A/N: I do not own Naruto
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Heart Broken: Chapter 10
Darkest Before the Dawn
Neji's headache was back full-force.
He'd hoped not to need medication, but, after struggling with the pain for an hour, he gave up and pressed the call button.
Kenji came and went with friendly efficiency, setting some water next to the bed and flipping off the lights.
The room was quiet and dark. He could hear the shush of the rain falling outside the window. In his head, he could hear music, sad and sweet, reflecting the night.
When the door opened and she slipped in, the constant ache under his breastbone eased. He hadn't noticed it until it was gone.
He could hear her shivering by the door.
He waited for a minute, but she didn't move.
"You're cold," he said.
"It's r-raining," she said. Her teeth chattered uncontrollable.
"There's some pajamas in the bathroom. Go take a shower and warm up."
She hesitated, shaking with cold, then moved quietly to the bathroom.
He could see her silhouetted in the cold bathroom light, clinging to the door jamb. She stepped in and shut the door.
He raised the head of the bed, turned on the light, and waited for her, listening to the water run, hearing her weep.
He wanted to help her.
He stayed where he was.
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Tenten leaned against the shower wall and let the hot water run over her. She covered her mouth with her hands, stifling the sobs. She knew he could probably hear her, but she couldn't seem to stop.
She stayed until the water started to run cold, then stepped out onto the bathmat. There was a large towel hanging opposite the shower and she used it to rub her hair dry, then pat her body gingerly.
An inspection in the mirror showed her several bruises on her face and neck and chest and one really ugly one on her hip. The worst damage was to her right hand. She didn't think there were any broken bones, but it hurt liked hell. She looked for some bandages to wrap it in, but there weren't any.
And they call this a hospital.
The bathroom was cold and functional, a wide white counter, white tiles, white towels. It would have been intimidating under other circumstances. Right now she was too tired to care.
She put on a pair of cream silk pajamas, selecting them from a stack on the counter. She rolled the sleeves up enough to keep her hands free.
She found a wide tooth comb and a hair dryer. One great thing about being around Neji: there were always an excellent selection of hair products and accessories. The guy had prettier hair than most girls she knew, including herself. She smiled wryly and dried her hair, until it hung, dark and slightly wavy, past her waist. She braided it loosely, tying it with one of Neji's hair ties.
She used some of Neji's dental floss and toothpaste and rinsed her mouth out with some minty rinse she found by the sink.
She hung her clothes up to dry on the towel rack.
She looked around to see if there was anything else she could do to delay going out to face him.
There wasn't.
Maybe he'd be asleep. She'd certainly taken long enough that he could be. She opened the door and looked over at the bed, hoping to see him fast asleep.
He wasn't.
He was sitting up propped up on the pillows looking at her.
He moved over to one side of the bed and lifted the blanket for her.
She flipped off the bathroom light, hesitating in the doorway, then padded quickly across the floor and slipped into the bed, turning on her side away from him, hissing quietly as her bruised hip pressed against the mattress. She could feel him settle the blanket over her shoulders, then reach up to turn off the light. He used the control to lower the bed a little, then slid down and lay still.
"Did you find everything?" he said to the ceiling.
"Yep, yes," she whispered, her voice a little rough from crying, "I like your pajamas."
She could hear him smile, a little huff of air from his nostrils.
His body was warm against her back, solid and comforting.
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"Are you going to tell me what happened?" He could feel her instantly tense up.
"No, nope," she said, quickly, "nothing. Nothing happened."
"You ran out of here like you thought I was going to hurt you or something. Now, you come back soaked to the skin. Nothing happened?"
She drew in a breath as if in pain, then exploded, pushing the blanket away and swinging her legs out of the bed.
He grabbed her tight, pulling her close to his chest with both arms.
He was shocked at her struggle. He could feel her panicked heartbeat echoing in his chest. She scratched his arms and kicked backwards. He threw a leg over hers, trapping them.
"Tenten, stop," he said, as calmly as he could, "Tenten, it's Neji. I'm not hurting you. Stop, now, shush, stop, stop." He kept up a crooning litany, soothing her as best he could, all the time horrified at the fear that came off her in waves.
"No! no no no no no no," she cried, guttural as an animal, almost beyond speech.
He knew that, if she had been more aware, she would have been able to break free. He had always seen her as a powerful konoichi who could hold her own in a fight. What had happened to turn her into this mindless, frightened creature, struggling in his arms like a wild animal in a cage?
He waited her out patiently, never stopping talking to her quietly, until she stilled, panting. He eased his grip, and gently removed his leg, expecting her to break free, but she didn't.
"I'm sorry," he whispered against her hair, "I'm sorry. Don't tell me if you don't want to. I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry."
He was unprepared for her to turn to him, pulling back a little against his arms. He was unprepared for the tragedy of her face, for the pools of sorrow in her dark eyes. He let the arm under her relax, holding her in a loose embrace. He brought up his hand to her cheek, brushing the long dark strands of hair away from her mouth and throat, moving smoothly. He didn't want to frighten her again.
There was a dark shadow on her throat and across one collarbone, disappearing into the gaping collar of the pajama top. He frowned. Was that a bruise? He traced it with his fingers until she stopped his hand, sucking in a sudden breath when she held it away.
He reached up and turned on the overhead light, growling.
They both winced in the sudden light.
She lay passive, her face turned away as if unable to meet his gaze.
The pajama top had pulled up a little and he could see other bruises on her stomach and hips. He remembered her odd breath when she stopped his hand and picked up hers, holding it gently. Her fingers were swollen and mottled with purple black marks.
He knew their struggle would not have caused any of those injuries.
"Who?" he growled, his eyes narrowing.
She remained still, not answering, and he felt a flash of anger that she wouldn't speak, then shame when he saw the tears slipping silently down her bruised cheeks.
Who had turned his strong, capable teammate into this terrified child?
He wanted to shake her, make her tell him, so that he could go out and hurt the person who had done this. He glared down at her, feeling her pull away, without moving a muscle.
She had been abused enough.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, again, "I promised I wouldn't ask, and I did." He kissed her hand gently, covering the bruises with his lips. He laid her hand down on her bosom, "I'm sorry, sorry,"
She looked at him, her face serious and still, her eyes as deep as night, spilling over with pain.
"Neji," she whispered. "I can't tell you. Please, don't make me." Her voice caught in a sob.
"I won't, I promise," he said.
He wanted to help her, protect her, punish whoever had done this to her.
He wanted to save her.
He could only brush her lips with his.
He felt her tension return. He turned off the light and lay back on the bed, with one arm loosely around her.
"Go to sleep," he said, quietly, kissing her hair.
He forced himself to relax, breathing slowly and easily, sending out healing chakra to bathe her lightly.
He felt her ease a little.
She sighed and turned away from him, snuggled her back into his chest, her head resting lightly on his shoulder.
She fell asleep before he did.
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A/N: So far, this has been the most difficult scene to write. Tell me what you think, please?
I know begging isn't very appealing, but, please? 8]