Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its affiliates remain the sole property of Masashi Kishimoto.
Good morning, Tanya Lilac here. What can I say about Rendezvous? It's written for the prompt, "Secret Encounter", firstly. I also like the atmosphere... and I've always wondered what would happened if Tenten saw someone she knew while undercover.
Absolution
By Winter Lilacs
Rendezvous
The young woman sighed as she dipped brushes into pots of glittery powders and kohl. The ancient vanity at which she sat was just one of the many things in the room she'd been forced to call home for the past eighteen months. Beaded lamps stood on two mahogany bedside tables, surrounded by various paraphernalia that would have looked out of place in Konoha. Her armoire was open; clothes arranged in their colours; a habit "Evaline" had developed since childhood. Hidden in secret panels were tiny caches of weapons she had yet to use. The floor was meticulously clean, the walnut floorboards in need of a good waxing. The satin bed sheets, bought and paid for by a man from Suna, were emerald. They reminded her of home.
A black screen hid the only messy thing in her room, a vanity, from the eyes of those used to the dim greyness of shadows. Scarves were draped on the side of the mirror, beautiful necklaces were hung on a jewellery stand. Earrings, rings, bracelets, bangles and anklets were spilling out of the lacquer jewellery box, precious and semiprecious stones winking up at her in the dusky light. Brushes were scattered between bottles of exotic perfumes and expensive makeup, with the occasional sprinkling of coloured minerals mingled with dust and incense ash.
Tenten sighed. Evaline Crowne, the woman she had come to be, was a vain creature. She wore her hair in loose waves that flowed down to her waist, a rich hue of chestnut, sometimes adorned with hairpins and trinkets. She painted her lips every night, and lined her eyes with kohl. Her nails were immaculate, and painted all colours depending on her ever changing mood. Her hands were always soft and smooth, and scented with fragrant creams. Evaline had not been out in the sunshine for longer than two hours in a long time, but her milky skin always glowed with health, unlike the pallid complexions of her companions. Like her former self, she was a creature that belonged to the night time, with only the moon to guide her.
The kunoichi glanced over at the expensive armoire. Numerous gowns hung from coat hangers, each made of luxurious silks imported from far away lands. Masks were wrapped in linen and tucked away in the drawers, matching gloves and shawls folded away separately. She stood from the small stool and ran her fingers absentmindedly through her long hair before glancing in the mirror in the armoire door. The woman who stared back at her was beautiful and glamorous in an ethereal, mysterious manner. She seemed to exude a seductive quality, clothed as she was in a dressing gown.
With another sigh, Tenten picked out a dove grey dress. It was made of a sheer fabric that rippled as she walked. Strapless, and with a hem flowed down to the floor, the dress was adorned by glittering stones that spiralled up her lithe body. She paused to pin up her hair quickly before slipping into the gown. She smiled as she admired her reflection yet again. When she had first opened the box and pulled away the tissue paper, she could have sworn that –
Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock.
"Miss Crowne," a young boy said from beyond the oak door, and Tenten heard the shy hesitation in his voice.
"Come in," she called, smoothing out the small wrinkles in the dress.
He opened the door and shut it behind him, gawking, as usual, at the richness of her room. The other rooms in this place were dirty, dingy things, and their women snarled like hyenas. This one was lovely; she always smelled sweet, and her voice was like honey.
"Miss Crowne," he said, seeing only the flash of dove grey silk from behind the armoire door. "They're ready for you now."
"How many are there, Lewen?" Tenten asked quietly, pulling on her black gloves. They were velvet. Normally, she hated the fabric, but these gloves…
"Seven," Lewen replied.
Tenten shut the armoire door and walked over to the vanity again before picking out her earrings. She turned back to the young boy, who was staring at her.
"Which one do you think looks better?" She held up two necklaces. "The pearls, or the diamonds?"
He said nothing, and she nodded and smiled as if he had spoken.
"I think the diamonds, tonight." She shut the clasp of the necklace, shivering slightly at the cool metal against her neck, and picked up a gold coin from the dresser before turning away. "How do I look?"
She twirled, and the young boy blushed. "B… Beautiful."
Tenten smiled. "Come, I'm sure someone is looking for you." She took his hand and pressed the coin into it before ushering him out of the room before her.
They slipped out into the dark corridor, the woman locking the door behind her before she tucked the key away in her bodice. Lewen scampered off in the opposite direction, and Tenten sighed. She had seen no other children here- the only ones near his age were the young girls on the verge of womanhood, but they'd been here for reasons entirely different.
