Log: RM Living a Double Life

[endless_scrolls]

Title: Living a Double Life
Type: RP log
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Character(s): Tenten, Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji; brief mentions of Sabaku no Gaara, Uchiha Sasuke
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Log originally started for the red_moon_comm comm. 'Old friends tend to make new problems when you're hiding half of yourself from them.'
Dedicated to: My love of mafia games

Lee’s injury had not kept him from starting his days off the same way as he always did: bright and early, and with an intense workout.

They did, however severely limit what he was able to do. However, he did not let this deter him. He had taken to being very careful so far, and stuck with just things he could do without the use of his injured leg and arm, but after a week and a half, he was feeling unbalanced and bored. One could only do the same exercises over and over again for so long before they got bored. And at this rate, Lee’s entire right side would be much stronger than his left. He had decided that once he was all better, he would make it up by doing the exact same training regimen on his left side, and so he kept a board full of tallies and explanations of what he had been doing so he would do the exact same number of things on his left side.

But now, a week and a half later, with no work to keep him busy and Gaara only able to spend so much time with him, Lee was finally fed up with his boring regimen. It was time for something else! He would do punches! Just on the one side, and he would definitely not include any kicks. It would be just one hand.

His punching bag, battered and used, was a welcoming sight when Lee entered his training room. He had done his best to ignore it over the past week, but he could do so no longer. With a determined air, he hobbled forward, his crutch out in the living room, and faced down the punching bag as though it were a deadly foe. “Yosha,” he whispered, heatedly, feeling the burn of youthful excitement coursing through him. “I will definitely have a good workout today.”

He didn’t fall into his usual stance, unable as he was to support any weight on his left leg, but he did his best to mimic it, leaning forward slightly, even though it made him feel off balance. Obviously, this would be much harder than he had first thought! An admirable challenge lay ahead of him, and Lee grinned devilishly, raising both his hands and letting a punch fly at the bag. It swayed dangerously close to him as it came back, and he fought down the initial reaction of kneeing it. He would definitely only use his right hand, and if he failed, he would do an extra hundred pull-ups tonight before bed!

As the bag finally stilled, Lee readied another punch. After a while, he started moving around, focusing all of his weight on his right leg, easily pivoting around the bag. He attacked the bag with a youthful vigor, working up quite the sweat, grinning broadly at the nice change of pace from the workouts he had been doing recently.

“Yosha!!!” he cried, whirling around on his right leg, left lifted slightly and his right arm coming down in a wide arm, the entire side of it landing with a resounding thwack! against one side of the bag, which swung violently towards the wall, the chain creaking dangerously. The bag hit the wall, flying back toward Lee, and without thinking, he whirled around bringing his left arm up to land a blow to the center of the bag. Since he was unable to bend make a fist, his knuckles were not properly protected, and on top of that, his injured wrist was not able to support the force Lee used to connect with the bag, which was thrown into the wall, the old chain breaking as Lee fell to the floor, gasping in pain. His wrist throbbed, and when he looked down, he noticed a thin crack spreading from the tip of the cast near his fingers were, traveling up to just past his wrist.

“Oh dear,” he murmured, jaw tight as he tried to meditate away the pain. After a long moment of sitting, his left leg at an odd angle that only Lee’s incredible flexibility allowed, he managed to get up and hobble to his restroom to see if he had something to fix his cast with.

“That guy....”

Neji was feeling the same displeasure that he had when he’d first heard the news of Lee’s injury. Years of maturation and experience had failed to take away Lee’s recklessness, surprising for someone in his profession. Neji couldn’t say it was surprising that he’d end up like this. And at least he wasn’t dead. Still, something in himself was moved? Bothered? Worried? Irritated? that someone he tolerated, had been hurt. Probably by some scumbag crook. It didn’t make sense though. Lee was more than capable of taking care of himself. Maybe the guy got the jump on him. Or Lee jumped before he should have.

“Tch.”

He took a quick glance at the slip of paper in his hand to make sure he was at the right place. This was the address he copied from the police department at the very least. The plastic bag on his arm rustled as he walked. Thinking flowers would inspire a bigger response from Lee than Neji liked, he’d brought the guy some lunch. Lunch said ‘get well soon’ without going into ‘we’re super friends!’ territory. Neji walked up to the door and straightened himself up before knocking twice to announce his presence.

