A/N: Alright so! I'm not too happy with this chapter right now so I just may replace it...one day. A big thank you for those who reviewed and those keeping up with my story. I took the time to go to some of your profile pages and left a message, just to show my appreciation.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto.


Chapter 5: Love?

I didn't understand at all. How can she not know her own name? Hm… I wonder who "they" are. Maybe she's talking about Kakashi. This girl is really confusing me. She gives me the impression that she knows something I don't… something that I should know. Perhaps she's hiding something, or maybe hiding someone. She must be trying to confuse me in order to protect the Phantom… wait, does that even make sense? Maybe I'm just confusing myself.

"So, Tenten," I said, testing out her name, "I'm leaving tomorrow." She didn't look at me or say anything, just stared at the ground as she nibbled her sandwich. "You don't seem to get a lot of visitors. Will you be okay by yourself?" Which was very much true, by the way. I've been watching her even though she's been avoiding me. The only person that comes around is Hatake Kakashi, but he only comes at night and not very often either. It's not stalking, it's observing.

"I don't know how you know that and I'm not sure I want to know either, but yeah, I'll be fine. I'm leaving tomorrow as well." Urk, she must think I'm some psycho stalker.

"I see. Do you need a drive home or something?" I asked, smiling at her. She seemed to be considering the question as she clicked her tongue in thought. Then she turned to me and smiled. God that smile… I'm pretty sure I ranted about it already, but now that I look at it, it seems to be sort of…sad.

"I was planning to take a bus, but I guess it'd be pretty inconvenient. Don't worry, I'll manage myself," she said quietly with a small smile. At that point, I wanted to take her in my arms, squeeze her real tight, and carry her home. I mean so I can hold her hostage…and lure the Phantom. Yeah. Bind and gag her and…forget it. I'll just confuse myself even more. Those kinds of thoughts are the last thing I need right now…

"Would you like my brother to drive you as well?" I asked politely, though for some reason, a tad desperate as well. She didn't answer right away, of course. The brunette has never answered right away to my questions… She merely murmured, "I'll think about it".

We sat in silence as she finished off her sandwich. It wasn't uncomfortable silence, despite us not knowing each other for very long. Oh hell no, I'm abnormally happy right now. I haven't been happier being around anyone else. I'm thinking (hoping) it's the coffee. I kept catching myself staring at Tenten, just nibbling away on her sandwich. She reminds me of a hamster in a way. Or maybe a panda… either way, it's adorable. Without warning, she grabbed her crutches and got on her feet.

"I need to go now," she whispered, her back turned against me. Not again… for fucks sakes! It's a goddamn hospital! How busy can you get when you're in a hospital? I'm not letting her get away this time. I got up quickly and ran up to her, grabbing her hand that was holding her crutch.

"Are you avoiding me?" I demanded. Tenten immediately stopped in her tracks. She looked at me, for the first time, right in the eye. Her eyes were clouded with what appeared to be hatred. I suddenly felt like I had been stabbed in the heart and kneed in the stomach at that realization. But I kept my cool. If it was one thing I learned from my bastard of a father, it's not letting your weaknesses show. Well technically I learned that from Gaara, who was forced to learn these things because of the bastard. My dad had always hated him the most because he was so different in every way.

I delved deeper into Tenten's chocolate eyes, piercing them with my turquoise-green ones. She kept her gaze locked onto me, I continued searching, searching for a hint of poison that will perhaps show me that she was the Phantom. She seemed to be searching through mine as well. But beyond the, what I realize was false hate, there was not a hint of evil. There was nothing that told me that she was, or had anything to do with the Phantom. If you concentrate on one's eyes, you can easily tell what kind of person they are. At least that's how that is with me. But Tenten's were genuine, despite the false hatred. The only thing they reflected was loneliness, and that hint of sadness. The sadness that seemed to follow her everywhere and wasn't very noticeable.

"Temari," she said in a serious tone, "we can't be friends." She smiled at me. It was just like her previous smiles, I noticed… it was sad, and not quite genuine, but still beautiful.

