"I say you kill your heroes and
Fly, fly, baby don't cry.
No need to worry cause
Everybody will die."
We run for our lives. I think back to training in the Academy where, apart from Rock Lee's unbelievable record, I was the fastest sprinter. However, it's hard to keep the same pace I managed at only thirty seconds for ten minutes. Things get complicated.
Apart from my lungs on the verge of collapsing, Hyuuga runs along with me, growing more hostile with every step, his long, black hair flowing behind him. I don't know which is worse: evading a deadly explosion or dealing with my easily vexed teammate.
"This is your fault," he grunts at me.
Before I respond, I happily take in the glorious moment- Neji almost too out of breath to speak.
"Don't you ever get tired of blaming me?" I manage to ask, ignoring the fact that I'm more winded than he is.
We run on the darkened streets of Konoha. The pavement glistens from the previous rainfall, and the sound of our feet slamming into the ground echoes. Rising above that sound, however, is the screeching of wheels.
The gun and pouch at my waist didn't seem heavy initially, but the weight pulls me down now.
"Well, it is your fault," he continues with extreme effort. "If you hadn't driven the car into the river-"
"I had no choice!" I cut him off as we round a corner down an even darker alley. The car on our heels roars louder with each second that passes.
"There's always a choice," Neji argues, panting considerably. "And you always pick the wrong one!"
Suddenly, the path in front of us clears as a beam of light shines past us. Our shadows dance along the brick walls lining the narrow road. The car barrels down the street in a terrifying, deafening manner.
"How can it fit?" I demand, turning my head around to briefly witness the side mirrors snap off as the car hurtles toward us.
"Don't look back, idiot," Neji hisses.
We've been partners for six months now, and Neji still hasn't found a better nickname for me other than idiot. It's alright, though. I settle with a better one for him. Bastard. He doesn't necessarily respect me, but I don't care about that. I'm only concerned with carrying out these missions exactly as Lady Tsunade wants. It's her respect I care about- not some self-absorbed, prodigious boy.
Just because I've only been out of the Academy for only six months doesn't mean I shouldn't receive respect.
A drawling, unamused voice comes in through my ear piece.
"What the fuck are you two idiots doing?" Shikamaru drawls on the line. "Trying to outrun a car? In approximately twelve seconds you will be overrun. You're lucky the alley is slowing it down."
"Shikamaru, you-"
"Easy, Tenten," he says. "I'm getting you guys out. Turn left at the next possible turn and climb the fence."
The car runs so close that the humming of the engine is ingrained into my eardrums.
Just as we tear left, it shoots past us, screeching to a halt at what I assume is a wall. However, it's my concern no longer.
Neji and I quickly scale the fence, feeling around in the dark for barbed wire and jumping over to land gracefully on the pavement.
My legs burn and my feet sting, but we run again until the sound of the persistent car fades away into oblivion.
"Tenten, why did you drive the car into the river?"
We sit in Tsunade's spacious office to provide the review of our -failed- mission. She doesn't seem angry, actually. Just genuinely confused as to why I drove the car into the river.
"Because she's an idiot."
"Zip it, Hyuuga," Tsunade snaps at him.
Had someone else spoken that way to Neji, I may have snickered. However, Tsunade's temper frightens me more than an irritated Hyuuga.
Tsunade's blond hair is pulled back into loose pigtails and her black blazer is disheveled, as if she got into a scuffle with one of the agents (which is not unlikely). She sits forward at her desk, her hands clasped together.
"We were completely out of options," I explain. "We were cornered. If I had gone any other direction, there would surely be civilian casualties, not to mention a lengthy car chase."
Tsunade's eyebrow twitches.
"I understand your reasoning, Tenten," she responds. "However, I did like that car."
Neji and I say nothing. I quickly glance in his direction, and he's sitting completely straight in his chair, still wearing all black, pale eyes facing forward. Although, I did get a suspicious feeling he felt my gaze.
"I understand that you two are tired. It's almost midnight. We can finish this session tomorrow. You are dismissed."
We stiffly get up from our chairs. I realize that I'm going to feel fucking miserable tomorrow morning when I wake.
Once we exit Tsunade's office, the arguing continues.
"It was still a stupid decision," Neji goes on.
We strut side-by-side down the long, steel corridor that leads away from Tsunade's office and into the analyst headquarters.
"You didn't offer a better option, Hyuuga," I remark. "Besides, I didn't see you do anything to prevent that situation anyway."
Neji's arms are stubbornly crossed.
