[[ A/N ]] When I said I'd update quickly...I lied. I'm sorry. I just had this huge project coming up, studying, and homework (even though it was Spring Break) was completely out of hand. So I couldn't write. You know in the more recent episodes of Naruto, they called Gaara's demon a RACCOON! And I was always under the thought that it was a BADGER! NOT A RACCOON!! So forgive me about the whole raccoon thing here, although I'm still pretty damn sure it's a badger. Oh, yeah, and for this chapter, I'm giving my review answers BEFORE the chapter, because I don't want people saying, 'Oh, thanks for telling me AFTER I read it.' So here we go. Also, this is a short chapter.
[[ Disclaimer ]] Forever shall I be deprived of ownership of Naruto. As we all are.
[[ Review Answers ]]
Carollipop: I'm trying not to create scenes that are typical weeping, but I still am following clichés. Thanks for making me feel nice about it, though!! ;D And...no one is sure whether Neji and Chouji died in the manga. But I'm convinced they're both dead...My friends are just as convinced that they're alive. But whatever. Thank you so much for your review!!
laughard72: No, your reviews make me have that pleasant sensation of being warm and fuzzy!! You're telling me (that girl bonds are strong)! Even if you only sort-of know them, if they're crying, we'd automatically ask what was wrong and listen as their tragic sob story is told! Okay, I was teasing there. xD
Lady Light: Hell yeah there should! I don't think there are enough in f.f.net's collection! I would love to read one that had a happy ending! I've read a couple like that and they were awesome. That ending I worked hard to come up with! Actually, my muses just tapped me on the shoulder and I went "Eureka," but I had to make it fit. Thank you!
TenTen Hyuga: ;D I thought I almost lost you as a reviewer, since I don't remember you reviewing for a few chapters. But you came back! Yay! And I'm glad you "WUV" it, because I think it's my best (and my most successful) fic that I've ever written! And I don't think I'll ever delete this!! :DDD THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO MY FIC!!
fireblazie: I really work hard at making the scenes plausible, and I'm always relieved and filled with bliss whenever someone comments on how believable the fic is. It's really nice to get reviews like that. Actually, it's just nice to get reviews. xD And, no, thank you for writing such a nice review!
just passing thru: Thanks! And...no, Tenten did not "beat up" Hinata. It was just a reference to Neji, who defeated Hinata in the preliminaries. But anyways, I don't know if he died. Myarh. Good to know people like this stuff I'm composing with my trusty computers.
phattygirllove: I'm sorry I didn't update "soon"! And, no, although I contemplated it seriously, I don't think I can make the fic more than 11 (I think you meant 11) chapters. Because it would make me too pressured to finish, and I was looking forward to how I ended this! Thanks for your review; you really make my spirits soar! And my answering isn't really that nice. It's what a writer can do to show they're paying attention!
Shinyu: Thanks ever so much for the review!! But when was that? -confused- But, anyways, not in this fic. But maybe I'll write some Naruto/Hinata some other time, in a different fic. It just depends if I have a good inspiration!
CeresCelestialGoddess: I love your review! So simple, yet so happiness-giving. ;D I really enjoy writing for everyone! And for myself! That sounded selfish. Oops.
Uzumaki Pryde: Thanks! I wanted to write some more angst after those relatively unangsty chapters. Yeah. ;D Thank goodness you weren't too lazy to type in a response to my chapter...
Nozumi-Chan: Hi! Damn, you got my account. Okay. ;D I'll do that. Whoo.
Julie7: I didn't update soon...but yeah, this pairing is one of my favorites, so of course it ROCKS!! YEAH! xDDDD
Uchiha Mirharuchan: Man, reading this review made me feel so great about myself! It's because of people like you that writers continue! I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm really grateful for this! Maybe I'll take a peek at your fic!!
someone: Thanks! I like this pairing, too! That's why I'm writing it! :D
Chapter Ten: Allies to Enemies
There was an extreme unease that had set in soon after she'd found refuge in her bed. The curtains in her room were drawn tightly together, as though shielding her from the crueler facts of life that had to be faced sooner or later. However, after a several silent hours, Tenten realized she should venture forth and live. For she would wait patiently behind her iron bars wrought with misery for the first clink of the jailer's keys who would come to save her. He would come back.
Therefore, she locked her lips in a smiling position and waved at people, understanding that even if it had been a dangerous mission, he'd live. He was a genius. Tenten nodded at Sakura's invitation to eat barbeque with Ino.
Their words were soft, but a conversation had begun. First came the apologies that both Tenten and Ino gave and accepted. There were no grudges against either. Sakura was able to breathe.
"You know, I always hated this restaurant." Ino took a bite.
"Then why come here to eat?"
"Actually," she reflected. "I only disliked it because of the fact that I would never be able to grab a piece to eat. Someone else always took it faster than I did. Pity."
"Chouji?" guessed Sakura.
"Yes. How on earth did you guess?"
They began to laugh, all three of them, tied by one intense string of sadness. Their peals brought tears to their eyes and warmth to their faces, their stomachs trembling with the sought after taste of mirth. Although it had not been that amusing, it was one of those jokes that were simple and pure---one needed to simply feel the warmth between them and let loose a chuckle. It was that, not the hilarity, that kept them giggling.
But at that very moment, terror struck her heart. Tenten's laughter had been stabbed with the knives of intuition. Her food lay scarcely eaten as she dropped cash on the table. Her legs and feet could not whirl her faster, nor could her arms urge them on more swiftly.
The air was dead. No sounds except her breathing were to be heard on the silent and dusty road to the forest. She leapt from branch to branch, following the trail of her instinct; something every good Shinobi possessed. If she'd been paying attention, she would've noticed a black and white creature stalking her movements.