"I won't ask why, you wouldn't answer me if I asked anyway," I replied, still keeping my cool. I smiled at her and said firmly, "but I won't stop trying either." My body seemed to move at it's own accord and my mind was too blank to protest as I slowly let go of her hand and cupping her face. She froze, her eyes widened with a sense of fear that I didn't failed to notice at that moment. I leaned down slowly, expecting her to run away any second. I was a centimetre away from reaching my mark, she didn't move at all. She kept her gaze on mine the whole time. I leaned down and closed the space between us. My eyes immediately closed. The feeling of righteousness and familiarities was beyond words. I felt like I had kissed these soft lips a thousand times before. The world faded away and everything stopped when she, to my surprised, kissed me back. My legs were about to give in. Tenten's lips were a big contrast to those of all the men I've kissed before. I moaned. And reality hit me. Hard.

My eyes flung open, as I pulled away quickly. Tenten's big eyes opened as well, but she had a dazed expression on her face, much like the one she wore at the party. Shit. I just kissed someone I barely knew. Someone of the same sex. Oh shit. Must keep cool, must keep cool!

"S-Sorry, I-I don't know what came over me!" Wow Temari, you're pathetic. What happened to keeping cool? You stuttering fool! Yes, I'm mentally punching the lights out of myself.

"Uh… that was my first kiss…" Tenten whispered rather calmly. She sat back down on the bench and motioned me to come closer. She tugged on the edge of my hospital gown, telling me to lower myself. I kneeled in front of her, still confused. She pulled the on my gown roughly. My face was once again centimetres away from the brunette's. Being so close to her, I blushed. For the first time in my life, I blushed. I was red, uncomfortable, and afraid of what she was going to do next. She brought her mouth close to my ear, her warm breath tickling it.

"That was better than what people say," She whispered sexily into my ear, "but sorry, we still can't be friends." She pulled away slowly, giving me a small peck on the lips before gently shoving me back. I was genuinely shocked. Shocked over a couple of things, actually. First, I was shocked at she didn't shove me off before I had kissed her. Then at her reaction afterwards and what she said. Lastly, I was completely shocked at how sexy this girl can be.

"T-that d-doesn't stop me from, err… d-driving you home!" I managed to yell back before all coherent speech escaped my mind.

"No thanks, I'll take a bus," she called back without turning around.

This girl was driving me crazy! And she knows it! She's doing it on purpose just to throw me over the edge…and it bothers me that she doesn't even seem to be trying! Except for that sexy remark back there, which I'm still blushing over.

But! There was one thing that bothers me. Putting all this swoon-y confusing crap aside, a question remains. Why won't she be my friend? If she had any ties with the Phantom, it would clearly be an advantage. She would be able to monitor me without arousing suspicions. She would have the liberty of knowing every detail about me. She would know my weaknesses, my strengths, my passions, my likes and dislikes, and all that stuff. Now that she knows how close I'm willing to be with her, she shouldn't have turned down my offer. On the other hand, if she had no ties at all with the mystery man, why couldn't she be my friend? There was no way she could've recognized me as the Tempest. No that's out of question; Midnight's disguise is too clever. The full face-length mask, highlighted extensions, and piercings made me a whole different person. Perhaps I gave off a bad aura? As if she believes these things anyway. Maybe she knew right off the bat that I was just trying to get into her pants. Not that I am. Though that would be… no, no! She's strictly out of question! Being a girl and all, a rather suspicious girl that may have something to do with the bastard…

However, looking at this from another angle. She may have nothing to do with him at all. She could've been in a motorcycle accident for all I know. Maybe she owes Hatake money, so he comes in to bother her…or threaten her. For some reason that thought really bugged me. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach at the thought of her being hurt more than she already is. Tenten's giving me all these feelings that I've never known or felt until now. Feelings I don't even know how to describe. Ugh…I wanna just hide in a corner and mope by myself.

I realized I was still sitting on the cold tiles of the garden pavement where Tenten had shoved me. Before I could get up, however, something hit me. Something's head butted my side at full speed while was massaging my temples, still thinking. Whatever it was, knocked the breathe out of me. I would've fell on my broken arm if I didn't have godly balance. C'mon, I travel on a giant fan for god's sakes!

I turned my head to glare down at the thing that disrupted my thoughts rather violently. My expression immediately softened at the sight of this little cutie. It was a little pink piggy with a pearl necklace and a jacket. She was so cute, that I automatically picked her up and squeezed her. Something I've been dying to do to a certain brunette since I laid eyes on her. Well, the second time I laid eyes on her. I was too confused the first time.

