*Warning: Lemons and Limes.
Chapter Nine: First Steps
Gaara made his way through the Kazekage tower towards the council room. Another meeting on the books. It was sure to be as boring as always. He opened the door, assuming he'd be there before half the council, which he hated. The older councilmen always took forever. If he arrived early, he'd be there first, which he had better things to do with his time than sit and wait for the old coots to get to their chairs. Gaara pushed open the heavy oak doors, and as soon as he stepped in, he was greeted with stares from every council member of Suna. Apparently, Gaara was late. "My apologies," Gaara offered, finding his usual seat at the base of the previous kages' statues. But as he made his way over, he noticed just a couple feet behind his chair was a table. Solid wood it looked like. He paused, pointing to it. "What is this?"
"That is for today's topic of discussion," Ebiso answered. It was strange. He couldn't see the elderly councilman, and none of the council members would meet his gaze as Ebiso's voice continued, "It has come to our attention that even though you've attempted to engage in a romantic relationship, you lack the intimate knowledge of how to create a child."
Gaara couldn't breathe. "What?" he managed, his voice high and panicked. He hated that.
"Matsuri has given us a detailed report on your relationship," Ebiso continued. Gaara's heart sank. Matsuri was a council spy. And she just betrayed him? It didn't make sense. "And we must say, we have concerns."
Gaara's fists tightened at his side as he did his best to remain stoic. What is the table for? Still, none of the council members would look him in the eye.
"We've found a volunteer to be your partner for today's demonstration," someone said. The voice seemed so far away now.
Gaara looked around aghast at the prospect. "Demonstration?" By that, they didn't mean …
"Gaara," a voice said beside him. Gaara turned and saw Cordi standing there, her dirty blonde hair hung straight over her chest and shoulders. Her brown eyes connected with his, and he was frozen in place. Something about her skin and her smile glowed effervescently. And she wore a light cyan dress that clung to her curves in a breath-taking way, and tied itself together at the side.
"Cordelia?" Gaara breathed, his voice still oddly high and breaking on her names middle syllable. He cleared his throat, he hoped not too obviously, forcing his voice down as he asked, "What's going on?"
"We need a demonstration to see if you can be intimate with a woman," a councilman stated.
Gaara looked around, searching for the source of this voice, but unable to find it. His heart was pounding with fear at just the thought of what they were saying. He turned back to Cordelia, somewhat baffled. Last time he saw her, she called him a "Heartless son of a bitch." He was fairly certain she hated him now. And yet…? "You volunteered?" he asked skeptically. "I thought you hated me."
"I told you," she said with a bitter patronizing chuckle, an odd smile on her face as she said, "that has nothing to do with this." She laughed as she tilted her head, adding, "You know, for a kage you're not that bright."
Anger began to build inside him. It wasn't often insults affected Gaara. It wasn't often insults were flung at him. When they were, he could usually disarm them with a look or quick quip. But Cordi's insults cut him. He felt their sting right in his heart, like a kunai thrown with deadly true aim. That was it. Truth. When Onohki called him a, "Green Brat," it was just an old man out of touch with how the world had changed around him, and how it needed to move forward. But Cordi's words hit him because he recognized their truth, or rather that he feared they were true.
"Are you saying you volunteered even though you hate me?" he asked. Maybe he could learn what drove people to this specific love. What was he missing? "Why?"
She untied her dress as she walked over to him, and he began to bristle with nerves. As her dress dropped to the floor, he could see her breasts, perky and large, and her body curved in all the right places. But she didn't look sheepish, naked in front of the Council, she looked driven. Her eyes only on him. She put her hand on his chest and he felt like his heart was going to leap from his chest into her grasp. "Because of this."
Gaara blinked, shaking his head. "That's not an answer."
"I told you. He's emotionally stunted." Gaara turned, this time seeing his brother, standing off to the side, his arms crossed. Gaara wanted to yell at him avert his eyes from Cordi's naked form, yell at everyone in the Council to do so, but his voice wouldn't work. Kankuro continued, "He doesn't know the first thing about sex."
"This is one reason why many believe you should be Kazekage, Lord Kankuro," another voice said. "A man who can relate to everyone, and doesn't have an issue bedding a woman."
Kankuro laughed. "Well, that is one place I can agree I don't have an issue with."
"You would provide Suna better stability in the long run, with your children to guide future generations."
"Wait," Gaara said. He tried to speak loudly once he found his voice, but it was drowned out by the council's discussion on how Kankuro would make a better Kazekage, given solely on the fact he could fuck a woman without fear. Gaara had never touched a woman. Not really. That kind of affection required a level of vulnerability he'd never shared with anyone. Even after his reformation all those years ago. He wasn't even sure if he could find that level of vulnerability to achieve that goal without disastrous consequences. He was so terrified of losing himself. The most he'd been able to do was the chaste kisses he shared with Matsuri, and even they required a lot of courage and control from him. He could not get swept up in his emotions. When he did, people got hurt, or worse killed, and things broken.
"From now on, Gaara will stepdown from his role of Kazekage, and Kankuro will take his place."
Kankuro frowned regretfully, "If you insist."
"I'M THE KAZEKAGE!" Gaara almost yelled. He never raised his voice like this, but no one in the council was listening to him. They wanted stability. An heir. The council kept talking over him, and his sand began to kick up in his frustration.
Until a hand grabbed his wrist. He froze, looking down at it. Cordi was still staring at him with a heated intensity he didn't understand. "You're no leader to them," she scoffed. His heart dropped at her declaration, again hearing its truth. "You have no real power over them."
"Shut up," he growled.
"You're just a kid they gave the title to, to prevent another village ending tantrum."
"Shut. Up."
"You're no Kazekage."
He shook with rage at her smirking smug face. He wanted to kill her. His sand snaked around her, covering her naked body. She laughed as he clenched his fist, growling, "Sand Burial." The sand didn't crush her, and she continued to laugh. She pulled her arm out, and with a touch it fell away, revealing herself to him again. He was powerless against her.
"You don't really want to kill me," she smirked. "Do you?" Had it been another life, he would have. He would have tried his hardest to kill her. But she was impervious. He couldn't kill her. His heart pounded in his ears with fear and trepidation. She laughed at his impotence, and he felt rage building in his gut. He couldn't kill her. He could, however, make her pay for her words, and she needed shutting up. Lust after all was a concept he was well acquainted with. Bloodlust that was. But maybe regular lust wasn't so different.
She opened her mouth to say more hurtful words and his mouth connected with hers. She couldn't use her mouth if he was using it for her. He pushed her around to the table as his hands roved over her body, squeezing her breasts and not caring to be gentle. Just the sensation of taking over her mouth made his heart pound with excitement, and he felt his member growing, straining against his underwear. His sand snaked around her limbs holding her prone on the table as his clothes seemed to melt away as his body pressed against hers.
The room had gone silent, and began to darken, only illuminated by her glowing presence. "I'm the Kazekage," he declared as his sand pulled her into position for him on the table. He didn't look at the Council as he said it, because her body had him mesmerized. Her skin was so soft under his fingertips. Her breasts spilled in his hands as he kneaded them hungrily, biting his lip and wondering what it would feel like to sink his teeth in her flesh. He squeezed her breast tighter, surely bruising her skin as he declared, "And I will do anything to prove I was the right choice." His eyes connected with hers, and he saw the fire roaring within her. Fire that begged him to be snuffed. "And if that means fucking you…" She bit her lip as his grip on her breasts tightened, and his hips connected with hers just to taste the friction his baser instincts were begging for. Her hands reached up to him, and she arched her body to meet wanted it. To torture her with such a pleasuring invasion. To see her eyes roll to the back of her head as he had his way with her. He bared his teeth as he huffed, "… then so be it."
His member hardened almost painfully as he watched her lick her lips with anticipation, as if she was calling his bluff. I'll prove her wrong. I'll prove them all wrong. He pushed her legs open, then guided his groin to hers, searching for the balm to ease its dripping anguish. "Please," she moaned, not sure if it was with desire for him to release her or for him to use her for his darkest desires. He'd never felt such need in his life. To impale her on his member and feel her quiver against him. His sand tightened its hold. He had to. To remain Kazekage, he had to fuck her. And he wanted to. His body was desperate to. He pushed his length into her with little resistance, and she let out a pleasured moan as he skewered her to the hilt. It felt torturously good, her essence throbbing around him. His sand shifted around energetically. The feeling only improved when he slid out of her, then back in. His gaze focused on Cordi as he pushed into her again and again, seeing her eyes screwed shut and her mouth hung open and panting in ecstasy. There was a sense of accomplishment growing in his heart at the vision of her. She was enjoying herself, despite his rough use of her. Experiencing this pleasure … because of him. "Oh, Gaara!" she cried. Her pleasured screams triggered something in him. He was like a beast now, his body moving of its own volition as he felt a clenching and building of pressure. His body was chasing this feeling down, hunting its release. "Gaara! Ah! Gaara! GAARA!" There. He was almost THERE!
