Next chaptahhhhh! Are we digging it yet!? Don't worry, you will!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.
Chapter Three
"Nervous?"
Dropping the last of my items into my bag, I cast my eyes over my shoulder to see Kakashi leaning in the doorway. Rolling my eyes and with a slight scoff, I rose to my feet. "Should I be?" I asked casually, exhaustion evident in my voice.
I slept like shit last night.
Well, if you even count three and a half hours as sleep in the first place.
Kakashi had stopped by last night to apparently go over things he'd forgotten the day before. Apparently, in addition to protecting Ino at all times, I'd also be responsible for driving her around. He mentioned that taking the limo would arouse too much suspicion and while I agreed, I wasn't exactly thrilled about having to do so.
On a lighter note, I'd also received a phone and computer as gifts from the Head Iota. Though they would both be predominantly used for work, it was still nice to have. I'd spent most of the night getting them set up and familiarizing myself with how they worked. Nothing too complex and it would seem that Lord Inoichi had spared no expense in the models either.
After a bit of research last night, turns out both items together broke about five grand. Chump change for them no doubt.
I didn't even want to think about how much the car was.
Needless to say, all that fooling around made me a little low on energy. However, I was disciplined enough to know how to fight it. The only thing I was concerned about? The attitude I was sure to catch from Ino for holding her up this long.
With a light chuckle, Kakashi followed me outside, locking the door up behind us, "No I suppose not. After all, you're the best there is, here in Iota."
I rolled my eyes at his casual attempt at trying to stroke my ego.
"Make sure to tell Jonas to keep an eye on Aris. He seems to be teething and I'd rather not have to explain to Head Iota that I can't keep my gift under control," I mumbled when I locked eyes with Ino who didn't look the least bit happy.
I was smart enough to know not to open my mouth to Ino once I got in the car. Equally, she didn't bother with speaking to me anyway. Not directly at least. She mumbled something quietly under her breath but didn't say anything directly.
I didn't bother acknowledging that I had heard her, instead tossing Kakashi a nod as he claimed the car parked in front of mine.
Of course I hadn't the slightest idea where anything was, he figured it was a good idea to drive ahead of me so I could get a feel for where places were along with the campus. So after driving around for like a solid fifteen minutes, we were here.
The campus was stunning, as I had expected.
Unfortunately for me, Ino had no intentions of taking in the sights.
I turned to Kakashi, an annoyed look twisting onto my face. He only shook his head and gave me a curt wave before shoving me off after her. Catching up to her was easy but matching the quickness of her strides was another matter entirely. It was almost as if she wanted me to slip up and lose her only for something to terribly go wrong and I wind up dead.
This early in the game, I wouldn't put it past her either.
Pulling the phone from my pocket, I swiped through the notes I had made regarding our schedule. Our first class was an introductory biology course in a building named Stuber Hall.
Also in my research involving the phone last night, I learned about the different applications you could download. Thankfully, the university had an app of its own with a built in map. I very respectfully encouraged Ino to follow me in the direction of the building and thankfully she did so without too much attitude.
It took little effort to find our classroom and there were already students strolling into the room one by one and claiming seats.
Ino of course told me where she planned on sitting and I followed suit with no argument on my end.
She quickly occupied herself with her phone and I took the chance, finally having a moment to rest, to observe my surroundings. It was a large room, with rows and columns of seats splitting it into about three sections. In the front, a long blackboard with seemingly movable panels and a podium with a small desk attached to the side.
Attached to the ceiling, a long white screen with the display of a desktop flashing.
After a few more minutes of waiting, a man, average in height and build strode proudly to the front. Placing his things down and getting settled, he smiled and introduced himself, welcoming us all to campus as well as his class.
As he continued to speak, the sound of a door slamming shut caught my attention.
I turned slightly, eyes locked on the girl who had not so silently slipped in.
Almost immediately, the rest of the class followed suit. She looked nervous at all the attention, brushing the curls from her face as she looked around for a seat. The professor quickly urged her to find a place to sit and with a careful wave, I motioned for the seat beside me.
Ino wasn't too thrilled but allowed the girl to pass nonetheless. She got settled quickly and everyone's attention averted back to the professor, the whole little ordeal becoming a thing of the past. I too decided to refocus my gaze back on what he was saying until a voice in my ear forced away my attention for the second time.
"Thank you. For letting me sit here," she whispered softly.
I nodded, mumbling softly that it was no big deal.
The soft tug of her lip with her teeth held me for a moment. Slowly my eyes traveled from her lips to her face which I hadn't paid too much attention to before. But now…
Her eyes were green but not nearly as intense as mine. Softer and more muted, like that of an olive. Her skin was browned only slightly, being more on the lighter side and her hair fell in curls, shaping the frame of her face perfectly. And if one looked close enough, they could make out the light brown freckles accenting her cheekbones and nose.
