A/N: Hello guys. I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've updated. With all the case studies, defenses, and final exams coming I don't really have the time to work on my story. But here it is, after a long wait, I've finished and I managed to insert Long Lost Fate in my schedule. I wish you'll like this chapter. And please, don't forget to write a review. :)

Autumn

Chapter 5

I was beyond stunned when Sakura said those words. I knew it. I definitely knew it. Shikamaru would definitely go to Suna.

"Ten-chan, are you okay? You're all pale." I heard Hinata said to me but my mind is in a turmoil. I can't even answer her. This is bad. This is really bad. The cease fire was given to all countries as an order to all Kages. Neither shinobi nor citizen can leave the country without the permission of all the Kages. Missions, courier or trading needed a thourough examination by the Sanins of each country for it to be permitted. If one shinobi or a citizen leaves the outside perimeter of the country, the said country who disobeyed the said order is declaring an all out war. This is really, really bad.

"Tsunade-sama is giving Shikamaru the whole dusk to return to Konoha but if he doesn't, Tsunade-sama would dispatch a team first thing tomorrow. I heard that she talked to Gaara about it." Sakura spoke. I scrunched my nose in disbelief. How could he do this? I know its love but where's the patriotism?

"It's an anbu team that would either exile him or kill him." Sakura's words float unto my head. Exile? That would mean... Oh no. Kill him. No. This is not right. I must do something.

"My question is... why would stupid Shikamaru go to Suna?" Ino asked. Wait. Suna? Gaara? They knew he ran off to Suna? And Tsunade-sama talked to Gaara? I cleared my throat.

"Wait. How did you know that he ran off to Suna?" I asked, like it was the most stupid thing to do. Sakura cocked his pink brows at me.

"Where would it be other than his girlfriend's country?" Ino answered matter of factly eyeing me carefully.

"He wants to see Temari. The question is... Why?" Ino continued to eye me as if I had leprosy.

"Because he misses her. Maybe?" I said to her. My answer is partly true but I know that's not the truth. He somewhat knew what happened to Temari. But how? How did he know? Did someone tell him? A courier? A spy? I was on my own flow of thought when I notice Sakura eyeing me. "What?" I asked her. She keeps on eyeing me like I'm a human size candy.

"This is something Ten-chan." she said finally speaking. "And I know you know something about it." I pursed my lips willing to keep my calm. Sakura is suspecting. I need to play this.

"What are you talking about? How could I know something that is not related to me?" I stated trying to keep myself composed.

"Don't bullshit me Ten-chan. This is related to Temari's last mission and Neji is with her and I know that your Hyuuga boyfriend somehow disclosed something to you even if he was told not to." Sakura made her point and I gulped a lump on my throat. I looked at my hands and I heard the pink-haired girl exhaled. "So? What happened?" I take a deep breath before answering.

"I don't know." I'm stubborn sometimes or at most time? Another exhale from the cherry girl.

"Look, Azuma-sensei was talking with Tsunade-sama this morning and I've overheard them. I don't know the details but I heard something about spies. What happened Ten-chan? If you don't talk about it now, Shikamaru would be in trouble." Sakura said.

"Konoha too. If you don't say a shit, we can't help him and Temari-chan would be very, very sad if she knew that her boyfriend was dead meat because of her." Ino smiled slyly at me but she's making her point here. I sighed and tell them everything. Neji would go nuts if he learned about his girlfriend disclosing something to her girlfriends. I need to do something and I really need to talk to Tsunade-sama about this. Somewhat... Somewhat I feel responsible. Responsible? Why? Am I blaming this thing to Neji? No. Temari is my friend. This is not about Neji and Shikamaru is stupid.

"I need to talk to Tsunade-sama." They looked at me like I said something really dirty then they all burst out laughing.

"Now you sound like Naruto." the blonde girl burst through her indecent way of laughing.

"You know that this is something so much serious than it was. I know that somewhat Neji would say something to you." the Kage of the Fire country sigh as she spoke to me. "This is nothing simple Ten-ten. Shikamaru disobeyed the cease fire contract and I am so frustrated at him I want to kick him on the balls." then she was engulfed by sudden silence. The autumn breeze blew her pale blonde hair, the moonlight bathing this beautiful woman. Her gold almond eyes glint on the pale over light that served as our little source of sight. I've seen her here at her building's rooftop. When I decided to talked to her earlier, this is where Shizune led me. She said that Tsunade-sama wanted some fresh air and said she's suffocating in her office. I approached her and took notice of the smell of alcohol. She's drinking and I know she's thinking right now. And there goes our conversation.

