Auspicious Obligations Chapter 2: As It May Seem, a naruto fanfic

I just love Neji and the Hyuuga clan. But mostly Neji.

A u s p i c i o u s O b l i g a t i o n s

Chapter 2 - As It May Seem

Sakura stared in shock at Neji, completely forgetting her manners. His eyes…his eyes were pure white!

"The same here, Haruno-san," Neji replied smoothly. He paused, an eyebrow raised at Sakura's behavior. "Is there a problem?"

"Huh? Eeto…" Sakura blinked, then started, and covered her mouth in shame. "Ano, gomenasai! I didn't mean to behave rudely."

"It is fine," Neji said in a toneless voice. "May I inquire what the problem was?"

"Um, y-your eyes, Neji-san," Sakura answered cautiously, not wishing to offend the Hyuuga. "Are you…?"

"If you are assuming that, because I have white eyes, I am blind, you are mistaken, Haruno-san," Neji said emotionlessly. He didn't sound offended, but it wasn't like his voice had any type of emotion. "I am able to see perfectly."

"I understand. Once again, I apologize," Sakura responded.

"Well," King Haruno said quickly, "Neji-san is here to see you, Sakura, so why don't you two go into the central courtyard to chat?"

"Hai," Sakura and Neji replied, proceeding to the castle's central courtyard.

Neji strolled along with Sakura in the flower garden. The prince couldn't believe it. His worst nightmare. Sakura had pink hair.

"Ano, Hyuuga-san," Sakura spoke up, her voice quite timid. "D-do you like spring?"

"No," Neji answered. He still couldn't seem to process the fact that his future wife had pink hair. "I prefer winter."

"Oh…I see…" The couple walked on in silence for another while. Sakura would occasionally attempt a conversation, but the conversations usually ended very soon. The princess eventually stopped. Neither of the two would talk to each other. Sakura thought that Neji was quite cold, and was discouraged because he wasn't even trying to keep up the conversations they had, much less start one. Neji knew that he should attempt to be more social with Sakura, but he had grown up as the most anti-social person in the castle. The fact that Sakura had pink hair did not help Neji break his anti-social bubble one bit. It only made him feel more annoyed with the girl. Neji especially disliked girls that obsessed over their looks, and he could tell that Sakura definitely fitted into the category.

"It is getting late," Neji said abruptly, although dusk wasn't until quite a while. The sun wasn't even near setting. "I must head back."

"Hai," Sakura said, feeling immensely grateful. "I hope to see you soon, Neji-san, and enjoyed your company. Thank you for coming to see me."

"I also enjoyed your company. Thank you for taking your time to show me around the garden. Until next time," Neji answered. However, both teens knew that everything they had just said were simply out of manners, and that neither of them wanted to see each other's faces again. Neji departed, and as soon as he was out of sigh, Sakura high-tailed it to Tenten's room.

"Tenten!" Sakura burst into said girl's quarters. Tenten looked up, excited.

"How did it go?" she asked eagerly, her curiosity peaking.

Sakura sat down, sighing. "He's handsome," she replied. "I guess he could be on the same level as Sasuke-kun."

"Wow." Tenten looked impressed.

"But," Sakura continued, "he's pretty distant and cold. I'm not sure if it was just me, but he acted pretty…anti-social."

"Oh kami," Tenten said, shaking her head disappointedly. "Let's hope that he sure isn't like that most of the time. Maybe he was just nervous around you."

"I don't know," Sakura commented rather dubiously. "Remember what Sasuke-kun said about him being 'nice for a change'? That must've meant that he was pretty rude to Sasuke-kun…" The princess sighed and buried her face in her arms. "I don't want to marry Neji-san," she said in a muffled voice. "I think…I think that I love Sasuke-kun…"

"What?" Tenten looked shocked. "Are you…are you serious?"

"Aa," Sakura said softly. She looked up at Tenten sadly.

"Do you think that Sasuke loves you?" the brunette asked hesitantly.

"I know he does," Sakura answered quietly. "He…he waited or me outside, yesterday night. We talked for a bit, after you left, and he…he confessed. However, I…I was too shocked to say anything."

