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Someone To Watch Over Me	By : katsuyo Category: Naruto AU/AR > General Views: 1418 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Author's Note:
This story is dedicated to
one of my long suffering beta readers: Judo Creature for giving me the
suggestion to write a Hana and Kankuro
pairing story in the first place.
Special shout out to icycreamluff: as promised, another chapter in a
short amount of time... I hope you enjoy it.
A sentence in Italics
denotes the private thoughts of a character.
Just a reminder � everyone
working directly/indirectly with the clients has been given an alias.
Hoshiko Watanabe � Hinata
Emiko Tanaka � Hana
Shinko � Shino
Akiko � Kiba
This Chapter is inspired
by the song �Still Frame� by Trapt.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
nor do I make a profit from it. So there. Enjoy,
beautiful people, enjoy.
Chapter four � Aftershock
Kankuro walked down a narrow corridor,
stopping in front of a door.
He pushed open the door,
to reveal a bright and sunny guest room before walking over to the king sized
bed.
�This will be your room
for the duration of your...stay. If you need anything, my room is across the
hallway.� murmured the large man over his shoulder, depositing the suitcase
onto the bed before walking over to the doorway.
Hana watched him in silence as he
gently closed the door on his way out, presumably to his own room.
She was relieved that he
didn't decide to stick around because she didn't know how long she could
maintain this mask in place before she needed to give into the emotions she was
suppressing since the bombing incident.
Hana sat down on the edge of the bed
and finally gave into the tears.
Her shoulders shook
slightly as the stress of the morning finally took its toll.
The tall brunette stared
sadly at the floor, watching at the tears splashed unheeded onto the pale
carpet under her feet.
As much as she privately
acknowledged the immediate attraction between her and Kankuro,
she realistically knew that Shikamaru was correct in
warning her against acting on those feelings.
It would only cause
problems...or worse, get one or both of them killed.
�No...as
much as I would like to... even though I do find you wildly attractive, Kankuro... I know it wouldn't be a smart idea to fall for
the client.� murmured Hana out loud, only for the
silence of the room to mock her as the tears continued to run unheeded down her
cheeks.
She didn't realize that Kankuro had paused outside her door when he heard her
crying and stood there, ear against the door, listening to her cry but
unwilling to interrupt.
The large man badly wanted
to offer her a shoulder to cry on but wisely knew that it was best to leave her
on her own... for the moment.
He stiffened when he heard
her uttered comment, both in shock and delighted surprise before his brows
slashed down in a frown when he finally understood what she was planning to do.
�I think you're wrong, Hana... you can't avoid what's happening between us...I
realized that and you'll soon realize it yourself once you stop fighting it.� replied Kankuro silently
before pushing away from the door and quietly entering his own room.
It had been a really
long time that a woman had made him feel this way and he wasn't about to let
her slip through his fingers so readily...
----------------
---------------- ------------------
Shit! I feel stupid...
it's been a long time since I've broken down like that.
Hana finally pulled herself together
and raised a hand to scrub away the remaining tears before pushing herself up
off the bed to walk resolutely over to the bathroom.
She gasped in delight when
she saw the large old fashioned claw footed bathtub and felt a blush rise to
her cheeks as a sudden image of sharing it with a certain tattooed robotics
genius came to her mind.
Those large hands
knowingly trailing over her flesh...those lips gently touching the column of
her neck... her head dropping back to rest on that chest of his...
Damn it to hell! What
was wrong with her?!
She brutally pushed aside
such thoughts, knowing it was useless to yearn for something that wasn't going
to eventuate anyway and walked briskly over to the bathtub.
Hana jerked on the knobs and soon the
bathroom was filled with steam.
Quickly shrugging off her
grimy clothes and releasing her hair from its severe pony tail, she quickly
stepped under the hot needle like spray of the shower, hissing slightly as the
water hit the fresh cuts and abrasions on her body.
Hana sighed as she tilted her head
forward and felt the water cascade over her head and begin to sooth tired and
sore muscles.
�Shit! I must be getting
old... it never used to hurt this much when I was younger.� grumped Hana privately to herself as she reached for the small bar
of guest soap and began to lather up her body .
The brunette frowned
slightly, noting how quiet it was suddenly and quickly shut off the shower,
continuing to efficiently scrub her body while she intently listened.
Hana felt a small smile tug at the corner
of her lips when she heard the shower in Kankuro's
room running and could quite clearly hear him singing a racy little number
slightly off-key.
Well, he seems to be in
a good mood about something... that's a good sign I guess.
She quickly switched the
shower back on as she suddenly felt the almost foreign feeling of arousal
immediately course through her blood like wild fire as the thought of that
large man, all wet and slippery in the shower.
Damn it ALL to hell!
Hana slumped forward and rested her head
against the cool tiles of the bathroom wall, the flush on her heated flesh
nothing to do with the temperature of the shower.
She bit her lip and let
out a husky groan as she fought the desire to walk over to Kankuro's
bathroom, casually slip him behind him and offer to wash his broad back.
Oh... it was so
tempting!
