A/N - Run free kids! Here's chapter number two for this story port bundle!

Weeeeeeee

Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto

"All these business names are incredibly stupid," I said aloud to no one in particular, my face twisting in disbelief as I made my way down the list, "Squeaky Clean Dean services? Major Gains gym training? Busy Bee motor transport?"

Suddenly unable to stomach the horrid names any longer I tossed the papers on my desk, jutting an open palm towards it as I complained, "Do these guys have an ounce of imagination in their little brain of theirs?"

Kankuro shrugged as he passed by, fast food Chinese box in his hands, "The idiotic it sounds, the better for us. But honestly no one ever cares about the name, just the services."

"And how is ours any more creative?" Kagura asked with a roll of her eyes, her feet kicked casually on the table as she leaned back, plate in her lap. Sneering to make a point, she mocked, "Steel Investments? Seriously?"

I made a face, aiming for a glare but falling closer to a pout, "What? I thought it was catchy. Steel Investments. Like it's a steal?" I waved her off angrily with a huff, "You guys don't know class when you see it, assholes."

"Settle down, Rockwell," Temari laughed with a roll of her eyes, chewing her food leisurely while she leaned against the wall, "Just be sure to go through all of them tonight, brand them into memory. And go ahead and pick out who you want to reach out to. Games start in a few days, we need to know ahead of time."

Sighing, I muttered a few choice words under my breath.

"What was that?" Kagura taunted with a bright smile.

"I said why doesn't Sakura and Itachi have to be here!" I demanded like a child.

"They've worked hard all week, they get to have the day off," Temari answered with patience, disapproving frown moving to her lips, "Unlike you, Rockwell, who has cut out early all week."

"I've been busy," I grumbled, picking up the papers again.

"With who?" Kagura asked with a smirk.

I threw her a sneer as Kankuro laughed, "You know, I don't think I've openly told you, but I literally bow down to the way you line up these females. How the hell do you do it?"

"I smile, I tell them my name, I smile again," I muttered with a roll of my eyes, "Doesn't get much easier than that."

"How unimpressive," Kagura commented from her corner, leaning back on her chair as she leisurely chewed her food, "And here I thought there was something you did to wow them into your bed each night."

"My smile is enough of a wow factor," I retorted with a slow pull of my lips, "But there are the girls who require a bit more. I'm still working on how to wow them personally. Maybe a few promises on how I do in bed?"

Temari bopped me in the head with her fork, before narrowing her eyes, "Am I going to have to watch you all year?"

"Please mother," I grumbled while rubbing the spot begrudgingly as I moved to read through the lists again. My eyes caught Kagura's small smile just as the words came back into view. A flare of a challenge coursed through me that I attempted to ignore. Sex and business didn't mix. It was safe to keep those I worked with at a very big arm distance away.

Eventually, a few hours later, very strict Temari found it fit to send us all to bed. As the games got closer, we started staying up later and later. I didn't complain too much, growing up with my mother and father seemed to kill off any real complaints about working hard, but it was tedious. After we managed to squash one seemingly small situation, there was already another lined up waiting to be addressed. It kept me busy though, focused. And hard work usually paid off. Despite the fact that we would be delayed during the games, I knew when the time came we'd still be standing tall.

Walking Kagura back to her dorm was a ritual I stuck to. Temari and Kankuro lived in their apartment their parents got for them, and Itachi and Sakura were never the social type enough to have a stroll during the night. Plus with each night we were getting out later and later, the chevalier side of me rejected the idea of her walking by herself during all sorts of dark hours of the day. She always attempted to say it was fine, but I always out right refused.

Tonight, though, she was arguing and the only way I got her to agree was outright saying shamelessly, "Do you honestly think I would be able to sleep tonight if I didn't know you got home safely?"

The question caught her off guard as we were walking to her dorm, gradually making our way through the college campus at the dead of night. It was cold, I had already offered her my expensive cardigan, and was attempting to retain my dropping body temperature with my hands in my pockets as we made the trip. The chilly fog of her lips slipped between us as she watched me, caught off guard. Tugging my cardigan tighter against her shoulder, she gave a small smile, "You not being able to sleep would possibly have something to do with the girl waiting in your bed right now for you to come home."

I gave her a look and a roll of my eyes as we strolled, "There is no girl, not tonight. And there isn't a girl every night as you seem to believe."

A soft smile pulled her lips, "Is that why you're taking your time and being so stubborn? You have no prior engagements pulling you away."

