Title: Come Back Alive
Summary: A dangerous mission has torn 5 Konoha shinobi from the ones they love. Will they survive through the life-threatening long time enemy's territory, escape his men, and return safely home? Will the kunoichi be alright, or will they break their promises?
Rating: T+
Pairings: NejiTen, ShikaTema, NaruHina, SasuSaku, KibaIno
Come Back Alive
The five shinobi from Konohagakure assembled at the main gate, checking their inventory and going through the mission details again.
"Alright, so does everyone understand? We get in, we get out; and be as careful as possible? Got it?"
"Yahoo!"
"Ruff, ruff!"
"Let's go."
"Oh yeah! Another mission!"
"Hn."
Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru, Sasuke, and Neji had an S-Class mission to go on. Its objective: Go on guard into rumored Orochimaru-territory and take out any and all of his subordinates, and, if sighted, Orochimaru himself. It would be one of the most dangerous missions ever taken on by these Konoha shinobi, and they would be away, at the very least, for 6 months.
And they all had significant others to say goodbye to for, what may be, the final time.
None of them, that is to say, the kunoichi had arrived yet, but knowing them, they'd be there any second. Tsunade had called them to her office earlier to deliver them the bad news, not wanting the men to be any more burdened then they already were. Their Hokage had even given them apologetic looks as she explained the mission to them. Because she knew how hard it would be to leave the one you loved and possibly leave them forever, the men soon realized as they stood patiently at the gate.
And, as if on cue, a head of pink hair came speeding toward them, running straight into Sasuke, sobbing. The other four followed slowly behind her, coming from a distance at different intervals.
"Sa-Sasuke... please, take me with you! I don't want you going after that madman and his followers without me; I can't take it!" Sakura was shaking and struggling to keep her arms around Sasuke's neck. The raven haired man put a hand on her back and rubbed it, kissing her hair.
"Sakura… I love you. But you can't go." She looked up at him, shocked in her tears. "I'm sorry." That just reduced her to tears again.
"It's Orochimaru! You promised me... you promised me you wouldn't go!"
"That's right, Sakura, it is Orochimaru. That's why I have to go. I know him the best... which will give us the chance we need to kill him." She looked up in sudden understanding, nodding.
"I'm... I'm going to fall apart without you, Sasuke... just like last time!"
Sasuke flinched as her words hit him. "Sakura... I'm not leaving the village this time: I'm leaving so I can assist in killing the man who led me to leave. Can you wait for me until then?"
Sakura ran into him, clutching his shoulders with her fingernails and whimpered pitifully. "But.. he hurt you so bad! He made you change! What if the Sasuke that come back isn't the one that I fell in love with?!" Sasuke pulled her head from his chest and kissed her hard and long, un-binding himself from her as he did so.
"That there, that's your reason. The Sasuke that I am, the Sasuke that I was, and the Sasuke that I may change into will always love Haruno Sakura. And my love for you will keep me from being consumed. I'll always be the Sasuke you love, Sakura. Remember that, and remember me... Then, when you awake, there will be something else to help you remember." And then he disappeared, reappearing behind her, his hand raised. Sakura knew what was coming, and closed her eyes. He leaned his mouth to her ear and whispered,
"Sakura... I love you." She tensed up and tried not to cry any more, but trails of liquid slid down her face anyway.
"I love you too, Sasuke." And he knocked her out, laying her gently on the ground and kissing her forehead. Then he walked beyond the gate, facing away from Konoha.
Ino didn't cry as hard as Sakura did, but did wipe her tears away furiously when she reached Kiba. "You idiot! I don't care if you have your damned dog with you to help you out, you're an idiot for taking a mission like this! How could you do that, you mutt?!" More tears replaced the ones that had spilled earlier and Kiba took her in his arms, petting her hair.
"It's gonna be OK, Ino… We're not gonna die that easily. Isn't that right, boy?" Akamaru barked in response and nuzzled Ino's hand. She massaged his large head and scratched his ears, finding small comfort in it.
"Orochimaru is--"
"-Gonna be dead when we get through with him. I know. You don't have to remind me how monstrously strong and sexy I am, Ino-chan," Kiba joked, which made Ino laugh. He wiped her tears and smiled. "See, not so hard. Cheer up, Ino-chan."