Lee dropped the items he had been fumbling around with in his attempt to fix his damaged cast and aching wrist at the sound of someone knocking. “Oops,” he muttered, leaning down awkwardly to pick everything up. Unfortunately, it was too difficult and he gave up, deciding that it would be much too rude to leave whoever had come to call waiting.

“Chotto matte, onegaishimasu!” he called, as he hobbled towards the entrance of his home. He would have had a much easier time if he had just used his crutch, but then it would be too easy and Lee liked a challenge. “Hai, hai,” he said, finally at the door, which he pulled open swiftly and with much fanfare. His eye widened. “My Eternal Rival!!!!!!!!!!!!” he cried, pointing dramatically at Neji. “Have you come to challenge me!?!?!”

There was a long pause between Lee’s yelling and Neji’s reaction. The damage his body had sustained hadn’t changed his enthusiasm even a little bit. Rather than explain how it would be insane to challenge a recently discharged patient from the hospital to an epic battle for honor, Neji held up the bag in his hand and held it out for Lee.

“I heard about your situation and figured you might need a hand with food. Don’t suppose you have someone to cook for you....”

He glanced around the room, raising an eyebrow at the mess Lee had left behind.

“....or someone who cleans.”

Lee beamed. “Hontou arigatou, Neji! I truly appreciate you coming to bring me lunch!!!” He accepted the bag, frowning in confusion and turning to look up the hall, spotting the mess spilling out from the bathroom. He winced, blushing slightly. “Anou, I was just trying to get a few things to fix my cast.” He raised his left arm, showing the crack that ran from the fingertips of his cast to just above his wrist. “I-I was having some difficulty though and dropped things. I will pick that up,” he murmured, hobbling forward.

“I just did not want to keep you waiting. It is truly very good to see you again! It has been too long! Once I am better, we should have a match!” He raised a challenging fist, a huge grin on his face, before he bent awkwardly to pick up the things from the bathroom, moving towards the kitchen. “I shall take care of this in here. Will you stay? We have much catching up to do! And it has been very lonely here these past few days without my friend visiting and with Gai-sensei out of town!” He entered the kitchen, hobbling to the table and setting the food and medical supplies down in a heap, before he dropped into a chair.

“I’m not staying. And neither are you. That cast needs to be fixed unless you want a gumby looking arm. Grab your stuff.”

He glanced around in search of...some kind of bag or wallet looking item. Even thought he and Lee weren’t the best of friends (unless Lee was asked), Neji knew that he’s most likely not going to come without some sort of begging or dragging involved. Being a no-nonsense type of person himself, this would most likely end in dragging and tears.

Lee shook his head, waving his arms about. “No, no! I am fine! Truly! I only cracked it a little during an intense training session and the pain in my wrist has already subsided! Well, it is actually kind of tingly and numb, but I am sure that I am fine! I would hate to trouble you or anyone at the hospital, after all!”

Lee really didn’t think he could afford going to the hospital, considering how long he would be off of work, and how much his last visit had cost. It wasn’t like he had injured himself on the job, so work wouldn’t pay for it, nor would he get paid leave. He only hoped Neji wouldn’t try to drag him down there. That would surely end badly.

“You must be joking. Now hurry up. I have things to do and can’t leave you like this. Where’s your wallet?”

Just as he’d predicted. Had he known that this was not just about being difficult then he might have tried to have a little more tact. But Neji figured that since he lived alone, Lee would have more than a little cash saved up.

Lee shook his head. “No, I am being very serious, Neji. I do not need to go. I am sure that if I just fix it myself and go easy on the training, I should be fine!” It was really kind of his eternal rival to worry about his this way, but honestly, Lee was fine, if a little concerned by how numb his hand was beginning to feel. “I am sure if I just rest for the day, I will be in tip top shape by tomorrow!”

He did his best to give Neji the most reassuring grin, accompanied by the Nice Guy pose, that he could, but he was sure that Neji wouldn’t give in. And if Neji did not give up, then they would be here all day and night arguing over this. And Lee had planned on calling Gaara later on. He couldn’t be busy arguing about whether or not he needed to be at the hospital.

