Author's Notes: Okay, okay. I know this is extremely late. But mind you, that is because I was busy with classes and spreading the love for my Naruto fandoms in a different way (has been cosplaying). XD You can take a peek into it, if you want, provided you can get over the horrible indoor lighting (journal link in my profile).
Disclaimer: Naruto and all those related stuff don't belong to me.
Between Light and Darkness
Chapter 3: Secret Scrolls, Hidden Skills
Hyuuga Hiashi stood at the edge of the south wing courtyard of the Hyuuga Palace, his stance regal, both hands resting lightly upon the polished wood staff pushed against the ground. His white eyes darted around, hawk-like, watching his eldest daughter and his nephew. Both were dressed in the traditional Hyuuga training outfit, black full-body suits, and they were having a match in the center of the dirt and grass square. Walkways and halls surrounded the courtyard but it was roofless and the late morning sun beat heavily upon the fighters.
Beside him, his other daughter, Hanabi, was also wearing a black suit, waiting for her turn to spar. She exclaimed in regret: "So close!" A few other Hyuugas who were watching behind them made similar noises.
Hinata's palm had brushed past Neji's side again, hitting the padded pillar behind him, the Hyuuga genius completely dodging the blow that Hinata had tried to trap him into. With several quick steps, Neji had escaped from between Hinata and huge pillar, catching her from behind.
"Here!" Neji pushed against her back and Hinata stumbled against the pillar.
Hiashi clenched his fists. "Neji, do not make her any allowances! She will not improve if you keep coddling her!"
The small crowd behind him buzzed. Hanabi looked at them over her shoulder, quickly silencing them.
The young man frowned. "Hiashi-sama…"
"Hinata feels the same way," Hiashi said. "Do you not, Hinata?"
The girl was leaning against the pillar and she was breathing heavily, but she nodded. "I… I want Neji-niisan to fight me seriously, Chichiue."
Neji nodded. "As you wish, Hiashi-sama."
The Head of the Hyuuga nodded and the match continued. Hanabi tugged the sleeve of Hiashi's yukata. "What is it, Hanabi?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the other young Hyuugas.
"Chichiue, Neesan can't defeat him right now," Hanabi whispered. She glanced at the courtyard. Neji had taken the extreme offensive, his hands striking in rapid succession. Hinata stepped back slightly with every blow, barely parrying them. She was getting pushed towards the edge of the courtyard and couldn't counter, despite how Neji made several small openings. "She couldn't beat him when he was going easy on her, there's no way she can fight Neji-niisan evenly." She looked again. Hinata was so busy blocking Neji's strikes to her upper-body. He'd catch her from below.
"I know that Hanabi," Hiashi said, watching as Neji dropped low to the ground and with a sweeping kick, threw Hinata off her feet.
"Ack!" Hinata cried, falling on the dirt with a painful thud.
"Ouch!" A girl behind Hiashi and Hanabi gasped, and the people around her winced.
Hanabi frowned. "Then why—"
"Because at least, she will be defeated while Neji is at least making an effort, instead of falling when he's not even trying." He indicated the sparring cousins.
Hinata managed to roll out of the way as Neji quickly brought down his hand in a chopping motion, and she escaped narrowly. With a back roll, she was on her feet and quickly shifted into attacking stance. "Haaaah!" She ran towards Neji.
A strike towards his chest was parried and he struck at her shoulder, making her stumble backwards. She dodged when he made a straight blow and tried to hit him again, but he parried. Neji struck at her stomach, and she bent from the force and the pain, and he caught her under the chin, throwing her back again, her arms flailing, leaving her utterly defenseless.
"Kyaah!" Neji made several quick strikes, every blow landing perfectly. Hinata collapsed unto her back.
"It's a pity Hinata-sama can't do Kaiten yet," somebody behind Hiashi whispered.
"Yes. That's supposed to be an exclusive move of our House, the absolute defensive move that is the secret weapon of the Hikarujin, but…"
Hiashi and Hanabi both glared at the small crowd behind them. The crowd visibly drew back, intimidated. Hiashi turned back to the courtyard. "Hinata is the Heir of the Hyuuga. She's a true Hikarujin, make no mistake about it."
"Y-Yes, Hiashi-sama," came the voices behind them.
Neji had heard the comment too and was glaring at the crowd. He didn't notice Hinata standing up, pulling out several kunais and throwing them at him, their paths curved. He noticed and dodged too late, one of the kunai hitting him squarely on the back.
"Ugh!" He stumbled. Everyone gasped, including Hanabi and Hinata.
"Neji-niisan!" Hanabi cried.
"N-N-Neji-niisan!" Hinata croaked. She ran to his side and helped him sit on the ground.
Hiashi knitted his brows. Even the Hyuuga genius has a blind spot.
Behind him, people were nudging each other and whispering. ("So he does have that inborn weakness after all…" "He seems so invincible though…" "The Byakugan is still the Byakugan…")
Hinata was trembling. "N-Ne-Ne-ji-n-nii…" He had his back to her. She saw his hand reach behind him and pull out the kunai. Blood trickled out from the wound. Hinata screamed and scrambled away, covering her face with her hands and falling on her knees.
Neji turned to her. "Hinata-sama… don't…"
The Hyuugas flinched. Hanabi bounced on her feet, at a loss at what to do. Hiashi closed his eyes and sighed. Hinata… she had been protected so completely by the Hikarujin and the Hyuuga, Neji especially, that she had never been wounded even once. To her, the sight of blood is a foreign and frightening thing…
Hinata was gasping, still covering her eyes. I wounded Neji-niisan, I wounded Neji-niisan, I wounded Neji-niisan… there is blood… I saw blood…
"Hinata-sama…"
She peered from between her fingers and her eyes filled with tears. Neji was gazing at her with concern. I… I am so useless! I injured Neji-niisan but he is still the one worried about me. Roughly, she swiped her arm across her eyes. I must…
Neji's eyes widened when she stood up and approached him, fumbling with her back pouch as she did. Hinata-sama… what are you doing? She kneeled beside him, holding a wad of gauze.
Steeling herself, she pulled his suit down, off his upper body to expose his back. Trying not to look directly at the wound, she mopped up the blood with the gauze. From her back pouch she produced a jar of thick herbal paste for stab wounds. She applied the paste generously on his wound and carefully dressed it, wrapping the bandage around his body to secure the poultice.
Hanabi sighed with relief. Hiashi almost smiled.
"Thank you, Hinata-sama." Neji murmured.
"I… I, I… I'm so sorry…" Hinata said in a trembling voice. "The kunais were supposed to be a diversion… and, and—"
Neji shook his head. "It's alright, you did well."
A tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Neji-niisan…"
He gently wiped away the tear. "Don't cry…" He smiled warmly at her.
"Hinata-sama makes those medicines herself," one of the Hyuugas standing behind Hiashi said.
Another one nodded in approval. "The future leader of the Hyuuga Clan and the Hikarujin must display healing abilities, Tsunade-sama was a renowned medical ninja after all."
"Hinata is a true Hikarujin, as I said," Hiashi declared. He motioned for Hanabi to go to the center of the courtyard. "Take Neji's place, Hanabi."
A bun of dark-brown hair peeked from the edge of the archway. Slowly, a dark-brown fringe and the side of a peach-flushed face appeared, and then brown eyes peered out—
"Tenten-hime!"
She started, frozen with her head tilted, peering out the archway. Haku had his back pressed against the wall on the other side, Kimimaro beside him. Both had loose white desert cloaks over their gis and hakamas to shield them from the sun burning upon the open-air courtyard.
Haku shook a finger at her face, grinning naughtily. "Caught you."
Kimimaro glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Go back to the inner halls, Tenten-hime." He turned his gaze to the courtyard, observing the Sand nins. He felt Tenten glaring at him and he added belatedly: "Please."
"But I'm so bored," Tenten complained. "And both of you are here…"
"We're keeping watch," Haku told her in a conspiratorial whisper.
"Keeping watch?" Her eyebrows shot up incredulously.
"Go back to the inner halls," Kimimaro said again. She glared again. "Please."
"I think I like it here fine," Tenten said stubbornly, walking out the archway and sitting on the steps that led down to the courtyard.
"Really?" Haku grinned wryly. "You look very uncomfortable to me." He looked pointedly at the bangs plastered to her moist forehead and her kimono, which clung to her sweaty body, the light silk material not doing anything to keep her cool.
