Please see first chapter for disclaimer, etc.

Prompt: Haunted

Sequel to: Broken (chapter 19), and Fixed (chapter 20)

Special Thanks: goes out to naash, birdbwainz, DarkAnonymous324, kenzinator, rao hyuga 18, KNO, and kimbi07 for all your reviews! Thank you so much!

Author's Note: Part thirty already? Wow... Though it was not planned, this piece takes place about three months or so after the events of chapter 20, Fixed. I got this general idea, and then I returned to the fact that I really wanted to do more with Goru, which completed the idea for this piece. Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting my story, and I hope you enjoy Haunted!

*~Haunted~*

"Are we there yet?"

The whine from behind her made Tenten grind her teeth. She liked to consider herself a patient person, but having to put up with the Fire daiymo's daughter's whining was grating on her last, already perilously frayed, nerve.

"This girl is nothing but a spoiled brat." The growl in Neji's usually smooth, composed voice made Tenten feel oddly better. She wasn't the only one who was being driven half-mad by Kiyoko.

The mission was supposed to be simple: two Konoha ninja (Tenten and Neji) were to escort the Fire daiymo's daughter (Kiyoko) to meet her future husband, the Wave daiymo's eldest son (Ryo). Though Fire and Wind were on fairly good terms thanks to the agreement between Konoha and Suna, the daiymo of their respective countries decided a marriage would be the perfect way to cement things.

Tenten was just beginning to wonder why Ryo couldn't have come to meet his bride, instead of the other way around. "The trip is four days long at a shinobi's pace," she explained to Kiyoko for what felt like the hundredth time. "Out of respect for you, we are traveling slower. It might take us up to a week to get there."

"A week!" Kiyoko stopped in the middle of the road and crossed her arms. "Father didn't tell me that!" She pouted silently for a moment, then declared, "He also didn't tell me I would get protectors who have no respect, let alone a sense of humor."

There was a glint in Neji's eyes that suggested he was thinking about losing the last shred of respect he'd managed to cling to for the girl, pick her up, sling her over his shoulder, and haul her the rest of the way to Wind, kicking and screaming if necessary.

Not even staying in some of the most beautiful and illustrious hotels and hot springs between here and there, on someone else's tab, is worth this hassle. Drawing in a deep breath, Tenten went to stand right in front of Kiyoko, getting in the taller girl's personal space as she tried to speak as calmly as she could. "M'lady, we promised your father we would get you to Wind country safely, and we will. But this trip will be easier for all of us if we can set aside any differences or disagreements we have with each other and work together."

Kiyoko sighed once, loudly, but she uncrossed her arms and started walking again. "Fine."

Neji shot her a thankful look over the spoiled girl's head. Tenten smiled in response, once more resuming her spot at the front of their little trio. She watched their front, and Neji took care of everything else with his Byakugan. They'd done so many missions like this that they could run escort missions in their sleep.

For a while they walked in blessed silence. They met a few others on the road, mostly fellow travelers and two or three roaming sales carts. To allow themselves to keep moving, they bought some dango off one and ate as they walked, one look from Neji silencing any protest Kiyoko was thinking to make.

By the time they came within sight of their rest stop for the night, one of the most famous hot springs in the Land of Fire, Tenten wanted to weep in relief. She was hot, tired, hungry, and unbelievably cranky. She needed some time to relax and unwind, and a dip in the hot springs would be just the thing.

As the daiymo's daughter, Kiyoko was given the most lavish set of rooms in the entire complex. She acted as if their accomodations were pitifully small and unsuitable compared to those she had at home, and would undoubtedly have in her new home, but Tenten couldn't help but gawk in amazement. For most her life, she'd lived in a ramshakle apartment in a less than respected part of Konoha - this was a palace in comparison. Even Neji seemed impressed.

Tenten accompanied Kiyoko to the women's springs as Neji made sure their rooms were secure. The water felt heavenly, and there was an added bonus of being able to enjoy her time in the springs in relative silence since her charge had picked up a conversation with some other well-to-do ladies sharing the space. By the time they'd eaten their evening meal and Kiyoko retired to bed, Tenten was ready to retire from the life of a kunoichi, buy a hot springs of her own, and live in such luxury every day.

Neji chuckled at her as he watched her brush her hair. He was taking first watch so she could get some sleep. "You act like you've never seen anything like this in your life," he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him as she yanked her brush through a particularly difficult tangle. "Face it, Neji, not even the lavish Hyuuga compound can compare to this."

Kneeling next to her, Neji pried the brush from her hand and gently worked at the tangle, working it out much faster than she had with her yanking and growling. He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, then stood and went to check the doors and windows again. "As long as you're with me and happy, it doesn't matter where we are."

