Rated E for 'Ey~ What's up?


Today was the day... Tenten thought she would have been prepared but her heart was beating more rapidly than usual. She looked at herself in the mirror and made a small smile, trying to swallow whatever she felt was stuck in her throat. She no longer had a face painted up like a precious doll. Her hair wasn't adorned in a style that took hours to put together nor was she wearing the layers of clothing she knew she could never afford. Tenten was back to her own attire which she enjoyed with the hair buns she was accustomed to. Wearing a blue sleeveless and high collared qipao dress with white trimmings that reached her mid-thighs and a dark blue obi. The black open toed sandals on her feed made for a comfortable run back to the docks. Finally she had returned to being "Tenten" and not "Princess Tokuhime", a great weight lifted from her shoulders despite feeling so heavy in her heart.

The door to the room opened and Nene strutted in, holding on to Tenten's precious babies; her weapons. The sight of them made her eyes widen slightly as she ran to the kunoichi, beaming a happy smile. "Well now! I hope that smile was for me, you know!" Nene teased as she handed the weapon scrolls back to their rightful owner.

"Thank you for taking care of them," said Tenten as she mounted the scrolls containing her precious tools on her back. Tenten finally looked up at Nene's eyes and then frowned a bit at the sadness she caught in them. Despite living here for only a couple of weeks she knew could see so much of her own emotions in Nene's eyes. "I guess this is the last time we'll see each other, huh?"

Nene nodded at the young girl, forcing a smile but it broke down within seconds, "I know you were only pretending and that we've only known each other for a short amount of time but I've really come to see you as something of a daughter to me... My first daughter."

Tenten knew the feeling. Never having a mother, let alone a family, she yearned for one during her youth but fought past the feeling as she grew up. Concentrating instead on becoming a great kunoichi. Being with Nene, Hideyoshi and the trio of brothers however made those feelings resurface. She wanted a family, she wanted someone like Nene as a mother. "In some other life I probably had a family. I only hope that family was as great as yours." Tenten had wrapped her arms around Nene and she felt Nene embrace her in return. The words were but a whisper but Tenten felt her body tremble.

"It's not too late you know. Will you be my daughter?"

There were no words that could describe the feeling Tenten had at that moment but she nodded her head and forced the words to come out. "I would love that... mom." They both glanced at the other and laughed in unison while tears streamed down their cheeks.

"I guess now that I'm your mom," Nene began, "This means I need to pass down a few techniques that only the women of our family can ever learn." She winked at Tenten who grinned in return.


Outside of the castle near its entrance, Gaara stood next to Hanbei who was yawning. Though they exchanged no words, Gaara had felt at ease with the young strategist. Perhaps it was due to his resemblance to Shikamaru that it made Gaara relax near something familiar. Hideyoshi was surrounded by the brothers who were loudly arguing about which one would succeed in a horse race. Tenten walked out to see them all stop and stare at her with Nene who was smiling, tears still stained on both of their cheeks.

"Nene! Why are you crying? It's not like we can't write to her, you know," said Hideyoshi as he went to comfort his wife.

Nene nodded and giggled as she responded to her husband. "I know, it's just hard seeing my first and only daughter leave me."

Hideyoshi and the brothers all simultaneously let out a "Huh?!" Before Tenten or Nene could explain, Masanori and Kiyomasa cheered as they ran to Tenten. They were calling her their baby sister. Hideyoshi and Nene both looked happy as well as Mitsunari whom despite trying to keep his cool, was grinning. He was happy to now have her as a part of their family.

Gaara and Hanbei kept quiet during the little celebration but the silence between them broke as Hanbei finally spoke out, "So when do you plan on telling her?" Gaara looked at the young man who lazily glanced his way with a sheepish smile, "You're in love with that girl, aren't you?" The Kazekage gave no response as he turned away from the boy. "I think it's best to tell her soon, otherwise it might cause trouble for you in the future." Those were his last words to Gaara as he walked to the celebrating warriors.

Standing alone in thought, Gaara couldn't help but dwell on Hanbei's words. Him? The man who slaughtered so many and didn't know what affection was until after Naruto knocked sense into him? In love? He knew the love he felt for his friends and his family. He knew the love he had for the village as a whole, how he could fight for everyone that depended on him. How were those feelings different from those of being in love? Perhaps the young strategist could see something Gaara could not.

He didn't think about it long as he saw a familiar shadow approach him. Turning to look, he locked eyes with the woman whom caused him a sandstorm of emotions. His heart felt strange as he stared at her and suddenly he looked slightly away. "Congratulations," was all that he could manage to say to Tenten.

"Thank you. I never once thought I'd ever get a family, especially not like this. It's so crazy," she said with excitement in her voice. "I can't wait to tell my friends back home."

