endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2012-12-11 11:05 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2012-12-11 11:05 pm
Dissent into Madness
Title: Dissent into Madness
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Theme: 03. A machine with broken workings [ Wordcount: 1313 ]
Character(s): Tenten, Sabaku no Gaara; brief mentions of Uchiha Sasuke
Pairing(s): Gaara/Tenten
Warning(s): None.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Random series of one-shots based on the themes borrowed from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
20_aus although... it's more like 25 since I plan on doing the extra/bonus themes too. In hindsight, this is probably a bad idea for trimming back on the plot bunnies.
Dedicated to:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
indigodawn; because they're just cute. In any universe. ^^
Useless fact: 'The red string of fate, also referred to as the red thread of destiny, red thread of fate, and other variants, is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend and is also used in Japanese legend. [...] The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of time, place or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break. This myth is similar to the Western concept of soulmates or a twin flame.'
It wasn't supposed to mean anything.
"The deal's off." Cool, calm, and collected, she stood at the large windows of his office and looked out onto the dark city as the words left her, never once turning to meet the other's gaze. "This marriage is over."
In a moment of weakness and betrayal, she had agreed. In the midst of seeing Sasuke break every promise he had made to her, his second became allies with the Uchiha's greatest rival. Such were the ironic twists and turns of life. Besides, Tenten had been in the life for far too long for her to simply walk away without another thought. She had cared too much to leave them wide open for an attack. And there were consequences to such devotion, least of all from the organization she left behind.
You create so many enemies from the blood that covered your hands. And as skilled and talented as she was, talking on the entire underworld was suicide. So, when the head of the Sabaku came to her and presented the opportunity, the young woman had made the one decision that would save them all.
Tenten said yes.
But she hadn't anticipated...
Quiet as a ghost, and just as fearsome, he moved towards her. And the assassin found her fingers clenching around the muscles of her arm at the sound. Their marriage three years strong, she had learned to listen for his steps; learned to recognize the shift and shuffle of his soles along the carpet and tiles that encased their lives. - From one family corporation to another, the young woman almost felt claustrophobic from all the walls. But then, there were worse fates than that, weren't there? - The weight of his stare was familiar and mostly welcomed as a constant she'd grown to accept. She could read those looks like a second language, and understood the thoughts drifting through that closed mind of his. It was only a shock when Tenten felt the light caress of the man's touch over her shoulder. The breeze of his breath across her skin. And she almost jumped at the recognition of them. Because Gaara was never one to indulge in physical contact unless it was necessary; was never one to crave anything but distance from the people who walked in and out of his doors.
He, most of all, knew better than to get attached.
"You mean to go back to him, then." A statement, more than a question, there was no denying the accusation hidden in his tone. And all she could do in response was glance at his dark reflection in the glass, trusting little to her own voice. "To them and all those who cared little about your leaving to begin with."
To that, Tenten's eyes snapped up to meet the dark rings she had once found comforting in the dead of night - eyes the young woman still thought to be more fearful than all the shadows that haunted the Sabaku compound – and met them with a cold resolve. "He got hurt, anyways."
"And he will again," came his retort, his eyes even and unmoving. All-seeing, she sometimes believed, especially when his they were narrowed the smallest bit as they were in that moment. "As will you. It's the nature of what we do."
Hard and normally so cool in regards to her husband, there was no stopping the softness around the edges of her glare. Because he was right, as anyone who found themselves knee-deep in the deception and debauchery of their world. And, certainly, he had every right to believe the words spilling out of his mouth. Gaara had only heard the complaints of a woman scorn from the one family she possessed. Had only lived the life of one born into a legacy imposed upon him. But then, that was a common fate to all those unfortunate enough to inherit such a curse, wasn't it?
Why shouldn't they seek out comfort from the tempest that lined their existence?
Sliding her glance, their eyes lingered over the curve of her shoulder, long and intentful while Tenten's tone softened at the thought. "...Not everything we do."
A shift of his eyes seemed to intensify the gaze he settled on her. And for a brief moment in time, the woman thought her breath taken. "Yet it's reason enough for you to end this marriage."
