Crimson Love
O.o
Kyuubi: ....
(Shifty eyes)
o.O
Kyuubi:....?
LOOKIT ALL THOSE REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY CRAP!!!! (glomps reviewers) TY TY TY TY TY TY!!!!!!!!
Hee hee... I am happy!
Kyuubi: No shit.
(Ignore) Anyway... As it turns out, I love writing high school fics! It's so much fun! I recommend everyone tries it at least once!
I realized something about myself and my writing habits... I never know what's going to happen, either! (Sweat drop) No, see, listen, ok? The plot for my fics kind of develops as I write it, even if it's an old one, like this one. For example, when I was writing Apprentice, I had no idea that Shizuka was going to end up with Itachi. Sigh. Unbelievable, right? Thought so. But then, after a while, I just got used to it and decided, yeah, this is how it's gonna be. Hard to understand? Oh well, tough luck.
Anyways, where was I going with that? Oh yeah. Do you guys believe in reincarnation? No? Too bad. I decided something: this is the reincarnated sequel of Apprentice. Hee hee.
Does that make any sense at all?
It kind of did in my head...
But anyway, don't let the reincarnation fool you: I highly doubt this fic will end up like Apprentice did. Where would the fun be? Who knows, maybe Shizuka really won't end up with Itachi...
PLEASE DON'T HURT ME, JAZZ! (Ducks)
Ok! Now that I'm done babbling for now... ON WITH THE FIC!
(Coincidentally, Apprentice was only supposed to be ten chapters long... We all know what happened with that)
(Review answers and Important Chapter Information at the end)
Chapter Five: Deja Vu and Serendipity
Neji frowned, looking at the practice schedule posted outside of the boys' locker room. The practice schedule was a calender full of dates for teams to meet, and he'd gotten into the habit of checking it every day after gym classes. "There's no soccer practice today," he mused out loud, going to sit on the bleachers.
"That's not my fault," Shizuka said at once, in the process of tying her hair back in a ponytail.
"Yeah right, it's not," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes and sitting down. "But, on the bright side, this means I can come over and help you make up that Biology assignment."
"What Biology assignment?" Shizuka asked innocently, starring off into space.
"The Biology assignment you were so hung up over."
"Oh, that one." She shrugged, leaning forward to put her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. "No worries."
"...Why?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"I burned it."
Neji starred. "All of it?"
"Yep."
"....You do know that homework counts for 15 percent of your grade, right?"
"Psh-haw, it's only 15 percent." She held her hands up carelessly before replacing them under her chin.
"Yeah, but it makes a lot of difference when you figure how low your grade is going to be if you never turn in homework."
"If you're going to preach again about how homework helps understanding the subject, don't bother," she said tiredly, closing her eyes.
Neji smirked, but didn't "preach about homework", as she so called it. (Actually, he preferred the word 'lecture' but oh well...) Instead, he occupied himself with looking at her friends, who were sitting behind Shizuka; Tayuya and Kidoumaru were grinning at Ukon, Jiroubou was trying to make himself invisible (nice try), Kimimaro was asleep, leaning against Shizuka, Sakkon was still chuckling to himself, and Ukon was sending Jiraiya death glares that would have killed lesser men.
"Hyuuga."
Neji looked down at the gym floor; Genma smirked up at him, hands in his pockets, chewing on the toothpick. "Coach?"
"Change of plans on the schedule," Genma said casually. "I need just you to stay after and play goalie for the freshmen try-outs. It'll be good practice for you. Ok?"
Neji nodded. "Sure, coach."
"Be here at 2:15," Genma ordered before leaving the gym.
Neji felt a sudden blast of killing intent coming from behind him. "Well, what did you want me to say?!"
"Coulda said 'no'..." Shizuka muttered grumpily, getting up when the bell rang.
"Ouch." Kimimaro lifted himself from where he'd fallen between the seats, his support gone. "That wasn't nice."
Neji groaned inwardly. This next class was going to be the death of him... he could tell.
(After school)
Neji bolted out of Kakashi's class as soon as the bell rang; he'd been wrong: it hadn't been the death of him, but it'd come close. He'd never gotten that many death glares and attempts at murder ever before in his life. Seeing Shizuka and Kimimaro heading out of the class, he ran away to the gym as fast as he could to avoid receiving anymore of said death glares.