"Maybe if you hadn't been lusting after our target, we may have succeeded."
"Excuse me," I hotly replied. "There is a difference between lusting and noticing someone attractive."
"You're gross."
I smirked, enjoying Neji's discomfort.
"Just because Deidara is attractive doesn't mean you can be jealous," I taunt, knowing this will irk him the most.
"Tenten, you're the most-"
"You two are stupid," Shikamaru informs us, removing his headset.
We look in his direction as we enter the analyst headquarters, a vast room filled with powerful computers and large monitors.
He stares up at us from his perched position in the chair at his desk.
"Yeah, well, thanks for bailing us out," I tell him, too exhausted to argue at this point.
It's embarrassing to come back to the KIA headquarters after a failed mission. The expression on Tsunade's face is disheartening, and the large board of missions always displays the outcomes of failures and successes. Everyone knows.
Shikamaru yawns.
"It's troublesome to stay at work this late. You two always keep me up," he complains. "Such a drag."
I hardly notice that Neji leaves.
"And a word of advice," Shikamaru adds before I turn to leave. "You two always arguing during missions won't make you anymore successful or any less annoying to me."
I rub my eyes with the palm of my hand.
"I'll keep that in mind next time he insults me."
I then leave to meet Sakura for my post-mission check up. She resides in the medic wing of the building, which is completely white, apart from the red words on the walls and signs.
When I find her she's napping on a cot next to a wall. It's so peaceful that I don't wish to wake her. But the sooner I do, the sooner we both get to go home and sleep.
"Sakura," I whisper, shaking her shoulder gently.
"Wha- Tenten, you're finally here!" She shoots upward and glances around to make sure no one witnessed her nap.
"Yeah," I reply. "Sorry about keeping you here late."
"There's nothing we can do about that," Sakura answers. "Besides, I don't mind."
She's wearing the white, medic dress, with her pink hair tied back in a loose ponytail. I watch her slide on her transparent gloves. While she does a quick exam of my body and searches for injuries, I notice the apparent bags beneath her eyes.
"Really, Sakura," I say. "When have you last slept?"
Sakura rolls up my pants and feels around my legs.
"It's been a while since I've had really good sleep but-"
"Sasuke hasn't come back yet, has he?" I interrupt.
She's silent and shakes her head.
I knew that may have been the case. I never understood why she cared about him so much. He kind of strikes an uncomfortable resemblance with Neji, actually, which puts me off. However, there is obvious history between Sasuke and Sakura, the details unclear to me, but it is surely the reason she can't sleep until he comes back from his mission.
"He always makes it back," I inform her, even though my empty words hold little comfort for her.
"I know," she half-heartedly says. "It doesn't matter for you, Tenten. Please, go home and rest. I can tell you're immensely exhausted."
I sigh in agreement.
"No arguing there."
I roll down my black sleeves and pant legs. The outfit is becoming more suffocating the longer I stay in it. Breathability my ass.
I leave all my weapons in a locker at the KIA. I don't like bringing them home because it's like taking work with me. The gun locked away in my room is enough.
My apartment is ridiculously dark when I arrive around half past midnight. I try to drop my key on the counter but it misses, falling somewhere on the floor. Groaning, I slump away into the living room onto the couch. Without thinking, I grab the remote in the cracks of the cushions and turn the television on.
Of course, it's already breaking news. The destruction caused by the mission crosses the pixels of the screen and bore into my eyes.
Tsunade hates media coverage. Neji and I will definitely hear about this tomorrow. Neji…
I shut the television off in annoyance, standing up. Trying to keep my partner out of my mind, I start stripping my clothes as I walk to my bed.
After tripping a few times over things all over the floor, I managed to pick up my sweatshirt off the ground. I shove it over my head and walk into the bathroom.
The light is uncomfortably bright, and I'm forced to look at my hideous reflection in the mirror. My makeup is smudged, my buns are falling out of their ties, and my face is cut up and dirty.
"Why," I mumble to myself. "Do I look like fucking shit?"
After scrubbing my face and brushing my teeth I attempt to tame my hair out of the buns, but I barely manage to undo the ties; so, in the end I tie it all back into a single bun. That'll have to do.
I collapse into my unmade bed and entangle myself amongst the messy sheets. Sleep is impossible after missions. I constantly think about what I could have done differently and wonder why Neji and I can't work as a team. It baffles me. I never had issues working with anyone else.
