Author's Note: Hi all! This is a Kuro/OC one-shot I wrote fairly recently, but it was before I had a account, and (since I'm new to this formatting) I'm not sure how tags work. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out though (your readers are only as smart as you make them out to be)... but if you can't, message me, and we'll chat. Kuro/OC, implied ShikaTem and GaaraSaku
Dedications: My lovely beta, and anyone who R&Rs
Disclaimer: My Turtle once told me a story. "Once upon a time there was a girl who believed she owned everything. She got sued for everything she was worth. They never saw her again." I don't own these characters. In fact, I don't really own much at all. I live in a box. Maybe Ashley will build me a house.
"Oooh, Kuro-kuun!!!" [1
"Aw, shit," Kankuro stopped and ducked into Gaara's Kazekage office. "Gaara-sama! Almighty Kazekage! Save me from the terror!"
"Get. Out. Now." Gaara glared, imposing a chill only inflicted when he was busy with something he absolutely could not be interrupted during.
"Oh, I see, Gaara-kichi," Kankuro smirked, and peaked under the desk where Sakura was hiding. "You're i busy /i with i important Kazekage /i matters." Kankuro winked at Sakura, who blushed. "I'll just go hide out in Temari's room for a while..."
"I wouldn't," Sakura started climbing out from under the desk.
"That's right," Gaara nodded. "Sakura had to travel with i someone /i ."
Kankuro sighed, "Well, maybe she won't even notice me if Shikamaru's here." i Either that, or she'll be extremely territorial. /i Kankuro peeked out in the hallway, and saw his friend pacing the kitchen, holding balloons. i I'll take the chance. /i
He tipped out of the office, using his ninja stealth, and started up the stairs.
"Kuro-kichi!" He winced. " i There /i you are!" Apparently, even though he had stored his puppets in scrolls, his "ninja stealth" wasn't very...stealthy.
"Oh, Akira, hey," Kankuro turned around to face her. "Didn't see ya there, what's up?"
"Your birthday, that's what!"
"What about it...?" He was worried.
"You need a party!"
"Do I have to?" He winced when she pouted. "It's just that I don't know who I'd want to invite...Gaara and Temari, obviously. And you..."
"Whatever you want, Kuro-kichi."
Kankuro blinked in surprise. It wasn't like Akira to give in so quickly. "Thanks, Aki."
"No problem!" She skipped away.
"Hey!" Kankuro snapped out of his shock. "Don't call me Kuro-kichi!" He sighed, worried.
---
"I'm seeewwwing Kuro's socks, just seewwwing Kuro's socks," Akira was sitting in her guest room, Kankuro's sock drawer in front of her, and sewing needle in hand. "What a glorious feeling, to be seewwing on GOOGLY EYES!"
---
"Uh, Temari?" Shika looked at her bedroom door. "Does one of your brothers sing in the shower?"
"I'm not supposed to lie; what should I do?" Temari smirked. "Avoiding the question, that would be Ankochen Akira [2, she lives here with us..."
"Is she related to you?"
"No..." Temari paused, deciding how much to disclose. "She's here as our...maid."
Shikamaru laughed. "I am i so /i not letting Kankuro and Gaara hear the end of this!"
---
"Kuro-kun! Let's go play hide-and-go-seek!" Akira was dragging Kankuro by the sleeve, and hopping up and down.
"Yea, Kuro-kichi, go play hide-and-go-seek with Aki-san." Gaara was getting a headache from the two sitting in his office and complaining of boredom.
"Sounds good, Aki, but wouldn't it be more fun with more players?" Kankuro smiled deviously at his brother.
"You're a genius! Come play with us, Gaa-kichi!" Akira puppy-dog-eyed the Kazekage. "Please, Kaze-chin?"
"Yea, please i Kaze-chin /i ?" Kankuro was practically on the floor, laughing at the look on Gaara's face. He knew that no one could say no to Akira. She was way too innocent, and annoying as she could be, every one of the sand siblings loved her.
"Only if you can get Temari and the others to play." It was as good as a yes. Had it been anyone else, there would be no way Temari and Shikamaru would play, but i no one /i can say no to Akira.
"Okay!" Aki skipped off, calling out. "Mari-chan! Shika-kun! Sakura-chan!"
"Let's hope they're smart enough to hide." Gaara turned back to whatever document he was reading on his desk.
"I think it could be funny."
"That's only 'cause you want to end up hiding with her in a closet somewhere."
"No I don't!"
"The pantry, then?"
"Gaara-niichan!"
"Okay, I admit it. This could be fun."
Kankuro only glared.
---
Aki touched her nose and shouted, " i Not it! /i "
Kankuro, Gaara, Temari and Shikamaru, being either most adjusted to her, or a genius, also touched their noses, leaving Sakura as seeker. She sighed.
"Okay everyone..." She put her hands over her eyes. "Ichi, ni, san, yon, go... "
Kankuro, Temari and Aki all ran off, leaving Gaara to saunter coolly to his doubtlessly inimaginative hiding place, and Shikamaru to sit in plain sight, plotting.
