-emptypages-

Vent #034: It's a new day!

Guys, the sun is out! Well, partially...not enough to warm anything but don't you think that this a sign from the heavens saying that today is a clean slate? I think it is. I also think it'sn a sign that we need a new menu for sleepovers. No more ice cream, please. I have a really bad headache - is it possible to get a hangover from adding vanilla extract to the ice cream? No, right? It's probably just leftover brain freeze, right? Oh no, it can't possibly be the start of a cold, right? The gala is tomorrow! I can't be sick. C.C, help!

-Ivy-

"I hate to be the one to say this, but it has to be done."

Normally, the seniors would have warmed up with a quick jog outside but today, they were jogging inside the old gym. Due to the hazardous frost on the equipment outside, Gai had called for a short hiatus on the use of the training ground. The only person who had a problem with that was Lee, and it took a simple slap on the head from Sasuke to shut Lee up. Getting Lee to shut up was Tenten's job, but she had told the girls that she didn't feel like coming in to school. As everyone jogged along the perimeter of the gym, Ino turned to the other two girls somberly.

"We need to go dress shopping for the gala. Pronto."

"I hear you." Sakura tugged her shirt down when she realized a few guys checking out the couple inches of skin showing from her shirt to her shorts as she jogged. "I'm thinking of wearing an obnoxious orange dress to piss Sasuke off."

"And you're going to make Sasuke wear an orange tie?" Ino raised an eyebrow.

Sakura looked at Ino as if she had spewed caterpillars from her mouth. "Why on earth would I want to make Sasuke wear an orange tie?"

"Because he's your date?"

"For the gala, not prom. Besides, can you imagine how tacky it would be if I showed up in an orange dress and him in an orange tie right next to me?"

"So don't wear orange. Orange is anything but classy."

"It's the concept of matching with a date that's tacky."

Ino tutted at her friend and shook her head. "It's not tacky if you pull off the classic, literal 'black-tie' look. It's like my main girll Coco says, you can never go wrong with a little black dress. And Sasuke could wear a black tux with whatever tie he wants, and he'll still match with you."

Sakura turned to the quiet girl next to her. "Hinata, what do you think?"

"Huh?" Hinata sniffed. She had been quiet all morning, other than a remark about her head hurting. But when Sakura looked closely, she could see Hinata's eyes were watery, and she was paler than usual. Sakura slowed down and pulled her aside by the benches with Ino following behind. She rested a hand on Hinata's forehead to get an estimate on her temperature.

"Hinata, you have a fever. I think you need to go home and go to bed."

Hinata shook her head. "I'm okay." Her nasal voice said otherwise, and she sniffed again.

"Hinata, I am telling you as a doctor's assistant in training that you need to be in bed right now. If your fever gets any higher, you can faint." Sakura waved her hand at Gai, motioning for him to come over. He sprinted across the gym, coming to a sharp stop in front of Ino who flinched. "Gai, Hinata's running a high fever. She needs to go home right now."

"Yes, I can see she doesn't look so good." Gai frowned. "Do you need someone to escort you to the nurse so she can sign you out?"

"We can do it." Ino volunteered, a little too eagerly.

Gai wagged a finger at the blonde. "No missing gym for you. We're already missing our lively Tenten. Lee," Gai called out to the boy sprinting all around the gym, "Can you take Hinata to the nurse?"

"Of course!" Lee came over and wrapped Hinata's arm around his shoulder so he could support her. "Sakura, you look so lovely today-"

"Okay Lee, we have a sick patient here." Sakura interrupted. "Please bring her to the nurse."

"Yes ma'am!" Lee turned on his heel and practically dragged Hinata past the gym doors.

Ino made a face at Gai's back. "Couldn't cut us some slack, you old virgin geezer-"

"Everyone meet in the center!" Gai's voice echoed all around the gym. "It's time for tournament style basketball!"

"Shit." Ino looked at the doors that Lee and Hinata exited through just moments before. Sakura looked at Gai's back that was facing them. The two exchanged glances before grinning in sync.

