Warning: Fear not, this fic has no spoilers and is rated T for suspense and mature themes. However, it is a character drama, thus younger readers and the action-oriented will likely find it a bit boring.

Author's Note: This fanfic is set sometime between the Invasion of Konoha and Sasuke Retrieval story arcs.

Disclaimer: Obviously I am not Kishimoto-san, and alas, I do not have permission to write this. I would be grateful if you didn't press charges. Thank you.

This chapter is dedicated to my fanfic sempai, Star-chan. She's my guide, my inspiration, and most importantly, my friend.

.oOo.

Distracting and a Great Bother

(part four)

We sat in silence for several moments, feeling each other breathe. I slowly became aware of the warmth of one of Ai-kun's knees pressed between my thighs, a result of me catching and lowering him to kneel in front of me. With detached amusement, I realized the contact didn't bother or excite me in the least. After what I had just experienced, an innocent touch like that seemed completely trivial.

I gave Ai-kun a tired smile, scooted backward in the sand, and stood slowly. My body was stiff, and I straightened with great care. I brushed the sand from my backside and legs, then glanced over to see him watching me, as always.

I held out my hand. "You still need that bath, Ai-kun."

After only the slightest pause, he willingly grasped my hand, and I helped him to his feet. Calling the sand storm must have sucked out whatever energy he had left, because he staggered and almost collapsed again. I threw my left arm around him, just as I had on the riverbank. But this time I did not leap away in shock at the feel of him pressed against my side. Like when I realized his knee was touching my thighs, it was simple contact between us now, nothing more.

Ai-kun took several deep breaths, then wrapped his right arm around my waist. We wordlessly stepped out of my den, the sand crunching and slippery on the wooden floor underneath our slippers. Ahead of us, the bathroom door was still open, the light shining within a bright beacon showing the way.

I knew my strange detachment and sudden immunity to Ai-kun's touch was actually shock at my near brush with death. The horrible power within the boy leaning on me was something I could grasp on only the most superficial level.

Ai-kun had already been exhausted when I pulled him from the river, yet he had still managed to destroy an entire room of my house. I considered that, and felt Ai-kun's hand on my waist tighten when he stepped over a pile of books that had been cast upon the floor. Our movement had pulled my shirt out from under his arm, and his fingers tightly gripped my bare stomach for support. I pulled him closer against me in reply, even while my mind came to the logical conclusion. If Ai-kun had not been already weakened, that storm would have likely killed me. I waited for the creature of lust inside me to roar with glee in response, but again...nothing.

I glanced down at Ai-kun. His eyes were fixed on the bathroom, and they did not waver from our destination to look up at me.

Ai-kun had been able to control the sand enough so that it did not extend far beyond my den, which left the hallway mostly clean. Once we reached the bathroom, we had to turn slightly sideways to fit through the doorway. I went first, carefully pulling him in along with me. Once inside, I lifted my arm from his shoulders and took a cautious step back. His own arm reluctantly left my waist, and he simply stood there, his eyes unfocused and staring at the floor.

I studied him for a moment. He still panted in shallow breaths. His disconcerting, blank stare made me worry if he could manage without assistance. "Ai-kun...will you be all right alone?"

He began to nod, but then stopped to softly voice, "Yes."

I watched him doubtfully as he braced one hand on the counter and leaned into it slightly.

"All right...but if you need something, just ask. I've seen nude men before, so..."

He glanced up at that, his expression unreadable.

I gave him a wry smile. "I am an artist." I pushed the used towel towards him along the counter. "For your clothes, remember."

Ai-kun ignored it, still staring at me with that inscrutable look.

I stared back, then jolted with realization. He's waiting for me to leave, of course! I whirled around, my face flaming. Just because you're fine seeing him nude doesn't mean he feels the same! I reached for the doorknob and bit back a self-mocking laugh. It seems the creature of lust isn't hibernating. It's simply become...sneaky.

Pulling open the door, I could sense his presence burning into my back. Unable to resist, I paused and slowly turned to look over my shoulder. Our eyes met. I gave him a watery smile, stepped out, and pulled the door shut behind me. The latch's click resounded sharply in my ears.

My hand fell from the knob. I stood still for a moment and held my breath, listening for movement on the other side of the door. Finally, I heard it...the faint shuffing and clinking of someone undressing.

And then it came. My entire body began to violently shake. I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle my sudden gasps for air as my pulse intensified to pound within me. I staggered forward to the opposite wall and leaned heavily against it while the waves of stress and anxiety crashed through me.

I have a monster in my bathroom. Someone so terrifying they render me speechless, yet so incredibly vulnerable at the same time. He really is like a lost, waterlogged kitten! Ready to strike at anyone who threatens or comes close, but at the same time so very desperate for warmth and affection!