�No, Hana...
remember... he's just a client and he'll just be another name on the books
after the job is done.� muttered Hana to herself,
finally feeling the heat inside her starting to subside.
When the hell did she
get so damn weak when the thought of a naked male nearly reduced her to a
sweltering mass of overactive hormones?
Hana reached for the shampoo and
quickly scrubbed her hair, finally ridding it of the building dust from the
earlier bomb blast.
No � she never
succumbed to her emotions, especially in the execution of her duties and she
sure as hell wasn't going to start doing so now...
---------------
--------------- -----------------
Kankuro finished toweling his hair dry
before he tossed the damp towel into the nearby clothes hamper and strolled
bare footed and bare chested down the hallway, down
the stairs and into the kitchen.
He quickly filled up the
tea kettle and put it on while he set up the tea pot and...waited.
She was wrong.
Kankuro rested his large elegant hands on
the counter top surface and brooded over what he had overheard.
He sure as hell didn't
want things to end between them... before it had a chance to even begin.
�You know, that counter
looks awfully clean to me... but that's a good plan. If I was dirt and I saw
that look on your face, I wouldn't want to stick around either.� murmured a now
familiar female voice behind him.
Kankuro pushed away from the counter and
switched off the stove as he heard the kettle whistle, pouring the hot water
into the waiting pot and putting the lid back on.
�Do you take cream, sugar,
honey or lemon in your green tea?� replied the large man as he turned to remove
two cups from a nearby overhead cupboard.
�Just one sugar.� returned
Hana, an eyebrow raised in question at his cool,
almost professional tone of voice.
O -kay...
something was definitely up...
She watched in silence as
he opened another cupboard to retrieve the sugar, his back muscles rippling as
his arm pulled the door open.
Hana could feel her mouth go dry as her
eyes continued to watch those muscles bunch and release, trying not to think
how they would feel under her searching fingers.
The woman bit back the
groan as Kankuro slid the sugar bowl onto the
counter, filling their cups with fragrant green tea before walking over to the
sink and turning to fully face her, his broad chest and tight abs clearly on
display for her to admire, the drawstring pants riding low on his hips.
Okay... so, it's been a
long time since I've seen a man this hot... a really long time.
�You know, you're wrong.�
murmured a masculine voice in a quiet but serious undertone.
�I'm wrong about
what...exactly?� replied Hana casually, trying not to
look at that mouth watering chest of his.
Must look at his face...
Hana swallowed audibly as she took in
that heated look in those dark emerald eyes of his.
Okay... I'm in deep
shit.
�You're wrong about us.�
returned the large man in that same serious undertone.
The brunette's eyes
widened in shock before her delicately arched eyebrows slashed down in a
forbidding frown.
�You were listening...�
gritted out Hana in a low and decidedly dangerous
whisper.
�Emiko, I have no
intention of fading back in the wood work after this job of yours is done... I
want you and I know you want me just as much... we're honest enough to realize
that such an instant attraction doesn't happen that often... especially to a
man like me.� murmured Kankuro, now brooding a hole
into the floor.
Hana frowned and asked, �What do you
mean, Kankuro?�
Kankuro let out a gusty sigh and replied,
�I'll be blunt. I'm not the type of man that gets the type of looks that I've
been receiving from you the moment we met. Women see me more as a convenient
tool for their own needs...�
Hana swallowed the hard lump that
formed in her throat before choking out hoarsely, �I see.�
She stared blindly at the
steaming cup of tea sitting untouched on the counter top.
�It seems a waste...anyone
can see that you're one hot piece of man flesh...� muttered Hana
unthinkingly out loud.
Kankuro felt his firm lips curve upwards
in a knowing smile at her softly uttered comment.
Did she realize that
she said that out loud? Probably not.

�So you think that... and yet, you still want to treat me like just another
job...� replied Kankuro with an unreadable look in
his eyes as he pushed himself away from the sink and walked towards the silent
and now blushing woman staring daggers at him.
The large man gently
tilted Hana's chin upwards until they were looking
into each other's eyes.
�Fine, Emiko... we'll keep
this arrangement strictly professional between us...for now.� murmured Kankuro, his lips inches from her own.
Hana felt her knees go weak as he
released her and walked over to the arched entrance way of the kitchen.
She watched in silence as
he paused in the entrance way and quietly murmured, �We both know that this
attraction we feel for each other isn't going to go away... but will continue
to grow stronger until one or both of us finally gives into our needs.�
Hana continued to stare at the empty
archway long after the large kabuki tattooed man had disappeared down the
hallway and into a room around the corner.
�Shit... why do I get the
impression that I'm suddenly in big trouble...� muttered Hana
under her breath as she stared at the cups of tea cooling on the counter.
-----------------
------------------ ---------------
Kankuro finally stepped away from the
prototype he was working on and rubbed his tired eyes.
When he had stalked into
his workshop, his first thought had been that he needed something to occupy his
mind and hands, at least until he calmed his libido down.
He glanced over at the
wall clock quietly ticking away and frowned.
Shit! He'd been in here
for a few hours now.
She was probably
hungry... and ready to rip his guts out... great.
