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Chapter Thirteen
A splatter of blood erupted where the sharp end had dug into her skin and Tenten could only bite down on her own tongue to keep from screaming in pain.
Her eyes cracked open and she saw a puddle of red surrounding her. She'd managed to shift herself slightly so that her vital spots were missed, but, nevertheless, it hurt. A lot.
The weight of the enemy which had been crushing her suddenly disappeared and a moment later, Tenten found herself being pulled up against a hard surface. A pair of arms wrapped around her and a wave of relief flooded over her when she recognized her rescuer.
"Don't move. You'll lose more blood", the voice was soft…
Tenten obeyed.
She was brought near the base of a large tree and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Shikamaru standing across the field as he extended his shadow, capturing the two enemies.
A large explosion shook Tenten out of her half-dazed state and she blinked quickly enough to catch a glimpse of Sakura sending yet another shockwave throughout the forest.
This time, the pink-haired kunoichi had aimed at one of the enemy and landed a clean shot that immediately killed the once defenseless man, who, despite his current state of… well, of "deadness", was still trapped in the confinements of Shikamaru's shadow.
Leiko was now officially on her own and she knew it better than anyone. Although she was up against four Konoha Shinobi, her mind had already picked out the only target.
The white-eyed Hyuuga genius stood directly in front of her, already moving into a stance that could only lead to a jutsu belonging to his prestigious clan. Sakura had retreated to where Tenten now stood, leaning heavily on a tree trunk, and Shikamaru had disappeared among the trees, his shadow inactive, but ready to attack at any second.
"You killed him", Leiko whispered.
"It was necessary", the reply was void of all emotion.
"You should have died!" she shrieked.
Leiko rushed forward and slipped out the last of her weapons, throwing them mercilessly at her opponent. Most of the metallic objects were deflected and landed lifelessly on the dirt floor, clattering with a dull sound as they fell upon each other. However, two of them made it to the target, causing him to wince as stream of bright red blood flowed freely from the open wound.
He ignored the feeling and numbed the pain, then prepared to attack.
"Byakugan!"
The end arrived surprisingly fast and, due to her already weakened state, Leiko didn't put up as good of a fight as she'd hoped for. As her body fell to the floor, devoid of all grace, her eyes still open from the shock, her killer stepped forward and looked down at her.
There was pity in his eyes. And regret.
As he turned to look at his three companions, he was surprised to see their varying expressions. Shikamaru's features were the calmest of the three, but even he held a sorrowful gleam in his eyes. Sakura had turned away, her face hidden in the shadows.
The third shinobi that he saw, still slightly hunched and covering her wound with one hand, was practically flying towards him, her free arm wrapping tightly around his neck once her body came in contact with his. Her hair, now messy and untied, was filled with the fresh scent of the forest and he breathed in the airy smell as his own arms wrapped around her, his heart feeling much lighter than it had in a long time.
Then, she spoke, her voice slightly strained from all the recent fighting, but still tinted with a honey sweetness, "Thank you, Neji, Thank you".
The blank hospital ceiling had been her only source of scenery for the past week and the young kunoichi, despite her patience, was growing sick of it. Her body had healed considerably in the time that had passed, but according to the medics, she wouldn't be able to return home until another three days had passed.
A soft knock sounded at the door and a moment later, a nurse stepped in, followed by a solemn looking, white-eyed shinobi. He approached the bed, but kept a safe distance and watched the nurse as she charted the patient's statistics, then left.
After the door closed with a sharp click, he stepped forward.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you".
"You'll be out by the ceremony, won't you?"
"Yes".
"Your father requests your presence, Hinata-sama".
"I-I know".
"Alright, then, I'll let you rest".
He left the room without another word and walked down the hall, entering another room that was notably noisier than the previous one.
"Neji! It is wonderful to see you!" Lee's bright exclamation and glimmering smile lit up the room.
The reply was a simple nod.
"It's about time you showed up", a voice spoke up form the bed. Neji turned to see his teammate propped up on several pillows, arms bandaged and crossed, brown hair littering across her shoulders.
He gave her an almost-smile and stepped closer to the bed, placing one hand upon the railing.
The three teammates sat in silence and looked at each other, but whether they actually saw anything was debatable, as each of them had drifted into their own private little world.
The silence was only broken when the door opened with a slight creak and Sakura walked in, dressed in a nurse uniform complete with the cute little hat and matching shoes. Her healing abilities had allowed her to be up and running in no time, while Tenten could only watch enviously from her hospital bed.
