The Difference Between Boys And Girls by fang_shinobi
Disclaimer: Naruto and other related characters, settings and such are strictly under the ownership of Masashi Kishimoto-sama. I take no claim of ownership except for the words I have contributed.
Summary: Sasuke and Sakura have been chosen by their camp counselors to head the debate on which gender was better. But things get personal when they start a girl-against-boy war that could ruin the whole summer. Watch out for cockroaches, bloodsucking leeches and such. Sasusaku and other pairings…
A/N: This chapter was almost done a couple of weeks after the previous update. But then my finals started popping out. I just needed one more scene before I could post it, but I never got around to writing it before now. Btw, get a comfortable chair… This is a long one…
CHAPTER 22 - Secrets
DAY 6
Path 0755
"We haven't talked in a while!" exclaimed the usually exuberant Lee as he jogged in pace with her.
Tenten nodded her head wearily. If she needed anything right now, perhaps it was some cheering up. And Lee would be the perfect medicine.
They were on the way to their next class, which was archery with BG4.
"You seem upset. Does it have anything to do with Neji?"
But then again, he might make things worse.
"What makes you say that?" She was defensive, aggravated. "I just got a little upset with Temari. It has nothing to do with that jerk."
"Just a little? I noticed you haven't been speaking to her either."
Tenten sighed. "I'm a little mad at myself as well right now, getting mad over such little things. This is so confusing."
"Well, then, waste no time! Lee is here to talk about your worries!"
"Thanks for the offer, Lee, but I think you'll just confuse me further" was her reply. Though, as she had first guessed, Lee's exuberant nature was rubbing off some on her. "By the way, you've been less of a presence since the debate. Did something happen?"
Lee sniffed in an exaggerated manner, as if sobbing over the fact that she cared enough to notice. "You noticed?"
"Uh, Lee, don't overdo it, please."
"I was feeling a bit bad over the debate. I was thinking, why couldn't everyone just get along? I was so busy musing over this I was barely myself these past few days."
"Ah, so Lee."
"But then," he continued, ignoring her comment, "I noticed how upset Ino-chan was as well. So I tried cheering her up. But she left and didn't return even after class was finished."
"Was that so?"
"But then, prior to that, I noticed that she'd been avoiding Sakura for a while. So I was thinking, maybe she was still upset over Sai. But seeing as she and Sakura are friends again, no, more like accomplices in crime even, I can't help but think that maybe they just had a little squabble like you and Temari-san."
Tenten finally stopped walking, as her friend followed suit. "What were you doing all this time? Spying on everyone?"
"But on second thought," continued Lee, "why would Ino and Sakura, who have been best friends for a long time – finally settling a truce after their childish squabble over Sasuke-kun – quarrel over something – or anything for that matter? Just as you and Temari-san quarreled over nothing?"
"Lee, you're over-thinking this."
"…And I remembered how I had compared her dreary attitude to Sai-kun, and I saw this look on her face that said I'd hit a sore spot."
"Then why'd you say that in the first place?"
"…But at the same time, that look said something else – a yearning of some sort. Like she misses him."
"What does this have to do with me?"
"…Which brought me to the conclusion that the two girls fought over something that may be directly or indirectly related to Sai-kun."
"And that leads you to think I fought with Temari because of Neji?"
"And that leads me to think you fought with Temari because of Neji."
"Have you been listening to a single word I've been saying till now?" roared Tenten in his ear.
"Huh? Were you saying something?"
"I did not fight with Temari because of Neji!"
"So you don't miss him?"
"Why would I miss that jerk?"
"Because he treats you as an equal?"
"That jerk?! Equals? He looks down on everyone!"
"He bullies you because he knows you fight back. If he thought of you as just another girl, he wouldn't even bother. He doesn't even talk to most girls if he can help it, but he talks to you as casually as he talks to me, right?"
Tenten stared at him, dumbfounded.
"He's close with Hinata since they're cousins, but he barely hangs out with her. He likes playing sports with you coz you aren't afraid of getting dirty or banged up like most girls, and as far as I know, you're the only female who can keep up with him, even with his tantrums."
She continued staring at him.
"So far, who else acts like that around you? Most guys don't take you seriously enough coz you're a girl. Additionally, you're quite intimidating yourself, and some guys are a bit scared of you."