As I continued cuddling the piggy, I saw Shizune running towards me out of the corner of my eye.

"Oh, thank goodness you found her!" she said, catching her breath, "thank you so much, Temari! It'd be my neck if I lost her." I stared back and forth between her and the pig with a bewildered expression. Wow, who knew someone had a pet pig in a city like this. I handed the soft, pink, squealing animal back to the nurse before getting up myself.

"Is she yours?" I asked curiously. She smiled at me before replying, "You can say that… she's really Tsunade-san's. Why don't you accompany me to her office? You can hold Tonton if you like. She seems to like you a lot. I think Tsunade-san would like to reward you." I grinned happily as I gently took the pig from Shizune. She was just so cute, you can't help but want to squeeze the air out of her. Gee, that sounds like someone I know…

"So you guys share her? That's really cute," I asked while tickling Tonton on our way back to the main building. Funny how the piggy's name is so similar to that same certain someone's…

She giggled, "You can say that, I guess. I take care of her, Tsunade-san just owns her."

"Well, she's really adorable. Are the clothes your idea?"

"Nope… Tsunade didn't like her all pink and naked, so she made the jacket for her. She eventually added the necklace so Tonton looked more feminine. She doesn't seem to mind though." The pig in my arm squealed happily at the sound of her name.

"Ah, does she always run away from you?"

"No, well at least not this far. She runs around a lot, but usually stays on the office floor. It gets really troublesome but Tsunade-san insists I bring her to the hospital everyday. Even though she doesn't take care of her, she's really protective over her. Tonton usually runs away when she smells something that catches her attention."

"Hah, I didn't know pigs have such a strong sense of smell."

"Nope! It's just her! Tonton's one special piggy." The pig squealed again, lifting her head proudly. It was as if she understood our conversation…cute, yet eerie.

"Well, I hope I don't smell bad…"

"Hahah, don't worry, I can't smell anything. That's a bit weird though, but oh well. Tonton must've thought you had a strong…mental scent? I don't know," she laughed.

We took the elevator up to the higher floors were the offices were. It was mostly empty, as the doctors were downstairs, too busy for paperwork. Tsunade's office was a whole separate room at the far end. From what I can see from the translucent glass around her door, the blonde doctor was in there with someone else.

"Tsunade-san, we found Tonton. May we come in?" Shizune said politely, gently tapping the door with her knuckles. Tsunade sounded overly happy as she told us to enter.

"Tontooooon!" the doctor cried, flinging her arms around the pig and me. I closed my eyes as I braced for the impact. Her enormous chest must've been suffocating Tonton, as she started squealing loudly. Suddenly, Tsunade yelped and jumped back, rubbing her cleavage. "Tonton! That hurt!" she cried. I opened my eyes and tried to suppress my laughter. The pig huffed and snuggled her self deeper into my, relatively smaller, breasts. I raised an eyebrow and looked at Shizune. She just giggled and pointed to the pen beside the doctor's desk that was piled high with papers and folders. Hey wait, is that sake (1) I see? Drinking on the job eh?

That was when I noticed the other person sitting in one of the chairs across from the doctor's own seat. I mentally slapped my forehead and kicked myself.

"Hello, Temari. Funny meeting you here," said the person I least wanted to see right now.

"Uh, hi there, T-Tenten." Dammit you! What happened to your make-everyone-fall-in-love-with-you social skills? Where's your charm, Temari? She's just another girl! Breathe! Okay, now mooove your aaarms. Slowly now, place Tonton back into the pen. C'mon now. Stop staring at her! I kicked myself mentally over and over again. Regain bodily movement now.

Tonton squealed loudly, snapping me out of my trance and mental war. And so…I dropped her. Aw, shit. She kept squealing as she ran around in circles around me, head butting my leg now and then. I turned around to look at Shizune and Tsunade, who were still standing at the door and gaping at me.

"Yeah, this is embarrassing," I laughed sheepishly, picking up Tonton again and placing her into the pen. She was still running around in circles… I hope I didn't hurt her mentally…

Tsunade walked up to me, displaying no facial expression whatsoever. Now I'm scared. She picked up a standard A4 sized paper fan and whacked me on the head with it. Jesus, this woman is crazy…I rubbed the top of my head, and glared at her. She glared right back at me. Dammit I think I felt one of my four pompoms move… No one messes with Temari's hair! Just as I had grabbed hold of her white jacket, she raised her fan and hit me again. I growled as Shizune stepped in and held Tsunade back. The blonde doctor shot me another dirty look. I was going to jump her again when I felt cold metal hit me in the stomach. I groaned and keeled over at the impact. I glared up at Tenten, who only smirked at me before retracting her crutch.

