AUTHORS NOTE: (IMPORTANT) This story is arranged to rotate through three different characters' points of view every chapter. In periodically follows this order:
Fira. (Somehow coupled with Sai)
Iza. (Neji (NejixTen fans unite later, this is a gift to a friend)
Kiki. (Gaara)(Long overdue)
My friends love Naruto with a passion. They requested this story, and it is a gift. It should only have five or six more chapters after this. It centers around the romances of the three characters, who have now grown up since being on a genin team together and focuses on their ninja-type problems and romances with Sai, Neji, and Gaara. (The three male ninja most in need of a little lovin. xD)
There's Never Enough Time
If anyone had ever told me she would live to turn sixteen, I would have laughed in their face.
She was the clumsiest and most disoriented person on the planet, always slipping and tripping over imaginary obstacles; it was a wonder she was not in a full body cast. On missions, she would always give away our position by accidentally falling over herself or tripping over the very air around her. She was a klutz.
Somehow though, she had managed to trudge through sixteen years of dark bruises and rough scrapes, both of which usually caused by herself and not enemies. I marveled at the fact that I could be here today at my best friend's sixteenth birthday party.
Only, it would in fact be a party if there were more people here. I could tell by the guilty look on her face that she had spent all week ripping down the flyers I had painstakingly posted all over the village. She hated parties or any social gathering that involved large amounts of people, especially if the location of the gatherings was in my paranoid friend's house. She sipped her cup of milk quickly, trying to avoid looking me in the eye.
After an hour of this drawn out and thick silence, we heard a rhythmic tapping on her side door which she was surprisingly and uncharacteristically eager to answer. She rushed from her seat- too quickly- causing her teacup to plummet to the floor. Out of either reflex or familiarity, I caught the teacup before it was even halfway to the cold linoleum.
I heard a shuffling of coats being exchanged to be placed on the coat rack, followed immediately by two pairs of footsteps, completely parallel in everyway: One the all too familiar clumsy stomping back to her seat, and the other a perfect set of quiet marching to a vacant chair. I sighed and grimaced at my teammates' contrast to each other.
Iza was the first to speak up.
"So, I'm guessing she somehow destroyed whatever plan you had going for a party, didn't she?" She had an uncanny ability to read our faces. I sneered in the opposite direction of Iza; She chuckled under her breath, guessing my response.
"I never asked for a party." Kiki stated defiantly in response. She began swirling her spoon around in her now re-filled teacup.
I refused to look at either of them. They never appreciated anything.
"Did she even confiscate her cake?" Iza was mocking me.
I looked at her with the most serious expression I could muster: Kiki would never destroy a mint condition sugary treat such as a cake. Iza laughed her big hearty laugh and Kiki sunk further down into her chair. I officially hated both of them.
"If you're just going to make fun of me-" Kiki began, but we all knew she was just eager to remove the people, even though they were previously her teammates, from her house.
"Alright, alright. We do have gifts we would like to give you first." Iza beamed. She obviously had found something interesting to wrap up for Kiki. Kiki groaned at the thought of objects being bought for her.
I fumbled around lazily in my bag for her simply wrapped gift until the modest little package had been found. I dropped it coldly on the hard marble and slid it across the table to the place Kiki was sitting. She analyzed the package as Iza dropped a superfluously wrapped gift of her own for Kiki on the table. Neon red glitter paper dismissed my newspaper wrapped gift instantly in the looks department, but Kiki chose to open my gift first anyway.
Sighing and struggling to fight with the poorly placed tape, she eventually opened my gift to find a pair of green complicated goggles. Kiki tried to hide her look of confusion and failed, so I began to explain.
"They allow you to see in the dark. I thought they may be useful considering how much you hate sunlight but love reading." Weird friends were so hard to buy gifts for.
"Oh, thanks." I think she actually smiled a little. I attempted to casually glance at Iza to check for signs of her confident smirk faltering, but it failed and she caught me, only widening her devilish smile. Iza almost literally shoved her gift at Kiki, forcing our extremely jumpy friend to flinch with alarm.
