Heyaz!

This story is finally complete!

As you all know, I'm planning to write a sequel. Ok, I still have about 15 works to carry on and complete, but be confident. Sooner or later I'll start it, too.

Ok, some news:

44 reviews, which means the average of 11 reviews per chapter.

Almost 1300 hits.

THANKS A LOT!

Dedicated: to all of you! I love you all and, please, check my other works.

Yumi-chan

Epilogue: Back to the Camp.

Tenten's eyes widened in shock and she stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth gasping for air as the last ricochets of that husky laughter still reverberated in the cold air.

The forest was silent, except for the melancholy, nightly birds chirping their sad melodies. A wintry, harsh breeze stroked Tenten's sweaty skin, slightly messing her perfect hairdo.

No thoughts or feelings passed through her void mind, apart from the vague sensation of being part of a twisted dream.

'Let's rephrase, Tenten: of HIS twisted dream.'

Her breath was still fatigued and harsh, her limbs sustaining her body but still a bit shaky. She looked again at her surroundings.

How many minutes had passed since she first arrived there? How many hours?

The sun had now completely set and pale, silver stars dominated the black, cloud-patched sky.

Tenten tentatively moved a bit forwards, rotten leaves resounding under her unconfident steps.

'Come on, Tenten! Don't be such a baby over this…Whatever it could have been, it's all over, now…'

Yes, sure, but …

…what the hell had that been?

Truth to be told, it was quite difficult for an experienced kunoichi to rationally describe an event lingering between a dream and a sensorial illusion.

She had never been cut off for irrational, out-of-the-world situations.

Never.

Asking Tenten to leave her soothing rationality behind for a moment was like asking a star to shine in the middle of a lake.

It would have probably smoothed her flame and reduced all of her being to a handful of ashes and smoke.

The kunoichi sighed, not finding any proper mental category to bury that…"fact" in.

She bent down on her knees, absentmindedly grabbing her ANBU mask. The object was wet and dirty. Small pieces of rotten leaves and mud tainting that white pureness.

'Thanks God, I didn't end up like this… I mean, he could have…' she thought as she dried her mask against her ANBU uniform. 'He could have nothing Tenten. Please, you're a woman, regain your composure!'

She put on her disguise, slightly shivering as the coldness of the woody object came in touch with her flushed and heated skin.

Shivering.

Small, little tremors running down her spine.

It was the same way she felt when…

'Oh gosh, Tenten, please! You can't be affected like this!'

"You can't be affected like this…"

Easy to say, impossible to do.

Not when all your certainties had been crushed and melted as an icy statue in summer.

And not when your body had totally disconnected from your mind showing you feelings you weren't aware to feel – or at least, you forgot you were able to.

So, on a second, more careful analysis of the entire matter the point was: why did she not manage to at least react to all the things he did and said?

Tenten sighed, her warm breath crushing into a little, white cloud into the nightly air. Then, with a high jump on a nearby branch she started heading back to their camp.

'They must be worried...' she sighed again 'And I must make up a good excuse for my long absence…'

But finding a good pretext to hide her involuntary… "private contacts"? – yeah, that was the most appropriate definition – with Uchiha Itachi wasn't her major concern, since lots of different thoughts and emotions had now begun to flow again through her confused mind.

Why did things turn out like that?

That was a good question.

Surely, she couldn't blame all on the fact it had actually been Uchiha Itachi to pin her against a tree and…

A fierce blush tinted Tenten's cheeks as small fragments of emotions and feelings slowly intoxicated her being, forcing her to stop and try to breathe properly.

How many….years had passed since she last felt that way?

How many missions, sensations, pieces of life had she experienced?

Was she still so… stupid? Frail? A woman?

Had all her efforts to build up a solid and stolid character been vain?

It was curious how a matter of a few hours could manage to destroy all the beliefs of a lifetime.

Maybe she had been too strict to herself in the past, or maybe she was too young to understand that, in the end, you always have to face your feelings – no matter how rational and straight you intend to be. But still, the fact she had surrendered like that, blazed like liquid fire in her soul.

She frowned under her mask, bushes and trees passing by her sides in a confused mess of colours and sounds.

And, probably, the fact that was hurting her the most, was that, even for a few, insignificant seconds, she felt…good?

Well, in that confused knot of feelings, fears and sensations that experience had shot through her veins, was rather difficult to distinguish and isolate a single emotion, but, even in that sensorial mess, she could swear it had been…pleasure?

'No way, Tenten, no way! You're…hallucinating!'

But she would never admit that to herself.

Not even if the word "pleasure" would have appeared written on her skin.

A stranger made her feel like that. A complete stranger achieved what not even Hyuuga Neji managed to do, back then.

'Tenten, that's craziness! Compl-'

"Heya, Tenten! You're here at least!"

But her mind was suddenly brought to reality by a chirping, acute voice. She looked around, noticing she had finally reached the clearing where they had set their camp.

The girl raised a brow under her mask, sighing.

"Yo, Ino. Yeah, I'm back."

Another voice came from behind her.

"And why did it take you so long to complete a simple checking of the area?"

Tenten turned around, bowing in front of her Captain. Then, she paused for a moment, cautiously pondering her words.

'Because I've been almost raped by Uchiha Itachi'

No, she surely couldn't tell them that.

"Ehmmm…" she started "Nara-taichou, I …"

"At least let her sit, Shikamaru!" Ino whacked him on the head, gaining another of his usual "Women, so troublesome".

"She is right, Taichou!" Kiba's voice joined the little discussion, followed by a couple of barks "Even Akamaru thinks she looks tired!"

Tenten silently thanked her mates for giving her some seconds more to think about the whole matter. She sat down in front of a tree, her palms slowly – nervously? – massaging her knees.

"So" the Captain went on "Did you spot him?"

She gulped, squeezing her eyes for a second "No, I didn't. We should be safe tonight"

"Very good!" irrupted the dogs-master.

Shikamaru sighed "And so? Why are you so late?"

"Because…" she started again, absentmindedly drawing back. But, as soon as her back touched the trunk, a fast series of flashbacks and emotions shot through her bring, labouring her breath.

'C'mon, Tenten! Make up something!'

"Because?" Ino asked, sitting next to her.

"Because I…" Tenten close her eyes, then sighed, tilting her head backwards. "Because I met some kids. They were trying to start a fire and spend the night in the forest, but I convinced them to go home…"

"Good job, then…geez, was it so troublesome to tell us right on the spot?"

But, as she opened her eyes again, a dreadful view made her blood freeze in her veins.

Half-hidden among the foliage, two red, bloody irises were staring at her.

-o-O-o- OWARI -o-O-o-