NejiTen "The Fortuneteller" Chapter Nine
Kicking off the weekend! ♥
Title: The Fortuneteller - Chapter Nine
Series: Naruto
Pairings/Characters: NejiTen, SasuSaku, Naruto, Lee, Gai, Orochimaru
Word Count: 2,399
Rated: PG-13
Chapters: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII
Notes: There's another kiss, but you might not be as happy about this one. Also, this story is going on TEMPORARY HIATUS. ★ I've never not finished a chaptered story however so there's no worry that it won't be finished eventually. It will. ♥
Praying time will bring you near.
- “One Day” Trading Yesterday
THE FORTUNETELLER
Chapter Nine
Tenten came awake in an instant, bypassing the usual sleepy moments between dreams and reality. One moment she was asleep, the next she was alert, completely aware of everything around her. She was lying on her stomach, naked but for a thin sheet, and Neji was next to her, his dark hair cascading over her pillow. He was sleeping soundly, at ease for once and she smiled at his unguarded expression. He looked beautiful lying there, the bare skin of his chest warm with the first rays of the sun.
She felt a small ache in her heart as she watched him, remembering the way he had held her, made love to her so confidently, but with a gentleness that had taken her breath. She had found her home in him, and he would not understand what she was about to do. Sakura might, when she learned of it, but Tenten could not allow herself that foolish hope. She had a task before her and it was time to fulfill it.
She slipped out of bed silently, picking up her discarded dress and stepping into it, struggling a little with the laces. She found her circlet under Neji’s shirt and placed it over her brow, taking a moment to fold Neji’s things and place them in a nearby chair. It was almost the wrong thing to do, for the fabric smelled like him and it weakened her resolve a little. Forcing herself to swallow the lump in her throat, she straightened her shoulders and went to his side, imprinting the way he looked into her mind’s eye. If she could remember that moment, hold it when everything else faded, there would be hope for her. For everyone.
Carefully, she leaned down and pressed a kiss into his bare shoulder, barely a brush of her lips so that he would not wake. Then she took a hooded cloak from a nearby closet and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Gai’s house was quiet with everyone still abed. She passed a slumbering Lee in the sitting room, his arms and legs akimbo over the sides and ends of the couch. She did not stop to glimpse Kiba in the kitchen. She would not be taking him with her. He already knew too much and she could not trust him to keep Neji’s plans and location a secret.
She had to go alone.
But even though she knew that, had seen it, she wished it were otherwise. It was frightening, walking out of the manor and into the deserted street, morning mist still curling around the buildings. It was necessary but her heart was racing at what lay before her and she wished desperately that she was ordinary. If she had no gift to tell the future, Orochimaru would not want her. She would be safe to lead a life of her choosing.
“Such useless thoughts,” she murmured to herself, pulling her hood over her hair and hiding the gleam of her circlet. She walked slowly through the streets of the Sound, following a map in her head. Her vision did not waver and she reached a crossroads just as another figure appeared from the mist. His stride was steady and he did not seem surprised to find her there, stopping only a few feet from her and eyeing her casually.
“I thought you might be here,” he said, unhurried. “I told myself that if you were as strong as the Lord claimed, you would know that I was coming for you. I admit though that I thought you might run first.”
“The idea crossed my mind,” she answered, just as calmly, “but there are others I must think of besides myself.”
He nodded as if he understood. “Well then, you’ll come with me without a fuss? I’d rather not have to bind you. It’s troublesome for me.”
“I will come with you,” she said quietly, “if you destroy the tracing spell you have on Kiba.”
Shikamaru glanced at her briefly before taking a slip of paper from his coat. It was folded oddly and Tenten could see a trail of black ink wiggling over it. “I have no talent for magic, but you can buy charms like these on the streets.” Taking the paper in both hands, he ripped it right down the middle. A thin tendril of smoke rose as he did so, and the two sides crumbled immediately into ash, their small power spent. “Satisfied?”
“Yes.”
