Harbinger

by tigerowl

Naruto's friendship with his teammates Gaara and Haku is put to the test as they prepare to deal with the threat of the Akatsuki. The secrets Jiraiya has kept come to a head, and Naruto must shoulder the responsibility of protecting much more than the Leaf Village. Continuation of Forlorn. AU NaruHina, GaaSaku, NejiTen, ObiRin, OCs *Taoism, Self-Indulgent World Building, longfic

44. Listen, for Hearts Have Conversations

Reader Beware: Salutations folks, most of you who I assume are of age and of a mature mental capacity while reading this fic. This chapter is categorically erotic character development. It includes buildup for the violent hysteria of the next chapter, and also unapologetic payoff for you shippers and curious readers. Intense and graphic sexy stuff is ahead, marked ### for your convenience, then inter-village camaraderie. Happy reading, nerdfriends.

Chapter 44- Listen, for Hearts Have Conversations

Chapter Soundtrack: "We Can Be Ghosts Now" by Hiatus

In an outpost at the edge of the Wind Country, which was still technically within the Land of Rivers, Jiraiya told him, Naruto sat down to write a note for Gaara.

Hey, so are you sure that Haku is not participating in the Exam?

Am I supposed to bring anything, like a gift for the host or whatever?

Are Ero-sensei and I sharing a room in your house or do we each get our own? Is it a big house? You didn't say. I can't picture it and I think Ero-sensei is exaggerating the size to me.

Oh and also, are you feeding us? I've been subsisting off of bugs and tubers for months so I am kind of desperate for real food.

Naruto paused in his writing as he realized his message had taken on list form. Kosuke was sitting patiently beside him at the tavern table, waiting for his human pal to finish.

"Hinata-hime told me she spoke to you a few days ago." Kosuke noted, "Is this message for her, boss?"

"No, it's for Gaara. I'm going to send you ahead since Ero-sensei is slow and bitching about bone pain." Naruto informed him as he rolled up the scroll, "Thanks again, and don't dry out while you're crossing, Kosuke."

"I'll be careful boss!" The small toad gave a salute and then bounded out of the establishment.

Naruto then turned to Jiraiya, who was heaped onto a table while resting his head beside a bottle of sake, "Ready to go?"

"Do I look ready?"

"I can never tell anymore."

"No, I'm not. I am reluctant to leave shelter with plumbing and food. Crossing the desert ain't fun."

"It was your idea." Naruto reminded him.

"Yeah, but I'm really starting to feel my age today."

"Maybe, or it looks like you drank too much."

"It was half off a bottle with any meal purchase." Jiraiya burped.

Naruto snorted at him, "Use the bathroom or whatever and then get up you old fart. We're not going to make it if you just keep sitting there."

Naruto thought it rather sad that Jiraiya mustered the willpower to push up from the table and trudge toward the washroom, but he had taken the bottle of sake with him.

---

Blowing eastward over the hills in the Land of Rivers, storm clouds crept into the Fire Country again. Cool air whirled against the summertime heat, and arcs of lightning skipped around the underbellies of thick rainclouds.

For over a week, Tenten had not been particularly fond of trying to sleep in her Main House bedroom at the Hyuga estate. Though Kayato had appointed it nicely, and Tenten had brought some of her personal belongings into the space, it was cramped, stuffy, and sweltering each night. She tried to avoid staying in it whenever possible while not taking missions. 'It makes me feel…like I'm still other. That I don't belong yet. There's always pressure bearing down on me…' Tenten had thought about it and expressed such feelings to Neji. He understood. He agreed that no one could ever convince him to reside in that meager hole in the wall.

"I'll try to get you something better." Neji told her that morning. They took tea on the porch, in plain view of some Branch members and Elders who did not disguise their watchful interest in what they considered a budding romance.

Apart from her miserable bedroom at the compound, Tenten could admit she quite liked living among her new clan. The Hyuga were personable toward her for the most part, and as for those that were not, she chose not to take their indifference personally. Quality time and meals with Hideyasu, Kayato, and Fujita were always enjoyable, and it bolstered her sense of belonging when at times it ebbed. And of course, Tenten felt rather privileged to see Neji about the house during off hours— at times in sleep clothes, or off to brush his teeth, or fresh from training with Lee and Wong Leung and in need of a bath. When he could, he devoted time to her without hesitation, even for things as trivial as lunch or lessons with Branch House children.

She smiled to herself. Though there had been hurdles to clear before reaching this point, Tenten would absolutely assert that it had been worth it. Even the acute stares of approval from clan elders, since Haburo still believed this arrangement was his idea, were comforting.

For today, no mission had been assigned to their team. Tenten had assisted Hideyasu with some menial tasks earlier in the day, and then later joined Lee and Neji for training. That afternoon, she decided to take some superfluous belongings from her room at the estate and return them to her flat. "It's just taking up space, and I need to breathe in there." She reasoned. As the sky grew overcast and training wrapped up, Neji helped her transport some of the things she could do without.

Upon entering and flipping the light switch, she discovered her flat was already in desperate need of dusting. Tenten set a Shadow Clone to the task and asked Neji to unpack the boxes they brought over. She appeared to be thinking about other things she wanted to get done. He frowned as he watched Tenten leave the apartment without an explanation.

Since Neji was an astute soul, he turned to the clone and asked, "Why did she leave?"

"Oh!" The clone knew why Tenten had stepped out, "I wanted to get some things to cook. It's been so long and they won't let me make anything at the estate. I'll be right back."

"You don't have to cook anything anymore," Neji supposed, "But you still want to."

The clone stared at his face for a moment, rosy-cheeked, and then turned back to its work without saying anything more. Neji did not pay any mind to the bashful replication as he extracted books and scrolls from a box. He was taken aback when he pulled out several picture frames as well, all of which had photos of Tenten's parents as the subject. 'Why would she not want these with her?' Neji did not understand it. As far as he knew, Tenten had adored her parents and spoke fondly of them. Had Hideyasu and Kayato replaced them so suddenly in her heart?

Yet she had still chosen to remove these items from her room, so Neji replaced them at free spaces on shelves and table tops around the apartment to be displayed. He stopped for a moment to examine a jubilant shot of her mother and father, both younger-looking in the photograph. He could see that Tenten was the spitting image of her mother, though she had a bit of her father's stature and bone structure. Her mother appeared tiny even by petite standards. Her grin was mischievous and bright. Neji swiped a bit of dust from the glass with his thumb. Tenten's father was tall with far-seeing forest eyes, a kind face, and dark hair. Neji also noticed a jade ring on the man's finger, where his hand was resting on his wife's shoulder.

Neji set the frame down and returned to the last box to empty it. He'd seen Tenten wear such a ring from time to time. She still longed for her father.

A short time later, Tenten returned and found Neji boiling water for tea. Behind him on the far side of the room, Tenten caught her Shadow Clone giving her boyfriend the up-and-down while going over wood floors with a rag. Miffed, she dispelled the infatuated clone.

Without turning to look back at her Neji remarked, "That clone had more cleaning to do."

"This is good enough." She grumbled and set down a bag of various vegetables, pork, and quail eggs.

Neji was looking through a cabinet for a long while and struggling, "…I cannot read your tea containers." The labels were written in Hanzi.

Tenten lightened up a little, "You'll like the one furthest on the left. The strainer is in the pot."

Neji thanked her and went about making tea.

"Erg…can I just stay here tonight? Where there's space and air conditioning?" Tenten thought out loud as she went about washing vegetables and sprouts at the sink, "I just want…a me night. To be comfortable."

Neji tilted his head as if to shrug, "No one will know the difference between you avoiding the estate and you being occupied by a mission."

"Really?"

"Many do not know you still have a place of your own. It's more suspicious for those born within the Hyuga clan to not return for curfew." Neji pointed out, "Not that they care. Much can go beyond the notice of our elders."

"That is music to my ears." She set aside the produce to dry and then began cubing the pork with a sharp knife, "But you've never stayed out, have you Neji?"

"Never." Neji confirmed.

"I thought so. Can you boil some more water for these eggs?"

He set aside the steeping tea pot and did as she asked. While Neji wasn't looking, Tenten beamed at him. It was difficult containing her feelings today.

They prepared food for a while and discussed Hideyasu's offer to manage her flat's lease for the interim. Until there was any definitive event that bound her to the Hyuga estate permanently, she and Hideyasu agreed it made sense to keep her home should anything change. Neji felt this was a sensible course of action, but was touchy about Hideyasu's offer to pay for her.

"I mean, he doesn't have to, but he suggested it." Tenten was slightly embarrassed to talk finances, "It just takes some of the burden of rent off of me, because I'm working fewer hours at my shop when I have to do things at the Hyuga estate…"

"I know that." Neji's answer calmed her, "But I could absorb that expense for you. Hideyasu has done enough already."

Tenten was carefully slipping quail eggs into a boiling pot of water, and gave him baffled side-eye, "Uh, Neji…you're not responsible for me…yet. And he's my father now, so…I thought it was appropriate."

"I can be responsible for you." Neji had a resolute, serious look on his face.

She gulped, "But you're not. We…"

'Way to make that awkward…' Tenten chided herself as Neji strode off into the dining area to set things on the table. He seemed irked by her reluctance to accept his help. 'It's not that I don't want Neji to…look after me, or anything like that! I just don't want to take advantage. Neji shelled out a lot to pay for Lee and I before the tournament. Why does he get so ruffled when other people do things for me? I mean, sheesh! I could go back to being independent! I'm fine with that.'

The subject thankfully dropped over dinner and tea at the table, while they went over the events of the day and the schedule for tomorrow. Neji then inquired why she was removing photographs of her parents from her bedroom at the estate.

Tenten halted over a bite of tossed noodles and gave him a wary look. She swallowed a lump in her throat, then set her food down and admitted, "I don't really want to remove those photos, but it…might help for now."

Neji listened as he chewed.

"I can't sleep." She smiled sadly, "Especially when I look at them, it keeps me up all night thinking about them."

"Ah." That cleared up the matter for him, "You didn't tell me you weren't getting any rest."

"Transitions are always hard." Tenten said before her next bite. She did not comment on how Neji had eaten all of the quail eggs. She had a feeling he would enjoy them.

"You look a lot like your mother." Neji shared his earlier observation with no preamble whatsoever.

Tenten kept her composure while trying to navigate this new, testy topic, "I do look like her, I guess."

"You told me that she sang. She was famous."

Tenten chewed with misty eyes and nodded.

"But you are most like your father." Neji presumed.

She took a moment to stop eating and calm down. Truthfully, it would be cathartic to talk about them with Neji, who was genuinely inquisitive about her life and origin. Just as soon as she could get a grip and not dissolve into sniveling tears, Tenten would supply some answers.

Tenten took a deep, rattling breath, "I am like my dad. He taught me just about everything."

"I think I remember seeing him when I was small, around the village." Neji reached back into childhood memories, "He came to the Academy often."

"He did." She opened up a bit more to reminisce, "He was…always looking out for others. He was thoughtful…and he could be so philosophical; some of the things he said went way over my head at times…but…Mom used to say…" Tenten stopped to take a sip of tea and collect herself. Neji waited for her to complete the thought.

