Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Tenten's past is based on a very good friend of mine's.
A/N: Hey all! Sorry about the delayed update yet again. Writers block, school, and work in general kinda jumped on me. But thank you so much for your encouragement and kind words. It really means a lot to me and definitely helps keep me motivated in writing this story. I'm so happy you guys are enjoying it. Once again I'd like to thank my awesome beta-reader, Rellie who was an excellent sounding board, and a great help in general! I hope everyone had a good Christmas and I hope you enjoy the story. Here we go.
X
"You're sure he's not getting out?" Tsunade asked, her mouth dry as she walked beside the lawyer, and hating the fear that coiled inside her. It felt like some kind of snake was trying to kill her from the inside out. At least the trial was over, but now there was another fear that lurked inside her mind.
"I'm positive. He's staying where he belongs, and even if his lawyers managed to get him an appeal on one charge, there'd be two dozen more to get through. And those are only the crimes we know of that he's committed." the man said, then sighed softly. "If we still had the death penalty I'm more than certain he would have received it."
"It's no less than he deserves, but…"
"Tsunade-san," he stopped walking, turning fully to face her. "I promise you, he's not getting out. You're safe now."
"It's not just me I'm worried about. Where I'm starting to work…well I wouldn't put it past him to go after them." her voice was soft, slightly thick till she swallowed.
"Going after school children hardly seems to be his type of crime, but I do understand your concern." he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and Tsunade felt some tension melt away. Over the course of preparing the evidence, practicing her testimony and the trial itself, they had become good friends. He was one of the few prosecutors she'd met that could leave his shark like qualities inside the courtroom. Even then he was an honest shark. There was also no ulterior motive on his part either. Not even a hint of desiring more in his touch. "Trust me on this Tsunade-san. He's not ever getting out. Over my dead body."
Tsunade swallowed hard as she rested her head against the coolness of the lockers as the memory surfaced. The prosecutor had been found dead a month later. Slumped over in his chair at his desk. A single bullet to the back of his head. Security on the now escaped man had been doubled, but there wasn't a need for that. Her friend had simply been the message. Whatever he did to her, would be personal.
She swallowed again. Forcing herself to take in a gulp of air. There was nothing to worry about right now. She'd made sure of that over the years in case something happened. What mattered most was protected. On top of that, the police were scavenging every possible and impossible site for him, and she was under protection as well. As a former member of the military, that brought more mental peace than physical. In a physical fight she had no doubt she could win. Even if weapons were involved she would still stand a chance. But there were no rules when it came to this man. It was the mind she was worried about and the mind she knew he would attack. After what she'd seen and lost in the war, her mental state had become her weak spot.
A shudder ran up her spine like a deranged spider as she forced herself to push the memories of red away. She had to pull herself together now.
"Just breath." she took in a small deep breath, resting her hand over her pounding heart. "Just breath. It's going to be alright. The important thing is the students are safe. The school is clear. Everyone's safe."
After running into Shino, she'd decided to make one more round just to make sure everyone was gone. Save for a few neglected backpacks, and forgotten coats in various classrooms, it was all clear. There had been a noise though. She wasn't sure where it was coming from, but it seemed to be coming from all around. Up in the vents and swarming around her. A low beating sound. Dull. Painful. It made her hands shake. More than likely it was just the vents and noises an old school made. But it felt like more. The sound came at odd intervals. Faster, then slower. Harder, then softer. There was no way to identify where it had come from, and at times it seemed like there were voices intermixed.
They weren't voices she recognized though. They were faint whispers. As if ghosts were back and hissing at her. After hearing them for the first time it took ten minutes for her hands to stop shaking and she didn't even bother closing the art room door; let alone locking it. She'd have to yell at the club on Monday for forgetting to lock up themselves, but right now, it was her turn to leave.
Then she heard it again.
Pulling away from the lockers, she heard the beating start again and her hand tightened its grip over her heart. Maybe that was where the sound was coming from all along. Then the hisses started again. Her mouth felt dry as ash. This time there seemed to be understandable words.
'Out.'
Brown eyes widened and it seemed as if the voices rose around, engulfing her.
'Out! Get out! Run!' she knew those weren't the words, but it hardly mattered. Before she knew she was moving, the clicking of her heels on the hard floor only amplified the sounds and need to run as she tore down the hall. Her blond hair flying behind her and she stumbled as she rounded a corner, almost going to the ground. She recovered in time, pushing herself off a wall. Keep running. That was what was important. Just keep running. Don't look back. She half expected to see him there if she did.