There was a pounding on the door, breaking through his haze. "Gaara? Gaara, is everything ok in there?" someone called out. It sounded like his sister.
Gaara's hip thrusting slowed and he realized his eyes were screwed shut. He opened them, breathing hard from his body's exertion, expecting to see Cordi under him, only to realize he was under blankets, his legs tangled up in sheets. As his thrusts slowed to a halt, he looked around, taking in his location with confusion. He wasn't in the council room. He was in the sleeping quarters of his hotel suite. The room was covered in sand that had been sitting in his gourd. He adjusted his position, and at the movement, felt the unmistakable wetness around his groin of pre-ejaculate. He grimaced as he realized he was harder than his usual morning stiffness. "Ugh, dammit," he cursed, getting up.
It had been years since an issue like this had happened. Back when Shukaku had first been pulled from his body and he was recovering from his death. Sleep was somewhat new for him, as were the nightly emissions or sexual dreams. He had read about them before, in the book Kankuro gave him, so it wasn't like he didn't know what had happened. But it was still embarrassing. He was just thankful that it was a rare occurrence these past four years.
He had dealt with the random erections that popped up during puberty when he was still a jinchuuriki. Before the Konoha Crush, he'd dealt with them by taking a cold shower or killing someone who looked at him funny. After vowing to change his ways, and he'd changed to a regular infantry team to gain more trust in the people of Suna before becoming the Kazekage, it somehow came up in a conversation he overheard between his teammates, and one of his subordinates mentioned the difficulty he had at sneaking away from the team to jerk one out if necessary. Finding out it wasn't just him gave him the courage to mention the issue to Kankuro to get some suggestions on how to handle it, and what the hell it was. He'd never forgotten the face Kankuro made when he asked.
Kankuro's eyes went wide, and his fingers froze, almost dropping his tools in his puppet. His dark eyes flew to Gaara's sitting next to him. His expression was a mix between shock and horror. It was a rare moment where Kankuro wasn't wearing his purple make-up, and Gaara saw the tinges of pink rising to his brother's face. His wide eyes never wavered from Gaara's, breaking contact only to blink a couple times.
Gaara gave a small gulp. Had he said something amiss? He still wasn't used to talking so plainly with his siblings about such topics.
Kankuro let out a small nervous laugh. "A-are you telling me … th-that Dad … never …?" Kankuro trailed off, while Gaara remained resolutely stoic. Kankuro frowned at his own question. "Right. Why would he?" Kankuro took a deep breath, turning his chair towards his brother, and bracing himself by placing his hands on his knees. He looked at Gaara, his face going red as he looked at his younger brother. Gaara could practically see the words running through his mind, "Where do I begin?" Kankuro puffed out his cheeks, then let out the air through pursed lips. He cleared his throat, then asked, "S-so, how much do you know about …" he made a motion with his hands as if trying to find the words before settling on, "you know…"
Gaara's gaze narrowed in confusion as Kankuro eyed him carefully. After a long, silent moment, Kankuro huffed, "Right. Well, uuuhm …" Kankuro's eyes looked off as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. "You … you remember when your voice went from 'Up here,'" he held his hand up high as his pitch went up, then down low as he continued, "to 'down here,' over night?"
Gaara frowned, but nodded. It was when he was twelve, and they had gone out on a mission to the Land of Cliffs, not far from Ishigakure. One of their first missions. He thought his throat was just sore, but Baki had pulled him aside and told him that his body was going through some changes. "Baki said it was because my body was changing."
Kankuro's eyes lit up with relief. "Right. This is one of those changes."
Gaara frowned further. He couldn't help himself from asking, "Why?" These changes seemed so illogical.
"Uh," Kankuro hummed, scratching his cheek. "Well. All these changes make it possible for you to …" he paused again to find the right word, "… to procreate."
Gaara blinked at his older brother. He had a vague sense of what his brother was talking about, but wanted to be sure. "By that you mean…?"
"You know, banging someone," Kankuro answered before Gaara could finish his question. Gaara still scowled in confusion as Kankuro offered some more euphemisms, "Screwing? Making love?" Gaara's eyes flew wide at such an unexpected answer, and Kankuro pursed his lips, muttering, "Not like that," as if he read Gaara's mind. Kankuro let out a sigh, and added, "It's what you do with the person you're in love with."
"Love?" Gaara asked.
"Very specific Love," Kankuro clarified quickly, gesturing with his hand and leveling Gaara with a stern look to emphasize how "specific" he meant. It hadn't even been a year since the Chunin Exams, and Love was still an unknown concept to Gaara. Kankuro rubbed his fingers together as he winced, trying to think of the right words. "You know, when a man and a woman are in love. They … have sex …" Kankuro shuddered as he said it, seeing his little brother blushing more and more. He cleared his throat as he finished, "to make a baby. You know what I'm talking about right?" Gaara frowned, his lips pursed as if not entirely certain. Kankuro remembered something, and laughed, "Oh, remember those two dogs we saw that first night in Konoha when Baki was checking us into that hotel?"
Now Gaara really frowned as he asked, "The two that were fighting?" He remembered the bigger dog tackling the smaller dog and biting its neck.
Kankuro laughed. "Yeah, except they weren't fighting." Gaara looked at his brother weirdly as Kankuro clarified, "They were having sex to make puppies." He shuddered as he added, "Men and women do the same thing, especially when they want a baby."
Gaara's expression fell to abject horror. "You don't mean Mother… and Father …" he trailed off, getting a mental image of his parents he did not want to see. "… did that," he finished with a croak. The pursed expression Kankuro gave him told him that was exactly what Kankuro was telling him, but Gaara couldn't believe it. "No," he said, shaking his head. "That's …" Gaara kept shaking his head trying to find the words as the mental image of the dogs and exactly what they were doing stuck in his brain. It was disgusting. "No one would do that."
Kankuro made another wincing face as he confessed, "Well, I've done it." Gaara gaped at him as Kankuro shrugged with a wistful smile as he added, "It actually felt pretty amazing."
Silence hung in the air as Gaara tried to puzzle together everything his brother was saying. Kankuro didn't add anything, knowing his brother was working it out in his mind before asking anything else. Any addition he could give would only confuse Gaara. Gaara cleared his throat awkwardly before he asked, "Aren't you a little young to be having a baby?"
Kankuro eyes flew wide at the question. "What?" He did his best not to laugh at Gaara's earnest and worried expression. "No, people do it to feel good. I did it because it's fun, feels great, and is kind of a rush. But doing it has risks, like making a baby or contracting STDs, but there are steps you can take to prevent that. But it is the process to make a baby, so..." Gaara was now frowning hard, clearly incredibly confused. Kankuro pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a sigh. "God, this is gonna' be awkward. And I am probably the worst person to be having this conversation with," Kankuro muttered. "Hell, Dad wasn't that good at it. He just gave me a book, and told me to ask him questions." Kankuro sat up, and hit his hand as if struck by an epiphany. "Actually, I think I still have that book."
Gaara opened his mouth to tell Kankuro that wasn't necessary, given the mild horror of the topic he had already been subjected to, but Kankuro was already standing, and rushing over to his nightstand. Once he found it, he held up the book victoriously in his hand. It had a white cover, and in big, bold, bright, overlapping pink and blue letters, "Human Sexuality: From Puberty to Reproduction." It was rather large, like the textbooks from ninja school on the history of the world, and thick too. Kankuro walked over to Gaara, the book outstretched in his hand.
"Here," Kankuro grunted, handing Gaara the book. Gaara took it warily. It was a heavy book, and he sat it in his lap.
He eyed it carefully, then opened the cover, flicking past the long table of contents to the first chapter. "What is Sex?" it read in big bold letters. Gaara blushed as he read the first paragraph silently. "Sex. It could easily be argued that it is the most pivotal thing to the survival of the human race. Even the mention of it makes people stop and listen. But when approached with the question, 'What is Sex?' it's not the easiest thing to explain. The simple definition is: 'the act of intercourse between two (or more) people.' But that is hardly an answer. Is it solely the action of intercourse? Is it the creation of new life? How does it work? What is consent? And why is it all important?"
