[9] Proposal!?

[9]

Nikko

"Stay over there!"

Sasuke ignored her command and took a step forward. To the outside viewer the situation would have been comical; Nikko, with her pointed finger shaking and Sasuke with his turtle movements. One would have thought he was sneaking up on a rabbit or some other small flighty animal. As for Nikko, she had lost all dignity at the hands of the Uchiha. His simple action of pulling her up had unfastened the tie around her neck, making the girl's patterned hospital gown fall down her arms and hit the floor in a heap.

"J-Just be quiet. I'll fix your damn gown."

Nikko squinted her eyes shut tightly as he took another step. "No~! Don't! J-Just go away!" She grabbed the gown and pulled it to hide her breasts. By hiding her breasts however she left other areas vulnerable. She switched between which objects to hide. "You're t-terrible, Uchiha-san! Now---now nobody will marry me!"

At that precise moment a loud sound crashed through the room. It wasn't just a sound. It was a force of nature. There was nothing but brown in Nikko's eyesight as the shade wrapped around her like a vortex. She felt the ground disappear as said vortex lifted her up and onto the hospital bed. She then realized it was in fact sand all around her, and that Gaara had to be responsible.

The sand fell away from her and she could see the room once more. It was indeed Gaara with his back to her, his gourd opened as sand flowed from it.

"Sharingan!" Sasuke yelled.

He was too late however. Gaara had already made his move; rallying sand to pin Sasuke to the wall by his throat. "Huk--!" The Uchiha gagged, taking a kunai knife from his side holster. Because of the delayed reaction time Gaara's attack was very successful.

"G-Gaara-san!" Nikko gasped. She could only see his back, but the girl felt a killing intent that made her shiver. Or maybe she shivered from cold. Either way, Nikko shivered and pulled her cover around her like a cloak. The Jinchuuriki was merely standing still but had enough power he was able to do his task of murder as he turned to Nikko.

His teal eyes calmly examined her. "You are unharmed?"

"Y-Yes! I'm fine! But uhm--that is, Gaara-san--can you maybe not kill Uchiha-san?"

Gaara blinked once, twice, before dropping his hand. The sand fell down from Sasuke, who quickly coughed and held his welted neck. He then charged towards his attacker only to be met with a wall of sand. The brown grains divided the room into two areas; one side which Gaara and Nikko were at, the other he alone occupied. Sasuke could be heard hitting the sand wall with his shuriken. Despite the teens speed, in a confined hospital room it wasn't much of an advantage and thus rendered his strongest attack, Chidori, useless.

Nikko pulled her cover tightly. Her guide fluttered to Gaara excitedly. "Hime-sama! Oh my! Gaara-san just came to your aid! What does this mean?"

The naked girl glared at her guide before smiling nervously at Gaara, who was silently observing the room. Nikko braved a few words: "Gaara-san...you didn't have to do that.."

He looked down his nose. "...Then, are you upset?"

"Eh?"

"Have I made you upset by my actions?" He asked.

Nikko stumbled over her wrods, "No! N-Not at all! I'm--I'm grateful!" After saying that a wave of shyness came over her; she pulled the cover to her nose and looked everywhere but at the handsome desert ninja in her hospital room.

"I see." A pause, then: "I'll tell the nurse you've awakened."

"..."

Gaara dropped his sand wall and Nikko saw Sasuke take a step back. He appeared to be winded and angry with two sharp lines between his dark brows. "What the hell are you trying to pull?" He asked Gaara. His kunai lifted threateningly.

"Utsuri-san does not require your aid in dressing," Gaara replied neutrally. His lined eyes narrowed as he passed by and left the room. Sasuke clicked his tongue and put away his weapons. "Hn. Freak." He then faced Nikko with an angry expression. "And as for you, since you're only concerned about getting married I'll do everyone a favor and take the burden."

Nikko saw red. "B-B-Burden?! Just who the hell do you think you are!" She hopped up to give him a well deserved smack but found the bad ankle gave way and down she went. "Uhn! See what you did you--you idiot!" Nikko's anger was great. The girl couldn't believe what Sasuke had said to her. It was more than just a mere insult; her honor as a woman was shaken. He needed to pay for dishonoring her. Nikko looked and saw a slipper in the floor and lobbed it to his dark head. It smacked his unsuspecting forehead and slowly slid down.

