Chapter Four : Captain Drooled on my Pants
"What are you doing here?" Kankuro stared blankly at the konoichi who had thrown her hair back up into familiar buns.
She smiled at his surprise and brushed past him, not bothering to explain her presence.
Kankuro raised an eyebrow up at her. She wasn't wearing her usual green vest, just some comfortable clothes. Comfortable clothes that definitely looked like pajamas.
"You don't snore, do you, Concussion Boy?" she asked as she helped herself to a glass of water.
"What?" Kankuro stared at her thoroughly confused at her question. What the hell was she doing here?
"They test us before we make Genin and every year thereafter, does Suna not do those kinds of sleep tests? No one who snores is allowed to be a ninja." She replaced the glass on the counter and looked neutrally at him.
"Same here in Suna," he answered still uncertain, "Why? you plan on sleeping with me?" he perked up making several steps closer to her. Tenten put one index finger on her nose and one index finger in the air pointed at him.
"Do you have a sleeping bag? I didn't bring one."
Kankuro's shoulders dropped. That wasn't what I had in mind.
"My bed is big enough for both of us don't worry," he gave a wicked smile and tried to close the gap between them. She shifted around him and simply stated:
"I'll ask Gaara."
"He is already asleep."
The konoichi was undeterred however, and Kankuro watched as she opened the hall closet and jumped to reach the sleeping bag that was located on the top shelf. He walked over to the hopping konoichi and simply extended an arm to grab it off the top shelf. He made sure to brush his body to hers as he stood behind her and offered her the prize sleeping bag.
"Thanks," she stated plainly, obviously trying hard not to be effected by his presence. He smiled; this was going to be too much fun.
.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
"This is disturbing." Tenten stated matter-of-factly and rounded on Kankuro, who stood leaning in the doorway of his room smiling with triumph. In every corner of his room there were puppet parts in various stages of repair lining his room to the gills. There was no room to put the sleeping bag, except of course on the large oversized bed which just happened to be the only place there was space. His room was not dirty, just cluttered with his stuff as he had no actual workshop to repair his marionettes. The sight before him, he did have to admit, looked more like a graveyard of parts lifelessly packed together end to end. It really was kind of creepy.
"Ok," Tenten threw her sleeping bag on the bed and lifted the torso of one of the puppets off of the ground. "Help me move these guys to the living room so I can have some space to sleep."
Kankuro shook his head. "Not a chance, if Gaara wakes up and trips over those in the middle of the night, he is going to have a shit-fit. No way, they stay here."
"Well if Gaara is going to wake up in the middle of the night, why doesn't he just check on you?" Her question was honest and sincere, not accusing.
"On the off chance that he will get sleep, he needs to get it and not worry about waking me up." Kankuro explained hoping he wouldn't have to provide her with nasty details about Gaara being a former demon vessel.
"Oh. Right." She said catching on. She gazed at his four-poster captain's bed and almost drooled. It was an enormous bed, probably the biggest one she had ever seen. The bed was neatly made, which she admitted, surprised her. She had never seen one quite like it before. It was crafted out of what looked like walnut and seemed quite expensive as it had intricate carvings and was obviously hand made.
She acceded throwing out the sleeping bag on top of the bed. "Try anything and I will drool on you." She warned with a pointed finger to the ninja who tried to look innocent as he threw both hands in the air at her remark.
She leapt on the bed and starting jumping up and down on it like a three-year-old. "Can I borrow some socks? I forgot mine."
Kankuro smiled at her need to give into the sudden childish antic. He couldn't help but chuckle.
He grabbed some socks out of his drawers and threw them at her. She fell to the bed, slipped them on and scrambled under the covers before stating a quick 'good night.'
Kankuro took off his shirt and pants and burrowed himself under his covers. "That is Gaara's sleeping bag, if you drool in it, you will have to answer to him."
"That explains the sand."