He gave the screwdriver
one last twist before he finally placed it down next to the robot and walked
over to the door.
He switched off the lights
and carefully locked the room behind him before softly calling out, �Emiko...
are you there?�
�I'm right here, Kankuro.� replied a voice equally softly from the direction
of the sitting room.
He moved towards the voice
until he came to the archway leading into the room and stood there, silently
drinking in the sight of the long legged brunette sitting on his couch, quietly
reading her packet of information.
He couldn't help but
notice how comfortable and right she looked sitting there.
�You managed to get much
work done, then?� asked Hana, finally looking up from
the papers she was reading.
Kankuro reached a large hand up to scratch
the back of his head as he replied sheepishly, �Yeah, I did...thanks. Uh, I
feel bad about leaving you on your own for the rest of the afternoon...and I
noticed it's time for dinner... How about I take you out to make it up to you
for making you wait?�
Hana couldn't keep the surprise from
showing on her face as she asked, �You're offering to take me out?�
Kankuro frowned before murmuring, �Well...
yeah. Is there a problem with that?�
Hana quickly shook her as she raised her
hand and gave it a little wave in the negative as she smiled and quietly
admitted, �No...not at all...it's just... this is the first time a client has
offered to take me out because they got caught up with work...and kept me
waiting... most folks really don't give a damn about the hired shadow.�
�Well... get used to it,
Emiko.� growled out Kankuro, not liking her reply at
all as he stalked off to get ready.
�And wear
something...nice...preferably something that shows off a lot of leg.� called
out a male voice to the stunned female still sitting on the couch.
Pervert.
Hana knew she should be offended by his
high handedness but couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her lips as she
automatically reached for her phone and called a familiar number.
�Yeah... it's me... I'm
going to need a ride... Yeah, an hour's time should be plenty... great!...Yeah, I'll call you back later this evening...no
problem... bye.�
Yeah... this job was
getting more interesting by the moment.
----------------
-------------- -----------------
Why the hell did he
offer to take her out?
Kankuro splashed cold water onto his
tattooed visage before reaching for a clean towel from the nearby pile.
He looked at his
reflection, noting that his features were largely unremarkable and yet, this
woman, from the moment she met him had made it clear that she found him
desirable.
Just as he found her
unconventional looks equally desirable.
Kankuro sighed and wiped away the
remaining water droplets that escaped the first pass of the towel.
He gave his scowling
visage one last cursory glance in the mirror before he walked out of the
bathroom and into his bedroom.
Kankuro stopped in front of his large walk
in closet and slid open the door with a sigh gusting out of his firm lips.
It had been a very long
time since he'd been out anywhere... much less a date.
A large hand flicked
through the selection half heartedly before hovering over a hanger towards the
back of the closet.
Temari had given him the outfit on his
last birthday, declaring at the time that he would definitely make an
impression on the ladies.
Of course, until now...
wooing the fairer sex had never been a priority to him...
So, why was he bothering
now?
Because
with her... he wanted to make the effort.
Kankuro plucked the outfit out of the closet
and swiftly walked over to the bed, giving it one more jaundiced look before
turning away and moving over to a chest of drawers against the wall.
He gave another aggrieved
sigh as he shucked his drawstring pants and his underwear before opening up the
top drawer to fish out a fresh pair of underwear as well as a pair of dress
socks.
He quickly pulled on the
underwear, pushed the drawer shut with a small slap and walked over to the bed,
picking up the dress slacks and sliding them up his long muscular legs.
Kankuro quickly fastened the pants before
reaching for the matching shirt and quickly finished getting dressed before he
lost his nerve.
The large man walked over
to the doorway and paused there, giving the room a longing look before
disappearing down the hallway to meet his date in the living room.
--------------
--------------- --------------
It was that devilish half
smile on the man's tattooed lips that gave Hana the
distinct impression that he was up to something.
She had watched him
gracefully descend the stairs, secretly admiring his choice of outfit.
Her dark brown eyes openly
caressed the long line of leg encased in the black dress slacks that fit him to
perfection before she slowly traveled up his body in a leisurely study of the
man almost at the foot of the stairs.
�Could that thing even be
called a skirt?� murmured a clearly delighted male voice.
Hana looked up from her perusal of his
approaching figure and gave him a narrowed look.
�Shut it, Kankuro... You mentioned that you wanted to see leg... so, leg is what you get... Besides, judging by that look...
you sure as hell don't seem to be complaining.� growled out Hana
in mild irritation.
�No... no...
Emiko... I'm not complaining at all... I just wasn't expecting you
to...accommodate me, that's all.� replied Kankuro with a slight tilt of his firm lips.
He watched as she turned
and stalked off down the hallway, noticing the little slit in the skirt as she
moved away.
Wow...that is an
amazing skirt... Is she even wearing panties under that thing?
�Yes, I'm wearing
panties...pervert.� replied a now amused female voice, watching the man's face
flush brick red when he finally realized that he had spoken out loud.
�You deliberately put that
outfit on just to torture me, didn't you?� grouched Hana,
turning back to face the still slightly embarrassed man in front of her.