He watched her for a moment, calculating. He stamped a booted foot on the cobblestones. “You’re making this pretty easy for me,” he admitted. “Are you sure about what you’re doing?”
Her eyebrows quirked slightly. “Do you really care?”
He was silent a moment. “No.”
She relaxed at his answer. For a moment she’d thought he’d been about to change what she had foretold. “Then what does it matter?”
His tone was wry. “I guess you’re right.” Shikamaru turned slightly and she went to his side, following as he started towards the temple.
Tenten did not look back.
Hinata was called to the sanctuary a little after dawn. Drawn and weary, she stood at attendance there with two other girls, oblivious as to the reason why. She had spent the last few days in the company of Uchiha Sasuke, mending his arm to the best of her ability. The strange burns had almost faded entirely and, though he never said so, she knew they had been magical wounds to heal so fast. Orochimaru’s heir had been confined to his rooms and she had spent at least three hours watching him pace across his chambers like a caged panther. What it was he thought of during those times, she did not know, but she could see his mind turning. He was planning something.
Suddenly Orochimaru entered the sanctuary and Hinata straightened her spine, smoothing her face of all expression. He barely saw her, however, hissing at his contingent of guards to stay out in the antechamber. A minute later she heard another voice outside, this one tinged with a lazy drawl, and Shikamaru entered followed by…
Hinata’s heart plummeted into her stomach.
The Fortuneteller walked easily into the room, gliding across the floor like a swan. She wore a dark cloak over her dress, but the hood was pulled back and the gold circlet across her forehead glittered the truth of her station. She seemed serene but Hinata thought she saw her fingers shake before they disappeared into her skirts as Tenten dropped into a low curtsey.
“My Lord Orochimaru,” she intoned. “Your Fortuneteller has returned.”
“She came of her own free will, my lord,” Shikamaru said, “It seems she had a vision that told her to come.”
Orochimaru drifted forward, his face difficult to read. Hinata could not tell if he was angry or pleased. “What did you see?” he asked, and his tone made Hinata shiver.
“I saw that if I did not return today, you would destroy everything I love,” she answered. Hinata felt a rush of sudden pride for the other woman. Tenten’s voice had not wavered. The Fortuneteller straightened, meeting Orochimaru’s gaze. “Use my power as you wish. As long as the people I care for are safe, I will do your bidding.”
Hinata did not see exactly what happened next, but there was a loud sound and suddenly Tenten was on the floor, holding the side of her face and glaring murderously up at the War Lord. Orochimaru snarled back at her.
“I will use your power but make no mistake. You are not in control here. I will have you drugged and sent back to your chambers and these last few days with fade from your very memory!”
“They won’t!” Tenten shouted and Hinata jumped at the passion in her voice. “I have grown stronger since I left you. Your medicines will no longer hold me. If you want my sight, you will take it as I give it to you or not at all.”
The entire room stopped breathing.
Then a most horrible thing happened. Orochimaru laughed. It was a hoarse, grating sound that set Hinata’s teeth on edge and even Shikamaru looked as if he wished he were somewhere else.
The War Lord reached down and grabbed Tenten by the collar of her dress, his fingers fisting the fabric and, in the face of Tenten’s horrified look, he jerked her up and planted his mouth over hers.
Tenten’s eyes went wide and her fingers twitched but she did not struggle. Hinata put her hand over her mouth, sickened at the brief sight of Orochimaru’s tongue moving over the Fortuneteller’s lips. She wanted to lunge forward, to break them apart, but barely had she entertained the thought then Orochimaru was pulling away and Tenten settled back on her heels. The other girl’s eyes were glazed, pupils dilated. Her face had lost all expression. She was a doll again, a perfect, powerful doll. Orochimaru laughed once more, a rumbling laugh of pure victory.
“What did you do, my lord?” Shikamaru looked shocked. Hinata struggled to keep her breakfast down.
