[event] side-log;
Who: Sakura, Kankurou
What: Sakura and Kankurou end up in a room together, listening to jazz music. Sakura asks a question that has been bothering her for a while, and things...happen.
Where: Villa
When: July 28th, Monday
Warnings: There's kissing. And...probably only allusions to R-rated stuff, but PG-15 clean.
He didn't need Temari to constantly remind him that the party was his idea, but the mess and payments just made Kankurou feel a bit more tired than he should've been feeling after a "good time". Now that everyone was knocked out, he had found solace in his personal room of the elaborate beach house and made himself comfortable.
Shades drawn, Kankurou found himself sprawled over the couch, lying on top of some forgotten laundry of this week. Only when he shuffled his limbs around to achieve maximum comfort did a crinkle of paper reminded him of his belated birthday present that he had ignored for a good two days for now. Eyes warily looked at it before his hands took it up, examining the cover once again. It didn't occur to him that he ever listened to it after he received it, making him wonder how the King really did sound on this one.
Grumbling, Kankurou stood up and placed the record onto the vintage turntable that he had, turning on the correct sound systems. And once the needle made itself known with a scratchy thump did Kankurou collapse on the couch again.
The excitement over the party had died down, and this early in the day (afternoon), everyone was either sleeping or sunbathing. Except, of course, Sakura. Who was snooping. Not exactly snooping per se, as they'd been given access to the facilities (somewhat), but exploring the villa in all its splendor. Little rooms, big rooms, lounges. With their paintings, and all those wonderful things that this place was decorated with. Today was a day for relaxation. She had no sunbathing in her schedule, but it was warm outside, which was why she'd chosen to wear a dress. The edge of her skirt was brushing against her legs with each breeze, and it made her happy. Like those little things in life.
Coming to this place hadn't been a bad idea, in the end. Sure, she'd been faced with having to see Kankurou daily, and indeed, he liked going shirtless. Not that she'd protest about that much, but deep in her mind, she felt that admiring another boy's looks, even finding him attractive, was a betrayal towards Naruto, with whom she'd fancied herself in love for months now. She'd decided to get over that, though, in favour of not ruining their already fragile friendship, and when she did begin to get over it, her subconscious shouted things at her like "traitor" and "floozy". Traitor brain. Then there was the matter of Gaara's family business, which she was 100% sure was involved in the yakuza. All facts added up, it was the only logical explanation. Even if she didn't want to admit it. But she had meant what she'd told him, that it didn't matter to her what his family did. It still didn't get her a confirmation.
Lost in her thoughts, she wandered off another hallway, and stopped, at the sound of music. She knew that song. Jazz. A smile bloomed on her face, He's listening to my present. Curious, she followed the sound of the music, and ended up in front of a door. Knocked, and waited. Polite as usual, after all.
A weary eyelid opened at the sound of the knock, focused on the blank door. Eyes narrowed as Kankurou cursed whoever it was and wondered if they probably got lost in the big house. After all, that's what happened to him first when Temari brought him and Gaara here. The bathrooms were especially a bitch to find.
"Door's open," he called out, before he pulled himself up from the couch, his hair ruffled as was his clothes. Well, since he was lacking a shirt, then his pants.
Sakura opened the door, poked her head inside, and instantly blushed. There we go. No shirt on, why was that a surprise? It wasn't. "Hey," she said, slipping inside the room. "I don't have the beer with me, but can I join you? All this exploring takes its toll," she explained, pushing the door behind her shut with her foot. While she waited for his answer, she looked around her. It looked messy, like any guy's room, and the cliché thing to say was that it smelled like him in there, but it did. The shades were drawn, which only made the atmosphere more sensual, and to top that all, he looked ruffled. Like after a wild honeymoon? She shook herself out of that thought. It's not that I find him hot, or think about him in that particular way. It's all that stupid quiz's fault.
Needless to say, Kankurou was pleasantly surprised to see that the intruder was Sakura, and not anyone coming in to complain about the large mess in the living room. He looked at her for a silent moment, taking in her silhouette before lying back onto the couch again.
"Explorin', huh? Some people migh' call it snoopin' around," he replied, a lazy grin forming over his mouth. "Is there a homin' beacon on tha' record or somethin'? Th' minute I put it on, you suddenly arrive here."
"If I'd been snooping, I wouldn't have knocked," she murmured, stepping closer towards some surface on which she could sit down. "Not that I'm aware of, no. Maybe it's fate. Destiny," she waved a hand dismissively as with the other she cleared a comfortable looking armchair of the clothes in it, and slumped down in it. "Ahhh," she sighed, stretching her feet in front of her, slipping them out of the sandals. "Or maybe, the inmense magnetism that you ooze from every pore drew me here."
Kankurou watched all of this with a raised brow, wondering if Sakura was slightly too toxicated from the party beforehand.
"Don't give me too much credit, you migh' regret it later on. Did you hit the bar tha' hard durin' the party?" he asked, stretching his arms out above his head.
"No, not at all, actually. I had my fair share of drinks at Kiba's party. I'm very sober. If I weren't, you wouldn't be wearing those pants," she pointed out. Trying for humour. Yes. Because, obviously, after having joked about their future marriage, and all, it wasn't too odd. Right? If Naruto could do this, so could she. "Inhibitions, and all, you know?"
Green eyes humored her by looking down at his pants expectantly, as if they weren't there already. "An' if I weren't drunk 'enough, you wouldn't be wearin' anythin'," he smoothly replied, eyes purposely give her a once-over before his grin tilted into a smirk.
"Eh, well there we have it. I'm not drunk enough, and you're not sober enough. Such a damn pity," she drawled, then patted her dress. Of course she was aware of the once-over, and tried not to flush under his scrutinize, but to no avail. What had he said during that dinner long back? He liked girls in skirts. Oh great, it'll seem like I'm actually trying to give him a hard on. That thought made her pause, blush harder, and cough. "Can't start the honeymoon so early, sweetheart," she finished, pulling her wits together. "No thrill of the chase."
Again, Kankurou was a tad bit skeptical about her own defense about the alcohol since she was speaking so freely and damn she really was pushing the envelope. And he didn't even do anything but talk so far.
"Can't chase you forever," he replied with a low chuckle, sitting back up again with a sigh. He looked around the room before his eyes rested on the small refrigerator underneath the minibar in the corner of the room. "Maybe we should remedy th' alcoholic problem," he said as he stood up and walked towards the refrigerator.
"Who said it'd be forever," she mumbled, watching him move. She spotted the minibar, and groaned softly. "I'm still trying to get over my last hangovers, and my boss will kill me if I keep returning to work looking like shit. I'm the responsible one, you know?" she lectured him, moving her legs under her on the armchair, taking care that nothing indecent was exposed. Then she paused, and leaned back. "Maybe one drink, because I've a question to ask you."
"You're responsible, yet you come into the room of a guy that you hardly know 'bout. Oh yeah, tha's really responsible." Reaching downwards, Kankurou picked out two bottles of foreign beer, Budweiser, by the looks of it and handed one to Sakura before he pulled a chair up close to her, sitting himself down on it. "Question? See, I knew you had an ulterior motive than missin' me."
"I know more about you than you might think," she said. "And what's this missing thing? You can't miss something you've never had," she waved off. "Anyway, my question." She had to take a moment for this, because it was an important issue. Gaara hadn't given her an honest answer, and neither had Temari, but maybe Kankurou would. And if all failed, she knew she was right about her assumptions. So she wouldn't be making a fool of herself. "Your family's part of the yakuza, right?"
A soft fizz and Kankurou had popped off the cap with his fingers. The question she immediately thrown at him made him pause for a moment before he reached forward and took the beer bottle from her hand, taking off the cap for her as well.
"No, we're not. Y'know why?" He picked up the bottle and settled back into the chair. "'Cause I'm James Fuckin' Bond. He has no relations to th' Yakuza, whatsoever."
She took a sip from the bottle, and looked at him as if pondering something. "Mmm, no, Bond's more stylish. A manwhore, yes, but he's got that...class. Or something. And I think I'm very right about this. Of course, you won't tell me I'm right, because. Duh. Who'd say such a thing? But your reaction wasn't to laugh and point and make me feel like an idiot, but rather to cover it up with smooth humour. Which means, you've something to hide, which means, I'm right."
This time there wasn't an amused look on his face, but a more stoic one than annoyed. "Y'know, I liked you a lot better when you stayed quiet."
She snorted, "When have I ever done that?" And took another drink from the bottle, bringing one leg down to tap her toes against the floor. "Are you going to threaten me now so I can surprise you and ruin your perception of me by saying that I, honestly? Honestly don't care about what it is your family does."
"Then it shouldn't matter whether or not we're yakuza or not. We're originally from Dubai. I've got the birth certificate t'prove it. My father deals with import an' export from th' Mainland to th' Formosa an' then back to good ol' Japan." Green eyes warily watched her reaction before Kankurou took antoher swig from his bottle.
