[ Finished Log | Truth is you can stop and stare... ]
Who: Tenten, Kankuro
What: Through chance and destiny, two souls from opposite ends of the law make an acquaintance
Where: Firing Range
When: Sunday, February 14th
Rating: PG
Warnings: Guns.
Tenten was many things. A master of her craft. A teacher to their ranks. A goddess to their allies and a demon to their enemies. She was a woman who knew her limitations, but refused to let them cage her potential. And the she was certainly not what one would call timid. Far from it, in fact. So it would have been no shock to those who knew her well to find the young woman at the firing range, stepping up to the block without hesitation. Weapons were her specialty, after all. And that included firearms as well as blades, although she held a preference for knives and swords. Used them more often than she would a gun.
And that was why Tenten needed practice.
The fact that it took her away from all of the sappy sentiments of the holiday was merely a bonus. Today was the start of a new year as well, after all. And no one needed to be reminded that the world was filled with hearts and sugar when you made a living in deaths, underhanded deals, and deceptions.
So it was with that thought that the young woman went through the checklist of ensuring that her safety equipment were in place and in working order before lining up the shot with her target and pulling the trigger.
Only to have it hit just off center. "Dammit."
Kankurou found himself escaping the pink hole that had become of his work space. He had stopped by to grab some of his items that he had left on Friday, but man what he had seen. It was horrifying, and he needed a good moment to rethink everything before tonight. He had come to the shooting range, the one place he didn't have to file paperwork to fire his gun. It was a relief, and he was going to be using his own personal gun. However, when he walked into his favorite shooting range, all ready to shoot off a few, he noticed that there was another person in his usual stall. He walked up behind her, and smiled as she commented.
"Just a little off now?" He smiled down at the pretty girl. It was always nice to see a girl with a good shot.
Under normal circumstances, she would have been able to hear if another person was coming. Particularly if they were approaching from behind. -- It was a dangerous business to be caught at unawares and more often than not resulted in death, something the young woman was reluctant to experience as no doubt most were in the profession -- But the constant fire of the guns did well to drown out the footsteps. And the safety plugs in Tenten's ears only softened her senses even further from picking up the signs of another's presence. Not that she had much to worry about. The range was usually very well secured. Had always been for years.
Besides, who in their right mind would actively and by choice come looking for her in a place where her skills would excel? That would simply be suicidal on their part.
Still, she could not help the tiniest jerk of her muscles at the voice, fingers tightening just a fraction around the grip in reaction. And then Tenten was glancing back at the man in a cool and calculative manner. Assessing him in one easy sweep of her eyes before facing forward again. He was no one she knew. No one she had ever had to deal with in the past. The young woman could take some comfort in that, and felt herself relax a little at the realization. At least for now.
"I've been out of practice," she mumbled softly. And then took aim for the center point in the head of the silhouette printed on the target before pulling the trigger. Because any hit there was pretty much a guaranteed kill, whether you hit the mark perfectly or not.
Kankurou smiled as he looked her up and down. Kankurou couldn't say that he wasn't interested in this girl. There weren't many women he knew who could shot that accurately. There was his sister, but that was a different sort of thing. But since he was raised by his sister as his mother, it made sense. He watched her for a moment and then moved to the stall next to her. Prepping the safety and everything, via the rules of the shooting range. He took a deep breath in and out, and then he fired.
In Kankurou's line of work, he knew that a killing shot was not what he wanted on a normal basis. Hit and take down, but not ever to kill. However, when it came down to it, he was a good shot. He had to know how to take down an enemy if he needed to, and this is what it was. He shot just off of where Tenten did. Not the worst shot, but in comparison to most, it was great.
Given her skill level and affinity, it did not take long for Tenten to adjust to the feeling of having a gun in her hands once more. To re-familiarize herself with using the weapon and firing it off. Lining up the front and rear sight was no different than staring down the back edge of her swords. Adjusting for wind resistance and distance no different than calculating the proper force and angle in which she would have to throw her knives to hit the target. There was no excuse for her poor display. No reason that she could not hit the target on point despite how long it had been since she last fired a bullet.
Guns. Knives. Swords. They were all brothers in the same family of destruction. They were all linked. And if Tenten had anything to say about it, they would all fall prey to her will. Otherwise, what was the point? In a business filled with cutthroats and slum lords, only the best survived.
And Tenten was a survivor.
One final squeeze of the trigger -- one last shot -- and she set down her gun on the counter with a soft sigh as the target slid in towards her. -- And tried not to give in to her curiosity by glancing over one stall to see how the other was fairing. -- Every mark etched out on the target was hit. Every vital point ripped and torn to perfection from constant assault from the bullets. And it should have been satisfying enough. But the fact of the matter was that she had dealt with a stationary target. Hardly reason for praise when it was clear that no one sane enough would stand still enough for her to take the shot out in the field. And if the hitwoman wanted moving objects to take aim at, she would have to wait a bit longer if the shooting range schedule was still the same.
Not that she had anywhere else to go.
Kakurou found himself paying attention to every shot that this girl fired. It was surprising how good she really was, as if this was something she did on a day to day basis. Kankurou knew that there was no way that he could be that good, not unless he practiced hours on end. When she was done shooting off her rounds, Kankurou decided that it was about time that he prolly gave his dummy a rest, and he pulled his ear muffs down around his neck. Kankurou smiled a little as his gun found its place, and he moved to the stall next to him once more.
"I think he is good and dead, yeah?" Kankurou leaned against the side wall, and he tried to look cool. "I think you may have the upper hand here though, moving objects are a bigger and more challenging target though." Kankurou was hoping to strike up a conversation, and hopefully she would bite, or else he was going to look like a fool.
With the light weight of the ear muffs resting around her neck and the pressure of the foam plugs gently pushing out against her ears, Tenten stared straight ahead watching bullet after bullet fly towards their respective targets. With varying results. Understandable and expected, she supposed. It was a public shooting range, after all. A place for amateurs and pros alike to gather together under the same roof through their shared desire to mindlessly shoot at inanimate objects. Thus was human nature and humanity's tendency for violence validated.
It was almost poetic, really, the young woman thought. If it were not for the fact that there was no poetry or much thought in the act of squeezing a trigger. Only accuracy. Only precision and perfection. And with that thought, she took a momentary pause to lean forward, the flat of her palms pressed down on the surface of the counter.
At the faint murmur of the other's voice over the bang and boom of the guns, Tenten turned and glanced over her shoulder, shifting just far enough to distinguish an outline and a few blurs of color from the very edges of her vision. Him again. The one from before who... had done fairly decently if the holes in his target indicated anything. Not the worse by a long shot, but certainly not the best. And here he was, no doubt fishing for a conversation. Because what other reason would he have to linger around her stall?
Why not, Tenten thought. She had nothing better to do while she waited. It would make the time go faster.
"You never know," she commented calmly and nonchalantly, "Maybe he's just playing dead."
Kankurou smiled, and looked at him. "It is a decent trick then, I must say." Kankurou moved his eyes from the paper target to the girl. "The name is Kankurou, Sabaku No Kankurou." He offered his had to her, hoping that since she had responded, she was friendly enough to respond. Kankurou was defiantly in the mood to chat with someone knew, and hell, he was surely in the mood to talk to a pretty lady with a gun.
"Where ever did you learn to shot that, anyway?" He had never seen her around the station, so it wasn't likely that she worked for the police, so there must be another explanation.
Tenten gave a shrug and carefully eyed the holes in the thin paper of the target. Scrutinized their size and in what areas of the body. Because she knew where she had been aiming when the trigger was pulled. The real test was whether or not the young woman hit those areas enough for it to actually count. And the truth of the matter was that her shots were a few centimeters off. A few centimeters too low. In the long run, a few centimeters hardly mattered in the real world when bullet wounds did as much damage no matter how slightly off they were. But to Tenten, they meant everything.
"It's a natural reaction for a lot of animals to save their own ass. Opossums do it," she offered, taking the time to straighten up her stance. And then snerked at the irony as the next words followed. "So do chickens."
His movements caught her attention enough for Tenten to turn full around just in time to see the offered hand. A friendly gesture from what appeared to be a friendly guy. That she met at a shooting range. Not exactly the best of conditions for causal conversation. But had yet to do anything that garnered suspicion. So after a moment of consideration, the young woman extended her hand to lightly grasp his. "Tenten. I run security at a big company so... learning how to shoot one of these things kinda comes with the territory." Not a complete lie, but far enough from the truth to keep her cautious about what she said next.
