Chapter Thirteen: The Path to a Woman's Heart
Gaara had a problem. A deep, unsolvable problem. At least unsolvable by him. That wasn't an issue he had often, which made this problem particularly tricky.
Cordelia sat on the sofa in his office using an end table as her desk. She sat with her butt poked out towards him as her right arm leaned on the arm of the sofa, her right hand up as she twirled her pen again in such a well-practiced, elegant manner. Her tongue stuck out between her teeth and lower lip before she sucked it back in, chewing on her lower lip instead. Her pen twirling slowed as she took a heaving breath in, drawing his gaze to her large breasts that heaved with her. He felt his lips part a little as his jaw relaxed a little. He imagined nestling his face in the small crack where her breasts met, her soft skin against his cheeks as he breathed in her scent. Does she smell of orange there, or mint? Or is it that other exquisite smell? He remembered a story Kankuro had told him one drunken evening about one of his escapades where the woman practically smothered him, almost suffocating him as he described it, with her breasts. He thought of Cordi doing that to him, and it seemed heavenly. He saw her stretch her back, her left hand adjusting the underwire of her bra, and he had the uncomfortable urge to help her out of it.
She dropped her pencil on her table and wiped dust out of her eye before looking over at him blandly. As her dark eyes found his, and her gaze shifted from bored to curious, Gaara realized he was caught staring, and he blinked hard as he took a quick bracing breath as he looked at the door. He mentally berated himself for his sloppiness, trying to brush it off as he scratched his neck before looking back down at his paperwork. What was I doing again? he wondered as he frowned at the page.
"Are you ok?" she asked
"Hm?" He looked at her blankly, as if he had no recollection of staring at her for … shit, he didn't even know how long for.
"You were staring."
"Was I?"
She scoffed as she straightened her posture. "Yeah, you were."
He tightened his lips as he mumbled a small, "Hm," pretending to move onto a new paragraph with his pen.
He could feel her eyes still on him, and he chanced another glance at her. She was smiling at him with a weird perplexed, but entertained, expression. "Did you need something?" she asked.
Mentally he cursed himself as he realized she wouldn't let something like this go. She was naturally confrontational, unlike him. "No, I…" he started, although his brain was floundering for an excuse. He looked at her for something to blame it on, finding her cleavage again. No, I was just imagining suffocating myself in your boobs. Ugh, don't say that. But there was nothing on that wall or in that corner he could blame. He cleared his throat as he mumbled along, "I just … uhm … stray thoughts." He shook his head as he realized he was rambling. "I wasn't looking anywhere particular."
"Oh, yeah," she sighed, nodding knowingly. "I do that too." She perked up, smiling amiably at him now as she asked, "So, what about?"
"I'm sorry?"
"What were you thinking about?"
He looked at her blankly. Or guiltily, he wasn't sure. "Nothing," he blurted.
She looked at him perplexed again. "Nothing?"
He gave a mild shrug, turning back to his paperwork.
"That was some pretty intense nothing," she commented, crossing her arms under her breasts, further accentuating her impressive chest.
He pursed his lips.
She let out a light laughing sigh. "Alright then. Keep your secrets."
"Is there something I can do for you?" he almost snapped back churlishly.
"You could be honest with me," she offered pointedly.
He looked away annoyedly and went back to his paperwork.
There was silence between them for a moment, before he saw in his periphery her grab the paper she was working on between her fingertips. "Actually," she started as she stood, walking over to him. She placed the page in front of him on the desk, leaning on one hand on his desk while her other braced herself with the back of his chair. This position put her not only so incredibly close to him that he could smell the soaps she used in her shower this morning, but also propped her breasts an inch or two away from his face. His heart pounded as he chanced a look with only his eyes, seeing how perfectly they hung, held secure by a black bra. His heart thundered in his chest with either excitement or anticipation. Surely he was blushing. He could feel himself hardening a bit as he watched them jostle as she moved to point at something on the page.
"The doctor I think made a mistake on the dates. This ninja had an open appendectomy after a rupture. Now, I remember a girl from church missed her whole mission trip because her appendix ruptured the night before, and her recovery was six weeks to make sure the infection was completely gone."
He ignored her whole story, having learned early on in their work relationship that she always remembered some story that seemed to apply when it didn't. "What's your point?"
"Gaara," she scoffed as if he wasn't paying attention. He hated when she did that. "The doctor only scheduled one week approved medical leave of duty."
He shook his head. "Yes?"
"I just said a rupture takes six weeks to recover from."
"Maybe in your world," he stated in a bored tone. "My spinal surgery recovery time was only two weeks."
"Spinal surgery?" she asked, surprised and now looking at him worried.
He grumbled to himself, realizing he'd dodged that part of the story when she guessed he'd "tweaked" his back. Now he'd have to explain it. "Several discs in my back needed to be replaced due to the constant strain of …"
"Of the gourd. Geez," she filled in. But as she said it, she dipped her torso, brushing her breast against his shoulder, shooting jolts of excitement through him, finding a home in his member. "Sorry," she breathed, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder where her breast brushed against him.
He shook his head as if to tell her to forget it, but the words couldn't come out as his brain seized with excitement. Her gentle hand only threw more electric anticipation into his body, and he blushed hard that he couldn't get his thoughts under control.
She frowned at him, and asked, "Are you alright? You're really red." Before he could even comment, she pressed her hand to his forehead as if checking his temperature, just like Yashamaru would when he was sick as a child. He was certain he was going to die. "You feel a little warm, too," she added as the back of her fingers pressed against his cheek.
"I need to pee," he blurted, unsure why his addled brain chose that excuse to run with. But it startled her enough to let him push back and extricate himself from her probing.
"O-ok," she stuttered, watching him walk towards his door. "So, that ninja's only thirteen. I still think I should double check the date. Can I use your phone?"
He waved her off as he exited his office to seek the solace of his bedroom. He made his way to the penthouse quickly, then towards the back where the bedrooms were. As he strode the back hallway, he saw Cordi's bedroom door was still open.
On an impulse, he walked in.
Gaara had a problem. He'd freely admit it. To himself, not out-loud. He wasn't crazy. At least he didn't think so. Maybe his current behavior was indicative that he was.
He just wanted to understand. Who was she? Why did talking to her unsettle him, while at the same time seem so easy? Why were his fantasies currently so fixated on her? What about her made her so different from other women?
There was probably an easy answer to those questions, but his instinct said it was something more. Something that connected it all. He just didn't know what.
First, he was hit with the scent that was Cordelia Turner. Having been a jinchuriki, he had a better sense of smell than most people. Heightened senses was one of the perks of having a demon sealed within oneself, along with faster recovery, larger chakra stores, and the demon's own special ability. So, he doubted others were able to differentiate that the orange and mint scent was just the soap she used. This smell he couldn't identify, but it was something intrinsically her that under-lied all her other scents. It was a perfect balance between sweet, but salty, and refreshing. It was comforting, like coming home from a mission, and … intoxicating.
He looked around her room and determined she was messy. His room was pristine by comparison. Her bed wasn't made. She'd been living in Suna for almost three weeks now, and she was still living out of her suitcase. Her clothes were strewn about in two piles. One hidden behind the dresser, and the other by the wardrobe, flowing out of her suitcase.
While messy, she apparently had a system. He could appreciate that. Maybe she just needed a laundry hamper.
Her towel from her morning shower hung on the wardrobe knob. Her dresser now sported several framed photos that he looked at. Several of the photos were more recent. One where she and her friend, Ronnie if he wasn't mistaken, wore black robes and strange flat black caps with tassels, with her other three friends that traveled from the other world smiling with them.