"Huh? What do you
mean?" asked Kankuro, as he watched her walk
over to him.
"These pants... they
cling like a second skin... in all the right places." grouched Hana gesturing with a wave of her hand towards the dress
slacks in question.
Kankuro leaned forward and whispered
gruffly in her ear, �No - I wasn't thinking about torture when I put these
on...I just figured that I'd give you something enjoyable to watch...that's
all.�
Hana's facial tattoos moved on her cheek
bones as her smile got wider and murmured, �I see that I'm going to have to
watch you closely then, Kankuro... very closely.�
Hana's cell phone rang out and she
answered it with a small sigh while giving the large man in front of her a
rather saucy wink.
�Yeah... we're ready to
go... no, I'm not sure... hang on...� murmured Hana before putting her hand over the mouthpiece.
�What's up?� asked Kankuro with a frown.
�Where are we going? Our
driver needs to know...� murmured Hana with a raised
eyebrow.
�Oh... uh, tell them we're
going to Daniel.� replied Kankuro, suddenly feeling
nervous as he watched her relay the information to their driver.
Oh shit... he forgot
about that little detail... he was hoping to keep it as a surprise...
oh well.
The large man watched with
a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as the knowing little half smirk
appeared on Hana's face as she talked to the person
on the phone.
�Oh... really?...hahah... thanks... see you in
a minute...yeah, bye.� murmured Hana with an evil
glint in her eye as she hung up.
The brunette glanced over
at the big man and noticed that he was looking as though he was starting to
have regrets about this.
Yeah... she could
understand why he was feeling a little nervous... dating, even the business
type of date wasn't high on his priorities.
She quickly moved in
closer, leaned forward and touched a lean tattooed cheek with her fingertips
before reaching up to kiss his cheek.
�Thank you... I've never
had a man wanting to take me to a five star restaurant before... much less
willing to go to the effort to dress up just for me...� whispered Hana with a smile on her lips as she felt his skin get warm
once more.
Kankuro's hand reached up and tenderly
caressed the back of her neck as he drew her closer to him with his other arm.
His lips lightly grazed
her tattooed cheek, Hana's face flushing from the
brief contact before the cell phone rang once more, its colorful tune causing
the couple to abruptly step away from each other, the mood broken.
Hana out a small growl of frustration
as she flipped open the phone and hissed, �What?!... yes, we're coming...
you're a regular pain in the ass, you know that... don't you?�
She closed the phone with
a small snap and murmured with a sigh, �We better get going, Kankuro... before the poor bastard starts frothing at the
mouth.�
The large man chuckled
knowingly as he followed Hana to the front door.
Yeah... he could get
used to this...
---------------
------------- ---------------
Hana was in a foul mood and all it had
taken to get her to this point was that knowing look that Shino had given her
as she had come down to the waiting car, her elegantly dressed client trailing
closely behind her.
The brunette glanced up to
see Shino watching her fume in the back seat with that tiny smug smile on his
face.
�Would you mind telling me
what's going on with you two?� murmured Kankuro
gruffly, silently observing Hana giving their driver
death glares via the rear view mirror.
�If I didn't know any
better... I would say that you two were on a date.� drawled out Shino, silently
watching Hana as she stiffened slightly.
�Yeah, straight to the
point as always, Shinko.� muttered the young woman under her breath with a
frown.
Her eyes widened in
surprise as she felt the large man sitting beside her place his hand gently on
top of hers and smoothly reply, �No... as much as I
would like it to be so...it's not a date. I just thought after what happened
today that it would be nice to dress up and step out for a welcome diversion,
Shinko... nothing more.�
Hana bit back the smirk that was trying
hard to break loose when she watched Shino's brows slash down as he
contemplated Kankuro's words before murmuring in a
serious and professional tone, �My apologies for jumping to the wrong
conclusion, Kankuro... it's not often that we come
across a considerate client in our line of work...�
Kankuro looked down at their joined hands
on the seat and frowned slightly before finally replying, �Why do you both
continue to work in this line of work if the majority of the client�le are rude bastards?�
Hana smiled sadly and responded, �Well,
apart from the fact that the pay and the benefits are really good... we believe
that what we do has a purpose... someone has to step in and provide protection
when the law is unable to do so.�
�How you do cope when
you've had a day like today?� asked Kankuro, removing
his hand from Hana's own and folding his arms across
his chest as he tilted his head back against the cushions and closed his eyes.
�We all learn to deal...
in our own ways.� replied Shino bluntly.
Kankuro's eyelids flicked open at Shino's
comment and glanced covertly at the brunette sitting stiffly beside him.
Deal... I see.
�I understand.� murmured Kankuro after a while.
The car slowed down as
Shino turned and maneuvered the town car up a long drive.
He finally brought the
vehicle to a complete stop as soon as they were directly in front of the
restaurant.
�Okay, we're here...
Emiko, I'll be waiting for your call... have fun.�
murmured Shino, still looking ahead.
Hana leaned forward and touched her
co-worker and friend on the shoulder as she quietly replied, �Shinko...thank
you.�
Kankuro quickly averted his eyes, the
flush of arousal and desire stinging his face as he got a glimpse of her sheer
panties when she bent forward.
