Ch.10: When There Are No Walls to Hide Behind

A/N: I feel compelled to defend Temari. Some of you expressed that you agreed with Temari last chapter and some said you thought she was too much of a cranky bitch (or something along those lines). I intended to make her a little to angry and easily upset, because I wanted to show something. I think Temari is one of those really tough women, but I also believe that when she'd find love she'd be afraid of it, because love is something that, while good (probably, I mean, I've never been in love) is also something that makes you weaker. And weakness isn't something that I think someone as tough as her would like to feel. I think she would fight it and act completely irrational. I really wanted to show that, and I'm not sure if I managed it well last chapter.

She could feel Gaara's eyes boring into her. She could feel Kankurou's annoyance. She could also feel their worry.

And that was the decidedly worst feeling of all.

She sighed in frustration and removed her hand from her eyes dropping it to her side letting the limb hang from the couch. She glanced at her younger brothers. "Out with it already."

Gaara was sitting on the coffee table before the couch she was stretched upon. Kankurou sat at the arm of the couch where her feet where propped upon. Both of her brothers looked concerned. Concerned for her, she thought. Kankurou's head titled to the side, eyebrows creased.

"Go on, spit it out." Temari snapped in annoyance. Normally, neither of them hesitated to make their opinion known. This current situation was bothering her. The bothersome deal of knowing they had something to say, but heir refusal to say anything at all was more than just a little bit unsettling.

Kankurou sighed. "Temari, you…" He frowned.

"You've been lying on that couch for three days now." Gaara said softly. "We're starting to worry about you."

It had been three days?

Kankurou shrugged. "Seriously. What's it that's got you so upset? This – this isn't normal, Temari."

She was aware she'd been immobile and hopelessly stupid for quite awhile now, but she hadn't realized it had been three days. Boy, was she pathetic.

"It's…Nothing, I'm just being idiotic." Temari sat up and gave them the best smile she could muster at the moment. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

Gaara looked skeptical.

Kankurou called her bluff. "Bullshit." He got off the couch and stretched his arms above his head. "That isn't working for me." He paused. "Tenten says it's because of some spat you had with Shikamaru."

"Since when do you talk with Tenten?"

"Since you decided to become a hermit."

"Is it the Shikamaru thing?" Gaara asked head inclined.

"That's what everyone's saying." Kankurou affirmed.

"From what I hear you broke up with him." Gaara frowned. "Why would you be—?"

"I'm not anything, and it's not that." Temari responded testily. She had broken up with him dammit; she should not be feeling mopey. It was her choice and she was better for it. Ten times better.

Right?

She grimaced. It was only after she saw the expression on her brothers' faces that she realized grimacing probably wasn't the smartest action for her to do when they were scrutinizing her psychological and physical health.

"It is that, isn't it?" Gaara asked quietly.

"It is not that." Temari muttered angrily trying to defend herself. Her pride. Her point. Trying to lie. "I broke up with him. I've no reason to feel sad because of that."

"Why did you break up with him, Temari?" Kankurou asked casually. "Since that isn't the problem I'm sure you can answer me that." He flexed his fingers. "I mean, you were happy with him, and he was nice with you, and it really seemed like you two were genuinely in love."

"We were not in anything." Temari snapped angrily.

"Just the fact that you're angry," Gaara replied, "proves that you were. Or at the very least, that you loved him."

"I never loved him, Gaara." Temari growled. She should've continued ignoring them.

Temari jumped as someone exuberantly plopped onto the couch beside her. Their skin touched and the person's force in jumping onto the couch sent the couch riveting a bit.

Beside her the person turned and brown eyes stared resolutely into hers. "You've got delusion down to an art if you can make yourself believe that, porcupine." Tenten sat cross-legged on their couch, annoyance written clearly across her features. "You're causing a hell of a lot of trouble around here, you realize, and it's all pointless trouble."

"Tidbit, get out of my house."

She snorted. "Yeah right, like I'll obey your orders." She pushed her causing Temari to fall on her back. "I'm not Hinata, girl." Tenten crossed her arms across her chest.

Temari pushed herself up. "Don't you dare push me again, freak."

Tenten's eyes narrowed. "If you weren't fucking with my friends, porcupine, I wouldn't have to."

"I'm not—"

"Shut up." Tenten growled. "I'm not here for your excuses. All I want is an answer, and, girl, it better be a good one."

