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Tales From A Linen Closet	By : Onileo Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 2471 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; that honor belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. My fanfiction is for entertainment only and is not intended for financial gain.

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A Measure of Discretion

     "Goodbye, everyone!" Tenten yelled with a wave to the small crowd that had gathered at the edge of the village to see her off. Turning, she started through the damp tunnel that hid the secluded valley from the rest of the world. She would really miss this place. It had been a wonderful few weeks, teaching the ninja of Takigakure weapons techniques. Normally, the Hokage would never even consider such a mission, but the pay was great and Taki was far from being a threat to Konoha. As long as Tenten made sure that nothing more than mid-level skills were learned from her and relations stayed good, then an alliance between the two could benefit both.

     Since the Waterfall Country was on the border of Earth Country, Konoha could keep an eye on one of its most hostile rivals. And the local ninja could definitely benefit from her experience. Their small numbers made finding good teachers difficult. So when they sent an ambassador to Konoha for assistance, Tsunade jumped at the chance. The academy was in the middle of their schooling year, so Tenten was nominated to go. Her specialization in weapons and even temperament made her a good teacher of the basics. Things had been shaky at first, but after a couple of days and several bruised egos later, Tenten gained respect from the nins, and they eagerly absorbed her lessons.

     Now it was time to return to Fire Country. Konoha could only spare its weapons mistress for so long. And as much as she had enjoyed her time here, she was looking forward to seeing her home and friends again. Especially Neji. A light blush dusted her cheeks as she thought about her teammate. She'd had a crush on him for so long, but he never seemed to notice at all. She had dropped him several hints on different occasions, but he never got them. Or if he did, he didn't let on that he had. Tenten sighed. For someone with such incredible eyesight, sometimes he was as blind as a bat.

     With these thoughts occupying her mind, Tenten walked briskly along the road heading east. Several hours later she neared the border of Waterfall Country, the surrounding forest thickening the further she went. Still half daydreaming and half keeping an eye out for enemies, she jumped into the trees to travel that way for a while. She could only stand so much of staring at a straight road. Her eyes narrowed as her foot nearly slid on the branch she just landed on. The trees here were different than in Fire. They were larger and their bark peeled and hung loosely everywhere. She found she had to concentrate a little more to keep her balance.

     Suddenly a large amount of chakra flared ahead of her and disappeared. Pulling up short, she stopped, only to have the bark she was standing on break off and slip out from under her. She started to fall, and reached out to grab onto a nearby limb. Her fingers missed by an inch, and she went crashing downward. She had been very high up in the tree, and when she landed on her feet, she heard a crack and felt her ankle give way. Pain shot through her leg and she crumpled on the ground in an ungraceful heap.

     Biting down on her lip to keep from crying out, Tenten gripped her injured leg. The wind had been knocked out of her, and her chest was heaving, trying to regain oxygen. Her head was a little dizzy from the impact, making it difficult to think. She knew there was a possible enemy nearby, but if she were forced into a fight now, she would be at a severe disadvantage. She needed to get moving quickly, either to hide or find help. Unfortunately she was now miles away from the nearest town. Pulling one of her fingerless gloves off, she ran a palm down her injured ankle. It was starting to swell and was very red.

     Bracing herself against the ground, she tentatively tried to stand. As soon as she put pressure on her compromised leg it gave out again and she landed back on her bottom.

     'Great, it's probably broken. Now it will take me ages to get back to Konoha, and when they find out why, I'll never live it down. I'll be the only ninja on record to be injured from clumsiness.' she thought with a frown.

     And so much for hiding. Maybe whoever it was would pass by her without noticing her presence. Concentrating, she tried to locate the chakra source that had distracted her and caused her current predicament. She couldn't detect anything, but her instincts told her that the person was still nearby.

     Masking her own chakra, Tenten waited patiently. She couldn't hear anything, the woods were absolutely silent. Eerily so. There wasn’t even a slight breeze to rustle the leaves. All of a sudden, she felt a pair of eyes watching her. It was accompanied by the sensation that her observer was in a lot of pain. She could feel it pass over her like a wave. Strangely enough, it was a familiar sensation. She had the same feeling about a month ago while she was on a mission with the other Konoha kunoichi. On their return trip, Kakashi and the girls had stopped at a hot springs resort.

