A/N: Right! Sorry for the wait, everyone. My computer was pretty much pissing me off. But anyway, I'm hoping this chapter isn't too confusing for all of you. But I really felt that I should stop dragging everything along. Then again, I thought this chapter moved too fast... but I thought it was kinda exciting.

Disclaimer: Still not rich enough to own Naruto.


Chapter 7: Muse.

It's been a month since the traumatizing incident. Both of our wounds had healed pretty thoroughly. My cast came off a couple days ago along with Tenten's. It's a bit of a contrast to my normally quiet life, but it's not bad either. Even though it's only been a month, I've grown accustomed to her companionship. Not to mention her delicious cooking. It feels different to have someone to talk and complain about trivial things. Honestly, I don't ever recall spending hours discussing things like whether the chicken or the egg came first. But even so, when we're together, the atmosphere seems very tense. Well, to me anyway. She seems fine with living with me. Maybe it's just me but she seemed to be making me blush a lot more as the weeks rolled by. Her suggestiveness drove me crazy! I don't know she's playing with me, she wants me, or I just need to clean my mind a lot more.

We've gotten to know each other a bit more over the month. Yeah, only a bit. She's a pretty secretive person, it's like her past was so dark she has to kill anyone who learns anything of it. But I can't say I'm in a rush to share my childhood with her either. The only thing that I've really learned from her is that she really doesn't know her real name, and she doesn't have a last name either. It supposedly says first name: Ten, last name: Ten on her legal documents. She very proudly told me she had forged them herself after her name was given to her by someone she wouldn't tell me the name of. But after a lot of pestering, she finally told me that she doesn't remember anything before the last three years. She told me she remembers certain things but nothing else. She had a look of fear in her eyes when she sad that, but she didn't tell me any more than that.

I've been holding her every night since Kabuto and whoever he worked for was still on the loose and after Tenten. I noticed that when she sleeps, she seems extra vulnerable. She always wants everything closed so the entire room is dark when she sleeps. Even though she acts all tough, I know she's scared. Every night she shivers violently. Just once, at different times everyday. But she stops as soon as I pull her closer. There were some mornings when she wakes up in cold sweat, but she never screams. I wonder if she loved my company as much as I loved hers. In fact, I could say I had even forgotten that she had to leave one day, any day. So just as the two of us got used to all of this, things took a dramatic turn one particular night.

It seemed like a normal night, with the two of us sleeping in each other's arms. The balcony's glass door was closed with the curtains closed. A dark world enclosed around Tenten and I. But sometime around midnight, I awoke to a strong blast of wind. I found it weird since the balcony doors were locked every night. Tenten dove into the blankets, snuggling into my abdomen. A silhouetted figure was perched on the railing of my balcony. I froze of a second, thinking it was Kabuto. But with a closer look I realized Kabuto wasn't as tall.

I felt like I've seen this person before, but all his features were too dark to see. The only thing that was visible in the dark was the silver glint of his hair, highlighted with by the moonlight.

"Tenten," came the stranger's voice. Tenten slowly turned around, a look of recognition on her features. She let go of me, but she kept quiet as if waiting for the stranger to continue. She seemed to know him… That was when I remembered that she wasn't here to stay forever.

"I know he sent someone to look for you. We're trying our best to detect their whereabouts and destroy him and his troops. He knows where we are, but you're the one he's after. You're not safe anywhere right now, but we can protect you better than anyone right now." Tenten sat up, and looked at the man. She turned around and looked at me sadly and shook her head.

"I-I don't want to go, Hake-san…"

"If you care about the safety of you and your companion, you will. He will come for you soon, and the two of you will be greatly outnumbered and completely powerless. But we can protect you, and she will be out of this mess. Kabuto won't be the only one he will send, and I doubt you can face him by yourself either. It's been three years, Tenten… you know you can't run from them again without our help," The figure replied patiently, still perched on the rail of my balcony. Tenten looked down at the blankets, obviously in quite a dilemma.

"Come, I will wait for you on the rooftop of the building across from here." The silhouetted stranger disappeared just like that. His stealth reminded me of someone…someone long forgotten. But whatever, that's not important.

"Hey… don't worry, if they ever treat you badly you can always run here. I promised to protect you and I will. But if he is right about an army, there is so much I can do as an individual…" I whispered gently.

Tenten turned around and hugged me tightly. "Thank you for everything Temari. I know this is sudden but it's for my sake and yours. It's been a lot of fun. I'm sorry I dragged you into this as well, so I'll do this for the sake of your safety," she whispered into my ear, "Don't worry I'll see you soon, you can count on it, though it may be unexpectant." She leaned down, and pressed her lips against mine in a last goodbye kiss. I returned it fully, not sure what to say. I should've told her how I felt, but I was still so unsure. With that, the brunette quickly tied up her hair and jumped out of the bed.

