Title: A Thousand Names - Part 1
Character(s): Tenten, Sandaime, OCs: Sarutobi Katsuro, Sarutobi Mei, Shirou; brief mentions of Sarutobi Asuma
Pairing(s): Shirou/Mei
Warning(s): Creative license of events and making use of unknown information in the Naruto timeline; OCs to fill in the gap that is Tenten's history.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Part one of a planned two-shot, although it might turn out to be a three-shot depending on how the second part goes. Written for Tenten's birthday March 9, 2008, although clearly this was not finished until well after (apologies my dear Tenten! D:). Takes place in the same universe as 'Trapped in Your Legacy' (Chapter 18) and 'Where to Start From' (Chapter 20) from DEB, respectively, with Tenten being the Sandaime's granddaughter.
Special thanks to: malinear from LJ, for helping me flesh out Mei's character.
Dedicated to: Tenten, because everyone deserves some sort of back-story 3
- No way! No one could hit all those without missing! -
- Cheater! -
- Just what kind of kunais are those anyways? They look funny. -
- Girls can't be shinobi. They aren't strong enough. -
- Yeah! You don't even have a family name! -
- You're just a nobody. -
- I...I am not! -
...Am I?
- Nobody! -
- Weirdo! -
- Freak! -
-x-
"They're wrong!...Right?"
Tentatively, she held out the palms of her hands to catch the light of the slowly fading sun on the horizon, utilizing the long shadows of dusk to scrutinize every line, every dirt-covered crease, every scar she had already received in her young life. She took pride in them no matter what her peers believed or said, or how much they would tease her for it. When they would break and crack from the strain, she loved them all the more. After all, each had been made one by one from her long hours of training and stood as a mark of the girl's slow achievements, working diligently with the shinobi tools until they became so much a part of herself, until there could be no distinction from the cold steel gleaming along the razor-sharp edges and the cool determination that reflected in Tenten's eyes. But still, doubt had spawned from her classmate's words, and the young girl could not help but feel a trickle of disgrace for allowing such a seed to flourish in her mind and in her heart. She never wanted to feel ashamed for her family.
With a soft sigh, the young kunoichi-in-training lowered her arms in disappointment and crossed the street to resume her trek towards home, the soft soles of the girl's shoes brushing almost soundlessly against the dirt road. She was already late, but no amount of urgency or respectfulness could motivate the girl to move any faster than a slow and shuffling pace, too lost in her own failure to defend against the taunts the other children had aimed at Tenten's family. Her robes shifted gently in the breeze, the edges swaying this way and that with the young girl's movements while loose strands that had managed to escape their ribbon-bound prisons tickled across Tenten's cheek and neck. In an idol manner, she made to sweep them aside and out of the way, letting her feet walk the path that she knew all too well while earthy-brown eyes faded into the world of the girl's mind.
The words that the other children had barked at her were nothing out of the ordinary, merely things they had picked and prodded at every day when her shurikens hit their mark with an almost perfect accuracy that seemed unbelievable to any who stood a witness to the feat. But what had truly bothered Tenten were the comments made towards her family, namely the lack of a surname that would root her into the foundation of Konoha and its history, or so they said. But...she was already deeply rooted into the village.
"Hey, kiddo."
In a blink, Tenten's eyes snapped out of the blurred illusions of her mind to refocus on reality and the two men that stood before her. Like second nature, she gave a small bow of respect to them, addressing both like she would any other adult. The smile on her face was faint but warm, though it seemed to be weighed down by the strain of the day's events, making the young girl seem weary with fatigue, an easy indication on her current mood. She was never very good at hiding things, especially from her own family. "Hi Grandpa, Uncle Katsuro."
Through the long years, the young kunoichi-in-training had watched her family with a careful observance that only children could possess, learning of their behavior and the emotions that were hidden behind them. And so the look that passed between the two men, the concerned laced within their glances, did not go unnoticed by the young Tenten. They were among the most powerful ninjas in the village, but they were also naive in underestimating her perceptiveness. After all, as the granddaughter of the Sandaime of Konoha and with rumors milling about the village about her Uncle Asuma being appointed as one of the Twelve Elite Guardians of the Fire Country's Daimyo, it was no surprise that the girl would possess a level of understanding beyond her peers, even at the young age of seven.