That's right... After this mission ends, he will go back to ruling over his village while she tends to her own responsibilities. They will separate and not see one another for a long time. The thought manifested into a sicking feeling that hit his stomach. He didn't want to say goodbye to her. Not after becoming friends.

"If-" Gaara said in a hushed tone, "If it would be alright with you, do you think you w-"

"I HAVE RETURNED!"

A sudden shrill voice cut the tension and everyone turned to the entrance to see a woman covered in simple but colorful garbs of clothing. She looked exactly like how Tenten had during her time disguised in paint and robes. Seeing her so close together Gaara would suspect anyone could confuse the two, however by far the biggest differences between them was the feeling the exuded. Though similar, Tenten had a welcoming aura and a smile that made you want to smile back. Her eyes showed determination and experience. This other girl instead seemed full of deviousness and cruelty. Cunning was the nicest terms that Gaara could think of in her presence. Sort of like being near an immature Orochimaru.

"Nene, why aren't you ready with my tea? It's almost tea time and I can't have you slacking off. Hideyoshi, shouldn't you be out patrolling the perimeters right now? You idiots! You're meant to go with him!" The princess wasted no time in giving out orders the moment she made her grand return. It was a sight for both Gaara and Tenten to see a young woman with no physical power send everyone scattering in fear.

Tenten said nothing but somehow felt better that she acted the way Nene told her to. She didn't think she could have lasted long being that unnecessarily needy and bossy, even as an act. Then the two girls locked eyes and the princess narrowed hers at Tenten. "So this is the girl who posed as me? Tch, I'm surprised no one found you out. You hold absolutely no charm or poise a prin- no, a woman should have. No matter, father must have been desperate to resort to you."

The tone in Tokuhime's voice was grinding on Tenten's nerves but she said nothing back at the princess for her sake and Gaara's.

"Hmm... Wait a moment, you were wearing my clothing weren't you? NENE!" The girl yelled out and the kunoichi appeared beside her, "I want you to get rid of the clothes that lower-class mouse wore. Throw it away, burn it. Just get rid of it." And with that, the princess began to walk to the castle with Nene after her.

Tenten crossed her arms and growled as the woman walked away. "What the fu-"

"Now, now... Watch that mouth of yours, princess." A familiar voice said from behind both Tenten and Gaara. They turned and saw a welcoming sight.

"Shikamaru! Temari!" Tenten smiled up to see Shikamaru standing there with Temari looking like she just got off Cloud 9. Just by looking at the two, Tenten immediately knew that they'd made up. The way they were standing together and their body language... She was happy for them to finally find a resolution to their problems. At least she had hoped they had come to a resolution, otherwise she'd need to grill Shikamaru for answer later.

"How was the trip? I'm sure she must of been a handful," said Gaara as he gave his sister a smile to welcome her back from their mission.

Temari rolled her eyes but the smile never faded, she was too happy to know that the man of her life and she would be together soon. "It was an experience... I will add that I won't be taking part in protecting little miss dumba-"

"That's no way to speak to her, you know." Another voice spoke out.

This time, all four ninjas turned to see Nene standing there with a scroll. She smiled at Tenten as she asked, "I am thankful that you all took care of the princess. She won't say anything, too proud of course, but I'm sure she appreciated the guards." Walking to Tenten, she handed her the scroll that she had, "A little compensation, though I'm sure you wouldn't wear these unless there was a grand event to attend. Still I figure you'd be the only other one they were made to fit." The kunoichi winked at her daughter as Tenten looked baffled for a moment. "These are the kimonos you wore during your mission." Before Tenten could even begin to deny the gifts, Nene spoke up. "She wanted me to get rid of them but that's two weeks worth of fine clothing and I'm sure you've come to know how to wear them like royalty. I want you to have them."

With a nod, Tenten accepted the gift. These things were worth more than her yearly salary... Heck, maybe it would take a lifetime of her salary to buy one of these. "Thanks, mom." Hearing the "huh" from Temari, Tenten turned to introduce Nene. "You guys, this is Nene. She was my lady in waiting while I posed as Tokuhime but more importantly, she's taken me on as a daughter."

"I hope you all take care of her, and you better write to me little missy!"

With smiles they departed swiftly, all except Gaara who drug along, the strategist's last words still present in his mind.


None really spoke much about the experiences that they had.

Temari could complain for days about the princess but she felt that would bring the mood down for everyone. It was better to just be happy now that she could. The mission had ended and all they needed to do was get home. She needed to figure out when would be the best time to tell her brothers that she was now going to move away and live in Konoha with Shikamaru. Matsuri would need to be thoroughly trained to learn everything she knew and more. This would probably keep her in Suna for a week which was more than enough time to sort things out with her brothers.