A while later, after we both calmed down, I took a seat next to Tenten as Tsunade sat down in her chair as well. Shizune fed Tonton before standing beside Tsunade. The doctor started talking about our leave tomorrow or something like that. I don't know, but she was talking. I looked back and forth from Shizune to Tsunade, thinking what an unlikely pair they made. Then Tsunade proceeded to talk about something else, I think it was Tonton. I kept my gaze on the piggy in the pen next to me, who was sleeping soundly in a corner and blanked out from the conversation.

"…Temari-san's okay with it." I perked up at the sound an angelic voice next to me saying my name.

"Sorry? I didn't get the last thing you said," I said, smiling sheepishly.

"Tsunade-san wanted to treat us to dinner for rescuing Tonton," Tenten explained. I nodded, not really paying attention still. Tonton was now awake and trying to jump at me. "So…what do you say, Temari?" the brunette continued.

"Wait," I said, confused, "what do you mean treat us to dinner?"

"You know, me…and you? You and me? Does that make sense to you?" She said slowly as if she was talking to a two-year-old. The nerve of that girl! She has definitely gotten bolder after realizing her power over me. Ugh, make these feelings go away! Wait, what did she say? Dinner? Me and Tenten? Just me and Tenten? No, that can't be right.

"Temari!" someone snapped impatiently from across the desk. Oh, the old hag.

"What?" I snapped back.

"We're still waiting for your answer," Shizune explained politely, "Tsunade-san wants to invite the two of you to dinner tomorrow night after you sign out and put your luggage away. It's a thank you for finding Tonton."

"Wait…why is she invited too?" I asked pointing a finger at the brunette next to me.

"Well, I just assumed you two were quite close. The more the merrier! Plus you have no say on this anyway." Tsunade smiled at me. Scary…

I woke up early the next morning, just lounging around until Kankuro or Gaara came to get me. I had already packed up everything, which wasn't much, the night before. I was just sitting on my bed and finishing off the book Shika lent me, when someone barged in through the door.

"Tema-chaaaaaaaan!" Oh, god. Why the hell is Ino here? I hid my face with my book in an effort to hide. Of course, she found me and proceeded to tackle me down with a hug. You can barely call it a hugging…it felt more like homicide.

"I-Ino! It's a hospital! Behave yourself for once will you?" Oh hey, I knew that voice! Ooh, I wonder…could it be?

"Eh? You're no fun, you know that?" Ino said with a pout as she finally got off me. I slowly got up as well, finally being able to feel the oxygen again.

"Well, well, look who it is!" I said smirking at the familiar face beside Ino. "Oh, what? You didn't think I could do it?" the blonde said, smiling as she took her lover's hand, "Rawr, I belong to Sakura-chan now. So if you ever get jealous and hurt my little cherry blossom, I won't hesitate to kick your ass!"

I laughed, "I'd like to see you try. I can't believe you really tamed her, Sakura. I wonder if I should be scared of you… Anyway, what are you guys doing here? I thought you knew I was leaving today."

"Of course! That's why we're driving you home!" Ino cried, proudly twirling her car keys, "I managed to get your brothers to let me drive you. Because! It was your fault I got into this mess." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean 'mess'?" Sakura said, poking her sides.

"H-hey stop that! You know very well how ticklish I am! So lemme finish!" Ino said while squirming away from Sakura's finger.

"I mean, it's your fault I got involved into this mess. And you don't know how much I love you for that!" The blonde stepped forward and hugged me again, a real hug this time. She grinned and said, "Of course, I love Sakura more. So! I won't take back what I said about you hurting her!" She punched me lightly in the arm before getting my luggage.

"Oh wait, you don't mind driving someone else home do you?"

"Huh? Well of course not! I'll go bring your luggage down while you get him or her, Sakura better stay with you. Just don't touch my honey okay?" The photographer said, with a wide grin on her face as she walked out the door with my suitcase.

