Hey guys, here with another chapter. This is actually two parts but the first half was so long so I didn't want to force it all in one chapter. This one is already twelve pages and I'm expecting the second half to be around the same length. I promise, legitimately promise that the next one will be ready before tomorrow is over. I'm just hella tired and a 24+ page chapter is honestly overkill though I'm sure I've done like a 17 page one before.
I digress. Some important points to mention. One, there are song lyrics in the story and I just want to say that I don't own those songs in anyway. I will post the names of the songs in the end notes so if you want to listen to them you can. I recommend doing so as you read the lyrics as the voices of the artists are the voices I imagine for Ino and Kiba, assuming they could sing. xD So go on and enjoy this long ass chapter! (Also, for the text messages, {:} that symbol will signal the incoming text. Texts that Sakura herself is sending won't have anything beside it for the sake of simplicity.)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, any of its characters or the song/copyrights to the songs mentioned in this chapter.
Chapter Thirteen
"Sakura," I heard Ino whine my name for the hundredth time tonight.
And for the hundredth time that night, I continued to ignore her.
I wasn't trying to ignore her on purpose but she was beginning to wear me thin. All the requests were starting to pile up and we hadn't even left the apartment yet.
She was nervous, as most girls would be before going on a "date."
However, my responsibilities did not include helping her pick the perfect outfit, styling her hair or any of the like. She could do that herself considering she seemed to have no problem dressing herself any other day. Of the thousands of clothes in her room, there had to be something she could wear that would do her justice, not that it was hard for her to pull off just about anything.
While she scrambled about in her room, I kept myself occupied with Aris in the living room.
Lying flat on my back, I lazily tugged one end of his rope toy while he attempted to snatch it from my fingers. His growls of frustration were amusing considering that despite his recent growth spurts, he still made such high pitched noises. I smirked when one particular tug sent him sliding back on the floor only for him to hop up and attempt round two.
My phone vibrated, signaling a text from Temari.
{:}Hey man, how's it going on your end? We got the place set up and Kiba should be just about ready at the club…
In the middle of me typing my response, Ino poked her head around the corner, water dripping from her hair signaling she had just finished showering. Aris took the opportunity to snatch the rope from my hand before carrying it off to who knows where. Sighing, I looked back to Ino who was shifting nervously behind the cover of the wall.
"I need your help…"
"No," I answered dryly, finally taking the time to respond to Temari's text.
It's a work in progress. She's not even dressed or anything yet.
{:}Of course not lmao. No worries dude, we specifically planned for this so you've still got at least two hours. Let me know when she's just about ready so I can hit up Kiba.
Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I looked up to see Ino fixing me with the most desperate look I'd ever seen. "Please," she begged, tugging her lip with her teeth. It was a custom of hers that I was slowly beginning to hate considering it always seemed to make me lose my resolve whenever she asked me something.
"What is it Ino?" I asked, slowly beginning to hate myself for giving in so soon.
"Come here," she requested before disappearing behind the corner once more.
I didn't move right away. Choosing instead to stare coldly at the ceiling, silently hoping that it would just combust into flames and kill me now. The sound of Ino whining my name again finally coaxed me from the couch with a groan of frustration. Dragging myself to her room, a scowl broke onto my lips the second I walked in.
There were literally clothes everywhere.
I turned to ask Ino why the hell she hadn't found anything in the midst of all these clothes, only to lose my breath in same second.
Ino stood in the center of her closet, frustration on her face as she clutched the towel around her body. It literally left nothing to the imagination and it took every ounce of strength I had to turn away and pretend to be interested in anything but her. A defeated sigh escaped her lips as she mumbled, "I don't know what to wear. I don't want to be too dressy but I don't want anything too casual. It is a club after all."
Swallowing nervously, I managed to squeeze out, "Go for something in the middle then Ino. Kiba doesn't seem like the type to care. He's obviously taken with you either way."
"You think so?"
Turning around, I just barely caught the small blush developing on her cheeks and took notice of the way the corners of her lips quirked into a silly little smile.
The whole scene had me rolling my eyes as I nodded and collapsed onto my back on top of her bed. "Clearly," I replied with a rather snarky tone. Unfortunately for me, Ino had caught on and before I knew it, she was moving around to stand in front of me.
"What's your problem?"
"I don't have one…"
"Clearly you do. You've been in a mood all day and I don't like it," she murmured softly. I ignored her comment but began wondering if I truly had been that transparent all day. Honestly, I felt a little aggravated but I didn't know why. Nothing had really happened to make me feel out of the ordinary, not that I was aware of anyway but perhaps I truly had been acting out.
