Hi there! Thought I would take a swing at a new story. There are a few disclaimers, of course. This story is an alternate universe and alternate reality to the Naruto series. There are some parallels! Some pairings are different! Obviously I know that certain characters are no longer alive, however that's not the case in this story! Thank you for reading, and if you feel it in your heart, please review!

Konoha 11

Chapter 1: Bonds

"You're not cut out for this.." His icy voice stung almost as bad as the winter winds that slapped the skin of her rosy cheeks and nose. "You should just go home." His eyes shifted in her direction, cutting her down with little effort.

Tenten shook her head stubbornly, and chose not to give even a verbal response. Since day one of attending the academy she had been looked down upon because she was a female. But she was determined, not only to complete the training, but to be the top of her class. That would be a challenge, considering with whom she was attending the Konoha Police Academy with. Neji Hyuga had always been her competitive rival throughout high school, and he had always come out on top. But not today, Tenten continued to tell herself that.

"Hey Sensei," Naruto Uzumaki started with a sheepish and nervous chuckle, "won't we get sick out here, running out in the cold like this?"

"You've got five minutes!" Their impeccably enthusiastic instructor shouted and the group of cadets were off. Running a mile in the frigid winter morning. "Cold doesn't make you sick, germs do! Now go!"

She could feel her heart pounding hard in her chest, and hear the sound of frozen snow crunching under her boots. The city was always quiet this time of day, and for once Tenten wished it wasn't. She wished that people could see how amazing she was doing, she was the front runner. She left Neji, Naruto, Shikamaru, And Kiba in her snowy dust.

She continued to accelerate when she could hear their footsteps closing in on her. She was not about to let them pass. It didn't matter that her lungs were burning deep within her chest, this was her time, she was determined to be the best police officer that Konoha's 11th precinct had ever seen.

"Woah, woah! Tenten! Stop!" Yelled their instructor, Guy, whom Tenten had just bolted past within the first three minutes of running. He shook his dark head as the petite girl turned around and ran back to his side, panting only a little. She had beaten the entire group, by one minute at least. That was saying a lot, and it was quite the achievement.

By the time the others made it back to the checkpoint, she was no longer winded and she was smiling proudly.

"Looks like we've got a new record." Might Guy said proudly as he patted the young cadet's back. Tenten glanced over at the group of boys staring back at her in disbelief, longing for one look of approval from one fellow cadet in particular. But she didn't receive it. In fact, he wouldn't look at her at all.

"It was only because I didn't get much sleep last night," Neji finally spoke up as the group walked inside to warm up from the cold weather. He was never one to admit when he was wrong, and compliments were not his strong suit.

"Of course you can't acknowledge the fact that for once in our lives I was better than you. You're too prideful." Tenten responded before feeling the wonderful sensation that the heated building welcomed her with. "It was one thing, it wasn't even that important and still you can't even say I did well?" She asked him with a look of frustration.

"I don't think that being a police officer is the right choice for you." He replied coldly, refusing to admit that maybe she had achieved something to be proud of. The fact was, Neji didn't want her to get hurt. Being on the police force was a sure fire way for her to do just that. But his prideful nature prevented him from telling her how he truly felt.

"Well you don't get to make that call, Neji. I do."

She'd give anything in the world just to have that day back. To go back to the hostility between them, because at this moment there was nothing between them at all.

The lights of two patrol cars lit up the street corner where the event had occurred. A crowd of onlookers and pedestrians gathered round and the vehicle with the criminal who had intended to kill Officer Uzumaki had long gone. She reprimanded herself for ever letting her partner go with someone else that morning.

She'd gotten a frantic call from Naruto moments ago calling for backup. As they were patrolling the street, they witnessed a robbery happening across the street, and from then on it had gone terribly wrong and something had happened to Neji. She pulled up to the scene frantically, dreading what could possibly be happening.

"Neji!" She screamed with an unsteady voice. Her wobbly legs did their best to rush up to his fallen form. What just happened? It was all so fast. It was as if she had only blinked.

Naruto was knelt beside his companion, putting pressure on the wounds to the man's chest. He'd forgotten his vest in the car. It was hot that day, and they assignment they had been given didn't show any ominous signs of eminent danger. "Call for an ambulance!" He shouted at the bewildered female.

The assailants had already escaped and Tenten wanted to be with Neji, she needed to. Frantically she knelt beside the two and reached for her radio. "Officer Hyuga is down, we need medical assistance!" She shouted before dropping the device and helping Naruto apply pressure.

"Neji, you have to hang on!" Naruto exclaimed. "Please." His heart was sinking as the life was rapidly draining from his friend's face. Neji had taken several bullets for Naruto. He had jumped in front of him just in time. "Why would you do that, Neji?"

"Hi-hinata can't live without you, idiot." Neji stated weakly. He felt a warm hand clasp tightly around his and his droopy eyes traveled over to see his partner sitting there, brown eyes pooling with tears. And he knew she couldn't live without him. But he did what any partner would do. Naruto was wide open and about to be gunned down. "Ten.."

"Don't!" She reprimanded as she forced the tears away and kept the pressure on the wound. She continually looked up to see if the ambulance was arriving yet, always disappointed when she didn't see it.

"I lied.." He choked just before dark colored blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. "You're the best officer I know. This is what you were destined to do." He gasped for air after his last statement. Clearly he was struggling to hang on.