Another of the five girls making weird faces at the camera, with Cordi and Ronnie clutching each other in fake terror with their legs hiked around each other; while Fred held a fist up with her pointer and pinky fingers extended, and her tongue out; while Rox was pointing at Ronnie's leg around Cordi's waist, and laughing too hard to look; and Lynne facepalming while shooting the camera a look that asked, "Are you seeing this?" The ridiculousness of the photo caused a smile to drift to his face.
He moved to the next photo where she stood with her parents and siblings he recognized from the video, even though they looked much younger, except Rox and Cordi looked almost the same as now. Maybe that was a testament to the amount of time between the videos. They were all dressed fancifully outside what looked like a strange temple. Cordi's green dress clung to her curves before falling away at her hips. She was beautiful.
Then he saw a photo of her much younger, possibly eleven or twelve, holding a dog that looked like a husky struck with dwarfism, although he wasn't sure of the breed. It didn't have a tail. She held him in her lap as she smiled at the camera as the dog smiled too. He could tell it was a real smile, but something in her eyes looked a little dead. He recognized the eyes immediately of the depth of sorrow and loneliness he saw in Naruto when they were younger, when he actually looked. It was hard to believe the girl in this photo was the same girl in the first picture with such a broad smile that reached her eyes in the black robes.
He sat down on her bed, feeling where she slept every night the past several weeks. He looked down and in a flash saw her sleeping there, snuggled comfortably without any anxiety keeping her up. That was when he saw the fifth pillow on the double bed. He frowned, knowing this room only had the four. He grabbed it, seeing it was a pale green that didn't match any of the sheets his family owned. He held it to his face, smelling it deeply. It was the sweet smell that lingered in the room. The essence of Cordi.
He hugged it to him, closing his eyes as let the scent permeate his senses, imagining Cordi was in his arms, pressing her body against his. While his member had died down, thought to death as he'd pondered her photos, this pillow, this smell brought it all back. His hips shifted slightly, almost autonomously, against the pillow as he buried his nose in the pillow, losing himself in the scent. This is insane. I am insane, some small, self-aware part of his brain yelled.
Quickly, he put the pillow down and forcibly took himself out of her room. That little jaunt didn't give him any answers, just more questions. And now he was harder than before.
He'd long since learned the best way to stem these fantasies was to momentarily indulge them. The effect of a cold shower didn't last as long as actually releasing himself into the madness. Especially when he'd have to return to his office and see her there, sitting perfectly innocent and unaware of his damnable lust for her.
He quickly undressed as he walked towards his bathroom, locking his door. This time, he had the necessary supplies as he gripped himself over the toilet, remembering how perfectly her breasts jiggled at him in their black confines. It quickly evolved to her sitting in his lap, bouncing on his member, causing her breasts to jiggle for him like in the shower the other day. He went rather quickly with a gasping groan. It didn't take him long to clean up, and he cursed his voyeuristic tendencies she brought out in him the whole time.
What is wrong with me? he wondered as he washed his hands. He was dating another girl who he couldn't touch without overthinking. Yet he was lusting after his secretary like Kankuro or his buddies. Before Cordi, he seldom felt seized by this form of lust. Now, the littlest things she did set him off, and he could barely help himself. He'd stare at her like a starved man stared at a forbidden meal. Practically drooling with desire. He hated it.
He washed his face with cold water, then decided to take a few minutes to tend his cacti to clear his mind before going back down to his office. Once he felt he was mentally suitable to return, he put his white Kazekage robe back on over his maroon outfit, and made his way down to his office. As he entered, he saw Cordi now sitting in his chair as she scowled and clenched his phone in her hands.
"Look," she hissed, "I'm just trying to get ahold of Dr. Ishimaru to verify a date. I am not questioning your skills as a nurse. I'm just trying to make sure the Kazekage's office isn't signing some kid's death warrant because of a clerical error." Gaara's heart sank as he realized she had taken a small thing like a date being wrong, and blown it completely out of proportion. He rubbed his head as he realized he'd have to reel her in, which in his experience was nearly impossible. "Now, if you could patch me through to the doctor I asked for, and stop giving me the run around to records keeping, I'll be out of your hair." There was a moment of silence, and then she visibly relaxed. "Thank you. Yes. I'll hold."
She rolled her eyes as she held the phone away from her as she glared at it. "'I'll just go grab the doctor,'" she said, clearly mocking the nurse she'd been talking to. "Wasn't so fucking hard, now was it!?"
Gaara inhaled bracingly, then asked, "Did you verbally abuse everyone in the hospital?"
She held up a reprimanding finger as she said, "First off, I've called twice, because they hung up on me the first time. That time I went through the operator, was sent to records, then to the nurses' station, then back to records, where I was hung up on. Then they sent me back to records, then the nurses' station, and the lady there then tried to send me back to records when I flipped my shit."
Gaara opened his mouth to say something, but apparently someone came back on the line as Cordi pressed the phone back to her ear as she asked, "Yes? Dr. Ishimaru. Thank you for taking the call. It'll only be a minute. We got a medical form for a genin named Yoshiko who had an open appendectomy a few days ago. Before I processed it, I noticed that the recovery date seemed abnormally early, and thought I would follow up." There was silence again, then she said, "Yes, his form says his leave is up on the thirty-first, so Friday." A smile formed on her face as she asked, "So it is early? What date should it be?" She grabbed a pen as she marked it out, and clarified, "August 28th? Thank you so much. You have a wonderful day."
She hung up the phone as she looked at him victoriously. "I was right. The form was a month off."
"Congratulations," Gaara said tiredly. He gestured towards her as he asked, "May I have my seat back?"
She looked at him sheepishly, then breathed a small, "Oh!" as she stood up, and gestured to the chair as if to say, "all yours."
"Thanks," he mumbled as he went to sit back down. The chair was still warm as he pushed himself in. He noticed she was still standing, looking at the form proudly. "What?"
She gestured to the form as she said, "I just saved a life. It's pretty exciting."
He pursed his lips, debating with himself if he should tell her it would have been a thousand percent easier if she just called Councilwoman Keiko, who answers to his office directly, and that he's called multiple times when those clerical errors crop up. But seeing her so proud of herself for such a small feat, even though the boy probably would have been fine due to several other checks before being assigned a mission, he decided it was better to reward it. "Yes. Good job," he said with a warm smile.
She positively beamed at him. He felt his heart skip a beat at her smile, and had to look away. But he was acutely aware of her sitting down, adjusting herself before filing the form away. He blinked hard, trying to focus on his work, forcing his hand to put his pen on the page and his eyes to read the words on the page. He tried his best to curb his impulses to steal another glance at her, because he couldn't trust himself.
He used to pride himself on his control. Control of his thoughts and emotions. Control of his actions. Control of his mind and body, so attune he seemed to most people impenetrable.
With her, he had no control. Not over himself or his urges. His mouth would say stupid, rambling things and blunder his words around her. His thoughts frequently diverted into the perverted, which was never an issue before. He could barely control his own body when she came near. And he definitely had no control over her.
Gaara had a problem. And her name was Cordelia Turner.
It was night like any other. Rox sat on her bed in something comfy, studying history of the Ninja world. History wasn't her strong suit at home, and now she had to learn an entire world's alternate history? It was enough to drive someone crazy. She sat with maybe a hundred or so flash cards on her bed with different names, dates, and locations she'd have to remember for their test at the end of the week.
It was imperative that she pass. Not because she was one of those gunner students obsessed with grades. No. She had something to prove. To herself. To Konoha. And most importantly, to Shikamaru.
She would be more than just some pretty kunoichi. That she could prove that she didn't need Shikamaru's charity to pass as a ninja. That she, in her own right, would be an amazing ninja.