Gargh! Only she would classify
that skimpy little scrap of nothing as underwear!
Is she trying to kill
me?!
He waited for Hana to slide back and give him a cursory glance before she
finally opened the car door and exited the vehicle.
Kankuro waited until the door closed and
quietly confessed, �I do plan to ask her out once she's no longer my official
shadow though.�
Shino glanced up at the
large man's reflection in the rear vision mirror as they heard the door handle
starting to turn.
The half smirk was back on
Shino's lips as he nodded in understanding and watched in silence as Hana retrieved her client from the back of the vehicle.
Anyone willing to take
on Hana wasn't that bad in his books.
He wasn't blind... he
could tell when he picked them up earlier at the office and again this evening,
that they were attracted to each other...
Shino heard the passenger
door shut as he continued to observe the striking pair until they finally
disappeared into the interior of the restaurant.
�Well good luck, Kankuro... you're going to need it yourself - dealing with
her.� muttered the tall man under his breath before he drove away from the curb
and down the road.
--------------
--------------- ---------------
�What's up, Emiko?� asked Kankuro quietly.
They had been enjoying a
leisurely dinner and each other's company when he had felt her hand tighten up
under his own.
Hana continued to gaze at the large man
with the kabuki tattoos on his face and smiled brightly.
The brunette leaned
forward, reaching up to trail a hand up the side of his face as she softly
murmured, �We're being observed, gorgeous... hired
thugs... nine o'clock...�
�No, Kankuro...
don't look...never, ever, let them know that they've been spotted.�
continued Hana in a conversational tone when she saw
his beautiful emerald green eyes darting towards the location she mentioned as
her hand tensed slightly on his cheek and her foot lightly grazed his leg.
Kankuro uttered a soft groan at the
unintentional caress and closed his eyes in an effort to calm down the fire
that flared up inside of him.
�When
this is said and done, I'm taking you out on a proper date...� hissed out Kankuro from the side of his tattooed mouth, his eyelids
flicking open to pin his tormentor with a scorching glance.
�Aww,
I don't know, Kankuro... as far as first dates go...
this one rates pretty high..� remarked Hana candidly, privately cursing herself when she felt the
blush sting her cheekbones.
�Really?� replied Kankuro with a small smirk to his lips.
Hana gave him a toothy grin in return
and murmured, �Yes... really.�
She continued to trail her
hand up and down his lean jawline as she felt her
phone vibrate next to her hip.
She dropped their joined
hands onto her lap and covertly moved her hand to switch on the phone to
activate the tiny headset.
�Speak.� Hana softly uttered as she watched the large man in front
of her give her a sexy little half smile as one of her
fingers brushed his lips.
The woman with the
triangular tattoos listened in silence as she continued to touch Kankuro.
Hana broke eye contact with the large
man as her eyes flickered down at the table before she covertly gazed over at
their tails, sitting three tables over.
�Yeah... two... uh huh...
yeah, we're having a great time... Okay... not a problem.� murmured Hana to her caller before brushing her finger over the
button and ending the call.
She returned her hand back
to the man and watched in mild amusement as he brought it to his lips to kiss
the top of her hand.
�Are they disgusted by our
antics yet?� murmured Kankuro against her skin.
�Who knows... because
right now, I don't give a shit what they think.� returned Hana
with a sultry half smile.
�Is everything okay?�
asked Kankuro in a deceptively casual tone.
�Why don't you let the
waiter know that you're ready for the check?� murmured Hana
lazily, swallowing the small sigh that came to her lips as he dropped her hand
and turned to signal for their waiter.
She frowned slightly as
she caught movement at the corner of her peripheral vision as the two hired men
also signaled for the server.
Shit... these guys
aren't even subtle... great.
She discreetly scanned the
restaurant, checking for possible exits as she assessed the threat.
She waited until Kankuro engaged the recently arrived server in conversation
to slide a hand down and press a button to speed dial a number.
�Hey, old lady... I take
it that your shadows are on the move?� spoke a male voice in her ear piece.
�Yeah... where are you?�
replied Hana in a serious undertone while she
continued to smile sweetly at Kankuro.
�I'm just around the
corner... where do you want me to meet you?� asked the voice.
Hana quickly scanned the exits once
more and silently eliminated them one by one in her head before finally
replying, �Service exit. Ten minutes.�
She caught a glimpse of
something metallic as one of the hired men shifted in his seat and her own eyes
narrowed as she continued her discreet surveillance of the threat as the check
arrived and Kankuro handed over his credit card to
the smiling waiter.
�Be careful, brat...
they're hot.�
There was a pregnant pause
on the other end of the line before the voice murmured, �I understand... see
you shortly.�
�Is everything okay?�
murmured a concerned voice from across the table as Hana
cut the connection to the call.
She leaned forward,
sliding a hand up into his hair, pulled him close and whispered into his ear,
�It's not safe for you here... we need to give those shadows of ours the
slip... so, follow my lead...okay?�
Kankuro nodded as Hana
gave him a lingering caress on his cheekbone before finally slipping back into
her seat.
