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A Season of Malcontent	By : katsuyo Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1400 -:- 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
- 6
- 7
- 8
Author�s Note:
I always enjoy hearing
your thoughts and reviews on the latest chapter but don�t feel the pressure to
leave one.
I love writing fan fiction.
I don�t need to withhold chapters in exchange for your reviews to get a warm
fuzzy feeling.
The latest round of
literary debauchery is inspired by the song �Where I end and you begin� by
Radiohead.
Jealousy has made her
entrance as a key player.
The rating has been
changed to �mature� and the usual warnings apply � language, violence and
blatant suggestions of a sexual nature are mentioned.
A sentence in Italics
denotes the private thoughts of a character.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
It�s a good thing. You could just imagine what I would be doing with the
characters�
Round 7 � Some Unfriendly Competition
They had developed a
little routine since that first night of cohabitation at the Lotus Blossom Inn.
They would check into their room at the inn, find a restaurant to go eat and
spend the rest of the evening flirting outrageously with each other.
They would then spend the
rest of the evening wandering the village, holding hands and perusing the wares
to be found at the market before returning back to their room.
They looked and acted like
the young lovers they were pretending to be�
The strange thing was that
the illusion didn�t end at the door like the first night.
If anything, that first
night turned out to be a turning point in their relationship.
Kankuro couldn�t figure out what was
different but he sensed that Ino had taken a step in
resolving some of her fears in regards to her feelings towards him.
He was secretly relieved
that the old Ino with the wrought iron backbone was
back. Kankuro caught glimpse of the fiery vixen
within re-immerging when she had woken up the next morning with him, having
survived the experience unmolested.
He was hell-bent on
keeping his promise to her but watching her hips sway invitingly every night as
she walked ahead of him into their room was doing evil things to his perverted
brain.
So far, he had mentally
taken her up against a wall, sitting on the bathroom counter with her legs
wrapped tightly around his waist (his personal favorite), her hands braced up
against the white tiles in the shower and of course, in every bed they had
shared as a �loving couple� � several times and in many creative positions that
would rival those found in the Karma Sutra.
Once inside the privacy of
their room, Kankuro would lie back against the soft
pillows, reclining lazily on the muted bed covers, watching her with hungry
veiled eyes as she retreated into the bathroom to get changed.
He�d always be in bed
turned on his side with the bed linen pooled around the lower part of his
torso, pretending to sleep when she finally emerged from the bathroom.
What she didn�t know was
that he always knew when she slipped beneath the cool sheets beside him.
Her light touches on his
body and wistful sighs before she eventually succumbed to the sweet arms of Morpheus were driving him nuts.
Kankuro felt himself getting aroused at
the memories of waking up with her wrapped around his large frame like a piece
of wild ivy, with her skimpy nightgown riding high on her thigh.
She was temptation and he
was trying his best to resist it.
-----------------------
Five days later�
The puppeteer had woken up
in a foul mood � his little fantasies of perverted ecstasy weren�t satisfying
his secret desires anymore.
Four nights spent in the
same bed with a sexy woman hanging off his naked torso was slowly eroding his
self control and the fragile rein he had on his temper. He was now convinced
that he had something seriously heinous to the gods in a previous life to go
through this exquisite torture every morning.
You�re killing me, Ino!
The sand nin had spent this morning locked
in a bathroom in the shower for half an hour, willing the freezing needles to
get rid of his raging erection.
Kankuro had even been forced to take care
of the problem when the cold shower had proved futile but nothing could get rid
him of the craving he still had to taste Ino.
He had been extremely
proud of his endeavors to keep his hands from exploring her supple flesh but it
was taking its toll.
Last night was the worst
erotic hell he�d ever experienced. She�d done something different that left him
unable to sleep and burning up with need.
The blonde had draped her
leg across his thigh in the middle of the night as per usual but she had kept
him aroused with the feel of her hand roaming all over his body. It was the
occasional husky little whimper she murmured in her sleep that made it
impossible to sleep. He honestly thought he was going to lose it when she had
softly moaned his name in the early hours of the morning.
�I sooo
need to get laid!� grumbled the sand nin
to himself.
