My scream was muffled as something pressed against my mouth, cloth. A gag?.
I struggled my mind swimming in panic when i realised it wasnt material like a gag it felt like skin?.
My arms were being held down by something, rope? no it felt stronger.
The pressure on my arms wasnt a binding of some sort but arms. I had been pulled into a hug.
I felt confused for a few seconds before it registered in my brain that someone was hugging me, shirtless in the middle of a dark street. I pulled away and looked up to see Neji standing there, the relief i felt at that moment was undescribable.
"Neji? you scared the crap out of me!" i yelled pushing away
"Sorry" he said grinning
It was so weird, one minute he was glazed over and depressed the next he's laughing and playing pranks on me?.
"What are you doing here?" i asked
"I couldn't just wander off without a goodbye hug!" Neji said pulling me into him again
I stood there for a few seconds in his embrace stiffly, he was acting so weird, i glanced up at his face, he caught my eye and smiled, i tried to smile back but after being in such a bad mood and being scared to death i just wanted to go home.
"Neji im tired, can i go home now?" i asked faking a yawn
"Sure, lets go!" He grabbed my hand and began walking faster then usual towards my apartment
"Neji. You don't have to be like this" i said as he tugged me along
"What do you mean? im happy!"
"I know your not" i said seeing the deep sadness in his eyes
"Im a little stressed but you make me happy" Neji said
"I know you don't want to go home" i said guessing
Neji shuttered down, his smile faltered and he nodded "Saw through me that easily?"
"I know you well enough to know when your unhappy" i said truthfully
Neji nodded and his paced slowed to normal again, i let go of his hand and turned towards him, i planted a kiss on his lips and pulled him into a hug, when my mouth was by his ear i whispered something to him.
"Be brave, don't let him win"
Neji stood silently for a few more seconds, i kissed his cheek and untangled myself from him. With one last smile i walked to the end of main street, across the road and over to my apartment, alone.
I turned before i went in to see Neji's sillohuette stalking off towards the Hyuuga mansion. I smiled to myself knowing that my advice had helped him become that little bit stronger.
I let myself into the foyer and made my way up the dank stairs, outside my door i decided to knock, i couldnt be bothered to pull my key out of my bag. Gai answered took one look at me and went to the kitchen to fetch my evening pill so i could go to sleep. I shook off my shoes and dropped my bag by the sofa.
Gai handed me a glass of water and 2 blue pills, i took them gulped the water, hugged Gai goodnight and went to my bed. I laid my head on my pillow and closed my eyes. Ready to drift off into dreamland. My eyes opened again. I was suddenly wide awake.
"Are you kidding me?" i muttered to myself as i sat up and shook my head
I saw myself in my mirror and had to do a double take, i was covered in dried vomit. I quickly jumped up and ran to the bathroom. I turned the shower on and shed my clothes, brushed out my hair and climbed into the shower for a scrub.
20 minutes later i was all clean, i had scrubbed myself down 3 times and washed my hair twice aswell as using exfoliating cream on my face twice. I still felt disgusting though, i could still feel my tears on my cheeks, could still smell vomit and the sweaty men and pungent breath. I glanced down at my clothes from the shower, they looked filthy.
My white shirt was dirtied with mud and my skinny jeans were torn at the bottom, god knows how i did that!. Tonight i had made a fool of myself. I felt ashamed.
I turned the shower off, rung out my hair into the bath so it wouldnt drip onto the floor and make a puddle. I stepped out and grabbed a towel to dab myself dry.
My skin was red from the heat of the water and i felt light headed because i was so hot, i sat on the toilet seat and dried my legs, up to my groin, over my stomach round to my back, my shoulders, breasts and arms and then my face on a smaller softer material towel. I then wrapped my hair up in a towel and grabbed a longer towel for my body.
I left the bathroom and headed back into my room leaving my pile of clothes on the bathroom floor for the minute. I closed my bedroom door and dropped my towel.
"Woah girl!"
I squealed and grabbed my towel again and covered myself.
I looked up to see Sakura lounging on my bed reading through one of her gossip magazines. "What are you doing here?"
"Well i was looking out my window earlier and i heard a scream so i went to investigate." Sakura shrugged and i blushed "Sounded like someone being attacked"
"It was me" i said shuffling over to my pyjama drawer
"Yeah i saw, i came by to check you were okay but you were in the shower i guess" She smiled
"That was nice of you.." i said trying to pull on pyjama shorts underneath the towel whilst also not exposing myself.
Sakura turned around and covered her face with her magazine, i quickly yanked on the shorts and routed through my drawer looking for the shirt that went with it.
"How much did you see?" I asked as i found the shirt at the bottom of the drawer hidden under an old green sweater.
"I saw enough to know you weren't really in any danger... But i thought you seemed a bit down"
I had already yanked on the shirt and i tapped Sakura's shoulder as i threw the towel over a radiator outside my bedroom door.
"I won a karaoke contest" i said brushing my hair to rid it of tangles
Sakura grinned "Thats great!, what did you get?"
"A got a golden trophy.. but i forgot it" i said trying to shrug it off.