And just remembering the redhead made him wince. If Gaara found out about this, he would surely be very upset with Lee. Perhaps it would be better to go, then. He didn’t want to upset his friend. But really, dipping into his funds to also pay for part of Gaara’s bill--not that the redhead knew about that--had left Lee with only enough money to last the coming weeks he would be healing if he was careful about spending. And going to the hospital again was not being careful. He weighed the options, considering how stubborn Neji was going to be, how upset Gaara would be, and how broke he was going to be.

He sighed. “Anou, I will go. But you must promise me one thing!” He held up his index finger, his face set in determination.

Okay. Negotiating. This was something he could do. He wasn’t going to negotiate for anything less than what Neji thought Lee should do; but it was a start to getting him to go without a big fuss. He brushed some hair out of his face and sat back to consider.

“Depends on what it is.”

Lee nodded. He had expected no less from his eternal rival. He leaned forward, his mouth set in a grimly determined line, eyes locked with Neji’s. “You have to promise that Sabaku Gaara does not find out.”

He gave his friend the most serious look he could muster, the determination practically radiating off of him in waves. Neji probably would not understand, but it was very likely that Neji had heard of Gaara since the latter was in SIB. SIB officers usually had a reputation, after all, and Lee did not doubt that with Gaara’s skills and tendency to lose control that he had one.

“I’ve been called a lot of things in my life...a gossip is not one of them.”

He understood that Lee didn’t have the intention of insulting him but he felt the sting nonetheless and he gave the injured man a withering frown. Tattle telling was far beneath him. Not only that, his family history meant that he’d been raised to value privacy and secrecy above a lot of other things. Neji sighed and eased his expression as he took one last glance around the room.

“Let’s go. We might have to wait a while before a doctor has a chance to look at you as it is.”

Lee shook his head. “You misunderstand me, Neji. I mean, I want you to keep this quiet. I do not want word about this reaching my office at the Police Department, or anywhere else. Gaara works in SIB, so if my office hears about it, he most definitely will. And he will be most upset with me and then agitate his ribs in the process.”

“I would rather he not do that, and so if you can make sure that no one talks about it, that would be most appreciated. I know that you are a very influential person, so if we could just use discretion, that is really all I ask.” He felt slightly uncomfortable at implying Neji use his authority for this, but he wasn’t asking him to do something dastardly, and that made him feel slightly less guilty. However, a twinge of guilt made itself known when he thought of the fact that he was keeping something from his new friend. He shook himself, rising to his feet. “Hai, let us go.”

He grabbed his keys and wallet as the hobbled towards the door, frowning in thought. Was he forgetting anything? No, he was definitely not. Right? He shook his head, looking back at his friend.

“I don’t talk to anyone about anything I don’t need them to know. Your friend would be lucky to get a hello out of me, let alone a full report on the things you do or happen to you. If what you want is that the doctors don’t say anything either then that’s another story completely.”

He followed Lee and then took several steps ahead to lead the guy to his car. Wait...did Lee even have a car? This wasn’t exactly the time for a revelation but Neji was surprising himself for doing this for a man whom he hardly knew anything about. Then again it’s not like they were in positions where they would see each other enough for chit chat. He shook himself out of that line of thought. That issue called for careful consideration and time which he didn’t have at the moment.

“I’ll drive you there and back.”

Lee nodded. “Thank you very much, Neji. I appreciate all that you are doing for me and promise to repay you!” He gave his rival a thumbs up, hobbling after him towards the car he could only assume was Neji’s since it was the only one in sight. “If you would like, I think I might be able to help you pay for gas.”

He glanced back at the other man, smiling slightly, waiting for the door to be unlocked.

Neji gave a short laugh and rolled his eyes. He probably made more in a week than Lee saw in a month. Still...it was moving that even though he didn’t have much...Lee was still willing to pay for that. He could’ve laughed at the guy or something to that extent but seeing him be oddly quiet in addition to his gesture made it seem unnecessary. Now wasn’t the time.

“No. I’ve got it. Don’t worry. You can buy me a drink someday instead.”

Neji pressed the button on his car alarm to unlock the doors and opened up the driver’s side.

