A/N: So, the original plan for this chapter fell through- the scene at the end wasn't as sweet as it had first appeared in my head. This, however, was what came out. I might go and write the one I originally pictured at some point and put it up- even if it's a little contradictory to how they're acting around each other right now. 

Anyways! Hope you enjoy this re-write of the chapter. The song above is what I kept listening to when planning all of this, imagine the genders reversed if you listen to all of it. The chorus is what I found rather fitting. 

Jun's plans had fallen to dust.

Once upon a time, he'd believed that once he'd reached the stage in his life where it was rather obvious his days were numbered, he'd fight it to his last breath. Now that he was faced with the matter, however, Jun found himself at a loss as to why he'd ever assumed that to be a fact. His presence in Konoha only promised pain.

After all, there was no instant cure for insanity.

Once a Kurama lost it, they were gone forever. A fact that kept circling through his mind- just like all the other useless pieces of knowledge that demanded his attention. There was no known jutsu that could cut him off from a personality that had begun to make it clear he was no longer the sole dominant figure in his own mind. It wasn't as if he could kill the kid off- hell, he couldn't touch him unless Kurai was scheming something that involved as much. There was no destroying the monster inside him.

It hurt- the knowledge- considering how long he'd fought to prove to others that something like this wasn't going to happen. What made the knowledge hit him worse than ever before, however, was the fact that Tenten's word had hit a nerve- despite his best efforts he had created someone who might care if he simply disappeared when it all became too much. At the same time, the longer he thought on it the more he realized just how dangerous of a situation it was. If he stayed like he'd always believed, then he risked hurting her. He risked the village he'd promised to protect.

Jun didn't want to consider the idea of leaving. Konoha was his home- he'd told the Goto head as much.

At the same time, it didn't seem like Jun had much say in the matter. He couldn't count on two hands how many times he'd blacked out since the events in the Moon country. Nor was he aware of what happened during those time periods- as Kurai felt no need to share. Instead, the child had taken to wearing smug smiles when questioned and simply answering with a shrug. Beyond him, there was no one for Jun to question on the matter. Obviously Kurai couldn't have done anything horrible- as no one seemed suspicious of Jun. As it was, he honestly wasn't certain whether or not the fact that Kurai hadn't done anything suspicious thus far was more troublesome than if he had.

Either way, this matter was how Jun found himself standing in the middle of the training grounds with no clear idea of how he'd gotten there. He was also uncertain of why a certain brunette was standing nearby throwing kunai at a target. It took him a full moment to focus on what she was saying, everything simply buzzing in his ears at first as it took all he had not to stumble as his consciousness suddenly flooded to the surface. Behind him, Kurai laughed.

"--so, give it a shot."

Jun slowly blinked, staring uncomprehendingly at Tenten. For a moment, he was simply caught on the details. Whatever they had been doing, it had left a bead of sweat on her forehead and her hair falling in slightly disheveled strains from her bun. Her figure was dressed in her usual gear, slowly allowing the awareness that perhaps they'd been training together to swim to the surface of his mind.

In return to his almost blank gaze, Tenten knitted her brow and leaned forward, waving her kunai in his face.

"Hello? Jun, you there?" she demanded.

He shook his head- as if to clear the remaining fuzziness- and offered Tenten one of his cheeky grins. While awkwardness still radiated from him when his thoughts shifted to their talk that night- as Jun wished nothing more than to be able to forget it had happened- he was aware that running away in this situation would seem beyond strange. Something that Kurai had probably thought of when suddenly releasing control back to him. Then again, perhaps the child had simply lost it, it wasn't as if Jun wasn't still in possession of his body the majority of the time.

As all of this crossed his mind, he skipped over the part of his thought-process that usually gave consideration to how others might react to his words. Instead, he said the first hopefully decent excuse that crossed his mind. He'd flicked through the possible attitudes to wear in this situation and settled on the one that seemed potentially the most successful.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, I'm here. I got distracted by your face for a moment there."

Tenten blinked a few times, simply staring at him at first. His grin left little question as to what the comment meant and as soon as that sunk in her face slowly flushed a deep shade of red. He laughed in response- which of course intensified the blush. Within seconds of that, however, her expression shifted to exasperation. With her free hand settling on her hip as an added gesture of her annoyance, Tenten suddenly shifted her kunai so that it was millimeters from his nose.

