Start: Feb 25 2009 12:19 AM
Of Guns and Roses
3. The Forecast
By Musei Kage
Disclaimer: Musei Kage does not own Naruto and this story is not written for profit.
For Tenten, shopping had never been dangerous. Sure, the odd big sale her mother brought her to might've put her in danger of being trampled by desperate shoppers, but never had she resented going shopping this much. Isn't your wallet the only thing that's supposed to be endangered in the sport of shopping? Apparently that's not the case for Konoha.
Tenten hid a wince when she felt Ino's nails dig into her skin, her grip on Tenten's arm tightened when Kabuto took a step forward. It was Sakura who stood up bravely against the older man, her tone containing contempt, "What do you want, Kabuto?"
Kabuto shook his head, "There's no need to become hostile Miss Haruno; it was only a mere coincident that we met today. I swear to you that I have no ulterior motive for being here, I just wanted to say hello." Ino couldn't suppress the snort of disbelief, since when did Akatsuki play nice? Hinata glanced over at them warily, unsure what to make of the situation.
"Well you've said your hellos, please leave now," Sakura responded, her right arm resting akimbo on her hip. Tenten felt her heart speed up; to her it didn't seem like a very sound decision to piss this guy off. His goons she could care less about, they didn't look sober anyways.
Kabuto feigned a hurt look, "Now, now, is that anyway to talk to a friend?"
"Friend, my ass," Tenten heard Ino growl from her side. The air was tense around them, and Tenten's fingers twitched, wanting to grab her phone and call…well, anyone would do, even 911!(1) But before anyone could even move, a new voice cut in to the conversation.
"Kabuto, what are you doing?" The voice was low and baritone, completely foreign to Tenten but the look on her friends' faces made her believe that they knew the speaker. Spiked black hair came in to view from behind Kabuto, and a sombre looking man strode over, clearly looking pissed.
"Sasuke, just in time," Kabuto smirked, "Won't you say hi to your old friends?" Dark grey eyes scanned the girls coolly, but didn't greet them.
"You're putting us behind schedule," he only said, and turned to leave.
"Seems our time is cut short, good bye ladies," Kabuto smiled again and followed after the sullen male.
"Sasuke!" Tenten whipped her head around to see Sakura clap a hand over her mouth as if not believing she'd just exclaimed that. He turned to regard her and met eyes with the pink haired girl, but their gazes only locked for a moment before he averted his gaze and left without looking back again. Ino rubbed her best friend's back comfortingly while tears began to pour from her emerald eyes, leaving Tenten in a state of confusion. Twice in 2 days she'd been roped into the ever so complicated affairs of the Leaf. Twice she'd feared for her life. She wanted answers, and she wanted them now.
But as much as Tenten was bursting to bomb her friends with questions, she didn't have the heart to do it in the state Sakura was in. Sitting beside her in the backseat of the car, the usually energetic girl was staring blankly out the window, only moving to wipe a stray tear away once in a while. Ino and Hinata chatted in the front while the blonde drove, but the tension in the air was hard to miss.
Tenten reached over and touched her friend's arm, silently asking if she was all right. Sakura smiled in response, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Don't worry about it, I'm fine, really. Sasuke's just an old flame."
"Old flame? He never even properly broke up with-," Ino clamped her hand over her mouth before she said too much.
"Wait, so this Sasuke person just left without telling you?" A frown graced Tenten's features, what kind of a jerk was this guy? "How come you were dating someone from the Tiger gang? I'd think there was some rule against that…"
Hinata turned to face the back, "Sasuke wasn't an Akatsuki member to begin with; he switched sides." Tenten glanced over at Sakura again, who seemed to become gloomier with each fact, causing Tenten not to pursue the subject. It could wait and it frankly wasn't her business anyhow.
"We're here," Ino informed them as she pulled into a large circular driveway. Tenten peered out the window, suddenly fully aware that she was in the wrong side of town. The expansive Hyuuga Estate stood before her and she gaped in awe. Somehow she still couldn't rid her mind of the usual gang stereotype, with the slums and all. This was a whole different level of reality.
But the half dozen motorcycles standing in the driveway, accompanied by their owners, shattered the ethereal image of the building.
"Kiba, where are you guys going?" Ino stopped next to his silver and red striped bike.
"Revenge, what else?" he grinned, sharp canines poking out mischievously.
Sakura was suddenly standing outside the car, realizing they had already caught wind of the mall incident. "No, there's no need. They didn't hurt us or anything!" She pleaded to Naruto, who usually listened to her.