“Think you could handle opening a door by yourself or should I call for assistance?”

Lee laughed, shaking his head. “No, I am sure I can manage a door. I have been doing well for being so immobile. After all, I do not think I would have broken my cast if I were not managing,” he pointed out with a grin, opening the door and flopping down in the passenger seat. “And I shall definitely buy you a drink sometime!”

In Lee’s mind, buying Neji a drink meant buying him juice or water. He already had it planned, too. Perhaps tomorrow or the next day, Lee would stop by Neji’s office with a nice large bottle of juice. Yes, that would definitely be a good way to say thank you.

“If you could manage for yourself you wouldn’t have messed up your cast in the first place.”

He reached over for Lee’s seatbelt and strapped him and himself in before turning on the car and taking off towards the hospital. A part of him would’ve liked for Lee to have been clear about how this injury had happened but judging by things he’d said moments ago...it wasn’t that hard to figure out. Most of it was fill-in-the-blank but Lee was acting differently and that request he’d made to keep that Gaara person in the dark told him enough. Even as they drove, he was actually being quiet instead of yelling about this or that. Neji would’ve usually been thrilled to have a moment of silence in Lee’s presence but this was the type of quiet to leave an uneasiness in the air that made the trip uncomfortable. Still, anything that wasn’t said was not his business and so they rode on in awkward silence.

Tenten hated hospitals.

It wasn't the constant reminder of death and illness that she loathed; she had dealt with that enough times on a daily basis to have formed somewhat of an immunity to the living concept playing out before her as she walked through the pristine white corridors (enough not to be overwhelmed by the guilt that tended to come with it, in any case). It wasn't the collection of people lining the halls and waiting rooms. As Sasuke's second in command and main executor of a majority of his business transactions, it was safe to say that the young woman found herself in the company of the most dastardly if not disreputable souls that dwelled within the bustling metropolis, and a few just outside the city limits. It wasn't even the sterile clean smell of chemicals and cleaning products. Suffice to say, Tenten had been exposed to far worse toxins and addictive concoctions within a month of working with the collective Uchiha regime, so that was the least of her concerns.

No, what made her dread and despise visits to care facilities was the purity, both symbolic and literal. Here, doctors and nurses pretended to play God in order to save lives the best way they know how. In a sense, Tenten did the same. The only difference rested in the fact that she did so with the knowledge and intent of taking lives; ripping them from this world with a single slice of her blade, a pull of her finger, and sending them into the next with little hesitation or regret. But not without a hint of remorse.

After all, Tenten was still human.

But now was not a time for her humanity to speak its concerns or preach its ideals, so it was promptly shoved aside by a darker part of her soul; the part that served her clan diligently and ensured that orders were followed. By any means necessary. And as her heels tapped lightly against the newly polished linoleum flooring at the entrance, Tenten scanned the nearest sign-posts for room numbers and a direction to follow.

"Room 707," she mumbled quietly to herself as she glanced around. That was the room number her sources had managed to dig up. And for their sake, they had never been wrong. Sasuke needed bodies, after all. Soldiers to fight for him. Strong ones. And as always, Tenten had done her job to near perfection, compiling a list of potential candidates to recruit. Now, it was only a matter of seeking them out and convincing them to join their cause.

Lee and Neji had made it to the hospital within ten minutes thanks to Neji’s vehicle. The last time Lee had come, not two weeks ago, it had taken him much too long, but considering that he had been carrying Gaara on his back, while walking with a broken leg and doing his best to hold Gaara with a broken wrist, it was no wonder it had taken him so long. It was mostly a wonder that he hadn’t passed out on the way there. It was only through his absolute determination that Lee had managed to get there then. But now, thankfully, other than his hand being numb, Lee was mostly all right.

It had not taken them long at all to be directed to a room. Thanks to Lee’s constant presence at the hospital and his most recent visit, he was at least given a room to rest in until a doctor was available, which was a relief because he really did not want someone to recognize him and then have the information travel along the grape vine to Gaara. He could only imagine the expression on Gaara’s face, and the way he might push himself despite his injury to give Lee a good glaring at.

