Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto.

Note: Dedicated to Kit, who wants me to write it with all these links with Pein and Minato. She forced me to write this!!

The dream sequences are going to be a bit messed up, so I hope you won't mind …

Pairings:

OC x Temari

OC x Deidara

Shikamaru x Ino

That's it for the pairings.

Falling In Love Is Harder Than It Was

Chapter One: Arrival At Sunagakure

Five days. It has been five days since Kensu left Konohagakure on a quest for knowledge and information, five days without much food and water. Even though some people knew of his victory against Uchiha Madara, he still felt inferior to all those around him, the cold stares they gave him, the whispered conversations that he overheard, the damned news of him holding an uncontrollable Bijuu inside him spread terror and rumors around Konohagakure all the way to Sunagakure. Only a few people understand what I am. He raised his head as his thoughts drifted off to Ino once more, the love she showered on him before he left. Kensu indulged himself in it so much, but ultimately, he wanted to leave. He felt angry at himself for leaving her; leaving the very girl that had kept him sane all this while. Right now, Kensu felt alone, hopeless, and nowhere in mind to start his hunt for information. Trudging along the muddy path, Kensu strained his eyes only to see the distant Sand Village, with the sun directly above it. The weather was unbearable, and Kensu knew he had to go into the village for water and food. But he feared rejection; feared the people who would shun him, kick him. He did not even have any energy to fight back, but even if he did, why should he retaliate? Let them know … you're not a monster. They were just good friends now, but Kensu still remembered Ino's words and they spurred him on and he pressed on weakly. Staggering into the village, he heard whispers once more. They annoyed him so much, they just would not stop. Kensu gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his destination was … any store he could reach before passing out. Entering the store, Kensu was suddenly screamed at by the male shopkeeper. "You, I recognize you!! You're that Jinchurikki with the feral Bijuu aren't you?!" hollered the shopkeeper with an accusing finger. Kensu approached him and shook his head slowly while saying, "No, it's not – I just need wa--" Before he could finish his sentence, the shopkeeper immediately grabbed a nearby broomstick and roared, "Get outta my store!" Kensu glared at the man and felt annoyed and exasperated. "The Kazekage--" Kensu tried, but the shopkeeper interrupted him again. "Gaara-sama doesn't have the Bijuu in him anymore, and he was probably a greater Jinchurikki than YOU!! He didn't kill anyone did he?!!" said the shopkeeper rudely. Kensu felt insulted and angry and by now he was already standing in the middle of the road, weary and thirsty.I should've killed him in there … Walking along the path, Kensu felt his legs go numb and sinking to the ground. His head hit the ground hard, and he probably got some cuts on his face in the process. "Leave him alone!" shouted a woman who was in front of Kensu. Before he succumbed to the fatigue, he saw them, the two familiar persons standing in front of him, their expressions unreadable and somehow discouraging.

Temari knelt down next to the unconscious Jinchurikki and said to her younger brother, Kankuro, "He's … fainted." Kankuro nodded and suggested, "Let's just bring him to your place; it's a shorter way there." The blonde sighed and helped Kensu up with Kankuro while muttering, "These people are too much." Kankuro glanced sideways and drawled, "They don't know what he's done for Suna and Konoha." When they arrived at Temari's, she said, "Err – I can take it from here, Kankuro." Her younger brother looked suspicious, but obliged to her request nonetheless. "Take care of him and when he's awake, tell him to rest in Suna for a few days … he looks ghastly."

"Alright …"

The blonde sat down on the bed and looked at the brunette lying on the bed. "So pale …" she murmured, feeling sorry for him. She placed her hand on his face and wiped away the sand and cleaned his wounds gently. Suddenly, a hand caught Temari's wrist and clutched it tightly. She let out a cry of shock and stared at Kensu, whose eyes had already opened. "I'm … sorry," he muttered, feeling awkward to be apologizing now. Letting go of Temari's hand, he asked, "Where am I?" Temari forced a smile on her face and replied, "…My place." Kensu struggled to sit up and he stared at the blonde. She reminded him of Ino so much …

"I have to leave."

