Lady Luck

Through allowing the passionate love affair between her husband and his mistress, Hyuuga Hinata found her own happiness.

My first fic that isn't rated T or M and it features mistresses. Oh, the irony! Anyway...couldn't resist the temptation of writing another NejiTen fic. God I love those two. This is the first time I'm writing NaruHina too-even though after watching Naruto Shippuden I'm kind of seeing why people ship NaruSaku. It makes sense. But I still prefer SasuSaku.

I'm going on vacation tomorrow so here is my parting gift. Enjoy.

I was eighteen when my father told me I was to wed Neji-nii-san.

It was to be a marriage of convenience. Neji was the most powerful member of the Hyuuga clan, a genius whose abilities were rivaled by few in Konoha. Yet Fate had cursed him to be a member of the Branch Family, forever subservient to the Main House to which I belonged. He was deemed a threat to our stability by the Elders, who saw him as the hostile twelve-year-old boy who tried to kill me in the preliminary matches of the Chuunin Exam. Nevermind the change of attitude Neji underwent after his unforgettable fight with Uzumaki Naruto in the finals. Forget the fact that if he were to have murderous intentions, the cursed seal on his forehead would obliterate his mind. No, the Elders only saw Hyuuga Hizashi's son as a danger to their way of living and they were determined to annihilate the menace that was my cousin.

So on my nineteenth birthday, Neji and I were bound together by holy matrimony. In two years I was to succeed my father as clan leader and the Elders hoped that by tying Neji down to the sovereign of the house, he would be rendered submissive. What senility-Hyuuga Neji could never be compliant to the wishes of others. He may have been a "caged bird," as he liked to put it, but even birds have sharp beaks and claws to defend their will. The Elders' only other argument for the marriage was that our children would be blessed with Neji's considerable talent, therefore giving the Main House stronger members over the Branch Family.

They failed to consider the fact that inbreeding leads to diseased children.

Neji and I didn't love each other. For a good part of my life I was too frightened of my imposing cousin to feel anything for him other than fear and he…well, the myth of Hyuuga Neji having an empty chest cavity almost became as undisputed as scientific principle. I had my suspicions of course that he felt something for someone, but it wasn't until the night of my wedding that they were confirmed.

I was in no mood for the festivities that night. The drinking, the food, the rowdy celebrations…I was far too detached from my surroundings to partake in the cheer around me. Unable to stand the merrymaking, I snuck out to the gardens to get some fresh air and gather my wits about me. It was there I saw them, hidden among the blood-red roses and embracing with a sort of intimacy that made me wonder exactly how close my cousin was to his female teammate.

Their lips were melded together in an intensely passionate kiss, their arms wrapped tightly around each other as though they were holding on for dear life. His hands were twisted in the dark, gleaming brown strands of her hair and in the moonlight I could see wet streaks down her cheeks. When they finally parted, I heard him whisper her name.

"Tenten…"

It was one word, but it carried a thousand different emotions. It was spoken tenderly, lovingly, a verbal caress that was so heartbreakingly poignant it made me ache in sadness inside. My cousin loved another woman, but duty and honor chained him to me far more strongly than love could bind him to her. They were sharing one last moment together before obligation called them back to their respective positions-him as my faithful husband, her as his loyal teammate.

I allowed them that one respite.

Life continued and I found living with Neji to be not as agonizing as I anticipated, but not quite comfortable either. The memory of that night forever rested on my conscience and I'm sure Neji himself was always burdened with the knowledge of Tenten's love. There was always a slight tension between us and in general we avoided being together alone. It wasn't difficult-meals were shared with other members of the family and our jobs took us away often; he was an ANBU team captain, always being called away for dangerous missions and I balanced my responsibilities as clan leader with my Jounin assignments.

It was the nights that were the worst. On the rare occasion that Neji was home, we were forced to share a bed in the most private wing of the Hyuuga estate. We never did anything, both of us on opposite sides of the extra-large bed I requested (our family thought it was because we needed the additional surface area for certain activities but Neji and I just wanted more distance between us). There was always a suffocating silence, both of us struggling to fall asleep as quickly as possible.

But one night I couldn't escape the clutches of reality. The image of Neji and Tenten embracing as if there was no tomorrow was seared into my mind, taunting me, accusing me. I lay in bed, the memory torturing me mercilessly until I could no longer stand it and turned towards Neji.

"Neji-nii-san…"

Even after we married I couldn't stop calling him by the name I used since childhood. It was…twisted, in a way, to be addressing your husband the same way you would an older male relative but at least we knew we didn't share incestuous feelings for each other.

He hadn't said anything, pretending to be asleep, but I knew it. So I said the one thing that I knew would rouse him from his feigned stupor: I told him I saw him and Tenten the night of our wedding.

His body stiffened then and with deliberate slowness he had turned around to face me.

"You shouldn't have seen that."

"But I did, Neji-nii-san."

"The past is the past. It's over."

"Is it?"

"If you think I'm being unfaithful-"

"We both know it's not a matter of you being physically faithful to me or not."

