Hey hey, you you- it's chapter nine! The chapter which is fun and predictable! I hope you like confusing fight scenes and extreme mind fucking. MIND. Be mature... (Yeah, I know the irony that I'M saying that)
Sorry this chapter took so excruciatingly long, friends. I thought I could finish writing during exam week since I only had two exams. Unfortunately, Mother made me clean my room – which doesn't sound so bad... unless you've ever been in my room... Anyway, it's all neat and tidy now, and I'm seeing a sight I haven't seen in a great many years – the floor. After that I got lazy again, until my parents cut me off from the internet and I managed to get some writing done. Obviously my internet is back now. and the chapter's done - so everyone's happy!
I got so many long reviews! I enjoyed your various murders/maimings/stabbings/cursings/tea parties (Okay, I lied about the last one) of Itachi. It was nice to see the crazy side of some of my reviewers, reading them made me smile a lot. So here's to you: Torame, Dark Flame Pheonix, Merciless Ruby (Oh dear, please don't hurt your poor computer! Hurt people you don't like instead:D), Kunoichi Hyuuga Tenten, 10Join-Fei (I'm glad you liked your description, and don't worry, I also have a sick sense of entertainment – that's why I wrote it! Thanks for the bananahammock design, I think I'm liking where this is going -evil giggle-), Shika.Tema.rox.like.hell, Mysterious Smiles, tenjichan (It's okay! It doesn't matter when you leave your review! But I'm happy you thought enough about me to apologize and leave TWO reviews. Also, no the story isn't over just yet, but it might be over sooner than some of you expected!), kitsune-grl (You're entitled to your own opinion. Personally, I like Sakura – but only after the time skip. I don't like Ino, though... Still, it's cool to hear that my writing actually got an emotional reaction!), sexyinumama, Serenity Weapons, Alquawende, iyoku-ishi (You're weak for SasuSaku too, huh?), Bitto (Who apparently still loves it), Unices (Just write a rough description into a review – like "purple polka dots with florecent green lace" or something), lehcar-light (Whootwhoot for threesome! You get a gold star!), XxSorenxX, NaraTemari, Haruka Kokoro (I know what you mean! I've read a good number of slave stories in my time, and I got tired of the slave-falls-in-love-with-master-hurray-and-good thing. Thanks!), AllsFair-N-Love-War (-beams- I'll be watching for your story!), La princesa zorro, Bitterlife (-offers pillow- Sorry if you didn't live to pass your finals. I'll take all the blame, though. Feel free to tell your teachers that some jerk fanfiction-writing loser made you loose your focus with her evil stories.), Ceridwen Inari (Deux! Pardon my french, but – Merci des revues! Sasuke est compatissant! Pardonnez-moi! Je suis désolé pour l'addition en retard! Je suis un échec! And an extra sorry to any real French-speakers who might read this), Hexxgirl (Yay!), AND animeirl1o1 (Cry more!)
Holy crap that never ended! You people just leave such great questions and comments that I feel I need to respond to them all! Before this gets any longer than it need to be, lemme just record the standings on the Hinatax??? poll: NaruHina – 1 KibaHina- 4 NaruHinaKiba- 4. WELL. We appear to have a tie. Don't worry, you have two more chapters until the poll closes. Also, since it wasn't exactly enthusiastically received by those given the option – the poll is now open to anyone that wants to review, okay? Clear?
Moving on, I am really done now. Enjoy chapter nine and its craptastic fight.
Chapter 9
Wide white eyes took in the scene before him in less than a second, but to Neji it seemed to take an age.
The first thing he saw was Tenten, the woman he loved, pressed against the wall. Completely naked, unless you counted the plain panties pulled halfway down her thighs. One could easily see the red marks on her neck, shoulders and chest. Her dark hair cascaded down her shoulders, almost managing to cover her bare breasts. The girl had a dazed expression on her paled face, as though she had no clue what was happening to her. She just looked straight ahead unblinkingly, not making any move to hide herself or run away.
