17: That Which Is Forbidden

It was late in the evening when Temari finished the movements of her katas involving her smaller Tessen. The fact that Naruto had disarmed her so easily had weighed heavily on her mind since the first battle, and if she was to face him again, then she needed to be better with the smaller weapons should she lose her mother's Dai Tessen again.

It had been a long time since she had practiced with them, if she were to be honest. When she was three, and just learning the art, her mother had been the one to teach her. The slow movements of the technique always fascinated her when she watched her mother, and when she offered to teach her, the girl had jumped at the opportunity.

Now, twelve years later, she had come to master it on her own using her inherited Dai Tessen, all but abandoning the smaller ones for the power she wielded with the larger weapon. It saddened her to thing that, after the woman's death, she had forgotten that the she had also used to Tessen in close range combat effectively. If she remembered the tales she heard from Baki, her mother had been the most power Wind user that Suna had ever seen. Now that honor fell to her.

The air flowed around her in visible streams as she moved through her stances, guiding them to her will. To guide the Wind was the only way to use her Wind style. If she tried to control the Wind, then it would not bend to her will. It would resist her, for who could control the Wind? She was strong enough to flatten an entire mile of forest if she so wished it. Her Wind was sharp enough to cut down even the armored Samurai of the Land of Iron. Yet, she noted with dismay, that she was powerless.

Her chat with Haku that morning had helped her after she had gotten it off of her chest. In a way, she had somewhat accepted the fact that she, as a kunoichi, had no other choice but to heed the word of her Daimyo, and her Kage. But her whole life she was taught that she, as a Wind user, was to be as free as the Wind itself by both of her parents.

But since her mother's death, her father had been horrid. Not only had she nearly lost her brother, but now, of all things that could be taken from her, she was going to lose her freedom. If Wind could not be free, then it was not the Wind, but simple, still air, confined and unmoving. She could not accept that, yet she knew she had to.

You could always run away, part of her said as she folded the two fans, replacing them at her hips. Leave behind all of your worries and strife that village has caused you. She sighed, wishing it were that simple. Yes, she could leave her village and become a rogue...but that would mean that she would have to leave all that she knew and loved. Her brothers. The surrogate father she saw in Baki...her true father...

Thinking on that, she felt no love for the man that she knew as her father, because he had done nothing but grow more and more distant from his children. And it was all of his fault to begin with. He loved her mother dearly, that much she knew, but to seal the Shukaku inside of Gaara whilst Karura was still pregnant with him was foolish. Not only had it just barely worked, but it had cost him the love of his life.

Sighing as she walked back to the compound, she noted that Gaara was standing outside watching her. "Gaara-kun?"

"Why do you not run, Onee-san?" He asked her in his gravely voice, "If father thinks you were killed during this mission, then you would be free of him."

Temari smiled as she neared him, having had that exact thought only moments ago, and kissed the top of his head, earning an embarrassed blush from her youngest sibling, "Where would I go, Gaara-kun?" She asked him, "Where in all the Elemental Nations could I hide that no other Daimyo or Kage won't recognize me?"

"Go to Naruto-kun," Gaara said, as if doing so would solve all of her problems. "He would care for you, and protect you. You know he would."

Temari had to fight back a blush, "Gaara...he has enough problems without having to look after a runaway...and besides, I need no one to protect me." She said, smiling at her brother, "I am the Wind, Gaara, and the Wind is free to do as she pleases."

"But not to love whom she wants," Gaara put in sadly, looking at the girl, "I know very little of love, Nee-san, but I know that you care for him greatly."

Temari nodded, "It doesn't take a fortune teller to see that much," she said, sighing, "The more I think about it, the more I know it's true." She laughed, shaking her head, "But what kind of life could we have? If I ran away with him to the Leaf, Father and the Daimyo would plunge the land into war. They're just waiting for the right spark to ignite it. And I can't very well ask him to go rogue with me. Pakura-san would be heartbroken if she lost her son, and I doubt he would want to leave all of his friends behind."

Gaara shook his head sadly, "We are Jinchuuriki...we do not have friends."

"Am I not your friend?" She asked, "Or Kankuro, and Baki-sensei?"

"No," the red-head said, smiling slightly, "You are my family."

Temari smiled and brought the boy into her arms for a hug, holding him tightly, "And it's because you're all my family that I can't leave the Sand." She told him truthfully, "If I left, only half of my heart would go with me. You and Kankuro are all I have left of the precious few I can call blood. I can't leave you to Father's madness."

