Edit: April 26, 2016

So again, later and longer than I intended. But never fear, an update is here!

Keeping pre-chapter comments to a minimum. This chapter starts out in Neji's point of view, and then switches over to Tenten's around halfway through. There originally was more to this chapter, but I will post that little portion later on in Chapter 4. Other than that, on to the story!

Disclaimer: i hindi sariling naruto (Filipino)

Neji's POV

The blade in my hand feels strange. Its weight feels different from before. Perhaps it has something to do with it being used to free the girl instead of killing her captors. I frown at her bonds; they are white and sticky and cling to her and the tree and my hands like spider's silk, and prove to be just as strong. I'm wishing for my serrated blade that I had left at home on a whim when the last thread holding her is cut free.

I can't even stand up from my kneeling position in front of her before the girl rips the kunai out of my hand. I look up at her and see a feral snarl on her face, lips curled back and teeth bared, just before she pushes me to the ground and lets the kunai fly. My vision turns green, the same color as the forest floor, and I hear a cry from behind me. I can assume that the last man that I had left alive has somehow regained his movement (despite the fact that I purposefully paralyzed him from the neck down) and is trying to attack again.

Sure enough, the tan serrated blade that the six-armed man held lands in the tree just inches away from the girl's leg, and I'm on my feet a moment later, spinning around to face my final opponent and expecting another fight. But, to my great surprise, the man lies dead on the forest floor, my kunai lodged soundly in the middle of his forehead. There is a small rivulet of blood flowing from the wound, but other than that it is a clean kill, clearly spelled out from the dead, lifeless eyes that stare into the night. The shot is an impressive one. She had moved so quickly that I had assumed that she just threw the knife on a reflex or out of fear. I certainly did not expect for her aim to be so true in the heat of the moment, especially since she had to compensate for the motion of shoving me out of the way.

I hear the girl behind me, her breaths harsh and ragged as I scan the area for any other potential attackers. One would think that she was the one to fight off these attackers and not I. Mentally cursing myself for not being more vigilant as I listen for any other movement near us, I relax from my fighting stance and turn to the girl. An easy 'are you alright?' is out of my mouth even before I realize it, and then I frown at myself. She is clearly not alright.

Her head is a mess, hair spilling out of the two buns that she has styled her hair into. Blood trickles down her forehead, and more of it cakes the back of her neck where her head hit the tree. More blood trickles down her chin from the corner of her mouth that I'm sure has come from a hard hit to the stomach. Little speckles of blood decorate her neck like a morbid ruby necklace, and by morning I am more than sure that she'll be bruised horrendously all over her body.

But even past all of that, she is shaken to the core. Her almond eyes are dilated wide, looking past me as though I were not there, her mouth twisted into a grimace made all the more grotesque by the blood in her mouth. Her chest heaves as she pants and gasps for her breath, and her hands tremble as though she had a fever.

My approach is slow; I don't want to frighten her more than she already is. Still, her eyes don't focus on me as I cross the three short feet to her side; they remain steadfast on the corpse father back as though she were waiting for it to reanimate and attack again. I put my hands on her shoulders and give her a gentle shake to pull her attention away. She lets her arm drop as she staggers forward, and slowly her head turns to me. I see the barest flicker of recognition in her eyes and I can breathe just the tiniest bit easier. Her eyes search my face, as if looking for answers to questions that she cannot voice.

"It's alright," I murmur to her. "They are dead. They cannot harm you anymore." Her eyes flicker back to the corpses and then back to me, and a small whimper escapes her throat as she ducks her head. My eyes narrow. Why on earth would they do this to someone?

"Who were they? What did they want with you?" I ask in a low voice, but she has retreated again and is barely conscious of her surroundings. Nothing I say will reach her now, not until she has calmed down and recovered. She reaches into her shirt to pull something out. It's a small white bundle clutched tight in her hand, and I can only assume that it is the dagger that I have asked her to fix.

I blink at her. She remembers that she needs to return my dagger, even while she is in a state of shock. Shaking my head, I close her smaller hand around the blade and press it back to her chest.

"Hold on to it for me," I say. I think it better to leave this for when she is better, when the both of us are thinking a bit more clearly. Her face settles in a slight frown, as if she is trying to figure out why I will not take back what belongs to me, but the look passes in a second to be replaced by a look of absolute exhaustion. Her eyes slip closed, and she pitches forward again.

