Chapter nine – Akatsuki

Tenten unlocked her dorm door in a sort of trance, her head still spinning from the burden she had forced Sakura to share.

"Hn. You look like your going to pass out."

Tenten's attention riveted back to earth and she saw Neji staring at her in mild amusement.

"You do realize it is almost midnight?"

"What are you? My mother?!" Tenten snapped, throwing her keys down on the desk hearing the rasp of metal on cheap wood as the slid out of sit as usual.

The first thing she did was walk right to the fridge and pull out her smoothie.

Neji watched her retreat to her desk where she proceeded to sit in her chair and stare at the floor; deep in thought she took a sip of her smoothie.

Much to Neji's astonishment Tenten grimaced and sat the plastic takeout cup aside.

"Tenten... Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"No. You are not." Neji said slowly as she absently fiddled with the long dead pen that she never quiet got around to throwing out.

Tenten ignored him.

So, Sasuke left town to go off with this mad scientist part time weapons dealer dude, in order to gain info on his homicidal older bro and to receive some sort of weapon or training, to make killing off the source of his angst easier... And said older bro who has a pressure complex had become an assassin with a bunch of other random, off the chart crazy guys...

Tenten frowned, a small wrinkle appearing in between her eyes as she went over any thing she knew that could possibly seem suspicious. Of course, the first thing that sprung to mind was Neji. Neji and his letter, Neji and his regonziation of Sasuke... Neji tied in somewhere, Tenten was sure of it. Even if he was just a silent spectator... He tied in somehow.

"Tenten."

"Shush. I'm thinking."

Tenten pursed her lips and absent minded reached across for her smoothie. She took a sip. It tasted much better now that she had managed to properly absorb the information Sakura had shared.

She heard s sigh of relief and looked up to see Neji watched her with his mouth twisted in a sarcastic smile.

"What?"

He snickered but didn't answer turning back to his desk he ruffled through a notebook on his desk.

"Hmmm..." Tenten pondered, turning to put her smoothie down her accidently missed the desk by half a centimetre, the result being smoothie spilt all over a stack of papers by her seat.

"Damn it!" Tenten cursed dropping to the floor she carelessly reached into the sopping mess and felt something sharp jab itself firmly in her hand.

"Gah!"

She sat bolt up right, slamming her head on the desk before she finally managed to wriggle out.

Her hand was throbbing and blood was spilling out from beneath her fingers despite the fact it was firmly clutched into a fist.

"Tenten?"

Tenten looked up to see Neji knelling in front of her, disregarding the smoothie and blood that was splattered all over the once clean carpet. Tenten grimaced and caught sight of an incredibly sharp and pointy Stanley knife that was sticking wide out of its plastic orange sheaf, its edges splattered in blood.

"Give me a look at your hand." Neji demanded.

"I don't wanna. If I open it it's going to hurt more and bleed more."

Neji rolled his silver, lavender eyes and gently pried her fingers open and frowned at the deep gash on Tenten's palm where the ever, so smart brunette had cut her hand open.

"You might need stiches."

"Pfff. Nah, I never get stiches." Tenten said, wincing as bright red blood continued to flow.

"You are to accident prone for your own good." Neji sighed, getting up and grabbing his first aid kit from his desk he cleaned and dressed Tenten's wound.

"Thanks."

"Be more careful. You are going to end up in hospital at this rate."

Neji got up; his pants some how clean despite the squashed berries and blood everywhere.

Tenten grinned ruefully and watched as he returned to his desk. She stumbled to her feet, intending to clean up her mess when something struck her. She turned back to the silent Hyuuga.

"Neji!"

"Yes?"

"You were worried about me!" She accused pointing one finger at him in accusation. She regretted it when her sore hand protested painfully. She furled her fingers back up and watched him as he turned around, face as unreadable as ever.
"Yes, I was."

"A Hah! Does that mean I finally made it to the status of friend to the oh-great-and-mighty-Hyuuga?!"

"I suppose."

Tenten pretended to do a victory dance for Neji's benefit. His mouth twitched. "You better clean that up before it stains our carpet."

"Yeah." She said, and retreated to the little counter where she unearthed a cloth, rinsing it in the sink she knelt down amongst the wide array of liquid and began dutifully cleaning. Her thoughts, which had taken a happier tract since she cut herself - as strange and sick as that sounded - returned to their original track.

She glanced cautiously up at Neji from the corner of her eye and decided to take a risk.

"Neji?"

"Hn."

She took a deep breath, and watched cautiously for his reaction. "Do you know anything about the Akatsuki?"

He seemed to twitch, his pen falling from his suddenly lax grip onto the desk, he stared at her. "What did you just say?"

Tenten took that as a yes.

