(A/N: Ughhhh. Christmas is almost upon us all and the stress that it's causing is unbelievable. My mom being moody to my dad getting frustrated with me for focusing on a 'stupid fan fiction, not going to make money!' aka Pretty Baby and not my coursework. Like I give a fuck. Anyway…Surprise after surprise. Blegh. Developing characters in this chapter. The most I'll develop is Naruto and Temari.)

Chapter 13

Blondes, Masks, Honesty and Trust

"No honestly Ino, we need to be truthful about this. We haven't been together for over three hours and already you're snooping around my personal business!" Sakura groaned, placing her hands on her head to scrunch up her pink tresses. Ino was so irritating!

"Mon amour! I apologize! I was just wanting us to 'bond'! To know more about each other!" Ino once again apologized, in honesty, she was getting sick of apologizing to the pinkette. She had already told Sakura that she was sorry, but Sakura was not the one to just leave it at that! "Is that so wrong?!"

Sakura wrung her hands, tempted to strangle Ino so that she wouldn't have to deal with this right now.

"YES! When it comes to things that I didn't want you to know about!" Sakura groaned once more, slumping against the chair she had pulled up to sit next to Ino with.

Ino grimaced at this, crossing her arms and silently clicking all her email screens down with everything she had gotten from her mother and Sakura's information from Minato.

"So," Ino started, staring blankly at the screen as she turned to shut it down with the mouse. "You would not let me know when you are about to die with your heart condition?"

Sakura shot her a glare, followed by a pointed look that held her words directly in her facial expression.

"You know very well I didn't mean that." Sakura growled, cracking her knuckles to ease herself from slugging Ino right in the jaw for even suggesting that. "Ino…We just need trust in a relationship. And patience!" Sakura added, placing a hand on Ino's shoulder before shaking it a little.

"Ino. Once I'm ready. We'll talk about it all. I promise. We just need time. We both do." Sakura explained, her eyes softening as Ino just nodded stiffly.

"Oui. But, I want you to be more cautious when you move around! I want you to relax. I need you to -" Ino babbled until Sakura silenced her with a lick on the cheek.

"Shut up you silly French woman. I'll be fine." Sakura grinned, wrapping her arms around Ino's neck before pulling the woman into a bone-crushing hug that would make cousin Chouji proud.

Nuzzling against the crook of Ino's neck, Sakura sighed happily when she felt the French woman beginning to caress her stomach lightly.

"Though…I don't think we're ready for sex just yet…" Sakura bit her lip to stop herself from bursting out into fits of giggles. "Want to know why Ino?"

Ino lifted an eyebrow suspiciously, noticing that Sakura was shaking a little against her body.

It was hard to concentrate, no matter what Sakura said, Ino would not just let the thought of her Cherry blossom being taken away from her by something so evil and yet so understanding as death.

However, it was stupid to feel this way about something as pathetic and weak as love…

Love made you weak, love made you crumble and love gave you wounds inside and out - no matter what the consequences were.

Was it funny that her father had been the one to tell her all these things? Was it hilarious and just a whole fraud?

Ino let her hand travel up Sakura's shirt to rest on Sakura's heart, hissing a little when Sakura made her grope her breast.

"You didn't answer my question Ino." Sakura breathed, nibbling on Ino's neck lightly before biting hard.

"Ugh. Haruno…" Ino whispered, pleasure travelling up her spine and every vein in her whole body exploding in delight. "Fine, fine. Why aren't you ready for making…"

Ino smirked at the words she was going to utter. "Sweet, passionate, and may I add, hot, love to me just yet?"

"Well…" Sakura began, letting out a little snort. "My heart might collapse through it all!"

Ino's eyes widened and without hesitation she bopped Sakura immediately on the head, another bop on the head following after the other.

"SAKURA! That is not funny!" The French woman roared, feeling tears stinging at the back of her eyes while she repeatedly hit the pinkette.

Sakura giggled, letting her arm's fall from Ino's neck to be stilled at Ino's waist once she had untangled her hands from Ino's blonde locks.

In spite of her giggling, Sakura stopped when she saw that Ino's eyes were glazed over with a wet liquid and that her body was trembling a little.

