Ghosts at a Party of Two

"Thank you! Please come again!"

The door to the restaurant slowly closed with a quiet click. Naruto shook himself a bit in the chill spring air. "So," he said hesitantly, looking everywhere but at his companion, "was there anything else you wanted to do in particular?"

Tenten turned up the collar on her frock coat and burrowed her hands in her pockets. "You were the one who wanted to take me out Hokage-sama," she said with a small smile. "What did you have planned?"

Naruto laughed and nervously scratched the back of his head. "Well that's kind of the thing... It's been awhile since I've done anything like this... I didn't really plan on anything else."

He was still avoiding meeting her eyes. It had made for a very awkward dinner. Tenten sighed. "Look Naruto," she said softly, "if you need to get back home to Jiraiya, I understand... Really... I had a lovely time and I..."

"No!" yelped Naruto. He flinched at his own voice, and tried again. "I mean... No... It's fine. Hanabi said she'd watch him for tonight. Besides, he's six years old now, he doesn't need his daddy with him all the time." He looked up at her, and tried his best to be suave. "This is my present to you for your birthday. I want to do something that you want to do."

Tenten laughed, a cheerful chiming sound. "Well, I haven't been out like this since... well since forever. So don't go asking me for dating advice." She stopped hesitantly, wondering if she had gone too far, calling this a date.

Naruto froze for a second, staring at something only he could see. Eventually he shivered and came back. "Yeah... good point," he muttered quietly. He chewed his lip for a second, and looked up at her with a shy smile. "Well, if you don't object then... How about we just take a quick walk and see... where the night leads us?"

"Okay." Tenten offered him her arm.

The streets were slick with freshly fallen rain, and Tenten found herself tightly holding on to Naruto's arm to keep from skidding in her heels. "Sorry," she apologized after a particularly jolting trip. "I'm not used to these shoes. I probably should have worn my boots."

For the first time this evening Naruto's grin wasn't forced. "I'm a bit surprised you didn't. Konohamaru was betting that you'd show up wearing your ANBU uniform."

"Hey! I have clothes other than my ANBU gear," she said with feigned indignation.

"You could have fooled me," mumbled Naruto. "I would have remembered if you wore this before."

Her dress was smooth red silk, low cut and slit up the sides. A pair of golden dragons with jeweled eyes twisted up from the bottom hem and clawed at her bosom. Tenten looked away, blushing. "Shows how much you know. I've had this old thing for years."

Tenten ran, sprinting away from the Hokage mansion in a heady mixture of glee and apprehension. Of all the issues Naruto could have wanted to talk to her about out of earshot of the rest of the councillors, she would never have suspected this. "So... Tenten," he said nervously, after everyone else had left the council meeting. "I understand your birthday was a few days ago... Did you do anything to celebrate?"

Tenten laughed. "I reviewed the mission logs and then caught up on paperwork. It was a blast, let me tell you."

Naruto swallowed, and looked away. "Well... Would you object if I took you out for dinner tonight?" He glanced at her mask. "It would be my present to you... You've been, very... helpful and kind to me lately and I'd like to thank you in some way."

There was a long drawn out silence. She knew they'd grown closer, she knew they were becoming friends, but this? "Okay," she responded, there was a tremor in her voice.

This was going to cause so many problems. Fortunately years of ANBU training made her adept at fixing 'problems'. She found the right store, slowed her pace, and composed herself.

The door to Monochi's high fashion sprang open. The customers froze as the Commander of the Hidden Leaf's ANBU stepped inside with dread purpose. Ryu-sama, also known as the Dragon Lady, scanned the interior once before spotting Monochi cowering behind the back counter. Weapons and armor rattled with every step as she approached, her fearsome mask fixed in its renowned snarl.

Monochi whimpered as she halted right in front of him, her visage glaring down. "Monochi Hagaromo. I need to have a word with you..." She turned back to look at the rest of the store. "In private!" she finished pointedly. There was the clatter of dropped hangers and the patter of running feet.

