Chapter 1

Tenten was outside when something was vibrating in her pocket. She reached in her navy blue caprice and got out her midnight black cell phone. She put the high-tech phone to her ear. "Hello?" She asked.

"Tenten! It's Ino!" in the background, Sakura yelled, "And Sakura!"

"Hi guys!" Said the excited sixteen-year-old. "What's up?"

"Well, we have some news. Come over." Ino said.

"Be there in a sec, okay!"

"We'll be waiting!"

Tenten hung up and got on her Mary Janes© and began to walk outside. She passed the ice cream shop where Kiba was with Akamaru. She passed Ino's closed flower shop. And across the street was Ino's house. Tenten walked there. Just before she rang the doorbell, Ino opened the door. "Tenten!" Sakura and Ino yelled.

"Hey guys! Is Hinata coming?"

"Yes! She is here already!" Ino exclaimed.

"I've missed you!" Sakura said as she flung herself to her dear friend.

"Even though I saw you like a few hours ago, I've missed you too." Tenten replied sarcastically. Sakura gave a look to Tenten, so Tenten changed the subject.

"So, what did you want to tell me?"

"Oh yeah!" Ino said. "I totally forgot." Ino hit her head and began to walk to the couch.

"Sakura, Hinata, you, and I are going to be switching schools!"

Tenten sat with her mouth wide open. She didn't want to move schools. Nor did the other three, but they had no choice. The memories that were soon going to be left behind. The laughs, the screams, the jokes, the talks, the secrets, the pranks. All of those memories will now only just be a piece of dust in their mind. All of those memories will just be left as a memory, nothing else…

"I can't believe this…Why?" questioned the shaking Tenten.

"A sacred jewel of the Tiger. They say that the Jewel of the Tiger is the most powerful power in the entire universe." Sakura explained.

"Yeah, and if the jewel is placed in the wrong hands, the people with the wrong hands, which will be probably a filthy, ugly hand, they could probably rule the entire world and treat others as like…slaves or something." Ino added in a girly way.

"So that has to do with us switching schools because, why?" Tenten asked confused a little.

"Because a teacher and a few accomplices that are in that school stole the jewel! So we have to track down the right guy, then find the jewel, destroy the guy, and put the jewel back where it belongs," Sakura told her frustrated.

"Where exactly does the jewel belong?"

Sakura looked at Ino. Ino shrugged. "We don't exactly know." Sakura answered a little disappointed.

Tenten sighed. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow, duh!" Ino said.

Tenten nodded. Then she looked at Hinata. Hinata had never said a word ever since she had been there. What was going on?

Tenten walked to where Hinata was. "Hey Ata," greeted Tenten to her bud.

"Hey, Tenten."

"What's the matter?"

"Well…I heard from my…cousin that…Naruto goes to Kuwaiti High."

Tenten thought. Nar…oo…toe. Nope. Doesn't ring a bell. "So, this Naruto dude is?"

"…"

No answer…tsk tsk. What a shame. Thought Tenten. Then it hit her.

"Oh! You like-!" Hinata shushed Tenten for the first time in her life.

"Don't shush me!" Tenten tried to whisper.

"Don't…tell…please," Hinata saddened or at least looked like it.

"Do not thou worry! This sacred secret is not more than I can bear! I shall keep these words within me!"

Hinata giggled.

Tenten turned and began to say the lines from one of her favorite books "Little Women."

"Rodrigo! Save me! Save me! Ah!" Tenten glided across the room and pretended to faint on the couch dramatically.

The four laughed hysterically.

Later that night, Hinata asked, "What do you think Kuwaiti High will be like?"

"I do not know, but whatever lies before us is nothing because we all have each other. That's something." Tenten's wise words brought everyone to silence.

"She's right. Anything that will happen later doesn't mean as much as what's happening now. Us," Sakura said.

Ino and Hinata nodded.

Why does this sound so familiar? Ino thought

It was silent again. But then Tenten burst out, "Okay I'm hungry! Who's hungry?"

"I am!" the rest of the three said, and the four went to the ramen shop.

Once there, Naruto ran to Hinata giving her the biggest hug in the world. "Hey Hinata!" He yelled.

"Nar..u..to!?" Hinata said surprised, confused, and happily. And she was blushing so bad.

That's Naruto? Wow, he sure is perky. Ata must like him a lot… Tenten thought.

Hinata then fainted.

A lot a lot. She thought again.

Naruto looked at Hinata who was laying on the floor. He looked up at the three girls who did not faint. A minute later he was shaking Hinata. "Hinata! Wake up! Hello! Are you in there! Hello?"

Sakura hit Naruto's head. "Naruto! Hinata's not a telephone!"

"Ouch! Gees! " Naruto yelled in pain.

"Why are you so cruel to this dude?" Tenten asked.

Naruto looked up and put an arm around her.

"Yeah! Listen to her!"

"I mean, he's already stupid. Why make him stupider?

"Yeah, I'm already stu- wait a minute. I'm not stupid!"

"You're stupid." Tenten told him.

Naruto pouted and walked away slowly mumbling.

"Sorry!" Tenten yelled.

But he kept walking.

The three walked over to the table. Still leaving Hinata on the floor. Poor girl. Lucky I am not in that position.

Sakura and Ino talked about Sasuke. Tenten couldn't stand it any longer. Sasuke this. Sasuke that. It was too much.

"Could you both stop talking about Sasuke for once?"

Ino and Sakura looked at each other. Then back at Tenten. "Nope," the two answered.

"Fine. You know what. Do you know what I think of Sasuke?"

"What?" Ino asked excited.

"An ugly, good for nothing, chick stealing, boy who needs anger management."

Sakura and Ino stared wide-eyed.

"He's right behind me isn't he?" Tenten asked.

The two girls nodded with slimy, shiny drool slipping from the edges of their mouths.

Tenten turned slowly. "Hi." Tenten said.

"Hn." Was all he hummed and walked two tables down from theirs.

"See!" Tenten whispered.

"Tenten, you don't know what he's been through. His brother killed his own parents." Sakura replied.

"You may think that's bad, but none of you have ever heard mine."

"What? What happened to you?" Ino asked.

Tenten's eyes began to water. Oh shoot. She thought.

"Remember our 7th grade P.E. teacher?" Tenten asked shakily.

"Yes." The two replied.

"He was so nice until I found out that…"

"Found out what?" Sakura asked.

"He broke my family apart! I found out during my basketball championships."

"You mean…?" Ino asked surprised.

That's why she walked out. Sakura thought.

Tenten nodded. "I've been living with my dad ever since, but I will not be any longer."

"Why not?" Ino asked again.

"He has…cancer. He always had it. Ever since…mom…left. He and I never speak, or play games like we used to. He's always in bed now. I always have to take care of him. My stepmother hardly does anything, but…criticize every…little thing I do. It's…hard. So…hard."

Tenten began crying.

This was the first time Sakura and Ino had ever seen Tenten cry.

Sakura hugged her dear friend. Ino held her hand and the sound of the wind softened the tears that shed from the eyes of the hurt.