She raised her eyebrow. "I thought your father's a politician, as well, how come you didn't mention that?" she asked, listening to the beginning of the next song for a moment before continuing. "I wonder...what harm could I do to your family? After all, I'm just one girl. So, I wonder, why the secrecy? Because, one," she started, ticking off her fingers to emphasize this, "I'm not going to tell the police or anything, I don't like them much. Two, I don't friend people for what they do, but for how they are. And three, I'd like to think that you three are my friends, strange as we may all be, and consequently, I like knowing everything--or at least some things--about my friends."
"Wha' harm could it do if you don't know everythin'?" As much as Kankurou would've liked to trust Sakura's own words, he was still cautious as ever. It wasn't just him, personality-wise, but it came with the job. And he was in it from day one, making everything he did by protocol.
"None, I suppose," she offered, after a moment's pause. She kept her eyes on him, pensievely, then tapped her fingers against the arm of the chair. "You can't say it, can you? Of course...what a silly idiot I am," she whispered. "Here I am, trying to tell all you guys that if you need a loyal friend, you've got one, and by trying to do that, I almost get you into trouble. Wow." She tapped her head, sighed, and took a drink.
He took the time to evaluate her actions again, trying to read between the lines and search for any cracks. And thankfully, he found none. Just a lot of disappointment from her own end, which almost made him want to spill the beans. But at this point, his loyalty to his family and business was stronger than his own promise to his own life.
"Look, I know you probably don't have bad intentions an' trus' me, I get into trouble with my family plenty as it is, so it ain't the issue." He leaned forward so that he was looking straight at her, with genuine words coming out of his mouth. "But even if we are whatever you take us for, think 'bout where tha' puts you. In danger. So tha' kind of information? I'd rather you not know anythin'."
"We ain't idiots, we know a good person when we see one. Which is probably th' reason why you don't know anythin' at all."
She chewed on her bottom lip as she looked at him and listened, realizing, with each word he said, how right he was. She was putting herself in danger, there. Nothing she wouldn't do in the blink of an eye for any on her friends, but this was different. More than a blotch on her record, more than standing up to professors and such. The genuinety in his words took her back, and it was his turn to twist her perception of him, it seemed. "Wow," she murmured, tilting her head. "Who'd have thought, you had a heart," she tried for humour, but there was sadly a lot of honesty in her voice too. This was possibly the first time she'd seen him wear a different face than that smirk, or show something else than arrogance. It took her by surprise, but it was a pleasant one.
The bigger one came when her body moved on its own accord, lips pressing against his cheek. "That was sweet. I'll let it drop," she promised, pressing a finger to her mouth in a shushing motion as she pulled away.
Yes, surprisingly enough, Kankurou could get serious. He rather liked his own reckless personality, but when it came down to serious business, well, you had to be serious. This was useful when meeting with American ambassadors as well as those from the Chinese Triads. It wasn't a game in the business, even if there were some chances to break the rules. Even so, Kankurou focused more on soft press of lips against his cheek before he realized that Sakura was that close to him.
There was a genuine smile on his face before it melted into his grin, proud of himself for getting this far with this girl. "Yeah, I got a black heart. Not really good, worthless, but it's a heart nevertheless."
"Nah, if it were worthless, I'd have punched you long ago. And trust me, I've wanted to on so many occasions," she admitted, leaning back in her seat. The realization that she'd kissed him, cheek or not, was taking a while to settle in, but loyal as ever, there it was. The blush. "You just keep it hidden behind all that mingling-with-the-girls and such, which is very sad. For some of us."
"Aw, Sakura, I didn't know you actually cared!" Kankurou laughed, his mood back to being anything but serious again. He leaned forward with her body, ignoring the personal boundary of spaces between the two of them. Calming down for a moment, he reached forward and cupped her right cheek before roughly placing a kiss on the corner of her lips, before pulling away, a grin on his face.
"Y'gonna hit me now?"
Of course, the initial reaction to that was to suck in breath, and then reflexes kicked in, and her hand was moving before she could stop it. She could only watch how it collided with his cheek. Well at least I didn't punch him. "Shit," she gasped out, her eyes widening as she drew herself away. "Don't tempt me like that, idiot!"
The sting of her physical movement made Kankurou almost fall from his seat, but when you're quite experienced in the area of dealing with hand-to-hand combatants, you get used to it. Even so, his cheek still turned red after her hand was removed, leaving a red handmark. But instead of being cross, Kankurou continued to chuckle, rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand.
"Damn, you hit like a woman," he concluded, making sure that nothing was bleeding before he raised the ice cold beer bottle and placed it against his cheek. His face expression didn't change even if he did deserve that slap to the face. "Y'gonna still hit me if I do it again?"
"I'll punch you. Probably," she answered, reflex again. Then she paused, because did he just threaten to kiss her again? Oh.
"You're lucky tha' I don't mind the pain," he told her before leaning towards her again, almost taunting her to fulfill her threat.
"I'll keep that in mind," she murmured, standing really still for a moment. This was not the time for Wild And Uninhibited Sakura to come up, but there she was, taunting her to close the gap. Do it. It's been how long since a guy's made you hold your breath like this? Hesitant, she licked her lips, and looked up at him. "You know, I'm not just some Scarlett you can seduce, Kankurou."
"An' I'm not some random stranger that you can jus' kiss an' do nothin' 'bout," he countered, pointing out that she did kiss him first. Friendly or not, it was more than the casual touch.
"It was a peck on the cheek. Show of affection. I don't do that to random strangers," she retorted, then, "And you kissed me first. Chocolate from my hands, remember?"
"And you offered th' chocolate t'me firs', too," he reminded her in a mocking way, grinning at how she was trying to turn the tables.
"Oh, just kiss me already, dammit," she grit out, regretting he didn't have a shirt to grab and shake him. "So annoying."
"Jus' remember, you said it," he warned her before reaching down to touch her face again, pulling her towards him with a rough tug, but not hard enough to cause pain. This time instead of an innocent brush of lips, he made sure that there was some bruising mark left on her lips. He found himself enjoying the softness of her hair as his fingers tangled in them briefly before he pulled away again, teeth grazing across her lower lip.
A tiny moan slipped past her lips when he pulled away, and she idly noted her toes were curled. Wow. It's...been a while, but kisses weren't that spine-tingly, were they? "So..." she started, clearing her throat and licking her lips. "Want me to punch you now?"
"I'd like to think tha' kisses are better," Kankurou tried to say seriously, only to ruin the act with a sharp laugh, his fingers twirling themselves around pink strands of her hair. "But if you keep punchin' me, I won't be able t'kiss you tha' hard anymore."
She chuckled lightly, and moved her hands up, but rather than hit him, she thread her fingers in his hair and pulled him closer. "Well, you could kiss me softly, then," she murmured against his lips before pressing her mouth against his. Just to show him that she could take the initiative too. And because the kissing was amazing.
Before Kankurou could say anything, he found himself continuing the unfinished kiss, wasting no time in running his tongue along her bottom lip, coaxing her to open up to him. Despite his own boastings about numerous girls, most of them were just random flings and as of late, he hadn't even had time for those. So to feel the warmth of another person's body underneath his was a welcome feeling, maybe even enough to make him tone things down to the "soft" level she demanded.
Not one for thoughts, rather more feeling, his hand traveled down from her face to her side, lightly teasing her skin through the fabric of her top.
Sakura's hands traveled too, down from his hair to around his neck, to pull him towards her. The armchair was big enough. Probably. And even if it wasn't, any small contact made her skin tingle, light as it was. At the brush of his fingers on her side, or his tongue along her lip, she let out a moan, and with a bit of hesitation parted her lips. She held her breath for a second, the time it took her to tentatively flick her tongue against his. Another electrical tingle of sorts.
It occured to her that she should stop things and make it clear that she wasn't going to sleep with him. She decided to let things progress for a little while longer, before she did that, because he probably wouldn't take nicely to the interruption, and she had to enjoy whatever he gave.
His hands took it to themselves in getting to know Sakura's body, skimming up her side and then sliding across her stomach, splaying his fingers across, feeling the warmth beneath the clothing. Then, finding the need to touch skin rather than cloth, his fingers traveled downwards and lightly grazed her thigh.
While his hands were busy, his mouth was as well, even if he was working up a smirk in the midst of the kiss. Allowing Sakura to explore his mouth, Kankurou vaguely wondered if this was her first time doing any of this, seeing that she was a bit on the "proper" side, but her temper said otherwise. Taking her own explorations as a good sign, he kept boldly sliding his tongue against her own, enjoying the friction it made.
