The farm intrigued him, and he would have agreed to go with little persuasion. But when Hinata timidly asked if they should invite Naruto, Neji had insisted on accompanying them.

Neji wasn’t naive, he knew the complexities and intimate lines they had likely crossed since they’d started dating, but he wasn’t about to let that stop his sense of duty and protection towards his cousin. Naruto may have saved them all, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hurt Hinata.

Whenever they flirted, Tenten would tease Neji, and call him a prude. Naruto complained very bluntly about the lack of privacy, and Hinata was her quiet, reserved self seeking to appease the two men who were most important to her.

They were pleasantly surprised to discover that the farm also doubled as an inn. But Naruto’s insistence that he share a room with Hinata had soured that quickly.

Tenten pulled him to the other room, insisting for both of them that it was not a problem.

Once the door was shut, Neji vented his frustration.

“How could you agree to that?”

“Neji, they’re 19 and have been dating for 6 months.”

“It’s inappropriate.”

“It’s their decision.”

“Hiashi-sama will—“

“Not know. Because you’re not going to tell him. Come on Neji, you know as well as I do that they’ve already—“

“Don’t say it, Tenten.”

She sighed at him.

“Such a prude.”

Neji crossed his arms.

“Forgive me for not wanting that particular image in my head.”

Tenten laughed and dropped her bag on the ground.

“Come on, let’s go check out the fields. You’re going to need a lot of lavender to help you relax tonight.”

Neji rolled his eyes but followed her out of their room.

For a few ryu, they had each been equipped with a pair of scissors and a basket. The woman behind the counter had animatedly encouraged them to cut as much as they want.

“It’s the end of the season, after all!” she’d said.

The late summer sun was hot on their backs as they crouched over the stalks of purple flowers.

“It smells so good out here!” Tenten said.

“It’s amazing,” added Hinata.

“How much should we cut? Do you or Sakura have any good recipes?”

“Sakura and Ino would both love bundles, I think. Sakura can make some tinctures to help patients in the hospital relax.”

“Ah, so cool!”

“And we can make some balms and oil!”

Neji enjoyed watching her cousin shine with confidence and excitement. Tenten was good at drawing that out of her.

“Just let us know how much to cut,” said Naruto.

The more they cut, the stronger the scent. It hung in the hot air and clung to their damp skin and clothes. Neji would later, privately, tell Tenten he had enjoyed their time out there.

She looked to be in heaven herself with a soft smile on her lips and a basket of lavender on her arm.

When they had cut their fill, they went back inside and sat down to dinner. Each item had been prepared with some part of the lavender plant. They trudged down the hall to their rooms and said goodnight, sleepy from the sun and aroma.

Tenten smelled like lavender that evening too, as they both dropped onto their shared bed, still fully clothed. It was an intoxicating mix of sun-kissed skin, the remnants of sunscreen, and lavender. She sighed content, next to him.

“I’m so relaxed,” she said.

“Mmm.”

Quiet settled between them before Tenten spoke again.

“There’s no way those two are doing it tonight,” she yawned, “If they’re half as relaxed as me, then they’re almost asleep.”

“Tenten…”

She rolled onto her side to meet his eyes and laughed.

“Such a prude, Neji. Even after all that lavender.”

He smiled at her.

“I suppose I can’t help it.”

“You’re going to need a lot of Sakura’s tincture when Hinata gets pregnant.”

Neji opened his mouth to respond but caught himself. Tenten had closed her eyes, already dozing, and the calmness that radiated off of her in waves timed to her pulse dragged him down with her into a deep sleep.

--

The first to open his eyes to this (by beating it into him publicly) was none other than Uzumaki Naruto, the village idiot and outcast. Neji had always dismissed his cousin’s fondness for the pariah as a fleeting fancy. But if she had fallen for what Naruto had displayed in that fight, his tenacity and willpower, perhaps she wasn’t as foolish as he had thought. What a strong spirit, to overlook everything fate had told Naruto to be, and yet smile in the face of it all. 

But Naruto was far from the last person to show Neji how to overturn his fate. 

His own teammate, whom Neji had disparaged all year, smashed his fate into pieces. It was only fair, though, after the way that fate had sabotaged him in the first few minutes of his life, closing off both his chakra coils and the path to his dearest wish. Rock Lee had stared fate in the face, recognized that there was simply no road for him to become a successful ninja, and then did it anyway. He fought for his dream, he chased it, and he built a new road with his own bloodied hands. 

