Author's Notes: This would have been done earlier but I didn't like the first draft and had to start over. For Ness' birthday, here's to my lovely writing partner! You might consider this as the first steps in their relationship because, well, everyone has to start somewhere. Please enjoy.
A Throne of Wood
"The Empress"
By Goldberry
A baby was crying.
Deep in a cove of mossy limbs and fallen branches, a young woman lifted a mewling infant in order to wrap it gently in an almost-clean blanket, the child's tiny fists waving in the air as it cried with the abruptness of it's birth. The midwife, despite the blood on her clothes and the knives at her waist, managed a small smile for the infant and it's heaving mother. The light from their small, flickering fire cast deep shadows over her face as she leaned forward to rest the Prince of the Wood against his young mother's breast.
"You have a son, my lady," Tenten said calmly, watching them briefly. Outside, a lone wolf began to howl and was soon joined by a chorus of others. Her expression turned grave at the sound. "And now it's time to run."
There was no time in the forest, just an endless sea of deep green night. It was an old wood, with towering trees that creaked as the wind blew, ghostly moans of an ancient land. Underbrush was scarce, though, and made for quick traveling as Tenten leaped over a rotting log, sparing a quick look back to make sure Sariya was still following her.
Though she was not carrying her son, the child being held safely in the crook of Tenten's arm, the princess was having a hard time running, her labored breathing too loud in the stillness. It was not her fault. Though her labor had been relatively easy, it had been long in length and she had had little time to rest. Tenten wished she could have given her more but already she heard the coming of their pursuers, the crack of branches as they were cut down or stepped on, the calls of the men when the breeze was just right. There was no doubt about it, the daimyo's men had found their trail.
It was the baby they were really after, of course. At the moment of his first breath, the child Tenten carried had become the ruler of that emerald realm. Everything around them - the earth, the streams, every stick and stone - all of it was his, and his uncle was not at all thrilled with that idea. No, the current daimyo was not going to give up his position of regency for his dead brother's son, no matter that he was the rightful heir. The child was to be killed, probably along with Sariya as well. Better to leave no traces of the murder done that night.
And so they were being hunted, Tenten could feel it by the tension in her back, as if she expected to be shot down by an arrow at any moment. They had only once choice and that was to flee to safety over the border and into the Land of Rain. A land full of shinobi and a sympathetic daimyo. As soon as they had secured Sariya, Neji had gone ahead to warn Rain's daimyo that they were coming. If all went well, she and Sariya would meet him there at the border where Rain's soldiers would be waiting to take care of any pursuers daring to cross the invisible line between their kingdoms. Lord Ryoma, regent daimyo of the Land of Wood, would not risk war with his stronger neighbor. He would not follow them across the border. They would be safe.
If only Tenten could get them there.
Looking down, Tenten checked on the little prince and found him quite awake, watching her with misty blue eyes. He was in his element, trees reflected in his gaze. Sariya, however, was not. Gasping for air, the princess stumbled over a half-buried root, found her feet, and then fell clear to her knees when her shoe caught a rock. Tenten halted and turned back, offering her free hand.
"Sariya-sama, we must keep moving," she said, her voice low and tight. The breeze was bringing her the smell of smoke. The men had torches, and they were getting closer. Sariya gave her a weary look, dark rings under her eyes, her hands trembling against her ruined skirts.
"I... cannot." She struggled for breathe. "You must leave me. They only want the child. Please," and she reached out to take Tenten's hand, squeezing it weakly, "you must take him. I... can't go any farther." Even as she spoke her eyelids were fluttering as she teetered on the edge of unconsciousness. Grimly, Tenten tightened her hold on Sariya's hand and jerked the princess to her feet. Sariya's face reflected her surprise and a little pain at Tenten's grip.
"Even if I wanted to, I cannot leave you behind," she told the other woman shortly, her nerves worn thin by the events of the night. "Your son is only hours old and will need another feeding soon. Without you he will only die." Lifting the princeling, she released Sariya long enough to make sure the infant was wrapped tightly before repositioning him in the crook of her arm. Then she turned her back and knelt in the dirt, glancing over her shoulder at the princess. "Hurry and get on."
