Hey! I'm back! Finally!

Here's chap. 29!!!

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Kankuro opened the door to the sound of Ukon's swearing.

"Fucking hell, why the fuck does this shit always happen and this bitch of a—"

Kankuro threw his jacket over the couch right next to the door and looked at his lover. "Ukon?"

The virtvision was on across from the couch, on a music channel, and electro-metal was pounding through the small speakers that hung in the corners of the room. Some guy in ripped jeans and a rainbow t-shirt was screaming at the camera with fake rain pouring down around him. The dreary cold light from the small slits that served as windows made the cracks and shadowy dents in the wall show up sharp, the bluish light of the virtvision flickering over the off-white paint.

Ukon was standing in the kitchen corner, looking pale. There was a pot on the oven, and Kankuro could see beads of moisture pearling on the lid – his lover had just cooked. The lightbulb hanging over the stove was on, and steaming hot water was running in the sink.

Kankuro saw the packet of pills then, and kicked off his shoes in one motion as he crossed the living room. He snatched up the remote control for the virtvision and muted the blaring music. Ukon shuddered and leaned hard on the stove, thankfully missing the still glowing burner.

Kankuro reached him and put an arm around him tightly, muttering, "Fuck, Ukon, you know that you shouldn't take ExxU! You fucking promised me!"

Ukon's hands slid under Kankuro's t-shirt and settled on his hips, tightening their clammy cold grip. He was wearing cut-off denim shorts and a baggy sweatshirt, and his eyes were wide and frightened, his pupils dilated almost completely. "Fuck, Kankuro--"

Kankuro held him tight, grabbing the silver foil packet of small brown pills and throwing them into the trash with a vicious jerk of his free hand. He managed to bend down and open the fridge, and yanked out a plastic pack of bread. "Fuck, fuck, fuck – here, come on, eat something, I'll get you some water--"

Ukon shook his head violently. "No, I'll be okay, I just need to sit down, it's okay, it's okay." His breathing was coming in fast hard gasps, and his trembling got even worse.

Kankuro got a chunk of the bread ripped off, and forced it between Ukon's lips, his eyes narrowing. "Ukon, you are eating, okay? You are eating, then you're drinking, you're lying down, and then you're fucking explaining why the hell you got yourself ExxU!"

He regretted shouting immediately, seeing Ukon spasm and feeling the hands on his ribs tighten. The silver-haired man swallowed the bread, his shoulders heaving. Kankuro helped him lean over the sink. "Just--"

Ukon's body spasmed again, his hands clawing into Kankuro's skin and his eyes closing tight. He managed a "Shit--" before vomiting.

Kankuro let him go, letting him get rid of all of the drug and the drink that he'd no doubt had with it. He got a glass from the cupboard above the fridge and poured some water from the fridge into it, watching Ukon out of the corner of his eye.

Finally, the silver-haired man managed to stand upright, and splashed some of the still running scalding water onto his face, still trembling and sweaty. Kankuro handed him the water, and he gulped it down, making his uncertain way to the couch.

Kankuro turned the virtvision off. The room darkened immediately. He picked his shoes up from where he'd left them, tossing them to the strip of dark carpet where the rest of their shoes were. Standing at the mess of boots and sneakers, he slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned against the door.

Ukon had crawled onto the couch. His hands were white around the glass of water and he had pulled his knees to his chest. He glanced up at Kankuro and gave him a shaky grin. "Hell, man."

Kankuro took a deep breath. It made no sense to shout, it made no sense to shout, it made no sense to shout, it made no fucking sense to shout! "What the fuck were you thinking?"

Ukon jumped and cringed at the same time, but straightened up right away. He shrugged, sullen now that the worst was over.

Kankuro looked to the ceiling for support. He let out a shaky sigh that turned into a growl midway through, and punched the door so hard that it shook in its hinges. "Ukon, you promised me. You swore you'd quit it. If it had been weed, Valium – anything but ExxU, I wouldn't have cared. But ExxU. Why do you do this? You know it could kill you! Do you think this is funny, making me--"

Ukon threw his glass at the wall. "Kankuro!" The glass shattered and tinkled to the floor.

Kankuro caught himself. He took a few calming breaths and ran a hand through his hair, the other rubbing at his mouth. "Ukon, you just – You just push the limit too often."

Ukon shook his head violently. "No. Don't talk like that."

"Well, what am I supposed to talk like? Oh, it's fine, you can try out ExxU any day, you were just fucking addicted to it a few years ago, it doesn't matter that you could have a backlash and go into a coma! It's fucking perfect! Awesome! Just have your fun with it, Ukon! Just go ahead and risk it! Nevermind that you could fucking die."

"Kankuro! You don't get it, okay? Just---stop."

Kankuro swore something, and stormed into the bedroom. He stripped out of his t-shirt and threw on a loose sweatshirt. In the living room the virtvision started again.

Kankuro sat down on the edge of the bed and let out a deep breath. He covered his face with his hands and just breathed for a while, letting his heart calm down.

Ukon had done this before.

Kankuro knew he didn't understand it, knew that he couldn't. Ukon had a history with drugs, and ExxU had ruled his life for a long time. Kankuro had never been addicted to anything serious, and he couldn't understand Ukon's sporadic need for the pills.

It worried him beyond measure, though, and his heart had skipped a beat each time he'd come home to a pale, trembling man that clung to him like a child.

Kankuro swallowed hard and got up. He walked back to the living room and sat down on the couch.