"Mine next." Iza said, as if there were other gifts than hers to open. Kiki nodded and cautiously examined the box.
Long, spidery fingers flittered around the ostentatious red material, trying to find a place to begin tearing. Eventually after ripping the paper to shreds, (a silent chuckle lingered in my throat at Iza's expression), Kiki began to examine the product: They were long white and black striped pieces of material, made to slip over her hand and cover the bare skin from her wrists to her upper arm. The pattern looked almost like that of a zebra's and they sat lifelessly under Kiki's trembling excited fingers. They were eccentric and complicated- And they were just something that Kiki would wear.
Iza's face was that of triumph as a small smile crept on to Kiki's face.
Kiki's resigned face returned as she thanked both of us for the gifts. I could tell she was eager to place the contraptions on her slender arms, but she kept her nerve and remained polite about her gratitude with both of our gifts.
I sighed my defeated sigh and trudged to Kiki's refrigerator where I revealed her simple chocolate cake. Bringing it to the table, Kiki's eyes brightened and grew wide with childish delight. When she thought I wasn't looking, she impishly outstretched her index finger towards a fudge-frosting flower only to have it slapped away by my free hand.
Kiki fidgeted in her seat with anticipation, waiting for her slice of the treat while Iza rambled on about a mission she had just finished recently. I ignored them bored and silently cut the cake into even squares. I mindlessly dumped a rather large piece of cake onto Kiki's longing plate, watching as she instantly slowed her motions in an attempt to stretch the cake's existence on her plate out longer. I gave Iza the smallest piece I could manage.
After dumping cake on to my own plate, I placed the delightful snack back into the fridge and returned to the table. Instantly I noticed a chunk of my cake missing, and didn't even hesitate to allow Kiki's face to appear in my mind.
Calcifer, Kiki's completely snow-white house cat wandered into the kitchen after allowing the smell of food to enter his nostrils. Kiki made disgusting baby talk at him about the poison quantities chocolate would have in cats, but he completely ignored her to stare at the piece of cake attached to the edge of her fork that was waved around wildly while she was engrossed in her little explanation.
I stared at my own tea stained cup, layered with a 'harmless' coat around the edges, as Kiki explained it. I looked over to see Calcifer jumping up into Kiki's lap, only to be disappointed at the sight of her empty plate. She giggled at his disgruntled face. I looked towards Iza and saw her glaring at me. I caught her eye and she looked away.
I probably deserved her scorn.
Kiki sensed the tension and was probably eager to rid it of her house. Her shifty eyes darted around in their sockets madly, and Kiki once again looked like a crazy person. I fought to ignore the laughing fit building in my belly at her bizarre expression, only to have it emerge from my throat in the form of a snort. Kiki looked over with a firm frown and sunk lower into her chair.
I absentmindedly looked at my watch and noticed how late it was getting, so I stood up and began to push in my chair. Iza mirrored me and we both dropped our plates in the small stone sink. Kiki stood up to bid us farewell, or more accurately usher us out her door; Calcifer's tail swished back and forth in her very pale arms, as two pairs of cat-like eyes bore holes in the back of our heads. We heard Kiki incoherently mumble something close to 'see you some other time', and then we left.
We stood awkwardly on her small porch, avoiding eye contact with each other. I opened my mouth to say something, but it felt dry and raspy, and I lost my nerve. Gaining courage again, I opened my mouth to blurt out the first thing that appeared in my head.
"Kiki's crazy, isn't she?" I half-laughed. Iza didn't even smile.
"At least she's responsible. She's a good friend." Iza's icy tone sliced through me like a knife. I most likely deserved it.
I sighed and began walking away, I stopped after I'd reached about ten feet, turning around only to depart with a few final words.
"I really am sorry, you know…" I stared vulnerably back at her, and for a moment, her evil gaze faltered and she looked unsure. She spun around and power-walked in the opposite direction in an attempt to avoid me, even though we both knew her house was in my direction.
