AN: Hello everyone! I'm sorry for the wait. I don't really have anything to mention as of right now, er, except I'm trying to be more active on tumblr and post more fanart related to this fanfiction (so please check it out if you haven't already! Link is on my profile page).

Thank you and enjoy!

Chapter 19: Festival

"You are awake rather early again, Yamada-san."

"Mm, guess I am," I answer my roommate, who's presently busied by his breakfast at the kitchen table. I stifle a yawn as I prepare my morning coffee, "I can't seem to help it though."

"Do you think it is because of me?" He asks, pausing just before taking another bite of his habitual morning meal of rice and egg. "Am I making too much noise in the morning?"

"No, of course not," I shake my head, settling myself just across the table with my mug. I take a small sip before sending a soft smile to my roommate, "I think I'm just naturally adjusting to your schedule for some reason."

Another 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning has risen over Konoha, and I'm relieved to be sharing another early breakfast with my roommate. It's already been a full week since Lee returned from the hospital; fully recovered and all. Since I'm still unemployed, I've used this as an advantage point to wake up exceedingly early each day to have breakfast with him. I won't admit it to my roommate, partly from being looked at strangely, but it's all within reason. After being suitably reminded of his deadly career choice, I have this innate sense as a friend to slightly worry. Not to the point where I'm 'on top of him' figuratively, but just enough.

Just enough to treasure his image in the morning, in case the last thing I see are the white grains of rice speckled at the corners of his mouth.

"Yamada-san, your hair is falling into your coffee."

"Huh," I practically snort, lifting my slumping head and snapping out of my groggy state. I make some sort of unpleasant sound as I touch the tips of a few wet hair strands, "Jeez, not again."

I exhale a delayed sigh before laying my head down on the table, utterly admitting defeat after a long week battle of keeping up with my roommate.

"I don't know how you do it, Lee-san," I whisper tiredly, faintly closing my violet eyes for some quick relief. "I didn't even go to bed late last night. It was literally one hour after you…I don't understand what happened."

I don't hear an immediate answer, but the shuffling of my roommate lifting from his seat and placing his finished plate in the sink. I hear him make his way over to the side of the table where I've seemingly made myself comfortable, and feel his hand touch my upper back.

"I think it is time for you to get some more sleep," he says with a chuckle. "I could carry you if you are too tired to get up."

"Oh, Lee-san. I'm not that lazy," I say, raising my head. My unfinished coffee in front of me captures my sight, and I tilt my head back with a frown showcasing across my features, "I haven't even finished my coffee. I can't go to sleep knowing I've wasted perfectly good instant coffee that was on sale—it was buy one get one free."

"Then I will reimburse the money wasted in those two spoon fulls of coffee for you," he answers with another laugh, taking my shoulders and coaxing me to my feet.

As I'm led away from the table, I suppress the whimpers wanting to emerge as I take aching glances back at my coffee. Unfortunately, there's no way for me to turn back now. My roommate is physically behind me, with my shoulders in his secure grasp, guiding me out of the kitchen area. We almost enter the hallway until the house phone rings. Lee is quick to answer it before I can attempt to, and I cross my arms, watching him pantomime for me to go back to my room. I sigh, dropping my arms and turning to leave.

"Hold on just one second," I hear Lee speak into the receiver. "Wait, Yamada-san. It is actually for you."

"Oh." I make my way back to my roommate's side settled by the arm table next to the couch. I take it from his hold, giving him a curious glance before speaking, "Hello, this is Yamada Sho. May I ask who I'm speaking to?"

"Hello! Good to speak with you, Sho-san. I'm Tamuyo Saika," A high-pitched sound of a woman instantly greets me. "I'm the Principle of the Private Arts Academy, calling to say that I've looked over you resume and credentials, and I must say, very impressive work. I want to set up an interview, what do you say?"

"Yes, of course. I would love to," I say almost breathlessly. I turn my cheek in my roommate's direction, witnessing a questioning look from him, which I'm unable to answer momentarily, "Thank you so much for contacting me. When would you like to schedule it? I'm free any day of the week."

"Perfect! Then I'd like to have you come in at 12:00 p.m on Monday. Does that work well for you?"

