Auspicious Obligations Chapter 4: Entanglement Crisis, a naruto fanfic

Omg, Naruto manga chapter 386, Itachi...?

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

Chapter 4 - Entanglement Crisis

Tenten stared at Sasuke, momentarily stunned by his appearance. The latter advanced towards her, until he was about a foot away from her. Sasuke stared at Tenten intently, waiting for the girl to come out of her daze. The brunette blinked, then snapped back to reality.

"Oh! Sasuke-kun...it is quite a surprise to see you here," Tenten said, walking into the living room. "Please, sit down. I must ask though; why are you here?" Tenten sat down on the couch and beckoned for a maid to prepare tea. Sasuke followed her and also seated himself.

"Tenten-san," he greeted slowly, pausing. "...where is Sakura?"

Tenten was caught by the sudden, direct question. The girl felt her eyes sting slightly, but blinked a couple times so that the discomfort disappeared. She frowned. "Did you...did you meet with Haruno-sama first?" Sasuke nodded, his face impassive. Tenten looked questioningly at the male, then said, "I'm sure he told you what happened to-to Sakura-chan..." The noble trailed off. Sasuke was silent for a moment, then looked Tenten full in the face.

"I don't believe it," he said quietly, traces of anger and disbelief beginning to appear on his face. "The king...he made it up. He just doesn't want me to see her. So...where is she, Tenten? You know, don't you? Tell me. Tell me." His voice was harsh and commanding.

"...gomenasai," Tenten replied softly, not taking any offence towards Sasuke. "It...it must be hard, because you love her." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the folded letter, handing it to Sasuke. The prince stared at the paper, then took it slowly and opened it. His eyes sucked in every word in the short letter intensely, staring...staring...then closed. Sasuke breathed deeply, his expression twisting into one of suffering. Tenten could barely look on. She waited for the Uchiha to roar with anger, but the outbreak did not come. Instead, Sasuke sighed and opened his eyes.

"...she's gone. She's really gone." It was not a question, but a statement. A statement uttered in its finality, so hard and etched into stone that it pierced the hearts of the two people in the room.

"...I'm sorry," Tenten said again. "Gomenasai. I hope that she will come back soon." Sasuke was silent. Tenten hesitated, then continued. "Would you...would you have any idea where she went? What kind of place would be as safe as a palace, yet not be a palace?"

"..." Sasuke shook his head, his jaw set stiffly in a grimace. His fists were clenched so hard that his knuckles had turned white. His eyes remained dry. Tenten looked down at her lap, not knowing what else to say. The tea on the table was already cold.

"Ano..." Tenten began, but Sasuke stood up abruptly.

"Thank you for delivering Sakura's letter," he said in a monotone, although the brunette could detect a slight strain in his voice. "I will take my leave." And with those words, Sasuke left, brushing past the attendants without so much as a glance. Tenten sunk to the floor, her heart heavy. It was just too unfair, how Sakura had left Sasuke. She had just left...only leaving a note as a memory.

Neji sat woodenly in the throne room, listening to his uncle's greatly satisfied tone.

"This is excellent. King Haruno has sent a message with the solution to the wedding. Apparently, he has another daughter of royal blood that can marry in Sakura's place. The wedding will go on as planned, although you will be unable to meet your new bride until the wedding. It will still be on the same date. This is wonderful. The Hyuuga name shall not be shamed, and we will have a family alliance with the Haruno kingdom."

"That is, indeed, good news," Neji answered impassively, although he was not at all pleased by the news. It was good that the Hyuuga name would not be embarrassed. However, Neji was stuck once again in an arranged marriage, and this time, with a replacement that he would not meet until she became his wife. "I was under the impression that Haruno-sama only has one daughter. He named Sakura-san as his only daughter when I was introduced to her."

Hiashi frowned slightly. "I do not know. It could be that he did not want others to know of this second daughter. In any case, as long as she will be a satisfactory replacement, it does not matter."

"Alright," Neji said coolly, walking towards the door. "I will return to my rooms. Please contact me if any changes occur." Hiashi nodded, allowing Neji to leave. The crown prince stepped into the hallway, and noticed Hinata lingering behind a corner as he closed the door. The princess jumped in surprise when Neji tapped her on the shoulder from behind.

"N-Neji-nii-san!" Hinata gasped, intertwining her fingers together nervously. "I-I-I did not s-see y-you..."

"I have realized that," Neji said calmly. "Why are you aimlessly standing here, Hinata-sama?" It wasn't as thought Neji didn't know, but he wanted to hear the answer from Hinata and watch her stutter in fear.

"A-a-ano...e-eeto...I-I-I w-w-was j-j-j-just...ehh, ano...eeto...I-I was l-listening t-to y-your conversation with father," Hinata finally answered, looking rather shamefaced. "O-onegai, g-g-gomenasai Neji-n-nii-s-san..."

