endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2010-11-19 10:59 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2010-11-19 10:59 pm
A Family Affair
Title: A Family Affair
Type: Definitely-Not-So-Drabble
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: Sibling Affection [ 1502 ]
Character(s): Tenten, Uchiha Sasuke; brief mention of Sarutobi Asuma, Sarutobi Konohamaru, Yakushi Kabuto, Saruboti Hiruzen, Orochimaru
Pairing(s): Slight hints of Sasuke/Tenten if you squint reeeeeally hard
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Based on a plot idea originally made for the RP community of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
circleobetrayal that eventually inspired the fic 'Inheritance of Betrayal.' Theme borrowed from 30_tortures.
Dedicated to:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
its_game_time ♥
Tradition for the Sarutobi line was older than the founding of the Hidden Leaf Village; older than the founding of any village, really. As old as time itself, perhaps. And while the world had certainly changed since those days, there had never been a cause or reason to amend the rules that the clan had followed for generations. None, that is, until now, she supposed. But was it really up to her to decide such a thing? Her hold and guardianship over the scroll was only temporary, after all. Asuma had pressed upon that fact several times before handing it over to her. And then he had gone and gotten himself killed by Akatsuki, leaving behind nothing more than two children and an unborn baby to represent what remained of the clan's pride.
The fact of the matter was that Sarutobi law stated that the family summons were to be passed down to the eldest male heir. And should he die, it would go on to the next in line. A woman had never held the pleasure or curse of the responsibility of signing the pact, and tradition stated that it should remain so. But Konohamaru was still too young and Tenten was already pledged to an animal summons through her father's line. It wasn't fair to have two animal summons. It had never even been heard of in the shinobi world.
Had it?
But as she laid in her bunk with the small troop of stolen monkeys from Kabuto's lab sleeping at the foot of her bed, the kunoichi began to wonder if it wasn't so impossible as she initially thought. Not that it mattered much, now. Both scrolls with the blood contracts were safely tucked away with the rest of her things, back in Konoha. And though it was true that she could still call on the Dragons for help, Tenten decided revealing that little trump card should only be used as the very last resort while she was still bound to the Sound Village.
However, there was still the matter of the monkeys.
"Maybe it's a bloodline thing," the kunoichi mused softly to herself.
The initial intention had simply been to cause trouble for the good doctor in retaliation for one too many remarks against the both of them concerning their progress in training. And there had been no better way they could think of to satisfy that need for quiet revenge than to release all of the test animals from his laboratory. The sight of the entire base scrambling to collect all of them back up had been well worth the punishment that would no doubt come when they were found to be the guilty culprits. Neither one of them had ever planned on keeping any of the animals, least of all the spider monkeys.
Kabuto had been using them to test out new stimulant pills. But possibly through her own interactions with them, or from some other, unexplainable reason, they had developed a particular fondness for the kunoichi. Or rather, seemed to have developed some sort of attachment when -- unlike the others who had simply headed towards fresh air and freedom -- found them gathered in her room after their escape.
Tenten gave a light scoff, recalling her grandfather's words. "Shinobi don't choose the summons..."
"The summons decides who signs the contract."
Through the dimness -- perpetually underground for days on end, her eyes had more than adjusted to the lack of lighting that covered the majority of the base -- the kunoichi watched from where she laid as a shadowed silhouette emerged from underneath the bed. All the while, red swirls of his eyes remained perfectly illuminated despite the darkness. A spark ignited just to her left and flooded the room with a yellow glow, though, for a few precious moments while her eyes adjusted to the new source of light, Tenten had been temporarily blind. If it had been an enemy, she would have been dead then and there.
Still squinting slightly under the flicker of the candle, she quirked a brow up at him in a wordless question.
"...He told me the same thing."
"Well isn't this a nice surprise," the young woman commented, keeping her tone evened if not slightly tinted with curiosity, "I'm pretty sure we didn't have a meeting scheduled for tonight."
Rather than respond or comment -- rather than give her the satisfaction of a reaction, she supposed -- the shinobi extended his fingers towards the floor. The both of them only had to wait a few seconds more before a smaller arm darted out from the shadows of her bed. And with a small tug from the Uchiha, a dark blur quickly scrambled up to rest on the other's shoulder. Like he had been doing ever since they took up residence in her room and their lives.
Smirking at the sight, she held out her arm out to the smallest of the troop. It only took a few seconds for Junior to find her scent in the air before he jump the distance between them to come clamoring onto her shoulder, his tiny hands sifting and brushing aside strands of her hair in somewhat of an appreciative gesture. And then it was a simple motion of lifting Tenten's other arm to direct the baby monkey to the rest of the group so that he could sleep with the rest of his family. "Missed them, huh? As much as you banged the cages and fought in the lab, I'm a bit surprised."