"Focus," she instructed. "You aren't getting out of this so easily!"

He snickered once more, unable to help himself as he gestured vaguely in the air with one hand.

"I wasn't trying to," he answered flippantly. "I was just telling the truth."

Tenten opened her mouth as if she might retort, then shut it and just snatched his hand from the air. As heat spread across Jun's skin from her touch she simply turned his hand palm up and shoved her kunai into his grip. Tenten then- pointedly- folded his fingers over the cool metal and shoved his hand back towards his chest. Within seconds of that she'd released his hand and stepped around Jun to grab his shoulders and point him towards the target.

Even as this all went on, the heat in her cheeks never died. As Jun mystified over the strange feeling her touch left echoing on his skin, Tenten drew even with him once more. Within seconds she'd finished replacing one of her hands on her hip as she pointed at the target with her other.

"Live up to your words, Jun," Tenten ordered. "Beat that."

He blinked, but didn't retort with another cheeky remark. A fact which was driven by two reasons. One- that strange feeling that had spread from the touch of her fingers to his continued to linger, despite the seconds that continued to tick by. Two- he had the distinct feeling that the strangeness would only persist if he pushed the buttons he usually enjoyed- as there was suddenly a certain clarity to the air. Something that told him that another move might cross some unseen line in the sand, a line that he shouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.

Instead, he chose to comply to her order. Jun focused on the target, his lips drawing into a thoughtful line. A kunai- presumably Tenten's- was buried in the of the bullseye. How he was supposed to top the perfect throw- Jun wasn't certain. He also realized that moment that Kurai had probably given the game some sort of stake- stakes of which Jun was completely unaware. Her kunai seemingly burning in his hand- as he was acutely aware it wasn't his- he simply knitted his brow together intently as he drew back his hand in preparation of throwing it.

All the while, he was oblivious to the suddenly mischievous edge to Tenten's expression. Two could play at the flippant attitude he'd been displaying, after all. With only the slightest bit of hesitation, she suddenly brushed his arm with hers just as he was about to throw the kunai. The sudden unexpected touch sent the kunai flying off course as the almost affectionate gesture sent a flood of red to his cheeks.

Tenten burst out laughing.

"Looks like I win," she declared. "That settles it- you have to train here, with me, for the rest of the month between missions."

Startled out of his embarrassment, Jun simply stared at her in wonder.

"We're... what?"

She cocked her head in response.

"The bet?" she questioned. "You know, the whole 'it's not safe for you to train with me' arguement?"

Jun almost shot Kurai a dirty look over Tenten's shoulder.

"Right... best two out of three?" he suggested.

She shook her head, pointing one finger in his face.

"Nope, you lose! Get used to it, Jun, you're not getting rid of me!"

He could barely focus on the buzz of words that followed her words. Kurai would have known that Jun couldn't beat Tenten when it came to kunai throwing. Kurai also knew his reasons for why he wouldn't want to practice with Tenten- there was too high of a chance of hurting her.

So, the question was, why Kurai want to? What benefit came out of forcing him into this situation?

Jun had the distinct feeling that the answer wasn't one he would like. Along with that feeling came a certain, unsettling awareness.

He might not like the answer to his question- but it was an answer that he was going to receive either way.

_____________________________________

Kurai's scheme caused more than one wrinkle in Jun's usual routine when he wasn't on a mission.

Usually, he would hide-out at his favorite training grounds when it wasn't occupied. At this current time, however, he couldn't exactly go there- that would chance running into Tenten. As strange as it felt not to see her when he usually enjoyed teasing her and getting the two of them into messes- he didn't mind missing out on that if it meant he had a chance of avoiding whatever Kurai was planning. The want to avoid training with her was only increased with the added knowledge that he wasn't certain how unstable his hold on his bloodline limit had become following the events in the Moon country.

The other option he usually took when the training grounds weren't available was out of question as well. Typically, he would go bother Noriaki. There was, of course, a small wrinkle in that matter.