"I'm going to miss you, Kiba-kun." He hugged her tighter.
"I know Ino-chan. I know." He lifted her chin and kissed her lips long and sweet in a farewell fashion, and then whispered in her ear, "After I leave, go to your house and look in your room. There's something special in there, just for you." She nodded quickly and kissed him again, pulling him as tight to her as she could before he had to go. He peeled out of her grasp and went beyond the gate with Sasuke, who looked torn but determined, facing away from Konoha and his unconcious Sakura.
Temari swiftly slapped Shikamaru as soon as he was in reach. "You lazy-ass cry baby, how could you do something as retarded as this?! You can die on this mission! Do you know what the hell that would do to me? Do you?"
The laid back man recovered from the slap, rubbing his cheek thoughtfully before looking up at the Sand kunoichi. "Yeah, I do. Which is why I'm gonna think up every plan I can to get myself and everyone else back home alive. Then you can yell at me all you want, troublesome woman." Temari seemed to take that to heart, and yelled up a stream of curses and insults at him, her throat getting more constricted with every syllable, until finally she let some tears escape.
"You're a cry baby and a little wimp, Shikamaru… How can I just let you go out there and get yourself killed? How can I let you go without me?!" Shikamaru wiped her tears and held her cheek.
"I just said it, Temari, I'm not gonna die. I'm gonna think up every strategy I can, every plan that I can, and work at it so I can get home back to you with the guys flanking me. I'm not going to die, and I'm not going to let them die. And you can't go because I don't want you too. Can you get that, Temari?"
She hit him again, pushed a small decorative fan into his pocket and hugged him, hiding her face in his shoulder. "Stop acting like you don't matter to me! Because you do Shika, you do!" Shikamaru wrapped his arms around her waist and held her there.
"I know, Tema…" He looked into his pocket and saw that the fan had the words "ShikaxTema since Summer 2005" A faded head shot of Temari and Shikamaru kissing was visible upon spreading the fan to its full length. The kanji for "I love you" was above them in light lavender. He smiled at it.
"Love you too, Temari." He kissed her once, Temari not seeming to want to let him go, and then backed away with the other 2 men beyond the gate.
When Naruto laid eyes on Hinata's shaking form, he rushed up and pulled her into his chest, rubbing her back in comfort. "Oi, oi Hina-chan. Don't cry over me. I'll be fine." He gave her a foxy grin.
She lifted her head a little from his chest so he could see her eyes. The pupil-less pearl-colored orbs were red-rimmed and puffed around the edges, the moisture streaming out of the ends like rivers. "Oh, Naruto-kun!" She believed him with every fiber of her being, but her mind couldn't help but wander into those deep, depressing waters. A life without Naruto… Hearing about his death from the ANBU Black Ops and going to his funeral… Hearing he fought bravely, but ultimately died trying to escape…
The young woman let out a small cry and tightened her arms around her lover, trying to hold him here. "Please don't leave, Naruto-kun, please don't leave!" Naruto just closed his eyes and gripped her in the same fashion, tucking the side of his chin to her forehead.
"I'll be alright, Hina-chan. 'Sides, I'll have all the guys with me! Right Shikamaru, Kiba, Sasuke, Neji?"
Akamaru barked angrily. "Oh, and Akamaru of course!" Then he looked back down to her again, his expression getting sober. "Hinata-chan…" He kissed her lips and drew her even closer, making Hinata gasp and turn bright red. Then she too closed her eyes and kissed him back. When they finally broke apart for air, Hinata collapsed on Naruto's chest and gasped, clutching her chest and his.
"I l-love you, Naruto-kun."
"I love you too, Hinata-chan." He let go and pressed something in her hand, grinning. "So you don't forget me, 'k?" She opened her hand to expose a bracelet with 6 charms on it: a toad, a Kyuubi, a Konoha symbol, a bowl of ramen, a Hokage hat, and…
"The kanji for Hinata is on there cuz you're a part of me, Hinata-chan! You're everything I love and everything I fight for, and not to mention you're kawaii! Everything that makes me up is on that bracelet, and I want you to have it so you don't forget me, 'k?"