Maybe then Shikamaru would forget the dishonor they'd stir into each other's reputations. If she was good enough, no one would care. At least that was the logic of the situation as she understood it. And if she could beat any stigma away from her and Shikamaru being together, she would pursue it endlessly.
It all started with acing this test.
She stared helplessly at a card's definition, desperately trying to remember it's term, and coming up with nothing. She was doing dismally. But she had three days to know them inside and out, and she would use them to the best of her advantage.
A knock on her door broke her conversation, and she dropped the card with a huff. "Who is it?" she called, trying and failing not to sound curt. When there wasn't an answer, she frowned. "Hello?" she called again.
Again, no answer.
She let out a long sigh, puffing her cheeks a little as she stood and strode to the door. It was her door that was knocked on. She was sure of it.
She swung the door open, somewhat aggressively, she regretted and growled, "Look—" only to stop short, seeing no one there. She dipped her head out and looked down both sides of the hallway, seeing no one.
"What the -?" she murmured, moving to step onto the balcony hallway, only for her foot to tap something glass. She knew it was glass from the "Ting" it made against her toe.
Carefully she stepped back, looking at her doormat and seeing a beautiful, large bouquet of flowers standing in a curved glass vase. Not just any flowers. Irises.
Not many people knew the significance of such a flower to Roxanne Turner. They were her favorites for many reasons. Not simply for their smell or color, which they were the most beautiful shade of purple, and smelled of heaven. Nor was it the fact that in floral language it meant wisdom, hope, trust, and valor. The Fleur-de-Lis was Rox's favorite pattern back home. Partially because it was all over her mother's family crest, which was printed in their bonus room, framed next to her father's which was lousy with clovers. She always felt more connected to that crest, since her mother's maiden name, Hart, was her middle name. The other part was because she loved French culture and history. France was one of her bucket list destinations. And when she learned the fleur-de-lis was and iris, it solidified to her that it was the best flower.
She knelt down, wondering who would have sent her something so wonderful. As she pulled her nose down, taking in their sweet perfume, she saw a note tucked into one of the stems. Gingerly, she pulled it out, pulling the card fervently out of the envelope once it was free from the vase.
She flipped it over to the signed side, and read:
My heart finds her in twilight.
Souls entwined by fate's wicked string.
Hope springs anew again.
Her eyes burn into mine.
Then gone like shadows into the night.
It was a beautiful poem, she'd admit. But she wasn't sure who'd written it. So, it couldn't be him. She flipped it back to the other side to see if there was a florist seal, but saw nothing. In all likeliness, they probably came from Yamanaka flowers. But other than that, there was no hint.
She was about to inspect the vase when she heard on of her friends' door's opening, so she quickly ducked inside with the vase, shutting her door quietly. If any of them saw her with such a beautiful array of flowers, they'd pounce on her with speculations and pressure her to respond in some such way to solve this new big mystery.
But that wasn't Rox.
Instead, she placed them on her counter, chewing her lip as she twirled the card in her hands as she admired them. There was something comforting about a secret admirer. They filled her with hope. Maybe they were from Shikamaru. Maybe they were from someone better.
She half danced back to her bed of notes and flashcards, unable to wipe the smile from her face. She placed the card on her dresser, for the future, just to remember the feeling. Not just the wondering warm fuzzies, but the curious excitement of a mystery all to herself. Her own secret admirer.
Kiba kissed Ronnie good morning, and she woke with a smile. Before her eyes could flutter open, she felt the bed shift as Kiba sprung up, running to his attached bathroom. She stretched in the warm sheets, slowly waking as she sat up, holding the sheets to her body as she watched Kiba brush his teeth stark naked. She appreciated the view, his buns tight, back chiseled, and brown hair a wild mess.
Ronnie whipped the sheets off her as she decided to waltz around his room, taking a good look at his bedroom's pictures sitting on his dresser. There was a picture of him and young Team 8, with Hinata in the front, Shino opposite him, and Kurenai laughing behind them. Next to that was a picture of Team 8, likely right after the war with the Akatsuki. They were grown, in uniform attire rather than their usual mission gear. Kurenai stood in front with a new baby, with the rest of Team 8 standing behind her.
She spun around and asked, "When are you going to introduce me to Kurenai?"
Kiba frowned, then spit out his toothpaste. "Sorry?"
Ronnie shrugged, sidling up her naked form against his. "You know. When do I get to meet your sensei?"
He laughed, rinsing his toothbrush. "Usually, girls are more anxious to meet my mother or sister."
"Well, I've already met your mother," Ronnie stated. "And she liked me, … for the most part."
Kiba barked another laugh, replying snarkily, "Yeah, except for the boinking me part."
Ronnie shot him a playful grimace. "Boinking? Really? Couldn't think of a better word?"
He encircled her in his arms as he smirked. "What would you prefer? Fucking?" he asked, leaning into her, his breath puffing on her ear as he added, "And other things." He licked at her earlobe, and a shiver of arousal shuddered through her. Then he tongued the deep red hickey he'd made on her neck last night.
She sighed, then moved his head so she could kiss him. The air between them was electric as he nibbled on her lip and let out a possessive growl. She pressed her chest against his as he helped her sit on his sink, wrapping her legs around his waist. She felt his member hardening as his hands moved down to tightly grip her hips.
"Five times last night not good enough for you?" he grunted against her lips.
"What can I say? I'm insatiable," she answered, seizing his lips again.
He picked her up before moving to pin her against the door frame, skewering her to the hilt of his dick. He started with a steady rhythm, enjoying the feel of her fisting his hair as he moved in her, eliciting the most beautiful gasps and moans. Soon, she was clutching him tightly like a life preserver, riding her first wave of pleasure as she howled. He felt her walls tightening around him, and it did crazy things to his head and heart.
He pulled out of her, dragging her back to the bed, and positioning her on her stomach, her legs dangling over the side. He nudge her knees apart as he positioned his member at her entrance before ramming in again, burying himself deep in her essence. He rode her quick and hard. He palmed one of her ass cheeks, his grip almost bruising, leaving white finger prints on her skin. He felt the pressure in his throat and his loins first, building fast as he panted, going deeper than ever before. Then the pressure burst and he came in her deep, coating her walls with his seed, like every time before. He'd never known such a blissful orgasm before meeting Ronnie.
Before her, he'd always worn a condom, and the sensation without one was amazing, and he daily thanked the tech in her world that allowed him to experience it without worry.
She kept grinding against him as he slowed, whining for him to continue. He did, ignoring his tenderness, knowing it was only temporary, and soon he'd be ready to coat her walls again in a few minutes. She was backing onto him now, using the bed as leverage, grinding her hips between him and his mattress. Soon, she was finding her bliss again, and this time he was going with her.
He breathed hard as his movements stilled. "Ronnie," he whispered like a prayer. He leaned over her, pulling her mouth to his as he admitted, "You are … I don't have words."
She laughed as she bit his lower lip gently. "So are you," she stated.
He pulled away to look at her, seeing her flushed shining face. "I think I'm in love with you," he said, not really thinking about his words. The minute he said it, he regretted it. It was way too soon. They'd only been together three weeks. It was insane.
"What?" Ronnie asked.
"Nothing," he answered quickly, chewing on his cheek and pulling out of her before quickly getting dressed.
"No. What did you say?" Ronnie asked.
He bent over after his pants were on, grabbing her dress off the floor. "You should get dressed." He dropped the wadded dress in her hands then quickly grabbed his black mission t-shirt, putting it on with surprising speed. He grabbed his jacket before rushing back towards her, saying, "I have a mission, so I've got to go," giving her a quick kiss. "You'll have to see yourself out. I'll come find you when I get back."
