Summary: Neji and TenTen are married and they have two children. Every night the parents tell their children a little bit about their past as bedtime stories. So far, they have told them how they first meet, how they were teamed, their secret language, what amazing friends they have and their first date. The last chapter was about how Neji purposed to TenTen. That one was more of a flashback because TenTen thinks that it's inappropriate to tell young kids about such things.
Chapter 8 – The mark
It was night time again and the two young Hyugas were getting on their beds.
"Mommy?" Tera called out.
"Yes, dear?"
"Can you tell us about your wedding day?"
"Umm..." TenTen glanced at Neji, "i'll tell you when the time's right, love."
"TenTen? A word?" Neji said.
TenTen followed Neji out of the room.
"Why not just tell them about it? You know they won't listen till the end. Nathan's pretty tired from the academy and Tera will fell asleep soon."
"But..."
"Cut them some slack. Nathan's 12 years old and Tera's 9. They're old enough. You can't restrict them forever!"
TenTen bit her lip and looked away.
"Fine..."
The parents went back to the room to find their children fast asleep. Both of them smiled and quietly went back to their room.
"Haha... I guess you were right, Neji." TenTen said changing into her night grown, "Kids are unpredictable!"
"I'm a genius for a reason."
TenTen smiled, "The wedding was one of the most amazing days of my life. It was like a mark."
"Hey, why don't you tell ME the story instead?"
"Eh? Why me? You were the one who's excited to tell the story!"
"Fine... We'll both tell each other our stories."
"TenTen! Try this one on!" Ino yelled.
"Do I have to? I thought we settled with the white one!" TenTen whined.
"You can but this dress is just soooooooooo cute!" Ino replied, tossing the dress to TenTen.
"I don't need it. Besides, I'll be just wearing my kimono! And Hinata said it's better if it's white or blue or purple. It's like a signature colour for the Hyuuga."
"I know. These are what you will have to wear during the wedding reception."
After hours and hours of much tossing and arguing, the girls finally agreed on a white with a hint of pale blue swirls kimono. It has flowers and leaf patterns. Flowers represent feminism and leaf represents the village.
To TenTen's pleasure, she only had to wear one kimono for the entire wedding reception.
TenTen quickly went back home after asking a tailor to sewn a small panda and yin-yang picture on the shoulder part of the kimono.
Panda represents me and Yin-Yang for Neji. –TenTen
TenTen still could not believe that she was having a wedding in three days. Hinata had taken care of the Shinto ceremony and Ino and Sakura had taken care of the wedding reception. As a bride, all she had to do was buy a kimono and dresses for the wedding reception, listen to how the ceremony will be held and pray she would not make a fool of herself.
Who's the groom? It's Neji. The Neji she's been friends with for half of her life. The one she never thought would be her husband. It's true what they say – you never know what could happen?
Everything must be perfect. –TenTen
With that thought, TenTen drifted off to sleep.
TenTen suddenly woke up to find herself lying in a dark damp room, her hands tied and mouth stuffed with a cloth. The door opened with a loud creek.
TenTen watched quietly as the man pulled out the cloth and turned on the lamp. The man had a rectangular face with scars on both of his cheeks.
"Don't think of untying the ropes. It's a special string made out of chakra," he said with a deep voice.
"What do you want from me?"
"Well... You're just unlucky that you happened to be the bride of Hyuuga Neji. You see, he should be marrying my sister."
"What?" TenTen exclaimed.
"Yes, my sister was madly in love with him and she was so nice to him. And what did he give him return? He rejected her and went back to Konoha."
"You're making this up. I don't even see your sister!"
"My sister was heartbroken. She wouldn't eat or sleep. Then a month later, she killed herself. Right here, in this room. From that day onwards I swore to get my revenge. I will kill whoever Hyuuga Neji loves. I will make him feel the way my sister felt."
"You're crazy. If you hurt Neji, I'm going to hurt YOU."
"You're not in the state to threaten me, TenTen."
Suddenly the front door burst open and Neji was there, holding his palm out.
"Looks like your prince is here," the man said and he walked out, closing the door behind.
"LET ME OUT!" TenTen yelled.
Suddenly the wooden wall behind TenTen broke. Sakura, Ino and Hinata were there. Sakura, of course, had punched the wall open. She quickly went by TenTen and ripped open the ropes with her inhumane strength.
As soon as TenTen was free, she grabbed her scroll from Hinata and rushed out of the door. Neji suddenly crashed into her.
"Neji? Are you okay?"
"TenTen? Thank god! Let's get out of here!" Neji said, grabbing TenTen tightly while giving a slight nod to Sakura, Ino and Hinata.
Then in a poof! They were in the forest with the girls beside them.
"Let's go!" Sakura yelled as they all went back to Konoha.
"TenTen? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Neji asked once they were safely back in Hyuuga mansion.
"I'm fine. Sakura's already healed my hands. Are YOU okay?" TenTen replied, rubbing her wrist.
"oh, he'll be fine. The wedding's starting in 3 hours! It's already six in the morning!" Ino yelled, panicking, "You should get ready. The Shinto ceremony's starting at 8, right?"
"Ye-"
"Then we don't have time! Neji, go go go change. We'll take care of TenTen."
"TenTen! Stay STILL!" Ino scolded.
"But the makeup feels so uncomfortable. I don't need to look nice. The relatives are only going to be there!" TenTen whined.
"No is no. You trust us with this, Ten. We know about these stuffs." Sakura lectured her, while brushing dust off TenTen's white kimono.
"TenTen, it's time!" Hinata said from the other side of the door.
"Okay! I'll be out in a sec!"