Hinata's face scrunched up in tears again as she wrapped her arms around her Naruto-kun again, Naruto himself rubbing her back and kissing her hair softly. "I gotta go now, Hinata-chan…" He stepped back out of her grip with some difficulty and went to stand beyond the gate with the other 3 boys. Only Neji's goodbye was left now.
Neji looked around for his love, and there she was, a little off to the side, leaning on the frame of the gate and watching the scenes, her eyes showing signs of watering.
"TenTen."
She looked up at his voice and sucked in a breath, preparing to say something. Neji waited, but wasn't expecting this:
"You baka, Neji. I don't care how strong you've gotten, how much your skills have improved, how much of a genius you are… you're not going to escape unscathed, and Neji, that scares me." He had never heard her admit she was scared, but said nothing, so she continued. "Last time you went up against his forces you nearly died. That madman punched holes in you! How are you going to come back to me this time, if you even come back at all?! Do you know what it's like, sitting in that damn apartment all by myself, just sitting there and waiting?" Her voice was thick; she was suppressing tears. Everyone turned around in surprise: They had never heard TenTen sound like that, especially not with Neji. She looked so fragile, something that was unlike her.
"I'm always hoping, praying, on my damn knees that you'll come back alive. Not unscathed, not without handicaps, but alive! You have no idea how heartbreaking it is, to hear about ninjas the same rank as you dying on missions like this… and having the nightmares afterward. You're a baka, Neji." Her words struck a painful chord in the other couples. They stole a longing glance before the men regained their resolve and looked away.
She held her hands in front of her chest and clasped them in a very un-TenTenish way, like she was trying to hold herself together. Neji took her hands and held them in his own, looking into her eyes, which held tears that threatened to spill over her eyelids. She made her irises avoid his, instead looking down at her feet.
"Baka I may be, but this baka doesn't go down without a fight. And when I go down, I come right back up." He gave her a serious look. "I'm not dying on this mission, TenTen." She looked up and chocolate brown met light lavender pearl, a stubborn look on her face.
"I'm going."
"You're not."
"I could help-"
"You'd only distract me from my duties and you know it. Don't take on a suicide mission, TenTen!" The words came out before he could stop them, and TenTen took a step back, running into the gate frame.
"N-Neji…" She looked down at her hands and then at his face, which was filled with regret now. The tears were finally coming down. "You just said… suicide mission…" She shook her head firmly as if to deny it, her buns slowly coming loose. "No."
"TenTen, I--"
"If that was the case then why the hell did you take it?! I know you! You're going to go out there, knowing that they know your weakness, your blind spot, and try to take them down! You're going to go out there and you're going to die!" She grasped his shoulders and shook them, trying to keep a hold of herself as her tears fell onto the ground. "And I can't come with you…" She pulled him down to her and wrapped her arms around his neck, wiping her tears into his hair. "I can't come with you!"
Neji rubbed her back and pulled her into him, allowing her to let everything out into his shirt. It was short lived, however; she stopped her shaking and promptly kissed him as hard as she could, yanking his head to hers and trying to drag him toward the village as she did so. Neji kissed back, making it deeper and probing his tongue into her mouth, rooting her and himself to the spot, continuing to make what could possibly be his final goodbye memorable. She kissed him back with just as much vigor, her fingers wrapping themselves in his velvet locks just as his were twisting through the soft strands of hers, pulling the buns all the way out.
No one had ever seen them be so intimate in public before: perhaps a hand brush, an intense look, a quickened breath, but that was it. None of the passion they saw was normal, was customary for what they pegged Neji and TenTen to be. The other girls looked on at the two with watery eyes, knowing just how hard it was to their men go; TenTen wasn't letting hers go without a fight.
The two kissing ninjas broke apart once, and then went back again. Neji was breaking the kiss more and more frequently to try and leave.
"Neji, don't leave--" He kissed her again to shut her up. "Please don't--" Another kiss.
"TenTen, please stop--"
"I'm not going t--"
"I have to lea--" At their next kiss, some new tears escaped from the bun-head's eyes.
"You can't--"
"I must--" He sounded like he was pleading, just as she was.
