Forget disclaimers, let;s move right on to the story!
Chapter 8: Probability
The hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck stood up on end.
Something's not right.
He looked worriedly over his shoulder.
"...and then I'll get pork ramen-"
"Naruto." Sasuke rubbed the vacant scar on his right arm. "Let's go find Sakura."
"Huh?" Naruto rolled his chin on the table to look up as Sasuke rose.
"I'm... getting a bad feeling."
"Diarrhea?"
"No dumb-ass! Let's just go find Sakura."
-
Sakura's mouth draped open. A thousand different things scurried around in her head.
"Um... Are you okay?" Ino looked down at her.
"Y-yeah." Sakura stuttered as she picked herself off the floor and facing Ino straight. Sakura was shocked to see how much her rival had changed. She had traded in her purple outfit for something black. Her hair, which had been chained to the back of her head in the past, hung loosely to her shoulders, held only by her forehead protector, which she wore across her forehead. Sakura also noticed an odd bracelet of braided yarn around Ino's right wrist, one strand yellow, one blue, and one red.
Ino gave Sakura a quizzical look.
"Have we... met somewhere before? You look awfully familiar."
"N-no, I don't think so." Sakura squeaked as her throat dried.
"Oiiii! Ino!" A voice called from down the hall. "Have you found it yet?"
Sakura looked passed Ino's shoulder and nearly barfed. Shikamaru, Choji and another familiar looking girl came up behind the blonde. Unlike Ino, Shikamaru and Choji hadn't changed, except that black seemed to be the theme of the day and they wore the odd wristband too.
"Yeah, yeah!" Ino scolded, "Quit you're whining!"
"Who's your friend, Ino?" Choji garbled through a mouthful of chips.
The sound of fast moving footsteps echoed from behind Sakura.
"Hold on a second!" Naruto's voice resounded down the hall. Sakura saw Shikamaru twitch and draw a sudden interest. He looked curiously behind her as Sasuke, followed closely by Naruto, came darting into the room.
Sasuke slid to an abrupt halt as he recognized the faces before and suppressed the urge to yell in shock. This came harder for Naruto, who blatantly pointed at Team 10, and would have screamed, but Sakura made a quick step backward, crushing his toe with her heel.
"Haruko-san." Sasuke snapped back into character while Naruto leaned against the wall in pain.
"Wh-what are you two doing here?" Sakura mumbled, throwing them desperate looks.
Sasuke pushed up his sunglasses Ebisu-style.
"You were gone so long we began to worry."
Yeah, whatever, I was gone for 2 minutes, Sakura sweatdropped.
"Sorry," She rubbed the back of her head.
"Who are these people?" Sasuke nodded to InoShikaCho.
"Oh!" Sakura turned back to Ino, "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Haruko, and these are my bodyguards..." Crap, we forgot to give them names! She pointed at Sasuke "...Pakkun and..." She pointed to Naruto, who was huddled in a mound on the floor. "... Takkun."
Shikamaru's questioning glare darkened.
"I'm Ino." Ino began, "These are my friends, Shikamaru, Choji, and..." Sakura already knew the answer. She cringed. "...Akari-san." There could be no doubt; this girl emulated the photo exactly. "It's nice to meet you, Haruko-san." Ino clasped Sakura's hand.
"The pleasure is mine." Sakura grimaced. "So you're entering this pageant too?"
"Yeah, me and Akari-san."
"I hate to interrupt, Haruko-san," Sasuke put a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "but don't we need to get back."
"Uh... Oh, yes... right... to do... that thing." Saskura muttered. "It was very nice meeting you, Ino pi-... -san. Shikamaru-san, Choji-san, Akari-san. Good luck with your entry!"
"Um... Yeah, it was nice meeting you too." Ino scratched her head.
"C'mon, 'Takkun'." Sasuke grabbed Naruto off floor as the three dashed away.
-
"'Pakkun'? You named me after Kakashi-sensei's dog!?"
"Sasuke, do you really think that's our biggest problem right now?" Sakura collapsed on one of the hotel's bed like a rag doll. "Of all the people in the world, it had to be InoShikaCho. What a crazy day!"
"Speak for yourself!" Naruto snapped from the other bed. "I think you broke my toe!"
Sakura miserably meandered over to Naruto to have a look at his blue and purple foot.
"It could be worse." Sasuke said as he messed with his hair in the mirror. He had a feeling it was going to give him away.
"Yeah," Sakura rummaged through her backpack for her medical supplies. "It could've been Lee, Tenten, and Neji. Have you seen my bandage wrap?"
"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of Kiba, Shino, and Hinata." Sasuke wrapped the bandage around his forehead. It made his hair stand up more like Naruto's. "Never doubt the ability of Akamaru's nose."
A vein popped in Sakura's temple as she snatched her stolen bandage from Sasuke. He grinned.
"How do I look?" He put on his sunglasses.
Naruto and Sakura gave him blank stares.
"Perfect, like an idiot." Sakura began to wrap Naruto's toe. Sasuke sighed and flopped down on the vacant bed.
