I do not own Naruto or Leather by Tori Amos.
This is the first of five oneshots on Kunoichi (Temari, Sakura, Ino, TenTen and Hanabi). Why not Hinata? Well, I've already given her three Hina-centric fics (Little Sister, Daddy and Go Ahead, in that order). Erm, you might understand this fic better if you read them, but it's not neccesary.
Crack pairings! Wow, I feel I must apologize to Shikamaru for making him out to be such an asshole. I do love him.
Kunoichi One: Leather
Look, I'm standing naked before you, don't you want more than my sex? I can scream as loud as your last one, but I can't claim innocence. Oh god, could it be the weather? Oh god, why I am here?
I have sex a lot, and I'll be the first to admit it. I am a sexpot and I use this knowledge to obtain what I want from life. Be those things a cute boyfriend or a job, I don't care. Why shouldn't I be able to use whatever skills are at my disposal?
Yeah, sure, right now I work at a measly café, but one day, I'll be bigger than all this.
The probably is, right now, I'm not sure what I'll be. Hina has the same problem. Some days we just sit up long after closing time and invite jobs for each other. So far, I'm fitted to be a girl on the cover of a novel, a foot massager and a porn star. I think the latter's the most likely.
The ol' in-and-out is pretty much just an amusement, now. I find a guy, make sure he gets the message, and I let him touch me. He feels as if he has power of me, even when my moans are forced, and my pleasured expression is false.
I never had to pretend with Shikamaru, but . . . he's gone.
He was too good for me, I guess, but I never thought of it like that. He was smart, like book-smart, and while he wasn't especially hot, he was very attractive to me all flushed and moaning under my hands and lips. He wanted more from life than that, though. He didn't have extravagant plans or desires for the future, but he didn't want to go nowhere fast either.
That's all I do and help others to do. Go nowhere fast.
I'm hungry so I steal myself a croissant and I sit down to eat. Hinata might be coming by around this time, since she knows I have a break right about now.
Hinata. It's so odd to think of her. At first glance she's frail and pale and pretty, like a little china doll that someone neglected and let crack a little. When I saw her at some party Shikamaru attended and dragged me to for some reason or another, I thought she was just like the others. Sakura, Ino and Tenten, if I remember right, were the names of the other girls. I thought she would join in with their stupid flighty conversations, and agree numbly to everything they said because she didn't know any better.
Instead she stared out the window, as if she wished she were anywhere but here. I agreed. That was a bittersweet beginning to a beautiful friendship. Hina had a shit past, and although she doesn't like to talk about her family a lot, I'm nearly sure that her father beat her and her cousin hated her.
And yet, her father arrived in town a little while ago for Hanabi's funeral, and Hinata came by the café the next day completely unscathed. Did he try to make it all up to her? Then her cousin came by, and she told me after he left that he loved her sister—like get into her pants love, mind you—and that made a little sick since I did screw him the night before, after all.
Oh yeah, did I mention that her sister was a junkie who leeched off Hinata like mad, nearly killed her, got raped and OD'd? Life doesn't like Hinata very much, it seems.
She seems better now, though. Personally, I think she's better off without that little bitch, Hanabi, but I won't say that to Hinata's face sober. Her relationship with her family has improved, and the next step is for her to get herself a boyfriend.
That goes for both of us.
My brother tells me I should see a psychiatric. Like hell. My brother Gaara was an illegitimate child of our father's and he lived with his mother. His mother ended up dying when he was really young, and he then ended up with his uncle. His uncle hated him because poor Gaara reminded him of his dead sister—whose death he blamed on Gaara—and of said sister's pain when our father refused to acknowledge her.
So Gaara really does need those weekly sessions. I don't, though. I'm a normal chick with normal feelings and a normal life. Maybe I have sex a little too much, but what's wrong with that?
"Onee-chan, what's wrong?" Gaara asked when I came to see him directly after Shikamaru dumped me. I wasn't crying—I don't cry—but he's my brother. I don't know why, but I'm closer to him, who I've known far less time than Kankurou. He can tell when I'm hurting.
"I . . . " Instead of continuing, I sit down heavily on his couch. "I didn't even cheat on him, either." Gaara knows immediately who I'm talking about. I can't say I'm a very faithful girlfriend from past experiences, but this time I can truthfully say that I kept my hands off of every guy but Shika.
"What happened?" So I told him. I told him about how Shikamaru's face was so expressionless when he said it, and how much I wanted to hit him. I told him about how I really felt something for the bastard, even still, despite all the pain he was causing me.
"Look, Temari, one day you'll find—"
I quickly interrupt him before he can be all uplifting and sappy. "I don't want to! I want Shika!" Gaara lets me stay with him that night, which was one of the worst of my life.