'Don't stop! Don't you dare stop!' the scream rattled inside her head, but as she neared the door, she knew she needed to. Unless activated the security for the school was pointless.
It took all her self-control to stop at the double doors. There were two small pads that sat to the left of them, one a small rectangle, the other a square. That was one she went to first. Her fingers aching as she rapidly punched in the number and letter sequence, listening as security measure after measure was activated. Then a small red light appeared on the rectangle pad and with shaking hands, Tsunade took a card from a chain around her neck and slid it down the pad's side. The red light shifted to green and there was a soft click as letters appeared on the screen: system armed. If only it was armed with something more lethal.
Once done, Tusnade opened the doors and the warm air hit her like a refreshing glass of water. For the first time since she'd heard the news it felt as if she could breath again. The smell of leaves, flowers, and the city both calming and fueling her adrenaline. Outside, she felt like an idiot for letting noises get her to like that. Fortunately no one had seen. Now calmer, she took a strangely shaped key from the same chain that held the previous card and pulled the doors fully closed behind her. Then she inserted the key and with a hard turn left, two turns right and a full turn all around, she heard another click and thick bolt sliding into place. Again she took in a deep breath and turning around felt even more relaxed. There was a police car waiting near her own, an officer she'd met with before stood at attention and ready.
A shaky, almost sheepish smile crossed her face as Tsunade ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back as she walked down the stairs.
Everything was fine.
X
"Well this is just perfect." Tenten groaned as her fist gave another half-hearted punch to the door. Trapped in a closet on a Friday night…in a bathroom. Out of all the horrific ways for this day to end, this was the last one she'd have expected. Actually, she never would have expected it. This was insane. If Tsunade spent a quarter of the money she spent on security on replacing doors they wouldn't have this problem. Maybe they should have a fundraiser.
'Baked goods for bathroom doors.' she felt like slamming her head as the slogan ran through her mind.
"Hard as it is to believe, this could be worse. How? At least there is some room in here, and getting out is not impossible." Shino said, his hands in his jacket pockets. In the dark it was hard to make out anything at first. The location of supplies was mostly found by stumbling around. Now their eyes were adjusting, and thanks to a sliver of light at the bottom of the door, it was easier to see. Though blurry outlines seemed to be the extent of what they could make out.
Or maybe that was just her. Tenten wondered if Shino could see anything with those glasses of his.
"Yeah, because we're doing so well at finding a way out now." she sighed as she slid down the door. "There has to be some way out of here! I refuse to spend my weekend locked in a closet!" why didn't anyone hear them? Tsunade should have heard something or someone. Then again it took Shino actually being in the bathroom to hear her and even then it didn't sound like he'd known right away. Still, there was a small vent and she hoped that would carry some of the sound out. No one came though.
Even when Shino joined in her yelling. For someone who was usually so quiet, he could be quite loud when he chose. It was more like a roar than the boom of her dad's voice, and there was no lightness or air to it.
Tenten allowed half a smile as she looked up at Shino's outline. At least she wasn't trapped with someone prone to panic. She could only imagine being in here with Hinata or some of the girls from her class. They'd be dead.
"Perhaps we could try the hinges." Shino suggested and Tenten cocked her head. There was something in his voice that she couldn't place that hadn't been there before, but she looked past that for now.
"Hinges?"
"Most of the time the hinges are on side the door opens to, but other times, for whatever reason, hinges are on the opposite side. Did I notice any hinges when opening the door? I didn't notice, but…"
"But if they're on this side then we could pry them off and take the door down! Shino you're a genius!" she shot to her feet and before she could stop herself, Tenten had tackled him in a hug. She didn't realize till then just how much shorter she was than him, and she felt him stiffen slightly under her touch, causing her to pull away. "Sorry! Sorry! You're probably not that big on hugs…blame Lee and my dad. They're starting to get to me." she rolled her eyes with a smirk.
"I…"
"It's fine. Anyways, lets start working on a way to get out of here! I'll see if I can find the hinges and something to break them off with if we do."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"It was your plan." did he have short term memory loss?
"No, I mean it makes no sense for you to do both things. There are two of us here. Logically, one of us should look for the hinges while the other searches for something to disable them. You don't have to do both things." he said. "Besides that, I refuse to simply stand here while you do all the work. It's half my fault we're trapped inside here."