"It definitely does, thank you so much again."

"You're welcome, I'll see you then."

I give my polite good-bye and almost drop the phone on top of the jack. I turn excitedly to my roommate, incapable of restraining my arms from flailing enthusiastically above me head. "I did it! I got an interview," I cry elatedly, hoping up and down on my toes. "Can you believe it?"

"I never doubted it for a second! Congratulations, Yamada-san," Lee returns, matching my excitement. He raises both of his hands, clenching his fists tightly in resolve, "We must celebrate. What do you suggest?"

"Well, I've never celebrated just getting an interview, but it wouldn't hurt to give myself a small pat on the back," I comment, tapping my chin lightly. A light bulb goes off above my head, and I point a finger thoughtfully into the air. "Next weekend is the Fireworks Festival. Haruka actually invited me to go not too long ago, but now it'll be extra special. We could celebrate with having dinner before enjoying the festivities."

"Sounds like the perfect idea," my roommate says with a wide grin. "I will make sure to invite Tenten and Neji for the occasion."

"The more the merrier," I smile back.

o o o

The weekend passed, and Monday came sooner than I had anticipated. Although I was prepared, interviews never did become any less nerve racking. When I arrived at the specific location of my interview, I hoped I hadn't sweated all of my deodorant off. Luckily, my underarms where dry from start to finish. My interviewer was an older character with interesting mannerisms. The focuses on the arts in the institution were acutely reflected through this individual, who seemed just as eccentric as her frazzled red hair. Tamuyo Saika, a former arts teacher herself, enjoyed my Teaching Statement, which highlighted my experience using Cooperative and Problem Based learning. She especially enjoyed my active based learning activities in conjunction with each previous lesson plan. Needless to say, things went exceptionally well. I received good positive feedback, a firm handshake, and an enthusiastic smile that hopefully held a promise for me later.

The rest of the week went by as per usual. I still attempted to wake up early each day, not only to see my roommate, but to also adjust my sleeping schedule when the time comes. No more late night shows for me.

It's now Friday, and the Fireworks Festival is just a few hours away. Haruka somehow convinced me to wear the appropriate Yukata for the occasion, which I've managed to borrow from my mother. I didn't see the point of buying a brand new one, when my mother and I are relatively the same height and weight.

"You know, Sho," my mother begins, placing herself in front of me and adjusting the matching Obi around my torso. "I met your father at the Fireworks Festival wearing this exact yukata."

"I know," I smile at her, raising my arms and allowing her to go about her business more easily. "You've told me this story more times than I can count."

"Well, there is a method to my madness," she remarks, and I suck in my breath when she tightens the material. "I'm reminding you again tonight, because I feel this yukata will make something special happen for you too."

"If by special you mean somehow not getting stained by me, then you put a lot of faith in cotton material," I say, and wince when my mother slaps my shoulder lightly.

"Now aren't you gifted with a comedic tongue," she critiques playfully, finishing her final touches before taking a few steps back. Her golden eyes sweep over me, and a gradual smile stretches far into her cheeks, highlighting her laugh lines, "You look just like me when I was about your age. Well, except for the eyes, you can thank your father for that. And possibly that humor of yours, that's another thing." She then waves her hands dismissively in front of her, "Never mind. Come here," she takes my hand and ushers me to stand in front of the standing mirror in her room.

Her smile never falters as she rubs my arms affectionately at my side, "What do you think? Not bad, hm?"

"Mom, you did great," I compliment, eyes ridden with disbelief at the almost professional work. My hands involuntary brush against the fabric, detailing the blue floral patterns against the white background, "It's perfect for tonight."

"I know, but what about your hair?" She questions, taking my two side braids in her hands, "Don't you think this is a bit too childish? Why don't we let it loose and curl it; make you look more sexy and womanly."

"I like my side braids though," I murmur, taking them from her hold. "It keeps the hair out of my face."

"Hm, I guess it doesn't look terrible," she replies. "You do look very cute. If that's what you're going for, then you have my approval."

"Thanks," I smile, before turning my head on my shoulders in a curious search. "I wish I knew what time it was. I feel like I've been here for a while."

"It should almost be 7 o'clock. Last time I checked it was already 6:35."