"No you don't, I want you to stay here for a few days. You're tired and weak, who knows what'll happen to you out there?"

"…I thought I'd be a burden to you."

"Don't think of it that way, besides, you're our hero."

"No, seriously, don't call me that, even the villagers don't know about what I done."

"We never told them; because they wouldn't believe the supposedly-dead founder of the Uchiha clan was still alive … you know how feisty these people are."

"…Yeah, that is kinda true."

"So are you staying?"

"F-Fine …"

Temari nodded in satisfaction and left the room, and soon returned with a cup of water. "You know … I hate it when people treat me well. I mean with the exception of Ino that is …" commented Kensu with a smile on his face. Temari suppressed a laugh and said, "Well, be glad I'm staying all day … it's a two-day break for me." Kensu raised his brows and muttered, "Are you glad?" Temari shot him a sarcastic look and asked playfully, "Is that a trick question?" "No, I don't think so."

"So you're the serious type, huh, Ken?"

"Perhaps …"

Kensu looked out the window and said, "I feel lost." "How so?" asked Temari. "I don't know where to start looking … for the information I need." Temari placed her hand nervously on his and encouraged him. "You can always go back to Konoha whenever you miss her," she whispered. He looked at her with a questioning look. "How do you know?" he asked. Temari sighed and answered, "I knew you loved her from the start of the Shinobi War." Kensu frowned and drawled, "I don't love her anymore."

"Oh, so you wouldn't love anyone else, huh?"

"What's your point, Temari?"

"I don't know what it's like to love someone."

"How about your brothers, then …?"

"I mean … loving someone … as a lover."

"…Oh, so that's how it is."

Kensu leaned back and grinned broadly at her, while saying, "Well you won't be getting any tips from me." Temari blushed and replied, "I don't need any tips." He raised his eyebrows once more and asked, "What d'you mean by that?" "Nothing … it's just nothing," answered the blonde, somewhat glad he asked. "I guess you'll know soon enough."

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Pein stared at the young girl in front of him, her cat tail swishing lazily. "You're Kit?" he asked, not believing his eyes. "Well, duh!" she answered, her arms folded and her expression annoyed. Pein frowned and muttered, "Your Bijuu is a cat?" Kit rolled her eyes and replied, "Of course it is. These aren't fake ears and tail, you know!" He folded his arms too and said, "I heard you rescued Deidara."

Kit looked triumphant and replied, "I had to." Pein raised his eyebrows and switched to his regular form, the spiky auburn hair and piercings at each side of his nose. "So, can I call you dad?" asked Kit. Pein frowned and replied, "No." He sighed and shook his head. "Just go and spend your time with the others … I don't have the free time for you," he said flatly, while walking away. Kit frowned and walked off, heading towards the direction of the other members. There, she saw Deidara, Kakuzu, Itachi, Kisame and Tobi standing around the area. "Deidara, you really are stupid, even Sasori would've said that," complained Kakuzu, who was stitching up Deidara's mouth that was on his chest. Deidara shrugged and grinned. "Well, I wanted to show that Sasuke kid who was the real winner … until Kit showed up and crashed the party," replied Deidara, his eyes shifting to the female Jinchurikki beside him. Kit glared at him and retorted rudely, "Well if I wasn't there, you wouldn't be here right now, would you?!" Deidara stuck his tongue out at her and replied lazily, "So much for being your bodyguard." Kit stuck out her tongue too, and said, "I don't need a freaking bodyguard, Deidara! I can handle myself!" Itachi closed his eyes and sighed. "Pein wanted it for you," he muttered, his eyes showing deep concern for the girl.

"Whatever, Itachi, I don't need bodyguards!!"

