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Ink on Her Skin
NejiTen. Post Technopath.
[Dedicated to Sexyinumama
Tenten stood, considering the blue and pink neon sign above her head thoughtfully. In bold, glowing pink letters, it read: MICRO-ILLUMINATION TATTOOS. Off to the side, the image of a blue and green scaled dragon writhed up and down the edge of the sign. Dragging her eyes away from the display, the teen lost herself in thought. Shoving her fisted hands into her pockets, the technopath trudged up the street to her apartment.
Her eyes flashed like raw electricity as she slid the door shut behind her, started her dinner and tuned the radiopod to her favorite station. As the sounds of futurerock reverberated through the hovering speakers strewn through the space, the young woman collapsed onto her couch. Kicking her ballet flat-encased feet onto the plexi-glass coffee table, she mentally calculated how many credits she had earned.
Roughly 3000 from old missions plus 550 from the 'Ken incident' minus 110 for groceries...oh! and a spare 175 from that Tech Department thing. Scrunching her nose and doing a little mental math, she arrived at about 3600 credits that she could afford to spend. As a beep sounded from the kitchen, the young Hidden Leaf defender stood. Tenten padded into the kitchen, eyes flickering as she opened the microstove and fished out her pre-prepared dinner.
Once she'd grabbed a pair of chopsticks, she ambled back toward the front room and plopped back onto the sofa. Scooping steaming rice into her mouth, she pondered. If she went through with what she was thinking about, there could be some serious repercussions...But, thinking back on how long and hard she'd worked to master her Dragon Strike technique, she decided it was worth it. Polishing off the last of her dinner, the technopath skipped a little as she went about collecting her currency from her various hiding spots.
The pinkette's chipper voice ignored the blatant annoyance and said, "Hey Sleepyhead! A bunch of people are coming down to Ino's for some lunch and fun by the lake, are you up for it?"
Thoughts of two more hours of sleep danced through her head as Tenten began, "Sounds like fun...but I'm really ti--"
Before she could even finish, Sakura interrupted, "Oh! Well that's just too bad," in a slier tone she added, "because I heard a delicious rumor about a brunette technopath being spotted in a 'Mirco parlor. Of course, I didn't believe it for a minute, but I figured I'd ask the only techie I know." A heavy sigh, "But since you can't make it, I guess I'll just clear it up through Nej--"
"I'm coming!" Before she could hear her bubbly friend's victorious cheer, Tenten cut her Com connection. Glancing down to her bandaged left arm, her brown eyes fluttered shut as she anticipated her teammate's reaction.
A moment later, Sakura's riot of long pink hair flashed into view from inside the shop. As she unbolted the old-fashioned door, she winged it open and gushed, "My favorite techie!" When Tenten just stared, she skipped to what she wanted to say, "So did you really get a Micro-lite?"
Blinking and stifling a yawn, she dumped her burden into her friend's arms, "If you carry these and let me sit down, I'll show you."
A whoop was heard as the medical specialist happily toted the arm-load of goods to the backroom of the store. Tenten just scrubbed a hand over her face and locked the door manually once more. Trailing after her enthusiastic friend, she wondered, 'How did I meet these people?'
As the shocked blonde hovered over the arm she was extending, Tenten drolled, "It's not like I mutilated it, Ino. It's just a Micro-lite."
The psychic just huffed and muttered, "You may as well have. Do it again, I wanna see it."
Jerking her arm back, Tenten said, "No! Not after you just said you hated it. Seriously, Ino--"
"I think it looks fine." Sakura's placid voice broke in. The blonde whirled on her friend, "So now you want one too? What'll yours say? Sasuke-kun?"
Calm demeanor gone, the pinkette shook her fist and railed, "How about I knock your know-it-all self out and have them put a PIG on your forehead?"
Ino scoffed, "Ha! The only one with a forehead that big would be you!"
A knock at the door at the front interrupted them. Everyone else had arrived. Sakura glared at Ino as she shouted, "Hang on!"
Hurriedly shrugging off their tops to reveal swim suits, the two rivals rushed to grab a towel and answer the door. The blonde thought to call over her shoulder, "Let's go, Tenten!"
Biting her lips, she stripped down to her modest, red one piece. With a glance at her normal-seeming left arm, she followed her friends.
For a few moments, she was at peace, soaking up sim-sun and chattering with her female friends. Chouji's voice broke in, "Has anyone seen Shikamaru?"
