Well, here's the second chapter. :)
hullotherexx: You are! Congrats! :D Hahaha. :) When I meant "hibernation" I only meant I wouldn't be updating in a few weeks for Fighter. That last chapter sucked a lot of energy from me and I need just a tiny bit of space from it before I begin writing it again. :)
KMU: Thanks so much! I love hearing that. :D
Shubhs: Are you crazy? I hate Sasuke. No way he's getting in my Fic without a fight to the death! ;) Yes, I have read Tamora Pierce! She's such a good writer! :D
Chirisaa Tomoko: Eh, well mine's better, if you'll permit me to be conceited. ;D Thank you!
Mysterious Bluerose: Aw. :( Well he makes his debut this chapter. :D
AnimeFreak218: Haha. :)
Disclaimer: Flipping Kishimoto. :P
II.
It was another chilly morning, and as TenTen's stockinged feet hit the stone floor, goose bumps covered her legs and arms.
She scrambled into her clothes, being careful to layer them for maximum warmth.
TenTen knew she'd be freezing either way, but anything to subtle the harsh bite of winter she would try.
After finishing dressing, TenTen snatched some vellum from under her mattress.
She quickly wrote out a message imparting a fair goodbye and slid it next to Sakura's still hand.
Securing her belt, TenTen left the room, hastily making her way to the stables outside.
She did not need her armor on this particular type of mission, it would just weigh her down when really, she needed to be quick and lithe. TenTen hated wearing heavy armor other than the battlefield.
That didn't mean she wasn't carrying some hefty artillery, though.
TenTen entered the stables, spotting the only other human being there.
TenTen smiled wryly at the boy's dark flyaway hair.
She quietly strode up behind him and poked him in between the shoulder blades.
The boy jumped a few inches off the ground, turning to look wide-eyed up at TenTen.
She laughed and patted his shoulder, pushing past him to her horse.
When he finally recovered his speech, Konohamaru complained, "You shouldn't come up behind people and scare them. You almost made me spill this bucket."
TenTen smiled.
"I'm sorry, Konohamaru. My sincerest apologies," she muttered in an almost mocking tone.
Konohamaru grumbled incoherently.
"'s fine, I guess."
He shot TenTen a curious look, obviously thinking something over.
"I can't go with you to the Uchiha estate? You're sure?"
TenTen sighed.
"Yes. You'd just be bored to death anyway. And it's not a mission that's extremely exciting either. I'll be fine by myself."
"Sure you will," Konohamaru murmured, disappointed and seeming doubtful. "You'll be careful, then?"
"Yes, I'll be careful," she grunted, swinging herself into the saddle.
TenTen eyed her squire adoringly.
"Well, what will you do with me being gone? Study, train?"
Eager, Konohamaru exclaimed, "Yes! I will do all of those things!"
Approvingly, TenTen nodded and reached down for her sword, which Konohamaru had been about to strap to the horse's flank.
"I think I'll keep that here for safe keeping. I'll see you soon, Konohamaru. Behave yourself!"
Konohamaru's lopsided smile spread into place and he nodded, holding up a hand in brief farewell.
—
TenTen was smart to ration out her meals.
The ride to the Uchiha estate was a five and a half day journey. By the third day, TenTen still had half a basket left of food.
She had entered a wood not too far back and had decided to let her horse rest some.
TenTen dismounted off, lightly grasping the reins.
She came across a stream an hour later and released her grip on the horse, allowing it to drink freely.
TenTen crouched down, cupping the water in her hands before splashing it onto her face.
It was cold, and as TenTen cupped more, this time to drink, she studied it, surprised it hadn't frozen yet.
She shook her hands dry, wiping the excess off onto her surcoat.
The horse brayed satisfactorily, and TenTen patted its neck reassuringly.
Quietly, she murmured words of encouragement to it.
Almost there, I promise.
A twig snapped loudly, reverberating in the silent, snowy woods.
TenTen halted her movements, her sharp eyes roving the trees.
What was it—?
A snarl ripped through the boughs of trees, insistent.
TenTen's horse whinnied and reared in fright; TenTen moved out of range to avoid being kicked.
Dashes of black and golden and grey entered the corner of her eyes.
Dogs.
It quickly occurred to her that her dream had not been an omen, but a premonition.
