A dash by the corridor…
Gunshots…
And a promise…
-----------------------------
The Promise
-----------------------------
Sparkle, dance, send up a blue dream
Someday we'll meet
You, me, and the love that joins us
We'll be strong together, forever
Ikimono Gakari: Hanabi
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Both of them didn't understand it. They both didn't understand why they sat together in that cold room without a single word escaped their mouth. They just sat there, together, without anything else to do. It was something completely unimportant… but somehow for both of them, it was the most comfortable thing they ever did for themselves…
The white eyes were staring at the dark ceiling while the soft brown orbs were gazing at the floor—both look were haze and unfocused, like in a trance. But strange enough, the only being they could feel was each other. Just like what filled their mind.
He suddenly rose from his seat. She quickly raised her head at him, throwing a questioning look.
"Where are you going?"
He didn't bother to look at her as he brushed invisible dust from his knees and shoulder.
"You'll know it later on."
She bit her bottom lips. She'll be alone again in that cold room. With him, darkness and cold were nothing. She felt save… and warm… and content. But if he left… solitude would engulf her again… stronger than ever. She didn't know why but… but if he left… she would miss him so much that it hurts. He looked at her for a time with his impassive eyes. He turned towards the door after a few moments, walking away from her.
"I'll come again after a short while."
She lifted her eyes and looked at his back as he went away. She watched as the final streak of light shone the room when he slowly closed the door. After the iron door was completely shut, she closed her eyes again.
If he was going to come back… then let it became the reason why she would survive.
X
Outside the room, he stood still with his gloved hand still lingered on the iron door. His heart pounding a little too fast than it should've been. As he tried to steady himself, he found out that he just couldn't take her away from his mind. Not after he read what was in her mind that transpired just a moment ago…
I want to be with you.
He gritted his teeth. What made him disturbed was a realization. He realized… that he felt the same as she was. He wanted to be with her too… in where the time was theirs and no one else could bother them. If he could just be with her, nothing else mattered. Nothing.
So the only thing he could do was…
He finally released the iron door and walked away. His mind was set with a purpose and his eyes were gleaming after years of emptiness.
The only way to be with her… was to be free.
X
"They're up to something," Kabuto lifted his glasses up on his nose. "Number 27 and number 103. We shouldn't have paired them from the beginning."
Uchiha Sasuke didn't reply. He was staring blankly at the window, looking at the warehouse of the lab. Kabuto exasperatingly walked towards him and said, "Please, Uchiha-san. Listen to me."
"Torture her. She will talk."
Kabuto stunned for a while.
"Sir?"
"Torture her," He walked towards the door, eyes glimmered with unfathomable gaze. "Bind her. She will scream but the more she screams the better. She will give you a full scenario once the torture is unbearable. Then… the future is yours."
X
White eyes in the dark, flashing like moonlight at night. He stood still but his mind was reeling… Faster… faster… as he read the flashing books in front of him… courtesy of every people he encountered…
Shit, I shouldn't have let her leave! She will…
Jump. Run. Hit… Move…
Number 98… Number 98…
Geez. I forgot the code again.
Glove! Glove! My glove!
If I can just lay my hand… the dance…
Open the door. Dang.
Access code is… BD435… Ah! Open!
Torture. Torture. Torture.
Take the wheel, drive the car!
KL9890…
Dang… Dang! She's hot!
Took her…
Wait. Wait.
I'll get you next time, Uchiha!
Pizza… must deliver pizza…
He wanted some... A torture!
CT2887.
ZAP! All books in his head were closed at the same time. His eyes flashed. He got what he wanted.
X
She opened her eyes in alarm. The door was opened rather harshly. One thing for sure, it wasn't him.
"Take her."
"What?!" She quickly raised her head, seeing two masked guards with gloves half-running towards her. "Hey! What are… LET ME GO!"
They tried to seize him as she struggled with all power remained in her. Finally one of them took out his guard staff and punched her hard on her temples—made her fell unconscious to the ground almost instantly. They hauled her up and dragged her towards their commander. Kabuto watched as her blood dripped to the dark floor, a ruthless grin find its way to his face.