The last part of what he's said woke her up from her sort of shock, and she exclaimed, "Wait, what? Guys are afraid of me?"
"A bit," he replied with a shrug. "They can't keep up with you, and they don't want to get their butt kicked by a girl, so they tend to avoid you. That's why Neji and I are your closest guy friends, right? Am I right?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right… Wait, no! You're only right about the last part. I haven't agreed with the first part about Neji yet!"
"Problem solved then?" said Lee with a nod of his head. "Yosh!" he exclaimed, "If I don't get to class before Asuma-sensei, I'll –" The rest of what he said was lost in the wind as he suddenly set off at lightning speed towards the archery range.
"Wait, Lee!" Tenten shouted after him. "What do you mean problem solved? You can't decide that by yourself!"
Archery Range 0800
"Heard that?" asked Karin, smirking satisfyingly at Kin's beet red expression.
"It's nothing," replied the ebony-haired girl, answering a little too late. "They're just joking around." Despite her attempts to sound cool, her face remained the same shade of bright red, and her breaths continued in a quick, ragged manner.
"We need to get to class," said Tayuya.
Their raven-haired friend merely nodded her head, but she remained motionless against the wall, her eyes fixed on her military boots.
"See you later then," Karin said in an unnaturally casual and cheerful way as she left them. One need not see her face to know of the devious smirk growing there.
Tayuya continued looking at Kin. They stayed in that manner for a while, even when an unnoticed Neji, a noisy G4 and Lee and Tenten passed them by.
After a few more moments, Kin sighed, shuffled her feet and finally rounded the corner, an observant Tayuya following after her. They arrived at the archery range to find Kankurou in Kiba's headlock. Apparently, the teasing still hadn't stopped, and Kiba was preventing the guys from telling the G4 girls what exactly it was they were teasing him for.
Tayuya noticed the far-away look in her companion's eyes, as if she were pretending to be elsewhere, just before a hurried Asuma-sensei arrived, telling everyone to gear up.
It was only then that the two G6 girls were noticed, and Kiba let go of Kankurou's neck. Rei was about to blurt out something when Kage managed to cover his mouth just in time.
The G4 girls were curiously prying on what the teasing was all about while they geared up, but in the very least, the boys kept this to themselves – and made sure their hyperactive redhead friend did the same. Temari was late and didn't bother with what the gossip was about and simply went to work. Shikamaru and Chouji were yelled at by Asuma-sensei by virtue that, other than the fact that they were late – which he would have forgiven them for, knowing how he couldn't expect any better from them –, they were still eating what seemed to be their breakfast.
Tayuya was adjusting the sight on her bow when she noticed Kiba staring at Kin, who was working mechanically, like a sad, little doll. When he saw the pink-haired girl staring at him, he looked away, a sort of confused and embarrassed look on his face for having been caught looking.
The pink-haired girl directed the bow at the target and looked through the sight. It was aligned now.
Cabin Path 1000
"I don't have to tell you anything," Naruto said coolly, blocking out his best friend's complaints.
"Believe me, you will," said Sasuke, stalking out the cabin door behind him. Despite the steely tone, even he was doubtful of his own words.
The blond boy started humming. He was not one to hide secrets, nor was he usually one to make a show out of doing so, but aggravating his best friend like this was too much fun to pass up. The usually cool-headed Sasuke could take the blond's declining from joining his side of the feud in stride, but when it came to personal matters Naruto should have usually shared with his best friend, the usual cool demeanor easily evaporated. It was now his turn to act childish.
Why wouldn't Naruto tell him what happened? He always tells him if anything happened.
Sasuke wouldn't exactly call it betrayal. He had his own motives, he could admit that (motives that were unknowingly not unlike those of Sakura's and Ino's), but something of this grave importance should be shared between best friends, right? Right?
As the raven-haired teen's childish side continued quarrelling with itself in his head, a similar internal incapacitation was happening elsewhere.
Ino and Sakura glared at the back of Hinata's head as they headed down the path, as if doing so would be of any help in their quest for the apparent truth.
Why? Why wouldn't she tell us? were their collective thought. We're her friends, right? It's a girl thing! A girl thing, for crying out loud! Isn't that somewhere in the girl code? She has to tell us!
