Something's Not Right
Chapter 8: 'Something’s Not Right'
Rubues Hagrid-
Rubeus stared out of his window, but wasn't really looking at anything. In one hand he still held the ointment Madam Ratian had given him for Severus' foot. The boy hadn't even stopped for breakfast. Funny, that. He always stayed for breakfast. Maybe the foot was hurting more than he'd let on. Maybe Rubeus should have made him stay longer, forced him to have the ointment on his burned foot.
‘About as much chance of that as there is of teaching a cat to juggle.’ Rubeus almost laughed at the thought. Severus wasn't one for obeying orders, no matter who gave them. A more independent, strong-minded boy Rubeus had never met in his life.
Absently, Rubeus tucked the jar of ointment into a pocket and stood, thinking that he ought to track Severus down and try to talk to him to convince him to accept the medication for his foot. Rubeus went to his window and looked out at his home. Hogwarts had been his home for so long that he'd long ago stopped thinking of ever leaving. He loved Hogwarts. He loved the castle, as ancient as memory itself. He loved the land, nearly unspoiled and rich with life around the castle. He loved the animals; each owl, cat, frog, snake, unicorn, thestral, and all the uncountable others. He loved the clear blue sky and he loved the raging storms. Most of all, Rubeus loved the land. The professors came and went as easily as the seasons turned. The students, though often a joy, left more quickly than the professors. The land…. the land stayed. The animals stayed. And, always, Rubeus stayed.
Rubeus knew that many of the animals he saw in the Forbidden Forest were the descendants of animals he'd tended. The sons and daughters of wounded or sick critters he'd found in years passed and nursed to health. It made him feel important. It made him feel needed. So he loved Hogwarts for the opportunity it gave him to feel needed.
‘And now I'm needed for Christmas Trees.’ It was really no wonder that when the Christmas holiday approached it was Rubeus who was asked to venture into the Forbidden Forest to find a few evergreens to decorate for the students. ‘Maybe I'll find Severus and bring him with me. Get him away from stuffy classrooms for a bit. Fresh air would do him some good.’
That thought cheered Rubeus enough to get him away from the window and start dressing for his trek.
‘I’ll take him to see that waterfall near the clearing. He'll like that. It will be all frozen over, by now.’ It would be beautiful, the frozen water caught in mid-fall. Better if it was a sunny day - the sun would sparkle on the ice. Rubeus decided then that he would wait to take Severus out for a sunny day. He would collect only half the trees the headmaster had asked for, then collect the other half the next day with Severus. He hoped Severus would like it. That the little frozen waterfall would make Severus smile just a little.
The boy needed it.
Severus used to smile at pretty things when he was a little first year. True that the first year had been hard on him, but nothing like the following two years had been. Rubeus remembered watching little Severus stare at clouds creeping across the night sky and pass over the moon when he was supposed to be asleep in bed. He'd seen Severus out more than once watching fireflies blinking in and out of the darkness like tiny stars fallen to Earth. Young Severus ventured closer to the Forbidden Forest than any of the other students and stared into the darkness and the shadows, transfixed.
"What are you looking at?" Rubeus had once asked.
Severus had smiled and pointed into the forest. The shadows moved under the moonlight as a strong breeze made the trees sway to and fro. The shadows cast by those trees seemed to dance. "It's beautiful."
It had been almost two years since Severus had been caught watching the clouds. Two years since he'd been orphaned. Two years since the lad's life had fallen down around him. Rubeus wouldn't pretend to know what was for the best, legally, but he did know what was best for Severus and he couldn't understand why no one else saw it. He couldn't understand why a man as good and kind as Headmaster Dumbledore hadn’t fought it when Severus had been given into the care of a man like his uncle, Mister Prince.
Severus had to be kept away from that ruddy uncle of his.
Flashback-
Rubeus had found the boy one morning early in the summer. It hadn't been more than two weeks since the students had been taken home for the summer by the Hogwart's Express. Funny to have the place so quiet, but Rubeus could appreciate it. He made his daily rounds about the school, checking to make sure the House Elves had remembered to lock all the doors and to see that no students had left any nasty surprises around.
He hadn't expected to see the skinny, sallow-skinned boy sleeping under a rather overgrown azalea next to the front step. All he saw was the foot, at first. A black shoed foot, with laces untied, peeked out from under the dark green leaves. When he got closer to the foot, he saw it shift, go still, then slowly draw up under the azalea and Rubeus knew he'd been spotted.
