Like Water, Like Love

Chapter 3: Moonlight

Summary: nejixten, sasuxsaku She pushed him away, he drew her in. She wanted an embrace, he wanted to embrace her. She loved someone childishly, he loved her passionately. Their relationship was like water, like love.

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And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me want to strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

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Tenten

The hot, wet tears roll down my face, streaking the ground with sorrow. I didn't think I could ever cry over something as small as Sasuke in front of anyone else, but I guess I was right now.

He doesn't love you.

His words stung my heart with every syllable, allowing the truth to sink in.

Humans enjoy living in their dreams. Among paradise, among sanctuary…

Beyond the truth.

But so rudely awakened once more to the painful reality.

It is like waking up after a few hours of sleep. I am grouchy, tired, and insanely angry. Without thinking much, I raise my hand, and slap Neji across the face.

Hard.

I want to smirk; it is the first time I have ever managed to lay a finger on the arrogant prodigy. My fingers tingle in excitement, asking for more, but I ignore the temptation.

I look into his lavender-tinted white eyes, searching for comfort or for him to just take back his words. However, his orbs stay hard, emotionless…

Uncaring.

It drives me insane, seeing him so impassive while my mind is in turmoil. I wish the whole world would just stop for me, would just pity me, would just tell me that I was loved. I want to scream it out; I am eager to just scream to be heard.

Ignoring the tears, I push past the lump in my throat, the sound fighting to rip through my throat. Being the ignorant bastard that he is, Neji still wears the same emotionless expression. But is it…

Tense?

Clenching my fists at my sides, struggling to force Neji to release my wrist, trying to find salvation, I open my mouth, "You…"

And of course I would have said more. Louder, fiercer, filled with more hatred.

But all of a sudden, in a quick, almost graceful move, those smooth soft lips descend upon mine in an unprecedented move.

They say that if you aren't in love, your first reaction will be shock. Then anger. Then betrayal. And then hate…

But how can I hate Hyuuga Neji?

Beyond my own will, I fall into his tender kiss.

And even though my mind wishes it was Sasuke…

My heart…

Is confused.

I feel his grip release my wrist as his hand slowly works its way to my hair, releasing it from the tight buns. The pins scatter to the floor in a soundless clatter, fallen around our bare feet. His fingers weaves in and out of my tresses, while his lips never break our contact.

As Neji pulls me closer, deepening the innocent kiss, my body moves with a mind of its own. My eyelids descend over my light brown eyes; my hands roam his back and hair…

And my heart wants more.

More, more, more of this feeling of…

Love? Lust?

Perhaps too soon, perhaps too late, the moment is broken by the sliding of the paper door behind us, by the angered, shocked exclamations that follow.

"Tenten, what are you doing?" Mother shrieks, bringing me back from my dream. I push Neji away, but his touch lingers.

"He…"

"Tenten, your fiancé is here," Father growls, clearly trying to suppress his anger.

"Fian…?"

"Tenten, did you miss me?"

The flowers, the rain, the persistence, the cold, the truth…

Uchiha Sasuke.

He smirks at me with utmost arrogance, completely ignoring Neji. He is dressed in a dark blue kimono, decorated with abstract patterns in an opaque white. I know that the back surely carries the Uchiha symbol of the fan. The front is loosely open, hinting the well-toned body within. Naturally, his hair is thrown into a hopeless tangle, but it increases his attractiveness.

Had any other girl seen an Uchiha dressed like this, they would have certainly shrieked, "Kya!" with hearts in their eyes.

But I stand their, in pure shock and denial.

"Fiancé?" I echo Father's words.

"We'll be waiting in the front room," Father says, closing the door. "Organize yourself, Tenten." He pauses, holding the door just a few inches open. I can see Sasuke standing behind him, sneering at me.

"You too, Neji."

After an awkward moment of silence, we wordlessly make our way to the large room, furnished with only a table. As I slide open the dreaded rice paper door, I feel Neji's breath tickling the back of my neck from his close proximity. Sasuke, Mother, and Father are all kneeling at the table, staring down at the wooden surface. Mother and Father immediately look up when they hear the wooden frame of the door push against the tatami mats, Father narrowing his eyes at me, secretly asking me, "What the hell were you doing?"

