Heaven's Tale
Chapter 14
"What do you mean there's only one room available?" Neji said, his voice rising 3 octaves. His eyes bore into the tall receptionists eyes.
Tenten jumped a little, slightly alarmed by his outburst. Neji has never acted out of character before. She was standing a few feet away near, having a sip of the 'welcome' fruit juice while her best friend slash boss took the liberty of checking themselves in.
From afar, she saw her long haired friend make a call, his face strained but impassive. Suddenly, the receptionist patted, well, stroked his hand for god knows reason why.
The tall girl batted her eyelashes and peered into his eyes. "The room is spacious and it has a bed which can be heated during those cold cold cold nights." She emphasized slowly, licking her lips in what she thought was sexy.
Thinking Neji might be in trouble Tenten made her way quickly over. "Is there a problem?"
Her best friend looked over at her and shook his head slightly. "Thank you. I'll take it then," Neji replied, causing the receptionist to give him a flirtatious smile while tucking a tendril of her hair behind her right ear. A typical female response to confirm Neji's attractiveness.
"No. Thank you," the receptionist replied, bending over the counter slightly forward to show whatever cleavage she had which in Tenten's point of view was none.
Tenten refrained herself from rolling her eyes. "Thank you," she spoke out but was met with no response. "Yeps…" She muttered, ignored again. The moment Neji and she arrived at the hotel; the receptionist had failed to acknowledge her existence so instead of being continuously ignored she had gone over to the 'welcome' drink section, a few feet away, where she could quench her thirst. However, now that she was by Neji's side again, she is beginning to feel that she was invisible.
After Neji had signed the relevant paper work and took the key card, she picked up her backpack and trailed behind Neji who was waiting for her patiently before proceeding to walk towards the elevator. "Well… She was friendly."
"Hn… She was," he replied, while pressing the 3rd floor button. This time Tenten rolled her large brown eyes.
"So what's my room number?"
"305," he replied, stepping in and pressing the button '3'. The bellboy was to send their luggage up via the next elevator.
"And what's yours?"
Neji looked at her strangely. "Room 305," he stated as the elevator doors slid to a close and the elevator begun moving upwards.
"Ok…" Tenten nodded. "Wait… What?!" She practically yelled, as she digested the information. This time he raised an eyebrow. "You mean we'll be sharing a room?"
He cocked his head to the side. Tenten thought it was rather cute. "Is there a problem?"
This time Tenten looked at him strangely. "Of course there's a problem? Didn't Hiashi-sama book two rooms?"
"Yes."
She looked at him expectedly with wide brown eyes. "So what happened?"
"It was more logical to have one room."
Tenten breathed in deeply. "… More logical…." She repeated, her voice trailing off.
The elevator door opened at that moment and Neji stepped out leaving her question unanswered.
"And how was it more logical?"
"It's cost effective."
"Uh huh. So you decided to cancel one room."
"Hn… And most hotel rooms are built for two people."
"mmmm…" Tenten crossed her arms. "So you're telling me that since we'll be in a room together, we'll be able to do more work and I'll be on your beck and call."
Neji glared. He pulled out his key card and swiped it open. "You did not think this through Neji." Tenten turned the door knob open and a single Queen size bed awaited them. Both of them stopped in their tracks.
"Apparently so," he agreed quickly regretting his decision.
"Is that a water bed?"
The bell boy appeared at the doorway, unloading their luggage into the room's narrow hallway. "Yeps. It has a heating feature," the stout bellboy voiced out, pointing towards the remote control placed on the middle of the bed. "You use that to control the temperature and it has a rare vibrating mode. I hear the guests say it'll take you places you want to go." He looked at both of them knowingly, his head nodding.
The brunette looked at him with disbelief and felt the heat creep up her cheeks. "I'm going to ask for another room," Tenten said eventually, picking up the phone from the cradle.
"Hotel's fully booked tonight," the bellboy replied, wheeling the last of their luggage into the room.