"Now, don't you worry. It's just me." Rubeus used the gentlest voice he could. "Why don't you come out and we'll have some breakfast?"
A moment's hesitation. "Eggs?"
"Sure, if you want." Rubeus knew the boy with just that one, sleepy word. He'd had the boy over to his hut often enough in the past year. "Come on out, Severus."
Severus looked worse than Rubeus had ever seen him when he did crawl out from under the azelea. He was a naturally thin boy, which never looked quite healthy to Rubeus, but now he looked like a wraith. Wrapped in his school robes and wet through from the previous night's rainstorm, he looked like a half-drowned kitten. His coal-black eyes were dull and blood-shot.
"Lad, what are you doing here?"
Severus looked up at the large front doors of Hogwarts. "I can't get in."
"It's locked. It's all locked up in the summer."
"Oh." Severus sat in the mud and lowered his eyes. His narrow shoulders hunched, as if he were trying to curl into himself.
Rubeus couldn't stand to see anything in pain, be they person or animal. "Why don't you come with me? Got a right nice fire built up and we'll heat up some water so you can have yourself a bath - wash that mud off." Rubeus knelt down and held a hand out, but Severus cringed away. "Hey, now." He tried to smile, though he knew something was terribly wrong. "Is only me."
"I know who you are. I'm not stupid." There was no fire in his voice. Young Severus stared at his muddy shoes. "I just…"
Rubeus waited for a moment, but Severus never finished what he'd started to say. "Severus? Come along. Ol' Man's been lonely without you."
"Right." Severus shakily stood up and tried in vain to brush some of the mud from his clothes. "Eggs? That would be nice. Thank you, Mister Hagrid." They walked side-by-side towards Rubeus' hut. Halfway to the hut, with birds singing overhead and a warm morning breeze, Severus said, "My uncle killed them."
It stopped Rubeus cold. "Who?"
"Ma and pop. He killed them." Severus looked up at Rubeus with terrible, empty eyes. "Ma didn't like Uncle Marcus much. They fought. I was scared. I wanted to help, but ma locked the door. I couldn't get out. They were both so angry. There was a crash and yelling. Then… everything went quiet." Severus shivered. "Ma was dead when I came out. Pop… " Severus hugged himself. "I don't know where he is."
Rubeus quickly looked Severus from head to foot. "What about your uncle? Did he hurt you?"
"No. He said Slytherins could be useful. He said he was going to take me to his house, that I'd live with him from now on. He said pop killed ma and ran away. Said pop didn't want me." Severus looked sharply at Rubeus and glared fiercely. "He lied."
"Yeah. I think you're right on that." Rubeus ran a hand over his head and tugged on his beard, wishing he knew the right thing to say. He had to say something. There had to be a right thing to say, but Rubeus wasn't a professor. How was he supposed to deal with this kind of situation? "Don't you worry. I'll send for the headmaster and he'll sort it all out. I'm sure he'll make everything right."
"No," Severus said dully. "I don't want him. I can do this myself."
"Do what?"
Severus spoke calmly without a hint of emotion and that, more than anything, frightened Rubeus. "I'm going to kill Uncle Marcus. May we have toast with the eggs?"
A chill ran down Rubeus's spine. "Toast? Yeah. Sure thing. Got some jam, too."
"I like jam. Strawberry?" Severus stopped walking and looked up, glaring at the sky.
"Yup. And apple jelly."
Severus stared in silence for a long while, so long that Rubeus was worried. "You're very nice to me."
"Well… you're a good boy."
"Maybe. I'm still going to kill my uncle."
"I wish you wouldn't."
"I know. Can we have eggs, now?" Severus' eyes were shining by then. His voice was choked and strained. His long, spidery fingers clenched and unclenched spastically.
Rubeus wanted so badly to make Severus feel better. To feel less like killing people. No child should even think such things. But Rubeus wasn't smart and didn’t know the right words to say. So he put his arm around Severus and they started walking again. "Yeah. We can have those eggs."
They walked a few steps before Rubeus noticed tears streaking down Severus’ face. Severus stopped walking and lowered his face. His shoulders began shaking. "Can I stay with you?" Severus asked, softly. "Just tonight?"
"Sure thing."
