After the pain

Disclaimer: Ya ya ya you all know I don't own nothing. not even a curtain red head. MMMMMMMMMMMM Gaara yummy :)

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Chapter seven

Temari braided her long platinum hair as she stepped out of the bathroom and into the small hotel room Naruto had found for her.
She felt much better after showering and washing her hair.

A bath had been planned but after having dinner with Naruto and some of his friends, who had spotted them at the restaurant and invited themselves to join in the meal.
She was afraid she would have fallen asleep.

Stifling a yawn she finished her hair and stepped into a clean pair of boxers and another t-shirt she had borrowed from Naruto.
Dinner had gone longer then planned but Temari didn't mind, she wasn't sure when she had ever laughed as hard as she had that night.
Naruto and the three young men who had joined them had started exchanging stories, most of them sounding too outrageous to be true.

To make up for having to put off shopping for another day Naruto had stopped by his apartment and gotten her something clean to sleep in.

Sighing the sand nin flopped back on the bed and wondered how she was ever going to pay him back for everything he had done for her.

Feeling safe and content she decided to close her eyes for a moment.

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Several hours later Temari jerked awake, something had disturbed her but her groggy mind wasn't sure what it was.

The lights in her room were still on but she noticed it was now dark outside.
Scanning the room she tried to figure out what had disturbed her sleep.

A dull thud sounded through the wall from the adjoining room causing her to jump.

'It's just someone in the next room.' She berated herself. 'Nothing to worry about.'
Even so, she pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest.

A loud crash followed by an angry male voice cursing on the other side of the barrier caused her body to start quivering.

Sliding her right hand under the pillow for her kunai knives her fingers found nothing but fabric, that's when she remembered that she had given the weapons back to Naruto.

Unconsciously Temari started rocking back and forth as she felt the walls of the room start to close in on her.

"I'm fine, nothings wrong, every thing’s all right." She whispered to her self over and over. Hoping to convince her self .

The sound of glass shattering was the last straw.

Bolting off the bed the kunoichi didn't even pause long enough to slip into her sandals as she flung open the door.
Desperate to escape the confines of her room she fled into the night.

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Naruto sighed as he folded his arms behind his head and gazed up at the stars over head. He had been having trouble sleeping it was too hot in his bed so he had moved out to the hammock that was strung up on his small balcony.

During the summer months he often slept out side, enjoying the cool night breeze.
And it looked to be that time of year again.

'And your sleeping out here has nothing to do with the fact that your bed feels empty with just you in it.' A voice taunted.

'Can it Kyubi.' The blonde growled.

He wasn't sure why the kitsune suddenly seemed to feel the urge to try talking to him again after so many years of silence between them.

The demon didn't speak again but his comment had struck a cord inside the young man.

He had to admit, spending the last couple nights with Temari tucked against him had brought to light how lonely his life was.
And how good it felt to have a woman in his arms.

But that didn't matter, he reminded himself, he was destined to be alone.
Having the nine-tailed fox sealed inside of him had also sealed his fate.

No one would share they're lives with someone considered to be the monster himself.
Why was it that most of the villagers seemed unable to tell the difference between the demon and the vessel?

Silently shaking his head at himself Naruto forced his mind to another topic, there was no point in going over it all again, it was a waste of time and effort.

Closing his eyes the blonde focused on the soft night sounds of Konoha.
As always he found them soothing and he was soon completely relaxed and on the verge of sleep.

A soft breeze ruffled his golden hair and on it's back it carried the sickeningly sweet scent of fear.

Naruto was fully alert in a moment.
Rolling smoothly from the hammock he came to his feet and moved to the railing to survey the area.

The fact that he was clad only in his boxers didn't matter to the jonin.
If there was trouble, he was ready for it.

The breeze shifted, making it difficult for him to pinpoint the source of the smell.

A moment later it didn't matter as he spotted a lone figure stumbling down the dark empty street below.

He recognized the silhouette immediately, Temari.

Without hesitation he swung over the balcony rail and landed in a soundless crouch on the ground, five stories below.

The kunoichi didn't see him, as she was looking back over her shoulder.
As Naruto straightened to his full height she gave a startled shriek as she collided with his chest.
He grabbed her arms to keep her from falling as her small body bounced off of his much larger one.