Sasuke's face was marred with a red streak in the middle. His shoulders raised like an angry cats back before the boy stomped to Nikko and shoved her onto the tiled floor. He grabbed the front of her revealing cover. "Why you--!"

Then, as if realizing what an idiotic thing he had just done, Sasuke looked down and saw the beautiful Nikko below him frightened and scorned at the same. Her purple eyes were tight with fury and humiliation. "Can't handle what I said? Yeah, you're an idiot! Hmp! I've always thought that, since all you care about is killing your older brother--"

A switch flipped in the boy's mind. He no longer saw a girl under him; he saw someone against his reason for living. Sasuke pulled his kunai knife and held it to her throat, drawing blood. "What do you know? Nothing!"

Nikko felt ice run down her back. It was killing intent, and this time aimed for her. Sasuke's kunai began to drag down her neck. A thin line of blood popped out from her creamy flesh. Still Nikko didn't give in to her fears; after all, she had already died once. "I know that you're a heartless jerk! You wouldn't even know what to do with a woman!"

"And where is this woman? Tch, as if I even care about that."

"See? You're just a one trick pony! Get off--"

Instead of putting his weapons away the boy found challenge in Nikko's accusation. He felt she needed to know who she was dealing with. He was an Uchiha, so why in the world would one measly girl intimidate him?

Sasuke used his free hand to yank down her covering and thus exposing her bouncy melons. His dark eyes swept down before he smirked.

Nikko's pulse began a rampant pace that would probably land her into the med ward if known. She pushed against his shoulders, but it only made the Uchiha tighten his kunai on her neck. More blood sprang forth. The girl had no idea what Sasuke was thinking, but she knew it wasn't anything pleasant.

"Hn....like taking candy from a baby," he murmured.

Nikko blinked and felt a throbbing begin in her mind. Everything in her peripheral vision swayed for a moment. What's going on? This must be genjutsu, She thought. Her hands fell against the floor. To Nikko, instead of a hospital room, she was now on a posh raised futon. Her head turned and she saw Sasuke approach her from the shadows. Instead of his normal attire he was shirtless, pale lithe body catching the moonlight like some form of vampire.

"Guess where we are," he said while motioning around.

"Hell? It must be hell since I'm here with you." Nikko smirked at her excellent comeback.

"...Clever girl. That's why I like you, Utsuri-chan..." he smiled creepily and drew closer.

The girl looked around and saw that she was amidst some kind of water source. A boat house. Nikko was in a bedroom on a boat house with Sasuke Uchiha. The room was large and dark, lit only by the multiple paned windows filtering in the night time. From her quick perusal the outside was breezy; tree limbs shadowing onto the floor in front of her.

Nikko gulped and looked down to see she was naked. "W-what's going on? How did--when did--?" The teen glanced to find Aponi but was unable to locate her monarch butterflies anywhere.

She was alone here.

Sasuke set down on the edge of her futon and leaned to her. "I'm showing you the place of your dreams...with me here, you'll never be alone."

"I--I don't want to be here! Let me free this instance!" She shouted and hopped up only to find her hands had cuffs around them. Cold metal cuffs that were tied to an end table. "What's with these? A-Are you a rapist or something?"

"..." He didn't answer, instead growing further still. Nikko was too startled to offer much resistance, although she did balk and bump her back into the wall behind her. "G-Get away!"

"Oh? Is that what you really want, I wonder..."

Sasuke slowly reached his hand to her face. His touch was silky and cold, giving her a chill. Nikko turned her head from him, "D-Don't do anything more...I-I'm warning you.."

"Hmm..."

He tilted her chin forcefully while smirking confidently. Then, everything slowed down as Nikko eyes shut. He was going to kiss her, she thought numbly...

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"WHAAAA?! SASUKE-KUN AND NIKKO-CHAN?! WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON IN HERE?!

Nikko awoke from her genjutsu.

The loud booming voice came from the doorway. It was Naruto, and he stood frozen on his tip toes like a block of ice. At the sight before him however, he teetered back and forth before swaying down like a piece of paper to the floor.

The two on the floor parted from one another as if electrocuted. Nikko grabbed herself and sat up in a flushed huff. "I hate you Uchiha-san! I'd--i'd rather marry Uzamaki-san!" She began bawling loudly.