To her left, she felt the sand shift as Ino sat up to reply, "Who knows? That slacker's probably off doing something utterly pointless." A pleased 'ooh!' escaped the blonde and Tenten frowned when a little spray of sand was kicked up on her. Rolling back onto her belly, she looked up to find her camera-loving friend preening and posing for a Cam-com. A grin flitted across her features as she too stood.
Positioning herself a little ways behind Ino, she began to exaggeratedly imitate her motions. As she cocked a hip so far she was nearly off balance and twisted her features into a silly grin, Chouji chuckled. Baby blue eyes narrowed behind pink shades and Ino spun to find the technopath's less than flattering impersonation. A flash of purple light later, the tables had turned.
Tenten tried to scowl as she felt her conscious mind pushed into her subconscious as her psychic friend took control of her body. She heard her own voice say, "My name is Tenten and I'm a girly girl! I love flowers and ponies and dresses and--" A small gap in Ino's control let the technopath surge an arc of energy into the gloating blonde's true body. The catty grin Ino had used dissapeared as the technopath regained her body.
A smug one replaced it as Ino stumbled a little as her spirit returned to her body, complaining all the way. Tenten just crossed her arms, "That's what you get for jumping me, you know I hate that!"
More drama followed the camera as it moved on to Sakura and her Team, but Tenten didn't get the chance to follow it when a hand landed on her near-bare shoulder. Confused sepia eyes turned to find Neji standing to her left.
His voice was oddly low as he asked, "What is on your arm?"
Her expression faltered as she lifted her arm and pretended to inspect it. "What do you mean?"
Pale eyes narrowed. "You know perfectly well what I'm asking, Tenten."
Before she could respond, Chouji's voice called, "Hey Neji? Could you make this...you know, hover?" The tall teen's face blanked once more as he nodded to Chouji and reversed the gravity field beneath the device. The sheepish boy added, "And Tenten? Could you make sure it stays on?" At her nod, he beamed, "Thanks!"
The tightening grip on her shoulder didn't go unnoticed as she unthinkingly overrode the controls of the Cam com. As her eyes returned to normal, she noticed Neji's similarly tightened features. He quickly hauled her arm up and pressed a little of his energy into the spot below his thumb. The shimmering image of a blue-green dragon's head appeared momentarily.
"What is this?" His voice was calm, but Tenten felt her stomach drop to her bare toes. He sounded not angry, but disappointed.
"Tenten, Neji! Come down here!" Sakura's call interrupted the her answer.
An excited Lee grasped her right arm as he streaked by, tugging her along behind him. Neji was forced to let go of her but followed along as the pair made their way to the pier to join their friends. Once they'd joined the small group at the dock, Neji found his way to her side once more.
His voice didn't have to raise to be heard over Naruto and Lee's splashing as he said, "We will discuss this later."
The muscles of her back and shoulders strung taut as she responded, "I don't see what there is to discuss. I made a decision that has little to nothing to do with you."
She could tell by the way he drew his next breath that he was furious. Gripping her wrist, he gestured to her arm and asked lowly, "You brand yourself and you don't find it worthy of a discussion?"
Sepia eyes narrowed at his phrasing, "Brand? It was voluntary! What do--" Her eyes flickered as she felt a light buzz in the back of her mind. Jerking away from Neji's hold, she called, "Guys, the battery on the Cam-Com is gonna die in...," she paused, decoding the scrolling numbers behind her eyelids. "About twenty-three seconds."
Before the light on the little device could really flicker out, Neji had threaded an arm behind her and was ushering her toward Tower Square. As they walked quickly through the busy streets, she nearly tripped as the pavement gave way to cobblestone. Luckily, Tenten caught herself but nearly faltered again when she realized what their presence in this district meant. They were headed to HIS apartment. Tenten didn't really even know where it was. Neji was always so close-lipped about his past or what he considered his personal life.
As they drew level with a large, stone-faced townhouse, Neji tugged his teammate up the steps behind him. Pressing his palm into an ID plate disguised to match the heavy wood around it, the door swung in. Tenten's eyes widened even more at the interior. It was gorgeous. Classical decor and antiques littered the entire space, screaming opulence and wealth. She really didn't have time to ogle further as she was abruptly seated on a leather couch.
Neji paced agitatedly before her for a moment before he paused and faced her. "Why?"
Tenten started at his simple question. She clarified, "Why did I have it done?" At his terse nod, she sighed and answered, "I wanted to commemorate my Dragon--"
With two quick strides, he was in front of her. "This is about some technique?" The emphasis he put on the term made her sink back a little, somehow ashamed. "You marred your skin for an attack that you mastered?"
