Auspicious Obligations Chapter 6: Roses and Thorns, a naruto fanfic

Well, I had originally planned on letting this fanfiction die, but after reading some NejiTen fanfics recently, I've regained interest. Kind of. The reason why this fanfiction had died was because I went out of my Naruto fandom. I'm not really back into (although I still follow the manga), but hey, NejiTen is sweet as ever. This fanfiction was originally not supposed to be so long, so it might end at 10 chapters or so. And I honestly don't have a plot planned out, haha…so um, I'll improvise, and we'll see how it goes.

A u s p i c i o u s | | O b l i g a t i o n s

Chapter 6 - Roses and Thorns

The sun's bright rays shone down on Tenten's face as she opened her eyes blearily, before shutting them again. Sounds of rustling clothes near her head made the female open her eyes again, in time to see her new husband button up his shirt. Tenten gulped and shut her eyes tightly once again, turning her head away slightly.

"…if you are awake, Tenten, you might as well get up. Your awakening is good timing, for we usually eat breakfast slightly after dawn. As you can see, dawn has already broken."

Tenten sighed inwardly and sat up, unwilling to look at Neji when her face was still red. "Um, of course. I'll get dressed and be ready soon."

"I will wait for your arrival in the dining hall then. Do you know its location, Tenten?"

"Hai," Tenten replied, nodding. She had been given a thorough map of the Hyuuga lands yesterday at the wedding by none other than Hiashi-sama himself. "I will see you too, Neji." Her husband nodded back at her and left the building. Tenten let out a sigh of relief, for she was still rather embarrassed when Neji was with her. After all, she barely knew him, and he was a handsome man. "My husband," Tenten thought, her form still for a moment before reality hit her. "M-my husband," the dark-haired girl said aloud, her eyes going wide. "Damn. It wasn't a dream after all."

"It is a great honor for you to be here with us today, Tenten," Hiashi said to Tenten as a way of greeting. Tenten faltered for a moment, not knowing the customs of the Hyuuga, so she bowed slightly.

"It is an honor for me to be eating with the Hyuuga as well," she said politely. To her surprise, Hiashi laughed.

"Now now, Tenten, you are part of the Hyuuga as well, so you cannot go around speaking as though you have no ties with us."

Tenten flushed as she realized how she must have sounded. "N-no! I'm sorry Hiashi-sama; I didn't mean it like that." She blinked as Hiashi beckoned for her to sit down in her seat, which was in-between Neji and Hanabi. The former nodded at her, and the latter smiled warmly.

"I'm sure you did not, Tenten. You need not be so formal, for we are family now."

Neji shifted slightly in his seat at his uncle's friendly tone. He had never known his uncle to be this social, but perhaps his uncle was trying to make Tenten feel more welcome, to relieve the tension both personally and between the two kingdoms. The male looked to his left to see his cousin nudging him slightly with her elbow.

"N-ne, N-Neji-nii-san, you should b-be nicer to T-Tenten-san, since she is your w-wife now…" the girl said softly to Neji. The latter did not reply.

"So, Tenten-san, is it alright if I call you Tenten like my dearest father?" Hanabi asked, her voice teasing when she mentioned her father. "Since we're cousins-in-law or something like that now, I'd like to be more informal with you!"

Tenten was taken aback by Hanabi's forwardness, for she seemed completely different from Hinata and Neji. She noticed Hiashi staring at his younger daughter sternly.

"Hanabi, that is no way to talk to our new family member. Although she may be a family member now, you do not know her that well, so be more polite."

Hanabi rolled her eyes and poked at her breakfast. "Whatever, father. What do you say, Tenten-san?"

"Oh, I don't mind at all," Tenten answered, smiling slightly. She decided to be bold. "Is it alright if I call you Hanabi instead of Hanabi-san then…?" Said girl grinned and nodded.

"Do not cause too much trouble to Tenten, Hanabi," Neji's deep voice interjected, full of warning. "I apologize for her behavior, Tenten. She seems not to know her place yet."