Kankuro made a silent pact with himself
then and there that once they finally arrived at the Sound Village; he was going to find some way to
relieve his sexual frustration - with or without Ino�s
participation.
--------------------------------
Ino was experiencing some internal
struggles of her own.
She watched the dark
brooding puppeteer beside her prowl down the road in silence, in awe of the
latent power emanating out of the man.
The young woman was
genuinely perplexed at the enigma that was Kankuro.
Whenever they ventured
forth throughout the village they stayed at, she saw glimpses of different
aspects of his personality.
He was a complex mix of
light and dark.
So far she had just seen
the light. The outrageous flirt at dinner, the considerate voyeur who kept his
distance in the room at night and the dormant lover who lurked under the
surface� she liked them all.
Ino found herself drawn to the other
side of his personality though� the murky side that he kept firmly under wraps.
When they had first met,
she had been given a small taste of his sarcasm, the biting insight and the
sensual teasing but lately, she had been secretly yearning to see the man in
the full grip of that dark nature.
She wanted to know what
this man would be like around her in stark possessive and green-eyed jealous
glory.
Would he explode in a
jealous rage and drag her off somewhere to imprint himself onto her flesh
against some dark alley wall or would he coolly eliminate the competition
before promising her a sensual retribution at a later time in the privacy of
their room?
If she was honest with
herself, she really wanted to see the man lose control in the worst way and so
far, he was still holding himself in check.
Ino would swallow her tongue rather
than admit to the sand nin
that she enjoyed wrapping her legs around the large man and hear him struggle
with his inner demons late at night.
Last night, she had
finally succumbed to the urge to allow her hands to roam over that muscular
terrain of his. It had been a revelation, watching the muscles twitch under the
surface of that taut silken bronzed skin of his.
She had made up her mind
the morning she found herself waking up unmolested in the puppeteer�s bed that
she badly wanted a taste of what Kankuro was
offering.
She had never known a man
who would keep a vow like that in the state he had been in� yes, the man was a
mystery and best of all - he was hers if she just said the word.
It was just a question of
if and when she was brave enough to take the man up on his offer�
------------------------------
They would be finally in
the Sound Village by his estimation within a couple
of hours.
The sand nin was careful to keep Ino by his side as he noted several unsavory types checking
out his woman on the road to their final destination. The puppeteer
didn�t like it � not one little bit! The only perverted male who would be
looking at and sampling her luscious curves and hollows was going to be him!
Kankuro knew he was sounding jealous but
he couldn�t help it. She had slipped further under his skin with each passing
moment he spent in her company, imbedding her presence into his mind.
Kankuro looked over at his blonde
traveling companion under hooded lashes. He didn�t want her to know that he
couldn�t stop thinking about her.
The last thing I need
to hear from Ino right now is her teasing me about
this�
The long days of traveling
helped to keep him focused on their mission.
He would mentally run
through meticulously detailed list of things they needed to do once they were
deep within Orochimaru�s old stomping grounds.
It was becoming a constant
mantra that he continuously loop around in his mind in
an effort to stop himself from acting impulsively.
He normally wasn�t an
impulsive person but Ino had a way of rubbing some of
her bad habits off onto people.
A soft voice gently
interrupted his inner musings then.
Speaking of the
she-devil� she speaks.
�Yukio?� began the sultry
voice, only to stutter out.
He could hear her
nervousness and looked over at the bowed head of his object of unrequited
desire.
Kankuro stopped walking and stepped closer
to the blonde, gathering her close to him.
He had a feeling that she
needed to say something of a serious nature to him and he didn�t want them to
be overheard� just in case.
�Ayame,
what�s wrong? If you�re concerned about your precious virginity�don�t worry. I
am not about to let one of these bastards take it before I get your answer,�
growled the puppeteer into her ear.
Ino softly chuckled at that comment.
As if anyone would be
game enough to take on the large bastard� It was tantamount to signing their
death warrant and they both knew that. He wasn�t going to give up on his claim
until he got her answer.
�I�m scared. We haven�t
reached the village yet and already I have this urge to run in the opposite
direction,� whispered the blonde in a hushed tone.