The next was the man above her. Dusky black hair, almost the same length as the girl below him, held neatly back in a low ponytail. Scarlet eyes never broke contact with chocolate brown, though they were clouded and unfocused. A small smirk was playing on his lips. He knelt over her weak legs, preventing her from . With one hand he held her shoulder against the wall, the other reaching for his one remaining article of clothing – silken black boxers.
Neji saw red. All other purposes in life were forgotten, the only remaining need was to kill this man. With uncontrolled speed and strength, he rushed at Itachi, heavily swinging his sword around. The Uchiha dodged it easily, leaping back a few feet. Tenten seemed to break out of her trance, but still looked like she wasn't completely aware of her surroundings. She slumped a little closer to the ground.
" You finally decided to join us, Hyuuga-reject. I've been sensing your chakra for quite sometime, what took you so long?" Itachi said calmly. Neji felt his blood boil. The older man was already back by Tenten's side pulling her to her feet by the hair, her limbs hanging limp as a rag doll. Neji would never outwardly admit to being afraid of anything, but seeing her there, naked and appearing half-dead scared him beyond belief. The Hyuuga temporarily deactivated his Byakugan, so he could see the scene more realistically.
"Let her go." Neji warned, sword gleaming threateningly in the dim light.
A wide smirk crossed Itachi's face.
"Are you so sure you want to do that?" He lifted the girl higher, so his arm rested loosely around her neck and shoulders. Somehow he managed to produce a kunai in his unoccupied hand, holding against her throat. The feeling of cold, razor sharp metal against her neck awoke her completely. She began to thrash and pull away.
"Get your disgusting hands off of me!" She yelled. Itachi growled, tightening his grip on her neck, slowly blocking her airway. Tenten made a muffled choking sound.
"Don't make the mistake of thinking that it will matter to me even the slightest bit if I end your life. I could get a miserable little whore like you anywhere I want." To emphasize his point, he sliced her neck just a small amount where it wouldn't be vital. Still, it hurt like hell. The slave gasped in pain, tears threatening to form in her eyes.
Neji didn't know what to do. That bastard had just called Tenten a whore! If he came any closer, though, Itachi would kill her. He bit the inside of his lip, and held the sword more firmly. The Uchiha switched the kunai into his other hand, giving himself a free arm. Still mildly strangling her, the man calmly walked to the other side of the room. Neji didn't dare take his eyes off him as he grabbed his pants from the floor, putting them back on. He did the entire thing with the most aggravating look on his face. As though he was just getting dressed on a normal day, and there wasn't a naked woman under his arm and another man intending to murder him. Now that he had some clothes on, Itachi took the kunai back in his left hand.
Just to make Neji angrier, Itachi dropped his hand from the girl's neck still keeping the blade against her throat. One leg twisted between hers, so that any attempt to run away would simply result in her falling to the ground, and getting killed anyway. Using his right hand, the Uchiha felt the soft skin of her neck, roaming over her shoulders, arms, and stomach. He stroked her thighs teasingly, but never went further inwards. The entire time he kissed the side of her neck that didn't have a deadly weapon held to it in mock affection. Tenten shuddered in disgust at the feeling of his hot breath on her cheek, but was not foolish enough to try getting away. If only she could get a good place to attack. The black-haired man's fingers slid higher, over her breasts. He ran his hand over them, squeezing occasionally, delighting in the small gasp of pain he received each time.
That was far to much for the Hyuuga. Without thinking he started to charge, sword held high. Itachi's hand left her breasts, instead holding her around the waist.
"STOP" Tenten screamed, effectively halting him. She whimpered as the kunai had begun to dig into her throat. " I don't care what happens to me, but once I'm dead, he'll come after you. I can't let you die! " The words poured out of her mouth before she could think of what she was saying.
"But don't you see what he's doing to you?" Neji protested. Her emotions broke down around her seeing the distressed look on his face. Tears streaked down her face one by one without her control.
"Yes, yes I do!" She cried desperately, "Neji, please! You have to understand! We'll both be killed if you attack him now! This is what my life has been for the past seven years! As much as I hate it, and as much as I thought-" Her words were temporarily silenced as she choked on a sob. She cleared her throat, taking in a shaky breath, "and as much as I thought it would be over, it looks like I'll have to live through it, at least one more time."
