A/N: Sorry guys, it's been a long time since I updated huh? Well I started working on chapter eleven yesterday. I had COMPLETELY forgotten I had already written chapter ten for the last two months. A pretty sad writer's block, really. Hopefully this all makes sense and I didn't change the plot in chapter eleven.

Chapter 10: Truth

The bare hospital walls never looked emptier as I followed Tsunade through the endless maze. The walls seemed barer than the last time I've ventured past them. Then again, Tsunade wasn't so ambiguous last time.

Looks like they moved her, I thought idly. Despite the cool exterior of my usual façade, my heart was threatening to break through my ribcage. This must've been the longest walk of my life. Every beat of my frantic heart tightened the knot in my stomach, sending echoes throughout my insides and out my ears. Never in my life had I experienced such suspense. Then again, never in my life had I experienced something that affected the outcome of my life so much.

We continued through the halls without a single word exchanged. My own breathing seemed so loud, I couldn't think at all. As we approached the room, I saw a small smile playing on the lips of the older woman. Through the large glass pane, I saw Shizune standing above Tenten, her head bent over sorrowfully, and her back towards us. She blocked my view of Tenten, but I didn't mind. I'd never admit it but I'm scared. This couldn't be good.

I stopped at the doorway, my eyes clamped shut.

"Hey." I felt a hand on my shoulder, gently ushering me in. "C'mon Temari, relax." The older woman's voice was almost foreign to me. I didn't understand a word, nor did I even process it.

"And you'd think she'd be happy after such a long time," Tsunade sighed. My ears perked up immediately, the knot transforming into a thousand butterflies in my stomach.

There was a giggle across the room. A tired, awkward giggle. My breath hitched in my throat immediately. My eyes flew open at the sound. To anyone else, she sounded like she had a lemon tucked snugly in her throat. To me, a mermaid's voice couldn't be prettier. Her laughter sent a warm glow within me, easier done than a bottle of vodka.

"Oh God…" I murmured in disbelief.

"I missed you too, Temari," my object of affection said, smiling brightly.

Her shoulder-length, chestnut hair was untied and disheveled, her skin and lips pale. Her eyes were tired, but shone brightly under the hospital light. Her whole body was glowing with happiness and fatigue at the same time after such a hard-earned victory.

I had never seen so much life in her.

I almost cried as I ran to her side. I gathered her in my arms as gently as I could. Unable to help myself, I planted a firm kiss on her chapped lips. I felt Tenten's mouth curl into a smile against my own. The first saltwater droplet slid down my cheek, disappearing beneath my chin, leaving nothing but a light trail.

We broke apart, but stayed close to each other, enjoying each other's warmth.

"Alright, you two. C'mon let's get you out of here, Temari. Tenten's going to need some rest," Tsunade said, lightly tapping me on the shoulder. I turned around to look at her, my hand covering the light evidence of tears. "One more minute, Tsunade. Please," I begged quietly. Tsunade shook her head, but granted my request.

I turned back to the brunette. "God, I can't believe this… I thought I'd never see you again," I said, tears threatening to fall once again. "I've missed you. Just how much, you'll never know. I… There's so much I want to tell you. So much… so much that I'm curious about." She stared at me with half-lidded brown eyes. Despite the obvious fatigue in her appearance, she grinned and motioned me to come closer. Once I was close enough, she gave me a light peck on the lips.

"Sorry, but you can't get rid of me that easily, Temari," she whispered. I helped her under the covers again. Almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. For the first time in a month, I smiled. It felt strange, almost alien to me. But it was almost as if I can feel the life returning into my body, warm with contentment.

I hopped restlessly from what foot to another while I contemplated on what I should do. I had a whole day to kill before I could see her face again. I called Shikamaru, but he was so too busy to entertain me. So I had decided to go for a drive and see where that would take me.

I sped around the city, finally feeling the freedom of the highways for the first time. I rolled my window down to feel the harsh winds. It was a feeling that had eluded me after Tenten's disappearance. It was as if a giant hand combed itself through my hair, messing it up and loosening it from its binds. As if I was running on clouds, slicing through the air at the highest velocity, and flying above the grey of the city smoke.