Neji looked at her expectedly, trying to control whatever thoughts he had of the water bed and ignoring the bellboy's mischievous wink at him. "He's right. I asked."
"Well it can't be helped then." She placed both of her hands on her hips. "I'll sleep on the floor."
Neji may be cold but he was not so inconsiderate to let her sleep in discomfort. "No. I'll sleep on the floor."
"No… I'll sleep on the floor."
"Don't be stubborn."
"I'm not stubborn." They both exchanged heated gazes. "Fine. We'll both sleep on the bed." Neji wondered how she came up to that conclusion. " I mean we've shared the same room before."
"…" Neji wanted to argue that during those times it was with other people but he held his tongue.
"The floor is made out of marble. One of us will freeze to death. At least on the bed we'll be warm and healthy."
"Hn"
"Well… I'm glad that's sorted out." The bellboy butted in, palms outstretched in front of him, shamelessly, in gesture for a tip. " Anything else I can help you with?"
"No," Tenten replied. Neji dropped a few wads of yen into the stout bellboys' hand. "Thank you."
The bellboy took a step outside their hotel room. "Oh I forgot to tell you about the luminous feature," he started, turning around to face the two best friends who were now openly blushing.
"We're not interested. Thank you," Tenten said, hurriedly closing the door shut in front of her.
Sakura was not so sure what she was doing there. Yesterday she was at the hospital making her rounds and making sure Tsunade did not slack off. Then, upon waking up this morning, she had, on impulse, called Tsunade and lied to her mentor and idol that there was an emergency and so she had to take leave. Please take note that she has never lied to Tsunade-sama. She somehow managed to convince herself to lie just this one time because she had had enough of Naruto's so-called injuries and half-answers. And that's why she decided to follow him. It was easy since they lived in the same building. All she had to do was wait for him to come out of his apartment and be careful to not get spotted as she followed him.
So here she was trailing behind her best friend a good 10 meters away wearing a flowery silk scarf to cover her pink hair, large black sunglasses, a long black trench coat and a thick black woollen scarf and matching gloves because that's what spies wear in the movies.
Naruto walked on the sidewalk, with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his thick coat and beanie hat pulled over his ears, oblivious to Sakura's escapade behind him. He, then, turned into a dingy alleyway. That alleyway, which Sakura and most of Konoha's residents knows, is notorious for being black listed for prostitutes, lovers' exploits and the underground scene.
Sakura's emerald eyes widened. Whatever Naruto has gotten himself into was dangerous. She had a feeling that she needed to call the police or for her male friends for help. Or maybe she should just tell on Naruto to Jiraiya and have him drag his son's sorry ass back home and maybe give Naruto a spanking or two.
She shuffled at the sidewalk, undecided and uncertain.
Finally, curiosity got the best of her and she decided to follow him in. She kept on telling herself, reassuring herself, that she needed to know what he has gotten himself into and it was the reason she took an emergency leave from work in the first place. So without thinking it through, despite being a very rational human being and being blessed with a very high IQ, mind you she is in MENSA, she took a few steps into the alleyway and stepped into a black wooden door which was newly painted.
She was greeted well she saw a very obese man, who appeared to be balding and asleep, snoring loudly, in a well-used sofa behind the counter with his mini satellite TV turned on. She guessed he was the receptionist and she quietly tiptoed past, being careful not to make a sound. She turned into the hallway and saw a tuff of blond hair disappear down the corridor.
"I'm going to lose him," Sakura said, under her breath. She willed herself to walk faster. Reaching, the end of the corridor, she was met with a fork. She could turn left or right. She was not sure where the blond went and finally decided to take the right route. "This place is a maze," she wondered aloud, upon reaching another fork. This time she took a left turn.
As she was walking, a group of men walked out of a room. They appeared to be drunk and leered openly at her. The pink haired female immediately regretted wearing her getup as she realised that she appeared suspicious.
"No shame no game lady," a tattooed man in his late 30s slurred out to her, giving a low whistle. Sakura did not even understand what he was talking about.
