He leaned against the gritty wall, his eyes slightly narrowed, looking like a man in conflict with himself. Sometimes he forced himself to look up, pretending to just be someone who likes to hang around close to Konoha's gates for no reason. Even if Konoha wasn't his home to start from.
The sun was setting already. Shadows around him grew longer and darker. Even the guards around the gate started to notice that lonesome figure standing against that wall.
"Ah screw it" Kankurou growled softly.
Finally he moved away from the wall, noticing his back went a little bit numb with leaning he did for such a long time. He stretched the muscles of his shoulders a bit, moving them up and down in a shrugging way. A frown seemed to be pasted permanently on his face as he walked away from the gate. It already took a great part of his pride to actually walk up to that gate, feeling hope grow with every hour that passed.
"Fuck" he hissed, kicking a pebble with a passion. People gave him strange looks and every look got answered with a deathglare.
A small chuckle behind him made him look up.
"If I knew you were waiting for me like that, I wouldn't have taken the South Gate, you know".
"What makes you think I was waiting for you, brat" Kankurou answered, voice sounding distant. Almost like Gaara's.
"Heh". Kiba closed the distance between them and started to walk besides the taller ninja. "You look annoyed. It's totally giving you away".
Again that annoying little chuckle escaped Kiba's mouth. Kankurou's eyes narrowed a bit. He did not answer.
"It's cute you wait for me. I mean, you.".
What is that kid trying to do? RUB it in?
Kankurou looked at Kiba for a couple of seconds. He tried to look angry, and maybe he did look angry at that moment but yet there was something inside of him that told him he couldn't be angry. That annoyed him. Since when did he allowed Kiba to make him feel like that? When did he reached that point where that happened? Was dogboy that important to him?
The worst thing actually was that Kiba noticed it. And he was using it against Kankurou in every way possible. Sometimes he poked him playfully, looking at him, his face one big smirk.
What was that dogboy thinking?
Kankurou knew he had to get out of here as fast as possible and he felt relief when he thought of the fact he could escape from Kiba in a short matter of time. Before his mind would melt down with confusion. Gods, he hated how his stomach tied up in somekind of knot when Kiba was around him.
"So...how long have you been waiting there?" Kiba asked, looking up at Kankurou, decreasing the distance between them even more. Kankurou could feel the fabric of Kiba's jacket brush against his arm for a couple of seconds.
"I was not waiting". Maybe it was better to deny everything, second of all, he would be returning to Suna the next morning. And then he wouldn't be bothering with Kiba trying to get to his head anymore.
"I have to go" Kankurou finally said as he stopped for a few seconds to give Kiba the most blank stare he was capable of.
Kiba looked back at him, still that smirk on his face. It made Kankurou's toes cringe, his stomach do crazy things and his brain do overtime.
"You mean, you've waited for me to just say 'I have to go'? That's quite stupid". Kiba's
hands were buried deep in the pockets of his jacket, and there was this naive yet naughty look in his eyes. And Kankurou knew he had to get away as soon as possible. For his own sanity.
With a growl he turned his back towards Kiba, ready to walk off in the direction of the hotel he was staying at.
"Come on". A hand tugged his shirt, keeping him from walking away. "Hehe, did that silly kiss between us a couple of weeks ago got your panties in a twist?". The Inuzuka cocked his head to the left as a sudden serious expression crossed his features. "I mean, that kiss was just...it ment nothing...right? It was just fun...".
"Yeah...just fun...now let me go". With a frown Kankurou removed Kiba's hand from his shirt and turned around.
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With a loud sigh Kankurou sat down on his bed, kicking off his sandals in the process. He had to walk fast and with every step he took, he knew he was leaving a confused Kiba behind him.
It was stupid to wait up for the young Inuzuka, Kankurou just knew too well that it had given him away. He had made it obvious that the short and clumsy make-out-session they had a couple of weeks ago had ment more for him then just 'fun'. And he hated himself for it.
No, Kankurou was not as difficult as his younger brother Gaara, when it came to feelings, emotions or social contacts. But if one of those things could cause major embarassment his pride would step in to slap him in the face. No way that he would ever admit a mere Chuunin how the kiss was messing up his brain and his feelings. It pissed him off, and yet it made him looking forward to see Kiba. It made him soft, and in Kankurou's world being soft was equal to showing weakness.
Slowly he curled up onto the bed, enjoying the cool breeze that came through the opened window. Silently he hoped that it was able to get him back to his senses again. Kankurou closed his eyes waiting for sleep to kick in.
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And sleep did kick in, at least until someone thought it was funny to poke him in the side, waking him up. The voice that was whispering in his ear was sounding playful. Its owner was probably enjoying waking him up like this. Kankurou blinked a couple of times before getting up a little to look around, determined to give the one who woke him up like this a piece of his mind, and he didn't mind to involve his puppets as well.
But as soon he moved his head to the left his eyes met those of Kiba, who appeared to be sitting right next to his bed.
"What the...?" Kankurou exclaimed as he sat up to shake his head, expecting Kiba to be gone the next time he would open his eyes.
"Your window was open..." Kiba explained, sitting back a little, placing his hands next to him. "I wanted to drop by...".
Kankurou turned his head towards the Inuzuka, a cautious look on his face. "Why?" he asked.
"Why not? You waited for me...so...well...why not hang around with eachother for a bit".
Kankurou frowned as feelings inside of him clashed again. He was actually clueless for a bit. He didn't want Kiba to be around, and yet he did not want him to leave.
"I'm tired". Kankurou layed back between the sheets again, trying to relax which was quite impossible now but at least he could try to fake it. He really wanted to discourage Kiba, 'cause if he would dissappear the confusion would stop hammering his poor brain. But on the other hand, if Kiba would dissappear, Kankurou's heart would sink hundred miles below sealevel.
It was stupid to have feelings like that, it was stupid to allow feelings like that and most of all, Kiba was male. Kankurou asked himself why he couldn't have felt like this about a girl, then it would have made sense.
"Kankurou? Don't be so boring" Kiba said, his voice light and playful. If the boy had a tail, it would probably wag like crazy.
He decided not to answer. And Kiba punished him for that by poking his side again, finishing it with tickles. Instantly Kankurou shot up and swatted the hand away. "Stop that!" he hissed. Oh how he wanted to let Kiba know how much this was confusing him, how he wanted to unleash all the bottled up frustration onto him.
Finally Kankurou decided to sit up again, turned away from Kiba.
"If you want to know, I'm just as confused as you are" his voice sounded behind him, the playfull undertone had vanished now. "That kiss...you know...maybe it was more then just fun or silly. Maybe we shouldn't have done that in the first time...".
Duh! That was something Kankurou could also figure out for himself. Slowly he turned his head towards Kiba.
"It was just a thing...something stupid as hell... It happened, now we can put it behind us".
"Yeah" Kiba answered, and Kankurou hoped he was mistaking, because he thought he saw a flash of sadness crawling over the Inuzuka's face for a second.
Don't go there. Kankurou's eyes narrowed. Don't make this silly shit worser.
"But I just can't forget it". Kiba looked to the side, Kankurou saw his ears turn almost as red as the marks on his cheeks.
"Oh for godsake" he muttered. "We just need to forget it... Get over it... Okay?".