Prank War: Spring

(Author's Note: Hi everyone!!!! This is my first non-serious fanfic, and I'm really excited to be doing it! I have NO idea how it's going to turn out, so I'm taking it as it goes. I never thought I'd do a fanfic like this, but hey, who knew that I would do a fanfic at all? It's all fate, and I luuuuuuuuuuuuv it. Lol! I don't make any sense, and I'm blabbering, so I should probably get to the point. Prank War is a series, which means that I don't know how long it will be in the end or when I will end it. Instead of having separate chapters, I have a Prelude (prologue), and Declaration of War, several Battles, and finally (when I get there) a Treaty. There will be chapters within every one! Enjoy the pranks please, and please, PLEASE review!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Prelude (aka Prologue): Declaration of War

Tsunade stepped up to the stadium, surveying her students proudly. Among them she found Tenten, the strong and athletic while also clever girl who she had a particular soft spot for. Tenten looked up, and Tsunade had a schoolgirl-y urge to wave and squeal but it quickly passed as the crowd quieted down.

"Now, I'm quite happy to say that I've FINALLY solved our crowding problem, dear students. There are far too many of you to have so little dorm rooms for. So, we've built a new extension on the school! Now you can all only have one dorm mate to share a room with." Tsunade exclaimed, watching the crowd whisper, shift, and give a rowdy cheer.

"Ok! Now I'm going to reel off the list of names! Please don't go anywhere yet! Naruto, please get off that tree! Ok…" She began.

"Hinata ….Neji…"

"Sakura … Rock Lee…"

"Tenten… Sasuke…"

"Ino… Kiba…"

After about two hours of names, Tsunade concluded, "Oh, and Naruto, we have an odd number of students so you'll have a dorm room all to yourself, but we're expecting a new student soon."

Naruto nodded, not looking like he understood.

"I'm glad everyone agrees! Now you may proceed to your new assignmen -"

Before she could finish, a hurricane of students overran her and even Tsunade's clones were stampeded to the ground.

Ah…the wonderfulness of a new school year…

Little did Tsunade know how much her dorm assignments would affect certain ninjas…

Chapter One: Dorm Mate Dummies

Hinata rushed to Dorm G107 and knocked on her friend's door.

Tenten opened it for her and groaned, "Not you too?"

Hinata ceased crying for a second to wipe away her tears and ask, "Me…?"

"Has your dorm mate been annoying you too?"

Hinata nodded, blinking away her tears, and Tenten put her arm around her friend, "Welcome to the club."

As she was led into the room, Hinata noticed that Ino and Sakura were already sitting on Sakura's bed, both looking annoyed and vengeful.

"I suppose it's not that bad…," explained Sakura sweetly and then Inner Sakura proceeded to yell, "My dorm mate Lee won't shut up!"

"And my dorm mate Sasuke won't even talk!" Tenten complained.

"My dorm mate Kiba thinks I spend too much time at the mirror!" Ino exclaimed.

The three girls turned toward Hinata. "My dorm mate's Neji, and I think he hates me," she half-whispered as she sat down next to Ino.

"See?" Tenten pointed out to the other girls, "We aren't just ninjas, we're girls, and we girls need to look out for each other especially when annoying boys are our dorm mates."

Sakura nodded agreeably, smiling, and being the only one there smiling. Ino looked like she might tear her hair out, and Hinata looked as if she was about to burst into tears again.

But there was no time for that, for in a second Hinata let out a little scream as Tenten's bed collapsed and both she and Ino slipped to the floor.

Tenten's eyes flared. "Haha, funny prank, Sasuke," she muttered and then aloud, she said, "This is prank war, and we're going to win it. Now, who's with me?"

She put her hand in the middle of the girls (or rather, where the girls used to be, for now Ino was on one side of the collapsed bed and Hinata the other).

Sakura blinked, and said, "B-but what about Sasuke? I mean, he really didn't do anything bad…and I, um…"

Tenten raised one eyebrow when Sakura said that he didn't do anything bad and tipped her head in the direction her bed.

Sakura lowered her head, "I think I heard someone say that guys like girls that are mean to them," and using that as an excuse, put her hand on top of Tenten's.

Ino grinned, "Sounds like fun," and placed her hand on top of Sakura's.

The girls, once again, turned to Hinata, who looked considerably pale, "We-we won't really hurt them, r-right…? That would be h-horrible…" Once again, Tenten raised one eyebrow and Hinata placed her hand on top of Ino's, positively shaking.

Tenten beamed, "Great, um, now…on the count of three. 1...2...3..."

An overwhelmingly response of "Go girls!" filled the air, and soon the girls classified the boys that would be pranked into a specific category - Dorm Mate Dummies…

-------

Just a couple of rooms over, the Dorm Mate Dummies and Naruto were also huddled together.

"It's so annoying. I just don't understand them," Sasuke was saying, "I mean, who else would want their dormmate to talk so much?"

Kiba nodded. "They are strange…"

"Strange is an understatement!" Sasuke shouted furiously.

Neji said, "Yes. Strange though, still."

"Mine won't let me talk at all," Rock Lee complained.

Sasuke cursed under his breath.

Naruto, seeing the group so depressed, piped up helpfully (or so he thought), "Some are cute!"

Not a smart thing to say in front of four other ninjas who could kill him with their bare hands in more than ten ways.

Neji and Sasuke glared at Naruto as Rock Lee picked a flower from a vase on Hinata's side of the room cheerfully and Kiba sighed, shaking his head.

Naruto grinned at his friends. He loved it when they appreciated his optimism.

"Anyway," Sasuke cleared his throat, "We need to stick together at times like these. Make them know who's boss. Like I undid Tenten's bed. It was easy - just unscrew some things…"

"Well?" He continued, "Is this prank war or not?"

The boys agreed, muttering under their breath about not understanding their dorm mates. Except for Rock Lee, who now had his flower in his hair.

Sasuke's eyes gleamed, "Good. Starting tomorrow, we are an army of five at war."

"Now here's our revenge plan…"

Neji was bent forward, his long hair falling into his face. Kiba was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Naruto leaned in so much he nearly fell of Neji's bed. Rock Lee adjusted his flower solemnly…

Chapter Two: The First Prank of the War

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

That is exactly what Ino, next door to Sakura, heard in her friend's dorm. Ino banged open the door, ready to throttle whoever was there.

Except nobody was there but Sakura.

And she looked greener than spring grass.

"What's wrong?" gasped Ino, pulling her friend closer.

Sakura looked like she was about to talk as Tenten burst through the doorway, looking bewildered.

"Are you all ok?"

Sakura shook her head and pointed to a jar.

Specifically, a jar in her bed.

Specifically, a jar in her bed filled with spiders.

Specifically, a jar in her bed filled with black widow spiders.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Hinata stumbled into the room, "Oh my! I-is everyone all right? I thought I heard s-screaming!"

The girls pointed to a certain jar.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

-------

Far away, a certain group of boys were enjoying the sunrise, sipping lemonade as a scream pierced the air.

"What was that?" Naruto asked innocently. Everyone groaned.

"Don't make us remind you again, Naruto," Kiba said kindly before Sasuke could tackle him.

"Yeah, what was that, anyway?" Rock Lee repeated dumbly, and this time Sasuke did tackle someone. Neji watched indifferently, taking in a gulp of lemonade; Kiba shouted frantically at Sasuke that he wasn't worth it. Naruto cheered, "This is so cool! Wow! Cool!"

-------

"WAKEY WAKEY, DARLING KIBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Someone was screaming in Kiba's ear.

"What…………..?" Kiba opened his eyes groggily to a peppy, wide-awake Ino.

"I moved all your clothes, to let you know. They were messy, and in my way," Ino explained happily, "Get dressed, eat breakfast, and I'll see you later!" She left, skipping.

Kiba looked weirdly after an extremely joyous Ino leaving the dorm as he reached for his shirt.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

-------

"Cheers," Ino said, clinking her cup with the rest of the girls just as a couple of boys with pajamas on neared them.

"What the freakin' heck did you do to our clothes?" Sasuke shouted, red-faced as the people around them crowded in to view the spectacle.

"Um………whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" Ino blinked innocently, completely aware that the idea to completely paint all the boys' clothes was completely hers.

Chapter Three: Caught

"I'm not sure a-about this," Hinata whispered.

"Don't worry," Tenten hugged her friend, her voice barely audible.

"S-so I just draw all over their faces with mustard and ketchup, r-right?"

"Right."

"Well…o-ok…"

Hinata crept out of her dorm. After the first pranks, the girls had decided to share one dorm and the boys another - for safety reasons.

She was about to open the boys' dorm door when a voice called her, "Hey!"

Hinata yelped softly and spun around. It was Kiba.

This wasn't good.

This wasn't ok.

This wasn't bad.

This was horrible…

"What could an innocent little girl like you be possibly doing up past midnight?" Kiba said smoothly, nearing her with a twinkle in his eye.

Suddenly Hinata didn't feel all that shy. She was doing this for the good of all the girls, after all. "Um, w-well, w-what could a you be possibly doing up at the same time as me?"

A grin spread over his face as he looked down and saw her ketchup and mustard containers.

"Not so innocent after all, eh?"

Hinata widened her eyes, "A-and what about you? Always so mild at daytime…" She looked down at his trash bag, which happened to be filled with pine needles. "A-and now…?"

His eyes sparkled. "Little Hinata's big discovery, huh? Well?"

"… … … …Well, Kiba?" She had never been so bold or open with anyone before.

"Trade secret? I'll go do whatever I need to do and so do you?"

Hinata felt a little smile settle onto her face, "Um…s-sure. On one condition."

"What?"

"Skip my bed with the pine needles. And I-I'll skip your face."

"Cool. Make sure to draw flowers on Lee's, ok? He likes them," He grinned and set off, leaving her free to open the boys' dorm door.

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door.

-------

Knock, knock.

"I got it!" Kiba shouted, although the other boys were asleep anyway.

"G-gai-sensei…uh, can I - that is - can I help you?" Kiba stuttered, surprised.

"I was just going to send Neji and -" he stopped mid-phrase as he looked at the boys faces. Hinata had been to shy to go all out with the French mustaches and eye circles, so instead each boy except Kiba had a mixture of small red and yellow polka-dots.

"Er, am I…interrupting something?" Gai-sensei stammered.

"No, no. They, uh, just heard that mustard and ketchup increases, uh, sleep, which is good for the body," Kiba lied.

"…. Oh. Well. That's interesting."

"Isn't it?" Kiba lied.

"Er, when Neji and Lee wake up, just tell them that they're needed to go on a mission. It's a tiny one. I just had the urge to send someone on one."

Just like some people have urges to draw on other people's faces while they are sleeping, thought Kiba, but he didn't say so, just nodded apprehensively.

"I'm going to get Tenten on this mission too, so you'll tell her, won't you? Well, that's about it. Have, er, a nice day…" Gai-sensei left slowly, giving the polka-dotted Neji a quick last glance.

Kiba left quickly before any of the boys woke up and realized that he was the only one without a makeover…

-------

Knock, knock.

The door flew open, revealing Kiba.

The girls were all up already. Ino was painting her toenails with Sakura, Hinata was reading peacefully, and Tenten was in front of him, waiting for an explanation.

"Gai-sensei wanted you and Neji and Lee for a mission. You should go now to find him," Kiba announced, and Hinata looked up mysteriously at the sound of his voice.

