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[Welcome Beta to the Anima Project Initiative; the Depths of Souls and Music]
DISCLAIMER - I do not own Naruto
{You are now listening to the Anima Project Podcast. Now playing: ~Archived Soul;Rock Lee~ Vague003 – tonight}
X
[You; How many times do you want to me to say it, brat?]
[Ino Y; As many times it takes to sound believable coming from you. You always say it like your toying with me.]
[You; You're the only girl I'm bothering to pay any attention to, Ino.]
[Ino Y; Mm...]
[Ino Y; Maybe one more time?]
A small smile slipped my lips,my head shaking as I slipped my phone back into my pocket.
"Are you ready to go?" Sakura asked as, tugging her snapback smoothly on her head. She managed to capture and trap most of her wild hair, but a few pieces stuck out in every direction as it curved her face. I told her she her she needed to cut it a little more, like me, but she didn't seem to want it any shorter than her shoulder.
Something about the girls loving to pull on it. Ay, she was the one with a solid track record for picking up girls, she must know what she's doing. And while she played half court, I did clean kick flips on my own little field of picking up girls. But lately I had been laying down low.
Because Ino seemed to prefer having all my attention, and I figured I'd entertain her while I could.
Us talking seemed to go back to how it was in the last week and a half, more natural and constant as Anima continued to shift and evolve in the background. But as I messaged Ino, I told her there were rules. She had to tell me every time she was out, and she still couldn't know my name. As Sakura, Ino, and I hung out more, I did notice she mostly told the truth when she reluctantly admitted she was with friends.
In turn, she glanced at her phone less when she knew I wouldn't reply. I told her it was because she needed to be more social, and she had laughed mentioning I sounded like someone she knew.
Sigh... this shit couldn't go on forever, but I was working on it.
As the days continued, I watched Sakura at work, eyeing her closely as she got more and more confident with Ino now that she thought she was gaining more attention. I was waiting for the perfect moment to slip into the background, like the forgettable person I had always been known to be, whenever Sakura was ready to finally go in for the kill .
And unfortunately, it looked like she was finally ready to make some moves.
I knew without a shadow of a doubt, Ino's attention would be far too swept up with Sakura to even bother messaging me again. That was the moment I was waiting for to escape the trap I put myself in.
As promised, tonight we were heading to frat house for the brothers coming off the line. Their colors were black, green, and blue, so me and Sakura had settled for wearing green. She wore her varsity hoodie, the actual one, not one of her stupid collected superhero ones. Whenever we went to a frat house, she always wore her varsity jacket because the rest of the basketball team always did the same. A lot of the teams at our school represented for big events like this, promoting unity or some shit. Honestly, it was just so they could all talk shit about who's better and have a team to back them up if things got dicey. Never did, and it was usually in good fun, but you never knew.
I settled for a green, gray, and black flannel I had left unbuttoned with a white t-shirt underneath, straight fit jeans, and some black vans. My matching beanie of occasion was already primed with three blunts to take me through the night, a shot of vodka in my jean pocket, and the rest of my stash inside the pocket of my flannel.
"Yeah, definitely ready to go," I said as I patted my pockets. Grabbing my watch, keys, and wallet, gave myself a few sprays before moving to leave.
I stopped when Sakura stood there, arms held out to her side as she waited to be sprayed as well.
Narrowing my gaze, I grabbed my cologne and sprayed her a few times. She winked in thanks before moving to grab the rest of her things too.
What a smug little shit.
I pulled my phone out as Ino messaged again.
[Ino Y; Did I ask for too much?]
[You; You've been over your limit for weeks now, like the brat you are.]
[Ino Y; But I'm your brat?]
My chest ached, but I pretended the feeling wasn't there.
[You; Mm... if you were mine, I would be the one taking you out tonight.]
[Ino Y; Going to pretend your jealous?]
I frowned slightly, tugging at my beanie.
[You; Who said I was pretending...]
"Alright lets move," Sakura called from the kitchen bar table. I stuffed my phone back into my pocket, giving her a trying smile when she grinned at me, "You ready to head out?"
"Yeah, let's get going," I answered. We both moved towards the door, and like clockwork I called out, "Keys, car keys, wallet."
"Shit, I need my wallet," Sakura muttered, making a u-turn.
I watched as she did so, amusement cracking a smile out of me that didn't hold much substance.
We had been like this for years, everything was clockwork with us, but still something about the thought of watching and doing the same thing over and over seemed to shift a feeling in my chest.