She grinned at the occupants of the room, then set the tray she'd brought with her on a nearby table.
"This'll help you feel better", she explained, handing a bowl of… something that resembled food to Tenten. The older girl smiled sheepishly and thanked her.
Sakura refused to leave until Tenten had fully finished the medicine, which she did with a grimace and a couple of winces. The medicine wasn't horribly bad, really, it just tasted kind of gross and Tenten had lost her appetite.
"Don't worry. It's worth it", Sakura smiled. She left the room and a moment later, Lee got up and went after her, attempting to ask her out on a date. The outcome? Well, sadly, it was failure.
This left Neji and Tenten alone in the room, a wall of privacy wrapped around them. Unable to hold in anything, Tenten began speaking at once, letting all the questions and exclamations she'd held inside to flow out like a fluid stream.
Neji waited quietly for her to finish her ranting, and when the girl finally ran out of breath, he began.
The first thing on his mind, and thus, the first thing he addressed, was Tenten's injuries. Throughout her rant, she hadn't given much thought to her own safety and he wanted to scold her for it.
"You and Sakura weren't supposed to stray from your mission", he said.
"I know. But we successfully completed it anyway. Didn't you hear Lee say- "
"You knew nothing about the enemies you were up against and that was an unnecessary and dangerous risk".
"You're worried about me?" Tenten asked in disbelief. All the bitterness she'd had for Neji when he reprimanded her had faded away. Did her teammate actually care for someone other than himself? Well, actually, she'd always known that he cared, but to admit it? Outloud? Granted, it was just the two of them in that room, but still, he'd actually said something to show that he cared.
"I'd lose my training partner, wouldn't I?" he replied.
Tenten grinned at this comment, for even though Neji responded with sarcasm, she could tell that a part of him was genuinely concerned.
"Well, I'm sorry, ok?" Tenten sighed, "I still have to speak to the Hokage about this. She's pretty mad, isn't she?"
"Tsunade-sama won't be available for the next week", Neji replied flatly.
"What?"
"My uncle proposed a town ceremony to encompass a few events. The Hokage will be terribly busy during this time, as she is one of the main components of it".
"Ceremony?"
"In three days, once Hinata-sama is allowed out of the hospital, the ceremony will begin. She's the only reason we're not having it sooner", Neji explained.
"But if it's in three days, what's the Hokage doing for the rest of the week?" Tenten questioned.
"My uncle wouldn't tell me".
"I supposed you'll be attending the ceremony, then".
Neji nodded reluctantly. As far as he knew, the only reason there was a ceremony was to celebrate the Hyuuga heiress' return, his own advancement to a jounin, and Ino and Kiba's passage of the Chunnin exams. Sure, he was excited to become a jounin, and at a terribly young age, but the entire ordeal just didn't seem appealing to him at the moment.
Maybe it was due to the recent, nerve-wracking string of events, or maybe, he just didn't seem to care that much about anything anymore. Maybe something was wrong with him.
Hinata stepped out of the shower, tightly clutching a towel against herself. She looked at the closed door in front of her, took a deep breath to ready herself, then twisted the handle and stepped into a room of chaos.
Several attendants tried to approach her all at the same time, attempting to dress her, do her hair, add dashes of makeup to her pale face, or direct her and tell her where to go. It was complete, utter chaos.
Her first day back from the hospital had brought about a huge celebration in the Hyuuga household and everywhere she went, she was bombarded with people.
She didn't really mind, though, because this was definitely a contrast from her daily routine, where people ignored her and she melted into the background. Yeah, this was much better.
At the moment, she was being tugged in every direction, as people helped her prepare for the ceremony that would soon take place. All of Konoha had taken advantage of the Hyuuga's ceremony and turned the day into a widespread festival.
Different booths now lined the streets and children were scattered in various areas, participating in game booths that ranged from throwing kunais at targets to catching tiny fish from a deep tank. To put it simply, it was a lot of fun.
But the festivities still had not managed to take away from the main event of the day. Just underneath the Hokage monument, in front of the base of the Hokage's tower, an extravagantly decorated platform was raise high, with a thin set of portable stairs leading up to it.
Hyuuga Hiashi waited at the top with two elders of the Hyuuga clan, as Hinata, now fully dressed and pampered, walked towards her father, followed by other members of their family.
The village had gathered to watch as the father waited for his daughter to ascend the steps. They stood silently and listened as the well-known Hyuuga Hiashi spoke of the disappearance of his daughter and her retrieval.