"That's it?" Tenten said.

"Yep." Kiba grinned, and winked at Hinata before leaving.

"Oooooh…" Sakura giggled with Ino, "What was that all about?"

"What?" Tenten turned.

"A Dorm Mate Dummy coming just to tell you that? No pranks? And then he winked. At Hinata," Ino giggled, and the two girls burst into a fit of giggles.

"He likes you?" Tenten turned to tomato-faced Hinata, bright-eyed.

"N-no," Hinata gasped, debating about whether to tell them about the night he had caught her playing a prank. But it had been a trade secret, so of course she couldn't tell. And speaking of trade secrets, that was why she was sitting on a chair and not the bed.

They would notice in a second.

"Ow! Something's poking me!"

Yup, sure enough.

"OWWW!!!!!!!"

Chapter Four: Missions

"This has never happened before!" exclaimed Sakura, wide-eyed, "Different senseis just happen to send different mission groups on the same mission at the same time?"

"Yeah," echoed Naruto, scooting close to Sakura who was scooting closer to Sasuke who was sending out silent signals for help.

"It is kinda weird," agreed Kiba, "But the mission's hard even though it's really small. Maybe we should split up and each do a part of the mission."

"That's a good idea," agreed Tenten bossily, "Ok, um, how about this. There's three parts, and nine of us, so let's just pick groups."

Naturally, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were together.

Then Ino, Tenten, and Lee became a group.

Which left Hinata, Neji, and Kiba. …Unfortunately for Hinata.

-------

"So, Sasuke," Sakura called after a striding Sasuke, who looked like the faster he got away from her, the better.

"Anything new?"

"No."

"That's cool. Do you know why Ino got over you?"

"No."

"Do you want to know?"

"No."

"Can I tell you anyways?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"…."

Naruto cut in, "You can tell me!!!!"

Sakura gave him a look of utter surprise.

"Ok, then, can I guess?" Naruto blabbered, catching up to her.

"…"

"Is it because he's not as nice as me?" He said meaningfully.

"No."

"Is it because he's not as smart as me?"

"No."

"Is it -"

"No."

"… -"

"No."

"But I didn't say anything!"

"It doesn't have to do with you. And you talk too much."

So, Naruto didn't utter a single word for the rest of the mission. All he did was beam at Sakura, which was just as strange, according to Sasuke.

-------

(Let's skip the gory details of how Lee tried to give Tenten a flower and how she, er, "accepted it". and the equally gory details of Ino finding a frog in pocket. Strangely enough, nobody knows how it got there…)

-------

Neji was striding away so fast from his two mission partners that he seemed to be more gliding across the grass than actually walking on it.

When he was out of sight, Hinata gave up trying to catch up, and slowed down to normal pace.

Kiba fell in step with her and gave her a small smirk which was almost abnormal for someone who was normally as kind as Kiba. "So, Makeover Girl. Gotten caught lately?"

If Kiba had taught Hinata something, it was the ability to retort. Both normally sweet ninjas seemed more frank and open suddenly. Hinata returned the smile, "N-no, have you, Pine Needle Boy?"

He laughed and leaned in, making her tingle. Being inches from a cute guy can do something to a girl, even if that girl happens to be the only one that boy makes fun of. "Inner Hinata's not so nice, huh?"

"…"

He took several steps away, and Hinata felt herself again.

"So, Hinata, which one of us is going to win this prank war?"

She smiled sweetly, glad for once to have the upper hand. Being usually shy, she wasn't so good at getting the upper hand on most things. "That depends, are y-you talking to Hinata or Inner Hinata?"

He laughed, and threw his hands up in the air, "Will it make a difference?"

Hinata shook her head, "Oh…it's a team effort anyway, not individual."

He smirked, "Ok then, Makeover Girl. Have fun with your makeover team."

"We will, and soon you'll know it," Hinata said meaningfully, not meeting his eyes, and leaning in just a bit to innocently place a frog in his pocket.

Kiba shrugged. "Ok then, Makeover Girl. Let me know when you surrender." He walked away toward the direction Neji had gone, leaving Hinata fuming behind him.

But the weird thing was, Hinata hadn't ever been this Inner Hinata around anyone else. Confused, she shook her head now. He made her feel so angry - yet, so…herself…

She didn't know it yet, but Kiba had taught her to open up.

Chapter Five: Frenemies

She was falling. This was no dream…it was real!

Spiraling downwards.

Down.

Down.

Down.

Down.

Would she die like this? Surely this fate is not meant for her. She was suddenly tranquil, calm, acutely aware of everything happening around her but also in a trance.

She was about to hit the ground.

Then someone caught her.

"Are you stupid?" It was Neji. "Jumping off a tree that high is stupid, if you haven't figure it out. Even during a mission, you know, try landing normally!"

The gates of the Trance opened and she stepped back out into reality.

So she screamed, because she hadn't before, and now she was out of the Trance.

"Shut up," Neji shouted. She was still dangling by the arm.

She gave a soft whimper. Missions were dangerous…but she had never thought…she would die like that…

"SHUT UP!!!"

Suddenly Kiba was next to her, his face as deadpan as a famous joker's might be. His voice was soothing.

"You're about a two feet from the ground. Neji's going to let go and you'll fall. Or you can jump and be safe."

He made sense.

Hinata jumped, landed, and fell onto her knees, gasping.

"Are you ok?" Kiba.

"Hinata, you are the most stupid person I've ever known in my whole entire life." Neji.

"Are you ok?" Kiba repeated.

She felt dizzy. "N-n-nuh…" She shook her head, but it made her dizziness worse.

"Stupid." muttered Neji, looking as if he was going to whack her.

"Hinata? You ok?"

"Hinata?"

Voices…were echoing…inside her head…

"Hinata?!"

"HINATA?!"

Voices…her head…it must be night…because it was dark…

And then it was all black.

-------

"Eeeek!" She screamed, sitting straight up. Where was she?

The nurse turned and gave her a gentle smile, "Dear, you'll be fine."

All the Girls and the Dorm Mate Dummies were crowded around her. She thought they would bombard her with questions, but all they did was stare in shock.

Kiba recovered first.

"H-hey, Makeover Girl," He said, grinning with his hair messy, holding up a certain green frog.

"We're here for you, girl," Ino promised and Sakura nodded, her eyes full of concern.

Naruto nodded when he saw Sakura nod. Rock Lee placed a flower in Hinata's bedside vase that had been previously in his hair. Sasuke said nothing, and his face showed no emotion. Neji looked furious at her, let's give it a wild guess, for being, oh who knows, maybe stupid.

Tenten said finally, forcefully, "C'mon soldier, you'll live. You have to, you've still got Prank War to fight."

Hinata smiled for the first time since her fall.

Chapter Six: War is On

Prank war was on, and even better than before since Hinata's failed mission. Which was technically not failed, as Kiba and Neji still managed to complete it while she was at the hospital.

On Monday, somehow Ino screamed in the shower. She claimed the water to be red and sweet.

On Tuesday, Naruto suddenly found himself drenched as all the sprinklers in the room turned on.

On Wednesday, Sakura missed training. Witnesses say that she was shouting that she had been locked in a room with the lock, strangely enough, facing outwards.

On Thursday, Hinata recovered fully from her fall and hurt leg. She came to her room for a fresh change of clothes but discovered all her clothes with the exception of socks, bras, and underwear were gone. She seems to be wearing her pajamas a lot lately…

On Friday, Kiba found a trail of bananas leading from his bed. Reports say he followed the path, and we haven't heard from him since.

On Saturday, Tenten mysteriously choked on her food, claiming that the sugar container seemed saltier than usual and the salt container sweeter than usual.

On Sunday, Sasuke found Kiba, and then both were lost.

On next Monday, Sasuke came back, giving crazy tales about being full body-locked for three days, dragging Kiba along.

On next Tuesday, Neji came in to lunch limping, announcing an unseen, giant, hole strangely appearing in the forest floor.

On next Wednesday, Rock Lee found a flower on his bed attached to some string. After curiously pulling a string, a yelp that sounded strangely like Naruto being strangled and a crash emerged next door.

On next Thursday, Tenten bit into her food, only discovering it to be plastic.

On next Friday, Hinata missed dinner, claiming she couldn't get out of her room because the room was painted with, well, wet paint.

On next Saturday, Ino mysteriously tripped constantly over pure air through the seemingly peaceful forest.

On next Sunday, Sakura found a trash bag filled to the brim with wet, gooey who-knows-what marked with a certain dorm number that contained certain boys.

So two weeks past rather pleasantly.

Tsunade was glad that her dorm arrangements were working out so well.

Then five boys burst into her office.

"Yes?"

"I need a towel!" Sasuke.

"For what?"

"Um…"

"What????"

"I kinda, um, fell into pudding on my way here…"

"Pudding? Who put that there????"

"Tenten…"

"That's it?"

"And Hinata…"

"… … (Tsunade had a hallucination of hearing laughter outside her door) … …oh! OH! Haha, good one, you almost had me too! Oh, I'm late…I should be meeting Gai-sensei to talk about injuries…I'll see you boys around!" And then she left.

Neji, Kiba, and Sasuke gaped after her.

"I don't get what she said," exclaimed Naruto after a nasty silence, "But I heard pretty words!"

Rock Lee twirled a flower, which was immediately snatched away by Sasuke, and was used - um, appropriately - as Sasuke proceeded to tackle Naruto to the floor.

Chapter Seven: Revenge…In a Good Way?

"I KNOW THAT ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

That was Tenten, shouting at her shadow clone, who was cringing in an unusual way (as Tenten rarely cringed).

Sakura entered the room, exclaiming, "Hello, beautiful day! Hello -" Then she stopped when she saw Tenten looking like she might kill her clone - which is what will eventually happen anyway.

"Um…" Sakura cleared her throat.

Tenten looked up, and then made a frantic attempt to hide her clone underneath the table.

"Oh, hi! How are you? That's great! Isn't the weather beautiful! Hehehe…oh my, I like your shirt! Even though it looks like the same one you had on yesterday!!!! But I'm sure it's different, I have multiple pairs of the same clothing too!" Tenten rambled, "Oh, and I'm sure you noticed my hairstyle today! It's different! I only have one bun instead of two! I mean, I have two…but…" She let down her hair and put it into one bun, "Now I have one! Amazing, right? It's like magic! Wanna know how I did it? It's just pretty simple, watch -"

"Tenten, what were you doing a second ago?" Sakura interrupted, amused.

"A second ago? What second?"

"Tenten…" Sakura warned, "I'm not stupid, you know."

Tenten opened her mouth, closed it, and sighed. "Ok, ok, fine. I was spying on someone. And the clone kept giving me useless information."

"Who?" Sakura said, curious.

"Um, the Dorm Mate Dummies. You guys have to distract all of them except Neji. Well, it's like this…"

-------

Five minutes later, Sakura called sweetly, "Hey, Lee! Won't a nice person like you please go get the mail for me????"

Lee, flattered, shouted back, "Sure!!!!"

He skipped out the door, happy to be finally on good terms with his ex-dorm mate, and went to the mail room next to the school office. After finding Sakura's mailbox, he opened it cheerfully.

"AHHHH!!!!" A horde of nuts and tennis balls spilled out of the mailbox and bounced down the hallway after knocking him unconscious.

