A Kankuro one shot. I used to be obsessed with him. I still am! I made this back before the Sasuke one shot. I put it on the internets (on a website I won't name because I'll look like a loser) in August 20, 2007. On a Monday. :) Enjoy.

Forgive & Forget?

"I'm tired." The girl huffed, folding her arms.

"Oh, come on. Giving up already?" Said the puppeteer as his shoulders suddenly slumped down. His fingers became still once this happened.

"Kankuro, look at me. If I train with you any longer, I think I'll die from blood loss..." I held out my arms in front of myself, showing my combat partner the damage he had done to me. I tried to steady them, but they were trembling against my will. My legs felt like they would give in. Kankuro did well this time... He's excelling so well...

"Fine..." He sighed. "Are you fine with walking, or does little Taikou need someone to carry her to the hospital?" His voice was always so annoying, but he's more stupid than annoying.

"Shut up! I don't need a medical-nin to help me! I just need some bandages and I should be fine." My silver blue eyes scanned the wounds that Kankuro's puppets had inflicted upon me. Most of them were shallow. It was the serious gashes that made me feel feverish and sick.

"Fine, fine. Lets go, maybe Temari will help with the bandages at our house."

We headed to his home. My arms were still twitching and trembling, even though I let them hang and sway. We walked side by side, both of us very silent. His expression showed that nothing was wrong, as did mine... But at times, I think he has grown suspicious of me. I sometimes catch him staring at me like I was up to something, but he'd quickly look away, as if it wasn't anything.

"Temari!" He shouted in the emptiness of his home. There was no answer as I followed him in. I had grown used to the home. It was like my own home. Gaara doesn't mind my company and I get along well with Temari. Infect, we are very good friends. We don't always see eye-to-eye, but we understand where we are both coming from.

"Huh, no one is home yet." He said, leaving me to fetch bandages. I automatically went to the couch, falling onto it, exhausted. The back of my head made contact with the couch pillow, which I relaxed my head on.

Kankuro was the one I wasn't sure about. I didn't know where we both stand. He's so dense about things that I often wonder if he even listens when I talk about things... Heh, and he probably wouldn't understand how I felt towards him, even if I told him in the simplest way...

"Oi! Stop hogging the couch." He said, giving me a stern irritated look as he come back with bandages. His hat was off, showing me his light brown hair to me, some of his strands sticking to his forehead because of the sweat. I rolled my eyes, shifting to a sitting position.

"Do you even know how to apply those?"

"Yes!" He said quickly, plopping down beside me.

"What about you?" I asked as he placed grabbed my arm, beginning to aid my injuries.

"Me?"

"... Never mind." I said quickly. I can't let him know that I care if he has wounds or not. I couldn't afford to show him that I was--even for a moment--concerned for him... Wait, he would be too stupid to get even the obvious hints.

Gah, he's too big of an idiot to get anything.

His hands were glove-less. The skin of his hands were rough and somewhat calloused, but he was trying to be gentle. It bothered me... Even distracted me from the sting of the alcohol that he had used.

I found myself staring at his expression. His small brown eyes were fixed on my arm, his make up a little messy from the past sweating he had done during training... I've never seen him without the make up...

"It's all smeared."

"Huh?" His eyes snapped up at me, I got his attention... Dammit, I was thinking out loud again.

"Your face paint. It's smeared." I said, looking away once our eyes connected with each other.

"Yeah, I know." He said, before going back to my arm. Now I felt stupid...

"Is that better?" He said after he finished aiding both of my arms.

"Yeah. Not bad, Kankuro..." I said, staring down at my arms. Silence... Then I glance up, catching him staring at me with suspicion again. He was quick to turn away, getting off the couch and leaving me alone in the room.

Why does he look at me like that...?

[Kankuro]
"She's got a crush on someone..." My blonde sister said, smiling proudly.

"Taikou? Crush? On who?" I asked suddenly, interested for a reason I didn't know. Gaara seemed interested in this too...

