— On Christmas, promise that no matter where we are, we'll send each other a Christmas card.
I smiled at her, thinking that the joke would finally end and everything would go back to normal, but when I looked into Hinata's eyes, I realized there was something more to that request. She was lost in something that even I didn't understand.
— Of course. But I know where you'll be. You'll be here, Hina, being queen and all. — I tried to reassure her, not really knowing if those were the words she needed to hear. She looked at me, still with that sad expression, and I held her hand a little more firmly.
I knew, even before Naruto did, that Hinata was his true choice. She was sweet, kind, carried herself with grace, and above all, she was incredibly beautiful.
— Why would a Hyuuga from Nadeshikino come all the way here if not to be the chosen one?
— He's just... He's very generous.
Or maybe... clever. Which was more likely.
— Who's very generous? — Naruto appeared at the door, interrupting our conversation. Hinata blushed so intensely that I almost thought she might faint.
— You, of course, my prince. — I answered for her, knowing Hinata wouldn't be able to form a single word with the prince standing in front of her.
Naruto shrugged, flashing that signature smile that always made the girls around him melt.
— True, Your Majesty. — Hinata's calm voice seemed even softer when he was near. I could see how she shrank slightly, trying to hide behind her dark, bluish hair.
— Hinata, may I have a moment? I'd like to have a private conversation with Tenten.
Those words fell like a weight. My stomach twisted, and a strange sensation took over me, as if time were slowing down. This was it. The end had come. I wondered if this was what it felt like just before fainting, as if the world were disappearing around me.
— Yes, my prince. — Hinata said in a soft, almost inaudible voice and left the room, her face hidden by her hair, glowing under the room's gentle light. She seemed to dissolve into the air, so silent and fleeting.
Naruto and I watched her leave, and as soon as the door closed, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. He just shook his head, looking at the path where Hinata had disappeared.
— I think I make her nervous.
I rolled my eyes.
— Everything makes her nervous, but you definitely make her more nervous than anything else.
He narrowed his eyes, smiling in a way that felt like a challenge.
— But I've never made YOU nervous. Not even at the beginning.
I gave him a lopsided smile, wanting to pretend that his words didn't affect me as much as they did.
— I'm not easily intimidated. — I replied with a smile. But in truth, I wanted to add, "And I was never in love with you." Not because I was cruel, but because I wanted to hurt him. My wounded ego still hadn't recovered from being almost special, from being so close and yet ending up as just another girl, just another Mitsashi with a teaching degree. Another one who, in the end, was nothing but a secondary choice.
I smoothed out my dress, trying to pretend the pain wasn't there, trying to hide the fact that, somehow, his words touched me more than I cared to admit.
— We already know what you're going to say! — I joked, forcing a lighthearted tone, and he smiled back. He always knew how to make things feel lighter, but even so, the weight of reality was there, and there was no ignoring it.
— What am I going to say? — Naruto asked, his gaze attentive, but there was something else in it. A certain tension, as if he were waiting for a reaction that never came.
— You're going to send me away. — The words came so naturally to me, as if I had already been expecting him to say them. It was almost comforting, in a way. I loved leaving people speechless, especially someone like Naruto, who always seemed to have all the answers, but in that moment, was quieter than I expected. Mitsashi Tenten, the sharp-tongued one with quick responses, the one who never hesitated, who always found a way out, an excuse, a way to turn the conversation around. Let them remember me that way when they confused me with one of my cousins.
He didn't say anything for a moment, and I knew he was trying to process what I had just said.
— Wouldn't you like to hear why? — Naruto asked, the curiosity still visible in his eyes.
— Hear a list of my flaws out loud? Oh, no. — I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm, trying not to let the frustration show. He laughed, that easygoing smile that always made me uncomfortable, yet at the same time, made me want to return it.
— Be happy that I chose Hinata. She's a good queen and deserves to be loved.
Hinata. I knew it was her. Everyone knew it was her. And I didn't know how I felt about it. How could I feel anything? She was the perfect choice, and who could compete with her? Not me, with my ordinary features and a history marked by another life.
— Hinata? — I repeated, more like a reflex, the confusion still lodged in my throat.
— Yes, HYUUGA Hinata. You could find twenty girls in the country with the last name Mitsashi who work in a small school. Who in the world are Shakuton and Haruno? But Hyuuga, now that's a name with power.
Naruto smiled as if he were sharing a joke, as if I were ignorant of something he found obvious. But he didn't know, didn't understand what that search for acceptance meant to me, the struggle to be more than what my family expected of me, the pain of being invisible, even with the weight of choice hanging over me.
He stood up and, with that reassuring smile, concluded:
— Tenten Mitsashi, it was a real pleasure knowing you, and I'd love for you to attend my choosing ceremony on Friday.
I stood up slowly, the weight of his words crashing down on me like an avalanche. I looked up, trying to keep my composure, and met his ocean-blue eyes, so deep it felt like I could drown in them. I could no longer ignore the truth. He would choose her. Hinata. And I… I would be left behind. As always.
— I'll be there, Your Majesty. — I replied, firmer than I felt, trying not to let the bitterness rise in my throat.