The Good, The Evil and The Not Involved.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Summary: They moved to a new town, by force or by choice, no one is quite sure. All they know is they want them on side. SasuTen, NaruHina, ShikaTema.
Authors Note: The choice to fight is whoever it belongs too. Ohh carrot! You carrot! Did you wanna know a fact that no one apart from me and my facebook friends know? Carrots are the bullets from alien wars that stray from the battle field and hit earth. Oh myy you I hear you say! Welll wanna know about pies? Apples? Rice crispy cakes! Well all you gotta do is ask. I have all the unknown facts ;D
Sorry its so poop, but y'know, you gotta build the scenes. Bear with me people :D
The nights are getting darker
And the wind is cold
The summer sun
Has now become so old
Her closest friends
Were never meant to fade
With all these dreams
That didn't make the grade
Broken Hearts and Torn Up Letters – Lost Prophets.
"Do you ever wonder if you had a choice in how your life panned out?" Sasuke asked Tenten. They were both sat up in bed now, waiting for nothing in particular.
"At first, I guess I know I didn't. The choice was never mine. When I got in the car that night, the night it began, no I didn't have a choice, that was my parents choice. But when they died, and I became that person, yes that was my choice. At the time I didn't think so. I thought I had no choice in what happened, that it was destiny, and in a way, I still believe that, but I believe that its my choices that make my destiny. I know there were so much I could change if I went back in time, but I don't think I would. If my parents were alive I wouldn't be here right now, and in a way, as much as I want them to be alive, I know that they chose to die. I don't want to make a wish to change that," Tenten said. "I hated when I was younger the fact that my choices were over ruled by what my parents wanted, and because of that I wouldn't change anything. Not one thing, as as much as I want too, I wouldn't. What happened then was their choice. I guess I have always known it, but sometimes I change my mind. Now I am at peace with myself, so I can sit here and say that I know it was their choice to die. I mean they could have come out and looked for me and Hinata, they knew where we would be, but they didn't.
"In a way, I feel that was the choice they made. They knew by staying there, they were in trouble, yet they didn't move..."Tenten stopped talking.
"Last night, you said all you ever do is run?" Sasuke said.
"That's because that is all I do," Tenten sighed. "That night, I could have stayed and fought, but I didn't I ran. Whenever things get tough, me and Hinata turn and run. Last night, we ran."
"You don't always run," Sasuke corrected her. "In the past, when we were children, you were the one that would stay and fight. Till someone dragged you away. A couple of days ago, I didn't see you run at school. I know I heard you in the forest telling Hinata to run, but you stayed and fought. You don't always run. You just know what battles to fight, and what ones not too. You know what fights are pointless. You know that there are some fights that you will end up in, where you have to put your own safety on the line for Hinata's. But you also know that in the past it wasn't the time to do that. It takes more bravery to run, then to fight sometimes."
"But why! I'm sick of running, of the secrets, the lies, having be alert at all times. I just want to stand up to them, I want to fight them. I don't care if I die trying, its so much easier then this. I mean, if they turn up here, me and Hinata will have to turn, just turn and run, leave you without a goodbye or anything. And I know you deserve more then that, but if they turned up and we tried to say goodbye in anyway, it could link you to us, and then they will go after you, use you to get to us. I can't do it, and I know Hinata couldn't." Tenten sighed and put her head in her hands for the briefest of moments, before looking up again. She was always the strong one, but right now her resolve was slipping, and she knew the further it slipped, the harder it would be to reclaim it. "But it doesn't matter, I guess its just destiny." She tried for a smile, and the weak one she managed she decided was enough. She had nothing to hide when it came to emotions.
"But you yourself said your destiny is shaped around your choices. If you told us, even if its just me, your destiny changes and maybe you will be able to stay and fight them, then you won't have to run any more," Sasuke spoke softly, but he wasn't quite sure why. He looked at her, sat in the bed next to her, and his mind fell back to all them years ago when they were inseparable. Where had all them years gone? The innocent, but fierce, young Tenten had gone, grown into a troubled women, bearing the worlds troubles on her shoulders and not wanting to share them. But yet in her eyes he could still see the shell of the child he knew, she was just lost in the hard years that had kept them apart.
"But when you involve someone else, my choices shape their destiny..." she argued weakly. "I wish I could tell you, but its not my secret... I just help protect it and the person it belongs too..."
"No matter what you do now, your choice effects our lives," He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him. "Why should all this fall onto you? Who is left to protect you?"
"I don't need protecting," She said fiercely, defensively. She shrugged him arm off and stood up. "We have managed fine this long, we don't need anyone. We have been in more trouble, more fights, more dangerous situations since we ran into you then we have the whole time we were running alone. And that's because of attachment. We have spent so much time being as close to normal as we will ever get, and it made out guard slip!"