"Hnn--" That was one of those silly, wanton-sounding noises that Sakura had hoped she'd never emit, but here she was, doing it. It couldn't be helped. She'd done her fair share of kissing in her short life, even though it never passed that boundary, but for some reason, this one was different. It was uncoiling some part of her she'd kept sealed up, pushing her inhibitions aside, making her want nothing more than to arch against him and--
No, hold it. Wasn't I supposed to stop him before we moved to--is that his hand on my thigh?! The skin in question felt as if on fire, which was ridiculous. She didn't even like him that much! Right? Right...so...now I stop him! However, her determination was won over by that wilder side, which kept kissing Kankurou. One hand slid from around his neck, over his shoulder, and down, splaying against his chest. He's warm. And smooth. Warm and smooth and should definitely learn to wear shirts more often. Pulling herself together, she cut the kiss short, pulling away, but not without grazing her teeth against his bottom lip. See how you like that, hah! "Mmmh, yeah, so..." she started, completely aware that she was more flushed than ever right now. Even her lips felt swollen. This is where I recover use of my speaking, please. "Wow." NO, NOT LIKE THAT!
Granted that he didn't like the fact that the kiss was cut short, but her own verbal reaction in the end was enough to satisfy him, making him grin and his ego to inflate just a little bit larger. He pulled back as well, his fingers tracing a line on her thigh before he kept his hands to himself once again.
"If you didn't keep fightin' me in th' beginnin' we could've gotten to this point a hell lot quicker," he pointed out, unconsciously running his tongue along his bottom lip.
Her eyes followed that tongue for a short moment, before moving quickly to lock eyes with him. "Wouldn't be this much fun, though," she said, or at least that's what she wanted to think. "Oh, damn, you realise I just acted as the typical Bond girl there? Not trusting your womanizing ways but still falling into the trap. I wonder if you really do have a magnet," quipped she, following his previous joke.
Sakura allowed a moment of silence to pass, before shifting in her seat to accomodate herself a bit further in the armchair. "You know," she started, her voice low and serious, despite circumstances. "I'm not going to have sex with you now." I can't believe I said that so upfront.
"Didn't expect you to," he replied with a brief shrug, taking up his bottle of beer again and quickly finishing it. Strangely enough, he felt thirsty. For a moment he listened to the record--really listened to it, not "making-out-with-a-girl" listening--before he got up from his seat to change the side as the needle fell off the black plastic.
"Good," she said, feeling a bit bemused by his reaction. Was she really that predictable? ...of course she was. She took a moment to rearrange her dress and tapped her fingers lightly against her bottom lip while he changed the side. She hoped this wouldn't mean he'd stop kissing her. Or what if he would only kiss her this one time, and then never again? What if she was like a Scarlett, only just for kissing? Some sort of inner fury (and greed) rose up inside her, but she squashed it down quickly. It won't do to act like a bumbling idiot, will it now?
She listened to the first strings of the next song, and couldn't help but relax. For some reason, music always did that to her. Damn good music, actually. She leaned back into her armchair, let out a sigh and closed her eyes. "You've good taste," she murmured, referring mostly, to the music.
Fingers tapped against the green glass of the beer bottle as Kankurou listened along to the current track for a moment before moving to put the now empty beer bottle onto the bar. "Yeah, I know," he said, tossing her a grin and another once-over her body before he moved back to the couch and threw himself down on it. He wasn't exactly sure what Sakura would want to do now, but for the moment he was just going to close his eyes and listen.
Sakura turned her head to look at him, sprawled over like that. He looked peaceful. Comfortable. Like he had no worry in the world. And deep down, Sakura was aware that he had many worries, and that maybe one of them was her. It made her feel slightly guilty. It made her wonder, also, how Kankurou had been as a kid, when one supposedly has no worries . She wondered how hard it would be to make him smile genuinely again--not grin, smirk or sneer, but smile. All that wondering faced her with new questions.
Did she want more than just kissing? Did she want to go out with him, for example? Was she ready for a headache like that? And what about Naruto? Being so quick to move on made her feel guilty again, and disappointed. She'd realised she loved the boy long ago, and not soon after, she'd realised it could never be. Naruto was like the Sun, needing to spread warmth to all the people around him. He had so many friends now, and she'd missed out on so many things in his life, so what should've mattered most was strengthening their friendship again. A love confession would only ruin things. And besides, even if it did work out--wishtful thinking maybe--it wouldn't be the same. A relationship wasn't the same as a friendship, the tension was always bigger, and the chances of losing him...who knew? She refused to think about it.
Without hesitating, she stood up from the armchair and walked to the couch. Her head tilted to the side, she watched this boy, this dilemma, this big freaking annoyance, and envied his carefree look. If the couch was what did that, she wanted part of it too. So she sat down, in the free spot left, and lifted her legs onto the low table in front. Leaning back, she closed her eyes too, and listened to the music.
At this point a hand had covered his eyes, with a solitary finger tapping on his cheekbone to the rhythm. He felt some movement going on next to his feet and a quick look confirmed that it was Sakura. Really, who else would it be?
"You're too quiet," he mumbled behind his hand. "Wha' happened to th' punch you owed me?"
She looked at him again, considering something, then spoke. "D'you still want to continue the chase?" So it was reckless, the most reckless thing she'd ever done so far, maybe, but it had potential. Her instinct was telling her that something good could come out of this, but she'd never know it, unless she tried. Tried to take a risk, to be reckless, to live a little. "It won't be as hard to catch me, but it'll still be exciting."
"How much further c'n you run?" was the quiet response, eerily serious without the playful tone.
A good question. Sometimes she resented the fact that he could be smart. He probably was smart, but that was beside the point. Catching her with this sort of question was enough to make her eyes narrow. She thought this over again, making mental lists, weighting the pros and cons, because it was what she always did. Sakura and her Love For Lists. In the end, her tone mimicked his, "I don't think I will."
"Then I can't chase you then, c'n I?"
"Well, there are different types of chase. It's like a struggle, see? You try to impress me, I pretend I'm unimpressed, and somehow, look at what we just did. Basically, it's still chasing, but instead of running, I'll just...ah...slip from your fingers."
Kankurou let out a short laugh behind his hand before he sat up and looked at her, his head tilted to the side as he looked at her. "So you wanna keep on runnin' an' you want me t'keep chasin' you? You're gonna get tired pretty fast."
She mimicked his possition. "Not really. I lasted this long, haven't I? Like you said, we could've done that ages ago, if I hadn't fought you," she answered, smirking slightly. "Regardless, what I'm actually saying is that I'm going to be different than any girl you've met." I hope so at least. "And you'll have to be patient to figure out how in every detail there is."
"You tellin' me tha' I have t'wait ages for us t'have sex? I might be already dead by then," he joked back, half-serious about it.
"No, idiot, but take me out before we do it, sheesh!" she snapped, crossing her arms in front of her chest. What did he expect? That she'd put out that easily? Hell no! A girl's first time was an important matter, and at the same time, she wanted her first time to be, if not special, then at least memorable in a pleasant way. She wanted no regrets on it, like she'd seen other girls go through. "I mean, I'm not some girl you met at some random bar, okay?" she asked, pouting. "Even though we did meet at a bar. Technically," was muttered.
It didn't even occur to Kankurou that Sakura was a virgin which definitely didn't factor to his thinking, just her manner appeared to him as if she was a romantic thinker. Most of the girls that he had met were already "experienced" and not so innocent. Which was why Sakura was an interesting case as well.
"Alrigh', alrigh'," he quickly replied, putting his hands out in front of him in a defensive position. "I ain't in a hurry to get in your pants, if that's what you're thinkin'. But if you wanna go another way in this, fine." He grumbled before falling back into his lying position again. "Jus' tell me when you're free an' what restaurant y'wanna go to."
"Good," she huffed, then pretended she hadn't just sealed the fate of what was in her pants to this man. The fact that he was't in a hurry calmed her down somewhat, and the resolve was back. She would exploit this potential, because she deserved a break, and to be pampered (though he didn't look like the type to pamper anyone), and because she deserved to have fun. "I will." It didn't occur to her how bossy she had sounded, and how bossy she would sound when she up and told him 'I'm free today, let's go there'. Rather, she was thinking about something else. "...could you...hmm...kiss me again?"
Again, there was a hidden grin behind his hand at the request. Instead of responding this time, he raised a hand instead and crooked his finger, motioning a "come here".
She rolled her eyes. Could he be any more smug? Nevertheless, she moved, sliding closer to him, because kissing. Yes. Very good. Tilting her head and leaning closer, she murmured, "Who's chasing who, now?"
"Can't expect me t'do all the work if we're gonna be in this together," he drawled, reaching upwards to take her face in his hand again before reaching behind her head to bring her forward while he raised his head to meet her halfway. Once again his lips joined hers in a way that he hoped he would be able to experience more in the future.