"Oh, shoot," I curse out loud, surveying my mother's room for my matching purse. "I'm supposed to meet everyone at seven at the restaurant, and the festival starts at eight tonight. I'm going to be so late."

"Calm down," my mother speaks, taking my arms and keeping me steady in place. "Just relax and have a good time tonight. You deserve it. I'm sure you will land that teaching job in no time."

"Right," I exhale with a small nod. I smile fully at the woman in front of me, "Thank you. I'll be sure to give you back your yukata by tonight."

"Alright, honey. But if it's too late, just keep it. I rather you be safe at home than walking the streets so late at night," she explains, bringing me into an embrace. "Love you, Sho," she breathes, and I return the hug with the same feeling of content.

"Love you too, Mom."

o o o

"S-Sorry for being so late," I pant, placing a hand over my rising chest. Composing my intakes for air, I bow apologetically to the whole dinner table filled with my waiting company. "I hope you weren't waiting too long."

"Don't worry about it, Sho. We were all chatting, so if were waiting long, I didn't even notice, " Haruka eases me with her comment, scooting closer to her husband and making a space for me at the booth.

I thank her, and place myself down, brushing away a stubborn string of hair insisting my cheek before addressing everyone else at the table; "Hello, everyone. Again, sorry for the wait, but I'm glad you all could make it."

"No problem, Sho." Teneten instantly smiles, waving her hand to dismiss my second apology. Her grin then opens wider to let loose a small laugh, "But I'm relieved you came sooner than later, or else I would've been forced to keep hearing these two complain about being hungry." As she says this, she nudges Lee and whom I believe to be their other teammate with a strong elbow, causing both to flinch and groan with resistance.

"I wasn't the onecomplaining…" their fair skinned teammate answers, folding his arms into the loose sleeves of his white robe. He averts his opaque eyes towards my roommate sitting on the opposite side of Tenten, "It was Lee who was practically crying each time a waitress passed him with a tray of food."

"That is a complete lie," Lee swiftly interjects, grasping the table edge and leaning over Tenten, whose face becomes squished against his massive shoulder. Poor thing, I think sympathetically. Lee doesn't even seem to notice, continuing to banter with his other teammate, "I was more than happy to wait for Yamada-san this whole time. Plus, I believe all the specials tonight have chopped onions in them, which is the obvious reason for tears being in my eyes."

"Cut it out you idiots," Tenten growls, pushing my roommate back into his fixed seat beside her. She huffs, narrowing her chocolate eyes at the fully-grown men bombarding her at both sides, "Honestly, this is why I can't take you two anywhere together. You act like Genin all over again."

"Why am I an idiot," the fair shinobi speaks low to himself, muttering additional comments, such as; 'I shouldn't even be compared to Lee.' And even further, 'He's the real idiot.'

Haruka and I exchanged questioning glances, before laughing at the silliness of their conversation. It isn't long until Haruka's husband, Jin, speaks up for the first time; "Well, I'm ready to order. I don't know about everyone else."

The whole table watches the calm collected gentleman at my best friend's side; placing the menu down in such a poise fashion, before taking up his glass of water and taking a thoughtful sip. Everyone else realizes how much time they had been wasting further, and we all uniformly gather the menus placed in front of us to catch up.

"Ah, there are just too many choices, I can't make up my mind," I frown, taking conflicted glances from one cuisine to the next. I unconsciously chew hungrily at my bottom lip, "Mm, these two sound so good, but I wonder which one is better?"

"Which one's are you looking at, Yamda-san?" I hear Lee ask.

I tilt my head up, and position my menu for him to see. These names are kind of complicated to pronounce on the spot, "These two: they're both similar except, one has crab instead of eel."

Upon over hearing my struggle, Tenten leans over, joining Lee as they both look over my choices; "Funny, I was actually thinking about getting the one with eel," Tenten comments.

"And ironically, I was just about to choose the one with crab," Lee points out as well.

"Hey, I have an idea." Haruka enters, "Why don't we order one of the large boat specials. It's enough to feed six people, and it comes with a variety of different sushi and sashimi."

"That sounds like a fairly good choice, considering I wanted to have the white tuna, which the boat comes with," Neji confirms, along with Jin who nods in silent approval at the notion.