�It will be fine, Ayame. I promise. I will get us back to Konoha
in one piece after we get what we need here,� replied the sand nin lightly stroking her hair in
reassurance.
Ino looked deeply into the sand nin�s eyes and nodded slowly in
response to Kankuro�s words, satisfied by the
sincerity she saw within those dark depths.
Yes, it would be
foolish to try and take on this man. She would be safe with him at her side.
The only thing that bothered her was whether the man was going to safe around
her.
She wasn�t so sure
anymore.
------------------------------
Ino stuck to the puppeteer like glue.
She was many things but ignorant of the dangers omnipresent around this
particular place wasn�t one of them.
The blonde noticed an
ominous aura of danger slip over the puppeteer once they caught sight of the
sound village up ahead.
It was obvious from the
moment they walked through the village gates that this place had seedier spots
than the sand village and that was saying something!
Some of the things that Kankuro mentioned during their little walks at night led
her to believe that the puppeteer was well acquainted with the darker
underbelly that his village had to offer.
Strangely enough, it
didn�t bother her too much. It just fed her need to explore that side of him
further.
When it finally came time
to experience the pleasures of the flesh, she would rather have a man who knew
what he was doing than a saint. Kankuro always gave
her that impression that she would never leave feeling disappointed.
Unable
to walk for a week? Yes � she could see that.
The blonde�s eyes darted
around the streets as they walked down the main street, mentally cataloging
every dark alley and seedy bar for future reference.
She noted the way some of
the men would boldly look at her, only to avert their eyes at the simmering
killing look they received from the large sand nin possessively holding her.
Ino felt safe with his muscular arm
casually draped around her waist and knew that only someone with a death wish
would dare to approach Kankuro while he was in this
mood.
The blonde glanced up at
the dangerous man beside her and gave a small sly smile.
The puppeteer caught sight
of her smile and wondered what had prompted it.
It was a good thing that
they would be at the inn soon. He was feeling the strain from keeping his
jealous rage in check every time some guy happened to give Ino
that look.
�Yukio, how much farther
is this Inn we will be staying in? I don�t
think I can handle listening to you grind your teeth down to bloody stumps,�
uttered the blonde quietly, her amusement at his present predicament apparent
in her voice.
Kankuro narrowed his dark eyes at the
woman at his side. He wasn�t surprised to know that she thought this situation
was hilarious � she would.
This overwhelming urge to
annihilate the supposed competition didn�t sit well with him at all. Total
destruction was Gaara�s department� not his.
�It�s just up the road, Ayame. My teeth will survive the trip,� replied Kankuro in a sour tone.
Silently cursing the Hokage, the mission and the little vixen walking beside him
for causing this inconvenience in the first place, the puppeteer continued down
the main street.
He needed another cold
shower before he locked Ino in their room to go and
get blind rotten drunk!
---------------------------------
Kankuro gave a heartfelt sigh of relief
when they finally got settled into their room. He had initially been worried
that they would be staying in a slum of an establishment but he should have had
more faith in the Hokage�s ability to find a decent
place to stay � even in a place rife with riff-raff as the Sound Village.
He shrugged off the large
pack containing his summoning scrolls for his battle puppets and placed them against
the closet against the wall.
The puppeteer gave the
soft bed a longing glance before finally walking over to sit on the edge.
The stress of keeping the
leash firmly in place on his temper was taking its toll finally and he was
suddenly feeling more exhausted than he had ever felt in his life.
He honestly didn�t know
how Ino�s team-mates put up with the woman�s company
on missions. It was obvious to him that she was more trouble than she was
worth.
He still couldn�t believe
how many unsavory types had crawled out of the wood work to check her out as
they walked past.
Kankuro lifted his head slightly when he
heard a strange coming from the young woman in the bathroom and looked in
disbelief at the bathroom door.
She caused this chaos
and she�s in there singing?!
And that was when the
first crack in Kankuro�s control appeared.
�Yukio, how about we go
out tonight? I would love to check out the nightlife!� exclaimed the blonde
woman, emerging from the bathroom having changed into a dress that didn�t leave
a lot to the imagination.
