[Log] Rescue Me...
Characters: Kankurou and Anko
Date: Wednesday, September 26th
Rating: R
Warnings: Foul language, angst and the fluff bunny rears it's ugly head again
Summary: [A Direct Continuation from Sekret Agents] Kankurou gets to play the Knight in Shining Armor
K -
Need help - emergency. 2 blks S Sanctus all way n back. No1 else i can call. Please
- A
"No, two bottles of vodka. 'Vodka', damn it!" Change rattled against their glass barrier on the counter as a tattooed hand slammed down on the wood. The fazed cashier behind the counter gave Kankurou a sheepish grin, obviously either drunk or high at the moment and service was undoubtedly unable to be given. A sharp vibration ran through the left side of his body, making him grit his teeth before he could shoot back another scathing insult. There was only a few selected people that had his cell number, the only way to contact him at all besides smoke signals and appearing right there in front of him. So anything that came from it was definitely important, or it had better be.
"Don't you fuckin' go anywhere, punk," Kankurou hissed at the cashier before he stepped out of the liquor store, who just hiccuped a bit and gave him a lopsided grin and mumbled something like "can I see your ID please, sir?" Violently pulling the mobile phone from the pocket, fingers flew across the keypad, finding out what the hell was wrong this time. His eyes squinted against the glare of the screen before recognizing the sender of the text and finally realizing what the message was about. It was vague, but it seemed clear enough. Kankurou looked confused at the text on the screen, eyes looking up towards the direction of the place indicated. It wasn't that far from where he was.
"A", could only be Anko, he knew that much. She was the only contact he had that had the letter "A" to the beginning of her name, believe it or not. Otherwise the rest would be "A"'s for "asshole". And she didn't ask for favors much, nor did she kid around.
This was enough to send Kankurou walking towards the direction, leaving behind the kid in the liquor store. It was only when he came within a hundred feet and noticed the familiar look of green gas floating out of a window that he started to run, knowing full well that it was his own product leaking out into the atmosphere. Flipping open his phone, he hastily rechecked the location texted to him and started towards it.
"Anko!" Kankurou shouted, his voice bouncing off the alley walls as he jogged through the trash laden between them. A shock of purple material drew his attention towards the dumpster in the back, and upon closer inspection, found it to be the exact person he was looking for. He quickly tore away at the garbage covering her body, almost half-expecting Anko to snap at him for his tardiness. "HEY! Wake up! Can you 'ear me?" Kankurou shouted into her face, face concerned at the stark paleness of her face, the upturned pupils behind her fluttering eyelids. Both, not very good signs.
"Shit. Always causin' me trouble an' shit, fuckin' hell--" Curses poured out of his mouth like the very air he breathed as he quickly checked her vitals and finally deciding that the only thing to do would be to take her back to his place and fix her up with some additional antidote. Grunting with effort, Kankurou slid his arms around her body and slung her over his shoulder, her bottom stuck up in the air as her legs dangled over his chest. It gave him the most flexibility but he was sure that if Anko had caught wind of the manner she was being handled she'd probably kill him. It was enough to make him pause a bit, reviving someone that could dispose him but lately their meetings had been safe enough. One hand grasping her thigh and the other around her ankles, he slowly stood up and waded his way out of the trash and out into the streets.
It looked like a dangerous way to "rescue" someone, but hell, he never actually came to anyone's help and he sure as hell was no knight-in-shining-armor.
Anko's return to reality was heralded by a sharp throbbing between her temples and the overall feeling of being mowed down by a tractor trailer. 'What the fuck?' Shifting slightly, she attempted to burrow her head underneath the pillow she currently lying on, hoping fruitlessly that she could fall back asleep or something. A sharp pain in her left arm halted her movements however as the evening's earlier events came rushing back to her. The Mark. The Unexpected Visitor who quite clearly kicked her ass. THAT was a blow to the ego if nothing else. But now her most pressing matter would be just where in the fuck was she? The hard floor was quite easily felt beneath the layers of blankets, obviously the pillow wasn't hers as it was definitely lacking that ingrained smell of her lotion but something else vaguely familiar. Pulling herself up into a seated position she blearily looked around, trying to see if she recognized anything or if there was some clue as to where she was. The small room was dimly lit from some light that apparently filtered in from a nearby room, a few pieces of clothing littering the floor here and there as well as other random paraphernalia. It was only when she raised her good arm up to massage at her temples did she realize she was definitely lacking some clothing. A fact that caused her eyes to narrow threateningly even as the took in her bandaged arm. On a more panicked note she realized that along with her shirt, she had been stripped of her weapons, neither of them appearing to be in the room with her.
