132
Future
"I am sorry, Tenten-sama!" Tasura had bent down with forehead placed on the ground. "I am so sorry I couldn't defend him!"
She was standing in the Kazekage's home, in the middle of a hallway, trying hard to understand what he was telling her. Gaara suddenly appeared just beside her and he looked at him, her eyes widened in panic.
"Gaara, Tasura-san just told me Kankuro has… died?" Her voice was levelled and really quiet.
"Tasura?" The Kazekage gazed down at the man, who was still on the ground.
"Kazekage-sama! We were ambushed and caught in an illusion. When we were rescued by the shinobies from the Hidden Cloud village, Kankuro was missing. Sano was wounded, I am just exhausted, but Kankuro was just gone…"
"So he may be alive?" Gaara asked.
"There was a lot of blood and we found two of his puppets about two kilometres away. The puppets were completely devastated."
Tenten slowly leaned on the wall.
"You…are telling us Kankuro has been…kidnapped?" She was still talking really quietly.
"I do believe Kankuro is dead, Tenten-sama…" He said bluntly.
She looked at Gaara, he grabbed her shoulder in an awkward gesture of compassion.
"We will find out what happened to my brother." He hissed. "Tasura! Go to the hospital to get a check up. In an hour come to my office. We will organise a rescue mission and as soon as we leave, there is a bigger chance to find him and help him… if that's possible."
"Gaara-sama it is not possible for you to leave Suna."
"But I could leave Suna." Tenten intervened. "Gaara, I am going with or without permission." Her words were firm and no man with a common sense would say no to her in this particular moment.
"Tenten, you will be included in the rescue mission, don't worry about it. Also I can assure you that the mission will include…"
"Gaara!" Temari's voice thundered from the other side of the hallway.
"...Temari…" The Kazekage finished with a sigh.
…
The rescue mission took almost three days, though they didn't find any clues that Kankuro was still alive. The last signs of his presence ended at a huge waterfall. They searched really carefully the coast for his body, but didn't find him.
"Temari-sama." Sano approached and gave her some black cloth. She took it and examined it.
"It is Kankuro's…" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Tenten came closer slowly and gazed into the water. Temari followed her gaze and sensed what she was thinking.
"On the bottom of the lake?"
"It is like I can see him lying there…" Her voice was hardly hearable.
"Tenten-sama… There are carnivorous fish in these waters… If he ends up in the waters after his death, there is nothing left of his physical body…" Said one of the older shinobies.
She looked at him, but he was looking straight on the ground, refusing to lift his head. Tenten was aware why he behaved like this - her eyes were teary all the time until now, causing all of the shinobies to avoid looking at her face.
"Temari…" she whispered, taking a step to her. "I am not ready for this… I am not ready to lose him just a month after we came back to Suna. I can't… I don't want to believe this…" She was speaking with trembling lips.
Temari bursted in tears and just hugged her. Two women were standing there, loving Kankuro: one of them loved her elder brother, who had taken care of her his whole life, but delicately without meddling in it; and the other one - his wife, his lover, his soulmate, the one he came to love so strongly, it was beyond belief. They both loved him differently but nonetheless purely and strong.
"My brother is gone…" Temari sobbed and burrowed her face in Tenten's shoulder.
Tenten suddenly burrowed her emotions deep inside. It felt like everything just… stopped. Even if her eyes were filled with tears, she didn't cry, but managed to swallow them down. She was holding Teramri, stroking her back until she calmed down, but Tenten didn't need calming. She felt her mind clear and cool like never before. He was gone. Everything has ended so surprisingly fast as it began - he appeared, conquered her heart, made her world spin, showed her what it feels like to be loved. In the next moment he was gone, leaving her heart wounded, devastated and cold… It was just… the end…
Tenten took the black cloth from Temari's hand and pressed it on her chest in a hug. She smelled it - his scent still lingered slightly. She then slowly headed to Suna, There was nothing more for her to do here. The only thing she was able to actually do was grief until she regained some part of her rational self. And she needed time to do that.