“I gave her a little taste of my own power,” Orochimaru said, his tone sinuously smooth again. He licked his lips. “She was a fool to think I needed some herbal draught to keep her here. The dream I have given her is one she will not wake up from.” He snapped his fingers at the handmaidens. “Take her back to her chambers and see that she eats.” He eyed Hinata coldly. “She’ll not speak except to me so do not test me, little Hyuuga. I will be there soon enough to see to her.”
Hinata managed to drop into a trembling curtsey. She hurried to join the other girls as they took the Fortuneteller’s arms, leading her from the room carefully. Tenten went, as meek as a lamb, and Hinata rubbed the tears from her face even as she murmured soothingly in her mistress’ ear. Later she could not recall what she had said, but it didn’t matter.
Her lady could no longer hear her.
Neji could feel their eyes on him but he continued to ignore their sympathy, intent on wearing a path in Gai’s carpet as he paced. They thought he was angry, hurt, betrayed - and he was, but not for the reasons they thought. He should have known something like this would happen, he should have prevented it by taking Tenten as far from the Sound as possible that very first night. Even if he’d had to carry her the entire way, they should not have stopped until they’d cleared Orochimaru’s lands.
What hurt him the most was that he had not woken as she’d left. Why had he not heard her? Had their night together robbed him of his wits entirely? He could still feel her underneath his hands, hear her voice in his ear as she’d whispered his name. It was torture knowing that she had gone alone and without a word to anyone.
“She must have had a good reason,” Sakura said again, for the tenth time. She’d been trying to reassure him all morning. “Whatever her vision was, it must have told her to leave us. We can only believe that she knows what she is doing.”
“To go back to Lord Orochimaru, she must be very brave,” Lee said quietly. Neji gritted his teeth.
“She should not have done it,” he snapped. Sakura opened her mouth but he overrode her. “Her visions are not precise. She knows this and yet she is following this one as if it were set in stone.” His shook his head, trying to calm his breathing.
“Neji.” It was Gai. “It’s possible Tetnen made a mistake by returning to Orochimaru, but I believe this only strengthens our goal.” His oddly serious eyes caught both Sakura and Naruto. “You want to bring your friend out of the temple, and Neji now needs to free Tenten. It seems all of you share a common purpose: the eradication of the War Lord.”
Lee nodded at his father’s words. “With the army, I still believe it is possible to draw Orochimaru out of his stronghold.” He nodded at Sakura. “And if your Sasuke really does want to kill the War Lord, that will be his chance.”
Neji ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. “What you are all forgetting is that Orochimaru has an oracle. There is no move we can make that he will not know about. He will force Tenten to serve him and through her he will know all of our plans before we even make them. There can be no victory if she is his eyes.”
They were all silent, realizing the magnitude of what he was telling them.
Then, surprisingly, Naruto spoke.
“So what?” Naruto grumbled, glaring at Neji. “We’re just going to sit back and let your girl do all the work? If we try, we’re just going to lose, is that it?” He took a step forward, hands balled into fists, and Neji’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Have ya ever thought that maybe we’re not supposed to win? That maybe just our trying is what Tenten saw all along?” His tone quieted a bit but Naruto’s gaze still flashed. “Even if it’s not, you said it yourself, Neji. The future can still be changed so let’s make it our victory.” He laughed suddenly. “Besides, I’m not letting that bastard have all the fun. If he’s going after Orochimaru then so will I!”
Sakura stood abruptly, looking just as determined as her companion. “I will, too.”
And then Lee rose, his voice firm. “And I.”
“And ME!” Gai crowed, earning an adoring look from his son. “I could not possibly let all of you youthful buds in bloom go into battle alone without a chaperone!” He winked outrageously at Sakura who blushed up to her hairline.
Neji looked at them all, feeling their determination, and he struggled with himself.
I want to go home with you, Neji.
He closed his eyes briefly.
“Alright,” he said at last, “let’s test our fates together and hope that ours is stronger than Orochimaru’s. If not,” he glanced at Naruto who grinned rebelliously, “at least we’ll have tried.”
