Working as a cab driver in London, England was one of the hardest jobs she had ever done, and Tenten had done a lot of jobs since she had been able to work.
At first it was helping the family business in forging fine china and ceramics, as well as brilliantly ornate decorative swords, along with being a waitress at a Chinese restaurant near her house. When she got enough money to live in an apartment for her time in college, she had begun playing the guitar proficient enough to go to the park and have fun just playing for them (her father never told her that it was an 'actual job' but Tenten insisted it was to this day). Her first 'real' job had been after college, when she got her master's degree in mathematics and promptly became a corporate sheep in one of the many soul-sucking businesses of the big city. It was the most stifling part of her life, one that possessed grueling seven-to-nine long hours of continuously typing on a computer and having banal lunch breaks. One mental breakdown later about how she had wasted her life, Tenten went back to living with her parents and became an artist. Once again bored, she searched for adventure in the form of a free-lance artist. From her homelands of China, to the prefectures of Japan and the coasts of Hong Kong to Thailand, to the faraway worlds of Italy and France. After five more years of constant travel, Tenten needed another break and went back to being overlooked and underpaid.
It was surprisingly liberating.
She worked nearly all day, but had a lot of time off as well to do what she pleased. Her trusty hackneyed carriage was kept shiny and polished by the company that employed them, but once she becomes a butter boy she'll get to take care of her own. It was almost funny, how she had already lived in London for almost three years. With all of the excess time, Tenten could still be an artist and make a manageable amount of money every month. The kind of easy work that was pleasing in its own right, as well as one that did not cripple her personality and passions.
Someone standing on the street raised out a hand, and Tenten dutifully pulled over into the empty space beside them. Wearing the custom black suit that was awfully formal for just a cab driver - it's London, what did you expect? - Tenten stepped out and took the person's - a man with long hair who appeared to be of eastern Asian descent - single piece of luggage to place it in the trunk. Opening the door for him without missing a beat, Tenten slid skillfully into the driver's seat and looked up at the rearview mirror expectantly. "Where you headin' to, chap?" Living in London had a way of changing how she spoke, though she definitely looked Chinese.
"The Imperial War Museum, please," came the smooth answer, and off they went. With where they were now, which was the Pall Mall, Tenten knew that the easier route was to pass by Trafalgar Square and head down White Wall to the Westminster Bridge. From there she needed to know if she should go on West Bridge Road or take Lambeth Palace Road into Lambeth Road to get there. It would depend on the traffic and the weather, which was pretty rainy and cloudy at the moment.
Taking into account on the time and routes of traffic, Tenten decided that she would have to bypass the Westminster Bridge all together. There would be too much traffic around the Houses of Parliament.
"Hope you hadn't been hoping to see ole Big Ben, there," she said as raindrop began to splatter across the window shield. The gentleman sitting in the passenger seat had been fortunate enough to get out of the ran for now, but he didn't look like he had an umbrella with him. Which was silly, because this is London, so judging by the suit he also wore and the briefcase he had he must be on a business trip of some sort. "With the way the rain's startin', I reckon we ought to steer clear of the Bridge. It'll be crowded, and I can't let my dear passenger be late, now can I?" She smiled despite the cool rain outside. Already it had grown misty and dark, everything turning into smudges if it weren't for her good eyesight. When she had first started, she had nearly run over a few dozen people. Her instructor deemed it 'natural'.
"Hmm," the man said, contemplating his options and her words. He was obviously irritated that he would have to get wet. But then he said, "I can take a while. I do want to see the big clock tower."
Interesting, Tenten decided as she took the right onto White Wall instead of the left into the Strand. She groaned inwardly at already seeing the cars begin to pile up and slow down. "It's gonna take at least forty-five minutes just to get to the Bridge," she said ruefully, and turned on the heating when she saw her acquaintance shiver. Maybe he was smart, and just wanted to stay dry. "Ah, you'll get a good view of Big Ben now. It'll be in our sights once we get to the Bridge."
He nodded and stayed silent, enjoying the warm air flowing from the vents at the front. Tenten could already hear the irritated honking from outside, glad that cabs happened to have thicker walls purposefully to dim the road rage. It's handy too if anyone wants to try and shoot through. Bullet-proof glass and reinforced exteriors, baby.