"Mom used to say…he grew up so lonely that it was hard for him to believe her when she said she loved him." Tenten gave a small shrug, "Dad was a little weird too. He used to talk about loving Mom since they attended the Academy, but she never noticed him and she was always off with other people and doing other things. So he occupied his time as much as he could to keep his mind off of it."

Neji had emptied his plate while listening to Tenten's recollections.

"He read and wrote a lot. He was very good at working with his hands, and I think…his experience with Tao Arts is what made learning Ninjutsu come so easily to him. He took many high-level missions from a young age, even though my grandpa begged him not to." Tenten clarified when Neji seemed inclined to ask, "My grandparents are dead. I was three, I think."

"Hmm." Neji poured her more tea.

"He just never liked himself. Dad always tried to get out of the way of other people, as if he was a burden, and above all he didn't want them to know that he was sad. I know it was hard for him coming to Leaf as a child…a lot of our family was killed on the way." Tenten sipped her drink, "I…never noticed that was how he felt, when I was a kid. He seemed so happy and fun to me."

"Any parent would try to make themselves seem that way. That's what their child needs."

"Well, Mom made him happiest. I think that's why I saw the best side of Dad. That's how I remember him." She appeared lost in a memory, "As I get older…I think I've realized how much I'm actually like them. So…because they aren't here…it hurts to have questions I want to ask them." Tenten sighed, "Hideyasu and Kayato are great, don't get me wrong. But not having my parents here…there are pieces of me that are missing that I don't understand. I'm always thinking about it."

"Then that makes two of us." Neji yielded. He motioned for Tenten to eat because her plate was mostly untouched. She obliged and listened to him for a change as Neji went on.

"I don't remember much of my father being joyful or carefree, save for a few times. I knew him during the days he struggled most." Neji recalled, "I think I made him happy."

"Of course you did!" Tenten nearly lost a noodle as she proclaimed it.

"I did." Neji supposed, "But he was overwhelmed by everything else. By being in the Branch, serving my uncle, our elders…and his inability to do as he wished."

Tenten's question was on the tip of her tongue, but she refrained and took bites of food instead. She only ever heard Neji speak about his father, but not his mother.

She finished her meal and stood to clean up, ushering Neji to sit down again when he moved to assist. She asked him to finish the tea. Things were peacefully quiet as Tenten scrubbed dishes at the sink, and after a time she finally worked up the nerve to ask over her shoulder, "Neji? Do you know anything about your mom?"

Neji watched her as she worked, "Not much."

"What happened to her?"

"She died while having me." Neji explained coolly.

Tenten shut the water off and set the dishes on a drying rack. She tried to minimize her sympathetic expression, because she sensed Neji would not appreciate it.

"It's alright." Neji assured her.

"Sorry, I did wonder about it."

"My father once told me she was an outstanding ninja. I did not understand how someone so strong could die while having a child…but that was a shameful thing to think. I was young and stupid, and thought it was worth resenting her for leaving my father alone." He confessed, "Now I know better. Though…beyond the few things my family and clansmen have told me…I know little about her life or who she was."

"So she married into the Hyuga clan?" Tenten returned to the table to wipe it down.

Neji gave her a slow, amused glance while he thought of something.

Tenten gave him a feisty What? glare.

"She did." Neji confirmed, "Father said that she was his teammate."

"Oh." Tenten said, standing and crossing back to the sink. She was feeling a spike of elation and embarrassment again. Maybe he didn't mean anything by that statement, although he probably did. While she wrung out a wash rag, Neji inclined his head toward a white board on the wall that Tenten used to keep track of appointments.

"You have something marked for today's date." Neji commented.

"What?" Tenten was astonished, and snapped her head towards the board, "I thought I-! Oh." Her face fell. Beside the day's date, scheduled for twenty minutes ago, she had drawn a small plum. That was how she indicated meetings with Yugao.

"I forgot all about her!" Tenten rapped her knuckles against her forehead, furious with herself, "I haven't been checking my schedule enough…and Yugao's probably still at the shop…"

"She is." Neji confirmed with his Byakugan, peering out of the building and down the street.

"Does she look mad?"

"I can't tell from here, although I doubt that woman is capable of being frustrated with you." He said airily while pouring more tea for himself.

"Well thanks for that." She sighed, "Do you mind if I go and fulfill her request quickly? It won't take long. I mean, you can go home if you want—"

"I will be here when you return." Neji affirmed.

"…right." Tenten took another fortifying breath, "Then, make yourself at home Neji."

Before Tenten sped out of the door Neji warned, "Take that umbrella." There was a parasol on a hook above the genkan. Without questioning what Neji had spied outside, Tenten snatched up the umbrella and shop keys and dashed out.

Neji found there was something underrated about being in a noiseless space alone, to be able to think without interruption. At the Hyuga house, someone was in his business every fifteen minutes, just about. That was simply how clan life was. He had wondered a few times how Tenten would adapt to it, but she seemed to be responding well to the social exchanges in the Hyuga clan.

He relaxed at the table and watched with his Blood Limit as Tenten exited the apartment building, sprinted down the street in a light drizzle, and then met Yugao outside of the weapon shop to apologize. All appeared to be forgiven quickly as Tenten unlocked and led her friend inside. He stopped watching after that.

Neji reveled in the quiet for a while before standing, crossing over to heat the water kettle again. Tenten was right. The tea was good. He could probably finish the canister all on his own if she let him. He meandered around the flat to indulge his curiosity and examine the mementos of Tenten's life strewn about.

Potted bamboo stalks on a side table appeared to have been neglected for a while, but were surviving in spite of not being watered. Fine pottery sat on shelves here and there, yet the most prominent feature about the place was the abundance of books and scrolls. Undoubtedly, those had been accumulated by Tenten's father, for she was not a frequent reader.

Neji stopped near a shelf and skimmed through a few volumes. There was a fair deal of poetry. Some strategy manuals for shinobi operations as well as Shogi…novels written in Hanzi and also in the common tongue. The amount of literature was staggering. Beside a well-worn cookbook on a shelf, Neji drew out a leather bound journal that was ruled and had been written in.

He set it down for a moment, supposing it was rude to look through personal things this way, but eventually Neji cracked the journal open again. Flipping through its pages, he discovered it was filled with entries cover to cover. Neji noticed that the start of the journal had much older writing, and appeared to be written by a younger, more frantic hand. The newest entries had the more refined scrawl of someone who had grown up. The first page even had lines of text written in poor Hanzi, and gave way to Nihongo characters thereafter.

Father says I was named Chūn Yīng, but everyone in the village will call me Takaharu. It is clean here and I like the smells. Father and I planted a window box today because mother died a year ago. We said a prayer for her. I learned about ninja dogs today when I tried to pet one, but I didn't know it would be offended. Father wants me to be respectful to everyone in Konohagakure, so that means everyone.

Neji smirked to himself. Takaharu must have been a very young child, then.

Does the Hokage ever feel worried, having so many people to protect? It must be quite frightening. His face looks brave on the monument, but when I met him today Hokage-sama seemed tired and shaken. Things are hard now because of the war.

When the tea kettle began to steam, Neji shut the journal and set it down on the sofa. He crossed the room to prepare tea again. Against the windows of the flat, the soft drizzle of rain escalated into a harsh patter.

He considered what Tenten had shared with him; that she was at a loss about certain things without her parents around to explain. Neji suspected she could glean some valuable information from the old writings of her father, if she ever had the patience to sift through journal entries and the heaps of books all about the place. He tipped tea into a cup and dawdled around again. Out of pity, he watered the bamboo bunches.

On top of a cabinet, beside a humorous photograph of Lee while he'd been in the Academy (his braid and traditional clothing intact) was an odd device Neji was not familiar with. Beside it was a square case that had once housed a disc, with a note written from Sato: I got a copy of this from the public records office and thought you'd like it! Being the clever sort he was, Neji eventually gathered that it was a small, semi-modern stereo system. Such things were not allowed at the Hyuga estate, and neither were other ridiculously simple, staple things now common in households. After a few button prods, music began to sound.

It took a moment for him to recognize that he was hearing Tenten's mother perform. Sato had likely happened upon the recording by chance, and then passed it on to Tenten. Neji hovered for a while, basking in the dulcet notes and harmonies, drinking tea and not thinking much. He tried to put a finger on what kind of stringed instrument was being played.

Sharp, cracking strikes snapped Neji out of his listening, and he noticed the abrupt change in weather beyond the window. Rain was freezing into hailstones— a nuisance of summer storms. Neji shut off the player and imagined Tenten was going to be in a less pleasant mood when she got home. In an effort to be thoughtful, he stopped in her bathroom to fill the tub with warm water. She would have done such a thing herself upon her return, as her preferred environment was a boiling hot spring as opposed to teeth-chattering cold.

He sat down to finish another pot of tea while keeping watch for her, observing as Tenten was concluding business with Yugao. By the look of it, Tenten had offered her umbrella to Yugao as the weather had worsened. The woman had a much longer route home across the village. Tenten sent her on her way, locked the shop, and then made a run for it. Predictably, she looked rather disgruntled on her way up the road. Neji followed her progress into the building and as she slogged up the steps to the third floor, completely drenched.

Tenten squelched into the door and stopped in the genkan— a very sorry sight.

She asked in a feeble voice, "Could you get me a—?"

Neji handed a dry towel to her.

"Oh." Her eyebrows shot up, "You are incredibly helpful for incidents like these."

"I might as well be."

"Thank you." Tenten patted herself down and kicked off her sandals.

"The bath is warm."

"No way." She was especially impressed, "You did that for me?"

Neji was not proud of himself, "It took minimal effort, and it wasn't hard to anticipate what you would want after that trek through a hailstorm."

When she patted his cheek her hand was cold, and Tenten scurried into the interior of the home and sealed herself in the washroom. She would be back up to temperature soon.

Neji sat down at the table again, sipping his beverage, hearing the sounds of tiny orbs thwacking against the building.

He could do more, he thought. Tenten always seemed surprised by his gestures. Really, most of it was inconsequential or basic provisions of care, and Neji didn't like how she did not yet expect things like that from him. Granted, he had not been the most accommodating person even a few years ago. Tenten had gotten to know that person very well. He puffed a strand of hair out of his face in annoyance, cursing how he'd dug a ditch for himself in terms of how people chose to rely on him. He had a much better gauge of how to attend to others and assess their needs, particularly in Tenten's case. He was tired of every minuscule gasp that escaped her when he did something right.

After Haburo's strange but favorable sit-down persuading Neji to engage in a courtship with Tenten (he still wasn't sure how the seed of that idea had been sown in his great grandfather's head), he was taking the relationship very, very seriously. He already felt compelled to do things, to provide for Tenten even when she didn't ask him for anything. He wanted to know more about her life, even though she wasn't always keen to share details that pained her. Even instances of less significance, such as spotting her in the Main house or yards, accompanying her for training or missions, and all of the activities involving her that used to give him pleasure— that gratification was tenfold, now flooding his senses. Being around her was consuming and changing parts of him that had been dull or meaningless before.

Having a space away from the Hyuga clan put these emotions in perspective. Cooking seemed like such a mundane task, and one that was no longer required of Tenten, but her practical skills fascinated him. She spoke more freely here. She still enjoyed her smithing work, even though Neji was fairly sure she would never have to depend on her business again to make ends meet— not with him and the clan at her back.