Standing, the technopath replied just short of loosing her temper, "It's an important event for me. I felt that...you know what? I don't have to explain myself to you." A hand gripped her shoulder as she turned to leave. Wheeling on her teammate, she violently broke his grip. When he frowned and started to speak, she snapped, "I'm sick of this Neji! It's like all you can express is boredom or disappointment!"
Flinging her arms wide in an all-encompassing gesture she added, "Or all of this! I've known you for years and I've never so much as seen your front step. It's like you get the right to know every inch of my life while I'm left to guess at yours! Hell, you even get to voice an opinion on the things I do. When have you EVER asked me for advice or let me help you? Even after..." The technopath couldn't bring herself to express what had happened on their last Surface-level mission in Old Tokio.
A steely glint came to his pale gaze as he spoke. "I meant what I said that night. Don't ever doubt that."
Tenten just laughed and hugged her arms around herself. "How can I not? You didn't say anything to me when we got back here. Everything just fell back into the routine." Exhaling slowly, she concluded, "Look, I'm just going to go. I'll let myself--"
"Ten? Wait."
Pausing at the nickname, the brunette looked up to her teammate. He was peeling away a camo-bandage from his forehead. A cool sensation skated down her spine at the sight that met her eyes as the flesh-toned strip came away. A green 'X' was inked into his brow. It wasn't the energy-controlled shine of a Micro-lite, either. It was utterly permanent ink.
In an even tone, he asked, "You want to know about my past?" At her stunned silence, he began, "This was put upon me on my uncle when I was six years old." He smiled cynically. "It branded me as a mutant. A freak. I was forced to attend to the 'normal' members of my family." Pacing away from Tenten's frozen form to lean against the mantel of the nearby fireplace, he continued, "I wasn't even allowed to attend school. I used to sneak books from the compound's library to try and better myself. Not that it mattered. They would never have let me attend University." Crumpling the bandage in his fist, he added, "I had no future until Gai found me, reading by flashlight in a tree at the edge of my family's grounds."
Finally locking gazes with Tenten, he smiled flatly. "You see why I don't want something like that on your skin?"
For a full moment, she was at a loss for words. At last she whispered, "Oh, Neji. I didn't know." Walking quickly to his side, she tentatively reached up to brush his brow. "I was impulsive and I'm sorry I said--"
Leaning slightly into her touch, he murmured, "Don't be. You're right. I never told you, how could you have known?"
Shaking her head, she consoled, "If it bothers you, I can have it removed! It--"
Her hand slipped down to rest on his cheekbone as he shook his head side to side. "No. If it makes you happy, then you should keep it. I just couldn't understand why you would want to mark yourself that way."
Tenten bit her lip as she pondered what she wanted to say next. Slowly, she replied, "I think...that mastering my Dragon Strike had so much significance because it meant I'd finally caught up to you." Glancing up when his pale eyes widened, she hurried to add, "I just thought that if I was as strong as you, you'd take me seriously. I don't know. But then we had that mission...I didn't know what to do. I saw the sign and just thought, 'Why not?' It just seemed okay at the time..." As she pulled her hand back, she trailed off.
Neji slowly trailed his hand up the length of her left arm and responded, "So this was because of me?" At her hesitant nod, he smiled a little. "Show me again?" Sepia eyes flashed and a pair of electric dragons twined around her bicep, roaring soundlessly as they went. Looking back into her eyes as she let the energy flow back to the rest of her body, he tapped his finger against the place the beast had been only seconds before. "I was wrong. It fits you perfectly." As surprise and happiness flickered across the girl's face, he stooped to press his lips lightly against Tenten's.
Pulling back to rest his forehead on hers, he muttered, "I'm not a perfect man, Ten. I'm sorry if I can't say the right thing to commun--"
As she cut him off with a quick kiss, she replied against the seam of his lips, "I know that. I'm not even near perfect." Grinning, she joked, "So I guess I can't hold that against you." When she felt his mouth curve into a slow smile, the technopath laughed lightly and reciprocated his affectionate 'reply.'
It may have been the first time she'd been inside his apartment, but it surely wouldn't be the last.
Sorry it's been so long since I've updated! AP Courses in the form of a monster paper rained on my little fanfic parade. The next chapter of Fealty and the Epilouge to D.V. are on the way!
As always, thanks for reading and please review!
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