Ronnie was understandably confused by the sudden turn. She was still dripping with his seed, and he was sprinting out the door, acting incredibly weird. It wasn't like this was the first night they'd spent the night together. Maybe the first time at the Inuzuka compound, because his family was out on missions apparently.
She huffed, standing up as she realized it was probably his confession. She'd heard him, but she wanted him to have the chance to say it and mean it. But if he wasn't ready, it didn't mean much to her. He'd get there eventually if that was where things were headed between them. But she wasn't one to call it quits because one of them was more invested in the relationship than the other.
Most likely, he was fighting with his pride. Some people felt like admitting their feelings was a weakness.
If that was the case, she had two options. She could bite the bullet and say she loved him the next time she saw him. She'd be lying. She wasn't there yet. Sure she liked him a lot, and the sex was great, but that wasn't necessarily love. But it would solve the awkward tension. Or she could ignore he ever said it. That seemed the best option, because she wouldn't be lying. That was never good in a relationship.
She got dressed, resolving to ignore the admission. She put on her shoes, then waltzed out his bedroom door, down the stairs to the foyer.
She was just about to leave the house when she heard a woman call out, "Leaving so soon?"
Ronnie felt fear seize her insides, and she couldn't breathe from the surprise. She walked back towards the kitchen where Tsume sat at the kitchen table, reading her newspaper with a steaming cup of tea.
As Ronnie entered the room, Tsume pursed her lips, folding her newspaper in front of her as she grumbled, "Seriously, can't the newspaper do anything better than print bullshit stories?"
Ronnie didn't answer.
Tsume's gaze shifted to her, feeling oddly like she was holding a kunai under Ronnie's throat with just a look. She then turned to her tea, thumbing her mug as she said, "It sounded like you and my son had an eventful evening last night."
Ronnie's fear pitted in her stomach and sank with her shame. "I'm so sorry," she said, moving to the other side of the table. "We thought you were out on a mission."
"I'm sure you did, with how loud you two were," Tsume remarked with a sneering smirk. Ronnie blushed hard. Tsume set her jaw before grumbling, "At least with the other girl, my son had the decency to check if I'd gotten home early before bringing her here."
Ronnie's heart stopped. Other girl? "Ehm, what other girl?" Ronnie asked, trying her hardest to sound indifferent.
Tsume looked a little too pleased at that. "So he hasn't told you about Tamaki?"
Ronnie took a bracing breath, then said as evenly as she could, "Uh, no. He has not."
Tsume looked away a little bitter and disappointed, but not surprised. She licked her lips, then asked, "Ronnie, given last night's demonstration, I feel compelled to ask, are you two being safe? Or should I be worried about becoming a grandmother."
"I have a birth control injection. I won't be having children for several years," Ronnie assured her. Tsume frowned at that explanation, and Ronnie pointed to her arm as she added, "Their 99.9% effective after the first month, and last three to five years."
Tsume let out a relieved sigh. "Good." She looked off as she said, "You're a bright girl. I'd hate for you to get stuck to Kiba for life because of a mistake."
Ronnie frowned.
Tsume could see the water user was confused by her tone, and waved it off, adding, "Don't get me wrong. I love my son. But when it comes to relationships, he's too much like his good-for-nothing father." She shook her head as she explained, "I hate to air dirty laundry, but it's impossible not to see him making the same steps his father did. He'd make lofty, idealist goals that he knew were pipedreams. He'd fantasize about a girl until a relationship became real, and then he'd bolt." She let out a bitter bark of a laugh as she added, "Hell, when I found out I was pregnant with Hana, he practically disappeared for two months. Granted, we were seventeen, so I forgave him when he came back and asked to marry me. That one was my fault." She shook her head realizing she'd gotten off topic talking about her husband. "Anyway he split when Kiba started showing a proficiency as a dog trainer, and he realized that his son was going to be working the vet with me and Hana when he was old enough."
Ronnie couldn't help but butt in. "What if Kiba doesn't want to take over the vet?"
Tsume barked out another laugh. "That has nothing to do with it. And we aren't talking about Kiba's future. We're talking about yours."
"I think I have a say in my own future," Ronnie remarked bruskly.
Tsume nodded as she stood, here hands in front of her to quiet Ronnie. "You do. I'm just advising you," she said, dropping a hand on Ronnie's shoulder. "If you want a happy future, don't hitch your wagon to my son." Ronnie frowned again. What kind of woman would say these things about her own son? "I love my son. But I know he'll never be the type of man to get serious when he needs to. And you'll end up hurt because of it." Tsume dropped her hand and began to walk out, adding, "Just think about it. You'll see exactly what I'm talking about."
Ronnie tongued her cheek as she heard Tsume walking out of the room. Still one thing wasn't answered. "Tsume?" Ronnie called, turning around to see Kiba's mother pause at the doorway. "Who is Tamaki?"
Tsume smirked, putting her hands in her pockets. "It's really for Kiba to tell you. But because I like you…" She moved to grab a notepad and pencil from the counter and wrote something down. She then ripped off the page, and handed it to Ronnie. "… Why don't you talk to her yourself?" Then she left, leaving Ronnie standing in the kitchen holding a piece of paper dumbly.
Ronnie looked at it, wondering if it was something she should look into. She rammed it in her pockets, resolving to think on it later. She wasn't going to let that ruin her Thursday. She had to get to school anyway.
Lynne, Rox and Fred sat in their classroom, waiting for their special class session. Since Kakashi informed Iruka and Mr. Fujaku, the academy's principal, about the girls' special abilities and restrictions, the principal and Iruka decided they should test the girls on what they did know to get a better idea on how to teach them.
Mr. Fujaku agreed with Iruka's assessment on changing their curriculum for the girls, knowing Kakashi's test for these girls would be different than the other students. That and they were getting specialty ninja training from Shikamaru and Hinata. So, chakra training was taken out. Math and science were as well, since the girls proved they knew up to calculus in math, and already knew sciences like physics, chemistry, and geology. The biology part was a little iffy, given the nature of chakra allowing some animals sentience and incredible size, but the general concepts were still there. Where their worlds were truly different were their history and cultural stories. So that was what they learned.
Mr. Fujaku assigned them a new teacher, so Iruka could continue teaching this year's crop of students. A woman named Suzume who usually taught a few specialty classes for kunoichi took his post. She was what Lynne would describe as an "odd duck." She had thick glasses and dark frizzy hair, sprouting with a few frizzy grays. Lynne had mentally read from Hinata learning about their new teaching that Suzume's usual class was to teach kunoichi how to blend into other villages. Just the topic seemed a little bizarre. It probably came in handy, but Lynne kind of wondered, how they didn't know how to act normal in their own world anyway.
But what made Suzume stand out as odd was her odd fluctuations between being unnervingly interested in a topic and being sneeringly indifferent. If Lynne had to describe her personality, it was adjusting her glasses with one finger and actually saying, "Tch." Suzume was that person. Honestly, Lynne could have sworn that even in anime, most people lost that type of personality by the time they were faced with the hard facts of reality.
For whatever reason, Suzume was late this morning. So the girls sat in the quiet classroom, just waiting. Well, the girls minus one.
"Where the hell is Ronnie?" Fred asked, looking annoyedly at the door.
Rox, who had been doodling in her notebook, answered absently, "Didn't she have another date with Kiba last night?"
"Yeah, but … she wasn't in her dorm this morning," Fred stated frustratedly. "I thought she'd be here."
Lynne barked out a laugh. "Why would she be here?"
"Because, we have school," Fred answered as if it were obvious.