Ino caught the look and the pulsing
vein at the puppeteer�s temple and had a feeling that the dam on that temper of
his was about to break loose. She was right.
It was too much for the
man to take.
There was no way in
Hell he was letting her out of this room dressed like that, offering her
goodies to strangers and still denying him!
Ino watched the man snatch up his silk
robe from his duffel bag and stalk over to the bathroom. She reached out and
touched his chest as he tried to walk past her, only to have the sand nin lean down and softly growl, �Ayame - unless you want to be thrown on the bed and be
ravished within an inch of your life, I would suggest you get changed into
something less tempting and stay in this room.�
Ino watched the man stalk into the
bathroom in all his angry glory and frowned at his retreating back before he
slammed the door behind him.
Who the hell did he
think he was? He had no right to be so high-handed and utilitarian like that!
She heard the shower go on
and walked over to her bag to collect her small bag and shoes.
A part of Ino recognized that she was about to do something that
promised some major retribution later but she was too mad with the puppeteer�s
attitude to give a shit.
Using her middle finger to
effectively show the bathroom door what she thought of Kankuro�s
suggestion, she walked over to the door and quietly slipped through, sliding it
shut behind her.
----------------------------------
Shit! There was absolutely
no need for him to act like an ass to her. She had a right to want to go out
and wear what she wanted� that dress did look sexy as hell on her.
Kankuro sighed at the feelings of remorse
swirling in his head as he finished up his shower and decided that he was going
to make it up to the blonde woman as soon as he got dressed.
He rinsed off the
remainder of the soap off his slick torso and decided that he would try to make
amends to her for his foul disposition.
The hostess had given him
a list of some decent places that he could take his little vixen� maybe she
would enjoy that.
He shut off the shower and
quickly draped a towel around his waist, grabbing another to dry his shaggy mop
of brunette hair.
He was still toweling his
hair as he walked out of the bathroom and noticed something or rather someone
missing immediately.
Ino was nowhere to be seen and already
the room felt as though the life force had been sucked out of it.
A sense of unease settled
into the pit of his stomach and refused to let go. Kankuro
knew the blonde would chew him out later for tossing the damp towel onto their
bed but he had a horrible feeling that if he didn�t hurry and put on some
clothes, Ino may get into some trouble that she won�t
be able to charm her way out.
The puppeteer prowled over
to the bags still packed on the floor and dug out some fresh clothes.
He didn�t care that his
hair was still wet in areas. He just knew that if anything happened to her,
that there was no way he was going to forgive himself.
--------------------------------------
She could cheerfully
wring that bad tempered bastard�s neck. She just wished she knew what bug
crawled up the man�s ass to make him so foul-tempered.
Ino looked down at her dress and gave
it a critical once over. She didn�t know why he took offense over it. It was
the cutest thing and Ino knew for a fact that it
suited her figure to perfection.
No � her dress was
divine and cost her a small fortune, even on sale! The puppeteer clearly had
issues!
The young woman was too
busy reminiscing about the day she beat that whey faced brunette to the frock
on the 50 percent off rack when she felt a large shadow looming over her.
She felt the hair on the
back of her neck stand on edge when a large beefy hand grabbed hold of her
small wrist from behind, bruising the delicate skin.
One clear thought
registered in Ino�s head before she turned around to
face the man stupid enough to lay a hand on her.
It wasn�t Kankuro touching her. The times he had touched her in the
past, he�d never bruised her! This bastard was dead meat!
The large barrel chested man had the audacity to slowly and rudely run his
small beady eyes over her figure leisurely. Ino�s
eyes narrowed at this disgusting creature and felt her volatile temper flare
into action.
�I suggest you unhand me
before things get real ugly, Mister. I guarantee that you are not going to
enjoy meeting my husband once he discovers I�m missing from our room,� hissed Ino in a glacial tone to her captor.
The man grinned obscenely
at her, displaying a mouth missing more than a few teeth and pulled the young
woman closer.
�Sweetheart, you�re either
bluffing or your man is useless in the sack. You don�t look married to me��
replied the man in a speculative tone.
