Summary:
Sakura is surprised by Kankuro's observation skills when he decides to get the food Tenten loves most. Sakura rewards him with valuable information.
Once home, he starts to push Tenten's boundaries and finds interesting facts he can use someday.


Chapter 16: Packing Up

Kankuro had spent not less than three hours in the library, diligently comparing the blueprints of a launching mechanism in a few books. And copying down every detail he thought might be useful at some point or he found simply interesting. When he was done with that, he took out his own blueprints and spread them out on the table. His fingers skirted over the dry paper surface while he followed a line and tapped at the formula near it.

Sakura stood and watched him from afar for a few moments before notifying him that she was done; a smile was gracing her lips the whole time.

When he noticed her, he looked at the clock on the wall for the first time in a while — it was half past nine. He hustled to pack up everything, including the books that he was going to return tomorrow evening. Then he left with the pink-haired kunoichi in tow.

"Ok, I still need to pick something for dinner. I've promised," he reminded her.

"Right." She stopped and looked at her wrist. "I don't think you'll find anything different from ramen or other ready-to-take foods at this time. The grocery stores are closed."

He stretched his numb limbs… a bit too numb for his liking. "Ramen it is then."

"So, what would be the arrangements in Suna?" asked Sakura.

"What do you mean?" Kankuro rubbed his forehead to ease the pending headache.

"What will Tenten do while she's there?"

"Ah… Apart from being my loving wife, you mean?"

She giggled while he successfully kept a blank-like expression.

"I'm not sure yet. She'll probably be assigned to a team and allowed to train." He shrugged. "Technically, they'd expect her to get pregnant, which wouldn't happen, so…"

"I see," Sakura whispered. "So they'll try to keep her around the village, mostly."

He smiled. "I'm sure my brother will fill up her time. He has grasped the task-sorting matter well. Don't worry, she won't be overlooked or left bored."

The woman nodded and turned into a small, narrow street. "It's a shortcut," she explained.

Kankuro followed.

Soon, they reached the main street and the restaurants that were still working. It wasn't that late, but it was later than the normal working hours for grocery stores.

Sakura placed an order for herself and waited for him to pick something out.

"Tenten likes ramen with sea salt," she stated matter-of-factly.

"I know that," he said, sounding almost offended. After a short pause and one more read of the menu, he shrugged. "Not taking ramen for her."

Sakura bristled. "You won't get any food for her?"

"I didn't—" He shook his head and looked at her with a mix of annoyance and amusement. "Why do all women like so much to put words in one's mouth? When did I say I'm not taking her any food?"

The woman's mouth slightly opened for a brief moment, and confusion settled on her features.

He rolled his eyes. "I know she eats ramen with sea salt. I've been living with her for some time. And I'm good at noticing things." He paid for his meal and took the bag. "Now, where can I find a Chinese food shop?"

Sakura laughed. "I'm genuinely impressed," she whispered, her hand laying on her heart. "This way."

She stepped back and gestured for him to head to the other end of the street.

Once there, he ordered fried rice noodles with vegetables and meat for Tenten. And extra soy sauce, which gained him an eyebrow raise from his pink-haired companion.

On the whole way back to the flat, they kept having light conversation. Kankuro half-joked on almost everything she would say, making her slightly pissed off but not enough to actually irritate her.

"I'm surprised you didn't get a dessert, though," Sakura said when they were almost at their destination.

"When I think about it, I haven't seen her go crazy for desserts... Not the way I've seen her act about Chinese, anyway."

Sakura nodded. "She likes Raspberry Snowflake Cake."

"The name sounds familiar. Like something Temari used to make when we were younger," he said, a slight frown passing over his face, though it remained hidden under his paint.

"Well, it's good to know a woman's favourite dessert."

"It may definitely come in handy. Thank you, Sakura."

"There are other things you may want to know," she tagged on nonchalantly.

He slowed down and looked at her. "Such as?"

