Naruto If You're Gone

Dark eyes squeezed themselves shut in the darkness, the nose in between giving out a defiant snort.

Kankurou had been doing that for the past hour, trying to get comfortable in the bed that was twice as large as he was used to. Well, it was more like four times as large, but he would would have preferred being shoved to the edge of the mattress--inadvertantly, of course--than have to bare with the emptiness of her not being there.

It wasn't fair. Ino had barely gotten settled into his place when Gaara had sent her on an onvernight.

_No,_ Kankurou thought, glancing at the three remaining boxes of clothing stacked haphazardly in the corner of his bedroom. _Not even barely._

--

_When the door to his office bounced off the wall adjacent with a resounding BOOM, Gaara lifted his eyes calmly from the treaty he had been looking over. His eyes went right back down to the parchment-like paper when he saw that it was only his brother._

_"Yes?"_

_Footsteps that could have been heard in the Sound thundered across the carpet, and a hand suddenly appeared on top of the paper, obstructing his view. Green eyes slid upward, vaguely showing that they noticed the puppeteer's livid face._

_Grinding his teeth was the only way Kankurou managed to keep from screaming. "Why did you do that?" he seethed, fingertips curling inward, rumpling the treaty over the signature lines._

_Gaara did not reply for a moment. His mind skimmed over the possibility of feigning ignorance, and allowing his brother to try and destroy his office, but the idea was quickly rejected. A small sigh escaped his lips, and he sat up straighter, pressing his fingertips together. "Suna protocol requires that all aliens prove their alliegance in the way specified by the current Kazekage." he reminded the brunette. "And it was either the one mission, or draft her as a recruit for the war against Otogakure."_

_A small vein protruded from the puppet-master's neck. "But why now!"_

--

Kankurou flopped onto his side, banging an arm against his nightstand in an unsuccessful attempt to keep himself on the bed before feeling himself slide off, the back of his head bumping against the stand as well. He didn't even bother to get back up from the heap of blankets surrounding him on the floor. His dark eyes darted from one dark lump to the next, vaguely placing labels on the things he could identify in the dark.

_It's all been dark,_ he told himself, frowning. Even though there were several windows of many variations in his small apartment, the room had lost its light. There were no visible glimmers of sunlight reflecting off of spare mechanisms, Kankurou noticed. It was one of the things he valued the most of his profession, the way everything seemed to just radiate that puppets were his passion.

Kankurou's eyes found the unpacked boxes, and his frown deepened as he shuffled to heave himself back onto the bed, facing away from them. Why should he have to look at them every day? It was just horrible, being reminded that he was alone again when he shouldn't have to be.

He hated looking at those boxes. Each time, a small voice whispered into the deep corners of his mind. _They may have to stay packed. She might not come back, even for you._

"Dammit, Ino," he growled into his pillow, banging a fist against it limply. "You'd better come back soon."

--

A yawn escaped ruby lips, and a small hand rose to stifle it, the other rising higher to stretch. It was already near midnight, and Ino wasn't used to being up and about quite this late, even in Konoha, when she was used to having slumber parties every weekend with Sakura or Hinata.

She blinked blearily, casting a contemptuous glance to the stairwell leading to her cozy bed, and she only then realized how much she hated those stairs. Not finding in herself to grumble about it, she lifted a heavy foot and began her trek.

The mission had been easy enough. After all, by some slight of luck, it had only been a delivery. A stock mission, simply giving supplies to Konoha for the impending battles. She allowed herself a slight grin, adjusting her satchel, careful not to break the small vials of Kusagakure-unique poisons and antidotes. She had come across them in one of the boxes she had unpacked at Konoha general, and demanded that Sakura allow her to keep some. The kunoichi had simply smiled at her chlidhood friend, and later that day presented it to the blonde as a parting gift.

"_I'm sure Kankurou-san will love them,_" Sakura had told her with a smile.

_He better..._ Ino grumbled internally, stepping onto her level, crossing the hallway to the front door. When she tested the doorknob, she was pleased to find that it was unlocked, and she smiled. _He left it open for me..._

Carefully, she poked her head in the door, crossing the threshhold and slipping inside, closing the door quietly. She heard a small 'thump' in the bedroom, frowning as she went toward the sound.

There, Ino found Kankurou lying on the floor, looking as down and out as she'd ever seen him. She smiled slightly, leaning against the doorjamb, watching him as he climbed back into the bed, and almost laughing when she saw that he was keeping close to the edge. Finally, she tiptoed across the floor, carefully putting her pack next to her still-unpacked boxes.

"Dammit, Ino, you'd better come back soon."

The mattress bent under her weight, and Ino rested her forehead against his shoulder. "I don't think I have to anymore," she whispered lightly, fingers curling around the fabric of his shirt.


End file.

Naruto, Romance