The rest of the shinobi group crossed confused gazes and followed her. Temari wiped her tears and tightly grabbed Shikamaru's hand. She didn't even want to imagine what it would be if he was gone…
"She will overcome it," he whispered.
"Shikamaru… Just imagine what it would be if I were gone…"
"Temari, there is no need to imagine it. There was a moment I had lost you…"
"No,there wasn't." She shook her head. "You knew there was a chance I may not survive, so you realised you loved me. But you weren't sure your feelings were shared. Tenten knows my brother loved her and she also knows he is dead. I think she will need all the possible support I could give her. She is not only Kankuro's wife, she is also my friend."
"You should do your best." Said Shikamaru after a brief moment of silence.
…
Kankuro slowly opened his eyes. He looked around - he was in an unfamiliar room. When he succeeded to focus on his body, he realised he was naked under the covers. And also he realised he had a hell of a headache.
"Oh, you are finally awake, my love?"
He blinked a few times and tried to focus on the voice and the image before him. His memories were kind of…missing. They were so dizzy and confused that he just gave up on them for the time being. He chose to focus on the person - she was looking distantly familiar, but that was all. His head hurt so much, even trying to put together a simple two-word sentence was too much.
"What happened?" he barely asked.
"I found you near the waterfall on the west border. You have lost consciousness."
He sat up, grunting. Yes, he remembered the waterfalls… He just failed to remember how he got there in the first place… His eyesight cleared enough to let him actually see the woman in front of him. His eyes widened in surprise.
"Mia?!"
"Finally!" she smiled.
"Why am I here, Mia?" he rubbed his forehead, squeezing his eyes. That damn headache…
"I already told you - I found you near the waterfall."
"Where are my teammates?" He looked at her for a moment, stopping to massage his temples.
"You were alone, there was no one else." She sat down on a chair a wise distance away from him. Something told her it was a good idea to not come too close to him.
"Why didn't you take me to Suna?"
"Kankuro… Look at yourself.. You are a big, heavy man, I can't possibly carry you for such a long distance. This house is 300 metres away from the waterfalls." She shrugged.
He looked at her indeed very beautiful eyes, but they were not the eyes he wanted to see. The man started to massage his temples yet again in a desperate try to get rid of some pain.
"Why didn't you leave me here and went to Suna for help?"
"I couldn't really leave you alone, could I? I didn't know how serious your condition was…" She looked away, giving him a hint that what she said was not the truth, but the right answer would sound more like "I didn't want to".
"How long have I been here?" he sighed.
"Today is the start of the third week." This information made him flinch.
Kankuro lifted the covers taking a good look of himself and the image of a more slender body confirmed her words. He didn't feel in good physical shape anyway…
"I shouldn't be here. I should be going home," he said while fighting inneraly for some control over his own mind.
"Why don't you stay here with me? Is there anything back home that's actually better than…me? She smiled. "They all think you are dead now and your funeral was held a week ago. You can hide, you can no longer risk your life. You don't even have to go back to your wife…"
Kankuro froze… His wife? He had a wife? He remembered quite well his sister, Gaara, the village, Naruto and Konoha… His sister, who was wounded… His memories started to line up chronologically up until the moment he saw Tenten's hazel eyes in his head. After that the rest of his memories just rushed in his mind resembling a whirlwind. He unwillingly took a breath and even didn't realise he was holding it for some time now…
"Kankuro?" Mia asked with hearable concern.
She couldn't believe her luck as she found Kankuro's body discarded on the lake's coast. When she succeeded to drag him into the little cabin, he was just rambling, not coming into consciousness, but was at least able to drink some water. Mainly he was just sleeping… Mia had believed she was going to convince him to stay with her…
Kankuro grunted and suddenly cast tiny chakra fibres from his fingers, scattering all of the objects around the room until he found what he was looking for - his pants. He pulled them up to him, got up and calmly put them on. The woman had shrunk in the corner and was visibly shaking out of fear. It seemed like just now she realised Kankuro was not just an ordinary man, but he was a shinobi as well. She had never seen a jutsu-technique from so close before, so she felt really scared.