Making the assumption that if whoever brought her here (wherever 'here' was) wanted her dead, she surely would have been by now, Anko slowly pulled herself into an upright position, bracing herself against the wall as she re-acclimated herself to the wonderful concept of standing. Carefully, she made her way out of the room, listening for tell-tale signs of someone else, trying to keep her movements as silent as possible until she could positively identify whoever they were and if they were a threat to her or not.
He had stiffened into a statue-like state when Anko had shown the first signs of consciousness. Kankurou was in the middle of grabbing something to eat from his sad excuse of a refrigerator when the rustling of the sheets behind him warned him. The pissed-off look that loomed around her disoriented features had gave him second thoughts from just plain out telling her where she was. Even with all of her weapons gone. She wouldn't be too happy about that either, seeing that the last time he took something from her she had pestered him to no end.
Slinking up behind her, cat-like, Kankurou held his breath and decided that constrainment would be the best idea. Coming up behind her, his hand quickly wrapped around her face and covered her mouth while his other arm wrapped itself around hers, restraining her from any sudden moments. It was a stupid idea, especially bringing her back to his place to treat her, but shit happened. At least he could prevent this one from happening.
"Don't freak out, it's me, Kankurou. Calm down, alrigh'?" He hissed into her ear, his arms and hands already feeling the tension in her muscles, buckling and resisting against his hold.
Anko nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand reached out of nowhere to cover her mouth, another following immediately behind the first. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest and she tried her damnedest to squirm out of the tight grip, knowing that in her current state she wasn't worth shit in a fight. The sudden voice at her ear however caused all the tension to immediately run out of her body, her knees buckling in her relief. Sagging against his chest for a brief moment to collect herself, she nodded slightly in acknowledgement so he knew she wouldn't do anything stupid.
She felt her breath hitch at the thought that Kankurou had actually came for her, that she was safe. It had been a fool's hope when she had sent out her 911 text, but he had found her and had helped her when in all actuality he sure as hell didn't have to. Hell, he'd probably have been better off to leave her there to rot but the fact of the matter was that he hadn't.
"Kankurou..." she whispered hoarsely as his hand slid away from her mouth, reaffirming to herself that she wasn't just strung out from all the shit running through her system, that he was in fact here. Not necessarily trusting herself too much at the moment, she didn't say anything else right away, instead going with a safe neutral question. "How long was I out?"
His hands rested against his sides as he moved them away from Anko, but not before a hand instinctively reached out to grasp her arm to hold her steady. The last thing he needed was a girl collapsing onto his floor and then a concussion. He knew how to cure his own shit, but he wasn't any doctor. The complete opposite, actually.
"'Bout half a day. Sit down 'fore you knock yourself out," he ordered, pulling her against him and then settling her down on the floor. He needed to sit down himself, having carried her ass for almost half an hour straight, right back to his place. Not to mention dodging an unexpected Arma patrol and batting away the curious neighbor from next door. Apparently she wasn't as light as he had imagined. Either that or he really needed to quit smoking.
Anko didn't argue, she let him tug her down to the floor, grateful he did so before her legs collapsed underneath her of their own accord. Lord knows she'd put him through enough that night, not to mention him having seeing her like this period. It was entirely too easy to just sit there, leaning back against Kankurou with her head resting against his shoulder as she tried to calm her pounding heart. In the comfortable silence that followed, it allowed her mind to work through the fact that she had very nearly let herself get killed. It was one thing to be confident in your abilities and your skills, it was another thing entirely to become cocky with that confidence. Rather then focusing in on her situation like she should have done, she had viewed it all as a game - which would not have been an issue had the uninvited guest not been on par with her. Not since she had been in the military had she met such an equal and she had been so stupid. The confidence that had kept her alive all these years had come full circle and instead it had made her careless.