"Hn. It was nothing that was needed to be kept secret from you."

Hinata gazed up at her cousin, her eyes sad. "Gomen, Neji-nii-san," she said quietly. "Y-you h-have to m-marry how."

"If there was no replacement for Sakura-san and the wedding was cancelled, Hiashi-sama would have had me marry a Hyuuga noblewoman instead," Neji responded emotionlessly. "I am the crown prince. I must marry before my nineteenth birthday, whether I agree or not."

"N-nii-san..." Hinata daringly touched Neji's hand, showing her sympathy. "I h-hope t-this girl d-does not have p-p-pink h-hair." She smiled slightly, attempting to alleviate the mood. Neji allowed a small smirk to grace his lips.

"If she is related to Sakura-san, there is a good chance that she does have hair in such a color." His voice deepened into a more somber tone. "It is unfortunate that this princess has been forced into something that she originally had no need to take part in."

"Aa," Hinata whispered. She felt immensely lucky that Hiashi did not require her to marry a prince, and that Neji was taking the throne instead of her. "P-poor g-girl..."

King Haruno gazed at Tenten, who was seated before him. The girl was looking confused as to why the king had suddenly summoned her to see him.

"Tenten-chan," the old man greeted. Tenten's eyebrows shot up before she could stop them. Since when had the king added a '-chan' to her name?"

"You summoned me, Haruno-sama," Tenten stated politely. The king nodded slowly.

"Do you miss your parents, Tenten-chan?" King Haruno watched as Tenten's face transformed into shock at this question.

"Eeto...well, seeing as I was two years old when they died, I can't really remember them," she answered truthfully.

"I see..." The king paused. "Since Sakura-chan is...no longer here-" his voice hardened slightly - "are you lonely? All of your close family is gone."

Tenten stared at the king, her face an absolute picture of incomprehension. She did not understand why the king was suddenly asking her these strange questions.

"Well...I do have you, Haruno-sama," the brunette replied hesitantly. "You are my uncle, after all."

"Yes, that is true," the old man agreed. "However, you must admit that we are not really close...but it is my fault. I should have treated you more like a daughter as you were growing up."

"Oh, I do not mind one bit, Haruno-sama," Tenten said hurriedly. "The country is much more important. You do not have that much time - only enough for Sakura-chan."

King Haruno smiled. "I think that I have abandoned you long enough," he said softly. "I will adopt you to be my second daughter. Is that not wonderful, Tenten-chan?" He held up a piece of paper that looked quite official and extravagant. "This is the royal proclamation stating that I have adopted you to be my daughter. Once I sign it, you will become the second princess."

Tenten stared at King Haruno, completely and utterly shocked. Her brain had come to a halt, and her senses were not working properly. Had she heard correctly? Did the king just say that he was going to adopt her?

The king chuckled a bit when Tenten could only gape at him. He continued smiling, although, for some strange reason, it looked rather sad. King Haruno took a pen and signed his signature at the bottom of the paper. "There we go," he said gently. "You are now my second daughter. Welcome to the family, Tenten-hime."

Tenten came back to her senses and was silent for a moment. Then, she plastered a smile onto her face. "Thank you, Haruno-sama - I mean, otou-sama." The last two words tasted foreign on the new princess's tongue. "It - it is a great honor to become y-your daughter." She continued smiling falsely, while her mind screamed, "I don't even want to be a princess! What happened to my consent of this?"

King Haruno reached forwards and patted Tenten on the head, obviously pleased with the girl's acceptance. "When Sakura-chan comes back, she will be delighted that you two are now sisters."

"Hai," Tenten said automatically. The mention of Sakura reminded the brunette of something. "Ano, otou-sama...what is happening to the wedding? Has it been cancelled yet?"

The king's eyes widened slightly, and his face darkened. "No..." he replied quietly. "I-I was hoping that you would not ask me this. I planned to tell you tomorrow." He looked down at his hands. "The wedding will not be cancelled, because..." King Haruno raised his head and looked Tenten in the eye. "You, Haruno Tenten-him, the second princess and daughter of mine, will be replaced Haruno Sakura-hime in the marriage with Hyuuga Neji."

Hinata fumbled nervously with the ends of her sleeves as she walked along a pond with a friend. His hair was brown, short, and spiked, the darkness going well with his tanned skin. The red marks on his face simply gave his look an extra flair. The young man smiled kindly at Hinata.

"Hinata-hime, you look kind of troubled," Inuzuka Kiba commented gently, as Hinata picked at her sleeves. "If you continue to pick at your clothes, they'll wear quickly."

"H-hai, Kiba-kun," Hinata stuttered. She stopped her fumbling and started fidgeting with the bow of her kimono. "A-ano...K-Kiba-kun...I...eeto..."

"Yes, Hinata-hime?" Kiba prompted softly. Hinata's face was beginning to turn pink.

