Summary; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
I'm glad that you guys are enjoying this story and like Taya's character. Here's the third installment, hope this can hold you over!
"All right, you get to meet your trainer this morning," Neji informed her, the two facing off against each other in their usual training spot. He saw her brighten up and groaned, barely able to imagine how she would react to the man.
"Awesome! I hope he'll be a lot better than your grumpy self," she retorted cheerfully, having grown adjusted to the odd hours she was forced to live. She copied his motions and folded her arms across her chest casually, Uhra looking down at them from a tree branch.
Neji grunted at this remark, glad to get the annoying pupil off his hands, which would allow him to return to his ANBU duties. Glancing over his shoulders, he managed a small grin. "Here he is now. Taya, meet Rock Lee," he announced, dodging to the side as the exuberant young man barreled towards them.
Her jaw dropped at this news and she blinked a few times before finding her voice. "Him?" she managed intelligently, at which words Lee graced her with his special pose, thumbs-up and wink included.
"I am here to teach you the art of taijutsu!" he announced. This lightened her spirits a bit, having suspected taijutsu was what the Hyuugas had in mind from the start, but the prospect of having Lee as a teacher suddenly made Neji a lot more desirable.
"He's going to kill me," she thought woefully, casting such a pathetic, desperate look towards Neji he couldn't help himself and snickered quietly before dropping a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Watch yourself, Lee. She's got an attitude and more tricks up her sleeve than you'd think," he warned the other man, having been treated to a different jutsu she apparently knew every day - which ultimately knocked him off-guard long enough for her to escape.
"I think I can handle that!" he replied loudly, his grin huge as he returned his attention to the flinching woman. "We will start with two-hundred laps around the complex!" the man announced, as if treating his student to a break. Taya's jaw dropped and she stared beseechingly at Neji, who only smirked and began to walk away.
"Enjoy, you two!" he called, waving slightly before using a jutsu to disappear from sight. She set her jaw and promptly dropped to the ground with a groan.
"Please! I'm begging you! Take me back!" she pleaded, latching onto Neji's ankles and stretching out onto the ground. He glanced down at her, as if expecting this reaction, and shook his head.
"It's only been two days. You held out longer than I bet," he sighed, sitting down awkwardly and trying to dislodge the woman. "Let go already, Lee's your trainer now," he snapped, when she refused to move from her prostrate position.
"I don't want him to be!" she moaned, banging her head onto the ground. "He's going to kill me! I don't have what it takes to become a ninja, so throw me out already and let me go! I promise, I'll be good! I'll move out of town, if that's what you want! Just let me go!"
Neji stared down at her in amusement, shaking his head. "Sorry, it's Hyuuga-san's decision, not mine," he finally told her. He grabbed her shoulder and hauled her to her feet with surprising strength, dropping back down after meeting her pathetic gaze for a minute.
"Isn't there anything you can do?" she whimpered, shifting into a cross-legged position at his feet. "Please? I know you hate me, but this is just cruel!" she griped, ignoring Uhra when he appeared on her shoulder.
"Some ninja you are," the weasel admonished her, yelping when she threw him into the wall in the next moment. Neji winced, sympathizing somewhat with the summon before hiding his reaction.
"I'll talk to Lee about going straight to taijutsu," he finally said, giving in to her quiet moaning. "All right? But don't expect special treatment because - urgh!" The ANBU leader gasped when she grabbed him around the throat, taking a moment to realize she wasn't trying to strangle him.
"Thank you, Neji!" Taya cried, releasing him in the next moment. "I'll be good, I promise! I'll listen to Lee, too!" she added, running out the door before he could change his mind. Neji sat there in a daze for a second before jumping when Uhra landed on his head.
"She'll do it, too," the weasel informed him, hanging his head down Neji's face to go eye-to-eye with him. "Taya wants to work hard, but she's never been much of the physical type, if you get my drift."
"She looked like she's fit enough," Neji argued, but Uhra clicked his tongue while shaking his head.
"Being fit is different than being an exercise maniac like that freak you found," he argued, sliding down the ninja's body and landing on the floor, looking smug at his agility. "Just go easy. She's smart, like her dad. Once she hits her stride, she'll surpass them all. I guarantee it."
"And if she doesn't?" Neji asked, raising his eyebrow at the weasel as it began to slink from the room. The somewhat-loyal summon glanced over his shoulder, pausing to reply to the question.
"Then you've wasted a lot of time and energy, that's all," he replied with his equivalent of a shrug, before disappearing from the room. Neji groaned and dropped his head in his hands, unable to think of anything to reply to that.
