"Hello, Neji," the man entered the room.
The captive looked up and met the image of a masked man wearing a long, black cloak.
"What do you want?" Neji hissed in reply.
The man turned to face him and looked at him for a moment.
"It seems that I've underestimated you. Next time, I'll make sure that there aren't any holes in my plans," he explained, ignoring the question.
"What have you done with Tenten?" the captive demanded.
"So you're worried about her?" the man jeered. "No need. She's locked up somewhere, safe and sound. Although, I can't say the same for you,"
"What have you done with her?" Neji yelled again.
The captor barked a laugh. "She was very good," he answered perversely.
"What are you talking about?" the grey-eyed teen backtracked.
"You must not have known that she was still a virgin?" he taunted.
"You're bluffing," Neji countered, although he was curious as to whether or not the man spoke the truth.
"Well, I can't make you believe me," he answered. "I just thought you'd like to know the truth,"
Neji frantically raced through the past hours in his mind, wondering if there had indeed been something going on between his teammate and their perverted captor. Come to think of it, the guard had said something about hearing noises. And Tenten had confirmed his suspicions. But, why hadn't she said anything? Then again, what kind of self-respecting female would've?
"You care about her, right?" the voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"She's my teammate, of course I do," Neji answered.
"And you want to ensure her safety?" the man asked.
"What are you implying?" Neji wondered.
"I can control myself, but the guard that took her away is something else entirely," the man had a smirk in his voice.
"You would subject a female to torture twice in one day? You have no chivalry," Neji retorted.
"You can help her, you know," the man answered, ignoring the jibe.
"If you want me to give up our intelligence, you must be joking," he gestured to his burnt hands.
"Too bad then," he said and pulled out a roll of bandages, which he began wrapping around Neji's hands.
"Why bother making it comfortable if you're just going to kill us one way or another?" Neji asked hotly.
The man looked at him for a moment and Neji desperately wanted to discern his identity. This bastard had the nerve to test his mental capacity and was pulling every string.
"You're much more valuable to me alive than dead. However, if you continue being uncooperative, I certainly will take care of you and that includes Tenten," he threatened.
"I told you earlier, Tenten trained as a ninja just as I have and knows fully well the consequences of a failed mission," Neji said confidently.
"You sound very sure of yourself," the man replied. "We'll have to change that," again, there was a tone of maliciousness in his words.
Neji felt his blind spot being struck with a well-aimed jab. In the next instant, he couldn't see a thing in front of him and the only thing he could hear was the sound of a leaking facet.
Genjutsu. He thought immediately.
"Do you enjoy life, Neji?" a voice called out from the darkness.
Neji looked down and saw that he was still tied to the chair; even his hands were unable to move. Without them, there was no way for him to release the genjutsu.
"Answer me," the voice echoed.
"Fine. I enjoy living," Neji answered reluctantly, still looking for an escape.
"I asked you if you enjoy life, not living. But since we're on the subject, what makes living worthwhile?" the voice commanded.
"Just what are you getting at?" Neji demanded.
"Answer the question," Neji thought that there was no harm in answering the question so he hesitantly did so.
"Protecting those that I care most about," he said warily.
"And who exactly do you care about?" the voice questioned.
There was an unnerving silence as he waited for a response. It was then that Neji became acutely aware of the sound of dripping water. The methodical 'drip', 'drip' of the droplets was enough to drive the otherwise mentally sound boy insane. It hadn't actually reached that point yet, but it was only a matter of time.
"Well?" The voice appeared to be more impatient this time.
"My friends, my teammates, the next generation of the village," the jounin replied grudgingly.
"Yes, all the usual answers. Is there someone in particular that you live for?" It seemed as if there was a never-ending string of pointless questions.
"Just what exactly are you trying to get at? What is the meaning of asking me all this?" Neji asked frankly.
"That is not your concern. Now, who do you live for?" the voice persisted.