Gaara looked up at her, "What if I were to become the next Kazekage?" He asked, "If I did that, then maybe - "

"There's no going against the will of a Daimyo, Gaara-kun," she said, her eyes beginning to well with tears at her brother's determination. "Even if you become a Kage, there's no standing against our Daimyo. We, who walk the shadows, belong to him."

"We are shinobi, not slaves," Gaara said stoically.

Temari sighed, having no answer for that, and pulled away from him. "There's nothing that can be done, now, Gaara-kun. But just have patience. Baki-sensei has been thinking of ways to get me out of this. Perhaps he'll find a way?"

"He had better."

Temari shook her head whilst rolling her eyes at the boy, "Go ahead and go back. I'm going down to the river to bathe since I worked up a little sweat with my katas."

Gaara smirked, "You simply love the plentiful cool waters found here."

"Caught me," she said, unphased, and gave him a little push, "Go on, now, I won't be gone long."

=x=

Naruto slammed his hand down onto the table, glaring daggers at the boy that had spoken so foolishly to him. Inari, for his part, jumped slightly when the blond shinobi glared at him. His blue orbs seemed to look right through him. "I don't know what it's like?" Naruto growled, his fangs bared, "You sit there, saying that we're all going to die because no one can beat Gato, and you don't even realize that once he's done with us, he's gonna go right after Tazuna, do you?!"

Inari was stunned, and looked at his grandfather, who nodded, "It's true, Inari-chan. If they die, then so will I. It's the whole reason I hired them."

"And you're complaining about your life here?" Naruto went on, shrugging off Sakura's hand when she placed it on his shoulder, "When was the last time you took a stroll through the village, you little twerp? Have you seen just what your people are going through?" He growled angrily, the pupils in his eyes bordering on slits, "There are people living on the streets, and children starving to death, all because Gato is sucking this place dry. And here you sit, a loving mother, and grandfather, willing to risk everything, put food on the table, and keep you safe, and all you can do is complain?!"

Naruto then pointed to Sasuke, "You see him? He's the same as you are," Naruto growled, "He lost his father, just like you, to a man that wanted nothing more than to turn the Leaf into a military fortress, making our shinobi nothing more than emotionless dolls. If he had succeeded, then Tazuna would be dead long before we got here."

He gestured to Sakura, "She comes from a civilian family, and wanted nothing to do with shinobi life for her. But she's now a strong kunoichi, despite their fears of their little girl dying or something worse happening to her out in the field."

Sakura sat back, a somber look on her face, "As a kunoichi, I have every chance of being targeted because I seem like the weakest one on the team, and if I'm lucky, I'd be dead right there and then," she looked at the boy, sighing, "But...if not, I'd be raped, sold, and raped again. That's usually the fate that befalls a kunoichi if she's caught away from her team by an enemy."

Sasuke growled, "Over my dead body," he grumbled quietly, only loud enough for his teammates to hear. He looked over at the boy, "Naruto's right, if we do die against Gato's forces, your family is as good as dead." He said, sighing, "We've heard the story about your father, and I think he was a good man. Like my father, he wanted to change his people for the better, but never lived to see the results. My clan is now back to their former glory, thanks to his sacrifice...and I'm proud to call him my father...but that doesn't take the hurt away...I never got to say good-bye...or even hear him say 'that's my boy' like he used to do for my brother. That's all I ever wanted."

Inari was crying heavily now in shame. "And what about you?" He asked of the blond, "What have you got to worry about?"

Naruto chuckled, smiling, and raised his hand. Inari looked at him in confusion for a moment before the blond's hand, normal for the moment, began to change. His nails became claws, while his fingers began to lengthen. A small patch of red fur appeared on the back of his hand before it all went away as Naruto flexed his hand. "I've probably got it the worst." Naruto said, sighing, "I won't complain and say my life's been hell, because it hasn't. But I won't say it's been great, either. When I was born, I had something really powerful locked away inside of me. And because of that, I was hated and feared by everyone in the village. The orphanage kicked my out when I was five, and I had to fend for myself for a little while...until the villagers found me."

His friends and sensei looked on in shock as the blond spoke, "They beat me, cut me, stabbed me...and they laughed." He looked at the boy, who, along with his family, was horrified by the normally happy blond's words. "That's the night I learned to the truth of all their hate. I remember it all now, even though I wasn't supposed to. I killed them all." He said, looking down at his hands, "Makes no sense that I froze when I killed Gozu, and turned him to ash when I used these hands of mine to rip every one of those bastards that hurt me to pieces." He looked at the boy, smiling, "you wanna know what I've got to worry about? I've got to worry about control most of all. If I lose control like that again...I'll become the Nine-Tailed Fox that the Fourth Hokage sealed away inside of me."