Sighing, Tenten mourned the fact that they were on a mission, then determined that as soon as they both got time off from their mission schedules, they would be returning here on vacation. It was the times when Neji said sweet things like that to her that made it hard for her to remain strictly professional on the missions they took together since they got married. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me for the next watch." She squeezed his hand on the way past, forcing herself to disentangle their fingers when he held on a few moments longer than what would probably be considered "acceptable."

Thanks to the trying day she'd had, it didn't take long for Tenten to fall asleep. She'd long ago learned how to fall asleep quickly on missions so she could get as much rest as she could in as little time as possible. It was a trick that most ninja learned early on in their careers.

It felt like she hadn't been asleep for long at all when a cry of pain woke her. Tenten woke immediately, her senses on high alert. Grasping the kunai she kept within easy reach, she quietly moved across the bedroom toward the main room, where Neji had set up his night watch.

For a moment she stood in the doorway, ready to launch an attack at a moment's notice, as she slowly scanned the room. Most of the lights were out, except for one small lamp in the corner, the doors and windows were secure, there were no signs of any struggle...

"Neji!" Tenten ran to kneel next to him. He sat slumped on the floor, one hand braced against the wall, the other pressed to his forehead. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut, his breath hissing in and out in small gasps of pain. "Neji, what's wrong? What's happening?" She had witnessed his curse mark being used against him only once, but that had been more than enough for her to recognize the symptoms.

He pushed her hand away when she started to reach for him. "It's never been this bad before," he ground out. "Hurts so badly-!" He cut himself off with another cry of pain, doubling over as he clutched his head with both hands.

"T-Tenten?" The uncertain voice came from behind her, and at first she didn't recognize it. It wasn't until the kunoichi turned around that she realized Kiyoko was standing in the doorway, her eyes wide in her pale face, hands holding the front of her silken robe closed with white-knuckled intensity. "What's going on? Is he all right?" The bride's gaze shifted from Tenten to Neji uncertainly.

Kiyoko was in no danger at the moment, so Tenten chose to ignore her. "Neji?" When he didn't answer, she slipped her hands under his hair, undid the knot holding his Leaf headband in place, and pulled it away, trying to ease any additional pressure to his head.

The gasp from behind her vocalized Tenten's shock when she saw what it had been hiding. The curse mark on Neji's forehead was glowing a bright, irridescent green, lighting up the shadows in the corner where he'd fallen to his knees. He groaned, fingers tightening into fists around his hair as he choked out something inistinguishable.

Tenten grasped her husband's shoulders, trying to distract him from the pain. "Neji! Has this ever happened before?"

"N-No," he choked out. "Ten - hurts s-s-so badly..." His hands fell to her upper arms, gripping tightly as he physically shuddered. "What's happening?"

She wished she had an answer for him.

Kiyoko leaned over, dark hair falling over her shoulder in one long braid. "Is there anything I can do?" she whispered. All traces of the spoiled, self-centered girl she'd been earlier were gone.

Biting her lower lip, Tenten gingerly lifted up one hand to test Neji's forehead. She had to jerk it back immediately, feeling as if her fingers had been burned. "A cool cloth, quickly." A few moments later Kiyoko was back, and Tenten accepted the dripping cloth the girl handed her. She pressed it against her husband's forehead, holding it in place even when Neji's hand moved to take it from her. "Is that helping?" she asked quietly.

Neji started to say something, but then his fingers relaxed against hers and he slumped forward, eyes falling closed as he lost consciousness.

Kiyoko whimpered as Tenten wrapped her arms around Neji's shoulders and eased him down so he was lying on the floor. "Is he - dead?" she whispered.

Stilling the shaking in her fingers, Tenten placed them in front of Neji's mouth. "No, he's still breathing. He's unconscious." She rocked back onto her heels, feeling torn. On one hand, she needed to complete the mission and escort Kiyoko to Wind country. But her partner had fallen victim to something very strange - she wasn't sure if it could be called and illness, but really, what other term could she use?

Quite obviously still shaken, Kiyoko knelt across from Tenten. "What happened?" she whispered. "What was that on his forehead?"

Tenten sighed. "Neji's clan is broken up into branches - there's the main branch, and then several cadet branches. He's a member of one of the cadet branches, which means that curse mark was placed on him when he was young, not only to remind him 'of his place,' but so the main branch could control him, suppress him." She dared not reveal more. Really, she had already divulged too much.

Kiyoko stared at Neji's pain-twisted face for a moment, then looked up at Tenten. "Will he be all right?"

"I don't know. Nothing like this has ever happened." To give herself something to do, she reached out to move the cloth off his forehead. She started to flip it over and reapply it, but what she saw beneath it made her stop.

Neji's curse mark had vanished.

Shikamaru and Ino appeared by nightfall the next day, ready to take over Neji and Tenten's mission. It hadn't taken long for her to dispatch a message to Konoha detailing what had happened - or for the reply to return.