Tenten contemplated Sakura's revelation for a moment, then smiled at her friend. "Well, at least you have someone that loves you." She hadn't meant for the last part to come out bitterly, but perhaps it did, for Sakura suddenly hugged the other girl.

"Oh, Tenten-chan," Sakura sniffed. "You should really get yourself a boyfriend."

"Huh?" Tenten looked rather startled.

"Date someone!" Sakura said, feeling more lively than before. "There are lots of good-looking nobles out there!"

Tenten stared at her cousin for a minute, then snorted with laughter. "No one will look at me," she stated skeptically.

"You just have to put your hair down and put on more flattering clothes!" the pink-haired one of the two declared.

"Uh, no. I don't want to indulge in all of that complicated stuff." However, Tenten seemed to be considered it as she looked down at herself.

"Yeah…" Sakura giggled a bit. "I should give you a makeover one day…"

"You know the attendants won't allow it. They'll have seizures," Tenten commented. She smiled crookedly.

"Who cares about them? I'm the princess - if I want to give my best friend a makeover, I will!" Sakura stood up. "I'm hungry. Let's go get something to snack on." The cousins headed off, their sprits slightly higher than before.

"So, how was she?" Hanabi popped up in front of Neji as he walked into the hall, and eyed him. "Tell me everything!" Hinata hovered somewhere to the side, not wanting to bother Neji, but also quite eager to hear the prince's description of Sakura. Neji stared at the sisters for a moment. Then…

"She has pink hair." He left.

"…" Hanabi and Hinata stared at each other. "…pink hair?" Hanabi asked, looking a bit confused as to why Neji had told them that and only that.

"Neji-nii-s-san d-doesn't really l-like pink," Hinata said softly, although that was quite an understatement. Neji absolutely despised pink. The elder princess smiled slightly. "Poor Neji-nii-san…"

"Wow." Hanabi laughed. "Pink hair! Who would've thought?"

"I-I'd l-like to meet S-Sakura-san," Hinata mumbled

"Well, she'll probably visit sometime soon," Hanabi reasoned. "But hey, Hinata, have you decided who you're going to marry?"

"E-eh?" Hinata blushed furiously. "I-I don't know…"

"Kiba's good-looking," Hanabi mused, "but Naruto's funny."

"Aa…"

"They're both pretty nice…"

"A-aa…"

"Come on Hinata, choose!"

"I-it's not that e-e-easy!" Hinata cried defensively.

"But-!"

"Hanabi." Neji strode back into the hall. "Stop bothering Hinata-sama."

"Hmph." Hanabi wanted to continue pestering her older sister, but she knew better than to argue with Neji.

"A-arigatou, Neji-nii-san…"

"Hn."

"Ano, Neji-n-nii-san…i-is S-Sakura-san p-pretty?"

Neji glanced at Hinata briefly, then replied with, "could be better."

"O-oh…because I-I h-h-heard that S-Sakura-san is o-one of the p-prettiest princesses I-in these f-few k-kingdoms…"

"Hn."

"Neji so likes guys," Hanabi muttered under her breath.

"What was that you just said, Hanabi?" Neji's voice could not get any colder.

"Nothing!"

"…" Neji gave Hanabi an icy glance, but chose not to pursue the matter any further. "Hn."

Tenten walked along a garden path, alone. She looked up at the bright moon and sighed. The brunette hadn't wanted a boyfriend when she was younger, but…well, now, she was nearly nineteen. A nice companionship wouldn't hurt.

"But it's not like anyone would look at me," Tenten thought rather ruefully. "Boys like pretty, feminine girls. I guess I'm too masculine or something."

"That's because you never wear nicer clothes and always tie your hair up in two tight buns! Plus, you train all the time!" At least, that was what Sakura had said before. Tenten, however, didn't like wearing dresses. If she let her hair down, it would just get in the way of her training. It wasn't like she needed to train…but Tenten despised men that looked down on women who couldn't fight.

Still, perhaps it was time to start caring about her appearance. Maybe, if Tenten began actually looking like a proper young woman, young men may begin to at her.

