Voice of the Wanderer
Naruto Fanfiction
Disclaimer: I don't own a single shred of Naruto.
Chapter 7: What Else Can Go Wrong?
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I panted heavily, looking into the blue eyes of my girlfriend. I was on top of her, our fingers entwined together. We were laying down on one of the beds in Tenten's guest room, making out and exploring each other's bodies. I wonder how all this started... we were just talking about school, then the party, then... oh yeah. Ino started it. She started crawled to me, massaging my neck with her loving kisses. I tried to resist, but the caressing of her lips on my warm flesh was way too strong. She had her arms wrapped around me at the time, her soft touches making its way around my torso as well. I guess that's how I snapped. I turned around slowly and started having my way with her in a not so sexual way but sort of.
We have limits too, of that I'm sure. Our clothes are still intact, albeit some areas a little drenched with sweat more than others. We've been doing this for about an hour, and for some reason, I don't feel exhausted. By the look of her eyes, I don't think she's that tired either. It's been a while since we got this intimate and I kind of miss it. We can't do this kind of thing at her house anymore and her father has been returning sooner than expected from his business trips, probably to check up on her. I don't blame him, but I wish he'd give me a chance to get on his good side. Ino wrapped one arm around my neck and rested the other on my chest, kissing me softly.
I pulled away for a second, trailing my lips down her neck, sucking on the soft and creamy flesh. I heard a soft moan from her, I must be getting good at this snuggling thing. I bit on her tie with my teeth, yanking the knot right off. I inhaled her scent, arousing me even more. I started opening her blouse buttons with my teeth, wondering how I came upon this kind of sexual experience. I pulled her vest buttons off with my fingers, placing them away. Ino wasn't stopping me, so I guess I'm still in the clear. I suckled on the tender areas of her chest, feeling the plump area of her breasts. I traced my fingers along her love handles and her well toned abdomen.
"Naruto-kun... oh god... we should slow it down... a bit," she said, breathing heavily.
"Mmm... should I stop?" I asked, looking up at her.
"I don't want you to. I want you to make me yours but... we're still too young to go any further than this," she said, pulling me to her, nibbling on my ear. I caressed her neck with my lips again, gaining a satisfying moan from her once more. I placed a hand around the back of her neck, taking her lips into mine. Who knew exploring the mouth of a girl was so enticing? Our tongues lashed upon each other. When I was younger, I found this concept to be rather disturbing, but now I know why the adults liked it so much. After a good session of saliva exchange, he pulled away, leaning our foreheads on each other. We have to allow our lungs to catch up with the rest of the body.
"Ino-chan.. I love you so much," I said out of the blue. Where did that come from?
"I love you too... Naruto-kun," she replied.
*knock* *knock*
Our heads whipped to the door. It's a good thing we locked it and placed a rubber band on the door handle. If we didn't, whoever knocked would have just opened it and would see us in a not so favorable image. Ino quickly buttoned up her blouse and placed her vest back on, as well as her tie. She threw me my tie as I buttoned up my long sleeve shirt and returned the sleeves back on my wrists. Ino fixed her hair back on its long pony tail form. She then nodded at me, signalling that she was ready. I nodded and opened the door, revealing Kiba and Hinata. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he wanted. Hinata was beside him, blushing deeply.
"Alright Uzumaki, Yamanaka-san, get out. It's our turn," he said. My jaw dropped as my face deadpanned. He disturbed us just for that? What the hell is his problem? Doesn't he know a thing or two about privacy?
"Hell no, get your own room, Inuzuka. I called dibs on this room with Ino-chan," I replied. Ino smiled next to me and took my arm, pulling us out of the room.
"Don't be greedy, Naruto-kun. Go ahead Inuzuka-san. You and Hinata-chan have fun now, okay?" she asked playfully. Hinata blushed even redder. Kiba nodded and took Hinata's hand. He removed my orange rubber band from the door handle, flicking it to me, and placed his own black rubber band on it. When we walked out and joined the others in the living room, they were playing a game of poker. We both sat down to join them. Tenten looked to me, giggling softly.
"Had your bit of fun, eh Uzumaki-san?" she asked.
"Yeah. You and your boyfriend should try it," I said, gaining a hug from Ino. Tenten crossed her arms over her chest and didn't even bother to look at Neji.
"He's never in the mood for it. We've been together for a while now and whenever I mention the idea of snuggling, he always says he's not in the mood," she said. Okay that's odd. Even with his cold exterior, Neji is a guy. And just like almost every other guy, he should at least have some kind of working hormones. Or maybe he's just that good at controlling himself. Or maybe... no that can't be right but I'll see if it's true. I looked to the pale eyed Hyuuga.
"Maybe Hyuuga-san is gay?" I asked. He glared at me with those cold eyes.
"Go ahead, Uzumaki, keep pushing it and you'll find my fist in your face," he said. I chuckled a bit. Maybe the Neji of Konoha could pull off a threat like that, but this one here can't. And even if he were to do something about it, I can react to his attacks easily.
"Just messing with you."
"Well don't. Full house, by the way," he said, revealing his cards to everyone. The others groaned and threw their cards on the ground. Tenten gathered the cards and looked at Ino and me. A smile crept in her lips. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
"Why don't we make this a bit more interesting? Let's play strip-poker!" she said, shuffling the cards. I rolled my eyes. Can I really say no? I mean it's her birthday after all. I looked to the others, wondering if they were thinking the same as I was. Shikamaru looked to me and sighed. He then faced Tenten.