"Take her to the lab. Prepare the whip. This is going to be interesting."
X
His steps were steady and fast, as they usually were. His fingers traced the outline of a gun on his waist. The road before him will provide absolutely no time to rest. He was silently preparing his heart for everything if he was to…
What?
Her room's iron door was left wide open. Something's not right.
He ran towards the open door and looked into the room searchingly. She wasn't there…
And there was something caught his eyes. He bent down and ran a gloved finger over a dark liquid by the floor. His eyes turned grim.
Her blood.
X
Sasuke didn't say anything as they tied her to the chair. His eyes flashed dangerously at her. Kabuto looked at him and said, "Now?"
"Wake her up," Sasuke said lightly. His fingers traced the hilt of a whip. "Don't waste anymore time."
His eyes roved around the room.
"She won't feel any pain when she's asleep."
X
Her head were throbbing. She felt dizzy and her eyes couldn't focus themselves…
"Touch her."
Her eyes snapped open when a figure suddenly grabbed her wrist. And the throbbing was worse than ever…
"AAAARRGGGHHH!!!"
A sound of dashing… gunshots…
"Kill him!"
"He's over…"
"Get down!"
WHIP! She screamed when the whip hit her body, leaving a long bleeding cut on her shoulder. The pain filled her brain… and somehow… The scenarios flooded into her mind. Faster… faster…
"Don't just stay! He's…"
"… Put out the fire!"
"Get him down!"
It hurts… hurts… She let out shuddered breaths. And she shut her eyes. Then the world turned bright in her mind. So bright… With scenes and lights… Lights… blinding lights… they burn… burn… BURN.
ZAP!
"The calculation won't match! Her mind far exceeds the limit!"
Her blood trickled down her cheek, leaving trail of red liquid on her face… Why… why must she suffer? Why were they... The agony… The torment…
"Count it from the start of the experiment!"
"It vanished! The future vanished!"
"Bring him down!"
"He's there!"
"It's futile! We're losing connection!"
"Hit her!"
THWACK! Pain shot her nerves… But she didn't scream. She could see nothing except the light… and she could feel nothing except the pain…
Gunshots…
Shouts…
Explosion…
Blood…
"Shoot them."
"TRAITOR!"
"Why…" She gritted her teeth. Her body shivered by the intense pain… and the scenes just wouldn't stop. "Why… WHY?! WHY ARE YOU TORTURING ME?!"
BOOM! The main monitor suddenly exploded. Pieces of screen showered the room… and the cable was set on fire.
"The device won't work!" shouted one of the scientists. "Her mind is leaking! She's too powerful!"
"Bring the water! Hurry!"
"We have to stop!" Kabuto turned to look at Sasuke. "Sasuke-san! If this goes on, the room will…"
Sasuke raised his whip.
"Wait! Sasuke-san!"
"No."
"So… it's you all along…"
"Please…" A shuddered whimper escaped her mouth. "Stop… STOP!"
BLAST! The lamps blew and the room was suddenly rendered dark. Shattered glass showered them from above and Sasuke involuntarily released his grip on her hand, evading the showering glass. The scenes stopped but not the pain…
"Don't move. I'll get you out."
A soft voice snapped her back to the reality, vanishing all the pain from her head… A voice that she remembered dearly…
"You… come…"
Finally she was able to see something beside the torment and the blinding light… A pair of tender translucent orbs…
"Of course."
He released her swiftly and flung her hand over his shoulder. In the darkness, no one could…
"TRAITOR!!"
BLAST! Blood splattered the room… and his left shoulder felt the burning bullets digging into his flesh. His hand suddenly had his gun and he pointed it right towards the attacker.
BANG! The sound of his gunfire alarmed everyone. He dashed to the door, dodging the bullets while dragging her powerless body. Kabuto quickly recovered and shouted, "Kill him! Don't let him take her away!"
BANG! BANG!
