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 Ten

Tenten sat idly by the cushioned windowsill of the now closed flower shop, leaning backwards until her back touched the hardness of the concrete wall. With her head propped on her elbow she gazed out to the distant horizon, where shades of blue and orange and yellow surrounded the setting sun.

The air was cool and crisp. It darted through the open window, seeping through the thin white material that she was wearing. The ruthless, freezing touch made Tenten inhale sharply, but she didn't move from her current position.

It has been one week, she thought lackadaisically with half lidded eyes.

It was true; it had been exactly seven days since she had run away from the Hyuuga compound and ended up in front of the Yamanaka flower shop. There Ino kindly offered her lodging and Tenten, who was exhausted and miserable at that moment, jumped at the chance. Yet what Tenten thought to be a quiet night turned out to be rather loud; Ino invited Sakura and some other village girls over for a slumber party. Seeing this, Tenten planned to stay at Ino's place for only a night, knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully with endless conversations, but after seeing how understanding and open these girls were, she couldn't bring herself to leave.

But at least it was quiet for the past two days, since Ino and Sakura and everybody else have been working consistently at either their families' shops or the Konoha hospital. Lately there haven't been enough nurses and doctors to take care of the patients, who seemed to have come in abundance due to the epidemic going around. Since Ino's parents were still off on their honeymoon, and Ino was still working at the hospital, Tenten promised to take care of the flower shop by herself for the next few days.

Her soft sigh resonated in the air. She didn't realise how quickly the days passed until now, where she actually took the time to sit down and contemplate. Even though for the past few days she was relatively happy, she knew she still had to face her problems. What about money, and her parents? What about her future? Those were the questions that remained unanswered for all these years.

The sun was slowly dipping into the horizon, painting the sky with the most magnificent shades of yellow and orange. Its golden rays, despite the cold, provided her warmth—it blessed her with peaceful solitude she had always wanted. All the residential houses and buildings were bathed in the ethereal lights, their dark shadows haloed by glowing radiance.

Tenten stared and stared unblinkingly, her soft hazel eyes staring far out in the distance. The beautiful dusk of Konoha seemed so familiar, yet so foreign at the same time. She didn't remember when it was the last time she had seen something as beautiful as this.

"It's a sunset, little one," said a soft voice. "It rises every morning and sets every dusk, but it never becomes any less beautiful." Her ever-present loving smile was in place and the lights cast a soft glow over her lovely features. Tenten looked up and smiled at the woman. Her mother was always one of beauty and grace.

Tenten was resting her head on the woman's lap. She felt her mother's fingers run through her silken auburn strands as she watched the sun disappear into the horizon. "It's so… so beautiful," Tenten whispered childishly, her stubby little fingers reaching out. "I want to bring it home, mommy!"

The scenario disappeared as soon as it surfaced. It was the numbing coldness that brought her back to reality; her window was still open and she was suddenly aware of her senses and everything around her again.

Mom.

Alarm flashed in the depths of hazel, but before Tenten could replay the scene her mind just recalled, she felt a sharp pain shooting up from her neck and fell unconscious.

As Akira looked into the mirror the very next morning, she noticed that she had bags under her eyes. She didn't slept well last night. Maybe it had something to do with the anxiety that began building at the pit of her stomach after Hiashi told her that he sent a marriage contract to Bird country.

Part of her went into slight shock after hearing the news, for she had not expected that they would such a thing on the first day after she arrived. Furthermore, she didn't know that Hiashi was allowed to do something like this without Neji's consent, which she was sure that he didn't give yet, even though he did give her a chance and didn't completely shut her out of his life. In fact, considering that it was Neji, he was a lot less cold than she would have ever expected him to be. Although he had never actually said something nice, he had never disagreed when she asked him to accompany her to trips, or flinched when she mentioned that they were an engaged couple to random townspeople.

But after the day Hiashi delivered the news, Akira began secretly plotting. However, after a few days of planning, Akira eventually realised that she was left with one option, and that was to prevent the Hyuuga clan from receiving any messages from Bird country.

So each morning, Akira had to wake up before anybody else, including Neji, and wait for any signs of a messenger bird from Bird country. She had to kill it before it reached Hiashi or the elders or even any other members of the clan. Often she would have to go out with Neji when he left the compound for his training sessions to keep a better eye out for the messenger, which earned strange looks from the rest of the clan. Akira knew that it was risky, but she didn't have any other choice, did she? She would rather have them be suspicious of her than have her cover blown right away. Besides, she could be wrong about them having doubts.