"How long has it been just the two of you? Because recently you have been happy, and I know you, you haven't been since this all happened. Are you really willing to give it up? Stop being so stubborn!" Sasuke snapped.
"No, Sasuke. You knew me," Tenten sneered, turning away.
"Where is she!" Hinata yelped, sitting bolt upright.
"Who? The dinosaur that goes rawr? If it is, give up, she only exists in dreams," Temari muttered sleepily.
"Tenten...?" Hinata stared at Temari, eyebrow raised.
"Urgh its too early, come back when the suns up," Temari moaned.
Hinata didn't bother to point out the the sun was "up" but simply chose to give up as last nights events came back to her.
"I'm going to go see about breakfast," Hinata said, rolling out of bed.
Hinata left the room as quietly as she could, walking down the stairs to the main lobby. Looking around her, she realised she couldn't remember walking through here last night, reminding her how tired she was.
"Excuse me," Hinata said, approaching the main desk. "Do you have a restaurant where I can get breakfast? Or know somewhere near by I can get some breakfast stuff from?"
"We have a small café next door, we haven't managed to join it to the main hotel yet, you are more then welcome to use that. Can I take the name your reservation is under?"
"I'm not really sure, but my room number is 108," Hinata replied.
"Let me just check your reservation, you may have the fees of food already covered. Please wait one moment," The male tapped away on the keyboard. Bored and still slightly drowsy Hinata decided to have a proper look at her surroundings. It was a large, but plain room, neutral, much to Hinata's taste. The walls were beige with one wall having a wallpaper with a gold floral print dancing across it.
The desk curved across the corner of the room opposite the door, and the stairs lay on the left side of the room, from the direction you enter by the door. There were a few cushioned chairs, matching the print of the wallpaper, surrounding tables made of the same wood as the desk, with a light colouring.
"Well it seems that the cost of breakfast is covered, but not dinner. I am going to give you a wristband now which entitles you to a free buffet breakfast for as long as you stay, you may want to inform the rest of your party," the desk man told her.
"Thanks for your help," Hinata replied, smiling as she took the band.
"Hey! Hinata!" Someone called from behind her.
"Hmm?" Hinata turned. "Oh its you Naruto." She smiled at him, waiting for him to catch up.
"Need some help with that?" Naruto asked nodding to the band.
"Oh, yes please if you wouldn't mind," Hinata answered gratefully.
"No problem," Naurto smirked, snapping the band onto Hinata's wrist no problem. "What's that for anyway?"
"Breakfast," Hinata explained, simply, but only got a blank look from her friend, who raised an eyebrow. "Basically the package we got when we checked in entitles us to breakfast every morning. All you can eat."
"Oh! Why didn't you say so! What are we standing here for! Why are we not where the food is!" Naruto struggled to get the words he wanted out, making Hinata giggle slightly.
"As you don't have a band silly," Hinata laughed while Naruto looked at his wrist.
"Ohh... where do you get one from then?" He asked her, leaning in as though about to hear a secret.
"The reception, come on, lets get you sorted." She smiled, and walked over to the desk she had just left.
Tenten was sat on the only chair in the room, scowling at the ceiling. Nothing had been said for quite some time, and to say the least the atmosphere was tense.
She racked her brains for something to say, something that wasn't an apology but would ease the tension slightly and make the time they would have to spend alone together more bearable.
She couldn't just say sorry, it wasn't just her fault, he was as much at fault as she was, she just ended the discussion which was spiralling out of her comfort zone.
"I'm hungry," She stated dully, thinking of nothing better to say.
"Hn." Sasuke replied, from his space on the bed. "Well I would say we could go to a café and get some croissants as you used to like them, but I don't know you any more, so I don't know what you like to eat."
Tenten looked down and rubbed her temples with her finger tips.
"You know I didn't mean it the way it sounded. Its just..." Tenten sighed.
"Its just what Tenten, hmm," Sasuke said, eyes boring into her, making her slightly unnerved.
"Its just I hate being judged, told how I feel, it angers me. Who are you to judge me and how I'm feeling? To analyse me," Tenten exclaimed, standing up. She realised she had no room to pace and sat down again.
"I was your best friend, I knew you better then you knew you. I know your older, but it doesn't mean you have changed," Sasuke said, no longer glaring.
"Then why didn't you know I would react like that?" Tenten asked, staring hard at him.
"I knew you would get defensive, but the lash out is new, I guess that just means I was right," He looked sincere as he said this.
"Excuse me?" Tenten asked, but Sasuke merely smirked.
"I'm sorry for pushing you into talking to me, I should have known better, you've always been stubborn I guess," Sasuke sighed, the smirk leaving his face, and a more serious look replacing it. He stood up and walked towards her, leaning over and cupping her cheek. "I just worry about you, you are my oldest and most precious friend, and I don't want to lose you again. I just want to help, losing you again would be something I would never get over."
