"So where is my beef stew?" asked the mysterious blonde-haired woman whom Shino still didn't know the name of. He shrugged and pointed to the vegetable bowl colored slightly brown. Save for the sauce though, it looked every inch an ordinary veggie arrangement.
The dark-haired woman, also nameless in his mind, stepped back, an astounded look on her face. "EH?!! That's beef stew? Are you sure?!!"
"I cooked what you requested," he motioned towards the table. "Find out for yourself if I did it properly."
The flaxen-headed woman sat down and took a serving. She chewed it slightly, and then smiled slowly. "Beef stew it is."
"EH?!!" The raven-haired lady took her turn in tasting the contents of the bowl. "Oh heavens! It IS beef stew! B-But how—"
"I simulated the aroma of beef and its tenderness in those vegetables," he explained. "All I did was to extract and create how meat would smell, and the taste would automatically be carried off." He pointed to the connection of the nose and the mouth. "If one of these senses are happy, then the other is."
"Clever," nodded the woman with long golden hair tied into two behind her shoulders. "So from what did you extract the aroma of beef?"
"From animal meat," he shrugged.
"EH?!!" exclaimed the raven-headed woman. "But we bought no beef—"
"I found insects in your backyard, and I figured out that they must have lived in the same pasture where cows lived, so I used them," said Shino.
There and then, both women spitted out their meal.
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Chapter Twenty-One
Thank you guys for cheering me up. The author's account was deleted, I think, so I guess that's enough to teach her a lesson or two.
Chapter dedication: Animefreakperson. Thanks a lot for doing separate chapter-by-chapter reviews. Arigatou gozaimasu! :D
Xoni Newcomer, this is for you too. You waited for this chapter, and I hope you'll be enlightened by this.
Message time!
tatsu = I forgot to ask you this one chapter but… DID CHOJI REALLY DIE IN THE MANGA??? [clears throat] ehehe. I know that it was the same question you asked me, but this is my way of saying "Wakaranai" ehehehe
hikariko = Like what I told one reviewer some chapters ago (RSMB, if my memory serves me right :p), I will not go to the Miaka-Tamahome extent of romance. The mushiest you could get from me is SasuSaku ( is that bad news for you, Jiri-chan? He he)
Jiri = I visited your Xanga, and I adore the SasuSaku banner. I'm going to make it into a wallpaper tonight after I finish this chapter. I'll send you the finished product through email :D Angela Zhou? The name sounds familiar…is she from My MVP Valentine and Promise at Dolphin Bay? The one who sang "The Journey"? Please correct me if I'm wrong.
WormKaizer = Still waiting for ur email he he
Takari-san = Either u will want to kill Neji in this chapter, or u will kill ME dhil sa last scene nito [grins; nde ko na magamit ang aking trademark na emoticon: ung may dalawang magkasunod na shift 6. Ayaw idisplay ng FF.net. Ayan tuloy, nagpapakapagod ako sa pagsusulat ng he he he)
Sequ3stered = I can never thank you enough for your words of encouragement. [sends scantily-clad Neji with matching tuxedo ribbon on his neck and bunny ears to you] Will that suffice? [wicked grin] Seriously, thank you so very much for those words. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
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Neji watched angrily as Sakura hugged the maid happily after the interrogation was dismissed by the crown prince.
So you think it's already time to rejoice, Princess? I'm not yet through.
Far from it.
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"I never doubted your innocence even once!" said Sakura, clasping the hands of her favorite maid happily. "I'm so glad things were straightened out."
Hinata smiled shyly. "Thank you for trusting me, Lady Sakura."
The court lady placed her hands on her hips. "Don't call me that! My god, you're a court lady also! Why didn't you tell us THAT?"
The girl looked down, shaking her head. "B-But I don't want to…be one…"
Sakura blinked, and then burst out laughing, making the maid look up, puzzled. She cleared her throat, claiming her court composure back. "I just remembered that exact line from someone I know…me specific."
"Eh?"