"As much as I'd rather stay out of this, the Akatsuki have to know not to mess with any of us," Shikamaru explained, leaning against his own bike. "Otherwise, they'll give us more trouble later on"
"Please Naruto, can't you just let it go?" Sakura stared at her friend hopefully. Naruto seemed pained, he didn't want to go to hurt Sasuke either - they were best friends after all. But he also had loyalty to the Leaf. He looked back at Neji, who nodded silently.
"But next time, if they even lay a finger on you, we're not looking back," Naruto promised.
Sakura nodded, her pink hair bobbing. The blonde boy broke into his usual grin again. "Hey, hey, want a ride then since we have nothing to do?"
"Only if I get to drive," she smiled, thankful to have a friend like Naruto.
He made a face, "What? No way! No one drives this baby except me!" Naruto patted his orange and blue decal bike possessively and the two dove into another one of their arguments.
"Yes! A road trip! Tenten, are you coming?" Ino jumped onto the back of Kiba's bike and beckoned her friend to join the group.
"Nah, not in the mood," she shook her head, "You guys have fun though."
"We'll be back soon," Hinata smiled softly from behind Shino. Tenten waved and laughed as they sped off, followed by a cloud of dust and faint shouting from Sakura and Naruto.
"Do you need a lift home?" Tenten jumped, not realizing that Neji was still with her.
"Oh, you didn't go?"
He shook his head, "Mine is in the shop." He explained, referring to his motorcycle. The stood silently for a moment, Tenten suddenly finding the dirt on her shoes very interesting, and Neji observed her from his position.
"Since I'm here," She finally piped up, "Do you think you can give me a tour?"
Tenten was semi-surprised when he agreed, and she found herself being led around the estate by a tour guide who should definitely stick to his day job, whatever that was.
"The dining room," Neji pointed towards a large dining hall furnished with a long table and numerous chairs surrounding it under a large chandelier. As if that didn't speak for itself…
Tenten rolled her eyes. "Yes, and this is the stairs, am I right?" She pointed to the winding staircase that led downstairs to the basement.
"You are the one who asked for this tour," he reminded as he descended to where she pointed.
"And you can bet I regret it…" she muttered under her breath. Only Neji could make this beautiful estate feel like she was in some boring old museum. She followed him down the stairs and was temporarily lost in the dark until Neji flipped a switch somewhere. Lights flood the room and she squinted to see human shaped cut outs on the far side of the wall with black rings imprinted on it. Who the heck kept a shooting range under their house? From the corner of her eye, she noticed the Hyuuga place his hands on a scanning device before it beeped and the wall slid open to reveal a room filled with various weapons. Tenten gulped.
"It seems that you weren't entirely truthful with me the other day, Tenten." Now she really regretted asking for the tour. Neji saw the panicked look on her face and continued. "I looked into your family, your father, Shen Wu, was a member of this organization."
Tenten frowned, "Wait, he was?"
"Not only was he a member, but he helped build it with my uncle and my father," Neji watched for her reaction, but was met with one of pure surprise and confusion. "Do you deny that this is true?"
She shook her head fervently, "I only know that my dad was part of some gang when he was younger, but he never told me which one. He said he left because he wanted to get away from all that. I didn't want to get him involved since he's done with it other than some weapons dealing. And…"
"Enough," Neji cut her off, seemingly satisfied with her answer. "I don't require your entire family history. So long as I have your word that you will not lie to me again, you are not under any threat." He tossed a gun towards her, a Glock, which she was familiar with.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked, cradling the weapon in her hand. He saw the lack of fear she had while holding it, instead there was almost a tinge of excitement in her eyes.
"I want to see your skill," he said, throwing her a pair of earplugs.
She was puzzled, but also slightly afraid to argue with him. There was a tense atmosphere in the room and she knew he was testing her. But for what, she wasn't sure. Wedging in the earplugs, she glanced back at him and he nodded. She positioned herself and raised the weapon with both hands.
Firing successively, she didn't even blink. An air of calm surrounded her still when the noise died down. When the civilian target wheeled up towards them, they both saw that her shots had all landed within the centre ring.
"Impressive," Neji nodded in approval, and she felt strangely proud of herself. "We could use a skilled marksman like you." He tossed something at her, which she caught with her free hand. He seemed to enjoy throwing things at her today. It was cloth, and heavy. Looking at her hand, she saw the same blue bandana she'd seen the Leaf members sporting, with the same metal plate and insignia.
Wait, what?
End Chapter 3
Completed: May 31, 2011
Notes:
(1) North American number for emergencies?
A/N: Trying my best to get back into things. Sorry! This is kind of a limbo chapter, before I can really squeeze out some sold plot points. Someone asked about pairings, and I'm hesitant to straight up tell you what they are because other than Neji and Tenten, it's not really what I want to focus on. So for now, they'll just pop up here or there, unfortunately. Thanks for your patience!
