Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Naruto.

Destined to Love
By: Chigiri Sasaki

Summary: He was a prodigy, with a damaged past and no future. She was a commoner, with a hidden secret. Strung together by fate, it was only a matter of time before she changed his life forever. AU, NejiTen

Chapter Nine

Commoner… Pathetic… Loser… Failure… You do not belong here. You do not belong here.

Tenten ran. But as fast as she flew, she simply couldn't outrun those words.

You do not belong here.

She ran aimlessly, running desperately through the busy streets of Konoha. She tore past all the people who were thoughtful enough to stop walking to offer her help, dashing by the rather loud stands that filled the path up ahead. The village was unusually noisy during this particular night. She was somewhat surprised to see the city glowing with thousands of torches and lanterns. She immediately realised that tonight was the first night of the cherry blossom festival, yet she wasn't here to celebrate the merry event. She didn't even smile back the happy people who had the heart to wave to her when she passed by, or even spare a glance at the flowers that have opened their pink petals up to the vast sky. Tenten usually loved the soft and light colours, but she didn't have eyes for their beauty today. Not right now.

Thoughts of confusion swirled through her mind. She felt partly ashamed and irresponsible for just running away like that, without informing Hiashi or anyone, but she had felt too angry to do anything then. She was frustrated by the way she was constantly treated, and she was angered by the fact that Neji accused her of doing something she didn't do. The cold attitude she had to put up with each day was something she had gotten used to over time, but he had insulted her afterwards, using certain words that she couldn't simply brush off.

How could he say that?

But as harsh as they were, Tenten knew that every word he said was true. She was pitiful and had done nothing but prevent Neji from training. And on top of that, it was apparent that she irritated him endlessly each day, constantly speaking of the things that he didn't want to hear about.

Why did she tell him about her past, anyway? What had caused her to share her heart's most valuable memory to him? The closest thing she had to a friend in the Hyuuga household was Hinata, but even the Hyuuga heiress was oblivious to the pain Tenten constantly suffered. Yet, what was it about Neji that made her feel comfortable enough to reveal her past? Tenten didn't know. She also didn't know why his future marriage with Mikya suddenly mattered so much to her.

But she supposed grabbing her bags and running away was a benefit for everybody. She escaped with the money she needed and she wouldn't have to suffer any disapproving glances anymore. Neji would be returned back to his normal life and Mikya, well, she would get what she had always wanted all to herself: Neji.

You will never find him… The truth hurts… You do not belong here. You do not belong here.

Those hurtful words resonated in her ears endlessly, ringing cruelly, tauntingly. She wanted to block it out, but she knew she couldn't, because it was true. Every single word of it was true. And she wouldn't deny it.

She shut her eyes tightly and shook her head fervently in an attempt to clear her mind. Why? Why had she been so foolish and stupid? What had led her into believing that Neji was the one she had been searching for all this time? For all this time she had been oblivious to that, but Neji had helped her open her eyes. He had snapped her from her own world, where time was frozen in one single frame, where reality was just a mere illusion that was faded and eventually forgotten.

It was evident that she would never find her parents or the boy again, but she had kept on avoiding the truth because it hurt. It hurt her to know that she was completely alone in the world.


The deep rumbling of thunder made Neji frown as he remained seated on his bed. Nights like these would usually leave him up during the night and think about his unwanted memories, leaving him feeling very unsettled. He wanted to push them away, as it would be useless to dwell over something that had happened in the past. However, no matter how hard he tried, the images of his father's dead corpse would never leave him. They would remain imprinted clearly in his mind and was going to be in the back of his head forever.

But for the first time, the memories of his father were pushed away, and instead, he saw a pair of hazel eyes that belonged to none other than Tenten staring at him in horror, more jewel-like than ever. He saw the way she had bolted out his door and ran to her room to pack her bags, and he recalled the way she had simply walked out of his life.

Beside him remained the medicine that Tenten brought in earlier that night, the shards of the mug gathered in a pile not too far away from the puddle of liquid. Neji considered calling a maid in to take care of everything, but after a moment of looking at the mess he decided to clean it up himself, knowing that he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway.

The Hyuuga prodigy left his covers and made his way towards the exit. He had only intended to retrieve a towel to wipe up the mess, but when he stepped out of his room his head had somehow raised upwards to gaze into the room across of his. He could almost smell that light fruity aroma Tenten had always emitted from where he was standing.

Neji, slightly perturbed, averted his gaze and headed towards the kitchen. She was gone now, he told himself. She ran away because she was too afraid to own up to her faults. There was no reason to be bothered by her arrival or her departure.

