Don't judge. Just read.
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The buildings were always cold on this side of town. They were looming skyscrapers, needles that looked crooked the longer you stared at them. Yamaguchi TenTen was doing just this as she strolled down the mostly deserted street.(1) Her neck hurt as she craned it upwards, brown eyes beholding the slick slate buildings with a distant reverence.
It was unfortunate that such time was spent into building structures that weren't even used anymore. TenTen momentarily pitied her ancestors. Their care and toil in the end hadn't been enough to salvage the future of their country.
TenTen turned her eyes back to the street.
It was dodgy at night, but she liked to take this road because it was by the bay. The broken streetlights cast spotty iridescent orange on the water below.
TenTen did not walk close to the edge—the rotting sewage in the bay had long ago become putrid.
TenTen sighed. She dreamed sometimes of the bay that used to be—the clean one that existed in her childhood, before it became a dumping ground. She rolled her eyes at no one in particular.
TenTen hurried down the remainder of the road, skirting sketchy passers-by with a sharp glare.
When she passed the marker for the inner-city, TenTen allowed herself to relax some. The inner-city was highly controlled by no-nonsense armed guards. People knew better than to act like anything other than normal in front of the trigger-happy guards.
TenTen passed the guards with a short nod and picked up her pace, knowing that he had probably already beaten her.
Knowing this was probably the case, TenTen grimaced. He would give her hell about it in his demure way as soon as she arrived. TenTen was not one to prolong chastening—the sooner she got there, the sooner he could reprimand her, and then they could move on to their assignment.
Her destination was a brightly lit and incredibly seedy nightclub. As TenTen neared it, she could see numerous people streaming through the doors.
TenTen edged into the dimly lit, pulsating room.
Nightclubs like these were always a farce—you could look all you wanted, but it was against the law to touch.
TenTen found her partner sitting at the bar, grasping a glass of gin. The glass was still full.
She sat next to him and wrested the glass from his hand, downing it in one swallow.
"You're late," he said.
TenTen glanced at the bar clock, barely batting an eyelash.
"By ten seconds, maybe. I'm here, that's what matters."
Her partner considered this silently as he retrieved the glass, examining it judiciously.
"Are you late because you took the road from the outer-city?"
His question sounded nonchalant, but TenTen knew better. He was angry with her.
"I like to take the road. Think of it as a patrol route," TenTen casually waved away.
His eyes flitted to her face slowly. His eyes never seemed to alter the effect they had on her. TenTen felt a shiver descend her spine.
"That road is dangerous. One of these days you're going to be the one in a body bag," he said in his low voice.
TenTen shrugged, even though she knew his assessment was right. Bodies were found everyday in the outer-city, and the corpses continued to be found in worse condition.
TenTen ordered another gin, wanting the jolt to bounce her thoughts back to the matter at hand.
"What does Tsunade want from us tonight?"
"Apparently some of the rebel factions like to blow off some steam in this club," her partner replied in a soft voice, barely audible over the pumping music.
"Fantastic," TenTen responded with flat enthusiasm.
She turned to face the assembled crowd.
It was always odd to be in such a place with civilians.
A pair of girls—probably no older than twelve—walked past, scarcely dressed in thigh-high lace stockings and thin shirts.
TenTen shook her head and commented, "It's ridiculous the young ones dress like that. They know the rules."
"They know better," added her partner, still facing the bar, "but they haven't been fined enough yet to care. It'll change when they get older."
TenTen raised her eyebrows as a lad around twenty leered at the girls who had just passed.
"They're just asking for it," TenTen muttered under her breath.
"Forget about them," said her partner, swinging around on his seat face the club. "They aren't our concern tonight."
TenTen knew he was right, and focused as a group of men and women strolled into the club.
-xxx-
They didn't get lucky in the club until around one in the morning, when out of the shadows appeared a crew of known rebels.
TenTen recognized their faces from the mug-shots that were plastered all over the police station and throughout the city.
"Should we—?" she posed.
"Yes," murmured back her partner.
They split apart at the bar, and crept close to the walls so as to catch the rebels by surprise.
This plan worked up until the point when one of the rebels turned and saw their advancing. From his lips emitted an urgent whistle, and then the rebels scattered without a word.
Damn, TenTen thought, setting her eyes on one rebel as she made her way for the nightclub's backdoor.
"Stop!" TenTen commanded, her boots slapping heavily as she burst out the backdoor and into the club's alley.
The rebel girl refused orders and pounded up some crates to reach the neighboring building's stairwell.
TenTen debated for a moment, wondering if she should follow or wait for backup. Almost instantly, TenTen decided to keep tailing the rebel. The opportunity was too good to pass up.
TenTen swung herself lithely onto the stairwell, keeping her eyes on the girl.
The rebel balled up her fist and smashed out a window, hardly waiting for the glass to fall before she bounded into the hole she'd created.
TenTen followed, her hand secure on her cudgel.
The rebel girl was easy to follow. She did not try to conceal her footsteps, and her long, platinum blonde hair shone like a beacon in the dark building.
The blonde trampled down some rotting stairs, and TenTen cut time on the chase by vaulting over the banister and landing in the girl's path.
The rebel shrieked and turned to run back up the stairs, but TenTen rapped her hard on the back with her cudgel. The girl faltered and fell to her knees, allowing TenTen to get a firm grip on her wrist.
The girl was crying and gasping, "Please—please! Don't kill me!"
TenTen's forehead creased, puzzled by this exclamation.
"Why would I kill you?" she inquired of the girl.
The blonde just shook her head in terror and continued to cry.
TenTen thoughtfully shackled the girl's feet together, turning her over to where TenTen could study her face.
She was probably only a year or two younger than TenTen herself, but the tears made her appear like a child.
TenTen assessed the girl now that she had her in custody. Her clothes were threadbare, and covered a thin frame. Her blue eyes were slightly sunken in.
TenTen's eyes halted on a slight bulge around the girl's stomach.
She cocked her head, wondering if perhaps this slip of a girl was hiding a bomb.
TenTen's brown irises flashed to the girl's, but instead of defiance, the blonde returned the gaze in fear.
Curious, TenTen carefully lifted the blonde's shirt.
It was then she understood the girl's plea.
-xxx-
It took Neji Hyuga, TenTen's partner, a good half hour to find her and her captured rebel.
"Did you get anything?" he asked without preliminary.
"Neji," TenTen said after a moment.
Her serious tone made Neji look at her face.
"What?" he queried.
Wordlessly, TenTen lifted the rebel's shirt just enough to expose what she had found.
Before her, Neji seemed to visibly pale.
The captured blonde rebel was in her first stage of pregnancy.
In the NUJ, pregnancy was worthy of death.(2)
(1) Yamaguchi is a Japanese surname that means "mountain entrance/gateway".
(2) NUJ is an acronym for Newly United Japan.
I know it's a strange concept, but there will be more information next chapter.
Please review if you read.