Disclaimer: As much as it pains us to say this, we most definitely do not own the show Naruto Shippuden.
Banana: NO! But... I need it! :'(
Sammay: *Dies*
Chapter One
With a long creak, the front door slowly opened like it did on the same time every single weekday. A girl the age of sixteen stepped inside her house, letting out an exasperated sigh. Why did everything have to be so boring? She did the same things every day, she ate the same food everyday, and she talked to the same people everyday. Her freshman and sophomore years were bearable, but she envisioned that finally being a true upperclassman would be a completely different experience. It wasn't much better, though. As soon as her junior year started, she was bombarded with stacks of work for the AP classes she was taking. She wasn't having trouble with the work, but it just took up so much time. Sighing again, she tiredly took out her binder and her laptop from her backpack and carried them upstairs to her room, where she could study in piece.
Nearly five hours later, the girl wrote the last sentence to the final problem of her AP Bio homework. A smile forming on her lips, she threw the pieces of paper across the room and collapsed on her bed with her laptop, immediately typing ' ' into the search browser. Ahhhhhhh... The only time she could relax was when she watched Naruto Shippuden. The world of shinobi never ceased to interest her. If she could, she would have totally immersed herself into that world- and stayed there.
As the girl clicked on an episode link and waited for it to load, her green eyes wandered over to a poster of Deidara on her wall. Like always, she admired his features. She wasn't exactly sure of the reason, but she took a gradual liking to Deidara until he was her favorite character by a long shot. At that point, she could have sworn that she was in love with him. She actually probably was. Oh, but she liked other Naruto characters as well. As the girl regarded the Deidara poster, she noted how much better anime guys were than real guys.
Real guys suck, she blatantly thought.
In the middle of the Naruto episode, her iPhone's screen lit up as the two-toned Kik notification rang through the air. Pausing the video, she typed in her passcode (IloveDeidara123). Her small smile only grew when she read the message.
Sammay Dunaway: Hey, Savanna! How's it going? :D
It was from her cousin in Utah, Sammay. Well, her real name wasn't really Sammay... It was Sammy. Sammay kind of became a nickname for her just because it was a fun thing to say. And sure, Utah was only a state away from California, but to the girl, it felt like she was light-years apart from her cousin. Quickly, she typed in a response.
Banana Dunaway: Hey, Sammay! I missed you! It's... Well... It's really boring over here, but I have a fantastic idea. :3
She sat in her last period of the day, nearly shaking with anxiety. She switched positions, taking her right leg and bringing it up to her chest. That day had been an extremely long and boring one, and she had never wanted anything more than to be able to go home. Time ticked on and on in her head and the clock on the wall mocked her. One more minute. Possibly the longest minute of her entire life. Eventually the bell rang through her ears and she flung herself up from the seat, scooped up her binder and practically flew out of the room, along with a few other eager students. After she reached her locker and spun the combination, she grabbed her backpack, stuffed all of her belongings inside and slammed the door with a loud bang. Her legs brought her out of the school building and into the warm, dry air of Utah. After she ran down a whole street, she slowed down and walked calmly the rest of the way home, enjoying the nice weather.
A few blocks later, the happy teenager walked into her home and shut the door behind her, tossing her backpack into the floor as she did so. Thankfully, that day was a lucky day for her, since none of her teachers had decided to assign any dreaded homework. A day like that was rare for her, since most of her classes sent her home with a mountain of homework that she could hardly carry in her backpack without her shoulders aching. She strolled into the living room and collapsed onto the couch.
A couple of hours later, the peppy blonde became strangely bored. She blew out a puff of air as she stared blankly at the sitcom that played on the TV. She reluctantly grabbed the remote and turned off her only entertainment. What could she do now? An uncomfortable silence filled the room and she stood up, grabbing her iTouch off of the mantel. A frown formed on her lips as she saw no new notifications or messages. The world was just as bored as she was. The girl unlocked the device and nonchalantly tapped Kik Messenger. There had to be someone she could talk to who wasn't busy with something else. A familiar name popped up on her previous conversations: Banana Dunaway. The bored expression on her face immediately changed into an excited one. Her cousin Savanna would want to talk to her, wouldn't she?
