crimsonrose88: Sorry for the long wait!! (bows at feet) This chapter basically takes you into the view of the other characters of Naruto, whom we haven't seen much of, since the…uh…prologue, or not even then. Wow. So yes, this is a chapter dedicated to them, and to you, our wonderful reader (aww!) So read, enjoy and review please!
Xx.anime-fanatic.xX: Wow, she's really hyped about this, so unlike her…well, it's all thanks to some wonderful reviews that we got, it really inspired her to pick it up and write. And we don't own Naruto, now on with the story!
Chapter 3: Happenings at the Festival (AN: I think this is the same one that the others went to, just at a different location at the time so they never bumped into each other)
"Wow Ino! That kimono looks really nice on you. Purple really is your colour!" Ino turned around to look at herself in the mirror, and smiled in happiness. She'd used some of her hard earned money to splurge on a special kimono, especially for this festival. The sleeve billowed and the hem of the kimono was decked out in a slim lining of gold decorations. The material itself was decorated with shimmering silver outlines of butterflies and in general, just made Ino look even more flattering than she usually did. Across the room, Tenten sat at Ino's dresser, carefully placing ornaments in her hair. She wore a simple red kimono that somewhat mimicked a traditional Chinese dress with phoenix and flower patterns embroidered all over it.
"Oh, by the way Tenten, did you tell Neji to come to my place? Because Shikamaru said he'd come at around 6 pm, so it'll be perfect for Neji to come around then too!"
Tenten looked down. "I couldn't find him actually. I went over to the Hyuuga compound, but Hanabi-chan said that he'd already left. So then I looked around for him at the training grounds, and all his other usual haunts, but no luck. He probably had to go on a last minute mission or something…but I was really looking forward to going to the festival with him." Tenten closed her eyes, then looked back at her reflection in the mirror. In it, she saw a slender figure all dressed up for no reason, and she had put a large portion of her weapons away too. Yet, nobody would be there to admire and appreciate the effort she had put into dressing up nicely. Ino looked at her with understanding for the girl's sorrow.
"Aww…I'm sorry about that. But you don't have to go dateless! I think Shika-kun is bringing Chouji, so you can go with him, and we can all have fun together!"
Tenten internally winced. 'Chouji…it's not that I don't like him or anything, but that's only as a fellow Konoha ninja, a teammate…even a friend, but not, well…a deep relationship kind of friend…I don't think he's exactly my type…and when you compare him to Neji, he's as different from him as can be.'
"Oh, no Ino that's ok! Really! I'm sure Chouji would rather go with someone else, and besides, I'd rather go alone, you know, to uh, to have the freedom of uh, going wherever I want, whenever I want, without anyone to tell me what to do, or to follow me."
Ino raised her eyebrows, recognizing the reasons behind Tenten's pretty pathetic excuses. "Oh, come on Tenten…he's not THAT bad! He's pretty sweet once you get to know him." replied Ino as she styled her hair. Tenten smiled apologetically and, with a last adjustment to her kimono, went downstairs, not bothering to argue with the other girl; she wouldn't be able to win so it would be best to leave it at that.
At
exactly 6 o clock, the two girls were waiting in anticipation in
Ino's living room. Tenten was reading some magazines, and Ino was
tensed, with her thoughts running in a million directions. "Will
Shika like my kimono? Will he thinkthat it's too girly? Does he
like the colour purple? What if he doesn't like my hair? What will
he be wearing? Will our colours match? What should I eat at the
festival? What if I make a fool out of myself? How the heck is my
brain big enough to process all these thoughts at once?"
An hour and a half later, Tenten had finished reading all the magazines Ino owned, and was playing with a personalized rubik's cube Neji had given her for her birthday; it had her team's faces on it, plus the pictures of a scroll and a bird, instead of colours. Ino held a pillow nervously, her brain not giving up anytime soon.
"Finally! Its about time!" Tenten exclaimed happily.
"What? What? Are they here? Did you hear them? Should I get the door?" Ino jumped up and looked at Tenten intensely.
"Huh? No, I just solved the cube." Tenten looked a little confused, but held out the cube proudly.
Ino sat back down, and sighed. "Sorry Tenten, I guess I'm a little nervous. I want look perfect for Shikamaru, but every time I say to myself that he probably won't care how I look, I get more doubts."
Tenten smiled. "Shikamaru likes you for who you are, and besides you look amazing. I doubt Shikamaru will even care what you are wearing. He's not really into fashion and all that; besides it will be dark by the time he comes over here. Now you should stop fidgeting or you really will wear off and kill all the efforts you put into looking extra gorgeous."
Ino realized she didn't need to splurge on a kimono; Shikamaru was just one of those special guys who would love her even if she wore Naruto's orange jumpsuit-not that she ever would. EVER. With that thought in her head, she lost her tension, and took the magazines Tenten had left on the couch to read.