Sakura raised an eyebrow when she came out of her class, seeing Neji retreat in the direction of the gym. "What'd he do now, Shizuka?"
"He's fuckin' obsessed with soccer, that's what," Shizuka said coldly, stalking down the hall in the direction of her locker.
"Lee-san says he's a really good player," Sakura said with a shrug. "I guess he's just deticated."
"Yeah, yeah..." Shizuka entered the combination to her locker.
"Why do you leave stuff in it if you can't open it?" Sakura asked, grinning, as Shizuka tried, in vain, to open her locker.
"Shut up!" Turning to the locker, Shizuka shouted, "OBEY ME, DAMMIT!" entering the combination again.
Nothing happen.
(Wow, shocked you there, didn't I?)
"ARGH!" Shizuka banged her head on the cold metal, utterly furious now. "I am in no mood for this, dammit!" One would think she would try and remember where to hit it with her knuckles, like Itachi, right? Well, Shizuka has the attention span of a rock, and a dead rock at that, and she couldn't remember where to hit it. So, instead, she resorted to banging on every square inch of it with her fists while Kimimaro and Sakura grinned behind her. "OPEN! I DEMAND THAT YOU OPEN!"
"Hakai-teki, don't hit lockers," Kurenai ordered, passing by.
Shizuka grumbled an incoherent answer, entering her combination.
"Also, I wanted you to stay after for a few minutes or so and work on today's test with me." Kurenai held up the test that the class had, indeed, taken that morning, to gage their knowledge of the subject. "Needless to say, you failed."
Shizuka tossed a death glare at the 2.3 percentage on the paper, then rolled her eyes. (Sakura: "How did you get 2.3?!") "I have to go home."
"I'm sure your parents will understand." Kurenai was unrelenting.
Only because you haven't met them yet, bitch-slut-whore woman, Shizuka growled to herself. She sighed. "Ok... Fine. I'll be there in a sec."
Kurenai nodded and headed back down the hall.
Shizuka gave up on the locker for a moment or so and turned to Kimimaro. "Tell Daddy I had to stay after for a teacher, ok?"
Kimimaro nodded, shrugging.
"And have the driver give Sakura a ride home, ok?"
"What's going on?" Sakkon asked curiously, coming up with Ukon, Kidoumaru, Tayuya and Jiroubou.
"I have to talk to Kurenai about the test," Shizuka said coldly, exchanging phone numbers with Sakura.
"Uh... I think one of us should stay after with you," Ukon said worriedly.
Shizuka gave him a look. "I'm fine, ok? I'm not a baby anymore. Just ask Daddy to call me when he gets home and I'll tell him, if he doesn't believe you. Simple as that."
"Shizuka-sama, I really think–" Shizuka cut Ukon off.
"I'll see you guys later, ok, call me, Sakura, bye." Waving over her shoulder, Shizuka went back into the depths of the school, wishing it would just burn. With Kurenai chained inside it.
Her mind giving her these wonderful mental pictures, she went upstairs to Kurenai's classroom.
Sakura turned to Ukon once the others had gone outside to the limos. "Will you get in trouble?" she asked quietly.
"Most likely."
"Oh... Man..." Sakura fished out a pen and took his hand, writing her number on the back of it. "Call me if you need me, ok?"
He looked down at the number, then up at her. "Didn't I tell you not to worry about me?"
She shrugged. "Call me anyway," she ordered, going over to the car Kimimaro was riding in.
(Two hours later)
"...And that's why I decided to tape every episode, because you can't miss one, since the story moves so fast!" Kurenai chirped to Shizuka, who slowly felt her soul being robbed of her.
Shut up! Shizuka shouted in her head, pulling at her hair. Shut up! SHUT UP! You've been talking longer then I could possibly imagine! How your vocal cords are still able to function is a mystery of the MODERN WORLD! You've harassed every single person who entered the classroom, including me and the janitor, to trade cards with you! There's now a strange smell in the room! I can only hope a priest is available to remove it! Now if you would please DIE!
"Say, ever heard of Yu-Gi-Oh?" Kurenai asked, grinning.
"..." I don't like where this is headed...
Shizuka was spared the horror, however, as a student came in and said, "Kurenai-sensei, the head mistress wants to see you."