Severus sobbed, then. His shoulders shook and he wept bitterly, covering his face with his hands, as if he were afraid to be seen. Rubeus lowered himself to his knees and put his arms around the boy, holding him because he didn't know what else to do.
End Flashback-
What the headmaster was thinking sending poor Severus to that uncle of his every summer was beyond Rubeus. It wasn't right. Severus told Rubeus that he just ran away every year before his uncle could find him and he'd spent the summer just wandering and finding food where he could. Of course, the headmaster was smarter than he was and knew what was for the best, but it sat so wrong with Rubeus.
"He's in shock, Hagrid," the headmaster had said when Rubeus had told Dumbledore what Severus had told him. "The poor boy doesn't know what he's saying. Don't worry. There's absolutely no evidence that Marcus Prince has killed anyone. He's got Severus' best interests at heart. If he wanted to, you know he could just come here and take Severus out of school, but he doesn't. He wants Severus to get a good education." The headmaster patted Rubeus' arm. "It's all for the best. Trust me."
Rubeus even tried to take Severus, himself. "I'll take him in myself. If Mister Prince wants what's best for Severus, he can't want the lad wandering homeless all summer. Let Severus stay with me. Right smart lad like him… he'll think it's a treat to help me out with the chores."
But the headmaster had shaken his head. "Mister Prince isn't willing to allow anyone custody of his only nephew and keeps hoping Severus will understand that it’s in his best interest to stay with him. All that aside, the law is very clear. Children belong to their families and Mister Prince is Mister Snape’s only family."
"But…"
"There is nothing you can do. Mister Snape must go with his uncle."
Rubeus trusted headmaster Dumbledore - he was a good, honest man - but he was wrong. Rubeus knew the headmaster was wrong and he knew Severus was in danger every summer and there seemed to be nothing he could do to help. Severus didn't even want his help.
"I won't have you getting involved," Severus had told Rubeus, firmly. "I can take care of myself. You stay here and I'll see you in the autumn. Trust me. I'm strong." He'd looked straight at Rubeus with a determined expression. "Uncle Marcus is dangerous. I don't want you to be hurt."
At least, that Mister Prince didn't make a fuss about Severus staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays. For the past two Christmas', Severus had spent the week at school and Christmas morning with Rubeus. Undoubtedly, it wasn't as good a Christmas as the boy deserved, but it was all Rubeus could give. A tree, a fat goose, and some presents. What was Christmas without presents? Nice warm mittens, a book he was certain the boy would appreciate, and a pet.
The pet slept in a basket by the fire and Rubeus checked on it again before getting ready to leave for his duties. She woke with a yawn, showing off rows of tiny, needle-sharp teeth, when Rubeus took the lid off the top of her basket. Her large black eyes blinked up at him, somewhat disapprovingly, and she flicked her fluffy tail. The kit let out a squeaking noise, then lay her head back down to return to her nap.
"Oh, right you are. Just get your sleep now. A few days more and you'll meet a new friend. I'm sure you'll like him." Rubeus laughed to himself as he put the lid back on the basket. She was beautiful and - if he was any judge of animals - a smart little thing. Severus would adore her. Every child should have a pet.
Rubeus spent a few hours doing chores around his home before he got ready to go out to fetch the trees. He set out some beef for Ol' Man before he got dressed to go on a tree hunt. Huge boots were first, then his long, shaggy coat, and woolen hat. He wasn't as vulnerable to cold as regular humans, but Rubeus knew he had the potential to be in the forest for hours and even he couldn't underestimate the cold. He filled his large pockets with some bread and a few bites of smoked ham to tide him over until he was able to get a decent meal. He planned to be out for most of the day just finding the trees he wanted for the Great Hall as well as for the four Houses. If he had time, he would bring some greenery home for himself and make a few wreathes.
Outside his hut, Rubeus stopped almost as soon as he'd closed the door behind him. Still on the front step, Rubeus froze and raised his face a little. He drew in a deep breath. Smoke. A quick look around was all it took. There were great plumes of smoke rising from one of the greenhouses.
Rubeus ran, he dropped his ax in the snow. Rubeus was not meant for running. He lumbered as quickly as he could to the greenhouse where hoards of students watched it burn, huddled together in little groups. All of them were wide-eyed with fear.
"Get back!" Rubeus bellowed, waving at them with his hands to shoo the students further away from danger. "All of you, now. Back to the castle and someone get the Headmaster!"
