The door shut again with a click of finality, yet Neji knew that that would not be all.
"I'll be back in the morning," Sasuke had said. A powerful shiver rocked through Neji's body, making him shake uncontrollably at the thought. Back for more. And what could Neji do about it? Absolutely nothing.
What would he do when he came back? What more did he have in store for them? Neji couldn't even think that far. His mind was still spinning and he felt faint. The tears felt strange on his cheeks. He hadn't cried in years. He hadn't been physically hurt and yet the tears continued to fall.
Oh, Tenten… The pain he felt in his chest, the horrible aching sadness was far worse than any physical pain that Sasuke could have inflicted upon him. He began to wish that he'd been beaten instead. That was a sort of pain that he could stand. Not this.
"I'm sorry, Neji….I'm so sorry…." Tenten blubbered, trying to get her crying back under control.
That snapped Neji out of his pitiful trance. "Don't say that!" he said sharply. "Do not say that, Tenten. You did nothing wrong."
She tried to twist a bit and look toward him, but then she stopped. Neji wondered if it was because of her awkward position or because she was too embarrassed to meet his all-knowing gaze. The second option made him slip back into despair for a second.
He had always been there to protect her on every single mission. She supported him and he protected her: that was the trade-off. That was the given. But today he had been weak. When she had needed him, truly needed him…he had failed her. Their understanding was shattered. Neji felt like there was a void in the pit of his stomach, dark and cold, growing larger and pushing them farther and farther apart. After he had seen that, how could Tenten ever want to look at him again? He could tell how much pain she was in, both emotionally and physically. No, it unlikely that she would ever be the same again, at least, Neji knew that he wouldn't be if he was in her position.
And besides that, how was he ever supposed to get those images and sounds out of his mind? Even now that it was over, Neji could still hear everything like a dull ringing in the back of his head.
All of the times he had imagined her naked, smiling up at him, her skin warm and smooth under his gentle touch…
But now all would be able to imagine was this: Tenten's crumpled form lying on the stone floor, abused and bloodied, her flesh raw and red, her hair fallen from its usual design and tangled at her shoulders, tears staining her face, and another man's semen oozing out of her.
How could I have been so useless? he thought miserably. I should have been able to do something. I should have been able to stop this from happening to her.
Inside, he was a wreck, but being a Hyuga he had to be practical. Sasuke was going to return in the morning and if they didn't want things like this to happen again, then they needed a plan.
"Tenten," he began. He spoke very slowly in order to make sure that his tone did not express all of the things he was feeling. He wanted to be as calm and comforting as possible, for her sake. "Do you have any chakra?"
There was a long hesitance before she replied. "I don't think so."
He grimaced. She'd taken the question wrong. Instead of realizing that he was trying to escape to save her from more horrors, she must have thought that was just moving on with the original plan, not really caring about what had happened to her. But he hadn't meant for the comment to be insensitive! After all, asking if she was alright would just be silly. Neither of them were alright and that was obvious. Asking would just be pretense.
"How strong are those handcuffs?" he asked, half-ashamed to be talking to her.
She reluctantly tested them and replied, "Chakra infused, just like the chains."
Damn it! How were they supposed to escape under these circumstances? "Do you think—after a few hours—that you'll be able to walk?" Only her hands were bound whereas Neji was stuck to the wall.
Once again she was slow to answer him and each second of silence cut deep into his heart. "I…yes, of course. I'm sure I can."
His Byakugan had seen the damage Sasuke had inflicted on her, and for a moment he doubted that she would be able to walk after all. But Tenten's strength had often surprised him before.
"Ok…" he said. "Then once you think you can walk again, let's explore the room a bit. Maybe we can find something useful….a loose stone or something. Don't rush it, though. Take your time. I don't want you to hurt yourself."
She still did not look at him, but he saw the back of her head nod.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hours later when the night was thick and black, Tenten teetered around on shaky legs, wandering blindly through their prison cell. Neji spoke quietly, giving her direction through the darkness. With every step, dried blood cracked off of her legs and fell to the ground. Every movement was agonizing. She bit her lips to contain little moans of pain.
"To your left, about three steps. That one's sticking out a little bit. Try wiggling it." Tenten took three steps to her left and then stopped. "Ok, bend down a bit…a bit more…stop!" She halted abruptly. With her wrists trapped in the handcuffs, she could have to test the rocks some other way. "Try wiggling it with your jaw, Tenten," Neji instructed. She thrust her head forward and rubbed at the stone that jutted out from the wall.
A squeak of pain escaped her lips.
"The snake bite?" Neji gritted his teeth in anger. How stupid of him to forget about that! "I'm sorry, Tenten. Never mind about the stone. This is too hard for you right now."
"No…I can do it."
She wriggled at the stone for a few moments more but it never moved.
"Stop, Tenten, please. There's no need. It was a stupid plan. Even if you did get a stone to move, you could never attack Sasuke in your current state. I'm sorry I was so thoughtless." He'd only wanted to get out of here before Sasuke could do anything else…but it was useless.
Tenten sighed and tottered across the room on shaky legs, back to the sound of Neji's voice. She lowered herself to the floor beside him.
He stopped talking and looked down at her. He knew that she couldn't see him, that she couldn't see the tears that pricked at the corners of his light grey eyes and threatened to come spilling out all over again.
He wanted to say something to express how sorry he was, but nothing came to mind. His voice was choked out with emotion any way.
"Your hands must hurt…" Tenten said softly.
Neji made a little sound of acknowledgment. This was the first time he had even thought about it. Yes, they hurt terribly from being chained up for a whole day.
"I'm really….really sorry, Tenten," he whispered.
"It's not your fault." There was such a strong note of comfort in her voice that Neji almost believed her.
"No, it is. I was too weak to protect you." Against his resolve, new tears began to fall and she could certainly hear it in his voice. "I failed you, Tenten." She said nothing. Neji couldn't bear it, he squeezed his eyes shut and fought to choke down waves of sobs. His body lurched forward like hiccups and it made the chains rattle.
Suddenly, Neji felt something against his body. He gasped and opened his eyes again. It was Tenten! She had shifted over and was kneeling in front of him, her head resting on his shoulder. He hadn't even heard her moving.
"Shhhh…" she urged him. Her warm breath tickled his collarbone. "Don't think like that. This wasn't fair. None of it. Just because there was nothing we could do doesn't make us weak. You're….you're the strongest ninja I know, Neji. I mean it. I've always admired you for your skills and your resolve. You're truly a genius."
He could hardly focus on what she was saying. His eyes were still blurred with tears and the feeling of her body resting against his was mind-numbing. But her next words came to him clearly.
"Did you mean it? I mean….what Sasuke said. Is it true?"
That Neji cared for Tenten, loved her, even? Yes, it was true, but he felt way too ashamed to admit it after he had failed her so miserably. What kind of love allowed for rape?
"Neji, do you?" she prompted him. Her voice was small and vulnerable.
He sucked in a shaky breath. "I'm always trying to look out for you, Tenten. You're the best partner that I could ever ask for."
"Oh…" He felt her face move against him as she tried not get upset again. "I'm really sorry that you had to see that, Neji," she whispered. "That was cruel of Sasuke. I hope…"
Neji heard her fight down a sob, just like he had been doing. "I hope you'll be able to look at me the same as before. I know you must think—"
"I love you," he spat out, terrified of the thoughts he saw swirling around in her mind.
Whore, slut, filthy, ruined, used, dirty, defiled….that she was impure now…that no one would ever want her again
"I love you, Tenten. I always have and I always will. This changes nothing."
He heard the sob escape her lips, but it was mixed with something happy.