Kankuro and Aki, having similar thinking processes, darted off to the same place, the hall closet, and sat bickering over who had to look for a new spot for half a minute.
Meanwhile, Temari propped her fan up against a corner somewhere, and crouched behind it. Gaara stood behind a fake plant just outside the Kazekage office, where Sakura was reaching seventy. Shikamaru set into action his plan involving a string, a blue crayon, an orange marker and a spatula.
"Kyuu jyu..." Kankuro and Aki stopped bickering as they heard Sakura reach 90. In almost exactly ten seconds they both squeezed into the cupboard.
Unfortunately for you readers, and your expectations to read exciting cupboard adventures, Kankuro only had time to barely brush Aki's hand before the doors were opened by Sakura. The others had (unsurprisingly) not taken long to find. Even Shikamaru had been found, and was standing in the back looking dejected and wrapped in string. The crayon, marker and spatula were no where to be seen.
Kankuro wedged out of the tight space first, embarrassed that Gaara's prediction had come true. Aki just skipped out, and whined that it had taken too long, and that she was rather bored. She also said that she would go up and put more eyes on her socks. She skipped away up the stairs (go try now, I know you want to).
---
That Friday, Kankuro was being particularly careful. He didn't turn corners too often (and the walls took a beating as a result), and he avoided opening doors into dark rooms (their electricity bill would just have to suffer). However, when the house was completely quiet, and no one was around, he got nervous.
Throwing caution to the wind, he raced around, jumping at the slightest sound. Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm.
Turning around to karate-chop them, he saw it was just Temari.
"Mari...what are you doing?"
"Follow me," Temari led Kankuro into a dark room (Gaara's office) and pushed him to crouch down behind the desk. Before he knew what was happening, the lights flicked on, and everyone yelled, "Surprise!" Blinking, Kuro stood up and watched Aki's surprise birthday.
"A surprise? Thank you all! I am ever so grateful to be this loved by all of my friends and family!" It was obvious that Aki had memorized a script.
"Come, open your presents and blow out your candles, Akira-san!" Gaara hopped over and hugged the girl. We'll assume that this was also scripted.
Kankuro numbly followed the group over to a table in the center of the room, where a few presents were piled around a cake. The cake read, "Happy Birthday, Kuro-kichi" in Aki's swirly handwriting. Aki blew out the candles, and told Kankuro to make a wish.
Before he had the chance, she moved on to presents. After each was opened (From Shikamaru: an orange marker, a blue crayon and a spatula. He was still tangled in the string. From Temari: something refulgent. From Gaara: a dead rat, with a bite out of it. And, from Sakura: a purple (in case you're wondering, it's a veggietabible that looks like an orange and tastes like an eggplant. It's also a close relation of the yellow watermelon), she scowled and said, "I don't like this. You have it, Kankuro," and then she would push it towards him.
Before long, he started laughing, and then glaring. And then glaring and laughing. Aki had thrown him a surprise birthday party. He supposed it was about time he accepted that she would every year.
"Clever, Aki, really," He glared/chuckled, "And thanks, guys."
Shikamaru, Temari, Gaara and Sakura smiled, and welcomed him, giving him one last "Happy Birthday," before they left the room. Aki just scowled.
"Kuro-kichi," She pouted, "You didn't get me a present."
"Huh?" He looked at her, "Well, you didn't get yourself one either."
"Oh!" She pulled a lumpy ball of wrapping paper from behind her back, "Yes I did." She opened the package to reveal five socks with googly eyes (at least six each, except the first, which only had one; two had bells), and promptly remarked "I only have two feet, you have them," and pushed them into Kankuro's hands. He smiled.
"Thanks, Aki."
"Now, where's yours?" She crossed her arms.
"Well, I didn't know it was your birthday..."
She smiled. "Good then, I get to choose my present." She pretended to think for a moment. "I know!"
She leaned forward, laid a hand on each of Kankuro's shoulders, and kissed him. He smiled and put his arm around her waist.
"Happy Birthday, Aki-chan."
She just smiled, and took the two belled socks back, and slipped them on her feet. Together, they jingled up the stairs to Kankuro's room.
---
Footnotes
[1 Honorifics: Kun - used towards male equals or peers. Sama - used to address those of a much higher rank. Kichi - used with close friends, almost mocking or teasingly. Chin - a variant of "chan", considered baby-talk. Niichan – "Nii" is short for "Onii", which means "brother", "chan" is an honorific usually used for girl peers.
[2 Ankochen Akira - It doesn't sound the best, at all, really, but I liked the meanings. Akira is Japanese for "Intelligent". She really is, you'll find. She may not act it, but she's pretty smart. Well, strategically, not so much judgmentally [quite obviously. Ankochen is really a name of my own creation. See, "-chen" is a German suffix for "small". Anko just rocks. She's the coolest jounin in the world. So, Akira is an intelligent little Anko.