AN: whoa, fluff alert. If you hated season 7 of 'Buffy', just skip this chapter. I swear it's just one speech after another. Never mind though, I hope it's not too bad.

2540 words in this chapter

Unmasked

Chapter 23- The meaning of marriage

Tenten and Neji sat on the opposite sides of the room from each other in shame.

She, having been pulled off Neji forcibly once the family had heard the noise, was now dressed properly in one of her own Yukatas and had tied her hair up into a single messy bun, staring down at the floor.

He, having not yet said a word, was sat nursing his bruised face, and ego, with an ice pack held against him while he stared hopelessly at his wife.

Takahiro, ever the adjudicator, and feeling slightly responsible for the last day's events, stood on guard between them in case Tenten decided to attack before the family members in the other room made any decisions.

Of course, the meeting had nothing to do with Neji and Tenten, but it was important family business nevertheless, and so couldn't be postponed on the grounds of something as insignificant as a catastrophic family breakdown. As a result, Neji had been excused from attendance, and they had both been confined until someone could find a more appropriate time to address them.

They had been sat in silence like this for over two hours now, and two thirds of the room's occupants were beginning to go stir crazy. The final one had just about gone crazy hours ago, but less from the confinement and more from the war going on inside of his head.

It seemed to Neji, that the only way he could keep Tenten happy, would be somehow to treat her badly all over again and let her forget all about the fact that he was madly in love with her. Some part of him wanted to do that, just so long as she was happy again, but he couldn't. Not when he had worked so hard to overcome that, not when everything was going so well.

Of course, he wasn't stupid. He could tell just by looking at her that she was thinking of their agreement. But why didn't she just carry it out… why did she choose to scream and hit me instead, when she could just divorce me and leave… does she still think she owes me something…?

His eyes explored the minutest detail of expression, trying to figure it out, but he couldn't see anything. He could see right into the chakra pathways of anyone he walked passed, but trying to figure out her… that, he would never achieve.

He glanced up and caught Takahiro's eyes.

The younger man read his expression easily and nodded, standing back to signal that it would be all right to try and talk by now.

He swallowed nervously and dropped the ice pack to his lap as he spoke quietly. "Tenten…"

She didn't respond, staring at the floor, but he continued anyway, hoping that she was listening but needing to say it out loud anyway.

"Tenten, I won't ask for forgiveness. I know I don't deserve it, and I probably won't get it. I should have talked everything out with you last night. I should have restrained myself until we were more solid. I should have done a thousand things that I didn't do, but I didn't.

"Temari… I can see was a mistake. It was a mistake if I ever wanted to marry you, but I didn't. If I had known back then what would happen, I never would have done it, which actually makes me sad. It makes me sad because… if I hadn't have made that mistake, I would never have fallen in love with you.

"Back then… I didn't care about you. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I fully believed in that notion of "shinobi as tools", so that's all you were to me; another tool on my team to maneuver. I didn't think at all whether it might hurt you or not. You are more to me now, and that's why I didn't tell you.

"I don't want to lose you Tenten, and it'll kill me to let you go, but you still can divorce me if you want. I'm not going to force you into anything you don't want to do. I can't even begin to imagine what you are feeling right now, but even if you never talk to me again, I just need to tell you; I really am sorry, and I don't blame you for anything.

"and… just know that, if you do leave… you'll never see me again, because I will never stop loving you and it will always be too painful to see you. There… one ridiculous and heartfelt speech directly to your face, even if you don't want it… don't expect anymore because that's all I have to say."

He then forced his eyes away from her, holding the ice pack back up to his stinging face and hugging his knees up to his chest.

Silence reigned for what seemed like hours in the uncomfortable room. The air began to feel hot and sticky to him as he anticipated her reaction. That was, if she did react at all.

He wondered where exactly he had changed so much. One year, he was a dignified shinobi who could control his own emotions, the next; he was a wreck with no personal dignity. Of course, he needn't have bothered working himself into a sweat, because he knew exactly what had happened… it was Tenten.