The server arrived back at
the table with the credit card slip and Kankuro's
credit card.
Hana watched the man hand Kankuro back his card as well as the slip to sign and
waited for him to turn to leave before asking, �Excuse me? Could you tell me
where the bathrooms are?�
The waiter smiled in
understanding and pointed over to an area close to the server's station.
The brunette waited until
the server had left before murmuring loud enough to be heard �Sweetheart, Do
you mind if we make a side trip before we leave?�
Kankuro stood up and walked over to help Hana out of her chair and replied in an aggravated tone,
�No, I don't mind at all... I guess you want me to wait for you outside and
hold your purse again?�
Hana held back the smirk as she heard a
few snickers throughout the restaurant at Kankuro's
gripe and she cooed, �Oh darling... that would be wonderful... you know there's
no way I want to scuff up my good hand bag on a rest room floor.�
The young woman was
tempted to start laughing hard when she felt his hand under her elbow, guiding
her to the rest rooms grouching, �Why is it that I'm cursed with a woman whose
bladder is the approximate size of an acorn?�
It had been a while
since she had this much fun on a job... especially when the client was as smart
and quick-witted as Kankuro.
�Lah
� the size of my bladder is the last thing you ever think about when you're
around me... and you know it!� countered Hana with a
knowing laugh.
The young woman slyly
glanced over her shoulder as they made their way through the sea of tables and
watched with a mixture of glee and malicious delight as the two hired shadows
shrugged and sat back down.
Hmmph... just
as I thought... dumb as a box of rocks...
Hana waited until they disappeared down
the little hallway and out of sight of the two thugs before tugging gently on Kankuro's large hand and murmuring, �Let's go, Kankuro... we're leaving here via the kitchen... but we
better hurry... one of them will be back this way to check up on us... it
doesn't give us much time.�
The large man merely
nodded as he allowed Hana to pull him along behind
her as she expertly weaved her way through the extremely busy kitchen,
garnering curious stares from the staff.
Hana quickly looked back before
cautiously pushing open the back door and exiting the premises first, with Kankuro following close behind.
Hana pushed a button on her phone as
she continued to look behind them, listening for signs that their escape had
been discovered.
�Okay, old lady... I see
you.� replied a male voice before hanging up.
They didn't have to wait
for long when they noticed the lights of a waiting car flash once before
driving up to the service entrance.
Hana quickly jerked open the door and
ushered Kankuro inside as she could hear muffled
shouts coming from inside the restaurant.
Damn it all to hell!
�Get in, Kankuro... while I quickly deal with this baka...� growled out Hana in a
low undertone, dropping a hand down to her side and reaching into a small pouch
strapped discreetly to her thigh.
The large man slid quickly
into the vehicle, just as one of the shadows emerged from the exit.
�I found them!� shouted
the man, reaching inside his coat for his gun.
The man let out a guttural
scream as the small star that the brunette quickly launched with a flick of her
wrist bit deeply into the man's hand with deadly accuracy.
Hana quickly got into the car and
closed the door with a certain amount of urgency.
�So, you going to let him
bleed?� murmured Shino dryly as they swiftly drove away from the restaurant.
�He's not going to bleed
too badly if he leaves it in until he reaches a medical facility...
Anyway...consider it payback for trying to blow us up this morning...bastards!�
replied

Hana sourly before glancing over at Kankuro who was staring back at her in mild dismay.
She reached up and laid a
soft hand against the man's lean cheek.
�I'm sorry about that, Kankuro... are you okay?� asked Hana,
now concerned that the man was going into shock.
The man with the kabuki
tattoos blinked once before smiling wryly and nodding.
�Yeah, I'm fine... just remind me to never get on your bad side... okay?� responded
the large man with a wide grin.
�Shut it, Shinko.� growled
out Hana as she heard him let out a low and knowing
chuckle at Kankuro's comment.
�Emiko... stop worrying...
I'm just not used to being around a woman who can look after herself and then
some...� murmured Kankuro wryly.
Hana let out a sigh as she moved her
hand away, closed her eyes and leaned back into the seat, relaxing now that the
imminent danger had passed.
�I am curious about one
thing though...� drawled out Kankuro.
The brunette
cracked open an eyelid and gazed at the large man sitting beside her
with his arms folded across his broad chest.
�Oh? And what would that
be, Kankuro?� asked Hana, a
little suspicious of that evil little smirk of his.
�Where the hell did you
manage to stash weapons in a skirt that tiny? I didn't see you reach into your
handbag...� countered the large man, an elegant eyebrow raised in question.
�Not one word, Shinko...�
growled out Hana as she watched the tall man
struggling to hold back another chuckle.
Shino bit the inside of
his cheek as he tried hard to hold himself in check and continued to glance up
at the rear vision mirror to look back at the couple sitting in the back seat.
Yeah � they were
definitely more than a match for each other... it was going to be interesting
to see how long the �hands off� policy would last.
-------------------
---------------- ---------------
�Okay, we're clear here...
you can go back to base now, brat.� murmured Hana to
the voice on the end of the phone.