As they were about to turn down the road headed for the animal sheds, their internal debates were rudely interrupted by the sight of the B5 boys.
Ino and Sakura stopped in their tracks just as Sasuke did, and Karin, Sai and Suigetsu almost bumping into their respective cabinmates. Without as much as a care, Naruto and Hinata met at the middle and headed down the path together, chatting nonchalantly, leaving their corresponding cabins to glare each other down at the crossroad.
Noticeably, Sai wasn't responding to the death glares (and neither was Suigetsu, the mirth evident on his face, which in place made Karin glare at him harder). With his unusually cheerful expression still intact, the ebony-haired boy casually smiled at G5 before heading for their class, leaving the girls gaping after him.
Suigetsu started laughing, while Sasuke rolled his eyes before extending an arm towards the road, as if to say, "Ladies first."
Sakura and Ino, though not yet recovered from their shock at Sai's sudden change of attitude, harrumphed at that and marched down the road together like a couple of stuck-up peacocks.
Karin found this a great opportunity finally to be alone with Sasuke, even for just a few minutes, and started signaling for Suigetsu to leave them alone.
The subject of her affection had different intentions though, and quickly went ahead to escape her, which made the last member of his cabin guffaw even louder.
"You're having a riot, aren't you?" the irked redhead asked, her arms crossed. Surely, if one thing was going to turn out right today, it should be that she could at least scratch his eyes out.
"Yeah, a complete riot!" Suigetsu responded between laughs.
"That was a rhetorical question, you hopeless idiot!" she roared at him.
"Oh, god, I missed you, Karin!"
"Wha-?!"
"How long was it since we last talked?"
"What the hell are you talking about, you psycho?!"
"Ah, hits the spot. I can't get enough of your shouting, y'know?"
"Shut the eff up, you maggot!"
"The verbal assault too. You know, Sasuke would love to hear you cuss. Very becoming of you."
"Shut up already! Before I maul you to death, you cretin!"
"You'd love that, wouldn't you?"
Karin's face grew red. "Pervert!" she shouted before marching off.
"Sasuke, run for it!" Suigetsu shouted after her. "Karin's gaining on you!"
He snickered when she replied with a string of profanities.
Husbandry Class 1030
"How's my darling babies?" Naruto pursed his lips together and started making baby sounds.
"Naruto," said Sasuke, a tone of disbelief in his voice, "are you talking to the chicks?"
The chicks inside the coop chirped louder, as if hurt by his harsh tone. "Hush, babies," cooed the blond boy before hitting his friend on the leg. "Don't talk like that! You're hurting their feelings!"
Sasuke squatted down beside him and started glaring – though it didn't have the usually intimidating effect he wanted. "I'm your best friend, and you don't tell me what's going on, and you're worried that these animals' feelings are hurt?!" By the time he finished saying that, his voice had considerably risen in volume. The chicks got louder.
Naruto frowned. "You know, you get really cute when you're mad like that."
Sasuke hit him over the head with the chicken feeder he was holding before getting up and marching off.
At that point, he should have been shouting something along the lines of, "I hate you! I'm not talking to you anymore!" Fortunately, he had not regressed enough to the point of sprouting such obviously inane words. Instead, he kept his mouth shut, though he couldn't manage to recompose his face to the desired level.
"Why's Sasuke acting like a baby?" inquired Gaara as he approached, a duck in his hands.
"Sasuke needs to stop acting like that, right? Or else he'll never grow up," Naruto said with the same pursed lips and baby-talk tone.
"Naruto," Gaara couldn't help saying, "are you talking to the chicks?"
…
"How's my favorite little Sasuke fan girl?"
Karin shrieked, dropping the running hose. "Damn it, Suigetsu! Stay away from me, you freak!"
He picked up the hose and continued watering the coop she was supposed to be cleaning. "Aw, don't be like that. We haven't had a decent talk recently." He smiled that rascal's smile, the canine sticking out.
"Stay away from me!"
"Sasuke, look out!" shouted Suigetsu.
Karin was about to verbally barrage him once more when someone suddenly bumped into her back. She managed to regain her balance though and was about to redirect her anger to the said person but was unable to do so when she realized who it was.
It really was Sasuke, and he had this adorably irritated look on this face that that sent her speechless.