Kankurou smiled at her for a moment while he though. "Security." Kankurou echoed as he looked her up and down once more. "You must have more tricks up your sleeve, than, sweet heart." He smiled his cocky smile. There was something about this that made him want to tackle her and see who would come out on top. To arm wrestle to see if she was as strong as she talked. Maybe just roll around and see what came of it. So many different things he wanted to do, and yet, he resisted every single one of them.
"It is Valentine's day, ya know. What brings you here, no one to spend it with?" He wasn't prying, but he really wanted to know. There was a form of mystery about this girl that made him want to know everything.
When the word 'sweetheart' slipped from his lips, she could feel a slight twitch in her brow, though Tenten did her best to hide it from him. Because the term was demeaning if not condescending, in her opinion and view. A word used for centuries for different reasons and many different ways. All of which seemed to just rub Tenten the wrong way. But he could not have known that unless she had said something about it, so it was hardly Kankurou's fault. Still, a trigger was a trigger, and his ignorance to it did not stop the brief clench in her jaw. "That's for me to know."
Or the all too sweet smile from spreading across her face.
"And I could say the same about you," she continued, turning to check the cartridges in her guns to see just how many more rounds she had left before a reload was necessary, -- a reason to take pause and calm herself; a reason to just not punch him then and there for calling her such a name -- "I'm not the only one here, after all."
Kankurou laughed at being called out like that. "Of course," he knew since he brought it up, there was likely going to be such a response to that. "I can't stand the pink scattering everything and it being everywhere. It is a little too much." Kankurou fumbled with his gun on its holster. This was one place that it didn't matter if he could carry a concealed or not so concealed weapon. It was a shooting range, and everyone here had a gun. "Valentine's day is to cheesy for me. Simple enough?"
There was a smile that he kept in place when talking to beautiful women, but there was always that moment that Kankurou's eyes wondered a little without his knowledge. He couldn't help it, but his eyes almost immediately darted back to her face, her gun, anything that wouldn't look rude.
"Everything in moderation, right?" she quipped, casting a fleeting glance over her shoulder before refocusing on the task at hand. -- The guns could hold out for at least one round of extreme target practice; it was just a matter of waiting until she would be allowed to do so -- But not before throwing in a light scoff and adding to it in a sarcastically flat tone, "And there's absolutely nothing pink or sparkly here."
No. There was certainly nothing pink or shiny to be found there. Only the dull grey of the walls and floor. The cold gleam of the barrels as their owners took aim. Something of which Tenten was grateful for because that was partially her reason for being there as well. To escape the foolishness of a holiday that placed unnecessary focus on an emotion that, frankly, should not need a special day set aside to express.
Love, if it was truly pure and real, should be expressed always for personal reasons. Not because the day dictated you should. "Besides, you shouldn't need a reason to show someone how you feel other than just wanting to."
"I like your thought process." Kankurou smiled, holstering and upholstered his gun with a smile. He was a little nervous, that was a fact, but he was unsure of what else to do. He needed to do something with his hands that would keep his wondering mind busy enough that he wouldn't find himself drifting again.
Tenten tried not to shrug at the comment. Because it had been a simple opinion that came about from years of observation. Little process went into deriving to the conclusion that millions of people spent an insane amount of money and effort every year for this singular day to commemorate the death of a martyred Roman Saint. "Experience does that to you."
And that they usually ended up being dissatisfied because things did not turn out as planned.
"Trying to live up to the hype only leaves you with stress, disappointments, and an empty wallet," she continued, her tone impassive and even as if the subject matter were as interesting as the specks of dirt clinging to the bottom of her shoe. All the while, the young woman took out and clicked in the bullet cartridge idly with her back to him. "Who needs that kind of pressure and anxiety?"
"No one really." Kankurou responded with a smile. "I ain't got no anxiety anyway. I mean, really, why stress over the small things in life?" That was one of the reasons he loved the shooting range. It was the best way to escape from everything. It was calming, relaxing, and it wasn't like he was going to see many of the people he knew here. This was his favorite shooting range, and now, he knew he needed to frequent it more.
"A lot of people, apparently," she deadpanned. And then scoffed softly before continuing. Because really, it was all so very amusing indeed, in a sad and somewhat pathetic sort of way. The day came with so many expectations and obligations. Rituals and traditions that were almost demanded instead of earned. Where was the sentimental in that? How could the masses of people view it as one of the most romantic days of the year when all of the romanticism was taken away? "And the fact that it's the same day every year takes away from the surprise and spontaneity."
Straightening out her arms, the young woman lined up the barrel of the gun with a target a few lanes down. Something to do to occupy herself. Because it was not Tenten's intention to actually take a shot at it, although it would have no doubt been a little impressive if not against the rules. But it did do well to give him a decent view of her profile and another angle of her for him to admire if he so chose. "I don't know about you, but I think surprises are a lot more fun."
Kankurou smiled at that, as he watched her move. She was very beautiful, and that was not a question at all. "Surprises are the best thing, I would have to say. I mean, especially when it comes to love." Although Kankurou wasn't all that experienced with it in the first place, but he had seen what it did to people. It also helped that Kankurou got easily bored, when there wasn't a little kick in everything he did. That was why being part of SWAT was nice. He always could get something exciting and spontaneous when he wasn't doing paper work or in a deep load of trouble.
"Tch." This day was far from being about love, she wanted to say, but chose to keep that thought to herself. Because the last thing she needed was for this guy to think her a bitter spinster that got her jollies from firing off a few dozen rounds of metal and gun powder into a guy's head. Not that she didn't and it wasn't a fun concept to consider, but that was hardly the reason.
"Good surprises aren't so bad," she corrected, and the corner of her lips quirked up in a soft smirk while Tenten casually slid her glance over to him, "It's the other ones you have to worry about."
Just then, a loud buzz sounded. The multiple target sessions were about to begin. The procedure was simple. Each participant was given a turn to use the entire range as targets zipped, zagged, slid, and popped-up into view. The light above each stall indicated whose turn it was while the rest were left to wait and watch until their chance came up. After the first round, the weakest patron was knocked from the roster. Then the process started over again, with a higher difficulty level, and continued until there was only one.
A full minute was all that you were given for each turn. But the bragging rights lasted for a lifetime. "You staying for this?"
Kankurou's gaze stopped wondering when Tenten looked over this way. He smiled and then looked back at everyone else here. "Are you kidding me. I wouldn't miss it!" He swiftly moved to his stall once more, and pulled out his gun, and waited for his turn.
With a scoff, she lightly shook her head and turned back to the target field as the first few patrons took their turn. He was like a young boy in a candy store or a toy shop, excitedly scrambling about in anticipation of his prize. Hardly the proper way for an adult man to act. But on some level that Tenten could not fathom to understand, it had seemed almost endearing to watch.
All thought and consideration on the matter disappeared, however, the moment the red light turning on above her stall. Stepping up to the counter, Tenten lined her sight with the back edge of the barrel and took a deep, calming breath in preparation. And then with a hard slam of her palm, she pressed the big button fixed on the side of the stall to let the range master know that she was ready for her session to begin.
Everything else that followed from that moment became a blur after the first time she squeezed the trigger.
Kankurou smiled as he watched each bullet leave and hit its target. It was almost memorizing as he watched from his stall, as everyone did there best. But Kankurou knew that he could do better, and all he could do was wait for his turn.
It was almost like running on instincts alone. There was no thought into her movements as the whirl of the target machine filled in the silence once again. More like an ingrained knowledge that had been programmed and drilled into her head for years. There was movement. And before her mind could process enough thought to order her limbs to move, she was already pulling the trigger. Then she would blink, and the process started all over again. Movement. Trigger. Shoot. Movement. Trigger. Shoot.
The minute was over before Tenten ever felt it had begun.
One by one, the competition was whittled down with each round becoming more difficult. More unpredictable. More like home. Because it was becoming less and less like kid's game played on the playground. And more and more like Tenten's life. Until there were only five left, and the range master called for a brief reprieve to regroup. Refresh. Recollect one's focus.
Part of her was glad to see that Kankuro had managed to last this far into the game. The other part, however, began to wonder just who this guy was to be as good as he was. Either way, she stood just outside of his stall space with a slender hand pressed to her hip, faintly impressed if not just a little bit more cautious. "So, you're not just all talk."