And there was no one to blame but herself. So blinded by the need to enjoy the hunt, she had gotten her ass handed to her, not to mention the even more asinine fact that she had gotten injured by her own damned blade (the fact that it was her own damned poisoned blade not withstanding). Completely and utterly unacceptable.
Now that the adrenalin rush of her initial waking had passed, every one of Anko's injuries began to make themselves known. Her arm throbbed, wrist was definitely fucked up - she made the mental note to set that at some point - in the faint light she could see some of the bruises that had begun to form on her stomach and sides from the blows she had taken, her throat was still scratchy from the choke hold, she was just fucked up period. Tearing her thoughts away from how much of a sight she must be, she instead turned her attention to the man who she was currently resting against. Shifting her hand slightly, she let her fingers brush across the back of his hand in attempt to gain his attention. "Thank you. You didn't have to come and you did," she said softly, letting her hand rest fully on top of the one that was still loosely wrapped around her waist. "If you hadn't..." her voice faltered, the thought of 'what if he hadn't' shook her to the core. "...just thank you."
He had been afraid to breathe, to move even the slightest bit. It seemed to him that if he had moved, he would cause her to shatter. She was fragile at the moment and completely different from her normal self, that Kankurou was in slight stupor and shock. Living by himself for several years, with no human attachments, no connections to family had made his heart cold and himself unsure what to do or how to respond to human emotions. The drugs he made by his hands were all artificials, made to create fake emotions or to quell them. But at the moment, what was in his arms was genuine. So genuine, that it made him feel dirty, unclean.
His body had stiffened from her touches and as her soft hair brushed against his cheek he remained completely stiff. But as her words worked their way through the fog in his mind and the touches were acknowledged by his senses, to be frank, he didn't know what to do. Just to stay silent, because truth be told, he was a man of many words, but "comforting" described none of them. And what was she thanking him for? It was his own damned products that had gotten her into this mess and even if she wasn't the first to show him what his products were capable of, her case had hit him deeper than the others.
Teeth clenched a bit against the thought of her voiced "if you hadn't". Then they relaxed against the "thank you's" which sounded odd when directed towards him. He was never thanked, just paid for and that was it. Following her last words, Kankurou silently shifted against her to get a better view of her hands and injuries. She still seemed out of it, if not very tired, so asking what had happened was going to wait. All he had found out from observations was a knife wound, a small punctured hole in her arm, and bruises. But he didn't want to take the chance of looking over other wounds.
"I've dressed some of the wounds, but I need t'know if you've got others," Kankurou quietly said, his eyes searching hers for a response. He knew she had as much damned pride as he did, but that wasn't going to work at the moment if she was going to hide some serious wounds from him.
She shook her head slowly in response to Kankurou's question, doing her best to avoid his eyes. She had inconvenienced him enough and he had already done far more then what he really needed to have done. If she could just hang out long enough to get her bearings back she could probably get home and lick her wounds in private without being a further bother. She just couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. This quiet Kankurou was something she just couldn't deal with at the moment. If he was bitching and sniping at her like usual that was another thing entirely. This Kankurou was all soft voice and strong arms and dammit she did not want to break down here in front of him.
In lieu of answering verbally she patted the hand still on her waist before shifting so that she could make an attempt to pull away, bracing herself with her good hand to push herself upwards. Regardless of how comfortable they may be she needed some distance and she needed to get away.
Kankurou was left a bit confused at being slightly pushed away and being left in the silence. A familiar sense of being a tad bit ticked off sparked inside of his chest, his lips already curling at the edges into a familiar scowl. Well, if she got into serious trouble later on, she couldn't blame that he didn't ask. Pushing himself up, he watched Anko get up by herself to make sure she made it all the way before he straightened up and dusted himself a bit.
