WARNINGS: Character death, and POV character is an OC.
Notes: Tenmou means "heaven's vengeance". Adding –hime to the end makes it something like Princess or Lady of Heaven's Vengeance.
This one isn't a NejiTenPlz prompt, but listening to the song 'Madam Guillotine' from "The Scarlet Pimpernel" musical this morning gave me the idea. If you can find it, listen to the song, and then read this fic. Then listen to the song again. It works so much better that way.
Vengeance Victorious
Having lived nearly seventy years now, Hideyo had seen many things. He'd seen war, murdered children and innocents, and he'd seen the beauty of a first snowfall on a high mountain. What he had never seen before was the Cadet Branch is such fervor.
They called it Tenmou-hime, though no one knew for certain if the creature was even a woman. Hideyo himself was doubtful of this. No woman alive could take out six Hyuuga elders.
That's what had them all the most excited. Starting just two weeks ago, Elders in the main branch were dying nearly every other day. One by one, they were being systematically butchered. The first one they thought was an accident, the second an apparent suicide. By now it seemed clear this was a deliberate massacre.
The whole compound was on high alert, and the Hokage had posted ANBU guards at stations all around. Still this phantom managed to slip through, undetected, and wipes them out one at a time.
A swiftly moving shadow caught his attention, and Hideyo turned, ready to attack. Only a leaf, knocked down by the night breeze, met his all-seeing gaze in the half-moon light.
Hideyo was one of the Elders with the opinion that somehow the Cadet Branch was helping it. Tenmou-hime was swiftly becoming their hero and liberator, taking down the main house one by one and painting the white walls of the compound red with their blood. Several had been questioned, under torture. Not even the use of the seal had been able to ring from them the identity of the murderer.
The compound had been a graveyard the last few weeks. No night life and everyone ordered to stay inside unless they had official business. There was no comfort in the silence, but then in a village of ninja it meant nothing.
Infuriatingly, Hiashi refused to see reason. He maintained that the threat was an outside source that had nothing to do with the lesser family, and had banned the use of the seal to get them to talk. Like the soft hearted fool he was, Hiashi would not see the conniving faces of those that refused to learn their place.
He had even tried to save Neji, even though the clan council had decided his execution was necessary. He was too much of a liability to the clan. They had overlooked his mistakes as a child, but now he was working with the Hokage to take their power, remove their system of safety. It was rumored he'd even found a way to remove the seal completely.
Hiashi didn't understand that it was too late now to change the years of hatred between the two families. If the protection of the seal was removed, the branch family would slaughter them all. The appearance of this Tenmou-hime, their adoration of her, only proved that.
Under normal circumstances he would not have left the safety of his room, but he had reason to suspect two of the cadet members—a set of twins—of helping Tenmou-hime get in. He couldn't prove it, but he was certain that they were the ones who had written 'Justice for Neji' in red paint on the outside walls.
A sudden pain, like a mosquito bite, brought Hideyo to a halt. That had been his blind spot. No hesitation, no questioning. Just a direct hit.
It had even been used to the fullest advantage, as he heard something small and metallic clatter to the ground behind him, but found he could not turn to look. The muscles in his body were tensing on their own, locking him in position and unable to move.
A shadow landed in front of them, the weight of it barely whispering as it touched the ground, before it righted itself. Like a panther it crept towards him, and the moonlight reflected off a pair of near-gold brown eyes.
The girl. The girl Neji had chosen to protect instead of Hinata while on a mission. The decision that had sealed his fate when it proved where his loyalties lay. His teammate.
Never, though, had Hideyo seen her like this. Her face was painted white, with two red lines following the contours of her face from eyes to jaw, and her hair buns were tied with white ribbons. In her hand was a katana, and even in this light he could make out the excellent craftsman ship. The two birds sitting on a branch carved on its blade.
"Tenmou-hime." The name came, unbidden, to his trembling lips, and the girl smiled at him.
"I will see every one of you rot," she said softly, creeping toward him. Her every moment screamed of efficiency and power. This was death. "I will not rest until your filth has been erased from this earth."
He didn't want to die. Surviving so many years of the battle field to die at the hands of a young girl…it was shameful. But she knew of the blind spot. Knew how to exploit every weakness the byakugan had, it seemed. Neji must have taught her that. "Please…what can we do to make it up to you? How can we make up for our crimes?"
The cold steel of her blade against his neck caused him to flinch.
"Open your eyes," she spat, and he couldn't help but obey. She smirked at him, a cold edged weapon all its own. "I want to watch the hope fade from your eyes as you die."
"Have mercy, Tenmou-hime, please." His muscles trembled as he tried to move—for flee or fight he didn't even know. "I'll do anything, please."
"Anything?" She drew the blade back, aiming for the arteries there. "Bring Neji back to me. Restore his life, his hopes, his dreams, and I will spare you."
Silver eyes widened, finding nothing in those steel brown eyes to work with. No remorse. No sorry. Not even hatred. "I-I cannot."
"Then tell him, should he choose to visit you in hell, that I hope he is pleased with your sacrifice." He hand twitched, and he didn't even have time to cry out.