Kurenai sighed. Then she grinned hugely. "Maybe she'll trade cards with me!"
Shizuka was sorely desperate for a gun.
After Kurenai left, the student turned back to Shizuka, smirking. Her jaw dropped. She knew that smirk. "What do you want?!"
Itachi feigned looking hurt. "This wounds me, Hakai-teki. You're not happy to see me?"
She glared at him. "No! All you've done since I met you is insult me, get me in trouble, sell drugs outside my locker, and confuse the shit out of me! Go away!"
"Ohh... Don't be like that." He leaned against the dissection table she was sitting at (You know, those long black tables in science rooms?). "How did I get you in trouble? You seem to do fine by yourself in that department."
"You made me late for–"
"Iruka? Damn him. He's so annoying."
"No, he's not!"
He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "Look, I'll make it up to you."
"How?" she snapped, putting her binder back in her book bag. She planned on leaving, anyway, since Kurenai probably wouldn't be back any time soon.
"How 'bout you and me, out for that drink?"
"I'm not allowed to drink," she snapped. "And neither are you."
"So? That didn't stop you that one time in seventh grade, did it?" He smirked.
Her jaw dropped. "How did you–"
"Hakai-teki, Hakai-teki..." He shook his head. "How many times do I have to tell you I know all about you? That includes your criminal record."
She flushed. "I'm supposed to go home as soon as I'm done here."
"You always do what your daddy tells you?"
She flush deepened. "No! Besides," she recovered, "you can't just ask I girl out when she doesn't know anything about you!"
"Oh, yes, I can." The smirk reappeared. "There are a lot of 'can' and 'can't' rules with you, isn't there?"
"I'm not going to go out with you!" she snapped angrily, getting up and slinging her book bag over her shoulder, exiting the room.
"Why not? Afraid your little man-thing will get angry and break up with you?" his taunting voice called after her.
Shizuka stormed back into the room, face flushed. "He is not my boyfriend!"
"Then you should have no problem going on a date with me, right?" His smirk was nerve-racking.
Shizuka gave him a death-glare, willing him to burn to ashes. When he didn't, she sighed. "Fine. But only for a while! If I get in trouble, your ass is mine!"
"Oh, you wish," he chuckled, getting up and leading her out of the building.
"Wait, where are we going now?" Shizuka raised an eyebrow as he headed towards the student parking lot.
Itachi returned the eyebrow-raise. "Surely you didn't think we would be walking?"
"Don't talk to me like I'm dense, you fucker! Just because I'm going on a date with you doesn't mean I really am stupid!"
"Then, come on." He went up to a black Cadillac escalade, taking a ring of keys out of his pocket. Smirking, Itachi opened the passenger side door for her. "After you."
Shizuka gave him a scowl for his cheesiness, but got in the car anyway. It was nice, clean, and had that new-car scent with an after-taste of cigarettes. She saw why when he got in the car, closed the door, and took out a pack of cigarettes. Putting one in his mouth, he caught the look she was giving him as he pushed in the lighter mechanism under the radio (you know, those things you push that heat up and you use em to light cigarettes?). "What? Want one?" He offered the pack to her.
She glared. "I don't smoke."
He shrugged as the lighter-thing popped out again, and used it to light his cigarette. "Fine by me, you're too young to even try to smoke, anyway," he said, puffing smoke as he got the cig started up. Putting the lighter back, he put the keys in the ignition and starting the car.
"Hey, you're not that much older then me!" she pointed out as he backed the car out of the parking lot. "You got no right to tell me what I can and can't do!"
"And yet, you seem to tell me what I can and can't do all the time." He drove smoothly out into the street.
"I'm a girl!"
"That you are, love. What of it?"
"Girls are the dominant species!"
"Are they?"
"Sha!" (Duh!)
Itachi smirked. "I suppose that's true," he said with a shrug, strumming his long, slender fingers on the steering wheel.
"Damn straight, it's true!"