" You mean your just going to let him do what he wants to you?" This didn't make any sense, why wasn't she holding this guy's disembodied head right now? It was so unlike her just to give in.
"Please don't make this any harder than it needs to be!" She wailed, tears flowing faster than ever "I'll do it, but only this time. He's too strong, Neji! I'm doing it for both of us. I'm doing it... because... because..."
The white-eyed man looked at her quizzically. Tenten bowed her head for a second, then came back up with a look of determination on her face. She opened her mouth, shouting so loud that it could be heard echoing down the halls.
"I'm doing it because I love you!"
Neji's eyes opened wider than he could imagine. He stumbled back slightly, no longer having the strength to argue. Finally, Itachi spoke again.
"That sounds like a 'yes' to me. Now we shall have our fun, girl, and you, Hyuuga-reject, can watch." Neji grit his teeth. He didn't want to watch, but he couldn't turn away from her, not while this insane bastard had her. "And just in case..." Itachi flicked his hand, another kunai twirled around his finger. This one he aimed above her heart. Both were poised to kill her if anyone made a wrong move.
His body once again pressed hers to the wall. Tenten didn't look at him, her eyes were fixed upon the one she loved, giving him a sad smile. He tried to return it, but he could not. The black-haired man once again removed his pants. Every move he made was slow and calculated, to see if he could make the Hyuuga crack. He noticed the girl was not looking at him. He frowned, grabbing her chin so she would face him, he pressed his lips against hers with bruising intensity. Itachi forced his tongue into the brunette's mouth. She did not respond to the kiss, but neither did she fight him.
The Uchiha's hand went to her legs, shredding the annoying undergarments. He then retreated back to his own hips, pulling off his boxers. He broke the kiss, and positioned himself to enter.
Several things happened within that second: Neji cried out her name, Itachi looked over at him, Tenten grabbed Itachi's wrist, forcing the dangerous blades away from her, then immediately connected her knee with his groin. This caught him completely off-guard. He dropped the kunai, hands automatically going to cover himself. One managed to slice her bare hip a little. The slave winced, but all the same went to run. Suddenly one of his hands shot out. Using a trick she remembered all of a sudden, she jumped under his arm, tucking her legs in so he wouldn't catch a flying ankle. Unfortunately, she couldn't recall how to land after using this, she hit the ground hard, doing some summersaults before landing flat on her face. The brunette groaned, but managed to stand again.
While Itachi was still stumbling around on the ground, trying to regain his bearings, Neji removed his own shirt, tossing it to the brown-eyed girl. She gratefully covered herself with it, though the bottom just barely concealed the essentials. They didn't have long before the Uchiha was up.
Damn, I've never been kicked there before! That hurts more than most wounds I've gotten! Itachi thought angrily, That damn bitch is going down!
"Go, Tenten, go!" Neji called, waving his arm in the direction of the entrance. She shook her head angrily.
"No! I won't leave you!" Tenten yelled firmly. Itachi wasn't making any move to attack, so the boy turned and grasped the slave by her shoulders. The look in his eyes and his fingertips pressing against her shoulder blades reminded her of their first night together, when they both had shouted so much at each other. That was so long ago now, she couldn't imagine how she ever hated him. Staring directly into her eyes, he did not scream or rant, but said harshly,
"Don't be stupid. You can't always fight every battle yourself. I know this is hard for you, but you have to let go of your pride just this once. What happens if he manages to capture you again? I can't live with the thought of him threatening you like that any more. Let me fight this one for you. I'll fight - because I love you."
Something about his words and the way he looked at her gave Tenten confidence in him. She smiled, but one last tear managed to find it's way out of her eye.
"Be warned though, if you die, I'll kill you." She joked. With that, she turned on her heel and ran out of the room. Out in the hallway, Sasuke saw the brown-haired girl rushing past wearing only a servant's shirt. He chuckled to himself.
"This is starting to get good"
During the time the two were arguing, Itachi managed to get his clothes back on. Both men stood in battle stance, daring each other to attack first.
Byakugan!
Mangekyou Sharingan!
