Authors note- i'm going to play with canon a little, but not too much. I never want to write in a way that lifts directly from the manga or the anime, but I also don't want this to be an alternate universe story; so i'm going to do my best to make this fit! Which is difficult I admit when none of your friends watch or read Naruto and you have to talk ideas through with a very confused boyfriend who thinks Gai has to help rescue the "mayor of sand town"
Onwards!
Neji stumbled as the figure turned, long hair flying behind them as they ran away from the two untrained members of the group and straight for him in the trees. She was smaller, weaker, and her chakra pathways were black and ruined...but it was definitely Hayami. Strong hands gripped him as he tripped, and he could feel the worried looks of his team at the uncharacteristic movement. He couldn't move though, gripping the tree and staring at the ghost only he could see.
Her smile was lethal as she flung the length of chain forwards, pulling the weapon from the air and killing her attacker. Something was wrong with her, why wasn't she using her chakra, what had happened to it?
His mind roughly processed muffled words and he pulled himself together; calming his erratic heartbeat and straightening up, turning to his team. "We need to hurry"
"Why, what did you see?" his sensei asked, obviously shocked to see his eldest pupils mask crack even the smallest amount.
"The prisoner, the collared one that I couldn't pinpoint-with no chakra at all..."
"Yes?"
He forced his words to stay steady, his walls to rebuild and the Hyuuga mask to slide back into place, pushing back the panic that clawed at his throat.
"It's Hayami"
Hayami turned and darted forwards once more, relishing the feel of the senbon in her hand. Two she slid horizontally into her mouth, finding her way rapidly back to her own initial attacker. The familiarity of the senbon was comforting; the only item of this fight she knew she was equally lethal with without the support of her chakra. She jumped at him, legs burning with the force of the jump; landing with her thighs either side of his face and twisted, feeling the bones of his neck crunch as they broke. She span as he fell, launching two of the senbon out towards Takayuki. One lodged itself in the eye of a ninja about to spear him from behind, causing him to scream, and the other dead on his jugular. Her own victim hit the floor and she rolled off him, refilling her pouch with his kunai and sliding his dagger from it's sheathe to quickly block an oncoming blow. Her foot made it's way into the woman's stomach, kicking her outwards; but her lack of chakra strength made itself known as the enemy ninja laughed; forming seals and sending an onslaught of fire straight at her.
Hayami had no choice but to hit the ground and roll forwards out of the line of fire, twisting gracefully and slashing at the woman's ankles. One tendon should have cut straight through, but the ninja simply substituted, a block of wood landing on the ground in her wake. Hayami felt blind without her chakra threads, at a complete disadvantage in the open without any of her normal tricks, and had to backflip out of the way as the ninja appeared before her- grinning as she alternated between slashing into the air with her weapon and sending great plumes of fire her way Her pulse screamed in her ears as she flipped through the air, spinning and rolling to avoid the attacks; wishing she'd allowed Tamiko to cut her hair as it fell in great dirtied tendrils around her face. How Neji fought with his hair so loosely tied she'd never understand-but she couldn't exactly tie it up with the one hand. She ducked, avoiding another plume of flame and flung three Senbon at the woman, smiling in victory as they landed exactly at their mark; along the pressure point of her wrist, causing her hand to spasm and the hand sign to fade. Hayami launched onto the attack, unwinding her chain once more as she ran forwards, slapping the enemy about the face with its dense, metal end. Her opponent screamed, blood flowing from her crushed nose, but Hayami didn't dare stop, twisting like a leaf in the wind to avoid a handful of thrown kunai and landing a strike again, causing the woman's eyes to unfocus. She jumped for her opponent, and was once more was glad for the ingrained training, her own flurries of kicks and punches taking the woman off guard. She felt power pound through her alongside her determination, and let loose what she'd been holding in; feeling free and fast as the blackness saturated her skin, speeding her punches. Her enemy ducked, and Hayami barely felt the cut along her torso as she took in way the tree had cracked as her hand had missed it's mark.
Hands moved around her waist and pushed and Hayami struggled to reign in the exhale of smoke that oozed from between her lips. Just the hands, she tried to order her body-glancing again at that ruined tree-just the hands!
Her opponent staggered back, disgust lacing her features as the smoke billowed against her mangled face, and Hayami fought to calm her body, palming a Kunai and using the distraction to throw herself on the opponent. She shoved flurrying swipes of the blade into the woman's torso, until she was backed up against the remains of the oak. The woman grabbed the chain and spun the two, forcing Hayami against the tree violently, and punched downwards, the blows aggressively connecting with her face, her torso, the fractured arm. She tried to block out the pain, using the assumed victory to her advantage as the kunai she'd been using to swipe at the woman was rapidly embedded between her enemies ribs; forced in; right to the hilt, and Hayami wiped the blood and sweat off her brow as the other ninja crumpled to the floor.
