06-15-2007, 01:00 AM
In The Space Between Heartbeats
A Naruto Fanfiction
Post VI
"You suffered an injury to your spine. We have been unable to tell if the damage is permenant but it would be wise to plan for all eventualites." He reached over and encircled her wrist with a hand, his fingers against the pulse point as if he were simply checking on her. He said nothing about the welts from the restaints. "I'm afraid you were not in any condition to tell us much about yourself when we found you. Could you tell me your name?"
It was a test, she realized. He would monitor her pulse to see if she were lying. For a single instant, she thought about going for the kunai he had hidden, but then realized that even if she did she would not be able to get out of the room. Not...not as she was now.
She swallowed her heartache and evened out her breathing. She might not be able to walk, but she was still a kunoichi of Konoha. She refused to be taken lightly.
"I am Tenten. Of Konoha," she added after a pause. If she really had been captured the odds were good he already knew who she was. And there had been that voice. She's gone, Tenten. She's gone. Her jaw clenched at the memory.
"Where is Hinata? She was with me when... when..."
"A small girl? Black hair and pale eyes?" He said it smoothly and quickly, as if reciting something off a fact sheet. Tenten curled her fingers into her hospital gown to still them and nodded tightly. Her 'doctor' shook his head. "I'm afraid she didn't make it. It appears she tried to shield you with some sort of circular defense and took the brunt of the explosion. There was nothing we could do."
Tenten could not help her surprise and horror. "What?" Hinata had tried to protect her with the Kaiten? "I don't understand, I was there to protect her. She couldn't have... She couldn't be..."
"I understand this is a lot to take in, Tenten-san, but if we're going to help you, you must try to remember as much as possible." His grip on her arm tightened slightly. "Do you know what sort of technique Hinata used to save you? If there are any effects you might suffer from being so near it? With more information, we might be able to keep such a tragic incident from occuring in the future."
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