Neji saw the chakra flowing throw the other man's body. He began to strategize. After a while, he made the first move, focusing on the chakra points in his left shoulder. He prepared his gentle fist technique, rushing at Itachi, attempting a jab his arm and heart. But the Uchiha was too fast for him, grabbing his wrist, and twisting it around.
SNAP
The sickening sound and feeling of bones cracking inside his arm. Neji bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out, his eyes squeezed shut. Itachi let him go, then tried his own attack, a simple one, with a kunai, but deadly to an untrained person. The white-eyed boy dodged, jumping to a safe distance. He let his breath steady a little before attacking again.
Using his taijutsu speed, Neji ran at the black-haired man, delivering two swift kicks. However, once again, Itachi caught him, this time by the ankle. He didn't break it, but twisted the boy around and throwing him across the room. Before he knew what was happening, the Hyuuga felt his skull crashing into a wall. A hole broke through, dust and debris falling heavily on his body. He felt the cuts and bruises on his body, but the true pain lay in his anger and hurt pride.
In the blink of an eye he was up on his feet again, though his left arm dangled limply at his side.
He couldn't even tell Itachi had moved before he felt a fist connect with his chest. Reacting quickly, Neji managed to punch the older man in the jaw, forcing his head to snap back. The Hyuuga spun, him in the side with such force that he made a crater in the stone floor.
Then he saw something out of the corner of his eye, a glint, brief as the candle light bounced off it, but still there. His sword! It had somehow gotten out of his hands while trying to protect Tenten. Neji leaped for it, grabbing it in his good hand. He balanced without hands, ready to stand.
In a second Itachi was on top of him, holding a kunai knife in one hand, and Neji's good arm with the other. The Byakugan user brought his foot up, kicking the taller man in the stomach. He flew off, landing on his feet with grace. The younger jumped to his feet instantly.
The two rushed at each other. Itachi held a new weapon, a slightly smaller sword, that curved more near the end. Their weapons clashed, the metallic sound echoing off the walls, amplifying and repeating. Each pushed back with equal force. A smirk appeared on Itachi's features.
"Why do you protect her?" He questioned.
"Because I love her. I can't let her get hurt, and I'll seek revenge on those who would hurt her." They jumped apart, only to once again cross blades. Careful footwork guided them in almost unnoticeable patterns around the stone room. Itachi got the upperhand, pushing harder and forcing Neji to arch backwards.
"But why? She's violent, bad-tempered, and unco-operative. She is the lowest social standard, not to mention her reactions are...less than ideal." He added, the feeling of her kneeing him still fresh.
"That's not what love is about!" Neji growled, managing to straighten up, and even push the other back a little. " And she only acted that way because she doesn't love you." The Uchiha scoffed.
"You don't know what love means, boy."
"And you do?"
The black-haired man didn't answer, but swung his blade around. Neji matched him, moving at the same pace to avoid injury. Then he saw it. Itachi had left his chest wide open to attack. The Hyuuga broke contact, aiming to slice right down the bastard's left shoulder. Unfortunately, his aim was somewhat poor without his left hand to steady the sword. He managed slice the skin of Itachi's left arm, causing him to hiss in pain, but did no fatal damage.
Neji flipped in the air, landing a good ten feet away from his opponent. He felt warm liquid trailing down his back. Damn. When had Itachi managed to cut him? The older man threw his sword to the ground, and began to perform handsigns.
The air around Neji seemed to distort, crawling around and fusing with another side to form a circular shape around him. What the...? The Hyuuga jabbed his elbow against it, unable to break through. His Byuakugan eyes could clearly see the blue glow. So... a chakra barrier, huh? How did this guy manage to maintain all of these chakra-depleting techniques at once?
Once again Itachi was directly in front of him. For the first time, Neji saw those eyes for real.
Blood soaked eyes, with midnight pupils spiraling around to form a pinwheel shape around the centre. The wheel began to spin rapidly.
All colour faded to black, while black lines became white. The world seemed to be spinning out of his control. What was going on?
The dark stone room was gone. He was in an open space, with no walls or any landmarks to indicate his location. He seemed to be standing on nothing, yet he did not fall. He was still holding the sword, and his wounds continued to shoot pain through his nerves with every heartbeat.