"No it's the doors fault completely." she rolled her eyes, glad for the shadows that hid her face. It was so simple, and at the same time so stupid, but she hadn't even thought to have him help with one of the two things. Aside from banging on the door, trying to kick it down and yelling for who knew how long, she hadn't actually thought about him taking part in a plan to get out. Then again, she didn't tend to think about anyone ever helping her in what she was doing. At least he didn't say she needed help. Just that he wanted to do his part in getting them out. He probably had plans of his own he wanted to get to just as much as she did hers. Or at least get out of here.
"Be that as it may, I'll start looking for the hinges while you find something to break them off with." he started to move forward.
"Why do you get to call the shots?"
"Because I'm taller. If they are here, I can reach those at the top."
"You're not that much taller." she growled.
"Enough it makes a difference." there was a smirk in his voice and Tenten felt like kicking him in the shins. Still, he had a point and right now she was sick of fighting. She just wanted to get out, get home, then leave a prank phone message for Kakashi telling him that Tsunade found one of his favorite books and she was not happy.
Focusing on the goal of getting out, Tenten began rummaging through the closet's contents. Grasping at anything she could and pulling up anything that seemed hard enough and small enough to use. If they'd had more room, a broom handle might have worked. Five minutes later she found several containers with what sounded like liquid inside and grinned.
"Shino, what about this?" she looked over her shoulder and heard what sounded like the grinding of metal. Her eyes widened and her smile broadened. "Did you find the hinges?"
"Yes. They're…a bit rusted…but I think I'm making some progress." Shino grunted and then a muffled curse slipped out as the outline of his hand slid against the side of the door. Before Tenten could ask anything, Shino had brushed his hand on his pants and turned to look at the bottle she held.
"I don't think that's going to work. We'll need something stronger, not something that will puncture the minute we hit it."
"Yeah well…use it to make the hinges slick then! You can force them apart easier if you have something to grease them with." she all put pushed the bottle into his hands, and watched as he unscrewed the cap and took a quick sniff. A soapy smell tinged the air.
"This could work, but be careful with these…"
"Why are you afraid something in here is going to explode?" he didn't have to treat her like a child. She knew to be careful and it wasn't like she was stupid enough to drink anything they found in here.
"I just meant that you don't know what they are. If you were to open a bottle of bleach or ammonia, wouldn't that cause problems? Considering what they are and what they can do in even a well aired space, I think it would." he said as he began pouring the soap over the hinges and Tenten felt her eye twitch.
"You were the one who smelled the stupid thing. Besides, I'm not just going to crack open every bottle I find, but if I do, it'll probably be over your head." so he wasn't treating her like a child, just talking to her like she was an idiot. Though she had suggested that they use the bottle to break against the metal hinges without knowing what was in it, but that fact was easily pushed from her mind as she continued looking for something harder.
"Then wouldn't you have two problems on your hands? Being stuck in the closet and an unconscious body?"
Tenten fought a shudder as the image ran through her mind. Not at even her and Shino, but the image of being trapped inside a small space with someone that was hardly more than a shadow. Memories of ghost stories filled her head and she still couldn't believe her dad thought a book of ghost stories was a good present for a seven year old. She wasn't afraid, but…
"Tenten?"
The sound of her name nearly made her jump and she looked over.
"Wha…"
"Are you alright? You went silent all of a sudden I thought I…"
"It's nothing, I was just remembering an old story I read. Well it's really more like an urban legend. I don't know if you've ever heard it, red cape and blue cape." she started and before Shino could ask for an explanation began the story. "It's stupid I know, but there's supposed to be this…phantom thing that hangs out in girl's bathrooms and when no one else is there he comes out. He asks if you want to wear a red cape or a blue cape. Choose red, he slits your throat. Choose blue, you get strangled. But he only comes out when someone's alone." it was stupid. There was no way anything like that was even real, and if someone had been that sick than it was more than likely a serial killer without anything supernatural about it. Still there was a part of her that wondered 'what if', that she fought to push away. Surprisingly telling someone else helped ease the building tension.
"Was that a reason you were so frantic when you were first locked inside?"
"No!" more brooms and cleaning supplies fell as she searched. "It's a stupid kids story, and I wasn't frantic at all. I was stuck in case you didn't notice." there was nothing to be afraid of. And all the killings in those stories took place inside the stalls, not inside closets. Besides if something did happen she knew she could handle herself. Her dad taught her and the rest of the judo team how to disarm someone with a weapon, and escape a chokehold. There was nothing to worry about.