Ino gave her a hug, her blue eyes shining with mingled shock and sympathy. "Neji'll be okay," she said.

Even though almost an entire day had gone by, Neji still hadn't regained consciousness. Shikamaru and Ino had brought a med team with them to help get him back to the village, where things "were bad." That was all Naruto had told her in the return message, and her friends were being tight-lipped, too.

Kiyoko came over as the two groups were getting ready to go their separate ways. "Thank you for everything you've done," she said. "And I really hope Neji will be okay."

Tenten managed a wan smile. "Thank you, Lady Kiyoko. I hope your new life with your husband is a happy one." She bowed briefly, then watched until Shikamaru, Ino, and Kiyoko were out of sight.

She didn't know anyone from the medical team well, so she was hesitant to say anything to any of them even though she wondered why Sakura had not come, too. Instead of inquiring, she remained silent and listened to the instructions being passed from person to person within the squad.

Even though they were two days away from the village, with Kiyoko along Neji and Tenten had only crossed less than a day's worth of distance. Even with the med team having to slow down because of the stretcher they carried Neji upon, they managed to make it back to the village within a day.

The first thing Tenten noticed when they got within sight of the village was the giant cloud of dark grey smoke billowing into the sky. She caught her breath, eyes widening in shock. "What is that?" she cried.

One of the medics glanced at her over his shoulder. "It's not the whole village," he said reassuringly. "But there was an attack. Lord Hokage will undoubtedly explain it to you."

Tenten was unable to tear her gaze away from the smoke as she followed her husband's stretcher through the streets to the hospital. It was only once they'd entered the building and Sakura appeared that she was able to halfway shake off her shock. "What happened?" she repeated.

Sakura stared down at Neji's unconscious form, most particularly his unmarked forehead. "I could ask the same question of you," she said. A calculating light entered her green eyes a moment before they went wide. "It can't be..." Grasping the edge of the gurney the med team had transferred Neji onto, she wheeled him toward the emergency room. "I'm sorry - Naruto's going to have to explain!"

The brunette kunoichi opened her mouth to argue, but Sakura was already gone. Fortunately she didn't have to wait long before the Hokage entered the hospital, briefly scanning the room before his gaze settled on Tenten and he approached.

Although she was quite rattled, Tenten remembered to bow respectfully before she addressed Naruto. "What happened?" she whispered. "I saw the smoke, but no one would tell me anything."

Naruto rested one hand on her shoulder and applied gentle pressure. "You should sit down," he said, his usually cheerful face wearing an uncharacteristically grim expression. "Please."

Tenten sank into the seat behind her, watching anxiously as Naruto sat down next to her. He let out a sigh, gazing down the hall toward the emergency room for a long time before finally speaking. "I don't know how to tell you this, Tenten, so ... I'm just going to come out and say it. You and Neji don't have a home to go back to."

What? "I don't understand." Had the Hyuuga compound been destroyed in the attack? How many other areas of the village needed repairing, as well?

"The Hyuuga compound is gone. Burned to the ground."

She felt what little color that was left in her cheeks drain away. "I know there are still rogue Akatsuki cells out there - was it them? Did they attack the village?"

Her friend shook his head once, curtly. "No. This attack came from the inside, and was aimed at only one part of the village in particular: Hyuuga House."

She could only think to ask one question. "Who?"

Naruto's answer came in the form of only one word, but it hung starkly between them like a living, breathing, evil thing. "Gorou."

Hyuuga Gorou. It didn't take much effort for Tenten to remember the branch member who had tried to kill Neji, the beginning of a much broader plan that included his taking over the clan. He had been imprisoned after his attempts, but the Council was still talking about what to do with him. "How did he escape?"

"Apparently Gorou had ... like-minded friends. They broke him out, and together they attacked the compound." He shook his head. "It's obvious they'd been planning this for a while. They struck quickly and with deadly efficiency. Before anyone else in the village realized anything was wrong, there were so many already dead and the compound was in flames."

So many dead. Tenten swallowed back the bile biting at the back of her throat and whispered the question that had to be asked. "How many are gone?"

Naruto once more gazed toward the emergency room. "I think, perhaps, it would be easier to name the people still alive."

Tenten pictured the Hyuuga compound as it was when she and Neji had left for their most recent mission. It had been filled with people quietly going about their business, each attending their various tasks with the single-minded focus that seemed to be a family trait. Everything had been peaceful and perfect then, and now Naruto was telling her that it was all just ... gone. "Who survived?"

"Obviously Neji, because he was on the mission with you. And ... the only other survivor is Hinata." Naruto sighed. "Even Gorou and his associates were killed during the massacre and ensuing fire."

