Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Little Green Leaf ❯ Ring Out ( Chapter 7 )

So you know what's fun? If you have to stop writing for a few months, be sure to leave off on a cliffhanger. The reviews are GREAT! I got five pages worth on that alone!

Also, it seems the manga has decided to take the story in a direction I never anticipated. So I think I'm going to have to make this a little AU, which normally I hate, but I can't see the Gaara I portrayed earlier being the kazekage so… we'll just glance over that for. Also, apparently, it takes several days to travel to Wind Country from Fire Country, not several hours. But if I wrote THAT, there wouldn't be a story, there's almost no way Tenten or Kankuro would hold enough interest in each other to waste several days just for one short fight. So… the countries are both suddenly a little bit smaller. Yeah. Enjoy.

BTW thanks again to Archeeka and also Randomsomeone for their help with this chapter.

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"Hey, I just saw her move! I think she's waking up!"

Very distantly, Tenten heard someone's voice. It was familiar, loud, and somewhat energetic. She tried to speak, but somehow, couldn't remember how to do it.

"She made a sound! Tenten! Follow the sound of my handsome voice, and let the spirit of youth recover you!"

Another, similar voice, but deeper and more annoying. She scowled, and somehow, managed to control the movements of her eyelids. Vision blurred slowly into focus. A white ceiling and two strange green blobs hovering over her. They gradually melted into the shapes of Rock Lee and Gai-Sensei. She groaned.

"Are you in pain, Tenten?" Lee asked, his voice ringing with genuine concern.

"…It stings," she said coarsely through her teeth as her vocal abilities came back to her. Despite not saying what it was that stung, Gai and Lee seemed to understand.

"Should we have the nurse get you some painkillers?…" Lee asked, but Tenten shook her head.

"It's nothing. It isn't that bad."

Lee said something, but she didn't listen. She was looking around, trying to figure out where she was, and how she had gotten there.

It was clearly a hospital, and it must have been in Konoha because she barely recognized the view outside her window. A sharp ache in her abdomen told her why she was there, and she vaguely remembered how it had happened.

I was fighting Karasu… No, Karasu burned… It was Kankuro… I was running from him, or… from that poison, that's what I was running from… and then….

She couldn't remember what had happened next.

"…How did I get here?" she asked them painedly. Gai and Lee exchanged worried glances.

"…We would ask you the same thing," Lee explained. "We were told by Neji that you were here. The nurse said she didn't recognize who brought you here."

"You have the same type of wound Lee found you with a month ago," Gai continued. "Tenten, however much it may pain you, you must tell us how this keeps happening so that we may help you!"

"Was it the same person as before? Do you have a rivalry with them?"

"Or does it go beyond a rivalry into something more dangerous?"

"Are you in some kind of trouble, Tenten?"

Their words were beginning to annoy her. She felt disgusting enough as it was, and these two interrogating her was not an improvement to her mood. Finally, she tore her line of sight away from the window and locked eyes with them angrily, her face betraying her irritation.

"Do you think I'm incompetent?" she asked them harshly. Gai regarded her calmly, but Lee appeared startled. She continued. "Give me a little credit! I know what I'm doing. These things happen. I'm a weapon's expert! It's expected for me to take a hit now and again! I chose to go to that fight, and in choosing, I understood the risks involved! If I didn't take these risks, how would I improve? I don't want to be saddled with easier missions with minimal threats, I want to know how to handle the danger, want to receive recognition for my talents! I want my skills appreciated, and I want to fight! Please stop treating me like I don't know what I'm doing, it's very disheartening!"

Finally, she took a deep, relieving breath, and after a moment of looking into their eyes, gazed down at her hands, somewhat ashamed. Lee and Gai were very quiet. She hadn't meant to snap like that, but she was more than done with being underestimated, and felt as though that had been a long time coming. She was so ashamed. From letting loose on her friends, from the humiliation of losing a fight so badly that she needed hospital care, and from the anger that it appeared Kankuro wasn't even around to make sure he hadn't killed her. She put her fingers to her temple, trying to will herself to calm down. The last thing she wanted Lee and Gai to see would be her breaking down.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly seemed very thick with tension, and Tenten wondered if they were deciding what to say, or waiting for her to speak. Finally, Gai-Sensei broke the silence.