"Sure, why not? It's your birthday after all, but nothing below our underwear, got it? Not all of us are 18 years old yet," he said, gaining a kiss on his cheek from Temari. Oh yeah, I forgot that those two were dating as well. Come to think of it, most of us already have dates. Let's see now... there's still Sasuke, Chouji, Shino, Kankuro, Gaara... wait. Gaara and that junior girl have been seeing each other for a while now. Whatshername.. Matsuri? Why does her name sound so familiar... oh yeah! She's that's brown haired girl that used to follow him around, back in the past. She became a chunin and rather attractive when I last saw her in the past. I've seen her from time to time around the school, but only during recess and lunch.
We played the game for a while, and through it all, I was still able to keep a bit of my own self dignity. It's been about half an hour into the game and some of us were really down to almost nothing. Tenten had her hair down, blouse off, skirt gone, socks off, but still had her undergarments and undershirt on. Chouji was in a similar position, minus a bra of course, but he still had his socks on. Sakura only had her socks, underwear, and bra on. Shino, Gaara, and Kankuro refused to play and sat it out, reading a book or playing an instrument nearby. Lee was in his boxers and an undershirt. Temari and Shikamaru were almost naked, having only their undergarments on. Sasuke still had his undershirt, boxers, and socks on. I didn't think he'd be up for this kind of thing. Neji was about at the same predicament.
I was in a slightly better position than both the Hyuuga and the Uchiha. I was still wearing my tie, although my long sleeve shirt was gone. Even though the guys started with their jackets, and mine was still left with the room with the Xbox, I seem to have a little more luck than all of them with these card games. My tie, socks, boxers, and undershirt was really the only thing on me. I looked to my girlfriend, who seemed to be in the same problem as Sakura, but not as bad. She had only her underwear, bra, and socks. She also had her tie, on, allowing it to fall between her breasts as well as driving my hormones totally insane. I think she did that order on purpose.
"Ok, show your hands!" said Tenten. I placed my cards down, pretty confident that there was at least someone here with a worse hand than my three of a kind kings with an ace and jack as spares. I looked around and sighed. I'm not the loser around here... Sakura is, not having a single combination with her set of cards. The pink haired girl rolled her eyes, looking down at her remaining clothes to see which one she had to remove next. She exhaled a breath of relief as she took off both socks. If she lost again, Ino definitely wouldn't let me this game anymore.
"One more loss and you're gonna give Lee-san a giant nose bleed," I said. Sakura punched me lightly on the shoulder.
"If she loses one more time, Naruto-kun, I'm not letting you play anymore," said Ino. How did I know she was going to say that? The others snickered around me. I could just imagine Kiba making jokes right now. Come to think of it, what could be taking those two so long? They have to join this game. I stood up from my seat, as Tenten began dealing the cards again, and walked over to the guest room where Kiba and Hinata are supposed to be at. The farther I got from the others, the softer their voices became, and the louder the voices from the guest room began to sound. I didn't want to disturb them the way they disturbed Ino and I, but I should at least tell them what's going on. Instead of knocking, I pressed my ear against the door.
I couldn't really hear anything, not that I even cared. I shrugged my shoulders and stood up straight, deciding to knock on the door instead. I suppose I would be bothering their time together, just like I told myself not to, but I don't want them to miss all the fun that I'm having with the others. Whatever they're doing inside, they can do at their own leisure. This is Tenten's day, her birthday. Man.. don't I feel like a hypocrite...? Ino and I were in there, doing our own thing, on Tenten's own birthday. Maybe I really shouldn't bother them. I sighed to myself and decided not to. I turned back around and returned to the others. I sat down next to Ino again.
"Hey, do you know what's taking them so long?" she asked me. I shrugged my shoulders.
"They're probably just cuddling or something, like we were," I said and almost instantly covered my mouth. Temari, Tenten, and Sakura all giggled at me. Ino placed her forehead against my arm, blushing a tad bit. I did not just say that...
"Nice, Uzumaki, now they all know," said Neji. I glared at him, but did nothing further. Ino pushed me to the side gently. I mouthed an apology at her, but she rolled her eyes instead. She held onto my arm and looked at the others.
"Alright, I admit it. I was cuddling with Naruto-kun. And I'll admit something else, we've gone as far as second base," she said proudly. I exhaled a chunk of breath that I didn't even know I was holding. This girl is something else alright. Sakura's eyes widened, her jaw dropping to the ground. She placed her cards faced down on the floor and yanked my tie, pulling me to her.
"You told me you felt her up by accident. Now she's saying you can do it any time you want? You better not be molesting her or I swear, Uzumaki-san, I'll punch you all the way to Kyoto," she said protectively. I nodded, what else could I do? If her strength is parallel to how it was in the shinobi era, I better stay on her good side. Ino pulled me back to her.
"Relax, Sakura-chan. I allow him to," she said cupping my cheek and looking me in the eyes. "I trust him, and I love him."
"Really, Ino-chan?" Temari asked, disbelief in her voice. "Or is it just some high school thing? You really shouldn't just throw your "I love yous" away to boys. You should keep it in your heart until you find someone in your life who's really special."
Ouch, that kind of hurt my pride and ego. But she's right though. I love yous should be kept special for an equally special person. I looked to Ino, awaiting her response. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it almost immediately. She was looking at Temari for a second, but quickly shifted her glance to me. She placed one leg over me and pressed me to the ground, causing some of the others to lose their ability to speak. The blond beauty lightly kissed my bottom lip, prompting me to kiss her upper lip. I kept my balance with one hand on the ground, while one hand was slithering around her waist. To my surprise though, she took my hand and placed it on her butt cheek. My face reddened deeply. When she broke out of the kiss, she looked to me.
