Pursuing Neji

Hours passed before Tenten started to come to from her peaceful slumber. Her eyes didn't open just about yet and she nuzzled into the bed seeking more warmth. Her hands moved in search of the warmth that seemed to have vanished. Slowly opening her eyes she looked to the other side of the bed, that last place she saw Neji but it was empty. She moved into a sitting position with only the covers of the bed to shield her body from the cold air that seemed to just flow into the room. The room was empty besides herself.

Her first action of instinct was to look around but he still was no where to be seen. Alone in the room. Then something caught her attention. His bag on the chest, it was missing. Finally her mind placed the information together and built up a conclusion. He left to go after Kabuto. As fast as she could she gather her clothes that were still scattered around from previous actions and ran out of the room. Her first decision was to report this to Tsunade. As she made her way to Tsunade's office Sakura and Naruto were sitting on the side looking through information in book of interviews.

"Tsunade-san he's gone!" Tenten shouted exhausted and trying to catch her breath. She had ran as fast as she could, her mind forming images of dangers that Neji could be facing that very moment.

"It was inevitable. Naruto, Sakura, you have read the sightings. This is your mission. Find Neji and bring him back to Konoha. It is no doubt that Neji has already found out about the sighting as well and is on his way to check them out. I don't care if you have to knock the boy unconscious and drag him back, just do it." Tsunade said, there was annoyance in her voice. She knew that Neji would leave in seek of Kabuto, there was no way of stopping a Hyuuga when his mind was so dead centered on carrying out an action.

"I want to go to." Tenten said as Tsunade looked at her.

"You're in no condition to go." Tsunade said, it was true, if Tenten went who knows what damage it could do to her brain as it tried to heal itself.

"I don't care, he is my fiancé and my responsibility." Tenten emphasizing the 'my's. She was angry too, waking up to an empty bed. The least he could have done is woken her up and told her he would leave but no he had to leave without even a word of his departure.

"Fine then go!" Tsunade said, damn she's not even a Hyuuga yet and she acts just like him. With that last thought Tenten, Naruto and Sakura leave the office. Unknown to them though Kabuto was not to far off watching this. He was spying to see what Konoha's plans were and report back to Orochimaru but he decided to stay longer just for the fun of it. It was already dark and even in clear view no one seemed to see him stand there atop the building.

"Heh so the Hyuuga's after me with his little girlfriend. I can have some fun before I get back" With that Kabuto jumped from his place and disappeared.

"The last sighting of Kabuto was in a small village not far from here. We should go check it out first." Sakura said.

"Tenten, how do you remember that you and Neji are…" Naruto didn't get a chance to finish before Sakura hit him.

"Naruto don't bother her." Sakura shouted at Naruto seeing Tenten's face turn red thinking what they had done when he told her.

"Sakura, I was just curious." Naruto whined, he really wanted to know how Tenten's was doing.

"He told me." Tenten said looking away trying to stop herself and calm down. "But Naruto I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Why does Neji hate Kabuto?" Both Sakura and Naruto didn't speak up. The three of them continued to run but Naruto didn't know if he should say anything. He looked over to Sakura who was equally unsure but nodded that Tenten should know the truth.

"We think that it was Kabuto that caused you to forget from that night." Sakura said. As Sakura started to tell her what she, Naruto and Tsunade concluded, Tenten stopped running as another sharp pain took it's toll on her head. The pain was unbearable so much that Naruto and Sakura had to dive in and catch her before she fell to the ground from the tree tops that they were jumping through.

"Ah, urg." Tenten groaned as the pain intensified, it was as though her brain itself was being beat up.

"Tenten!" Both Naruto and Sakura said in union as their friend. Voiced started to go off in Tenten's head. The voice was a males but it was so hard to decipher who's. But the words were so clear.

"You have overheard too much for your own good. Heh shame that you're here alone without that Hyuuga of yours. I would have liked going against him. You're not much of a challenge, not the one I want to fight. I can kill you now but Hyuuga will come after me, we don't want that do we. Better yet, I'll just have him suffer."

That voice seemed to slowly fade as something else caught her attention that brought her back from the pain. The sound of flapping wings. Before she knew it To and Ri were beside her. They had seen her leave from the manor and it was as though understanding that something was wrong, they followed her and had finally caught up.

"Are you alright Tenten?" Sakura asked concerned.

"Yes I'm fine. To, Ri what are you doing here?" Tenten asked as the two birds flew onto her left hand and looked at her. As she looked at the two birds, it was as though instinctively she could read them. They were worried not just about her but about Neji as well.

"We should keep going." Sakura said as Tenten got up and held the birds in her right hand now.

"You're right. Let's go." Naruto said and they jumped back into the trees. Instinctively the birds sat down on her right hand and Tenten used her left hand to shield them and add additional support as she jumped up following Sakura and Naruto with her two birds in her hand. They continued their search throughout the night hoping to spot Neji along the way but nothing. Neji had left a few hours before them when Tenten was still asleep dreaming of them in their older days so he had a quick star and with the determination he had there was no stopping him. It took them half an hour before reaching the village that last spotted Kabuto and they split up to ask if they had also seen Neji. Few of the villagers had claimed to see Neji but were unsure. There wasn't much to go on but it would have seemed as though Neji had gone by so that meant he wasn't there anymore. As they were about to leave and head on to another village on that same pathway, To and Ri jumped out of Tenten's hand. Her first reaction was to catching them, thinking they had fallen off but before she could, both To and Ri took flight.

"To! Ri! Where are you…" Before she could finish she knew the answer. The two birds were flying around in the circle, beckoning for her to follow. "Neji, you know where he is don't you."

With that Tenten ran after then as the birds led her out of the village and into the deeper part of the forest. It was worse that it was night and still getting later. There was almost no light beside the full moon that watched over them as they ran.

Miles away where Neji stood, it was the same place that he had found Tenten after the very night of her encounter that caused her to forget. He activated his Byakugan and so to speak scanned the area in search of any leads. Something just didn't seem right. He was certain that night he retrieved her and left with her in his arms there was no container on the floor. His Byakugan would have caught sight of it that night, but he had to take into consideration his worry toward Tenten might have citrated him but still. Heh maybe he was losing his touch with another blind spot.

No, he doesn't trip up, not a Hyuuga, Well not likely that is. Looking around there was still nothing, no traps, no prints, not even a stray weapon laid on the untouched floor. There was barely any impression that anyone had been there, though it had been a few days since that night. He slowly approached the same tree Tenten's body had been leaning against, unconscious. He remembered his first thought, she might be dead but with the little medical routines Sakura taught to everyone, he used his Byakugan and saw that there was still a flow of chakra through her chakra veins, which was a good sign. Neji bent down and touched the still crumpled leaves that were squished and crumpled under her weight and left his hand there.

He could feel anger start to nip at him from the inside but he made himself calm down, now was no time to do something stupid. Rationalizing and planning out a strategy was the best thing to do in any matter of executing an action.

Running footsteps were approaching him; he could both feel and see someone running toward him, Tenten. He quickly got up and turning in the direction she was come from. In time Tenten came running through the darkness and latched onto him. Neji was a little taken back by the action but something in him burning. His fist clenched as Tenten wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled into his shoulder.

"Neji I was so worried about you." Neji could feel himself tense up.