Even when she didn't mean to, Tenten was luring him in. Along with everything else about her that beguiled him, Neji still had to contend with the physical attraction he had not acted on. For instance, she had just reappeared at the apartment; sodden, her clothes stuck to her revealingly, hair slipping free of its confines, her lips and cheeks flushed from the storm… If her mere existence was temptation for him, Neji conceded things were all the more difficult whenever she consciously flirted with him. Navigating this aspect had been tricky, and was now complicated by the drive to protect and provide. Neji wondered in what instance it would be fair to finally give in to the desire to touch her in ways that had so far been disallowed.

He exhaled a harsh breath and carried the emptied tea pot to the sink to be rinsed.

In time, all of this would feel more normal to her. After all, Tenten had rapidly consented to schemes and decisions to help him, and was still mentally catching up to the reality of the situation. She probably was not giving much thought to getting closer to him, or the things she had teased him about before the Exam's tournament. She still needed to adjust. She probably would not comprehend, for quite some time, the expectation that came with her position in the clan and his interest in her. Whether she knew it yet or not, she would plausibly never belong to another man. Hyuga Elders already knew how stubborn and/or steadfast Neji was in his decisions. They ought to feel quite certain that his consenting to court Tenten was a definite confirmation of a future with her. And they'd be right. He was not that hard to predict, after all.

So there. Time would help things, Neji decided. He was being impatient. He was overeager and hot-blooded, and honestly had no experience with how to handle this appetite. His peers boasted about their affairs all of the time, but Neji noted that his friends did not provide much insight on how to resist and respect— not nearly as often as they indulged. Well. That was not to say he didn't indulge on the rare occasion, but not the way they did.

He shut the tap off and braced his hands on the counter, feeling a bit tense. Was this the sort of thing he could bring up to her? It could be that she was interested, even if Tenten was occupied with a million other concerns at present. The clattering of hailstones was softening outside, but a roll of thunder tonitruated nearby.

It would be discourteous to cut his losses and leave the flat for the Hyuga estate without first telling Tenten. Though it'd be easier to avoid temptation that way, she'd think him rude if he didn't say anything. To assess if she was nearly done bathing, Neji stole a glimpse of her with the Byakugan. And no, she looked to be in no hurry. For a moment he stopped looking at her, as if that sufficed, but he had briefly seen a detail that enticed him to look again and be sure he hadn't imagined it. At first it seemed like Tenten had been reclined as if to nap, her head tilted to the side, eyes shut, damp hair loose and furling down over her shoulders.

She was chest-deep in bathwater, her arm reaching down between her thighs and fingers working in a circular motion. Tenten seemed utterly unaware of the space around her, or of the fact that anyone else was around. Her thoughts were far away.

Neji was engrossed for a full ten seconds before he came to his senses. He put an end to the voyeurism, wide-eyed and short of breath, startled by what he had seen. The implications made him reconsider his earlier belief that Tenten was not lusting in any way while she had a litany of other matters to think about. He crossed the room, tapped his shoes on in the genkan, and then Neji saw himself out. He stood in the hallway of the building for a moment, and genuinely did not know where to go from there.

Close by, he peered out of the fire escape window of the corridor and saw thunderheads rolling away from the village. It would be clear soon. He could leave and explain himself in the morning. Evidently, Tenten was enjoying her independence this evening and had forgotten that he was lingering.

Or he could just calm down for a few minutes. It wasn't as if he had unintentionally seen things a hundred times more scandalous than that with the Byakugan, he reminded himself. And what he had seen, Neji conceded as he returned indoors, removed his shoes and took a seat at the table…what he had witnessed was not at all objectionable.

He had a few minutes more to wrestle with his thoughts before Tenten exited the washroom and called out, "You still here? Neji, get in there and clean up while it's still warm. Training got you a bit grimy today."

"I should go home." That was another idea.

Tenten went silent for a moment in the hallway attached to her bedroom before replying, "If you want to, yeah, that's fine. If the weather let up." She didn't sound averse to that suggestion. Neji could not get a read on her.

Right about then, even though the night sky was clearing and calming, Neji got it into his head that maybe it was preposterous trying to avoid this. Once she had retreated to her bedroom to change, he made his way to the bathroom's cracked door, still hazy with vapor, and told her that it would be better to stay and he would take her up on the offer.

Ever nonchalant, Tenten called out again, "Sure, I'll get you something to change into!"

He shut the door, confused, then abducted a hair clip from the vanity counter. He piled his hair on top of his head before scrubbing and rinsing off. In the tub, Neji concluded that he had no idea what Tenten was thinking or what she wanted. One moment she was masturbating, the next she was merrily sending him home. Maybe he was not the most essential variable in this equation?

He submerged up to his neck to fight the chill in the room. For all of their complaints about the brutally hot summer days they'd had, the temperature was more fickle these evenings. He relaxed slightly. Just because he did not know what she wanted was no cause for panic. It could never be said that he was not superlatively respectful of boundaries. If she did wish for something, Tenten would most likely ask him.

Neji grew gradually more tranquil until he remembered what Tenten had been up to a short time before. He stood, drained the tub, dried off, and tried not to think about it. He was kept waiting for about ten minutes before it occurred to him that Tenten had forgotten about him again. She was dressed in pajamas and loitering in her room, he could see as he gazed through an adjoining wall. He wearily regarded his training attire folded atop a laundry basket, which was repellant and sullied. No. A change was definitely called for.

With a towel providing modesty from the waist down, Neji ventured down the hall to pop into Tenten's bedroom. He was disconcerted by the anguished expression on her face as she stood beside a chest of drawers. 'She seemed fine before…' Neji took a step in, "Are you alright?"

She jumped in startlement before dropping several articles of silk from her hands. Tenten immediately scooped them up from the floor, "I am so sorry, Neji. It happened again…I'm just not thinking straight."

The concern on his face was shifting into something more serene, "It's alright—"

"-leaving you in there like an idiot— I found this right away, I think it may fit you. Though my dad was tall and broad-shouldered…" Tenten huffed at herself, holding up a black top, "I took one look at it and just started…remembering a lot."

"As I said, it's alright." Neji repeated, "Do as you like in your home."

Tenten fixed him with a contemplative stare. She crossed over to him and Neji was about to hold out a hand to accept the clothing, but he heard her muttering, "…do as I like…" She was heavily scrutinizing him, rethinking the original, boring plans she'd made for the evening. Neji watched her interestedly. He got the sense that whatever she wanted to do, he was going to go with it.

"I'm having a thought." Tenten announced.

"It appears you are."

"Let's hold off on this." She recommended, indicating this meant the clothing that she tossed onto a bureau to her left. That said to him very plainly that he was right about Tenten's ability to communicate her wants. He could not overstep bounds when Tenten kept drawing the line further and further back.

She asked, "Are you feeling sensitive or flighty?"

Weird question. "No."

"Are you doing anything later?"

"Nothing of note."

"So then stay here for a while," Tenten instructed, "And would you please…close your eyes?"

He took an extra moment to get a look at her, as if to commit her to his mind's eye before complying. Neji was not exactly sure what she intended to do.

Meanwhile, it was as if Tenten had been served a dish on a silver platter and she reeled for a moment. Neji was being very agreeable. Well, maybe he had anticipated something of this nature, and Tenten also got the feeling that she was indeed free to do whatever she wanted. 'And it's about damn time…' She had been bending over backwards for people, lately.

He felt her fingertips skim his arm and then draw away. By the sound of it, she'd taken slow steps over the wood floor to circle around him. Neji presumed this was a minor investigation of sorts as he felt another touch near the nape of his neck, hearing Tenten mumble as she discovered her hair clip on his head. She left it where it was. Tenten slipped her hands down his neck and shoulder blade, visiting scars from past battles. The newest imperfections to his skin had come from the Light-Wing Chidori, burns that had grazed his shoulder, ribcage and beneath his upper arm. His muscles tensed slightly at the tickling sensation.

"I saw that." Tenten reported.

Neji reminded her, "I'm not made of stone."

"Contrary to popular belief…" She agreed, "It looks like this one must've hurt."

"The worst pain, though the briefest."

He felt her lips against his skin, stopping over the first thoracic vertebra that created his blind spot. Neji suppressed another shudder when she muttered against his back, "Better now."

Tenten's deft fingers slid down his spine, down to the tapered grooves and sinew of his lower back. She tugged once, twice, before Neji was fully aware of how she peeled away his towel. He might've scolded or opposed her on any another day, rather than remain still with his eyes dutifully closed. It was difficult to do. Her fingernails grazed over his hips and sides, exploring, while Neji stood without rebelling and mentally substantiated how he let her get away with it.

He was not at all ashamed of how he looked, and was partially reconciled with this new vulnerability. Visionless at the moment, Neji was not sure how much of his body Tenten had seen yet. Caresses still trailed mindlessly all over him and, inevitably, it would become more and more apparent that he was enjoying those attentions. It was not long before she had circled around him again, brushing her hands along the divot of his collar bone, then down his chest and stomach. Neji tried not to think about snatching her hands and pulling her close, tried not to think about how visibly erect he was by then. He assigned more effort to not producing the sounds that threatened to escape him. He endeavored not to do anything. Feeling Tenten's explorations as his livewire nerves rioted was more than enough in those moments. His talented brain could hardly grasp all of the input.

Oh. He was frowning. Neji was not wholly conscious of his expressions, or that his brow was furrowed with concentration— slitted eyes nearly opening out of desperation. Tenten pressed a hand over them while he was tempted to see something, anything, "Not yet…" Reacting to how she sealed his mouth with a giddy, amorous kiss, and that she was unbothered by how his hands flew up to the sides of her face to hold her. All of his senses were intense: the taste and texture of her mouth, the smell of the rain still on her, the small, pleased sounds she was making…Not being in control was also surprisingly underrated, Neji found.

At some point her hands had migrated to his backside, copping a thorough feel while Neji's mouth quirked at the contact, sightless, listening to Tenten's commentary, "That…is just unreal. Hold on a second." She felt him up again for good measure. He grunted at her enthusiastic antics but did not bat her away.

"I didn't think you would be this patient." Tenten told him.

"I do not have many other virtues." He admitted, unable to see her smile.

"Sure you do. Sorry if I've been…too hands on." He was shaking his head at her and she grinned again, "I thought about…well. I'm fairly certain you've been able to look at me plenty, so I wanted my chance to look at you."

"Understandable. I would not have denied you the opportunity, even if you had asked me properly."

"Ah, I don't know. You seemed kind of— shy earlier?" Tenten had picked up on it.

One of her hands had drifted back up, and he had blindly located it with his own. Her face was still close enough to kiss, so he trailed his mouth along her jaw and cheek, confirming, "I was not sure what you wanted."

Tenten sighed as he pressed light kisses over her brow, "I could've been clearer, yeah. I didn't want to pressure you. You've been so great today, and just being around you was—" Neji had looped an arm around her back to pull her close, kissing her slowly. Tenten was mollified by the touch, her head tipping up to give in to the embrace, to him…then she flattened her palms on Neji's shoulders and pushed him back a step. He had an urge to blink at her indignantly, but she assured him, "Just a second." Neji heard soft rustling.