"I love you, Naruto-kun," she said. I smiled. Was she just proving to the others that she meant her words for me? Wow.. don't I feel like the luckiest guy on earth? The others were a bit speechless. They've known Ino longer than I have and by the looks of their faces, I can safely deduce that she has never said that sweet phrase to anyone but me. She pulled herself up, I pushed myself up as well. We decided to continue the game after that, not daring to talk about what just happened. The rest of the day was spent doing just that. Sakura ended up removing her bra, which forced Ino to push me and herself out of the game. She's jealous.. I chuckled in the inside.
One by one, they started to leave for their homes as the moon was starting to rise. I suppose I should start getting home as well. I still have to take Ino-chan home and that's quite a ride from here to there. Kiba and Hinata walked out of the guest room, after being there for nearly two and a half hours. They were smiling at each other for who knows what reason. Now I sort of regret passing the opportunity of listening to them when I had the chance. They left using Kiba's car. I wanted to ask them what they were doing in there but I guess it's really none of my business. I still have some homework to do and the preparations for that history and literature assignment from Konoha will be a little stressing. Ino came from behind me.
"Are you ready to go, Naruto-kun?" she asked.
"Yeah. I'm just waiting on you," I replied. She kissed me softly on the neck. She ran off to Tenten, giving her a hug, probably as thanks for inviting us over. I walked outside with my jacket.. damn it's cold. I unchained my motorcycle and gave life to the engine. Ino walked to me and placed her helmet on, just as I did with mine. Before we rode off into the night, I removed my jacket and wrapped it around her body. When that was done, I felt her arms wrap around my waist. When I felt that she was safely fastened onto me, I tilted my hands forward, causing the vehicle to move forward with increasing speed.
"Naruto-kun.."
"What's up?"
"You love me, right?" she asked. I flinched a bit.
"Of course I love you. Why would you ask me that?"
"Would you ever keep a secret from me?"
"Ino-chan.."
"Would you?"
"I wouldn't, I promise," I replied.
"Alright.."
"What's with the odd questions all of a sudden?" I asked. She held me tighter as if I was going to leave her but I would never do that. I wonder what got her into this kind of mood. Back in the party, she was madly in love with me. And although I don't question that now, I do wonder what's gotten into her. She was silent for a few minutes, not a single word was uttered between the two of us. That is until she started speaking again.
"I had a dream last night, that we got into a fight because you kept a secret from me and I found out. I didn't say anything about it during the party but now that we're alone, I figured it would be the perfect time to do so. I know you would never do that to me, but if there's something I've learned about my dreams, they end up being real. I don't want you leave me for such a reason, but I don't want you to keep secrets from me either. So I'm going to ask you again and please don't lie to me. I promise that whatever it is, I won't get mad. I won't think any differently of you than I do right now. We'll get through it together. Are you hiding anything from me?" she asked once more.
What can I say to that? If what she says is true and that her dreams never lie to her, shouldn't I come clean? I should, I know I have to, but I don't want to at the same time. She'll be hurt and it will be all my fault. Then again, she said she wouldn't be mad, but still. It's not fair to her if I tell her that nothing happened. She'll know that I'm lying to her face and I don't want that anymore. I want to be honest with her, like she's been with me. I sighed to myself. I wonder if the Kyuubi is laughing at me right now. This will be the second time she's gotten me to confess something. But... what if I tell her something else? Maybe I won't have to completely tell her the entire truth..
"I-Ino-chan I--"
"Please Naruto-kun. No more lies. I know you've been keeping something from me and it hurts so much that my own boyfriend whom I love with all my heart, is afraid to tell me something. I don't know when I started feeling this, but I know it's true. You don't know how much it hurts for me, it really does. I want you to be able to trust me with your feelings, just how I trust you with mine," she said. Well shit.. what the fuck do I do now? I can't tell her that I kissed Hinata and enjoyed it. The very thought would crush her. But she does deserve honesty from me. Why does this have to happen to me? What the hell did I do to deserve this?
"I don't know what you want me to say. I'm not hiding anything from you," I replied.
"Are you sure? I'm not going to ask you again. I'm going to take your word for it and trust you. For once, I'm going to ignore my dream and trust in your words. Are you sure that there's nothing at all, whatsoever?" she asked. Here's the moment of truth, the million dollar question.
"Yes. There's nothing that I'm hiding from you... except..." she remained silent, as if hoping for me to say something. I want to tell her so badly, but I promised myself that I wouldn't, if only to protect her. I don't want her to see Hinata differently either. I don't want to be the one to break their friendship. "... except that I'm afraid of spiders."
"Are you... really?" she asked in disbelief. I had to make something up.
"Yeah. They're so icky and gross. I hate how they crawl to me with those skinny little legs. I find it creepy and absolutely horrifying when I see a spider, especially the ones with those big butts," I said. Just to make it well known to everyone right now, I'm going straight to hell for lying to an angel.
"Alright. If that's what it is, then I'm sorry for asking you all those questions. I don't mean to put you on the spot, but my dreams have never been wrong before. However, that can't always be the case with you, can it? You wouldn't keep anything from me, I know that. I guess I just needed to hear you say it," she said. Oh fuck. I might as well not bother raising my hopes in seeing my friends from the past in the after life. I won't be able to join them, after lying to my girlfriend like this. I should have just told her the truth, maybe things might have been more bearable that way. But I can't turn back now. I decided to walk this path and I won't turn back. But should she find out, it might as well be the end for us both.
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We arrived at her house after a rather silent ride. All I could hear was the sound of my motorcycle's engine, shouting away into the night. Her father wasn't home again, a note was left for Ino on the refrigerator saying that he would be out again with some of his partners for his business. The note mentioned me too, something along the lines of murdering me if I made his daughter cry. I don't want to do that, but what if she finds out? Damn it! I knew I should have just told her when the opportunity presented itself. But maybe it's not too late. I looked to Ino, who was taking her shoes off.
