A/N: I bet you guys weren't expecting another chapter. In fact, I wasn't planning on making one until a day ago. Here's your warning: there's a lot of swearing and blood in this chapter. If that offends you, please don't read it. This chapter is also really long, and I apologize for that. But I felt the story couldn't have finished where I left it off. Anyway, enjoy!

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Somebody cries in the middle of the night

The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights

A fragile soul, caught in the hands of fate

When morning comes it'll be too late

"C'mon, Tenten!"

The kunoichi opened her eyes to see Lee staring down at her, his hand on her cheek and a smile on his face. She must have drifted off to sleep, lying in her favorite spot- a clearing within the woods, peaceful, surrounded by beautiful trees, and covered in the softest grass within a 100-mile radius.

"Is it time already, Lee?" she asked groggily, smiling back up at him as she struggled to get into a sitting position.

"Yes, Tenten," Lee announced happily, jumping onto his feet and lifting Tenten out of the soft grass. "We must go on the most adventurous mission yet! Neji and Gai-Sensei are already waiting for us!"

Tenten beamed happily up at the bright, sunny sky. This was absolutely perfect. She had gotten time off - time she spent mostly with Lee, training and just being together. Now, she got to go on her first A-rank mission with him and the rest of her team. It couldn't get any better than thi-

THUD.

"TENTEN!! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, YOU LAZY ASS?!"

The sound of a door slamming and an angry scream drove the ninja out of her dream. Tenten opened her eyes immediately, shaking her hair out of her face. CRAP. What time is it?! I was only supposed to take a quick nap! In a rush, Tenten kicked the ratty covers off her bed and took a quick look at the clock sitting on her nightstand. 6 o'clock! OH NO! Without bothering to straighten herself up, she sprinted into the kitchen, where her worst nightmare was waiting for her. A man was sitting at the table, obviously furious and impatient.

"There you are," the man sneered, taking a swig out of a bottle and slamming it down onto the kitchen table. At the sight of the bottle held tightly in his grasp, Tenten began shaking slightly. He's already been drinking...

"What the hell were you doing?" he demanded, glaring at her through glazed eyes. Even when he was drunk, he was terrifying. Tenten swallowed and tried not to let her fear show. He might get some ideas.

"I-I'm sorry, Dad," she stammered, looking down at her feet and wishing she could disappear. "We got off practice early today and I just... took a little nap-"

"A fuckin' nap, eh?" Tenten's father sneered and took another gulp from his bottle. Tenten could smell the alcohol from where she was standing. "So you get off early, and instead of makin' me some fucking food, you go and lie on your fat ass?"

Tenten's cheeks burned, and she closed her eyes, trying to shut him out. "I'm sorry, Dad," she repeated meekly. "I'll get right on that."

Tenten rushed to the fridge and began pulling out ingredients for her father's dinner. She heard him slam the bottle down and mutter drunkenly under his breath as she reached for the rice, her fingers trembling.

"Stupid fuckin' girl don't even have any friends," he jeered from behind her back. "Has to come straight home 'cause no one wants to hang out with a lazy fatass like you. No wonder they had to quit practice early- you're not getting any better, you miserable fuck."

Tenten took a deep breath as her anger flared. Trying to suppress both her anger and her fear, she grabbed the rice and walked to the counter, her legs feeling weak. She knew better than to get mad at her father. The last time that happened... well, Tenten was lucky to regain the use of her arms.

"A'course, that Rock Lee feller's always after your fat ass, eh?" Her father spit disgustedly and took another swig of sake. "Fuckin' ugliest faggot I've ever seen. You and him would get along well- talentless, ugly losers."

A crash resounded throughout the kitchen as the rice bowl slipped through Tenten's fingers and fell to the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces. Her father jumped and then stood up angrily, shoving both his chair and the table over in his rage.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR, YOU CLUMSY IDIOT?" he screamed, his face turning bright red. Tenten began to shake again, but this time out of pure rage. Slowly, she turned to face her dad, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Shut up."