I sighed and looked up at the stars, muttering, "I'm taking my time because you are my friend, and I care about your well being. Even if there were a pretty girl worriedly waiting for me to get home, I would make her wait until I was sure you were in your bed first, safe."

Tucking her hair behind her ear, she smiled slightly more as we were quiet for a moment or two. Eventually, she mumbled, "I have brothers, just like you. Every day of the week they have a different girl they are talking to, a different girl they are bringing home. With them, I know why the girls fall for them. I know their sweet side, they show it to me all the time... Until now, I hadn't realized you had a sweet side of your own. I can see why the girls always seem to wander to your bed."

I let her words sink in as we grew closer to her place, my eyes ahead until I glanced while teasing quietly, "Is that your way of inviting me in?"

She strolled beside, giving an uncaring shrug, "It's very cold outside tonight. Maybe you should stay at my place."

I turned and watched ahead of us, fingers pulling into fists in my pockets as I attempted to find some self control, "Probably not the best idea."

Kagura hummed from beside me, asking ever so softly, "So you are allowed to worry and lose sleep over me, but I have to be kept wondering tonight if you made it home?"

We reached her dorm building, tall twin sized practical towers that sat just near the outside of campus. It was dark, completely quiet besides the rustling of leaves from the picking up wind and buzzing hum of the street lights that didn't seem to quite reach us in the dark corner we were standing.

I turned to her, hands still in my pocket and eyes careful not to give anything away. Watching her carefully, I muttered, "I'll call you when I've made it."

"And if you forget?" She asked.

"I won't," I promised.

"Rockwell," she called, meek, tired, soft breath fogging the air between us. She only had to take a few steps to close the distance between us, head tilting slightly as she held my eyes steady, "I doubt any other girl has to work this hard for this."

"You're not every other girl," I mumbled while looking down at her.

I watched as she brought her hands to my waist, looking down as she picked at my shirt. Standing close with hands still in my pockets, I allowed her to do what she wanted. After a moment, she asked in a defeated little tone, "How am I supposed to behave myself if you keep saying sweet things like that."

"How am I when you keep showing me this meek side of you?" I countered quietly, dipping my head slightly to catch her eyes, "Where is the Kagura that promised to drag me out of bed last week."

"She's waiting upstairs," she whispered, flickering her eyes up to mine, "Waiting to apologize."

A short smile pulled my lips as I mumbled, "Someone as gorgeous as you shouldn't have to apologize for anything in their life. Especially for my mistakes." Pausing, I gave a glance at her lips, unable to help myself, "Which is why I am taking the time to be... difficult. You're too good for me Kagura. Don't waste your time."

We stood there, close, for a very long time. Breath mixing together, her fingers twitching into my shirt, me steeling myself to keep my hands at bay. Eventually she sighed and was the first to look away, though she kept her spot, "You're such an idiot."

"Please have some patience, I'm terribly flawed," I mumbled my apologies with a small smile, "And please, get some rest tonight."

"Alright," she sighed again, moving to slip off my cardigan. But as she did so, I stopped her.

"Keep it," I instructed.

"You have to get home Tayuya, and you don't need to do something stupid like getting sick doing it," she refused with a frown.

My smile pulled even more, "My walk is about ten minutes, I can make it that long without it. Plus, maybe if you're laying in bed with it, you won't feel as nervous as I'm making my small trek. And maybe you'll be able to rest a little easier with it after I call you to tell you I'm home, seeing as I can't see to it myself tonight."

She watched me for a moment before rolling her eyes and tugging my cardigan closer into her. Almost sounding angry, she grumbled, "God, you're absolutely perfect. And I'm supposed to control myself?"

Grinning, I replied, "Don't worry. Tomorrow you'll be reminded just how much of an asshole I am. So I'll see you then? Bright and early?"

"Yeah, whatever," she waved me off, turning to leave. But mid step she paused. Frowning slightly, I asked, "Forgot something?"

She turned and gave me a pointed glare before moving and closing the distance between us with a grumble, "God, I'm going to hate myself in the morning."

Before I could question what she meant, her lips were pressed against mine, slowly moving. Her hands moved to my neck, scratching softly with her perfect nails in a way that it coursed a shiver through my whole body. I was careful keep my hands in my pockets, I couldn't trust myself if they had began to wander. But I settled for slowly moving my lips with hers, because I was only so strong.