"You make it sound like the pain is one way, but you know I need to talk to Hinata before I can tell you. I can't betray her, and by telling the secret I would feel I was betraying her, even if she would understand... she never gets angry, but that doesn't mean I can take advantage of her," Tenten said, looking him straight in the eye.
"How come you got so little food! Its free, and so good!" Naruto stated, shoving another mouthful into his mouth.
Hinata ate more modestly, with a more sensible amount. She cut up her food before placing it in her mouth, and made sure there was no residue of each mouthful around her mouth. Naruto however just got whatever he could fit on the fork and tried to fit it all in his mouth, leaving mess all around his mouth. Hinata laughed slightly to herself as some of the sauce from the beans dribbled down his chin. He quickly wiped the trail away with his sleeve before it dripped onto his shirt.
"I guess I'm just not hungry," Hinata smiled, quite happy sat with the greedy blonde before her, it beat sitting alone, and made a change from sitting with Tenten.
"But its free food, you can always make room for free food," Naruto smiled, fitting a sausage, bit of toast, some beans and a slice of bacon into his mouth in one go.
"But there's always tomorrow," Hinata pointed out, taking a sip of her orange juice.
"There, you had to jinx it, we aren't going to be able to stay here till tomorrow now. That means I need another plateful!" Naruto announced the last part with pride and gusto, standing up armed with his plate. During the short while Hinata and Tenten had been in the town, Hinata had become partly fond of the blonde, he always managed to bring a smile to her face with his elaborate personality and determined cheerfulness. He was so strong minded as well, making her wish she could be more like him. In some ways he reminded her of a more free Tenten, when she was younger, and before she decided to carry the weight of the world on her shoulder.
"I'm back! You done already?" Naruto asked, placing his overfilled plate down and tucking in without a second thought.
"Yes, but I think I might sit with you for a while, no doubt Temari is still fast asleep, meaning I will be sat there bored till she wakes up," Hinata said with a smile.
"And who knows when that will be," Naruto smirked, forgetting he was chewing, giving her a nice view of the food in his mouth. "Woops, sorry." He said sheepishly, sending a few chunks of food across the table.
"No worries," Hinata laughed, wiping the mess away with a spare napkin.
Conversation seemed to cease after this, Naruto too interested in eating as much as he could in the shortest amount of time, while Hinata was quite content to watch him, while sipping away her second glass of orange juice, reminding herself the next drink would best off being water.
"I was just wondering, after what happened last night, are me and Tenten now 'involved'?" Hinata asked Naruto, keeping her voice down.
"You were involved from the minute Tenten started fighting, but yeah I think you need to accept the fact it now, as no matter what you do, you will be a target," Naruto took a break from his food to answer her question.
"So, I guess I should ask the next question, who else is involved?" Hinata asked, putting down her glass and leaning her elbows on the table, and her head in her hands.
"Well," Naruto said, spraying some food from the mouthful he had just thrown in his mouth. "You know who is on our side, but on their side they have quite the strong team. They match us with fighting skills, but not brain power most of the time thankfully."
"Oh. But who are they," Hinata whispered, she loved the whole feeling of secrecy of the scene, it made her feel like a lead in a film. She wanted to smile at the weirdness of that thought, that out of all the things that she had been through, all the things she had done, that this was the one that felt like she was reading off a script and following a directors instructions.
"Well, you know that real shady boy at school, who has the sunglasses and high collared coat?" Naruto asked, trying to stretch out the whole scenario, and make Hinata in suspense, and give him control. She nodded eagerly, eyes big and innocent, playing along perfectly. "His names Shino, and he is part of it, if you didn't already guess. You also know about Kabuto who Tenten seems to have made an enemy out of already. But he's not the only one with an immense dislike for her, as you know in the forest that night?"
"Yes..." Hinata nodded, wanting to know everything about them.
"Well, that was-"Naruto started before being interupted.
"So this is where you are hiding!" Kiba smirked walking towards them. Hinata spun to look at him, and Naruto scowled. He was really enjoying the feeling of being in control, knowing something that someone else didn't. He was always the last to know everything, and was gutted the moment of power and knowledge had passed. "You didn't save a chair for me, thanks guys, way to make someone feel loved."
"Well you were asleep and I was hungry, you didn't tell me to save a seat so I didn't," Naruto pouted.
"Its ok, I was just leaving anyway, I have finished, so you can have my seat," Hinata stood up and smiled. "Thanks for the company Naruto, sorry I jinxed the stay."
And with that Hinata walked out of the café, wanting to know who the other major enemy of Tenten was, but decided to let it lay for now.
