Woot! Chapter 4 already! Progress, finally! Even though I did procrastinate quite a bit, and let my ADD get the best of me at times... Please tell me how it is guys? Reviews very much appreciated. I'd love to sit down at type in a thank you to all my reviewers and followers, but there's over 60 reviews and 111 followers at this current point in time (and I hope those numbers increase!) and I think you just came here to read. Either way, thank you my faithful readers, and let me know what you think of this chapter?
Btw, Chapter 1 and 2 have been revised, chapter 2 quite a bit actually, and some things in this chapter will make much more sense if you read the changes.
Also, I realized I've been forgetting this, but I do not own Naruto, and this story is rated M for a reason. Thank you ^^
Naruto's run slowed to a short jog, then a walk as he neared his unplanned destination. He was frowning, not wanting to be out here in the middle of the desert while Temari was still in the hospital. Not that she needed him, nor did he need to be there himself, but that wasn't the point. He felt he should be there, especially where this was her last day, and she was due to go home later that morning. He wanted to be with her, not running around the golden grains while she was moping – and no doubt yelling – under the tan walls.
Though he did have to admit that he had thought the way she took to her hospital stay was quite humorous. She'd only been awake for two days so far, and it seemed like forever for her. The doctors actually wanted to keep her longer, just as standard procedure, to "keep an eye on her". But she was so dead-set against staying any longer than she had to that she was making her stay quite troublesome for the staff, and they couldn't wait to get rid of her.
She was just like him in that matter, though it was clear she hadn't spent nearly as much time in hospitals as he had. She seemed to avoid medical attention when possible. Her reasons for wanting out were much different from his own, as well. He had wanted to train, and how was he expected to do that in a hospital bed? She on the other hand just did not want to be there, period, end of discussion, and she made the fact very obvious.
He did have to flinch, however, under the glare he received for a remark that he had made without thinking. He had told her to think of the hospital stay as punishment for what she had done, and maybe she was getting what she deserved. He was lucky he'd said it when the doctor was looking her over again, for all he did receive was the dirty look. It seemed in her book that a small hospital trip was much worse than the most horrible torture on earth. His mistake for not realizing how horrible it was, he'd sarcastically thought. He apparently would not be forgiven soon for his crime of mouth.
Though as horrible as that crime had been, it wasn't the reason he was out in the middle of nowhere running about like a complete idiot sweating like a stuck pig. Okay, perhaps he dramatized the point a pit more so than necessary, but it was kind of true. The real reason he was out in the desert, and not in the hospital by the side of the "imprisoned" woman, was because he'd been ordered to leave. Ordered. By a very large (though only in his mind) army of female staff. They had apparently decided his own well-being needed more than just sitting in a hospital room, glued to Temari's side.
Their opinions, however, may have been a little biased against him. It wasn't as if he were constantly harassing the woman whenever they entered her room. All he did was have a little fun, and try to get Temari-san to laugh a little. That was it. And it worked, too.
They suggested – or rather, forced – that he go out and get some fresh air – and out of their hair. They sweetened the "suggestion" with the promise that the kunoichi would be released from care upon his return, which is where he received a threat by the unwilling bedridden woman to hurry or suffer the consequences. He hoped she could be a little patient, though, as he decided now would be a good time to think.
He was so damn distracted by her. He had plenty of time to sort through things while in that room. There was nothing else to do, after all, especially when she slept. Instead, he found himself too preoccupied to do even that simple task, usually watching her chest move heavily up and down with her breaths – he promised he really was watching her breathing, and wasn't studying her breasts, honest, Kankurou, he wasn't! – or he would be staring at her face, realizing just how pretty she really was – beautiful really; how had he never noticed before? – or found himself overwhelmed with just how happy he really was that she was still alive.
In other words, now was definitely the time to straighten his thoughts out, and oh did it need they need it.
He closed the distance between himself and the small dune he'd been running toward. He dropped to the ground on top of and closed his eyes as he leaned into the hot sand. He closed his eyes, his breathing evening as he relaxed. All he could hear was his pulse thundering in his ears. The sun burned into his skin, pressing its warmth into his eyelids and began to coax him into a restful state.