Hell, back in the Academy I partnered up with almost everyone at one point, and it always worked. What is it that is so resilient in Neji? He may possess excellent skills, especially in close-combat, but teamwork is so essential in the life of an agent; and he cannot work in a team.
Turning over, I realize that sleeping wouldn't come easily tonight. I groaned at that thought, dreading the early morning training tomorrow.
I arrive at the KIA around 7 am, my hair still wet from my early shower. It drips on my grey tee shirt and cools my face, along with the crisp morning air. My legs are uncomfortably sore from the excessive running the day before.
When I arrive at the steel entrance, I pull out my ID and use it to unlock the door. Once inside, I punch in a number code to get through a second door. Then, I continue on through the steel hallway, nodding at the security guards.
Analysts who have just finished their night shift walk out as I enter. They look beyond tired. I don't blame them, considering their shifts are usually twelve hours.
I check our schedule loaded in a computer in the analyst headquarters. In the morning I train with Neji for three hours. Then, I must discuss our failed mission further with Tsunade. After that, we need to plan for another attempt to capture Deidara. Following that, I'm listed as back-up for any agents currently in the field.
The room we must train in is small compared to the others, and it is also the farthest from the analyst headquarters.
As I walk there, I run into Sakura on the way. She holds a mug of coffee carefully in her hands and close to her lips.
"You're here early…" I say, eyeing her suspiciously. "Don't tell me you stayed all night?"
Sakura shamefully takes a sip from her mug.
"Sakura…" I moan in annoyance. "You can't do that. Uchiha is fine."
"You don't know that, Tenten," Sakura argues, her green eyes watering. "I know you're trying to make me feel better with those empty words. But it makes me feel worse."
"Sorry," I quickly apologize. "But you can't sacrifice your health while he's gone. He wouldn't want that, and it's pointless."
Sakura sighs, accepting defeat with my argument. She looks me sadly in the eye.
"You don't understand because you're not in love," she informs me. "I wish I wasn't because everything would be easier, and I wouldn't be doing these stupid things. However, I can't just stop loving him."
My eyes soften. I feel genuinely bad for her. Love is a weakness agents can't afford. I doubt Uchiha feels the same way about her, unless he doesn't show it. Part of me wants him to reciprocate because it would make Sakura happy. Yet, if something devastating happens to him (which is not uncommon in our profession), Sakura will be destroyed forever.
"You're right," I remark. "I don't understand. I just want you to go home, take a hot shower, and sleep all day."
Sakura nods.
"What other medics will be here today?" I ask, hoping Sakura will get a break.
"Ino is coming," Sakura explains.
"Good," I say. "Let Yamanaka take over lead medic and go home."
Wordlessly, Sakura nods and follows my advice. I don't keep my eyes off her until she disappears around a corner in the opposite direction. Then, I continue walking to the indoor training ground.
Neji is already there, of course, when I arrive. He's panting heavily, surrounded by targets embedded with kunai.
The room consists of soft grey walls and black tile floor.
"You're late."
"Well, Hyuuga, I was talking to Sakura. Besides, you seem to have needed some alone time."
"Hm."
I notice that not all the targets have been hit dead center. Some of them are off by even a few inches. To most people that would seem minuscule, but to me it makes all the difference. I know that long-range fighting is his weakness, while it's my strength.
Normally, I wouldn't comment but, after last night's failed mission, just looking at his long hair tied back irritates me.
"You could improve your aim," I advise him.
He eyes me from the center of the room.
"I don't need your help."
I shrug my shoulders and walk closer to him. Wearing a grey tee shirt and black spandex shorts, I strap a pouch with weapons at my waist. Once I meet him in the center, I flicker a glance at all the targets, mentally marking their positions.
"Move," I tell him.
Without even warming up my muscles this early in the morning, I bend slightly and widen my stance. Then, I reach into the pouch at my waist and pull out the kunai, taking four in each hand. With outstanding precision, I hit every mark, even knocking out the few Neji managed to get on the bullseye.
There's no way Neji can claim I'm a show off, because that's exactly what he is.
"Don't get cocky because your aim is good," he says calmly. "Your hand to hand combat is still weak."
This is true. Neji's hand to hand combat is deadly. In fact, it would be suicide for me to go against him. I think that's why we're teamed together- a long range and short range specialty pair.
"True," I agree.
I pause and then add, in a mimicking tone, "But don't get cocky, Hyuuga, because you still can't hit a bullseye every time."
"Close combat is more important," Neji argues, turning away with folded arms.
