For a time, they lay there, simply holding each other. Kagome's cranium rested on Sasuke's bare shoulder, hear head slightly rising and lowering with each breath he took. Sasuke gently stroked her hair in steady, soothing motions. Her eyes slowly fluttered shut in relaxation. Suddenly Sasuke, remembering Kagome's appointment with Gaara, made note of the time and Kagome's closing eyelids, then decided to halt his ministrations. She whined in objection as she scooted closer, wrapping her free arm around his nude torso.
"Kagome... You only have forty minutes to get ready for dinner with Gaara." In took a moment to sink in, but as she realized what he said, she snapped upright. Quickly thrusting the blankets away from her naked frame, she scrambled out of bed and hopped into the shower. Barely shutting the door behind her, she looked to the knobs and blanched upon realizing she had no idea which handle was for hot water.
"Uhhhh, Sasuke! I need help! Quick!" Her voice echoed.
She heard him muttering as he abandoned their cushiony king size. She made jittery, nervous pats with her foot as she stood bare in the brightly lit shower, listening to the patter of her lover's leisurely footsteps toward her. Finally, he drew back the glass door of the shower and entered as well.
Closing the entryway, he asked in a sharp tone, "What is it?"
Bouncing on her heals, she explained, "I-I don't know which is which!"
He raised an annoyed brow. "And you think I do?"
She groaned. "You said you lived somewhere like this for years!"
"Yes, 'like', as in similar. Not exactly the same."
She whined in desperation. "Just help me, Sasu!" He grouched, reaching over her shoulders to turn the knobs.
Kagome squealed as she was assaulted by ice cold water. Hissing, Sasuke quickly twisted the knob back to it's original position. Turning to its twin, he swung it to the right.
Kagome sighed in gratitude as she felt the warm water cascade down her body. She pivoted on her toes, pecked him on the cheek in thanks, and hastily ducked her head under the shower head to wet it.
After shampooing and conditioning her long locks, she threw the red door open and jumped out the shower. Sasuke shut it behind her, deciding to bathe as well.
Across the bathroom, Kagome plunged open a set of red wooden cabinets, and breathed a sigh of relief as she found red, plushy towels inside. She snatched two out, tying her hair in one and patting down her body with the other.
Finished in the bathroom, after snatching a brush from beside the sink, the panicked girl dashed to the closet. Picking through the abundant amount of apparel on her half of the massive space, she contemplated two choices. Urgently, she randomly chose the one closest to her. She examined her choice and nodded in appreciation. After setting the brush on a dresser, she raised the dress above her towel covered head and lowered the cloth onto her frame. Plum colored, long skirt, no sleeves, and an open back that made an X; It fit perfectly. She scanned through her shoe selections and seized a pair of strappy purple heels.
A little calmer now she was dressed, she removed the towel from her head and strode back into the main room while combing through her soaked black mane.
It won't dry for a while... But, at least I got ready on time...
Clad in only a towel around his waist, Sasuke walked out of the steam filled bathroom and sat on their bed. Leaning back on the headboard, he placed his hands behind his head. Kagome laughed at his laziness.
"You're still soaking wet, Sasu! Get up, lazy bones!" He shook his head in opposition.
"Nope," He said. "It just so happens that I'm claiming this as my side of the bed." He drew a line on the dark maroon sheets, then placed the hand back to its previous place. "No Kagome's allowed past this line."
She giggled at his teasing. At that moment, the escort knocked on their front door firmly. Kagome sighed. Leaning over her side of the bed to place a kiss on Sasuke's lips, she stated, "It's a good thing that I'm rebel soul, then."
He fisted his hand in her raven hair as she leaned away, bringing her back and deepening the kiss. Finally, he relinquished his hold on her and smiled, saying, "You look beautiful. Don't have any fun, or I might get jealous."
Kagome nodded and made her way to the door as the person in front of it knocked once more in an irritated manner.
It might have sounded like a joke, but she knew Sasuke wasn't joking. He was earnestly suspicious of Gaara's intentions towards her. To be honest, she kind of was too.
Although, Gaara was more... Attractive than she'd thought he'd be. She expected this creepy, stalker looking kind of guy. Imagine her shock when he was fine as fuck. His blood red hair and intelligent turquoise eyes drew her in the most. Her first impression of the Kazekage was a courteous, level-headed gentleman.
Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she slowly and cautiously opened the door to reveal...
What the fuck?
This was her escort? He was not what she was expecting...
"Um..." She looked at him warily.
He glared menacingly at her. "What?" He barked out.
She laughed loudly, shutting the door behind her. "A-are you some kind of transvestite or something? Because, that is some getup!"
His scowl deepened. "These are my clothes!"
Kagome paused, blinking owlishly. "Oh... Really? Even the paint?"
He huffed, walking down the long hotel hallway. "Yes. Now, you've distracted me. I was suppossed to say, 'Hello, my name is Kankuro, and I'll be your escort to dinner with the Kazekage', but never-mind. You've already pissed me off."
She frowned, following him to the pair of elevators. He flicked the button with an arrow facing downwards.
Feeling guilty, she thought it better to apologize. She was trying to make a new start in Suna and didn't need any enemies. "Hey, Kankuro? I'm sorry. Sometimes things just fly out of my mouth, especially when I'm nervous. My name is Kagome."
He grumbled under his breath a bit before replying. "I already know your name." Assuming Gaara had told him, Kagome didn't question how.