"Goodbye for now," she said with a sad smile. She climbed up onto the railing with her back to me, the moonlight highlighting her every curve. Without a second glace, she pulled something out of her pocket and threw it into the night before jumping after it. I couldn't see what it was.

That was the night she left me. Just like that.

So here I am, sitting in my brother's house five days later, still contemplating on the incident. I feel like I missed a lot of details back there that I shouldn't have overlooked. I'm still confused, all I know is that I really miss her. I hate going back to my own apartment knowing she's not here. I've been sleeping in my old room at Gaara's house for the past two days. But I don't feel any less lonely. I can tell everyone is worried about me, but I don't really care. When Ino and Sakura invited me to the amusement park today, I thought that this would be a good chance to stop thinking about her. But then again, having those two lovebirds together may make things worse. I'll be like a third wheel. Having to watch them make out every five minutes could be enough to make me explode. I know they just want me to cheer up, but I don't know if I can handle it.

"Ah, T-Temari-san, a-are you o-okay?" Hinata stuttered, interrupting my thoughts. She set down a cup of tea in front of me before hiding behind her tray. Just then, I had an idea that just might prevent me from exploding.

"Thanks Hinata. Don't worry about me, I'm fine," I assured her with a smile, "How are you holding up lately?"

"U-um…f-fine. My f-father told me I-I've improved. But," she sighed, "H-Hanabi still has b-better p-potential."

"You're kidding me. She's only what? Fourteen years old?"

"A r-real g-gourmet chef in m-making…"

"I don't know why you try so hard, Hinata. Why don't you focus on something else instead? You can both be skilled in different areas! I know you like making desserts so why not focus there instead?"

"F-father wouldn't a-a-approve…"

"Don't know til' you try, Hinata-chan."

"T-thanks Temari-san, but I'm p-pretty sure he w-won't like it…"

"And you're just gonna let that ruin it for yourself? C'mon Hinata, you can't lie to me. I've seen how your face lights up when Gaara tells you he's craving something sweet."

"A-Ah…! T-that's not t-true…"

"You tell me! Well whatever, let's go have some fun and relax today! Gaara mentioned to me that you haven't had time for fun for a long time." I said with a grin.

"N-now? I-I'm b-busy…"

"Aren't you always? But not today! Gaara isn't even home, so hold on." I took out my cell phone, speed-dialed Gaara and told him Hinata was taking the day off. Without waiting for his consent, I snapped the phone shut and hung up.

"There. You're coming with me to the amusement park today," I said, "See? He doesn't mind. You look like you're getting ready to leave anyway."

"B-but…" the navy-haired girl tried, only to have me drag her out of the house.

"Think of it as a paid vacation okay? If that's what you're getting at, though I doubt you need the money. Whatever the reason is, I don't care. You're coming."

I pulled her into the passenger seat of my sleek red convertible. "I'll hurt you if you try to get out," I said with an over-friendly smile. Hinata shrunk back into her seat, afraid to say anything more.

I raced down the highway at over one-twenty kilometres an hour, enjoying the breeze, sun, and the lovely cloud-filled sky. Hinata looked a bit sick as she hugged her cabbie hat close to her chest. The poor girl… I bet either takes a bus or ride in her daddy's big shiny limousine. I'm thinking that even when she does get a ride, I doubt she's ever gone this fast. I wonder what her reaction will be when she sees her good friend Sakura getting close with the little too-gay-for-her-own-good blonde. Assuming she doesn't know. Not trying to be mean, I hope she really doesn't know. I always love a bit of drama.

"T-Temari-s-san…! P-please, s-slow d-down!" Hinata squeaked from beside me.

"Oh c'mon, let go of yourself a bit more, Hinata. Feel the rush!" I said with a smile. Hinata just whimpered quietly, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Hey, you've been to an amusement park before right?"

Hinata peeked over her puffy black hat and stuttered, "I-I-I h-have…once. B-but I d-don't remember much. I-I was v-very s-small then." Poor thing must've had a pretty stressful childhood. It sounds a bit like mine in a way, maybe a bit bright depending on how you look at it.

Even though I was strictly disciplined, I had my siblings to back me up. Kankurou and I were trained to serve the country. Our father was a very top-ranking general in the army and he obviously wanted us to follow his footsteps. The two of us didn't have a mother around to prevent things from going too far. The two of us had never liked the law but neither of us had the courage to really oppose it. I've always believed that justice can only happen on one side of the story, contradicting itself over and over again along the way. So why bother? But as a kid, both Kankurou and I were brutally punished whenever we fucked up in any way. Neither of us knew why we were being put through eighteen hours of hardcore training everyday, or why we were home-schooled for three hours instead of going to school like everyone else for six hours. We tended to question things, which usually pisses off our daddy even more. Needless to say, our father wasn't a very understanding man. But everything changed when he suddenly brought home a spouse one day. And that's where Gaara comes in. He was the one who made us realize exactly how horrible all this was. We realized that the purpose of all this was to kill. The three of us had watched our father shoot a bullet through the head of Gaara's mother, along with many men who managed to royally fuck up. No we weren't sneaking around, oh hell no, he made us watch. He told us it was just a glimpse of the law. The three of us eventually killed the man with his own gun and fled the country, breaking every law that stands in our way. I was twelve years old then. Kankurou was thirteen and Gaara was nine.

