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She runs the blunt edge of her blade across the back of a marine, knocking the man into the wild waves below. Fighting has spread across the deck, violence crackling through the air and the scent of blood heavy like fog. She tries not to focus on the sounds of pain, only the clash of steel. Her vision is laser focused on the movements of her enemies, one after the other.
Tenten is no devil fruit user. She doesn’t wield anything beyond Armament Haki and the occasional flare of Observation. Nothing like how Neji uses it — he’s a master at Observation, able to see everything around him no matter the angle. Good fighter, too. Not that he really needs the extra help in drawing attention to himself. He’s already pretty, dignified, and just. Add in capable, powerful, and intelligent — well, it’s just not fair, is it?
She sighs, slipping under the jab of a marine. They’re not very well trained. Most aren’t. Probably because the world’s resources are spent on the Celestial Dragons rather than on the people and the military force meant to protect them.
“Three more ships, port side!”
Tenten heeds the call and glances over her shoulder. It’s just their luck that a big marine presence would be here…
But at least there aren’t any Admirals.
She trusts in herself and the rest of the squad, but that trust doesn’t mean much in the face of overwhelming power.
“Damn Revolutionaries!” A marine curses to her face, spit flying from his mouth. He has a wild look in his eye and blood trailing from a cut on his cheek.
In a way, Tenten almost pities them. Might be why she always uses the blunt end of her weapons when given the chance. Truthfully, she usually prefers her polearm. This attack had caught them off guard, however, so this was the first weapon she’d managed to grab.
Before she could even move to attack, the marine is sent flying over the edge of the ship. Her eyes don’t follow him as he disappears from view, and she only knows that he hits the ocean when she hears the splash.
Neji glances at her with lavender eyes narrowed in concentration. His mouth is pressed tight together, hair somehow immaculate despite all the twirling he does with his fighting style.
She swears he must have a devil fruit, but he swims the same as the rest of the non-users.
(Those that come from the Grand Line never cease to amaze.)
Tenten comes from humble beginnings. A small town in East Blue, the weakest of all the seas. Her only consolation is that the people in the Revolutionary Army come from all walks of life; from any sea or island.
“You should be more careful.”
She rolls her eyes, “I wasn’t having any issues, trust me. I totally had him!”
Neji doesn’t sink low enough to roll his own eyes. She knows him well enough by now, however, to see the slightly embarrassed gleam in his eyes. His ears are pink at the tips.
Tenten hides her smile.
Without even speaking, they fall into place beside each other. They fight in tandem — two puzzle pieces, two hurricanes, two halves of a whole. When she moves, so does he. When he turns, she turns as well to cover his back. Their spines meet through their clothes, lungs working hard and heat almost too much. Sweat and sea salt gathers at her mouth.
A few battles over, Lee cries out in exuberance as he sends another round of marines flying. She remains close enough to Neji to feel his chest shake with amusement, though no sound leaves his lips aside from carefully controlled grunts of exertion.
She catches his eyes as she whirls, blood singing in her ears.
Ah, there’s no place like home.