Either way, I wouldn't feed into it. I needed her to get ready so we could leave and get the night over with already. In a dry voice, I mumbled, "Forgive me, My Lady. I'll try to be in a better mood tonight."
My tone was sarcastic and void of any real emotion but I genuinely did mean it.
After all, it was her birthday.
Suddenly, I felt Ino slip between my legs as a soft hand pulled my own as she forced me to sit up. The concerned look she gave me made me wary but I didn't look away. I didn't need to confirm what she was already thinking. "Sakura, that's not what I meant. You don't have to do it for me but I don't like the fact that you've seemed so out of it today. If something's wrong, you can talk to me about it," she offered, brushing her thumb across my knuckles gently.
I drew back my hand, moving it to rub at my neck as I looked away, "It's nothing Ino, I'll help you look for something."
Rising from the bed, I moved to go stand in the middle of her unnecessarily large walk in closet to see what I could find. She didn't move from her spot and before I could ask her why, she spoke. "You can stay here tonight if you want, I'll be fine. Kiba will be with me so I shouldn't have to worry about being safe," she whispered.
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from saying how stupid the idea was.
But man, it was a pretty fucking stupid idea.
"Ino," I started, fingers running through my hair, "You remember when you asked me something similar the other day?" I slowly closed the gap between us until I was standing right in front of her. She chewed her bottom lip and tore her eyes away from me but I stole them back as I tugged her chin until she faced me. "Do you remember what you told me, Ino?"
"Yes."
"What did you say to me?"
"I said...that I wouldn't ask you to do something like that again," she answered, nervously looking into my eyes. With a sigh, I drew my hand from her chin, "So don't bring it up again. Come on, let's find you something to wear kiddo." I paused, noticing the slip up immediately in the name calling.
Like clockwork, a blush rushed onto her cheeks as she brushed past me to return to her closet.
I followed suit, standing on one side of the closet while Ino stood on the other. We searched in silence, aside from the occasional mutters from Ino every now and again. Despite it only being late September, temperatures were already beginning to drop significantly. She could always change at the actual party but for the sake of going to a simple karaoke bar/club thing, she should be fine with something simple.
I grabbed a random pair of dark colored jeans and a plaid maroon flannel shirt.
"Do you have a scarf and shoes near this color?" I asked, holding the shirt in front of her.
"I believe so."
She turned around, reaching for a box on the top shelf. Of course she couldn't reach it. With a roll of my eyes, I grabbed the box she was reaching for and handed it to her. Inside where a pair of small maroon colored boots which would pair weal. Moving to the back of her closet, she grabbed a rounded scarf of the same color. I nodded, gently pushing her out the closet.
"Put a tank top on underneath, leave the flannel open and I think it'll look fine. It's fall tis the season after all," I mumbled as I moved to return to the living room.
Her hand stopped me as she asked in a soft voice, "Stay."
"Ino...you're wasting time," I mumbled, looking helplessly at the door.
Knowing that she'd continue to stand here otherwise, I sat down on the bed and grumbled for her to hurry up. With a giddy smile, she rushed into the bathroom, taking the clothes with her. I lay there, listening to the noises of her fumbling around in the bathroom, hoping that the rest of the night would run smoothly.
I'm sure the whole karaoke bar would be fun to watch but I was getting an unsettling feeling about the actual party itself.
Who knew what would happen and the fact that they planned to invite people from the outside made things worse. I wanted Ino to have fun tonight, after all, it was her birthday. However, I'd have to stick close at all times. Should something go wrong, I needed to be able to get her out of there in a split second.
The jingling of tags alerted me to Aris' presence as he eagerly trotted around the corner, ignoring me and moving to sit in front of Ino's bathroom door. His head tilted to the side, back and forth for a moment until he moved to scratch furiously at the door.
"I'm doing my hair and makeup! What do you need?" Ino shouted from the other side.
"It's not me," I grumbled just loud enough for her to hear.
Opening the door, Aris immediately wiggled his way in, earning a laugh from Ino. I wasn't able to see what she looked like completely, instead, only managing to catch a glimpse every now and again of her shirt. I could smell the light scent of heated hair, signalling that she was probably straightening it. Aris weaved in and out of her legs, whining when she didn't give him any direct attention.
Brats. Both of them.
I was able to close my eyes for at least thirty to forty-five minutes before I heard her walk out of the bathroom. "Okay," she breathed out nervously from behind me, "How do I look?" I sat up slowly, turning around partially to inspect her outfit.
And I swear the breath was knocked clean out my chest.