A white flash passed into and out of his vision. Then another, and another. It was moving too fast to be able to tell what it was. It darted past him, grazing his cheek in a mocking way. His head was beginning to ache from watching this quick white thing. It flashed by one more time, stopping directly in front of him. Slowly, it melded together to form a figure...
Itachi.
He looked straight into Neji's eyes, but didn't seem to notice him. That is, he made no move to attack, or to defend himself. He just stood there, the bastard, with a blank look on his face, staring unseeingly into the face of his opponent.
Without missing a beat, the Hyuuga held his sword up and ran towards him. Still Itachi did not move, or even appear to recognize another presence. There was no way Neji would pass up an oppourtunity like this! He was a hand's breadth away from the older man now. His mind flashed with images of him dead on the floor. There was no stopping him now. He readied his sword...
...and stabbed Itachi clean through.
The elder Uchiha's eyes opened wide. He coughed up blood dyed white onto the endless black ground as the other pulled the sword out of his body and stood back to see what he'd done. Then he did something unexpected. He looked directly into the younger man's eyes... and grinned.
Suddenly he was becoming distorted, changing shape yet again. The figure became smaller, slighter. His face slowly rounded, hair gaining a slight wave as sharp, malicious eyes softened. It was no longer Itachi standing before him...
It was Tenten.
She held her arms over her stomach, looking up at him tearfully through half-lidded eyes. Blood flowed over her crossed arms, staining the unfamiliar clothes she wore. Neji could hear her harsh gasps of pain echoing all around him. He dropped his sword, rushing over to her and shaking his head violently.
" No, no, no! I didn't! I didn't know!" He cried, grabbing the girl and holding her in his arms. He felt her life soaking his chest. He didn't kill her! He couldn't kill her!
Her eyes were beginning to unfocus, her breath coming in wheezing pants. He held her tighter, as if he could squeeze the life back into her. The tears escaped her eyes, leaving tracks down her face. She took a shallow, broken gasp, then fell limp in his arms. Neji's heart stopped from a moment, until he felt her, however weakly, breathing against his neck. The boy lowered her to the ground so that her head rested comfortably in his lap. He stared down at her, biting back his emotions, as fresh tears leaked from her nearly closed eyes. Slowly, she turned her head up to look at him, her gaze fearful and broken-hearted. A single word formed on Tenten's chapped lips.
"Why?"
Neji's eyes widened. He let out a choked noise, that sounded a bit like a sob. "It was a mistake, Tenten! I- I killed Itachi, not you!" He willed that his words would make things right, but nothing happened.
Tenderly, he wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, then wrapped an arm around her neck, lifting her into a half-sitting position. The Hyuuga embraced her with all his heart. He tilted her chin to look at him, and gently pressed his lips against hers. She frowned slightly, and lay back down. The girl looked almost amused as she whispered...
"I thought you said... you loved me..." Tenten let out a final sigh as her eyes closed.
Neji gripped her shoulders, and let out a scream so heart-wrenching that it could bring even some of the most heartless men to their knees. The stoic Hyuuga prodigy finally broke down, tears falling hard and fast onto her rapidly cooling body. He continued to scream, whatever he could think of: her name, asking her to come back, or just mindless cries of sorrow.
"You killed her... Killed her... Killed... her..." A disembodied voice chanted in his ear. Neji leaned down so that his head rested on the girl's still chest, and spoke back.
"No... I couldn't have... I love her..."
"If you loved her, you wouldn't have let her die."
"That's not true!" he yelled back savagely, "I- I wish I had died, instead of her."
"That can be arranged" the voice chuckled.
Suddenly he was lifted from the ground, Tenten's body falling limply. He felt wood against his back. His arms flung out of either side of him. He realized he was against a cross. A hundred little glints appeared around him. Too late he realized what they were. Dozens of blades came flying at him, piercing his skin. Tenten's body appeared in front of his eyes just as he was stabbed. He released one last agonized scream, so loud and powerful that it could probably be heard all through the house.
He was dropped from the cross, were he sat hunched over her lifeless body, crying silently.