Pulling away slightly, she mumbled against my mouth, "If I have to be good tonight, at least give me the decency of calling me once you're home."

I gave a small boyish smile, "I promise."

Watching me for a second more, she sighed and pulled away, finally making her way to her apartment entrance. "See you in the morning, Rockwell."

I grinned and twirled back around, strolling leisurely back home.

xXx

I paced the office with my hand gripping my jaw, glaring at the piece of paper in my hand in concentration. As I aimlessly moved, my gang waited about. Sakura on the computer, Itachi typing up some other mindless report I'd have to read, and the rest keeping me company in their usual manner. Kagura swinging her legs as she sat on the counter, Kankuro kicked back leaning back on a chair, and Temari with her arms crossed against the nearest wall.

"You managed to get the company that fucked up my room?" I asked out loud, eyes still on the papers in front of me.

"It was a group, and they aren't all in the same company. I left the list on your desk this morning," Kagura answered as she continued to swing her legs.

"We double checked on if any of those wanted appointment dates with us?" I continued my line of questions.

"Triple checked, two out of the three want appointments with us," Temari replied carefully, "After booking a room with Cloud District, we should see them early this afternoon. They are the first two in line."

"We have last years stock reports on our them and our competitors?" I went on, glancing at Sakura.

"Dissected, cut into a basic equation, programmed into the system, and lined up with our time line," Sakura responded without a beat or looking away from her monster of a computer. The nine screens blanked out before showing a chart with several jagged line darting across labeled of various companies. Underneath them held a dot, titled 'Steel', that showed our current status, "We'll know when they are about to flat line before they do."

"And our Gram cards?"

"Sitting right here, ready for the games to start," Kankuro answered, pushing a small stainless steel box propped open with six cards carefully laid across each other. Each held all of our names, and each had their makeshift company logo across the top.

"We have eyes on the countdown?" I asked, finally looking up to them.

The biggest TV in the room winked awake, and on the screen held a black background with bold solid numbers counting down. Each number slowly falling from two minutes.

I sighed, placing down the paper with my hands slipping into my dress pant pockets. Sweater vest snug, collared shirt unbuttoned carelessly at my neck and wrist with sleeves pulled up, and beanie pulled low, I watched the time as it trickled by.

"Well," I announced with a glance around the group, "Are you guys ready?"

"Born ready, boss," Kankuro answered for them all, the rest of them holding my steady eyes.

A smooth smile pulled my lips, "Alright. Then let's cause some trouble."

The final seconds trickled past, the TV screen read a series of zeros, and in the distance a bell rang signifying the starting of the games. Silence made the air heavy, you could almost feel everyone in campus coming to life all at once.

One of Sakura's nine screens blanked and started reeling numbers, then seconds later the rest of the screens followed one by one. The flow trickled into every screen in the office, blinking every device into life. The hum of every appliance breathing filled the room, and soon enough the numbers stopped flowing and stood still. Silence filled the air as we waited.

A moment passed. Then two. Finally, in a blink of an eye, all screens turned bright white. Names darted across the chart that suddenly appeared, making it seem vast and small all at the same time. For a moment nothing happened, but then a split instant later there was a blink of a company making it's first move.

Ours.

"We're up and running," Sakura muttered from her corner, typing away, "Invested in Bee's motor. Clarity tutorial. Trademark marketing. Cloud District..."

She continued to list off every game plan we had set since three weeks ago. Taking a breath, I took it all in, watching as each and every company began to follow two steps behind us.

"Alright Steel Investments," I announced with a ruthless smile to my group, "Time to be on our worst behavior."

X

I held my buttoned up sweater neatly folded yet carelessly thrown between my forearm and hip as I strolled home, hands in my pocket as I took in the night air. It was chilly, as it always was after I walked Kagura home. But I felt warm, so much so that I had my sleeves rolled carefully to my elbows. It took strength to deny Kagura every night, strength to carefully pull away from every tug. And that strength always radiated heat within me.

I was starting to lose my resolve, and if Temari found out she would kill me. Every kiss she'd have my head for, every grip of Kagura's waist she'd bury me that much deeper into the ground. But how could I help it when Kagura bit her lip that way, how she pouted slightly when she couldn't get her way.

What better man, or woman, could pull away when she started to tug at my waist. Flicking her bright red eyes that glowed in the dark up at me as we stood just in the shadows hidden in a corner, tilting her head as she whispered she was sorry for each and every time our lips touched.