Temari immediately started to struggle against his hold and Naruto realized that she was too panicked to recognize him.

"Tema..ugh." Her name ended with a grunt when her elbow nailed him in the gut as she got herself turned around in his hold and tried to get away from him.

Slightly winded he managed to jerk her back against his chest and wrap his arms around her, pinning her arms to her sides.

She screamed and started to kick at him.

"Temari calm down." Naruto growled as he gave her a slight shake.

Whether it was his voice or the movement that caused her to freeze he didn't know.
Nor did he really care.

"Temari, it's me your fine." He assured her gently, his mouth close to her ear.
Her slight form trembled in his arms.

"Nnnnaruto?" Her voice was as shaky as her body.

"Ya, it's me babe, your safe." He confirmed as he slowly released his hold on her.

His embrace had barely loosened when she turned in his arms and started to sob against his chest.

Naruto's heart contracted, she sounded so frightened and alone.
His left arm dropped to her waist while the right moved up so he could stroke her hair.

"Uzumaki-sama?"

Naruto looked up to see a masked ANBU, likely one of the night patrol standing off to his left.

"What's going on sir?" The ANBU asked.

Naruto could tell by his voice that he must be one of the new recruits.

"It looks like Temari-Chan was having a bad night. I'll handle it you may continue your patrol."

The ANBU bowed and vanished back into the shadows.
Naruto ignored him, even though he could sense that he had not gone very far.

Temari was still crying so he picked her up bridal style and gently cradled her against his chest while she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder.

Realizing that he had left his apartment without his keys, Naruto simply went straight up the wall, bouncing off of window ledges until he landed back on his balcony.

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Naruto yawned widely as he entered the Hokage tower.
He wondered absently if there was any way he could copy Tsunade and catch a nap in between files.
He was bushed.

Three hours of training with Kakashi after only a single hour of sleep was taking its toll.
And his work day was just beginning.
Maybe he should consider taking a real vacation.

"Naruto, I need to speak with you." Tsunade informed him before he was even through the door of her office.

"Good morning to you too." He muttered sarcastically as he took a seat across from her.

Tsunade had a very serious look on her face, which told him that whatever she was about to say, he probably wasn't going to like.

"I have a very interesting report from one of the night patrol, about an incident that took place last night." The Hokage informed him.

Naruto cocked his head slightly. He was pretty sure what 'incident' she was referring to, but he was curious as to what she had to say about it.

"So what's this about you chasing a woman, naked through the streets in the middle of the night?" Tsunade growled.

Naruto's jaw dropped. "WHAT!" He was on his feet and by the desk in an instant.

"Give me that report." He demanded.

Tsunade merely moved the paper out of his reach and locked eyes with him.
"There is also mention of a slight altercation with this woman."

"You mean Temari." Naruto snapped.

He saw the Hokage's eyebrows rise slightly at his tone.

But before she could say anything Naruto decided to put the record straight.
Even if all the blonde wanted to do at that moment was find a curtain patrolman and wring his neck.
And seeing as he could easily find the ANBU it wouldn't be that difficult of a task.

"First off, there was no 'naked' involved. T-shirts and boxers count as clothing." He growled.
"Temari got frightened by a drunk wreaking his room last night. She panicked and ran I was on my balcony and saw her running so I jumped down to see what was wrong."

Needing to do something with his hands other then drive a fist through the wall he placed then on the desk and leaned down to his boss' eye level.

"She was so upset that she didn't recognize me when I first grabbed a hold of her to try to calm her down." His blue eyes flashed angrily.

"That's when the ANBU showed up. I told him that I had everything under control and he could return to his duties. Then I took her to my apartment so I could find out what had happened."
Straightening he folded his arms across his chest as he finished.

"And for the record, there was no chasing involved."

Tsunade regarded him silently for a few minuets as if weighing the truth of his words.

Naruto had to fight down the feeling of resentment he felt from her even considering that the twisted report was true.
But he knew it was part of her job, each case had to be handled with an objective eye.

"The report also states that a woman crying could also be heard from your flat for some time afterward."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well duh, the girl was hysterical. It took me half the night just to get her coherent enough to tell me what happened."

