Don't own anything but the plot... as soon as I find it, I'll be sure to inform the press. Ok, children, prepare for more possibly useful information.
Yamanaka Ino: age 22, member of the Konoha Elite, daughter of a well-to-do floristry magnate, well known for the company she keeps and because she's such a noticeable personality, not so fond of her cousin Haruno Sakura (yes, I'm relieving my inner Sakura basher)
Haruno Sakura: age 21, normal member of the Konoha Club, works part time at a clinic as a nurse, unhealthily obsessed with Uchiha Sasuke
Uzumaki Naruto: age 23, member of the Konoha Elite, aside from the fighting intensive family background, has a fairly normal life, and a possibly less than healthy goal to defeat Uchiha Sasuke (because it's just no fun beating up, or getting beaten up by, one's younger brother)
Uzumaki Gaara: age 21, adopted by the Uzumaki family when his parents (close personal friends with Naruto's parents) died in an accident, on par with Uchiha Sasuke within the Konoha Elite, does actually care for his brother... fratricide is a new form of affection I hear, very popular in... Angola
Liu Ten Ten: age 23, member of the Elite, has a penchant for weapons, mostly because her family owns a museum-hopping exhibit of Asian swords and their history, they also have a small business making replicas (for everyone's inner cosplayer)
Descent into Rapture Chapter 2: To Prepare
"So the Hyuuga are having a celebratory "Yay, we've opened another company, and the world now has several thousand more jobs, and an extra giraffe!" and they want the Konoha Club to be the bodyguards?"
Neji flinched unnoticed, but Hanabi shrugged. "Yeah, that about sums it up. 'Sides, you all look better than most of the muscle available. And you get to be guests, so you can wear your shiny new clothes."
Ino still looked skeptical. "Are you sure Hinata just didn't want us fighting with the hired muscle because we're better; because she loves us and wants us to be there, but she loves you and doesn't want to cause your stuck up family any trouble, and she thinks that having paid bodyguards is a stupid idea when you know… her being heiress of a large fortune means that it really isn't?"
"That too."
"Cool, I'm in." Ino flashed the two Hyuuga a dazzling smile.
"Me too!" Ten Ten chimed.
"Will there be real food?" Trust Naruto to get his priorities straight.
"Sure, Hinata's been helping out in the kitchens, and has already decided on the menu."
"Alright, I'll be there and if I have to I'll drag Gaara. Do you think we should ask the Bastard?"
Hanabi tightened a tad, but answered lightly. "Nah, I think that's overkill, besides, we don't have to protect everyone there, just Hinata, who, if I hear rumors right, can handle herself well enough." And with the neat topic change, Hanabi settled herself back into her chair as her friends exploded. The Uchiha would be there of course, but because the Council of Doom was announcing the engagement of Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata. Neji caught her eye, and she shrugged every so slightly, how she got things done shouldn't matter so long as things got done. And it's not like it was illegal or even very damaging...
Hanabi and Hinata's parents had not been happy at the forced engagement, and had actually fled the country, with the excuse that Lady Hyuuga was ill and in need of better climate. Of course she was ill, the clan had engaged her daughter without so much as informing the soon to be bride. Hanabi hoped her mother's already declining health wasn't too damaged after that announcement. Only twenty people knew, but the betrothed were not among them.
"You mean your own sister hasn't let you see her fight!"
"You're in for a treat when you see her though."
"When was the last time she sparred?"
"The time she got a job for Akatsuki Productions."
"Oh yeah… it was against Sasuke. She got thrown into a pillar."
"Well no she didn't. You remember the Uchiha Itachi saved her from being black leotarded splat on the Rock Pavilion."
"But Hinata would have made a very nice addition to the garden…"
"You didn't… oh god you did." Hinata buried her face into her hands as Hanabi smirked at the memory.
"I was bored, and you'd been gone for a week. Besides, you don't like hired muscle, and you don't seem to understand the need for them. You'd think being heiress you'd have gotten used to this. And we're promoting the Konoha Club. So yes, your friends will be there. Don't make a fool of yourself now."
"My friends are more than just hired muscle. Well, at least they'll be around for this stuffy little party. I won't have to suffer through it with just my family that doesn't include my own two parents."
"It's not going to be little. And what's wrong with the rest your family?" Neji remarked from the back seat. "We're not all completely crazy."
"You know what that means, Hinata… I get to play dress up with you."
"You were saying Neji? Yes, Firecracker, I'm fully aware that I will be turned into your Barbie doll. But you do an excellent job, so at least the press will be happy. Oh the sacrifices I make. I take it you got the dress tailored to your satisfaction."
"Yep!"
"Amazing how that unreadable little doodle on a napkin was actually that confection of a dress."
"I'm sure Hanabi did an excellent job. She designed the dress I wore to the Hyuuga Charity ball. Glitter magazine loved it."
"Yeah, they even stuck her on the cover of last month's issue. So silence from the peanut gallery, if you don't mind. Or I'm going to be distracted by that small shrubbery twenty miles behind us."
Meanwhile, in the outskirts of Konoha, deep within the Konoha Club's expansive property, devious plots were being made.
"So Ino," Ten Ten remarked conversationally, "have you seen you're cousin's latest job? It was on TV last night." She drank from her water bottle.