No matter how many times I sucked at her neck, mumbling that it was my weakness at fault, not her, I could not convince her to stop apologizing.

Closing my eyes, I tried to push the images out of my head as I continued my trek home. It had been a long time since I had to control myself around a girl, keep myself in line for the better of something else. But each night I walked Kagura home, I grew more and more curious.

Did she taste as good as she did whenever she whimpered against my mouth...

Suddenly, I felt myself run into something solid. Too soft to be a tree, but sturdy enough to stop me in my tracks.

It was instinct that had my hands darting out, gripping the waist of person I bumped into. I pulled them close as they stumbled, attempting to ensure their regain of balance as I held them with mine. Only after did I realize who was wrapped in my arms, and unsurprisingly she looked anything but happy in her white knitted beanie, blue sweater, and jeans.

"Are you kidding me, Rockwell?" Ino glared up in disbelief. How could something so small be so angry all the time? "A whole fucking campus, at the dead of fucking night, and you still manage to run into me?"

I stared at her, stunned. I hadn't seen her days, or maybe weeks. The starting of the games had kept me busy, and she made it a point to keep a very fair distance whenever we were in class. Stumbling, I muttered, "I'm sorry, I was... my eyes were closed. I wasn't paying attention."

"Walking around with your eyes closed?" She repeated with a twist of her face, pulling away from my grip, "Added on to the fact that it's one thirty in the morning. What exactly are you doing?"

I shook my head, attempting to find footing. To be honest I was tired, far too beat to be on top of my game of slick remarks and asshole sarcasm. The games started early, and the rest of the day was spent with me in meeting after meeting deciding if I approved of investment or not.

"I... I'm walking home," I mumbled with a small frown, "I didn't realize it was so late."

Something about my responses must have been unsettling, possibliy the lack of fight in me. With a frown of her own, though it seemed more disgusted than concerned, she asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm tired," I admitted, rubbing my eyes with my hand, "I'm really sorry. Honestly didn't mean to run into you like that. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, rubbing away the chill on her arms, "Why are you out this late if you're so tired? And why don't you have your sweater on?"

"I was walking a friend back, I'm about to head to my suite to hit the sack myself," I answered with my free hand pointing behind me, "And I'm not very cold so..."

"A friend," she muttered while watching me carefully, but after a second a hard frown pulled her lips, "One of the many girls you are sleeping with?"

If it had been anyone else, I would have smirked and played it off. But something about hearing it from Ino made it completely different. Frowning, I answered, "No, just a friend. We both work late when it comes to the games, so I try to make sure she gets home safe every night."

I could tell she didn't believe me, and it bugged me. "How chevalier of you," she joked.

I continued to frown, shaking my head as I attempted to brush it off, "What about you, are you heading back to the penthouses?"

"Yes," she answered, but offered no further information.

She didn't have to, I was more concerned about her. Disapproving look on, I replied, "And you are doing that alone? By yourself? With nothing but a sweater to keep you warm?"

Instantly she began to stiffen and get defensive, "I can take care of myself, Rockwell."

"Are you kidding me? Someone with as much attitude as you? Of course you can take care of yourself," I retroted with a roll of my eyes. Moving to unfold my sweater, I continued to joke, "I'm sure that angry core of yours is enough to keep you warm in the toughest winters. But if we are going to be walking home together, you are not going to be wearing just that."

She pulled away from my advances with brows furrowing low, "What do you think you're doing? I don't want to wear that. And who said we were walking together?"

"I don't care what you don't want to wear, and of course we are walking together," I expressed calmly while giving her look.

"I'm not wearing your damn sweater, Rockwell." She reinstated with a glare.

I returned it with a frown, "It isn't for you, it's for my well being. I can't let you walk around like that while I'm near, I have to make sure you are warm. Do you know what my mother would do to me if she found out I let you wiggle out of wearing something as measly as this thin sweater?" I gave her a shudder, "She'd have my ear between her fingers for weeks. Just tug tug tugging away while nagging that she raised me better."

Though she tried not to, her glare let up slightly as a hint of a smile pulled her lips. Giving her a small one of my own, I asked again quietly, "Please, at least until we reach the building. After that you can go back off to hating my guts."

Sighing, she rolled her eyes slightly and waved me off, "Alright, give me your sweater."

