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Promises to Break
".... what?"
The person on the other side of the desk regarded the Kunoichi as if she had a hearing problem. The nurse shuffled her papers, then regarded the girl again. "I said that you can't see Rock Lee, as he's not here."
"I think we can get a more informative answer out of this chair," A very annoyed voice grumbled. "I think I'm going to go ask it."
Tenten's forehead hit the counter with a solid thump. She ignored the sudden throbbing that came with it, figuring that was the price to pay for forgetting she had her forehead protector on. She listened as her friend did indeed ask the chair for a progress report on Rock Lee. Tenten figured it wasn't too bad. Ino had behaved herself very well over the course of the day by keeping her temper in check. Granted, Tenten usually had to nudge her, but, all in all, Ino had kept her cool. So, she figured she could be thankful that the blonde was taking her temper out on an unsuspecting chair instead of the nurse.
It was still embarrassing in a way, though.
Lifting her head, she attempted to try the inquiry again. "Why isn't he here? He was supposed to have surgery. He shouldn't be up and about."
Shifting her papers again, the nurse was about to answer but her eyes shifted to some spot behind Tenten. Tenten also became aware that Ino had stopped harrassing the chair at some point. Glancing over her shoulder, she noted that the blonde was staring in roughly the same direction the nurse was, prompting her to to turn about fully to see what, or more accurately, who had garnered their attention.
It was the first time Tenten had seen the new Hokage up close. The genin had all caught glances of her here and there, But had never been in a position to actually speak to her. Casting a glance at Ino, Tenten was thankful to see that she wasn't the only one who was standing there in awe of the woman. She was, after all, a legend. An excellent role-model for all of the kunoichi. Tenten wasn't one to fantasize often, but when it came to being a ninja, even she had her dreams. And to be even just marginally as great as Tsunade was one of them.
The older woman gave them both something of a sympathetic smile, and there was something about the way she looked at them hat Tsuande had heard her inquiries about her teammate. "He isn't supposed to be up and about," Tsunade answered, moving to rest an arm on the same counter Tenten practically kissed. "But he is."
Ino's brows shot up, and Tenten waited for yet another round of questioning to be directed at the chair. It didn't happen. "Well? What's the story?" she said instead.
Tenten got her first real indication that Tsunade wasn't some unapproachable figure from myth then when the Hokage just took the question in stride. She didn't know why the other woman hadn't taken offense by the question (more accurately, the tone. Ino's patience was taking one blow after another, and it was showing. It would be luck that it would finally snap in front of the Hokage), but Tsunade just smirked, faintly.
"Yamanaka, right?" Tsunade offered. Ino gave a nod, and the Hokage just gave a slight snort in amusement and shook her head. It was as if the clarification of who she was explained everything. She then looked at Tenten once more, "You're asking about Rock Lee?"
Tenten nodded. "He's my teammate. We were just going to visit him. He was supposed to have his surgery today."
"He did."
And Tenten was back to the original problem. If Rock Lee had his surgery, then why wasn't he in the hospital? She was missing bits of information, and she knew that the woman before her had it. She wondered if it would be appropriate to ask her about it, or just wait for it to be volunteered. Tsunade, thankfully, offered it without further questioning.
"He...decided that since the operation was successful, that he was fit enough to chase after the boys." She didn't have to clarify who the boys were.
Tenten's brows came down in a worried frown. So, not only Neji was chasing after Sasuke, but now Lee, too? And who knows what it was that took Sasuke to begin with. Tenten glanced to Ino, who had the same sort of frown on her face, save for the fact hers was becoming increasingly tainted with that temper of hers. "But... how ... wasn't he watched?" Tenten asked.
"I wasn't expecting him to bolt, so I didn't feel the need to post guards or anything," the Hokage said in an exasperated tone. "Not like I've got the manpower to spare anyway." She gave a motherly smile to Tenten, and the younger kunoichi could tell it wasn't an expression that was used often. It looked so odd on her. A hand patted her shoulder, then, "Things'll be alright, I'm sure. If I hear anything, I'll let you know." Tsunade paused, and then flicked a look over to Ino, who was directing a smouldering glance down to the floor. "I'll let both of you know."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Tenten offered, before Tsunade took her leave of them both. Looking at Ino, Tenten sighed and walked over to her, poking her in the shoulder. "Hey."
"Hey."
Tenten frowned, and then blinked. "What's got you all up in arms all of a sudden?" she asked, turning to walk out of the hospital. Ino followed her, and Tenten couldn't stiffle a giggle when the blonde stuffed her hands in her pockets and shuffled along beside of her. Ino really did display a lot of habits that came from her teammates, but Tenten wasn't about to point this out to her, pretty sure that the other girl would deny it. The giggle she has given was just answered with a shrug. Considering who Ino was, Tenten was sure she didn't have to explain it.
"I don't know," Ino finally answered the question after a time, "Just... this Rock Lee thing? Sakura being a total bitch. And then Hinata getting a case of the jitters more than usual... it's just not really being kind to this whole mess."