"And there!" Ino said, "You look fabulous. Good luck, TenTen!"
"Good luck, TenTen!" Sakura said, hugging TenTen very lightly.
TenTen staggered out of the room with her friend's help.
"Now remember, just walk lightly. You don't want to tear this kimono. It's an ancient heirloom of Hyuuga. And one you are there, hold on Neji-nii-san's hand and wait at the place while you are being purified and then drink sake and Neji will say a few words. Then you can walk over to the next building where the kami is and I'll be there to guide you. So, you don't need to worry, okay? And after both of you do the symbolic offering, the ceremony will be over. Simple and easy," Hinata revised the plan as they reached Neji.
Neji was dressed in a typical black, white and gray. He had his usual calm, expressionless face.
"Wish me luck!" TenTen whispered and squeezed Hinata's hand before taking Neji's.
"You'll be fine!" Hinata said as she quickly walked into the room.
"Ready?" Neji asked.
"I guess so..." TenTen whispered nervously.
"You look amazing," Neji whispered as the couple walked into the room. "Like you always do"
"Are you kidding? I look like a white freak!"
"We are gathered here to join this man and this woman in the bonds of holy matrimony..." the priest started and blessed TenTen and Neji.
All the while, TenTen's heart was pounding so hard and every time her hand trembled, Neji squeezed it ever so lightly, and patted her hand. This calmed her a lot.
After they drank sake, it was time for Neji to finally express his love for TenTen to his whole family.
"TenTen had been my friend every since the beginning. I have never met such an amazing lady before. She is the only one who sticks with me through everything, even when I was an arrogant jerk. She is always there to cheer me up, to protect me even if it meant putting her life on the line. I want to do all the same things back to her. To be a shoulder she can cry and rely on and a mountain that will protect her no matter what. I just love her," Neji said, looking straight his lavender eyes staring into her chocolate eyes.
Everyone cheered and after a successful offering to the kami, TenTen was officially Hyuuga TenTen.
"Everything's so far so good!" TenTen said cheerfully to her girlfriends.
"Yeah! We did it, girls! TenTen's married!" Sakura said, excited.
"We sure did!" Ino agreed and the girls hugged.
"Wait, there's still the wedding dinner reception!" Hinata interrupted.
Once more the struggle between TenTen, Ino and makeup begins.
Sakura and Hinata helped TenTen put on her beautiful kimono. After a makeup session with Ino, TenTen looked beyond amazing.
When TenTen went to Neji, he nearly freaked out.
"Oh wow... You look... wow..." Neji complimented a very loving expression on his face.
TenTen blushed, "Neji. Stop it. You're making me embarrassed!"
"Sorry sorry" Neji looked away sheepishly.
"Everyone? I'm very glad to introduce to Hyuuga Neji and his lovely wife, HYUUGA TenTen!" Ino talked into the microphone.
Everyone clapped as the newlywed couple walked into the hall.
"Congratulations, Neji, TenTen!" Tsunade came over. "Oh and it's a great idea that you chose this place. There's a gambling hall upstairs!"
"You should thank Sakura. She chose this place." TenTen replied, making a mental note to thank Sakura later.
"Congratulations, NejiTen!" Gai-sensei and RockLee were next.
Gai-sensei had tears in his eyes, "I cannot believe two of my pupils are married! This is just soooo youthful and beautiful!"
"TenTen?" RockLee said loudly, "You should say something to the whole crowd!"
"Eh?" TenTen replied, confused, "No way!"
"Yeah!" Naruto said through the microphone, "Everyone, TenTen has a few words to say!"
"I don't!" TenTen tried to refused, but she was pushed onto the stage by Naruto.
TenTen found Neji's eyes and she said "Neji? Ever since I was a young girl, I never believed in love. I thought it was just a word and all it does is bring pain and it breaks the friendship between two people. I thought every couples mostly ended up in tears and pains. But you make me see it in a whole new way. You showed me that it was us and we're different. You opened up a new life to me. Something that was beyond my reach. You are my very first boyfriend and now you are my husband. I want to be end my life with you too. Thank you, Neji, for letting me be HYUUGA TenTen."
Everyone cheered and clapped. Hinata, Sakura, Ino, and the other Konoha 11 were awed. They never knew TenTen could be that romantic.
Neji was instantly beside TenTen and they shared a passionate kiss.
Suddenly the hall shook violently and a ninja broke through the window and landed in front of the couple.
"HYUUGA NEJI! TENTEN! I'M BACK!" the man who kidnapped TenTen yelled.
TenTen was beyond mad.
"YOU! You never learn your lesson, do you?" TenTen said.
Everyone standing near TenTen walked away because they sense a very frightening aura coming from her even Neji flinched.
"It's my wedding and I don't plan it to be ruined twice," TenTen said as she glared at the man.
TenTen mustered all her force and punched the man in the stomach. He lingered at the punch for a while before flying across the hall.
Tsunade ordered two ninjas to take the man away and locked him up.
"Wow, TenTen! That was one powerful punch! It could have been as powerful as mine!" Sakura said, smiling nervously.
"Really? I was just really mad. It's my wedding! Today is like a mark. A mark that shows it's a new beginning. Start of something new. Anyway, let's continue with the party," TenTen said casually as she walked away.
"Neji... You have really got to be careful now. You don't want to make her angry. You might die!" Naruto whispered.
"Don't worry. She's Hyuuga TenTen."
A/N: The plot's kinda lame, I know. But I don't want to have the same type over and over again. The same old romance with a wedding going very well with no disturbance. I just wanted a unique chapter for this story. Please REVIEW! And like always, new ideas are always welcome!