Tsunade opened her mouth to speak but the young man cut her off.

"Did this so called 'Report' also happen to state that Temari was not seen leaving my building?"

The Hokage nodded with a slightly surprised look on her face.

"And I suppose there is no mention of the fact that after I calmed a very distressed woman down enough to talk that I doctored up her feet and when she refused to sleep alone, I wrapped her in a blanket and spent what was left of the night with her in the hammock on my balcony."

Tsunade shook her head.

"Well it auto," Naruto growled. "That damn ANBU was there watching the whole time."

Having said his piece Naruto flopped back onto his chair and glared at Tsunade.
His rather mutinous stance was ruined however when he yawned again.

Tsunade smiled slightly. "You look tiered Naruto-kun." She remarked gently.

"It's been a long night... scratch that, it's been a hell of a long week." He replied.
"Dealing with hysterical women is not exactly a picnic."

The older woman chuckled. "I can imagine, I'm sorry if it sounded as if I was accusing you Naruto-kun, but I had to be sure that the file was wrong before I took action."

Tamping down on his irritation of always having to deal with that kind of crap Naruto just shrugged. "It happens, as long as it doesn't become a habit."

Tsunade smiled rather wickedly. "Oh it won't." She assured him.

"So how is Temari-Chan doing this morning?"

"Hopefully still sleeping I should probably warn you that she's going to be staying with me until Gaara gets here."

Tsunade blinked several times in surprise before speaking. "In you apartment?"

A nod.

"But there is only one bedroom."

Another nod.

Eyes twinkling mischievous the Hokage leaned forward. "So, is there more to this situation then your telling me?" She asked slyly.

Naruto felt a slight blush start to creep up his neck at her suggestive tone.
"Tsunade-baba, you are a dirty old woman." He told her with a shake of his head.

"And before that twisted mind of yours gets to far out of control. No, Temari-san and I are just friends." He informed her.

"She's just afraid to be alone right now, and since its summer and I usually sleep out on the balcony, giving up my bedroom is no big deal."

The young man's voice and manner conveyed a calm that he really didn't feel.

Having another person, especially a woman in his personal space was going to take some getting used to, but as far as he was concerned. At least he got along well with Temari and she seemed to trust him.

And after what she had gone through there was no way he could bring himself to turn her down when she had begged to stay with him.

He could have sworn that he saw his superior pout for a moment, but with her it was hard to tell.

"I didn't realize she had been affected so badly.'' Tsunade commented.

Naruto shifted slightly in his seat.
"Well, I didn't go into all the details yesterday." He admitted quietly. "I didn't want to upset Temari more then necessary."

Tsunade folded her hands on the desk top in her 'no nonsense' pose.
"What exactly did you leave out?"

Naruto sighed, running his hands down his face before giving Tsunade the full list of injuries that Temari had suffered, with the exception of the more intimate damage.

A promise was a promise.

The Hokage's face became more grim with every injury listed.
"That girl is very lucky to still be alive." She commented when Naruto had finished.

"And now it looks like we may be dealing with a resurrected Akatsuki." Tsunade shook her head in sadly. "Don't people ever learn?" She mumbled more to herself then the young man distend to take her place.

"I'm going to call a meeting of the ANBU commanders this afternoon, we need to see if we can't track down these men and find out more about the new leaders of this group."
She informed him. "Will you be able to pinpoint where you found your guest on a map Naruto."

Naruto nodded. "I can, but it would be a waste of time." He informed her.

"Why is that?" Tsunade asked.

"Because all that they left behind was they're scent, there is no way any of our people will be able to find them now." He stated bluntly. "Not even Kiba would find anything."

The older woman thought it over for a moment.
"Well if we scout out the area we may get lucky and find a clue that can lead us to them."

"Don't bother."

"Naruto.."

"No! They're mine." His eyes flashed eerily as he made his declaration.

"But you said they couldn't be tracked." Tsunade protested, she was slightly off balance from the weird way Naruto was suddenly talking.

"I said our people couldn't track them, I never said I couldn't." His smirk was almost evil.

"Then you can lead the team."

"No team, once Temari is safely back home, I will deal with them." With that said he got to his feet and went about his morning duties.