"I 'an 'ork 'iff'at," she muttered against his lips, grinning slightly in a way that would compete with his own grin. She kissed him back, lips parting already, a small part of her brain focusing on breathing through her nose, while another part commanded her arms to move: one around his neck, buried in his hair, and the other one on his chest, the tips of her fingers against his collarbone.
"You don't have any choice," he breathed out before closing the gap between their mouths again, although this time allowing her to orchestrate the kiss as much as she wanted. Even as a guy who liked being in charge, there was that boldness in Sakura that he couldn't help but appreciate.
Yes, I do, was what she tried to convey when she caught his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged. But I like this choice, too, was what she tried to convey when she ran her tongue over the bitemark, and from there on, she didn't try to convey anything other that I seem to really like kissing you, from the way her lips moved against his, tongue ran along his lips, and the way her body kept trying to shift closer to him.
The constant shifting of her body against his bare torso was enough to make Kankurou breathe a little bit more heavily. This time he didn't just stop at her lips, but travel downwards to her neck. His teeth didn't hesitate to graze against the carotid arteries of her neck, his tongue reaching out to feel the pulse in her neck.
"A-ahh, ohgod," she breathed out, shivering slightly at that move. Her grip on his hair tightened, actually pushing his face closer to her skin, and she tilted her head to grant him access. Not many people in this world knew of her weakness, but he was discovering it. Touches to her necks gave her goosebumps, but was he was doing was enough to have her breathing heavily too, arching slightly against him.
Kankurou smirked against her neck, the verbal reaction satisfying him as much as a simple compliment would. Even with her warning for Kankurou to take things slow, he wasn't let down because of it, since it gave him the many opportunity to get to know her better. Both personality-wise and physical sense. He vaguely wondered if there was a commitment established, since being a non-traditionalist himself, this could be a fling for all he knew. Instead of worrying about all of this, Kankurou continued to focus on making dark marks on Sakura's neck as his hands took a firm hold on her sides, tightening their grip when she pressed against him.
Well this uncomfortable possition wasn't going to help. Being practical before many other things, Sakura took a moment to consider how she could move so that she didn't end up having a crick in her neck. It was for that reason that she pushed him away just enough to have space and throw her leg over his knees, bringing herself up to straddle his legs. Not the lap, right. There was the problem of her dress running up her thighs, but she was past considering that one. While he was busy marking her--something that she didn't exactly like, but the part that came before the large hikeys was pleasurable enough--she ran her fingers over his back, nails digging into skin whenever he bit her.
At this rate, Kankurou was finding it hard to hold back and not just switch their positions and pin her to the couch with him on top. Instead, he was satisfied at the moment with the touch of bare skin of her thighs, the soft sounds coming from the back of her throat as he traced every dark mark on her neck with his tongue, as well as the pleasurable burn of her damage on his back. More like an "eye for an eye", but as long as she didn't start punching him again, he was fine with it.
"You sure you still wan' that date?" he drawled, his mouth now focused on her exposed shoulder as he slipped her sleeve down a bit.
"Yes," she gasped out, arching slightly against him. "Yes, I'm sure." And to be honest, she wanted more than one date. One date was not really enough to get to know someone, and she had some very high ideals for her first time, apparently. She leaned forward, and took advantage of his shirtless state to kiss his shoulder, then lick a line to his neck. "Mm, why, impatient?"
He tried to stifle the groan that was dragged out of his throat, obviously caused by the friction of their bodies when Sakura decided to close the gap against them. If this continued any further, Kankurou was going to have to break this off or forget his promise about a first date.
"No, just because usually I'd take you out to a date and then we'd get t'do all this fun stuff in a bed of a hotel or somethin'. But keep this up an' I'll jus' forget 'bout the firs' date thing altogether."
"You started it," she pointed out, then cupped his face in her hands and brought him up to kiss his lips again. She could stop teasing him, hell, she might've been a prude, but she knew how these things worked. She was not unfamiliar to lust, but she had never encountered it focused at her. Normally it would be her lusting over someone, or reading about lustful reactions, or something of the sort. Her lust-filled mind wanted nothing more than to keep it up, but the calm, logical part of her brain counterattacked. She wasn't looking for a one-night stand. She wasn't looking for the love of her life, either, it would be stupid of her to assume she'd get that from him this early, if ever; but she wanted something more significant than a one-night-stand.
"Also," she muttered against his lips, smiling slightly. "Who said it would only take one date?"
"It's not like you're stoppin' me either," he pointed out with a coy grin, his fingers ghosting up her thighs to a far as he could without getting slapped again, but enough to prove his point. He allowed her to direct him into the kiss, already haven given up trying to fight her in any way, except verbally. "Jus' so we're clear, I'm not goin' on the date jus' because I want to get in your pants. So more than one doesn't bother me, but tease me any more an' I will move on." He gave her another scathing kiss across her mouth before he gently, but firmly, moved her to get out from under her.
Any more of this and he really was going to need that cold shower.
That admission made her want to be honest with him about her reasons. Of course, being honest and knowing how to say it while her brain fried for saying it (prude as she was) were two different things. "If we're gonna be honest...it's not that I don't want--it's just--I've never...mhrrr...y'know..." she muttered, lowering her gaze and looking to the side while blushing madly.
No doubt a raised eyebrow was given at this, but seeing that she was a virgin, Kankurou wasn't surprised that there wasn't a sexual experience. In fact, he would've been more than surprised if she knew how to do some "things" but didn't lose her virginity yet. But instead of admitting his understanding, his face put on a mock surprised look. It was hard not to grin when he saw how hard she blushed.
"I'll teach you..." he slowly replied, wondering just how innocent this girl really was.
Well if that didn't make her shiver, nothing else did. The blush only increased as she looked up and glared slightly. "I thought I wasn't supposed to tease you, o wise one." Why wasn't the prospect of him teaching her scare her off? It must be the ever-present hangover. Or. Something.
He shrugged, standing up from the couch and then over to the dresser where all his clothes were hanging out of the drawers. "I'm 'bout to take a cold shower anyways."
"Oh. Oh." Her eyes widened, and she tried not to let her eyes trail down and see why he'd need a cold shower. "A-and...what's that supposed to be? An invitation?"
"Only if you'd want it to be." He almost started to laugh right then and there when he followed her eyes, himself not being embarrassed at all from his body's own traitorous reactions to the mild make-out session they had. It was natural and seeing that he wasn't really "lacking" in that particular department, he had nothing to hide or be shy of. He just didn't act that way.
"Shower's big 'nough for two people," he added wrly, throwing a towel over his shoulder.
Sakura swallowed thickly before looking up at him. "Another time," she answered. Again, that part of her brain that liked the whole shower idea was protesting, but she quickly made it shut the fuck up. She stood up from the couch, and patted down her dress. "We'll leave the lessons for another time. I should...leave you to you--hmm--shower."
This time, he didn't hold back the low laugh. "Have fun wit' explorin' the rest of the place. But I c'n tell you in advance, you ain't gonna bump into another half-naked guy in another room." He bent down to pick up a forgotten pair of pants and a muscle t-shirt before walking towards her.
"You gonna avoid me after this or risk th' chance of havin' Tem an' Gaara rip you up t'shreds?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly at that laugh--he was laughing at her, the bastard; unacceptable--snapping, "I wasn't planning to bump into another half-naked guy."
For the last question, she decided to prove it to him through actions, and walked over, drawing him in for a chaster kiss. "I'm going to fill in that dating application. But not because I'm afraid of them."
"So we're datin' now, huh?" His eyes matched hers for a moment before he leaned down to exact a similar kiss against her cheek. "I thought tha' day would never come."
She grinned widely. "You have to start someday, right?" she said, having a feeling somehow, that his remark was more of a 'never thought i'd be dating someone' kind than a 'finally together, darling!'. The mere thought of him going 'finally together, darling' had her snorting, but she kept it low. "Yes, I think...we're dating now. If you want. I want to."
"Why the hell not?" was the carefree response, enough to maybe ask for a good smack or two across his face, but Kankurou gave Sakura another slow kiss on her lips before pulling away. "If you get lost, y'know where to find me." He ruffled her hair affectionately (well, in his own way) before he stepped out of the room with his clothes, leaving B.B. King still playing in his room. Maybe when he came back, he'd listen to the other side.
A hair ruffle? Honestly? Sakura scrunched up her nose at that, watching him leave. She leaned against the closet, bitting her bottom lip while in deep thought. What have I just gotten myself into? Trust instinct. Why on Earth did I decide to trust instinct? Strangely enough, she didn't regret it. If this worked out, even a little bit... Well, she'd never know unless she tried. And Naruto... It wouldn't have worked out. It would've just messed up our friendship. She prayed to whatever deity listening that she be right about that assumption. Her friendship bond with Naruto was far stronger than a crush, and there was still love. There would alway be love for him. But she had to learn to walk without him.
Pushing herself away from the closet, she listened to the last strings of the song, before leaving the room.