"You forgot it?" Sakura shook her head "They'll probably still have it at the main reception of the bar tomorrow"
There was a knock on my door and i looked worriedly over at Sakura as Gai entered the room, he grinned when he saw her.
"Cherry blossom!, Tenten why didnt you say we had company?" Gai shuffled out mumbling something about green tea and sandwiches
I rolled my eyes at Sakura and she smiled "He's so cute!"
I made a gag noise and Sakura laughed, Gai came back with a plate of sandwiches and two steamy mugs, that was a little too fast, i suspected he had already been brewing the pot before his impromptu appearance. He placed the plates and mugs down and sat on the edge of my bed.
"So what are we talking about?" Gai asked perching
I walked out of the room to fetch my pile of dirty clothes off the bathroom floor, when i walked back in with the laundry Sakura was pointing to something in the magazine and Gai was nodding enthusiastically.
"It would look much nicer in green" he said scoffing
Sakura nodded and pointed to another article, Gai slapped his knee "Uh, as if!, who would wear that?"
I was frozen at the door with my clothes in my arms, were Gai and Sakura actually talking? about fashion?. I threw my clothes into my washing basket and sat on the edge of my bed. This was the most bizarre afternoon of my life.
"What do you think of this shirt Tenten?" Sakura asked thrusting the magazine under my nose
I nodded non-commitedly at it and made a grunt noise, Sakura started talking about the silk material and the trim cut, i nodded feeling suddenly tired again.
"I think it would be much nicer in green, with a green trim and green lace" Gai said
Sakura laughed and pointed to a rather frumpy jumper, i turned my nose up at it. "Now thats hideous" Gai said pointing
I laid my head back for a few seconds while Gai and Sakura mused over a dress which according to Gai 'should have been green'. When i opened my eyes again my room was empty. It was morning.
The next few days passed in a blurr, not much happened, i mostly stayed at home and hung out with Gai for a bit while i rehabilitated after my drunken night. I was taking my pills religiously and sticking to my list aswell as doing soft exercise everyday, i was feeling stronger with every passing minute.
A week after my Karaoke win i decided i felt strong enough to join in on that days team training session. Gai made me take my pills, eat a healthy breakfast and drink 2 bottles of water before we could even leave the apartment.
I offered to help him lug down the suspiciously large bag he had with him to the training field but he declined telling me to save my strength for when it was needed. I didnt like that he was coddling me, i wanted things to go back to the way things were, back when he would have thrown the bag at me and made me give him a piggy back to the field.
I stretched my arms as we walked so i didnt have to hold the guys up when we were all actually at the field, Lee often got annoyed with my vigerous warm ups which Tsunade had instructed me to do so i wouldnt relapse back into pulled nerves and broken bones.
My Unknown Illness...
I rolled my shoulders to loosen them at the same time trying to push all thoughts of my illness out of my head. I didnt want to think about it.
"Don't worry my beauty, you'll be fine" Gai said catching the look on my face
I nodded feeling more reassured already.. kind of.
"I've been following the list, taking my pills, drinking milk and water, exercising, doing my stretches" I listed trying to reassure myself more
"You've done very well, i can see the difference in you" Gai said encouragingly
I smiled up at him and nodded swiping all my fears away
Neji and Lee were waiting at the training field already as we entered, i always thought it was weird how they never questioned why i turned up with Gai for the training sessions all the time, they must brush it off.
"Okay team!, we'll start with Kunai practice, and then onto Taijutsu followed by a 15 minute warm down break and then one to one" Gai said nodding at Lee's enthusiasm
Neji groaned under his breath, i edged closer to him and he squeezed my hand.
I hadn't seen much of him since that night of the karaoke, he had phoned me the following day and we'd met up twice during the week, nothing massive just a sandwich in the bakery. Neji was saving up his money to get his own apartment, Hinata was helping him by trying to persuade her father to let Neji go which was very brave of her.
"Okay, now Lee and Tenten you two will go over and start practice" Gai said handing Lee a bag of weapons "Neji-san, over here please"
I nudged Neji with my elbow, he was probably in trouble for missing training a few times last week, by the stern look on Gai's face he wasnt happy. I felt sorry for my boyfriend (wow it felt good to say that) he was going through a lot of trouble at home and he felt unloved in his team. Poor Neji.
I watched distracted from my kunai practice as Neji nodded and spoke to Gai wearing a slight scowl. Gai was nodding and waving his hands around wildly. Yes poor Neji indeed.
"Tenten, are you feeling okay?" Lee asked worriedly seeing that i wasnt practicing
I turned to him with a smile "Im fine Lee"
He continued to watch me until i threw some kunai's at the target post, when all of my throws hit he seemed satisfied and looked away again. I peered over to see that Gai and Neji were sparring at the end of the field in a blur of green and beige.
I finished throwing all of my kunai's hastily so i could watch them, the way Neji moved was beautiful and i could watch him train all day long. His movements were fluid and smooth with such precision i was jealous. He really was a match for Gai. They were both jonin level and with the added boost of Neji's byakugan i was confident that Neji could probably beat Gai in a fair fight.