"I'm fine," Tenten insisted, starting to look a little angry.
"It's too hot here, that it's even affecting your temper." Kimimaro said matter-of-factly. "Just go back inside," before she could glare he added, "please."
Tenten ignored him and looked out at the courtyard. The Yamijin Palace was designed to regulate the inner halls temperature; an outer ring of halls was built inside the fortress, inside that a ring of courtyards—both shielded the main building from the weather outside.
It was especially hot today, the sun's blazing heat unbearable, but the Sand nins seemed to have no problem with it. Loose hooded cloaks serving as their only protection, they sat on the benches and prepared their weapons and ate. They look like they're alright with sitting there… or maybe it's also Haku and Kimimaro-kun's hostility that keeps them away from the inner halls. "Shouldn't we invite them inside?" Tenten asked.
"They're fine," Kimimaro said. Haku nodded in agreement.
"What is it with the two of you?" Tenten demanded. "Ever since they came here, the two of you have acted so unfriendly towards them! You don't have to like them but at least be civil!" She stood up and started walking down the steps, but Kimimaro clutched at the butterfly bow of her obi and at the same time, Haku grabbed her by the wrist.
"Let go!" She wrenched her wrist away from Haku, then glowered at Kimimaro from over her shoulder. "If you ruin that, I'll make you retie it." He immediately released his hold.
"Don't talk to them." The white-haired boy said in monotone.
"I'll talk to whoever I please," Tenten declared.
"I don't think they're the best choice for friends, Tenten-hime," Haku said gently.
"Who are you to say that?" Tenten cried. She glanced at the Sand nins. They look like they need friends… okay, so that blond girl is unpleasant, but still… and that red-haired boy, those eyes…
"I don't trust them," Haku murmured.
She rolled her eyes. "You didn't trust Kimimaro-kun either!" Haku smiled sheepishly at Kimimaro, who just stared at him blankly.
"That was different," Haku said.
"Oh really?" Tenten crossed her arms over her chest. She stomped up the stairs. When she reached the top, she turned around and looked down at the two boys. "Fine then, I won't talk to them. I just thought that they look like they haven't had an easy life, and maybe I can make a difference by caring, maybe it would help save somebody…" She threw Haku a dirty look. His baby-brown eyes widened, devastated when her words registered their meaning, and he reached out for her but she lifted her skirts and ran inside the main building.
"Tenten-hime!" Haku called and started running up the steps, but Kimimaro caught him by his cloak. "Don't stop me, Kimimaro-kun."
The other boy shook his head. "She's too angry right now. She might skewer you with her kunais and katanas."
"I don't care," Haku pulled at his cloak but Kimimaro refused to let go. "Kimimaro-kun!" He made a frustrated noise, then he unclasped his cloak and ran up the steps and into the building. "Tenten-hime! Tenten-hime!"
"… Geez." Kimimaro let Haku's cloak fall to the ground and he turned back to the Sand nins.
The private training ground at the back of the Hokage Tower was in a wide open-air square in the center of the Hokage's residence. The four sides were surrounded by halls and walkways, hiding the square completely from everybody outside the house.
Sandaime Hokage sat on top of a short and squat padded pillar (usually used for punching and kicking drills) near the edge of the square, and puffed on his pipe as he watched two kunoichis training in the center of the grounds. The beautiful woman was dressed in her own clothes; a red dress and black fishnet shirt with white sashes, but the plain dark-green yukata the flower-like girl wore was ill-fitting, and free of the famous fan symbol present on all her clothes.
"To be able to crumble rock, the chakra must be distributed in a much finer manner," Yuuhi Kurenai explained. "So it's much more difficult than merely cracking it into pieces. Distributing the chakra even finer can turn the rock to powder." She indicated the boulder in front of her and punched it.
Thud! Fiiissssh… Dust exploded from the boulder and it didn't just crumble, but rather, sank to the ground as fine powder.
"Wow…" Sakura blinked her wide sea-green eyes in disbelief. Kurenai-sensei is amazing… she is strong, beautiful, skillful… what a great kunoichi…
Kurenai lifted a smaller rock on top of a flat boulder. "Try it with this small rock first."
"Yes!" The younger kunoichi pulled on her short black leather gloves, concentrated chakra into her fist and punched. The rock cracked into several pieces. She clenched her fist, eyes squeezed shut in frustration. Chakra control… I always thought I was good but it can always be improved…
A hand touched her shoulder in a comforting manner. She looked up. Kurenai was smiling at her. "Don't be disheartened, Sakura. This takes time to master. That you are already able to tear apart hill-sized rocks after less than three years of training is already beyond genius."
Sakura nodded and smiled. "Okay, Sensei. I'll do my best!" She turned her attention to the other rocks lined up in the training area and started punching them one by one, trying to crumble them.
Kurenai walked towards Sandaime and jumped on the pillar beside his. He puffed out smoke then asked: "Training is going well, I presume?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kurenai nodded respectfully. "After the strength and chakra control drills, I'll be teaching her a new genjutsu. We'll eat a late lunch before Shizune takes over for medical jutsu training."
"Haruno Sakura," Sandaime nodded in an approving manner. He tapped the ashes off his pipe and tucked it in his belt. "She used to be a kunoichi with no special traits, aside from academic smarts and good chakra control. I am glad I asked you and Shizune to secretly give her instruction. She has grown enormously and continues to learn at a rapid pace."
"Yes," Kurenai regarded the younger kunoichi with pride. "Sakura had always had excellent chakra control and an affinity for genjutsu, but she didn't have anybody to teach her to tap that potential." She wrinkled her nose. "Kakashi is too busy with that Uchiha Sasuke."
"It is understandable. Sasuke is the last of a noble clan with extraordinary powers. Kakashi knows this power, as he possesses it as well. Aside from that, Uchiha Sasuke is burdened with problems and responsibilities no child should be made to handle. It is natural for him to want to take the Uchiha survivor under his wing." Sandaime said.
Kurenai made clucking sounds, shaking her head regretfully. "That boy certainly has issues. It pains me knowing that Sakura is bound to him, he doesn't treat her very well. I sincerely hope that Kakashi would make a difference, even if it does take his attention away from his other students."
"It's just as well. Kakashi couldn't have taught Sakura the skills you taught her. Having you and Shizune supervise her training ensures that no one else would know that Sakura comes here for training, especially not Sasuke, or his people."
A pleased smirk found its way unto the kunoichi's beautiful face. "All he knows is that she's training in medical jutsu, and learning at an average pace. Imagine what Uchiha Sasuke's reaction would be when he finds out the princess is Special Jounin level already, what with her monstrous strength, chakra control, genjutsu and medical skills."
Sandaime's face darkened. "Let's hope we'll never have to find out."
Kurenai's face turned serious and she nodded. You're definitely one of the strongest kunoichis of your generation, Sakura. But strength enough to stand against an entire noble tribe… can anyone ever have that?
"Sensei, I-I… have finished!" Sakura yelled from the center of the grounds, her voice broken by pants. She waved her hands, her gloves stained by the dust from the rocks.
"Good!" Kurenai jumped off the pillar and reappeared beside Sakura.
"I haven't been able to crumble them yet…" Sakura admitted.
"You'll get better," Kurenai promised.
Sakura smiled brightly, glowing with the feeling of accomplishment. She wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her glove, leaving a streak of dust across her forehead. "By the way, Sensei, can you please tell Sensei (Kurenai knew she meant Shizune) that I can't attend training today?"
"Why?" Kurenai asked.
"I told Zaku and Kin that I'll be shopping, that was what I told them before I left the compound," Sakura explained. "I have to come back with some things, to prove that I really did go, instead of going… somewhere else…"
"There'll be no need to skip training." Kurenai and Sakura turned to the hoarse, but authoritative voice. Sandaime was walking towards them. "I'll send Konohamaru to the marketplace to pick up your shopping for you."
"Konohamaru-chan?" Sakura shifted her weight from foot to foot uneasily. "He won't like it, would he?"
"I'll make it a mission," Sandaime said. "Now, why don't you start your genjutsu training now?"
Kurenai and Sakura both saluted. "Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Tenten ran through the palace corridors, randomly turning or climbing stairs, ignoring the apologies of servants when she bumped into them, her light footfalls barely making the slightest noise.