"Your maturation into a respectable ninja hasn't gone as unnoticed as you seem to think, Tenten," he began, and Tenten was surprised how serious her usually energetic and colorful teacher was being. She raised her eyes to him.

"This past month especially, you have a new energy about you. It's very bright and youthful!" He grinned, and she smiled slightly. "You train harder, smile more, do better work, and, well…. Sleep later," he seemed to smirk. A light blush tinted her cheeks. He laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and she found that he did make her feel better, a little. In a way that only Gai-sensei could.

"But try to remember all your precious people!" he reminded. "When we found out you were hospitalized, we didn't even know how it happened! We aren't scolding you for getting hurt, we're relieved that you're okay! We also want you to improve; we're even willing to help! Try to remember when you go out to fight, all the people important to you, who you are important to!"

She looked at him, and he smiled toothily. She couldn't help but to laugh a little bit.

"Look at you, trying to pretend you're wise," she smiled at him. "You sure know how to spoil a bad mood."

Suddenly, Lee threw his arms around her in a tight hug that nearly suffocated her. Pulling back, he exclaimed brightly, "Maybe now that you're here, they can get you back on a real sleep schedule!"

She couldn't suppress a giggle, and the two of them laughed as well.

"Sorry," she apologized sincerely, "I didn't mean to snap like that. I'm just a little… frustrated. I mean, Kan- er… He…" She shook her head, as if trying to rattle her thoughts into coherency, "…Where is he? Was I unconscious for that long, that he just went home? I… I thought… we're friends! Is he still in town? Did he leave any message for me at all?…"

She was very sincere. Lee looked to Gai, who seemed to be thinking on some matter. He folded his arms.

"This friend of yours… He is the same one as before, isn't he? And you've been fighting him every night?"

Tenten lowered her gaze slightly and nodded, somewhat bashfully. He continued.

"He isn't from Konoha, is he? In fact, he's from Sand, isn't he?"

This time, she seemed a little more surprised, and her reaction gave Gai his answer.

"How did you know all that?" she asked incredulously.

"Gai-sensei is fantastic!" Lee exclaimed proudly, "He is an elite jounin! He always knows the answer!"

Tenten tried very hard not to roll her eyes at Lee's enthusiasm, and continued to look to her teacher questioningly. Gai grinned.

"When you asked if he was still in town, you betrayed that he was not from Konoha. The poison and the antidote found in you are almost exclusive to the Village of Sand. "

"Tenten, is it true?" Lee asked in amazement, "You've been going to the Wind Country every night? That's so far away, though!"

"…We… We meet half way…" she explained a little timidly, feeling exposed. Gai brought his hand up to his chin and smiled knowingly.

"Ah, youth. With it comes energy, experiences, and young love!"

Lee's jaw hit the floor, and Tenten immediately turned bright red.

"It's not like that!" She loudly insisted, throwing her hands up defensively. "There's nothing like that going on! We just… we just fight!"

Lee looked aghast, and Gai was laughing. Tenten's face fell into her hands in humiliation.

"You'll see him again, won't you?" Gai asked with a smirk, and Tenten flinched slightly. The way she answered this question would be very important, and she tried to think of the least incriminating response.

"….We need to settle this," she finally replied assuredly, satisfied with her answer. Gai nodded, grinning, but Lee still looked startled, and alternated staring in confusion between Tenten and Gai.

"In that case," Gai said, "You'd better get well soon! You only have ten days to get back in top condition, so starting tomorrow, Lee and I will dedicate ourselves to helping you! I know a recipe for dumplings that's said to have amazing healing properties if you eat one hundred of them!"

"Ten days?" she asked, wondering where that number had come from, but Lee interrupted with his own bright enthusiasm.

"Yes! We will help you, Tenten! You'll be better, in fact, more so than ever by the end of ten days, with our help! You can count on it!"

