WARNING: Things get a bit dark here, Lee is seriously pissed off, and I may have corrupted a bit of feeling in this one, because it deals with an issue I feel very strongly about.

Quick notes for those unfamiliar with honorifics, Like... Lee-KUN or Mori-CHAN. I think this is necessary because Amaya will be introduced this chapter and uses Sama if you aren't familiar with honorifics it may get confusing. Plus, they are... Quite fun when you get use to them and reflect the relationship between the names used and whoever uses them.

(copied from Wikipedia after cutting out bits I don't use for the story. I am NO expert, just wanted to try this out.)

1. Kun- is used by anyone when addressing or referring to male children or male teenagers. Although kun is generally used for boys, that is not a hard rule. It can also be used by male teachers addressing their female students. (Gai to Tenten.)

2. San- is the most commonplace honorific, and is a title of respect typically used between equals of any age. (In my Japanese class, everyone referred to female students as San and male students as Kun.)

3. Chan- expresses that the speaker finds a person endearing. Thus, using chan with a superior's name would be condescending and rude. It may also be used towards cute animals, lovers, close friends, or any youthful woman. It can be used for males in some circumstances, but in general this use is rather condescending or intimate.

4. Sama- used mainly to refer to people much higher in rank than oneself, toward one's customers, and sometimes toward people one greatly admires.

5. Nee-chan- when a young sibling addresses his or her own "big sister".

6. Ane- is the descriptive noun of big sister. (Meaning when referring to Moriko to someone else, Amaya will use this, as it is rude to address your older sibling by name.)

Lee's POV

The afternoon sun trying to break through the dense cover of leaves above us, cast a soothing greenish light down on us. We made our way though the thick forest where it seemed, even the wind could not reach us, so far in. There was the softly tricking water of a nearby stream and with the natural beauty that surrounded us, I wondered what monster could abuse two girls in such a serene place.

We had been traveling for the better half of an hour by this time, mostly in silence. Finally, I had to ask my questions, Tenten-san seemed more open, since the decision to rescue Amaya-san... Wait, how young would Amaya-san be? Should I refer to her as chan or would be closer to Moriko-san's age? Focus, Lee. I had to ask one question at a time.

"Tenten-san, How did you meet Moriko-san, if she lives way out here?" I asked her over the wind and the silence. Gai-sensei was too quiet and I did not want to admit, but I knew he was focusing on our surroundings to spot anything dangerous, still unconvinced I should be out of the village with my left limbs still recovering after Lady Hokage had healed my nearly irreparable body. I pushed it from my mind and focused on Tenten-san's answers and my questions.

"Remember last year, one of the first training exercises outside of the village?" She asked rhetorically. "The extreme Hide and Seek? Before I found anyone, I found a house out here in the forest and had thought someone might have hidden inside. Perfect place for traps, and all. Instead I found Mori-chan." Tenten-san explained. That made sense. Come to think of it, she had taken a long time to find us. I had thought the traps we laid gave her trouble, but knowing her, now... I should have known better.

Before I could ask her my next question, she slowed down and led us into a wide clearing, revealing a moss covered log cabin, most likely built by the trees the forest supplied. As we drew closer, I noticed garbage and bottles of foul smelling alcohol lying around the yard. The windows all had blankets covering them from the inside and the front door's bottom hinge was busted, leaving the top hinge to keep the door standing crooked.

"Um... Maybe I should go in to handle things first." Tenten-san suggested nervously. I was a bit shocked to see her nervous, knowing how strong nerved she normally was. I had no intention of waiting outside, especially after seeing this disgusting house. Whoever this man was, he not only hurt his children but could not even bother to fix something like a door or clean up? I felt anger rising up, but Tenten-san spoke again.

"I know how... passionate you both get, so. I'd really rather go in, to ensure Mori-chan's father's safety, as much as I hate to." No! I could not let her do everything, especially with how I already felt!

"No, Tenten-kun, we came her as... well... Part of a team and we must stick together. Lee and I will not harm Moriko-san's father." Gai-sensei assured her, finally speaking. I was relieved, Gai-sensei being so quiet is very unsettling and forces me to think about my injuries and how much I had lost on the road to my dream.