Her father blinked, shocked. Then his features set into a deep scowl that could scare off even a member of the Akatsuki.

"What did you say to me?" he asked slowly. Tenten felt a twang of deep fear, but couldn't keep herself from continuing. All those feelings she had been locking away deep inside, so no one would find them... all the pain, physical in the form of bruises, emotional in the form of tears... it all came spilling out in the form of words.

"I told you to fucking shut up. You can make fun of me all you want. I've been taking your shit for 5 years, Dad. Ever since Mom died, all you've done is beat the crap out of me. I can handle it. This is my fight. But when you have to go making fun of Rock Lee... that's low, even for scum like you. Rock Lee is ten times the ninja you ever were, and a hundred times the man! You're just a jerk who can't handle the pain of his own life, so you have to fucking hurt others! I'm sick of your shit, I'm sick of being your little punching bag, and I'm especially sick of YOU!"

Tenten stopped, her breathing heavy and her eyes glowing bright. She had done it. She had stood up to her lousy so-called father. For a minute, she was on top of her world.

Then her father took two quick steps towards her. Before Tenten could even blink, he cocked his right arm back and punched her right in the face. A second passed where Tenten felt no pain. But suddenly she cried out and fell to the ground, clutching her face. Blood seeped out of her cheek and onto her hands as she looked up at her father fearfully. He was breathing heavily, his eyes blazing with anger and his face bright red.

"You have no right to speak to me that way, you worthless BRAT!" he yelled as he swung his leg. His foot connected with Tenten's side, and she slammed against the cabinets, crying out in pain once again. She tried to move, but a searing pain in her side told her that a couple of her ribs had not only cracked, but shattered. She fell on the floor, gasping for breath as tears came spilling out her eyes. The pain was a killer.

But apparantly, her father had not had enough. "You-will-respect-me-you-FUCK!" he shouted between punches and kicks. He struck whatever part of her he could reach- her hands, her arms, her legs, her stomach, and especially her head. Tenten, in a desperate attempt to escape, flailed her bloody legs wildly, striking her father in the gut. She heard him grunt, and for a second, the kicking ceased as her father doubled over, clutching his stomach. She struggled to her feat and tried to make a run for it. Every movement, though, caused her severe pain, and after a few steps, she fell to the ground, sobbing and attempting to crawl away.

"Oh, no you don't," she heard him snarl from behind her. A foot connected with her back, and she was flat on the ground, the breath knocked out of her and blood from her forehead dripping into her eyes. She lay still for what seemed like an endless moment, on edge and anticipating another punch.

Instead, her father grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her up. He was squeezing her arm so hard that his knuckles were turning white, but Tenten could barely notice through the pain that flowed throughout her body, and the blood that flowed from it. She was so weak she could barely stand, swaying back and forth as she finally looked at her father.

Through a combination of blood and tears, she could see his face, staring back at her; could feel his breath on her face, stinking of alcohol. At first, his face still retained that furious, raging look that over the years had made him seem more animal than human. But after a second, his face shifted, and she caught a glimpse of the man that once was.

"Haruka?" he whispered roughly, slurring her name slightly as he stared at Tenten desperately. "Isthatyou?"

Tears spilled out of Tenten's eyes as her father spoke her mother's name. "Dad, what are you saying?" she begged, barely able to get a word out through her swollen mouth.

"Haruka, youcameback," her father drawled drunkenly, beginning to cry. "Ithoughtyouwere dead forgood!"

"Dad, it's me," Tenten pleaded, choking on blood and tears. "It's Tenten!"

The last cry resounded through out the kitchen as the news sunk into her father. For a second, he seemed startled. Then, suddenly, he screamed in anger and shoved Tenten backwards and downwards. She heard rather than felt her head smash against the edge of the kitchen table, creating a gash on the back of her head. She fell limply to the floor, blood pouring out of her and her eyesight fading.