Both he and Gai then gave her a thumbs-up in a gesture she recognized to be their self-titled "Nice Guy Pose". It was rather silly, but knowing that the two of them always stuck by their promises- especially when accompanied by the pose, she did feel reassured, even grateful. It was good to see the extent of their care for her.

"We're going to tell the nurse you're awake now, and then leave you to rest for today. We'll be back first thing tomorrow morning, so be expecting it! By the way, this is for you. Come on, Lee!"

He said it so fast and so casually, that she barely registered it when he handed her a small folded slip of paper before quickly leading Lee out of the hospital room. When they were gone, Tenten curiously unfolded the piece of paper. A note was written on it.

We'll try again in ten days. Get better quickly, and I'm sorry.

In her surprise, she read it over three times, as if making sure she hadn't missed anything. So he had left her a message. And although it was brief, it said everything she wanted to know. She felt so relieved, that she actually giggled out loud. With a sigh, she fell back against her pillow and glanced back towards the window as the nurse walked into the room.

 

Kankuro didn't remember ever feeling so exhausted in his entire life. When he finally got home, looking tremendously worse for wear, he felt like he hadn't seen his bed in months. Temari was already up when he swung the front door open and trudged into the house. It was clear from the surprised look on her face that she wanted to ask him a few questions, about where he had been all night, no doubt, or whose blood he was covered in, or maybe about the curious lack of Karasu, but he brushed past her quickly before she could even open her mouth, and secluded himself in his bedroom with a resounding slam of the door. He barely managed to peel off his blood stained clothing, forget about a shower, before he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep before he ever hit the pillow.

He slept for probably much longer than he would have normally allowed himself, and honestly would have stayed in bed longer if Temari hadn't started pounding on his door, insisting that if he didn't get out of bed she would come in there and drag him out by the hair.

So, he begrudgingly tore himself out of the comfort of his sheets, deciding that he was only doing so to use the shower, not because Temari told him to.

The hot water felt immediately relieving, soothing his sore muscles, and he watched as Tenten's blood washed off his skin and swirled down the drain. It was a depressing sight. He still felt dirty, like all the soap in the world wouldn't wash off all the blood. Her blood. What he did to her… to someone he had called his friend… was, to him, unforgivable. What thought process could have possibly led to him plunging a blade into her belly? Sure, they were fighting, but they weren't fighting to the death. It was more like a spar, really. He was just so angry about what she had done to Karasu that he may have acted a bit rashly. She had entirely decimated his best weapon, which had come as a complete surprise, and succeeded not only in disarming him but also enraging him. He acted rashly, blinded by anger, and fought her with true intent, not holding back anything, and didn't comprehend the extent of his actions until he felt her warm blood wash over his hands.

Ever since that first fight - the only other time she fell unconscious during their meetings - ever since that first night when he brought her home to Konoha out of some sort of obligation he didn't even quite understand; he had decided that if he ever had the opportunity to fight her again, he would leave her alive. He would beat her down, but only hard enough to cause minor damage that she could easily recover from. And, presented with that chance, that was just what he'd done, up until last night, when he acted thoughtlessly out of emotion - the very thing he'd scolded her for on any number of other occasions when she lost to him because she'd let herself get affected by his taunting.

He had to make it up to her. That was why he'd told her to meet him in ten days, which would give her plenty of time to recover. It would be harder to talk to her if she was still suffering from the pain he'd caused. He wouldn't bring any weapons; they weren't going to fight. He needed to talk. He needed to tell her that he couldn't fight her anymore; he couldn't attack someone that he didn't actually want to die. Especially since her skills had been improving so much lately. It was forcing him to stop holding back, and when he did that, blood was spilt. Her pride would be wounded, he could count on that; she would accuse him of thinking her to be weak, so much that she can't even defend herself, protest that she didn't need his `protection', exclaim that she came here to fight and she wanted a challenge. But wouldn't she also be offended if they did continue their battle, and she realized he wasn't trying to hurt her, that he wasn't utilizing all his skill?

