Chapter 15: A Revelation
"Tori, let's go, please. Your sister's waiting for us; we need to hurry." A pleading woman's voice came from his right.
"My leg hurts, mama," responded a child's tiny voice, barely holding the sobs in.
Shee half-turned, so both the mother and child were visible in his peripheral vision. It was a boy, maybe around five, with a freshly bruised knee.
"Ok…" The woman looked around helplessly. "I need to buy the herbs. Do you want to wait here?"
The boy shook his head.
"You won't be alone; there are a lot of people around, and you will see me the whole time."
He crossed his little arms and shook his head even quicker.
"You want to be a shinobi, right?" She breathed heavily, obviously meaning to take out the trump card.
"Yes!"
She squatted down in front of him and looked into his eyes. "They get hurt all the time, Tori. And they are not afraid to be a few feet away from their moms."
The kid's head hung low.
"OK… I'll wait here."
"Good." The woman laid a hand on his cheek and smiled. "Pick a bench and sit down."
His head shot up, and he slowly spun a full circle while his mother got up on her feet. The boy stopped, facing Shee's direction, and pointed out the bench that the man was currently occupying.
"I want to sit there!" the boy exclaimed.
The woman looked at Shee apologetically and leaned down again. "Honey, there are five more empty benches. Why don't you pick one of them?"
"No, I want that one," he insisted, grabbing his mother's hand.
He attempted to pull the woman after himself, but cried out and limped on his healthy leg. She picked him up and looked at Shee with pleading eyes.
The man was sitting in the middle of the bench's length, so no one could settle down beside him. He didn't want any company. But at the sight of the sobbing little boy and his mother, who was ready to start sobbing as well, he huffed and moved to the side.
"Thank you," she mouthed before approaching the bench.
She placed the boy beside the man. "I'll be right there," she said, pointing at one of the nearby stands. "Please, don't bother anyone, Tori."
"OK, mama," he mumbled, still snorting occasionally.
The woman shot yet another apologetic look, and only then did she turn away. Her hasty gait led her right to a stand at about fifty feet away. She'd peek over her shoulder every few steps, making sure her decision to leave the child with an unfamiliar man wasn't a bad one.
Shee leaned forward, laying elbows on his knees. The boy tilted his head curiously and sized up the man. His gaze lingered on Shee's hands.
"You have many scars," the boy noted aloud, gaining an amused look from the man. "Are you a cook?"
"Nope, not a cook," Shee answered with a strangled chuckle.
"I'm Tori. I'm gonna be a shinobi," the little one declared, pushing his tiny chest up.
Shee turned his black eyes to the kid, a sad smile tugging at his lips.
"Are you?"
"Yes!" The boy frowned.
"You seem certain," the man said.
"I am," he nodded. With puckered lips, Tori observed the protectors, half hiding Shee's hands. "Why do you wear those?"
"To keep my hands protected from... unwanted direct contact," he tried to explain.
"Like..." The child paused, mulling over it. "If someone tries to hit you? Or cut you?"
Shee nodded. "Yeah."
"The shinobi can hit and cut," informed the kid.
"Yes, they can," the man agreed.
"Do you know any shinobi?"
"I do." Shee turned more, so he faced Tori.
The boy's features brightened. "Are they good ones?"
The man smiled warmly and playfully leaned in, ever so briefly. "They're the best ones."
"Like the Raikage?" Tori's eyes widened, and he added, whispering, "And like Killer B?"
"Yes, just like them." Shee nodded before continuing, "And not like them at all."
The kid blinked, confused. "What ya mean?"
"I mean that..." He paused, seeking the right words so such a small person could understand. "You see… The shinobi roles can differ from each other. There are shinobi whose attacks are very strong and destructive." He drew an imaginary line on the bench between them. "There are shinobi who can protect their comrades well." One more line appeared beside the first one. "There are ones who can sense the enemies and warn about approaching danger." A third line was arranged next to the second.
Shee lifted his gaze — Ruka had just moved to the next stand.
"And there are shinobi who heal all the others' injuries," he finished, deliberately skipping the intelligence-gathering group. It was too complicated to explain what they do, and the "why" was perplexing. "But no matter what a shinobi excels at, the purpose is the same — to serve and protect their village and the people that live in it."
"How do you know all of that?" Tori asked in awe. His big eyes glittered with wonderment.
"I happen to be a shinobi," whispered Shee, as if he shared a secret.
"Oh, wow!" The boy looked at him with impossibly wide eyes. "Amazing! What's your role?"
"I warn my teammates whenever there's danger," he replied, calm as always. Yet another warm smile graced his lips. "But most of the shinobi can do more than one thing. I can heal some injuries, for example."
The kid bit his lip to prevent himself from squealing. He spoke in a loud whisper. "You can fix this?!"