I popped the collar up of my favorite coat and began the long walk home. Light little leaves fluttered down from the trees, assuring that autumn was beginning. I wandered through the streets of Konoha, dragging my feet as I walked towards my house. My eyes struggled to stay open as I realized how unbelievably tired I was.
Before I even realized it was happening, I was falling to the ground, unable to support myself any longer. I closed my eyes and braced for the impact, but it seemed to last forever, as I never hit the ground. My eyes fluttered open to see a familiar sallow face staring back at me with bemused eyes. Firm hands held me in place and I could feel the reprimanding aura consume me.
"You need to get to bed earlier." Sai said emotionlessly. He was most likely sick of always saving my hide.
"Yeah…" I yawned, and tried to stretch my arms, but he caught them and continued staring at me with that stern-looking face of his.
"Seriously." He eyed my face for any source of emotion. He eventually found what he was looking for and lifted me back up, letting me go when I had steadied myself. "If I allow you to walk home on your own, you may almost pass out again. This would not set a good example of our young ninjas, so I simply cannot allow it."
I looked at Sai's blank face and thought I saw a flicker of eagerness, but quickly dismissed the possibility from my mind. I smiled a little at the thought of him making progress.
"Thanks Sai… But you really don't have to." I stated meekly. Sai struggled to find the correct words, but eventually licked his lips and began.
"No." He paused. "You need help getting home, otherwise you could pass out from exhaustion. The Hokage-" He paused again. "The Hokage would not be pleased if I were to leave you." He seemed pleased with his explanation. I sighed.
"Okay." I walked feebly next to him. This wasn't the first time he'd been there to catch me when I fell. He was constantly there to save me, and I had become quite the damsel in distress to him. I silently wondered if he had been reading fairy tales lately and genuinely believed that he constantly needed to save me. I was slowly being drained of my independence.
"Why haven't you been sleeping, Fira?" He asked, trying to be casual. I could hear the hidden curiosity in his voice.
"Things have just been on my mind, I suppose…" I looked sleepily away from him and began to grind my teeth. "There's never enough time, is there Sai…?" I trailed off, leaving Sai with what looked like it might be a confused expression.
Collide
I couldn't believe Fira would betray me like that, to sink so low as to abandon a friend completely and leave them completely vulnerable, especially in such a mixed company. She had utterly gone over the line.
Yet I was the one feeling sorry.
I hadn't forgiven her yet, but I did mean to apologize to Kiki; My attitude might have spoiled her 'party'. I felt guilty that her gift had been more out of spite of Fira then out of genuine happiness for her birthday. I should bring her a bag of candy later.
I had to walk twice as far to get back to my home due to my oh-so-necessary dramatic exit. After awhile, I began running home, eager to collapse on my bed and scream into the nearest pillow. I felt weak and fragile, and I hated it. As I reached my house, my trembling cold hands fumbled with the keys but eventually got it. My lips were chapped already and winter wasn't even here yet. I smiled when the warmth of the house swallowed me.
Tossing my coat on the nearest end table, I slowly trudged to the nearest ottoman and lost most of my posture. I curled up in the huge black leather chair and tried to calm myself down, to reason and reassure myself. It helped only a little, and then the memory of last night's events swarmed into my brain and filled my head with it's hurtful contents:
I should've picked up that the night would be a double-edged sword when the stars refused to shine and the air was too thick to even breathe properly in. I clung to my jacket and scarf protectively and followed Fira through a crowd of people to reach a massive run-down industrial building. It looked like it hadn't been in production for ages, but bright multicolored lights flashed from the windows, highlighting the activity inside.
I assured myself that it would be fine, that even though I despised parties, it wouldn't kill me to go to one. Fira grabbed my arm and pulled me through the entrance with her sequined blue halter top and short black skirt. She had on stockings that looked like they belonged to Kiki and strange pointed shoes. I opened my jacket slightly and sighed at my plain clothing; I was not dressed for a party.