He couldn't hurt her, not anymore, not after what happened. He cared about her too much for that.

It was so peculiar, how far their relationship had come in just three weeks. And to think, their first two encounters, he'd challenged her just because he felt like being irritating. He had enjoyed deflating her ego those times. Now, he enjoyed nearly every minute he spent with her. Every scowl, every smirk, every bit of her.

But not the blood.

 

True to their word, Gai and Lee showed up bright the next morning to help Tenten with her `recovery training', and continued to show up every morning thereafter for the next ten days. At first, it felt good to receive a little attention, as she'd often felt like the most `forgettable' member of their team, but after a while, she really wished they would just stop. Most of their exercises were painful or exhausting, and some of them just tasted really, really bad. She was starting to resent Kankuro more and more for causing this injury that fuelled Gai and Lee's ambition to make her stronger.

Training was good, she never disagreed with it, but these guys just didn't know how to stop!

One day, they had even managed to convince Neji to grace them with his presence. At first, Tenten thanked Heaven. Finally, maybe she would get a little relief! But as it turned out, she had just been dropped from the frying pan into the fire. Neji was even worse! She knew him to be relentless, but rarely did he dedicate any day to issuing orders for her to run this many laps, do that many sit ups, hit those targets in this order with these weapons and by the way you're being timed, if you don't make that time I'm throwing exploding notes at you, and now we see how far you've come, let's fight. He hadn't even given her a ten minute break, even when she thought her stitches were going to split. It was like being in Hell, and Neji was the devil. She found herself wishing somebody would throw a kunai straight into her head just so she could escape this nightmare.

Of the training exercises she endured in those ten days, some of the practices were physical, some were mental, and some were even medicinal, in hopes of completely curing her by her deadline. Trying to speed up the healing process seemed against nature (or so she once protested after the eighth or so cup of different flavored tea said to have healing properties- she liked tea just fine but after a while she really just wasn't thirsty anymore) but they had at some point caught the Hokage's assistant Shizune and managed to convince her to help Tenten along. Shizune's method felt much more effective than pouring cup after cup of scalding water down her throat, and she did feel better afterwards. However, that didn't stop Gai sensei and Lee, who wanted to "make sure", and continued to present her with home remedies.

But for all the pain and horror she endured, she had to admit, it was working. By the end, she felt perfectly healthy without a bit of pain in her abdomen (although there was a scar), and in truth, fitter than she had ever been. Now, she felt, she was ready. Ready to face anything Kankuro had to offer, for any surprise, even if he came at her with everything he had. Never again would she need to be brought home for medical treatment and disabled for that length of time. What if something happened and she was needed on a mission? She couldn't let herself be useless, or worse, a liability!

But despite all that, despite that underlying anger about the life-threatening inconvenience he had caused, there was one thought she just couldn't shake for all ten days. For the second time, he brought her back. For the second time, he needlessly saved her life. And this time, he even left her a schedule for their next meeting. She couldn't help but to think that he really must want to keep her alive. More than that, he wanted to see her again. He had even apologized. That was unlike him; usually when he won, he gloated obnoxiously. Was he really worried about her? Was he still worried, now? Was he afraid she would be angry with him?

She could see where that idea would come from; after all, she was clearly the type of girl to hold a grudge. But when it came right down to it, she wasn't angry with him. Maybe minorly irritated, but it really had been her own fault, she should have been more alert. If that had been a real fight with a real enemy, she'd be dead. He may have stabbed her with a poisoned blade, but he kept her alive so that she could overcome that weakness.

Of course, that wasn't to say he wasn't going to get the living hell beat out of him next time she saw him. She was, after all, the type to hold a grudge.

When at last the tenth day came, she could do nothing to hide her excitement. She had suffered ten days of pain and torture (though she wouldn't admit that to the well-meaning duo who subjected her to it), all for this night, all to see him again. She couldn't face him again if she wasn't at top condition, it would only harm his opinion of her, prove that she didn't belong there, with him. She absolutely wouldn't stand for that. Tonight, she would not only prove her resiliency and determination, but also beat him for sure. Last time she had disarmed him, before he pulled a weapon and miraculously won the fight. Before that, she had been so close to victory, she could smell it. This time, it would be hers for sure.