Signing, Tenten pulled her eyes away, feigning to find more interest in the details of the room rather than the direction of their conversation. Because it was much easier to focus on the new rug he had laid across the tiled floor. Because the slow reach of his slender fingers and the way she seemed so drawn to them was a verity she had long denied: He was anything but an afterthought. But try as she might, the young woman found herself standing on the losing end of the battle. And that mere realization was enough to still her breath and clench at her heart, tight with a burden Tenten had yet to name as she gave in and followed the glide of Gaara's hand. Always back to the source of her problems. Always to the center of her salvation, if only she would only allow herself to admit to it.
He let the ends slip from his loose grasp with a practiced ease, careful to watch every strand fall with some level of focused awe. As if it pained in to let them go. As if he wanted nothing more but to be lost in their dark depths once more. And with the gentle prickle at the roots from the pull, her nerves tingled, a shiver reverberating through the young woman's entire body at the sensation.
"And with so much... reservation," he added, musing, almost. Although, it did nothing more but burn at her core.
"You're mistaken," She snapped. And scoffed, embittered and torn a the comment - still in denial - as well as the cold truth that stood behind it. “Besides, it wasn't a real marriage to begin with.”
The easy quirk of his lips into that familiar, muted smirk meant that he didn't believe her words, either. "But we're not at the beginning... are we."
Stubborn until her last breath, she made to leave him then and there with his cruel pride in hopes of salvaging her own. But the hard and swift pound of his hand against the glass panel stilled her in an instant, pulling a soundless gasp from her defiant lips. And before she even had time to think or reprimand Gaara for the delay in her retreat, the young assassin found herself trapped in the cage of his arms with only the window to fall back on as he fixed Tenten in place with his heavy stare. All the while, his chilled digits found the line of the young woman's cheek, rough and calloused pads smoothing back until she felt them brush along the ridge of her ear in a familiar caress.
But still, she was determined. "It... it wasn't supposed to mean anything..."
Incessant and demanding, the man's thumb dug gently into the underside if her jaw, angling her head so that it tilted up to better greet him as he moved in. “Tenten...”
Because he knew his prize was won. Because the girl knew her resolve was already crumbling.
Still, she held on.
“I-it wasn't...”
Brows furrowed tight, she closed her fingers around his wrist and pulled with the intent to break free from his hold. To escape from the spell he held over her. But as his lips hovered and closed over hers, Tenten was only left to wonder why it even mattered. Was left to not care about anything but how good it felt to commit to the defeat and kiss him back...
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Theme: 03. A machine with broken workings [ Wordcount: 1313 ]
Character(s): Tenten, Sabaku no Gaara; brief mentions of Uchiha Sasuke
Pairing(s): Gaara/Tenten
Warning(s): None.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: Random series of one-shots based on the themes borrowed from
20_aus Dedicated to:
indigodawn; because they're just cute. In any universe. ^^Useless fact: 'The red string of fate, also referred to as the red thread of destiny, red thread of fate, and other variants, is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend and is also used in Japanese legend. [...] The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of time, place or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break. This myth is similar to the Western concept of soulmates or a twin flame.'
It wasn't supposed to mean anything.
"The deal's off." Cool, calm, and collected, she stood at the large windows of his office and looked out onto the dark city as the words left her, never once turning to meet the other's gaze. "This marriage is over."
In a moment of weakness and betrayal, she had agreed. In the midst of seeing Sasuke break every promise he had made to her, his second became allies with the Uchiha's greatest rival. Such were the ironic twists and turns of life. Besides, Tenten had been in the life for far too long for her to simply walk away without another thought. She had cared too much to leave them wide open for an attack. And there were consequences to such devotion, least of all from the organization she left behind.
You create so many enemies from the blood that covered your hands. And as skilled and talented as she was, talking on the entire underworld was suicide. So, when the head of the Sabaku came to her and presented the opportunity, the young woman had made the one decision that would save them all.
Tenten said yes.
But she hadn't anticipated...
Quiet as a ghost, and just as fearsome, he moved towards her. And the assassin found her fingers clenching around the muscles of her arm at the sound. Their marriage three years strong, she had learned to listen for his steps; learned to recognize the shift and shuffle of his soles along the carpet and tiles that encased their lives. - From one family corporation to another, the young woman almost felt claustrophobic from all the walls. But then, there were worse fates than that, weren't there? - The weight of his stare was familiar and mostly welcomed as a constant she'd grown to accept. She could read those looks like a second language, and understood the thoughts drifting through that closed mind of his. It was only a shock when Tenten felt the light caress of the man's touch over her shoulder. The breeze of his breath across her skin. And she almost jumped at the recognition of them. Because Gaara was never one to indulge in physical contact unless it was necessary; was never one to crave anything but distance from the people who walked in and out of his doors.