She was downright beautiful in my eyes.
Extending her hand to me, she smiled, flashing her perfect teeth, "Paige."
"Sakura," I managed in spite of my awe.
She pulled away slowly, leaving the warmth of her hand lingering on my skin. But with a clearing of her throat and an impatient huff, Ino managed to kill the moment in all of two seconds. I swiftly tore my eyes from captivating olives to icy blues for Ino to glare me down and hiss, "Pay attention, my father isn't paying you to flirt with girls, he's paying you to protect me. You can't do that if you're not focused. Understood?"
Biting my tongue, I settled for a nod and leaned back in my seat.
I could feel eyes on me from both sides and I knew better than to look at either of them.
Ino didn't bother taking the time to explain to me why we were simply standing around outside.
We were all done with the scheduled classes for the day and while not totally unbearable, I was strongly favoring being in my bed right after. However, Ino had other plans and unfortunately for me, they didn't include my bed.
So we sat on a bench, her fingers skillfully typing away at her phone and me, arms folded and eyes closed.
I had half a mind to just demand why the hell she was keeping me here waiting but I knew better. Thankfully, my patience hadn't gone unrewarded.
Ino swiftly rose from the bench and I could make out the faintest hint of a smile on her lips. Scowling, I directed my gaze in the path of her own, spotting a group of girls making their way towards us. My eyes immediately narrowed in on two of the girls in particular. To my immediate fascination, I noticed that they too donned the thin leather straps around their neck like the one I was wearing.
They were like me.
All the waiting had finally paid off. Proof that Ino wasn't the only one out here making people's lives a living hell.
A girl, features similar to Ino's approached first, pulling Ino into a gentle embrace. Another girl, golden brown hair and eyes to match quickly pulled Ino into a hug which was slightly more on the aggressive side. Ino seemed to enjoy it all the same.
"Temari...Ayame, forever keeping me waiting," Ino sighed, lips pulling into a small smile.
"I was ready. Ayame on the other hand, not so much," the girl who I presumed to be Temari spoke first. Ayame grinned, giving Temari a playful little shove before her eyes landed on my own. I quickly ripped my eyes away, feigning interest at a boy passing by on his skateboard.
Perhaps, she hadn't caught me staring.
I was definitely smoother than that.
"Ino, who's your friend?" I tightened my jaw, allowing my eyes to travel up to Ino. The frown she gave me wasn't a surprise and knowing better than to open my mouth, I looked away again. "She's nobody important. Just my bodyguard."
Her words hurt but I wasn't sure why.
It wasn't like I hadn't heard it before. That I was nothing. And coming from Ino it should have hurt even less but it didn't.
To my shock and Ino's as well perhaps, Temari scoffed and nodded for me to stand up. I did so hastily, already preparing myself to kneel as I knew was customary when meeting other royalty until she ordered me to stop. "Come on kid, I don't have time for all that shit. Get up, carry yourself with a little more pride."
Confused, I parted my lips to argue but Ino beat me to it.
"Don't get her thinking that she can do as she pleases Temari. They're not our friends, they work for us," Ino snapped but to my amusement, Temari didn't seem the least bit bothered.
With a groan, she gave me a tired look, "What's your name kid?"
"Sakura. Sakura Haruno," I answered.
Nodding, she reached out to squeeze my shoulder and in the most relaxed voice she could muster, told me, "I'm really sorry you got Ino as your heir. She's got the worst attitude. I assure you, we're all not like that, most of us are pretty chill. She's just a bit more on the hostile side for whatever reason. She and I are pretty close but trust me when I say this, she's a bitch plain and simple."
I bit the inside of my cheek, finding Temari's comment pretty funny. However, I hadn't known her long enough to fear her but Ino was another matter entirely and I was in no mood to provoke the beast.
Not wanting to overstep my boundaries, I bowed slightly, "Lady Temari and Lady Ayame, it was a pleasure to make y-"
"First things first, don't ever call me that shit again. It's just Temari, got it?" She mumbled, slipping her hands in her pockets. I nodded, turning to Ayame who gave me a sheepish smile. Biting her lip she extended her hand my way and agreed, "Same for me. Just Ayame." Unable to pull my gaze from her, I nodded softly again, taking her hand shaking it softly.
Ino was fuming at this point, I could tell.
A girl like her, of course she didn't like having her authority challenged.
Fortunately for her, I had no intentions of challenging her in the first place. Ayame and Temari might have seen things a little differently and were clearly more lenient with their power but Ino was a whole other battle. At least on the plus side, she was well prepared for the role of her becoming the ruler of Sector Iota. She'd fit right in with the rest of the elitist with that attitude.