Gai and Lee were supposed to see her off, but evading them, she left alone. Their help had been appreciated, but this was something she had always done by herself, and she would continue to do so. Seeing them would distract her from her course of action. They would only be disappointed until she returned with her hard-earned win.

Feeling comfortable and confident, Tenten left Konoha.

 

Kankuro had managed to successfully pass ten days without worrying himself to death about the impending meeting by busying himself with Karasu's repairs. After retrieving what was left of the marionette, which consisted of a burnt but salvageable metal skeletal frame, he began a long road of work reconstructing it. And although the fight with Temari when she saw Karasu's remains was not looked forward to, it was inevitable. Sure enough, she was enraged.

"What if we'd been assigned a mission?" she berated, "What if there was an attack? You always have to be ready, you idiot! How could you let that happen? Kuroari's still there but he's useless without Karasu! You need that thing to fight, I've seen your taijutsu!"

"'Taijutsu'? The hell is that?" he asked passively with obvious cynicism, his back to her as he began measuring a block of wood that would encase Karasu's skeletal frame and flesh out his torso.

She scowled. "You wouldn't take that attitude with anyone but me, would you?"

"Nope, you're the lucky winner. Hand me that saw."

She rolled her eyes heavily and kicked it over to him. Temari then stormed away, leaving Kankuro to do his work in private. And although she all but ignored him the next few days, she managed to cool her temper, and even got on speaking terms with him again, unable to stay mad for long.

Absorbing himself in all the very intricate work succeeded in distracting Kankuro from darker thoughts, and he had resolved to have the project done before the ten day time limit. Making a life-sized doll out of wood seemed like something one could easily make in just two days, especially if every waking hour was dedicated to it, but making a life sized working marionette with hidden weapons, alternative transformations, and a thousand gears and joints was more of a challenge.

Over the next few days, He managed to finish reconstructing Karasu, which was a god damn miracle as far as he was concerned, and had just enough time to test the doll out and make sure everything was back in working order with Temari on the tenth day.

The spar ended with no victory for either side, and they sat down to catch their breath under the shade of a brick wall on their property that served as a fence. After a few moments of peaceful silence, their bodies cooled down, and Temari, now fully recovered, looked curiously towards her brother.

"You wasted a lot of chakra and stamina on this spar," she began. "Don't you have a fight today?"

"I'm not fighting today," he replied emotionlessly, staring fixedly at the sand near his shoes.

"I thought you said you had a meeting tonight."

"I do. We aren't fighting." He said it almost bitingly, as if the thought upset him and talking about it was uncomfortable. Temari, ever tactical, easily understood the meaning behind his tone. She very slowly grinned.

"I see. I think I understand this. You're upset about nearly killing her, so you wanna call off the game before someone gets hurt!"

"So what?" He snapped, turning sharply to her. "She's getting too good. I have to fight her now like I really mean it. But when I do that… I end up taking the long way home.” He trusted her to understand the meaning behind that phrase, and turned his face away, looking at nothing in particular.

"But you fight me all the time, and I'm pretty sure you'd be at least moderately upset if I died," she began, "Why is she different?"

"You and I don't fight to win," was his very simple reply. He leaned his head back against the wall behind him, staring absently up at the evening sky. There was a moment's pause as the pair internally contemplated their next move.

"You actually miss her, don't you?" Temari asked seriously.

For a moment, Kankuro didn't reply. He watched the wind blow the sand around their property, deciding what the answer actually was, and what answer he should give Temari.

"Yes," he finally replied. Temari grinned.

"Then you'd better take a shower before you see her tonight, you smell awful."

He turned his head to her with a wry smile, and wordlessly stood up and walked away, trailing Karasu along behind him.

When he was gone, Temari stood up and stretched out, feeling her cramped muscles tighten and her bones pop. As she reached forward to collect her fan, a sudden familiar swirl of sand signaled the appearance of Gaara.

