Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any form shape or fashion. If I did, I would have already killed him and taken Hinata for myself…
Chapter 11. The Ball Part 2
"We're going to need all of our chakra, Naruto." Sasuke said dropping the jutsu.
Naruto dropped his jutsu as well and the two of them started advancing toward Sakura and Hinata in the basement. Naruto scanned the darkness looking for the jounin.
"Did you two call for Kurenai or Kakashi?" Sakura asked.
"Didn't have time." Sasuke said seriously.
"Where is she?" Naruto said scanning the darkness trying to be ready for the next attack. Sadly he failed.
The speed of the assault reminded Naruto of a torrent of water. He never saw it coming. Suddenly, he felt a fist ramming into his ribs and felt like a locomotive had rammed into him. Naruto sailed through the air crashing into the wall behind Sakura and Hinata. Sasuke was dodging as best he could. He was ducking rapid blows from the woman who had ambushed them.
Sasuke managed a few good strikes that hardly seemed to slow the woman down as she ducked and lashed out ripping the front of Sasuke's dress. Naruto got up and drove forward to the attack. Hinata and Sakura both tossed kunai at the jounin, but miraculously the woman seemed to be able to move more swiftly than a vapor. Both kunai missed and Naruto reached the fight just in time to see Sasuke go done with an elbow to the base of his skull.
Naruto jumped in swinging. He landed several good blows backing the woman up from his friends. He could hear Hinata cheering him on as he forced the jounin back. Everything was going great until she caught his fist.
"My turn." She said lowly.
The series of blows to Naruto's stomach felt like a tidal wave was slamming debris into his torso. The final blow ripped the front of his dress and sent him sailing through the air to land next to Sasuke.
Hinata and Sakura were there helping the two of them up in an instant.
"Come on guys. We can do it if we all rush her at once." Sakura said confidently.
"No." Sasuke said simply.
Naruto and Sasuke struggled to stand. Sakura was looking at them strangely.
"This is a jounin. There's no way we're going to be able to win. The only way we're going to beat him is if Naruto and I distract him while you go get Kakashi and Kurenai." Sasuke said spitting up a little blood. "Did you sense it to Naruto?"
Naruto nodded. He'd sensed it, and it REALLY ticked him off. "You know the sexy no jutsu too."
The woman laughed. "Is that what you call it? I just figured it was a little specialty jutsu I'd come up with for completing this mission. I never bothered to give it a name."
Tanako Chiko pulled the skirt off from around her waist and tossed it aside as she shifted into the form of a man. "Takai at your service, assassin from the village hidden in the mists. I don't think I'm going to be able to let you four leave. After all, if you're working for that jounin that's been staking out all the girls dorms, I can't risk him getting here."
"So these are your sons?" Sakura said in astonishment.
"Yes, and also my apprentices. Why do you look so surprised? I didn't lie when I said my sons were attending the boarding school across the lake, but I never said that I was their mother." Takai said with a grin.
Takai started to laugh when he suddenly stopped. Hinata gasped and Naruto noticed the blade sticking out of his chest, a blade that was attached to a sword being held by Madame Furucho.
Stunned, Takai slid off the end of the blade and turned around to look at Madame Furucho. Madame Furucho looked at the man dispassionately before driving the blade in again from the front. Then with a quick turn of her wrist, Takai fell to the floor.
"If I have taught you children nothing else this semester, always remember this. Make bloody well sure you know how many ninja you're up against before you start a fight, and NEVER keep your back to the door." Madame Furucho said as she sheathed the long sword blade back into her cane.
Kakashi and Kurenai came running into the room just as Madame Furucho turned. They skidded to a halt in front of her with their weapons drawn. Kakashi looked around the room before settling his eye on the old woman.
"Might I ask what's going on here?" Kakashi asked slowly.
"Ah Kakashi, you must have been the ninja I've sensed running around spying on my girls while they're in the showers." Madame Furucho said. "And you must be Kurenai. I must admit your more lovely in person child."
"Wait a minute, you're…" Kakashi started.
"Madame Furucho here. I left any other name behind a long time ago." Madame Furucho said looking around. "I take it these children are your students?"
"Yes, Madame Furucho." Kakashi said respectfully.
"You mean you were here to protect Takara too?" Naruto said in surprise.