Kankurou enjoyed the rush of the action in front of him. It was something he missed so much with each promotion he received. He used to get this more often than not, being in the line of fire, making sure his life wasn't in jeopardy, to make sure that his partner would be just as safe as he was. The adrenaline, the not thinking, the pure thrill of it all, it was what proved to him that he was alive. Yeah, he was cocky, but hell, he was good and had that reason to be cocky. When they finally took a break, Kankurou was smiling. When Tenten spoke, he was beaming as he turned around.
"I am much more than that," Kankurou smiled as he once again took a look down her body. The longer she lasted, the higher her rating went up. She was reaching closer to a 10 now, more so than she had just minutes before. "You are pretty good yourself. Glad I picked out the one girl who can beat the shit out of any guy here." He smiled, as he gestured to the three others that had made the next round. They were all big, 'scary' and tattooed up. If it was to be said, Kankurou and Tenten were the odd men out, or odd woman and man out.
"You think you can take them?" Kankurou said, stretching and leaning on the same wall that Tenten was at.
Following his gesture, Tenten glanced over her shoulder at the rest of the competition. And quickly assessed their skills to be of no match for her. They were the typical bunch she had run into a number of times during her trips to the shooting range. The details changed here and there, but the basics were always the same. Big men who felt they had a point to prove or a reputation to make for themselves. And all who viewed her an easy target for defeat. Or worse yet, a tempting toy for their personal satisfaction as was made apparent by the way their eyes trailed along the lines of her silhouette. Not all that different than the few times she had caught Kankuro watching her in the same matter. But at least he held the decency to speak with her as if she were an equal.
Well... for the most part.
"Piece of cake," she scoffed with confidence, taking the pause to unbutton and shrug off her short sleeved blazer. Underneath was a simple white tank that left little to the imagination as it seemed to fit snug against her curves. The fact that she stood a mere foot away from the other man, giving him a perfect view of pendant that rested neatly just at cusp of where her chest began to divide -- just enough of a tease to tempt any man -- meant nothing. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall, as the saying goes. And these guys look ready to topple over, don't you think?"
There was an instant blush on his checks as Tenten stripped in front of him. He was sure that he was blushing now, and it was uncertain if it was because of the wondering eyes he had had this entire afternoon. Kankurou immediately moved his attention to the group of three, and the smiles that turned to frowns as they realized that Kankurou was getting something they couldn't, not that he was actually getting anything at the moment. But jealous eyes nonetheless.
Once Kankurou got his bearings about him, and the blush subsided, he smiled his cocky smile again. "I think we can make them fall hard. They seem to think themselves Kings of the shooting range. I think we need to knock them off their thrones." Kankurou wasn't going to mention the fact that if they did so, that would make them King and Queen of the shooting range. That thought brought another blush to his face, but he kept his smile in place.
"Oh I know I can," she quipped, adding in a sort of playful gleam to her eyes as she glanced back at Kankuro, "Question is if you can manage to stay in the game long enough to fight for the gold."
Because it never left her mind that even if the both of them had managed to outlast the other remaining three, there could only be one winner of the day. One 'King of the Range' as Kankuro had so rightfully put it. And Tenten was determined to hold on to that coveted title. Even if it meant resorting to her little tricks and distractions to keep it. Not that he knew the standing record was placed under her name, but details can be left for explanation at a later time.
"It only counts if you want it bad enough," Tenten added almost as an afterthought, putting forth a smile that seemed to be a mix of sweet innocence and sinister intent. Together, it was a fairly bewitching gesture to all those who stood a witness to it. Especially when coupled with the seemingly harmless effort of reaching out her hand to wipe away a non-existent smudge on Kankuro's cheek. It was enough to drive the other contestants to a competitive fit of jealousy and determination, or so she hoped. Because it meant that their focus would suffer as a result while they fought for a more enticing prize. As for the young man, himself... well, if Kankuro faltered at her whims as well, all the better for it. "And I can tell you right now, they don't."
It was just the moment that Kankurou thought that he had is emotions in check, when he smiled. In that same moment, Tenten moved in on him. It was almost as if it was slow motion. Her body moved in enough to reach him, much closer than she had been before. Kankurou let out a slow shuddered breath. Tenten's hand came up to meet his face, and rested on his check as a blush flared to life. For a moment he saw Temari. 'You boys are so dirty. Keeping you clean! I feel like I'm your mother.' However, Kankurou could have sworn his face was clean, but that didn't stop the blush.
When she looked at him, Kankurou knew she was trying to pull him in like a deceptive fly trap. He was the poor fly, and he wanted to be tricked. He swallowed again, and looked back behind Tenten where the men could almost be seen to visibly steam. She was trying to throw them as well, which he didn't mind either. He was the one who had the soft fingers at his flesh. If only he knew what her real intentions were.
"It is obviously going to be," Kankurou had to swallow to find even a string of thoughts. "A true battle between us then."
With the same hand, she swept aside a few wisps of hair that fell over her eyes, attempting with little success to tuck the short strands behind her ear. And in a manner that seemed like the most natural thing in the world, she let out a soft chuckle. The move might have been innocent enough of a gesture had the young woman refrained from letting her fingers continue on to lightly glide down along the pale expanse of her neck.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," was her soft response, almost coming as a whisper as she leaned in just a bit more so that he could still hear. All the while, Tenten's smile remained.
In a casual sort of demeanor, the young woman let her eyes trail over the curve of his cheek where her thumb had lightly caressed the skin at some invisible speck of dirt. As if Tenten were considering the feel of it and had briefly become lost in the thought, which was not exactly far from the truth. There had been a faint hint of stubble, she remembered, but not enough to make the surface scratchy or rough. As if he had only shaved that morning or the one before. It was a nice feeling against the smoothness of steel she was accustomed to handling. "Victory is all the more... satisfying when you have to fight for it, wouldn't you agree?"
Kankurou couldn't stop staring and he couldn't think straight. It was more than obvious that she was doing this on purpose, but. well, he kinda liked the flirting. He didn't get a lot of it reciprocated. "I think," started as he heard the voice over everything else, but he couldn't care less. "We're about ready to start"
That's not the only thing that's starting, she wanted to say, but refrained from torturing his poor brain even further. Any more and he was liable not to function enough to rest of the competitors. And Tenten wanted him to last at least as far as the semi-finals, if only to weed out the posers.
"Hm... so we are," she said instead, with an air of nonchalance as the young woman leaned in a centimeter more, "Good luck, Slick."
And then she was easing off of the wall separating their two stalls, letting one last gaze linger on his half-dazed face before Tenten took her stance at the counter. And waited for her turn to come again.
If Kankurou hadn't been in a public place, he would be nose bleeding all over the place. It was not far, but he needed to find a way to recompose himself or he was going to make a huge fool of himself. He swallowed hard, and watched her go. As she left, he could feel the space that she had been in fill with cooler air. He let out a breath, and nodded. He would be after her. That would make him last. He was fine with that. And based on the glares coming from ahead of him, he was sure so were the other guys.
Swallowing, he found himself resting as well as he could as he listened to the beeps and the load echoing of the guns to his far left. Soon, it would be his turn.
Eyes closed, she listened intently to the rounds and rounds of fire, analyzing the speed in which each trigger was pulled. With the advance technology that was available to them in this day and age, the instant recoil and response of a gun was impressive. But it took a steady and skilled hand to utilize it to its full abilities. A practiced individual to take full advantage of every move they made in order to hit every target dead center. And while Tenten was not the type to use her gun skills often, it was just like riding a bike.
The soft buzz of sound ripped through her tranquil thoughts, indicated that the green light over her stall was on. It was her turn to shine once more.
Quickly, slamming the butt of the gun against the button to start up the new simulation, Tenten was already taking aim and pulling the trigger and lining up her next shot before the range master ever had the time to switch the light to yellow.
Kankurou was trying so hard to get his thoughts straight. He needed to take those deep breaths that he normally left alone. He was more of the think about anything later type, and while shooting a gun didn't take much thought, this was honestly, the farthest he had ever gotten in a competition like this. So yeah, he was trying a little harder then normal, but hey, you couldn't really blame him much. This girl, this Tenten, she was hot, and she was a good conversationalist. How much better could it have gotten?