He could still feel her standing face to face with him, vaguely familiar with the sounds of her disrobing. It also sounded as though Tenten caught her foot while removing sleep pants, and that she was about to topple over while cursing softly. Neji reached without thinking for her— she'd caught herself before falling, of course, but his hand landed on her bare hip; he felt the smooth skin over bone there and how warm she was. She chuckled words of thanks and then enclosed his hand in both of hers, "Ah, almost wiped out…" Tenten fiddled with his captured hand, "Neji, you know you don't have to keep your eyes shut anymore."

His breathing was heavier, quicker. Tenten slid his fingertips over the smooth flesh of her flanks, the dip of her waist, past the convex curve of a breast, over her clavicle and up her neck to let it settle just beneath her chin. She rubbed her thumb over each of his knuckles. Neji told her, "If I see you I will act differently."

###

"That's what I'm hoping for." The same hand she was toying with she guided down again through the valley of her chest and over her soft, impeccable stomach. His breath noticeably hitched, which made Tenten all the more glad to introduce him to her navel, descending past her belly button below to the downy, short hair along her mound, the tender lip there, the swell of her inner thigh. Tenten could see him fidgeting when she finally let Neji loose, his breathing much noisier and his shoulders taut. He drew her close again and called her, "Audacious."

"Thanks." Tenten kindly reiterated, "This is nothing you haven't seen before, come on."

Neji cracked an eye open at her. She had a cheeky smile plastered on her face, without a stitch of clothing on, her hair loose down her back in chestnut waves. Tenten nudged the arms he had wrapped around her, signaling some kind of forward progress, "You can keep staring if you want, but I'm going to keep doing what I was doing before."

She noticed his facial expression was the most animated she had ever seen it, accompanied by a full on man-stare as her hands vagrated over his chest and front. Neji gradually began to respond with less hesitation, returning touches, canting his head to kiss her properly. Chaste touches converted to caresses, and Tenten rejoiced in the heady feeling of being pressed into him. Slow, decadent kisses did not distract much from the severe erection prodding at her stomach. Tenten was puzzled over how to manage it, or which protocol would work best from that point on. She only knew as much as she'd heard from kunoichi peers, moreover, she did not believe the entirety of what she'd heard either. 'I am pretty sure those girls embellished a few things…'

She stole a downward peek, considering that she had not seen many at-attention penises in her life. Save for maybe one incident on an embarrassing guard detail mission she had taken as a Genin over two years ago, but, well, that and this were starkly different situations. Tenten chanced a touch, stroking gingerly over dark hair and the base of his length, frowning to herself because this did not exactly look like what had been described to her.

"So, I have a question." Tenten declared.

"Can it wait a moment?" Neji asked her.

"Sure, wuh-!" She held fast when he scooped her bottom-first, taking a few paces to the bed's edge to drop her on it.

Neji settled himself there as well, cradling his face expectantly in his palm as he gave her his attention, "What is your question?"

"This here," Tenten clarified while touching him, "I…hm. Is this a scar? I mean, I can admit I am ignorant and only know the sensational garbage Ino has spouted to educate me…but isn't there supposed to be a foreskin?"

"There was once." Neji was unruffled, stretching out on his back to relax, allowing her to touch and examine.

"Oh." She flopped over on her side, "Boys in this village get cut?"

He gave a slight shrug, "It isn't very common."

"Why do it?"

"Because infants cannot give or deny consent, parents think it's beneficial, and it is standard practice in my clan. Few other clans here have such a tradition." Neji explained.

"Huh. I think Sakura mentioned this once." Tenten's voice was pitchy, borderline anxious.

He took her hands and massaged acupressure points on her wrists to calm her. Neji was also consciously trying to relax.

"Then it doesn't hurt you, does it?"

"Not at all."

"I guess you can keep clean more easily." Tenten shifted sideways and overlapped herself with him, attentively tracing the grooves of his abdominal muscles with her fingers.

Neji vouched, "I have no basis for comparison, in that respect." It didn't matter much to him. He was cut and he had no issues with that. He judged by her nod of recognition that Tenten had no issue with it either. While getting comfortable, she felt him card fingers through her hair and stroke down her back contently. He trolled down her smooth curves, idling over her ass before slipping his hand upward again, repeating the motion.

Tenten deliberated over an odd truth that occurred to her during that sedate moment. For quite some time, there had been a kind of unspoken agreement that they would make love. While distractions and commitments had delayed the realization of it, for her part, Tenten noticed that she had been the more fervent, brazen instigator. Neji had been more reserved on the matter, undertaking steps to legitimize his bond with her and reach milestones. In other words, he was unexpectedly pure of both intention and body, in Tenten's opinion.

She also had been somewhat aware of his circumstances for, oh, a long time. He was in no position to rollick carelessly or anything of the sort. His clan and family would never stand for it, never mind that he was famously upright and not one to pursue carnal pleasures. So in some strange reversal of roles, Tenten realized, she had waited and acted as though it was Neji's honor that needed safeguarding. Often, it was the opposite in most situations; a young woman's purity was sacred. In her case, her honor was whatever she made of it and no one was around to judge her based on her choices.

Her thoughts could only endure in a trickle, overwhelmed by the blissful state of languid, indulgent touching. Tenten had only managed a few curious strokes along the ridges and veins of the length in her hands, studying it, then Neji stopped her. She moped when she was made to relocate her able hands.

"Tenten." He was not moved by her faux-tantrum, "That was overwhelming."

"Didn't it feel—?"

"It felt good. I wouldn't last." Neji explained, "Anywhere else, for now."

"Ah." She understood and got over it.

Her ministrations gravitated up again towards Neji's neck, his head tilted as to not jostle the fastener keeping his hair back. Tenten would have liked to have her hands full of his superb bottom again, but Neji had rolled out from under her grasp and onto his knees. He hovered over Tenten while she was reclined, watching him carefully. He lowered himself down, seeing her angle expectantly for a kiss which he refused to press to her lips. Neji brushed his mouth against everything else, down her chest and stomach, and fondly discovered her inner thighs— the sensitivity there made her tremble and whine.

He looked up at her with those full-moon eyes and it made Tenten gulp when he asked, "Show me what to do."

"Show you-? You don't need me to—" Her breath came in a hiss as he traveled north over her body again, lips skimming a nipple before tweaking it with his teeth. Neji continued watching her face and her writhing reactions as he experimented, sucked there for a long while.

This was a kind of motivation he had never been acquainted with, Neji conceded. Whenever he tried to achieve things for the sake of pride, for the sake of friends, for honor, duty, logic and other such cornerstones: he'd never known the insane spur of pleasure— of watching her feel it. All he would ever think about again was being the cause of Tenten's satisfaction. The way her back bent, how she bit her lip, raked her fingers down the back of his head and neck, wriggled under him, humming and mewling sweet sounds…Neji could exalt and obsess over every bit of it.

She did not care that faint marks and bruises had blossomed over her breasts and the rounds of her shoulders. Anywhere Neji set his mouth was ideal, and his hands were equally welcome as he searched her. He breathed the question again beside her ear, asking for a demonstration, "I want to know how it's done."

"…seems like you already know…" Tenten was biting back moans while he worked.

"I saw you touch yourself earlier."

"No, you didn't." She said, as she distinctly remembered doing that in private.

"I watched you, and I want to watch you again." Remnants of his former, classic arrogance lit his face, but Neji was also being sincere.

Tenten seized his chin, preventing him from mouthing her up in any other delightful ways, disapproving of what he'd done for all of two seconds, "Can't I even take a bath in peace?" He shook his head no. Perhaps she should have expected this behavior from a significant other whose gaze traveled through most physical obstructions. At any point she was ever naked or exposed, Tenten would henceforth assume Neji would be an alert observer.

She hesitated for a moment, because this was embarrassing even for an avid masturbator such as herself, 'I mean, do I really have to let him see?' But he already had. Tenten sighed and released Neji's face, then reached down haltingly toward her womanhood as she pegged him with a half-humiliated, half-desperate look.

It helped that Neji resumed kissing her and gave her some time to get into her routine. Timid, slow touches grew surer and more precise, her eyes fluttered shut, focusing on the pattern she preferred and pointedly paying no mind to Neji as he leaned back for a better view. As his fingertips slid over Tenten's chest passively, he watched. He might go wild watching this, he thought, intrigued and electrified. She used different pressures, spread herself with her fingers, avoided direct contact with a hooded bud that Neji had never seen before, but had heard about in conversations amongst his rabble-rouser friends. Tenten seemed to like when he pressed his hand against her stomach, warm and thoughtful, but she would not meet his gaze. It was a daunting position to be in that demanded more than just trust. He knew that. He'd known that when he'd asked her to try it.

Neji rested his forehead against hers, holding the back of her neck as he said, "Let me." She peeked at him from beneath her lashes, giving a head gesture of assent before brushing her lips along the juncture of his shoulder and chest. His hand slipped beneath hers to reenact the motions, unpracticed but still clever, listening to Tenten's murmurs. When Neji was not quite on point she gave him more guidance, conducting his hand just so. He was a quick study, as he was with most things. Before long, Tenten unabashedly ground into his touches, her dark eyes burning as she stared up at him with parted lips.

Her soft cries, her trembling and the slickness against his hand— it was an ordeal to stay on task. Navigating the new mental and emotional terrain between heavy, arresting kisses, and how her body was grazing against him most enticingly…Neji had to take a moment to press down onto her, nerves heightened and screaming at the touch of bedsheets and the smoothness of her legs and hips. Tenten traced her nails behind his head and ears understandingly, encouraging, "Now's fine, if you want, Neji." She interrupted his busy, dedicated hand to arrange herself under him, "I…want to."

He was polite, "Not now." He would be perfectly happy to give her all of the attention.

"Yes, now." Tenten countered, "I just said I want to." She also wanted to direct his attention to how he was pressed into her, and that maybe denying what he was a single motion away from doing would probably not work. She struck the side of Neji's head with a gentle bap as she kissed him, and then gave his hips a coaxing tug. He slid into her easily, all at once, which Tenten did not seem all that fond of when she inhaled between her teeth and narrowed her eyes. Neji was only partially adhering to self-control, an elusive quality at the moment. He stopped himself from carelessly thrusting even though every muscle he had was poised to begin.

He was both muddled and concerned, trying to think straight when he asked her, "Am I hurting you?"

"Objectively, no." Tenten clarified as her hands roamed his back, "Can't call it ecstasy, but everything else feels good, so…"

Neji thought maybe cancelling the act altogether would make sense, but that suggestion only agitated her and Tenten gripped his bottom, simulating the motion needed. She smiled, shuddering when he moaned and shut his eyes, swept his mouth and tongue over her neck while rocking into her. The pace and the pressure weren't so bad, Tenten noted. But the thrill came from him, the sight and experience of his new mannerisms and being open with how he felt. His hands slid from her thighs up to her waist, then to her breasts, frantically descending in reverse order while she matched the rhythm of his strokes. Tenten's quiet, strangled sighs could have been pain or pleasure, or some mix of the two, but those sounds echoed in Neji's ears.

