One Friday night at a football game,
The Lord's Prayer said and the anthem sang,
A man said, "Folks, would you bow your heads
For a list of local, Vietnam dead."
It was absolutely horrific outside. Above the stadium hung a thick curtain of charcoal-black clouds, unleashing their pent-up rage on the village of Konoha. Thunder rumbled, shaking the grounds, and lightning briefly made its appearance, illuminating the dark scene with a sudden burst of light. The wind was also feeling merciless, whipping the bullet-sized raindrops into her face with all the intensity of Rock Lee's Leaf Whirlwind.
But Tenten couldn't be happier.
Maybe it was just the atmosphere of the stadium. Despite the fact that Kami was apparently unleashing some godly wrath through the weather, the shinobi huddled under raincoats and ninjutsu shields inside the seats surrounding the arena, as excited as ever. Who wouldn't be? It was time again for the Chuunin exams, and this year's participants have proved to be the most promising since Tenten's generation had taken the field. The excited tension could be felt even through the torrential downpour.
Or perhaps it was the fact that Tenten had finally been able to buy her newest weapon, bringing her total collection up to an even 3,000. She could finally quit that pathetic job at the tea shop; Tenten couldn't imagine how ordinary people could be content slaving their lives away doing something so monotonous it threatened to drive her comatose. Plus, her team had finally returned from their mission- unsuccessfully. What really put the icing on the cake was the fact that they had all grudgingly admitted, as they sat by Lee's hospital bed, that her ninja skills would have been extremely beneficial to them. That'll teach those chauvinistic bastards to leave her the next time they decide to go on a mission.
No. Though each of those things brought Tenten's mood up significantly, their combination was nothing compared to the only thing that had been on her mind for the past three days.
"I still can't believe it!" she uncharacteristically squealed to Hinata as they curled deeper under their raincoats. All around them, ninja were muttering excitedly to each other, placing bets and glancing anxiously at the center of the arena, where a still-handsome Gemna was explaining the rules to the young shinobi. Hinata smiled at Tenten, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.
"I know, Tenten," she said gently, unable to hide her amusement at Tenten's... well, girlish attitude. Tenten had never been one to let such common girly reactions such as squealing and giggling escape her. But now, she was as giddy as a child on Christmas Eve.
"I'm sorry, Hinata." Tenten tried to compose herself, managing to keep a straight face for a full ten seconds. Hinata smiled brightly and leaned back into her seat, enjoying the silence.
"But Kankuro's coming home!" Tenten blurted suddenly, the volume of her voice causing the younger girl to jump a good two feet in the air. "In THREE DAYS! Do you have any idea how excited I am?!"
"Tenten-neechan, you've told me exactly how excited you are every minute for the past few days." Hinata patted Tenten's shoulder, amusement and concern shining through her pearly eyes. "Um, Tenten, do you think.... you know... things will be the... same once Kankuro comes back? Will things be... awkward?"
A smile automatically wrinkled Tenten's features as she thought of all those letters- the secrets they had shared, the feelings they had dove through the depths of their souls to reveal to one another, the pronouncement of their love for one another. "No," she said, lost within her thoughts. "Things will definitely be different. For the better."
The corners of Hinata's mouth lowered, and she leaned toward Tenten, opening her mouth to say something. Just then, the Hokage stood up, clearing her throat. Even though the crowd was loud enough to rival an aerial bomb attack, they sensed the disruption of chakra and turned, intently focused on the Godaime.
"Thank you all for being here today," Tsunade started, already wearing an air of authority. "I'm sure that you are all as excited as I am to watch today's matches unfold." This statement was punctuated by cheers and shouts from the audience. Tsunade smirked before continuing. "Before we start, though, I do have a few announcements I would like to make.
"I'm sure that you are all aware of the war that has taken place between Suna and Iwa. Thankfully, the struggle has ended, and we are fortunate enough to have the resident ninja of Suna participating with us today, despite the losses they suffered. To honor those who lost their lives fighting to protect their village, I ask you to take a moment of silence as I read the list of Suna ninja who have died nobly in battle."
A somber hush fell over the crowd as Tsunade cleared her throat and began reading a list of names. Tenten, half-listening, winced slightly whenever she heard the names of soldiers Kankuro had mentioned in his letters to her. After a while, she began to get lost in thought, drifting to memories of that day on the pier, of her favorite letters that she had recieved. She smiled, imagining welcoming Kankuro home, of seeing his face again, of holding him, alive and well, in her arms as he explained, in detail, exactly how much he missed her....
"Ami Akane..."
Tenten winced yet again. She remembered reading that name several times in the letters. Kankuro had taken a liking to that soldier. It must hurt him now that they're gone.
"... and General Sabaku No Kankuro," Tsunade finished, hanging her head in respect for the Suna dead.
Cryin' all alone under the stands,
Was a piccolo player in the marching band.
And one name read, but nobody really cared...
But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair.
Hmm, Kankuro. Tenten must be hearing things. Her mind's been on nothing but him for the past few days... no wonder she thought she heard his name...
"Tenten? Are you okay?" Tenten jumped, noticing for the first time that Hinata was staring anxiously at her, as if she might break down in tears or something crazy like that.
"Yeah, sorry," Tenten laughed, her bright and cheery mood returning. "I was just sort of wondering. I've been thinking of Kankuro so much, I just imagined Tsunade saying her name!" She laughed again, oblivious to the startled and sympathetic look on Hinata's face.
"Um, Tenten..." Hinata stared concernedly at her best friend, worry echoing in her eyes. "Lady Tsunade... did say Kankuro's name."
Tenten laughed again, this time with a slight edge of hysteria. "Hinata, I get it, you're making fun of me. Ha, ha. But be serious. Kankuro can't be dead."
At this point, Hinata wasn't sure of what to do. She had always been one of those cushion people, afraid to hurt others with the truth- and the look on Tenten's face suggested that the truth would be the last straw for her.
But Hinata took a deep breath and grabbed Tenten's hand in both her own. "Tenten, I-"
"Shhhh," Tenten said, waving her other hand excitedly. Her eyes, like almost everyone else's, were fixed onto the field. "They're about to announce the first match!"
"TENTEN." The younger girl's stern but desperate voice struck Tenten as odd, and she turned to see her best friend on the verge of tears. Tenten's blood turned to ice as she realized what Hinata had been saying all along.
"You weren't joking, were you." Tenten's voice shook as she spoke, and it sounded as though it came from someone else, somewhere far away. An echo.
"Tenten, I'm so sorry this happened," Hinata began, tears spilling out her eyes. "But what Tsunade said is true. Kankuro... he's-"
"I don't want to hear it!" Tenten screeched, ripping her hand out of Hinata's and placing both over her ears. She tried to hold back the tears as her breath quickened.
"Kankuro is dead," Hinata finished unwillingly. She hung her head in despair. "I'm so sorry, Tenten."
Tenten felt as if she had been ripped in two. The tears she had been fighting burst out of her eyes like water out of a dam, and she sobbed. She curled in her seat, clutching her chest as if trying to contain the pain that emanated from her broken heart. She cried harder than she ever had before, letting her worst fear out in the form of tears. Kankuro's smiling face kept appearing in her mind as she gasped for breath. We were going to be together forever. He said he would be careful. I love him. He loves me. This wasn't supposed to happen! "No, no. Not Kankuro."
Hinata silently weeped as she leaned over and embraced her sister. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."
All around them, shinobi cheered and applauded as the first match of the final round for the Chuunin exams began.