"You are not welcome here, get out."

"I was invited, Blonde."

Temari scoffed. "By whom?"

She sneered, "Kankurou."

It took Temari a second to recover from that. She shifted her gaze to her brother. He nodded. Tenten had accepted an invitation from Kankurou? What exactly had happened while she was moping? "Well, now I'm un-inviting you."

"Too damn bad."

Kankurou chuckled nervously. "Listen, maybe you all should calm d—"

"Shut up." Temari and Tenten spat at him.

Gaara sighed and pushed himself up from the coffee table. "Kankurou, let's go."

Kankurou fidgeted. "Gaara, they're going to kill each other."

"They need to work things out." He said quietly. "Leave them be." The redhead quickly and quietly slipped out of the room. Temari was almost sure she heard the front door open.

Kankurou hesitated for a few seconds, "Neji's gonna kill me if Tenten ends up dead." He muttered under his breath then he followed after his younger brother. This time, Temari was sure she heard the front door open and close.

They'd left her completely alone with Tidbit.

Kankurou was right about something, Temari thought as she looked at the angry brunette. When they were done talking, one of them was not going to look the same. Most likely, someone would end up with a broken nose.

Or more.

Tenten shifted, an incredibly irate expression on her features. "I'm waiting."

"Keep waiting." Temari stood up indignantly with every intention of barricading herself in her room.

Of course, the nice exit was ruined by Tenten tripping her. Temari fell onto the floor hard. Ouch. That was going to hurt tomorrow morning. She rolled over and sat up.

"Temari, I'm not in a passive mood. Hell, I'm not a passive person. Speak."

"Get lost." Temari was furious. She was furious with the girl's orders. She was furious with the feelings inside of her. She was just plain furious.

Tenten scowled. "I am not leaving until I get my answer, sugar queen."

Temari pressed her lips together and glared resolutely at the wall. She didn't want to deal with this today. Hell, she didn't ever want to deal with it. It was better left undealt.

"Alright, fine, we'll play twenty questions." Tenten was almost growling. "Why did you break up with him?"

Temari bit her lower lip but chose not to reply.

"Well? Why?"

"Because."

"That isn't a reason." Tenten snapped.

"It is to me." Temari defended.

"Uh!" She stood up defiantly, "I just knew you were a bitch the minute I saw you." Tenten's brown eyes were narrowed in annoyance. "You know, when it became clear Shikamaru was interested in you – which was way before you two did anything by the way – Ino declared he shouldn't start anything with you. I thought she was just being Ino, but she was perfectly in the right. You should have stayed in Suna!"

"Maybe I should have."

"Don't you even care how he's doing? Don't you even care that he's currently in cour—"

"He can do whatever he wants!" Temari screamed in frustration. "And no! I do not care! I don't care about—" The words died in her mouth as Tenten's hand struck her cheek. Temari's eyes widened and lifted her fingers to her sore cheek.

"You are a malicious woman." The brunette turned on her heel and marched out the door.

The slamming of the door was loud enough that Temari imagined the entire house was shaking with the force of the slam.

Temari's fingers lingered at her cheek as she made her way up to her room. What right did that stupid brunette have to slap her and call her a righteous bitch? Violent bitch – whatever. Temari slammed the door to her room behind her. She leant against the door and closed her eyes trying to calm the annoying feelings inside of her.

She was not an anything. What she did was best.

For her and for him.

She staggered over to her bed and collapsed face first on top of the cotton purple blankets.

Really, it's not like she wanted to be that type of person, and getting rid of her had to be the easiest venue for him. He hated trouble, and she was buckets of it. Temari enveloped herself in the blankets on her bed and stared gloomily out the window.

Her life was starting to become a fairy tale and that's when she realized she didn't think she wanted one. What kind of a stupid story was it anyway? How could a damn princess just up and give everything up for a guy? Cinderella for instance. How could she be willing to go off with the prince when the prince didn't even know who she was? When the prince was perfectly willing to take any girl who would be able to wear the glass slipper? I mean, really, many girls had to have the same size feet. The prince was and idiot, and Cinderella a bigger idiot for deciding to go with him. She did not want to be an idiot. She was not going to be an idiot.

The pitter patter sound of fat wet drops hitting the clear window filled the room and the grey skies blocked out any sunlight that might have graced the day.

