Chapter 2: Hurtful Words
"P-Please calm down-" A nurse ducked as a plastic bottle of 0.1 sodium chloride solution came flying towards her face.
"Let go of me!" Came a blood curdling scream.
The two male medical nurses did their best to restrain the seemingly psychotic banshee but her kicking and thrashing were too difficult to subdue. None of the female nurses even had the courage to come into her room.
The sound of the door opening and closing could barely be heard over the screaming.
"Tenten!" Came Sakura's firm voice. She was torn between incredulity and pity.
"Sakura! Where's Lee? You have to take me to him!" Tenten demanded as she tried once more to get rid of the annoying needles stuck to her body.
"What are you doing? Stop it Tenten! Are you trying to kill yourself?" Sakura yelled as she held both of Tenten's hands to stop her from further injuring herself.
"Let go Sakura! If you won't take me to Lee, I'll look for him myself!" Tenten yelled back as she struggled more to get Sakura's hands off her. She cursed loudly at her lack of strength.
"Tenten! Stop it! You'll just hurt yourself!" Sakura demanded but the reply she got was a screaming protest. Tenten balled her fists and struggled harder. She would see Lee even if it was the last thing she did!
"What the hell is happening here?!"
Tenten shifted her eyes towards the direction of a woman with long blonde hair. Ino had just entered the room and was surprised at the scene unfolding in front of her eyes.
"Let go!" Tenten yelled.
"She won't listen no matter what!" Sakura said with a hint of frustration in her voice as she held down the weapons mistress with formidable strength. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it! You deal with her." Ino told Sakura.
The door opened to reveal a very shy Hinata. Ino motioned for her to come in. "O-One of the nurses sent me here to check-oh! T-Tenten-senpai? Please calm down." Hinata nervously whispered.
"Hinata! What happened to Neji? Is Gai-sensei alright? Why won't you let me see Lee? Let go of me!"
SLAP!
Tenten stopped screaming at the sudden sharp pain on her cheek. She breathed in and out as tears filled her eyes. One by one the droplets came rushing out. As Sakura and the nurses slowly let go of her, Tenten brought her hands up to cover her shame.
"Wha- I-I didn't mean to make you cry! I-I just didn't know what else we could use to calm you down!" Ino panicked apologetically.
"Look what you've done Ino-pig!" Sakura gave Ino an incredulous look. "How's this Tenten?" She began with a sickly saccharine tone. "When you get out of here, let's tag team her. We'll take turns beating the crap out of her ugly face! How's that?" Sakura suggested with an evil look in her face.
"How about I rearrange your ugly face, forehead girl!" Ino replied.
"Ha! Let's see you try pig!" Sakura threatened back.
"P-Please guys…" Hinata intervened, as she glanced back at Tenten's shaking form with both hands cupping her face.
Sakura and Ino stared in surprise at the vulnerable form of the seemingly strong weapons mistress. "I didn't hit her that hard, did I?" Ino whispered guiltily. Sakura only rolled her eyes in response.
"It's was all my fault." Tenten whispered in between sobs as she clutched the blanket near her shaking body. The three girls looked at each other with pity in their eyes. They all knew what she was talking about. They heard about Team Gai's mission not too long ago.
Sakura gave Ino and Hinata a worried look before she spoke.
"Tenten. Calm down. Don't beat yourself up about it. Tsunade-sama is tending to Lee's injuries. I'm sure he'll be fine!"
"Yeah Tenten! Tsunade-sama is the greatest medical ninja ever! I'm sure she can cure Lee! No Problem." Ino added, the confidence in her tone never swaying.
The three medical kunoichis continued to cheer her up but all their efforts fell on deaf ears. Tenten remained quiet. She just couldn't keep the scene out of her mind. It kept replaying itself over and over, blaming her for everything that happened. Blood. Smoke. Explosions. Screams. Tenten forced her eyes shut. But the images were rooted in her mind.
Tenten stared into the white blanket absent-mindedly. She should have been the one in the emergency room fighting to live another day. Better yet, she should have been the one to die. If anything were to happen to Lee, she just couldn't forgive herself. She would never forgive herself!
"Tenten-sempai…" Hinata whispered.
The three of them were starting to get worried. Tenten wasn't reacting to any of them. She looked half dead with her pale face, strewn hair and bloodshot eyes. Her once warm hazel eyes were a dull and lifeless. She stared at the white blanket with in a daze. Sakura tried to shake Tenten out of her trance but she remained the same – irresponsive and vacant.
