Bab 100: Aiming for the Heart Through the Stomach
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Fearing that Wu might abandon his mission due to Yukie's standoffish behavior, Sandayu clasped his hands together in an ingratiating manner as he said, "Please don't let Miss Yukie's conduct affect your opinion of her. She may act harsh and temperamental, but she's a kind and caring person deep down..."
As it didn't really matter to him, Wu shook his head, saying, "There's no need to apologize. I will execute my mission without fail, regardless of the temperament of my client. You just focus on your job and let me focus on mine."
"Right..."
Understanding that Wu was basically telling him to piss off, Sandayu directed one last look at Yukie's trailer before returning to the set. He had 'many' reservations about leaving Wu alone with Yukie, but as the former's power was integral to achieving their dream, Sandayu chose to believe that the somewhat infamous Shinobi wouldn't do anything amiss while on a mission...
After waiting for the middle-aged Manager to saunter off, Wu decreased his size, produced several clones, and immediately started surveying the interior and exterior of Yukie's trailer, its immediate surroundings, and the lot containing the film sets. He wasn't the type to leave things to chance, so while he intended to let Sakura, Fu, and Kaia have their fun, he wasn't going to leave things to chance. Besides, he also had a 'promise' to keep with Temari...
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Hearing the sound of something sizzling and smelling a fragrant aroma, Yukie's brows briefly furrowed before she opened her eyes and sat up on her bed. The presence of Wu in her trailer caused her body to tense, but the expression on her face remained unchanged as she asked, "What are you doing in my trailer? And what's that smell...?"
Without looking over, Wu casually replied, "I've been tasked with keeping you safe. That means protecting you from physical injuries, poisons, and anything else that might imperil your life. In other words, I'll be providing all your food and drinks for the next 1-3 months."
Furrowing her brows, Yukie grumbled, "You speak as though someone's out to kill me..."
Shrugging his shoulders, Wu retorted, "I'm not omniscient, nor can I see into the future. All I know is that I've been entrusted with your protection, so I plan to keep you safe from anything that might harm you, even if that something is yourself..."
Narrowing her eyes, Yukie was tempted to take Wu to task by slitting her wrists. Unfortunately, she didn't have the courage to take her own life, so she just fixed her hair and asked, "What are you making?"
Adopting a faint smile, Wu replied, "Right now, I'm just frying up some maple sausage. I noticed you were looking peckish when you came out earlier, so this will help replenish your energy. And don't worry, even if you eat yourself into a food coma, the food I prepare won't ruin your figure. If anything, it will improve it."
Snorting through her nose, Yukie asked, "Is that some kind of secret ninja magic? If so, you could make a fortune selling the production method..."
As she was usually prohibited from eating certain foods, Yukie didn't care if Wu was ultimately talking out of his ass. A diet of unseasoned steamed chicken and plain salads was borderline torture if you ate them every day for months on end. If she wanted to change things up, she would have to escape when no one was looking, filling her belly with as much alcohol and junk food as she could before throwing it up once she was captured. Most women envied her status and figure, but if they really knew what it took to be the most famous Actress in the Land of Fire, they would throw hot oil onto their faces...
In response to Yukie's question and remark, Wu replied, "Something like that. However, while there are several such techniques, the method I use to prepare meals is unique to me. You probably won't believe me when I say it, but eating my food daily reduces the effects of aging and prevents sickness. Eat enough, and you would even begin to look younger."
Rolling her eyes, Yukie responded with an apathetic, "Now I know you're lying..." before rising to her feet and stretching. She might not believe the purported effects of Wu's cooking, but the aroma was more than enough to catch her stomach's interest. If she weren't so used to being hungry all the time, it would probably be growling like a beast.
With Yukie walking over to get a better look at what he was doing, Wu stabbed into one of the already cooked sausages, holding it up to her as he said, "Give it a try and let me know what you think. I'm fairly proud of my culinary abilities."
As she didn't want grease on her hands, Yukie bit the end of the sausage without removing it from the two-pronged fork Wu was using to turn and flip the aromatic meat. The moment the juice within hit her tastebuds, she had the distinct impression the world around her got a little brighter. Her eyes widened, and for a brief moment, it almost looked like she was about to smile before catching herself, covering her sleeve, and stating, "It's not bad..." after swallowing.
Causing Yukie to regret her words immediately, Wu retracted the rest of the sausage and ate it, seemingly to confirm its flavor but mostly to mess with her. He was used to dealing with women who wore haughtiness as a form of protection, so she was at an extreme disadvantage if she thought she could behave that way around someone as 'shameless' as himself.
After swallowing the three-quarters of a sausage, Wu adopted a teasing smile as he remarked, "You must have very sophisticated tastes. If these aren't to your liking, I can prepare something else for you. Maybe a salad and some fruit...?"
Hearing the word 'salad,' Yukie's right eye twitched slightly as she replied, "No, this is more than acceptable. Besides, you've already cooked most of them. It would be rude of me to refuse after you've put in the effort..."
Pretending not to notice the proud woman grinding her teeth, Wu gave a curt nod and mused, "Well, if you're okay with it..." before stabbing into a second sausage. This time, Yukie used her fingers to immediately pluck it from the fork, half-turning her away so that she could nibble on it without fear of having it stolen from her...