The silence had been deafening and I remember entertaining the thought of jumping out of bed because I thought Neji was going to strangle me in his anger. But to my surprise, he had rolled onto his back and faced the ceiling.

"Are you going to have me punished?"

"No."

"Then what is it that you want?"

"Happiness."

When I told him that, I had meant so many different things. Happiness at knowing I didn't stand in the way between him and Tenten. Happiness at knowing he was able to be with her. Happiness at knowing I could finally pursue my own destiny. It was far from a selfish wish and he knew it.

"This is immoral. Tenten won't agree to it, Hiashi-sama will find out-"

"For once in your life, Neji-nii-san…trust me."

A week after that conversation, I paid a visit to Tenten's apartment. When she opened the door, her shoulders tensed and her eyes flashed momentarily-I think it was a mixture of surprise, wariness, and a subconscious urge to bludgeon me to death. Nevertheless, she tried to grace my presence with a smile. It looked more like a grimace.

"Hinata-san! This is unexpected."

"I know it's been months since the wedding but I never got the chance to personally thank you for your gift."

"Oh, it's alright. Neji thanked me."

"I see. So how have you been?"

"Fine. You?"

"Not so well."

I had wasted no time in telling her the woes of my marriage.

"I saw you two the night of the wedding."

"T-that was a mistake, Hinata-san. I shouldn't have done what I did. It wasn't Neji's fault, it was all mine. I was being irrational a-and delirious…lightheaded, too much sake-"

"Neji-nii-san is still in love with you."

"Please, don't."

"He wants to see you again."

"Stop, Hinata-san…I beg you, stop."

"I don't love him, Tenten-san."

"This isn't just about love anymore…this is about duty, principle, a-and morale. It's wrong."

"I don't want to live the rest of my life knowing that because of me, two people were unable to find happiness."

She had lashed out at me then.

"And you think we're going to find happiness by committing adultery? You think you're doing us a favor by allowing us to sleep together? No one's going to benefit from this, Hinata-san. You'll be shamed, I'll be seen as the other woman, and Neji…I couldn't compromise his position just to fulfill my own desires…"

We had stood there for what seemed like an eternity, the world vanishing from around us as I watched the woman who I had always thought of as strong, resilient, and as iron-willed as the cold steel she commanded, weep brokenly.

"Your old training ground at midnight tonight. He'll be there."

I knew she had went because Neji didn't return until dawn the next morning and when he did, there had been a sense of peace about him.

"She went, didn't she?"

"Yes."

"What now, Neji-nii-san?"

"I don't know, Hinata-sama."

It was a dangerous affair that they maintained. At any moment they could have been discovered, whether by random passersby, their curious friends and teammates, or by Hyuuga members. I may have been the clan head, but if the Elders were to learn that Neji was having an affair, even I wouldn't be able to override their word.

Nevertheless, I asserted my influence several times, bribing Tsunade-sama with our finest sake so that she arranged to have Neji and Tenten go on duo missions for extended periods of time. But the Godaime was not a woman to be trifled with, and when she came to her senses she became suspicious of my intentions.

"Why are you always insisting on having your husband leave you to go on long missions with another woman?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"A woman who is supposedly in love with him."

"What do I care for rumors?"

"A woman who he is supposedly in love with also."

"And despite that he's married to me. Now, back to what I was saying…"

The Hokage never questioned me after that-after all, she got her sake and I got what Neji, Tenten, and I all wanted. It was a harmonious arrangement.

But gossipy insinuations continued to travel down the proverbial grapevine. I had ignored them in the past because they still were of the speculative kind, but while I was training one day with Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino, my old teammates from Team Eight, Uzumaki Naruto dropped by and they took on a different drift.

"Hinata, I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Naruto-kun!"

"Hey if it isn't dead-last!"

"Naruto."

"Shut it, dog-breath! Hey Shino. Hinata, Ino told Sakura-chan who told me something about Neji and Tenten."

They had all turned to look at me then and for a moment I had reverted back to the shy, vulnerable young girl that stuttered and blushed. A cold fear had gripped my insides and I felt as though I couldn't breathe.

"They're good friends, Naruto-kun."

"Good friends don't kiss each other."

"WHAT!?"

"Kiba, compose yourself. Neji's not your husband."

"Don't just stand there acting as though nothing's wrong, Shino! If Neji's cheating on our Hinata I'm going to go over there and give his Hyuuga ass a good whoopin'!"

"Naruto-kun, I'm sure Ino-san just saw them peck each other on the cheek or something."

"No Hinata, Sakura-chan tells me she told her they were going at it, with his hand up her shirt and-"

"SEE SHINO!? THAT GOOD-FOR-NOTHING BASTARD IS-"

"Kiba-kun, please. Naruto-kun, I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding. Neji is too honorable for that."

"But Hinata-"

"That's enough."

I had hurried away soon after, leaving an ever-reticent Shino, a defeated-looking Naruto standing next to him, and an indignant Kiba howling in protest. I had been fuming-angry at Ino for being the blabbermouth that she was, angry at Neji and Tenten for being so foolishly careless. I had stormed back to the house and waited for Neji, who eventually returned in the evening from a simple B-rank mission.