Ino really didn�t like where this was
heading� The man was right though, damn his hide. She didn�t have that glow
about her.
Shit.
The man was taken aback
slightly when Ino leaned in and growled in a furious
voice, �Mister, you are seriously making a huge mistake. This is your last
warning for you to unhand me before my husband finds us.�
It was a mistake. The big
brute took offense to the blonde�s angry ultimatum. He jerked her wrist
roughly, marking the skin with more bruises before barking, �Damn, you�re a
pushy little bitch. It�s gonna
be a pleasure to break your spirit after I fuck the living daylights outta you. This husband of yours
don�t scare me!�
Ino looked up and raised a delicately
arched eyebrow before replying, �Fine. Don�t say I didn�t warn you!�
The air around the couple
in front of the inn suddenly got glacial as strong and powerful fingers closed
around the man�s neck, effectively cutting the man�s oxygen supply off to his
brain.
�Hi, sweetheart,� replied Ino sweetly to the furious sand nin dangling the struggling man by the throat.
Kankuro�s eyes glistened with killing intent
as he watched the blonde rubbing the badly bruised wrist that his prey just
released.
�Give me a reason not to
kill him now, Ayame�� muttered the furious man in a
murderous tone.
�P-please lady� I w-was
kidding� call him off,� choked out the large man starting to turn a little blue
in the face.
Ino gave the pathetic creature
dangling in Kankuro�s outstretched hand like a
freshly plucked chicken a cursory glance before sauntering over to the puppeteer
and whispering something in the man�s ear.
The man didn�t know what
the blonde had said to his jailer but he sure as hell wasn�t going to stick
around and allow him to change his mind.
All he knew was that the
demonic man had decided to release the death grip on his throat, dropping him
like a stone and it had given him the perfect opportunity to escape while he
had the chance.
As he scurried down the
road, he didn�t see the young woman slide her hand along his muscular arm in a
lingering caress before resting her head up against his side and quietly murmur
in a cheerful voice, �Honey, there is no way you are taking me out to dinner
dressed in those old sweatpants.�
Kankuro felt his grin widen as he felt her
lean into him and he replied, �I�m sure you can pick out something suitable for
me to wear once we get back to our room.�
--------------------------------
Kankuro watched her walk in ahead of him
into their room. He was still thinking about the scene he came across in front
of the inn.
He was still mad at her
but that didn�t prevent him from feeling grudging admiration for her.
Ino had been clearly outclassed but
that still didn�t stop her from erupting into full glorious virago mode.
This woman wasn�t scared
of anything and that had always impressed the hell out of him with her.
He hadn�t planned to let
that barrel chested weasel loose, especially after
what he had threatened to do to her but his blonde vixen was very persuasive.
Of course, what Ino had promised him was far more interesting than the prospect
of killing the scum that touched her and having to dispose of the body.
It was times like these
that he wished he did have Gaara�s unique abilities.
An outraged voice brought
his attention back to the present. The young woman had grabbed the damp towel
and thrown it into the bathroom.
�Yukio,
you bastard.
Your damp towel is on my side of the bed!� grumbled the blonde.
�I�m sorry, sweetheart. I
was more concerned about making sure you were in one piece,� replied the
puppeteer with a sexy smile on his lips.
Kankuro leaned up against the closed room
door and folded his arms across his broad chest.
�You mentioned that you
would give me a reward if I released that scum. I�m intrigued as to how you
plan to do that, darling,� murmured the large man, raising an eyebrow.
He watched Ino turn slightly at his comment and walk seductively over
to him lounging against the room door.
Kankuro couldn�t help it. The smile on his
face got wider as he saw some very perverted thoughts flashing through the
little vixen�s eyes.
She stopped in front of
him, grabbed hold of his folded arms and proceeded to drape her scantily clad
form around his torso.
The puppeteer unfolded his
arms, placing a fingertip of one hand onto the blonde�s parted lips before
wrapping his free arm around her waist.
�You know you�re
gorgeous�you don�t need me to tell you that. I still want you in the worst way
possible but this doesn�t change the situation between us. You owe me an answer
soon, sweetheart,� murmured the sand nin,
before groaning softly in arousal as she licked the offending finger on her
lips in response to his comment.
