I do not own Naruto nor make any profit from it
AN: Added the new material I was working on last time. Enjoy.
...
Chapter Eleven
...
Mabui returned to the garden, carrying a tray with two sake bottles and a couple cups. She searched the garden and found the one man who needed her help.
"Here have a drink. You look like you could use one." Mabui placed a cup in front of Hyuuga Kou and sat across from him.
She opened the sake then poured some into his cup then hers. "I see you haven't had much luck getting a replacement." Of course, Mabui made sure of that as well. She burned through most of her cash and had to hit an ATM. Mabui made a mental note to remind the Raikage to sign for the receipts.
Kou winced and slumped further down his chair, "I couldn't see myself with most of the women."
"Bullshit." She leaned a elbow on the table and looked him in the eye. "You lost your nerve. Didn't you?"
He grimaced under her scolding gaze. "Maybe."
She waved a finger at him. "This time, I want to see you try and I mean, really try."
Shikamaru introduced the next woman and it was her fellow countrywoman, Samui. A ear-shattering wolf whistle erupted from the crowd right below the stage. All eyes focused on the man desperately trying to get a hold of Samui's attention.
"Loud whistles don't count, Shiranui-san," teased Shikamaru. "Shall we begin the bidding at fifty then?" The bidding moved in small increments but they were fast.
Mabui picked up her sake and grumbled, "How pathetic, some guys have no self-control. I'm glad I sat out this auction. I'd hate to be the gal spending a couple hours with that jackass. On the other hand, my colleague Samui, will probably end up with someone like him."
Kou nodded in Genma's direction. "He's not that bad really. He may have had a few too many, but Shiranui is a pretty good guy."
Mabui rolled her green eyes skyward. "If that's true, then he certainly isn't acting like it now. You know, Samui could do with a nice guy like you. Why not bid on her?"
"She's out of my league," he grumbled.
She re-filled her cup of sake and chuckled at his stubbornness. "Yeah, so what."
Kou picked up his sake for another sip. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"Don't tell me that you would let something like that get in the way of even trying?" Mabui laughed and pointed to her countrywoman on stage. "Kami, just look at her. Hour-glass curves, cleavage that rivals the Hokage and the Mizukage, and a personality that's cool to the max. She makes boy-crazy girls question their orientation all the time. Only a fool would wait in the wings for a girl that hot to fall into his lap."
Kou squirmed in his seat and felt his cheeks heat up as Mabui described Samui in such detail. He pulled on his shirt collar and wondered if he should be having such a risque conversation with a woman.
"Oh I've heard her say she doesn't care who she dates or that guys are the same everywhere." Mabui noticed the wince on Kou's face and gave his hand a pat. "But I know that's not true. It would be nice for her to enjoy the attention of a polite gentleman for once. The kind of guy who could show her that chivalry still exists... if only for one evening."
"Four hundred," Genma raised his drink in salute to his rival across the floor, who sighed and sat down. The smug grin on his face was intolerable.
"Damn." Mabui took a sip of her drink. "Looks like Shiranui has my friend all sown up. Excuse me, I can't bear to watch." She pushed her seat back then headed for the hotel lobby.
Kou watched the blond kunoichi standing on the dais and he had to admit, the Raikage's secretary was on to something. Samui was not enjoying herself at all. The woman's stance was haughty. Her head held high. But her eyes were dead. She expected to attract all the jackasses around her because those were the only men with the guts to try. Meanwhile all the nice guys hung back... just like him.
He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or his own frustration, but Kou knew what he had to do. He let Tenten slip out of his hands because Hyuuga Kou was too nice and didn't expect Neji to be so cutthroat.
By the time Mabui made it back, Kou had joined the fray. "Five hundred," he shouted.
A small smile curled on Mabui's lips as she sat down and raised her cup in salute. "Good for you, Hyuuga-san and here's an extra three hundred ryo. Just be sure to show my girl a good time."
…..
Shiranui rubbed his hands together greedily. He was about to raise his hand and trump that sissy-boy Kou when an troublesome waiter came up from behind him and whispered in the jounin's ear. Genma frowned then followed the waiter to the hotel bar. As he passed the table where Kou and Mabui sat, Genma missed the satisfied smirk on the woman's face.
He walked up to his good buddy Matsu and asked, "Sorry, I got caught up in the action. I'll handle the bill right now." Genma balked when he saw the final number at the end of a long list. "What's this?"
"Your bill, Genma-san."
"No, I don't think so." Genma handed the long slip of paper back. "It's too damn much. I ain't paying that."
"Oh dear," Matsu nervously licked his lips and his hand reached under the bar to hover over the panic button. "I am sorry, Shiranui-san. That is your bill. I have all the receipts stapled to it and they all have your signature. I don't want things to get messy, but if I have to, I will call the ANBU."
