Author's Note:
Okay – some news. I'm planning to write a one-shot. If you are interested in helping out… check out the bottom of my profile page for details.
It's a good thing for you little fiends that I don't need a lot of sleep to function like a paid-up member of society…
This is chapter four in all its glory for your late night reading pleasure.
It is a little longer than the previous chapters but I don't see you guys complaining about that somehow…
The response for more chapters has been incredible.
I would never have guessed in a million years that this pairing would get as much interest as it has received since I posted the first chapter.
Thank you – it means a great deal to know from an author's point of view that I seem to be on the right track.
Kankuro is being very naughty. He can't help it – Ino makes him want to be bad.
Ino isn't behaving much better either – but I can't say I blame her… he's hard to resist.
The usual warnings apply - mild language and suggestions of a sexual nature are mentioned.
Thanks to the folks who have reviewed! I appreciate hearing your thoughts on the new chapters and the story so far.
Reviews after last chapter posting:
minoki: Yeah – it sure took Ino look enough to figure out that she liked Kankuro. The girl is certainly not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree – that's for sure.
She's fortunate that she has a great friend like Sakura to talk some sense into her.
Kuroune's Forbidden Lover, ThMau, Kuniochi Cutie: I'm glad you folks are enjoying the story. I'll be honest - I am having a great time writing fan fiction. I've been real surprised how well my literary efforts have been received by you folks.
ByakuganWielder: Yep – I feel you on that one… he can stash Karasu under my bed anytime he's in town! (Author starts bleeding from the nose profusely)
Somnus: Considering how many excellent authors there are on this site, you have given me a rare compliment. I will do my best to keep the story as engaging as possible.
I do not wish to be hunted down and gutted like a freshly caught river trout for delivering a sub-standard chapter to you little fiends... last time I checked I didn't have a death wish.
Japanese Names used:
Ayame – Iris (female name)
Yukio – Gets what he wants (male name)
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… the evil genius Kishimoto does. Don't hound me for cash – I have none… just leave me in peace to write the next chapter already. Enjoy my pretties, enjoy.
Round four: Tsunade's Mission…
Two days later…
Kankuro sat lounging in the battered wooden chair, one elegant hand perched at the ready on top of Karasu's head, quietly observing the muted exchange between the assistant and her superior.
The puppeteer gave the Hokage a considered glance. He couldn't shake the feeling that this mission of hers was not typical. Something wasn't quite right but he couldn't put his finger on it…
Although he had spent the last week training with Team Asuma, he was surprised to hear that there would only be one other person with him on this particular mission.
Kankuro turned his head when he heard the sound of the door softly opening behind him.
Hell! What was she doing here? She was the last person he was expecting to come through that door!
Ino was having a tough time of her own trying to figure out why Kankuro was picked for this mission rather than Shikamaru. The blonde kuniochi walked over to the chair beside the puppeteer. She gingerly sat down on the edge and gave the large sand nin beside her a curious side glance.
Tsunade waited for the door to close behind her assistant before she started briefing them on their mission.
The Hokage gave the couple a wry half-smirk and said "I'm glad to hear that you two have been getting to know each other."
Ino half rose off her seat silently enraged at the mention of the gossip currently doing the rounds about them but the puppeteer's out-stretched hand touching her arm effectively stalled the young woman's angry outburst.
How dare he stop me from leaving this stupid meeting! It's obvious the Hokage is intent to waste our time discussing village gossip.
Kankuro could tell that she was still a little on the sensitive side regarding that little incident at the Barbeque place. He sighed inwardly as he felt her muscles bunch up in anger under his touch. "Difficult woman!" grouched the sand nin privately.
The blonde slid back into her chair but the man didn't move his hand from its resting place. Ino glanced over at the puppeteer who was frowning slightly at the Hokage.
"Isn't there someone else who could take her place?" Kankuro growled softly at the woman.
Ino picked up the undertone in Kankuro's voice. He was seriously worried about her coming on this mission with him… why?
Tsunade frowned back at the young man in the kabuki make-up.