Neji took a deep breath to quell his anger and thought about everyone he knew. There were his teammates, Tenten and Lee. Tenten had always proven herself an apt kunoichi. She was the most out-going of Team Gai and even if she was his polar opposite, he always trusted her to have his back. Lee was the determined one. He always worked hard and strove to achieve his ambitions. The level of effort he put into his training was alien to Neji, who had never worked as hard as the green-clad ninja in his life. There was also Naruto. The rambunctious and hyperactive shinobi had taught Neji a very important lesson. He taught him that destiny could still be manipulated, that fate was not concrete. If not for him, Neji believed that he would still be completely submissive to his future now.
And what about the adults in his life? As much as he disagreed with his sensei, there was no doubt in the jounin's mind that without him, he never would've made it as far as he did. Gai-sensei had taught him that confidence in oneself was important, but it was also important to be modest. He showed Neji that there is never only one way to complete a task, that there are multiple ways to overcome an obstacle. But most of all, he taught Neji to be flexible. You must be like a blade of grass; you must sway in the wind. Neji, if you do not learn to take a different path, you won't go far. Being rigid will only impede you on your journey. He remembered.
There were so many more people who had helped him get to the point he was at. There were so many people he needed to thank. But was there really one person whom he lived for? The jounin closed his eyes and cleared his thoughts. There was too much going through his brain and was affecting how his mind functioned. He concentrated on the sound of dripping water and soon, he had his answer.
"My father," he answered the voice. "He always told me to live to my full potential and to work hard,"
"How touching," the voice echoed unkindly. "But your father is dead, isn't he?" it mocked.
"My father gave his life for those precious to him! He gave his life for the clan!" Neji shouted in retaliation.
From the darkness a chuckle emitted. "Your father had someone to live for, to die for," it called. "Who would you die for? Who means so much to you that you would throw your life away for him?"
Neji still could not understand the ultimate motive of these questions other than to irritate and get a reaction out of him. They seemed personal if anything and didn't offer too much about the village.
"Who?"
Suddenly, faces appeared. In front of Neji was the hugely grinning Naruto, the smug Shikamaru, the canine-like smirk of Kiba, Tenten's cheerful close-eyed smile, Hinata's shy attempt at a smile, and more. This gave him his answer. How could he say that he would give his life for one person, but not another? How does one measure the value of a life? Were they all not equal? What would make his life any more valuable than Naruto's? There was no way to truly say that he would give his life for only one friend and not the other. This was the answer.
"I would give my life for any one of my friends," he replied confidently.
"Do you think that they would do the same for you?" he was asked.
Neji paused and the dripping of the water became pronounced once more. It seemed to become more obvious when Neji was deep in thought.
"You say that you would give your life for them, but would they say the same for you?" it asked again.
It was not something that was ever taught at the academy. They were always told that it was necessary to put your life on the line for the good of the mission and, ultimately, the good of the village. Nonetheless, it was an unspoken rule that you never betray a friend. Yes, it might have been necessary to leave Tenten al those days ago, but he had still felt remorse for doing so. What would she say if she knew what he had done? And what would she have done if she had been in his predicament? It was true that he had done what he thought was best, but maybe, it wasn't right. Theoretically, you left someone behind if that meant success. However, what about those who regretted making that very decision? In reality, the choice was never that easy. You got attached, involved. Your friends become major aspects of life that you could not live without.
It was also always so easy to say that you would put your life on the line for a friend. But were they willing to do the same? And would they consent to do so if they had just been betrayed in the name of the ninja code? Neji wasn't sure.
"I don't know," He finally answered and the faces vanished.
"If you are so willing to risk your life for theirs, then why did you abandon your teammate the first day?" the voice asked.
Again, Neji was silent before answering.
"I've been asking myself that since the day it happened," he replied.
From the darkness, a cruel laughter ensued.
"The simple answer would be because you don't care about her," it taunted.
Neji scowled. "That's not true!" he barked.
"Oh really? Then why was it that when she was being whipped, that you did nothing to help?" came the reply. "You could've told me what I wanted to know and neither of you would have been in this predicament,"
"I will never tell you anything!" Neji lashed out,
"Would you like to look into your future, Neji?" the voice asked.
"That's impossible. No one can see into the future," he scoffed.