With that, the blond rose from his seat. "Where are you going?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto turned to him and shrugged, "Just need to clear my head, that's all," he said, "I won't go far."

"Be careful out there, son," Pakura smiled gently at him, "And don't get into any trouble."

Naruto smiled at his mother and kissed her cheek as he passed by, "No promises, Mom."

Pakura rolled her eyes as the boy left the house. She rose from her seat, collecting his dishes along with her own. "I'll go ahead and wash these for you, Tsunami-san."

"Let me help you," Sakura offered, smiling at the kunoichi as she picked up her own plate.

Tsunami finally smiled a little and nodded to them, "Thank you, that's very kind."

Pakura shook her head at the woman, "It's no trouble," she said, "We are your guests for the time being, but I'd rather pull my weight more than simply protecting you and your family."

Sakura followed her into the kitchen as she started running water into the sink. The young rosette was quiet for a moment before she saw the tears streaming down her sensei's face. "Pakura-sensei?"

Pakura shook her head, "If only I'd met him sooner..."

Back in the main room, Sasuke was still glowering at the boy, "Hey, brat," Inari looked up at him, "You wanna know what the worst part of this mission is? Naruto's got a friend that's working with Gato. And now he's gonna have to fight her to the death...guess who I think has it worse, him or you?"

Meanwhile, Naruto walked slowly through the forest around the village, feeling a sense of exhaustion washing over him. "Man," the blond sighed, "Why'd I have to go and run my mouth like that?" He wondered, kicking a fallen branch out of his path as he walked along. He stood on the hillside overlooking the village, seeing very few lights burning in any of the houses.

Sighing, the blond continued on a little further. Looking up, he saw the moon rising in the night sky, and a part of of him thought about the girl he hadn't seen for years until recently. He chuckled humorlessly, "This is some screwed up way for us to see each other again," he said to himself, moving along a small path that led down to a river.

The forest around Wave, he noticed, was rich with life. He could smell the earthy scent of deer as they bedded down. Hear the rapid heartbeat of rabbits hidden in the bushes as he passed them by, wary of his own predatory scent. He noticed a long time ago that his senses were far sharper than they should have been when he was so untrained to use them. He figured that was another gift the Fox's chakra had given him.

Hearing the sound of water, he made his way toward it, the fresh, clean scent too tempting to pass up as a thirst washed over him. But as he neared the water...

Yuuyami semaru kumo no ue
Itsumo ichiiwa de tonde iru
Taka wa kitto kanashi karou
Oto mo todaeta kaze no naka
Sora wo tsukanda sono tsubasa
Yasumeru koto wa deki nakute

Naruto's heart nearly lept from his chest as he heard the familiar voice, and the song he knew belong to only one girl. He sprang into the trees and lept from branch to branch, moving toward the river quietly.

Kokoro wo nani ni tatoe you
Taka no you na kono kokoro
Kokoro wo nani ni tatoe you
Sora wo mau yo na kanashi sa wo

As he heard the sound of running water, he returned to the ground, keeping low.

Ame no sobo furui wakage ni
Itsumo chiisaku saite iru
Hana wa kitto setsuna karou
Iro mo kasunda ame no naka
Usu momo-iro no hanabira wo
Medete kureru te mo nakute

The voice became louder and more clear the closer he got, until he crawled on his belly behind the bushes that lined the shore. He raised himself up slightly to peer over the top, and nearly dropped into the water from what he saw.

Water cascaded down her body as she bathed beneath the moonlight, not even noticing him as he shrank back down, trying to avoid staring at her. But her rich, clear voice held too much sway over him, almost compelling him to look.

Kokoro wo nani ni tatoe you
Hana no you na kono kokoro
Kokoro wo nani ni tatoe you
Ame ni utareru setsuna sa wo

Hitokage taeta no no michi wo
Watashi totomo ni ayunderu
Anata mo kitto samishi karou
Mushi no sasayaku kusahara wo
Tomo ni michiyuku hito dakedo
Taete mono iu koto mo naku

Kokoro wo nani ni tatoe you
Hitori michiyuku kono kokoro
Kokoro wo nani ni tatoe you
Hitoribocchi no sabishi sa wo

Naruto clenched his fists. Whose heart is she singing about? Hers, or someone else's? He wondered as he tried to move away. Unfortunately for him, there just so happened to be a twig beneath his foot, which snapped as he stepped on it.

