Summary: The team reaches the Land of Wind without any issues. Temari is able to get Tenten to open up to her when she notices a change in her behavior. The search continues.

Tenten walked through the streets of Suna with Temari matching her strides besides her. The bunhead had met with the Kazekage, discussing various aspects of the mission she was on. Gaara was able to dig up some old records of trading families and her family name was definitely on the long list of traders and importers. They looked through the old records together and were able to pinpoint certain people that either bought or redistributed whatever weapon or supplies they had bought from her father. However, most of the names on the list had perished during the war, which left Tenten at a bit of a blocking point. Gaara had also convinced her to not interrogate those who were alive on the list if there was no guarantee that they were involved in whatever she was looking for. They then went over the merchants that were currently in Sunakagure, imported goods, supplies for rebuilding…luxury items. When Tenten inquired about those, Gaara had told her that the label "luxury" was only really given when the goods being sold were not labeled as a necessity. It was worth checking out, Tenten supposed. To see if she would find anything for her blades. The redheaded shinobi also gave her a letter to present to the blacksmithing guild located on the west side of the village; to give her access to the workshops. Gaara had insisted that Temari be Tenten's escort for as long as she was here. The weapon's master nearly rolled her eyes, not needing an escort in a village she has been to so many times, however the Kazekage wanted to be sure she had some back up in case she and the others were attacked again.

"I'm surprised your fiance let you leave by yourself." Temari teased as they walked. "The way he was hovering over you yesterday made it look like he was a duckling afraid of losing his mother."

Tenten let out a chuckle. "The trick is to keep him occupied with other things. You know how simple men are."

The blonde nodded and smirked. She knew that all too well. Tenten's eyes scanned the market area they were in. Shops were open and held various items for sale. She was mentally kicking herself for not stopping at the mines before leaving the Land of Rivers, however she also did not want to take any side stops that would prompt Tsunade to call her back home.

"What was the task you gave the boys?"

"To gather some info on any areas in the Land of Wind that had pure white sand." Tenten hummed, not meeting Temari's gaze.

"You may not have much luck in this area of Suna. Unless the person making those clones is here…?"

Tenten shrugged. She wasn't too sure, however she was following her gut on coming to Suna. The stalls were packed, but the jonnin were able to take quick glances at the displays. Temari watched as Tenten weaved through the crow swiftly, not letting anyone touch her as she walked. She was focused, Temari had realized. More focused on not being touched than actually looking at the stalls. Reaching out, the Wind Master grabbed onto the bunhead's wrist. Tenten's body tensed and she instinctively tried to whip her wrist around to get away. Normally, she would stop and see who was trying to get her attention; but she didn't. Her amber eyes met Temari's teal ones. Pursing her lips together, the bunhead questioned why she was stopped.

"Your reflexes…" Temari mused quietly. "You've been injured recently."

Tenten's eyes grew wide and she slapped the sand sibling's hand away. She didn't offer any response, and turned back to the crowd. Temari watched as she disappeared between the bodies, bobbing and weaving. The blonde's eyebrows furrowed as she began to walk again. Sure, she and Tenten haven't always had the friendliest interactions (especially when they were teenagers). However, as time passed they began to tolerate each other and share some mutual respect for each other and their abilities. Sure, they would be cheeky with each other at times, but it was all in good fun. In fact, the young women eventually found that when they combined their abilities, they were a deadly force to be reckoned with. It was this that Temari had concluded that her comrade had experienced something other than a typical injury; something more than a physical catastrophe. The Suna ambassador found the weapons mistress by a stall of what looked to be rocks and minerals. Keeping her distance, Temari noted the man who was standing by her and speaking to her as her eyes scanned the various crystals. Tenten gave occasional nods and asked her questions, gesturing to various crystals. After a few minutes, Tenten pulled out a small scroll and laid it on the table. The merchant woman placed a rather hefty slab of what looked to be clear quartz on it. She handed the merchant a bundle of cash and waved them off, pocketing the scroll.

"Did you just buy a rock?" Temari asked as the bunhead found her in the crowd.

