endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2013-04-16 12:09 am
endless_scrolls) wrote2013-04-16 12:09 am
En Passant
Title: En Passant
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: Mistaken identity [ Wordcount: 1184 ]
Character(s): Tenten, Sabaku no Gaara; brief mentions of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Morino Ibiki, Maito Gai, Uzumaki Naruto, Orochimaru, Uchiha Madara, Karin
Pairing(s): Hints of Sasuke/Tenten
Warning(s): None.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: A series of one-shots based on a plot idea originally made for the RP community of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)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
Useless Fact: 'When a pawn advances two squares from its starting position and there is an opponent's pawn on an adjacent file next to its destination square, then the opponent's pawn can capture it en passant (in passing), and move to the square the pawn passed over. However, this can only be done on the very next move, otherwise the right to do so is forfeit. For example, if the black pawn has just advanced two squares from g7 (initial starting position) to g5, then the white pawn on f5 may take it via en passant on g6 (but only on white's next move).'
The bag was suffocating. But that was to be expected. Comfort was the last thing they wanted, not when she had all the information and they had all the intimidation. But as good as he was - whether the young shinobi had trained with Ibiki for a week or for a year - she was better. She had prepared. Despite him being a relative genius when it came to strategy, the kunoichi had him beat. It would take a lot more than word tricks and mind traps to catch her in his pitfalls. And Tenten was too stubborn to lose without a fight.
Even so, it didn't take long for the bag to grow stifling and hot, the ends of her hair sticking to the sweat along her skin. Every now and then, she could still feel the air seeping through the fabric, or imagined that she could for that one scrap of sanity to hold on to. But in the end, it was one layer too much; one extra barrier between the kunoichi and a world that marked her as a traitor.
Now, more than ever, Tenten hoped that he knew and appreciated all the sacrifices she had made to see his plans succeed.
Tugging on her bindings again, she shifted her head towards the shuffle of footsteps. "He won't come for me, you know. It's not in his nature."
There was a soft sigh to her left, the footsteps becoming more deliberate before fading into the nothingness once more. As if it were a trick to confuse her. As if it mattered that she couldn't know where he was - who he was - until he spoke. And, as it turned out, it did.
"...Are you sure about that?"
Whatever struggles she made - whatever frustrations she had over the matter and being captured so easily - they all stilled at the sound of his voice. Because, though it had been a few months since they last met face-to-face, there was no mistaking it. He held a certain distinction in tones and pitch that was all his own. That was unmistakable.
"Gaara." It was a surprise, to say the least. But it should have been expected that the Leaf would seek to implore outside help on these matters. Every single shinobi of this generation had been her friend - her comrade - at one point in their career. Gai-sensei had made a point to ensure that his little team of students knew the importance of working well with any team, not just their own. And, of course, with the Five Nations well on their way towards an alliance agreement, it was only natural to utilize that advantage.
Clenching her teeth against the realization as the folds slid from her eyes, she faced the former host of the One-Tails with unwavering determination. And though his stare was as imposing and intimidating as ever, the kunoichi held her gaze and fixed hard on the dark ring of his eyes as she spoke. "I'm just a piece in his chess game. And you should know better than anyone: he'll sacrifice everything to win it."
Arms crossed, his stance shifted and the muscles in his brow twitched a hair's breath. "...Even his Queen?"
Despite not knowing what his thoughts were, now - despite the uncertainty - she laughed, sinister and soft at his words. And when he seemed confused at her reaction, the kunoichi's lips cracked from the smirk that pulled at her mouth.
How naive they all where.
"You think I'm his Queen," she stated, the smirk soon moving effortlessly into a snarl at the afterthought, "That's cute."
As she had learned over the years, the young Uchiha possessed a unique mind that was far different from his peers. Yes, he had been raised on the same principles that all Leaf shinobi had; that comrades were more important than the mission, and that teams were the best course of seeing an assignment through. It was a system that had brought Konoha to the height of prosperity over the other nations. It was what made the Leaf's forces so strong, gathering soldiers of all skills together in a balanced combination. But Sasuke's path led a different way.