"Tenten is really good at covering up her intimate inexperience." The woman shook her head. "Just so you know."

"Thank you?" His voice held a slight annoyance.

"Yeah, I get that you don't want me to tell you anything that is considered really personal." She sighed and changed the topic. "But let me give you a few more tips that will make both of your existences easier?"

"Go ahead." He gave her the permission she wanted.

Sakura fully stopped a few feet before Tenten's building door. "She likes picnics and kite fights. She loves visiting weapon shops or even weapon exhibitions. She won't just say that, but she likes to read and watch romances every now and then. She can watch fighting or historical movies basically every day." The woman smiled to herself. "After a rough day, she'll soak in a hot spring for hours or occasionally get a massage."

"And what is the right thing to do if I happen to really piss her off...? Knowing myself, that's inevitable." Kankuro asked with a smile.

"The answer to all of your problems of most kinds," she paused dramatically, making his ears prick up, "is ice cream."

He gaped at her, not sure if she was mocking him or if she was being serious.

"Vanilla with salted caramel should be your weapon of choice," she added, giggling.

He burst into a laughing fit.

Soon after, Sakura wished him a good night and left him alone in front of Tenten's door.

Kankuro rubbed his forehead, as the headache had already settled in. He needed a painkiller if he wanted to finish the adjustment of one of his formulas. It shouldn't have taken long if he could trust his own calculations.


When Kankuro entered the flat, Tenten had stacked up her things on the floor in a few piles, with an empty scroll in front of each one. He noticed that the weapons and book piles were much bigger than the clothes.

He greeted her curtly and went straight into the kitchen. There, he took out the food and placed it on the table. The smell made his mouth fill with saliva, causing a protesting rumbling out of his stomach. He practically started to drool.

Tenten peered into the room. "Do I smell Chinese?"

He huffed. She didn't wait for him to answer but entered, rubbing her hands together with a pleased expression on her face.

"Gimme, gimme. I'm starving!" She sat up on one of the chairs and grabbed a box right away.

Kankuro snatched it back and poked the other one. "That's yours."

She gave him a mistrusting look while opening the box with the ramen shop's logo. "Ramen!" she exclaimed, even though both of them knew what was inside.

She tried to push down her initial disappointment, but her eyes drifting briefly to the other box, made it much more evident.

"Did you want something else?" He asked, feigning surprise.

"Ah!" Tenten's cheeks quickly reddened. "I like ramen, thank you." She forced a smile.

It was thoughtful enough of him to offer to buy food in the first place, she reasoned. Also, he wasn't obligated to know that she loved Chinese.

It was both amusing and painful to look at her, as she was trying to ignore the smell from the other box. It was even harder to watch her peek longingly at his hands. He barely stifled his laughter, masterfully keeping a calm and indifferent expression.

"You want me to share?" Kankuro asked, offering her the box.

She didn't wait for a further invitation but reached over the table and stuck her chopsticks inside. The man burst into laughter, placing the Chinese down on the table with a thud under her wide eyes.

"What?" Tenten looked at him with raised eyebrows, the bite half-way to her mouth.

"Your expression… It was priceless," he said when he could speak again. "Here." He passed her the box. "That's yours. I know you love Chinese."

"Oh…" Tenten's whole face flushed.

"Come on, take it," he encouraged, and grabbed the ramen box.

She carefully wrapped her fingers around the food she so desperately craved. Her hand pulled back, her nose trembled, and her eyes closed briefly in delight.

"I really fell for it, you know," she confided to him, whispering.

Kankuro chuckled and poked his meal with the wooden sticks. He didn't answer, choosing to stay quiet and just eat. After all, he was starving.

Tenten focused on the eating as well, avoiding meeting his eyes. She couldn't help but occasionally let out content sighs.

When his stomach was full, his headache started to fade, so he could finally relax. He leaned back in his chair, tangling his fingers together on his lap. He looked at the woman opposite him; she was still eating and humming happily.