The young woman slipped through the corridors and hallways with practised, light footed ease, nodding at the others she passed. Finally, she came to one of the few grey doors and tapped the wood lightly with her gloved hand. The door opened and the dusky light spilled into the dark corridor as a man peered through. He sighed in relief.
"Evaline," he murmured, slipping through. "Took your time, eh?"
She smiled. "You can't rush perfection," she murmured, her voice low and husky. Hinata, of all people, had trained her in manipulating her voice. It seemed like an age ago.
"Well," he said, flustered as always. "They're businessmen. Just-"
Tenten reached out to the door. "I know how to do my job, Noah."
And what was her job, precisely? Tenten knew several titles – none of them very pleasant. Customs in this land were strange. All women were… commodities, obviously. She entertained men; gave her body to them when they wanted it.
She'd been sent here undercover to investigate the place; there had been rumours that it was the base for a drugs operation, headed by none other than the successful businessman, Yamaguchi Ichiro. So far, she'd found nothing but several rich benefactors who had showered her with lavish dresses and exquisite jewellery. In moments of unguardedness, they'd revealed small gems of information, but nothing to found a full trial on.
Secretly, these past eighteen months away from everything familiar had been harder than she'd ever cared to admit. As much as she hated to sound like a clingy girlfriend, she'd missed Neji more than she'd ever thought imaginable. She had not forgotten the day that she'd left Konoha, and how he had kissed her in full view of everyone there. He had never been one for public displays of affection, but he had almost burned her with his need and passion. The thought of it now made her smile.
Brushing her thoughts aside with a small toss of her hair, she stepped into the small chamber behind Noah, and her breath caught.
"Gentlemen," Noah announced, "I present Evaline Crowne."
"Ahh, so this is the Evaline I've been hearing about," a young man murmured. His silky hair framed his face, a deep, familiar shade of mahogany. His eyes were as blue as the summer sky she missed, and he was breathtakingly handsome.
Tenten moved into the centre of the room eyes downcast, and he stood, admiring her form as be began to walk around her in an almost predatory fashion. She didn't care. That voice just kept sending shivers down her spine.
"Perfect, just perfect," he murmured, stroking the warm flesh on her shoulder. "You're right, Ichiro, she is beautiful. I don't know why you didn't show her to me earlier." He stood before her, and ran his fingers through her hair as he cupped her cheek. "Look up," he commanded softly. She met his gaze and was taken aback by the blatant passion and lust they held.
"Hey, Hiroshi," Ichiro said, bemused as he sipped his brandy. "Don't steal her from the rest of us before we've had a chance. I've been hearing nothing but good about this one. So cold and beautiful now, but all wild fire between those emerald sheets of hers…"
Tenten heard the lustful inflection in his voice, but was beyond care. He was here.
Without warning, he captured her lips roughly. His lips tasted like the fiery alcohol he'd been drinking, but he smelled… he smelled just like home. He smelled like the cotton sheets on her bed, like laundry in the spring… like the wind on an autumn afternoon. It was how her dress had smelled when she'd first opened it. Like him.
But she was careful, so very careful it hurt. She responded like she would as if he was anyone else, as if he was a perfect stranger- with a kind of coolness devoid of intimacy. He stepped back, grinned, and sat back down, beckoning to her. Tenten played the part, and her eyes flickered to Noah, who shrugged and nodded.
The young man pulled her into his lap, and conversation continued.
"She's a pretty little thing," he said, his hands running all over her body. "I like her." He smiled at Ichiro from across the room. "Can I have her?"
The older man sighed heavily. "It's a heavy thing you ask, Hiroshi."
"But she's just so…" He kissed her neck, breathing in the scent of her perfume. "… delicious. I have to have her. Surely, you can let me have this one, just for tonight?"
Ichiro laughed. "You haven't been this taken with any of the others; I suppose it is your turn."
"Evaline," he said finally, as if savouring her name. "Evaline."
She looked down at him, still speechless. Her hands hidden by the shadows of the room, she allowed herself to run her fingers through his hair, and the corner of her mouth upturned in a slight smile.
*****
It wasn't until much later when the pair lay in each other's arms that Tenten heard her name- her real name- spoken for the first time in over a year.
"Tenten," Neji whispered against her neck, his eyes no longer masked by the henge he'd cast. "I've missed you."
"You have no idea how much I wanted to hear you say that." Tenten smiled and kissed him. Suddenly, she paused as a thought crossed her mind. "I hope you haven't been feeding Alexis too much."