Then, it was her turn. He felt his brain clearing enough so that he could watch her perfect shoots. And well, it made Kankurou nervous. He needed to be in the top two. He needed to be in the top two. Taking a firmer grip on his gun, he heard her final target go down, just as beautifully as every other shot had been. That meant, well, it was his turn. Loosening his grip on the gun enough (because a firm grip would mean failure) the butt of his gun pushed the button, and the gun was at eye level once again.
Aim and shoot. Aim and shoot. Aim and shoot. Each target, he hoped, would be just better then all of the other men. He could feel their eyes on the back of his neck as he did indeed do just better then them. He could feel the sweat move down his face a little and his back some too. But it didn't stop him from doing the best he'd ever done.
Five soon narrowed down to four. And then three, until eventually there were only two left standing. All the while, Tenten had refrained from speaking a single word to anyone, her eyes directed forward and focused on the prize. Nothing else mattered. Everything else would be merely a distraction. Because while it was nothing more than some frivolous competition of skills in a controlled environment for them, this was how she remained at the top of her game. This was how Tenten survived. Nothing could let her forget that. Not Kankuro standing in the stall beside her. Not the crowd of men and a scattered populous of women watching for the final verdict of the match. Nothing.
It was almost as if she were a different person from before.
It was one of her more major flaws, perhaps, being so extremely attentive to matters that concerned the clan and placing them over most everything else. But it was the sort of attitude that kept her near the top of Sasuke's ranks. Because if she were ever to lose her place of value to his cause, then that would certainly be the end of her then and there. So it was with that singular thought in mind that the young woman checked how many bullets were left in the cartridge and snapped it back place with a soft click while she waited for them to start again, one last time.
Kankurou couldn't believe what had happened. He was standing side by side with Tenten, and he had actually gotten to the top two. It must have been a dream. Must have been. There was no way he would have made it this far otherwise. But here he was, clicking a cartridge into the gun, and waiting. He was second in line, and he wasn't sure if he was going to make first place, but hell, he was gonna try.
Swallowing hard, he looked to his left, and saw the Tenten was so focused it was unbelievable. It was something that he wishes he could do.
With higher stakes on the line, new rules were implemented. -- a full three minutes to shoot their hearts out, faster moving targets, and the option of using two guns at once -- To make things more interesting, the range master had reasoned. This was about giving the crowd a good show, after all. Which would bring more people in next time, ultimately creating more of a profit. And with two of the top shooters of the night going head-to-head, that was what they would most certainly get.
The love of money could create all sorts of interesting situations, she thought grimly.
Using her foot, Tenten slid the briefcase out from where it had stood hidden in the shadows and promptly placed it on top of the counter, the latches unsnapping with a soft click. And within seconds, she had another fully functional gun, loaded and ready to perform. Reaching into a compartment located on the side of the briefcase, she brought out another cartridge of bullets and placed it vertically beside where the first gun laid before and quickly cleared off everything that she would not need for the final round.
At almost the same instance she hit the butt of one gun against the button to start the simulation, the young woman was firing a shot with the other at the first target that had the unfortunate luck to pop up first. And kept squeezing the triggers in rapid succession for the full three minutes of play. Even when the first gun clicked with resounding emptiness, she continued shooting with the second to keep up her momentum. All the while, moving to unlatch the first cartridge so that it fell harmlessly to the floor just in time for her to slam the gun down perfectly on the new case on the counter, locking it into place with the force so that she would be able to continue using both guns without pause.
And then it was over, save for the lingering echoes of her bullets.
Kankurou was sure that the sound of his jaw hitting to floor would be lost to everything now. However, he couldn't get his jaw to rest back in place, no matter how had he tried. How in this wild world was he supposed to beat that? Kankurou was good, for someone who did paperwork all day, but damn. There was no way he was going to beat that, and now, he was wishing he hadn't made it as far as he had. Every single eye in this whole place was now on him, as the red light flashed on the button. He could do one gun, but two. Kankurou wasn't sure how talented he was in comparison to that.
Feeling the need to throw in the white towel, Kankurou retrieved his back-up gun. Just because he had a second gun didn't mean he had gotten used to shooting with his left hand. And anyway, that wasn't what he was planning on doing with it anyway. He was a better shot when he used two hands on one gun. Kankurou just simply wasn't that much of a gun guy.
So he took his primary gun in hands, and pressed the button with the butt of his gun (making sure he had a spare cartridge for each gun) and he begin. He had to reload twice in the mayhem, but that was what he knew. Kankurou was taught how to do this under stress and pressure. Knowing that he didn't do as well a job as Tenten, the there minutes ended, and in comparison, Tenten looked like a goddess.
Once her part was done, there was no further reason to invest herself in the world. The young woman's turn was over, after all, and it was only a matter of waiting for Kankuro to finish his round before the final verdict on their ranks was determined. Not that it mattered. These were things that Tenten hardly cared about or paid much attention to, truthfully. It was never about proving herself the best against the others. Only to prove that she was still capable of using the skill should it become necessary to utilize it out in the field.
And so, during the entire last round of the other's turn, the young gunner had spent the entire time replaying her shots over and over, carefully analyzing where the bullets hit, where they faltered, and where there was room for improvement. All the while, the recoil of his guns continued to sound in the background.
Better than you were the day before, she thought to herself.
Two brief pauses in the sequence where he was forced to stop and reload hammered the final nails in his coffin. Though it was true that Kankuro had managed to fix in the new cartridges fairly quickly -- quicker than a number she had worked with in the past -- the breaks only pulled him further and further behind until it became pointless to try and catch up to her score. Until it was only about retaining his pride while she was announced the winner.
"Nice try, Ace," she muttered to him when they went to shake hands, "Better luck next time."
Kankurou was actually very happy with his score. He wasn't really a gunner, and the only time that he got to play with his guns was when he was here, so the score was more than enough for him. Second place made him feel like a God. He was awesome, and he lost to one of the most beautiful gunners he had ever seen. She was also a nice person. ALthough there was some angry growling (or so it felt like they were growling) and laughter at him for losing to a women, he was happy.
"I think I may need to take up some practicing from you. You are far too good at what you do for something like this," But Kankurou really didn't care what she did for a living. It was unlikely that he would ever see her again. If he was lucky, she would want to see him again. But Kankurou knew that he wouldn't really be able to do anything with her, because of Rin. Which reminded him.
He looked down at his watch and the time shocked him for a moment. "I uh," Kankurou said, placing his phone back into his pocket. "I've gotta be somewhere soon. I have to pick up this girl for this dance thing and," Kankurou fumbled with his guns, trying to make sure that everything that was his was where it was supposed to be. "Stupid Valentine's day stuff. I am not even sure what it is, but the company is throwing it so ..."
He stopped for a moment and looked at the girl in front of him. "I am glad I got my ass handed to me by you. Would have felt like a fool if someone else had done it. I hope to see ya around sometime soon?"
Working security has it's benefits, she wanted to say, but thought better of it. They were not there to divulge about their personal lives. At least not moreso than they already had. No, they were all there for one simple purpose: to feel the heavy weight of a gun in their hands as they fired off round after round of hot lead into paper and metal targets. To scratch that undeniable itch to pull the trigger over and over for whatever reason. Nothing more. Nothing less. Still, it felt nice to break from the usual silence that Tenten surrounded herself with every time she would come to the shooting range. And though he wasn't exactly far from the usual brood who tended to try and strike up a conversation with her, there was simply something about the way he accepted the truth of her skills compared to his that the young woman found charming if not novel.
"Ah, it all makes sense now," she teased. And all the while, the gunner went through the motions of disassembling her firearms, carefully placing them back into their separate compartments in the suitcase. "No wonder you were going on and on about how much you hated this holiday." Here, she gave a soft and light chuckle. Company party or not, it was, in her view, still a typical Valentine's Day plan. And pathetically endearing. "Anything for love, right? Or at least a girl's affections."
There was a moment's pause at his words while the young woman took an instance to think over the concept. She did not necessarily hate his company, but there was no great desire to run into him again. On the other hand, if they happened to cross paths a second time, Tenten was hesitant to admit to herself that she would not have been entirely opposed to the idea. It was a positive sort of neutrality that made it hard to discern just how she felt about a person. Understandable, she supposed, considering the limited topics they had discussed during the span of their stay. "Good luck with that," "As for the other thing... we'll see."
Turning on her heels, she easily picked up her suitcase full of things and started for the door. And with one last glance over her shoulder, Tenten gave him a nonchalant wave in departure. "Later, Slick."