But their sparring was not fair, Gai had all sorts of tricks and booby traps up his sleeve and Neji was constantly having to dodge out of the way of mini whirlwinds and explosive tags. Lee finished his practice a few minutes after me and settled down to watch his mentor in action.
Gai sent a fist to Neji's gut, It would have hit if Neji hadnt of ducked out of the way quickly, Gai followed up with a round house kick, Neji blocked with his arm and hit Gai 4 times fast in the back as he spun, Gai managed to twist so Neji couldnt hit any of his main chakra points to shut down his flow. The fight raged on with niether of them showing signs of wearing after 20 minutes of intense battle.
Lee's wide eyes were glued on his mentor as Gai kicked, jabbed and blocked. Neji was holding back, i could tell by the way his fist just brushed Gai's thigh and the way he swung his arm around slightly instead of following through in a straight line. Gai was sweating mildly but still looked cool and collected. Neji wasnt showing any signs of wavering.
After another intense 10 minutes during which Gai lost his smoothness just a little and Neji won the upperhand, Gai put his hands up in surrender. Neji stopped mid-jab and dropped his hands cooley. Gai nodded to him proudly and nice Guy posed towards him. It may have been my imagination but i could have sworn i saw a flicker of excitement cross Neji's eyes.
They walked back over grinning like idiots to where myself and Lee sat on the grass by the equiptment applauding their little spar with grins on our faces.
"That was awesome Gai sensei! you rock my world!" Lee said jumping up for a hug
"Thank you Lee! one day, if you train hard, you can become that great!" Gai said jumping
Neji walked over to me rolling his eyes but he couldnt hide the grin on his face, i smiled back at him glad he was happy about the attention.
"Looking good out there!" i said hugging him.
"Ah it was nothing really" Neji said shrugging.
I laughed at his modesty, that had not been nothing, 30 minutes of non-stop taijutsu and weaponary without one pause had been nothing?, i really needed some training.
"Did you tell Gai that i was feeling down?" Neji whispered close to my ear
"No" i said shaking my head to re-inforce
"He said i didnt have my usual glow" Neji said looking weirded out
I chuckled that sounded like something Gai would say.
"I didnt say anything" i said shrugging
"Neji!, how are you feeling?" Gai asked still sounding a little out of breath
"Im good" Neji said
"Okay! you and Tenten will do a 10 minute taijutsu train!" Gai said winking at me, i cringed "Myself and Lee will do our taijutsu train"
Neji nodded and led me away where we could do our training without the screams of Gai and Lee
"Time for me to kick your butt" Neji said smiling
"Yeah... well i've been out of practice!" i argued taking up my fighting stance
Neji took up his own fighting stance and i braced my knees locking them in place so i wouldnt run at the first sign of Neji moving.
His first blow was expected, the kick following it wasnt. I got hit in the hip, the force of it throwing me into a spin. I caught my balance and glared at him whilst rubbing my hip where his foot had made contact.
I ran at him and took a swing at his face, he leaned back in mock slow motion and i missed him by a good 3 inches, how embarrassing. I turned and swung again in an uppercut, Neji dodged again.
Swing
Dodge
Kick
Dodge
Kunai
Dodge
He was fast, faster then me by miles!. I was breathless as he swung his arm at me, i managed to raise my arm in a limp block, he evaded my body space and tried to knee me in the gut, i swiveled losing my breath at the sudden speed of it. Neji grabbed my arm and tugged me down onto the ground, i hit hard and rolled trying to bounce back up.
He's harsh today!
I bounded back up to my feet with a smile plastered on my face. I never lost during training! I always beat Neji!.
Neji always let you win before!
I shook my head and aimed a fist to his chin, he dodged and kicked my butt sending me flying, i half crawled half ran forwards trying to regain balance quickly. His shadow passed over me and i rolled to avoid an axe kick. I tried jumping back to get more distance between us. He was hot on my tail.
My lungs burned as i tried to breathe, Neji ran at me and i sloppily threw myself on the floor rolling and jumping back up just in time to catch a smack in the jaw. I gasped in pain and my hand raised to my face.
Anger simmered to the surface. Neji went for another slap and i crouched quickly kicking his legs from under him in a sweeping motion, he tumbled but sprang back up, i fisted him in the face, he dodged barely. My breathing was getting laboured but my pride wouldnt let me give in.
I tensed my legs and jumped up when he charged at me, landing on his back i grabbed his hair and smashed it into the ground, Neji put his hand on the floor where his head would have landed to absorb the impact. He bucked me off.
I jumped back getting distance while he rose. I made the hand sign for a Kage Bunshin, before i could finish it Neji was on me, i swiveled out of the way and twirled aiming a kick at his rear, he was already gone. I felt a whoosh of air and jerked my head left to avoid a karate chop to the head. Rolling backwards i feinted left and made a shadow clone of myself.
The second Tenten ran at Neji going for a hard punch to the chest while i ducked down and slid at his ankles, Neji lowered himself and kicked at my face, i rolled and my shadow clone poofed as Neji's foot kicked into it.
A stick got caught in my hair as i rolled across the grass trying to think of a plan. I had nothing!.