-------

"Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Na-ru-to….Thou were lost and gone forever…dreadful sorry, Naruto…" Ino sang to the tune of "Oh My Darling Clementine", walking out of Tenten's room where she had been discussing certain matters.

"Whaaaaaa?" The blonde turned and grinned cheekily, "Oh, hi, Ino!"

"Hi!" Ino smiled and said as fast as she could, "I heard Shikamaru say Itachi said Gai-sensei said Tsunade said Jiraiya said Kakashi said Hana said Gaara said that a green-haired man was looking for you."

Naruto blinked, "Um, sorry, I-I didn't catch that. Can you repeat it slowly?"

"Nope," replied Ino, and walked away smiling, leaving a confused Naruto alone in the hallway.

-------

Sasuke and Kiba were speaking about pranks in a low voice, walking out of their dorm room when Hinata near-ambushed them, coming out of Tenten's room.

"Hi!" She exclaimed, "I've been looking for you ALL over. I saw on the school bulletin board something like… 'Sasuke and Kiba are weak'. Someone might have taken it off by now."

Kiba had a tiny smirk on his face, and Sasuke looked furious. He stormed off in the direction of the board, Kiba in tow.

-------

"So it's like that," Tenten was saying as her friends distracted the other boys, "I don't understand. Hinata's so sweet and lovely…you don't have to be such a jerk all the time, you know. Just leave my friend alone, ok?"

Neji stood there, his mouth slightly opened. Nobody had ever dared to speak to him in such a way before.

"All she ever does is help you!"

Neji twitched.

"Stop being so…unfair."

"All my friends think I'm playing a prank on you right now. But I'm being serious." Tenten's eyes bore into Neji's pale ones.

"Leave. Her. Be."

Neji opened his mouth but no words came out. Then he walked away.

-------

"N-neji?"

Neji jumped and spun around, his hands in the position of beginning a jutsu.

Yet it was just Hinata.

"…"

"Are you ok?" Hinata looked concerned, "Y-you know that training is on right now…? It's not like you to miss that…"

"I can do whatever I want!" Neji retorted heatedly, and struggled to keep himself from blaming her for Tenten's earlier lecture. He sat back down onto his dorm bed.

"Oh," Hinata looked hurt, "Ok. I was just wondering…I better go back now."

"Whatever."

"U-um, 'bye…" She turned to leave the room.

"Hinata?" He forced himself to choke out the word. She looked back, surprised, her hand still not leaving the doorknob. He muttered softly, "Sorry…"

Neji looked down, avoiding her questioning eyes. He could almost feel her smile and heard the door close gently.

He was physically alone again.

Although mentally, he was not as much so.

Chapter 8: Crime Scene

"What are we going to do this whole day?" Neji pondered.

Kiba agreed, "It is kind of boring around here without those girls to prank on."

Neji grinned foolishly, "Yeah."

Sasuke turned to his dorm mate, "You seem kind of different."

Neji shrugged, "I feel kind of different."

"I know! I know!" Naruto suggested, "It's for Gai-sensei! Or one of the girls! Show-off!"

Neji gave something that sounded like a laugh. "Nah. It's for myself."

Sasuke gave him a curious look. "Is that…a good change?"

"Well…I'm happier. So I guess so." Neji shrugged again.

Sasuke shook his head, not understanding.

"Why aren't they here anyway?" Sasuke added.

Kiba put in, "Tsunade wanted all the Konoha girls around their age to spend a whole day with her talking about what it means to become a woman. Whatever that means."

"That's weird." Sasuke said, "Nobody around here teaches us what it means to be men."

"'Cause we already know," joked Kiba, making Neji laugh.

"We should set up a whole prank scene for when they come back," Naruto said, excited.

"Yeah, for when they come back," repeated Rock Lee, not really paying attention, "Who?"

Everyone groaned.

"The girls." Kiba offered.

"Which ones?"

More groans.

"Sakura and -"

"Oh!" Rock Lee exclaimed, his face content.

"Wait…" Naruto looked suspicious, "You like Sakura?"

"Have liked for a while." Rock Lee tried to be helpful.

"But she's MINE!!!!!!!!!"

"No, she's MINE!!!!"

And you can probably imagine the rest of this argument, as did Sasuke, Neji, and Kiba as they simultaneously sweat-dropped.

-------

The girls chattered as they filed back into their dorm room, apparently under the impression that Tsunade had given the most awful class in history.

"Can you believe it?" Ino screeched, "Isn't it disgusting?"

Hinata's eyes were round. "I could become a mother if I just -"

"I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT!!!!!!!!!!!" shrieked Ino.

"I dunno," Sakura commented, "It'd be nice with Sasuke."

"EWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ino moaned.

"It's all part of life. At least that's something only women can do." Tenten pointed out calmly.

"STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ino banged her head against the wall.

"Has anyone besides me had their period yet?" Hinata wondered. Sakura pointed at herself while Tenten shook her head.

"PLEASE SHUT THE HECK UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ino screamed.

"How about you, Ino?" Sakura asked curiously.

"THANKFULLY NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ino hollered.

"It's not that bad. Only once a month, right?" Hinata comforted her.

"TOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TOO OFTEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ino cried.

-------

The boys next door turned their heads toward the doorway where the screaming was coming from.

"Oh, goodie!" Naruto cheered, "Do you think they found the frogs in their beds?"

"Or their superglued-shut closets?"

"Or the cotton in their shoes?"

"Or the monkeys over their pictures on their libraries cards?"

"Or the shaving cream on their rug?"

"Or the cream cheese in their moisturizer?"

"Or the purple food coloring in their toothpaste?"

"Or the raw eggs under their pillows?"

"Or the alarm clocks set to go off at five minute intervals hidden around the room?"

"Or the recordings saying 'THEY ARE COMING FOR YOU' hidden in the refridgerator?"

"Or the frozen clothes in that bucket of ice?"

"Or the rope strung all around the room with knots in random places?"

"I dunno," Kiba grinned, "Could be any number of those."

Chapter Nine: Make Me Lose My Breath

The school bulletin board's newest message read,

" SPRING FLING DANCE

When: May 24th

Where: School Cafeteria

Who: All students

What: No fee to student. Make sure you have a ride.

HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Cool, it's May 24th! We have to take this chance," Sasuke shouted to his dorm mates as they came running over to see what the big deal was, "If we ask the girls to the dance, we'll be so close to them we can do all sorts of pranks."

"Sounds good," Kiba suddenly looked shy.

Neji shrugged, "Ok then."

Rock Lee nodded.

Naruto squealed - yes, squealed - and ran off to find Sakura.

Except the fact that Sakura emerged from the opposite direction Naruto had gone seconds later and smiled at Sasuke eagerly.

"Want to go to the dance with me?" She winked.

Sasuke said, "Sure."

"Oh, ok." Sakura whimpered, disappointed, and then realized he had agreed, "WAIT. WHAT?!!!!!!!!!"

"Oh. My. Gosh." She said slowly, squealed just like Naruto, and ran off to tell the others.

-------

"Please, Ino?" Sakura whined, "I just can't get my hair right."

"Be right over," Ino called, tugging on the hem of her flirty, swirly purple dress that was strapless and glittery.

When she came out of the bathroom, the girls gasped.

"Oh no," Ino worried, "Something got ripped? Or my makeup is lopsided?"

"N-no," Hinata reassured, "You look… amazing."

"Incredible," agreed Tenten, "And that's coming from me."

"Wow," seconded Sakura, "Now will you puh-reeeeetty please help me out here?"

"Sure," laughed Ino, her loose blonde bun bobbing with her, and rushed over to Sakura and helped her fix her hair.

Hinata quietly went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

"Omigosh!" Sakura gasped, "That looks great!" She twirled and giggled in her tight halter pink dress that had a giant white bow on her right hip.

"What do you think, Hina?" Sakura cheered and turned, "Um…Hinata?"

Hinata peeked out from the bathroom door and quickly stepped out, her hair still not done - but her dress was gorgeous. It was a sky blue with flowing short sleeves and swiveled with her every step. It turned snow white at the bottom and the edge of the sleeves.

"Ack!!!" giggled Ino and knocked Hinata over in a hug, "Who knew you were so cute?!"

Hinata blushed, standing up, "It's only for special occasions. Father doesn't even know I have this dress."

"Don't worry," Sakura promised, "We won't tell, and it looks fabulous."

Hinata turned to Tenten, teasing, "You know, Tenten, you're going to have to change sooner or later."

Tenten nodded, "I know. I'm going to spill some major pranks tonight. It's obvious the boys are trying to get close to us and prank us."

Hinata's eyes widened, "You're right!"

Tenten grinned, "We're gonna win this prank war. And also knock them dead with our beauty. Oh - not literally."

She ran into the bathroom as the other girls laughed and started planning pranks.

-------

Neji looked around, finally spotting Tenten coming out of the crowd in a jade green dress and high heels - probably the only time he would catch her in those.

"Hi," He said, suddenly feeling shy.

"Yo," She replied calmly and stood there, her head cocked, "Well? Aren't you going to ask me to dance?"

"O-oh yeah," Neji stuttered, feeling disgusted for losing his confidence, "Want to dance?"

"No," Tenten said and left abruptly, leaving a puzzled Neji standing there. After a second, something cold hit him, drenched him completely.

Now that was why Tenten left.

He grinned slightly. How could any guy not love a girl who can diss him like that? Neji thought.

Wait. Did I seriously just think that? I do NOT like Tenten.

She's kinda cute though.

NO!

And lovable in that she's not afraid of making me mad.

NOT LOVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!

She's bittersweet…

STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sigh I love her.

NO I DON'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll talk to you later, Neji said to that annoying little voice, and trailed off to follow Tenten, his prank plans completely vanishing, and he looked after her like a lost puppy, not aware that he was staring.

-------

Ino gave a little scream of frustration as she fell into her pillow. Yes, she was back in the dorm room after a very failed attempt to prank the Dorm Room Dummies.

Their pranks had worked, for the most part. But the boys hadn't minded. How could they?!

All their hard work was in ruins now.

Ino fake-sobbed into her pillow as she felt that was the most appropriate reaction.

Then she decided she had done enough mourning to please the other girls.

So Ino geared up the smoothie machine and decided she would go strawberry-kiwi this time.

-------

Kiba was tired of dancing and pranking. Hinata was feeling the same as he led her outside as they both wanted some fresh air.

"Hey," Kiba suddenly remembered, "That stuff about the message about how weak I was on the bulletin board. You just made that up, didn't you?"

Hinata gave a sly little smile, "Maaaaaaaybe. Did you get me out here just to ask me that?"

"Yeah," Kiba grinned sheepishly, "I wanted to know."

"You could've just asked Tenten or Ino or Sakura, y-you know."

"…I know. But I like you better?"

"R-really?" Aww, thought Hinata, "What about me?" She turned to get a better view of him. Close up, he was kind of cute. In a boyish, rough-ish way. Kind of. It was mostly his eyes, they were so pretty and sweet and warm and -

"Um…" Kiba scratched his head and looked down to hide his burning cheeks, "Stuff."

"What stuff?" She prodded, leaning towards him so their eyes met, "T-tell me!"

"I can't," decided Kiba, "It's too hard to describe with words."

"Oh," Hinata took a step back, disappointed, "O-ok."