The man hushed. Tori blushed and moved into his spot uncomfortably.
"Like my knee?" He whispered properly this time.
"Like your knee." Shee loomed over the small, skinny limb and observed the wound. It was a bit blotchy, lymph was still leaking out, and there was a spot where part of the whole depth of the skin was missing. It was most likely going to turn into a scar.
"Can you fix my wound?"
"I can give it a shot." The man kept a serious face, but had there been anyone listening carefully to his tone, they would have caught the playful hint. "Are you brave enough to let me try?"
Tori swallowed and looked down at the wound. He mulled over the offer for a few moments and nodded, clenching his little fists.
Shee shot a glance at the boy's mother. The woman was picking something up from the stand, obviously in a hurry. His palm glowed as he reached for the knee. When the ticklish sensation reached Tori, the kid gasped. It wasn't as painful as he expected. At first, it felt like coldness was spreading on the damaged skin, but after that, warmth slowly spread instead. When the man removed his hand in a few seconds, there were only faint remains of the injury.
"As good as new." Shee smiled briefly. "But now... Would you do me a favour?" He whispered.
Tori nodded energetically.
"Let's put that on for now." He took out a sticky bandage. The man shot yet another glance at the mother, briefly meeting her eyes. "Let's not upset your mom for now; what do you think?"
Tori smiled and took the sticky bandage from Shee's hand. Then he placed it carefully on the fading scar.
Shee wasn't worried about the woman getting upset because it was very unlikely she would be that way. But if she saw her son's cured wound, she'd make a fuss. And the cloud shinobi didn't want any attention. The mission was clear about staying incognito. Plus, he didn't like being in the spotlight.
The boy kept asking him questions about the shinobi. Shee, as much as he didn't want to admit it, answered with readiness. He wouldn't tell anyone and would even deny it in front of himself, but he honestly had fun while talking with the child. It felt... refreshing.
When Tori's mother came to the bench about ten minutes later, the kid didn't want to leave at all. He did anyway, puckering his lips the whole time he was facing the exit, but he'd turn every second step to wave at Shee with a wide grin. A few more minutes passed, and the boy and his mother exited the market, leaving Shee with his thoughts and observations.
He was looking towards the exit when he felt her chakra move. His head turned just in time, so their eyes met. The smile she gave him was almost a melting one.
Ruka didn't say anything before sitting beside him and laying the pile of bags on her lap. "I saw what you did," she told him.
Another wave of amusement rose within him, making his lips curl. "Did you, now?"
"Yes." She paused, hesitant about sharing the rest of her thoughts.
She shot him a glance, assessing, when something tugged at her chest. It was a very specific tug, as if someone had grabbed her sternum and pressed it down. Ruka called it a sixth sense, and it was something she really trusted. It had never misled her.
Taking a breath, she spoke her mind: "And I think it was really kind of you."
Had Shee been told this by someone else, he'd snort and tell them off. But here he sat, looking at her slightly pink cheeks, soft smile, and kind of admiration in her black eyes. And he realised, with a dred, that he was unable to pull out his usual rude and distant attitude.
She'd looked busy and focused on the conversation with the merchants, but she still paid attention to his interaction with the child. She might have looked small, sweet, and innocent, causing one to forget she was a shinobi, but that didn't change the fact she was one.
"I wouldn't have pinned you as someone who likes kids," Ruka admitted, rearranging the new pile of bags over her legs.
"I don't like them," he stated, his expression turning serious again.
She observed his face, slowly moving her eyes over his features. An unpleasant feeling of apprehension crept down his spine; he barely suppressed the upcoming shiver. When she focused on him and her anxiety moved to the back of her mind, she turned out to be strikingly insightful and not shy at all. Under her gaze and because of her words, he felt exposed for a second time. And he didn't like it...
Ruka let herself smile briefly. "I don't believe you."
Shee raised his eyebrows but kept silent.
"You didn't have to talk with the kid, nor were you obligated to heal him," she explained.
He frowned. "It was just the polite thing to do."
"The polite thing to do was to move aside and let the child sit beside you. While you pretend to be occupied by something else so he wouldn't bother you."
He huffed and shook his head.
"That's polite," she insisted. "Talking to him, making sure he was all right, and healing his injury were all acts of kindness, Shee-san. Hiding your good deed behind a bandage was an expression of modesty."
"It was pure egoism, Ruka. I hid it because I didn't want to deal with a squealing mother and other people who would come over to pry and comment." Shee narrowed his eyes.
The kunoichi shook her head, dismissing his last words. He shot her a bitter look in return.
She saw his expression — the warmth and joy in his smile — when the kid was asking him questions, wide-eyed. His demeanour was honestly open to the boy. Ruka firmly believed that a person's character could be assessed best when communicating with a child. And what she perceived was something wonderful.
