Hey guys. Sorry to make you wait, I've been super sick for the past FOREVER! I am SOOOO SOORRRYYYYYYY FORGIVE MEEEE MINAAAAA! I feel like that last chapter was sorta all over the place, sorry about that. I was really eager to post a new chapter for you guys! Hope you enjoyed their kiss ^_^ I felt you all deserved a little treat. Thank you SOOOOO much for the reviews, keep em coming! You're all so great! Please enjoy!
Chapter 11 * First Mission together: To the cloud!
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Naruto walked into the kitchen to investigate the loud crashing noise he had heard moments ago. His bright blue eyes widened when he saw Sasuke Uchiha in an intense lip lock with Tenten. "Believe it!" He yelled, proud of Sasuke for making a move on the girl that he some what admitted that he loved. Sasuke broke away from Tenten immediately and glared red threatening eyes in the knucklehead's direction.
"Naruto..." Sasuke growled. Tenten's face was all sorts of red as she stood in the puddle of hot tea and broken ceramic. She was still a little shocked at what Sasuke had just done.
"Naruto, why are you spying on them?" Hinata asked, walking up next to Naruto and tugging on his arm. "Let's give them their privacy, hm?"
"Alright, alright. We'll go." Naruto said, bummed he couldn't agitate Sasuke more.
"You can stay, it's okay Hinata." Tenten said, embarrassed that her guests were leaving.
"We have some things to do, but we'll get together soon. Thank you Tenten!" Hinata said smiling as she dragged Naruto to the door.
"Double date Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.
"Shut the hell up, Naruto." Sasuke growled with a roll of his dark eyes.
"Hehehehe..." Naruto's childish giggle was heard through the awkward air until the front door was closed and the couple was gone.
Tenten didn't know what to do or say, but the way the kiss had made her feel was indescribable. Her heart was still pounding violently in her chest, her cheeks were still warm with a blush and her large brown eye were fixated on the Uchiha. He looked so enticing and appealing to her, like a poisons apple that she couldn't resist taking a bite out of.
Sasuke too, was unsure of what to say, so he chose not to say anything. Several feelings were racing through him, and thoughts flooded his mind. He wanted to know how she was feeling, and if he had taken things a bit too far, and made her uncomfortable. He wondered if maybe she felt the same way he had when their lips collided, or if she was just angry. He couldn't tell, she was just as silent as he. Sasuke slowly walked to the girl and picked her up in his arms. He smiled when he heard her gasp in surprise. He felt her fingertips touch the edges of his collar bone as her arms wrapped around his neck. He carried her to the bathroom and set her on the toilet. He knew her wounds needed addressed quickly, before anything.
Sasuke rummaged through the cabinets above her sink to find anything to clean the wounds. He grabbed a small bottle of cleansing alcohol in one hand, a clean rag in the other and placed a roll of medical tape in his mouth. Tenten watched quietly as Sasuke knelt down to the ground to dress the cut in her foot. He set his doctoring items down and placed his hand on the heel of her foot and lifted it. He admired her dainty feet and her little toes, he found them to be quite adorable. He smiled at the thought and began to clean her wound. Tenten winced at the sting of the alcohol and curled her toes. Sasuke looked up at her gave her a small smile. Once the wound was cleaned, he wrapped it with medical tape and gently set her foot back down. He then placed his hands on her bare knees and turned her body to the side to dress the cut on her arm that Sakura had left. Tenten let out a small giggle at his action. Sasuke always seemed to be taking care of her somehow. Since the very first day, he'd been looking out for her, almost as if Neji had sent Sasuke on purpose like a guardian for her.
Sasuke wiped the dried blood off her forearm gently, focused intently on dressing the wound. He thought back to how angry Sakura had made him when she attacked Tenten, and how he would not allow anyone to do harm to Tenten again. He decided to take it upon himself to ensure her safety. He felt responsible for the girl, for some reason. Now she was his purpose in life, it wasn't about revenge or hatred. She was teaching him to love without even trying. She didn't have to, Sasuke was drawn to her immediately because of how different she was. Once he finished wrapping her arm up, Sasuke stood and placed a soft kiss atop her head.
"Goodnight, Tenten." He whispered as his lips lingered there.
"Thank you, Sasuke." Tenten said quietly. Sasuke walked to the doorway of the bathroom and gave her a nod, he then exited her bathroom, and left her home, much like their very first night together.
