Nobody Knows The Truth
CHAPTER TEN
As Distant As Strangers
"This is ridiculous." Mari cried. She stamped her foot in frustration, and everybody looked at her – except for Neji, who had just left the room. "I won't stand for it!" she added, looking around at everybody.
Tenten sighed. "Neither can we, but what can you do?"
"What can we do!?!?" Mari cried. "WHAT CAN WE DO!?!?" She threw up her hands. "WE CAN KICK THAT BASTARD NEJI OUT OF HERE FOR GOOD!!!"
"Mari-Chan, calm down…" Temari told her, but Mari wasn't listening.
"I MEAN, WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS!?!?" She yelled, pacing around the room like a caged lion. "WHERE THE HELL DOES HE GET OFF DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO MY BEST FRIEND!?!? IT'S AN OUTRAGE! HE'S A BASTARD AND HE SHOULD BE PUNISHED!"
"Hey!" Tenten cried, jumping to her feet. "Neji happens to be my team-mate, so don't you dare talk down about him in front of me, ever! He's still our friend!"
Mari's hands flew to her hips, and she faced Tenten. "Oh yeah? Well tell me something, Tenten-San! What gives a so-called-friend the right to kiss somebody like that against her own free will? Isn't that sexual assault?"
Tenten crossed her arms. "There's a perfectly good explanation as to why he would ever do such a thing! I'm sure of it!"
"Yeah, right." Snorted Chouji, coming to Mari's side. "The good explanation, as you call it, was probably that he couldn't control his overactive hormones any longer!"
Tenten looked furious. "How dare you!" She cried, looking at Lee for support. "Lee-Kun, tell them that Neji would never act like this under normal circumstances! Tell them!"
"He is not usually like this…" Lee said thoughtfully. "Perhaps we should give him the benefit of the doubt?"
"No way!" Chouji and Mari cried at the same time.
Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Who are you two to talk? Playing matchmakers with the rest of us today, instead of just leaving us alone. If anyone can't control their hormones, then it's you two."
Inner-Sakura: Hatcha!
Ino nodded in agreement. "Not only that, but I've seen you two making out in the hallway and stairwell, thinking that nobody can see you!"
Mari gasped, and Chouji turned bright red.
Kai stared at them, shocked.
Shikamaru spoke up then: "Ino-San, that wasn't very nice." He paused. "Anyway," He added. "It's no worse then you stalking Sasuke for all these years."
Ino blushed, and bowed her head in shame.
But Sasuke immediately jumped to her aid. "Hey, lay off, alright!" He snapped at Shikamaru, placing an arm around Ino's shoulders. "You can't talk when we've all witnessed your relationship with Temari!"
"I'll have you know, you impertinent little Leaf Ninja," Temari said, angrily. "That our relationship is, at the moment, strictly friendship only!"
"Yeah, sure." Sasuke smirked.
"Guys, could we please get back on subject?" Naruto spoke up. "We're supposed to be talking about Neji trying to rape Emma!"
"DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!" Tenten screamed. "HE DIDN'T TRY TO DO THAT AT ALL!"
Lee put a hand on her shoulder. "Tenten-San, momentai…" 1
"What's wrong Lee-Kun, have you broken up with Sakura now?" Temari taunted.
"That's not helping." Kiba told her, and Akamaru barked in agreement.
"So what, you're on their side now?" Naruto challenged him.
"Naruto-Chan, please…" Hinata whispered, tugging on his sleeve.
"You're not exactly innocent yourself, Hinata-San!" Kiba said suddenly. "What about you and Naruto sl…"
"SHUT UP!" Naruto shouted at him. "THAT'S BETWEEN HINATA AND ME! IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!"
"Is that why you were so eager to tell Mari all about it?" Shino said quietly.
"That was an accident!" Naruto snapped. "It just slipped out! But you won't hear anything more about it, Believe It!"
"Did you see how upset Emma looked?" Hinata whispered, so softly that they could barely hear her. "Poor Emma, she must feel so terrible."
"What's wrong with being kissed by Neji?" Tenten snapped, clenching and unclenching her fists in her anger.
"Because she felt unfaithful to Kankurou, that's why." Chouji realised, popping a piece of saltwater taffy into his mouth.
"What's there to feel unfaithful about?" Tenten retorted. "It's not like they're going out or anything like that…"
"You're just jealous." Garaa spoke up, and they all stared at him in shock, except for Tenten who looked furious.
"What did you just say?" She asked, with quiet rage.
"You're jealous because you are in love with Neji, and wish that it was you that he had chosen to kiss." Garaa sounded firm in his decision that this was how Tenten should be feeling right at that moment.
Tenten's mouth dropped open, and they all realised that it was true.
Kai put a hand on Tenten's shoulder. "I know how it feels to love somebody," He glared at Temari and, mostly, at Shikamaru, and continued: "When they are in love with somebody else. I think that we should cut Neji – and Tenten – some slack."
There was a dull silence, which was soon broken by Mari screaming: "SO YOU'D GO AGAINST YOUR OWN BEST FRIEND BECAUSE OF SOME SILLY CHILDHOOD CRUSH YOU HAD ON ANOTHER GIRL!?!? UNBELIEVABLE!!!"
"Relax…" Somebody said for the third time, and it was Garaa putting his hands on Mari's shoulders.
"And you tell Neji off for physical contact." Lee said to Garaa.
"Do you want me to cripple you again?" Garaa-Shukaku growled.
Temari stepped between them. "Enough!" She ordered. "There's to be no fighting! It will only make things worse! We need to find a way to resolve this problem!" She added.
"Too late." Tenten stared at the group across the room from her and her group. "It's gone beyond repairing."
"I'll say." Chouji muttered, handing a piece of toffee to Mari, who chewed on it sullenly.
"It seems that we are dividing ourselves." Shino muttered.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Then I want you guys," Mari said to Tenten, Lee, Sakura, Ino, Sasuke, Kiba, Shino and Kai. "Out of my apartment now. From now on you are no longer welcome here."
"As is the case with my apartment." Kai snapped, as he and the others turned to go.
Suddenly, the door flew open, and Kankurou burst in.
He was out of breath, his cheeks were flushed, and he looked more upset then anyone had ever seen him.
"I can't…" He panted, leaning against the doorframe to catch his breath. "I can't find her…I can't find Emma anywhere! She's gone!"
OMG! OMG! OMG! Where has Emma run off to? Is Neji with her? How can the groups resolve their differences, if they aren't even welcome in each other's apartments!?!?
Is this the end of their friendship…forever???
Meg: Shino, your turn!
Shino: Umm…no…
Meg: Oh, please!?!? Please? PleasePLEASE
Shino: Whoa, Meg…momenta…
Meg: What does Momentai mean?
Shino: It means relax, or 'chill out'. It's something that I think Terriermon used to say to Henry in Digimon Tamers. Why?
Meg: Oh…no reason… (Snickers)
…
Shino: Hey! You tricked me!
Meg: Momentai!