He, most of all, knew better than to get attached.
"You mean to go back to him, then." A statement, more than a question, there was no denying the accusation hidden in his tone. And all she could do in response was glance at his dark reflection in the glass, trusting little to her own voice. "To them and all those who cared little about your leaving to begin with."
To that, Tenten's eyes snapped up to meet the dark rings she had once found comforting in the dead of night - eyes the young woman still thought to be more fearful than all the shadows that haunted the Sabaku compound – and met them with a cold resolve. "He got hurt, anyways."
"And he will again," came his retort, his eyes even and unmoving. All-seeing, she sometimes believed, especially when his they were narrowed the smallest bit as they were in that moment. "As will you. It's the nature of what we do."
Hard and normally so cool in regards to her husband, there was no stopping the softness around the edges of her glare. Because he was right, as anyone who found themselves knee-deep in the deception and debauchery of their world. And, certainly, he had every right to believe the words spilling out of his mouth. Gaara had only heard the complaints of a woman scorn from the one family she possessed. Had only lived the life of one born into a legacy imposed upon him. But then, that was a common fate to all those unfortunate enough to inherit such a curse, wasn't it?
Why shouldn't they seek out comfort from the tempest that lined their existence?
Sliding her glance, their eyes lingered over the curve of her shoulder, long and intentful while Tenten's tone softened at the thought. "...Not everything we do."
A shift of his eyes seemed to intensify the gaze he settled on her. And for a brief moment in time, the woman thought her breath taken. "Yet it's reason enough for you to end this marriage."
Signing, Tenten pulled her eyes away, feigning to find more interest in the details of the room rather than the direction of their conversation. Because it was much easier to focus on the new rug he had laid across the tiled floor. Because the slow reach of his slender fingers and the way she seemed so drawn to them was a verity she had long denied: He was anything but an afterthought. But try as she might, the young woman found herself standing on the losing end of the battle. And that mere realization was enough to still her breath and clench at her heart, tight with a burden Tenten had yet to name as she gave in and followed the glide of Gaara's hand. Always back to the source of her problems. Always to the center of her salvation, if only she would only allow herself to admit to it.
He let the ends slip from his loose grasp with a practiced ease, careful to watch every strand fall with some level of focused awe. As if it pained in to let them go. As if he wanted nothing more but to be lost in their dark depths once more. And with the gentle prickle at the roots from the pull, her nerves tingled, a shiver reverberating through the young woman's entire body at the sensation.
"And with so much... reservation," he added, musing, almost. Although, it did nothing more but burn at her core.
"You're mistaken," She snapped. And scoffed, embittered and torn a the comment - still in denial - as well as the cold truth that stood behind it. “Besides, it wasn't a real marriage to begin with.”
The easy quirk of his lips into that familiar, muted smirk meant that he didn't believe her words, either. "But we're not at the beginning... are we."
Stubborn until her last breath, she made to leave him then and there with his cruel pride in hopes of salvaging her own. But the hard and swift pound of his hand against the glass panel stilled her in an instant, pulling a soundless gasp from her defiant lips. And before she even had time to think or reprimand Gaara for the delay in her retreat, the young assassin found herself trapped in the cage of his arms with only the window to fall back on as he fixed Tenten in place with his heavy stare. All the while, his chilled digits found the line of the young woman's cheek, rough and calloused pads smoothing back until she felt them brush along the ridge of her ear in a familiar caress.
But still, she was determined. "It... it wasn't supposed to mean anything..."
Incessant and demanding, the man's thumb dug gently into the underside if her jaw, angling her head so that it tilted up to better greet him as he moved in. “Tenten...”
Because he knew his prize was won. Because the girl knew her resolve was already crumbling.
Still, she held on.
“I-it wasn't...”
Brows furrowed tight, she closed her fingers around his wrist and pulled with the intent to break free from his hold. To escape from the spell he held over her. But as his lips hovered and closed over hers, Tenten was only left to wonder why it even mattered. Was left to not care about anything but how good it felt to commit to the defeat and kiss him back...