"Mia, I want to go back to Suna and risk my life to protect my village, my sister and my brother. I want to risk my life to protect my friends and teammates. And most importantly, I want to protect the woman I love. I am sorry to tell you that, Mia, but that woman is indeed my wife.
Kankuro slightly turned around to look for his scrolls. He just remembered he lost two of his puppets and he was going to search for them for sure.
"I am shinobi and I can be just that. My wife is also a shinobi and she could understand me well. She also doesn't want me to stop being what I am. This is one of the things I love about her, actually." He glanced at Mia with the corners of his eyes. "The sex with you was great, Mia. My wife lacks your experience and techniques, but she loves me from the bottom of her soul."
He took the only scroll he could find and headed to the door.
"I really appreciate you taking care of me." He bowed with gratitude.
Then he left the cabin and headed to Suna.
…
The very first thing Kankuro did was go straight home. When they came to Suna last month he entered his real little home carrying Tenten in his arms. From this moment on, his home turned into their home. The apartment was smaller even than hers - the bathroom was so tiny, there was no dedicated kitchen - it was just a kitchen corner into the living room, there was no dining table either. But she loved it anyway and felt immediately at home because she used to feel desired there.
Tenten wasn't in the apartment when he got there. He looked around and saw Hinata's memory book laying on the short table. He went there, sat down on the hard little sofa and opened the book. There was quite a lot of writing added after he saw it for the last time. He felt curious and started reading, discovering her point of view about everything that had happened to them until the current moment. It became clear to him when she realised she fell in love with him and when she started to feel longing for him for the first time, what kind of fears she succeeded to overcome when she realised his sacrifice. And he really was left extremely thrilled by the tenderness and the love she was writing with about him. He was aware she loves him but it felt different to see her soul poured out on the paper like this.
and in that very moment I was terrified to find out that I can't wait to get lost in your eyes, that I really want to see your smile… That I long to be close to you and to have the courage to touch you… she had written and he had the feeling that would turn out to be his favourite part in the whole book.
Kankuro tenderly smiled and read ahead some more for a couple of minutes . Until he saw the first few words in the next passage, his face suddenly got tense and he took a sharp breath: Even though I never dared to think this may happen, the most terrible and the most happy moments came almost at the same time in my life… Today I was informed that my husband, the man I loved from the bottom of my soul, had disappeared or found his death during a mission. I couldn't accept that and insisted on joining the rescue mission. So we left the very same day with the hope we are going to find him.
Then she listed where they went for the search and what they found. She also was describing how devastated she felt and how Temari was there for her all the time. He felt really grateful to his sister for that. Kankuro couldn't help but wonder why that moment would be the happiest as well until he got to the end of the passage, where he almost dropped the book.
Kankuro, do you remember that evening… Our last evening on the way to Suna? You confessed to me you really wanted a child. I now know your wish is coming true - I am pregnant.
I didn't expect it and I didn't hope for it, but that brought me peace and I felt joy for even just a bit that I am not going to be alone. I even felt the urge to smile at the thought that I will be able to look into your eyes again while looking into the eyes of our child. I didn't believe I am able to love someone while I don't know anything about them. And you, Kankuro, I love you even more for giving me this chance.
Gaara fell down on his knees, pleading with me to take good care of his brother's child. I have never felt so embarrassed in my whole life… but I have also felt really grateful.
Tears appeared in Kankuro's eyes and he hardly suppressed the incoming like a wave cry. He couldn't believe it - he was going to be a father! Tsunade had thoroughly explained and emphasised how low was the chance of him having a child like, ever… And still it had happened.