(Meanwhile)
Neji grinned to himself, tying his hair back with his black bandana. A few of the freshmen who'd come out for the soccer team milled around, talking or waiting for their rides to come. That had been a good try-out. He'd rolled around on the ground, thrown himself on the ground, got kicked twice, had a large welt growing on one shoulder, and was rather sore, and all these things, in Neji's mind, qualified as the results of a good try-out. (Yes, ladies, guys (and H-R, for that matter) DO find that throwing themselves on the ground after balls is fun... What do you think wrestling was made for? They like it! (SNG has four male cousins, all older then her, who are involved in sports, so she knows))
A sudden angry shout snapped Neji's attention out of soccer-world and into the present, his guard instantly going up.
He paused.
"Shizuka?" He raised an eyebrow as said black-haired, sun-glass-wearing girl was seen walking towards the student parking lot, yelling at a tall, black-haired senior Neji recognized as the bane of his sanity, the much-hated, much-envied Itachi. Neji started to scowl, then thought it over. Why was Shizuka still in school and... Neji's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Getting in a car with Itachi?! The fuck?!
Neji caught a snippet of what Shizuka was saying as her overly-loud voice trailed to his ears.
"...Just because I'm going on a date with you doesn't mean I really am dense!"
Neji felt the bottom drop out of his stomach as her words echoed in his ears like a broken record.
"...I'm going on a date with you..."
"...going on a date with you..."
"...date with you..."
To say that Neji was a little bit crushed would have to be the under-statement of the year. Actually, Neji felt like dying. However, he refused to believe that a simple date could make him feel this bad, and, taking out his cell phone (yes, he has a cell phone; what part of "Hyuuga estate" didn't you get?), he called around home for a ride.
But of course, we all know that a "simple date" could make him feel this bad, just like Genma knew, standing just inside the doors of the school, that Neji was in serious denial.
(Later that night)
Sakura picked up the phone and dialed a well-known number before collapsing on her bed and waiting for someone to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Sasuke-kun," she said sweetly, twirling her hair around her finger. "You weren't in school today, what happened?"
"Strep throat."
"Ow, really?" He didn't really sound that good. "How'd you get it?"
"My brother's friend had it."
Sakura started to say something, then stopped. "You have a brother?"
"Yeah."
"Oh. Hm." She decided to let it drop. "Did you take anything? Do you want me to bring you something?"
"Yes and no. I have soup and stuff."
"Ok, good. Are you going to be in school tomorrow?"
"...Why?" He sounded suspicious.
"Well, because I made you a lunch today and I wanted to know if you wanted one again." Oh yeah, Sakura reminded herself, I was going to make Ukon a lunch again, too... Non-pink, this time, too.
"I don't think I will be."
"Oh... ok." Sakura shrugged it off, even though she was disappointed.
"I have to go."
"Um... ok, I'll talk to you later, ok, Sasuke-kun?"
"Sure. And... Sakura?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
Click.
Sakura's eyes widened. He said thank you... but... for what?
(Hell yeah! Love sprouts from the strangest of places!)
(Later)
Sakura yawned slightly, sitting at her desk and sucking on a popsicle, working on her homework. Personally, Sakura hated Geometry. But Gai-sensei's... teaching methods... tended to keep the facts about lines and points burned into her brain, so she had no choice but to do her homework.
Flashback
"AND CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT A LINE IS?" Gai bellowed, whipping around from the chalkboard, chalk in hand.
"Um... those straight thingies...?"
"RIGHT YOU ARE, UZUMAKI! NOW! CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT A POINT IS??"
End flashback
Sakura shuddered, finishing her explanation of The Dot, when her phone rang. Glad for any excuse to not have to do her homework (Jeez, I'm making Sakura such a bad student...) she picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"...Sakura...?" said a quiet, pained voice on the other end.
Sakura's eyes widened. "Ukon?"
"Yeah..."
"Are you ok? You sound hurt! Did you get in trouble?"
"Don't worry about that... Is Shizuka-sama over your house?"
"Um, no, I haven't seen her since school today. Why?"
"She... didn't come home..." There were long pauses during his sentences, like he was either catching his breath, or having problems breathing.
"She didn't come home?!" Sakura shouted, jumping up.
"Sakura... don't yell... My head hurts..."
"Sorry, sorry," she apologized, lowering her voice a great deal. "Where are you? Are you looking for her?"
"Yeah... He sent us all out to... look for her..."