"No, not as such. I teach the arts here. I retired from being in ANBU a long time ago. Takara's father was one of my students. He knew I was here, so he contacted me and told me what was going on with Takara. I've been keeping an eye out for trouble. I do not like people coming and making my home into a ninja battlefield." Madame Furucho said simply.
"So you came down here when you saw us leave the party?" Sakura said.
"Yes, I did. You and Hinata still have a performance to do. I don't spend my days wearing dresses just to hide you know." Madame Furucho said putting a finger to the side of her nose.
"You mean you're…" Sasuke said stunned.
"In hiding." Madame Furucho said severely. "I built a reputation as one of the most deadly assassins in the world using charm and beauty, and I didn't even need a jutsu. There is after all, more than one use for a dark secluded little rendezvous spot."
"So why did you choose to stay here?" Sakura asked.
"There are people that would very much like to see me dead. There's so much blood on my hands that I doubt that I'll ever wash it all off. Still, etiquette and grace were a couple of the skills I perfected during my professional days that I thought might be useful to the future generations for less, shall we say lethal purposes. Teaching is something I've always enjoyed." Madame Furucho said smiling. "Now, Hinata, Sakura, you're on in just a few moments. You better get going."
"Oh man, I ripped my dress. I can't do my number like this!" Naruto said sadly.
"Well, that reassures my belief in happy endings." Sasuke said smiling.
Sakura and Hinata headed off with Kurenai to get ready for their performance. Naruto looked at the ruins of his and Sasuke's dresses and looked around.
"Well, I guess the night's over for us." Naruto told Sasuke.
"Not necessarily." Madame Furucho said. "These boys here look to be about you size. Why don't you take their suit and go watch the rest of the ball as men. I'm sure Hinata and Sakura would appreciate it if their boyfriends were to watch them perform and perhaps dance with them afterwards."
Madame Furucho turned to leave, but before she did she looked severely at Kakashi. "Kakashi, do dispose of the body and see to it that these boys are taken into custody. They never saw me, so they'll probably have some sort of grudge against your people for killing their father. Oh, and one other thing…"
Madame Furucho whipped out her blade and had it to Kakashi's throat in an instant. "I take teaching and caring for my girls just as seriously as you take teaching these children seriously. If I EVER catch you around the windows of my dormitory again peeking in at the girls taking showers, you'll need TWO eye patches."
For the first time in his life Naruto saw Kakashi nervous. "Yes, ma'am." He said meekly.
Naruto and Sasuke dragged the unconscious boys off to a handy storage room and stripped their suits off of them before ditching them in the room and locking them in. They then looked at the ruins of their dresses and started to change.
Naruto glanced over at Sasuke as he was changing and noticed something odd.
"Lingerie?" Naruto asked.
"What? It's extremely comfortable, and you can fight in it." Sasuke said defensively.
(A/N: In Sasuke's defense, since the garment in question was designed for activities in which being agile, dexterous, and flexible are a plus it stands to reason that such garments would wear well in a fight, after all he was wearing a white Frederick's of Hollywood satin ice merry widow corset, item #51141. Not that I looked it up or anything cough.)
"Man, all I did was not wear any underwear in case we had to change back. Are you going to wear that under the tuxedo?" Naruto asked.
"No I'm not going to wear this under the tuxedo, and that was more information than I needed, thank you." Sasuke replied.
Sakura tried to calm herself as she sat down at the piano. She and Hinata had worked on this number all semester. Madame Furucho had started not to allow them to perform it until she heard them play it for her. Hinata was ready and Sakura took a moment to steady herself.
She looked up in time to see Sasuke and Naruto come into the recital hall wearing tuxedoes. Shino had seen them and was walking over to greet them, which meant that he was basically just standing next to them. For some reason Sasuke stepped to the other side of Naruto as Shino approached. Sakura sighed. She could already see Kimi and a bunch of the other girls making a beeline straight to Sasuke. Madame Furucho cleared her throat and Sakura readied herself to play the haunting melody.
Kakashi sat outside the recital hall and watched the girls getting ready for their number. He had spent the past few months watching them get closer to the boys. He really did wish them the best, much like a father would. There was only the issue of Naruto's lingering crush on Sakura getting in the way. Kakashi thought about it for a moment and then slipped from his hiding place. With everyone watching the girls, he could probably slip under the piano without being noticed. He was going to make sure that this was one performance that Uzumaki Naruto never forgot.