'Hey, Savanna! How's it going? :D' she typed, and jabbed her finger onto the send button. She got a reply a few seconds later.
Banana Dunaway: Hey, Sammay! I missed you! It's... Well... It's really boring over here, but I have a fantastic idea. :3
She wondered what it could be and typed back.
Sammay Dunaway: And what's that? :)
Almost immediately, Savanna received another message from her cousin. She knew that Sammay liked Naruto as well, so an excited gleam formed in her eye when she typed in her response.
Banana Dunaway: I've only heard about this, but I want to try it out. Have you heard of role playing? I was thinking that we could do a role play based on my previous fanfiction. You know, the Naruto one. ;)
Of course Sammy had heard of roleplaying. She had done it before, and it was a lot of fun.
Sammay Dunaway: Oh, yeah! Those sound fun! :D
To Savanna, this was going to be the most exciting thing that happened all year. The smile on her face didn't waver for one moment as she thought of the beginning of the role play. Hmm, she thought. This is going to be based on my previous fanfiction, so I should already know the characters well. But where should it take place?... Ooohhh. How about my house? Yeah... And there should be a party...
Lying on her stomach on top of her bed, Savanna eagerly typed in the first part of the role play, which lasted a few paragraphs. Basically, it just consisted of her tidying up her house before a party, with Naruto ringing the doorbell as he arrived- he would be the first person to show up. As Savanna tapped the letters on the screen of her iPhone, she wondered a little at what Sammay would respond with. She had a feeling that this was going to be fun... Really fun. When Savanna finished with her role play response, she quickly tapped the send button.
Savanna blinked, and suddenly, she was no longer holding her iPhone in her hands. Her body was in the exact same position as it was a moment ago, but her hands were empty. She didn't feel any different, but somehow, something was off. What was this...? Suddenly, Savanna further noticed that she wasn't lying on the bed, either- she was lying on a couch in a living room.
But she wasn't in just any living room.
She was in her fanfiction living room.
So, basically, Savanna found herself situated in a room that she imagined when just a few seconds ago, she was in her normal, boring house. She was in her house that she imagined herself for the role play! Furthermore, party decor lined the walls. When Savanna craned her neck to see into the kitchen, she observed that food covered a long table, obviously meant for an ample amount of people.
Holy crap, Savanna thought. This can't be happening. This can't be happening! This is... Uh, awesome, but I have to be dreaming. This isn't possible!
As Savanna stared open-eyed at nothing in particular, a doorbell ring jarred her from her thoughts. Immediately, she guessed who the person on the other side of the front door was, but part of her dismissed the thought. If she really was in her dream home, then was that person... Naruto? Was it really him?
After two more doorbell rings, Savanna finally rolled off of the couch, pulled herself up from the lush carpet, and sluggishly shuffled over to the door (the door that strangely matched her description of it in her last fanfiction). More than a little afraid and anxious, she reached out a trembling hand and slowly turned the knob, pulling the door open.
What she saw next nearly gave her a heart attack. Her predictions were, in fact, true... The famous orange ninja stood merely a few feet away from her, grinning when the door opened.
Naruto closed one of his blue eyes in a wink. "Hey, Savanna! What took you so long? I guess preparing for the party is a lot of work, huh?"
Savanna really couldn't believe this was happening. Somehow, when she sent her role play response to Sammay, she came to this world so she could... Experience it?
ASDFGHJKL.
How could that even be a possibility? Savanna knew that she wasn't dreaming because everything was so vivid, but she couldn't quite accept that fact just yet. At that moment, she wanted to squeal, jump up and down, roll around on the ground, touch Naruto to make sure he was real, stare, blush, and pass out all at the same time.
Instead, she smiled.
Of course, Savanna couldn't do that without a lot of difficulty. If she started acting like a weird fangirl all of a sudden, the Naruto characters would totally get suspicious. Plus, according to her former fanfiction, she was already friends with them for a long time.
I have to act normal and be calm, Savanna thought. I'm living in my own role play. No biggie, right? Heh, heh... OH, who am I kidding?! Even if I can remain calm on the outside, that's definitely not the case on the inside!
Quickly, Savanna forced herself to step out of the way so Naruto could enter. "Sorry, Naruto. Preparing for a party takes a lot of work, you know." Her façade slipped up for a moment, so her mouth slightly twitched at the corners.
