Island of Storms [Sakura]

Chapter 28 | Tears

"So what can I get for you today?" Kirai asked as she held a notepad and pen. Behind her, a woman cleaned up the food from the floor, wondering why there were no dishes.

"The usual for Tenten and I, uh... Let's see." Ino looked at the people around her. "A honeydew squash salad, a Mahi on rice..."

"I'm not hungry, so don't worry about me," Gaara said, closing his eyes. Kirai looked at him with a small smile and wrote something down, Temari giving the girl a look of curiosity. She turned back to Ino.

"Anything else?"

"Cantaloupe udon," Ino finished. Kirai gave a nod and headed back to the kitchen. "So, where were you guys wanting to go today?"

She rolled her eyes and laughed at herself. "I say that when you only just got here."

"Actually, I was curious about the tower. Shino called it the, uh, ah what was it?" Temari queried.

"The Bird Gardens?" Ino asked, Temari responding with a nod. "That's where all of the hummingbirds you'll see around town rest. We can go look at it after lunch if you want. We pass by it on the way to the inn, anyway."

"I just realized that we didn't even greet each other," Kankuro said out of the blue. Temari snorted. "What?"

Kankuro jumped in his seat when Tenten slammed her hands on the table next to him. "Where the hell did you come from?!"

"So how have you guys been?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"Looks like she noticed too," Temari laughed. After a moment, her smile faded. "Not very well."

A look of realization dawned on Tenten's face.

"I'm sorry, I..."

"You're fine, don't worry about it," Kankuro sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"Where's Neji? We met Shino on the bridge, but I haven't seen him." Shikamaru asked, gaining a frown from Tenten.

"He's probably still sleeping," Ino hummed. Shikamaru looked at her in confusion.

"At the end of the day?"

"Ten days ago... We had just set off for Arashi," Tenten started, her eyes focused on the table. "Everything was fine. We were talking, but I could tell something was wrong... But then... He..."

She took a deep breath. "Hiashi was activating his curse seal."

Shikamaru felt a wave of unfamiliar anger begin to boil in him. "Sakura got to him and she ended up stopping his heart."

Their eyes widened. "She brought him back though... She said he'll be fine..."

Shikamaru sighed in relief, placing his head in his hand.

"Hey, you said he's fine, there's no need for tears..." Kankuro murmured. Tenten looked at him in confusion before touching her cheeks to find they were wet. She stood up straight.

"S-Sorry, I..." she got out before turning and quickly exiting out the front door.

"He's in a light coma. From what Sakura's told me, he could wake up at any time. This is the first time she's talked about it from my knowledge..." Ino murmured.

Kankuro stood up and began making his way to the door.

"I'll go check on her, it's my fault she ran, anyway."

"It's not your fault, Kankuro. She would have done it anyway," Temari interjected. He stopped and turned to look at them.

"That doesn't make me feel any less guilty," he muttered before turning and walking out the door. Once the door closed, Temari chuckled lightly.