E2: Wow, it seems to just all happen at once. I can't really be bothered, sorry.

So, read, review and I do hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Nine: Giving Up Hope

Hiashi's funeral was a quiet, sombre affair. It was even more quiet than usual in the Hyuuga household. Even Emi felt the oppressing silence bearing down and pressing on all of her senses. Hinata and Hanabi had not been the only ones to cry that day- Hiashi had been the one to open Neji's cage, and he would never forget that favour for the rest of his life, no matter how close he came to severely hating his uncle whenever he saw Emi. It wasn't his fault that he had died but the fact was that he had forced Neji into a marriage that would be completely fake made Neji feel the beginning of the trapped door once more. But this time, that cage's name was not Fate- it was Emi.

That night, after dinner, Neji went to Hinata and Hanabi who were sitting in Hanabi's bedroom. They were talking about old times and of all the memories and times they had shared with their father, good and bad.

"Neji…" Hanabi said quietly to Neji when Hinata left to go back to her study. There were still, unfortunately, things to sort out. "I think there's something not right about this whole thing."

"What whole thing?"

"With my father's death and Emi's arrival. Her clan is not that prestigious and I really think that he knew that you were in love with Tenten."

Neji scowled darkly at her even though he knew that she was trying to tell him something.

"Okay, I know. Just look," Hanabi brought a file out of a large box under her bed. "Sakura and Ino gave this to me today, and told me to tell you to look at it."

Neji opened the file. It was from the hospital and Neji realized that Sakura must have pulled more than a few strings to obtain the documents in the nondescript file.

"It's Emi," Neji said blandly. "Takumi Emi."

"But look- she died three hundred years ago. There has been no Takumi Emi in the Takumi Clan since her death."

"Then… how about her sister… that Aimi girl?"

"She doesn't exist either," Hanabi said.

There was a long pause and Hanabi silently put away the file and locked the box. Neji looked at Hanabi and the younger girl nodded. They sensed her coming.

"What's going on?" Emi said from the doorway, five seconds later.

"Nothing, just family things- things you don't need to know about," Neji snapped and Emi flinched, like she had been slapped in the face.

"I am going to be a part of thisfamily!" Emi shouted back.

"Emi, Neji," Hinata said quietly, coming out of the shadows. "Please, be more silent. Everyone can hear you because your voices are echoing. Please, pay respect to my father. I know he means nothing to you, Emi, but if you are to live here for the next few years, you must respect our ways," she said with a quiet, polite, and unassuming authority. It was something that she had a knack with and could bend many an ambassador to her will- Hinata had been working on relations with the Hyuuga clan and all other villages for many, many years, now.

"We're sorry," Neji said brusquely as he grabbed Emi's arm. "Goodnight, Hanabi-sama, Hinata-sama."

"Goodnight, Neji-nii-san," both girls chorused, and smiled gently at one another. Neji nodded at Hanabi, and pulled Emi back through the compound to the other end where his and Emi's room- he suppressed a shudder- was located.

"Go to sleep, Emi," Neji let go of her arm and entered his room, locking the door.

That night, Neji dreamt of Tenten. She was crying and wanted only to touch his face just one more time. Neji was crying also, and gently traced the planes of her face- something his thumbs had memorised.

"Stay with me," Neji breathed.

Suddenly, she seemed so very real and Neji kissed her lips like he had been wanting to ever since she had left him in the middle of the night. It was rough, and passionate, and yet… something wasn't right. Tenten seemed almost… shy- like she'd never been kissed by him before.

Neji abruptly woke, realizing, too late, that his Tenten was really Emi. He pulled away from her and the pain in his eyes must have shown, for Emi only smiled sadly.

"Won't you just go back to sleep?" Emi asked her voice breaking. "Why can't you love me like you loved Tenten?"

"Because…" Neji said hoarsely. "I still love her. And… you're too different. You're not the same as she is."

"Will you kiss me again?" Emi asked, twirling her golden hair with her fingers. Neji suddenly realised that she was completely bare and the moonlight was shining on her smooth, fair skin.

"Have you come to seduce me?" Neji asked stupidly.

Emi said nothing, but placed a hand over Neji's eyes, his eyelids fluttering shut. He wouldn't remember anything tomorrow- it would have all been just a dream.