Sammy waited patiently for for Banana's message. She was so excited, so she jumped with joy when it finally arrived after a number of minutes. She read the whole part thoroughly a couple of times, getting very giddy. A party with the Naruto characters? How fun would that be? Sammy thought a bit about what she would put in her first part of the roleplay and then began typing furiously. She ended up in the shadows in her response, hiding from everyone. It would be awkward if I were to be out in the open, Sammy thought. Just because I wouldn't know any of them.
She tapped the send button and squealed, but only a moment after she did she was submerged into a darker environment. Sammy nearly gasped, but stopped herself from doing so. Did the power go off? No, the weather was too nice. That was when she realized that she wasn't holding her iTouch anymore. Sammy gulped and slowly poked her head out of the unfamiliar corner, and what she saw actually made her gasp.
Naruto Uzumaki and Savanna were standing only a couple of yards away.
Sammy quickly stepped back and pressed her back against the wall, breathing deeply. She had to be dreaming... something like this could never happen. She had to be dreaming or hallucinating. It was too good to be true...
Somehow, Savanna not only became aware of Sammay's presence around the corner, but also of her thoughts. She read all of Sammay's thoughts of bewilderment, surprise, and happiness. It was really like a role play... The reader knew what everyone was thinking. If that was so, then this could have really been happening...
As Savanna's eyes flicked toward the corner Sammay hid in, Naruto strode into her home, totally oblivious to her quick glance. "Yeah, but if it took you that long to get ready for the party, then it must be awesome!"
Savanna's smile grew as she closed the door and listened to Naruto's voice. It was so nice to hear him speak to her in person... It was a totally different experience. She still couldn't believe that he was actually standing a few feet away! "I certainly hope it's going to be awesome," she said.
"I'm sure it will," Naruto assured her. When he took a look around the room, an expression of mock surprise formed on his face. "Whoa! It looks like I'm the first person here, so I must be early. Hehehe..." I'm totally glad I planned to come here early, he thought mischievously.
Again, to Savanna's surprise, Naruto's thoughts sounded in her head clearly, making her laugh softly. Even if she hadn't heard his thoughts, it was still pretty obvious that he decided to come here before anyone else arrived. "It looks like you are early," she remarked. "Everyone should be showing up really soon, though."
As Sammy tried to contain her excitement and happiness, she actually payed attention to the conversation her cousin and Naruto were having. Wasn't Savanna extremely timid and excited like her?
"Yeah, but if it took you that long to get ready for the party, then it must be awesome!" she heard Naruto's warm voice cheer. She smiled. His voice never ceased to make her happy, even though she had interests in someone else...
Suddenly, as she was dreaming of the Naruto world, she got vibes of excitement from Banana. She poked her head out of the corner again, but only that her eye was showing. For some reason she didn't want to be seen, even though she knew, somehow, that Banana was definitely aware of her presence. As the two in front of her continued mingling, she suddenly could read Naruto's thoughts clearly. He came to the party early on purpose, then. How am I doing this? she thought, and suddenly understood how she knew so much about her cousin.
It was because she could read her mind, too. Too meaning she could read Naruto's mind, and possibly anyone else who would walk into the house.
And suddenly she realized that she knew a lot. More than she should. It frightened her, and she shrunk back into her corner and slid down the wall, onto the ground. Her brain was on overload, and she couldn't handle it. All of this was too exciting.
Jeez, Sammay, Savanna jokingly thought. Her intense feelings of joy are making it hard to control mine! Right after that observation, she further realized that since Sammay could read people's thoughts as well, then she probably heard that...
"Hmm, I see..." Naruto trailed off, looking a little disappointed. It was so easy to detect his feelings in what he said, it was almost sad. Savanna absentmindedly twirled a strand of brown hair around her pointer finger. She was never going to get used to this... One moment she was alone in her room, and the next, she was speaking to a character she had worshipped nearly all her life. She was very surprised that the fangirl in her didn't show itself on the outside yet, but she had a feeling that it would soon.
Suddenly, Savanna couldn't help herself, so she rushed over to the window next to the front door and eagerly peered out, making her gasp a little. Seeing the Hidden Leaf Village only separated by the window almost made it seem unreal, even though there was no mistaking it- she was definitely inside of the village. Savanna didn't have much time to marvel, however. Her eyes shifted to three people walking towards her house, one of whom she had a little crush on.
Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga, and Kiba Inuzuka.
Savanna's insides started fluttering just by the sight of them. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, Savanna thought. It's Team 8, right before my eyes!
Naruto came over behind Savanna and gazed out the window like she did. "Huh? What is it?...Oh, team Kurenai's already here! Cool." Little did he know that Savanna was at the point where she felt like she could faint from happiness.
Sammy smiled at the thought of more of the characters coming. She was so excited to meet all of them, but yet, the thought was so nerve wracking. For one thing, they were characters from her most favorite show of all time. What if she screwed up the whole thing? And for another thing, Savanna actually knew them, Sammy didn't. She was unknown to the world and she knew it.
Kiba knocked on the front door, happy to be able to see Savanna again. It hadn't been long since he last saw her, but every time he did it was a treat. He frowned a bit at the thought of Naruto. He would definitely be there, and he was positive that they shared feelings for the girl. Eh, I can survive a little competition, Kiba thought.
Hinata, who was standing shyly next to Kiba, was thinking about everyone who would be at the party, not just Naruto. She wondered the most if her cousin, Neji would be there. He was one of a few that she felt comfortable around. Of course, she felt comfortable around all of her friends, but she had known Neji all of her life, and it was different with him.
"I'll get it," Naruto chorused once the doorbell rang through his ears. He dove for the door and swung it open, smiling at the visitors like he was the host of the party. "Welcome! Come on in!"
The trio entered, and Kiba immediately grinned at Savanna. "Hey!" he greeted with a small wave.
I feel so out of place, Sammy thought, still hiding from everyone. I don't know how I should feel, really...
Aww, don't feel out of place, Sammay, Savanna thought. I know! Once everyone arrives, I'll make you known to everyone! Heh... You'll be famous.
A few seconds later, Savanna's mind registered that Kiba just acknowledged her, like he usually would have done in her previous fanfiction. Sure, he knew her for a long time in the story, but this was the first time Savanna herself was seeing him in person. Squirming on the inside, Savanna smiled softly and said, "Hi, Kiba."
When Naruto shut the door a little too forcefully, Shino remained standing nearby with his hands shoved into his pockets, nodding at Savanna before becoming as motionless as a statue. He looked so awkward, but by reading his thoughts, Savanna found out that he actually preferred to be that way. Shrugging, she turned to Hinata, who was fiddling with her fingers nervously.
"Hey, Hinata," Savanna greeted. "You look really pretty today." Of course, she always looked pretty (actually, outright gorgeous)... She was Savanna's favorite female Naruto character.
Hinata blushed and averted her eyes to the ground. "T-Thanks, Savanna... So, umm... I was wondering if my cousin... You know, Neji... Was coming?"
Savanna quickly glanced at Sammay's corner before answering. "I'm pretty sure he is, she replied. "I invited everyone, and they all said they could make it."
Hinata's face washed over with relief. "Is that so...? O-Oh... That's nice..."
Hehe, Savanna thought. Yes, very nice indeed. Almost immediately, she started conjuring a plan in her mind.
Sammy blushed just at the thought of Neji. She would actually be meeting him at one point. She had to... it would be impossible to avoid him, especially if he was coming to the party. Unless she hid in the corner the whole time... Oh, I won't do that, she thought to herself. My curiosity will get the best of me.
Kiba's grin widened at the sound of Savanna's voice while he glance around the room. "The house looks good," he complimented, and it really did. Party decorations were strewn all over, and he could smell food in the kitchen.
Hinata smiled as well. "It... it does look good," she agreed.
"Yeah, Savanna did it all on her own," Naruto announced proudly. "She put a lot of effort into it, right, Savanna?"
Right after Naruto asked the question, the doorbell rang throughout the home once again. When Naruto wrenched the front door open, the Ino-Shika-Cho team stood on the other side of the door. Shikamaru stood there, looking bored, as always. Choji was, of course, chowing down on a bag of chips, and Ino was smiling broadly, as peppy as ever.
Parties are such a drag, Shikamaru thought, his hands shoved into his pant pockets. Everyone is always so... happy.