Tsunade had to suppress a cold shiver that ran up her spine, she wasn't sure she had ever seem her dear boy look quite so intimidating.
But then she dismissed it, Naruto was very protective of his friends. He tended to take any wrongs done to them personally.

And if he said he would deal with the situation, he would.

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Two hours later Naruto was sent to oversee the final exams at the academy, leaving Tsunade alone to scheme.

It worried her that Temari seemed to be badly shaken by what some would see as a part of ninja life.

Tsunade however knew better then that.
Life as a kunoichi was far from easily, she herself knew how one event could shake one to the very depths of their soul.

The Hokage only hoped that the young sand nin would be strong enough to pull herself back onto her feet.
If she could, she would defiantly be the girl for Tsunade's precious Naruto.

Rubbing her hands together with glee she realized that she couldn't have planned this better her self.

Naruto and Temari would be living in the same space, hopefully for a while.
If she had anything to do with it, it would be a long while.
Close proximity brought limitless possibilities, and the very protective streak Naruto had displayed earlier, Tsunade chose to take that as a good sign.

A knock on her office door interrupted the Hokage while she was trying to come up with some way of helping her adopted son along with his love life.

"Enter." She called.

The door opened and admitted a tall silver haired Jonin.

"Kakashi! Good to see you!" Tsunade beamed at the masked man.

The scarecrows one visible eye blinked in surprise at his commander’s tone.

"My mission report Hokage-sama." He said handing her a scroll, since he couldn't think of any other way to respond to her strange greeting.

Tsunade accepted the scroll and set it to the side of her desk.

"Tell me Kakashi, what do you think of Temari-Chan?"

One silver eyebrow lifted. "Temari of the sand?"

The Hokage nodded as she tapped her painted nails on her desk.

"Temari is a very skilled ninja. Strong, brave and gutsy enough to stand up to her brothers or anyone else for that matter, why do you ask?"
Kakashi was puzzled as to what this conversation had to do with him.

"Yes yes yes, I know all that. What do you think of her as a woman?" Tsunade asked making waving motions with her right hand.

Kakashi had the very distinct feeling that he was being played into some kind of trap.

Folding his arms across his chest he answered as carefully as he could.
"Temari-san is a very beautiful young woman as I recall, it has been some time since I have seen her."

"Is that all?" Tsunade asked rather put out by the very general answer.

"Perhaps if you told me the point of these questions, I could find answers more to your liking Hokage." The Jonin commented dryly

"Do you think she would suit Naruto?"

Kakashi did his best to hide his surprise at the question.
This was definitely turning into one of the most interesting conversations he had ever had with the female Hokage. And after the one they had had earlier in the week that was saying something.

"I assume you mean how would she suit him as a wife?" He asked.

Tsunade nodded with a grin. She definitely liked the sound of that.

"They do get along well as I recall." He stated.

His visible eye suddenly widened.

"Is there a plan to strengthen the alliance with a marriage Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade cocked her head and tapped her chin with one slender finger as she contemplated his words.

"Now that's a good idea, I wonder why I didn't think of it." She grinned again, leaving Kakashi very confused.

"Begging your pardon Hokage-sama, but if marriage was not planned. May I ask why the questions?"

Tsunade smiled wider.
"During Naruto's last mission he came across an injured Temari and brought her back with him."

Kakashi nodded his understanding, even as he wondered why his former student had not mentioned this during their morning spar.

"And do to various circumstances, our little sand kunoichi is going to be living with Naruto until her brothers come for her."

'Very interesting.' Kakashi mused to himself.
"And you’re planning their wedding already?" He asked sagely.

Tsunade's smile turned into a hard look.
"Do you have a problem with that?" She snapped.

"My experiences with Naruto tell me to let the boy do things on his own, in his own time." Kakashi commented as he bowed slightly and headed for the door without waiting for a dismissal.

"In other words, stay out of the boys business Tsunade."
Kakashi was gone before Tsunade could respond.

Grinding her teeth in irritation the Hokage had to force her self to remain at her desk and not follow the silver haired man and beat him to a bloody pulp.

He seemed to be getting more and more irritating every time she saw him.

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