After the pain

Disclaimer: As much as my muse tries to convince me otherwise, I do not own any to the Naruto characters, nor do I make any money writing these stories. (If only * sigh * )

Hello again everyone, I’m back safe and sound and here is your next chapter.

I had so many reviews that I can’t answer them all but I can say that this story will be at least 30 chapters long, After that I have no idea it depends on my muse.

I would like to thank who ever it was who nominated this story for the Naruto Fan Fiction awards!!!!!!
Thank you, thank you!!!!
For those of you wondering what I’m talking about you can go to www.narutofic.org to find out.
There are some other really good stories on there as well.

Thank you all again for your wonderful reviews, I am addicted to them.

Now here is the fluff I have been promising along with an explanation about Gaara.
* * * * * *

Just for everyone’s reference.
It has been 12 days since Naruto found Temari (chap 1)
5 days since the two arrived in Konoha, the messenger was sent to sand and Gaara started his storm.
Hope that helps keep everything in perspective, enjoy.


Chapter seventeen.

The sun slowly rose in the east, for the first time in five days it shone down on the peaceful desert of Suna.
The Konoha messenger was pleased when he woke to find the desert finally back to normal.

Quickly breaking camp the leaf shinobi set out across the desert at a fast pace, he had been detained longer then he liked and he knew his lack of return to Konoha would be noticed very soon.

Running with chakra focused on his feet to prevent sinking in the soft sand he could not help but feel as if he was being watched, even though he could feel no other chakra signature in the area he felt uneasy.

The barren landscape around him was unnaturally quiet, like a predator was lying in wait for him.
Keeping his senses sharp he maintained his pace, all the while hoping that he made it to Suna without incident.

* * * * * *

All the citizens breathed a sigh of relief when they woke to discover the storm finally over.

None more so then Kankuro.
The puppet master had not expected Gaara’s temper tantrum, for lack of any other description, to last a full five days.
He wondered how his sibling was fairing after expending so much chakra for an extended period of time.

The painted jounin decided to wait for a time before going in search of his brother.
Gaara did not like to be seen in a moment of weakness and Kankuro was sure that this was one of those moments.

“If it was anyone else I’m sure they would be dead.” He muttered to himself as he sat at the Kazkage’s desk, absently running his left index finger up and down the side of his face.

He knew that Gaara was not dead, he would have felt it if his brother had perished.
The same went for his older sibling, although he had no idea what had become of her he knew she was live somewhere.

“You better get you’re ass back here soon little brother, we need to find Temari.” He growled aloud to the empty room.

* * * * *

The storm had finally ended the desert sand once again lay in intricate waves and rolling dunes.

To the south of Suna, buried beneath thirty feet of sand, the body of the exhausted Kazkage lay in a small domed cavern.

His chakra depleted, emotionally and physically drained, he slept to regain his strength.

The Tanuki, Shukaku also slumbered, being as equally drained as his host; his last remnants of power saw to it that the shifting sands kept a supply of breathable air inside the dome, to keep the red head alive.

It would take several days before either of them recovered enough to move.

* ** * * * * *

Temari woke to find herself alone in bed, Naruto was no where to be seen.

A glance at the bedside clock which read 9:32 made her decide that he must have already headed to work.
Although how he found the energy to do so after last night was beyond her.

Taking a deep breath the Sand kunoichi admitted that she still felt drained after the late night events and decided to stay in bed as long as she could.

She knew that she still had a lot of things to think about and decide on because of yesterdays’ decision. But even though she was sure it was the right one and what she wanted, it was still intimidating and she honestly had no idea where to start.

Her mind drifted instead back to Naruto and the story he had told.

‘How could anyone treat him like that?’ She wondered again.

The wind user was rather disappointed that the woman named Jewel, whom she had never laid eyes on was no longer among the living.
Not for Naruto’s sake, as far as Temari was concerned he could do WAY better, but she would dearly love to rip the woman’s throat out for what she had done.

‘Poor Naruto, he would be such an amazing father, and to loose his son like that. Not knowing what really happened to him.’ Another sigh escaped her. ‘Well that’s it; I’m definitely not going to retract my request for him to be my little ones’ Godfather. I just hope he accepts.’

Nodding to herself she had to wonder why she had never noticed how her blonde savior always seemed to put everyone else before himself.
Not that that was necessarily a bad thing; but it seemed to her after last nights revelations that he did it a little too much and it was time to change that.

A soft smile touched her lips; yes she would be glad to help him out. It was the least she could do after everything he had done for her.

‘Besides, it will help keep me from going stir crazy from all the stuff I have to decide on and plan out. Sometimes focusing on someone else’s problems helped lessen the worry of your own,’ she decided.

Now the hard part was going to be figuring out HOW to go about doing this; she had never really been that good at helping people with their problems, unless of course the problem was something she could kill.

A movement by the bedroom door had her head snapping up to see what it was.
Temari’s mouth dropped open when she saw Naruto standing rather awkwardly under the door frame with what appeared to be a breakfast tray in his hands.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably as his house guest continued to stare at him while pushing herself into a sitting position.

“Sorry….I… um… thought you were still sleeping….” A slight blush crept up his neck. “I made you breakfast.” The big blond muttered.

He seemed to be looking everywhere but at her and Temari had to hide her smile when his stance reminded her of a child who had been caught doing something wrong.
A moment later she didn’t like that comparison at all, his demeanor had her wondering if this is how he had learned to act around his missing girlfriend to avoid the bitch’s temper.

So she tried to be as cheerful as possible and not think of the other woman because that would just make her mad.

“I thought you had left for work already.” She commented lightly, propping pillows up behind her.

“I kind of have some unofficial time off.” He supplied, taking a hesitant step into the room.

“You really don’t need to cook for me Naruto.” She smiled and beckoned him to come closer. “As much as I appreciate it, it isn’t necessary.”

“Yes it is.” He countered. “I um… couldn’t think of anything else I could do to apologize for last night….”

Temari’s mouth opened to tell him there was no need but was quickly cut off.

“And… to… um… thank you.” He mumbled, once again not looking directly at her.

Crawling out from under the covers Temari moved to kneel on the edge of the bed where she relieved him of the breakfast tray.
Barely sparing a glance to its contents she set it on the bed then captured both his hands with her own.

“Naruto, there is no need to thank me.” Gently squeezing his hands she waited for him to look at her before continuing.
“After everything you have done for me it’s the least I could do.”

He still seemed a little embarrassed about the whole thing so Temari decided to try to lighten the mood, she had a lot of questions that she wanted to ask but they could wait for a while.
Not used to having to put someone else at ease she had to think for a moment for a way to change the subject.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the breakfast tray he had brought in for her and it gave her the inspiration she needed.

“Have you eaten yet?” She asked.

“No.”