�Okay, old lady... don't forget to report in or I'm going to hear about
it in the morning.� returned a male voice on the other end.
�Yeah, I'll do it once Kankuro is settled in for the evening...
see you tomorrow, Shinko.� replied Hana with a
smile.
�Alright...goodnight,
Emiko.� murmured the male before he hung up.
Hana flipped the cell phone closed as
she watched the sleek town car flash its lights once before driving off down
the darkened streets and finally disappearing from view.
�Is everything fine?�
murmured a smoky male voice behind the brunette.
Hana turned and grinned at the large
figure standing in the hallway watching her in silence.
She nodded and replied
with a small smile, �Yeah...everything is just fine, Kankuro.
I just need to report in but that can wait until we get you settled in for the
evening.�
Kankuro stood vigil as the young woman
closed the front door , sliding the dead bolt into
place before activating the alarm.
Hana walked over and looped an arm
through his and murmured, �I imagine you're pretty tired, Kankuro...
How about I drag you off to bed?�
She heard a softly uttered
groan and looked up to find Kankuro looking back at
her, flushing brick red with a mixture of shock and desire at her comment.
Shit! She did not mean
for that to come out so suggestive... damn it all to hell!
His husky laughter echoed
throughout the empty townhouse and Hana felt her face
flaming scarlet when she realized that she had once again made a fool out of
herself and spoken her thoughts out aloud.
She seemed to be doing
that a lot today around him...
�Come on, Emiko... why
don't you accompany me upstairs and then you can make that call, hmm?� replied Kankuro, taking pity on the poor woman whose triangular
tattoos seem to blending in with her red cheeks.
Hana smiled gratefully and walked
slightly ahead of the man, keeping alert for any signs of intruders.
They reached the top of
the stairs and continued down the hallway, Hana's arm
not once leaving its spot on Kankuro's arm as she led
the way to the man's bedroom.
She turned on the lights,
standing on the threshold of the room and observing it in silence before
finally replying to the man behind her with a suddenly dry throat, �You can go
in now, Kankuro.�
Hana nervously swallowed and strolled
over to the bathroom, flicking on the light and after a while, muttered under
her breath, �Holy mother... another claw foot bathtub... great... just wonderful.�
She placed a hand in front
of her nose as she felt a tiny tell-tale trickle begin as those images she had
of her sharing the bath tub with the large man in the other room filtered back
into her mind.
�Okay, It's
clear in here... I will be in my room. Goodnight, Kankuro.�
called out Hana hurriedly as she dashed to the
bedroom door, her hand still under her nose.
Kankuro watched from his spot on the bed
as the leggy brunette fled his room as though the hounds of hell were hot on
her heels.
He waited until he heard
her go into her own room and walked over to the bathroom, curious to see what
it was about his bathroom that had spooked her.
Kankuro frowned as he stood in the exact
spot that Hana was and could only see the large old
fashioned claw footed bath tub directly in front of him.
He shrugged and turned to
leave the room when a small bright spot on the white tiled floor caught his
eye.
The large tattooed man
stared at it in shock and dismay before something clicked in his head.
Well, well... I wonder
what you were thinking about...
Kankuro smirked and plucked a tissue from
a box on the counter and wiped up the small spot of blood from the floor.
If the sight of his
bath tub affected her like that... he could only imagine what would happen if
she ever walked in on him...
Yes, it was certainly a
heady thought.
-------------------
----------------- ----------------
Hana cleaned up and dressed in a
comfortable pair of lounging pants with a matching tank top.
She walked over to her
bag, retrieved her cell phone and slid onto the large bed.
The woman flipped it open,
gave a small sigh and dialed a familiar number before lifting it up to her ear.
�Emiko! It's about fucking time you
reported in!� growled out her brother, clearly pissed.
�Sheesh...
you're certainly in a shitty mood!� grouched out Hana.
Kiba let out a frustrated sigh and
murmured gruffly, �Sorry, Emiko... I didn't mean to snap like that... I've just
been worried sick since the bombing this morning and then this little incident
tonight...�
�No... no
need to apologize, Akiko... we're actually fine... he's certainly a lot more
calmer than the majority of clients in his position.� returned Hana with a sigh.
�Yes, Shinko mentioned
that the man was more intrigued as to where you stashed your weapon's pouch more
than anything else.� murmured Kiba with a sly smirk
in his voice.
�Yeah, for a self
confessed workaholic... he's got quite the perverted streak.� countered Hana with a small laugh.
There was a pregnant pause
on the other end of the line before Kiba spoke in a
serious tone, � I also got a call from Shikamaru this
afternoon... he mentioned in passing that your client has taken a shine to
you... and that it was obvious to him that the feeling was mutual.�
�Akiko...� began Hana, only for Kiba to cut her off.
�No, Emiko...please... let
me finish. I may be your boss but I'm also your brother. I'm not going to tell
you who you should or should not be attracted to... despite what other
well-meaning people suggest.� replied Kiba before
continuing in a gruff undertone, �If you want to see this guy after all this is
said and done...I'm not going to stop you.�
There was silence on the
line before Hana whispered out, �Akiko... thank you.�
�No... you
can thank Shinko... we had quite the discussion when he got back to the office.