A plain white wool sweater and blue jeans seemed dull in comparison, and high tops seemed slightly too casual. I bit my lip and covered myself in my jacket again, protecting myself from the eyes that would surely tear me to shreds.
I timidly walked inside, completely out of my element. Fira turned to me and grinned. She thought I was eager with anticipation and enthusiasm, as opposed to the fear and anxiousness I was feeling inside. I bit my lip and maneuvered through the masses of people dancing, trying to keep up with Fira.
Fira grabbed my arm again and guided me to a booth in the back filled with the familiar faces of Tenten, Kiba, and a disgruntled Neji. I choked out a greeting to them all and took a seat next to Neji, happy and overwhelmed with relief at seeing my friends. Neji smirked a little, and I knew his keen eyes had sensed my relief. My breathing smoothed and I looked towards Neji out of reflex.
"Neji?" I began, my shyness only detectible to and caused by him.
"Yes?" He answered coolly.
"Do you plan on dancing?" I asked timidly. He looked at me as if I'd asked if he was going to grow a second head.
"Of course not. Tenten and Kiba unfortunately dragged me here." He scoffed.
"Oh. Good. I was hoping someone could stay at the table with me so I wouldn't be alone while they all moved to the dance floor." I said quietly. He quirked an eyebrow.
"Why do you not wish to dance, presuming you came by your own free will, that is." He asked calmly.
"Fira made me come here, seeing as Kiki is mildly agoraphobic and hates leaving her house unless she has to." I stated.
"Ah." He ended the conversation as everyone but the two of us left the table to go dancing. We sat in silence for a long time before he spoke again. I twiddled my thumbs as he spoke.
"Fira." He acknowledged as she brought some drinks to the table, only she looked older; She looked like she had transformed herself into a twenty-one year old. I eyed the drinks cautiously.
"They're non-alcoholic." She assured me with a wink before returning to the dance floor. I reluctantly gulped down the drink.
Instantly I felt slightly looser and more easy going. My rational mind told me not to drink anymore, but for some reason I downed another one and another, causing Neji to look at me questionably. I suddenly felt impulsive and dizzy, and the room began spinning. I clutched onto Neji's sleeve for support, but it didn't help much. His eyes widened with this new action, but I ignored it, grasping on to him tighter to gain more support. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he flinched with the contact, attempting to pull away, but I held even firmer.
"Everything is spinning Neji…" I cooed. He cursed under his breath and pulled my arms away from him. He stood up, grabbing my hand and pulling me along with him.
He maneuvered me through the crowd of people, helping me back up every time I stumbled and fell due to this new clumsiness. I felt dazed and confused, and everything was disorienting. He suddenly used his byakugan and located our friends. He grew impatient with my slow moving and decided to pick me up and carry me as a faster mode of transportation.
Fira giggled when she saw him carrying me, bridal-style, in his arms towards them. She opened her mouth to say a snide innuendo, but quickly shut it the moment she saw my sickly expression and confused look.
"Wh-what happened to her?" She gaped. Tenten and Kiba looked worriedly back at each other.
"You said they were non-alcoholic drinks." Neji spat at her.
"They were only supposed to loosen her up a little! They barely had any alcohol in them! How would I know her body would react so badly to the drinks!" Fira was panicky, and I could tell she was on the verge of tears, even in my delusional state.
"You should of thought of that before you gave them to her!" Neji snarled. I whimpered in his arms in complaint to all the yelling between the two parties. Neji looked at me empathetically and decided that removing me from the party was more important than punishing Fira.
Neji rushed me out of the building to a nearby park where he could address me alone and allow me to attempt to regain at least a bit of my composure. He placed me on a swing and sat in the one next to me, staring at me with those calculating white eyes, searching for signs of my condition worsening or getting better.