At his reply she smiled brightly.
“Then why don’t you bring your food in here too and we can both have breakfast in bed, since you said you don’t have to go anywhere.”

Naruto hesitated having been caught off guard by the invitation.
Temari picked up on it immediately.
“Please Naruto; I would like to talk to you for a while.”

At first she thought he would refuse, but finally he nodded his head and offered a small smile of his own. “Sure why not.”

Temari grinned. “Good! Go get your food, I’ll wait for you.”

It wasn’t long before the two of them were sitting propped up against the headboard by multiple pillows.
Naruto seemed to have an over abundance of pillows on hand, some of which he pulled out from under the bed.

When Temari commented on that fact the big shinobi just shrugged.

“I like to be comfortable.”

Temari grinned at that, she could definitely understand that sentiment.

Silence fell as the two began digging into the waffles and berries Naruto had made.
The kunoichi was about to take her first bite when a rather funny picture flashed through her mind.
She clamped a hand over her mouth in an effort to stifle the giggle that erupted.
Glancing sideways she saw her companion giving her a funny look.

“What’s so funny?” He asked, confused.

“I don’t know where it came from but I just had a flash of Gaara curled up in a mountain of pillows so that only his head was peaking out.” She giggled again.

Naruto quirked a brow at her, obviously not understanding what she was getting at.

“Gaara’s bed is as hard as a rock.” She quickly explained. “As far as I know he doesn’t even use a pillow.”

His lips twitched slightly as he too conjured up the image of the Kazkage and a mountain of fluffy pads.

“I see what you mean; it’s not exactly him is it?”

Temari grinned broadly. “Now add pink ruffles to said pillows.”

Naruto roared with laughter at the thought. Temari joined him and the two laughed until they had tears in their eyes.

Although both parties admitted it wasn’t very nice to be poking fun at the extremely serious sand user, it did lighten the mood considerably and they went back to eating feeling much more relaxed then before.

Once the food was consumed and the tray and dishes set aside the couple relaxed back into the pillows, neither one seemed to notice that Temari was still in the shorts and t-shirt she used for sleeping or that Naruto only wore sweat pants.
They were both far too comfortable in each others company for the thought to even register with either one of them.

Temari finally decided it was time for her to ask some of the questions that had been nagging at her.

“Naruto, do you mind if I ask you something about last night?”

He winced slightly at the reminder but reluctantly nodded.
“I guess not.”

“You really have never told anyone else about Jewel or your son have you?” She knew he had said as much in a round about way the night before but she wanted to be sure.

“No, I promised.” His voice was quiet, but she was glad at least that he wasn’t looking away from her like he had before.

“So you’ve been looking for them all by your self?”

He shook his head.
“Sasuke helped for a while, but then like I said Itachi showed up and by the time we were done with him there was a lot of other stuff that needed to be done so he couldn’t come with me very often.”

“And he doesn’t know?” It really surprised her that his best friend would be in the dark about something like that.

“No, All I told him and Tsunade that I wanted to know why she left so I was trying to find her.”

Temari shook her head in amazement. “And even after all this time you haven’t found any trace of them?”

Another shake of his head. “When I was still ANBU I covered most of the continent on missions, but never found a thing.”

The sorrow in his voice brought tears to her eyes.
“I’m sorry Naruto that should never happen to anyone.”

He shrugged. “That’s the life of a demon vessel. No matter what you do it’s never enough to make people stop hating you.”

Temari frowned as she wiped her eyes. “That’s just stupid; I can’t believe you still get treated like that. Like yesterday for instance, I can’t believe the Hokage or the ANBU believed that report for a moment!”

Naruto shifted slightly, stretching out on the bed. “They didn’t, it’s their job to look into any allegations, no matter who they are directed at.”

Temari snorted. “I don’t believe that, you were an ANBU yourself for crying out loud! The guy who wrote that stupid report I can see, but the captain? You must have worked with him at one point, how could he think that of you?” She demanded, too agitated to relax as Naruto was.

“I did work with him, he’s a good man.” He commented.
Temari gave him a skeptical look so he continued. “I would have done the same thing in his place.”

“You would?”

“Ya, consider the track record of Konoha for a second. We have had a number of elite shinobi go rouge and it’s come back to haunt us. Orochimaru, Kabito, Itachi and even Sasuke for a time. As a commander of the ANBU it would be stupid to purposefully over look a report and risk it coming back to bite you in the but.” He paused giving her a half smile. “Especially if it concerns someone like me.”

Temari shook her head as she finally lay back against the pillows again.
“I don’t know how you can be so easy on them, I also don’t understand how there could still be people who hate you. You have never been bloodthirsty like Gaara and yet both Suna and Konoha have accepted him willingly since he’s changed, even if you still have to watch out for his temper; if they can do that for him then why not for you?”

Naruto sighed heavily. “Unlike Kyuubi, Shukaku never attacked and killed almost half a village not to mention a most beloved leader.”

“But still….”

He interrupted her protest. “No buts, sometimes people have a hard time letting go of their hate and fear, this is one of those times, it’s the way things are. And just because most of Konoha still hates me doesn’t mean I’m going to return the favor.”

“I wasn’t suggesting that you do.” She intoned quietly. “I just don’t think it’s fair.”

Naruto snorted. “Life’s not fair, that’s how it is.”

Temari slid down so that she was laying on her right side and propped her head up on her hand. “How do you manage to stay so upbeat all the time?”

Naruto took a few minutes to answer, but then decided that as long as he was being honest he might as well stick with it.
“I’m a good actor, everyone expects me to be all smiles and goofing off, Konoha’s number one hyperactive ninja, so that’s what I do…….. It’s exhausting.” He admitted closing his eyes.

“So why do it?” Temari inquired.

She was really curious, as she was starting to think that her life, as crazy as it had suddenly gotten was nothing compared to what he had to deal with his whole life.

“It’s what I’ve always done.” He finally responded. “If I changed now it would freak people out and I just got the counsel to get over the incident with Sound about a year ago. I don’t need them in an uproar again.”

Temari shook her head. “Man have I missed a lot of gossip, I should have come to visit more often.”

Naruto cracked open one eye to look at her. “That’s not a very good reason to visit; besides gossip isn’t all that reliable anyway.”

“I beg to differ I run a lot departments in Suna and let me tell you, there are times that I know stuff before even Gaara does. The word of mouth chain in unbelievable sometimes.”

“HN.” Was his only reply as his eye slid closed again.

Temari regarded his silently for a while. “Are you feeling better?”

“Better then what?” Blue eyes opened to glance at her curiously.

“Better then last night, yesterday Hinata told me that talking about stuff helped. I didn’t believe her at first but by the time we were done I did feel better.”

