Staying Alive
A Neji x Tenten Story

Summary- AU fic. Doesn't really have a set time. NxT When Neji is hired to capture a criminal he doesn't expect what he finds. Can the thief reach her life long goals of killing the one man she utterly loathes or will her Uncle get in the way of things? More twisted than it sounds.

Disclaimer- I lost Naruto to Kishimoto in a marble game.

"sup"- talking

sup- thinking

'sup'- Flashback

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What happened last time- 'Tenten's breathing had become erratic and she whipped tears from her cheeks that she didn't remember crying. Tenten's face became hard and defiant, the pain of five years tempering her soul and her emotions.

"I will avenge my family…one day…," she whispered.'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Staying Alive
Chapter 2- I Should Be

Tenten forced chakra into her feet as she jumped silently from one branch to another. It had finally gotten dark enough so that she could go into town without drawing any unwanted attention to herself. All of the shops would be closed by now anyway.

She landed silently on the ground, a swirl of dust dancing around her soft boots as she landed. Her lithe muscles were tense, ready to spring away at any moment as she looked around watching and listening carefully for any sign of life. The only sounds where of the crickets singing and the creaking of the Chinese lamps that lined the street, all of which had been put out. Tenten slowly rose, careful to not make any unwanted noise. She again paused before taking action and slowly the minutes ticked by. The castle guards had been trying to catch her for five years; she wasn't going to let her guard down now. Tenten slowly walked to the little herb shop that she needed. Her food had gotten a little bland over the past few days and lacked flavor. Hey, even a thief needed a little flavor now and then.

She pulled out a senbon needle from a hidden area on her shirt and proceeded to pick the simple lock. With a slight 'click' the lock opened and Tenten stealthily slid into the shop taking one last glance over her shoulder before closing the door behind her and re-locking it. Tenten's large eyes slowly adjusted to the dark room and she pulled the pheasants from her shoulder laying them out across a table in the middle of the small room. She grabbed the sack that hung from her hip and opened it as she pulled some salt, garlic, pepper and rosemary form the shelves, putting each packet carefully into the sack. She also grabbed some cinnamon and sugar and placed them into the bag along with her other choices. Quickly tying the bag closed, Tenten strapped it to her shoulder making sure to secure the other end tightly to her opposite hip to ensure that the bag wouldn't get jostled as she leapt from branch to branch on her way home. Tenten grabbed the three pheasants she had dropped earlier and tied them upside down to a rafter for the shop owner. Mr. Tanaka always did like his pheasant. Tenten allowed a small smile to cross her face before it vanished into the night. She soon did the same, making sure to lock the shop keeper's door on her way out.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tenten collapsed onto her bed happily. She had taken the long way home again tonight and she was tired. Tenten let her bag drop onto the bed next to her with a dull thud. She had spent most of the earlier morning and afternoon dodging palace guards part time while trying to hunt. It had been a while since she had been made to do that, mostly if guards were patrolling the forest she just wouldn't go hunting. But after five days of living off of jerky, she needed to hunt; both for food and trading purposes. Sure, she could have just taken what she needed to survive from the villagers but that would make her as bad as the man who had stolen her home from her and killed her parents. Maybe I'll be able to get some sleep tonight, she thought sadly. Tenten had been plagued with anxiety attacks for some years now; she would most often wake up shivering and covered in a cold sweat. She would have feelings of paranoia and often times suffered from insomnia at night. Tenten lifted her head and looked around her cramped quarters. Who would have thought that the Princess of Kitatani would be living in a tree at age 17? A sad smile graced Tenten's thin pink lips. I should be engaged by now and ready to rule my parent's throne. The smile vanished from her noble face.

"But I'm stuck here, living as a thief," she hissed to the darkness. "One day…one day soon he'll pay for what he did to my family and I will take back what is rightfully mine," she promised the darkness, just as she had done on that lone night so long ago. Tenten curled up alongside the wall of the tree and slipped into a dark sleep.

The tree she was currently residing in had been her home for the past five years. She had managed to find a way into it and had been lucky enough that no one had ever found the entrance to it. The bed had been carved out of the inner part of the tree along with a few shelves for her meager possessions. Tenten had been lucky enough to find a sheet caught in a tree and turn it into a makeshift mattress by stuffing it with grass and leaves. She tried to make everything that she needed so that she could stay out of the village just in case someone might recognize her. As Tenten drifted on the edge of consciousness another memory slipped into her mind.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Flashback
'A very wet Tenten woke up as the morning sunlight struck her closed eyelids. The young girl was stiff and cold. Tears slipped down her face as the memories of the night before came rushing back like a tidal wave to crash upon her small shoulders. Tenten looked down to her side at the basket she had been given and picked it up. She set it down on her silk covered lap and carefully pulled back the lid. Tenten gently tugged at the thin white cloth covering the hidden contents. A package of weapons was neatly tucked into a corner and Tenten slowly removed it and flipped it open. Inside rested many different shuriken, kunai, and senbon needles all glinting dangerously in the morning sunlight.

