Hey guys! I'm back! –dodges kunai- yeah…I love you too.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, otherwise I'd have more privacy!! –glares- Yeah, you know who I'm talking about. To the rest of my reviewers don't be confused. There is only one person in particular that I'm thinking about right now. I hope you're reading this and feel guilty. Jerk.
"B3."
"BINGO!"
"Kiba you moron! That's not bingo! It's not even lined up! What kind of crack-head version of this game are you playing?" Temari scolded while hitting the poor dog-boy upside the head. I winced as I heard a crack. That had to hurt.
Shikamaru, who was stretched across the dingy looking couch, yawned. "Temari, do you have to be so troublesome?"
She whirled to face him, her dark eyes narrowed dangerously. I suddenly felt like hiding. Temari can be scary when she wants to be. The rest of the time she's…scary. Right now we were participating in our semi-annual semi-sleepover. I came up with the title myself. Ordinarily we do dumb stuff like roller skating, but as of late we had grown a little more distant so our amazing friend Temari decided to host our semi-annual semi-sleepover at her apartment.
Her apartment is pretty nice. It has two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen area, a full bathroom, and a few random closets. The carpeting looks like something out of the 70's but is unbelievably soft which is why I'm walking around barefoot.
I turned back to my three friends who were all arguing. In a fit of rage, Kiba grabbed all the bingo equipment and shoved it back into the box. "I hate this game! Only old ladies play it!"
I rolled my eyes. Temari stomped over. "DON'T YOU DARE-" punch "SMASH-" punch "My" kick to the groin "GAMES!"
Shikamaru winced as he stared down sympathetically at the pile of broken bones formerly known as Kiba. Poor guy. He always gets it bad. Temari's not the only girl who beats him up. Almost every girl he's hit on beats him up, which is weird. If Neji and Sasuke weren't attending school, Kiba could've easily been one of the most popular guys there. I mean, he has the wild but nice hair; wolfish grin, fun loving attitude and all… but unfortunately all the girls have fallen for the stoic emo boys.
"You guys are stupid." I laughed.
Temari turned to me and grinned, "I know aren't they?"
"Actually, I kinda meant you too."
Before she could reply, Kiba bounded over her couch and ran into the kitchen. "Is there anything to eat in here?" he called out from inside the refrigerator.
"Oh no he didn't." Temari's nostrils flared. Weird, I only heard about people's nostril's flaring in books. Yet here she stood, looking like one of those bulls you see in cartoons. I took a step back. "KIBA! GET YOUR SORRY –censored- OUT OF MY –censored- REFRIDGERATOR BEFORE I –censored- KICK YOUR –censored-"
My eye twitched. I glanced at Shikamaru whose eye was also twitching. "She's your girlfriend." I pointed out.
"Sometimes I wonder if she's even female…" he muttered under his breath.
I grinned. It felt so good hanging out with my friends again. After my meeting with the League at the photo shoot, I was all for some friend bonding time.
Kiba limped out of the kitchen. He fell to his knees in front of Shikamaru with a look of utter desperation in his eyes. "Don't go in there!" he cried dramatically "She's evil I tell you! Evil!"
"It can't be that bad." I said as I reached for a half-empty bag of chips. Mmm… sour cream and onion.
Temari came out with a triumphant grin on her face. She winked at me as she slung an arm around Shikamaru's shoulder. "So," she said, "What fun game should we play next?"
"How about something less violent?" I suggested. Kiba nodded eagerly.
Shikamaru glanced at me through half-lidded eyes. "Like what?"
"Truth or dare?"
Kiba shook his head "Nah. That's only fun if you have cute girls around." He took a look at Temari and my angry faces and quickly said, "I mean, cute girls that you haven't grown up with!"
We glared at him.
"Again I say, like what?" That boy is too lazy for his own good. His parents should get him involved in an exercise program. I grinned at the thought of Shikamaru doing aerobics. That would be funny.
"What are you smiling at?" Temari asked as she propped her feet up on her coffee table.
I shook my head. "Nothing. So… what kind of game is safe and nonviolent?"
Kiba raised his hand.
"We could play monopoly…"
Kiba began waving his hand.
"…or chess… but then that would mean two people would be left out."
By now Kiba was doing a dance on the couch.
Temari glared "Stop dancing fool!"
"I know but I have an idea!"
We looked at him dubiously "You… are having an idea… impossible." We said in unison. It's freaky how we do that.
He decided to ignore us "We could play…" he leaned forward for a dramatic effect "charades!"
I stared at him in surprise. That idea was actually pretty good…which was a shock. Usually he suggests something stupid.