All at once the girl he loved disappeared, and colour returned to the world. Neji was laying on the ground, clutching his head, a cold sweat coating his body. About twenty kunai stuck out of his body in various places. He opened his eyes, realizing the situation. Black ninja sandals came into his vision. He looked up into the face of Itachi.
"Did you enjoy your taste of my Sharingan?" He asked mockingly, as he dropped the chakra barrier " You should have heard yourself -" he imitated a young boy's voice "Don't die Tenten! Don't die! I didn't kill you! I love you! How Pathetic."
"Shut up." Neji panted, not looking up from the stone floor "I'll kill you."
"Oh yes, I can see that by the way you're writhing on the ground there." With that the Uchiha kicked him hard in the side, causing him to roll a few feet.
Slowly, Neji got back on his feet. His mind was still spinning from the frightening illusion he had seen. Itachi started muttering something to a technique, two fingers over his mouth.
Dammit. The Hyuuga I can't get to him unless I can keep him from attacking me for a while...
Before Itachi could complete the jutsu, Neji disappeared. The older man didn't seem fazed by this, but his eyes slid sideways to try and locate the Byakugan user.
In a second he reappeared behind him, ready to attack. He focused on the vital nerves in Itachi's shoulder. The black-haired man turned but was too late. Neji managed to jab him twice before flying back to avoid getting caught in his Sharingan again. The painful metallic sound of metal hitting stone rang through the room as Itachi dropped his blade. He looked down at the arm hanging by his side. He attempted to flex his fingers, but failed.
"Ahh, how intelligent," He remarked, " You immobilized my right arm so that I couldn't make certain hand signs, or use a weapon with my proper hand. They could be right about you being a genius..."
The white-eyed boy stood a fair distance away as the older sarcastically complimented him. Now he could attack more easily. He was loosing a lot of blood, though, and it was getting difficult to move. Gritting his teeth tightly, he pulled each blade from his flesh with a sickening wet sound. He threw kunai after bloody kunai across the room, eyes never leaving the Uchiha who was busily experimenting with how much he could move his arm. After he had removed every weapon from his body, Neji grabbed his sword from where it lay a few feet away from him. Once again he jumped for Itachi swinging his blade in a long arc.
The stabs of pain all over the Hyuuga's body were suddenly put out of his mind as an agonizing burn of pain shot through his brain and back to it's source. Taking a quick glance down, he saw Itachi kneeling under him, and a knife thrust deep into his right thigh, barely missing bones. He felt important nerves and veins splitting, vital muscle tearing. He did not cry out, but a heavy grunt of pain escaped his lips.
Without even realizing he had found and opening, Neji lifted his word and stabbed Itachi through the chest, and back out the other side. For a fleeting moment he though that he had finished the older man, until he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He suddenly felt himself begin pulled over by the weight of a large piece of stone skewered on his blade.
Substitution? But how? I didn't even see it. Neji thought as he threw the now useless tool away.
As if answering his unspoken question, a voice in his ear said, "Don't underestimate me, Hyuuga-reject."
Before he could be wounded again, Neji turned, preparing to use the gentle fist again. He was rapidly depleting his chakra. Luckily, so was Itachi. His balance was far off, though, so he missed by a considerable amount.
He wasn't quite sure what was happening as his own blood splashed in front of his face. Soon, however, it became apparent that Itachi had slashed him across the chest. Without thinking he looked into the Uchiha's face. Once again he could tell the Sharingan was taking over his mind, but in a different way. Colour was still intact, but his vision was clouding. It didn't take all of his genius to figure out that he was loosing consciousness. Neji swayed, then fell to the cold stone ground. He deactivated his Byakugan.
From what could still see through his blurry eyes, he registered that another figure had joined Itachi. This one was taller, imposing, and almost... animalistic.
"You gonna kill this one, Itachi?" A deeper voice asked.
"It was an interesting fight, but... no." Itachi replied, gripping his useless right shoulder. "He's not worth my time. Besides, with all those injuries, it's likely he'll die from blood loss, anyway."
"You sure? I sense someone coming. Let's get back to headquarters."