Finally, as his body calmed down, his thoughts began to form, though he found they were still about her. He wondered why he was so preoccupied with her. He didn't know her very well. Not much better than when he'd first met her. Yeah, he came to visit often, but she'd always been her hard stoic self when she was there, if she wasn't off on a mission somewhere or taking care of other duties. She never divulged any personal information about herself. They could sit and converse, of course, but she rarely seemed interested in what they were talking about. No, not uninterested, per say, more like she just didn't have her mind on it. But he'd always admired her. He knew if there was a fight, he'd want to be on the side with her, not against. She was one of the most admirable fighters he'd seen in action, and did whatever she could to succeed. Failure was not an option, not for her.
He shook his head. He was just concerned for her. He had to make sure she would be okay. He couldn't just forget about her, not after that.
Kurama, naturally, had to put his two cents in. "You've got yourself a little crush on your hands, kit," he joked.
Naruto glared up at the fox from his seat across him in his mind. "Shut up, fuzzball. You don't know what the hell you're talking about. I'm just worried about her, and that's it. It isn't every day I walk in on something like that."
The Kyuubi laughed, a deep rumbling sound that made Naruto's head hurt. "Don't kid yourself! You care for her."
"Don't be stupid! Of course I do. I care about all my friends." He snorted and crossed his arms. "You're argument is not valid."
"Big words, gaki. But you're the one being stupid. When have you found a time you weren't thinking about her?" He stared down at his host pointedly, a grin revealing his massive teeth. Naruto didn't answer. "Remember how you reacted to what we learned about Nara, and that little kit."
Naruto groaned. The kitsune was right. He hadn't gone a moment without thinking about her, and he was actually tempted to run back to the village just to beat his friend up, if not to beat the information out of him about what had really happened, and why, as Temari definitely wasn't giving out any answers. And the kid... It had to be Shikamaru's. Who else could it belong to?
He still hadn't told Gaara about being a future uncle. He really believed it was up to Temari to tell her brothers. It was her business, after all, and he just happened to be in on the secret. But she hadn't told them either. What was he going to do about that?
Besides all that, he still wondered what had possessed her to do such a thing. Had whatever gone down between her and Shikamaru been that bad? He thought – no, he knew – Temari was stronger than that, and wouldn't let something like that get to her. There was no way. It had to be something more. Right?
"Fuck," he whispered. Fuck this whole god damn mess. Things were so screwed up, and he didn't know how to fix them. He could always fix everything. Always. But this? He had no clue how to go about this. In a way, he wished Sakura-chan were with him. She could at least give him some advice. But she was miles away, busy at home, taking care of her own life. He was on his own here.
"Why the hell can't you just sleep all the time like you used to?" Naruto demanded, blaming Kurama for his new irritation. "My life isn't your goddamn soap opera, you know!"
The beast just laughed again before laying his head upon furry arms to sleep once more. Obviously he wasn't going to satisfy Naruto with a trivial quarrel.
The blonde sighed in defeat. It was time to get back to Temari anyway. She was probably in a stand-off with the medical unit, ordering them to let her go home. And knowing her brother, Kankurou was probably sitting in the corner silently laughing at her. Silently, for he wouldn't her to drag him into it.
He'll have to figure things out later. And he would figure them out. He promised himself he would get to the bottom of it, and he never broke a promise.
Things would be flowing so much better if he wasn't so enthralled by her. But he didn't have the slightest idea of how to fix that one. He'd get to the bottom of that too. At least, he hoped so.
Temari stared at the ceiling to her room, the suddenly unfamiliar silence thudding in her head.
Ever since she'd gotten home, she hadn't found a moment alone. Kankurou seemed to keep an eye on her wherever she went, and wasn't discreet about it. He had gone so far as to make her a bed up on the couch – freshly cleaned of blood, of course – in the front area of the apartment, and came out regularly in the night to check on her, even though Naruto had been sleeping out there as well.