But Akira had more reasons to believe that the clan had second thoughts about her. In addition to Neji catching her sneaking around a week ago, both Hinata and Hiashi had briefly glanced at her when Neji gave the explanation as to why Tenten left. Hinata had actually asked her if she knew anything about Tenten's departure afterwards when they were both heading back to their rooms.

However, there was no time to dwell on the events that had already happened; Akira expelled her breath and inhaled deeply.

Today was the day. Today was the day where she would carry out her plan. It had to work—it simply had to. Otherwise, Akira wouldn't know any other strategy to escape safely with the clan's secret. Her plan had to take place early in the morning, and the location had to be a considerable distance away from the Hyuuga compound. Akira looked into the horizon; the sun had not risen yet. Judging by the time, Neji should be awake by now.

Then, as if on cue, the sound of a door gliding open reverberated in the still air, cutting the silence in the dark endless hallways in half. Upon hearing this Akira got up, brushed her clothes in a ladylike manner and forced a smile on her face.

It was time.

She slid the wooden door open, the familiar whisper resounding in the corridor once more. The fact that Neji did not look back did not bother her in the slightest bit; she caught up with him, and stepped in front the prodigy to prevent him from going any further. His slight scowl did not go by unnoticed.

"Good morning Neji-kun!" she mouthed, trying not to disturb the others. A wide smile made its way to her rosy lips as she held his rather cold, rough hand and began taking a few steps forward, their fingers interlocked.

Neji, in response, reluctantly but eventually accepted the physical contact and walked with his fiancée.

The rest of their walk to their destination they remained silent. It was rather a long, tense silence that anyone such as Hanabi wouldn't be able to stand, but the seventeen year old didn't mind the silence, and judging by the blank look he had on when she peeked at him through corners of her eyes, neither did Neji. His pale ivory eyes were as impassive as ever as he stared up ahead, a frown still gracing his lips.

Akira didn't know how to change him. Day after day did she make an effort to make him more loving and caring, but every time she tried her conscience would pull her back, scolding her, telling her that she shouldn't be helping someone she was going to kill.

Kill him… Kill Hyuuga Neji.

The words that came from her father's mouth echoed in her mind, and for the first time doubt flickered in her eyes. Did she really want to kill him? She didn't have anything against this Hyuuga, despite his pessimistic and bitter view of life. He was simply born to a clan where she was sent to discover and exploit the secret they had been keeping for all these years.

Akira's movements came to a stop when they reached the kitchen. "You go to the bathroom to get ready," she told Neji sweetly, "and I'll make you a drink, okay?"

Neji nodded and made his way towards the bathroom through a dimly lit hallway, not turning back to look at her. For the first two times he had been spying on her to ensure that she would not try kill him or do anything of that sort; and she had proved to him that she did not have bad intentions. However, he still didn't trust her: the last person he had put a small amount of faith in turned out to be nothing but a filthy liar.

When Neji was finally out of sight, Akira turned back to the kitchen with determination blazing in her dark fathomless eyes. The seventeen year old estimated she had a good fifteen minutes before Neji returned. Taking out certain herbs from glass containers, Akira performed the routine she did every morning to brew the special tea for the Hyuuga prodigy, but with a faster pace, as she had to do something different today.

She had to poison him.

Today she had to poison him with a special powder made with a rare recipe passed down from her ancestors; it was an undetectable, powerful powder that when dissolved into a drink, it would make the drinker become completely paralysed and slip into an unconscious state after a period of time. So once Neji drank the tea, he would lose all consciousness and fall to the ground an hour later, and from there, her escape plan would commence.

Her train of thought broke when she heard a high-pitched whistle of the kettle. The water was done boiling. With her mind alert and focused, she removed the kettle from the stove and poured the scorching hot water into the mug where tea leaves laid scattered. Her eyes were lifeless and stony as she stared back at her reflection on the surface of the swirling water.

And then, almost as if she was in a trance, Akira fished out a folded paper from her pocket. She slowly unfolded it, and poured a thin stream of white powder into the cup before crumpling the paper and throwing it into the fireplace. Then she took a spoon from the cabinet and stirred the liquid until the powder had dissolved. She placed the steaming hot mug onto a tray, and with a bright smile, left the kitchen.

When she reached the dining room Neji was already there, sitting in his usual assigned spot in the long rectangular table. His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed; for a moment Akira thought Neji was actually taking a nap, but crossed that thought out when his eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Thank you," he said, stood up and took the tray off her hands.

