Almost all of this text was added later, so I could say it is mostly new.
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Chapter 6: First Time Out
Tenten slipped through the kitchen door and went right to her bedroom. Kankuro was humming and pulling clothes from his bag, and didn't pay her any attention. She knew that she should stay as calm as possible, but couldn't help feeling nervous. The kunoichi was aware that her friends would be shocked, but mostly very, very curious. Her brain was flooded with doubts and fears while she mindlessly got dressed.
A short knock pulled her out of her thoughts. "Yes?"
"I will need to use the bathroom," he said before making any attempts to open the door.
"You can go in," she replied, and he did.
Though he didn't look her way, he was trying not to disturb the little privacy she had in this case. When he entered the bathroom and locked the door, she sighed and got to the task of brushing her hair. She couldn't deny he acted politely, giving her maximum space. It was as if he understood that she really needed it.
Tenten had been ready for a few minutes when she approached the bathroom door — there was no sound of running water.
"Hey, are you ok?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm fine." His voice was calm as he answered.
"Do you think you will be ready soon?"
Lee and Gai-sensei would spend quite some time in front of the mirror when they were going somewhere like a team dinner. According to them, it was youthful. Personally, she found it unattractive for a man to spend more time making himself pretty than a woman would do. The mere thought of her fake fiance being like that made her frown.
"Yep." He opened the door and grinned. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
Kankuro gave her an assessing look, moving his eyes from her feet up to her eyes. She was wearing simple jeans and a light green sleeveless top, and her hair was made into two buns, just the same as before.
She stepped back and looked at his face — the makeup and purple paint were applied neatly over his skin, hiding his features quite well. His dark eyes seemed truly warm, something she hadn't noticed until now. Tenten felt somehow discontented with his looks; it was something she couldn't quite put her finger on. His clothes, however, were just casual: dark jeans and a black, long-sleeved, simple top, which highlighted his upper body quite nicely. She slapped herself inwardly because of that last thought. All the male shinobi had great bodies and looked good — no surprises there. Tenten felt her stomach slowly clench in a knot, which made her quite angry with herself.
"Have you finished sizing me up?" She asked exasperated — over the sensation more, rather than the action.
"I'm getting used to the sight of your body." Kankuro half-joked.
"What!?" She almost jumped; her face took on an angry expression, and her cheeks started to redden.
He shot his hands up in defence. "Your fiance is supposed to know how your body looks. I don't want to be surprised."
"You are not coming nearly close enough to know the look of my body!" She hissed almost frantically, and she pointed accusingly.
"Are you usually so vicious, or is it a special treatment?" he asked, amused by her over-defensiveness. He had just tried to nonchalantly flirt with her, but her reaction was much more exaggerated than expected. Kankuro had assessed the possibility of pissing her off, but that seemed too much — there was something off there, he was sure of it.
"It is a special treatment!" she retorted. "You continue to successfully insult me!"
"How come looking at you is insulting?" He raised an eyebrow; he needed to play this out calmly.
"It is not the looking itself, but the way you are doing it."
"How am I doing it?" Kankuro frowned.
"As though I were a piece of meat," she said angrily, crossing her arms.
He kept silent for a bit, wondering what response would calm her down. Had she been looked over like a "piece of meat" so often that she saw the look where it didn't exist? That was highly alarming if that was the case. She looked distraught. However, he didn't have time to find the real problem, so he had to pull something out of his metaphorical hat. His best shot was to apologise and hope for the best.
"Ok, I went a bit ahead of myself," he admitted. "I thought maybe a little flirting would make us both feel more comfortable with each other." His eyes searched for hers. "I guess I was wrong."
"You were." Her hand with the threatening pointer finger dropped down.
"Relax." He gave her a soft smile. "I will try to be more careful."
"Thank you." Tenten took a few deep breaths and lifted her chin up. The challenge had returned to her hazel eyes. "Ok, maybe I went a bit overboard," she said with a nervous laugh.
"We'll adjust," Kankuro assured. "Let's give ourselves some time."
"Yes." She beamed a wide smile at him. "Let's get going. We must visit the Hokage tower first. I was told there is a message from your brother waiting for you there."
The young man nodded and gestured for her to go first. She headed towards the door, and he followed. When they exited, Tenten locked the apartment.
Tenten and Kankuro walked down the street at a moderate pace, keeping a polite distance between each other.
"Do you expect a letter from your brother?" she asked suddenly.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Yes," was his short answer.
The kunoichi nodded and bit the inside of her lip. She couldn't help but notice his demeanour switch briefly to a more serious and wary one. It was like he feared what the letter's content would be. That was... understandable.