My arm settles on her back and slips behind her knees, and I lift her off of the ground while I curse myself in my head once more. I should know better than to interrogate her when she is in such a state. Another soft whimper escapes her, and I lean her closer into my body, tucking her head lightly under my chin. She weighs close to nothing in my arms, and I marvel at how thin she is. Her life has not been an easy one.

"Rest," I say as I walk away from the carnage behind us. I make a note to come back some time tomorrow and investigate the corpses, but that falls after this girl has been taken care of. Our walk is a quiet one, the forest providing a sense of closeness that I don't particularly feel like breaking. The early twilight makes it hard to see, but I've grown up here and I know this forest as well as I know my own home. I've barely gone a half mile when I feel the girl's breathing even out, and I spare a glance at her as I sidestep yet another tree.

She's pretty, in her own right. Not outright glamorous like Yamanaka Ino, not seductively enticing like Sabaku no Temari, not bold and justifiably proud like Haruno Sakura, but she has her own type of beauty that I cannot name outright. It is modest, like my cousin Hinata's, but much more striking at the same time. Her face speaks volumes of hardships overcome through cunning and hard work, and I feel respect for her take root inside me.

That respect soon turns to anger as my eyes wander to her injuries. I tsk to myself in annoyance. To treat a woman like this is intolerable, no matter neither where they hail from nor their status in society.

I refocus on the path leading out of the forest, putting my anger in check. Already dawn pushes at the night sky, driving it back over the far horizon. I feel the heat of the morning sun fall against my back, and the birds rouse themselves and sing an aria for the world. Soft light filters through the broad leaves of the trees, and the morning dew makes every blade of grass shine like polished jade in the hall of an emperor.

I let my mind wander back to when I first saw this girl, eleven days ago. Of all the events that could have led to our paths crossing, to have encountered her like that in the middle of a busy day made a rather striking impression. I had just wanted to get a gift for my younger cousin's birthday at the end of the month, and my search had taken me all over the market by the time I found that dagger, and still it had flaws. I had circumnavigated the entire market again, and was at the end of my rope when I was finally directed to her.

I honestly don't know why I did not think to ask her to fix the dagger in the first place; I've seen her before in the forge with the blacksmith and assumed that she was his apprentice. But whatever greater power that guides us through our lives directed me back to her irrevocably.

Her little stall was really nothing more than a large overturned crate, covered with a discarded tablecloth, at the side of the road, practically sandwiched between a sweets vendor and a tailor shop. One would not notice her if they were not looking for her specifically. And yet her weapons stock was impeccable, to say the least. The blades were sharpened to a perfect deadly point, balanced superbly, and fit well in one's grip. For an apprentice, she was magnificent.

Her reaction to my walking up was something beyond interesting. She sat relaxed behind her stall, eyes lazily scanning the busy crowds, handling her business with a professional friendliness that guaranteed that her customers left with a priceless piece and a smile. Yet when her eyes fell on me she tensed as a deer does in a light. It wasn't awe or adoration, not exactly; her expression rather reminded me of a child who is called on in class and has no idea what to answer. I chuckle softly to myself. She really is an interesting case.

I step past the tree line and out of the forest, and spare another glance at the girl in my arms. Why she would have the dagger on her person is far beyond me, and I frown to myself. If I were not on my way home from training and heard her scream, she would have died. It was on pure coincidence that I chose to ramble through the forest instead of making straight for the compound, and even that hinged on me going to train outside yesterday. Hiashi had been preoccupied when I had left that morning, thus leaving me without an instructor, and on other days like this I have been known to stay within the confines of the compound walls. Again, whatever force dictates our lives led me back to her again.

The dusty road is long and empty, they day not yet quite starting for the rest of the village. The trees provide a strip of shade, and occasionally they break to reveal some farmer's or trader's house. As I walk back toward the compound, I consider how well I know her. Even something as simple as the faint highlights in her hair worms its way into my mind and takes it over. Why does she draw my attention like a magnet? And yet I do not know her name. My own ignorance makes me want to retreat somewhere far away from her, where I don't have to reveal that she has permeated my thoughts so completely while I am yet missing the most crucial detail about her.

If my hands were free I am sure that I would be running a hand through my hair right about now. I am thinking my way through circles, and it aggravates me. This, again, poses another problem. She is a blacksmith's apprentice; my interest in her should stray no further than her services. I cannot let something like this distract me, even if I do intend to follow through with my original plan of letting her recover in the compound. I let the matter rest, and push the entire thing out of my mind. With any luck, this will all be over once our transaction is completed.