Naruto watched the girls getting ready to perform. For the most part he was watching Hinata. Sakura was beautiful tonight as well, but there was something about the way the spotlight shone off of Hinata's white gown. She looked more beautiful than Naruto ever remembered. She also looked nervous and Naruto hoped she wouldn't faint as he caught her eyes. She smiled, and Naruto tried to look encouraging. Naruto caught his breath as Sakura began a beautiful melody on the piano and Hinata began to sing.
I know there's something in the wake of your smile,
I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yeah,
You've built a love,
But that love falls apart,
Your little piece of heaven, falls apart…
Listen to your heart,
When he's calling for you,
Listen to your heart,
There's nothing else you can do,
I don't know where you're going,
And I don't know why,
But listen to your heart,
Before,
You tell him good-bye…
Kakashi got into position under the piano. No one had seen him. Everyone was transfixed by Hinata's voice and Sakura's playing. Looking out at the audience, Sasuke and Naruto were standing there stunned. They'd apparently never heard the two girls practicing. Naruto looked like he had tears in his eyes. Kakashi began the hand signs as Hinata launched into the second verse. He timed it so that he'd give Naruto something to think about. Kakashi finished just as Hinata reached the climax of the song and he released his chakra. He whispered, "Angel no jutsu."
Naruto couldn't believe his eyes as he looked up at Hinata. As Sakura began to raise the volume of her piano in a crescendo, the light seemed to gather into Hinata's gown until she was glowing and radiating light all on her own. She began to float above the stage as her voice rang out, and a pair of beautiful white wings seemed to appear behind her.
And there are voices that long to be heard,
So much to mention but you can't find the words,
The scent of magic,
The beauty that's been,
When love was wilder,
Than the wind,
Listen to your heart…(A/N: I do not own 'Listen to your Heart' by DHT or any other version. If you would like to hear this song it is track 12 on their CD. The dance remix is pretty cool too.)
Sakura echoed Hinata's voice as they sang together. Naruto could feel the emotion in the song the two of them were playing. He looked at Sasuke who stared intently at Sakura as she played. I'd have to kill him to get to Sakura. Naruto thought sadly. Then he looked up at Hinata and smiled. He really couldn't bring himself to think of her as second prize. She was just the grand prize he never knew he had won.
Hinata softly glided to the floor as the light faded from her and the wings disappeared. For the longest time no one said a word, they were simply too stunned. Naruto walked forward to Hinata and offered her his arm. As he guided her away from the piano the applause began and didn't stop for quite some time.
Sakura smiled at Naruto and Hinata as they were headed out to the dance floor. They really were a beautiful couple. Madame Furucho nodded to her and then set off to go get the next girls ready for their number.
Sakura looked around until she saw Sasuke. He was being practically dragged toward the darkened veranda by a tide of about five girls, which included Kimi. Sakura politely got up and curtsied before heading off to the veranda. There she found them trying to collectively molest her Sasuke.
Sakura growled and pushed up her sleeves.
What happened next could possibly be called a catfight. This however would have been a misnomer. Cat's when fighting generally do a lot of hissing and batting at each other and the occasional bite. Cats that do more than this generally take down large prey and are NOT referred to as kitty. This was therefore not a catfight. This was a ticked-off-kunoichi-stomping-a-mudhole-into-the-rear-ends-of-five-primpy-little-rich-girls fight.
Needless to say, it did not last long. Sasuke was looking at the carnage left by his enraged girlfriend and turned to her as she straightened her dress and than came over to wrap her arms around his waist.
"I've always wondered." Sasuke said. "Exactly what causes girls to think that just because you've kissed them that there is some sort of contract that specifically states that you now belong to them."
"That my dear Sasuke is what is called 'reality'." Sakura said sweetly. She slipped out a dagger and laid it against his back. "Now kiss me before you get hurt."
Sasuke smiled and kissed Sakura out on the veranda to the groans of her rivals. Yes, Sasuke could have probably snatched the knife out of her hands easily and walked away, but Sakura was beginning to understand that with some men and Uchiha Sasuke in particular, they just needed an excuse not to run away.