He reached above her head and laced his hand with hers; shreds of lucid thought occurring to him as he watched expressions of awe and desperation cross Tenten's face. This woman had once been a young, plucky kunoichi on his team who had been a constant companion, while also keeping him at arm's length. With time she was bolder, praising him in the days when his social accomplishments were comparatively pathetic, and criticizing him when he terrorized or pushed away others. All those looks of yearning, he remembered, or of her standing silently by— the things Tenten did that he hadn't understood. It was nearly a miracle that she had stayed and persevered for someone like him.

And oh, would it be shameful to admit that even then, when he'd been so hopeless, self-centered, and blind— that she had been a frame of reference for beauty, wit, strength, and all else that was to be admired. Even if Neji had not said it aloud then, had not reciprocated, had not thanked her, had not professed love or anything of the things that he ached to do now, she had always been entangled in his thoughts somehow.

His name escaped her lips in a growl as she cinched her legs around his waist. Then, Neji did not think about how things had been between them in the past, but only of how it was and would be. She felt so good that every pain and hardship he had ever known was swept from his mind. Tenten was aglow, something golden in her skin, hints of bronze in her hair. One hand conducted a survey of his neck, and the other scratched lines into his back as she claimed and tasted his mouth. Neji wondered if he might've felt her pulse racing, she was so tight, but there was too much to feel to try and be sure.

The rushing crescendo crept up his stomach and back, a feeling that made him gasp, that prickled everything into oversensitivity down to his fingertips, completely addling his head. There was just one singular moan, all that Neji had air for in his lungs. He pinned her flat as he fixed his mouth to Tenten's chest, above her heart, finishing hard inside of her in long, trembling twitches. He gave her a soft nip again and Tenten made a breathy, astonished sound. It took a moment before either moved, and Neji evaluated her to make sure she was unscathed. Tenten was wincing, "You're kind of heavy." She gave him a respectful pat to show Neji how he'd heaped himself on top of her tiredly, and was slowly crushing her ribcage.

With a huffing, reluctant sound, Neji propped himself up on his elbows and lingered. He didn't really want to be outside of her, not yet. It was too spectacular a feeling, residual jitters racing up his spine, and being connected to Tenten seemed to transmit her own feelings and sensations to him in some unexplainable way. Neji tried appeasing her with lazy kisses, which she humored for a few seconds. Tenten pushed him off and rolled him onto his side, taking his face in her hands once again. She gave him a rapt stare.

It was about then Neji realized that sex seemed to have opposite effects on them; his coherence and consciousness declined, and Tenten's energy levels skyrocketed. She was wide-eyed and awake, grinning.

"That was different and also better than what I expected." She told him, and Neji did not resist when she rolled him over again. She rummaged near the headboard, tossed pillows on top of him, peeled back the blanket, and gave up when it was stuck under him. Neji heard her bounce up to her feet and out of the room. He blinked in a daze and watched Tenten set out into the far reaches of her flat, in the nude, for god only knew what reason. He found it jarring and annoying. He wanted her right where she'd stuffed pillows against him like placeholders. Afterglow cuddling was standard procedure, no? Was he wrong?

Naturally, he could not help but glare with the Byakugan and behold Tenten moving about and switching lights off. She was fast and efficient, but Neji did not see why she could not have sent a Shadow Clone to complete such a task. She returned to the dimmed room to see Neji sitting up in bed, covered in pillows, rebel strands of hair loose that framed his frowning face. Tenten tsked at his moodiness. While she was still standing, she snapped the blanket out from beneath him, like she had seen a zany server do with a tablecloth in a restaurant once. That of course made Neji even happier. Tenten laughed and pushed him down, "What?"

"Stay here. Send a clone if you need to do something." He groused.

"Uh…I shouldn't make any more Shadow Clones today." Tenten disagreed.

"Why?" As far as Neji knew, her chakra reserves had not been overworked.

He twiddled with her hands as she sat on top of him, and she appeared quite triumphant. Tenten was embarrassed by the clone subject when he raised it again. Instead she asked him, "Phew, should I crack a window? It got warm."

"Tenten…"

"If I need to do something, I'll do it myself. I am not making any clones while you…are in this state." Tenten gestured at his magnificent nakedness, "They've been acting like idiots around you."

Judging by Neji's enlightened eye contact; Tenten determined that he finally got it. That she was not keen on creating any ardent clones that might want her to share her boyfriend. After a moment his surprised expression turned thoughtful, prompting her to give him a mild whack for smiling knowingly at her.

"Generally I like when you smile, but please stop." She complained.

"How am I supposed to stop?"

"I don't know— remember a time when you walked in on Gai-sensei in a changing room or tried eating the Curry of Life…" Tenten folded over and pressed her forehead to his chest, "Just please let me be enough."

Neji tipped her head up and told her, "You are enough." Her lips curved up as she listened to him, "Forgive me, I thought you remembered how I disdain excess. I have an imagination, but I'm not a slave to it."

"Well," She pecked his chest, "I can't fault you for that."

To avoid smashing the hair clip on the back of his head, Neji removed it so he could lay flat under Tenten. She immediately reached up to play with his dark tresses and then sighed wistfully, "You know, part of the reason I tie my hair intricately and stick fancy baubles in it…" She lowered her voice and admitted, "Is because you have much nicer hair than mine."

Neji had his eyes shut, perfectly relaxed as he slid his hands along her body, "There's no need to be insecure about something so juvenile."

"When you say it like that it doesn't make me more secure, just so you know." Tenten snipped.

"Let me rephrase that." Neji tried again, "It's just hair."

"But yours…" She doubled over again to press her nose to his neck where, yes, he did still smell like shampoo. Even after a busy day.

"If it would not appall my relatives and elders, I would probably cut all of it off." Neji supposed, "But tradition is a stupid, sticky thing."

"Would you really?"

"I've had short hair before."

"Yeah, but that was— you were in the hospital and I think Tsunade-sama sewed you up with it, or something…"

"That's right. Maybe someday when I have fewer people to impress, I will keep it shorter." His thumbs made circling motions on either side of her belly button, "Though now I have your preferences to contend with."

Tenten was amazed by this. She didn't realize to what extent Neji's hairstyle was a non-factor to him. She had once thought Hyuga tradition and such mattered to him, or maybe he just liked how he looked. But nope. It was not a part of his identity, it turned out.

She informed him, "Bad news, I'm afraid. You're never going to have fewer people to impress, Neji. Not in the position you're in."

"What position am I in?" Neji was no fan of double entendre, but in the context of pillow talk he was.

"Ino calls this Girl-on-Top." Tenten clarified casually, "As I was saying, whether you cut your hair or not, either way you'll be handsome."

"You find me handsome." He had never really thought about how she perceived him before.

"I'm sure other people do too, but count me above the rest." Tenten was arranging strands of his hair in pleasing furls and shapes, "I mean, I can see beauty even in your scowls. Imagine what it's like for me looking at you while you smile or enjoy yourself."

"Heart-shattering."

She nodded, "In the good way."

"You are whatever the sky is made of at twilight and dawn…" Neji brushed the back of her hand against his lips, "Molded into a human form. You feel like the deepest, cleanest breath of air I ever took."

"Whoa." Tenten looked down at him, bewildered.

He raised a brow, "Was that inaccurate?"

"I don't know. I don't describe myself that way…and the romance in that was off the charts." She took a small breath, "I'm still processing."

"Indulge me. That was a sincere analysis."

"At what point did you become an authority figure on the sky and my splintering from it?"

"It took time." Neji divulged as he ran a pointer finger down the valley between her breasts, "Much discontent and brooding…observing the unknowable heavens. Cold nights and all that…"

"You were a difficult kid, weren't you?" Despite his seriousness, Tenten could not resist a wisecrack.

"I was one…and one who also knew that some things are beautiful even in a turbulent world. After meeting you I was much surer of it." He plucked up one of her hands again to kiss her fingers, "Shards of heaven are few." Neji scraped his teeth against her finger and she yipped in pain when he added, "And sharp."

"Right, so be sure to handle me with care." Tenten squeezed him in annoyance between the bracket of her legs. He had a slight biting tendency she had not been aware of. She elected to immediately forgive him when he sucked her not-so-injured finger, with quite the alluring look on his face. Neji was hard again and firmly pressed into her thigh and stomach. What timing. Tenten delighted in how forward he was, completely comfortable with trying to seduce and impress her. It definitely worked. Well, even when he didn't try that worked too.

'I think I should be tired, but I'm not. And I'm pretty sure Neji is tired, but he's rallying.' Tenten thought as she rubbed herself against his shaft, relishing the hiss that escaped him. She stroked her hand from base to head, slipping him against the supple wet lips of her opening. Neji was a sight after that, bending his back and bracing her hips, keeping narrowed eyes on her. If all she did was tease him for the rest of the night, he suspected he could still die happy.

Tenten continued rubbing against him as if it were a casual thing, an observer of his writhing and grunting. She inquisitively swirled a dewdrop of moisture that welled at his tip with her thumb. His hips bucked once under her touch and Tenten asked if he would please behave. Neji's chest rose and fell with quick breaths as she resumed her investigation. What an odd, captivating creature he was. Tenten sat back on his legs and traced her fingertips down, 'round the curve of his sac and the ridge there where she pressed gently. Strange that it seemed tighter and more compact in her hand than earlier, she thought, and Tenten may have tested further if not for Neji crying out for all of the building to hear and thrashing beneath her. She found that interesting so she did it again, but the next time he hollered he mixed in a reprimand.

"But I am almost positive you didn't dislike that." Tenten contended cheerfully.

His breaths were harsh and heavy when he spoke, "That…had nothing to do…with what I liked."

"Ah, so, you don't want your screaming to wake everyone who lives here? That's fair." She grinned down at him when he tried to give her a toss, but Tenten held fast to him, and it sort of turned into a mini-wrestling contest until Neji was smiling again because she was being ridiculous and amusing in spite of her torments. Then he laid prone again and thought to hell with it, he did not really want to object to anything Tenten did. And they seemed to be past the foreplay as it was, because Tenten had pushed down onto him until he was deep inside of her, completely and warmly encompassed, and he lolled his head to the side and groaned again.

Her face was scrunched up momentarily as she got situated, adjusting to the occupation. Tenten steadied herself by bracing her hands on his stomach, "Hey Neji, you're blushing. Your face is all—"

"Never mind my face."

"I can't help it. Remember when I said how good-looking you-?"

"Please," Neji jerked again and ground into her, "No matter what I look or sound like…please."

It was sexy when he asked nicely. Tenten distributed her weight evenly on her knees and then rose up a fraction, sliding down again, watching Neji struggle and vocalize as she began to move. This felt better, actually. More specifically, she thought, being able to set the pace and depth helped alleviate the new, stretching sensation that was less painful now and more pleasantly satisfying.

She hummed his name when he reached up to knead her breasts, nipples raised and alert to his touches. Neji tended to her sensitive places, keen to the wet tightness as she slid around him, and further aroused by how Tenten eventually resumed touching herself as she had earlier. The only directions she could choke out coherently were for Neji to "not stop what he was doing," and she seemed to be handling the rest. He would try his very best to meet her demands even though he was skeptical if he could last much longer.