"You just have to concentrate," Lee scolded the young woman, who was on the ground trying to catch her breath after her fourth failed attempt to use the technique. She glanced up at him, panting.
"I am!" she complained, pushing herself to her feet. It had been three days since her begging to Neji and it seemed that the ANBU leader had delivered on his promise, since Lee had reduced down the numerous exercises a bit.
"I know you can see it. And there is no chakra involved, so that is not the problem," he mused, tapping his foot as he tried to think how to teach her. "I know! I am going to attack you!" he said brightly, and she screeched in protest.
"What?" she demanded, barely having time to dodge to the side when Lee suddenly came flying at her. Landing heavily on her side, she crossed her arms and winced as he landed a blow to her arms, sliding back in the dirt from the strength.
"Fight back!" he ordered, sending several more kicks her way. "I really do not want to hurt you, Taya-chan! Attack me and use the jutsu!" he continued, pressing his attack and pausing as she was sent flying into a tree.
"Damn it…" Taya groaned, bracing herself on her elbows and rolling aside when he came at her again. She was getting more and annoyed at his idea of training her, while she also pissed she couldn't defend herself. Feeling a surge of power rush through her veins, she shot to her feet and raced towards Lee. "Konoha Dai Senpuu!" she shouted, flinging herself at her teacher.
Lee was taken aback by her sudden attack and allowed her to land several hits before leaping out of range, surveying her with satisfaction as she dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.
"Spectacular!" he praised her, gathering her in a rib-breaking hug the next second. She gasped for air, unable to struggle against the young man. "That was wonderful, Taya-chan! I knew you could do it! And so quickly! You have a gift for remembering jutsus, you performed it flawlessly!"
"Can…I…breathe?" she gasped, dropped as soon as the words managed to escape her blue lips. Sucking in precious air, she glanced up at Lee. "So, I did okay?" she asked weakly. He nodded, causing her to sigh in relief. "I just got so irritated…I think my chakra levels spiked," she admitted.
"Really?" Lee asked, frowning in concentration. He stared at his pupil for a moment before sitting down on the grass in front of her. "I thought you could not control your chakra properly," he continued, and she shook her head.
"I never could. And I certainly can't use jutsus that utilize chakra by just seeing them, you know that," she reminded him. "Maybe all this training is increasing my stamina or something?" she suggested.
"It is possible. But you are completely suited to taijutsu, that much is certain. It is a shame you do not have the gift of the Byakugan to see chakra points, or even use chakra effectively," Lee sighed. "If you were able to learn any jutsus using the Byakugan you would certainly be a force to reckon with, given your ability."
"Well, I don't, so life goes on," Taya said with a shrug, getting to her feet with a stretch. "So, are we going to keep going for today, or what?"
"Certainly," Lee agreed with a determined nod, following her example and pushing himself upright. "We will practice the Konoha Dai Senpuu more today," he informed her, his expression making it clear arguments would be useless.
"That was pretty impressive, Taya," Uhra complimented her that night, as she was stretched out on the futon. She appeared to be unconscious, but he didn't worry when she groaned pitifully. "I think you bruised him that one time, maybe," he continued encouragingly, wrapping himself around her neck.
"He broke three ribs and cracked my right arm," she muttered, banging her head against the pillow a few times before wincing at the effort and going limp once more. Uhra rolled his eyes, making himself comfortable on her prone body.
"And the medic-nin healed you up good as new, so stop whining," he remarked.
"Easy for you to say," Taya managed.
"At least you got a day off," he added. She rolled over suddenly, causing her summon to squeak as he slid around to avoid being squished.
"Probably to be tormented by someone else," she muttered, resting her arm across her eyes. "I just really need some sleep, Uhra, so I'd appreciate it if you stopped talking now."
"I see how it is. Fine then," he said, pretending to huff as if insulted before curling up on her head. "Night, pathetic excuse for a ninja."
"Night, pathetic excuse for a friend."
"What are we doing today, Lee?" Taya asked, trudging into the training yard, feeling like she had been run over by several carts, crushed under a mountain, and kicked in the shins one too many times. There was no answer after approximately two seconds, his usual response time, so she looked up curiously.
"I was wondering how long it was going to take you to pay any attention," Neji remarked, sitting on a bench and surveying her with a blank expression on his face. She blinked in utter shock before blinking again.
"What are you doing here? Where's my usual torturer?" she demanded, having grown attached to Lee despite her accusations of attempted murder and torture.
"I'm giving you the day off," he informed her, resisting the temptation to roll his eyes at her expression. "You were doing nothing but complaining, so uncle decided you needed a break," he added curtly.
"Hey! I've been working hard!" she shot back, hands on her hips in aggravation. "Ask Lee!"