Her stomach rebelled violently. Mumbling a quick "excuse me" to Naruto, she ran down the hall to the public restroom, where she dove into a stall and emptied her stomach into the toilet. Even after it was over, she remained slumped over the bowl, tears streaking her cheeks, images of various people she'd gotten to know over her time as Neji's wife spinning through her mind.

Of all those, only Neji and Hinata were left. While she was undeniably thankful that her husband and best friend had been spared, she felt overwhelming sorrow for all those that were lost. She could only imagine how Hinata was feeling, and how Neji would feel when he woke and was told.

Tenten rinsed her mouth and washed her hands before she went back to the waiting room. Sakura had come out while she'd been gone, and she hurried to join the pink-haired medic where she stood talking to Naruto.

Sakura looked up as Tenten approached. "Are you all right? Naruto said you didn't look well when you ran off."

"I'm fine. How's Neji?" Even though her stomach was empty now, she still felt sick.

"He should be waking up soon," Sakura said reassuringly.

"But why was he unconscious for so long? And what about...?" Tenten motioned to her forehead.

"I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to completely explain it," Sakura said. "The best I can figure, when the members of the Hyuuga clan who could exert control over Neji were killed, the curse was broken and the seal vanished."

"But Hinata is still alive," Naruto pointed out, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "She's a main branch member. So - how?"

"Hinata has never approved of the curse mark. She was already at work trying to figure out how to get rid of it for when she took control of the family." Sakura shook her head slowly, her eyes filled with sadness. "All of us wanted freedom for the branch members, but none of us wished for it to come about this way." She blinked once and visibly drew emotional control back to herself. "When the majority of members of the main branch died, I believe that whatever it was that was keeping the seal intact was broken, thus relieving Neji of the curse."

Naruto glanced at Tenten. "How much longer until Neji wakes up?"

"An hour at most, I think. His body was unable to handle the shock of the releasing seal, and he lost consciousness to compensate. His body and mind are still functioning normally, though, so I do not believe there will be any lasting damage." Sakura smiled reassuringly at Tenten, who managed a somewhat shaky one in return.

The Hokage nodded once. "Good. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my office arranging - things. Let me know when Neji wakes up." He squeezed Tenten's shoulder, kissed Sakura on the cheek, then left.

Sakura linked arms with Tenten and gently guided her away from the emergeny room. "I'll take you to Neji's room," she said. "You should be there when he wakes up."

-Three Days Later-

The last of the flames had died out, and even the smoke had drifted away to oblivion, leaving behind the ruins of what had once been the most impressive compound inside the gates of Konoha. Tenten, Neji, and Hinata stood silently outside the skeleton of the once-impressive gates, unable to do anything but stare at what was left of their home.

Hinata's shoulders were shaking, but she had yet to shed a tear. She, too, had been away from the village on a mission to Suna when her family had been killed, leaving her physically unmarked but emotionally scarred forever.

Finally the three of them advanced, picking their way through the ruins to what was left of the main house. Here and there a single wall still stood, jutting out of the rubble like stubborn soldiers. Hinata knelt, pulling a half-melted picture frame free from beneath the remains of what looked like a desk. With shaking hands, she smoothed away the ashes, revealing a picture of herself, her little sister, and her father.

Tenten wrapped her arms around her friend as a tear dripped from Hinata's cheek and landed on the image of her sister. She knew at that moment that her cousin-in-law was wishing she had been there when the massacre happened, if not so she could have maybe done something, than so she could have died along with her family.

Neji had strayed from the two women, carefully digging his way through what was left in the approximate location of his and Tenten's quarters. She watched silently as he found a few things damaged beyond recognition, a few half-burned books, and, lastly, Tenten's hairbrush, which had once belonged to her mother. Although it was covered in ash and the very tip of the handle had melted slightly, it seemed to have survived the fire intact.

As Neji pressed the brush into Tenten's hand, Hinata's head lifted. Her shoulders straightened, her tears dried, and she spoke in a voice strong with determination, free of her usual stutter. "We will rebuild," she vowed. "We will rebuild Hyuuga House and our family. We will never forget those who were lost here, and in their names, we will keep moving forward." Turning to Neji and Tenten, she smiled, the first since she had learned of the tragedy. "The Hyuuga live on in us," she finished.

Tenten's hand found Neji's as he nodded. "We'll never let them be forgotten."

*~The End~*

Author's Ending Notes: I almost wrote another scene that took place sixteen months after the final scene in this piece, but halfway through it I decided that it interrupted the flow of the story too much, and ultimately decided to take it out and leave the ending where it is now. I'm positively fascinated with ideas having to do with the curse being broken, and for some reason the idea of most of the family being killed kept nagging at me. I decided to place this in the same universe as Broken and Fixed, bringing back the character of Goru so he could basically finish what he'd started. Perhaps someday I will return to this storyline and expand on it, write about how things happen during and after the compound is rebuilt, but for now I'm pretty happy about how this turned out. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you liked this piece!