Genma scowled as he dug the money out of his wallet. "This is bullshit." By the time he returned to the garden, a large amount of his money was gone and he heard Shikamaru repeat the latest bid by the Hyuuga.
"Eight-fifty." Genma realized that Kou had raised the bids too high. "Aw fuck." He grabbed his teammate by the shirt. "Quick, give me some money, Raidou! I'm about to lose her."
The other jounin pulled his pockets inside out, only to come up with six ryu, an empty condom wrapper, and lint. "Sorry, man. I don't have enough. I spent too much for my date."
"Eight hundred fifty going once, going twice, SOLD!"
On stage, Samui didn't bother blinking when a distraught Genma in the distance fell to his knees.
"NOOOOO!"
Shikamaru lowered his microphone and mumbled out loud. "Dude, it's just a date."
…...
Naruto was in an utter panic. "This can't be right. At the start of this thing, I had two girls lined up. Lost 'em, tried to get others, lost them too. Now I'm the one left hanging. How is this happening to me?"
"Well," began Sai as he counted down on his fingers, "Your first mistake was not choosing one girl. Then you underestimated their value to your competition therefore did not bring enough money to secure your interests. And third, you were too busy stuffing your face with ramen instead of hitting the bank for more money."
"I didn't ask for a play by play," grumbled Naruto.
"Right, you wanted the short version." Sai boiled it down. "You're an idiot."
Shikamaru's voice rang out once more. "And for our last auction for tonight, we have a talented and spunky kunoichi from Kumokagure."
Naruto perked up. "My last chance to grab a girl. I'm going to give this all I got. It worked for Mifune. It worked for Sai. I'll be damned if I'm the only one in the gang without a date."
With a push of chakra to his feet, Naruto jumped from the table, flipped in the air, and landed on the stage. "Six hundred!" He waved his sign high, for everyone to see.
Shikamaru paused in shock then quickly covered the mic with one hand. "But Naruto-"
Naruto pointed to the floor. "I made a bid. You better damn well honor it. Anyone else want to take me on?" Naruto looked at the crowd and cupped a hand to ear. "No one, huh?"
"But Naruto." Shikamaru tried to get his friend to listen, "You didn't let me finish introducing her."
Naruto puffed his chest with pride. "I said six hundred, didn't I? Whoever she is, I want her!"
"You sure?" Shikamaru searched the room for any challengers. "Any one else interested?" No one stepped up to the plate. The rest were content with their dates or lack thereof. So Nara shrugged and announced. "Six hundred it is. She's all yours." Shikamaru peered behind the curtains and called for the last girl to come onstage. "Hurry up to the stage. Someone's already bought you sight unseen for six hundred ryo."
"Hot damn! Six hundred and I didn't even get on stage. Who is he?" Kauri emerged from backstage, peered behind a shell-shocked Naruto, then used one arm to knock him aside. "Move over, blondie! You're blocking the view. Okay now, where is he?"
Shikamaru pulled his good buddy back into her sights then flourished a hand beside Naruto. "He is your date."
Naruto stared at the Kumo kunoichi. His baby blues grew wide as Kauri's own yellow-gold eyes flashed like fire.
"YOU?!" They shouted and stuck fingers in each others' faces.
"Screw that! No way am I going on a date with her." Naruto shook a threatening fist at Karuri then yelled, "I'm taking my money back!"
Kauri put one hand on her hip and shouted in his face. "Hell, you can have it back... straight up your lily-ass!"
"What did you call me?" Naruto puffed up and stood nose to nose with Kauri.
"You deaf too, baka?"
Shikamaru laid hands on their shoulders and pried them apart. "I'm sorry, folks. Again! Unless you wanna take it up with the ANBU, all auctions are final. But I suggest you learn to play nice," He lifted the microphone and looked out to the crowd. "We will now have the official Meet and Greet so the couples can get to know each other before the big night. Of course what you do between tonight and then is entirely up to you. The Date Night will be in exactly one week at The Butterfly Lounge, courtesy of the Akimichi Clan. The cashier will give you the necessary information after your payment. Thank you for participating in our charity fundraiser. Enjoy the rest of your night and heh... good luck!"
In a fit of fury, Karui stamped a foot on floor then rushed off the stage, cursing and shouting for people to get out of her way. Naruto waved his arms and roared at Kauri then stormed the opposite direction.
Shikamaru wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed with a note of finality. "Wow, what a night!"
…..
Inside the Konoha dressing rooms, several other women watched as Kurenai and Hana attempted to console a furious Anko.
Kurenai laid a hand on her friend's back and tried to figure out the most diplomatic way to explain the situation. "Anko, it's one thing to say that you're a woman with a healthy appetite for sex. It's entirely another-"
"To tell the world you're a walking clap-trap," finished an angry voice from the doorway.