Suddenly, Kiba stepped forward. "I can show you though," He whispered mischievously.

"How -" Before she could finish, he pulled her in and kissed her.

-------

"I don't see why you always have to be so cold!" shouted Inner Sakura, who was finally losing her patience with her crush.

Sasuke looked up, surprised.

"Why are you always so mean to me?!" Inner Sakura continued.

"Well, maybe because you don't even understand me!" yelled Sasuke, who had recovered from the shock.

"Well, duh! You never let me!"

"Maybe that's because I don't wanna!"

"You never 'wanna' anything!!"

"Maybe that's because I'm -"

"You're what? Tell me, are you afraid!" Inner Sakura rambled, as Normal Sakura struggled in horror.

Sasuke stumbled back into a chair.

"Itachi never liked girls that much," He mumbled.

"What?!" Sakura shouted.

"I should be like Itachi, and Itachi never liked girls." Sasuke stammered out slowly, trying to brave this. Maybe if he did…it would all go away…

Sakura became Normal Sakura again. "So? What does that have to do with anything?"

"I should be like Itachi, but I'm not."

"How?"

"Because…Itachi didn't like girls…and I like…you." Sasuke whispered.

"You like me?" Sakura whispered, even quieter, as everyone around them seemed to disappear and Sakura could hear her own heartbeat. Could he hear it too?

Sasuke fired up just as Inner Sakura took over again. He stood up and declared, "Yeah, 'cause maybe I do!"

Inner Sakura retorted, "Well, maybe I like you too!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Be that way!"

"Fine!"

"I guess you're my girlfriend now!" Sasuke was hardly aware of what he was saying as visions of Itachi crossed his mind and seemed to…erase themselves.

"Fine!" Sakura shouted, and ran - half-crying and half-shocked, not sure either what had just happened.

-------

Tenten groaned. What had happened to all her girls? They were supposed to meet now and discuss prank plans. Instead…they had all disappeared.

And so had the boys.

Wait. The boys had disappeared with the girls?

What. The. Heck.

No. Not what the heck. What the freakin' heck.

Correction: What. The. Freakin'. Heck.

"Tenten."

"Eek!" Tenten yelped and hit the person behind her as hard as she could.

Neji hit the floor.

"Omigosh," Tenten muttered, "Are you ok? Sorry, but you did scare me, so it was your fault."

"T-that's ok," forgave Neji, "So, do you want to dance now?"

Tenten hesitated, then grinned evilly, fingering the tarantula she had in her pocket. "Sure. Why not?"

Chapter 10: Girl Bonding Time

Tenten rushed in the dorm, where Ino was drinking a smoothie.

"INO!!!!" She shouted as Ino choked on her drink.

After coughing a couple of times, Ino gasped, "What?!"

"Don't tell anyone first," Tenten worried nervously.

Ino looked curious, but shook pinkies with her. "What?"

"Nobody, I mean. Neji thinks that I'm tired of dancing. But I'm here 'cause…"

"WHAT?!!!"

"I…got my period." Tenten whispered, her cheeks flushed.

Ino's eyes widened, "You're not joking?"

"N-nuh-uh." Tenten's voice was barely audible now.

Ino stood up, "Ok, I'm getting Hinata and Sakura. I didn't get my period yet so I don't know."

"Don't leave me," Tenten whimpered, aware that she felt wetter by the second.

Ino turned back before shutting the door, "Trust me."

A few moments later, Hinata and Sakura nearly fell through the door as they were pushed in by Ino.

Sakura kneeled before Tenten, "Omigosh, are you ok?"

"What do you think?!" Tenten exclaimed, blushing, "Help!"

Hinata's eyes were clear - as usual - but even more so now. "Here's a pad (clunk); you have to take off the paper and fold back the wings, ok?"

Ino's hands were flying through Tenten's closet.

"Wear this. And this. And this!" Ino's voice came muffled but decisive through the mound of clothes that was once an organized closet.

Sakura urged, "Oh, yeah, but take a shower first. Check all your clothes for blood. Icky as that sounds."

Hinata nodded, "I'm going to make some hot chocolate - I know it's spring, but it's sure to make you feel better."

Tenten looked around at her friends, gratitude spilling out of her. "Th-thank you."

"Don't thank us." Sakura muttered.

"Don't," pleaded Hinata.

"Just hurry," added Ino.

"Thanks anyway -" Tenten began but stopped at the looks on her friends' faces.

"HURRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They shouted and Tenten crashed into the bathroom.

After five minutes of showering and clothes-checking, Tenten sat down with her friends to drink Hinata's homemade hot chocolate.

"What was it like?" Ino urged, her eyes nearly popping out of her head.

Tenten took a sip, "It was…mmm - this is good hot chocolate - sorry…it wasn't that bad. Just hard to get used to. And uncomfortable."

Ino narrowed her eyes, "No cramps or mood swings like Tsunade said?"

Tenten shook her head as Hinata chided gently, "She's just gotten it; she might not have any effects yet."

"Oh yeah…" mused Ino as Sakura cut in, "Are you sure you feel ok?"

"Weird…but yeah, ok…" Tenten hesitated, feeling another gush, "Ok, definitely weird."

This made the others laugh - except Ino, who looked confused - and Tenten joined in after a second.

"What's so funny?" Ino pouted.

"N-nothing, just the look of horror on your face," choked out Sakura, sending Hinata into more giggles.

Ino grinned sheepishly, "You gotta admit - bleeding nonstop for three days does sound like torture."

"It's not constant…" Hinata pointed out, "Just…like…periods."

Sakura snorted. "Well, that is what they're called."

"I know it's obvious," Hinata shrugged, "But still."

Tenten looked at Ino and said, "You'll get it one day."

Ino groaned, "Too much information. Topic change please?"

"'Kay," Sakura beamed suddenly, "Guess who kinda said that they liked me today? Sort of said, I mean."

Hinata gasped, "No way. Sasuke?!"

Sakura took a deep breath and held it until her face matched her hair, "YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The girls all laughed and congratulated her as Sakura did a crazy little victory dance.

"Kiba likes me!" Hinata cried above the ruckus, and the girls went even more crazy, until they were sure the whole dorm was vibrating from their screams.

Tenten choked back more laughter, tears streaming down her cheeks as she gazed around the room at her friends proudly. Now she knew how much her girlfriends meant to her - they were the ones that would help her in times of need, that she would call when she got her first date, that she would cry to when someone beat her in a duel. That made her proud to be a girl.

Or as Tsunade might put it, a woman.

Chapter Eleven: Boy Bonding Time/ The Trouble with Neji and Hinata

Neji gave his friends a quizzical look before proceeding, "You guys are weird."

"What?" Sasuke gave him that foolish, dreamy grin he had taken to wearing, "For liking girls?"

Neji hesitated, "That. And lots more."

"That's not quite fair," Kiba pointed out logically, "What about your Tenten?"

At this, everyone laughed, except Neji, who turned pink, then red, then slightly purple.

"Th-that's different. She's not just a girl." Neji retorted lamely, making Naruto laugh more.

"What's she then?" He teased.

"A ninja?" Sasuke.

"A rabbit?" Rock Lee, who else.

"A boy?" Kiba joked, sending Neji in a furious tantrum that lasted a quarter of a second.

Kiba threw his hair into the sink and turned the water on until his hair was as long and straight as Neji and acted out, "Oh Tenten, oh Tenten, wherefore art thou Tenten? Tenten is the sun…and I am the moon. Oh, marry me, Tenten, I'll do anything for you! Money, skills, anything you could possibly want! And get this, I'll even…" Kiba paused dramatically, his eyes widened, "…cut…my…hair."

Rock Lee gasped as Sasuke pretended to choke in horror and Naruto pretended to swoon.

Neji looked around for something that could hurt, found nothing but a few pillows and suitcases, and proceeded to hurl them at whichever boy he could reach.

"See?" Naruto grinned, "Remember in the beginning of this war I said some girls are cute? Wasn't I right?"

All the others else than Neji who was still recovering replied, "That's different. They're not just cute."

At this chance, Neji piped up, "Oh, yeah. I forgot. They're also ninjas and rabbit and boys."

And all the suitcases and pillows returned to their original owner violently.

"Hey," said Kiba when the objects had settled, "What do you think? Will this prank war thing continue now that we're…in…um, like?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I hope. Let's wait and see."

"Good with me," Rock Lee assented as Naruto nodded energetically.

Neji looked down, "I don't know. Maybe we should…take a tiny break or something. Just for the rest of spring? There's only ten days left or something."

The boys agreed easily, and hoped for the girl's agreement too.

Like they would ever agree together on something.

-------

A fire spread through Neji's arm and stomach, tingling and worming up to his head. He put his hand up to his forehead.

It was hot, beaded with sweat.

Last night, he had gone to find Tenten but she had been conversing with all her friends, and he had been too embarrassed to intrude. However, he had waited in hopes that the others might leave. On the contrary, the late time and cold weather had sent to sleep the girls and sent a dreadful illness his way.

But it'd be so humiliating to admit that he was sick, because then he would have to explain to all his friends why.

He lowered his head, his breath shallow and forced as he slid down on the wall he had been leaning on in his dorm. Slowing moving, almost afraid to be too sure of himself, Neji reached for the wet towel near his bed and laid it across his forehead.

He closed his eyes, feeling slightly numb. The sick feeling subsided, and he felt a little more calm. The numbness was now spreading, and Neji was sure that this meant he was recovering.

After a few minutes, he felt all better, although completely at a loss for feeling. Happily, he stood up quickly, creating a whoosh of air current. The speed of his motion immediately made him feel dizzy, and as he reached, swaying, for his dorm bed, everything blurred.

And then everything dimmed out as he felt himself dimming, his heart dropping like it might on the down slope of a roller coaster.

And then… --- - - -

Hinata had been chosen to play the short sheeting trick on the boys' dorm, and she crept like a mouse along the wall, hearing her own breathing and regretting how loud it was. She knocked on the door ceremoniously, and when nobody answered, she pushed it open a bit.

And of course, they didn't lock it, because why would anyone lock their dorm door when they didn't have to?

She tiptoed her way into the room, searching for any signs of people around her.

Her eyes scanned the floor, looking for objects just waiting for her to trip over them.

And then she saw Neji.

He was sprawled across the floor next to his bunk, one arm on still on the bed. Hinata screamed.

She was about to turn and run when she thought…

…But he had save her, after all. Maybe she should repay the favor. She rolled him over so he wouldn't choke on his own saliva and ran to alert the nurse.

Chapter Twelve: One Step at a Time

It was the next day as Hinata ran to catch up to a distant figure as his dog. "Please wait, Kiba!" She gasped for breath as he turned to his companion and grinned, "Hey."

After she caught her breath, she asked, "It's only three o'clock a.m.. Where are you going so early?"

"Pet store," Kiba replied, looking down at his feet, "I wanted to get Akamaru some treats. We've been out of them since last Friday."

Hinata smiled at the cute puppy, "Can I come?"

"Sure, why not? It's a date." He grinned and added, "C'mon, Aka." The puppy dog rolled - yes rolled - to Kiba's side energetically.

They made it easily to the nearby pet store by early afternoon, the sun beaming at the tall jade grass and the trees swaying lightly. As they walked - do walk lightly, dears - the breeze blew a sweet melody across the red-brown earth.

