Strangers are the ones that lie, that shade their cheeks and hide their eyes. But you bare your grin and show your vulnerability. I feel as if I've taken flight. Could you be of what I need?

The kunai was gripped in her left hand as her right reached for the door. She usually didn't jump to conclusions, but these footsteps were too loud to be the lightly-stepping maids that served her. These footsteps belonged to a male, and there were no males in this part of the mansion that she knew of.

The door was thrown open and her hand was poised to release the blade when an alluring voice stopped her. "Forgive me! I didn't mean too disturb you!" She lowered the blade and took in the male before her. He was tall perhaps a little taller than her, with hair as black as the starless sky and eyes as blue as the sea at night.

His features were soft and not as prominent as a Hyuga's but not feminine either. She decided she liked the bronze skin in which those dark eyes lay in. He wore loose clothing, pants that flared out at the bottom, sandals and socks.

His shirt was a lighter blue than his eyes but darker than a sky blue. His pants were white and she could not tell if muscles were concealed beneath his clothes. He stood straight, hands down by his sides and took her appearance in as she had done to him.

Her hair was dripping with water and it is the color of spices. She has long slender legs, her arms showed the muscles that could throw kunais with force. She had a round physique and it wasn't until he looked again did he notice why. She is with child.

The sepia eyes narrowed and she spoke coolly. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" He gave a slight smile at her weariness before bowing at the waist. "Forgive my intrusion but my name is Kinmotsu. I am a new care taker here to tend your gardens. I was hired by Lady Hinata herself."

He straightened and noticed that her weariness didn't fade. She looked him head to toe before crossing the room and laying the kunai under her pillow. "Kinmotsu?" She turned to him and he watched her do so. "Translated as forbidden thing. Well pardon me for saying but you don't seem very forbidden to me."

He laughed lightly at her statement before replying. "To each his own, my lady and quite an intelligent one you are." She glared at him, if she didn't know better he was currently mocking her. "So Kinmotsu," She spit out his name, "If you are to be tending the gardens why are you not out there doing so?"

He pouted and spoke with false hurt in his voice. "My lady your words sting and as it were I was on my way to do so. Until I got lost of course." The glare returned, "Until you got lost?" He nodded with a sly smirk on his gorgeous face. "Hai."

She rolled her eyes as a maid tapped on the door. "Come in." The same aged maid walked in and seemed surprised at seeing her mistress so indecently dressed in front of a stranger. Before she spoke up Tenten figured a way to find out if this strange man was lying or not.

"Kinmotsu you will wait outside until I am dressed. When I am done I will personally show you to the gardens, right after we make a quick stop at the wing of Lady Hinata." She smirked then and it felt good, as he left the room a flirtatious smile was thrown her way by the forbidden stranger.

"As you wish my lady." His eyes shown with mischief and she glared coldly at him as only the wife of the ice king could do. He remained unaffected visibly but shivered internally before the door blocked each other from view. The aged maid kept quiet and quickly got to pulling the robe off and drying her hair, braiding it while it was still wet.

When the braid was complete and the obi to the kimono was tied the maid spoke. "I have a feeling Hyuga-san, that the man will bring trouble." Tenten looked into the mirror and smoothed the cloud patterned silk, mulling over those words.

She stood and made her way to the door, sliding sandals on her feet. "Hai, he will." She left and the maid wondered what her young mistress was in for. Kinmotsu smiled at hearing those words, if only they knew. He wiped the dangerous smile from his lips as the door was opened.

He looked in the direction of the sound and his breath caught in his throat. She was obviously breath taking, and lovelier than any woman he could remember. Taking in an unnoticeable amount of air he smiled at the oblivious woman before him. She remained clueless to how attractive she really is.

She is a simple beauty and she wore it without any effort. He straightened himself from the wall and cursed whatever man she married. "After you my lady." He watched her face scrunch momentarily with anger and her fist balled before going back to an emotionless state.

Interesting, he thought, most interesting. He followed behind her at a safe distance memorizing the way to her room and the sway of her hips as she walked. "If you intend to stare at my anatomy you'll lose several parts of your own."

His eyes moved up her body and a smile graced his lips. She hadn't even turned to speak and yet she could feel him watch her, that alone spoke of the skill of being a ninja. He mentally noted to watch her carefully when the time comes to move. "Can I help it if your body is currently the most interesting thing here?"

"You do realize I am a married woman and that I am also pregnant?" She heard him laugh deeply and the sound made her body tense and excited. "I would be a fool not too notice, but I'd be a bigger fool if I hadn't known any better, I'd say you don't like to be referred by your last name. Why is that?"

She whirled on him fist balled and coming at his face, he caught it with ease and stepped closer to her. His eyes held her captive and she wished to be away from him. The second fist was caught and he leaned down to be closer to her face.

"If your husband found us like this what do you think will happen?" She growled at him a spark of a fiery attitude made her eyes seem more alive. She yanked her arms but he just held her tighter. "When has my husband ever cared!"

That took him by surprise and she pulled away from him roughly. It was a short victory seeing as the kimono couldn't allow such actions and she stumbled backwards. He came out of his stupor and caught her before she hit the ground.

One of his hands held her just above the waist another around her shoulders. Securing her as best as he could without letting on how truly strong he was. Her lips were parted slightly and she looked confused, he felt an urge to kiss her senseless, but the pressure of her round stomach against his muscled one reminded him he couldn't.

He brought her to her feet just as she gathered her wits and stepped out of his embrace. For several seconds they just looked at each other, questions brimming in each others eyes. She sighed and looked away refusing to meet his intense gaze as she spoke.

"My husband doesn't care about me or my baby. He takes as many missions as possible and it is a rare occurrence that I see him even once a month. I think he wishes me dead." One of her hands rested protectively on her stomach as the other tightened in her anger.

He brought her eyes back to his by a hand on her cheek and one wrapped around her shaking fist. "Then he is a fool." His voice was low and dangerous and she felt she was being seduced in his eyes. "He is an imbecile to avoid a woman such as you."

His hand ran across her cheek lightly, his thumb resting on the corner of her lips. She opened her eyes the minute she realized they had closed. His eyes were a navy blue and faintly she could make out his black pupils. She glared at him and tried to step away but he kept her still.

"If I can prove his disloyalty to you, will you leave him?" The thought of another woman crossed her mind several times before, and she never hesitated with her answer. "Yes." He smiled gently as he leaned closer to her lips, and breathed his next words almost inaudibly.

"Then will you be with me instead?" She reeled back as if stung and he pulled her flush against him. "Or are you the fool to believe that he acts this way to impress another?" She snarled up at him her lips no longer the focus of his attention. She should've refused him, she should've denied his accusations, but she did not.

"Fine! If you can prove his disloyalty...I..I will leave with you!" A dangerous smirk crossed those masculine lips as he let her go, and took a step back. "Know that when the time comes, I will hold you too your words." He looked at her accusingly as if she would go against her own promise.

She met his look with a defiant tilt of her chin and a glare worthy of even Neji's approval. "And know that if you cannot prove anything I will have your neck for speaking so lowly of Neji." His chin tilted downward and his features took on an expression of malice. "Is that a challenge, Hyuga-san?"

Her fists balled again at her sides. "Yes, and my name is Tenten. NOT Hyuga-san." He chuckled again, that sound that came from deep within his chest. "So I was right, you don't like to be called by that name." Before a retort could be made a familiarly strong chakra pattern turned the corner.