Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, or W.I.T.C.H.
Silence never distressed Tenten so much. The screams she'd heard all night came unexpectedly like thunder on a tranquil day, and because of them she felt like she was waiting, in the silence, for them to resume.
The batmen that appeared in her dormitory must have knocked her unconscious, and she awoke, chained, in a dark room. She leaned forward, feeling the manacles tighten as an anaconda would to constrict its prey. Ever since she woke up with these manacles on, she'd felt so weak, as if she were drugged.
She strained her eyes searching for anything, but it was useless. No light, no sight. Maybe the batmen left them to rot. Not the way I imagined dying.
Tenten lied back as best she could and waited.
Soon as she dozed off, a commotion on the outside ensued. She and those beside her perked up and listened. The yelling came nearer, nearer, until she could discern words.
"The fuck's been captured."
"We got him."
"Finally."
"CUT HIS FUCKING BALLS OFF."
Then it moved on, became indistinguishable. Who'd they catch? Why were they so angry? Tenten's heart wanted to exit her body.
She could only imagine and wait. And she did, for who knows how long, listening to the batmen's guttural applauding.
Irma, beside Tenten, seemed to struggle not to weep. Tenten couldn't see it, but she heard it by the way the girl breathed. Sucking the air in, fighting not to let go, but letting go little chunks at a time.
Tenten's throat felt so rusty and sore from thirst, even if something to say existed, she didn't think she could. And she didn't try.
Bang. Bang. BANG.
It became silent outside, as if all the batmen vanished in an instant. Poof.
The steel doors of their prison swung open, and piercing light made Tenten shut her eyes. Soft morning sunlight touched her feet. Today could have been nice if it weren't for the armed batmen standing outside the box.
A batman smaller than the rest stepped forward. It surveyed them, shook its head, and turned around. "Take them."
Batmen launched toward them. The tall one from last night yanked Tenten upright by her shackles. Her head felt like boiling water filled it. Next thing she knew they were herded through a mass of shrieking batmen to the center of the courtyard.
Thick black chains fastened Lionel to some kind of wooden pole protruding from the earth. His curly blond hair looked dark reddish in places and stuck to his bruised, swollen face. He looked unconscious or dead.
Two batmen towered over Lionel's limp form, one in a deep purple armor and the other clad in light green.
"This is all of them." The purple armored batman spoke with a voice like burning coal, and he didn't bother to face them.
"A pity." The one arrayed in green spun about to confront them. He wore a pink Jigsaw mask covered in scars and dry splatters of blood. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Lord Stalin—"
"—and I am Lord Khan."
Together the two batmen gave low bows, and then stood. Khan wore a devilish yellow Oni mask, with long white hair sprouting all around it. Something about these batmen unsettled Tenten. Not their masks, but something more… instinctual.
"You are at our mercy," Stalin said. "We've conquered you. If you fail to obey a command—hmm, Lord Khan, how do we punish such treason?"
One second Khan stood still, the next his spear poked out from the throat of a nearby batman. "Death."
The batman crumpled to the ground, and the spear reappeared in Khan's relaxed hands, as if by magic.
"Ah." Stalin nodded, and the Jigsaw mask's grin seemed to widen. "What about the failure to speak when spoken to?"
"Death."
"Failure to remain quiet when unaddressed in our presence?"
"Death."
"Failure to answer every question completely and honestly?"
"Death."
"Good, good. And how will they die?"
"Slow." Khan put his spear away and cracked his knuckles. "Slow and painful."
"They get it." Lionel coughed and lifted his shaggy head to glare at the batmen, blood trickling from his mouth. His lungs sounded torn and full of grit. "Give it a fucking rest."
"Ah, so you've awoken at last," Stalin said. "Catching up on some well-needed beauty sleep, eh?"
"You made quite some trouble for us." Khan tugged Lionel head up by his hair and wagged a finger at him. "Killing three of our Royal Guard was one thing, but setting your marijuana plantation aflame in spite of us…"
Lionel started to laugh but ended up wheezing. "My only regret… is that your corpse isn't helping fuel the fire, like it would have been if we had fought."
"How quaint," Stalin said. "You do know that without your product, you are worthless to us?"