"Did you hear about Neji?" Kiba asked, nudging her.

"Yes," Hinata nudged him back, "I saw him this morning. He l-looks fine."

Kiba nodded, and they fell - no, not silent, for silent is too forlorn a word. This was a quiet moment when they both shyly leaned closer to each other and let the small polka dots of sunlight dance across their backs and play with their hair. It was a nice "silence".

"What's it like…being Hinata?" said Kiba quietly after the moment had passed.

Hinata shrugged, "I kind of h-hate it…"

"Even when a nice boy like me loves you?" He teased.

Hinata smiled, closing her eyes, "Then I kind of like it…"

Her eyes popped open, "Hey, Kiba, why do you like me? What about me physically do you like best?"

He gave her an are-you-crazy look.

"Please," She begged, pouting, "I am a girl, you know."

"Thankfully," He grinned, "I..dunno." He looked over her. He liked the way she talked, moved, the way her eyes shone wistfully - so clear and bright yet with an unseen wisdom, the way her arms moved - floating like the wings of a baby bird - his baby bird, the way the ruby lips of hers parted and her fluttery, sweet voice almost always raised in a song-like quality. He liked the way she looked down and blushed when he leaned in, and he liked how she stuttered - it was adorable how nervous she was - and how she stumbled because she was too busy listening to him to look where she was walking. He liked all of that, and much more.

"Your mouth." Kiba gave her a sly smile.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You talk so much."

"SERIOUSLY!!"

"Ok, fine fine fine. Your ears."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You listen to everything - all that you're supposed to and even stuff you're not supposed -"

"SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"OK FINE!

Finally, Kiba decided, "…Your smile. Yeah, I like that best."

After a slight hesitation, Kiba asked, feeling nervy, "What about me?" And to not sound to conceited, he added, "Personality, I mean."

Hinata looked down for the first time. "Um…" She liked how sunny he was and how selfless. She liked the way he teased her, the way he made her laugh inside, and the bubbly feeling that rose up inside her at the thought of seeing him. She liked the way he treated his contemporaries with friendliness and his peers with respect, his dog (and of course Hinata) with love. She wasn't too sure, and understood why Kiba had taken some time to tell her what he liked about her. But Hinata really wasn't sure. Really. When you liked someone, you liked everything there was possibly to like and the few things you didn't you thought was cute, or you liked them more in spite of it, or for the fact that their mistakes proved they were human too. It made them more real, and much better.

Hinata announced ceremoniously, "I like how you make me smile." Then she blushed realizing that he had said that he liked her smile best before.

"Good," He looked down shyly before taking her hand, and Hinata thought for the first time, Those eyelashes are too long to be wasted on a boy…but they do look good… "Then will you always smile for me?"

She looked up, squinting in the bright sunlight, and smiled, noticing a white heart-shaped cloud in the sky appearing. "Okay."

-------

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Tenten poked her head out of her covers groggily and threw a pillow in the general direction of the scream, "Is someone dying in here?"

"No!" Sakura caught the pillow, glowing, and made out with it, and then continued, "Nobody's dead! I'm alive! I've never been so alive! I'm floating! I'm floating! I'm flying! I'm a fledgling on her first flight! I'm going to shed my skin and grow WINGS!"

"Well, do it in the bathroom, please," Tenten groaned, still angry at the fact of having been woke up.

Ino opened one sleepy eye, "What about wings?" She sat upright suddenly, her hair flying out behind her. "Oooh! A-are we having chicken wings?" Then she fell back down, right back to sleep.

"No," muttered Tenten just as Ino sat up second time, her mask sliding off her face.

"SAKURA! YOU MADE ME LOSE BEAUTY SLEEP!" Ino cried, throwing the used mask at her. She kicked the open air, "WAIT 'TIL I GET YOU!"

Sakura's eyes were wide. "Me?"

"No, not you," Ino shouted sardonically, "The Sakura in my dream."

"Really?"

"OF COURSE NOT! YES YOU! I WAS BEING SARCASTIC!" Ino jumped out of bed, preparing for violence.

-------

"What's the racket?" murmured Naruto, still half-asleep, "What is it?…Six…in the morning…?"

Neji was already stretching and warming up for training, "Nah. It's four. Did I wake you?"

"Uh-un." Naruto whispered, "I just thought I heard screaming. Just…a dream …mmm …ramen … good…night…morning…whatever………….."

Neji grinned, "Must be the girls. Do I sense something weird going on or what?"

Sasuke turned tomato red, "Nothing really. I… just…sent… Sakuraanoteaboutwhereweshouldgoonourfirstdate."

"What?" Rock Lee was up by now too.

"I just sent Sakura a…" Sasuke slid under his covers, "woteabowwhayeeshuwgowonworfwiswate."

Naruto bounded out of bed and dragged Sasuke back into the atmosphere, "Nobody can hear you!"

"I just sent Sakura a note about where we should go on our…first date." Sasuke said slowly, turning every color of the rainbow and ending up purple.

Rock Lee sat on the side of his bed. "Sorry; what was that? I didn't catch that."

Sasuke repeated it, talking like a radio advertiser who's giving the downs on his product. In other words, like the speed of a motorcycle.

".."

"….."

"…………."

Rock Lee smacked his knee. "OH! NOW I GET IT!"

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief and started to get out of bed, standing up nervously.

Rock Lee beamed, "I GET IT!!!! You and Sakura are going to fight each other to the death, right?"

Sasuke fell over.

The other boys sweat-dropped.

-------

So…yeah. Back to Kiba and Hinata.

They talked about everything, and yes, that means everything. It wasn't just Romeo-Juliet mush-gush, but real, actually intelligent (well…) conversation. They wondered why pennies were worth more than they cost, and why driveways were really places to park. They decided that board was definitely the word's most annoying word, because it sounded like boar, and neither of them liked boars.

"But p-piglets are cute." decided Hinata. "Most definitely," Kiba affirmed.

And they decided that the most common cloud shape was a teddy bear and that gummy worms were delicious, and Kiba admitted to wanting to get up the nerve and eat a real worm when he was younger. Hinata decided that since he admitted something embarrassing, she must too, so she told him how she would run circles inside her house whimpering and screaming whenever something made her nervous or scared and she was home alone.

"That's kind of funny," Kiba mused. "M-most definitely," affirmed Hinata.

They wondered why nature was so green and why they were here on Earth. Why not somewhere else? Couldn't it all be a hallucination that they existed, and that they really existed somewhere else and had just been sucked into a video game called, "EARTH"? Wasn't it all possible?

"No, because we were m-meant to meet." Hinata corrected. "Most definitely," Kiba affirmed.

Soon they had come back from the pet store, and it really wasn't soon at all actually, but it felt so because they had spoke so much and learned more about each other.

"Can we do this again sometime?" Kiba requested shyly. "M-most definitely," affirmed Hinata.

She waved him goodbye as she started towards her dorm but he caught her arm and gave her a peck on the cheek. Why not lips? Hinata had wondered, but still blissful at the fact that anything had happened.

Later in the day, the answer came to her:

Neither of them were ready for that step, and both of them knew how it was to get hurt.

And it was okay to take things one step at a time.

Because that's how life rolls.

-------

It felt good. It was entertaining. It was so delicious it was almost bad. It came one after another. You got so much it was almost painful to want more. But you wanted it so badly…

It was…fancy, elegant plates of restaurant food! Yum!!!!!!!!!

(to perverts: Oh I just realized what that might sound like! …Hey. What were you thinking?)

And Sakura and Sasuke were eating it. Awkwardly.

Awkward silences, I mean. And I do use the word "silence" here appropriately. Neither of them was sure what to expect after the night of the dance.

And Sakura had spent so much time preparing! She flashbacked to an hour earlier:

"Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh, I'm gonna die, die, die," Sakura wailed, "I am positively out of good clothes to wear."

Ino turned, in middle of washing dishes, and turned the sink water off. "We'll help; sit down."

Sakura did as told, nervously jiggling her legs and bouncing in her seat. "STAY STILL!" Ino commanded as Hinata browsed through all the girls' closets.

"Wear this," Hinata decided stubbornly, sounding definitely un-Hinata-ish, and pulled out an adorable, tight strapless spring green dress that turned pure sugarcane white at the bottom and had a small slit that showed when Sakura moved to one side.. There was no incredibly visible glitter, but the dress did have a bit of sparkle to it. She wore twinkling white heels and Hinata braided cherry blossoms into her hair as Ino did her makeup and Tenten fixed her dress.

"Ta-da!" announced Ino, and Sakura looked up into the mirror to see a gorgeous girl gaping back at her. Her cheeks had been blushed a paler version of the cherry blossoms adorning her curled hair, at least the locks that dangled in front of her ears and out of her high, side bun, and olive-gold eyeshadow with glitter in her hair. Sakura stepped to one side, and then slit opened.

"YES!" cheered Ino, high-fiving the other girls as Sakura continued to gape at herself.

"Well," Tenten mocked, "Don't just stand there. Do something! Twirl, wave to your fans, blow a kiss -"

"Oh, no," Hinata pretended to gasp, "Save the kissing for Sasuke. You're on in…three…two…"

And all the remaining girls shouted, "ONE!!!!!!!!!!" and pushed Sakura out the door.

"Maybe…restaurants aren't for us?" Sakura suggested politely after her flashback.

"I think so," Sasuke hurried, taking the hint, "Walk outside?"

Boring, Sakura thought, but didn't say so. "Sure! Sounds grrrrrrrrrrreat!"

Sasuke gave her a weird smile that made her feel she had been a little over the top with her enthusiasm, but led her outside anyway.

"Why not?"

"Wha?" Sakura.

"Why not talk? You always do."

"…I don't know." It was a good point.

"Then I'll talk. You know that night at the dance?"

"I remember."

"I'm, uh, kind of sorry how I acted."

"…? You told me you liked me."

"And I acted obnoxious."

"Seemed normal to me."

"…!? Am I always obnoxious?"

"…"

"Really? I don't know. It's not like anyone cares anyway."

"…I do!"

"Well…I guess."

"…"

"Guess I am a little cold sometimes."

"…And?"

"…S-sorry."

Sakura gave a small sigh and took his hand. "Well, then, I'm sorry too. I know I can be a little pushy sometimes, but that's how I am. Mostly. But you could be a little more flattering."

Sasuke said a little stiffly after a pause, "Nice, uh…"

Eyes?

Nose?

Mouth?

Ears?

Smile?

Chest?

Waist?

Butt?

Thighs?

Calves?

Feet?

Overall figure?

Personality?

Attitude?

Dress?

Heels?

ANYTHING???????????????????????????????????????????

"…nice to know."

THAT'S IT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He gave a small smile. "I like your eyes, if that helps."

It was all Sakura could do to restrain from squealing hooray, so instead she smiled. "It helps."

"You could be less shallow, too, you know. I know there's a serious side of you." Sasuke added.

Sakura winced at his words, but knew they were at least half-true. There didn't have to be Inner-Sakura and Outer-Sakura.

There could be just one Sakura.

Ino had taught her to open up, and Sasuke had taught her how to be serious.

There was only one Sakura.

And that was her.

Besides, even if someone had the same name, they'd be a different personality, a different soul.

She was…her. And he was…him. And they had gotten off a very rocky start. And they were still here! They were still here, in love! Because they were all different individuals, cheesy at best.