And.
I think it was that feeling that caught Anima's attention...
My phone vibrated, causing me to slip it out expecting a message from Ino. Instead, it was Anima's text box.
[API Objective; Answer the following] – "[1] or [2]"
I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because it had been about two weeks now I had been apart of the beta program, but the moment the question popped up I knew it was important that I get it right.
And my heart sunk when I didn't get the message I hoped for.
[Answer Registered; Echo Location Control Settings Access denied] - *[Anima Admin Overide Control Activated; Echo Location On]
Shit. What the fuck did that mean?
"Alright, got it. Don't know why it was behind my bed," Sakura laughed, walking over with a grin, "Hey? Why didn't you meet me down the hall like usual?"
I looked up from my phone, an uneasy feeling shifting my stomach. I always believed in vibes, and everything about that very moment breathed bad vibes, but I couldn't force myself to say what I knew I should of.
That I was actually staying home.
That I'd catch her later.
That I was sorry for ditching.
But instead... A weak smile lifted my lips, "Got occupied. Let's go."
"Hell yeah, let's get lit the fuck up," Sakura cheered, moving to walk out of the door first.
And like the idiot I was, I fell right into step with her.
X
[Ino Y; Wow, I didn't even know they gave the option to see the location of everyone's account that granted permission.]
[Ino Y; The more curious thing is that it says you're close by... You must be squirming.]
As Sakura drove towards the party, the drive being lengthy already, I could have begged God himself to make the trip a little longer. It was like inching towards a fucking disaster, like a train crash waiting to happen and I was on board, but there was nothing I could do.
Anima had fucked me this time around, the objective questions finally biting me in the ass. I had managed to press each answer that represented me perfectly when it came to scenarios, but the 'one or two' questions were something that you simply just couldn't control.
Like life.
It was like the random factor, the shit that you simply couldn't grasp on to even if you desperately tried, and it looked like this time there was no escape.
I had stalled for long enough, my time was up and luck had run out.
The fucking thing took admin control from an echo location feature. And as Ino seemed to think it was amusing, knowing that I was growing more and more tense at the thought of her figuring out who I was, it only took me moments to understand what the echo location did.
It made your archive visible on a map.
A fucking map.
And while I wanted to tell Sakura that I was just gonna find a way home, it was the fact that I knew I couldn't avoid Ino forever that had me sitting here with nothing to fucking do. Now that the gang had decided to adopt her, she was literally going to be around all the time. It was either I started to go ghost, or I just attempted to explain myself before shit spiraled out of control tonight. And that was the part that had me shifting my eyes to Sakura's usual cheerful face.
Worst case scenario, she found out before I could properly explain... Fuck. I had to make sure I fixed all of this before things really did spiral. I've scene Sakura loose her cool, and it took forever to calm her the fuck down.
So I did the only thing I could do.
[You; Listen, Ino. I'm telling you... it's best if you don't.]
The statement was so vague and loose ended, but I knew she had to understand. She had been bugging to know what my name was ever since her privacy control gotten taken away, and while I would love to say the girl was an understandable person who respected privacy.
I instead attempted to swallow down the feeling of uneasiness until I managed to slam back some drinks and smoked a blunt as I read her reply.
[Ino Y; Mm... how is that fair to me?]
Christ man, I just needed a little mercy shown, but honestly I didn't fucking deserve it.
I had fucked around for too long about this shit. What the hell was I thinking.
Sakura was my best fucking friend, and I was toying with years for... what?
[Ino Y; Oh shit, you're going to be at the Sigma Chi party tonight aren't you? That's why you keep getting closer.]
Please. Just a little damn mercy.
[Ino Y; You realize, right? That I'm going to be there too?]
Her comment sounded teasing, like a cat toying with a mouse.
My jaw tightened.
[You; You're fucking with fire.]
[Ino Y; No, I'm fucking with you... because you're freaking out and everything is fine. I don't know why you're so nervous.]
[Ino Y; I've been pretty obvious about it... Haven't I?]
[Ino Y; How much I like having you around, regardless of all the little games you've been playing with me...]
I shoved my phone in my pocket, unable to stomach much more.
Fuck, okay, I was just going to have to extinguish this tonight.
Silently.
Quickly.
And fucking efficiently.
Because good recoveries were good plays, and it I felt like the second we slowed down as we turned into the neighborhood, it was game time.
"Alright fam, let's go drop some panties," Sakura said with a grin, winking at me, "Hopefully the girl she brought along is cute."
