I totally could have had this out much sooner, if not for my boyfriend and ADD. I was probably halfway through it, when he wanted to watch High School Of The Dead - great anime, btw. Then when he took his before-work nap - he works graveyard - I did more. Then after he left for work, I found myself searching the internet for new TemaNaru pics, then KibaNaru - don't ask, please - then bounced around the walls of the web before finally deciding to finish. And because of my procrastination, I vowed to finish before I let myself pee! Good thing I didn't have much left hehe. Yes, I know that's bad for you, whatever.

Anyway... Here it is, Chapter Three rewritten. Let's hope writing the new stuff is as easy as rewriting the old. I noticed I've gotten new followers since rewriting the new chapters, and I really hope you reread this one, as it is much different. Well, not much, but whatever. It's different. I'm changing my original plot around and tweaking a bunch of stuff. So please read and lemme know what you guys think of the changes. Pretty please with a little NaruTema on top? I mean, come on, isn't that why you're here?

Thanks to my old followers for sticking with me, if you bothered to that is, and thank you to my new followers for trying me out :) Thank you for the new reviews, as well. Also, please check my profile after this, since I'm now going to go update that and update my story status. Please enjoy and review! Thanks!

Sidenote: Revised a little bit. Nothing big, just spelling, grammar, etc. Stuff I missed the first time. Please let me know what else I missed, as I'm sure there are still a few mistakes in here.

Temari found herself choking, coughing harshly. She tried to sit up, but a firm hand at her collarbone gently held her down. She continued coughing, her mouth dry and her throat raw. As it began to die down, she felt a glass pressed to her lips. She opened her mouth, cool water pouring into it. She swallowed painfully, a cool drop slipping past her lips as the glass was pulled away.

"Sorry," a male voice mumbled.

She licked her lips clear of the water and forced her eyes open painfully. Her vision was blurry and it took her a second to focus. When she finally could see clearly, her eyes widened when she saw the owner of the voice and hand on her shoulder.

"Na-Naruto?" she questioned, thankful to the water that kept her voice from sounding too hoarse.

"That's my name," he smiled at her. "Don't go wearing it out," he joked softly. He removed his hand from her shoulder. He was still holding the glass of water.

Temari looked around at her surroundings, a small pit of dread forming in her stomache as she took in the cracked stucco walls and the medical equipment around her. She slowly realized she was in a hospital room. She groaned. She hated hospitals, and did everything she could in her power to avoid them. In fact, the last, and almost only time she'd been here was when Kankurou had been poisoned by Sasori. She had no use for hospitals.

Kankurou. Memories flooded her senses, so many, so fast her head pounded from the bombardment, as if it didn't already hurt enough as it was.

She looked down at her arm and flinched. Where she had mutilated herself there were a series of ugly scars, uneven, jagged things. Only the one she recognized as the first was a straight clean one. Above the scarring, set at her elbow joint, was a thick straw dripping IV fluids into her. Red fluid was backing up into the line. She wondered about it, but didn't bother to ask.

She looked back up, only to see Naruto giving her a hard look. He was obviously ticked. Mood swings much? she wondered.

She cringed. "What?" she demanded, knowing she sounded bitchy and didn't really care. She tried glaring him down, but he didn't even notice.

"Why, the hell would you even think about doing that to yourself, let alone ACTUALLY DOING IT?!" he yelled. His lips were curled in a snarl, revealing sharp canines.

She almost flinched again, but steeled herself. She didn't have to explain herself to him. It wasn't his damn business anyway. "What the hell does it matter to you what I do?" she growled, but it didn't come out as harshly as she'd meant it to; rather it was said in a low whisper, the knot in her throat preventing her from speaking louder.

"What's the hell does it matter to me?" he snapped. "What it matters to me? I come to the village on my time off to visit you and your brothers, and the second I get here all I can smell is your blood so I have to go rushing off to find you in a bathtub bleeding out like a stuck pig, and you ask me what it matters to me?!" He stared at her, straight in the eye. She saw a flicker of something, but then it was gone. Anger? Sadness? Fear? All of the above? His gaze softened as he looked down, now avoiding her eyes. "I'm the one that found you, Temari-chan," he repeated in a whisper, all heat from his previous anger gone now.

She didn't know what to say. Finally, wanting to avoid the subject, she settled on a topic. "Why are you here?"

"If you don't want me here, I can just leave." He stood up, apparently seriously intent on the action.

"No! I mean, why are you here, in Suna? Why aren't you in Konoha?" She made sure she was clear that time, that she made sense. "I didn't know you were coming."