Looking to the side, she allowed herself a brief moment to lean against the tree and catch her breath, head spinning and vision blurring. Out of the ten, only 4 remained, though Kuso was unconscious, and Chou looked exhausted. She'd noticed the camp wasn't training them properly, and this was the outcome. They looked as battered as her, as bruised and covered in dirt, grime and blood.
The only consolation was that Chou still protected Tamiko and Daisuki; though by the way he laboured his side, she guessed Dai had been hit with something. Natsuki was still going, locked in a fierce battle with the largest of the men, their Katana clashing in the bright sun.
Hands, thick and scarred, wrapped around her neck, around the collar. One slid down, grasping the chain and yanking it, pulling her against his body.
"There you are, little Kunoichi"
Grit.
"I am so sick of you. The days I had to watch over you, oh you don't know how much I hated them...I should have been out with the other soldiers, completing missions and protecting our master; but instead I was forced" his hands slid downwards, and his nails dug into the skin of her arms.
"To watch"
Her stitches screamed
"A scrawny"
Blood trickled down her arms, sticking to the loose material of the flowing shirt.
"Fucking"
She tried to wiggle out of his grip as his leg forced her feet apart.
"Bitch"
He kicked her foot again and it slipped to one side, fatigue kicking at her without her chakra to support her. She lost balance and fell forwards, and kicked her, rolling her onto her back. Her eyes widened as he dropped to his knees, straddling her prone, sore body
"Do you remember my threats, the nights I had to watch over you whilst you slept? They were my favourite, not having to pay attention or pretend like I cared. All those hours to think. All the fun things I said I'd do to you once Satoru got sick of you? If I bring you back...you're mine. And if you still can't perform..."
He slid the chain over, one hand on her forehead, pushing her head back; the other laying it over the top of her neck.
"Well...then I can use you til you're done with, and then we'll sell you on"
He held the chain down; and she thrashed beneath him, hating that his additional bulk made him impossible to shift. She panicked, and tried to hit him with the remaining good hand but it was useless, and as her oxygen cut off she knew her hits were kitten weak.
"I'll keep you in those little dresses, the ones you would wear to sit next to the master, to look pretty for his visitors. And I think if I asked nicely, I could have the brunette as well..."
Black spots entered her vision, and an unsettling calm filled her; replacing the panic. She barely even felt the pain against her neck anymore, didn't hear the sounds of battle as closely. They sounded muffled, far away.
"We have to hurry!"
One thing did remain though, his threats against Tamiko. In the past year or so, truthfully Hayami had begun to lose count a little of the exact amount of time, she was the only person she felt she could open up to; the only reason she'd stayed sane. No. She refused to let him drag Tamiko back. Her consciousness was waning, her strength leeching away, but she let the smoke drift through her pathways, a satisfying burn that reminded her she was still alive, still capable of fighting. She let herself go placid, hand forming a fist that rested softly against his chest, and timed her attack; focusing on the blackness collecting under her skin, on the feeling of it as it leeched through, she shape that collected over her curled fingers. Sweat dripped from her brow, but it wasn't suspicious as he saw her eyes flutter closed.
And then she unleashed, letting the blackness transform, feeling it harden and sharpen outside of her fist. He startled, coughing blood onto her face as he moved, releasing the chain and staring down at his own chest; the misshapen jagged edge just visible. He pushed himself off, blood pouring from his torso, his hands glistening in it as he touched the hole and lifted them to the light.
And then slid down, lying face first in the dirt next to her as she felt the darkness slide away into her skin. She gasped, the breaths burning as they moved towards her lungs. Her hand moved to the collar, attempting to lift it even a millimeter away from her skin, to feel less confined by its rigidity-to no avail. The sounds of fighting returned, and footsteps rapidly approached. God, she couldn't do this. Not another fight. She rolled to her front and forced herself to her knees, trying to will the strength into her fist once more, and raised her bloodied face, preparing to fight to her own, likely, death.
But her eyes widened at the sight of the enemy, and any strength immediately waned at the sight of Konoha's Green Beast, sprinting directly towards her. This couldn't be happening. She had to be hallucinating, the oxygen deprivation causing the madness before her. But then he hit the floor before her, and his hands were on her arms, her face, running upwards and pushing the grimy hair away from her face. There was no disgust in his eyes at her appearance, none at the dirt coating his hands or at how easily she felt she'd almost been defeated; as she worried he would. Just...relief. His hands moved to her chin, and then further, to the thick band of metal that had been constricting her for months; and the relief in his expression turned to sadness, then anger. She could see the muscles tense in his neck, his shoulders, his arms-all working as he focused his strength on the ring. The others had tried during the journey but none had any effect, the metal hadn't budged once. Under his determined hands however, it groaned; then gave way with an almighty crack, the seal giving way and the collar falling to the ground at her knees.