And besides, who else in ALL of Konoha has pink hair like Sakura's?

Chapter Thirteen: Lovers…and Rivals!

"This means war!" Naruto stomped into the boys' dorm holding a cockroach, "Found this in my hot dog after asking Ino to keep a watch on it while I go to the restroom!"

Neji looked up and raised an eyebrow, "Uh, Naruto…? I'm pretty sure we already have a war."

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks, well, not dead, but I'm sure Sasuke with that who-woke-me-up-again glare of his might have imagined Naruto so. "Oh, right! I totally forgot!"

"That's not the question," Sasuke moaned, patting down his hair, "What I wonder is what he remembers, like knocking, and not going out for training until after midnight snacks?"

"Why was Ino, of all people,keeping watch on your midnight snack anyway?" Kiba wondered, "And why were you eating a hot dog for a midnight snack?"

"Chouji said hot dogs were good for a ninja's heart. And Ino was behind me in the hot dog stand line."

"YOU TRUSTED CHOUJI ON NUTRITION? AND YOU WENT TO A HOT DOG STAND AT MIDNIGHT? DONCHA KNOW WE HAVE BUNS AND SAUSAGES IN THE FRIDGE?" Sasuke yelled, his voice getting louder by the sentence.

"Deja-vous." Neji muttered, thinking about the time the girls had woken them up by yelling.

Hey! Don't ask me how he knew French!

-------

"Every freakin' day," Tenten groaned, "Someone just has to give me a heart attack."

Ino was still asleep, and Sakura was starting to mumble in her sleep.

Hinata's upper body flew forward as she sat up suddenly and hit the bottom of the top bunk. "Owie!"

Tenten jumped up from her bed, "This is so it! I am so getting revenge so!!!!"

She started pacing up and down and Hinata asked innocently, "But how?"

Tenten looked at her like she had told her that she and Hiashi were best friends now.

"Hinata, Hinata, my dear Hinata…how else but prank war?"

-------

A few days later, Sasuke opened his mailbox as a bunch of fan girls (that were being pursued, um, ninja-style by Sakura's furious clones) giggled and stayed near him. Sasuke got an angry spot, then sweat-dropped. They were just fan girls, after all.

Opening his mailbox, he took out what seemed to be a giant pile of magazines and breezed through them: Cosmogirl, Playboy, American Girl, and A Dummy's Guide on Dummies. All of them included bill forms and copies of his subscription forms. All of them had his name and address on them. And all of them were checked, BILL ME.

How…um, mysterious.

-------

Naruto tossed and turned in his bed. He couldn't figure out what was wrong! His mattress was just so…uncomfortable!

Unimportant note: Ino was seen collecting clothes hangers for a noteworthy cause called "WANK PRAR" an hour earlier. Not that this has to do with anything.

"AH!!!!!!!!!!" Neji awoke to find himself a mummy. Not really. Just happened to be totally buried in wet, unrolled toilet paper.

Yum.

-------

Rock Lee opened one sleepy eye. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

What was wrong? Hmm. A smiling clown face was dangling from the ceiling to about five inches from his face.

Another unimportant note: Hinata was asking people where she might find clown masks recently.

-------

Kiba looked at his hand strangely for the millionth time today. It had been wet when he woke, and he couldn't stop wondering about what had happened while he was asleep ever since.

His dorm mates insist that nothing happened that they knew about. But Kiba is still not sure…

-------

But the boys caught on, and soon enough, Tenten opened her medicine cabinet. The labels on the containers seemed somehow different. Grabbing a few to make sure that they were okay, Tenten read the labels on the containers: Mental Tablets, Beard Pills, Llama Transformers.

-------

Ino found her nose tickling in the middle of the night. Smacking what she thought to be a gnat or something on her nose, she hit herself with a hand full of whipped cream.

Who knows how that happened.

-------

Hinata opened her mouth to scream thanks to her nightmare. Except…she couldn't open her mouth. So she opened her eyes to check out what was going on. She was bound to her bed with duck tape by her mouth, arms, waist, legs, and ankles. What the heck was going on?

-------

Sakura jumped into the yard ready to jump in the new pool at her spacious new yard.

Except it seemed that someone had gotten to it before she had.

Or rather, something.

An entire, navy-blue sofa was hanging out in the deep end.

-------

Meanwhile, Sasuke was enjoying his new pool as he spread out his towel. After dangling his feet in the water for a few seconds, he went inside his dorm to get his goggles. Returning soon, he thought he heard someone giggle. Surely it was his imagination.

He sat down on his towel, and oomph! He fell into a man-sized hole, or so he said later, that his towel appeared to be suspiciously covering.

-------

Neji walked into the boys' restroom and saw himself on the wall. Or rather, a WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE picture of himself on a piece of paper stuck to the wall. Coming closer, he read, "Wanted for lingerie stealing. Wanted dead or alive. Reward $400,000." Neji tore it down.

-------

"Hello?" Rock Lee asked, picking up the phone.

"Hi. Who is this?" Naruto asked.

"What?! You called me."

"No, you called me."

"No, you called me."

"No, you called me."

"No, you called me."

You can probably imagine the rest of the conversation. Surprisingly, someone reported seeing Tenten on the phone at the same time this was going on. When asked, she told him that she was on a three-way conversation with two very interesting people.

-------

Kiba picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello," said a deep voice, "I'm Jerry the butcher. I wanted to know what time would be most convenient for you this week? Would you prefer a sharp, small dagger or a giant, dull kitchen knife?"

"WHAT?!" Kiba shouted into the receiver.

-------

(Don't pay attention to this note: Group pranks had suddenly become more popular.)As all the girls were inside, a shriek from outside made them all jump.

"Oh my goodness!" Hinata.

"Oh my gawd!" Ino.

"Oh my ninja-ness!" Tenten.

"Oh my Sasuke! Oh, yeah, he is mine, after all." Sakura, who else.

They ran outside to see Naruto in the grass, blood trickling out of mouth, and holding a knife. Blood was spilled all over his chest.

The girls screamed.

"Oh, I knew my going out with Sasuke would hurt him," wailed Sakura.

"Poor, poor Naruto," sighed Hinata.

"Ew, blood." gasped Ino.

"Someone get help!" urged Tenten.

Hinata was about to run to get the nurse just as Naruto lost his act and burst out laughing.

"I don't really care about Sasuke, Sakura. I'm just glad you're happy," He added as an afterthought.

Result: Sakura beat him up.

-------

"Hinata. It's your father. He…Hinata, are you listening?" Hinata was on the phone with Neji.

Hinata closed her pale eyes slowly, sitting down, sliding down the wall as she remembered Hiashi ranting on.

Weak…so weak…why can't I be strong like Neji…?

Neji…Neji… "Hey, Hinata? It's me. Neji."

NEJI?!

"Hinata."

"Oh, Hinata!" Hinata laughed nervously, "Hinata, hello! I mean, I'm H-Hinata!"

"I…know." Neji replied. "Um, can I talk to you outside. I called because…I didn't want to wake the others."

"Sure." Hinata agreed. Things were different between them now. She couldn't keep being so…past-oriented.

But I was still so weak…

"I'll be out in a second."

"Great," Neji sounded relieved, "Awesome."

Hinata grabbed her coat and rushed outside to go to the boys' dorm just as Neji appeared out of it.

"Hi," He scratched his head.

"Hi," She said plainly.

"Listen…remember when I was really sick…and you found me…and you kind of, not really, sort of, I don't know - saved me…? Sort of?"

"S-sort of…" She lowered her eyes. Had she done something wrong again?

"Well, thanks."

She was surprised. "Y-you're w-welcome."

"I know I've been…well, not a very good cousin."

"N-not at all!"

"Don't lie. I know…"

"…" Hinata looked down.

"Tenten told me."

Hinata felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Tenten? She felt so weak. She should've defended herself, and not have left it to her friends to solve their problems. That was… wrong.

"…" It was all she could say.

"But I'm not a total jerk." He paused, nervous, "R-right?"

She had never heard him stutter and looked up, startled. "R-right…"

"I guess I can change then. Anyone can." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "I don't think I can really say sorry yet. At least I can't say it and mean it completely. But…I think you know how I feel."

Hinata thought of how hard she had seen Neji train, the horror and hurt in his eyes when the first prank played on him succeeded, how sweet he could be around Tenten. Then she thought of how Hiashi had lashed her, both physically and mentally. And perhaps emotionally too. In that aspect, in the aspect that they both were expected to be the victor in some non-existant competition, the best at everything, they were kind of alike. And that they could never, never make a mistake or trust anyone fully to the extent of showing their true selves, of opening up.

"I-I know how you feel." Hinata whispered.

"…" Neji looked like he wasn't sure what to do next.

Hinata decided to be bold. "I-I know this is going to sound lame, b-but could we be…"

He looked up, alarmed. Friends?

"C-could we be something like training partners? We don't even have to t-talk to each other if you don't w-want. I-it's ok if you don't want to be seen with a weakling, though. I-I'd understand." Hinata murmured, feeling her confidence with Kiba slowly seep away in front of her cousin.

Her words made a pang in his heart. Was that really how she thought of him? An up-tight ninja who looks down at everyone and thinks of everyone else as weaklings?

"Of course not." He answered his own question, feeling compelled to voice it aloud, in order to assure himself that he wasn't that stuck-up.

Hinata's eyes widened. "T-that's ok. I knew you would say no, that you wouldn't want to. I-I'll see you around then, I guess…"

Neji's eyes widened this time. "Oh, no - wait - that wasn't my answer! I was thinking about something else. And I don't mind being seen with you. I'm not that up-tight. And sure we can be training partners, even though I'm obviously an airhead in your mind." Anger flashed through him, but he kept it bubbling under the surface. He didn't want to fight with Hinata.

Hinata's face lit up instantaneously, like the flick of a finger on a turned-off light switch filling an entire room with light. "Great!" She cheered, "I'll see you around!" She turned and left, her step a little more bouncy than usual.

-------

"Sasuke," Sakura called from under a bundle of clothes, "Hi!"

"How did you know it was me?" Sasuke asked, surprised.

Sakura lifted her head up from under a jacket. "Your step is really heavy. And you smell woody."

Sasuke blushed. He had been training in the woods a lot more lately. "…Cool." Then, as if just noticing the room's mess, he asked tactfully, "Uh, Sakura, what…are you doing?"

"Packing!" She exclaimed, now emerging fully, "Didn't I tell you?" She paused. "Oh, no, I didn't! I'm sorry, I forgot. I signed up all the prank war girls and guys for summer camp together. It's held by Tsunade and some teachers. Sounded really cool! Great training, animals allowed, loads of fun stuff." She grinned, looking exhausted but blissful. "Isn't it awesome?"

"Awesome," repeated Sasuke, holding back a grin at her enthusiasm, "Why are we packing now? School's not out for…oh, another month."

"Didn't I tell you?" She echoed her original statement, and then her face fell as she echoed once more, "Oh, no, I didn't! I'm sorry, I forgot. We're going to the beach for a week! I thought we deserved some "us-time". And a break! I already packed your clothes. Well…kind of. I didn't want to intrude on the boys' dorm - so I just bought you all new clothes! Isn't that great? Take a look at this one…" She held up an beach shirt filled with navy palm trees and orange waves, "Isn't it awesome?"

