A/N: What? Another update, after a prior trend of months of inactivity? But I have remembered my new year's resolutions (!), and I'm determined to finish at least one of them. - Mufin

Warning: This story is rated T for the T rated things that happen.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything relating to it. I am but a fan girl with an overactive imagination.

Custody ~MufinXoxo

Chapter 14: Maybe the rain isn't that bad

*Tenten*

"You don't know how long I've waited for the amazing 25th of June!" Tenten told Sakura as she entered the hospital room. She was ecstatic: the day had finally, after weeks of feeling useless, come.

Sakura smiled good-naturedly. She seemed better since the last time Tenten had seen her and she was glad. "Well, let's take the cast off and check, shall we?" Tenten almost got the impression Sakura was using the tone she used to talk with small children, but given behaviour she couldn't blame Sakura. Tenten was practically bouncing off the walls.

So could finally drive again. They had walked here due to the sunny weather, Sasuke insisting on accompanying her, but it had been quite a distance. Most importantly, she could finally work again. How she had missed crafting metal the past six weeks! She was even looking forward to the dojo sessions again, as it finally meant moving despite it being the place where she had received her injury.

"Yes, Sensei!" She responded to Sakura's earlier question, eagerly following her out of the room to some medical equipment.

###

It was off. Her arm was FREE. Humming to herself, Tenten thought the flower pictures looked brighter today than they had the last time she'd visited.

Tenten rounded the corner coming from Sakura's room, but didn't look where she was going in her rush, which caused her to run right into Ino, who was having an animated discussion with the waiting Sasuke. Well, it seemed more like Ino was chewing off Sasuke's ear through some kind of rant whilst he was trying to ignore it and wait for Tenten in peace.

"Hello...?" Tenten asked, wondering if she had just been promoted to a knight in shining armour for saving Sasuke.

Ino's head whipped around, "Ah, hello, Tenten." She cocked her head. Was she sniffing the air? Ino nodded to herself knowledgably, "Yes, it's definitely there. I can smell it."

"Please enlighten us." Sasuke commented sarcastically, evidently already annoyed from his prior conversation with the blonde.

"The sexual tension. If I light match, the whole hospital may go up."

"I've had enough." Sasuke muttered, spinning on his heel and leaving. Tenten followed, unsure.

"What you need is rain to quench the flame of desire!" Ino called after them, earning herself a weird glance from an old lady escorting her sniffling grandchild.

Tenten couldn't blame them; Ino was rather much to handle so early in the morning.

###

Walking back from the hospital, Tenten squinted dubiously at the sky when she heard a deep rumble. The clouds above were pitch black now, hiding the sun so that only small, desperate beams managed to penetrate through their thickness. It was going to rain soon, and Akiyama Tenten hated the rain.

A small wail of misery escaped Tenten when she felt the first raindrop on her cheek. The only coverage around were the doorways of houses and some trees, which were shortlisted on the worst-thing-to-stand-under-in-a-thunderstorm list.

Only the occasional drop was falling, until it suddenly morphed into a full blown thunderstorm. Tenten stopped, resigning herself to her doomed fate. She stared up at the heavens, wondering what the hell she was doing, when Sasuke suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Let's run." He told her, squeezing her hand.

Tenten barely registered what he had said in her misery, before she was suddenly jerked forward. Her legs automatically began moving and stumbling as she ran along.

"This is crazy!" She shouted over the noise and the wind whistling in her ears. The situation was so ridiculous, with her running in the rain she disliked and Sasuke she liked (she admitted it freely now after her fellow work mates had coaxed it out of her) by her side.

Sasuke laughed too, and the sound was foreign to her ears. Had she ever heard him laugh before?

His had was warm in hers as they ran, sending tingles through her body she could fell despite her frantically beating heart, forced to new heights through the unexpected exercise and Sasuke's proximity when their shoulders brushed.

When he finally slowed down, Tenten was panting from exertion.

"It's stopped." Sasuke told her, still not letting go of her hand.

"What?" Tenten looked around. The sun was finally dominating the sky again, and Tenten thought she could see the fading traces of a rainbow. The raindrops caught in Sasuke's hair captured the light and reflected it, sparkling.

Sasuke took her other hand in his and pulled her closer. Their noses were only centimetres away. Tenten found herself staring into his eyes, losing herself in them. She could feel her heart pounding and her almost calmed breathing sped up again.

"Tenten..."

She closed her eyes, fearing the next step as much as she wanted it.

Sasuke pressed his lips to hers. It was short and sweet, causing Tenten's eyelids to flutter open again as his arms wound around her waist and hers around his neck. Warmth blossomed through her body. She felt magical and elated, all her previous doubts eradicated by the small gesture.

The next kiss was more passionate. The warmth became flames and soon Tenten forgot the coldness clinging to her limbs and the slippery floor, causing the pavement to shine. She forgot the wetness of her socks and her damp hair. She forgot her surroundings and the street they were standing on. All she remembered was Sasuke.

In the end, maybe the rain wasn't that bad.

A/N: It was rather short, but it ended so nicely there. ^_^ As always, please review, etc. -Mufin