     After a quick drink at the bar, Tenten had decided to take a dip in the springs. For some reason, the towels were in low supply, and since the staff were quite busy, she had to go get her own. She had just reached the linen closet when the exact same wave of pain swept over her. It was coming from inside. Curiosity overriding her common sense, she pulled the door open and glanced around. Whoever was in there was well hidden and obviously didn't want to be disturbed.

     Muttering about the towels and lack of lighting, she feigned ignorance as she evaluated the situation. She could detect no chakra, so they were either a civilian or far more powerful than she. Deciding that letting it go would be better than ruining a well-deserved rest, she grabbed two towels and closed the door again. It was probably some kid waiting for his girlfriend anyway. But her pride as a ninja wouldn't let it rest. Stopping a couple of steps away, she turned and looked at the door.

     "And why anyone would want to hide in a freaking closet is beyond me." she said loud enough for them to hear. Satisfied, she stalked off to the springs for a relaxing soak.

     Now, she knew that whoever it was is definitely a ninja, and very close to her. She glanced around to evaluate her chances in a fight. Her pack and scroll were several feet away, out of reach. They must have fallen when she did. That just left her with the senbon in her buns and the shuriken and kunai in her weapons pouch and hidden in her clothes.

     Deftly, Tenten slid a kunai out of her pouch and kept it behind her back. Taking a deep breath, she addressed the hidden ninja. "Who's there?" she demanded, hoping her voice sounded more confident than she felt.

     Itachi stiffened in the middle of readjusting his cloak. He had just finished off the hunter ninja that had stumbled upon him when he felt another chakra signature approaching fast. Squinting his eyes slightly, he fought off the oncoming headache from using his Sharingan and concentrated on masking his chakra. Jumping into a tree, he waited to see what new threat was bearing down on him. They had nearly reached him when he heard a thud. Moving in on the sound, he crept closer to its source. Beyond the cover of thick foliage, he was surprised to see a kunoichi from Konoha sitting in the dust. Judging from the misplaced bark on the ground, she had somehow managed to fall out of the tree she was sitting under, injuring herself in the process.

     Curiosity and a touch of amusement passed through Itachi as he watched the girl below him face the wrong direction and call out to him. The feelings never registered physically however, his face remaining as impassive as ever. His cold Sharingan eyes took in every detail, the kunai behind her back, the deadly gleam of the senbon in her hair and her injured ankle. From what he could tell of her chakra, she couldn't be more than chunnin level. So how did she know that he was there?

     It couldn't be a chakra leak. His masking technique was flawless. And he hadn't made a single sound when he approached. His head pounded unmercifully as he poured more chakra to his eyes, studying her again, making sure he missed nothing. She had yet to let her guard down, even after several long minutes. She seemed very certain of his presence. So much for hoping she would dismiss her actions as paranoia. The next question that entered his mind was, what was he going to do with her now?

     The easiest thing to do would be to kill her and walk away. There was no way she would be able to defeat him in a fight. But it wouldn't be a fair match, with her already injured. He might be considered a wanted criminal, but his pride as an Uchiha would never allow him to sink so low. That was when it hit him. He knew her. An unwanted memory flashed in his head. She was the girl from the hot springs resort. After he'd been hiding in a linen closet from the Copy Ninja, Kakashi, she had come upon him. Even though he was perfectly camouflaged then, she had known he was there.

     She had acted completely unaware as she rummaged for towels, then had taunted him as she walked away. Never before had he been so frustrated and embarrassed. It was a good thing he had plenty of self-control. If they hadn't been on an undercover mission, he would have taken great pleasure in revealing himself and watching her eyes widen in fear as she cowered before the Nightmare of Konoha. Or at the very least, he would have burned the place to the ground in the morning and walked away with a smirk.

     But instead he was forced to swallow his pride and do nothing. Now fate, with its twisted sense of humor, had seen fit to toss her in his path once again. Only this time he wasn't going to hide in the corner like a whipped dog. After a long moment, the logical side of his brain pushed his vindictive thoughts aside. Before he did anything with her, he had to find out how she could detect him. It was a vulnerability he couldn't afford. Overlooking even the smallest flaw in his defense could eventually kill him.