It was a flood of toe-curling, tantalizing feelings that made Tenten slow down just a hair, hoping to savor her singing nerves. She felt every groove on him, each twitch and throb. Not much more was needed between Neji's attentions and her own stimulation, and Tenten bowed her head slightly with a low moan that heralded release. She got quieter and leaned back as she came, stealing breaths distractedly and gripping whichever part of Neji was steadiest. Witnessing something extraordinary, he was compelled to sit upright, holding Tenten and maintaining what he could in the embrace. No sooner had Neji moved in to kiss her, as he felt her rippling and contracting around him, Tenten abruptly took a fistful of his hair and pulled his head back. He didn't fight it. He shut his eyes as she kissed and sucked a pulse point on his neck, and he slid his hands down her back to her ass, muttering her name as if it were a tune that would forever repeat in his head.

She relished Neji's cry and squeezed herself a bit tighter, because she knew by his shuddering and the tensing of his neck that he was riding his own orgasm out, so briefly after hers. Tenten was courteous enough to let go of the silky locks in her hands and let Neji move freely. He rested his head on Tenten's shoulder for a moment. Spent, Neji secured his arms around her and then fell back onto the corner of a skewed pillow, slipping out of her in the process.

Tenten nestled in beside him and pulled the abused blanket up, draping it over them. While Neji planted amazed kisses on her face and eyelids, she tried not to stress about fluids dripping very noticeably down her legs. 'I really did not think this through. It's my understanding that conception is not an instantaneous thing, but I had better hustle in the morning and make sure I did not seriously mess up just now…' Tenten suspected at least one of her friends would be assigned to rounds at the clinic tomorrow, so she could plead for help then.

The rumbling, unclear sounds coming from Neji formed an inquiry: Was she alright? Not wishing to kill the mood with, "No, we're idiots. Do you mind if I run out to procure preventative measures?" Tenten said instead, "I am great." He made a pleased, affirmative noise in reply. Neji had turned to rest his chin above her head and wind himself around her. Tenten liked that, so she crammed a pillow under her neck and back to fit into the line of his body properly. She had a feeling that she asked something poignant like, "Did I feel more like twilight or dawn?"

But what she really said was, "…why…didn't we do that sooner…?"

Sleepily, Neji confessed that he had really wanted to. But disrespecting her was out of the question, even though she'd encouraged him to be intimate time and time again.

Tenten thought something else, but was asleep, and so it became a dream.

###

Sometime late that night, Tenten's deep sleep was interrupted by a soft voice and a tap on her nose. She wandered back to consciousness and opened her eyes a sliver, not surprised to be face to face with Neji. Scratchy with sleep, she wondered, "Did you get any rest?"

"Yes." His voice was warm, like the rest of him.

Tenten gave him a hmm of approval before tucking down again, but Neji was drawing shapes on her skin and it kept her awake. She gave a less than enthusiastic grunt to that.

"Once more." Neji requested.

"No." She was happy to say it, "Sleep."

So he left it at that and Tenten rolled over, letting him spoon her fearsomely and she admitted that she liked how he rubbed himself against her backside, but she was definitely going to fall asleep again so goodnight. Neji kissed the back of her neck and behind her ears, listening to Tenten's hushed breathing. Then he slept and dreamt of a fire glowing in the night below a vault of stars.

---

When Tenten's eyes snapped open in a timely fashion the next morning, 6:00AM was scrawled in red on the bedside table's clock. She held still because she could feel Neji awake at her back, and it reminded her of pretending to be asleep on the journeys to and from the Marsh Country. She wondered if he had done the same, then.

"Hey," She rasped and reached her arm behind her to feel any bit of him, in this case his shoulder, "Neji?"

"Mm?"

"Did you ever…well, when we were on that godforsaken ship headed towards the Land of Marshes, and I bunked with you while Lee was sick…did you actually sleep?" Tenten went ahead and asked.

He stilled behind her, somewhat surprised by the question. Neji spread his hands flat on her stomach as he held her from behind, "I slept."

She pointed out, "You held me like this."

"I know I did. Though it was horrifically uncomfortable and the sleep was sub-par." Neji recalled, "And I may have acted in some moments, to seem asleep when I wasn't."

"Ah-ha." Tenten got to the bottom of it, "I think I knew you liked me then. Just then. It's kind of stupid…but for so long I felt convinced maybe I got on your nerves and challenged you too much. That you were fed up with me."

"What bizarre reasoning."

"But when we fought you were always extra mad at me. Forget Naruto or whoever was in your face at whatever time…"

"You were never the one I was angry at while we argued," Neji gave her a reassuring rub, "Let the records show. I was furious with myself for picking fights with you in the first place."

"Huh. Weird."

He didn't disagree.

"So…yeah, I was pretty sure you were into me while we were stuck on that boat. I even remember something you told me."

"What's that?"

"That I am top quality in every respect." She was grinning.

"The statement still holds up." Neji was kissing the backs of her shoulders, "Though you were late with that realization."

Tenten tried to disguise the fact that she was stunned; taken aback by the prospect that maybe he'd been attracted to her at any point before that. So she asked, "How late?"

"Moderately."

"What does-? No, I mean, give me a time frame."

"Why does it matter?"

Tenten pressed, "Work with me. Significant others are statistically proven to ask dumb things in pursuit of validation."

"If that's so…then…" He was thinking, "It depends."

Flabbergasted, "Depends on what?"

"What you want to know. If you want to know when I was fully aware of how I felt about you, then consider the time the Hokage wanted to break my neck in her office, when you were reassigned." Neji reminisced a bit, "If you want to know when I was only just becoming aware of how I felt, that was sometime during our mission to Katabami to deal with Kurosuki Raiga's gang."

Tenten listened in silence.

"Or you may want to know about how I had no idea that I cared for you, but in hindsight I can confirm I most certainly did." He offered, "Which was shortly after I met you and got to know you on our team. No one else was like you. You were distinguished although I had no way to explain it." Neji concluded, "So it depends upon what you want to know."

She had sunk into the sheets and mattress a bit more, shrinking as if to hide. That was the same length of time she could boast that she'd had eyes for him. Albeit they had achieved stages of affection and recognition at different intervals, but total runtime was about equal. Tenten felt Neji carding his fingers through her hair, but she was wound so tight it was as if her bones might break. She had asked and gotten her answer. Just because she could scarcely believe it was not his fault.

Tenten reeled inaudibly for about a minute more while Neji dillydallied beside her, then she about-faced and looked him dead in the eye, "Are you sorry that you were a jerk? If you liked me-! For that long— do you regret the garbage I had to put up with-?"

"Every waking moment," Neji confirmed, "I regret the things I did that hurt you."

She rested a closed fist against his chest, feeling frustration evaporate off of her. There. He had laid it plainly before her and now, instead of feeling shocked or upset, Tenten acknowledged that they had both been fortunate. They were here. And his kisses were feeling very good so she raised her head for a better angle and let him taste her. Neji's hand had also wandered down her chest and stomach, then explored the tender place below. Tenten halted his arm, "Hold on a minute."

Before he could try propositioning her again, Tenten sprang from her bed and out of the room. Neji plopped his head onto a pillow, choosing patience as he heard the creak of the bathroom door. Shortly after that a wail pierced the air. He sat bolt upright in fright.

In the restroom, Tenten had merely wished to relieve her bladder and then go about the day— just as soon as a burning, hellish pain made her shriek. She crumpled for a moment, holding onto the vanity's edge for dear life, 'Did I pee fire?' No. She discovered that, while whimpering and finishing up, she in fact had some degree of ripped skin. Down there.

Tenten heard a segment of Neji's unhelpful, concerned blathering on the other side of the door while she cleaned dried fluids from herself. She tried to negotiate moving around with a much more noticeable injury. Well, noticeable after the morning's first pee. The pain had worn off slightly. She asked him to please keep it down and relax, "It's okay, Neji. I'll be out in a minute." She washed her hands and brushed her teeth, then nearly crashed into him when she exited the bathroom.

Neji caught her by her shoulders, "What happened?"

"Oh, you know, just painful urination." She shrugged wearily, "Not the end of the world, but…I need to go to the health clinic."

As he looked at her, he was rapidly realizing the magnitude of recklessness they had engaged in. Tenten watched as his nostrils seemed to flare in slow motion while he drew breath.

"Take it easy." Tenten advised, "I will be fine. I just shouldn't wait." She kissed the shocked look off of Neji's face and then led him back to the bedroom, handing over the Hanfu she had meant to give him the night before, "Here. Get dressed, go home, and hold a spot for me at breakfast. I am starving."

"I should accompany you." He didn't really think about how that would look.

"Nah," Said Tenten as she pulled her clothes on, "I don't think you should. Sakura isn't going to be thrilled about this…and I don't want her to condemn the both of us."

---

Across town in an annex of Konoha Hospital, Tenten had asked around and then been pointed in Sakura's direction. She was not currently in the Women's Health Ward, but the secretary said she would page Sakura for her. Tenten thanked the lady at the desk and took a very careful seat in a waiting area. Several minutes later, Sakura appeared (somewhat dressed down) and bid Tenten good morning with a wave. Then her expression crystalized as she immediately noted the absence of buns in Tenten's hair, which had instead been tied in pigtails. It alerted Sakura that something was amiss.

"Trauma Ward is that way." Sakura pointed with her thumb back over her shoulder, "But you don't look like you're bleeding or anything."

"Hi, Sakura."

She rested her hands on her hips and stood beside Tenten, "Hi. What'd you do?"

"Uh." Tenten smiled sheepishly, "I got a little hurt. I was careless."

"Is that so? Walk with me." Sakura sounded an awful lot like Tsunade sometimes, directing Tenten to a nearby patient room, "Give me the details please."

"Well I…have a nocturnal injury." Tenten announced.

Sakura quirked a brow at her as she shut the door, "Nocturnal?"

"You know. A…sex injury."

"…you're kidding me." She tried to frown but only dissolved into laughter, "What'd you-?"

Tenten clarified, "Look, it was my first time and I was pretty stupid about it. Poorly planned, I'll admit. I've been incredibly busy lately, so when spontaneity took over it's not like Neji was paying much attention either."

"Alright, alright. Just, go behind that screen for me and change into this," Sakura handed her a packaged hospital gown, "I'll fix you." Tenten did as instructed as Sakura went on, "External injury?"

"I think so. It hurt like hell when I peed."

"Yeah, that's more common than you'd think." Sakura sighed, "Did you use protection?"

"What's with the survey—"

"Don't start. As your medical caregiver, for the time being, I need you to cooperate." Sakura tapped a foot impatiently, "Answer the question."

"No. We didn't."

"Have you ever had other sexual partners?"

"No!" Tenten barked from behind the partition.

"Has Neji ever had other partners?"

"No, Sakura, he definitely hasn't." Tenten stomped around the screen in the flimsy gown and followed Sakura's pointing finger, then clambered up the seat and into stirrups, "I already know how idiotic it was."

"Then don't expect to hear the end of it from me." The pink haired woman adopted a motherly tone, "You can't take chances. Now more than ever you're in a precarious position with your clan, and you may not get a say whether or not you want to complete an unintended—"

"Sakura, I know—"

Sakura turned on a lamp and swiveled it, snapping gloves on before the examination, "Yeah, you know. Then act like it. I can't believe an older, more mature kunoichi who I look up to does dumb shit like this." On a rolling stool, Sakura moved in to take a closer look, "Ah. Right there. Can you raise your butt up a little?"