He was direct, this one. He was also nobody's fool… just like his brother.
She was impressed that he had sensed that there was more to this mission than met the eye. Tsunade decided that it would be best to use plain speaking and get the mission briefing completed as quickly as possible.
"No – there is not." replied the woman baldly. "The Anbu recently intercepted one of Orochimaru's spies in possession of sensitive documents pertaining to shinobis from this village who have bloodline limits."
"It was discovered from extensive interrogation of the spy, that Orochimaru has moved his base of operations to somewhere near his village."
"We need to infiltrate the sound village without arousing suspicion and determine what information that bastard has already secured to this point."
The puppeteer gave the Hokage a long look of consideration, slowly digesting the information.
He could see why the older woman would be reluctant to use any male shinobi from the leaf village on this mission. They would be easy targets – especially with Orochimaru already in possession of the Uchiha bloodline limit of the Sharingan.
Tsunade looked at the blonde kuniochi and nodded before continuing. "Ino's ability to temporarily transfer into another person's body makes her perfect for a mission of this nature." The Hokage's gaze drifted over to the sand shinobi and confirmed his gut feeling with her next comment. "We need someone who is unknown to Orochimaru's organization and can gather information without arousing suspicion."
Kankuro removed his outstretched hand from Ino's arm and the blonde felt herself feeling a little sad at the sudden loss of the comfort his warmth offered.
"So, what's our cover?" asked the sand shinobi in a dangerously soft voice.
Tsunade raised her eyebrow at the tone and replied "This mission is going to be a chance for you two to get better acquainted… You are going to be traveling undercover as Yukio and Ayame Sakamoto - a young couple on your honeymoon."
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The Hokage carefully held back the evil grin she felt itching to burst forth at any moment. The loud-mouthed blonde looked like she just went into some sort of catatonic trance at the news. She silently sympathized with her… having had the dubious pleasure of the Kazekage's company from time to time - she could imagine this past week had been no cake walk for Ino having to deal with the puppeteer.
The incident in the Korean Barbeque place was slowly becoming infamous. The sand nin had only been in the village a few hours but had already managed to cause trouble for the blonde kuniochi.
Tsunade had heard from the village grapevine that the young woman had successfully hid out in the family flower shop for a week to wait it out before the puppeteer had tracked her down.
She was shrewd enough to recognize a certain amount of mutual attraction was going on between the two nins. Tsunade wasn't blind to the fact that Kankuro had just tried to actively dissuade her from sending Ino on this particular mission. She frowned slightly at the large man in the kabuki make up. Her decision stood – the puppeteer better get used to it!
Besides - the young woman would be better protected by someone who actually cared about her. The older woman slid over the documents they needed for the mission and two scrolls. Tsunade told them to sign one of the documents she gave them then she gestured to the scrolls and said "You'll use the scrolls to directly communicate any information you discover in the sound village regarding Orochimaru's activities to me."
The Hokage leaned forward on her desk and pinned the puppeteer with a piercing look.
"At the first sign of trouble – you need to leave the village. I can't have you two running the risk of getting injured on a simple information gathering mission."
"It's goes without saying that there is an imperative need to blend in as much as possible."
Kankuro finally understood why he had been specifically requested for this mission. He nodded in response to the unspoken directive.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair and opened up a drawer on her desk. Ino could see her fishing around for something. She was further puzzled when she saw the Hokage pull out a small draw-string bag and shake out two small round objects. The blonde's view of the contents of the bag was blocked by another more intriguing view of Kankuro's broad back and tight backside as he leaned forward to retrieve the items Tsunade held out to him.
The sand shinobi sat back down in his chair and turned slightly to face the blonde woman seated beside him. Ino felt him pick up her right hand and was perplexed to see the normally infuriating man blushing profusely as he slid something onto one of her fingers.
She looked down at her hand and returned the puppeteer's embarrassed look with one of her own. Damn it! I'm blushing now! She knew it was all part of the charade they had to play but it felt very intimate and real to her. Ino wasn't blind to the fact that Kankuro seemed deeply affected by this simple exchange of rings. The blonde took the other ring from the sand nin's suspiciously trembling hand and returned the favor by sliding his ring onto his outstretched fingers.