"Ino saw you and Tenten together."

I hadn't needed to be explicit when I said that-both of us knew that what he and Tenten were doing was far from innocent.

"How'd you find out?"

"She told Sakura who told Naruto who told me. In front of Kiba and Shino."

He didn't say anything but it wasn't as if it would have helped anyway. In my aggravation, I was starting to crack. If people were to find that Neji was cheating on me, our lives would be ruined. Tenten would be disgraced, I would be seen once again as the pathetic excuse for a Hyuuga and threaten the status and safety of the family, and Neji would be punished severely. Knowing the Elders, castration was the favored choice of dealing with hot-blooded young men, even though Neji was far from it.

I had gotten up and left the room afterward. I had no idea where I was heading, only that I needed to get as far away as possible to clear my head. My steps eventually took me into town, where not even the lack of natural light could dim the hustle and bustle of the market. Passing by the Ichiraku Ramen Bar, I bumped into Naruto.

"Hinata! What are you doing out here at this time of the night alone?"

"I-I just needed to get a breath of fresh air."

"Are you alright? You seem pale. Look, if it's because of what I told you earlier today I'm sorry and I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted you to-"

"It's fine, Naruto-kun."

"Really?"

"No."

From my early years at the academy to a good part of my years as a Chuunin, I had adored Uzumaki Naruto. I don't know exactly what it was about him that attracted me-perhaps it was his bubbly personality, his friendly effervescence, or simply his innate ability to make people want to believe in him that sparked some form of inspiration within me. My feelings for him never truly died and that night, they took center stage, convincing my conscience that Naruto was one to be trusted in times of distress. I spilled everything.

To my surprise, Naruto listened with a quiet patience that was so uncharacteristic of him. Never had I appreciated him more as I tearfully recounted my undesired arranged marriage to Neji, his love for Tenten, my disgust with myself for standing in the way of their love, and my fruitless attempts to remedy that. He must have sat there for a good hour, listening to my choked rant and not saying a word. When I finished, he looked at me for a moment before flashing me that trademark grin of his-the smile that spoke of reassurance and an effort to uphold any promise.

"I'll help you."

It was at that moment I fell in love with Uzumaki Naruto again.

Now that I look back on what occurred all those years ago, it must have been Lady Luck. Fate, that was what Neji called it. It was the one time when his ridiculous affinity for destiny and all related bullshit did not rub me the wrong way because it really must have been divine will. Tsunade-sama, ever the procrastinating woman she was, decided that it was time to step down and pass the role of Hokage onto Naruto. The first thing he did upon becoming the Rokudaime was instate a new protocol that gave me absolute power as clan leader. The first thing I did? I had my marriage to Neji annulled.

There was a mix of reactions. The entire Hyuuga clan was in shock and the Elders were livid with rage. All of our friends were stunned, but not extremely so. Many of them had been doubtful of the marriage from the very beginning and while only a handful knew of Neji and Tenten's relationship (Rock Lee, it turned out, could be very tight-lipped when necessary), most of them suspected something between the two, courtesy of Yamanaka Ino.

But it was Neji and Tenten's response that mattered to me the most. The latter was beside herself with worry for me even though it was clear she was grateful and so elated that she could finally be with the man she had stood by through endless hardships and barriers. The former…well, if there was one good thing that I got out of my marriage to Neji it was the forging of a deeper connection with him. Words weren't needed-the look on his face said it all.

They were married on a gorgeous spring day in front of the mountain bearing the five effigies of Konoha's former Hokage (Naruto's face had yet to be added). Everyone who mattered was in attendance (which meant no Hyuuga Elders). It was a joyous affair, except for the marital rites being punctuated occasionally with the loud sobs of Neji and Tenten's insane sensei Maito Gai and his look-alike for a protégé. And that was before their loud declarations of the power of youth and what-not during the reception, when Naruto decided to celebrate by spiking Gai-sensei's punch. Unfortunately, Lee got a hold of some of the liquid and an all-out brawl ensued.

There's a Naruto-sized hole in the mountain now after Haruno Sakura threw him into the rock for his immaturity.

It has been six years since then. Neji and Tenten are expecting their second child and once again, I've been deemed godmother. The title of godfather has been bestowed on Lee, simply because they never would have heard the end of it if he hadn't gotten the coveted position. Naruto ended up throwing a fit.

He thought he should have gotten it because I'm the godmother and he's my husband.

I had lots of trouble with grammar-got confused several times on how to use the past perfect tense. At least, that's what I think it's called? You know, the only reason I know that is because I think that's what it's called in Spanish-learning another language does help you with whatever other tongue you speak.

I didn't particularly enjoy putting Tenten in the position of a mistress but it was an idea that was dying to be spat out. So I wrote it. And I know Hinata is slightly OOC but this is a memoir of sorts and she's an adult now. And yes, I know the ending was slightly rushed and unrealistic but it's 12:35 am and I'm too tired for developing complicated political intrigue. Forgive me.