There were three light knocks on the door before a nurse entered the room carrying some medicine. Apparently, visiting hours were over.
"I understand." Sakura replied and she motioned for Ino and Hinata to follow her. Before Hinata left, she went to Tenten's side, squeezed her hand and whispered in her ear.
"P-Please get well soon Tenten-sempai."
The three watched as the nurse injected the medicine in Tenten's right arm. Not soon after, she fell into a deep slumber. Sakura, Ino and Hinata left without a word.
The three kunoichi's walked silently through the empty hallways of the hospital before Ino decided the silence was suffocating. "Hey, how about we bring her something to cheer her up?"
"That's a great idea! But what?" Sakura asked deep in thought.
"I've got it! Why don't we buy her a new weapon? Something she doesn't have yet! That would cheer her up! After all she's practically crazy about them, right?"
Sakura gave Ino a sarcastic look. "That would be oh-so-perfect! Except, oh! What does Konoha call her? The weapons mistress! Good luck trying to find a weapon she doesn't already have!" She paused to give Ino a patronizing look. "Besides, don't you think that would only remind her of the mission she just went on? Stupid pig."
"Who're you calling pig?! GIANT FOREHEAD GIRL!" Ino countered back.
"Pig!"
"Giant forehead!"
"I-I think a weapon would be g-great. B-But I think f-for now, it would only remind her of what happen to L-Lee-sempai." Hinata said quietly and sadly.
"See?" Sakura added in a smug tone.
"Whatever!" Ino replied as she rolled her eyes.
Before all three knew it, the depressing aura was back.
They couldn't help but relate to what Tenten was going through. At one point in their lives, they've been in her situation. Helpless. Always the one that needed saving. Always the one that dragged the team down. Never ever being good enough.
"Well then, how about let's just give her flowers?" Ino suggested, deciding to lighten up the mood once more. It felt like they just attended a funeral.
"F-Flowers sound nice." Hinata smiled slightly.
"Ok then! It's decided! We'll meet here tomorrow then! Same time. Bring some other gifts if you want. Things she needs like food, books even. You know, to get her mind off things." Ino enthusiastically added.
"Ok then! Tomorrow it is." Sakura replied equally enthusiastic.
Tenten slowly opened her eyes, wincing at the bright sunlight streaming through the opened window. Groaning, she forced herself to sit up, cursing that she couldn't even do such a simple task.
Suddenly she heard a voice from a figure opposite the window. "Have a nice sleep?"
Tenten's head shot up towards the direction of the voice. "N-Neji." She let out a shaky breath. "H-How's Lee doing?" Anxiety and guilt were evident in her voice as she glanced at the fresh bandages littered all over the Huyga prodigy's body. Unable to stomach the shame, her gaze fell down the white blanket enveloping her petite form.
"The operation was a success but it would take some time before he recovers." Neji paused to look at her reaction. "He's in a coma." Her eyes widened and her hands began to shake, their grip on the white flawless blanket merciless.
"His lungs were flooded with blood after all. It was a good thing none of those weapons hit his heart or else he would have been dead on the spot. The poision isn't making things any easier. Considering his situation, a coma is already a gift from God." He paused as he moved towards the door. "There's nothing more that we can do. He chose to do that to himself and this is what has become of him. This is his fate."
Still unable to get over her shock, Tenten could not even make sense of the words Neji were saying. All she understood were the words 'Lee', 'operation' and 'coma'. "W-When… When will he wake up?"
Pausing in front of the door, Neji turned around with nothing but indifference on his face. "Tenten, they're medical ninjas, not God. Just be thankful that Lee's out of his critical condition for now."
"And Gai-sensei?! Is he well?" Tenten finally glanced at Neji's aloof form. A nod was all he gave as a reply. "He stays at Lee's room all the time, even refusing treatment for his wounds initially. The Godaime seems to have convinced him otherwise."
Tenten looked down at her hands clutching the blanket as if her life depended on it. "H-How…" She swallowed, having difficulty asking a question she already knew the answer to. "How is he dealing… With the news?" She no longer fought the onslaught of tears. "He must be crushed." She added weakly, her voice breaking.
Neji opened the door to leave. "What's done is done. There's nothing any of us can do anymore."
"W-What do you mean?" Tenten asked, despite already knowing the bitter undertones of Neji's seemingly casual statement.