With a ding, the first elevator's doors parted, allowing them entrance. He pressed the button that said 'lobby'.Leaning against the back of the elevator, he glanced down at her suspiciously.
"Why are you nervous? Gaara-sama is scary if you try his temper, which is saying you can even make him angry in the first place. Other than that, he's a kind and gentle ruler who loves his people. There's no reason to be nervous."
Kagome shrugged timidly, crossing her arms. Glancing down, she said, "I-I don't know." She didn't want to confide in this stranger about Gaara and Sasuke's past, lest it interfere with his reputation as Kazekage. So, she tried something a little more believable. "I just didn't have the best welcome in Konaha, and now after being in prison for almost two years, your king has released me and Sasuke both with the condition that we just visit him."
They reached the lobby, and she followed behind him as he led her out the hotel entrance and on the way to wherever she was meeting Gaara. She tried to memorize the path, but it was hard for her to concentrate on that and talk with Kankuro. She would have plenty of time to get to know everything she could about Suna, but now, she need to make bonds with people.
"Sasuke is a traitor to his home village and a rogue ninja of the highest order," she continued. "And I'm a complete stranger to any village. I'm sure the price of our freedom was a heavy one. And now, Gaara has invited me to dinner out of the blue, in addition to my release. It's just all sort of suspicious, is all."
Kankuro nodded at her to let her know he was listening, while waving to someone he knew. "Yea, I can see that. But, although Sunagakure is a nin village, we're nothing like Konaha. I don't even know why Tsunade did that to you. She's a great leader and usually makes great decisions as a ninja and Hokage, but locking you up just because she didn't know your origins? That's just plain foolish, in my opinion."
Kagome shook her head in disagreement. "I Hold no grudge against Tsunade-san. I was a suspicious girl who she found in an old well outside of her lands. I think in her situation, you kinda just never know what to do. For all Tsunade-san knew, I could have been an assassin from a village that doesn't like the leaf, or someone who's just bad in general..."
She took a breath and sighed, trying to explain her point of view in a different way. "When it's your job to protect a whole village, you have to do what's best for the village as a whole. Even when you like someone. She made a hasty decision to lock me up so she didn't have to worry about me hurting anyone. With that sort of pressure on my shoulders, I might do the same to someone like me."
Kankuro scoffed. "You're way too forgiving. I'd be pissed if someone locked me up in a dingy cell with an asshole like Uchiha for two years."
"He's not that way at all when you get to know him." She protested gently. He looked back at her with a dubious expression on his face.
"Yeah, okay," He sneered. "You're not another one of those, are you?"
She frowned at his tone. "One of 'those'?"
He nodded, taking a right and climbing a set of granite stairs. Opening the large door, he explained, "Yea, one of those fan girls who don't see him for who he really is. Who only sees his looks and not his hateful personality. He does whatever he wants, fucks whoever he wants, breaks all the rules, and still finds a way around punishment."
When they entered the dimly lit restaurant, here was another elevator behind a wooden pedestal with a young woman peering over the top of it. She had short brown hair and brown eyes the same exact shade. She was short and slim. Plain, yet in a cute way.
She pressed the up button to the set of doors behind her, looking chipper as she inquired, "So this is the girl meeting with the Kazekage, Kankuro? She's so pretty!"
He snorted as he walked past her into the open elevator. "Stop being a brown noser, Matsuri." Matsuri opened her mouth in protest. She started to shout shouting back at Kankuro, but the doors closed as she opened her mouth, cutting off the sound.
Kagome glared at him. "That wasn't very nice..." She said chidingly.
"Yea, yea, shuddup. Don't lecture me until you've grown up with her, or seen her kissing my brother's ass like no tomorrow because of his new position." Kagome blinked.
"New position? Is he close to Gaara-sama? Would I have met him?" Kankuro stared at her a moment.
He shook his head, blinking. "That's right, you're new here. I'm not used to people not knowing that my brother is Gaara."
"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear, Kankuro." Kagome jumped, not even having realized the elevator had stopped and the doors had opened.
Outside it's doors, stood the very person her and Kankuro had been discussing.
Gaara held out a hand for Kagome.
"Shall we?"
Hi guys! Lately, I usually try not to add an author's note. I just think it interrupts the effect of the story. That's if you even read it, or just decide to skip over. Either's fine. Although, in this case, I need your help again! You all came up with such great ideas when I asked for words and phrases, I figured you could help me this time, as well! (: I have a few questions, actually.
The main one is whether or not I should make it a GxKxS? Or should I should just keep it between Sasuke and Kagome? I see it going down either way, so I thought I'd ask my reader's opinions before making a decision!
Also, I think I remember fixing the second chapter so it wasn't nearly so confusing, but I think everyone is still a bit confused about the beginning as a whole. I can clear that up, if it's still confusing. If not, then I'll focus more on new chapters than the old ones.
Lastly, about my writing; is it improving at all? I think my main problems are a few grammar mistakes and making the story's pace too quick. I've been trying to work on it, but I'm not too sure if I'm getting anywhere. If you have any constructive criticism for me, or are even interested in being a beta for my story, let me know! I'd love the help!
If you have any questions, you can private message me, or ask in a review. Or even if you don't have any questions, and just wanna say a quick, "Hi, what it do, yo?" I will reply, but I can't always promise a quick reply. You'll get one, though. Or, or, or! If you have any plot ideas, I'm open to suggestions. I know I'm the author, but... still. I'll give you credit where it's due if I decide to use one of your suggestions. I. Pwomise!
Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, following, etc (whichever may apply to you)!