His was a road of solitude. Even with her by his side.
"Sakura, then?"
The kunoichi scoffed, knowing full well that the medic's old affections had long since dissipated after years of watching his descent as an outsider looking in. And that his loyalty to the team they once shared no longer mattered in light of his plans. It was almost a sad thought to consider, her eyes becoming distant a moment in realizing that neither one were the same people they once were. But then, they had all lost that innocence, over time.
They weren't children, anymore.
"Maybe once, a long time ago, she might have. But no."
The young Kage looked skeptical at that. And he had every right to be. He'd seen the lengths both Sakura and Naruto had gone through in hopes of saving their former teammate from the dark path that he walked, first from Orochimaru and then from this new player in the game who called himself Madara. He'd stood as a witness to the strength and resolve they held in saving any of their comrades, himself included. Such was the inspiration - such was the loyalty - that Naruto could instill in others with his unfailing determination. Emotions like that could easily control a person's thoughts and perspective. And it was easy to believe that was the case with her, having spent the better part of a year under the Uchiha's influence.
"We're both pawns in his schemes, just like everyone else. A bishop and a knight, at best." With Karin as a rook, if she ever thought to come back to him, no doubt.
It was a harsh reality, perhaps. But it was a truth she'd come to realize long ago. Though he considered her his second-in-command, Tenten was far from being a partner or even a comrade. Certainly, the kunoichi would be considered anything but his peer. At this point, there was only one person who stood as his equal, no matter how much the young heir refused to believe it. And even though the revival of his once prominent clan was a goal to be achieved, it was only secondary to revenge. Secondary to retribution. Nothing else could be more important to him.
"Which one is which?"
It didn't matter, she was going to say. She was just a means to an end; a lingering promise that simply wouldn't go away. He'd said as much when she came rushing back after months of ignorant bliss under a memory binding jutsu. And Tenten was fine with being a tool for his absolution. It was a cause she was willing to sacrifice her life for. And she would have let Gaara and anyone else who asked know it with an unfailing resolve that Gai would even be proud of.
But in that moment, the world exploded. And nothing else mattered.
Type: Fanfic
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: Mistaken identity [ Wordcount: 1184 ]
Character(s): Tenten, Sabaku no Gaara; brief mentions of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Morino Ibiki, Maito Gai, Uzumaki Naruto, Orochimaru, Uchiha Madara, Karin
Pairing(s): Hints of Sasuke/Tenten
Warning(s): None.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but these words.
Note: A series of one-shots 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_timeUseless Fact: 'When a pawn advances two squares from its starting position and there is an opponent's pawn on an adjacent file next to its destination square, then the opponent's pawn can capture it en passant (in passing), and move to the square the pawn passed over. However, this can only be done on the very next move, otherwise the right to do so is forfeit. For example, if the black pawn has just advanced two squares from g7 (initial starting position) to g5, then the white pawn on f5 may take it via en passant on g6 (but only on white's next move).'
The bag was suffocating. But that was to be expected. Comfort was the last thing they wanted, not when she had all the information and they had all the intimidation. But as good as he was - whether the young shinobi had trained with Ibiki for a week or for a year - she was better. She had prepared. Despite him being a relative genius when it came to strategy, the kunoichi had him beat. It would take a lot more than word tricks and mind traps to catch her in his pitfalls. And Tenten was too stubborn to lose without a fight.
Even so, it didn't take long for the bag to grow stifling and hot, the ends of her hair sticking to the sweat along her skin. Every now and then, she could still feel the air seeping through the fabric, or imagined that she could for that one scrap of sanity to hold on to. But in the end, it was one layer too much; one extra barrier between the kunoichi and a world that marked her as a traitor.
Now, more than ever, Tenten hoped that he knew and appreciated all the sacrifices she had made to see his plans succeed.
Tugging on her bindings again, she shifted her head towards the shuffle of footsteps. "He won't come for me, you know. It's not in his nature."
There was a soft sigh to her left, the footsteps becoming more deliberate before fading into the nothingness once more. As if it were a trick to confuse her. As if it mattered that she couldn't know where he was - who he was - until he spoke. And, as it turned out, it did.