"If I were your real boyfriend, the box of Chinese could've made me jealous," he stated, smirking.

Tenten froze, swallowed, and shot him a grin. "Even if you were my real boyfriend, you could never compete with a box with good Chinese," she replied, attempting to mock him. "No offence, but this" — she pointed at the food in her hands — "is rather real. You… being my boyfriend is just a stage play."

Kankuro's eyebrow raised, his smile altering his features to match his low tone, when he asked, "Really? Is that a challenge of some sort?"

The woman met his eyes, fearless… at first. But the little flame of hurt ego that flicked briefly in them forced all her little hair over the nape to prick up.

"Are you really diminishing the value of a boyfriend" — It sounded like he said my value even though he didn't — "to not be a match for a box of food?"

Tenten laid her hand on the table, desperately squeezing her chopsticks. There was something odd about him taking her mocking comment so seriously. They didn't know each other all that well, but that did strike as weird behaviour. The woman swallowed before opening her mouth to smooth things out.

"Technically, a boyfriend, no matter how wonderful, can't be valued on the same scale as food," she said, carefully picking her words and minding her tone. "You kinda use them for… different purposes," Tenten added, trying to sound more lighthearted than she felt.

Their gazes held each other's for a few seconds before they both burst out laughing. It felt like the only possible way of relieving the tension, and it worked perfectly.

When the last chuckles faded out, Kankuro propped his elbows on the table.

"I'm sorry, Tenten," he apologised, shaking his head. "I feel a bit off… as if I don't have a good grasp over my emotions," he added, whispering under his breath. "Although, it's not an excuse at all."

Tenten stuck her chopsticks in the box before saying anything. "I guess even you could be caught in the emotionally-crashing mill," she commented matter-of-factly.

"I guess." He exhaled.

Kankuro watched her pick her next bite and decided to settle for a safer topic. "How's the packing going?" he asked.

The woman sighed, her face twisted in a bitter grimace. "Slow."

"Why so?" He drew his eyebrows together.

"It seems like I've neglected my wardrobe for far too long."

"What do you mean?"

"It turned out I own a lot of training clothes, half of which I can just throw away."

He crossed his arms, a curious expression settling on his face. "Why?"

"Too many holes that I can't be bothered to fix," she said with a crooked smile. "My general policy about handling training clothes is to occasionally buy something new while the old one just sinks in the back of the drawer," Tenten explained.

"Ok." He nodded, smiling. "So how about you throw those away and see what's left?"

"I did that."

"And?"

"And in the end, I have three sets of training clothes." She put the last bite in her mouth.

"That's all? I got the impression you wouldn't pack lightly when we spoke about that earlier," he teased.

"You saw my weapons and books... That's not light, surely," she countered. "I also have other clothes."

He leaned to the side, peering over to the living room's floor. "I see." Kankuro straightened back up with distinctive amusement written all over his face.

Tenten gasped, then frowned.

"I do! I have other clothes." She left the chopsticks in the empty box and started to count the items, pointing her fingers. "I have one pair of jeans, a few tops, three dresses, a cloak, two pairs of shoes—"

"Wait!" Kankuro interrupted.

She looked at him, startled. "What?"

"You own only three dresses and two pairs of shoes?" He sounded genuinely surprised.

She fell silent for a moment. "Technically, I own one dress. Hinata and Sakura gave me one each and didn't want them back when I tried to return them."

He leaned forward, almost choking with his own words. "You have only one dress?"

She followed suit and also leaned forward; she slowly placed her hand on the smooth surface.

"What do you mean with this 'only one dress'?" Tenten's voice was almost threatening.

"Do you have any idea how many dresses and outfits in general an average woman owns?" He asked, his voice almost nagging.

"I'm friends with one of the greatest clan's heiresses, and... Ino." Tenten answered swiftly. "I have seen their closets." She raised her eyebrows, leaning even further. "I am aware, yes."

