By the time they arrived, the Ghoulish Gala was in full swing.
The line at the admissions booth was wrapped around the building, but on their way to the back of the line, they spotted two familiar faces.
Standing in line, arms wrapped around each other were Naruto and Hinata, standing nose to nose and completely lost in the moment as Jack and Sally.
"Sweet costumes" Kiba exclaimed, eyeing their painted faces.
"You both look so adorable," Sakura smiled, giving them each a hug.
"Thanks, it was Hinata's idea," Naruto confessed, "I had no idea who Jack Skeleton was-"
"It's 'Skellington' Naruto-kun, 'Jack Skellington'."
"But she made me watch this Nightmare Christmas Halloween musical, and I was hooked. It's so good, you guys have to see it!"
"I'm pretty sure everyone has seen it," Sakura placated, giving him a reassuring nod. "It's a classic."
"Really? Well, I'm a fan now," the whiskered blonde grinned. "You all look great! I can't wait to get inside and see everyone else. Halloween is so much fun."
"Yeah, it looks pretty crowded," Sakura admitted, looking around nervously.
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! It'll be fun. Looks like we'll meet our goal and have enough money to move forward with the village expansion and recovery plan. I hear you'll be helping out with the auction as well," the Hokage hopeful snickered.
"Don't remind me," she groaned, hating the thought of the events to come.
"I'm sure you'll have plenty of people bidding on you," Hinata soothed, offering her a genuine smile.
"Maybe..."
"Look around," Ino argued, "It's a mathematical impossibility that a crowd of this size wouldn't have a single person willing to pay good money to dance with such a sexy little witch like you."
"I hope you're right, I can't fathom the idea of standing up on that stage alone without so much as one bid."
"Well, on the bright side... at least you won't be alone. Both Naruto and I were selected to auction off a dance, as well," Ino chirped, flashing her a toothy grin.
"Really?! Who else was chosen?"
"I'm not exactly sure. Guess we'll find out soon enough," Ino shrugged as they shuffled ahead in line.
Luckily, the line was moving pretty fast, and soon they were making their trek through the haunted forest.
Knowing what her friends were in for, Sakura walked behind the two couples, anticipating their reactions. The fog machines were performing beautifully as the hallway floor was coated in a thick film. The tree branches wobbled as the crew worked their magic, and even Akamaru was pulling his part, as the "howling wolf" bellowed close by.
All was going perfectly until the spirits in the trees made their appearance, their faces lighting up inside the knotholes of the trees. It was a simple illusion, really.
The trees were hollow so a crew member could occupy each one, and there was a colored screen covering the hole where their face would be. So when a group was passing through, they were to turn on flashlights beneath their chins, giving the impression of a sudden, ghost-like apparition.
As they made their way through, everyone gasped, as would be expected by the sudden appearance of spirits in the forest, but Naruto yelped and ran for the exit, leaving everyone – including his date – behind.
When the group made their way out of the forest, they found the poor blonde heaved over, hands on his knees, fighting for air.
"Naruto, you can't be serious... it was just Sai and Yamato sensei," Sakura giggled.
"It was their faces... their dead... lifeless... faces. It creeps me out!" Naruto wheezed.
"Come along, Jack," Hinata comforted, rubbing her hand on his back, "Let's get you some punch."
As the two made their way toward the buffet, the rest of the group took their time gazing around the interior of the party.
Everything looked perfect.
The band was playing, the bass was bumping, and there were already so many people dancing and having a blast. All the costumes made recognizing people a bit difficult, but that's what heightened the mystery of the evening.
A strange face could walk right past you, and you'd have no idea it was someone you'd known for years.
With the music stopping, the whole room erupted in applause. Looking towards the stage, Sakura could see why...
"Is that... Killer B?" Ino yelled above the crowd.
"Yep, it sure is," Sakura confirmed, gloating ever so brilliantly.
Initially, the party planning committee scrambled when trying to find a band that would agree to do this event. But then she remembered a certain someone who was quite lyrical, and after speaking with Tsunade, was amazed at how easy it was to get him and his band to perform there tonight. If there was one thing the Raikage's brother loved... it was performing.
Tonight was no different.
Ever the showman, B was dressed head to tail in a purple pinstripe suit, complete with large bullhorns on his head.
Gyuki would be so proud.
Just behind him were his two band mates, Black Panther and Wolverine. She was unsure who B had brought with him to the stage tonight, but if she had to guess, it was probably Darui and Omoi. They both had platinum blonde hair, and there looked to be some sort of toothpick or lollipop sticking out of Wolverine's mouth, so she could only make an educated guess at this point. Either way, they were bound to put on quite a show.
"Yo yo yo, Happy Halloween, Konoha!" the hype man called out over the roar of the crowd before the next set began.
Welcome all to the Ghoulish Gala,
Drop some cash,
And ladies, grab a fella,
Place ya bets on priceless prizes,
No time here for compromises,
And don't forget – Hold onto ya pants,
When the clock strikes twelve,
Place your bets on a dance,
In the meantime,
Call us the Beastly Boys,
Cuz this party's nonstop,
We came to make some noise!
As the music kicked off, Sakura saw a flash run by her, making her flinch. It was moving too fast for her to focus on, but when she looked up, she saw an enthusiastic Naruto jump onstage and start dancing with Killer B. As the jinchuriki buddies fell right into step, the thunderous crowd seemed enthralled by the spectacle. Honestly, those two were too much for her some days... but, at least everyone was having a good time.
Looking around, she noticed that she had lost both Ino and Kiba in all the ruckus, shrugging it off as she made her way through the crowd. She was getting a bit hungry, but the line for the buffet was almost as bad as the line outside. Moving along, she snaked her way through the throngs of people perusing the items up for sale.
