A/N: Hello. This chapter kind of gives a little bit of a background to each of the girls. Yeah.

I love you. And thanks for the reviews/favs/alerts :)

But I don't own Naruto or the songs: Past Praying For-Versaemerge and There's No Sympathy For The Dead-Escape the Fate


Tenten is a total feminist, which is why she gets along with my mom so much. A lot of their mutual influence has rubbed off on me, making me strive to prove girls can do it just as good as boys can, if not better.

This may or may not have (definitely may have) contributed to the fact that we were pumped up to crush the boys with the "challenge" we had just concocted.

Oh yeah. I mean we wanted to kill them.

Slaughter more like it.

I saw that glint in Tenten's eyes. No, not the sparkle sparkle of love or happiness or some other positive and adorable emotion that's conveyed in tales about princesses and fluffy pink crap.

I'm talking about the vicious yet giddy gleam, that showed she was all too eager to prove that we would beat them at their own game...which just so happened to be our game too...a game we were skilled at.

Highly skilled.

So while Tenten plugged in her guitar carefully and precisely, with quite maniacal laughter, I just sighed, grabbed my mike, and hoped this would be quick so I could kick them all out of my house.

"Uh, what are we playing?" Hinata asked standing next to me rolling her drumsticks around in her hands.

"Past Praying For" I replied short and clipped because I was sure Hinata was about to have a momentary relapse of anxiety.

"What?!" Busted out of her and she quickly lowered her decibels and whispered angrily at me. "Sakura! Why don't we do one of your songs? They're way better."

I sighed and straightened myself. Once I fully prepared my posture I went in for the pep-talk. "Hinata. The song is great. I love it. We all love it. It's just as good, if not better than my songs. Relax. Deep breaths."

"That is such a l-"

"Prepare to be fucking blown away boys!" Ino said her legs spread wide apart as she hit a chord hard and held one arm high above her. "Hinata wrote this epic piece of work."

Hinata squeaked and clutched her drumsticks tighter in her hands. "Uh, Tenten wrote it too."

"Well yeah but you are the lyrical master of this song. Oh, and did I mention she painted the walls too? Pretty neat. Or drummer is also a fantabulous artist." Only instead of saying artist normally, Ino said "arteest" in her poor attempt at what she thought was sounding "posh and french".

"Ino shut your whoreish mouth for once." I said.

"Hey bitch! I am not a whore." She scowled. If she hadn't interrupted the boost of confidence I was trying to give Hinata and made it completely useless now, I wouldn't have to resort to name calling.

"Nope, you just like being on your knees." Tenten inserted nonchalantly as she pulled her guitar strap over her head.

Ino gasped. "TENTEN! ! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"

"Yeah, yeah." Tenten said waving her hand dismissively and turning to me.

"Don't just wave me away!"

"Can we get on with it girls?" Tenten asked me and Hinata who I pushed towards her station until she reluctantly obliged at setting up the drums herself.

"Tenten! Do not ignore me!"

I looked at the guys standing in a makeshift little line in front of us, ready to hear a more composed sound than they did earlier. Naruto was rocking back and forth clearly trying to contain himself. My eyes focused on the white erase board behind them, scanning over the purple lyrics for that extra kick. I felt that hit of adrenaline still running through my veins.

"Hina you ready?"

"Yup..."

"Tenten!" Ino said gritting her teeth. "I will rip the strings off your guitar."

Her head immediately whipped around to glare at Ino. Sometimes she could be like Medusa, one look and you wished you were dead. In reality, she would find a way to mercilessly torture you for extended periods of time until you apologized or died from the punishment. "Bitch. I. Will. Cut. You."

"Are you going to get on with it, or bicker?" Neji said his hands in his pockets as he leaned against a wall splattered with orange, purple, and silver. Tenten shifted her narrowed gaze to him as Ino started the beat out on her bass and I let it take me away for there.

"Crawling around me...
Sleepless eyes...
Your hands, they haunt me...
finger tipping down my spine.

Heaven forbid, well aware of your sins.
In the wake I'll be just like the rest.
Tell the sun don't fall, so we'll never forget.
Heaven forbid, well aware of your sins.
In the wake I'll be just like the rest.
Past praying for.

Always kept quiet...
Clenching my teeth.
Find me fighting the floor.
Raise me from my bones once more.
You're way past praying for.

Heaven forbid, well aware of your sins.
In the wake I'll be just like the rest.
Tell the sun don't fall, so we'll never forget.
Heaven forbid, well aware of your sins.
In the wake I'll be just like the rest.
Past praying for.

I wouldn't want to wake you from yourself.
...doesn't sit in your stomach just quite right.
Toying with time...
Lascivious stares and a dangerous rhyme.

