SasuTen Rev
A/N- I was originally going to write something else entirely for this chapter. But I really wasn't feeling that other thing, so this monster happened. I'm actually really proud of it, so please keep reading and review.
Chapter Seven. Will I die?
Tenten had embraced Sasuke Uchiha. Just like he were Neji Hyuuga. Tenten woke up late in the night while still holding the Uchiha. He didn't even seem to care. So much for him being the stoic freak everyone else thought that he was.
Tenten quickly retracted her limbs from him. She sat up in bed and wrapped her arms instead around herself. Her gray eyes were wide as she stared at the sliver of moonlight on the floor.
Beside her Sasuke shifted slightly in his sleep. But he did not wake.
Tenten was more ashamed of herself. How could she do this? Neji hadn't even been dead for a year, and here she was holding another man in bed. She was no better than a common whore. She just had a taste for clan prodigies it seemed.
Tenten looked at the dark haired man beside her. He was undoubtedly beautiful. He was a god, with all the Uchiha power he possessed.
And she had told him secrets about herself and Neji.
Does Neji's death mean anything?
Tenten held her head in her hands. How had this happened? This Uchiha was starting to become such a prevalent force in her life. What were his motives?
Why did Sasuke let me hold him in my arms?
Tenten leaned back and closed her eyes.
Why is Sasuke Uchiha here?
Tenten felt a hand on her arm. She looked to her side in shock. Sasuke was looking at her sleepily. "Go to sleep." He murmured.
Tenten looked at him very carefully. "I'm not tired."
"Neji wouldn't want you to be an insomniac." Sasuke said sleepily.
Tenten froze at Sasuke's casual mention of Neji's name. But she allowed Sasuke's pale arms to pull her down to lay beside him in bed.
This time it was Sasuke's arm draped around Tenten's waist as she fell asleep.
But dreams of Neji Hyuuga continued to plague Tenten.
As she lay in Sasuke's arms.
The Next Day
Tenten was casually throwing shuriken and kunai into a target one lovely afternoon. The sun was shining brightly on her black hair as it moved slowly in the slight wind. Her gray eyes focused on each target for a fraction of a second before she threw the weapon dead into the center.
Sasuke was off at some ANBU meeting. And Tenten hadn't decided if she was glad about his absence, or if she missed him.
"The Hokage-sama wishes to meet with you." A deep voice spoke from behind Tenten.
Tenten turned to see a member of the ANBU in the tree above her.
"It's urgent." He promised before disappearing into a cloud of dust.
Tenten summoned all her weapons into a scroll before setting out for Tsunade's office. What could it be? Could it be dealing with Neji? Was there more information on his death?
Tenten opened Tsunade's door with urgency. Her gray eyes were wild and her hair was as well.
Tsunade looked up from the cup of sake she was drinking. The woman gently set the cup down and regarded Tenten slowly.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice. Please come in, let me look at you." Tsunade said.
Tenten went to stand in front of Tsunade's desk.
Tsunade's eyes roved over Tenten's form. Finally she seemed to see what she was looking for. She nodded slightly before speaking.
"You look a lot better than you did two months ago. You look well rested and healthy. Not to mention you look happy." Tsunade said. "You have done well."
"Thank you. Tsunade-sama." Tenten said.
"I hate to ask this of you. Considering what you've gone through recently, but I feel that you're the only one that I can ask to do this." Tsunade said as she looked away from Tenten.
"What is it Tsunade-sama?" Tenten asked.
"It's an assassination mission." Tsunade said and there was something in Tsunade's eyes that told Tenten to be fearful of this mission.
"I have killed many; I can handle it I assure you." Tenten said.
Tsunade leveled her brown eyes with Tenten's gray sad ones.
"The survival rate is about ten percent for you." Tsunade said. "The man you will have to kill has the odd ability to nullify all chakra use and bloodline limits."
Tenten was silent. She was waiting for some sort of emotion to touch her heart. Fear. Shock. Anger.
But there was nothing. Tenten felt nothing.
"I figured with your weapons, you could manage the assassination without the use of chakra. Am I correct in my assumption?" Tsunade asked. "In other words, do you accept the mission?"
Tenten laughed the darkest of laughs. "This is so ironic. Because this is the very same mission I wanted those months ago. Of course I accept. It will be my pleasure to use my gifts to help you and the village." Tenten said.
Tsunade still looked grave. "You will leave tomorrow morning. Everything you need to know is in this file, take it and study it. Tell no one that you're going on this mission."
Tenten nodded in silence. "I won't let you down." She said with a bow to Tsunade.
Tenten turned to leave when she felt Tsunade's hand on her shoulder.
"I am proud of you Tenten." Tsunade said.
