Tenten flew swiftly through the tree branches as she trailed the stoic jounin that led them. She panted slightly as she leapt from one branch to the next, the wind blowing her hair back from her face. It had been a long mission and she was anxious to get home. The journey to the Land of the Sea had not been a hard one, but it had lasted weeks. Being sent as representatives, the two ninja had received good treatment from the lords of the land. Nevertheless, attending countless meetings and participating in numerous debates on Lady Tsunade's behalf had made Tenten exhausted. As she leapt from a thick branch she smelled salt on the wind. We're almost off the island...she thought to herself and the trees parted ahead of her.
The pair of ninja stopped on the sandy beach and gazed out at the azure ocean that glittered softly in the light of the afternoon sun. It was a clear day; no wisps of white could be seen tainting the sky above them. The golden orb above them beamed down to catch them with its burning rays, but it was countered by the slight breeze that allowed relief for those outside. On the horizon, the team could see the mainland. Tenten sighed quietly then turned to look at Neji who stood beside her.
"We'll stop and rest here for awhile," he told her before moving to the edge of the woods that was stretched out behind them and sitting in the shade of a sheltering birch tree. Tenten merely nodded, and then followed Neji to the tree. With the sun so high in the sky, Tenten was glad she had opted to wear her summer uniform this day.
She set her pack on the ground next to Neji's before going to lie on the soft white sand of the beach. Closing her eyes she took in the atmosphere. The breeze was fading away to nothing, the sun's rays now beating down hard on her face and bare limbs. She could hear the soft lapping of the water as it rose forward from the ocean before gently falling back again. She felt herself drifting and within seconds, Tenten slipped into a dreamless slumber.
Tenten felt someone nudging her shoulder; very gently, very softly. Her eyes fluttered open and she yawned in spite of herself, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She sat up and looked to her left and saw Neji leaning down beside her.
"It's time we got moving Tenten. I want to reach the mainland before it gets dark." He stood up straight and gestured to Tenten's pack that was sitting on the sand beside her. Still groggy and not quite awake, Tenten awkwardly stood up and walked to where her pack sat before strapping it onto her back securely. She felt dizzy and disoriented but she followed Neji to the water's edge where she sent chakra to her feet and the two proceeded to run across the waves towards the mainland ahead. Tenten remained dazed and she grew worried that the feeling had not passed. Must have stayed out in the sun too long...she thought. Even though she was still slightly faint from her sleep, she noticed the change in the weather from when she had last seen it. As she had slept, the sky had clouded over and the colors of the nature around them were dulled with a greyish tint. The wind had picked up again and this time is blew their hair about their faces, their clothes flapping around them. Tenten grew worried. She knew she was vulnerable in the state she was in and with the weather becoming unpredictable...
They continued on, the waves underneath their feet growing steadily larger and more violent. Tenten saw Neji glance up at the sky above them several times, his brow furrowed in concern. Then, as the mainland lay stretched out before them, the waves starting rising in ten feet walls around them. Neji continued on, his reflexes allowing him to dodge and jump around the waves as they came at him. Tenten struggled to keep her wits about her. Still in her dazed state she found escaping the waves difficult. After five minutes of dodging waves, panting and sweating, Tenten lost her footing. It took only a second. Tenten felt herself falling into the dark churning waters beneath her, hitting them hard and fast. Instinctively she gasped. It was a mistake. Cold, icy water rushed into her lungs and she found herself clawing for the surface that seemed so far above her, but to no avail. The lack of air began taking its effect and she felt herself sinking down slowly. She could hear the water swirling around her. It had taken only seconds but to Tenten it felt like hours. Gently the deep blue waters swallowed her and soon she had faded within herself.
She felt something rough beneath her fingers...it was course and grainy. She could feel something cold and tingly dripping onto her face. Her back ached as something hard repetitively hit it. And she heard a strong and determined voice calling out to her...
"Come on Tenten..." she thought she heard. Whatever was hitting her continued. It was painful. Water started coming out of her mouth in spurts each time the thing hit her back. She tried breathing but couldn't as the water flowed out of her mouth. Finally, she choked and sputtered and the thing stopped hitting her back. Something touched her shoulder, rolling her farther onto her side as she coughed up the sea water. She gasped and shuddered. Her throat felt raw and sore, her back aching from the thing hitting it and her lungs sore from the sea water she now remembered swallowing. She tried to realize where all the pain had come from when she felt something leave her shoulder. She turned over and saw someone kneeling beside her. She gazed up into milky eyes.
"Neji," she rasped out in a quiet whisper. She thought she saw concern in his eyes, but he blinked and it was gone. "You..."
"It's best if you don't speak," he told her plainly as he helped her sit up. She was still shaking, realizing now she was cold from the ocean water she and her clothes were drenched in. She nodded and inwardly agreed as she winced from swallowing.
"Thank you..." she whispered barely audibly as she closed her eyes and welcomed the sleep that came.
That night, she dreamed of Neji.