Chapter Seven: a very pissed off girl-er, boy.
As soon as they were in the city, Sasuke bolted to the nearest bathroom, nearly going on himself from the pressure. When he came back out, sighing, he saw that Sakura had also come back, and Naruto was apparently having a conversation with a very aggravated man. As he got closer, it was clear why.
"So… You can'teat a horse?" Naruto asked.
"No." the man said, sounding exasperated.
"Then why is that an expression? 'So hungry I could eat a horse'…?"
"I don't know, kid. I just said I'd let you ride my horse. I don't want you to eat it." Sasuke quickly intervened, before this man killed Naruto.
"Er, excuse me? What's this about a horse ride?" He asked, pushing Naruto slightly out of the way. He pouted.
"Yes, I was just saying to your little friend here," he glared slightly at Naruto, "that I would be happy to give you a ride around Kohona."
"That would be great." Sasuke nodded. The man showed them all his horse and carriage. The horse neighed, bringing to their attention that it was purple and orange spotted.
"What happened to your animal?" Gaara asked, looking at it. Sakura was obviously scared of it, and hid behind Gaara slightly. Naruto slid in next to Sasuke.
"Oh, it ate a poisonous mushroom. It's like a drug to that damn horse… like crack." He said, shaking his head. The foursome was quiet as the –literally- high horse started pulling the wagon. It's movements were dizzy and curvy, but it moved none the less. After it started a semi-straight path, the driver turned to look at us.
"So, where are you kids going, anyway?"
"We're going to see the wizard of Kohona…" Sakura said, still scared of the horse, and slightly scared of the man.
"Oh, the wizard? Heh, good luck. She doesn't see visitors." He said. "But, if you really want to try, we can take you to a salon first. You all pretty much look like shit right now." He said. They all looked at each other, and had to admit it was true. Gaara, even though he had been oiled, still had rust stains all over his body, along with a few dents here and there. Naruto's straw had been falling out since he fell off his pole, and was now almost completely empty. Sakura's 'fur' was in a tangled mess, and she had mud all over her face from being in the forest so long. Sasuke's hair was a horrible clump of nastiness on top of his head, since the humidity of Kohona had killed it, and his dress was ripped and torn all over. They all nodded, and the man began driving towards a big gate with a sign that said
The Tidy-Up Factory
On it. Sasuke thought it sounded like somewhere little girls send their dolls to be repaired. Not that he played with dolls or anything. Except on weekends. Anyway, through the gates they went, each getting dropped off at a specific station. Gaara was dropped off in a room that looked like a mechanic's studio, Sakura's looked like a vet, and Naruto's looked like a farm. Sasuke sighed as he was led to a room that really looked like a beauty shop. There were several girls working, running around, and generally looking really blonde. A girl with long, straight black hair led him to his seat. She didn't even bother to smile, getting right to work.
"Hi. My name is Neji, and I will be helping you today." Her voice was very deep for a girls, but who could argue with the facts? She had long hair, down to her waist, pretty, clear eyes, a nice ass, and small girly hands. You just didn't question things like that. Sasuke sighed as she pulled his head back, getting it all wet in her little sink, and walked in front of him to her cabinet, bending down to get some shampoo.
Damn, Sasuke thought, she has a nice ass..
She got up, putting the shampoo on his hair. It smelled like strawberries. This irritated Sasuke slightly.
"You do know I'm a guy, right hon?" he asked, looking Neji. She stared at him in horrid disbelief for a second.
"No…I didn't…" She said, stunned for a second. "What did you call me?" Sasuke felt like he'd offended her.
"Um… you want me to call you ma'am?" he asked, looking up at Neji. She gave him an odd look again.
"No, not really. I'm a boy, you know." She said, his voice dropping even lower to emphasize the point. This time Sasuke was the one in an odd position. He almost screamed and jumped out of the chair. He had been checking out another guy's ass?! He just sat there in silent horror, questioning his straight-as-a-ruler-ness. Finally, he just decided to blame it on Neji for having such a nice ass.
"You should get a haircut." He said finally. Neji's grip on his hair tightened as he was brushing it.
"What?" he said, his voice a little over a whisper. It was creepy.
"Your hair's too long. It makes you look like a girl, so you should get it cut." Sasuke repeated, thinking he hadn't heard him. He twitched slightly, picking a comb off the desk beside him.
"I'm not cutting my hair." He said plainly, running the comb through sasuke's hair. He twisted it slightly, making it fall back as a small little curl.
"It's just a suggestion." Sasuke said, as he did it again, making some of his hair curl from the water and combing.
"My hair is beautiful. I do not look like a girl." He said, heatedly. He was not happy, and it sent a chill through Sasuke the way he said 'I'. he twisted the comb a few more times, making Sasuke's hair fall around his face in raven black curls. He was getting irritated.
"Would you stop doing that? I don't like my hair curly." He said, tugging slightly at one of the ringlets. Neji grinned.
"Don't touch." He said, striking his hand away with his comb, twisting a few more locks of hair into spirals. Sasuke was getting anxious to see himself, since there were no mirrors in the 'salon'. Finally, Neji stopped twisting with his comb and put it back on the table, smirking satisfied.
"Don't diss my beautiful hair, when you're doesn't look too hot either." He sneered, and Sasuke heard a door open quietly behind him.
"Neji-kun, what are you doing?" Came a small, mouse-like voice. Sasuke spun around, his curls flying, to see who it was. It was a small, frail girl with the same kind of eyes as Neji, but she was defiantly a girl. Her voice was high and worried.
"Don't worry, Hinata. This guy just said my hair looks like a girl's." he said dryly. Hinata's eyes widened, and she looked apologetically at Sasuke as she walked over to him.
"I'll…um…lead you out now…" she said, grabbing his wrist and hurrying out the door. She bowed, muttered 'I'm sorry', and closed the door in his face. He was fairly sure he looked like Shirley Temple or Annie, with all his little ringlets hanging in his eyes. He sighed, walking off to find the others.