Tenten didn't thank Tsunade. Tenten simply took her exit from the Hokage tower.
Later
The man's name was Itaro. The one Tenten was to kill in two days-time. Apparently this Itaro had been hiding out in the forests of the northern lands. And he was killing any ninja who passed within one hundred miles of his hideout.
He had no back story. He just simply decided to start killing one day.
Now it was Tenten's turn to kill him.
Tenten wondered maniacally who was the better killer between the two of them. Was it him, who had killed all who trespassed? Or was it her, who made her living off the deaths of countless other shinobi?
Tenten sat on the edge of her bed while holding the last picture taken of her team. Her eyes rested on each person in the picture for a few seconds. She hadn't seen her living teammates in a few weeks. But Neji visited her every night in her dreams.
Tenten ate a light dinner before she went to sleep.
The next morning she set out to kill for the first time in half a year.
Sasuke POV
Sasuke stood outside the door to Tenten's apartment. He had knocked three times, and yet she hadn't opened the door. There hadn't even been the slurred reply that she was tired.
Sasuke wondered if she was uncomfortable with the way he had held her the night before. He hadn't thought that much of it, considering that she had embraced him first.
"Tenten, open the door." Sasuke said for the fifth time.
There was no reply. There were no footsteps. And when Sasuke listened very closely he could hear no heartbeat.
Tenten wasn't in her apartment.
Sasuke searched his mind for the places that she could be. The park? No, she only went there at night. Training? No, Sasuke had passed by there on his way to her home and she had not been in their field. Shopping? That just seemed highly unlikely.
"What are you doing here, Sasuke?" A perky voice asked from beside Sasuke.
He turned to see Ino Yamanaka walking toward Tenten's apartment.
"I didn't think you knew Tenten. Are you friends?" Ino asked.
"We train together. Are you friends with Tenten?" Sasuke asked. "Do you know where she is?"
"She should be here. She doesn't usually like going places in the morning. She likes to sleep, or at least she did before well you know. Before Neji left." Ino said.
Sasuke glared at the still shut door. "She is not here."
Ino ignored Sasuke's statement because she was certain that Tenten was within the apartment. Ino took out a key and opened the door. When she noticed Sasuke's look of mild surprise she laughed.
"After Neji died Tenten needed to give a spare key to someone, and I said that I would take it." Ino said. "I come over about once a week to check in on her. But I've been really busy with missions for the last few weeks." Ino said.
Sasuke followed Ino into Tenten's apartment. It was as he remembered from the night he had spent there. It was just a little cleaner.
Ino walked out of Tenten's bedroom. "She's really not here. Weird. I guess you were right Sasuke. But I have no clue where she could be."
Sasuke tried to swallow the feeling of anxiety in his stomach. He instead went to the closet where she kept her weapons.
It was empty.
Ino stood beside Sasuke as they looked into the empty closet.
Ino's face paled in shock. "Did you see her training?" Ino asked.
"No." Sasuke said.
"Then she must not be in Konoha right now." Ino said.
Sasuke felt his stomach drop. He remembered something he had heard Tenten saying those few months ago in Tsunade's office.
"I came to request an S-ranked suicide mission." A female voice said. "I think you know why."
Sasuke felt like puking. Tenten had only used him. She had used him to get herself back into prime health so that she could die.
He felt almost as betrayed as he had when Itachi had lied to him numerous times.
Sasuke felt a hand on his arm and he looked down into Ino's light blue eyes.
"I'm just as worried as you." Ino said. "But we should talk to Tsunade first. She can tell us where Tenten is."
Sasuke felt himself nodding.
Tsunade's Office
Tsunade was more than surprised to see Ino Yamanaka and Sasuke Uchiha walking together into her office. It was a strange sight because Ino had once loved Sasuke, but Sasuke had always disliked the blond.
"We came to ask where Tenten is." Ino announced.
Tsunade looked at the two people. "I can only tell Tenten's family members where she is." Tsunade said.
"That is a load of crap." Ino said. "You know that Tenten has no family. So you might as well tell me. I'm one of her closest friends. And Sasuke is really worried about her."
Tsunade's brown eyes roved over to look at Sasuke. "Is that so? Interesting." Tsunade murmured as she looked at the Uchiha in awe.
"Tell us where she is." Ino demanded.
"You cannot tell anyone." Tsunade said.
"We won't." Both Sasuke and Ino said.
"I assigned her an S-rank assassination mission. She left this morning and likely won't be returning for a few days. If she returns at all." Tsunade said.
Sasuke almost sighed in relief. So Tenten hadn't requested the mission. She had almost been forced to take it due to Tsunade. But there was still heaviness in Sasuke's chest. What if she didn't return?