Bozenjishitsu

There is no author's note, as Kyuubi is checking the closet SNG and KNK are confined to and Shukaku's intellect only reaches to the point where he knows how to post something

Chapter Nine: Yurushi

Kyu sighed slightly, tossing her clothes back in her backpack. She knew she was being overly dramatic about the whole thing, but she couldn't help it.

Chuimaru, her best friend, who was more like the big brother she'd never had, had kissed her.

ON PURPOSE!

If she wasn't so shook up, she would have stayed in the Inuzuka household and stuck it out, but that wasn't an option right now. Now, she decided, she really needed to see Kankurou.

"Kyu, what happened?" Rynn asked, opening the door.

"I really don't want to talk about it," she said in a monotone, hoping Rynn couldn't see her red, puffy eyes. She hadn't cried, but she'd come very close to it.

"Are you really going home?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Kyu shrugged, sniffing slightly, as she tossed her hygienic necessities in her backpack. "I miss Kankurou."

"Well, either way, I'm gonna beat Chuimaru to within an inch of his life." Rynn sat down on Kyu's folded-up futon and grinned.

"Was Kankurou mad when you told him?" Kyu sat down on Rynn's bed, her possessions packed.

"Not really. I think 'disappointed' is a better word, until he found out Chuimaru was the one who initiated the kiss. Then he just got worried."

Kyu sighed heavily. "I hope he's ok."

Rynn grinned (Hey, that sorta rhythms...). "We're really lucky."

"Yep. We both got the guys of your dreams, and, when we get married, we'll be sisters." In spite of the fact that she was depressed, Kyu joined Rynn in squealing with joy at this notion.

"Yeah, but Gaara-kun hasn't asked me yet," Rynn pointed out on a sadder note.

"Yeah, well, he's not really familiar with that sort of thing, is he?" Kyu smiled reassuringly. "He'll get to it. Kan-kun told me Gaara's been asking him for advice a lot, lately. I guess it's only a matter of time until he asks him how to ask someone to get married."

"Let me see your ring, again," Rynn begged, going to sit next to Kyu, who obliged with a grin, extending her hand. The ring finger of said hand was decorated in a quarter-inch thick silver band, which looked very simple from afar, but when viewed up close, one could see tiny diamonds around the band, forming Kyu and Kankurou's names. There were no large gems or anything, although Kankurou had offered them, but Kyu said they would hinder her movement, so he had had the band forged. He had an identical band on his finger, except that his was a half an inch thick. Both rings were very pretty. "It's so pretty," Rynn said with longing. "I wanna get one just like yours."

Kyu shrugged. "You might change your mind when he actually asks you. You tend to do that."

Rynn shrugged, as well. "When's your escort coming?"

"I dunno. Kankurou said they would come sometime tonight, remember?"

"Oh yeah..." Rynn grinned, lying back on her bed and crossing her hands behind her head. "I can't believe he's sending five ninjas for you. That's a lot, don't you think?"

"He's always been really cautious ever since I got kidnapped last year." (A/N: See the prequel in order to understand this. Then again, if you didn't read it already, what the hell are you going reading this? Did you cheat...?)

"True. I guess he doesn't want to take any chances."

"He doesn't take any chances with any of us," Kyu corrected, twirling a long strand of black hair around her finger. "He always makes sure we have at least three escorts each if we're going somewhere alone, and if it's just the three of us, he always sends a few people anyway. It's not just me he's protective of."

"Yeah, you're right. He's a really good Kazekage, isn't he?"

"The best," Kyu said confidently. "I never met the last one, but from what I've heard, he wasn't the friendliest of creatures."

"Yeah," Rynn said darkly. "He's the one who sealed Shukaku in Gaara-kun."

"Mm-hmm. I heard some of the villagers talking, and they're really glad Kan-kun and Gaara are looking for a seal for the Shukaku. I don't think it was Gaara they were so afraid of."

(A/N: Before I go on, has anyone besides me noticed that all the demon vessels are parentless? I just realized that... even though there's only two. We now return you to your original fan fic.)

"I think they're all really relieved to have a Kazekage who cares about something other then himself," Kyu continued. "Kankurou told me the last one wouldn't even let them call him father, and they could only see him if they had an appointment."

"That is so wrong," Rynn said angrily. "I can't imagine having to make an appointment to hug my dad. Not that they'd want to hug Gaara's dad."

"I know what you mean. My dad was really over-protective and all, but he was a really nice dad, anyway." Kyu grinned at Rynn, who grinned back.

The two girls talked for a while about nothing in particular, until Rynn's mother called, "Kyu-kun, there's a team of Sand Nins here for you!"

Kyu got up, shouldering her backpack and, giving Rynn a hug and a promise to give it to Gaara, went downstairs. Standing in the foyer of the Inuzuka household were, among five ninjas, three familiar faces grinning up to her.

"Hey, bitch," Ramiko called upon seeing her. "We heard you were in a tight spot, so we're here to bail you out!" Aoshi and Yasuke greeted her, as well.

Figures Kankurou would have them among the escort. "Hey, guys," she said with a grin.

