QOTC:
Ino: He's hoping it to become a girl. I said I want a boy.
TenTen: Sai?
Ino: Shika.
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Chapter 24: Forgive My Thoughts When I'm Asleep
Laconic by nature, TenTen stared uptightly in the mirror, as a twenty-year-old kunoichi with frizzy dark hair stood in front of her.
Three years she hadn't spoken of Konoha.
Three years she hasn't heard from her village.
Yesterday Tsunade had delivered a message proclaiming Hiashi's death. It didn't really digesst to her that the old man would have died living a consequential life, now that he—of all people, had taught his own children not only to succeed in their destiny but to believe that life is not hard as long as you do prevail. He taught her that too, only difference is that sometimes to pursue your own path you're gonna have to eliminate those who stand before it.
On her way to the Fire Country, she ran into a couple of ninjas she assumed to have sprung from Suna. Temari was there too, sunning and foxy as usual. And when TenTen asked how she and Shikamaru were doing, she was dismissed by Gaara who no longer wore his eyeliner rather he'd grown up to be a very fine young man. She wondered what his problem was but he apologized for his rudeness later on, and that they have more important affairs to dispute on their way to the land of Stone. What an odd thing it is—she thought, they say the passage of time will resolve into a new evolution, yet why do they feel like deep scars that desist to propagate? But before she was able to react, Gaara was already dragging his sister away.
She wondered if it was his natural mental outlook, or the fact that becoming Kage had changed him. Speaking of, she hadn't heard of any official announcements that the blonde jinchuuriki would get annointed as Hokage yet. Now that he, the hero of the Hidden Leaf is now formally married to Haruno Sakura the past several weeks. Konoha had changed. Too many deaths to pay, and a lot of surprises to be prepared for. Another thing she'd discovered was the Ino's gestation.
"He's hoping it to become a girl. I said I want a boy." Ino slid her hand on her belly then, like she'd hidden a watermellon underneathe it.
"Sai?"
"Shika."
"O-oh," she looked downcastingly for a moment. "I'm so sorry...."
"Don't be. After all, this is what they wanted, didn't they? They could all shove our children into their faces, but I'm not keeping the baby."
"Ino, you have to. It's what you're meant for."
She chuckled, her blonde hair no longer that gold and shiny, rather it was a reminiscence of what she'd done back when she'd cut it at the preliminaries. "When I was little, I promised myself that when I get pregnant, I'd be the most happiest woman on the entire universe. Now, I can't think of anything much more miserable on earth." She turned to TenTen, as if all that crippled anger she'd earned had been bulldozed to her face. "Where were you during the uprising?"
"What are you talking about?"
Ino laughed harshly and stood up. "Everyone was there. Naruto, Sakura, Kiba, us Konoha 11. There was already war at the village, and Neji and the boys were the ones who led the army of us people. People who have been abused by their own free will; and before we were even given the chance to make a rally, the ANBUs turned their backs against us and reported as to the Hokage. The Feudal Lords have gone mad, and instead of granting us the freedom we've always wanted, they've even banished the leaders of our society and carried on the arranged marriage." She looked like she was about to blow up upon frustration, and it seems that the child she's carrying was the only thing stopping her from doing so. "After that, we were permitted to have a debate against our own parents on choosing what's right for us. Maybe... If only you were there then we might have stood a chance and wouldn't end up like this!"
"I never knew this would happen! Believe me, it's the truth!"
"You could have stayed, TenTen. You could have chosen to live and defend us your family, but then again you'd rather choose to dessert us all... All for a badge of honor. Now look where you're destiny brought you. You're all alone."
TenTen shook her head repeatedly, tears specking unexpectedly from her eyes. "No, no, no, you're wrong—I still have Gai-sensei, Lee—Neji..."
"You don't get it, do you?" They've already stood meters apart, as if afraid from spitting venom from their tongues made of sheer flames. "They're ALL gone, and the only reason they'll be returning from exile was because of that old man who died inventing this whole shitty thing. Some of them were suspended half a year, others were gone and never came back. Naruto was the only one who wasn't punished because of that stupid Prophecy, and that us women were spared for their mercy. And now they look down to us kunoichis as weaklings who were born for the sake of giving birth to others."
"Shikamaru..." TenTen said in realization. "That's why.. He never knew, did he? That you're—"
Ino blinked an eye, dropping a tear. TenTen just wished she could rewind to the part they were still having a nonchalant conversation, because things would be a lot more better than seeing such intelligent brave young girl cry... She'd known her for years, and sadly Ino was one of the few kunoichis whom she hadn't witnessed in mourning a lot, because the last time she'd seen her weep was when she grieved over Sasuke's execution. "Mifune banned him from stepping foot in Konoha unless ordered so." She sat back at the stool they were sitting. "He was the mastermind of the whole rebellion. Without him, he wouldn't have encouraged Neji and Kiba to take their place as leaders, while Naruto and the rest stood by them and obtained their respect. Without him, the hearing could all have been worthless and we're nothing but a bunch of losers. But he never let us down." She buried her face into her hands, as TenTen gave her a soft hug and rested her chin against her head. "You Drama Queen, I always knew the two of you were close, but I didn't expect that he's got you knocked up." But Ino was in no mood for jokes. She cried, just as TenTen thought of what would every mother think of when they're in the salvage on choosing between what's wrong and right... Because at some point both of them knew she wasn't fully prepared for this. "Shhh... Let it go, Ino. Us girls have to stick together."