He had even been so ballsy as to attempt to follow her into the bathroom. If he hadn't been one of her brothers, she may have seriously hurt him for suspicion of lechery. As it was, she merely yelled at him that she was capable of peeing without him holding her hand, and slammed the door in his face, smiling at the satisfying "thud" that sounded followed by his muffled curse as the door actually connected with flesh.
Naruto was also always there. It seemed someone had appointed his job to annoy her instead of Gaara during his stay. No, that wasn't true actually. As much as she'd like to think it was the case, it wasn't, for she found herself enjoying his company.
At least he wasn't obvious about his true intentions to keep an eye on her, unlike Kankurou, who was so painfully clear about it that he didn't bother denying it the many times she yelled at him for the lack of privacy when he followed her from room to room. Admittedly, it hurt to lose so much trust, and though she wanted to argue it, she couldn't exactly blame them. If it had been Gaara or Kankurou, she knew she would be riding their asses every second she was awake, and probably make sure someone was there to do it for her when she wasn't.
It still annoyed her.
Even Gaara was there. He'd taken to spending most of his time at the Kazekage tower, living in the quarters designated for the kage in the last couple years. But since she returned from the hospital, he could be found coming to the apartment she and Kankurou still shared early in the evening and spend his nights at the kitchen table doing paperwork. Since the Akatsuki had extracted the Ichibi from him, he no longer needed to stay awake in fear of him possessing his body and going on bloody rampages in his sleep. Old habits died hard, however, and when something was troubling him immensely insomnia still got the best of him. Now was one of those times.
She had finally managed to get away from everyone for a few minutes. Kankurou was out – against his will, of course – being forced into her duties as ambassador between Sunagakure and Konohagakure. They didn't think she was ready for the work just yet, and the chunin exams were coming up again. Somebody had to take over the work, and Kankurou knew the job better than anyone else. Anyone else beside Temari, that is.
Of course, Naruto was still in the apartment. He'd been suspicious when she asked for a few minutes alone, but she promised him that all she wanted was time to think. He reluctantly agreed, making her promise again, and warning that he would know immediately if "something happened". To that she narrowed her eyes in anger, though she knew his caution was probably well-placed.
Now that she was alone, she wasn't sure she wanted the privacy. Her thoughts swirled around her mind, unable to settle on just one thing. She wasn't sure what had happened before. She didn't think she was in the right state of mind. Her reflection flashed into her mind, wild eyes and maniacal grin. She shivered, holding herself. Her warm bed suddenly seemed cold beneath her.
And then, what the medic had said, what Naruto had already known. Pregnant. There was no way. She couldn't be, just couldn't.
Oh, but she could.
She folded her arms around herself, her fingernails digging in to the soft skin of her upper arms. It hurt a little, but she dug harder, deeper, hoping the pain would clear her mind. It didn't.
She rolled on to her side, staring intently at her empty wall. Why? Everything was such a god damn mess.
It began to occur to her that maybe she was just a bit unstable. She snorted humorlessly. Yeah. Just a little. She still wanted to do it, after all. Just wanted to grab that kunai again and...
But no. Even if her room hadn't been searched and cleared of any possible weapons by her well-meaning brothers, she couldn't do it again. She had been selfish in the first place, and had known it, too. She still didn't care. She loved her brothers dearly, but right then it wasn't enough.
No, there was a much more complicated reason now. Now, she just didn't know if she could do it or not. After all, now it wasn't just her life at stake.
She hugged herself tighter, finally removing her nails from her flesh. They had begun to cramp from the force, and she knew if she committed any further damage, Kankurou would be riding her ass all over again.
Only a month. Not even. But, it was still a life, wasn't it? She frowned. She'd never put any thought into something like this, as she never planned to have kids, and avoided the issue. Wasn't it still a life? How much had formed so far? Did it even matter?
And the father...