"Her room is just around the corner here," I said, smiling at the pink-haired girl, "hey, sorry if I said anything harsh that night." She looked at me questioningly.

"What? Oh you mean at the party? Don't worry about it," she said smiling back at me, "if you hadn't said that I never would've given this a second thought."

"So what do you think of her? I hope she's not chaining you to the bed every night, I'd feel really awful."

She giggled, "Don't worry about that, I can have her begging on her knees if I wanted to. But she's really sweet, and not to mention understanding. Despite how she acts, she'll give you space if you ask for it. But not too much space so you know she still cares. Honestly, I've always been alone, so having someone beside you takes some getting used to. I mean, Hinata is my best and only real friend, but she never has time for me as I'm sure you know."

"Hah," I snorted, "I would've never guessed. She's always been the kind to get her nose in everything to me, the kind that feeds on details. So how did she do it?"

"What?"

"I mean, how did she win you over?"

"Oh. That was kind of cute actually… she came to my doorsteps with a box. It was rainy that day too, so she came with an umbrella. But she kept most of it above the box, soaking her hair. Which really, isn't the sort of thing she would do in a million years… so anyways, the box." The DJ started making hand gestures to tell me the approximate size of the box, her facial expressions brightening noticeably on the topic.

"Ino demanded to be let inside, so of course I let her. She stopped me before I could even go get a towel for her. She gave me the box, telling me to be extra gentle, and made just stood there, waiting for me to open it. Inside the box was a little grey-striped kitten with little grey socks. She couldn't have been more than three weeks old. The first thing I noticed was the bright red ribbon tied around the kitten's neck, a pink heart hanging from it. She told me to open the case before I could say anything. I noticed she had turned around, and tried to look everywhere but at me. Aah it was so cute, you'd have to be freakin' blind to not fall in love with her on the spot!" She stopped and smiled at me, but said nothing more.

"Wait, aren't you going to tell me what was in there?" I cried. I seriously hate it when people leave me hanging.

"Hmm…I won't tell you everything since it's suppose to be between us only," she replied grinning, "it was a little piece of paper, folded many times to fit into the case. She wrote some very sweet things, but what she said next was what made my heart stop." Sakura's face was as pink as her name now. But she stopped again, waiting for me to spazz. Which is, of course, exactly what I did.

"Alright, alright! Jeez, Temari, calm down. She said, 'Nobody can survive without love. The kitten needs my love as much as I need yours. If you abandon me now, I'm afraid I don't know what I'll do to myself…' That was part of it. Man, she was so vulnerable then, I knew she couldn't be lying. Hell, it made the kitten look invincible. So I gave her a chance, thankfully without regret."

"That's beautiful, but just a bit heavy on the cheese," I laughed, "who knew Ino was capable of doing that. Oh by the way, here's a tip: when Ino lies, she tends to get very red in the ear."

"I'll keep that in mind," giggled Sakura.

I poked my head into Tenten's room, smiling at the sight of the brunette doing some last minute packing. She wore a pair of dark jeans with lots of pockets, her belt going from the left side of her waist to the top of her right knee. On top of that, she wore a soft sky-blue sleeveless hoodie. Yeah, Adorably sexy all right. I crept up to her as quiet as possible and jabbed her in the side with my finger. She spun around and knocked me in the jaw with her elbow. Damn, this girl has killer reflexes…

"Oh my god Temari! Are you okay? Shit, good thing I was behind you to support your fall or else you could've gotten yourself one more week here," the pink haired DJ sighed. My eyes were still closed while I lied still in Sakura's arms.

"Oh…Temari…" a familiar voice said in an annoyed tone, "sorry that's a habit," a familiar voice said. I opened my eyes, to see Tenten's large brown ones, staring back at me with concern. Good thing I was already on the ground, cause I'm pretty sure my legs would've gave way at the sight of those eyes.

"It's okay, nothing's hurt," I said smiling back at her. Okay so I lied. For some reason I felt my heart beat so fast, it seemed like it'd break my ribcage. Plus my stomach felt weird again. These things seem to always happen around her… I don't know what it is but it's pissing me off!

"Good, lets get going to the car before Ino comes to check on us. I doubt that'd be very pretty." Sakura said after helping me to my feet. Yeah, I can just imagine her charging down the hallways screaming our names, then getting dragged away to be questions by authorities. Sigh, that girl worries me sometimes, with or without Sakura to hold her back.