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Dream Sequence [Start

Kensu looked around the dark, damp house. It was a wreck, the roof had collapsed and all the doors had been forced open. It seemed like someone, or something, wanted to find what they wanted here. He saw two Akatsuki members standing in front of two dead bodies on the ground, muttering a few words. Kensu walked closer and heard the male say, "Namikaze Hibi and Hisako Kira … now you know how weak you are, how useless you really are …" Kensu's eyes widened and realized that the two corpses were actually his parents! Clenching his fist, Kensu charged towards the male and punched him, but his fist merely went through the Akatsuki member's face. Kensu watched in shock as the two disappeared and suddenly heard a soft whimper in the corner. Walking towards the source of the sound, he noticed a small child sitting in a corner, shivering and sobbing. He stopped in front of the kid and frowned. It was himself, as a child, he concluded. The younger boy looked straight at Kensu, which shocked him, but then a familiar face walked straight through him. A tall, handsome blonde, with hair falling on each side of his face, crouched down and carried the younger Kensu up. It was Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage! He heard Minato murmur, "There, there, your uncle's here, Ken," into Kensu's little ear. Frowning, he walked towards the Hokage and attempted to touch him, but his hand went through the man's arm.

This is just a dream … right?

It doesn't mean anything … does it?

What the hell am I supposed to do about it … how am I to find the Akatsuki?

Dream Sequence [End

Sitting up on the bed, Kensu frowned and looked out the window and felt cold wind blowing into the room, cooling him slowly. He sighed and scratched his head. "Oh, now you know?" the Juubi finally spoke, after the long three days of traveling. Kensu furrowed his brows and replied softly, "It's too much …" "A bad dream?" asked Temari suddenly, from the opposite bed. Kensu shook his head and replied, "Just … some kind of memory coming back to me … I think." Temari nodded and swayed from side to side, unsure of what to say next. She felt like her throat was tightened, so no words could come out of her mouth. "I can't sleep anymore," said Kensu, feeling lost suddenly. Temari patted the space on her bed and suggested, "Talk to me til you feel sleepy … or you can talk until it's the next morning, right?" The brunette smiled and walked over to her bed and sat down. He felt Temari's warm body and gazed at her longingly. No wait, you can't fall in love with her now! Not now, not before you get your stinking revenge! Kensu could not seem to turn away from her; she seemed to be so beautiful in the moonlight. Temari, too, was looking at him with longing eyes.It feels different around him, not like other guys … so … is this what they call love? They both leaned towards the other, and soon they were inches away from each other's faces. Temari closed her eyes and hoped he would close the gap, hoped he would kiss her in bed, right now. Kensu edged closer to her lips and touched them with his lightly, but suddenly he pulled away. "I … I'm sorry," apologized Temari. "Sorry for … all that …" Kensu turned to her once more and replied hastily, "No, it was mine, I'm sure of it." But the truth is they did not know what they were sorry for. They were happy it almost happened.

Temari smiled at him and murmured, "Are you feeling sleepy now?" Kensu shook his head; a sign that he wanted to be with her for a longer period of time. He chuckled softly and asked, "Are you the one who's sleepy, Temari?" She shook her head and replied, "Not with you around." They tried to hint each other on different matters, but ended up saying the same thing ...

"Yeah …?"

"I just feel so … comfortable right now, with you."

There was a long silence.

"After a few days, I'll be gone … you know that?"

"I do. I know you have a mission, a dangerous one … but I want you to stay."

There was another very long silence.

"Do you know what you're saying, Temari?"

"Yeah …"

"I'm not ready for it, you know that … right after the thing that happened with Ino."

"You have all the time in the world, Kensu."

Kensu smiled weakly and felt her resting her head on his shoulder.Eventually, we'll be together, right?

Temari nuzzled under his chin for a short while but enjoyed the feeling as he did, she hoped.Please be ready before you leave … just tell me you love me too.

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TBC

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I hope no one minds the way I write a love fic … OC x Temari!! Woohoo!!