Naruto folded his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling for a while as he thought about her question.
He was surprised to find that he did in fact feel better, lighter, he had so much stuff bottled up inside that it was nice to let some of it out.

“I guess I do feel better.” He finally admitted aloud. “Even if I did break a promise.”

Temari rolled her eyes she wasn’t going to say what she thought of the stupid promise that he had for some reason kept for so many years.

“So what about you?” He suddenly asked changing the subject.

“What about me?” She inquired, unsure what he was referring too.

“How did you go from totally freaking out the other night to deciding to keep your baby?”

Temari blushed slightly at the reminder. “I can’t believe I went off the deep end like that.” She mumbled, rather embarrassed over the whole display.

“I can, it amazes me that you’ve been taking this whole thing as well as you have.”

Temari shrugged at that. “Well I was told at a young age that this could happen to me one day. I guess that might be why I’ve dealt with it differently then others would. When you go through most of your life just waiting for something horrible to happen and trying to prevent it, when it finally does your kind of like ‘well now that that’s over’ and just get on with it.”

Naruto gave her a strange look. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Temari cocked her head thoughtfully. “Your right, it doesn’t does it? I really can’t explain it, my emotions and reactions have been all mixed up since you found me. I don’t really know what’s going on with me.”

“So you might change your mind.” Naruto stated quietly.

It was her turn to give him a look. “About what?”

“Having an abortion.”

Temari almost snapped at him before she realized that after what he had been through it was logical for him to think that way.

“I won’t change my mind about that.” She assured him gently. “I really want this baby, I’ve always wanted kids and I guess I realized that this was finally my chance for that.”

The stunned look on Naruto’s face made her smile. “And I have you and Hinata to thank for helping me decide.”

“What did I do?” He asked after a lengthy silence.

“You made sure I stopped and actually thought everything through at a time when I was a little freaked out.” She explained.

“You make it sound so easy.” He muttered his eyes once again glued to the ceiling.

“Oh it wasn’t easy at all, yesterday morning I was totally depressed, then Hinata came over and at first she pissed me off with all of her questions. But she forced me to look at all my options and made me promise not to keep the little one just because it was a duty; she said a child deserves a home full of love and acceptance, not duty and resentment. And she’s right.”

“Hinata usually is.” Naruto muttered still staring at the ceiling. “So she knows the truth then does she?”

“Yes.”

He glanced sideways at her. “You still haven’t said why you came to this decision.” He commented.

Temari sighed as she pulled a pillow down to lay her head on.
“It wasn’t easy, I felt like I was going in circles. I must have gone over my conversations with you and Hinata at least a hundred times. Every time I thought about terminating the pregnancy or even giving the baby up once it was born I got this heavy lump in my gut and I felt sick over it.”

“Really?” Naruto rolled onto his side so that they were now laying facing each other.

Temari smiled slightly. “MMhmmm, but I was worried about keeping it too, so many things ran through my head. ‘What if I ended up hating the baby and blaming it for what happened to me?’ the list seemed endless. ‘What would people think if they found out? And so on.”
Her smile turned peaceful and content then.
“But then I remembered what you said about it being innocent and not having anything to do with what happened, and I realized that you were right and that I would have no problem loving something that is a part of me.”

She shrugged then. “Besides I’ve always know that if I was going to have children it would be alone, no man could put up with me AND my two brothers.”

Naruto could only stare at her in wonder, as she spoke she suddenly had this softness about her, like she had found an inner peace that helped her over look how she had been treated.

“You’re an amazing woman Temari.” He told her.

She smiled again and reached over to take one of his hands in hers.
“I couldn’t have done it without you Naruto, thank you.”

The sunny blonde shinobi tried to return her smile, he really did but all he could think of was how much he wished that Jewel could have been more like her.

Temari saw the dark cloud that covered his features and she was pretty sure she knew what he was thinking about.

“I’m sorry Naruto.” She whispered softly entwining her fingers with his.

Jolted out of his musings he gave her a confused look.
“For what?”

“Because of all this stuff I keep reminding you of painful memories, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not our fault; I’m the one who kept refusing to deal with how I felt even though Kyuubi kept nagging me about it. I should have known that the day would come when everything exploded.” He sighed heavily then. “I hate it when the furball is right.” He muttered more to himself then to her.

But the kunoichi heard him none the less and it brought another question to mind.
“What you told those women the other day, about sealing away Kyuubi. Is it true?”

“Ya it is.”

“But I thought you had merged like Gaara and his demon.”

“We did, a long time a go but after all the shit that happened with Jewel as well as a few other things, we started arguing all the time and I finally got mad and refused to talk to him ever again. That was probably about five years ago now.” He sighed heavily before continuing. “Then out of the blue he started yakking at me again and I finally couldn’t handle it any more so I sealed him.”

Temari frowned. “How is it possible to seal something that you’ve merged with?” She asked in confusion.

Naruto opened his mouth to answer then closed it again with a frown to match hers.

“I never really thought about that before, I just did. I can’t fell or hear him at all, even though some of his power must still be with me because I still heal faster the normal people do.”

After thinking that over for a few minuets she accepted his rather vague answer, there were just some things that even as ninja they couldn’t explain.

“Why are you so mad at him anyway?” Temari asked next.

Naruto had to think about that for a few minutes as well before replying.
“A bunch of it was what happened with Jewel I guess, to tell you the truth I’m not really sure anymore.” He admitted rather sheepishly.

“Then why hold a grudge for so long?” She prodded.

“I can’t answer that.” He admitted after a moment. “Maybe I’m mad at myself and keep aiming it at him, or maybe it’s just easier to be angry with someone who’s around rather then someone who’s not. I just don’t know any more.”

Temari decided to leave it at that and changed the subject.

* * * *

Kyuubi was very pleased with the conversation he was listening in on.
He lay stretched out on his belly, chin resting on crossed paws with his nine tails spread out around him.

He had always liked this female, and for more then the power he sensed in her.
She struck him as being an intelligent and highly adaptive creature; and he always enjoyed being proven right.

But what he was happiest about was how quickly his host had confided in her. The fox could feel the tension started to ease out of the young man’s body as the two spoke.

“Definitely mate material.” The kitsune remarked to himself.

The demon knew that the bonds that had formed around the two without their knowledge were already beginning to tighten; it wouldn’t belong before they were forever bound together.
Both of them assuring the other that their secrets would be kept by the other only confirmed that fact for him.

As the two of them fell asleep facing each other, hands still joined the fox smiled and closed his eyes as well, despite the new barrier between them he was not immune to the emotional rollercoaster his vessel had been on for the last thirty-six hours.
It had been exhausting.

* * * * *

The couple woke up again just after two o’clock that afternoon.
Naruto decided that he had better head to the office to catch up on the paper work he had abandoned the day before so that he wouldn’t have to work on the weekend.