Sariya blinked at her. "What?"
"If you can't run I'll have to carry you. Now hurry."
The command in the kunoichi's voice was enough to get her moving, Sariya awkwardly putting her arms around Tenten's neck as Tenten free hand came back to secure her knees. Channeling chakra to her arms and legs, Tenten straightened, gave a mental salute to Lee and his weights, and launched herself upwards into the canopy. She had hoped to avoid traveling like this. Using valuable chakra for such a thing when a battle might lie ahead of them was foolish. Tenten had good chakra control but she lacked stamina. She would not be able to go far if she wanted to conserve any strength.
Wind whistling her in her ears, Tenten kept half an eye on their back trail, pleased to note that they lost their would-be captors after about two miles. She was going too fast for them to keep up and the trail they were leaving had become almost non-existent. They would make it yet.
Tenten was still thinking that when, two hours later, she felt her control slip, Sariya became dead weight and they plummeted towards the forest floor.
The princess screamed, her arms locking around Tenten's neck in what amounted to a choke hold. Eyes watering, Tenten struggled to steady her chakra, but it was like trying to grab a sputtering flame. In frustration, she surrendered as the ground raced up to meet them and she felt chakra fill her feet again.
They landed in a puff of dust, Tenten down on one knee as Sariya wheeled away from her, still frightened beyond belief. Wordlessly, Tenten handed the princess her son and took a moment to massage her neck from where Sariya vise-hold had left bruises. A second later, she discovered that rising to her feet was almost impossible. Every muscle ached, every bone creaked as she straightened, and the world flashed dizzily around her.
"Tenten-san?" she heard Sariya call hesitantly. She felt a steadying hand fall to her shoulder and managed a wane smile for the strength she felt there. Their two hours of travel had given the princess rest, but it was now Tenten who was sure she could not go a step further. Her chakra very nearly gone and her energy reserves were almost empty.
In a brief moment of weary helplessness, Tenten wished Neji had stayed with Sariya and she had gone to Lord Hiroshi. Neji would not have run out of chakra. He would not be swaying on his feet like a drunken sailor, either.
That mental image made her lips curve despite themselves and she forced her traitorous body to still, her mind to focus. Neji might have had better endurance, but he would have been less than helpful delivering Sariya's baby, and he definitely would not have liked carrying a mewling infant. No, she had told Neji she would be fine on her own, that he should only think about his mission. It was time to take some of her own advice.
"Sariya," she said, and winced when her voice came out like a croak. "I need to rest for a few minutes and your son needs to be looked after." She tilted her head back, trying to glimpse the night sky to get her bearings. "We've put a lot of distance behind us, we should be safe for now."
Sariya looked surprised. "But, surely they can no longer catch us at all. We've come so far... how could they ever...?"
Tenten pressed her lips together. Yes, they had come far but Tenten guessed they were probably still another hour from the border and there would be no more chakra to speed them on their way. And though they had gained the lead, there was still only one place they could be going. Ryoma would have men waiting for them at the border, she was sure of it.
But she could not tell Sariya this. The woman had given birth in the middle of running for her life. She could ask no more of the princess.
"Better to be safe than sorry," Tenten replied at last, taking the first halting steps towards a close circle of trees to the left. Sariya followed automatically, her son starting to cry gustily for his next meal. They settled against the trunks, Tenten making sure mother and child were as comfortable and as hidden from view as possible. There wasn't much cover but Tenten didn't really expect for them to be found. Their battle still lay ahead of them.
As for Tenten herself, she took a brief, mental inventory of her weapons, trying to scrap together a last minute plan to get them safely into the Land of Rain. The truth was, however, that she didn't really have one. As exhausted as she was, if her enemies overwhelmed her with numbers, she was going to lose.
And she couldn't lose. Not with Sariya and the next daimyo on the line.