None of her belongings remained now, and there was a grim silence that presided over the room that just hours ago had been full of life. Like a butterfly alighting on a leave, no traces of impact were left behind to suggest that she was actually there in the first place. He only managed to catch a single glimpse of her horrified brown eyes, and before he could get a sense of reality, she was already gone; vanished without a trace.

But, he told himself once more, it was fate.

Fate.

That word kept turning up during his life. It haunted him, yet he still believed in it, because he was a caged bird. His future was forever within the grasp of members from the main household. He, though still being bitter when it was brought up, accepted this as his destiny long ago, and decided that he would train to become stronger and be acknowledged instead of constantly mourning over Hizashi's death. That was his goal ever since he saw his father die, and because he believed that that was his fate, he never expected anything more in his life.

With this thought he lived life in solitude because to him, depending on no one but himself meant freedom and strength. It meant that that he wasn't weak and he believed that it would make his father proud.

However, this was all taken away when Tenten arrived. This was the reason as to why he felt such strong and bitter hatred towards his tutor; he actually never loathed her as an individual. Nevertheless, he had pushed her away, and he imagined himself to be satisfied once Tenten left. However, now that she did, he didn't know why he wasn't feeling the usual sensation of accomplishment after achieving something. He couldn't exactly describe this feeling, as he had never felt it before, but somehow, it felt like he lost someone important…

It felt like he lost hope.

Mikya, or rather, Suzuki Akira, was gazing upon the ceiling from her bed, thinking about her next step to her "engagement" with Neji. Neji and the clan's gullibility, strength and knowledge were all factors worth considering, but she knew that it would be fairly easy to win over the prodigy's heart since Tenten had just left.

But she couldn't believe how effortless it was to carry out her plan. She had expected Tenten or at least the Hyuugas to realise that she was nothing more than a fake, but surprisingly, there weren't any interferences during her mission. She was not in Neji's room to witness the scene, but Akira could easily tell that her plan had worked by the way Tenten flew out of his room.

Akira silently got out of bed as she reflected back on what had happened. Being the Raikage's favourite student and ninja, Akira had everything planned out in advance. Right after she saw Tenten bringing an empty cup out of Neji's room she immediately questioned Hiashi about it, and fortunately, he told her everything she needed to know without suspecting a thing. And idea to get rid of the commoner formulated in her mind right then.

After watching Tenten head out of the kitchen with a tray in her hands, Akira sent a clone to insert the poison in the pot while she made sure that the mug in Tenten's hands fell. The brown-haired kunoichi would then naturally think of using the extra medicine that was left in the pot. However, the liquid would have already been poisoned by then. And once Neji noticed that his drink was spiked, Akira knew that there would be little chance of her being suspected. After all, 'Mikya' was not a kunoichi, but a lord's daughter. Akira smirked slightly at how simple, yet effective her plan was.

But she knew she had other things to take care of now. Moving quietly like a true ninja, Akira crept out of her room without a single sound and made her way to Tenten's. Since Tenten was undoubtedly a kunoichi, there was a good chance that she was from another country, seeking for the secret of the Byakugan. Perhaps there was a journal or a scroll—or something in her room that Akira would be able to make some use of later on.

She held her breath and paused when she stopped in front of Tenten's room. Although she was positive she had barely made a sound, there was always the possibility that a Hyuuga was spying on her right now with their bloodline limit. The Raikage had once told her that if a Hyuuga were to ever sense a presence, they would be able to use their Byakugan from a hidden place without anyone knowing, thus gaining the upper hand if they were to plan an assault upon the intruder. She was told to be careful at all times.

After seeing that no one came out, Akira assumed that the Hyuugas didn't sense her presence, and confidently, she started to move again. As she was soundlessly sliding the door open, she—

"Just what are you doing?"

Akira swerved around. Upon instinct she jumped away to create some distance, and, after landing gracefully, fingered the weapon she had hidden in her kimono. Although it took her a moment, recognition quickly dawned on her and she knew who the tall figure was. She instantly recomposed herself and forced her lips into a grin, inwardly hoping that the Hyuuga in front of her didn't notice the way she had just reacted.

"Hi Neji-kun!" she pleasantly greeted as if she was absolutely delighted to see him, bowing politely and smiling innocently. "What brings you out here this late at night?"

Akira's childlike yet feminine smile never faltered as she gazed into Neji's hard ivory eyes. She mentally cursed when he narrowed his eyes.

"I could ask you the same question."