"They're both important," I protest. "You just don't like it because I'm better than you at something."
He sighs at my claim. His long hair is tied up messily in a bun that hangs just below his neck, and he's sweating profusely at only half past seven. This suggests he has been here longer than I think, practicing his aim. Therefore, he thinks long range aim is more important than he lets on.
I keep quiet about this thought.
"Fine," I say. "After I warm up let's practice hand to hand combat."
Neji silently agrees.
I stretch for about fifteen minutes and then take the next ten minutes to jog around the edge of the room at a medium pace. I finish by sprinting the length of the room a few times until my body is satisfyingly warm.
Neji knows my routine well, and he looks in my direction when I finish the sprints. Before approaching him, I tightly tie my hair in a long ponytail.
"Prepare yourself," he says quietly.
I nod. Usually, I would joke that he should go easy on me. I'm not really in the mood for that, though.
He makes the first move because he knows I'm scared to. Even after training with him for sixth months, I'm still uncomfortable sparring with him. His close combat training is terrifying.
Predictably, his right hand comes straight for my chest. I block with my forearm, taking a step back. With my other hand, I try to reach his stomach. He clamps onto my forearm with his right hand and pulls me in, trying to land a hit on my abdomen.
In fear, I move my torso back just inches to avoid that crucial hit. Fighting with him always consists of close calls.
I finally manage to free my forearm of his tight grip.
For the next few minutes, neither of us are able to land hits on each other. My arms hurt immensely after taking so much pressure from Neji's attacks, and my legs are sore from yesterday. So, I switch momentarily to using my knee as a block.
As usual, Neji always ends up backing me into a wall, even if we start in the center of the room. His attacks are just too powerful and precise.
Just as I get close to the wall, I block his hand with both of my forearms, ducking at the same time in case my arms aren't enough for the pressure of his attack.
His fist breaks through my block and slams into the wall. I take this moment of surprise and swipe at his feet with my leg. He takes few steps back, which at least takes me away from the wall.
The moment of relief is brief.
After another few minutes, I'm backed against the wall once more with Neji's palm against my neck, his face just inches from mine. His pale, lavender eyes are framed by lose strands of black hair.
"You lose."
I narrow my eyes, pushing his palm away with my hand.
"I prefer constructive criticism," I mumble, trying to pry lose pieces of my hair that stick to my face in sweat.
"I've seen you do worse," Neji admits. "But I think you just know my attacks too well."
I can't argue with his logic- it's correct. It's hard to admit that I barely survived simply because I know the style of his attacks well. Truly, it's annoying, but I can't compare to his level of close combat training.
We train a little longer, and I don't improve because I'm already tired.
Around 10 am Tsunade walks in on us. Typically, Neji has me backed into the wall again. Even worse, I'm on the ground. Perfect timing, I think, as I close my eyes in embarrassment.
"Hey," she says. "We have a problem."
She stands by the door in her black slacks, white dress shirt, and blazer, paired with red high heels as usual.
Neji looks down at me and then turns toward her. He's about to walk away, but I clear my throat.
"Hyuuga," I grumble, holding out my hand. It's always common courtesy for the winner to help the loser up after sparring.
Reluctantly, Neji takes my hand and pulls me up with ease. He doesn't make eye contact, and his hand leaves mine quickly.
We approach Tsunade as she shakes her head.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
I don't like the look on her face- concern. When Tsunade is concerned something is seriously wrong. Suddenly, I feel nervous.
"It's Uchiha," she explains. "He hasn't come back. We need to send out a rescue mission."
The feeling in my stomach evolves into something sickening. Great. When I tell Sakura everything is going to be okay, it won't be. I can't imagine the way she'll react when she finds out that Sasuke hasn't come back.
"It's officially been twenty four hours since we've last communicated with him," Tsunade continues. "This is bad."
How are we supposed to tell Sakura, on her day off, that Sasuke is MIA?
"Will we be deployed?" Neji asks calmly.
Tsunade nods.
"I want you guys to rest up for a few hours and prepare. I'm going to assemble a rescue team, but I haven't thought out all of the details yet."
Her face contorts in irritation. She must be wondering how one of her most elite agents can go missing so easily. Although Uchiha is merely twenty two years old, he's nearly a prodigy in simple terms.
Another worrying thought comes to my mind.
"Lady Tsunade," I begin. "Who will you place as medic on the team?"
Tsunade immediately understands my implication.
"I don't know," she sighs. "Haruno definitely has more field experience than Yamanaka, but her personal feelings in the matter may complicate things. I'm still thinking about it."