After taking turns in the shower the two of them headed for Ichiraku’s for something to eat.
Neither of them wanted to cook again and Temari wanted to get out of the house and stretch her legs.

Naruto was ravenous despite the large breakfast he had made, he had barely eaten the day before and his body was sorely in need of energy.
He put away half a dozen bowls of miso before deciding it was enough to hold him until super.
Temari made it half way through a second bowl of veggie ramen so he ended up finishing it for her as well.

The two had enjoyed a comfortable silence throughout their meal, neither one noticed the relief on the owners face when it became evident that Naruto had his usual appetite back.

Temari did her best not to laugh when the sunny haired blonde went to pay for their meal and ended up in an argument with the owner who insisted that it was on the house.

“Naruto turning down free ramen, did hell freeze over without someone telling me?” A deep voice drawled from behind them.

Temari turned to see Naruto’s former sensei Hatake Kakashi standing casually with his hands stuffed into his pockets just inside the ramen stand, beside him stood a black haired man with a scar across his nose.
The Sand jounin was sure she knew him but couldn’t think of his name.

Said man had a worried frown of his face as he watched her companion haggle over the price of their lunch.

Kakashi however addressed Temari. “Sabaku no Temari, I had heard you were in town, it is good to see you again.” He smiled gently at the blonde woman who nodded in greeting.

“You as well Kakashi-san it has been a while.” She agreed.

Meanwhile Naruto had finally settled on paying for half the bill after repeatedly assuring the stands owner that nothing had been wrong with the food he had abandoned the previous day.

Upon turning around he realized that he and Temari were no longer alone.

“Iruka, Kakashi good to see you.” A slight frown crossed his face as he stepped up to the silver haired jounin.

“How is your arm?” He asked quietly.

“Good as new!” Kakashi assured him. “Tsunade fixed me right up, nothing to worry about.”

“I’m really sorry about that.” Naruto mumbled.

As Temari listened to the conversation she wondered why the copy-nin had addressed the Hokage so informally, but since no one else seemed to notice she didn’t comment.

“Don’t sweat it.” Kakashi made a waving motion with one hand. “But you are out of a sparing partner for a while.” He informed the blonde with a smirk evident beneath his mask. “Strict orders from my medic.”

Iruka just shook his head when Naruto demanded to know why he couldn’t spar if he was supposedly ‘good as new.’
The chunin teacher turned his attention to the Sand kunoichi.

“I don’t believe we have been formally introduced Temari-san, I’m Umino Iruka.”

Temari returned his bow with a nod.
“No I don’t think we have, but I have heard much about you Umino-san. It is good to meet you.”

Iruka smiled and Temari was surprised to find that she didn’t feel threatened by him in the least. She filed that information away for later consideration.

“So Naruto tells me that you have been staying with him,” Iruka commented. “I hope he has been a good host.”

The original defensiveness she felt at the beginning of his words was quickly relieved when she saw the genuine concern on his face.

“He has been great.” She assured the chunin. It was then that she recalled that she had heard that Iruka was like a father to her blonde savior and she could see for herself that he cared a great deal about the young man.
“In fact his cooking is good enough to tempt me to stay for a while.” She half joked.

Iruka grinned at that. “Well I’m glad to hear that, I never thought he would get the hang of it when he was younger.”

Temari grinned as well, that comment didn’t surprise her in the slightest.
The two then turned their attention back to the arguing pair next to them, not that they could be said to be actually arguing since Naruto was the only one saying anything, although it was at a volume that made up for the silver haired man’s near silence.

“What do you mean Kiba’s in the hospital? I barely touched him!”

“A concussion is nothing to sniff at.” Kakashi replied in a bland voice. “Lee, Sasuke and Neji will be equally unable to train with you.”

Naruto visibly paled and took a step away from his former sensei.
Temari wondered what the two were talking about; their whole conversation had her baffled when Iruka stepped in between them to mediate.
“Kakashi quit messing with him.” He ordered before turning to Naruto.
“He means for a couple of days, Sasuke and Neji area accompanying Lee on his first assignment since the baby was born. Their not expected back for a few days.”

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief before glaring at Kakashi.
“You can be such an ass sometimes.”

The copy-nin just grinned. “That’s what Iruka tells me.”

Temari meanwhile made a mental note to ask for an explanation for the entire conversation later on as the teacher then offered to join Naruto at the training grounds as a sparing partner.

“Really?!” Naruto’s eyes lit up. “Man it’s been forever, that would be great!”

“My only stipulation is that it be after nine.” Iruka informed him. “It’s the first Saturday since the academy let out and I intend to sleep in.”

Naruto laughed and agreed before moving back to Temari’s side where he unconsciously wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Well I better get to work, I’ll walk you home Temari.”

The Sand kunoichi gave a slightly dramatic sigh as she turned in his embrace so that she could drape her right arm over his shoulder from behind him while remaining pressed against his side.

“Like I said earlier Naruto, I’m perfectly capable of walking on my own.”

Naruto frowned “But….”

“I’ll be fine.” She assured him, placing a finger on his lips to silence his protest. “You said you’re self that you probably have a mountain of paperwork waiting for you.”

He rolled his eyes at the reminder.
“Ya I guess.” He agreed reluctantly.

And yet neither one moved from where they stood, completely oblivious to the fact that they were wrapped in each others arms and had a very curious audience watching every move they made.

After a few moments Naruto reluctantly loosened his hold on Temari and shifted away from her slightly.

“If you need anything.”

“I’ll be fine.” She assured him again as she brushed some imaginary lint from his shoulder before withdrawing her touch as well.

“I’ll try not to be late.” He promised her, taking a half step back. “But if I am…..”

Again he was silenced with a touch to his lips. “I will be waiting.” She assured his quietly.

She somehow sensed that he needed to be reassured even after their morning talk, or perhaps because of it.

A soft smile curved his lips. “I’ll see you soon then.”

She shook her head at him. “You say that but your still here.” She teased giving him a playful push.

“I’m going, I’m going.” But instead of moving away he captured her hands and stepped foreword where he dropped a quick peck on her forehead.

“Take it easy.”

“I will.” She promised him.

With that he released her, turned on his heel and headed out of the ramen stand.
“See ya Iruka, Kakashi!” He called as he jogged off, completely missing the two older men’s slack jawed stares.

Temari also missed the looks following her host as she politely bid the two Leaf shinobi a good day before heading towards Naruto’s apartment.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Iruka asked once he found his tongue.

Kakashi folded his arms ad nodded. “Yup, for once Tsunade was right.”

They stood silently for a few moments until suddenly Iruka threw a fist into the air. “YES!”

Causing Kakashi to jump at the sudden and very unusual gesture.

“What was that for?” He asked, not sure if he really wanted to hear the answer.

