Wildflower: a Very Special Halloween Special
"So what are you going to dress up as, Kako-chan?" Jizouko asked as she leant down to the level of the young boy she was addressing.
"A monster!" the small blonde boy announced with a large grin on his face.
"Really? Did Kyo-aneki help you with your costume?"
"Yes," the blonde woman answered for her younger brother. "And I have pricked fingers to prove it!"
Jizouko laughed lightly as she sat straight up on the stool she was seated on at the island in the kitchen of the Yume house hold. She had come over because Mirai had asked for her help with something (which she still had yet to find out) and was currently teasing Kako, Mirai's younger brother.
"Mah, Kako-chan is so lazy! Making his big sister do all the work on his costume…" she trailed off with a playful grin.
"I helped!" the boy's pale face was pulled down in a frown. "Honest!"
"Yeah, you're what? Three?" Jizouko asked as she messed up his blonde locks, "Not likely."
"I'm five!" Kako corrected her with a pout.
"Whatever you say," Jizouko said as she rested her head on her hand and stared out the window over the sink.
The late October wind was playing with the brown leaves still clinging desperately to the tree branches, tugging at them until eventually they broke free from their hosts to fly away with the cool air, turning somersaults and other acrobatics along their journey.
"Hello? Earth to Jizouko!" she heard Mirai call out close to her ear as a pale hand waved in her vision.
"Hm?" Jizouko hummed as she turned to look at her blue eyed friend and blinked rapidly with a stunned expression when she saw her.
Instead of her usual dark blue shorts and white tank top Mirai was wearing a midnight blue kimono style dress that went to her knees and strappy sandals of the same color that wrapped around her calves. The only thing that hadn't changed in her attire was the many earrings that she wore in each ear, matching Jizouko's except for the gauge where she wore a small silver stud instead. Even her hair was out of its usual ponytail and fell past her shoulder blades.
"What happened to you?" Jizouko raised a brown eyebrow inquisitively.
"I have a date," Mirai answered matter of factly as she brushed a few stray golden strands out of her face. "I need you to take Kako trick or treating."
"Aww, but I was going to go to Takashi's and watch scary movies!" Jizouko whined as she let her head sink down past her shoulders.
"Oh please!" Mirai rolled her eyes at the violet eyed girl's sulking. "You'll be done before ten; you can go get the snot scared out of you then."
"Fine," Jizouko sighed in defeat. "But I'm eating some of Kako-chan's candy."
"Jizou-nee," Kako whimpered as he clung to Jizouko's leg. "I'm scared."
"Really?" Jizouko deadpanned as she looked down at the blonde boy.
"Come with me?" he asked, turning his head upwards to look at her.
"Really?" she deadpanned again, now looking into his fearful blue orbs. "I'll be right here; the door is like two meters away."
"But it's scary!"
Jizouko looked at the house they had stopped at. The front windows had stickers that looked like ghouls stuck to them and a plastic jack-o-lantern glowed by the front door.
"Really?" she deadpanned a third time.
"Please?" he asked, putting on his best helpless face.
"Fine!" Jizouko sighed as she took his hand and began walking towards the door. "You're not going to get much candy if you keep making this much fuss at every house we stop at…"
She pressed the door bell and waited with her arms crossed for someone to answer while Kako tried to hide behind her thin legs.
"Scaredy cat," she accused as she stuck her tongue out at the small boy.
Before he could retaliate the door opened, causing him to cower even more behind her.
"Jizouko-chan?" the girl who answered the door asked when she recognized the purple streaked brown hair that no one else possessed.
"Sakura-chan?" Jizouko asked when she recognized the pinkette's voice.
Sakura opened the door more, revealing the witch costume she had chosen for the occasion, complete with broom stick and fake wart.
"What're you doing here?" she asked politely.
Jizouko took a step to the side and revealed Kako as her answer.
"Aww, what a cute little monster!" Sakura squealed as she crouched down to the shy boy's level. "Is he your little brother?" she asked, looking up at Jizouko.
Jizouko stared at her for a long moment before shaking her head no. "I'm not related to any monsters," she explained with a blank face.
"Can I please have some candy?" Kako asked timidly as he held up his empty pillowcase.
"Of course!" Sakura grinned as she gave him a handful of sweets.