"I'm sorry." Sakura focused her eyes on the floor and tried to shuffle past the men but they created a wall in front of her. "Can you please let me through," she told them politely.
The intoxicated man tugged her scarf downwards, letting her pink hair flow freely and 'accidently' knocked her sunglasses of her face. "Whoops," he apologised half-heartedly and gave her a cruel smile.
The tattooed men's friends let out a howl and laughed.
"Who you with pretty lady?" The tattooed men replied, this time his voice clear. Sakura heard a hint of danger in his voice. She kept quiet but this time thinking of a way to escape. "A lonely girl like you should have company like me." He took a few steps closer to her and she could smell his alcoholic breath. "I could take you to a room and we could have our own private holiday." His two friends snickered.
"I'm not interested," Sakura voiced out, regretting her outburst immediately. She should have taken a few martial art lessons from Neji or Tenten or Lee even. If needed be she would throw a left hook to his jaw. She was told many times that her fists packed a punch.
"Now now…" She could feel his clammy rough hands stroking the side of her face. "No one has refused me before."
"I'm refusing you now." Sakura replied, boldly. The tattooed man's eyes narrowed into slits and grabbed her left wrist tightly. "Let go," she insisted but he only gripped her hands tighter. "I said let-"
"Sakura," a familiar voice spoke out, cutting her sentence half-way. "There you are." The blond took in her frightened face and the man's vice grip on her. "We're in room 23. Did you forget?"
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah. I got lost." Naruto walked over to her and slung an arm, protectively, around her thin shoulders.
"Sorry, man. Did she cause you any trouble?" Naruto asked the man, giving him a defiant stare. The man returned the gaze back with equal intensity.
"No. We were just having fun," he responded, giving Naruto a sleezy smile. His friends behind him agreed. "It was nice playing with you pretty lady," he addressed her, releasing his grip. She did not give back a response. Naruto and Sakura watched the three men's back retreat down the hallway.
"What are you doing here?" Naruto said, in a low furious tone.
Sakura looked up at him, feeling protected and safe in his arms. "I just saw you from afar and thought I'd say hi," she lied. Ok so maybe she was making a habit of lying.
He glanced down at her confused. "What? Why?"
"Because that's what friends do."
"Don't you have work?" Naruto questioned her. He looked at her as she gave him what she thought was a blank expression. Suddenly, a foxy grin spread across his serious face. "You skipped work? For me?"
She licked her lips, wondering how to approach the question. "You've been acting all mysterious lately and sporting injuries on your body. I was worried. I thought you got in with the wrong crowd."
"So you followed me." He let out a sigh. "It's dangerous here."
"Yeah I'm well aware of that," she told him, her fingers clinging to the fabric of his coat. He, then, realised that her hands were shaking.
He sighed again. Sakura realised that she has never seen this grim side of Naruto before. He was always foolish and joking around. Always smiling. She wondered if she ever even knew him. "Come on," he told her, not letting go of her shoulders. "We should get you home."
Sakura smiled this time. "Ok." They headed back towards the buildings entrance, walking down the winding corridors in silence.
She thought his quietness unusual since he normally had many things to say. She took a few glances at his face and noticed his grim features. "So what are you doing here?" She finally asked. He did not give her a response. "Are you in some kind of trouble?" She pressed.
"What?" He answered.
"What?" Sakura replied, thinking what kind of answer was that. "Are you in some kind of trouble?" she repeated. Maybe he did not hear her question.
"Are you sure?" he voiced out, stopping in his tracks and pulling her back slightly so she would halt her steps too.
"I don't understand," she said confused, looking at his now alert expression. They began to walk again.
"They're inside?" At the next fork in the corridor, Naruto took the right turn rather than the left turn that heads back to the entrance.
"Naruto, you're not making any sense," she told him.
"Sakura's with me." The blonde seemed to be talking to air.
Now, Sakura was concerned that Naruto was getting crazy. She noted herself to give him a full medical check-up once they left this dingy place.