What: Sakura and Kankurou end up in a room together, listening to jazz music. Sakura asks a question that has been bothering her for a while, and things...happen.
Where: Villa
When: July 28th, Monday
Warnings: There's kissing. And...probably only allusions to R-rated stuff, but PG-15 clean.
He didn't need Temari to constantly remind him that the party was his idea, but the mess and payments just made Kankurou feel a bit more tired than he should've been feeling after a "good time". Now that everyone was knocked out, he had found solace in his personal room of the elaborate beach house and made himself comfortable.
Shades drawn, Kankurou found himself sprawled over the couch, lying on top of some forgotten laundry of this week. Only when he shuffled his limbs around to achieve maximum comfort did a crinkle of paper reminded him of his belated birthday present that he had ignored for a good two days for now. Eyes warily looked at it before his hands took it up, examining the cover once again. It didn't occur to him that he ever listened to it after he received it, making him wonder how the King really did sound on this one.
Grumbling, Kankurou stood up and placed the record onto the vintage turntable that he had, turning on the correct sound systems. And once the needle made itself known with a scratchy thump did Kankurou collapse on the couch again.
The excitement over the party had died down, and this early in the day (afternoon), everyone was either sleeping or sunbathing. Except, of course, Sakura. Who was snooping. Not exactly snooping per se, as they'd been given access to the facilities (somewhat), but exploring the villa in all its splendor. Little rooms, big rooms, lounges. With their paintings, and all those wonderful things that this place was decorated with. Today was a day for relaxation. She had no sunbathing in her schedule, but it was warm outside, which was why she'd chosen to wear a dress. The edge of her skirt was brushing against her legs with each breeze, and it made her happy. Like those little things in life.
Coming to this place hadn't been a bad idea, in the end. Sure, she'd been faced with having to see Kankurou daily, and indeed, he liked going shirtless. Not that she'd protest about that much, but deep in her mind, she felt that admiring another boy's looks, even finding him attractive, was a betrayal towards Naruto, with whom she'd fancied herself in love for months now. She'd decided to get over that, though, in favour of not ruining their already fragile friendship, and when she did begin to get over it, her subconscious shouted things at her like "traitor" and "floozy". Traitor brain. Then there was the matter of Gaara's family business, which she was 100% sure was involved in the yakuza. All facts added up, it was the only logical explanation. Even if she didn't want to admit it. But she had meant what she'd told him, that it didn't matter to her what his family did. It still didn't get her a confirmation.
Lost in her thoughts, she wandered off another hallway, and stopped, at the sound of music. She knew that song. Jazz. A smile bloomed on her face, He's listening to my present. Curious, she followed the sound of the music, and ended up in front of a door. Knocked, and waited. Polite as usual, after all.
A weary eyelid opened at the sound of the knock, focused on the blank door. Eyes narrowed as Kankurou cursed whoever it was and wondered if they probably got lost in the big house. After all, that's what happened to him first when Temari brought him and Gaara here. The bathrooms were especially a bitch to find.
"Door's open," he called out, before he pulled himself up from the couch, his hair ruffled as was his clothes. Well, since he was lacking a shirt, then his pants.
Sakura opened the door, poked her head inside, and instantly blushed. There we go. No shirt on, why was that a surprise? It wasn't. "Hey," she said, slipping inside the room. "I don't have the beer with me, but can I join you? All this exploring takes its toll," she explained, pushing the door behind her shut with her foot. While she waited for his answer, she looked around her. It looked messy, like any guy's room, and the cliché thing to say was that it smelled like him in there, but it did. The shades were drawn, which only made the atmosphere more sensual, and to top that all, he looked ruffled. Like after a wild honeymoon? She shook herself out of that thought. It's not that I find him hot, or think about him in that particular way. It's all that stupid quiz's fault.
Needless to say, Kankurou was pleasantly surprised to see that the intruder was Sakura, and not anyone coming in to complain about the large mess in the living room. He looked at her for a silent moment, taking in her silhouette before lying back onto the couch again.
"Explorin', huh? Some people migh' call it snoopin' around," he replied, a lazy grin forming over his mouth. "Is there a homin' beacon on tha' record or somethin'? Th' minute I put it on, you suddenly arrive here."
"If I'd been snooping, I wouldn't have knocked," she murmured, stepping closer towards some surface on which she could sit down. "Not that I'm aware of, no. Maybe it's fate. Destiny," she waved a hand dismissively as with the other she cleared a comfortable looking armchair of the clothes in it, and slumped down in it. "Ahhh," she sighed, stretching her feet in front of her, slipping them out of the sandals. "Or maybe, the inmense magnetism that you ooze from every pore drew me here."
Kankurou watched all of this with a raised brow, wondering if Sakura was slightly too toxicated from the party beforehand.
"Don't give me too much credit, you migh' regret it later on. Did you hit the bar tha' hard durin' the party?" he asked, stretching his arms out above his head.
"No, not at all, actually. I had my fair share of drinks at Kiba's party. I'm very sober. If I weren't, you wouldn't be wearing those pants," she pointed out. Trying for humour. Yes. Because, obviously, after having joked about their future marriage, and all, it wasn't too odd. Right? If Naruto could do this, so could she. "Inhibitions, and all, you know?"
Green eyes humored her by looking down at his pants expectantly, as if they weren't there already. "An' if I weren't drunk 'enough, you wouldn't be wearin' anythin'," he smoothly replied, eyes purposely give her a once-over before his grin tilted into a smirk.
"Eh, well there we have it. I'm not drunk enough, and you're not sober enough. Such a damn pity," she drawled, then patted her dress. Of course she was aware of the once-over, and tried not to flush under his scrutinize, but to no avail. What had he said during that dinner long back? He liked girls in skirts. Oh great, it'll seem like I'm actually trying to give him a hard on. That thought made her pause, blush harder, and cough. "Can't start the honeymoon so early, sweetheart," she finished, pulling her wits together. "No thrill of the chase."
Again, Kankurou was a tad bit skeptical about her own defense about the alcohol since she was speaking so freely and damn she really was pushing the envelope. And he didn't even do anything but talk so far.
"Can't chase you forever," he replied with a low chuckle, sitting back up again with a sigh. He looked around the room before his eyes rested on the small refrigerator underneath the minibar in the corner of the room. "Maybe we should remedy th' alcoholic problem," he said as he stood up and walked towards the refrigerator.
"Who said it'd be forever," she mumbled, watching him move. She spotted the minibar, and groaned softly. "I'm still trying to get over my last hangovers, and my boss will kill me if I keep returning to work looking like shit. I'm the responsible one, you know?" she lectured him, moving her legs under her on the armchair, taking care that nothing indecent was exposed. Then she paused, and leaned back. "Maybe one drink, because I've a question to ask you."
"You're responsible, yet you come into the room of a guy that you hardly know 'bout. Oh yeah, tha's really responsible." Reaching downwards, Kankurou picked out two bottles of foreign beer, Budweiser, by the looks of it and handed one to Sakura before he pulled a chair up close to her, sitting himself down on it. "Question? See, I knew you had an ulterior motive than missin' me."
"I know more about you than you might think," she said. "And what's this missing thing? You can't miss something you've never had," she waved off. "Anyway, my question." She had to take a moment for this, because it was an important issue. Gaara hadn't given her an honest answer, and neither had Temari, but maybe Kankurou would. And if all failed, she knew she was right about her assumptions. So she wouldn't be making a fool of herself. "Your family's part of the yakuza, right?"
A soft fizz and Kankurou had popped off the cap with his fingers. The question she immediately thrown at him made him pause for a moment before he reached forward and took the beer bottle from her hand, taking off the cap for her as well.
"No, we're not. Y'know why?" He picked up the bottle and settled back into the chair. "'Cause I'm James Fuckin' Bond. He has no relations to th' Yakuza, whatsoever."
She took a sip from the bottle, and looked at him as if pondering something. "Mmm, no, Bond's more stylish. A manwhore, yes, but he's got that...class. Or something. And I think I'm very right about this. Of course, you won't tell me I'm right, because. Duh. Who'd say such a thing? But your reaction wasn't to laugh and point and make me feel like an idiot, but rather to cover it up with smooth humour. Which means, you've something to hide, which means, I'm right."
This time there wasn't an amused look on his face, but a more stoic one than annoyed. "Y'know, I liked you a lot better when you stayed quiet."
She snorted, "When have I ever done that?" And took another drink from the bottle, bringing one leg down to tap her toes against the floor. "Are you going to threaten me now so I can surprise you and ruin your perception of me by saying that I, honestly? Honestly don't care about what it is your family does."
"Then it shouldn't matter whether or not we're yakuza or not. We're originally from Dubai. I've got the birth certificate t'prove it. My father deals with import an' export from th' Mainland to th' Formosa an' then back to good ol' Japan." Green eyes warily watched her reaction before Kankurou took antoher swig from his bottle.