Stifling a yawn, Kankurou sauntered over to the fridge again to get some food out of it. There wasn't much, but there was a jug of milk, eggs, sausages and then there were the dry goods stored in the corner. During the food shortages, Kankurou had to call old connections to get something decent to eat, rather than eating god-damned peanuts 24/7. Not to mention he had half-starved himself in the apartment, not even touching a pack of cigarettes for the sake of saving some money for the food. But other than what he had at the moment, there wasn't anything else. Not even alcohol, which he had tried to obtain earlier in the evening.
"You 'ungry?" he asked, his back to her as he rifled through the contents in the fridge.
There mere thought of food was enough to make Anko's stomach churn. Shaking her head in the negative she realized belatedly that his back was to her and he couldn't see her response. "I'm ok, thank you," she answered softly. Frowning slightly she contemplated her surroundings. "This your place?" It was probably a stupid question, seeing as how he moved through the space with familiarity but she still felt the need to ask.
Moving off to the side where she wouldn't be in his way, Anko eased herself back down onto the floor. For having slept over half a day away she was fucking exhausted. With Kankurou's attention turned towards his dinner (breakfast? she had no freakin' clue as to what time is was) and away from her for a moment, she took the opportunity to quickly examine her wrist, being as though he had been kind enough to take care of any other injury that would have been an issue. Dark slashes indicated where the bastard's fingers had gripped her wrist tight, accented even more by the pronounced swelling. Wonderful. Chancing a glance back over towards the stove to ensure that Kankurou wasn't paying her any mind, she grit her teeth and forcibly rotated the injured joint, resisting the urge to cry out as the broken bones ground sharply together at the action. Reflexively pulling her arm back to cradle around her midsection, Anko let her head fall back against the wall so that she was staring at the ceiling while trying to will away the black spots dancing in her vision. Perhaps she should have waited to have done that when she could be alone but at least now the worst of it was over.
Kankurou's head whipped around at the sound that broke the silence, something that sounded awfully like the cracking of his knuckles except he wasn't the one doing it. Food forgotten, he moved quickly across the room to Anko, noticing that there was something not right about her posture. "What the hell was that?" Kankurou sharply asked, angry and concerned all at once. Not waiting for an answer, he moved his agile hands to her joints, checking every one of them. Fingers skimmed every joint in the body but found none. She must've set it back by herself.
Anger at the woman's stupid choice to set the bone by herself made itself apparent on Kankurou's face, his hands dropping her arms as if they had touched scathing metal. "Fuck!" He cursed at no one in particular, glaring at the weak woman in front of him, the sight of her making him even angrier. "No one in their right minds should do somethin' like that, you stupid idiot! Does it really kill you to ask someone for help?!" His voice escalated to a level that would probably wake up the neighbors next door, but his mind was out of control. It seemed like he was talking to himself, or rather what he was saying should've been directed to himself, since he followed similar ways. But at the moment he felt angry and pissed that she went as far to not even ask him for help for a simple task. If that was the case, then what the hell was he doing bringing her back here in the first place??
A slew of curse words went flying out of his mouth as he got up and stomped away from the small kitchen, his appetite now ruined.
Anko watched as Kankurou stormed off, her own curse lost in the wake of his tirade. She hadn't even heard him cross the room, didn't realize he had moved until she felt his fingers testing all accessible limbs. Then there was all the shouting. Tossing insults at each other was the normal routine, but he was truly fucking mad. And that just confused her further because she didn't really follow what exactly his issue was. It was hardly the first time she had set a broken bone, on herself or someone else for that matter so she hadn't thought twice about bothering him with it when it was something she could handle on her own. She would probably do it many more times in this lifetime if she were to be perfectly honest about it.
Foisting herself up from her spot she silently put away the makings of his dinner, setting it inside the refrigerator before it spoiled. Lord only knew there was precious little food left in the area that to waste it would be stupid. The apartment was silent in the aftermath of Kankurou's exit, giving her no clue as to the direction he had stormed off in. With his mess cleaned up she padded down the small hallway in search of him. It wasn't until she was standing in the next to last door frame did she see the shadow of his profile leaning back against the far wall. Completely ignoring the radiating waves of anger she stepped silently into the room, sitting herself down next to him (and attempting to do so as seamlessly as possible if only to not further antagonize him).
