Tenten finds herself walking along the halls of the Kazekage's Office building, looking at the view outside the big windows. Her teammates, Shikamaru and Lee, are going out with Temari to get some food. They asked her to come along, but she declined. Her stomach is not ready to consume food, especially for today.
Lee was worried, as always, telling her that she should consider her health but Tenten stopped him from saying anything further. She's not going on a diet or cutting off food or anything, she just feels very tired and doesn't want to vomit once food hits her stomach. She needs a moment of silence, to calm her mind after seeing him.
Gaara…
He's still as handsome as she remembers. That soft auburn hair, those beautiful mint-colored eyes, how warm and soothing his voice sounds in her ears. She has always been fond of his eyes, they're beautiful and mesmerizing, and looking at them makes her weak to her knees.
Lord Kazekage is indeed a handsome man…
Tenten is no special woman. She knows that besides her, many women have shared the same bed with him. Somehow the thought of her being one of his many partners feels upsetting.
Would it be better if it's only me…?
The brunette flinches at the thought. Even if it's just a brief moment, she just wishes that she is the only woman in his life. Tenten grits her teeth, such a selfish mindset she is having right now. For a low-rank kunoichi like her to wish for something like that, she feels like she needs to humble herself.
This is Lord Kazekage of the Sand Village, not just any typical man she sees on the street. He comes from an honorable family, he is the leader of this village, he was the Regimental Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces. And her…
She is just Tenten…
She doesn't have the social status to even compare herself with other women, let alone Gaara. She is not a princess coming from an honorable clan like Hinata or Ino. She is not the chosen student of Lady Tsunade like Sakura. In fact, she is probably the weakest kunoichi of her generation. The only thing she knows is to use weapons and has somewhat decent knowledge of sealing techniques. Tenten is not even pretty to begin with, although Lee keeps telling her that she is the beautiful flower of Team Guy. And not to mention how many times she let insanity takes over her, those haunted nightmares and horrible voices that always appear in her mind…
"Yes, I'm a crazy person…"
A crazy person who thinks that she is special enough to catch Lord Kazekage's eyes.
"Tenten?"
She looks up, brown eyes open widely when the person in front of her is no other than Gaara himself.
Having finished most of his work, the young Lord decides to take a break, allowing his back to take the break it deserves. Before Tenten's arrival, the Sand Council once again pushed another arranged marriage onto him, this time, a young lady from a noble family in the Sand Village. Like the previous arrangement, he declined, which angered Tojuro.
As a member of the Sand Council, Tojuro accused Gaara of not taking the future of this village seriously and that he is a failed leader. He also let everyone know during the meeting that whoever Lord Kazekage decides to be with, he would oppose them. This didn't sit well with Gaara but he said nothing, knowing very well that there is no point of intensify this disagreement. However, he did let Tojiro know that he would marry the woman he chooses, even if the elders disagree with him.
"L-Lord Kazekage…"
There's an awkward silence between them as Tenten looks away, not knowing what to say. Curse you fate and its stupid way of bringing them together, she is not ready to face him and yet, here they are, alone in the hallway, with no one there to disturb them.
Maybe she should excuse herself. It has been a long day for her and she hopes that Gaara would understand how tired she is right now. However, when she opens her mouth to speak up, nothing comes out. Her voice somehow stuck in her throat, and that lump just becomes bigger that it is hard for her to swallow.
She shouldn't feel this nervous around him, not when she already knows that she holds little to no value in his eyes. Gaara has many other beautiful women around him, why would he even care about someone like her?
"How have you been?"
"E-excuse me…?" She blinks at his question, her eyes flutter when she realizes what he is talking about "O-oh, I've been…well…"
I've been dead, more or less…
"And the mission was okay?"
"Yes, the scroll is in your hand, Lord Kazekage."
It would be okay if I can report to someone else instead of you...
Tenten bites her bottom lips softly, chasing those thoughts away. Whenever she has an answer to his question, her mind always wants to give a negative one.
"Tenten…"
She flinches at the way her name escapes his lips, so warm and gentle. Why is he calling her like that?
"I miss you…"
Gaara reaches out his hand. For a brief moment, he hesitates, but the young Lord pushes through the nervousness in his heart and cups her face, feeling her skin against his. Tenten shivers at the touch, she wants to pull away, to run away from it, but her whole body freezes at how gentle he is right now.