"Ino-chan.. about what you said earlier.." I started. She looked to me, giving me her full attention. I sat us both on her couch, not uttering a single word. She continued looking my way, remaining silent until I've spoken my piece.
"I didn't want to tell you before, mostly afraid that you would hate me for it, but I can't lie to you anymore," I said. Ino nodded, knowing exactly what I was talking about. She took my hands into hers, holding them firmly, showing her support. Well damn, now that I'm in this predicament, I might as well just spill my guts. I hope we remain together after this.
"Ino-chan.. there is a secret that I really have been keeping from you," I continued.
"Alright. But before you tell me, why are you saying it now? I thought there was nothing in your mind that you were hiding from me," she said. I couldn't look her way. This is so much harder than anything I've ever done in my life. I knew I couldn't keep lying to her though, her of all people. It's wrong, it's messed up, and it's stupid. I have to tell her the truth.
"I know you said that you wouldn't get mad, but I needed to weigh my options for a few minutes. That's why I told you something else besides the actual secret," I replied. Geez Naruto, where do you come up with these things? I never had the intention of telling her the truth, up until now.
"That's what I was thinking too, Naruto-kun," she replied. My eyes narrowed. She knew that? But then again, how could she not? I was probably being so obvious that a blind man would have noticed. "I knew you weren't being completely honest with me, so I dropped the subject to allow you some time to think about it. I'm glad though, that you're willing to tell me. It takes real courage for a boy to tell a girl that something is wrong with him."
"I guess so," was my reply. Some courage I've got... lying to her for so long.
"Okay... what did you want to tell me?" she asked. Alright... here goes nothing.
"I..."
"I kissed Hinata. It was during our field trip to Konoha," I said. Again, the shroud of silence covered us both. I felt her hold on my hands slowly starting to soften, as if she was losing her grip. I have to do something else, say something to defend myself. "She told me that she had a crush on me but I told her that I was already in love with you. After a bit of a fight, I told her that I wanted to make it up to her. So she asked me to give her one kiss. She wanted to feel what it was that you feel, whenever we're together."
Silence.
Silence..
Silence...
"Ino-chan, I--" her grip tightened once more.
"Hold on a second, Naruto-kun. I'm trying to process that in my mind. What you just told me is a little larger than anything that I was expecting from you. I'm not mad at you, I promised that I wouldn't be. I'm just wondering why you never mentioned this earlier," she said. I tried to say something in my defense, but she was faster. "I don't know if you know this but a kiss is--"
"I know what a ki--"
"No, you don't. If you knew, you would have been able to think of some other way to repay her. I don't know why you chose to do that, that's what I'm trying to understand. I want to see things your way, but I can't..." she said. I sighed.
"That's why I didn't want to tell you. I sort of guessed your reaction."
"I would have figured it out, and if I did, things would have been worse between us."
"Worse... so I guess we're a bit broken now, huh?" I asked, fearing her answer.
"No."
'Wait, what?' I thought to myself.
"Like I said before, I'm glad you told me. I'm happy to know that you're being honest with me and I'm actually getting the same honesty from you that I am giving to you. I would rather die than to lie to you, Naruto-kun. If I don't get over this by morning, it just shows how much of a child I still am. Now I understand why you didn't want to tell me, but still, you did and I'm happy for that. I would rather you make me cry now, while we're together, than later, when we're not. At least you'll be here with me," she said.
"It's never my intention to make you cry."
"I know, and I love you for that."
"So.. are we good now?"
"That depends. Do you have any other secrets?"
"Well... I did break my middle finger while playing Rockband, at Tenten-chan's house. Now I can't flick people off and that's going to annoy me for a while, at least until my finger heals," I told her.
"Good. I don't want you flicking people off. That's not very nice," she said. She wrapped her arms around me as I lay myself down. She pulled her arms out to readjust herself so she was on top of me with her hands rested on my chest. An idea popped in my head, a second later. I removed my jacket and placed it over us. It was big enough to accommodate for two people, something which I was pretty happy for. I kind of feel satisfied now. There's no longer any burden on my shoulders and I'm free to act in any way I want. It feels good to get that off of me. I wrapped my arms around her.
"I love you, Ino-chan."
"I love you too, Naruto-kun."
"Oh, that remind me," I said as I removed my arms from her. I undid a string that was around my neck. It was the necklace that Tsunade-baachan gave me, back when I proved to her that I could master that Rasengan in a week. I removed it from my neck and wrapped it around hers. She looked at the jade emerald carefully, looking to me afterward.
"It's beautiful. What is it?" she asked.
"That necklace was given to me by the Tsunade of the past. There's only two of its kind and is worth nine gold mines and the mountains on top of it," I said. Ino raised both of her eyebrows in surprise. "I've been meaning to give it to you for a while now. I think you should have it. Don't think of it as an exchange because you gave me your ancestor's necklace. Think of it as a sign of my love for you. It holds a lot of sentimental value to me, but as you said to me before, so do you."
"Naruto-kun, I don't know what to say," she uttered. I placed a hand behind her neck, pulling her closer to me.
"Then don't say anything. Just stay with me. That's all I really want," I responded, taking her lips into mine. She placed the necklace under her blouse and returned the kiss with an equal amount of passion. This is the life I live, I suppose. I break her heart, then I mend it back. For once, I hope that I would just stop breaking her heart. But then again, what kind of life would that be? Life comes with all kinds of twists and turns, ups and downs that we all must endure through. If we don't make mistakes, how can we really call ourselves human? If we don't feel and cause pain, how can we really say that we're alive?