"Well?" I turned to the other two "How does charades sound? I know I'm in."
The Inuzuka leapt across the couch to hug me from where I sat on the floor. I struggled with him for a moment before I finally gave him one good hit to the head.
Temari and Shikamaru considered for a moment before nodding.
"Alright!" I clapped my hands excitedly "Charades it is!"
"A zombie!"
"A gymnast!"
It was Kiba's turn and we were trying to figure out what the heck he was doing. He had grabbed a bed sheet and wrapped it firmly around his neck before plopping on the ground and leaning his upper torso up with his arms extended forward. I thought my zombie guess was good he looked exactly like what. Although I didn't understand why a zombie needed a bed sheet. Maybe the zombie was waking up?
"Temari in the morning!" Temari glared at Shikamaru.
He shrugged innocently "What? You look like that every time you wake up."
"He's telling the truth." We turned to see Gaara, Temari's red-haired young brother, coming out of his bedroom. He was wearing baggy black pants and a cream colored button down shirt with the top three buttons undone. He looked very comfortable.
"LIAR!" Temari yelled.
Gaara shrugged as he seated himself on the ground beside me. I smiled "Hey, sleep well?"
He shrugged again, a gesture which he uses very frequently.
Kiba hit the ground to capture our attention before rising up once more. I stared at him blankly. His charade made no sense at all. "A zombie trying to hug someone in the morning?" I guessed.
He glared at me. Sheesh.
I turned to Gaara who was narrowing his jade eyes at Kiba as he contemplated his motions. Gaara was a very calculative person. Sometimes he would spend half an hour deciding on cereals. He is pretty smart, but his movements are so languid they drive me crazy. If I want something I want it now, whereas he has to think about it. He also has the looks which would make him popular at our school; the only problem was he didn't attend. At least not when he felt like it.
"It would help if your charade made sense." He said after a short period.
Kiba glared even harder. He raised his hands, showing that he had an idea. I hoped so because this current idea sucked.
He ran to the corner of the room and did his little 'rise' thing again. This time he bounded towards where we were and grabbed Temari from behind. He then dipped his head, as though he were biting her neck.
"A pimp?" I asked.
Kiba slapped his forehead so hard that I could even feel it. He repeated the motion, this time more violently. Halfway across the room he tripped over that stupid bed sheet and ended up sprawled on the floor, with both he and Temari tangled up.
"An idiot with a bed sheet wrapped around his neck?" Shikamaru and Gaara deadpanned.
"Ooohhhh…" I said knowingly "You're doing something naughty."
I heard laughter from behind me. All of us turned around to see none other than Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke standing in the doorway, wearing grins on their faces. Well, Sasuke's was more like a smirk but you get the idea.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY APARTMENT!" the lump that I could only guess was Temari screeched.
Naruto rolled his eyes as though we were stupid. "Duh, we were invited."
I squinted up at them. "This is a friends sleepover." I said gesturing towards the others "Why are you here?"
"Because we're friends!"
"Says who?" Temari, Kiba, and I demanded.
The blonde walked right in as though he owned the place. "Gaara invited me!"
"HE WHAT?"
We fixated our glares on Gaara who stared back at us calmly. "What?"
"You know this idiot?" Kiba asked, pointing his cloth covered hand in Naruto's direction.
"HEY!"
Gaara nodded solemnly. "Naruto is my friend. I invited him. You never said that we couldn't invite anyone else. You merely said that this was a friends sleepover, and since he is my friend he is not to be excluded."
Those were the most words I've heard him say in a week. I gaped at him. Apparently, my sentiments were shared because the rest of us shared similar expressions.
"So then why is Sasuke here?" Shikamaru asked.
Naruto grinned, "Because Sasuke is MY friend!"
I glanced up at the Uchiha who smirked down at me. "Surprise."
Okay, stay calm Tenten. Just breath. Don't look mad… be calm, cool, calculative. You can do this! Be cool.
"Why are you glaring at me?" Gaara asked.
I blinked. "Oh, no reason." To make up for the glare I attempted a charming smile.
"Why are you grimacing at me?" Gaara asked, this time while scooting away from me.
Sasuke seated himself on the edge of the couch beside Naruto. Temari just barely managed to free herself from her bed sheet prison, leaving Kiba wrapped up like a cocoon.
Naruto stared at her blankly as she huffed her way over right beside Shikamaru. "What were you guys doing anyway?"
"We were playing charades." I explained through gritted teeth. Smiling is a lot harder than people make it look.