Her hands curled all the same as she waited for Shino to push the subject and try to make it sound like she was afraid. While ghost stories were his least favorite thing as well, Neji had often hassled her about them. Lee didn't understand what either of them became jumpy about. In his mind, there was nothing they could come up against that couldn't be beaten back and sometimes was stupid enough to call what she and Neji had an outright fear.
Surprisingly, Shino said nothing of the sort, and what he did say surprised her.
"I'm glad you're not afraid of something like that then…and that any discomfort you did feel was not my fault." the last part was more like a whisper and Tenten raised an eyebrow, now on her knees and pushing away more bottles.
"Why would I be uncomfortable around you?" the question seemed to catch Shino off guard and for a second she didn't know if he would respond. Again, it came out more like a whisper.
"Lets just say that…when it comes to those who could find themselves in this situation, I am one of the last people they would want to be with. Most find me…a bit creepy." there was no self-pity in his voice, only something that sounded like hard fact. There was something else as well. Something again she couldn't place.
"Creepy?" her eyebrow shot up further. That didn't make any sense to her. Sure he was quiet, smart and a little bit weird right down to how he spoke. But that didn't make him creepy. Then again people had an odd definition of creepy at times. She knew there were a few people who found Lee's hair style and constant outpouring of affection and proud statements to be creepy. Again, they were simply odd. In her mind, creepy was something darker. Something completely strange with no rhyme or reason that was barely there. Like a shadow with long reaching fingers.
Just as the thought entered her mind, her own hand ran over something and she all but jumped up, cutting off anything else Shino had to say.
"Found it!" she beamed and turned to face him with a large metal wrench in her hand. There were a few right near each other, and Tenten had chosen the largest, chalking up their presence to the constant need for repairs. More than once all the teachers played handyman around here. Instead of handing it to Shino though, she moved in closer right under one of his arms and after finding a partially moved hinge, brought down the end of the wrench.
Shino jumped in surprise at the loud noise and nearly stumbled backwards into the supply pile.
"Ten…"
"I can do this! Just give me a minute!" again and again and again she beat the wrench against the opposing metal until finally it fell off with a triumphant clunk. "Yes! We're gettin' outta here!" she thrust her hand up in triumph soon Shino was helping chip away with another smaller tool. They worked on the higher ones together and twenty minutes later, the last hinge fell to the ground.
They were finally free.
Or at least they thought they were. Amidst the shared smiles and Tenten giving Shino a friendly punch in the arm, they were presented with another problem. The door, now loose and supposedly free, wouldn't open more than a few inches. They pushed and kicked and pounded with their fists, but it only served let in a little more light before it seemed stuck.
"No. No. NO!" Tenten slammed her fist into the door with each word.
This was not happening. It couldn't be happening. They had done so much to try and break off the stupid door and in the end it was still stuck. Tenten didn't believe in fate, but right now she would have liked something more personal to rip into.
"There has to be something else we can do." Shino pushed his shoulder into the door and continued trying to open it with no success. If anything it seemed like the higher part of the door wanted to move while the further down it went, the more it was stuck.
"Of course there is! I'm not going to let some stupid piece of wood that couldn't hack it as a tree beat me! Now open!" Tenten rammed her side into it, then stumbled back a bit. That hurt. And didn't do anything. "There has to be something else we can use in here. Something I couldn't find before."
With the added light she could see what she was doing better, and Shino began looking on the top shelf. She could see more detail and the outline of his body stretched as he searched. There didn't seem to be anything though. Just the tools she'd found, more cleaning supplies they couldn't use, rags and brooms. Looking at them now, she realized they wouldn't have even held up to one hit against the door.
"What if one of us struck at the bottom while the other aimed at the top?" Tenten suggested.
"If there was room that might work." Shino turned back towards the door as if studying it would reveal some new idea. His hands trailed down the sides. "What we need is something powerful that can strike all areas of the door. If we can get that…"
"Well I don't see anything in here that can! We could ram it."
"I don't think that's going to work. We'd need a running start for it to count."
As more suggestions were made and more were shot down, Tenten felt the heat in her face rise and her fists curl. There had to be something they could do. Anything to get out of this stupid hole. Maybe if there was a way for one of them to crouch down and give the other more room for a full ram. She wasn't sure but it was the best idea she had. Turning towards Shino, her mouth opened to explain just as Shino turned around and moved as if to start helping her search. With his hands outstretched in order to avoid running into anything, his left hand made contact with something neither expected.