Crawling around me...
Sleepless eyes...

Heaven forbid, well aware of your sins.
In the wake I'll be just like the rest.
Tell the sun don't fall, so we'll never forget.
Heaven forbid, well aware of your sins.
In the wake I'll be just like the rest.
Past praying for. "

I unclenched my hands from the microphone and opened my eyes. I let them fixate on the white board once again as Tenten put up the rocker sign with her hand and shouted, "Fuck yeah" at Neji. I spun around before I let myself catch any of the boy's expressions and checked to see if Hinata was alright.

Her face was a bit flushed and her bangs had started to stick to her forehead, but other than that she gave me a relieved look and stood up to carry her drumsticks to Neji.

I knew it was a good song and I knew we played it well. It's just the fact that we played it to such a small audience, that made me anxious and self conscious about the way we played. Like I said, we've never really met another band before.

The way we act or play might be totally different, and coming from someone else who plays music they're going to compare themselves to us. Frankly, I didn't want to hear the critique I knew was sitting on the tip of Sasuke's tongue, so I walked over to Neji and took my place leaning against the wall where he had just been, completely ignoring Sasuke, and the remarks he was waiting to unfold on to me.

They took their places where we had just stood, Tenten and Ino threatening their manhood if they did anything to harm Lola and Mr. Muffins.

Did I mention Tenten and Ino named their guitar and bass? They named their guitar and bass.

They go by Lola and Mr. Muffins.

Hinata's drum set is affectionately called Romeo.

I haven't named my microphone because it's a piece of shit and I'm planning on getting a cooler one. If you name things you get attached.

I don't want to be attached to this crappy hunk of black crap. I found it at a garage sale back when we were hunting for resources. The silver end is dented in a few places and there used to be tape on the black part but all that's left is some dirty adhesive residue that won't come off. So every time you hold on to it, it sort of gets stuck to your hand.

I had originally used a pink mini microphone off one of Ino's old barbie karaoke machine.

Ahh the good old days when we couldn't afford proper instruments.

"Oh my god, I have the remedy for love
I struck the glass and broke the bones inside my fist, but I'm ok

I cannot change you (I cannot change you)
you'll never change (you'll never change)
I never would expect to break this in the end

Something so profound, something you won't expect
take this scripture like a picture and wear it around your neck
the sky it opens up
don't get swallowed by the flames
what's mine is yours and yours is mine so take me away

you hear the sounds, they're carried out
there's no sympathy for the dead
it swells and I, was never the same
there's no sympathy for the dead
we dance like zombies do in the middle of the rain
we see the stones falling from the sky (on fire)
the blinding light beaming from your eyes (our desire)
life has died, yet we're still alive and down below
a sea of damned crashing like a tidal wave, wave

I cannot change you
you'll never change (you'll never change)
I never would expect to break this in the end

I can't breathe
wake up from this nightmare that I'm in
dive into a holy river and wash away my sins
as I reach (sanctified) the surface of the water now
I will breathe and burn out my eyes

you hear the sounds, they're carried out
there's no sympathy for the dead
it swells and I, was never the same
there's no sympathy for the dead
we dance like zombies do in the middle of the rain
we see the stones falling from the sky (on fire)
the blinding light beaming from your eyes (our desire)
life has died, yet we're still alive and down below
a sea of damned crashing like a tidal wave, wave

So take the medicines to quench the pain we have
and walk until the end, until you've reached the sand
a hundred thousand wings, soaring through the sky
at intense speeds, we can't catch with our eyes
you hear the sounds of a third carried out
just wait (just wait)
you hesitate

I have the remedy to this poisonous kiss
I struck the glass, it shatters bones in my fist (you hesitate)
I have the remedy to this poisonous kiss
I struck the glass, it shatters bones in my fist (you hesitate)
I have the remedy to this poisonous kiss (There's no sympathy for the dead)
I struck the glass, it shatters bones in my fist (you hesitate)
I have the remedy to this poisonous kiss (There's no sympathy for the dead)
I struck the glass, it shatters bones in my fist

You hesitate

There's no sympathy for the dead
(You hesitate) "

From the moment they started to play Ino's shoulders slouched a little.

I was hoping that they were really bad, and the only way we thought they sounded good before was because we didn't hear them properly. Now standing right in front of them and having listened to them play, we all had to admit they were damn good at this.

I'd never admit it out loud ever, but I was....well I was definitely a little...uhm...how do I put this? I was definitely sort of probably mesmerized by them, maybe.

Definitely maybe.

In fact, watching Sasuke sing made me think he might actually be a real person with a heart and soul. A person that isn't let say, a complete nosy asshole who fate happened to place in my way. A person that can really sing and looks very sexy while doing so.