“This means that Naruto might actually be considering settling down!” The scar faced teacher explained with a grin on his face big enough to rival Guy’s.

Kakashi groaned and covered his eye with one hand.
“Don’t tell me, let me guess.” He muttered in despair. “You’re already seeing grandkids running around aren’t you?”

He peeked through split fingers to see Iruka practically bouncing with glee.

“You’re as bad as Tsunade.” The copy-nin muttered as he once again stuffed his hands in his pockets and stepped out onto the street with Iruka following close behind.

“You realize that ‘I hate kids’ act of yours doesn’t fool anyone.” The teacher informed him as they walked side by side.

“Oh really?”

“Really, I mean come on, the day Sasuke’s oldest boy was born you threw one of the biggest parties Konoha has ever seen.”

The silver haired man barely batted an eye.
“That was only because he was the first of my students to have children. Now I know better after meeting the rest of his little monsters.”

Iruka gave him a raised eyebrow look that said ‘I know you better then that.’

He kept it up until Kakashi added defensively. “It was also the beginning of the Uchiha clan being rebuilt; it was a good excuse for a bash.”

Iruka just shook his head. “Man, I would pay money to see how you would act with kids of your own.”

“Not in this life time!” Kakashi snapped, earning a startled look from his companion. “The Hokage and the counsel couldn’t order me to reproduce.” He added darkly.

“You? Mister ‘I will do my duty at any cost’?” Iruka teased, trying to lighten that suddenly heavy mood of his silver haired companion.

Kakashi sopped suddenly and turned to glare down at the shorter chunin.

“I would slit my own throat first!” He growled.

Then in a puff of smoke he was gone, leaving a very puzzled teacher behind.

“Now that sentiment you are going to have to explain to me scarecrow.” He muttered as he continued down the street alone.

* * * * * * *

Tsunade was in a foul mood, not only had Naruto NOT shown up for work that morning, something he had never failed to do. Despite what she had told him the day before she still expected him to be there.

But she had yet to find the time to send someone after him to drag him to his desk, of course she admitted, somewhat reluctantly and only to herself that if he was in the same sort of mood that he was in the previous day then she really didn’t want him around any way.

But then first thing in the morning it was brought to her attention that the messenger she had sent to Sand five days before had still not returned and she had to consider the possibility that something had happened to the young man.

So after rewriting the letter to Gaara she summoned a second messenger, but this time gave him an ANBU escort of three.

That order was surprisingly what had started the day off on the wrong foot.
Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji easily accepted the mission but the third member of the team threw a royal fit which had everyone present shocked.

Rock Lee just wasn’t the type to refuse an assignment, but the Tai-jutsu specialist did, and loudly when he was told that after seeing to the messengers safely they were to scout the area to see if there was any sign of the newly resurrected Akatsuki and to find out what had become of the first messenger.

“I can’t do that!” The green clad shinobi protested loudly. “That could take a week or more; I can’t leave Sakura alone with a new baby for that long!”

Everyone present rolled their eyes at that.

“Lee,” Tsunade slowly got to her feet, bracing her hands on her desk. “Your daughter is almost six weeks old, Sakura had a fairly easy pregnancy and delivery, she is perfectly capable of handling things by herself and she has plenty of willing people to help if she needs it.”

“But she is so delicate, what if the strain is too much for her? She needs me!” The young man protested again.

Sasuke had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing, even if Sakura had allowed her husband to treat her like a porcelain doll through out her pregnancy he knew that his former teammate was far from delicate.
He was surprised actually that the pink haired medic hadn’t beaten Lee to within an inch of his life for the amount of hovering he was doing.

A glance at Neji told him that the Hyuga was thinking something along the same lines if his lips twitching were any indication.

Meanwhile Lee stubbornly continued to refuse to leave until Tsunade compromised by telling him that the partly could split at the Sand border at which point he could continue to escort the runner to the Sand village ant then back to Konoha.
It would be at most a four day trip if all went well, while Neji and Sasuke went on reconnaissance without him.

The compromise came when he set his jaw stubbornly yet again and the Godame informed him that he could either leave for four days or be locked in the brig for two weeks.
At which point the Uchiha clapped a hand over his mouth while he and the Hyuga agreed for him and drug him out of the Hokage’s office before she could make good on her threat.

The two didn’t have to be geniuses to realize that Tsunade was in a very bad mood and neither one wanted to see what would happen if Lee pushed the issue.

Once the four men were off, the blonde Hokage went back to what she had been doing since the day before, pretend to work while she planned out what she was going to do to a certain silver haired man if he showed his masked face before she got over her fury at him for his behavior the previous day.

His insubordination had reached new levels and combined with what she perceived as blatant flirtation was getting on her nerves.
Not that she minded flirting, quite the opposite in fact, but as far as she knew the man was taken and she ha no intention of allowing it to continue.
She was not one to knowingly cause problems in a relationship; even if he was the most beautiful male she had ever had the privilege of seeing half naked.

Tsunade sighed heavily, why she wondered did all the best looking men have to be gay?

She didn’t get a chance to continue that train of thought however because just then her office door opened and in walked Naruto.

“Hi Tsunade, sorry I’m late.” He called cheerfully as he headed for his desk.
The Hokage blinked in surprise at his seemingly happy demeanor.
Glancing at the clock on the wall she realized with a start that it was nearly four o’clock in the afternoon, she hadn’t realized it was so late.

She was about to ask the young man how he was feeling when Shizune entered with a stack of papers to be signed.
The two women were half way through the task when they were distracted by the sound of whistling, they both looked across the room to see Naruto whizzing through the giant pile of files on his desk, a cheerful tune on his lips.

Tsunade was still not in the best of moods. “What the hells up with you now?” She barked startling both Naruto and Shizune with her abrupt tone. “Yesterday you were trying to pound people into walls. What happened, you get laid or something?”

Shizune gasped at her blunt question while Naruto threw back his head and roared with laughter, which had Tsunade raising a brow at him.
Shizune shook her head at both of them but didn’t leave the room, she was curious to see what Naruto said once he calmed down enough to breath let alone talk.

“I swear Baba-chan you are sometimes worse then Jiraiya.” He finally chuckled. “And no I didn’t, I simply had a good nights sleep.” He wasn’t about to tell her that he had rested so well because he had been wrapped in Temari’s arms.

The Hokage’s eyes narrowed. “I’m serious boy, what happened?”

Naruto just shook his head at her. “I’m serious as well; I had a good nights rest and a big breakfast. Now if you don’t mind I have to get this paperwork done, I have better things to do this weekend then come into the office.” With that he picked up a file swiveled his chair so that his back was facing her.

Tsunade would have pursued the issue except that Shizune gave her a warning look and shook her head.