He glared at her before shoving past, but she barely felt the dark aura emanating from him.
She was brought back to planet earth with a light drizzle of hose water.
"Damn it, Suigetsu!" she exclaimed, inserting a cuss or two between each word.
"So awestruck you didn't even notice his bad mood? I betcha he really hates you now. Sucks to be you, eh?"
"What the hell are you talking about?! Bad mood?"
"Yeah, apparently Naruto won't tell him about the lake thing. You know 'bout it, right?"
"What? What lake thing?" For the life of her, she didn't know what the heck he was talking about. Earlier that morning during swimming class, she had been so preoccupied with ogling Sasuke as he was doing laps to notice anything besides that.
"You know, the thing."
"God damn it, Suigetsu, just tell me what it is!"
He sprayed her with more water.
"Shit! Stop that, bastard!"
He just snickered. "Damn, I wish more girls were more like you. Would make this world more colorful, y'know. You always put me in a great mood."
"Pervert!"
She was about to turn and leave when he said, "Well, do you want to know what happened?"
"Who cares?!"
"If you tell him what happened, he might do anything you want."
"What happened?" she blurted out, suddenly very interested, as if she were some sort of crazy, depraved rumormonger.
"I dunno."
Karin was about to strike him when he pointed to the hose with his free hand. Her arm stopped in midair, and she retracted it.
"Even Hinata won't tell Ino and Sakura. If Naruto wouldn't tell Sasuke, what would I know?"
"Well, what's the point of saying those things?"
"Coz I was there."
"Then why'd you say you didn't know?!"
"Coz I didn't see anything."
"Ahou!"
"But given the right motivation, I might have seen something."
Karin's face turned a bright shade of red. "Pervert!" she shouted as she ran off.
Suigetsu just chuckled as he watched her go.
"So… Why was Karin calling you a pervert?" asked Gaara, passing by with the same duck in his hands.
…
"Hinata-chan! Are you listening to me?!"
Hinata ignored Ino as she continued to stroke the mother goat's inflamed belly. "Ino-chan, we're in class right now. You're making Macchan nervous." The animal bleated in support.
They were inside the shed, in the special pen for the obviously pregnant Macchan. Even in here, Hinata's cabinmates couldn't help pestering her with their intense curiosity.
"Please, please, Hinata-chan," begged Sakura, sitting down and already bent really low. "If we start begging, will you please, please tell us?" she begged in a desperate tone.
"We're desperate!" groaned their blond friend, shaking the ebony-haired girl's shoulders.
"Yamato-sensei," Hinata said, calling for their teacher who was somewhere inside the shed, "could you please send Ino and Sakura elsewhere? They're disturbing Macchan and the other animals."
"No can do," he replied, appearing from behind a haystack. "Macchan is due to give birth any time now. I need all three of you, at least."
"And you tell us that now?" shrieked Ino, rushing to her feet. "I'm no midwife!"
"Relax, Ino-chan," responded their sensei. "I'll guide you through it."
"Wait, Yamato-sensei," said Sakura. "You're a biology teacher, but are you sure you know what to do?"
"Yeah, of course! I've seen it dozens of times on nature documentaries – whales, dolphins, horses, elephants –" As he said this, he started inching behind the hay stack once more.
"Sensei!" groaned the girls.
Cooperative Building 1200
"Are you still sulking?" asked Naruto, leaning over the bar in an attempt to see his best friend's face.
Sasuke looked away, his glare directed to the line ahead of them. They were in the canteen, lining up for lunch. Apparently, the dark-haired teen was more than irritated with his so called best friend.
The blond boy started poking his friend's side. "Ne, don't be like that."
Sasuke swatted his hand away.
"Sheesh, and you'd think he didn't care about these things," grumbled Suigetsu, a bit disappointed that Sasuke was acting so childish. He didn't like it when people acted unpredictably.
"Why don't you just tell him already?" Sai suggested.
"Damn it, Sai, I can't get used to you saying more than two words at a time anymore," groaned the blond boy.
"Silly," laughed his friend. "Anyway, what do you get out of not telling Sasuke anyway?"
"Just to torment him." Naruto grinned mischievously. "Ow!" he cried out when the said teen whacked him on the head for that.
