rose up to look at herself before a huge mirror. Her face was pale, beads of sweat covered her forehead, and then she realized a familiar reflection through the mirror. It was Neji staring at her without expressions on his face.

"Are you pregnant?" The sound of his crisp voice made her feel uneasy.

She lunged over the sink again and vomited more. She raised her head and saw him staring with eyes waiting for her answer. She shut her eyes and fell unconsciously on his arms.

She woke up inside a clinic. There was a female doctor on her side. She confirmed that she was pregnant. The doctor let her stay for a few more hours and discharged her afterwards with a prescription. She went to her apartment. Neji was waiting at the doorway, his hands inserted inside his pockets.

"What Neji?" She asked with a firm tone. He straightened his body and stood before her.

"I'm positively pregnant." She declared. "But I'm planning to leave."

"What?" He asked. She put out a key and opened the door. She switched on the lights and entered. Neji followed her.

"Where are you going?" he asked once again.

"I'll file my resignation in the Hokage office tomorrow." She replied hastily.

He clutched her arm abruptly and she turned her face to his quickly with a frowning face.

"You can't do this..!" He snorted, poking a head on her.

"What do you want Neji? I must take away the child from you!"

Neji loosened his grip and dropped his hand. He sat on the sofa feeling so weakened. He was upset, he was not sure if he must say it.

"Please don't leave me…" He whispered in a low tone.

"You've said it all. I'm not stupid. I understood. I'd say goodbye to our group," She began to cry.

"Please don't..!" Neji frantically exclaimed, as he hugged her from behind. She tried to break free but she failed.

"I love you Tenten! I love you! I love you so much! All the things I've told you in the hospital were lies!" He shouted, tightening his embrace.

"I loved you ever since we were genins. I've looked at you more than a friend, but I was afraid to tell you the truth! I was a coward; I let the curse haunt me all my life!" he cried loudly, his tears streaming down his pure white eyes. "

"N-Neji…I can't breathe…" She grumbled. He loosened his embrace. She spun around to have him face to face. She lifted her face to have a glimpse of his adorable face.

"Please stay with me. I don't care if the Hyuugas kill me. If ever that happens, go away! Leave the country, half of my inheritances is in your name already!" He assured, and then bent down to kiss her passionately.

After a week…

Neji entered the main house. Hinata was making embroideries. She greeted him with a delightful grin. She wore a nice, pink empire dress. He noticed her obviously distended abdomen.

"Hinata, can I touch your abdomen?" He asked. She stopped and stared at him for a moment. Did he really ask it? She thought perplexed.

"Can I? Please?" He pleaded.

"Sure..!" She exclaimed and went near to him.

He put his hand over and caressed it. He bent over to place his ear on it. He felt it moved, as Hinata giggled.

"She was happy to meet her uncle." She said.

"She's a girl. I hope to have a boy. Tenten is already pregnant." He uttered, smiling.

"So when are you going to get married?" she asked.

"As soon as possible." He excitedly answered.

"Naruto and I will marry after I give birth." She announced happily.

"I see." Neji simply replied.

There was a Hyuuga meeting to be held in the afternoon inside a conference room. The Hyuuga compound has been renovated a few years ago. The main house was transformed into a very huge, and modern mansion. The garden was filled with a variety of beautiful flowers and a statue of the Hyuuga ancestors. The surrounding walls and the main gate stood twenty feet, and were protected by a high tech security and surveillance system.

Neji and Hinata were present in the conference. Hyuuga Hiashi has gotten out of the hospital recently. All the chief members of the Hyuuga head and branch were involved. Hiashi wanted to talk about the cancelled wedding. They were asked if they wanted to change the plan. Many clan members were willing to adopt their children, so that the plan would remain

"We won't change our plans!" Neji negated rigidly, slamming his fist against the table. Hinata who was sitting beside him gripped his hand to calm him down.

"We have gathered information that these are nothing but a scheme!" Hiashi declared. Hinata went rattled as her body trembled.

Neji acted as if it did not affect him at all. He sighed, and constructed his thoughts calmly.