I tried running for the rock, Neji was right behind me, i jumped backwards into a flip and landed behind him, quickly i aimed a punch at his back, he stumbled and i kicked him in the arm knocking his balance from him.
I ran tail between my legs to the boulders protection while Neji jumped up. I just dove behind the boulder as 4 shurikens whizzed past and hit the tree trunk. I stared at the cracked bark, that could have been me.
I poked my head over the rock to see Neji sprinting towards me, i made 4 shadow clones and sent them out, listening to each of them poofing away. I crawled to the far side of the boulder and sent another 3 out to meet him, he silenced them all and kept coming. I ran out and beat my fists at his chest, he swerved and tackled me to the ground.
My breath flew from me and my lungs seered in pain. Neji had me pinned his eyes sparkling against his sweaty forehead. I sighed trying to catch my breath.
"You got me" i said
Neji smiled "You got your ass kicked!"
Gai came running over applauding our skills and patting Neji on the back happily, i rolled out from under him and got up painfully aware of how red faced and sweaty i was
"Tenten, a very good try!" Gai said enthusiastically
I felt like a failure. I smiled and nodded my thanks going over to grab a water bottle while Gai lead some run down stretches, i did my warm down and sat on the cool grass sipping water trying to make up for the fluids lost from my sweat.
"You did good Tenten" Lee said sitting beside me
"Thanks, but i lost" i said sadly
"You havn't been training recently!" Lee said "Your rusty"
I chuckled dryly "Extremely rusty"
"You just need more training!, your movements got better closer to the end as you got into it!" Lee demanded
I shrugged wanting to believe him but knowing that if this had been a real fight, i would have been dead right now. Neji came over and sat next to me. I congratulated him and he shrugged it off smiling.
I felt light headed from the sudden exercise.
Sipping my drink that Gai always brought with him i watched as Gai and Lee raced around the field picking up Kunais and explosive tags, the ones we used for training wouldn't actually explode just give off smoke that would hinder your opponents vision for a few precious seconds. It was too dangerous to use real explosives in training,
"You look tired" Neji said softly
"Im fine" i said as my lungs burned in my chest. "How are you?"
Neji looked out across the field and shrugged, i let it drop. I knew Hinata wasn't making much progress with her father and i knew how frustrated Neji could get at the drop of a hat. Taking his hand lightly i handed him my water bottle which he took a sip out of gratefully.
"Hinata's been crying" Neji said quietly
I stayed silent knowing there was more to come, the sun beat down on my face warming my skin but suddenly i felt very cold.
"Her father is refusing to let me leave until either Hinata or Hinabi take the thrown... Hinata is the first heir to the royal family but who's to say she wants to be a leader?"
"Don't worry Neji, something will work out i promise you" i said lightly
"My only use right now is to protect the heirs, once Hinata becomes head of house i can leave" Neji said his voice filled with hope
Gai came sprinting over not sensing the tension in the air at all he plonked down beside me and gave me a thumbs up, i smiled weakly back at him. He patted Neji on the back with a well done and snapped him out of his sober mood. Neji managed a smile and a thanks.
"Are we all wiped out?" Gai asked sneaking glances at me
"I could go all night Gai sensei!" Lee squealed
"Thats the spirit Lee!" Gai said grinning
I gave Neji a look and he chuckled softly, it seemed less forced now.
"Im okay to carry on for a bit" i said not wanting to be a wet blanket
"Im good" Neji said with a nod
Gai beamed and jumped up.
"Okay, now for some more intense stuff" Gai said
I inwardly groaned, i was still a little tired from the one on one with Neji.
"We are all going to go into the woods seperately, find a good hiding spot, One of us is going to come looking for the rest with these.." Gai held out 2 red ribbons "... the person looking will tuck these into his or her waistband like a tail" Gai demonstrated and tucked one thrid of the material into his wastband at the side. "The people hiding will try to get the ribbons whilst also not being caught"
I thought the game sounded suspiciously like hide and seek mixed with Kakashi's bell test but i wasnt going to say anything and upset Gai. I peeked at Neji who was scanning the forrest looking for possible hiding places.
"You may notice there are only two ribbons, there will be three of us trying to get them, the person left at the end with no ribbon will be the loser and will buy team Gai dinner tonight" Gai said wickedly "Oh and Neji.. no Byakugan allowed in this game, got it?"
Neji nodded fairly, if he used his byakugan he would be able to see where we all were immediatly.
"Okay, Lee you will be a finder, Neji, Tenten and myself will be hiders" Gai smiled obviously having the time of his life "Okay team ready?"
We all nodded and Gai instructed Lee to count to 60 before we all ran off in different directions. My blood thumped in my ears as i sprinted as silently as i could towards the bushes.
Adrenaline coursed through my body as i heard Lee's running footsteps on my trail, he was a lot faster then me and i wasnt ashamed to admit it. I dove into the nearest set of bushes and hunkered down.
Green whizzed past me and i held my breath as he flew through the forrest head moving rapidly, i crept out of my bushes in a crouch below eye level and made my way across to a tall tree, painfully slowley i rose and peeked over the foliage at the trunk.