     Tenten released a tight breath as she waited patiently. Whoever it was definitely wasn't in any hurry. She had just opened her mouth to call out again when a blur rushed by her, stopping a few feet away. When her gaze caught up, she gasped. Standing before her, in the notorious cloak of the Akatsuki, was Uchiha Itachi. She had only seen him a few times as a child, but there was no mistaking it. Sweeping her eyes over him, she took in his lean form, long raven hair, smooth face and glowing red eyes. He blinked once, and she quickly dropped her head to stare at his feet.

     'Don't look at his eyes!' she reminded herself harshly. Gripping her kunai tightly, she addressed him. "Uchiha Itachi."

     "You know who I am? A pleasant surprise, but I don't believe we've met. Who are you?" he asked, sounding completely uninterested.

     "Tenten." she clipped.

     "Just Tenten?"

     "Yes."

     She always hated answering that question. Being an orphan was hard enough without everyone looking down their nose at you because you lack a clan name. But he didn't mock her. In fact, he said nothing at all. He did, however, take a step toward her. Reacting quickly, she launched her kunai at him. He dodged it easily.

     "Stay back." she growled. He ignored her command and continued forward. She launched a handful of shuriken at him. A flurry of movement later and he was still approaching her unharmed, her throwing stars lying harmlessly in the dirt behind him. She frowned deeply. He was really starting to hurt her credibility as a weapons mistress.

     "It is unwise to continue doing that. You will only succeed in losing what few weapons you have left." he said, completely unruffled. Reaching up, she pulled two senbon from her hair. She raised her hand to launch them. Before she could release them he reached her and grabbed her hand. She squeaked in surprise, dropping the needles. Real fear set in as she realized just how easily he could kill her. Her eyes widened when he knelt down in front of her, his close proximity making her freeze despite her training.

     He didn't let go of her hand, but instead ran the fingers of his free hand gently over her swollen ankle. Unwillingly, color crept into her face.

     "It's not broken, just severely sprained. You should be able to walk on it in two days." he said quietly.

     Tenten glanced up at his face, then quickly trained her eyes on his chest again. What was with him? He certainly wasn't acting like the ruthless, insane clan killer that he was rumored to be. Chewing on her lower lip, she tried to work out a plan of action. He wasn't actually fighting her, so she really had no need to continue attacking him. Besides, if she provoked him further, he just might kill her. Releasing a sigh, she looked up at his lips.

     "What are you going to do now?" she asked.

     Letting go of her hand, Itachi stood and took a step back from her. "I'm going to make you a deal." he said.

     "A deal?" she asked. That certainly wasn't the answer she was expecting.

     "Yes. There is a civilian house a few miles down the road. I'll take you there. I'm sure whoever lives there wouldn't mind letting you rest until you can walk again." he said.

     Tenten narrowed her eyes. He was going to let her go? Surely it couldn't be that easy. "What's my part of the deal?" she asked.

     "I want you to tell me how you were able to detect my presence twice without being able to see or hear me or sense my chakra." he said firmly.

     Twice? Did that mean that her theory about him being the one at the hot springs was correct? Only one way to find out. "That was you then, at the resort?"

     He turned his head away, even though his face remained as stoic as ever. "Yes." he replied. He suddenly had an intense desire to change the subject. "Do we have a deal or not?"

     "I don't really have a choice." Tenten stated.

     "You could always choose to die." Itachi pointed out.

     "Then I guess we have a deal."

     "Indeed."

     Itachi picked up Tenten's pack and scroll and handed them to her. After she fastened them both back in place, he turned and knelt down so she could climb onto his back. Standing, he wrapped his arms around her legs. Pain shot through her foot when it bumped his leg, but she tried her best to ignore it. She awkwardly wrapped her arms around his shoulders to hold on. Heading off in the direction she was going before her fall, Itachi walked in silence. A few minutes passed in which Tenten waited for something to happen and Itachi did nothing but walk. Finally she began to relax slightly.