She raised her eyebrow. "I thought your father's a politician, as well, how come you didn't mention that?" she asked, listening to the beginning of the next song for a moment before continuing. "I wonder...what harm could I do to your family? After all, I'm just one girl. So, I wonder, why the secrecy? Because, one," she started, ticking off her fingers to emphasize this, "I'm not going to tell the police or anything, I don't like them much. Two, I don't friend people for what they do, but for how they are. And three, I'd like to think that you three are my friends, strange as we may all be, and consequently, I like knowing everything--or at least some things--about my friends."
"Wha' harm could it do if you don't know everythin'?" As much as Kankurou would've liked to trust Sakura's own words, he was still cautious as ever. It wasn't just him, personality-wise, but it came with the job. And he was in it from day one, making everything he did by protocol.
"None, I suppose," she offered, after a moment's pause. She kept her eyes on him, pensievely, then tapped her fingers against the arm of the chair. "You can't say it, can you? Of course...what a silly idiot I am," she whispered. "Here I am, trying to tell all you guys that if you need a loyal friend, you've got one, and by trying to do that, I almost get you into trouble. Wow." She tapped her head, sighed, and took a drink.
He took the time to evaluate her actions again, trying to read between the lines and search for any cracks. And thankfully, he found none. Just a lot of disappointment from her own end, which almost made him want to spill the beans. But at this point, his loyalty to his family and business was stronger than his own promise to his own life.
"Look, I know you probably don't have bad intentions an' trus' me, I get into trouble with my family plenty as it is, so it ain't the issue." He leaned forward so that he was looking straight at her, with genuine words coming out of his mouth. "But even if we are whatever you take us for, think 'bout where tha' puts you. In danger. So tha' kind of information? I'd rather you not know anythin'."
"We ain't idiots, we know a good person when we see one. Which is probably th' reason why you don't know anythin' at all."
She chewed on her bottom lip as she looked at him and listened, realizing, with each word he said, how right he was. She was putting herself in danger, there. Nothing she wouldn't do in the blink of an eye for any on her friends, but this was different. More than a blotch on her record, more than standing up to professors and such. The genuinety in his words took her back, and it was his turn to twist her perception of him, it seemed. "Wow," she murmured, tilting her head. "Who'd have thought, you had a heart," she tried for humour, but there was sadly a lot of honesty in her voice too. This was possibly the first time she'd seen him wear a different face than that smirk, or show something else than arrogance. It took her by surprise, but it was a pleasant one.
The bigger one came when her body moved on its own accord, lips pressing against his cheek. "That was sweet. I'll let it drop," she promised, pressing a finger to her mouth in a shushing motion as she pulled away.
Yes, surprisingly enough, Kankurou could get serious. He rather liked his own reckless personality, but when it came down to serious business, well, you had to be serious. This was useful when meeting with American ambassadors as well as those from the Chinese Triads. It wasn't a game in the business, even if there were some chances to break the rules. Even so, Kankurou focused more on soft press of lips against his cheek before he realized that Sakura was that close to him.
There was a genuine smile on his face before it melted into his grin, proud of himself for getting this far with this girl. "Yeah, I got a black heart. Not really good, worthless, but it's a heart nevertheless."
"Nah, if it were worthless, I'd have punched you long ago. And trust me, I've wanted to on so many occasions," she admitted, leaning back in her seat. The realization that she'd kissed him, cheek or not, was taking a while to settle in, but loyal as ever, there it was. The blush. "You just keep it hidden behind all that mingling-with-the-girls and such, which is very sad. For some of us."
"Aw, Sakura, I didn't know you actually cared!" Kankurou laughed, his mood back to being anything but serious again. He leaned forward with her body, ignoring the personal boundary of spaces between the two of them. Calming down for a moment, he reached forward and cupped her right cheek before roughly placing a kiss on the corner of her lips, before pulling away, a grin on his face.
"Y'gonna hit me now?"
Of course, the initial reaction to that was to suck in breath, and then reflexes kicked in, and her hand was moving before she could stop it. She could only watch how it collided with his cheek. Well at least I didn't punch him. "Shit," she gasped out, her eyes widening as she drew herself away. "Don't tempt me like that, idiot!"
The sting of her physical movement made Kankurou almost fall from his seat, but when you're quite experienced in the area of dealing with hand-to-hand combatants, you get used to it. Even so, his cheek still turned red after her hand was removed, leaving a red handmark. But instead of being cross, Kankurou continued to chuckle, rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand.
"Damn, you hit like a woman," he concluded, making sure that nothing was bleeding before he raised the ice cold beer bottle and placed it against his cheek. His face expression didn't change even if he did deserve that slap to the face. "Y'gonna still hit me if I do it again?"
"I'll punch you. Probably," she answered, reflex again. Then she paused, because did he just threaten to kiss her again? Oh.
"You're lucky tha' I don't mind the pain," he told her before leaning towards her again, almost taunting her to fulfill her threat.
"I'll keep that in mind," she murmured, standing really still for a moment. This was not the time for Wild And Uninhibited Sakura to come up, but there she was, taunting her to close the gap. Do it. It's been how long since a guy's made you hold your breath like this? Hesitant, she licked her lips, and looked up at him. "You know, I'm not just some Scarlett you can seduce, Kankurou."
"An' I'm not some random stranger that you can jus' kiss an' do nothin' 'bout," he countered, pointing out that she did kiss him first. Friendly or not, it was more than the casual touch.
"It was a peck on the cheek. Show of affection. I don't do that to random strangers," she retorted, then, "And you kissed me first. Chocolate from my hands, remember?"
"And you offered th' chocolate t'me firs', too," he reminded her in a mocking way, grinning at how she was trying to turn the tables.
"Oh, just kiss me already, dammit," she grit out, regretting he didn't have a shirt to grab and shake him. "So annoying."
"Jus' remember, you said it," he warned her before reaching down to touch her face again, pulling her towards him with a rough tug, but not hard enough to cause pain. This time instead of an innocent brush of lips, he made sure that there was some bruising mark left on her lips. He found himself enjoying the softness of her hair as his fingers tangled in them briefly before he pulled away again, teeth grazing across her lower lip.
A tiny moan slipped past her lips when he pulled away, and she idly noted her toes were curled. Wow. It's...been a while, but kisses weren't that spine-tingly, were they? "So..." she started, clearing her throat and licking her lips. "Want me to punch you now?"
"I'd like to think tha' kisses are better," Kankurou tried to say seriously, only to ruin the act with a sharp laugh, his fingers twirling themselves around pink strands of her hair. "But if you keep punchin' me, I won't be able t'kiss you tha' hard anymore."
She chuckled lightly, and moved her hands up, but rather than hit him, she thread her fingers in his hair and pulled him closer. "Well, you could kiss me softly, then," she murmured against his lips before pressing her mouth against his. Just to show him that she could take the initiative too. And because the kissing was amazing.
Before Kankurou could say anything, he found himself continuing the unfinished kiss, wasting no time in running his tongue along her bottom lip, coaxing her to open up to him. Despite his own boastings about numerous girls, most of them were just random flings and as of late, he hadn't even had time for those. So to feel the warmth of another person's body underneath his was a welcome feeling, maybe even enough to make him tone things down to the "soft" level she demanded.
Not one for thoughts, rather more feeling, his hand traveled down from her face to her side, lightly teasing her skin through the fabric of her top.
Sakura's hands traveled too, down from his hair to around his neck, to pull him towards her. The armchair was big enough. Probably. And even if it wasn't, any small contact made her skin tingle, light as it was. At the brush of his fingers on her side, or his tongue along her lip, she let out a moan, and with a bit of hesitation parted her lips. She held her breath for a second, the time it took her to tentatively flick her tongue against his. Another electrical tingle of sorts.
It occured to her that she should stop things and make it clear that she wasn't going to sleep with him. She decided to let things progress for a little while longer, before she did that, because he probably wouldn't take nicely to the interruption, and she had to enjoy whatever he gave.
His hands took it to themselves in getting to know Sakura's body, skimming up her side and then sliding across her stomach, splaying his fingers across, feeling the warmth beneath the clothing. Then, finding the need to touch skin rather than cloth, his fingers traveled downwards and lightly grazed her thigh.
While his hands were busy, his mouth was as well, even if he was working up a smirk in the midst of the kiss. Allowing Sakura to explore his mouth, Kankurou vaguely wondered if this was her first time doing any of this, seeing that she was a bit on the "proper" side, but her temper said otherwise. Taking her own explorations as a good sign, he kept boldly sliding his tongue against her own, enjoying the friction it made.