Tenten nodded and explained it was for a project she was working on. The kunoichis headed back towards the Kazekage mansion, where Temari was quick to bombard the bunhead with various questions about her mission, only to receive very limited answers. The blonde understood the importance of keeping things confidential, however Tenten was very quick with her responses, which made her think she had been practicing a script. The bunhead had then requested to see a workshop, where she can post herself for the time being as she worked on her project.

"Not until you tell me what's really going on, bunhead."

The brunette blinked and cocked an eyebrow. "I just did."

Temari shook her head and perched her hands on her hips. She knew something was missing from the information she had just received.

"You're in Suna using our resources and space; we deserved to know the details,"

"I just told you why I'm here and what I'm looking for, why are you assuming I am hiding something?" Tenten grimaced.

"Your answers were too simplified. I get your looking for your father's weapon, but there has to be more than that for you to leave Konoha for an extended period of time during a time of peace," the blonde pushed. "And you've been avoiding the question of what happened to you. I remember you were recently an ANBU lieutenant, most people would kill for that job especially with their squad still intact-"

"There was an accident during the mission alright?" Tenten huffed, annoyed by her pestering.

Temari's eyebrows shot to her forehead. "An accident?"

The weapons master gestured for them to keep walking, not wanting to stir any unwanted attention or have any ears catch some of their conversation. Once they reached the mansion, they made their way to the roof, where they leaned on the railing, looking over the village. Tenten repeated her words to Temari. It was an accident that was due to an unfortunate circumstance on a mission. It affected the whole team, and they were still recovering from it…well, she was still recovering from it. It wasn't an easy healing process, to the point where she had to practically beg Lady Tsunade to let her take this personal mission and even get an endorsement from Lord Hiashi.

"What happened on the mission?" Temari pushed.

"A lot." Tenten didn't meet her gaze. "Something I never thought I would ever experience in my life…that no one should ever experience."

Temari waited. She watched as Tenten's face cycled through different emotions in the matter of a few seconds. Her eyes became distant as she looked over the village. Her shoulders tensed and she began to chew on her bottom lip. Temari was a tactician, she was able to analyze situations and effective plans using the information she is able to gather while confronted with an issue. This was a bit of a wall she hit. Usually, the bunhead was rather boisterous towards her, practically an open book when it came to her thoughts and how she felt.

"Was it that bad?" Temari murmured as her eyebrows arched in worry. "That you can't even put it into words?"

Running a hand though her chocolate bangs, Tenten sighed. She was having trouble talking about it outright, that was a hurdle she had not crossed yet, especially since the people she was around already knew what was going on. Well, her team did as well as Sakura, but that was only because Sakura was the one who helped treat her at the hospital. Not even Naruto knew what happened, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"It wouldn't benefit Naruto to know what happened." Tenten hummed. "He can't change what has already happened. And the headache of going through those motions is something I do not want to deal with right now. He can't do anything for us…for me. He can't change the past. This is my burden to deal with…my team's burden."

"You know that block head would probably try his best to solve your problem. He seems close to you and your team." Temari replied.

"Yeah, he is like an annoying little brother," the brunette rolled her neck. "However, this has nothing to do with him. Neji, Lee, and I will handle it."

"You still haven't told me what 'it' is, exactly."

At this, Tenten took out a kunai and flipped it between her fingers. Temari was a good friend, she knew she was trying to get her to talk about it. However, part of Tenten didn't want to have to explain why she was keeping information to herself. Why couldn't she just let her be? There was nothing Temari could do to help something that has already been done. Plus, it wasn't really any of her business. Why was Temari prying into her life at the moment when she had more important things to do? The kunai swung between her fingers effortlessly.

"Why do you care?" Tenten asked suddenly.

"Because you just waltz into my village suddenly and started poking around," Temari leaned over the roof railing. "Because we're friends."