What: Through chance and destiny, two souls from opposite ends of the law make an acquaintance
Where: Firing Range
When: Sunday, February 14th
Rating: PG
Warnings: Guns.
Tenten was many things. A master of her craft. A teacher to their ranks. A goddess to their allies and a demon to their enemies. She was a woman who knew her limitations, but refused to let them cage her potential. And the she was certainly not what one would call timid. Far from it, in fact. So it would have been no shock to those who knew her well to find the young woman at the firing range, stepping up to the block without hesitation. Weapons were her specialty, after all. And that included firearms as well as blades, although she held a preference for knives and swords. Used them more often than she would a gun.
And that was why Tenten needed practice.
The fact that it took her away from all of the sappy sentiments of the holiday was merely a bonus. Today was the start of a new year as well, after all. And no one needed to be reminded that the world was filled with hearts and sugar when you made a living in deaths, underhanded deals, and deceptions.
So it was with that thought that the young woman went through the checklist of ensuring that her safety equipment were in place and in working order before lining up the shot with her target and pulling the trigger.
Only to have it hit just off center. "Dammit."
Kankurou found himself escaping the pink hole that had become of his work space. He had stopped by to grab some of his items that he had left on Friday, but man what he had seen. It was horrifying, and he needed a good moment to rethink everything before tonight. He had come to the shooting range, the one place he didn't have to file paperwork to fire his gun. It was a relief, and he was going to be using his own personal gun. However, when he walked into his favorite shooting range, all ready to shoot off a few, he noticed that there was another person in his usual stall. He walked up behind her, and smiled as she commented.
"Just a little off now?" He smiled down at the pretty girl. It was always nice to see a girl with a good shot.
Under normal circumstances, she would have been able to hear if another person was coming. Particularly if they were approaching from behind. -- It was a dangerous business to be caught at unawares and more often than not resulted in death, something the young woman was reluctant to experience as no doubt most were in the profession -- But the constant fire of the guns did well to drown out the footsteps. And the safety plugs in Tenten's ears only softened her senses even further from picking up the signs of another's presence. Not that she had much to worry about. The range was usually very well secured. Had always been for years.
Besides, who in their right mind would actively and by choice come looking for her in a place where her skills would excel? That would simply be suicidal on their part.
Still, she could not help the tiniest jerk of her muscles at the voice, fingers tightening just a fraction around the grip in reaction. And then Tenten was glancing back at the man in a cool and calculative manner. Assessing him in one easy sweep of her eyes before facing forward again. He was no one she knew. No one she had ever had to deal with in the past. The young woman could take some comfort in that, and felt herself relax a little at the realization. At least for now.
"I've been out of practice," she mumbled softly. And then took aim for the center point in the head of the silhouette printed on the target before pulling the trigger. Because any hit there was pretty much a guaranteed kill, whether you hit the mark perfectly or not.
Kankurou smiled as he looked her up and down. Kankurou couldn't say that he wasn't interested in this girl. There weren't many women he knew who could shot that accurately. There was his sister, but that was a different sort of thing. But since he was raised by his sister as his mother, it made sense. He watched her for a moment and then moved to the stall next to her. Prepping the safety and everything, via the rules of the shooting range. He took a deep breath in and out, and then he fired.
In Kankurou's line of work, he knew that a killing shot was not what he wanted on a normal basis. Hit and take down, but not ever to kill. However, when it came down to it, he was a good shot. He had to know how to take down an enemy if he needed to, and this is what it was. He shot just off of where Tenten did. Not the worst shot, but in comparison to most, it was great.
Given her skill level and affinity, it did not take long for Tenten to adjust to the feeling of having a gun in her hands once more. To re-familiarize herself with using the weapon and firing it off. Lining up the front and rear sight was no different than staring down the back edge of her swords. Adjusting for wind resistance and distance no different than calculating the proper force and angle in which she would have to throw her knives to hit the target. There was no excuse for her poor display. No reason that she could not hit the target on point despite how long it had been since she last fired a bullet.
Guns. Knives. Swords. They were all brothers in the same family of destruction. They were all linked. And if Tenten had anything to say about it, they would all fall prey to her will. Otherwise, what was the point? In a business filled with cutthroats and slum lords, only the best survived.
And Tenten was a survivor.
One final squeeze of the trigger -- one last shot -- and she set down her gun on the counter with a soft sigh as the target slid in towards her. -- And tried not to give in to her curiosity by glancing over one stall to see how the other was fairing. -- Every mark etched out on the target was hit. Every vital point ripped and torn to perfection from constant assault from the bullets. And it should have been satisfying enough. But the fact of the matter was that she had dealt with a stationary target. Hardly reason for praise when it was clear that no one sane enough would stand still enough for her to take the shot out in the field. And if the hitwoman wanted moving objects to take aim at, she would have to wait a bit longer if the shooting range schedule was still the same.
Not that she had anywhere else to go.
Kakurou found himself paying attention to every shot that this girl fired. It was surprising how good she really was, as if this was something she did on a day to day basis. Kankurou knew that there was no way that he could be that good, not unless he practiced hours on end. When she was done shooting off her rounds, Kankurou decided that it was about time that he prolly gave his dummy a rest, and he pulled his ear muffs down around his neck. Kankurou smiled a little as his gun found its place, and he moved to the stall next to him once more.
"I think he is good and dead, yeah?" Kankurou leaned against the side wall, and he tried to look cool. "I think you may have the upper hand here though, moving objects are a bigger and more challenging target though." Kankurou was hoping to strike up a conversation, and hopefully she would bite, or else he was going to look like a fool.
With the light weight of the ear muffs resting around her neck and the pressure of the foam plugs gently pushing out against her ears, Tenten stared straight ahead watching bullet after bullet fly towards their respective targets. With varying results. Understandable and expected, she supposed. It was a public shooting range, after all. A place for amateurs and pros alike to gather together under the same roof through their shared desire to mindlessly shoot at inanimate objects. Thus was human nature and humanity's tendency for violence validated.
It was almost poetic, really, the young woman thought. If it were not for the fact that there was no poetry or much thought in the act of squeezing a trigger. Only accuracy. Only precision and perfection. And with that thought, she took a momentary pause to lean forward, the flat of her palms pressed down on the surface of the counter.
At the faint murmur of the other's voice over the bang and boom of the guns, Tenten turned and glanced over her shoulder, shifting just far enough to distinguish an outline and a few blurs of color from the very edges of her vision. Him again. The one from before who... had done fairly decently if the holes in his target indicated anything. Not the worse by a long shot, but certainly not the best. And here he was, no doubt fishing for a conversation. Because what other reason would he have to linger around her stall?
Why not, Tenten thought. She had nothing better to do while she waited. It would make the time go faster.
"You never know," she commented calmly and nonchalantly, "Maybe he's just playing dead."
Kankurou smiled, and looked at him. "It is a decent trick then, I must say." Kankurou moved his eyes from the paper target to the girl. "The name is Kankurou, Sabaku No Kankurou." He offered his had to her, hoping that since she had responded, she was friendly enough to respond. Kankurou was defiantly in the mood to chat with someone knew, and hell, he was surely in the mood to talk to a pretty lady with a gun.
"Where ever did you learn to shot that, anyway?" He had never seen her around the station, so it wasn't likely that she worked for the police, so there must be another explanation.
Tenten gave a shrug and carefully eyed the holes in the thin paper of the target. Scrutinized their size and in what areas of the body. Because she knew where she had been aiming when the trigger was pulled. The real test was whether or not the young woman hit those areas enough for it to actually count. And the truth of the matter was that her shots were a few centimeters off. A few centimeters too low. In the long run, a few centimeters hardly mattered in the real world when bullet wounds did as much damage no matter how slightly off they were. But to Tenten, they meant everything.
"It's a natural reaction for a lot of animals to save their own ass. Opossums do it," she offered, taking the time to straighten up her stance. And then snerked at the irony as the next words followed. "So do chickens."
His movements caught her attention enough for Tenten to turn full around just in time to see the offered hand. A friendly gesture from what appeared to be a friendly guy. That she met at a shooting range. Not exactly the best of conditions for causal conversation. But had yet to do anything that garnered suspicion. So after a moment of consideration, the young woman extended her hand to lightly grasp his. "Tenten. I run security at a big company so... learning how to shoot one of these things kinda comes with the territory." Not a complete lie, but far enough from the truth to keep her cautious about what she said next.