"Ok, well, come by my house and pick me up, ok? I'm going to help. I'll call Neji, too." Not giving him a chance to protest, Sakura hung up and ran around her room, getting ready to go. Her parents were visiting her grandmother's, so they wouldn't be a problem. She was still wearing her school uniform, so she just got her shoes and coat and went downstairs to wait for Ukon to come get her. On an impulse, she grabbed her mother's First Aid kit, as well, and stuffed it in one of the big pockets of her coat.
Going into the kitchen, Sakura got a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote her parents a quick note, in case they got home before she did.
Mom&Dad–
I went out for a walk, I'll be back before nine, don't worry about me.
–Sakura
"That should be enough," she mused, putting it on the table and using the salt and pepper as a paperweight. Looking in her coat pockets, she got out her address book, found Hinata's phone number, and dialed.
There were four rings before someone answered.
"Hello?"
"Neji?"
"No."
"Um... Who is this?"
"Who's this?"
Sakura realized it was a child speaking, and said, very kindly, "This is Neji's friend, Sakura, from school, may I please speak to him?"
"Neji-nii-san is busy, he can't talk to his girlfriend," the little girl said loudly.
"No I'm not, and I don't have a girlfriend!" shouted a voice on the other line. There was some stomping, a few minutes of what seemed like running, then the little girl said "eep!" before there was a loud crash. "Hiashi-sama told you to just give me my calls, Hanabi!" shouted the angrily voice before it softened and said, sounding out of breath, "Hello, who's this?"
"Neji?"
"...Yeah?"
"This is Sakura. Shizuka stayed after for school and–"
"So?" he cut her off.
Sakura was slightly startled by the coldness of his voice. "Um... and she didn't come home, and Ukon and the others are looking for her and–"
"She's with that guy," Neji said bluntly.
"What guy?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.
"I dunno, that guy who needs to die. The one with the obnoxious shirts."
"Itachi?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever. I saw them leaving school, talking about a date, now if you'll excuse me–"
"Aren't you going to help us find her?" Sakura interrupted before he could hang up.
There was a long silence.
"Why would I do that?" he said finally.
"Well, because she's your friend, and that guy doesn't really seem all that safe..."
"Seemed safe enough when she got in the car with him," Neji said coldly.
Sakura's jaw dropped. "She got in a car with him?!"
"I'm sure that Sakkon and Ukon and whatever-their-names can find her fine all by themselves, Sakura."
"Oh, come on, Neji, be a nice guy and help us look for her, ok?" Sakura protested, getting a little impatient now. "If something happened to her, how would you feel?"
"I am a nice guy, Sakura, but she is a mean girl, alright?" he snapped. "She's a bitch! You guys can just go find her yourself!"
Sakura was quiet for a few minutes. "You do like her, don't you, Neji?" she asked finally.
"No, I don't!" he shouted. "Stop asking me that! I don't like her! She doesn't like me! Just leave me alone!"
Click.
Sakura sighed, hanging up her end, as well. I know he likes her, she thought sadly, going to sit on the coach and wait for Ukon. It must have killed him to see her go on a date with Itachi...
The doorbell chimed, and Sakura jumped up to get it, her hand in her pocket, fingering the First Aid kit.
Ukon gave her a weak smile, leaning against the doorframe. "Sakura..."
Her jaw dropped. "Ukon, you're bleeding!" she cried.
He looked down at himself; there were fresh bruises on his face and arms, accompanied this time by a long, thin cut across his chest, as well as cuts across his shoulder, his lower left arm, his rib cage, and his cheek. Blood stained the short-sleeved white shirt that was worn under the boys' school uniform and there was blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, as well as from his temple. "Eh..." He gave her a wincing smile. "Got any band aids?"
"Come in right now!" she ordered, pulling him gently into the living room and putting him on the couch. "We're not going to look for Shizuka until you get wrapped up!"
Ukon sat down on the couch carefully, wincing twice, while Sakura got the kit out of her pocket and sat down next to him. "You came prepared?" He pointed to the First Aid kit as she opened it and got out a roll of bandages.
"You sounded really bad on the phone," she pointed out, unrolling a few inches of the bandages and lifting his arm. "Hold still, ok?"
"You did... take some kind of First Aid class in middle school, didn't you?" He raised an eyebrow, doubting her skill.
"Yes, I did." She glared. "If you're well enough to crack jokes, though, you can bandage your own self."