I listened for any sign of life near me, i couldn't hear anything but a soft wind blowing, i looked around the empty still clearing, something was amiss. I twisted to look behind me, nobody was there, panic zinged through me as i realised what was wrong.
The leaves werent moving, there was no wind.
I looked up and saw a flash of green diving from the tree, i rolled out of the way and trampled through the bushes, i dove behind a tree and carried on sprinting through the clearing and into a thorn bush. I could hear Lee's foot falls as he followed at a more sensible pace. I quickly made a Kage Bunshin and sent her out sprinting across the mud path to the east.
Lee saw and followed not bothering to check the chakra signature which would be a lot lower then my usual level. I sighed in relief as i felt the space around me become more tranquil, the sound of Lee's steps a distant memory.
I slouched uneasily inside the hollow of the thorn bush willing myself to relax but being unable to do so until i was sure that i woudnt be found, i needed a better hiding spot then this. When Lee finally catches up with my shadow clone he will come back here looking for me.
I was getting ready to move when the space outside the thorn bush seemed to hush, the animals were silent, it was too quiet, my ears were straining to hear some noise, there was nothing.
I crawled forward inch by inch silently to catch a glimpse of what was out there, it was Neji. I stayed silent watching as he looked left and right his brow creasing in confusion, he stepped forwards an inch and whirled around looking towards the thorn bush i was hidden in. Im sure he couldnt see me in the shadow of the leaves but as he stared i began to feel paranoid.
His mouth lolled open slightly as he listened, there was the snap of a twig further off in the forrest, i didnt even blink lest he hear it and drag me out, i knew Lee was the finder but i was letting nobody find me, not even Neji.
He had turned again and was crouching and peeking, all was silent. Deadly silent. My nerves were on end. every rustle of the leaves sounded like a gun shot, i was getting paranoid shivers down my back, something wasnt right.
I felt like a dog with its hackles raised.
"Gai sensei!" Lee yelled from a few miles off to the north-east
The crashing of foot falls loud on the earth errupted for a few seconds before the silence took over again, i thought it was strange Lee would make so much noise
Neji turned quickly and stood invoking his byakugan at the same time, he turned his veiny eyes onto the bush and i knew he would see me sitting there, i was about to stand up before he could call out to me when a tell tale whizzing sound sliced through the air. My eyes widened and before my brain could register what was actually happening a knife sliced into Neji's shoulder and peeked out the other side.
My mouth opened in a silent scream as i fought the rocking urge to dive out of the bush, i pinched my arms painfully to stop myself from running out to him and exposing myself. Neji's head shifted and with a groan he swung his eyes my way, my eyes met his through a tiny gap in the leaf formations, the pain in his eyes was heart breaking.
I took a shaky breath swallowing the bile that had risen in my throat, i had to warn Gai sensei and Lee, i had to find out how many enemies there were, i had to find out what was going on first, i had to stay here and be quiet as much as it was killing me.
I made 4 Kage Bunshins and sent them silently out the back of the thick thorn bush and off to find Gai or Lee, i closed my eyes and pulled my knees to me, all i could do now was wait.
Neji's breathing was loud on my ears as i strained to hear for signs of movement, i knew the knife hadn't hit any major organs or Neji would be in more pain, he had managed to evade the brunt of the knife by using his byakugan at the last moment it looked like.
A little click in my mind told me that one of my Kage Bunshins had been taken out, i shuddered as the image of a balding mans scowling face popped into my head, a few seconds later was another mental click followed quickly by a third, i waited.
Two more images popped into my head, the balding man again and Lee's worried face, a kunai flying towards me and poof bye bye Shadow clone.
Kage bunshins were a little disorientating at first, you could gather information through them, it would just pop into your head without you realising really, i took it for granted all the time but now it could be the thing keeping me alive.
I knew i had to look out for a balding man, i still had one more Kage Bunshin left loping through the woods looking for Gai, i hope it found him.
I looked out again to see Neji laying still, not moving, not breathing, i shuffled forwards worriedly making more noise then i should have been, worry made my muscles tighten as i looked closer at him, he was breathing, shallow panting breathes.
A mental click, a flashbulb image of a women with pouty red lips and flaming red hair and a huge sword. None of my shadow clones had found Gai. Panic tightened my stomach and i dry heaved onto the floor.
Shaking i tried to think of a plan. Neji was in danger and vulnerable, Lee could be in trouble, Gai could be dead. A part of me hoped this was one of Gai's intense training stunts. Deep down i knew it wasnt.
There was a soft popping noise and i looked down to see a tiny white and blue slug at my feet, tears filled my eyes, relief rushed through me as i bent to talk to the tiny animal.
"Katsuya!" i whispered urgently
"Tenten-san!, im glad you are okay, we have news of disturbances of the birds, Tsunade suspects an ambush" Katsuya said cheerfully
"Tsunade is right, Neji is hurt, he got stabbed, Lee is in trouble and Gai... i dont know where he is" i whispered wanting to sob
"Oh no, i will report back to Tsunade immediatly, do not fear Tenten-san, i will be back"
She poofed away and i shook with dread at the thought of being alone again, there was a loud thwack and the sound of a sword being dragged along the ground, it triggered my thoughts back to leona and our fight in her dads shop, i shook with fear as my thoughts flashed to her bloodied body crying for my help and me sitting there doing nothing.