I took a shaking breath and turned to brace my back against the wall. For the second time that night, I wiped the tears from my face with my hands. I slid down the wall and sat on the floor, hugging my knees close to my chest while I shook with violent, silent sobs.

Am I crying for me? Or for Ai-kun? I've only known his horrible emotional nightmare for a few moments. What must it be like for him, who has to live it every day?

The sharp click of the door opening made me start. I snapped my head up to see Ai-kun standing at the door, only part of his face and the thinnest sliver of his pale body visible through the crack between door and frame.

He did not say a word at the picture I knew I presented. Me, his benevolent and intrepid helper, now huddled in a weak and crying mess on the floor.

I flushed with shame and clambered to my feet, trying not to shake as I stepped forward and used my shirt collar to dry my eyes. "Please pardon me, Ai-kun. I have no excuse."

His gaze flicked over my face, and a hint of puzzlement crept upon his blank expression. I grew nervous under his scrutiny and had no idea what to do with my hands. Fumbling about, I rubbed one hand on my forearm and sent a small shower of sand sparkling to the floor. I blinked, glanced down to see the grains glinting in the light, then looked back up at Ai-kun again with a rueful smile, very grateful for the momentary distraction. "Oops. I missed brushing off some before."

His eyes widened. Then they darted down to the floor and snapped back up to my face. With amazement, I saw that he was beginning to tremble once more, with increasing intensity.

"Ai-kun! What--" I reached out and took a step forward.

He flinched away from my touch and almost vanished back behind the door. What I could see of his blank expression had been completely replaced by the face of the bewildered and frightened boy I had glimpsed in my den.

I gasped in surprise, my hand still stretched out toward him. "Ai-kun! I'm fine! It was only nerves! It's gone now."

He shifted uncertainly, still trembling, still watching me.

"I'm fine." I held out both my hands. "Here. Give me your clothes. That's why you opened the door, right?"

Very faintly, he nodded.

"Okay then, I'll take them now." I stretched out my hands, thankful they no longer shook. The last thing Ai-kun needed was to see more proof of the terror he had brought upon us both.

The sight of my restored calm and easy smile seemed to reassure him. His trembling slowed, and he shifted to the side and slowly held out his right hand, which held the tied towel full of his clothes. I took the bundle in both hands and hugged it against me. "Take that bath, Ai-kun. It will make you feel much better." And give me a nice, lengthy breather.

He blinked, searched my face one last time, then slid back inside the room. I turned away, moving very slowly. It wasn't until I heard the door click shut again that I realized I had half-expected him to tug at my shirttail a second time.

Aching for warmth, yet terrified it might actually be given. I mulled over that epiphany as I walked down the hall to my laundry room. You accepted your attraction to his predatory nature, but you also accepted he's a still a child and therefore untouchable. You realize he's conflicted and full of torment, thus vulnerable. At least emotionally vulnerable, leaving him open to your...attentions. But he's a child, thus still untouchable...so you just want to comfort him. Right? Right?

It took me a moment to remember why I was standing in front of my washing machine. I even still had his clothes inside the towel clamped to my bosom. I untied the towel, looked down upon his muddy clothing, and was slapped by the horrible urge to bury my face in them. I froze in shock, then shoved the entire bundle inside the washer, tossed in detergent, and slammed the lid closed.

Shame on you! I punched the proper buttons to start the machine, then whirled to face the sink. I yanked off my own shirt and short pants, and I violently twisted the sink faucet on. With a washcloth and bar of soap, I scrubbed myself clean of sand and dried mud as best I could. I tried to keep my mind focused on what I was doing, but a traitorous thought managed to escape as I worked.

His clothes would only smell like river water, anyway. But that's not how it will smell inside the bath...

"Aarrrgh!!"

I dropped the washcloth and staggered back. I held my head in my hands, trying to banish that horribly erotic, imagined scent from my mind. Standing there in my bra and panties, shaking with frustration and anger at myself, I came to my final realization.

If you don't end this as quickly as possible, one of two things will happen. Either Ai-kun will finally kill you, or you will explode and die anyway. And you can't die. You have deadlines.

That brought me back to my senses. Nothing like work to make me remember who I was and what I should be doing.

I took a deep breath and straightened up. With my cleared mind, I saw the quickest path to end my torment and help Ai-kun. "First, clean him up. Second, find him clothes. Third, feed him. Fourth, send him on his way. Right." I turned on my heel and marched out of the laundry room, holding my goals inside my mind as if they were a precious lifeline to sanity. As I neared the bathroom, I slowed and listened for the sound of Ai-kun within, needing to make sure he was at least still conscious. Paused next to the door, I heard the sound of running water suddenly stopping, and the clank of the plastic bucket on the tiled floor. I let loose a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

"Minami-san?" His voice through the door seemed thin and very tired.

