Chapter 14: Is This Family?
Tenten
Dinner was everything I imagined dinner with a loving family would be. We each described our individual days. We laughed over old familial anecdotes. The lasagna was entirely homemade, and tasted better than anything I had concocted in my own kitchen. My "parents" were rapt and engaged when I told them about what I was learning in school. It was perfect.
And I wanted to sob through the whole meal.
Sure, Team 9 got meals together every once in a while. But stoic Neji barely said a word and Gai-sensei and Lee ended up extolling the virtues of youth. No one sat patiently listening to me talk for more than 2 minutes at a time, yet sitting here at this table I feel I could talk for hours with no interruptions.
Is this family?
Kiba maintained his polite silence the whole time, clearly feeling out of place. But I was glad for his company and support. I'm not sure I could've done this alone.
By 8pm, I felt my conviction waver. I wasn't sure how much longer I could take this emotional torture.
"Well, we have a big test tomorrow, right Tenten? We should be getting back," Kiba stepped in, as if knowing that was what I needed just then.
"Would you like a ride back?" the woman, mother, asked.
"Nah, we'll be fine. Thanks for the grub!" Kiba smiled as he pushed me out the door.
The silence of the nighttime was stifling now. Kiba kept a firm grip on my arm as he steered me down the street.
"I'm not sure what just happened, why you felt the need to do this, or how exactly you're feeling right now, but I figure you probably need a drink," Kiba grumbles.
A drink sounds good right now. "But the drinking age-"
"I got this," Kiba smirked as he pulled an I.D. out of his wallet and disappeared into a liquor store. A few minutes later he returned with a six-pack of beer in his hand.
"Gotta love good old-fashioned fake I.D.'s" Kiba smiled.
"Aw, man, you rock Kiba!" I grin. I'd had a few drinks in my lifetime. Occasionally, yes, Gai and Lee can only be tolerated when one is not quite aware of what is going on around her. I'd had drinks at parties before too, since we were all old enough to drink in Konoha. Being a teenager here really sucks.
Kiba handed me a can and I cracked it open, knocking it back and letting the welcome feeling of warmth start to run through me. Kiba's eyebrows rose as he watched me down the whole thing.
"Damn, girl," he said, cracking open his own can.
"It's been a long night," I answer.
Shikamaru
All of my training as a ninja could not have prepared me for what showed up on my doorstep. After an arbitrary pattern of raps on my door, I had opened it to find a very drunk Tenten clutching the shoulder of an equally inebriated Kiba.
"What did you do?" I sighed, taking Tenten off of Kiba's hands. Free of the burden, Kiba slumped into my doorway, giggling slightly.
"Nothin' much," Tenten nearly shouted.
"Keep your voice down, woman," I groan, trying not to wake anyone in the hallway. It was late and these two could get into some serious trouble if they were caught.
"Ooooh, you called me woman. You must be mad!" Tenten laughed.
"Yeah, I am. We're supposed to stay focused on the mission. Kami, what the hell were you doing out with Kiba anyway?" She smelled very strongly of booze, and I dragged her over to my bed and threw her unceremoniously on top of my comforter.
When I turned to assess the Kiba situation, I saw Shino had beaten me to the punch.
"Here, he's heavy, let me help you," I said, rushing over to help support Kiba's dead weight.
Together, we managed to drag him into my room and let him fall onto the floor. I quickly shut the door and crossed back over to Tenten.
"What the hell, Tenten. I know you're frustrated with Neji, but you can't just go out partying with every guy you see," I scold. I think she's mostly unconscious though, so it has little effect. She simply hiccups and rolls over.
"They aren't sleeping together," Shino says softly from across the room.
"I didn't think they were," I eyed him thoughtfully.
"I just thought you should know," he answered, pulling a blanket off my bed and draping it over the passed-out figure of his teammate.
"I'm just upset she let her focus lapse. I need her help with this, or we won't make it home," I state.
"It will be alright," Shino mumbles, clearly lost in thought. I shrug and pull a pillow out from under Tenten and lay down on the floor.
"Let's hope you're right."
Tenten
Pain. That's all I register when my brain finally wakes up. There's a massive throbbing in my temples, and my throat is dry as a desert. I groan, and then clutch my head because even my own voice hurts to hear.
"Morning," Shikamaru says. I crack my eyes open and glare at him. Sunlight is streaming through the windows and it physically hurts me. "That must be one massive hangover," he drawls. But he takes pity on me and hands me an advil and a glass of water.
"What happened?" I whisper, trying not to aggravate my pulsing headache.
"You went out with Kiba and got super drunk. You were being dumb. Please don't make this a habit. I'll see you at breakfast."
And with that, he makes his dramatic exit.
I down the glass of water he handed me. I notice he's taken the liberty of grabbing some of my clothes and has set them out for me. I feel kind of bad for getting smashed, but I needed it. Once I wake up and get some protein in me, I should feel as if all my frustration has lifted from my shoulders.
Kiba enters the room, quietly, tiptoeing, clearly thinking I'm still asleep.
"Morning, Kiba," I call, and he jumps slightly.
"Hey," he says, then winces and rubs his forehead.
"Bad, right?" I say.
"Oh yeah," he answers miserably. He folds up the towel in his hand, then turns back to me. "I didn't say where we went, you know. And I won't. You can talk about it, if you want, but it's your thing to tell," he says.
I smile at him. "Thank you," I reply gratefully.
I am grateful. Only a very good friend would have done that for me. I've gained a greater respect for the dog boy today. Now, to face school…