Kankuro looked back at the Hokage to see that one watching the proceedings with a great deal of interest.
"Anything else?" grouched the puppeteer. He knew he was being rude but at this point, he couldn't care less. The sooner they wind up this stupid briefing, the quicker they could flee back to their prospective holes in the walls to get ready to depart.
"Yes – be ready to leave tomorrow morning… and dress appropriately." replied Tsunade
She slid a small envelope onto the table and added "This has your accommodation information as well as money for general expenses."
Kankuro leaned over again and retrieved the envelope. He knew Ino was checking his butt out – he could feel those blue eyes of hers burning his flesh. The sand nin silently cursed to himself. He was blushing again… he could feel his face burning up!
Kankuro quickly scooped up the envelope and swung his head around to give the blonde a scowl.
Ino gave a little shrug in response and grinned like an idiot. Boy – did she get royally busted for checking him out! She couldn't help it that he had such a fine behind.
"You ready to leave?" Kankuro softly growled to the blonde.
The young woman nodded her response but the puppeteer wasn't watching. He had slung up that puppet of his onto his back and stalked over to the door – flinging it open with such force that the poor thing reverberated on its frame.
The two women followed the man's exit in silence with their eyes – then waited until they couldn't hear his footsteps echoing in the hallway outside the office.
Tsunade looked at the younger woman and grinned evilly. It certainly looked like these two will be evenly matched… the young man possessed a temper it seemed. Unlike his two siblings – it looked like it just took a little longer to rile the man up.
"You can go too… good luck, Ino." replied the Hokage.
The older woman watched her leave the room before she gave into the urge to laugh uncontrollably.
Oh – if only she could be a fly on the wall for this particular mission!
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Ino stepped out into the early morning sunshine and turned slightly when she felt a pair of eyes quietly assessing her from the direction of the wall. She looked over and wasn't surprised to see the puppeteer waiting for her.
"You stalking me now?" asked the young woman, frowning at the large man.
"No… nothing as exciting as all that." grinned the puppeteer then continued "I'm waiting to walk you home. We have a few things we need to talk about before we leave tomorrow morning."
Ino continued to frown at Kankuro then slowly nodded her agreement. He was right – damn his kabuki-covered hide! They did need to get a few things sorted out before they headed out on this wretched mission of the Hokage's.
He waited until the blonde starting to walk in the direction of her apartment before falling into step beside her. It was the safest place to walk… he didn't think he could handle watching her swing that fine ass of hers all the way to her place!
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The journey to her apartment was a silent one and Ino was secretly relieved. Although she was normally quite talkative, being in close proximity to the sand nin robbed her of all ability to speak right now.
She opened the door and gestured for the large man to follow her inside. Kankuro walked directly over to the sofa in the living room and propped Karasu beside him as he watched her close the front door. Ino then walked over to the kitchen to idly stroke the tulips there before joining him. The sand shinobi turned away from the scene and quickly swallowed the evil grin playing along his firm lips. He didn't miss the wistful look that appeared on her face as she dragged one manicured finger softly down the side of one of the blooms.
If that's what it took to put that particular look on her face – he would buy her flowers on a regular basis! Now – if only he could get her to drag her fingers willingly down his flesh like that. Yes – he was being a pervert again! Kankuro sighed to himself. It was kind of hard not to think these dirty thoughts around her. She really brought out the worst in him.
The sand nin looked down at the small metal band on his hand, bringing his mind back to one of the things they needed to address. He was surprised to feel a curiously sharp and oddly possessive need flash through him at the mere thought of being around this young woman on a permanent basis.
The puppeteer waited for Ino to sit down before he started to discuss his concerns with her regarding this mission of theirs.
"I will be honest with you, Ino… I'm not thrilled about the idea of you being my partner for this mission…" started Kankuro, only to be interrupted by an irate Ino.
