Thanks for the lovely reviews, everyone! I'm heading home for Thanksgiving, so I dunno when I'll update.

Most likely within a few days' time, but just in case...

Happy Turkey Day everyone. And to those of you who don't celebrate the American holiday:

At least have some pumpkin pie for me! ^_^

Special thanks: tosakuai, minniemousemom, rao hyuga--you three have stuck with me through this story (even though it's not nearly over!), I heart you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy

(PS: i apologize for any glaring errors)

***

"What is it?" Tenten paused, as she realized part of their group had suddenly stopped running. The other masked member ceased moving as well for hi, turning and waiting expectantly for his two companions.

Neji was kneeling, his mask pulled up onto his forehead. His palm was spread across the soft ground, as he closed his eyes in concentration. When he opened them, his eyes were burning nearly white, the veins around his eyes throbbing their prominence.

"We aren't alone."

Tenten nodded, pushing her own mask up on her face, she looked at the other member. "Sai?"

The man turned his masked face toward her, his other hand reaching for his pouch of art supplies. He had become amazingly quick with his sketches, becoming the best ink specialist Konohagakure had ever seen. Tenten knew that part of him would always retain the teachings he had endured under Danzo's Foundation—as he still carried the tanto on his back. She had never seen him use the small blade for anything other than cutting paper when he felt it necessary.

The young man nodded, his mask still hiding his face. In a flurry of movements, he had released a large bird into flight. He leapt on the flying creation's back, turning to listen to his superior's instructions. "Want me to bring up the rear? Eliminate those following us?"

"It's only one person," Neji confirmed. "The young woman from a few days earlier. The one that we had left—in hopes that the male medic would heal her and leave." He shot Tenten a warning glance. He had not wished to leave the two alive, but it had been Tenten's desire to allow them the chance to escape with their lives.

"Shit," Tenten muttered. "Sai, go ahead, see if you can capture the few that are fleeing. If we can at least take them back to Konoha, the Interrogation Squad can get the information we need." Ibiki had only requested that the bring back prisoners, not eliminate the problem. Tenten was concerned that this problem was already greater than they had anticipated.

The trio had discovered that the Kumo ninjas were working with another, smaller country--unnamed, and holding no relevance to the five great nations. The tiny, underdeveloped nation was selling their young children, and the Kumo rogues were buying them—brainwashing the mindless runts into fighting for their cause. Child trafficking! It had made Tenten sick to her stomach, but she knew she needed to remain emotionally unattached. Perhaps with a few prisoners, they could find this small school of children, release them, teach them...

"I will do as you command," Sai bowed, before the large bird lifted off of the ground, pushing up wind and dirt from beneath its wings.

Tenten watched him leave, confident that Sai could handle the few missing shinobi that the three ANBU had been tracking after their ambush of the tiny band in the forest. She didn't regret letting the medic live. He had felt her child without laying a hand on her, warning the others to leave her be. She had felt almost grateful at his concern, touched by the enemy's show of consideration. She had willingly commanded her two companions to leave the couple, warning the old man to take his life and start anew.

"How far away is she?" Tenten asked her white cloak swirling around her body as the wind died down. Her ANBU tattoo moved with the muscles of her right arm as she placed her hand on her stomach. She dropped her wrist when she realized what she was doing—and she was definitely doing that more than usual as of late. She briefly let her mind wander over those she left at home...Shino...

"A few kilometers. It won't be long," he answered softly. "She is equipped. Looks like she's going to put up a fight."

"Maybe we can talk to her, convince her to leave with her friend," the brunette replied as she pulled her mask back over her face.

Neji didn't speak as he stood. He wasn't convinced it was going to be that easy. He contained his kekkai genkai, quickly taking Tenten's elbow and leaping high into the trees.

"What the hell, Neji?" she quipped, as she steadied herself on a thick branch.

"You are going to stay up here. I'll deal with her," he explained.

"But--" Tenten protested.

"She's still a Kumo shinobi," he interrupted. "She'll be dangerous to fight up close, especially if she has any idea how to use that katana she is lugging around. Besides, I'm sure she's able to at least use some sort of lightning-based attack, if we are to give the Cloud any sort of credit."

She shrugged, feeling slighted. She did not enjoy being treated like a kid that needed protection. Tenten was very well aware of her limits, and knew that if things got out of hand, she would remove herself from the situation.

"I know that this isn't easy for you," Neji began, as if was reading her mind, "but I would prefer to err on the edge of caution."

She knew he was right, he usually was. And she, of course, found that frustrating. "Fine," she muttered under her breath.

"You can still attack from this distance, if we lure her into that clearing," he pointed to the tiny opening some meters away from the tree. "Besides," he smiled awkwardly—a rare occurrence for the Hyuuga, "if I start getting my ass kicked, you can interfere on my behalf."