"Whoever said that is in for a world of hurt." Anko stood from her chair and came face to face with Kankuro's big sister, "Oh."
Temari glared at the older woman with an intense frown. "Mitirashi-san, you and I have never been on friendly terms, but I decided it would be polite to give you a proper warning. Should any body parts fall off my brother after his date, I will haul your ass to the wilds then chop off your bits for the wolves to devour. Understand?"
All eyes turned back to Anko who mouth gaped open and looked like she about ready to explode at the indignity of being challenged by a Suna peon kunoichi.
"Remember." Temari used two fingers to point at her oversized teal eyes then at Anko before walking out of the dressing room. "I'm watching you."
Anko dropped in her chair and muttered, "I thought Temari-san was the nicest of the Sabaku."
"She is," piped Sakura. "The fact that this room is in one piece is amazing!"
Tenten tilted her head to one side in thought. "Funny though, I never thought of her as the over-protective type."
"Hey," Ino shrugged one shoulder and sneered, "When you're close, you're close." The blonde's wiggling eyebrows were accompanied by Tenten's catty meow.
…..
Winding her way backstage, Mabui slipped into the dressing room for the Cloud women and clapped her hands to gather their attention. "Congratulations, ladies, you managed to bring in a substantial sum for the Kumokagure orphans. The Raikage cannot thank you enough for your contribution. Now hurry outside to the garden and see your dates. It's Meet and Greet time!"
Mabui smiled warmly as the excited women hurried in their primping. Then she notice two particular kunoichi who were not celebrating, but fiddling in a corner and trying to fade into the background. Kauri sat on a chair, doubled over her knees with both arms wrapped on her head. Samui had one hand rubbing her teammate's back, doing her best to help Kauri keep cool.
Mabui checked to the room for any outsiders then walked toward the two kunoichi. "Is something the matter? I assumed you would be honored to have a date with Uzumaki. He is, after all, a war hero and sure to be the next Hokage."
"There's more to that, Mabui-san," whispered Samui. "When they first met, Kauri and Naruto didn't get off on the right foot."
Kauri lifted her head and whined, "It was more like a right cross to the nose and anything that happened to be in the vicinity of his stupid fat face. He wouldn't give us any info and I was so pissed about Bee-sensei that I lost it. I beat the crap outta him and he just stood there like a bleeding punching bag. Didn't even defend himself. "
"Ah, no good deed goes unpunished. Is that right, Kauri-chan?" Mabui wandered to the other side of the fiery kunoichi. "Funny how life works."
"It's not fair," wailed Kauri. "How come everyone else gets a chance at romance, but I'm stuck with the Sunshine and Rainbows loser whose face I pounded into hamburger?" She hung her head once again.
Mabui laid a hand on the younger's shoulder. "It's only for one date and you don't have to spend any more time than necessary. Consider yourself lucky. It could be much worse."
"I don't see how," Kauri mumbled.
"You will soon enough." Mabui looked around the room and saw that the rest of the ladies had gone outside. "Kauri, would you do me a favor and keep a look out. I need a moment with Samui."
The redhead wiped that last tear then stood up and put her game face on. "Hai!" She went to the door and left it cracked open to keep guard.
Samui watched her teammate go to the door then waited for her orders. "What do you wished to speak to me about, Mabui-san?"
Mabui turned to the blond with a serious look on her face. "Do you remember the last mission that Kashike-san completed before retiring?"
Samui's gaze turned inward and her shoulders slumped. "Yes." She knew this mission had to boil down to sex at some point, but success would mean the end of her career as a kunoichi.
Mabui noted the lack of emotion from the other woman's face. "The Raikage has set you with the task of bringing the Byakugan lineage to Kumo. If you manage to lure the man from Konoha, then it must be his own decision."
Samui winced at the prospect. It was extremely difficult to convince a man to leave his country for a woman within the span of one week.
Knowing the odds, Mabui gave Samui a firm nod. "Then you understand. Chances are you will have no problem. The doctors gave you a boost of hormones and your cycle fits for the next week. Report to me when you've made progress."
Kauri let Mabui leave the room then the redhead spun around and whispered harshly, "Cycle? Hormones? What is she talking about?"
Samui sat down in front of a mirror and began refreshing her makeup. "I've been given a seduction mission."
Kauri's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe what she heard. "They want you to get pregnant on the sly? That's crazy! You don't even know if the kid will have the Byakugan."
Samui dusted some perfumed talc along her neck and wrists. "A chance they're willing to take because it's the best method to gain a kekkei genkai without damaging any treaties. There would be very little diplomatic or legal recourse for Konoha to challenge the mother's rights once she's out of the country."
"What about the father's rights?"
Samui didn't say a word, only looked at Kauri though the mirror and raised an eyebrow.