The sound of her voice, and the sound of her splashing stopped completely, and Naruto froze like a bird within the sights of a snake.

"Whoever's over there is dead if they're not gone by the time I get out of the water!" Temari yelled angrily, splashing toward the shore. Naruto stayed right where he was, knowing any sort of movement would give him away immediately. He heard the sound of clothes rustling, and had to restrain himself from popping out of his hiding spot, and begging for forgiveness.

Then there was the clanking of metal that could only be her battle fan. Naruto began to sweat badly.

"I know you're still there!" Temari snapped angrily, "Now come out before I flatten the whole area!"

Naruto gulped and slowly rose out of the bushes, the shadows of the trees hiding him from her sight.

Temari gripped her fan tightly as she saw the figure rising out of the bushes, ready to strike at any sign of hostility. But the figure just stood there motionlessly, his eyes downcast. "Alright, who the hell are you?"

Taking a deep breath, Naruto stepped into the moonlight. "Hey, Temari-chan."

Temari nearly lost her grip on the fan she held so stunned at seeing the blond shinobi. "N-Naruto-kun...?" She took a step toward him, "You're here?"

"Uh, yeah, I...uh, need some air, and ended up here," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head, blushing slightly, "I, um, kind of heard you singing, and I - "

"You spied on me!?" Temari snapped, hoisting her fan, "Why you little - !"

Naruto backpedaled from her, "No, no, no, no! It's not like that!" Naruto shouted desperately trying to calm the irate girl, "I-I-I mean I know how it looks, but this isn't that and that - I -ah hell!" He lept out of the way just in time to get away from being smashed by her fan. "I mean it, Temair! I wasn't peeping on you!"

"I just bet you weren't!" Temari followed after him, "If you're so innocent, then why the hell are you running away from me!"

Naruto looked back at her incredulously as he landed lightly on the surface of the water, "Are you kidding me?! I'm not gonna let you hit me with that thing!"

Temari landed a few feet away from him, standing on the water shakily, a fact that Naruto didn't miss. "Th-that obviously makes you guilty in my books, Mister!" She snapped, "Now hold still and take it like a man!"

"Not a chance!" He bent down and scooped a hand full of water at her, splashing the surprised girl in the face, and proving his suspicions. She fell right into the water when her concentration was broken, and sank beneath the surface, coming up sputtering a moment later.

Naruto couldn't hold back the laugh that burst forth as Temari glared at him from the water, trying to drag herself and her fan back out. "You-you thing this is funny?!" She growled, shaking her hair free of the water, "I'll show you!" She flipped open her fan and skimmed the water with the blade, sending a massive water wave at him.

Naruto paled and ducked, only to be splashed heavily into the water. Now it was Temari's turn to laugh. The look on the blond's face was far too priceless. "Not so funny, now, is it?" She grinned triumphantly...until she felt someone grab her by the ankles. "What th- Eiyah!" She was pulled down into the water with a resounding splash as she came face to face with a grinning Naruto under the water.

She scowled at him and pulled at his cheeks, forcing him to let out his breath and surface, sputtering, but still laughing. Temari came up a moment later, having to retrieve her fan from the bottom of the river. Naruto was still laughing as she did, and couldn't stop the smile that started forming on her face before splashing him with a gentle slap of her hand.

Naruto grinned and returned the splash readily, resulting in a water fight between the pair of laughing teens before Temari had to pull herself out of the water and place her fan on the shore. Naruto, waterlogged and dripping, laughingly pulled himself out, reaching out to her for help. Giggling fiendishy, the girl reached out and shoved him back into the water with a laugh.

Naruto came back up and hauled himself onto the shore, flopping down on the ground to catch his breath. He felt her standing over him, and opened his eyes to see her grinning down at him, her hands on her hips. "So? Did you get a good show?"

Naruto chuckled and sat up, "Really, Temari-chan, I didn't see anything, I swear," he said, smiling at her before reaching for the zipper on his jacket and shrugging out of the wet garment. That would have been fine with Temari, but the blond didn't stop there. He wrung the jacket out, and hung it on a low-hanging branch, and reached to pull his black shirt over his head, revealing his back to her.