He snorted. "That's obvious. I'd like to think this wasn't a welcoming present." He Indicated her arm as he spoke. His sarcasm wasn't lost on her. "As I said, I have some time off. Tsunade-bachaan gave me a wee. I didn't think there was any point sending you guys a message telling you I was coming, since I'd have gotten here before it did, so I just came." He stared at her pointedly for a second before adding, "It's a damn good thing I didn't, otherwise you'd have probably waited 'til I left, wouldn't you?"

She had no answer to that. He was right, after all. She remained silent, staring at her scars. After a few minutes, she quietly asked, "Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you do it?"

He was clearly confused. "Why did I do what? Come here?"

She shook her head. "No. Why did you...save me? I know it's a stupid question, but..."

His glare was back. "You're right. It is a stupid question. Do you know how close to death you guys were?" he demanded.

She blinked at him, her turn to be confused. "What?"

"What do you mean, what?" he growled. "I think I was pretty clear."

"Guys? Plural? What does that mean?"

His eyes widened. "You...you don't know?"

She stared him directly in the eye. "What is it you're not telling me?" she pushed. A pit began to well in her stomache.

He opened his mouth to speak as the door opened. A woman clad in the traditional full body white medical nin uniform that was standard issue of the Sunagakure medical unit strode in, not waiting for an answer to the door. "You're awake," she observed abruptly.

"I hadn't noticed," Temari muttered at the obvious statement.

The medic ignored her as she inspected the remaining fluid in the IV drip beside her bed. She looked Temari over, ignoring the girl's wince of pain as she roughly threw her arm around, the straw digging deeper. "I think it may be a good idea to put you on one more bag. You're still extremely malnourished. That's not good for a woman in your condition. You're lucky we had enough units in your blood type, you know," she lectured, oblivious to the dirty look she was receiving from the blonde patient.

"And I care about that why exactly?" she growled.

The medic stopped in the middle of her performance to give her own dirty look. "You should care. We had to pump nearly five units of blood into your body. That's more than forty percent of your body's blood, the amount in which the human body can no longer compensate–"

"Hey, I didn't ask for a medical lecture," Temari interrupted irritably.

Naruto laid a hand over her free one. "Please just listen to what she has to say." He glanced between the two woman, not wanting to be the one to break up a cat fight. Especially not one involving Temari and her doctor, whether she was injured or not. He felt that on her end it would be more than just a simple cat fight.

The medic nodded to him in thanks. "What I was getting to, is that we had to give you a unit more than we expected due to your pregnancy."

Temari's breath hitched. As she struggled around the shock, she choked again and went into another coughing fit. This one didn't last nearly as long as the rest, and was quickly soothed by the water Naruto supplied. When she could breathe again, she looked at the older woman. "What was that?" she asked tentatively. She hadn't heard right. Just a misunderstanding.

"The human body on average has approximately six quarts of blood, and during pregnancy, that amount can increase by thirty to fifty percent, though it's too early for that kind of–"

"You misunderstand the question," Temari interrupted again. "And I must be misunderstanding what you're saying. You're not implying that I'm... that I'm pregnant, are you?"

Her eyebrows raised. "But of course that's what I'm saying. You're pregnant. You didn't know?"

The world seemed to stop for the blonde. A delivery man may as well have just stepped into the room asking her to accept an order before the ton of bricks was dropped on her head. Pregnant? There was no way. Now way. It couldn't be. Please don't let it be...

"I think you're going to have to give her a minute," Naruto told the medic.

She nodded, falling into a newly polite demeanor. "Of course." She set about finishing her work quickly, changing the nearly empty fluid bag for a fresh one, then bowing to the two. "I'll let your brothers know you're awake," she said as she moved to the door, then closed it softly behind her.

That snapped her from her daze. "Brothers?" she questioned, looking for a way to forget the sudden bomb that was dropped on her. "But Kankurou's not due back from his mission until Tomorrow."

"Correction," Naruto told her. "Kankurou got back from his mission two days ago. Today's Monday."

"Monday? But it was..."

"You've been unconscious for three days," he explained, carefully watching her reaction. "The doc just told you so; you lost a blood. If I took any longer getting to you, you would be laying in your own personal hole in the ground right now," he told her emotionlessly.

She was about to make a comment about how she would have been better off hugging the dirt anyway, that everyone would, when the door flew open, cutting her. She wasn't annoyed this time though, as it was her brother's rushing in.