"Hey, guys!" welcomed Naruto. "Are you ready for the party?"
Ino nodded, her blonde bangs bouncing up and down. "You bet! I'm ready for every party!"
Shikamaru looked at Naruto like he was an idiot. Well, compared to Shikamaru, he kind of was... "...Why would I be ready for a party?" Shikamaru inquired. "The only reason I'm here is because of Ino. She's making me come... It's so troublesome."
Ino wagged her pointer finger at Shikamaru. "Don't say things like that, Shikamaru! I'm only making you come because I know you'll have such an awesome time!" At her response, Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
When the three of them stepped inside, Choji sniffed and raised his head an inch. "Wow, something smells really good," he observed. "Is there food in the kitchen?"
"Yep!" Naruto confirmed. "Help yourself!" At that, Choji gladly entered the kitchen with Shikamaru trailing behind him.
Seriously... Naruto is acting like the host of the party, Savanna thought. It doesn't matter, anyway... Choji really is welcome to the food. I don't mind...
Ino walked over to Hinata, the smile still on her face. "Hinataaa!" she nearly sang. "You look gorgeous!" Of course, Hinata's cheeks turned a darker shade of pink.
Savanna laughed. There were so many Naruto characters here... She felt like she could explode with joy. They were all here, talking, laughing...
Ino then turned to Savanna. "As do you, Savanna!" she winked, her smile growing as each moment passed.
Shikamaru scanned the kitchen while Choji scarfed down plenty of food items, an unimpressed look still plastered onto his face. But that look was on Shikamaru for the majority of the time. He did think that Savanna did a good job with the decorating.
"Are you guys ready to PART—" Naruto cried, but was interrupted by the continuous doorbell. He didn't bother to finish and tried to dive for the doorknob once more, but Ino beat him to it.
"Hey, guys!" Ino rejoiced, welcoming Tenten, Lee and Neji.
"Mm." Sammy let out a louder noise on accident once she felt Neji's presence and immediately slapped her hand over her mouth afterwards. Shino's interest peaked towards that particular corner. I'm gonna explode in this corner, she thought, standing up and bouncing up and down without actually lifting her feet from the floor. Shino already knows I'm back here.
Tenten waved and grinned as she walked into the living room. "Hey, guys!"
Lee brought his right hand to his forehead in a salute. "I am here and ready for the party to start," he declared. One corner of Neji's mouth turned upwards in a small smile as he greeted everyone.
Oh, Sammay, Savanna thought. Don't worry... You'll meet everyone. She chuckled at Sammy's momentary spazzing.
Naruto slowly picked himself up from the carpet, where he fell on his face a few seconds before when he tried to lunge for the doorknob. However, as soon as he was standing again, he immediately picked up his partying mood again. "Are you guys ready to partay?!" he repeated.
"Yeah!" Tenten exclaimed. The TV and the contraption in front of it caught her eye. "Hey... What's that?"
"It's a game called Dance Dance Revolution," Savanna explained. "It's really fun... You should try it out. You see those two boards? You match the arrows on the screen by stepping on the arrows on the board. It's pretty self-explanatory. There's also a karaoke machine if you want to sing."
Ino giggled. "Ooooh... Dancing? I'm so in! Tenten. Me. You. Now."
Tenten was already situated on one of the Dance Dance Revolution boards, holding a remote in one hand. "May the best dancer win!"
Neji and Hinata moved over to the couch so they could sit down, and Lee stood behind the two boards, curiously watching the two kinoichi preparing to compete.
Shino continued to stare at the dark corner he heard a sound come from, but he couldn't make out anything due to the darkness (mostly because of his sunglasses). Hmm, he thought. I could have sworn I heard someone say something...
The doorbell rang yet again, and Kiba grabbed the doorknob right when Naruto almost got a hold of it just to annoy him, making Naruto lose his balance and fall on his face... For the second time. Smirking, Kiba opened the door to find Sakura and Sai standing on the porch.
"Hey, Sai," Kiba waved with a smile. His smile immediately faded when he found the cotton candy head standing right next to Sai. "Oh. You're here."
Sai waved back with a fake smile right as Sakura rolled her eyes. "Well OF COURSE I'm here," she said annoyingly. "I couldn't miss a party!"