He glanced at Neji, who had not left despite Lee’s insistence that he could. “Thank you again for all of your help,” he said, his gaze traveling to the slightly open door right as a rather familiar looking woman rushed by. “Tenten?” he said, his eyes going wide, and he jumped out of the bed he was currently sitting in, stumbling to the doorway, flinging it open, looking wildly around.

There, unmistakable buns on either side of her head, was definitely Tenten, walking with purpose down the corridor. “Tenten!” he cried, hobbling as quickly down the corridor as he could, flailing slightly as a bed was rolled out in the middle of the corridor by a nurse. “Sumimasen!” he called, trying to rush around her and the bed, and stumbling into a wheelchair. “Tenten!” he called again as he rolled slightly, half in the wheelchair, half off of it before it tipped over, spilling Lee in a dramatic heap on the floor. Well, there went all chances of his presence going unnoticed. Gaara would definitely be hearing about this. But Lee didn’t care at the moment. He had not seen Tenten for so long--she had been his best friend up until she had dropped off the face of the earth. Lee had worried terribly for her, keeping an eye out for reports on young women being murdered or listening to the radio dispatch for any calls for a paramedic to assist a young woman. When nothing had turned up, he had thought that Tenten had just wanted to stop being his friend.

It had been a most depressing thought, one that Lee had had much trouble accepting.

But seeing Tenten now, after all these years was like a blessing. He needed to hug her and make sure she was real and alive and okay. He had so many questions to ask her and things to tell her. He had to catch up to her. He just had to. Getting carefully to his feet, his injured leg stuck out at an odd angle, Lee looked down the corridor, flushing as he noticed all the eyes on him. “Anou, su-sumimasen. I was just looking--” He spotted her instantly, breaking off as he leapt forward.

“Tenten!” he cried, landing poorly on his good leg and toppling over.

Neji followed quickly after Lee. That idiot shouldn’t be stumbling around in his condition, especially when he asked for secrecy and all that not an hour ago. He certainly knew how to make an entrance and make his presence be known. ...Just like that guy. That name though...He knew that name. But Lee knew her? He looked up from the struggling heap on the ground and saw the girl he was chasing. Yeah. He definitely knew who she was. Rather than make a fool of himself though he simply stared at Tenten wondering if she remembered him too...

“Lee. Stand up.”

At the first echo of her name, Tenten had a split second of panic before she instantly quickened her pace and continued down the hall. If she could reach the corner in time before the owner of the voice managed to catch up and confirm her identity, she could disappear back into obscurity without worry or concern. It was more of an instinctual reaction than anything else, really. Certainly not one of recognition. For the past two years and the brief time beyond, she had created a reputation of professionalism and dedication to staying under the radar; a faceless assassin with no name and no connection to the real word. And she was good at her job.

Tenten wouldn't dare to start blurring the line, now. Not if she could help it.

But her pursuer was persistent if not determined in gaining her attention. Even at the expense of the entirety of the hospital, apparently, as the ruckus and racket of the hall became punctuated with their efforts to chase her down, a deepened voice calling out her name in urgency and desperation. It took a moment or two before Tenten could recognize who it belonged to, but as soon as she did, the young girl knew that she was fighting a losing battle. Because Rock Lee was not one to give up a fight so easily. If ever. He had not been the sort back when they used to compete in tournaments together in secondary school, and she doubted that the former green blur of her past would have grown out of that habit.

Cursing to herself in a string of her native Chinese, Tenten allowed herself to turn naturally at the clatter of metal and flesh as Lee stumbled once more, head turning with a surprised snap. Because it would be easier to reason that she simply was not paying enough attention to hear him before, instead of finding justification in her blatantly ignorance to his calls. To his credit, and her secret fondness, the young woman's eyes fell on a familiar sight. The crutch. The hap-hazard sprawl of bandages and boy. They were all definitely fond memories she had tried to bury long ago, for all her wasted efforts. The man standing beside him with the unwavering glance, however, was not.

Lee flushed, staring up at Tenten, then glancing to Neji, pushing himself up, scratching the back of his head. “Anou, sumimasen,” he repeated to the hospital at large, before he managed to force himself up using the wall, eyes on the brunette. “Tenten,” he said, a bit breathlessly, hardly daring to believe it. Tears welled in his eyes as he looked at her, his best friend from so long ago, and he smiled a watery smile.

