By the time Ino dragged her aching legs back to the tent, the eastern horizon had begun to pale with the first light of dawn.
Her legs trembled beneath her, and walking felt like stepping on cotton. Every stride left her weak and sore.
Even the hand she used to lift the tent flap was shaking.
Not from the cold, but from exhaustion.
That bastard had the stamina of a tireless bull.
She felt as though her entire body might fall apart, yet he had still seemed reluctant to stop.
Ino rubbed her aching waist, but the corners of her lips curved upward despite herself.
They had even managed to break the tree.
Branches and leaves had scattered everywhere.
Her face had gone white with fright, but Teizawa had merely burst out laughing and told her not to worry. If the tree fell, they still had the ground. If the ground collapsed, they still had the sky.
Ino had blushed and silently cursed him.
Even now, however, she could not stop herself from remembering those embarrassing moments.
The tent was dark.
The moonlight had already given way to the gray haze of dawn. A sliver of light squeezed through the gap in the flap, casting a blurred shadow across the floor.
Ino felt her way toward her bed.
Just as she was about to lie down, she heard a faint sound.
It was not breathing or snoring.
It was crying.
The sound was restrained and broken, like sobs being forced through a throat held tightly shut.
Ino paused and listened carefully.
It was coming from beneath Tenten's blanket.
The blanket was wrapped tightly around her, leaving only the top of her black hair exposed. Her shoulders trembled with every suppressed sob, making her look like a wounded animal.
"Tenten?"
Ino walked over and crouched beside her bed. She gently patted the raised bundle beneath the blanket.
"What's wrong?"
The crying abruptly stopped.
Tenten revealed half of her face from beneath the covers.
Her eyes were swollen and red, her nose had turned pink, and undried tears still clung to her cheeks.
"N-Nothing..."
Her voice sounded as rough as though it were filled with sand.
She forced herself to smile, but the expression looked more painful than crying.
"I just... had a nightmare..."
Ino studied her strained expression, puzzled.
A nightmare?
What sort of nightmare could make someone cry like this?
She opened her mouth to ask another question, but Tenten had already buried her face beneath the blanket again.
"Ino... Go to sleep. It'll be morning soon..."
Ino hesitated, but ultimately did not press her.
She was far too exhausted. Her entire body felt ready to fall apart, and her thoughts had turned into a muddled mess.
She simply did not have the energy to investigate Tenten's strange behavior.
Rising to her feet, Ino returned to her own bed and lay down. She pulled the blanket to her chin and stared at the roof of the tent.
They really had broken that tree.
Her face flushed again.
Ino buried herself in her pillow, her heart pounding like a drum.
Teizawa was still so infatuated with her.
Just as he had been when they first met.
Just as he had been in Konoha.
It was as though they had never been apart.
As those thoughts drifted through her mind, a sweet smile appeared on her lips. Her heart felt as though it had been filled with honey.
Tenten remained curled beneath her blanket.
She listened as Ino's breathing gradually became slow and steady, and her own sobbing finally faded.
Her eyes remained open, staring at the tent's roof in the darkness.
The same memories replayed endlessly in her mind.
That dark-gold figure lifting the tent flap.
Those arms wrapping around her waist.
That voice whispering beside her ear, asking whether she had missed him.
Then the words, "I'll take responsibility."
The Kazekage would take responsibility for her.
Tenten did not dare entertain such foolish hopes.
She was merely an ordinary genin from Konoha.
She had no prestigious family background, no astonishing talent, and no exceptional beauty.
Why would he ever choose her?
How could he possibly take responsibility for her?
Tenten closed her eyes, and her eyelashes began trembling again.
She could not say anything.
She could never tell anyone.
She would bury what had happened deep within her heart, carry the secret to her grave, and never allow another soul to learn the truth.
Outside, the sky gradually brightened.
Morning light slipped through the gap in the tent flap and fell across two young faces.
One girl slept soundly with a smile on her lips.
The other tossed and turned, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes.
No one knew what had happened that night.
No one knew what secrets the two girls carried in their hearts.
...
Meanwhile, Teizawa froze the moment he lifted the flap of his own tent.
Someone was lying beneath his blanket.
A woman.
A woman who had no business being there.
Mei lay on her side atop his field bed.
Her reddish-brown hair spilled across the pillow like unfurled silk.
She was still wearing her signature blue dress. The hem had ridden up along her thighs, revealing her long, pale legs.
Her sleeping posture could hardly be described as elegant.
One leg rested on top of the blanket, while one arm dangled over the edge of the bed. Her lips were slightly parted, and she was snoring softly.
Teizawa stared at her, speechless.
When had this woman crawled into his bed?
He remembered assigning Sunagakure Anbu to guard the entrance to his tent. Ordinary people were not permitted to enter.
Of course, Mei was hardly an ordinary person.
The Anbu had probably found it difficult to stop a candidate for Mizukage.
Teizawa closed his eyes.
He was simply too tired.
First there had been Kurenai, then Tenten. Afterward, he had spent most of the night with Ino in the woods.
Even a body forged from iron could not withstand that much exhaustion.
His waist ached, his legs felt weak, and his eyelids were as heavy as lead.
He did not wake Mei. He did not have the strength to do so even if he had wanted to.
Teizawa quietly approached the bed and carefully moved the leg resting on top of the blanket.
Then he slipped beneath the covers and wrapped an arm around her waist from behind.
Her waist was slender enough to fit easily within his grasp.
Even through the thin fabric of her dress, he could feel the warmth of her body.
Teizawa closed his eyes.
Within moments, he had fallen deeply asleep.
Mei shifted slightly in the darkness, her eyelashes trembling.
She had actually been awake for some time.
She had awakened the moment Teizawa lifted the tent flap.
She had only pretended to remain asleep because she wanted to see what he would do.
Would he wake her?
Would he throw her out?
Or would he take advantage of the fading night to do something else?
The thought had left her both expectant and nervous.
In the end, he did none of those things.
He merely climbed into bed and wrapped an arm around her waist.
Mei gently placed her hand over his.
His fingers were long and slender, with clearly defined knuckles.
The warmth of his hand seeped through her skin, making her chest tighten.
She did not push him away.
She did not speak.
She simply allowed him to hold her.
Outside the tent, the night wind died down.
Even the insects stopped chirping.
The moon emerged from behind the clouds, spilling pale light across the ruins and the tent sheltering the two of them.
Their breathing gradually fell into the same slow, steady rhythm.
It was like two streams flowing into the same river until no one could tell where one ended and the other began.
Teizawa slept soundly that night.
There were no dreams and no restless tossing.
He slept straight through until morning.
Mei also slept deeply, a faint smile lingering on her lips.
No one knew what pleasant dream she was having.
(End of Chapter)
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