"That's true..!" He spoke.

"Neji-nii-san..!" Hinata exclaimed, loosening her grip.

"You could say that there was a scheme but there was really none after all." He continued.

"What are you talking about?" Hinata's father angered.

"We were startled by your ambition of producing another prodigy at our expense. We thought of a scheme to hinder it. But along the way, we discovered our true emotions and identity that we failed to recognize all these years."

"…because of the curse…because of what you inculcate in Hinata's mind…BECAUSE WE'RE HYUUGAS!" Neji raged.

"Neji-nii-san, that's enough!" Hinata cried, she never wanted to provoke his father. If his father would insist his plan, she would accept it. But she loved Naruto, she would never want to hurt him again. She didn't know what to do.

"The scheme actually built bridges to our hearts. It made us realize our suppressed feelings for each other." Neji moved his chair backwards and rose up. "I'm gonna marry Tenten, whether you like it or not! Even if you decide to end my life, I won't change anything!" He turned to his left and walked out.

No one from the Hyuuga clan attempted to say a word. There was a deafening silence. Hinata kept on crying, she stood up to follow her cousin. She felt pain around her hips; someone screamed and pointed at her feet. She was bleeding. Her father as well as the members panicked and lifted her body. He ordered to ready the car to bring her to the hospital

Outside the delivery room, Hiashi was waiting impatiently together with Neji and Hanabi. Hiashi was anxious and blatantly worrying. Hanabi was holding on Neji's arm tightly. Meanwhile, the doctor went out.

She confirmed that the baby and the mother were both safe although it was a preterm delivery. Therefore, they should release themselves from the fuss. Hiashi hugged his younger daughter and Neji let out a sigh and smiled. The baby was brought to the nursery where they could have a glimpse. The baby has blonde hair like Naruto but without whiskers. She has the eyes and skin color of Hinata. Hiashi cried upon seeing his granddaughter. He never felt so overwhelmed in his life. Then, Naruto arrived rushing together with their other comrades.

The bells were ringing. It was a double garden wedding. Neji could not believe his eyes that they were all in a wedding. After all that he had been through, this one was the ultimate reward that no kind of treasure on earth could ever match. To marry the one you love, to achieve peace of mind and unity with your family was just enough to relieve any kind of pain. This was a true release.

Hiashi brought him to a secluded place. Neji had no idea of what was going to happen. Hiashi told him that he should relax his mind and body. He told him to close his eyes and clear his thoughts. Neji complied without hesitation. The old man did a series of patterned hand seals and the head protector on Neji's forehead suddenly broke into pieces. Neji groaned and quickly opened his eyes. He saw the pieces of metal falling down his face. He touched his head and felt like it exploded itself. He looked at the old man, he was panting and grinning at him.

"I removed the curse from your forehead. You can go on freely from now on." The old man declared slowly recovering his energy.

"Thank you, Hiashi-sama." He exclaimed with joy and hugged his uncle.

"I'm sorry Neji, my nephew..." He whispered with teary eyes.

Tenten gave birth to identical twins. They were both boys who got all the features from Neji. Neji was too happy to become a father. Tenten now lived in the Hyuuga house together with her children, while Hinata lived with Naruto in his apartment. Gai-sensei's wife gave birth to a baby boy. Lee was all the way happy that it looked exactly like himself. Lee became a jounin after a year and started dating other girls. All of them went on with their lives living normally as they should be.

Author's Note:

I hope you like this better? Still not? I know I can't please everyone. You see, I'm just an amateur and I'm not as good as the other writers here. It takes almost a week for me to finish this one. I know I should work on a lot of things. But this one is like one of my hobbies. Your comments and criticisms do a lot of help--as long as it's constructive. You actually help me do better in my writing and I owe a lot from you.

Thanks for reading…again! Please review!

Salamat uli sa pagbabasa! Salamat nga pala sa mga Pinoy diyan na nag-review. Pwede tayo magkakilala pakilagay lang ang email. Gusto ko rin kayo makilala siyempre. Thank you, Thank you talaga! You're the best!