Suddenly, distant voices could be heard.
"Put this on," he told her, finally addressing her and being somewhat normal. He took off his black beanie and placed it on her head. "Cover your hair." Sakura noticed something shiny plugged into his ear.
"What? Why?"
"Just do it now," He ordered, his eyes flickering down the hallway. Sakura did as she was told, quickly tying her hair into a bun and pulling the beanie down until it covered her ears.
He unravelled her scarf which was hanging loosely around her neck and made it wound around her neck, concealing her features. He then tugged his hoodie over his head, concealing his face.
"Sakura," he started. He never calls her Sakura. It was always Sakura-chan. He glanced down the corridor upon hearing footsteps. "I'll explain everything when we get out." This time six men in black suits appeared. "Just humour me," He murmured, before pushing her gently against the blue wall, cupping her smooth face and fusing their lips together. Sakura's eyes widened in shock as she was taken in by surprise.
"Na… ru…. mmmm," she tried to say, voice muffled. But the way his lips gently massaged her own, made her return the kiss with equal tenderness. She closed her eyes, savouring the kiss.
She never once thought of Neji.
Yamanaka Ino flashed a gorgeous smile and gave a wink towards the camera. "Do you want to spend a day with these two gorgeous guys?" She spoke, hands upwards in the air, heeding the attention towards the two males standing beside her. The camera zoomed out. She pointed a manicured finger towards the camera. "Yes. You? Wouldn't you want to spend a day with Sasuke and Kankurou. They're the two most wanted actors in the entertainment industry and..." she gave a knowing smile. "They're way gorgeous up close too." She gave a couple of nods and the double thumbs up sign.
Sasuke smirked. "I could say the same thing about Ino except…" This time the onyx-eyed actor gave a heart-crushing smile. "She's still on the market."
"Not for long, Sasuke. Note for long," Kankurou announced his face free from his usual Kabuki make up. He gave Ino an appreciative low whistle.
The model rolled her eyes. "And how might you spend a day with us?" She pursed her red lips.
Kankurou cut in. "Subaku Airlines is launching a new airplane called First Class."
Her eyes sparkled in excitement. "And like the name suggests. It's truly a first class experience from the amenities, food, service, seats and company." She placed her hand on her hips, a pose supermodels often do.
"For the launch, First Class will fly to Tokyo," Sasuke voiced out. He had his hands tucked into his dark blue jeans.
"And when will we fly?" Ino asked, voice pleasant and approachable. She turned her body slightly towards the raven-haired male.
"Tomorrow," Kankurou answered.
"Tomorrow?" both Ino and Sasuke replied at once, their voices not even masking their surprise and body language facing him.
"Yes. Tomorrow." The Kabuki actor smiled. "So, make a date with us by booking a place via the Subaku Airlines Website. Just click the 'First Class' link. You won't miss it. "
Ino recovered quickly. "Well you heard him. There are only 150 seats available. Book NOW."
"I look forward to seeing you there," Sasuke replied, giving a small smile.
"Annnnnnnnnnnndddddd CUT," the director replied. "Brilliant tis brilliant," the French Director replied. He was the same man who photographed Ino for the previous photoshoot. "Tis magnificent performance. One take too." He shook hands with the two actors and gave a kiss on the model's cheek. "Monsieur Gaara would like to ze you all. Meet me in half an hour. We do photoshoot." He then proceeded to call on his assistants to make preparations.
Ino, Sasuke and Kankurou did not have to go far. The red head was already waiting for them a few meters away.
He gave a nod to all of them as acknowledgement.
"This is not how you greet your own brother," Kankurou told him, pinching and pulling Gaara's left cheek.
Gaara glanced at his brother in annoyance. He was sure that his older brother's action had left a pink mark on his cheeks. "Welcome home," Gaara finally said, not attempting to hug Kankurou as they never showed any affections to each other unless you call Kankurou pulling pranks on him as love. "Father would like to see you when you get back."