"Promise?" she asked hopefully. He nodded. "Good, I'll be rooting for her, then."

"Ouch," he answered softly, shaking his head. Suddenly his head shot up, and his eyes were again a faint purple as his pupils became indistinguishable from his normally light irises.

"What is it?" Tenten asked, overly aware of the unusual change in his posture. He was less guarded, and more...shocked? Taken off-guard? Tenten tried to place a name to what she saw in her childhood friend. "What's wrong?"

Neji didn't answer, his eyes narrowed in concentration. She reached out, grabbing his arm and squeezing it with his fingers. "Neji!" she barked.

He blinked, the paleness in his eyes fading. "Nothing," he answered carefully. "Just checking."

"Are there more?" she asked, looking at him suspiciously. She damned well knew that he wasn't acting like himself—even if it only lasted for one moment. He had perfected his Byakugan, and she knew that he could see almost as far as his cousin. It had taken years of practice and diligence to increase the radius of his scope of vision. It had taken almost as long for him to get over the fact that Hinata, whom he had always deemed to be weaker, could see farther than he could. But, still, being able to see nearly twenty kilometers was quite a feat--for any Hyuuga. Even Hiashi had agreed. Tenten could tell, by how much the veins in his forehead throbbed, just how far he was stretching his line of sight.

"No," he shook his head, the muscle in his jaw stiffening.

"Don't lie to me!" her voice was getting louder. He did not answer her plea.

"She's not too far out..." he spoke softly.

"Dammit, Neji! I know you! What is it?" she was beginning to feel slightly panicked, as if something was suddenly out of her control.

"It's nothing," he smiled, grabbing her arms and looking in her eyes. "I was just making sure that the perimeter was secure. I promise."

The same damn twitch. He's lying! she told herself. But, she knew that once he made up his mind, he wouldn't budge.

"Fine. But if you're lying--"

"I'm not."

"But if you are," she warned. "I'll help that girl kick your ass." She waved her finger in his face, just for good measure.

Before he could reply, something caught his attention. He grabbed Tenten and pulled her toward him as the branch beneath them exploded and shattered into a million tiny pieces. He pulled her skyward, landing nimbly on another limb a few meters away.

"Shit!" he growled. She had been closer than he anticipated. She was fast! He hadn't truly been tracking her movements. Instead he was concentrating on the two Leaf-nin who were farther away. But, he couldn't tell her that.

"I thought you said--"

"I was wrong!" Neji quickly explained, looking over Tenten to make sure she was unharmed.

"I'm fine," she said, brushing him away. "But I think we are no longer alone."

Neji nodded, his Byakugan was instantly released. He found her a few meters from where they were, she was anxiously creeping along the forest floor, waiting for the slightest opening for an attack. She hadn't spotted them, again. Yet

"I see her," Neji spoke both quickly and softly. "I'll take care of this."

Tenten stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm. "Hurry, I want to get this over with, catch up to Sai, and go home."

He smiled sadly, knowing that she had always harbored hope that perhaps Shino would come find her. Talk to her. Explain that he was sorry, and tell her that he wanted the happy family that Tenten had always longed for. And, today, that hope could be fanned.

He nodded, disappearing in a flash. Tenten watched as he landed on the ground, as quiet as humanly possible. He was lethal. He was silent. The porcelain mask covered his face, hiding his identity. Tenten still could not see the young girl, though she was well aware of her presence. She could feel the hate and anger ebbing through her veins.

Neji could see the small girl—she looked no more than early to mid-teens—as she knelt on the ground. Her dark skin was testimony to her Kumogakure heritage. The traditional katana hung at her back, and she wore an unfamiliar armor under her filth flak jacket. He could see the armor as it only covered the front portion of her upper torso. He could see her chakra system beneath her skin. If he could land a blow with his Gentle Fist, he had no doubt this battle would quickly be over.

He crept closer, closing in on her tiny frame. He could see Tenten waiting for the battle to end before it began. Soon enough, they would be going home....

"Such a disgrace!" the high-pitched melodical reply rang out. The girl jumped up, spinning and facing Neji. "To think that I tricked you into coming to me," she snarled, her eyes shining with murderous intent. She quickly unsheathed the katana on her back, the light reflecting off the deadly blade. Her knuckles were white from the grip.

"Drop your weapon and let's end this quickly," he murmured as he remained still. Any quick movements may trigger this girl's reaction.

"Fuck you," she hissed. "I'll finish you, then I want that bitch!" she sneered.

Neji felt his blood run cold. She threw her head back and laughed as she charged her katana with lightning. It ran down her arm, disappearing before it made it to her weapon. The Hyuuga smirked from behind his mask, "seems if you can't quite control your chakra."