Haku… and Kimimaro-kun… She scowled darkly, swiftly turning into a corner and colliding with a maid.
"Ack!" The maid cried, the tea tray she was holding crashing to the ground. The silver tea set clattered noisily on the marble, the dark tea staining the polished tiles and hem of her long kimono. "I'm so sorry… Please forgive me, Princess…"
While Tenten would normally apologize and smile on such an occasion, the scowl on her face remained this time, terrifying the poor servant. Tenten noticed two cups on the floor. "Is the tea for Haku and Kimimaro-kun?"
"Y-Yes," the maid stuttered, her trembling hands trying to tidy the mess as quickly as possible. "I-I'm s-s-s-sorry, I'll just-just… I'll make them some more—"
"Don't!" Tenten cried.
"Huh?" The maid's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets.
"Don't make them anymore tea. Don't bring them any refreshments." She picked up her skirts again and ran off, as the maid murmured an obedient 'yes'. Let them be thirsty! Tenten fumed. They tell me to go back to the inner halls? Then they go back to the inner halls too!
She turned left into a narrow passage and ran up a spiral staircase. After a few minutes, she had slowed down, trudging up the steps. Oh no, I've gone to a tower! After what seemed to be a very long time, she reached the top and opened a small door which opened to a large, circular room. It looked familiar.
"This is Kimimaro-kun's room!" She exclaimed. Unlike the usual sumptuous rooms of the Yamijin Palace, his room was sparsely furnished, and in a way that didn't match the marble and stone of the palace at all. Tatami covered the floor, the simple furniture was of white wood, tall wooden dividers sectioned the room and a futon was in the center of the room.
She tapped her silk-slippered foot as she thought. I am seized by the very childish urge to make a mess in here. She walked around the room, her eyes wandering over the things neatly arranged in the bare room. The door of his closet was slightly ajar, the simple but elegant clothes he usually wore hung or folded inside. Gis, hakamas, yukatas and formal kimonos—usually in purple or blue or black. She walked to a low table, made of the same white wood as the rest of the furniture. A small black lacquered box held the hair ties for his plaits.
She walked to a section blocked off by dividers. Shelves lined the walls, scrolls of all sizes piled upon them. His kunais and shurikens were laid out on a table. She stopped in front of a large wooden chest. It was just a big, plain box of white wood, nothing out of the ordinary, but… I tried opening this before, but he wouldn't let me. She looked around furtively. Of course no one is looking. Oh well, it's his fault that he's obsessing over Kazekage-sama's children instead of guarding me. "Kimimaro-kun, I'm opening your box now… No answer? Well then!" She threw open the lid and her eyes widened with alarm when she heard the sound of several wires tripped.
Whoosh!
"Iyaah!" She quickly whipped out two scrolls from her holsters and they unfurled in the air, twisting, blocking the kunais that shot towards her from the box. When she deflected the last kunai, she heard another wire trip. Kami-sama! Tenten's eyes widened when smoke bombs popped out of the box.
Bang! She coughed violently… her eyes watered and her lungs burned from the acrid, purple-colored smoke. Poison… Tenten realized, collapsing on the ground. Antidote… She reached into her holster and pulled out the small bottle of clear liquid—the strongest cleansing formula of the Yamijin. She swallowed the contents. Her breathing eased and she stumbled out the cloud of smoke.
It doesn't look like it's going to clear up… The heavy smoke simply hung in the air. Tenten took out from her holster a blank scroll, a calligraphy brush, and ink. She wrote several symbols on the scroll, leaving the center of the paper blank and surrounded by a sealing diagram. Then she formed several hand seals and cried: "Dokubutsu Fuuin no Jutsu! (1)"
A shimmering black vapor with a sickly-sweet smell rose from the symbols on the scroll. It surrounded the poisonous cloud and swallowed it, the vapor pouring into the sealing diagram and staying there, a dark patch on the paper.
She struggled to stand up on her shaking knees. Kami-sama… She shivered. Those were some traps… I wonder why… She walked to the chest. A black scroll was inside.
All that for a scroll. Why would Kimimaro-kun… Before she could stop herself, she reached down for the scroll. The instant it brushed her fingers a rush sounded in her ears, the ebb and flow of energies that had been restrained for a thousand years. What's this? She picked up the scroll. "Chi?" She read aloud, fingering the symbol for 'Earth', written in black ink upon its white binding.
Could this be… Kimimaro-kun's secret scroll? Then I shouldn't… I mustn't… Why can't I seem to stop myself? With trembling hands, she pulled the scroll from its binding and unfurled it in one motion.
As the scroll waved in the air, she could see symbols, written in white ink upon the black paper. And at the center, a sealing diagram surrounded a shining circle of peachy-pink light. Something trapped with the same type of sealing method she had just used seconds ago.
She raised the scroll closer to her eyes. The fine symbols in very straight rows seemed to be a narrative but she didn't read it, she fixed her eyes to the larger symbols beneath the sealing diagram. Two identical kanji, both reading 'Heaven'.
Tenten. Her heart thudded in her ears. "My true name… it is Tenten… I—" She raised a hand, brought it down to the pink light and cried. "KAIIN! (2)"
"Jijii…" Konohamaru muttered, walking in the sitting room and towards the cushion where his grandfather was sitting. His teammates, Moegi and Udon, followed him, all of them carrying shopping bags.
"Ah, Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon." Sandaime smiled fondly. He quickly tucked away the pipe he was puffing.
"Mission completed," Konohamaru muttered, his tone a bit resentful.
"Good, good…" Sandaime turned to the other side of the room where Shizune and Sakura sat around a table, practicing cell reconstruction techniques on an injured rabbit. "Sakura, the genins have come back with your shopping. Why don't you check the items?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Sakura walked to where the Hokage and the genins were. The younger ninjas opened the bags.
"Kaku obi," Konohamaru pointed. "And black inner robe."
"It's perfect!" Sakura exclaimed, picking up the belt. Blue patterns were embroidered on the stiff black fabric. "Did you pick it, Konohamaru-chan?"
"I did, Sakura-neechan!" Moegi raised her hand. She pointed inside her bag. "I picked your obi and obi-jime too!"
"It's so pretty!" Sakura gasped, sincerely awestruck. The obi was fuchsia on one side and golden on the other, and had a liquid shine. She picked up the obi-jime. It was a braided cord, each section a different shade of pink. "Moegi, you have very good taste, just like me!" She winked at the little girl.
Moegi blushed and bounced on her feet. "Of course, Sempai!"
"I have the chocolates, Sakura-neechan…" Udon murmured, opening his bag. "And your chopsticks…" He reached inside his vest and pulled out a thin black box.
"They look good as new…" Sakura said happily, when she had opened the box. She smiled at the genins. "Thanks a lot, Udon-chan, Moegi-chan, Konohamaru-chan."
"It was a mission," Konohamaru mumbled, scuffing his toes at the floor. I hate stupid missions… He sulked. And this Neechan… I don't like her!
"Go back to your training," Sandaime told Sakura, who went back to Shizune.
A servant came by with tea and cookies. Konohamaru and his friends plopped on the tatami beside Sandaime and had tea. Moegi and Udon ate and chatted cheerfully with Sandaime, but Konohamaru sulked and crumbled his cookies in the tea. Sandaime didn't call his attention though, and waited until the boy exploded at him.
"Jijii!" Konohamaru yelled suddenly. Moegi and Udon blinked in surprise at the sudden outburst. Sandaime calmly looked at his angry grandson. "Why do you keep giving us stupid missions, Jijii?" Konohamaru demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Konohamaru-chan!" Moegi placed a hand on his shoulder, but he refused to be placated.
"Whenever that Neechan needs to go shopping you always make us go for her!"
Sandaime eyed his grandson. "Do you hate Sakura?"
"No… not really." Konohamaru said. "It's just that, everyone else gets to do better missions… and Sakura-neechan is always mean to Naruto-niichan…"
"Oh…" Sandaime took out his pipe and placed it between his teeth, but didn't light it. "I told you about that, Sakura has no choice with that matter. Sakura is one of the Yamijin, and a very important person to them—a princess, the future bride of their leader. Naruto is one of the Hikarujin. She has to keep her distance."
"We're all from Konoha, but they're fighting," Konohamaru huffed. "I think it's stupid."