Ukon looked at him and muttered, "It won't happen again."

Kankuro wanted to point out that Ukon had said that each precedent time, but he had calmed down enough now to know that that wouldn't improve the situation at all.

He stared at the screen. There was a new electro-metal song on; this time the singer was a girl.

Ukon turned it off, and there was a sudden silence in the coldly lit room.

Kankuro grimaced. "Ah, fuck it. Just--- please, don't ever do that again." He grabbed Ukon and pulled him close, holding him tight.

Ukon laughed and muttered acidly, "Kankuro, I just barfed."

Kankuro sighed. "Ukon, I don't always have sex on my mind, you know."

Ukon shrugged. "But most of the time."

Kankuro kissed his cheek roughly. "Are you okay now?"

Ukon nodded. "Yeah. It's almost all gone."

They were quiet, Ukon unabashedly holding on to him. His eyes glittered underneath his lashes, and his lipstick was smudged. His piercings jangled whenever he shifted, and gleamed in the cool glow of the afternoon light. His skin had lost most of its pallor, though his heartbeat was still erratic against Kankuro's arm.

After a silent, warm eternity, Ukon untangled himself and tugged Kankuro to his feet. He left him standing in the bedroom, and Kankuro could hear him brushing his teeth at lightning speed – ah shit, they still needed to clean up the broken glass...

Ukon reappeared, and the light of the bathroom behind him, falling in an even rectangle over the carpet, vanished with a sharp click. "The food should still be warm." He murmured.

Kankuro shook his head.

Ukon grinned slowly. "Aha."

"Now that you've brushed your teeth, I might just be --"

"Thinking of sex?"

"Only if you really feel all right."

"I still feel a bit out of it, but if you go easy on me, it'll probably even make me feel better."

Kankuro chuckled, Ukon wriggled out of his shorts, and they ended up on the bed in a tangle of warm limbs and skin.

He nuzzled Ukon's neck, muttering, "Don't, please don't, scare me like that. Not ever again."

Ukon wrapped his legs around him. "I won't."

"Promise?"

"Yeah-- Kankuro! What-- oh fuck, do that again--"

°

"Augh."

"Busy day?"

"Kind of."

Tenten was wearing tight jeans and a pink tank top over nothing; her creamy skin was smooth and inviting in the bluish light, her hipbones sharp and a slim dark line disappearing into the thick denim of her pants. The pink stretchy top ended just above the dimple of her bellybutton, and her nipples were taut and erect beneath it, the coolness of the kitchen raising the light hair on her arms. Her buns were up in blue silk and magenta cords, the fabric flashing in the dim kitchen.

She had made up her eyes with eyeliner in a Southeastern style, the sweeping lines of silvery-blue making them even longer and more slanted. Her eyelashes were curved up with white mascara, and her lips gleamed a filmy pink. Her earrings were round blue studs.

She spoke again. "What did you have to do?"

Of all things about Tenten, Temari liked her throat the most. Whenever the girl spoke, the tiny hollow between her collarbones shifted, and the shadows played over her neck, sliding up and carving over her jaw.

Temari was sitting at her little kitchen fold-out table, watching Tenten pour rum into their tea.

It was Wednesday; Wednesdays were her favorite. She could leave work early, and oftener than not Tenten was waiting for her at home. She didn't have a key, but she said that Temari's stairwell was warmer than the Konoha and that she didn't mind waiting... Temari had been planning on getting her a key, but in a way she didn't want to.

It had nothing to do with distrust. Temari didn't like the meaning an act like giving a key to someone had. And besides, she liked coming home to Tenten sitting on the steps. "Ah, just simulations and such. Pretty boring fiddle-stuff."

Tenten handed her a mug of alcohol-smelling tea. "Oh."

Temari watched her sit down. "What about you?"

Tenten made a face. "Nothing much happened. The Konoha was absolutely deserted, and I really couldn't find anything to do, so I thought... why not go to Temari's... got nothing better to do..."

Temari laughed.

The black-haired girl rolled her eyes and muttered. "Oh man."

"What?"

"I told you about Sasuke, right?"

"Broody?"

"Yeah. So anyway, it seems he had a fight with his mysterious lover. And he stormed off around noon today looking like he had murder on his mind."

Temari laughed.

Tenten wrinkled her nose. "On second thought, though, that was halfway my fault."

Temari took a sip of her tea, smiling. Tenten was just so... something.

The girl drank her tea slowly and quietly.

Temari liked her hands, too. She had long, slender fingers, and today the nails were painted a bright blue. She gestured with them whenever she talked, but not in the hectic, birdlike way that many women did – she moved them languorously and easily, completely confident in her own ability to catch people's attention and hold it.

They made it to the bedroom after finishing the tea, and Temari felt the soft smooth skin under her hands shiver in the cold --

Afterwards, Tenten murmured, "Do you mind?"

Temari was tracing her tattoo. "Mind what?"

"My job."

They had been frank about Tenten's occupation, weeks ago already. "No."

"Good."

Temari kissed the rising curve of a pale breast. "Should I care?"

Tenten let out a breathless laugh. "Stop! That tickles – I don't know whether you should."

Temari looked at her.

Tenten's eyeliner was smeared, and she held her gaze with a sardonic half-smile playing about her lips.

Temari sighed. "Let's watch virtvision."

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Okay, FILLER. But it was good against writer's block!!!

PLEASE review.