Wow! Hey thank you all for the reviews. I'm so happy you're all enjoying it thus far. As for my other stories I will update soon. Summer is coming, college will be out soon, so you can expect more from me then. In the mean time, I have really enjoyed writing this. It's like the ideas keep flowing.
-B
Unlikely Pair
Chapter Three: Stirring
"Tenten, wait!" Sakura cried out and outstretched her arm in the direction of the door. She lurched forward but Ino stopped her.
"Don't. If we press any further she'll figure out we sent the letter. This is good. She's spending more time with the Hokage."
"That's true but she did seem pissed off. Maybe she's not ready yet."
Temari noted.
"Temari is right, what if Tenten just hasn't moved on yet?" Sakura looked at Ino with pleading green eyes.
"She's talking to him, that's a start. Just give it time girls. That's all we can do now." Ino smiled reassuringly.
"I think you two should be more concerned with the fact that this is a pretty serious investigation. They're going to trace the letter back to you." Temari stated, "and when they do I don't wanna be involved."
"Okay, if they do trace the letter back to us, we'll all make a little laugh of it. Kakashi Sensei won't be too upset." Sakura waved her hand, but inwardly she was a little worried and hoped to goodness there wouldn't be serious repercussions.
"You're right Sakura. Don't stress, Temari. This is a good thing! I have a good feeling about this." Ino chimed.
Like most emotions and feelings, grief comes in waves. Tenten sat in her room that evening as a tsunami of grief hit her like a ton of bricks.
Yes, she really missed Neji. Had things been different, had he survived perhaps she and he would be pairing up right now like everyone else. But, Naruto and Hinata may not have. It's funny how things worked out, how his death brought them closer.
Tenten knew it was time to move on. And part of her was ready. Her friends had been well-meaning in their attempts to inquire about her personal preferences in regards to the opposite sex.
She lay down and contemplated about it, what her likes and dislikes were. She liked a kind man, smart, maybe a little blunt. In regards to Neji, she appreciated his tendency to be completely honest with her, but she didn't like how harsh he could be at times.
There were advantages to an older, more experienced man. She wouldn't have to fret about immature decisions on his part. Older men were likely to be more financially stable, more likely to have the experience to well frankly, satisfy a woman's needs.
Sakura mentioned Kakashi being cute, Tenten hadn't disagreed nor had she agreed. She turned onto her side. He was a nice man, and his personality was perhaps a bit attractive to her, at least from what she was able to perceive. But, she had caught a glimpse of his face when they had sat down to a bowl of ramen together. She hadn't wanted to stare, because obviously it would be rude. He was very handsome, very handsome indeed.
However, in her mind the likelihood of someone of his political standing, age, and rank ever showing just a fleck of interest in the likes of her were minimal at best.
The following day, Kakashi sat behind his desk and let out a quiet sigh. He'd arrived only a fraction of a second later than Shizune and the moment she spotted him, she was already on him about getting his paperwork done.
And perhaps she was right. He knew at some point his mystery solving accomplice would arrive. He had to admit, having her around had become a breath of fresh air in the midst of the stale-office-environment. She carried a light, optimistic yet grounded presence. When it came down to it, Kakashi had discovered that he enjoyed her company.
However, now was not the time to think about a young and pretty accomplice. Now was the time to get some paperwork done. He fought he urge to whine like a child who didn't want to go to school, picked up a paper from atop the pile to his right and looked it over.
He felt exhausted already, but nevertheless he signed his signature at the bottom just as a knock came on his door.
He looked up and saw her standing there before him. Her chocolate-colored eyes sparkling, and a friendly but subtle smile graced her face as she waved.
"Come on in," Kakashi waved her in and greeted her with a nod of his head. "How are you today, Tenten?" He inquired politely.
Tenten stood before him, not wanting to be seated until she had been asked. She had noticed a slight change in his behavior, differing from the day before. Does he seem.. friendlier? "I'm well," she replied, "and yourself Hokage Sa-"
"Tenten please, you can call me Kakashi. And take a seat." He motioned to the chair across from him, just as he had the day before.