"You know," I began unsteadily, almost falling off the swing, "You're really nice. You used to scare me a lot, but you're a really, really nice guy…" I trailed off as I began a fit of hiccups. He gaped a little at my sudden compliment before recomposing himself.
"Why were you afraid of me?" He ventured cautiously. "We've always been good friends." I hiccupped again and giggled.
"Because I always thought you, you were really good-looking, and I always wanted to kiss you." I said without thinking. My legs dangled back and forth childishly before I noticed a stream nearby. I shamelessly took off my shirt, leaving me only in my undershirt, and reached for the buckle on my belt. "We should go swimming." I said placidly. Neji looked mortified as to where this was going.
"No Iza. Put your clothes back on. We will not be going swimming." He tried to command, but his voice cracked with embarrassment from my previous confession.
"Don't be a spoil-sport. I'll go without you then." I attempted to pull my legs out of my pants, but I was struggling with even the slightest of tasks. Neji firmly grabbed my wrist and gave me a stern scolding look.
"No Iza." He commanded, more forcefully now, but I still struggled. He grabbed my other wrist and I turned my face away from his reprimanding eyes like a small child refusing to look at it's parent after it's done something wrong. I gave up my struggling and pulled my shirt back over my head in embarrassment and shame. He watched me with a small frown plastered on his face as he stood up and grabbed my hand.
"I'll take you home." He said calmly. Hot tears of humiliation ran down my face.
My mind drifted back to the present, and I was left sitting in my leather ottoman again. I wrapped my arms around my knees in a weak way of attempting to comfort myself. Tears yet again poured from my eyes as I rocked myself back and forth in the chair, trying to forget my shame. I bit my lip until it bled, ignoring the iron-tasting fluid until I coughed.
I ran into my bedroom and destroyed anything I could get my hands on.
Books were ripped to shreds and sheets and mattresses torn apart; Shelves were dismantled and clothes were thrown about; Larger furniture was tipped over, and wallpaper was cleaved from the walls. I ran back into my living room and collapsed on the couch, crying until my sinuses were horribly clogged and my eyes completely dry. It wasn't until that complete desperation that I called someone who I normally wouldn't even consider for a favor:
Kiki.
Fingers fumbling with the phone, I clumsily pushed the buttons to dial her number. The phone rang twice before the soprano-voiced young woman answered suspiciously.
"Hello?" She questioned, and for a moment I considered hanging up on my paranoid former teammate.
"Um, Kiki, it's me. Iza." I inserted quietly.
"Oh. Hi." Her voice turned to that of concern, knowing I never called her unless it was an emergency.
"Can I come over for a little while?" I bit my lip. I knew she wouldn't say yes; It was a long shot that she allowed us in earlier. She hesitated for a moment, but then began speaking again.
"…yes…" She gulped. I knew this was very difficult for her, but she sensed my desperation in the phone call and knew I needed support.
"Thank-you Kiki. I'll be right over." I half-smiled, and I was pretty sure she did the same. She hung up as I did.
I snatched my coat from the coat rack in the entry and rummaged through the destruction in my room to find my scarf. I looked out the window to realize it was raining and decided to find my galoshes as well. I placed a cap on my head and walked calmly to the mirror to check the ruins of my face. I grimaced at my reflection.
I licked my fingers and tried to fix my hair, rubbing the tear stains from my face. I removed the sleep from my eyes and started towards the door. I grabbed an umbrella from a nearby container and began my journey back to Kiki's, hoping not to be stopped along the way. I gulped and wondered what Kiki would think of my story, and hoped she wouldn't take on an all-knowing persona about the dangers of public places. I shivered and began to look forward to the warmth of the tea Kiki undoubtedly would already have made for me when I arrived.
I could only hope that Neji's paths and mine would not collide again.
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
I instinctively began to boil water in my teakettle over the stove, setting out two teacups for my guest and I. I was surprised with myself: I wasn't dreading this visit. I rubbed my forearms, which of course were being warmed by Iza's gift; My head adorned Fira's gift as well.