And that's how I ended up like this. I think it's a pretty good lifestyle, really it is. But I highly doubt Hinata's childhood was as brutal as mine. But the Hyuuga family is renown for they're gourmet foods, and being the underdog in a family like that is probably not very pretty. I've seen more burns on Hinata than I've seen on anyone else, yet she never complains to anyone as far as I know. I know how she's been trying to balance school and work. But I also know that she spends more time in the kitchen than in anywhere else. I can just imagine that little Hinata, two years old and struggling to carve a carrot into cute little flowers. She'd be disregarding any cuts she made into her own skin, but sobbing as discreetly as possible at every failed flower. It's not like me, where the only tears I've ever leaked were tears of pain. I didn't give a shit that I missed the bulls-eye by two millimetres with shotgun practice. Or I didn't get a headshot on the pigeon with my rifle. No, of course not. It was all the torturing my father did to us every time we made little fuck-ups like these that made me cry.

Reminiscing suddenly makes me think about Tenten. For the first time, I wonder: How did she become involved with so many dangerous people? I've forced myself to forget about her for the past couple of days. Now thinking back to it, I realized that she was still in danger and I really miss her. Honestly, from the moment she left me, I didn't care anymore. I didn't care if I loved her, all I care about is rediscovering that indescribable feeling I had felt when I held her and kissed her. I just want to find her again, or at least make sure she's safe. I had left Tempest's costume in a hidden compartment that Shika installed into this call, just in case Kabuto or him shows up. Yeah, it's weird how recently I've been thinking so much. Just connecting one thing to another. Usually it's a good thing, a bit of a brain exercise. But now, it's just making me depressed.

"A-Ah…! Is that it?" Hinata asked, pointing to a far-off roller coaster and a Ferris wheel. I snapped my attention back to reality and followed her index finger.

"You bet," I replied with a chuckle, "we're getting closer now."

I noticed her smile getting wider and wider as more of the amusement park came into view. And I just couldn't help but smile myself as well.

Just as I approached the parking lot, I pulled down the hood and rolled up the windows before making a sharp turn and drifted across the sandy lot, dust flying in every direction. Hinata looked at me with a slightly traumatized expression, but slightly amazed as well at how I managed to sneak into a parking space.

"Sorry, just thought that'd look cool," I apologized sheepishly with a slight shrug. Suddenly, a loud coughing was heard outside my window before a hand emerged from the dust-clouds and knocked on my window. Not really caring who it was, I signaled them to wait for the dust to settle.

A couple minutes later, I rolled down the window and came face to face with an angry photographer and an exasperated DJ.

"Oh, it's you," I greeted boredly, getting out of the car. I made my way around the front of the car to open the door for Hinata.

"Hey! Don't 'oh, it's you' me! What the hell was that for?" The blonde cried, following me while yelling at me.

"I-Ino-chan! Calm down, babe, remember why we're here?" Sakura said with a sigh as she wrapper her arms around the blonde's waist, "Sorry, Temari, she's just a bit pissed since Socks accidentally knocked one of her cameras off the table and broke it." She nuzzled her girlfriend affectionately, calming the raging blonde instantly. When she did look up, she lit up immediately at the sight of the navy-haired cook.

"Ah…Hinata!" Sakura said with a smile, "I'm glad you finally decided to take a break." The navy-haired girl just stared at the ground, poking her fingers together.

"Uhm…Sakura-san, I d-didn't know…y-you…" The green-eyed girl looked at her expectantly, suddenly a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry I didn't mention it to you. I think you met Ino at that party about a month back right? Yeah, she's--"

"Saku-chan's love slave!" Ino butt in happily, giving Sakura a lick on the cheek. I coughed and turned away. Hinata's face turned bright red as she suddenly found the ground very interesting.

"D-don't take that the wrong way, Hinata!" Sakura said, laughing sheepishly, "Ino-chan's like that. But yeah, she's my girlfriend and roommate. Since I don't ever recall tell you about my…preferences, please don't resent me for this. I swear to god I was straight until I met this retard here." I nearly laughed at that last part. Sakura was straight? Wow, she's pretty butch though…despite the pink hair.