"But someone told me that I cannot run away from obligations because they are like shadows—they are part of me I can never run away from, no matter how hard I try." She turned her eyes to the person who said that, but he was already retreating away.
Tenten noticed that, and she grinned wanly. "Go get him, Lady Haruno."
Sakura gaped at the mage.
"I know, I know. It's totally out of character for me to say that but…" She rolled her eyes. "I have a feeling that even if we don't make you leave, you'd still go after him."
The pink-haired court lady blushed. "S-Sometimes, I envy you so much, Mage Tenten."
This made the sorceress pause.
"You are so cool and in control of your emotions. I wish I can be like you…" she sighed. "It's weird, but even if I like chasing after Prince Sasuke, I get the feeling at times that I'm just making a fool out of myself. You, on the other hand…you have the respect of almost all people in the kingdom because no one could ever unnerve you."
Tenten couldn't help but smile warmly at the court lady that she once dismissed as nothing but one of those airheads that live to flatter the insurmountable ego of the crown prince. "But you're in love."
Hinata and Sakura looked at her, stunned.
"I-I'd do anything…anything to be like you…who accepts your feelings easily and does not have to worry about pride and reputation…and even if you said you feel stupid doing those chases, you look happy with it." Her voice trailed off. "That's what matter most. You're happy. The world may laugh at you mockingly, but they can never be as happy you are, doing those things for the one you love." Tenten forced a smile on her face. "I sound like a moron, I know. But I think you'll do the crown prince good. He needs a little good sunshine once in a while."
A grateful smile blossomed on Sakura's face. "Thank you for the encouragement, Mage Tenten." She would never had expected such kind words from someone as cool and as independent as the wisest sorceress of the Hidden Leaf kingdom. "I can't wait to see you in love, Mage Tenten. You sound so mature, and I'm sure you can handle any kind of guy."
"Yeah, I suppose," she said softly, her mind on the dark-haired earl who kept on glaring at her back ever since the interrogation began. "Any guy but a dragon."
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"Why does the sun go on shining…why does the sea rush to shore?"
Shikamaru looked up from his paper work and glared at his roommate, as if telling him to shut up and die.
However, Akimichi Choji had found the idea of a broken-hearted Nara Shikamaru too priceless a moment to simply let go, unscathed. This was the perfect moment to avenge himself from the butler's acerbic remarks regarding his body's relative amount of adipose tissue (okaaaay, FATS). If food was his waterloo, then Shikamaru's kryptonite was, hands down, Yamanaka Ino.
He had suspected about Shika's secret infatuation on their childhood friend ever since they were born. When the girl was born, Shika learned to recognize the infant girl and call her name even before he knew how to say "Papa", as was narrated by Lord Yamanaka himself. When they were still toddlers, he would play dress-up with her even if he told the butler many times over that pink does NOT become him.
When they reached elementary, Shika had achieved the ultimate title as Yamanaka Ino's personal slave—her father was just tactful enough to glorify his job into "butler", but nevertheless, he was always at the girl's every beck and call.
He would make her Math homework.
He would teach her how to dance so she could impress the crown prince.
He would do her gardening chore when she would sneak out of the palace to play with Sakura.
He would be the bridge between her and her parents if they would have quarrels.
He would be her only ally when she was mad at the world, and in the process, be her punching bag when she wanted to release her anger.
Choji was witness to the million and one times—or perhaps even more—that Nara Shikamaru showed his affection for the girl. How he would do anything for her, even to the point that he had to sacrifice the "I'm" in impossible just to make things possible for his mistress.
He smiled at his shadow master friend who went back to his work grumpily. The last thing he would ever do was to voice out his sympathy for someone like Nara Shikamaru—he knew only too well that the shadow player was the last person in the world who needed that.
So his only outlet was to vex him.
Just to show that he commiserates with his brokenness.
And well, to get even at him for those times he made fun of his weight.
"Don't they knooow, it's the eeeend…of the woooRld…'cause you doooon't love me…anymoreeee…" he crooned, ignoring the fact that his voice and the tone of the song was not jiving too well.
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UPPP!!!"
