Written very quickly for Yahboobeh, who picked #22 on the writer's meme ("Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style.") We didn't really have a preference over which fic, but this fic needed an epilogue (thank you for the suggestions, anon!), so I figured I may as well kill three birds with one stone. ;) (Last bird is world-building practice. This comes at a time when I'm a lot more comfortable with creating new settings, courtesy of TRC.)

This was written in about 50 min with no edits (was on a roll with the world-building.. I don't usually write this fast), so if you spot mistakes, feel free to point them out. ;)

Naruto and its characters do not belong to me.

Elf Prince, Digivolve!

Epilogue

For all that she's followed the Digimon series and trekked through forests around Japan, Tenten finds herself sorely lacking in experience where forest crossings are concerned. That, and the Nymellian Forest is nothing like the forests around Tokyo.

The buttress roots of trees tower over Neji and herself, and while Neji tries his best to guide her over the most agreeable parts of the forest floor, there are times when they have to walk over a thick branch to cross a gurgling stream, or guess at where the ground is beneath a field of clover-like plants. Red-white starflowers bloom in clusters by their knees; an occasional toad croaks at them, and sunlight filters thinly through the canopy high above.

Tenten almost sprains her ankle thrice, and even though Neji's the one holding on to the bags with her things, she's hard-pressed to walk in a straight line without tripping into a heap of limbs. This isn't the impression she wants to make on his relatives!

"Not too much further," Neji says suddenly, and five minutes later, they're walking on the ground beneath a complex network of tree houses. Wood-plank bridges cross from one gigantic tree to another high above the ground, some solid, some suspended by ropes. The houses vary in size - there are big ones, small ones, round ones, ones with square windows, ones with dome-shaped roofs and even ones wrapped entirely around the thick tree trunks.

It's beautiful, and Tenten trips ten times a minute staring up at the village Neji's people preside over.

"Is there a way up?" she asks some time later, glancing back at the elven prince. "I don't see any ladders."

Neji's smile turns a little wry. "There are boars and other predators on the lower reaches of the forest," he answers, "Our homes are high above their reach."

She doesn't know if she should be relieved. "So we've been at risk of being attacked?"

"I'm more than capable of protecting you." Pride flashes through Neji's pale eyes. "Would you like me to prove it to you?"

The imagery of humongous, snorting pigs with bridge-like tusks comes to mind - she shakes her head vehemently. "No, thanks. Maybe some other time."

He smirks, tugs on her hand, and pauses by a tree stump so high that it's at least twice her height. Then he's picking a rock off the ground and tossing it high into the trees, so high that she loses track of it with her eyes.

Half a minute later, some sort of wood platform comes trundling down, suspended by a mass of ropes and pulleys with a winch in the middle of it all. Neji leads her up a series of moss-covered stairs carved into the side of the tree stump, sits her down on a low bench on the platform, and begins to crank the handle on the winch.

They ascend up and up, until the tree stump is a speck in the ground below and her palms are sweating copiously. The platform sways in a breeze.

"Do I really have to do this?" Tenten groans, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. "It feels like we're going to fall."

"We won't. Come, we've reached the landing."

Neji leads her down a series of complex wooden bridges, and up several more. Fragrances carry on a slow breath of air - bread, flowers, fresh-cut leaves - and Tenten sees the elven folk bowing at the prince, before casting curious glances at her. She smiles back - it'll be good to start off on the right foot with these people.

They arrive at the palace soon after. In all honesty, Tenten never really imagined what Neji's home might look like - there had been too much going on to really think about it. What she sees smashes all her vague ideas; the elven palace is a complex sprawl of several houses joined together, with one building wrapped around the largest tree trunk like a sleeve, stretching on for several stories, and many other clusters of buildings and rooms hanging around it, connected by covered walkways. There are several windows, and plants growing on the palace walls, and she sees the bustle of activity through some of the lower windows.

"Welcome home," Neji says simply. She blushes.

Before they head in, he draws her into a private corner, traces his fingertip over her throat, then her ears. Her skin tingles.

"So you can both speak our language and understand us," he explains. "But the spell won't hold for long. You'll have to learn Elvish soon enough."

Neji brushes aside the servants when they make their entrance to the palace. He sends word through one of them, and moments later, a fair-skinned lady comes running up to them, dressed in layers of rustling silks and lace. She looks a lot like Neji does - dark hair, pale eyes.

"Neji!" she exclaims. "You were gone without a word for days - we were worried about you!"

"Princess Hinata." Neji sketches a shallow bow. "I was away on a short journey. Hinata, this is Tenten."

Hinata stares at her for a long time, and suddenly gasps. "Her ears! They're round at the top!"

"She's human," Neji points out wryly. "Incidentally, she's also who I'm courting."

The princess's eyes grow wide, and her jaw drops. Around them, the bustle of activity suddenly stops - the servants are discreetly staring.

"Carry on," Neji snaps at them, forehead wrinkling slightly. "There are greater matters at hand."

They sweep through the corridors, and Hinata is all smiles. "I'm delighted to make your acquaintance, Lady Tenten," she gushes, holding on to Tenten's hand. "We have been worried that Neji isn't interested in taking a bride at all."

She knows the story, glances sidelong at the prince and blushes again. It's one thing to be in a relationship with Neji, and another to be praised for it. "I've heard," she tells Hinata with a smile. "I'm glad to meet you too, Princess Hinata."

"Call me Hinata," the elven princess teases. "We'll be family soon enough."

"But Neji addresses you as Princess," Tenten blurts, looking uneasily at the man next to her.

"Neji tends to be very formal." Hinata laughs quietly, offering Tenten an amused smile. "You'll see. The rest of us aren't so very serious as he is."

She relaxes a little, squeezes Neji's hand. He squeezes back, gives her a crooked smile.

The atmosphere in the palace is pleasant, and the two people she's got to know in the Nymellian forest are far more accommodating than she would have thought them to be.

Even though this is an entire new dimension, Tenten thinks everything will work out here, somehow or other.

A/N: I'm not really able to write NejiTen romance while I have a foot in the TRC fandom (88k words so far)... (monogamous like that lol) but I will still continue with the angel/demon fic and intersperse that with other short drabbles I'd saved up. :) Hope you enjoyed this epilogue thing here!