"Don't call me a retard," Ino whined, clawing Sakura's jacket playfully.

"Uhm…it's okay, Sakura-san. I-I don't mind. A-As l-long as you're h-happy. I'll a-always support y-you like y-you've always s-supported me." That's pretty sweet of Hinata…

"Thanks, Hinata. I'm really grateful," the DJ said with a grin.

"Hey, let's get going before the line-ups starts to form," I said, interrupting their conversation as I started running towards the entrance.

"Hey, don't go without us! I have the tickets, you know!" The blonde's voice rang from behind me. I sighed and turned around to walk backwards, I watched as the three of them try to catch up to me.

It was a clear sunny day today, a typical day for an outing like this. But as nice as all this was, I couldn't enjoy it. I was hopelessly oblivious to everything around me, just barely feeling the rush on the rides. I tried to pay attention to the conversation around me, but I kept zoning out. I listened well enough, but was unable to register the words. Not wanting to make it worse for the others, I just nodded at everything, slipping a couple of words in now and then.

They eventually got tired of it all and decided to take a break at the park's restaurant. So as they chatted idly, I began to turn my attention away from my food, staring out the window blankly instead.

Amusement parks. Parks made for your amusement. A perfect place to tear you away from reality, with all the excitement to prevent you from musing about how much life sucks. I haven't been to one in years since my brothers aren't exactly roller coaster people. I should be excited about it all, living up what I've missed in the past couple of years. But even if this place is supposed to prevent you from musing, I do it anyway. I can barely hear anyone talk to me. Just stuck in my mind, wondering things like how I got caught up in all of this. What did I do wrong? Am I really that weak? …Is she dead? Why does it hurt so much? How can she leave just like that? Who was it that took her away? A million things are flooding into my head, one thought leading to another. Just as they had these last five days. I can't concentrate on anything, everything and everyone seems so far away. As I'm on the roller coaster, I'm screaming, but not at the intensity of the roller coaster. Everything just happened so goddamn fast! I feel like a bloody pessimist right now. Maybe I'm PMS-sing, or maybe I'm just plain depressed. Maybe I'm just lonely. This doesn't even concern me, this whole Tenten thing. Well, it shouldn't concern me. But now I'm just thinking about things. Things that have nothing to do with Tenten, like my past. But perhaps her past was similar to mine. I doubt she has parents. Even if she does, they're pretty awful ones. She stayed with me for about two weeks and not a word from them. She didn't try to contact anyone either. It makes me wonder if she's as lonely as I am, maybe even more than that.

Growing up, I've always thought I knew a lot of things, more than other people could know about reality. Just because I grew up in a harsh environment, I've always thought I've seen everything: The truth about the world, the truth about love, and the truth about humans. Everything. Growing up, I've always thought everyone was like my father in one way or another. Especially those who work for the government. I resented Shikamaru for a year once he said he was joining the police force, refusing to have anything to do with him in any way. At that time he already knew about my double life, so I thought he would be just like the rest of them, exposing the Tempest to the light. Knowing full well the Tempest can only survive in the dark. But he proved me wrong by playing double agent, exposing all confidential information to me. Their plans were always backfired, never knowing what hit them. Shika was the first person I've truly trusted. He was also my real friend. He turned my view of the humans upside-down, showing me that I don't know it all. I merely missed out on it all. From then on I learned that not everyone was like my superficial father. Not everyone wanted everyone else dead. But it was still true that everyone was greedy and self-centered in one way or another. But many of us are a lot deeper than that. There's just too much I don't know. Too much I'll never know. But at least my view of society had definitely broadened. But even so, I still try not to get involved with it too much since I still don't trust anyone but Shika (1).

You're probably thinking that I forgot about my two brothers when I said I don't trust anyone but Shika. Which is not true at all, I really don't trust them. I mean, don't get me wrong I love them to death. They're my only family after all. But being raised in the same surrounding as I was, maybe even worse in Gaara's case, it's just like that. I'd love to be able to trust them, but I can't. Because they don't trust me, I can trust them. That's how it's been and that's how it always will be. Being the only female in my family, I've always been looked down upon. My brothers are always protecting me even if they do know my true strength. That's why I learned to do everything myself and not depend on others for anything. And to me, dependence is even worse than trust back then. Basically the same thing depending on how you look at it.

But since Tenten decided to enter my life a little more than two weeks ago, things have changed again. I was the one who felt the need to protect this time. Unlike before, I wanted to be the one she depended on. When Sakura told me I loved her, I was afraid. That was when I realized I didn't have the slightest clue what love was. I've always thought love was doing things for the good of someone else. Just spending time with them and make them happy. I have always thought love was everything my father never gave. I don't even know what being loved felt like, so how can I love? It felt like such a huge responsibility. As if one fuck-up will cost me everything. And once she left, I really did feel like I lost everything…even if it was beyond my control. That's when I realized, love was not even close to what I had expected. It was another question without an answer (2).