Lynne scoffed. "So?"
"What do you mean so?" Fred huffed. "It was a school night. You don't stay out on a school night." Rox made a face as she traced the lightning bolt on the page.
"And who exactly is holding that rule up?" Lynne asked with a smirk.
"What?" Fred asked, mentally jarred by the question.
"She means without your mom here telling her not to, who's stopping her," Rox clarified as she started her shading.
Fred looked indignant at the question. "Well, I will," Fred answered pointedly.
"You'll just piss her off," Lynne laughed. "She's eighteen. She doesn't need you to be her mom. Just her sister." She shrugged as she added, "And if she gets in trouble, that's on her."
Fred scowled, slouching down in her chair as she thought Lynne's words over. There was some merit to them. That didn't mean she liked it. They'd been in this world a little over a month now, and the permanence of their situation hadn't gotten any more comfortable for her. She knew that there were days each of them ached for home. They each just hid it from each other, because their pain didn't help their situation.
"I have a better question," Lynne sighed, adjusting in her chair. "You've had my computer for almost a week now. How far are you in the show?"
Fred pursed her lips, then answered. "I dunno'. Episode seventeen, I think."
"SEVENTEEN!?" Lynne half gasped, half shrieked.
"Yeah, Sasuke just fell, fighting that girl with the ice powers," Fred stated.
"Boy," Rox corrected.
"Huh?"
"Haku's a boy," Rox stated.
Fred made a slightly horrified expression before commenting, "Well that makes her relationship with Zabuza a lot more questionable."
"His," Lynne corrected. Then she huffed, sitting up and crossing her arms. "But why are you only on episode seventeen. I thought you'd be halfway through the chunin exams by now!"
"Well, let's see," Fred started facetiously, "I work weekends from four until three am, so I'm catching up on sleep most of Saturday and Sunday, which is only just barely catching up since I'm still behind from Thursday and Friday nights. Then Monday through Friday, I have school until twelve thirty, and then training until three thirty, sometimes as late as four or five. And most other times, I'm hanging with you two. So…" she trailed off with a "whatcha' gonna' do?" shrug.
It wasn't that she hated her schedule, with the exception of the school part, of course. The four nights she worked the bar were grueling, but she also had started to love it. She was good at mixing the drinks and handling the patrons. On top of that, she was making bank in tips plus a decent salary from Yuki. Soon, she'd be able to afford her own place, with furniture she actually liked.
So what if she didn't have a lot of free-time?
Lynne sighed. "You haven't even met the rest of the main cast yet, and you're so close. That's just frustrating."
Fred rolled her eyes at Lynne's melodramatic tone. "Well, this first arc is boring as shit. And I have come up with serious questions. Like if the Mist ninja have to kill their entire class to pass their Academy exam, then how are they considered one of the Ninja world super powers? They have one student graduating per year. And given our history lessons, the ninja villages are max seventy years old now. Konoha was started in April 1939. Kiri, which is the Mist, right?" She looked to her friends for verification, who both nodded yes. "Well, Kiri, according to our history book, was the youngest of the villages, starting in 1941. So, if they only allow one student to graduate per year, they should only have sixty-eight ninja. Actually less, since ya'll mentioned there were four great ninja wars. There's no way they didn't have any casualties."
"Was there a question?" Lynne asked, looking between Fred and Rox oddly.
Fred was sitting up now, very animatedly as she said, "Yeah. Here's the question. If your country army has less than sixty-eight people, how can you argue your position as a cultural super power? Especially when the other ninja villages are churning out nine to twelve ninja a year. Mathematically, Konoha would have 738, roughly, to their 68. And in that position, I don't care how tough your fighters are, you're getting swamped in a battle. That's just illogical."
Both Lynne and Rox stared at her with confused awe. "She did all that math?" Lynne whispered to Rox.
"I'm just surprised she opened a textbook," Rox replied in a similar decibel.
"Another thing," Fred howled, shaking a finger above her head. "With only sixty-eight people, how do they have a functioning economy? And how do they have enough people to procreate? Logically speaking, most of them are probably related, right?" She shook her head with a deep, disgusted sigh. "I dunno'. The more I put logical thought to it, the more this place turns into a fucking nightmare."
Lynne pursed her lips in a thoughtful expression, then said, "Then don't put logical thought to it. Just watch the show."
"I have to," Fred groused as she held up the history textbook, "because it's fucking real now."
"Language," their teach called shrilly as she entered the classroom. Suzume looked around the room with a measuring gaze, her lips pursed tightly together, or at least they looked tightly pursed. Suzume had a habit of painting her lips like the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. The bright redness of the lipstick didn't help the illusion either. She opened her mouth and barely got out, "Where-?" before being interrupted by the door.
Ronnie walked in, wearing the same dress she'd worn on her date last night. It looked like it had been wrinkled, and she looked as if she'd just rolled out of bed. She bypassed Fred and Rox, refusing to look at them before sitting next to Lynne and asking if she could borrow a pen and paper for class.
Lynne looked at her shocked for a moment, then nodded blankly, ripping a page from her notebook and offering one of her pencils. As Ronnie started getting comfortable for note-taking, and assuming her serious face, Lynne looked at her with a worried expression that both Fred and Rox picked up on.
Suzume looked at the girls sternly, before deciding to ignore Ronnie's unkempt look, tardiness, and clear lack of preparedness. "Let's begin."
Fred shot Lynne a look, urging for details on Ronnie as Suzume turned around, writing something on the board. Lynne shook her head that she wouldn't divulge anything then, but Fred could tell from her expression that something had happened with Kiba. Lynne only got that look in her eye when she suspected someone was cheating.
Fred scowled, turning back ahead, rolling the pencil between her fingertips. If he is cheating on Ronnie, I'll feed him to his dog, she vowed before putting her own pen to paper, and taking Suzume's notes.
The Council meeting that day had been boring. Gaara walked out with Cordi yawning next to him, and stretching her arms high, raising her shirt enough to show a little midriff, which she then adjusted. He noted several men from the Council looking over at her, and Gaara shot them warning looks. It was because her style, in comparison to normal Suna fashion, was considered rather indecent. They'd argued about it before when Gaara suggested she wear more conservative clothes, like the robes most councilmembers wore. Especially when they had a Council meeting. She'd been given the robes for the meetings, but instead of wearing them, she only wore the poncho part of the robes over her shoulders and chest, and her dirty blonde hair in a high ponytail.
"Jeez, it's only three?" she huffed, rolling her neck as she closed her notebook. "When I watched the show, it seemed like ninety percent cool fights and mystery. Not miles of paperwork, endless meetings and pointless bureaucracy."
"Sorry to disappoint," Kankuro sighed boredly, his hands tucked in his pockets on the other side of Gaara. "Our world is rather mundane."
"To be fair, I didn't think your world dealt with crazy weather like hurricanes either," she sighed. "Usually, when anything with weather happens in the show, it's sprinkling rain, or sunshine. Maybe snow."
"What about Sandstorms?" Temari asked.
"They showed those only two or three times." She stretched her shoulders again, breaking her response. "It's ok. Just that meeting sucked the joy out of my Friday," she grumbled, rubbing her scalp under her ponytail. "And this ponytail is giving me a headache."
"Then why'd you wear it?" Temari asked.
"Because every time I wear it down with this freaking poncho, it gets ridiculously tangled," Cordi groused, pulling at the poncho. "Seriously, If I ever get back to my world, I'm hunting Kishimoto down for his horrible fashion design choices for Suna."
"Who?" Kankuro asked.
"Masashi Kishimoto," she replied, gesturing a huge circle as she clarified, "he's the author of all this. Essentially your god." She kept rubbing her scalp under her ponytail, then muttered, "Maybe I should just cut it off."