"The Akatsuki." She repeated firmly, dropping her cloth and twisting her body so she was facing Neji. She felt sort of ridiculous, knelling on the floor before him like she was a servant. She got to her feet and sat in her chair.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Sakura. And don't try to say you don't know anything. You've already given it away. I'm sick of being the only person left out. Sasuke, Sakura and obviously you." She said, counting off her three friends on her fingers. All though, the first one didn't really count as a friend.

Neji's mouth turned into a hard line and his eyes narrowed. "You're better off forgetting about. Nothing good comes of that organization."

"No." Tenten said, folding her arms. She was very aware she was pouting like a child.

"Tenten." Neji's voice had taken on that patronizing tone Tenten hated. "Just forget it. It does not concern you."

"I just said no. I don't want to be the only one in the dark here."

Neji let out something Tenten could have sworn was a growl.

She changed her tactic. "C'mon, please Neji. Sakura's already told me a little bit. I just want to know how you fit in with this."

"It does not concern --."
"Yes it does! You admitted before that we were friends! Friends don't keep secretes!" She stared at the Hyuuga as both were silent, engaged in a deadly battle of glares. Tenten wasn't letting up any time soon.

Neji finally gave in. "Fine! If I tell you, you must promise to not get involved."

"Involved?"
"Yes. Swear it on over your parent's graves."

"No. Because I can't swear something over my parents graves that I might have to break."

Neji let out an exasperated sigh. "You are a very individual person, Tenten."

"It's my best trait. Now tell me."

"Fine."

Neji didn't look at her, turning around so he was staring at his desk, he placed his chin on his interlaced knuckles, much in the same manner Sakura had at the cafe a while back.

"My family, the Hyuuga's... Is what you might call geniuses'. We excel in hand to hand combat, to such in extent that some have learnt to avoid us at all cost. For another thing, our eyes seem to take in a lot more then normal. I wouldn't say something as ridiculous a Para-normal, no. We just have amazingly clear eyes site. How ever, because of our long heritage of martial arts expertise and brilliant eyesight the Akatsuki... Have had their eyes set on adopting one of my family into there organization."

"The want your family to become mixed up in assassination?!" Tenten blurted out. Neji shifted his gaze to her for one second and she cringed back. "Sorry, continue."

"My uncle, the head of the family was born only a few minutes before my father, his twin. So, because of that I am not in the main household of the family. However... I am... adapt at martial arts. Exceptional."

"You're a kick ass martial artist!"

"..."

"Sorry, continue."

"That's all that's too it."

"But that's your family history not anything to do with the--." Tenten cut herself off mid argument and looked at the cynical, secretive teenager in front of her.

"They want you!"

"Keep your voice down Tenten, it is very late and people are trying to sleep."

"That letter!" Tenten ignored Neji, keeping her voice at the same high pitched squeak. "The letter was that from the Akatsuki?!"

"Hn. No. The Akatsuki don't do anything as trivial as sending letters. That was from a... Family friend." The phrase sounded strange rolling off Neji's tongue, as if her were trying it out for the first time.

"His keeping tabs on the Akatsuki and there vague where about."

"Why don't you call the police?! They're assassins'!"

"Tenten, I do not think to kindly of sending a swat team to there deaths, that's if they actually did go to check it out. You're forgetting that the variety of criminals in there are rather homicidal."

Suddenly Tenten recalled another question she had to ask. "Sasuke. You recognized him back in the cafe."

"I had seen him talking with my family friend before. I did not realize that was the person whom had left your town for unknown reasons."

Tenten frowned and kicked at a pile of soggy papers.

"I have been given a lot to think about."

"Don't think about it. There's nothing you can do." Neji said, retrieving the cloth Tenten had been using to dab at the mess and somehow cleaning it in one broad sweep of his arm.

Tenten bit her lip and watched as he wrung the cloth out and hung it back in the cupboard. He turned back to her, silver eyes very stoic.

"Tenten, just forget about it."

"No. I refuse to. I want to think about it." She argued childishly. Neji frowned and Tenten drew back into her chair, arms folded across her chest.

She stared sullenly at the damp spot on the carpet.

"I need a smoothie."

***

"Ahh." Tenten rubbed her eyes, shifting her bag so it hung more comfortably over her shoulder as she locked the door behind her. Neji waited patiently for her.

"You were tossing and turning all night."

"As one would be after all that I found out last night." She muttered, dropping her keys in her bag.

Neji rolled his eyes but did not object.

"You're coming to breakfast with us again." She informed him as they stoped out the front of Sakura and Ino's room.

"Forehead! You used my tooth brush!"

"No, I just dipped it in dishwashing detergent. Why would I use your toothbrush?"

"That could kill me!"

"Not a chance pig, it's environmentally friendly." Sakura said cheerfully as the dorm room door swung open and she and Ino leaked out into the hallway.