----x----

When Neji woke the next day, it was because his blanket was twisting around, and he wasn't getting enough warmth. He grumpily pulled on it and something brushed against his chest. He looked down and saw that it was hair. Golden hair, to be precise. Neji instantly knew who it was.

"Emi?" Neji looked at the blonde, knowing that she was awake.

"Yes, Neji?" Emi rolled over and the Hyuuga found that the young woman was completely without clothing and in his arms, cuddling closer to his chest.

"What are you doing here, naked, in my bed?"

"You asked me to come here last night."

"I highly doubt that," Neji said dryly, inching away from her.

"No- really, you did! I couldn't sleep last night, and I came to you to ask you where the kitchen was, and you told me to stay with you, and you kissed me, and took off my clothes!" Emi smiled, and traced circles on his smooth chest. "But don't worry… I won't tell anyone," she leaned up to kiss his lips, but Neji smoothly slid out of the blankets and away from his, loath as he was to use the term, fiancée.

"Will you ever?" Emi asked softly, her eyes downcast as she pulled the blanket up around her.

"Will I ever what?" Neji asked, pulling on a grey shirt.

"Will you ever… love me?" Emi asked, looking him directly in the eye, her voice stronger than it had been before. Neji stared into the deep mix of green and brown, and blinked.

It was enough of an answer for Emi and she smiled. Neji bent, scooped up her clothes from the floor and threw them onto the bed.

"I have a feeling," Emi said brightly when she was dressed. "That today is going to be a good day."

With that statement ringing in his ears, Neji left the room, slamming the door. Everyday that Tenten was not with him was a day that he was driven closer to insanity.

----x----

And, just like that, three years passed, without a word from Tenten.

Hinata sent out an invitation to her for her marriage to Naruto. Tenten would have been one of her bridesmaids, alongside Ino, Sakura and Hanabi. Ino also sent out an invitation to Tenten. She would have been a bridesmaid also.

Tenten had no input to name the next generation of shinobi in their Rookie Nine 'family' and the children were all named Uchiha Chikako, Uzumaki Daiki and Nara Oki- who styled her hair like her most favourite kunoichi, Temari (much to her mother's chagrin) and, of course, to Emi's smug surprise ("See- I told you that I met them!" she bragged to Neji. He simply said, "For their sake, I hope they don't remember it.").

A kind of truce had been drawn up between Neji and Emi. He agreed to teach her to fight on the condition that she did not exploit the opportunity to make romantic advances on him and that she was polite to everyone he knew, and must never enter a certain room in the (formerly owned by Tenten) apartment. They shared a bed (for there was only one bedroom in the apartment), but it never went further than just sleeping. In their entire relationship, they had only ever kissed once and Emi knew that he would only kiss her once again when it came to the marriage ceremony.

Their relationship was somewhat awkward and stilted because they had nothing in common. It was a kind of grudging acquaintance on Neji's side, and Emi felt that 'unrequited love' was what was going on from her perspective. It was a strange game that they played: constantly trying to close a gaping rift between them but it seemed to only fill with fake bridges that would burn and crumble in an instant.

It was exactly three years ago, to the date, that he and Tenten had left to go on their holiday. Neji decided that, on the same day that Tenten had left him three years ago, he would go back and say goodbye to her in his own way. Emi thought it was a romantic idea to go on a holiday to a beach house (Neji hadn't told her the real reason why he wished to go back) and excitedly agreed to come with him for the three weeks.

----x----

"Wow, Neji! This place is so awesome!" Emi squealed as she explored the massive beach house.

"Hn," Neji muttered, not really interested. He watched as Emi ran up the stairs and into the beautiful bedroom.

Emi's initial reaction at the walk in wardrobe was pure and utter bliss. They didn't have one at their (that's what she liked to think of it as) apartment, so she could imagine living here for much longer than three weeks. But, as she turned on the light inside, she found that there were still clothes on the shelves. Clothes that had belonged to a woman.