“It is good to see you,” he finally said, a bit choked. “I--where have you been?!? It has been so long! I tried calling, but your line was disconnected! And when I went to your house---Tenten, I was so worried!” he exclaimed, moving forward to hug her tightly, pressing his face against her shoulder as tears rolled down his cheeks.

This was awkward. Unlike Lee he hadn’t really gone out of his way to look for Tenten but...it wasn’t like he hadn’t missed her too. It had been ages since they’d seen each other. Since college at least. And now, despite his profession, the words wouldn’t flow. He’d also feel bad if he interrupted their display of affection. Maybe some of Lee would rub off on him.

Awkward didn't even begin to describe it. The feelings, the emotions, they were all a giant mess of swirls and splatters of confusion as time caught up with her.

Indeed, she remembered the face well. It was difficult not to after spending an entire semester constantly debating over theories from opposing viewpoints on the subject matter. They were, to say the least, not the closest of classmates. But common ground and some level of respect did manage to form before the end, and they had left on good terms. She had never expected to see Neji again, though, at least not so soon. And certainly, Tenten never would have thought that when she did, it would be at the hospital while he was in the company of Rock Lee, of all people.

With so many people coming back into her life, she knew she should have felt relieved to be rid of the loneliness and isolation that had encompassed the past two years of her life and more. But as strong and lanky arms enveloped themselves around her, all Tenten could do was drown in the devastation as the world seemed to be crumbling down all around her. The best laid plans...

"Lee..." Despite that though, and only after a brief moment of stunned concern over her destroyed plans, she managed to muster up enough sense and sensibility to play the role that was expected of her; of the long, lost friend who had disappeared for years to parts unknown only to show up out of thin air in what most would call a fated meeting. And she played the part well, although there was no denying that some of the sentiment was very much real as her own arms slowly moved from the tight prison of his embrace to wrap around his slender frame.

Letting out a soft breath of muted amusement, her voice was soft as she spoke. "What are you doing here?"

Lee gripped Tenten a bit tighter, before pulling slightly away, arms still wrapped around her, looking down at her familiar face, still teary-eyed. His lip trembled a bit as he took her in. It had been so long. “Neji brought me here to get a new cast,” he finally said, after a long moment of staring. He held up the cracked cast still covering his wrist. “I got a bit carried away with my training,” he explained softly.

He glanced into her eyes. “Where have you been? I have missed you greatly. Why are you here? Are you visiting a sick relative or friend?” he asked, looking worried.

He was thin; a lot thinner than she remembered him to be. Then again, it had been some few years since Tenten had last seen him let alone be subjected to his passionate embrace. And even then, Lee had still been a young man steadily growing into his body and learning to be comfortable in his own skin. A lot could change in a few years' time. She was living proof of that much. He also mentioned something about getting carried away with his training, the young woman reflected, an excuse she could wholly believe in. He had been the same if not worse in his younger days, as she recalled, always finding cause to push himself beyond his limitations in an attempt to prove to the world and to himself that he was worth something. And that the result of his efforts would render such results.

It was a beautiful world he lived in. But it was not hers. He would never last in the world she lived in.

Pushing that thought aside and hoping to pass off her own personal worry as concern for Lee's unhealthy tendencies, Tenten frowned into the curve of his shoulder and winced at the extra squeeze of affection before allowing herself a fond sort of chuckle. "Same old Lee. What did I use to tell you about that?"

If he had not already been injured, the young woman would have punctuated her inquiry with a rough fist to the other's shoulder like she used to do in the past. As it stood, she simply snapped her gaze to the other man in question, furrowing her brows a bit as their eyes met, keeping her mood relatively light if not a bit more stern than before. "I'm hoping you only just found out about this and decided to take him here after you did?"

Lee blushed, looking down with a slightly sad smile. “And you are the same as well, Tenten.”

Was he really the same? He supposed so. Everyone had always said he was a constant, never changing force. But he liked to think that, if anything, he was at least getting stronger. And, of course, there were new things in his life, things that he wanted to tell Tenten about, like is new friend, or his most recent attempt to join SIB. But he didn’t even know where to begin. And above all, he wanted to know what had happened to her, why she’d just disappeared.