Tenten would of spoke about her adventures as a princess but she didn't feel like telling anyone about the incident with Kotaro. She feared that Shikamaru might say something to Naruto and she feared how the Hokage would react knowing what had happened to her while in another land. Not only that but she had a feeling Ino or someone would want to hear about her adventures and it was better to save it all up for when she was ready. All she could muster to say was, "Never again! Being a princess is too much damn work compared to a shinobi."

Gaara kept quiet along with Shikamaru. Both weren't the type to really speak much about what they had to do. Well, unless Shikamaru wanted to complain, but that urge wasn't present funny enough. He was just glad to have that girl out of his hair and Gaara was content with seeing his family and friends safe and sound.

Though there was silence while they ran towards the docks, Tenten stayed beside Gaara on their trip on the sea. She remembered his sea sickness and didn't want him to show that weakness to anyone. Although she tried to be coy about it, Temari pursed her lips and nudged Shikamaru gently to gain his attention.

"Is it just me or is something going on between those two? I mean... she's sitting so close to my brother and he looks very happy."

Shikamaru looked at his friends and tilted his head. He saw Gaara looking dower as always while Tenten seemed to be moving her mouth a mile a minute. He honestly couldn't tell the difference between how they acted but he could feel there was something to what she was saying. "I believe they are just being friendly. They've never had time alone before, right? Maybe they bonded a little during the mission."

"Mmm... Maybe so," said Temari but she still had her doubts. However she decided to take a cue from Shikamaru she let the subject go and watched the clouds and water on the horizon.


It wasn't long until they had arrived on shore and eventually all the way back to Suna. The four ninja stood outside the gates as they gave their farewells to one another.

Temari stared at Shikamaru and blushed a bit, remembering what they were planning to do. "Well... I'll see you later then," she said and went into the village. Shikamaru gave a small goodbye wave before beginning his walk in the direction of home, knowing that Tenten would catch up soon after with his casual pace.

Alone, Gaara and Tenten stared at each other as they mustered the courage to break the silence first.

"I... enjoyed our time together, Tenten. I wish you could stay here in the village longer, to give us time to get to know each other more naturally. So I could... sort all of this out with you and myself," were only the thoughts Gaara wanted to speak aloud. The words running through his head that accompanied the advice Hanbei had given him. But instead he remained responsible and respectful of their stations in life.

"I want to thank you for accompanying myself for this mission. May we go on more in the future," Gaara managed to speak, keeping the same calm tone he was known for.

She would miss him, miss seeing his face everyday, but she kept those feelings within. "He'd probably think it's pathetic to miss someone you hardly know," she thought to herself.

"Um... yeah that's fine," replied Tenten with a half smile and then held her hand out to give him a shake. "I'll tell Naruto and Lee you said hello, kay?"

Gaara took her hand and regretted letting her go, watching her turn her back and run to her fellow shinobi. He stared at his hand and the warmth of hers began to fade. Why did he feel such pain from having it leave him? Afterwards Gaara kept to that post until the two ninja were nothing but specks in the distance. Turning back, he began to make his way to his office, hoping Kankuro had managed things easily enough while he was gone.

The villagers all waved at the Kazekage's return when he passed them. They all respected him but he knew there was still fear among the older generation. He was a young man who took over a difficult position of power when he still had a demon inside him. There would still be those who believed that even without the one-tail's influence he was still the merciless killer they remembered from his childhood. Gaara always exerted himself fully to protect his village and its people, even if some would remember him less than fondly for all their days. Even without a demon though there was rarely a Kage who had a completely unopposed reign in office.

The tower he was so familiar with was ahead of him, few people would be inside around this time but he knew that Kankuro should still be present. He stepped through the door and he saw a few of the familiar ninja working with one another, all looking slightly concerned. Gaara would have asked but he somehow had knew the source of their discomfort. Making his way into his office Gaara wasn't able to keep the look of mild surprise from appearing on his face.

Papers laid all around him. Instead of stacks meant to be filed out as they were completed there seemed random piles of forms all about. Gaara noticed several committee notices with personal mail and mission statements mixed with take out menus. He sighed finding a nearly passed out Kankuro surrounded by papers. Approaching his side Gaara nudged him every so gently to get his attention. Immediately Kankuro shot up with a dazed and confused shout of, "Wh-what? What happened?"

"Go home, Kankuro. I'll finish up here for the night." Gaara said in his same even tone, a little annoyed at the state of things but truthfully he didn't mind cleaning up. Maybe this task would help him stop thinking about the weapons mistress that had departed and instead let him get back into the motion of things. Watching his brother leave as he swayed back and forth from lack of sleep, the door closed and Gaara sighed. He had a few hours to clear the mess before more would arrive. He began to pick up papers, sort them through priorities and dates and set them in neat piles. Reading them all, clearing, approving and disproving them. While he worked, Matsuri came in with freshly made tea and helped a bit by getting rid of the unnecessary mail and papers.