Before I knew it, I had already returned to the crowded city. The constant honking shook me away from my dreamy state, but irritated me to no end. I zigzagged from one lane to another, and nearly ran into someone at the intersection.

Literally running into. I barely avoided the collision. I recognized the car almost immediately. The rainbow bumper stickers on the windows gave it away instantaneously. It had to be the one and only Yamanaka Ino. But of all people, it had to be Ino? What kind of cliché plotline is this?

"Oh my God, Temari! I can't believe it's you! I haven't seen you foryears! This calls for a celebration!" she had said excitedly as the two of us stood in the middle of a four-way intersection.

So here we are, in a somewhat secluded ice cream parlour. Ino had called Sakura from her part-time job at a local radio station. She says she's been running around with odd jobs and part-time jobs lately. How this girl finds time for school on top of all that is beyond me.

"You make Sakura sound all invincible," I paused to stir the sugar into my milk tea. "But what about you Ino?"

"What about me?" she asked innocently, her mouth refusing to leave her straw alone.

"Well I don't know. What've you been doing lately?"

"You mean…besides Sakura?" Her wide blue eyes expanded even more in horror.

"Oh come on, Ino. Quit trying to dodge the bullet."

"Well," she took a sip of her Sprite nervously. "I haven't been doing much. Sometimes, I manage to get some free time at night. So when I don't fall asleep on the couch, I go down to the Façade to help Lee out. I've been to a couple of shoots. Some places that desperately needed a picture for an ad at minimum wage, I took those too. Oh, I've started doing a bit of modeling for Uchiha, the older brother of Sasuke. He's the chief designer for Mustela Altaica Nocturnal. It's a pretty successful company so far. The clothes seem to speak for themselves, each seem different from the rest." The blonde took off her hat and handed it to Temari. The brunette examined it curiously.

"Heh, I was wondering about this…"

Ino giggled. "Itachi gave it to me as a gift for helping him out at such short notice." I idly ran her fingers over the fabric. The smoothness of the course-looking patterns surprised me. It looked like a mix between a cabbie hat, a sailor's cap and a beret. Holy shit, I thought to myself as she brushed over the lace-like material. It somehow managed to look uniquely sophisticated, yet casual at the same time.

"You are one lucky bitch," I murmured before handing it back.

"Yeah! The scheduled model couldn't make it last minute. I was there for a little shooting tutorial. I was surprised when Itachi asked me, but even more so when I actually pulled it off!"

The two of us paused momentarily as our orders came. Shortly after, Sakura's white Jeep turned a sharp corner into the parking lot. Ino's face brightened automatically at the sight of her lover tapping the wheel impatiently, waiting for a busy mother to pull out of the parking space.

I kicked Ino under the table, a pout playing playfully on my lips. "I've never seen you this happy around me," I complained.

"That's cause you refused to sleep with me when we first met," she threw back, sticking her tongue out at me.

At that moment, Sakura strode into the ice cream parlour. She took of her sunglasses, perching them on top her head. Her hair was tied back in a messy bun. Even the light make-up she wore couldn't hide the dark rings around her eyes. Let me guess: six hours of school, seventeen hours worth of work and a one hour break for rest. Ingenious. I explain to her my hypothesis jokingly.

"Actually it's four hours of school, two hours of Ino, seventeen hours of work, and one hour of rest. But you were close," she replied nonchalantly.

A pang of sympathy and guilt struck me immediately. Poor Ino looked like she saw a ghost just then.

"W-Wha—ooh… why…why didn't you tell me?" Ino sobbed, lunging herself on top of her lover.

"What are you talking about, hun?"

"Y-You've been working so hard…and…and…" The blonde snuggled into Sakura's shoulder.

I sipped my drink, staring out into space. The love between those two radiated brighter than the morning sun. It's the type of unconditional love every female wishes for. It's something people would kill for, to die for, but will never be able to obtain through life or death. Though they're still young, I can understand if they never split up. No one is stupid enough to go back to living under a rock once they've tasted the bittersweet joys of reality.