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o
Tenten got out of her sleeping bag and crawled over to the edge of the bed. Yawning from only getting a few hours of rest she rolled the shoulder she had been sleeping on. A shiver bolted threw her spine: she didn't realize how cold she was. She swiped at some sand covering her and moved on to waking up Kankuro. She walked over to the sleeping wall of meat and shook his shoulders trying to rouse him. Nothing. She rolled him over onto his back. Years of having to wake up Lee for the same thing, she knew exactly how to get his attention. She promptly grabbed his nose and pinched it shut.
She waited a few moments then realized that he had just completely stopped breathing.
Oh shit.
She let go and scrambled on top of him, she leaned in close only to feel a faint hot breath of air against her cheek. He was breathing, but barely. Okay odd, maybe he was just messing with her.
"Kankuro, I swear to Kame if you are screwing with me, I will kill you! Wake up!" she threatened, shaking his shoulders.
She wasn't prepared for what happened next. He took in a deep breath and opened his eyes wide. It gave her just enough time to realize two things: that he did not remember she was there, and that he thought she was attacking him. His next movements were a blur: she was on her back with him on top of her with one massive hand over her mouth and one over her throat pressing down. Her eyes popped open with fear: she was totally at his mercy.
He released the hand from around her throat only to click on the bedside lamp.
"Tenten?"
She drew up from her position on the bed gasping for air once he withdrew his other hand.
"Why are you sleeping on my bed?"
"Because apparently I have a death wish," she sputtered grabbing at her now sore neck.
"Why are you sleeping on my bed?" he repeated as she climbed into his lap to check his eyes. He let her, not knowing what was going on.
"You got a concussion yesterday, I am here to make sure you wake up every few hours and don't slip into a comma." She shined her flashlight in each eye and made him follow her fingers as she directed them back and forth. "You remember now?" He slowly nodded at the very serious girl straddling him right now. Normally, any girl he knew would be blushing at the realization of how very suggestive this all was: he half naked on his bed with her sitting so casually in his lap. She leaned back. "Good," she smiled climbing off of him. "I will wake you up in about two hours, try to get some sleep and try not to kill me when I wake you up." She kept her tone friendly yet serious and threw a serious wave of a finger before busing herself with ridding the sleeping bag of more sand.
Was there a whole damn dune in here? She made a note never to borrow any of the Kazekage's things.
"Why are you sleeping on my bed?" he asked a third time.
"Sorry, there is no room on the floor." She offered that as a reply as she shook her sleeping bag out to rid it of excess sand. "No way am I sleeping on the couch and having Gaara wake me up if he can't sleep."
"No," Kankuro shook his head. "Why aren't you under the covers with me? If you slept next to me and tried to wake me up I wouldn't try to kill you."
"Wait, what?" Tenten suddenly asked incredulously. "You're kidding right?"
Kankuro shrugged his shoulders then clicked the small table side lamp off.
After he settled himself down, he could hear her mutter curses and throw the sleeping bag to the ground and move underneath the sheets and heavy blanket. He was surprised that she hadn't asked for another blanket for herself…his room was quite chilly.
He waited until she got herself comfy before he reached out with two strong arms and hauled her with an 'eep' to his chest. She was frigged against him and he reached for her to take her hair out.
"I got it."
She settled down into his arm, her hair now taken out of its buns. She placed her extra hair ties around her wrists next to the other two currently there to help wake her up when the circulation cut off the blood supply.
He pulled her again against his massive frame and he noted that it took her some time before completely relaxing. He wrapped his arm around her ribcage possessively pulling her closer to him yet and let out a caveman like grunt of approval at how nicely she fit nestled at his side. He liked it.
She squirmed slightly beneath him trying to regain a sense of comfort.
"I wouldn't wiggle so much if I were you."
"Oh, please," she grumbled, propping herself up on her elbows, flinging her hair out of her face and plopping herself back down.
He tightened his grip on her for a moment and whispered warningly into her ear, "I mean it. Stop."
He relaxed and let himself take in the clean smell of her hair. She turned over to face him, putting more space in between them.
"I'm sorry." She blurted out, her cold hands pressed against his chest.
"Not your fault," he snuggled closer to her knowing she was talking about the concussion he received from her former teammate.