He disappeared in an intersection, running away from all the bullets successfully.
"Find him," Sasuke threw his whip to the floor then walked emotionlessly towards the door. "A foolish mouse will always sulk in the bottom. The traitor wouldn't get away with this."
X
He panted as he ran down the corridor. She was on his back, still like a dead body. Her breaths were heavy and she still hasn't recovered from her previous torture.
"There! Running behind the boxes!"
BANG! Three boxes fell behind them. He released one of his hands by her leg and in a flash, a gun was raised. Gunshots filled the corridor and three guards fell dead to the floor. He didn't have time to celebrate though, since six more ran after him.
"KILL HIM!!"
"Get the girl alive!"
Bang! He threw himself behind a box just in time. The woman on his back slowly shifted and wearily said, "Get me down."
"No," He panted as he reloaded his gun. She groaned and said, "Then I get down by myself."
He closed his eyes and finally let her down, only to raise both of his guns to the air and shot six guards that ran after them. She looked at the empty corridor ahead of them and cursed. A guard has arrived and had his gun pointed at her companion.
"Behind you!"
BANG! BANG! The guard fell lifeless to the floor. The white eyed man had his other hand shot him. He twirled his guns.
"Let's go."
As they ran to the end of the corridor, she stopped by the dead guard's body… And took his gun.
"FOUND THEM!"
BANG! A bullet almost caught her, several inches from her head. Cursing, she raised her newly gained gun and shot.
BANG!
Bulls eyes. Her translucent eyed companion stopped on his track and raised one of his perfect eyebrows.
"You're good."
She threw him a bright smile.
"Thanks."
X
Access Granted
The door to the indoor parking lot slid open for them. He harshly dragged her behind the door… as twenty guards ran behind them.
"STOP THE TRAITOR!!"
"To the truck!" He half-pushed her towards the lab's truck, parked near them. "Get inside!"
She literally jumped into the truck, dodging bullets as the guards showering them with gunshots. She aimed them and released five shots, emptying the gun. All of them hit. Meanwhile, her companion quickly jumped to the driver seat. He destroyed the keyhole then turn on the engine with his dragger. It worked.
"Don't let them get away!!!!"
"ATTACK THE TRUCK!"
"Shoot them," without even looking at her, he gave her his own guns and ammunitions. She smiled.
"With pleasure."
The truck suddenly blasted forward, ignoring the bullets showering them. She aimed every attacker and shot each of them dead, no unnecessary shot. As they drove away towards the gate, suddenly as many as thirty guards appeared before them, aiming their heads…
"FIRE!"
BANG! Bullets almost hit his head. Another wave of bullets quickly followed, desperately trying to stop them down. Their front wheels gave away… and the truck became hard to control. But he didn't slow the truck down. They had to go on… or… or…
Huh?
He suddenly saw something. Barrels of O2 for experiment by the gate… near the attacking guards.
"Aim the barrels! One shot!"
She quickly raised her gun, gritted her teeth when a bullet hit her shoulder. For freedom… For everything… She can't fail.
BANG!
She shot… and as usual… it hit.
BOOOOOOMMM!!!
"UAAAAAAARRGGHHHH!!!"
Screams was heard from the burned guards as the gas blew up in one massive explosion. Fire blasted to every direction and the gate which stood right beside the barrels crumbled to the ground. An opening.
"Hold on tight."
He hit the gas… And their truck ran right into the fire… right towards their freedom… and out of the watching onyx eyes' sight.
X
Trees… Green… Color… She has forgotten them all. But now the trees were right in front of her, covering their truck from the main road's sight. A river running right beside their truck, its water glimmering with sunlight… a perfect sight to see after long days inside the dark and enclosed cell. She took a handful of river water and washed her bleeding cuts and bullet wounds. Washing the pain away. It felt a lot more than just preventing infection.
"No one can see us now," the cold baritone voice of her companion snapped her back to the reality. He was sitting right beside her, tidying his clothes and put on his gloves again after washing his wounds. "Right now, they must be thinking that we drive straight to the city... They won't expect us to be here."
