Disclaimer: Nope, Naruto's not mine.

Lamentation
By: pin0ts

"Tenten." The said girl, still half asleep, felt someone pat her leg hurriedly, in a fast, and even pace, as the person disturbing her deep slumber whispered her name exasperatedly.

"Tenten." This time, it was curt and sharp, as if demanding her to wake this instant, or something absolutely dreadful would come her way. Getting the message, she opened her eyes slowly, bringing her hands up her amber orbs, and started rubbing them, yawning at the process.

She was then yanked by the elbow by her mother, dragging her to the door. "Mom, what's--" But her question was interrupted when her mother turned to her, forefinger on her lips. Being the obedient daughter, she complied with her mother's command, and nodded to show that she recognized the simple gesture.

Not understanding the situation, the four year old looked around, trying to grasp any information on what is happening thru her surrounding, wanting to know why they are up in the middle of the night, quietly making their way out of the house, as if trying to get away from something.

They were now nearing the back door, and it seemed that the older woman's face relaxed a bit, but as for the smaller one, her face was more troubled, her head swivelled, looking for something, or more precisely, someone.

'Where's--'

A muffled cry reached their ears just as they passed through the door. Recognizing that the sound was from her father, Tenten slipped from her mother's grasp, then ran to the direction of the voice.

What she saw struck horror on her face. There sprawled on the floor is her bloody father, his eyes wide open. She lifted her head as she heard a faint sound of footsteps, and there stood a man with a menacing, traumatizing smirk, eyes crinkled in bloodthirsty amusement as he momentarily looked at the body on the floor, then his eyes lingered at her.

Being the recipient of such expression, she was horrified. She wanted to run, to cry, to shout and call for help, to go to her mom and seek comfort, but she can't, her body wouldn't move, her feet was planted firmly on the ground, as she could only watch in terror as her dad's murderer walked slowly towards her.

Just before she was to pee on her pants, someone pulled her roughly from behind, breaking the trance that the man had cast upon her. She came face to face with her mother, who hugged her tightly as she whispered to the daughter's ear, "Run."

Tenten opened her mouth to protest, but her mother suddenly released her, pushing her to the back, to where she had ran from earlier. For a moment, she just stood there, looking at her mother's back, then just as her instruction, she ran as fast as she could, determined to find help, as hot tears poured from her auburn orbs.

--

A 30-year-old man walked along side a small boy, probably at the age of 4, and considering their appearance, you could say that they are unmistakably related. Both had long, dark hair, has a seemingly air of superiority, and those magnificent white orbs that seemed to glow in contrast to their dark surrounding.

The two were so much alike, well, minus the age, of course, and also their very different expressions. The older man's mouth is set in a grim line, his eyes blankly staring ahead, beholding no emotions, while the younger one had a tiny, yet true smile that reached his eyes, making them more brilliant.

They were walking slowly, taking small steps, taking their time. They just came from the hospital, wherein a friend of the adult had been confined, due to too much blood loss from his last mission. He's fine now though, it's good how fast the medic nins had attended to the seriously bleeding man.

A sound of someone running suddenly replaced the silent air, the footsteps getting heavier by the second. After a few moments, just as the two were near the intersection, a girl comes running, then stopping when she reached the end. Seeing this, they both stopped their tracks. The lass then looked around, and the moment she saw two figures at her right, she no hesitantly started running towards them.

"Help. I need help. My parents need help." She immediately said in a shaky voice, her knees suddenly becoming weak, causing her to slump to the ground. She was crying as she continued to ramble in a pleading voice. "Please, mister. Please help my mom. That scary guy's trying to kill her."

Seeing the child's appearance, he knew right away that this is an emergency. Her hair was dishevelled, still in her pajamas, running barefoot, her red, puffy eyes, and the continuous flow of her tears. And she mentioned about some sort of killing, and it was disturbing that the on going fray may cause the life of this child's mother. "Where?"

Hearing the question, the girl stood up, and started running to the direction she came from earlier, wordlessly taking the stranger who was willing to help her, to where her trouble lies. She then stopped, as they reached an ordinary, medium-sized house, staring pensively at the opened door.

"This is your house?" The white eyed man asked the apprehensive girl, who in turn just gave him a small nod. Getting the approval he waited for, he started walking to the door, his son trailing behind him. Noticing this, he stopped, "Neji, you stay here and help the girl."

The kid nods, and watched as his father activated his Byakugan and enters the house. He walks to the weeping girl, and takes her to a nearby post, willing her to sit down with him. "Don't worry. My dad's a great shinobi! He'll save your mom." He pats the poor girl at the back, trying to calm her down.

She sniffs and looks at the boy beside her, a wan smile touching her lips, "I hope so. The man already killed my dad…" Not long before she had clamed down, a fresh set of tears continually poured again from her swollen russet orbs.

Feeling for her, the small Hyuga stops patting her and pulls her into a hug, he had given up in cheering her up, knowing full well that what she now need is a shoulder to lean on.

They stayed that way, both inwardly praying for a good news, but because of her non-stop crying, the girl didn't last long, and as much as she wanted to watch how everything would turn out, she wasn't able to. She fought hard to keep awake, but she wasn't able to, soon, her eyes gave away.

Feeling the passivity of the other's body, the boy gently laid the girl's head on his lap, as he too fought to be awake. Just before he could, he saw someone emerge from the door, two bodies slumped on his right shoulder, his right arm securing them in place, while another one's encircled by his left arm.

He looked at the older man in question, his white eyes projecting hope, but almost as instantly, it left, as he watched his father purse his lips, close his eyes, and sadly shakes his head.

He mimics his father's expression, as both of them looked at the sleeping girl in apathy.

--

Author's Ramblings: It had been a while since I made a NejiTen. I've been on this SasuTen high (and still is), but anyway, here's something for the NejiTen fans. No romance, but I do hope you enjoyed it. Hehe.