"You do realize that I was not going to call anyone for help tonight right?" she started out softly, frowning slightly at the slight rasp that sill hadn't left her voice, focusing her eyes on the dim square of light being emitted from a random street lamp. "I was just going to going let it all run its course, figured I'd get some sleep and the be fine enough to get home eventually. I honestly don't remember actually sending out the text, I just remember the intention to because I had gott...(en scared)...I didn't want to risk there being a more permanent effect," she frowned, having to quickly amend her words. "You who flipped out on me that one time I was worried about you because you had had a run in with the Arma." She tilted her head to the side to hopefully see a trace of humor on his face, frowning instead when there was no change in his stony glare forward. "Dammit Kankurou I'm not good with this whole talking shit," she grumbled, running an agitated hand through her hair. "I've been enough of an inconvenience to you today, it wasn't like I was aiming to piss you off. It was just something that had to be done and I could do it so I did. I'm sorry that it pissed you off but it wasn't like I meant to."
Silence was the only response to her explanation as Kankurou was quietly fuming internally, though some of the words had made it through that thick wall of stubbornness that he possessed. Exactly what was it that he was so angry about? Possibly trust, and the fact that he had been freaking out hours earlier to tend to her, using the limited medical knowledge he had. And the possibility that she had hurt herself with his own...there was too many possibilities. Every single damned one of them just needed to leave him alone at the moment and let him calm down. Because truth be told, he wasn't sure of anything as well.
Kankurou finally replied with a mumble of incoherent words. Upon seeing the slightly confused look on her face, Kankurou scowled and looked away, clearing his throat slightly. "I jus' didn't want you to do anythin' stupid under my watch. I already dragged your ass all the way from tha' place an' tried patchin' you up for hours. Kinda pointless if you go fuckin' injurin' yourself by settin' a bone in th'wrong way." He wasn't good at the entire "talking shit" either. All he could do was cover it up with bullshit and sarcasm. It was the best he could do and it was what he had been doing all these years.
"So I don't wanna see you movin', standin' or shit. Jus' stay still an' rest. Otherwise, how t'hell you gonna have the energy to beat my ass fer strippin' you naked?" A false smirk glinted on his face as he swept Anko up into his arms and carried her back into the room, ignoring any protests or threats that would undoubtedly fall from her mouth.
"What the hell!" she shrieked, holding on for dear life as she was suddenly picked up off the floor as if she was some damned child. "You ass! Put me down! I walked my ass just fine looking for your damned lecherous ass!" she ranted, too scared to squirm in his hold just in case he were to accidentally lose his grip and send her crashing to the floor. While it was vast improvement from about five minutes before, there was a little something left to be desired of the whole 'Me Tarzan, You Poor Helpless Female' bit. "Come on dammit, put me down Kankurou!"
As soon as he set her back down on the mound of blankets and sleeping bag that she had originally woken up in, she reached for the pillow, holding it threateningly in front of her. "I may look like shit right this moment but dammit I can still take your ass if you think for one second I'm going to lie here and let you boss me around." Tempted as she was to hurl the pillow at him on principal, it was the only one in the room and while it was all well and good to be re-establishing just which of the two of them had the bigger set of balls, Anko really was wearing down and fast. If her pride hadn't been drug through the mud and back again like it had that day, she would normally have just given up to resume the argument at a later time but she would be fine, they were fine and she was just not going to have him telling her what she would and would not be doing.
Even if there were some unfigured thoughts in the back of his mind, Kankurou ignored them, letting things sink back into the usual routine. Crouching next to her, Kankurou gave her a broad smirk, daring her to complete what she was intending to do with the pillow. It was good to see the familiar look of Anko's bad-mouthing personality returning to her. The one before had been a surprise and if it took that much damage for her to be tamed to that point, Kankurou would take this Anko anytime, any day. Gently, but firmly at the same time, Kankurou tugged the pillow away from her hands, placing a finger on her lips, feinting to look somewhat serious.