"I don't need a big make-up wearing jerk like you telling me which missions I should or should not take!" bristled the blonde kuniochi.
Great! Just wonderful… she's gone on the defensive. The sand nin sighed to himself and thought privately that this little chat of theirs was now going to take a lot more time than he originally planned. He was thinking of the best way to explain his concerns to the young woman without getting her all bent out of shape, when a part of his brain screeched to a halt as it finally digested what she had just said to him.
He stood up suddenly, effectively knocking his puppet from its resting spot and glared down at the young blonde harridan sitting on the matching sofa with her arms firmly crossed, staring daggers at him. He didn't even hear Karasu hit the floor - the blood was roaring so fast through his head and he visibly bristled at the insult she just handed him.
"Did you just say I wore make-up?" asked the puppeteer in a deceptively soft voice.
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Ino realized her mistake immediately when she heard that particular tone in his voice.
The young woman looked up quickly at the man's face to see a large vein throbbing ominously at his temple. Ino then swallowed to try to dislodge the hard lump forming at the back of her throat.
She had unknowingly struck a nerve and the man was furious with her.
Initially - Ino's sole concern was to try and calm down the man before he erupted.
It was always the quiet ones you had to watch!
Without considering the possible consequences of her actions, she stood up directly in front of the puppeteer and placed a small hand on his chest to both steady herself and to try to calm down the large bristling male.
She felt the shocks all the way up her arm and felt her body go into overdrive at the contact. Ino raised a startled face up to Kankuro's own equally stunned features, and accidentally brushed her lips with his. She felt the large nin go rigid for a moment before she felt herself being hauled into a wall of pure muscle. Ino draped her arms around the puppeteer's shoulders in an effort to prevent herself from falling backwards and onto her rump. Kankuro had ceased to think ever since she touched his chest – pure instinct had now kicked in and taken control of the situation. He took advantage of the blonde's new position and moved in for the kill. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with all the pent up passion she was making him feel. At first he was angry with her but that emotion quickly switched to something else entirely when he felt her return his kisses in earnest.
Kankuro felt the cat-hood slide off his head and gave a low groan when he felt her hands roving through his hair. One of his hands slid up the blonde's back and plucked the hair band out of her hair, releasing the pony tail. The puppeteer stopped kissing her long enough to survey his handiwork before he felt himself being unceremoniously wrenched back to the task at hand. He was tempted to chuckle evilly at her telling action but wisely refrained. There was no way he was going to do something that stupid. The last thing he wanted at this point was for her to stop kissing him!
She was everything he imagined she would be but he was beginning to see that the reality of having her in his arms was far better than any fantasy he could dream up.
Her hair felt like fine strands of silk as he slid his hand through the golden mass. It was so soft and fine. A thought crossed his mind and he frowned slightly. This can't be very comfortable for her… They were still standing… well, he was standing and she was dangling from his body. Kankuro grinned wolfishly at that thought. She could cling to him anytime she wanted!
He slid his large hand lower down her body and gathered her close before he sat back down to the sofa. Ino was now curled against him, resting on his chest but she had yet to stop kissing him!
Ahhh – this was so much better! He could definitely get used to this!
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It was a while before Kankuro finally decided to let the dazed blonde in his lap up for air.
The puppeteer looked down at his handiwork with smug satisfaction and found himself immensely pleased with the results.
He had been initially concerned that they would be unable to successfully pull off the roles they had been forced to play for this mission. It wasn't a question of attraction that had worried him but the fact that she was still fighting that attraction.
I should get mad at her more often! I could certainly get used to her methods of calming me down…
Kankuro grinned wolfishly to himself. This was turning out better than he had hoped!
He had been a little skeptical at first when the Hokage had mentioned that they would be masquerading as a newly-wed couple but he was definitely warming up to the idea!
Ino tugged on him to bring him back for more kisses but the puppeteer with a small smile on his face shook his head at the young woman. As much as he would prefer to keep kissing her, Kankuro also knew that he was in danger of doing the thing that he had joked about in his report to the Kazekage. Aside from the risk of incurring Gaara's wrath, he really didn't want to rush into things with Ino and run the risk of screwing things up with her. As delightful as this diversion was, Kankuro knew that they still needed to talk about the mission.