Tenten pursed her lips, her hands moving to clasp behind her as she walked. She could understand where Ino was coming from, though everything could be explained away. "I'm sure everything will be fine, Ino." And wasn't Ino usually the type to try to keep a chin up?
But Ino didn't look convinced. "I'm not sure." She took a breath. "I'm... I just have a real bad feeling about this, Tenten. I can't explain it. Ever since we left Sakura's, I've had this weird feeling in my gut. Like when you're anticipating an attack or something, but you're not sure when it's going to happen, or where it's going to come from."
That caused Tenten to frown. She wasn't going to admit it aloud but she felt the same way, and the news about Lee was only making it worse. She realized that the other girls were likely getting the feeling in spades.While she was on good terms with both her teammates, Tenten wasn't especially close to either of them outside of being a comrade. The rookies though all had strong bonds between them. "They'll be fine, I'm sure of it, Ino."
She wasn't sure if Ino believed her, but they fell into something of a silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, Tenten realized. It was likely needed. Not for the silence itself, but for just the simple sake of the two being in each other's company. Stealing a glance at Ino, she pulled her lips thin. She wondered what was going through Ino's mind just then, seeing how the other girl's eyes kept going to the clouds, then to where Hinata had ran off to.
Ino surprised Tenten, on several levels. Actually, all the rookie girls had. Sakura seemed so calm and put together when Tenten saw her at the exams, for the most part, yet the tension was unbearable when they visited her earlier, and Sakura seemed more out of sorts for some reason, than Ino was. It was strange, really. Tenten really wanted the whole story, but Ino just gave her bits and pieces of it. Enough to satisfy her curiosity. But she had to wonder what was going through the pink-haired kunoichi's head right now. Sasuke was her teammate, after all, and while Ino's feelings seemed to have waned for this year's top rookie, Sakura's seemed to have increased. Was that why she was hiding in her room, hiding away from the world? Because of that? Tenten couldn't understand.
Rookies. So confusing.
Tenten didn't see Hinata's match with Neji, but Ino filled her in on it, and she saw that same, quiet strength during their walk. And Ino? For someone so open, Ino certainly was an enigma. Her feelings were out in the open, but, she managed to keep leading Tenten along, handing out choice bits of information bout things, yet never revealing the entire picture.
She smiled then. She would figure it out eventually. She had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time the four of them would cross paths. Perhaps the current situation wasn't the ideal time to make friends, but it seemed to work out. And while Tenten wouldn't come out and openly admit it, she'd been enjoying the company of other girls. So long as Ino didn't make her do anything overly girly...
"... Tenten, we should pinky swear."
Tenten let out a sigh. Spoke too soon.
Frowning slight, she turned to look at Ino, who looked as though she hadn't just made some ridiculous request.
"A pinky swear," Ino continued, not skipping a beat, "It's a promise you're supposed to try to keep no matter what, y'know? Didn't you do that when you were a little girl?"
The request sounded remarkably juvenile to Tenten, the scowl on her face making that fact known. Honestly, Tenten had outgrown such childish things long ago. Maybe it was just the stress getting to Ino.. "Why?"
Ino just shrugged, "I don't know. I mean, well, I can't very well go find Hinata or Sakura to do this with, but... You're here..." She frowned, not being able to find the right words. "I mean, the guys, they mean a lot to us, right? Then... y'know, maybe we should tell 'em." Anticipating Tenten's question about that, Ino continued, "If we promise then we'd have to abide by it. We're honorable girls, right?" Ino's eyes flickered again towards the gates.
She's worried. Tenten sighed, wanting to dispute the request yet not really having the energy to do so. Not after finding out that Lee was missing, too.. Reluctantly, almost as if it was against her will, Tenten's hand lifted and she held it out to Ino, pinky extended.
Ino's eyes widened for a moment, and then she grinned. Apparently she didn't need to specify what, precisely, she was talking about. Tenten was an intelligent girl, and knew that, really, Ino was only talking about specific people. Maybe she had a point about telling them their feelings. After all, they were in danger, and sometimes, if a ninja didn't act soon enough, it could end up being too late. That, Tenten figured, was the reason why she had agreed.
If I don't say anything now, then something might happen, and he'll never know.
Ino's pinky locked with Tenten's and the blonde grinned. "We'll tell 'em our feelings. I'm sure they'll be happy to know how much they're appreciated."
"A promise to keep?" Tenten asked, feeling the corners of her mouth lift.
"A promise to keep."
Withdrawing her hand, Tenten sighed. "Alright, now that I feel like I'm five years younger, why don't we decide on who's houseto crash at while we wait for the boys?" Ino nodded, pointing in the direction of her house. Before Tenten could offer any real protest, her wrist was grabbed and she found herself being dragged through the streets of Konoha before she could even have a chance to get a word in edgewise.
That was alright, though, she figured. At the moment, the kunoichi didn't really have anyone else, just each other. And in the face of a oncoming storm, each other was enough.