"Tenten," Emi breathed, cursing the name. She hoped she never had to see her again. Whenever Neji got drunk (which was on a specific date each year – Emi never figured out what was so significant about it, but she knew it wasn't his birthday because his birthday was in July), he would rant on and on about her beauty, her kindness, the way her hair shone, or the deep way that her eyes could express every emotion and thought, and the way he had seen into her soul, and she into his, and how on that mission, they had been doing this, and there was a moment when they just had a charged moment, where they connected and the chemistry between them had been… amazing. Emi got very sick of every third word being either 'Tenten' or 'love' or 'soul' but it was amusing that Neji got very reminiscent when he was drunk.

"Don't think about her like that," Neji said softly, and Emi jumped. She could never get used to it and she knew that it always reminded Neji that she was not Tenten- the only woman that he'd ever love.

Emi had grown so much in three years. She was not as childish- she was more mature and her beauty had fully blossomed but the fact that she was already engaged to Neji disheartened many males in Konoha and many other villages, who in fact, offered very hefty sums for her to come and leave Neji, and join their prestigious clan.

But Emi held firm- she never left Neji's side and diligently kept up her fighting. She was currently learning how to do some complex move Lee had taught her. She had adopted a kind of walk that emitted grace, allure and was ready at any instance to shift into a kind of stance that could leave anyone on the ground in less than three seconds. Every time Neji fought with her though, he always compared her to Tenten- she would have done this, or she would have said this, or she would have avoided that one easily but he never told her. She already knew.

"What are you going to do with these?" Emi asked, breaking Neji's thoughts.

"I don't know."

"Are you going to keep them?"

"I guess so. I'll wait for her to come back and I will give them to her."

"Why? She's probably started her life again somewhere else, as far away from Konoha as she can get," Emi said, instantly regretting her words.

That night, Emi and Neji were trying hard to talk about something positive and non abraisive, sitting on a couch and drinking red wine. They were failing miserably.

"Why do you hate me so much, Neji? Why do we always say hurtful things, hidden under these fake conversations and cause each other pain continually after three years?" Emi asked, sniffing a bit. Neji turned over and looked at her, gently turning the ends of her golden locks in his fingers.

"I don't hate you," Neji said softly. "I don't think I could ever hate you, now."

"Why?" Emi asked her heart jumping and her stomach fluttering.

"Because… we're only human, right?" Neji smirked. He placed the glass on the table, and Emi lowered her eyes. She could hear it in his voice- he had lost hope for Tenten…

"Emi," he said softly, taking the glass.

----x----

That night, he dreamed of Tenten leaving the safe security of his arms for the last time, and he watched as Tenten quickly dressed, and slipped the bangle over her left arm. He watched as she kissed his seal, and then his lips for the last time, and watched as she said, "I love you, Hyuuga Neji," for the very last time.

It was too much, and Neji woke up, breathing heavily. His eyes travelled down to Emi's form, sleeping contently, half draped across his chest, her lips grazing his skin. He slid out of the bed, and quickly went over to his suitcase, and pulled on a jumper and left the house. It was still dark when he left, but it was dawn when he got to the beach.

--------

Three years had passed since Miyako's initiation. She was now a woman in her mid twenties, her hair was down to her shoulders, and her skin was golden brown from the constant sunshine.

"One more time," Hiroshi snapped tersely. It was eight o'clock at night and they'd begun at one in the afternoon. Miyako felt tired but she could easily read Hiroshi's signs without looking- his heart rate was up, but his muscles were straining.

Smiling, Miyako shut her eyes, broadening her mind and senses, breathing deeply. At once, she fell into a meditative trance that made the senses of the human body fade away. Of course, she could often meditate while consciously acting in her body as well, but that was a different story.

Hiroshi had taught her everything he knew- which was far from limited. As well as having power over all of the elements, he controlled the inner diamond but had no control over life and time. But Miyako had been secretly reading all of the books in the library- so she had limited powers of healing and premonition. She'd studied the processes of resurrection… but it could only be done if the victim had just died and she'd had no contact with dead creatures as yet.

Miyako was engulfed in a dome of elements- most of them trying aggressively to harm her. Miyako concentrated, and there was a sudden calm in the inner recesses of her mind, and she opened her eyes. They turned pitch black. There was a ripple in the air and the dome was obliterated in its wake with Miyako at its core.

Then tiny tendrils of metal and water crept into her hand, blending with the fire and lighting in her palm. She clapped her hands together and twisted them into complex shapes and finally held them together at her waist, like she was clutching onto a hilt of an invisible katana. Hiroshi watched as it became all too real, and flicked out his hand, a katana coming instantly into his hands.