"You're not from here, are you," she said knowingly, looking at the man's face. He stiffened under her scrutiny, but remained stoic. "I'm guessin'... Honshu. Kyoto, even; right by the Karasuma Line. You've got that feeling - though I could be wrong." Derisively, Tenten highly doubted it. Her guess was correct at the pleasantly surprised look on the man's face. Deciding that now was a good time as any, Tenten added, "Name's Tenten by the way. Only way I know this is that I use to live in in Kyoto for a few years myself. Originally, I'm from Beijing. Grew up in the Huairou District. You?"
The man gave a little chuckle, suddenly not appearing like a block of ice. "Astute deductions, Tenten. I am indeed from where you proclaimed, though I often lived in Tokyo. My name is Hyuuga Neji, and I'm doing business with an old friend of mine."
Tenten tilting her head, not even paying attention to the road. Not like they were going anywhere too soon. "How long? Can't even be a few days if you didn't bring an umbrella?" Neji blanched.
"I've only been here since this morning. I was lucky to even hail a cab before the downpour." He looked outside then, watching as the people went along their day as usual, the only addition being the numerous parasols. By now, the rain didn't even affect them. In a somewhat figurative sense, it was literally water off a duck's back. Neji breathed on the glass and the frost evaporated for a second before returning to its misty state. It might even take more than forty-five minutes to stop, considering how thunderously it was pouring. Tenten decided that after she dropped Mr. Hyuuga off, she'd go with him to the museum. It had an indoor cafe, and she could definitely use a nice hot cup of tea.
"Well that solves it. I've been here nearly three years n' countin' and the first thing I learned is to always bring your brolly." Seeing Neji's questioning gaze, she said, "Umbrella. The words grow on you. It's jolly good fun, chap." She let out a chortle when Neji cracked a small smile.
"London, Kyoto, and Beijing. You've been a lot of places I see," Neji observed, his shoulders slackening a bit. "Usually all if my business is down in Japan, so being in the United Kingdom is quiet a breather. Care to enlighten me?"
At that, Tenten grinned. The rain would take a while and only seemed to get worse. Cars and people alike were going insane around them; the typical scene for her Tuesday mornings. "London's a dream, I tell ya. Workin' as a coach is surprisingly fun too. Lots of free time, I can take my carriage anywhere I want really. We cab drivers gotta learn the ins and outs of London personally. It actually took me two years to memorize everything. I can drive myself all over the place in my head. Ask me a place in London, even vague details, n' I've already picked out a path to get there. Anyways, the pubs here live up to their names. Everyone's chuffed as chips, and the food's the dog's bollocks."
"Dog's bollocks?" Neji repeated, and Tenten laughed.
"Whoops!" she hollered, cheeks tinging at the meaning. "Not supposed to say that, there! It's a good thing! Usually I don't say such slang, since I hadn't the bottle to be so informal, but 'cuz you're new here I let it slip!" Clearing her throat, though there was still no tension between then, she continued. "Bollocks means testicles, and usually it's a swear. But since I'm calling something the dog's bollocks, I am, pardon my language, claiming that it is 'the shit'. As in, really cool."
To her delight, Neji found it funny as well, and she began to entertain him will all of the casual swear words she'd never be able to tell a normal passenger. To her delight, Neji was different, and they sniggered over immature slang all the way to the museum. Big Ben stood proudly from its watch by the bridge.
"How 'bout I come in with you to grab a cuppa tea while you dilly-dally, and when you come back, I can take you to your hotel," Tenten offered as she parked on the curb. It'd save him time hailing another cabby and the annoyance of getting out to take his luggage. Neji agreed wholeheartedly, and the two ascended up the stairs into the grande Imperial War Museum.
Leaving him to his own devices, Tenten shrugged off the slight wetness in her suits and took off her black gloves and cabby hat to free the two buns at the top sids of her head. It's a childish look, but it seemed to help tell people that she's Chinese. Before, she had often been though of as Korean of Vietnamese, even the far-fetched Vietnamese! Plus, it was a practical, easy hairstyle even when she was delicately painting designs onto fine china.
Placing her gloves into her pockets and carrying her cap under her arm, Tenten fancied the many old aeroplanes hanging from the ceiling, as well as the many tanks and cannons just littering the front entrance. Still slightly waterlogged, she made her way to the cafe to the right and ordered a fresh biscuit with some coffee and tea. Since the sky kept crying, she might as well enjoy the warmth she got from the two beverages. Tenten ate in comfortable silence, holding her hot coffee as she perused the nearby exhibits. Off-handedly, she wondered what Neji was doing. A museum was quiet an unusual place to do business, especially since he hadn't come to the cafe. Rather, he had stalked directly to where all of the films would be. Shrugging it off, Tenten sipped her Joe and admired the firearms department until nearly two hours passed and Neji found her with a dark-haired young woman holding his arm.