"You will make me look like the soft-hearted man that I am not," he said, standing up; there was a sharp edge hinted at in his voice.
She bit her lower lip. Shee was a good human being; the kunoichi was already convinced of this. And somehow, her fear had dissipated almost entirely.
"The softer the heart, the more solid the shell around it," Ruka whispered, despite the warning. "And it's not a bad thing."
He felt his soul baring too much for his liking. And his mind reacted in the only possible way: fully defensive. Anger bubbled inside his chest, clenching his jaw and tensing his body. Shee let out an exasperated breath before he verbally charged in. After all, the attack was the best defence.
"Think whatever you want. Just keep your opinions to yourself. Spreading them out threatens to ruin my reputation." His tone was sharper than he intended, but the effect was immediate — Ruka shrank, closed in again, and sealed her lips for good.
It was too late when the man realised what he had done. The jolt that shook her whole body; the wide-open, disbelieving eyes with a hint of disappointment flashing briefly; the red skin on her face, ears, and neck...
Ruka had let him get too close, being more trusting than she should have been. She'd let him peek inside her thick shell. Through those many layers, about the existence of which she once told him.
Shee pulled back physically, taking a step backward. It slowly dawned on him that he had been granted the rare opportunity to see part of her real self. And what there had surprised him because of its purity, wit, and clarity of conclusion. That, added to her weird ability to read his innermost self, scared the hell out of him, and he just had to push back. No choice. It was a reflex, stronger and faster than his conscious mind could process and register the lack of an actual threat.
"I'm sorry," she uttered, forcing him back to reality.
Her grave tone made his heart clench with guilt. He opened his mouth to say something, maybe apologise as well, but he couldn't. His own ego was standing in his way, and there was just no way around it. At least for now. Shee closed his eyes briefly, swallowing.
After a while, he dared to open his mouth again; his voice was soft and quiet: "Let's go."
Ruka nodded but didn't let a single word pass through her lips; they were firmly pressed together.
When they went out on the streets, Shee peeked at her over his shoulder. He still couldn't explain why, but her face looked somehow blurry, as if he had something in his eye. But again, everything else around him looked perfectly clear. He frowned and headed to the left. She followed him in silence, keeping a steady distance of a few feet between them.
Karui led the group towards her apartment, located in the Lower Neighbourhood. It was where most of the clanless shinobi lived. Also, there were some jounin's posts and a big marketplace, which wasn't a tourist attraction.
She stopped in front of a bright yellow door and pushed through it. It wasn't locked, as it turned. Without looking back, she climbed the stairs up to the fourth floor and headed for the last door to the right. After unlocking it, she stepped aside, gesturing to the others to get in.
Ino and Chouji entered first, then Tenten, Lee, and Kankuro. Karui was last, so she could shut the door and eventually lock it. Not that a sane person would try to break into a flat in a building known to foster only shinobi...
"Shoes off!" Her shrill voice sounded, piercing the temporary silence.
The way she carried herself emphasised for the nth time that she wasn't happy with the current situation. Her villagers and teammates might have been used to seeing her this way — angry and cursing — but her new teammates had seen only one smoother version of her. At that moment, she was simply imposing fear.
The shinobi exchanged glances and timidly took off their sandals, arranging them neatly beside the wall.
Karui's apartment was indeed small. It consisted of a tiny entry, a bigger room with a sitting area and kitchen, separated by a table top, and a bathroom.
The entry had one standing hanger and an almost decorative shoe shelf. The other room had a couch, a stool, a small table, and a TV standing in front of a kneaded bamboo wall. Karui's bed was behind the wall, giving the sensation of partial privacy.
Chouji lifted the bags in a silent question.
"There." Karui pointed at the tabletop. She turned her back on him, facing the rest of the group. "I know it's small and not anything special, but it's mine and enough for me," she claimed, a warning flashing into her amber eyes.
"What are you saying?" Ino smiled, ignoring Karui's bad mood. "It is cosy!" She rounded the couch and threw herself on it backward. "That's good," she added, making herself comfortable.
"Karui, my apartment in Konoha is about the same size, if not even smaller," Tenten said, crossing her arms. "Even the layout is the same.
Lee grinned. "My apartment is smaller, for sure."
He sat on the couch beside Ino and took the remote that lay on the table. She snatched it from his fingers and made a face at him before switching the TV on.
Kankuro stepped into the room with caution, as if he expected Karui to attack them any moment now. He rounded the woman in question, took the free space left on the couch, and leaned back.
Chouji didn't say a thing but followed her instructions, placing the bags on the tabletop. He started to take the supplies out and arrange them on the free surface.
Tenten didn't rush to sit down, but instead she peeked through the window beside Karui's bed and into the bathroom. It was tiny but had everything a person would need: a shower, a sink, a laundry basket…
"Karui?" Tenten asked. Her voice sounded a bit puzzled.