"Temari, I thought I told you I was going to take the bus."

"Sorry, sexy, you're coming with me," I said, "I'll carry you if I have to, but you're not taking the bus." Wow I sound strangely protective… I really hope I don't have to carry her…

"Nope, I checked out already and I'm leaving," she said firmly, giving me a glare.

"Not if I can help it. Sakura, take the luggage, please. Oh, and don't forget the crutches." Sakura just nodded unenthusiastically. Tenten was about to say something, but before she could, I swept her up and put her over my shoulder. Damn, this girl's really light. She screamed and punched my back, but of course, it was no use. I carried her like that all the way to the parking lot.

I placed her in the back seat of Ino's sleek marine sports convertible. I slid in next to her quickly even though I knew she couldn't get out by herself. Ino and Sakura joined us quickly after putting in Tenten's luggage.

"Well, well, what have we got here," Ino smirked as she slid into the driver's seat, "what's your name, beautiful?"

"Tenten," the brunette next to me muttered irritably as she burned holes into the car next to us.

"Well then, Tenten, where shall I be taking you to, today?" Receiving no response, Ino just sighed.

"Temari, your taste in women is absolutely impeccable."

"Is that sarcasm, Ino? You know—"

"Don't! Say anything about my honey!"

"I'm right here you know…" Sakura sighed. Ino just giggled as she leaned over to give the DJ a small peck on the lips.

"Well, Tenten-chan, if you're not going to say anything… I could perhaps drive you to our house. A threesome sounds nice," the photographer said, turning around to give the irritated girl a wink.

"Or would you prefer Temari's apartment?" she continued, grinning at me wickedly.

"I'll give you ten seconds to answer before you're coming to my apartment," I sighed, just wanting to get this over with. Tenten kept quiet as she continued staring at the car beside us.

"Well then, off we go!" Ino cried happily as she initiated the car.

"Oh yeah, Temari, let's go out for drinks tonight! In celebration of you finally getting out of the hospital!"

"You're just looking for an excuse to get drunk, Ino… Sorry, but I have plans."

"Going out for some Chinese tonight eh?" the blonde teased, winking into the rearview mirror, "No matter, Sakura-chan will drink with me neeeeee Sakura-chaaan?"

"I don't know, you got pretty damn scary last time…"

"Aww c'mon! Those cuff marks went away after a day or two! Besides, I hid all that stuff anyway."

"You…really didn't need to share."

"Shut up Temari, you're just jealous cause Sakura-chan got me first!"

"Yes, yes, whatever. Don't forget I turned you down first."

"Okay, that… I was drunk alright?"

"Oh, oh, share! You never told me this, Ino! Are you hiding something from me?"

"Don't worry, Sakura, it was a long time ago. But it's fun to bring it back up." I laughed. I love bringing this up in front of Ino, the story of how we met and her attempt to get into my pants.

"See, one night, Ino was just drinking away at my bar. The whole time she was there, she kept saying all these cheesy catch phrases. I tried to reply as blunt as I could since it seemed to work with the men. But Ino was very persistent on spending the night with me. She started to get frustrated and eventually climbed over the bar counter and try a more physical approach."

Sakura laughed and reached over to playfully punch Ino in the arm. Ino just stuck her tongue out at her.

"So what did you do?" the pink-haired girl asked.

"I did what any normal bartender would do," I said proudly, "I kneed her in the stomach three times, socked her in the jaw, poured rum on her head, and threw her over the counter. Of course, she passed out."

"Which is why I try not to drink near Temari. But now that I have you, Sakura-chan, I won't have to live through that ever again. I couldn't move at all after that. Just don't hurt me so much…"

"You handcuffed me last time, remember? There was no way I could've hurt you."

"Hey Tenten," I said gently, "I really don't have a choice but to bring you back to my apartment if you're not going to tell me your address. You do have to get ready for Tsunade-san's dinner tonight…" The brunette grunted in response.

"Oh well, at least its Temari. I'm pretty sure she won't do anything bad," Ino giggled, "damn straight girls. This girl hasn't been screwed in years. It's like she's allergic to love."