Humiliated but grateful, Tenten complied and Sakura evaluated her. The medic-nin sighed and asked if anything else was bothering her, "While I'm down here?"

"No." Tenten had folded her hands on her stomach and stared at the ceiling. The drudgery of such checkups straddled the line between boring and mortifying. Then came a knock at the door.

"Sa-ku-ra." It was Ino's voice, and she sounded way too upbeat and awake this morning.

"I'm with Tenten." Sakura called in response.

"Oh!" Ino took that as an invitation to waltz in, which it wasn't, "Good morning, ladies! What's…what the-? Did you switch primary physicians or-?"

"No, I'm with her as in treating her." Sakura grumbled, "Do you mind?"

"Sakura, I was looking for you since we were going to start that double-blind trial, but Shizune-san took over and told me you were paged somewhere." Ino crossed her arms and nonchalantly looked between Tenten's legs, "Rough mission?"

Tenten was no longer embarrassed, simply resigning herself to the scrutiny and clinical takes of her medically inclined friends. She was upfront about it, "Not a mission. Just sex."

"Well that's preferable." Ino conceded, "Huh! Looks like you had a bit too much fun."

"Not really. It all felt pretty normal."

"Except for the part where you were stupid." Sakura reiterated as she pressed a healing hand to the offending wound, "Ripped perineum. This will be just a minute or two."

"If you claim it was normal activity how did you rip that?" Ino was perplexed.

"I don't know. Apparently I don't know anything because I'm stupid." Tenten defended.

"We all do something ill-advised, at some point." Ino offered a rare token of consolation, "And you know what, Tenten? Good for you! It took Neji a while before he pounced."

"It did. I'm happy though. It feels like a…scream-it-from-mountaintops kind of happy." Tenten reported sunnily, "Even if the aftermath stung a little."

"Normal sex wouldn't have done that to you, though. Did you try any weird positions? You're more likely to injure something that way."

"No…no, it was only beginner-level stuff, I'd say." Tenten maintained, "Nothing adventurous."

"Of course not. And in that case, if you kept it basic then you probably tore just because he was big." Ino assessed, unaffected by both Tenten and Sakura's flustered retorts.

"Hey, do me a favor and do not talk about any of that stuff while I'm down here." Sakura complained.

"Gosh, you girls just can't handle frank talk. Sakura, you don't have to think about how you were the second person in the last ten hours to get close to Tenten's—"

Sakura trilled for Ino to shut her mouth and hurled a box of gloves at her with a free hand. Tenten laid in the seat, extremely abashed, "You know what? I'll keep the injury. I'm just gonna go…"

"Hold it, we're nearly done." Sakura tried to reel things in again, "Sorry. Ino has a way with words in situations like this, and there's a time and a place for that talk," She turned and added over her shoulder, "And it's not in an examination room."

"I just wanted to congratulate her." Ino protested weakly.

Tenten chirped, "Thanks, but can you do just say something without squeebing Sakura out? I kind of need her help."

"That's not easy for me to do, but I can give it a shot."

Sakura decided to put her friend to work, "Ino, would you mind grabbing me a patient file and day-after medication? That's just outside in the cabinet on the left."

"Sure. Levonorgestrel tablet, right?"

"Yup. Pink and orange box, about eye-level on the shelf."

Ino set off with those directions and Tenten breathed a sigh of relief.

"She gets less obnoxious when she has something to do." Sakura observed, adding, "When did you last have your period?"

"Over a week ago-?" Tenten estimated.

"Alright. That's cutting it real close to an unsafe time, so be smarter from now on. Ino's getting a medication you should take right away that prevents fertilization. If for any reason it makes you vomit by mid-morning, let someone know or send for me. Though I'm pretty sure it'll work without making you sick." Sakura explained, done with the healing process, "You're all set. Let me just take some notes."

"You're going to keep a file on me?" Tenten slipped out of the seat and moved to the divider to change. She felt much better, save for a slight, residual ache from last night's happenings.

"A few temporary notes, until I can get your health file from the other office. I want to show it to Tsunade-shishou so she can approve a prescription for you. I don't have authorization to do that yet." Sakura pulled the gloves off and tossed them in a waste bin.

While dressing Tenten asked, "A prescription for—?"

"Birth control." Sakura deadpanned, "Unless you have other plans, I assume you want to concentrate on a shinobi career for the time being."

"No, you hit the nail on the head right there."

Ino returned and handed over a folder to Sakura, and then reached around the partition to gift Tenten with a box, "Here you go! Take that with a meal. Congrats again."

"Thanks…"

---

About an hour later, Tsunade read the file that Sakura had slipped onto her desk. She looked up slowly with an unamused expression and Sakura could only shrug at her.

"All I have to say is good grief." The Hokage sniffed. She approved a blank prescription with the monthly shot Sakura had recommended, and then handed it back to her apprentice, "Go drop that off for me, Sakura. Thank you for intercepting silly visits that I no longer have patience for."

"Just doing my duty, Shishou."

"Come back in a little while, I'm having a brief chat with some Tide diplomats next."

Sakura confirmed she would before leaving the office. She greeted the gaggle of Tide Village representatives who passed her in the hallway. Then the group moseyed on in to boisterously hail the Hokage, at least in Inari's case. Most of his companions were older, quieter, and tuckered out after traveling from Hidden Sand the day before.

"Good morning," Tsunade managed, because she was still running off of the last vestiges of caffeine in her system, "Hello, Inari and Tazuna, it's good to see you." She spotted Menma with a more mature ninja beside him, and two polished middle-aged women who she supposed were the deal-makers, "And hello friends from the Tide Village. How was your visit to Sand?"

"Dry." Tazuna offered, "Saw some old friends of mine out there too. Had a drink with a bridge builder named Mara…ate the Kazekage's food. It was alright."

Inari gave his assessment, "It's awesome! Kind of bigger than our city at home. But like grandpa says, I don't think I could live without a beach being close by."

"What kind of Tide ninja would you be if you strayed from where the tides are?" Tsunade smiled slightly at the boy, who had a Nawaki-like vibe to him, "Were any deals struck?"

"Yep." Said Tazuna, "Wanna give her a summary, Umeka?" He turned to the suited woman beside him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hokage-sama. Honda Umeka; director of Trade Administration in Shiogakure." She stepped forward and handed over a card, which Tsunade accepted quizzically, "Hidden Sand's village council and trade commission accepted our offer of 500 million Ryo over the next three years to import shinobi equipment, weaponry, artisans, and technology. We also concluded deals to export fish, fruit, produce, grain, oilseeds, milk, sugar, textiles, and other crops to Hidden Sand for preferential duty rates. I hope we can expand what Tide has to offer with the Hidden Leaf Village as well."

"You have my attention." Tsunade accepted a small booklet as well, glimmering with photos and smiling faces of Tide inhabitants, "You seem to be doing very well for yourselves. It's remarkable how quickly your village recovered after years of oppression."

"We never thought we would get to where we are now." Umeka agreed, "And we are thankful for our prosperity. We hope to share it with the friends we've made."

"Very good, Honda-san. Can I put our Trade Commissioner in touch with you? I'm not up to date on our current needs and deficits, but I am sure he will be eager to start a conversation." The Hokage handed back that contact info, to Umeka's delight. She and her trade office companion, Masaki, promised they would collaborate soon.

"In addition to all of that frilly stuff," Tazuna tacked on, "Maybe we might set up an exchange of labor, of sorts. We recently tested Tide's Sensory Corps and found it's lacking, to put it nicely. If you'd be willing to lend any expertise for training, Tide can make it worth your while monetarily. And we'd shine your shoes twice if you'd be willing to assist with Sealing Corps training." He exchanged a weary look with Menma, "Sand did a great job establishing our Sealing Corps, and we even had a defected Mist Sealing veteran in charge of it."

"How could that possibly go wrong?" Tsunade wondered.

"Well make no mistake, he was an upstanding gent," Tazuna defended the Sealing Commissioner, "He just happened to be 96 years old and he died last week. Right before our cadets could finish tests to be promoted to analysts…so now we have a bunch of disorganized greenhorns who aren't confident enough to say: We can protect the village."

"Troubling." Tsunade concurred, lacing her hands under her chin.

"Let me know if that's doable." Tazuna requested.

"I will find that out for you. I'm overdue for a talk with our Sealing Corps head as it is." Tsunade leaned back in her chair and scanned her eyes across the line of Tide visitors, "Tazuna, Inari, Menma, Umeka, and Masaki…" She rapped a red nail on her desktop, "And who are you?"

The man released a small sigh, as if he had been trying to blend into the background.

"Tsunade-sama, please let us introduce Utakata to you." Menma spoke up, "He has been with us for quite some time, and was a former Mist ninja. He is an Academy tutor and one of the co-chairs of our Jounin Council."

"Ah, I've heard about you before." Tsunade wore a tiny, sly smile, "Not the most social fellow, but who could blame you? It's heartening to see so many Mist vagrants making a home for themselves somewhere peaceful."

"He's alright, I guess." Tazuna sort of vouched for their transplant ninja, "Quite the foodie, I must say. He's reviewed every restaurant in the Tide Village already. He's not that great with kids, but he's gotten better. I noticed that he recently got a girlfriend too and she's a looker."

"Do you mind?" Utakata hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

"I am trying to make you seem more appealing to the Hokage, but you're a tough sell." Tazuna snapped back.

"He's nice enough." Umeka vouched and Masaki tepidly supported the claim.

"Why do you guys have to make it sound like he's a jerk? He's cool! He saved Menma and Matsuri during the attack, and he's got this Bubble-Blowing jutsu that no one else uses. Well, like, he's got a million jutsu, he knows his stuff." Inari contributed.

"Thank you, Inari," Menma then suggested, "Why don't we let Utakata-san speak for himself? Earlier he said that he wished to speak with the Hokage."

"Oh." Inari quieted down.

Tsunade turned her gaze expectantly back to Utakata as he was given the floor. He seemed to relax a little and took a few steps closer.

He started off with, "I am the jinchuriki of the Six-Tails."

Tsunade was unperturbed, "I know."

"Because Gaara-sama told you?" Utakata supposed.

"He did. He was very pleased to meet you. I am confident he did not share that information with anyone else." Tsunade assured him, "We know better than that."

"The Kazekage told me that you can be trusted. That unlike leaders I've known in the past, you won't use others— you won't use a jinchuriki as a weapon, or against his or her will." Utakata had intense orange eyes, fixing them on Tsunade, "Gaara-sama told me that you care for and believe in the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki. That he has friends and is appreciated here."

Not fully aware of such sensitive details, Tazuna exchanged frazzled glances with Menma and Inari. Umeka and Masaki did not even appear to fully understand what the shinobi in the room were talking about.

"I love this village's jinchuriki. I'm not afraid to say that." Tsunade replied evenly, "If you want to judge whether or not the Leaf Village can be depended upon…because I expect Hidden Mist has let you down…you need to determine that for yourself. My words only count for so much."

"I trust the Kazekage."

"And well you should. He is a good man." She agreed, "Wiser than many twice his age."

