AN: Me and my sister decided to both write a story with the same title. He had about an hour to do so. This is my story. Please tell me what you think. It's my first shoujo-ai. (If you don't count that one stupid 100 word drabble I wrote).

Pairing: TemaHina

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto.

Basket of Lilies

We met for the first time at the chuunin exams. It was kind of embarrassing now that I think back to it. We were in the bathroom. I was in a corner, hyperventilating. I didn't know why I ever thought it was a good idea to enter. But Kiba and Shino wanted to, and I couldn't let them down.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up.

"You okay?" I saw a wild looking kunoichi looking down at me. Her dark blond hair was divided into four pigtail.

"Y-yes." I stuttered, blushing. She looked so strong, and there I was. Sitting in a corner in the bathroom, hyperventilating. And stuttering!

"Did your team force you into this?" She asked.

I shook my head in response. Kiba and Shino had told me on several occasions that I could back down if I wanted to. But I knew that they really wanted to take the exam. And I couldn't let them down.

"Okay." She didn't say anything for a minute or something. She looked like she was thinking of something.

I bit my bottom lip. I really wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Pull yourself together." She sounded stern, but not angry. "You're here now, there's no going back. Just do it, okay?"

"Y-yes."

"And stop that stuttering. You'll never become a chuunin if you can't even say a full sentence without stuttering."

I just nodded my head, afraid I might stutter again if I tried to respond in any other way.

"Now get up and get out there." She grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

She walked out of the small room. Before leaving she turned around and smiled at me. "Good luck."

"You too." I whispered back. But she had already left.

The second time we met I was in the hospital. It was after my fight with Neji. She had brought me a single lily, a 'Get Well' card hanging on it.

"You're a good fighter." She complimented me.

There was a small blush on my cheeks, no one had said that to me before. "B-but, I lost."

"That doesn't make you a bad fighter." She sat down on my bed. "That guy is your cousin, right?"

"Yes."

"He's a real ass."

I laugh at that statement. No one ever dared to call Neji that.

"I could never hurt such a cute girl like you."

I stared at her with wide eyes. Did she really just call me cute? I, Hyuuga Hinata, was cute?

She kissed me on the forehead. "Get better soon." And she left the room.

We saw each other several times on the street after the preliminary matches. We always smiled at each other, and sometimes greeted each other. Shino was the only one in my team who made it through the preliminary round. He trained really hard and Kiba helped him.

One day, I was watching Kiba and Shino spar, Temari came up to me.

"Hey, Hinata."

"T-temari-san." I had gotten used to the fact that she didn't use honorifics when addressing me. She was the first who didn't see me as the Hyuuga Heiress, but as Hinata. Just a normal girl.

"Do you want to go out with me?" She asked. A very small, hardly noticeable blush had crept onto her cheeks, I almost didn't notice it. It wasn't, and still isn't, usual for Temari to blush. I'm the only one who ever made her blush, and it makes me proud.

"O-okay." My face was a deep red, a red normally only caused by Naruto. But that was before I met Temari. (And before I saw Naruto and Sasuke kissing.)

"I'll pick you up tonight at seven, okay?"

I nodded.

That night she appeared at my door, two lilies in her hand. "Ready to go?"

"Yes."

She and I walked through Konoha that night. We stopped to eat something, but I can't remember where or what we ate. We sat on the grass by the river streaming through training field seven watching the half full moon.

Her fingers were entangled in mine. A permanent blush colored my cheeks.

"I'm going to leave again soon. Back to Suna."

"I know." I felt a sadness building up in my chest.

"I'll really miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

During the short conversation we had faced each other, and our faces inched closer. She closed the small space between us and kissed me. It was short and sweet. A perfect first kiss.

"I was wondering…" She bit her bottom lip, a habit she had picked up from me.

"What?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?" She looked nervously at me.

"I'd be honored."

She smiled and kissed me again.

Every time we met after that she brought one more lily. It was a good thing we lived so far apart, or there would be no lilies left in the world.

I'm eighteen now, and every time I see a lily I think of her. I can't walk by Yamanaka's flower shop without tears springing up in my eyes. I miss her so much. It's been 7 months since we last saw each other. I love her, but this long distance relationship is killing me. Sometimes I wonder whether it would be easier for me to date someone who lives closer by.

But when I read her letters I know that I would never be able to break up with her. I love her too much. And even my father is fine with me dating her. But only because my sister is dating a man, and because Temari is the Kazekage's sister.

When I come home, I hear my father argue with someone.

"No. She's not going."

My father must've felt my chakra because he stops talking. He greets me and pretends nothing happened.

The following week my father acts weird around me. There's something he's hiding from me, but I don't know what it is. I decide to ignore it, no reason to worry about it.

On Friday I come home. My father doesn't greet me. He doesn't even look my way. Is he angry with me? Did I do something wrong? I decide to change into something that isn't sweaty before talking to him. On my way upstairs I think about whatever it could be that would make my father act this way. I'm so deep in my thoughts I fail to notice a basket on my bed until after I've changed.

I see the basket, filled with white lilies. I don't have to count them to know that there are 37 in it. A card is put in it. I pull it out and open it. A silver ring with a small diamond is taped to one side of the card. On the other side it reads; 'Will you marry me?' in Temari's handwriting. I pull the ring of the card with trembling fingers. I admire the beauty of the simple ring as I slip it on my finger.

"Can I take that as a yes?"

I turn around and see Temari leaning against my doorpost, a smug smile on her face.

"Yes!" I run towards her and hug her. The impact nearly causes her to fall.

"I love you." She whispers in my ear.

"I love you too."

The end.

I didn't have enough time to write what happened afterwards. If you want me to write a second chapter to explain it, please tell me in a review. I might just do it.