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Bee-uty & the Beast

Kraen

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Chapter Seven

Hani forced open her heavy and sleepy eyelids to the soft glow of the morning sun, its warm rays illuminating the window over her bed. She slid a foot through the cool sheets and let it peek out from under her comforter, the chilly autumn air making her toes tingle. She was just about to yawn when she felt the subtle hint of a breath against the nape of her neck.

Instinctually, she rolled from the bed and landed in a defensive position, all the while, grabbing a kunai she had secreted in her mattress. With one finger looped into the hole of her blade, she pulled the weapon before her face, protectively. Through furrowed brows, she glared at her bed, wanting to meet the eyes of her intruder with confidence -- but her look of determination was not returned. Instead she received a lackadaisical stare of unconcern; with vertical pupils glossed over from a night of heavy sleep.

"What the -- ?" asked Hani as she stood, her kunai forgotten at her side.

The fat Persian cat they had met earlier lay unflatteringly on his side, his rotund belly rising impossibly higher with each breath. His long, furry tail flicked slightly against the bed, showing his irritation at having his perfect nap ruined by her actions. At some point in the night, he must have snuck into her room and decided to use her as a space heater.

She rolled her eyes and flopped onto the bed next to him. With one hand putting away her weapon, she used the other to reach out and scratch the bottom of the cat's chin. He was pleased with her attention and rolled onto his back for her to have full access to his underbelly. He purred loudly a she used her nails to scratch his plump tummy.

"What are you doing here big guy?" she asked with a grin. "What was your name, again?" She put a finger to her chin as she tried to remember, "Muska? Mupa? ... Muka?" She pressed her hand against his stomach, running her fingers through his soft belly fur and chuckled at his girth, "Ah, it was Muta."

He rolled onto his feet and walked onto her lap as if it belonged to him. He sat there and stared up into her face, sniffing her scent. She smiled at him and scratched generously at his head, to this, he purred even louder. She cocked an eyebrow as she looked over his face, "Geez Muta, it looks like someone smashed your face into a wall." She traced a finger down the bridge of his nose and scratched. "Persian cats are so weird looking," she said, in reference to his flat nose, wide mouth and ridiculously large eyes.

Not understanding the language of humans, Muta continued enjoying the attention the woman so generously gave him. In gratitude, he began kneading her abdomen at a brisk pace.

Hani cringed. Aside from the claws that bypassed her thin nightgown, his shear weight made his kneading fairly uncomfortable. She used her arm to gently nudge him off. "OK, let's not do that, big guy." She stood, "Hani just woke up and she needs to pee."

She went about her morning routine, taking a shower, brushing and styling her hair, getting dressed and applying her makeup. She then made sure her garments were fully stocked on any ninja equipment she may need in a moment of crisis. Satisfied, she left her room and closed the doors behind her quietly.

She was surprised with how early she had woken up. Usually, anything before 10am was nothing short of a miracle; but this morning was an exception. She looked around the small garden and out to the room across the way. All was quiet, save for the sounds of someone snoring very loud and un-ninja like. "Did I wake up before everyone else?" she asked skeptically. "Even before Gai?" she shook her head in disbelief and walked silently to his door, "He wakes up early enough to brew tea for Kami." She slid his doors open without a sound and peeked inside. His room was fairly dark -- Hakanza didn't have any windows in his room, probably to keep out attackers. The only light Hani did have was the faint white glow coming through the paper in his shōji doors and the crack from which she stood.

Sure enough, there lay Gai: sprawled out on his back, shirtless, covers strewn out over the bed, hair a mess and snoring loud enough to make a lion jealous. Hani folded her arms and gave Gai's sleeping form a smug grin. "Hmmm, Gai sleeping in? Well, I think someone should wake him." She put a gentle finger to her lips, "But who? Hmmm, well I hope it's not someone who would do something rash -- like stick a wet finger in his ear." A devilish grin crept over her face, "That would be terrible, indeed."

Closing the doors behind her soundlessly, she crept into his room with a cat like grace. Not one board made a sound as she came ever closer. She suppressed her chakra to undetectable levels as she reached the foot of his bed -- all the while Gai snored away; blissfully unaware of her soon-to-be reckoning.