It wasn't only his mood that was weird. There were many people turning their heads after them. It made her feel anxious and as if she were on full display, like she was naked or something. Tenten could see the questions and the plain curiosity in her acquaintances' eyes. She gave Kankuro a glance — he seemed calm and confident; his face was relaxed as far as she could see; his hair looked softer than the previous evening, and it moved slightly when he walked beside her.
The sand shinobi decreased the distance between them and brushed her shoulder with his arm. She flinched but pulled herself together right away and even gathered the strength to smile at him.
He shook his hand, returning the smile. "We should work on that," Kankuro whispered.
"On what?"
"Being close." He didn't look at her, although he pulled a bit away, giving her some of the space she so desperately needed.
Tenten didn't say anything to that. He was right, of course; no comment was needed.
When they reached the central street, she took a right turn, and he followed. Soon after, they were in front of the Hokage tower, still sunk in uncomfortable silence. Tenten took the lead inside the building, and instead of going to the hokage's office, they went to the highest point in the building. Once there, she requested the letter from Gaara and signed in to note that she had taken it.
"Do you want to read it now?" she asked as she handed the little folded paper to him.
"Yes." His answer came while he was already unfolding it.
When they turned into the hallway again and they were alone, Kankuro stopped and read the content of the letter. His face didn't give out anything at first.
Gaara informed him: "Temari's condition hasn't changed, and her vitals are stable. There are no indications of regaining consciousness. Please proceed and follow the plan. Return home as fast as possible.
PS: Baki asked me to pass something over to you. I don't really understand, but he claimed you know well what it is about. Baki said, "Tell Kankuro to keep his eyes and hands on the mission. He should refrain."
The last few rows got him by surprise, which reflected in his expression — he raised his eyebrows.
Kankuro let out a short laugh, shaking his head in disbelief.
"What does the old geezer think I am?" He breathed out, still shaking his head.
"What old geezer?" Tenten asked.
"My sensei, Baki," he replied. He folded the paper carefully before placing it in his back pocket.
The kunoichi opened her mouth to ask something more, but he waved his hand dismissively.
"Can we visit the hokage?" He sighed. It would be good if he checked one more thing off his list.
"We can check if she has time to see us," Tenten said slowly. "Though there is no guarantee she will be able to squeeze us in. It depends on how many people are in the queue."
He shrugged. "Worth a shot."
"Why do you need to talk with her, anyway?"
Kankuro didn't answer right away. Instead, he picked a random point above her head to look at for a few moments. Eventually, he sighed and gave her the answer she was patiently waiting for. "I'll ask for training permission." He focused on her eyes and gave her a small smile. "I'll be here for some time, and I need to train. "You are a kunoichi; you understand the importance of staying sharp."
"I understand." She clicked with her tongue, and led him straight to Tsunade-sama's office.
Tenten frowned; there were a lot of people in the waiting room in front of the hokage's office. She estimated that it would take them about an hour to get in. After she shared this with Kankuro and added that she didn't
His dark eyes moved to the office door, then returned to her hazel pools. Without a word, he nodded towards an empty bench. A few moments after they took seats, Shizune approached and asked how they were doing. After exchanging the standard pleasantries, Shizune promised to notify Konoha's head right after her current meeting was over. And so she did.
To their surprise, they were called in next.
When they entered Tsunade's office, Tenten closed the door. Then, they were welcomed by an obviously pissed and tired hokage.
"What's wrong?" she asked straightforwardly. "Don't tell me one of you has changed your mind. I don't have the resources to fix this right now."
"No, Tsunade-sama!" Tenten bowed. "Everything is alright. We'll get this to work. We aren't here because of this, really."
The older woman took a deep breath, leaning back in her chair.
"Ok, why are you here then?"
"It's because of me." Kankuro stepped forward and also bowed respectfully. "I need your permission to train within the village borders."
"You want training permission?" She asked, surprised but mumbling, "I should've guessed that. You, the sand shinobi, could never just sit still on your butts, eh?"
"Beg your pardon?" Kankuro blinked, his face stiff.
Tenten almost laughed out loud, though she painfully bit the inside of her cheek. Her future fiance wasn't used to such behaviour coming from the kage. Considering his brother was a calm type, Tsunade probably looked more like a tornado in his eyes.
"Not important." She shook her head. "Yes, Shizune will prepare the permission for you."
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama."
"Was that all?" she asked to double check.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Tenten confirmed.
"Alright! I'll see you at the next mission briefing," the older woman said, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them and saw that they hadn't moved, she frowned. "Why are you still here?"
Kankuro flinched, bowed hastily, and headed towards the door.
"Have a nice day, Hokage-sama!" Tenten wished heartily and went out after the man.
They notified Shizune about the permission, which she started to immediately prepare. While they waited, Kankuro leaned in to Tenten and whispered, "She's scary."
