Thoughts= Italicized
Inner Sakura= Italicized and underlined (This will be for both talking and thinking from now on by the way)
Words on paper or text messages= Bold/Underlined
*Word count= 3,104*
Hand this over to Temari now.
Sakura stared at her phone believing that it was possessed. The six words stared up at her for a minute before a phone call came through from a now different number. Cradling her phone as if it would burn her, Sakura pressed the receiver to her ear to hear clear silence on the other side.
"Hello?" Sakura whispered as to not disturb her two friends who had thrown their legs over her lap effectively trapping her to the couch. The on going silence was not helping the tension that was building up in the room.
"Put Temari on Sakura." A small growl greeted Sakura after another minute of silence. She let out a small whimper before slowly poking Temari's face to rouse her out of dreamland. The blonde's reaction was to swat at whatever was touching her and cover her face with an arm. Dang it what do I do now? Well Temari isn't gonna answer so I guess we gotta.
"Uh she's asleep. Who's this?" Sakura whispered as she watched the rest of the forgotten batman movie pass by silently. A small growl was heard before her phone gave the necessary beeps to signal that the phone call was ended. Sakura felt her pulse race at the thought that a mysterious someone was looking for Temari, had her phone number, and somehow knew that her new friend was with her. Looking around the room, Sakura couldn't pinpoint anything that seemed out of the ordinary. There's nothing to worry about. I'll just ask Temari in the morning.
With that thought in mind, Sakura spent the next hour trying to relax so she could fall asleep.
Day light came unnaturally fast in Sakura's thought. She hadn't been able to fall asleep till nearly 3' clock and was sadly woken up four hours later thanks to Temari's stomach growling even though she was knocked out. It would have been easier to ignore if her head wasn't resting on her stomach. In the end, Temari's unconscious growling won and forced Sakura to fully wake up to see if Tenten would be generous enough to tell her where the shower was.
It took a handful of pokes, whispering, and pushing to wake Tenten enough to give a coherent answer of where she kept the good cereal hidden from her brothers. Sakura's thoughts flashed back to when Tenten had first explained that she had to fight to be respected by her eldest brother in her household. Temari had explain as well the trouble she had done to be able to boss her younger brothers around. Sakura smiled softly thanking the heavens that she was an only child.
"Huh so that's where she hid them?" A voice interrupted Sakura's train of thoughts to realize she wasn't alone anymore. Haku and Zabuza had joined her in the kitchen to find some early breakfast.
"I wasn't the one to reveal the hiding place though, okay?" Sakura giggled as she pulled out a box of Pop's that was wedged behind a tower of mixing bowls. Haku laughed quietly and walked over to help pull out the cereal. Zabuza was about to ask Haku to grab the bowls when a tune you usually hear in horror movies began ringing. It was the typical sound that played when a girl was being stabbed to death in the showers. Sakura stared at Temari's ringtone in disbelief while the previously mentioned girl rolled off the couch to answer the phone. Sakura, Haku, and Zabuza peered into the living room to catch Temari's side of the phone call.
"... It's early morning what do you want... I'm at a friend's house.. You did what.." Temari sighed before pulling her phone away from her ear. Wiggling her way to the kitchen on the floor, Temari peered up at her three friends that were giving her quizzical looks.
"To tired to stand up." Temari mumbled at the continued gazes. Sakura and Haku let out a small snicker while Zabuza sighed and retreated to the table to eat.
"Yo Saku. Did you get text and calls from random numbers last night?" Temari questioned as Haku bent down to help Temari sit up. Sakura's eyes widened at how spot on Temari's question was about the previous night.
"Yeah. Two actually. They were asking for you." Sakura replied before joining Zabuza at the table to eat. If the person on the phone with Temari was the same person that called her last night then why didn't the caller wait till the morning? Temari let out a sigh and whispered goodness sakes before returning to her phone call.