He drank his beverage in silence, with Akira staring earnestly at his every move. Akira knew she had portrayed Mikya as a girly girl who loved to watch the prodigy for the past week, so she knew she had to keep her disguise and image intact in order for it to seem realistic; the image she'd cultivated also served as a means to make sure he drank all of the poison, so that she could observe him without it being considered strange.

She suddenly noticed that Neji did not move.

Akira caught her breath. Had she used too much? She knew that too much of this poison would completely obliterate one's mind, but she had put enough powder just to make the average person completely numb. However, the amount that she had put in was for the average person, and she did not know how strong Neji's immune system was, so there was a chance that he might not be completely affected.

"Mikya-san," Neji suddenly said, getting up, "I will be going now."

"Sure!" Akira replied happily, standing up as well. "Here—I'll clean up, and I'll see you outside, alright?"

"That is unnecessary."

"Yes, it is," insisted the kunoichi stubbornly. "I love to watch you train! Besides, after waking up so many times early in the morning, I'm used to it—even if I go back to bed now, I wouldn't be able to sleep."

Neji was hesitant but he eventually agreed and went out. Akira watched him go out with a bright smile (in case he was spying on her with his Byakugan), and returned the tray that Neji left on the table back to the kitchen. She put both objects in the sink, turned the tap on, and washed each item. However, instead of putting the mug away like the tray, she tossed it into the garbage; she had to get rid of all traces of evidence.

Her gaze lifted heavenwards and she looked out the window and into the distance, where she could see Neji talking to the two guards guarding the Hyuuga gates. She was rather annoyed with them for they had always insisted that they would escort her to her destination, claiming that it was unsafe for a lady such as herself to go out into the streets alone. Why were there guards, anyway? Each member of the Hyuuga clan, including young Hanabi, could defend themselves very well—there was no need for such protection. Furthermore, it made her mission more difficult than it already was; if she needed to escape quickly during the night then the guards would stop and interrogate her.

But it didn't matter anymore.

It didn't matter anymore, because today would be her last day staying at the Hyuuga's. It would be her last day acting as a character whose attitude was far more cheerful than hers, and dealing with Neji's cold attitude, and the clan's expectations of her. However, it wouldn't be her last time in Konoha, because she knew she had to return to get someone.

Akira dipped her cold hand into her pocket and gripped onto the silver necklace she found a week ago. Her eyes dulled.

We will find you, Tenten…


He was training early in the morning again.

Neji couldn't remember how long it had been since he had been out in the area training. Despite the fact that his injury healed a few days after his last battle, he was told to not do any activities in order to prevent his wound from opening again. As a result, he had to stay in with the knowledge that he was weak, and that he wouldn't be in this predicament if it weren't for her.

A few of the fallen auburn leaves that drifted so weightlessly in the air had landed on his shoulder. His pale eyes looked down at the brown leaves of late autumn, and noticed how wilted their edges were and the pattern of golden splashes that dappled upon the rough surfaces. Brushing them off, Neji suddenly expelled the breath that he unknowingly held moments ago, and then took a deep breath. The air no longer tasted cool and refreshing. It was becoming more dry and crisp—an indication that it was near the beginning of autumn.

When he was young, his father would make him wake up every morning to train no matter how cold it was. Neji could even remember the times when his teeth chattered, and when his nose was so runny that he had to wipe it every minute or so. Yet despite the fact that his pale ears and chubby cheeks were pink after each session, Neji enjoyed sparring with his father. It gave him a sense of honour because everyday, after the sun went down, Hizashi would praise Neji for his rare talent and potential.

Neji remembered this all too clearly, yet, at the same time, the memory seemed so blurry and distant. It was one of those happier moments in his life where he had thought that the world was beautiful and perfect, but he knew his judgement and his view of the world back then was too naïve and innocent. Back then he still hadn't seen the darker side of the world and all of its ugliness; he had been so oblivious to its flaws.

"Hakke Kūshō!"

A burst of chakra suddenly expelled itself from his palm as he thrust it towards an imaginary opponent. Neji quickly resumed his original position and decided to perform the attack until he had used it to its full potential.

Happiness was ephemeral; he knew that. It lasted only for a fleeting moment, disappearing as soon as it surfaced, while misery and bitterness seemed to be perpetual and pervasive. It lasted for what felt like an eternity, trapping one in a world of white and grey—trapping one into a cage, the key forever lost.

"Hakke Kūshō!"