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"So, you're saying you want them to get married and rebuild the Uchiha clan? Tsunade, that's like an arranged marriage." Shizune said as she gave the Hokage a stern look.
"I want to find out about Tenten's parents. That way i would be able to predict what her children with Sasuke may be like. She may have dominant traits we don't know about, and we want them to have Sharingan. Her file says that she was found just a little out side of Konoha and she was just an infant. No other information is listed. Now due to the fact that she used the Bashosen during the war, which is a weapon only used by Jinchuriki in the past, I have a hunch she may have lineage tracing back to the village hidden in the clouds, or... She may be a far descendant of the Sage of the Six Paths." Tsunade expounded as she sat at her desk studying the little information on Tenten she had.
"So if that were the case, her being a descendant of the Sage of the Six paths, she could marry an Uchiha no problem. We know she's not a Jinchuriki. What do you suggest we do in order to find out? And how do you know they'll even marry each other? They're so young My Lady." Shizune stated, as she took a seat in front I Tsunade.
"Im going to send team Gai to the village hidden by clouds, seeing as how the last Basoshen user was from there, to see if Tenten resembles any of the villagers. Tenten, of course, won't know what it's about, but Gai will. I don't think I'll even have to arrange a marriage between them, Shizune." Tsunade said with a smirk. "And I'm not hoping they get married right now, just before they're too old for children."
"Then what will the mission be according to Tenten?" Shizune asked, confused.
"Simply to retrieve a new medicinal plant they have there and bring it back to Konoha so we can research its uses." Tsunade said slyly.
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Tenten's chocolate eyes snapped open, awakened from her slumber by the sound of someone pounding on her door. She rolled out of bed and looked at the time, it was nearing five o clock. She heaved a sigh, disappointed to have left her peaceful sleep and dreams. She had stayed up late thinking about Sasuke and the kiss they shared in the very same kitchen Neji had proposed to her. She wanted more answers from him, but she figured if he wanted to talk to her, he would. Tenten scratched her head and walked out of her room and down the hall. Tenten growled when the door was banged on once more. "hang on!" She yelled. she reached the front door and swung it open.
"We got a mission!" Lee exclaimed excitedly, giving Tenten a thumbs up and a wide toothy grin.
"We do?" Tenten asked sleepily.
"Yep! To the village hidden by the clouds! Since the war, our villages don't hate each other anymore!" Lee replied, still smiling.
"Oh, wow. That's a long way. Are we leaving today?" She asked her friend as she leaned on her hip and crossed her arms.
"Yeah in a couple hours. We're meeting at Gai sensei's then. Hurry and get ready,it'll be a great challenge!" Lee wrapped his arms around Tenten and squeezed.
"Have you told Sasuke yet?" Tenten asked, prying her green clad friend off of her.
"Not yet. I wanted to be sure you were okay. This will be our first mission without Neji." Lee sighed and looked down.
"Neji will be with us as long as we remember him. I miss him too, Lee." Tenten placed a hand on Lee's shoulder and assured him.
"You are right! We must remember him! I will see you shortly, Tenten!" Lee smiled one last time and rushed home to prepare.
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They'd been traveling away from Konoha and toward the Cloud for several hours. Sasuke and Tenten hadn't spoken to each other the entire time, neither one knowing what to say or how to address the issue. Tenten, normally loud and outspoken, was speechless after the event that happened the night before in her kitchen. Sasuke had picked up all the shattered pieces of her tea kettle she had dropped due to the surprise of his lips against hers before he left. Much like the way he was holding her together now, but without them speaking, Tenten was becoming anxious. She wanted to stop him an pull him to the side and ask him what it was between them. She watched him discreetly as they ran toward their first rest stop. His dark eyes were narrow and focused, his face serious and determined. Tenten could tell he had a lot on his mind.
Sasuke had decided to step back from Tenten, he didn't want to scare her away, so he decided to keep quiet and see if she would say anything. He couldn't pretend that he didn't feel anything less than spectacular when they kissed. he felt as though he was going crazy, this was so new to him. Love was not in his vocabulary, it was not something he understood until Itachi died and Sasuke learned the truth. Still though, he never felt love for a female, or male for that matter. Although he rejoined Konoha, and it may have been for the wrong reasons, he still felt dark, and evil inside. But with Tenten, he felt none of that. It was like she walked into his life at the perfect time.