She found herself shaking. She looked down at her pale hands. Her skin still hadn't gotten its original color back. She wondered if it would. She still looked frail, and was weak from her earlier "anorexia", though she was eating now. She had to, or would most likely be force-fed.
Why had she wanted privacy again? To wallow in self-pity? To make herself even more confused? More angry? Her fists found themselves clenching again. She shook harder, the knot in her throat hardening painfully.
She jerked in surprise at a knock to her door. She sat up, unsure to be annoyed with the interruption or thankful. "Yes?"
"Uh, can I come in?" Naruto called hesitantly. "I know you wanted to be alone, but, uh..."
She stood and opened the door to see a nervous Naruto standing in the hallway. He was balancing a small tray with two bowls of... was that kenchin soup?
"Naruto? What...ah, what's this?" she inquired, not taking her eyes off the soup. She vaguely noted the other bowl contained – naturally – ramen.
"Oh, I, uh, figured you might be hungry, Temari-chan."
"Kenchin stew?" she questioned. She felt her stomach rumble, and hoped he couldn't hear it.
He grinned. "Well, I knew it was something you liked, since you eat it almost every time I'm here." He laughed nervously. "I tried some when I was making it, and I didn't really like it. I don't like tofu very much... So I'm not sure if it's good or not, but I hope you like it."
She smiled and motioned him into her room. "I know it's not very proper to eat away from the table, but I don't really care," she admitted, taking a seat on her bed, folding her legs beneath her.
He followed her gingerly. "Fine by me," he answered her, setting the tray before her as he carefully climbed on to the bed. He grabbed a set of the disposable chopsticks, separating them as he declared, "Itadikimasu!" before diving into his ramen.
She smirked at his impatience as she picked up the remaining pair and breaking them apart. She said her own quieter thanks before tentatively reaching for a piece of tofu. She discreetly sniffed it, causing her stomach to voice its opinion once more, then popped it into her mouth.
Naruto looked up from his mouthful of ramen to gauge her reaction. When her eyes widened, he forced the noodles down his throat. "Temari-chan?" he prodded nervously. He must have done something wrong with the recipe... He inwardly groaned. Now what was he going to do?
She swallowed quickly as she turned her amazed expression to the blonde. "Naruto, this is delicious! Where did you learn to make it?"
He broke into a grin, his hand finding its way to the back of his neck to scratch at that invisible itchy spot that always appeared when he was nervous or embarrassed. "Sakura-chan doesn't think it's healthy for me to eat ramen all the time, and wanted to show me how to make different things. I was kind of scared it wouldn't turn out right, since she's not a very good cook and I didn't know if it was good or not," he admitted, then sobered. "Don't tell her I said that."
She grinned. "I won't." She took another bite. "This is really good!" she repeated after her mouth was empty once more. She dug in, enjoying every bite.
Naruto watched her, pleased with himself for making something she liked. He began eating his ramen again, his eyes still on her. He was happy to see her eating. She hadn't looked well in the hospital, despite the nutrients they had given her. She'd literally starved herself before her attempted suicide, and it had really started showing. She looked a lot better now. She was slowly getting more color in her skin, and she didn't look so frail or weak. Her face was still thin, and her ribs showed a little through her clothes, but she was coming back. He was happy, especially now that she wasn't just eating for herself.
It was probably still too early for the pregnancy to affect her much, but he wasn't sure. He didn't really know anything about being pregnant. The only pregnant woman he'd ever known was Kurenai-sensei, and he didn't know her that well.
"Naruto?" Temari's voice broke his thoughts.
He shook his head. "Yeah?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You were staring at my stomach."
Blunt, as always.
"Sorry," he apologized, shaking his head. He looked back down at his bowl, seeing he'd forgotten his ramen. He took another bite as she waited for him to answer. He chewed slowly for the first time in his life as he struggled to choose his next words. Finally he swallowed and set his bowl down. "When you are going to tell your brothers?"
The question took her by surprise and she set her own bowl down. "What do you mean?" she smiled sweetly, feigning ignorance.
"You know exactly what I mean."
She sighed and hung her head. "I'm not so sure if now is the time for that question, Naruto."