"What do you say, Kako-chan?" Jizouko prompted him and nudged him lightly.
"Thank you!" he said with a slight blush as he held his bag close to his chest.
This kid! Jizouko sighed internally as she shifted Kako's weight so she could get a better grip on his now full pillowcase.
He had insisted that she walk up to each house with him instead of waiting in the street like she had wanted to and that she carry his bag of candy when it had gotten too heavy for him to hold. Not to mention that he had also slipped into a junk food coma from eating too much candy while he was trick or treating and now she had to carry his bloated self and his surprisingly good haul of candy back to his home.
"Boo!" a "ghost" shouted as he jumped out at her from an alley way. "Ha ha, did I scare ya'?" he lifted the sheet he was using as a costume to reveal Naruto's grinning face.
"No," Jizouko said flatly.
"Aww man!" he shouted in frustration, "I'm losing my touch!"
"Keep it down, Baka," Sasuke ordered as he walked out of the same alley that Naruto had come from. "Can't you see that kid's asleep?" He was referring to Kako who was currently resting on Jizouko's hip with his head on her shoulder.
"Thank you!" she sighed as she shifted the heavy bag slung on her other shoulder.
"Is he your little brother?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side.
Does it look like we're related? You know what? Screw it!
"Yes," she answered, "he's my little brother, can't you tell by the family resemblance?"
Sasuke scoffed at her answer and stuffed his hands into his pockets while Naruto struggled to grasp her subtle sarcasm.
"But… there is none…" he said finally.
"That's the point, Baka," Sasuke explained to his dense team mate.
Naruto made a face at his raven haired comrade before turning back to Jizouko. "So, are you going to the haunted house, Jizouko-chan?"
"No," she answered as she began walking again.
"Why not? Everyone's going to be there!" he gasped as he followed her.
"No, since I'm not going to be there, not everyone will be there," she said, keeping her eyes forward.
"If you don't come then I won't get out of your way!" he declared as he jumped into her path and spread his arms out wide.
Jizouko stopped and sighed in defeat. "Fine! Just let me drop this dead weight off."
"Yay!"
Jizouko looked at the haunted house with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. "It doesn't look that scary," she finally decided.
"Oh, don't be such a spoil sport!" Naruto laughed as he tugged on her arm, dragging her forward. "There's a prize for getting through it this year!"
"What, a better haunted house next year?" she asked as she did her best to resist his pull but failed miserably.
"No, free ramen from Ichiraku's for a month! Just imagine, all you can eat, with no charge!" he exclaimed with stars in his eyes and drool dripping down his chin.
Jizouko had to admit, that did sound tempting…
"Ah, there you are, Naruto-kun!" Sakura greeted when she recognized her orange clad team mate. "Did you bring Sasuke-kun?"
"Yeah, and look who else I brought!" he said as he lifted up the arm that he had what Jizouko was sure was a death grip on.
"Jizouko-chan!" Sakura gasped in excitement. "I have to introduce you to the others!"
"Say wha?" Jizouko got out before Sakura dragged her off to a group of kids her age.
"Everyone, this is Jizouko," Sakura announced, drawing the group's attention.
"Jizouko-chan, this is Inuzuka Kiba," she pointed to a boy dressed as a werewolf with a small white dog. The boy looked at her inquisitively while the dog walked up to her and sniffed at her feet.
"Are you Inuzuka-kun?" Jizouko asked as she picked up the puppy and held it to her chest.
"No, that's Akamaru-chan," Sakura laughed, "Kiba-kun is the werewolf."
"Oh…" Jizouko said softly as she stroked Akamaru's head.
"Next is Aburame Shino," Sakura motioned towards a boy dressed as a spider who nodded in greeting. "And Hyuuga Hinata," a pale eyed girl dressed as a Geisha.
"Um… hello," she stuttered nervously, finding the ground extremely interesting.
"Nara Shikamaru," Sakura pointed out a boy dressed as a deer who yawned tiredly. "Akamichi Choji," a boy dressed as a pumpkin ate chips out of a bag by the handful. "And Ino-pig!" she motioned to a blonde girl dressed like a skeleton.
"Don't introduce me like that!" Ino demanded before turning to face Jizouko and saying in a much calmer voice, "I'm Yamanaka Ino, nice to meet you."