"Yes?" She turned.
"You don't have a washing machine?"
"Ah, yeah… There's a few common ones on the first floor. All the tenants can use 'em for a small charge," she explained with a shrug. "It's cheaper. And someone else takes care of them if they break, so..."
"Convenient," grinned Tenten.
Kankuro's eyes darted to Chouji a few times. He leaned closer to Ino and asked, whispering, "Maybe we should help him?"
"Oh, fucking no," she said firmly, shaking her head.
"Nope, not a chance," joined Lee, shaking his head as well.
The man frowned. "He'll cook for all of us, and I thought—"
Ino cut him off. "Spare yourself the headache. Listen to me and sit on your butt. Do not offer him help, because he may accept it. And then you'll wanna kill him."
Kankuro still couldn't understand her point. "Why? What he could possibly do so—"
"He just... has a very particular way of doing everything in the kitchen. If you mess up his order or do something your way, he'll start to pout and mumble and basically make you suffer."
"So you don't help him at all?"
"Oh, I've tried many times. Every time I swear to myself, it will be the last." Ino peeked around Kankuro's head into the kitchen.
The sand shinobi sighed. This type of compulsive behaviour was… painfully familiar.
"I will take the risk," he said, turning in his seat. "Hey, Chouji?"
The man in question lifted his eyes from the vegetables.
"Do you need some help?" Tenten's voice rang loud and clear through the room.
She was getting ahead of him, and that made Kankuro press his lips together.
"Yeah, I could use some help with the washing and cutting," he admitted after a few moments of contemplating.
Tenten headed to the kitchen and stopped next to him. "OK, what do you want me to do?"
"Could you wash these?" Chouji pointed at a few piles of different types of vegetables, neatly arranged on the counter.
"I guess I can," she said, not sounding very sure. "Is there anything specific you want me to take into consideration?"
He nodded and seriously explained to her the importance of correct cleaning. According to him, each vegetable had a particular way of washing, peeling, and cutting, and it was extremely important to follow it to the letter. The woman shot a glance at Ino.
"I told you!" The blonde woman mouthed; Tenten frowned.
Karui boldly stepped into the little kitchen space and crossed her arms. "What should I do?"
"Would you mind taking out cutting boards, knives, and a peeler?" Chouji asked her.
She nodded and made her way to the things he wanted. In the end, this was her place, and she was the only one who knew where the cooking tools were.
Tenten rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She knew about Chouji's quirks, so she made sure to do the washing with the exact number of turns and rubs in the right direction.
He laid the cutting boards next to each other and placed a few already-cleaned vegetables on them.
"Let me show you how to dice them," he said, grabbing the knife.
"Hold on, Mister," she hissed, placing both hands on her waist; her eyes narrowed as yet another warning flashed in them. "I know how to fuckin' cut vegetables. It's not a highly scientific skill, ya know."
Tenten snorted before she succeeded in suppressing the upcoming laughter. Her body helplessly shook at the sight of a pissed-off Karui and a gaping Chouji.
"I..." he tried to say.
The red-haired woman snatched the knife from his weakened fingers and put a zucchini on the board with a slap.
"Show me how to dice," she mumbled, irritation dripping into her tone. "As if I'm a child or somethin'..."
Chouji gave Tenten a helpless look. She shrugged and wiped her hands onto the cloth hanging near the sink. The task of washing was complete.
"Karui… It's just… You first cut them into long pieces, then turn them and—" he tried again, quietly.
Karui lodged the knife into the body of the zucchini.
"Do you want them in cubes?" She asked, hissing.
"Erm... yeah, but—" Chouji lifted a finger in an attempt to take the floor.
"You'll have them in cubes," she stated firmly, and she got back to cutting.
Tenten sneaked out behind their backs and headed to the couch. She didn't feel like sticking around anymore.
Chouji observed Karui for a few moments until her movements lost their sharpness. Only then did he dare to step in front of the other board and start chopping the meat.
They worked in silence, though there was some noise coming from the TV and occasional talk from their teammates.
He felt content standing beside her. Her presence was somehow both calming and exciting, and that was new. She was bossy and short-tempered, but at the same time, she was able to speak gently, and her eyes could sparkle with tenderness.
Karui's muscles had fully lost their tension; her face had softened; she had relaxed and focused on the vegetables.
Chouji brushed his shoulder against hers. Her head perked up at the unexpected contact. Her gaze fell on him.
"What?"
An electric charge shot through his body, forcing all the little hairs to rise up. He found himself staring into her wide-open, amber eyes, demanding an answer he couldn't possibly give her.
"Nothin," he uttered with a shy smile as a light blush spread over his cheekbones. He didn't become aware of it until it started to feel hot.