Kankuro nudged Gaara towards the door, forcing the younger brother to close the tome, and saying, "Trust me when I say I'm saving us both a painfully awkward conversation. So, just go to your room, and read that. If Temari sees it, she might be inclined to tell you about the book Dad gave her, and believe me when I say you're better off not knowing. And if you have any questions afterwards," Kankuro looked at Gaara seriously as he finished, "ask Baki."
Gaara turned to look at his brother confused, and let out a small, "But …" but Kankuro had already shut the door. Gaara pursed his lips, looking at the book cover carefully before taking it back to his room to read.
There was another knocking on the door. "Gaara, are you ok in there?" Temari called out. When Gaara didn't answer immediately, Temari huffed, "Alright, I'm coming in."
"No," Gaara answered quickly, and a little loudly in his opinion, sounding a little distressed. He cleared his throat as he added reassuringly, "Everything is fine." She was the last person he wanted seeing him like this. Other than maybe Cordi. God if she knew what he had dreamed of last night. He scowled at the wet stain in his pants, cursing to himself that he'd have to quickly clean it up. He heard the door handle jiggle, and he immediately threw his sand up to seal the door. "Don't. I'm about to get in the shower," he lied. Although, was it really a lie now that he had to take a shower?
The handle stopped jiggling, and Temari called out from the other side of the door. "Alright. I was just coming to tell you we are expected at the tournament grounds in an hour."
"Thank you," Gaara replied, starting to get undressed. He thanked the stars that he'd had the forethought to not wear pajamas last night, and settled for just his boxers. He reached over into the ensuite to start the shower.
Gaara tested the water, finding it was warm enough, and he stepped in, letting the water wash over him as he let his mind wander. He tried desperately not to think about the dream by focusing on rinsing his hair and body, or lathering in soap. But his thoughts kept wandering back to it. Why her? Why Cordi?
He understood the other half of the dream. There were many people, even some in the Suna Council who believed Kankuro was a more stable fit for Kazekage. The most recent coup attempt had been during the arranged marriage meeting that ended up imploding spectacularly. Kankuro never supported these groups, and definitely had no intention of pursuing the title. But Gaara wasn't ignorant to them. He also knew it was only a matter of time before the Council arranged another marriage for him. He was staving them off with his relationship with Matsuri. But he knew it was only a matter of time.
Since the first marital surprise, he'd had many dreams where the Council had arranged for him to marry some kunoichi. They always ended poorly when he'd show up to the marriage meeting. Sometimes with his teeth falling out. Or his clothes disappearing. Or his voice not working. The worst was when he dreamed his sand would start acting of its own volition, and destroy the meeting. One dream, his father showed up and forced him to fight him.
But this was the first dream where the Suna Council of his subconscious demanded he bed a woman. Not even bed. It was intercourse with her on a table under the watchful eyes of the council members, his brother, and the kage statues, including his father, so they could observe if he could perform when married. And he did it. What is wrong with me? he wondered. On top of that, the woman in question was Cordi. A woman he was certain hated him at the moment, since he sold out her and her friends' secret. He'd done it as a staunch ally to Konoha, but he still betrayed her confidence.
It also wasn't like he cared about her opinion of him. While she was pretty, and her figure was attractive, and she sometimes had her moments, like the evening with the cookies, for the most part, Gaara thought she was annoying and abrasive. She had a knack for saying the absolute wrong thing. Not to mention she wore her emotions on her sleeve. And she had no problem expressing her negative opinions about him. He could count on one hand the amount of people who have called him an asshole to his face. One. And her name was Cordelia Turner. And she'd done it multiple times. He'd killed people for less.
The words, "You heartless son of a bitch," from yesterday rang in his head, and he braced himself against the shower wall, feeling an odd bevy of emotions from it. The outright fiery contempt in her eyes when she said it leveled him and seared into his soul. It was the same glare from his dream last night. If he closed his eyes, he could see her clearly standing naked in front of him as she spat her venomous words. Something about her eyes caught him though. It struck him and made him giddy and warm at the same time. It made her … beautiful. Despite her anger, he could see there was a burning passion there that moved his heart and stirred his already aching loins, and he chewed his lip guiltily as his hand traveled to his member of its own accord. He remembered how she insulted him in the dream, and how rough he was with her as he began to stroke himself. His eyes screwed shut to see the vision better. The image of her prone beneath him, screaming his name as he pushed inside her flooded his mind. He wanted to punish her while reaching his sweet release. He began to imagine violating her in other ways he'd read about in the Make Out Tactics series. And it felt good to see her that way. Under his thumb, punishing her and bending to his every whim. Having her on her knees and making her gag on his member plunging deep in her mouth and throat.
At some point, though, in the middle of her sucking on him, there was a shift in the dynamic of power. He wasn't giving her punishing blows anymore, but she was controlling him, making him beg that she kept doing what she was doing. Promising he would move heaven and earth if she kept licking his member like that, and looking at him with her intense dark eyes. "You're a sick fuck," he heard her say between licks. He nodded his agreement as his pleasure mounted. At this point he'd agree with anything she said. "You're disgusting for wanting this." Again, he nodded.
He was gasping for air as he felt himself getting closer to his peak, and he whimpered in his vision, "Please don't stop."
She smirked at him, and purred, "Pathetic."
The sensation around his member tightened as his hips moved involuntarily as he felt the familiar sensation of building pressure leading to a final release. "Cordi," he gasped as he came in spurting jolts. The sound of his real voice shocked him out of his vision, and he took a sharp focusing breath as he opened his eyes, his hips slowing their pace as reality crashed around him. He wasn't in his office with his engorged member halfway down Cordelia Turner's throat as the fire user sucked down his seed. No, he was in the shower with his dick in his hand whimpering for her when she was a thousand miles away, and hating him all the while. He closed his eyes, quickly finding the vision of her again, but it was like waking from a dream. It wasn't the same before as he finished himself. He sighed wistfully as he began to clean himself off and made sure the evidence of his lust washed down the drain, shaking his head as let go of himself as his mind raced back to the realms of sanity, questioning what exactly was wrong with him. Cordelia was off limits, even for him. She wasn't a ninja, and despite her strange powers, he likely couldn't have her like he imagined, for many reasons.
But the question remained. Why her?
After some deliberation, he decided it didn't mean anything. The dream was just his anxiety of seeing the Council again. The vision just now was just some residual feelings from a fucked-up dream. They meant nothing. He rubbed the water away from his eyes as he finished up. He quickly got dressed and ready, then stepped into the lounge, where Temari was waiting with their morning tea and toast. He sat down, drinking his tea and eating his toast quietly. "So," Temari sighed, "Did you have a good night's sleep? Any interesting dreams?"
Gaara paused mid bite as he thought about answering. She was only making polite conversation. The image of Cordi from his dream flashed in his brain again, echoes of her screaming his name as he had his way with her rang in his ears. He cleared his throat before replying, "No."
July fifth was a beautiful day in Konoha. The sky was bright blue, dotted with a few clouds. A gentle breeze danced through the green leaves in the trees. And everyone was making their way towards the Chunin Exam tournament grounds. The four remaining girls of the Odd Squad, as they used to call themselves, followed the massive crowds of ninja and civilians alike.
"There it is," Ronnie cheered as the stadium came into view. It was a large white building, reminiscent of the football stadiums back home, but the seating area was thankfully covered with a red roof. It was different from the one Naruto first fought in with Neji way back when, but Rox had reminded her on their walk earlier that Pain had destroyed that one.
Fred eyed her little sister oddly, and remarked, "You certainly seem chipper."
"That's because she has a date," Lynne commented. Ronnie cleared her throat reproachfully, and Lynne raised her hands in surrender. "Sorry. You're just practically screaming your plans at me with your excitement." The mindreader shot her a knowing smirk as she added, "You've also got your makeup and hair done, and you're wearing a sundress."
Ronnie looked at herself, noting her spaghetti strapped, white and light blue checked sundress that only came to her mid-thigh, highlighted by her white espadrille sandals. And her medium brown hair was pulled back in an elegant half pony-tail. And yes, she had meticulously applied her makeup to the appropriate level of daytime ease to nighttime dramatic, since she would not have a chance to change her makeup between the tournament and her date with Kiba.