Temari fought down a furious blush as the rippling muscles shown under the moonlight, wet as he was. "Naruto...what are you doing?!" Temari yelped when he started taking off his pants, turning around rapidly, and covering her face.

Naruto, who was sporting a blush of his own, just sighed, "Well, I'm sopping wet, and the last thing I need is to catch a cold, especially when I know...what I have to do..." he looked away from her, and reached for the scroll pouch that was attached to the side of his pants leg.

Temari heard him fiddling with something behind her, and heard a popping noise. A moment later she felt the hear of what could only be a fire behind her. She turned and found a merrily little camp fire burning, the blond holding his hands out to it to warm himself. He was clad in only his boxer shorts, and headband.

"When did you - ?"

Naruto shrugged, "Mom always said to be prepared for anything...just wish I'd thought to bring a change of clothes with me." He grinned sheepishly, gesturing for her to sit, "Come on, I promise I won't do anything, and you can't be very comfortable all wet like that?"

She bit her lip self consciously, and sighed, joining him by the fire. She shivered, however, when a breeze picked up. Her wet clothes were not helping the situation, either. That was when she felt him place an arm around her shoulders, and bring him closer. She looked at him accusingly, "H-hey, you said you wouldn't do anything!"

"I'm not," Naruto said, looking away from her with a blush across his face, "It's just...you looked really cold, and...I tend to run a little warmer than the average human does."

Fighting down the urge to get away from him, Temari, feeling the warmth that was already seeping into her from both the fire, and the blond Jinchuuriki beside her, she allowed herself to be held...held by a boy that wasn't one of her brothers, or her sensei, for the first time in her life. It wasn't long before her shivering stopped. "Okay, I'll admit it...this feels kinda nice."

Naruto smiled at her, "I know...Temari-chan..."

"Hm?" Temari looked up at him.

"Why...why did you think I was killed?" Naruto asked, looking back into the flames, "I mean, I guess it's natural to think that something could have happened, but - "

Temari shivered a little more, despite the warmth, "I don't know who told him, or why, but my father heard that you had been killed during that civil war in your village a few years back," she said, leaning against his shoulder, "And when I didn't get anymore letters, I thought that he was telling the truth for once."

Naruto looked at her sharply, "I never stopped writing," he said, vehemently. "I told you that once before."

"What was I supposed to think?" Temari asked, looking him in the eyes, "I hadn't heard from you in so long, and there was rumor of a horrible battle, and then Father tell Baki that you had been caught in the crossfire of it all." She shook her heard, "I wrote to you, too, hoping you'd send something back, but you never did..."

Naruto pulled her into his arms and against his chest so that she was sitting between his legs, her back against his chest, and his arms wrapping around her from behind. "I get it." He sighed, his breath hot against her neck, "All this time, I thought I'd said something stupid in one of my letters to make you hate me - "

Temari swiveled around to look at him, her eyes swimming, "Naruto-kun, I could never hate you," the blush returned to her cheeks, "I missed you so much. I missed hearing about those silly pranks you'd pull on the Hokage and the Anbu, and how much trouble you'd get into at the academy." She said, burying her face in his neck, her arms going around his shoulders, "I still have all of the photos you sent to us. The one where you stole that poor woman's underwear, and the one when you put itching powdering in the Hyuuga's hair products - "

"That's my favorite prank," Naruto smiled over her shoulder, his hands stroking her back, "My god, I've missed you, Temari-chan!" He held her tight against him, and, in a small bout of boldness, pressed his lips against the side of her neck.

A small gasp escaped her lips as she felt his lips on her neck, making both of them stiffen for a moment. Both turned their heads to look at the other, a crimson blush on each of their cheeks, their eyes locked with each others.

Naruto, thinking he had screwed up once again, was the first to look away, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't - " He was stopped by a gentle touch against his face, turning him back toward her as she surged forward, capturing his lips with her own.

It was clumsy, sloppy even, but the pair couldn't think of a more enjoyable moment in either of their lives as they shared their first kiss. Temari pulled back, breathing heavily as Naruto sat back against a tree, still holding her against his chest. "We're...in trouble...aren't we?" He asked the girl in his arms.

"Yeah," Temari admitted as her tears began to spill, "Lots, and lots of trouble." She looked at him once more, "But...do you really care?"

Naruto smirked, leaning back in slightly, "Not one damned bit," he closed the remaining distance, and kissed her again, growing bolder as she leaned in him, and brought his right hand to back of her head, while his left held her at the waist, her own hands tangling in his hair, causing his hitai-ate to slip from his forehead, and clank to the ground.