"What are the odds we can leave the gym without anyone noticing?"

"Probably slim."

"Good enough."

Vent #035: Nothing like a nice cup of coffee and a banana nut muffin...

To unwind from the stresses of senior year. Everything has been so hectic lately that I didn't manage to schedule any time to just sit down and smell the roses. Of course, skipping gym in order to relax may be cruising for a bruising, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do right? I am on fire with these quotes of wisdom today! Shizune got me this calendar-planner with words of wisdom for the working woman for every day, and it's really been keeping me motivated. Or at least I feel motivated for the moment - this cafe au lait and muffin are doing wonders for my mood. Today's words of wisdom are: "Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know."

Note to self: try to learn all you can from Sunny so she'll go away faster.

-C.C-

Philosophy 11:30 A.M.

"Today, we're going to be discussing morality."

As usual, while Asuma had his back turned to write some questions on the board, the class broke out in conversation. Not only was it Friday, but it was the day before Madara Uchiha's gala, where the most influential figures in Konoha and the surrounding cities came to celebrate Madara Uchiha's new business venture. For most of the people who were invited, it was a chance to score connections with powerful people. For others, it was a chance to show off who was at the top of the social pyramid. While the other students discussed excitedly about who was invited, Sakura described to Ino what kind of dress she wanted while Ino sketched it out.

"Ino, you going to the gala?" Kiba stretched his neck to see what Ino was working on.

"Yeah. My dad, Chouj's dad and Shikamaru's dad all decided to invest in Madara Uchiha's venture, and we got invited to his gala." Ino's eyebrows creased as she focused on her sketch. "When you say strapless, do you mean you want a tie-up dress or a strapless bodice type?"

"Bodice type." Sakura answered. "But we can just look at the dresses while we're there. You don't really have to draw it out."

Ino paid no attention to what her friend was saying. "Black, right? Cinched at the waist?"

"Please tell me you're not planning on making our dresses."

"Of course not, silly. The gala's tomorrow, and it would take at least five days for me to finish both of ours. I just want to make sure we won't get swayed by any sales ladies or the price tags."

"Um, I don't know about you but if my dress is over three hundred dollars, I'm definitely not getting that one."

Kiba waved his hand in front of the two girls' faces. Both Ino and Sakura whipped their heads towards him, annoyed. "What?"

"As fascinating as this conversation is, did you hear that Akatsuki is going to be there?"

Ino gave him a pitying look. "Kiba, everyone knew that even before the invitations were mailed out."

"Excuse me for living under a rock and not getting invited." Kiba pretended to adopt a hurt expression and put his head in his arms while pretending to sob uncontrollably.

"Baby." Sakura flicked a pencil at him.

"Kiba, do you want to go to the gala with me?" Ino asked in a half-consoling, half-teasing manner.

Kiba straightened up and grinned. "Well, if you insist-"

"Which no one did." Sakura noted.

"Make sure you wear a black tux. And Akamaru is not invited." Ino warned.

"Aw come on, Akamaru is the ideal bodyguard. He'll bark at anyone who might get handsy with you."

"No dogs."

"But Akamaru isn't just a dog-"

"No dogs!"

"Quiet!" Asuma called. "Someone define morality for me."

"Right and wrong!" Someone shouted.

Asuma nodded and jotted it down. "Someone give me an example of what's right and what's wrong."

"Stealing is wrong. Returning lost items is right." Sakura crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. Ino saw Kiba shift a little in his seat.

"Who said so?" Asuma questioned.

"The law." Neji answered. Ino had almost forgotten that Neji was in the class, and turned to glare at the back of his head a few rows away. For a so called genius, he was a bumbling idiot when it came to Tenten and his family.

Asuma's nose twitched like a bunny who smelled a carrot in its vicinity. "And who made the law?"

"People with authority."

"And who gave these people the authority?"

Sakura raised her hand. "In a democracy, the people within the country."