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As the sun arose to start a new day, my eyes began to open but closed again as the sun's light started making its way through my vision. Ignoring the pain in my eyes, I opened them and looked away from the sun that was threatening to blind me. This place looks like... Ino's house? Wait, back track, I never went home? I glanced at my watch, reading the time to be 7:30 am. Holy crap, I'm gonna be late for-- oh hold on.. it's Saturday today. My body relaxed, tension leaving me. But I wonder.. why didn't I go home? I returned to my comfortable position atop.. huh? How'd I get on top? Wasn't I on the bottom? What the heck did we do last night and why don't I remember?
I looked under my-- where's my jacket? I could swear I placed that above us. I looked around for my black uniform jacket, locating it on another couch, next to the one that we were laying on. There was a red blanket over us, over me anyway. I was on top of her. Oh, that reminds me. I checked for anything suspicious under our blanket and found that we were still very much dressed. The only thing she was missing were her shoes. I still had my clothes on as well, so that's good. I looked to her sleeping face, she looks so peaceful. I placed my hand on her waist, not noticing that my hand was going lower and lower and...
"If that hand goes any lower, I'm gonna kick your butt," said my lovely angel. She turned around to face me. She greeted me with a morning kiss and smiled. "Good morning, Naruto-kun. How'd you sleep?"
"As great as always," I said. I then looked at my hand that was at her... well was formerly resting on her waist. Now it's at... holy shit! I jerked my hand away, gaining an odd reaction from Ino. She looked at me with discern. I looked at my hand and then back at her.
"Naruto-kun.. what is it?" she asked me.
"I.. um.. you see, my hand was.." I stopped. Oh what's the use in sugarcoating? If there's one thing I've learned while in this relationship, it's that I can never hide anything from her. "My hand was right in front of your... you know... womanhood."
"Okay, I'm glad you removed it then. You're allowed to touch almost any part of me, except certain boundaries. I love you, Naruto-kun, but I'm not quite ready for that yet," she said, snuggling into my chest.
"I didn't say I was either. My hand was just there and--"
"Shh... it's a good morning, let's keep it that way. You're so noisy, by the way," she said. I shrugged and embraced her instead. I love the feeling of her body against mine. This kind of intimacy is all that I've been dreaming of ever since I started taking a liking into girls, more than just friends anyway. I wonder if Sakura and I would have ever turned out like this.. not to say that I'm unhappy with my relationship with Ino though.
"Well, as happy as I am to see you too, my stomach wants more than just Ino essence," I said. If I ruined our moment, I'm sorry, but my stomach wants food! Ino chuckled at me and got up. She helped me up as well and led me to the kitchen where I started my cooking. She sat down on one of the chairs, watching as I expertly handled her kitchenware. To be honest, I have no idea what I'm going to have for breakfast. I opened her refrigerator and was absolutely astonished. The shelves were loaded with so much food that it would probably last me an entire week! I looked to Ino in amazement.
"Ino-chan, you've got so much food in this thing. I'd be set for a week with this much," I said in awe. Ino raised an eyebrow at me.
"Naruto-kun.. that much is enough to feed my father and I for a month, and you're saying it can only hold you for a week?" she giggled softly. "Where do you put it all?"
"Ano... sorry. I've just never seen so much food at one spot before."
"Ever tried going to a grocery store?"
"Oh yeah.. that reminds me. I have to do that when I go home today," I replied.
"That reminds me too, what time are you going home?" she asked. I placed my hand on my chin, thinking about a date.
"Come to think of it, I don't really know. Are you expecting anyone today?"
"No. It's just you and me, at least until my father comes home. But knowing his business trips, he's usually gone for weeks, sometimes maybe even entire months," she said. Now that woke me up. So she's alone here, in this big house for long periods of time? No wonder she wants me always coming over to keep her company. I nodded to her and grabbed pack of whatever I could grab from her refrigerator and did what I could with what I grabbed. In about half an hour, breakfast was served. It was fried rice, fried fish, and some vegetables. I served a bit of everything in one plate so Ino and I could share. She took a bite of the fried rice with fish.
"Mmm... not bad, Naruto-kun. You should come by here more often to do some cooking. My father can't cook to save his life and we usually have to get take out," she said, taking another serving of the delicious goodness. I smiled at the compliment.
"So, how do you survive? Can you cook?" he asked. Ino shook her head and pointed at the microwave behind me. I nodded slowly. Just then, I remembered something. Ino did say that I'm supposed to have detention today with Umino-sensei, right? As memory serves, all weekend detentions are done at 8:20 am. I looked to my watch, swearing that my eyes bulged out of their sockets. Ino merely continued to look at me, her chopsticks still in her mouth.
"Ino-chan, my detention, I forgot all about it!" I shouted, panicking.
"You better hurry then, Naruto-kun. It starts in a few minutes," she said, giggling. Is she actually laughing at my misery? I'll show her later on, but I have to get to school first. I rushed out of the kitchen and grabbed my jacket and my back pack. I gave Ino a kiss to the cheek before I stormed out of the house. Crap... only a few minutes left until I'm late for school... again! I hopped on my motorcycle and rode as fast as the speed limit would allow. I glanced at my watch every couple of minutes. When I arrived to school, the gates were already closed. Shoot! Am I that late? I looked to my watch again, it's already 8:30 am. I sighed and looked around me. No one was around. I chained my motorcycle and hopped over the gate.