Tenten-san was not surprised, she was not happy but she had been expecting it. She shook her head in resignation and I noticed how considerably flustered she appeared today. Gai-sensei and I followed closely behind Tenten-san as she approached the broken door, apparently trying the 'easy way' tactic, since we were in no real danger. After all they were a normal family with no shinobi skills.

She knocked loudly on the wood where the paint had peeled off. We heard stomping and before the door swung open, a man's gruff voice was hollering.

"Couldn't take it out there on your own, huh? I knew you'd be b-" A man slightly shorter than Gai-sensei had appeared, holding a long black belt he had stained clothes and an intense glare with eyes the same as Moriko-san's. For some reason that bothered me.

"We are here for Amaya-san." Tenten-san said in a voice full of resentment. The man blinked at her for a moment before laughing a cold laugh. I saw my friend's hand twitch above her weapon pouch. I, myself wanted a go at him, but for Moriko-san's sake, I did not and was prepared to hold my team mate down.

"A couple of kids playing ninja think they're gonna take my daughter away, huh?" He growled and slammed the broken door in our faces. Without hesitation, Tenten-san pushed the door open again and marched inside. The man brought his hand up, holding the belt, moving to bring it down across Tenten-san's face but she kept walking. Before the belt could come closer, I grabbed ahold of the man's arm, firmly. Perhaps too firmly than needed, I wanted to be sure he had a bruise. As I caught his arm, I realized that Gai-sensei had his arm around the man's neck. Before Tenten-san could get farther into the house, a girl a couple years younger than her and I ran up and began pulling on Gai-sensei's arm.

"Stop! What are you doing!" She cried. Her hair was blue like her sister's but darker. Moriko-san had light sky blue hair. Amaya-san had more of an ocean blue shade. Almost shoulder length and straight. She had the same bright green eyes as her sister... And their father. "Get off him!" She screeched. Her clothes were more ragged and dingy than Moriko-san's had been and too big for her as well. She must have gotten all the hand-me-downs.

"I can't do that, Amaya-chan." Gai-sensei said, seriously. He was still holding the man by his neck and I still had his arm. I noticed the man's face turning red and his unintelligible shouts as he kicked out at me and pulled at my teacher's arm with his free hand. The girl froze, still holding onto Gai-sensei's arm.

"How do you know my name?" She asked all of us, looking around at us all.

"Moriko-san is a friend and she is very upset. She feels guilty that she left you here in the care of this..." I had to bite my tongue. Polite, Lee... Be polite. "man." But the being whose arm I held roughly in my hand was not a man. He was not fit to be called human, let alone a man. Before the girl could say or do more, the man released Gai-sensei's arm and instead took hold on Amaya-san's neck, pulling her off the ground. She kicked her feet and struggled, clutching at her father's hand. Gai-sensei released the man, obviously thinking if he let the man go he would let the girl go. I drooped his arm as well but he continued choking the girl.

"Good, now you freaks get out of my house. I'll kill her if I have to." He threatened with a cruel smile on his face as if he were enjoying himself. I could not help but shiver, but by this time I was furious and very likely to lose control and attack him. I glance sideways but Tenten-san had disappeared. How to save the girl without hurting the man. I noticed Gai-sensei thinking along the same lines but he was preparing to attack him, I could see it in his eyes. So, I quickly grabbed a kunai before my teacher could attack, sprang behind the man, taking me out of his reach and held the weapon to his neck.

"Let her go. What kind of man harms his own family!" I could not help but to yell. The man did not move, so I... persuaded him to see things my way by pressing the knife closer to press against his skin. Finally he released the girl and before she could collapse in a heap, Gai-sensei caught her. She rubbed her already bruising neck and gasped for air.

"Apparently, I am the kind of man who beats his girls like pinatas!" The man roared and I reluctantly withdrew my weapon.

"Lee asked a trick question, you're not a man at all, you are scum!" Tenten-san snapped from behind me. Gai-sensei took the girl outside in case the man tried anything again. He had a dark expression, like it took effort not to say or do something. I shared that feeling. Tenten-san was walking down the hallway, which was coated with more bottles, carrying a wooden box and balancing three large cardboard boxes on top of it.