Tenten suddenly heard hushed voices nearby. She crouched and peered through a bush to find Sakura and Sasuke hiding discreetly in couple other bushes. The brunette could only hear snatches of the conversation.

"…are you…work?"

"…yeah, just…morning…quickly…"

"…but…feel…what…it…?"

"Doesn't matter…sure…cancel…"

"Well, okay."

"Love you."

"I love you too." Both figures stood up and exchanged kisses. Tenten ran after Sakura after Sasuke disappeared.

"Hey! Sakura-chan!" Tenten called. Sakura turned around slowly, trying to act normal.

"T-Tenten-chan! W-what are you doing here?"

"I was taking a walk and thinking about some things," Tenten replied, catching up. "Why was Sasuke here at such a late time?"

"Er…ano…" Sakura attempted to conceal her panic. "You-you saw him?"

"Mmhm…" Tenten raised an eyebrow suspiciously as Sakura looked away. The other girl appeared quite nervous.

"We wanted to talk about some…personal things," Sakura said, blushing.

"Oh!" Tenten exclaimed, understanding. She smiled.

"It's not funny," Sakura muttered, although she was also smiling, and no one was laughing. The two friends headed down a path that led to the area of the castle in which Sakura lived.

"Hey, Sakura-chan…" Tenten began hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"Ano…do you…do you think that you can…help me?"

"Huh?" Sakura looked curiously at Tenten. "Help you?"

"Aa," Tenten said, blushing. "Help me…you know, g-get…a boyfriend."

"…" Sakura stared at Tenten, open-mouthed.

"When you have time," Tenten continued uncomfortably.

"…am I dreaming, or did Tenten-chan just say that she wanted to get a boyfriend?" Sakura asked, her voice filled with wonder. "Oh my kami…of course I'll help you! Definitely!" Sakura beamed.

"A-arigatou," the dark-haired girl of the two mumbled.

"We'll start your makeover tomorrow," Sakura decided happily.

"What?" Tenten looked quite startled. "Tomorrow?"

"Night!" Sakura dashed into her house and shut the door, leaving Tenten outside, spluttering.

"What? Tomorrow? Sakura? Sakura? H-hey!"

"OHAYO, TENTEN-CHAN!" Sakura hurtled into Tenten's room, leaping onto the sleepy, irritated girl in bed.

"W-wha…? Sakura-chan?"

"Yep, that's me!" Sakura chirped, ridiculously happily.

"W…why are you-" Tenten was cut off by a large yawn, "-here this early in the morning? I'm not even-" another yawn, "-awake yet!" The girl covered her head with a pillow, attempting to ignore Sakura.

"Yeah you are," Sakura said doggedly. "You're talking to me."

"Figure of speech! Now go away."

"No! I did promise you a makeover today, eh?" Sakura asked with a glint in her eye. Tenten gulped from under her pillow.

"N-nani…?"

"Yep, you heard me!" Sakura got off Tenten and stood up. "Hurry!"

"It's too early!" Tenten protested.

"The sun's already quite high in the sky, Tenten!"

"Why can't we do this in the afternoon?" the girl whined.

"I'm busy."

"I never even agreed to a makeover!"

"You automatically did when you told me to help you get a boyfriend."

"…" Tenten decided to stop arguing and block out her cousin.

"As princess, I command you to get up! And hurry up!" Sakura demanded.

"Kuso…" Tenten grumbled. "Now that's just playing dirty…"

Thirty minutes later, Tenten found herself sitting in a chair in Sakura's room. The girl looked cranky.

"Why am I subjecting myself to this again?" Tenten moaned.

"Boyfriend," Sakura reminded.

"Oh. Right. Darn it."

"Hm…where should I start first?" Sakura wondered. "Ah, your hair!"

"Just…don't cut it," Tenten said through gritted teeth. She liked her buns.

"Okay," Sakura agreed, and she undid the buns. "Oh, wow Tenten! You have such long hair…all the way down to your waist!"

"Hn," Tenten grunted.