Feeling responsible for this, Sakura exhaled before putting a hand on Ino's cheek - letting her thumb rub the pale skin soothingly.

"Shush my French maiden, don't worry about me so much. It's nothing, nothing at all." Sakura reassured, even letting her forehead rest against Ino's. "I'm NOT going to die. Okay? Sometimes the tests are wrong. These are one of those times."

Ino tensed a little, closing her eyes to block out the constant thoughts of bad childhood, worry for Sakura, depression and her mother that was penetrating her mind until she thought that it could no longer hurt anymore.

Sakura didn't even know that she was lying not only to Ino, but to herself as well as she told Ino not to worry about all these things that was swirling inside both of their heads and hearts.

"You are just a child Sakura, you do not know what these test papers could be telling you." Ino replied, her tone hard and her gaze looking down at her feet that was pointing their tips together.

Sakura, who had also been looking at her feet at the time, let her stare wander onto Ino's lowered head.

Sakura gritted her teeth and almost slapped Ino for insulting her like that! She was never a kid! She had stopped being a kid at eight years old when she had stabbed the teacher's ankles with scissors.

"I'm not a child! I'm eighteen years old for fuck's sake Ino! I'm right! I'm not going to die! I'm not going to get hurt! AND I'M NOT GOING TO SHUT UP UNTIL YOU KNOW THAT!" Sakura ended her rant with a little scream of protest, clutching Ino's chin to make the French teacher to look up.

Ino who had made a back up plan just when Sakura had lost it to her rage at being called a child, was ready for her plan to proceed.

Lightly letting her tongue out, she painfully slowly licked Sakura's bottom lip whilst leaning forward to try and prise the cherry blossom's lips open with her tongue.

"Hmm, Sakuuu. Calm down." Ino teased, letting the finger tips of her digits caress Sakura's face at the same time as grabbing the younger woman by the neckline and pulling her in closer. "Not going to go into another childish temper tantrum are you? Tantrum alert…"

Sakura snarled inside her throat, letting Ino's cool fingers glide over her face dreamily.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Ino sneakily slid her tongue into her mouth, exploring her hot cave of a mouth.

Groaning when Ino sucked on her tongue and pressed her thumb down on an erect nipple, Sakura felt her hips grind into the French maiden's on nature to this feeling that was bursting up inside of her.

"Mhmm. Whips." Ino respired, her moans coming out shaky and the feeling of the wetness between her legs now melting onto her thighs.

Almost spitting in desire, Sakura gasped when she felt her shirt being lifted up and her back being pressed down onto the cold floor underneath her.

"Ino!" Sakura whined when the French woman had reacted to her groans by grinding herself into Sakura's already wet cavern. "Maybe, oh god. Let's just take it slow Ino…Fuck Ino!"

Ino grinned at the helpless girl under her, liking the feel of Sakura's wetness trickling down both of their legs while at the same time combining with her own soaking, wet liquid.

"We aren't going to do much." Ino whispered, her eyes a light with hunger. "Just going to make out until Kakashi-sensei walks in. Not like you mind, non?" Ino finished with a light tease torment, silencing Sakura's protest with a lust filled kiss.

-_-PrettyBaby-_-

Slamming her locker, Temari continued to hit herself again and again against the wall next to her.

How could she be so stupid? Ino Yamanaka had not taken her away from Tenten like she had told Tenten before they broke their friendship up.

No. It had been HER. Her, Temari! Oldest sister of Gaara and Kankuro. HER!

Why had she been so stupid? She had been an alright popular person in the first place before she started hanging around with Tayuya and Sai. God, she had a mountain of boys trying to be her boyfriend, but it never was enough was it?

Oh no! She had wanted more! More fame! More popularity! EVERYTHING. She took and never gave, she stole and sneered whilst doing it, she broke and she tore and she never mended.

She, Temari was a sin to the human world and to everyone in it. She was a piece of filth on someone's shoe that deserved to be scrubbed off and thrown into the bin for safe keeping.

