At Ichiraku's Naruto, Sasuke, Cathy, Jenna, and Gaara all sat on the small stools that were placed in front of the store. Naruto, without even glancing at the menu given to him, ordered what he usually had. Everyone didn't notice because this was the daily routine. At least once a week the gang would all go to Ichiraku's after a mission or at night when they had nothing going on. Poor Cathy had no idea that tonight would be that night thus leaving her poor chicken noodle soup at her apartment.
Cathy sighed, "It was hard cutting up that chicken..."
Sasuke gave her a look.
"Oh, I was finishing making chicken noodle soup before somebody black mailed me into coming here," she said as she gave Naruto a glare which he grinned back at.
"I'll have to try it to see if it's good," said Sasuke swallowing some of his chicken ramen, "I've never had cooking made by a kappa before."
Cathy broke her chopsticks with her fingers on accident when she heard what Sasuke said, "If you keep that up you'll never try it, and look, you're making me waste chopsticks."
"How can I not? Look," he said, picking up a cucumber slice from her side of cucumbers, "You're eating cucumbers."
"So?" she asked picking up some noodles from her shrimp ramen.
"Kappa's like cucumbers."
"No they don't," she said while chewing a cucumber.
"Actually Cathy kappa's are known for eating humans, well, only the evil ones, but most kappa are offered cucumbers so they can help humans with their crops and medicines," said Jenna giving Vortex a small carrot stick.
"Oh, I know we learned that somewhere, where did I hear that," asked Cathy to herself.
"We learned it in Social Studies with Mr. Evers in seventh grade," said Jenna sipping her hot tea.
"Oh yeah! Now I remember! I loved Mr. Evers. He was hilarious," said Cathy, "When he taught us about epic battles in history he would go real quiet and then explode with loudness at the climax of the battle. He always made me laugh every time he said 'Behold!' and showed us something cool from history. I wonder how he's doing..."
"Yeah, It'd be nice to see him again now that we've graduated," said Jenna smiling.
"This 'Mr. Evers' sounds very intruiging," said Gaara eyeing Vortex.
"He was a very good teacher. Very smart too," said Cathy.
"Well obviously," said Sasuke looking at her, "He is a teacher."
"Well you teach Naruto and I things we don't know and you're not very smart," replied Cathy.
"Oh! Burn! High five!" yelled Naruto as he and Cathy high fived.
"Keh," said Sasuke as he went back to his meal.
"Jenna that rat looks like the one you used to have at home," said Cathy, noticing the rat.
"Yeah, I named him after my old one, " she said holding the black ball of fur.
"If you ask me, I really don't like the creature," said Gaara mixing his ramen.
"Gaara, I hear that said about you all the time and I don't say anything about it," said Jenna looking at him completely innocent.
"OH! Cappy and Jenna with the burns today! High five!" yelled Naruto yet again as he and Jenna high fived each other.
"You know I'm kidding right?" said Jenna to a deeply insulted Gaara.
"That hurt," he said looking at her with disbelief.
"Butcher knife to the heart, man," said Cathy as she laughed.
"A look to Cathy's face," said Sasuke.
...
"Ouch," said Cathy looking down at her ramen with a look of hurt.
"Sasuke! That was rude!" said Jenna.
"I can't believe you just said that," said Gaara giving a dissapproving look to Sasuke.
"W-what the hell! Kappa and Jenna did it and you all-" Sasuke began until he felt a presence that sent fear rising within his very soul. He turned around to see Naruto, looming over him and surrounded by darkness. His face was shaded in black as his eyes gleamed with a blood red color. He was cracking his knuckles and grinding his teeth.
"What was that, teme?" he asked in a very demonic voice.
Sasuke sweat dropped and looked at Cathy. He noticed something that was abnormal. Cathy had a look of true sadness and pain in her eyes.
--
Inside of Cathy's head the same words rung over and over.
Ugly...disgusting...wretched...unworthy...
Ugly.
--
Sasuke leaned over closer to Cathy and took her face in his hands.
"Oi, Cathy," he said as he brought her face to him so she could look at him. Slowly the glazed sky blue eyes looked into his black ones.
"Cathy, you know I'm kidding right?" he asked as she suddenly snapped back into reality.
"Oh! Yeah! Yeah, sorry about that," she said smiling, "and it's okay because I know deep down you're suffering much worse because you knwo you'll never even hope to look as good as me."
...
"OH!! WHAT NOW!?" yelled Naruto as the gang all laughed.
--
After the atmosphere returned friendly they all finished their meal, though it did take a little longer because Naruto and Cathy got into a ramen eating contest, with Naruto the winner of course.
The all went their seperate ways for the evening as Jenna and Gaara walked down the road.
"That was a lot of fun, wasn't it?" asked Jenna.
"Yeah, it was," replied Gaara with a smirk.
"I was talking to Vortex."
"Why would you talk to the rat and not your boyfriend!?"