I knew it was supposed to be casual going out attire...but man.
The outfit looked nice on her. Really nice. Her hair was carefully curled near the ends and her makeup matched her outfit without being too overwhelming. Dark eye shadow, a soft red blush and maroon lipstick to match. She toyed with her hair nervously and swallowing nervously, I instructed her to drape it over her shoulder.
She did so and after another prolonged look, I had to tear my eyes away.
Fuck…
"So...is it okay?" she asked, genuinely curious as to what my response would me. "You look fine Ino," I rushed out, standing up quickly as I shoved my hands deep into my pockets. "Just okay?" She asked, and I could almost hear the disappointment in her voice. Fuck man. She looked drop dead gorgeous but I'd be damned if I told her that.
But I hated seeing her upset and that was far more important that my pride. Reluctantly, I managed to whisper, "You look great Ino. You always look great."
The sound of her boots crunching against the carpet signaled her approach as she closed the distance and pulled me into an abrupt hug.
"Thank you," she sighed contently into my chest.
"Ready to go?" I said, slowly detaching myself from her.
A giddy nod was her answer as she moved to grab a light jacket and her purse. I quickly shot Temari a text, letting her know that we were heading out. I waited for her all clear, confirming that Kiba was ready for us before I allowed her to slip out the door.
As I drove, she laced her fingers with mine, gushing about how excited she was and though I wanted to be happy for her, I couldn't help but feel my loathing for Kiba rise with each passing second.
"Happy Birthday Princess. Looking as heart stopping as always," Kiba greeted, smoothly slipping a kiss to her cheek before slipping her small bouquet of roses, a hand slipping around her waist shortly afterwards.
Her laugh was light yet honest as she quickly returned the hug, bringing the roses to her nose. "Thank you, these are beautiful," she beamed happily.
"Kinda dull compared to you though," he teased, grin widening when she blushed.
I rolled my eyes, choosing instead to take in the scenery of the venue. The place was pretty amazing. There were two floors, bars on both levels. Neon lights strobed throughout the place with a light fog slipping through. Booths and tables were filled with people eating and cheering for a group of girls signing their hearts out in front of a teleprompter with song lyrics racing across the screen.
It was live without being too overwhelming.
I had to say, it legitimately seemed like a pretty neat place for a first date.
Leave it to KIba to think of something like this. Even though there was a whole other plan in motion at the same, I'm sure Ino would enjoy herself nonetheless. A hand on my shoulder caused me to flinch, only to relax with a scowl when I realized it was Tayuya.
"Why so tense? It's a time for celebration man," she joked, slinging her arm around my shoulder.
I resisted the urge to shrug it off immediately, instead choosing to focus my attention on Kiba's attire for the night. His laid back attire made me glad I pushed Ino to lean more in the middle. It would seem he had the same idea, pulling off a slightly dressed up yet casual hipster look.
A white short sleeved button up shirt, skinny blue pants cuffed slightly with a pair of matching suede dress shoes was his choice for the night and I had to admit, the kid had style. A rather expensive watch hung on his left wrist and a matching chain from his neck. For once, it seemed, he had bothered to tame his rather unruly hair. The sides were trimmed a little lower with most of his hair resting on the top, curling ever so slightly.
Even from here, I could smell his cologne and noticed how good it smelled.
He was just the whole package, wasn't he…
Another look managed to reveal a large tattoo of what appeared to be a wolf on his left arm. Of course, he seemed just like Ino's type. After Temari's little tidbit about how he could sing, I was now just as curious to see if he truly was as perfect as he seemed. Turning to Tayuya, I asked softly, "Have you ever heard him sing? Is he any good?"
"Well, I do believe that's why we're here. Hmm," Tayuya responded with a grin.
Why did I even bother asking her? It was clear that her sole purpose in life was nothing if not to annoy me in any way possible. The sad part? That shit was actually working. All she had to do was look at me a certain way and I felt my blood boil. And she seemed far too amused by all of it for me to think that any of it was accidental.
I kept my mouth shut, doing my best to corral my steadily building irritation. After all, tonight was for Ino and she didn't need me to ruin it. I kept my hands deep in my pockets as we followed Kiba to a random table right in front and off to the left. It had a clear view of the stage where a band would perform and there were already a group of guys ready and waiting.
A text came through from Temari confirming that she was there with the others on the second floor. Apparently, Kiba would do a quick song with his band and then coax Ino up to do a song.
With a gentle smile, Kiba helped Ino into her seat, before pulling away to do his thing.