Neji's facial expression didn't change when he saw the impact he had caused. Seeing that it wasn't satisfactory, he fell into another Hyuuga trigram stance again. He frowned slightly, wondering exactly why he couldn't concentrate today. Was it because of her?

Neji couldn't find justification as to why he couldn't erase her image from his mind. He had a fiancée now, and he would probably never see Tenten ever again, so there was no point in recalling the things she had done for him. Yet somehow, he still saw her face—her porcelain coloured visage that always glowed, and the hazel eyes that were always calm and serene despite the memories she bore.

The world was not perfect; he knew that. Yet why did the only escape—if he could even call it that—he had from reality have to be another betrayal?

"Hakke Kūshō!"

He gave one last yell, thrusting both his palms into one concentrated spot and sending out all of his remaining chakra. A deafening sound resonated in the reverberant air. Birds fled from their nests built in the nearby trees. The ground shook slightly from the impact. Neji, with his head hung low, was breathing heavily. Only after a moment did he look up, and when he did, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Two rows of trees had collapsed.

"Wow…" a voice behind him breathed, and then a series of claps were heard. "Neji-kun, that was amazing!"

The Hyuuga prodigy turned around. He saw Mikya running up to him from her position on the ground, her dark eyes twinkling with joy and her cheeks pink from running. "Neji-kun!" she squealed. "You're fantastic!"

Neji acknowledged her presence with a polite inclination of his head. "Mikya-san."

"Oh my gosh, that was amazing!" Mikya gushed excitedly. "With that last attack — there was so much wind, and all of a sudden, so many trees fell down! You're so strong, Neji-kun!" Happiness made its way to her lovely features. "Father would be so glad to know that someone as strong and handsome as you are my fiancé!"

Neji remained deadpan, even at her mentioning of him being his fiancé. "This praise is unnecessary," he said, deactivating his Byakugan, a frown beginning to mar the straight line of his lips. "Go back."

Mikya pursed her lip before giving a pout. "Fine. Bye Neji-kun," she sulked childishly before stalking off.

When she was finally out of sight, Neji's eyes narrowed by a fraction. Why would she come here to see him everyday if she knew that she would be asked to leave? And it wasn't even like she was determined to stay like a certain brunette—it was likely that her watching him was only an excuse to come outdoors. Neji knew something was suspicious, but he, instead of reporting this to Hiashi, activated his Byakugan and fell into another trigram stance. He decided if there was anything to sort out then the clan would deal with—

Neji suddenly stopped.

He halted because he felt his vision distorting. Colours were blurring, contours melting into shapeless masses that vaguely resembled his surroundings of his training area. A numb feeling spread throughout the right side of his body, and he felt a strong urge to give in to the sleepiness that took over his mind.

Total darkness devoured him as Neji fell to the ground.


The satisfactory thump that came from Neji's training area was all Akira needed to hear before she took action. Her brown eyes darted back and forth expertly to scan the area around her to confirm that there was no one was there. She, seeing that she was indeed alone, approached Neji with footsteps no louder than a mouse's.

Akira was wearing all black now; she wasn't disguised as Mikya anymore—she had gotten rid of her masquerade. She was herself, her long brown hair tied in a high ponytail and a black handkerchief covering most of her face, showing only her pair of chocolate brown eyes. There was no use in maintaining that jutsu anymore, for anybody would easily recognise her if she were to be caught on her journey to the land of lightning since Mikya was a well-known person.

She lowered her hazel eyes to stare upon the young man sprawled on the ground. She knew very well that her plan was risky, that she could be easily caught, but it would be even riskier if she waited until the messenger bird delivered the news that the real Mikya was dead. For all she knew, the clan could have already found out about her scheme and was now waiting for the chance to confront her.

Besides, Neji was the only one outside early in the morning, and the Hyuugas lived relatively close to the borderline, so Akira could bring him out without any interference. It was dawn, therefore there weren't many people wandering about, and he currently wasn't near the Hyuuga compound, where the clan's strongest members resided and where many guards prowled.

Akira calculated the chance that she would have of escaping Konoha unnoticed, and frowned to see that there was only a fifty-fifty chance. Akira immediately considered going back to the Hyuuga compound and asking her father for backup, but decided against that thought as it was likely that the Hyuuga clan would ask what her letter was about before lending her their messenger bird.

Akira quickly pushed all her thoughts aside to prevent any further waste of time. This was the day, she told herself firmly. This, Akira had decided a few days ago, was the day where she would bring Neji to her father and the Hyuuga clan's secret would finally be revealed.