Just as Tenten sat down, Shizune walked in and folded her arms across her chest. "Kakashi, those reports need to be signed by the end of the day. Please think about what's important." Shizune huffed, she hated having to reprimand the man in charge so often, but then again she always had to keep Tsunade Sama in line as well, making sure she didn't over do it on the alcohol or spending. She didn't give him a chance to respond, instead she walked out just as quickly as she had walked in.
Tenten looked behind her at the door that had just closed and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Kakashi sighed and waved his hand, looking at his paperwork.
"Well, I'm here. Can I help in any way?" She offered, of course who in their right mind would volunteer to freely help file mountains upon mountains of paperwork? Tenten, apparently.
Kakashi stared at her for a brief moment and scratched his head. "I couldn't ask you to do something so tedious, I may as well assign you to something more appealing."
"I don't mind. I really don't have anything better to do today. So? Where do we start?" She said as she stood to her feet. "What are these?" She pointed to one pile closest to herself.
He smiled, grateful not only for the company but for the help. "Those are reports that have been signed and need to be filed. Alphabetically and by rank in those filing cabinets. These right here still need to be signed."
"So, I'll file these, and you sign those and once they're done I'll help you file them." Tenten informed him of her plan before scooping up one half of the papers from her pile.
Kakashi blinked a moment and shook his head before getting to work obediently. From the corner of his eye, he watched her get onto her knees on the floor and begin to organize the papers into smaller piles in front of her. She was fast, and efficient as she sorted through the parchment, leaning forward to place another down in its rightful place. As she worked, he watched dark strands of her hair fall in front of her face and she would quickly brush them away and tuck them behind her delicate ear.
He would sign a paper or two, and subtly glance at her in between. Something seemed to be stirring inside of him, something he couldn't exactly pinpoint. However, he also began to feel something else. "Tenten," he stated breathily.
Tenten shifted her attention to the man behind the desk and looked at him worriedly. "Are you okay?" She noticed that there were beadlets of sweat on his brow and the exposed skin of his face appeared more pale than usual.
"Can you open the window?" He asked, his body shifting forward, almost using his desk for support.
Tenten neatly placed the papers that she held in her hands in a separate pile on the ground. She got up quickly and walked to the window, unlocking it and opening it promptly. She walked over to him, looking at him with great concern. "You don't look well, Kakashi." She hated calling him only by his first name, but she didn't want to be corrected yet again. So as strange as it felt, she obliged to his request to simply call him Kakashi.
"I'm fine, Tenten." He waved his hand and tried to smile but he cringed suddenly and his hand shot down and gripped his side. He was overcome by excruciating anguish, pain was coursing through his body at an alarming rate radiating from his navel and spreading to his lower right abdomen. He gritted his teeth, and though he tried to keep himself upright, he could not. He slumped over, leaning on the poor girl as he did.
Tenten steadied him, keeping her arms around his body. She pushed his chair back as he continued to fall on her and she eased him to the floor gently. Her hand delicately touched his forehead, and it felt like she'd just touched a flame. He was burning up, cringing and writhing in pain beneath her.
"You need to breathe," she looked down at him with big brown eyes, filled with worry as her dainty fingers gripped the edges of his mask. She looked down at him for approval but his pained expression didn't give her much of a choice. So, she pulled down his mask. Shocked briefly by his aesthetic beauty. She saw part of his face yesterday, but not his face as a whole. He was simply breathtaking. His lips were thin and masculine, his nose slender and pointing slightly at the end, and his chin strong and jawline just so. He had a tiny mole on the side of his chin that coincided with his scar.
She looked him over quickly, to her this seemed obvious, it must be his appendix. There was no way she could help him, she was not strong by way of medical ninjutsu. "Shizune!" She cried while grabbing hold of Kakashi's hand that was not grasping at his side. He squeezed her hand, gripping it tightly.
Shizune burst in quickly, "What happened?!" She gasped and knelt beside Tenten, examining the man.
"I think his appendix burst or maybe it's about to." Tenten huffed, her heart was pounding hard inside her chest, nervous butterflies danced around in her stomach as she clung to his hand. She felt sick, she didn't like this situation at all, frankly she was scared.