"...Are you sure about that?"
Whatever struggles she made - whatever frustrations she had over the matter and being captured so easily - they all stilled at the sound of his voice. Because, though it had been a few months since they last met face-to-face, there was no mistaking it. He held a certain distinction in tones and pitch that was all his own. That was unmistakable.
"Gaara." It was a surprise, to say the least. But it should have been expected that the Leaf would seek to implore outside help on these matters. Every single shinobi of this generation had been her friend - her comrade - at one point in their career. Gai-sensei had made a point to ensure that his little team of students knew the importance of working well with any team, not just their own. And, of course, with the Five Nations well on their way towards an alliance agreement, it was only natural to utilize that advantage.
Clenching her teeth against the realization as the folds slid from her eyes, she faced the former host of the One-Tails with unwavering determination. And though his stare was as imposing and intimidating as ever, the kunoichi held her gaze and fixed hard on the dark ring of his eyes as she spoke. "I'm just a piece in his chess game. And you should know better than anyone: he'll sacrifice everything to win it."
Arms crossed, his stance shifted and the muscles in his brow twitched a hair's breath. "...Even his Queen?"
Despite not knowing what his thoughts were, now - despite the uncertainty - she laughed, sinister and soft at his words. And when he seemed confused at her reaction, the kunoichi's lips cracked from the smirk that pulled at her mouth.
How naive they all where.
"You think I'm his Queen," she stated, the smirk soon moving effortlessly into a snarl at the afterthought, "That's cute."
As she had learned over the years, the young Uchiha possessed a unique mind that was far different from his peers. Yes, he had been raised on the same principles that all Leaf shinobi had; that comrades were more important than the mission, and that teams were the best course of seeing an assignment through. It was a system that had brought Konoha to the height of prosperity over the other nations. It was what made the Leaf's forces so strong, gathering soldiers of all skills together in a balanced combination. But Sasuke's path led a different way.
His was a road of solitude. Even with her by his side.
"Sakura, then?"
The kunoichi scoffed, knowing full well that the medic's old affections had long since dissipated after years of watching his descent as an outsider looking in. And that his loyalty to the team they once shared no longer mattered in light of his plans. It was almost a sad thought to consider, her eyes becoming distant a moment in realizing that neither one were the same people they once were. But then, they had all lost that innocence, over time.
They weren't children, anymore.
"Maybe once, a long time ago, she might have. But no."
The young Kage looked skeptical at that. And he had every right to be. He'd seen the lengths both Sakura and Naruto had gone through in hopes of saving their former teammate from the dark path that he walked, first from Orochimaru and then from this new player in the game who called himself Madara. He'd stood as a witness to the strength and resolve they held in saving any of their comrades, himself included. Such was the inspiration - such was the loyalty - that Naruto could instill in others with his unfailing determination. Emotions like that could easily control a person's thoughts and perspective. And it was easy to believe that was the case with her, having spent the better part of a year under the Uchiha's influence.
"We're both pawns in his schemes, just like everyone else. A bishop and a knight, at best." With Karin as a rook, if she ever thought to come back to him, no doubt.
It was a harsh reality, perhaps. But it was a truth she'd come to realize long ago. Though he considered her his second-in-command, Tenten was far from being a partner or even a comrade. Certainly, the kunoichi would be considered anything but his peer. At this point, there was only one person who stood as his equal, no matter how much the young heir refused to believe it. And even though the revival of his once prominent clan was a goal to be achieved, it was only secondary to revenge. Secondary to retribution. Nothing else could be more important to him.
"Which one is which?"
It didn't matter, she was going to say. She was just a means to an end; a lingering promise that simply wouldn't go away. He'd said as much when she came rushing back after months of ignorant bliss under a memory binding jutsu. And Tenten was fine with being a tool for his absolution. It was a cause she was willing to sacrifice her life for. And she would have let Gaara and anyone else who asked know it with an unfailing resolve that Gai would even be proud of.
But in that moment, the world exploded. And nothing else mattered.