"Thanks Ino. No one really needed to know that," I mumbled. Even though it's true, it doesn't mean people should know. Tenten of all people! So I did turn away from love for a couple of years. So what? All the guys I've ever gone that far with were all nothing but cheating jackasses in one way or another. Even Shika dumped me for another girl back in fifth grade. I pounded the bastard's face in the next day. Out of the corner of my eye, I Tenten smirk at me.

"I have experienced enough love in the past to know that I'm just not cut out for love,"

Ino grinned into the rearview mirror, "Don't worry, Temari, you'll find him soon. Just gotta open your eyes a little. If a wildcat like me can find love, you'll get there in no time." I had my doubts, but then again…after so many years of false love and murder mystery novels, I wouldn't know love if it slapped me across the face.

"That reminds me! Sakura, what did you do with Socks? You didn't leave her all alone did you? That would be cruel!"

"Well what did you want me to do? Hire a nanny for the kitten? I just put her in the bathroom with some food and water."

"Oh my god! Sakura-chan you know the bathroom is dangerous! How could you do that to her? She's our lovechild!" They continued talking as I stared out the window and spaced out.

"We're here, Tema-chan!" the blonde photographer cried as she got out of the car. "Alrighty then! Sakura and I will bring the luggage up, so why don't you two go up first." Ino pushed Sakura back into the trunk of the car, kissing her gently. I sighed as I watched them from the back seat, "At least give me Tenten's crutches before you start making out in the middle of the streets." No reply whatsoever. Dammit they should just get a room.

"Great, should I carry you? Or do you prefer to walk up the stairs. We can get away from these two a lot faster if I carry you." She gave me no reply either. Argh what's with people and ignoring me nowadays? Wait…oh. She's asleep. Guess I'll have to carry her. I suppose I can balance her on my cast, it'd be kind of hard though. Well a little bit of pain won't matter to me. I picked her up as gently as I could, but even then I was surprised she didn't wake up. I had rattled her quite a bit but still managed to pick her up without waking her. I saw Ino wink at me as I was closing the door with me back. I just rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at her before heading up to the apartment.

Carrying Tenten wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I mean, my heart was beating very fast but that's about it. Until she start snuggling. Into. My. Boobs. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest at the sudden movement. I swear every single drop of blood in me immediately rushed to my face. If I don't put her down soon, I'm gonna drop her. Right here in the elevator. Oh god, if she doesn't stop rubbing her nose…there… I'm gonna…shit. I think I just moaned out load.

The sound of the elevator's ding saved my life. I practically ran to my door. It took me five minutes to fish out the keys out of my pocket. Another five minutes to find the right key, then yet another ten minutes to find the keyhole. Let me tell you, it not easy carrying one bundle of sexy brunette in both arms and getting keys out of skin tight jeans. Especially if said brunette was snuggling your boobs like a teddy bear. I've got some real skills being able to do that in twenty minutes.

I quickly tucked her in my bed and went off to the kitchen. Honestly, I don't usually cook cause well, I can't. Most of the time, I just mooch off Shikamaru before we go off snooping at night. When he's busy, I mooch off one of my brothers. Cup noodles are my last resort. Seeing as my kitchen was very much empty, I just grabbed a can of Coke before heading back to the living room to watch some TV before they get here.

Before too long, I heard giggling and laughing in the hallways. Unfortunately, this place isn't very soundproof.

"Temariii, open up before I blow it up!" laughed the blonde outside my door.

"I'm coming, dammit!" I yelled back, pressing the power button on the remote. The blonde barged in as soon as I unlocked it, flinging herself onto the couch.

"Wow Temari! Why hadn't you brought me here sooner? It's so niiiice and spacioooous," she cried, rolling off the couch and onto the carpet. She didn't even seem to notice when she slammed her forehead into the coffee table, moving my can of Coke closer to the edge.

"Jeez, Ino! Not so loud! Tenten's sleeping, dammit!"

"What? You ate her already? Oh my god Temari… there goes my threesome plan. But hey, a foursome is even better!" I raised an eyebrow and shot her a look.

"Yeah, yeah I know. Just playing with you. Heheh, I saw you carry her out of the car."

"So where should I put this?" Sakura cut in with both suitcases in hand.

"Uh, you can leave Tenten's here. I'll take mines in myself, thank you by the way."

"No problem," she smiled as she passed me my suitcase handle.