"Alright, but I still have to file a report to my idiot father." With that the two figures were gone.
Neji briefly wondered if he would die here, but quickly banished such cowardly thoughts from his head. He thought he heard a voice calling him, though it was probably his imagination. He didn't have time to find out because it was at that point he finally let himself fall into the blackness.
A monotone repetitive beeping filled his ears. A clean sensation strikingly contrasted to what he remembered just feeling. Slowly, Neji opened his eyes, seeing three people standing over him. One was Tsunade, who had her hand to his forehead, then Sakura, then finally Tenten, looking down on him with worried eyes. Both she and Sakura were blushing, though the busty woman was observing with unconcerned eyes. He wondered why this was, until he noticed that his pants had been removed. His eyes widened and embarrassment burned his cheeks slightly.
At seeing his white eyes open, Tenten visibly brightened. She wanted to hug him but knew she couldn't.
"Ah, he finally came around." Tsunade said, turning to the pink-haired girl, "You see Sakura, I healed his wrist, stab wounds, and stopped the bleeding on the larger injuries. I woke him up purposely because the wound in his leg and chest need his body's full strength to heal. Do you understand?"
"I think so..." She answered, scribbling notes on a pad of paper. Neji was confused. How did he get here? And why was Sakura here, of all people?
"You okay Neji?" Tenten muttered softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from his face affectionately, "You've been out for three days. I thought you were dead when I found you. Don't scare me like that."
What? Tenten's the one who found me? Oh no, she's the last person I want to see me like that! He turned his head away from her, ashamed. Neji could feel Tsunade's cool chakra on his thigh, reattaching severed tissue.
"I'll be alright. How about you?" The girl smiled at him.
"I'm just fine! I had a lot of cuts and even more bruises, but they weren't anything serious." She took on a thoughtful expression for a moment, " I think the worst things I had were a slash on my hip and a bump on the forehead from when I headbutted him. They're all healed now, though I do get more headaches. That guy has one hard skull!" Tenten laughed aloud, and Neji had to smile a bit, despite the situation. She quickly fell silent as Tsunade began healing him in earnest.
It was a long and tedious process. Tsunade watched her hands, carefully locating and mending. Sakura watched her, eyes occasionally straying upwards, then quickly back down. However, Tenten's eyes never left his face, caring, understanding. He looked back at her, only thankful that she was unhurt.
It was an hour before the blonde medic moved up to his chest, giving him a chance to put his pants back on. Apparently the wound wasn't even deep enough to do anything but bleed a whole lot, though he did have a cracked rib or two. Sweat was beginning to collect on Tsunade's brow, and everyone felt cramped and stuffy from sitting in the same position so long. About another hour, Neji guessed, and the woman stood back, announcing that she was finished. They all breathed a sigh of relief, either out of concern, or just happiness that it was over.
"For your sake though, I suggest you stay here for a few more days. Your leg won't move very well at all for a while. Not to mention extensive use of the Byakugan will limit extensive movement, and you'll exert yourself far more easily." Breathing did seem to be more of a manual function now. Despite his nagging pride, Neji agreed.
"Um, do you think you could leave the two of us alone for a while?" Tenten inquired.
"Of course," Tsunade answered kindly, "But I'll be back soon. Come on, Sakura." She pulled the girl, still taking notes, away by the arm.
After they were gone and Tenten pulled the curtain around the bed, the two sat in silence for a while. Neither could quite pick the right words to say to each other. A certain awkward expectancy hung in the air.
"I'm sorry," The Hyuuga said suddenly, causing the girl to jump, "I should have gotten there sooner. I should have been strong enough to kill him before he could touch you."
"Don't be." She assured sharply. She'd had enough of him feeling sorry for her when he had clearly come out the worse. "There was nothing you could do about it. You didn't know, and you couldn't attack until I was away from him."
"You don't understand!" He half-yelled, grabbing her shoulders. Memories from the vision Itachi had forced on him flashed through his mind. He wanted to hold her tightly, making sure that what he had seen wasn't real, and she was actually alive and well before him. " I can't stand to think of another man touching you." He leaned in close to her ear, so that if there was anyone in the room, they wouldn't be able to hear, "We need to escape. As soon as I'm back to normal, we're getting out of here. Understand?"