Mother smiles timidly at me, eyes filled with fatigue and disappointment.

Sasuke simply sits there, emotionless as he smoothes his kimono slightly.

"Ah…" I try to think of something to say, but Neji just pushes me through the entranceway, urging for me to sit first and speak later.

I settle myself on the hard floor across from my parents, taking care in straightening my kimono before kneeling. As Father instructed me to do, I have changed into a flowing pastel blue kimono, adorned with flying swallows and crashing, foaming waves. The obi is an aesthetic deep blue, tied securely in the back. I want to impress Sasuke with my appearance once more.

A quiet settles over us as Neji shifts uncomfortably next to me.

Father clears his throat, "Tenten, we decided you needed to be married."

I shift my gaze to Sasuke, who still is not meeting anyone's eyes.

"We decided that Sasuke would be a good choice. You two were both orphaned, and it is only proper for a Hyuuga to be married into the Uchiha name."

"When?" I ask, almost in disbelief. It's almost as if I were in a dream, marrying the man I have always loved.

At this point, Mother and Father both look at Neji, who is impassive as usual.

"Two weeks," Father replies curtly.

Neji doesn't even flinch at the incredibly small integer.

I look to my left at Sasuke. He seems almost uninterested, motionless as he lifts his teacup for a drink. My lips are still lingering on the kiss with Neji, but my mind suddenly wants the Uchiha. My mind is saying yes, yes, yes; my heart is saying no, no, no; my tongue is saying…

"When will I move in to the Uchiha complex?"

"Today."

The answers comes to me, but I am surprisingly uninterested. Shouldn't I be saying, "Only? How about a little later? Let me think about it…"

Sasuke grunts, "If that's all, then I'm leaving."

"Tenten, see him out the door," Mother commands me sharply.

"Yes…" My eyes stray to Neji and Father as I stand up. Father is glaring at Neji, who is clearly interested in the painting of two cranes behind Father.

Sasuke stands effortlessly. He pauses, almost hesitates, before taking my hand. As his fingers intertwine in mine, I look up at him in shock.

We're marrying, remember? His eyes tell me.

I lead him to the front entrance, holding onto his hand tightly as if letting go would be fatal. I finally have the dream of my life in my hands, and I don't intend to let it slip away. He slides his feet into his sandals and roughly shakes my hand off of his.

"Don't think I like you. I only did that for your parents," he snarls.

Quickly, I withdraw my hand and bow my head.

"Yes… I'll see you tonight," I glance up, smiling painfully.

He doesn't love you.

"Hn."

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As I walk through the corridor back towards the sitting room, I hear angry voices from within.

"What do you think you were doing?"

"Nothing."

"Do you know how disgraceful that was to the Hyuuga name? You are cousins, cousins."

"Aa."

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from the main house?" Father's voice rises to a heated volume.

"Aa."

Father slams his hands down on the tabletop. Hard.

"Then why didn't you obey? Why do you branch family members intervene in the doings of the main house?" he shouts with amazing force.

I shut my eyes. I hate it when my parents yell because I always know that pain would follow. Physical, emotional… It all bled together now.

A rustling and brushing of skin against tatami alerts me that Neji is now on his feet.

"You never thought of her as a family member."

Father hesitates.

"Yes, we did. Tenten was of the Hyuuga name as soon as she stepped through the front door," he counters.

"You only used her."

For once in my life, I hear Neji's voice rise just a notch.

"She was never anything more than a replacement for your daughters. She was never anything more than a pawn that made you feel accomplished. She was never more than…" He pauses thoughtfully. "… a debt you had to repay."

"Don't speak nonsense to me, Neji!" Father yells, voice hoarse.

"Hanabi and Hinata's skill would never match up to hers."

I can almost hear him smirk.

"But you realized Tenten could never fit in with the Hyuugas. So you threw her away to trash," Neji finishes.