"I...I...ano...ano..." Hinata gulped, then boldly took Kiba's hand in hers. Her face flushed a deep scarlet at the daring of this action, and the princess looked away.

"..." Kiba was surprised, and silent for a moment. Then, a smile graced his face as he tightened the hold of his hand around Hinata's hand, and pulled her closer to him. Poor Hinata was so embarrassed that her scarlet face was beginning to take on a violet tinge. "Ne, Hinata-hime," Kiba said, his free hand reaching inside his robes. "Isn't this rose beautiful?" He withdrew a beautiful dark-blue rose that matched the color of Hinata's hair, and held it out for the girl to see.

"H-hai, it i-i-i-is v-very b-b-b-beautiful..." Hinata mumbled, gazing at the rose, her face still red.

"I think such a beautiful rose should be given to a young woman that is even more beautiful than it," Kiba whispered, tucking the thorn less rose into Hinata's hair. The young woman's face looked almost like it was permanently sunburned.

"A-ah! A-arigatou, K-Kiba-kun. Y-you are always s-so k-kind and s-s-sweet."

Kiba grinned at Hinata, his quiet demeanor breaking slightly as a bit of his true personality shone through. Kiba was only quiet and reserved around Hinata, for the girl was as delicate as a butterfly. The young man was usually brash and loud, although the rules of being a noble dictated otherwise. However, Hinata knew of his real, boisterous self, and still liked him for it. "I saw Naruto the other day," Kiba said slowly, watching Hinata. "He still hasn't given up." Hinata's eyes widened at the mention of her other friend and suitor. "But neither have I."

"E-eh...?" Hinata stopped walking, her mind racing furiously. Now was as good of a time as any to tell Kiba her decision. "Ano...Kiba-kun?" Hinata summoned up all the courage she possessed, and tried to talk without stuttering.

"Yeah, Hinata-hime?" The young man looked at the girl beside him curiously.

"Ano...ano...eeto..." Hinata was already turning red once again, but she hurriedly gathered strength, and said all in one breath, "I've made my decision!" There was a silence, in which Kiba stared at Hinata in shock, while the latter attempted to summon the courage to continue. It wasn't like Kiba could tell what her confusing bursts of speech were. The white-eyed girl gulped. "And, I-"

"Ne, Hinata-hime," Kiba interrupted, not noticing how mortified Hinata looked at his interruption. "Um..." Kiba abruptly let go of Hinata's hand, and took one step backwards, widening the proximity between himself and Hinata. The poor girl looked bewilderedly hurt. "Hinata-hime," Kiba said again, lowering himself onto one knee, and pulling a beautiful little box from his clothes, presenting it to the other person. "Will you marry me?"

"..." Hinata stared, speechless. She blinked, then extended a hand out to take the box, her hand trembling violently. The Hyuuga's lips curved into a smile, and she replied. "Hai, Kiba-kun. I will."

Kiba stood up, looking pleasantly surprised, although his insides were really jumping with joy. He watched Hinata open the box and gasp in delight. A beautiful silver ring glittered on a soft cushion, a blue diamond in a shape of a rose attached to the middle of it. It was a different ring from the first time Kiba proposed. Kiba took the box from Hinata, removing the ring. Then, the noble lifted Hinata's hand to his lips, kissed it, then slid the ring slowly onto the girl's finger.

"I'm glad, Hinata-hime," Kiba said happily, smiling adoringly at the princess. Hinata watched him with wondering eyes, touched by this sudden display of sweet gentleness that was so unlike the usual Kiba. The young man took Hinata into his arms slowly, hugging her. "I love you," he whispered into Hinata's ear. The princess, for once, didn't blush furiously. Instead, she smiled in happiness, and closed her eyes, laying her head on her fiancé's shoulder.

"Kiba-kun...I love you too."

Tenten could only lie in her room, numb with shock and drowning in a pool of despair. The sorrow and rage that gripped her was so great that the girl was lying on the floor, an complete mess. She was quiet, having vented all of her rage and frustration on the king.

"You, Haruno Tenten-hime, the second princess and daughter of mine, will be replacing Haruno Sakura-hime in the marriage with Hyuuga Neji."

Tenten stared at King Haruno, her eyes slightly glazed over as the words that had just been spoken sunk into her. She was silent for quite a long time, before finally parting her lips to say something. "...what?"

The king sighed sadly at Tenten's hoarse, disbelieving tone. "I'm very, very sorry, Tenten-chan," he said softly.

"...what?" Tenten's voice was louder now, and more violent. "What? Did I hear correctly, Haruno-sama? Please tell me that you did not just say what I think I heard. No. No. You couldn't have. You wouldn't!"

King Haruno looked up at Tenten's frantic, slightly insane expression as he continued to sit at his desk. The girl had stood up, and was currently looming over him threateningly. "I did," he said as calmly as he could, feeling regret.