His hands trailed to the sash around her waist, slowly untying it, letting her kimono fall open slightly. Temari pulled back a moment and shrugged out of the wet garment leaving her in nothing but her plain cotton bra and panties as Naruto reached for her again, letting his hands sear her chilled skin. She let a moan escape her throat as she leaned against him, her lips trailing across his cheek to his neck, scraping his skin with her teeth, making him jolt.

"W-we need to stop!" Naruto groaned suddenly. But Temari ignored him, and licked his neck where her teeth had left a mark, smiling to herself at the thought of marking him as her own. She pulled his face down, reaching for his lips with her own again, only to feel his hands on her shoulders, pushing her away. She looked at him in disappointment, but saw that he was literally fighting all of his urges as he leaned away from her. His head was back against the tree, his teeth bared in a strained snarl as his canines threatened to become true fangs.

And a moment later, it was over. He was normal again. He sat against the tree, breathing heavily, looking at her apologetically, "Sorry, I...don't know what came over me."

Temari bit her lip guiltily, and leaned her head against his chest, "It's because you're a Jinchuuriki," she told him, taking his arm and wrapping it around her shoulders again, "With each Tailed Beast sealed away into a vessel, that vessel will take on traits and instincts from the Beast they hold."

Naruto nodded, tucking her head under his chin, "Makes sense. My senses have always been sharper than they should be. My bones are harder to break, too, and I tend to get a little stronger when I get upset."

"It's the same with Gaara-kun," she tucked her legs in as as she nestled against him. She looked up at him, "You know...I wouldn't have minded..."

Naruto shook his head, "Not like that," he said, "If...if we did...that...then I want to be myself," he said, biting the inside of his cheek.

Temari shook her head, "It may have been our only chance," she told him, looking up at him, "because..." she shivered, swallowing back the bile that rose up with what she was about to say, "Naruto...I'm engaged!"

A paperbomb could have gone off right next to him, and Naruto still wouldn't have moved, stunned as he was. He looked at Temari with wide eyes, and slachk jaws, his whole body going rigid. "You...you're what?"

"Don't make me say it again," Temari sighed, "I've already been doing that enough...and no, it's not something I want, either."

"Then why - ?"

"My dad, of course," Temari said, "I never once met a boy back home that interested me, Naruto-kun. Just like you, for the passed six years, there's only been one boy on my mind." She looked up at him, "I love you, Naruto Uzumaki, even if it's impossible to love someone from only meeting you that one time seven years ago, I love you!

Naruto crushed her against him the moment the words left her lips, burying his face in her neck. "I...I love you, too, Temari-chan...but how do we - "

"I don't know," Temari shook her head, holding him tightly, "I want so much to run from this...but I can't...my country's Daimyo wants me for his son...and my father agreed to it...there's nothing I can do that won't result in a war."

Naruto sat back against the tree with her in his arms, keeping her warm, "When?"

"After the Chunin exams in a few months," Temari said, "it's supposed to be a huge event this time because all of the major villages will be competing, and the Daimyo will be there as well."

The gears in Naruto's head began to turn, fighting for an idea to come to him. He was the heir to a powerful clan, but the man Temari was promised to was the son of a Daimyo, if not the next in line to become one...how was he supposed to fight against that?

"Maybe Sarutobi-jiji knows of a way?" Naruto said more to himself than to her, "He's known our Daimyo for ages, so there has to be something that can help us with this."

Temari smirked, pressing her lips against his chest, "You talk like you plan on fighting the Daimyo himself."

"I just might do that," Naruto growled, looking down at her startled expression, "I just got you back, Temari-chan, and I'll be damned if I lose you again to something so stupid!"

Temari shook her head, "Naruto-kun, if you do something like that, it's labeled as National Treason! You'll be executed!"

Naruto smiled down at her, "Temari-chan, my greatest dream is to become Hokage of my village one day...but for you...I'd throw all of my dreams away in a second."

Hoooweee! Another down! And boy did I have a hard time not turning that into a lemon! But I restrained myself pretty well, I think. But now things are way out in the open for both parties, and man are things going to get crazy!

Now I have a big thanks I need to throw out to GouberMan and Nox Descious. Y'all gave me a lot to think about, so thanks a lot.

So guys, and I know this is a lot to ask of all of you that do review the story, give up some critique. I probably need to hear it, if only to make this story better than I envisioned it for Percy Zoe and Artemis Fan, so let me hear it all.

In other words; DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!