He smirked at me when they were done.

I know for a fact that nearly every other girl in the world's heart would have melted right there. Mine didn't.

Perhaps because it had already been frozen over with a 4 inch thick layer of ice from my previous conversations with him.

I might have heard a steady drip drip drip of water though...


A small fact about Lola and Mr. Muffins. Aka Tenten's guitar and Ino's bass.

They happen to be married.

So really, it's Mr. and Mrs. Muffins.

Mrs. Muffins has a problem with losing her name and taking her husband's as is the usual custom of marriage because she fears it makes her lose herself and the creativity and individuality that comes with it. I suspect Lola has spent to much time with the raging feminist known as Tenten.

The ceremony was rather sweet though.

Even if it was just an excuse to dress up in extremely dramatic rocker outfits and sneak some wine coolers from my mom's 'secret' cabinet in her study.

We even hung streamers.


"Well...That was...it pretty much...you probably could have..." Tenten stood their struggling to dish out a compliment that they obviously deserved. Of course that was a tad hard considering it was Tenten and she had trash talked the shit out of Neji five minutes prior.

"Um, you guys were great." Hinata said patting Tenten's arm in that nice-try-but-don't-hurt-yourself way.

Ino sighed. "Yeah, I have to admit it was pretty damn good."

Naruto laughed for no apparent reason. "Thanks! You guys are great too!"

"Man we've met girl bands before, trying to show off to us and stuff. But they didn't know a guitar from a bass and couldn't even write their own lyrics." Kiba interjected.

"My ears were practically bleeding because of them." Naruto said grimacing at the memory.

Pretty soon Naruto and Kiba had launched into a full on reenactment of a particularly terrible group of fangirls trying to get their attention.

I wandered back to the living room and made my way upstairs into our kitchen to check my phone.

1 New Text Messages

From: Mom

Working later than expected.

June 5th 10:01 pm

I sat down at one of the stools in front of our long kitchen counter and rested my head on my arms. Really she worked all the time. Night shift constantly, and then she sleeps all day. I figured this summer she might switch shifts more or try to not work double shifts. Maybe I could hang out with her but when you mom is the director of a large city hospital you can't really argue with her about making time for mother daughter bonding.

I've grown up with it. I've dealt with it. It usually wasn't this bad and it isn't like my mom and I aren't close. It's just we have to play catch up so much this past year it's not even worth trying to have a conversation. If there is a conversation it's about college, which I can't stand talking about.

It's my last year as a teenager. I'm going to be a senior. I'm trying so hard to please her and she isn't even here to notice.

I'll be gone and she'll be alone to overwork herself.

Just great.


Another thing to mention about my mother is that when I try to spend time with her when she's home I still can't. She's way too stressed out and can't carry a conversation, which is why she opts to get a good buzz going on her days off. Sometimes even when she gets home from work.

A glass of bourbon and she can curl up in her office chair and fall asleep.

It's not that she's a bad parent, she's great. And it isn't like she's necessarily and alcoholic. She uses a glass of wine to relax. She just overworks to compensate from the fact that I don't have a father.

Well everyone has a father, it's just mine has never been around.

My mom got pregnant and moved back to Konoha.

I'm not even positive she knows who my father is, but it's never bothered me.

---___---___---

I heard laughter and running footsteps coming up the stairs. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"Hey Sakura!~" Ino said jumping into the chair beside me. "May I pretty please sleep over tonight?"

"Uh."

"Me too, yeah?" Tenten added reaching into my fridge as everyone crowded around the counter.

"Actually I already told my parents I was sleeping over." Hinata said biting her lip.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." I said flipping my phone open and closed a few times.

"Yay!" Ino said spinning around in her stool.

"So what are you girls going to do?" Kiba said raising and eyebrow and Ino and glancing at the rest of us.

"Make a hot slutty lesbian porno, so bye!" Tenten said grabbing Wild Cherry Caprisun.

"Aww!"

"I was kidding!"

"So was I!...But that would be my reaction if you were serious." Kiba said giving Ino a once over as she pretended not to notice.

"Yeah well regardless of our late night activities, which will be sleeping by the way. Not 'run around the house like a maniac and scream all night'," I said pointing to the three other girls in the room. "You guys still have to leave. Like, oh I don't know...Now."

"Aww!" Naruto and Kiba whined together throwing in their best puppy dog faces which I have to admit where making me weak.

"No, seriously. My mom is getting off earlier than I thought tonight. You four have to be gone." So I lied a bit, but it'd get the girls out of the house early tomorrow morning, which was good. I can't really take much more of this people thing at the moment.