But I'm over it now. Screw Shika, right? If he doesn't want me fine. I don't need him to be complete. I'm my own person, and I'm not going to become one of those girls that need a boyfriend desperately. I could have done better anyway.
If love isn't forever, and it's not the weather, hand me my leather. I could just pretend that you loved me; the night would lose all sense of fear. But why do I need you to love me? You can't hold what I hold dear.
So I'm driving home one day from the café, smelling heavily of coffee and sweat. It was simply sweltering in that shop. It's like the manager doesn't know how to work a window, much less an air conditioner. Stupid bastard.
Then some guy just steps out from the sidewalk, but I don't see him, and suddenly it's like bang. I step heavily on my break, and I jump out, not caring that I'm in the middle of the street. "Oh my god, are you okay?" I ask as I turn towards the front of my car. I hope this guy didn't leave a dent.
He's lying on the concrete, looking fairly conscious. When I speak, he looks up at me and frowns. "You should watch where you're driving, young lady." His tone only works to infuriate me, and I glare.
"You were jaywalking, not me, you fucking idiot. Get out from under my car, if you're in good enough state to be reprimanding." I cross my arms across my chest, having made the decision to not help him at all.
He slips out easily, and stands up, brushing dirt of his clothes. He looks whole, so I turn to head back into my car. "Hey, wait! Don't you think you could . . . give me a ride, or something?" I give him a short glare, but he look so disheveled that I shrug anyway.
"So, what has you so preoccupied that you're not even watching the road closely?" A nerve twitches on my temple, but I reply calmly.
"You were the fucker crossing at the middle of the road!"
He hisses as if burned. "Yikes, calm down a bit, okay?" He pulls a book out of his bag and cracks it open.
"Where is it you want me to take you anyway?" He mumbles something, and I ask him to repeat himself.
"Bookstore."
There's a long pause, and I find myself trying to think of what to say. "So you like to read?"
"I like porn." He says this so matter-of-factly that I almost can delude myself into thinking that I heard him wrong. Maybe he said I'm never bored or I grow corn, but I don't like doubting myself.
"Oh." So he's going to get porn? I want to tell him that he's told me more than I needed to know, but in truth I asked, so it's really my fault. I let him off at some relatively large building he directed me to, but he doesn't get out immediately. Instead the man slowly places his book back into his bag—is that porn?—and yawns.
I tap my fingers impatiently on the wheel, but he doesn't seem to get the hint. "So, what's your name?" he asks, turning to face me. I look him squarely in the eye and respond with a dead-serious look on my face. "Jackie Chan."
"Hmm, well, then, Jackie-sama, will you mind teaching me some of your moves one day?" He's so cocky. My god, I wonder why I haven't screeched at him to get the hell out of my car by this time. What a bastard!
Then again . . . he's not too hard on the eyes. If he's willing, and I'm partially willing . . . why the hell not? I've put out for worse. I put out for Sasuke, and he's the best asshole I've ever known.
"Hmmm, that depends? How much practice have you had? Or do you only read those little porn books of yours?" He shoots me a cheeky smirk, and takes my hand in his. I almost pull away, but I decide to see what he's doing first. He takes a pen out of his bag, and writes something on the back of my hand.
"Hopefully I'll see you again, then?" With that, he rushes out of the car and into the building, as if his ass were on fire. Ah, not a very brave one, is he?
I glance down at my hand. A few numbers are scrawled there, along with a name. Hayate Kakashi. Okay, maybe braver than I thought.
Oh god, could it be the weather? Oh god, why am I here? If love isn't forever, and it's not the weather, hand me my leather. I almost ran over an angel. He had a nice, big, fat cigar. In a sense, he said, you're alone here. So if you jump, you best jump far.
"Do you want something to drink?" I shake my head, feeling out of place in a place smelling so much of masculinity. It reminds me of Shikamaru's place. "Do you want anything at all?" Kakashi pours himself some beer.
"Nah. Um . . . " I'm suddenly at a complete loss. What . . . what should I do? I would do what I usually do—which consists of flirting and drinking as much as I can manage, but for some reason, that doesn't seem to be the direction that Kakashi wants to take things. What's he planning?
"Yes?" Kakashi asks, turning to face me.
"Do you have a cigarette?" I reply quickly, more to avoid saying something stupid than for want of a smoke.
He slips a small box out of his pocket and brings one out. As he hands it to me, his fingers linger over mine pleasantly. I move over towards the stove and I turn it on, lighting the cigarette with its flame. The smoke works to calm my nerves.
"So, Jackie. . . what about those moves you spoke of?" From that point on, the visit goes in the direction I'm used to. I grin, and we kiss. Well, we do more than kiss. He does it very well, I find. His hands manage to touch me precisely where I enjoy it, but at the same time he's not overly dominant. All in all, sex with Kakashi is a lot of fun, for the both of us, I think.