Neji’s other teammate, Tenten, was also thwarted by fate. It ripped away her dream of practicing medicine and following in Lady Tsunade’s footsteps. So she spat in its eye and made her own footsteps. She became her own Lady, pioneering developments in weapons and sealing fighting tactics. Fate had declared that Tenten would never be Lady Tsunade. But she proved she didn't need to be. She was her own person with her own talents. And as much as she had wanted to heal, she loved weapons and sealing so much more. 

But the one that is surprising to Neji the most is his cousin ⁠— his meek, docile cousin. Hinata doesn’t fight fate; she quietly subverts it. She has accepted her meager abilities and her demanding position and is discreetly using them against fate’s own decrees. All those years ago, she had smiled at her cousin, forgiveness in her eyes, and vowed to set him free. Soon, she will single-handedly change the fates of her entire clan with her compassion.

Neji will not be the only one that surrenders to his fate. He will look destiny in the eye, spit in its face, and tell it "you're not the boss of me." His cousin has already pledged her help to his freedom. But he won’t be simply waiting for her to deliver. He will find his own way to subvert his fate.

Somehow, a lot of my Neji fics involve lifting the curse. *shrugs*

Be the change you want to see in the world lol. 

Long Live Neji!

Hinata had thanked him with a hug and a peck on the cheek, promising to make up for the long night ahead of him. Neji crossed his arms, considering what he could get from her in exchange for what waited.

"Yo, Neji!" The door swung open with a rush of light and nervous energy. Naruto was on the other side. "What are you doing here?"

Neji pushed his way into the room and closed the door.

"Hinata-sama has tasked me with a particularly important tradition for the night before your wedding."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes." Neji felt his jaw tighten. "I'm supposed to stay here… tonight… with you."

"Hey," started Naruto, his nervous energy flaring to life under Neji's eyes. "No offense or anything. I know you guys are into some weird stuff, but Hinata's a much better-"

"A much better, what? Bedmate?"

"Yes- I mean no! I mean… what?"

Neji sighed and pulled the desk chair out before dropping into it.

"The Hyuga has a long history of arraigned marriage, as I'm sure you know. It is a tradition that a male relative of the bride keeps an eye on the groom the night before."

Naruto laughed.

"What to make sure I don't have some crazy party with strippers? The bachelor party wa-"

"To make sure you don't try and run off when you get cold feet."

Naruto's nerves were cut away with a flash of anger.

"You think I'm going to get cold feet?"

Neji shrugged.

"I don't know. I just know it's my job to keep you here in case you do.”

"If anything were going to give me cold feet, it would be you." Naruto pointed at him. "How do I know you won't sit here all night and to talk me out of this?"

"Better me than my uncle, which is why I presume Hinata-sama twisted my arm."

Naruto paled.

"It could have been her father?"

Neji smirked.

"Who's the better bedmate now?"

"Hey!"

Neji got up and walked over to the closet to retrieve an extra futon.

"The sooner we get to sleep, the sooner we can get this stupid tradition over with."

"Or…" started Naruto, "we could get some of the guys over for a game of cards."

Neji sighed.

"Fine." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up a new group text. "But it's not my fault if the only one who shows up is Lee."

Naruto laughed.

"Deal. Oh, and Neji," Naruto grinned his wicked, mischievous grin. "I'm going to make sure that Hinata knows how much fun we had tonight."

Neji looked up at him, mid text. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"That everything went so well that you've insisted that I get to babysit you on your wedding night."

Neji scoffed.

"Jumping the gun a little, aren't we?"

"Depends. How long before you finally make a move on your teammate? I mean, she practically threw herself at you in the hospital."

"You're one to talk. I nearly died for you and Hinata-sama, and it still took you a year to get your shit together."

"At least I did get it… And then some."

Neji looked up from his phone, glaring.

"This can be an easy night, or it can be a long night. Which would you prefer?"

He held up his phone and waved it at Naruto, the text message typed, just waiting for Neji to press 'send.'

Naruto grumbled.

"Tell Inuzuka to bring a case of beer.”

Neji modified the text before sending it and wondered, briefly, how many other Hyuga men, who should have been too scared to run off, ended up drinking the night away with their future in-law.

His phone buzzed twice with enthusiastic responses.

Perhaps this wasn't such a terrible tradition, after all.

--