The man had never been interested in any woman in particular, nor was he interested in any man, for that matter. He hadn't felt the need to ask someone out on a date.
Looking back, during the past years, it had always been hard for Chouji to comprehend Ino's compulsive need to go on dates, get a boyfriend, and eventually get married. Ever since she fell head over heels for Sasuke Uchiha so long ago, it has been hard and troubling for him to understand. But he was one of her two best friends, her non-related blood brother, and had always been there for her. He'd listen to her whining and lend a shoulder if she needed one to cry on. But he'd never dared give her any advice. That was not in his field of expertise; it was reserved for Shikamaru and his big brain.
Chouji had stopped chopping without realising it. His eyes drank from the image in front of him, and his lips curled in an unwilling smile.
The woman's face suddenly felt hot. The way he looked at her was new and unsettling. As if he were telling her something through the warmth in his eyes, but she couldn't fully read it. She averted her face to the side, refusing to be ob"You're making me uncomfortable," she whispered; the knife started to move again, eliciting quiet thuds with each hit on the board. "Why the heck are you looking at me like that?"
Innuendos, hints, Ino's targeted words about how he should talk to women — it was all gone from his mind. There were two things he could do right now: tell her a lie or...
"Do you know that you are beautiful?" He was breathless when he said this out of the blue, crushing down his own shyness and lack of experience.
She abruptly stopped dicing the carrots and turned to him very slowly, her face deeply red.
"Why are you saying that?" She sounded upset.
"Because…" With a creeping dread all over him, he sought a plausible explanation in his mind apart from the obvious, but he couldn't find any. "It's true."
Chouji shrugged helplessly. Looking at her distraught expression made him feel ashamed of his straightforwardness. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just poured it on you."
Karui's heart swelled; she felt light as a feather. A smile graced her lips as she huffed quietly, turning to the counter yet again. She let her hand down, where the tabletop was hiding it from prying eyes, and tugged at the side of his pants. Her gaze was fixed on the board.
Chouji swallowed and let his own hand fall between them. Her fingers wrapped around it and squeezed lightly. A warmth spread quickly through both of their bodies, enveloping them in the joy of the quietly shared moment. Then, just as fast, the woman returned to dicing the carrots, behaving as if nothing unusual had happened.
The man chuckled. Yes, he finally understood what was so special about liking someone enough to want things between you to be different. Chouji wanted to step up and claim his newly discovered thrill. It was just that... he wasn't sure how to do that properly. He made a decision while chopping the last piece of meat — he was going to ask Karui out when the mission was over. But first, he was going to have talks with both of his friends, his brother and sister. They knew things he didn't. And he wanted to possess the knowledge they would offer him. He was ready to listen.
Chouji side-glanced at Karui and nodded to himself.
Tenten positioned herself, standing beside the small table. She moved her look from the TV show currently on to her teammates, comfortably sitting on the couch. They had spread themselves out, so there was no free spot for her. She huffed in annoyance and moved between the screen and the table. Her arms crossed, and her face frowned.
Lee, Ino, and Kankuro not only ignored her but had the audacity to tilt their heads in order to see the TV behind her.
"Move your asses and make some space for me there, maybe?" She asked in an irritated voice.
Ino shook her head without looking at her, and an impish smile appeared over her lips. "No, thank you."
"I can move to the stool, Tenten. Come and sit on my spot," offered Lee, who attempted to stand right away, but she dismissed him, waving a hand.
"I don't want you to remove yourself, Lee. I just want you to make a spot so I can sit. The space is enough for the four of us."
Kankuro tried, but couldn't stop himself from mocking her. "Sit in my lap?" he offered with a grin and patted one of his thighs.
Tenten looked at him with raised eyebrows.
Ever since she dared to share her feelings towards Neji with Kankuro, she could take a deep breath. A real one that filled her lungs and brought oxygen to all of her forgotten cells. His reaction was a pleasant surprise — he didn't try to comfort her by telling her that everything would be all right. Kankuro knew that it would never be the same for her, so the best he could do was accept her with her pain and express deep empathy, thus making her feel safe. And when she felt secure and safe around him, she could relax.
Because of the time they spent in each other's company, he could mock her in a more intimate manner without it being misunderstood as something it was not.
"You're offering me a seat" — she smiled with mischief — "on your lap?"
"Sure. Why wouldn't I?" He tilted his head, a challenging glint in his soft-coloured, dark brown eyes.
Returning his smirk, she almost felt like her old cheeky self: lighter, carefree, breathing... There were moments when Lee succeeded in bringing a flash of the old Tenten, but Lee was something else. A brother; she had grown up with him. Regarding Kankuro, she didn't have those kinds of deep feelings of love and trust. Still, she sensed that he was going to become an important part of her life. Maybe the friend she really needed to have?
"Kankuro-sama," she started with a mocking warning, "you're playing with forces beyond your can."