I only shifted, "Yeah, hopefully."
X
As always, Ino didn't show up for hours, leaving me practically fucking pacing as I waited for her to appear, my eyes forever locked on the opening and closing door. As the war cries of the frats pounded the walls along with the thumping bass of the music, I hardly enjoyed myself with my slammed back drinks.
Fuck, I was a complete nervous wreck, and I'm pretty sure I had gotten drunk within the first hour. But I managed to keep my cool as I eventually no longer could stand the wait. Wandering to the furthest part of the back yard, I felt as if I was waiting for my demise as I smoked.
But I had no clue where Ino was, and I didn't know how to cope with the possibility of pissing away a friendship like what me and Sakura had. It wasn't like I thought she was going to cut me off, but the dynamic would never be the same. While I could reason that might not be the case, I just knew it was.
Our friendship wasn't fragile, it was just...
We hung around each other for a reason. There was a reason she told me shit that she wouldn't breathe to the rest of the gang, and there was a reason she felt so comfortable doing it.
She trusted me.
Without a question, trusted me.
Some shit like me messaging Ino behind her back was questionable, and while it didn't dissipate all trust, the value would be lost.
And I sat there and fucked around any way.
Pulling out my last blunt, I brought it to my lips and sparked the other end. Hoping to float away as I took a big hit.
And nearly choked as I exhaled.
"Woops, didn't mean to scare you," Tenten said with a laugh as she stood above me as I laid back on the plastic long chair, "Hey, Sakura said she's been texting you, but you haven't answered your phone. I told her I saw you back here, so I came to tell you to, and I quote, 'answer your fucking phone, you dick'."
At the information, I saw I had six missed text messages from her.
There was only one reason she'd be blowing me up.
Standing, I handed Tenten the blunt, "Thanks for the message, here's your tip."
"This is what it's about Tenten. Making a decent living," Tenten joked to herself with a puff, simply watching me rush off.
I pushed through the people in the kitchen making drinks as I came from the backyard door, my eyes scanning around the frat house. It was crowded, noisy, and people kept randomly roaring in cheers, but that was all the reasons I hated coming to these types of parties.
Gave me more of a headache than a good time, but at least they weren't cheap when it came to buying alcohol. Grabbing another beer can from a random cooler on the floor, I opened it quickly and began to chug as I attempted to calm my nerves. My mind raced as I took the stairs two at a time, brushing off the females who tried to talk.
Instead, my entire focus was on finding Ino.
And it almost felt like my entire world stopped when I did, my eyes landing on her's as she stood at the top of the stairs.
Her eyes caught mine too as Sakura stood behind her.
"There you fucking are, asshole," Sakura instantly began complaining as she jogged down the steps. By her tone, she didn't seem to know anything while catching me in the middle, "Hey I was just about to grab more drinks. Keep her company real quick and I'll grab us something. Oh, and sorry dude, her friend bailed again. I don't know why they keep doing that."
Her tone was honest as a genuine frown pulled her lips, "I want to know what girl keeps ditching my boy like this."
I snorted, attempting to act normal, "It isn't a problem man, I'm sure I'll find something to entertain me when it finally comes down to it."
She gave me a grin, "You're going to have to hype me up, she's making me nervous. Well, she always makes me nervous. That's pretty lame huh? Anyway dude, yeah I'll be right back."
Sakura finally decided to pass me up, but the very moment her back was turned I was clearing the rest of the stairs.
And snatching Ino's wrist.
I drug her to the nearest door, which thank god happened to be the bathroom, and tugged her inside. The door locked with a click and I stared down at her with low eyes from all the weed and drinks, but I knew by a single look I was making enough of a statement. Jaw tight, I growled out as she began to back into the counter, "You couldn't fucking help yourself, huh? Always so fucking curious about shit you know better than to get into, Ino."
She watched me with a bewildered look. Shaking her head, she asked, "Um Tay, what are you talking about?"
Out of every scenario I thought for the past couple of hours, this was not one of them.
I was a fucking idiot.
Quickly taking a step back, I snatched off my beanie and ran my hand through my hair.
Great. Fucking fantastic. Instead of gauging her reaction, I ended up telling her myself.
Out of all the stupid shit I've done within this life.
This by far-
"Wait..." she started softly, her tone fading as she slowly put one and two together. When her eyes snapped to mine again, it was like she was just meeting for the first time. "Buzz... You're telling me your Buzz?"
