ELLO!! How is everyone! The third chapter is up! Enjoy!
Recap: Chapter 2: Kizuna
"Hinata-sama and I will fill Neji and Tenten-san in on the details later, ne?" Yumeko asked turning to the Hyuuga heiress. Tsunade cleared her throat.
"Alright then!"
Chapter 3: Introductions
Melted ice turns into water
Neji found his chocolate haired friend walking out towards their old training ground.
They stopped sparring here since they joined ANBU and resided in the ANBU department hidden just behind a thin section of the mountains behind Konoha. They shared the same floors along with the other shinobi in the Hokage office. The fourth floor, the females, and the third floor, the males. The valley the 5 floor building sat in branched out into the forests, where a barrier, 15kms away sealed away that see won of the forest just for them. The forest was then seated twice into quarters. Thus training ground one; two, three and four were created.
Tenten had settled in a branch halfway up a tree. Her expression contorted every so often, yet her eyes held none of their usual spark.
Neji felt his chest wretch at her pain.
Despite common believe, Neji was not as retarded as people thought when it came to feelings. Yes it meant he did know of the feedings Tenten nurtured for him. He loved her. As a friend. He was faultlessly certain of that.
But he was like his relatively new friend, Sai, who was just learning about a different type of love, platonic love. Settling behind Tenten's feminie frame, he smoothed Tenten's hair, feeling him behind her, she stood up and made to escape. A large, placid hand reached and caught her own. And with a rough tug, pulled her down.
The sun begun to tumble gracefully behind the trees and the mountains.
"Tenten." Neji's euphonious voice broke through her daze, some light returned to her hazelnut orbs.
"You and I both know there are some things, which I just wouldn't say. But one thing I am sure of and can admit is that, I maybe faintly socially retarded as Ino puts it, but I am not insensitive to the emotions of those around me. Yumeko is the only person alive that gave me love. In my childhood, the only forms of love I received were from father and her. Father offered paternal love. But she offered and gave so much more. Yumeko was a friend, a little sister, and more. She was there when otou-san died. She was always there until they took her." He sounded nervous, pouring his heart out to her.
"That's why you were so keen to join ANBU. You had no other way to find information on her whereabouts." Tenten said. Her heart shattered like a water droplet that had impacted against a solid surface.
Broken 'shards' of the liquid flew everywhere.
The two sat facing each other at arms length. The man was trying to sort his feelings. The female stressed about keeping her known feelings in check. Tears stung from beneath her eyes, filled her swelling rims and threatened to fall out.
"I...a…Love is my emotional blind spot. I don't know platonic love. Even if I did know what felt like, I wouldn't know who to give that love to. Like Sai. I am just learning. Would you… wait?" Neji asked. Pled laced his voice. Tenten's head snapped up to face him. Byakugan eyes drew her into a hypnoses, she could always get lost in them.
"You will be the first to hear of my decision." He said.
Water from the melting ice cube fell and begun to form a puddle. It spread and gathered the granular pieces of the shattered droplet.
In the right way, a heart can be mended as easily as a water droplet.
But the Ice and the water had different 'decisions' in mind.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
We'll all return to headquarters, meet in the fifth floor. It shall be open by then. Kai San!" The ANBU shinobi left with the Suna siblings whom were staying at the head quarters for the mission.
"Bye 'Baa-chan, 'Nee-chan." Yumeko said.
"You'd better tell them soon." Tsunade warned.
"Yeah I know." As she left, a shadow cast over her eyes.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
As the group of ANBU Jounin climbed the dimly lit stairs to the fifth floor, they began to wonder. No one from their group had ever been there before. What. Why, and other questions filtered through their mind. A door stood immediately after the last step. Everyone had unwarily sucked in a breath as Naruto boldly slid the rice paper screen door to the side. Sunlight. It caused the rice paper screens on the other side to lit on fire. Yumeko sat in the center of the room. She smiled, looking ethereal with the light behind her.
"Welcome to the fifth floor!" she said happily.
"This was where the ANBU orphanage was. Bit I had Kakashi-senpai arrange them so they could try and grow up in a normal environment at the Konoha orphanage. Most of the children were outsiders, brought in by members of the ANBU. Sai and I were raised here from a young age." This final floor looked like a very traditional judo. Rice paper walls framed by cherry wood. Wooden floorboards. The two walls at the side were filled with racks that held weapons. Sword stands hosted different swords of different weight style and length. They stood poised at the corners of both the walls.
Tenten gasped at the different sheens of different metals used to create the masterpieces. The buns of her head bobbed crazily as she spotted a meter long blade. "A three foot Katana made of steel, zinc and iron for dry conditions!" she squealed running up and down the walls cradling the word like a newborn baby.
"Weapon specialist ne?" Yumeko said sweat-dropping. Everyone else just nodded dumbly.
"Tenten…ah…Tenten?" the bi-colour eyed girl called, unsure of what to do. Neji sighed.
"Tenten." He called firmly.
"Hmm?" she asked, appearing with sparkling eyes, right under his nose. 'Talk about mood swings. Recovers fast enough.' The male Hyuuga thought. He thought back to her gloominess perhaps just minutes ago. Yumeko coughed for attention.
