a/n: I am so sorry for the late update! And thank you so much to everyone who has steadfastly believed in this story. I hope the next update will be quicker in coming.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 11

As if Old Man Time was literally dragging his feet, it seemed as if the hours slowed; seconds melting into each other without moving forward. Never before had Tenten been so aware of the passage of a day. Sasuke lay unconscious as the healer worked. Beads of sweat decorated the Suna-nin's forehead protector but the green chakra coating his hands never wavered as he carefully healed the gash in Sasuke's side. It seemed like hours, but couldn't have been more than minutes ago, that he'd informed Tenten of the reason for the repeated fever; the unceasing infection: poison. She really should have suspected it.

She was indescribably grateful for a healer's presence. Far better that someone who knows what they are doing work on Sasuke. Still, she couldn't quite bring herself to leave the unconscious Uchiha in the med-nin's capable hands. She'd remained in the hallway only until she felt sufficiently in control of herself before returning to the room. What she thought she could accomplish remained a mystery, but somehow Tenten couldn't help but think that she had to be there. She was so lost in her thoughts she nearly jumped through the roof when Sasuke suddenly jack-knifed on the bed. A hoarse shout of pain accompanied the involuntary movement. Her grip tightened around the hilt of a swiftly drawn kunai as Tenten froze. The last of the poison had been leeched from the wound – the reason for Sasuke's sudden outburst – and the wound was almost healed. One look at the Uchiha's features assured Tenten of the fact that he was still more than a little delirious; not entirely conscious as yet. His eyes were open, still coated in that glazed look of fever, but that wasn't what gave Tenten pause.

The Sharingan had activated on instinct, it seemed.

Sasuke's eyes shone, red like the blood pooling beneath him, the tomoe spinning frantically, as his hands tried to push the Suna-nin away. She could've tried to dismiss it as a trick of the light; should have been trying to think of a way out of this … She could see the way the healer's eyes widened and the barely concealed shock, and revulsion, when he realized who he was healing. She didn't miss the way his eyes narrowed, or the quick slanted glance sideways at her, before he determinedly resumed his healing. Instead she kept her eyes fixed on Sasuke, though she did notice that the healer was considerably less gentle in his healing now that he knew who his patient was.

It was her chance. Maybe her only chance. All she had to do was to open her mouth and speak up. Suna was Konoha's ally. Sasuke was incapacitated at the moment and that would give them time to restrain him somehow, just long enough for help to arrive. Surely someone would be able to undo the damage of the seal … all she had to do was open her mouth and tell the young Chuunin next to her that she had been abducted and held against her will.

Tenten held her tongue.

What good would it do, after all? To drag another nation into Konoha's affairs? Tsunade-sama had made it clear to the Raikage years ago: Uchiha Sasuke was Konoha's problem and, though they couldn't stop the other nations from labelling him a criminal, it would be the Leaf's prerogative to deal with him.

If she was completely honest that was the exact reason why she kept her silence.

If she spoke up now …

Sasuke would not give up without a fight; a fight she might not survive…

They would execute him.

And, somehow, she found she couldn't stand the thought of arrogant, heartless, lost Sasuke being dragged off to a traitor's death.

Blue-black hair spread across the pristine pillowcases as Sasuke abruptly slumped backward. His eyes rolled back in his head, unconscious again, and as if the disappearance of the Sharingan released her as well, Tenten blew out an agitated breath. For a long moment silence reigned. Tenten stared sightlessly at Sasuke's slumped form, while the Suna-nin surveyed her grimly. Distantly she was aware of the accusatory glare, of Himiko's confusion as she glanced between them, with no idea of what had just transpired, but picking up on the tension in the room.

"Uchiha Sasuke," the younger ninja finally muttered into the silence.

It took all her willpower but Tenten raised her head and met the boy's gaze firmly.

"Yes."

"I can't keep this a secret, Tenten-san …″

"No…″ Tenten shook her head and cleared her throat, "But maybe you could tell them that I'm sorry."

Even to her own ears she sounded defeated so she shook her head and tried again, but before she could really decide what it was that she should say the Suna-nin spoke.

"Why?" he asked simply, staring at her with something akin to curiosity in his gaze.

Tenten nearly laughed aloud; how on earth could she ever begin to explain? The initial parts were easy enough, but who would ever be able to understand how she felt compelled to stay with Sasuke; to see the road fate had set her feet on to its end? With no way to answer such a question she merely shook her head again and when Himiko edged towards the door, followed by the healer, she promptly forgot all about them as she sank down onto the bed next to Sasuke.

She didn't understand it, either. Didn't know what the hell she was doing or why she was doing it.

Tenten barely even heard the younger boy's parting shot. At the door he paused before turning back to her.

"This isn't Suna's battle, and whatever your motivations … it's obvious that you care for him a great deal."

It didn't occur to her to argue with the statement and, by the time the door closed softly behind them, Tenten was once again focused solely on how they were going to get out of this mess.