I smiled at the thought of Tenten. My feelings have done nothing but strengthen over the course of spiritual separation. Though that may be the truth, there's still that major problem. I haven't told her yet. But can I really use something as superficial and hollow as a string of letters? Those three words, so often misused, will they be enough?

"Hey Temari," Ino called, bringing me back to reality, "wanna come over today, Tema?"

I stared at her, my eyes shifting towards Sakura. Ino followed my gaze and laughed.

"I just said I would give Sakura a night off to catch up on some sleep. Jeez, God knows where your head is nowadays. You've been so out of it lately. I think it's a pure miracle that we're sitting here together now." Ino grinned at me.

She still hasn't pressed me on my temporary ascetic. I am, of course, very grateful for that, but it still strikes me as odd. I guess Ino really does have a serious side. Heh, I just don't know her that well I suppose.

"Uh, Sakura-chan, can you get out for a sec?" Ino said with a grin, "little girl's room."

Sakura shrugged, sliding out of the seat quickly. I didn't miss the relieved look she gave me then. Once we were out of earshot, the pink-haired girl started nervously, "I want to ask for your opinion."

I blinked. "About what?"

"Well, I've been thinking about this a lot more often as Ino and I have been spending a lot more time together—" she stopped and smiled "—I knew the reason for your disappearance had something regarding a certain brunette. I'm sure even Ino knew, who else would you do the same for? I know you care for her very much, so what would you do if you lose her?"

My jaw tightened at the thought. I knew well enough what would happen if Tenten disappeared from my life. I turned away to divert my attention from Sakura's inquiring eyes. She giggled softly at my reaction.

"You see? That's what I thought!" Her wide puppy-dog eyes penetrated through me. "I can't lose her, Temari. I know what a promiscuous person she was. Or is. I mean, I rarely have time for her now, I can't help it if old habits die hard."

Her eyes were glued to the table. It had never even occurred to me that Ino might be still sleeping around. Though, I'm almost certain that's not true.

"After your brilliant deduction last time, Sakura, I expected more from you," I said with a chuckle. "You're quite oblivious for such a smart person. Ino moved in with you am I right?"

"Yeah…" she replied quietly.

"That should tell you something. But if you're still not convince, I can tell you, as a witness from the third party, that you're the only one that makes her happy. People like me can't get that kind of happy from her. Even on her gloomiest days, she seems to brighten up just by the mere sight of you."

Sakura smiled briefly, but suddenly found the table very interesting again. Her pink hair fell over her face, but her blush hadn't escaped me. "Thanks Temari. But I think I still want to…you know to ensure that she doesn't stray…do you think it'd be a good idea if…if… I a-ask her to m-marry me?"

My eyes widened. That was very unexpected.

"But Sakura, you're only twenty!"

"I'll be twenty-one in a couple of months…"

"But I mean, are you ready to take this step? You still have your career to consider, you know. What about school? You can't just throw everything away now. Even if you're willing, are you sure Ino will be?"

"I…I don't know. Maybe you're right. But…but I just don't…"

"Don't what?" A familiar voice asked curiously. Jesus, even I didn't see her come back. Sakura's head snapped up, smiling nervously at the blonde.

"I uh…don't—"

"Sakura, here, was just saying how she doesn't like the fact that you've been gone for so long," I lied with a smirk.

"Aw, I missed you too Sakura-chan! You can come with me next time okay?" Ino laughed before jumping onto her lover's lap. Sakura mouthed a quick thank you. I could only laugh at the irony of it all.

I suppose beneath the perfect exterior of this perfect couple, there are still little defects that can be pretty ugly if mishandled.

"Well, it looks like you'll be outta here soon," I said with a smile as I wheeled Tenten through the courtyard.

"I still need those physical therapy sessions though," she replied. I laughed, pushing her towards a nearby bench in front of a bed of purple pansies.

"Well, you don't have to take them. That is, if you want to be a vegetable all your life." I quickly helped her onto the bench before taking a seat beside her.

"If I do," she said with a sly smile, "would you take care of me then?" I blushed, unsure of how to answer. She had caught me off-guard with that question. I took a minute to ponder.