An hour later (8:30 pm), after Tenten had solved the cube a couple more times and polished all the weapons she had on her thoroughly and Ino was done doing all the different love quizzes she could find in the magazines, when the two of them were going out of their minds with boredom, a knock sounded on the door. They looked at each other, then at the clock, and smiled in relief to each other. They were beginning to think that they had been forgotten. Ino reached the door first, and pulled it open smoothly, her brightly lit face dropping into one of shock and stupid curiosity. There stood a tall handsome-challenged boy, with a fat toddler standing beside him.
He coughed, then spoke. "Um excuse me, but is this the house of Iwasara Inuka Fujiyoshi-san?" Ino stared at them blankly, and Tenten was peering over her shoulder to see who it was.
"Um...sorry, Iwa-who? I don't think there is anyone around here with that name; trust me, I'd remember." She moved, so that Tenten would stop straining herself to see. The boy and toddler laughed, and poofed into a cloud of smoke. In their place stood Shikamaru and Chouji, both grinning.
"I don't think I know of anyone with that name either…It was Chouji's invention actually." grinned Shikamaru. Ino and Tenten laughed as well, and Ino gave Shikamaru a welcoming hug.
"So…are we going to go to the festival at last Shika?" Ino asked playfully.
"Yeah, sorry about the wait, but there was an all you can eat buffet at the BBQ place…and well, Chouji couldn't resist." Ino looked (or more accurately, gave him an accusing glance) at Chouji, who stared at the sky innocently.
"Chouji, you need to stop eating everywhere you see food." chastised Ino.
"Sorry Ino, but they were serving this new flavour! Teriyaki! It makes everything taste a whole lot better! Yum!" Ino smiled and gave Chouji a small hug too.
"Should we get going then?" Asked Tenten after greeting the two boys. They all nodded, and began walking over to the festival.
The festival area was a splash of colour on otherwise dark streets. There were lanterns in every shape imaginable, and the aroma of deliciously prepared foods wafted over them, as did the fragrance of perfumes and other scents from various booths. There was an air of excitement as people tried their luck at the many different games available, and the underlying thrum of the musical performances.
"I swear, it gets more and more extravagant every year!" Ino sighed happily. Chouji was already sidestepping away from the group, following his nose to more of his favourite teriyaki BBQ among other things. Ino held Shikamaru's hand, and turned to Tenten, to ask what she thought about the festival. Tenten however, wasn't paying attention. A ghost of a movement had captured her eyes, and she peered at the dark shadows intently. Ino looked as well, but she couldn't see anyone.
"Um…come on Tenten. I don't think there is anything there, and besides we have this wonderful festival to enjoy!" Ino said, pulling her arm. Tenten gave one last look and was about to follow Ino, when she noticed two purple dots glowing from the shadows of the trees. One of the dots went out, but then reappeared; a wink. Tenten's face broke into a grin, and she laughed quietly, before running to the tree, and hugging the owner of the pale purple eyes.
"Neji…I didn't think that you would make it!" She murmured softly. Neji gave a small grin.
"I was waiting here for you ever since 5:30 pm, watching each and every person coming into the festival to find you." Tenten looked surprised, but hugged him even tighter.
"We would have been here at 6, but Chouji had to eat at an all you can eat BBQ place, so that's what delayed Shika and him from coming sooner." Neji broke the hug after a few minutes and pulled something out of his yukata. Tenten looked at him questioningly, and watched as he presented her with a small velvet box. She took it and opened it gently. Inside was a small diamond shaped pendant, with the character 'destiny' engraved in the middle. The edges were framed with amethyst and opal jewels, which sparkled beautifully.
"To celebrate when we first became an item, an official couple and actually got together; on this day, at this very festival. Tenten, you showed me that destiny is not always unkind, and I'm ever grateful that we were meant to be." Neji said quietly and sincerely.
Tenten gazed in adoration at Neji. 'Aww…this is why I love him. He is so thoughtful, gentle and sensitive, and he says the nicest things a girl would ever want to hear, and actually means every word.'
"Oh Neji, I love it! And as for my gift…well, it's not as elegant as yours, but it has as much thought and love in it, I promise you." Tenten whispered, bringing her face closer to his.
"Hey, Ino, are we gonna wait for them or do you want to go ahead?" Shikamaru asked. It was already way past his sleeping time; though for Ino he didn't mind. However, he didn't want to waste his sacrifice standing at the entrance of an inviting festival. "No no, let's go. I'm sure they will want to be together anyways." Shika nodded and offered her his hand. She took it, and they walked together to one of the many booths, ready to have a good time at the festival.