She had tried to kill me.
I looked out to see the pouty red head saunter into the clearing sword dragging behind her sullenly, she headed straight for Neji her face twisted in malice. I crouched forwards muscles vibrating as i tried to stay still.
She raised her sword above her head with a smile twisted into a look of determination as her muscles bunched for the swing down.
Shit.
I crashed from the bush as she swung down, throwing my weight under the sword i stood over Neji blocking her blow with a kunai, my hand vibrated as the two weapons hit against each other, my wrist was raw with pain as i dropped the kunai involuntarily.
"You must be the girlfriend" the women said with a knowing smile on her face as she swung her sword over her shoulder again "I saw you two earlier, loved up. How sweet"
I stayed quiet watching her movements, i stood in front of Neji and i knew in my heart that i would protect him to my death if i had to. The women grinned and in a move so fast it took my breath away she disappeared.
I looked around terrified at how fast she was. A shadow fell over me and i rolled to miss a mock slow swing of her sword, i grabbed my kunai off the floor.
It looked tiny next to her sword.
The women came over to me and ran a finger down my cheek her red painted nails leaving a soft trail on my skin, it was intoxicating as i looked into her face i melted under her touch.
"Your strong willed, firey" the women breathed in a soothing voice "Such a precious child"
My knees felt weak suddenly, the scene around me disappeared and i could only see her, my senses numbed, her touch made me shiver, her hot breath on my neck as she leaned past me made my legs shake.
She ran a finger sensually down my arm leaving goosebumps, my eyes met her deep blue pools and her tongue ran over her teeth at the bottom of my view, i was hypnotised.
I tried to think through my cotton wool brain, i knew this wasnt real it was Genjutsu. I needed to get out of it. For Neji, for Lee, for Gai!. I did the appropriate sign lazily and muttered the release word.
The world burst back in an explosion of noise and smell. I staggered under the sudden change before stumbled back to protect Neji from her grip.
"Im impressed little kunoichi" The women said smiling "This might be fun"
I glared at her with my kunai raised over my face to strike her if she so much as looked at Neji. The women began to pace in a wide circle around us her eyes dancing with mischief.
"You don't strike me as the confident type" the women said playing with her hair "Your like a lost bambi"
I scowled up at her not wanting to react to her words, if this was a staring contest i would win hands down. Neji gasped slightly by my feet and i looked down to see a puddle of blood i hadn't noticed from my vantage point from the bush. Maybe he was more hurt then i thought. I panicked.
"Your boyfriend will be fine little one, he is clever" the women breathed sexually " he managed to avoid any main arteries or organs, neat trick he has, those eyes"
I flicked a glance at him, the blood making me feel dizzy.
Relax, it always looks worse then it is!
I took a deep breath to steady myself as the women zoomed from the edge of the clearing to a mere inch from my face, her hot pants touched my lips and she smiled leaning towards my ear to whisper. I tensed but refused to lose concentration. Her sword was hanging limply on the floor, her hands were empty. Besides if she wantd to kill me she could. I was out of her league.
"are they like x-rays little one?" the women asked smiling "those beautiful eyes, bet they're a lot of fun"
I tensed looking away from her knowing stare, i felt my cheeks begin to heat. I didnt want to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.
"He looks like a wild one to me" the women knelt down and i shuffled in front of her blocking her view of him protectively.
She rose her eyebrow at me "Your a bit possessive arent you?"
She stood again swinging her sword onto her shoulder effortlessly "he must be amazing in bed"
My jaw dropped open at the casualness in her tone, i yanked my mouth shut again quickly but she saw my reaction. She chuckled to herself her eyes going wide and innocent.
"Oh, you two havent?.. my mistake" she grinned evily "bet he wants to, hes gasping for it. your frigid"
I narrowed my eyes wanting to rip her vocal chords out and strangle her with them, she must have seen something in my eyes because she took a small step back, i could feel the heat of anger rolling off me in waves. This bitch was going down.
"Maybe your not that way inclined?" the women asked suggestivly wiggling her eyebrows "you like?" the women undid her top buttons revealing the tops of her breasts.
There was a growl from my feet, Neji was glaring at her his teeth clenched, i looked away from her disgusted. she laughed evily.
"Your a chatty one arent you" the womens grin widened "well if you dont want to chat... lets play"
she ran at me swinging her sword, i ducked the swing expecting it and kicked her wrist making the handle wobble, her iron grip held though something i was not planning. She spun hitting the sword towards Neji, i dove and blocked with my pathetically small Kunai. she swung again and i blocked. The sword caught the skin of my knuckle and it began to bleed.
Tension made my movements stiff, i needed to be better then this. I glanced down at Neji quickly, he needed me to be better then this. I lunged at the women and punched her in the hip, she feinted to the left and swung her sword at Neji's leg, i dodged back and blocked awkwardly. My body wasnt behind it and it made me stumble.