"I think I can handle my own emergencies!" Professor Shell snapped. He was a bad tempered man and thought very well of himself. He looked at the students then. "Well? Get the headmaster. All of you to the castle!"
The greenhouse was far enough from everything that letting it burn wouldn't do any damage, but Rubeus worried all the same. "Shouldn't you do something?" Rubeus asked the Herbology professor. Even if there wasn't a spell to put out fires, there was a whole lake full of water and Rubeus was sure a simple floating spell would have the fire put out in no time.
"If you're as useless as that," Professor Shell glared at Rubeus. "Then leave. No we can't just put it out without planning! Imagine the damage to my plants!"
Rubeus blinked and suppressed a groan. Sometimes, the professors confounded him. The plants were likely already destroyed. "Everyone got out?"
"Yes, yes. Of course." Professor Shell waved the question aside. "I just know it was that Snape boy!"
Rubeus frowned and tensed. "What's that?"
"He was causing a fuss. He'd managed to get some Vulcan Tears splashed on his face and he panicked. Honestly, a simple visit to the hospital wing would have cleared it up. You'd think he wasn't paying attention last week in class. Really, if he would have just calmed down it could have been quickly settled, but he struggled and fought and he probably knocked something over that set the fire."
Rubeus knew young Severus could get himself into a right tizzy when rubbed the wrong way, but he also knew that Severus was careful and level-headed most of the time. More than anything, he knew that Vulcan Tears, a sap harvested from the Fireweed, hurt like anything on skin contact. If it had gotten on his face… "Well, what happened to him? Where is he? I didn't see him in the crowd."
"Took off somewhere, I should think. Even before the fire, he was actually punching holes in my greenhouse. The audacity!" His attention was suddenly off Rubeus and he rushed away. "Headmaster! You've got to do something! My plants!"
Rubeus didn't listen. He looked around at the students, most of them moving back to the castle, but didn't see the skinny, black-haired Severus. It would have been like Severus to hang about to watch the blaze. If he'd caused it - which was very unlikely - he would have put it out. Severus was such a clever lad.
The fire was put out easily and the students all returned safely to the castle. The headmaster and professor Shell followed them back and soon it was only Rubeus standing alone near the greenhouse.
‘Not right. Something's not right.’ He looked around at the smoldering greenhouse, the distant castle, then at the forest. He looked up at the dark sky then down at his feet. ‘He's not here. He wouldn't run away. If he'd done something wrong, he'd come to me. I know he would’ve. He’s not here and he wasn’t with the other students.’ Rubeus looked at a broken pane of glass where professor Shell had said Severus had punched through. ‘That glass is two inches thick. I helped set it in place. Severus can't have broken it.’ Rubeus walked around the smoldering greenhouse, frowning, pulling lightly on his beard. ‘Severus isn't that strong. No one here is, except me. He absolutely can't have broken that glass without a spell and Professor Shell said he punched it. Something's not right.’
Tenten-
In the Forbidden Forest-
High in the tree they'd chosen as their base, Tenten had delivered Uchiha to Haruno-san. Haruno-san hadn't hesitated before putting her hands on either side of Uchiha's face and when he'd flinched at the touch, Haruno-san had whispered comfortingly and stroked his cheeks.
‘Once upon a time, any girl of Konohagakure would have killed to have their hands on his face. Now, they turn away from him when he walks down the street. They wouldn't want to be within ten feet of him.’ Tenten thought it was rather sad.
Haruno-san's little hands glowed with power as she brushed across his wounds. There were minor scratches from the run though the forest when he'd stumbled because he didn't trust Tenten to lead him. There were more serious injuries - deep cuts over his forearms and one across his forehead where glass from the greenhouse had cut him upon his escape from the fire. The pale green power emanating from Sakura's hands was gentle and powerful, erasing Uchiha's wounds as if they'd never been.
Tenten couldn't look away from the scene, but she did keep her distance and stood on a branch several meters away. It was strangely intimate. She'd never seen anyone so close to Uchiha before they'd started this mission. It wasn't just Haruno-san. Tenten had seen Uchiha sitting very close to Uzumaki and whispering this or that. Uzumaki sometimes laughed hysterically, nodded, shook his head silently, or whispered back. She'd watched Uchiha fall asleep actually leaning on Hatake-san's shoulder.