Sandaime laughed. "I think it's stupid too. And many people are starting to think that way, turning their backs to such tribal alliances. Many of the jounins, like me, are loyal only to Konoha. Shodai built the village when he ended the Great War, in an effort to stop their fighting all together. Nidaime continued his efforts and now I'm continuing those efforts. To people who don't know what's going on, Konohagakure seems relatively peaceful. We have to keep up appearances, or else other villages will take advantage of our weakness."
Konohamaru looked down at his tea and crumbled more cookies in it. "They're stupid… to fight…"
"Yes," Sandaime sighed. "And what's worst is that some people are caught right in the center of the conflict through no fault of their own. People like Sakura…"
"You're saying that it's not Sakura-neechan's fault?" Konohamaru asked.
"It's not her fault. It's not Naruto's fault either, or Hinata's fault, Kiba's or Shino's fault, the Ino-Shika-Cho kids' fault…" He sipped his tea. "It's not even Sasuke's fault and Neji's fault…"
"But Neji-niichan and Sasuke-niichan are always fighting!" Konohamaru exclaimed.
"True. But they've been conditioned to act that way…" He stirred his cup, watching the tea swirl. Soon, they will grow beyond the stage of petty fights—and then what? Both have been trained to be the perfect ninjas… only one could stop the other…
"Hokage-sama."
Sandaime looked up. Shizune and Sakura were smiling down at him. "Hokage-sama," Sakura said again. "I'm done with my training for today. I'm leaving now. Thank you for all your help." She bowed.
"Alright, don't forget to show up for the next training session." Sandaime pointed at a shelf near the door. "Your clothes are over there. Just leave Kurenai's yukata with the servants when you take a bath."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Sakura picked up the red yukata with the fan symbol on its back. Then, the two kunoichis bowed.
"Bye Sakura-neechan, Shizune-neechan!" Moegi waved. Shizune and Sakura smiled at Moegi and the other genins, then walked out of the sitting room.
"KAIIN!"
The seal broke and the peachy-pink light burst from the scroll and filled the room. Tenten's eyes were frozen open as a thousand images barraged her, a thousand memories struck her mind, the force of a thousand years pressing down upon her…
(Flash)
"So, you don't have a family?" The handsome young man asked as he combed her hair, carefully untangling the long dark waves.
She nodded.
"Would you like to have a family?"
She nodded again.
The man arranged her hair into two buns. He must have been pleased with her appearance for he smiled, his pale face brightening. "You're a very pretty little girl. And I can feel that you are a child with extraordinary talent. You'll be my sister. Call me Orochimaru-niisan. Or maybe Aniki. And I'll call you…"
"Tenten!" She cried.
Orochimaru frowned, tilting his head, his long black hair spilling over his eyes. "That wouldn't do. That name would be written with two symbols for 'heaven'… it is connected with omens of light."
"Tenten!" She insisted.
He sighed and pushed his silky hair off his face. "Alright then," he picked her up, setting her on his knees. "I guess that's the name you've learned to answer to."
(Flash)
She ran to the great hall, lifting the skirts of her kimono off the floor. She had dressed in her new gown, every layer was pure silk, and her obi and her head were heavy with ornaments, but she ignored the discomfort and ran. Her dear older brother had returned from his journey and was in the Great Hall of the palace, waiting for her!
"Niisama!" She threw her arms around his neck exuberantly. He spun her in a circle before setting her down on her feet.
"Tenten, there is somebody I will introduce to you."
"Who is it?" She asked excitedly.
Orochimaru beckoned at somebody behind him and a boy stepped into view, wearing a pale lilac yukata and plaits on either side of his shoulder-length white hair. His emerald green eyes looked blankly at her. Orochimaru patted the boy's shoulder. "This is Kimimaro-kun. He's eight years old, but he's very strong." He held her hand and brought her closer to the boy. "He'll protect you with his life." He turned to the boy. "She's my little sister, the Princess of the Yamijin. You'll protect her, won't you, Kimimaro-kun?"
Kimimaro bowed. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama."
She smiled warmly at him and held out her hand. He looked at it as if were an alien object. She grabbed his hand and shook it. "I'm Tenten, nice meeting you, Kimimaro-kun."
He nodded solemnly. "I'll protect you, Tenten-hime."
(Flash)
"Kya!" She cried when she was pushed against the wall. "Kimimaro-kun…"
The young man held her by the shoulders and his green eyes were burning. She flushed. "What are you—"
"Don't wander from the palace again."
"What?"
"You are not to leave without me!" His fingers dug into her shoulders. She gasped. He loosened his grip on her. "Do you understand?"
"But I was just taking a walk—"
"Tenten-hime!" He cried. "You're not a child anymore, you're sixteen years old. Behave accordingly. You can't leave the palace unguarded, it's too dangerous, if the Hikarujin see you—"
"But if I don't draw my weapons and show that I have no intention of—"
"They'll kill you!" He yelled. "No… they won't kill you, but it will be worse than death." He shuddered. "They say they don't want to stain their hands with blood, so they'll leave you in a helpless state… leave you to die by yourself. They don't have any souls… they don't have any mercy…"
"But…" Tenten ventured, "our army fights them too, and attacks to kill—"
"They started it!" Kimimaro cried. "We're just defending ourselves from those hypocrites!"
"Kimimaro-kun…"
"Please… please be careful. If something happens to you, I…" he sighed and turned away from her.
(Flash)
There was a rustle from the trees ahead and the sound a galloping horse. "Nawaki-sama!" A white horse emerged from among the trees. It stopped, and its rider dismounted, and ran towards her. Or rather, towards the little boy beside her.
"Niisan!" Nawaki cried, taking a couple of steps forward, but not letting go of her hand.
"Niisan?" Tenten asked the little boy. His hair was spiky, and the color of honey, and his cheeks had a ruddy glow on them. She looked at the young man, at his pale skin, at the long silky black hair streaming down his back, and his strange white eyes. They looked nothing alike.
"Nawaki-sama," the young man knelt in front of Nawaki, regarding the little boy sternly. "Your sister is very worried about you. I told you not to wander from the camp. The forest is too dangerous—"
"But I'm alright!" The little boy interrupted. "Neechan saved me from the scary animals! You should have seen her, Niisan, all those blades flying around—" his cheeks reddened with excitement, "she's the best!"
"It's not just the wild beasts!" The young man scolded. "The ene—"
"Oh, do forgive him," Tenten cut in, patting the boy's head. He grinned at her. "I was like that too, I always ran away from my guardians."
The young man looked up at her, frowning slightly, but he said: "Thank you very much for helping Nawaki-sama."
"It's nothing!" She said modestly. She pinched Nawaki's cheek. He protested, but laughed just the same. "How can I not help him? He's adorable!"
"Yeah?" The frown disappeared from the young man's face, and he almost smiled. He stood up. "But he can be such trouble." He boxed Nawaki's ear.
"Niisan!" Nawaki cried, trying to escape.
Tenten giggled. "Maybe, but he's very sweet."
"Neechan!" Nawaki blushed, scratching his head, embarrassed. "Hey, hey!" He tugged the young man's sleeve. "She's the best, Niisan! She took out scrolls, then did seals, then fwoom!" He gesticulated wildly with each word. "Then she danced—and all those weapons—BAM! She killed all the monsters! Amazing, huh?"
"Yes," he looked at her. "So you're a kunoichi?"
"That's right," she nodded.
"The best kunoichi, ever!" Nawaki added. "Nobody is better than Tenten-neechan!"
The young man frowned. "Ten… ten?" He frowned darkly at her and Tenten instinctively took a step back. He looked her up and down, her lavish kimono, her long fur stole, the jewels in her hair, and most importantly, the embroidery over her chest. "Chi?"
Tenten nimbly jumped back, avoiding two consecutive open palm strikes. "Why didn't I notice it earlier?" His white suit, his golden armor, the symbol on his chestplate. "Ten…"
"Niisan!" Nawaki cried. "What are you—"
"Quiet!" He grabbed the boy by the collar and pulled him. "She's the enemy! Run to the camp, quickly!"
"But—"
"Now!" He pushed the boy back.
"Neji-niisan!"
"So you're Tsunade-sama's cousin." Tenten stepped back, her hands on the hilts of the sheathed katanas hanging from her obi, but she didn't draw her weapons. "I didn't come here to fight, but if you—"
"Liar!" He hissed. "You tried to get Nawaki-sama to lead you to our camp."
"I was saving him!" She retorted.