"So what are we going to do about all this?" Sakura said as she finished her task and stowed the bandage in her pack.
"We're not going back." Naruto pouted, "I gave that old guy my word."
"I wasn't even thinking that, dummy." Sakura sat down sat to him. "Our main problem is Shikamaru. That guy is smart. I think he's already suspicious of us. We should be fine if we steer clear of him."
"Easier said than done." Sasuke pointed out. "Especially, if they're the one's protecting Akari. I think we'll have to fight them eventually."
Sakura and Naruto sighed exasperatedly.
"We should probably come up with a plan of action then." Sakura suggested.
Sasuke nodded, "But first we need to figure out our schedule and their schedule, so we can pick an opportune moment. Sakura, it's till up in the air because neither you nor Ino have been accepted as contestants right?"
"Yeah, I have my interview tomorrow morning."
"Well, first things first. Let's get you into this pageant."
-
Layer by layer, the sun pulled itself out of the sea and into a dazzling morning sky. Sasuke watched whistfully, as was his morning routine. The sun burned in very mysterious ways to him, but it never changed. When the sun set in the evening, you could count on it to be back in the morning.
Sasuke turned away from the dawn and back to the room, where his comrades were both sleeping peacefully.
"Don't leave me, Ramen-sama..." Naruto mumbled, before rolling over and snoring loudly.
Sasuke eyed his friend quizzically before kneeling between the two twin mattresses to roll up his sleeping bag. (Naruto and Sasuke had played Rock-Paper-Scissors for the bed. Sasuke didn't know why he bothered though. For some reason, he always lost when he played Naruto at Rock-Paper-Scissors.) Sasuke pulled the duffle strings tight and stood up. He gently leaned over Sakura and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Sakura, wake up."
"Mmmnnnn..." She groaned, but didn't budge.
"Sakura, you're going to be late." He shook her.
"Nya... five more minutes. I haven't finished dinner yet..."
Sasuke stood over her, a vein throbbing in his forehead.
"Uwaaaah, I can't eat any more..." Sakura babbled.
"Up!" With one swift move, Sasuke lodged his hands between Sakura and the mattress and threw out of bed.
"Owww!" Sakura appeared over the edge of bed. "What the hell was that for?!"
Sasuke put a hand on his hip.
"You have an interview in forty-five minutes." He scolded. "What am I, your mother?"
-
"'What am I, your mother?'" Sakura mimicked as she trudged alone into the MegaDome. Only participants were allowed in, so bringing her 'bodyguards' was rather pointless. Sasuke said he would wait until Naruto woke up.
"May I help you?" A receptionist said.
"Yes, I'm here with an appointment."
"What's your name?"
"Haruko."
The receptionist scribbled something and handed Sakura a piece of paper.
"Second floor. Give this to the secretary."
"Thank you."
Sakura rode the elevator to the second floor. She stepped out into a new reception hall, crammed full of girls blabbing about 'this boy' or 'that dress'. Sakura chuckled. She'd been with Sasuke and Naruto for so long, she'd forgotten what is was like to giggle about pointless things.
She handed the slip to the secretary and receded through the crowd, looking for a place to sit. Amongst all the laughing and superficial talk, Sakura spotted one person who wasn't partaking.
"Ino-san," Sakura approached her seated friend. "What a coincidence! Are you here for an interview too?"
Ino looked up.
"Ah, Haruko-san. You're here too?"
"Do you mind if I sit down?"
Ino smiled, as if happy to no longer be alone in a room full of people. She scooted down the bench.
"Be my guest."
"Ino-san, where's Akari-san? Didn't you say yesterday that she's entering too? Or is her interview not today?"
"Nah, Akari-san's already been accepted."
"That's cool, Ino-san."
Ino twitched.
"Haruko-san, you don't need to call me 'Ino-san'. 'Ino' or 'Ino-chan' work fine."
"Only if you stop calling me 'Haruko-san.'"
"Agreed." Ino smiled, and reclined her head against the wall. "You're strange, Haruko-chan."
"Eh?"
"Not in a bad way. It's just... Normally, I don't mind people calling me Ino-san, actually, I kind of like it. But from you, it sounds weird."
It feels weird to say it too. Sakura muttered to herself.
"Say, Ino-chan. Your kunai had a piece of string on it. Why's that?"
Ino pulled out a kunai and laughed as she fingered the threaded braid.
"Well, there's kind of a story to it. You've met my friends Shikamaru and Choji. Well, we fight a lot of battles together and so our weapons get mixed up a lot. It wouldn't be such a problem, but Shikamaru is so lazy, his kunai are usually dull. Choji's kunai are all greasy because he's always eating those chips. I, however, take excellent care of my stuff. So this is just to make sure they don't get nice sharp kunai, while I get stuck with dull, greasy ones."
"That makes sense, Ino-chan." Sakura eyed the band on Ino's wrist. "I guess that one's for a different reason though. I noticed both Shikamaru-san and Choji-san wear the same thing."
Ino suddenly looked scared. She clasped a hand over that band.