She compared her own looks to the rest of her friends walking with her. All of them wore basic t-shirts and shorts, except Lynne who was wearing capris. Both Fred and Lynne wore basic daytime makeup, while Rox wore none, although it wasn't that noticeable under her large Jackie O' style sunglasses. Both Fred and Lynne had chin-length hair, so while Lynne had only brushed her wavy red hair, Fred had pinned back one side of her dark brown tresses with bobby pins. Rox had her black hair braided as usual. Both Rox and Lynne wore silver and gold gladiator sandals, while Fred wore plain white keds.
Yes, she did look rather fancy compared to them. But she was going on her first official date with the Kiba Inuzuka. It was a special moment. And she'd be damned if she didn't dress well for it.
As they got in the stadium, Lynne began to purse her lips and huff impatiently. "What's wrong?" Rox asked, noticing the psychic's discomfort.
"Oh," Lynne grumbled, "I just forgot to use the bathroom before we left …" She paused, the rest of the group stopping with her as she scanned the crowd. Her eye caught some leaf ninja in uniform watching the crowd, and she walked over towards them, waving back at her friends and calling out, "I'll catch up with ya'll later."
Before any of them could go after her, they heard a familiar voice call out, "Hey! Look who it is!" They turned to see Naruto walking in with Temari, Gaara, and an unrecognizable Suna ninja. Fred visibly soured seeing the Kazekage while both Rox and Ronnie tried to give the group friendly smiles. Naruto quickly took a count of the girls, and asked "Where's the rest of your group? Weren't there five of you?" He nudged at Rox as he asked, "And what about your boyfriend? Couldn't get his lazy butt down here to join you?"
"Well, Cordi was sent to Suna prematurely yesterday," Fred answered, deftly steering away from both Rox's and Temari's awkward reactions to the knucklehead's question, glowering at the Kazekage, who only regarded her coolly back.
"Oh," Naruto replied awkwardly. The tension and animosity in the glare Fred was sending Gaara was impossible not to notice, even for the usually clueless knucklehead.
"And Lynne's in the bathroom," Ronnie added quickly, jutting her thumb over her shoulder, clearly trying to segue. Naruto made a weird face, clearly not sure where to go with that information, but Gaara looked mildly relieved.
Fred ignored her sister's attempt at amiable discourse, crossing her arms as she squared her stance against Gaara, her forest green eyes boring into his, "Just so you know, Gaara, we've decided to forgive you this time. But if anything bad happens to Cordi, just remember we have four …" she paused, realizing Naruto wasn't in the know about the dragons, so she substituted, "Spyros." Gaara raised a hairless eyebrow at that. Fred glowered more as she snipped, "You know what I'm talking about. I'm just saying we will use them. Understand?"
Temari stepped forward, a forced smirk on her face as she said, "I don't think you should be threatening the Kazekage."
Fred smiled back at the wind kunoichi in much the same way as she said, "Oh, no threat. A promise. She's not just our friend, she's our sister. And we've entrusted her to you and your siblings while we're here."
Gaara cleared his throat, silencing Temari before she could argue anymore. "I promise," he stated, "Cordelia is in good hands. I can understand recent events may make you question that. But I assure you, she will be well taken care of."
Fred looked to Rox as if to ask if that was enough, and Rox gave a small nod. "Well, alright then," Fred stated.
Gaara pursed his lips, then grumbled a small, "It was nice to see you, Naruto. Temari." He bobbed his head towards the Kage box seats before turning to leave. His older sister followed after him.
As the Sand ninja left, Naruto scoffed at the girls, "I don't know about you, but Gaara isn't a someone to be enemies with. So, I'd think twice about threatening him."
Again, Fred said, "It wasn't a threat."
Naruto rolled his cerulean eyes. "Still…" he mumbled, pocketing his hands. He frowned his confusion before he asked, "What's a Spyro?"
Before anyone could think of a good answer, they heard someone call out, "Hey! Look who's all here." The group looked up to see Kiba with his large dog Akamaru, Hinata, and a man wearing his forehead protector like a doo-rag, dark sunglasses, a gray trench coat, and a serious scowl walking towards them together. Rox and Ronnie realized it must have been Shino, but Fred had no idea who it was. But it was clear that Kiba was who had called out, leading the ninja team. He wore a tight black t-shirt under his grey sweatshirt, and his hair was brushed for once.
Ronnie flicked her hair away from her face as she chirped, "Hey." She was interrupted by Akamaru who came bounding up to her as she greeted the dog ecstatically as she asked in a babying voice, "And how's my best pupper!?" scratching him where his jaw met his neck.
Naruto turned and beamed at the Hyuga heiress. "Hinata! I was wondering when you'd show up."
"Oh, Naruto," the dark-haired heiress said, her voice breathy and high. "You didn't have to wait for me."
Naruto waved her off before putting his arms around her shoulder and pulling her close, "Of course I did. Who else am I going to sit next to?" He kissed her forehead, earning weird glances from Kiba and Shino as Hinata's face grew really red.
Kiba blinked at the couple before pointing at them and asking, "I'm sorry. Are you two … together?"
"OH!" Ronnie cheered excitedly, her fists under her chin as she beamed at the ninja couple. "Please say yes! Please please PLEASE!" Akamaru reached a paw up to pull one of her arms down for more pets, which she readily gave.
Naruto looked at the otherworldly girls, seeing both Rox and Ronnie looking equally as hopefully at them as Fred rolled her green eyes and suppressed a scoff.
Hinata blushed more as she tried to pull away, saying, "I-it's still really early …"
"Our third date is tonight," Naruto stated, his grip tightening on her shoulder. She placed her hand over his, and their fingers intertwined as she smiled up at him optimistically.
Both Ronnie and Rox gave a loud verbal cheer, shocking the ninja as they pumped their fists in the air and began a weird hip-bump handshake as they chanted, "We called it! We called it!"
Kiba and Shino smiled, and Kiba punched Naruto friendly in the shoulder as he laughed, "You dog! Congrats!"
"It is about time," Shino added, his voice deep and gruff.
"What are ya'll so giddy about?" Lynne asked as she walked back towards the group.
Ronnie pointed a finger at the new couple as she howled, "They're together now. Pay up!" She stuck her hand out as if expecting payment as Rox did the same.
Lynne eyed them skeptically, her blue eyes then landing on the taken aback couple. She pursed her lips and narrowed her gaze as she asked, "Are you two really dating?"
"Yes?" Naruto more asked than answered.
"Yeah!" Rox laughed. "So, pay up!"
Lynne shook her head. "I don't think so. The bet was if they end up together. Y'know, married."
Both Ronnie and Rox shot her outraged jaw drops. "You cannot re-neg based on that," Ronnie declared, Rox nodding in agreement.
"We said endgame," Lynne stated with a shrug.
Ronnie set her jaw, then asserted, "Ref call."
"I'll call Cordi," Rox sighed, fishing in her purse for her phone.
Lynne shook her head. "No, Cordi was in on the bet, so she's automatically biased. Fred?"
Rox quit fishing as the group turned to Fred expectantly. Naruto scoffed, admitting, "Fred was the one who set us up."
"Really?" Hinata asked, a little disappointed.
Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously as he said, "Well, she supplied the drink and suggested I ask you out." Hinata's brow furrowed with worry as he pulled her aside, saying, "But that was it. I've had a lot of fun these past few nights, and I've realized I really like you." He lifted his hand to her cheek in a tender moment, and she just leaned into it. "Come on. Let's go find a seat," he offered, grabbing her hand and nudging his head towards the other direction. Hinata nodded, and readily followed him.
Lynne shook her head at the ninja couple, turning to her friends before walking off, "Shit's rigged."
"Oh, come on," Rox huffed, following after her.
Ronnie sighed as Fred shrugged and began to follow their friends off. Kiba wrapped his arms around her shoulder, and said, "Let them go. Plus, I wanted to introduce you to Shino."
"So, this one is Ronnie?" Shino asked, a little skeptically.
Kiba nodded, smiling down at her. Ronnie offered her hand as she said, "It's nice to meet you."
"Mmhm," Shino exhaled through his nose before giving a small nod, then turning and walking off, muttering, "Looks like I need to find myself a seat."
Ronnie pouted at the dismissal. Even Akamaru grumbled disapprovingly. "It's ok," Kiba said, rubbing Ronni's shoulder. "He probably just feels like a fifth wheel with Hinata and I sitting with dates." His arm dropped to her waist as he pulled her closer to him, which she felt totally comfortable with. "He's probably also little jealous I'm on a date with a girl as pretty as you."
Ronnie smiled up at him before standing on her tippy-toes and giving his cheek a kiss. He blushed at the public display, as she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the stands. "We need to find some seats. It looks like they're about to start."
