Catch Without Arms Chapter 17: That's What Happens When You Play Catch, a naruto fanfic

Note from the Author: … I'm very busy. All the time. And I spend all the time I can on this story. Know why? Because I love you. This chapter was fun to write. Like, hella, hella fun.

Book-manga-freak: Well. Tayuya curses a lot. She's a lot like me actually. I pretty much inserted a curse word in every place I would say a curse word … and I realize that I do indeed curse more than she does. And that make me snicker.

BankotsusChick: Once again – I just inserted a curse word where I would curse. Which is apparently more than Tayuya curses. Haha.

Swimmykitty458022: I'm going to go back and edit some of Tayuya's dialogue. Maybe she'll just curse once every sentence. Haha. And I'd also like to give you a big hug:big hug: Because so far, you've been the only one to catch the group of guys I chose.

PIE IS FILLED WITH AWESOMENESS: I can honestly tell you … that I have no idea what you're talking about. But that's okay because you're a new reviewer. :gives you cookie-filled pies:

Kichou: Yeah, it's like – "Ooooh. Blow to the straight boys' egos." Thanks, hun.

Scooperchan: :squeals and hugs you: That's two people that caught it. :does a happy dance: You're a very good guesser. -.-

Mrs. Foxx: o.O Thank you for informing me:calls police:

DemonRogue: New reviewer! :cookie love: Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed "Don't Be Afraid" and thank you for liking it enough to check this one out too.

BankotsusChick: That last chapter wasn't a filler! :flails wildly: It set up the plot!

That's what happens when you play catch without arms.

Naruto wished with everything in him that a camera would just magically appear in his hands right at that moment. The expression on Shikamaru's face would have made a little girl cry. Naruto had no idea what Temari was saying to him – but he sure wasn't happy about it.

"You know, whatever she's saying probably sucks for us too." Neji murmured, studying the genius on the cell phone.

"We'll find out in a bit, I guess." Kiba grinned, always positive.

The phone finally snapped shut. "They found hotel rooms." He said, a pleased tone that was laced with sarcasm in his voice.

"That's great!"

"No. It's not. Because they didn't get enough rooms for us."

Naruto blinked at him. "What?"

"They could only get two rooms – that's four and five to a room."

"So they completely screwed us over." Neji didn't sound surprised.

"They 'tried to get more rooms but there were only two available.'" Shikamaru mocked his girlfriend. "So I guess we'll have to make due with the apartment?"

Neji shrugged. "Whatever. I don't care either way, except that Hinata-sama is there." He turned white eyes on her best friend. "At least you're not there with her."

Kiba snarled. "You wouldn't be so damn possessive if you weren't worried she liked me more."

"Oh, shut up – both of you." Naruto said sharply. "Tayuya says we can stay there, but it's going to be a full week we'll be sleeping in the same rooms. At least try to get along."

The two boys huffed, looking defiantly away from each other.

Just then, Tayuya got off the phone herself and smiled sheepishly. "Well, bad news, guys. It turns out that the room I was going to see if you guys could have has been filled."

The five groaned.

"But there is good news!"

"If you say you just saved a bunch of money on your car insurance, I'm going to kill you." Shikamaru murmured.

Tayuya blinked. She didn't watch much TV – too busy with her job – so she was only vaguely aware of the reference. "No. I was going to say that, if you guys are willing to split up, a few of my friends are willing to take you guys in."

They looked around at each other and shrugged in a "Why not?" way.

She clapped, smiling. "Great! Then Shikamaru – you're staying with me."

His eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Just because."

He sighed. "How troublesome. Whatever."

"What about the rest of us?" Kiba asked, standing up to check on Akamaru, who was tied outside, through the window.

"Kimimarou said he'd take someone. He's a nice enough guy – quiet, and he has some kind of weird disease, but from what I understand, it's not contagious. What do you guys say?"

"I'll go with him." Naruto offered. "If I get sick, who cares?"

"Well, that's good." She chose not to comment on the fact that no one said they would care or the look of utter devastation that crossed the blonde's face after the fact. "And he's looking for other people in our building willing to take the other three of you." The phone rang, as if on a cue, and she picked up. "Flute Illusions Café, Tayuya speaking – how can I help you?"

