Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Just the plotline. :D
Author's Notes: I wish I owned. But if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Sorry for yet another choppy story. This story is very sad and slight (okay, maybe very) bloody. Hopefully it's not too bad. It's in Tenten's point of view and written for the fanfic100 (livejournal) challenge. Only 99 more Team Gai fics to go. I aimed for a very slight/very subtle NejiTen and an overall close firendship with Neji and Tenten, and Lee and Tenten.
Enjoy. :)
Reborn Together
It was the middle of April and Tenten felt as though the spring humidity of the forest was choking her. Not to mention the stench (and sight) of dead, blood-mottled bodies made the air disgustingly vile, and to put it short, the combination made her sick to the stomach. It took nearly all of her will power to hold back the urge to gag.
They had come on an urgent call. A village was rumored to be under attack by a small group of S-class nins and when she, Lee, and Neji arrived at the location instructed, they had found the deadly group but had not been able to find the village.
So Neji instructed Lee to go find the village, for his speed would be crucial in saving the people, while she and Neji stayed behind to take care of the seven nin. It was two against seven, but although it was difficult, they were successful in taking down every single criminal.
Now the only problem left was finding the village.
"Tenten, Neji! The village!" Lee shouted, panic evident in his voice. Tenten felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she dashed towards the distressed boy. When she and Neji reached the site, she sucked in a sharp breath. A buzzing silence filled the air and she could have sworn her heart stopped for a split second.
"It's… gone." Neji whispered hoarsely. Tenten could only stare. The sight was beyond words and when her mind finally came to, the first thing she did was let out a pained cry.
Bodies were littered everywhere, homes and buildings were wrecked, and blood was splattered on the ground and walls. It was beyond horrifying, and although it wasn't really their fault, Tenten felt as though they were the ones to blame.
Neji took the first step forward, leading the team with a strength that both Lee and Tenten were thankful for. Lee took the next step forward, shakily—a rare sight for both Neji and Tenten. Tenten squeeze her eyes shut and tried to gather her thoughts, as one of the top kunoichi, she felt obligated to be strong in the face of disaster and holding a weak front would do no good in the situation they were in.
Before she could open her eyes, a larger hand found its way into hers and held onto her firmly. She let out a long breath before opening her eyes, thanking Lee with a relieved look. Lee smiled back at her and she knew she would have the strength to go forward.
Neji turned around to check up on them and Tenten reached forward to grasp his blood-stained hands. He, too, held onto her firmly and carefully walked their team through the remains of the massacre.
She stared at the lifeless eyes of the old and young, grim and pained expressions on nearly every face. Bodies were mangled and people of all ages lay dead. And although death was nothing new to her, it was a ghastly sight that wrenched her heart.
"We have to search for survivors," Lee finally said, his voice slightly cracked but determined, none the less. Neji nodded and turned once more to meet her eyes.
"We'll do so together."
"Together," Lee echoed, relaxing his shoulders. He slowly and gently let go of her hand, clenching his fist tightly. Neji did the same, his fingers lingering on hers reassuringly. She gave a firm nod and gripped the strap of her backpack firmly.
If she hadn't, they would have seen her shaking hands.
House after house, they searched—calling out to anyone who could hear, turning people over delicately, closing the eyes of those would couldn't be saved. Near the end of their search, Tenten had lost all hope of finding surviving villagers. One man had been alive when they had found him, only to pass away a few moments later, a peaceful expression fluttering across his pale face.
The first and perhaps only expression of peace she saw in the entire village.
Just before his death, the fairly young man uttered a raspy thank you, a sincere smile ghosting across his drained face. Tenten held him tenderly while Lee held his hand in comfort. Neji had pulled out a cloth and wiped the man's face and arms clean, clearing the dirt and dried blood from his visible skin.
Tenten felt, as the man closed his eyes for the last time, as though they didn't deserve the man's thanks. Guilt swept through her body and she held the dead body tighter as she let out a strangled sob.
"Why?"
Her voice croaked the word out, and her mind became hazy and out of focus. Lee looked down, holding the hand of the dead young man tighter. Tears began to stream down her face, washing the dirt and blood from her own face as they fell.
She wanted to apologize but the words failed to form. And if she did scream out an apology, it would be pointless because it wasn't their fault. It most certainly wasn't Neji's fault or Lee's fault—she could never blame them—and if they weren't at fault, neither was she.
They buried the young man in a cleaner part of the forest, a short distance away from the village, near a small waterfall. They would later bury the rest of the village there, together and in peace.
In the very last house they entered, the smell of blood wasn't as strong. The first part of the house was empty, completely ransacked but empty. In fact, the whole house was surprisingly empty except for the last room they entered. Inside, they found the body of an old man draped across the body of an old woman, protectively, as if shielding her from the attackers.
Tenten's mind raced as Neji dashed forward to check the woman under the man. He knelt besides the woman and a minute later, he stood up and shook his head. Tenten felt her stomach sink for the thousandth time that day.
"Guys! Shhh!" Lee cut in suddenly, brows furrowed in concentration and a finger at his lips.
Silence fell over the group and Tenten's ears strained to find what Lee was so intent on hearing. Her heart froze for the second time that day when she finally heard what Lee had discovered.
A baby's cry.
She stood up hastily and followed the faint wails, her heart racing in anticipation. Neji and Lee followed closely behind her, their quick footsteps filling the room. She opened a closet on the opposite side of the room and gingerly pushed back a mountain of untouched clothes and boxes.
There, gently hidden in the corner, was a small baby carriage, covered in a couple of thin, clean sheets. Tenten slowly reached for the basket and carefully brought it out, the crying growing louder as it entered the empty room.
She tenderly pulled the sheets off and found herself staring at a completely unmarred infant. Lee and Neji knelt beside her, and for the first time that day, she felt as though she had been forgiven.
Lee reached out and softly rocked the carriage, instantly soothing the crying child. His eyes, Tenten noticed, were brimmed with tears.
She looked up and met moon-colored orbs, drawing her hand back in encouragement. Neji reached forward slowly and lifted the infant from the basket. Lee smiled as a comfortable silence filled the air, letting the baby grab his index finger in a tight grip.
To Tenten, it was a sign. A sign that told her everything would be okay.
That afternoon, they buried the entire village, saving the old couple from the end house for last. Lee had insisted, with a brighter tone, that Tenten should watch over the couple's child, most likely their grandson, while the two boys put the village to rest.
When they were finally done, Neji and Lee sat themselves next to her, letting the cool breeze refresh their bodies. Tonight they would head back to the checkpoint, halfway between the now empty village and Konoha, and camp out. Then tomorrow, they would head back to Konoha; back home. From there on, the infant would grow up as a citizen of Konoha.
The thought of it gave Tenten the slightest bit of hope.
It would be hard to forget and the images would stain their memories forever, but they could live with that, because from despair came hope, and with that in their hearts and minds, they would finally be able to grow and move on.
Together they would be reborn and live once again.
end.