Tenten watched Haruno-san peer into Uchiha's eyes. Uchiha should have been executed. She didn’t want him to be killed, but it would have been a sensible thing to do. The ANBU should have dispatched him without a second thought. Instead, he was given back to his Cell and was on parole.
Whether that was a kindness or not, Tenten hadn't decided.
It wasn't as if it was much of a life. Uchiha spent time with no one but Umino-sensei outside his Cell. He rarely ventured out of Umino-sensei's home. He seemed to be in a constant state of depression and when, on very rare occasions, he did have to leave the safety of his Cell, he was subject to stares and insults. So far as Tenten knew, no one had dared to try their hand against him - disgraced or not, he was still an Uchiha. He lived without honor and the constant knowledge that he had ruined his family's name. Surely, death would have been kinder.
"Did that liquid have a scent?" Haruno-san asked Uchiha. "A taste? Anything?"
Uchiha licked his burned lips. "Sweet. Like honey."
Haruno-san pursed her lips and drummed her fingers on her knee. Finally, she let out a growl. "I'm not Tsunade-sama. I don't dare try to heal you. I'm sorry, Sasuke. I think I might be able to heal your eyes, but I'm just not sure."
"I trust you."
"I don't. Eyes are complicated. YOUR eyes are even more complicated. I could do more damage than good. I could permanently destroy what's left of your eyes. I could ruin your sharigan and then…" She let her voice trail away, but the meaning was clear.
Without the sharigan, Uchiha had little value to the village. He would likely be kept at the village as nothing more than - Tenten grimaced at the phrase that sprung to her mind - a breeder. After all, if he fathered children who also possessed the sharigan he would help strengthen the village. He wouldn’t be able to perform missions if he was blind and had no other skills other than those of a shinobi. The Hokage was a good person and wouldn’t force Uchiha to produce children, but if he were unable to perform missions, what else was there for him to? How else could he serve the village?
"We've tried washing out your eyes, but it did no good. I think," Haruno-san bit her cheek, uncertainly. "I think you may have to return to that school and allow them to treat you. They surely know more about whatever was thrown on your face than I do." She shook her head and looked in the direction of the school. "But if they find the sharigan… they might…. I don't know enough about how they work their healing. Damn it! I don't know enough about the sharigan!"
"Sorry," Uchiha didn't lower his face. "No one ever told me much about it."
Tenten didn't know how the Uchiha's had ordered their clan, but she did know a bit about the Hyuugas and suspected that they were similar. The Hyuugas never sought medical attention from the medi-nins, if they could prevent it. Instead, injured Hyuugas were almost always returned to the Hyuuga estate where they were treated by their own family. Most likely, the Uchiha Clan had intended to educate Uchiha about the sharigan when he showed signs of it. Sadly, his power had developed long after they'd all been murdered which meant that Uchiha might never learn important secrets about the sharigan unless, somehow, Hatake-san, with his stolen sharigan eye, knew something or Uchiha Itachi suddenly turned back into a doting big brother and turned up to give lessons.
Both cases were unlikely.
Tenten jumped to the branch where Uchiha and Haruno-san were, causing Uchiha to start. He tensed and reached out suddenly to take hold of Haruno-san's arm. "I think we need approval before this goes further. I'll find Gai-sensei and Hatake-san. Stay here."
She ran through the forest without fear, but wishing the communicators worked. What a lot of trouble it was to be without them. With the communicators she would have easily been able to recall Gai-sensei to base or simply get his advice about what to do. As it was, Tenten didn't believe in brooding on things she couldn't change. So she ran and knew Gai-sensei would see her long before she saw him. He was a greatly underestimated man.
Before too long, Tenten came upon Neji and Uzumaki. Uzumaki was crouched on the ground behind heavy brush while Neji stood in the branches of a concealing tree. They were watching a herd of centaurs. Tenten landed on the branch next to Neji and stared. She'd never seen centaurs before. Of course, she'd heard of them, but she'd never actually seen one. Magnificent creatures, they were, too. All of them, even the females, were heavily muscled, graceful, and powerful.
"Why are you here?" Neji whispered.
"I need Gai-sensei. Have you seen him?"
"To the west."
Tenten still didn't move for a moment. The centaurs were talking amongst themselves while younger ones played, running round in circles. "How's it going with your partner?" Tenten gestured to Uzumaki below.
Neji scowled. "He is not my partner. We happen to be forced to be in the same place, at the same time, during the same mission. There is no other relationship."