A pause.

"That's great. That was really fast."

Pause.

"Alright, great – thanks." She hung up and beamed at them. "He found some people to take you guys." A pondering finger tapping her chin, she looked around at them, as if judging their characters. "Chouji – you can stay with Jiroubo. Kiba … I guess you're with the twins – Ukon and Sakon. And Neji – if you don't mind spiders – can stay with Kidoumaru."

The Hyuuga's eyebrow shot up. "Spiders?"

"Yes."

Silence.

"Okay then." She clapped her hands. "If you'll hang around here for a while, I'll take you to the building later." She paused. "What about the drinks you guys got for your girlfriends."

The two boys in question blinked down at the coffees and, in utter distaste, threw them away, ignoring Tayuya's insulted swearing protests.

Chouji stared at the amount of food in Jiroubo's refrigerator. Turning shining eyes upon his as-of-now best friend, he said, "I love you!"

Neji grimaced.

Tayuya had in no way been kidding about the spiders. They were everywhere. And the worst part – they weren't caged.

"Seriously." He followed Kidoumaru into his kitchen. "What is with the spiders?"

"Don't tell me you've got arachnophobia." The older boy smirked, intent on teasing him to no end if he did.

He gritted his teeth. "No. But I do have this slight fear of dying." He gestured to the tarantula making its slow ascent up the wall.

"Lighten up. They're trained."

"How do you train a spider?"

Kiba slammed into the carpet of the hallway on his back, completely winded. What the hell?

"Sakon!" A lavender head lifted from its resting spot on Kiba's chest, giggling gleefully. "Sakon, he's here!"

The dog-lover's eye twitched. Yeah, he was affectionate, but this guy had just taken tackle-hugging to a whole new level.

A boy identical to Kiba's captor leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed. "Don't mind him. He's very touchy-feeling." He blinked at the small white animal yapping at his feet. "Oh, you brought a dog."

"Cute!" Ukon, who had to be the younger brother, unlatched himself from Kiba and scooped Akamaru into his arms, cuddling the poor whining creature.

Kiba let his head fall back on the carpet. This is going to be the longest week ever.

Tayuya had very pink lips.

Shikamaru blinked. Why was he thinking about Tayuya's lips?

Oh, right – because they were very near his face right now.

He wasn't quite sure when she'd decided she was going to molest him – but he had a distinct feeling she'd been planning it all along. "You seem like you're a really fucking smart kid." She murmured, cuddling against him.

"Yes." He made a point to conspicuously move the other way. "Smart enough to know that screwing around with you will really piss off my girlfriend."

"She doesn't need to know." Tayuya purred.

He sighed, trying to inch further from her grasp. "This is so troublesome."

Naruto tapped a fingernail against the fake mahogany table. This guy was even quieter than Sasuke – and that was really saying something.

He'd only been here for half an hour and he was already bored out of his mind. "Is there anything to do around here?"

Green eyes blinked slowly at him. "… Do?"

"Yeah, like, for fun."

Silence.

Naruto had given up on him answering and was about to get up when he spoke again.

"You could go to the park."

"Park? What kind of park?"

Silence.

He sighed, waiting for the always well-thought-over answer.

"It's just a park."

He shrugged. "Whatever. It must be better than sitting around here all day. How do I get there?"

The pause was vaguely shorter this time. "I don't know."

Naruto considered killing himself.

"There's a boy who goes there a lot living on the first floor. You could ask him."

"Yes! Which room number?"

"He's not there."

"What?"

"He's not there. He's at Tayuya's place."

"Why?"

A pause.

Naruto could have hit him.

"He stayed there last night."

Yes, Naruto was going to kill himself. Just as he was heading for the bathroom to drown himself in the toilet, there was a knock on the door. Bounding excitedly to it, he threw it open. "Lee!" He'd never been so happy to see the Fuzzy-Eyebrowed boy in his life. He was so ecstatic, in fact, that he wrapped his arms around his neck, hugging him. "Thank you for saving me!"