     That was when the precariousness of her situation hit her. Here she was, in the middle of nowhere, being carried by an S-class criminal that was one of the most wanted men in her village. He told her he was going to help her, but what would stop him from doing kami-only-knows-what with her? And she just believed everything he said like a little fool. More than that, by not doing everything she could to either capture or kill him, she was essentially betraying the village too.

     Relaxing her grip on his shoulders, she prayed that he had lowered his guard as much as she had. Waiting a moment more, she readied herself for an attack. In less than a second, she had a kunai pulled from her weapons pouch and thrust deeply in his neck. As soon as the blade penetrated, Itachi disappeared from beneath her in a puff of smoke. Without something holding her up, Tenten fell to the ground, landing on her bottom with a dull thud. She grimaced when her ankle impacted in the dirt, shooting pain up her leg.

     A humorless laugh echoed through the trees from somewhere above her. "As expected, but not very nice. Do you want my help, or do you want to go ahead and die for your village now?" he asked, his voice still a stony monotone.

     "Well, I wouldn't be a very good ninja if I didn't at least try." she shot back at him. Crossing her arms over her chest without an apology, she waited for him, or rather one of his clones, to appear. Glancing around to see which direction he would come from, she was surprised when she felt his breath on the back of her neck.

     "And I wouldn't be a very good ninja if I didn't stop you." he whispered in her ear, making her jump. Turning her head, she looked at his face. She figured when she looked in his eyes the first time he could have caught her in the genjutsu, and since he was using clones it couldn't hurt to look at him now. He was quite handsome, with fine features and silky raven black hair. Even Neji had a hard time competing with his natural beauty. She frowned at the tired, pained expression on his face.

     "Are you ready to continue?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts. She nodded. Instead of coming around her so she could climb on his back again, he wrapped his arms around her body and scooped her up, bridal style. A light blush crept onto her cheeks at her position. "It was fine the other way." she muttered, half to herself.

     "But this way I can keep an eye on you and not waste half the day remaking clones." he said. He continued onward again, and Tenten found herself clinging to the front of his cloak to keep from rolling out of his arms. She was so grateful she was alone. If any of her friends could see her now she would die of embarrassment. She was a ninja, for kami's sake, not some wilting daimyo's daughter that needed to be carried around to keep them from breaking a fingernail.

     The silence stretched on for several minutes, until Tenten became uncomfortable with it. Digging around for something to say, she figured she might as well press him for information. She might come up with something useful out of this incident, anyway. "So, why are you in Waterfall Country?"

     "I can't tell you that. Why are you here?"

     "I can't tell you that either. What is your current mission?"

     Itachi shook his head. "I don't think so."

     It probably wasn't wise to keep pestering him, but since he seemed to be taking her questions in stride, she couldn't resist continuing. "Where is the Akatsuki base?"

     He glared at her and continued walking.

     "Who is the leader of the Akatsuki?"

     Itachi's lip twitched slightly. "I am." he said seriously.

     "Really?"

     "No."

     Figuring the Uchiha was reaching his limit of tolerance and not wanting to get dumped on her butt in the middle of nowhere, Tenten fell silent. She contented herself with watching the rise and fall of his chest. Since it was a warm day, he had the top of his cloak parted, and she could see his silver necklace resting just above his mesh shirt. She started to ask if it had any significance, but stopped herself. Prying into personal matters wasn't part of her job.

     She also noticed that even though he carried her extra weight, his footsteps were completely silent. And he was right. Even as close as she was to him, she couldn't detect any more chakra emanating from him than that of an average civilian. No wonder he was considered a prodigy. If she didn't know him by sight, she would never have guessed he was a ninja.

     Itachi studied his charge as he walked. With his Sharingan activated, he didn't have to look directly at her to see every detail. She was lithe and petite, with fine bones and a pretty face. Her large chocolate eyes reminded him of a wild doe, untamed and alive. Her hair and clothes were simple and elegant, while still giving function top priority. Even though she had no exotic features, her natural beauty impressed him.

     "We'll be there in a few minutes." Itachi said, interrupting his own thoughts before they gave way to unwanted feelings. "It's time to hold up your end of the bargain. How could you sense me?"

     "You're in pain." she said.

     "What?"

     "You're in pain." she repeated. "I can feel it whenever you're close. It's like going into a crowded room and you just automatically know if the people in it are happy, sad, excited, or angry, even though no one's said a word to you. It's the same thing. Some people call it empathy."