She rested her head on his bicep and breathed a sigh into his chest tickling his chest hairs. Lost in their own thoughts, they drifted off.
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
Kankuro suddenly came to, with a guttural yell as he shifted forward sitting up. He was sweating and breathing rapidly as he pulled himself from the clutches of a dream. It had been too real. He thrashed on his bed, re-evaluating the scene as it unfolded before him.
"Whoa! Take it easy!" Tenten jumped up from his bed, diplomatically raising her arms showing him she meant no harm.
Kankuro was trying hard to catch his breath. He was practically swimming in a pool of his own sweat, his sheets drenched. He threw the covers back to evaluate the scene, almost to check to see that they were indeed alone. The sleeping bag was on the floor, he didn't even know what exactly was going on. What had he done?
"Kankuro?" Tenten asked. Kankuro directed himself to the konoichi whose hair was flowing down at her sides in a silent testament to where she had been momentarily.
"You okay?" She was peering at him cautiously like he had just claimed to see a ghost or the Easter Bunny.
She looked worried for him: like she knew.
"I have nightmares too," she offered quietly, climbing beside him on the bed. Very tenderly she hugged his shoulders and drew his sweaty forehead into her chest. He was completely comforted as he allowed himself to be consoled by the konoichi he thought he was doing other horrific things to only a moment ago. Kankuro had never had anyone offer him such solace.
She continued to sooth him, cooing that they weren't real, they were only nightmares that couldn't harm him-he was safe now.
She whispered that she was here and everything would be okay.
He gripped her arm tightly as if trying to ground himself to this reality, his breath still heaving like liquid lead in his chest. "I didn't hurt you?" came from his mouth in a ghost of a whisper.
"Shhh, course not," she calmly confirmed back.
"Don't go." He fought himself to tell her not to leave him again.
"Shhhhh," she whispered into his hair once more, "I won't leave until you tell me to."
"Promise?" he labouredly breathed against her, against the head of the bed, against his lungs that couldn't seem to draw in enough oxygen in this reality.
Tenten squeezed his shoulders tighter to reassure him. "Promise."
o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
The morning sun came with a kinked neck and cursing. Kankuro had his head on Tenten's lap and Tenten had hers jarred against the headboard in an awkward position.
Some how, Tenten was able to detach herself from the drooling ninja with out so much as a twitchy nuzzle as she replaced herself from his grasp with a pillow. She covered him up with the blanket and sneaked her way towards the kitchen.
Gaara was pouring himself some tea when she came out and inspected the small dark drool spot on her hip.
She tried her best to brush it off, hoping that somehow that the liquid that had absorbed into her pants could be erased with a simple swipe of her hands.
"Your stupid brother drooled on me," she said by way of explanation taking the cup of tea that Gaara offered her wordlessly. "I hope this doesn't mean I will catch an STD," she smiled up at the Kazekage who was trying to fight his own face from suddenly splitting into an evil grin, "or rabies." She winked up at him as she caught him trying to hide it in a forceful sip of his tea. Tenten was impressed the way he hid his smile with the cup, but the look of glee in his eyes was unmistakable.
"I trust my brother slept well," Gaara's monotone voice was back in full force, but the smile still tugged at the corners of his mouth.
She sighed, unable to explain. For the last part, yes: for the first part, no.
She answered him with a simple shrug of her shoulders.
"Nightmares." It wasn't a question. The Kazekage, Kankuro's brother, was giving her the reason for his interrupted sleep. She nodded.
"Kankuro is due for boarder patrol this evening; can you take his shift until Ino has a chance to give him medical clearance?"
"What time?"
"From five to nine," Gaara said and offered her some Chanko Nabe, a favorite of Kankuro's, sent up from wherever the hell the Kazekage got all of his food ordered: all she knew was it certainly wasn't cooked by Temari.
"I'ma take a pass on this," Tenten closed one eye in calculation, "and pick up something from a vendor down the street instead of eating leftovers from last night."
Gaara nodded. At least spending the night with his brother hadn't altered the woman's sanity.