In seconds she had lifted him onto her back, hunching forward slightly so that even though his arms were simply dangling limply in the air, gravity would keep him in place. Akira leaped and then they were off, speeding through the streets from roof to roof, her arms hooked securely around his legs.

By the time she was near the forest up in the north-west that marked Konoha's borderline, Akira estimated that it was roughly seven o'clock. People were going to wake up soon, she noted. The Sound country, the piece of land that separated the hidden village of the cloud and Konoha, would have already various teams and guards scattered about to protect the place. Akira, realising this, was about to pick up her pace when a loud squawk was heard. She lifted her gaze heavenwards and…

There it was.

Up high in the sky was a marvellous bird, feathers coloured in a rich reddish orange and golden wings flapping hard as it soared in the sky. Yet regardless of its magnificence, Akira didn't give the bird a second glance, because attached to one of its claws was a parchment rolled neatly into a cylinder.

It was the message.

It was without doubt the messenger, because it was heading towards the direction where she had come from, and because the thick golden ribbon wrapped around the bird's claw had the distinctive H embroidered onto it. Anybody in the Fire country knew that the H stood for Hyuuga.

Alarm flashed once in her hazel eyes and Akira stopped to turn around, staring after the bird as well as wondering if she should kill it. She considered the possible results. If the messenger bird reached the Hyuuga compound, then immediately her cover would be blown, and the rest of the Hyuugas would be looking after her. She did need a few days to reach the land of lightning, and on the way she could easily be cornered. And as strong as she was, she wouldn't be able to fight off a four man team, especially with Neji on her back.

So killing the bird it was.

Akira roughly laid Neji in front of her on the rough surface of the ground, not exactly caring whether he would feel the soreness later on or not. Then, in one smooth movement, she fished out her scroll from her pouch and loosened the tie, opening the scroll to reveal black characters printed neatly on it. She was about to perform a sequence of hand signals when someone suddenly spoke.

"Your treachery ends here."

Akira's entire body instantly tensed upon hearing those words. Forgetting about her scroll and the messenger bird temporarily, she quickly spun around to the source of noise with a sword in her right hand and three shuriken in the other.

"Who goes there?" she yelled demandingly.

But she was only met by silence. Maybe whoever was out there decided to retreat…?

But it didn't matter now. She had to get out of here as quickly as possible; Akira knew she couldn't afford to waste any more time. Her attention was swiftly averted back to the body that was in front of her, for it was the most important thing she had to protect. But before she could even pick him up to escape, the sole person she had to bring to her father disappeared into nothing but a log of wood.

"Your plan failed," the same deep, male voice intoned from behind.

That voice was unmistakable; it didn't take another second for Akira to realise who her enemy was.

She almost instantaneously attempted to create some distance by leaping away, but she couldn't do so because Neji had already gotten a hold of her right arm.

She swerved around to meet his cold ivory eyes. His pools of white never changed from the first time she met him, but there was a flicker of a raw emotion that she had never seen before. Feeling a pang of discomfort she looked away.

Akira lowered her eyes, and noticed that his free arm appeared to be quite limp and his right leg struggled to stand properly. Realisation hit her and Akira relaxed a little, knowing that the numbing powder she had added into his drink was taking its toll on him. He couldn't fight even if he wanted to.

"You're not from Konoha, are you?" Neji inquired sharply, his grasp on her remaining as firm as ever.

Akira's expression was deadpan. "I don't know what you're saying."

Neji stepped up until their noses were almost touching. "You know exactly what I'm saying," he said coldly, his breath feeling ghostly on her cheek. His grip on her tightened. "You don't have to hide anymore… Akira."

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A/N: I just have to say this: I love snoooowwww!! It started to snow on November 20, and I'm luuuvvin it cause I have no school tomorrow! It snowed so much that I am free for one more day...Yay me! I lub snow, until my grandma tells me to shovel it. When I tell her that I don't feel like it, my grandma always sighs and says, "the youth is wasted on you! If I were in my day…" Lols… if you were in your day, grandma, that would be decades ago :) .

Okies. I think that there is some foreshadowing in this chapter. Yes, yes. Dropping a few hints here and there…

Errrrr…. I think I'm losing some readers xD . But I still can't make my story that much more interesting right now cuz I'm still setting up the plot, which, you authors must know, takes a pretty long time if you're gonna write something long. And me, being the lazy one, can't update to save my life so we really can't progress quickly. But hopefully I'll still have most of you at the end!

Reviews will be greatly appreciated! So are the skills of my beta philyra.

Love always,
Chigiri Sasaki