I perched on top of a cushion in the picture window and awaited Iza's arrival. She probably wouldn't take very long, and I stunned myself by how much I realized I longed for company in this big house by myself, (and Calcifer of course). I came to an astonishing conclusion that I wanted to be within human contact- at least for today.
I didn't want to be alone.
The sun was sinking into it's early evening position and it made the sky turn a tropical pink that made my heart melt and my icy platinum eyes reflect a pale purple. I let my eyelids flutter closed and my eyelashes press against the skin under my eyes. I pursed my lips, trying to listen to the sounds of the house- the moaning of the floorboards, the groaning of the walls, and the wails of the wind against the windows. I sighed contently and reopened my eyes, suddenly distraught at what I saw:
Iza, with tears streaming from her eyes with a twisted sparkle from the moonlight, was running towards me frantically with trembling hands. She was running like a one human army and biting her lip to keep from crying out in frustration. My insides were churning nauseatingly and I dashed towards the seldom used front door to allow her entrance.
She practically crashed through my doorway and collided with my couch where Calcifer slept, alarming him and causing him to hiss and run away, scared out of his wits. He galloped under my reading chair and little green eyes peeped out from underneath the legs of the chair. Iza shook dramatically on my couch.
Nervously, I slinked towards her; I was never particularly good at cheering others up, (I'd never had practice of course). I moved closer, and her face shot up from being held in her hands to staring me straight in the eye, her own pair shifting madly around, looking for reassuring words. I gaped, and in a tense and self-doubting stupor, I went silent.
The boiling water made the teakettle whistle loudly, forcing me out of my dazed expression. I stuttered out the words "Let's go to the kitchen…" before stumbling into a run to the scullery.
She followed sluggishly behind me in a zombie-like fashion as I spun into the kitchen to turn the burner on the stove off and retrieve the kettle. I poured the scalding water over the happily awaiting teabags and into the cups. Bringing them to the table, I watched as she slowly sat down and held her head in her arms, rocking back and forth in her chair.
I sat down cautiously and timidly nudged her teacup towards her.
"…what happened?" I asked softly, trying to be as sympathetic as possible. She looked up at me suddenly with bloodshot eyes and a tortured expression.
"Kiki, please, do not let anyone enter this house while I tell you the following information." She begged.
"Do I ever really let people enter my house?" I said as seriously as I could muster. She attempted to smile.
I remained calm throughout her entire story, never interrupting, even when a question emerged in my mind. She finished just as I finished my first cup of tea. I silently walked to the stove and turned the burner back on to reheat the tea before taking my place back at the table. Calcifer walked in the room only to jump in the windowsill and make himself comfortable there. I began asking questions that I had refrained from asking through the course of her story.
"Do you love Neji?" I cocked my head to the side. She hesitated before answering.
"…No… maybe… I don't think I do." Her brow furrowed in frustration. I paused then began again.
"I think… that Neji will understand and that he won't hold it against you. I believe things will be different between the two of you from now on considering neither of you can forget the embarrassment both of you endured, but I don't believe that he will look down upon your actions when you honestly couldn't control yourself or the decisions you were making. Sadly, I think he will continue to hold a grudge against Fira for her irresponsible actions regarding you, a minor, and questionable amounts of alcohol." I finished.
The teakettle whistled again and I wandered over to the stove to turn off the heat; Iza hadn't even taken a sip from her cup, so I didn't bother asking if she desired more. I noticed a chip in one of my nails and sighed, and vowed to attend to it later. Sitting back down at the table, I noticed she had calmed down considerably, and smiled inwardly at my reassuring skills.
Rocking back and forth in my chair, I stared at her curiously, wondering if my analysis on her mood had truly been correct and I hoped I had not made the situation worse like I so often did. My body tensed in anticipation, studying her face for any flick of emotion that could help me decipher her feelings at this point. My muscles tightened and I clenched the table edges, my fingers leaving small indents in the wood. I was prepared for any reaction from her, good or bad.