But TenTen could not worry over it now; she had to get out of here.
She tried mounting her Hackney, but it continued to buck, making it impossible to board.
The wild dogs continued their advance, their gaping forming disgusting growls.
TenTen made a split decision and hastily untied her sack of weaponry.
Her sword moved heavily with the bag, but TenTen's hands clasped another object.
A mace.
The dogs attacked.
In her peripheral vision, TenTen saw her horse had had enough; it galloped off, far away from the danger.
But her attention had gone back to the animals, one had broken from the group and launched forward, aiming for TenTen's chest.
She stumbled, but managed to club the dog in the side.
It whimpered and backed away like a misbehaved pup.
But then the others assaulted in a group.
TenTen caught a few but was unable to deal a devastating blow before a dog bit her leg.
TenTen cried out and fell to the hard, frozen ground.
Her head struck the firm, packed earth.
She felt dizzy and her grip loosened on the mace.
The dog tightened its hold on her leg; its teeth broke flesh.
TenTen's eyes watered in pain.
The dog preceded to bite, hard, on TenTen's leg, its jaws clamping like a vice.
Summoning determination, TenTen lifted her mace and brought it down on the beast's head.
The dog faltered but did not release its canines from her flesh.
TenTen beat it over the head again, desperate. In almost a dreamlike state, she noticed the blood spreading on the delicate snow. TenTen barely comprehended it was her blood.
Over and over again, she clubbed the dog on the cranium until finally, after delay and unwillingness, the wild beast released her.
With grumbles and wounded whines, the pack retreated.
TenTen was now alone, her leg mangled and bleeding onto the white forest floor.
She let go of her mace, letting it lie in the snow beside her.
TenTen lay there, still. Her head was growing increasingly fuzzy, and black spots were erupting across her vision in violent, persistent bursts.
TenTen closed her eyes and felt her hold on reality slip.
—
Neji strode purposefully down the hall, easily avoiding servants and family members.
He had not time to dally; Hiashi needed him now.
For what, Neji did not yet know. But surely it was important if he had to interrupt his studies for it.
He found Hiashi in the main hall, conducting people to various places.
It was difficult to approach his uncle; the tumultuous crowd was pushing and shoving to get to their assigned task.
Hiashi turned, finding his nephew and called his name, clutching Neji's shirt to pull him the last bit of distance.
"What's going on, Uncle? Is there an emergency?"
Hiashi shook his head at his nephew's questions, sighing heavily to repeat the story told to him merely hours before.
"Around midday, the hunting group that went out this morning found a body in the woods, bleeding."
This struck curiousness in Neji's mind, sharp and pronounced.
"Is he all right?"
"She," Hiashi corrected, "will be fine. Her leg was the only thing injured, but she's lucky she didn't die from the cold. I am putting you in charge of making sure she is well cared for."
Neji's eyebrows arched in confusion.
"Me? Why not Hinata or Hanabi?"
"Hinata is in careful preparation for her wedding, and Hanabi is devoting all of her time to studying. You are the only one with enough free time to take over this task. And you are the best qualified."
"Qualified?"
Hiashi eyed his nephew.
"Well, we must know what she was doing in those woods by herself without an escort, don't we?"
Neji inclined his head.
"And you want me to extract an answer."
"Yes. She is sleeping, currently, but we placed her in a spare room near the study."
Hiashi dismissed him and Neji left, finding his way to the injured girl's room.
There were a crowd of people at the door, shushing each other and peeking in.
Neji turned them away, stern.
Making sure they were all gone, Neji entered the room, carefully closing the door behind him.
She was lying on the bed, eyes closed.
After examining her face, Neji concluded she wasn't a girl at all.
If anything, she was the same age as Neji himself, or a little older.
Neji's eyes floated to her injury.
Her calf was wrapped in linen, but blood had spotted the expensive fabric.
She also wore no head-covering, something that would usually label a woman as a whore.(1)
Neji wondered if this was true or not.
She didn't look like a whore. . .
Neji frowned.
Her hair was brown. Neji couldn't recall ever seeing a woman's hair before; all women except little girls had to wear head-coverings.
He pursed his lips, unsure.
He was still musing when she stirred, opening her eyes.