Tenten dropped to the floor. Her visage was contorted into several different positions before her chin hit the ground with a thud. "N...Neji?" There were two bodies. One was easily distinguished as the one who had captured her emotions, but the other was simply'he was a killer.
Neji was lifeless. His limp body had lost its entire luster.
"He's dead," a cool voice intoned. "Get over it and let's go. You haven't been training lately." Kuromizuzaki landed neatly between her and her teammate's body. "You can take his corpse, but let's be off. He's been dead for hours."
She swallowed her respect for the creature and dug her fingers into the dirt. "...Why...are you so heartless?"
"It's better not to waste precious time mourning. He diverted your attention anyhow. I watched him from time to time. He did not deserve to be loved."
The ghosts of her affectionate heart buried themselves inside her soul, doing everything but vanishing completely from sight. "You...bastard..."
She let loose two kunai, preformed several hand seals with her back to her ex-mentor, and watched them sail towards the raccoon. Kuromizuzaki merely leapt into the air. "What are you doing? Let's go! This is not the place to be fighting with me!! There could be more of that other one's accomplices coming this way!!"
"No." The two kunai, having dislodged themselves from the tree trunk they'd found themselves in, flew at him.
"What is this?" No matter where he dodges, the kunai came back at him with more power. Tenten rested her features into a smirk for a brief moment.
"It's a new jutsu."
If it was possible, the raccoon's jaw dropped. "That's not possible! You've been practicing with me all this time!"
"I don't need you."
"This is tiresome..." The raccoon allowed the weapons to catch up with him and they hit with a satisfying noise. But in a puff of smoke, he had replaced himself with a piece of wood. "I win. Okay, let's go, now. That's a fine move, but it has weak points. We'll work on that. Now get out of here!!"
Tenten shook her head, tossing all of her weapons into the air and placing the same jutsu upon them. The first two wrenched themselves free of the wood and followed the rest to a stunned Kuromizuzaki. "The jutsu knows whether it has hit its victim or not. If you use a replacement technique, it will merely stall it for a minute. You can continue to block them away, but they'll come back, and you'll never get a moment of peace. If you put up a barrier, you won't be able to hold it up for as long as this jutsu can continue. You'll run out of chakra and then get killed."
Already the once-mighty teacher was breathing heavily. "If you really had power, you'd be able to dispel this jutsu. All you have are your fine words and your chakra stealing. But you can't touch me right now."
"That isn't true..."
"It is. My suspicions were confirmed when you were frightened and wanted to get me out of here. Whoever killed him must have had to be extremely powerful to be able to overcome Neji. His companions would most likely be that strong. You were never going to teach me how to summon raccoons. You couldn't have, anyhow. You're probably the lowest of the lowest. You knew Neji was excellent. Probably even stronger than you. You knew that it would be impossible to get to him, so you were using me to eventually get to him. It was Neji you wanted this entire time. You wanted to be able to be used by someone extremely powerful."
The being was silenced. She observed without mercy as the animal scurried from her attacks. "And you're going to kill me for it, is that it?" he panted.
"That's correct," Tenten responded. It hurt her more than she let out. To think that she'd been suckered by someone as weak as this. It was humbling. But it broke her heart to know that she'd thought she was getting better after all this time when the thing had just wanted someone better. Neji. 'Damn you, Neji. You were always better. It isn't fair!!' Her eyes burned terribly and the liquid spilled.
Kuromizuzaki had a few moments to conjure a barricade. But it was translucent and could not stand for long against the constant barrage of shuriken, kunai, and all else. His chakra was running low, as she had predicted, and there was nothing he could do but run. He was scraped by one of the faster shuriken and blood spurted into the air. Its task having been accomplished, it fell uselessly to the ground. 'Wait! That's it! I can just let them scrape by me one at a time and they'll go useless!' Kuromizuzaki howled in pain as each cut into his flesh. But soon all of them were on the ground.
Her tears continued to drip steadily. She noticed not that her attacks had been rendered ineffective. Her fury that had transformed her rose once more and blinded her. 'This...this is unforgivable!'
He was bloody, tired, and chakraless. She was burdened, miserable, and irate. They stood in silence. She finally lifted her gaze and spun her fingers around, connecting chakra strings to her weapons. As they were yanked back to her, she quickly repeated the hand seals that had brought Kuromizuzaki's first wound. Tenten felt the screams in her ears. The humanlike shrieks of pain as the metal tore his fur off and twisted into his skin. And yet she was undisturbed. There was little more that could disturb her.
His form lay on the dirt, staining that spot scarlet. She lifted a kunai in her hand. It felt heavy and alien in her fingers. Tenten plunged it into Kuromizuzaki's body. When that was done, she took Neji's stiff body into her arms and bounced off the branches of trees, making her way back to the village. Her foot snagged a stray bit of bark and she lost her footing. As soon as she hit the ground, his heavier form rolling a few feet away, she sobbed bitterly of the injustice of the world.
And she curled over his body. Tenten wailed. Back when he'd left---that was nothing compared to this. Nothing.
'Uchiha...because of that Uchiha...'
"I'll kill him!"
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It's a short chapter. I'm sorry to everyone who wanted Neji to live...I am a sucker for happy endings, too, but I had to make it happen. It's a perfect catalyst for the events that are to occur. The many of which I am not going to write, because I'm evil. Please do not be angry with me, I really thought that it would make the ending to this fic better. Don't skip the epilogue, because I'll bet that you're going to hurt me after it. And why miss a chance to do that, eh? xD Sorry, once again.
(Coming soon) Chapter 11: Epilogue: Business Partners