"So ultimately, it's people giving other people authority. The authority to do what? To make laws that would help the people within the country. But what is the foundation in which these people in authority make laws?"

"Morals." Both Sakura and Neji said at the same time.

"Are these morals inborn or learned? Is it nature or nurture? What if we grew up in a world where stealing was not punishable but condoned?"

"Clearly it wouldn't matter because people still do steal in a world where robbery is a federal crime." Sakura muttered. Kiba scratched at a spot on his arm feverishly.

"Do you think we would still have the sense that stealing is wrong?"

The class was silent for a moment. Then Sai spoke up in his emotionless voice. "No."

"Let's switch it up, then. Let's say there is a man whose wife is dying from an illness and the medicine that can help cure her costs more than ten times his savings. He steals it to save his dying wife and goes to jail for it. What do you think? Was he wrong to do so?"

"Well he got what he wanted, and got punished for his wrongdoing. I don't think there's anything particularly 'wrong' about it." Kimi, one of Tenten's soccer team members, answered.

"What about if the situation was like this: the man bought the cure for his wife's illness but it turns out she needs to take it twice and he cannot afford it the second time. When he goes to steal it, it turns out his best friend is accused of the crime. The man cannot give the cure to his wife while his best friend is in custody. Once the best friend is in jail, then the man can cure his wife. But if the man confesses to the crime, his best friend will be released but he can never get the cure to his wife. Who does he choose to save, his wife or his friend?"

"Choosing between the wife who may die from natural causes, or the best friend who goes to jail for a crime he did not commit?" Sakura replied after a long silence. "If I was the wife, I would want the man to confess. There's nothing worse than a man who frames someone else for a crime he committed knowingly."

"But the wife's so close to being cured." Asuma pushed.

"I don't think a life is worth living if it means taking someone else's life." Sakura said firmly.

Ino raised her hand. "How long would the friend be in jail for?"

"It's a lifelong sentence."

Sakura looked at Ino in almost accusatory shock. "You would let the best friend take the blame?"

"I just wanted to get the facts straight." Ino said defensively.

However, her heart had sunk, and she couldn't help but glance at Kiba to see how he was taking the situation. Kiba was throwing paper balls at the people around the vicinity like the class discussion was about something he could care less about, and that bothered Ino. When the topic had been about stealing directly, he seemed to be uneasy, but when Asuma changed the situation, it was as if Kiba took that as a cue to leave his guilty conscience behind.

Ino stopped paying attention for the rest of the class, debating whether or not to confront Kiba about the cell phones. With Shikamaru, it usually only took a week of bullying to get him to do whatever needed to be done. With Kiba, he only brushed the issue off and made new promises that he wouldn't keep.

"Hello?" Sakura snapped in front of Ino's eyes. Ino looked up and saw that most of the class had already left the room and the hallways looked like rush hour. "Are you daydreaming about your dress?"

"What? Oh. Yeah." Ino attempted to smile.

"Forever the fashion diva." Sakura grabbed Ino's bag and made her way for the door. "Come on, I want to put my books in my locker before lunch."

Ino gathered her books and nodded goodbye to Asuma. "Hey, I'll meet you in the cafeteria. I need to drop my books off and ask Chouji if he needs help picking out a tie."

"Alright." Sakura gave Ino her bag back and walked in the opposite direction of Ino's locker. Ino watched Sakura walk halfway down the hall before turning back into the classroom. Asuma looked up with a questioning expression on his face.

"Ino?"

"If the man who stole the medicine gave it to his wife, and his friend was released with only a bad reputation, would you consider that a win-win situation?"

Asuma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Certainly not for the friend. Even if he was released, his reputation was ruined. And for a crime he didn't even commit - how would you feel if you had to walk around town with the label 'robber' for doing absolutely nothing wrong?"

"But -"

"And despite the reasoning behind the robbery, the man is essentially a criminal. By letting a criminal walk free without any repercussions, we are undermining the law. Law is what keeps society in order, and the minute human emotions overshadow the law, we are looking at a world run by chaos and disorder. Of course, if you want to debate whether humans have the right to correct what may be other humans' faulty thinking-"

"No, I got it." Ino shifted her bag on her shoulder. "Chaos and disorder. Not good."