"Hey." She said chirpily, throwing a glance and a wave at Neji. He nodded in acknowledgment of her presence.

Tenten noticed that Sakura was chatting much more the usual as the crossed the ground to the cafe, her eyes bleak and her laughs over exaggerated. Tenten had obviously put her down last night when she had pried the Sasuke information lose.

In contrast, the usually vibrant Ino was sullen and withdrawn, her white and blue singlet top and black skirt more ruffled the usual, a small chunk of her hair was ragged and looked like something had been cut out of it and by the look of her eyes less sleep then Tenten had. She figured Sakura had tortured her all night to relive anxiety.

They pushed the door open to see Kiba, Naruto and Temari sitting in a booth right up the back.

Tenten forced a grin as they waved and allowed Neji to slide in first before claiming the seat next to him, Sakura beside her whilst Ino went to sit around with Temari.

"So, Kiba, you got to school here too?" She asked sociably as Temari ordered them all - and Lee - Smoothies.

"Mmh." Was Kiba's grunted reply.

"They wouldn't let Akamaru in, Kiba almost got us all thrown out with the fight he put up." Temari said, carelessly brushing a lose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Ha Ha! Stupid puppy!" Naruto crowed loudly. In a second Kiba had him in a head lock while Ino and Temari leaned the other way to avoid unintentional slaughter.

"Ino, you look like hell." Temari observed dryly, examining Ino's purple on purple eyes, her ponytail not as smooth as usual.
"Yeah, well, Forehead had me up all night chattering at me. Not to mention eating my yogurt, pouring my low fat milk down the sink, dipping my hair brush in glue," at this she tugged at her shorn clump if hair, "dipping my toothbrush in dishwashing detergent, throwing out my prized picture of Kiyohara, and breaking my Utada cd--."

"I told you, that last one was an accident." Sakura sniggered. "You left it lying by my desk, it was only natural my wheelie chair would break it."

"My god, Ino. What exactly did you do to her?" Temari asked, appalled as a young waitress slid their smoothies along the table.

"Nothing." Ino said despairingly, reaching for her smoothie.

Tenten claimed hers and Neji's, pushing the Hyuuga's towards him she sipped fervently at the purple straw and looked up just as Lee sat down beside Ino.

"Good day my youthful commandants! May I inquire into your state of being this youthful and vibrant morning?" He asked, snagging the last plastic cup and taking a long draught, shifting a glance at Naruto and Kiba who were currently involved in a very heated discussion over Akamaru.

"Were all good Lee." Sakura laughed her peal more high pitched then usual, eyes darting around franticly as if searching for the exit. Tenten spotted the reason why almost immediately. Sasuke. Heading over to there table.

"Hello, Naruto, Kiba, Lee... Sakura."

"Teme!" Naruto spat jumping up to point furiously at the raven haired boy. Sasuke watched him in amusement.

"Sit down you idiot!" Kiba hissed, yanking Naruto down by the sleave of his orange jacket.

Tenten, Neji and Temari were a bit ataken aback. "He gets like this around Sasuke. They may not look like it, but they're very good friends. Naruto almost murdered Sasuke when he came back to town." Kiba said as Sasuke sat down beside a less then enthusiastic Sakura. Nobody bothered asking how the two knew each other, but they did watch with interest as Sakura recoiled, turning away from Sasuke to grab her bag, she pushed her way around him and fled the cafe.

Sasuke smirked, Neji watched impassively, Temari frowned, and Naruto called out after her in unison with Lee. Tenten just kept her eyes firmly averted, lest they give away the fact she was in on the secrete.

"So, you are...?" Temari prompted, as she and Ino examined the new comer, Temari with a faint hint of a smile and Ino with glowing eyes.

"Uchiha Sasuke." He said carelessly, arms resting on his knees in a manner Tenten never remembered him sitting.

Self confident jerk. Tenten twitched slowly away, so she was sitting closer to Neji and the gap between her and Sasuke had grown considerably. Her actions did not go unnoticed by the other.

"You know Sasuke, too, Tenten?" Temari asked and Ino stared at her in disbelief as she wrinkled her nose.

"Uh, sort of... His a friend of a friend of mine." She muttered, staring at her smoothie as if by doing so the others seized to be there.

"Sakura, in fact." Sasuke said lightly. Tenten could have killed him for sharing information Sakura had never wanted public.

"Forehead." Ino asked in disbelief, staring blankly at Sasuke. Sasuke raised an eye brow at Ino's choose of nick name for the rosette. Ino didn't look the perturbed in the slightest, her low cal strawberry and orange juice abounded by her elbow.

"C'mon. We gotta get to class." Tenten murmured, desperate to be rid of the situation she snagged her bag and skidded around Sasuke, shooting him a filthy look as she did so.