Finally, the wall of the compound appears. In a few minutes I am in front of the entrance gates, staring at Iroha and Tokuma's matching disapproving glares.

Tokuma's tone sets me on edge all over again. "Master Neji. We were wondering where you had gone when you did not return last night." I give him a long, hard look. He is the slightest bit too cool, even for me and my reputation of levelheadedness. He sounds as though he would rather me stay gone.

"I was delayed. I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused in or because of my absence," I reply calmly. "If you would, open the gates please." Even if I do not particularly like him, he is still my elder by a good ten years, and I show him, as I do all my elders, the respect due.

Iroha seems to think that I do the exact opposite. "My apologies, Master Neji, but we cannot let the outsider into the compound." He gives the girl in my arms a cursory once-over, and his brow furrows as though I were holding a dead rat rather than a person in need of medical attention. I sigh in aggravation. This is not the time for something like this!

"The outsider," I stress the word, "is my guest at the moment and in need of medical attention. You would be wise to withhold any further comments and let us through." I accent my words with my own glare.

"Master Neji-" Tokuma barely begins when a soft moan from the girl I hold cuts him off short. I shift the slightest bit to take a look at her; thankfully she has calmed down quite a bit. Her trembling is gone, and her breathing is much better than it was before. Still, she bleeds more than I am comfortable with, and I would rather she be recovering by now.

"Are you awake?" I ask.

Tenten's POV

The low rumbling of a deep voice rouses me, and I blink the sleep out of my eyes. I become aware of a strong set of arms holding me aloft, and I try to turn to look at who is carrying me. But as soon as I move my head, I very nearly pass out again from the sharp stab of pain that laces its way from the back of my head down my neck and spine, all the way down to my finger tips and toes. The low voice pauses for a second, and the body that I am being held against shifts slightly.

"Are you awake?" A pair of lavender eyes glances down at me, and I duck my head to hide the blush that's creeping up my cheeks as I nod. Neji hums softly to himself and returns to whatever conversation he was having, but he does not let me go. I count that as a small blessing as I recall the reason that I am in this state in the first place; I would probably end up on the ground should he put me down. Yet the fact that he has carried me all this way to … wherever it is that we are … embarrasses me to no end.

I glance around at my surroundings, trying to place where in the village we are. A rather large wall is in front of Neji and I, and I can see nothing beyond it save for a tall building with many rooms. We are standing on the street, and as far as I can see, the wall continues on and on, all the way to the edge of the forest off in the distance. I can't turn around to check, but I am fairly sure that the same is true on the other side. The only entrance seems to be the one that Neji and I are stopped at, and I look up at the impressive gate. Two guards stand at attention in front of the entry, both pale-eyed, armed, and glaring at me as though I were a criminal deserving of capital punishment. I finally tune in to what Neji is saying to the two guards.

"I will not repeat myself again," Neji all but growls at the two men baring his path. "Open this gate at once."

They turn their glares on him, looking down their noses as though they were more than just entry guards.

"You know the rules well, Master Neji. Outsiders are not welcome in the compound," one of the guards said.

"Be that as it may, you have just said the exact reason why you will open the gates immediately," Neji replied. "You address me as Master Neji, yet I need not address you at all. You and I both know who holds more power in this situation." The coolness and authoritative superiority in Neji's tone makes me turn my head away from the guards. I've caused another problem, am clearly not wanted here. It would be better for all if I left.

I shift slightly in Neji's arms, hoping that he will take the hint and let me go. But he does quite the opposite – he holds me tighter to himself as I hear the gates to the compound swing open with a quiet creak. The pressure feels oddly nice, and I try not to think about how good it feels to be valued as a person. Neji barely spares the two guards a glance as he strides into the compound, and I see that the guards have bowed low, obscuring their faces from me.

As soon as Neji has past, they both stand up and close the gate. One of them catches my eye, and scowls at me again before the gates close. Before I can stop it, a soft whimper works its way up my throat and past my lips, and I curl myself tighter into Neji's embrace.

"Pay them no mind," Neji mumbles to me as he strides forward. "You are not the cause of that altercation. They have always had a particular problem with me, but they can do nothing about the fact that I have more say than they do."

A soft 'oh' slips out, and I take a look around the compound grounds. They are the epitome of orderly and clean and practically give meaning to the word 'minimalism'. A sea of white sand and gravel is only broken by the many buildings and the occasional island of rock in the middle of the white expanse. There is a flat stone walkway that leads up to and encircles the main entrance of the main house, branching out every so often to another building. The entire effect makes me think of snow, white and pristine and untouched in the winter. It is rather soothing to look at, and I find myself wishing that I could see it more often.