Letting out a sigh, Neji turned to give her once more glance. "You know very well what I mean." Then he turned his back on her. "You reap what you sow."
Tenten could only stare helplessly as the door closed signaling the finality of the conversation. She felt a pain in her chest. She couldn't breathe. She was suffocating. Clutching her chest, she swallowed down a whimper. Neji's words hurt. They hurt so much.
"You reap what you sow."
She would have given anything just to disappear right then and there. Even her own life.
Neji walked casually through the halls of silent the hospital, trying to shake the feeling of unease. Deciding it was too quiet for his liking, he made his way out and walked alongside the villagers busy preparing their shops for another day of work. Annoyed at exuberant atmosphere did nothing to quell his discomfort, he decided to make his way to one of the dense forested areas around Konoha.
Sitting under the shade of a random tree, he exhaled in annoyance at the uneasy feeling on his chest that wouldn't seem to go away. Bringing a hand to where his heart would have been, Neji narrowed his eyes. Why was there was an odd aching feeling that made it hard for him to breathe? He narrowed his eyes further. What was this feeling? Why was he feeling so perturbed?
Letting out a defeated sigh, he allowed his hand to fall to his side as he glanced up at the streaks of sunlight bathing the trees in an ethereal glow.
Did he say too much?
Tenten slowly opened her eyes, taking note of the darkness around her. Sitting up and ignoring the protests of her joints, she glanced out the window only to be greeted by the eerie moon. Staring at it as if hypnotized, Tenten allowed herself to blink. Feeling a burning pain in her eyes, she pressed the back of her wrist against them. Not sensing the pain lessen, she knew she needed a burst of cold water. Making her way to the bathroom, Tenten couldn't help but curse herself for having so much difficulty with such an average daily task.
Reaching the bathroom, she flipped the light switch and made her way in front of the sink. She stared at herself on the mirror. She blinked. Her own reflection seemed foreign to her. Her long hair in a tangled mess, her complexion deathly pale, black circles under her swollen bloodshot eyes. Dull lifeless brown orbs looked right back at her. She couldn't tell anymore if she was dead or alive.
Turning the faucet, she allowed the water to flow forcefully. Cupping her hands, she splashed her face with the cold liquid again and again until she could no longer feel the coolness it once gave her. Turning off the water, she grabbed a towel and roughly wiped her face dry, as if trying to erase the foreign image of a woman she was supposed to acknowledge as herself. Glancing once more at the reflection on the mirror, she took note of the slightly reddish marks on her face from the rough handling of the towel. Her eyes were still swollen, dull and lifeless. Throwing the towel back on the rack, she flipped the light switch and made her way out of the small bathroom.
She stopped when she reached the bathroom door to catch her breath. She felt exhausted. More exhausted than she ever felt in her life. She would have preferred Gai-sensei's 2000 laps around Konoha on hands over this.
Tenten allowed herself a small sad smile before glancing at the spot where Neji stood earlier this morning. His eyes were so cold, his gaze berating and blaming. Glancing at her bed, she could almost see her own silhouette – pathetic, helpless. She turned her attention to the door, and an image of Neji's retreating back invaded her senses. Along with that image were the words that clawed at her heart.
Tenten shook her head to rid herself of the shadows clouding her mind. She couldn't stand being in this room anymore. She needed to be alone. Somewhere else. Somewhere far away. Maneuvering out of the window with great difficulty, Tenten took a deep breath and cursed. She headed out with no specific destination in mind, fueled only by the thought of wanting to get away.
After endlessly wandering, Tenten reached a familiar clearing. She remembered this place. It was one of the few remaining old training grounds in Konoha. This was their first training area right after they graduated in the academy. Now it was owned by Kakashi's team seven.
Tenten sat down on the ground slowly running her fingers on the dirt as if it was something sacred. She smiled wistfully. It was only about a year ago but now it seemed too far away. But before she could reminisce further, she felt a strong killing intent directly behind her.
Tenten scrambled away from the place where she sat and saw five kunais now embedded on the ground. She looked desperately for the source only to see the silhouette of a man with a giant sword on his back perched up a tree. She couldn't make sense of his features. The darkness of the night and the shade of the trees seemed to be in his favor.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Tenten demanded, as she tried to think of an escape strategy. Her weapons arsenal was back at the hospital. She had nothing to use to defend herself. Glancing at the five embedded kunai, she began to formulate a plan. But before she could even more, the stranger came at her once again.