"I can't save him Ten-ten. He chose this and he have to face its consequence." Tsunade-sama said.

"You'll let him get killed or exiled? And it's in your order." I said but she remained silent for a long time. Then finally, she spoke. "Yes. I need to think of the country. I can't let Konoha suffer for something so selfish." she looked devastated. Her features were all tight.

"I know that you're not a cold hearted bitch. You can save him Tsunade-sama and you can use me." she looked me in the eye, that hard look that can penetrate every sound proof walls. I rolled my eyes, I need to somewhat overcome this heavy air around her. "Well, you're a bitch but I know that you're not cold-hearted. I know that you would do something about this. Better share it with me." I said to her, my voice unwavering. She exhaled a somewhat tense breath.

"This can be dangerous Ten-ten." again, I rolled my eyes.

"This profession is what I've chose a long time ago, and I know that being a ninja is dangerous." this time it's her turn to rolled her eyes. I stifled a laugh.

"It is dangerous as in dangerous of you being caught as Shikamaru's accomplice. Then you might get killed too. That's not good. I won't be losing two prominent shinobi on such stupid thing." the blonde lady said.

"It's love Tsunade-sama. Shikamaru did do something stupid but it's all for love." I said while she scrunched her nose that little wrinkles appeared in between her brows.

"Well, if you'll do it, you need a partner. It's better if it's not a team of three, big groups can catch attention." she exhaled.

"Who would you prefer to be my partner?" I asked. She looked me in the eye.

"Sakura needs to be here. Ino is busy in a secret investigation," so the blonde's busy huh? "The boys won't do, I need some man help sometimes and of course I wouldn't recommend Neji, you're his weakness." so which means that leaves. "Ask Hinata if she wanted to help." Oh yeah, this is not a mission, it's not required for us to do this or we are not forced. We need to volunteer ourselves in danger for our friend.

"I will ask her now."

Of course, Hinata is grateful to help. But being the Hyuuga Heiress, she needs to discuss it with her father. The tricky part is she needs to tell him what Shikamaru did. I pursue her to tell a lie. But, well, as Hinata is, she won't be lying to her father. This thing is critically dangerous. She can't go on this unnoticed. And so I've waited under the same oak tree where Neji shuts me up with his mouth. We're on a fight that night and all I do was talk and talk about how stupid he can be. Well, that's a different story.

Hinata showed after 30 minutes. I can't read her expression. That means I need to talk to her father too. "Father wants to talk to you." just like I was thinking.

The big living room was dimly lit by a gas lamp. Why the Hyuuga household does use gas lamps as lamps? Konoha has electricity and the prestigious clan has the money to light the whole Konoha for one year. I need to ask Neji about this.

"Sorry to disturb you this late Hisashi-sama." I sat on the mat facing him.

"That's alright. Hinata explained to me the dilema. And as my daughter requested, I would be keeping this whole thing a secret." he reached at his side and lit a tobacco pipe. "This mission is dangerous Ten-ten. Please don't forget to talk about it with Neji. If Shikamaru isn't a wonderful asset of Konoha, and of course, yours and Hinata's friend, I won't be allowing my daughter to participate on this mission." I smiled weakly at him.

"Thank you Hisashi-sama."

After a more brief conversation, I stand up and said goodbye to Hinata's father. At the Hyuuga household's gate I held Hinata's frail-looking hands. "Thank you so much for accepting such a task Hinata-chan." she looked at me with her knowing purple shaded eyes.

"I wanted to help Shikamaru-kun too and I can't blame him for his own selfishness. There's a saying that a shinobi would only love once in his or her life. So we mustn't waste that one chance that was given to us." she smiled at me. I returned her smile.

"See you at the gate in 3 and a half hour. I must use the time to talk to my man." I gave her hand a squeeze. "You must talk to Naruto too." she averted her eyes and tightly said,

"Yeah."

Neji was sleeping in our brown old couch while I hear the TV host of some game show announced a winner at their daily lottery. I stand beside my beautiful Hyuuga's sleeping figure. I kneeled beside him and studied his pretty boy's face. The dark lines under his eyes were beginning to subside and the scar on his cheek was fading. That's good. That means he's recovering, he's getting some sleep after 3 weeks of sleepless nights. I pushed a stray hair from that perfect face of his. I leaned and kissed him in the mouth before saying, "I love you." I love him so, so much that I strained the tear's attempt to fall.