"Moriyama Jizouko," Jizouko said, offering a now dog scented hand for the blonde to shake.
"You seem familiar," Shikamaru said, taking a closer look at Jizouko.
"Were you in our class at the Academy?" Choji asked between mouthfuls.
"No," a new voice answered for her, "she graduated two years before you."
Jizouko turned to see a boy with long brown hair dressed like a Samurai.
"Oh, hi there, Hyuuga-kun," Jizouko grinned when she recognized the newcomer.
"Wow!" Kiba gasped in disbelief. "But you can't be much older than us!"
"Ha ha, it's kind of a long story…" Jizouko trailed off as she put Akamaru back on the ground.
"Y-you m-must be v-very t-t-talented…" Hinata complimented as she poked her fingers together.
"Not really," Jizouko denied, "I just entered early."
"But still," Sakura said with a frown, "you must have been gifted to enter the Academy early."
"Yes, Jizouko-chan is extremely youthful!" a new, passionate voice joined the conversation.
"Uh, Lee-kun?" Sakura started cautiously, "What are you dressed as?"
"I'm Gai-sensei!" Lee declared as he struck a pose, "The most youthful Jounin in all of Konoha!"
"In that case everyday must be Halloween for him," Jizouko said softly so Lee couldn't hear, causing the group to erupt in giggles.
"How do you know each other?" Sakura asked curiously as she looked between Jizouko and the older Genin.
"Uh…" Jizouko wasn't sure how to explain their relationship. "Look! They're letting people in to the haunted house! We should get in line."
The group made their way to the entrance of the spooky attraction, and was joined by Naruto, Sasuke and Neji and Lee's female team mate, Ten Ten.
"We will start letting people go in groups of two, find a partner and line up at the starting line," a man said over a P.A. system and the crowd began to buzz with people looking for a partner to go with.
Jizouko was jostled around as people gabbed for their friends and was finally pulled out of the fray by a concerned hand.
"You should be more careful, Jizouko-chan," Junnosuke sighed when he had gotten her out of the mob.
"Ah, Junnosuke-kun! Do you want to be my partner?" Jizouko asked the green haired teen hopefully.
"Sorry," he said with an apologetic smile, "I can't. I'm supposed to be scaring you, not helping." He held up a grotesque mask to prove his point.
"Aww," Jizouko groaned, "that sounds like fun! I wish I could do that…"
"Well…" Junnosuke started but was cut off by Sasuke's monotonous voice.
"Jizouko," the raven haired boy called out. "Come on, we're partners."
"Ah, okay," she said, turning to leave. "Good luck, Junnosuke-kun!"
Behind her back Junnosuke shot Sasuke a dark look that the Genin countered with a raised eyebrow before turning around and walking with Jizouko to the entrance.
Somehow the teams ended up like so, Sakura with Ino, Neji with Ten Ten, Naruto with Lee, Kiba with Hinata, Shikamaru with Choji, and Shino opted to not participate.
"We shall win with the power of youth!" Lee declared with a fire in his eyes.
"For the ramen!" Naruto shouted before he and Lee ran through the front door of the haunted house.
The rest of the pairs entered with much less shouting until it was just Jizouko and Sasuke left outside from their original group.
"I guess we should go in…" Jizouko suggested, not sure how to talk to her partner.
Sasuke grunted in agreement and took the lead, not asking Jizouko if she was ready or not.
Little did they know, Junnosuke was watching them - well, mostly Sasuke - with a frown on his face. He put on his mask and was transformed from Takeda Junnosuke to a very realistic zombie and followed the unsuspecting pair into the house.
"Mah, is this stuff supposed to be scary?" Jizouko asked as she batted at a fake spider that hung from the creaking ceiling by a string. "It's kinda tacky…"
From not far down the hall behind them a girlish scream echoed off the walls.
"Someone thought it was," Sasuke pointed out boredly, he was about as spooked as his partner.
Jizouko laughed as she continued down the hall, high fiving a ghoul cut out that sprung out from around a corner. "Maybe it gets better…"
Junnosuke growled in annoyance, that last couple he had snuck up on wasn't Jizouko and that kid who had interrupted them. He would teach that little brat not to snatch her away again…
"How did you get down there?" Jizouko asked as she lay on her stomach at the edge of a trapdoor in the floor.