"I swear," blubbered Monochi, "I had no idea that silk was smuggled in to Konoha. I bought it honestly from Honan Hyuga... I have the receipts right... Eep!" He squeaked as the mask lunged forward.

"I need a dress... Something fancy and formal and I need it in one hour."

Monochi's face was white with terror, but he tried his best to rally. "We... We have a new shipment of various styles in that I might be able to alter in time... May I ask what sort of situation you need to dress for?"

To his shock the Commander of the ANBU hesitated. "It's... for a... date," she mumbled.

"Ah." He swallowed nervously. "Would Madame prefer something reserved or a bit more risque?"

The mask snapped around to glare at him. There was a long dangerous pause. Momochi held his breath fearing that his time had come. "Let's see what you have," she said coldly.

"Well, it looks great on you," Naruto said brightly. "I like how you put your hair up in the buns again after all this time."

"Yeah, well... To be honest it felt good to do it." Tenten reached up with one hand and gave her head a pat. "I kind of missed it." She gave him a coy sideways glance. "I can't wear it like this at work unless you change the ANBU secrecy regulations Hokage-sama. Everyone would know it's me."

Naruto shook his head. "Sorry, the regulations were established by those much brighter than me... I'm not going to touch them." He stopped suddenly outside a brightly lit nightclub. Bright cheerful music was pouring out through the door. "Hey," he asked quietly, "Do you feel like dancing?" Before she could really answer, he pulled her through the door.

It was muggy and loud. Everyone else was reeling in some intricate weaving pattern. The older teens and young adults gave the pair of them quite a few odd looks as they swayed awkwardly together on the dance floor. "I have no idea how to dance to this!" she shouted in Naruto's ear.

He grinned and shrugged. "I think we're doing just fine!" he yelled back.

Someone bumped into her. Tenten's shoe twisted off her foot and she stumbled forward landing tight against Naruto's chest.

Tenten looked up. Naruto looked down. They both stood there frozen, staring. She felt warm and comforted pressed up against him like this. She'd had a feeling like this once before... "Seventeen years is a long time," she murmured to herself.

The various encampments were settling in for the night. Everyone knew the war would start tomorrow. Tenten had stayed as long as she could with the rest of the Konoha eleven, sharing stories, sharing jokes, seeking reassurances, but she couldn't make any more excuses. It was time to head back to her encampment and rest.

Neji offered to walk with her.

He'd been her teammate since the age of twelve. She'd watch him grow from a harsh, cold, uncaring boy, into a handsome, honorable young man. She cared for him deeply. Sometimes as she daydreamed she almost believed she was in love.

Neji was in an unusually chatty mood that night. It took her awhile to realize that he was nervous as well. "So..." he said casually. "Here's your tent."

She giggled. "It is my tent." There was an expectant pause. "Well, I guess this is goodnight," she said simply.

Neji reached out for her hand. "Tenten... I... Um..."

She turned back to him. "Yes?"

Neji exhaled sharply, leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. Tenten's eyes widened in shock. "I just wanted to say take care of yourself out there tomorrow." Neji nodded once and started to turn away.

Tenten clung to his hand. "Hey Neji?" she asked quietly. When he turned back she threw her arms around him and kissed him full on the lips.

Neji stood there bewildered for a second, and then his body responded. His hands caressed her back, their legs and torsos rubbed up against each other. Her tongue danced against his. For an eternal moment their anxieties fell away in a shared cloud of passionate bliss.

"Hey you two! Use a tent for god's sake!" bellowed a voice out of the night. They restrained themselves and stared at each other for a long time.

Her fingers touched his face. "Hey Neji?" she said quietly. "I want you to take care of yourself out there too."

He smiled at her, and her heart beat faster. "I think we'll have to have a talk when this war is over."

She pressed herself up against him feeling warm and comfortable. "Oh yes," she murmured, "we definitely do."

When she found his body the next day... her entire world shattered. A cold spear of ice punched through her stomach leaving her gasping for breath. Somehow, in her all consuming anguish, she kept on fighting... protecting herself from mortal blows even though she was dying inside. After the war, she threw herself into her training and her work. Gradually the pain was replaced by a throbbing dull numbness. She lost all interest in matters of the heart. Somehow it felt fitting- Neji would be her first and last kiss.