"Don't break anything while I'm gone… especially you Ino." I said jokingly, heading to my room. I crept in quietly, afraid to wake the sleeping brunette. I guess I'll unpack when Tenten leaves, hopefully soon. I placed my suitcase in front of closet. Just as I was about to leave, I noticed Tenten had somehow flung off her blankets. Normally, I would've just left, not really caring. But somehow, it felt as if I was drawn to her. I gently put the covers back over her, trying not to wake her. Oh no, what am I doing? Head. Up. Now! Nooo, don't kiss her again! Once was more than enough. Crap, why can't I control my body? I was only about a centimetre away when she moaned.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled sleepily in a husky voice. I swallowed my spit nervously, still hovering above her face. Well, Temari? She asked you a question. It was no use, my mouth refused to move! I was yelling and screaming at myself, trying to form sentences but to no avail. Suddenly she leaned up and pressed her lips against mines for a brief second.

"There. Happy now?" she mumbled before turning her back against me and going back to sleep. I was frozen on the spot while my mind completely shut down.

Next thing I know, I was back in the living room with Sakura and Ino on either side of me.

"Temari, are you okay?" asked the pink-haired girl on my right. I nodded stiffly.

"Looks like Cupid shot her in the crotch," the blonde on my left remarked. I blinked, looking at the two of them.

"Eh, how did I get out here…?"

"We dragged you out here you dork. You fainted for all of two minutes."

"Fainted?"

"Mmhmm. You look really red…do you have a fever or something?"

"I don't think so…"

Sakura sighed, "It's like you said, Ino-chan. She's in love."

That comment hit me so hard, I dropped the cup of water Ino had handed me earlier.

"Sakura-chan I think you traumatized her!"

"Okay, okay. Let's start from the beginning." I coughed. The idea of being in love hadn't even been in my head since eighth grade. That was when I still believed in the idea of monogamy.

"First of all, what do you think of Tenten in terms of physical appearance?" Sakura asked without much enthusiasm. Wait, is she implying that I…

"Uh, she's…cute?"

"That's it?"

"Yeah…"

"Alright. What do you think of Ino?"

"Ino…?

"Why me…?

"No reasons, I just need an answer. Don't worry, be honest."

"Honestly huh? Well, she's…pretty."

"Okay…tell me, how do you feel when you're around Ino."

"How do I feel? It depends on her mood, really. Sometimes happy, sometimes scared."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I'm not scary!"

"Ino-chan if you don't be quiet, you're not getting any tonight." The blonde opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. Damn, this girl has her on a fucking leash!

"Moving on…what kind of feelings do you get around Tenten?" How the hell am I supposed to answer that?

"I…don't think I can describe it…clearly. Chest pain and queasy stomach?"

"That means you're pregnant."

"I'm what?"

"Calm down! I'm just playing with you…so chest pains and queasy stomach eh?"

"I don't know what they are…"

"That's alright. Now, answer me truthfully answer me this: have ever kissed Tenten. Pecks don't count." Oh god, I'm screwed.

"O-once! Y-yeah. Not on purpose though!" Ino was about to say something, but knew better and only smirked at me. Sakura just smiled at me as she continued with her questions. Thank god she never asked me how that felt…that'd be really strange.

"Have you kissed other girls before?"

"Nope."

"Alright, now I need you to kiss Ino." Both of us gaped at her. "You heard me. Pecks don't count, so just get it over with."

I started leaning towards her hesitantly. She seemed really hesitant as well. "Fuck it, Temari, let's just get it over with," Ino muttered, crushing her lips onto mine. Let me tell you, it was really awkward. It's not that she was a bad kisser…it just felt…weird. She was better than the guys I've kissed, but she couldn't even compare to Tenten. Tenten's kiss was her first one too… Ino lingered for about five seconds before pulling away.

"Not bad, Temari, but you're just a newbie compared to Saku-chan!" She said proudly.

"Well then, Temari, what do you think?" Sakura asked, kicking Ino.

"Better than a guy, I'd say. But it really wasn't anything special. It didn't really feel right anyway."

"Well then, there you go! Congratulations, you're still straight," she giggled. Oh good, so I'm not –

"But you're undeniably in love with the brunette in your room," Sakura finished with a smirk.


(1) Rice wine. Very much alcoholic.


A/N: I noticed these chapters are getting longer and longer... but anyway, keep in mind that the rating may eventually go up (I brought it down again because I'm so indecisive) due to future lemon(s?)