"Help me out of here," Sasuke ordered as he glared up at her.
"I dunno, I might leave you there until you learn some manners," she laughed as she rolled onto her back and allowed her head to dangle over the edge upside down.
Someone came running down the hall and tripped over Jizouko, causing both of them to tumble into the pit, joining Sasuke at the bottom in a heap.
"Oww…" Jizouko groaned, thankfully something soft broke her fall.
"Sorry," the person on top apologized as he got off, "I didn't see you there…"
"Inuzuka-kun?" Jizouko asked as she got to her feet, helping Sasuke up as well.
"Jizouko-chan? What were you doing on the floor?" he asked as he squinted in the dim light.
"Uh… Would you believe I lost a contact?" she tried out the excuse hesitantly.
"K-kiba-kun?" Hinata's soft voice came from the top. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Jizouko-chan and Sasuke-kun are down here too, can you help us out?" he shouted up to his partner.
"Okay," Hinata said before going away to find something to pull them out with.
"So, uh… Inuzuka-kun," Jizouko started haltingly, not sure how to phrase her question. "Was that scream earlier you or Hyuuga-chan?"
Kiba's blush was practically iridescent in the low light.
Busted! Jizouko grinned at his silence.
"Kiba-kun!" Hinata called from the top, she had returned. "G-grab it!"
Kiba grabbed the rope that Hinata lowered down and began climbing. When he got to the top Jizouko went to grab it next, but he began pulling the rope up after him, leaving her and Sasuke stranded at the bottom.
"Hey!" she called after him, "Lower the rope!"
There was no reply; Jizouko guessed that he and Hinata had gone on down the hall.
"Great," Jizouko sighed as she rested her head against a side of the pit.
"Do you know what I just realized?" Jizouko asked as she lifted her head that had been resting on her knees.
There was no reply from Sasuke, so she continued with her thought.
"We can channel our chakra to the bottoms of our feet and just walk up the side."
"Took you long enough to figure it out…" Sasuke's voice trailed off from above her, signaling that he had thought of the same thing earlier and followed through with it without telling her.
"Thanks for telling me…" Jizouko muttered as she began walking up the side of the pit.
"Let's get out of here," Sasuke suggested as he began walking down the hall, not waiting to see if Jizouko was following him.
"Man, it took you guys long enough," Naruto laughed when the two exited the haunted house. "What were you doing?"
Sasuke grunted and brushed past the noisy blonde without comment.
"He fell into a trap and spent most of the time trying to get out," Jizouko explained in a hushed voice when he was far enough away.
Naruto burst into obnoxious laughter at this; it was just too good to be true.
"Did you have fun, Jizouko-chan?" Junnosuke's voice came from behind her.
"The decorations weren't that great," she shrugged as she turned around to face the brown eyed teen. "But I heard that the monsters were amazing."
"Ha ha, I heard that too," Junnosuke laughed with a slight blush at the compliment.
"Who's this?" Naruto demanded, joining in the conversation
"Ah, Junnosuke-kun, this is—" Jizouko started to introduce the two but Junnosuke cut her off.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Junnosuke said coldly before addressing Jizouko. "I think I should take you home before he gets you into any trouble. What would Moriyama-san say if he found out you associated with this… boy?"
"Excuse me?" Jizouko asked, stunned by the personality change. "I have no problem getting into trouble on my own and Take-nii knows that we're friends, besides, what would your parents say if they knew that you talk to me whenever you can find an excuse?"
A tense hush fell between the two while Naruto looked at Jizouko with a new found respect, no one had ever stood up for him like that before.
"Thought so," Jizouko scoffed as she turned around to leave. "Come on Naruto-kun, let's go see if Ichiraku's is open."
"Sorry about Junnosuke-kun," Jizouko sighed as walked with Naruto to Takashi's where she was spending the night.
"It's okay, I'm used to it by now," Naruto waved it off.
Jizouko turned her head to look at the blonde boy, was that a hint of sorrow she heard in his voice?
"You shouldn't be," she said softly as Takashi's house came into view. "I had fun tonight, all things considered… You should pressure me into doing things more often!" she laughed when they got to the front door.
"Okay!" Naruto grinned as she walked into the house.