The trees flashed by in uniform shapes of distorted greenery. For the first time in a long while Neji revelled in the freedom a mission could provide. He hadn't appreciated distance from his village and his clan until it had been taken away. Byakugan eyes scanned all around the travelling trio, measured sweeps penetrating through the trees, but the speed they were travelling at meant that Neji had to rely on Kiba and Akamaru's noses more than advanced eyesight.

Tsunade had given them specific directions: they were to start their searching at the coordinates Sai had provided; the last known position of Sasuke and the dead ROOT squads. Neji's eyes narrowed as they leapt nimbly from branch to branch, careful not to make too much noise though he highly doubted that anyone was around to hear them.

Uchiha Sasuke.

The name had haunted their village.

Damn near destroyed Naruto.

And Neji would never be able to forget the pain of arrows punching through his body though many years had passed and the wounds had long since healed. Sasuke's defection had affected every one of the Konoha Eleven in one way or another. For a handful of them he had nearly cost them their lives. In some ways Neji could understand Sasuke's desire to escape Konoha – to leave behind the stifling memories of better times, but on the other hand he couldn't fathom such disloyalty. He had never known the Uchiha – not personally – but Shikamaru had summed it up well on that day when they'd set out to retrieve him: Sasuke was of Konoha and that alone entitled him to their loyalty.

What Neji couldn't wrap his mind around was the fact that, despite repeated attempts, Sasuke scorned all efforts to save him from himself. It made no logical sense – that a highly intelligent person could be so absolutely, abysmally stupid. Before, Neji hadn't really cared about the Uchiha one way or the other; he still didn't. But, once again, the Uchiha's continued existence was threatening their home and all the people in it, and Neji had decided the moment Tsunade had issued the orders three days ago. They would locate Sasuke first, with the minimum wasting of time. If Sai was correct then the Uchiha was wounded and therefore wouldn't have been able to get too far too quickly. That meant a relatively easy trail to follow. If they could locate him quickly then they could eliminate him and spend a few days searching for Tenten before they would have to report that the danger of ROOT gaining a Sharingan was past.

"Neji," Kiba called ahead, voice low in deference to their need to stay below the radar. "I smell blood."

Immediately Neji fell back, letting Kiba and his nin-hound overtake him so they could lead the way, pushing all thoughts extraneous to the mission from his head as he focused his chakra and concentration in his eyes.

Moments later they dropped silently from the tree-tops, into a small clearing. It was no different from any other clearing in the forest, save for the signs of battle. Up-rooted trees littered the perimeter; craters dotted the ground interspersed with patches of scorched earth. It was days old. Any information they could've gained from bloodstains and torn pieces of clothing had long since been removed by nature, but they could still track a general direction. Neji nodded once to Kiba, short and sharp, and at the unspoken command they moved to opposite sides of the clearing.

The next few hours were spent in fruitlessly combing over every inch of the clearing. Though the destruction told them much about the calibre of ninja that had clashed here, that was all. ROOT had done a thorough job in removing any trace of their presence. Neji was just about to call for a short rest, since it seemed futile to continue searching for clues that weren't there, when Akamaru barked, long and loud.

White fur was hidden behind blurry clods of earth as the animal's paws dug frantically through the dirt. Whatever Akamaru had found was at the very edge of the clearing, in front of a very large and sturdy tree. The bark bore signs of a fight, as did every inch of the small space, but the tree was solid enough that it hadn't suffered too much from the human battle waged beneath its boughs.

"What is it, Akamaru?" Kiba moved towards his dog in concern but refrained from interfering.

"What has he found?" Neji asked, also moving closer to the still digging hound.

Kiba simply shook his shaggy head and, in silence, the two men waited for the dog to unearth whatever it was he'd found. It took only a few minutes before Akamaru sat back on his haunches and whined.

Slowly and carefully Neji and Kiba approached the hole in the ground though it didn't seem likely that it would be booby-trapped. For some reason, Neji's heart was beating a frantic tattoo in his chest and he swallowed convulsively. Kiba reached the hole first and knelt down, slowly reaching into the earth before withdrawing the kunai that had been buried there. The blade was covered in dried blood. Steel glinted silver from beneath the darker stains as Kiba turned it over in his hand, inspecting the hilt for any clues.

It all made sense now. The strange restlessness, the conviction that Tenten was in grave danger, the instinctive trepidation at Akamaru's find…

"That's Tenten's kunai," Neji spoke lowly, "I recognize the design on the hilt – her father used to forge them for her specially."

It took a long moment before Kiba tilted his head to look up at Neji with a quizzical expression. "But what was Tenten doing here? ROOT couldn't have her – if they did we'd long since have heard about it. Maybe she stopped here before the battle?"

Neji shook his head in denial; instinctively he knew that wasn't the case. "No, the blood on the blade … she was here when ROOT attacked Uchiha."