Kankurou smiled at her for a moment while he though. "Security." Kankurou echoed as he looked her up and down once more. "You must have more tricks up your sleeve, than, sweet heart." He smiled his cocky smile. There was something about this that made him want to tackle her and see who would come out on top. To arm wrestle to see if she was as strong as she talked. Maybe just roll around and see what came of it. So many different things he wanted to do, and yet, he resisted every single one of them.
"It is Valentine's day, ya know. What brings you here, no one to spend it with?" He wasn't prying, but he really wanted to know. There was a form of mystery about this girl that made him want to know everything.
When the word 'sweetheart' slipped from his lips, she could feel a slight twitch in her brow, though Tenten did her best to hide it from him. Because the term was demeaning if not condescending, in her opinion and view. A word used for centuries for different reasons and many different ways. All of which seemed to just rub Tenten the wrong way. But he could not have known that unless she had said something about it, so it was hardly Kankurou's fault. Still, a trigger was a trigger, and his ignorance to it did not stop the brief clench in her jaw. "That's for me to know."
Or the all too sweet smile from spreading across her face.
"And I could say the same about you," she continued, turning to check the cartridges in her guns to see just how many more rounds she had left before a reload was necessary, -- a reason to take pause and calm herself; a reason to just not punch him then and there for calling her such a name -- "I'm not the only one here, after all."
Kankurou laughed at being called out like that. "Of course," he knew since he brought it up, there was likely going to be such a response to that. "I can't stand the pink scattering everything and it being everywhere. It is a little too much." Kankurou fumbled with his gun on its holster. This was one place that it didn't matter if he could carry a concealed or not so concealed weapon. It was a shooting range, and everyone here had a gun. "Valentine's day is to cheesy for me. Simple enough?"
There was a smile that he kept in place when talking to beautiful women, but there was always that moment that Kankurou's eyes wondered a little without his knowledge. He couldn't help it, but his eyes almost immediately darted back to her face, her gun, anything that wouldn't look rude.
"Everything in moderation, right?" she quipped, casting a fleeting glance over her shoulder before refocusing on the task at hand. -- The guns could hold out for at least one round of extreme target practice; it was just a matter of waiting until she would be allowed to do so -- But not before throwing in a light scoff and adding to it in a sarcastically flat tone, "And there's absolutely nothing pink or sparkly here."
No. There was certainly nothing pink or shiny to be found there. Only the dull grey of the walls and floor. The cold gleam of the barrels as their owners took aim. Something of which Tenten was grateful for because that was partially her reason for being there as well. To escape the foolishness of a holiday that placed unnecessary focus on an emotion that, frankly, should not need a special day set aside to express.
Love, if it was truly pure and real, should be expressed always for personal reasons. Not because the day dictated you should. "Besides, you shouldn't need a reason to show someone how you feel other than just wanting to."
"I like your thought process." Kankurou smiled, holstering and upholstered his gun with a smile. He was a little nervous, that was a fact, but he was unsure of what else to do. He needed to do something with his hands that would keep his wondering mind busy enough that he wouldn't find himself drifting again.
Tenten tried not to shrug at the comment. Because it had been a simple opinion that came about from years of observation. Little process went into deriving to the conclusion that millions of people spent an insane amount of money and effort every year for this singular day to commemorate the death of a martyred Roman Saint. "Experience does that to you."
And that they usually ended up being dissatisfied because things did not turn out as planned.
"Trying to live up to the hype only leaves you with stress, disappointments, and an empty wallet," she continued, her tone impassive and even as if the subject matter were as interesting as the specks of dirt clinging to the bottom of her shoe. All the while, the young woman took out and clicked in the bullet cartridge idly with her back to him. "Who needs that kind of pressure and anxiety?"
"No one really." Kankurou responded with a smile. "I ain't got no anxiety anyway. I mean, really, why stress over the small things in life?" That was one of the reasons he loved the shooting range. It was the best way to escape from everything. It was calming, relaxing, and it wasn't like he was going to see many of the people he knew here. This was his favorite shooting range, and now, he knew he needed to frequent it more.
"A lot of people, apparently," she deadpanned. And then scoffed softly before continuing. Because really, it was all so very amusing indeed, in a sad and somewhat pathetic sort of way. The day came with so many expectations and obligations. Rituals and traditions that were almost demanded instead of earned. Where was the sentimental in that? How could the masses of people view it as one of the most romantic days of the year when all of the romanticism was taken away? "And the fact that it's the same day every year takes away from the surprise and spontaneity."
Straightening out her arms, the young woman lined up the barrel of the gun with a target a few lanes down. Something to do to occupy herself. Because it was not Tenten's intention to actually take a shot at it, although it would have no doubt been a little impressive if not against the rules. But it did do well to give him a decent view of her profile and another angle of her for him to admire if he so chose. "I don't know about you, but I think surprises are a lot more fun."
Kankurou smiled at that, as he watched her move. She was very beautiful, and that was not a question at all. "Surprises are the best thing, I would have to say. I mean, especially when it comes to love." Although Kankurou wasn't all that experienced with it in the first place, but he had seen what it did to people. It also helped that Kankurou got easily bored, when there wasn't a little kick in everything he did. That was why being part of SWAT was nice. He always could get something exciting and spontaneous when he wasn't doing paper work or in a deep load of trouble.
"Tch." This day was far from being about love, she wanted to say, but chose to keep that thought to herself. Because the last thing she needed was for this guy to think her a bitter spinster that got her jollies from firing off a few dozen rounds of metal and gun powder into a guy's head. Not that she didn't and it wasn't a fun concept to consider, but that was hardly the reason.
"Good surprises aren't so bad," she corrected, and the corner of her lips quirked up in a soft smirk while Tenten casually slid her glance over to him, "It's the other ones you have to worry about."
Just then, a loud buzz sounded. The multiple target sessions were about to begin. The procedure was simple. Each participant was given a turn to use the entire range as targets zipped, zagged, slid, and popped-up into view. The light above each stall indicated whose turn it was while the rest were left to wait and watch until their chance came up. After the first round, the weakest patron was knocked from the roster. Then the process started over again, with a higher difficulty level, and continued until there was only one.
A full minute was all that you were given for each turn. But the bragging rights lasted for a lifetime. "You staying for this?"
Kankurou's gaze stopped wondering when Tenten looked over this way. He smiled and then looked back at everyone else here. "Are you kidding me. I wouldn't miss it!" He swiftly moved to his stall once more, and pulled out his gun, and waited for his turn.
With a scoff, she lightly shook her head and turned back to the target field as the first few patrons took their turn. He was like a young boy in a candy store or a toy shop, excitedly scrambling about in anticipation of his prize. Hardly the proper way for an adult man to act. But on some level that Tenten could not fathom to understand, it had seemed almost endearing to watch.
All thought and consideration on the matter disappeared, however, the moment the red light turning on above her stall. Stepping up to the counter, Tenten lined her sight with the back edge of the barrel and took a deep, calming breath in preparation. And then with a hard slam of her palm, she pressed the big button fixed on the side of the stall to let the range master know that she was ready for her session to begin.
Everything else that followed from that moment became a blur after the first time she squeezed the trigger.
Kankurou smiled as he watched each bullet leave and hit its target. It was almost memorizing as he watched from his stall, as everyone did there best. But Kankurou knew that he could do better, and all he could do was wait for his turn.
It was almost like running on instincts alone. There was no thought into her movements as the whirl of the target machine filled in the silence once again. More like an ingrained knowledge that had been programmed and drilled into her head for years. There was movement. And before her mind could process enough thought to order her limbs to move, she was already pulling the trigger. Then she would blink, and the process started all over again. Movement. Trigger. Shoot. Movement. Trigger. Shoot.
The minute was over before Tenten ever felt it had begun.
One by one, the competition was whittled down with each round becoming more difficult. More unpredictable. More like home. Because it was becoming less and less like kid's game played on the playground. And more and more like Tenten's life. Until there were only five left, and the range master called for a brief reprieve to regroup. Refresh. Recollect one's focus.
Part of her was glad to see that Kankuro had managed to last this far into the game. The other part, however, began to wonder just who this guy was to be as good as he was. Either way, she stood just outside of his stall space with a slender hand pressed to her hip, faintly impressed if not just a little bit more cautious. "So, you're not just all talk."