"It's so dull though," Sakura sighed. "I'll wash it." The princess dragged her friend over to the washing bowl and dunked the other girl's head into it. Or at least, her hair. She began washing Tenten's hair with a special shampoo. It wasn't the type to be found anywhere, but Sakura was the princess and got the best of everything.

"That feels nice," Tenten murmured.

"Yep," Sakura said, finishing. "Now I'll dry it…"

Twenty minutes later…

"Sugoi! It really does work!" Tenten was amazed. Her hair, which had been rough and tangled, was now thick, somewhat soft, and slightly shiny. A great improvement. Sakura pinned it up into a loose knot to get it out of the way.

"We'll let it down later. Now, it's time for your wardrobe!" she announced. "Your size is slightly larger than mine. I've had some clothes made in case I ever suddenly gain weight, so you can try them!"

"Gee, thanks Sakura-chan," Tenten commented sarcastically. She looked in dismay at all the kimonos that Sakura had taken out. The brunette ended up picking a dark-blue one.

"Good choice!" Sakura complimented happily, showing Tenten how to put the kimono on properly. The latter tried it on.

"Wow, this is actually comfortable," Tenten said, awed.

"Yeah. If you think you know what's uncomfortable, wait until you wear a ceremonial kimono," Sakura sighed. "Horrible."

"Sugoi…" Tenten prodded the kimono she was currently wearing.

"Makeup!" Sakura declared, pulling Tenten into the chair again. "Not too much, not too little…" The pink-haired girl went at the job for around ten minutes, then stood back. "Hm! I say that this is a job well done. Open your eyes now, Tenten." Tenten opened her eyes slowly. She took a good look into the mirror and gasped. The pretty girl staring open-mouthed back at her couldn't possibly be her…

"Wonderful!" Sakura crowed. "The servants do better, but I'm not so bad myself.. This is pretty good."

"Aa…" Tenten was still rather shocked.

"Oh yeah!" Sakura remembered to let Tenten's hair down. That just made the image even better. "Great. Now," Sakura said, stuffing a fan into Tenten's hand and pushing her out the door. "I have stuff to do. Good luck!"

Tenten stood dumbstruck for a few seconds. "H-hey!" she protested, regaining her senses and finding herself face-to-face with the door. "Uh, Sakura? Thanks? Hello? Kuso…" The girl walked off, muttering to herself. "What am I supposed to do now?" She glared at a rock, trying to decide what to do next. The noble sighed and went to her house to collect some money. A bit of shopping in the famous noble's district in the nearby Hyuuga kingdom shouldn't go wrong.

Neji walked along the bustling street in the very famous shopping district, Yokohama. He felt annoyed that he had been forced into taking Hanabi shopping by Hiashi. The two were under disguises so that they would simply be mistaken for Hyuuga nobles instead of the royal family. The Hyuuga clan was an extensive family, with many members, so Hyuuga nobles were quite common in the high-class district of Yokohama. The royal family all had special, personalized rings that were made so they could prove their authority in a time of crisis, and Neji and Hanabi had theirs tucked away safely.

"Ne ne, Keji! This is so pretty!" Hanabi yelled as she leapt over to a stall selling jewelry. The two had also decided on using different names to keep with their disguises.

"You think everything here is 'pretty', Hana," Neji said coolly, attempting to keep calm even though he was annoyed to the point of no return. He still couldn't understand why Hanabi couldn't have had a bodyguard with her instead of himself.

"Keji! Can't you see that this one's better than everything else?" Hanabi held up the beautiful sapphire ring she found. Neji had to admit that it was quite nice. "Wait! I see another one that's even prettier than this! Sugoi!" Hanabi turned, about to pick up the other ring, when someone else beat her to it.

Tenten lifted an absolutely wondrous ruby ring to her eyes. The small piece of jewelry sparkled in the sunlight, taking Tenten's breath away. "Wow…I just have to get this," she said softly, looking amazed at the beauty of the gem. The brunette felt someone staring at her, and looked up to find two pairs of eyes on her, not one.

Two pairs of completely white eyes.