"Ino, is there anything you want to tell me?" Asuma stood up and leaned against the corner of his desk. "You don't look too pleased with my answer."

Ino knew if she looked at him in the eye, she would start stuttering and revert back to her eleven year old self. The eleven year old self that didn't know how to handle her own problems. The eleven year old self that needed someone's approval before doing anything. The eleven year old self that told Asuma everything and relied on him to bring sense and order to her world.

But she wasn't eleven anymore. And the part of her that wanted to tell Asuma the truth, she kept locked away. She couldn't rely on him anymore - she knew better. "I don't have anything to say. I was just curious." Ino looked at a spot on the chalkboard, above his shoulder.

"I see." Asuma looked at Ino closely, and she made sure she met his gaze with a steadfast calmness. He would be even more suspicious if she looked away. But it wasn't suspicion in his eyes; it was more like fatherly concern. That hurt her even more than if he was accusing her of something. "You should probably head out. Sakura's going to wonder where you are."

"Right." Ino looked away and turned around. She felt an urge to explain herself, to provide some sort of excuse as to erase his disappointment. But when she heard him shuffling papers, she knew the conversation was for another day. She left the room feeling worse than when she had first come to talk with him.

The hallway was completely deserted, and when Ino walked into the senior hallway, there were only a couple of people still hanging around. Kiba was one of them, his face breaking into a grin when he saw Ino approaching.

"Hey pretty lady." He walked her to her locker. "What are you doing for lunch?"

"Eating with Sakura." Ino said shortly. She opened her locker and shoved her books inside, grabbing her afternoon class books and dropping it into her bag.

Kiba leaned against the locker next to hers. "Is there room for one more?"

"Um, I think we're going to look at dresses so you probably would get bored." Ino shut her locker and made her way towards the cafeteria.

"What time should I pick you up tomorrow? Or are we meeting there?" Kiba continued walking with her.

Ino wanted nothing more than to be rid of Kiba at the moment, and he was making it very hard to get what she wanted. "Let's meet there tomorrow at eight thirty."

"Is there anything I should remember? Corsage, flowers, chocolate, Akamaru...?" Kiba grinned cheekily.

"No, nothing." Ino pointed at her watch. "I have to go."

Kiba held up his hand for a hi-five which Ino reciprocated half-heartedly. "See you later, alligator."

Ino gave him a weak smile and left him as she entered the cafeteria. She didn't see Sakura, but she did see Chouji, Shikamaru, and Sai sitting at a table together. Ino approached the boys and dropped her bag before sitting down. "Hey guys, did you see Sakura?"

"I think she and Naruto were talking at the front. You're going to the gala, right?" Chouji asked.

"Yup. And I'm bringing Kiba." Ino said with a slight sigh. Chouji looked at her in slight confusion, while Shikamaru continued poking at his salad. Sai seemed disinterested and examined his tuna salad sandwich meticulously.

"If you don't want to go with him, why are you bringing him?" Chouji wanted to know.

Ino knew they weren't going to understand how she felt so she used an airy excuse to pass off the question. "I'm a girl, we get moody. This morning I really liked him and this afternoon I really don't."

"That's completely irrational." Sai stated bluntly.

"That's women for you." Shikamaru sighed.

Ino stood up. "I should go find Sakura. I'll catch you later."

"Wait Ino. If I wear that green tie you got me tomorrow, would you kill me?" Chouji asked.

"I got that for you to wear to prom so you could woo your date when she sees the tie bring out your hazel eyes." Ino frowned. "You want to wear it tomorrow?"

"Come on Ino. Who do I have to impress at prom?"

Ino frowned at her childhood friend. Chouji didn't have low self-esteem, but he was so matter of fact with the idea that no one would find him attractive. "Chouji, you haven't asked anyone. Did you even scope out the girls?"