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Hinata was heading back to her room after she and Tenten parted ways in the throne room when suddenly, a shadow stepped behind her. She inhaled shakily and then turned around, face curved in a tentative smile. "Neji' nii-san."
Earl Hyuuga Neji looked at her in ill-concealed disgust. "Hinata-sama."
Silence as the two looked at each other—one in longing and one in hatred.
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Sasuke was heading back into his quarters when he met the Third Hokage who was playing with his grandson happily. His eyes went to the brassiere on the old man's head, and he couldn't help but shake his head smilingly. If the Starlets didn't stand witness to how he single-handedly defended the Hidden Leaf palace from the attacks of the Sand kingdom, he wouldn't believe that this was the Third at all.
Sarutobi seemed to have sensed someone watching him intently. He looked up and grinned impishly. Beside him, his grandson paused.
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Neji stepped closer towards his cousin as she stepped back, slightly shaking. "The clan princess working here as a maid. You never told us why you came here, and why you left the main house. Had I not issued an order banishing you in the boundaries of the kingdom?"
"T-That was the same order that stopped me from introducing myself, Neji' nii-san," she explained quietly.
"You know about the order, and yet, you had the guts to come here to the palace and show yourself to me." He smirked mockingly. "Or don't you know that I am behind the decree that pushed you and your proud family out of its place?"
"I am aware, Neji' nii-san," she said softly.
For some reason, her passiveness made his temper boil. If she really was the clan princess who suffered the most in his Kin Unification decree, why couldn't she be furious? He would gladly fight her if she would just show a spark of anger.
But no, here she was, standing before him with head hung, as if she was begging for forgiveness.
"Why did you come here?" he asked, his boiling temper rising even more every passing minute.
Her heart wrenched painfully. "I-I came here…because…because I want to see you."
He froze and then started to laugh in boisterous mocking. "See me? ME?! Do you hope to defeat me to give your family at least a little respect, is that it? You will fail, Princess. I am the strongest member of the Hyuuga Court now."
"I came here to say sorry…for the things that my family did to you…" she said softly. She clasped and unclasped her hands shakily.
"Hah! Sorry?!" He laughed some more, sound dripping in sarcasm. "What for? For abusing the power that rests within the clan name? For discriminating against the branch family? For laughing cruelly at us whenever our paths cross?" His hand gripped her shoulder painfully, but she did not complain. "Everything you did against us is beyond forgiveness. I am intent on making all of you, especially YOU, suffer the flame of my wrath." His press on her shoulder hardened, making her silently gasp. "You embody the people I hate with all my heart, and if you would have known better, then you would have just ran out of the kingdom when I warned you."
"I-If hurting me will ease the pain in your heart, Neji' nii-san…" She smiled weakly. "Then I shall submit to you willingly."
"Damn you," he hissed before slamming her brusquely on the wall. She shut her eyes tight in pain as eh stepped back, hands in a battle position. "Open your eyes, Princess. Fight me."
She shakily flapped her eyelids open.
"You said that I can do anything to you so my anger would be appeased, am I correct?" he asked, smirking. "Then I wish for a battle. Fight me with all your ability. Confronting a passive weakling like you in words is just making my temper rise."
She clasped her chest, stepping back.
"Fight me!!!" he yelled, and then without warning, attacked her. His fist slammed on her shoulder blade, making her stagger back. "Damn it! Fight with me!!!" he boomed, his breath getting sharper ever minute. He hated seeing weakness, especially in a person he vowed to make suffer the most. His fist slammed on her other shoulder blade, and at last, a sob of pain escaped her throat. He stepped back, breathing heavily—not because of the battle but because of the rampaging emotions within him.
She shook her head, holding on to her shoulders. "N-Neji' nii-san, I'm sorry…"
"Damn you!!!" He used all his strength to punch her stomach.
She stiffened, and blood came out from her parted lips.
"Why don't you retaliate?" he yelled frantically. He couldn't find the happiness that he had anticipated in this long-dreamed of battle with the reason of his family's misery. In fact, he felt that it was he who was slowly losing in this match.