His words pierce into my heart. Thrown away? Perhaps Mother and Father have always been harsh on me, always been strict, bent on making me into a real Hyuuga. Of course, I don't carry a drop of Byakugan-activating blood. I can never be as receptive as a real Hyuuga, never as strong…

Always a step behind.

But I always cherish my step-parents. Sure, they are a little less caring than others, but just to have someone take me in is enough.

Or am I just a repaid debt…?

Father fumbles with his next words, "I… we… Why would you care?"

I don't think he would, but Neji thinks through his answer thoroughly.

"She's my teammate."

I hear his quiet footsteps pad to the door, slide it open, and briskly walk right pass me.

Standing there in shock sidled to the wall, I replay the angry argument that just ended. What did it all mean? A debt? I stand leaning slightly on the paper screen held by wooden bars behind me, tracing a never ending circle on the thin surface. I hang my head, bangs swishing at either side of my face as I contemplate those words that had passed between Neji and Father.

Mother steps out of the door, slightly surprised at my motionless poise. She calls out softly to me, "Tenten, come pack for tonight."

Looking up, brushing my tresses back behind my ear, I smile a soft smile. "Yes, Mother."

What am I to you?

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Stepping into the musty room, I search the darkness for any sign of life. The moonlight is filtering in behind me, illuminating the entranceway. I carry a large bag in both hands, clutching the strap nervously as I dart my head in and out, unsure of what to do.

I dreamt of stepping into the Uchiha house as an engaged woman frequently as a child. But in those faraway dreams, a man with spiky ebony hair had always been at the doorway to welcome me, to take me in his arms.

I half-smile to myself, thinking of how ridiculous Sasuke would look, holding out his arms to me. As I giggle quietly to myself, I notice the moonlight before my feet cut off sharply by a human shadow. I turn around swiftly, kunai suddenly at the ready, only to be greeted by the chest of Sasuke. I blush slightly in the moonlight at our proximity.

He grunted a greeting, and pushes past me.

"Come in."

I step gingerly through the hallway, taking note of the various doors on the two sides of the hallway. Noting that Sasuke has taken a left at the end of the corridor, I hurry to follow him.

Scurrying into the room, I wish I could say that my breath was caught in my throat, that the elegance and beauty of it all was amazing.

Instead, I am in dismay at the simplicity of it all.

The room is simple: two large futons with a small table pushed into a corner. I glance at Sasuke who is standing next to me in the doorway.

"The bathrooms across the hall," he replies to my unasked question. The Uchiha prodigy saunters into the middle of the room and promptly removing his kimono that he had been worn earlier today.

Flushing, I turn around quickly and almost run to the bathroom, locking myself in.

I lean against the counter in the bathroom, examining my reflection in the mirror.

The moonlight cascading through the small window up high above the shower stall seems to reveal secrets that I had never known. I look tired, almost exhausted. I look hungry, almost starving. I look unhappy, almost depressed.

Sighing, I clear my mind of the negative thoughts. I am here to live with none other than the Uchiha Sasuke. I don't have time to think about myself.

Perhaps he has only agreed to marry me because I am the only girl he had ever known and had ever been "official" with. But our relationship seems so distant, almost nonexistent, only a tomorrow to chase after. Shaking my head, clearing my thoughts, I change into the sleeping yukata I brought with me and exit the bathroom.

As I slip soundlessly back into the room, Sasuke is already peacefully asleep on his futon. Quietly, I wriggle into the think sheets of the second futon, glad that we don't have to share a bed.

I turn on my side, taking in every aspect, every feature of Sasuke. I want to reach out and stroke his hair, taking his hand in mine.

The questions come back as I watch his chest rise and fall with a steady rhythm.

Does he love me?

Does he care?

Is this only for his clan?

Feeling fatigue overcome me, I decide that none of the answers to these questions matter. I am marrying Uchiha Sasuke, and that is final.

Or so I think…

As I drift into the quiet realm of rest, I think back to the meeting I had earlier in the day…

Kiss…

Neji…

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Notes: This is eight pages long! Be proud of me XD I enjoy writing this fic a lot… but the characterization is horrible and everyone is completely OOC D: I really don't know how to characterize Tenten T-T

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