"Th-that's nothing." She stuttered, her face growing red.
"Hey, you're bodyguard, Pakkun, he's pretty cute, ne?" Ino changed the subject quickly, but Sakura didn't pry. She had a feeling about what that bracelet symbolized.
Cute? Sakura thought about her rude awakening that morning. Whatever.
Ino stared into space rubbing the braid on her wrist. Her face looked weary, as if tired of life itself. Sakura's mind fluttered, struggling to think of a way to get her friend's mind off the bracelet and back into her tough girl frame of mind..
Hmmmm...
"You know Ino-chan," Ino snapped out of her train of thought. "I guess, if we're both in this pageant, doesn't that make us rivals."
Ino blinked a few times before smiling evilly.
"Yeah, I guess it does."
Now that's the Ino I know. Sakura grinned.
"I'll have you know that I never lose." Ino sneered.
"Really? I guess your streak stops here."
The blaring intercom resounded through the crowded room.
"Haruko. Room 201."
Sakura stood up and looked down at Ino.
"I'm not going to lose to you."
Ino stood up.
"Same here."
The girls clasped hands in agreement before Sakura walked off to Room 201.
-
"Ramen! Ramen, ramen, ramen!" Naruto sang as he and Sasuke trudged through the marketplace looking for breakfast.
"Who has ramen for breakfast?" Sasuke eyed Naruto as though concerned for he was going to self combust.
"I do!"
Naruto smelled the air.
"There's a place this way." He said pointing down an alley.
I don't even want to know how he can do that. Sasuke contemplated.
Sure enough, a ramen stand appeared before them within seconds.
Naruto sped up and laughed like a kid at an amusement park, but Sasuke grabbed the back of his collar.
"Wait a minute."
Sasuke glared into the street side ramen vendor. Three pairs of legs look familiar.
"What the hell? Let go of me, Sas-!"
Sasuke clamped a hand over Naruto's mouth.
"Shut up, you idiot." Sasuke glared at the bar. "You're hell bent on eating here, right?"
"Mfphmmp! Wmnph fmtp fma mmm, fmp fempenwrmep! (Hell yeah! Now let go of me, you freakin' retard!)"
Sasuke pulled him into an adjacent alleyway and let go.
"What the he-!?"
"Naruto, listen carefully. When we go in, don't order miso ramen."
"WHAT!?"
"Shhh!"
Sasuke looked around nervously.
"And when we sit down, don't say anything."
"?"
"Pretend like... like you're too cool to talk."
"In other words, act like you."
"Dumbass, I'm being serious!"
"What's all this about?"
"You'll see."
Sasuke lead the way out of the alley and toward the street stand, a befuddled Naruto in his wake. He pulled back the cloth flap to see exactly what he thought he would; Shikamaru, Choji, and Akari-san sitting at the bar.
"Ah, Shikamaru-san, Choji-san, Akari-san, what a coincidence." Sasuke smiled as he sat down next to Shikamaru. Naruto, with some effort, kept his mouth shut and sat down on Sasuke's other side.
"Ah, Pakkun..." (Sasuke twitched) "...and Takkun." Akari exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise! I see Haruko-san is not with you. Does she have an interview?"
"Yes actually, I take it Ino-san has one too?"
Akari nodded.
"What'll you boys have?" The proprietor asked.
"A pork for him and a miso for me." Naruto kicked Sasuke.
Traitor! Ordering miso ramen after telling me not to.
Shikamaru gave Sasuke the most suspiciously passive look he'd ever seen.
"Nice hair cut."
"Thanks..." Sasuke gave Shikamaru an equally suspicious look.
"It was different yesterday."
"Yes, Haruko-san didn't like it so I changed it." You could cut the tension with a knife. Even Choji stopped eating to watch.
"Here's your food, gentleman." A steaming bowl of miso ramen landed in front of Sasuke but his eyes never moved from Shikamaru's.
"You're Haruko-san's bodyguards, right?" The notorious slacker sneered. "Then why aren't you protecting her?"
"Haruko-san is in a building full of ninja. We don't need to protect her all the time, not like you do with Akari-san."
Choji choked. Akari gasped.
"You're good." Shikamaru smiled.
"So are you." Sasuke smiled back.
"You remind me of someone."
"And that person is obviously not here, because I most definitely have never seen you before."
Shikamaru grinned.
"Right."
Choji relaxed and returned to his pile of ramen bowls.
"Crazy," Shikamaru said, half to himself, half to Sasuke. "Who has ramen for breakfast?"
Aurthor's Notes: Wheeee! long chapter, but not much happens! I went through some of the older chapters and I had no idea how many typos there were! I'm really sorry about that! I'll try harder to catch these things.
Also I'm sorry about the character balance. I'm not of the persuasion that each arc should be dominated by a single character's issues; I like the One Piece where, no matter what the situation, all the characters are doing something (or at least usually) and central character gets left out. However I found that Naruto got the short end of the stick in this chapter. Poor Naruto, I'll give him a bigger part next chapter.
Next Chapter: The Contest Begins!