"Ooh, a lass," Tenten said, turning to examine the woman's beauty. Younger than her, definitely, but still held an air of mature grace. Judging by her similar white eyes and face structure, Tenten easily assumed her to be family. She looked like a Japanese man's dream woman; straight dark hair with even bangs that frame her delicately pale face, plush pink lips held in a small smile. She wore a large forest green pea coat, probably just bought by the stiffness in it, that hinted to a slim, soft figure and long legs. The only exception to her image was the large tracks of land she supported, easily pronounced from the confounds of the fabric. "Quiet a bonny lass she is. Family?"
"My cousin," Neji explained smoothly. "Excuse us, but we're going to get something warm as well before joining you. Do you mind waiting in the cab for us?"
Tenten looked out to the entrance, where the rain had turned into a downpour into a typhoon. She grinned and saluted like one of the Crown's Royal Guards. "Right-O." Waving at the woman, who blushed and shyly waved back, Tenten tugged on her gloves and strutted out to brace the storm. She trembled a bit when she made it back to her beautiful black carriage, quickly turning on the lights and heat as she awaited the two family members. If Neji hadn't clarified, she would have though the woman to be his sister. They certainly seemed to share the same blood, as well as the high cheek bones, thin pale lips, and the longest eyelashes Tenten had ever seen since her old neighbor Ino back in Europe.
The two hastily returned as well, sighing in contentment once they too stopped their shivering and enjoyed the dryer, warmer temperature. Tenten took off after Neji told her which hotel he would be staying at. It'd be a good hour and thirty-five minutes from where they were, and they'd get to cross the Bridge again.
"Didn't get your name there, lass." Tenten said conversationally. "Name's Tenten. Your cousin n' I had a rip-snorter of a time discussing the pros of speaking British English, by the way." Neji coughed, apparently not wanting for her to describe to his dear sweet cousin what things like 'shag' and 'tosser' meant.
"O-oh!" the woman exclaimed, her face turning beet red already. "M-my name's Hyuuga Hinata! P-pleased to meet you, Tenten-san." Tenten thought back to her days in Japan when the woman said that. She'd missed the place, despite how different it was from how she lived now. A bit stiffling, always leaving her on edge, but it was one of those times she wouldn't give up for the world.
Jokingly, Tenten said, "At your service, Hinata-sama!" Hinata gasped as her cheeks resembled juicy ripe apples. "I lived in Japan a bit. Gotta say, it's nostalgic using those honorifics. 私は非常に古いです" Hinata giggled at this and settled down.
"I-I would have never kn-known," she said earnestly in a timidly regal voice. The way she didn't emphasize words and spoke them slowly told Tenten that the other woman didn't know as much English as her cousin did. "Y-you look very Chinese."
"I am. I was a freelance artist and thus travelled a lot of places. Japan was just one of the destinations." The brunette woman toned down the excessive use of British terms. Best not to complicate things by talking about 'chips' and 'rubbers'. Hinata was turning out to be more like a little girl than a posh woman, and it was a great reprieve from the typical blokes she dealt with.
Hinata's soft eyes that resembled the petals of lavender seemed to sparkle as she smiled, sitting politely behind Neji, who was silently listening from the passenger's seat once more. "Y-you're an artist? I love art. W-what ty-type of art do you do?" Tenten had to consider this. She never went to a formal art school where she got to practice with nude models and learn all of the terminology, but she was professionally taught from a very good veteran. She never stayed on one style though. One month it was art nouveau, the next it was surrealism, and then even that changed into sculpting to glass-making.
Shrugging, she answered as honestly as she could. "A lot. Whatever the client wants. Even if I didn't actually know it, I'd still switch to match the specifics. I think my favorite mediums to use are bronze and oil paints. Often I'm asked to make sculptures of people or animals, or I'm paid to make portraits and murals. It's very satisfactory."
"You said that you stayed in Kyoto," Neji spoke up, suddenly verbal that it threw the two women off for a second. Eyes on the road for a moment, Tenten turned to look at him. His face was contemplative. "Were you the one that made the large mural at the Kyoto University's Library?"
