Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters!!
Chapter 1: No Memory
Thoughts are in Italic
Neji sat in a chair, an unconscious Tenten lay in the hospital bed beside him. The Hyuga sat with his head in his hands, worry and uneasiness on his usually stone face. His thoughts were racing.
Whats the matter with me? Why do I feel as if my heart has been ripped out. What is it that is causing me to feel so vulnerable?
He raised his head and looked at the injured figure on the bed. She looked so peaceful, almost like she was only sleeping. Her body twitched in pain and Neji felt his heat race. He sat in confusion, unsure as to why he was behaving this way.
It's not like its the first time I've ever seen Tenten in a hospital bed. In fact Neji had sent her there on more that one occasion when a sparring match got out of hand. So why was this time so different?
The door swung open and Lady Tsunade entered the room. She bent over Tenten then motioned for Neji to step in to the hall with her. Silently he obeyed without argument.
"Neji, what the hell happened out there? This was supposed to be a simple "B" ranked mission!"
Neji was silent for a moment. Then he answered in a quiet voice, " We were ambushed. By the time we sensed them it was too late."
Ever since the Sound ninjas attack on the village, even normally peaceful areas had become hostile.
Tsunade stood there in disbelief, "Neji, with your byakugan, they never should have surprised you."
Neji just looked at the floor, " I know." The truth was he hadn't activated it. It was a simple mission, and they didn't expect to encounter trouble. He had chose to reserve his chakra, and now because of his laps in judgment one of his teammates was hurt.
Sensing his guilt, and not wanting to further injure his pride, Tsunade pushed on. "So, tell me what happened."
Neji sighed, "we were almost to the village when we were attacked, I can't say for sure how many there were, but by the time the fight was over, Tenten was unconscious. She had hit her head on a rock and was loosing a lot of blood." Then he went silent as the days events replayed in his head.
Tsunade placed a hand on her hip and shook her head before replying. " She lost a lot of blood, and head injuries can be tricky, but you got her here in time. So the good news is she should regain consciousness and go home in a couple of days... However..." Tsunade took a long pause before continuing. Neji looked up from the floor and met her gaze His blank eyes pleading with her to continue.
She let out a sigh, " there is a good chance that she won't have any of her memories."
Neji's mouth opened in shock, but nothing came out. His thoughts racing trying to process what he had just heard. Unfortunately, just like Tenten, his mind was blank.