Leaning back against the rough bark of the tree, Tenten folded her arms in her lap and closed her eyes. A short nap to get some of her energy back and then the last leg of their journey would begin. Sleeping upright normally wouldn't be all that restful, but after years of being on the same team as Lee and Neji, a girl learned to get her sleep where she could.
She was out in under a minute.
Sariya shook her awake almost a half an hour later. "Tenten-san! Tenten! Wake up! Something's happening!"
The frantic note in the princess' voice pulled Tenten from her sleep, her eyes snapping open in a quick, almost violent awakening. She was on her feet immediately, kunai in hand before she really knew what was happening. Sariya was tugging on her sleeve.
"The air, there's something in the air..."
Blinking away the last vestiges of sleep, Tenten looked up and felt the blood drain from her face at what she saw. Black ash was raining down on them, falling with a silence that was almost eerie. Tenten's expression grew dark and she jumped up into the trees, going from limb to limb until she broke though the canopy. The night sky was brilliantly clear and the wind was cool, but black ash was everywhere and, to the west, a ominous red glow flickered. It was moving fast with the breeze. It would reach them soon.
Feeling her heart clench, she dropped back down to Sariya's side who looked at her with a question in her eyes.
"It's Ryoma," Tenten answered, "He's set the woods on fire." Sariya gasped and suddenly the baby in her arms began to cry, as if he understood that his birthright was going up in flames. "He's going to try and trap us between the forest and border. We must leave. Now."
They moved quickly, Sariya carrying her son and moving steadily whilst Tenten took point, eyeing the darkness around them warily. The closer they got to the border, the more often she checked her scrolls and brushed fingers over the kunai at her waist. She was still tired, but her head had cleared and she had enough chakra to perform her techniques. She would not withstand a long battle though. She had to get them in and over the border as quickly as possible.
They reached it about forty minutes later, with the golden glow behind them and the sound of men and horses before them. Still hidden by the last line of trees, Tenten pulled them to a stop, mercifully thankful that the baby had stopped crying long before. Silently, she took out two of her scrolls, feeling the smooth paper in her hands, and glanced over at the princess.
"We're going to have to break through Ryoma's men to get to the border," she said calmly, watching the other woman's reaction. There was fear but there was also determination and her arms tightened around her child. She may not have been a kunoichi, but Sariya would fight to protect her baby. Tenten would have smiled if she could. It would be enough. "We're going to go at run. I'm going to cover us. Ryoma's men will try and attack you." She put a hand on Sariya's shoulder. "For the love of your son, you must not stop. Do you understand?"
Sariya's gaze was steady when it met hers. "Mamoru."
"What?"
"His name. I decided while you were sleeping."
This time, Tenten did smile. "Mamoru." Earth. "It's a good name." She quieted as they looked out towards the still unseen border and the soldiers that stood between them and freedom. After a moment, the two women looked at each other and Tenten hefted her scrolls.
"Ready?"
Sariya nodded.
They burst out of the forest at a dead run, surprising the waiting men so much that Sariya made it past three of them before they realized what was happening. By that time, Tenten was already in the air, dragons roaring and scrolls whirling as she spun like a ballerina, a shower of weapons screaming as they fell. It was easy. The Land of Wood did not have a hidden village, there were no shinobi to fight her. Her steel found their marks and blood stained the ground.
Her scrolls snaked towards the ground as she released her technique, chakra strings in hand. As she came down, she could see a line of men across the field - Hiroshi and his army - and she wondered where Neji was among them and if, even now, his eyes strained to watch her.
Her feet hit the ground a second behind Sariya, and Tenten pulled on her charkra strings, breathing new life into her fallen weapons. She sent them flying out at anyone who approached, knocking men from their saddles. By then the fire had come impossibly near and Ryoma's plan began to backfire on him. The horses didn't like the fire so close and they reared in fright, eyes rolling white. It was enough for Sariya and Tenten to break though the last of them and make a mad dash for the border. A hundred yards. Tenten felt a sharp relief curl through her chest.