Lighter than a feather, she placed one hand on the bed and then the next. From there she crawled forward on all fours, like a predator sizing up her prey. Now so close, she was able to make out more details in his form. From the black pajama pants he wore, to the numerous scars across his torso and arms. For her to say that his form was sculpted would be a vast understatement. He would have easily made a model for some of the great artists. Each muscle was toned and cut perfectly. She had to stop herself to admire him -- it wasn't often she got to see a man's body so chiseled and hardened. Most men she had seen were doughy diplomats, accustomed to life on their asses, rich foods and extravagant evenings of debauchery.

She sat at his side and allowed herself some time to get a good look at him. His torso was narrow, more so than she would have figured. His jumpsuit with chunin jacket combo made his body look disproportionate -- wider than what he really was. It made since though, how else could he have been able to tie a headband around his waist so easily?

Around his bellybutton was a small tuff of short black hair that traversed between the lower of his eight-pack and led into "unknown territory" below his pajama bottoms. Just above and to the right was a wide, diamond-shaped scar that had been clearly caused from a kunai. To the sides of his torso, his deltoid muscles bulged, adding to the already triangular shape of his frame. His firm pecks were covered in a very fine coat of small black chest hair; upon closer inspection, it was clear this hair had been trimmed recently. A long scar from collarbone to underarm, stood out from the lack of hair that no longer grew over the thickened skin.

His arms were long and lean; decorated with numerous minor scars and scratches. His shoulders were shaped like upside-down teardrops. His neck was thick at the base, with a very pointed Adam's apple that vibrated from his deep, throaty snore. His chin showed the signs of needing a shave -- a day of growth for this swarthy ninja was the equivalent to three days worth to that of an ordinary man.

His eyes fluttered slightly, telling Hani he was in the depths of a dream.

She glanced down at his bare feet, the only other exposed part of his body. She chuckled lightly as she observed how big they were, with their well kempt nails. Ninja expose their toes constantly; it's taboo in Konoha to be a ninja with nasty toenails.

'What should I do?' she thought. 'Wet-willy? Nah, I need to do something different.' She scratched her head as she considered her options: 'Wedgy? Nope, he's lying on his back. Goose him? No, same problem. Paint his toenails? Nah, too tame. Dump a bucket of cold water on him? Nah, that might ruin Hakanza's expensive bed. Put his hand in warm water? No, that's just cruel.' Her eyes brightened as she got an idea, 'Oh, that's almost too good.' She observed him with an evil smirk, 'But will it work? He might actually like it.' She thought back on his previous behavior around her, 'He's wound tighter than a 13 hour clock -- he'll react exactly how I want him too!'

With a trained hand, she quickly disrobed out of her kimono down to the small, white tank-top she wore under all of her many layers. The bottom of her shirt didn't fall past her navel, and the v-neck dipped well into her cleavage. For underwear she wore a white g-string thong with delicate lace flowers embroidered on the front. Once she had removed herself from her traditional clothing completely she laid them gently to the side of the bed, being sure not to cause any unwanted noise. If she was caught now, her plans would be foiled.

She waited a few seconds to let him settle down before nestling into his side. Ever so slowly, she let her head rest on his shoulder and gently slid her body against his. She couldn't believe she had gotten this far and not even stir him. At this point she was really beginning to wonder if he had been sedated via a poison.

Once she was situated and satisfied with her position, she considered how she wanted to go about waking him up -- there were so many different ways. It was at that moment she noticed his scent. It wasn't powerful or a gaudy perfume that most nobles wore. It was more ... earthy. With a hint of ... musk, maybe? She dismissed it -- it could very well be just the sheets he was sleeping on.

She brought her face closer to him and nuzzled his neck. She choked back a giggle as he stirred slightly; smacking his lips. She took a delicate hand and placed it softly on his stomach and began stroking it gently. He stirred more at this, but instead of waking up with a snap, like she had expected, he instead took the arm closest to her and wrapped around her tenderly, pulling her into him. He brought his other arm to her shoulder and rubbed it affectionately.

'HOLY CRAP!' she thought. This wasn't how she had expected him to react at all! He was acting like he was use to this -- COULD HE MARRIED?! WAS THAT IN HIS FILE?!

She froze as Gai stirred more, turning on his side towards her -- wrapping his arms around her much smaller frame and bringing her into his body closer.

No backing out on this prank now -- she was committed.

But she had to admit though, the smell she had noticed earlier wasn't the sheets, it was definitely him and it was actually ... pleasant.

She took her free hand and stroked his side, "Gai," she said in a soothing voice. "It's time to get up."