I held her eyes, not bothering to respond.
I watched her gaze widen, and just as quickly a spark of anger ignited within her glare. Setting my jaw, I shook my head and moved towards the door, "We don't have time to talk about this. We need to go, Sakura should be coming back."
"There's no way I'm going to let you just leave like that Buzz- I mean Tayuya- ugh whatever," she said, snatching my wrist.
My eyes snapped to hers in a glare, but she only watched me with one of her own, "You're serious right now? You're going to act like you're the one who's supposed to have the attitude, but I just now find out that it's been you who I've been talking to for the past few weeks. Why didn't you fucking say something?"
"Because, if you hadn't noticed, my idiot of a best friend is still tripping over herself for you," I growled in reply, turning to face her a hard frown, "She's probably tripping her way upstairs right now, beside herself at the possibility of just getting you a drink."
She only shook her head, eyebrows coming together, "Wait, what? We are just friends."
My eyes rolled as I moved towards the door again, "We don't have time for this."
Once more her fingers were wrapping mine, and I found my patience lost as I pinned her into the counter. Gaze holding hers steady, I muttered, "She's an idiot, but you can't tell me you haven't noticed. You've been hanging out with her practically every day. Eating up every single one of her jokes, grins, and the chivalrous way she keeps grabbing the fucking door for you."
Ino watched me me with steady eyes, seemingly unfazed by my lost patience as she whispered, "You're going to pretend your jealous?"
My heart began to hammer.
Whether from the rising anger, with her and myself.
Whether from the way it felt like I was holding her eyes for the first time.
Or the fact that she could still see right through me.
But my heart thudded hard and slow as I leaned down and muttered, "Who said I'm pretending."
She parted her lips to reply, but the music from the frat house suddenly cut.
And what felt like everyone in the entire house, began to stomp in a slow steady rhythm as a group of voices began to to chant.
"Sigma... Beta... Chi."
The slow thump vibrated the house as everyone stomped and clapped.
"Sigma... Beta... Chi!"
And as I slowly recognized the chant, my heart sunk.
Desprate, I tried to reason the odds, but honestly. If I had thought Sakura finding out about my shit was worst case scenario.
This had to be the equivalent of things bursting into flames.
And just like that, I went emergency mode.
I pulled away quickly, moving to snatch for the door. Ino attempted to catch my hand, but I caught her eyes even faster. Gaze steady, I said firmly, "Find Sakura, and keep her on that side of the house."
"Tayuya, we need to-"
"Ino."
Maybe it was the way I called her name that forced her words to die at her lips, but she fell quiet. At her silence, I asked again desperately, "Find Sakura. And keep her occupied."
Her hand fell as she nodded mutely.
I gave her a weak smile in thanks before turning back to the closed door and swinging it open. And within an instant, my facial expression hardened.
"Sigma. Beta. Chi."
The chant had gotten faster, almost matching the pounding of my heart as my fists tightened.
"Sigma! Beta! Chi!"
The louder they got, the more my curled fingers shook.
Again I tried to calculate the odds.
And again, I dreaded that it hadn't mattered.
"Ladies and gentleman, it is our profound pleasure to introduce our sisters in Sigma and in blood. The girls who are slaying the nation..."
As everyone shouted once more the chant for the entrance of the sorority, the sound of the entire house welcoming their appearance practically deafening me, I had hit the final step and turned my eyes to the commotion hoping I would, for one single fucking time, be shown a little mercy.
Instead. Among the crowd of girls making a grand entrance with their attire, was a girl with a smirk at her lips and blond hair flipped over her shoulder.
The bane of my god dam existence.
Hana.
Sakura's ex.
(1) I believe Lee listens to oldies, but only remixed oldies like this one. He has a very particular taste that fits his very particular personality. Plus, omg, if you manage to listen to it until the end I promise you I was entirely too hype by that raw beat.
Alright so, here's another chapter. Few things. Wizkid that was on the guest account, thanks for the information! I actually just put in my ticket tonight, so hopefully I can set up an account over there.
Other than that, I was tossing the idea of either having a really long chapter or going ahead and posting it here.
But I decided, obviously, to stop it here. To catch up. To breathe. Because we literally went from one step of us setting up the story to BOOM all this messy shit.
Don't worry, sometimes chaos can be planned.
And I plan to make the chaos as glorious as possible for my end result.
Thanks so much for the support so far! I appreciate those who are still reading.
[Shycadet; Loves. Out.]
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