Kankurou gave him a look. "Is he still trying to get me involved with the family business?"
Gaara did not give him an answer.
"Figures," he replied, disappointment evident in his voice. He, felt three pairs of eyes on him, and straightened up, his look of frustration melting away. "So, why do you want to see us?"
"To discuss about tomorrow," the younger Subaku replied.
"Yeah. About that you didn't tell me about the flight being tomorrow," Ino asked, curious more than mad.
"My father thought it would be a good idea. The sooner First Class is up in the air, the sooner it'll be bringing in money."
"Smart man," Sasuke told him.
"Hn," Gaara agreed. "About tomorrow…" He looked at his two friends expectedly.
"Don't worry I can make it," Ino answered. Aside from working to open her photography studio and doing a couple of catwalks since she had been booked for it months ago in advance, she really had some time to spare.
"Me too," Sasuke replied.
"Good," Gaara replied relieved. "We are putting the video up on our website right now."
"Don't worry." Ino said, reading Gaara's mind. "The flight will be fully booked tomorrow."
"Hn," Gaara replied. "At 8am, the stewardess will teach you the basics. The flight is at 10am tomorrow."
"Guess I can't sleep in," Kankurou stated before pinching and pulling his younger brothers cheeks again.
Sakura touched the white smooth surface of the mug. It was warm as the blue-haired female who is called Konan had just placed it on the table. She could smell the chocolate-y aroma and see the steam rising from the mug. "Thank you," she told Naruto's colleague. Her beanie, scarf and trenchcoat were placed on the seat beside her.
Konan sat across from her trying to assess her. "You must be Sakura."
"Naruto must have told you," the pink-haired female responded, blowing into her mug before taking a sip of the drink. It warmed her core and tasted delicious.
Konan did not say a word instead took out a light blue paper and proceeded to fold it into a flower. She then placed it in the middle of the table. "I trust that whatever Naruto tells you, you will keep it to yourself." Her neutral gray eyes watched for Sakura's reaction. "His line of work is dangerous. It's for his safety."
"I understand," Sakura replied, her eyes focused on the mug.
"Good," Konan answered, before pushing the chair back and standing up. "He should come by to see you in a minute."
Konan left Sakura to her thoughts. Sakura touched a finger to her lips. The kiss was still seared into her mind. It was fresh and vivid. She could still feel his lips pressed onto hers. It felt good. He was a hell of a kisser she admitted. She took another sip of hot chocolate to try and drain the thoughts away. It muddled her usually clear head. But, instead, her guilty conscience now shrouded her as thoughts of her boyfriend appeared.
"Hey," a voice called out. Sakura looked up in direction of the voice. The blonde gave her an uncertain grin; the whiskers etched on his face becoming more prominent. He took a seat across from her. "Yahiko took a listen on the bugs I placed in their office. You're in the clear. They thought nothing suspicious of us."
Sakura nodded her head, staring at the mug in front of her. "That's a relief." She dared herself to look into his eyes but he avoided her eye contact. He stared at the doorway. "Do they recognise you?"
"Naah. According to Yahiko, they didn't get a good glimpse of me from the other night. It was dark." An awkward silence ensued.
Sakura took another sip of her hot chocolate. "Your arm looks ok," Sakura mentioned, noticing that his arm was not in a bandage.
Naruto rotated his shoulder and tested his injured arm. "I've always healed fast."
"That's true," she stated, remembering all the times he had injured himself yet managed to bounce back the next day or, in fact, much faster than an average person. "So-"
"Yeah." Both of their eyes met. Sakura felt a blush forming on her cheeks; she turned away as she felt conscious of him, of his lips.
"About this-"
"Ji-ji runs his own personal investigative firm. We-" He got cut off.
"I think the less you tell me, the better it would be for you," Sakura told him, giving him an understanding smile.
He gave her a foxy grin in return. "I work for my old man." He left it at that.
"As long as it's not against the law," she answered, relieved. "I thought you got in with the wrong crowd."
