Starless

NejiXTenten. The instructions were clear. Eliminate any witness. It was starless that night.

Naruto is by Masashi Kishimoto.

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Chapter Four: Neji vs Tenten

Suddenly, his entire body felt weak. He couldn't bring himself to stand up. Without taking his eyes off her, the questions raced through his head. What was she doing out there on her own? What should be his next move? He never had any trouble understanding massive amounts of information until that time. She was a comrade and so much more- so much more than that. He couldn't possibly take her down. But letting her go would mean betraying the trust of the client. Losing focus in such a situation was not like him.

She tried to concentrate. Either the enemy was an expert at stealth or the enemy lost her and gave up. She prayed hard that it was the latter. It was a good thing that she hadn't changed yet. She still had her kunai holster and weapons pouch though she left her scrolls in their room back in the hot spring. Even though she was a weapons specialist, the situation was totally against her. Her weapons would be useless in that dark. Her perfect aim would be meaningless because she didn't even know the location of her target.

He reached for a couple of kunais and threw them as soon as she made a movement. The weapons stopped her right after her first step. It landed a good number of inches from her feet- exactly where he wanted it to be. Her heart nearly skipped a beat, alarmed by the abrupt and hostile approach. She had been tracked down and obviously, she wasn't allowed to leave. Sensing that she would have to be engaged in a fight soon, she reached for her pouch for a quick estimate of the limited arsenal that she had.

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She panted heavily, her back pressed against a tree trunk. She decided to give it a run. Staying in that place when she knew that she was being watched would do no good. The enemy was still tracking her down though. And he was doing it with utmost ease- to her bewilderment. Was he immune to the dark or something? A sweat drop trickled down her temple- it was a chilly autumn night. She looked up in exhaustion, wiping several beads of sweat on her forehead. A blanket of clouds covered the night sky, she noticed

He was still in a debate with himself when she started running. He tried to stop her with another warning shot but she continued. He couldn't let her run away. He couldn't disappoint the client. He couldn't disappoint Konoha. The Hokage clearly told him that she wanted to satisfy the daimyo, that the mission was vital in maintaining a good relationship between Konoha and the Land of Fire. He knew all that and he knew what he had to do. But why did it have to be her? The heavens were being unjust and cruel.

The scurry ended with her seeking a hiding place from amongst the shadows of the forest. It was to be expected. She didn't have such a high level of stamina. He sat down quietly on the ground, tightly clenching his fists together, asking himself what he was doing. He was losing track of his own actions. He couldn't find sense in it. She was probably clueless that he was the one chasing her, clueless that he was just a few trees away. Chasing was pointless. He can end it all at will. If only his will would let him.

His thoughts were disrupted by the sudden arrival of another presence of chakra. It was foreign to him and it was getting closer. He leaped to a tall branch, searching for its source. It was another shinobi- definitely not from Konoha. Those old geezers never trusted him right from the start. They probably sent him for back up. And because his presence was proficiently hidden, that shinobi would most definitely go for…

Abandon the mission.

He jumped in to deflect the fuuma shuriken aimed toward the unknowing girl in a split second decision. But he turned around to meet the blade of her kunai thrusting deep into the right side of his torso. It was unanticipated. Surprised that she actually managed a counterattack, she lost balance and they both fell to the ground. She was determined to fight for her life though. She pulled out the metal and stabbed him once again, in the same area. The ninjatou blade, broken from the impact against the fuuma shuriken, struck the ground nearby.

Wisps of long dark hair escaped from the hood of his cowl. That person carried a scent too familiar to her, despite being infused with the stench of blood. That was a fuuma shuriken that came out of nowhere. Why did he block it? She was uncertain of the events because she was too absorbed thinking of a way to defeat her pursuer. That and the confusion of why he wasn't fighting back- she was getting awfully shaky as she removed the mask on his face. Panic reflected on her eyes when she saw the face of the shinobi on top of her.

She immediately rolled over, laying his head gently and steady on the ground. Her sobs were suppressed as she stared at him with vacuous eyes. It was his S rank mission that she witnessed. Knowing that it was him who was trying to kill her- so that explained the flawless tracking skills. What was he thinking? Why did he chase her? Was that a part of his mission? The tears started to overflow at the thought- that he was willing to go that far. She clearly overestimated her place in his life. And it hurt like hell.

"Neji…" She muttered as her blood stained hands brushed strands of hair off his face.

He squirmed in pain, covering the wounds on his side with his own reddened hands. You brought this upon yourself, she thought bitterly. She could have guessed anybody else. Anybody else would be fine. She had given so much but it proved to be insufficient that he still wanted to take her life- when it belonged to him from as far as she could remember. She wanted to stab him again. She felt so betrayed. She needed to hear an explanation. She needed something to believe in because she felt totally empty. She was pitiful beyond words.

"You were... why did you…" Her broken words trailed off, tears stopping her mid-verse. She paused, allowing her tears to fall softly, uninterrupted, and when she was ready to talk, she was concerned of only one thing. "You're hurt…" She whispered.

He shook his head lightly, forcing a smile on his nearly colorless face. He lost a lot of blood from the stab wounds that she inflicted. He couldn't give her an explanation in that situation, she figured. She held the kunai firmly and took it out with a sharp pull at the same time that he rolled over her again. His Byakugan saw it coming.

"Don't move!" She said in a futile late warning.

He collapsed on top of her. Her heart was beating wildly when she saw several shurikens dug on his back. She didn't notice because her thoughts were in disarray. Where did those shurikens come from? She muttered a curse. There was another enemy, Neji was hurt badly, and she didn't know what to do.

"It's a shinobi from Iwagakure… You have to fight him…" His breathing was labored.

"I'm… I'm no good…" She said as her tears kept on falling.

"Yes you are…"

"We have to get out of here, that's what we have to do… I'm with Sakura so…"

She hated her stupidity and uselessness. She almost killed him when the real enemy was out there. His Byakugan had been deactivated and a thin stream of crimson flowed from the corner of his mouth. She was, as always, a hindrance to him. It would have been better if she was the one who got hurt. He would know what to do. The enemy might be on the offense again soon and all she could do was tremble. It was the first time that she felt that scared- scared for his safety, above anything else.

"Tenten…"

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry..." Her voice was barely audible.

He stared at her face. She was shaken. It might be useless to convince her to fight. He embraced her tightly and picked her up as he concentrated his last remaining chakra to his feet. Carrying her, they dashed through the woods, avoiding the next batch of weapons that could have been fatal. She saw the blades striking against the empty ground. She bit her lower lip.

He slowed down before coming to a complete stop, putting her down on the ground before collapsing again. She supported his weight, helping him in a sitting position. She had him with his back leaning against a tree and she confirmed that he had lost consciousness.

He had completely exhausted his chakra, in addition to the amount of blood that he lost. She watched him as he slept- her crying had stopped a moment ago. It was dead quiet but it would soon be over. That Iwagakure shinobi seemed to be determined to finish them. She slammed her forehead against the palm of her hands- like a wake up call. She couldn't be waiting idly for their hunter. Not at that place. She needed to lead the enemy away from him. She took out her hitai-ate and after putting it on, she lifted his face with her hands, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"I'll take it from here." She said as she ran away.

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Well that's less suspenseful, isn't it? See, I'm not in a killing mood XD

Again, your taking time to read and review is greatly appreciated!