Kiba mentally threw up at the sight of the girl. She was so UGLY. He hesitated for a moment, but he let the two inside and immediately ran to the clear other side of the room to get away from the pinkette.
"Ew, Suckara's here," Sammy said to herself, but it was a bit louder than she meant. Shino definitely heard that statement and scanned the corner more thoroughly. He still didn't find anything. Sakura also heard, unfortunately...
"Who said that?!" she screeched, but nobody admitted to it. Shino had his suspicions, but he didn't mention anything more. Sammy simply stood in the corner, a smirk playing on her lips. Messing with Suckara is going to be fun, she thought. Really fun.
Savanna started cracking up because of Sammay's comment and Sakura's reaction. I guess I should be at least a little nice to her because I'm the host of this party, she thought, but that's going to be so... Hard...
Only a minute after Sakura entered the house, the doorbell rang for the umpteenth time. Quickly, Savanna counted her fingers. Weren't there 12 main characters in Naruto Shippuden? So there was Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Neji, Lee, Tenten, Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino... But that was already twelve. Then who was the person at the door?
Naruto was currently arguing with Sai in the hallway, so Savanna walked over to the front door, turned the knob, and pulled it towards her. The next sight made her beam like she'd just won a prize in the lottery.
Hey, Sasuke," she greeted.
Of course, Savanna thought. Anything can happen in a role play, and Naruto saved Sasuke from his path of revenge in my old fanfiction... I love this world!
Sasuke's onyx eyes portrayed no emotion, but they nonetheless gave Savanna butterflies. "Hey," he replied. Why am I even coming here?
So, Sasuke didn't even know why he was coming to the party? Savanna laughed softly as she let Sasuke into her house and closed the door. Well, that was everyone.
In the hallway, Naruto finally stopped arguing with Sai about ramen and grumbled. "Whatever! Let's call it even. How about we play Dance Dance Revolution?"
The fake smile was still plastered on Sai's face, and Savanna wondered how he could maintain one, even if he was in the midst of an argument. "Oh, I don't know, Naruto," he said. "Do you have the balls to go against me?"
Making comments like this is kind of fun, Sammy thought, leaning against the wall. I think I might continue doing this.
"Hey, Sasukeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeEEEEEEeeeeeeEEEEEeeeeeee eeee!" Ino gushed, waltzing over to the Uchiha. "I haven't seen you in ages!"
Sakura twirled over to him as well. "Hi, Sasuke!" she cried with a overly large smile.
"Of course I have the balls, Sai," Naruto said through gritted teeth. "Why would you even ask that?"
"Yeah, of course he does! He's Naruto Uzumaki, after all!" Sammy cried, throwing her arms into the air, even though no one could see her.
"Yeah! I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto exclaimed after her, turning around so he could see who said it. Once he realized that he didn't recognize the voice and see anyone he didn't recognize, his eyes turned into white circles. "Wait! Who said that?!"
"I did!" she replied, folding her arms. "Duh."
Naruto froze. "G-g-g-ghost."
Sasuke shrugged out from the two girls' groping and tried to make his way into the living room. "I saw both of you yesterday. Don't act like we didn't see each other for 'ages'. Now get off of me... You two are annoying."
Ino trailed behind him like a lost puppy, but Sakura remained clinging to his arm. "But, Sasuke," Sakura whined. "We don't ever get to spend much time together."
Sasuke let out a huff of air. "Hn... Not my problem."
Shino continued staring at the dark corner Sammay was in, still not being able to make out anything. Of course, he knew that there was no ghost, but he couldn't sense any chakra over there, which was very unusual...
What the heck? Kiba thought. I didn't recognize that voice. What was that?
Savanna rested one of her hands on Naruto's shoulder, causing her to freak out a little because he felt so... REAL. "Oh, Naruto," she said. "Don't you worry... There's no ghost."
Meanwhile, Tenten jumped off of the Dance Dance Revolution board and bounced over to Hinata when Ino took off after Sasuke in the middle of the game. "C'mon, Hinata," she urged. "Let's play!"
Hinata shrunk into the couch ever so slightly. "Oh... I don't know..."
Without waiting for her consent, Tenten pulled Hinata up from the couch and led her over to the second board. "It'll be fun! Just try it, okay?"