It's what I'm good at, I suppose.
What surprises me is that he keeps showing up. He calls and asks me if he can take me out to lunch. He takes me to a movie. He takes me out to dinner. And we don't even end up having sex sometimes. It would normally feel odd, to be with a man for reasons that aren't completely sexual in nature, if not for Shikamaru.
Damn it, there are times I forget I'm with Kakashi and I almost call him Shikamaru. I try not to mention the latter's name to former, in case one day I do make that slip, Kakashi won't know what I'm talking about. I could say he's an actor I'm particular to, or something.
Then one day, my phone rings. I know it's him—it's almost always him. I pick up, putting on a sexy purr. "Hello?"
"Temari? This is Shikamaru." I nearly swallow my tongue, and I wish I had. That way I would have an excuse to not continue this conversation.
"Oh. Sorry about that, I thought you were . . . I mean, you haven't . . . we haven't . . . I thought—" I know I'm foolishly tumbling over my words, but I can't shut my mouth fast enough. Luckily, Shikamaru cuts me off.
"You thought you'd never hear from me again?" He coughs loudly, then continues. "Well, I wouldn't really be calling you, except. . . well, I want to know if you have steady boyfriend yet." I frown at the fact that he puts emphases on steady. I don't sleep around that much.
Wait . . . He wants to know what? Is he checking up on me? I don't know if I should feel stalked or pleased. He's obviously still thinking about me, and he still cares—!
"Hinata wants to double date."
I nearly drop the phone. What? Hinata? I wet my dry lips and whisper, "You're . . . you're going out with Hinata?"
"Yeah. Only a few days, though." Okay good, I haven't spoken with Hinata in at least a week, so she hasn't been hiding it from me. Even so . . . Hinata knew how hung up I was about him. How could she?
Then again, if Kiba had asked me out after he broke up with her, I would have taken advantage of the chance. In fact, I did. It was only a one-time thing, so maybe it's not the same thing.
Then again, Hinata was pretty torn up with Kiba broke it off with her. That was months ago, though, so what's the point in dwelling on it. And after all, I'm so over Shika, right? I'm glad Hinata's with him. She's a good kid, and I know Shika'll be kind to her. Nah, no point in being jealous.
"Hello? Temari, are you there?"
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that, I was . . . Yeah, I have a boyfriend." I clear my throat and try to sound as casual as I can manage. "Erm, where's it going to be at?"
Shikamaru's tone reveals the surprise he feels. I guess he hadn't expected me to have a boyfriend, or maybe he'd just hoped I wouldn't. "Yeah? Um, well, she wants to go to Ichiraku's. You remember the directions, right?" Of course I do, what's he think of me? We used to go there every other week practically for lunch or dinner. It's my favorite restaurant.
And now Shikamaru takes Hinata there? Am I the only one who was affected by our relationship? It sure looks that way.
"Yeah. I remember." We sort out the rest of the details quickly, and hang up. I stand there numbly gazing at the phone before picking it up again and dialing Kakashi's number.
"Yo," he greets airily, as if he's just woken up, despite the fact it's six in the evening.
"Hey. It's me, Temari." I pause, unsure how to phrase the question.
"Wow, Temari. I haven't spoken to you in ages." More like five hours. Idiot.
"Shut up. Erm, well, my friend—I've mentioned Hinata, haven't I?" Shikamaru's call is affecting me more than I thought it did. I'm stumbling over my words with Kakashi, too.
"No, you haven't, but I think I've met her. Cute, dark hair, kinda quiet, polite?" Kakashi knows Hinata? What other things have been happening without my knowledge? Kakashi plows on, taking my silence as a yes. "Don't worry, I've only met her once, through some people. She went out with Kiba, right?"
"Yeah. Well, she wants to go on a double date at . . . some place. Come, won't you? Since you know her already it won't be awkward." I don't mean to sound accusing, but that's how it comes out.
"Hey! I told you, I only met her once. I don't know her. Jeez, Temari, what's up your ass?" I grunt, but I decide not to tell him the rest. He doesn't need to know Shikamaru is Hinata's date and my ex-boyfriend.
Oh god, could it be the weather? Oh god, why am I here? If love isn't forever, and it's not the weather, hand me my leather.
Where is he? I glance around desperately, hoping to see a head full of silver hair bobbing closer in the crowd. No such luck. God, I should have known that he would get here as late as possible. I made a point of telling him to come early, too!
I'm going to rip his head off the first chance I get. First, though, I'm going to get through this double date, if it's the last thing I do. I hope it won't be, though, since, as I've mentioned, I want to kill Kakashi.
"Temari, if there's going to be some kind of trouble, we can do this another day. If you like." Ah, Hinata, ever kind, always thinking of others.