Hinata listened too, standing in the shadows of her father as he spoke with a quiet, yet strong voice. She rubbed lightly at her face, causing the over exaggerated layer of makeup that the attendant had dumped on her to fall off, catching onto the sleeves of her ceremonial outfit and falling to the floor.
As a shinobi, Hinata was most definitely not used to being all dressed up, and although she'd heard other girls talk excitedly about makeup and pretty clothes, she felt that all that materialism was overrated.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sounding of a large gong, signaling the end of Hiashi's speech. It was time to move again, so Hinata stepped off the platform and followed her father obediently.
The echoing reverberations of the gong had traveled across Konoha and reached the hospital, where its sound bounced off the empty corridors and reached the patients' rooms.
In her hospital bed, Tenten could hear the noise and she winced as the peak of the sound disrupted the silence.
"You're late", she said, turning to Neji, who was sitting idly at the foot of her bed. He didn't look like he cared too much.
"Won't your uncle be expecting you?" she continued. Neji nodded. His face was as stoic as ever, but his body language read otherwise. His hands grasped the bed sheets, fingers curled into a tightening fist. His head was slightly drooped, back hunched, and legs pushing tensely against the edge of the bed.
"You're going to be a jounin, Neji", Tenten kept talking. She wasn't sure whether her teammate appreciated all the noise at the moment, but this day was too important for him to miss.
"I'll become a jounin whether I go to the ceremony or not", Neji scoffed.
"What about Ino and Kiba? I'm sure they'd want their team leader who led their successful mission to be present for their raise to Chunnin, don't you think?"
"No".
"Neji! What's wrong with you?" Tenten tugged at the blankets and on the other end of the bed, Neji could feel them slipping from under him.
"There's an elder in the clan who doesn't think too highly of me", the sarcasm was more than obvious in his voice.
"What?"
"I never told you this, because you'd just worry, but during the mission, on several occasions, someone was performing the hands seals to activate this", Neji pointed to his forehead.
"That's why you don't want to go out there, huh?" she whispered softly.
Neji shrugged, but Tenten knew that meant "yes".
"I'd go with you if I could", Tenten sighed, "but I'm still stuck in here for a couple more days. The injury isn't even that bad!"
"Can you walk?" Neji's head lifted and his gaze now held a twinkle of mischief, as if something very un-Neji-like was running through his mind.
"Of course I can", Tenten replied indignantly. As if to prove her point, she yanked the covers off and got off the bed, standing proudly to show she wasn't all that injured.
And then, she took a step and collapsed.
Neji watched as his teammate's butt came in contact with the floor, releasing an "oomph!" from her mouth followed by a frown. He could tell by the way she'd gone down that although the fall caused her some pain, it wasn't actually hard enough to really damage her.
So, he walked leisurely over to the girl and helped her up, allowing her to lean against him for support.
"You can't walk", he told her bluntly. Tenten huffed and looked at him.
"It doesn't matter", Neji continued, "It'll work".
"Wait- you- What? What doesn't matter?" Tenten asked.
"You said you'd go with me", Neji replied.
"What?! I said if I could go, I'd - "
"Well, look, now you can. I'll help you", Neji interrupted.
"But I can't leave the hospital looking like this!" Tenten complained. Neji considered her words for a moment, then pulled back to take a look at her. She was wearing a thin hospital gown, the bandages that wrapped around the wound of her lower back clearly visible under the light fabric. Her hair was tangled and untidy and her feet were bare.
"I don't see anything wrong", he decided finally. Tenten gaped at him, unable to understand the way his mind worked.
"What do you mean by that?" she demanded. But, her protests were ignored as Neji picked her up in one swift movement and carried her out of the room, bridal style.
Stubborn bastard.
Halfway down the hall, due to the harsh smacks on his head that he received from the thrashing girl, Neji had no choice but to put her down.
"What are you doing?" he rubbed his head painfully, a rather comical action that caused Tenten to begin laughing.
"We can't go this way", she said between bouts of laughter, "we have to sneak out".
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as Neji realized how little he had thought about their "escape plan".
Of course there'd be nurses wandering the lobby! How could he have forgotten?
"C'mon! Let's go", Tenten stood up and looked like she was ready to jump back in her teammate's arms at any moment. Neji gave her a look, then picked her up effortlessly. There was no resistance this time.
What, does she want me to carry her now?
