She had been on the run for a very long time. That was all she knew. She had lost track of the days quite some time ago, but it was warm now. The hot air washed over the trees and rustled the leaves. It was pleasant.

Tenten arrived at a small village. It was about half the size of her home city. She wandered through the streets confusedly before finally finding an inn and stumbling inside, starving and suffering from fatigue. She had eaten, but not much. Only what she could find in the forest. She didn't know how she had made it for so long.

Without a word she made her way to the counter, her feet scraping against the floor with every step. She fished in her pockets for money, finding only a few ryo. Hopefully not too few. Please, lord, let it be enough. She halfheartedly placed the money on the counter.

"Any room is fine," she mumbled. She didn't care if she had to sleep in the gutter as long as she got rest. The woman behind the counter seemed to realize her state and called on a younger girl, striding away authoritatively. Tenten didn't know what they said to each other. All she knew was that if she didn't get to lie down and sleep, she'd collapse right then and there.

The younger girl grabbed her arm gently, leading her out of the lobby and up a small set of stairs into a long hallway. The walls were lined with doors, and she was led through one of them.

"Someone lives here," the girl said. "But he's never here anyway, so you can have his room for free for now."

Tenten briefly saw the glint of sharp fangs in the girl's mouth and smiled bitterly. A vampire's help. Humans and vampires were supposed to live together in harmony and equality, as friends, but her experience with the redeye had somewhat traumatized her, it seemed. She thanked the girl weakly before walking over to the neatly made bed. She collapsed into it, and fell asleep instantly, before she could even think of undressing or closing the door.

"Brother? Brother, are you home?"

"Tenten…! G-get out…he –"

A loud snap. Her eyes widened as her brother's body went limp. The vampire looked up with a smile. Blood dripped from his fangs and he released his grip on the boy's broken neck. Her brother fell to the floor with a sickening sound.

"Hello, little bird," he said. His voice was dark, and smooth like silk. She shuddered, backing slowly towards the door. "Leaving already?" his fake pout was quickly replaced by a wicked grin. She growled some incoherent words at him as her hand found the door handle.

That's when he told her to run. She didn't hesitate in following his orders.

She tore herself out of the dream, sitting up in bed and breathing heavily for a few moments before looking around hectically.

"Not here," she whispered. "He's not here."

She pulled up her knees and sat back against the wall, taking in the room for the first time. It was small, square, and lined with very little furniture. There was her bed against the left wall, and a dresser under the window. A soft carpet covered the floor. The walls were a relaxing light blue color.

Tenten saw her backpack on the floor and picked it up. Rummaging through it, she found a clean shirt, no doubt intended for use in gym class. She had left before that class on the day of her escape, however, and never gotten to use the shirt. She quickly changed now, enjoying the freshness of a new shirt after wearing the same one for weeks. She reeked.

Her stomach growled. More important things than body odor called. She started digging in her pants' pockets for money, but then remembered leaving it all on the counter the night before. However, when she looked up, she found the money lying atop the dresser. She quickly counted. All of it was there. They hadn't charged her for the room. She was overwhelmed by their kindness, a tight knot forming in her throat. She felt as though she was going to cry.

She didn't, though. Instead, she got up, opening the dresser's top drawer. If the room was really occupied, there would be something in there, right? True enough, she found clothes. She quickly checked the other drawers just in case, coming up with nothing but clothes. Men's clothes. Some poor guy owned this room, and now she was there sleeping in his bed and rifling through his belongings. She laughed for the first time in weeks, closing the drawer and leaving the room.

"Is it really okay for me to stay in someone else's room?" Tenten asked as she emerged from the hallway. The lobby was small, yet cozy, and she immediately felt at home. The girl from the night before was behind the counter, and looked up with a smile. She stepped around the counter. She had long, black hair and a soft smile, but what attracted the most attention were her big, lavender eyes.

"Don't worry about it," she said. Her voice was light and easy on the ears. Tenten immediately liked her. "My cousin lives in that room, but he's hardly ever home." She laughed quietly, brushing her hair behind her shoulder.

"But what if he comes back?" Tenten asked anxiously. She didn't want him to come home only to find her sleeping in his room.

"He won't mind," the girl said, beaming at Tenten and showing off her brilliant white fangs. Then, she sobered, and extended a hand. "I'm Hyuga Hinata, by the way."

Tenten shook her hand, noticing how soft her skin was. "I'm Tenten," she said in a friendly tone. "Just Tenten." Hinata smiled again, letting go of the brunette's hand and walking behind the counter.

"You look hungry," she remarked. Tenten nodded, and her stomach growled loudly to prove the point. Hinata laughed. "What do you want to eat?"

"Oh, anything's fine," Tenten said quickly, reaching for her pocket. "I have money –"

"That won't be necessary," Hinata said. "I know you've come a long way. You deserve some rest. Don't worry about paying for now."

"Okay…," Tenten said insecurely, withdrawing her hand from her pocket. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Hinata said, disappearing into a kitchen to cook for her. Tenten sat down in the lobby, feeling sort of awkward, and waited.

Tenten allowed herself to rest that day. She spent the hours alternating between wandering around the village, familiarizing herself with it, and lounging about the inn talking to Hinata. She felt relaxed. She felt good. She had even gotten to shower. She had stayed in there for so long Hinata had gotten worried about her and come knocking on the door. Apart from the looming shadow of the redeye in the back of her mind, everything was perfect.

When it was late enough for her to grow tired, she curled up in Hinata's cousin's bed. It felt wonderful to have a bed to sleep in. As she drifted to sleep, she felt a breeze. She must have forgotten to close the window.

She woke, he eyes snapping open. She couldn't have gotten more than a few hours' sleep. She had awoken to a thumping noise, like that of someone's feet hitting the floor. When she looked to the side, she was startled to find a person standing there. In the low light, she couldn't see who it was. Was it Redeye? She didn't know, couldn't tell. All she could tell was that it was a he, and he was tall.

"Who are you, girl?"

In retrospect, a lot of her actions during that time period had been mistakes. It couldn't be helped, she thought. She caused a lot of trouble for the Hyuga family with her stupidity.

Especially for Hinata's cousin. She still laughed every time she thought about that – and then she cried. The memories were still painful. Even when telling the story to her friends, or even strangers, she couldn't help but tear up at his pained words. She still remembered everything from that time, even the scent of the environment. Some things were imprinted in her brain, no matter how hard she tried to forget them.