Disclaimer: Tenten, Kankuro, Neji, and Lee do not belong to me.
Author's Note: I am very aware that the possibilities of this couple happening are slim to none, but I still like them. So shut up and review me based on my writing. Thank you, have a nice day.
Tenten's brown eyes opened slowly to a dimly lit room. Immediately, she froze and looked and took in her surroundings. She was lying on a bed with a single blanket over her. There was a window on the far wall, the afternoon sun shining into the sweltering room. Out the window, she could see an endless plain of dust and sand. Near the window, there were several life-size puppets leaning against the wall. She only knew one puppet-nin from the Village Hidden in the Sand.
She picked up heavy breathing from somewhere to her right. Turning her head towards the sound, she saw a boy dressed in black pants. His two-pointed hat wasn't on his head; it was slung over the back of the wooden chair he sat in. His purple face makeup was smudged in places, and his brunette hair was stuck up at various angles. He wasn't wearing a shirt. A worried look occupied his face until his dark eyes met her own.
He chuckled. "About time you woke up."
Sitting up, Tenten spat at him. "Kankuro! Why am I here?" She was shaking with fear and anger. The ninja before her didn't seem like a threat to her, but things aren't always how they appear.
"You were knocked out in battle, as were your teammates." He told her matter-of-factly. "My sibblings and I came across you three, out cold on the border of the forest, almost too late." He looked away from her nervously, keeping something back.
She had seen the look, even in the dark room. "Tell me, where are Neji and Lee?" She assumed that that look had been that about her team.
"They're fine." He assured her. "They recovered fast." He tried to smile, but ended up assuming a pained expression. She could see dark circles under his eyes. When was the last time he had slept?
Tenten went about asking the question a different way. "How long have I been here?" She asked, her voice softer than before.
Kankuro looked into her eyes with an unreadable expression. "Three days." He muttered, lips barely moving. He ran a calloused hand through his messy hair.
It was then that Tenten smelled the rusty scent of blood. She gave him a once-over with her eyes as she searched for an injury. She saw a wound near his belly button, that was bandaged tightly but bleeding through the wrapping.
"Why didn't you treat yourself?" She asked him. The work was obviously hurried and not the efforts of a trained medical ninja. Worry filled her mind as she realized that it had gone untreated for three whole days.
He smiled at her, almost smug. "I had to watch after you. If you had slipped into a coma, or worse, died, I would never be able to forgive myself." His face was downcast. He shuddered, considering the possibility.
Realization spread through her face. "Oh, I get it. So you wouldn't let a fellow ninja die? That's very noble of you." She teased him, trying to lighten his pessimistic mood.
He just looked at her. "No. My actions were far more selfish than that." He told her quietly.
Tenten just stared. "I don't understand..."
"I have some bad news to deliver." He said, still gazing at her with pain in his eyes. "Neji told me to tell you that he was leaving. He said he would never be back. He said he loves you, but that his destiny is more important than you." Kankuro practically spit the words out, disgusted at what Neji had said.
"What?" Tenten's voice was shot with grief and sorrow.
Kankuro couldn't stand it. He moved his chair closer and grasped one of her hands between his own. "He doesn't understand what a special girl you are. You're so beautiful, and lethal." He smirked slightly. "Neji has no brain to leave you like that. I would hunt him down and rip him to shreds at your command." He mentioned conversationally.
But suddenly, Tenten didn't have the energy to do anything, even stop the flow of tears down her face. "I could never. I love him, no matter what he does. He's like a brother to me."
Kankuro looked at her in suprise. "So you two weren't..."
"Together? No." She said. "As much as I wished at first, we were never like that. He told me at the beginning that he was not destined for love and affection. It broke my heart." She said softly. She didn't know why she was telling her secret to the puppet-nin, but his company comforted her. She looked up at him with curiousity in her glowing brown eyes. "Why were your actions selfish?" She asked, confused as to why he had mentioned that.
He blushed slightly, something he rarely did with such a bad-ninja image. "I wanted to be the one to take care of you. I wanted to make sure you wouldn't be hurt in any way. Tenten, I would never let anyone hurt you. Especially Neji." Fire was lit in his eyes as his anger showed, but his gaze was still soft as looked into her eyes.
Tenten gaped at his words. What could possibly make him feel such a devotion to her? They knew eachother, but they weren't close friends. But understanding filled her mind. Her love for Neji had existed before their friendship. It was unexplainable, untamed, and even she hadn't understood it. Could that be what Kankuro was feeling, without even realizing it? He could love her, and feel the duty to watch over her without even knowing why.
Tightening her grip on his hand, she spoke again. "Thank you, Kankuro-kun." She reached up with her other hand to wrap it around his neck and pull him in to kiss him on the cheek. When she pulled back again, his face was flushed. He was speechless, and his eyes shone with confusion. She dropped her hand, smiling up at him.
He reached down with his other hand to wipe some purple makeup off her face. He said nothing, but twined his fingers with hers and grinned back. His instincts told him to kiss her back, so he did her one better. Leaning down, his lips met hers for a few seconds. He felt butterflies beating thier wings in his intestines, making him feeling pleasurably nauseated. He retreated slightly, still a few inches away from her face, ashamed of his actions. What if that wasn't what she had wanted him to do?
The look on her face told him otherwise. She was beaming at him, looking happy. The happy she had looked while she had been recovering. Her lips curled up in a small smile. "You should go get your wound treated." She told him.
He laughed softly, tickling her face with his breath. "I promise I'll be back." He said sincerely, before standing and walking out of the room as if in a dream.
Tenten smiled to herself. That was one promise she knew he would keep.