Hello everybody! Thanks for the reviews and the alerts. I looked at my stats page and saw that this story was the only one that I had reviews for, but then I remembered that I am writing these stories so that I don't go insane form having an idea stuck in my head. It just makes me giggle a little to see that other people think that my idea was cool enough to add to their alert page or to review.
Disclaimer: I do not own Aerosmith songs, Tom Petty songs, Heart songs. I also do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be good at drawing. (It also makes me happy that the first result for Naruto in spell check is narrator)
Tenten woke up groggily to the sound of the phone ringing on the table next to her. Her alarm clock read 6:30. She groped for the receiver and answered, "Who the hell are you?"
"Did you even check your caller ID?" Came the excited voice of Temari through the phone. "Who cares, turn your TV to channel ten RIGHT NOW!" and then she hung up.
Tenten slammed the phone down and turned to search for the remote blindly. She found it and flipped to channel ten just as she saw the popular music correspondent Anko Mitarashi at Icihiraku's as roadies were setting up amplifiers behind her.
"-but the real talent last night belonged to a two-woman band calling themselves "The Ex-Girlfriends" who took the audience by storm."
Tenten saw a clip of herself belting out the lyrics to 'Dancing With Myself' while playing guitar as the camera moved to Temari beating the crap out of the drum set behind her.
"The really interesting thing about this band is not only do they not have a bass player, but the guitarist is left handed. The owner of the club told us, "I haven't seen a left-handed guitar player this good since Tsunade came through here thirty years ago with 'The Sanin.' That drummer has huge potential as well. I've never seen a set so worn out before after just three songs. I'll bet that girl goes through more drum skins in a month than most drummers do in their life." Well, he seemed enthusiastic about the girls and we look forward to seeing them again soon on the stage. Anko Mitarashi reporting live."
Tenten immediately called Temari back. "Holy crap, this is amazing!" Tenten squealed into the microphone. "I know! Ichiraku himself said you were just as amazing as Tsunade, and she's a rock legend!" Temari screamed.
"Are you kidding? He also said you were amazing, but you were pretty tough on his skins."
"It's not my fault; I've always played like that. Oh, God I love drumming. It's like sex..."
Tenten backed away from the phone. "Whoa, too much information Temari."
"What? It is like sex!"
"Temari, I really don't want to hear you compare drumming to sex."
"Whatever. Still, we've got to play there again. And we'll actually get paid for it!"
"Fine. You call them and schedule a night while I get ready for school," Tenten said, hanging up and finding a decent pair of pants to wear. Her apartment wasn't cramped, but it was cozy. There were four rooms: a living room that functioned as a dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom that doubled as a laundry room, and a bedroom. She had got this apartment when she turned sixteen and graduated from her incredibly tiny apartment that the city orphanage provided at no charge.
She put bread in the toaster, threw on a faded T-shirt and baggy khaki pants that she bought in the guys department (the pockets were big enough so that she could stuff food in them to sneak into class). She then put her hair up in the classic panda-style buns that she was almost expected to wear while her bangs went past her eyebrows and tickled her eyelashes. Just as she got done, her toast popped up. She stuffed her cell phone in her pocket, grabbed her backpack, buttered her toast, and headed out the door. Tenten checked her watch before getting into her car. Record time, she though happily before driving to school.
The Konoha Academy of Fine Arts was impressive by school standards. Still, it was much better than Oto Academy, which was entirely grey on the outside and in. Konoha was two stories tall and sat on a hill in the middle of the city. Traffic in the morning was crazy, especially with the principal Jiraya always taking up two parking spaces at the very least. The students at Konoha were thrilled when the former principal retired to make way for Jiraya, who ranked with Tsunade and Orochimaru in the Rock Legends category.
Tenten parked her car and rushed to her first period class. As she was walking through the halls, she heard bits and pieces of people's conversations, but most of them seemed to be about The Ex-Girlfriends at Ichiraku's the past night. Tenten silently thanked Temari for making fake names for them; otherwise, Tenten felt that she would be bombarded with questions and comments that she just didn't want to deal with. There may be three main groups of interest at Konoha, but the underground rock scene was the medium on which everyone cooperated and understood each other.