I started. He heard that sigh? "Um...just checking on you, Ai-kun! Your clothes are in the wash. I'll go find you something to wear in the meantime." I glanced down at myself, clad only in my underwear, and silently added, something for both of us to wear.

I hovered for a moment more, telling myself it was out of concern for him and not the shameful hope that he would open the door.

He spoke again, saying only, "Okay."

My brow furrowed. He still sounds completely exhausted. Very reluctantly, I moved away from the door and down the hall, pointedly not looking at the mess of my den and workspace as I passed. I debated the sound of Ai-kun's voice inside my head. I'd thought the bath would help refresh him. He'd already been so tired on the riverbank that he couldn't even pull himself completely out of the water. Then he had demonstrated his strange power over sand, and that shinobi-style feat of vanishing from behind me to appear upside-down on my porch roof...not to mention the horrible storm. It was no wonder he seemed so weak.

Maybe I should go back to make sure--no! First, clean him up! Second, find him clothes! That's right!

I glared with determination down at my chest of drawers and began to dig. Size wasn't a real problem, since he was smaller than me, but...I never realized how girlie my clothing is!! If a shirt wasn't pink or yellow, then it had flowers on it. If not flowers, then sparklies. Or in the case of a promising black shirt--a kitten. Complete with a decorative ribbon sewn around its neck. I held up the shirt and tried to imagine Ai-kun inside it. The kitten seemed appropriate to me, but I didn't think Ai-kun would appreciate the symbolism. I tossed it onto the pile of rejects, and my search turned frantic until in the back of a drawer, I found a powder-blue shirt with a dragon I had painted on it in black ink. A dragon was good...and if he complained about the color, I'd tell him it matched his eyes.

Pants and underwear were a much bigger problem. Literally, since--thanks to my generous hips--Ai-kun would be swimming in all of my shorts. In a flash of inspiration, I dug out the sweatpants I used for sleepwear in winter. Soft, gray, and most importantly, drawstring waist. And the same for a pair of old shorts, which had been worn and washed down thin enough to moonlight as impromptu underwear. Success! They would both be baggy on him, but at least with the drawstring waists they wouldn't fall down to the floor. Which of course wasn't what I wanted to happen at all.

For myself, I pulled on the first things I laid my hands on, which happened to be the kitten shirt and a second pair of faded shorts. I then scooped up the clothes for Ai-kun and headed out the door.

Again, I listened when I approached the bathroom. The shower was still running, which seemed odd. Altogether, Ai-kun had been inside for almost fifteen minutes. Surely he should be done by now. Or soaking in the tub, which would mean the shower wouldn't be on.

"Ai-kun?"

Nothing.

I raised my voice. "Ai-kun, I found some clothes for you." I bent and placed them on the floor just outside the door. "They're right out here. Okay? Ai-kun?"

Still nothing. The sound of the shower did not change, and I could hear no other signs of his presence. At the memory of his weak voice earlier, a thread of fear curled around my heart.

"Please say something, Ai-kun, so I know you're all right!" I waited, then knocked sharply on the door. "Ai-kun!"

The fear shifted towards anger. "Fine! I'm coming in, Ai-kun. Grab a towel if you don't want me to see anything!" I placed my hand on the doorknob, counted to three, and pushed the door open.

Steam wafted out into the hallway in a misty cloud. I gasped as it caressed me. He chose the green tea shampoo. And mixed in with that was something spicy, unfamiliar, and incredibly delicious. I closed my eyes for a moment, allowing myself to memorize his scent, even as I recited my mantra in my head. Clean him up, find him clothes, feed him, and send him on his way.

I swallowed once, stepped inside the room, and saw Ai-kun. He sat on my wash stool, his head leaning against his right arm, which was braced in front of him on the tiled wall. His left hand hung limply at his side. I could see his ribs move under his skin with each shallow pant. Above him, the shower rained down upon his head and back, turning his hair dark brown, and covering his pale skin with glittering drops. But what I could see of his back, side, and legs were mottled with bruises, which could only be a testament to the events that had doomed him to my riverbank. I blinked at the sight of his injuries. I could distinctly see the imprint of a fist...a full-sized, adult fist. Who could possibly be powerful enough to do that to Ai-kun? When he has his sand...?

I lost my train of thought when he slowly turned his head to meet my gaze. Either he didn't care if I saw everything, or he simply didn't have the strength to cover up. Somehow, seeing him barely conscious under the rain of water, I suspected the latter.

My mantra repeated inside my head again, this time with a touch of irony. 'Clean him up, find him clothes, feed him, and send him on his way', indeed. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

I shut the door behind me and leaned back against it. I licked my lips, and took two tries to finally speak, "Ai-kun..." but the remaining words died in my throat. Again, we stared at each other in silence.

Very faintly, Ai-kun smiled.

(completed 9-19-07, last tweaked 9-19-07)