"Stop being all stuffed up and prickly," Hanabi said to Neji in an irritated voice. "Oh, hey, you're being all informal with Tenten's name too! That means Hinata is the only one left! We can't leave her out. Tenten, is it alright with you if Hinata didn't add any suffixes as well?"

The chocolate-eyed girl felt a little embarrassed at all the attention she was receiving as she nodded her approval. She saw Hinata flush, guessing that the girl was also embarrassed at Hanabi's forwardness.

"T-that is w-wonderful, T-T-Tenten…" Hinata stumbled, feeling a little rude at not adding the formal suffix to Tenten's name.

"Hanabi, that is enough," Hiashi said to the girl, his voice leaving no room for argument. "I have taught you better than to be so rude to an esteemed member of the family. Now finish your meal quietly." The daughter huffed, but obeyed her father, knowing when she had to stop.

Tenten's eyes widened at the delicious breakfast that she had put into her mouth. "Sugoi, Hiashi-sama," Tenten spoke up, surprised. "The cook is really wonderful. Even better than the Haruno cook, I'd say!"

Hiashi smiled and nodded at Tenten. "Thank you for the kind remark, Tenten," he said. "I am proud of our head cook as well."

"Even Neji likes the food," Hanabi commented, grinning. "And he barely likes anything at all!"

"Hanabi," Neji growled, losing his cool. "Do you have nothing better to do than throw insults at me all day?" Hanabi stiffened slightly as she heard Neji's voice deepen a few pitches, signaling that she had crossed the line.

"Gomen, gomen," the girl replied, rolling her eyes so that Neji couldn't see. "You don't need to be so easily annoyed."

"O-onegai, H-Hanabi…" Hinata stuttered, not wanting a fight to break out at Tenten's first breakfast. "Y-you know h-h-how Neji-nii-san is…I-I think that y-you are a l-little too b-bothersome at times as well…"

"Not Hinata-nee too!" Hanabi exclaimed, huffing. Hiashi sighed, wondering how he had let his younger daughter grow up to be so pesky.

"I will be going," Neji said curtly, standing up abruptly at the table. He turned to Tenten, his demeanor softening slightly. "If you need me, I will be near the pond." The prince turned on his heel and left the building.

"Um…I think I'll be going too," Tenten excused herself, standing up. "Thank you for the meal, Hiashi-sama."

"You're welcome, Tenten. There is no need to be so formal. After all, we are now family."

"Thank you, Hiashi-sama," Tenten replied, bowing slightly, and left as well. There was a silence at the table. Then…

"So, Hinata, how are you and Kiba coming along?" Hinabi asked, with a glint in her eye. Hinata gulped.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun…" Haruno Sakura lay on the big bed that she and Sasuke shared, her face downcast and her eyes red-rimmed. "I really want to tell Tenten-san soon…I feel so guilty, Sasuke-kun. If only I hadn't left…"

"I'm glad you left," Sasuke told her firmly, sitting down on the bed and wrapping his arms around her. Sakura lay her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat. "You're with me now. Things will work out, Sakura. You can't change what has already been done. Let's just hope for the best."

"…thank you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered, burying her head in her husband's chest. She let out a few tears, then calmed down and looked up at the man who was holding her. "Ne, Sasuke-kun…does anyone but the Uchiha family know that we're married yet? Have you told Neji-san?"

"…not yet," Sasuke said slowly, shifting uncomfortably. "There is no way he would keep such a secret from Tenten, because he is a man bound by honor and responsibilities. This would have a huge effect on her, so he would divulge it instantly, no matter what I say."

Sakura sighed, her pink locks obscuring her face as her head lowered once more. "I wonder if my father is really angry with me," she murmured. "What if he disowns me? But…I can't believe he would do such a thing. Adopt Tenten to use her for a marriage! I always thought that father was a nice man, but now, I can see that he cares a lot more about himself than his family. Poor Tenten…I was so excited about her having a new boyfriend, too."

