The alarm went off, as usual, at seven o'clock AM. The sole occupant of the bed next to it rolled over, holding a pillow to his head. There was nothing extraordinary about the day; the sun was leaking in through the bedroom window; the rest of the house was quiet, as the other occupants still hadn't awakened. There was only one thing wrong with this ordinary picture: it was Saturday.
The alarm was never to go off on Saturday.
The end of one of his songs played from the clock radio. Then the familiar voice of the radio DJ came on.
"Good morning, Konoha village! It's a sunny day outside with a high of seventy-four and low in the mid-fifties – beautiful day for a road trip! So wake up, Konohagakure! This is Haruno Sakura, starting off the day with the number-one hit 'Go' by our local band The Avenged, who will be going on their debut tour this month. And Sasuke, if you're not up by now, I swear to God, I will–"
Uchiha Sasuke had jumped out of bed at "road trip" and was hurriedly piling clothes into a suitcase. Giving up with the packing, he went into the kitchen and started to make coffee. He ran to the other side of the house and banged on the bedroom door.
"Naruto! Naruto, get up!" The reply was a muffled voice from inside. "Naruto!" What the hell am I, your mother!
"What, what?" said a tired voice.
"The tour, we've got the tour!"
The door slammed open, Sasuke nearly avoiding being hit. Wide blue eyes stared back at him from under a mess of blond hair.
"What!"
"We're going to be late! Just get dressed!" Sasuke said, still yelling.
"Look who's talking!"
Sasuke looked down and saw he was still in a t-shirt and sweatpants.
"Well – w-worry about yourself!" he retorted and ran back across the manor to his bedroom. He stared at the mess of clothes on the floor, picked up a black shirt and jeans and put them on. The clock radio was still going.
"This is Sakura, signing off. Have a great weekend!"
One of Neji's hard rock songs came on.
What the hell is she thinking, playing this crap so early in the morning?Sasuke started towards the bedside table to turn it off but tripped in the mess of clothes. He scowled, growling in the back of his throat.
"Damn it, Sakura! I'm up, already, turn off the fucking–!"
Then the smoke alarm went off from the coffee pot overheating.
"DUDE, WHAT THE HELL!" Naruto yelled.
Sasuke got to his feet and ran to the kitchen. Naruto was standing on the island, trying to turn off the alarm.
"SASUKE-TEME, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!"
"I DON'T KNOW! JUST TURN IT OFF!"
Then the doorbell rang.
"AAH, DAMN IT!" Sasuke screamed, tossing his head back in frustration. He went into the entryway and opened the door.
Sakura stood there smiling, unfazed by Sasuke's murderous look and the chaotic sound from inside. "Morning, hon!" She pecked him on the lips and handed him a cup of coffee, stepping past him into the entryway.
Sasuke stood there disbelievingly for a moment then followed her into the kitchen.
"Morning, Naruto," Sakura said, setting the other coffees on the counter.
"Morning." Naruto had given up with the alarm and was sitting nonchalantly at the island eating cereal.
Sasuke took the stool next to him and watched as Sakura went around the kitchen, turning off the coffee maker and pouring the steaming liquid into the sink.
"I see you got up late again," she teased, hoisting herself onto the island to turn off the alarm.
Naruto leaned forward to get a look up her skirt, but Sasuke elbowed him malignantly.
"Yeah, well, if you'd play some more motivating music, maybe we'd get up on time," he snapped. One of the world's worst comebacks, he knew, but really. It was seven o'clock on a Saturday. He had just been violently pulled out of bed by his own song and then the voice of his girlfriend. He was surprised he was capable of dressing himself.
"Your fly's unzipped," Sakura said, getting off the counter.
The blond teen stared at her incredulously.
"Wait, how'd you get the alarm off?"
"You press the red button," she said simply and headed into Sasuke's room.
Sasuke glared at Naruto, eyes half-lidded, and the blond shrugged. Sighing, the dark-haired boy followed Sakura. She was sorting through his clothes, folding them, and setting them neatly in his suitcase. She smiled when he came in.
"Rough start this morning?" she asked, coming over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.
Sasuke kissed her. "How could you tell…"
"Your alarm clock was still going when I came in," she said, releasing him and going back to packing.
Sasuke picked some of the clothes off the floor to help her.
"I've had better…"
Sakura chuckled, sitting down on his bed. "Anyway, the van's outside."
"Good."
"We're going to stop by Neji's place first and pick up the rest of the equipment, then we can head over to Shikamaru's–"
Sasuke sighed. "Do we have to bring him?"
Sakura paused in her packing and stared at him.
"Well, he's in the band, Sasuke!"
"I know that," he replied and sat next to her on the bed. "I mean do we have to bring his pain-in-the-ass girlfriend too?"
"Please, Ino is totally okay. I promise I'll do my best to keep her away from you," Sakura said, smirking.
"…Deal…"
Sakura shut the suitcase.