"That seems drastic," Kankuro remarked.
"Kishimoto was the man who created all of us in your world?" Temari asked clearly skeptical.
"I'm sure I'd have more questions than 'Why the ponchos?'," Gaara remarked blandly.
Cordi shot Gaara a look, then laughed. Gaara found himself smiling too as Kankuro and Temari joined her. The moment was nice and alleviating after the droll Council meeting. They calmed to tired silence as they made their way to the elevators. After meetings, Kankuro and Temari usually just hung out with their brother and Cordi. That changed this past week, since Cordi's new desk was finally built in the hallway outside Gaara's office, in front of the elevators.
They stayed quiet all the way back to Gaara's office, and Cordi tossed her notebook boredly on her new desk, noting her inbox was empty. "Hey, Gaara?" Cordi asked, leaning against his office door as he looked over his own paperwork. "I'm all caught up. Do you need me for the rest of the afternoon?"
Gaara frowned at her, giving a noncommittal shrug as he answered, "Not particularly."
She bobbed her head and gave a bright smile. "Great. I wanted to check on Aleera before the storm tonight. She's been having some difficulty with her shed, so I figured I'd help."
He gave an acquiescing nod, waving her off.
She paused before leaving, commenting, "It's weird. I used to think ya'll never got rain, being in the desert."
"Well, it is monsoon season," Kankuro commented with a shrug. "We don't get a lot, but when we do, it's usually around now with the tropical storms and hurricanes to the south."
It wasn't often the storms reached them, being so inland. But when hurricane season raged in the south of the country, it sometimes threw thunderstorms towards Suna. This was one such occurrence. Ao Nami, one of the Wind's prominent beach villages was hit hard with a hurricane two days ago that had seemed to have some lasting power once it made landfall. That was what the meeting was predominately about. Figuring out how many ninja teams Suna would send in the hurricane's aftermath, mainly depending on the budget the Daimyo already stipulated for such disasters. From the broadcasts, Gaara figured he might have to ask the daimyo for more money for more teams. As it were, they were mainly sending genin now, and a few chunin, to help. There wasn't enough budget for more than a few jonin teams.
Gaara looked up at the reminder of the storm, and added, "Make sure you're back by six. If the storm collapses before it hits us, it can make a haboob, and you don't want to be caught in that either."
Cordi looked at him closely, clearly trying to hold back a smile. "A what?"
"Haboob," Gaara clarified. "It's a type of sandstorm. Very low visibility. It can last a couple hours, especially with a storm like the one we're expecting." The way she pursed her lips, he could tell she found something funny about what he said. He rolled his eyes, realizing her immaturity was getting the better of her. "Just go, and be quick. Sandstorms are not fun to be caught in."
Shortly after Cordi left, Temari dismissed herself to buy the necessary groceries for that evening and weekend. Storms like the one they were expecting usually meant staying inside for a few days while the southern storms dissipated. It was also her turn to cook that evening, and they were having chicken fajitas and Temari's tomato and corn salad. They were also watching another of Cordi's movies. After she finally got them to sit down and watch the movie Jurassic Park last week, and its sequel, thanks to a rather blusterous sandstorm coming off the heels of a hurricane in the south, they agreed to watch more movies that she deemed cultural staples of her world during the sandstorm season. Gaara had no doubt the storm tonight would kick up a sandstorm in its wake, so tonight they were watching something called Pirates of the Caribbean.
Kankuro looked around his office, and asked, "So how're things going with you and Cordi?" Gaara looked up with a frown, unsure how to answer. "Usually, she's around, so I don't really get to ask for your personal opinion."
"It's ok," Gaara sighed. "She's a bit bossy and somewhat annoying. But we seem to work together well."
Kankuro hummed happily, as if he'd guessed his brother's answer. "I'll say. It looks like your paperwork is half what it usually is."
"And shrinking daily," Gaara added. He furrowed his hairless eyebrows as he added quickly, "Don't ever tell her I said that."
"Sure," Kankuro laughed, lounging on his couch, propping his ankle on his knee. "Don't need it going to her head."
"No," Gaara chuckled, fingering his pen. He paused, looking at his pen and remembering Cordi's habit of twirling her writing utensils when she was reading or thinking too hard to notice his gaze on her. He pressed his lips together, thinking over his answer as well as his recent fantasy issues. "Actually, I could use your input on an issue I've been having recently," he started, chewing on the inside of his cheek nervously.
Kankuro eyed him curiously, but with a shrug, said, "Shoot."
Gaara looked up, noting his door was still open, and he closed it with his sand. Kankuro watched the action even more interestedly, then turned back to his little brother who sat at his desk, his fingers interlaced as he contemplated the issue. "I …" Gaara started, mulling over his words. "I'm finding myself frequently … lusting after someone I shouldn't."
Kankuro sat up, his expression apprehensive to a point Gaara could see his thought "lusting" had two possible meanings when it came to the younger sand brother, and either one was somewhat awkward. But Gaara had no one else to turn to for advice. He knew the question before Kankuro asked it. "Blood-lusting or –"
"Sexual … lusting," Gaara answered awkwardly, feeling his blush creeping up his neck to his cheeks.
Kankuro's eyes flew wide with excitement. "Who?" He sounded owl-like.
"Who it is isn't important," Gaara stated, trying to reign back control of the conversation.
"It's Cordi, isn't it?" Kankuro giggled excitedly. Gaara only answered him with an eye roll, which only made Kankuro more eager. "It is! You have a thing for Cordelia Turner."
"I don't have a thing for Cordelia."
"Geez, Gaara. Boinking your secretary, how cliché. What will people say?" Kankuro chortled over him.
"We are NOT-!" Gaara howled, stopping himself to reign in his temper. He took a deep breath, and let it out his nose before clarifying, "I'm not having an affair with my assistant. I haven't engaged in any such physical activity with anyone." Kankuro eyed him oddly, and he realized that wasn't entirely true. Matsuri did try to suck on his member last week. "With the exception of my girlfriend," he added.
Kankuro smirked at him, then said, "I'm sure your right hand will understand you fucking an actual person."
Gaara rolled his eyes again at his brother's crassness. "I should have talked to Baki about this," he grumbled.
Kankuro put his hands up in surrender as he said, "Fine. No more jokes. I promise."
Gaara looked at him skeptically, but his older brother continued to hold his hands up, and Gaara knew he meant it. Gaara sighed, then confessed, "It started with an explicit dream, I won't go into details. I started developing these lusting fantasies based solely on those dreams of this woman. They have no bearing on reality. The woman in question is nothing like my fantasy version of her, except she might be just as experienced in the bedroom. Maybe more. I have no idea, though. Her instincts on identifying sexual relations suggests she has experience."
Kankuro smirked. "That sounds like Cordi." Gaara frowned at Kankuro's addition. "Y'know, when she found me walking out of Fred's dorm, she told me she was three for three on predicting her friends' sexual escapades." Gaara blushed, realizing he'd unwittingly identified his fantasy woman. Kankuro shrugged as he added, "Although, she did mention that she was a virgin. So, I'm guessing, not so much in the way of sexual experience."
Gaara looked away, realizing he'd seriously misjudged her if that was the truth. She just dressed like she wanted men to look at her. To touch her. But she'd never been touched. Gaara didn't know why, but that knowledge made his heart flip. "Well," Gaara chirped, trying to go back towards his problem, and ignoring the elation of that new knowledge. It only added to his problem. "My bigger issues with these feelings is that my brain stops functioning like it should." He ignored Kankuro's chuckle at that addition, and continued, "I say things I don't mean to say, and sometimes sound like a bumbling idiot. I find myself staring at her and thinking about her. Stupid things, too. Things I usually don't trouble thinking about."