"Well, that was a bust," Temari grumbled as she set her fan against the wall as she and Gaara entered their suite. Gaara just grunted his response, clearly distracted about something as he sat down, crossing his arms. She rubbed at her neck as she added, "I mean, all of them out in the first round." She placed her fists on her hips as she huffed, "We probably have to crack down on training. Next Chunin Exams, one of our teams has to make it to the semifinals. Otherwise it just makes us look bad." She let out a long sigh, dreading the work that meant for her, since she set up the training requirements for each Suna genin team to even qualify for exam admission recommendations. "What do you think, Gaara?"
She was answered with silence.
She frowned, turning to her little brother who seemed fixated at a spot on the floor. "Gaara?" Again, he didn't answer, clearly distracted by some worrying thought. She frowned, and slumped down on the couch next to him, breaking his focus. "What's wrong, Gaara?"
Gaara shook his head as if to say, "nothing," but Temari held up a finger, clearly not buying it. "You've been weird all day," she pointed out. "What's going on?" When he didn't say anything, she asked, "Does it have anything to do with the girls threatening to attack us with their dragons?"
He pursed his lips, then answered, "I betrayed Cordelia and her friends' confidence. I can understand their bitterness, despite it being necessary to keep them all safe and together, like they wanted. But that doesn't make it any easier to go home and face Cordelia."
Temari pulled at the hem of her skirt as she thought about it, her brow furrowing into a frown as she suggested, "Well, you know, you could just set her up in the ninja dorms, so we're not living with her."
Gaara frowned at his sister's answer. "Aren't you two friends?" Gaara asked, his tone laced with confusion.
Temari pursed her lips before looking off to the far wall as she said, "Well, I thought they all were. But friends don't date a friend's ex behind their back, or keep that information to themselves. So…"
Gaara looked at her with pity. He couldn't imagine how betrayed she felt when she found out about Shikamaru moving on. He sighed through his nose, then stated, "Well, regardless of our feelings, the Council has made it clear they want me to keep notes on Cordelia, and seconded my original offer for her to stay with us. So, until new information comes to light, she's with us."
"Good ol' Council," Temari scoffed, shaking her head.
Gaara gave a small shrug, then added, "Plus, she did apologize when you found out. And it seemed as if they were trying to protect you from that."
She shot a weird look at him. "And now you're defending her?" He tried to shake it off, but she smirked, pointing at him accusatorily. "You like her, don't you?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Gaara quickly dismissed, standing up. "I just think it's best we don't go into our new living situation with hostile feelings between us."
The blonde kunoichi shot him a rueful look as she grumbled, "Yeah right."
He decided to ignore the comment as he moved towards his bedroom. "Come on. The train to Suna is in a few hours, and we need pack." She rolled her eyes and did as her little brother suggested. None of the Suna team made it into the semifinals for the tournament tomorrow, meaning they had to leave before then.
The Konoha evening air was a welcome atmosphere as Kiba and Ronnie walked the streets of the ninja village after what Ronnie would consider an amazing date. After the tournament they went to eat at Kiba's favorite burger joint, where he learned, much to his delight, Ronnie could wolf down a double bacon cheeseburger. She was also quick to slap his hand away when he would try to steal a fry. As they walked around, Ronnie began to shiver, and Kiba gave her his jacket without breaking stride, mentioning he liked how she looked in it. They discussed hobbies, pets, goals, and lastly family as they continued their late-night stroll. Currently, they were discussing Ronnie's siblings, which Ronnie supplied several anecdotes that made Kiba happy he only just met Fred at the tournament.
"That can't be true," Kiba laughed, rolling his eyes as they walked up the stairs to Ronnie's front door. Akamaru steadily padded behind them, enjoying the scratches Ronnie was supplying his head with.
"My brothers are super protective," Ronnie explained, earning a grumble from the dog as she pulled her hand away. She scoffed and gave his ears another scratch as she said, "You are such a glutton." Akamaru panted happily, and Ronnie rolled her eyes, crossing her arms, earning another grumble that she ignored as she added, "Both Landon and Garrett can be a bit much."
"But to take you boyfriend on a hunting trip to threaten to murder him?" Kiba chuckled. "He didn't see that coming?"
Ronnie giggled, "I didn't say he was smart."
Kiba let out a loud bark of a laugh. Ronnie pulled him close, holding up a finger to his lips as she whispered, "Sh. It's midnight, and if you wake up Rox, she will murder us." She couldn't help but chuckle as she added, "She gets scary after midnight."
"Scarier than your brothers?" he asked, one eyebrow raised coyly. He was leaning closer to her, and his breath puffed against her fingers, seizing her heart with anticipation.
"Way," Ronnie replied with a giddily.
He grabbed her hand, pulling it away from his lips as he leaned down, "Even if I did this?" He pressed his lips against hers in a tender kiss. He inhaled her scent deeply they lingered together, pulling apart only an inch as he looked deep into her eyes, seeing her pupils dilated as she opened her eyes to stare back at him.
Kiba was surprised Akamaru hadn't grumbled at their PDA, but was instead panting happily and wagging his tail, looking out over the town.
Suddenly, she smirked. "They'd only be scarier if we did this," she breathed, before seizing his lips hungrily, pinning him against her door. She licked at his lips, and he let her in, his eyes fluttering closed as his arms encircled her waist. His tongue beckoned hers in as he tasted her, pulling her tightly against him. One of her hands found its way to his hair at the base of his skull, sending shivers down his spine. One of his hands drifted from her waist to her ass, cupping and squeezing her clothed cheek. He thought he felt something interesting under the thin fabric of the dress, but she pushed him away by his chest and chirped, "Maybe we should go inside."
He cleared his throat, grumbling a small, "Yeah."
Quickly, she reached around him for the door. He moved to lean on the door jamb as she unlocked it and opened it. He watched her, seeing her flick her hair in frustration at her key as she mumbled, "Oh, come on." He didn't say anything, enjoying the smell of her pheromones. Being and Inuzuka, he had a much stronger sense of smell than most. And the smells she was giving off were incredibly enticing. But he was patient as she worked with her door. Finally, it opened, and she huffed, "Jeez." She gestured for him to enter first, and he moved to do so, only to be stopped by Akamaru barreling through.
"Akamaru!" Kiba growled. The watched from the doorway as Akamaru found Ronnie's bed, hopped on and curled up comfortably. "Akamaru," Kiba huffed, "you can't just …"
"It's fine," Ronnie interrupted, pulling Kiba inside along with her. "Let him have the bed."
Kiba looked at her, and his heart warmed, seeing her smiling at Akamaru sweetly as if he were her dog. Tamaki would have never allowed such a thing to happen. Her bed was for her cats, and if Kiba was spending the night, Akamaru had to sleep outside. That was why Kiba didn't spend the night all that often with her. He shook his head, realizing he shouldn't be comparing Ronnie to Tamaki. Tamaki was ancient history. Ronnie was where he wanted to be.
He looked around the small dorm, and said, "So, this is it?"
"This is it," she answered, giving a pursed nod. She gestured around the one room apartment, save for the bathroom, as she said, "I've got a small kitchen, a study area, dresser …" She chuckled as she added, "a bed as Akamaru has found, and a bathroom. All anyone needs to survive"
Kiba took it all in. It was quaint and cozy. He looked at the bed and frowned, seeing Akamaru easily took over half of it. "It's not that big a bed, is it?"
Ronnie shrugged as she replied, "I don't think Kakashi was planning on us having any overnight visitors."
Kiba smirked. "You hear that, Akamaru. Don't get too comfortable."
"Oh, I didn't mean …"
Kiba grinned at the nervous water user. "I'm just kidding," he laughed. She visible relaxed, blushing a little. He noticed some framed photos on her desk, and he stepped over to look at them. One photo was of Ronnie holding a calf and feeding it milk from a bottle. Another was of her and her friends, most of which he met this morning, but the fifth he didn't recognize. He assumed that was Cordelia, whom she'd told him stories about over dinner. Ronnie and Cordelia were wearing strange black robes and hats with tassels. "What's going on in this one?" he asked, pointing to it.
She stepped over, looking at the photo carefully before stating, "That was my graduation. About a month ago." She paused, frowning in thought as she sighed, "God, that seems like a lifetime ago." She grinned as she added, "I had these photos saved on my computer, so I went and got them printed after we were here a week, and Cordi got those videos."
Kiba frowned. "What videos?"
