This story has a lot of back story that I wasn't able to fit in, but you should be able to infer most of it. It's like a twisted "what-if" sequel for my story "Starlight," so if you read that one you know some of the exxtra information. So a fanfiction of a fanfiction if you will... Only by the author. But anyway, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me in either a message or a review.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its associations.
"The Two of Us"
Tenten looked up as the black sky, wishing that she could find a single star. Her current boyfriend was the one who showed her the beauty of the cosmos. She felt so much closer to him when she looked up and saw the mystical lights winking down at her, but of course the one day she was actually without him they were gone.
"Probably some sort of Halloween curse," a gravelly voice behind her whispered.
A chill washed over her as Tenten turned her head to find the person who had spoken. Tenten punched her best friend on the arm when she caught sight of her. "Don't sneak up on me like that," she hissed.
Temari frowned. "What, you thought I was going to push you off of the roof?" She began to roll her eyes, but then a thought occurred to her. "That's…not actually a bad idea." The comment earned her another punch to the arm. "What if I get a bruise?"
"You deserve it."
"Why are you out here anyway?"
"Trying to find stars."
Temari snorted. "Whatever. Just come inside and finish getting dressed. Believe it or not, Ino is almost ready."
Tenten held back a snort of her own and crawled after Temari through the window to Ino's room. Ino herself was currently wearing a purple sequined ensemble. Tenten mocked her as she came into the room. "Decided on a pop star, have we?"
Ino merely scoffed. "Yes, we have." Since everyone else had finished prepping, Tenten finished putting on her samurai get up. If only Deidara was with her, then the prospect of a Halloween party would seem so much more pleasant. But alas, his family had gone on vacation somewhere, wrenching the man from Tenten's grasp.
"Alright, let's move out," Temari said, attempting to be dramatic as she grabbed her scythe from Ino's bed and completed her "Death" costume. And so they headed out; the girls trekked to the Inuzuka household.
"What's up people?" Ino exclaimed as she walked through the door into the dark house. The music was blaring and strobe lights were flashing over the dance floor. Only strategically placed, carefully carved jack-o-lanterns lit up pathways to other areas of the house. The girls walked in and when the doors closed behind them, the entry way became darker than midnight. But then Tenten noticed something.
"You glow in the dark?" Tenten stared at Ino's skimpy costume in disbelief.
Ino rolled her eyes. "Duh." And then she skipped off to join the party with the others following behind.
Dancing, drinking, room-spinning fun; the party had it all, and everyone was having a magnificent time. Everyone but Tenten of course. Sure, she laughed, smiled, and danced with everyone else, but there was no real emotion behind her actions. Her mind, her heart was with Deidara. He would be back, but Tenten still missed him so. "Have you seen Shino?" Tenten flinched when she heard the brash voice in her ear. She looked up to see Kiba, his eyes scanning the crowd for his lost friend.
"Nope," Tenten shook her head.
Kiba scowled. "He's probably hiding because he doesn't want to challenge me to a bobbing-for-apples contest." Then he disappeared amongst the sweaty bodies. Deciding that her allotted time against the wall was up, Tenten pushed herself up and began to mingle with the people again. She was joking around with Shikamaru and Temari when a scream erupted all through the house.
"Did you hear that?" Tenten looked around, trying to find the source of the shriek.
"Yeah," Shikamaru sighed. "Somebody's having too much fun."
Tenten raised her eyebrows at his comment. "You think it's laughter?"
"Duh," Temari intervened. "Either that or some prank. After all, it is Hallowe—" But her sentence went unfinished. All lights went out, and the music was silence. Moans of disappointment wafted from the crowd, and Temari shrugged her non-visible shoulders. "Just a prank."
The mass grew quiet, as if straining to hear the giggles of the pranksters. Gradually, they became rowdier and went back to their party, darkness and all.
Tenten felt a hand upon her shoulder and quickly turned, ready to scream or attack, whichever suited her fancy. "Kiba!" she gasped, barely able to recognize the boy's face in the darkness. Trying to play off her moment of fright, she quickly added, "Did you find Shino?"
As soon as she uttered the question, Tenten felt that something was very wrong. Kiba responded with a cough, and blood flowed freely from his mouth. Tenten's throat suddenly went dry as she tried to scream and as a result, she was unable to make a sound. Kiba's body toppled over and fell into her. Tenten backed away quickly and watched as his body slumped to the ground. Horrified, Tenten moved farther away, straight into Temari. "What the hell is your problem?" the blond asked impatiently.
Tenten could only stutter as a chill ran down her spine "K-Kiba….."
"What about him?" Temari moved closer, trying to see through the blanket of black. Her foot hit something, so she stooped down to see it and came face-to-face with Kiba's lifeless, blood-spattered expression. "Oh my G—" Temari jumped up. "What did you do?"
"Me?" Tenten had never felt more disgusted in her life. "I didn't do anything!"
"You had to! He was fine a minute ago!"