The young woman laughed, making Shizune look at them, puzzled. "You've no idea," she admitted, whispering back.
Shikamaru caught a glimpse of the familiar face. Kankuro is here? He tried to recall when Kankuro visited last, but Temari was with him then. It was too long ago — for sure, more than two years. What was really causing an unsettling feeling in his stomach was that Temari hadn't sent him a word for two whole weeks. Temari was adamant and a woman of habit, so she usually updated him weekly. There was something weird happening.
He stopped near the corner of a building on his way and stared. Was that Tenten beside him? Yes, it was surely her. His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Was it possible for the Sunagakure Council to request that Kankuro take on the duty of being an ambassador for Konoha? It was, of course. But if that were the case, Tsunade-sama would most certainly have notified him, because he was the one working with the ambassador, after all. Forget Tsunade; Temari would be the first to yell at him about it and insist he go over the whole lot of details they'd cleaned up for the next exams. So that was not it. There was something else.
He had sent his weekly update to Temari in the morning and was expecting an answer no later than Wednesday. Today was Monday.
He stuck his hands in his pockets and was about to turn back, but halted. His demanding mother had given him some errands to run, and if he didn't do them, she became very troublesome. He held his peace in high regard, so he went along, even though he hadn't lived in her home for years.
Shikamaru made a mental note to check up on what Kankuro was doing in Konoha as soon as possible, which would probably be tomorrow anyway. If Kankuro was still here, that was.
He glanced at the silhouettes of Kankuro and Tenten once more before turning around and pacing down the street.
Kankuro kept silent while walking beside Tenten. His mind wandered back to Baki's words. The truth was, Kankuro hadn't had time to think about this aspect of the mission. It wasn't a secret that he was a man who took regular care of his physical needs. He'd never been short on female attention, and he could have sex whenever he needed... or simply wanted to. He wasn't supposed to have sex with anyone other than his "wife" after they signed the documents, and even before that. Kankuro glanced at her assessingly. She was very attractive, all right. Maybe they could reach some kind of agreement on the matter to satisfy both of their sexual needs. She probably also had urges, right?
He shook his head and sighed. Everything was so... insignificant. Temari was the important one. He was doing all this because of her. And even if his pure manly needs were going to suffer, it didn't matter; what mattered was whether she was going to be OK in the end.
"Penny for your thoughts?" asked Tenten suddenly, bringing him back to reality. For too long, his solemn expression lingered far too long. She felt the need to break the stormy cloud that had started to envelop him.
"You really don't want to know," he replied as he set his lips in a straight line.
"You think?" She raised her eyebrows and stepped slightly closer to him.
"I'm sure. This topic will be put on the table at some point. This is not the right time or place for discussing it."
"You got me curious, you know," Tenten admitted.
Kankuro smiled at her.
"Where are we going, anyway?" He changed the topic.
She sighed. "Well, we'll have to appear where my friends and teammates usually go. And I really would like to apologise in advance for their behaviour."
"Remind me of your teammates again?"
"Rock Lee, you might remember him. He fought with your brother in the Chuunin exams." She paused, averting her sight away from him. "You know, the ones we held together just before you... attacked us," she muttered, clearly uneasy.
"Yeah, I remember him." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Don't walk on tiptoes around the topic of the attack," he told her. "I took part in it under command; it wasn't my idea or plan, anyway. And I still feel sorry about being involved."
She felt like a great weight had been lifted from her chest. She feared he would react sharply if she mentioned that unfortunate attack. Anyway, his reply was mature and calm.
"And who else?"
"Hyuuga… Neji?" She turned her head to the right, sensing the well-known presence of her teammate.
"Good afternoon," he replied politely.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, puzzled.
"You're about to eat dinner with the entire pack of the local nerve-wreckers. I wouldn't leave you alone," he stated calmly.
Curiosity peaked in Kankuro as he raised an eyebrow. There were a few ways of interpreting his words, and he needed to know what Neji meant.
"You don't think she can manage?" He bluntly asked the newcomer with pearl-coloured eyes.
Tenten's head snapped towards him, eyes wide. She already knew the sand shinobi could be immensely polite when he wanted to, yet he could be bruisingly direct as well.
"I know she can't manage," Neji retorted, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.
Kankuro opened his mouth, intending to tell the other man that he should have more faith in his teammate. Tenten laid a hand on his elbow, interrupting.
When she drew his attention fully, she gave him a small smile. "It's fine, Kankuro."
It was critical that she smooth over any incoming squabbles. Her hand, gently pressing his, was enough to warn him. But her loyalty to Neji forced her to take his side and defend his decision to tag along. "You don't know them; they can be unbearable," she tried to explain.