"Alright, let's do it then," I smile.

As proposed, the whole table allowed Haruka to order the boat that would bring a variety of things to satisfy everyone. It was a very extravagant display, especially the added garnishing on top of the feast of selected rolls and raw fish slices. Needless to say, the amazing tasters equally matched the 'awe' inspiring aesthetics. I was happily able to enjoy both an eel and crab roll at one sitting, and graciously accepted offerings of lesser-known sashimi. As we finished, everyone was generous enough to equally pay for my portion of the tab, being that it was a commemoration dinner for my interview. Although I politely attempted to pay regardless, I immediately thanked everyone after being coaxed a second time. After paying the bill, we all gathered outside of the restaurant, taking in the festive roads of Konoha.

"Wow, that was great," Haruka exhales a satisfying breath, after stretching her arms out above her head. "I'm so full, I don't think I need to eat for days."

"Same here," I chuckle before asking a question to the whole group. "So, what are everyone's plans before the fireworks?"

"Well, Neji, Lee and I were thinking about heading to a fireworks stall," says Tenten, grinning and jutting a thumb out to her teammates. "We want to buy a few sparklers for everyone to enjoy before the main fireworks display."

"Oh, that's really nice of you all," I say with a thankful smile. I turn my chin towards Haruka and her husband, "What about you guys? Have something in mind?"

"We discussed about browsing the merchants to see what they have," Jin answers, taking a glance at Haruka who simply grins and laces her arms with his. A pink tint catches his cheeks, but he clears his throat, ridding the color from his complexion, "I promised I would buy her a special gift."

"Oh, Jin. You're so good to me," Haruka glistens with emotion, pressing her cheek further against his arm.

I guess I should let them have their alone time.

I stare momentarily at my matching wooden sandals, pondering over what a single person should do in events like these. Maybe I'll entertain myself with some festival games, I contemplate to myself.

"What will you be doing, Yamada-san?"

I lift my head up at Lee's question, and shift embarrassed glances back down at my sandals. "I was thinking about playing a few games. I remember them being really fun when I was younger…"

I must sound childish for wanting to play games at this age.

"Then I will gladly join you," Lee says without hesitation. Turning to his fellow teammates, he shoots them a definite grin, "Tenten, you and Neji will be fine without me, right?"

"Yeah, we got this." Tenten grins back, before motioning Neji and herself away from us, "Alright, guys. If we don't run into each other sooner, we'll meet at 10 pm at the training fields for the fireworks."

"Sounds good to me." Haruka proceeds to tug on Jin's arm, guiding him away. "Come on, let's go," she says giddily, while waving Lee and I good-bye.

"Shall we, Yamada-san?" Lee bares a grin and question towards me, and I nod meekly, trailing beside him through the entangling groups of excited attendees.

Passing the vendors selling jubilee desserts and finger-foods, we enter the section of stalls catered to the young's enjoyment. My sight captures the Kingyo-sukui stall keeper flashing bags of shimmering goldfish, announcing the coin needed in exchange to play. I tug lightly at the spandex material gathered at Lee's elbow, grabbing his attention. The accumulation of surrounding noises doesn't give me much of a chance to be heard, and so, I reserve my communication through fixed pointing gestures. Alongside my driven stare, my roommate is able to discern exactly where I want to go and guides me to the stall. Without any negotiation on my roommate's part, I walk up to the stall keeper and pay the cost for two individuals to play. I'm given two small nets and accompanying bowls, which I bombard my roommate with one set.

"Catch goldfish with me, Lee-san," I smile, motioning him and myself to the plastic pool with tiny goldfishes' of various hues.

"You did not have to pay for me, Yamada-san." Lee informs me with concern, possibly bothered by the knowledge that I am technically still unemployed. "I would have been more than willing to pay for the two of us."

"It's fine," I brush away his worry, crouching on my toes and surveying the cluster of goldfish waiting to be scooped. "This is my 'thank you' for coming with me." I tilt my head back, witnessing my roommate still standing and appearing uneasy by my actions. I simply respond with a small grin, "Nothing else you can do about it now, except catch a lot of goldfish to get my money's worth."