"Naruto-kun?" Lee pushed him back, eyebrow lifted. "Are you feeling okay."

"Lee – I'm so bored."

He flashed a blinding smile, giving a thumbs-up. "It's okay! I'm here to keep you and your savior company."

"But Lee – you're my savior. And how did you find us?"

"Neji left a voicemail on Hinata-chan's phone, telling us where you were. I felt awful for leaving you out of the slumber party fun, so I came to stay with you!"

"That's great, that's great – I'm going to the park! Come with me?" He was practically bouncing; he was so excited to see someone with as much energy and exaggerated joy as Lee did.

"I think I shall stay here and straighten up the mess you already seem to have made, Naruto-kun." His dark eyes flashed with momentary disapproval. "You are welcome to join me."

His face fell and he groaned. "Damn it, Lee! I thought I had some company for once. I'm going to find Tayuya's room and ask this boy to go to the park with me." He ran down the hall before anyone could protest.

Lee was having just as much trouble with this man as Naruto had. He was very quiet, and while he was used to quiet – he did hang out with Neji and Gaara, after all – this was unnerving.

"So where are you from?"

That ghastly pause. "Originally?"

"Yes."

"Florida."

"Really? On the coast?"

"Yes."

"I see." Lee seemed to be making progress. "What was it like there?"

Silence. "What is 'it'?"

"Oh, forgive me!" Now it was his turn to think. "Um, the environment? The weather! The people!"

A rather long pause this time. "It was hot there. And the people are just like the people everywhere."

"And how is that?"

This time, Kimimarou's face actually seemed to shift in thought. "I … don't know. Uncaring. Or maybe oblivious."

The conversation died away after this solemn statement about humanity.

Lee was politely excusing himself and opening the door to find Naruto when he ran directly into a smaller body. "Gaara-san! Where did you come from?"

"The hotel."

"Right, right. But why are you here?"

The redhead shrugged. "I got bored."

Lee was suddenly weeping tears of joy. "So you came looking for me!"

Gaara twitched slightly when he was tackled into a hug but didn't protest.

Shikamaru scrambled for the door, silently thanking whatever invisible being had sent someone knocking at just that moment. He peered around the crack, then threw it open, embracing the surprised girl in the doorway. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you."

Temari laughed, wrapping her arms around his middle and looking up at him. "Really? Why is that?"

Tayuya came to stand behind him, and there was a brief moment of dagger-filled glares between the two girls. "Who the hell are you?" the pink-haired woman snarled, eyes narrowed.

Temari gritted her teeth. "His girlfriend. What's it to you?"

Ukon talked a lot.

Normally, Kiba didn't mind people who talked a lot, because he talked a lot. But Ukon talked so much that he couldn't get a word in edgewise and that drove him crazy.

Of course, Sakon was his twin's exact opposite and barely spoke at all. When he did, it was usually to tell him to shut up.

When the doorbell rang and Ukon bounded over to answer it, Kiba slumped onto the couch in an exhausted heap. "How do you do it?"

Sakon shrugged. "You get used to it after a while."

His brother returned a moment later, a distraught Kankurou in tow. "Your friend, Kiba-kun?"

The boy in question blinked up at him, then hugged Kankurou in a way that almost wasn't platonic. "I am so glad to see you."

"Why?"

"Because you're annoying – but not like he is."

This was accentuated by a huffing "Hey!" from Ukon and Kankurou alike.

"He's not here anymore, Naruto." Tayuya seemed pissed. "He finally went back to his own damn room."

"Hi, Naruto!" Temari waved from the sofa, where she was snuggled into Shikamaru's arms.

"Hey, guys!" He considered asking them if he could chill with them, but figured three was enough of a crowd – a fourth was out of the question. "Tayuya, could you tell me which room it is?"

Naruto was finally knocking on the door that everyone seemed to designate.

There was a long pause inside, followed by a groan, and a muffled "I'm coming."

He wasn't positive, but he was sure that voice was one he'd heard before. He was just realizing that he didn't even know this boy's name when the door opened, and so did his mouth. "Sasuke?"

The dark-haired boy blinked at him, eyes dim. Finally he murmured, "Why am I not surprised?"