"Since you three will surely become well acquainted soon, Sakura, these are our protectors. Tenten is with me and Rin is with Ayame," Temari explained, finally introducing me to the girls behind them.
They both gave me casual waves and I returned the gesture as well.
Though on the outside I seemed rather unimpressed, they both were points of interest for me. We were the same and I'm sure I'd get a better chance to mingle with them on Saturday, so for the meantime, I'd maintain my nonchalant facade.
"Are we going to spend all day doing introductions or can we go eat already?" Ino mumbled, not even bothering to wait for any answer. I'm sure it had a lot to do with me and to be honest, I didn't feel the least bit guilty. Temari gave me a reassuring look, assuring me that I was fine and Ino would eventually move on once she got some food in her system.
Typical girl. Pissy mood until some unfortunate soul remembered to feed her.
Everyone followed suit, Ayame skipping up to Ino's side as the two of them exchanged words like long lost friends. Perhaps they were and I'd never know. After all, it wasn't my job nor my intention to get to know Ino or who she really was.
Her friend on the other hand? She definitely had my full attention.
"Wake up."
The command was swift and the tone left no room for arguing.
I winced at the light that stung my eyes when I pulled them open. Fingers reaching, I fumbled around for my phone. When my vision finally focused enough for the numbers to actually be readable, I swear I had never wanted to knock someone's lights out so badly.
Groaning at my her godawful timing, I sat up slowly to see Ino glaring me down so hard I could practically feel it in my soul.
"What the f-"
"I suggest you think very carefully about the next word that comes out of your mouth," she said, abruptly ending my sentence.
Rubbing my eyes tiredly, I settled on fixing her with a tired look. "Lady Ino," I mumbled, "What's wrong?"
"You. You're what's wrong, Haruno." Oh how badly I wanted to roll my eyes but even at the ungodly hour of three in the morning, I still had enough sense to keep my mouth shut until she finished her rant.
"How so?" I dryly asked, having no real desire for an answer.
"That damn dog of yours, that's how," she bit.
Abruptly, I had completely woken up. Eyes flashing from my bed to the small dog bed in the corner of my room, panic set it almost instantly. "Where is he?" When she didn't answer right away, a nervous pang built in my chest and I threw back the sheets.
I called for him, growing more and more frantic when the sound of jingling tags never came. I whistled and everything, practically on the verge of losing my cool when all seemed hopeless. Then finally, soft whines and scratches led me to the patio door.
Outside was none other than Aris, shaking violently and soaking wet.
You've gotta be fucking kidding me. No way she was that cruel.
I swung the door open, picking him up and ignoring how his dampened fur soaked clean through my shirt. I brushed past Ino, taking him straight to my bathroom. Grabbing a towel, I dried him off the best I could before wrapping him in the towel completely. He was still shaking, though not as violently as before. Whether it was from the cold rain or Ino, I wasn't sure.
What I was sure of? Was that Ino was two seconds away from feeling all my wrath.
I mumbled soft words of encouragement for him, pulling away to meet Ino in the hallway. The second I shut my door behind me, I could already hear her nagging in my ear. This was only my second night in the house with her and I was already at my limit.
Unable to deal with it, I lashed out right back.
"You must be out of your goddamn mind Yamanaka."
"Excuse me, wh-"
"I don't give two fucks who you're going to tell," I hissed, closing the distance between us until I had her backed against the wall. "You can talk shit about me to my face or behind my back all day long and I'll be just fine. What you're not going to fucking do, is sit here and punish him because he doesn't know any better!"
"He chewed on my shit!"
"So fucking go out and buy more! For christ's sake Ino! Stop pretending you aren't loaded and that Daddy can't have it replaced it a heartbeat. Step off your high horse for two point five seconds and think about someone other than yourself. I did some thinking and you know what, there's going to be ground rules. For now, we'll start with just one. Don't fuck with me and I won't fuck with you. Now carry your prissy ass to sleep, we have class in five hours."
She was at a loss for words.
And I felt amazing for having managed to make it all happen.
A second later, she spun on her heel and left, slamming her door shut in the process. Content for now, I retreated to my room, collapsing onto my bed with a tired sigh. Right before I could close my eyes, a text message came through.
It was from Kakashi.
I read over it, frown sliding onto my lips as it taunted me.
'You fucked up kid. Big time.'
But at three in the fucking morning, I couldn't find it in me to even pretend that I cared. Effortlessly tapping on the screen, I replied with a simple answer, knowing already the amount of trouble I'd just gotten myself in.
'Yeah, I know.'
Day Three. Off to a great start.
Chapter 3 is finished! On to the next one!