"We have to get him to the hospital!" Shizune exclaimed as she tried to heft the man to his feet, but he wasn't budging. He was in far too much pain to be moved. The slightest of movements seemed to agitate the condition.
"I'll get him there." Tenten nodded to her and apologized profusely to the Hokage for what she was about to do, and the awkwardness of what it entailed. She stepped over him, one foot on either side of him and she gripped his hands, knelt down and lifted him up over her shoulders. "Hold onto me," she grunted, not realizing how heavy he actually was. She felt his arms wrap around her neck and she reached around and hooked her arms underneath his legs and hefted him up further.
They were a sight. A full grown man, holding onto a petite young lady piggy-back style. She was off, darting quickly through town with chakra-infused feet to get her there even more quickly. When she felt him slip, her grip on him tightened and she encouraged him to hang on, and ensured him that they were almost there.
She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, but it was light. "Don't you dare die on me. The whole village will blame me, you know." Tenten said, half-teasingly. He groaned quietly in response.
When she arrived at the hospital, she ran through the emergency entrance and slid to a stop right in front of the nurses station.
The rest seemed like a blur. Nurses worked together as a team to get the man onto a gurney and they wheeled him away from Tenten at speeds that looked inhuman.
Other people in the wing huddled together, comforting each other as they waited for family members or news. Others still sat in waiting to be treated. Coughing, sneezing and such. Some groaned in pain, others didn't make a peep and Tenten had to wonder if they were even alive.
The emergency room was not a pleasant place, so she soon discovered. Still, she waited. Her feet felt like they were glued in place. She couldn't leave, not without knowing if he was okay.
The place was filled with so much noise that when it accumulated, it all sounded like a loud buzzing cloud of noise with no real distinctions distinguishing what was coming from where.
"Miss Tenten." Came a soft voice as a cold hand touched the upper part of her arm. Tenten jumped and turned around, facing a friendly looking nurse in surgical scrubs. "The Hokage has requested to see you."
Tenten had no words, she simply nodded her head and followed the nurse as she began to walk. How long has it been? She wondered. They walked through a pair of double doors, rounded a corner and then through yet another pair of doors to a wing dedicated to recovering patients.
"Right this way," the nurse informed before holding a door open to a private room.
Tenten peered in nervously, but stumbled forward when the nurse gently pushed on her back.
He wasn't wearing his mask, and when his lazy and sleepy looking eyes caught glimpse of her, a silly smile crept onto his face. "You came." He said gratefully.
Judging by the way he was talking to her, and looking at her, Tenten deducted that perhaps the anesthesia hadn't worn off. She turned her attention to the nurse, "so it was his appendix?"
"Yes it was. You brought him just in time." She informed. "I'll give you two a moment." She said before slipping out of the room stealthily.
"Just the girl I wanted to see." He put his hands on either side of his body, and eased himself up to an upright position.
"Lay back down!" She rushed to him and gently pushed him down so that he was on his back once more. "You just had surgery." She explained.
"I think you're beautiful." He said without warning.
Tenten blushed and her eyes grew wide as she stared at him. The same feeling that she encountered hours earlier, the rapid heartbeat and the butterflies in her stomach presented themselves once more. But this time it was much more intense. "I-"
"And I think you're smart."
"Okay," she said stopping him, "Hokage Sama the anesthesia hasn't worn off. You're simply acting silly." She blushed a little more, and then gasped when she felt his hands grasp both of hers.
"Or perhaps its just genuinely how I feel?" He smirked, clearly still effected by the drugs. "And haven't I asked you not to call me Lord?" He frowned, and furrowed his brows, obviously pained that she had continued to disobey him.
"You need to rest." She urged. "You won't remember any of this when you wake up," she mumbled that last part.
"We'll see when I take you to dinner tomorrow if I remember or not." He winked his Sharingan eye at her.
The drugs certainly made him rather frisky and outspoken. Tenten could not help but let out a small giggle. She knew he would never remember, so she placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight, Kakashi." She said, softly.
He smiled wide and blushed ever-so-slightly. "Goodnight, Ten-Chan."
Tenten turned on her heel, her back to him before he could see the large smile that had crept onto her face and she walked out of his room without another word.