"You ready to go?" Yasuke asked, opening the door.

"Yeah." Turning to Rynn's mother, Kyu bowed politely. "Thank you for letting me stay here."

"It's no trouble, Kyu-chan," Mrs. Inuzuka (A/N: Does she even have a name?) said, smiling. "Feel free to come over if you visit Konoha again."

"I will," Kyu promised, following her escort out the door. "I'm glad you guys are part of the escort," she said, once the door was closed and they headed down the street.

"Temari-sama said you sounded pretty desperate on the phone," Aoshi said concernedly, giving Kyu a friendly, one-armed hug.

"I was," Kyu admitted, resting her head on his shoulder. She and Aoshi had gotten to be good friends since he had started hanging out with Kankurou, so she didn't feel weird about him hugging her; plus, he had a girlfriend.

"Is everything ok?" Ramiko asked, pushing open the tall gates to Konoha.

"Yeah, I just got homesick, I guess," she lied.

"Isn't you getting homesick what started this whole thing?" Ramiko asked, stepping aside to let them through after showing the gatekeeper his traveling papers.

"Yeah," she admitted, laughing. "I guess home wasn't really what it was cracked up to be."

"Yeah. Sand village kicks Konoha's ass any day now," Yasuke laughed.

"Damn straight." Kyu gave him a high-five as they started on the road to the Sand Village. Since the treaties between the Sand and Konoha had been made, signs had been put up between the two villages to mark travelers' progress, making it easier for them to find the hidden villages. The six travelers laughed and talked the whole way to the Sand village, the desert sand white and cool under their feet, now that the sun had gone down. Ramiko, Yasuke and another of the escort had contests to see who could make a ball of sand and send it the farthest using chakra. Behind them, Kyu and Aoshi talked amongst themselves.

"Kankurou's been really anxious for you to come home," he informed her. "He hasn't stopped talking about you since you left. 'Course, that's not that big of a change."

"What d'you mean?" she asked, as Ramiko whooped and holler, his ball of sand surpassing the other two.

"Well, you're basically all he ever talks about when he's not talking about business," Aoshi said, grinning. "You're always worked into the conversation one way or another. Sort of like me and my girl; I can't get her out of my head, so I can't help but talk about her."

Kyu grinned, giving him a one-armed hug as they approached the tall gates to the Sand village. "Thanks, Aoshi."

He grinned, as well, as Yasuke hollered up at the gatekeepers to let them in. "Anytime."

As the doors eased themselves open, Ramiko said suddenly, "Kazekage won't be down here to greet you."

"Why?" Kankurou had almost never failed to be at the gates when she arrived.

"He's in the hospital."

Kyu's eyes widened, and Aoshi, seeing her look of obvious fear, assured her, "He's ok. It's Gaara."

"Well, is Gaara ok?"

"Yeah, he's fine. Kazekage will explain when we get there," Yasuke said, leading her away to the newly constructed white building down the street from the temple. (A/N: I highly doubt they had a hospital before. Assholes.)

When they reached the ward where Gaara was staying, Aoshi stopped her. "Before you go in, Kankurou's asked that no one be loud in there, ok?"

"Ok..." Kyu raised an eyebrow as Aoshi opened the door to the ward.

The room was dimly lit, with four beds, two on either side of the room. There was a window across from door, said window taking up almost the entire room, showing the moon and several nearby buildings. (Kyu thought she could see their house from here...) In the two beds on the right side of the room she saw a red head and a blond head sticking out from under the covers. Between the beds, his brow furrowed in thought, sat Kankurou.

"We brought her," Ramiko said in quietly loud voice. (Is that even possible?)

At his friend's voice, Kankurou's head shot up, and, almost soundlessly (I say almost because he accidentally kicked Gaara's bed), crossed the room to them. "Thanks, guys, you can go home," he said, taking Kyu's backpack from her and setting it on one of the vacant beds.

The five ninjas bowed themselves out and closed the door. The instant the door was shut, Kankurou folded Kyu in his arms, kissing her tenderly on her lips, forehead, eyes and neck. Kyu wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, feeling her eyes burn under his touch, a wave of guilt passing over her. "I'm sorry," she whispered against his shoulder.

She felt him pause, so she continued. "I didn't want to... I didn't know he—"

"It's ok, I know you didn't mean to," he said gently, stroking her hair in a comforting gesture.

"But..." Kyu felt tears leak out from the corners of her eyes. (Exactly why she is crying, I have no idea, but let's continue, since this scene is so cute.)

"Kyu, it's ok," he said firmly, a little shocked to see her in tears. "I don't care."

She smiled slightly as he gently kissed each of her tears as they fell. Standing in his arms (in a hospital ward with two other people ... o, how romantic), it was hard to feel worried, or even sickened, about Chuimaru's dumbassedness.

A/N: Awww!

Kyuubi: Gag me with spoon, please.

S.N.G.: Why? This is so cute! (watches scene)

Kyuubi: Hit me with a rock, Shukaku. Just put me out of my misery.

Shukaku: (beams) Ok!