"I know, I know, but they've gotta find out sometime. I think they'll notice when you start gaining all that weight and–"
She glared at him. "Naruto!"
"Sorry, sorry! But still. I think it'll probably be hard to miss." He stared at her seriously for a moment. "Unless... You're not going to–!"
"Don't be stupid! I'm not going to get rid of it, baka!"
He took a breath. "Okay, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. But I think I still have a point. And what about Shikama–"
"This discussion is over." She picked her soup back up and began to eat again, ignoring him.
"But–"
"I said it's over." She was shaking again. She gripped her bowl and chopsticks hard, too hard she realized as she heard a cracking and felt a splinter shove against her skin. She loosened her grip and readjusted the hold on them before she continued eating.
Naruto sighed and looked back down at his meal. There wasn't much ramen left, but he really wasn't hungry anymore. He contemplated throwing it out, but didn't want to let on she bothered him. Besides, that really would be such a waste of good ramen... He ate anyway, despite the pit that filled his stomach and gave little room to anymore food.
After he'd finished eating, he placed his empty bowl back on the tray. He didn't want to be the one to break the silence, but he still had something to tell her.
"Gaara sent Tsunade-bachaan a message."
She looked up at him from over the rim of her bowl. She had gotten to the bottom of her soup and was in the process of drinking the warm broth. She lowered it long enough to suspiciously ask, "About what?" before returning to the task.
"Well, to see if I could stay a little longer."
She swallowed the last bit and set her bowl down. She licked her lips, though she wasn't sure if she did it to get the broth off them or if it was an apprehensive reaction. She voted on the former. "Well? Spit it out, Blondie."
He tried not to smirk at her impatient statement, or that she was just as blonde as him, even if it wasn't nearly as bright. "She said I can stay another week, under the circumstances."
She swallowed. She should have assumed Hokage-sama would be informed of the situation. It just hadn't occurred to her yet. Yeah. The circumstances. She tried to control her face at the thought. She wasn't sure if she would have snarled or grinned again. She didn't know anymore, but she was sure neither would look good in front of Naruto. She forced her expressions to be neutral and nodded at him. "If that's what you want to do. I don't see you why need to stick around here, but the choice is yours."
He frowned at her statement. Did she not want him here? He struggled to keep his own emotions from his face. "If that's the case, I'll go home then." He picked the tray up and left her room, leaving her to stare after him in shock.
That was fine, she decided. Let him go home. She just wished he would take her brothers with him. At least Kankurou. He was really getting on her nerves.
The attempt at nonchalance failed. Her eyes watered, and she held her breath to hold it back. She felt the childish urge to scream or hit something, to throw some kind of tantrum. She suppressed it, shoving the bubbling desire down with the lump in her throat.
She laid down again and rolled over. Let him do what he wanted. She didn't care. Let everyone do what they wanted. Fuck them all anyway.
She stared at him in disbelief. She hadn't heard him right. "Not working out"? What the hell was that supposed to mean. "The distance wasn't good for a relationship"? Maybe he should have thought of that before he spent three years traveling the distance to come see her during his time off!
"I'm sorry, Temari-san. It's not going anywhere. We have separate lives in different villages. It's time for us to go our own ways." He stared at the ground as he spoke, unwilling to look her in the eyes. He shifted uncomfortably. He knew she wouldn't take the news well, and it showed.
Well he was right, she thought as she balled her fists. She wanted to cry. It made her mad when she wanted to cry. So god damn mad. She wanted to hit him. She had wanted to hug him, to kiss him, to hold hands with him. Now she just wanted to strangle him.
She decided on a more civil, sane approach, surprising both of them. "Just get the hell out of here."
His eyes widened in shock. "Wha–"
"I said, get the hell out of here. Get away from me, before I do something we'll both regret."
Naruto looked over at the trembling woman from her place on the couch. It was morning, and she had slept in. Gaara and Kankurou were both gone, leaving him to keep her company. He liked to think of it as such, as opposed to being on "suicide watch".