"C'mon Temari, it's not rocket science. Would you?" The brunette asked with a giggle.

"Of course," I replied confidently. I wasn't sure if that was the right choice, but I'm willing to take risks.

"Hey, where are you going to go after you leave this place?"

"I don't know," she replied thoughtfully. "It depends if Hatake-san is willing to come get me."

"If he isn't?"

"I'll manage."

"Don't tell me you're gonna…"

"It's not a problem for me. I've raided the streets for the last twenty-one years, I'll just do what I do best," Tenten laughed despite the lack of humour in the atmosphere. I got up and kneeled in front of her, looking her seriously in the eyes.

"There's no way I'm going to let you be a homeless thief again. It's dangerous out there. You and I both know Orochimaru will get you killed. No, first the experiments, then death." She turned away to avoid my eyes.

"You're going to come back and stay with me, alright? We can stay at my brother's house. It's safer that way."

"Even after you found out my real identity, Temari? I can kill you in your sleep, you know."

"Would you? Go ahead if you think that will keep you safe. I'd kill myself in order to protect you, Tenten." She sniffled quietly, fidgeting with her shirt.

"W-Why?" she murmured, "trust me, I'm not worth the trouble…"

"Of course you are. Because," I smiled gently brushing away a single teardrop, "you're very special to me."

Her large brown eyes widened, a small blush tinting her cheeks.

"I've heard a couple things from Tsunade. But it doesn't feel like enough. I'm curious, tell me more about yourself," I said trying to initiate conversation again.

She looked doubtful for a second, but smiled. "Only if you tell me about yourself first."

"Fair enough," I laughed. "I grew up in a faraway desert country with my two brothers. Kankurou is my older blood brother, and Gaara was brought in later. His mother was our father's mistress, but we had no problem getting along. Our father was a respected general in the army so, naturally, he wanted us to follow his footsteps. He put us through hard labour each day with virtually no time for schoolwork. Needless to say, none of us liked him very much. But because we had so little knowledge of the real world, we merely accepted this. Gaara was brought in after his mother's death when he was four years old. It's kind of funny to think back and realize he, as young as he may be, was our salvation. We killed our father without regret and fled to various cities. We settled here a couple years ago after some very successful heists. Yeah, both my brothers used to be thieves as well. Kankurou was God's Marionette and Gaara's Satan's Hellcat. But none of us really had a permanent name. Yeah, that's about my whole life story."

"Well, um, mine's less…exciting," replied Tenten unsurely. "I…don't know who my parents were. I don't even remember how I ended up on the streets. I must've been abandoned. But I coped pretty well. I've never had enough money for school so I never went. I didn't think it'd be important anyway. I thought my life would just be the same day after day, stealing from the rich and fleeing from the poor. You just can't trust anyone on the streets. But Orochimaru found me when I was eleven. He gave me decent shelter. It was a basement room in the townhouse where some of the employees stayed. A grey room with a tiny adjoined bathroom, a single bed, and a tiny stove. It wasn't much but it was enough for me. Tsunade must've told you already, but I did help him steal chemicals. Hey paid me enough for food and I was satisfied. Unfortunately I was oblivious to his original plan. He must've waited until I physically matured a bit more before carrying out his plan. As you can see, I don't have much to be especially proud of, but he did it anyway. It was…horrible. I managed to escape thanks to his experiments. I had originally intended to take the reports with me to turn into the police, but he had me surrounded so I had no choice but to shred it.

"It was raining heavily that day, so I had run into an old factory for shelter and refuge. Unfortunately, I had no idea the Akatsuki was there at the time. I was almost shot for witnessing something I was not supposed to. Fortunately, Orochimaru's henchmen came at that time and it was then that the Akatsuki saved me. Saying that the Akatsuki hated Orochimaru would be an understatement. So after that, they put me in Hatake-san's care. He taught me how to fend for myself and gave me a temporary home at Tsunade's apartment. Tsunade was reluctant at first but agreed. But that was only when Shizune had been away dealing with family affairs. After Shizune came back, Hatake-san took me in for a while. But then he started seeing a cop that was on investigating him, so I had to leave. I stayed with various Akatsuki members after that. One night I saw you on TV saying you stole a city treasure. It was then that I had declared you my rival, tracking you down after your every heist. I tried to gather as much information as I could about your identity.