Then he jerked himself still as he felt a pair of delicate hands wrap themselves softly around his shoulders from behind. Warm breath tickled his neck, causing his breath to hitch in surprise and confusion.

"You shouldn't have to apologize" she whispered, her voice taut with emotion. "I knew most of that… I guess I was just a bit… sensitive, after last night. I'm not going to divorce you Neji…"

His eyes went wide and he twisted his head around to face her slightly "you aren't?"

"No… what would be the point? I told you last night… I don't love you, but I would like the chance to try. If I gave up now, it wouldn't be showing my strength as a Kunoichi." She moved one of her hands to help him hold the icepack on, sighing to herself "I would be lying if I apologized for hitting you like that, because I needed to do it, and I don't care if it was near your family, because that's just who I am. I'm not going to change, and I'm certainly not going to forgive you, because I would be lying even more if I said it didn't hurt.

"I do accept that it was more than four years ago, not yesterday, but still… if I'm still your wife, you are going nowhere near that bitch ever again, is that understood?"

He was very confused now. Nothing she just said gave him that much of an explanation for wanting to stay his wife, and she was actually being quite brutal, but at the same time, she was helping to nurse him and showing him affection. He frowned at her "Tenten, it's really not that simple…"

She took off the icepack and slapped him again briefly before returning to her earlier actions. "Is that understood?"

He just nodded dumbly in shock and caught eye contact with Takahiro again. Neji noted that the other man was looking at her equally shocked and looked around a little nervously once he noticed that the Hyuuga was watching him.

"Guys I hate to say this," Takahiro sighed "but you really have to sit apart. I know what the run up to make-up sex feels like, but I suspect Hiashi at least will want to have words with you first"

Tenten immediately let go of Neji and stood up to face Takahiro with contempt. "What the hell gave you that impression? Do you think I'm that easy?"

She walked across the room with a spiteful laugh "Make-up sex… ha! He's not getting sex of any sort till I'm done 'PMS-ing' over this, and that's going to take a while"

Neji and Takahiro exchanged frightened glares, before suddenly diverting their attention to the floor.

Kakashi locked the door behind him, out of breath from walking so fast. He dropped the shopping bags on the floor instantly and closed the blinds on the street facing windows of his apartment before they caught up. Once he became able to breathe normally again, something struck him, a familiar scent that made him smile instantly.

Forgetting all about the problems he had faced moments earlier, he didn't even need to check any of the other rooms, letting his feet guide him straight down the steps to his garden.

As he stepped through into the sunlight, there she was, lying across the grass in a light red summer dress, sandals by her side, on her stomach as she wrote in a book.

Her let her eyes travel her form as her legs playfully bent up into the air, crossed over, which caused the skirt of her dress to ride up around her hips, exposing her soft skin to the golden sunlight. She paused for a second, chewing lightly on her pen as she flicked her loose hair to one side, letting it fall over her shoulder.

As long as he would have liked to stare, he was too frustrated to stand still, so he took a step forward and shut the stairwell door behind him. "This is getting ridiculous"

She didn't move, just turning back a page casually to reread something. "What's that now?"

"I only went for some food, and I end up with half of the shop staring. The girl at the till tried to hit on me, then I try to escape here and they all start following me. It's ridiculous. The sooner I can get my mask back on, the better."

"It'll wear off" she dismissed him simply

"Hmm…" he frowned at her irresponsiveness and slipped off his light gloves. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just updating some medical journals. Its sunny today; how's your eye?"

He sighed "Are you just here for a check up?"

"No, but it's important anyway"

He gave up resisting "It's been a while since I've had two, so the depth perception is taking a bit of getting used to, but it doesn't hurt or anything."

"Good" she made a few notes on a clean page "have you tried training with it yet?"

"No" he had to admit, her professional attitude was disturbing in his own garden. Outside, a whole horde of women wanting to get their hands on him, but back here, his own wife hadn't even looked at him since he got here.