"...He would come by, sometimes, The Third. To make sure I was doing ok. After..."
Something in his tone caught her attention, something that seemed to go beyond his usual neutrality and indifference as he spoke of her grandfather and his early habits. And as she turned to him at the comment, there was no helping but seeing the shift in the other's stance that seemed to match the change in his demeanor. "...Sounds like something he would do."
But none of their encounters in the past or the images she had seen of him since her arrival could match whatever it was that was displayed before her now. And so, she was at a loss over what to label this as, if it could even be labeled at all. Still watching him from the corner of her eye, Tenten couldn't help but tilt her head and wonder if bringing Junior over was the only reason he had come. Or had there been something else? Normally, he wouldn't linger in her room longer than necessary. It posed too much of a risk if someone came in unannounced. -- As Orochimaru's next potential body, such a thing would never happen if they were in his room. -- And the way he seemed to passively watch them all, curled together in a giant bundle of fur at her feet, it was almost like...
"...Come on," she said, soundlessly pulling the blanket back invitingly, "Junior would probably cry if you leave, now."
The look he gave her told of his clear irritation at such a suggestion, the red of his Sharingan flaring up for just an instance before it died down into the dimness. And that, she could contend with; had no problems facing up against. Because it meant that there was some semblance of his normal self locked still hovering on the surface and the two of them could continue on as if nothing had ever happened; as if this night had been nothing more than the dazed hallucinations of her overworked mind. Because she had learned to rely on these things. But even despite that, the kunoichi had caught a tiny flash of something else that flickered through his eyes that she could not help but wonder about; something that seemed to strike her so strongly that she was seconds away from breaking their usual banter to ask about it.
And then all consideration to find out the truth behind his actions quickly dissipated as he quietly seated himself on the ground beside the bed, his back to her and resting against the bunk.
Tenten never expected that he would join them or that he would even consider staying. It simply was not in his usual nature or demeanor to be so... human. To care. Yet there he was, and the thought of it had her fighting back a faint smile pulling at the corners of her lips as he blew out the candles without another word. And as the room was engulfed in darkness once more, Tenten was left with a strong if not strange feeling of comfort at knowing that he was there, even despite the tension that seemed to press down on all of them. Despite the questions and confusion that kept her away for sometime after his breathing had evened out in sleep. And wondering why that was so became enough of a mystery to keep her up almost til dawn the next morning.
Type: Definitely-Not-So-Drabble
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: Sibling Affection [ 1502 ]
Character(s): Tenten, Uchiha Sasuke; brief mention of Sarutobi Asuma, Sarutobi Konohamaru, Yakushi Kabuto, Saruboti Hiruzen, Orochimaru
Pairing(s): Slight hints of Sasuke/Tenten if you squint reeeeeally hard
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Based on a plot idea originally made for the RP community of
circleobetrayal that eventually inspired the fic 'Inheritance of Betrayal.' Theme borrowed from 30_tortures.Dedicated to:
its_game_time ♥Tradition for the Sarutobi line was older than the founding of the Hidden Leaf Village; older than the founding of any village, really. As old as time itself, perhaps. And while the world had certainly changed since those days, there had never been a cause or reason to amend the rules that the clan had followed for generations. None, that is, until now, she supposed. But was it really up to her to decide such a thing? Her hold and guardianship over the scroll was only temporary, after all. Asuma had pressed upon that fact several times before handing it over to her. And then he had gone and gotten himself killed by Akatsuki, leaving behind nothing more than two children and an unborn baby to represent what remained of the clan's pride.
The fact of the matter was that Sarutobi law stated that the family summons were to be passed down to the eldest male heir. And should he die, it would go on to the next in line. A woman had never held the pleasure or curse of the responsibility of signing the pact, and tradition stated that it should remain so. But Konohamaru was still too young and Tenten was already pledged to an animal summons through her father's line. It wasn't fair to have two animal summons. It had never even been heard of in the shinobi world.
Had it?
But as she laid in her bunk with the small troop of stolen monkeys from Kabuto's lab sleeping at the foot of her bed, the kunoichi began to wonder if it wasn't so impossible as she initially thought. Not that it mattered much, now. Both scrolls with the blood contracts were safely tucked away with the rest of her things, back in Konoha. And though it was true that she could still call on the Dragons for help, Tenten decided revealing that little trump card should only be used as the very last resort while she was still bound to the Sound Village.
However, there was still the matter of the monkeys.
"Maybe it's a bloodline thing," the kunoichi mused softly to herself.