"Liar!" He hissed again. "You're that Tenten, Orochimaru's sister. I expect no truth from him or you."
Tears formed in her eyes and she quickly wiped them off on the silken sleeve of her kimono. "How dare you… you call me a liar and you even insult Niisama…"
He shifted to a stance, both palms open. The veins around his white eyes popped. "Come!" He started advancing.
"No way!" Tenten started swinging the katanas around her, gaining momentum, forming a deadly defense. "Eyes… stance… you're from that family of freaks!"
"No!" Nawaki cried. "Don't hurt her!"
"Run!" Both teenagers screamed at him.
Nawaki shook his head. "NO!"
"Very well," Neji muttered, then dashed towards her. "I'll finish this quickly!"
"I don't think so!" Tenten twirled on her feet, dancing with her blades.
Both ninjas sped towards each other, but—
"STOP!" Nawaki cried, running in between them. "She's good! She helped me!"
"Nawaki-kun!" Tenten cried, using all her strength to stop the motion of her katanas, losing control of the deadly blades in her haste.
"Go!" Neji struck him away, continuing his advance.
Nawaki hit the forest floor with a dull thud, but he quickly scrambled unto all fours and screamed: "NEECHAN!"
"What the—" Neji skidded to a stop in front of the Yamijin Princess. She lied on her side, a heap of crumpled silks and jewels and blades. One katana was clasped loosely in her right hand, which stuck out in an awkward angle. "You…" A red stain on the silks grew bigger by the second. The second katana was embedded in her thigh. He shook his head in disbelief. "What a fool…"
"Shut up," she muttered, pushing herself to a sitting position and struggling to stand up. "You… I'll, I'll—" He easily evaded when she swung her katana wildly. Her injured leg gave way and she collapsed, burying the blade deeper into her leg. "Ungh…"
Nawaki crawled towards the girl. "Neechan! NEECHAN!" He shifted her and held the katana, relieving its pressure. He glared at Neji. "This is all your fault!" With shaking hands, he started pulling out bandages from his belt bag. "Don't worry Neechan, this time, I'll save you! I'll use the jutsus Neesama taught me!"
(Flash)
She stepped towards the moonlit river, towards the teenaged boy sitting by the bank. "Why did you come here?" She asked as she sat beside him, taking of her slippers so she could dip her feet in the water.
He shrugged. "Why did you ask to meet me?"
"Why have we been meeting?"
"I don't know," he looked up at the moon. "Maybe we're waiting for the right time to kill each other."
She looked up as well, her eyes sweeping across the starry sky, sparkling diamonds on the velvety darkness. "Maybe you're right," she sighed and dropped her head on his shoulder. "How is Nawaki-kun?"
"He was killed."
"What!" She gasped, sitting upright. "NO!"
"This is a war with no equal. No one is to be spared."
"No…"
He placed something around her neck. She looked down and touched it. A necklace she had seen around the neck of the cheerful Hikarujin Prince. "This is… Nawaki-kun's… why?" She started taking it off, but he stopped her.
"Nawaki-sama wanted you to have it," he said. "Before he died, he told me… he told me to tell you… That he still believed in the ideal he feels is deep in your heart… harmony…"
"Nawaki-kun…" She clenched her fists until she could feel her nails cutting unto her palms. Then her hands dropped limply at her sides.
"………"
"Neji… maybe we will kill each other."
"………"
She reached for his hands and held them in her smaller hands. "But… that we met… it must have a purpose, right?"
He nodded. "Fate makes no wasteful moves, destiny has been decided from birth."
"It's as the stars say…" she murmured. "The Star of Earthbound Emptiness would cross paths with the Star of the Gates to Heaven, and then tangle, crossing the boundaries, exiled from both the Hemisphere of Heaven and the Hemisphere of Earth, revolving, on a path between light and darkness…"
"It is some twisted fate indeed… that someone who believes in destiny should be destined for someone who looks at the stars for answers." He looked down at her. "It is a fate…"
"… that we can't control," she finished for him, leaning against his chest, her ear over his beating heart.
(Flash)
A tug at one of his plaits. "Kimimaro-kun?"
"Yes?" He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Do you think we'll live to see the end of this war?" His charge, the Princess, asked him.
"No."
Sadness crept into her beautiful face. "Then, when do you think—"
"It's not that I don't think we'll die before the war ends," he said. "It's that… I don't believe it will ever end. Not unless both sides are utterly destroyed…"
She started. "But Kimimaro-kun!…"
"………"
"There must be hope, there must be…" Tenten whispered. She clutched at her chest, clutched the crystal pendant of the little Hikarujin prince who believed. "When I gaze at Niisama's eyes, I can see that there is no desire to harm Tsunade-sama in them… It is something else, it's not hatred that drives him. One day, the human heart will be strong enough to…" She frowned when he shook his head. "Why do you disagree, Kimimaro-kun?"
"Tenten-hime…" his unfathomable green eyes locked with her expressive brown eyes. "There are limits that the human heart cannot cross. Even that emotion that drives humans to reach for the highest stars—love—is not enough. Tenten-hime, when you are truly in love with somebody, that person becomes the world to you—"
"I know!" She nodded excitedly, then clapped her hand over her mouth when he stared at her blankly. "Ah, you were saying?"
"Everything becomes about you and the person most precious to you," Kimimaro said. "But there are bigger things than the love the two of you share."
"What?" Tenten clutched the pendant of her necklace tighter. "What are you saying? No, NO!"
He shook his head. "Believe me Tenten-hime. I want you to understand… there are bigger things in the world."
(Flash)
"Balance in balance?" He frowned.
"Yes Neji, balance. The balance between light and darkness." She held up both hands, making weighing motions. "This war is a battle between light and darkness, the power struggle between our tribes determines the balance."
He sighed and leaned against a tree. "Everyone knows that."
"Yes!" She walked, disappearing behind the tree. She reappeared at his shoulder. "But why do we try to tip the balance anyway? Can't it just stay as it is—in balance?"
"Tenten—"
"Look!" She threw up her hands towards the starry sky. "It is both, it is light upon darkness. If darkness should cover the entire sky, there is no way I can read the stars." She covered his eyes with a hand. "And in meditation, you can only find the light by going through the darkness." She removed her hand. "One can't exist without the other…" She added softly: "Just like us…"
"So you're saying… the two tribes should keep the balance…"
She nodded her head vigorously.
"Tenten." He closed his eyes, looking stressed. "That's incredibly naïve… and very stupid…"
"But it can be done, right?"
He opened one eye. "Tenten…"
"But you believe, don't you?" She asked, her big brown eyes earnest. "Don't you?" She leaned closer to him.
He closed his eye, grumbling.
"Nej—"
He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't believe." Her shoulders slumped. "I don't believe such harmony could be achieved between Hikarujin and Yamijin." He looked her in the eyes. "I don't believe in it. But I believe in you."
Her eyes sparkled with hope. "Then you'll—"
"Yes."
(Flash)
Both Tenten's hands and her feet were bound, and she knelt at the center of the Great Hall. Her brother walked in a circle around her, shaking his head. "You've broken my heart, little sister. That you betrayed our tribe—and me, your brother and your leader—for a Hikarujin. Tsunade's cousin, no less!" He glared at her, a manic glint in his eyes. She turned away, not wanting to see her brother in such a state.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered. "All I wanted was for us to be at peace—"
"Peace! After everything they did to us? For generations upon generations!"
"… I'm sorry."
"Sorry is not enough," Orochimaru said in sing-song. He leaned towards her, his eyes unblinking. "I will have to destroy all accounts of you, and all likenesses of you, and remove your name from everywhere. I'll seal everyone's memories of you. (3)"
She sobbed. "I… I know…"
"But don't worry, your soul won't be bound to the God of Death. I'll give you another chance, you will be reborn." He pulled out a black scroll marked 'Earth'. "In this secret scroll, I'll put in your name. It will be the only record of your true name. Also, in this scroll I will seal all your memories of this life."
"What?" Tenten gasped.
"Ku, ku, ku, ku, ku, ku…" He laughed. "That's right! When you're reborn, you won't have your memories of this life and no accounts can make you remember! You will be a legend passed down through generations, and the council will await your coming—the girl born under the Star of Earthbound Emptiness… They will reestablish your identity as a princess. You will be a loyal sister to me when I am resurrected after a thousand years and you would have forgotten all about your Hikarujin prince!"