He quietly stood. She looked at him—looking at the tall and strong figure of the long haired man before her. His glassy orbs reflecting the light of the shimmering river and the breeze was playing with his hair. She could see his face perfectly—now that the light was there to shine upon both them. His perfect eyebrows… his strong jaw… that familiar handsome face…
Her heart suddenly stopped.
"My name… is Tenten."
They both froze. Hearts beat faster… The air suddenly felt cold… and it felt unbelievably hurt when he finally gazed at her—an unfathomable stare filled his translucent eyes… That familiar orbs… Then he suddenly let out his baritone voice, uncertain… but steady.
"Hyuuga Neji."
Her brown eyes widened. And suddenly her breath turned heavy…
Her tears didn't stop as she called for her deceased father… as she mourned over the only person she could cling on to…
"He won't rest peacefully if you keep crying."
A white handkerchief was the first thing she saw when she looked up… and a pair of glassy orbs clashed with her brown ones.
"Erase those tears," his tone was not exactly warm… but she eventually stopped crying. "Crying doesn't suit you."
She took his white handkerchief and slowly asked, "Who are you?"
Silence accompanied them for a while until he let out his voice once more. A voice she immediately loved.
"Hyuuga Neji."
"Ne… Neji…"
"They sound nice," she smiled as she listened to the birds. "Nee, Neji?"
"Hn."
He was lying on his back, closing his eyes to the harmony of the tweets and the light of the sunrise.
"Why do you think is that?"
The white eyed boy didn't look at her when he answered.
"Because they are free."
Her tears slowly blurred her vision. She covered her mouth with her hand, repressing the sob…
He released the buns on her head, making her gasp in surprise. She blushed deeply when he gave her his proud smirk upon seeing her brown hair tumbled into waves to her back.
"N-Neji?"
His eyes were filled with clouds as his smirk turned into a smile.
"You're beautiful."
"So… it's you… all along…"
The painful memories slowly emerged into her mind once again… The one she had tried to keep away… The memories that made her suffer for years… the memories of him…
"I'm going away. The Agency forced me to."
She averted her gaze.
"You'll leave me then… You'll leave me alone again…"
"But will you let me go?"
She cursed under her breath and closed her eyes.
"I know you too well to hold you back."
"You… You didn't come home…"
He didn't move as her sob painfully broke her defenses. His eyes wavered. Memories… something they both longed for… has finally rained upon their mind… but…
"You promised me but you didn't come home!"
"Will you come back?"
His eyes were the only thing she saw.
"I promise."
"I've waited for years, Neji!" She couldn't take it anymore. As her memories flooded her mind, the pain and longing formed by years of waiting surged in her heart. The man before her… The man before her was… "I've waited for two years but you didn't even send any message! You didn't even contact me! I've waited… I've waited!!! Those two years… those two agonizing years! You… You never come back home! Never!"
"Forget him! He won't come back home!"
"How could you say such thing?! He promised me!"
"Tenten…" Her friends looked at her empathically. "He's probably dead now. Give up!"
"No…" they said she was deft. They said she was a fool… a dreamer… She just… couldn't let herself to hear them… "I don't believe that! Never! He will come home!"
Days without his touch… days without his tender gaze… days without him… They were days that hurt the most… Days when she could involuntarily breakdown… Days of waiting… waiting for something that may never come back… the empty hope… the tears… the loneliness… everything…
"Tenten-nee-san…" Hyuuga Hinata sat beside her, an anxious expression on her face. She gently hugged her restless body. "Please get some sleep… You haven't sleep for a week…"
"But… what if he came back? He will need some…"
"Nee-san…" She hugged her gently. "The Agency said…"
"Neji never…"
"Please, Nee-san… I… I will stay here for you…" Hinata desperately hugged her. She closed her eyes, trying to hold back her tears. "Please… just get some sleep… Nii-san… Nii-san won't like it, right? Nii-san will never approve you to torture yourself like this! Please, Nee-san…"
"But what if Neji comes home? He…"
"Nee-san…" Hinata looked into her brown orbs. Tears streamed down her face… and finally Tenten just couldn't keep her own. She understood… but… but still… she… "Nii-san is… Nii-san… probably won't come home anymore…"
Those longing she felt… The aching in her heart… He saw it. He read it. He felt them all. And he was hurt in the same way as she was.
