I'm soooo sorry for being absent! Please forgives me!
Rated T for Terribly sorry! T n T
After a few more hours rest, Tenten had decided that she felt well enough to stand without assistance. The poison had been flushed from her body completely thanks to Kanbei, who had made a remedy from the recipe of one of his books. In her night gown, she had moved out of the bed and began to walk around to make sure her legs didn't give way underneath her. Once she was confident in her strength Tenten had asked Nene where Motochika and Magoichi were. She wanted to pay them a visit with how they'd both been injured under her care. Even if she wasn't a princess she still felt responsibility for what happened.
"I know it's not my fault but still..." The young kunoichi said to herself, "I want to make sure that they are okay and are being taken care of." Despite Gaara's protests to get her to rest more, she wasn't going to give in. Her stubbornness coupled with Nene's approval of the visit gave Gaara no choice but to let her go visit the prince.
The walk to the guest house was silent as Gaara was left speechless. She was almost defiled and ruined under his protection. He felt guilt and anger growing in the pit of his stomach. What he would give to have been the one to bury that ninja into the ground and crush his bones to dust. When he glanced at Tenten he could see hurt in her eyes. Was it due to his failure? "Am I the cause of the pain?" Gaara stopped abruptly as Tenten did. She turned to him and gave him a smile; the smile somehow made him feel worse as she told him that she wanted to go in alone. Her alone with them... Knowing that there would be no way to to convince her otherwise, he nodded his head and stayed put. He watched her figure head inside and closed the door behind her. Gaara wanted to reach out to her.
As the door closed behind her, Tenten's smile to Gaara faded into worry. Motochika was laying in bed with bandage wraps around his arm and chest. His face had a few scratches and she could see bruises beginning to form on various parts around the exposed skin. He had his eyes closed but the moment she took a step forward he opened his eyes to see Tenten's. Her heart skipped a beat and the worry washed over her as she went to his side and felt tears of relief beginning to fall, "I'm so sorry, this was all my fault."
Motochika chuckled, despite the pain coursing through his body, "Do not feel sorry, you're not to blame."
"But-"
"No buts, my princess." Taking in a deep breath, he fought the pain in his arm and wiped away the small tears at the side of her cheeks. "You look better with a smile on your face." When he heard her giggle, he nodded gently and put his hand down. "I was the one that ran in to help you. You did not order me towards injury. I told Gaara to take care of you while I battled Kotaro. None of this is your fault. You were fooled because of me; I, of all people, should have seen a difference in my best friend." It was a strain as he spoke, he hated knowing that his friend had disappeared and was replaced by a monster. "Some ally I am... Now Magoichi has had his limbs put in casts and needs to rest more so than I." He looked away from Tenten to look over at the bed several feet away from him to see a sleeping Magoichi.
"If... If you don't mind me asking," Tenten began, "How did you manage to defeat that man?"
Motochika looked over and smiled at the woman next to him. "Did you manage to hear something loud after you left?" He was able to see the girl think of a second and nod, "That was me; or I should say the sound I was able to produce with my shamisen."
"It sounded like several bombs all going off at once." Tenten was surprised to know that the little instrument he used to play soft and delicate melodies was also used to make that giant explosive noise. "Well, in the ninja world, I guess anything can be possible." Tenten began to giggle a bit and moved her hand on to Motochika's and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I will say though... I'm glad you're alright and I'm thankful for what you've done for me." She stayed by his side for a while longer as she watched him slowly go to sleep. The moment his eyes were closed and his breathing was steady, she took her chance to leave the room quietly and walk back to Gaara by her side, unaware of the anguish in his heart.
It was only two days after the attack where Motochika was able to move around without no pain. Magoichi was able to roam the castle as well but with crutches which he didn't want to use because, according to him, they made him look less manly around women.
Things got back to relative normality, at least for what counts as normal in Tenten's mind. The Trio of Fools often bickering about, Hanbei sleeping instead of doing work as Kanbei scolds him and Nene often patrolling the area with a welcoming smile to all. Gaara stayed standing beside Tenten as she was sitting under a tree's shade with Magoichi and Motochika as they all drank tea. They were enjoying the clear blue day as most in the castle were.
"This tea is so delicious! My compliments to whomever made it." Magoichi said with a smile as he held a cup in his hand and drank in moderation.