The perfect weather for a crappy day.

She grimaced and rolled over burying her head in the pillows.

Temari shrunk into herself as a piercing thunder cut through the suffocating silence.

Oh, how she hated thunder.

Ten minutes later, Temari was completely burrowed under her blankets crouching into herself wishing the thunder would just go away. Far, far, away. (1)

She jumped violently as a piercing ring invaded her senses. Temari screamed and dug her fingers firmly into the sheets, her surroundings becoming obsolete. Shuddering horribly, she held on to her side trying to calm herself down.

There was another loud slash of noise, different from the first.

She shut her eyes tight willing the thunder away.

The ringing kept cutting through the air over and over.

It took her a few seconds to realize the some of the noise was not in fact thunder, but her youngest brother's cell phone. Temari clenched her teeth in annoyance. Great, she was terrified of a ringing phone. She swiggled out of the sheets and headed to her door, but dashed back as a loud crack filled the air. Temari hugged the sheets close to her, mentally berating herself for her cowardice.

Of all things to be afraid of, why did she have to fear thunder? Really. She could deal with snakes, insects, rats, heights, darkness, even wolves, but a tiny ray of light and noise left her trembling in utter terror.

The phone continued to ring.

Temari squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a heavy breath. She pulled the sheets tighter around her body and slowly made her way into her brother's room. Every time a roar of thunder sounded throughout the house Temari froze up and clutched more firmly at the sheets around her body.

Finally Temari got herself in the room.

Despite her current state, Temari managed to critique the large mess. She wrinkled her nose at the horrible disorder. His sheets were strewn all over the room, dirty wrinkled clothes covered the floor, and his possessions, from books to electronic equipment, were hidden underneath each other in the most annoying and bothersome ways. What a pig. He was worse than Kankurou.

Temari followed the sound of the phone. After about a minute she found the contraption burrowed under a heavy book on schizophrenia, which was under seven shirts, which was under what appeared to be a broken laptop. Knowing her brothers, it had probably still been fully functional before they 'tinkered' with it; Kankurou had probably just thought it would be amusing to take it apart and 'trick' it out.

Temari wrapped the sheets around her tighter and dropped to the floor pushing up against the bed frame of the bed as a clap of thunder sounded out.

She held the phone tightly in her hand and flicked it open. "H-H-Hello?" She murmured softly into the phone.

The person on the other line hesitated. ". . . This isn't G-Gaara is i-it?"

Temari tried to calm her breathing. "N-No, this is Temari; Gaara left his phone at home. Do you want me to—" Temari stopped abruptly as she distinctly heard the click of the phone. She pulled it away from her and stared curiously at the phone. Her brow furrowed. 'The hell? Without thinking, she dialed the number back, fully frustrated. Particularly because she was positive the person who'd called was Hinata. And being hung up on by the nicest girl in Konoha was more than just a little annoying.

"Hello?" The person answered, confusion evident in her tone.

"'The hell did you hang up on me for?"

Hesitation again.

"I ju-just wanted to talk to G-Gaara."

"Well, now you're talking to me. Why did you hang up on me?" Temari growled. On the other line Hinata hesitated again. Temari was about to yell at the timid girl when another roaring thunder sounded out.

Temari screamed out and dropped the phone.

She pulled the blanket over her head.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

RIING!

Temari screamed again. This time she recognized almost instantly it was the phone. "F-F-Fu-Fucking phone!" Poking her hand out of the sheets she searched the floor around her blindly for the phone. Her fingers closed around it by the fourth ring. She pulled her arm back into the sheet bauble and answered it. "Y-Y-Yes?"

"Temari, what is it? Is something wrong?" Hinata's voice was panicked and frightened. "Temari! Please speak to me! What's happening?"

Temari winced and squeaked pitifully as the thunder struck again. She tried her hardest to suppress the scream. "I'm f-fine."

"You don't sound fine!" Hinata snapped.

Temari had never heard the poor girl sound so bossy and motherly. "It's no-nothing."

"Don't lie to me." Hinata said sternly.

"It's just," Temari's breath increased rapidly and she squeezed her eyes shut, "the thunder." Oh, she hated thunder.

"Thunder?" Hinata let out a breath of relief. "It's just thunder?"

"Yes." Temari replied quietly.

Confusion filled her tone then, "You're terrified of thunder?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want me to come over?"