"Alright. You're packed. Just bring this out front and we'll tie it on."
"Fine."
Naruto appeared in the doorway, holding his drumsticks in one hand.
"We ready?" he asked.
"Almost," Sakura replied. "You got everything?"
"It's all outside. Sasuke-teme has to help me load the rest of my drums."
Sasuke stood up, sighing. "Fine, fine. Let's do this."
"Go ahead and take your suitcase out," Sakura said, handing it to him. "I'll call Ten and the others to tell them we're on our way."
"Got it."
After a few minutes, Sasuke and Naruto had all their equipment stuffed into one corner of Sakura's van and their suitcases strapped to the top – once they got the other instruments, the amps, and two people in the back, there would be no room for luggage in it. Sakura came outside, and Sasuke nodded for her to lock the front door.
"We're ready," he said.
"Okay. Get in." They piled in the van – Naruto in the back seat, much to his distress – and drove a few miles over until they reached a mansion that was even greater than the Uchihas'.
The three got out of the car and went to the front door, knocked, waited. Neji answered and called into the house, "Guys, they're here!"
Tenten and Hinata appeared beside him, each holding a duffel bag.
"'Guys', huh?" Naruto scoffed.
Tenten smiled sweetly. "Aww, thanks, Naruto!"
"For what?"
"Offering to carry all my stuff." She shoved her bag at him then headed to the car. The blond heaved her bag over his shoulder, sighing, and followed as Hinata – though unnoticed by him – watched after him, a little jealous of her friend's boldness.
Sasuke turned to the older Hyuga.
"You got the amps?"
Neji nodded. "Yeah, it's all in the garage. Naruto! Come on. You have to help us load."
Naruto jumped down from the roof of the van where he had just finished tying Tenten's luggage in. "What do you think I was just doing!" he cried.
Neji opened the garage door to reveal a few rows of amps, a soundboard, microphones and stands, and his Silvertone bass leaning against the wall. There was, of course, no room for a car. Neji sighed.
"My uncle's going to be thrilled to have his garage back for a month…"
"No kidding," Sakura said. She and Tenten lowered the steel ramp from the back of the van as the guys started loading the amps. Sakura looked around for something to do and saw Hinata standing awkwardly beside the van, still holding her light blue duffel. "Uh, Naruto?" Sakura said.
"Mhm?" he answered, cautiously stacking an amp on top of another and taping it down.
"Would you mind helping Hinata get her bag on top of the car? It'll only take a second."
Hinata cast her a surprised look. Naruto jumped out of the van, rolling his shoulders after lifting the heavy equipment.
"Sure." He held out a hand towards a blushing Hinata, who looked away and held the bag up to him.
Sakura smiled to herself and helped Sasuke moved the soundboard and its base into the trunk. Finally, they were finished, and Neji set his bass in the corner beside Sasuke's guitar.
"Okay, well, first come, first served, so you all can have the backseats," Sakura said, getting into the passenger's seat herself.
"This is a five-person car," Tenten said, laughing.
"I hope we're rotating…" Neji muttered, climbing into the back, followed by Tenten, Hinata, and Naruto.
"Which leaves Shikamaru and Ino for the trunk," Sasuke stated, grinning deviously.
Sakura rolled her eyes but smiled.
"Yeah, we can move eventually, Neji," she said, "but this is the setup for the ride to the hotel. We can change seats tomorrow, if we want."
"I call driver!" Naruto called.
"NO!" everyone cried.
The blond crossed his arms, frowning childishly. "Fiiine…"
Hinata chuckled, bringing her hand to her mouth as if to nullify the sound.
Sasuke pulled into the driveway of a mint green house, the smallest so far. He honked the horn, and Shikamaru came around from the backyard, followed by a grinning Ino.
"Hey, everyone!" the blond girl said, waving.
Sakura inwardly sighed. Her friend was so much louder than she realized.
"Hi, Ino," she replied, getting out of the car to help. Shikamaru set the keyboard and his Aria guitar in the back and shut the doors.
He examined the crowded van. "So…how are we doing this?" he asked, looking as though he expected a bad answer.
Sakura stepped down from tying in their bags.
"You two get to ride in the trunk on the way there!" she announced, smiling.
Shikamaru sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.
"What a drag…"
"What?" Ino asked incredulously, eyes wide. "You mean we have to sit back there for like four hours with all the luggage and crap!"
Sasuke leaned back to look at her, smirking.
"Actually, it's six hours. And there's no luggage." She looked relieved for a moment. "It's all amps and instruments and junk." Her face fell.
"Fine." She climbed in the back and wedged herself between the back seat and an amp, Shikamaru following suit. "I'll sleep the whole way…" the blond girl muttered.
Sasuke started the car and purposefully turned up the radio.
"'B.Y.O.B.' Kick ass!" he said, and pulled away from the house towards the highway.
Tenten sighed. "This is going to be a looonnnggg ride…"