"All right, Yamada-san," my roommate forfeits, and crouches beside me. With a determined look about him, he graces me with a wide smile, "For the sake of your hard earned money, I will catch one-hundred goldfish if I have to."

"I don't think I could carry all those goldfish if you did," I giggle while dipping my net into the pool. I trail behind a lagging fish; biting my bottom lip as I just brush against its wiggling tail. I puff my cheeks at the result of an empty catch, "I forgot how difficult this was," I mumble out loud.

My violet hues trail to my roommate settled at my side, and I gape at his bowl already carrying two goldfish. Didn't we just start? I continue to rudely stare as he fishes out his third catch with one swift motion.

"You're really good at this, Lee-san," I compliment, blinking wildly as I try to observe and mimic his movements. Yet, I'm unsuccessful and manage to break the thin-netted material. I heave a weighted sigh, "Well, so much for that."

"Do not give up, Yamada-san. Here, let me help you," Lee persuades me by handing me his net. With his now free hand, he grasps mine, and hovers the net just slightly above the surface tension. His rounded black eyes peek over at me, "It is all about being patient, and when the moment is right…" I hold in my breath, watching with fascination as he applies pressure to my hand and lowers the net close to a nearby fish. Before I'm able to discern his timing, he uses my hand to scoop up the fish and plop it into my bowl. A grin lights up his features, "Congratulations! You now have one goldfish."

I'm chalk full of amazement, and as Lee releases my hand, I allow myself to venture on my own. With my roommate's touch still present, I somehow channel his energy, and scoop up another goldfish.

"I did it," I whisper proudly, turning my head on my shoulders to send him a grateful smile. "That was really helpful, Lee-san. I feel as if I can catch one-hundred fish too," I say with fortitude sewn into my tone, re-submerging the net and….completely breaking it.

I lift it lethargically out of the water, sinking my eyebrows with a look of pure fault and apology, "I'm so sorry, Lee-san. I broke your net."

A loud pit of laughter wells up in my roommate's stomach, and he almost drops his pale of goldfish.

"Oh, Yamada-san," he breaks again in a parade of chuckles after speaking my name. "I am so sorry, you just—you were so confident and then when it broke, your face—" his laughter escalates, and now is when he tries to cover his mouth. As his laughs simmer into breathable huffs, the same hand reaches to wipe a single tear produced at the corner of his eye, "Okay, I think I am done. Again, I am sorry for laughing so suddenly."

"That's okay, I guess it was pretty funny," I bubble up as well, before standing with my bowl of fish. "That was really fun though, let's get bags for these little guys and see what other games there are," I say, extending my hand for my roommate. He smiles at the gesture, and takes my hand before using mainly his own strength to pull himself to his feet.

As my roommate and I asked for small bags from the stall keeper, we had little time with our goldfish, since we gave them to a pouting young girl who was unable to catch her own. Which worked out fine and well, since a good deed meant our hands were free to do other fun activities. The next stall game required us to toss rings over glass bottles to win, and humorously enough, Lee almost broke a bottle after throwing a ring like a possible shuriken. We quickly left after witnessing the potential breakage. Next came another scooping game, with miscellaneous toys floating in a plastic tub of water, which needed a nose like rope to catch them. My roommate and I caught a few and put them in one pocket of his flak jacket.

After having my fill of games for the hour, we strolled casually to indulge in the festival sights of painted banners and hanging lanterns cast across every vendor stall and prevailing building. As we neared a more open plaza, there appeared to be a gathering crowd and drum circle surrounding a crackling bonfire. Nearing the event, the beating of the drums and cascading rain of shaking tambourines stirs an acquainted squeeze in my chest. I recognize the particular music as being the accompaniment of a folk dance. Coming to the realization, I see the faintest strings of vibrant ribbons circling the air in a rhythmic movement.

"Lee-san, let's get closer to see the dancers," I exclaim eagerly.

"I will see if I can get us to the front," my roommate follows, taking my shoulders and carefully maneuvering himself and I through the sea of onlookers.