Tenten felt her body go rigid as she looked down at the gentle touch. In the faint light, she could make out Shino's hand against her chest. What she could see of Shino's face was a mix of horror and shock.
"I…"
"Move. Your. Hand." her jaw tightened.
"I…I didn't mean…I…ummm…" he was stuttering, but his hand wasn't moving. No part of him was moving and it seemed as if he were frozen in place as he continued talking. "I…Tenten I didn't mean…I am…"
"If you can't move I'll do it for you!" Tenten yelled and a split second later reared her fist back and slammed it into Shino's face sending him crashing backwards, flailing and smacking right into the door with a heavy thud. That seemed to be the thing needed and the door broke open at a sideways angle with Shino falling backwards and smacking onto the floor. Light instantly flooded their vision and had it not been for the relief at getting out, Tenten wasn't sure she wouldn't have continued with the beating. Shino was starring up at her, his face still a mix and a deep dark red, his glasses slightly ajar.
For a moment there was silence between them as Tenten snarled and clenched both her fists. Shino pushed himself up onto his elbows, his face tilted downward now.
"I…I apologize. I didn't…I didn't mean to…I was simply trying to make sure I didn't run into anything. I didn't even think…I…" he continued on, and Tenten rolled her eyes, grabbing him by what was once the offending hand and helped him to his feet.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. It was an accident." now stable, she grabbed him by the cuff of his shirt and pulled him closer. "But if it ever happens again, I'll rip your arm off and beat you with it! And don't even think about telling anyone about it either! Both for my sake and yours!"
"Mine?" the word was more choked than anything else as she pushed him away.
"Yes yours. If my dad ever found out about that, he'd snap you like a twig. Now lets get out of here!" despite what happened she couldn't help but grin as she burst out of the bathroom door. Never before had the sight of these halls been something refreshing, but right now it felt as if she could hug the lockers. Or at least she didn't feel the urge to kick any of them as she headed towards the chemistry room to grab her backpack. Shino was soon behind her. The clock showed it was a quarter till six, and while later than she wanted, at least they hadn't missed that much of their weekend.
The knowledge and freedom was almost enough to make her skip out of the classroom and down the hall towards the large doors. Then she remembered not wanting to look too much like her dad, and settled on walking as silence settled between them. Shino broke it, looking over at her.
"Tenten, I really am sorry for what happened. I wasn't…"
"Forget it." she rolled her eyes giving him a playful shove, trying to ignore the slowly growing bruise on his cheek. "I meant what I said about telling people, but the point is we're out and hey at least we have a story. Now if we ever get one of those stupid 'what did you do' essay questions, we can tell people about how we escaped the closet of death! Dress it up enough, and we could go down in this school's history as a pair of Houdini's." she winked, then sighed as she saw evidence of guilt still on his face. "And if it makes you feel any better I'll feel up your chest when you're not expecting it so we'll be even."
Another shade of red ran across Shino's face and Tenten chuckled, shaking her head. Well at least he wasn't like other boys who would have already started bragging about it. Of course a larger issue was explaining the door come Monday, but it was Kakashi's fault they were stuck here later anyways. He was the one who got the bright idea to assign them the project in the first place and then the punishment. If anything their experience was a result of his failed teaching methods. At least that was the story she planned on giving. Hopefully she could convince Shino to take that approach as well.
Before she could even mention it they reached the doors and her eyes narrowed as she pushed on them and nothing happened.
"What…is going on?" she slammed her shoulder into the large door, but nothing moved. Nothing even creaked or gave a hint that she was there. Again she started calling out for someone to hear them and unlock the door. This wasn't funny. All she wanted to do right now was go home and forget today ever happened. That was it. She'd put it on her Christmas list if she could.
"Tenten." Shino's voice caught her off guard as she turned, her head resting on the door, towards where he was pointing. Off to the side there were two panels with various buttons on them, and one with an all to ominous message.
System Armed.
Tenten felt her face drain of color. She knew what that meant. Everyone did. With their school's security system they had all been warned about the dangers of staying after they were supposed to. Especially those in clubs that tended to go overtime. When that message came on it meant there was no way into the school from the outside, and no way out of it from the inside.
To Be Continued…
A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll have the next chapter up a lot sooner than I had this one. Once again I hope you guys enjoyed the story, and please let me know what you thought.
Have a great day.
Be Blessed
Your friend
innocent-rebel