She whined quietly, clutching the thin blanket around her. Bad dream. Very bad dream. He wondered if he should wake her.
Hazy, blurry, darkness. Muffled sounds around her, someone half-carrying, half-dragging her. She struggled to keep her footing, but couldn't walk by herself.
Thrown against a hard surface. Tried to stay up, but stumbled to the ground. Sudden cold. So tired... A voice, saying something. Something...
Her eyes snapped open. Her breathing was heavy, and sweat covered her whole body. There was a firm grip on her shoulder, shaking her lightly. She tried to focus her vision, and Naruto came into view. The shaking ceased. His eyes were wide, concerned. She blinked, adjusting to the brightness of the sun beaming through the window behind him.
"Sorry, but you were making a lot of noises. It seemed like you were having a nightmare," he explained, pulling his hand back. "I can let you go back to sleep, if you want."
She shook her head furiously, startling herself. "No, no, I'm fine." She sat upright, rubbing her eyes before looking around the room. She'd overslept, and felt like she was drastically in need a shower.
"Are you alright, Temari-chan?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide.
She stretched, her back arching and arms above her head. She winced at a pang in her stomach and added a mental note not to move that way. She finished her stretch off with a yawn before glancing back at him. "Yeah, fine, fine." She shrugged him off. Standing, she declared, "I'm going to take a shower. Don't try to follow me like my brother, please." She meant it as a joke...sort of.
He grinned impishly. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it."
"Uh-huh," she responded dryly. She did know who his late master was, after all.
Just moments later, she found herself staring into the mirror. The door wasn't locked; actually the new doorknob that replaced the one Naruto had broken didn't have a lock on it at all. That frustrated her, but nothing could be done about it. At least the repaired front door could still lock.
She realized she was staring through herself, as if she didn't even exist. She focused her vision and looked again. She wasn't as pale, nor frail looking. She knew it would take time to get better, that the damage wouldn't be fixed overnight. But she did look better. Her face was still thin, though, and her eyes were just as drawn. She wondered if she would ever get that weary expression out of them.
Why had she done it? she asked herself again. If anyone had asked her if she would end her life, she'd have told them they were idiots to think such a thing.
She sighed and began to undress. The yukata she'd fallen asleep in twisted uncomfortably in her sleep and stuck to her in places due to her sweat-covered skin. She groaned. She needed to start taking better care of herself. She froze at the impromptu thought. It was a strange thought, given her situation and the events of the past week.
She focused her mind on preparing her shower in attempts to ignore her musings. She ran it hot for a few minutes before stepping in. She leaned her head against the tile along the wall, breathing deeply as she fought a sudden wave of dizziness. It soon passed and she set about washing, tackling her hair first. It took a few minutes, but finally her fingers felt satisfied to discover the smooth coating of conditioner had alleviated the worst of tangles. She let the water run over it for a few minutes to rinse what she could.
She realized she was remembering more and more about that night. She had a huge hole in her memory from it, but she knew she didn't want to remember all of it. After all, it was fairly obvious later on what had happened. She didn't want it to come back to her.
She knew it would though.
It was a deep voice, rolling over her in waves. Strong hands, an iron grip on her jaw, making her look up. She blinked. His hair, dark, maybe. Too blurry to tell. Had he been talking to her the whole time? Maybe, but the words...too much to focus on.
She blinked away some water that had gotten in her eyes. No, not water. She squeezed her eyes shut against the uninvited tears. I'm not crying. After all, it was impossible to tell under the running water.
Her pulse quickened and she struggled to take deep breaths. She felt disoriented again, and thought to pull the curtain enough to give herself fresh air. Just as the idea crossed her mind, however, her knees buckled and down she went, her vision darkening.
She opened her eyes what felt like seconds later to the water turning off and a worried voice calling her name. She blinked up for the second time in ten minutes at Naruto. He was clearly disturbed.