A small smile formed on Hinata's lips. "Well... Um, okay... If you say so..."
"Nah, I'm a ghost," Sammy said with a shrug.
"She, she, she, just SAID she's a gho-ost!" Naruto trembled, eyeing the corner.
"Yeah, 'cause I am," she said again, trying not to laugh. It was so hard for her to not explode with happiness in that corner. All of this was so exciting and hilarious. And NEJI was out there.
Naruto sat on the floor, curled up into the fetal position, and began rocking back and forth. "Ghost. Ghost. Ghost," he whispered in fear.
"I'm just a ghost. Jeez."
On the other side of the room, Tenten and Hinata battled in a game of Dance Dance Revolution, and Lee watched intently behind them.
"Th-this is fun, Tenten..." Hinata smiled, moving to the beat of the music.
"I know! We should play another game after this one," Tenten replied.
"Can I play? Please? Please?" Lee begged. It looked so fun, and it would definitely be a great way to train!
Sakura clung tighter to Sasuke's arm. "We should hang out sometime!"
Sasuke just grunted, slithering out of her grasp.
Savanna covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. Vibes of joy were emanating from Sammay, and they were definitely affecting Savanna. "Oh, it looks like I was mistaken... It looks like there is a ghost living in my house."
Naruto kept on rocking back and forth. "Ghosts... Ghosts don't live! They're dead!"
Kiba rolled his eyes, not believing for one second that there was an actual ghost in his presence. "Seriously, Naruto. Are you really that stupid to think that there's a ghost in that corner?"
"Shut up, Kiba!" Naruto snapped. "There's a voice coming from there, and I can't see anything, so there OBVIOUSLY is a ghost!"
Kiba bit his tongue in order for him not to bark out a comeback. What an idiot, he thought. The person over there is probably just hiding her chakra or something.
Sai, having no interest in what was going on in the foyer, wandered off into the kitchen and started making small talk with Choji and Shikamaru, which was probably going to end up disastrous.
Tenten smiled nervously at Lee. "Sure you can, Lee! Just let Hinata and me finish our second game. We're tied right now. And please... Don't get carried away..."
Lee grinned, a sparkle lighting up his perfect teeth. "Of course! Thank you, Tenten!"
Even though Sai couldn't care less, the commotion in front of the doorway peaked Neji's interest (it was mostly Naruto's position on the carpet). Shaking his head at Ino and Sakura clinging to Sasuke, he made his way over to Savanna, who seemed to be the most sensible person in the area at the moment.
Neji's low voice barely penetrated the air, but Savanna could hear him clearly. "What's going on?" he questioned. "Why is Naruto... Like that?" He shot a disapproving glance at the curled-up ninja on the ground.
I'm talking to Neji! Savanna thought. When am I ever going to get over the fact that I'm conversing with Naruto characters?
"Well, Naruto heard an unfamiliar voice in that dark corner over there, but when he looked, he couldn't see anything, so he automatically assumed that the voice came from a ghost," Savanna explained.
Of course Naruto would think that, Neji thought. Shaking his head again, he closed his milky eyes for a second and folded his arms. "Utterly ridiculous," he muttered.
"He automatically assumed the truth," Sammy laughed, not being able to resist the urge anymore. "I am a ghost, and I will never leave your sight, Naruto! Even though you won't be able to see me!"
Naruto groaned in agony. "NOOO! Let me be! I'm just an innocent Naruto!" he cried, rocking back and forth at an even quicker rate.
"But that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?" she said with another laugh. "You can consider me your guardian angel!"
Kiba rolled his eyes again. I know for a fact that this girl is definitely not a ghost, he thought. Naruto's just paranoid.
Hinata and Tenten finished up their level, Hinata winning by just a few points. "Good job, Hinata!" Tenten congratulated.
"Thank you, Tenten," Hinata replied modestly, a small blush on her cheeks. She smiled and sat on the couch again.
"Can I go now?" Lee questioned excitedly, almost to the point where he was jumping up and down.
Tenten sighed. "Yeah. But remember what I said! Don't get carried away!"
"I will not! Do not worry, Tenten!" Lee cried, zipping up to the mat and beginning to scroll through the songs.
"Alright," Tenten said with a fake laugh, just knowing that Lee would be getting extremely competitive.