"And I love you more." he said, opening one translucent eye, shaded in purple with the dim light in the room. So much like Hinata's but the stern coldness and abandonment is there unlike his cousin's soft and sweet one. I've learned to look at Hyuuga's eyes since my heart beat for Neji. Their hollow looking eyes bear no emotion unless you master how to look at those deep milky hues. I leaned in again and kissed him more fervently this time, our tongues doing some synchronization. He lifted one hand to cup my cheek. I pulled away before this kiss leads us to sex and no talking. I must talk to him first.

"Neji, I- I... " I begin like I was confessing at some serious crime. "I just want to help Shikamaru out and you know Temari is my best friend and I don't want her to get hurt and so I want to keep their love alive and them together and I don't want to waste their only chance to love and I know you would do the same to me and... I... I.. " he looked at me like I was in a verge of crying and so he hold me and I definitely cry, without knowing why.

"Ohh.. Baby.. Shh.. Just tell me ok? I won't be angry. Don't cry... Oh God, Ten-ten." I just don't know how to explain myself. I don't know the reason why I cried. Whether it's the fact that the chance of saving Shikamaru and Temari would be minimal or the urge to help them would risk our country to chaos or whether I'm risking Hinata's life or it's the fact that again, Neji and I would be separated a day or we would never see each other again forever. Damn you Shikamaru! I'm risking important things for you. If Temari is not fucking important to me then I won't give a damn in his stupidity.

"I... I would be in a special mission Neji." he looked questioningly at me. I sighed. "I've accepted a mission to rescue Shikamaru." that's when those beautiful purple eyes grew big with surprise.

"So Shikamaru went to Suna? He knew what happened to Temari. How did he know? Did you tell him?"

"Fuck no!" I shouted at his face. "How could I when this morning you're the one who woke up first and hammering my stupid door and Shikamaru was gone before sun peeks at the east. How can you be so stupid Hyuuga?" He didn't dare to reply on my retort when I'm calling him by his family name. I began to pace on our guest room, between the sofa bed where Neji was sitting and the annoying TV announcing another name for a lottery draw. "Fuck!" I stomped over the fucking loud TV and switched it off. Then I began to pace again. Neji was silent. He's thinking. I looked at him. I want to slap him for thinking that I said something to Shikamaru. But, oww God. He's impossibly handsome with his hands under his nose and that vanilla eyes were so focus I want it to look at me. His short brown hair tussled in every way from his sleep, I want to rake my hands on it while riding his enormous cock but I'm so frustrated at him right now and I'm angry coz my being frustrated at him aroused me. Yes! Literally making me wet. Oh no. He looked up at me those intense milk colored eyes making me want him more. Then he cocked his head.

"You stopped pacing." it was like cold water to me. My looking at him betrayed me of my anger. I am angry at him and I want to be angry at him until he begged me to stop being angry at him. But he's beautiful and I just stopped getting angry just by looking at him which makes me angrier because I stopped pacing.

"So?" I cocked one eyebrow at him and crossed my arms on my breasts. I am definitely not backing out.

"You're looking at me with your please-fuck-me-now- Neji look." he crossed his arms too and leaned back on the sofa bed. And wait. Was he smirking? Oh mother of Konoha, is he smirking at me while I'm angry?

"You're smirking at me?"

"Do you want my cock now Ten-ten?"

"Did you just smirk at me while I'm angry Hyuuga?!" I shouted at him. I'm no longer aware that it's 12:15 am and I might be disturbing somebody's household.

"I'm hard baby, just by watching you being angry with me." I looked at the big bulge between his thighs and he's definitely hard as a rock. He was aroused at looking at me being angry and I'm aroused at looking at him while thinking. Oh... I just want to have sex with my Hyuuga boy but circumstances won't allow me. I sighed another exasperated breath.

"I'll be leaving at three in the morning, Neji, I don't have all the time being angry with you, explaining things to you and having sex with you. Please be cooperative." I closed in the big space between us. I lift my left leg on the sofa bed and straddled his lap. I kissed him and whispered, "But it would be easier to talk after we release the tension, right?" I smiled seductively at him. He groaned and hurriedly unzipped his fly. I looked at the big boy down there and giggled. That's an easy make up huh?