I nod in agreement.
Neji bows his head.
"If I may go prepare, Lady Tsuande-"
"Of course," Tsunade responds.
Neji walks over to a rack on the wall and pulls off a white towel, wiping down his face and neck, cleaning of the sweat. He puts the towel on his shoulders and sets his loose bun over it, then walks out of the room.
"How are you two doing?" Tsunade wonders.
I sigh.
"Well," I respond. "I guess we're a little better. We manage. He's just very closed off. It's always hard to connect with him."
Tsunade folds her arms.
"I know," she agrees. "But if you two can form a good partnership you'll be a deadly pair. Keep working on it."
With that she leaves me alone. I stand in the training room, my long ponytail clinging to my shoulders and neck with sweat. I follow Neji's example and pat down my whole face and neck. Then, I grab my water bottle and drink the entire contents.
This is why my job is hard. I'm twenty one years old, and I'm constantly stressed. If it's not my life I'm worried about, it's a team member's. I can't imagine myself doing anything else, but at the same time I almost wish I was normal. When your life is on the line almost all the time you approach things differently. There's always a mentality that says "this is the last time I may…" and it's stressful as fuck.
When I leave the training room I only think about Sakura. I know I'll never forgive myself if I don't tell her the situation. However, if I do tell her she will not take no for an answer. She will go on the mission no matter what. She's stubborn but I guess she's in love.
I run into Shikamaru on my way to the locker room.
"Yo," he says to me with a yawn. "You hear the news?"
"About Uchiha? Yes."
"Troublesome," Shikamaru mumbles. "I had to get called into work because Tsunade assigned me as the lead analyst."
His arms are folded. He's wearing a wrinkled, white dress shirt with slacks. I can tell he picked them out of his laundry basket this morning.
"Yeah, Neji and I are assigned to the field team," I remark.
Shikamaru looks at me in a funny manner.
"You nervous?" He asks. "You look worried."
I look to the side at the steel walls.
"It's Sakura," I answer. "I'm worried about her. This is Sasuke, and she's at home, not knowing."
Shikamaru looks confused.
"You mean she's not going to be assigned as a field medic?"
"Probably not," I remark. "Because her personal feelings in the matter."
"Then who's going?"
"Yamanaka," I answer.
"Ino can't- it's an elite mission!"
I almost step back. I've never heard Shikamaru raise his voice before. He also looks genuinely concerned.
"She's just as capable as Sakura," I argue. "They've both had field training and have been fine out there before."
Shikamaru shakes his head.
"If Sasuke couldn't finish his mission…this is serious business."
I nod grimly at his analysis, also thinking about his secret concern for Ino. I was never aware of it before, but it now makes sense that he's always been looking out for her.
We separate, and I head to the locker room.
I change into tight black pants and a sleeveless black shirt. After the skintight clothes are situated, I secure my weapons around my hips and waist. Then, I adjust my hair in its ponytail, pulling it firmly. To finish, I apply my waterproof mascara, just in case I happen to drive another car into the river. Before leaving I grab my black gloves and slam my locker shut.
An hour later, Tsunade calls the team in. It consists of: Hyuuga Neji, Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, Yamanaka Ino, and me as field agents, and Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Hinata as analysts.
"Uchiha was assigned to follow a lead on Orochimaru's possible hideout," Tsunade begins. "The last communication we received from him informed us that he had a lead, but his tracker is missing, and he's completely off the grid. We haven't heard a word from him in over twenty four hours. Your jobs are simple: find Sasuke and bring him back."
We sit around a conference table with folders in front of us, laying out the background information that we'll need to know. I always admire Tsunade for her ability to put together missions so quickly in desperate times.
I glance over at Shikamaru, who gazes at Ino with concern. I feel bad that Ino is danger, but at the same time would Sakura be any better? I wish she at least knew this was happening, though.
Naruto is the most irritated, completely in disbelief. He doesn't think Sasuke could be captured so easily.
Neji, on the other hand, shows no emotion. His eyes are closed, and his hands are folded on top of the folder. I wonder if we'll stick close to each other during the mission. Apart from Lee, who is in the hospital for leg injuries, I'm the only one who trains with Neji. His only shot at teamwork is with me.
I sigh, returning my gaze to the report in front of me. Shikamaru was right: this is troublesome.
Author's Note: I was inspired? This won't be a super long fic, like short to medium length. I just really wanted some cliche spy au. I am trash. Here.