When Lee found a song to dance along to (The Homework Song), he clicked on it and immediately leaned closer to the TV as he waited for the song to start. His eyes seemed to shoot arrows at the screen, so Tenten facepalmed. He's totally overreacting, she thought.
Every time Sasuke moved to avoid Ino and Sakura, they stuck to him like magnets, so he finally settled to shoving them instead of shrugging away from their grasps. One time, he accidentally shoved Sakura a little too forcefully, making her fall over a chair and onto the ground.
Groaning, Sakura sat up and rubbed her head. "Oww, Sasuke! What was that for?"
"Heh," laughed Ino. "He just likes me a lot better, that's all! Right, Sasukeeeee?"
For the millionth time, Sasuke pushed Ino off of his arm. "Get away from me," he nearly growled.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Sai miraculously didn't insult Choji as he watched said ninja munch on various types of foods. Shikamaru, already extremely bored and tired, lay his head on the table and started to doze off despite the music and the constant hum of conversation in the background.
Neji always had thought that he would somehow get used to Naruto's level of ridiculousness, but the orange shinobi never failed to surprise him- in a negative way. "Naruto, there's no use freaking out about a ghost that's not even real."
Naruto stopped mid-roll and stared at Neji. "Are you kidding me?! The ghost is definitely real. It said it would haunt me!"
Savanna let another laugh escape her as she moved over to Kiba frowning at Naruto. "Kiba, lighten up," she teased. "All of this will be over soon, I promise. You'll see why." She winked.
"Oh, Naruto! Silly goose! I am not going to haunt you! I am going to make your life paradise!" Sammy assured, surprisingly having a ton of fun in a dark corner. She was making hand motions and was moving around in the little space she had, even though she knew nobody could see her.
"This so called ghost doesn't seem to want to harm you in any way, Naruto," Neji muttered. "You shouldn't be acting so ridiculous."
"Wouldn't you be scared if some random ghost chick told you she would be your guardian angel?" Naruto whimpered, beginning to roll and rock once more. "It's a lot scarier than you might think."
"Don't be afraid!" Sammy declared. "We will become... best... friends..."
Once Lee's song began, he struggled at first. He had chosen the hardest level, so it looked as if the arrows were moving at the speed of sound. "This is tough, but I will not give up!" he bellowed, and slowly progressed. Tenten watched him with a look of regret.
"Oh, stop it, Sasuke," Ino went on with a flirty tone. "You know you love me!"
"He clearly loves me more," Sakura challenged, standing up. "You know it."
The two girls started to fight over Sasuke, and he grunted at them again, walking into the living room.
"What do you mean?" Kiba asked. "This... person thing has made it clear that she's not staying away from Naruto."
"She's just kidding. You'll see," Savanna assured Kiba. Still confused, he continued watching the unusual scene.
When Sammay mentioned becoming 'best friends' with Naruto, said person burst into tears, startling everyone. "NOO!" he screamed. "The ghost is a STALKER! She's a... a CREEPER!"
Savanna couldn't stand to see him cry, so she rushed over to him and kneeled down. I never thought that I'd see Naruto cry, she thought. Haha... He cries like... Lee. "Naruto, calm down," she tried to say in a soothing voice. When Naruto kept on bawling, she hesitantly reached out her hands awkwardly, not sure what to do next.
Neji couldn't take it anymore, so he left the foyer and returned to the living room, where he saw Sasuke quickly stalk out of the kitchen. When Sasuke noticed Neji, he approached him, wearing a very frustrated expression on his face.
"If you can do anything to get those horrid creatures away from me," he said with a glance towards Ino and Sakura fighting in the kitchen, "I'd really appreciate it. I wish I had never come to this stupid party."
Neji observed the two divas with a small frown. He was pretty sure things like these didn't happen at other parties. Why did he come, again? "I'm afraid I can't do anything," he replied curtly.
Sasuke gave Neji a small glare, his mood dropping even further. "Tch... Some help you are. Whatever."
After another minute of watching Naruto wet the carpet with his tears, Savanna decided to stop the ghost act. Smiling again, she rose and walked over to Sammay in the corner, grabbing her wrist and pulling her out of the shadows. "Everyone, meet my cousin, Sammay!"