"By thinking that, you are wrong,"
A dizzying moment later, Neji saw a flicker of light. There were shadows against the wall, which were illuminated by a few flickering candles. A closer look proved that he was looking at the silhouettes of people. On the opposite side, behind bars, were two people. They were both thin and angular. One was male and the other, female. Both had long brown hair which was unkempt. The male had a hungry look in his blank eyes, while the female looked scared and afraid. Neji noticed that she had the same look that prey would have before it was overpowered and devoured. He also immediately recognized himself and Tenten. What is this? He wondered.
It soon became evident when he saw himself pin Tenten beneath him. She began protesting, pushing against him as she tried to throw him off of her. He became persistent and forced his weight onto her. Neji watched in horror as his lookalike began tearing off his and Tenten's clothes. He felt as if he should move and try to stop his other self from raping his teammate. However, he found himself rooted to the spot and completely paralyzed. He couldn't look away either and instead, tried to close his eyes, but it was no use. He could still hear the ear-splitting cries. The shadows moved and Neji felt sicker than he had in a long time. The man in front of him was not him, that, he was sure. He would never try anything so uncivilized or brutal. A few more minutes of agony continued before the vision ebbed away and he felt himself back in the same place with the voice.
"What did you show me that for?" he gasped, feeling his chest tight.
"I told you; that is your future if you continue to resist," the voice answered evenly. "You believe that you can control yourself, that you will be able to fight against my methods. There will be a day however, when you lose yourself to madness. All men revert to instincts when placed in a dire situation. In this case, you will have been left alone for so long that you succumb to insanity. That is when you will strike out against one that you care so much for,"
Neji wanted to believe that the voice was wrong, but he had seen the vision with his own eyes. It was hard to believe such brutality and sadism could be fabricated. Even now, he could hear the kunoichi's screams of agony and felt the urge to pound his head against a wall in a vain attempt to rid himself of the painful sound.
Why does this feel so real? He asked himself. It was then that he noticed the sweat on his brow. Something so vivid can't possibly have been devised. His emotions were out of control and he disliked the feeling of nausea that was threatening to overwhelm him.
"It doesn't have to be that way," the voice chided. "Observe,"
Neji waited for the vision he knew would come and in the next moment, a bright scene was in front of him. He saw himself once more, this time; there was a small smile on his face. He and Tenten were now in front of the Leaf Village, as ironic as that was. She grabbed his arm and led him into the village, straight up to the Hokage Monument. He followed her and pointed to something in the sky, which caused her to smile and give a light laugh. Nothing in the scene seemed out of place, however inaccurate it was. This made it easier for Neji to take in than the last image.
Once the image had faded, he felt much differently than he had earlier.
"Your future is incorrect," he managed.
"And why is that?" the voice asked.
"If we gave you the information that you wanted, who is to say that you won't kill us afterward? And even if you didn't, do you think that the Village would welcome us back with open arms? As for the part about myself and Tenten, you have that messed up as well. She would be furious if she found out that I had betrayed the village. She is a loyal Leaf Village kunoichi and would never betray it. If I gave you any information regarding that matter, I would wake up with no less than five kunai in my body," he explained.
"You sound very sure of yourself," the voice noted.
"Your first vision was easier to take in, but with the exaggerated and inaccurate second one, I am convinced that neither are real, not that I believed the first one very much," Neji retorted smartly.
"We'll see about that in the future. In the meantime, I suppose I'll throw you in the cell with Tenten," it told him.
Neji felt the genjutsu being released and in the next instant, he was back in the barren room. He was still sitting down and tied and the man walked over to undo the ropes that bound him.
"If you make any attempt at an escape, I will cut your legs off," the masked man threatened.
"Hm," was his reply.
He felt the bind of the ropes slacken. However, in the next instant, the man seized a tight grip on him and led him out into the hall. Neji let the man lead grudgingly. He took the time to note every step he took, though, in the event that the information would be useful later.
A/N: Thank you very much to everyone who has been following this story, as usual! I know that I promised an update at least a few times a month, but that is not going to happen right now. I can tell you that as of now, this will be my last post for a while. For how long, I am not sure. All that I can confirm is that there won't be any more posts this month. I will be going on hiatus and hope to return shortly. Thank you and see you until then!