As we reach the front of the crowd, my eyes glisten at the images of participants twirling with red ribbons along with their preferred partner. As couples of various ages and gender share a single ribbon, they wind and unwind with each other, like perfectly welded coils. I continue to watch the bonfire crunch in a haze, illuminating the dancers, and mixing with the pounding drums. I'm so wrapped in the scene I don't realize that my lips part to speak:

"My father would dance with me every year at this festival."

My words carry a distant memory to my mind, lifting my lips into my cheeks, "It was my favorite thing to do with him."

"You have never mentioned anything about your father to me," I hear Lee comment from behind me. There's a pause, as if overcoming a truth that I rarely spoke about, before I hear him speak again, "Does it hurt you to still talk about him?"

I shake my head softly, "No, not really."

For a moment, while watching the dancers, I can almost see my father and I laughing and dancing along.

"He passed away when I was so young. The years that came and went just made him distant, little by little, until I couldn't remember anything about him. So, with that, there's nothing left to mention." I turn slowly to look up at my roommate, tilting my lips in a reassuring manner, "but even though I don't remember very much about him, I can feel him right here," I point to the cotton fabric over my chest, "It's a nice feeling, so I know it's him. Like right now, I'm feeling it, because my heart remembers it."

The black circles that are staring back at me settle with a peculiar gloss that I'm unable to decipher with the flickering flames of the bonfire. Continuing to stare wordlessly at each other, I see his chest rise, and with a fixed look he asks; "Would you like to dance?"

My lips part to give a reply, but before I'm able to, a small girl that was amongst the dancers prances over and encircles a ribbon around my roommate.

"Dance with me, tall weirdo man!" she demands, putting all of her body weight against the opposite side of the ribbon.

"W-weirdo?" Lee stammers at the rather unfavorable remark, however, gradually succumbs to the child's force and inches away from me. Before continuing on, I receive a pitiful look from him and I simply laugh.

"Hey! Stop looking at other girls while I'm your partner, got it?" the adolescent chastises my roommate, before dragging him fully into the dancing mixer.

"Go, Lee-san!" I cheer, clapping along with the onlookers as a certain rhythmic beat erupts. I laugh and practically tear up at the display of my roommate towering over the young girl. I can tell his height is making him uncomfortable, as he has to double over in order for the girl to twirl the ribbon around him multiple times.

After a minute or more, the partners change, and the young girl unwraps the ribbon around Lee to allow someone else to capture him. I cover my mouth in sheer amusement as an elderly and quite festively dressed man is my roommate's next partner. The awkward yet polite smile he is desperately trying to maintain as he pirouettes with the older gentleman is enough for me to spill the bothersome tears from my eyes. I'm crying and fervently wiping away the wetness from my cheeks, which are now hurting from how large and insistent my smile is.

The time to switch partners ensues again, and the older man bows his way out, leaving the ribbon in my roommate's care. My heart leaps in my chest as I see him bound towards me, throwing and wrapping the ribbon around my waist.

"Oh, no. Please, you know I can't dance!" I cry against my hiccups.

"Yes, you can, Yamada-san. I know you can!" Lee announces with a grin as he pulls me closer to him with one tug. I yelp, stumbling towards him, until he catches me. As he supports me, his grin intensifies as he stares down at me; "Just dance the only way we know how: like us."

My chest swells immensely at the familiar word, "You mean completely awkward and unorthodox?"

"Yes, exactly!" Lee laughs, spinning me out of the ribbon.

Once I stop twirling I take hold of the opposite end of the ribbon, pulling on it with all of my strength to bring my roommate towards me. I suppose he hadn't suspected me to tug at that exact moment, and with actual force, as he clumsily bumps into me. We laugh as we hold onto each other to keep from falling, and once we gather ourselves, we properly extended the ribbon and signal the timed cues for when to pull closer, twirl, and release. Coming together, and separating, the world around exists in only blurry sequences. All that I'm able to concentrate on is my roommate's movements and unfaltering gaze. The intensity of his stare springs a tint to my cheeks, which I hope is not noticeable with solely the bonfire light. I allow the drumming music flood my ears and thoughts, in order to be wholly submerged in this moment. However, like all things, it comes to an end as the drum circle dies down and the audience claps, giving the last of their admiration. Yet, my heart doesn't cease to quiet.

Not while I'm here…and so is he.