"Yeah I got that." He nodded "But what were you trying to be?"
"He was a vampire." Sasuke said, saying his second phrase since he entered the building. Wow Sasuke, sometimes you amaze me. "Couldn't you tell, with the cape and all?"
We stared at him blankly.
He shook his head once and looked away, obviously done with speaking. We sat in a very much awkward silence. Sometimes I feel like I can kill Gaara. I glared at the redhead seated beside me. He met my glare with a cool gaze of his own.
"So…" I half said, half coughed "Sasuke why are you here? I know that Naruto invited you and all, but aren't you like antisocial?"
Sasuke's dark eyes stared down at me for a few moments, making me feel embarrassed. He could make even the smartest of people feel stupid with that kind of gaze. "I actually came to see you."
I felt my cheeks heat up as my friends turned towards me with suspicious looks on their faces. Even Shikamaru looked interested. "M-me?" I squeaked.
"There's a big charity ball-banquet thing going on this Friday, and I want you to go as my date." He said as though my all my best friends weren't there watching us in shock.
"W-what?" Temari and I stuttered at the same time. She turned to me. "Since when were you and Sasuke so…close."
"Only recently." He answered for me, with an amused look in his eyes. I glowered. "So, can you go?"
I felt my entire being freeze up. If I said yes then my friends would freak, if I said no they'd freak. There was no right and wrong.
"You should definitely go then!" Temari chirped up suddenly. I stared at her in shock.
"Say what?"
She grinned, "You and Sasuke going together would be the coolest thing! Then those loser fan girls at our school would know what happens when they mess with the two baddest-"
"What's today?" I said cutting off her speech. If there's one thing she loves, it's messing with the fan girls. Maybe going with Sasuke won't be so bad. I mean, it certainly wasn't a crime, and it'd definitely make my parents happy. Thinking about my parents reminded me of the whole land/forced marriage thing. I blanched. I had almost forgot about that.
"Tuesday." Gaara, Sasuke, and Shikamaru grunted in unison.
I thought about it for a moment. That would give me five day's warning. I could cancel if I wanted to. That and maybe Anko could help me find a good outfit. "I guess I could…" I trailed off as Temari death glared me. "I mean, yes! I'd love to!"
Sasuke smirked. "Hn." Wow I feel so special.
Temari squealed in excitement and grabbed me in a tight hug. Shikamaru smirked. Kiba stared at us blankly with the stupid sheet still wrapped around his neck. Gaara nodded.
"Do you know what this means?" Temari asked, while still hugging me. I felt my oxygen slip away "It means that you'll get to meet Tohru!"
My eyes widened. "Wha-?"
She whipped out a magazine from under the couch and opened to page 36. "See, here in the ball's preparations they talk about the celebrities who will be attending. Look right here. It says 'Hyuuga Neji and TOHRU!!" she yelled the last part.
I stared at the page in shock. Sure enough it said exactly that, minus the squealing of course. I couldn't believe it.
Gaara's bedroom door slammed open. "Did someone say Tohru?" Kankurou, Temari's freaky younger brother, asked as he charged into the living room. Like his sister he is a major Tohru fan and part time stalker. One time I had to have a police officer taser him off my limo.
"AAAHHH!!" Naruto screamed, sounding suspiciously like a girl, as he jumped into Sasuke's lap.
Shikamaru, Kiba, and I grinned. We all had similar reactions when we first saw him. He has this weird face paint on like he's in a cult or something. It's pretty freaky when you're not used to it. Even Sasuke looked a little startled.
I used that moment of shock to excuse myself. "I have to call my mom and tell her. She's a major Tohru fan." At least that lie was believable. Everyone knows that my Mom likes staying up to date on the latest celebrity gossip.
Sasuke gave me a look as I slipped into Gaara's room. Who cares what he thinks? I had a bone to pick with my manager.
Gaara's half of the room was surprisingly clean and normal looking. It was a little dark in there; most of his furniture was deep shades instead of happy colors like Temari's. Kankurou's half of the room was full of puppets and what looked suspiciously like dolls. I plopped down on his neatly made bed and whipped out my cell phone.
"Hello?" Anko's groggy voice croaked.
"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?" I shrieked into the phone.
"Toh-Tenten…it's too early to scream at me."
"IT'S EIGHT O' CLOCK IN THE EVENING!"
"So?"
I forced myself to calm down. I didn't want to draw too much attention to myself. "Why…" I said through gritted teeth "Did you tell the press that Tohru was going to the ball with Hyuuga Neji?"
"Because you are?" she asked, sounding confused.