He moaned in the negative and pulled her in even tighter.

Hani bit her lip, 'Damnit!' She tried stroking him a little harder. "Come on, Gai. Breakfast will be ready soon."

He gave her a deep, throaty moan in disappointment. The vibration from his bass voice made her eardrums vibrate and her skin tingle. He nuzzled into her hair and she heard the unmistakable sound of a "smooch" on the top of her head.

She dropped her face into his chest in resignation, 'Ugh! Fine, I'll just resort to ...' She slid her hand up to Gai's underarm and poked. She didn't know if he was ticklish, but it was worth a shot.

That got his attention.

-- / --

Gai had been having a pleasant dream. He dreamt that he and his rival, Kakashi had been sparring for some reason or another. Gai had had this dream many times before, only this time it was in front of a large crowd, in the Konoha arena where they held important matches like the chunin and jonin qualifiers. Kakashi was using all of his old tricks and Gai was able to predict each one easily. He was just about to open the gates when he had noticed a lovely scent on the breeze. As soon as he turned his head to try to get a better sense of it, the field around him blurred and changed. He was no longer in the arena, but in his apartment, lying naked in his bed. 'That's odd,' he thought to himself. 'Why am I here?' But before he could ask himself another question, he felt a gentle hand rub against his exposed stomach. He quickly looked to his side and saw Hani, of all people, resting soundly on his shoulder.

Perhaps it was the fact that deep down he knew it was just a dream that he let himself enjoy the moment. Why Hani was in his dream? He didn't care. It was his dream, damn it and he was going to enjoy it.

Instead of doing something perverse, he wrapped his arms around her and breathed in her scent. Earlier, he had struggled to pin point it, but he was sure of it now. It was unmistakably honeysuckle.

She fit against him perfectly; every contour to her body molding into him like they were made for each other. She stroked at his side lovingly -- like they had been together like this for years. "Gai, it's time to get up," she said in a soothing voice. He moaned, knowing that getting up would mean letting her go, and that's not what he wanted. "Come on, Gai. Breakfast will be ready soon," she said again, this time rubbing him harder. He moaned at her louder this time, trying to get his point across -- for good measure, he kissed the top of her head in hopes of buying himself more time. Then, just as he thought his world felt entirely complete, the lovely blossom he held between his arms poked him squarely and very unkindly under the arm ...

-- / --

Gai's eyes shot open. First, he was in shock from the dream he just had -- 'Hani?! GAH! WHAT WAS I THINKING?!' Secondly, he was embarrassed that he had actually enjoyed the encounter. Thirdly, he was mortified as he suddenly realized the warmth next to him wasn't his own.

He jerked his head down and looked into the deep purple eyes of Hani, who gave him a very mischievous grin. "Hey Big Sexy," she said, turning on the charm.

Gai jumped backwards out of the bed like he had just found a viper between the sheets. "GEEZUS!" he screamed.

"What's the matter, Gai?" laughed Hani. "You weren't complaining last night."

His eyes doubled in size, "LAST NIGHT?!"

Hani rolled onto her stomach and propped her head on a hand, giving him a perfect view of her cleavage. "Don't you remember?" she asked, trying to pout. "You came to my room last night, all sweaty and breathing hard. You were practically BEGGING me for company."

Gai looked frantically around his room, was this the right room? Was he in the right world? Was this a NIGHTMARE?!

"Oh no," she said, raising a hand to her mouth and feigning concern. "You must have been poisoned!"

"POISONED?!"

She dug her fingers into her mouth to keep from laughing, "Yeah, I've heard about those poisons. They're like roofies only they make the person really horny and in the morning they don't remember a thing!"

Gai ran a shaking hand through his hair, "I-I suppose -- I just don't remember anything!"

Hani thought she was going to choke from trying not to laugh. She couldn't believe he was buying it! "Oh that is too bad!" she said as she flopped on her back, throwing her arms behind her. "You were such an Adonis!" She tried to imitate his voice as best she could, "Hani, I'm going to love you daily and nightly and ever so rightly! YUH-OSH!"

Gai buried his face into his hands in embarrassment and horror. How could he have let this happen?!

"Over and over again! I thought I was going to die! Your performance was amazing!" said Hani, keeping up the act. She rolled to her hands and knees and cat walked to the end of the bed where she stood, and then walked with as much seduction as was womanly possible. Gai had begun back-peddling as soon as her foot touched the floor. Once his back hit the wall, Hani had him right where she wanted him.