"Hnn--" That was one of those silly, wanton-sounding noises that Sakura had hoped she'd never emit, but here she was, doing it. It couldn't be helped. She'd done her fair share of kissing in her short life, even though it never passed that boundary, but for some reason, this one was different. It was uncoiling some part of her she'd kept sealed up, pushing her inhibitions aside, making her want nothing more than to arch against him and--
No, hold it. Wasn't I supposed to stop him before we moved to--is that his hand on my thigh?! The skin in question felt as if on fire, which was ridiculous. She didn't even like him that much! Right? Right...so...now I stop him! However, her determination was won over by that wilder side, which kept kissing Kankurou. One hand slid from around his neck, over his shoulder, and down, splaying against his chest. He's warm. And smooth. Warm and smooth and should definitely learn to wear shirts more often. Pulling herself together, she cut the kiss short, pulling away, but not without grazing her teeth against his bottom lip. See how you like that, hah! "Mmmh, yeah, so..." she started, completely aware that she was more flushed than ever right now. Even her lips felt swollen. This is where I recover use of my speaking, please. "Wow." NO, NOT LIKE THAT!
Granted that he didn't like the fact that the kiss was cut short, but her own verbal reaction in the end was enough to satisfy him, making him grin and his ego to inflate just a little bit larger. He pulled back as well, his fingers tracing a line on her thigh before he kept his hands to himself once again.
"If you didn't keep fightin' me in th' beginnin' we could've gotten to this point a hell lot quicker," he pointed out, unconsciously running his tongue along his bottom lip.
Her eyes followed that tongue for a short moment, before moving quickly to lock eyes with him. "Wouldn't be this much fun, though," she said, or at least that's what she wanted to think. "Oh, damn, you realise I just acted as the typical Bond girl there? Not trusting your womanizing ways but still falling into the trap. I wonder if you really do have a magnet," quipped she, following his previous joke.
Sakura allowed a moment of silence to pass, before shifting in her seat to accomodate herself a bit further in the armchair. "You know," she started, her voice low and serious, despite circumstances. "I'm not going to have sex with you now." I can't believe I said that so upfront.
"Didn't expect you to," he replied with a brief shrug, taking up his bottle of beer again and quickly finishing it. Strangely enough, he felt thirsty. For a moment he listened to the record--really listened to it, not "making-out-with-a-girl" listening--before he got up from his seat to change the side as the needle fell off the black plastic.
"Good," she said, feeling a bit bemused by his reaction. Was she really that predictable? ...of course she was. She took a moment to rearrange her dress and tapped her fingers lightly against her bottom lip while he changed the side. She hoped this wouldn't mean he'd stop kissing her. Or what if he would only kiss her this one time, and then never again? What if she was like a Scarlett, only just for kissing? Some sort of inner fury (and greed) rose up inside her, but she squashed it down quickly. It won't do to act like a bumbling idiot, will it now?
She listened to the first strings of the next song, and couldn't help but relax. For some reason, music always did that to her. Damn good music, actually. She leaned back into her armchair, let out a sigh and closed her eyes. "You've good taste," she murmured, referring mostly, to the music.
Fingers tapped against the green glass of the beer bottle as Kankurou listened along to the current track for a moment before moving to put the now empty beer bottle onto the bar. "Yeah, I know," he said, tossing her a grin and another once-over her body before he moved back to the couch and threw himself down on it. He wasn't exactly sure what Sakura would want to do now, but for the moment he was just going to close his eyes and listen.
Sakura turned her head to look at him, sprawled over like that. He looked peaceful. Comfortable. Like he had no worry in the world. And deep down, Sakura was aware that he had many worries, and that maybe one of them was her. It made her feel slightly guilty. It made her wonder, also, how Kankurou had been as a kid, when one supposedly has no worries . She wondered how hard it would be to make him smile genuinely again--not grin, smirk or sneer, but smile. All that wondering faced her with new questions.
Did she want more than just kissing? Did she want to go out with him, for example? Was she ready for a headache like that? And what about Naruto? Being so quick to move on made her feel guilty again, and disappointed. She'd realised she loved the boy long ago, and not soon after, she'd realised it could never be. Naruto was like the Sun, needing to spread warmth to all the people around him. He had so many friends now, and she'd missed out on so many things in his life, so what should've mattered most was strengthening their friendship again. A love confession would only ruin things. And besides, even if it did work out--wishtful thinking maybe--it wouldn't be the same. A relationship wasn't the same as a friendship, the tension was always bigger, and the chances of losing him...who knew? She refused to think about it.
Without hesitating, she stood up from the armchair and walked to the couch. Her head tilted to the side, she watched this boy, this dilemma, this big freaking annoyance, and envied his carefree look. If the couch was what did that, she wanted part of it too. So she sat down, in the free spot left, and lifted her legs onto the low table in front. Leaning back, she closed her eyes too, and listened to the music.
At this point a hand had covered his eyes, with a solitary finger tapping on his cheekbone to the rhythm. He felt some movement going on next to his feet and a quick look confirmed that it was Sakura. Really, who else would it be?
"You're too quiet," he mumbled behind his hand. "Wha' happened to th' punch you owed me?"
She looked at him again, considering something, then spoke. "D'you still want to continue the chase?" So it was reckless, the most reckless thing she'd ever done so far, maybe, but it had potential. Her instinct was telling her that something good could come out of this, but she'd never know it, unless she tried. Tried to take a risk, to be reckless, to live a little. "It won't be as hard to catch me, but it'll still be exciting."
"How much further c'n you run?" was the quiet response, eerily serious without the playful tone.
A good question. Sometimes she resented the fact that he could be smart. He probably was smart, but that was beside the point. Catching her with this sort of question was enough to make her eyes narrow. She thought this over again, making mental lists, weighting the pros and cons, because it was what she always did. Sakura and her Love For Lists. In the end, her tone mimicked his, "I don't think I will."
"Then I can't chase you then, c'n I?"
"Well, there are different types of chase. It's like a struggle, see? You try to impress me, I pretend I'm unimpressed, and somehow, look at what we just did. Basically, it's still chasing, but instead of running, I'll just...ah...slip from your fingers."
Kankurou let out a short laugh behind his hand before he sat up and looked at her, his head tilted to the side as he looked at her. "So you wanna keep on runnin' an' you want me t'keep chasin' you? You're gonna get tired pretty fast."
She mimicked his possition. "Not really. I lasted this long, haven't I? Like you said, we could've done that ages ago, if I hadn't fought you," she answered, smirking slightly. "Regardless, what I'm actually saying is that I'm going to be different than any girl you've met." I hope so at least. "And you'll have to be patient to figure out how in every detail there is."
"You tellin' me tha' I have t'wait ages for us t'have sex? I might be already dead by then," he joked back, half-serious about it.
"No, idiot, but take me out before we do it, sheesh!" she snapped, crossing her arms in front of her chest. What did he expect? That she'd put out that easily? Hell no! A girl's first time was an important matter, and at the same time, she wanted her first time to be, if not special, then at least memorable in a pleasant way. She wanted no regrets on it, like she'd seen other girls go through. "I mean, I'm not some girl you met at some random bar, okay?" she asked, pouting. "Even though we did meet at a bar. Technically," was muttered.
It didn't even occur to Kankurou that Sakura was a virgin which definitely didn't factor to his thinking, just her manner appeared to him as if she was a romantic thinker. Most of the girls that he had met were already "experienced" and not so innocent. Which was why Sakura was an interesting case as well.
"Alrigh', alrigh'," he quickly replied, putting his hands out in front of him in a defensive position. "I ain't in a hurry to get in your pants, if that's what you're thinkin'. But if you wanna go another way in this, fine." He grumbled before falling back into his lying position again. "Jus' tell me when you're free an' what restaurant y'wanna go to."
"Good," she huffed, then pretended she hadn't just sealed the fate of what was in her pants to this man. The fact that he was't in a hurry calmed her down somewhat, and the resolve was back. She would exploit this potential, because she deserved a break, and to be pampered (though he didn't look like the type to pamper anyone), and because she deserved to have fun. "I will." It didn't occur to her how bossy she had sounded, and how bossy she would sound when she up and told him 'I'm free today, let's go there'. Rather, she was thinking about something else. "...could you...hmm...kiss me again?"
Again, there was a hidden grin behind his hand at the request. Instead of responding this time, he raised a hand instead and crooked his finger, motioning a "come here".
She rolled her eyes. Could he be any more smug? Nevertheless, she moved, sliding closer to him, because kissing. Yes. Very good. Tilting her head and leaning closer, she murmured, "Who's chasing who, now?"
"Can't expect me t'do all the work if we're gonna be in this together," he drawled, reaching upwards to take her face in his hand again before reaching behind her head to bring her forward while he raised his head to meet her halfway. Once again his lips joined hers in a way that he hoped he would be able to experience more in the future.