So stay alive for me, Tenten. Stay alive for me.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Title: The Fortuneteller - Chapter Nine
Series: Naruto
Pairings/Characters: NejiTen, SasuSaku, Naruto, Lee, Gai, Orochimaru
Word Count: 2,399
Rated: PG-13
Chapters: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII
Notes: There's another kiss, but you might not be as happy about this one. Also, this story is going on TEMPORARY HIATUS. ★ I've never not finished a chaptered story however so there's no worry that it won't be finished eventually. It will. ♥
Praying time will bring you near.
- “One Day” Trading Yesterday
THE FORTUNETELLER
Chapter Nine
Tenten came awake in an instant, bypassing the usual sleepy moments between dreams and reality. One moment she was asleep, the next she was alert, completely aware of everything around her. She was lying on her stomach, naked but for a thin sheet, and Neji was next to her, his dark hair cascading over her pillow. He was sleeping soundly, at ease for once and she smiled at his unguarded expression. He looked beautiful lying there, the bare skin of his chest warm with the first rays of the sun.
She felt a small ache in her heart as she watched him, remembering the way he had held her, made love to her so confidently, but with a gentleness that had taken her breath. She had found her home in him, and he would not understand what she was about to do. Sakura might, when she learned of it, but Tenten could not allow herself that foolish hope. She had a task before her and it was time to fulfill it.
She slipped out of bed silently, picking up her discarded dress and stepping into it, struggling a little with the laces. She found her circlet under Neji’s shirt and placed it over her brow, taking a moment to fold Neji’s things and place them in a nearby chair. It was almost the wrong thing to do, for the fabric smelled like him and it weakened her resolve a little. Forcing herself to swallow the lump in her throat, she straightened her shoulders and went to his side, imprinting the way he looked into her mind’s eye. If she could remember that moment, hold it when everything else faded, there would be hope for her. For everyone.
Carefully, she leaned down and pressed a kiss into his bare shoulder, barely a brush of her lips so that he would not wake. Then she took a hooded cloak from a nearby closet and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Gai’s house was quiet with everyone still abed. She passed a slumbering Lee in the sitting room, his arms and legs akimbo over the sides and ends of the couch. She did not stop to glimpse Kiba in the kitchen. She would not be taking him with her. He already knew too much and she could not trust him to keep Neji’s plans and location a secret.
She had to go alone.
But even though she knew that, had seen it, she wished it were otherwise. It was frightening, walking out of the manor and into the deserted street, morning mist still curling around the buildings. It was necessary but her heart was racing at what lay before her and she wished desperately that she was ordinary. If she had no gift to tell the future, Orochimaru would not want her. She would be safe to lead a life of her choosing.
“Such useless thoughts,” she murmured to herself, pulling her hood over her hair and hiding the gleam of her circlet. She walked slowly through the streets of the Sound, following a map in her head. Her vision did not waver and she reached a crossroads just as another figure appeared from the mist. His stride was steady and he did not seem surprised to find her there, stopping only a few feet from her and eyeing her casually.
“I thought you might be here,” he said, unhurried. “I told myself that if you were as strong as the Lord claimed, you would know that I was coming for you. I admit though that I thought you might run first.”
“The idea crossed my mind,” she answered, just as calmly, “but there are others I must think of besides myself.”
He nodded as if he understood. “Well then, you’ll come with me without a fuss? I’d rather not have to bind you. It’s troublesome for me.”
“I will come with you,” she said quietly, “if you destroy the tracing spell you have on Kiba.”
Shikamaru glanced at her briefly before taking a slip of paper from his coat. It was folded oddly and Tenten could see a trail of black ink wiggling over it. “I have no talent for magic, but you can buy charms like these on the streets.” Taking the paper in both hands, he ripped it right down the middle. A thin tendril of smoke rose as he did so, and the two sides crumbled immediately into ash, their small power spent. “Satisfied?”
“Yes.”
He watched her for a moment, calculating. He stamped a booted foot on the cobblestones. “You’re making this pretty easy for me,” he admitted. “Are you sure about what you’re doing?”