Approaching the stage, he gave himself a light introduction along with his boys and the song of choice before taking the guitar handed to him and moving to stand in front of the mic. The music picked up slowly as he flashed Ino a quick wink before allowing the first set of lyrics to pass his lips.
"I can't speak another word
I think I'm 'bout to loose my nerve
Forward thinkin' gone
Movin' my head backward
It's been so long since I felt this
I blame it on your windin' hips
What I wouldn't do to taste the grooves of your lips"
Pause.
No fucking way.
"Left foot, right foot, turn around
Keep that whole shit on the ground
What I wouldn't do to say, "call me home now"
Left foot, right foot, turn around
Keep that ocean underground
What I wouldn't do to feel your skin to mine now"
Of course...the kid could actually fucking sing.
"I just breathe it in, save my breath
Never know when I need it next
I'd lose it all, just to hear you call
Ain't it strange darlin', you'll never know"
Tayuya elbowed me, and nodded with a grin at Ino. I glanced over and sure enough, she was cheesing like a fucking idiot. Their eyes were locked and with a innocent smile, she bit her lip forcing a goofy ass grin from Kiba in return.
Fucking hell.
There was literally nothing this kid couldn't do.
"My boy has pipes and is completely set on stealin' your girl. What's your plan dude, you're losing points hella fast," Tayuya joked softly beside me. I sharply bit my tongue, finding the taste of my blood a pleasant distraction from wanting to cave in her face. I didn't need to hear that shit from her when I could witness Kiba practically eye fucking Ino right here.
I sighed and leaned back in my seat, running my fingers through my hair as I continued to listen to his song. "He's pretty good, isn't he?" Ino asked me, genuine excitement in her voice as she waited for my opinion.
I couldn't find it in me to sugarcoat my shitty mood and simply shrugged, "He's alright."
"Nah, she's just a hater," Tayuya chimed in, earning a soft giggle from Ino.
I scoffed, and after losing my last bit of patience, moved to the bar. I knew I wasn't old enough to drink but the bartender didn't bother to card. I'm sure I seemed old enough or perhaps the dude just didn't care but I wasted no time in asking for a double shot of tequila.
I took it without hesitation, enjoying the way it burned as it went down.
I turned around to see Ino fixing me with a frown before turning her attention to Kiba as the song came to a close. The crowd cheered eagerly and with a grin plastered on his cheeks, he took a bow before reclaiming the mic once more.
"Hey thanks guys, much appreciated. I do wanna shout out the birthday girl really quickly. Stand up Ino," he voiced with a smile, watching Ino nervously look around before standing up and giving a shy wave which earned her cheers and whistles.
He walked over, taking her hand as he pulled her along to the stage. She looked uneasy but followed his tugs nonetheless.
"Now, a fun fact about Miss Ino. She's got a helluva voice but doesn't use it ever. A real shame. So...I was thinking, we'd let her let loose and sing one for us. How's that sound?" He asked, earning even more cheers from the crowd.
My eyes narrowed, taking note of how fear literally jolted through her at the thought. Her eyes were frantic and pleading with Kiba's as she tried to back away but carefully, he coaxed her back. He was mumbling something to her and I'm sure of what it was but I could only assume it was something reassuring.
He handed her the mic but before she could panic, he turned her to face him.
He flashed her another smile before turning to face the crowd. "She's a little shy so I think we should make her feel welcome. Hype her up real quick for me!" And sure enough, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause all around. "We're going with her favorite remix to her favorite song so that should help loosen her up a bit. Just look at me the whole time Princess, you'll do fine," he finished, gesturing for them to cue the music as his fingers took to his guitar and he nodded at Ino.
I turned to take another shot, feeling my phone vibrate, I fished it out of my pocket.
It was Temari.
{:}You still need to drive her back homie. Tighten up and turn around.
I slipped the phone into my pocket without sending a response. I took my drink from the bartenders fingers pulling it to my lips before the lyrics whisping past Ino's lips had me dropping my drink and spilling it all over the bar.
"Take a look at my bank account
It's emptier than our conversations
But I'm okay, yeah I'm okay
And take a look at this broken heart
It's all out of good vibrations
But it's beating, I don't need it"
Like some sort of cliched movie, I turned around, everything in slow motion. Despite her eyes displaying nothing but fear, her voice was strong and confident as she looked at Kiba. My heart pounded in my chest as the music picked up and Kiba's fingers slowly plucked at his guitar.
