At home I quickly discovered that sleep was not necessary, and very difficult to achieve. Eventually, in other words in 20 minutes, I put up a target and threw various weapons at it. That became boring so I read random books until the sun came up.
Light began seeping through the windows around 6:30, and since Tsunade never specified a time and I left abruptly, I thought I should go get Neji. So with only a slight amount of light I marched up to his house.
Walking through the streets my main goal was to try not to think, as I knew it would lead to last night's mishap, and if I thought about it I would never be able to face him again. So I didn't think anything except 'don't think.'
Arriving at the Hyuuga's house, I saw Neji and Hinata walking quietly out of the house. A silent sigh escaped my lips. Not needing to breath is different from not being able to, after all.
The two Hyuuga's activated their Byakugan. They quickly found me and walked over.
"Hello Tenten," Hinata said as cheerfully as possible so early in the morning.
I nodded my reply as words were useless and glanced at Neji, who only turned and began to head towards Konoha's gate. Hinata and I looked at each other and shrugged.
The three of us wound through Konoha's streets and made it into the woods, silent besides an occasional bird.
Neji, who was ahead of Hinata and I, stopped. "It wasn't very deep in here that we met up with the Mist Village's cell. Keep your guard up as they may attack in the same spot," he said over his shoulder.
When Hinata and I nodded he continued walking. Making a decision on the spur of the moment I ran up and walked next to him. "We will talk about it when you can talk and be heard. It's not a big deal." Relieved, I nodded…again, and fell back between the Hyuuga's.
We continued our relaxed pace for about five minutes when a familiar event occurred. Weapons of all sorts rained from the trees. The only difference is that the darkness proved troublesome in seeing all the weapons. Fortunately, due to my current state the Hyuuga's had been using the Byakugan the entire time and were able to see the weapons to deflect them. I merely had to stand there.
"I was wondering how long it would take for you to figure it out. You took less time than all the others." The voice could not be mistaken. It was Hisakata.
"What did you do to Tenten?" Neji demanded calmly.
"So rude. And I was planning on giving you the potential cure."
I had a slight panic attack upon hearing her words. "What do you mean, potential?" I asked, forgetting that she couldn't hear me.
She jumped down in front of us and her team followed. "I mean it may work, it may not. It depends," Hisakata replied, her voice teasing. She was clearly enjoying holding my life above the three of us.
Hinata spoke up next. "You can hear her?"
Yabun rolled his eyes. "Obviously. And see."
An awkward silence fell upon us. "The cure. What does it depend on?" I inquired.
"Everything. How you lived, your will to live, how much the people around you care. Very few people have ever managed to live through it," the third person, Kaji if I remembered, explained.
Once again Hinata commented. "It sounds easy. Where's the catch?"
"Good observation. The catch," Hisakata started, "is that it brutally tests your will to live. For a week your spirit, mind and soul are given an extreme amount of pain. You can at any time say you give up. But you'll die." Hisakata smiled evilly.
I glanced at Neji, then to Hinata. Both of them showed worry and pain on their faces.
"With the chakra though we'll be able to communicate with her," Neji pointed out. Despite this I felt myself being consumed by fear. They were the only reason I had survived with sanity up to this point.
"No. It drains her chakra as well as mine from her body."
"Why is your chakra in her body?" Neji demanded somewhat rudely. I could tell he was losing patience
Yabun decided to answer for her. "How do you think your friend has not recovered? Kata's chakra was killing her, keeping her spirit from returning."
I stepped forward and held out my hand. "I'll risk it. Either way I have a chance of dying. I'll take the one in which I may live." Saying that hurt; admitting that you had a high chance of dying was very painful. Hisakata must have realized this, because another evil smile showed on her lips.
"Why don't I give this to someone more solid?" She took the small jar out of her pocket and handed it to Neji. "Since you care so about her so much, I'll be able to trust her possible life in your hands."
The moment she released the potion from her grip heavy mist appeared, product of Yabun's jutsu. "It needs to find its way into her system. And then wait seven days. On the start of the eighth day you'll know." Their voice was disembodied, coming from nowhere.
When the mist dissipated the other team was nowhere to be seen. So for a few seconds we just stood there.
"I'll go back and make sure Tsunade is up and ready for the cure," Hinata says. De-activating her Byakugan she walked back to the village, only slightly faster than the pace we left at.
Neji sighed and walked over to me. "Tenten…" I turned around and gasped.
His Byakugan wasn't activated, and he was looking right at me.
"You can see me?" I say, forgetting everything. But he nodded.
"And hear. That Yabun guy must have used a certain type of mist." The two of us stood there in silence. It wasn't awkward, just us enjoying the other's company.
"Neji?" He looked at me, directly into my eyes. Trying to ignore that it was the first time and possibly the last, I asked him, "About yesterday. You said it's not a big deal. Is it that you don't mind, or…?
He smiled at me, a combination that was another first. "I won't bother arguing with you. You win."
I turned around and took a couple of steps. "If Tsunade is up she's expecting us at any minute. We'd better go."
A hand tentatively rested on my shoulder and gently turned me around. Neji's arms wrapped around me, and briefly his lips met mine.
"In case I never saw you again," he said quietly.
Surprised and unsure of what to do, I rested my head against him. But this time it was expected.
Slowly, Neji and I made our way back to the village. When we did make it to the streets we met Kakashi.
"Tenten?" the masked man said.
"Wait. You can see me?" He nodded.
I glanced at Neji. "The mist," we said simultaneously, surprisingly enough.
"I guess we should move quickly. And on the roofs," I suggested.
We quickly found our way onto the roof of a nearby building. Even faster was the trip to the hospital.
Neji and I got into the hospital and since I could be seen, he used his Byakugan to find Tsunade and his cousin. So of course we were forced to move quickly again, this time with people and slight 'traffic,' unlike on the roof.
Neji opened what appeared to be a random door and we stepped inside. Upon doing so Tsunade's eyes widened.
"I'm sure Hinata explained to you our meeting," I said sadly.
Tsunade nodded, matching my grief. "Yes. Of course. If you hand me what Hisakata gave you I'll do that now," she said gravely.
Neji handed her the little jar that contained my life, or death. Tsunade headed out the door, but turned around to say one last thing.
"Good luck," she whispered, barely audible.
Hinata stepped out of the room as well, meaning that Neji and I were alone. For a few minutes we sat in silence.
"Tenten?" I looked up at Neji. "I just want you to know-."
In the middle of his sentence it felt like someone stabbed a kunai in my side. The pain was so sudden and sharp that I fell to my knees. Neji jumped down beside me.
"Tenten?!" Another stab of pain, this time in my head. After that they were continuous, each one stronger than the last.
I didn't know how long had passed, but when I finally tried to see Neji I could barely see through the colors in my eyes. But I could see that Neji had left.
I was alone.