"Naah," he reassured her. "We work with the law… most of the time," he teased her.
"Yeah," she answered, not knowing how to answer him.
He watched her for a while before stretching his arms in the air and standing up. "I'll take you home. You must be tired."
"It's ok," she refused him. "I'm sure you've got some work to do." She stood up. "I'll see you later." She looked at him, gave him a brief smile, and proceeded down the hallway.
In the midst of greenery and glass walls, were three men.
"This is impressive," the elderly man with a toupee said, eyes crinkling into a smile. "To manage a place as outstanding as this must not be an easy task."
Shino peered at the Director Watanabe's amazed face. "It's our dream. When business took off, everything just fell into place." The director smiled again, taking in the huge greenhouse where Shino and Hinata grew their medicinal herbs, vibrant flowers and fleshy fruit. "This greenhouse is 2 acres in size."
"It does not look like a greenhouse," Sasuke intercepted. He had invited the director to Shino's and Hinata's greenhouse as the director was still finding a location to shoot the movie. As soon as he had finished with the shooting at Subaku' Airlines, he picked up the director at the hotel and they both headed down to the South of Konoha for their meeting with Shino.
"Indeed," Shino agreed. "Hinata designed this place to look like…" he trailed off, thinking of the right word.
"Paradise," the director put in. The greenhouse was undeniably designed to look like utopia. Rather than having rows and rows of nursery, it had more of an estate and botanical feel. It was like a huge garden complete with grass and trees where pebbles set in clusters served as paths. On the far end of the greenhouse was an eco-friendly research and office centre.
"Hinata has a way with plants," Shino praised in his monotonous voice. "However, my speciality is with insects. We use bumblebees to pollinate our plants."
"It sounds like you have a great partnership," the Director articulated, impressed further. "Will I be able to meet her?"
Shino scanned the area and found her crouching on the ground a good 50 feet away tending to some shrubs. "I'll introduce you," he announced, signalling for both of them to follow him.
Hinata was thinning the shrubs and snipping the dead leaves away when she scrunched her nose cutely. A habit she does when she is deep in thought. As she inspected the dead and yellowed leaves, she realised that the shrub is sick. She would have to take a closer examination under the microscope to find out what the root to the sickness was. She was too engrossed in her work that she did not hear footsteps approaching her.
"Hinata," Shino called her, placing a hand on her shoulders.
"Hmm," she said, feeling a warm hand squeeze her shoulders slightly. She glanced upwards from her crouching position and instantly fell on her butt when she saw Sasuke's handsome face looking own at her in amusement.
"You must be Hinata," an older-looking man spoke, his eyes crinkling into a kind smile.
Shino extended an arm towards her which Hinata took . He helped pull her up to her feet.
"Y-yes," she replied, embarrassed of her fall. She felt self- conscious in her oversized denim dungarees and dirty white ¾ sleeved t-shirt as all of the males looked well-dressed and exceptionally clean.
"Hinata meet Director Watanabe," Shino introduced her.
"A-ah," the Hyuuga heiress replied, placing her hands in front of her and giving him a 90 degree bow. "It's nice to see – I mean meet - you," she stumbled in a small voice. The director looked approachable but he had a certain charisma which seemed to overwhelm her as does Sasuke with his aura.
"I like what you have done to this place," the director praised. "I'm glad Sasuke had suggested this greenhouse for the location of the movie. I would not have discovered such a gem."
Hinata fidgeted with the buckle on her dungarees. She was not used to praises. "Thank you."
"I was just about to tell Shino here that I would love to use this place as a location for my movie," the director spoke again. Hinata's face brightened. The greenhouse could use some publicity and extra money. Since they had expended a few months ago, the bill has been higher than what it used to be.
The corner of Shino's mouth twitched upwards in a smile. "Is there someplace we could discuss about the contract," the director said, addressing Shino.
"Yes, let's go to my office," Shino answered and left with the director in direction of his office.