"My own collection. Over my entire lifetime." Yumeko explained.
"ANBU missions pay up well as you guys know." She pointed to the wall on the right where the weapons all looked relatively new. The original rust proof shine still gleaming on many of them. They were less chipped and worn that the left wall.
"Oh…" Tenten said disappointed. Of course, if it had belonged to the ANBU then she would basically have the blade she clutched in her hands. She wielded all her weapons like an extension of her arm. Yumeko smiled at her auburn haired senpai's somewhat childish expression. "You can of course come up here to use these, anytime, all of you." She said.
"In fact, you can have that Katana, I've had it since I was seven, its in fair condition, grips a bit worn. I'll go get new bandage for It."
She walked to the left wall and tugged on a gold ring embedded in the wall. Five more rings followed the first ring across the wall. They went unnoticed at first, due to the fact they blended in so well with the weapons.
She rested a hand up on the wall and leaned against it.
"Tenten-san. What colour?"
"AH! No I couldn't" the chocolate haired Kunoichi said.
"No, I was going to replace it anyway, I have a feeling it would do better in your care."
The others just watched the happy exchange between the two. 'They seem to get along well.' Neji thought.
"Despite growing up in the same conditions…"
"She's so much nicer that Sai." Naruto finished the sentence for the pink haired girl. Under any other circumstances, on any other day. Sai would have cast a zoo of animals on the two.
But this was no ordinary day.
Tenten's bobbled drew attention to a miniature kunai. The material was a smoky silver. The amethyst coloured bandaging was worn though with holes but still not replaces. Sai recognized it in its humble state and gasped. This effectively drew Neji's attention as he was standing beside him.
Pallid eyes turned to stare at the same thing. 'Himeko-san's kunai, her only heirloom.' The Hyuuga contemplated.
Tenten and Yumeko returned, after bandaging the grip a soft maroon.
"Well" the younger female begun.
"We're going to spar in here against each other with partners." Each pair of eyes flickered to different people.
"Assigned partners" Yumeko emphasized. Pouting could be seen and soft groans and sighs of protest breached the air.
"But first we'll learn a bit more about each other, for my benefit which also benefits the team. And also for me to gain an understanding of what we're up against." She led them into the middle and sat in a circle.
The sun was slowing disappearing and the room dimmed.
"I'll start. I'm Hyuuga Yumeko. Sixteen and enjoy seeing people smile and completing missions. Dislike seeing people cry, hurting people and killing without reason. My dreams for the future…try to complete as many missions without killing anyone." Then she turned her attention to her left expectantly.
"Your turn Uzumaki-san" Naruto sweat-dropped uncomfortably.
"Ano… Naruto is fine." He said.
"Me too, just Sakura" she piped up from beside him. Similar calls of agreement rung through the room. The young Hyuuga smiled.
"Hai!" she said blissfully.
"Uzumaki Naruto. Seventeen. Loves Ramen, hates people who make fun of my friends or me. I wish to be the Rokudaime!" The blonde had finished off determined; the strength and confidence still rung resoundingly in everyone's ears. Everyone smiled, whether in approval, encouragement or understanding, they all cheered him on,
Hinata smiled, reminiscing about the first time she heard him say that.
His short blonde had seemed to stand on end from anger as people laughed at his pathetic attempt at a Bunshin No Jutsu. He declared his dream to the academy students only to be greeted with more laughter. Sullen and depressed he grudgingly returned to his seat, head bowed, eyes cast over with an ominous shadow. His dream seemed to only ever remain as a dream. An empty shell of abstract thoughts; no hope, no promise.
'Now it seems, Naruto-kun, anything is possible.' She thought, eyes tracing his face.
His hair had darkened slightly, turning just a tiny shade darker. It had grown to just past his ears, not yet as long as the Yondaime's. His Konoha forehead protector now resided on his upper right arm. Sasuke's hung from his waist, a constant reminder for him and the rest of them. Its presence drove them to work harder, surpassing their genkai and still remain standing.
Sakura decided to go next.
"Haruno Sakura. Seventeen. I love my friends, and shopping with Ino-pig. But I despise Ino-pig her self." The pink haired female teased. Then her expression darkened.
"And my dream is to…-"
"-Bring Sasuke-kun back?" a cold voice cut in. The eyes of the group widened as they stared at the source.
…To be continued…
Hay! How is everyone! Here in New Zealand we're starting school soon! I'm starting on Thursday but I have the next chapter basically ready to by typed up. It might take a bit longer than usual… so I'm just going to apologize before hand.
Oh and I realized that my characters seem to be nodding lots and smiling lots… if it gets too annoying tell me please!
For people looking for Choji/Ino it won't be coming for a long time! Gomen!
Translations:
Genkai – limit
Kai San - kind of like a 'we're done here now split up.'
Well hope you enjoyed that chapter! More Neji/Tenten next chapter! Lol a little tiny bit of one-sided Hinata/Naruto. Don't worry!! More fluff soon!! I am really stuck on how to write HinaNaru…
Again SasuSaku is coming, but of course Sasuke has to appear first.
Please review! Thanks for reading!!
Signing off
Kawaii Kunoichi