I proceeded to the school building, preparing to go inside to Umino-sensei's class and await my punishment. I can't believe this, I missed school yesterday, I have detention today, and I'm late for that too! I really have to set my priorities straight, or perhaps pack an alarm clock with me wherever I go. Upon reaching the front door of the main building, I placed my hand on the door handle and... hold on, it won't open? I tried to force the knob to turn, but it wouldn't. Why is it locked? Don't I have detention today? I tried the back door, the side doors, none of them were opening. I slowly made my way to my motorcycle. Before I even reached it, there was a sheet of paper on the ground, near the front door. It wasn't there before. I picked it up and scanned through it.
Kono High School, closed for the weekend. All teachers and staff are attending a retreat and won't return early morning on Monday. All students should not take this time as vacation but should work on their homeworks and projects and have them ready to be turned in by Monday.
I crumpled the sheet of paper. I came here for nothing! I could be doing something more productive right now. I could be with Ino-- wait a second. I felt the gears in my brain beginning to roll. Was Ino giggling because she knew this the whole time? Why didn't she just say something? I was absent from school yesterday so there's no way I would have known this. Why would she do that?
I hopped over the school gates once more and unchained my motorcycle, mounting it. I placed my helmet on and made my way back to Ino's house. I know she might think that it was a funny joke, but it's not. That was completely uncalled for. I wanted to spend time with her today and tomorrow. I know I'm going to be busy with a lot of school work in the following weeks, especially with that Konoha report that I still have to take care of. Well, at least she'll be at her place. She said she wasn't expecting any visitors today, so maybe I'll just let this whole thing slide. This isn't worth getting mad over, especially with what happened last night. She forgave me, and I guess I owe her one.
When I arrived at her place, I chained my motorcycle together and entered the compound. I was about to ring the doorbell when I found yet another sheet of paper on the ground. There was a rock over it, keeping it from flying away into the wind. I picked up the paper and read through it.
Naruto-kun, if you're reading this, I'm no longer inside the house. Temari-san and the other girls picked me up about 10 minutes after you left. I've noticed that we've been together very often and I want to spend time with my other friends too. I didn't get to spend much time with them at Tenten-chan's birthday party and I want to make it up to them. Maybe you and I can hang out next week. Tomorrow is impossible for me. The girls are pulling me to spending the night with them at Sakura's house and I haven't had a sleep over with them in a long time. I hope you understand.
Oh and, I'm sorry but yes, I did know about the whole thing about the staff going on a retreat this weekend. I didn't want to have to show you out of the door. I guess I wanted you to excuse yourself out. I don't think it would have been polite to tell you that the girls are picking me up and I wanted you out of my house. I'm really, really sorry, Naruto-kun. I'll make it up to you another time.
I love you.
Yamanaka Ino
I sighed to myself as I placed the note back under the stone. I was really hoping to spend some time with her before my schedule halts me from doing so. Next week and the few possible weeks after that will be spent on schoolwork and some sports that I've been pulled into by some of the guys. I guess light night would be our last memorable night until my schedule clears up. I exhaled a breath of disappointment and returned to my vehicle, unchaining it and hopping on. I guess it's time to go home and get an early start with my school work. I still can't believe she knew about the retreat but didn't tell me. I would have preferred that she told me, that way, at least I wouldn't waste any time.
I decided to go home and take a shower. I probably smell like a gallon of expired milk right about now. I didn't bother to smell my arm pits like what every other guy does when he wants to know if he smells or not. I suppose I can get started on that Konoha assignment that I've been putting off for a while now. According to the reminder at school, the assignment is due by Monday, which is two days from now. Oh hold on, I won't be able to do it because Hinata has all our research notes. Wait, what am I thinking?
Inside my brain is all the information I'll ever need. All I need to do is to come up with a decent report and I'm all set. Still.. I do need those notes from Hinata, just to be able to show that I'm not bullshitting anything, in which case I'm not, but people these days want proof. I know I shouldn't call Hinata, since she's probably having fun with the other girls, but our grade depends on this. When I arrived home, I parked my motorcycle inside the garage and sat on my couch, grabbing my cell phone and dialing Hinata's number.
Ring...
Ring...
Voice mail...
Okay, that was a bad idea. Maybe I should just wait until tonight when they're at Sakura's house. I could still get started on it though. I have a few unused poster boards from my "back to school" shopping. I have to make it look believable, and then paste the notes there, as well as some pictures that we took. Then I'd have to create the written report and then we're all set. As I started to work on the assignment, I started to wonder why Ino didn't say anything. I really hope she was just joking with me...
"And why am I hoping that? Do I really want her to laugh at my face for my idiocy?" I asked myself. Oh great, I'm talking to myself. Now I know I'm going crazy. Congratulations Ino, you have a boyfriend who talks to himself. I sighed to myself and continued to work.
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When Monday finally came, I decided to walk to school. It's not like I wanted to, but I don't have a car to put my poster board anywhere, right? If I used my motorcycle, the board would have flown away and then what? Speaking of which, I never was able to get a hold of Hinata, as my calls would usually land on her voice mail. I called Kiba about it and he said he had no idea. So, I had to rewrite the notes, spend the entire Sunday returning to Konoha, taking pictures, and then doing the rest of the assignment.
I wrote Hinata's name on the project anyway, as well as my own. I don't know why she wasn't returning my calls but I guess I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. She did help a little, after all. The walk to school was a little boring. I usually walk with Ino but when I called her, this morning, she wasn't picking up either. I checked to see if there was something wrong with my cell phone, but when I called the guys, they would pick up after two or three rings. I even called Temari, Sakura, and Tenten, but they didn't pick up either.
When I arrived at school, the gates were opened and there were already a couple of people there. Shikamaru and Lee were there, sitting on one of the benches, probably talking about who knows what. I joined them, who both greeted me, and resumed their chat about a seemingly popular online game called Maplestory. A story about maples? Who the heck would care about such nonsense? I decided to remain silent and listen to what they had to say. Just then, I remembered something that I wanted to ask them. I turned to Shikamaru.