Ronnie shook her head, waving it off. "It doesn't matter. The videos just said we were going to be here a while, so I figured I might as well make my dorm as homey as possible." She gestured around the apartment at little nicknacks, throw pillows, even a rug. She shrugged, fidgeting with her middle finger. "It's not much."
"I like it," Kiba said with a sincere smile. The dorms had been supplied with the bare essentials, he knew. He'd been to Naruto's apartment a couple times when they were younger. That boy didn't buy anything but plants and ramen. So, Kiba knew what a bare bones ninja dorm looked like. For having been there only two weeks, Ronnie had managed to get enough things to transform the space from cold dorm to something liveable.
He turned back to the desk, moving to the next photo. Ronnie asleep on the couch, a black Labrador curled up in her legs with its head resting on her hip, and a white and gray spotted cat curled up in the hollow curve of her stomach with Ronnie's arm draped over it just barely. Kiba grinned at that. In all honesty, Kiba liked cats. His mother hated them, which is why he'd never owned one, but he thought maybe when he moved out, maybe he'd get one. That is if Akamaru didn't mind. Akamaru and Tamaki's cats didn't get along, which didn't bode well for that idea. But seeing a picture like this, a big dog and a cat snuggled up to sleep with the same person, gave him hope. "Who is this?" he asked, picking up the photo.
Ronnie stepped over to him, leaning against his arm so he could feel her figure under her dress as she pointed out, "Well, obviously that's me. That's my dog, Zues, and my cat, Vexnord the Destroyer of Worlds." He frowned at the cat's full title, as she laughed, "We just called him Vex for short. And no, he doesn't actually destroy worlds."
"Good to know," Kiba commented, still looking at the photo appraisingly. "So, how did you get them to sleep so close together?"
Ronnie shrugged. "I didn't. I fell asleep watching a shark week marathon, and they decided to snuggle. Mom saw us on the couch, and grabbed the camera." She sighed reminiscently as she added, "But Zues and Vex always pal around. I think it's because when we got Vex, he was tiny, and Zues was immediately protective of him. When the other two cats picked a fight with Vex, Zues always came in to back him up."
"Hmm," Kiba mused.
"Oh!" Ronnie gasped, leaning back towards the desk and picking up another photo. She held it up to him, and Kiba saw Ronnie standing next to her sister, Fred, and behind them were two tall men. Both were muscular and their dark brown hair was buzzed short in almost identical fashions. One was wearing what had to be a military uniform from their world, if Kiba had to guess. The other wore a black t-shirt that said Frederick County Police Department. Between the two men stood an older version of Ronnie, only an inch taller than her. "This is my family." She pointed each of her siblings out. The way she talked about them made her glow with happiness and fond memories. Kiba could practically feel the warmth of her love for them radiating off her.
The man in the uniform was Garrett, the other was Landon. Kiba had to admit, they did look intimidating. The story she had told him about one of her exboyfriends suddenly made some sense, but at the same time, Kiba was fairly certain he would not be compelled to answer "yes," if they asked him to go on a hunting trip with them alone. He'd also been through a war, so he wouldn't be so easily intimidated.
She took both photos from him, setting them back on her desk as she trailed off, "Sooo…" She pursed her lips in thought.
"You miss them?" Kiba asked, watching her carefully.
She rubbed at her neck as she sighed, "Yeah."
He gave a small pout, not able to imagine what it was like to lose his whole family. He'd lost his Dad, and that was difficult enough. He noted her father wasn't in the photo, and he got the feeling that she also grew up under a single mother. "And your father?"
She licked her lips, smiling painfully as she said, "Uh, he died."
Now he felt like an ass.
She cleared her throat as she continued, "My parents were already separated at the time. I was fourteen, and he was driving home from dropping us off back with my Mom when …" She choked up, clearing her throat and blinking back tears as she said through a pained smile, "Sorry. I don't usually talk about it."
"It's ok," he replied quickly. "You don't have to tell me." His heart ached for her, but also warmed, feeling a sort of kinship with her through that pain. They were the same. Except that his father was still alive, just unreachable and wanted nothing to do with him and Hana. Might as well have been dead. "My father isn't around either," he said. She pursed her lips like she knew, but didn't say anything, tearily looking away. He licked his lips, reminding himself he was a tv show character in her world. He'd likely mentioned it in the show. He grabbed her shoulder gently, massaging it gently as he asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
She looked up at him, her eyes shining. She stepped closer to him as she asked, "Kiss me?"
He obeyed. His fingers drifted up to the base of her skull, tilting her head up as he leaned down, gently placing his lips on hers. He inhaled her scent deeply as his tongue darted into her mouth to taste her, and she seemed to melt into him. His other hand trailed back down to her butt, wanting to knead its plush shape as her arms wrapped around his neck and shoulders. He gave her one hard squeeze and she gasped, pulling herself up and pressing into him. His hand dropped down from her head to her chest, palming her breast through her dress, and as his thumb flicked over the mound he realized she wasn't wearing a bra. He kneaded her ass with his other hand, feeling under her thin sundress before he began fisting it to see if his suspicion was right. As the skirt of her dress pooled at his wrist, he got a handful of her bare ass. The pheromones from her hair filtered into his senses, and the smell of her sex starting to pool hit him. He broke their kiss momentarily, still hovering millimeters from her as he caught his breath and said against her lips, "You aren't wearing any underwear."
She gasped for air against him, a smile curling on her lips as she replied, "No, I'm not."
He groaned against her lips as he kissed her, "Oh, fuck."
She giggled at that as he swept her back up in a kiss, this time, maneuvering her to lean on the desk, kicking the chair out of the way. He easily spread her legs to nestle between them as they showered each other with kisses. His fingers pulled her dress straps down, freeing her breasts before he kissed his way down, making sure each inch of her skin was caressed by his lips. Her chest heaved to greet him with every one of her gasping breaths as she reached to run her fingers through his dark tresses, holding his head close to her as he kissed down her breasts, steadily making his way to her nipple.
They were perfect and rosy. His mouth covered one as his hand covered the other. He sucked on it gently, lovingly, relishing the feeling of his tongue caressing such delicate flesh, as his thumb flicked over the other nipple, and his ass-bound hand snuck its way from behind towards her folds. His gaze flicked up to watch her as he treated her nipples with such tender care, savoring the ecstasy evident on her face as her eyes rolled up and her mouth dropped open as his lower finger found her vagina and ventured in. She gasped quietly, clearly trying to stifle a moan as his finger swirled around and his tongue continued its ministrations on her nipple. She fisted his hair as he slipped a second finger in her, feeling how wet and ready she was for him. He could smell how much she needed him. Saw how she bit her lip at the pleasure he was giving her.
His mouth dropped her breast, and she let out a small whimper until she saw him kneel in front of her and felt his lips kiss her knee, then inching slowly up her thigh as his fingers retreated from her cunt. She leaned back against the wall as he began to kiss at her folds, and she reached over to the photo of her family and set it face down before running her fingers through his hair as he pulled her skirts up well over her lap to let him get a good view of her sex. First, he ran his tongue up along her folds, earning a shiver of pleasure from her. He growled heatedly, his tone laced with a groan as if he were feasting on the tastiest meal in the world. Then with his hands, he pushed her folds apart, exposing her dripping honey pot to him before diving in, his tongue delving into her core a few times before licking her up to her clit. Her fingers tightened to a fist around his hair as he licked at her, her other hand finding the edge of the desk and clenching against it tightly. His tongue was relentless with its lovemaking, and she quickly found herself grinding against his face, pressing his head against her groin as she panted from the passion he was giving her.
She'd never experienced oral sex like this before. She'd definitely never experienced being fucked silly by a man's tongue. But here Kiba was, throwing every notion she previously had about the act out the window as his mouth made her feel more than she'd ever felt before. She felt an odd tightening in her abdomen that she'd never felt before, like a spring coiling tighter and tighter with every lick and nuzzle he made. It was becoming untenable as he continued and the pleasure spring coiled tighter and tighter until she realized a little too late that she was about to have her first orgasm and moaned out, almost inexorably, "Oh, Kiba, I'm…" Suddenly the coil snapped, and a rush of endorphins shot through her, silencing her brain with fireworks as her body clenched and spasmed around him. It was only after the endorphins released her brain did she register the pleasured groan escaping her throat, only broken by her panting. He was still eating away at her, licking up all of the juices pooling out of her.
Kiba pulled away with a smirk, lips shining from lingering sex. "Did you enjoy that?"
She could only whimper a small, "Fuck," in reply as she tried to catch her breath. And he laughed.
