. Lucifer .
Naruto Fanfic by Sunshinegirl09
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Only storyline.
Tenten
Chapter 9: Ice Cream Bonds
My vision was fuzzy as I awoke. My hands were shaking but I felt much better than before. I glanced around me and finally my fingers found my phone again. It was 10:30 AM. School had already begun and I had missed my first two classes. I should be in AP Geography right about now ... but it wasn't like Kakashi would notice my absence anyway. He probably wasn't even teaching the class today either. He hated Monday's and often told us to read our books.
I sighed though. Being better now and rested, I probably should've gone to school now.
So I rolled out of my agonizing bed and shuffled into the bathroom where I found my wrinkled uniform. I didn't really care that it was wrinkled and I just threw it over myself. Then I walked back into my bedroom and dug out a granola bar from my book bag. I stuck it in my mouth and went back into the bathroom, where I started doing my makeup, yes with the bar in my mouth. I slowly gnawed at it then while I put my hair in a sloppy, lopsided bun. From one of my drawers I grabbed a pin and slipped into my hair. Then I brushed my teeth after finally finishing my granola bar.
I wanted to listen to my iPod but I didn't think it would be a good thing to do when walking out late from school so I just stuffed it in my book bag, along with my cellphone and homework that I managed to do on the plane late last night. I hoped that it was accurate because I might've been a bit too tired while doing it.
Neji was nowhere in sight at the moment either. I wondered where he disappeared off to after saving me. I couldn't really remember much of what happened hours ago. All I remembered was drinking something that tasted a little bit like maple syrup, cold maple syrup.
I slipped on my school shoes and put the room key in my book bag, suddenly wondering what happened to my second key.
"Oh God." I muttered. "Neji probably took it, didn't he?"
It scared me slightly now that I knew Neji could freely walk into my room whenever he wanted ... then again. He's done it more than once. So I should've been used to it.
I shrugged, walking out the door. Most of the students were at school but there were a couple stragglers who slept in late. I could tell because their hair was messy and they were jumping around, tweaking out over everything. Compared to me that is. My facial expression was still pretty tired so I hadn't really cared in the first place.
It was when I was just about at the entrance, I heard some grunting sounds. So I walked around the double doors into a corner and sure enough. There was someone with cyan blue eyes staring about at me. It was Ino and she was wrapping something around her thin leg.
"I-Ino!" I exclaimed, looking at her thigh. It was bleeding a lot.
"Uh, Tenten ..." She mumbled.
"Are you okay?" I asked, looking at her leg which was freaking me out a bit. I wasn't one who was comfortable with blood.
"Yeah I'm fine." She replied confused.
"Here let me help!" I offered, kneeling down in front of her.
"No, it's okay." Ino insisted. "I got it."
"No really." I told her. "I'm good at this."
I unwrapped her bandages and did my best not to flinch at the wound.
"So what happened?" I inquired.
Ino sighed.
"I was doing an assassination and the target had a knife." She explained. "He managed to slash my thigh before I killed him."
"Hmm..." I mumbled. "Ouch."
I wrapped the wound carefully. I was trying to mimic what my mom, Yuri, did when I had a bad wound on my arm. I had to make sure it wasn't too tight, but covered all areas and was secured tightly, with minimal pain and not too much pressure at any certain part.
When I finished, I saw Ino smile, the first time for me that is seeing her.
"Thanks," She said. "So why are you late?"
I rubbed the back of my neck.
"I was poisoned." I admitted.
Ino's eyes widened. She was surprised as much as Neji was.
"With Devil's poison?" She wondered.
I nodded.
"Yeah, but I got the Serum so, I'm okay now."
Ino sighed in relief.
"That's good." She remarked. "I'm still afraid of the day that it's going to happen to me."
I nodded again.
"It's scary."
"You know Neji's had it twice." Ino informed me, an intense look in her eyes.
My jaw dropped.
"You're kidding right?" I asked, amazed.
"Yes," Ino confirmed. "It's true! He's had it twice and refused to let it take over. The first time he had the Serum and the second time he didn't. He just has a lot of resistance."
"Wow." I sat back on my heels, still having my knees against my chest. "That's amazing."
"Yeah." Ino agreed. "Well we should go." She said, glancing at her phone.
She stood and so did I. Her bandage almost went to her knee, so it went below her skirt.
And that was the moment Ino and I become friends.
oOoOo
AP Geography was just about to end when I walked in. Kakashi was, of course, reading his book and not paying any attention to us whatsoever. Everyone in class was reading an assignment from the textbook and taking notes.
So quickly, with five minutes left in class, I sat down quietly and opened my book and notes and with my Totoro pencil, started to write things down from the assignment on the board.
Read pages 196-199 and take notes.
I didn't even realized that Kiba and Shikamaru were behind me.
"Someone's late." Kiba started throwing balls of paper at me.
I moaned, turning around at the idiot and threw some back, trying not to laugh during the process.
"I had a ... dilemma this morning." I explained.