"Neji' nii-san, I-I'm so sorry…" she whispered, desperately catching her breath. "I know about Auntie…"
Upon the mention of his mother, his fists banged on her chest, and she collapsed on the floor, sputtering blood again.
"Neji!!!" yelled Rock Lee, who just came from the training room. He was about to come to Hinata's side when Neji turned to him, eyes burning. "Don't you interfere, Lee. Don't you ever dare interfere, or I'll kill you." His words were low and deliberate, and Lee knew that the earl meant what he said.
Neji turned his gaze back at his cousin. "Get up. I had not even begun with my reprisal. This is not yet enough to cover a fraction of the suffering you gave my family…"
Hinata slowly got up, looking at him unblinkingly. "Y-Yes, Neji' nii-san." She ignored the constricting of her chest as she steadied herself.
"I struggled for this day, Princess," he said, his words shaking with so much anger. "The day when I can claim what is rightfully ours, and the day I can shove your faces to dirt. Do you now know how much I loathe you, Hinata-sama?"
"So many things had happened, Neji' nii-san," she said softly, gathering the last fiber of her strength. "Father died recently. A very proud man till the last of his breath, he opted to leave for the forest and train, just so he would have a more regal exit from the world. My sister is now working as a laundrywoman for a small community. My other relatives are scattered elsewhere. All the while, I was away from home. Father sent me away when he learned that I can never be an instrument anymore in obtaining even a piece of glory that he and his ancestors used to enjoy."
This made him step back. He didn't know those things—or perhaps, he had heard of them vaguely, and yet he had dismissed them as karma back when he was badly blinded by vengeance and rage. But one thing puzzled him. "Why did he send you away?"
"Because I have no chance to become as great as you are in terms of combat skills." She smiled at him fondly. "I watched you from afar, Neji' nii-san, as you slowly but surely ascended to your current status in the kingdom. I admire you so much…because I can never be like you."
He didn't like the way her words were eroding his composure little by little. "Shut up…"
She slowly placed her hands in a Gentle Fist position. "I only had one chance to meet you, and that was on my birthday. I received so many gifts, but there was only one that I liked the most—a gift that came from the heart. When I received it, I immediately know that my cousin Neji is the nicest, most caring boy in the world…"
"SHUT UP!" he yelled, feeling something constrict his throat.
She blinked her tears back. "When I had nowhere to go, I thought of you, and said to myself that I wanted to see my favorite cousin again. Even if you don't seem to recognize me when you pass me by the hallways, I was already happy, just seeing you. There is this warm feeling of home within me when your eyes pass over me. I think of my father, my sister, and the other people I was forced to leave because of my weakness. I look at you, and I feel like I'm back home." She couldn't fight her tears anymore. "For that, I can never thank you enough."
He felt his strength slowly depleting. "Home…"
The fond memories of the water lily holding out her hand to him eagerly. That bright lovely smile that silently endeared his cousin to his heart.
"Princess," he whispered, suddenly feeling exhausted. He suddenly wanted everything to be over already.
"I'm going home," she said, smiling at him tenderly. He thought he saw a glimpse of the cute birthday princess once again.
She attacked him, and he stood still. He deserved whatever pain she was going to inflict on him.
But a second before her hand reached him, blood spilled from her mouth. She slowly closed her eyes and collapsed on his chest, her consciousness fading away fast.
He looked down at her, alarmed. "Princess!"
She managed a weak smile before she shut her eyes.
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Naruto had just finished his tree-climbing training with flying colors when he felt dread form in his heart. His fingers reached for the blue scarf around his neck, and immediately he knew that something bad had happened.
Kakashi's hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up at the mentor.
"No matter what happens, you're going to return to Hidden Leaf only when you are a fitted warrior already. Do you understand?" said Kakashi sternly.
Naruto's fists clenched.
"Do you understand?" asked the Starlet again, this time in a louder voice.
The boy's fists shook, and then he nodded. "Let's train some more, Sir Kakashi, so we can go back already."
The white-haired mentor nodded.
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to be continued
