Heya,
Man, my chapters are getting shorter…It's kind of worrying me so although I had a planned ending spot for this chapter I'm going to ignore it and add some more stuff. Enjoy!
-shyshi
p.s. if there's something you don't like or that needs improvement message me/review. That way I can become a better writer. Arigatou
"Our envy of others devours us most of all" –Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Who knew a hospital could be so boring. The waiting room was filled with magazines, newspapers, couches, chairs, food, drink and a television so naturally Emiko was sitting upside down in her chair, bored to the brink of suicide.
The sanitary white walls of the hospital were luckily rejected for the waiting room as the walls were painted a dark blue color. A large window opened to the sky and Emiko sighed as the last of the sunlight faded away. Her body ached and pain spread through her limbs but she ignored it, taking it to mean that she was just defective and continued to play with her hair.
"Emiko?" The teen sat up sharply, a bad idea as she felt her mind pounded from the sudden blood rush. Standing in the doorway was Sakura and Emiko quickly motioned for her to join the festivities. Sakura sat nervously in a chair and Emiko let out a small sigh as she realized the pink haired girl was going to be silent.
"Are the others coming?" She tried to start conversation as she moved to sit cross-leged on the couch.
"Hai. Naruto, Megumi, Kakashi-san and Ino-pig." Emiko winced at the new nickname for the blonde female. Sakura either didn't notice or refused to speak on the matter as she returned to her silent state.
'Oh come on!' Emiko thought rashly before she moved her attention to the television screen. It was a celebrity show, something about sex and a divorce. 'Shocking,' Emiko thought sarcastically as she watched a tearful celebrity confess that she was unable to continue the marriage to her famous husband because of "irreconcilable differences". Irreconcilable differences meaning the husband was unwilling to reconcile after her affair.
"Emi-chan!" Naruto's welcomed voice broke Emiko's thoughts and she eagerly turned to see the blonde jogging towards her and Sakura. 'He's rather happy considering he's in a hospital.' Emiko mused to herself but none the less smiled as Naruto and Megumi joined them in the waiting room.
"Isn't Ino-"
"Hai, but she left to try and get the room number to visit him by herself." Naruto explained quickly. Emiko noticed the drop in his voice and the way his eyes shot towards Sakura as he tried to keep it from the green-eyed girl.
Unfortunately it seemed he hadn't stayed quiet enough as Sakura burst to her feet and dashed from the waiting room. Emiko paused, her mouth slightly ajar as she glanced between the two newcomers and the spot where Sakura had stood moments ago.
"Uh…"
"How did you get here?" Megumi asked innocently as she sat calmly in a chair. Her hazel eyes bore quietly upon the brunette and she shifted in her seat.
"Uh…I rode in the ambulance." Her desire to lie almost overpowered her words but she managed to press out the truth. Megumi nodded, a small smile tracing her lips.
"Oh! I met your brother." Emiko informed her, grinning in her usual joking manner. "How old is he?"
"Oh, Oshito-nii-san? He's 23." Megumi replied. Emiko nodded before she felt something thump next to her and she turned to see Naruto resting comfortable on the couch, legs crossed and arms filled with food. Emiko spared him a flat glance and instead grabbed a chocolate bar causing him to whine for a moment before he found his mouth blocked by a bag of potato chips.
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"Are you six here to see Uchiha Sasuke?" A nurse stepped in and the group gazed at her. Both Sakura and Ino had been turned away and forced to come back to the waiting room where they spent their time talking with anyone but their rival and shooting glares at each other. Kakashi had arrived 2 hours later with a collection of take out food for the teens and they each readily took the offering.
"Hai." Sakura spoke first, her voice slightly strained with eagerness and anticipation. Emiko paused, her chopsticks poised holding a piece of suishi as she waited for the update.
"He's awake and able to move around." The nurse stated calmly. "He consented to seeing someone before he leaves." At this both of Sasuke's fangirls rushed forward to the nurse who seemed overwhelmed by their sudden appearance in her face.
"Is it me!" Ino and Sakura respectively stepped back to give the nurse room but both spoke the same question in unison. Emiko laughed at the sight and Naruto joined in for a second before he resumed eating his 3rd ramen. Megumi giggled lightly, her hand placed politely over her mouth as she watched the pair.
"No," the nurse caught Emiko's gaze and the brunette raised her eyebrows in question. "He said that if he had to he'd see the idiot girl with mismatched eyes." The sushi that had been resting peacefully in her chopsticks popped out of the grip when Emiko's pressed upon the chopsticks in surprise. 'Aw man, that was my last piece…' Emiko tried to ignore the shocked looks of Ino, Sakura and Naruto and stood quietly.