"We need to hurry. Or you won't be able to explain this mission to me which means I won't allow you to participate in such." he smirked again. I reached for his enormous cock and stroked it with my hand. He let out a restrained groan.

"Hi there junior. Want to play with mama?"

After my fifth orgasm, I deliberately push myself off Neji's still rock-hard cock.

"Hey..." he protested like I snatch him his candy bar.

"No more." I said hoarsely. I want more but it's already two o'clock and I needed to get ready, I need to pack my things.

"I'm still hard babe and I still want to go on." he pouted. He's like a child.

"I need to explain things to you while I'm getting ready." I heard him sighed. I looked him and cocked one brow. "What?"

He looked intently at me.

"So this all your decision. Whatever you explain, it's decided. You'll go even if I don't want you to." I bit my thumbnail. This is inevitable. No shinobis will ever take this mission aside from us, Shikamaru's friends. His father would not allow such stupidity and would eventually allow the Kage to do the right measures. Maybe that's why she just talked to Azuma-sensei. I don't know why his teacher didn't do anything. Maybe he saw Shikamaru's act as childish and selfish that is why he didn't do anything. I sighed.

"No one would do this Neji. Shikamaru needs our help and I will not allow another heart ache for Temari." he regarded me with those beautiful eyes. I could stare at it forever and never get bored. I touched his cheeks and leaned in to kiss him. He allowed me. "I love you." I hold him and we kept silent for a while.

"You might die Ten-ten. If Anbus from other country spotted you they can kill or exiled you too." I pushed myself up. I wanted to get space physically. If I want some coherent and logical answer, I need to get off him. I searched for his t-shirt and put it on. I saw him rake his hands through his hair. He's exasperated. "Fuck! Ten-ten it's insanely dangerous." I looked around and saw my back pack. I reached up for it hanging beside our closet. I am packing. And whatever my man said, I would definitely go. "I just got home from a mission, who killed three people and might have killed us too, and I'm tired, and I just wanted my girl to be here by my side and have sex with me all day long. But here you are, worrying about another boy." I am currently putting scrolls from the closet inside my bag when I pushed the closet door with a bang.

"Do you think I am fucking insane to do this because I wanted to? I am doing this for a friend, Neji. Our friends. Do you think I don't want to stay here with you? I. Wanted. To." I stomped towards the bathroom where I shouted, "So don't fucking say that I am worrying for another boy coz I am fucking insanely worrying about you! Aw! Damn this-" I kicked the plastic stool out of my way. I stumbled to switch on the light. I stand on the stool to reach for the mosquito repellant lotion and other toiletries I might happen to need. I was about to go down the stool when two strong hands grabbed my waist and kissed my small back.

"I'm sorry." my Hyuuga boy said sincerely from the heart. Oh.. How I love this man. I turn around, leaned in and kissed him on the mouth. In just a second I was lifted and carried to the bed. Hmmm.. He taste magnificent. I put a finger between our chests and push him off me. "No more." he looked at me with his eyes full of love.

"I want you to promise me that you would be returning to me breathing and whole." I smiled at him. I don't know what lies ahead this mission. But still, I don't want him to worry.

"Yeah, promise." he smiled at me. Neji is a guy who doesn't ask stupid question about a mission, unlike me, I ask every detail. Where would they go, how long will it take, who's with you, etc. Neji analyzes, that's why I don't need to elaborate things with him. That is why I'm surprised when he asked.

"Who's with you?" I tensed. I didn't realize that Hinata is his cousin, a family, a Hyuuga. She's insanely important to him too. She's like a sister to him. "Well, I will certainly tie you up in our bedpost if you'll tell me that you would be alone. No fucking way would I allow you to leave this house." I gulped.

"Well... I'm not alone."

"That's good. I think, Tsunade-sama would only allow two shinobis to leave the country. And that other one's not me." I told you, he knew details even if you didn't mention it to him. He cocked a brow. Two important girls in his life in a dangerous mission? He'll go nuts. Yes. Definitely. But still, I need to tell him. I take a one big breath and...

"Hinata."

A/N: So that's it. Wait for chapter 6 cause the story is yet to transpire. Please review guys. Anything. I mean, even if the chapter sucks, I need to know it. Thank you so so so much for reading. :)