Damn it would have been a long time ago, back when she was still a cog in the corporate system. She had been suffocated so hard there that she must have expelled all memory of it from her system, even the name of the business she had worked for, before getting as far away as possible. But she did remember the stint she had pulled during her little 'episode' a.k.a going bat-shit insane. After all those years...?
Admittedly, she giggled a tad girlishly when she realized what Neji was talking about. "Small world," she said wistfully, "but maybe. The one I did wasn't actually a mural so much as vandalism. I can't believe they kept it up, it should be a craggily mess by now."
"Actually, it's recently been repainted and looks well," he supplied, now eyeing her with something undetermined in his milky iris'. "The library right across from Kojinguchi Dori thought that the work was so spectacular, that they had tried to find the artist behind it. So far, all of their efforts had been in vain." Now, Neji smirked. It was sorta like a smile except it was lopsided and filled with more arrogance to fill a small lake. Tenten found it not only amusing, but strikingly familiar all of a sudden... "It might be because the artist did it in a fit of frustration against her boss before taking off for a good few years." The way his eyebrows were raised slightly, the slight tilt of his head in her direction, and the suddenly wide-eyed expression Hinata had told Tenten everything as Hyuuga suddenly sounded like she had spoke it yesterday.
Taking a moment to assess her situation, and finding that even if she did jump out of the car and Neji grabbed hold of the steering wheel, she had a good eighty-percent chance of getting a tire rolling over her skull, Tenten resigned herself and swerved out of the way of a honking car. "You still never gave me my last paycheck, Hyuuga-san," she said, a voice so far back that it was like she was staring at those blank walls all over again.
But when Neji laughed, she realized how much time had passed and how it was all behind them. She wasn't in the confined cubicles of the Hyuuga business and Neji wasn't the head of the company's insufferable nephew who always made sure to point out any paint she had accidentally left on her uniform or would argue with her about her lack of 'professional etiquette'.
"Oh sod off, Neji. I'm surprised I even remember all that, and my hippocampus is probably twice the size of yours!" she complained, voice strangled and high. Still, she was the proud driver of a hackneyed carriage. She had rules to follow. "I'm happy with how I ended up. I hope your business is thriving. I will drop you off, and you two can forget all about the meddlesome woman named Tenten."
To her confusion, Neji chuckled again. "What makes you think I'm letting you go after all the trouble you put us through? No, having you at the office was the most entertaining time of my twenty-fifth through twenty-seventh years of life. I believe a reunion is in order. In fact, I want to call your boss. You're going to be Hinata-sama and my cabby driver for the rest of our vacation here in good ole London." His smugness was overflowing, and if he didn't stop it he'll drown them all. But he had caught her by exploiting her professional side. She begrudgingly gave him the number and allowed him to tell her boss of his plans, offering a sum of money too ridiculous to argue again - though she did try it, he just ignored her - before telling her that he's decided they should get something for lunch.
As Tenten parked, being invited like the 'gentleman' Neji Hyuuga was, is, and will forever be, she took a look at herself in a window. Dark brown hair tied in buns at the top sides of her head. Tanned skin despite the horrid weather, and a round oval face. Slanted yet wide eyes. Her posture and shoulders told people that she knew how to fight (which she did due to taking martial arts lessons) while her black suit and tie told them that she was all business. It was only her cabby hat and dark gloves that told them of her profession.
From ceramic to naive guitarist, to sad cubicle-worker to freelance artist, and now a London-styled taxi driver. She was only a few months away from getting her own cab, and Neji would have been unable to do what he did. Lucky arse he was. With a huff, Tenten followed the two into the nice, cozy restaurant.
Turning to Neji, face full of the confidence and stubbornness she was known for, Tenten told him with a smile that coud kill, "Bollocks to you, Hyuuga Neji. Bollocks to you."
Neji only sneered and ordered her coffe for her. "Bollocks to you too, you bloody bonny of a woman."
A/N: Not based on a series, but the idea did come from watching an informational video about London cab drivers and after watching some Fate/Zero (Mainly Saber in a suit - my one true weakness). I almost felt smart whilst writing about this, considering I've never been to any of the places I've talked about (though I've been to Beijing it wasn't an official visit so much as going to see the Forbidden City). It turned out pretty cliche, what with the whole "dredging up old memories" shtick. I'm not going to get into that, thankfully. Hope you enjoy. Any ideas would be appreciated fully.