"So stubborn. Keep that up and he'll hate you."
"Good. I already hate him."
It was all because of Hinata, though the sweet girl probably didn't know there was any ill feeling between Neji and Uzumaki. Gentle Hinata, who would have been more at home in a flower garden than in battle, was very nearly the center of Neji's life. Both Tenten and Lee knew that Neji would die for his cousin, Hinata. Everything that affected Hinata affected Neji to some degree. He worried if she caught ill or if she was bullied. He worried if he thought she was getting too skinny and he'd worried when Umino-sensei had announced the Cell Hinata would join. He was fiercely protective and ruthless when it came to Hinata’s safety and happiness.
It was that protectiveness that had made Neji hate Naruto. At the chuunin exams, Uzumaki had cheered for Hinata until she'd forced the fight between herself and Neji. He had wanted Hinata to bow out of the fight. He'd wanted her to leave before anyone could lay hands on her. Instead, Uzumaki had encouraged her and Neji had been forced to go against her. He certainly couldn't lose, though he wouldn't have told that to Hinata. The reason would only have made her worry.
"Her father would have had me replaced if I’d failed the exams," Neji had bitterly told Tenten and Lee. "He said he would find another - a more competent - guard if I were to shame the Clan by losing to anyone at the chuunin exams. Losing to Hinata… he would have known I’d lost deliberately."
He couldn't throw the fight and he couldn't just walk away. So Neji had fought, the last thing he'd wanted to do. He’d been so desperate to save her from fighting anyone who might kill her that he’d hurt her so badly enough that she couldn’t compete any further, but no so badly that she wouldn’t make a full recovery. As in everything he did, Neji had been very careful, very precise in every injury he’d inflicted.
Tenten asked, "Are the centaurs important?"
"Maybe. They don't like humans. I would count them as a very real threat." Neji refocused on the centaurs. "Why do you need Gai-san?"
"Uchiha's been injured."
Below them, Uzumaki looked up sharply. His eyes widened with worry and he inched his way away from the centaurs. Within seconds, he was in the tree with them. "What happened?"
"Keep your voice down!" Neji snapped.
Uzumaki snarled at him before he looked at Tenten. "Well?"
"You heard me the first time. His eyes are injured. Haruno-san is looking after him. I have to find Gai-sensei and tell him what's happened."
Uzumaki nodded briskly and started back to the base without waiting for Neji.
"At least Uchiha's cellmates are worried for him. That's one good thing he's got going for him."
Neji grunted. "His fate is… dark."
"You’re always so pessimistic. He's been doing all right since he got back to the village."
"He went to Orochimaru of his own free will. After he'd been cursed. After his Cell had been attacked. After he knew how dangerous Orochimaru is. After all that, he STILL went willingly." Neji's face was like stone. "He cannot be trusted."
"I know. I know. You've said the same thing a dozen times since this mission began. You know," Tenten gave him a teasing smile. "Maybe it's his fate to be forgiven. Are you going after your partner?"
"I would trade him for Lee in a heartbeat," Neji told her, firmly. "Though he is just as loud, Lee is far more sensible. Still, I suppose I must follow." He looked again in the direction Uzumaki had gone. "Be safe."
"Be safe." Tenten smiled after Neji. When she was alone, Tenten paused. The sky had grown dark with clouds. It was just warm enough that instead of snow, there was rain in the air. Tenten smiled, despite the stress of the mission and Uchiha's accident. She didn't like this mission. There were too many unknowns - about the school and about magic in general - as well as too many knowns - Uchiha's treachery, the anger between Uzumaki and Neji, and Lee's separation from the Cell. She hated the idea of the Cell being separated. How was she supposed to know that Lee was taking care of himself? He was so careless about his own well-being. Despite all that worry, Tenten smiled at the clouds.
Rain was coming.
She could feel it, heavy against her skin. It was coming.
Coming.
The first raindrop struck Tenten's nose and caused a brilliant smile to light her face. Joyfully, she sprung from where she'd stood with Neji to another tree. She loved the rain.
Flashback-
They stood together at father's remembrance. Rain fell steadily while what few friends father and mother had gathered together. The somber atmosphere was made worse by the cold. Mother didn't look at the photograph of father set up at the front of the room. She didn't even look at Tenten. Instead, she stared out the window at the falling rain. Her fingertips grazed across the glass and she stared. People around her talked and she stared, entranced by each falling drop of water.