"No, no! He'll be here . . . he just loses track of time—" a lot, "—sometimes. He doesn't put but importance in—there he is!" I raise my hand in the air so that he'll spot me quickly. "Kakashi! Over here!"
He saunters over, like the prick he is, as if he's perfectly on time. I have to practically hold down my hand to stop myself from hitting him upside the head. He's so cocky.
"Yo," he greets Hina and Shikamaru casually. It's then I realize he's wearing his mask.
Oh shit. He's got this thing, where he covers his face with this dark blue cloth. I have to admit, he looks mysterious and delicious with it on, but, not in public. Well, actually, I've gone out with him in public before when he's has it on, and it hasn't really bothered me but . . . not when Shikamaru and Hinata are there! Especially Shikamaru.
I think he sees my distress because he takes my hand in his—which he must think is incredibly reassuring. Not so. Still, I don't pull away. It does feel kind of nice. "Shall we go in?"
Shikamaru looks like he wants to say something, but for some reason he holds his tongue. The four of us enter Ichiraku's, Kakashi in front and Hinata at the end of the line. Once seated, Hinata and Kakashi strike up a conversation. Hinata asks how a few mutual acquaintances are and Kakashi is answering richly. Shikamaru and I see to be awkwardly placed, though I know he, too, is acquainted with those mentioned. I wonder why he isn't talking.
"Temari . . . could I talk to you . . . alone?" I glance over at Kakashi and Hinata, who are both very involved in their conversation, laughing at sudden intervals at jokes I don't really understand.
"Erm, excuse us, please." I stand up, and Shikamaru follows my lead. He takes me over to a wall on the other side of the room, and begins speaking in a low whisper.
"You're going out with Kakashi?" My eyes immediately rush to him, where I catch him looking over here. I can't see his exact expression from this distance, but I have a feeling it isn't overflowing with joy.
"Yes, I am. What's wrong with Kakashi?" I turn my attention fully to Shikamaru, my arms crossed and a defensive attitude in place.
"Well, he's a pervert! He's always late, which I've gotten to personally experience tonight, he's always getting drunk, he reads way too much porn, and . . . and . . . " I hold up my hand for him to stop. Quite the jealous man, isn't he?
"Look, I know all this stuff! I'm a pervert, I get drunk a lot, and I read porn something. Maybe these are the reasons you broke up with me?"
He shakes his head, as if he can't believe how stupid I'm being. Well I can't believe how judgmental he's being. "Temari, it's so much more than that. I don't know exactly what he's done, but he's dangerous. He's been in jail, Temari. I don't want you with someone like him."
I snort, despite the fact inside I feel like dying. What, Kakashi? Dangerous? I wish I could say I can't imagine it, but I can. I haven't seen Kakashi furious, but I've seen him angry. It was enough to scare me.
I don't want to give Shikamaru the pleasure of knowing this, of course. "Psh, I don't care. Even if I do get hurt, what do you care?" I know it's a low blow, and it's pathetically ex-girlfriend of me, but I can't help it. I see an angry-slash-hurt look flicker through his face before he turns away and heads back towards the table.
I hit my forehead lightly against the wall, letting myself fall against it for support, just for a little bit. This date is more troublesome—no, it's more trouble than it's worth.
Back at table, Hinata and Kakashi seem to feel the heavy tension in the air and their conversation slows to a stop. We order, and only respond each other's polite questions with curt responses.
Kakashi holds my hand under the table. I'm halfway through my dessert when I realize something.
I like Kakashi. I don't know if I would go as far as to say I love him, because I don't know if do love, but . . . I like him, a lot. But then again, I've kind of known that from the beginning. The real revelation of that moment was that I liked him for being himself, not because he reminds me of Shikamaru.
I like his hair, his mask, the way his always look half-asleep even though he's fully awake, his kisses, his body, his scent, so much about him. I see him clearly right then. He's not like Shikamaru, not really. He's just . . . Kakashi, and I don't care what he's done, or his past, because he's never probed into mine, and goodness knows I have one.
I was right to begin with. I don't need Shika. I've got Kakashi, right here.
Here goes my explanation for this fic. Temari is one of my favorite characters and I would feel like a failure if I didn't do a fic on her. When I heard this song, well, what other kunoichi would these lyrics remind you of? When I first thought out this fic, I imaged Temari being all out of control, and 'running over an angel', who was supposed to be Baki. It was supposed to evolve into a friendship where he helps her and it would have been all Touched By An Angel-like.
But then I actually started writing Baki and he soundeded too much like Kakashi. And hence, KAKASHI APPEARS! And I couldn't see Kakashi trying to just be Temari's friend so then came the sex and the crack pairing. Shika was supposed to be with Hinata from the beginning (will probably write another damn fic on how that happened).
Next, Kunoichi Two: Girl