Finally they stopped their kissing-and-hissing and just touched each other's foreheads together, breathing hard. Neji quickly wiped the brunette's new tears away with his thumbs and kissed her eyelids sweetly and solemnly, in a farewell sort of way. "TenTen… I need to go. They need me, my eyes, my head. They need Hyuuga Neji." He bent down lower to brush his cheek to hers and get his mouth to her ear. "Fate will bring me back to you, just as it brought me to you, my angel," he whispered quickly, feeling his love's cheeks heat up considerably, "Do not forget: you are the one who truly set me free. And when I return, we'll fly together, just you and I, through the broken, twisted sky. Can you wait for me, TenTen?"
She nodded quickly, reaching for the scroll strapped to her hips and bit her thumb, sliding the bleeding digit across the characters on the paper. From the smoke, an ornate set of kunai and a pair of pendants appeared. She handed the kunai to Neji, and he accepted them with an odd sort of reverence that was unlike him.
"These kunai…"
"Are my best and the only ten that never missed, no matter what I hit. They all have the angel wings engraved in the pommel, with the number 10 in between them. You'd better use these to protect yourself and bring you and the kunai back. And the pendant… it's yours to remember me by." TenTen handed the necklace to Neji, who clasped it at his neck. The charm was a simple silver and black heart pendant, which TenTen explained opened up to reveal a picture inside.
"Can I open it now?"
"You can open it when… when you can't see me anymore." Neji nodded; everyone assumed that they were speaking of the Byakugan. She took a step up to him and her somewhat calloused hand closing his hands around it as well. "You keep this close to your heart, and I'll keep my own close to mine." She gestured to the thin silver chain in her hand. "I may not be much of a girly-girl, but…" She laughed exasperatedly at this, but continued, "But this is all I've got to give you, because I've given you everything else." She took his pendant in her hand and hooked it around his neck, letting his hair fall over it. He did the same to her, and left his hands on her shoulders, looking down at his own feet before looking up.
"You have given me everything… everything I've ever needed and wanted in my lifetime and more. Now it's my turn."
"So you're assuming that you haven't fulfilled my life's wishes and dreams, Neji?" She shook her head, giggling at the irony. "You are a baka. Neji, I was just a Chinese-Japanese orphan without a last name to go by and an unhealthy addiction to weaponry before I met you. Before you, I was lonely, I had no goals, and I hadn't really tried in anything in my life. But then you came, and I wasn't lonely anymore, I had many goals to complete, and I tried. I tried for you, and I succeeded. And I already know your story, so don't go reminding me. It'll make you leaving that much harder." Her voice broke again, and the weak and fragile TenTen came up through the cracks. She bowed her head and held him close, then pushed him away.
"Go, Neji." The lump in her throat was audible. "Just go before I find a reason to make you stay."
"Kimi o aishiteru, TenTen."
"Kimi o aishiteru, Neji."
Neji stayed silent, but nodded, looking longingly at her shivering form before promptly walking off toward the others and dissolving into a barely noticeable black shadow, speeding away from the village, and away from the ones they loved.
Temari stopped watching them go and put an arm around TenTen's shoulder, walking her away from the other three girls. "You want to bunk with me tonight," she asked, "bunk with me" meaning "sleep over" in Temari language. TenTen nodded, her hair getting into her face, She brushed it away and sighed.
"I'll need to get some things first..." Temari turned to the other two kunoichi.
"You guys want to come too?"
Ino nodded, kneeling beside Sakura, lifting the pinkette's arm over her shoulder. "After I get her home and see what Ki- he left for me."
Hinata just nodded, holding her small hands together in front of her as she tried to stop crying.
Temari unhooked her arm from TenTen's shoulders and slowly walked toward her apartment, the one she bought when she decided she wasn't going back to Suna unless Shikamaru were there. 'Yeah.. we're all going to need a girl's night... to have someone to hold onto when they aren't there...'
She looked up at the clouds, and then cursed herself for doing so. The clouds reminded her of...
"Shikamaru..." She continued to her apartment, a large lump rising in her throat.
Well, that was the first chapter! Hope you enjoyed it! I, for one, thought that this was a good change from the OCs I tried to work with in three of my other stories, which I'm editing as I type this. So expect new updates on those too, when I get to them. Time is kinda tight, what with school, track, and dealing with a long-distance relationship... not that I mind the relationship at all 3
-Youkai Koneko, extremely tired girl that still has track practice to go to -_-
PLEASE REVIEW! :D It makes me smile and helps me update!