Tenten nodded, looking around for any figures silhouetted against the pale curtain. A wicked grin crawled over her features.
"So long as we're alone..." the brunette didn't finish, though it was obvious what she meant. She turned to face him more, pulling her legs up onto the hospital bed. Her lithe body leaned over his as she straddled his hips. She leaned her chest lightly against his, so that the pressure was still there, but not enough to provoke his wound.
Hands carefully avoiding injuries, the girl pulled Neji in for a forceful kiss. She deepened it without hesitation, tasting and experimenting with how much power she had over him. Grinning, he pulled back from the kiss for a moment.
"Are you sure you're the same girl that called me a 'stuck-up pretty boy' two months ago?" He breathed, chuckling quietly.
"Shut up." She commanded, grinding her hips deeper into his, eliciting a soft groan, which effectively ended his laughter.
Again she kissed him, this time leaving no room for affection, only passion. She pushed his shoulders, forcing him to lie back. Neji rather liked this sexy, domineering side of her. He decided to give her a little payback, bucking his hips to meet hers. She let out a sound that was halfway between a moan and a gasp. Now that was something he could listen to all day. He tried it again, receiving the same surprised noise. Tenten's faced flushed heavily, and she glared at him through half-lidded chocolate eyes. She chose to give him another taste of his own medicine.
Suddenly a loud cough was heard over their uneven breathing. They froze, each turning their head to see Tsunade, lifting the curtain just enough to fit herself in.
"When I said 'soon' I meant soon." She said dryly, mostly to herself, "Honestly, I turn my back for two minutes and they're already dry humping each other. Teenagers."
Tenten immediately sprang off of him. Dusting imaginary dirt from her clothes.
"I-I-I'd better go. I-It'll be s-sunrise soon." The words came out all together as she bowed low, then scurried out, utterly mortified.
The blonde woman turned Neji, smiling in an understanding way. She give him instructions on how he could speed up his recovery and told him that he would be here for another five days. He listened with half an ear, wondering what would've happened if someone else had caught them together, and what was happening to the slave girl now.
"You really are lucky, you know." Tsunade told him. He nodded absently, thinking she meant that he was lucky to be alive after fighting Itachi,
"Sasuke's been running around shouting his head off at that girl after receiving a message from his father. Yet she's been sneaking down here every day, for hours on end just to see you and make sure you're okay. I don't even know when she sleeps, staying here all night."
"Really? Yeah, I guess I am lucky. I've been getting that a lot." He remembered his conversation with Naruto a few days ago. It seemed like months.
After checking that none of his wounds had opened again, Tsunade walked briskly through the curtains, leaving Neji alone to his thoughts
' I really am lucky... what did I ever do to deserve her?"
BAM. There is your chapter nine! What DID you do, Neji, what did you do? I don't know - fought off the fucking scary S-class criminal, maybe? And I know fight scenes suck, but it was necessary... kinda... sorta... not really. I haven't really done proper research into exactly how each of them fight, so I'm sorry for that. I liked the total mind-rape part, though. Speaking of which, how was my first real angst? I know it was kinda cliché and Neji's reaction might have been a wee bit strong, but whatever, it's all to create mood.
Yeah, so Tenten is an evil little temptress. Itachi is a huge bitch, but you knew that already. And everyone loves each other! Snugglekiss! Everybody wins!
Dammit! I LOST. I'm so bad at The Game. I've been losing it for three years!
-sniffles- I'm a sickly girl today, so please review to help me feel a little better!
As an afterthought – does anyone here know who the Tartan Terrors are? If you don't, you should because they are awesome on a stick! And I is going to see them in two daaaayyyyys! -excitement-. Also, I'm going to be in Toronto during the last weekend of March Break (M-TAC! Wooo!), then the next weekend I'm gone again 'cause my best friend and I are going to visit a friend of ours in Ottawa/Quebec/French Hick Town. So... the next update might take longer than I thought, but hopefully not as long as this one!
Hugs and Kisses,
-Cwin