"So you do realise how rare it is for a woman to have one dress? I mean, when the reason is not financial," he explained.

"Do you consider it a good thing?" She frowned, disbelief all over her face. For what she knew — from Ino mostly — men liked their women to be dolled up. And the women were somewhat socially committed to dressing well and looking good. It added something to a man's social status in case the woman beside him was… well, feminine and beautiful. And Tenten had tried in the past, but... Maybe she didn't give herself enough time to get used to it, or maybe it was just not her thing. In the end, she returned to her comfortable baggy pants and not-attention-grabbing tops.

"I find it," he started, but paused briefly before continuing, "kind of intriguing."

"'Intriguing?" She huffed. "This is a really weird choice of an adjective, you know," she wondered, giving him an untrusting look. "What do you mean with it, exactly?"

"Makes me wonder why you hide in these," he simply said, pointing at her with an open hand.

Tenten looked at him deadpan. She blinked a few times, and when she spoke, her tone was at least exasperated. "I don't hide! Do ya really think you have room to speak on the matter? Have you looked at your clothes?"

He burst into a laughing fit. She did have a point, and he couldn't deny it.

"We're alike," he succeeded in saying, still gasping for air. "Maybe you should marry me?" he teased.

She shook her head, her irritation gone. "Yeah, yeah, I'll think about it."

Kankuro gave her a crooked smile, snatched the empty boxes away, and stuffed them together. Then he started to crush and fold the hard paper so it would take less space in the trash.

Tenten chewed her lip anxiously and drew a few invisible circles on the table with a finger. She lifted her head and looked at him, contemplating whether she should ask him what gnawed at the back of her mind.

"Hey," she started hesitantly.

"Yeah?" He shot her a glance before returning it to his hands.

"Won't you prefer your real girlfriend — and wife — to dress up more... femininely? To suit your position?"

Kankuro stilled his movements, then looked at her, assessing if she was serious. She was. With a sigh, he placed the flattened boxes down and grabbed the chopsticks.

"Dresses are pleasant for the eye and are deeply rooted as traditional attire in Suna's peerage. As my wife, you'll be expected to wear them, just as I, myself, am expected to wear the male version. I don't have any say in the matter." He shrugged with a smirk. "To be honest, personally, I wouldn't mind if you didn't."

"You mean you prefer me wearing my training clothes instead?" She attempted to clarify.

No, that was not what he meant. But her question suggested she may not take well to his further teasing and mocking, bordering on flirting. Although that was a good opportunity to test her boundaries, he had to watch his mouth.

"Yes, that was exactly what—" Her expression dried the words in his throat, and he cleaned it, changing the course. "Not exactly… But I guess your interpretation is also valid."

"You care to elaborate?" She asked, her tone warning.

He had been right. That was the right point for stopping. She might have had or hadn't understood his hint, but that was the border he would be stepping over had he decided to say something more. Now wasn't a good time to do that. So, he returned to a safe play and shook his head with an almost-there smile.

"Nope," he refused, and got up on his feet, taking the boxes and sticks.

He didn't check her expression, but he could guess she was a bit confused. Kankuro made his way to the trash can, fully turning his back to her.

Tenten clicked with her tongue and also got up. "Very well, then. Excuse me, I still have baggage to prepare."

So one of the ways she showed annoyance was by talking formally. That was useful information that he was going to store in the pile of facts about her. In the meantime, he couldn't hold back his amused smile.

The kunoichi's eyes fixed on a dirty spot on the table. She attempted to get the sponge beside the sink to clean it. But before she could even reach, he shot her a glance.

"I'll clean. You have things to do."

Tenten narrowed her eyes, and her hands flew to her hips. "Things to do? Oh, yes. You also have things to do."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's right. I still have to finish something on one of my bluep—"

"I hope you haven't forgotten about my washing machine," she interrupted.