The initial intention had simply been to cause trouble for the good doctor in retaliation for one too many remarks against the both of them concerning their progress in training. And there had been no better way they could think of to satisfy that need for quiet revenge than to release all of the test animals from his laboratory. The sight of the entire base scrambling to collect all of them back up had been well worth the punishment that would no doubt come when they were found to be the guilty culprits. Neither one of them had ever planned on keeping any of the animals, least of all the spider monkeys.
Kabuto had been using them to test out new stimulant pills. But possibly through her own interactions with them, or from some other, unexplainable reason, they had developed a particular fondness for the kunoichi. Or rather, seemed to have developed some sort of attachment when -- unlike the others who had simply headed towards fresh air and freedom -- found them gathered in her room after their escape.
Tenten gave a light scoff, recalling her grandfather's words. "Shinobi don't choose the summons..."
"The summons decides who signs the contract."
Through the dimness -- perpetually underground for days on end, her eyes had more than adjusted to the lack of lighting that covered the majority of the base -- the kunoichi watched from where she laid as a shadowed silhouette emerged from underneath the bed. All the while, red swirls of his eyes remained perfectly illuminated despite the darkness. A spark ignited just to her left and flooded the room with a yellow glow, though, for a few precious moments while her eyes adjusted to the new source of light, Tenten had been temporarily blind. If it had been an enemy, she would have been dead then and there.
Still squinting slightly under the flicker of the candle, she quirked a brow up at him in a wordless question.
"...He told me the same thing."
"Well isn't this a nice surprise," the young woman commented, keeping her tone evened if not slightly tinted with curiosity, "I'm pretty sure we didn't have a meeting scheduled for tonight."
Rather than respond or comment -- rather than give her the satisfaction of a reaction, she supposed -- the shinobi extended his fingers towards the floor. The both of them only had to wait a few seconds more before a smaller arm darted out from the shadows of her bed. And with a small tug from the Uchiha, a dark blur quickly scrambled up to rest on the other's shoulder. Like he had been doing ever since they took up residence in her room and their lives.
Smirking at the sight, she held out her arm out to the smallest of the troop. It only took a few seconds for Junior to find her scent in the air before he jump the distance between them to come clamoring onto her shoulder, his tiny hands sifting and brushing aside strands of her hair in somewhat of an appreciative gesture. And then it was a simple motion of lifting Tenten's other arm to direct the baby monkey to the rest of the group so that he could sleep with the rest of his family. "Missed them, huh? As much as you banged the cages and fought in the lab, I'm a bit surprised."
"...He would come by, sometimes, The Third. To make sure I was doing ok. After..."
Something in his tone caught her attention, something that seemed to go beyond his usual neutrality and indifference as he spoke of her grandfather and his early habits. And as she turned to him at the comment, there was no helping but seeing the shift in the other's stance that seemed to match the change in his demeanor. "...Sounds like something he would do."
But none of their encounters in the past or the images she had seen of him since her arrival could match whatever it was that was displayed before her now. And so, she was at a loss over what to label this as, if it could even be labeled at all. Still watching him from the corner of her eye, Tenten couldn't help but tilt her head and wonder if bringing Junior over was the only reason he had come. Or had there been something else? Normally, he wouldn't linger in her room longer than necessary. It posed too much of a risk if someone came in unannounced. -- As Orochimaru's next potential body, such a thing would never happen if they were in his room. -- And the way he seemed to passively watch them all, curled together in a giant bundle of fur at her feet, it was almost like...
"...Come on," she said, soundlessly pulling the blanket back invitingly, "Junior would probably cry if you leave, now."
The look he gave her told of his clear irritation at such a suggestion, the red of his Sharingan flaring up for just an instance before it died down into the dimness. And that, she could contend with; had no problems facing up against. Because it meant that there was some semblance of his normal self locked still hovering on the surface and the two of them could continue on as if nothing had ever happened; as if this night had been nothing more than the dazed hallucinations of her overworked mind. Because she had learned to rely on these things. But even despite that, the kunoichi had caught a tiny flash of something else that flickered through his eyes that she could not help but wonder about; something that seemed to strike her so strongly that she was seconds away from breaking their usual banter to ask about it.
And then all consideration to find out the truth behind his actions quickly dissipated as he quietly seated himself on the ground beside the bed, his back to her and resting against the bunk.
Tenten never expected that he would join them or that he would even consider staying. It simply was not in his usual nature or demeanor to be so... human. To care. Yet there he was, and the thought of it had her fighting back a faint smile pulling at the corners of her lips as he blew out the candles without another word. And as the room was engulfed in darkness once more, Tenten was left with a strong if not strange feeling of comfort at knowing that he was there, even despite the tension that seemed to press down on all of them. Despite the questions and confusion that kept her away for sometime after his breathing had evened out in sleep. And wondering why that was so became enough of a mystery to keep her up almost til dawn the next morning.