Peace OverPopularity

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Ten Years Ago,

Muffled sobs fill the air of the otherwise quiet park. In the distance cars zoom by, the engines making a soft buzzing sound as they passed one another. The crying six year old, however, paid no mind as she unsuccessfully willed her tears to stop.

She was seated below a large oak tree on the far side of the empty November playground. Her knees were pushed up to her chest with arms wrapped over each knee and her face buried in the gap between. He body shivered and raked with her sobs and her medium-length red hair was in disarray.

She'd been crying for what felt like hours and the front of her purple shirt was warm and damp. What would her parents do if they saw her now? The thought only brought more fat tears to roll down her childish cheeks and land on the grass below.

A shuffle and the feeling of another presence came to her attention and she looked up wide-eyed, forgetting her most likely awful appearance.

Before her stood a tall girl around her age with slightly wavy orange hair, a smile on her face as she offered her hand.

"I'm Mei."


Karin Watanabe gasped and her upper body flew up into a sitting position. Her redish eyes skittered across her large bedroom disorientated and her right hand subconsciously clutched her chest above her frantically beating heart. After a few seconds her tense body relaxed a bit and her heart went back to a normal pace.

I haven't had that nightmare in a while…

Karin shook her head of her pointless thoughts and stood from her king sized bed. She stretched for a moment and headed over to the mirror in her bathroom, frowning once she saw her reflection. He head throbbed slightly and her face showed how her body felt—

Hungover.

She scowled at the dark bags under her eyes and reached for her always-handy foundation. She struggled to unscrew the round black top for a moment but finally got the container open and the smell of minerals floated up at her. She tapped the pale liquid lightly before looking back at the mirror and reaching up to apply generous (too much) amounts under each eye and over any blemishes.

Within two minutes she was finished and she quickly rinsed off her hands and headed downstairs. She walked slowly from both her handover due to the party last night and her dread of seeing her family.

Karin's father, being the successful business man he is, wasn't home very often. She was thankful for that for various reasons. However, the few times he was home there was always hell to be paid for some reason or another.

Karin was convinced the man took notes of all the things he could blame her for. He'd begin with a normal enough complaint, "why did you fail this test". Then it quickly became a tedious nit-picking she had become accustomed to over her sixteen years.

"You drink too much orange juice."

"Why aren't you wearing those shoes your grandmother bought you?"

"Where the hell is your napkin?"

"You can't do anything right, can you."

"Has your mother been teaching you to walk like that?"

And of course, to make matters worse, her mother would be join in as well. It seemed to be a cycle, dad gets mad at Karin which overflows to Mrs. Watanabe who in turn is upset at Karin for getting her in trouble.

Karin stopped on the last stair to the living room when she heard a gruff male voice to in the dining room to her left.

"Where the hell is she, does she always sleep in so late?"

Her father.

Karin's right fist clenched on the rail of the stair and her other hand brushed against a tender spot on her side that caused her to flinch slightly.

It seemed today would be another day of bruises and scars.


Bright blue radiantly shone as the early morning sun poured through Ino's white lace curtains on three snoozing girls.

One of these girls, Tenten, immediately awoke from the sudden warmth and brightness in her face. She stifled a yawn and attempted to sit up only to realize something on her arm and chest was holding her in place. She tiredly turned her head to the right to see what the object was, long dark brown locks falling over her face slightly. Her eyebrows scrunched together to see a sleeping Ino's right leg on her. Suddenly the memories and self-awareness came back to her sleepy form and she remembered Ino's sleep over last night.

A glace below revealed an also sleeping Hinata in a more reserved position with both hands under her head like a pillow.

Tenten turned her head back towards the ceiling and resisted the urge to groan. Just her luck.

Today she was that one person at sleepovers that wakes up before everyone else and has to sit there awkwardly for another hour until someone else wakes up.

She silently sighed and began the wait, cursing Ino for being in a position where she couldn't move without making the blonde.

Luckily, Tenten only had to wait a few minutes until Ino and Hinata comically woke up at the same time, looking as confused as her until their brains processed where they were and why.

Ino sat up and stretched with a loud yawn while Tenten relished in finally being able to stretch herself.

"G'morning," Ino greeted lazily.

Tenten grunted and Hinata had the decency to form a verbal reply.

"Last night was fun," She announced.

Ino frowned and the blue schemed bedroom grew silent for a long moment.

Tenten was the one to break the silence.

"I've had enough of this," Ino and Hinata snapped their eyes at the brunette in surprise.

"Stop pretending everything is fine and Sakura isn't a big deal! This whole sleepover was completely different without her and frankly boring. Why didn't you talk to her more, Ino!? We all know what's going to happen if we don't stop Karin and Mei!"

Ino glared at Tenten and Hinata looked between her friends worriedly.

"Sakura is old enough to do what she wants, I'm not her mother. Who are we to keep her from who she hangs out with or what she wants."

"Good friends!" Tenten shot back just as quickly.

"Guys—" Hinata shyly called to stop the steadily heating argument. She was quickly ignored.

"You wouldn't understand Tenten, your life has always been perfect!"

"As if you're one to tal-!"

"STOP!"

Tenten and Ino both turned to the usually reserved Hyuuga flabbergasted at the volume she'd just reached. Hinata gave stern looks to them both and they promptly shut their mouths.

"Arguing isn't helping either cause right now. I think we should really sit down and hear each other out like civilized human beings."

All three nodded and turned their bodies to face each other in a small triangle shape. Ino and Tenten sat in "criss-cross apple sauce" while Hinata, with a night gown on, sat in a traditional Japanese style.

"First," Tenten began making eye contact with Ino, "Why did you give up being popular anyway?"

Ino sighed and looked down.

"It happened about three years ago,"


A/N: Terrible cliffhanger, I know. XD

Stay tuned?