"No... That's ok..." He leaned back against the couch, careful not to bleed on it. "I usually have to do this myself, and I do a crappy job, so this is an improvement."
Sakura gave him a small smile, wrapping the bandages around the cut on his lower arm. She stopped, however, when she reached his wrist. "Ukon... What're these?" She raised his arm to show him the small, thin cuts appearing here and there across the pale skin of his wrist.
"Those are old ones he gave me, when I was little," he answered quickly, looking uncomfortable.
Her jaw dropped. "How long has this been going on?!"
"Hey," he said, suddenly rough, "didn't I tell you not to think about that? Just keep out of it and mind your own business!"
"Maybe if you stopped to think for a second or two, you'd realize I was worried about you!" she countered.
"I didn't ask you to be worried about me, you just keep asking stupid questions that aren't any of your business!" he snapped. "Maybe the reason your precious Sasuke doesn't talk to you is because he doesn't like answering your stupid questions!"
Sakura froze, her eyes fixated on Ukon's arm, her hands stopping in the process of bandaging it.
Ukon chewed on his tongue; he'd regretting saying that as soon as it had entered his mind, but it just slipped out. "I'm...I'm sorry, Sakura, I shouldn't have... Um..." He looked around helplessly. "Do you want me to finish bandaging?"
She shook her head, recovering quickly. "No, that's fine," she said cheerfully, as if it hadn't happened. "Don't worry about it, I had a lot of practice bandaging Naruto last year when he got in trouble and didn't want to go to the nurse. See? I'm already done. Here, use these band-aids to fix up that cut on your face, ok?" She gave him a box of band-aids. "And you need to take off your shirt so I can fix the ones on your shoulder and stuff."
Ukon took the band-aids, sighing inwardly. Not only was her mindless chatter giving him a migraine, but he also knew she was trying to make it seem like he hadn't said what he said, and that she was trying to make him feel better, even though it should be the other way around. "Sakura–"
"Come on, off with it," she said, pulling at the buttons on his shirt unblushingly. "Unless you want me to take it off, myself."
"Sakura..." He sighed, giving up for the time being, and unbuttoned his shirt, taking it off and laying it carefully on the arm of the sofa. While she began bandaging the cut across his chest, he took a few band-aids out of the box (he didn't dare comment on the fact that they were sparkly) and fixed the cut on his face.
They worked in silence until all the cuts were bandaged and the bleeding had stopped. Sakura found one of her big, white T-shirts that she normally slept in, and gave it to him to wear so that he wouldn't have to wear the ripped one. The T-shirt reached Sakura's elbows at the sleeves, and went to her mid-thigh, but when Ukon put it on, the sleeves reached halfway down his (well-toned) biceps, and barely made it past his hips.
He raised an eyebrow, looking down at himself. "You sleep in this thing?"
"Mm-hmm. It's my favorite one besides my Eeyore one." Sakura stepped back to examine him; it was true that the red hues of the school uniform clashed horribly with his lavender hair (I checked... It really does...), but with her white shirt to separate his hair from the red pants, he actually looked kind of... cool...
"Then I guess I shouldn't be complaining, if the other choice is Eeyore," Ukon mused, tugging at the shirt in an attempt to get it to go lower.
"Come on, though, we wasted an hour just getting you fixed up," Sakura said, getting her coat.
"Oh, yeah..." He quit tugging on the shirt and picked up the keys he'd dropped on the coffee table. "Come on, my car's outside."
"...You have a car?" Sakura repeated, following him to the door.
"How'd you think I got here?" Ukon opened the door and stepped out, walking over to the Aztec red Nisan Frontier parked in the driveway. "Get in," he ordered, opening the drivers' side and getting in himself.
Huffing at his lack of door-opening, Sakura opened the door on the passenger side and heaved herself in. As he backed the car out of the driveway, Sakura stole a glance at his left wrist again.
Some of the "old scars" looked strangely fresh.
(Meanwhile)
Shizuka laughed, stumbling out of the restaurant she and Itachi had been sitting and talking in for the past three hours, causing all mayhem and pandemonium as was natural when one gives someone like Shizuka a little to drink.
"You... are crazy," she told him between gasps of breath as he stumbling out after her, swaying slightly.