"What you do or don't hold of value means nothing to me. So fuck you."
"You are sentenced to death." Khan slammed Lionel's head against the pole he was tied to. He stood, brushed off his hands, and gestured for his guards. "Crucify him."
The guards wrestled the chains from Lionel's body and flipped him upside down. Other batmen came, holding nails the size of Kunai, and mallets.
This can't actually be happening. Tenten stiffened. This must be a trick, or something, because Edgar and Francis wouldn't go so far to terrorize them. They wouldn't hurt their own.
The batmen hammered the nails into Lionel's hands and feet.
Tenten lowered her gaze, ready for Lionel to scream. And he did; curses, and then nonsense and plain screaming. He stopped after some time.
Tenten shuddered. Even though, as a Kunoichi, she's killed before, she found it difficult to tolerate such pained screams. Sometimes it was necessary, but never enjoyable.
"You, woman with the unkempt buns, you look familiar." Lord Stalin stared at her, his eyes unflinching behind the Jigsaw mask. "Who are you?"
"Me?" Tenten swallowed. She sounded so timid, so frail, like a sick and frightened puppy. It disgusted her.
"Obviously. State your name."
"Tenten."
"Ah, you looked familiar." Stalin motioned for her to step closer.
She did, determined to act without hesitation.
"I see." He ambled around her in circles. "Yes, yes, I can see why he likes you so much."
"What are you talking about?" Tenten asked. Then her cheek felt like a wasp stung it and she found herself face down in the dirt. She struggled to push herself to her feet. Her body felt a thousand pounds heavier, and the manacles' weight didn't help.
Stalin loomed over her, his hand upraised, and his head shaking in disapproval. "You are so pretentious, to question me so. Whom do you think I am, your husband?"
"I still don't know what you're talking about." That probably wasn't a good idea.
He stared for a moment. He laughed, and it sounded like a motor fighting to start. "My boy and I have similar tastes in women. Feisty. He will have to change his Facebook status to 'single' once I finish with you."
Stalin struck her down again, and this time she landed on her back. The sky looked blurry. She didn't think she could move.
"Guards, take her to my suite. Treat her gently."
Two batmen hoisted her to her feet and started to haul her away.
"No." Neji.
Her teammate tackled one of the batmen aside.
This is bad, she thought. This is bad. She wrestled herself out of the other batman's grip, twisted like an alligator in its death roll, and she hit her knees.
"No more." Stalin stomped Neji into the floor, forcing blood to spurt from Neji's mouth. "Guards, crucify this one. You, go on, take her to my suite."
"No." Tenten flung her body at Stalin, but, but… someone caught her.
"I got you, Tenny." Nappa held her in his arms and gave her a sweet smile. "I would never let any of these bitches hurt you."
"Who is this?" Khan asked.
"Guards, seize him."
Nappa placed two fingers to his forehead. "Instant transmission no jutsu!"
Tenten felt weightless and the world went white for a second. She heard a distant ruckus, full of angry screaming and movement. Then she saw Nappa's grin.
"My boy," Hercule said. "You shouldn't have done that. It was too dangerous."
"But I saved Tenny."
"I know, my boy, but they could have captured you. You wouldn't want to leave your pa alone, would you?"
Tenten tried to wiggle out of Nappa's arms but he didn't allow her to. "Where are we?" she asked. "Where's Neji?"
"We're in my secret underground base." Nappa stared into her eyes. "I saved you, my sweet Tenny."
"What about Neji?"
"Duh, I couldn't save him too. And I, I…" He looked away from her, his face growing pink as a radish. "Well, anyway, um, he's somewhere up there."
As soon as the enraged yelling diminished above, she heard shouting begin anew. Different shouting. Shouting saturated with pain. Guards, crucify this one.
"Neji."
Hercule covered her mouth and shushed her. "We have to be quiet, otherwise they'll find us. Shh, shh…"
Tenten could still hear him screaming. Even through multiple meters of earth, she heard him. And it continued on and on. As a Kunoichi, she knew something like this could happen, but that didn't prepare her for it. As a Kunoichi, she shouldn't cry, but…
Silence, she thought, would never soothe her so much as it would now.