Kankurou enjoyed the rush of the action in front of him. It was something he missed so much with each promotion he received. He used to get this more often than not, being in the line of fire, making sure his life wasn't in jeopardy, to make sure that his partner would be just as safe as he was. The adrenaline, the not thinking, the pure thrill of it all, it was what proved to him that he was alive. Yeah, he was cocky, but hell, he was good and had that reason to be cocky. When they finally took a break, Kankurou was smiling. When Tenten spoke, he was beaming as he turned around.
"I am much more than that," Kankurou smiled as he once again took a look down her body. The longer she lasted, the higher her rating went up. She was reaching closer to a 10 now, more so than she had just minutes before. "You are pretty good yourself. Glad I picked out the one girl who can beat the shit out of any guy here." He smiled, as he gestured to the three others that had made the next round. They were all big, 'scary' and tattooed up. If it was to be said, Kankurou and Tenten were the odd men out, or odd woman and man out.
"You think you can take them?" Kankurou said, stretching and leaning on the same wall that Tenten was at.
Following his gesture, Tenten glanced over her shoulder at the rest of the competition. And quickly assessed their skills to be of no match for her. They were the typical bunch she had run into a number of times during her trips to the shooting range. The details changed here and there, but the basics were always the same. Big men who felt they had a point to prove or a reputation to make for themselves. And all who viewed her an easy target for defeat. Or worse yet, a tempting toy for their personal satisfaction as was made apparent by the way their eyes trailed along the lines of her silhouette. Not all that different than the few times she had caught Kankuro watching her in the same matter. But at least he held the decency to speak with her as if she were an equal.
Well... for the most part.
"Piece of cake," she scoffed with confidence, taking the pause to unbutton and shrug off her short sleeved blazer. Underneath was a simple white tank that left little to the imagination as it seemed to fit snug against her curves. The fact that she stood a mere foot away from the other man, giving him a perfect view of pendant that rested neatly just at cusp of where her chest began to divide -- just enough of a tease to tempt any man -- meant nothing. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall, as the saying goes. And these guys look ready to topple over, don't you think?"
There was an instant blush on his checks as Tenten stripped in front of him. He was sure that he was blushing now, and it was uncertain if it was because of the wondering eyes he had had this entire afternoon. Kankurou immediately moved his attention to the group of three, and the smiles that turned to frowns as they realized that Kankurou was getting something they couldn't, not that he was actually getting anything at the moment. But jealous eyes nonetheless.
Once Kankurou got his bearings about him, and the blush subsided, he smiled his cocky smile again. "I think we can make them fall hard. They seem to think themselves Kings of the shooting range. I think we need to knock them off their thrones." Kankurou wasn't going to mention the fact that if they did so, that would make them King and Queen of the shooting range. That thought brought another blush to his face, but he kept his smile in place.
"Oh I know I can," she quipped, adding in a sort of playful gleam to her eyes as she glanced back at Kankuro, "Question is if you can manage to stay in the game long enough to fight for the gold."
Because it never left her mind that even if the both of them had managed to outlast the other remaining three, there could only be one winner of the day. One 'King of the Range' as Kankuro had so rightfully put it. And Tenten was determined to hold on to that coveted title. Even if it meant resorting to her little tricks and distractions to keep it. Not that he knew the standing record was placed under her name, but details can be left for explanation at a later time.
"It only counts if you want it bad enough," Tenten added almost as an afterthought, putting forth a smile that seemed to be a mix of sweet innocence and sinister intent. Together, it was a fairly bewitching gesture to all those who stood a witness to it. Especially when coupled with the seemingly harmless effort of reaching out her hand to wipe away a non-existent smudge on Kankuro's cheek. It was enough to drive the other contestants to a competitive fit of jealousy and determination, or so she hoped. Because it meant that their focus would suffer as a result while they fought for a more enticing prize. As for the young man, himself... well, if Kankuro faltered at her whims as well, all the better for it. "And I can tell you right now, they don't."
It was just the moment that Kankurou thought that he had is emotions in check, when he smiled. In that same moment, Tenten moved in on him. It was almost as if it was slow motion. Her body moved in enough to reach him, much closer than she had been before. Kankurou let out a slow shuddered breath. Tenten's hand came up to meet his face, and rested on his check as a blush flared to life. For a moment he saw Temari. 'You boys are so dirty. Keeping you clean! I feel like I'm your mother.' However, Kankurou could have sworn his face was clean, but that didn't stop the blush.
When she looked at him, Kankurou knew she was trying to pull him in like a deceptive fly trap. He was the poor fly, and he wanted to be tricked. He swallowed again, and looked back behind Tenten where the men could almost be seen to visibly steam. She was trying to throw them as well, which he didn't mind either. He was the one who had the soft fingers at his flesh. If only he knew what her real intentions were.
"It is obviously going to be," Kankurou had to swallow to find even a string of thoughts. "A true battle between us then."
With the same hand, she swept aside a few wisps of hair that fell over her eyes, attempting with little success to tuck the short strands behind her ear. And in a manner that seemed like the most natural thing in the world, she let out a soft chuckle. The move might have been innocent enough of a gesture had the young woman refrained from letting her fingers continue on to lightly glide down along the pale expanse of her neck.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," was her soft response, almost coming as a whisper as she leaned in just a bit more so that he could still hear. All the while, Tenten's smile remained.
In a casual sort of demeanor, the young woman let her eyes trail over the curve of his cheek where her thumb had lightly caressed the skin at some invisible speck of dirt. As if Tenten were considering the feel of it and had briefly become lost in the thought, which was not exactly far from the truth. There had been a faint hint of stubble, she remembered, but not enough to make the surface scratchy or rough. As if he had only shaved that morning or the one before. It was a nice feeling against the smoothness of steel she was accustomed to handling. "Victory is all the more... satisfying when you have to fight for it, wouldn't you agree?"
Kankurou couldn't stop staring and he couldn't think straight. It was more than obvious that she was doing this on purpose, but. well, he kinda liked the flirting. He didn't get a lot of it reciprocated. "I think," started as he heard the voice over everything else, but he couldn't care less. "We're about ready to start"
That's not the only thing that's starting, she wanted to say, but refrained from torturing his poor brain even further. Any more and he was liable not to function enough to rest of the competitors. And Tenten wanted him to last at least as far as the semi-finals, if only to weed out the posers.
"Hm... so we are," she said instead, with an air of nonchalance as the young woman leaned in a centimeter more, "Good luck, Slick."
And then she was easing off of the wall separating their two stalls, letting one last gaze linger on his half-dazed face before Tenten took her stance at the counter. And waited for her turn to come again.
If Kankurou hadn't been in a public place, he would be nose bleeding all over the place. It was not far, but he needed to find a way to recompose himself or he was going to make a huge fool of himself. He swallowed hard, and watched her go. As she left, he could feel the space that she had been in fill with cooler air. He let out a breath, and nodded. He would be after her. That would make him last. He was fine with that. And based on the glares coming from ahead of him, he was sure so were the other guys.
Swallowing, he found himself resting as well as he could as he listened to the beeps and the load echoing of the guns to his far left. Soon, it would be his turn.
Eyes closed, she listened intently to the rounds and rounds of fire, analyzing the speed in which each trigger was pulled. With the advance technology that was available to them in this day and age, the instant recoil and response of a gun was impressive. But it took a steady and skilled hand to utilize it to its full abilities. A practiced individual to take full advantage of every move they made in order to hit every target dead center. And while Tenten was not the type to use her gun skills often, it was just like riding a bike.
The soft buzz of sound ripped through her tranquil thoughts, indicated that the green light over her stall was on. It was her turn to shine once more.
Quickly, slamming the butt of the gun against the button to start up the new simulation, Tenten was already taking aim and pulling the trigger and lining up her next shot before the range master ever had the time to switch the light to yellow.
Kankurou was trying so hard to get his thoughts straight. He needed to take those deep breaths that he normally left alone. He was more of the think about anything later type, and while shooting a gun didn't take much thought, this was honestly, the farthest he had ever gotten in a competition like this. So yeah, he was trying a little harder then normal, but hey, you couldn't really blame him much. This girl, this Tenten, she was hot, and she was a good conversationalist. How much better could it have gotten?
