E2: Well, isn't this getting interesting?
Top of Form
Chapter Seven: Settling In
After showering and shaving, Neji walked briskly back to the Hyuuga compound, dragging Emi along beside him as he navigated through the busy streets.
"Neji!"
Neji didn't stop walking. He knew who it was.
"Neji! Don't keep walking like you don't know who I am!" demanded a shrill voice. In a flash, the owner of the voice had appeared in front of him and greeted him jovially.
"H—eh?" Sakura caught sight of Emi, clinging onto Neji's hand.
"What do you want?"
"I thought that… you had come home early, and I wanted to see Tenten… but she's obviously not here," Sakura said cautiously.
"Hi!" Emi smiled. "I'm Emi! Neji-kun and I are engaged! Isn't it wonderful!" she jumped excitedly up and down and Sakura gave her a dry look.
"Listen; do you know where Tenten is?" Sakura asked, deliberately skirting the subject of the engagement.
"No."
"You mean… she didn't come back with you?"
"That's exactly what I mean."
"What? Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Is she still at the beach place you went to?"
"I don't know. I left when I woke up," Neji said shortly, aware of the hand clutching his.
"Like she…" Sakura knew it wasn't the right time to be drilling him for details in the middle of the street with that annoying girl-woman… thing there with him, listening to every word they exchanged. She seemed… sneaky and cunning, and not as 'innocent' as she looked.
"I'm so sorry- you must be in a hurry to get somewhere," Sakura stammered. "Is it alright if I meet up with you tomorrow? At your place?" she innocently twirled a kunai in her fingers and Neji knew she meant his training grounds, so he nodded.
The kunoichi flitted away, back to her original task (having an afternoon out with Ino), and Neji continued almost dragging Emi through the markets.
"Was that…?" Ino looked at her friend.
"Yeah- it was Neji." Sakura sighed and mixed her iced tea around with her straw.
"What is it?"
"I'm worried- Neji said Tenten didn't come back with him."
"What? Why?" Ino demanded. She and Tenten had grown closer over the course of eight months, and the young Nara-to-be was very concerned about all of her friends.
"Neji's engaged," Sakura said quietly.
"Are you serious?" Ino exclaimed loudly.
"Be quiet! It's not official yet- I don't know for sure, though."
"Why?"
"His fiancée said it."
"Then why don't you believe it?"
"Because… there's something not right about her."
"Well, I guess that's not for us to say," Ino frowned. "But I am worried about Tenten. Come on- we have to go ask Temari if she's seen her."
Sakura nodded, drank the rest of her tea and left the small café, following Ino back to her house.
----x----
Neji and Emi arrived at the compound after a few more minutes and Neji left Emi at the door, leaving her maid to attend to her, and went to seek Hinata.
He knocked briskly on the door and entered.
"Neji..." Hinata sighed, and waved weakly.
"Are you okay, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked immediately coming to kneel at her side.
"Yes... it's just been a long day... but I have something to ask of your opinion, and if you support what I am asking of you, it would mean a change for the entire family..."
"Just ask me."
"How would you feel... if I wanted to take away the Head-Branch family system?"
"That is quite the unnecessary question, Hinata-sama. In fact, it is merely... a formality now, in our family."
"Well- I want to do away with it, for good- to just take everything out of the corners, and just have everyone together, united and strong."
Neji paused before answering.
"This is quite a task you've set up for yourself- you'll have to get Hiashi-sama's will sorted out first, and then... the wedding... and then your own wedding, too," he smiled genuinely.
"Thanks, Neji. It means a lot to me," Hinata returned the smile, and sighed, turning beck to her work.
"Is there anything else I can do?" Neji asked, a hint of humour in his voice.
"Yes- I want you to be as nice as you can to Emi," Hinata said, turning to him with a steely glint in her eyes.
"I think that is a harder task than dissolving the ranks between the families."
"You have to try, Neji- for everyone's sake. Do it for Tenten, and make sure that her sacrifice of your relationship was not in vain, please. I am begging you."
Neji stood, his mind suddenly closed at the mention of Tenten's name.
"I will try, Hinata-sama," he said, rigid and formal as he left the room silently, shutting the doors with ease as he left.
----x----
Neji locked his room door and sat at his desk. There was a knock on the adjoining door, and he knew it was Emi. Without waiting for an answer, the blonde entered the room and opened his suitcase.
"What are you doing?" Neji asked, pushing her hands away from his belongings.
"Helping you unpack, because it's obvious you don't want to do it." Emi smiled.
"That is unnecessary." Neji said coldly, and began to take the dirty clothes from the top of the suitcase to the laundry.
"I was just trying to help," Emi said softly, looking down at the black bag. She saw something blue, and pulled it out from beneath the clothes. It was a blue dress that fell down to her knees and sleeves that were long and flowing that covered her hands. The fabric was beautiful and smooth, and it looked perfectly new and unwrinkled. She held it to her front as she stood in front of a mirror and tried to imagine what she would look like wearing it.
Then it occurred to her- why did Neji have a beautiful blue dress with his clothes? Was it a gift? Had it belonged to this Tenten girl?
"Emi," Neji said in a soft, deadly tone. "Never touch that, ever again. If you do, I will kill you. Now, get out of my room."
Emi tearfully pushed the dress to his body and ran out of the room via the adjoining door that connected to her servant's room.
Neji was rough around the edges- Emi thought as she wiped away her tears. But she would change that. She would make sure that he was the man she wanted him to be and he would love her until the end of the world. It was a comforting thought to her as she brushed her hair before she went to dinner. Neji wouldn't remember that other girl's name- not after what she'd planned.