"Alright where is he?" Emiko asked, trying to get out of the room as quickly as possible. Megumi smiled faintly and watched the brunette softly as she stood, one hand scratching the back of her head while she strained to smile amongst the tension of the room.
"This way." The nurse led Emiko out and she cherished the change in atmosphere as she left the others behind. 'Damn Uchiha. He probably did that so Sakura and Ino kill me.' She couldn't help but worry about what she would be returning to.
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"Why did he call for her!" Ino's yell was the first and Sakura quickly followed her lead as she rounded on Naruto and Megumi as though they had the answers. Naruto glanced nervously at Megumi who seemed unperturbed by the sight of the two devastated fangirls.
"You'd have to ask him. We don't know." Megumi spoke gently as she tried to soothe them into a calmer state.
"Hai." Naruto agreed boldly but as Sakura paced Megumi noticed Naruto warily eating his ramen, his eyes trained on the others as though he expected them to attack him.
Ino resigned to a chair angrily, her arms were folded and her blue eyes were trained on a wall. 'Why don't they just accept it?' Megumi let out a weary sigh before she continued to eat.
"Are either of you dating him?" Kakashi's question sent a spark through the group and Megumi moved further back in her seat as she anticipated what could happen next.
"Not yet." Sakura halted her pacing and turned to Kakashi who was resting lazily in a recliner, his visible eye boring through the pink haired teen. Ino scoffed and Sakura turned her gaze to the blonde rival.
"Hai?" Sakura spat and Ino slowly drew her gaze to Sakura before she grinned in a way to imply she believed herself to know more.
"I'm just laughing because you think Sasuke-kun's actually going to go out with you." In the short time after their friendship had shattered each girl had taken up the shards to use as weapons against each other. It had quickly and fiercely changed as though they'd never been friends.
"And why wouldn't he! It's better than going out with you, Ino-pig." Sakura retorted and she crossed her arms angrily.
"Big brow!" Ino insulted quickly. Before Megumi could try to calm them Kakashi's rejoined the conversation.
"Well if neither of you are dating him, is he dating the girl he allowed to see him?" The question hung in the air before Sakura began to protest.
"Of course not. Emiko's never dated anyone, she's too picky. They have to be nice, respectful and they have to treat her as an equal. Also she won't date anyone who she can't have an intelligent conversation with." Sakura acted as though it was an impossible goal for any male to reach.
"But…Sasuke-kun's like that." Ino realized and her eyes locked with Sakura's. Laughter burst and Megumi turned to see Naruto laughing happily on the couch.
"Sasuke-teme isn't nice or respectful! Emi-chan's too good for him." Naruto insisted through chuckles. Megumi let out a small sigh and sent him an apologetic look before he was pounced by both Sakura and Ino.
"What do you mean she's too good for him!"
"Baka! Don't insult Sasuke-kun!"
"Naruto you're such an idiot!"
"Sasuke-kun is very nice!"
"And hot!"
"You're the one who isn't respectful or nice!"
"OW! MY RAMEN!"
"Guys…" Megumi stepped towards the brawl, her hands extended as she tried to tentatively stop the fight. "Hey…" None seemed to listen and Megumi frantically searched the room for anything she could use to get attention.
Kakashi was now resting comfortably on the couch, apparently unfazed by the brawl upon the ground as Megumi read the title of the book he was reading. 'Icha Icha Paradise.' Her nose scrunched in distaste before she grabbed a tall lamp by its metal body and slammed it to the ground. A satisfying thud sounded and the three stopped, their eyes searching for the source of the noise.
"Stop it." Megumi ordered. "It's Naruto-kun's opinion that Sasuke-san is like that. And can we please act like civilized beings instead of cave men?" Ino and Sakura both flushed in embarrassment before slowly getting to their feet and checking over their hair and face while Megumi extended a hand to Naruto.
"If he's not dating any of you, then you shouldn't get so upset when he allows one of his friends to see him." Kakashi's voice was dazed, as though he was speaking prepared words while his mind was elsewhere. Megumi could hear the sound of a turning page and smiled faintly before she grabbed her dinner and flipped through the channels until she found a decent channel.
"And you all are annoyingly loud." He added causing Megumi's smile to widen as she rested in her seat.
'What an interesting day…'
A/n: Gah, I'm still not happy with the length but oh well.
