PART ONE: TENTEN

HEAVEN - HEAVEN

CHAPTER FIVE

It had become a common occurrence for Neji to show up randomly to assist Tenten in her work. He always wanted them to do other things like go on a play date on days they were not working but Tenten always disregarded his advances.

It was not that she did not like him, in fact it was quite the opposite. Tenten found that she was afraid of how fast her affection and admiration for the pale eyed beau was growing.

Neji was tender, playful and affectionate. He did not smother her with his superior strength unlike most men did and he truly believed that she was strong and capable of doing things that were stereotyped as men alone works. It was rare to find a man like him in their misogynistic society.

The only other man to treat her and every other woman as her equal and not as a glorified ornament was her beloved deceased husband. And that was where her problem lay.

She knew deep down that Lee, in all his boisterous honesty, would want her to be happy and move on even in death but Tenten could not help the guilt she felt each time she thought of Neji. It was like she was betraying Lee. She hated the feeling.

Anko and Kurenai advised her to follow her heart after she tendered what troubled her mind to the older women. Perhaps because of their experience they had a way of assuaging Tenten's inner turmoil. She would follow her heart and the rest would fall into place. One way or the other, there would be a sign that Neji was truly meant for her.

Tenten was happy about her newfound peace when she went to the farm the next week. She made a promise in her heart to allow Neji to court her when he tried rather than play hard to get. However the pale eyed man was nowhere to be found that day.

Work distracted her from thinking too much about it though. Shinra announced that the lord of the farm, Hyuga-sama, was hosting an event in his courtyard so they were made to gleam and work harder in preparation for the feast.

Tenten didn't mind the extra work as she was more worried for Neji than any other thing. When after a few more days Tenten did not see Neji at the farm she asked Shinra about it. The head servant knew nothing about his absence though. Shame.

The bun haired woman could only hope that nothing too serious was wrong with Neji.

It was a busy day at the vineyard today. Other than the fact that the farm aids were busy harvesting grapes and treading on them to make more wine in place of the one the event was going to exhaust, the aids were busy because Hyuga-sama was supposedly coming to the farm today.

Tenten shook her head inwardly at Neji. She warned him a lot about his bad work ethic but he was always stubbornly adamant that he was not a servant. Now look where it got him. Hyuga-sama would unfortunately not recognise his efforts because he was absent.

Apparently, Hyuga-sama was bringing another lord on a tour of his vineyard that noon. Shinra was working very hard to ensure that the vineyard was presentable so the farm aids were made to work over time. Not that Tenten minded.

She was going to be handsomely rewarded for her extra labour and besides she was the only female servant working on the farm. If Hyuga-sama would see her and appreciate her hard work with a few gold coins, that would be very good.

But of course there were two ways that her meeting with Hyuga-sama could go; either he rewarded her or he found a woman working on a farm as a taboo like the other single minded idiots and dismisses her.

Either way Tenten was prepared to meet him. She was also slightly curious about how the lord of the farm would look like. Her mind conjured the image of a stout old man with lots of wives and concubines. She assumed he would be arrogant so if she ended up being dismissed or offered to join his harem, Tenten would not be surprised.

She would gladly leave the farm but not without socking him in his gut first.

Tenten's meeting with Hyuga-sama, however, went a third way she would never have anticipated at all. When Shinra announced the presence of the lord of the farm, Tenten looked up and saw Neji leading another man into the farm.

The other man was just like she had envisioned earlier so she immediately assumed that he was the lord of the farm. What was Neji doing over there then? Was he a butler? Was this why he was absent for days? Where was the other lord on tour?

Stiff with surprise, Tenten did not realise that she was being spoken to until a fellow farm aid gave her leg a gentle nudge. She realised belatedly that she was the only one not showing any form of respect. She quickly bowed.

"Forgive my insolence, Hyuga-sama!" She squeaked.

"It is alright, you can raise your head." Tenten was puzzled at Neji's voice speaking and not the lord's but she couldn't look him in the eye for fear of angering the lord.

"A woman working in the farmland?" A new voice sounded. Tenten was sure this was the lord of the farm's. This was it. What the man said right then determined whether she would sock him in his pot belly or not.

"Yes. Do you have any problem with that, Akuma-san?" Neji immediately returned the question with his sharp words. Tenten only got further confused. Was Neji allowed to speak back at his lord...wait. Akuma-san? Not Hyuga-san?

Then who was...

"Ah no I don't, Hyuga-dono. I just find it rather preposterous that a weak woman is working in the farm and not the kitchen where she belongs." Tenten's head snapped up at the name regardless of if she was being disrespectful or not. Akuma's degrading insult did not even register for how shocking the revelation was.

Neji was Hyuga-sama?!

When? How...? Was this what he meant when he told her he was not a servant?

"Would you look at that? She looks you in the eye. What disrespect coming from an ordinary woman. I would have her punished if I were you. This disrespect must cease to continue." Akuma took Neji's silence for him considering what he just said and continued rambling on.

Neji's eyes were locked on Tenten's wide ones as he rebuked the other man. "How I choose my helpers are none of your business, Akuma-san. If she is an ordinary woman do you mean to insult my mother as well? By calling her ordinary?"

Akuma was miffed. "N-no...I did not mean..." He scrambled upon words to say to save face. He was not expecting to be turned against, for a woman no less.

"Have it in mind that I could easily gain possession of your land from the king as I am one of his advisors. I could ruin you in a day's span should I will. I shall not have you insulting any of my helpers, woman or man, on any ground. Understand?"

This authority that Neji spoke with was so new, so different from when he spoke with Tenten. She could not wrap her head around it. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know how to feel about this.

"Y-yes sir-"

"The tour is over. Please see him out, Shinra." Neji did not wait to hear what Akuma was stuttering and ordered him out.

Everywhere was silent after Shinra left with Akuma. The tension was thick enough to be visible hovering in the air around Neji and Tenten.

The older farm aids that knew about Neji's identity cast their lord pitying glances for they knew of his feelings for the woman and they knew that Tenten was not one to be persuaded by riches. It was very likely that she felt betrayed and surprised by his identity.

"You're Hyuga-sama." Tenten finally broke the silence with a breathy whisper.

"I am." Neji admitted.

"You're the lord of this farm."

"I am."

Tenten hung her head. "Oh sweet Lord!" She exclaimed softly, taking a step back.

"Tenten..." Neji made took a step towards her and she shook her head. That was enough to tell Neji that she didn't want to see him now. She turned around and ran. "Tenten!" Neji yelled after her and made to run too but was held back by the closest farm aid.

"Give her some space, Hyuga-sama. She is simply flustered by how sudden you revealed yourself to her." The man said.

So Neji let her run. Away from his grasp, he did not know. But he let her run.

***

D-ra-ma~

Oh yes Tenten, he is the owner of the biggest farmland in all of the Land Of Fire. Your boyfriend is rich!

Thanks for reading, everyone. Your votes and reviews mean a lot to me so don't hold them back. Let them come!

See you next time.

-Star.