EDIT: Just adding dividers. But for some reason they still don't come up in the editor so I have to be snarky about it. Stupid program! Oh! I'm also a bit stuck on chapter 5, does anyone want to be my beta-reader?

Blah, blah, blah, Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and anyone trying to steal it from him are bastards.

I never thought that I would actually write a fan fic. I do read them, but that's mostly because I have far too much free time. That and so many of them are just so bad it's funny. I'm talking laugh out loud, piss your pants funny (especially Harry Potter ones, oh those great). But this would make me a hypocrite, now wouldn't it? So what evil possessed me to do this? Well, I saw a challenge to write odd Naruto pairings and that got me thinking "What would be an odd pairing?" I then thought, well hell, why not the most obscure of all the girls and the most likely of the boys die alone and sexless? Yep, Gaara/Tenten. I thought it was stupid. Then I thought how would someone put those two together other than "Nice shoes. Let's fuck." My mind wandered and I soon found that I actually kinda liked it.

So this is an impulse I had to get out. I had originally thought of this as a one shot but I find I am too verbose for that. But I'll warn you now that the likelihood of me finishing this is low. However, if you stroke my ego enough it might inspire me to continue. Although I'm not promising fine lit, I do hope you find this entertaining and feel free to mock me as much as you feel is necessary.

It's slightly AU so don't hate me for "messing with Kishimoto's vision."

Anywho, enough cock blockery! On with the show!

(I seperate story from crap that no one cares about.)

"Well this is just great!" thought Tenten as she sped through the forest with an unconscious kazekage, who was far heavier than he looked, draped piggy-back style over her. Sakura had treated his wounds and Tenten knew enough to keep him out of danger until they arrived back to civilization in case there were complications, but that wasn't what had her slightly distraught. Right when they were about to leave that death trap full of S-class criminals they received an order via hawk telling them to start pursuit of Akatsuki before they became an even bigger problem and that back up would soon be on it's way.

Normally, Tenten would love to run head first into a good fight, but she's not in the good fight. Someone had to escort the captive kazekage back to his village to receive proper treatment. The only two who had any medical training were Sakura and Tenten (though Tenten had only minimal training as she realized she liked to cause bleeding more than stop it), so they were the best suited to take him. However, in such a dangerous mission a medical nin is highly necessary, so Tenten got the boot. Translation: "She's more useful than you."

Oh she understood the importance of rushing the kazekage back home and that yes, Sakura could save the lives of her comrades in a tight spot, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it. At that moment her calves burned, her breathing was a bit strangled and her back ached. She almost lost it many times dodging traps on her way out of Akatsuki territory and her burden wasn't making things any easier for her. He was pretty heavy for a little guy. She ran far enough! It was time for a break!

She found a small rock formation that would serve to hide her while she rested. She set the kazekage down as gently as she could manage and started to look around. The sun was down and the sky was darkening to a deep indigo, which Tenten took as a sign to stop for the night. Se decided that a small fire wouldn't hurt and gathered some wood while she set traps around her camp.

Sitting down had never before felt so good. Tenten rummaged through her pack and picked at some rations that she brought with her only to find she didn't have much of an appetite. She was tired but adrenalin from her previous activities were keeping her a bit restless. Not that she could drift off anyway. Her traps would warn her of anyone coming in the area, but that didn't mean it was a good idea to curl up and take a nap.

Tenten studied the shinobi laying before her. Why would someone living in one of the hottest places on the planet want to wear so much heavy black clothing? She mused for a moment that it was because it was "so damn stylish" and smiled a bit. The great Kazekage. He was younger than the rookies when she first saw him during the first chuunin exam she participated in. She could tell he was strong, but it wasn't like his bitch team mate that broke Tenten's back. There was something about him that didn't feel quite right. Something ominous like a monster pretending to be a boy. After her recovery she heard how he nearly killed Lee and saw him fight in the main matches. He WAS a monster! Horribly strong and perfectly cruel.

But then again, when Uchiha Sasuke defected, it was also this boy who made sure Lee came back from the dumbest decision he ever made in one piece. She had seen him once at that time. She was on her way into the hospital while he and his team mates were on their way out. Even in those few moments in passing one another she could tell the difference. His team mates seemed more relaxed around him than last time and his aura...It was still dark, but less threatening and more sad. However, his movements and presence still radiated with indescribable strength.

And yet here he is. Battered and broken and fighting for life. He's mortal after all it just the took the worst kind of monsters to prove it. She shivered. How were the others doing? Neji, please don't let Lee get overly excited. Gai, please make sure Neji doesn't get too cocky. They're her best friends and she simply wouldn't know what to do without them. She pulled her knees beneath her chin and rested her eyes for a bit.

(You can leave now.)

Is the suspense killing you yet? Just kidding. C&C s'il vous plait!