He heard a quiet key turning in the door lock. The man got up, standing in the middle of the room just the way he was - thinner, exhausted, with bare chest and bare feet. But he had a joyful flame in his eyes, coming to reflect the one he had burning deeply in his soul. The door slowly opened and Tenten stepped in their home. The moment she laid her gaze on him she dropped the bag she was holding with a dull thud. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out of it. Then she staggered, successfully leaning to support herself on the door's frame in the last possible moment.
Kankuro appeared next to her right away and extremely carefully, as if she was going to break, wrapped his arms around her. She was stunned. She obviously couldn't believe it was really him.
"Hey…" he whispered. "It is me. I am alive and I came back to you…"
The very first realisation came when she felt his scent and his chakra signature. But the actual reaction came when she heard his voice. She raised her eyes to look at his thinner face. His hair had become slightly longer, still sticking out unruly in all directions, just like she loved it.
"How?!" She yelled and took a few deep breaths as if she was trying to prevent herself from fainting. "We have been looking for you, we didn't find a single clue you were alive!"
The man bent down and lifted her gently in his arms, then carried her over to the little hard sofa. He sat on it, keeping her in his lap, wrapped her in a tight hug and kissed her head.
"I followed one of the hostile shinobis. He succeeded in blowing up my puppets and ran away. While I chased him, I got into an illusion trap. Somehow I reached the waterfall, where I fell down and woke up from the illusion, but apparently I have lost consciousness. I woke up today. It turned out there was someone looking after me in the meantime… Though I must say I have a hard time believing in the selflessness of the motives…
"It doesn't matter what the motivation was. Whoever it was, it is kind gesture and I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart."
"It was Mia…"
"Your lover Mia?" Tenten was obviously very surprised.
"Yes, my ex lover Mia." He corrected her. "Though I wonder where you know that from…"
The woman blushed and looked away. She never told him Temari shared this information with her. Not that he hid it, they just have never spoken about it…
"Well, it doesn't matter even if it was her. I am still going to thank her for helping you," said Tenten firmly.
Kankuro hugged her even tighter. He loved her so much, it felt there was not enough space in his chest for his heart. Her desire to thank Mia for helping him was just another proof for the purity of her soul.
"I missed you." He confessed. "The only thing I wanted to do right after I opened my eyes and remembered who I was, was to see you and hold you tight in my arms again.
Tenten looked at him, then her eyes drifted to the opened memory book on the table.
"How much…did you read?" she whispered barely hearable, her sides flushing right away.
"I read your really emotional confession about how much you loved me and wanted me as your lover. It happened earlier than I hoped." He grinned and she smiled slightly.
"Then I must tell you something…" she started.
"I know." He replied and placed his hand gently on her stomach. He tenderly caressed her, rubbing nose on her cheek.
That was the moment she finally surrendered to her emotions and let them take over her, swirl up inside of her like a hurricane. She was crying out loud, sobbing, her tears made little rivers over her cheeks, her shoulders were uncontrollably shaking… She didn't care, she was just crying, clenching hard to the man she loved.
"I am so sorry…" he whispered, pulling her in yet again. "I am so sorry I put you through all of this…"
She didn't answer him, instead she placed her palms on both sides of his face and while still crying, she pressed her lips on his. He felt her sobs and her lips trembling. He felt how her tears were wetting his face.
"I love you…" she said quietly, shutting her eyes.
"I love you," he replied, "Both of you."
She pulled back and looked straight at his eyes. She was gazing so intensely as if she was trying to see his very soul.
"Tenten…" She placed her carefully on the floor. Then he kneeled down in front of her and bowed his head in respect. "This time I want to do this the way I have always thought it is right. And it is not because I have to, but because I really, really want to… Tenten, please, marry me!"
She was stunned and thrilled. She kneeled before him and lifted his chin with a hand.
"I can't." She said simply. "You are late, dear man. I am already married even if it was basically against my will… But however it started, this man had turned to be the love of my life, my soulmate and the father of my child…"
Kankuro leaned forward and kissed her forehead with great gratitude.
"Thank you…" he whispered and looked deep into her eyes. There, tinted in delicate hazel, he saw his future. And he smiled…