With curiosity winning, she peeked over shoulders to see what was worth all the fuss.
Apparently in the hopes of making some serious cash, the village was selling lots of shinobi artifacts and even a few more recent trinkets. Seems Naruto was auctioning off his tattered orange jacket, Tsunade was selling one of her prized bottles of Sake from the oldest distillery in Rice Country, and even Sasuke was selling his rope belt from his days with Orochimaru.
Raising a brow, Sakura wasn't sure how anyone had gotten hold of that particular item of clothing. How could someone who wasn't even in the village these days contribute to such an event? Perhaps he had no idea someone had put his belongings up for sale, as he had been incognito for months.
There were many others that were selling their prized possessions as well, including Genma's senbon, Ichiraku's 'free ramen for a year' voucher, Gai sensei's leg weights, and a wood carving of the entire village, courtesy of Yamato sensei.
There was one item that piqued her interest more than any other, and it was a simple book. It looked more like a journal, since it wasn't published and merely scribbles on paper, but it apparently belonged to Jiraiya, the pervy sage, himself.
"The Traveling Warrior and Other Short Stories," she read to herself, glancing over the bidding sheet beside the book in the glass case.
Noticing there was only one bet placed on the book, Sakura upped the price and signed her name. She could only think of one person that should deserve such a prize, and that was his number one fan. She was actually surprised that he hadn't laid his claim to the item as of yet, but who knows if he would even show up to something like this. Just in case, she felt compelled to do this one thing for him, knowing how much it would mean to him.
"I didn't know you were a fan of Jiraiya's work," a voice chuckled from behind her.
Turning to face them, Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin. She had come face to face with Shikamaru who was dressed like the Joker. Clad in a burgundy suit, green hair, and face painted like the sad clown he was, Sakura felt her heart pounding in her chest. That was the last person she expected to see as she turned around.
"Damn it, Shikamaru... you know how I am about clowns!"
"Happy Halloween," he and Temari chorused, looking almost adorable in their clown prince and princess costumes.
"Joker and Harley, very nice," Sakura admitted trying to calm her nerves.
"It was Temari's idea... she wanted a couples costume for-"
"Excuse me?" Temari snarled, "I thought you wanted a couples costume?"
"Oh, I did- do... I do want it. It's nice," he laughed nervously. "Have I told you how hot you look in that body suit, honey?"
Shaking her head, Sakura took this awkward moment to slip away unnoticed. She didn't want to be associated with anything that was bound to happen next. With a spitfire like Temari, it was always hard to tell when, or if, she was joking. Seems their costume selection was quite befitting.
Plus, Sakura really didn't feel like hanging around another couple, so far, that's all she had run into, and looking around the room... that was all she saw.
Choji and Karui were the Hulk and Black Widow, Anko and Iruka were Medusa and Perseus, Tenten and Lee were Hazel and ChaCha, Shizune and Genma were Morticia and Gomez, and even Kotetsu and Izumo had a couples costume as Frankenstein and his monster.
She was surrounded by them.
It was a depressing realization, but accurate, nonetheless. Suddenly stifled by the atmosphere of the inner ballroom, Sakura decided she needed some fresh air, slipping out the side doors to the little balcony designated as a smoking area. Leaning against the metal bars of the railing, she inhaled a deep and calming breath.
When she opened her eyes, she watched the twinkling of the stars, hoping they would calm her nerves. She could still hear the muffled cacophony of the gala going on behind the doors, but at least out here, she could breathe. Maybe no one would notice if she retreated into the night...
She was damn tempted to leave, but feared what Tsunade would do to her if she did.
"It's not fair!" she cried out into the dark sky, kicking the metal railing in front of her.
With her head hanging low, she was currently working up the nerve to return to the party and await the dance auction that was sure to begin soon. She would just have to smile through it, tough it out, and be on her merry way. With duty done and job safe, surely she would be allowed to go home and get comfortable. Her pajamas were calling her name...
"Rough night?" a voice inquired, startling her from her thoughts.
"You could say that," she eased, looking around but seeing no one. "Sorry, for the screaming. I thought I was alone."
"Nope. I, too, came out here to escape the crowd."
The disembodied voice came from above her, so she craned her neck to get a better look at the roof of the building, seeing only a pair of black boots dangling over the ledge. She was quite curious, seeing how she didn't recognize the man's voice. Why would someone who dislikes crowds come to a village event?
"Did your date make you come to this thing tonight?" she guessed, staring at the newly formed dent in the railing by her feet.
"No," the man chuckled, "Afraid not. I'm here for the auction."
"Which one?" she jested, shaking her head at the reminder of what was sure to be an unpleasant memory.
"Ah, yes. Well, I am merely after a priceless possession from a dear friend."
Silently she wondered which item they were referring to, but her thoughts soon circled back to the event that was about to transpire. She really wished she didn't have to put herself so far outside her comfort zone in order to keep the job she had worked so hard for, but her hands were tied.
"Well, good luck with the auction," she sighed, turning to head for the door.
"And you, as well," the voice answered cryptically.
Before she could respond, Ino burst through the side door, taking her by surprise.
"There you are!" she griped, "I've been looking all over for you, what are you doing out here?"
"I was just having a conversation..." Sakura trailed off, eyes glued to the roof's edge where the pair of legs had been seconds prior.
"With who, yourself?" Ino alleged, looking around skeptically. "There's no one out here."
"Yeah... weird," she whispered, eyes searching the roof for any sign of the man.
"Alright, you trickster. Stop creeping me out, and let's go use your enchanting prowess to get you some bids. The auction starts soon, and Tsunade said we need to go ahead and line up backstage."
There was no escaping now.
It was time.