"Nice to see your bitchiness comin' back, but 'member, this is my place now. So if you don't mind, be quiet an' go back bein' tha' damsel in distress you were jus' like a moment ago." He smoothed her bangs away from her eyes and then gave her a soft kiss on her forehead, like children always asked to be treated before bed. No doubt, this would probably provoke her to become violent again, but Kankurou had meant somewhat of what he did.
They were in Ceno now, and things were quite different.
Anko scowled as her only weapon was taken away from her, really really denying herself the pleasure of biting the annoying finger that was currently in place to keep her quiet. Bitchiness? Damsel?! She was about to go ahead and chomp away when his free hand had reached up and brushed her hair back softly. The shock that came from the gentle gesture was increased triple-fold when he had leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead.
She watched him silently for a moment as he sat back on his heels, almost as if he were waiting to see how she was going to react. Dammit, how could she argue with him when he was going to act like this? Sighing in defeat she held out her hand for the pillow. Taking it in hand when he offered it back to her, she yanked back on it hard causing him to fall forward on his knees. Dropping the pillow in favor of twisting her hand in his shirt to keep him on her current level, she met his eyes silently for a moment as if she were gathering her thoughts. "You're going to go eat something and then you're going to come back and get some sleep," she informed him, not leaving him any room for negotiation. "If you're not back here in a decent amount of time then I'm going to come find you and drag your ass back here, deal?" She kept her grip on his shirt firm until she got her desired response. Before letting him go she leaned forward slightly, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Just in case I'm already out when you come back, thank you again," she said softly before sitting back and loosening her grip on his shirt.
It was typical of her, always wanting to have the last word and making them final with no room to argue. Kankurou continuously told himself that Anko was just agitated at the moment because of her condition and yes, the drugs he had injected into her. Might as well be nice for the moment. But just for the moment. He tried hard not to roll his eyes, but nodded with each command until she ended her list with a soft kiss. Now that was a hell of a closing statement.
"Deal, deal, yes madame and all tha' jazz. You jus' stay put and don't make me carry your ass back here." He returned her kiss with reassuring ones on the edges of her lips and on her cheek. He stood up and made sure that she was settled before he left the room and made his way to the kitchen. His appetite hadn't returned, not that there was much of one in the beginning, but knowing Anko, she'd probably smell out his excuse, literally, by his breath or something. You could never be so sure with that woman. Kankurou smiled inwardly to himself before opening the fridge, starting all over again.
Smiling with her small victory, Anko had no problem burying herself underneath the mound of blankets, making a mental note to demand some more clothes whenever she woke back up. The muffled sounds from the kitchen comforted her as she hovered between being awake and being asleep, fully intending to make sure Kankurou kept his word. He needed the sleep just as much as he claimed she did and she was going to do everything she could to make sure he got it even if that meant waiting on him before being able to sleep herself.
Hearing the noises from the kitchen eventually die down, she laid there counting heartbeats mentally daring him to make her get up from her comfortable position to drag his ass to bed. Just as she was about to roll over and go hunting for him she heard the soft tread of his footsteps coming close. "Bout damned time," she muttered, ignoring the smothering wave of disapproval due to the fact that she was still awake. "Don't even start with me, I didn't move so get your ass down here and go to bed already," she grumbled, attempting to stifle a yawn as she shifted to make room for him.
"An' would you jus' stop worryin' an' go t'sleep already? Geezus, can't even do my own shit aroun' my own place.." He had intended to work on some side orders that were needed to be done by the end of the week, but seeing that it was Anko that was in his so-called living room, he had to go back and check on her. Hell knows what she would be doing, since the last time he turned around, she was cracking bones. The complaints gradually faded as he knelt down next to her and settled next to her under the covers. If she was going to start making house calls like this one more frequently, he would probably have to think about getting a futon, if not a bed.
Kankurou turned onto his side, his face having a clear view of Anko's body, scowl fading as he took her face in with his eyes. It was a tough decision if asked what "type" of her he liked: the tough, smart-talking type or just the quiet and human type. Either way, being with her always kept him thinking and guessing. A hand reached out underneath the covers to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close to him, her hair tickling the underside of his chin.
Eyelids feel shut when nothing but soft breathing filled the room and the occasional nightlife drifted through the window.