Hinata stood there watching the two men walk away and have a quiet conversation. She was well aware that the raven-haired man did not follow them but stayed back where she was. She stopped fidgeting with the buckle on her dungarees and stared at her wellington boots instead.
"How did you care for the lilies?" Sasuke asked her, bending down slightly and caressing the buds of the white flowers.
Hinata jumped slightly at his voice but was even more surprised that he was genuinely interested in gardening. "I w-water them regularly and use this special c-compost. It's important to loosen the soil surrounding them."
Sasuke nodded, taking in all her advice. "It's winter yet they live."
"It's important to keep them moist during w-winter," she replied.
His dark eyes looked at her in recognition. "My garden used to look like this." He took in the surrounding greenery.
The petite female watched him. He seemed to have a faraway look in his eyes. "My mother loved to garden, I-I would help her when I was younger. When she p-passed away, I s-still continued gardening."
A fleeting look of sadness came and then passed on the handsome actors face. She guessed that the garden at his home had a meaning similar to what gardening meant to her as well. "I'll give you a bag of organic compost. It might help."
He broke his thoughts and turned to face her, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Hn."
Hinata took a small shovel and placed it into his hands. She gave him a shy smile. "S-since we have time, I'll teach you how to garden." He nodded. "We'll start with the lilies," she told him and showed him how to loosen the soils beneath the flowers.
"Hn," he replied, following her actions.
Suddenly, a thought struck her. "A-ano."
"Hn," he said again.
"Have you thought of a Christmas present yet?" She scattered a bit of organic fertilizer on the ground.
"Not yet." Truth to be told, he had forgotten and Christmas was only just a week away. "Have you?"
"No," she replied. "But I think I have an idea on what I want to do."
She will definitely make sure that as a secret santa, she would give that person a present he or she will never forget.
"Naruto," Kiba called out to his friend. "I think you had enough to drink today." Akamaru barked in agreement. He nudged and rubbed his furry head on Naruto's leg to comfort him.
It was around 9pm and since it was after work, Naruto decided to stop by Mad Dog's. "Give me one more," He pleaded. "I'm far from being drunk."
"I'm not sure what happened but... Dude this isn't the way to go," Kiba reassured his friend, refusing to give him another beer. He took a glass and wiped it dry.
Naruto cradled his head in his hands. He could not forget about the kiss and the fact that she did kiss him back. Did he mean something to her? He slammed the empty glass on the bar top and leaned back against the stool. "I still-"
"What?" Kiba asked him, taking another glass and wiping it down again.
"I betrayed him," Naruto said, cradling his head yet again. At first he kissed Sakura, so that he did not get spotted and not let Sakura get dragged into trouble. But after the men had walked past and disappeared down the hallway, he did not break the kiss. In fact, they continued kissing for a good 5 minutes. He told himself that he needed to make sure that they were gone and that it was all an act. But he knew that deep within him, it was all a lie.
"Dude you ok," the Inuzuka lad asked him again in concern.
"I still feel the same way," Naruto mumbled, his head in a daze.
"Naruto," Kiba started. "I don't know what happened but pull yourself together."
"I still love her," Naruto voiced out. This time Kiba looked at him in surprise. "I left for years. I tried to forget. I thought I moved on." Kiba poured him a coke and placed it on the counter for him. "I still love her."
"You mean Sakura," Kiba mentioned. Naruto was gentler when he was around her. It does not take a genius to put two and two together. Kiba poured himself a glass of coke too and drank it in one shot. Naruto did not respond and Kiba did not push for an answer. He knows better than to meddle in his friend's business. Right now what Naruto needed was company.
"I betrayed him."
"I'm not sure what you did but I'm sure Neji wouldn't have it against you," Kiba reassured him.
Naruto doubted that. However, Sakura did not seem to bring out the incident at all. In fact, she was very quiet about it. He, suddenly, took a swig of his coke and drank it dry. "It was a mistake," he decided. Sakura acted like normal in front of him. It did not mean anything to her so it should not mean anything to him. "Just a mistake..." But the trouble was, he did not want it to be a mistake.