"Hey, Nara-san," I started. He ceased his chat with Lee and faced me. "Did you and Temari-san talk at all during the past weekend?"
"You know, Uzumaki, now that I think about it, no, we didn't," he said. "I mean, it's always such a troublesome ordeal for me to hold a conversation with that woman but we always call each other on Saturdays to talk about absolutely nothing. But last Saturday... she didn't call me."
"Ahh, you have received such silent treatment as well, have you not?" asked Lee. I turned to my bowl-cut haired friend. "I have called Sakura-chan many times at Saturday and Sunday, wondering if she wanted to go out with me, but she has never returned my calls. Is it due to the fact that I now lack youthfulness because I am in high school?"
"I've been getting that treatment from Ino-chan too," I said. "We were fine on Friday, nothing going wrong. I even slept at her house after Tenten-chan's party. After I left her house on Saturday morning, she wasn't answering any of my calls. I also called Hinata-chan for our Konoha assignment notes, but she never answered me."
"I usually don't care about this sort of thing, but now it's really bugging me," said the pineapple head. He was about to say something when Temari and some of her friends, that I've never seen before, entered through the gates. Shikamaru stood up and ran over to her, probably going to ask what's been going on. I don't know what they're saying from all the way here. I saw Temari's lips move a bit and then turned her head to the other direction and walked away from him before he was able to say anything. Shikamaru returned to us, looking absolutely perplexed.
"So... what did she say?" I asked. Shikamaru looked to me with saddened eyes. For the first time since I've known him, he's actually showing emotions of saddness. Normally, he's a little bit like Sai, never showing a hint of negative emotion, although Sai doesn't show any emotion at all. Something must have gone wrong. Shikamaru opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing, remaining silent for a few seconds. He then opened his mouth again.
"She said she didn't want to talk to me and that I should go away," he replied. What the hell? Why would she say that? That blond is in love with this guy and she would say that to him? This can't be right. A few seconds later, Neji joined us, lugging his poster board on his shoulders. I wonder if the same thing happened to him too. But that can't be right either. Tenten is head over heels in love with him. But still, I have to know.
"Hyuuga-san... did Tenten-chan..."
"She's not talking to me, I don't know why, she just started avoiding me," he said all at once. He didn't even look my way, still glaring at the ground as if his most hated enemy's face was engraved down there. Why is this happening? Did something happen over the weekend that we were oblivious about? Kiba then arrived, with Chouji and Shino. Chouji and Shino seemed normal, especially with the Akimichi's usual bag of chips in his hand, and the bug boy's face always being hidden under his jacket and sunglasses. However.. Kiba didn't look so good. I walked over to him.
"Not you too..." I said. Unlike Neji, however, he actually looked my way.
"I don't get it. Hinata-chan and I were fine at Tenten's party but... on Saturday, she wouldn't return any of my calls," he said. I knew it, him too. Now I'm starting to wonder if the girls were planning anything devious. I don't want to think that way of them, especially Ino, but Chouji and Shino look fine. It's only Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, Lee, and myself who are sulking around. And what we have in common is, we are dating one of those five girls who are currently ignoring us.
"What's up with you guys?" asked Chouji, munching away at his chips. "You guys look like zombies. Did you get any sleep at all?"
"No," we all said. At that moment, I saw Ino walking with Sakura and some other friends who I've really never seen before. They were all girls though, so I don't feel the slight bit perturbed about that. Lee and I walked over to them, expecting the same result as Shikamaru attained with Temari. Sakura was the first to notice us as she turned away. Lee picked up his pace so he could catch up to her. I walked up to Ino, who had just noticed my presence. Her face went from positive to negative.
"Ino-cha--"
"Leave me alone... Uzumaki. I don't feel like talking to you," she said, turning away from me. "Just don't talk to me and save us both the trouble."
My eyes widened, not because she turned away but because she used my last name. I placed my arms around her, but received the exact opposite reaction that I was hoping for. She removed my arms from her and turned to face me. I thought she was going to try and explain to me what was going on but instead, she pushed me away. I could feel my heart breaking. What in the world did I do to deserve this? She took a few steps back and walked away from me. Lee and I just stood there, feeling like nothing else mattered anymore. I then heard someone's voice from behind.
"Uzumaki! Lee!" the voice shouted. I turned around to see who it was. The voices belonged to Kiba and Shikamaru. "What happened? What did Yamanaka and Haruno-san say?"
"Ino-chan told me to leave her alone," I replied.
"Sakura-chan said she didn't want to look at me," said Lee, looking equally as depressed. The guys nodded slowly and walked us back to the benches.
We remained silent as Gaara and Kankuro eventually came by. They noticed the silent tension around us and decided not to ruin it. I'll have to thank them some day for that. I looked to the girls, who didn't look like they were talking all that much either. We would normally all hang out in the same area, but not today. The guys and I were sitting on the benches, our usual spot, but the girls were at the other side of the school. I wonder if I did something wrong during the weekend that might have angered Ino. But what are the chances that Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, and Lee did the same thing?
When the bell rang, I trudged inside the building, carrying my poster board with me. This is the first time I felt so lifeless, so unwilling to do anything. I just wanted to talk to Ino, at least to understand why she isn't talking to me. I walked to my locker, slowly entering the combination. I would normally just hurry with it, get my books, and get to class, but now, I had no inclination to do so. I eventually retrieved the materials I needed for Umino-sensei's class and proceeded there. I have Shikamaru in this class with me and I'm sitting next to Tenten. Perhaps I can get some answers there.