"Impossible!" She cried. "I… I'll be reborn with him! And he'll make me remember! And together we'll fight to protect the balance between light and darkness, we'll do what we weren't able to do in this life!"
"Wrong!" From his kaku obi, he pulled out a scroll marked 'Heaven'. "Do you see this? Tsunade had already sent her cousin on his way to the God of Death. And she has given me the scroll with his name and his memories!"
She shook her head, tears streaming from her eyes. "No!"
"Yes!" Orochimaru unfurled the Heaven Scroll and waved the contents at Tenten's face.
In the center of a sealing diagram was a shining circle of white light. Written in black ink below it… "Ne… ji…" Tenten read in disbelief.
"Tsunade told me that I could decide her cousin's fate—that is how heavy his punishment was!" Orochimaru quickly rolled the scroll and tucked it back in his kaku obi. "I think I'll throw it in the ocean, let it disintegrate little by little so that nothing remains of it after a thousand years! Ku, ku, ku, ku, ku!" He laughed as he walked away. "Kimimaro-kun!"
"No, please!" She pleaded. "Niisama, if you love me—"
He turned back to her, smiling sweetly. "But I do love you, dearest. That is why I'm doing this. All. For. You." He leaned towards her again, grabbing the pendant hanging from her neck and snatching it off. Tenten gasped. "Tsunade's necklace! I think I'll keep this." Holding the necklace in his hand, he walked away and gestured to the white-haired boy who was quietly standing behind them.
Kimimaro walked towards her, trying to keep his face impassive. But his emerald eyes were bewildered and his hands shook. Blades protruded from both his palms.
"Kimimaro-kun… all I wanted was… for both Yamijin and Hikarujin…"
"Tenten-hime… there are bigger things…" his voice died out and he simply stared at her, extending the blades before him. He whispered: "Why didn't you understand?"
"Kimimaro-kun…" she whispered, anguished. He swung the blades towards her neck. "I'm sorry."
(Flash)
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"
Tenten dropped the scroll, and for a moment she stood on shaking knees. Then she collapsed in a heap on the tatami.
It is… It is… She sobbed and tears rolled down her cheeks. Niisama… Kimimaro-kun… She curled into a ball. There are bigger things… But is it really a fate I can't control? Hikarujin Ouji… Neji…
Neji startled and brushed against the bushes, driving the birds away from the clearing. "Damn," he cursed. "And I wasn't finished counting them."
He walked away from the bushes and towards the center of the training area. He sat on the ground, closed his eyes and tried to relax.
I haven't found any leads on who was listening to the conversation with Hiashi-sama the last time… His brow furrowed and he quickly willed himself to relax. Not that a lot was said, but even the smallest bit of information could prove extremely important. If the Yamijin were alerted that we knew about this person called the Gift… His fists clenched.
"Impossible!" He stood up and kicked the ground. There's no way I can meditate in this state. He paced around the clearing, thinking.
The chances of a Yamijin spy being able to enter the Hyuuga Palace compound is very small, unless… He gritted his teeth. Unless the spy is posing as a Hikarujin.
Could there really be a spy among us? I find that hard to believe… we're with clans and families that have been allied with us ever since their founding… But in war, there's no telling what could happen. He quickly turned around and flung a kunai, embedding it into the target on the tree behind him.
"Tenten-hime!" Haku exclaimed in alarm, running towards the girl curled in a ball on the tatami. "I have been looking for you, and then I was at the foot of the tower, and then I heard you scream, and then I ran up, and then—" He gently picked her up. "Why are you in Kimimaro-kun's room? And you were crying?" His eyes widened, even more alarmed now. "We're really sorry, Kimimaro-kun and I, sorry Tenten-hime…"
She lied limply in his arms, her eyes swollen, her face red with emotion. "Haku…"
"Yes, Tenten-hime?" He asked. "We're really sorry…"
"I… I can't…"
"You can't what?" He frowned in distress. "You can't forgive us?"
"My duty to the Yamijin… to Orochimaru-niisama… to everyone…" she whispered. "What if I can't do it? My fate—"
"What? D-Don't say that!" Haku exclaimed. "Why… Why suddenly…" He held her closer. "Don't believe what they say, your past life, you don't have to—"
"You don't understand," Tenten said, struggling to sit up on her own. "What if it's a fate I can't control?"
"Is this about the astrological readings?" Haku asked, restraining her, forcing her to lie in his arms. "Because—"
"No…" She pushed him away and sat up. "Haku, my memories…"
"You don't need them!"
"I… I have them…" She raised a hand and pointed. Haku's gaze traveled to Kimimaro's secret scroll.
He gasped. "A sealing scroll… memories of your past…" He looked at her in concern. "Tenten-hime!"
"I understand why Niisama sealed my memories…" Tenten murmured. "It was very naïve… that a girl should think that, as long as she has her Prince beside her, she could change things between two ancient tribes… that she could bring harmony…"
"What now?" Haku asked.
Tenten shook her head. "I don't know…"
"Will you look for the Hikarujin Prince?"
"No… he doesn't exist…" Tenten murmured. "He wasn't reborn, Niisama made sure of that."
"But the Star of the Gates to Heaven?" Haku looked puzzled. "It shines so brightly. Surely, it is tied to a life."
"Or it could just be a strong ghost of the past," she said.
Haku sighed with relief. "Then…"
"I don't know…" She stood up and walked a few steps away, her back turned to him. "Haku, I have to go to Konohagakure. I need to see what is happening. Within the council. To that last Uchiha who is our leader. His bride, the Princess…" She closed her eyes, willing herself to remember the Head Family. "Sakura-chan… that's right, Sakura-chan is the Uchiha Mistress. And I need to see… if they really mean to resurrect Niisama…"
He picked up the scroll. "What about this? Will you tell Kimimaro-kun?"
"He'll never be able to forgive me…" Tenten brought up her arms and hugged herself. "If he knows that I remember everything… what will he think, what will he say?"
He stepped up close to her and hugged her from behind. "He won't find out." He looked around, at the kunais and remnants of the smoke bombs and the open chest. "I'll take care of it." He leaned closer to her, whispering in her ear: "I'll take care of you."
Kabuto proceeded on the polished wooden walkways of the Uchiha Palace, following the sound of the bamboo flute. He reached the eastern wing and walked straight into one of the gardens, where, at the edge of the garden that merged with the surrounding forest area, the Yamijin Prince sat on the rocks on top of the small waterfall, a bamboo flute pressed against his lips, his fingers dancing lightly. Kabuto waited for the melody to finish, but Sasuke stopped mid-note and glared at the bespectacled, silver-haired young man, apparently disturbed by his presence.
"What do you want?" Sasuke demanded.
"Sasuke-sama, you are looking healthy today," Kabuto bantered, a cheerful smile on his face. "And that yukata suits you. Sakura-hime has such good taste."
Sasuke looked down at the royal blue yukata he wore, the edges trimmed with silver and black embroidery. Then he looked up, glaring even more intensely. "I asked you, what do you want?"
"Forgive me," Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose, "for not getting straight to the point."
A hand clenched around the bamboo flute. "I'm warning you…"
"Please don't get angry, Sasuke-sama," Kabuto held up a hand in an appeasing manner. "I would just like to ask you a question, if it's not too much trouble."
"What?" Sasuke muttered through gritted teeth.
"Where's dear Sakura-hime?"
"In her room," Sasuke answered automatically. "Or in our bath house, or the kitchens, or in the libraries, or with her maids, or the western gardens, or any of the sitting rooms. Now if there's nothing else—"
"Unfortunately Sasuke-sama, the Princess is not in the Mistress Apartments," Kabuto interrupted. "She's not in the Master's baths, or in the kitchens, or any of the places you have mentioned. In fact, Sakura-hime hasn't been seen anywhere in the Palace and the compound at all."
"What?" Sasuke bolted up. The flute broke in his hand.
"I said, Sakura-hime has—"
"I heard what you said!" The Prince growled, throwing down the pieces of the flute. "Where is she?"
"Ah," Kabuto removed his glasses and polished them on the front of his shirt. "But you're supposed to be the one with the answer! After all, it is your duty to guard the Princess, your bride."
"Don't fuck around!" Sasuke roared. In a split-second, he was in front of Kabuto, holding up the other young man by the neck. The glasses had fallen on the ground. "If she left the compound, why didn't anybody stop her?"
