"True friends stab you in the front."-Oscar Wilde
"Iko-chan?" Emiko turned on her bed, burying her head in her hands in an attempt to avoid the light and noise. Something prodded her shoulder causing her to swat at the air lazily. A deep, gentle laugh sounded and Emiko's eyes snapped open, a broad smile upon her face as she sat up in bed. Standing beside her bed was a kind looking man with dark brown hair and soft chocolate colored eyes. Flecks of grey were peppered into his hair and his skin winkled as he smiled happily.
"Otou-san?" The man sat down at the foot of her bed and she ruffled her messy hair. "I thought you had work." Kyo Nagasaki worked through the day as a bartender at a local restaurant while at night he worked as a security guard for one of the corporate businesses downtown.
He nodded his head calmly his eyes never leaving Emiko. Being away most of the time he rarely saw his daughter and he took the time to see how she'd grown. Her eyes were the same shining colors, one blue and one brown. Her usually straight brown hair was untidy from her sleep but he could still see the beauty in her. The warm sunlight streamed in through the windows and cast a warm coloring to her face.
"Otou-san?" She inquired curiously and he broke from his thoughts to smile. "Are you okay?"
He nodded slowly, his mind still noticing her features. "I'm fine, just…you look so much like Ayame." Emiko's eyes softened at the mention of her mother and her father paused. The atmosphere had fallen from its former happiness. Kyo always referred to his wife by her name, to keep her alive in their minds.
"Hai…" Emiko murmured and her eyes were downcast upon the sheets now twisting in her fingers.
"How's school?" Emiko tilted her head to look at her father, a small smile on her face as she scooted back to lean against the headboard.
"Not bad. We got some new students from Gideon's."
"Hai, I heard." Brown eyes watched her carefully, a hint of suspicion in their depths. "Are you getting along with them?" Emiko feigned indignation for a second but shrugged it off as she noticed the serious curiosity in her father's face.
"Some of them…" She replied, knowing what question would come next.
"Why not all of them?" 'Geez he acts like I should be friends with everyone,' there was light scorn in her thoughts but she kept it from her voice.
"Because the two I don't get along with are as-"
"Emiko." Kyo stopped his daughter from completing her sentence and Emiko sighed half heartedly. His tone was stern; he had never liked the idea of her cursing or fighting. He had hoped she would grow to be sweet and gentle as she'd found out from their arguments. Needless to say Emiko wasn't one to be quiet nor sweet.
"Fine. They were being meanies." Emiko couldn't keep the agitation from her voice and Kyo sighed, his hands rubbing his temples as he tried to steer away from the argument begging to be released.
Emiko opened her mouth to speak when someone rapped at the door.
"Emi-chan open the door! You better not be doing anything bad in there!" Naruto's voice was loud and audible, both factors making Emiko cringe under the sudden stare from her father.
"Naruto shut up! Emiko open up!"
"Uh…" she gave a nervous laugh, trying to think of a way to explain the statement. 'Oh crap.' Was all she could think. "That's Naruto, he's just joking." Hastily she jumped from her bed and wrenched open the door. Her gaze was less than welcoming and she watched as they collectively stepped back from her.
"Naruto meet my otou-san." Emiko opened the door and stepped aside to reveal the adult still sitting on the foot of her bed. The blonde's face fell and he managed a strained laugh and a shaky wave to the man who waved back calmly.
"Naruto!" Sakura smacked the back of his before smiling innocently and sweetly. Emiko managed a minute laugh before she invited them inside.
"This is Uzumaki Naruto and this is Haruno Sakura." It seemed Naruto's comments were brushed from her father's mind as he greeted them warmly. Silence followed and Naruto shifted nervously from side to side. Hating the uncomfortable moments Emiko turned to Sakura.
"Why are you here?" Sakura's green eyes brightened.
"Oh I forgot. We, and some of the others, were planning on going to the mall downtown. There are some new stores opening and a celebration as well." Sakura explained and Naruto's eyes brightened as he remembered why they had come.