"Am I?" He dramatically took a breath and laid a hand over his heart; his eyes looked straight into hers. "Should I be afraid?"
"Not a bad idea," she replied, nodding.
"What can you do to me?" He leaned forward and didn't turn any attention to Ino's curious look or Lee's head shaking with a mouthed "don't."
She snorted. "Reckless, aren't we?"
"I'm many things, Tenten, but 'reckless' isn't one of them," he said.
"You don't know what I can do to you, but you challenge me anyway." She gestured to emphasise her point.
Kankuro considered himself a good judge of character if allowed just a short conversation with someone. He had long conversations with her — deep ones, intimate ones, even. Tenten wasn't harmful. He knew that much. She wouldn't do anything to hurt him for real. Maybe she would try to push his boundaries, but he could handle that. Also, he wasn't particularly worried that she would accept his offer. She'd refuse, of course. They weren't friends who shared much physical contact.
"I know what I offered isn't exactly your—"
"You think I'm afraid to sit on your lap?" She interrupted, and her hands flew to her waist.
Kankuro stared at her, mouth agape.
"Would you mind explaining to me exactly what would be so scary about it?"
He pulled himself together, going into defence mode. "I don't think it's a big deal, just that you wouldn't do it at this point," he explained.
"Man, that was bad," Lee whispered under his breath, giving him a glance. "Never give her a challenge. It always ends badly… and painfully…"
Before Kankuro was able to respond or react, she spun gracefully and settled down on the thigh he had patted earlier, inviting her. He froze.
Tenten looked over her shoulder with an impish smile. "You don't look comfortable, to be honest."
Lee laughed heartily and slapped Kankuro's shoulder, shaking his head sympathetically. "That's why I offered to move," he said. "The few times she had sat on my lap, her sciatic bones would dig painfully into my leg. Having in mind that she's skinnier now—" He sucked in a breath through his clenched teeth.
"Hey!" She swung to hit Lee, but he ducked down, dodging.
"In short, I'm not envying you," Lee finished.
Kankuro didn't dare to move. His arms were tightly tucked in the sides of his body, with his palms sunk in the cushion. His back stiffened, and the surprise was still visible on his face.
The truth was, Kankuro kind of expected Tenten to sit down on his thigh the moment she moved to him and start turning. He could predict the purpose of her movement.
The actual surprise came from the way his body reacted. The direct contact, even through the clothes, induced an explosion, which was followed by a wave of almost unbearable heat. It mercilessly crept into his whole body, starting from the point where she was touching him. His senses sharpened, and he could easily feel her warmth and smell her scent. When the heat settled into his limbs, another one came, this time of pure arousal. The man forced himself to take a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down and get rid of that unwanted body reaction. It had become worse after their conversation earlier, where he let her peek into his very bare soul.
Tenten was relatively far from his groyne, and if she didn't focus on his crotch, she wouldn't notice. And fortunately, she didn't look there, but turned and yet again looked at his face. Her smile faded out, and she frowned.
"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, the worry audible in her voice.
Kankuro opened his mouth to speak but quit right away. There was a chance his voice would come out hoarse and rough, hinting at his real condition. So he settled for a helpless head shake. He desperately needed space. He needed to get away from there… Right now!
"Could you move?" Kankuro pleaded in whispers.
Tenten got up hastily, only to sit down beside him on the armrest. Her eyes were worried when she bore them into his. Her hand lay on his shoulder, and her face frowned when he flinched under her touch.
"Are you feeling sick?" she asked quietly. "Even through the makeup, your face looks a bit flushed."
She reached up and carefully placed her palm on his forehead.
Kankuro let his head fall back on the backrest, closing his eyes for a brief moment. Her hand was so gentle, and her skin was so soft. He pressed his lips in a line, forcing his thoughts to the back of his mind. It wasn't the moment to look at her differently. Not now…
"You're warmer than you should be, but I don't think you actually have a fever," she said, retracing her arm.
Another hand lay on his forehead, making Kankuro snap his eyes open. Lee was hovering over him with a puzzling expression.
"No, you haven't got a fever," he confirmed.
Ino sat beside them with her arms crossed on her chest and an expression of mild amusement.
"He's fine," she said, adding with a smirk, "Just leave him alone."
"You know…" Kankuro pushed all the hands attached to him. "I am feeling a bit hot…"
"I bet you do," Ino mumbled. Kankuro shot her a disapproving look, hinting at a warning.
So I'm just gonna wash my face and take a glass of water." He rushed to get up and head to the bathroom.
He tried his best to move confidently, though he wasn't sure how successful the attempt was. A full-fledged breath filled his lungs only after he entered the bathroom and locked the door. Setting the tap of the sink running, he leaned over it, supporting his body with his hands. The man lifted his head to look in the little wall mirror.
