Tenten (bladed_dragon) wrote in risingsun_logs, @ 2008-09-24 15:39:00 |
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Entry tags: | tenten |
[ Closed - Monologue | The Flesh that I find is at best only Lies ]
Characters: Tenten and NPCs
Setting: Indistinguishable and unimportant alleyway, downtown.
Summary: Things go unexpectedly during the pick-up. Whether it's wrong or right depends on who you're asking.
Warnings: Complete and blatant violence. Read it. Love it. >3
Quietly, she blew out a slow and steady stream of air, mingling with the cool air to form a puff of warm breath from within her body. And silently, she watched in mild interest while the thin wisps curled and swayed up towards the starry sky above. The days were still balmy and reflective of the summer season that had graced them all with rather tropical weather. But the nights were a true indication of the approaching shift in the seasons, the chill becoming more and more notable as the days passed. So it was a good thing she came prepared.
Shifting once more, Tenten wrapped the flaps of her jacket a little bit more tightly around her body to keep the heat from further escaping. In retrospect, it was probably a bad idea to arrive on the scene in a skirted ensemble, especially when she would be forced to walk through this part of town so late of night. But after the outing to the park with Sasuke earlier that afternoon, she had simply decided not to bother with another change of clothing. The jacket at least provided enough warmth to tolerate the long wait.
It was, perhaps, one of the stranger quirks of her personality. But to Tenten, arriving earlier than expected to the meeting spot made sense, especially where safety was concerned. It allowed her to memorize the layout of the area should she have a need to make use of it. And it ensured that there would be less of a chance for surprises later on. The chill in the air was hardly a big price to pay. Considering her two year long career working in such a fashion, survive for this long, things could certainly be worse.
At a shift within the shadows of the alley, the young woman's head snapped up, ready and alert for anything while the rest of her body retained the usual calm and collected demeanor required for such business transaction. It would do no one any good to jump to conclusions, only for it to result in a dead She only had to wait a few seconds more before the man stepped forward into the dim light of the street lamp, flanked by two of his more physically capable men.
Tenten glanced down at her watch. Ten o'clock. Sharp. "Right on schedule."
She assumed no invitation was needed and so stepped forward without pause, her heels click-clacking softly against the concrete pavement of the alleyway. The expression on his face upon seeing her and recognizing her for what she was there to do was unmistakable. And Tenten could not help but smirk at the thought. To this day, it still surprised people that women could actually exist in this line of work. As if the deadlier aspects of being a hitwoman were merely an illusion and a myth generated to ideals of equality.
I assure you, such a notion is very real, my good sir.
But she refrained from speaking or voicing her comment. In and out. That had been Sasuke's orders when he gave her the folder. That and calling him when everything was said and done, so to speak. Besides, talking would only delay the transaction. As accustomed to all of this as she was after two plus years of loyal service to the Uchiha, Tenten preferred to spend as little time there than necessary. So when the man presented a briefcase, she had been glad. Good. He knew how this worked.
Like a Greek statue, she stood there and waited, watching with a careful eye as the man let one of his guards hold the briefcase while he went through the process of snapping it open. Inside, as expected, was his payment, stacked neatly and tied together in rows. Seven across and three down, making a total of twenty-one piles all together. It was hard to determine if everything was there. However, there were always ways to track people down if things were not paid in full.
So Tenten merely nodded and held out her hand for him to hand the package over. He did so without pause. But before he managed to close the case, she could not help but marvel at how they almost seemed to glow under the lamplight, the only burst of color in the drab and monotoned world of the alleyway. Figures. The only source of character in their otherwise tainted lives would be from the driving force behind their double-dealings.
Ah, the ironies of life...
A nod, both to the man and his men, was all she gave in departure before turning and exiting the alleyway, her gaze never leaving the others until the very last moment. You could never be too careful.
She had parked her vehicle a few blocks away to lessen the chance of suspicion from any cops that might have been patrolling around the area. It had seemed like a good idea before when she had first arrived. But now, with the clouds slowly drifting over the round glow of the moon, masking over her main source of light, perhaps it was not the best course of action. In every woman, there was a deeply rooted fear of being helpless that dated back to nearly the beginning of time. Tenten knew she was every bit as capable of caring for herself, of protecting herself from most if not all harm that could come about. But no matter how long she had trained in the various martial arts disciplines, no matter how confident the young woman was in her skills, there was no getting rid of that old fear. It was a part of her as it was a part of every woman in the world.
However, there was a distinct difference between acknowledging that fear and giving in to it.
"Suck it up, Ten," she murmured to herself, "You've survived worse things."
And she was right. Tenten had faced against situations far worse than a simple walk downtown. But as she turned the corner, the young woman could not help but get the feeling that something was just was not right. Tenten was usually not one for paranoia or suspicion, but there was just...something off about everything. And normally, her instincts were never wrong. That was when she heard it. The faint whisper of footsteps mimicking hers. The soft rustle of clothing blending in with the white noise of city life.
Someone was following her.
First rule of conduct in a situation like this was to make sure not to tip off your assailant that you knew of their presence. So Tenten kept her face neutral and unchanging while she continued on her way. She would forego heading back to the car for now so as not to risk having it taken when/if Tenten was finally confronted. Besides, everything she would need to fight them off, she already had with her.
A few more yards of walking, when she was forced to pass through another alleyway, a man appeared from the shadows as if to block her way. Upon instinct, her first reaction was to backtrack and go another way. But when she turned around to do so, there stood another man barring her way. Typical trapping tactic, one they thought would work against her. Pathetic.