"I found out where your brother lived, thinking you would be there as well. I was going to enter through the upstairs window, but then I noticed all the cars. Unfortunately, I had become distracted and crashed into the tree in your backyard. I ripped my costume in the process and when I noticed Ino's clothes there, I went in and changed. When I ran into you down the stairs, I was so nervous. I didn't recognize you at all, but you gave off this kind of vibe. I was a bit dazed after narrowly escaping Ino, that's why I was kind of…out of it. I ran up and fixed my board before flying back. But when I saw you in the hospital, I knew automatically who you were. I thought it was a miracle that you would appear right in front of me. I thought maybe, I would be able to get tips out of you, knowing how rich you were. After all, I admired you a lot!

"But then Hatake-san came to me and told me that Orochimaru was still looking for me… and my current landlord refused to let me live there for the tiny, virtually nonexistent to him, fee I was paying him. So I was once again homeless, but things were more difficult knowing Orochimaru wanted me back for more experiments. Fortunately, I was in the hospital, so I was safe for the time being. I had not expected that you would let me freeload at your house. That was, no doubt, the best thing that's ever happened to me. So thank you." She took a deep breath and smiled at me.

"Of course life was difficult, but yours wasn't easy either, am I right?" I reached over and held her cold hands between my own warmer ones.

"Well, life wouldn't be worth living if everything was easy," I replied thoughtfully.

"I agree."

"But," she said quietly with a hint of sadness as she withdrew her hands, "now that you know all this… I'm pretty sure that you w—"

"—Will still love to take you in," I finished off quickly, silencing the brunette immediately, "Sorry, Tenten, but I'm just not going to let you live like that anymore. You've had your share of excitement and danger in your life. But I mean, you can still have your excitement, but I think it's time you skate on thicker ice."

"I can't afford to live in a place like yours, Temari," she mumbled sadly.

"Of course you can, it's free after all. You've already had a taste of it, do you not like my apartment?" I inquired with a slight frown. "If you don't, I'll do whatever I can to find a place to your liking."

"No," she said with a shake of her head, "that's not what I mean. I refuse to freeload anymore. It's the lowest anyone can get! To me… to me even begging for money is better than freeloading. At least you're making the effort!"

Her bright brown eyes were hard and determined. I found myself lost beneath its depth immediately. I knew I had to come up with something, or else she'll have to be exposed to the dangers of the streets again. I'd go great lengths to prevent that from happening. Taking one of her cold hands into my own again, I smiled warmly.

"How about this," I started, taking one of her cold hands into my own again. "I'll let you stay at my apartment in exchange for something."

"What?"

"As you know, Gaara has Hinata and Lee, and Kankurou has his girlfriend to take care of him. So… I'm the only one living all by my lonesome, having to fend for myself, with only enough time for instant noodles. It wouldn't be freeloading if you were doing something for me in exchange, correct?"

"Um…I suppose so."

"Then in order for you to stay, you must cook, clean, and anything else I order you to. Don't worry I won't be too harsh. So what do you say?"

Tenten's eyes widened. "I don't really understand it, but okay. That sounds fair… I think."

"Good! I'm glad you think so."

I sighed with relief. I don't know what I would do if that didn't work. How can someone so cute be so hardheaded sometimes? Of course, I had no intention of throwing chores at the poor girl. But if that starts to drive her away, I suppose I'll have to tell her the truth. Probably something like, "I'msorryIdidn'ttellyousoonerbutIloveyoupleasedon'tleaveIreallyreallyneedyou."

Yeah, that's gonna go well. Fucking pathetic, I'd say.

A/N: Like I said, I forgot I had written chapter ten so I had to cut off a lot in order for chapter eleven to make sense. Jeez I had been so busy trying to end this, I...yeah. Well, R&R x3