He watched her eyes go wide with realization. Her lids quickly became heavy, a snakelike smile spreading across her lips. "Not a problem," she spat. "It's a welcome sacrifice."

Neji didn't understand what that meant, but before he could respond, she charged at him, head-on. He quickly brought forth his Empty Palm. He watched his chakra leave his body, barreling toward the savage kunoichi. Just as quickly as he had summoned the technique, it dissipated. He dodged the swipes of the blade, thinking furiously.

Why didn't it work? Another whistle as the blade cleanly slashed past his head, knocking his porcelain mask from his face. It shattered as it fell to the ground.

He heard the kunoichi cackle triumphantly. "Such a pretty boy, I'll give you a man's haircut!"

He felt himself riled from her teasing as he saw a significant chunk of his hair fall to the ground. How had she managed to avoid his attack? He bided his time, watching her swing. There was a brief pause after each wild swipe. If he could place his attack just right, he may be able to knock her out with his Sixty Four Palms Technique.

She surprised him with a high kick, which he caught over his shoulder, twisting her leg and throwing her backward. He launched himself forward, attempting to land a chakra-fueled punch. She reached out, taking the blow on her arm, though the impact was quite weaker than he had intended. He looked at his fist, confused by his sudden physical weakness.

"You hit like a girl!" she mocked, as she used a spinning kick to throw him aside. "Where's your girlfriend?"

Neji pulled the chakra up and around him as she jumped forward with her katana. The whirlwind blazed about as his chakra poured from his body. He wouldn't let her anywhere near Tenten! As the familiar attack spun wildly, slicing through the air with high pressure, Neji concentrated at pushing the radius outward. He never saw the blade the sliced through his attack, as it cut deeply into his arm. He screamed as the hot flash of pain blinded him. The wind around him dissipated. Just like his other attacks.

He skidded backward, holding his injured left arm. He flexed his fingers—those were at least still working. The young girl slashed her sword through the air, splattering his blood over the grass.

"Neji!" Tenten called, briefly distracting the girl.

"NO!" he screamed, realizing the sudden danger in Tenten's cry of concern. He took the few milliseconds of distraction and closed the space between he and the Kumo kunoichi. Whatever power she was using, surely his Eight Trigams Sixty-Four Palms wouldn't fail. If he could cut off the chakra control in this girl's body--

The attack fell short, as his fingers tapped over the friable armor covering her body. The girl swung around, realizing Neji's intent. "No you don't!" she growled

With that warning, she plunged the sword into the Hyuuga, until the hilt hit Neji's hip bone. He stared at his fingers, as his eyes flickered from pale purple to a deeper shade of lavender. The veins lost their prominence as his irises became more noticeable.

"You absorb chakra attacks," he whispered, a hint of triumph in his voice as the sudden realization overcame him. How hadn't he seen that earlier? He had regrettably underestimated the enemy—a violation of ANBU's first tenet. He didn't even feel the sharp blade puncture his skin. It wasn't until she pulled the blade upward, that he felt the tug in his bowels. He looked down, confusion still written on his face. It was as if none of it was real. He hadn't been defeated. Not by a kid!

"NO!" Tenten screeched, as she landed on the ground beneath the giant tree. The white cape pooled around her body, making her look angelic, Neji thought. He could see the terror in her eyes, as her mask dangled down her back. A few loose strands had managed to break free from her braid, whipping around her face. She had never looked more beautiful to him.

"Got your girlfriend," the girl said, bringing her face close to Neji's. She was leering, her eyes illustrating their bloodlust. Her back was still to Tenten; she was confident that she had the Leaf kunoichi in her grasp.

He put his arm out in warning to his childhood friend, "Don't come any closer." He found it difficult to speak. Why was he not feeling any pain?

"I'm going to help!" Tenten screamed, as she took a few steps forward.

"No," Neji replied, his breath becoming more troublesome. "She has Chakra Armor. She absorbs any chakra-based attacks."

"Shut up!" the girl hissed. Neji ignored her. "That means she can't use any chakra based attacks either," he smiled slightly at his own, delayed conclusion. Why hadn't he seen it earlier? Fool!

The katana was pulled out of his body, revealing a deep, long slice upward through his abdomen. The girl lifted her leg, her foot planted firmly on Neji's stomach. With a forceful kick, she pushed Neji backward. He took a few, uneasy steps, as he met Tenten's eyes. "Listen to me!" he fell to his knees, his eyes pleading for her sake.

"NEJI!' Tenten screamed, as she took in his instructions. She couldn't let him bleed to death. Not here. Not like this. Neji wouldn't die! She turned an angry glare on the girl. The young Kumo warrior's dark chocolate eyes shone brightly..

Deliberately and slowly, an ugly smile spread across her face. "He's deeaad," she sang. "Lover boy is dead!"