The weapons mistress sighed at this. That was true. She did come to Sunakagure suddenly. A mission during the era of peace was not unusual, however a mission that required a whole squad and multiple days of travel was a bit unusual for this time. Temari used to ridicule her after their first encounter in the chunnin exams almost a decade ago. Every time they met up after Sasuke ran from the village, after Neji almost lost his life the first time, and Lee had to go after the boys…after she and her brother's helped them all throughout the years, the blonde became like an annoying sister to her. Always poking fun at her, but supporting her at the same time. She's learned a lot from Temari over the past few years, and the two of them have great respect for each other, especially after Team Gai got very close to Gaara whenever he would visit Konoha for diplomatic reasons.

"Tenten," Temari breathed. "How were you hurt?"

Lifting a hand to the sky, Tenten watched as the desert sun hit her skin, causing her tan complexion to glow under its rays. Her hands were scarred and calloused through years of training and injuries. And yet, Neji always told her he loved how wide her palm was and how slender her fingers were. He found the gashes charming and her skin was always warm to the touch. Those same hands had betrayed her the day she was captured and broken as she was then rendered useless. Her hands lowered to her stomach and gently grazed along the silk fabric of her white qipao. Temari's eyes grew wide as Tenten remained silent and ran her fingers along her abdomen. The blonde was smart enough to catch the hints; she didn't need to say it outright to Temari.

"Tenten…"

"All we had was a radio," The bunhead spoke after a moment, her cheeks puffing slightly. "All I had was the radio."

Arms flung themselves around her shoulders. Tenten's eyes grew wide as Temari pulled her into a tight hug. The blonde said nothing as she held the weapons mistress against her. The brunette fought the tears that started swelling in her eyes. Temari had been the only one who did not hesitate to embrace her, or interact with her as if she was a piece of thin glass. The others had hesitated to physically interact with her in such an affectionate way; hell, Neji even hesitated and slowly worked his way to being able to hold her again. To be fair though, Neji was just as traumatized as she was and she didn't fault him for that. But Temari didn't even think twice as she hugged her, holding in all of her sorrow as if trying to pour new energy into her chakras with a simple touch. Tenten's arms slowly wrapped around the older girl's torso and she rested her face on Temari's shoulder. The women stood there for a moment, the heat of the sun kissing their skin. The bunhead didn't really expect this reaction from her friend. She expected Temari to offer an apology with a swift pep talk of how strong she was, like everyone else. Or to call her crazy for going on this mission. But she didn't; the blonde just held her friend close and did not ask any other questions. Tenten could feel the sand kunoichi's heart beat increase, as if she was upset in a way. Temari wasn't one to cry, Tenten recalled. However, maybe the blonde was feeling a mix of emotions for her.

"Those bastards…" the Suna Ambassador murmured after a moment.

Anger. Temari was angry for her, not sad, or drowning her in pity. Deep down, Tenten was angry still. Neji was a great help in helping her let off some steam back in Takumi Village. He had allowed her to use him as a punching bag and lash out as she pleased. Her emotions had overflowed with anger and disappointment in herself, and at the situation that was or was not in her control (she wasn't too sure yet about that thought). However, she was slowly processing it. It was taking too long for her liking, but the fact that she was able to at least keep it together while Temari hugged her was a good sign. Progress, she thought. After another few beats, Tenten patted on Temari's back, and the blonde released her. The blonde's hands remained loosely on the bunhead's shoulders as she looked her in the eyes.

"Who?"

Tenten shrugged. "I don't have a name yet. However, I have an idea that it's connected to the people who took my father's sword."

Blonde eyebrows shot upwards, Temari had pieced it together with that sentence. She vowed to help Tenten in any way she could to destroy the people that had attacked her. This made Tenten's heart flutter. She let out a chuckle, which shocked Temari.

"Temari, I'm in the middle of a mission that could heavily affect the shinobi world and how ninja tools are developed if I don't figure this out." The bunhead offered a small smile. "Revenge will come in time."

"How noble of you." the Suna Ambassador mused.