"I believe it was Nene who made this tea, she usually makes it the best," replied Tenten as she finished her cup and placed it down. She felt relief that day as she saw both Motochika and Magoichi on their feet and that Magoichi had never blamed his friend nor desired any apologies from anyone. He had laughed it off saying that he was a fool to try and help a woman out in the middle of no where but he was glad that everyone was safe. Tenten looked down at her tea and smiled a bit. Motochika was treating her more friendly, as he was with his best friend. He told jokes to her and teased her from time to time, he was acting like a boyfriend to her. That's when Tenten felt heat rise in her cheeks. She didn't really go out with guys back in the village. After Neji, she only really had Lee who was infatuated with Sakura and so she didn't give him a second look. Lee was like her annoying little brother but Motochika... He was caring for her, treating her with respect but also poked fun with her as they spoke. It was refreshing to be treated like a girl by this man. "Too bad he only sees me as Lady Tokuhime."
"Princess?"
Tenten looked up at Motochika, looking slightly concerned. "Ah..."
He chuckled at her and placed his empty cup down, "I had said that Magoichi and I are leaving tomorrow morning. We need to return soon since I have some work to do back home." He looked into her eyes and took her hand into his, "Would it be alright if we spent some time alone with one another? On these grounds, of course! Just without both of our hounds at our heels."
Magoichi made a noise which caught their attention, "If you wanted me out of your hair, you know damn well you just needed to ask." He laughed and started to get up on to his feet, "Well mister Gaara, I think we should head out."
Tenten looked up at Gaara and noticed he wasn't staring at her, but away from her. He didn't say anything as he walked without hearing her answer of whether or not she wanted to spend the last hours with the prince. He left without a word which made her frown and feel something cold in the pit of her stomach. "That was mean...I would of wanted him to stick around. Well whatever. I need to focus on Motochika right now." Looking back over at the prince with a smile, she nodded and accepted his date.
They decided to first play a round of shogi before lunch. They didn't speak much, thinking of what the others move would be and how to react with each piece moving. Tenten furrowed her brows as she was deep in thought, staring at the board and Motochika couldn't help but stare at her with a smile. He thought her facial expressions were cute and he loved how she was trying to think ten moves ahead of him. Her eyes reminded him of chocolate and her hair, how he wanted to run his fingers through them and make her purr with his touch. The thought made him turn slightly pink but he hid it within seconds and watched the world slowly go by with her.
The match ended with Motochika winning despite Tenten taking her time to think her moves through. They were both sitting at the dining table, enjoying lunch made by Nene who was happily showing off a new recipe she was trying out. Tenten didn't mind, she enjoyed the cooking her 'mother' made and ate her plate with a smile. As she ate in silence, she watched Motochika and couldn't help but admire him. He was a gentleman but he teased and liked to have fun. Despite being a ruler, he didn't have an air of haughtiness which made it easier to talk to him. He was handsome and well mannered and despite not seeing him in action, knew he would probably fair well in a fight. She was curious to know more.
The moment lunch was over they returned to the sparring area to watch the three brothers fight among one another with Magoichi also joining in with his crutches. It made Tenten laugh softly at how these guys were meant to be great warriors but looking at them now, they seem like just ordinary people. It reminded her of her village and how much she missed her friends. Just a few more days and she'd be back home and everything would go back to normal. Without waking up to Nene's voice and seeing the boys she felt were as close to her as family. She would miss them all. The smile was replaced with a small frown which caught Motochika's attention. He asked if she was alright and she nodded her head, "Yes, sorry. I was just thinking about how I'm going to miss this."
"Miss what?"
"Ah- Well... Just!" Tenten had almost forgotten her role and tried to laugh which came off as weirdly high pitched, "I was saying I was going to miss you and Magoichi! It's been a few days but it already feels like you've been here for years!" She calmed herself down and hid her face from embarrassment. His reply caused her eyes to open slightly and her heart to beat strong in her chest.
"I will miss you the most."
Maybe she was so embarrassed she misheard him. She didn't respond to it, thinking he said something else but not wanting to ask him to repeat himself again. Instead she went back to looking down at the boys and seeing Masanori, Mitsunari and Kiyomasa all on the floor looking exhausted while Magoichi was hobbling around doing some sort of victory dance. She and Motochika began to laugh at the sight.
Their times talking about their likes and dislikes were making the day pass by. Tenten didn't realize how much fun it was talking to him. He laughed at her jokes and she laughed at his with a genuine smile. He didn't treat her as a princess but as an equal, despite her playing the role of a princess. Tenten felt safe with him and she enjoyed his presence. Deep down, she hated it. She wanted him to know her as the real her, so they could be-
"My lady..."
"Huh?" Tenten's eyes opened wide as she realized during their talks that they made it back to the gardens during the sun setting down. "I didn't realize time passed by so fast."