After finally pushing them onto the front porch, just before I shut the door Naruto turned around. "We're definitely hanging out again. Soon." He smiled.

I wasn't really sure how I felt about that.


The funny thing about my life is I keep it private.

Really, I'm entirely the wrong person for showbiz. I'm a quite perfectionist who thoroughly enjoys her privacy. I also have an issue with confidence that I hate admitting.

Everyone at school thinks my life is perfect.

That all four of our lives are perfect.

Tenten and I dominate volleyball and track.

Ino's on the dance team and Hinata is one of the best artists in the school.

We're pretty and have each other, plus we're on pretty good terms with most of our peers.

We get good grades and the teachers and coaches like us.

We do volunteer work and have our own rock band.

Everyone sees how perfect we make things looks, when that isn't it at all.

I hardly see my mom and I don't have a dad. Tenten's brother is a drug addict and it practically breaks her and her parents hearts. Ino is always fighting with her parents who don't supervise her and show her enough affection, which is probably why she wears her heart on her sleeve. Hinata's father is so strict she's terrified that she isn't good enough and suffers from a mild anxiety disorder because of it.

We have our own issues to deal with and no one sees that. We're the only thing that keeps each other together most of the time.

Without my friends and my music I don't know what kind of person I'd be.


"Holy crap! Did you see that?!" Ino said jumping up on the counter and bouncing her heels of the cabinet door.

"Huh?" I asked flipping my phone open and closed a few times.

"Sexy Sasuke!" She practically shouted her eyes like giant blue plates.

"They'll probably hear you down the road."

"Shut up Hina, anyway he totally did the sexiest smirk I've ever seen on anyone in the world at Sakura when they stopped playing." She jumped off the counter and mimed fainting, falling into Tenten.

"Whore you almost made me spill my Caprisun!"

"Shut up, I don't care."

"He was pretty hot though." Tenten said sipping from the goldenrod straw.

I rolled my eyes. "He's an asshole."

"When your that good looking you can be the biggest asshole you want." Ino said. "They were all hella fine though."

"Why didn't you tell us you had a hottie cousin Hinata!?" Tenten shouted throwing the empty juice baggy into the garbage.

"I don't think of him that way...We're related."

"So? I have hot cousins." Ino shrugged.

"Neji is my first cousin though. Our dads are twins, it's different than having family you never see."

"Woah, so Neji is that stick up his ass cousin/brother figure we've heard so much about but never met?"

"Yes?"

"Funny how we've never met him even though he's your close family and today we just randomly saw him."

"I guess." Hinata shrugged. She didn't like talking about her family. When she was with us she could escape the pressure of 'being a Hyuga' as we referred to it. So it wasn't that odd considering her situation that we didn't know him.

It just proved that their was things we kept to ourselves despite how close we were.


My eyes fluttered open when I heard footsteps down the hallway. I sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, looking at the clock. Eight thirty seven?

The girls had all left half an hour ago, thank god they didn't stick around longer. I had laid back down and tried to sleep but since I had already gotten up and had breakfast my body refused to agree with my brain's decision.

I got up and walked out into the hall slowly to make sure I didn't hit any creaky spots on the floor.

I peeked in from around the corner to find my mom slumped at the desk in her office, rubbing her temples.

"Mom?" I said quietly as I leaned against the door jam.

"Hm? Oh hi Sakura." She let out a sigh. "What's up?" She licked her lips and set her arms down on the desk in front of me. I could tell by her expression she was dead tired. This was routine, she came home and tried to make small talk before she collapsed. I stood watching her strain herself to pay attention to me.

I couldn't even blame the woman for not being around, she tries. I can see her trying.

"Nothing. Do you want me to make you something for breakfast?" I asked. I didn't want to keep the conversation long. I didn't think she'd last.

"No I grabbed a sandwich from the cafe on the way out." She brushed a blonde strand of hair out of her face. "I'm fine." She offered a weak smile. I hid the twitch from her shortening cafeteria to cafe.

"Mkay. Love you." I said already stepping out of the doorway.

"Love you too. Oh did you look at the credit requirement sheet for that list of colleges I printed out for you?"

"Yeah..."

She smiled bigger than before, letting the corners of her eyes crinkle up. "That's my girl. I'm proud of you."

I turned around without answering and walked back to my room shutting the door immediately.

I pressed my back against the wood and slid down until I was sitting and could draw my knees to my chest.

Why did she have to say like that?

I hadn't even glanced at it.


A/N: How was it?

Also I forgot to reply to a review I got like two chapters ago or something?

About Sasuke and Sakura's argument over school and such.

Yeah they were supposed to be both wrong. It kind of shows how stubborn they both are, etc.

Kthnxbai