"I left a note on the refrigerator... Well that doesn't give you the right to call my friends in the middle of the night!" Temari shrieked before hanging up her call. Pouting, Temari scooted along on her butt back to the living room no doubt to try to go back to sleep. In all honesty, it wasn't Sakura's or Haku's fault for laughing out loud at the sight of her type of crawling resulting in Temari flipping them off for laughing.
"So do I wanna worry about the mysterious callers that have my number?" Sakura questioned around mouthfuls of cereal. Temari paused in her little journey back to the couch.
"Mmm probably not but don't worry they shouldn't call again." Temari glanced back to see the cereal and promptly turned around quickly to travel on the floor to the kitchen again. Sakura handed a bowl down to Temari's level and began helping in pouring the lazy breakfast.
"So how'd the sleepover go girls?" Haku asked hoping to change the topic to a more lively one. Just like he hoped, Sakura and Temari giggled about the fun they had. A loud groan coming from the living room caught everyone's attention. They briefly saw flailing arms before Tenten's sleepy eyes peered up at them over the hand railing on the couch. Her two buns that she had secured before falling asleep had come undone to create a small curtain of hair around her head. Tenten eyed the cereal they were eating before placing her head up so everyone could see her small pout.
"You told them where it was." Tenten growled at Sakura. Sakura scratched the back of her head sheepishly before quickly pointing at Haku.
"I didn't tell. Haku caught me when I was getting the cereal out." Sakura squeaked before diving behind Temari for cover. Haku and Temari laughed as Tenten growled after successfully rolling onto the floor. Sakura giggled with the others at Tenten doing the worm to crawl towards them in the kitchen. Her travels were cut short by Zabuza grabbing her feet and dragging her out back to the couch.
"No growling in the kitchen. We established this when Haku took your weapon polisher three months ago." Zabuza reprimanded Tenten as Sakura and the rest of the gang ate quietly watching the small show go on. Sakura poked Haku and waved her hand signalling for him to come closer.
"What kind of weapons does Ten have?" Sakura whispered. Immediately she could feel the happiness radiate off of Tenten. No way in hell she heard us ask that! I don't know but I wouldn't doubt it. Sakura shivered as Tenten leaped off the couch and bounded straight towards her giving the brightest smile ever.
"Would you like to see?" Tenten gushed as she gripped Sakura's hands within her own Temari snickered at Sakura's speechlessness.
"Hell if we're gonna show off weapons then we gotta head to my house afterwards then. We have some sick and unique ones hidden for fun." Temari commented while polishing off everyone's long forgotten bowls of cereal. She let out a small burp and grinned.
"So are we gonna weapon look?" Tenten asked once more when Sakura kept sitting there silently on the floor.
Sakura gulped and slowly nodded suddenly feeling that she had just signed the rest of the day away to these girls.
"And this is my kusarigama." Tenten said proudly pulling her weapon off it's pedestal. Sakura and Temari let out a small whistle when Temari begun to twist the handle of the blade so it would catch in the lighting of the room.
"Is that a BashÅsen?" Sakura let out a long whistle as she admired the red and white fan hanging on the wall.
"You know what it is?" Tenten gasped. Sakura giggled as she tried to pick up the fan.
"I have an aunt who has friends that own some fighting dojo's. You guys actually know one." Sakura stuck her tongue out playfully at letting the information on who it was be vague. Temari laughed at Sakura's little scheme as Tenten pondered on the mysterious person. The pinkette turned her attention to heavy fan she was trying to carry. It fell to the counter with a loud clank.
"Is that really heavy for you?" Temari questioned as she made her way over to help put the fan in it's original place. Between the two girls, they were able to place the fan back when Tenten gasped out loud.
"Is it Orochimaru?" Tenten questioned. Sakura stared for a good minute confused before realizing that she was still talking about their earlier topic.
"Yeah how'd you know?" Sakura for sure thought that they wouldn't have known. She had barely found two weeks before school started. It wasn't that she hadn't had met her aunt's friends before, no she had met them plenty of times before. Sakura had just never heard the information because it never came up in any previous conversations.
"Secret." Tenten pronounced each syllable in a sly way meaning she wasn't going to tell her resources.