"The ANBU took his body and gave it to the medi-nins," Tenten heard someone whisper. "They've never had a shinobi from Mist to study, let alone with a Bloodline Limit. It could come in handy."
"I suppose. Seems a cruel thing to do, though. They've been here for ten years. It's almost like they're one of us."
"Don't be absurd."
"What about the girl?"
"At least she was born here," the whisperer said, somewhat indifferently. "We'll see how she turns out. She'll begin in the Academy shortly."
"That's not what I mean. Has she shown any signs of the family's bloodline limit?"
"No. Not that I've heard. She's only ten. There's still time. Many Uchiha's don't show until they're thirteen. You know that's the only reason the Hokage allowed them to stay." The woman snorted in derision. "They're missing nin, no better than any other criminal. If they hadn't promised the Hokage a child, well…"
Tenten knew that she was the reason why her parents had been allowed sanctuary in Konohagakure. Her parents had promised the Hokage a child that would carry the Bloodline Limit of the family. With the promise of another clan like the Hyuugas and Uchihas, Tenten's parents had been allowed the safety of the village after their own village had turned against them. So many people had been killed, Tenten's father had once told her, simply because they'd been born with the Bloodline Limit.
Tenten leaned closer to her mother, but her mother stared at the falling rain.
They wouldn't get father's body back, Tenten knew. By the time the medi-nins were finished, there wouldn't be much left, anyway. What was left, the ANBU would dispose of.
"Mother?" Tenten whispered, fearful of drawing attention to herself. "Mother, I want to leave."
"Go." Her mother didn't so much as look at her, but Tenten was thankful. Her mother had never seemed so far away.
No one paid Tenten much attention as she left, quietly making her way out of the large living room and then out of the house. She liked rain. She'd always liked rain. It was calm, a steady beat against her skin. Tenten stood for a moment on the front step of her home. She heard the muffled voices from inside and she saw, when she turned her head to the window, her mother's hand pressed against the window. Tenten raised her face and let the rain beat down on her.
Soothing.
It was almost enough to wash away the pain.
End Flashback-
Tenten smiled again at the cold rain and set off.
There were people in the forest. Tenten paused when she found them. It was near the edge of the forest where eight people - all of them dressed in black robes - huddled together. She almost kept moving passed them as it was so important to get help for Uchiha, but Tenten did linger for a moment.
"Are you sure about this?”
"Just keep your eyes open. We don't need any trouble. This mission is dangerous enough." That speaker kept glancing uneasily around, clearly afraid of the forest.
"Don't tell me you buy into that nonsense about the headmaster. He's a saintly old man, a threat to no one! This is such a waste of time. I can't believe our talents are being wasted on watching a harmless school. This is insulting."
"You're the one spouting nonsense. Don't you ever read memos?"
The argument went round in circles for a long while, but it was easy enough to see what was going on. The local government had sent these people to spy on the school or, rather, the headmaster of the school.
There was a slight movement to the left and Tenten left her hiding spot. The movement had been a deliberate attempt to get her attention. She found Gai-sensei and Hatake-san a short distance from the men. Hatake-san, as always, looked rather bored and barely moved when Tenten went to stand with them. “Problem, sensei.”
At once, all three of them left their observation spot and went a distance away so they could speak without fear of discovery.
Hatake-san’s attention, like Uzumaki's, was quickly seized when Tenten spoke and told them about Uchiha.
He closed his book and tucked it inside his vest. "Gai, we've heard enough here?"
"For now. They seem to be ready to stay for a fair time. We can come back after you've seen to your Cell."
Hatake-san left as quickly as Uzumaki had, leaving Tenten with Gai-sensei. "Gai-sensei?"
"Yes?"
Tenten wasn't sure it was any of her business. After all, it wasn't her decision to allow Uchiha a second chance, nor was he part of her Cell. She was curious, however, and this might be the only opportunity to ask Gai-sensei without any of Cell 7 around. "Sir, is this really wise? Putting the mission in Uchiha's hands?"
Gai-sensei gave her a disapproving frown and lightly smacked the top of her head. "That's Uchiha-SAN, my dear kunoichi. Don't forget your manners."
"Sorry, sir. Forgive me for asking, but is this really a good idea? Uchiha-san, I mean."
"You don't trust him?"