“Just be glad he’s back to normal.” The younger woman whispered while she put another document needing a signature in front of the Hokage.

The blonde woman decided then that her protégé did have a point about having better things to do for the weekend. So she chose to wait until the end of the day to question him again.

* * *

Temari was half way back to the apartment when she realized that she really didn’t feel like sitting around just then, it was a lovely sunny day and being indoors didn’t appeal to her so she decided to go for a longer stroll.

She had a lot to think about, especially considering everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
Heading in the general direction of the training grounds she had to admit to herself that she was probably still a little shell shocked over everything that had occurred.
Like she had said to Naruto earlier that morning, she still wasn’t completely sure why she had decided against terminating the pregnancy.

It just felt right; she couldn’t explain it, even to herself. The fact that she wanted a child of her own, she supposed was probably the biggest factor.
The last couple years her biological clock had been driving her crazy, although she had managed to hide it well, burying herself in her work, waiting she had told herself for the man that wasn’t intimidated by her and wouldn’t wet himself at the first death threat Gaara or Kankuro threw at him.

The blonde woman shook her head; she was a twenty-eight year old virgin for crying out loud! And in the ninja world that was practically unheard of. Of course technically she was no longer a virgin after what she had been through, but still in the area that mattered she was.

She gave a disgusted snort. Hell, she had never even received a decent kiss.
The few pecks she had bestowed on Nara Shikamaru as a teenager didn’t count as far as she was concerned, they had been definitely one sided as she had later discovered that his heart belonged to another.
So had ended her first crush.

Pausing in her journey she realized that it had been quite some time since she had thought about the lazy shinobi. After a quick glance around Temari changed her direction of travel, it didn’t take her long to get to her destination, a quiet grove of ancient cedar trees.
In this corner of Konoha it was beautiful and peaceful. A giant iron gate loomed ahead of her signaling her arrival to her destination as she walked along the ten foot hedge that served as a fence.

Temari had not yet stepped through the entrance when she heard a voice break the stillness, a woman’s voice.

“Well I made it back in one piece. It was hard as hell, for a while I wasn’t sure I could do it.”

Temari had a feeling that she knew who the voice belonged too.
Stepping through the gate she made her way across the well trimmed glass and past the ornate headstones.
This was the Konohagakure cemetery and Temari marveled at the difference between it and the one in Suna, it was a far more restive place and didn’t give her the creeps at all.

Her comparisons were cut short when she rounded a mausoleum and spotted the owner of the voice she had heard only moments before.

Standing in amongst the various memorials stood Yamanaka Ino.
She made a captivating sight, as if she had been painted into the landscape.
Her long blonde ponytail being the only thing that broke the illusion as it swayed gently with the light wind.
She was dressed in the skin tight black outfit of the ANBU, with weapons pouches strapped to both legs. Two katanas were strapped to her back; both hilts had purple ribbons braided into the grips and their tails hung as streamers from the ends.

“Sabaku no Temari.” The black clad figure spoke without even turning her head.

“Yamanaka Ino, hello.”

The other blond didn’t bother to reply so Temari moved to join her, the two women had an interesting relationship that had barely changed since the days when the two had competed for the affection of one Nara Shikamaru.

They basically ignored each others presence.

“Hello Shika, it has been a long time.” Temari spoke quietly to the marble head stone that she now stood before.

The plaque mounted in the center gleamed like polished glass proclaiming his name along with the dates of birth and death, along the top arch of the marble was carved intricate designs of cloud formations, something Temari remembered hearing that Ino had insisted upon.

As the Sand kunoichi silently paid her respects she belatedly realized that the date of death on the stone also signified the last time she had been to Konoha.
Five, nearly six years, she shook her head silently, how could time go by so quickly without her even noticing?

Ino turned her head slightly, giving Temari a questioning look.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost six years.” The Suna jounin explained.

Ino nodded sadly in agreement.
“It feels like yesterday.”

Temari took a moment to really study her companion.
Ino wore more makeup then she remembered her light blue eyes were heavily outlined with mascara and liner. Despite the dirt and smidges indicating that she had had a rough mission.
But it was the soul wracking grief that lingered in her eyes that really caught the wind summoner’s attention. There was no longer the hint of mischief in her demeanor.

Temari’s gaze fell back to the memorial as she wondered what it would be like to love someone so much that when they died a part of you died along with them.
She knew that her affection for the lazy Shikamaru had been shallow at best, for she had felt very little when he had informed her that he didn’t have any interest in her.

“How long have you been in Konoha?” Ino suddenly asked breaking the silence.

“Five days.” Temari replied after a moments thought.

Without another word Ino turned to leave.
Bowing quickly in respect the Sand-nin followed suit.
Neither of the women spoke again until they had exited the gate.

“Are you planning on being here for a while?” Ino asked politely.

Temari shrugged. “Not really sure, it depends on when my brothers come to pick me up.”

“So you’re here on vacation then?” Ino inquired as she glanced pointedly at her companions back which was devoid of the giant fan that usually rode there.

Temari suddenly felt self-conscious about her casual dress and obvious lack of her usual gear. When she had dressed in her slightly large pants and black t-shirt and light jacket to go to lunch with Naruto she hadn’t even thought of her lack of usual attire.
Not that she would feel comfortable wearing the revealing outfit with fishnet that she usually wore at this point in time.
But she did miss her weapons and Hitai-ate.

Ino clearing her throat made her realize that she had neglected to answer the other blonde’s question.

“Not by choice, I ran into some trouble on my last outing and lost all my gear when I was taken prisoner. Luckily Naruto found me after I had been left for dead.”

Ino turned shocked blue eyes to the Sand kunoichi, to her Temari was one of the last people she would have ever seen getting captured in a fight.
The wind summoning woman was just too damn good at what she did.
And then there was her psycho siblings, yes as far as the mind user was concerned Kankuro was just as bad a Gaara.
He gave her the creeps with his face paint and chakra strings, not to mention his abnormally green eyes. She found his puppets more appealing then Kankuro himself.

“Who were you up against?” She asked rather then dwelling on the Sand kunoichi’s younger brothers.

“They appeared to be the new generation of Akatsuki, or at least a group very similar.” Came the reply.

Ino frowned. “Scratched out symbols but grey cloaks with silver and green birds instead of black with flames?”

Temari gaped at her, nearly tripping over her own feet.
“Yes, how did you know?”

That was NOT what Ino wanted to hear.
“FUCK! I knew I should have pulled back and stayed after them longer!” She growled mostly to herself.

Then to a puzzled Temari.
“I was on the trail of a group dressed like that, but I wasn’t able to get close enough to find out who they were. Then they found out I was around and tried to ambush me.”

A smirk suddenly replaced the scowl on her full lips. “But I knew they were coming so I was able to take out all six of them, I tried to keep one alive for questioning but he did some kind of weird jutsu and literally blew himself up, Hence my appearance.” She finished with a rueful gesture at her soiled uniform.