Her eyebrows quirked slightly. “Do you really care?”
He was silent a moment. “No.”
She relaxed at his answer. For a moment she’d thought he’d been about to change what she had foretold. “Then what does it matter?”
His tone was wry. “I guess you’re right.” Shikamaru turned slightly and she went to his side, following as he started towards the temple.
Tenten did not look back.
Hinata was called to the sanctuary a little after dawn. Drawn and weary, she stood at attendance there with two other girls, oblivious as to the reason why. She had spent the last few days in the company of Uchiha Sasuke, mending his arm to the best of her ability. The strange burns had almost faded entirely and, though he never said so, she knew they had been magical wounds to heal so fast. Orochimaru’s heir had been confined to his rooms and she had spent at least three hours watching him pace across his chambers like a caged panther. What it was he thought of during those times, she did not know, but she could see his mind turning. He was planning something.
Suddenly Orochimaru entered the sanctuary and Hinata straightened her spine, smoothing her face of all expression. He barely saw her, however, hissing at his contingent of guards to stay out in the antechamber. A minute later she heard another voice outside, this one tinged with a lazy drawl, and Shikamaru entered followed by…
Hinata’s heart plummeted into her stomach.
The Fortuneteller walked easily into the room, gliding across the floor like a swan. She wore a dark cloak over her dress, but the hood was pulled back and the gold circlet across her forehead glittered the truth of her station. She seemed serene but Hinata thought she saw her fingers shake before they disappeared into her skirts as Tenten dropped into a low curtsey.
“My Lord Orochimaru,” she intoned. “Your Fortuneteller has returned.”
“She came of her own free will, my lord,” Shikamaru said, “It seems she had a vision that told her to come.”
Orochimaru drifted forward, his face difficult to read. Hinata could not tell if he was angry or pleased. “What did you see?” he asked, and his tone made Hinata shiver.
“I saw that if I did not return today, you would destroy everything I love,” she answered. Hinata felt a rush of sudden pride for the other woman. Tenten’s voice had not wavered. The Fortuneteller straightened, meeting Orochimaru’s gaze. “Use my power as you wish. As long as the people I care for are safe, I will do your bidding.”
Hinata did not see exactly what happened next, but there was a loud sound and suddenly Tenten was on the floor, holding the side of her face and glaring murderously up at the War Lord. Orochimaru snarled back at her.
“I will use your power but make no mistake. You are not in control here. I will have you drugged and sent back to your chambers and these last few days with fade from your very memory!”
“They won’t!” Tenten shouted and Hinata jumped at the passion in her voice. “I have grown stronger since I left you. Your medicines will no longer hold me. If you want my sight, you will take it as I give it to you or not at all.”
The entire room stopped breathing.
Then a most horrible thing happened. Orochimaru laughed. It was a hoarse, grating sound that set Hinata’s teeth on edge and even Shikamaru looked as if he wished he were somewhere else.
The War Lord reached down and grabbed Tenten by the collar of her dress, his fingers fisting the fabric and, in the face of Tenten’s horrified look, he jerked her up and planted his mouth over hers.
Tenten’s eyes went wide and her fingers twitched but she did not struggle. Hinata put her hand over her mouth, sickened at the brief sight of Orochimaru’s tongue moving over the Fortuneteller’s lips. She wanted to lunge forward, to break them apart, but barely had she entertained the thought then Orochimaru was pulling away and Tenten settled back on her heels. The other girl’s eyes were glazed, pupils dilated. Her face had lost all expression. She was a doll again, a perfect, powerful doll. Orochimaru laughed once more, a rumbling laugh of pure victory.
“What did you do, my lord?” Shikamaru looked shocked. Hinata struggled to keep her breakfast down.