I was not, however, prepared for Calcifer's reaction, which was to jump in my very tense lap, making me squeak loudly and fall clumsily out of my chair. I heard a snort, followed by a large hearty laugh, filling the room with it's presence and shattering the tension. Iza soon mimicked my ungraceful fall to the floor, clutching her sides in the clumsy action, and rolling onto her back, chortling with harmless humor at my jumpiness.
I grinned a childish grin and began joining in the laughter, unable to control myself after watching her lumbering fall to the floor. Calcifer ran from the room madly, eager to escape the two clearly insane individuals, until his galloping left him safe in the living room.
Iza and I continued our giggling fits until the moment died into a small chuckle and finally a long drawn-out sigh. To a spectator it would appear we were pretending to be turtles as we struggled to return to an upright position after staying awkwardly on our backs for so long.
We finally began standing and stretching again, smiling candy shop smiles, before collapsing lazily into our chairs again. Some tea had splattered on the table in our clumsy falls to the floor, so I skipped over to the cupboard to retrieve a towel to wipe up the mess. When I returned, the same serious expression was plastered on her face, the one of frustration that occurred when she had reached a difficult decision. I cleaned up the puddle on the marble kitchen surface and waited for her to speak again.
"I think I should forgive Fira." She announced reluctantly. I raised a brow.
"You do?" I asked doubtfully; Iza wasn't usually so quick to forgive such matters.
"…Yes." She stated after a short period of muteness, doubting it a bit herself. "I think she feels absolutely horrid and as you said, Neji will probably never forgive her, and it is unwise to keep grudges against comrades." She added, suddenly a bit more certain of her decision.
I smiled, happy that this was the path she chose. I finished cleaning the table and threw the wet towel in my laundry closet just north of the kitchen. I glanced out the window, only to realize the sun had vanished, only to be replaced by the high moon. Questioning how much time had gone by, I slid back into the kitchen with a sad expression on my face. Iza wondered what caused my sorrow, and looked as if she were about to ask, but I opened my mouth first.
"It is twenty-three hundred hours." I sighed regretfully. Her eyes squinted in disbelief and then suddenly alarm as she realized how long she had been here. She quickly stood up from her chair and started towards the direction of her belongings, but instead turned around and pulled me into an awkward tackle-like hug. I winced at the human contact.
Retrieving her personal items, she waved goodbye and shouted a sincere 'Thank-you' at me as she dashed out the door. I blinked a few times in compliance before locking the five locks adorning my door and pulling the shutters I had installed closed over the windows.
Sneaking into the lounge, I found Calcifer snoozing on my large black foot stool. I picked him up and he reluctantly bequeathed his place on the comfortable furniture as I carried him into my large master bedroom. I placed him on the pillow next to mine and turned my stereo on, making sure to lower the volume so as to not annoy my finicky cat.
Sitting on the edge of my large comfy bed, I allowed my legs to hang off the side, dangling them back and forth in childish delight. I was mildly perturbed in the sudden realization that I only had two years of childhood left ahead of me, and vowed to make it last as long as possible.
Crawling to the center of the bed to sit in lotus position, I thought over the events of the day and allowed myself to wonder what could have made my day better, but could think of nothing. I was surprisingly delighted to have company today and was thankful I did not spend today alone, (Not including my beloved Calcifer of course).
I heard my favorite indie song begin to play on my stereo and grinned gleefully, giggling with the delight of a finally perfect day. I stood up on my bed and impulsively began to jump up and down in giddy satisfaction, startling Calcifer half to death. Taking one final jump, I pulled my legs up and allowed my self to free fall on my back, smiling blindly at my surroundings.
I closed my eyes contently and decided on sleeping, but something irked at my consciousness. I turned over on my side and bit my lip, unable to remove one final desire from my head.
I wandered into the kitchen, wondering if that birthday cake was still in the fridge.
Konoha's ward of the state would sleep happily alone tonight.
Most people buy their friends gifts. I write them stories. Go figure.