Tenten shook her head. "It's not that. After all, he's been back six months and he's caused no trouble. He secludes himself in Umino-sensei's home when he's not with his Cell. Tsunade-sama trusts him." And as far as Tenten was concerned, Tsunade-sama always knew best. "It's nothing to do with trust. He'll do his job to the best of his ability, I believe. What worries me is Orochimaru's interest in him. This is the first time Uchiha-san's been out of the village since his rescue. Orochimaru might have been waiting for this opportunity to get at him."
"Orochimaru had no difficulty getting into Konohagakure during the chuunin exams when security had been dramatically increased." Gai-sensei shook his head. "He can get to Uchiha-san any time he wishes."
"Do you know what happened to Uchiha-san when he went to Orochimaru?"
His stern look was enough to make Tenten regret that she'd asked. "I do. Kakashi and I are very close. We tell each other almost everything. You'll forgive me when I say that what happened to young Uchiha-san is not your concern and I’ll ask that you leave the subject alone."
"Yes, sir."
“Good girl.” Gai-san smiled, then, and gave her a not-so-gentle push on the back to encourage her to move. "Let’s go see how things are going. You can play in the rain when the mission is over."
Tenten blushed and nodded. Of course he knew of her love for the rain, Gai-sensei made a point of knowing everything about his Cell. Tenten reached upward with cupped hands and caught some of the rain. She brought her hands down and rubbed the water onto her already soaking face. "It makes me feel alive."
Gai-sensei laughed - though softly for the sake of the men nearby. "Perhaps your blood is starting to wake?"
Tenten shook her head. "After all this time? No. My parents bloodline limit ends with them. My mother told me that I should have shown signs of it before my twelfth birthday."
"You're only fourteen. That's not really so far from twelve."
"The women of our family always showed early signs. I hardly think of it, anymore." She pulled out a kunai and tossed it easily, pinning a fat squirrel to the tree it had been running on. She had barely had to look at the squirrel before she'd thrown. Tenten never missed her mark. As they moved passed, Tenten collected both her kunai and the squirrel. "One should be content with one's talents, I say." She held the squirrel by the tail and kept the kunai in hand as she looked for other tasty things to have for dinner. Rations wouldn't last long, after all.
Sasuke-
Sasuke stiffened when he felt the hands touched him.
"It's only me," Kakashi-sensei said, running his fingers around Sasuke's eyes. The touch hurt, but Sasuke didn't flinch. "The skin around your eyes, nose, and mouth are burned. Whatever that stuff was, it was potent."
His hands were warm, like Iruka-sensei's. Sasuke tried not to think about the others watching. Bad enough to be so weak in front of Sakura and Naruto, but it shamed him deeply that Cell 9 saw him so crippled.
"I'm going to pull your eyelid up, Sasuke. I want to get a better look. Don't move. Gai, come here. Tell me what you think."
There was the pulling and Sasuke forced himself to be still, though he felt the breath of both men on his face. Maito-san was too close. Too close by far. Sasuke wanted to pull away, but Naruto was behind him with hands on his shoulders. He wouldn't look cowardly in front of his Cell.
"Like milk over the eye. Almost, but not quite, like the Hyuuga eyes," Maito-san commented. "Can you activate the sharigan?"
Sasuke did and was greatly relieved that he could see more. His vision still wasn't perfect, but it was more than just the blanket of white.
Kakashi-sensei sounded pleased when he said, "It's there. It's active. Like a candle behind frosty glass. Can you see anything?"
"Shadows. I can see… blobs of chakra. Like shadows at night, darkness against dark. I can see movement, but no details." It was unreal and terrifying. Sasuke feared nothing more than losing control of his own body and, even more nightmarish, was the loss of his invaluable eyes. Without his eyes he had no future. "They called it Vulcan Tears."
"Ah."
"You've heard of it?"
"It can be healed, I've heard. This is good," Kakashi-sensei said. It gave Sasuke reason to hope. "I expect it only affected your normal vision. The sharigan is intact and you have control of it. Gai?"
Gai-san hesitated a moment. "He is part of your Cell. I will leave the decision to you."
Kakashi-sensei patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Sasuke, are you able to continue the mission?"
‘Don't let me shame them.’ "Yes, sensei."
Kakashi-sensei patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Then the mission continues. You’ll go back to the school and allow them to heal you."
To be continued…