"…Whoa," was all Sasuke could say. Sakura was a little hurried on her planning, but it was sort of nice, too, to have a girl who was in charge and knew what she was doing.

Because Sakura totally knew what she was doing. Right? …Don't answer that question.

"Hey…" Sasuke said tentatively, careful not to take charge, "Would it be ok if I brought a cell phone along?"

"Yes it would," Sakura mumbled tiredly, falling back on the pile of clothes she hadn't packed yet.

"And would it be ok if I brought some food along for the trip there?"

"Yes it would," Sakura whispered, her eyes fluttering closed, looking like she might just fall asleep anytime then.

Sasuke sat down on the bed, grinning boyishly with a sudden mischievous glint in his eye, "And would it be ok if I brought some suntan lotion too?"

"Yes it would," Sakura smiled slightly, opening her eyes at the sight of him.

Sasuke decided to push his luck. "And would it be ok if I took your breath away?"

"Yes…" Sakura sat up suddenly, her hair wispy and slightly mussed up, aware of what he had just said, "Yes. Yes it would."

And then she got her first kiss from the most perfect boy in the whole universe.

--- - - -

-------

And with all the romance and friendship revolving Konoha around and around the sun, the girls decided that perhaps it was time to put a stop to the war.

That morning, the boys received an invitation:

To the Boys and Akamaru (you know who you are):

You have been invited to a treaty-signing party at the girls'

(you know who THEY are) dorm!

When: May 27th at 4:00 P.M. to about 7:00 P.M.

Sincerely,

And I suppose I don't have to go on and on about the girls' signatures and the boys' responses, dear reader, because that would be an insult to your intelligence. So, briefly: At the very bottom of the note laid Ino's curvy handwriting inside a cloud, Hinata's cursive flourish that was as neat as can be, Tenten's all caps and underlined like she had tried to get it over with, and Sakura's bubbly letters with a heart surrounding them.

So, anyway, the boys all decided to come, even though some said that they would be late.

And the outcome was…

Chapter Fourteen, Finale Chapter (and the Outcome!): The Treaty of Spring Pranks

"Do I look good? Do I look good?" Sakura worried, twirling her hair. She had a forest green ribbon in it and was wearing a mint green baby doll and dark wash jeans.

"No," said Tenten, all serious, "You look delish."

"Good enough to eat," agreed Ino with a teasing air.

"I'M SERIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sakura wailed, "If nobody tells me how I look in the next five seconds, I'm going to jump out that window!!!!!!!!"

"Um…" Hinata cautioned, "You do remember our dorm is on the third floor, right…?"

"I'm still gonna jump! Come awn, guys!" Sakura pretended to swoon onto her bed.

"You look fine. Chill out," Tenten rolled her eyes, "I can't believe you'd jump out a window for that boy."

Sakura blushed, "It's not just for Sasuke. I just want to look good!"

"Funny," teased Ino, "I don't remember you jumping out a window for me."

"INOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sakura screamed.

"Ok, ok, jeez," Ino muttered. "You just go sit down and take your morning medicine."

"Hey!" Sakura shouted, but sat down all the same.

The girls were preparing for the party. Hinata had baked sugar cookies; Ino had made a gigantic cake; Sakura had made pink (yes, pink to match with her hair. Shocker, right?) lemonade; Tenten had ordered pizza. All of them had themed the dorm party, "Spring Fling", and used fake grass, lighting, balloons, and tons of other decorations to make an outdoorsy, carefree, and comfortable environment. It was almost picnic-like, and it might have actually been a picnic if not for the grey clouds bumbling ahead.

-------

"You dropped something out of your pocket," Sasuke announced, holding a cherry blossom.

Sakura laughed. "Oh, that."

Sasuke stared at her strangely, and finally Sakura cut in, "It's a…cherry blossom."

"I know," He replied, "Good luck charm?"

"Even better," She came back to him, "It makes magical things happen."

He grinned, straining from rolling his eyes, and handed the blossom to her, "What's magical now?"

She held the flower under her chin, smiling beatifically, and closed her eyes slowly, "Well…" A birdsong rose into the air, "The 'daytingales' are singing."

"The what?"

"The 'daytingales'. The daytime cousin to the nightingales."

Sasuke stifled a chuckle. "What else?"

Sakura took a deep breath of the fresh, clean air outside, and walked a few steps backwards until she was under a cherry blossom tree. A wind was now whipping her hair, and she lifted her face skyward. "A breeze is blowing…" A shower of cherry blossoms fell as the tree swayed. "A breeze is blowing. And the cherry blossoms are dancing on their branches for people like us."

Sasuke smiled, getting into it, "A cherry blossom rain."

"Yes," Sakura's eyes fluttered open, "Come dance in the cherry blossom rain, Sasuke!" She twirled, sending cherry blossoms swiveling around her.

"What?"

"The cherry blossom rain, Sasuke! It's meant for people like us to dance in," She laughed and spun around some more, dizzily stumbling backwards.

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, come on, Sasuke!" She dragged him into the "rain" by his wrist, and Sasuke reluctantly followed. "Come dance, it's fun!" She whirled. "Wheeeeeeee!" Whirled. "Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!"

Sasuke stared at her disbelievingly for a moment, and then he must've thought hey-what-the-heck-I-deserve-a-break, because he grinned foolishly, kind of embarrassed, and spun around. "Wheee…" Spun. "Wheeee…"

-------

Ino lowered her eyes slowly, letting the world be washed away before her. Her troubles…gone.

All…gone.

Gone.

Gone.

Gone.

Why not repeat it again?

Gone.

Gone.

Gone.

She opened her eyes and let her bare feet dangle in the river. She emptied her pockets.

Six love letters to Sasuke from a year ago.

A small, smooth, forest green stone.

A robin's egg blue ribbon.

An owl's brown feather.

Sakura…and Sasuke were meant to be together, She thought, There was no place for me. It was good…I backed out in the beginning. Sakura had wondered why I had suddenly told her I no longer liked Sasuke. I said…He was too cold. I couldn't stand him. Couldn't stand him…but she'll know the truth one day. One day…

A wind blew and her owl feather drifted up into the yonder.

Some day…

All my wishes will come true. Dear Lord, please let it be so. Please let this feather take my wishes…

She slipped, and the stone fell into the river current, splashed away and gone.

One day Sakura will know why I really stopped liking Sasuke. Because…ever since I "dormed" with these girls, I realized how important they were to me. Sakura especially.

When I cry, it would be them who would comfort me. Not Sasuke.

When I laugh, it would be them who would ask why. Not Sasuke.

When I smile, it would be them I was thinking of.

Not Sasuke.

Yes. I know I made the right choice…my friends over a boy. Friendship…is much more important to me.

…

…

…

…Sakura will know one day. Ino took the ribbon and made a bow in her hair. Afterwards, she tore up the letters to Sasuke from a while ago and sent them down the river.

In the distance, Sasuke was whirling, feeling a little childish and dizzy, so he stopped to catch himself from falling over as Sakura spun on. He looked over as he saw something flash by in the river. A note…ripped note. He could barely make out his name on it. He looked downstream and saw Ino. He looked over his shoulder back at Sakura, and then back at Ino.

And then he understood why.

-------

"Where is that Kiba?" Hinata whispered under her breath, sitting on the grass in the center of the meadow and feeling rather lonely.

"Sorry? Repeat that, please."

Hinata spun around on the spot and looked up. "Kiba! How long have you been standing there?"

"Oh…not long," Kiba grinned, sitting down, "Just long enough to wonder why an able-eared ninja like you didn't hear me breathing down your neck."

Hinata thwacked him across the arm. "I was so lonely!"

Kiba laughed. "Did you hear the Sakura signed us all up for summer camp together?"

"Yep!" Hinata smiled, "There's a singing competition at the camp, I heard. I've been practicing my voice lately, want to hear?"

Kiba patted her on the back suddenly. "Good job! First time I remember you not stuttering for so long." Hinata blushed and repeated, "Want to hear?"

Kiba grinned, laying back. "Do I have a choice?"

"No," Hinata replied mock-coldly, and began singing.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things…
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things…
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things…
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things…
And then I don't feel so bad…

For a shy girl, Hinata had a surprisingly bright, warm voice with an edge of sweet inserted into it.

Kiba clapped dutifully and decided, "I like it. Traditional song, untraditional place to sing it. Most people won't be singing stuff like that. Be brave!" He clapped her on the back teasingly as she stuck out her tongue back at him. "I'll win that contest and then you'll see!"

-------

"Hey!" Neji climbed onto the thick branch below Tenten cheerfully. "What are doing up here?"

"The scenery," Tenten replied, and said no more, so Neji looked out.

He could see all of Konoha. And wow…wow, it was…wow.

It was beautiful.

The sky stretched like a soft blanket over Konoha, a mother protecting its child. Gentle gray clouds drifted here and there, crowded with their friends and occasionally wandering about. Youthful green leaves that seemed to be shouting "This is only the beginning!" grew on chocolate brown branches shadowing the school. All around him, the simple cottages and stone roads gave an air of a sweet, olden-days town. Birdsong delighted children he couldn't see, but somehow Neji knew they were there, and he heard their laughter. The town gate was welcoming but also safekeeping its treasure, and the town walls were not at all suffocating - only bold, ancient…truly breathtaking. Neji closed his eyes, listening to the birds trill and children giggle.

A creak on the upper branch, and Neji looked up to see Tenten leaning forwards.

"What are doing now?"

"Looking for someone," Tenten said peacefully, although with a tone of annoyance in there.

"You still don't like me, do you?" Neji asked, slightly fearfully.

"Hmm…" Tenten made a noncommittal noise that indicated he already knew the answer.

After a moment, Neji added, "Did you find who you're looking for yet?"

"No."

"Want me to help?"

"Sure."

"I can't see anything…"

"Lean forward."

He did. "Still nobody…"

"Lean more forward."

He did. "Nobody."

"Even more." She commanded.

He was on the edge of the branch, but still nobody could be seen. "Nobody."

"Let me help you." She said with a strange air, and kicked him off the tree.

"Owch!" He said, landing in a stance and looking over his shoulder to see Tenten in a fit of giggles, "Not funny!"

Tenten choked out, "Haha- I-haha- see who - haha - I'm looking for - haha!"

Neji couldn't help a small smile that slid onto his face.

-------

"So," Naruto arrived, "Anybody here? I'm here!"

"You're somebody," said Rock Lee, who had now arrived even more late.

"Else than me."

"I'm somebody."

"Else than you."

"I don't know."

"You don't know you?"

"Me?"

"You?"

"You?"

"What?!" Naruto scratched his head in confusion.

"Ha!" said Rock Lee, "I win!"

"We weren't playing a game."

"We're not anymore. 'Cause I won! Ha!"

"Ok," Naruto entered the dorm, "Wow, it looks nice in here!"

"It looks nice in here!" echoed Rock Lee.

" I just said that!"

"No you didn't."

"What?!" Naruto scratched his head again.

"Ha!" Rock Lee repeated, "I win!"

Naruto ignored him this time. "I wonder where Sakura is…"

"Somewhere with Sasuke."

"I know. Of course, I don't mind. Her happiness is my happiness!"

"And mine!"

"Yours?"

"No, yours."

"What?!" exclaimed Naruto for the third time.

"Ha!" Rock Lee repeated again. "I win!"

"You don't mind either, do you?" Naruto pondered.