"I did, and he said you've only mastered one jutsu in all this time," Neji said, keeping his tone carefully neutral. He suppressed a laugh when her eyes popped out, indignant at this accusation.
"So? It's been less than a week!" Taya yelled. "I can use the Konoha Dai Senpuu effectively now - I can even land hits on Lee without him letting me. And that deserves an only?" she demanded, willing to have more training from Lee if it would rid her of Neji.
"Of course. With your memory it should be much easier for you to master taijutsu. We expect better progress, starting tomorrow," he informed her, getting to his feet. Taya remained frozen in anger, glaring at the young man opposite her as if wishing she could kill him with her eyes. The stared at each other for a few minutes before Neji shook his head. "Well, go get dressed," he ordered.
"Why?" she asked, sulking.
"I'm going to take you around town so you can have a day off," he repeated patiently, wondering why the woman was so stupid.
"Can't I just sleep in?" she asked. He frowned, the answer to that question obvious. She heaved an exaggerated sigh and turned on her heel, stomping back towards her house to change. Neji sighed again and sat back down, waiting for her to return.
"It should be a while before he comes looking for me," Taya told Uhra cheerfully, the weasel draped across her shoulders as she headed out of the gates to the Hyuuga complex, in the outfit she had worn the day she arrived.
"And then he'll be pissed off," he commented, but she shrugged, briefly dislodging him. "I don't see why you're doing this, anyway," he continued, not sure he wanted to face Neji's wrath when he caught up to them.
"Because I'm not some experiment," she complained, nodding to a few strangers she passed on the street. "I want to do what I want to do, damn it. If I get a day off, I get to decide what to do with it." She shrugged, a defiant look in her eyes before she paused before a ramen store, inhaling deeply.
"Do you even have any money?" Uhra protested as she headed towards a stool in front of the counter. She shot him an annoyed look before pulling out a pouch full of coins.
"Of course. I get a stipend while I live there. I guess to make sure I won't run away or something." She snorted at that last part, knowing how well she was able to hoard money, and plunked some down on the counter. "What's the special?"
"Try everything," a blonde young man a few seats down suggested, glancing over at her with a grin showing a mouthful of ramen. Judging by how many bowls were in front of him, Taya guessed that's what he had done.
"Here's what's Naruto's eating now," the man offered, setting a steaming bowl of noodles in front of her. She practically drooled at the smell, inhaling deeply. "Naruto…that's the kyuubi kid. Wow, he grew up," she thought, realizing he was only a year younger than she.
"Good, huh?" he asked, watching as she greedily gulped down the bowl with no apparent swallowing. Uhra had taken the seat between them, eyeing the manager with a look that suggested he serve the weasel before something bad happened.
"Delicious," she agreed, wiping the broth from her lips. "I'm Iijima Taya," she introduced, offering her hand for a shake. He took it eagerly, pumping it a few times before returning to his own meal.
"Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you," he added. Taya began to reply before doing a double-take, noticing what the young man was wearing.
"An ANBU uniform? I had no idea he had been promoted," she thought, not really surprised at the fact that Naruto was ANBU, just that she had been so out of touch in the village that she hadn't heard about it. "So, how long have you been an ANBU member?" she asked, twirling her second helping of noodles around her chopsticks.
"Close to two years now. Have you been out of the village or something?" he asked self-consciously, well-aware of the commotion his promotion had caused with the village. She grinned weakly, taking a moment before answering.
"You can say that. I've been busy," she replied, evading the question. Uhra snickered, knowing how stupid his master felt at the moment, and earned a smack on the ear for it.
"I can see you have," a voice remarked dryly, and she choked at hearing Neji's voice coming from her other side. She cringed and turned her head slowly, trying for an innocent smile when she met his stern gaze.
"Um…want some?" she asked, offering the bowl to him as if it were a peace offering. He eyed her for a moment before sighing and shifting so that he was looking over her shoulder at Naruto. She sunk down on her stool, trying to escape, but Neji grabbed her elbow firmly.
"So, you've back already?" he asked, and the blonde nodded.
"Just got back a few hours ago. Don't worry, we already sent in a report so no need to nag," Naruto added, rolling his eyes. Taya snickered at this description of Neji, glaring when the man merely tightened his grip. "So, you know him?" he asked her curiously.
"Sort of," she admitted, clearly not wanting to admit any association with the man.
"We're training her," Neji informed the blonde, who gaped in surprise.
"What?"
"It's complicated," Taya said, interrupting before Neji could explain further. She did not want it to get around the village that she was taken in by the Hyuuga clan like some lost puppy. "But he found me, so now I can't even finish my meal," she grumbled, beginning to get to her feet.