Yeah, the only thing she had to live for was for her two brothers and her father who wanted her to be a rich fighter so she could help him pay his allowance and everyone else's in their time of need.

Fuck no, she'd probably let the poor bastards starve to death and get on with her already fucked up life.

"Jeez, I really am a bitch." Temari murmured, resting her whole body against her locker before looking out of the window to receive a blast of sunshine.

Shielding her eyes, Temari grinded her teeth to calm her anger down.

"Bastard sunshine. No fucking respect." Temari spat, literally spitting in the bin at the end of the corridor.

Hey! She had a respectable aim! She wasn't a good long-range fighter for nothing, right? Cough.

Oh whatever, she hated Wednesdays. She'd skipped French for a very good reason, Ino Yamanaka was teaching and that could only mean one thing.

She and Sakura Haruno would be secretly teasing each other all through the lessons, tickling each other, lightly smiling and just sharing something that Temari wished she could share with a person without pretending to think up plans of killing Kankuro when she was older.

No! Wait. Something wasn't right about that thought…

Scratching the back of her head, Temari's eyes lit up in her epiphany of the moment that had just come into her head.

She DID plan on killing Kankuro when she was older. Silly her. Machine guns would be dirty, messy and quick. No, that was not the way she wanted Kankuro to go.

Maybe a baseball bat? No even better. Her fan. Oh yes, smash his mother fucking face in while he's asleep and pretend Gaara did it.

Oh yes, success was on her side this time in life!

Before Temari could think of some more wicked and cruel ways to punish Kankuro, a cough awoke her from her too-good-to-be-real thoughts.

Looking up mercilessly to eye her enemy, Temari did a double take before realizing who it was.

"Naruto? What is a stupid bastard like you doing here?" Temari growled with a hinted smile coming on her lips.

The handsome blonde boy just shrugged. "I don't know. Just walking and I saw you." Naruto scratched his right arm. "Thought I should say Hi…Heh."

Temari frowned lightly, feeling something in her heart that she hadn't felt for a very long time.

She felt grateful for some reason, Naruto had made her feel that way without intending to and now she was just standing there - probably looking like some mad fool to the blonde boy.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Temari offered Naruto a forced yet a still weak smile.

"Uh. Hi Naruto." Temari gripped her two buns and tightened them to try and get her stupid brain back into work. What the fuck was she doing? She hated the kid for hurting Sai right?

'Then again, I hate Sai. Smug bastard.' Temari reasoned with herself, just managing to catch Naruto's sentence.

"So. Are you okay? You look kind of…Troubled?" Naruto asked, taking his jacket off and tying it around his waist.

Temari felt like she needed to give Naruto a punch in his jaw for being worried about her, she was not a damsel in distress! She did not go around in tutu's begging people to save her ass and be anxious about her!

Nevertheless, another part of her told her that the butterflies in her stomach was gratitude and comfort towards the demon boy as most people called him.

"It's none of your business!" Temari snapped, going for her first option of what to do apart from that she didn't punch the living daylights out of him.

On the other hand, even if Temari didn't know Naruto that well, she knew some traits of him. Once of them was to make sure that everyone was happy before himself; she hated that trait the most because it made him seem vulnerable to the world and if she could ever help it. Temari would make sure she was never that vulnerable in her whole entire lifetime.

Before Temari could register anything, Naruto had pressed himself against another locker next to her, his arms crossed and a foxy smile on his face.

"So you ARE troubled." He uncrossed his arms. "Well that's no big deal, you can tell me if you want."

Temari turned her back on him, staring down the empty corridors that led to the canteen where almost all her class was probably at.

"Why are you so bothered anyway? I hardly know you. And lets be honest." Temari felt the heat of anger in her cheeks die away. "You must hate me."

Even if she was facing away from Naruto, she could tell that his grin had probably frozen and had instead turned into a very deep wrinkles of a frown.

"Stop feeling so sorry for yourself. It doesn't suit such a fine, strong woman like you, Temari!" She heard Naruto say. She even imagined him lifting his right thumb up to give her the good guy sign.

Temari scratched her arm to stop herself from kicking Naruto where it hurt at such kindness. Never in her life had she been given such. She was the oldest, the leader of the pack, the one who was there to comfort and not be the other way around.