Kankuro didn't look convinced as he glanced at her with narrowed eyes. "I'm capable of taking hits, real and metaphorical." His voice, compared to his tense body language, was confident and quiet. The lack of correlation made her eyes shift to his dark ones. And that's where she saw it — his promise to be there and to not leave her to deal with anything mission-related on her own. She didn't know why, but she knew right there and then, that she could trust him. She nodded.
Neji frowned but kept his silence. He hated dining out with some of the shinobi his age; he found it annoying, and yes, often unbearable.
The fact he went out of his way to come along and help her meant a lot.
"Thank you, Neji. I know you don't like eating out with the boys," she whispered.
"I don't," he said, while staring at the Sand shinobi. "But it will be irresponsible of me to leave you with the three of them. Naruto, Kiba, and Lee are curious enough separately, but together they are like a swarm of pests. Maybe there is no need to mention the specifics." Neji paused.
"Judging by your expression, you're still going to do it," Kankuro mumbled as he crossed his arms. Tenten's hand dropped away from his.
"Kiba is very perceptive, according to his physical senses. Lee loves Tenten and is overprotective, ready to tear apart every man who dares to get close to her disrespectfully, and—"
"I'm not disrespectful," Kankuro interrupted.
Neji frowned and chose not to respond. Instead, he continued, "Naruto has a nucleus of intelligence, and it may become dangerous."
"Neji…" She didn't say anything more, but her smile was full of gratitude.
Kankuro noticed the way her face changed, how her features softened and her eyes sparkled with tenderness and warmth. Her voice was expressing such love that it was painful to listen to, even if he knew she was practically a stranger to him. There was still that tiny, annoying little voice — the proud and possessive voice of his ego — that nagged at him that Tenten was going to be his partner for the next year.
He couldn't remember if someone had ever said his name so gently. Passion? Yes, but this was something else. He sighed, realising he had to adjust while he was was versatile: he could find his place anywhere, he just had to see which way the cat jumped. Right now he could see that Neji had a big impact on Tenten's behaviour. Whether it was because they'd been on the same team for years and she trusted him, or because of something more personal, Kankuro didn't know.
It was possible that she had deep feelings for Neji. Given that she was sharing his mission while pretending to be his wife-to-be, her eventual feelings were most likely unshared. Or… maybe...?
The sand shinobi cast a glance at Neji and noticed the intense look in his pearl eyes. He looked worried for Tenten. Kankuro could only guess and speculate about the reason why.
The sand shinobi coughed politely to draw their attention. "I suppose I should be grateful for your concern and resourcefulness," he said evenly, holding his sarcasm in.
Tenten nodded at Kankuro words and decided to cut the discussion off: "Shall we go on?"
Both young men agreed to her suggestion. Each of them had his reasons: Neji needed a better assessment of the newcomer's character, and Kankuro felt a sharp disagreement in the air if he let himself keep on talking. So they followed Tenten down the street, keeping polite silence.
After the next turn, Kankuro saw Kiba's big dog, and he knew they had arrived.
"Tenten!" A voice rose above the street noise, drawing all their attention. It was Hinata, who waved in their direction with a wide, charming smile.
Tenten returned a grin and rushed forward, leaving her teammate and her "fiance" behind her. They stopped as if they had a mutual agreement.
"Don't get the wrong impression," Neji said quietly, keeping his eyes forward.
"Please, elaborate."
"I want to make this clear: I'm not helping you; I'm helping her," Neji explained.
"Because she's dear to you, or because you have orders?"
He turned to meet Kankuro's eyes. "Because she is one of the few people I hold in high regard."
The sand shinobi nodded with a smile. The angry flicker in the pale eyes didn't go unnoticed.
Kankuro stuck his hands in his pockets and followed Tenten slowly. There was no problem with Neji's behaviour, as long as it didn't get in the way of the mission. That was exactly what he was going to tell him. Neji looked smart, so he would surely understand.
After a few slow steps, Kankuro halted and turned to the other man over his shoulder, whispering, "That's great. Then help her. Don't make it harder on her."
Neji frowned. Of course he was going to help her. How could he possibly make it harder on her? This man didn't make any sense. Anyway, part of that assistance included lying and claiming to have known about the whole dating thing for a long time. He was going to help her appear engaged; after all, that was part of the job. He took a few slightly faster steps until he levelled with Kankuro.
When they both reached Tenten, she had already finished hugging Hinata. Neji nodded to the shinobi that were already seated around the table. Then he turned his back to them, pretending to share something with his teammate and her Suna guest.
What Neji aimed to do was use his body to hide the space between Kankuro and Tenten. He hastily grabbed the other man's sleeve and pulled his hand towards Tenten's. No words were needed; the demand was as clear as a cloudless sky. The kunoichi swallowed and allowed Kankuro to entwine his fingers with hers.
Thank you, mfw_no_gf ❤️