He went quiet for a moment. "I could say I haven't, but I have," he admitted flatly.

She frowned even more. "If you've forgotten and you say that you haven't, that's called 'a lie'." Her tone was bitter and… a little hurtful.

He ignored the sudden wave of pain in his head with an inner cringe. "I don't lie when I have no reason to; I also don't lie to people I respect or hold dear," he explained. "But I'm trained to lie, as every shinobi with political involvement is. It's inevitable."

"So I just have to take your word for it." Her face lost its grimace, and she exhaled.

"I don't have a reason to lie about that, Tenten," he stated.

"And in general, should I rely solely on your word?"

"Giving you my word is the best I can offer at the moment."

Tenten huffed and left the room.


Why did she feel so angry all of a sudden? He didn't owe her any explanations that weren't mission-related. Yet she found it impossible to strangle the angry wave in her chest and let it pour out on him. She really needed to be more careful…

She focused on the piles of belongings on the floor and started to seal her weapons first. She wouldn't need them tomorrow or in the next few days.

Kankuro passed beside the book pile and stopped abruptly. And took a step back. He picked the second book that was barely visible. But how could he not? It had a bright pink cover that would just poke his eyes out. The title was "Follow your heart's wishes".

"What's that?" he asked, lifting the book so Tenten could see it.

She shot it a glance and refocused on her weapons. "It's a romance," she informed him.

"Oh…" He weighed the item in his hand. "What's about?"

Tenten left the handful of shurikens on the floor and looked at him properly. "Read the summary?" she suggested, amused.

Tenten used to be ashamed of someone discovering she had liked romances in the past. As she grew older, she decided she wouldn't hide it. They were just books after all, and they helped her relax, dive into a nonexistent world, and be part of a story that would never happen to her, living through emotions that didn't exist in her real life. So why not?

"I could." Kankuro turned the book, and his dark eyes skittered over the letters.

She was watching his face. She was suddenly very curious about his reaction, which, for the record, was an eyebrow raise.

"I see," he said matter-of-factly. "You like these kinds of things?"

"Yeah. They help to take my mind off of the daily routine," she confirmed.

He shook his head. "No, I mean the overly sweet romance."

"I like the idea, yes. Though... You can see by yourself that I'm not fated to have one of these." She laughed. "Our 'marriage' is hardly romantic. And when we are done, I'll be the divorced ex-wife of the kazekage's brother."

Kankuro bored his eyes into hers but spared any comments.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not blaming you for anything, but I'm still allowed to feel some self-pity," she said with a grin.

"You're convinced that you won't be desirable once you get home after the mission?" He specified, carefully returning the book to the pile.

She caught her hands together and let them rest on her lap. "Let's be honest about this," Tenten started. Her voice was calm and reconciled, as if she had already gone through those thoughts and had made peace. "While you'll remain Gaara's brother and eligible bachelor even after you've been married once, the way divorced women are looked at is different. They're always blamed for the disrupted marriage, no matter if the fault is really theirs. The most logical conclusion about my situation will be that I haven't been able to give you what is expected of me."

"You mean an heir?" Kankuro specified, trying hard to keep his bubbling emotions down. He suddenly felt dreadful for her.

"That too. I won't be surprised if I'm labelled as infertile."

He glanced at the book pile again.

"These books are my consolation," she explained quietly. "They make me forget about reality and give me food for imagination."

"You do realise that most shinobi's marriages are arranged…"

"I do." She nodded. "That's in case there's someone to arrange them for you. I'm clanless; I don't have elders that have rights over my choice of husband. And then there is the village, which stands above all of us and makes life changing decisions for us."

He was speechless. A cold shudder crept up his spine when his mind presented him with the image she just drew. She was damn right, and they both knew it.

"I… I'm sorry it may turn this way for you," he said, really meaning it.