"I'm kidding," she laughed and took his hand in hers while resting her head on his arm, "You could never be replaced, even by a rat."
"Thanks," he said kissing the top of her head, "That's good to know."
--
Naruto, Cathy, and Sasuke walked the opposite direction Jenna and Gaara walked. They laughed and joked and Naruto and Cathy got mad at Sasuke for calling them their nick names.
"Okay guys, this is my stop," said Cathy pointing to her apartment.
"That was fast," said Sasuke.
"Remember, we got training early tomorrow," said Naruto wrapping an arm around her shoulder, "Don't be late," he said kissing her cheek.
"Wow Naruto, you remembered," said Cathy laughing.
"What are you talking about? I remember stuff all the time," he said cocking an eyebrow.
"Yeah, yeah," she said laughing, "Night guys."
"Night Cappy," said Naruto.
"If you get hungry try not to eat people, Kappa," said Sasuke, only to get a glare from Cathy.
After Cathy left Naruto turned to Sasuke.
"Would you stop flirting with her, it's getting annoying," he said giving Sasuke a look.
"You're telling me I'm annoying?" asked Sasuke as the two continued to walk to where they lived.
--
Cathy walked into her apartment and flipped on the lights. She locked her door and went into her bedroom.
It wasn't very fancy. It had white walls with a cheap blue bedspread she got on sale. A small lamp was on her little shelf and the light from her closet was on. She sat on her bed and took out her drawing pad. She flipped through it and looked at the pictures she had recently drawn. There was a blonde girl that had her turned so you couldn't see her face and a younger Cathy standing next to her, looking up at the blonde girl. Cathy smiled and opened her drawer once more. She pulled out her small wallet that she had in the pocket of her school uniform when she first fell, if that's what you call it, into Konoha. She unlooped the straps and took out a small picture. It showed Cathy, who was ten years old at the time, with a bright blonde haired girl who looked older than her. The blonde was indeed taller and had blue eyes, just like Cathy's, only a little darker. She had on a loose shirt with dirty jeans while Cathy had on overalls and a blue hat. Cathy's hair was short while the blonde had longer hair. Cathy smiled sadly.
"Carly..."
--
Cathy sat in a black chair surrounded by nothingness. She didn't dare get up because if she did she felt like she would fall into a never ending pit of darkness. Suddenly a voice pierced the silence.
"You can't be serious."
Cathy sat in the chair emotionless.
"Friends? Please..."
Her mind was blank.
"You have no friends. Only rivals."
Her body was numb.
"You cannot afford to lose. A child as ugly as you is already at a disadvantage in society."
...
"You're just a dissappointment to this family."
Suddenly the chair tipped forward and Cathy slid off. She was falling deeper and deeper, never to reach the bottom.
"You pathetic, ugly child..."
--
Cathy gasped. She found herslef siiting up straight in her bed, the sun shining through her bedroom window. Her forehead was sweating lightly as she looked at her surroundings.
"I'm still here," she said plopping back against her mattress, "It was only a dream."
She sighed and looked at her alarm clock. It was 9:45 A.M. The team was meeting at 10. She closed her eyes and when she opened them it read 9:55.
...
"CRAP!" she yelled as she hurried and got dressed, put her hair in a messy bun, and ran out the door.
--
The gang, except Cathy, was at the trainging grounds stretching and preparing for their daily spars.
"Where's Cappy?" asked Naruto, "She's gonna be late. I even reminded her about this."
"Knowing Cathy she'll be here in three...two...one..."
"SORRY I'M LATE!"
Cathy landed on a nearby tree branch and jumped down from it to land right in front of Jenna.
"Hey, Cathy," said Jenna smiling and stretching her arm back, "Good morning."
"Morning," said Cathy catching her breath, "have you ever looked at the clock, blink, and notice ten whole minutes have gone by?"
"Happens all the time," said Jenna, "That's why I wake up an hour early."
"That's a good idea," said Cathy, "I should do that."
"Most people do," thought Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara as they all sweat dropped.
"Okay," said Naruto, "Since we're all stretched let's partner up. I'll go with teme."
"Fine by me," said Sasuke itching to fight with the loud mouth blonde ninja.
"Okay, I'll go with Jenna," said Cathy as she and Jenna locked arms.
"I'll just wait for one of you guys," said Gaara.
"You could fight Vortex," said Jenna, pointing ot the rat.
"Please," said Gaara until he locked eyes with the rat. Neither ine was willing to break eye contact. The staring contest/battle had begun!
"Okay..." said Naruto, "Let's go!"
--
Lol! Gaara and Vortex! Don't worry Gaara will seriously fight. Anyway I wanted to dedicate this chapter to "Random Naruto Fan." Thank you for sticking up for me and my story when that bad review showed up. It was very kind of you and I will keep writing this story, hopefully you will still think it's good. Again thank you for your kind reviews. And T.W. if you don't keep writing your story soon I will be very sad. :( The next chapter will come out soon, I promise! XD
-PandaShark