I'm sorry all of my wonderful readers that this chapter has taken so long to be finished. This past year I started university and was too busy and too lacking of inspiration to update nearly as well as you deserve, and for that I'm honestly sorry.
However I have managed to finish this chapter, and I'm working on the next one. I would have had this out earlier but my beta is busy graduating so it took a while. In fact I decided since she was too busy I would post this for now and then replace it with an edited version at a later point rather than keep you all waiting. So after nearly a year's hiatus I bring you chapter 19 of Promises You Can't Keep.
Status: Un-betaed, to be replaced with an edited version at a later time.
Recap:
After receiving an injury that caused Neji to think Tenten was dead, the two of them began having romantic relations. However it's been revealed that Neji is engaged to Hanako Sugi who is from a noble family and is marrying her to improve the opinions of the Hyuuga Elders.
While Neji would much rather marry Tenten, Tenten insists that she would not be good for the Hyuuga and she does not provide the connections the Hyuuga Elders are hoping to make with his marriage to Hanako. Only Hinata and Lee know about their secret affair.
Tenten left Team Gai to become ANBU, and Team Gai became Team Four with the addition of Megumi who specialises in genjutsu.
Currently Tenten is on a mission with Team Four, her mission is to seduce Takeshi Sakamoto, the head of intelligence in Iwagakure. Team Four is on an escort mission, which is being used to hide Tenten's true mission.
Heart pounding Tenten sat up abruptly in bed, her hands pressed over her mouth to keep from screaming. She couldn't remember the dream, it having already fled from her mind. But she still felt unsettled, almost as if this room were confining her. Looking down at her hands in the shadowy room they almost looked as if they'd been stained with blood.
It was just a nightmare, she told herself. The soft sound of Megumi's breathing filled the tiny room. Slipping quietly out the door she went to check on Neji and Lee, who were somewhere inside the suites Ito-sama had been given for his stay.
Lee was snoring away in his slumber, but Neji sat in a meditative position on his bed. His skin shone in the moonlight and his dark hair blended with the shadows. His eyes snapped open and they looked as if they were silver lanterns in the night.
He did nothing to acknowledge her, but she knew he'd seen her. Knew he'd felt her presence. She slid down the wall to meet the floor, resting her arms on top of her folded knees. Before long her head fell down to rest between her arms and she slowly drifted off to sleep.
With a sigh, Neji stood up and gleaming in the moonlight gently picked her up. He carried her back to her room, and pulled the sheets over her. For a second he watched as she whimpered softly from the loss of contact. "Neji…" soft pink lips breathed. He left then before he did something they would both regret.
When she woke up, Tenten felt lost and disoriented. Slowly realising where she was, she sat up quickly. She didn't remember going back to her room. Neji must have carried her back, she surmised. She ought to thank him for that.
That evening, she found out that the discussions had gone surprisingly well from Ito-sama. "We may be able to leave before the week is out." He told her.
"Well that is certainly something to look forward to," she agreed. Then went to sit with Sakamoto as he beckoned to her. She gracefully allowed Sakamoto to kiss her cheek in greeting.
The one thing she found tiresome about any kind of meeting between countries was that the meals went on for hours with course upon course laid on the table. It was a subtle way of saying, we're better than you. But to her it was a waste of food, and of time.
Carefully sipping at her drink, Tenten resisted the urge to sigh from boredom. Sakamoto was a dull companion, as he was recounting every single detail of what had happened today. Instead, she merely tuned him out, occasionally muttering an agreement so he believed she was listening.
Across the room her eyes went to Neji, who had been studiously ignoring her all day. She tried to thank him earlier today when she ran into him in the hallway. He'd simply brushed her off and told her he was going to speak with Ito-sama. Despite her worry she'd let him go, and had gone in search of Lee to spar with.
"Would you like to go someplace quieter?" A whisper floated into her ear.
"Why not," she agreed. "I find this to be quite dull."
Sakamoto had offered her his arm, which she took delicately and allowed herself to be lead from the room. Their early departure meant that everyone was watching them as they left. She could feel Neji's eyes burning into the back of her head as she was lead from the room.
She wished she could apologise, but this was her mission. She was a kunoichi and this was what they did. One night they would be warriors and the next they would be seductresses. There was no room for guilt or love while she was on a mission. So instead she purred into the old man's ear. "I'll make it worth your while for leaving early…"
Inwardly, Tenten wished she could kill the despicable old man but it was too early to strike. So instead as she knelt before him, she gazed up at him with sultry eyes that burned with anger, which he mistook for lust.
She left once he was asleep. As she made her way back to the room she shared with Megumi she couldn't help but feel disgusted with herself. But this was what kunoichi did, why they were honoured and looked down upon at the same time.
Megumi was blessedly absent from the room when Tenten arrived. Grabbing a towel she headed to the bathroom in Ito-sama's suite. She was determined to have a shower before bed. She stunk of sake, sweat and other less pleasant things.
Time seemed to fly for Team Four, but for Tenten that week was unbearably long. Neji avoided being alone with her, Megumi continued to make snide comments about her, and everywhere she went Sakamoto was looking for her. She spent a lot of time with Lee as a result. Of course she could only stand so much youthful talk before she went out of her mind.
When Ito-sama told her that finally the talks were about to be concluded she could have kissed him. Soon she would be back in Konoha and out doing normal missions rather than seducing an old man.
The day before they were going to leave she finally managed to corner Neji in Ito-sama's suite. "Neji," she said softly, looking at the floor. "I know you're disgusted at how I've become… at what I've done. But this is what a kunoichi does." She raised her eyes to meet his defiantly for a brief moment. "Not all missions take place on the battlefield, you know. I know you're sickened by it, so I won't bother you too much, but is this really worth losing a friendship over? Think about it." She left then, not wanting to hear what he was about to say.