Kankuro had been so focused on the goal of getting Tsunade to his sister and getting used to Tenten as a person that... That he didn't give it a thought about how this thing would affect the leaf kunoichi in the long run. But he didn't think she realised it as well when she first accepted the mission. She probably followed the logical threads later on, but it had been too late for her to quit. Not that he'd let her... Even if the situation was as it was, bringing her mostly negatives...

She gave him a small smile, pointing at the books. "That's why I'm taking them."

His lips tugged at the edges, returning a smile. He moved to stand in front of her, and she had to lift her face up to see his.

"I realise that I can't bring you the romance you wish for," he said, and she giggled.

"I don't expect you to do anything about it. This is not real." She gestured between them, then pointed at the book pile again. "That's also not real."

"That's true. Still, I can do at least one thing right…"

Tenten gave him a curious gaze.

"I owe you a direct question. Not to your Hokage. To you." He looked straight into her eyes. "I need your help. Please marry me," he said, letting a tender smile take over his otherwise serious face.

She gasped at the intense gaze and genuine tone. Warmth spread into her chest, bringing a blush to her cheeks and a giggle.

They both knew it wasn't a real question; her answer wouldn't change the outcome — they would still get married and move to Suna. But consideration was what made the difference.

Even like a fake boyfriend and fiance, Kankuro was doing better than some of Ino's boyfriends. That was something to be praised. A playful flame danced into the hazel depths of Tenten's eyes. A sly grin spread on her lips.

"Alright, I'll marry you. But I have conditions."

He stifled an open laugh, settling for a chuckle, then kneeled down so their eyes were at the same level. "You have my full attention, my dear future wife. I'm listening."

"No makeup on either the prenup signing or the formal wedding."

His eyes, filled with amusement, bore into hers. "Should I ask why?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

He observed her red cheeks and concluded that, most likely, the image of his bare face was easier to cope with. He was much more 'human' with paint off. "Done. What else?"

She pursed her lips, looking back at him. "You'll teach me the basics of puppeteering."

Kankuro's eyebrows rose. "You want to study the art?"

"I want to at least be aware of the mechanics," she admitted. "I'm not sure if it will be something I'll use. Yet. But it'll give me a perspective."

"Ok, I agree. I'll show you how it works," he confirmed. "Anything else?"

"Fix the washing machine."

He chuckled. "Will do. Something more?"

She knew that was going to push his boundaries, but she could at least try. "I want to keep my right to bargain for more benefits in the future."

"Nope, I decline." Kankuro shook his head and attempted to get on his feet, adding, "I'll consider whatever you throw at me now. This is your only chance for a bargain."

She was silent while calculating what more she could realistically ask him to do for her while he rose up.

"Can we extend the thinking period till the end of the evening?" She asked, hopeful.

He hissed involuntarily as a sharp pain pierced his head. It forced him to hold in place for a few seconds. Hadn't he done that, he would have collapsed on the floor.

He let a laboured breath out. "Sure."

Tenten was up, and grabbed his arm tightly for support. "What's wrong?" A sudden concern appeared in her tone.

He groaned. "Hell of a headache."

"Let me get you a painkiller?" she suggested, lightly pushing him to step back.

He looked at her before falling on the couch. "Please."

Tenten nodded, already heading to the bathroom, where the first-aid kit was. She returned immediately with a pill and a glass of water. Kankuro downed it quickly. When he tried to get up again right away, he failed with a shudder.

"Woah, where do you think you're going?" She pushed his chest back down.

"Fix your washing machine?"

"Wait a bit. Give the pill a chance, will ya?" Tenten kept her hand hovering over his body, ready to stop him if he attempted to stand again. "It ain't going anywhere."

"Alright…" He sighed and relaxed.

The next time she looked at him, he had slumped down and was soundly asleep.


Thank you, mfw_no_gf, for the corrections :))
Thank you, jtoo, for the support and pointing out what needed to be reworked :))