At Konoha Academy, you could pick a "Major" in music, drama, or art. The only instrument she could play was the guitar and choir wasn't really her thing. She was never a good actress, but she was a damn good artist, so she enrolled in all drawing classes. All students of every major had one period that they could pick for themselves. She chose to be a teacher's assistant for Kurenai, partially because Kurenai didn't care if she ate or played guitar in her class that was a year lower than Tenten's. In fact, Kurenai actually let Tenten keep a spare acoustic in her room.
After first period, she bolted into Kurenai's class and immediately picked up the guitar.
"Well, that was fast. No food today either?" Kurenai said, leaving her curtain draped office.
"I finished it all in the car on the way here," Tenten said grinning. She turned back to the guitar and tried to figure out the lyrics that could fit with the rhythm that she had running though her mind. Then she thought of Neji kicking her out of the band, and got a massive brain wave. She pulled out a piece of paper, wrote down all the lyrics, and then sang them while strumming along.
So, this ain't the end - I saw you again today You lying so low in the weeds Back over time we were all trying for free And if the real thing don't do the trick "Sell me, sell you," the porpoise said All that night and all the next, swam without looking back The real thing don't do the trick, no Ooohhhhhh-ah!
I had to turn my heart away
smile like the sun - kisses for ev--eryone
And tails - it never fails!
I bet you gonna ambush me
You'd have me down, down, down, down on my knees
Now, wouldn't you, Barracuda? Oh-oh-ohh
You met the porpoise and me, uh huh
No right no wrong, selling a song -
A name whisper game.
You better make up something quick
You're gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn it to the wick
Ooh, Barracuda! Oh-oh-ohh…yeah
Dive down deep down save my head
You...I think that you got the blues, too.
Made it to the western pools - silly, silly fools!
You better make up something quick
You're gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn it to the wick
Ohhh, Barra…barracuda! Yeah
When she was done, there was a huge amount of applause and Tenten looked up to discover that the whole class had come in and was applauding her. She smiled and took a mock bow when Hinata, Neji's cousin, came up to her.
"That was so cool Tenten! What do you call the song?"
"Barracuda," said Tenten with a smile.
"You sound exactly like this band that played at this place that Neji dragged me to."
Tenten turned a light shade of pink as she told Hinata that Neji kicked her out of their band. Hinata's eyes widened.
"That's awful! I've got to tell Neji how insensitive he was!"
"NO. I mean, not yet. See, do you remember a band from last night called "The Ex-Girlfriends" by any chance?"
Hinata nodded. "Sure, they were the best."
"Well..." Tenten leaned in close and whispered, "I'm the lead singer for the band and Neji thinks my name is Yume."
Hinata looked positively puzzled. "Why are you going by a fake name? Tenten is a perfectly fine name."
"This morning, everyone was going crazy about the band. I think everyone from school may have been there. If I had used my real name, I would be stalked by the music nerds as we speak."
Hinata was quiet for a moment before saying, "I know you and your friend already have a band going, but would it be possible for me to join?"
Tenten was a little taken aback. She didn't even know that Hinata even played an instrument. "What do you play?"
"Well, my father wanted me to be a singer, but that didn't work out, so he made me get really good at about a dozen instruments before I picked the bass as my favorite. But I also play keyboard, flute, violin, saxophone, ect. Pretty much anything that my father thought I could play."
Tenten was confused now. "Why hasn't any other band picked you up already?"
Hinata shrugged. "I was with a band in the second stage of the academy, but it was for fun and we weren't very good. I've wanted to get back into it, but I haven't been able to find a band of people that I like."
Tenten whipped out her cell phone. "Just a minute." Tenten text messaged Temari: 'I think I found a bass player. Can you make it over here after school?'
Within seconds, her phone vibrated and Temari had replied: 'Yeah. Meet in a music room with a drum set.'
Tenten snapped her phone shut and asked Hinata, "Could you stay after school to meet the other girl and play with us?"
Hinata though for a minute. "My father doesn't need me home today, so yes I could stay after. Where do you want me to meet you?"
"Music room 145. There should be a bass there."
"Cool," Hinata said, returning to her drawing. "See you then!"
---Lunchtime
Tenten got her usual tray of indescribable food items from the lunch lady and sat at her normal table with other drawing and painting students. Shikamaru, Shino, Hinata, along with Chouji, Kiba, and Naruto who majored in drama, hailed her as she sat down. "Hey Tenten," said Naruto. "Were you at Ichiraku's last night? There was this band with only two girls, but they kicked ass! They were so awesome!"