She smirked at him and they began to spar, Miyako leaving hundreds of thin cuts on his skin. Hiroshi was the weaker, slower swordsman- and Miyako fought with an effortless grace.

"You're getting too good for your own good," Hiroshi said, panting as they concluded their session later.

"Hiroshi- don't even try and lie- I was better than you from the start!" Miyako laughed and re-tied her hair, missing the cold look flit across Hiroshi's face. "So what's for dinner tonight?" she asked him as they walked back up to the house.

-----------------

"Hey, Hiro?" Miyako asked softly, touching his shoulder. He turned at the sound of her voice, and smiled. They'd finished dinner a few hours ago; he'd thought she'd fallen asleep.

"Hey, Miya," he greeted her, kissing her gently. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shrugged. "I was wondering…"

The phone rang, and she waited patiently for the caller to hang up. However, they seemed to talk for a very long time about business and the economy and Miyako sighed when he finally hung up.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I was wondering… if we could go to the mainland, again, this weekend."

"This weekend?" Hiroshi echoed. "Why?"

"Well, Hana's birthday is coming up- I wanted to go in and see if there was anything to buy her."

"There's nothing more she needs," Hiroshi dismissed the issue.

"Listen," Miyako snapped. She slammed her hand against the table, unintentionally releasing a small breeze from her palm. "I don't care. It is her birthday, and I am going in, whether or not you like it. I did exactly the same for everyone else, and she's turning twenty one! You are so…" Miyako growled, feeling frustrated beyond words. "You don't know me! You control me- don't think I can't feel it because I can! I will leave tomorrow whether or not you like it so-"

"Fine," Hiroshi said breezily.

"What?" Miyako said dumbly.

"Go," he said. "I don't care- if you want to go, go," he waved his hand. "Is there anything else I can do for you, my dear?"

Miyako sighed.

"You could leave this musty old study and come to bed," she said crossly. She sighed, however, when he did not follow her.

-------

The next day, the weather was horrible- lightning and churning ocean greeted her eyes when she woke and Miyako frowned, feeling the bed beside her. It was empty. Again.

Miyako stepped into the study silently, fury bubbling up in her chest.

"Miya? What do you want?" Hiroshi didn't look up from his work.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" she demanded, waving at the window. "You created this storm so that I wouldn't leave the island! What is wrong with you? You've been keeping such a short leash on me ever since my initiation and I feel like I don't even know you anymore! You haven't talked to me properly in months! Even when we're together… you never say a word to me, and you can't look me in the eye any more!" she said, slamming her fist on the table, her eyes a deep black. "There's something wrong, so spit it out!" she willed him to meet her eyes, and he did.

"If you want to go so badly," he said matter-of-factly, "Stop the storm by yourself. See if I care. You're nothing without me, so don't even think of trying to run away."

Miyako froze just before she left the room.

"Why would I do that?" she asked quietly. She turned around, but Hiroshi had gone, and she sighed as she left the house.

She walked down to the docks, the wood groaning and the brine sloshing up on her feet. Miyako took a deep breath and stilled for a few moments, trying to find calm inside her mind. She opened her eyes once again and spread out her arms, feeling the tingle of chakra in the air as she concentrated on the movements of the storm. Everything was completely unnatural about it: the wind directions were wrong, it was completely out of season, and it was all being fuelled by people- four sisters, to be precise.

Miyako cursed. Hiroshi had forced them to create the storm! She needed time away from all of the dark corners in the house. She'd realized that there had been so many empty spaces in the house that had been so far away from her concept of 'home'. Hiroshi could hardly look her in the eye anymore and the sisters had grown cool and distant towards her, and she felt so completely isolated- emotionally and physically.

It was time to leave, Miyako decided. "I can't take this anymore…" she whispered and manipulated the seals in her mind. Her hands outspread, marks as dark as ink moved across her skin in a fluid motion- they slid down from her shoulders to her fingertips and she vanished.

Hiroshi watched her and sighed as she disappeared. He turned and faced his sisters.

"What do we do now?" Akane asked.

"We'll tell her," he said quietly. "Tenten is returning soon- and we'll need to get her back."