The instant they'd returned to the village Jun had received the news of Kazue's return. A good teammate- perhaps even an almost friend- would have seeked her out instantly to check on her. Once upon a time, Jun would have done just that. At the moment, however, he couldn't. The idea of facing Kazue- facing the knowledge he was well aware that she most likely now held- was even more unsettling than the idea of training with Tenten. He knew he would have to face her at some point- he had simply decided that he would put that point off for as long as possible. Most likely, if Kazue was anything like he remembered, she'd write him off as being his "typical," selfish and lazy self- or whatever reasoning she'd used when he used to ditch training with the two Asari's.

In response to these two problems, Jun had taken up to simply hiding out in his house. After all, the last place others would expect to find the Kurama was in the one place that he never was- home. At the same time, his opinions on the place hadn't shifted. Despite spending more time in his house, he was as anti-social towards the others living there as ever. Which meant- much to his aunt's concern- he'd taken up the habit of relaxing on the roof outside of his bedroom window.

That was how when Tenten suddenly showed up outside of the gated yard- Jun spotted her instantly. His attention caught, Jun studied her, his hands braced against the rough tiles beneath him. He didn't say a word- simply watched as she gave up trying to figure out the gate and swiftly boosted herself over the entrance with one chakra enforced hand. Jun couldn't help the way his lips twisted up slightly at the sight- he never bothered doing any different than she had just done. It happened to be a habit of his.

Jun almost called out to her then- a cheeky comment flashing through his mind- but it failed to fall from his lips. Instead, he stayed silent, suddenly caught up in the matter of not knowing how to face her. What "him" was he supposed to wear? The casual him? The him when he was a jerk to get people to leave him alone? The him that flirted even if he actually had no clue how to respond if someone took him up on the comments? What "Jun" was appropriate in this situation? He couldn't imagine being a jerk to her- something about that rubbed him wrong. He doubted that she'd take him acting in his casual, oblivious to his problems manner, well. He also wasn't that sure about trying the flirting comments again- as he had a feeling Tenten had picked up on the fact that while he was good at dishing it out, he didn't take it very well.

Not for the first time- Jun was at a lost when it came to Tenten.

"Yukari-san," Tenten greeted, startling Jun to attention. His eyes focused in on the ground before he realized that Tenten was now too close to the door for him to see. "Is Jun home?"

"He's upstairs, no doubt on the roof again," his aunt replied. "... you're here to see him?"

Jun couldn't help but roll his eyes by the rather pleased sound of his aunt's voice. Even if they resisted commenting on his behavior- their attempt at keeping him from rebelling against them more than he did- he was well aware that they didn't approve of his lack of real friends. After all, his guardians weren't that quiet when they thought he was asleep. Neither of them thought it was "normal" for a child to have never asked to go to spend the night at another house, or at least to hang out with them. Then again, he'd never asked their permission to do anything after he'd hit a certain age, so there was that.

"Yeah, he asked me to work on something for him..."

He stiffened, attention completely caught. There was only one thing he'd asked of her recently- something there wasn't a chance of him forgetting that he'd left in her care. At that same moment, Kurai peered over the edge of the roof, obviously not fond of the subject at hand.

"Doesn't matter if she did fix them," Kurai announced sourly. "I've got too good of a hold on you, now. You put those on and I'll break them for good this time."

He simply pursed his lips in response, the excitement that had flared at the idea of the bracelets cooling just as quickly as it had appeared. He was all too aware of how much power Kurai had gained over the two days since they returned. It was the main reason that despite hearing of Kazue's return he'd been doing his best to avoid going and checking on her. The side of him that wanted to check on her lost out to the side of him that was practical- the side that knew she had to know about him now. She'd left with Jin, Jin had been further gone than he'd ever been.

"Well, go on up then. Oh, wait, have you eaten yet?" Yukari questioned.

Jun stiffened as Tenten answered with only a second of hesitation.

"No, I was planning on going and grabbing something after I d--"

"Nonsense. You'll stay for dinner. I'll set another place. Your parents won't mind, will they?"

"Well... no..."

"Great. Head on up, then, I'll send someone up to get you when things are ready..."

The voices continued, but the door fell shut and muffled the rest of the conversation. Jun simply frowned in the direction, his mood far from pleasent at the idea of trying to figure out how to act around Tenten for more than ten minutes. His thoughts on the matter were interrupted as the sound of his bedroom door being opened drifted from the window only a few feet away.

"Jun?"

"Check out on the roof, dear. Like I said earlier, he's no doubt taken up residence there again."