"Tenten had a new boyfriend?" Sasuke asked, looking puzzled. "You never mentioned that before."

"No no, she was going to look for one," Sakura said, smiling as she reminisced. "She was even willing to put on fancy clothes and makeup. It was a shock, really." Sakura's expression became sad once more. "But I took that chance away from her…"

"Sakura!" Sasuke shook Sakura's shoulders slightly and pushed her away from him roughly. The latter looked up at him, confused and hurt. "You have to stop blaming yourself," he said seriously, his brow furrowing as he stared at his wife. "You had no idea that King Haruno would do such a thing. Neither did I. Your happiness matters just as much as Tenten's happiness, and have you thought about me? How I would feel if you married the Hyuuga? Please stop thinking so selfishly, Sakura. I'm happy that you're with me, even if it means that Tenten had to marry the Hyuuga. Maybe she and he will have develop a happy marriage; we don't know. But nothing is more cruel than tearing apart two people who already love each other for political reasons, and you know that as well. Would you have preferred to marry the Hyuuga? Would you, Sakura?"

"…" Sakura stared up at Sasuke, tears welling up in her eyes once more. She stayed silent for a moment, then shook her head.

"No, Sasuke…I want to be with you…"

"That's right," Sasuke said softly, hugging the girl again. "You're my precious Sakura…and you always will be."

Tenten sat down on her bed, sighing. The day had been quite tiring, for Tenten had spent the majority of it touring the Hyuuga complex, which was…quite complex. She had spent hours roaming around it, and was not even halfway done. The girl yawned, stretched, then fell down onto the bed unceremoniously, her hair coming undone and sprawling across the entire bed.

"I see that you are tired, Tenten," came a slightly amused voice. Tenten bolted upright, her eyes instantly locking onto the person who had just entered the room: Neji.

"Uh…um…I…" Tenten-stuttered, all her ladylike habits vaporizing in a flash. "Yeah, that's right, I was tired!"

"Yes…" Neji raised an eyebrow at Tenten, making the latter feel even more embarrassed.

"Hey, the Hyuuga complex is really big, alright?" Tenten placed her hair bands on the side table and scooted over so that she was not taking up the entire bed. The girl, feeling her cheeks burning, decided to change the subject. "The garden is a really beautiful place. It's so serene and peaceful."

"Indeed," Neji agreed amiably, turning his back to Tenten and began to undress. "The fish that are in the pond are specially imported from an exotic kingdom far away. It is a wonder that they survived the trip…but they are very wonderful to look at it."

"Yeah, I was amazed by them," Tenten replied, feeling surprised that Neji was actually keeping up the conversation. "Some of the flowers in the garden are great as well! The Haruno palace has all sorts of flowers, because the Haruno royal family loves flowers. However, there were some in the Hyuuga garden that I had never seen before, which shocked me, because the Haruno have every single flower imaginable. I especially love the red and blue dragon lotus." The brunette tried hard not to look at Neji's muscular back, patting her cheeks slightly in an attempt to drive her blush away.

"Yes, that one is a favorite of mine as well," Neji returned, finally fully dressed. He turned around, hesitated, then sat down on the bed just as Tenten got up. Neji looked at his wife, slightly confused as to why she was rummaging in the box that contained her belongings. Hadn't she unpacked them all today?

The mystery was solved when Tenten pulled out something that Neji did not expect to see. It was a small, fluffy, stuffed Panda plushie that was cradled in Tenten's arms when she turned around. The girl caught Neji staring at it, then blushed. "It's…it's an item I treasure," she said quickly, before Neji could ask why she was still playing with stuffed animals at her age.

"I…see."

Tenten blushed harder as she sat down next to Neji with her panda, feeling extremely awkward. The silence between the two was quite painful, but to Tenten's surprise, Neji broke it.

"Why do you treasure such an item, Tenten? I am curious."