When I arrived, I was actually one of the last ones to enter the classroom. Shikamaru was sitting on his regular seat, looking out the window, but something struck my senses as a bit of an oddity. Tenten was sitting in the back. She's supposed to be sitting next to me, so why is she sitting at a different place? I sighed as I placed my poster board near me so that it was leaning against my desk. Umino-sensei entered the class and started to take roll. When he reached my name, he looked to me.
"Ahh, Uzumaki-san. Perhaps no one told you yet but you have detention with--"
"You. Yes I know that," I said, not much emotion present in my voice.
"Right then. I'm just reminding you that you received this detention because--"
"I was absent on the day of a pop quiz and you weren't feeling up to it to not only allow me to retake that quiz but also not to give me detention for such a stupid reason. Yes, Umino-sensei, I know what the reason is," I replied. I don't care what happens now. I just want to understand. Iruka looked to me, lowering his glasses. He looked back at him. Neither of us blinked for a good minute. He raised his glasses back up to his eyes.
"Okay... well, you have detention with me after school today."
"Today only?" I mocked, standing from my seat as well as gaining a few glances from my peers. Even Shikamaru looked my way, but at least he understands how I feel. "Why not just charge me with a whole freakin' week's worth of detention? It's not like my life can get any worse than it is right now."
"Give it to me too, sensei," said Shikamaru, standing up from his seat. I looked to him and grinned. He returned the smile to me as we both looked to Iruka. "My life sucks ass right now so why not give me something to do to relieve myself of this stupid shit? Oh, there you go. Give me detention for the use of profanity!"
"Nara Shikamaru.. you wish for detention as well?" he asked.
"Did I speak French?" my friend retorted.
"Fine! You both will report here right after sixth period of every day until Friday. I'll need a lot of cleaning in this room and I'll make sure you two learn not to speak above me!" he shouted. Shikamaru and I nodded and sat down at the same time. Iruka grabbed a piece of chalk from his desk and muttered under his breath something along the lines of digenerate children. I don't give a rat's ass right now. Ino won't talk to me and what's worse is, my friends are receiving the same treatment? Just because I'm suffering doesn't mean they have to as well. I need this detention. I need time to think this through.
Class ended rather quickly, most likely because I was just tuning out Iruka's lectures. Shikamaru was doing the same, probably thinking about his situation with Temari. When the bell rang, I left my poster board in the back of the room, as it would be graded today. I have my next class with Hinata and Sai. I bet Hinata is going to sit as far away from me as possible. I asked myself this question, but I'm going to ask again. Why is this happening? I wish I knew the answer to this so I wouldn't be so mad. As I walked to class, I saw Tenten chatting with Ino and Temari. I was about to pass them, not caring for anything at the moment, when I felt a tug on my arm. I turned around to see Ino.
"You have detention for a whole week? What in the world were you thinking?" she asked.
"Oh good. You're talking to me again," I said, my anger washing away from me. I have to know why this is happening. I have to ask her before she changes her mind. I placed my hands on her shoulders. "I don't know what happened between you and me to have you ignore me like this but let's settle it between us. I think it might have something to do with the fact that I kissed Hinata and you didn't take it too well, but you don't have to get the others to ignore the guys either. If you're ignoring me because of that, then fine. But don't let them suffer too."
"That's..." she said, trailing off. She looked like she was about to speak but her eyes trailed somewhere behind me. I looked back as well, just out of curiosity, but I didn't see anything worth looking at besides the usual high school students. When I looked back at her, she removed my hands from her and stepped a few steps back, just as she did before. No... no no no no no... why is she doing this? She looked away from me.
"I can't talk to you right now. Just forget I said anything. It's your life, your mistakes, your detention. Leave me out of it," she said, walking away.
"Ino-chan, wait!"
"Just go. You..." she trailed off again. Why does she keep doing that? "Your voice annoys me."
With that, she walked away. I can't move. My body isn't responding. Then again, I don't even want to move. I don't feel like I want to move. I can't believe she just said that to me. She must not have gotten over my kiss with Hinata but what else can I do besides tell her that I'm sorry? I already apologized for it, she said she wasn't mad at me. I wonder if that's a lie too. I wonder now... has she really been completely honest with me? Why is she doing this to me? Then again, can I really blame her? I've kept so many secrets from her, maybe she's just trying to get even with me.. but still.. this?
"Why can't you just tell me what I did wrong?" I asked to myself. The question was intended for her, but she's no where near me right now. I felt a tug on my shoulder, but my body refuses to react to it. I feel like all the strength has been sapped out of me. I felt the tug again, a little stronger this time. It forced me to turn around. The hand belonged to Kiba. Shikamaru was next to him.
"Dude, I heard the whole thing. Nara is pretty pissed as well. He tried to talk to Temari but she just brushed him off. I can't believe Yamanaka would say that to you. Hinata-chan refused to say anything to me either, but let's remember that we're still at school. Come on, don't be late for your next class," he said. I felt my head nod. Was that my nerves reacting? Because I didn't tell my head to do that. And I'm sure as hell that my brain isn't properly working right now. I remained silent as I walked to Hatake-san's class.
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And there goes chapter 7. I bet you're all wondering what the hell just happened there, huh? It will all be explained in the chapters to come. Don't worry, I'm not the kind of author who writes things in a story and not bother to explain why or how it happened. I never leave my readers out of the loop. Think of it as me trying to improve my skills in the field of cliffhangers... or cliffys, as the modern day fanfiction reader would say. I'll give you a hint though... black hair and bad attitude.
That's all I'm willing to say for this chapter. I bet you guys can easily figure this out but don't include his/her name in your reviews. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who doesn't know, not just yet. See you all in chapter 8! =D
Ja ne!