"Who are you?" she croaked, jolting Neji out of his thoughts.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Neji Hyuga. I'm the nephew of the owner of this estate. And who are you?"
"TenTen," she murmured back, brown eyes cynical. After a pause, she said, "What happened to me? All I remember are these wild dogs and then I suppose I fainted."
"Hunters, from our estate. They were out hunting and found you in the woods. It's a wonder you didn't freeze to death."
TenTen blinked and moved onto her back, gasping aloud in pain. She had placed pressure on her injured leg.
Neji watched her clench her fists tightly, obviously agonized.
"What were you doing in the woods anyway?" Neji prompted once she settled again.
"I was resting. I'd been traveling for three days and I found that stream in the woods. Then those dogs attacked. Ran my horse off too," she added bitterly.
Neji's forehead wrinkled.
What had this woman been doing with a horse? Horses were impossibly expensive, and this woman didn't look entirely special. She had no ring on her finger either, so that also cancelled out that she'd gotten money from her husband, and even if she had, no woman learned to ride a horse without appropriate training that was far and few between.
"Where did you get your horse?"
TenTen's brown eyes flashed with an undeniable defiance.
"I bought it, if that's what you're asking. With my money."
"How did you get enough money to buy a horse? You're a wom—!"
"Woman?" TenTen completed. She treated him to a healthy glare. "I'm a knight. I serve Baron Jiraiya of Konohagakure."
Incredulous, Neji stared at her.
"How did you come about being a knight when you're a woman?" he finally asked.
"My father. He was a knight before he died in the plague. I got passed on his coat of arms and began my training as a page when I was seven."
"And they accepted you, even though you were a woman?"
"Yes. Lord Jiraiya. . . He's eccentric and likes differentials. I was the perfect pupil in his eyes."
"You don't look twenty-one," Neji commented, recalling the age for the appropriate dubbing of a knight.
"I'm not," TenTen responded, cautiously shifting again. "I was granted the title early. I did well in a battle, and they honored me on the battlefield by granting me knighthood."
Neji considered her.
"You were on a mission, then, when you were injured."
TenTen grimaced, but nodded.
"Yes. I was traveling to the Uchiha estate."
She released a loud sigh.
"Now I'm set back considerably. I'll have to send post to Lord Jiraiya and tell him—!"
"That's not necessary. As soon as you recover, my uncle can lend you whatever you need to complete your mission. It would be an honor to host and serve a knight."
TenTen flushed in admiration.
"Thank you for your hospitality and services, then. Though I'll still need to contact them and let them know there will be a delay. They might choose to send someone else in my stead."
Neji was silent and he reached behind him, hoisting a sack of heavy artillery.
"This was found near you, I'm sure. It's yours?"
TenTen smiled wryly and held out her hand for it.
"Yes. It was the only thing I managed to save before my horse ran off."
Neji placed it next to her and stepped toward the door.
"Would you like something to eat? If you haven't eaten in a while. . ."
"No. I'm not hungry." She smiled at him and Neji felt his chest rise in expectation. Something about that smile. . . "Thank you, Neji, and please inform your uncle of my gratitude."
Neji nodded and pulled open the door, exiting into the hallway.
Back in the spare room, TenTen was slowly examining her weapons, making sure everything was there.
When seeing that everything was in order, TenTen finally removed her sword, unsheathing it from the encasing.
Holding her sword always made her feel comfort and an increasing set of value.
She gripped the hilt, cutting and slicing the air.
TenTen grinned to herself.
She still had it, even though she hadn't practiced in several days.
TenTen smirked and sheathed it back, setting it next to her while she put the other weapons on the floor.
She moved further down on the bed, the straw chafing her hands.
She was tired more than anything; pain sucked out all of her energy.
Her thoughts moved to the man she'd met today.
He was an interesting sort of person, the kind she rarely came in contact with.
His expression had remained cold and distant throughout their conversation.
TenTen wondered absently if he was always like that before she fell asleep, her hand touching familiar metal as she drifted away.
(1) A woman's hair symbolized their seductiveness in these days. If your hair went uncovered, you were labeled as a whore and socially demoralized. Women had to wear head-coverings; it was mandatory. Also, a tidbit of information: If someone took your hat or head-covering off (which was a crime, by the way) was equivalent to accusing someone of being a whore.
:)
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