The puppeteer placed one hand behind his head and sheepishly said, "I was actually worried that we wouldn't be able to pull off this charade of being newly-weds, Ino but you managed to put my mind at ease."
The blonde leaned back and looked floored. How did she get it all so very wrong?
"I'm sorry… I thought the reason you didn't want me on the mission was because you didn't think I could do a good job." replied the kuniochi, a little embarrassed.
Kankuro frowned slightly at that comment and quickly tried to put her mind at ease. "No, Ino – It's not that at all. I'm concerned this is going to be a dangerous mission. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, that's all."
The blonde scowled at that. "You're being a little overprotective, don't you think?" Ino gave the frowning man a long considered look, then continued speaking. "I'm a Shinobi… last time I checked, the whole danger thing came as part of the job description."
Kankuro groaned slightly at that statement and brought the blonde woman's head closer to his so their foreheads were touching. Ino could tell the puppeteer wasn't happy with that statement and was about to push herself off his lap in disgust when she heard the sand nin sigh in resignation and quietly reply, "Ino… I know its part of what we are but it doesn't make it easier for me to deal with - especially when I care a great deal for you."
When was the last time she heard a man tell her that they cared for her – enough to worry about her safety? Hmmph… try never.
She pulled her head back slightly and looked into the puppeteer's eyes. The sincerity she saw mirrored in their dark depths made her heart do strange things.
When the man wasn't being a bastard and making her life a living hell, he could be amazingly sweet when the mood suited him.
The blonde just had a sudden evil thought and grinned at the puppeteer. Kankuro's eyes narrowed at the sudden change in her facial expression. Now, what was she thinking?
The sand nin had to fight down the evil smirk that threatened to burst forth when he heard Ino ask, "Kankuro, can we just keep kissing? ...then maybe you can show me some of the things you mentioned in that note of yours?" He didn't miss the wistful note in her voice or the hopeful gleam in her eyes. Kankuro gave the young woman a sly little smile before bending down to claim her lips with his own. He heard her breath hitch in her throat and thought to himself that if he had a choice between talking about the mission and what he was now doing - he would rather do what she suggested. He would be a fool to pass up an opportunity to keep kissing Ino, especially when she was more than willing.
Besides – they could probably get more than enough chance to discuss the mission in the coming days.
Kankuro gathered the young woman close to him and stood up. He sighed wistfully to himself. There was probably going to be Hell to pay later if this continues to its natural conclusion… The sand nin then mentally shrugged off that minor concern. He would worry about that when they finally crossed that particular bridge.
He looked down at the blonde in his arms and gave her one last chance to change her mind. "You sure about this?" asked the puppeteer, quirking an eyebrow.
Ino felt her face go fiery red and she knew she was suddenly incapable of saying anything, so she merely nodded her agreement.
Kankuro gave Ino another soul shattering kiss before he whispered something in her ear. The kuniochi blushed shyly and pointed to a nearby door.
He opened the door to her bedroom and saw the rose beside the bed. He groaned to himself. A part of him was close to losing control now that he knew that she had probably fallen asleep last night caressing that damn rose. He swallowed his groan and softly closed the door behind him and walked towards the bed.
The puppeteer gently placed the blonde woman down on the silken covers. Ino marveled how handsome he was without the hood to cover up that glorious russet-brown hair of his. Even though he still wore his kabuki makeup, she could tell that he looked like an older version of his brother, the Kazekage.
Kankuro was about to move away from her, when Ino placed a small hand on his cheekbone.
Before she closed her lips over his, she murmured "You still owe me dinner, you know." The sand nin chuckled evilly at that comment and returned her kisses in earnest.
I owe her a lot more than dinner… Kankuro privately thought, trying to hold back a naughty grin.
In the meantime though - he would gladly settle for exploring just a few of the things he wanted to do to her in that note of his…