Then, it was her turn. He felt his brain clearing enough so that he could watch her perfect shoots. And well, it made Kankurou nervous. He needed to be in the top two. He needed to be in the top two. Taking a firmer grip on his gun, he heard her final target go down, just as beautifully as every other shot had been. That meant, well, it was his turn. Loosening his grip on the gun enough (because a firm grip would mean failure) the butt of his gun pushed the button, and the gun was at eye level once again.
Aim and shoot. Aim and shoot. Aim and shoot. Each target, he hoped, would be just better then all of the other men. He could feel their eyes on the back of his neck as he did indeed do just better then them. He could feel the sweat move down his face a little and his back some too. But it didn't stop him from doing the best he'd ever done.
Five soon narrowed down to four. And then three, until eventually there were only two left standing. All the while, Tenten had refrained from speaking a single word to anyone, her eyes directed forward and focused on the prize. Nothing else mattered. Everything else would be merely a distraction. Because while it was nothing more than some frivolous competition of skills in a controlled environment for them, this was how she remained at the top of her game. This was how Tenten survived. Nothing could let her forget that. Not Kankuro standing in the stall beside her. Not the crowd of men and a scattered populous of women watching for the final verdict of the match. Nothing.
It was almost as if she were a different person from before.
It was one of her more major flaws, perhaps, being so extremely attentive to matters that concerned the clan and placing them over most everything else. But it was the sort of attitude that kept her near the top of Sasuke's ranks. Because if she were ever to lose her place of value to his cause, then that would certainly be the end of her then and there. So it was with that singular thought in mind that the young woman checked how many bullets were left in the cartridge and snapped it back place with a soft click while she waited for them to start again, one last time.
Kankurou couldn't believe what had happened. He was standing side by side with Tenten, and he had actually gotten to the top two. It must have been a dream. Must have been. There was no way he would have made it this far otherwise. But here he was, clicking a cartridge into the gun, and waiting. He was second in line, and he wasn't sure if he was going to make first place, but hell, he was gonna try.
Swallowing hard, he looked to his left, and saw the Tenten was so focused it was unbelievable. It was something that he wishes he could do.
With higher stakes on the line, new rules were implemented. -- a full three minutes to shoot their hearts out, faster moving targets, and the option of using two guns at once -- To make things more interesting, the range master had reasoned. This was about giving the crowd a good show, after all. Which would bring more people in next time, ultimately creating more of a profit. And with two of the top shooters of the night going head-to-head, that was what they would most certainly get.
The love of money could create all sorts of interesting situations, she thought grimly.
Using her foot, Tenten slid the briefcase out from where it had stood hidden in the shadows and promptly placed it on top of the counter, the latches unsnapping with a soft click. And within seconds, she had another fully functional gun, loaded and ready to perform. Reaching into a compartment located on the side of the briefcase, she brought out another cartridge of bullets and placed it vertically beside where the first gun laid before and quickly cleared off everything that she would not need for the final round.
At almost the same instance she hit the butt of one gun against the button to start the simulation, the young woman was firing a shot with the other at the first target that had the unfortunate luck to pop up first. And kept squeezing the triggers in rapid succession for the full three minutes of play. Even when the first gun clicked with resounding emptiness, she continued shooting with the second to keep up her momentum. All the while, moving to unlatch the first cartridge so that it fell harmlessly to the floor just in time for her to slam the gun down perfectly on the new case on the counter, locking it into place with the force so that she would be able to continue using both guns without pause.
And then it was over, save for the lingering echoes of her bullets.
Kankurou was sure that the sound of his jaw hitting to floor would be lost to everything now. However, he couldn't get his jaw to rest back in place, no matter how had he tried. How in this wild world was he supposed to beat that? Kankurou was good, for someone who did paperwork all day, but damn. There was no way he was going to beat that, and now, he was wishing he hadn't made it as far as he had. Every single eye in this whole place was now on him, as the red light flashed on the button. He could do one gun, but two. Kankurou wasn't sure how talented he was in comparison to that.
Feeling the need to throw in the white towel, Kankurou retrieved his back-up gun. Just because he had a second gun didn't mean he had gotten used to shooting with his left hand. And anyway, that wasn't what he was planning on doing with it anyway. He was a better shot when he used two hands on one gun. Kankurou just simply wasn't that much of a gun guy.
So he took his primary gun in hands, and pressed the button with the butt of his gun (making sure he had a spare cartridge for each gun) and he begin. He had to reload twice in the mayhem, but that was what he knew. Kankurou was taught how to do this under stress and pressure. Knowing that he didn't do as well a job as Tenten, the there minutes ended, and in comparison, Tenten looked like a goddess.
Once her part was done, there was no further reason to invest herself in the world. The young woman's turn was over, after all, and it was only a matter of waiting for Kankuro to finish his round before the final verdict on their ranks was determined. Not that it mattered. These were things that Tenten hardly cared about or paid much attention to, truthfully. It was never about proving herself the best against the others. Only to prove that she was still capable of using the skill should it become necessary to utilize it out in the field.
And so, during the entire last round of the other's turn, the young gunner had spent the entire time replaying her shots over and over, carefully analyzing where the bullets hit, where they faltered, and where there was room for improvement. All the while, the recoil of his guns continued to sound in the background.
Better than you were the day before, she thought to herself.
Two brief pauses in the sequence where he was forced to stop and reload hammered the final nails in his coffin. Though it was true that Kankuro had managed to fix in the new cartridges fairly quickly -- quicker than a number she had worked with in the past -- the breaks only pulled him further and further behind until it became pointless to try and catch up to her score. Until it was only about retaining his pride while she was announced the winner.
"Nice try, Ace," she muttered to him when they went to shake hands, "Better luck next time."
Kankurou was actually very happy with his score. He wasn't really a gunner, and the only time that he got to play with his guns was when he was here, so the score was more than enough for him. Second place made him feel like a God. He was awesome, and he lost to one of the most beautiful gunners he had ever seen. She was also a nice person. ALthough there was some angry growling (or so it felt like they were growling) and laughter at him for losing to a women, he was happy.
"I think I may need to take up some practicing from you. You are far too good at what you do for something like this," But Kankurou really didn't care what she did for a living. It was unlikely that he would ever see her again. If he was lucky, she would want to see him again. But Kankurou knew that he wouldn't really be able to do anything with her, because of Rin. Which reminded him.
He looked down at his watch and the time shocked him for a moment. "I uh," Kankurou said, placing his phone back into his pocket. "I've gotta be somewhere soon. I have to pick up this girl for this dance thing and," Kankurou fumbled with his guns, trying to make sure that everything that was his was where it was supposed to be. "Stupid Valentine's day stuff. I am not even sure what it is, but the company is throwing it so ..."
He stopped for a moment and looked at the girl in front of him. "I am glad I got my ass handed to me by you. Would have felt like a fool if someone else had done it. I hope to see ya around sometime soon?"
Working security has it's benefits, she wanted to say, but thought better of it. They were not there to divulge about their personal lives. At least not moreso than they already had. No, they were all there for one simple purpose: to feel the heavy weight of a gun in their hands as they fired off round after round of hot lead into paper and metal targets. To scratch that undeniable itch to pull the trigger over and over for whatever reason. Nothing more. Nothing less. Still, it felt nice to break from the usual silence that Tenten surrounded herself with every time she would come to the shooting range. And though he wasn't exactly far from the usual brood who tended to try and strike up a conversation with her, there was simply something about the way he accepted the truth of her skills compared to his that the young woman found charming if not novel.
"Ah, it all makes sense now," she teased. And all the while, the gunner went through the motions of disassembling her firearms, carefully placing them back into their separate compartments in the suitcase. "No wonder you were going on and on about how much you hated this holiday." Here, she gave a soft and light chuckle. Company party or not, it was, in her view, still a typical Valentine's Day plan. And pathetically endearing. "Anything for love, right? Or at least a girl's affections."
There was a moment's pause at his words while the young woman took an instance to think over the concept. She did not necessarily hate his company, but there was no great desire to run into him again. On the other hand, if they happened to cross paths a second time, Tenten was hesitant to admit to herself that she would not have been entirely opposed to the idea. It was a positive sort of neutrality that made it hard to discern just how she felt about a person. Understandable, she supposed, considering the limited topics they had discussed during the span of their stay. "Good luck with that," "As for the other thing... we'll see."
Turning on her heels, she easily picked up her suitcase full of things and started for the door. And with one last glance over her shoulder, Tenten gave him a nonchalant wave in departure. "Later, Slick."