"I 'an 'ork 'iff'at," she muttered against his lips, grinning slightly in a way that would compete with his own grin. She kissed him back, lips parting already, a small part of her brain focusing on breathing through her nose, while another part commanded her arms to move: one around his neck, buried in his hair, and the other one on his chest, the tips of her fingers against his collarbone.
"You don't have any choice," he breathed out before closing the gap between their mouths again, although this time allowing her to orchestrate the kiss as much as she wanted. Even as a guy who liked being in charge, there was that boldness in Sakura that he couldn't help but appreciate.
Yes, I do, was what she tried to convey when she caught his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged. But I like this choice, too, was what she tried to convey when she ran her tongue over the bitemark, and from there on, she didn't try to convey anything other that I seem to really like kissing you, from the way her lips moved against his, tongue ran along his lips, and the way her body kept trying to shift closer to him.
The constant shifting of her body against his bare torso was enough to make Kankurou breathe a little bit more heavily. This time he didn't just stop at her lips, but travel downwards to her neck. His teeth didn't hesitate to graze against the carotid arteries of her neck, his tongue reaching out to feel the pulse in her neck.
"A-ahh, ohgod," she breathed out, shivering slightly at that move. Her grip on his hair tightened, actually pushing his face closer to her skin, and she tilted her head to grant him access. Not many people in this world knew of her weakness, but he was discovering it. Touches to her necks gave her goosebumps, but was he was doing was enough to have her breathing heavily too, arching slightly against him.
Kankurou smirked against her neck, the verbal reaction satisfying him as much as a simple compliment would. Even with her warning for Kankurou to take things slow, he wasn't let down because of it, since it gave him the many opportunity to get to know her better. Both personality-wise and physical sense. He vaguely wondered if there was a commitment established, since being a non-traditionalist himself, this could be a fling for all he knew. Instead of worrying about all of this, Kankurou continued to focus on making dark marks on Sakura's neck as his hands took a firm hold on her sides, tightening their grip when she pressed against him.
Well this uncomfortable possition wasn't going to help. Being practical before many other things, Sakura took a moment to consider how she could move so that she didn't end up having a crick in her neck. It was for that reason that she pushed him away just enough to have space and throw her leg over his knees, bringing herself up to straddle his legs. Not the lap, right. There was the problem of her dress running up her thighs, but she was past considering that one. While he was busy marking her--something that she didn't exactly like, but the part that came before the large hikeys was pleasurable enough--she ran her fingers over his back, nails digging into skin whenever he bit her.
At this rate, Kankurou was finding it hard to hold back and not just switch their positions and pin her to the couch with him on top. Instead, he was satisfied at the moment with the touch of bare skin of her thighs, the soft sounds coming from the back of her throat as he traced every dark mark on her neck with his tongue, as well as the pleasurable burn of her damage on his back. More like an "eye for an eye", but as long as she didn't start punching him again, he was fine with it.
"You sure you still wan' that date?" he drawled, his mouth now focused on her exposed shoulder as he slipped her sleeve down a bit.
"Yes," she gasped out, arching slightly against him. "Yes, I'm sure." And to be honest, she wanted more than one date. One date was not really enough to get to know someone, and she had some very high ideals for her first time, apparently. She leaned forward, and took advantage of his shirtless state to kiss his shoulder, then lick a line to his neck. "Mm, why, impatient?"
He tried to stifle the groan that was dragged out of his throat, obviously caused by the friction of their bodies when Sakura decided to close the gap against them. If this continued any further, Kankurou was going to have to break this off or forget his promise about a first date.
"No, just because usually I'd take you out to a date and then we'd get t'do all this fun stuff in a bed of a hotel or somethin'. But keep this up an' I'll jus' forget 'bout the firs' date thing altogether."
"You started it," she pointed out, then cupped his face in her hands and brought him up to kiss his lips again. She could stop teasing him, hell, she might've been a prude, but she knew how these things worked. She was not unfamiliar to lust, but she had never encountered it focused at her. Normally it would be her lusting over someone, or reading about lustful reactions, or something of the sort. Her lust-filled mind wanted nothing more than to keep it up, but the calm, logical part of her brain counterattacked. She wasn't looking for a one-night stand. She wasn't looking for the love of her life, either, it would be stupid of her to assume she'd get that from him this early, if ever; but she wanted something more significant than a one-night-stand.
"Also," she muttered against his lips, smiling slightly. "Who said it would only take one date?"
"It's not like you're stoppin' me either," he pointed out with a coy grin, his fingers ghosting up her thighs to a far as he could without getting slapped again, but enough to prove his point. He allowed her to direct him into the kiss, already haven given up trying to fight her in any way, except verbally. "Jus' so we're clear, I'm not goin' on the date jus' because I want to get in your pants. So more than one doesn't bother me, but tease me any more an' I will move on." He gave her another scathing kiss across her mouth before he gently, but firmly, moved her to get out from under her.
Any more of this and he really was going to need that cold shower.
That admission made her want to be honest with him about her reasons. Of course, being honest and knowing how to say it while her brain fried for saying it (prude as she was) were two different things. "If we're gonna be honest...it's not that I don't want--it's just--I've never...mhrrr...y'know..." she muttered, lowering her gaze and looking to the side while blushing madly.
No doubt a raised eyebrow was given at this, but seeing that she was a virgin, Kankurou wasn't surprised that there wasn't a sexual experience. In fact, he would've been more than surprised if she knew how to do some "things" but didn't lose her virginity yet. But instead of admitting his understanding, his face put on a mock surprised look. It was hard not to grin when he saw how hard she blushed.
"I'll teach you..." he slowly replied, wondering just how innocent this girl really was.
Well if that didn't make her shiver, nothing else did. The blush only increased as she looked up and glared slightly. "I thought I wasn't supposed to tease you, o wise one." Why wasn't the prospect of him teaching her scare her off? It must be the ever-present hangover. Or. Something.
He shrugged, standing up from the couch and then over to the dresser where all his clothes were hanging out of the drawers. "I'm 'bout to take a cold shower anyways."
"Oh. Oh." Her eyes widened, and she tried not to let her eyes trail down and see why he'd need a cold shower. "A-and...what's that supposed to be? An invitation?"
"Only if you'd want it to be." He almost started to laugh right then and there when he followed her eyes, himself not being embarrassed at all from his body's own traitorous reactions to the mild make-out session they had. It was natural and seeing that he wasn't really "lacking" in that particular department, he had nothing to hide or be shy of. He just didn't act that way.
"Shower's big 'nough for two people," he added wrly, throwing a towel over his shoulder.
Sakura swallowed thickly before looking up at him. "Another time," she answered. Again, that part of her brain that liked the whole shower idea was protesting, but she quickly made it shut the fuck up. She stood up from the couch, and patted down her dress. "We'll leave the lessons for another time. I should...leave you to you--hmm--shower."
This time, he didn't hold back the low laugh. "Have fun wit' explorin' the rest of the place. But I c'n tell you in advance, you ain't gonna bump into another half-naked guy in another room." He bent down to pick up a forgotten pair of pants and a muscle t-shirt before walking towards her.
"You gonna avoid me after this or risk th' chance of havin' Tem an' Gaara rip you up t'shreds?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly at that laugh--he was laughing at her, the bastard; unacceptable--snapping, "I wasn't planning to bump into another half-naked guy."
For the last question, she decided to prove it to him through actions, and walked over, drawing him in for a chaster kiss. "I'm going to fill in that dating application. But not because I'm afraid of them."
"So we're datin' now, huh?" His eyes matched hers for a moment before he leaned down to exact a similar kiss against her cheek. "I thought tha' day would never come."
She grinned widely. "You have to start someday, right?" she said, having a feeling somehow, that his remark was more of a 'never thought i'd be dating someone' kind than a 'finally together, darling!'. The mere thought of him going 'finally together, darling' had her snorting, but she kept it low. "Yes, I think...we're dating now. If you want. I want to."
"Why the hell not?" was the carefree response, enough to maybe ask for a good smack or two across his face, but Kankurou gave Sakura another slow kiss on her lips before pulling away. "If you get lost, y'know where to find me." He ruffled her hair affectionately (well, in his own way) before he stepped out of the room with his clothes, leaving B.B. King still playing in his room. Maybe when he came back, he'd listen to the other side.
A hair ruffle? Honestly? Sakura scrunched up her nose at that, watching him leave. She leaned against the closet, bitting her bottom lip while in deep thought. What have I just gotten myself into? Trust instinct. Why on Earth did I decide to trust instinct? Strangely enough, she didn't regret it. If this worked out, even a little bit... Well, she'd never know unless she tried. And Naruto... It wouldn't have worked out. It would've just messed up our friendship. She prayed to whatever deity listening that she be right about that assumption. Her friendship bond with Naruto was far stronger than a crush, and there was still love. There would alway be love for him. But she had to learn to walk without him.
Pushing herself away from the closet, she listened to the last strings of the song, before leaving the room.