"I try," he said with a shrug, grinning; for some reason, she found this answer to be absolutely hilarious, and instantly cracked up laughing again. Whether it was the alcohol that was making her laugh like an idiot, or the fact that he really had been acting in there, she couldn't tell. But, to be perfectly honest, she didn't care; it was still funny to her.
"Where're we going now?" she asked, hopping up into the car.
He shrugged. "Wherever you want to go, love. I don't really have a preference." Closing the door behind her, he crossed over to the driver's side and got in himself. "So? Where does your little heart desire to go?" he asked, putting the keys in the ignition (oh, god that's so OOC!).
"Actually..." Shizuka felt her stomach, wincing. "I feel a little sick... Can you take me home?" It was true, she did feel a little nauseous, but that was just the alcohol.
He shrugged again. "Only fair, I guess. You did stay out for a whole dinner date, didn't you?"
"That was not a date!" she snapped, forgetting for the time being fact that she was feeling sick. "That was me giving you what you want so you'd shut up!"
Itachi just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah..." He lowered his voice slightly. "Normally, I don't move this fast with girls," he told her softly. "I usually wait a while, and let them chase after me..."
Shizuka felt her cheeks grow hot as he suddenly put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her across the seat, closer to him.
"But with you," he continued in that same, low voice. "I couldn't help it... It was like I already–"
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGG!
Shizuka jumped halfway out of her skin when her cell phone suddenly started vibrating in her pocket. Dammit, that was almost 'a moment,' she thought angrily, getting the annoying device out. "Yeah, what do you want?!"
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKIN' MIND?! DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED EVERYONE IS ABOUT YOU?! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, SHIZUKA-SAMA?!"
Shizuka faltered, holding the phone at arms length, she and Itachi both starring at it like it was a viper. "S-Sakkon?" she called towards it.
"YOU TELL THAT ASSHOLE TO BRING YOU HOME RIGHT NOW, OR I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND CHAIN YOU TO MY WRIST FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, GOT IT?!"
Click.
Shizuka and Itachi continued to stare at the phone.
"....Was that the necklace kid?" Itachi asked finally.
"Yep." Shizuka pocketed the phone.
"Was he serious?"
"Yep. I think you should take me home now."
(Later-but-slightly-meanwhile)
"Where would she go?" Sakura asked, looking out the window for any signs of her friend (like she'd just pop right up?).
"Probably either to a bar or a club," Ukon answered, looking out his window while keeping an eye on the road.
"A bar or club?!"
"Headache," he reminded her; she'd given him some aspirin, but it had yet to take affect.
"Sorry, but... clubs and bars?" Shizuka hadn't really struck Sakura as the 'party girl' type... A little crazy, and wild on the weird side, but not a party girl.
"Yeah. She and Kidoumaru and Tayuya 'discovered' clubs and bars last year." Ukon made quotations with his fingers. "And they like to go to a few whenever Orochimaru-sama is on business trips. All the bartenders know them now, so Tayuya and Kidou are going to check the bars out. Jiroubou and Sakkon are check the clubs."
"Do they ever, like, drink and stuff?"
"Eh, we've all been drunk at least once." He shrugged. "I, personally, have a weak spot for sake. Orochimaru-sama's been letting me drink it with meals, now that I'm eighteen, but I haven't really gotten smashed recently."
"You drink a lot?" These people have too many secrets!
"Nah, just one bottle for dinner," he said with a shrug. "Then I just have water. Not enough to get me drunk." He gave her a sideways look. "I'm not an alcoholic, you know."
Sakura shrugged, blushing the lightest of pinks. "I wasn't saying you were..."
He shrugged, as well. "I'm just letting you now," he said, getting a CD out of the glove compartment and putting it in the CD player.
"Coal Chamber?" Sakura read off the CD case, where he had written down all the song names (it was a burned CD), taking it put of the glove compartment.
"Hell, yeah. I love this song." Ukon grinned as a buzzing guitar solo began, nodding his head in time to the drum beats. Then, quite abruptly, the music picked up into a dirty drum-and-guitar session, and he started head-banging, his long, lavender hair flying everywhere; he certainly seemed to be enjoying himself, and Sakura giggled a little, watching him. "Come on, try it," he said, stopping for a second or two when the music briefly slowed down. Putting a hand on the back of her head, he gently made her head head-bang, as well (how do you gently make someone head-bang?).