"Tch...marry that lame loser?" Sasuke glared at Naruto, "You must be out of your mind." Angrily he went to the window and hopped to perch on the sill, "...Two idiots like you deserve each other."

After the Uchiha left, the girl hobbled to her feet with the help of the hospital bed frame. "Hnn, Uzamaki-san, is there something you needed?"

Naruto blinked and cleared his throat. "Uhh--welll--ya know, yeah! Yeah! I came here to uhh, tell Sasuke-kun that Kakashi-sensei was looking for him! Ah ha ha ha...."

Nikko sighed and adjusted her cover modestly. "I see. You just missed him." She plopped down onto the bed, "But while you're here can you please find some crutches? I'd really like to walk more than two feet without falling."

"Huh? Uh yeah, sure thing. Be right back Nikko-chan!"

Naruto darted away and the girl finally had time to collect herself. She pulled away the blanket and saw redness staining it. Evidence that Uchiha Sasuke had really pinned her down. "Aponiiiii...just look!"

"Hime-sama. I'm as surprised as you are! But, look at it this way, Uchiha-san said he would marry you!"

Nikko snatched one of the butterflies and squashed it in her palm. "AS IF I'D EVER MARRY HIM! HE'S A COMPLETE AND UTTER--" she stopped talking when the door flew open. Two medics walked in, behind them Naruto with a set of crutches. The staff greeted her and began their examination: "The swelling is still present. It appears she's worsened the healing by trying to walk on it," the examiner said. He critically eyed Naruto: "Make sure she doesn't do too much on her own."

The fox saluted the staff. Afterwards everyone eventually left her to her own devices.

After having her medicine and getting into a fresh gown Nikko grabbed the crutches at the end of her bed and got up. "Hah! Keep ME in bed, hell no! I'm a free woman!"

"Yes, Hime-sama can do anything!"

The girl glared at her guide. "I'm still pissed at you. What, are you a Uchiha-san fan or something?"

Aponi glittered gold. "Of course not! Aponi merely found it interesting! And steamy!"

"Steamy?! I'll steamy your ass!" Nikko smacked down her guide from the air. "Why don't you three make yourself useful for once and help me find Idate-kun?"

"Yes Hime-sama!"

The guide fluttered through the doorway. Right behind was Nikko albeit slowly. Using crutches was more difficult than she had thought. After a snails pace across the room, she was finally out and into the hallway. Gaara stood there with his arms crossed and foot perched on the wall. His eyes opened upon hearing her crutches tap on the hard floor.

"You're bleeding."

Nikko froze. She covered the kunai marking. "N-No, I'm fine..."

Gaara frowned at the girl. "Earlier I detected the scent of your blood...and killing intent."

She didn't know that Gaara could smell blood. The girl was at a loss for words, but really didn't want to explain anything to him. She brushed it off: "Oh that? I cut myself when I...when I...when I fell! So don't worry. I'm fine, Gaara-san."

He pushed off from the wall and closed the gap between them. Those teal eyes glanced at her neck then away. "If you say so. I won't pressure you to tell me anything. We all have our...secrets."

"Gaara-san..."

"You must be hungry. Let me take you somewhere to eat." He held out his hand.

Nikko's face flamed bright crimson. She looked to his hand offered, and then forward. "If you do that then, then..." the girl gulped. It wasn't that she didn't want to take his hand, she simply didn't think he would do such a thing. Gaara had indeed changed. The changed attitude left her not knowing how to react.

"...then?" He probed.

"We'll be h-holding hands!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Nikko chanced a look to him and saw he had a bead of sweat on his jawline. Gaara retracted his hand and pretended to adjust the straps of his gourd. "...Of course. We shouldn't do that, should we?" He questioned.

A horribly awkward silence filled the air. The girl sought a way to fill it: "A-Anyway, did I happen to say anything weird to you by chance? Last night?"

He slowly blinked. A tiny furrow grew where his brows would be. "...Weird?"

"Well--maybe I said--something like-n-nevermind. Forget I asked! Sooooo....about Idate-kun. How is he?"

Gaara and Nikko kept the same snail pace, the girl not noticing his slower than normal footsteps, always in alignment with hers. They rounded a corner and Nikko saw Aponi. The monarchs were hovering right outside a door with a tiny port hole. "Hime-sama, this is Idate-kun's room! He's awake!"

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