"Aw, c'mon, sit back down," Naruto urged her, ignoring Neji's death-glares. "He can't kidnap you, right? I'll pay," he offered, finding the strange woman funny. She blinked before gently seating herself, eyeing Neji warily.
"We have to go," the Hyuuga began, but was muffled when Uhra's tail stuffed itself into his mouth, the weasel having climbed onto the man's head in moments.
"You said it was her day off from training. Stop picking on her just because you're cranky," the weasel demanded. Taya stared in a mixture of horror and surprise - the weasel had never stuck up for her like this before and she was afraid she'd have to recall the summon before Neji could kill him.
The young Hyuuga grabbed the weasel by its tail and swung it upside-down in front of him, staring the creature in its eyes. "Do that again and I'll feed you to the carp in the pond," Neji informed him icily, dropping the weasel in the next moment.
"Hey! That's mean!" Taya argued, catching her summon and setting him on her lap. Naruto watched the exchange with his mouth opened, surprised Neji hadn't just subdued the woman and dragged her away by now.
"And having weasel hair in my mouth is acceptable?" Neji demanded, eyeing the woman with a look that suggested he wanted to do what Naruto was thinking.
"When you act like that it is," she grumbled, quickly finishing off her ramen before it was taken away from her. It was cold, but still good. She winced, waiting for Neji to smack her in the back of the head or something, so was surprised when he only growled.
"Excuse me?"
"Is this a bad time?" Oishi asked cheerfully, appearing next to Naruto and grinning at the trio. "Hope not, since my presence is a special gift at the moment."
"Oh really," Taya snorted, dodging a poke to her head.
"Show some respect to your betters, Taya-chan," he reprimanded her, and yelped when the empty ramen bowl bounced off his skull. "Stop doing that!"
"Stop calling me that, you asshole!" she shot back, then snapped her jaw shut and made a face that suggested she was trying to eat her own lips. Neji raised an eyebrow at the remark and surveyed Oishi for a long moment before smirking.
"I believe that was an appropriate title for you," he agreed, having never respected the ANBU member. He resembled Naruto, laid-back and cheerful, but his behavior bordered on insolence and laziness instead.
Taya's jaw dropped open, her eyes wide, and Uhra paused in his lunge to the offending young man. Even Naruto's eyes bugged out at Neji's remark, while Oishi sputtered in disbelief.
"I don't think I deserved that!" he finally managed.
"I believe Iijima-san is a fine judge of character, if nothing else," Neji added pointedly, pleased to see she winced at the last comment. Oishi blinked, resembling a fish for a few moments before regaining his composure and laughing.
"I guess I am an asshole sometimes," he finally agreed, ruffling Taya's hair. She slapped his hand away in irritation, but the ninja quickly removed the offending limb when he saw Neji's eyes narrow dangerously. "Taya-cha - she's just too fun to tease," he said, checking himself halfway through word. Naruto snickered, enjoying the show and decided it was worth paying for the girl's lunch.
"We should do lunch again sometime, Taya-chan," the blonde interrupted, and Oishi began to complain about the honorific when Uhra bit his arm. "Is Neji training you?" he added.
"No, Lee-san is," she said, a fact which earned an impressed noise from both Naruto and the whimpering Oishi. "What?" she asked blankly.
"I'm surprised you're still alive," Naruto admitted, then slapped her on the back. "Well, you deserve a lunch here if you have to deal with Lee! C'mon, Neji, don't be a nag," he added over her head, getting to his feet and handing the man some money.
"Please?" Taya added, giving the Hyuuga the puppy face. She doubted it would work - she didn't even like Naruto that much, hell, she'd only met him once - but a free lunch and a break from Lee was worth it.
Neji sighed, as if being horribly put upon, and shook his head. "No. Sorry, Hyuuga-san is very strict about her training regime," he said by way of excuse. "But I'll compromise - I'll let you know when she's got a day off, all right?" he asked. Naruto nodded, already heading down the street. He had anticipated Neji's answer.
"Sure, let me know!" he called, waving as he disappeared from view. Oishi began to limp away, Uhra climbing onto Taya's shoulder with a look of satisfaction.
"I'll see you around then, Iijima-san," the man muttered, waving briefly before turning a corner.
"Aren't you going to say I shouldn't have bit him?" Uhra asked, as Taya got to her feet as well, sensing Neji's patience was at an end. She shook her head, grinning.
"I was actually going to say bite harder next time," she said.
"You should sic that damn weasel on people," Neji reminded her calmly, making sure she was going to follow before heading back to the complex. She shrugged behind his back, sighing when he shook his head. "I can see you," he added patiently.
"Meanie."