"Would you care for the welfare of other jinchuriki? Those who do not belong to your village?" He asked, "If they came here seeking shelter from violence, hatred, or abuse…if their home was no longer their home? Would you accept them? If their power was a danger to themselves and those around them? Or if they feared for their lives because the Akatsuki chases them endlessly, no matter where they go?"

Tsunade smiled at him. She understood him a bit better.

Utakata trailed off and tried to figure out what her reactions meant.

"I already have. My Sensei, the late Third Hokage, has also done so and with great care." She tipped her hand to point at him, "So are you, as one of this fellowship of open-minded shinobi— are you prepared to do your part? Will you and the Tide Village stand with us against the Akatsuki and the terror they spread?"

He was stock still for a long breath, cogs whirring in his head in an effort to make sure he wasn't being lied to again. That this cause was not a farce or distraction, and that the Hokage was not paying him lip service as so many in his life had done. The corner of Utakata's mouth twitched up, resisting a relieved smile. He got a strong impression that she was the genuine article. Hidden Leaf could be an ally after all.

Inari whispered from behind him, "I think we totally should say yes."

Tazuna gave the boy a nudge, "Shh!"

Menma restrained a chuckle and then moved to stand beside Utakata, who glanced at him curiously and then recognized it as a gesture of solidarity. Inari got the hint and then joined the bunch, the shortest ninja among them, but he too bowed to the Hokage with respect when Utakata and Menma did so.

"Guess I've got no choice but to agree too if these blockheads have to make a decision like that." Tazuna grumbled, cocking a hand on his hip, "Then let's just say your enemies are our enemies now. But if we're gonna be buddies, please feel free to help us get into top shape."

"Certainly. I intend to." Tsunade soothed any doubt, "I'm glad we agree on this matter. Out of respect for the risk you are taking on; know that I will forward any intelligence regarding the Akatsuki's position, activity, and known members to your security advisors and Jounin Council. I will ask Gaara to do the same."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Utakata had warmed up to her.

While the Hokage was being pleasant and tittering things like oh, not at all! Her office door whooshed open again and a twenty-something-year-old Sarutobi ninja bustled in with a half-shouted announcement before he silenced himself and slinked backwards out the door again. He had not expected such a large party to be in Tsunade's office, but she ushered him in, "Banri, get in here! They were just leaving."

The Tide Village group said their farewells and saw themselves out. Sarutobi Banri gave them acknowledging nods of his head before rushing towards Tsunade and sinking to one knee in formality, "Hokage-sama—"

"Oh please don't let this be bad news." She prayed out loud, alone with the young man. He was a Leaf Village Sealing Corps clerk, and anything involving the Sealing Corps tended to be a serious matter.

"I don't believe so, but it is urgent." Banri prefaced it before he said, "Netsuke-sama needs a private audience with you as soon as possible, my lady."

"Netsuke?" Her eyes nearly crossed at the name-drop of the Sarutobi clan's leader, "So this isn't related to the Sealing Corps?"

"No, Tsunade-sama. This is a request made on behalf of the Sarutobi clan. Netsuke-sama did not share with me what he wished to discuss, but…" Banri rose to stand and lowered his voice, "He said I should tell you that the Sandaime would have wanted you to know about it."

She exhaled a rattling sigh, realizing she had stood up as the tension of the announcement hit her. Tsunade dropped into her seat again and began rummaging around her drawers for a liquid cure. She flicked her hand at him to signal haste, "Return to him immediately. I will meet Netsuke at my residence as soon as I am able, just to avoid any busybody ears in this building. I have a few more things to attend to."

"Yes, my lady!" Banri departed to carry the message.

"Why did I overbook myself today?" Tsunade wondered miserably. She had about six more appointments, not counting the brief lesson she wanted to go over with Sakura. Some cutbacks were going to have to be made, because she did not like the gut feeling that accompanied an alarm being raised by the Sarutobi clan.

Tsunade slumped over dejectedly when she found that the bottle in her drawer was empty.

---

At the exact same time, far away in the Wind Country, Gaara was also folded over onto his office desk. It was going to be a short, ten-minute power nap. Shukaku had promised to wake him to get on with the hectic day.

Even while trying to sleep his brain raced. Luckily, it was thinking about mostly good things. Such as how the new deals with the Tide Village were going to catapult Hidden Sand into a new age of abundance. The village was already flourishing, thanks to thoughtful and committed management since he had been sworn in as a village leader. Gaara wouldn't take full credit for it. The accomplishment belonged just as much to his brother and sister, Baki, the elders, the hard-working everymen and merchants, the students, the harried Chunin and Jounin who had returned to their senses after Rasa's conspirator regime and collusion with Orochimaru. Only by forging ahead together had they gotten anywhere.

Somewhere in his head Shukaku whispered for Gaara to roll over a bit, because he was drooling on a chart he had just worked on for thirty minutes, You'll mess it up.

Gaara turned over, and the thought floated back to him, remembering how he'd been concentrating on finalizing the list of entrants for the Accelerated Chunin Exam. Soon he would hold meetings with stage proctors and administrators about guidelines and how to run it.

A brief vision of Sakura danced behind his eyelids. There was a distinct feeling of flirtation and romance, but she seemed tired, as if she'd had a busy workday too. He dreamed of her asking politely to use his hammock on the roof for a nap. Yes, but only if he joined her. But that thought vanished, because something much louder and livelier shook everything up in his mind.

Naruto had practically stormed the Sand Village— stormed his life, and so very loudly. He seemed identical to his younger, hyperactive self. Gaara was aware that this dream-version of his friend was probably not accurate anymore, but it was what he remembered. No, it could not have been current because Haku was there too, being pleasant and attentive— qualities he really did not possess in spades these days. At least in Gaara's opinion.

"Gaara."

Now he was dreaming of someone talking to him. What did he have to do to get some peace and quiet?

Gaara, wake up. Your sister's here.

He peeked his eyes open and raised his head from where it was tucked on his folded arms. Gaara regarded Temari blearily, as she had just returned from a three-day reconnaissance assignment near the Land of Water. She was still dressed in dark stealth colors. She gave his head an affectionate, sisterly pat, "You okay?"

"Recharging." Gaara sat up and yawned.

"You need it." Temari lowered herself slowly onto a cushy armchair on the opposite side of the desk, "Ahh…I'm glad I'm home now. I need a bath. And wine. Do you want to debrief now or keep napping?"

"Debrief." Gaara chose, still mostly splayed over his desk, "What was it like down there?"

"Essentially all went as planned. Kasuga, Muta, and I met with the informant in the Tide Village, the one you put in a reward-ad for. I couldn't believe he wasn't a turncoat or snitch, since he came from Hidden Mist…but Tazuna told me it's normal for Tide ninja who came from Mist to be trustworthy. It's like they're starting over completely." She slouched back and put her feet up on a coffee table, "So anyway, the guy's name was Reijiro and he's a recent Mist defector. Wants to buy a house in Tide so he said sure, he'd help us track anyone in the Land of Water because he knows it pretty well. I talked to him for a while before we paid him. He was a Sensor-type just like Muta, and there was some great interface between them while we searched."

"How did you start?" Gaara asked.

"With rumors. Most of them were tips of where Momochi Zabuza may have been, but they were all eight months stale or older, which wasn't helpful. We took a roundabout route through some southern islands that were remote and cleared of drug cartels. Those hideouts were all empty…we went to some active gang hubs after that on larger islands," Temari stretched her arms above her head and cracked her back, "But you guessed it: not much there either."

Gaara rolled a paperweight back and forth over papers, "When did the trail get warmer?"

"When I made a suggestion." She smiled, "Reijiro was convinced for a while that we were looking for a rogue, but by that he meant the rogue he knows. Which is from Hidden Mist. They're cutthroats and scoundrels. He was picturing Momochi Zabuza. Then I corrected him and asked where would we go if we were looking for a humanitarian, or someone who uses medical jutsu? Because that's what Haku does." Temari went on, "Then he got a better idea of how to narrow it down. We went to a place called Moji that used to have a University. He said that sometimes human-rights groups did work there because it's gotten so bad. Know what I found out?" She looked smugly at her brother.

"What?" He was listening intently.

"A few people recognized Haku's description. There weren't any specific leads about where he went or what kind of work he did. But a businessman named Gomo said we should try going north. Hell, north it was. And you told me that Haku is friends with an old merchant named Hiroshi, so we tried asking old people if they had any contact with either of them." She snapped her fingers, "That's when…some shipping depot workers in a harbor told us: Oh, you want Nanakusa. That's the next island over. There are young medic-nin training there, and they serve the senior citizen community." Temari smiled victoriously, "And you know the other attraction of that island? Hiroshi's tea shop. Word got around."

"So he's there." Gaara said, sitting up and shaking off sleep.

"He's there." Temari nodded, "Or at least based there. We would have taken a boat over to check, but we nearly ran straight into a Mist patrol that scared the hell out of Reijiro. We retreated when he said that Terumi-psycho would have melted us instantly if he caught us." She recalled, "So I want to go back prepared. Two Sensor-types…give me Muta if he's available. He's good. And I need ninja who are quick and discreet."

Gaara headed her off before she could ask for a veteran kunoichi, "You can't have Zeriko. She's in the Lightning Country."

"Shit." Temari bit her thumbnail.

"Kankuro would be ill-suited."

"I love him, but he'd be ill-suited." Temari agreed, "And you need to stay here…"

"Yes. And I won't send Matsuri."

"No, no, she needs more time to train." His sister sighed, "Well, just put together a team that can hold its own against a Swordsman of Mist."

"It seems I scattered that team on assignments for the time being. I didn't think you would find Haku so fast." Gaara apologized, "Do you want to wait until I recall more veterans?"

"Why? He might leave the island, and veteran jounin will bitch if you send them out again for back-to-back missions."

"What am I paying them for?" Gaara sniffed.

"I don't want to wait. Give me the best team that's available to head out tomorrow. I'll manage." Temari decided.

He gave her a measured, contemplative look before nodding, "Alright."

"Thanks. Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?" She changed the subject.

"Apart from Tide Village deal ratification and watching the council salivate for that money?" Gaara rolled his eyes up to remember any noteworthy events, "Exam planning. I did laundry."

"Phew. No wonder you're so tired." She grinned at his annoyed face.

"Don't patronize me. Do you know how hard it is cleaning a house after a full day's work?"

"Uh, hello? Let's just get a maid. You don't have to be so uptight about how things are done at home."

"We're not rich."

"No, but the three of us make enough to afford a housekeeper." Temari planted her hands on the desk and leaned over, "You're just stubborn."

"One of my finer qualities." He handed her an empty lunchbox he had eaten out of, "Please take that home. I'll wash it later."

"Oh my god. Don't ever complain to me again." She laughed at him and spun on her heel. By the time Temari was out of the office, Gaara felt nauseous. It was not his first instinct to send his sister on this assignment without the proper pieces on the chess board. He wanted to call her back and renege on the decision; make her wait for more experienced, veteran Jounin to accompany her on this retrieval operation.

She would get miffed at him again. Temari was itching to go, thrilled that her leads had delivered them to a concrete endpoint. She wanted to strike while the iron was hot. That was just how she was. To avoid her razor-toothed impatience and ire, Gaara would give her the team she asked for, when she asked for it.

But it didn't feel right.

---

Chapter 45- Blood