"You see…" Akira started off unsurely, quickly racking through her mind for a believable lie. A look of sheepishness then gusted across her well-defined features. "I couldn't sleep very well even though the beds are very comfy, so I went over to Tenten's room to see if she was awake." She pointed towards Tenten's room, where the door was left ajar. "I wanted to talk to her, you know, since she's a guest too, and—"

"Don't bother. She's gone."

Akira, even though she wasn't the slightest bit surprised, gasped. "Wha—you cannot be serious! But why?"

"That is none of your business, Sato," Neji intoned impassively and stepped aside, but to his great dismay Mikya held him by the shoulders.

"Yes it is!" Mikya insisted stubbornly. Her eyes softened as she looked into his moonlight ones. "You can tell me, Neji. You can tell me anything."

"Wench. You are pathetic."

He slapped her arms off him and walked past her without another word. Yet he had not done so without catching a glimpse of the sadness that made its way to her pretty features. Mikya looked sincerely hurt, much to his discomfort. He felt a touch of shame and was about to say something when she spoke up first.

"Neji," she said softly. "Why are you so cold to me? Did I ever do anything to you?"

Neji remained poker-faced and continued walking.

"Neji, please don't go," Akira pleaded, close to tears. "I didn't get any say in this marriage either, so please, I beg of you, stop treating me like one of those silly girls who worship you!"

Akira quickly wiped away the tears that threatened to fall and inhaled shakily. "I'll tell you one thing though, Neji Hyuuga. Never in my life have I been ignored like this… but I'm still trying to make the best out of this, Neji… I honestly am. Ever since I stepped foot into the Hyuuga compound, I've been nice to everybody in here, even though I miss my family dearly and it breaks my heart to not see them. Why can't you see that, Neji? Why can't you accept me for once? I'm trying so hard…"

Mikya's dark eyes averted away sadly before looking hopefully at the back of his head. The last part came out quieter than ever. "Can you give me one chance?"

Neji turned around and fixed his gaze upon her, eyes darting back and forth to search for any signs of insincerity. He didn't trust her. The last time he trusted a girl, she ended up poisoning him, and he wasn't ready to see how cruel the world outside the clan really was.

But his pools of ivory widened for the briefest moment when he suddenly saw that Mikya wasn't as invulnerable as she appeared to be; much like Tenten, she was someone who was lost and completely alone in Konoha, in need of comfort and safety. Perturbed by this resemblance, Neji involuntarily looked away, and his reply came out as a distant but clear answer.

"Fine."

With that one word lingering in the air, Akira was only left to gape after him when he didn't wait for her reaction and disappeared into his room, his long hair snapping behind him. He had walked away so quickly and wordlessly; Akira found it surprisingly difficult to believe that he just agreed to the engagement. Reality began to sink in and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

She knew that there was only one more thing to do now that Neji had accepted her. The words of her father rung clearly in her head, and Akira knew better than to disappoint the Raikage, for the consequences were close to death.

Akira suddenly heard scurrying footsteps reverberate from the hallway. She immediately turned to the source of noise, and found a trio of servants passing by. Normally she would simply return to whatever she was doing, but she couldn't help but look again when one of them suddenly stopped and bent down to pick up something shiny. Out of curiosity, she peered closer.

"It's a necklace," she heard the servant murmur softly to her coworkers. "Tenten, it says…"

Akira narrowed her eyes upon hearing those words, as it seemed to trigger some kind of memory. Why does it sound so familiar? Without wasting another second she got to her feet and approached them with a smile. "Hi there," she called out to the maids. "May I see that?"

The servant that was holding the piece of jewellery was sightly hesitant. "Um, miss Sato… this has 'Tenten' on it, so I'm not sure if you should t-take it…" The poor servant's eyes were wide with horror, most likely fearing that 'Mikya' would report her to the venerable Hiashi.

"Oh," Akira replied with a reassuring smile, "I'll just give it to Tenten then, she's just in the room across from mine, so I'll drop it off when I go to bed." Akira gestured towards Tenten's room, and then stuck out her hand, looking at the cleaning lady expectantly.

It took a moment, but the maid eventually placed the necklace on her palm without another word. Akira smiled satisfyingly. "Thank you. Now, run along," she ordered in a ladylike manner, dismissing them with a wave.l

After the seventeen year old saw them disappear into the corner, her attention was quickly averted back to the necklace. The thin delicate chain was broken, which explained why the necklace was lying on the floor, but that wasn't what drew her attention the most. It was the fact that it perfectly fit the description that the Raikage had once mentioned to her. It was indeed a simple necklace, and the chain suspended a silver encrusted plate that had 'Tenten' engraved smoothly onto it.