"Temari-chan!" he gushed in relief. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, dazed. "Just got a little dizzy," she managed. She was still breathing heavily and definitely wasn't ready to get up yet. Her shoulder ached where she'd absorbed the impact of the fall, and she knew she would have a bruise on the flesh of her hip and thigh. She'd landed on her side, somehow managing to avoid her head. She rolled over, moving from laying on the sore spots to her back, groaning with the effort. The hard fiberglass that now lay beneath her back felt oddly comfortable, and seemed to help regulate her breathing.
He frowned. "The heat like that isn't good for you, especially in the condition you're in."
She rolled her eyes at his concern. She probably wasn't even far enough along for it to affect her. Moron, she thought, though it didn't contain the irritation she had intended.
It suddenly occurred to her the situation they were in. Her eyes widened in embarrassment and she covered herself, one forearm across her bust with her legs crossing awkwardly. She used her free arm to help herself into a sitting position and forced the blush from her face, settling on a reaction that was more annoyed than flustered. "What did I tell you about following me in here?" she demanded heatedly.
The reaction was instantaneous. It was as if he hadn't even noticed her naked body in front of him, and suddenly bam! There she was. His face reddened immediately and he threw his hands in front of himself in defense, his head shaking furiously. "I just heard you fall! I promise I wasn't trying to – I mean, I–"
She sighed, letting it out in a loud huff. "Just get out already," she ordered.
He froze in his antics, still kneeling beside the bathtub. He seemed to forget the previous awkwardness. He was all serious now. "I'm not leaving until you get out and get dressed."
She glared at him. "What kind of perverted–"
He cut her off. "You just passed out in the shower, and you're crying, Temari. I ain't leavin'." Straight to the point, even dropping the suffix on her name in his abruptness.
She stared at him in shock. "No, I'm not!" she denied immediately. "I was showering; it's just water!"
"No it isn't."
She bristled, ready for a fight. "I am not crying." There was no way he could tell tears from water, not in this situation!
"Whatever." He stood up and grabbed her towel. "Just get out," he commanded before throwing it at her, it landing over her face and chest.
She furiously pulled it down to see his back turned. "Fine, but only because I'm already done," she informed him huffily, not wanting it to look like she was just giving in. She hated being told what to do, and she was going to let him know it. She got to her knees and used the side of the tub to help herself up, not trusting her body not to fall again just yet.
"I'm staying, by the way," he said suddenly, just as she was thinking about making another snarky comment.
She looked at the back of his head, towel on its way to drying her hair. "What was that?"
"I'm not gong back to Konoha. Not yet anyway. I'm staying that extra week Bachaan gave me."
She fought her features even though she knew he couldn't see her. She allowed a small triumphant smirk to grace her lips before forcing it away. "Do what you want," she responded, feigning the same indifference from yesterday.
He snorted. "Say what you will, Temari-chan," he told her smugly, grin clear in his voice. "I can still see your face. I saw the smile you just gave me."
Her eyes narrowed, the actions of drying her hair coming to a halt. "Excuse me?" she drawled, eyes moving to the mirror where she could see his reflection. Of course, she realized. The angle probably allowed him to see her. She scowled. "And what else can you see, Uzumaki Naruto?" she scolded.
He stiffened, realizing his mistake. "Nothing, nothing at all. I see nothing, I promise." To clarify the point he put his hands over his eyes, though she could swear she saw the sweat breaking out on him under the pressure.
She sighed for the umpteenth time, wrapping her towel around herself. She carefully stepped out of the bath, an arm out for balance. She found she just didn't have the will nor energy to punish him. "I hope you like what you saw, because it's the last view you'll be getting," she growled as she bent down beside him to pick up her discarded yukata before walking past him through the door he'd left open in his earlier panic.
He laughed nervously. That was a close one, he thought to himself. Too close.
After collecting himself, he walked out of the room after her to see the door to her room closed. He smiled to himself. Despite her obvious irritation with him, he knew he pleased her by staying longer. With that thought in mind, he made his way to the kitchen, his stomach informing him he was in dire need of some ramen. He'll make something for Temari-chan to eat, too.