Within five hours all his past work was dealt with and he could take a break from his self-imposed task. Two weeks worth of papers felt like only minutes as the thoughts of Tenten began to creep up in the back of his mind. He needed to stop thinking about her. She'd be home within a few days and they wouldn't see each other again for who knew how long. Within the weaving of his thoughts he made the decision to write a letter. One to Naruto, another to Lee and then a third. With how fast their mailing system was, she would get it by the time she'd be home but he couldn't let this just fester inside him. Taking in a deep breath, he opened his drawer and pulled out a few blank papers but then noticed a pink paper hidden underneath the pile. He pulled it out and began to read.

"International Kunoichi Battle" was splayed in large print along the top. Gaara stared at the name then began to read further below. "A competition for kunoichi from far and wide to fight for the title of elite. Not just a fighting tournament for skilled shinobi but also a competition of grace, poise and talent. Any girl may enter as long as they can hold their own in battle and showcase their special talents for the judges." Gaara didn't know what to say. It was a unique proposal for consideration that Suna would host the first organized event. Normally Gaara would have denied such seemingly shallow theatrics but it he noticed the bottom portion for consideration was removed, most likely by his older brother and the response had already been sent away. If this form was accurate the competition would be held one week from today.

Even though he thought he'd be angry over using money and space for this event those emotions never flourished. He stared at the paper and wondered if perhaps Tenten would be joining this once word got out? He secretly hoped so, if just to see her return so soon.


It had been several days and they finally made it back home. Throughout the trip, she and Shikamaru exchanged random conversations. Many "what ifs" that they both knew would never happen. What if a large reptile like creature came from the ocean and began to create havoc on the land? What if the world suddenly ran backwards? What if everyone's gender was changed to the opposite? What if Naruto had red, straight hair?

They both had fun in their own way but Tenten was happy that the trip was over. Shikamaru gave his goodbye and headed to the Hokage tower, saying he'd give Naruto the rundown of what happened on their mission and that it went off without a hitch. Tenten didn't argue since she wanted to get home, shower and lay down on her bed. Jogging at a quick pace, she made it to her apartment and took down the sign she had up when she left. Opening the door, she could smell steel and polish which immediately comforted her. "Welcome home to me," she said to herself in delight as she stripped down and went to her bathroom. No more old women's hands all over her as she bathed, now was the time to relax and be her old self again!

The water was at the right temperature and she let it hit her face with a smile. This is exactly what she needed to relax and rejuvenate! Once she was out she dried her hair and put on black shorts and a black t-shirt with violet, pink and blue splatters decorating it. Walking out of the bathroom Tenten jumped on her bed and hugged one of her pillows. "So great!" Tenten couldn't help but giggle as she relaxed. She hoped that Nene was having a good day and that the boys were helping out Hideyoshi and maybe Hanbei told that older man his feelings. The memories made her eager to do something and despite her exhaustion she sat up to grab a pen and paper. A simple letter to tell them that she made it home safe and hoped they were doing fine.

Just then she wondered if Gaara was okay as well. As the Kazekage he probably had to work the moment he went back, and he didn't have shadow clones to keep the insane pace Naruto could. Gaara couldn't relax like she could and that made her feel a little sad. "Well... I'll write him a letter wishing him luck too," she mused but before she could even write a single letter, the door opened and Lee jumped in with a grin.

"TENTEN! WELCOME BACK HOME!" Lee yelled as he ran to his startled (but not as much as you'd think) friend and gave her a crushing hug. "We have missed you since you left! Ino has stated something about a 'girl date' with you and the others upon your return. While I am sure you are tired from your mission I could not wait to inform you of the good news," Tenten was so confused by his excitement she couldn't form a proper response to his original barging into her room. "I have entered you in a competition to test your skill!" He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her, "It is the very first Kunoichi Battle ever! Truly a one of a kind event, it is where kunoichi battle with strength and skills to show they are number one! I entered you because I am aware with my training and Gai's guidance we can prepare you to be the best kunoichi ever. Victory is assured!"

The entire time he was speaking Tenten was baffled by the words he was using. She was entered into this thing without her consent. Crushing the paper in a death grip, she punched Lee in the face, "How the heck can you sign me up with something like this? This is so stupid! Look at all these flowery decorations and this list of events. Who would take something like this seriously!?" She grumbled but then noticed that the location would be in Suna. "Eh?"

"I am sorry Tenten, I was so excited at the possibility of you winning that I did not consider-"

"I'm in." Tenten cut him off, giving Lee a smile and thumbs up through his confusion over being punched then reprimanded then accepted for those very things he'd been punished for earlier, "Let's show them what this kunoichi can do!"


AN: Hoi! Thanks for continuing to read this! I hope you all have a lovely weekend. More to come! ^o ^