Kiba straightened slowly, unfolding his frame from the crouch with careful deliberation. "Why-″

"We need more evidence. Search again. Carefully. Every inch of this clearing. We'll work out in concentric circles." Neji swiftly turned his back on Kiba and the kunai and began the search with his Byakugan, focusing on the ground this time; looking for anything that could explain Tenten's presence here.

He didn't want to share the terrible suspicion growing inside his mind until they had further proof.

Night was falling and Tenten had yet to move from her position on the edge of Sasuke's bed. The med-nin's words rang in her ears, echoed through her mind.

"You care for him a great deal."

Was that true? Was that the reason she couldn't stomach handing Sasuke over to the authorities to face the punishment he so richly deserved? Was it even possible to care about someone so incredibly guarded that, even after all the time spent in his company, she couldn't claim to know the first thing about him? He was cold and callous, cruel and uncaring of how much destruction he left in his wake … how could she care about someone like that? Surely someone exhibiting those qualities deserved only her contempt and, at best, her pity.

But instinctively Tenten knew that wasn't entirely true.

Sasuke did present an uncrackable façade to the world but that wasn't all there was to him. Somehow she understood that he wasn't cruel and hateful by nature … that his circumstances had forced him to cultivate those qualities.

Somehow she suspected that far from caring too little, Sasuke cared far too much.

With a low groan Tenten dropped her head onto her drawn up knees. The more she thought about it the more tension pulsed through her body, worsening the headache. No matter how she tried to justify it with suspicions and gut-feelings, the facts spoke for themselves. Sasuke was a criminal and no matter his circumstances he'd always had choices.

She shouldn't – couldn't – care about someone like Uchiha Sasuke.

She didn't. It was just fall-out from the stress and the upheavals of the last few days – Sasuke's injury and illness …

Even as she thought it, a part of Tenten derisively denied the lie she was trying to feed herself.

"Tenten?"

The door creaked open slowly behind her and Tenten was so incredibly tired and muddled she didn't even bother to reach for a kunai. The Suna ninjas would no doubt all know by now that the most wanted S-class criminal was unconscious only a few doors away. If they came for Sasuke … Tenten just hoped they would kill her quickly.

"I'm sorry to bother you, dear."

Himiko's voice was strangely subdued; for the first time she sounded her age, and Tenten turned to face the old lady half in resignation, half in alarm.

"I'm not sure what's going on here or what happened before …" the innkeeper wrung her hands and avoided the kunoichi's gaze, "But I feel responsible. I'm not stupid and I realize that your companion must be a wanted criminal … but I've gotten to know you and I don't think that you would take up with people who are truly evil …"

Impatiently Tenten waited in silence for the old lady to get to the point; half her attention was always fixed on Sasuke's sleeping features.

"I couldn't just stay quiet … I heard the Suna party talking earlier. They've notified their village of your presence but they've decided not to attempt to apprehend your friend … they say that a Konoha ROOT squad is nearby and they can deal with the two of you."

The moment the words were out Himiko exhaled, her shoulders slumping while she fixed her gaze on the floor.

Tenten stared at the old lady in front of her, completely aghast and unsure of what to say or do. Himiko was warning her – telling her they had to get away – that much her brain could process but no logical course of action appeared in the wake of the realization. Suddenly she was overwhelmed anew by the kindness this old lady had shown a stranger.

Swift movement brought Tenten to her feet and she clasped one of Himiko's wrinkled hands between both of her own.

"Thank you," she breathed the words, hoping that the inadequacy of them would be overshadowed by the wealth of pure gratitude behind them. "Go. That way you don't know anything to tell anyone who asks."

Tears burned behind her lashes as Tenten turned her back to the innkeeper and determinedly surveyed Sasuke's prone form. Moving him wasn't going to be easy but he'd been asleep for so long … maybe it would have given him enough strength to move at least partly on his own.

She quickly prodded Sasuke's shoulder until confused gray eyes met her own. His mind was functioning clearly again, it seemed, because he immediately began to push himself to his feet while Tenten related the events of the day and gathered their possessions. Finally she shoved Kusanagi into the, still strangely, silent Sasuke's hands and whirled to face him.

"The roof?" she suggested, arching an eyebrow questioningly but the Uchiha merely shook his head.

"I have enough chakra for this," he muttered hoarsely as he pushed the sword into his belt.

Before Tenten had a chance to so much as squeal in surprise, his arms closed around her in a vice-like grip. One hand pushed her face into his shoulder while the other held her tightly against him and his chakra enveloped her in a cloud of oppressive darkness. Tenten bit her lip to contain the scream that wanted to escape.

"I won't hurt you," Sasuke's voice whispered in her ear, "trust me."

Just like that, the fear evaporated and for the first time Tenten could feel the strength and power of his chakra instead of just the all-consuming darkness threaded with barely leashed chaos and violence. Strangely she found that it made her feel safe. Before she had a chance to ruminate on the ramifications of the fact that she clearly had come to trust the Uchiha somewhere along the way, the world went black.

a/n: So, how did I do?