Temari tamped down on the strange surge of emotion she suddenly felt.
“You said there were six?”

‘That’s two more then had me.’ She wondered wildly if it could be possibly be the same men, only with a couple extras.

Ino nodded.

“Can you describe them to me? Were any of them missing an ear?”

Ino barely had to think over her reply. “No, not that I saw, of course mister ‘I’ll blow myself up and splatter my remains all over the country side’ had a hood on so I couldn’t tell you about him.”
Temari felt herself slump slightly, maybe it was too much to hope for that the men who had violated her were already dead, even if a part of her did want that honor for herself.

“When did all this happen?”

“This morning, just before dawn, the bastards really knew how to ruin someone’s day. There was a while when I wasn’t sure that I would get out of there in one piece, they were really good.”

‘This morning, that’s almost…. Two weeks since Naruto found me, it is possible that they could have split up before or after joining other teams.’ She realized.

“Could you describe them to me? They might be some of the same ones that I ran into.”

Ino nodded as she thoughtfully twirled her long bangs around her left index finger.

“Sure, who do you want first, the men of the women?”

“Women? There were women?”

“Damn straight, there were four of the bitches, the guys had nothing on those chicks, they were beyond vicious.”

“There were only men in the group I encountered.” Temari murmured quietly, the disappointment clear in her voice.

“Well the only guy I got a good look at was big, built like a bull and had black hair that was starting to grey with a weird little attempt at a goatee to match.” Ino supplied lightly.

“Not one of them.” Temari informed her.

The black clad blonde didn’t have to be a mind reader to know that this conversation was more important to her counter part then she was letting on.
“Tell you what, if you give me a description of them I’ll keep an eye out when I go back out tomorrow after this groups trail.” She offered with a grin.

“That would definitely be a big help.” Temari thanked her, returning the other blondes smile with one of her own. “As soon as I’m back on my feet I would definitely like to return their…. Hospitality.”

Ino chuckled when she saw the rather wicked gleam that entered her companions silver eyes. The mind user decided then that she would truly love to see the vengeance promised in the Sand kunoichi’s gaze when she found her captors.

“Care to join me at the tea house for a snack?” Ino suddenly asked out of the blue.

Temari shot her a questioning look.

“I always stop for something sweet after I get home, if your interest I wouldn’t mind the company.” Ino supplied.

The wind user hesitated slightly; the two of them had never really spent any time together outside of a group gathering in fact she was pretty sure they had just had their longest civil conversation to date.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude, I’m sure there is someone closer to you that you would like to spend time with.”

Ino chuckled. “Not really, Sakura joins me sometimes, but I’m not really in the mood to be ooing and aahing over her new baby. I just want to relax.”

“New baby?” Again something Temari was unaware of and didn’t recall Hinata mentioning.

“You betcha, a little girl, cute as a button but I’m not in the mood for cute right now.” Ino replied.

Temari whistled. “Wow, so Sakura finally gave in and married Lee did she?”

Ino laughed as well. “Well it definitely wasn’t that simple, but ya that was the end result. Personally I think if she had been with anyone else he would have given up on her years ago.”

Temari chuckled again. “I do recall Sakura putting Lee through the wringer on more then one occasion, but he has been in love with her for as long as I’ve known him.”

Ino nodded. “He’s loyal as hell,” A grin split her lips. “You should have seen the fuss he was putting up at the Hokage tower today when I got in.”

Temari wiggled her eyes in anticipation. “Oh? Please do tell.” She loved gossip.

“Well it seems he was sent on his first mission since the baby was born and he was less then willing to go.”

“Lee unwilling to go on a mission?” Temari stared at Ino in disbelief.

The pony tailed blonde nodded vigorously. “You should have seen it! Neji and Sasuke had to literally drag him out of the Hokage’s office.”

“No!” Temari exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Ino giggled. “Yes, he was blustering about how delicate his little Sakura was and how she needed him by her side at every moment.”

“What do you think of that claim?” Temari asked as she tried not to burst into laughter. Since she didn’t know the details of the pink haired medic’s pregnancy, but she didn’t strike her as the clinging type.

“I think that at the moment Sakura is probably doing cartwheels and enjoying her breathing room.”

Both women chuckled at the picture Ino’s comment conjured up.

“So what do you say to some tea and sweets?” Ino asked again. “My treat.”

Temari nodded. “Sure, I would love to hear more of what’s been going on in Konoha lately. Naruto isn’t the best person for gossip.”

Ino arched a brow. “Naruto?”

“Ya, I’ve been bunking with him since I got here.” The Sand kunoichi felt her cheeks heat slightly as her companions finally shaped brows practically disappeared into her hair.

“I was pretty messed up when he found me….” She struggled to explain, for some reason she didn’t want to use the excuse they had been using to date, not with Ino. “I…he… I feel safe around him.” She finished with a sheepish shrug.

Ino nodded her understanding but remained silent on the subject.
She suspected that there was more to the story but decided against asking any direct questions.

The two women lapsed into silence for a few minutes, until they reached the outskirts of the village.

“So what do you want to know?” Ino finally asked.

Temari shrugged. “Everything, I talked to Hinata a bit the other day but we didn’t have that much time to cover everything, she never mentioned Sakura and Lee’s baby. What’s her name by the way?”

“Ayame, Lucky for her she took after her mother in looks, except her hair is darker.”

And so the two blonde’s continued to trade gossip for several hours over tea and a large assortment of pastry.

* * * * * * *

It was later then Naruto planned when he finally abandoned his desk and headed home.
Thankfully he wasn’t sidetracked by anyone on his way.

He was trying to keep himself from running.
Although logically he knew that Temari would be in his apartment when he got there, a part of him, the part that was still recovering from the events of the last few days was terrified that she would be gone by the time he got home.

In the end he managed to keep himself to a very fast walk.
After what seemed like the longest walk home of his life he arrived at his building, taking the steps three at a time he was quickly at his door.
He forced himself to pause and take a deep slow breath as he reminded himself that it was almost ten o’clock and that his guest might very well be asleep already.

As soon as the door opened it was very evident that that was not the case, every light in the house was on, and although he didn’t immediately spot Temari he could hear cupboard doors opening and closing in the kitchen.

Shrugging out of his jacket and kicking off his footwear he went to investigate.
The golden haired kunoichi was busy rummaging through his floor to ceiling pantry cupboards when he entered the kitchen area.

He was too happy to see her to really care that his kitchen now looked like a war zone.
The counter tops were laden with pots, bowls and various vegetables.
Since she didn’t seem to notice his presence he moved to lean against the open pantry door.

“What’cha doing?” He asked.