"No. No. NO! I...I don't believe it. You...you didn't! You're lying! You're lying, you're lying, you're lying! You did not hand my life over to Hyuuga without my consent! NO!" Tenten was livid, her face turning red with fury as she screeched as loudly as her voice allowed her to.

"I am extremely sorry, Tenten-chan." The king continued to act calm. He was worried about Tenten's temper - Tenten had always had a terrible temper. He knew that the girl would react in such a way, although he hadn't expected he to become his infuriated.

"You're SORRY? What the hell do I care if you're sorry?" Tenten screamed. "Do you even know anything about me? Huh, do you? How dare you just sign away my life, my future, my freedom? How dare you do such a vile thing? I have never, ever experienced love, had a boyfriend, or hell, even kissed a guy! But, before I have a chance to experience all this, you force me into an arranged marriage because you couldn't keep your own daughter in check? What the hell? WHAT THE HELL, HARUNO-SAMA?"

"Watch your mouth!" King Haruno snapped, his eyes narrowing at Tenten's obscenely rude behavior. The young woman let out a shrill laugh.

"No!" she shrieked. "Why should I? Why the hell should I show any respect towards someone when they adopted me for their own selfish reasons and even pretended that they were doing it because they FRICKIN CARED ABOUT ME? You know what? I never even wanted to be your daughter. I pitied Sakura for having you, a pompous king, as her father! I'm not even a princess by birth, but you adopt me to be one so that you can ship me off to the Hyuuga! Why? To save your face! Why else could you have done such a thing instead of canceling? Everything's always to save your ugly face! How could you do something like this, something so low-level-"

"YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR!" King Haruno roared, quaking with outrage at what Tenten had said. "If you were not vital for this marriage, I would send you to the dungeons! How dare you speak this way to me, the king? Be lucky that you are being married to the Hyuuga!" The old man turned towards the door. "Guards! Seize this impudent wench and lock her in her house! She is not to be let out at any time, nor can anyone see her, unless I say so!"

"NO!" Tenten kicked and clawed like a savage; her mind had gone completely insane with anger. "YOU MONSTER! YOU CRUEL, EVIL, VILE, SELFISH BASTARD! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE-!" The girl was cut off as King Haruno backhanded her heavily across the face. Tenten tried to stay awake and protest, glaring with all her might, but she was slowly falling unconscious. Just before Tenten's eyes closed, she managed to get out one last sentence. "I hate...you..."

The brown-haired girl lay on the floor of her room, remembering all of this. She had woken up afterwards on her bed, yesterday, with a large bruise and swollen cheek. Tenten gazed numbly at the wall, feeling too lifeless to move. Her freedom. Her future. Her life...all thrown away for the pride of an old man. It may also be for the good of the kingdom, but the girl was selfish. Why didn't she have the right to be selfish? Tenten was not a princess at birth; she had no obligations towards the kingdom. It was so unfair. So unjustly, intensely, cruelly unfair.

Tenten's eyes warmed and prickled with tears again. She had never known love; had never seen, or even bumped into its essence. And now, she would never have the chance. She was sentenced to a loveless life with the future ruler of another kingdom because of politics, politics, and politics. The truth of it hurt so much that her heart felt like it was shattering into a million pieces, although it had never been whole to begin with. Tenten let the sorrow consume her once more, closing her eyes and sobbing.

An image of a white-eyed Hyuuga came to her mind. The handsome face drifted around, and a king of strangled laugh emerged from amidst the hacking sobs. Yes, that man...Tenten supposed that she would see him once she was married and moved to the Hyuuga castle. She wondered what it would be like to order him around, and how surprised he would be to see that the girl that he had helped had become the queen.

However, why was Tenten even thinking about her brief encounter with the Hyuuga? The girl had no feelings for him - after all, how could she, when the most she had talked to him was perhaps two minutes? The fact was that the young man was the first in which Tenten had ever interacted with. Although Tenten had talked to other men in the past, they had all been family, Sakura's friends, or servants. Other young noblemen only had eyes for Sakura, not Sakura's boyish, lithe cousin.

Tenten let her tears flow freely down her face. It did not do her any good to elaborate on those thoughts. After all, now, she was jailed - a caged bird longing to spread its wings and fly, free, to the glowing sun, which was something it would never, ever have again.

Sorry for the late update - I was too sick to get up for a couple days, let alone come to the computer and type up the next chapter. Anyways, thanks once again for all of the wonderful reviews. There were quite a lot for the last chapter; they made me so happy. I hope that there will be that many people giving input for this chapter.

I haven't proofread this chapter, so forgive me if there are any (or many) typos. I'm kind of tired now and need to rest, so yeah.

PS. Where oh where has Sakura gone? Kudos and cookies to anyone who manages to guess before it is revealed in the next chapter!