     "I see." he said. That presented a problem. If it were a jutsu or a device, he could find a counter for it. But how did you stop people from feeling, short of casting a genjutsu? The only other solution was to find a cure for his chronic headaches. But so far, that had proved impossible. Since they were a direct result of using the Sharingan and his slowly deteriorating eyes, he'd had to live with them.

     "Why are you in pain? Are you ill?" she asked. She couldn't help but be concerned for him, even if he was an enemy.

     "Not really." he replied vaguely. She thought that was all he was going to say, until he continued. "It's from a headache."

     That would make sense. She had heard stories from Sakura about Kakashi having problems because of his Sharingan. Because he had his active longer, and relied on it more heavily in battle, it would be inevitable that Itachi would suffer more severe side effects. Even if he was an Uchiha. Her thoughts were interrupted when Itachi came to a sudden halt. Looking ahead, she spotted a tidy house nestled in a grove of trees. Turning her head to look back up at him, she smiled in thanks.

     "This is it. It would probably be to both of our advantage not to mention this incident to anyone. I wouldn't want to ruin my reputation and have Konoha asking me back." he said. Looking up in surprise at his words, Tenten saw the slight smile that played on his lips. Was that a joke? A mischievous glint came to her eyes and she nodded her head. Then he did something that shocked her to her core. Pulling her closer to him, Itachi leaned down and kissed her.

     Tenten's eyes widened. His lips were warm and soft on her own. His kiss wasn't hungry or demanding. It was enticing, almost daring her to kiss him back. Before her brain could warn her of her folly, her eyes slid shut and she parted her lips for him. He stroked her lips with his tongue before delving deeper, exploring the interior of her mouth before tangling with her tongue.

     After a moment, Itachi pulled back and looked down at her with a smirk. He watched as a blush spread across her cheeks and she looked away. An unusual feeling of guilt went through him. Part of him had done it to create a bond with her to ensure her silence, but another part of himself couldn't resist tasting her soft lips. Without a word, he carried her the rest of the way to the house.

     When they reached the porch, Itachi set her gently on her feet and knocked briskly on the door. Tenten stood on her good leg and braced her hand against the doorframe for support. After a moment, she heard movement from inside and the door was pulled open. A middle aged woman stood there, with kind eyes and dark brown hair that was just starting to gray around the temples. She gave Tenten an inquisitive smile.

     "Can I help you?" she asked.

     "Umm, sorry to bother you," Tenten started, trying her best to bow on one leg, "but I was on my way to Konoha from Takigakure when I injured my ankle. We were hoping it wouldn't be too much trouble if I rested here until I can walk on it again."

     "We? Is someone with you?" the woman asked, glancing around in confusion. Tenten looked over her shoulder to find that Itachi was already gone. Embarrassed, she blushed and looked back.

     "No. I'm sorry, I meant to say 'I'."

     She gave Tenten a skeptical look and glanced down at her ankle. Motioning her inside, she shut the door and helped her to a chair. "I don't mind if you stay. It will probably be tomorrow before your ankle is well enough to walk on. It looks pretty sore. My name's Taka, by the way."

     "I'm Tenten." she replied.

     The two women seemed to hit it off right away, and the rest of the evening was spent quietly, with Taka cooking dinner while Tenten entertained her with stories about the Land of Fire. She turned out to be a very inquisitive person, and they stayed up long into the night, talking. The next morning, she set off again, her foot able to bear a little weight. Taka had asked her to stay longer, but she insisted on going, not wanting to burden her further.

     Walking slowly down the road, Tenten couldn't help but glance around, a part of her hoping to feel a certain chakra signature. She sighed and tried to push thoughts of yesterday's incident out of her head. She concentrated on Neji, his long, dark hair, pale eyes and determined face. But the longer she daydreamed, the more his eyes darkened until they were a deep red with swirling black dots. Giving up, she shook her head. Was that one kiss powerful enough to sway her thoughts so easily? Evidently so. But no matter how treacherous her mind was, she was determined not to let a word about meeting Itachi slip past her tongue. Discretion is a virtue, after all.
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Tales From A Linen Closet