“I gave her a little taste of my own power,” Orochimaru said, his tone sinuously smooth again. He licked his lips. “She was a fool to think I needed some herbal draught to keep her here. The dream I have given her is one she will not wake up from.” He snapped his fingers at the handmaidens. “Take her back to her chambers and see that she eats.” He eyed Hinata coldly. “She’ll not speak except to me so do not test me, little Hyuuga. I will be there soon enough to see to her.”
Hinata managed to drop into a trembling curtsey. She hurried to join the other girls as they took the Fortuneteller’s arms, leading her from the room carefully. Tenten went, as meek as a lamb, and Hinata rubbed the tears from her face even as she murmured soothingly in her mistress’ ear. Later she could not recall what she had said, but it didn’t matter.
Her lady could no longer hear her.
Neji could feel their eyes on him but he continued to ignore their sympathy, intent on wearing a path in Gai’s carpet as he paced. They thought he was angry, hurt, betrayed - and he was, but not for the reasons they thought. He should have known something like this would happen, he should have prevented it by taking Tenten as far from the Sound as possible that very first night. Even if he’d had to carry her the entire way, they should not have stopped until they’d cleared Orochimaru’s lands.
What hurt him the most was that he had not woken as she’d left. Why had he not heard her? Had their night together robbed him of his wits entirely? He could still feel her underneath his hands, hear her voice in his ear as she’d whispered his name. It was torture knowing that she had gone alone and without a word to anyone.
“She must have had a good reason,” Sakura said again, for the tenth time. She’d been trying to reassure him all morning. “Whatever her vision was, it must have told her to leave us. We can only believe that she knows what she is doing.”
“To go back to Lord Orochimaru, she must be very brave,” Lee said quietly. Neji gritted his teeth.
“She should not have done it,” he snapped. Sakura opened her mouth but he overrode her. “Her visions are not precise. She knows this and yet she is following this one as if it were set in stone.” His shook his head, trying to calm his breathing.
“Neji.” It was Gai. “It’s possible Tetnen made a mistake by returning to Orochimaru, but I believe this only strengthens our goal.” His oddly serious eyes caught both Sakura and Naruto. “You want to bring your friend out of the temple, and Neji now needs to free Tenten. It seems all of you share a common purpose: the eradication of the War Lord.”
Lee nodded at his father’s words. “With the army, I still believe it is possible to draw Orochimaru out of his stronghold.” He nodded at Sakura. “And if your Sasuke really does want to kill the War Lord, that will be his chance.”
Neji ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. “What you are all forgetting is that Orochimaru has an oracle. There is no move we can make that he will not know about. He will force Tenten to serve him and through her he will know all of our plans before we even make them. There can be no victory if she is his eyes.”
They were all silent, realizing the magnitude of what he was telling them.
Then, surprisingly, Naruto spoke.
“So what?” Naruto grumbled, glaring at Neji. “We’re just going to sit back and let your girl do all the work? If we try, we’re just going to lose, is that it?” He took a step forward, hands balled into fists, and Neji’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Have ya ever thought that maybe we’re not supposed to win? That maybe just our trying is what Tenten saw all along?” His tone quieted a bit but Naruto’s gaze still flashed. “Even if it’s not, you said it yourself, Neji. The future can still be changed so let’s make it our victory.” He laughed suddenly. “Besides, I’m not letting that bastard have all the fun. If he’s going after Orochimaru then so will I!”
Sakura stood abruptly, looking just as determined as her companion. “I will, too.”
And then Lee rose, his voice firm. “And I.”
“And ME!” Gai crowed, earning an adoring look from his son. “I could not possibly let all of you youthful buds in bloom go into battle alone without a chaperone!” He winked outrageously at Sakura who blushed up to her hairline.
Neji looked at them all, feeling their determination, and he struggled with himself.
I want to go home with you, Neji.
He closed his eyes briefly.
“Alright,” he said at last, “let’s test our fates together and hope that ours is stronger than Orochimaru’s. If not,” he glanced at Naruto who grinned rebelliously, “at least we’ll have tried.”
So stay alive for me, Tenten. Stay alive for me.
TO BE CONTINUED.