06-15-2007, 12:45 AM
In The Space Between Heartbeats
A Naruto Fanfiction
Post IV
“Of course she didn’t,” Neji snapped, “Don’t be a fool.”
Lee’s body relaxed slightly but he held on to that white gaze, unwilling to let it rest until he knew for sure. “And she isn’t weak. She would never let anything happen to Hinata.” He wanted to add, she knows how important she is to you and your family, but didn’t because it wasn’t the time for it. Tenten would not have wanted him to fling that at Neji anyway, though it might have made a difference.
Neji’s expression lost it’s severity and he broke away, moving up towards the valley. “Things can happen,” he said as he passed, and Lee watched him go for a moment before following. The genius was right, of course, but Lee wasn’t going to tell him that.
He still believed everything would turn out alright.
~~~~
When Tenten awoke for the second time, she was alone.
She blinked into awareness and found white walls and white ceilings and a dirty window misted over with rain. Lifting a shaking hand, she reached up and pulled the oxygen mask away from her mouth and nose. As her hand fell out of sight, she saw the red impression of restraints around her wrist and inhaled slowly. She was in a hospital.
Or, at least, that was the only word that described her current surroundings. She was in a narrow bed, the covers folded perfectly at her waist. Her old clothes had been removed in lieu of a pale hospital gown and all of her weapons were missing, even the finger-sized senbon she always slipped into her hair. Machines beeped by her bed and her eyes followed the various tubing to an IV in the crook of her elbow. She looked at it a long moment before turning her gaze elsewhere, trying to find something at all familiar in her small room.
There was nothing. Not even a chair for a visitor to sit in. Besides the bed and herself, the room was completely empty. Inexplicably, her heartbeat picked up.
Hinata.
Where was the other girl? They had been together before… before… Tenten lifted a hand to her forehead, unsurprised to feel smooth skin where her hitai-ate should have been. Her mind was murky, her memories blurred and unfocused. She could remember Snow Country and the devastating blizzard that had snuck in, threatening to strand them there unless they got out quickly. She remembered sending word to Tsunade-sama about ending their mission early. They had been going back to Konoha and it had been raining when…
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