Yes. No doubt, great things would be expected of her in the future.
"So what's going on, squirt?" Katsuro inquired cheerfully, placing a tender hand between the two tightly wrapped buns on either side of her head and giving a slight ruffle of the loose strands that had managed to escape, "You're usually good about being home by now."
Her grandfather gave a nod in agreement. "No doubt your mother is worried about where you are."
"I know." She gave a light chuckle and quickly took a hold of the offending hand to keep what small order that still remained in her untamed hair. "I was training and lost track of time."
It was truthful enough, though not completely so. Indeed, Tenten had been training as she always did every afternoon after the students were released from the Academy, such was the level of her dedication in carrying on the family legacy of the Sarutobi clan. But it was when she begun to mull over her classmate's words concerning her lack of a family name, and not the training itself, that the young girl had became distracted from coming home at her usual time. But the others did not need to know about all of that. It would only worry them more than they already were. This was her burden to carry not theirs. Both her grandfather and Uncle Katsuro had bigger things to focus on, the Sandaime especially with the weight of an entire village balanced on the old man's shoulders.
But despite that, the elder of the Sarutobi brothers had just enough cause to see through her little white lie, prompting him to pushed a little more for the truth. "You sure that's all it was?"
Tenten gave a small shrug, feigning a sort of innocent at his concern. "What else would it be, Uncle?"
"Well - "
" - I think that's enough, Katsuro." The interruption had caught both adult and child off guard. But with a bit of relief from the youngest of the three, Katsuro and Tenten both turned to face the patriarch of their family. "Tenten's already late and has no time to answer questions if she hopes to get home before her mother sends out a search party. Why don't you escort her the rest of the way to perhaps...ease Mei's concerns? After all, as I recall, you had a tendency to be a bit late every now and then, yourself."
"Uh...heh. Right. Sure dad, no problem." Tenten did all that she could to suppress a soft chuckle from slipping past her tiny lips, only just managing to bring her chubby fingers up to cover the grin spreading across the little girl's face as Katsuro simply stood there scratching at the back of his head with some level of embarrassment. Catching the small snickers, he reached down to ruffle the loose strands of her hair once more in retaliation before waving her to follow him down the road. "Come on, squirt. Let's go."
Another giggle managed to escape as little Tenten turned towards the village leader to give him a respectful bow, turning with a cheerful wave while she rushed to catch up to her uncle. "Bye grandpa!"
"Hey, I'll race you home!" Katsuro called out over his shoulder while he sped up his pace to gain a small head start.
With a childish squeal, the academy student doubled her efforts, glad for the distraction that only her family could provide. While it was true that they could not always be together, and there were days when she could not help but wonder about them -- Where had Uncle Asuma gone? Why did he go away in the first place? Why did grandpa's smile shrink a little when someone would say his name? What exactly did her mother see when she would spend hours staring at the Hokage monument? -- there was no doubt that they all cared about each other.
The prospects of their little race made the trip home quicker, and it was not long before she saw the glow of the lantern lights on her front porch. And there was her mother, waiting with a mildly concerned look on her face as Tenten knew she would be. Time to pay the piper.
"There you are!" the kunoichi called softly at their approach, worry melting away to relief when she caught sight of her missing daughter, "I was beginning to worry."
"Yeah, sorry about that, Mei," Katsuro called in return, sparing a glance to Tenten to give the girl a discreet wink. Don't worry, I'll keep you out of trouble, it seemed to say. "We just sort of lost track of time."
"How typical of you, Katsuro," the elder Sarutobi reprimanded, though there was a hint of amusement in her tone that made her comment seem more teasing and playful, "Honestly, I can't understand sometimes how you became a shinobi."
"What can I say? At least I'm reliable." He gave a light-hearted laugh, fumbling through the mess of dark hair to scratch at the back of his head in embarrassment at such a truth. But the moment quickly passed as Katsuro gave Tenten a gentle and loving pat on the head before beginning his own trek towards home. "Well I'm off, then. I just wanted to make sure the squirt made it home alright."