The kunoichi made their way back through the main streets of Sunakagure. They have left the boys to their own devices in order to gather information about any white sand users or jutsu that could lead them to a potential lead. The pair had returned to the mansion, only to be told by Kankuro that the group of rowdy young men had been left unsupervised with a task that they would potentially become bored with easily…and that they had chosen to spar after a few hours of searching in the Kazekage's training grounds after coming to a handful of dead ends. Temari rolled her eyes and led Tenten to those training grounds, where the boys were indeed.

Rock Lee was staring intensely at the Kazekage, his offensive stance firm as he waited for the redhead to make a move. Gaara was more of a defensive fighter; he had his sand to protect him and didn't offer much in variety when it came to opposition. Learning this first hand many years ago, Lee knew that his speed could definitely take down the Kazekage, however he was sure Gaara had improved his own personal defenses especially after the war. The good thing was, Lee had also developed his speed even further since the war. Tenten had further customized and adapted his weights to where his speed could be matched to the speed of the opened second gate. It took a lot of trial and error (Tenten had to have Gai-sensei and Neji assist her in creating the weights), but once they found the perfect resistance, Lee had been unstoppable since.

Leaf hurricane!

Tenten watched as Lee picked up momentum; the sand around him was swept up into a vortex, whipping around with such speed that the taijutsu master became engulfed in its forceful whisps. Gaara's sand was as quick as ever and yet she could still see the Kazekage attempt to track the Taijutsu Master's movements with his naked eyes. Temari had told her a long time ago that Lee had left such a mark on her younger brother that he would drown whenever the bushy browed shinobi was brought up in conversation; in fact Temari and Kankuro teased him about it relentlessly as they got older. Even as Team Gai became the main foreign support for the Sand Siblings, Gaara had never challenged Lee or even suggested any interest in it. They were a bit surprised to see them in this situation actually.

"I bet Lee kept insisting," Tenten hummed as she tracked her teammate's movements with ease. "Or perhaps Naruto came up with the idea."

"That I can believe," Temari said. "Naruto probably approached Gaara first."

The ladies chuckled to each other as the green beast threw a variety of attacks at the Kazekage, each one being deflected by the sand barrier. Lee let out a roar of frustration and continued his attacks. Neji and Naruto were spectating in the shade; the blonde shouting words of encouragement. The Hyuga let out a small smile as his own eyes watched his teammate. It was no secret that his team was the best when it came to their taijutsu abilities, in fact, they were only comparable to each other. They didn't need to send chakra to their limbs as a crutch; they were all brute force and hard earned muscle. A feeling of nostalgia drifted over him as he recalled their first chunnin exams; they were so young and naive. Neji did feel a sense of anger when Lee had pushed himself to the limits that he did. Back then, Neji believed that Lee should've given up when he had the chance. He even thought that Tenten should've given up when he realized her match up was weighed against her…and Temari was merciless. In a way, he never thought he'd play nice with the Sand Siblings after what they have done to his team; Tenten had lost her confidence and Lee nearly lost his life. And yet, here they were in Suna where this scene laid before them of Gaara and Lee playfully blowing off steam and Tenten chatting casually with Temari as if they have known each other their whole lives.

"Bushy Brow is so fast. All you guys are! I need to train more with you." Naruto exclaimed, attempting to follow Rock Lee's movements.

"You used to when we were teenagers," Neji replied. "Back when Lee had opened that dojo. You trained with all of us for a few months."

"Yeah! I remember that! It was a lot of fun. Tenten taught me some cool techniques with weapons. And Lee was just a blast to throw fists with."

The blonde continued to shout encouragement as he watched his friends. Neji decided to stand and make his way over to his fiance, who was now joined by the pink haired medical ninja. He caught the tail end of their conversation of Sakura asking Tenten if she would be willing to hit the bath houses after dinner. Neji hummed and encouraged Tenten to spend some time with just the girls; he would keep Naruto and Lee out of trouble while they relaxed. The bunhead grinned brightly at the idea.

"Sure," The weapons master replied. "We can all go together."

Temari nodded with a small smile. Her teal eyes watched as the Hyuga hesitantly snaked his arms around her waist. Tenten showed no signs of surprise or discomfort, probably because he had made his presence known to her.

"Yay! Girl's night!" Sakura chirped.