So instead, she turned on the fox brat and gave him the finger of doom aka the poke, right in his chest.

Stumbling back a little, Naruto grasped his chest like he had just been called fat by a strange old woman.

"Don't act like you know me when you don't!" Temari growled, grabbing Naruto by his shirt and pulling him forward. "This person you're seeing right now! It's a fake! This isn't me!"

Only then did she let go of his shirt, her breathing heavy from her furious rant that would make Gaara cower with his little racoon teddy bear.

Temari narrowed her eyes mercilessly, matching Naruto's own eyes that was also narrowed in the heat of her statement.

A sardonic chuckle from Naruto's lips, surprising Temari at the scornful tone that was coming from someone who had been the one who had reassured her the most in the past few minutes than anyone had been to her in the past nineteen years of her whole life.

"Then why don't you try to open up a bit, eh? What's wrong with you? Chicken?!" Naruto then flailed his arms around, making chicken noises as he walked to stand directly in front of Temari. "Don't be so scared of me." He finished with a whisper, his arms dropping to his sides.

Temari blinked a few times at such words that had been spoken to her. Did Naruto just read her mind? Whoa…He had said all her emotions in just two four sentences and without no doubt in his mind as he said them.

Her eyes drooping, Temari refused to look into his cerulean ones, afraid that she might expose her emotions, feelings and secrets to him.

"I'm not scared of you for gods sake." Temari murmured, gripping her jacket to wrap it more tightly around her. "I'm scared of me. My rage, my selfishness, my jealousy and all other immoral emotions that is running amuck in me. THAT'S what scares me."

Naruto stared at her for a few moments, before rubbing his chin thoughtfully at her speech.

"Temari, as I said before." Naruto said, his voice having a husky ring to it that made Temari shudder. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself, everyone's scared of emotions at least once in their life."

Naruto turned his back on to begin to walk down to his dormitory. "However, if you're scared of being alone without any emotion and being insane for the rest of your damn life then…"

He began his slow pace back to the dormitory, his eyes never wavering to look over behind his shoulder.

"Welcome to the club." He finished bitterly, the words rolling off his tongue.

Temari glanced up, the echoes of his feet walking away from her was still clear in her mind and ears.

She didn't know what had just happened, Naruto had prodded deep inside her heart and soul to understand her in only just a few minutes.

Why had she let her guard down? God damn it! She had sworn to herself to never let anyone see her so protected when it came to her emotions.

"Naruto!" Temari cried out, not believing that she was running after the man with such ferocity that her legs were already aching. "Uzumaki! Stop!"

Temari shut her eyes tightly, though regretted it instantly when she impacted with something soft and silky.

Not bothering to open her eyes, Temari clutched onto the soft fabric that was bringing her cheek warmth and sobbed into it.

"How can you see through me? This act? How can you see through it so much when other people just glance at me and believe me? How?" Temari asked, her body wracking with dangerous sobs. She hated this. A sudden break down and she was already falling in a man's arms she didn't even know that well.

Temari finally came down to her conclusion of what she was, and what she was to most people.

Useless, feeble, weak.

For Christ's sake. She was supposed to be the strong one who kept Kankuro and Gaara in their places with her and the other people around all three of them.

Temari only gripped onto the silky material tighter when two warm arms embraced her in a friendly hug.

"Because I've done that act before." Naruto raised Temari's chin with his middle finger to look at him properly. "And believe me Temari, it does not work. The wall breaks and shatters into pieces and all that is left is what you are now."

Temari gritted her teeth, her jaw clenching while she tried her complete hardest not to be angry at Naruto, after all, he was the one who had made her cry for the first time in five years.

"What? Are you saying I'm a scrawny, powerless bitch that has to hide behind a mask?" Temari began, sighing as she leaned into his chest for comfort. "Because if so, you're damn right."

Temari felt Naruto's body wrack against hers. However his was from a laugh that had escaped his parted lips.

Pulling away, Naruto patted her lightly on the shoulder. "Temari, I think you and me should go for a walk."