'Gods! Where are her clothes?!' cried Gai in his head.

She placed her hands gently on his chest and pressed her body against his. Gai cringed like she was a bomb that was about to go off right in his face.

She slid her hands up his neck and cupped his cheeks. With a sultry voice, she spoke, "And I'm ready for the encore."

Gai covered his face in dread and whimpered.

Now, any sane man would have realized Hani's hair was styled perfectly, her makeup was all in place and her clothing lay neatly on the edge of the bed. If what she said was true, then none of the above would be possible. But Gai was far too traumatized to notice the obvious.

Hani couldn't hold it back any longer and laughed harder than she had for years. Not understanding her reaction, Gai peeked at her from between his fingers.

"Oh Gai!" she said, still laughing. "I'm only joking!" She pulled at his wrists, trying to get him to remove his hands from his face.

He let her remove one, "HUH?!"

She pawed at his other hand, "I'm just joking! We didn't do anything last night."

He dropped his other hand and looked at her incredulously, "Then how did you ... ?!" He was too embarrassed to say the rest, but instead pointed frantically at the bed.

Hani smiled, "It wasn't too hard. You were sleeping deeper than a hibernating bear."

Gai, a heavy sleeper? Never! "That is not possible! I am a very light sleeper!"

Still chuckling, Hani shrugged, "Say what you will, Gai. But you were completely out of it."

He tented his brows, still confused on what had just happened, "W-why all of this? Why the hoax?"

Hani gave him a small grin before she stuck a finger into her mouth and then poked it directly into his ear. He cringed slightly as he swatted her hand away. "Paybacks a bitch," she beamed.

Gai stood their dumbstruck. He didn't know how to react, let alone what to say. She had pulled off her prank flawlessly and he had fallen for it hook-line-and-sinker. It wasn't until NOW that he noticed the clearly obvious.

She patted him on the shoulder gently, "Don't forget to breathe there, Big Guy."

On cue, Gai took in a few large breaths in relief. "Oh, thank Kami," he sighed.

She gave him a small wink and returned to her clothes.

He blushed intensely as he noticed her panties -- or lack thereof. "GUH! HANI!" he cried, raising his hand to shield her from his view. "PLEASE put some clothes on!"

She rolled her eyes, "I'm getting to it, Spoilsport!" She went about redressing in her many layered kimono. "Good grief, you would think you've never seen a woman's body before." She froze, "Wait ... you haven't, have you?"

Gai gave her a sarcastic look, "Yeah, I have NEVER seen a woman naked before -- I am a 28 year old virgin."

Hani shook out her kimono, "Well, as long as you're not in denial."

Gai clenched his teeth, 'Ugh, this woman! She is worse than Kakashi!' Even Gai's invulnerable patience was getting worn thin.

"It's already past eight o'clock," she said. "I'm sure Oda will be here soon to fetch us." She looked him up and down, "You want to stop fooling around and start getting dressed already?"

Gai squinted at her slightly before pushing off his wall and walking into the bathroom. He didn't have time for a shower, shave and fifteen minute hair style, so he was just going to have to focus on the essentials. He put a large goop of toothpaste on his brush and went about cleaning his teeth. Every few strokes he would glance suspiciously out his door to see what Hani was up to -- not trusting her even for a second. She stood there, silently -- trying to tie her obi perfectly around her waist.

Just as Gai had worked up a good froth of shaving cream over his face, there was a knock on his bedroom door.

"I'll get it!" came Hani's cheery voice.

Gai peered around the doorframe and glared in her direction. He was in a foul mood and didn't want any more of her shenanigans.

Hani opened the door and greeted the guest happily. "Good morning, Oda," she said with a slight bow.

Oda cocked his head to the side and lifted an eyebrow. He looked from her and then over his shoulder to her bedroom doors and back again.

She smiled, "Yes, Oda?"

He caught himself, "Yes uh ... " He cleared his throat and then bowed, "Breakfast is ready."

"Excellent!" She exited the room and turned to Gai. "Thank you for your company, My Lord. I will meet you at the breakfast table." She bowed, turned to Oda, winked, and then pretended like her robe needed adjusting from a "quick romp".

Oda's eyebrows shot up into his hairline as she walked away, a slight swing in her hips. Without turning his head, his eyes slowly looked to Gai.

Gai merely scowled back.

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Thank you, for reading!