Sasuke continued ignoring him even after they'd grabbed their lunch.
"Naruto!" called out a familiar voice when they went outside to find seats.
"Hey, Sakura," he greeted as he approached their table. Hinata and Ino were with her as well.
"Join us," said Ino, a sly smile on her face. "There's plenty of room."
Hinata gave him an apologetic smile. She would have preferred it if she'd managed to grab a separate table just for the two of them, but her cabinmates had practically glued her to that seat.
Naruto, understanding her predicament, plopped his tray on the table and took the seat beside her. "Over here!" he called out to his cabinmates.
Ino's smile fell as the group approached, her attention focused on the unnaturally cheerful Sai. He seemed so relaxed it greatly unnerved her for some reason.
Sakura was more calm about it, already exchanging plan A with plan C.
Suigetsu took the seat across from Naruto, and Sai sat beside him and across from Hinata. Sasuke would have ignored them all and gotten another table – or sat with fan girls for all he cared – but Naruto grabbed him by the elbow and redirected him to their table.
He was going to try and escape them anyway, if his blond friend didn't say, "Sit down, or I won't tell you anything."
Apparently, this was the right thing to say at that point, because the raven-haired teen didn't need much prompting to sit beside Sai, even if he did end up sitting in front of Sakura.
The two exchanged glares and decided to drop it soon after when they realized it would be a waste of time. They resorted to other measures.
"Ne, Naruto, Hinata-chan, aren't you guys going to tell us what's up?" asked Sakura in a casual, friendly manner.
Sasuke shot her a quick glance before returning to his food. Wait, does she know? He hoped she was just grasping for straws like he was.
"Nah much," said Naruto, his mouth half-filled with rice cake.
"Nope," added Hinata, taking a sip from her drink. "Hm, Naruto, there's rice on your cheek."
As casually as if she did it everyday, she picked the rice from his face and ate it. Naruto continued eating, as if he hadn't noticed.
The table stared at them, half of them gaping with their mouths open. What they were saying and doing were totally contradicting!
Suigetsu then started chuckling while Sai chewed with an amused set of his lips.
Sakura and Sasuke glared at the couple, mad that they'd even put up a show and rub it in their faces that they still didn't know what happened (and because it was interfering with their plans to spite each other – though, of course, neither knew how parallel their plans were).
Meanwhile, Ino returned to her food, not even bothering to pretend she was eating anymore. She merely picked at her bento with her chopsticks, a passive look on her face.
Lunch continued in that pattern, with Hinata and Naruto acting casually lovey-dovey, Sasuke and Sakura getting even more annoyed of them, and Suigetsu and Sai looking on in amusement (both at the lovebirds and the annoyed friends). Ino gave up halfway through the meal and excused herself, but no one really paid her any mind as she left.
Picnic Table #014 1230
"So is that a yes then?" asked Karin, getting impatient. Earlier, she had planned to be more subtle with her friend and make things drag on. It would have been sheer delight for her, watching Kin squirm and fidget under the accusations. Unfortunately, she was in no mood for that. She recrossed her legs under the wooden table. "You do like Kiba, don't you?" She was being blunt right now.
The dark-haired girl didn't reply, merely staring at the table's wooden surface.
"So I've been thinking all this time you were acting weird," continued Karin, "and I realized, even prior to this camp, each time you started acting like that, it had something to do with him."
"It does not," she denied.
Tayuya looked on, her mouth set in a straight line.
"You said you hated sports last year," continued Karin, "but all of a sudden, you started playing basketball. And you'd just act all grumpy every time I asked you why. So I thought, hey, maybe you needed a hobby or something."
Kin didn't respond.
"But then you started attending the varsity basketball games behind our backs – in your uniform!"
Kin opened her mouth, as if to deny it, but it hung open in the air as if her jaw had a stuck hinge. To find out she was seen in her uniform outside of school was a huge blow to her ego. "How did you know about that?" she finally asked in a defeated manner.
Karin's eyes gleamed, the smirk spreading on her face. Her aggravations the whole day had been piling up one on top of the other, and Kin was the unfortunate victim as a result. "Aha, don't underestimate my resources, my friend… You should have just watched the game in civilian clothes. Tsk, tsk. To think you were cheering on our team even though you hated sports!"