Tenten closes her eyes, she can't look at him. She knows his eyes are on her, boring into her soul. There's a hint of tenderness in them, caring and full of affection. Her face grows a lovely shade of red when she feels his fingers stroking her cheek as she unconsciously leans into it, asking for more. Gaara's lips curl up into a small smile, seeing her like this lights up his heart as the warm and fuzzy feeling arises, she is adorable when she is being honest with herself.
However, their loving moment doesn't last long as Gaara retrieves his hand and in a split second, he pulls Tenten behind him, covering them with a sand shield as those shurikens collide with his sand.
"Intruders! Protect Lord Kazekage!"
The windows and lightbulbs explode, making the hallway dark and eerie with the only source of light coming from today's full moon. Tenten can hear running footsteps echoing, the sound of kunai sweeping through the air, clashing with each other. She raises her head, watching Gaara as he observes his surroundings, ready to attack at any time.
There's a shadowy figure flashing across the hall, sending an onslaught wave of shurikens at them. But Gaara's Shield of Sand protects them, keeping the pair safe, for now…
"We need to get out of here first…"
The young Lord agrees. They will be at a disadvantage, fighting in the darkness like this. While Gaara can withstand any attack thanks to his absolute defense, Tenten is not blessed with such a thing. The pair get out of the dark hallway through the window, allowing their attacker to pursue them as they land on top of the building. With a clearer vision, Gaara can finally see the intruder who hides their face behind a black mask.
"Who are you?" Tenten is the first to speak up "Why is your aim here?"
"Give me the scroll, or you will not live to see tomorrow."
The scroll…?
Gaara moves his hand, sending a wave of sand bullets at the target as they dodge it nimbly. He notices the ruckus on the streets of the Sand Village, Temari has arrived with Shikamaru and Lee to fight off the rogue ninjas.
"As a shinobi of the Sand Village, I will not accept how Lord Kazekage is bowing down to the Leaf Village!"
"That's right! We will show them how powerful the Sand Village is!"
Tenten stands behind Gaara, ready to aid him from the back. She furrows her eyebrow, to eliminate the union between the two villages means another war. After everything that happened during the Fourth Ninja War, how can they possibly think that is the right thing to do?
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
Two air currents fly at them as Gaara creates a sand dome for him and Tenten, blocking the attack. While the young Kage can maintain the shield for both of them, staying in it is not a good idea. Tenten pulls out her scroll, unsealing a naginata.
"No…" he holds onto her hand, shaking his head in disapprovement.
"I know you can fight them alone, but…" she looks at him, a small smile forms on her lips "Let me help you, Gaara."
Gaara frowns, knowing that Tenten wins the argument. He can not say no to her, not when she just called him by his first name like that. Maybe he is being overprotective of her and how can he not? He hates putting the brunette in a dangerous situation like what they are currently facing now.
"Don't worry. I am a member of Team Guy, you know…"
Her giggles sound like a bell ringing in his ears, soft and bright, they make his heart beat faster. Wearing a complex expression on his face, Gaara lets go of her hand, knowing very well that he can not talk her out of this.
"Be careful."
She nods her head, wishing him to be safe as well. Holding a smoke bomb in her hand, they look at each other one more time, he releases the sand dome and Tenten throws the item, blinding their opponents.
"Get him!"
One of the rogue ninjas tries to attack him but they are stopped when Tenten swings her weapon, hitting them in the stomach. The runt chokes at the impact as they take a few steps back, gritting in pain. Pulling out a katana from their scabbard, they run toward her, slashing the weapon with insane speed. But Tenten is no stranger to speed, training with Lee for many years, her body movement becomes more flexible and agile, allowing the brunette to nimbly dodge every single attack of her opponents.
"Too slow!"
A loud clanking sound erupts as her opponent is sent flying and their katana is sticking to the ground.
"Give it up!" she calls out to them "Before it's too late!"
"You little…"
They charge at her, pulling the katana out of the ground and attacking the brunette.
Gaara watches her battle from afar, admiring how nimble she is as she avoids the strike. His attacker is doing the same thing as the other rogue ninja, charging blindly, only for the sand around him to block all of the attacks without him breaking a sweat. A hand made out of sand grabs onto their feet, flinging them far away.
"Gah!"
The impact caused them to choke out of blood, but they don't stop. If they do, then the future of the Sand Village will be…
"Just die already!"