I took a deep breath "Tenten," I said slowly "Is going to the ball with Sasuke."
"So? Just tell him that something came up."
"I think he planned this. He knows."
"WHAT?" It was her turn to scream now. I held the phone away from my ears. She was as loud as a high school cheerleader.
"It was an accident. He just kind of found out."
"Then tell him you have to cancel." I could tell that her teeth were gritted. She only sounded like that when she was really angry or really tired.
"I said I think he planned this. He wants me to tell everyone the truth." I sighed, sounding tired.
There was a pause. "Figure it out. I can't take back the information now; otherwise there'd be more than enough gossip for the two of us. Sorry kid, there's not much I can do."
I sighed again "Fine."
"You have five days to get rid of the Uchiha."
"He's a difficult opponent. He might just get his way."
"What kind of talk is that?" she demanded "Where's the spunky spirit I grew to love? Fight the power! Bye!"
With that she was gone. I stared at my cell phone for a moment and sighed. I really needed to sort things out.
Clenching my fists, I opened the door and stepped back into the living room.
"FOR THE LAST TIME, IT'S FACE PAINT NOT MAKEUP!" Kankurou bellowed at Naruto.
I smiled "Aw, poor Kanky-chan…" I said teasingly.
The boy glared at me. Okay, well he's not really a boy, but still he's boyish enough to be called one. Wait, what was I saying again? Oh yes, he glared at me.
"Stop glaring." I commanded, I turned to Sasuke and glared
"What did your Mom say?" he asked smoothly, knowing full well that I didn't call her.
I forced a smile "She was excited."
"Good. She ought to be."
Temari glomped me again "Oh this is going to be so exciting! We'll do your hair, makeup, and everything! You'll look way better than those stinkin' celebrities!"
As she rambled on, I found myself in a glaring match with Sasuke. He just smirked and turned away "My brother should be here any minute."
I blinked "Itachi? Why?"
"He's coming to pick me up. I wasn't going to stay. Naruto is though."
I looked towards the blonde who began grinning broadly. "Great, leave US with the idiot."
"HEY!"
Sasuke smirked his arrogant little smirk before popping a cheese puff into his mouth. Darn, now I want a cheese puff. I wasn't going to bow down and ask him though, so I plopped myself on the ground as far away from him as possible.
There was a knock on the door. Sasuke nodded "That's probably him."
Kankurou rose up steadily to answer the door. He swung it wide open.
"AH!" Itachi gave a short yell. I laughed.
Kankurou gave an indignant snort before stomping off to his bedroom. The older Uchiha entered the room and looked around until his gaze locked with Sasuke's. "Come on, let's go. Tenten, nice to see you again."
Temari gave me a shocked look but I was too busy avoiding her gaze. Filled with sudden impulse, I grabbed the younger Uchiha's wrist and dragged him towards Temari's room. "Itachi, I have to talk to your brother. It'll only be a minute!"
"Fine."
Before anyone could stop me, I dragged Sasuke into Temari's room and slammed the door behind me. Unlike her brother's room, Temari's was moderately messy. I was grateful that she didn't have any embarrassing underwear lying around the floor. Instead there were scattered papers and textbooks. The walls were a pale green.
Sasuke released himself from my grip and stared at me. "What did you want?"
"Why are you doing this?"
He shrugged "To get you to tell the truth. Duh."
I never thought I'd see the day when Sasuke would say Duh. I shook my head "I can't! My parents would kill me!"
"You'd survive. You should at least tell your friends."
"Shikamaru wouldn't care but Kiba and Temari would be furious! They'd probably never speak to me again!" I wished that he could understand. I leaned against her dresser, facing him. "She's done embarrassing stuff around Tohru…embarrassing! One time she dove on the limo! If she ever found out that she did a humiliating face plant on MY limo she'd never forgive me! She'd probably kill me!"
Sasuke's face suddenly turned grave. Maybe I had got through to him. When I looked more closely I realized that he was looking past me. My heart stopped beating for a second there.
"Yes…" a too familiar voice, said tightly "she probably would."
The whole universe was about to collapse. I shut my eyes tightly to prevent any tears. No, not now. "T-Temari." I choked on the name of the person behind me. It was official…my life, my friendship, everything…was over. I turned around to face my best friend and boy did she look pissed.
End Chapter
Semi-kinda-cliffhanger. Hurrah. I don't know why I'm so apathetic about this story. Oh well, leave a review will ya? It'd make me happy.
Oh yeah, I'm kinda thinking of discontinuing. Lemme know what you think. Maybe I'll let some poor unfortunate soul continue it, eh?