I took a deep breath and made 6 Kage bunshins sending them at her all at once trying to over power her, i ran and aimed a punch to her temple, she easily dodged and just as easily took out all my shadow clones with a swing of her sword.
I was really in trouble here. This women was way way out of my league and she had a partner lurking somewhere in the woods. I closed my eyes and summoned my weapon scrolls quickly, the women swung her sword and i let it hit my finger. It was a closer shave then i had thought and blood poured out. I opened 3 scrolls quickly and invoked them with my bloodied finger.
Weapons surrounded me and Neji in a protective metal force field.
After the fight with Neji, the shadow clones and the lack of food in the past few hours i was feeling drained, my chakra was decreasing rapidly. I swung my arms around wildly sending weapon after weapon at her in a whirl wind of glinting metal. My fingers began to spasm as i over powered her and managed to cut her with a shuriken, she looked pissed off.
I waved my right arm down and a wave of weapons flew down to meet her, she dove and rolled running at me, her sword was raised above her head, a snarl on her face, she meant buisness.
I sent everything i had at her, wave upon wave of blade, kunai, shuriken, wire, metal, copper, silver. A blade cut into her wrist and she shrieked dropping her sword. Her eyes went wild as it fell to the ground. I sent a Kunai at her and she dodged.
My motions were becoming less fluent as my chakra levels depleated. She ran at me faster then i'd ever seen anyone move in my life, i waved my hands for a cover of wire but i was too slow. She punched me in the face and i flew backwards hitting the floor in a heap.
God that punch had hurt. I moved my jaw back and forth to check if it was dislocated. Blood dribbled down my chin. I goody.
"Your a fiesty one" the women said grinning wildly, there was a cut from her eye to her lip, i took pride in being the one to give her that.
She stomped over to Neji and i stumbled up trying to protect him, i wavered as light headedness brought a black screen over my eyes. I ran in Neji's general direction and the fog cleared as i smashed into the women bent over him. She went down and i rolled and knelt in front of Neji.
I raised my single Kunai and bared my teeth at the women. She looked shocked. There was no way i was letting her touch Neji. Not as long as i was alive to do something about it.
She ran forwards and i swung my leg at her ankles, she dodged getting closer, too close. I dove and grabbed her legs yanking her down. She fought and punched me in the shoulder knocking me off balance. Her eyes lit onto something and she grinned, i looked up to see her reaching for her sword, i grappled with her and hit her head against the floor.
She spat into my face and kicked me in the gut hard. I rocked back breathless as her fingers grazed the handle. I didnt think. I couldnt. I grabbed my kunai and cut her fingers off.
The women howled in pain and anger as the tips of her fingers fell away from the stump. I punched her in the face twice, payback. She wriggled and tried to grab my throat, her hands were slick with blood. I knocked her arm away and grabbed her hair smashing her head into the floor whilst also pulling out a nice lump.
The womens eyes rolled in pain and i knew she was seeing stars, an erruption behind me made me jump and i turned to see the balding man. All my energy fell away from me when i saw he had another man with him. Their eyes zoomed to their fallen comrade whom i was currently stradling whilst holding a fistful of her hair.
"You bitch" Baldy screamed advancing on me
I spun off the women and grabbed her sword holding it up defencively towards him. The man stopped and glared at me as he saw her missing fingers and the smear of blood on my neck.
The women cried out pathetically as the man knelt by her. Look what i had reduced her to. The man turned to face me his features twisted into something so ugly i had to look away. The anger and hate i saw at that moment in his eyes made me feel faint.
He screamed loudly hands made into fists. I shrinked back, kneeling down in front of Neji. I grabbed him under the arms and began to drag.
The man shook his head a sudden smile lighting his face.
"I dont think so kid"
I shrieked as he practically transported infront of me, why were these people so fast?. He grabbed me by the throat and raised me off my feet, i kicked at him and punched at him but to no evail. The air in my lungs was leaving me quickly.
Neji tried to get up but he slumped back down, i clawed my hands and went for the guys eyes ruthlessly, he screached loudly and dropped me, i landed on my knees heavily.
I crawled over to Neji feeling exhausted. Sounds were coming towards us. Help was on its way.
Baldy's comrade's eyes widened as a pack of nin-dogs ran in growling, Kakashi followed them with Sakura, Naruto and Sai. I leaned against Neji happily and closed my eyes.
The screams and thumps of battle merged into the background as the sounds of Neji's breathing lulled me to sleep. My hair was soaking up his blood from the floor, my scalp felt cold and tight.
My knuckles burned and my jaw was killing me, my stomach ached and i knew i had bruises in places i never knew i could get them, but i was safe now and thats all that mattered.
Without further incident i fell into an exhausted sleep.
I woke up to the feel of soft sheets, the first thought to enter my head was that i was in the hospital, which meant we had been saved. I looked around and realised with a shock that i wasnt in the hospital, i was in my room.
I laid back down onto the pillow and breathed in the scent of the familiar.
My clock ticked gently and unobtrusively next to my head on the desk, i glanced at it and wasnt suprised to find that i had slept for a long long time, that seemed to be the norm in my weird life right now.