Naruto held out his hand, a boyish grin on his picture perfect attractive face. "Come on, nobody will know. Just me and you. How about it?" He added with a wink.

Temari eyed his hand with a wary glance, suspicious about what she was going to accept or decline.

Oh take the risk and fuck it all.

Yep, that had been her motto and Temari had always followed her motto wherever she went.

Placing her hand tenderly in Naruto's, Temari was swept off her feet as he pulled her along.

"Come on Temari! We're going to have the best night ever! And that means no sex!" Naruto cheered, offering a cheeky smile.

Temari in response just blew a blonde lock out of her face. "Don't overdo it Uzumaki."

Naruto smiled sheepishly.

-_-PrettyBaby-_-

"JESUS! The French know how to make out." Sakura groaned, tugging at Ino's track suit bottoms.

Ino licked her lips painfully unhurriedly, her hand snaking up to grab Sakura's hair to just yank the English girl up to her lips.

Pulling back, Sakura let hands travel up Ino's stomach, only stopping when she got to Ino's breasts.

From where she was being straddled, Ino had a light pink see-through bra on that showed her erected pink nipples.

Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Sakura quickly leaned up and closed her warm mouth over one of the hardened buds. Ino quickly gasped as Sakura stroked her nipple lightly with her tongue. Sakura sucked and licked through the lace for five minutes until Ino pushed her slightly away.

Then a loud knock on the closed door of the French maiden's classroom.

"Hey Ino! If you're still in there! Can I come in please? I need to use your classroom for a few seconds."

Eyes wide at the realization of the voice, Sakura pushed Ino off of her and collected her shirt and other accessories that had been thrown through that make out session and shoved the clothing on as quick as a flash.

Ino on the other hand, smiles lazily at the hurrying pinkette who in turn just gets even angrier at how the blonde is just looking at her like a piece of meat.

"Ino! Put your shirt on you twat! It's Naruto!" Sakura hisses through clenched teeth, shaking her fist threateningly at the French woman.

Ino laughed heartily, grabbing her almost torn T-shirt - Sakura really did have long claws, I mean, nails - and pulled it over her head.

"Oh mon amour, you are the cutest little thing I have ever laid eyes on." Ino giggled, placing a light kiss on Sakura's chin.

Sakura rolled her eyes, biting her lip to stop herself from breaking out into a big smile.

"Whatever sexy. Come on, we've got to see what Naruto wants." With that, Sakura helped Ino up before they both walked towards the door to see what could Naruto need.

Unlocking the door, Ino narrowed her eyes when she saw that Naruto's hand was clasped in none other's than Temari's.

Sakura on the other hand, smirked with delight - probably forgetting who Temari was - and gave Naruto a look that made even the fox boy blush.

"Sooo. Are you two going out?" Sakura asked, crossing her arms and inclining her head in the direction of their hands.

Ino couldn't help but laugh when they both looked down and literally shoved each other away from the other.

"Like I'd be interested in a stupid bastard like him." Temari growled, though she was looking in another direction entirely.

Instead of going off in a huff like Sakura and Ino had expected, Naruto scratched the back of his head speedily.

"Sakura-chan! Ino-chan! Don't joke about that kind of stuff!" Naruto then shot a side ways glance at Temari. "We just need to borrow your classroom for a second."

Ino gave Temari a little wave when the sandy blonde haired girl looked straightforwardly in her direction, expecting some sort of angry growl but instead got a slight twitch of a smile.

Sakura just shook her head, laughing silently to herself along with grasping her hands together and placing them behind her back.

"Of course. Just don't get too kinky in there, okay?"

Ino secretly smiled, glad to say that she had known all along Sakura was a dirty, little, but amazingly sexy little girl.

"Whips, Sakura." The French teacher murmured, before walking in the direction of their dormitory.

Sakura slapped her forehead before trailing miserably after her gorgeous French mistress.

(A/N: Okay, it's a filler chapter. But next chapter will probably be better. And like the NaruTema action? Don't worry Sasuke IS coming! He'll be here soon. I promise. Okay, filler chapter. I know it's boring but still. I needed to do this chapter ;) Thanks for reading?!)