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After eating her fill for the first time in what felt like years, Yukie had an uncharacteristically content expression on her face as she stared up at the ceiling of her trailer while lying down, her feet dangling off the end of her bed. She didn't care if she appeared somewhat slovenly in front of a body she barely even knew. The production team already considered her a prima donna, and she was known to spurn fans who requested pictures and autographs. Even if Wu thought she was lazy and slothful, she didn't care in the slightest...
Waving her hand in a lazy, dismissive manner, Yukie said, "You can go now..." in her characteristically apathetic tone. Since Wu was just doing his job, she didn't even bother thanking him before rolling onto her side, curling up, and preparing to take a nap. Fortunately for her, Wu didn't care about gratitude expressed via words. He also knew it was only a matter of time before Yukie began asking him to cook for her. After that, she would either become obedient or go back to starving herself.
With such thoughts in mind, Wu perched himself atop Yukie's trailer, lying back with his hands behind his head as he kept track of Sakura's, Kaia's, and Fu's Chakra signatures. There were a few weaker Chakra signatures originating from most of the actors and stunt performers, but that wasn't surprising considering they lived very active lifestyles. In fact, even Yukie had a decent amount of Chakra inside of her. She, like most civilians, just hadn't learned how to access it...
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Contrasting how she behaved off-camera, Yukie was energetic and full of vigor the moment 'action' was called. The character she played, Princess Gale, was a charismatic and heroic woman who inspired everyone around her. She couldn't cry without the aid of eye drops, but Yukie had Sakura, Fu, and even Kaia starry-eyed when they witnessed her characterization of the ever-hopeful Princess.
Fortunately for the girls, they didn't have to remain on the sidelines and simply observe the filming. After one of the stunt performers broke their leg, Wu proposed the idea of letting the girls aid with some of the action scenes. A lot of people were opposed to the idea, arguing that it was too dangerous for a 'bunch of kids,' but when Director Makino learned that the girls could transform, bound tens of meters without the use of wires, and lift thousands of kilograms without risk of injury, he readily supported the idea.
Since there wasn't much else for the girls to do, Wu let them have their fun while he provided 24/7 overwatch. It was 'incredibly' boring, but he didn't allow that to distract him or get in the way of his goal of gradually 'taming' the discordant Actress. She suffered from severe muscle aches after prolonged filming sessions, so he was able to whittle her defenses on multiple fronts by offering her delicious food, foot, shoulder, and back massages.
Though she had been against it initially, it only took letting Wu massage her feet once before Yukie allowed him to go much further. Humans were animals that instinctually sought familiarity and comfort over the unknown and adversity. There were exceptions, but they were few and far between. Yukie was someone that wanted everything done for her, so the more Wu was able to fulfill her needs, the more she desired from him.
After sixteen days of delicious food and massages that were pleasant enough to make her fall asleep, Yukie didn't even flinch when Wu's hands moved from her lower back to her butt and eventually her thighs. Instead, she just silently endured, waiting until he was completely finished before sitting up and staring at him with an accusatory glower on her face as she asked, "Did you enjoy yourself...?"
Tilting his head slightly to the side, Wu used a white towel to wipe his hands as he questioned, "Was I supposed to...?" with a hint of confusion in his expression and tone. His mask was a lot more 'complete' than the one Yukie was presently developing, so she had no hope of discerning his true intentions by simply staring at his face.
Furrowing her brows, Yukie's voice lowered as she said, "You touched my butt and thighs...you never did that before..."
Exhibiting even more confusion, Wu retorted, "Yeah, and? I never touched your legs, back, and shoulders before I eventually massaged them. If you didn't want me touching your butt and thighs, you could have stopped me the moment I began massaging them. No skin of my bones."
"..."
Not expecting Wu to turn things around and imply she had 'permitted' him to massage the two sensitive areas, Yukie stared at him for nearly two full minutes before averting her violet-blue eyes and saying, "I didn't say you couldn't touch them...I was just surprised..."
Offering an understanding nod, Wu replied, "Then I apologize. It wasn't my intention to surprise you. I just noticed you were building up a lot of tension in the two areas, so I figured I would alleviate some of it. I'll be more careful in the future."
"..."
Turning to face Wu, Yukie found him staring at her with a slight smile and an apologetic look. She hadn't noticed it before, well, she had, but he was reasonably handsome. At a glance, he gave people the impression he was wild and free-spirited. However, for the past two and a half weeks, he had basically waited on her hand and foot. He never acted subserviently, but he gave her everything she needed...and a little more.
Averting her eyes again, Yukie combed back the bangs framing the left side of her face as she asked, "Once this mission is over...you'll return to Konoha, and we'll never see each other again, right?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Wu answered, "That depends. I honestly never expected we would have the chance to meet at all. The lives of civilians and Shinobi rarely intersect organically. I'm also fairly famous on my end, so unless someone like the Fire Daimyo were to make a personal request, we probably wouldn't meet a second time."
Nodding her head as if she was affirming something, Yukie responded with a faint, "I see..." Then, after playing with the crystalline necklace dangling from her neck for several seconds, she moved her hand to the belt of her yukata and tugged at it until the magenta garment gradually slid open, revealing her naked breasts and a surprisingly simple pair of vanilla-colored panties...
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(A/N: Delicious food and magic fingers...Vahn, is that you?)
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