He was on the verge of asking that, when Tenten spoke, and he glanced back at Neji, looking like a scolded puppy. “I only just recently cracked my cast,” he said softly. “Honest. I was training, and I got carried away. But I am fine! I promise!” He gave Tenten a watery-eyed look, mouth in a slight pout, one arm still around her, almost as though he were afraid she would disappear again.

“Which won’t be fixed if you don’t get back in your room immediately. This little fiasco might mean we actually have to wait in the lobby. I’m sure Tenten won’t mind joining you while they patch you up again. Unless she has somewhere more important to be.”

He knew saying it like that would leave Tenten with little option but to come along unless she planned on hurting Lee’s feelings. She sure looked busy. Whatever the case, he was pretty positive that he’d just pressured her into coming along and giving both Lee and himself more time for question asking.

The same as well, she thought with a mental scoff, Tch, hardly.

But that was not for him or either one of them to know so the young woman simply gave him a fond sort of smile in response. It was as close to the truth and her own genuine emotions that she could allow herself to show. And the actual sentiment that lingered in the corner of her mind and some dark recess of her heart helped to fuel that image. Because beyond the walls that Tenten had learned to build up over the years, she was still very much human. And very much the friend, companion, classmate, and competitor that they both remembered. They only had to chip away at the exterior mask she had grown accustomed to wearing.

Which Neji was getting a fine start with, the young woman came to realize, giving her little to no chance of escape on the matter. And no choice but to forgo her previous plans for the sake of keeping up pretenses. Tenten could not afford to give them any more reason to suspect what she had been up to all those years ago.

At the same time, there was a great reluctance on her part. The main reason she had severed connections with them all those years ago was to save them from becoming targets. As careful and ambiguous as Tenten was or tried to be working under Sasuke and now the whole of the Uchiha faction, enemies had ways and resources to discover every little bit of detail of a person's life. She had certainly done the same in the past, and especially recently with the young man's need for fresh meat and loyal soldiers to fight his battles. And with a number of old connections resurfacing into her life once more, anyone of them could be used as a bargaining chip against her.

Tenten wanted to avoid having to choose between her duties and her friends.

But some things were unavoidable, it would seem, even for the best of them. -- The best of intentions -- And she made sure Neji could see the exasperation in her mood for placing Tenten in such a one-way street of a scenario before brushing the matter aside entirely. No use in saying that she would agree to stay with them during Lee's appointment if she couldn't say it with an honest face. So she settled on hand gestures while continuing the conversation, physically turning Lee around and placing a hand between his shoulder-blades to gently guide him back down the hall towards where she assumed his room had been before the chaotic outburst in the middle of the corridor.

"A cracked cast is not being fine," she interjected, the frown across her lips growing a fraction deeper with the words, "The fact that you have a cast to begin with is far from it."

Lee gave the two an injured look, eyes wide and head down, the image of a scolded puppy, and he allowed himself to be guided back to his room, keeping a firm hold on Tenten’s hand as though afraid she would run off if he let go. “I am fine, although my hand is rather numb. But I am sure it is nothing to worry about! The doctors just need to replace my cast and then I shall be good as new!” he insisted.

He sat down on the bed once back in the room, oblivious to the fact that the rest of the patients and doctors in the hall were whispering and exchanging looks. He had done a fine job of keeping his presence at the hospital quiet. A fine job indeed.

“Anou, Tenten,” he said tentatively, “how have you been? It has been far too long since I have last seen you! Where ever did you disappear to!?! I was greatly worried! I tried to find you, but it was impossible. I thought something terrible had happened to you.”

Neji had followed them in and was now leaning against the wall, having decided to leave the chair in the room for Tenten. Again he was glad that Lee was so loud and nosy cause it meant he didn’t have to ask her those little annoying questions. She looked so different from back then. Not like Lee who will probably look the same at ninety as he does now at twenty-something. Right now he was hoping the near synchronization of his and Lee’s thoughts would make him pick up the suggestion of them going out for coffee or dinner after the cast is fixed. Because Neji really didn’t want to be the one who said that derpy line.

“She might have told you by now if you gave her a chance to talk, Lee.”