Ino was secretly enjoying the power
she had over this man. He was a dangerous S.O.B. but he was all hers and he
would never do anything to hurt her.
�Move the finger or lose
it, big boy,� warned the young woman before leaning in to capture Kankuro�s firm lips.
He didn�t need to be told
twice. He quickly removed his hand and wrapped it around her torso, joining its
twin in the endeavor to bring the woman closer to him.
The sand nin felt her arms twine around the
back of neck, deepening the kiss.
Damn he missed the feel
of her lips on his! He was enjoying this reward of hers already!
Kankuro slid one hand up to gentle cradle
the back of her head as he felt her tongue softly slip into his mouth.
This was nice but
having her mouth closer for him to kiss would be better�
He tightened his grip
around her small torso and hauled her up higher onto his waist, feeling her
deepen the kiss with the new position.
Ahhh� much, much better.
Kankuro felt her legs wrap tightly around
his waist then and he could feel his self-control slipping.
He had fantasized about
her doing this to him in the throes of a frenzied coupling many a time� but the
reality of that move alone totally blew his mind.
Kami! He wanted to pull his pants down
so badly and plunge into her waiting heat.
Her hips grinding
suggestively against him wasn�t helping him to keep his promise but he�d be
damned to give in now, just when he was so close to his goal.
He still wanted her on his
terms.
Kankuro enjoyed her attentions immensely
but he didn�t want to remain a passive participant in this long overdue sensual
exploration. His tongue soon joined hers as they continued to tease each other
pressed up against the door.
He tore his mouth away
from hers and decided that he would give her something to remember this moment.
It would also act as an effective deterrent against her being propositioned by
another man in the foreseeable future.
�K-Yukio! Oh Kami�.�
groaned the blonde, closing her eyes in bliss as she felt his lips and teeth
explore the column of her neck.
Her fingernails dug into
the firm flesh of his shoulders as he deepened the pressure of his gentle
suction on her neck before finally pulling away to admire his handiwork.
Ino�s eyes glittered with awakened
arousal and her lips were swollen from his kisses.
His own eyes narrowed as
he gently slid her back down on the ground and felt the sting of the little
puncture marks left behind by her nails.
If she was like this
over one little kiss, he knew his back was in serious danger of being shredded�
He could hardly wait!
Ino watched the puppeteer step away
from her then and walk over to his bag to find something suitable to wear for
dinner.
She was still feeling weak
in the knees from his kisses. The blonde had sensed that he had wanted to take
her up against the door, but he still resisted.
Ino turned dazed eyes to the man
prominently in her mind as he started talking.
�Ayame,
as much as I love you in that dress� you may want to wear something a
little�warmer. It�s gonna get cool tonight,� murmured
Kankuro, pinning her with a heated gaze before
disappearing into the bathroom once more.
�Hah! �as if I would
get cold around you!� thought the young woman with a small smirk as she moved
to find something else to wear.
-----------------------------------------
The restaurant was
everything the hostess at the inn had promised but the puppeteer could tell
that Ino wasn�t impressed by the romantic glow of the
place.
She was still mad at him
and he wasn�t helping the situation with his lingering looks to admire his
work.
Kankuro grinned wickedly as he remembered
the scene that met him as he exited the bathroom.
She really was glorious
when she was mad at him and that moment had been no exception.
Ino had narrowed those baby blues at
him and accused him of deliberately marking her.
Of course, he didn�t help
the situation much when he had shrugged and told her the fat creep had been
right. She didn�t look like a claimed woman, so he felt he had to rectify the
situation.
The puppeteer chuckled
evilly under his breath as he perused the menu and watched Ino�s
eyes narrow dangerously.
He had noticed though that
she kept touching it periodically and that wasn�t helping him much. It just
made him even more possessive of her.
Kankuro reached across the dimly lit table
and laid tender fingers on the large love bruise displayed prominently on the
blonde�s neck.
�You certainly weren�t
upset about it at the time,� murmured the large man, gently caressing the spot.