Chouji shrugged. "I'm fine going by myself. I don't have to worry about getting corsages or planning any prom proposals."

"This is prom! When else are you going to have an opportunity to ask someone to prom?" Ino shook her head in frustration.

"Ino, leave him alone." Shikamaru opened one eye. "Prom is just troublesome."

"Is it registering to anyone that this is our last year of high school? Do you really want to look back and say, 'Wow, I just bummed my way through high school and didn't even go to prom'? Chouji, you can wear that tie tomorrow but then you're coming with me for prom shopping."

Chouji opened his mouth presumably to protest but Ino glared at him. He then turned to Shikamaru. "Why aren't you forcing Shikamaru to go prom shopping?"

"Because he has a girlfriend for that." Ino kept her voice calm and collected.

"But they-" Chouji started saying before Shikamaru jabbed him. "Ow. What was that for?"

"Stop saying unncessary things."

"You think your break-up with Temari is an unnecessary topic?" Chouji glanced at Ino. "Look, I don't know what happened with you two but I don't want to end up like Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura where they can't even talk to each other about anything anymore. So if you have any unresolved issues, you better air it out because I'm planning on sticking with you guys for as long as our parents have."

Silence followed Chouji's declaration. It wasn't surprising that Shikamaru and Temari had broken up; their entire relationship thrived off breaking up and making up. Shikamaru used to consult Ino on what he should do, but that came to an inevitable stop after Ino told him how she felt. Ino had no regrets, however. Every time she helped Shikamaru out, she would stew in her own self-pity and resentment towards Temari. Now, she had nothing but apathy for the other blonde.

"I'm good." Ino looked at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru held her gaze for a few seconds. "So am I."

"Is this one of those things where you say you're good, but you're planning on killing each other behind my back?" Chouji asked warily.

"Chouji, don't insult me like that." Ino smiled sweetly. "If I wanted to kill Shikamaru, he would have been dead by now."

"Hmph." Shikamaru closed his eyes.

Chouji smiled. "Good. Are we going to the gala together?"

"I'm going with Sakura in my car but you're welcome to join us in the backseat."

"I'd rather not risk my life." Shikamaru murmured.

Ino leaned forward. "I said if I wanted to kill you, you would have been dead by now. But I suggest you watch what you say, especially since I know where you'll be for the next thirty six hours."

"..."

Chouji's smile broadened. "Just like old times."

Vent #036: My innocent eyes...

I have officially lived to see it all. I walked in on an old woman trying to squeeze herself into a size sixteen dress. And she was wearing hot pink leopard underwear. Am I the only one who thinks everyone over the age of thirty five needs to stick to nude colored underwear only? I mean, I wear hot pink leopard underwear. But when I see a sixty something year old grandma in it, I feel like I need to burn those panties.

But on the more positive note, I found a dress! It's not perfect, but it's cute. It's strapless and ombre - white, gray, dusky purple and black. It's also super tight so remind me not to eat anything tomorrow, C.C. C.C's dress is cute too - she got a peach strapless dress with a tulle skirt. The dresses weren't what we were planning on, but it's not like either one of us can afford a two thousand dollar dress (literally, two thousand one hundred and eighteen dollars for a black dress that was to die for). So we made lemonade with what we had.

Stop glaring at me, C.C. Carrot Top said it was okay if I wrote about the gala in the journal! In her words: "Sunny needs to get her gushing out somehow, so might as well save a few ears and let her write in the journal."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK I'm so excited! Oh wait. Did I mention RB and Temari broke up? Nothing out of the ordinary of course, but it looks like we're bringing RB and Chouji with us to the gala tomorrow. Can you imagine how pissed Temari will be when she sees RB coming in with us? I seriously can't wait.

Like, seriously.

-Sunny-

Konoha Hospital 8:15 P.M

"I'm severely disappointed in you, Councilman."