Neji stops in front of the doorway of the main building and removes his shoes by the door in a quick fluid motion. I hear a series of three taps – him knocking on the wooden frame with his heel – and the shoji door slides back with a soft whisper. Two girls are kneeling by the door, heads bowed low and long hair tied back in the exact same way. They have the same white eyes as Neji and the two guards from outside, but it seems as if their sole job is to open and close the door for any who wish to enter or exit. I have to tear my eyes away from them, and even that takes an effort. Instead, I look at the place Neji calls home.

The inside of the main house is large and as spacious as I have always imagined it to be, yet I find something wrong with it. The little furniture consists of dark mahogany tables with vases containing a single white lily, and no matter where Neji walks the polished hardwood floor makes no sound. All looks perfect and yet not at the same time. It's as if the lily on the small nightstand against the wall is angles the wrong way or the dim morning lighting of the house hits the objects in a wrong way, or the very air around us is somehow bad. I do not like it very much at all.

I glance up at Neji, who has changed ever so slightly as well. His face is closed off, more so than I have ever seen it, as if in the time it took us to travel from the main gate to the front door he has built a dam around himself, shoring up what little emotion he has shown and locking it away behind a thick wall. He is tense; I can feel the muscles in his arms in sharp contrast to my form, ridged and taut. He does not say another word to me as he takes me through the outer room, past the dining and sitting rooms, to the back of the house. Again, he knocks softly on the wooden frame of the door with the heel of his foot and steps back to wait. A petite woman with dark green shoulder-length hair opens the door and bows low at the sight of Neji.

"Master Neji," she murmurs as she rises, head still bowed in deference.

"Good morning Natsu," he replies in a low voice. "Follow me, please."

She does nothing more than nod and waits for Neji to step ahead of her. I cran my neck to look back at her, and she gives me a small smile full of warmth when our eyes meet. I smile back just the tiniest bit, and focus back ahead of us. Neji has stopped in front of a flight of stairs, as if considering whether or not he wants to go up. His brow is slightly creased, and I get the feeling that he does not like the second floor at all. But none the less, he starts up the stairs and turns the corner. He stops in front of a door way toward the end of a hall, and Natsu quietly slips forward and slides the shoji door open. Neji enters the room and finally puts me down on the queen-sized futon before Sitting on the floor next to me.

I shift uncomfortably on the fine silk covers, acutely aware of how much I do not belong in such a fine room. The silk that I sit on is a deep burgundy with ruby red and shining gold detailing, making a pattern of ivy vines that curls its way across the expanse of the futon. The tatami mats are of pale rice straw and not a single speck of dust is seen in the light that streams in from the open shoji balcony door that faces the back of the building. I can barely make out the forms of the other building in the compound, and the faint twitter of morning birds flows into the room. The smell of jasmine and sage and rosemary and roses and all other types of flowers waft in alongside the morning sunlight that falls on a low table made of more rich mahogany is accompanied by zabuton cushions for one to sit on, and the more rigid fusuma walls are done in light tan paper that errs on the side of pale yellow. To my left another shoji door is closed, and I can only assume that it leads to a private wash room.

"I apologize if you feel uncomfortable," Neji murmurs to me, too low for the maid by the door to hear. "This is the least extravagant guest room that we have available. But to put you in a servant's room when you are a guest is unacceptable." I assume he says this because of how I glance around the room and fidget in my seat.

"You do not need to apologize, Hyuuga-san. And I thank you for your hospitality," I reply. "I am just not accustomed to such luxury." Neji inclines his head in acknowledgement, and I see no judgment in his eyes. I release a breath I did not know I was holding at that thought. He does not see me as just some street-rat girl that he's picked up. He sees me as a guest.

"You will stay here for the duration of your stay, until you are fully recovered," Neji continues in a slightly louder tone. "I have some business to take care of, so I will leave you in Natsu's capable hands." I lower my eyes and bow my head for a moment in gratitude.

"Thank you again, Hyuuga-san, but I do not intend to stay long and impose on your kindness. As soon as tomorrow, I will be on my way," I reply. I know better than to take advantage of a gift such as this. It is bound to spell trouble along the way, and already I know that not everyone approves of my being here. To stay would be the same as inviting a wolf into a house and risk having it cause problems later on. I hear a small 'hn' come from Neji, and almost wince.