Sakura grinned, getting the hang of it as they stopped at a red light. After about three minutes (actually, it was more like four minutes and fourteen seconds, but...), the song ended and they stopped head-banging, grinning hugely. "That was awesome!" she cried, laughing.
He gave her a grin, crossing the intersection.
"But... my head hurts." She put a hand over her forehead.
"How do you think I feel? I already had a headache to begin with." He grinned anyway. "Don't worry, it's just your brain banging against your skull. Nothing serious." His grin widened when another song came on. "Oh, damn, Godsmack, I love these guys, Come on," he ordered, making her head-bang again.
(Slightly later...)
(I'm running out of time-change sentences, ok?!)
Shizuka groaned, rubbing her head as Itachi neared the gate leading to her house. "God, I have a headache... and now I'm gonna get bitched at, too..."
"If you get pissed, you can come over my place, ne?" He tossed her a smirk, pulling up to the gate.
"Hmph, yeah, right." She sighed, looking out the front window of the car. A trace of ear crawled down her spine. "Oh, shit."
Neji scowled, pushing himself off from where he was leaning against the gates, looking ready to kill.
Yay! Chappie done! Ok, let's see.... I'll get to the review answers in a sec, but first... Important information for this chapter.
THE CARS!
Itachi's car: Black Cadillac Escalade EX, 2003, leather interior (Pictures available on Google)
Ukon's car: Nissan Frontier King Cab Desert Runner XE-V6 w/VIP, Aztec Red (Pictures also available on Google)
(As you can see, SNG loves big cars!)
THE SONGS:
Inspirational songs:
(Ukon&Sakura's scene:)
Ukon's P.O.V.: Godsmack: 'Serenity,' 'Release The Demons,' 'Keep Away'
Green Day, 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams'
Rammstein, 'Sonne'
Sakura's P.O.V.: Dot Hack Sign Theme, 'Lost' (at least, I think that's what it's called)
(Ukon's Car music)
Coal Chamber, 'Loco'
Godsmack, 'I Fuckin Hate You'
Ok, I think that's it. Lol, lots of songs this time! Thank god I didn't make it into a song chapter... I highly doubt this fic will be getting any song chapters, but oh well. That doesn't mean I can't be inspired by songs, right??? All lyrics for these songs (except the dot hack sign one) are available at A-Z lyrics dot com!
Ok, now for review answers...
Kie-san: lol, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Sakkon and Ukon have that freaky twin-thing going on, where they love each other to bits (in a brotherly way, dammit!) But can still be evil enough to pick at one another. You can tell they really do care about each other. Ukon's such a nice big brother! I shouldn't really have to reassure you that she's considering Ukon's possibilities if you read this chapter, now, do I?
Dragonman180: Lol I was listening to that song with my mom in the car the other day and I had this really disturbing mental picture of Sakkon and Ukon singing it, and I was like "I HAVE TO PUT IT IN!!!" so I did. The locker thing.... Yeah, he'll probably just randomly appear whenever she needs help. And if he doesn't, yeah, she'd probably bash Neji's head against it till it opened. (Such a kind, caring little girl, ne?)
Mika: Sigh... Ok, I resigned myself to the fact that you really won't stop complimenting me, so... thankies!! :)
RedLotusNin and IceHunterNin: SUN CHIPS ARE GOD!!! Anyway... You're going to do a high school fic, too? Lemme know when it comes out, ne? I love high school fics! I like the NejiShizuka pairing, too... Or, is it ShizukaNeji? Hm...
xl-twisted-lx: Yay! Trophy! Ty!!! (Hopefully this chappie was just as good)
HinatasBiggestFanboy: Neji's not stupid! (Hits u across the head) Kyuubi: Don't insult him... it could be deadly. SNG: He's just a little dense. Lol you ended every sentence with an lol or rofl. I feel special!
SilentAdaon: Ok hm... The bit with Neji dreaming about Sakura was kind of weird. You have to think about how dreams are basically made, to understand; normally, you just dream about what you were thinking about before you went to sleep, and knowing Neji, he was probably either thinking about soccer, food, or the fact that Sakura harasses him about Shizuka all the time. It's not a pairing thing... Neji-Sakura pairings bug me a bit. Lol, but ty for the review! Hope you enjoyed this chap, too!