Something hit her square in the back, so heavy it knocked the air out of her and tumbled to the ground, struck dumb by the sudden blow. A moment later she realized that a shield lay against her legs and that a man on horseback was galloping at her, lance lowered and ready to skewer her as he passed.
Without knowing how, she knew it was Ryoma, and she turned her head to see that Sariya had not stopped. She was still running flat out with Mamoru in her arms. She was only feet away from safety.
The oncoming rider shouted with rage even as Hiroshi's men and shinobi cheered. On the ground, Tenten pulled up the shield Ryoma had thrown at her and felt his lance hit it hard as he passed, his horse shying away from trampling her. He turned again for a second try and Tenten lurched to her feet, seeing for the first time that Ryoma's soldiers were coming at her. Unlike Sariya, she had come to a stop and soon she would be surrounded.
Tenten lifted one of her kunai and prepared to meet them.
"HakkeshÅ Kaiten."
Neji dropped in front of her and she immediately went to her knees as he began to rotate in place. Outide of his protective gale, men and horses alike screamed and were thrown back what must have seemed to them a hurricane of blue and silver. A second later, Neji grabbed her hand and they sprinted out of the Kaiten's crater, ignoring the pained moans of fallen men.
Before she knew it, she was enveloped by Hiroshi's men, being jostled between bodies as another cheer went up. Neji's grip on her hand tightened and she was pulled through to an open space, almost falling against him as they came to a stop. He smelled of soap and wind and when his white eyes caught hers, she felt warmth bubble up inside her until she had to smile at him with weary happiness.
"You're late," he accused, as his gaze took in her smudged face and disheveled hair. "And you're almost out of chakra." His voice gave her the impression he was having a hard time deciding which was worse.
"Things happened," she told him, nodding towards where Sariya was standing, Mamoru in her arms. Neji lifted an eyebrow.
"I noticed."
Tenten turned her head back to the front lines. "Did Ryoma stop his attack?" Neji did not even have to look, his words coming cool and smooth in the dark. He'd had his Byakugan activated long before Tenten and Sariya had appeared from the trees.
"Yes. He's afraid of the Rain-nin. He won't start a war with Hiroshi. Not tonight, anyway."
"But they will have to fight sometime," Tenten said softly. "Mamoru will take back his throne when he's old enough. The forest..." The nearest trees had caught on fire, thick clouds of smoke rising like banners. Neji said nothing, simply held her hand. Lord Hiroshi, however, must have heard her for he gave a guffaw of a laugh that startled her.
"Do not worry about the woods, Tenten-san. This is the Land of Rain, after all."
And even as she watched, chakra-veined clouds formed with amazing speed and rain began to fall, heedless of borders as it quenched Ryoma's fire. Cheers went up again and in their midst Tenten though she heard Mamoru gurgle happily.
Yes, she shouldn't grieve for the beauty of the forest that had sheltered her that long night, but she couldn't quite help herself. It had been a lovely place and now it was scarred, deep and black and ugly to her eyes. That Ryoma would set fire to his own lands just to keep them...
"It will grow back." Neji's voice was quiet, little more than a low rumble, but she smiled at his attempt to make her feel better. She leaned against his arm, exhaling tiredly.
"You need to rest," he said abruptly, watching her closely. "You'll need your strength for the journey home."
Tilting her head back to look at him, she felt her lips curve. Without a word, she looked over her shoulder to find Sariya, her eyes locking with the princess'.
"Sariya-sama! Neji says we need to rest. He's offering to babysit."
Sariya smiled, Mamoru waved his fists, and Tenten laughed. Neji only looked disgruntled. Relieved with the night's events, she couldn't stop herself from standing on her tiptoes to lay a quick kiss on his cheek.
"Thanks, Neji," she said, smiling at him. It was for a number of things but she didn't need to tell him that.
He grunted in acknowledgment but she was amused to see that he did not let go of her hand. And though she didn't say it aloud, she knew he was right.
Everything grew with time.
The End.