"Elaborate." Shikamaru mumbled, his head down and resting on his book. I seriously had though he was asleep before.
"Poison." I sighed.
"That poison?" Kiba asked me.
"Yes that poison." I muttered.
"Did you get the Serum?" Shikamaru inquired, looking up now with interest.
"Yeah." I replied. "Thankfully."
"Are you talking or working?" Kakashi called from his desk, not looking up from his book.
"Gomen," I muttered, stealing a last look from the two boys behind me.
oOoOo
So now at lunch, I sat by Ino, Sakura and Hinata. I don't know why Ino and I hadn't conversed before. I think I misjudged her because of what she told me my first day. Really, she was only warning me but I took it a bit too seriously. It's not like she was intentionally being mean.
"Tenten-chan!" Naruto cried, anxiously.
"What?" I demanded, looking at the obnoxious blonde, who never had his uniform anything but loosely fit.
"Can you buy me some Ramen?" He begged.
I frowned.
"Fine."
I grabbed his arm and asked him to pick out the Ramen. I bought him another one for 700 yen and finally sat back down.
"Monday's suck." I heard Choji say, annoyed.
Shikamaru sighed.
"Choji you only say that because they don't have your favorite chips on Monday." He pointed out.
Choji blinked.
"So?" He whined.
I rolled my eyes and turned back to my food, taking a bite of my Onigiri.
"Tenten!" Lee cried. "I didn't know you liked Onigiri too!"
"Lee, I have it almost everyday." I told him.
Lee laughed loudly and continued to eat his "youthful food" as he called it.
It was then when I realized that happy I was to be here at this table with so many people who were close enough to friends as I was going to get. There was something about them that was different from my other friends. They seemed to band together because they were all in the same situation. We were all tied in with a deal with the Devil, it turned us strangers into siblings.
Of course I didn't like the assassinations and late night trips to China (which I hoped weren't daily) but being with other people who were stuck in the same hellhole as me with the same issues made me feel much better. I felt like I belonged with them.
oOoOo
Neji wasn't looking at me in Chinese. He didn't look at me at lunch either. I didn't really get and part of me didn't care. But another part of me was worried because I didn't want to have such a bad relationship with my partner. I wondered if he was mad at me ... I didn't want him to be at all but couldn't help thinking so when he refused to look at me.
He was probably absent coming in today too except unlike me he probably actually was marked. Kakashi didn't even care for me.
"Neji ..." I mumbled. "Why you little ..."
"What are you muttering about?"
I jumped. Neji had spoke up.
"P-Pardon?" I asked, turning around past the other students who were diligently working in their textbooks.
Neji rolled his eyes.
"Fucking plotting against me." He said.
I was about to respond before Anko cut us off.
"What are you maggots doing?" She demanded. "Cut the chit-chat."
"Yes, Anko-sensei." I quietly answered.
oOoOo
Violin was like a safe haven for me today. It was a nice, peaceful and relaxed hour of the day in which I played Sakura, Sakura perfectly. I was happy that I could finally get all of the shifting and Iruka seemed to like it too but he kept giving me s strange look.
"There's something missing." He kept mumbling.
I kept playing, but couldn't shake off his odd stare.
"What's wrong?" I finally asked, after the second run through.
"The emotion ..." Iruka remarked. "It doesn't seem sad enough."
I cocked my head.
"What should I do?" I asked.
"Could you ..." He trailed off. "Add more vibrato."
I looked up in thought.
"Yeah I suppose." I answered.
"Okay, try again with more vibrato."
So I did. It sounded really cool and Iruka seemed much happier than before.
"That's almost perfect." He explained. "There's still a little something but I haven't quite figure it out yet."
I shrugged, not knowing what to say.
"We'll work on it tomorrow." Iruka said. "You need to get to your next class."
oOoOo
In Biology we suddenly got assigned seats and what do you know ... all of the girls were in the front while the guys were stuck in the back. We all knew that Jiraiya had done this on purpose for his own perverted reasons that sickened us. At least Sakura sat behind me in the second row.
We were dissecting frogs, which I wasn't too happy about. It really disgusted me and I ended up getting frog guts on my cheek. But my lab partner was Naruto, all the way from the back row. We convinced Jiraiya to pick the partners randomly or we would freak.
oOoOo
I stretched out as the final bell rung while I was packing things into my book bag. I only had Chinese homework and had to work on my violin, which I picked up from the music room on my way out the door. It was relaxing that the day was over and I didn't have much homework.
"OK!
Shoot a crazy gun at my heart.
Fumidashite ii no ka? Ima no mama
Sunao no tayotte nakushite shimau nara
Itsumo Naite buttobase"
My cellphone rang from inside my book bag. I changed my ring tone quite often so it shouldn't be a surprise every time the song changes.
Mom.
I picked up the phone.
"Mom?"
"Tenten!" Yuri cried.
"What? What is it?" I asked, getting worried.
"Why haven't I seen you?" She wondered.