Temari's heart warmed at her suggestion. "Thanks, Hinata, but it's alright, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Hinata sounded as if she didn't believe her. "Very well; will you tell Gaara I called?"

Temari slouched. "Yes, dear, I will." Temari paused, "Wait. Hinata?"

She hesitated. "Yes?"

"Why did you hang up on me?"

Temari could hear the girl's uncertainty over the line. "I'm supposed to be mad at you."

"You're supposed to…?"

"Well, I'm supposed to hate you according to Ino and Tenten, but I don't. I mean, I am mad at you, very much so, but I still like you. I think you just need a reality check."

"About," Temari inhaled sharply and squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of another clap of thunder, "what?"

"What else?" Hinata sighed, "Shi-Shikamaru."

"It's better this way."

"For who?"

"Everybody."

Hinata sighed. "Gaara tells me you haven't been doing well. He says you mope all day at home, and he's heard you fall asleep crying ever since you broke up with him. If you a-ask me, you're being st-stupid."

"Say it like you mean it." Temari mumbled without thinking it over.

"You're being idiotic." Hinata enunciated clearly. "Love is scary, get over it." She paused. "Please."

Temari stared at her feet.

"Really, Temari, nothing changes if you love. You only feel better."

"And worse."

"Great things have great consequences." Hinata mumbled softly.

Temari paused. "Hinata, are you in love with my brother?'

Hinata stuttered, "Th-That-we-it's not…"

Temari sighed. "I thought so." She winced as the thunder filled the empty house. "B-bye, Bluey, I'll t-t-tell Gaara you called."

Before the timid girl could utter another word Temari closed the phone shut. She hugged the blankets closer to her body and crawled up into the bed. Pulling one of her brother's pillows toward her, she lay down and tried to will her fears away.

She was tired.

She was sad.

She was scared.

This day just wasn't any good. If she just went to sleep, maybe she'd wake up to a better day. Shoot, if she was lucky she could wake up to a different world.

Eventually she settled into an uncomfortable and paranoid sleep. At least it was sleep.

She hugged the soft thing closer to her body and attempted to cuddle closer to it. Temari's lips tugged into an annoyed frown at the lack of response.

It was too soft.

Too squishy.

Too inanimate.

What the hell was wrong with it?

Temari growled in annoyance and sat up.

"Stupid fucking pillow." She growled.

She blinked as she realized what she was doing.

It was a pillow.

It was a pillow for goodness' sakes! Here she was annoyed with the pillow because it wasn't real. She was irritated with the pillow because it didn't hug her back.

Temari's gut twisted painfully at that thought.

Pillows couldn't hug you. Pillows didn't provide warmth. Pillows didn't laugh at you and pillows couldn't provide stimulating conversation.

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

A heavy crack interrupted her somber attitude and the loudest scream yet split from her lips. Temari wrapped her arms around her body and started whispering vehemently under her breath.

"It's just thunder, it's just thunder, it's just thunder."

Her heart was beating madly, her body quaking with uncontrollable shivers, her gut painfully sad, and fear rising dramatically throughout her. Another thunderous roar sounded through the house. Temari squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, but tears fell even despite that. In just a minute Temari was a sobbing, shaking, sad, frightened balled up pathetic excuse for a human being.

Temari jumped as a warm substance enveloped her.

Temari didn't dare open her eyes, but she felt the warmth gain a figure. Arms wrapped around her and hugged her tightly; lips pressed against her forehead and murmured soothing words in her ear. Temari leaned into the person and let the sobs fall.

Another crack of thunder startled her.

She screamed again and dug her nails into the person.

The person didn't even wince.

A/N: Oh, I also want to thank each and every one of my reviewers for you words. It made me feel sooo much better; some days I just need a boost. Thank you, thank you so very much.

Also, I think there's only about one chapter left to this story. Sorry. I have been contemplating continuation in this universe but telling about Neji and Tenten's relationship. (I never intended to make it KankurouxTenten) I'm not sure if I will write a partner story about them just yet, though. I've also been thinking the same about Gaara and Hinata. But again, I'm not sure.

Once again, thank you guys so much! You're the best.

(1) I sort of got the idea from Ouran High School Host Club. I took the terrible fear of thunder from Haruhi. If you've seen it, then you probably understand more-or-less how I have Temari here. But you don't need to see it to get it.