"O-oh…" Tenten looked down at her cute panda plushie, then smiled as she remembered the time she got it. "Well, I've always been a bit of a tomboy, so I never had any contact with boys my age. One time, when I went out with Sakura-hime to an amusement park, I saw this panda plushie in one of the game booths and knew that I had to have it, because it was so cute. As well, pandas are my favorite animals. Fate was really against me that day, however, because that booth was the only booth that did not have a target game, but rather, an intelligence game. They made the questions extremely difficult, and since I was a child, I was not able to solve them.

Then, a boy around my age came along. He went up to the game booth and answered every single question in the game correctly. The boy could've chosen anything in the booth, but he chose the cute panda that I wanted, which made me rather sad, since it was the only one in the whole park. Then, he gave it to me! I was really surprised at his kindness, and moved, as well." Tenten smiled as she hugged the panda to herself. "He was the first boy I've ever interacted with that isn't in the Haruno Palace, and he even won me this panda even though we were strangers. I've never really been able to forget him, and always hoped that I could meet him again in the future. I wasn't really in love with him - I was a kid, so that was impossible - but it would be nice to see how he's doing now."

"…" was Neji's response, as he gazed at Tenten. To Tenten, his face was emotionless. However, Neji was actually a little surprised, his eyes traveling from Tenten to the panda, then back again.

"Um, sorry…I didn't mean to bore you with my story," Tenten said hastily, blushing once again. The panda was getting squeezed to death in her arms.

"No, you did not bore me," Neji said softly. He reached out and touched the panda on the head, shocking Tenten. "What would you say, Tenten, if I told you that I knew who gave you this panda?"

"N-nani?" Tenten's eyes widened as she stared up at Neji's pale face. "No way…the world isn't that small!" Tenten laughed uneasily.

"…I know who that boy is, Tenten," Neji said quietly, taking the panda from Tenten and examining it. "Would you like to know?"

Tenten couldn't help her mouth dropping open, and she stared at Neji some more, before realizing how stupid she looked. Tenten closed her mouth and mouthed wordlessly for a few moments. Then, she nodded. "Yes, I would! Please tell me, Neji."

Neji paused for a few seconds, although they felt like an eternity to Tenten. Then, he opened his mouth to speak. Tenten leaned forward slightly in anticipation, feeling excitement rushing through her veins.

"The person…that gave you this panda…" Neji stroked the panda's fur slightly, then finished his sentence. "…was me."

Silence.

The male looked at Tenten and found her, unsurprisingly, staring at him with an open mouth once more. He suppressed the sudden urge to laugh as his spouse's face looked like it had just been sucker-punched. He waited until Tenten got over her shock, then returned the panda to her.

"That…that can't be a joke…because you don't seem like the type to joke," Tenten reasoned out loud. "So…so it must be true. No way…this world is s-so small! I can't believe it…the first male that I had contact with as a kid and when I went out that time was you…"

Neji smiled slightly. "This is how fate spins lives, Tenten," he said softly. "She may choose to continually make two people meet each other, like we have, or have them bump into each other in an extraordinary way. I have no longer found the ways of fate to be surprising, and have grown to accept it. The world is not small, Tenten. This is simply the work of fate."

"U-um…sure…" Tenten trailed off, unconsciously squeezing her Panda's head so hard that its face was becoming a little flattened. "Well…um, thanks for the panda back then, you know…uh, I think I should sleep now." She quickly climbed onto the bed and took her place against the wall. "Good night, Neji. S-sleep tight."

"…good night, Tenten." Neji took his place beside Tenten, blowing out the lamp on the beside table and pulling the covers securely over himself and the girl next to him. As he shifted to make himself comfortable, he turned his head to the right and found himself face to face with the stuffed panda. "I suppose that we have a new addition to the family then," the male thought, a small smile curling his lips as he closed his eyes and settled into a deep sleep.

Not much action going on in this chapter, but it's not like EVERY chapter needs something exciting and action-filled…yeah.

Please review. My motivation for writing this chapter came partially from reading my reviews of this story. They're very inspiring, even if they are short. =)