Kankurou ran to her, without missing a beat, and she found herself in an embrace. She winced from the sudden pressure on her chest and the movement her IV'd arm made, but held it back. When he pulled back she saw his face was clean of his paint markings, though a few spots of skin had purple smears across them, as if he hadn't looked in the mirror when he wiped it off, and the paint and liner around his eyes was smeared. She took a glance down to his hands and saw faded purple and black smearings on their backs. Crying? Had he been crying?

"What the fuck were you thinking?! Are you stupid?!" he all but yelled at her before hugging her again.

Trying not to choke again as her throat was pressed roughly into his shoulder, she looked up at the door to where her youngest brother was nervously lingering. She might have been imagining it, she did have quite an overactive mind, after all, but it looked as though his eyes were red, a familiar bloodshot. They were eyes she'd seen every moment of her life before Shukaku had been taken from them, but they were different. He didn't have a psychotic glint to them, and they were wet, slight damp spots highlighting the parts of the demon markings around his eyes they rested on. He'd been crying too?

Had she been completely wrong about how they would react?

"They're another reason why," Naruto said quietly. "What would they be going through right now, if I didn't find you, didn't do anything, or wasn't able to?"

Kankurou threw him a quick glance. Temari pulled away from him to stare at the wall, knowing full well what he was saying, and she hated him for it. She knew she shouldn't. What he was saying was probably true. But she hated him for being the one to say it.

"Not just us!" the puppeteer stated. "The villagers, who all look up to you. What about Baki, or Shikamaru?"

She flinched visibly at the name and looked away again, her face expressionless.

"What is it?" Naruto asked her quietly.

"We broke up," she answered emotionlessly.

"He wouldn't have anything to do with this, would he?" Gaara's voice was low, and he didn't bother to hide the hint of murderous scorn that seeped through it.

Temari chose her words carefully. "Maybe a little bit. But he's no longer a part of my life, so it wouldn't matter either way, now would it?" she lied. Her voice was as empty as her words. Sure, he wasn't part of her life anymore. Just part of every waking moment, every dream. More like nightmare. She withheld the sob that threatened to wrack her body. She would not cry in front of her brothers, not in front of Naruto.

Naruto stared in disbelief. Shikamaru was one of his closest friends. What the hell had he done?

Kurama's voice suddenly broke his thoughts. "Remember, kit? Shikamaru never said anything to you about being in a relationship with her."

Naruto's eyes widened at this piece of information. He glanced at Temari, biting his lip. The kitsune was right. He'd always seen his friend walking the streets of Konoha with his blonde teammate on his arm. He even remembered giving Shikamaru shit for putting up with Ino, wondering how the hell he could stand her. He mentally cursed himself. He should have realized that. If the Kyuubi had decided to sleep away this moment like he always did, he probably wouldn't have even remembered it!

"Did he do something to you?" Naruto questioned, not wanting to give away the secret he had just discovered he had. He thanked himself for being able to contain the growl in his throat.

Temari remained silent for a few moments before finally answering. If Naruto didn't know better, he'd have said she was trying not to cry. "No," she whispered. "Things just didn't work out. It was my idea."

Kankurou's fists were balled tightly, and his teeth were clenched. Gaara remained silent, only the look in his eyes giving away the thoughts that ran through his head. They were quiet, however, giving away nothing more than that. She hadn't admitted to anything, and they had no proof after all. They were going to have to buy this one for now, though Temari knew they weren't stupid.

"You know she's lying, don't you, Kit". It wasn't a question.

Naruto gave the slightest nod, just barely the twitch of his head. But his live-in would get it.

"You know what happened."

I have a pretty good idea, he answered angrily.

"How long are you staying?" Temari asked suddenly, hopeful to change the subject. She was getting good at that.

"I have to get back this weekend," he informed her, giving in to the topic.

"That soon?" Her brain tried registering the fact. "Less than a week..." she muttered dejectedly.

Gaara and Naruto exchanged glances, and Kankurou cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, I can see how soon Bachaan will let me come back..." he said slowly, though he knew the chances of that were slim.

Temari suddenly yawned. The strain on her throat made her cringe and she motioned to the water.

"You need to rest," Gaara stated bluntly as she finished the glass off. She nodded warily, not really paying attention.

Kankurou got off her bed and stretched. "We're down in the waiting room if you need us, alright?"

"You don't have to stay here," she pointed out in embarrassment.

"Why is that?" Gaara asked, his curiosity peaked.

"Because," she insisted. "I'm fine. Nothing else to worry about. Alright?" She managed a fake smile. "Go home."

Kankurou rolled his eyes. "Sure. If you need us, we're in the waiting room."