With his confession, Tenten knew he wasn't going to make it. He wasn't one to apologize, or go back on any statement he had ever made. So this was him getting right with her before he left the world forever.

Through the years of them being on the police force together, their relationship changed. It graduated from a rivalry to romance, as they were partnered together. And they loved each other deeply. Their story was a beautiful one, that deserved to continue to unfold. They never told anyone, but they didn't have to. Everyone on the force knew, it was obvious by the way they looked at each other.

Tenten never thought that three years into being a Konoha Police Officer, she would be saying goodbye to the only person in the world she had ever loved. "I love you!" She exclaimed as salty tears streamed down her flushed cheeks.

Weakly, Officer Hyuga raised his arm just enough so the back of his fingers could graze the dampened skin of her cheeks. "I love you." He whispered softly. "Take care of her." He said as he turned to Naruto."

Naruto had tears streaming from his eyes cerulean as well as he nodded to his friend. "I promise, I will Neji." He swore as he tried not to even breathe. His chest tightened up and he watched Tenten's heart break right before his eyes. Neji's arm lowered lifelessly to the ground and he breathed his last breath.

There was nothing left to do but to embrace each other. As the ambulance pulled up seconds too late. And now there was nothing between Tenten and Neji but a severed bond.

"I thought you were on a personal leave?"

Tenten ignored Naruto's statement as she walked past his desk and looked around the station. It was different in many ways. It had only been a few days since his passing, but Nejis desk was empty. The contents had gone to Tenten and Hinata. Chief Tsunade's office was empty as well. The brunette turned herself back around and looked at the concerned blonde behind her.

"Where's Tsunade?" She asked frantically. This was beginning to be all too much for her.

"Didn't you hear? I'm retiring." Came the warm, familiar voice of the now former Chief of Police.

Tenten turned around yet again and shook her head in protest. "You can't retire." Tsunade was one of the few people Tenten actually spoke to about any problems she was having personally. She looked up to the woman, since they were the only two females on the force together. And without her, she didn't think she could deal with life without Neji alone.

"Get what you need, my last order of business is sending you home on your personal leave. There will be no further discussion about the matter." Tsunade said firmly as she looked upon her grief stricken officer who was obviously in denial. Her heart sank, as painful memories of her own loss began to surface. It seemed like only yesterday she had said her last goodbye to Dan.

"I'm either investigating those assholes on my own or on the clock. Doesn't matter to me either way!" Tenten exclaimed as she turned to head to the door when she ran into a tall and muscular man whom she had only heard legends about. He wore a dark suit and a gray colored tie, his black hair was tied nearly in a low pony-tail in back. His eyes were the scariest of all. They pierced right through her, and he never blinked once. He carried a certain presence about him, and it screamed to stay away from him.

"I suggest you do what she says, Officer." Came the man's low voice, and his stony expression never once changed.

"Excuse me, who the hell are you?" She spat back as she crossed her arms defensively. She knew exactly who he was. This was the notorious Itachi Uchiha. The most successful undercover agent Konoha had ever seen. And she knew that she was in trouble, but this was her only means of defense now. She wasn't planning on backing down. Yet.

Itachi smirked and matched her body language by crossing his own arms. "I'm your new chief. Now get the hell out of my station. Come back in a week. Get your matters sorted, and if I hear that you've been secretly investigating on your time off, you can make this leave of absence a permanent vacation! Do you understand?!" He snapped, glaring at her intensely. He wasn't the type of man to ease up just because he was speaking to a female, it was obvious to him she wasn't some sensitive flower-picking type. He spoke in the manor he knew she would respond to. He had done plenty of research about all of his new employees.

Tenten wanted to argue, she wanted to raise her voice. Every officer in the building, including the new chief's little brother, was staring at her. Thinking she must be insane to speak to Itachi like that, but she didn't care. She desperately wanted to go after the assholes who shot and killed Neji, but it was obvious that they wouldn't let her. At least not now. "Whoever did this, is still out there! And I'm-"

"Go home!"

"B-but."

"Dammit.."He growled under his breath and grabbed hold of the girl's arm. "Tsunade keep an eye on the station, I'm escorting our little rebel home."

"I don't need an escort!" Tenten yanked her arm violently out of the man's cold hands and walked herself out of the station. Her brown eyes adjusted to the brightness of he sun and she made her way to her patrol car.

"Hey!"

The minute she heard that man's voice again, she knew that they would probably never get along. "What? What do you want?" As she turned around Suddenly, it hit her. The realization that Neji wasn't coming back. Her partner was gone, and now she couldn't even avenge his death by looking for the person who did it. She could feel her tear ducts stinging as the emotions she had been bottling up threatened to fall.

Itachi could see it, he knew the look. But he could care less about her feelings at the time. Losing people you care about was part of the job. "Badge and gun. Now." He commanded as he extended his hand. He heard rumors of how stubborn this particular officer could be, and he was experiencing that now first hand.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Tenten yelled as she looked up toward the concrete steps of the Police Station the man in charge stood on as if it were his own personal pedestal. "No! I'm haven't been fired. You can't take-"

"You will be if you don't comply. Badge and gun now."

Angrily and reluctantly, the 25-year-old police officer marched up the stairs and shoved her police badge and gun into the man's hands. She had been stripped of her identity. Afterward she got into her car and drove away, hoping the deep pain radiating from her chest would go away soon.