"They… did," Kabuto answered, struggling to speak. Sasuke tightened his grip. Kabuto winced. "But… she's the Uchiha Mistress, she knows things only the Head Family knows… like secret passages…"
He dropped on his knees when Sasuke released him. After a few moments of coughing, he recovered. "Zaku-kun and Kin-chan spotted Sakura-hime leaving the Palace and they asked her where she was going. She told them she was going shopping. They tried to stop her from leaving alone but she ran. They alerted the troops, but she escaped them." He picked up his glasses, wiped them again and put them on.
The sound of a thousand birds chirping filled the air as a cold blue glow emanated from the Prince, or rather, the Prince's hand. Electrical looking chakra covered his hand and he ran towards a hundred year-old willow tree by the waterfall.
CRASH!
The tree exploded into splinters. Kabuto scratched his head, laughing. "I guess I'll have to talk to the gardeners about relandscaping." He frowned at the Uchiha symbol on the royal blue yukata. "Sasuke-sama, where are you going?"
Sasuke didn't stop walking.
"Sasuke-sama, Konohagakure is too big for you to find her by yourself. Anyway, going on a rampage around the village would just attract too much attention—we might alert the Hikarujin to the fact that the Princess is currently missing. We might just put her in more danger."
Sasuke stopped.
"I'm pretty sure she'll be alright. The marketplace is full of people anyway and if Hikarujin do find her, she's a chuunin, I'm sure she'll be able to bring herself somewhere safe—"
"Don't make me laugh," Sasuke spat. "It was pure luck that she became a chuunin. She was matched against that Inuzuka idiot in the tournament and did away with purely academic skills." Kind of like that talentless Hyuuga successor… I'll bet Hyuuga asked the dead-last idiot to go easy on her—but then again, he's the dead-last idiot.
"Ah…" Kabuto scratched his head again. "Still, I'm sure she'll be okay." He stood up. "What is more worrisome is that Sakura-hime has developed a penchant for wandering off alone." He walked towards Sasuke. "Is it just a troublesome adolescent issue?" He stopped beside Sasuke. "It doesn't matter. The point is, you're no longer aware of what she's doing every moment of the day, Sasuke-sama, which means the tribal council becomes ignorant in her activities as well. They won't be pleased." He laid a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.
Sasuke struck the hand away and glared right at Kabuto's eyes. He was almost as tall as the silver-haired ninja. "I am the leader of the tribal council."
Kabuto nodded, giving him a pacifying smile. "Of course you are, Sasuke-sama, your leadership is absolute. You are the last Uchiha, and it is the good fortune of the Yamijin that you are a true Uchiha, and a son of the royal family. It is your responsibility as a leader to keep your people informed, isn't it? And she is your bride, it won't look good if you keep losing her."
He looked away, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sakura isn't doing anything."
"Please don't forget Sasuke-sama," Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose. "Sakura-hime is not only your bride, she is the Gift. She can do what no one else can, with that power, she can bring back Orochimaru-sama to us."
"………"
"It won't do if Sakura-hime gets involved with things that she isn't supposed to get involved in."
"Sakura isn't doing anything."
"Maybe," Kabuto said. "But maybe somebody is doing something to her."
Fwip! Sasuke had Kabuto by the neck again. In a low, dangerously cold voice, he asked: "What do you think you are suggesting?"
"I meant… that… that the Princess might have… untoward influences." Kabuto coughed.
"Sakura isn't doing anything." He released Kabuto and walked away.
"Sasuke-sama!"
"DON'T STOP ME!"
"—Ninety-nine, one hundred!" Sakura cheered when she reached the top step. The path that led to the Uchiha Palace stretched out in front of her, and she skipped up the path, swinging her shopping bags as she went.
"Sakura-hime!" Kin was running down the path, black hair streaming out like a flag behind her. "SAKURA-HIME!"
"Kin…" Sakura blinked in surprise. There was no trace of the usual disdain on the other girl's face. Kin skidded to a stop in front of her, breathing heavily. "Kin, what—"
"Sasuke-sama, Sasuke-sama… Sasuke-sama isn't pleased, he, he… demanding to see you right now…" She sputtered, wild-eyed.
"Sasuke-kun…" The flower-like girl sighed. "Alright—Kin, why is your cheek…" She let go of the shopping bags in one of her hands and placed it over the dark-haired girl's bruise.
"Don't touch me!" Kin screamed, bringing up a hand to strike. Her hand froze inches away from the unflinching Sakura. "Sorry." She dropped her hand and her gaze. "Just… don't touch me."
Sakura removed her hand and reached into her holster, pulling out a small tube of salve. She placed it in Kin's hand, picked up her shopping bags and ran to the palace.
Inside, she was met by her trembling maid, Misha, who cried: "Sakura-hime!" Then, composing herself, she said: "Sasuke-sama is waiting for you in the Master's Apartment."
"Alright." Sakura patted her arm. Misha winced. "Why?…" Despite the maid's protests, Sakura pulled up the sleeve of her yukata. She had a bruise. "You too…"
Misha shook her head, several strands of her yellow hair falling from her already messy chignon. "We were trying to pull Sasuke-sama away from Kabuto-san, Kin-san and I, when he struggled, he accidentally hit us…"
So that's what happened… Sakura bit her lip guiltily. "I'm sorry Misha, it's all my fault."
"No!" Misha shook her head vigorously, two of her hair pins clattering to the floor. "It's not your fault, Sakura-hime."
"I'll talk to him—"
"No!" Misha grabbed her sleeve.
"Misha," she gently tried to pull away, but the maid wouldn't let go.
"Don't, Sakura-hime!" Misha pleaded. "He's so angry right now, please let him calm down a bit, and then I'll accompany you to the Master's Apartment."
"There's no need," Sakura wrenched her sleeve from her maid's grasp and walked away. "But thank you, Misha."
"Sakura-hime!" Came the cry behind her. A choked sob also came, but Sakura forced herself to ignore it.
I'm sorry, Misha. I cause trouble for everyone. If only they weren't Hokage-sama's orders… She picked up her pace, heading for the eastern wing. Sasuke-kun… he's really strange. Sometimes I could be gone without him noticing, but at other times… it's like he almost cares…
She slid open the double doors of the largest residence hall and ran up the corridor. She stopped in front of the Master's Apartment though, with her hand poised to knock. She wavered. She clutched at her chest, feeling the coolness of a crystal pendant as it pressed against her skin. She knocked thrice. Almost before her first knock, Sasuke's low voice came: "Enter."
Sakura took a deep breath before opening the door and bounding inside. "Sasuke-kun!" She exclaimed in sing-song, smiling brightly. "I'm home!"
With his back turned to her, he was sitting on the tatami facing the open sliding doors that led to a garden. She skipped towards the prince and dropped on her knees beside him. He remained motionless. "I went shopping today. I got my obi and obi-jime and your kaku obi, and the chopsticks have been repaired, and of course I have your robe too!" She rummaged through the bags and pulled out the black inner kimono. "Here it is, why don't you try it on and—ack!" The kimono dropped to the floor when he suddenly shifted to face her, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Sasuke-ku—" He shook her again.
"You—" he hissed, his unblinking dark eyes burning into her terrified green eyes. He shook her more violently. "You left on your own."
"Sor—"
"WHY?" He yelled, shaking her again and pushing her away. She fell on her side. "Why do you do this?" He whispered, looking down at her with anguished dark eyes. "Why do you do this to me?"
"Sasuke-kun…" Moisture collected upon her lashes.
He turned away, looking out into the garden. "If you get attacked while I'm not there, what then? What am I supposed to do if you get hurt? WHAT?"
Her cheeks heated and she dropped her gaze on the tatami, the pale-colored weave blurring as more tears gathered in her eyes. I should have said something… But… But Hokage-sama's orders! "I'm so sorry…. Sasuke-kun."
"The last time… those Hyuugas… they were too strong..." The hands on his lap clenched, wrinkling the blue fabric of his yukata.
Droplets fell upon the tatami Sakura lied upon, forming darker stains.
"I don't know why you do this… I don't know if it's revenge, or—"
"NO!" She pushed herself off the floor and threw her arms around his neck. "That's not it… I didn't want to force you to come… because you didn't want to…"
"Don't blame me," he whispered, "that you were born as you… the Gift with a unique power… That the council wants you to be the Princess…"
"Sasuke-kun…" She tightened her arms around him, feeling the tension enveloping his body as she held him closer.