I fell over, nearly crushing my book bag.
"Mom..." I mumbled into the phone dramatically. "YOU SCARED ME!"
"Oh ... sorry." She apologized.
I grumbled some incoherent things before returning to the conversation.
"So...you wanted to see me?" I wondered.
"Yeah! I miss my daughter!" She remarked. "How come you don't come back over the weekends?"
"Well the bus fare," I told her, lying and picking up my bag and starting to walk again.
"I'll give you money when you come over! At least come today!" She pleaded.
I sighed.
"Mom ... on a Monday?"
"Yes!"
Another sigh.
"Okay fine." I agreed, just about to hang up.
"Wait." She said. "Do you have any friends?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Of course I have friends! You think I'm some anti-social-" I stopped, at the dorm door, realizing what she was doing.
"Bring them over!" She exclaimed.
I sighed. There was no stopping her.
"I'll see who can come." I muttered, highly doubting my friends wanted to come over to my house and to God knows what...
We hung up and I walked up to my dorm, opening the door with my key. Then I just laid on my bed for five minutes, listening to Buono's "Take It Easy" on my iPod. I liked them. The three girls were pretty inspiring and they were on one my pins on my book bag.
Finally, when their song was over and "Bravo Bravo" came on, I whipped out my cellphone and started to send a text to all my friends.
In the end, everyone ended up texting back to come except Shino, Sasuke and Neji.
Sakura told Ino and she decided to come too.
I met my friends by the bus stop and apologized.
"Sorry guys," I told them. "My mom just wants to see me and wanted me to bring my friends."
Just as I was explaining, a voice caught my attention.
"Panda, where the hell do you think you're going?" Neji asked me.
"Why don't you check your text messages, you turd." I mumbled.
Neji looked at his phone and frowned but before he could say anything I cut him off.
"Oh look the bus is coming!" I cried. "Looks like you'll just have to come with in case we have any sudden mission."
I grabbed his reluctant arm and he, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Kiba, Naruto, an annoyed Shikamaru, Choji, Lee and I climbed on.
oOoOo
We got to my house in four stops. I paid the bus driver the money and we climbed off.
"Your house is huge!" Naruto exclaimed.
It really wasn't that big, just big for Konoha.
"Uh ..." I said embarrassed. "I guess..."
"Oh your here!" Yuri peeked her head through the door.
"Hot damn." Kiba muttered. "How old is your fricken mom? Twenty?"
"Uh...thirty five." I remarked. "She had me when she was twenty."
Yuri came running out the door, her long silky hair flowing over her shoulders. She was wearing yellow capris and a pink shirt with a green flower on it.
We were all still in our uniforms.
Yuri came running out and noticed.
She excitedly told us, "You guys look so cool in your uniforms!"
"Oh gee thanks!" Naruto cried loudly. "Your house is so big, lady!"
Yuri smiled.
"Oh really? I'm glad you think!" She said. "Except we're not spending time in the house today."
"What are we doing?" I demanded in an eerie tone.
"Ice cream!" My mother cried in rough English.
"Yes!" Choji cheered, but Shikamaru, yanked on his hair, calming him down.
"Shall we walk?" Yuri suggested. "It's only a few blocks away."
"Sure." Sakura put in, seeing my angered state.
I was just a bit embarrassed to have my mom chilling with my new friends.
oOoOo
Kawaii Fuusen was the name. "Cute Balloon". It was my favorite ice cream parlor as a kid and still was.
"Looks yummy." Naruto cried, bouncing up and down.
"Sasuke Uchiha!" Sakura was screaming into her phone. "You better get your chicken ass over here this instant!'
I twitched at her harshness but then pulled her into line.
"I'll pay for all of you." Yuri smiled. "Get whatever you want."
Lots of us got ichigo (strawberry) flavored, Hinata, Sakura, Ino and I to be honest. Naruto got his cookie dough. Choji got Haley's Comet which was like chocolate and nuts and caramel. Kiba got like this triple chocolate combo that scared me. It was huge. Neji ordered this awkward yogurt thing that I made sure to make fun of in front of him. Shikamaru got mint but only ate half until he basically fell asleep, earning a slap outside the head from Ino. Lee ordered a plain vanilla ice cream cone that made me wonder. When Sasuke finally arrived, annoyed, he ordered regular chocolate.
We were still missing Shino though. Frowny face.
But sitting at the parlor with my mom and friends made me realize the bonds we were creating. I adored the moment of sweet ice cream with people I enjoyed being around; I cherished it and to be quite honest I never wanted it to end.
A/N: Just a little chappie to build the relationship between the characters because they need to interact more =) Lol poor Shino missing out. I'll get him in. But I'm craving some ice cream right now anyway. Oh well. I liked writing this though I got distracted a couple times. Sorry I didn't update yesterday by the way. I had over six hours of dance -_- on a Saturday. Not fun. I nearly blacked out from not eating. Anyway, today is a relaxation dayyy so review guys please =)