"You really should. If there was an urgent mission now, I couldn't clear you to go, because we have no way of proving your abilities in a fight situation."

"It's a good job I don't need the money then" he replied smoothly, then sat down on the grass beside her.

She made a few more notes in her book, then shut it and rolled over onto her back, propping herself up with her elbows "Now, how does two days worth of married life measure up to your expectations?"

He smirked back at her "It's beyond my dreams. When you are actually here that is"

She gazed down at her stomach guiltily "Gomenesai, I haven't been around, I know"

"I understand Sakura. We aren't living together, so it's selfish to want you here all of the time. I'm just glad you're here now"

She propped herself upright and gave him a brief kiss. As she sat back again, he held her ringed hand, caressing the ring finger with a feather touch.

"it really is lovely" She commented, admiring how the light shone off the rings "I thought it would feel awkward wearing them, but they're more like a missing piece of a puzzle"

He laughed lightly at the notion "I thought it would be strange because just over a month ago, we barely talked to each other"

"A month? Are you sure?"

"Hai, it has been 25 days since we saw each other outside Tsunade's office."

"It seems like years… did you drug me or something?"

"No, you drugged me remember?" He smirked again

She rolled her eyes and snuggled closer "That had nothing to do with it. You already told me you were a virgin, so I knew you hadn't felt anything like that before. I just wanted to test how you would react to it."

"Why would you want to do that?" he asked her innocently

She just giggled lightly "it was just funny"

"Just funny? It wasn't like that at the time"

"Sure, but only because you mentioned…" she couldn't finish her sentence, glaring down at the floor, knowing immediately what she had just done to the atmosphere.

He got up, letting go of her hand and glancing away down the garden.

She looked up at him with sad eyes "I'm sorry I mentioned it; don't get mad… please…"

"I'm not mad… I just…" he smiled down at her lightly and offered her a hand "come with me; I want to show you something"

"Kakashi… what…?"

"Just trust me" he urged

She cautiously gripped his hand and let him pull her up. Taking a few seconds to readjust the fabrics of her dress, she looked back at him and he began to step forwards.

They wandered through the garden until they neared the end of the small path, and Sakura obviously began to figure out what was happening. He could tell from her sharp intake of breath as a finger twitched against his hand.

The sounds of running water got louder with every crunch of their feet on the grass, until they reached a point where the only option would be to continue on the pebbled path, when she suddenly stopped.

His arm yanked backwards, he turned back towards her with a furrowed expression "what's the matter?"

She looked down shyly at her feet, which he finally noticed were still completely bare. She's worried about hurting her feet on the pebbles…

He smiled sympathetically at her and stood closer. "Sakura, wrap your arms around my neck"

She smiled, remembering the last time he asked her to do that. "Do I have to close my eyes?"

"Only if you really want to"

She shut her eyes slowly, and linked her hands behind his neck.

Seconds later she was wisped off her feet, being carried by Kakashi over the path through the small cluster of trees bordering their destination and all he could think about, was her. Her body pressed against his, her scent, the interesting way her feminine toes curled up in excitement, the tickle of her hair as a light breeze brushed it against his shoulder.

The way her workaholic nature had made him so frustrated over the last few days didn't even occur to him now that she was here again, as it reassured him… 'Till death due us part' didn't lie; no matter how long they were separate… she would always find him again, and when she did, the rest of the world didn't matter.

AN: Humor will continue next chapter… I promise. I didn't include what I was going to, because I thought I should finish what I started in the last chapter with NejiTen first.

Just in case you are confused… the first part is set around the same time as the end of the last chapter, but the second is around midday the following day.

Don't know when I'll update next, seen as I am at least 6 weeks behind on college work so I'm going to have to be working hard on that.

I know this was bordering on cringe-worthy with all of that cliché, but it's for a good cause. I feel really bad now, because I just read the last few chapters of Phase Two and Back to Surreality again and I think my writing standard has dropped dramatically again.

tear

Stay shiny and show the luff

Xx Belizma-chan xX