It was customary to wear one's school uniforms as a show of support for one's school during interschool competitions.
The raven-haired girl was squirming in her seat, her head bowed.
"So it mustn't be the team right? Maybe it was a certain person?"
"It was –" What could she say? She had a crush on the forty-five-year-old coach?
"But who could this person be? I mean, most of the team were sempai and all, and you barely knew any of them."
But it could have been someone from the other team, Kin was tempted to blurt out. But then, the chances of her having a crush on a member of every single team was even harder to prove since she didn't even know a single one of them.
"And I just realized – there was a pretty good rookie on the team, and sometimes, he managed to make it to the starting five…"
She could deny it. There was no rookie on the team.
"Hm, who was this rookie again?" Her voice was rising, as if building up for a climax.
It was a sempai! A sempai! But then, which sempai could it be? Damn, who are the sempai on the team again?!
"I know who that rookie is! And you –"
"It was –" Who knew who Kin could have used as a scapegoat then, if it weren't for a sudden interruption.
"That's enough, Karin."
"Excuse me?" the redhead turned to glare at Tayuya, annoyed at her interference. "What did you just say?"
"I said, that's enough," repeated their pink-haired companion.
"What?"
"I don't know if you've gone deaf all of a sudden, but I said, that's enough, Karin! Shut up already! Your voice is so god-damned annoying, got that?"
Karin stared at her, dumbfounded. No one had ever used that tone on her, save for her father. This was a big blow to her. How can Tayuya talk to her like that?
The pink-haired girl rolled her eyes as she got up, saying, "I've had enough of this." She marched out of the dining area and down the cabin path.
Kin rushed to her feet as well before Karin could redirect her anger at her. She headed down the path after her cabinmate.
Wall-Climbing Class 1400
"Are you sure about this?" asked Ino, alternately eyeing the wall and her friend in anxiety.
She had switched back as Sakura's partner, seeing as they were friends again, while Shinju teamed up with Hinata.
"What happened to your enthusiasm?" asked Sakura, already strapping her harness on. "Shouldn't you be in 'Give 'im hell' mode right now?"
"I dunno…" Ino seemed to be grumbling. "It's nothing… I'm, uh, just a little down…"
"Is it because Sai…?"
"N-no, of course not!"
"Okay." Sakura dropped it, knowing that Ino would be too stubborn to talk to her about it. Sai's new, strange behavior had taken her by surprise too, and despite her urge to challenge this façade of his, her friend's reaction made her think otherwise. Ino didn't seem to be in the mood for this, and when it came to moods, the blonde was the absolute queen of it. Being in psyched-up-go-gettem mode was one thing. Her friend's incomprehensible mood swings were the one thing the pink-haired girl hadn't quite mastered yet.
…
At about thirty minutes into the class, the campers noticed a remarkable change in Sakura's wall-climbing. She was climbing fast, and that was dangerous for someone who was barely able to get into the harness the first day of class.
Of course, as expected, Sasuke would never pass off a challenge. He was confident she was all bluff. Unknowingly, she was actually relying on that overconfidence.
After a more than a few trips up and down that wall, Naruto was getting impatient for his turn. He ended up wrestling with Sasuke over the harness before the raven-haired teen allowed him a turn. Seeing as the blond boy wanted to make up for all the time Sasuke hogged the equipment, Sakura let Ino climb as well. While she belayed for her friend, she realized how much she had relied on adrenaline to keep her going. If it wasn't for that, she wouldn't have had the guts to climb that fast. She sure showed him she could keep up.
Though Karin was supposed to be thrilled at the competition going on, she was still more than pissed to have been told off by Tayuya, of all people. She wasn't in much of a mood to show off her climbing skills and instead scaled the wall at a snail's pace. Even Suigetsu could tell she has had enough today. Maybe tomorrow then.
…
Kayaking class came and went, and the dueling duo was at it once more. Their classmates were more than tired of it all, and took no notice of them, save a rare few who observed with quiet diligence. This time, Tobi succeeded in making Deidara faint from nausea while they were in the water. Iruka-sensei had to go fetch him with a kayak.
Cabin G6 1830
"I never got to thank you," Kin said, standing at the door, her feet hesitating at the threshold.