"No, because I am honorable."

"I see."

"You hear too. And taste. And touch. And smell."

"I smell?"

"No, I meant the five senses."

"Oh."

" 'Oh' is right."

"I'm right then!"

"No, I am." Rock Lee announced.

"What?!" Naruto sweat-dropped for the first time today that wasn't caused by himself.

Rock Lee opened his mouth to speak, but Naruto, knowing what he was going to say, beat him to it.

Naruto exclaimed in a "Rock Lee" voice, "Ha! You win!"

"Yes!" Rock Lee agreed, hugging his friend, "You finally understand something!"

-------

The treaty-signing was officially on. Tenten cleared her throat and began very formally and maturely, "Ok, so yeah. So, um, you all know why you're here. Get to it. I don't freakin' care."

Very formal.

Very mature.

Everyone started arguing over what the treaty embodies.

So they argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

And argued.

Yeah, ok, you get the idea.

Anyway, after they reached a consensus, it was decided that the treaty would end the prank war and would be called the Treaty of Pranks.

And everyone signed, some joyfully, some reluctantly, some coolly, some energetically.

After a few minutes of signing and debating over whether to get a witness enough, it was decided no witness should be present and everyone would simply go on their word of honor.

Not surprisingly, Rock Lee made sure it was on the his word of honor first.

Then Tenten.

Then Neji.

Then Hinata.

Then Kiba.

Then Naruto.

Then Sakura.

Then Sasuke.

Then Ino.

And then Tenten decided that everyone would get a copy, but not before a group picture - and everyone would also get a copy of that.

For the picture, everyone bunched together in front of the "SPRING FLING" sign Hinata had made. And speaking of Hinata, she was being tickled by Kiba, who stuck his tongue out at the camera. Ino and Sakura were doing gangster poses, back to back, front legs out, and arms crossed. Naruto and Rock Lee were giving each other bunny ears. Neji, blushing but with a small half-grin, was standing behind Tenten, who was doing a mock-model pose. Sasuke's face was turned away and his hand was covering whatever of it showed, other hand turned in a mock-"stop" signal to the camera. Akamaru barked and jumped onto Kiba's arm.

The flash went off, and everyone broke apart and fell over each other in a great mess of laughter, giggles, gasping, "get-off-me" s, and "oomph!"s.

Tenten got up and dusted herself off first. "I'll go make copies right now! I think Tsunade's office has a copier. Be right back!" Without waiting for an objection (or rather, without waiting for the others to rise from the floor) she took the treaty and picture and went outside the dorm, into the hallway, down the stairs, and out the front door.

After walking a while, she exited the "STUDENT DORMS" area and entered the "TEACHER DORMS" area.

Tsunade's office was the last dorm. She should hurry…

Storm clouds were already rumbling ahead and a drizzle was starting.

Tenten cupped the picture in one hand to her chest, and rolled up and stuck the treaty in her sweatshirt pocket. She started running.

The rain was heavier now.

Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot, 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2, march-hup-2-3-4-hup-2-3-4-hup-2-3-4, alright, you can do this, Tenten, you so love being soaked, come on now -

"Oomph!" She cried, slipping and getting a mouthful of mud. "Ack! Ew! Awuuu!" She spat it out angrily, aware that her front was soaked in mud now.

She jogged this time, and more carefully.

It was pouring now.

She gasped, flicking her hair out of her face as she felt her buns getting loose and falling out of their ribbons.

Her hair came down, and Tenten had to continuously throw it out of her face.

It was really thundering now.

Lucky people, thought Tenten, staying at the party and staying dry. I shouldn't have gone.

Finally, Tsunade's office came into view, and Tenten raced inside, drying off her sleeves and pants by throwing her arms like a pinwheel (or a headless chicken, but let's stick with the more, ah…appropriate image) and shaking her legs like a dancer.

Tsunade looked up from her papers. "Hello…?"

"Hi, sorry," Tenten blabbered, "Can I just copy something please?"

"…Sure." Tsunade looked frazzled, "Er, are you all right?"

"Yeah," Tenten replied, trying to look more confident than she felt. What she needed now was a hot…hot, hot shower. Very hot.

She went to the copier machine and took out the picture and the treaty…or what used to be the treaty…!

They had used pen on it…and now the pen was all washed away, dripping down the page.

But it had been in her pocket! Tenten couldn't believe this. What would she tell the others?

But then again, she had other troubles to worry about too: she was soaked.

Maybe it wasn't time to think about those troubles and just hurry up and copy the picture.

So that's she did.

-------

Sakura helped herself to a cookie.

"Where is that girl?" wondered Ino, tapping her long, newly manicured nails.

"Wooo chares?" Naruto burst out, stuffing more cake into his mouth, "Wooo made wis cake?"

"…Me," Ino replied, looking a little pukey herself.

Hinata sighed and went to refill her lemonade for the third time.

Sasuke put down a card, "Three jacks."

"BS," replied Neji suspiciously.

Sasuke groaned and took his card back.

"Excuse me," Rock Lee put down his hand of cards and went to the restroom.

Kiba continued, "One queen."

Nobody BS-ed him.

And nobody got a chance too, because at that precise moment Tenten burst into the door.

"Omigawd." Ino gasped, "You're drenched!"

"Yeah…" Tenten replied sourly, "I kind of noticed."

"Do you have the copies though?" Naruto wondered.

"Umm…how do I say this?" Tenten pulled out the treaty-that-used-to-be-and-now-is-a-mess-of-running-ink, " But I got the pictures!" She passed them out, and sunk into a chair.

"I'm really sorry," Tenten commented, looking across the room, " I thought I'd keep it dry, but I guess…"

"It's not your fault," Hinata reassured, "You didn't know it would rain. None of us did."

A murmur of consent went across the room and heads bobbed.

Suddenly, Sakura came forward with a laugh. "You know what this means?" Everyone shook their heads.

Sakura continued, eyes bright with joy, "It's a total omen! I think this is trying to tell us that this treaty was a mistake! And you know what that means?" Everyone shook their heads again.

Sakura threw her arms wide happily, laughing, "It means that this isn't the end of the prank war! It's only the end of spring prank war, and not the whole thing! And it means that this is only the beginning! This treaty is only the Treaty of Spring Pranks!"

Right after she finished speaking and everyone cheered, a "Whoa!", the sound of someone slipping, and a bang resounded from the bathroom and Rock Lee marched out angrily. "WHO PUT VASELINE ON THE BATHROOM TILES?!!!!!!!!!!!"

And as usual in Prank War, nobody answered him.

The Peaceful Rest of Spring (aka Epilogue): With Love and Laughter

The rest of spring was surprisingly peaceful as everyone had upheld their word of the treaty - but after all, it was only for spring. Not for summer. And since spring was ending, soon enough there would be pranks.

On the last Thursday of spring, a postcard arrived at the girls' dorm inviting them to share it with the boys too.

Ino read it:

Hey Ino, Hinata, Tenten, Naruto, Rock Lee, Neji, and Kiba!

How's it going in Konoha? Good? 'Cause we're having an AWESOME time here at the beach! One week to live this fantasy life.

Sasuke's making me narrate this because…well, I don't know. But anyway. Want to know what it's like here under the sun (not that you're not under the sun. just…)?

Well. You don't have a choice.

It's amazing here, let me tell you. Have you ever tried coconut milk? I tried it today, and coconuts don't even grow here! So did Sasuke, but he said it tasted like milk gone bad. As for me, I like it. Fresh, cool, and natural. Nice…

We ate loads of ice cream too, and went to the beach, of course. Buggieboarding is so much fun! At least when you don't drink a bucket of saltwater doing it. And I did. So I spent the rest of the day tanning instead. Love the sun here! (I did get a little sunburned on the first day, but that's ok). Sasuke's really good at buggieboarding. We went surfing a little too, but neither of us could balance really well. Oh well. We'll try again tomorrow!

Do you like the postcard, by the way? We made it as this custom souvenir place. They took a picture of us at the beach and plastered it into some computer software.

Oh, yeah, and Ino - I found this swimsuit and I was like, "This is SO Ino!". So I got it for you. As for the rest of you, I got seashell necklaces for all the girls and shark tooth necklaces for all the guys. I hope you like them! I thought they were really cute. Sasuke got this "LIFE IS A BEACH" T-shirt and I got braided straw-colored flip-flops with a pink outline and flowers and the word "Sweet" embroidered on it.

Ok, sorry, I'm babbling, and you probably don't care.

Onto the more important stuff.

I'm writing this on my second vacation day. Figured by the time it got to you I'd be on my last with Sasuke. And then we'll have to come back by train to Konoha and pack our bags (AGAIN!) for summer camp with you guys.

And speaking of summer, that means pranks are on again. And seeing as it's still spring, I'm finding myself longing for summer…

Not that this beach isn't summery.

Sasuke insists on training every day so we keep up with you guys. Have any of you ever watched him train? Whoa, that's not training, that's killing yourself. But don't tell him I said that. He'll think he needs to kill himself more.

(sighs) Did I tell you about our hotel room? No, I guess not! It's really nice. We're at a four-star because we couldn't afford the five-star. But it's not shabby or anything. Really cute. The room is themed , "She Sells Seashells at the Seashore". How do I know? 'Cause it's written on the wall above our beds. And of course, we change into PJs every night in the bathroom. How else? Gosh. The walls are creamy blue with seashells painted on. One wall has a curtain of REAL seashells dangling down. It's SO pretty! I must admit that the bathroom's kind of small and so is the shower. But no worries! I like this room.

Anyway, I gotta go eat lunch. I'll see you guys later! Don't forget about us! (And don't forget about the Treaty of Spring Pranks! Don't kill each other! Sasuke's got himself covered, anyway.)

And of course, can't wait for Prank War to be on again in the summer.

Once again, missing you guys (and Prank War, of course!!!!!) and loving it here.

With Love and Laughter,

Your cherry blossom Sakura

And

Sasuke who is screaming at her from downstairs in the café

P.S. On the way here waiting at the train stop, I found a dark green stone in the riverbed. It's so smooth and pretty! Sasuke also found a feather. I think it's from an owl. Cool, right?

P.S.S. Sorry about that last note! Random, as usual. (Gosh, Sasuke's being patient. Haven't heard him shout in two minutes! Or maybe he left without me…)

P.S.S.S. He didn't! Ok, now I gotta stop writing and start eating. Then I'll mail this to you, I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S.S.S.S. Is it P.S.S.S.S.? Or is it P.P.P.P.S.? The world may never know. (sigh) Anyway, can't wait for Prank War! I have a feeling that summer's going to be even more exciting than spring!

Ino put down the postcard and smiled, looking at all the Prank War members surrounding her. "We got this earlier than Sakura expected, so we'll write back, won't we?"

Kiba smiled, "Of course. We'll say that Prank War has never truly ended. And we'll write with love and laughter."

THE END

(Author's Ending Note: I hope you liked it, because I truly LOVED writing this! More than I thought I ever would! I wrote with love and laughter, as Sakura did, and I hope that you will keep in mind that Prank War has never truly ended, as Kiba said. If, oh, say I get 22 reviews (and please, please, PLEASE do review) at the least or lots of people favorite this story, then I'll definitely write a sequel as to what happens in Prank War during their summer camp. Again, hoping that you enjoyed this! Find your inner prankster and prank on, pranksters!)