The music shifted to something with a slower, more restrained tempo. It broke the spell. "Sorry," she said apologetically. "It's these stupid shoes again... I've never liked wearing heels." She pulled herself upright.

Naruto held on to her. "That's okay... I'm just glad you didn't fall." The dance floor cleared with the change in song, and soon they found themselves just swaying across the floor. "Well... this is... nice," he said hesitantly.

"It's wonderful," said Tenten. She felt all warm inside as he smiled down at her and his eyes sparkled.

The music made a sudden jarring crash, and jumped into a loud, fast beat. The dance floor was quickly turned into a leaping, gyrating mosh pit. "Now this one here might not be quite... Oof!" grunted Naruto as he caught an elbow to the back of his head.

Without thinking Tenten grabbed the young man's arm, and kicked him in the back of the knee. "Alright punk!" she growled as the music came to a cacophonous halt. "Thought you could take a shot at the Hokage? Not while I'm around!" She gave the arm a twist as he struggled underneath her. "Are you hurt Hokage-sama?" she barked out.

Naruto tapped her gently on the shoulder. "Tenten, it's okay. It was just an accident." He loosened her grip on the assailant and helped the pair of them up. Tenten found herself staring embarrassedly at a young jonin. He rubbed his shoulder and bowed very low to Naruto. "My apologies Hokage-sama. I was not aware you were behind me when I foolishly..."

Naruto waved him into silence. "The fault was mine. An old man shouldn't try dancing with the young." He looked up and gave the whole club a wide sincere smile. "Please... Resume your festivities... I'm sorry to have disturbed you." He took Tenten by the elbow and gently yet firmly pulled her outside.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama," she said simply, "It's just that he..."

"There are no justifications needed Commander," Naruto said in a formal voice. "You were just doing your job, trying to protect me." He took a deep breath and stared up at the night sky. "Everyone always tries to protect me," he spat bitterly.

"Naruto... I..."

"I think you were right Commander," he interrupted. "Perhaps it is time we called it a night. I should go back and check on my son. "He turned and gave her a stiff bow. Once again he was avoiding her eyes. "I hope you..."

"A drink!" yelped Tenten.

"What?"

"You asked what I wanted to do for my birthday," she smiled at him apprehensively. "I'd like to go for a drink."

Naruto nodded once, looking anywhere but at her. "Okay... I know just the place."

It was a small rooftop establishment. What it lacked in space, selection and sanitation, it made up for with the view. The faces of the six Hokage gleamed faintly in the streetlights of the village. "I didn't even know this place existed," Tenten said, peering out the windows.

"It was one of Jiraiya-sensei's regular haunts when he was in town," Naruto said flatly, knocking back his glass and signaling for another. "There used to be a cute barmaid here he was enamored with."

"I suspect that could describe most of the bars in town." Tenten smiled at her joke, but Naruto remained despondent. "What happened to her?"

Naruto shrugged. "No idea. She's probably dead... just like everyone else." He glanced up at the Hokage monument. "I don't know why my face is even up there," he said darkly. "Everyone would be better off if I had never taken this damn job."

"Not this again," thought Tenten, "not now." She closed her eyes and took a deep centering breath. "I know you don't mean that Naruto," she said calmly.

"I don't?" he snarled.

She raced up the steps of the Hokage's mansion, taking them four at a time. Konohamaru's summons had contained both of the code words for 'danger' and 'immediate'. Given all the urgency in his message she was more than a little surprised to find him leaning casually against the shut door to the Hokage's office. "Sarutobi-san," she said with a polite bow. "You sent for me?" Konohamaru scratched at his growing beard and frowned. "Sorry. I didn't know who else to turn to. He keeps sending everyone else away. He keeps ranting about how there's just no one else left." He glanced at the office door which was far too quiet. "The Hidden Waterfall Village is finally deciding to sue for peace," he whispered. "We received their offer this morning. It's what finally pushed him over the edge."