"I swore I wouldn't tell..."

"Aw, Temari!" I growled, wanting to know. Her smile got bigger, making me all the more curious...

"Temari... Who is it?" Gaara asked. She put her index finger up to her chin, looking at Gaara, then to me. She leaned in to his ear. Now that pissed me off...

"Temari!" I yelled, clutching my hand into a fist. "That's just not fair...!"

"Don't tell Kankuro no matter what." She said to my younger brother, ignoring me. Gaara looked at me from the other side of the couch, grinning evilly. Damn, that's so not fair...

"Fine, I'll find out on my own!"

"Sure, tell that brat and not me..." I was still pissed about the whole thing... Who is the guy she likes? And why the hell wouldn't Temari tell me?! (Me: Can't really put two and two together, can he? XD Temari: My brother isn't exactly smart...)

"What a pain in the ass..." I continued to swear as I rubbed off my war paint... I stared at myself in the mirror, glaring into my reflection. It was driving me insane... Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! How in the hell am I going to ask her? Okay, Kankuro, just ask her, she'll answer, and it'll be no big deal...!

I stepped into the room where Taikou was in. She was sitting, elbows on her knees, staring at her hand. She must've been thinking hard about something, she didn't notice me enter the room. Okay, just say it, get it out there, and she'll tell you.

"Taikou--" She jumped in her skin, realizing I was in the room. "--who do you have a crush on?" She lit up. Her face went a bright red, and things fell into an awkward silence... Did I say it right?

"Oh--Kankuro!" She began, smiling really weird. "You don't have your war paint on!" She said. Before she could distract me further, I quickly raised my voice.

"Listen, Temari knows who, Gaara knows who, so please... Just tell me." I said, showing her how annoyed I was with this. She suddenly shot up from the couch.

"I just remembered! I have to go home--" She was trying to avoid my questions by making up excuses! Dammit, I want to know! "--so, see ya!"

Before she could reach the door, I snapped. I grabbed her wrist, and yanked her around to face me. She gave me a shocked expression, but I wasn't going to let her leave until I knew.

"Just tell me!"

"Kankuro--... You're hurting me." She tried to twist herself out of my grip, but I grabbed her other wrist and yanked her back to me.

"I just wanna know!"

"Stop it... You brat...!" She grimaced and shut her eyes tight. She continued to twist and fight against the firm hold I had on her.

"Just tell me--"

"It's you, okay?!" I let go suddenly, and she took a step back, rubbing her wrists. Dammit... I felt like an idiot. What can I say to that...?

Oh, now I know why Temari wouldn't tell me...! Well, now what...?

"I'm--... sorry..." Were the first words to come out? I took a step closer to her, and gently took her hands to examine her wrists. She was trembling, from something I wasn't sure of... I look into her eyes, and they don't meet mine. Her face was still red, and she was so tense.

Haha, she likes me...

Dammit, Kankuro, she's upset!

Right, right... Got to comfort her... Don't know how the hell I'm gonna do that...

"Listen, I'm really sorry, Taikou..." She stayed silent... I wasn't sure what to do. She admitted her feelings for me... That thought made me grin really wide. She liked me... Ah, now I know how to comfort her.

"Taikou... Look at me..." Her eyes were soon looking into mine, and as smooth and sly as I could, I planted a kiss on her cheek.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you." There, an honest apology... But it seemed it only made her face turn another shade of red. I gave a worried expression.

"Taikou--..." Her hands pulled themselves away from my own, and her arms placed themselves perfectly around my neck. Her lips crashed onto mine in a rough way, leaving me startled, but I gladly kissed back. Moments had flown by; making it seem like our kissing had lasted only for a while. But when we parted, our breathing was irregular. We both smiled, and rested our foreheads on one another.

"I forgive you, Kankuro..." It was subtle... Almost a whisper, but it was there.

"So..." I said, grinning. "This means you're my girlfriend now, right?" She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Kankuro. I'm your girlfriend."

"Good."