"Okay, thanks."

Within seconds the sound of Tenten stepping out to join him met Jun's ears. He turned to look at her, pulling on one of his cheeky smiles. If he couldn't decide how to act, he'd just have to wing it.

"Couldn't stay away?" he joked.

Tenten rolled her eyes indulgently, moving over to join him before plopping herself down on the roof.

"Friends worry about their friends when they don't show up," she offered in explanation. "Especially when said friend displays concerning behavior, then is discovered to own an object to suppress chakra."

Jun didn't respond right away. Tenten studied him, then shrugged, digging the familiar bracelets out of her pocket.

"I fixed the clasps. They're probably not as strong as they were, but they're better than what they had been."

"Fixed is better than nothing," Jun answered instantly, taking them from her. Without pausing, he started fitting them around his wrists, relaxing as he did. "Thanks, Tenten."

Her lips twisted up in response.

"That actually sounded heartfelt."

Jun nodded, meeting her gaze with one of his bright, dazzling smiles. For a moment, he forgot about everything at hand, about his concerns of how to face her now that she undoubtedly understood the truth of his heritage. He simply smiled, something that had her fighting heat that threatened her cheeks in response.

"That's because it is, thanks, Tenten. Really."

"I..." she began, switching subjects almost instantly. "I got invited to eat with you guys. I eat a lot, just so you know."

Jun frowned.

"Couldn't you have said no?" he questioned sourly.

She smiled once more, the sour tone in his voice causing pleasure to flash through her. Whether he realized it or not, that was another one of the few moments that his tone felt real- just as his thanks had done. With that small detail, she'd begun to realize something. Whatever had happened during their mission, this much was obvious: she and Jun were truly friends. Not just the shallow friendships he held with everyone he met, but actual friends.

"I could have," she replied. "But I didn't. Your aunt seemed pretty hopeful, didn't seem right to tell her no."

His sour expression grew as he turned his face away. At that same moment, Jun's hands pressed more firmly against the roof as if the action would drain away the frustration coursing through him. What he was so frustrated with wasn't exactly clear to him- it could have been a number of things. The fact that he would have to continue to face Tenten, the fact that his "family" would most likely pry into their friendship, or perhaps even just at the entire world. Either way, in that moment he had no chance of continuing the flippant attitude he'd initially went with upon her arrival on the roof.

"Don't worry about her," he muttered mutinously. "She'd get over it."

Tenten studied him critically in response.

"I've always wondered, but knew I wouldn't get an answer... why don't you like your family?"

Jun stiffened, hands curling into fists against the roof. The tension in his frame drained away as he glanced at her, a wry smile flitting across his lips.

"Would you believe me if I said I did?" he joked.

She simply shook her head in response. He sighed, raising one hand and opening it to run through his hair. His initial response was to simply brush off the question and focus on something else. Even as that crossed his mind, he considered another reaction. He could tell her the truth- it would have been simple. Confess the details she'd already figured out and how they applied to his family. He could tell her how he'd never felt at home within these walls, not as much as he had during the time before his parents had died, or even for that short time period in which he lived with Miki.

All he had to do was be honest.

"She's not a bad cook, you know," Jun said, his wry smile growing into his usual grin. "She won't kill you, at least. Although, I bet there's better places in town. If you really want to eat with me, I'm sure I could convince her to be fine with us going out somewhere. Hell, I could tell her it's a date."

With his final sentence, he grinned, sending a flush over Tenten's cheeks. She instantly clasped her hands over them, however, and shot him a dirty look to which he began laughing.

"Don't laugh!" she scolded. "It's not funny!"

Jun couldn't help it- he leaned in with his usual grin in place, one hand raising to grasp a bit of hair that had fallen out of her bun. The urge had appeared and been acted upon without thought- as he was honestly curious to see how she might react. Just because he didn't have any experience with girls didn't mean he didn't know how to act- pushing buttons happened to be his speciality.

"You know, you never did admit it... so I'll ask you again," he informed her. "Do you think I'm cute?"

As she jerked back with an expression that said she might very well hit him, Jun couldn't help the relieved feeling that mixed into the large number of emotions flickering through him. It would seem that his choice of distraction had indeed derailed the conversation, enough so that she seemed to be struggling to decide how to respond. Within a second that struggle seemed over, however, as she shoved him away with a rather disapproving expression.