Even under the cover of shadows, Tenten recognized the two figures as the guards who had stood on the sidelines while she had gone through the process of picking up the payment. Why they were here now, she could only assume and with good cause as well as reason. It was a common scenario and one she should have anticipated. The man had every intention of passing off the briefcase when the night began. But the moment he set eyes on her and recognized her as the one who would handle the transaction, he had begun to plan for this outcome. However, he had greatly underestimated her position in the Uchiha faction.
Ducking to the side, she felt the cool rush of air sweep by the very edge of her ear. A shadow passed over her face and the man's arm came into view. Then, quick as lightning, Tenten turned and swung the briefcase around to catch the man in the back of the knee, bringing him down just far enough to get a pointed heel to the temple. Ripped from head to toe with uncountable muscles, he was no match for her speed and fell to the ground with a groan of pain. But she knew better than to think he was down for the count. Then the other scrambled in to join the fray. And that was when party really got interesting.
Time ticked on while she struggled to keep possession of the briefcase, fighting to keep it from falling into their hands. It passed hands a number of time while she began collecting a good number of injuries during her attempts to get it back. And for a good stretch, it looked as if Tenten would come out of this with only less than serious cuts and bruises. But that was before she felt the hard plank of wood slam into her back. It was like a sledgehammer had been rammed into her spine, taking her down in a single blow to land in a muddy puddle and forcing the prize to slip out of her hands. Coughing up the stank stench of alley water from who knows where from her mouth, the young woman slowly pulled herself up on all fours, just far enough to glare at the two who stood in her way from completing this assignment. Their crooked smiles, bloodied from the struggle stood out in the darkness, their taunting laughter echoing against the stone walls of the building that surrounded them only fueled the little spark of madness that had ignited within her.
Needless to say, she was not happy. "...Big mistake."
From the holster strapped to her thigh underneath the skirt, she pulled out a five inch dagger and threw it with incredible speed at one of her assailants. For her, time seemed to stand still while the blade sailed through the air, catching the pale light of the moon. Felt a temptious, almost lustful thrill in the very core of her heart at the ever deadly glint of the paper-thin edge. But then again, anything made of sharp steel had always had that effect on her, such was her father's influence.
Even through the thick curtain of her dripping wet hair, Tenten's aim was near to perfection, catching the overconfident man in the meaty muscle of his left calf. She grinned with a sick level of pleasure and satisfaction as the dagger sliced through the skin so effortlessly, only creating a small slosh when it cut through the muscle and meat before ending with a solid thump against bone. And the blood fanned out so beautifully, like the splatter paintings Tenten had seen on her few trips to the museum.
In every sense of the word, she was a true artist. With the solid dagger as her brush. The concrete pavement, her canvas.
And then the world was in motion once more, speeding back up to a normal pace with a cry of agony from her victim. Wasting little time, Tenten ripped off what remained of her shoes and charged forward. In a well orchestrated plan, she aimed both heeled shoes at the empty space between the two men. Nothing but a mere distraction as both mistook them for daggers. And while they were too consumed with dodging, functioning on instincts alone to remain alive, she was allowed to advance far past their barriers, close enough to send a hard right to the nearest man. The other struggled to join in and help despite the dagger lodged in his thigh. But all he received for his efforts was a fleshy heel to the jaw as Tetnen executed a swift round-house kick, catching him in the chin.
However, distraction functioned both ways. And before she realized it, before Tenten had time to recover and react, thick and muscled arms were already slipping around her neck in a choking hold. While she struggled to free herself, gasping and fighting to draw a clean breath again, the other guard struggled to his feet and stalked forward towards them. His eyes were alight with purpose and anger, burning with fiery intent for revenge. And he would have gotten it if Tenten had not brought her feett up just in time for to land a kick at the sensitive flesh at front of his throat, the other coming around to wrap against the back of his head.
And with a hard and twisting jerk -- SNAP.
At the same time, Tenten pressed the pad of her thumb -- nails and all -- into the other's eye socket. And she was immediately released from his hold. Before the first man could fall to the ground, she reached down and yanked out the dagger embedded in his thigh and in that same motion, swept around to shove the paper-thin blade deep into the other's chest.And there was that sweet sound of tearing flesh and crunching bone, of helpless tendons ripping apart just underneath the surface amid the man's final gurgles of life while his spirit left his dying body.
Before long, there was nothing but the faint sound of the young woman's labored breathing.
Still gripping the handle of the dagger, she gave a shove at the guard's lifeless body, watching with only mild fascination as his body slumped to the ground. The coppery scent, the sight of the two fresh corpses laying motionless at her feet while blood continued to pool and collect around her...the intensity of the moment could only be matched with the fast and rough beating of her heart.And then came the distant thunder.
That was when she noted the clouds overhead, rolling over the light of the moon to blanket the world in perpetual night and shadow, only adding to the already eerily still atmosphere. It was only a moment more before the rain followed, cleansing the pavement and cleaning up all evidence of her presence to the scene. Bringing her back to reality.
Another breath. Another heartbeat. Then she was bending down to clean off the remainder of the blood from her dagger before sliding it cleanly back into its holster. And with all the strength left to her, Tenten hobbled her way towards the car, remembering to pick up the discarded briefcase while her senses were still clear. No good in suffering through all of this trouble if she forgot the payment. Already, she was feeling the after effects of the battle, her limbs heavy and burning. It was nothing serious, she was sure. But still, it was better to be safe than leave things up to chance.
All notions of calling Sasuke and telling him about the outcome of the pick-up like she had promised was forgotten. There was only one thought consuming Tenten's mind. I need to see Kabuto.