"It sounds like you have a crush on this girl."
"A crush?" Gaara asked. He'd been so unfamiliar with the feeling, he hadn't noticed he'd developed one.
"A strong one, too. Especially if it's not easily broken by her normal personality," Kankuro summed up, nodding knowingly. He looked at Gaara carefully for any corrections. Gaara nodded, confirming his summation. Kankuro shrugged. "My solution?" he more offered than asked. "Indulge in those fantasies. Try and make them reality."
"You mean have sex with her?"
Kankuro nodded.
"I can't," Gaara said quickly, shaking his head.
"Then you'll always wonder what could have been," Kankuro stated blandly. Gaara huffed exasperatedly. Kankuro scoffed at his brother's stiffness on his suggestion. "You could at least kiss her. Those shitty girl magazines Temari sometimes reads all say the first kiss is all you need to know about a relationship."
"Kiss her?" Gaara sneered. "How will that do anything?"
"You'll feel the spark," Kankuro replied as if Gaara should already know about that.
"The spark?"
"The spark, Gaara. Y'know, the feeling you get in your gut when you kiss a girl." Kankuro paused, holding his hand up. "You have kissed a girl, right?"
"Yes," Gaara answered, hiding his eyeroll by closing his eyes.
Kankuro laughed with a shrug. "Then you should know. If you feel the spark with 'Not Cordi' then you should explore it."
Gaara pursed his lips, bitterly adding, "And what about my girlfriend?"
Kankuro puffed his cheeks, then asked, "Well, which one do you like more?"
"I'm closer with my girlfriend," Gaara answered,
Kankuro shook his head. "That's not what I asked."
Gaara frowned. "I don't understand."
Kankuro licked lips then said, "Naruto's your best friend, right? You're pretty close."
Gaara nodded.
"But you don't want to kiss him. Right?"
Gaara looked at his older brother horrified now at the suggestion.
Kankuro gestured with his hand as he argued, "Right. It can be like that with girls, too. Just because you're friends doesn't mean you're sexually compatible."
Gaara looked at him oddly, clearly confused by his brother's explanation.
"Am I making any sense to you?"
Gaara shook his head negatively.
Kankuro frowned, muttering, "Maybe I'm just projecting." Gaara raised an eyebrow at him curiously. Kankuro waved it off, explaining blandly, "There's a girl I've been seeing recently, who's in a relationship with a guy, who I think is in it for the wrong reasons."
Gaara decided to ignore the part of Kankuro being the other man in a relationship. It wasn't the first time Gaara knew of. There was that time a year and a half ago when Kankuro was caught in the woman's closet by her boyfriend. Temari spent most of the next day screeching at the middle sibling, and thanking Gaara for not being a "debaucherous shit like Kankuro." "Anyone I know?" Gaara asked equally blandly. It seemed like the right question to ask.
Kankuro's eyes went wide for maybe a millisecond, then he shook his head. "No," he answered, scratching his jaw, "You don't know her."
"So, you're already over Fred, I'm guessing," Gaara commented.
Kankuro scoffed. "Fred was a one-night stand." Gaara narrowed his gaze at his older brother as Kankuro picked at his shoes reminiscently. "A wonderful, Earth-shattering one-night stand. I can honestly say it is one performance I will compare every other past or future performance to." Gaara made a slightly disgusted face as he let out a small, disappointed and repulsed chuckle through his nose. Kankuro held up a finger as he said, "I swear, when I am older than Ebizo, I will probably mark that night as one of the best fucks I've ever had."
"You're just saying that because you caused an earthquake."
"Yea, no shit," Kankuro laughed. He held his hand up at Gaara in a way that told him to focus on what Kankuro was about to say. "I made a woman orgasm so hard it shook the world. No other man can claim that. Not even the strongest ninjas in the world could claim that. If I could tell my friends about it, I'd be their fucking god. Literally."
Gaara rolled his eyes. "But you've slept with this other woman since then."
"Well, yeah," Kankuro scoffed. "Fred's in Konoha. I'm not waiting for her, and I know for damn sure she's not waiting for me, either." He settled back into the couch as he added, "Plus this thing with the other chick has been going on a lot longer. Well before we left for Konoha."
"So, you cheated on her with Fred?"
"It's not cheating if you're not exclusive." That just made Gaara confused. "She's got a boyfriend, remember? He may be dating her for the wrong reasons, but…"
Gaara shrugged, deciding to ignore that. When relationships got that confusing, he tended to check-out of trying to make sense of it. He understood it, just not the logic of it. "And when you say her boyfriend is with her for the 'wrong reasons' you mean…"
"He clearly doesn't like her," Kankuro stated. "She's just a placeholder for him. Someone to call his girlfriend for whatever reason, but not actually wanting to do any of the relationship stuff with her."
"So, she substitutes it with you?" Gaara asked, skeptically. It still didn't entirely seem logical to him.
Kankuro nodded.
Gaara frowned, realizing they'd gone on a tangent at some point, and lost track of the conversation. "What were we talking about?"
"You having a crush on Not-Cordi," Kankuro answered, frowning as he tried to remember, "who is also not your girlfriend."
"Right," Gaara sighed, crossing his arms. He pursed his lips, realizing they never answered his pressing question on the subject. "So what do I do about that?"
Kankuro shrugged. "If you're fantasizing about another woman, it's usually because there's something missing in your current relationship. Do you know what that is?"
Gaara pursed his lips further into a pensive scowl. "I think …" he started, digging deep in what was driving these fantasies. Trying to find a linking theme in them. "I think I want things to be a little more aggressive. Antagonistic, maybe?" He made a worried face at that, because that was stupid to want in a relationship.
Kankuro raised an eyebrow at that, and smirked. "Antagonistic?"
"I don't know." Gaara blushed, admitting, "That might not be the right word. Maybe … Defiant?"
"Defiant?" Kankuro clarified, now a little more curious.
Gaara's blush intensified. "Last time …" he paused, realizing he was about to admit something really personal about his relationship.
"Last time?" Kankuro asked when Gaara had been silent too long.
He decided if Kankuro was to give him the best advice, maybe providing the most details would help. "We haven't … had sex," he mumbled, but he could tell from Kankuro's stare that he had his brother's full attention. He felt the blush creeping up his neck to his cheeks again as he continued, "But the other day, my girlfriend was sucking on my …" he gulped back his nerves as he scratched his head, before gesturing to his groin, trailing off awkwardly and looking anywhere but his brother. He felt his knee jumping under the table with nerves at such a confession. But he needed the advice.
"She was giving you head?" Kankuro prodded. His smile giddy, like a kid on Rinne.
Gaara blushed further, "If … that's what you call it."
"Alright, Gaara," Kankuro cheered with an air of respect.
"I couldn't enjoy it," Gaara blurted. In his periphery, he caught Kankuro's face falling to a frown as he grumbled a small, "Oh." Gaara pressed on, defending himself, "I tried to. She kind of surprised me with it. But, when I couldn't get into it, I started thinking of the fantasies, which worked momentarily, until I realized I probably shouldn't think about other women at that time, and I couldn't be as rough as I wanted. I also don't want to scare her by suggesting I want to be rough."
Kankuro leaned back, looking at the ceiling as he breathed, "Ri-ight." Both of them were leaving the unspoken thought they shared in the air. Most people think of Gaara as a changed man. But if he suggested being rough, their first thought would still probably be that he wanted to murder them.
Gaara grumbled past that thought, "And when I saw her crying, I couldn't..."