I brightened as I handed it to her, watching as she tucked her arms within the sleeves while pulling it close. Just in watching her put on one simple article of clothing, I felt a unfamiliar churn in my stomach. But underneath the foreign feeling, I felt the same strength from earlier tonight within me spark to push everything at bay. I never understood before, but now I slightly did about the attraction of seeing a female wear something that you owned.

The sleeves were too big because I was taller, it hung loosely past her wrist, hiding her hands from the world. And it was practically engulfing, her small figure unable to fill out the expensive sweater that I did on many occasions such as today. The churning was reaching my chest as she folded her arms close to hers, almost hugging herself.

With a glance, she sneered softly, "Happy?"

My smile didn't quite reach my eyes as I muttered, "I have one last request."

Sighing, she pressed, "What is it, Rockwell."

Taking a step towards her, I asked quietly, "Could you please call me by my name?"

The request caught her off guard. She blinked, stumbling slightly as she repeated, "Your name? I call you it all the time."

"My last name isn't mine, that's generations of blood writing each letter of it," I mumbled while holding her eyes, "I'm sick of it. Rockwell isn't who I am, it's what I'm apart of... I want you to call me by my name."

She watched me in silence, probably too stunned to figure out what to say. I was surprised too, I was good at keeping my true feelings to myself. Being called Rockwell stopped aggravating me years ago, I had accepted it as something I would just have to get over. But again, with Ino it was different. With her, for some reason, I always found myself saying the most idiotic things.

Taking a breath and a step back, I sighed and shook my head. Eyebrows coming together, I let out a short laugh, "Sorry. Just forget it. Let's get you back into your room at a decent hour."

I moved to leave, expecting her to follow, which she did. We walked in comfortable silence, which wasn't unusual. Whenever she tolerated my presence, it was when I was quiet and attempting to keep my annoying tendencies at an all time low. For us, it was simply another day of the week. Me being on my best behavior, and her pretending I didn't exisist.

When we finally reached our penthouse of a dorm, I opened the doors for her and pressed the floor number myself. It was probably a slap in the face to be put on the same floor as me, but it didn't matter much seeing as I never went to visit her. Her door was in fact three doors from mine, yet when I reached mine I kept walking with her. She gave me a glance, but maybe the story of my mother convinced her that it was something else I simply had to do. That I needed to ensure she was all the way safe into her room before I bothered going entering mine.

I didn't want to ruin it by admitting it was something I wanted to do and it had nothing to do with principle.

Unlocking her door with her card key, she opened it carefully before putting her things down in a corner. Coming back, she smiled, the second real smile I had seen. The first was when she had questioned me about my destroyed room. As she smiled, she taunted softly, "I'm home safe now, knight in shining armor. And I made it while being extra warm. Can I now relieve you of your duties without your mother scolding you?"

"Yes," I played along with a playful smile, "I can live to see another day. Thank you for excersising patience with all of this. I know it had to be a hassle dealing with such a fearful brat that's still scared of her mothers scoldings."

"Mm, as much as I'd love to rub it in your face, I didn't completely hate it. And I didn't have to excersise too much patience," she teased back while carefully taking off my sweater.

I watched her, almost having to bite my tongue to keep from asking if she'd keep it for the night. Simply so I could go to sleep with the thought of her still wearing something that was mine.

Handing it to me, she said, "You better get to bed, you honestly do look tired."

"I haven't seen your worried side directed towards me before," I replied, tilting my head as I took my sweater, "Is this what it's like not to be hated?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," she laughed with a roll of her eyes, "I guess I'll see you at class?"

"Yes, I'll be in the same back right corner as I'm always in," I answered while slipping my hands in my pockets, "You know, just so you get a good feel on where to completely avoid looking while you're ignoring me."

She laughed again, and the sound had me smiling without me meaning to. With a shake of her head, she moved back to close the door, "Exactly, we still aren't friends so don't bother talking to me."

"Roger," I replied with a solid nod.

Giving me one last smile before slipping the door closed, she called softly, "Good night, Tayuya."

The click of the door was at the same moment of my blink of surprise. For a moment I just watched her closed door, stunned.

Then with a slow spreading grin, I moved to make my way back to my dorm.

There you go!

That's all I had in the bundle for this story! Butttt if you are so torn about it, go read some of the other port bundles I posted in BoD! Black Out Days. Won't regret it, I promise!

Anyway, better move it along! I got two new stories for you, and a decent dent into it so you can guage if you want MOAR or NAW

SHYCADET IS PORT BUNDLING. TELL YA FRIENDS, TELL YA WIFE. Out