Akira lifted a dark eyebrow. It was really her? When she first came across Tenten, she knew that there was something familiar about her plain set of brown eyes and hair. At that moment she had shaken it off, thinking that there was no chance of this Tenten being the girl she knew, but it seemed that there were plenty of surprises in life.

A series of footsteps were heard and Akira immediately knew that the guards were patrolling the area right now. Her long slender fingers curled around the necklace as she quickly stood back up to retreat back into her room, not wanting to spend her next ten minutes explaining to the Hyuugas why she was not in her room sleeping. Carefully slipping Tenten's precious belonging into a hidden pocket in her clothing, one simple thought crossed her mind. Her ruby lips quirked into a little smirk.

We finally found you…

Yamanaka Ino, daughter of the Yamanaka flower shop's owner, saw her last customer out the door and, before flipping the Open sign to Closed, began to do the close. It was almost eleven o'clock and she was completely exhausted, but she had promised both her parents that she'd take care of the shop while they were away on their honeymoon.

Outside the clear windows, she could clearly see the entire village lit up by the colourful lanterns and the faces of the citizens that passed by aglow with happiness. She groaned. More than anything she wanted to go outside and celebrate the merry event with her friends, but she made a promise to her parents. And a promise was a promise.

At first Ino did her best to ignore the figure that sat in front of the main window. There was a throbbing ache at her temples and her legs were tired from standing all day long, so she hoped that whoever was out there would have a change of thought and walk away, because the last thing she wanted to do was deal with a customer right now. She had even considered going to the door and turning over the Open sign, but if her parents ever found out about her preventing people from buying their flowers, then of course she'd never hear the end of it. So the blonde quickly tallied up the cash, placed the money in an envelope and waited.

A moment passed and the person didn't enter. Exasperated, Ino took off her frock, went to the door and opened it wide and stood there, looking at the stranger. Finally, in the light, she saw who it really was.

"Tenten?"


Far away from the merry cherry blossom festival, the Hyuugas sat in complete silence at their meeting. They were positioned around a dimly lit candle, each member of the clan on their knees and hands on their laps, each of their faces being grim and solemn. Heavy tension lingered in the air.

Hiashi, as the Hyuuga leader, sat on the side perpendicular to the elders'. Despite the apparent weariness in his wrinkly features, his face was stern when he spoke up. "My nephew will not be forced to marry anyone," he announced clearly. "I simply will not allow it."

"And why not?"

Hiashi frowned and cast the oldest elder a disbelieving glance upon hearing those words. "Hideki…"

The elder straightened his back and cleared his throat. Being known as the wisest and oldest Hyuuga elder, Hideki knew that he had enough clout to persuade the other elders to help overturn a decision made by the leader. "Twelve years ago, you refused as well but the decision that was made saved your very life. Do not forget that Hizashi's death is the reason why you are living today."

"I don't want to make a mistake again," Hiashi countered quietly, trepidation beginning to embed itself into his voice. "By forcing Neji to marry to Mikya, I will once again be taking the happiness Neji truly deserves. I don't want to do that. I… can't."

"Neji's happiness has nothing to do with the Hyuuga clan," Hideki stated sharply. "And he wouldn't be the person he is now if you gave him the scroll that Hizashi left behind."

"Yes… but…"

"Hiashi-sama, the past is the past," Hyuuga Hitoshi pointed out, not allowing Hiashi to protest any further. "Hizashi himself opted for his early death; you know that very well."

"And," the elder quickly added when he saw that Hiashi was about to say something, "it stopped a war from breaking out. One that could have lead us to our deaths, too, since the land of lightning is just as strong as Konoha. If Hizashi hadn't sacrificed his life then we could have all died."

"Hitoshi is right," Hideki agreed as he nodded solemnly. "Which brings us Elders to our point. If the country lord's daughter had a child with a Hyuuga, who is, in this case, Neji, then we will automatically have an alliance with them. A treaty with the Bird country can serve as a protection for our clan."

Hiashi's calm expression that hid his irritation suddenly crumbled and he stood up. "So in the end, no matter how important something is to someone, the clan and its safety always comes first," he stated sceptically, both bitterness and anger lacing his words. "The alliance with the Bird country is not mandatory, nor is it important. We cannot rely on any country. We have been betrayed by our allies before. What makes you think that the Bird country will be any different?"

"The Bird country has many—" Hitoshi stopped and narrowed his eyes. "Why are you against this marriage?"

His gaze never wavered when he awaited for his answer. Hyuugas were not psychics but they all knew that one particular person crossed each of of their minds. The Elders were almost positive that this girl was the reason to Hiashi's unusual hesitation.