Kankuro grimaced. "She cried?"
"Yeah," Gaara winced. "It didn't feel right."
Kankuro chuckled, "I'd imagine not."
"So, what do I do?"
"First, you should ask why your girlfriend was crying, because that's not normal," Kankuro answered matter-of-factly. "Then, if it's not relationship-breaking, you need to tell your girlfriend about the other thing."
"About me fantasizing about another woman?" Gaara gaped. Clearly, that was insane.
"Not about the other woman," Kankuro clarified quickly, waving his hand dismissively. "About wanting your girlfriend to be a little defiant and antagonistic, and being a little rougher in the bedroom. If she's not onboard, then that's that. Move on."
Gaara nodded blandly. "You think that will work?"
Kankuro shrugged. "I don't know. Finding out why she was crying is definitely more imperative. Relationships can survive fantasies, but random unexplained crying during any sexual act is never a good sign."
Gaara sighed. He didn't want to break up with Matsuri. He was still learning so much about relationships.
"On the plus side, if you're suddenly single, then there's no guilt in testing your fantasies out on someone new." Kankuro smirked as he added mockingly, "We know Not-Cordi is definitely antagonistically defiant."
Gaara turned away from his brother annoyedly, grumbling, "Shut up, Kankuro." Kankuro just laughed, knowing he'd struck a nerve. Although, Gaara had to admit, Kankuro was right about being honest to Matsuri about his desires. He'd heard it and read it a thousand times. Honesty was the core of a good relationship.
Saturday in the Leaf Village was quiet. The girls had the day off from school and training, so Rox had gone out to do a little bit of grocery shopping. She'd already run out of her bath soap and agreed with Lynne and Fred that they needed to start eating more at the dorm. They were burning through their allowances too quickly going out like they were. Tonight she was cooking for her and Lynne. Fred explained she wanted to finish watching the show before she hung out, since their comments during school were getting annoying at how long it was taking her. And Ronnie? Well, Ronnie was spending too much time with Kiba to expect her to join them for dinner.
Lynne had gone to check on the dragons, so it was just Rox perusing the grocery story, racking her brain for some recipes she used to know. She hated to admit it, but she'd done mostly baking at home, rather than any substantial cooking.
As she checked the firmness of a tomato, she heard someone ask, "Did you like the flowers?"
One thing she did know. It wasn't Shikamaru.
She turned and saw familiar silver-white hair and reddish-brown eyes. Akirama Senju. "You?" she blurted.
He scoffed. "Obviously. Did you think they were from someone else?"
She felt her heart drop a little at the realization. She hated knowing deep down that they were from Shikamaru when she knew he would never do something like that. She put the tomato back as she answered his first question, "Ehrm, they were lovely. Thank you."
He fell in step alongside her, checking out some of the other fruit as he said, "I usually spring for orchids. I'm told most women think them height of beauty. But, you seemed like an iris type of woman."
She gave a small agreeing hum. It was true. She did love irises.
It's just she wanted them to be from Shikamaru.
"So, how about we get dinner sometime?" he asked. "Say, tomorrow at six?"
She huffed as she dropped her hand. "I'm sorry, Akirama. I just don't know you well enough. I -"
"That's what the date's for," he said congenially with a winning smile. "So we can get to know each other."
She sighed. She knew if any of her friends were here, hearing her turning him down, they would asking her what her deal was. She could see he was attractive, and clearly interested in her. She just didn't like feeling the pressure of a date and romance when she didn't know a guy. It had been different with Shikamaru because she'd been watching him develop as a person for years.
Akirama wasn't even in the show.
"I'm sorry," she grumbled, "I'm just not romantically ready to date."
He smiled and shook his head. "Who said anything about romance? I'm just asking you to dinner." She heard the chuckle in his voice, and she shot him a pointed look. "Fine," he conceded, holding his hands up in surrender. "Not a date. Just two people sharing a meal and getting to know one another."
She made an inarticulate noise, not sure how to answer.
"Great," he said, a cocky smile that surely made hearts melt. Rox's almost did at the sight of it. "I'll see you tomorrow at six." And then he was gone.
She gasped, then huffed at herself, turning back to the fruit as she grumbled, "Well done, Rox."
Ronnie met Kiba at the gates Saturday afternoon, and walked with him to get lunch. Konoha was bustling with the lively crowd any other sunny Saturday pulled out. As they made their way to the restaurant, they heard someone call out, "Hey, Kiba! What's up?"
Kiba spun around with wide eyes, seeing someone Ronnie didn't recognize. He wasn't in the show. He had dark long hair tied in a low ponytail and rosy cheeks. "Koga!" Kiba greeted, "What's up? How you been?"
"Oh, you know. Same old, same old," the ninja chuckled. "I just got back from a mission in the Land of Fangs."
"Right," Kiba sighed, "I forgot you've got family from there."
"Yeah, I got to see them for a bit. Stopped some bandits on the Daimyo's road." Koga's dark eyes drifted toward Ronnie with a happy gleam. "So, is this Tamaki?" he asked, pointing towards Ronnie.
Ronnie blanched, recognizing the name from the other morning from Tsume's warning. If Koga and Kiba were friends, how long ago was Tamaki? Ronnie originally thought the subject wasn't worth the time, but maybe it was.
"Oh, no!" Kiba answered quickly, making a gesture that cut Koga off. "This is my girlfriend, Ronnie."
Koga's eyes were wide, lips pursed, clearly feeling awkward about his blunder as he murmured, "Oh." After an uncomfortable moment of silence, he stuck his hand out and said, "Nice to meet you, Ronnie."
"Koga, was it?" She grabbed his hand and shook it cordially.
He nodded awkwardly, before clearing his throat, scratching his head. "I'll, uhm, I'll catch up with you later," he offered to Kiba, clearly trying to save some face. "Ronnie, nice to meet you." Then he quickly made his escape.
Ronnie and Kiba stood silently for a moment, before Kiba began to pull her gently along back onto their path, stating, "Koga sat next to me at the ninja academy. He had to retake the course after the preliminary team test. But he joined a team in the Summer."
"Oh," Ronnie murmured, licking her lips and not really caring about Kiba's history with Koga. After another long moment of awkward silence, Ronnie asked, "Who's Tamaki?"
Kiba winced a little before shrugging off the question with a lax answer, "Oh, she was just a fling I had several months ago."
Ronnie watched him as he stared forward, his brows knitted together. She wanted to press him on it, but something in the back of her mind told her not to. They still hadn't had the exes talk, and she wasn't ready to list off her indiscretions. It wasn't that she was ashamed of her history, because she wasn't. But she understood how going into full detail about her past exploits might make Kiba feel, especially since there was a possibility Tamaki was his only ex. They never went into his romantic history on the show, so she was flying somewhat blind.
In the end, she decided to drop it. She wouldn't press for details. If he said Tamaki was his ex, she'd believe him.
AN: Sorry this has taken so long to get out. I know, it is much shorter than usual. I ended up having to split this chapter in half because I realized I had a small hiccup in a few of the romantic plotlines, and needed to add stuff in for them. That, and I have one section that cannot be split in the next chapter that's easily 12-15 pages.
On top of that, shortly after I posted my last chapter, we got news that my husband was losing his job to Covid (the airline he worked for went under), and after a few months of searching, he finally found a job … 500+ miles away from where we lived. So, now we're in the tail-end of a huge move, and I'd be lying if I said moving didn't sap up all my creative juices. I'd literally sit down at my computer to write, then get immediately distracted by looking at first apartments, then houses, in our new town. Not to mention the crap we had to do to get our house ready to sell. It's been a gauntlet, and I'm excited to be officially done with it in another month or so.