Thinking back to these two things, I realized the world wasn't as simple as I had imagined either. If I didn't know something as basic as love, how the fuck would I expect myself to understand the whole world? C'mon I thought those feelings were stomach cramps for fuck's sakes!

"----ri!" A faraway voice cried with a slap across my face. I forced my attention back down to Earth, coming face to face with an angry blonde. Again.

"What the hell was that?" I spat back, rubbing my cheek.

"Where were you, Temari?" Sakura asked, feeding Ino a fry to calm her down, "We've been here for two hours and you haven't said a single complete sentence since we came here. Don't tell me you're still upset over her…" I said nothing. I knew she was right. Not fully right, but still right. Well…maybe…

"For god's sakes! It's been almost a week! Let her go already?" the blonde said, still very agitated even after the fry. Her expression softened as she continued, "I know it's hard for you since it's only been a week, but at least try to live it up a little. We're at an amusement park! Let's just try to enjoy ourselves."

Just as she said that, we heard a couple of loud screams nearby. The four of us (Hinata is still there) jumped in our seats.

"W-What was that?" the blonde said, clinging onto Sakura.

I jumped a second time as my ringtone suddenly went off. I scrambled through my pockets quickly, looking for my phone. I cursed as I fumbled with it, trying to get it open.

"Temari!" Shika's voice came from the other side, sounding panicked. "I'm detecting the Phantom within a hundred-fifty metre radius from where you are right now. He's moving back and forth like he's in combat. His opponent is unknown, I can't seem to detect his exact location but I know there's someone there. I'm coming over right now, so hang in there. Be careful okay?" My eyes went wide. I bolted out of the restaurant as fast as I could, completely disregarding my friends. I ran as fast as I could to my car so I can change into my costume. Why? So no one gets suspicious of me. I saw a lot of familiar faces back there.

I grabbed the two retractable fans from the hidden compartment and ran. I used one of them to fly back to the restaurant, landing on its dome roof. I didn't even need to look as the crowds started running away from the Ferris wheel. Of all places, he had to be there! I spotted the black-clad Phantom, throwing knives at…Kabuto? What? What the hell is he doing here?

The Phantom flew from one car to another, throwing various weapons with perfect accuracy. Unfortunately, Kabuto was faster than he was, being able to dodge or block every attack. No, wait. He wasn't blocking all of them. A couple of weapons caught him in various places, just to be taken out with ease. His wounds were healing so fast it wouldn't be considered normal. Is he some kind of crazy mutant? In a flash, he jumped up to the Phantom's car, landing a series of very fast punches. So fast, I couldn't even see it from here. All I saw was his opponent responding to it. Before I go and help the Phantom, I took out my phone and called Shikamaru.

"Shika, what do you know of a person named Kabuto. Six feet tall with blue-grey hair and glasses."

"Kabuto Yakushi. I can't seem to access his information… Shit. Well, I've heard his name mentioned once. He has insane healing tactics or something. He must've been some kind of lab rat for an experiment gone wrong. You'll have to do some pretty heavy damage if you want to scratch him. I'm thinking you'll have to do it pretty quick too. This guy's no normal human. By the way, put on the earpiece while I observe everything. I'll inform you of details on Kabuto so keep it on."

Guess I have no choice but to help the Phantom. I'm hating Kabuto's guts more and more by the second. What he's done to Tenten is absolutely unforgivable. That image of her, vulnerable and full of fear under the counter that night at the bar plagued my mind. The more I think about her, shivering in her sleep, the more I felt like I'm losing myself. I can feel the rage taking over me, but I can't control it. I don't care anyway as long as it'll help me defeat him. But I'll cling to that single string of sanity, knowing full well what may happen if I don't.

I quickly climbed up one of my fans, going at full speed. Kabuto continued taking and dodging the Phantom's attacks. I gritted my teeth as I stood up on the fan, throwing the second one like a boomerang, hitting him in the head. He wobbled for a second, enough for the Phantom to get three daggers in him. He just laughed at us maniacally, pulling out the daggers slowly. I doubt I'll see anyone else crazier than this freak-show.

I charged at him on my fan, delivering a blow to his head. He reacted faster than I did and kicked me in the shoulder with a back flip, pushing me further away. The Phantom charged at him as well, and managed to pierce a sabre through his stomach. He regenerated his wounds as soon as the sharp metal left him, leaving not a single scratch. I slashed his back three times with my fan, and kneed him in the crotch. I quickly gathered wind in the palm of my hand and punched him in the stomach, sending him flying another fifty metres up. The Phantom whipped out his board and jumped onto it. He flew up faster than me and knocked him back down with a large metal hammer. Kabuto landed again on the highest car. The Phantom landed with him, impaling two dual-blade katanas into him as well. Kabuto's blood spilled but they disintegrated right after.