"It's that commoner, isn't it?"

Hiashi raised his head upon hearing those words, looking at Hideki with scepticism. His body subconsciously tensed. "Her name is Tenten."

"But it is her, isn't it?" Hideki inquired, repeating his words. His gaze on the leader hardened as he quickly drew out the conclusion. "Being the person who invited that disgusting commoner to our place, you believed that she would be able to change Neji. You thought that you would be able to fool him by approaching in a different way; you assumed that he'd be oblivious to your scheme, and will gradually develop a friendship with her. And then when the time comes, he'd choose her over the candidates we choose simply because he is acquainted with the commoner. Am I not correct, Hiashi?"

Said person kept quiet.

"Hiashi-sama, please listen to us. We chose Mikya for a reason," Hisoka intoned quietly, hoping to ease the tension in the air. Everybody's attention switched to the young man who had not said anything during the meeting until now. "She comes from a respectable and rich family, and the country lord said that his daughter is the perfect candidate to be the Hyuuga prodigy's wife. She's beautiful, smart, helpful and kind. Those characteristics will surely affect Neji in some way."

Then his pale eyes softened slightly with sympathy for Tenten. He never held a grudge against the poor girl, but he wasn't exactly sure that her intentions were pure either. "Tenten," he continued, "on the other hand, is different. Perhaps she is a good person, but she has no parents, no clan, no background… for all we know, she could be from the land of lightning coming back to figure out our secret. She could be acting forlorn and dejected just to gain our trust, Hiashi-sama. There is no way to know what she is planning at this moment." He looked away from Hiashi to receive approving nods from the rest of the elders.

"You cannot defend her," Hitoshi said sternly, looking almost incredulous. "Hisoka has a point. Has she ever told you who her parents were? Where she came from?"

"No, but…" Hiashi trailed off, his eyes looking distant. Despite the fact that the Elders had a point, he had a lot of faith in Tenten. He knew she had nothing but good intentions, and she was able to change his cold-hearted nephew. He could already see the changes in his nephew's attitude just a few days after her arrival. He needed to defend her; he had to keep her in the Hyuuga compound—he had to.

"Are you certain that she isn't an enemy?"

"This isn't a meeting discussing Tenten and her background," Hiashi said. "It's about Neji's future, and I can assure you that he will never agree to the marriage with Mikya. We cannot arrange anything without his consent."

"Even though he may not love her, Hyuuga Neji will eventually agree," Hideki assured the clan head. His voice was grave. "You know what we can do to that boy if he doesn't."

Hiashi narrowed his eyes. "You don't dare."

"We never intended to, but if we must, then we will," Hideki replied simply, proving his determination to keep the clan intact. "Now you, as the clan head, must arrange everything. Send the contract to the Bird country for their lord's approval tomorrow morning. We shall receive the response within three days."

Hearing that, Hiashi's gaze immediately dropped to his hands, looking at the scroll that would most likely seal his nephew's fate. He knew that once he gained consent from the Bird country's lord then he would once again be taking Neji's happiness away from him. Every part of his conscience went against that, but the elders didn't seem to be bothered by that, as they had gone through this process quite a few times before. They left the clan head with no other choice. He had to let the marriage carry on or else his nephew's life would be on the line. His closed his eyes and sighed. He couldn't believe he was going to give in.

"Very well," he finally said, his back straightening. His next words of endorsement were loud and clear. "I, Hyuuga Hiashi, approve of Hyuuga Neji's engagement to Sato Mikya."

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A/N: Omg, it's been suuuuch a long time since I've updated! But honestly, school has been terrible, with all of its homework and projects and exams. Then when I actually did have free time my friends would ask me to go shopping or to the movies with them. And I, who cannot resist places that actually has lotsa life (unlike in my house), just went with them.

But I'm grounded now :( . Apparently, spending the money I got for my birthday was a crime, and staying out until six o'clock is waaaaay too late when you're with six friends, two of them being guys that are almost six feet tall. I'm not gonna argue with my mom though… so I guess I'm gonna just stay home writing and doing my homework :) .

Big props to my beta Philyra. She's awesome!

You people are awesome:D Your reviews make me smile, and hopefully, the story will end up being somewhat decent to make up for all the… "wonderfulness" you ppl have. 'Cause believe me, the story ain't finished yet. This is just the first "arc", and it's really boring 'cause I'm just setting everything until I get to the point. Hope you guys will continue reading :) . Please tell me what you think!

Peace out!

Chigiri Sasaki
-xoxo-