�Go to hell!� growled Ino in a glacial tone.
Her comment only amused
him more.
�Only if you come with me,
sweetheart,� drawled Kankuro in a sexy voice.
Ino was about to make a scathing
remark when they were interrupted by the timely arrival of their waitress.
The puppeteer moved away
from her to place his order but she knew from the look in his eyes, that this
conversation was going to be continued sometime in the future.
----------------------------------
Ino splashed more cold water onto her
face and dabbed at the hickey on her neck with a damp tissue.
The blonde almost snarled
in frustration when she glanced at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and
noticed that getting the spot wet only made it look worse.
She didn�t give a shit if
the man had a legitimate point. The fact of the matter is that she now had this
huge bruise on her throat to match the ones on her wrist.
Ino couldn�t help but notice how smug
the bastard had become as the restaurant got more crowded and the hour got
later.
Men would casually look
over to their table, glance at the fresh bruises before taking note of the
self-satisfied smirk on Kankuro�s face and promptly
leave the general vicinity swiftly.
Well, the hateful male was
right in one respect. No man with common sense and a strong desire for
self-preservation was going to approach her now.
Ino braced her hands against the sink
as she bowed her head.
Had she been fighting
the inevitable all this time? These intense and overwhelming emotions he made
her feel� It was certainly beginning to look like it�
She looked up at her
reflection and grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser.
Well, she couldn�t hide in
here forever� she wasn�t a coward.
The sooner she went back
to their table and put the smarmy bastard in his place, the better she would
feel.
--------------------------------
Kankuro drummed his fingers idly on the
table, waiting for the lovely Ino to come back from
the bathroom.
He knew what she was doing
and was quietly amused by it. She was regrouping.
It had been awhile since
she had resorted to this particular tactic but in a way, it was refreshing to
see the old sexual tension return between them.
It made him strangely
hopeful about the rest of the evening.
He grinned wolfishly and
took a sip of the sake he ordered as he waited eagerly for her to come back to
him.
�You�re wasting your time
with that milk and water blonde, big boy� There�s no way a woman like her could
handle a man like you,� murmured a soft sultry voice.
Kankuro looked up in mild interest to take
in the willowy brunette standing beside the table. He could tell by the look in
her eye that she wasn�t adverse to the idea of handling him herself.
She was beautiful � there
was no denying that fact. If he hadn�t decided that he wanted Ino so badly, he would have been tempted to take what she
was offering.
She was wrong though�
he didn�t think he was wasting his time with the little vixen. The kiss they
shared in their room was proof of that! It definitely had held the promise of
more to come�
Even the way this woman
used the same endearment as Ino did earlier, didn�t
have the same effect. He had badly wanted to throw the blonde onto the bed and
give it to her hard and deep, whereas the brunette just made him mildly amused.
Hell � she was more
than welcome to try to tantalize him but she was going to have tough
competition in the form of Ino.
He picked up his sake cup,
took a small sip and casually replied, �As tempting as your offer is� I think I
will take my chances with the � as you charmingly put it, the milk and water
blonde. She hasn�t proven to be boring so far��
The brunette leaned down
then and placed her hands on the table next to him. She gave him an impressive
display of her wares as she whispered seductively, �It�s a pity that you want
to stick with the Swiss Miss. I would have taken you to heaven and back�well,
the offer is still there for later when she turns you down.�
Kankuro took another sip of his sake and
tried to keep the unholy grin from spreading across his face as he watched the
Swiss Miss stalk over to the table and yank the pretty brunette forcibly away
from the table by the roots of her hair.
The poor woman hadn�t seen
the attack coming�
My � if he hadn�t known
any better� he would have said that his blonde beauty was gloriously green-eyed
with jealousy�
He didn�t know how much
she had overheard but by the look of the fury on Ino�s
face� he guessed that she had heard enough to assess the young woman was
unwelcome competition.
He continued to sip his
sake as he watched the blonde dragging the now screaming young woman back into
the bathroom with her.
She was breathtaking�
she really was.
Kankuro ignored the concerned looks as
gurgled shrieks echoed from the depths of the women�s room.