Tenten rolled her eyes in aggravation. "You guys too? Everyone is talking about them, what's so great about them?" Hinata gave Tenten an odd look but Tenten just winked and returned to the conversation.
Naruto and Kiba's mouths dropped. "What? How could you not like them?" exclaimed Kiba.
"Not to mention they're both really hot," said Naruto.
Tenten almost spit out the milk that she had been drinking and Hinata's eyes bulged. "What?" choked Tenten.
Naruto continued rambling about The Ex-Girlfriends while Kiba agreed and added his own commentary here and there. Shikamaru finally said, "Will you both shut up already? Your pointless chatter is really getting on my nerves."
Naruto and Kiba gasped when Shino piped up. "Just cool it already, you're both annoying me too."
Kiba and Naruto quieted down, but continued their excitement in whispered tones. Tenten noticed that Chouji had been silent the entire time. "Chouji, what's up?"
He looked up from his lunch. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Not much."
Tenten rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, Ino called you fat in Shakespeare study this morning." When Chouji looked surprised and nodded, Tenten said, "Honestly, you're getting predictable. Don't let her get to you, she's almost anorexic herself. Don't let her stupid quips make you feel bad. Remember, who got the lead male role in Coriolanus?"
"Me," muttered Chouji.
"And who got the part of Roman lady #3?"
"Ino..."
"Exactly!" exclaimed Tenten. "You're an amazing actor and you have some pretty awesome friends. Don't get yourself down, and ignore her in rehearsals today."
Chouji smiled and said, "Thanks Tenten. That really helped a lot."
The rest of lunch was spent bashing Ino and her acting abilities. When the bell rang, Tenten headed off to Kakashi's Advanced Drawing class with Shikamaru. Shikamaru was a year behind her, but his minimalist drawings were considered genius, so he was in almost all of Tenten's classes. Kakashi was always late, and by the third day of class, the students instinctively knew to organize themselves and start drawing. Tenten and Shikamaru were next to each other in a deep discussion about which kind of graphite pencils were the best for the type of paper they were supposed to be using when Tenten's phone began to vibrate like crazy. Tenten picked it up, rejected the call, and set it back in her pocket. It rang again, and Tenten apologized sincerely to Shikamaru before answering it. The caller ID said, "Temari."
"Why the hell are you calling me in class Temari?"
"I just got us booked at Ichiraku's for Friday night. We need to have eight songs for a set, and we can take a break."
"Eight?" Tenten realized that Shikamaru was listening and lowered her voice. "The only ones that I know that I'm allowed to play are the one's I did last night."
Tenten could hear Temari sigh. "We have a week and hopefully a bass player if the girl that you've got is good. Oh, by the way, have people been talking about The Ex-Girlfriends at your school? Because they're a hot topic here."
"YES! Thank you so much about the Yume thing. We would have both been ripped to shreds by this time if you had used the other names," said Tenten, keeping an eye on Shikamaru.
"Ah. You're around friends. I'll see you after school. Which music room are we in?"
"145," muttered Tenten. Shikamaru was definitely listening now.
"Gotcha. Love ya, bye!" And with that, Temari hung up. Conveniently timed too, because Kakashi had just walked in. Tenten stowed her phone in her pocket and returned to her drawing. "So," Shikamaru began. "What was that about?"
"Guitar game that my friend Temari wanted me to play. It's actually very weird." And with that, Tenten continued her drawing of what Kakashi's assignment was to them (Expressions). Shikamaru never said another word to her until the end of the day when she ran into him just outside the school. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Waiting for-there she is!" Temari had just came from the parking lot, sunglasses still on and swinging her oversized hand bag with her car keys in one hand. "Traffic is a nightmare in this part of town. Who's this?" she asked, pointing at Shikamaru.
"Oh, Shikamaru, this is Temari. Temari, this is Shikamaru," said Tenten, introducing them to each other. "Charmed," said Temari, shaking hands with him. "Are you ready Tenten?"
"Yeah, bye Shikamaru!" Tenten waved as she and Temari walked into the school. On the way in, Temari earned several catcalls and whistles from nearby boys whom she promptly glared at. "This is exactly why I didn't like Konoha..." she mumbled.
Tenten just rolled her eyes and stopped outside of Room 145 in the music department. She opened the door to find Hinata inside tuning her bass. "Hi Hinata. This is Temari, she plays killer drums." Hinata said a cheery "Hello" and Temari nodded. Temari walked over to the drum set in the corner of the room, tapped some of the skins with her fingers, and said, "These skins need tightening." Tenten plugged her guitar into an amp while Hinata kept tuning hers. When Tenten was done with her guitar she said, "Ok, what do you want to play?"