I jumped up to join the party, and landed another blow on him with my fan, cutting off his arm. He didn't move, just gave us that crazy smile he's been giving us every time we inflicted damage of any kind. Ugh, crazy motherfucking masochist. As soon as he stood up, all his cuts and wounds disappeared. Then he picked up his arm and connected it back flawlessly. Needless to say, that was absolutely disgusting.

Then he suddenly sent a roundhouse kick for my head, which I surprisingly dodged. The Phantom and I moved back, the Phantom throwing weapons along the way. I sent a couple blasts of air at him, but he took it like a spring breeze. The mutated freak threw a couple needles at us, each coated with a substance of strange neon colours. The two of us barely managed to dodge them. A glowing blue needle whizzed past my ear and got the Phantom in the shoulder. I watched in horror as the cloth around the needle immediately burned off into nothing. Not even ashes. He hunched over for a second to remove it, biting his tongue in pain and trying his hardest to keep quiet.

"Be careful Temari, I'm getting an abnormal reading saying the Phantom's body is behaving strangely. His body temperature is slowly decreasing! Slowly but steadily… he can die within the next couple of hours at this rate. He's slowed it down a lot by removing it quickly, if he didn't he would've died right there. Refrain from as much combat as he can, if he uses up all his energy quickly, he'll pass out. If he faints, then whatever this is may catch on even faster. This is no normal case of hypothermia… I get the feeling that warming him wont cure him, " Shikamaru informed me hurriedly. I cursed under my breath as three more needles flew up at me.

The Phantom shivered slightly, but continued throwing weapons at Kabuto. I charged up some of the weapons with my fan, giving them an extra boost of speed. They managed to hit him, but left no scratch at all. Ten shurikens, twenty kunai (3), five daggers, two maces, four boomerangs, and fifty different cutters of various shapes, and a katana thrown all at once failed to leave a scratch. Kabuto blocked every one of them, but not giving up, the Phantom continued attacking. He turned to me briefly and I nodded.

I whipped up a giant tornado, just like the rooftop battle last time. I threw it into the air, just above us and onto to the car Kabuto was on. The wind encircled him, juggling him within it's angry body. The Phantom flew up on his board, and threw in a couple hundred different sharp objects. We couldn't see what was going on, but we knew we got him, since his blood could be seen spilling and disappearing through the walls of air. Just looking at this made my stomach lurch.

"I can confirm that this is no normal hypothermia on the Phantom's case. He's starting to shiver already right? But he's still able to do such complicated movements with his hands, like throwing all those different objects with perfect accuracy and deadly velocity. His energy level has drained dramatically since that last attack. So watch out for him. Kabuto enabled him to fight somehow so he can die quicker towards the end." I looked over at the man, and sure enough he was shivering even more violently than before, his breathing shallow and quick.

Once the tornado died down, Kabuto had already regenerated. But he was even quicker when he picked up every one of the Phantom's weapons and threw them back at him, two at a time. I quickly dashed out in front of him with my fan, blocking every one of them with my fan. The scary thing was, he managed to throw every one of them before they fell to the ground.

Once all weapons were thrown, he just stopped and smirked at the two of us in a villainous way. I just watched as the Phantom started to pull something out of his pockets. Kabuto pulled something out as well, but I couldn't see what it was from my angle. However, the Phantom did see. He looked scared, inching backwards slowly on the car roof. Kabuto smirked at him and made a very stealthy dash towards him. He punched him again with such speed that it was impossible to even see, much less block.

"No escape this time!" the maniac roared, holding what seemed to be a syringe above his head. The Phantom laid still on the car roof where he had been kicked down, as if he was accepting defeat.

I made a short dash towards them before whipping up my fastest whirlwind. It was barely fast enough, but nevertheless managed to reach the two of them in time. The slight impact knocked the syringe out of Kabuto's hand, fazing him for a second. The Phantom grabbed it just in time and injected it halfway before Kabuto reacted and elbowed him hard, sending him flying off the car fifty metres above ground. I went after him, of course. But when I started to take a dive, he summoned up his hover-board.

When I turned around, Kabuto was kneeling on the roof of the car, clutching his head and mumbling incoherent sentences. There was a strange energy coming from him. The closer I got to him, the closer I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Temari, he's losing more cells than he's regenerating. Act fast or he'll fully heal in no time. Don't get too close to him, everything he's setting off isn't normal," Shika's voice came over the earpiece.

Shit, act fast… I threw my fan at him, only to have it miss somehow. I tried again, but it merely went around him. The Phantom eventually came into view. He threw a number of objects at him but they two missed. A Barrier?