"Don't do that."

His grin grew.

"Why? You didn't seem to mind."

"If I didn't mind, I wouldn't be telling you not to," she retorted pointedly.

Curiosity sparked, he leaned in again and offered her the same grin he'd been wearing.

"Why would you mind, though?" he questioned. "Is that because it's true? You do think I'm cute, then?"

She looked as if she might shove him again, causing a snicker to escape his lips. At the glower he earned as a result, Jun put his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop," he said, paused, then continued cheekily. "Well, just as soon as you admit it."

Tenten continued to glower at him for a moment longer, then sighed, the expression shifting so that she was eyeing him with something between awareness and annoyance- this time at what she'd come to realize.

"We got off track, something you're probably aware of," she announced. "Your family, Jun. I told you, no more lying."

He stiffened, looking away instantly. She sighed in response and shoved his shoulder, something that resulted in him rubbing it but looking back at her.

"Friends, remember?" she pressed, lips twisting into a rather wry expression. "I told you what would happen if you kept holding out on me."

Jun hesitated, suddenly looking to the sky as if it would hold a way out of this mess. A moment later he shrugged helplessly. It wasn't as if his reasons were one of his biggest secrets. In all honesty, Tenten already knew the majority of those.

"It's not like I hate them or anything," he answered slowly. "It's more... I remember too much. The expressions... the fear... I can remember all of it. When Miki-sensei first handed me over to them, they were frightened at the idea of being in the same room with me. Honestly, I think it was only because the third asked that they took me in. Every time I look at them, I can remember the expressions they made before they learned to hide their feelings from me. I remember every hurtful action- such as when Kiyoko was first born. They wouldn't let me touch her. Afraid she'd get hurt, I guess. That's changed... you don't forget something like that. When someone doesn't want you- you learn to feel the same."

"That's them," Tenten replied after a moment. "But... what about Kiyoko? She was tiny back then- there's no way she ever had the chance to be afraid."

Jun flinched, hands dropping to the roof. His fingers dug against the surface, the pain in his nails helping relieve the sudden emotion that flooded through him at the question. Tenten frowned, barely holding back the urge to nudge him- to remind him of the question. Eventually, Jun forced himself to look at her again and shrug.

"She reminds me of someone who I... she's hard to look at. I like her- though. She's not afraid of me. I do my best not to let her appearance get to me."

Tenten studied him silently for a moment in response.

"That's a horrible reason, every part of it," she announced.

He simply stared at her. She offered a wry smile in response.

"They love you, you very well know," Tenten pointed out.

Jun looked away, his frame going tense.

"See, you do know it."

"Are you sure we can't go eat somewhere else?"

She shook her head, a determined expression crossing her face.

"Nope, not now," she replied. "You need family, you know. Just as much as you need friends."

Instead of replying, he shifted to a standing position on the roof, a stubborn feeling flickering through him. It was obvious to her from the way he held himself that he was preparing some method of escaping the conversation- and the dinner- in his mind. As she opened her mouth to speak, a little head popped through the window, Kiyoko's expression giddy.

"Okaasan said that you're eating with us!" she announced. "So I volunteered to come and get you. I told her there was no way that you were..."

Silence fell on the roof and slowly the child became aware of the fact that Jun looked more like he was about to take off. Her smile fell slightly, then she pushed it back on.

"But I can tell her that you'd already left," she added. "I know you don't like eating with us, Jun-kun! It'll be fine."

Tenten stood, nudging his shoulder with her own. He frowned and met her eyes for a moment, spurring her to look away and offer Kiyoko a smile.

"Don't worry, we're coming down," Tenten announced.

Kiyoko's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Really," Tenten agreed.

Jun pursed his lips as his own response, but didn't argue when Tenten dragged him back into the room. There was little doubt in his mind that any argument would be met with a roll of her eyes and a dig of her elbow to tell him to shut up. As if she could read his mind, her pleased expression only grew.

"Right now, you are."

Startled, he glanced at her as they reached his bedroom door.

"What?"

That almost familiar, mischievous edge appeared in her expression as she shrugged and increased her speed to keep up with the excited Kiyoko.

"If you don't know, I'm not telling."

"But that's not fair!"

"Tough."

"Teeenteeeeen!"