"It certainly does fly quickly when you're having fun and in good company," the prince responded and turned to her. He watched her turn to view him, the last of the day's light swimming in her eyes as he saw a faint pink hue grow across her cheeks under her make up. Her felt nervous as he took her hand and lifted it to his lips and gave her knuckles a gentle kiss. "Thank you for giving me the day with you. I'm only sorry for not having more days like these." He let her hand go but still felt it's warmth on his lips and hand. He didn't want to let it go. "We should start heading in for dinner. Nene may scold us for being late."
Tenten nodded and began to walk back towards the castle, "The last thing we want is an angry Nene at our heels at the end of our date." They both laughed together as they made it to the castle, feeling a little closer to one another.
A pair of sea foam green eyes watched them go. A trained calm on his face with old, burning emotions hiding beneath.
The next day, Motochika and Magoichi had left before the sun had risen from the east. Tenten had wondered why but didn't ask Nene or Hanbei for an answer. She knew that he had duties as a ruler of his land and was needed elsewhere. She was only sad she wasn't able to give him a proper goodbye.
The day they left, Gaara had been less distant with Tenten. She noticed that whenever Motochika was around, he stayed close but never spoke to her as he used to. Their time alone was held in silence. She didn't realize it but she hated that he wasn't speaking as freely as before. "Could it be that he still feels guilty over letting me get captured? He shouldn't... It was my fault to begin with." Gaara had left the room a few moments ago to survey the area since he knew that she would be safe in the castle under Nene's watchful eye.
She was pacing around the room in her red and gold kimono when Nene walked in with a tray of dango and tea. "Woah! What's with all this bad juju vibe coming off you?" Placing the tea and snacks down, she motioned Tenten to come over to her. The young ninja obeyed but her body was tense. "So, what's eating at you?"
Tenten knew she couldn't lie to her, after all she did and how much she cared, it was really like having a mom. "I'm worried about Gaara... He isn't talking to me like he used to. It may be that he's blaming himself for what happened to me during the Kotaro incident. He won't look at me anymore and I feel like everything we've done to be friends has been driven back."
"Have you talked to him about this?'
"Wha-Oh. No, I haven't had the time to talk to him. He kept close around when Motochika was here but now that he's gone, he's kept a distance so that we can't speak." Truth be told it was making Tenten more distressed than she let on.
"Don't worry then!" Nene stood up and winked at Tenten who was confused as the woman walked out of the room. It wasn't more than a few minutes but the door was kicked open with Nene holding on to the sleeve of Gaara's arm and she pushed him inside. "Take care of our princess for now! I forgot a few errands to do so you need to stay with her! There's tea and dango if you're hungry. Bye!" The door closed in a second, leaving both Gaara and Tenten speechless for what happened.
The two didn't say anything to one another, Tenten looking over at Gaara who was turned away from her. She glared for a moment before grabbing a stick with dango and offering it to him. "Here, you want one?" She tried to sound cheerful but Gaara only shook his head at her. She put the dango back down and sat on the bed again. Her patience was growing thin and her foot was beginning to tap from waiting for him to say something, anything to her. A Hello or even his damn "Hn" noise!
Tenten stood up abruptly and glared at Gaara, she was done! "What exactly is your problem?!" It caused Gaara to snap to attention with surprise. "Why aren't you talking to me? You've been so damn distant since Kotaro came and took me away! It's annoying that you can't speak to me like you used to. Are you blaming yourself, because you better not be! It's not your fault I was taken away, it was mine, so stop beating yourself up about it. I feel like there's a damn wall between us now ever since that day and I hate it! I'm mad! I miss talking to you and just hanging out with you. I miss you!"
She was breathing hard and her face was red from anger. Gaara watched as she took in a deep breath and sat down before exhaling; calming herself down after that little rant she had. She was worried about him. She missed him but... She got one thing wrong. "I'm sorry that I've been like this. I don't mean to be. I was being a fool who thought that..." Maybe you didn't need me.
"Yeah, you were a fool." Tenten crossed her arms and huffed at him.
"My apologies. I'll... make it up to you. Somehow. I promise." Gaara went over to the sweets and picked up the stick Tenten had and one for himself and offered it to her. When she took it, they both took a bite at the same time and enjoyed the sweetness fill their stomachs.
They didn't speak but the wall between them was slowly crumbling down again, similar to sand. They smiled and enjoyed each others company as they ate.
"When this is all over, Will you... Will you write to me? I would be a little sad if Lee and Naruto were the only ones you were writing to."
"...Yes... I'll write to you every day."
"It doesn't have to be every day! I mean... If you do, I'm not going to get mad. We can share our days even if we aren't together."
"I'd like that."