Tenten closed her eyes behind her dragon mask and nodded once. "I understand. I'll see what I can do."

She knocked politely and opened the door without waiting for a response. "Hokage-sama, Konohamaru sent for me." She closed the door behind her with a click.

Naruto sat there in the dark, turning the Hokage's hat, the symbol of his authority, over and over in his hands. "Hokage-sama?" she prompted. She took a nervous step forward.

"I did it Tenten," he croaked. "I did it. This war is over. Once again we have peace in the shinobi world." He choked back a sob and the hat creaked between his fingers. "And once again the price is too high!" His voice came out in a feral snarl as he hurled the cap against the wall where it clattered and fell.

Naruto looked up at Tenten. His face was haggard and drawn. His eyes were sunken with lack of sleep. He was barely eating. She couldn't recall the last time she saw an honest emotion on his face. He hadn't dealt with anything but war in over eight months. Not since the assassination attempt.

Naruto, his wife and his three year old son had been attending the chunin exams in the Hidden Stone Village, when an assassin from Hidden Waterfall had struck. Hinata had done what she had always done, and tried to protect the man she loved. She had bled out in his arms.

"I was supposed to be the hero who brought peace to the world. No matter what I try nothing seems to work. I'm beginning to wish that we lost the fourth Shinobi War."

"You don't mean that," said Tenten, taking another hesitant step towards him.

"I don't?" roared Naruto. He snatched up the treaty proposal from his desk and waved it under her nose. "Tell me, why should I sign something like this, this worthless scrap of paper that will just get broken again on a whim? The Land of Grass, the Land of Waves, the Land of Swamps... It's been one small war after another, and each time we go charging in on our white horses, and each time fewer of us come back! How many more of our friends have to die just to protect this peace?"

"The price for peace has always been too high Naruto, but someone has to be willing to pay it. That is why there are shinobi in the world."

He was ignoring her. "Nagato had the right idea. There is no way to end this cycle of hatred. There is no way to guarantee someone will be honorable. There is no way to enforce a treaty. There is no way to enforce peace, so why should we even bother?" He crumpled up the treaty and tossed it against the wall where it landed on the hat.

"Why should I even bother!" he cried out histrionically. "There is no treaty I can sign anywhere that will bring her back to me!"

Tenten didn't know why she did it. He was just sitting there so despondently. She gingerly stepped forward and put a hand on his arm. He covered it with his own, and for a moment they stood it their frozen tableau, their fingers touching.

Then he pulled her to him and clenched her tight, his body heaving with sobs.

Tenten held this man she had sworn to protect and gently stroked his hair. "It's okay," she whispered. "It's okay."

Tenten stared at him and drained her glass. "Barkeep!" she yelled, "another bottle for the table! And be quick!" She snatched it out of the bartender's hand and topped off both their glasses. She held her cup right under Naruto's nose. "To fallen comrades," she toasted.

"What?" asked Naruto.

"To our fallen comrades," she said sharply. "You pick up your cup and drink."

"Tenten I..."

"The Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village refuses to drink to the memory of his friends?" Tenten asked, a dangerous note in her voice.

Naruto sighed and picked up his cup. "To fallen comrades," he said in a dull voice.

Tenten started pouring again as soon as their cups were down. "To Rock Lee, a splendid shinobi who never gave up." She slammed her cup back and immediately started to refill it.

"Why are you doing this?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Better drink up Hokage-sama, because I'm going to keep pouring them out whether your glass is empty or not," she said threateningly. She nodded at him as he drank. "To Shino Aburame and his bugs. May you never be forgotten... To Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru. I think of the pair of you everytime I smell a wet dog... To Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino. The legend of your Shika-Ino-Cho trio has spread far and wide..." She felt a burning in her eyes and her throat started to choke up, but she tried to force herself to go on. "To Sa... to Sakura..."

Naruto gently put his hands over hers and stilled the shaking bottle. "Tenten... stop."