Temari tapped her sticks together for a while before saying, "How about 'Oh, Darling?'"
"Great, Hinata, you know this one right?" asked Tenten. Hinata nodded. They began to play and Tenten sang:
Oh! Darling, please believe me Oh! Darling, if you leave me When you told me you didn't need me anymore Oh! Darling, if you leave me When you told me you didn't need me anymore Oh! Darling, please believe me
I'll never do you no harm
Believe me when I tell you
I'll never do you no harm
I'll never make it alone
Believe me when I beg you
Don't ever leave me alone
Well you know I nearly broke down and cried
When you told me you didn't need me anymore
Well you know I nearly broke down and died
I'll never make it alone
Believe me when I tell you
I'll never do you no harm
Well you know I nearly broke down and cried
When you told me you didn't need me anymore
Well you know I nearly broke down and died
I'll never let you down
Believe me when I tell you
I'll never do you no harm
The whole time they played together, Tenten really like the way Hinata played. It was mellow and subtle, but it commanded the attention of anyone listening to it. Tenten looked at Temari and Temari held up one finger. "How about one more song?" asked Tenten. Hinata nodded and said, "What were you thinking of?"
Tenten thought a moment. "Do you guys know the song 'Talk Dirty to Me'?"
Hinata and Temari both nodded. They had both worked out a tempo and signaled to Tenten that they were ready.
You know I never You know I never At the drive-in You know I call you At the drive-in
I never seen you look so good
You never act the way you should
But I like it
And I know you like it too
The way that I want you
I gotta have you
Oh yes, I do
I never ever stay out late
You know that I can hardly wait
Just to see you
And I know you cannot wait
Wait to see me too
I gotta touch you
Cause baby we'll be
In the old man's Ford
behind the bushes
until I'm screamin' for more
Down the basement
lock the cellar door
And baby
Talk dirty to me
I call you on the telephone
I'm only hoping that you're home
So I can hear you
When you say those words to me
And whisper so softly
I gotta hear you
Cause baby we'll be
In the old man's Ford
behind the bushes
until I'm screamin' for more
Down the basement
lock the cellar door
And baby
(Whisper) Talk dirty to me
When they were done, Tenten looked at Temari and nodded towards Hinata. She saw Temari mouth the words "Hell yeah," and give the thumbs up. "Hinata, you're in," said Tenten smiling.
"REALLY?" Hinata looked ecstatic at the news.
"Yeah," said Temari, reaching for her bag, pulling out a black t-shirt, and throwing it to Hinata. Tenten looked closer at the shirt and saw that it bore the Ichiraku logo. "Now, we have a gig on Friday at 8 PM. You might want to do something to make you look like you aren't you, because we're using fake names. Tenten's is Yume, mine is Yuri, and you can pick yours."
Hinata thought about it for a minute before saying, "I don't know. What do you guys think fits?"
They were silent for a moment before Temari piped out with, "How about Kaminari? It fits the way you play."
Tenten clapped her hands together happily. "It's settled then; Hinata is Kaminari on stage."
Hinata pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and looked at the screen. "Crap. Sorry guys, Neji is waiting for me out front. Can one of you call me to tell me when and where we rehearse?" Temari and Tenten nodded. "Of course," they said.
When the door closed behind Hinata, Tenten turned to Temari. "She is perfect. It's funny, I've known her for two years, and she's never mentioned playing an instrument."
Temari rolled her eyes and said, "Who cares, she's going to give us an advantage."
"In what?" asked Tenten.
"The Ultimate Battle of the Bands, duh! They take the best new bands and they usually get a record deal. That was how the Sanin got discovered, remember?"
"Let's concentrate on getting eight songs to play on Friday. Got any ideas?"
Temari pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. "As a matter of fact, I've got a few..."
And I leave you all there. These chapters are really long with the song lyrics. Can you guys tell me whether you want all the lyrics in the next chapter. If not, I'll just put up the song titles and the curious readers can check out the actual lyrics. Thanks for the wonderful reviews and alerts. I'll update as soon as I can, but finals are next week, so that might not be for a while. I've got a speech & debate tournament tomorrow, so wish me luck! And please leave a review. :)