He cradled his head yet again.
Tenten walked out from the bathroom wearing a pair blue pajamas and hair in a long braid. "I understand now why Hiashi-sama wants to buy over this resort." She plopped onto the water bed and took off the furry hotel slippers that warmed her feet. She, then, got under the covers, the thick blanket snug on her body. Neji was sitting upright on the bed, reading. "There's really not much things to change. The exterior and interior of the resort is stunning and the facilities are well taken care of."
Neji placed the documents that the general manager had given them on the side table to his right. He and Tenten were supposed to have a meeting with the owner a few hours ago but were told by the general manager that he could not make it due to a prior engagement and would like to reschedule for the next day. Therefore, the general manager showed them around the resort and answered any of their queries. Before the general manager took his leave, he made sure that his secretary provided them with the resorts layout and other necessary documents for their ease of work. "Hn," he uttered, tucking himself under the blanket as well.
"The bed feels so good," she moaned. It was her first time sleeping on a water bed and, although sceptical at first, she now knows the reason why some people had one.
Neji turned his head towards his best friend and outlined her features with his eyes. "Do you normally sleep with your hair tied up?"
"Most of the time," she told him sheepishly, answering his curiosity. "Why? You do too," she pointed out, as Neji had his hair in a loose ponytail as well. She turned to her side and watched him watch her.
"Hn," he agreed.
"When you say hn, do you mean point taken?" she asked him, letting out a laughter.
"Yes," he answered, this time saying a word and not a syllable.
She laughed again. "I should get you a dictionary for your birthday or better yet teach you some new vocabulary."
He gave her a defiant glare. "We should sleep," he announced, reaching for the remote and switching off the lights.
A few moments passed by and he could feel Tenten stir in the bed. "I'm freezing." True enough although the water bed is comfortable but the winter had made the water cold and it failed to warm them. He felt Tenten scoot closer to him till they were shoulder to shoulder. He, suddenly, felt very aware of her body and her sweet scent.
"Oops," Tenten apologised frantically as a luminous blue glow materialised from beneath them.
"Tenten," Neji said, alert.
"I think we found the luminous mode the bellboy was talking about," she told him embarrassed. She switched it off and the room grew dark again. "Sorry. My bad."
"What is it that you want to find?" he asked her, taking the remote from her hands.
"I want the bed to be warm. The bellboy did say there was a heating mode."
Neji sighed and pressed what he think was the right button. A slow romantic music serenaded them.
"Wow," Tenten said giggling, amused by it all. "What can this remote NOT do?"
Neji switched off the music and tried another button. This time he could feel the bed shift and incline their heads. He felt like smashing the remote to bits. He was that frustrated.
"Here let me try," Tenten tried again, as she felt the bed shift into the original state that it was in. "Oh…" she yelped, surprised. "I think we found the vibrating mode." The bed pulsated and quivered beneath them. "Mmm…"
Neji was glad that it was dark. Because he was feeling things he knows he should not feel. "Switch it off, Tenten," he told her calmly suddenly well aware she was a female. A very attractive female.
"But it feels really gooooooddd," she purred, liking the way it worked on her tense muscles.
Neji gave her a few minutes before finding the button to turn it off. Well, more like, it took him a few minutes and a few trial and errors before he found the button to switch the mode off.
"You're no fun," Tenten said, objecting to the vibrating mode being switched off.
"The bed's heating up," he told her after he pressed a button and upon feeling the bed warm up below them. "Good night, Tenten," he told her before turning his back towards her.
"Good night," she replied.
A few minutes passed by…
"What does this button do?" she wondered aloud, as she pressed another button. The bed moved in waves beneath them.
"Tenten…." Neji replied, frustrated.
"But it feels soooo goooooooddd."
TBC…..
A/N: Thanks to everyone who gave me reviews and read this fic. I hope you like this chapter. There are finally some developments. FINALLY.