"This is weird. He's emitting strange waves that seemed to sort of bend your weapons. It's getting stronger as he's recovering. It's kinda like psychics. You'll probably have to try melee, I'm pretty sure your wind attacks will just disintegrate. You just need one attack to knock him off balance, and then it should be smooth sailing. But be careful, you're putting your life at a bigger risk than usual."

I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath. The Phantom looked at me, confused. I made a hand signal to stay back. He gave me a nod and moved back a bit on his board. I moved back as well. Then standing on one of the fans still, I boosted with the other as I charged at Kabuto. Just as I got to that car, I jumped off my fan and lunged at him. I felt the air rushing out of my lungs. I held my breath for as long as I could and punched him hard in the stomach. Just as I came in contact with him, I felt all the air rush out of my lungs.

I heard someone call my name through the fuzzy connection of the earpiece, but everything had already blacked out.

My eyes fluttered open to the feeling of cold lips pressed on mine. The air rushed back into my lungs as masked brown eyes slowly opened to meet my own green ones. I gasped for air as I felt those lips leave mine. Since when did breathing get so difficult?

"Y-you saved me," I whispered, unconsciously touching my lips. He nodded, a smile touching his now blue lips. I threw myself at him in a loose hug, but quickly withdrew once I realized how cold he's gotten.

He suddenly grew limp as he fell into my arms. My eyes grew wide as I held him, a familiar feeling coursed through my body as I felt his body against mine for the first time. The softness of it all under the layers of dark clothing shocked me. I looked down and realized the soles of his boots were about five inches thick. Making him just about six feet tall. There was no way one could know that by looking at it from afar, the whole thing was black for god's sakes! But now… I need to know. Curiosity dominating my mind, I reached out and gingerly removed his mask. He couldn't be who I think it is, no way in hell…

Sure enough, a familiar feminine face graced my eyes. Barely distinguishable with her pale complexion and barely breathing…laid Tenten.

I snapped back to reality, remembering her condition. She had used the last of her energy to save me… she's merely unconscious now. But since she's out of it, she couldn't fight the coldness enveloping her body. I panicked. I really did. I mumbled little things of comfort to her, but more so to myself as I picked her up. I flew to my car, carrying her in my arms as fast as I could.

I placed her in the backseat gently and jumped into the drivers seat, fumbling with my keys in panic. Once I initiated the engine, I turned the heater on full blast, hoping it would help at least a little (4).

"Temari," Shika's voice came, "how are you holding up? I see you're in stable condition. I took in Kabuto, in case you're wondering. Sorry I took so long, when you landed that punch the connection died immediately. Took a while to connect again."

"S-Shika! W-we won! I'm okay…"

"What's wrong? You sure don't sound okay. Who's in that car with you?"

"I-It's the…the…the Phantom… she's g-getting worse by the minute. Where are you right now, Shika?"

"A couple hundred metres above you right now. Wait, the Phantom is a 'she'? You…took off her mask?"

"Yeah… I-I-It's T-Tenten…" I choked, barely being able to contain my tears right now. If anything happened to her now…I really don't know what to do. Being away from her for five days, then meeting her again while she's on the verge of death. Why is everything happening so fast?

"You mean… oh shit…how is her condition right now?"

"I-I don't know… she's really…c-cold."

"Shit…"

"Where's the nearest hospital?"

"'Bout a hundred kilometres up north. There's only one remember? At the far side of the city. But her body temperature is still dropping steadily, and it doesn't show any signs of stopping soon. You have less than an hour before it's terminal. I'm sorry, Temari, it was sooner than I had predicted…"

I cursed loudly as I stepped on the gas pedal. I flew down the highway at maximum speed, switching lanes now and then to avoid collision, but not slowing down for anything. I narrowly avoided a truck as I looked into the rearview mirror to see two patrol cars after me. I didn't care for them a single bit, not slowing down at all for them. I zipped through every red light, nearly causing some collisions as I reentered the city. One car and a motorcycle now, as one of them seemed to have taken a detour.

"Fuck, Temari! What the hell are you trying to do? Kill yourself?" Shikamaru yelled through the earpiece angrily. I quickly turned it off and shifted gears.

Then out of nowhere, the missing patrol car darted out of nowhere. I slammed on my breaks, but skidded right into it. I slammed my head into the steering wheel before the airbags popped up. Damn slow airbags… But completely disregarding the throbbing in my head, I quickly shifted to reverse, slamming into the second police car, nearly hitting an officer. I slammed into the airbags again and swore loudly. Trying not to waste any more time than necessary, I shifted again and tore down the road again.

I got there sooner than expected, at the cost of many traumatized civilians. I quickly took off my costume. Thank god for tinted windows. I blushed as I took off Tenten's as well. I sighed in relief when I saw that she had a T-shirt and shorts on underneath. Very short…shorts…

I picked her up, my skin tingling at the contact of her bare skin.