The sand nin caught the attention of the
waitress and requested their check as well as another bottle of sake while he
waited for his little virago to get it all out of her system.
Oh, he knew that he was
next after she had finished doing her worst to the poor hapless brunette but he
wasn�t too worried.
�Oh Kami! Please� someone help me� this bitch is crazy!� wailed a distraught
voice from the restroom only to hear the noise replaced with odd gurgling
sounds once more and an ominous flush.
------------------------------
Ino reapplied her lipstick and soothed
a stray hair back in place. She lovingly stroked the hickey in triumph,
ignoring the muffled moans coming from one of the stalls.
One
down� one to go.
She hadn�t forgotten about
the smirking conceited louse sitting at the table.
Ino had been gratified to hear the
puppeteer turn the young woman down but there was no way in hell she was now
going to give the man any opportunity to walk away or change his mind.
She had made a tactical
error in thinking no other woman would want Kankuro
but it was easy to correct.
Ino wasn�t stupid enough to make the
same mistake again.
The blonde took one final
look at her reflection before walking over to the door.
She frowned as she heard
the pitiful little whimpers still coming from the stall. A part of her was
tempted to go over there and kick her in the ribs again but knew that it would
only cause the silly bitch to moan louder from the pain.
She sighed dramatically
before stepping out of the bathroom.
The stupid cow didn�t
know lucky she was to be alive! She�s fortunate that the bastard turned her
down� it would have turned out a lot worse if he had taken her offer.
------------------------------
The puppeteer was
finishing up his cup of sake when he saw his little vixen finally emerge from
the bathroom.
He watched her eyes narrow
when she caught sight of him sitting at the table and knew that his time had
finally come.
I can hardly wait,
beautiful!
Kankuro grinned wickedly as she stalked
over to their table, ignoring the staff and restaurant patrons who scurried out
of her way.
�What are you grinning
about?� growled the blonde in a sour tone as she sat down.
�You. So I�m curious, sweetheart� is the
poor girl still breathing?� asked the large man in a deceptively casual tone.
�Barely� she has you to thank for that. It was fortunate that you
turned her down,� hissed Ino in an undertone.
�Yes� lucky for her. I bet
she�s not thinking that right now though,� replied Kankuro.
�No woman takes my man��
growled the blonde.
He was overjoyed at that
possessive tone of hers and wanted to howl with joy but he wasn�t ready to let
her off the hook just yet�
�Ahhh,
Ayame� there�s the rub. I�m not your man�yet.
I�m fair game unless you are prepared to stake your claim,� purred Kankuro, immensely enjoying the look of horror dawning on
the young woman�s face.
Oh Kami�
he was right.
�It seems that you have a
little dilemma on your hands� doesn�t it, darling?� murmured the puppeteer,
this time with a serious edge to his voice.
Kankuro leaned over the table then, slid a
large hand through her flaxen locks and whispered very softly in her ear, �I
give you fair warning if you do decide to stake your claim, Ino.
Once you belong to me, I�m not planning to give you up. One taste of you is
never going to be enough for me.�
Ino watched as the large man settled
back into his seat across from her and saw his dark eyes smolder with desire
for her.
He wanted her� that
still had not changed. The fact that he used her real name in this one instance
told her very clearly that she wouldn�t be able to put him aside so casually
once this mission was over.
This wasn�t a game to the
puppeteer. He wanted her on his terms or not at all.
It had finally came down to this moment between them� and he was waiting
for her to give him an answer.
So � she answered in the
most eloquent way possible�
Ino crawled across the table and laid
a soul stirring kiss on the still seated sand nin.
Kankuro�s reaction was immediate. The sand nin swept her up into his arms as
he stood up, his lips still firmly attached to hers.
The patrons were treated
to the sight of a blonde woman cradled in the arms of the most sinfully
brooding man some of the ladies had ever seen as they made their way out of the
restaurant.
Many of them smiled
knowingly when they heard a delighted feminine laugh drift into the restaurant
as they slipped out the door.
Ino knew there was no way she was going to get any
sleep tonight� they had a lot of catching up to do.
- 6
- 7
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A Season of Malcontent