Songfic. This story was in my head, and it wouldn't go away unless I wrote it, so finally I said, fine, I'll write you.

I picked Tenten because, let's face it, how much airtime does she really get? How much does anyone really care to know about her? Not much. Heck, Shino gets more airtime than she does.

Yeah, I heard you. I know what you just said to yourself. 'Well, that's because Shino's cooler.' See what I mean?

I won't keep you waiting any longer. I don't own Naruto, or "Missing" by Evanescence.

It was the only way.

The Hidden Rain had the Sand and Leaf surrounded. And there was only one thing they could give as a peace offering for the two to live to next year. Konoha and Suna would be destroyed if they didn't. The ransom for the lives of all the people in both villages was deceptively simple. Each had to send one female, one kunoichi to serve to their enemy, forever.

The problem was, nobody wanted to go. Given the age range, none of the 15 year old Leaf girls wanted to give up their lives to serve the Rain. They still wanted to get married, stay with their lovers…

Tsunade passed her hand over her eyes, clutching a bottle of sake in the other. Why did the whole servitude thing have to be voluntary? Whether she liked it or not, it would be so much easier to ship some unfortunate girl off to the Hidden Rain.

"Come in," Tsunade growled, to the knock on the door.

Tenten slipped inside and stood in front of her role model, completely grave.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Well? What is it?" She raised the bottle to her lips.

"Lady Tsunade…I'll go."

The Fifth Hokage choked on her sake. "Wh-what?"

Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
Maybe someday you'll look up,
And, barely conscious, you'll say to no one:
"Isn't something missing?"

Tenten stared at herself in the mirror. Slowly, slowly, she unstrapped the large scroll from her back and let it fall to the floor. Then she set about removing all the other weapons hidden on her person. As she worked, something near the mirror caught her eye. She picked it up.

There they were, Team Gai. Gai and Lee wearing identical grins, Neji with his too-cool attitude…

And her, young and innocent.

She placed the photo on the desk face down.

You won't cry for my absence, I know -
You forgot me long ago.
Am I that unimportant...?
Am I so insignificant...?
Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?

Tenten knew for a fact that nobody really cared about her. She remembered the one time, three years ago, when they had been training in the field...

"Gai-sensei?"

"Yes, my youthful...er..." Gai had scratched his head. "Ah...um..."

Tenten tried not to show her shock, instead trying to give her teacher a hint. "T...T...T..."

"T..Tsunade!"

"No, Gai-sensei." Now she was worried. "Te...te..."

"Te...mari?"

"No!" She threw her hands up in the air. "Ugh! Just forget it."

Everyone but her had some sort of title, a something that made them important.

Rock Lee, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha.

Shikamaru, the Lazy Genius.

Shino, the Bug Boy.

Kiba, the Dog Boy.

Tenten, the...girl on Neji and Lee's team.

That was all she was.

Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?

It was only natural that she be the one to sacrifice herself for the village, Tenten thought miserably as she removed the last of her weaponry. It wasn't like anyone would care enough to get her back. That meant nobody would have to get hurt, even die because of her. Besides, nobody missed the extras. Not Neji, not Lee, not Gai-sensei…

A traitor tear trickled down her cheek. That didn't make it hurt any less.

Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
I know what you do to yourself,
I breathe deep and cry out,
"Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?"

Walking silently out of the village, Tenten looked back once she passed the gate. This was it. No turning back.

Somehow her thoughts drifted to Sasuke Uchiha, the one who had traveled this same path years before her. She remembered meeting him for the first time, in the Chunin exams, and thinking, He's cute.

Now Tenten understood how much the avenger suffered, how much Neji suffered, too. The both of them had to constantly push themselves for someone else. But Sasuke had taken it much harder on himself.

Tenten remembered the crushes they both had on her when they were younger, and how, for a second, she thought at least someone would miss her if she left. They didn't love her anymore, of that she was certain.

Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?

She met up with the girl from Suna halfway there, a beautiful girl with dark, almost black hair and eyes. The girl acknowledged her with a nod, and Tenten returned the gesture. Then the two headed to the rendezvous point.

And if I bleed, I'll bleed,
Knowing you don't care.
And if I sleep just to dream of you
I'll wake without you there,

"Well, what do we have here?"

A man on a horse leaned down, scrutinizing the two. "Good. So the Leaf and Sand didn't try to play us for saps." He dismounted, and strode up to Tenten, so close she could smell his breath. "Now…what's your name, sugar?"

Tenten mentally gagged as the man's face obscured her vision. Her eyes shut, cold fear gripping her suddenly.

"I asked you a question."

Pressing her lips together, she looked up at the man, swallowing her fear. I'm not afraid of you, she told herself. I'm a kunoichi of Konoha…whether people remember that or not.

"Listen, girlie! When someone asks you a question, you're supposed to answer them!"

Before Tenten could blink, the man had pulled out a kunai and slashed viciously at her arm. Then he punched her in the face, and she collapsed, arm bleeding profusely, drifting into meaningless dreams full of all faces of nin she had befriended in Konoha, floating up in the darkness. Sasuke…Neji…Lee…Naruto…Neji…Ino…Sasuke…

Soon her dreams only consisted of Neji and Sasuke, and in her sleep, she began to cry.

Isn't something missing?
Isn't something...

Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.

"That was a wonderfully youthful 500 laps, team!"

Gai grinned at the two before him. "Now we will spar! Lee will train with yours truly-" he gave a thumbs up "and Neji shall train with…" He trailed off, noticing there were only two of his students present. "Eh? Where's…Tenten?"

"She was not at her house when I came by," Lee offered, looking worried. "I assumed she was already warming up, Gai-sensei."

"Hmm…" Gai turned to Neji. 'How about it, Neji? Can you find her?"

Neji activated his Byakugan, scanning the area. "She's nowhere near here," he announced, trying to hide his own worry.

"Well, she must be somewhere in this village," Lee said encouragingly.

"No, she's not."

Team Gai turned as Team Kakashi strode up. "I looked everywhere," Sasuke continued. "Nobody's seen her since yesterday. There's only one explanation." His face looked darker than usual. "Tenten volunteered."

Everyone looked shocked. Gai and Lee looked like they were about to cry. "But…why?"

dbdbdbdbdbdb

Tenten stood looking out the tiny window of her new home, watching the sunrise. Her chocolate hair was down in a loose ponytail, and she wore the gray strapless top and skirt of a slave.

"Girl? Where are you, girl?"

Sighing, Tenten turned and headed out the door, prepare to serve her new master.

Isn't someone missing me?

So sad...

Just so you know, this has the potential to become a multichapter fic. Well, not this one, but I could make a sequel about how the Naruto people actually do miss Tenten an embark on a journey to save her. It will probably be a SasuTenJi.

Please review and tell me what you want me to do!