I sat up slowley expecting to find pain and discomfort, i felt a little wound up but i was otherwise fine. I looked at myself in the mirror to see the hugest bruise i had ever had right next to my mouth on the side of my chin. That bitch.
I fingered my hair stuck together with dried blood. Neji's blood.
"Neji!" i exclaimed gathering my hair up into a pony tail shoving a hat on and grabbing a coat. I grabbed my shoes and ran out of the apartment. People on the street gave me weird looks as i sprinted down towards the hospital.
My muscles ached and i slowed the pace not wanting to keal over before i made it to Neji. I entered the hospital at a reasonable pace and went straight up to Tsunade's office to ask after Neji. She wouldnt lie to me about it.
I found Tsunade in her office reading a medical textbook, when my soft knock went unanswered i had barged right in obviously feeling particularly brave that day.
"Tenten?" Tsunade asked taking in my clothes, bruise and bloodied hair
"Where is Neji?" i asked "how is he?"
Tsunade lowered her book with a smile and silently rose, she led me out into the hall and across the corridor into a room with a blue door. I looked around wildly expecting to see wires and beeping machies, bloodied tools and nurses galore. Instead i saw a large window, a white curtain with the sillouhuette of a bed behind it. Tsunade reached for the curtain and pulled it open.
I gasped in suprise.
Neji looked fine. He didnt even look like he had been in a fight, i envied his perfectly un-scarred body when i had a bruise the size of japan on my face, He looked up from the book he was reading at my gasp and a smile came over his face.
"Tenten" He raised his arm to reach for me "im so glad to see you"
I went over to him and kissed him gently on the lips, his were perfectly pink and soft compared to my horribly chapped ones, not to mention my morning breath. I smiled at him as he gestured to the visitors chair in the corner. Tsunade slipped back out the door with a small smile and left us alone.
"Neji, are you okay?" i asked
"Im fine" He said smiling "Thanks to you"
I shrugged feeling my face redden as he watched me fidget with my pyjama leg. I groaned to myself and face palmed.
You went out in your pyjamas? and hes fine!
"It was nothing, she was toying with me" i said
"I saw what you did, all those weapons it was amazing" Neji said sitting up more "what power you must have, what control!"
I looked away embarrassed that he was praising me. Neji continued to talk and i got more and more embarrassed until finally i cut in to his babbling.
"So what are they holdiong you for?" i asked
He grinned at the subject change and pointed to a monitor next to his bed. "They're waiting until my blood sugar level decreases back to normal"
"Thats it?" i asked
"Yep, my shoulders already sewed up and in healing, they thought i had lost more blood then i actually had and so they pumped glucose tablets into me" he laughed "turns out they miscalculated since your hair soaked up some of it"
My hand went to my mussed crows nest of hair and i smiled uneasily. "I was really tired"
Neji laughed and took my hand lovingly giving it a squeeze. "You saved my life Tenten"
"Yes and i'd do it again" i said softly
Neji smiled his eyes looked suspiciously watery under his hooded lids, if i didnt know any better i would have said he was welling up. Aaw!.
"One day i'll repay the favour" Neji said his voice wavering
"Neji, i think over the years you have saved my life many a time"
"I've had plenty of back-up, you took on 3 of them by yourself to save me" he said
"it was nothing" i said quickly wanting to get off the subject
"Your so modest!" Neji said pulling me into him for another kiss
"Im also so not dressed" i said pulling away awkwardly
"yes i did wonder about the pyjama's and bloody hair.." Neji said laughing
"I was worried about you" i said shrugging
"Go home and wash and change" Neji said gently letting go of my hand "I'll still be here when your done, i secretly ate a donut!"
I chuckled "Your such a rebel!" i mocked
I stood up and gave him one more kiss before stepping back out into the corridor with a wave to Neji before the blue door swung shut. I walked down the hall smiling creepily to myself, thankfull that Neji was okay.
Out in the street the sun was higher and hotter then before, my hair felt like it was smothered in dried clay, brittle. I hurried home ignoring the weird looks i got from passers by.
Why should i care, i'd just saved someones life!. I wasnt useless. My illness wasnt going to hold me back!. I could be a ninja!.
I hummed softly to myself as i practically skipped down main street and across the road. I entered my apartment and turned the shower on still grinning. I looked in the mirror grinning.
"Im Tenten Hyuga, protector of the helpless and all around ass kicker" I giggled to myself as i shed my pyjamas and took my hat off.
There was a soft knock on the door and Gai called through "Tenten? are you okay?"
I felt guilty suddenly, i hadnt even thought of Gai when i'd woken up, i guess id assumed he was okay seeing as i ended up back here not at the hospital.
I grinned at myself cornily in the mirror.
"Never been better!"
Hey guys,
About time i got this one out right! I feel extra bad because i left the last one on a cliff hanger!. I am an evil person!.
This one was hard to do because after not writing for so long when i was ill it was hard to get back into the story and the characters so if its a bit iffy its just because im trying to get back into the Tenten mind frame. I hope you all liked it. :)
Thanks so much to everyone who has read and reviewed or who is going to, i love you all! :D.
The next chapter will not take 3 weeks to get out i promise!
Much Love
Temari93 x