"Out for a stroll?" Temari asked him curiously. Gaara did not look at her, but instead stared unblinkingly at the door Kankuro had disappeared behind a moment ago.

"He's going out again," he remarked passively. Temari eyed him carefully, puzzled as to his sudden interest in their brother's affairs.

"Yes, he does that sometimes," she replied.

Gaara was silent.

While it was widely assumed that Gaara didn't really care about the personal lives of his siblings, apparently he did hold at least a mild interest. Temari considered for a moment, before finally musing aloud “I wonder where he goes.”

Gaara's reply came as a slight surprise.

"I'll find out."

With that statement and a swirl of sand, he disappeared, giving Temari no time to reply. She watched the place he had been for a moment before finally shrugging carelessly and heading towards her home. She would, of course, have to tell Kankuro; but only after his shower. She wanted to see just how fast he could be.

 

The wind whipped across her face and through her bangs as she blew soundlessly through the forest. Her hair was tied into their familiar buns atop her head because it was easier to fight with it out of her eyes, and also because Kankuro really hated it. If he wanted her hair down, he would have to take it down himself. She then smirked a little at that thought.

Tenten was positive that tonight would be their last fight. After how close she came last time, and her extensive training over the last week and a half, there was no way she could lose.

Faster and faster she ran, so close to her destination. She was anxious. It had been too long. Far be it for her to admit even to herself, but during her week with Gai and Lee, he had never been far from her thoughts. After all, he was the reason she was enduring this grueling training regimen. She wanted to see him again. She wanted to hear him again. God forbid, she even wanted to feel him again. She wanted him to fight her personally in melee combat again, wanted to see that look of concentration on his face, as even he knew that when it came to close combat fighting, she was a level above him. Maybe this time, she would grapple him. This time, she would pin him down and force him to taste the dirt, as she so often had. True, he was stronger and could probably throw her off easily, but if she had enough sharp instruments pointed at his neck, she just might assure a win.

A mental picture of that potential victory crept into her mind, and she blushed slightly. What a strange thing to think about. What a strange image she just couldn't seem to erase. And what a strange way it suddenly resurfaced the memory of that night, just before he left on his six day mission - it seemed so long ago - when he got just a little bit too close, and looked just a little bit too handsome, and the nature of their relationship got just a little bit too hazy, until he realized what he was doing and pulled back, before things got just a little bit too awkward.

With that thought now planted firmly in her mind, Tenten could feel her face burning red hot, and tried very hard to clear her head and concentrate on the forthcoming fight.

It wasn't much longer until she reached their meeting point. Already, she could see a dark silhouette standing plainly out in the open. She smirked to herself. Did he miss her that bad, that he would just come right out to say hi?

Quickly, though, her smile evaporated. The mood tonight… the atmosphere around him… it was different. Something was different. Something was wrong. She slowed down and entered the vicinity cautiously, her guard raised, her senses on alert. Finally she stepped close enough to understand her sudden discomfort, and when she did, her blood froze, and her face drained of color.

That wasn't Kankuro at all.

 

Kankuro bounded down the steps to the first floor, his wiry brown hair still damp from his shower. Temari was reading a book on the couch, ignoring him as he pieced his things together before leaving.

"Time to go?" she asked plainly, not raising her eyes from her novel.

"Yeah," he answered, pouring himself a glass of cold water from the kitchen.

"Better hurry," she called to him with disinterest. Kankuro snorted.

"No need. She'll wait."

"But someone may beat you there."

He then entered the living room, cup in hand, looking at her in puzzlement. "Who?" he questioned. His sister ignored him, though. He studied her for a moment, and slowly his face twisted from bafflement to shock.

"…Where's Gaara?…" he asked slowly. Temari shrugged, and finally glanced towards him.

"Don't know. Maybe you should go look."

Kankuro stared at her in horrified silence, momentarily frozen, as the words sunk in. Finally, he dropped his cup, which smashed to the floor, spilling wet glass across the hallway, and ran to the front door, swooping down to scoop up his shoes and taking off like a bullet towards their meeting place.