"Fuck you," her dad muttered one last time before stepping over her. She heard the door open, then slam shut as her father disappeared into the night. The house became quiet, the only sound coming from Tenten as ragged breaths escaped her mouth. Even as she knew she was dying, she became calm, almost peaceful as the darkness enveloped her. As she drew her last breath, an image of Rock Lee flashed in front of her eyes, and a final tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'm free."

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"Tenten!" Are you ready for our glorious day?"

The sun threw a warm, glowing light onto Tenten's house, finally rising as Rock Lee knocked enthusiastically on the door. Sure, he was early for their date- by several hours, actually - but he had hardly been able to sleep all night, trying to figure out how to best make Tenten enjoy his presence more than she would have. Finally deciding to wake her up, he ran over to her house in a frenzy, grabbing flowers along the way and doubling back to his room several times for items he had forgotten- like pants.

Now, he stood on her doorstep, pounding on the door somewhat quietly. He knew her father and had met him several times. Though he was a good man, he seemed to get irritated easily, and he didn't wish to wake him up and ruining the day for Tenten. She did seem to grow awfully nervous whenever he was around. Oh, well. She'd feel much better after a day with Rock Lee. Everyone does, don't they?

"Is anybody home?" he called loudly. There was no answer. Shrugging, Rock Lee decided to surprise Tenten with his admirable appearance and opened the door to a mess. He stood still for a few seconds, gaping at the sight of the kitchen. Shards of porcelain were scattered everywhere, blood was splattered on the cabinets and the floor, and the kitchen table was knocked on its side, a giant crack down the middle. A sense of dread welled up inside Lee as he absorbed what he was seeing, combining it with his memories of Tenten's family life. Surveying the scene one more time, he noticed something he hadn't before- a hand sticking out from behind the table, lying limp. It was a delicate hand, one that would belong to a female. Oh, no-

"Tenten?" Lee asked nervously, walking quickly around the table. As his gaze fell on a huddled mass lying on the floor, he gasped and fell to his knees, shocked.

Tenten was lying at the base of the table, limp and lifeless. She was covered in cuts and bruises from head to toe- there was barely a spot on her where Rock Lee could actually see her skin. One of her legs lay at an odd angle, as if broken. But what scared Lee most of all was Tenten's face. It, like the rest of her body, was so scarred that he could hardly recognize her. Her mouth was swollen, as was the skin around her eyes. A huge gash stretched across her forehead, and the hair that fell in front of it was matted with blood. But Lee couldn't stop staring at her eyes. They were wide open, but unseeing, as beautiful as usual. And they were staring right at Lee.

"Tenten, you have to get up," Lee said, his voice hoarse as he reached over to her. Grabbing the hand that he had first seen, he frantically checked her wrist for a pulse, any sign that she was alive and well. But the absence of movement confirmed what Lee had instinctively known. His teammate was dead.

"Oh, Tenten, why?" Lee managed to get out before he was engulfed by sobs. Clumsily, he crawled towards her and embraced her, her limp head resting against his chest as he weeped. His tears fell onto her hair, washing out some of the blood that had stained her beautiful hair. Never again was Tenten to make fun of him for messing up, or cringe at his awkward advances, or laugh at him, her eyes shining, and tell him that he was the best friend she ever had. He should have known. She'd been acting funny ever since her mom died. He saw the bruises, saw the way her eyes lit up with fear whenever her father or her home was mentioned. He was such an idiot. And now Tenten was gone forever.

After a few minutes, the last tear fell from Lee's eyes, and he sat there for a few seconds, holding her. "I love you," he muttered into her ear for the first and last time. Then he picked her up gently and carried her all 5 miles to the hospital.

Through the wind and the rain

She stands hard as a stone

In a world that she can't rise above

But her dreams give her wings

And she flies to a place where she's loved

Concrete angel

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A/N: I'm debating on writing a third chapter- Tenten's funeral. Please tell me what you guys think about that. Whether or not the story ends here is based on you. Thanks.