When logic fails ...

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Temari closed the door behind her. Her heart was still pounding wildly from the brief exchange with Shikamaru, and his words were spinning incessantly in her mind. For a moment, she wondered if her answer had been a mistake; however, the rustling of a chip bag from the living room reminded her that Tenten was already waiting for her.

When she entered the living room, Tenten was sitting cross-legged on the sofa. A wide grin was on her lips, and she followed Temari's every move with unconcealed curiosity. Temari felt the heat rise up her neck, as well as the watchful eyes that scrutinized her attentively. Still, she wasn't ready to talk about anything. She turned away, collected a few mugs from the coffee table, and placed them in the kitchen, even though she knew Tenten wouldn't be distracted by that. At least it bought her a few minutes to let the events sink in.

Her fingers clutched the countertop. He had actually asked her out, and she had refused, even though it was all she had wanted for weeks. The situation seemed absurd to her, but the more she listened to herself, the clearer she felt how much she regretted her decision.

"Do you need help in the kitchen?" Tenten's voice suddenly reached her, interrupting the circling of her thoughts. "No, I'll be right there. I just wanted to quickly load the dishwasher," she called back, taking a deep breath. Postponing it wouldn't help anymore, and Temari could only hope that Tenten wasn't in an interrogative mood and had already chosen a movie.

When Temari re-entered the living room, however, Tenten's eyes were fixed on her expectantly. Her hope was finally gone. There was silence for a moment until Tenten quietly snorted and tilted her head. "Do you maybe want to tell me something?" she asked immediately, and the curiosity in her voice was unmistakable. Temari pressed her lips together. "No," she mumbled curtly, trying to avoid Tenten's piercing gaze. The attempt failed miserably, though, because Tenten had no intention of letting up. "Then at least explain to me what that was just now at the door." Tenten crossed her arms, the grin still firmly on her lips. "You were completely spaced out."

Temari shrugged and did her best to appear relaxed, though it was clearly difficult for her. "That was just my neighbor." "Aha... a neighbor then." Tenten raised her eyebrows. "You're awfully testy for that. Besides, I bet it wasn't just any neighbor, but the neighbor I've heard quite a bit about. Or am I wrong?" Every word she spoke skillfully hit its target like an arrow. Temari gave her a warning glare, but Tenten just laughed conspiratorially. "I know you better than anyone else. So tell me why you're acting like a virginal teenager."

Temari snorted in disbelief and sank onto the chair opposite. She took a deep breath as if to start an answer, but the words got stuck somewhere between her chest and throat. After another breath, she wearily rubbed her forehead, ending at the bridge of her nose. It was visibly hard for her to find the right words. "I..." she began, but immediately fell silent again.

Tenten raised an eyebrow and waited patiently to see if she would continue on her own. The look the two friends exchanged said more than any word. Temari finally let out a frustrated huff because she knew Tenten wanted to hear it anyway. "I don't know either. It's just complicated with him..."

Tenten suddenly sat up straighter; she seemed much more interested, pulled a sofa cushion toward her, and hugged it. "Then just vent right now. What exactly is so complicated? Have you found out who this ominous friend is supposed to be yet?" Temari annoyedly rolled her eyes as the memory struck her. At least that misunderstanding had already been cleared up. "Kankuro," she muttered resentfully.

For a moment, there was absolute silence before Tenten burst into ringing laughter. She laughed so hard she almost fell off the sofa. "Your... your brother? How did he come up with that?" "Hmm... no idea..." Temari grumbled back. She certainly understood why Tenten had to laugh. Still, she herself felt anything but like laughing because she knew he had distanced himself from her since the night of the party. And then there was still the matter with this Ino.