"Keeping you in the palace… binding you to the Uchiha, binding you to me…" Sasuke continued. "It had been decided long before I became the leader. To brand that paper fan upon your back—I never asked for that. I never wanted that."
She nodded, resting her head upon his shoulder.
"I never wanted to have to protect you."
"I know…" She murmured. The one who charged you with my safety… is also the one who took your family from you and left you with the duty of leading the Yamijin. She nuzzled his neck, warm tears falling upon it. It's his fault that you're suffering… and I'm just another burden…
"Go to your room."
She looked up. He was still staring at the garden impassively. She released him from the embrace and moved to stand up, but he grabbed her sleeve. "Wait."
"Sasuke-kun?"
"That scent…" He looked at her. "That's not your soap."
A flush crept up her cheeks. Sasuke-kun noticed! Oh no, he knows I took a bath somewhere else! But Sasuke-kun notices things about me! But, but—this is bad! "Well I—"
"Don't use strange things," he said, turning back to the garden. "The last time you used the soap your friend gave you, you got blisters. Just use what the servants made for you."
"Y-Yes…" Although, the blisters were from training, not the soap…
"Go."
She stood up and quietly left the room.
Should I have followed her, like Haku did? Kimimaro slowly ascended the spiral stairs to his bedroom. They were acting strangely during dinner… and she wouldn't look at me.
Damn that under-handed sneak… He clenched his fists. He's as wary about the Sand nins as I am, but now he's being nice to them. All he cares about is making himself look good to Tenten-hime.
He opened the door to his room and stepped in. He immediately looked around. Something's wrong… He narrowed his eyes. It's like… everything's in their proper place… It's too normal-looking…
He looked around again. What am I thinking? Nothing's out of place and nothing's wrong. I'm getting too paranoid. He walked to his closet and pulled out a yukata of thin white cotton. He removed the gi and hakama he was wearing, threw them into the laundry basket and changed into the white yukata. He tied his belt as he walked to his bed, but stopped suddenly in front of a set of tall dividers.
"Hmm…" he walked into the sectioned portion and looked around. All his scrolls were in their right places. His eyes landed on a large chest beside the shelves. Should I check? He walked to the chest and placed his hands upon it.
This is too much… He removed his hands from the chest. I would just be putting unnecessary work upon myself. Those traps take too long to set up.
He walked to his futon and lied down. Nobody can take my secret scroll. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
In a flash, he had jumped out of his futon and crossed two unlit rooms, sliding open the doors of the Master's Apartment so forcefully that they banged against the walls. He breathed heavily, staring across the dark corridor at the ornate tapestry upon the doors of the Mistress' Apartment.
"………" It was silent in the palace. Even his treading upon the floor registered noise. He touched the doors of the Mistress' Apartment and leaned his forehead against their wooden frames. Not a sound was to be heard.
It was silent that night too…
He quickly opened the door and crossed the sitting room, stopping in front of the bedroom door. He pressed his ear against it. He could almost hear her breathing… He started to take a step backward.
'It's because you are weak…'
He quickly stepped forward again to the door and slid it open. By the cold glow of the scarlet dawn sky, he could make out her trembling form, huddled under blankets. "Go back to sleep," he told her.
The trembling didn't stop. It was only when he drew nearer that he saw that beneath the pink silken locks that slightly covered her face, her eyes were closed. He walked to the open window and closed it. A few moments later, the only movement from the blanket-covered figure was the rhythmic rise and fall of breathing. Quietly, he left the room.
He went back to his own room, lying on the futon and his blankets, not bothering to cover himself. He stared at the image on the ceiling, three tomoes, arranged in a circle, the artful optical illusion making it appear as if it were spinning. Like a pinwheel.
He continued staring at the image until the sun rose above the horizon. Rosy rays of light reached through the windows, warming his cold skin. He stood up, dressed in a white gi with the red-and-white paper fan symbol and a pair of pants, then stepped out of his apartment to start his run around the Uchiha compound.
(1) It's supposed to mean 'Poison Seal Skill'… :winces: Yeah, I'm so bad, I'm just leafing through a dictionary and translating literally, word for word, because I'm such a Japanese language idiot.
(2) It's supposed to mean something like 'cancel seal' or 'dispel seal' or just 'unseal'.
(3) In ancient Egypt, having your name erased means you won't have a life after death. I've taken that lore, but with a twist—here, in the past, they believed that having all memory of you lost will bind your soul in the stomach of the God of Death.
Author's Notes again : As always, review, especially if you're interested in seeing more. It's only fair that I know you want updates if you expect me to update, right? And yes, I know, Tenten's name isn't written in kanji, and two 'Ten' syllables don't mean 'HeavenHeaven' but it would be just too sad to have a princess whose name doesn't really mean anything.
GargoyleSama: Well, Naruto deserves some 'screentime', he's still the title character although he's not my main character. :P psychedelic aya: Thanks. Updating might be a little slower, but don't worry, my head is brimming with ideas for this fic! saishenoyama: I'm inclined to agree, NejiTen foreeeeever. XD Hersheys Rocks: Well, I try my best. :D Do keep on reading! C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: Well… so do I. But I needed to do it for the story! Byakugan VS Sharingan: Er… honestly, it's too much to ask of a Sakura cosplayer not to take offense with that comment. I abhor NejiSaku, because they both belong with someone else. Not because Sakura is pathetic, I would have to say she isn't. She's strong in many ways, and there's nothing wrong with being girly when you're girl. I like her and Tenten equally, they're beautiful in distinct ways. But I have to admit, NejiTen IS my favorite pairing, even though it's just a little bit ahead of SasuSaku. animEvivvErz: Why yes, Sakura is a princess in rather sad circumstances, no? Read on to see what happens next! Tenshi no Hana-chan: The Sound trio may not be main characters, but they do have their purpose here. I won't spoil anything, you'll have to continue reading! Sakura-Girl 2005: Thanks much! XxaoshixX: Thanks. Little Minamino: I won't spoil… ;) Just wait and see, okay? ligice76: Oh, NejiTen will meet, not now, but well… I should say their story would be worth reading! As for SasuSaku… well, keep on reading! DragonStorm85: Thanks. I'm a bit pressured to pick up the pace, but for the sake of the story, I'd have to take it slow! KaiKaiCutie: Thanks, I'll do my best! scorpion05: The NejiTen meeting is something to watch out for. Oh, I can't imagine Sasuke not being a total prick. (But I do hope Kishimoto makes him redeem himself!) pink-writer: Yeah, I feel for Sakura too. Oh my, you're also a Gaara fan! I'm a huge Gaara fan myself, he's actually my fave Naruto guy! I love jealousy too, and part of the reason why NejiTen can't meet yet is because I need to concentrate some more on Haku and Kimimaro. :P Alderine: Yeah… I hope the long chapters make up for the wait. Each chapter is longer than some multi-chapter fics after all! And yes, you'll just have to read on! Magicians of the Yami: Okay. ; Taiyoukai Lady: Heheh, well, Shikamaru has tons of potential for humor! Thanks! Read on! Nemuri Shi: It's AU, but I'd have to say they're pretty much in character (I judge myself harshly, but I don't think I'm going out of character here). I'd beg to differ, Sakura tries to be nice to the trio, but they make things difficult for her, she can hardly be called a brat. Sasuke… well, he's always had issues, that counts for the attitude, not because he's being a brat. Hmm, there are a lot of terms, but Tenten's not necessarily confusing. Don't forget, Astrologer!Tenten is based on canon, although Kishimoto hasn't shown her do any divination. And Sakura's Star was never meant to be a mystery, all their Stars are pretty obvious. And, yes, I am up-to-date with the canon, I do know Sakura is Tsunade's apprentice. You raised a lot of points, and all I have to say is read on, because everything was planned to be covered in the following chapters. :) yas: Gaara's siblings do often seem more like sidekicks, harhar. Gaara-sama is the best. XD You'll see more of your dear Shikamaru a couple of chapters from now. wildcatt: Thanks a lot! some random person: I think that can be considered a word, hehe! Yeah, Haku and Kimimaro are rather sweet here! TheeBycth: There are two groups, Yamijin and Hikarujin. Tenten and company just happened to be based away from the main Yamijin group. :)