"He's the teacher coach for the Karate team at school." Temari whispered into Sakura's ear before pushing the two girls out of the room and back into the hallway.
"Man. I forgot about that." Sakura pouted at her forgetfulness. The three teens had ran into Haku who was climbing down the stairway to the weapons room.
"Oh. Good you guys are down here then. There's three guys upstairs asking for you Temari." Haku barely had time to finish his sentence before Temari took off running up the stairs. Tenten and Sakura shared a confused look before dashing upstairs after their friend hoping nothing bad was happening.
The sight they originally thought was going to happen was way off to the reality in front of them. Temari was sitting on Kankuro effectively trapping him in a head lock while she growled out threats to the two red heads standing off to the side. The younger looking red head, possibly around Sakura's age, stood off the front door staring at the two wrestling on the floor with an expressionless face. The third red head was much more familiar that it was quite surprising to see him there.
"How many times have I told you Sasori that you are not to let Kankuro near my phone so he can call my friends." Temari snarled at previously named red head, Sasori. Sasori it seemed had either not noticed that an audience had formed or he was ignoring them. Sakura nudged Tenten and pointed at the little fight going on in the living room. Temari was currently growling and wrestling with
"Should we be concerned?" Sakura whispered not sure if she should intervene to save her friend from getting into a fight. Tenten shook her head motioned for her to follow into the kitchen. Haku waved to the Sasori and the remaining boy for them to follow as well.
"Knowing Kankuro for the past few years, he most likely deserves this beating." Tenten giggled remembering seeing Temari put Kankuro down the school hallways.
"Sakura. Tenten. Haku. Good morning." Sasori nodded slightly before walking over to take a seat at the table.
"Sakura this is Temari's youngest brother, Gaara. He's a freshman just like you. Of course you know Sasori. He's also their cousin." Tenten did introductions as she pulled out cups to offer drinks to everyone. Sakura smiled softly at Gaara and offered her hand to shake feeling it was only polite enough considering the situation of how they were meeting. Gaara glared for a quick second at her hand before offering his own to shake quickly.
"Hn." Oh great another monotone user. I thought it was just Itachi but I guess not.
Sakura's smile faltered at her inner's thoughts but continued to smile. Her gaze turned to Sasori sitting across from her. His warm brown eyes were what, in her opinion, keeping him from looking like an identical twin with Gaara.
"So what are you guys doing here?" Haku questioned, bringing out a pitcher of ice tea from the fridge. What the hell? There's ice tea! Why wasn't I informed?
Sakura promptly ignored her Inner's musing at the offered drink and resumed listening to Sasori explain how he found Kankuro nearly destroying the house looking for his puppets that he had made. Kankuro assumed it was Temari's doing so he proceeded to try to find her to ruin the sleepover he knew she had planned by using his phone and stealing Sasori's so the girls wouldn't recognize it. Sakura put in her side of the story and mentioned that she had gotten a call and texts from two random numbers.
"Mmm. He called from my phone so the second number is probably mine." Sasori muttered sipping on the sweet tea. Sakura pulled out her phone and began saving the two numbers down. The pinkette held up her phone to show Sasori that he was now officialy saved in her contacts.
"Hope you don't mind." Sakura smiled. Sasori's deadpanned look softened ever so slightly that he hoped no one noticed. A loud crash and a girly squeal pulled everyone's attention back to remembering that Temari was no doubt murdering Kankuro.
"Temari no spilling blood on the carpet." Tenten yelled running out towards the two siblings fighting only to stop at situation she found. Zabuza was holding Temari in a headlock with one arm while Kankuro was put into a guillotine. Everyone shuffled out to see Kankuro's position before slowly walking back in completely ignoring the small thoughts of going to help the older sabaku siblings.
"Who would like cake?" Haku sheepishly announced as to lift the spirit. Two 'I do!'s were heard from the living room. Sakura laughed as she barely caught sight of Temari's hand waving to catch their attention. Temari and Kankuro quickly tapped out of their fight with Zabuza to retrieve the small dessert Haku was laying out on the kitchen table.