Tears tracked down her face as she looked to the side and saw Tenten and Neji tending to her companions, saw that whilst they were injured, none were dead; or least none appeared to be; only unconcious.
She'd protected them. She laughed, feeling lighter than she had in months without the weight of her burdens or strappings. They were out, they were safe, and here, as Gai moved his hands downwards, wary of the strapped arm, and wrapped them around her waist, burying his head into her shoulder; she was home.
Her eyes fluttered closed and for once this year, she didn't resist as darkness overtook her.
Tenten looked up as Gai walked towards them, holding Hayami so gently and smiling with more genuine happiness than she'd seen in some time.
"Is she okay?"
"She needs first aid but...I think she's just exhausted"
Tamiko moved towards her friend as her unconscious body was laid on the ground, pulling bandages from her pack and helping Tenten remove the shirt, wrapping the wounds on her arms.
"She only regained consciousness a couple of days ago, and we've been moving constantly since then. She...was beaten just before we left, and we had to carry her the first day"
Gai looked up and the young girl, then down to Hayami, noting the scars that flecked her torso as Tamiko lifted the slim top underneath, bright and pink against her naturally tan skin; now also unnaturally pale. She was slimmer, if he paid attention, than before.
"She'll need fresh clothes, if we want the wounds to stay clean" Tenten remarked, and Tamiko pointed to a bag behind them. "She looks like she decided to roll across the dirt"
The older man in the group rubbed his face with the heels of his hand, moving forwards to help the trio lift her into a seating position. "She essentially did, I...I never imagined she could move like that"
"You didn't know she was a kunoichi?" Gai asked, confused. He knew he had a terrible memory, but the one thing that had stuck with him was her skill, her confidence in the field completely contradicting the endearing shyness she always portrayed with him.
"It was need to know, we thought he'd just taken a scholar to do his research. She just studied, read...and lounged next to him. And when she told me..."
"Lounged?" Neji interjected
Gai looked down at Hayami and then away, and looking to the side he could see the same pointed stare coming from both Tenten and Neji.
"Enough talk. You" the small woman pointed at Neji "Pass me something from the bag"
The older man seemed relieved to have attention taken from him, taking a sip instead from the water skein at his side and helping Tamiko to clean off their injured friends face.
When Neji didn't move however, Tamiko stood, plucking the flimsy white dress from the very confused teen; who was holding the fabric up into the light and looking back down at Hayami. "Where would you wear this…" he muttered. She shoved it back into the bag and dropped it at Hayami's feet.
"Why would you bring that dress lass?"
"I couldn't exactly grab out of the ordinary clothes could I? Plus, I did the stitching myself and I happen to think she looks lovely in it"
"I'm not sure it's going to be her style once she's back, Kid. Or that she'll even want to see it."
She looked worried, but rifled through the bag instead, eventually pulling out a tunic and trouser set, crisp and white, with beading on the hems. "Perfect"
Bouncing.
The first thought that passed through Hayami's mind was that she was warm, and moving. Was she back on Takayuki's back again?
No, she could hear a heartbeat; slow and comforting against her chest. "Good morning, sleeping beauty"
She could have laughed, and blinking away the headache and confusion that always came with rejoining the land of the living post-fainting, smiled at the familiar jawline above her.
"Jun"
"Don't you smile like that at me, do you realise how much trouble you're in?"
"You didn't look down, how do you know i'm smiling?"
"I can hear it in your voice. Don't think because you're all injured and tired that you're getting out of this"
She could hear the smile in his voice too as she shut her eyes and pressed upwards, playfully kissing his chin.
"Where's Gai?" had she dreamed him...and the others…
"Asking about one man after kissing another? You slut. He's headed off to Suna-a dog arrived and updated him, he wanted to ask another team to go but I insisted they leave, I thought it's what you would have wanted. They're giving backup to Kakashi"
She nodded, glad he'd not given up on his mission-as much as she selfishly wanted him back.
"Where's Hikaru?"
"Out on a mission, as I was. I got an SOS message and started heading to Suna to daringly rescue you, but that Lee kid caught me as I was coming through Konoha from the east"
"And you didn't stop?"
"Pff, of course I didn't stop!"
She grinned, pulling back into sleep by the swaying of his body as he ran through the trees. "That explains the stink then"
"I swear I will drop you"