"Hey, those are my boxes!" The man shouted. Tenten-san walked right passed us, outside. Not wanting to take any chances, I moved in front of the man, meeting his glare. Glaring into his eyes should have been all too easy but after a while I felt like I was glaring at Moriko-san and had to look away feeling ashamed. Even if it was not her, just the thought of glaring at her felt wrong. "So you bastards must be responsible for my missing daughter, boxes and possessions." The man spat in my face. "Nothing in this house belongs to them, I'm their father, they owe me everything!" I could not believe what I was hearing.

"They owe you nothing!" I growled in a low, quiet voice. As Tenten-san walked back through the hallway to pack more of Amaya-san's things, he moved to grab her, I grabbed him by the shoulder, pulled him back and then pinned him to the wall with my right arm against his neck. Not pressing hard enough to cut off his air supply but enough to show him he would not be attacking anyone.

"They owe me the very air they breathe." He wheezed as if nothing had happened.

"You have got it backwards, YOU owe THEM the air you breathe!" I waited until Tenten-san walked back outside and told me she was done, before I released him. "I'll hunt them down, you know. The disobedient one always was the older whor-" I could not contain myself. Before he had finished the insult, I drew back and punched him in the gut. As he doubled over, I saw him spit blood onto the floor. Before Tenten-san could see what I had done, I exited the cabin and joined my group. I could still feel the darkness on my face. It was very uncommon for me to feel as enraged as this, I supposed it was due to the obvious abuse that my new friend had been through.

Wait. I had just referred to Moriko-san as my friend. Had i not also referred to her as my friend when I spoke to Amaya-san as well? I guess that meant it was official. Moriko-san was now my friend, assuming she was alright with that, and I had helped rescue her younger sister from that- Be calm, self. That... place.

"Um.. thank you, Shinobi-sama." The girl rasped from Gai-sensei's arms as I picked up the majority of the boxes. I saw this as a training possibility, as I had little training the entire day. But I nearly dropped them again when Amaya-san spoke.

"N-no, Amaya-san. We were happy to save you." I told her, embarrassed to be referred to as 'sama' even if she was speaking to all of us.

"You saw me a few days ago, Amaya-chan. My name is Tenten. This is-" The girl's eyes opened a bit wider.

"Oh! I know about you. Ane told me." She said brightly, her throat seemed to be feeling better the more she spoke and Gai-sensei put her down before glancing back, probably to see if that hateful... man... was watching to see where we went. Tenten-san did not notice and smiled down at the girl.

"Mori-chan told me about you as well. She loves and misses you a lot, so Lee and Gai-sensei, offered to help rescue you and move you into your sister's apartment." Tenten-san said and motioned to Sensei and myself as she said our names. Amaya-san thought for a moment and stopped walking to bow deeply to us.

"Thank you very much. Tenten-sama, you probably don't know, but you kept Ane strong over the last year and a half and what she told me about you helped keep me strong, too. Lee-sama and Sensei, thank you so much for coming to save me and for not hurting my father." And then she straightened up again. My face flushed horribly. Not only because I was lying to her by not admitting I had punched her father but also at being referred to as 'sama' directly. Tenten-san appeared to be speechless as well. I wanted to say something but... If that was how she was comfortable in referring to us. I felt conceded for allowing her to call me sama, though. Luckily, Tenten-san came to my rescue.

"Uh, Amaya-chan, we're really not as great as to be called 'sama' you can call me Tenten-san or something, right? Oh, Lee, too. He's just too nice to say something." She said, shifting her load of boxes to one side and rubbing her neck.

"But, 'sama' is meant to be used for someone I admire. Why wouldn't I admire you guys?" She asked innocently. We sighed in resignation as sensei laughed and began praising us on our youth but I could not pay attention this time. Something was bothering me in the back of my mind. What was it, that was so important I could not focus on-

How did Amaya-san recognize Tenten-san's name if Moriko-san is mute?