After an hour of laughter and recounting how many times Kankuro was put to shame in fighting, Sakura relentlessly began packing to make the trip home.
"You can't leave! Don't leave us alone with them." Both Tenten and Temari were clutching onto the pinkette's legs as an attempt to stop her from going home. Sakura giggled at their childish antics to prevent her leaving but knew that if she didn't leave now then the girls would rope her in for another night. Her mother hadn't said anything about spending another night but Sakura didn't want to ask. All she wanted to do was just relax at home before tackling her homework.
"Are you walking? We can give you a ride if you want Sakura." Haku mentioned as he and Zabuza began prying the older girls hands away from Sakura's legs. Well Haku was at least trying pry off the hands, Zabuza ended up believing that pulling Temari by her legs would work.
It half accomplished the job.
The strength the eldest momochi sibling used in pulling the dirty blonde off Sakura was enough to pull the pinkette's legs out from underneath her. Sakura clenched her eyes and anticipated the impact she was sure to feel from hitting the floor only it never came. What did come though was a pair of warm arms holding her almost horizontal to the ground.
Sakura stared up at the warm brown eyes that were none other than Sasori's. At this close of a range, Sakura could smell a hint of fresh forest that was being overpowered by a more stronger smell she couldn't describe. Sasori's lips were almost an inch way when Sakura had looked up causing her face to blush beet red. As if barely realizing how close they were Sasori quickly turned his head up to both distract him from blushing and to put some distance away from Sakura's mouth.
"Nice catch Sasori." Haku cheered. Sasori cleared his throat and helped right Sakura in standing up.
"I'll give you a ride home. I need to leave anyways." Sasori murmured as he began walking to the front door. His tone left no arguing so Sakura smiled weakly at her new friends before grabbing her fallen suitcase and running after Sasori. The rest of the house was silent until Temari had understand what happened. Temari raced outside to barely see her cousin and newest friend driving down the street.
"Wait what about us?!" Temari's yells were unheard as she watched the Sasori's black jeep turn a corner.
"He came separately than us." Gaara's low voice answered his sister's question. Tenten peered out the door to look at the eldest and youngest Sabaku siblings.
"You guys live together though." Tenten gasped. "Do you think he was hoping to take her home alone?"
Temari's head whipped around to stare at Tenten. Haku, who recently joined the younger high schoolers at the door, winced at the sound of Temari's neck cracking and poked Tenten's shoulder to catch his sister's attention.
"I just got a call from Sakura's mother. She wanted to tell Sakura that she won't be home and to please find a ride home if she is not staying the night again."
So who missed me?
Ok first thing first. GezeichneteSeelen, I want to thank you for reviewing and answering all my questions from chapter 10. I will say it was late but better late than never right? I will try to include your zetsu pairing in one of the future chapters because you're right, he doesn't get enough love! I also just had a marvelous idea thanks to your review! I'm dedicating this chapter to you because I was writers block until you had reviewed. Thank you GezeichneteSeelen.
Next is that I updated! Woohoo! I will say this chapter halfway did not go the way I had originally planned but I kinda liked how it ended.
Third is that I am shutting the polls! Here are the end results!
5. Deidara = 1 vote
4. Kakuzu = 2 votes
4. Hidan = 2 votes
4. Zetsu= 2 votes
3. Kisame= 4 votes
2. Tobi/Madara= 6 votes
and finally tied for first place with 11 votes each:
1. Sasori, Itachi, and Pein! *note that even though the polls says pein has ten I promised to include 's vote that she put in through reviewing.*
So from now on be expecting a little feuding between these three gentlemen to win our dear Sakura's heart! I'll have a second poll on which of these three you want to win later on when things get heated up a little more kay? So be on the look out for that!
I'll also be having a word count at the top from now on! The number will be put in before I type up the author's note!
I believe this is it for now? So please review, follow, favorite, and keep reading the story please.
Later,
~ Yoshi