With a grumble, Akamaru jumped off the bed and curled up by her throw pillows next to her dresser. Kiba scoffed. "Looks like the bed is free."
All Ronnie could manage was a small, "Uh huh."
"Come," Kiba demanded, swooping her up and dumping her on the bed. He began to undress quickly as she tried to gather her wits. Once naked, he laid on top of her, nestling himself between her legs.
"Kiba," she gasped as he began to kiss along her collarbone and his hands began to caress any piece of skin they could grab. "I'm not sure I can hold my legs up."
He kept kissing her, easing her dress down to expose her breast better to lick at them again. "Do you want to try Doggy?" he asked.
She paused, biting her lip as he sucked at her, then answered, "If it means the same thing here."
He paused, his hand caressing her ass as he said, "You on all fours, me coming in from behind."
She nodded, pulling herself up as she removed her dress, exposing herself completely before assuming the position. "Go ahead," she said, presenting herself ass end up as she fisted her pillows underneath her face.
He caressed her ass again before planting a small kiss on her outer cheek before positioning himself. She realized she didn't even look at his size or girth, and realized she'd just have to be surprised as she felt his tip rub against her entrance. She tightened her fist, bracing for the pain she'd experienced several times before. He slid in with ease, despite his clearly thick member stretching her and pressing deeply in her, making her gasp a mix of surprise and lust. She guessed it was easier this time because he'd made her come already, but he was one of the larger she'd felt in her, and he felt amazing as he kneaded both of her ass cheeks as he slowly pulled out, then back in. Soon, he found a steady rhythm of riding her, and she found herself pushing back to help him dive deeper with every thrust. But, when one of his hands wound back around her hips to her clit, her brain short-circuited as she cried out, "Oh, fuck." His finger rubbed circles around her clit as his pace began to pick up a little, making that little coil reappear in her abdomen, slowly tightening with growing desire. She heard the headboard hitting against the wall, and while a part of her felt guilty about not being considerate for her sister next door, the part ruling her brain at the moment was humming with deafening pleasure, focusing only on the feeling of Kiba pounding into her.
His finger began to slow as he rasped, "Mm, Ronnie." It was fine, she was getting close from him reaching deep into her and pounding against her g spot, which he was also the first to discover. She arched her back and pushed against him hard as the coil began to crack and then burst again, flooding her body with ecstasy as she let out another guttural groan, her fingers stretching out and clenching tightly.
The walls of her cunt spasmed around his member, and his eyes rolled back at the sensation, his fingers digging into her ass cheeks with bruising intensity as he barked, "I'm going to go," before jack hammering into her until he found his release. They held their position as he pumped his essence into her and he grumbled, "Fuck. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go in you."
She laughed, performing a well-practiced maneuver to slide off his dick and slump onto the bed below. "It's ok," she stated, rolling on her back to look up at him. She tapped her left arm as she added, "I have a birth control implant in my arm. So, I'm good for three years."
Kiba slumped next to her, clearly relieved as he said, "That's good to know."
She smirked as she watched him, clearly worn from their activities. She reached over, fingering his hair, which looked odd without his headband. "You aren't going to sleep, yet, are you?"
"Why not?" he asked. "It's late, and we've got stuff to do in the morning." He adjusted to place them under the sheets, then sidled up next to her to hold her close, his arm draping over her so comfortably. "If there's time tomorrow morning, we can try the shower, ok?"
Ronnie pouted, wishing she could have him one more time. But he was right. The rest of the tournament was tomorrow, not to mention they were supposed to talk to Shikamaru about when he was going to be testing their skills. Personally, she'd prefer to sleep in and have sex with the dog trainer holding her so perfectly. She snuggled against him, resigning to sleeping next to his naked form for the night. It was enough to sate her lusty hopes for the evening as her exhaustion suddenly began to catch up with her. Yes, she would sleep with him tonight. And the next night. And the next night if possible.
Fred first woke with her sister next door moaning, "Oh, Kiba. I'm – AH… aaaaAAAAaaaahhhh. Mmmmmmm." Ronnie's voice was whiny and full of lusty need. Fred set her jaw slightly annoyed her sister had to carry on in such a way. But after a long moment of silence, she was sure that was it, and went back to sleep … until … Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Fred's eyes snapped open as the steady thumping against her headboard wall slowly began to get louder. She frowned as she twisted her neck to look up, focusing on the noise. It was only when she heard a guy groan, "Oh, Ronnie," through the wall that Fred sat up, eyes wide as she made a weird face at the wall. She had been trying to sleep. Now that was shot. She got up and grabbed her pillow, still in her tank top and satin booty shorts she wore for sleep in the summer, and padded out of her room.
She walked over to Rox's room on the other side of her dorm, and knocked on the door. "Rox!" she whispered loud enough for Rox to hear her through the door, but not enough to wake up anyone else. "Hey, Rox, open up."
On the other side, she heard the locking mechanisms shift open before Rox opened the door, rubbing her eyes. "What?" the wind user grumbled. "It's after midnight." Rox always had a thing about getting to bed by midnight. And if someone tried to keep her up past it, they better be ready to meet her wrath. But with Ronnie getting her rocks off, rather loudly in Fred's opinion, next door, it was worth the risk.
"Can I sleep in here tonight?" Fred asked, hugging her pillow to her. "Ronnie's with Kiba, and they're being loud."
Rox's eyebrows shot up and she looked down the balcony towards Ronnie's door as they heard her call out, "Ah, Kiba!" Rox frowned disappointedly, then sighed as she opened her door wider to let Fred in.
Fred shot her a pursed smile as she walked over the threshold, muttering a small, "Thanks." She placed her pillow down by Rox's footboard and crawled into bed facing the opposite way, with Rox right behind her facing normally. Over their decade long friendship, they'd figured out the most comfortable positions to sleep in when sharing a twin bed from their probably couple hundred sleepovers. This was no different.
Fred smiled as a thought came to her, and she nudged Rox with her knee gently as she chuckled, "At least I can count on one neighbor not having loud sex."
"What?" Rox asked, sounding a little insulted by the jab.
"Because of the abstinence until marriage vow you and Cordi made," Fred clarified quickly, realizing Rox probably thought she was referencing the break-up. She mentally berated herself for not being clearer. It was something they always joked about when Fred's, Ronnie's, or Lynne's sexual exploits came up. That Rox and Cordi wouldn't know what they were missing until they were married, and it was too late.
"Oh," Rox muttered, realizing her over-sensitivity. She fiddled with her amethyst claddagh ring as she mumbled a small, "Right."
They were silent for a moment, until Fred asked, "Does it still count if we're in a world where Christianity doesn't exist?"
Rox frowned at the question. "What?"
Fred flipped, propping herself up a little to get a good look at her friend as she asked, "Well, you know, you and Cordi made that vow because of that church youth group thing."
Rox chewed on her lip, remembering making the vow with most of her youth group after there was a hard push from the parents at church for a Christian sponsored sex ed course, which ended up led by her grandpa. This all stemmed from a crazy youth group camping trip that ended with two girls getting pregnant, not to mention a few STDs. Mr. and Mrs. Turner bought their daughters rings to commemorate that vow and act as a reminder. Rox continued to fiddle with her ring as she frowned, and asked, "And?"
"And," Fred added with a small head bobble, "You made the vow to a God that doesn't exist here. Or at least to a religion that doesn't exist here. So is it still valid?"
It was a philosophical question. Rox shifted to look at Fred, thinking hard on that answer. "I don't know," she confessed. She fiddled with her ring more as she thought about it. She still had the ring, though. She tilted her head with a wince as she added, "I think so. The vow wasn't just to God, but also to my parents and myself."
Fred pouted, then shrugged. "Shame," she sighed as she flopped back onto her pillow.
Rox scoffed at her oldest friend, nudging her shoulder with her foot as she said, "Go to sleep."
"I'm trying, but you're kicking me," Fred joked, nudging her back.
"Don't start," Rox laughed, flipping over to get comfortable.
"Start what?" Fred yawned. "I'm trying to go to sleep."
Rox let out a small snort, then shifted her shoulders one final time before drifting off to sleep.
It was July sixth, around four in the afternoon when Cordi got her first glimpse of Sunagakure. She had gotten to know each of the ninja escorting her and Aleera rather well over the two days they had been riding. Of course, her teaching them the card game UNO, which she carried around in her purse for trips, as well a couple regular decks of cards, got them to open up to her. Especially when Kankuro drew most of the deck looking for a yellow or a two, only for her to see he had picked up a wild early on, to which Cordi had to inform him of the "you draw the card, you keep the card," rule. Kankuro wasn't a fan of her after that, but Maki, her cousin Ketteimaru, and Koji who had been playing with them were.