"Are they blind?" was the first thought that popped up in Tenten's head as she surveyed the two people quickly. One was a young teenage girl who was frowning, and the other was a drop-dead gorgeous young nobleman. He was watching her, his expression unreadable.

"Excuse me," the girl said politely, although a hint of dissatisfaction crept into her voice. "I was about to pick up that ring. May I see it please, miss?"

"Oh!" Tenten's eyes widened. "Oh, ano, gomen. Uh, here." The young woman handed the ring over reluctantly. She wanted to buy it before anyone else did.

"See? See? It's so nice!" Hanabi exclaimed, waving the ruby ring in front of Neji, who didn't bat an eye. "I want it! Let's buy it!" Neji glanced at Hanabi, then looked at the young woman that stood beside them. She seemed rather alarmed at Hanabi's outburst.

"Eeto, um, excuse me…" Tenten spoke up, not wanting Hanabi to buy the ring. "I was planning on purchasing that ring." Hanabi blinked, then pouted and turned to Neji. She looked like she was about to complain, but Neji silenced her with a look.

"Let the miss have it," he said emotionlessly. "She was first."

"But I really want it!" Hanabi whined angrily. "If you don't get it, I'll tell father"!

"He would agree with me, not you," Neji replied coolly. Hanabi really was too spoiled. "Give it to the lady." Hanabi glared at her older cousin, but quailed under the threatening glare that Neji returned her with. She handed the ring back to Tenten unwillingly.

"Ano, arigatou," Tenten said, looking a bit confused with what had just happened. She turned to the booth manager. "I would to buy this." The ring, unsurprisingly, had cost quite a hefty sum, but it was worth it. Tenten walked away happily her ring, unaware of Neji's eyes following her, then narrowing. She did, however, notice the young man that crashed into her. Tenten would've fallen over if the young man had not caught her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry pretty miss," he said dramatically, smiling down at Tenten as he held her tightly against him.

"Uh…it's alright." Tenten attempted to stand up, but the young man kept her against him. "Can you let me up?"

"Of course, beautiful." The young man continued smiling at Tenten as he straightened, still not letting go of his hold on her. The young woman was beginning to feel extremely annoyed and uncomfortable at the contact.

"Excuse me, but could you please let go of me?" Tenten asked, irritated. The man just looked patronizingly at her.

"Now that is a wish I cannot fulfill, darling," he murmured. Tenten was utterly disgusted. She was about to use force to get away from the lecher when a figure approached them.

"…I suggest that you let her go," Neji said quietly to the young man. The latter stiffened at Neji's icy tone and turned around slowly to be greeted by warning-filled Hyuuga eyes. He let go of Tenten instantly. "Apologize," Neji commanded.

"G-g-g-g-gomenasai!" the stranger apologized to Tenten, his voice filled with fear. He left in a hurry.

"T-thank you, once again," Tenten said, gazing into the stoic white eyes. The girl felt herself blushing slightly, and looked away. "Um…may I - may I get your name, mister…?" Neji stared at Tenten for a moment, contemplating. Then, just as he was about to speak, he heard the extremely loud voice of his cousin.

"Wow! This is so awesome! Come here, I want to have this!"

Neji turned away from Tenten and paused for a second. "…be careful," he said finally, before striding over to where Hanabi was. Tenten stared after him, quite disappointed that she didn't get his name. The girl sighed and walked in the opposite direction. She didn't know why she hadn't spotted them before, but now Tenten noticed white-eyed people in quite a number of places. She frowned to herself.

"White eyes…so they're the infamous Hyuuga eyes, huh?"

Sugoi: Wow.

Ano: Um (just usually words that would appear in stuttering).

Eeto: Similar to ano.

Konnichiwa: Hello.

Arigatou: Thank you.

Kuso: Damn.

Ohayo: Good morning.

Thank you guys for all the reviews! I'm extremely happy to have received so many reviews just for the first chapter of this fanfiction. I hope that you guys can keep on giving comments about the fanfiction, and what you think. Thoughts, questions, etc.

Just a warning: Please do ask questions if you must, but I will not disclose anything that may be a spoiler for future chapters.

Because I forgot in the first chapter, here is the disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. And that's that.