They returned to Tenten's room and left through her open window, leaving the hospital for the center of the village.
A major portion of the day had passed and everyone had thoroughly enjoyed the festivities. As the afternoon melted into evening, Hiashi returned to the platform once again, commanding the attention of all the villagers. His two daughters stood on either side of him, Hinata teetering a little on her feet while Hanabi stood motionless.
The short speech Hiashi had given earlier that day simply explained his reason for having such an event. But now, it was time for all the important details to be taken care of. As the area around the raised platform grew more and more crowded, Hiashi decided it was time to speak.
He began humbly, unwilling to come off as haughty or proud. He spoke of his appreciation to the villagers for attending and he spoke of his gratitude that both daughters were safe beside him. In all her life, Hinata had never seen her father act so kindly.
Hiashi then proceeded to explain the mission that Neji had led, revealing to the people the circumstances and conditions he'd discussed with the Hokage. "Hyuuga Neji, my nephew, led a successful mission in the retrieval of my daughter", he announced. Neji's rise to jounin level received widespread applause, as there were few people who didn't know of the genius' capabilities.
Hiashi smiled proudly at the response, then continued to speak, relating the accomplishments of Ino, Kiba, and Shikamaru. The people applauded the rise to Chunnin of Ino and Kiba and commended Shikamaru for his successes as well. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but Hiashi was bothered.
As he looked out into the crowd, there was just one thing missing. Neji.
As Neji approached the crowd wrapped around his uncle, he was met with a rather unexpected and somewhat unpleasant surprise. Apparently, his uncle had just been speaking about him, for once a few people recognized him, the entire crowd turned to greet him.
Neji did not like the excess attention, especially when he was carrying a girl in a hospital gown in his arms.
Tenten was embarrassed as well and began frantically whispering to Neji, demanding that he put her down immediately.
"But you can't walk", Neji sounded a bit confused, as if he didn't know what to do.
"I don't care! Put me down, now!" Tenten hissed, wriggling in his grasp. He dropped her and she landed surprisingly smoothly on her feet. "C'mon, your uncle is waiting for you", Tenten gave Neji a gentle push towards the raised platform and he stumbled, not used to the many pairs of eyes focused on him
"You said you'd come with me", he replied, dragging her along. Despite the fact that she was now tripping along the village streets in her bare feet, Tenten put up no resistance.
They made their way to the platform and Neji stepped up first, nearing his uncle, who watched him with proud eyes.
The villagers cheered again and Neji turned to face them. A bundle was brought forward by one of the Hyuuga elders and Hiashi took it, then presented it to Neji. He looked up questioningly at his uncle, then accepted the bundle, and, on demand by the people, opened it carefully.
From the side of the platform, Tenten leaned against a pole that Neji had left her by. She smiled proudly as she watched him pull out a folded set of clothes from the… wait, clothes?
Although Tenten was thoroughly confused as to what the heck new clothes were going to do for anyone, the expression on Neji's face told her it had to mean something important. The other Hyuuga members had proud looks on their faces as well and even Hinata smiled happily.
"Thank you, uncle", Neji bowed. There was deep sincerity in his voice, something incredibly rare for him.
As Neji stepped back down from the platform, Tenten caught his eye and grinned, earning a slight nod from her teammate. They watched Ino and Kiba step up to the platform, then moved towards the side where they could be part of the crowd and watch the rest of the ceremony.
As Hiashi began speaking again, Neji looked around, slightly confused. Where was the Hokage? He knew that Hiashi played a big role in the ceremony, but the Hokage should have at least been present.
He couldn't help but feel that something wasn't fitting together and that whatever Hiashi had told him wasn't the full truth. Before he could think any further, Neji felt a tug at his sleeve and turned.
"What do the clothes mean?" Tenten asked him.
"These are traditional Hyuuga robes", Neji replied quietly, "they're- well…"
He was at a loss for words, but Tenten understood. She may not have known the value of receiving something like that, but she didn't need to. She could tell how much it all meant to Neji just by the change in his attitude. He was, under all the attention from his clan as well as the villagers, no longer able to keep up a façade of nonchalance.
"Well, I'm happy for you", Tenten smiled. She turned back to the platform and Neji did the same.
I hope you guys all caught the fact that the "traditional robes" that Neji got are the ones he's wearing in Shippuuden. Well, maybe not the exact same ones, but you get the idea. Little Neji is all grown up!!
More of the ceremony to come in the next chapter!! Please please please review! It's not that hard and it doens't take that long!