--------
On Friday, the next week, Miyako woke to find that, once again, her husband had left. Sighing, Miyako left the bed, suddenly remembering her bareness and the servants who had just entered the room, waking her.
"This is rather embarrassing," she muttered.
Asuka smiled, handing her some clothes.
"That's why no men are allowed in here after Hiroshi has left," Hotanu said, quickly straightening the sheets. "Which reminds me," she paused. "Hiro has already left for work- he was going to wake you and say goodbye, but he wanted to let you rest."
Miyako changed into a simple singlet top with beading detail and a white cotton ruffled skirt with a wide band of a variety of shaded blue beads that looked like a belt.
"So," Miyako said to fill the silence as Akane handed her the comb, sitting at the dresser. "What are we doing today?"
"I don't know…" Hotanu said. "I mean, Hiro's not here, so it's not like he's going to come back and tell us what to do…"
"Is he the oldest out of all of you?"
Asuka nodded. "He's the leader of our clan, by birthright."
"If the weather's good, do you want to go down to the beach?" Hana suggested, looking excited.
"I guess," Akane said carefully. Miyako sensed that they followed Akane more than Hiroshi- and respected her more, too. "We can teach Miya there, too."
Miyako smiled. "Teach me what?"
Hotanu raised her eyebrow at Miyako's question. "What do you think you were reading yesterday?"
"I'm learning… all that?"
"Hiroshi said that he wanted you to familiarize yourself with it when he left- but he'd initiate you properly."
"Okay then…" Miyako said, sounding unsure. She suddenly realized something. "Why is it, that when Hiro isn't around, you four are way more talkative?"
Hotanu shrugged. "Hiro likes the quiet- and not the sound of four chattering younger sisters."
------------------
The four sisters plus Tenten walked down to the beach. Hotanu, as the youngest- she was 16- was skipping daintily on the slippery rocks, but never faltering in her movements. Akane, Hana and Asuka settled down on the golden sand, with Miyako.
Hana smirked before handing her the book.
"Do you have an idea of what it takes to be completely adopted into the clan?"
Miyako shuddered. She knew about the ritual that brought out the fifteen symbols of the Hideaki clan- in fact, the more symbols you had, the more pain you felt. But time- the darkest symbol on the cover of the book often left the person exhausted for days afterwards. Everyone in the clan had control over at least four out of fifteen areas- earth, wind, water, fire, air, metal, wood, and lightning in the outer circle; mind, body, heart and soul in the diamond; life, death and time on the inside. There was no one in the clan who had all fifteen- only one still living member of the clan had fourteen, but they had no ability to heal nor to resurrect; life was absent from their markings. As it was, resurrection required the more powerful, inner three seals; and no one since the founder of their clan, Hyuuga Hideaki had ever possessed all fifteen seals.
However, all Hideaki had at least four seals- two elements, the mind and death.
Just by looking, though, Tenten could discern that Akane controlled fire and lightning – as did Hotanu, but Akane leaned more towards fire, and Hotanu to lightning and metal. Asuka controlled water, air and wind and Hana controlled earth, wood and possibly water, for nothing could survive without the aid of water. Hiroshi was harder to read- perhaps he had all elements within him?
"Miya?"
"Sorry," Miyako said. "I spaced out."
Asuka smirked. "Obviously."
"What were you saying, though?" Miyako asked Hana.
"Oh right- I was wondering if you'd want a bit of a lesson."
Miyako's eyes flicked distastefully at the book- she'd finished it yesterday, but somehow got the feeling that if she read it again, nothing would be the same.
Asuka laughed at her expression.
"I think she meant a demonstration of our … talents," Akane filled in.
Asuka's eyes glowed summer-sea blue as she twirled her fingers, and the ocean spray twisted in circles around Hotanu, who evaporated some of the water, creating mist and Asuka laughed, letting her control of the water slip away and her eyes returned to normal.
"That's not nice!" Hotanu shouted, coming to sit by them.
Akane's eyes changed to a deep scarlet- it reminded Miyako of the colour of the Sharingan (which she knew because… she just did) – and she opened her palms. In one hand, sparks of electricity flickered up and down her skin, and in the other, a fireball resided.
Hana's eyes turned to a sage green, and her fingertips grazed the sand lightly, causing daisies to grow.
"So… how does it work?" Miyako asked.
"Simple- you just use your mind to basically… wish what you want- but you need to control how much chakra you need to use to get the effect you need- especially with things like water in its liquid form, fire, lightning and wind. The easiest ones to control are the fixed elements, like wood, metal and earth because you can touch them easily." Akane explained.
Miyako nodded.
"So… what elements do you think I could control?" she asked.
"There's a lot of metal, earth, wood, fire and lightning in your personality… but who knows? The ceremony tonight will tell everything." Hotanu smiled, and Miyako felt slightly uneasy.
-------x-------
Neji sighed, sitting down on his bed, cradling his head in his hands. None of this would have ever happened if… Neji thought for a moment. What would life have been like if… Naruto hadn't won that fight? Would his perspective on life still have changed? What would have happened if Sasuke hadn't left (then come back) and he hadn't needed to fight Kidomaru, and almost died upon winning? Would his destiny have been lived out… without the loss of having Tenten by his side? In this situation, he might have lamented the fact that he could spend a lot less time with a teammate in training and missions… but it wouldn't have hurt that much, right?
But the thoughts kept roaming in Neji's mind: their first kiss, their first official date… their first, well… everything. And then he sighed. This was destined to be, it seemed, regardless of how he had tried to fight it. Being locked up by fate again, twice by Emi, three times by Hiashi-sama… and a hundredfold by his ache for Tenten. He had to make everything work so that the sacrifice of the love of his life… was not in vain.