"It would've been better if you had done that an hour ago," her mother retorted.
"Hey, she's in one piece, isn't she?" the younger of the two siblings countered. "See you later, kiddo!"
And with one final wave he was gone, leaving Tenten to watch wordlessly as she began feeling the same doubts from before begin to resurface. Without any outlet to point her attentions to, her young mind could only focus on why she had been out so late in the first place when crossing paths with her uncle and grandfather on the streets.
"Come on, sweetie. Dinner will be ready in a little bit." One last glance at Katsuro's form disappearing in the distance, and the kunoichi-in-training turned to head inside, making sure to avoid any sort of eye contact with her mother. Because it would be too hard to face the gentle eyes of the woman with these questions and thoughts floating through her mind. So with a quiet nod, Tenten stepped pass her mother and headed inside without another word.
"Ten?...Is something the matter?"
Always so perceptive. Just like a mother. She should have expected that. Her mother was a kunoichi of Konoha after all, and one of the top ranking Special Jounin in the defense department. Of course it would not be so easily to hide this, especially if someone of Katsuro's level and skills could pick up on Tenten's mood. Glancing over the slim curve of her shoulder, the little girl shook her head for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon, indicating a polite 'No' and continued inside.
"Tenten?..." It was the tone of her voice, the softness in which Mei spoke her name that had stopped the young girl in her tracks, pausing to give all attention to her mother, though she kept her back to the older woman for fear of finding out what she had discovered. "Did the kids make fun of you again today?"
For a moment, Tenten thought of lying, of saying that it was anything else but the truth to save them both another lecture on how the other children were fools and that there was no reason to be ashamed of their taunts. But the kunoichi-in-training could not lie to her, not when her voice had been so kind and gentle as it always had been. It did not just sound like a mother concerned for her child, but a cherished friend who only wished to help. So wordlessly, hesitantly, Tenten gave a small nod. She could keep no secrets from her own mother.
With that affirmation, Tenten could only turn her gaze to the ground as she heard Mei sigh, the light tap of her footsteps following the young girl inside. Wordlessly, the young kunoichi placed her things down and proceed to the dining room to help set the table for dinner, something she had always done every single day after school. It was a small feeling of normalcy and a great comfort for what promised to be an uncomfortable evening as the girl felt the weight of her mother's eyes following her every movement.
The silence seemed to stretch on forever, neither female making any attempts to push or forget the matter as Mei moved to seat herself on the arm of the couch in the next room, still watching her young daughter with a careful eye. Finally, as Tenten was reaching up to collect the utensils from the drawer, her mother broke the silence, her voice barely audible but still with the same care she had always held. "It...must be hard for you."
The young girl paused from her work to mull over that statement for a moment before responding, a bit unsure of how she actually felt about the situation. "Not really. Just...a little confused."
"Confused?" Mei tilted her head curiously, watching while Tenten came into the livingroom and seated herself on the couch before continuing. The table. Dinner. It could all wait. "What do you mean?"
"Mom?..." Here, the girl paused, hesitant to proceed but knowing that she had to in order to find the answers her young mind was seeking. "Why don't we have a family name? I mean, I know grandpa is the Sandaime, but..."
Another sigh escaped as Mei shifted to face her daughter, struggling to form the words that would give her the answers she needed. "Tenten..."
"I'm sorry!" the child interrupted before Mei could utter another word, catching her off-guard, "I...I didn't mean to be disrespectful, I just - "
"It's...it's alright, Tenten." It was another moment of silence before Mei finally broke the peace and gestured with her hand for Tenten to come closer. "...Come here, sweetie."
Understandably so, Tenten was hesitant, believing her mother to be angry with the way she had been acting that afternoon. There was no greater dishonor than to feel shame for ones family, especially when there were so many noble members and shinobi loyal to the village. But as the comforting arms wrapped around her, she let herself fall into a warm bubble of serenity that the older woman provided, a place where nothing else mattered but her mother's understanding.
"I wanna tell you a story."