"Now it's so pathetic how I can't ever get through to you, you
'Cause you're always somewhere else
Still wear that perfume you got me
'Cause I'm no longer thinking of you, you
Now it's time for someone else so
It's so pathetic how I got your initials tattooed, tattooed
But I'm okay, yeah I'm okay
Yeah, I got another letter added and now it spells something new, new
But I'm okay, yeah I'm okay"
I don't know which was more exhilarating to watch.
The sound of her voice and how everything about it was just so angelic and perfect for her. How it was literally the most heart wrenching voice I'd ever heard. Or if it was just watching her come alive as her nervousness faded away. How she was finally able to pull her eyes from Kiba's and face the crowd with a fire I'd never seen before.
In was in that moment.
In the span of a few seconds...that I realized.
I was fucking shook. Everything about her in that moment radiated strength, passion, emotion and pain in a way that I had never seen expressed.
And briefly, I wondered. How had I gone my entire life without hearing her sing before?
"I took you off my Instagram and told my mom, now it's official
And I'm okay, really okay
And every time I hear our song I turn it up 'cause I don't miss you
And I'm okay, really okay"
In a split moment, her eyes searched the crowd and somehow I knew, they were looking for mines. And patiently, I waited until she found me. Her smile was radiant as more lyrics spilled past her lips and flowed through my ears in a way that left me breathless.
"Now it's so pathetic how I can't ever get through to you, you
'Cause you're always somewhere else
Still wear that perfume you got me
'Cause I'm no longer thinking of you, you
Now it's time for someone else so
It's so pathetic how I got your initials tattooed, tattooed
But I'm okay, yeah I'm okay
Yeah, I got another letter added and now it spells something new, new
But I'm okay, yeah I'm okay"
The music continued to jump and a glance around found everyone out of their seats moving about with her voice. Eventually, the song faded and the second she lowered the mic, the whole place erupted into applause and cheers as she received ovation after ovation. She smiled, chest heaving as she bowed and turned to Kiba, returning the tight embrace he encased her in. "Give it up for my girl Ino one more time!" He shouted, only for the place to get louder than before.
Again, my pocket vibrated with another text from Temari.
{:}Pick your jaw up off the floor kid, you'll catch flies. Impressive, isn't she.
The word doesn't do her justice...
I shot the text back, looking up to see Temari leaning back in her seat with a drink in hand as she flashed me a smirk before throwing it back. The others were with her, Ayame and Sasuke along with Naruto, Tenten and Rin. They too were applauding her, Ayame being the most animated of the group as she whistled and jumped up and down excitedly.
The second I pulled my eyes away from the group upstairs, I was tackled into a hug by none other than Ino.
I was dazed, but quickly threw my arm around her shoulder as she clung to me desperately. She was shaking, trembling in my arms and for a second I thought she might cry. But instead, she pulled away and had the biggest smile on her face.
"Did I do okay?"
But despite what I thought, I couldn't bring myself do anything other than nod. Her expression slowly faded as I'm sure she expected something more but my ass was so shaken up that I couldn't even tell her how amazing she sounded.
Kiba and Tayuya strolled over, twin grins on their faces as they stopped just a few inches from us. "Now, time for part two Princess," Kiba informed her. Pulling out a small bandana, he tied it around her eyes gently.
"What's going on?" she laughed softly, lowering her hands when Kiba playfully swatted them away from the bandana.
"It's a surprise. Don't worry, you'll love it," he assured her, pressing his lips to her cheek before pulling away, "Sakura will see to it that you get there. See you in a bit."
I nodded, taking Ino's arm gently and pulling her along and outside to the car. Helping her in, I took to the wheel, sitting there for a moment to make sure I was good enough to drive. The effects hadn't hit me yet aside from a bit of warmth that was easily fixed by rolling down the window.
I followed behind Kiba's car, not wanting to use the GPS as to not give it away for Ino.
The drive wasn't long but it seemed like an eternity had passed before we got there. It took a while before I worked up myself mentally to deal with the rest of the night, knowing fully well, that it was going to be absolute hell.
Hope you all liked this chapter! It took me forever and I wanted to make sure it flowed nice. I apologize for any major errors as I'm super exhausted and honestly just wanted to get this out for you guys. Let me know your thoughts and I promise to see you tomorrow with that next chapter!
Songs Used:
-Just A Gent - You'll Never Know (feat. MOZA) (MOZA is the vocal idea I had for Kiba. MOZA is actually a duo I believe but for the sake of the story, we won't think too much about that lol.)
-Manilla Killa - I'm Ok (feat. Shaylen) (Olmos Remix) (Shaylen is the vocal idea for Ino and I just wanted to use the remix for the sake of the story and I imagine it displays the rise in confidence better for Ino but the original is just as good!)
