Three

Pretend -TenTen / Soft And Feminine - Iruka

"Are you okay?"

"Yes..."

He leaned against the edge, holding her in a princess carry, but after a while, she clumsily asked to be flush against him, her arms around his neck as he supported her body. She just wanted to be closer to him. She stuttered as she whispered in his ear.  He was like a drug to her.  When words wouldn't come, she slowly nibbled on his earlobe, making his breath quicken.  And he spoke words of healing to her.

"We aren't leaving until you're well..."

Those words were a balm to her heart.  This kind man wanted to make her well.  She could barely form words by now, but she tried.

"G-Good..."

He was good.  All of this was good.  He listened carefully, supporting her body with strong hands.

"Tell me what's good..."

"You..."

She giggled as he blushed.

"W-Water..."

He ducked down in the water a little more.

"You like how that water feels?"

"Yes..."

He gazed at her with kind eyes and then spoke words that were very real.

"You're the cutest girl I've ever met."

She leaned forward and kissed his nose again.

"Aw...what a cute couple!"

The women were still there. Iruka gave her a small grin, moving to turn toward them with TenTen in his arms.  She could see their faces turn to ones of slight horror when they saw how bruised and lacerated she was.  She continued to cling to him as best as she could.  He spoke for both of them.

"We're here to heal my wife. She was in a terrible situation."

He kissed her cheek gently, making her blush deeper than ever.  As she reached up with a shaky hand to caress his face, the women cooed.

"What a loving husband!"

"Oh, you'll heal in no time with that level of care!"

She smiled at them, hoping they would leave soon so she could have Iruka to herself once again.  But as he moved her weak body, one of them spotted his hurt forearm, cooing at him again.

"Oh, I'm okay.  I got that rescuing her.  It's not a big deal."

She weakly nuzzled her face into his shoulder as she caressed the back of his neck.

"Hero..."

Now he was blushing deeper than ever.  The women heard her word, tears in their eyes.

"Did you hear that?"

"She called him her hero!"

"I'm not."

But he was.  Both he and Kakashi were her heroes.  Not only were they the ones who saved her at the dock... no one had ever been as gentle with her as Iruka had been, or as comforting as Kakashi had been.

The women gushed a little more before leaving, letting TenTen have Iruka to herself again.

"Come on, let's get out of here and back to the room.  We can rest and watch some shitty tv before dinner."

***

They returned and Iruka laid her out in the futon, making sure she was warm in the cozy room. He climbed onto the futon, hovering over her, smiling.  She smiled at him shyly and beautifully. She reached up weakly, touching his face.