They walked by the BBQ place, where Chouji was already chowing down half the restaurant. A serving girl watched him slyly out of the corner of her eye, and had to stifle a giggle when he sneezed and blew the last chunk of meat off the grill and onto the floor. He looked at it sadly, because he hated to waste the last piece of any food, which was always the best. The girl walked over to the glum Chouji, and placed some more meat on the grill, adding more spices, flavourings and whatnot to make it taste even more mouth-wateringly delicious. Chouji smiled thankfully, and picked up his chopsticks, then paused before he was about to dig in and asked if the girl would like to eat with him, and she enthusiastically accepted. She added a few more pieces for herself, and took out a pair of chopsticks to eat with. As soon as the meat had been done perfectly, they both began to eat, talking happily with each other between bites.
Farther along the street, Asuma and Kurenai were part of a group of people listening to the upbeat music being performed, and admiring the skill of the singers who sounded amazing. Kurenai's head leaned on Asuma's shoulder, but before she could get comfortable, he pulled away and offered her his hand. She took it puzzled, and blushed when she realized he wanted her to dance. Seeing this, other people around them began to dance as well, and the group played a soft yet soothing slow song to keep with the spirit of the crowd.
Two booths down on the opposite side of the street, Anko was tugging on the arm of Kakashi, trying to get him to win something for her.
"Kakashi, stop reading that book, and try out one of these games! Surely a ninja like you can win something for me…so I will remember you when I see it." Anko said playfully.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "If there's an Icha Icha Paradise game booth, then I'd definitely go!" He pretended to look around.
"But I don't see one. Sorry!"
Anko put her hands on her hips. "Hmph! What can you see anyways, with that mask covering 80 percent of your face? …Oh! Why don't we go get some sake instead?" Anko suggested.
"Hmm…ok. But you're not going to be able to make me remove my mask, which is no doubt your intention." Kakashi said with a grin (she couldn't see because of that mask).
Anko stuck her tongue out playfully. "We'll see! I'll never give up until I've seen your face without that mask!" she said. They slowly made their way to a comfortable looking bar Anko had pointed out, holding each other lovingly.
In a semi-deserted area of the festival, Shino lay on a tatami mat (who knows how he got that from nowhere, maybe the bugs) gazing at the stars through his shades. The fireworks had begun, and he was only one of the many people who had stopped to admire them.
"The red shooting stars look extremely pretty, don't they Shuya? The way they are intertwined, and fade together is spectacular. However, before they completely fade, they sparkle one last time. Truly a masterpiece…though its beauty is only rivaled by your own, my dear Shuya." Shino said in his quiet voice.
"Did you have fun today? Its not often we are able to get time alone together, what with all the others constantly buzzing about, though we are never truly alone, if you think about it. But anyways, I hope you had fun, and I promise to be able to spend more time with you ok?" Shino turned to look at Shuya, and she buzzed and fluttered closer to him, allowing him to pet her delicate wings. (AN: Yes Shuya is a bug. Haha, but tou king of expected it right?)
Last but not least, we have our two handsome green beasts of Konoha. No, they didn't manage to find dates for the festival, but they were still having an enjoyable time, and incidentally they were the centre of attention. Gai and Lee stood amidst a large crowd, performing stunts and tasks that seemed too impossible to be possible. The crowd around them kept shouting suggestions and asking if they could perform certain feats, such as eating 10 pounds of BBQ in one shot, winning a game at a booth with only their feet, walking blindfolded through a crowd without hitting anyone, vanishing and reappearing at a different spot instantly, making copies of themselves, and many more. Of course, since they were ninjas, they didn't find these challenges too challenging, but when their ninja techniques failed to help them, they were forced to improvise. With each success, the crowd became more enthusiastic and the challenges became more complex. Gai and Lee didn't mind at all though, because they found it as a good opportunity to show off their amazing power of youth.
Many, many hours later, the people began to disperse, and return to their homes. Booth owners were packing up their merchandise and equipment, and restaurant owners were closing. The performers packed their instruments, and made their way out of the festival grounds. The lanterns were also taken down, casting the streets into darkness once more.
Sakura was still asleep, curled up in the hollow by the roots of the Sakura tree. A strong gust of wind blew the branches, causing them to sway, and the figure on the branches to move with them. He still remained in the same position that he had been in ever since Sakura had arrived, and had rerun his plan through his mind at least 50 times, give or take 100. He wanted to make sure that his entrance was flawless, because there was a lot he had to answer for and he didn't want to risk anything that would jeopardize the success of his plan.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for the long wait! Blame school. Yes. Anyways. we will make sure to update A LOT sooner, because we're sure you're wondering who that mysterious stranger in the trees is….unless you know already (wink wink) so next chapter Sakura meets with the mysterious tree stranger!