She'd managed to talk Sakamoto into having a private dinner for the two of them. She'd managed to slip the poison into his food so easily that she almost felt bad. He never noticed until it was too late.
Suddenly he reached for his glass of water, only to have it tip over and spill across the table. She sat impassively while he tried desperately to get a drink. He finally took her cup and held it to his mouth with trembling hands, spilling more water than he drank.
Then he doubled over, "Ren!" he whispered. "Help!"
"I'm sorry Sakamoto," she spat his name. "I don't think I can do that. You're a disgusting old man who's better off dead, you see." The expression on his face was shocked. "Oh," she said. "I'm sorry I never introduced myself. I'm a kunoichi of Konoha. You know, the one who was buying information off that guy you killed. Those who kill will be killed, but you would know that by now wouldn't you?"
Once the despicable man was dead, she went to kill the guard. It was only too easy to subdue him and to make it look as if he had committed suicide. Then the letter was placed within his chest of belongings telling of his love for his master and his duty to his family.
When she had finally washed the blood from her hands, Tenten surveyed the scene. This was what she had become, a cold-hearted killer, and a cool seductress. While she hadn't been a virgin for a long time, she was still ruined, still one of many kunoichi who had offered up themselves for their land.
If she could never have married Neji before, now she was doubly incapable of doing so. No house with a lineage such as the Hyuuga would want a bride like her, one who used her body as a weapon and slept with enemies. She wanted to weep, but refused to. This was something she had chosen, she had been allowed to say no from the beginning and this mission might have been assigned to some other kunoichi, to an older and more experienced one.
She left that room and was surprised to find that Neji was waiting for her in her chambers, without Megumi or Lee present. He sat on her bed, holding a bottle of sake. He offered her a cup, which she took carefully as if afraid it might break. Sitting next to him, the two of them indulged in a few cups before he finally spoke. "I am not disgusted by what this mission required of you, instead I think it admirable that you would give so much for Konoha,"
"Lee tells me that you are willing to give up your dreams of being the Head of the Hyuuga for me, even now that I am like this would you still take me? To bring a ruined orphan into the Hyuuga household?"
"I would," Neji replied solemnly.
She looked away before answering, "It is good that one of us has common sense then. Marrying me brings you nothing, brings the Hyuuga nothing. By marrying Hanako, you offer so much more to the Hyuuga: the removal of that Cursed Seal and the unification of the two houses."
"I know this."
Tenten gave a sad smile, "it is not often that I must remind Neji Hyuuga of duty." Offering her cup, he refilled it and the two of them spoke of trivial events for the remainder of the night. Tenten knew that Neji was keeping her from the thoughts of the murders she had just committed earlier this night and for that she was thankful.
The four of them escorted Ito-sama from Kusagakure long before the discovery of the murder was made later that day. It was ultimately pinned on the bodyguard since there was so much evidence in his favour. Upon their return to Konoha they found that Naruto was set to be officially instated as the Hokage in April.
Naruto had waited until he could gather up the whole group before he made the announcement. He then announced that he and Hinata would be getting married in June. Tenten wondered if the Hyuuga could afford to hold two grandiose weddings in less than two months.
Tenten quickly returned to her ANBU lifestyle and Team Four went back to their own training. Still Tenten resolved that at least one day of every week she would join them in their morning training.
Team Four was still a dysfunctional team; Megumi detested Lee and hero-worshipped Neji. Neji and Lee on the other hand worked well together, though they did not get along well and Megumi was incapable of settling disputes between the two. Lee did his best to bring Megumi into the Team but she snubbed all of his efforts.
However when Tenten was there, none of this seemed to matter. Megumi, although grudgingly, respected her. Neji and Lee had been her teammates before and while they had been described as a dysfunctional and unique team, Team Gai had been perfectly balanced.
Megumi seemed determined to become on good terms with Tenten, spending time outside of training with her quite often and asking her opinion on things. While Tenten was glad that Megumi was opening up, she couldn't help but feel like Megumi had some ulterior motive.
On one of her day off, Tenten went to go visit Hanako, bringing along Sakura and Ino. Hanako had been overjoyed to see them, and even Hinata had come by to visit her. The five girls had spent the afternoon drinking tea and chatting. While the other girls left, Ino and Sakura had a mission in the morning and Hinata was going to visit Naruto, Tenten helped Hanako clean up.
"You know Tenten-san, I always imagined being married to someone who loved me. Neji's not awful, and the Hyuuga are very kind, but truthfully I can tell he doesn't want to marry me. I don't wish to marry him either. Still our families expect it of us." Hanako turned to look at her, "You must be wondering why I'm telling you this, but honestly you're my only friend here and I have seen Neji with you."
"I think you're mistaken, Neji and I are nothing but teammates and he is engaged to you." Tenten used her training to remain calm, in fact not even the teacups on the tray she balanced quivered in the slightest.
"I think if he were to have you as his mistress I would be fine with it. You're a kind girl, Tenten-san, even to poor foreign me who is marrying the man you love." Tenten while normally unflappable began to frantically motion for Hanako to be quiet.
"If you're going to insist on talking about such silly things, please don't do it here. Why don't you come visit me next week and bring Hinata along?"
Hanako seemed to remember that she now lived in a clan with many shinobi. "Ah but of course, we'll come by next weekend if that's fine."
"I will see you then," Tenten said shortly and then left. She returned home and once she was in her house, began to clean up her counter where the dishes had been piling up. She wished that she could sort her thoughts as well as she could organise her house.