She jerked the bottle away from him. "To Sakura and Sasuke Uchiha. I'm glad the pair of you found love before... before..." Her sight was so blurred that she missed her cup completely.

Naruto put his arm around her and helped her up to her feet. He threw a handful of money down on the table. "Barman!" he called. "We're going to take the bottle with us."

He had tried to take her home, but Tenten protested and eventually dragged him up to the top of the Hokage monument. She sat there on the sixth Hokage's head, his head, and stared out at the city. Naruto took a swig from the bottle and then handed it off to Tenten. "Well, I'm sorry this has been the most depressing birthday ever."

"It hasn't been the worst," she muttered. "It hasn't been the worst by far. That first one without Neji... That was the worst." She looked up at Naruto. "I loved him you know. I loved him and then... like that," she snapped her fingers, "he was gone." She hugged her knees and tucked in her head. "I felt like I'd never love anyone again."

Naruto nodded. "A lot of us guessed that was what was wrong." He chuckled. "Well Hinata did anyway. She kept insisting that we needed to help you, give you something to do to take your mind off of things. She was the one who talked me into recruiting you into the ANBU you know, she swore it would help."

Tenten nodded. "It did help."

Naruto rubbed his eyes but smiled as he did so. "For someone who was so quiet... She did have the talent of knowing just how to make someone else feel better, didn't she?" His voice broke, and he quickly got up and moved away.

Eventually Naruto stopped pacing and sat down next to her. "I'm sorry," he said very quietly. "I cry too much to be a good Hokage, don't I?"

Tenten shook her head. She was feeling slightly sick, having drunk too much sake too quickly. "It's not that at all," she slurred slightly. "There were twelve of us at the start. Everyone believed in your dream." She looked over at Naruto, hanging his head. "They believed in you... They still believe in you."

"I would trade it all in a second to have them all back again," Naruto muttered.

"And do you think they would want it that way? I don't," Tenten said bitterly. "It's fine to be sad. It's fine to cry... But don't ever insult our friends like that again." She looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Hinata told me what Neji's last words were: 'Your life is not your own anymore.' You owe it to them not to give up... Otherwise their deaths will have been for nothing."

Naruto reached over and picked up the sake bottle. He lifted it slightly. "To Neji Hyuga. A singularly exceptional man." He pressed the bottle to his lips and took a drink before handing it to her.

"To Hinata Uzumaki, a loving wife, mother and friend," said Tenten, raising the bottle herself. She drank and slid closer to Naruto to hand him the bottle. The night was growing colder and the top of the monument was windy, so they found themselves huddling closer for warmth, as they traded the alcohol back and forth each lost in their own thoughts.

The bottle was quickly emptied. They were pressed tightly together, Naruto had both arms around her, and Tenten was almost in Naruto's lap. They looked at each other. There was a long uncomfortable silence.

"So what happens now?" Tenten asked.

Naruto was about to answer when the clock tower struck eleven. He sighed. "Unfortunately... Now I really have to get going. Hanabi's going to be pissed at me." He stood and helped her up. "Come on... I still have time to walk you home."

"I had a really nice time," said Naruto, pausing outside the door to her apartment.

"Really?" asked Tenten raising an eyebrow. "Does that include when I thought I was going to puke on top of your giant stone head?"

Naruto smiled. "Well, next time we'll know to go lighter on the sake."

Tenten looked up at him. "Do you want there to be a next time?"

"Do you?" asked Naruto hesitantly.

Tenten snapped to attention. "I am an ANBU. If the Hokage orders it so, I must obey!" She tried to look stern but instead collapsed into a fit of the giggles.

Naruto was laughing with her. "You are adorable Commander." As their chuckling slowed, he leaned in and kissed her.

It was hesitant and a little stiff, but she liked it enough to kiss him back. The second one was an improvement, and the third made her stomach flutter. They stopped long enough to catch their breath.

Gently, reluctantly she pushed him away. "Go home to your son Hokage-sama," she said to him grinning. "And find the time to ask me out again soon. I don't want to have to wait for my next birthday for you to come up with an excuse."

Fin