The hospital room was dark, with the shades already turned in for the night. The door to the room was slightly open, letting in a small stream of light as well as voices from the hallway. Hinata tried to ignore the voices in the hallway and focused on the dripping of the IV attached to her arm. It was odd - one moment she was standing in her kitchen pouring herself a glass of orange juice, and the next she was waking up in the hospital. But Hinata was used to fainting spells ever since she was a child, and she was used to waking up in hospital rooms. It was like a second bedroom.

"I would assume a man appointed to take care of city affairs would be able to take care of his own daughter." Tsunade said coldly.

"I assure you, Tsunade, Hinata would not have gotten sick at all if she had simply heeded my words. If it hadn't been for your protege dragging her all over town and influencing her to sleep outside of her house, Hinata would not be in this situation at all." Hizashi said just as cuttingly.

Tsunade's heels clacked against the marble floor. "Let me remind you, Councilman, that it was Sakura who found Hinata collapsed on your kitchen floor and got her to the hospital before any serious damage was done. Where were you, or any of your housemaids?"

"Believe me, they will be punished accordingly. But may I remind you that it is my job to see that the most pressing concerns of the city are resolved before going home, and your protege's possible involvement in a certain case had me holed up in city hall."

"You can make all the excuses you want. It doesn't change the fact that your daughter's wellbeing is your responsibility and today, your daughter was in critical condition. Please pay more careful attention to your daughter. She may not be as strong as you like, but neglect is not going to make anyone stronger."

"Do not lecture me about my daughter." Hizashi raised his voice.

"It is advice, coming from the principal of a school of high school adolescents." Tsunade said calmly. "Good night, Coucilman."

The sound of Tsunade's heels against the hallway floor seeped in through the open door, and Hinata's head started throbbing in rhythm to the noise. She saw the shadow of her father's figure right in front of the door, his hand reaching for the knob. But his hand faltered, and then dropped. The shadow moved out of sight, and Hinata knew her father would not come back, at least for tonight.

Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Why was Sakura the one getting blamed for her being sick? Why couldn't Hizashi be like most fathers and just comfort her while she was sick? She was tired, sore, in feverish pain and lonely. The tears escaped down the sides of her face she closed her eyes to try go back to sleep.

"Psst. Hinata."

Hinata's eyes flew open as she felt something strange on her foot. She didn't even realize she had fallen asleep but as she tried to get her mind functioning together while she sat up, she noticed a familiar, spiky head of hair. Next to it was another head that she didn't recognize. But she recognized the voice that came from it.

"Naruto, why the hell would you squeeze her toes?" Sakura reprimanded in a whisper.

"I saw in a movie you can tell if someone's fake sleeping by squeezing their toes."

"Hinata's sick! You really think she would be fake sleeping?"

Hinata's throat hurt the minute she opened it but spoke anyways. "Sakura?"

"Hinata? How are you feeling?" Sakura came closer, close enough that Hinata could see her eyes shining in the dark. "Still cold?"

"A little bit." Hinata told her. Tsunade had given strict orders that Hinata was to be only given a light sheet so she could cool off her body, but her skin still had goosebumps and her feet felt frozen to her.

Sakura laid her hand on her forehead. "You still have a fever so-"

The lights suddenly came on without warning, and Hinata ducked down to avoid the piercing brightness. There was a loud thump, followed by a yelp from both Naruto and Sakura. Hinata looked up through teary eyes to see Naruto and Sakura both clutching a side of their heads while scrunching their faces. Over by the light switch, Sasuke stood with a calm coolness.

"Sasuke, I swear I'm going to spike your drinks tomorrow with laxatives." Naruto wiped his watery eyes.

"What the hell did you turn the light on for?" Sakura demanded. "I told you I was just going to check up on her really quickly."

"As a non-professional doctor's assistant, do you really think it's a good idea to check in on a patient in the dark?" Sasuke asked without much emotion.

"Jackass." Sakura muttered before grabbing the stethoscope around her neck and holding up the end. "Do you mind?"

Hinata shook her head as Sakura listened to her heart. She was uncomfortably aware of Naruto and Sasuke looking at her as Sakura placed the cold metal part on her chest.