"What are you doing?" he whispered, asking his own reflection. "You can't go on and get all excited. She's your friend, and she's not ready for a relationship. She doesn't want a relationship. You don't want a relationship. And you can't just sleep with her. Get a hold of yourself!"
He breathed slowly for a whole minute after he splashed water on his face. He wasn't at the least concerned for his face paint; it was waterproofed, or it would go all smeared over the first sweaty drop on his forehead.
His arousal disappeared fast enough, but the pounding of his heart refused to subside so easily. Just waiting wasn't going to work. Shaking his head, he pulled his hat off, wetted his hands, and ran them over his hot nape a few times.
"That won't do," he said to the room in general. A second later, his whole head went under the tap.
The cold water did miracles for cooling him as it ran through his hair and flowed over his cheeks.
What was happening dawned on him quickly enough—he didn't like it. He was no fool, nor did he tend to fall into delusions. He didn't consider himself a coward, either. But… To start falling for Tenten so hard, of everyone who could've caught his sights, was simply bad, with "bad" being the softest definition he could possibly come up with.
Truth be told—and he was honest with himself most of the time—starting to fall for her wasn't unexpected. Because of Kurotsuchi's wager, he had started to communicate with Tenten on purpose, as much as possible. He quickly discovered that he actually liked her personality—the one that was hidden, almost forgotten, underneath the layers of sadness and grief. Her way of thinking and her sense of humour were a delight to see. And honesty—and she possessed that—was a trait he treasured very much.
When she poured her heart out in front of him the other night, sharing her inmost secret with him, he knew... It had been the little grain tipping the scale to his inner disgrace.
The fact that he liked her so much wasn't a problem on its own. The problem was that she didn't need anyone to like her this way or hit on her. She needed a friend, a strong hand capable of pulling her up, and a shoulder to lean on. She needed either someone to shatter down her walls or to force her to break them down on her own, so she could have proper closure. And eventually, finally, move on.
But that… His feelings would start to get in the way. They already had. It was even possible for his sober judgement to get blurred. He wanted to avoid it at any cost. No. He couldn't afford to get sidetracked, for her sake.
Which meant he had to hurry up and take her to the bottom of her little fortress of pain. When he successfully did—he didn't doubt that—she would hate him. She would push him away, imposing the blame for her pain on him. He was certain about that. But Kankuro was still willing to do it because she deserved a fresh start. If he could give her just that, ensuring her normal life—as normal as it could be—would be the highest priority.
There was a quiet knock on the door. He turned the water off and took a last deep breath before reaching to unlock the door. When he opened, he was met by Karui's amber gaze. She looked at him with a critical eye.
"You all right?" She asked. "Shall I take you to the hospital?"
"Nah, I'm fine." He dismissed her concern.
She looked at the dripping water wetting her flooring and said, frowning, "Make sure to clean this up." Karui pulled out a towel from her drawer and tossed it at him. "For your hair. The mops are under the sink."
With that, she turned and headed right into the kitchen, never looking back at him.
He huffed and smiled slightly.
The moment the door's lock clicked, Ino pulled Tenten so they could sit next to each other and shooed Lee to the other end of the couch. There she spoke, quietly and with a firmly pressed hand to the other woman's shoulder. The emotions running through Tenten's face could have filled up a whole book.
At the end of Ino's speech, her friend was biting her lower lip and shaking her head in denial.
When Kankuro exited the bathroom and started to dry his hair, Tenten glanced at him warily, as if she expected him to blow the whole flat at any second.
Tenten's hands balled in fists, and she got on her feet. Without hesitation, she headed to the man. Kankuro stilled his movements when she stopped in front of him. He raised an eyebrow in a masterfully expressed silent question; she answered him with a small smile, almost shy.
"We need to talk," she simply said. Her voice was wavering even though her face remained calm. The hand, playing with the hem of her top, gave out her anxiousness.
She wasn't the type to beat around the bush. Usually. Surely, there were matters she found hard to deal with... But she preferred either to fully avoid those matters or to speak her mind if she had to. This... thing... couldn't be fully avoided, so she needed to sort it out. Right now.
Kankuro nodded and looked at the little glass door, leading to an almost decorative terrace just beside Karui's bed. It took him just two steps to reach it. When he did, he opened the door and gestured for Tenten to exit. She obeyed; he followed behind her, carefully closing the door.
"What's up, oh, mistress of small puppets?" He asked with a forced smile.
She huffed and stifled a chuckle. She wasn't here to joke.
There was no easy way to start this conversation, so she jumped right in.
"Ino thinks you might've gotten a little crush on me."
Tenten didn't look at him but focused down the street under their feet instead. She was too afraid to look at him, dreading what she might find. Ino's assumption could've been correct, and she didn't want to see it written all over his face. She wanted him to deny it, and had he said that was a lie, she was going to believe him without a second thought.