No matter how much they attack him, Gaara always blocks it with perfection. The sand in his gourd provides absolute defense for him, something that they should have known before trying to ambush Lord Kazekage.
He looks at Tenten again as she swiftly attacks her opponent. Different from him, who has high defense and physical prowess, Tenten's forefront is her flexibility and agility. It seems like being Lee's longtime training partner has benefitted her a lot as she excels in speed and reflex, allowing her to have quick attacks and dodging movement.
It's like watching her dancing, especially when she pulls out her scrolls and rains shurikens onto her enemy. Her flexibility along with how smooth and flowy the scrolls are create a beautiful yet deadly dance, one that can finish an enemy in a single strike should they be careless.
"GARHHH!"
A scream cuts through the air, his opponent's body is being crushed in the sand coffin. Casting them one final look, Gaara releases the sand, letting their lifeless body falls onto the ground. To think that these runts can stand a chance against Lord Kazekage of the Sand Village makes him shake his head, they are nowhere near his level…
Tenten blocks the attack as her naginata clashes with their katana. The longer the battle is, the more careless her enemy becomes. Their partner is already gone and yet, they are too prideful to run away. Their movements become sloppy as they blindly strike her. Swinging the katana open, they aim to slash her but Tenten is faster, her legs split down to the ground with ease and she hangs one leg onto them, pulling her opponent down and keeping them joint locked.
"Give up!"
Tenten knocks them unconscious and sits up, sealing her weapon back into the scrolls. She feels like taking a long break, her body needs to rest. She hasn't laid down since their arrival and after this fight, the brunette wants nothing more than to relax on a soft and cozy bed.
Rolling back her scrolls, she notices that Gaara has been staring at her, watching her every movement. A blush adorns her cheek as she turns away, wondering why he is looking at her like that. Is it because it takes her so long to defeat an enemy? Or maybe her style of fighting seems boring? Or maybe he thinks she's not as strong as she claims to be?
Tenten fidgets as question after question keeps popping into her head, giving her a headache. Gaara, however, has a different opinion. He reaches out and pats her head gently, making her cheeks become redder as she steals a glance and turns away again, almost too embarrassed to look at him. A small smile forms on his lips when he sees her like this, Tenten is adorable when she is being honest to herself.
"Thank you."
Instead of responding to his gratitude, she just nods, leaning into his warm hand even more. She likes it a lot, having him touching her hair like that. That warm and fluffy feeling always arises whenever he does that to her, making her feel so special. And with one action leading to another, Gaara pulls her towards him, resting her head on his chest as he inhales the soft jasmine scent.
How he misses having her in his arms like this…
"Geh…"
The rogue ninja opens their eyes as they try to sit up, looking at the couple who is having their sweet moment. They grit their teeth, pulling out a kunai. If they can not eliminate Lord Kazekage, then might as well make him suffer by killing his woman.
"Lightning Release: Pierce!"
The kunai flies with lightning speed, cutting through the air and heading towards her.
But instead of hitting her, the kunai jabs Gaara on his shoulder instead, causing him to cry out in pain.
"Gaara!"
"Lord Kazekage!"
Tenten yells out his name, holding his slowly limping body. This scene…
Her hands are shaking as she touches his now pale face, his breathing becomes heavy. She can hear Lee calling her name, telling her that it's going to be okay. She hears Temari calling Gaara's name, trying to keep him awake. She hears Shikamaru telling other Sand ninjas to lock the rogue ninja in the cells for further investigation. However, none of them matters as Gaara is laying in her arms, not responding to any of their calls.
"Tenten, you have to let go. The medics need to treat his wound…"
Lee tries to coax her as the medical ninja takes Lord Kazekage away while she just sits there, staring at the whole scene in horror.
"Lee… Lee…!" she calls out to her teammate, eyes prickling with tears "Gaara, he…"
Tenten can't finish her sentence, her heart almost comes to a stop. It's so hard to breathe, she feels suffocated. It's like how Neji was back then, when he lay in Lee's arms, lifeless…
"He's going to be okay!" Temari rushes to her, catching the brunette in her arms "He's going to be okay, I promise…"
She knows her brother very well…
He has to be okay, Gaara can't just give up like that...
Tenten watches the medic team disappears before letting out a heartwrenching scream…
"GAARA!"