Then she whispered it, something that took away her breath. "You know Asuma-sensei would have been so proud..."
Ino broke up from the hug, as if it was something she didn't hear right. Or whatever it was, she gave her a penitent look. "There's something you need to know about Neji."
✞ Եհҽ ղҽ×Ե մϲհíհɑ ✞
KNOW WHAT YOU'RE FALLING FOR
WhenTenTen arrived at the Hyuga mansion, the first thing she heard, rather than saw, is a piercing cry of a baby girl. "Shhh.. Daddy's coming, sweetie. D-daddy's going home."
Hinata had her blue hair tied up in a bun. She looked stressed out, really. She no longer stutters, and the first thing she did when TenTen knocked onto her door was to offer her a cup of tea. Not to mention she was merely stunned.
"She looked just like you." Though there was no point in demonstrating how heredity sucks, TenTen couldn't pinpoint whether the girl really looked like her mother or her cousin. Hinata smiled. It was somehow to dim the genuine silence and to deliver something good from her arrival. Nothing's gotten right ever since she returned. "So where are Kiba and the others?"
"She was forced to marry some chuunin, but then he ran away since there was no point in staying." Hinata said softly, pouring her a cup of tea. As much as TenTen would want to fill her thirst, she felt as if her hands were tremendously quivering to the point that soothing hot beverage might poison her tongue. "Did they ever come back?" She asked patiently as Hinata went to pick up her child. "Kakashi and Gai-sensei were the ones who usually pay us a visit, but only to check up on our conditions and to visit our babies."
"Have you heard from Lee?"
Hinata frowned and shook her head. "TenTen..." She said slowly, as if afraid she might hit a nerve, "Lee died... Even before the whole uprising." But TenTen was no longer at herself anymore, her heart thumping that she'd felt it could almost fall into down her lungs. "He went to look after you but he never came back. Rumors say he was captured by rogue ninjas, some say he just died and no one ever found his body again."
The world was twirling upon her like she was Cinderella running away as the bell tolls. How? Why? Of all people, it could have been someone else, but it was HIM, Lee, her second best friend who paid for her price. Lee died and she wasn't even there, Naruto and Sakura got married and she didn't even receive an invitation, war broke upon her village and she never had a clue, the rest were casted out and yet she never knew that this would all occur. Tears stream down to her face, as she wiped it out with her hands. "Why didn't anyone tell me this?"
Hinata blinked sadly. "We thought you have already moved on. Why else would you abandon us?"
Before she was about to defend for herself, the door clicked and the two-year-old girl that was sitting on Hinata's lap dropped into the floor. "Oto-san!"
Neji's duffel bag slumped into the floor. He scooped her and carried her that all his exhaustion and unconsolabitlity have all been wiped away. The lights of Konoha must have surged. TenTen watched, in mild sadness and half gratification for her own best friend.You deserve this, Nej. You deserve everything that makes you happy. Then he kissed its forehead.
She was already at the door when Neji saw her. "TenTen..."
"W-why?"
"You never came back."
TenTen woke up, panting and throbbing.
She stared back at her hands, then to the place where she could last recall. This was the place she made camp. She didn't know what time is it already, but as the sun peered through her she was reminded that she was supposed to be asleep. And that the train should be leaving in any moment now. Crap. She slapped her forehead, packed her belongings and ate the fish she'd cooked for herself and ran.
"I'm sorry, the train left an hour ago and as of now nothing has returned yet."
"How long does it takes to go back?"
The woman in her thirties gave her a conciliatory frown. "About two to three hours."
"O-oh, I understand..." She muttered downwardly. "Arigato."
TenTen hadn't felt lonely before. She used to carry out missions with Team Gai, but now she couldn't help but wrap her arms around her on such cold season. Tsunade said she has everything she needed, an apartment, and a master who would teach her the things the Daimyō herself couldn't attend to her. More importantly a new life to settle with. She wondered if this was everything that had to do with the nightmare last night. Her chance to choose, but whenever she looked back she was reminded of how she already made it too far and that there's no turning back.
And she was exceedingly tired. She's been running for days without water, even if she had enough money to buy the things she wanted the food they sell here was a lot various from Konoha.
Her vision started to blur, her feet unable to bring her elsewhere. She faints, expecting her head to hit the solid earth but instead she landed on something soft.
"I've got you angel," Neji whispered carrying her into his arms, "I've gotcha."
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11.02.13
ayieeeeh dat NejiTen moment!
Wonder what'll happne if her dream was for real;)