Closing the case, Tenten put it back in its original position in the basket. Looking around she noticed a small bundle of food which she quickly brushed past. She was hungry but didn't feel like eating right now. Tenten reached down into the basket and pulled out three books. One was her survival book that she took with her where ever she went. It had tips on how to survive in different environments and where best to find shelter. The second book was about the healing properties of herbs. Tenten had always been interested in that for some reason. She gently caressed the worn cover before exchanging it to take a look at the last book which possessed information about hunting and fishing, as well as a small chapter over leather making. She tenderly returned the books to the basket before covering everything and standing. Tenten brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. Most of it had fallen from the two panda buns on her head and now hung in curls around her face. She looked around trying to decide what to do. Her legs were stiff and she found it difficult to stand but knew she had to keep going. The guards had probably been out searching for her all night and it was a miracle she hadn't been found. Tenten's heart pounded in her chest at the thought of being captured by whoever it was that had killed her parents.

The young girl headed towards a large boulder that caught her attention. She walked around the large stone examining it. Setting down the basket she pushed experimentally against the stone. Surprisingly the stone gave way and cracked open. Tenten forced chakra into her arms and legs and pushed harder against the cool rock. Half of the boulder fell away and surprisingly, beneath the stone lay a large tunnel. The sound of clanking metal and shouts echoed through out the forest and Tenten's stomach churned. She didn't like the dark but she didn't want to be captured. Having no other choice Tenten grabbed her basket and leapt into the hole somehow managing to pull the slab of rock over the opening. Tenten was swallowed up in darkness. The clammy air in the tunnel sent shivers of apprehension down her spine and she shuddered. It was cold and unpleasant in the tunnel and Tenten was afraid. She was afraid of being found and killed like her parents, she was afraid of being alone. She could feel a cold fist clutching at her hear and she realized that she was now utterly alone. Alone...'

End Flashback
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tenten bolted upright gasping for breath. She was shaking violently and her body was covered in a cold sweat. Tenten wiped her face with the back of her shaking hand and got out of bed. She didn't know whether it was night or day and she didn't care. Tenten fumbled around in the dark looking for her water sack and a bag of herbs. She was eventually able to find both. Tenten shuffled through the miscellaneous herbs in the sack until she found the one she wanted. She grabbed some of the Valerian Root and quickly swallowed it with a gulp of water. Her heart was racing and she could hear the blood pounding in her own ears like a deafening roar. Tenten grabbed another bag and tied it to her back carrying her water sack with her. She escaped through the narrow passage that lay hidden beneath the large roots of the old tree.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tenten sighed and lowered her sweaty body lower into the cool water. It was dark out but the sun was beginning to rise, she knew she needed to hurry. Opening her bag she took out some homemade soap and a cloth. She proceeded to wash the dried sweat from her face and body. To anyone else she would have looked relaxed but she was on guard, ready to spring away at any given moment. Tenten felt the tension and anxiety seep out of her body as the herb she had taken earlier began to work its way through her system allowing her to think clearly. She proceeded to undo her braided bun and wash her hair which had grown considerably, bearing in mind she hadn't cut it in five years. She had no place to dispose of the hair safely and if she did manage to dispose of it her paranoia would get the better of her and she wouldn't be able to stop worrying about it so she saved herself the trouble and didn't cut her hair.

The sky was slowly growing brighter pushing away the indigo night and bathing everything in a dull grey. Standing from the cool water, Tenten grabbed her things and leapt into the trees preferring to spend as little time in the open as possible. Her lightly tanned skin glowed in the early morning light as she vaulted from tree to tree moving deeper into the forest where the thick foliage would hide her from searching eyes.

Upon reaching her destination Tenten lowered her things and pulled a small bottle and a small bunch of leaves from the small bag. Undoing the strip of leather that bound the plant, Tenten used some of the leaves to scrub her body so that it would mask her human scent. For an added precaution she poured some of the clear liquid from the bottle into her hand and rubbed the oil all over her body. The soft scent of pine needles filled her nose and Tenten took comfort in the familiar scent.

Once she was done Tenten proceeded to get dressed, careful not to hurt herself on the concealed weapons hidden within the fabric of her clothes -- a side effect of her paranoia. She carried weapons with her wherever she went.

Still feeling a little shaken, Tenten decided to burn off a little of the anxious energy. She put her things back into her bag and raced off through the trees letting her long hair hang loose to dry in the wind.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A.N- A.N- sigh The second addition to Staying Alive. All of the chapters are rather short in this story but I figured they would be at the best breaking points to stop. shrugs Oh well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Oh yeah…You have been forewarned, the ending to this story has NOT been written yet so it may take a while for me to get it up. Have patience with me when we get there because it may take me a while to figure out how to end it. Until then please enjoy!