I Can't Stand You

No More Embarrassment - Ebisu / Small - Katsu

Five days.

It had been five days since he had last stepped foot into The Kat's Meow.

Why had he even bothered going back the second night?  He knew he was pushing his luck by returning, but something compelled him to return.  Was it the soft glow of sex?

Once again, he found himself walking around the streets of Konohagakure, unable to sleep.  But, it was 2 in the morning, so there were no bars open to even use as an excuse.  This was the fourth night he had decided to take a walk, trying to enjoy the warm summer air.  Maybe he could go to the hot spring, they were open all night-

"Hey."

The voice behind him made him freeze in place.  He turned around slowly, afraid to face the woman who had caused him so much trouble last week.  But her pink lips weren't smirking. She had a strange look of pity on her face.  He answered her quietly.

"Hey."

"I wanted to tell you, I talked to Mizuka and asked her to leave you alone about the bath house thing.  The look on your face had been burned into my mind for almost a week.  No one should feel that embarrassed to come into my shop.  Ever.  So, you're free of my shop, and your bath house story stops with me."

She gave him a small bow and turned to leave.  He was stunned by her kind response.  And he was slightly annoyed that she thought he was so sensitive that she needed to seek him out.  He watched her walk away and out of sight around the corner of the buildings.

***

Katsu was slipping around the stripper pole in the corner of her shop lazily.  She had cleared the air with Ebisu, but she still felt a little upset.  She had seen plenty of green shinobi look embarrassed and laugh nervously as they looked at the racks of sexual toys and nudie magazines, but noting like she had seen on Ebisu's face.  She felt horrible for him, but she was also slightly annoyed that he was acting like such a big baby over books and silicone.  The man who would sneak around the bath houses was afraid to be seen at the porn store.

She had done everything she could do, telling him that her lips were sealed as well as Mizuka's.  Her conscience was clear. So why was she so emotionally charged over the feelings of some stranger?  Was it anger?  Annoyance?  Pity?

Katsu climbed to the top of the pole, trying to get herself into the pulsating music.  Flipping herself upside down, she held the pole between her muscular thighs, deep in thought as she gazed at the soft pink lights on the ceiling.  But, something moved and caught her eye, scaring the shit out of her and almost making her fall off of the damn pole.  There was the dark figure of a man standing hear the racks, watching her.  Catching herself with her legs once again, she righted herself and put her feet on the ground.  Letting her eyes adjust, she focused on Ebisu.

"Back for more?  I didn't think I'd see you again."

He chuckled.

"Me neither."

"Are you looking for something in particular?"

He shrugged.

"I don't know.  But I finished the video you recommended and I liked it more than I thought I would."

"Yeah?  Come on, I have more over here."

She led him over to the videos and picked another one out, handing it to him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You're going to anyway."

She frowned at him.

"Why are you so embarrassed to be here?"

"Because I'm a Tokubetsu Jonin.  And Elite.  I specialize in training elite ninja.  I have more important things to do with my time than hang around a porn store."

She could tell by the look on his face that he immediately regretted the words that had just fallen out of his mouth.  It was too late.

"So my career is less than yours because of what I do?  Because I can't tell if I feel badly for you or if I'm offended you think that you're more important than almost everyone else in the village."

He tried to save himself.

"You're taking this someplace that I had no intention of going-"

"No intention?  So you do feel that way."

He remained quiet; she wasn't doing this tonight, choosing to walk away and wait for him behind the counter.  All she was trying to do was help him to not feel so ashamed.  She couldn't stand this man; he was making her feel like the embarrassed one.

He stayed for about 20 minutes and she was surprised when he returned to her with a armful of stuff.  She didn't look at him, ringing up his purchases quickly and brown bagging them.  He paid her and took the bag, but then just stood there awkwardly for a moment, as if he was going to say something.  She refused to look at him, instead keeping her face toward the counter top, trying not to cry.

"Have a nice night."

She spoke to the counter quietly as the teardrops began to splash on the worn wood.  She felt small and crushed by this stranger's words.

"You too."

He spoke quietly as well, leaving after another moment.  The door hadn't even shut when she burst into tears, burying her face into her arms and sobbing.  She didn't deserve this.  She had worked so hard to gt to a good place in her life.  Why did Mizuka have to send such an asshole here?

Why did she even care?