"How are you going to get there?" Emiko tread softly with her carefully chosen words. 'If I act like I'm going to go without asking otou-san might say no.' Emiko thought to herself. 'I hope he lets me,' Emiko glanced at her father with a hopeful expression in her eyes. He nodded, his lips upturned in a minute smile. Sakura grinned and Naruto hopped in place before he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the door.
"Wait." Emiko dug her heels into the ground, the friction causing Naruto to halt. "I still need to know how we're going to get there and I also need to change." She looked down to see a pair of plain pajama pants. Naruto grinned sheepishly and released Emiko's wrist so she could grab some clothes and change in the bathroom.
She stepped out wearing her usual jeans and a black wife-beater covered by her jacket. With extra care she slipped on her shoes, she hadn't told her father about her injury she knew it would worry him and she couldn't afford the guilt. In the effort to conceal her wound she walked normally, feeling the continuous jolts of pain that she hid from her father.
"Come on!" Naruto waved a cheerful good bye to Kyo and he sprinted out the door with both girls in tow.
"Naruto calm down, it's just a mall." Emiko muttered, her voice seeming strained as she had been refused the time to adjust to his speed causing only more pain in her foot.
Naruto let out another nervous laugh, his blue eyes resting on Sakura who also managed a small, uneasy giggle. Emiko watched as a clear mental argument passed between the two. 'nani?' Emiko wondered, her confusion piling heavily on her thoughts before it began to spill over into agitation.
"Naruto, Sakura." Both turned upon hearing their names. Emiko crossed her arms before her, a firm guise in her face. "What is going on?" Naruto scratched the back of his head, a weak fox grin coming to his face before he bolted and jumped into Megumi's car waiting just outside.
"NARUTO! You coward!" Sakura yelled angrily, apparently furious he had fled leaving her to explain. Emiko cleared her throat and Sakura turned her green eyes to see Emiko waiting, one eyebrow raised at the pink haired girl.
'What the hell, they act as though we're going to go rob a bank.' Emiko thought to herself. Seconds were allowed to play with the idea but she knew it wasn't possible. Sakura was too good to do that, Naruto too loud and Megumi too nice. 'So what are they so nervous about?'
"Well we're not really going to the mall- I mean we might-But-I mean-Naruto-We just thought-"
"Sakura what!" Emiko demanded calmly, an unwanted smile lifting to her face as she watched the teen flush from embarrassment at her rambling.
"We're going to Sasuke-kun's house." Emiko blinked before she shrugged and stepped out the door.
"Okay." She replied calmly. "As long as he's okay with it." Somehow the next sentence didn't truthfully come as a surprise to her.
"He doesn't know yet." Emiko stopped, her hand resting on the door handle before clicked it open and stepped in.
"Okay but he's going to kill you." Sakura squealed at the words and hurriedly squashed herself into the car like no tomorrow. Emiko sighed, resting her forehead against the window and staring out as the streets passed by.
'He's going to kill them for just showing up.' She thought to herself. 'Sakura-chan's going to flip when she sees how rich he is. Naruto's going to have a hissy fit.' At the mention of his house her attention sharpened. 'Oh crap,' her gaze flitted past Sakura as she changed CD's in the car and focused on Megumi who was calmly driving the way there.
'She's going to recognize the house!' Her heart lurched at the idea, then the secret would be out and Sasuke would find out she'd snuck into his house. 'Heck, the whole Sasuke fan club will find out and murder me…'
Her head fell back against the window with a lucid thump. Inside her mind she began to picture her funeral, who she would want there and what kind of music she hoped they would play. 'I hope a ninja bunny comes…that would be cool.'
With each block passed towards the Uchiha's house Emiko felt as though her ninja bunny-less funeral was becoming more and more of a reality. The sounds of Sakura's singing and Naruto's attempted singing wafted in and out of her ears as they prepared for the attack on Sasuke's residence.
'We're all dead…'
A/n: I must say this is one of the more boring chapters x.x' I mean nothing really happens but I thought it would be a good place to end before the secret attack on Sasuke's house. haha I'm looking forward to that. I'm going to base it off a time a friend and I tried to sneak attack our friend's house so it should be pretty funny. I don't normally ask for reviews but hey they always help although I'll keep posting regardless of how many I get.
-shyshi