"You're doing a little better, but not much. You definitely need to rest up." Sakura helped Hinata lay back down.

Hinata glanced at Naruto, who stuck to Sakura's side and was watching Hinata as if she were on her deathbed. Sakura followed Hinata's eyes to Naruto and smiled ruefully. "Naruto came by and insisted on seeing how you were doing. I have no idea how he found out you were sick but then again, this is Konoha. Even the trees have ears."

"Hinata, how are you?" Naruto whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Sakura flicked his ear. "She's sick from the flu, not dying."

"Does it hurt anywhere? Do you need anything? A cold compress? Soup? Cough drops? Ramen? I can go out and buy it right now-"

Hinata felt flustered by his overattentive attitude. "I'm okay." Her voice came out hoarse and a little croaky, and her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

"Oh no!" Naruto looked horrified. "We need to get her some tea, or hot chocolate, or -"

"Stop overreacting, dobe. You don't even have a car right now." Sasuke cut in.

Sakura looked at Naruto suspiciously. "Why? What did you do now?"

Naruto raised his chin. "I was the victim of a cruel and biased criminal justice system and I'm being punished for it."

"Really." Sakura was unamused.

"It's true!" Naruto whined. "Our nation's justice system and law enforcement work hand in hand to give the underdogs of society a hard time."

"Itachi gave him a speeding ticket." Sasuke explained succintly.

Sakura flicked his ear a second time. "You idiot."

"I swear, I was going at the posted speed limit when Itachi popped up and told me I was over the speed limit! It's like he watches specifically for my car on the roads!" Naruto gestured wildly.

"That's because he does watch for your car. You're always doing something wrong." Sasuke told him.

"That explains why you brought him along." Sakura jerked her head towards Sasuke. "Other than the fact that he's such a bundle of joy. Anyways, we shold probably get going. Hinata, Ino wants me to tell you that she really wants to come visit but she's helping her parents make all the flower arrangements for the gala and she thinks she might have to pull an all-nighter. And I think Tenten's at the dojo because she's not picking up her house phone."

"It's okay." Hinata tried clearing her scratchy throat. "Thank you, Sakura."

"For what? Breaking and entering your house and almost having a heart attack when I saw you on the ground?" Sakura smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'll visit you tomorrow with the girls. Tenten might keep you company tomorrow night."

Hinata's smile faded. She had never thought that Naruto would ask her to the gala, and now that he did, she couldn't go because she was sick with the flu. It was like fate was playing a cruel joke on her. Or maybe it was karma for trying to go against her father. It figured - Hizashi Hyuuga even had fate on his side.

"I'll come visit you too!" Naruto grinned. "Do you like daisies or lilies?"

"Naruto, lilies are for funerals." Sakura flicked him a third time. "She's not dying, so bring her a box of brownies and maybe some soup."

Naruto looked at Hinata. "Is that okay?"

"You don't have to bring-"

"And don't forget a couple of magazines so Hinata's not bored." Sakura directed with a quick wink at her friend. "Okay, let's get out of here so she can get some sleep." Sakura gave Hinata a quick hug.

But before Hinata could even say thank you for coming, the lights turned off again. "Sasuke, I'm going to put you in the crappiest hospital room with the broken light switch the next time you're hospitalized." Sakura stormed to the door.

"Good night, Hinata." Naruto said quietly and squeezed her hand briefly before following suit. "And I'm not going to visit you either, teme."

"That sounds like my idea of heaven."

"Bastard!"

Hinata smiled as she heard the trio leave. Naruto's loud voice and Sasuke's calm responses ebbed away as they walked farther and farther from her room. She closed her eyes in tired contentment, trying to savor the feeling of happiness within her completely miserable physical state. Maybe if she slept the whole night, she would be better by the time the gala started. She kicked her sheets away, trying to cool down more quickly. But barely a minute passed before she had to tuck herself in again.

Tonight was going to be a long night.

Next chapter is going to have quite a few happenings...!

-emptypages-