Temari rolled her eyes, then a thought hit her. "Wait. What about the Kazekage tower?"

Gaara softly smiled. "What about it?"

"Well, does this mean you haven't been there?" She was horrified at the thought. He hadn't been ignoring his work because of her, had he? He couldn't just up and slack off like that! Being Kazekage was too important to do that!

"I'm not worried about it," he informed her calmly.

"Yeah but paperwork, your duties—"

"My paperwork and duties can wait. Baki is in charge, and he'll send for me if anything important comes up." He'd begun sounding bored.

"But Baki—"

"That's how it is, Temari. I realize Baki isn't necessarily my first choice in replacing me, but my first choice just attempted suicide, my second choice has been with me this whole time, and my third absolutely refused to leave this room," he explained simply, an unamused smile gracing his mouth. It was just about a speech for him to say so much.

"Third choice? Naruto?" She questioned as she looked at him.

"Hm?" the blonde looked up at his name. He'd been unusually quiet, seeminly lost in thought ever since Shikamaru had been brought up. She inwardly groaned. He wasn't going to leave the subject alone. She realized she hadn't really expected him too.

"You haven't left?" she questioned, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

He flustered. "Well, uh, I didn't really, well... I just wanted to make sure you were okay, is all," he defended awkwardly.

She smiled sadly. "You didn't have to. But thank you anyway."

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. It wasn't every day Temari thanked someone. He wasn't sure how to take the praise.

"Where are you staying?" she asked suddenly, yawning again.

"Well, since you're awake now, I don't know. I'll probably go back to your place now."

"You mean you're not staying in the hospital?"

The question threw him off guard. "If you want me to, I will," he offered.

"I didn't say—" she yawned again, cutting herself off.

He smirked. "I'll take that as a yes."

She scowled, but brightened up immediately at his famous grin, the first since she woke up.

The first in a long time.

As Temari began falling asleep before their eyes, the men decided to give her some peace and quiet. Naruto was reluctant to leave, though he figured she should be okay now, since she'd woken up alright. But he still worried about her, especially after the surprising news she'd just learned of, and wondered if he should tell Gaara. He thought the kazekage needed to know, but didn't really think it was his place. Still...

Just as he decided, Gaara interrupted his thoughts. "Naruto?"

"Yeah, Gaara?" He realized they were alone in the small waiting area. Kankurou had left them, saying something about getting lunch.

The redhead looked uneasy. He was quiet for a minute as he struggled with a way to state his thoughts. Naruto waited patiently, unusually quiet for his normal self.

Finally he spoke. "Naruto," he said again. "Was there any way..." he hesitated, then came out with it. "Should I have known this was going to happen?"

Naruto stared at him sternly. "There was no way to predict this was going to happen, Gaara. She was really depressed, but there was no way for anyone to know she was gonna do this." He stared him in the eyes, daring him to argue. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known."

Gaara nodded slowly, not sure he believed what his best friend was saying.

Naruto sighed at the reaction he'd received before spotting Kankurou over Gaara's shoulder. "It's getting late, you guys," he said as he joined them. "You should head home, get some slee-aahn!" He was cut off by his own yawn.

Kankurou shook his head. "You're one to talk, Naruto. You probably need more sleep than all of us."

The blonde grinned and yawned again. "You're probably right," he agreed, mentally crossing his fingers. He had no intentions of that, not while Temari was still in the hospital. He also knew the brothers had no plans of getting any sleep either.

"You'll contact me immediately if anything happens, Naruto?" Gaara confirmed.

Naruto grinned larger. "Of course!" He wanted to kick himself. He still hadn't told Gaara about Temari's little secret. Probably for the best, he realized. It really wasn't his place anyway.

Gaara turned. "Let's go, Kankurou."

Naruto waved to them as they exited the building before walking the long way back to the Suna woman's room. He opened her door quietly, not wanting to wake her. He smiled at the tranquil look upon her face. The smile faultered, however, as he moved close enough to discover her eyes and cheek were damp. Upon further inspection he could make out the trails her tears made as they moved down her face to disappear in her hair, which was disheveled and spread out below her. Another was welling, threatening to escape her eyelashes. He brought his finger to her cheek, catching it, and gently wiped along her skin, ridding it of the rest. He bawled his hand into a fist as he watched her. Her sleep was silent, and soon the tears seemed to subside upon his return to her bedside.

"Oh, Temari-chan," he whispered. He couldn't tell if it was in anger or simply sadness. He leaned over and kissed her forehead before settling back into his chair, where sleep overcame him just as quickly as it took him to get comfortable.