"For what?" asked Tayuya as she leaned against the bunk beds as she pulled her socks off. She'd been wearing boots all day. She didn't know why she kept wearing them even in this heat.
"For the… you know… sticking up for me part…"
"Ah, cut it out, Kin. You're going soft on me. Gross. Besides, I wasn't sticking out for you. I was just getting annoyed. If Karin could get away with bullying you, who knows when she'll start pestering me. Besides, it's none of her business if you like someone."
"H-hey! I do not like him!"
"You've been pestering him since junior high."
"So? I pick on all the guys."
"But you particularly liked picking fights with him, if I remember right."
"N-no, I don't."
"Oh, and I saw his pics in your phone."
Kin gaped at her, her face turning white as her blood run cold. "You what?!"
"Aha, so you do have pictures of him! Guessed as much. I can't believe you even managed to keep this from me for so long."
The raven-haired girl blushed a deep red before disappearing into her bunk in embarrassment.
Tayuya sighed as her cabinmate drew her curtains close. She was getting too soft as well, acting out for her friend and all that.
Old Port1830
"You look busy."
"Why are you bugging me again?" complained Ino, not even bothering to roll her eyes at him anymore. She sat at the port, hugging her knees to her chest. It didn't make sense to her what she was doing there, but all she knew was that she needed to think, something she wasn't even capable of doing right now. She was barely herself all day, and Sakura was beyond noticing, especially in her constant war-freak state.
"No apparent reason." Suigetsu gave her that smile of his – which in fact resembled a smirk as much as it looked like a smile.
"Just spit it out already."
He shrugged. "Nothing. Just a passing comment, is all. You're unusually high-strung right now. Uh, wait, you were this way the last time we talked, right?"
She got up and started walking away as if to leave, when she remembered something and doubled back. "I know that you must know what's making me act like this, right?"
"Huh?"
"I know you do, so drop the clueless act!" she exclaimed in a quick, impatient manner.
"Okay, okay already," he said, holding his hands up, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sheesh, calm down. Are you upset because Sai seems to be so over you right now?"
"Well?"
"Well, what?"
"Aren't you going to tell me why he's that way? Isn't that the reason you're bugging me?"
"Ha? So he is the reason after all… Anyway, I already told you, it was just a passing comment. I didn't mean to start a conversation with you. Besides, I don't know what's up with Sai either. All of a sudden, he just started acting normally this morning and – I can't even believe you didn't hit me for saying 'he's over you'."
"How could someone change overnight –" Ino's voice trailed all of a sudden as realization hit her. Suigetsu told her about her calling Sai's name – that is, if she did do it – yesterday. "You didn't tell him about it, did you?"
"What? About you calling his n–"
"Don't say it!"
"No, I didn't tell him." At least, was his thought, if he wasn't awake that night. Hehe. "Besides, how will that change things? Whatever it was you said that day?"
"I don't care if things remained the same." She felt a small pang of guilt upon saying that, as she remembered his zombie-like state. Would she have gone back to him if he'd stayed that way long enough?
At first, she'd thought he'd fume over the fight for a while before he'd come crawling back to her, and she would forgive him – under certain conditions were fulfilled of course (that was some time before she and Sakura started avoiding each other). But apparently, that had not been the case. He just went into some sort of daze, as if he saw nothing or heard nothing. As if he never saw her or felt anything whenever he did. But now, for reasons she couldn't comprehend, he had somehow managed to recover from it, and she wasn't too happy about it either.
But why would she be so upset over that? Did she want to be the reason he'd recover? For him to realize that it was only her he needed?
She shook her head. No, I don't want him, she tried to convince herself. But… why do I want him to want me?
"Hello," Suigetsu said, waving a hand in front of her face. "You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I am," she said, pushing his hand away.
"Ah, there he is," said Suigetsu, spotting his cabinmates, with Hinata holding Naruto's hand, heading down the path as well. "You can go ask him yourself. I mean, just coz he's your ex, doesn't mean you can't talk. I don't think he'll mind. He seems friendly enough."
That was one thing Ino wasn't too sure of. What was it that brought them together in the first place? Well, he was gorgeous after all, and he was into her – unlike someone who couldn't notice a stunning blond babe if he ever saw one – and… what else…? Did they start dating just because of that? Blond bombshell plus dark-haired hottie equals love?