As they continued further on their five day journey, Sasuke watched Tenten carefully. He knew very well that in order to get to Komohakure, they would be passing right through Otogakure, the village hidden by sound. Although Orrochimaru had been vanquished, Kabuto had escaped. Anyone close to Sasuke would be deemed a prime target by the four eyed psycho. The closer they got to Otoga, The riskier the mission became. Sasuke knew that if they made their camp sooner than later, the less chance they had of being attacked by sound ninja. it was either continue all the way through tonight without stopping, and risk running into sound ninja while exhausted, or stop now and have energy to cross through sound tomorrow safely. Sasuke was about to speak but Tenten spoke before he had the chance.
"Im getting tired." She whined, finally breaking the silence of the group.
"Shall we break now? I'm confident we can go another four hours or so!" Gai chimed, turning to look at his deflated Konoichi.
"I agree with Tenten, we should stop. We're approaching the sound village, the further away from them we are when we rest the better." Sasuke said, giving Tenten a small nod.
"Sounds like a good idea. We'll set up camp." Gai agreed.
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After setting up camp, the group decided who would take watch, and in what order. It was Sasuke who was up first watch. The group settled around in a circle, each laying down not too far from the other. Tenten was between Sasuke and Lee. She studied Sasuke as he sat soberly against a tree, red eyes open wide and scanning the area for any mysterious activities.
"You should be sleeping, Tenten." Sasuke whispered over taking full notice that Tenten was still awake. Gai and Lee had fallen asleep quickly, but Tenten's mind was restless.
"I just... can't sleep." She said with a sigh as she turned to her side and propped herself up in her elbow.
"Is something troubling you?" He asked, a hint of concern lacing his voice. He studied her, she looked weary and tired. Small black lines were under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in a few days, and her face was a little more pale than usual. Sasuke dug through his bag and got a small bottle of juice for her, feeling as though the sugar may help her recover. "Here, you need this."
Tenten then sat up and took the juice. "Thank you, Sasuke." She replied. After taking a sip she replaced the lid of the juice and looked to Sasuke again. "Sasuke..." She started.
"Yes, Tenten?" Sasuke replied, continuing to keep a watchful eye on the area, as well as on Tenten.
"When you..." She paused, nervous and unsure how to put her feelings and questions into words. "Uhm... When you kissed me..." She started.
Sasuke interjected, "Oh Tenten, I'm sorry about that. I really didn't mean to... Well I meant to, I just. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Sasuke then looked down, feeling bad for the entire situation. Maybe he should've asked permission before planting his lips on someone unsuspectingly.
"No!" Tenten reassured and Sasuke's head came back up to look at her. "I... I mean.." Tenten blushed. "I just... I was curious." Tenten let out a huge sigh. Just go for it! She coached herself. "What did it mean to you?" She asked in a serious tone.
Sasuke's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he replayed the question in his mind. He then proceeded to replay the kiss in his mind. "Tenten." He started with a smile. "It meant that I like you a lot. I'm really not good with words so I had no other way of really expressing my feelings to you." He explained.
All that Tenten could do was blush, but a smile forced itself upon her face and she couldn't stop. "You really do?" She managed to whisper.
Sasuke scooted over to her and leaned his face in close to hers. Carefully he placed an arm around her waist and pulled her even closer to him and softly placed a second kiss on her luscious lips. Tenten's brown eyes fluttered closed, and her heart began to pound rapidly. It felt as though electricity was running through her body, and she wasn't in control anymore. Her arms flew up around his neck and she intensified the kiss by pressing her lips harder and more firmly against his. Sasuke replied by pulling her onto his lap and running his hands up and down her back. His heart too, pounded in his chest. A once empty cavity, whole and warm and alive again. And damn it felt good to him. The fact she was returning his feelings felt even better to him.
Tenten finally broke away from Sasuke. Blushing wildly at the fact she was on his lap and they had just shared a very intense and passionate lip lock. She nervously tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she examined his face. He was just smirking and holding her close to him. "Can you go to sleep now, Tenten?" He whispered shortly before kissing her nose gently. Tenten giggled at this and placed a hand on his cheek. Sasuke smiled and leaned into her touch.
"I guess I'd better." She whispered in reply. "Thank you Sasuke."
"I should be thanking you." He said, then placing a kiss on her cheek and gently sliding her off of his lap and back to her original position. "Goodnight, Tenten."
"Goodnight, Sasuke."