"Why no Ten Ten, all I know is that the Miss B. corp. hired her. Do please enlighten us all as to what for." Ino faked overdramatic interest, elbows planted on the lounge's table. The tired, and more than a little sore and sweaty, men of the Konoha Elite groaned. Except two. Uzumaki Gaara and Uchiha Sasuke, both the top members of the Elite, refrained because they were above it all. They both supposed the Elite lounge was better than the common rest areas. Less people meant less madness… though sometimes Gaara wondered. Sasuke knew enough to appreciate the lack of interest in him in this room. Haruno Sakura was not an Elite, nor were most girls (and guys) in his unofficial fanclub. Which meant that he stayed here.
"Oh but Ino!" Ten Ten had false shock plastered all over her face. She leant over and whispered in her friend's ear.
Ino gasped for air… she was laughing too hard. "Oh no! You're kidding me. Oh god, no you're not! Those feminine products! Oh I don't think I'll be able to look her in the face for a week!"
Uzumaki Naruto blinked. "But Ino, you avoid your cousin like the plague anyway. Speaking of Sakura, where is she? Think she'll go out on a date?"
Ino stared at the other blonde. "Why would you want to go out with her? I mean you're…" She stopped, remembering that just because she figured it out, she wasn't to tell.
Naruto turned a faint shade of pink. "It's not a date with me."
Ten Ten slapped her head into her palm. "You're either one of the densest matchmakers ever, or your friend is really rich, and has a really good hold on you. We all know Sakura's hung up on him." She waved her hand toward Sasuke. Ten Ten went back to the previous conversation, not about to let some guy kill a girls' conversation. "Didn't the Miss B. people want to hire you again? Guess this was what for."
Ino made a scornful noise. "Yeah, good thing I turned them down. That scented water was the first last and only time I work for Miss B. It was called Elegance or something, right? Che, if a guy is going to ask me out during a spar, it's not because of what I smell like. Though the dress was nice…"
"Speaking of dresses, we need to pick ours up. Anyone want to help?" Ten Ten took another sip of water, eyes closed.
Ino looked around at the ten foot gap between her and the others in the room. "Amazing how mentioning clothes just gets rid of them so fast."
"Boys are so easy. Let's go."
"Thank you both for coming. I tried to dampen the "better-than-thou" atmosphere. Hanabi is floating around here somewhere. I suspect she's people watching."
Ino raised her eyebrow. "You means she's probably sitting in a corner muttering about how awful that woman's dress is with her skin color and how that woman's hair is so obviously dyed it's a wonder they let her in and…"
"Ino! Hush."
"Che, it's not like any of us have to worry about Hanabi critiquing us."
She was right; the three of them did look lovely. Ten Ten was wearing a pale pink double slit cheongsam, peonies embroidered on it, hair in a complex bun, pinned up by a pearl stiletto, the white brocade slippers on her classically small feet visible. Ino was in a flowing halter gown of blue, blonde hair in an elaborate twist threaded with blue glass beads, strappy blue-black high heels on her feet. Hinata herself managed to outshine them, even though her gown was the most modest of all. The black velvet spaghetti strap top sparkled with small purple jewels, which also decorated the black gauze covering the full purple underskirt. Tiny white rose buds dyed purple pinned most of her hair up, leaving a few locks to frame her face. A black velvet choker, with an amethyst cameo was her only other ornament.
Hinata's eyes darkened slightly at the mention of her sister. "Hanabi… was a little more difficult than usual to dress this time. I wonder why, she must have been more upset with our parents leaving than I thought. I wanted to ask her about it, but I was so busy planning this…" Ino and Ten Ten tried to smooth things over, and succeeded for the most part.
Hanabi had argued furiously with her keepers about her dress. She was supposed to be protecting her sister, so they couldn't possibly be expecting her to wear this dress or that dress or the other dress. And she had adamantly refused to wear pink. Or anything bright colored. She had insisted on something easy to move in, that was a deep color. Preferably black. Her keepers had refused to allow her to wear all black, she was not in mourning after all, and she was an attractive girl, surely she didn't plan to catch a man by looking like a specter of death… Hanabi had ignored them as best she could. They didn't know what she did. In the end, she had settled on a simple deep indigo silk dress with a flared skirt. She was, as Ino had said, lurking in a corner, keeping a mental commentary on the state of wardrobe disorder of every one who came in through the elegant double doors.
Hinata sighed and swirled the champagne in her glass. She'd been sipping at it for half an hour but it refused to empty. Finally, she decided on a new tactic. She set it down, and looked at the dance floor. Ten Ten immediately caught on and tried to get out of it.
"You go and dance… I'll join you eventually…"
"Why do I not believe you?" Ino asked.
"Oh please, Ten Ten."
"No! You two won't get any guys hanging out with a wallflower like me. I'm a tomboy, I'm loud, and not dressed to kill like you two. Hinata has those violet grey eyes, and silky blue black hair. Ino's the classic blonde with baby blues. What am I? Brown-just-brown hair, and brown-just-brown eyes. What idiot falls for that?"
"Hey! I like brown-just-brown just fine."
"And we all know you're an idiot, Uzumaki."
"Whatever blondie. Ten Ten, you wanna dance with me?"
"Do I have another option?"
"Well you could try and kick my ass."
"I'm sorry, did you just say try? As in you're suggesting that I'm unable to kick your ass?"
"Pretty much. But because we both love Hinata like a sister, I know that you're at least going to wait till Monday to try to beat me up…" There was a pause. "You didn't notice them sneaking off either?"
"Nope."
"How do they do that?"
"No idea. So, going to dance with me or not, Naruto?"
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