I burst through the hospital doors, earning bewildered stares from everyone in lobby.

"S-Someone… h-help… she hasn't got a lot of time left…please…" I cried pathetically. People began whispering to each other, and doctors ran around, but no one came for me. Trust me, it took a lot of self-control to keep myself from screaming.

"Oi! What're you all? Deaf or somethin'?" Someone barked from across the room. I swear I could've cried when I saw Tsunade and Shizune walking towards me hurriedly. Shizune and some other nurse quickly placed her on a hospital bed (5) they had pushed out.

"This looks serious…" I heard Tsunade mutter to herself before she followed the nurses into the hallways. I followed them as well, until they came to a room where I wasn't allowed in. I sat by myself outside the room for a couple of minutes before Shizune came out of the room. I jumped out of the seat, desperately needing to know how she was doing.

"How is she?" I asked, grabbing onto her shoulders.

"C-Calm down, Temari-san," the nurse said nervously, trying to loosen my grip. I apologized sheepishly and let go of her.

"I…have no idea. Tsunade seemed very shocked when she examined her. Uhm… for now, let's bandage your head. Did you know you were bleeding?" I placed two fingers on my forehead and flinched. I looked at my fingers, startled to see my own blood. Good thing Kabuto didn't do much damage to me.

Without another word, I followed Shizune into a separate room where she helped me treat my wound.

Fifteen minutes later, I found myself outside another room where Tenten had been moved. Since I was alone out here again, as Shizune went back to Tsunade, I began to think once again.

I had already suspected Tenten to be connected to the Phantom in one way or another, or at least some organization. But I hadn't thought about the possibility of her being the Phantom. That thought scared me a little for some reason. How can that vulnerable Tenten a month ago be the same Phantom that fought me all those nights ago among the rooftops? But even so, that vulnerability I saw in her seemed genuine. Wait… if she's the Phantom that means she lied to me that day in the hospital. When I kissed her for that first time, she told me it was her first kiss. But that can't be true because she kissed me on the first night I met her as the Phantom. Why… why would she do that? Lying about something so trivial, something that I didn't even need to know. What was she thinking? I feel like I don't know anything anymore. Why the fuck is everything moving so fast?

I met her and I fell in love with her, that's something I don't think I can deny anymore. Because she met me, then she left me only to show up again in the must unexpected way. Unexpected… that's… what she said on the night she had left! She told me we'd meet again but it'd be a surprise. Does that mean…she knows who I am? Why would she risk living with me then? Haven't I thought about that before?

Speaking of that night, I suddenly thought back to the stranger that came to pick her up. The silver hair I saw and his stealth… I know they seem familiar, but I can't figure out who it is quite yet. She called him "Hake-san". But that doesn't really ring any bells. Though his stealth and his movements… the way he just flashes from one place to another. It wasn't like Kabuto's dashes, he actually blinks from one place to another. The only person I can think of who could do that was… the Silver Raven! Oh my god! How can I not notice this before? I knew he would come back! But he's siding with the Phantom? Plus he knew where I lived… so why didn't he get his revenge? Hm… Mister Hake huh? With his silver hair…could it be…? I don't even know if he's friend or foe right now. I better watch out just in case. But right now the most important thing is Tenten.

I don't want her to die… Five day's without her and I'm already a wreck. Losing her forever, what will I become? I don't think I can go on.

I wish she let me die back there… Maybe then she wouldn't be in this position right now.

I buried my face in my hands and cried.


(1) I don't like ShikaTem, I really don't. I never did. Not even when I was into canon. I just hate how Shika gets canon-ed with two hot chicks. So they're friends. Good friends. But if you were into that canon crap anyway you wouldn't be reading this now would you? Well, maybe you have an open mind but whatever.

(2) Because I don't know what love is either…sob.

(3) What's the plural for kunai?

(4) I'll tell you now that I know nothing of medical conditions and stuff like that. So I'm really just winging it. All I know of hypothermia is that you can die from it… I don't know much about those crazy technology stuff either on Shika's case. So I really am making this up. Please help me point out my mistakes and things like that. I'm fourteen years old for god's sakes so please don't expect it all to be perfect. XD

(5) I'm not sure if there's another name for those beds used to transport patients from one place to another, so I'll just say 'bed' for now. I don't think it's 'stretcher' either… cause from what I saw on TV stretchers don't have wheels. Hahah…


A/N: So here it is! It might be a bit fuzzy and some things may be humanly impossible but hey, it's a fanfic after all. Also, I went and posted my drawings on a Deviant account I made just for this fic...for now anyway.

http:// xkurocat DOT deviantart DOT com

To check up how I'm doing with story updates you can lookie my LiveJournal page

http://xkurocat DOT livejournal DOT com