Temari gave a startled shriek and spun to face him.

“Whoa, sorry Temari I didn’t mean to scare you.” He quickly assured her, even as he took a step back to give her some space.

As soon as Temari realized who he was she slumped back against the shelves behind her, her hand pressed over her pounding heart as she tried to take a deep breath to calm her nerves.
She gave Naruto a wobbly smile as she did so.

“Gee Temari, I’m really sorry.” The blonde shinobi felt really terrible, the last thing she needed right now was to be scared out of her wits by someone she trusted.

“That’s okay, I should have been paying attention, I guess my training is already going down hill.” She joked, trying to wipe the guilty look off of Naruto’s face.

Finally satisfied that her heart rate was back to normal she straightened and absently brushed the non existent wrinkles from her navy colored kimono.

“Well now we know that my heart works fine.”

Naruto did relax a little then, if she could joke about it then he figured that she must be alright. He was about to ask her what she had been looking for but the words were cut off when the Sand kunoichi suddenly moved closer and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Welcome home.” She murmured softly as she hugged him close for a moment.

The stunned fox vessel automatically returned her embrace.

“So how was the office today?” Temari asked moving back just enough that she could look him in the eye, as Naruto’s arms blocked her from going any further.

She didn’t mind thought, after everything that had happened in the last twelve hours she found that she liked being in his arms and didn’t stop to analyze why.

Naruto shrugged lightly. “Tsunade was in a bit of a bad mood at first but it wasn’t too bad.”

He wasn’t really interested in talking about his day. He had never once been welcomed home to his apartment in the manner that Temari just had, and he was enjoying the feel of her against him.

His hands cupped the small of her back while hers had moved to rest on his arms.
Her long golden hair hung down her back in thick waves having been tied back into a low ponytail. The silky strands caressed the backs on his hands while her scent told him that she must have just showered.

“So I got all of the important paperwork done.” He informed her, trying to think of any conversation they could have that would keep her in his arms a little longer, it just felt right having her there.
“So I don’t need to go back until Monday, providing no emergencies pop up.” He continued quietly, unaware that his voice was almost a whisper.

“So you have the weekend free then?” She asked just as softly.

“Mmmm hmmm, oh except for babysitting tomorrow night.”

Temari smiled.
“And sparing with Umino Iruka in the morning.” She reminded him.

Naruto frowned slightly.
“You’re right, and here I thought I would just be able to lay around and do nothing.”

Temari chuckled at that.
“I can’t imagine you laying around doing nothing for more then an hour, you would get bored.”

He chuckled at that she knew him too well or at least his reputation.
He caught himself before he blurted out ‘Not if you’re with me.’
Deciding that that would be a little to forward of him; even if they were currently standing in each others arms.

“So what did you do today?” He asked trying to change the subject and focus on something else.

“I went for a walk and actually ran into Yamanaka Ino, we ended up going for tea and talking for most of the afternoon.”

Naruto’s eyes widened.
“Ino? As in hair in a pony tail, take over your mind Ino? I thought you two hated each other.”

She smiled at his description.
“Barely tolerated would be more accurate, but we have both grown up a bit and I think we now actually share some common ground.”

“Huh, go figure.” Naruto chuckled. “So what were you looking for here?” He inquired with a nod towards the open pantry.

Temari blushed slightly.
“Oh, I was trying to find something to make for dinner.” She informed him finally stepping out of his arms so that she could continue her interrupted search.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize it was so late, I was planning to have food ready for when you got here.” She apologized.

“You mean you haven’t eaten yet?” Naruto asked as he tried not to focus on the feeling of loss when she left their embrace.

“No I haven’t, but then I had a ridiculous amount of sweets when I was out with Ino, so I didn’t start to feel hungry until recently.”

Naruto nodded his understanding.
Before he could suggest a simple sandwich or Ramen Temari pulled out a tall clear container.

“By the way, what is this?” She asked holding it up for his inspection.

Naruto grinned upon seeing the long multi colored noodles.
“That’s called spaghetti.” He informed her.

Temari gave the jar a thoughtful look.
“Spaghetti huh? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Then that’s what we’re having.” Naruto announced taking the container and heading for the fridge.

“But what exactly is it? And why is it different colors?” The Sand kunoichi asked curiously while she watched him rummage through his freezer before pulling out a large paper wrapped package.

“It’s a kind of pasta, I found it when I was in Earth country for a mission years ago. It’s usually just the plain light color because it’s made with sifted flour. But I also like the other three flavors that I found.”

As he talked he set his load onto the counter and bent down to retrieve a large cast iron frying pan from under his stove.
“The green is spinach, the red is tomato and the brown is whole wheat, I always just mix them up.”

Temari trailed after him, intrigued.
“So you fry it?” She asked skeptically.

The shinobi chuckled.
“No, the noodles are boiled; the pan is to make the sauce to go over top of it.”

With a few quick rips he had opened the frozen package and dumped the contents into the frying pan as he set it on the burner and turned on the element.

“What kind of sauce?” She inquired eyeing what looked like a lump of meat.

“Well there are all sorts of ones you can make but tonight I’ll do the simple one. Ground beef in tomato sauce with veggies thrown in.”

Temari had to admit that it sounded interesting.

“What happened to me making dinner?” She joked. “You made breakfast this morning, and I’m starting to feel like a slave driver here.”

“Well you are my guest.” Naruto replied as he bustled around the kitchen. “And this doesn’t really count since you don’t know how to prepare it.”

“Well at least let me help then.”

Naruto grinned at her words before suddenly snaking his arm around her waist and half carrying her over to the counter where he seemed to magically produce a large knife.
“Want too chop veggies?” He asked impishly.

Temari shook her head at him even as she accepted the blade.
“You’re a goofball Naruto.” She informed him.

“Sticks and stones.” He teased back.

For the next half hour Naruto showed her how to make the sauce from scratch.
She had to admit to being a little unsure of the outcome, especially when he started adding spices seemingly at random.
But in the end after handing her a plate loaded with noodles and sauce topped with something he called parmesan cheese, she found that it was very tasty.
And by the end of the meal she had decided that she had a new favorite food.

The pair worked together to wash dishes and clean up the kitchen while Naruto told her about the old shop keeper he had finally been able to convince to bring the ingredients in all the way from Earth country for him.

By the time they were finished it was nearly midnight and they were both ready for bed.
There was a bit of an awkward moment when Naruto announced that it was time to hit the sack.

Temari found herself almost wanting to ask if he would be sleeping with her again.
But before she could find the words Naruto kissed her gently on the cheek before whispering a ‘good night’ and disappearing out the balcony door.

With a sigh the kunoichi turned in as well. But before crawling into bed she opened the bedroom door.

Just in case.

* * * * * * * * *

There you be, fluffy enough for ya?