No, she didn't even know enough about him to know if he was over her. In fact, what else did she know about him other than the fact that he was handsome, that he liked art and that he liked her? Sure, they knew each other's birthdays, favorite food, favorite music, etcetera, but they never seemed to know what the other was thinking. She can't just come up to him and ask, "Hey, you seem fine now. Are you over me?" That would be beyond stupid. After the way they had broken up, how could they still be friends?
Ino was about to dart down the path in an attempt to avoid them when she heard Naruto say, "What's with your new attitude anyway?"
"Ah, this?" asked Sai. "I was just out of it for a while. I'm back to normal again."
"What exactly happened?" asked his blond friend. Sasuke was hovering behind them. If he was curious, he hid it well this time.
"Maa na."
Sai walked ahead nonchalantly, enjoying tormenting his friend.
"What's that supposed to mean?" groaned Naruto. Hinata patted his shoulder. Behind them, Sasuke snickered, now that the blond felt the same way he had the whole day.
Ino panicked. Sai was heading her way. She turned around in a hurry and ended up bumping into Suigetsu. She turned again, and ended up face to face with Sai.
He looked a bit surprised, but not as much as she felt at that moment. "Hello," he said with a smile, before sidestepping her and moving on his way.
"What the hell?!" Naruto was shouting as he chased after Sai, towing a surprised Hinata by the hand. Sasuke nonchalantly followed after them.
If anyone was shocked right now, it was Ino. She stared at the spot where Sai had been when he talked to her. Did that really happen?
"Hello." Suigetsu repeated his actions from before, waving the same hand in her face. "You okay?"
God, I missed his smile, was all she could think at that moment.
END OF CHAPTER
Author's note: Yes, I know, I'm going nuts. I was reading a really morbid fan fiction and watching the super funny Nodame Cantabile live action series before I started writing most of this (so this unhealthy junk was the result). What the hell is wrong with me?! This is what happens when I'm hyper and want to update soon (remember my first note; this was almost done a month or more ago, and I could have updated sooner). I tend to produce brain-rotting fan fiction that is way longer than past chapters lol.
Side notes:
(1) Lee explains everything I haven't explained so far. He is so intuitive! Lol. Lee needs more air time here, so here he is! Please forgive me for having neglected you, Lee!
(2) Sasuke's cute mode! I am so damn high on oatmeal and melon-flavored milk when I wrote that.
(3) "Pervert!" – What's with Karin calling him that? He's saying all those things in a casual manner, though to her, they seem suggestive (and I believe he means them to seem that way). I'm not necessarily implying anything at this point… I hope…
(4) Gaara and his ducky! Quack, quack! I'm so high right now…
(5) Okay, so you may think, Ha, then Sai and Ino shouldn't get back together anymore! Don't jump to conclusions yet, my friend. I'm a SaiIno addict, and I'll make sure they end up together no matter what. Even if I have to bend the heavens to my will! Mwahahaha! Just like with chapter 439 of the Naruto manga. All the while I was thinking, "If I prayed hard enough, would Masashi Kishimoto…?" Of course, I knew there wasn't a hundred percent chance it would work, but hey, my wish came through, so I may as well do as I wish here lol. (Also, I'd gotten too used to saying "Masashi Kishimoto" rather than "Kishimoto Masashi", so I hope to change that soon.)
(6) "Maa na." – roughly translated to… wait, what does it mean? If I'm correct it's more of a "We'll see", "Maybe" or "I don't know" remark, but I think I heard it a lot as an answer to a question that the person does not want to answer.
(7) Suigetsu and his secret agendas? Whoa, he's putting strange ideas in everyone's heads. I hope you noticed everything he does is calculating (except when he's being naturally playful when it comes to horsing around, swimming and eating). He makes my story flow. Woohoo. He's like the main character, and you don't know it. Giggle fest.
Next time: "Wait, huff… Oi! I said wait, already!"
"Hurry it up, already!" groaned Kage. "You're holding up the line."
"Just… huff… one minute," replied Mikan.
"Why'd you bring such a big bag in the first place? You should've known you can't carry that much around!"
A/N: What exactly is up next? Something that has to with heavy bags and a line. School bus? Boot camp? Military camp? Summer camp's over?!