"Are you really going to blame me for this?" Tenten was incredulous. The person she thought was her best friend was blaming her for murder. The accusation sent her emotions flying out of control. Adrenaline shot through her body, heightening her senses, and her body was shaking with rage. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" Tenten shrieked when she felt an icy hand grab her shoulder.
"Gatcha," she heard Kiba whisper into her ear.
The group around her began to laugh, and Tenten responded by slapping the definitely-not-dead boy behind her. "That's not funny…." She mumbled.
Temari shrugged. "Well, you were walking around here like you were dead, so I thought I'd show you something dead. And thanks to the master actor Kiba here, and his unusual supply of fake blood, I think we managed to scare some life into you."
"I wasn't walking around here like I was dead…."
"Then why don't you have some real fun. It is a party you know."
Tenten sighed, realizing that her best friend was right. Moping over Deidara was absolutely pointless, especially because he would definitely be back in the next couple of days. Tenten nodded although no one could see her, and came to the conclusion that she deserved to have fun. Since the power was out, the music could not be played. But that did not stop anyone from dancing to their own beat. The drinking and room-spinning fun continued as well; the darkness was a hindrance to nothing and it only made things more exciting.
Things were going well for Tenten when the room suddenly went silent around her. Only a single voice broke the still quiet.
"Sasuke! Are you okay?"
"Oh come on Kiba, it's your house. Go turn on the lights so that we can see what's going on."
"Hey, I wasn't the one who turned them off. So it's not my problem."
"I'll try to do it then." The voice that had spoken belonged to Choji. The shuffling of his feet could be heard as he stumbled around to find the closet that held the circuit breakers. The creaking of the door could be heard all through the silent house. "Crap," Choji grunted. "I can't see a thing. Hey, Ino, can I borrow your costume?" He shouted behind him, hoping that she would hear him. She did find him, and she stood in the doorway, slightly illuminating the closet. And then she screamed at what she saw.
Choji's shaky voice could hardly be heard. "Oh God, Hina—" the rest was lost through the sound of vomiting. Anyone nearby knew that it was a truly gruesome sight to see. Hinata's body sat slumped on the floor, her chest cavity ripped open wide for all to see. The organs that used to take up residence there were smothered all of the walls and filled the breaker box; the blood that covered them had flowed down into the circuits and the crimson liquid had caused them to fry.
"I'm out of here," Ino squeaked. She headed for the door, and many followed suit.
"The door is locked," someone called.
Ino pushed herself to the front of the crowd. "Then unlock it," she hissed. Ino reached out to the lock and tried to turn it. The lock did not budge. Ino tried again, and again. The lock would not turn. The people near Ino could see what was occurring and began to panic. The people next to them in turn began to panic. As a result, a wave of dread washed over everyone and they quickly scattered, each and every one of them looking for a way out. Before long, chaos settled among them as friends disappeared only to be found with their life gone. Naruto was found with chopsticks down his throat. Temari sobbed over Shikamaru's lifeless body but she herself was later found dismembered and kicked into a pile.
Soon Tenten was the only one left. She managed to stumble into the basement, sobbing as she headed for the back door. She put her hand on the door knob, but as she did so it turned from the other side. The door flew open and Tenten was frozen to the spot. It was not until the blond hair caught her eye that she was able to think again. "Deidara!"
"Tenten? What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you that. Bu—never mind. Go back out, we need to leave."
"What are you talking about?"
"Bad stuff is happening, just go!"
Deidara seemed to be genuinely confused. "What do you mean?"
Tenten was getting frantic. She kept looking behind her, and she was shifting her weight from one foot and back to the other. "Later, just come on, we need to leave. Now."
"Why?"
"Deidara," she pleaded. Tears were beginning to stream down her cheeks, and her body was shaking violently. "Stop playing games. We have to leave!" She tried to push past him, but he stood firmly in her way.
"What about everyone else?"
Tenten was ready to scream. "I don't…care about everyone else," she told him through gritted teeth. "It's you and me, just the two of us. Now let's go."
Suddenly, Deidara pulled her into his embrace. He whispered into her ear, "I wish it was that way, but it's not."
"I don't understand." Tenten tried to push him away. "We have to g—"
He cut her off. "I really did love you Tenten."
"Wha—" And then Tenten felt it. The blade entered through her back and pierced her heart. The pain shot through her like a flash of lightning and left her just as quickly. Then her body could not hold her weight any longer, and she began to slide to the ground "D-Deidara..." His pained face was the last thing she saw as her vision faded to black.
The memorial service for the slaughtered teens was a tragic one. So many young lives had gone to waste; each person had had so much potential top succeed in their respective lives. If only it could have all been avoided. Each and every one of the new newly dug graves was covered with bouquets, pictures and old trinkets. But one particular grave, the one belonging to the girl who had almost escaped, had a corner dedicated to the showcasing of a single card. When opened, it played a sad and tragic melody, befitting of her death. Inside there was just one simple sentence scrawled at the bottom: 'I really wish it could have been just the two of us.'