"Now you know… why I can't come home."
She couldn't stop her sob… but he couldn't encourage himself to step closer and embrace her… not with the guilt inside his heart.
"I'm sorry, Tenten."
She finally let her tears out as she plunged herself to his arms. She missed him. She missed the smell of wood and breeze in his clothes… His gentle touch… His low baritone voice… and even his proud smirk. She missed every part of him. Every part of the man she knew for years… Every one of them… And now that he was right beside her… now that she was in his arms…
He gently hugged her… and finally he whispered.
"I miss you too."
That was enough to make her cry even more. She pounded his chest, pounding this annoying man for making her cry. For making her stupid self to fell in love with him so badly that she willfully waited for two years… For making herself so prone to tears simply by meeting him again… For everything that her foolish heart felt towards him… For this silly so-called love…
"Fool! Foooooool!!!!" She was half-laughing half-crying as she slapped his face gently. His eyes softened when he saw the look of her soft affectionate brown eyes. "I hate you so, Hyuuga Neji! I hate you! I hate you!!!"
Then… there came his famous smirk.
"But you do love me."
Oh gosh… dang it! She does love him… and that realization was enough to stop her tears. He was indeed, the man she has been waiting for… He was indeed… the proud but unfairly handsome Hyuuga Neji. When she was about to open her mouth again, his eyes suddenly turned solemn. He gripped her shoulder gently so as not to hurt her wound and pushed her away.
"But we have to move… before they realized we're here."
She abruptly remembered the laboratory then nodded. She was about to open the truck door when she realized he wasn't moving.
"Neji?"
He was looking at the direction where they came from and he suddenly said, "You go ahead and contact the police. I'll go back to the lab."
"What?!"
She looked at him with a bewildered expression. He finally turned back and faced her; a softened gaze met her eyes.
"We're not the only prisoners," he said gently. "There are people like us still trap inside. I'll try to distract the guards from the inside while you contact the police and tell them what happen. You also have to contact my Agency. You know the number. I'm sure you remember."
She stunned for a while. It was true… But…
"Neji…"
They were just meeting each other… They finally together once again… but… but… why must they… separate ways again? Why must they... and… and must she…
"Neji, I…"
"I'll come home this time."
Tenten quickly lifted her head and looked into his eyes. The tender lavender eyes, only hers to see.
"I promise."
A promise.
Something he couldn't kept the last time he said it.
Still…
She closed her eyes and painfully smiled.
"I know you too well to hold you back."
Without a word, finally she stepped back and ready to make her leave… but then he grabbed her wrist and turned her around to face him… And gave her a kiss.
A gentle touch… and her brown eyes widened before they fluttered shut.
He eventually broke away and as abruptly as when he caught her, he left. She didn't look at his back when she finally jumped on the driver seat and turned the engine on.
She couldn't stop the smile on her face… nor the lasting feeling of his kiss on her lips.
She never knew that future could feel so pleasant.
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The End
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Author's Note: I'm so sorry if you're not satisfied with the ending. To tell you all the truth, I never plan it!! Bad, bad me… I only had the main point but I didn't plan the (beep)ing ending!!! I got depressed only by thinking about it!!! I was forced by condition, really!! When I finally got the idea (soooooo haaaaarrrdddd), it was that she saw the future again, the future of both of them… but then I don't know how she could view it so… so… I made that last part! Gosh! Gosh! I'm so sorry! And… use your own imagination on how they turn out, alright? Hahahahaha… It's obvious enough. But still… hehe… Wari, wari! Well, thanks for reading this far!! And thanks for all the comment, minna! I love all of you!! Ja neee, minna!!