For a brief moment, he felt as if he were falling down into a pit in the ground. He would gladly let himself be swallowed by a hole, actually. Ino had proven to be observant and intuitive. But for her, sharing these ideas with her fellow kunoichi might mean the failure of his mission to shatter Tenten's walls. Oh, he was going to have a little chat with that particular blonde. But this task was one for later. It was important to focus on the conversation. He had to stay calm and look unaffected.
"Why does Ino think I may have a crush on you?" He laid his elbows on the rails and leaned on them, looking down as well.
He succeeded in keeping his voice calm and low.
"Because of your reaction earlier," Tenten explained, shooting him a glance.
"And what was my reaction earlier when Ino pointed out that I might have a crush on you?" That was a defensive tactic of his, which he had never used with Tenten, as he never needed it. When he surrounded one with questions, he was biding time while working his way out of an awkward situation.
"Atypical?" She tried the taste of the word and didn't like it. "She thinks you blushed because I was sitting on your leg and you felt…uneasy." The woman finished with a slight blush.
"Now, why would I feel uneasy?" He deliberately kept his sight down, only catching the image of Tenten in the corner of his eye. And surely he didn't pay any attention to the pleasant pink colour covering her cheeks.
"Because"—she sucked in a raspy breath and bid on honesty—"Ino thinks you were... indisposed," she said hastily and let the air out of her lungs.
"Indisposed?" He asked, hinting at mockery.
"You really gonna do that harder on me, aren't ya?" She huffed, irate. "Horny." She gave him a half-bitter smile, just a light tug of the lips.
Kankuro contemplated telling a lie. But that, he didn't want to do. It meant spitting on the brittle trust they've built. Technically, the truth in this case wasn't a big deal. He was aroused, but that was just a body reaction, right? It was a perfectly plausible explanation.
"Because you sat on my lap?" He specified, keeping his composure.
"Yeah…"
"Well, she's right."
Tenten's head snapped up, and she bore her gaze on the side of his face. His features wore a serious expression, and his eyes were still looking at something down in the distance.
Her heart jolted at first, then it stilled, fearful in her chest. A dread seeped onto it in freezing waves. "So… You've got a crush on me?" she stuttered.
"Why on Earth does my uneasiness, caused by arousal in a bad moment, have anything to do with an eventual crush on you? By all means?" He raised an eyebrow, turning his head so he could look her straight in the eyes.
"Oh…" She kept silent for a few seconds, shrinking gradually under his intense gaze.
"You're a woman, a very attractive one. Physical proximity to an attractive woman tends to get a straight man excited," he said evenly. "You were on my lap. My body reaction, even inappropriate, was kind of… normal, expected even."
She nodded; her cheeks were burning bright red.
"As for the rest... Your sciatic bones digging into my thigh's flesh were indeed painful." He shrugged. "Just like Lee said they'd be."
Tenten suddenly relaxed. Of course, straight men would've gotten aroused by a woman's closeness. It could've been every woman in their group, hopefully without his sister, and he would've reacted the same way. Right? When it happened that she sat in Lee's lap, he had never been excited. But that was because he saw her as a real sister. Actually, it would've been really disturbing if he got a boner from her proximity.
Kankuro's stiff body could be explained by being in pain. So, everything made sense in the end.
"Feeling better now? Have we cleared this… problem out?" he asked. A softness appeared in his eyes.
"Yeah," she admitted. After a short moment of contemplation, she added almost playfully, "I feel flattered that you find my body attractive, though... I'd just really hate it if you've got a crush on me."
"Would you now?" He couldn't remember a time when it was harder for him to smile, but he still pushed through it.
"I like what we have the way it is." Tenten looked at him straight in the eyes. "I like you being my friend. I don't wanna lose it."
It was both a plain, straightforward warning and a plea.
"I also like it," he admitted slowly. And even if it was part of the truth, it still tore at his heart.
Tenten grinned. Her cheek pressed on his shoulder. "Thank you."
"Let's go inside?" He offered right away.
"Sure."
Kankuro pushed into the room, gentlemanly waiting for Tenten to get in too, so he could close the door behind her.
He picked up the towel from the top of Karui's drawers and placed it on his shoulder. When he turned to get a mop from under the sink, he saw the brown-haired kunochi had already taken one. She smiled and handed it to him.
"Ah, I thought you'd clean instead of me," he teased.
"Nah-ha." She grinned, and without saying anything more, she returned to the couch.
The man wiped the water from the floor and tossed the mop in a small plastic bucket. Then he headed to the rest of the group, but this time, he chose the stool and pulled it out from under the table before sitting on it. He kept a careful distance—not too far to draw attention but still far enough to avoid physical contact. His heart had finally calmed, and he planned for it to remain that way.