Apparently your client made quite the impression on him... and the fact that
it's been years since you've been remotely attracted to someone...� trailed off
Kiba, a hopeful note in his voice.
�I see. So, it's more the
fear that I'm going to end up a dried up old maid that's fueling this.� griped Hana sourly.
An embarrassed
chuckle filled the line as her brother sheepishly replied, �Yeah, a
little...Emiko... just chalk it down to me expressing some brotherly concern,
that's all.�
There was a pregnant pause
before Hana murmured in a serious undertone,
�Speaking of the client... Akiko � I need you to drop my kit off as well as my
permit at the townhouse ...tonight.�
The silence was deafening
as Hana waited for her sibling's response.
�It's that bad, huh? So,
have you had a chat yet regarding what the hell he is working on?� replied Kiba finally with a deep sigh.
�Not yet... we haven't had
the opportunity to chat... as exciting as what today has been.� murmured Hana dryly.
�Yeah, yeah... I know
exactly what you mean... I never thought I would ever say this but I'm going to
be relieved to have Hoshiko out of the office
tomorrow.� responded Kiba with another deep sigh.
�I take it the gun range
didn't help this time, then?� asked Hana, suddenly
concerned.
�Hell,
no! She was
still in a rare mood... so, it's going to be interesting to see what happens
tomorrow morning.� replied her sibling.
There was a long pause
before Hana finally asked, �So, are you in?�
She smiled as she heard
her brother let out a decidedly evil chuckle and murmured, �Shit, yes... I
haven't had this much fun since she and Naruto were
first dating.�
Hana laughed knowingly and replied,
�Yes, I know what you mean... we all thought she was going to torch the
building with her constant blushing whenever he showed up.�
The brunette heard her
brother laughing and waited for him to calm down before asking, �So, who's your
pick in this clash of wills?�
�I'm going with the
red-haired prick.� replied Kiba with a smirk.
Hana groaned remembering Hinata's earlier outburst and muttered, �So, she told her,
huh?�
Her sibling's
knowing laughter was answer enough.
�So, I'll see you out the
front in twenty minutes then?� asked Hana with a
sigh.
�Yeah... I'll give you the
usual signal, okay?� replied Kiba before hanging up.
Hana flipped her phone closed and
stared at it for a moment while her other hand reached up to rub her forehead
thoughtfully.
�What the hell have I
signed myself up for this time?� muttered Hana under
her breath.
----------------
------------------ ----------------
�Where is he?� murmured
the amused voice of her sibling.
Hana leisurely strolled down the garden
path as she covertly continued to look around her.
She walked over to the
figure lounging indolently against the side of a dark vehicle.
�He's reading in bed but
he knows that he needs to stay in his room.� returned Hana
with a small smirk to her lips.
�I see. So � I'm curious,
Emiko... is he as striking as his photo suggests?� replied Kiba,
the curiosity apparent in his tone.
�Nah � He's even better up
close and personal.� countered Hana with a wolfish
grin.
�Why am I not surprised to
hear that...� muttered the man under his breath before speaking in a louder
voice as he flipped open the trunk, �Emiko, I brought what you asked for... why
don't you check it to see if everything is in order... After all, it's been a
long time since you needed this stuff on a job.�
Hana followed her brother to the back
of the vehicle and slid a finger under the case to disarm the small trigger on
the lock.
She pushed the buttons for
the security code and heard the soft click of the case opening as the lid
flipped open with a soft sigh.
Hana stared at the contents for a long time, her practiced eye went over every piece of equipment
in the case.
�Well, I've never needed
this stuff for a job until now...� murmured Hana
absently as a finger reached out to caress the handle of one of the weapons.
�Yeah, Shinko told me that
the tails were carrying... which means that they're done playing.� replied Kiba in a gruff voice.
�Yeah � I'm not taking any
chances... not after the first day I've had.� responded Hana
with a small growl.
Hana frowned slightly as a sudden
recollection crossed her mind while she continued to look at her little arsenal
and murmured in a dark undertone, �Hey Akiko... I just had a brain wave.�
Kiba returned his sibling's frown, not
liking her comment at all but asked, �What's on your mind, Emiko?�
�When is my client set to
deliver his new invention?� murmured Hana, watching
her brother's face, unsurprised to see his eyes widen in understanding.
�The prototype is due to
be unveiled at a press conference in less than two weeks time... and before you
ask, it's common knowledge in the industry that Suna
Enterprises has a big announcement to make. Why?� replied Kiba,
now full of curiosity.
Hana quickly snapped down the lid and
swept up the case from the back of the vehicle.
She nodded her thanks as Kiba reached into his pocket and silently handed over a
small card.
She gave her brother a
penetrating look and muttered quietly, �They blew up the wrong lab.�
Kiba watched his sister swiftly walk
back up to the dark townhouse and disappear inside before finally murmuring the
word that immediately came to mind as that realization sunk in.
�Fuck.�
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Someone To Watch Over Me