Not liking the situation one bit, Kauri crossed her arms and spat in disgust. "Tch, for our Kage and Country."
...
Hana found Kiba in the hotel lobby without a problem. He stood at the head of the line filled while a long line irritated men grumbled and groused from behind. The idiot was caught in a heated argument with the cashier/ANBU volunteer, who fiddled with the hilt of his katana.
Kiba had both hands on the table and growled at the cashier. "Look, buddy. It's impossible for any of you 'elite' boys to get on any Inuzuka property without someone knowing. So imply all the threats you want, you're not getting any money from me. I want this date canceled. I don't like her. I don't want her and I'm sure as hell not paying a thousand ryo for her."
Hana appeared behind Kiba, placed her hands on brother's shoulders and dug her nails into him, making him jump in surprise. "Excuse my rude little brother for a minute. We'll be right back."
Kiba blustered as his sister dragged him away from the cashier. "Oi, I'm in the middle of something."
"It can wait." Hana directed him to a quiet corner of the lobby where Kurenai stood. "This is important. Come Akamaru." The dog followed Hana's orders and trailed behind his grumbling master.
Kurenai waved a greeting at Kiba before saying to Hana. "I phoned your mother from the front desk. Apparently she was keen on the idea and was excited to help."
Hana nodded in approval. "Good, then Mom will have already started gathering the equipment we'll need."
Kiba ran a hand over his hair and grumbled under his breath. "Why does the sound of you and mom needing equipment scare the crap outta me?" He regretted his words immediately when both women turned and focused on him with the harsh scrutiny of sculptors ready to chisel a masterpiece from unyielding granite.
"You're going through with date."
Kiba paused at sister's absurd demand then laughed. "No, I can't."
"Yes, you can."
He stuck his hands in his pockets, pulled the fabric inside out, and waved the sparse bills that emerged. "No, no I can't. Right now, I have only thirty ryo to my name. I'm broke. See that... BROKE."
Hana shrugged. "So? Just hand that over to the cashier and give the rest late. Payday is tomorrow."
"Uuuh," Kiba debated whether or not to tell his sister that the whole lot was already claimed because of his overpriced visit to a hostess club. "I kinda need that money for something else."
Hana threw her hands up in frustration. "And that would be what? It's not like you pay rent or groceries."
He scratched the back of his neck as he and Akamaru shared a knowing glance. "Er, well, something kinda happened at the last minute..."
"Oh kami-sama, Kiba." Hana scrunched her nose up at her little brother in disgust. "Don't tell me you spent a thousand ryo on girly mags?"
Kiba's eyes nearly popped out. "What? No!"
"Those blow up dolls again!" Hana raised her voice a little bit louder, making a few people look in their corner. "Ugh, I was only joking on that puncture repair kit, but looks like it might be a good investment after all."
Kurenai's cheeks tinted with embarrassment as she tried not to look Kiba in the eye. "I'm not sure if I should be hearing this."
Panicking from the pressure, Kiba sputtered and rushed for the cashier. "I'm going. I'm going. See, I'm spending my last ryo." Kiba skipped to the head of the line and slapped his first payment on the table. "And now I'm going to find Sakura. Just stay the hell away from me!"
Hana snickered as the watched her little brother and Akamaru retreated into the garden for sanctuary. "See. I told you we could convince him. You just need to hit the right buttons."
...
As he and his best friend in the world wandered around the garden, Kiba tried to make sense of the past two hours. "I've got a date with a girl that hates my guts. I owe Sai a thousand ryo and as of this minute, I have zero to my name. We gotta think of something, Akamaru." The dog barked in agreement. They stopped in front of the table full of appetizers. Kiba picked out a couple snacks, tossed one in his mouth, then threw second over his shoulder. The giant hound snapped the bit of rice and meat right out of the air.
"What did I get myself into?" Kiba mumbled with his mouth full. He tugged on the neckline of his shirt in an effort to relieve the tension. Ever since he woke up on that stretcher, Kiba felt as if a choke collar had been slapped around his neck. He could feel it tightening and squeezing each time he made a break for freedom. Now here he stood next to some weird looking flowers, munching on food that was way too small, and waiting for a stupid girl to finish powdering her nose.
"Not that it does much." He grumbled and popped another treat in his mouth. "Not that she needs it either. Haruno is pretty enough without any of that crap on her face." Kiba's eyes switched from between the stage where he last saw Sakura and the vase full of twisted wire to resemble branches and little paper sakura blossoms attached to them.
Akamaru gave his master a soft ga-rumph then nudge Kiba in the leg for another treat.
Kiba barely glanced down before throwing a bit of fried pork from the table. "She isn't half bad when she wants to be. I sure do appreciate girls with some kick in 'em and she's got some nice legs. Maybe I can convince Sai to get his money elsewhere. What do you think, boy? Should I keep the date?"