"You will not impose, I assure you," he says. He does not sound angry, but still stands firm on his decision. "You will stay until the compound's medic feels that you are recovered enough to leave." I feel the tiniest spark of anger flare up in the back of my mind. Who is he, that he may order me around? And yet, I rationalize that he is saying such a thing because he feels that it is his responsibility to make sure that I do not end up dead because of negligence. That does not make me feel much better about staying, but I acquiesce all the same with a slight nod of my head.

"Thank you once again, Hyuuga-san." Satisfied with my answer, he calls for the maid, who comes forward and offers a small bow.

"Natsu," Neji says as he turns to the maid, "please attend to her for the duration of her stay. Attend to her for anything that she might need, and assist the medic should she need you to. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Master Neji," Natsu replies and bows again. Neji nods in approval and returns his attention to me.

"I must take my leave now. Other matters require my attention, and they cannot wait any longer." He rises when I give him another nod and heads toward the shoji door, when Natsu slides it open for him once more. Neji pauses in the middle of the doorway and turns back to me.

"Once more I must apologize, but I do not know who you are. May I ask of your name?"

I blink at him. It never occurred to me that he would care enough to inquire of my name. I had thought that once I left that he would forget about me, and therefore would not take the time to acquaint himself with me. But then again, he did insist on my staying for a few days, so I suppose that anything could be possible.

"My name is Tenten, Hyuuga-san," I finally answer with the slightest tone of hesitance in my voice. His eyes zero in on my face, and his stare burns through me slowly. Without my knowledge everything around the two of us has faded away again, and I feel myself wanting to close the distance between the two of us.

"Tenten," he murmurs, and I barely hear the next phrase that comes out of his mouth. "Twice over, heaven," he says, and slowly as small semblance of a smile works its way onto his face. His chin dips the tiniest bit even as his eyes remain fixed on mine, and I feel as though he is drawing me in with nothing more than his words. "My name is Neji, not Hyuuga-san. Leave that for others," is the last thing he says to me, and then he is gone down the hallway and the pull is gone and the world comes back into focus and I am left with the felling that some part of me has gone with him. Natsu comes a bit closer to me, and I direct my half-attention to her.

"I apologize, Miss Tenten, but I am going to fetch the medic for you. Will you be alright by yourself for a few minutes?" Her voice is mellow and light, and again I note the lack of judgment and concern that she has for me. After so long of working and living on my own, to have someone care for me sends me reeling.

"Yes, I will be fine. Thank you." Natsu nods and backs out of the room, closing the shoji door behind her. Left alone with my thoughts once again, I ponder why on earth Neji would insist that I stay. For the life of me, I cannot fathom any reason that he would do something like this for someone such as me. Even going past the general kindness of helping a person in need, he's offered me a place to recover. I know of very few people that would do something like this. Most would not even stop to help, thinking it not their business or that someone else will come and help in their place. That kind of thinking is what keeps you alive on the streets. It is not enough to just have good intentions; if you wish to interfere with other peoples' affairs you do so knowing that you risk your business, your home, even your family and your very life. Yet Neji has done all of that and more, for someone he owes a precious little.

I sigh and look around the room again. I suppose that I will take things as they come to me, for that is all I can do.

Edit: April 26, 2016

So yeah, the little bit that is missing is going to be in the next chapter. I cut it off because this became longer than I intended to make the chapters. The first chapter was about 1500 words, chapter 2 was a little more than 4000 words, and this chapter came out to be just over 5000 words. None of those numbers include the A/Ns that I write at the beginning or the end of the chapters.

So I mentioned three extra characters today. One of the character's names changed (from Asami to Natsu), so if you continue on through the story and see the name Asami, just know that I'm working on the chapters and that eventually her name will be changed to Natsu.

Now my point for mentioning this is that these three characters actually appear in the anime. And to help you all out, they are all Hyuuga. So your little challenge, should you choose to take it, is to tell me from where these three characters come from:

Hyuuga Natsu

Hyuuga Tokuma

Hyuuga Iroha

Just give me a little two-sentence thing on who they are (other than they are Hyuuga) and where/when they appear in the anime.

I didn't do this with the Sound Ninja Four because they, for the most part, are well-known enough that it wouldn't pose much of a challenge. This way, I get to see who has done their homework.

Anyway, that's all for today! Like, review, follow, and share, and most important stay safe everyone!