So when the village came into view, Maki came over to Cordi, her expression beaming with a proud smile, and asked, "Do you want to see your new home?"
Cordi nodded eagerly, and followed her upstairs to the lookout area, only available in the Daimyo's car. It had taken Cordi a while to get used to the desert horizon of the Land of Wind. But ahead, a large, majestic wall of sandstone and limestone rose from the sand along towering cliff-faces. The only comparison she could make were the photos her parents took when they took a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and took a picture by the old city wall, but even that paled in comparison as the train got closer. The Suna Gate was solid stone, not cobbled like the ancient biblical cities she was used to, and it shone with the different types of stone in the afternoon sun.
Kankuro came up behind her, and asked, "So, what do you think?"
Only one word came to mind when Cordi laid her eyes on if for the first time. "It's beautiful," she gasped.
She saw a small cave that looked like a smaller version of the main gate carved to the right side of the stone wall that the train tracks led into, and as the train pulled close, Kankuro ushered her back down the stairs, telling her, "You need to grab your bags. We get off first." She did as instructed, making sure all her bags were together, and she was ready to move into the new city.
The train came to a stop as it pulled into the cave, which turned out to be a well lit train station similar to the one in Konoha, and was attached to the main gate by a fenced balcony. She stepped off the train, mesmerized as she took in the new train station. The walls along the gate were adorned with different stores and restaurants with a large lounge area shaded by palm trees surrounding a fountain. It reminded her of the fountains at home, at the mall she used to go to with her family and friends. The only difference was there was a stark lack of pennies. She found herself mesmerized by the water sparkling over the pure blue tile.
"You a fan of fountains?" Kankuro asked, standing behind her as he watched her oddly.
She shrugged as she said, "Sure." She reached down to disrupt the water's ripples by adding her own. "It's just there's no money in it," she finally commented.
He frowned. "Money?"
"Yeah," she replied wistfully. "Back home, it's tradition to make a wish and toss a penny in a fountain. Supposedly, your wish will come true or it'll grant you good luck, or sometimes just means a safe return home."
Kankuro opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a man calling out, "Lord Kankuro! Welcome back."
Kankuro turned quickly, and smiled. "Councilman Toska. What a nice surprise."
The man in question wasn't much in the way of looks. He wasn't tall, and wasn't short. He looked to be in his mid-forties, and had a pudgy face, narrow black eyes, and black hair that peaked out from under his head wrap. He wore the moomoo-esque robe Cordi recalled was somewhat standard for the Suna councilmembers from the comic. Behind Toska were several other adults dressed incredibly similarly, to the point Cordi realized each and every one of their welcoming party were Suna councilmembers.
She bristled, remembering the crimes she knew they did from the comics, reminding herself not to trust any of them. Despite their smiling faces that seemed kind, a pit of dread welled in her stomach as her mind rang out, "Do not trust them."
"You must be Cordelia," Toska said with a slight tilt of his head. "We've been looking forward to meeting you."
The sirens going off in her brain made her not register the words coming out of his mouth until Kankuro nudged her and cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah," she grunted, blinking herself out of her stupor. She cleared her throat as she remembered what Kankuro said the first day on the train. "The opinions they make of you then will seriously impact what happens to you once Gaara comes back." "I mean, yes, I'm Cordelia Turner," she corrected herself. She stuck her hand out, and asked, "And you are?"
The councilman frowned at her hand, slowly taking it as he said, "Councilman Toska." She gave him a firm handshake, and he raised his eyebrows.
Quickly, she moved to the next one, steadily introducing herself to everyone. Councilman Ebizo, whom she remembered from the show, Councilman Riku, Councilman Reo, Councilwoman Haruko, Councilwoman Mai, and finally Councilman Kiyoshi. She hoped she made a good impression on each of them, but the vibe she got from them each was so drastically different. Ebizo was by far the oldest. He had long eyebrows that looked ridiculous in real life and the top of his head was wrapped in a cream-colored turban. His face was spotted and wrinkled with age. And even though his thick eyebrows overshadowed his eyes, his pursed lips told Cordi he seemed to regard her with faint curiosity.
If Cordi had to guess, Mai was maybe second oldest, maybe ten years younger. She had long peppered hair, and wrinkled dark brown eyes. She was petit but clearly deadly. And she clearly didn't like Cordi. Reo also seemed slightly stand-offish as well. He was less aggressive with his glowering than Mai. Councilwoman Mai didn't even accept her handshake, and looked as if Cordi had offered her a dead rat laced with the Black Death. Reo seemed more skeptical, as if trying to assess if Cordi either was a threat or represented a threat that needed elimination.
The rest, Riku, Haruko, and Kiyoshi, each regarded her with eager curiosity, and possibly hope. Kiyoshi was a man in his mid to late forties. She could tell by the graying in his beard and reaching towards his temple with the rest of his hair a nice chestnut color that he pulled back into a manbun. His brown eyes glittered with excitement. As she shook his hand, he introduced himself, "I'm Lord Kiyoshi, leader of the Tokage Clan. I look forward to working with you and your beast."
Cordi wasn't sure she liked how he said, "beast." "Dragon," she corrected. She cleared her throat, realizing she sounded a little harsh. "And her name's Aleera."
Kiyoshi nodded with an acquiescing smile. "Aleera," he repeated with a slight nod. He stood straight as he added, "My clansmen are seeing to moving Aleera to her new habitat as we speak."
"I think Cordelia would like to get settled in before getting down to business," Kankuro cut in. "It's been a long journey."
"Of course," Kiyoshi quickly replied. "That would grant us some time to measure the dragon and look over Ameno's notes before we pull her out of her coma, which we'll need Cordelia for to keep the beast calm." The Councilman was pretty much directly speaking to Kankuro, making Cordi feel left out of the conversation as he continued, "We've prepared Oasis Cavern in the Northern wall for the dragon's new habitat. Hopefully, that will be sufficient."
Kankuro frowned, "Oasis Cavern? Is that where your family keeps its larger lizards?"
Kiyoshi nodded. "We moved our Komodo dragons from there to a new habitat a few months ago with the plan to start breeding crocodiles. So far, we only have the one, who will be the dragon's roommate, so to speak. He's a large crocodile named Kuishinbo. He does speak, and is known to be a little territorial, but he shouldn't be much of an issue."
Cordi opened her mouth to ask a question as Kankuro spoke over her, "I sure it'll be fine. If you'll excuse us, we need to get settled in, then around six or seven we'll swing by the cavern." Kankuro grabbed her shoulder and began to guide her away as she started, "B-but …"
"First impressions," Kankuro hissed at her as they walked away.
Cordi scowled as she let him lead her away. "And? I greeted them each respectfully with affirmative handshakes."
Kankuro raised an eyebrow at her. "Addressing the council-members rather aggressively and without honorifics, not to mention correcting minor verbiage slip ups? That's respectful where you're from?"
Cordi blinked at him confusedly, shaking her head, "What? No … I …"
"Look, Cordi," Kankuro cut her off, guiding her into the village. "They're ninja, and your friendly display isn't so much as a comfort as it is a blatant refusal to acknowledge their status in the village." He shrugged as he continued, "It might work on Gaara, who believes titles and honorifics are just distancing bullshit. But the majority of people in charge here see what you did as a serious sign of disrespect." He paused as they reached the staircase looking out over the eastern half of the village from the opening of the East Gate.
Cordi froze, taking it all in. The village was gorgeous. The structures reminded her of the pictures Lynne took of the city Santa Fe when she went there for her older brother's wedding. The adobe structure to the buildings, accented by wooden beams jutting out to support the ceilings and roofs. The golden sandy buildings juxtaposed against the sapphire blue sky and starkly white clouds that swept across it was oddly breathtaking. Along the walk ways, she could see a few palm trees, a few bushes and shrubs. Pops of greenery among the sandy streets. From the anime, you couldn't tell. But standing in the village, Cordi had to admit that Sunagakure was oddly vibrant, more than she would expect from a desert dwelling ninja village.
Kankuro cleared his throat, garnering her attention as he smirked back at her. He'd already started down the staircase into town, only to stop half way when he noticed she still stood at the top. "You coming?" he asked.
Cordi took another look at the city, hope replacing some of the dread she'd been feeling since getting on the train. A small smile found its way to her face as she whispered, "Yeah," then she took her first steps into Suna.