Saturday, August 17th, 2013.
I'm updating today because I don't think I'll have time to tomorrow. I'm going to a wedding after church, so...
I'm fudging. Exhausted. Like, really-tiring-to-type-and-talk exhausted. Spent six hours volunteering for my church's Golden Agers lunch thing that we do for the seniors of my church.
It was fun, a good thing to do, but it's been a while since I was this tired after doing something like this.
Fun Fact: I'm not a fan of coconut products. I hate coconut milk, coconut "meat" (meat comes from an animal, IMO - coconut "meat" should have a different name) and I can barely tolerate coconut shavings. The amount they put on Samoas (as in, Girl Scout cookies) is basically my limit. Other than that, I really don't like coconut products. Now why coconuts today? The church thing had a "luau" theme.
Dedication: My friends Jasmine-.-Momo-chan, aalc95, TehNicksterboi, and sora girlfriend.And the awesome White Tiger of Onyx Star.
AotW (as coined by White Tiger): LuchiaxKaito (from Mermaid Melody) was one of my first OTPs ever. I love them so much. SasuSaku is another - I was crazy about them when I was younger. That was one of the few things I did - watch SasuSaku videos on YouTube. I still love them, but I also have other anime and stuff, and fanfiction fulfills my cravings. Mostly. Um, what else... UsuixMisaki (Maid-sama!) I guess, but compared to the others, they aren't as big. HaruxElie! From Rave Master. Man, I loved them, too. I think that's enough for now.
Recommendations: Did I already tell you guys how tired I was? I'm sorry for doing this to you guys nearly every week, but honestly, I'm tired enough to just crash unto my computer right now.
Disclaimer: IDNON.
ATTENTION:
I'd like more Christmas ideas, guys. Thanks.
This is a shorter chapter - a little over 2.5k words, not including A/Ns. Incl8;uding A/Ns: almost 3.5k.
Enjoy, though.
Chapter 18: Meanwhile...
A few weeks since Sasuke's birthday
Temari POV
"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!"
I groaned, hitting the "Off" button on my alarm, sitting up and climbing out of bed.
"Another day… damn, I wanna go back and sleep," I said.
But I knew I couldn't, so I forced myself to the bathroom to take a shower. Normally I wasn't this sleepy and lazy in the morning. Damn Nara… he's rubbed off on me.
I tended to blame my problems on him, regardless of whether or not it made any sense to. Made me feel a bit better.
I held my hand under the shower head. "Finally, it's hot."
I stripped down and stepped into the tub, under the steaming, roaring, water.(1)
20 minutes later
I walked down the stairs to find Matsuri already fixing breakfast up in the kitchen.
In case you were wondering, do you guys remember how Matsuri's parents were killed in a bandit raid?(2)
Well, in this time line, they were killed earlier, when she was like, 9, I think, and she lived on the streets till she was almost 12.
We've seen her around town over the years, and apparently a lot on the playground for Gaara when he was younger, and he seemed to tolerate her well enough.
She offered to cook, clean, etc., for us in return for room and board. She didn't even ask for money – she just needed a place to live and eat.
We gave her a week trial – she passed.
With flying colors. She's a natural housewife-that-isn't-actually-a-wife.
Over the years, she had gradually become a member of the family-that-we-don't-really-have, and a friend. Even Baki liked her and her work efficiency well enough, even though he has his own place to live at.
He has a room here, and since he's our team leader, we see him nearly every day, but most of the time, he's living at his own apartment.
We relieved her of the job part of the deal and decided just let her live with us, but she continued to do chores and most of the cooking anyway.
Not that we mind – less work for us.
For me, really – Kankuro hardly does anything and same goes for Gaara.
But Gaara's different because… he's Gaara.
Fun fact: Matsuri's cookies are ambrosia. As in, food of the gods. They're fucking delicious.
Gaara loves them, too, even! He's actually the one that seems to like them the most.
Which is why he wouldn't let her leave if she tried. And proves he functions like a normal person in some areas.
"Good morning, Tema," she greeted, with a usual smile on her face.
My eyes narrowed. "How the hell are you so perky in the morning?"
Another smile and a shrug. "Just a morning person, I guess."
I rolled my eyes.
"Watcha cookin'?" I asked as I looked in the fridge.
"Bacon and eggs."
"Portions?"
"Two eggs for you and Kankuro since you burn more calories and stuff, then 1 for Gaara and I because we burn less.(3) Or 1 ½ if he wants. No more than that, though. Too much cholesterol isn't good for anybody. Oh, and then 3 slices of bacon for everybody. These are thicker than the ones I normally buy."
I nodded, liking the sound of it. "Got it."
So what to eat then? Cereal? Toast? Something Japanese? Nah… I feel Western today. Frozen waffles?
I opened the freezer half of the fridge.
I frowned seeing the disaster zone. There's no way in hell that I'm going to look for them through that mess..
"Remind me to reorganize it…" I muttered. It was probably Kankuro's fault, too… maybe I can push him to do it…
"Nah, I'll do it."
"Fuck no. You're not the maid. I need to do stuff, too."
"You already do. It's the boys who do little."
"Still."
I gave her a glare, and she sighed. "Fine. I'll let you do it."
I smirked at my win.
Which is not really a win because it's work. Kinda lame.
"Mornin', Mats."(4) Kankuro said, entering the kitchen, using that stupid nickname. "Is that bacon and eggs I smell?"
Another smile of hers. "Yup!"
His tired face, void of make-up, (you can tell how tired he is in the morning if he bothered to put up his make-up on [war/clan paint, my ass] and how well he did it if he put it on) lightened up at the thought off the delicious food.
"Sweet!" He turned to the pantry.
"We still have some maple and brown sugar oatmeal, right?" Kankuro is practically addicted to oats, I swear. I've never understood it.
I was cool with it, growing up, because at least they're healthy, right?
But still.
Kankuro's favorite breakfast food? Oatmeal. (Maple and brown sugar is his favorite flavor.)
Favorite snack? Granola bars.
Favorite cookie? Oatmeal. With raisins.
Weirdo.
"I think there's only enough for your breakfast this morning. I'm going grocery shopping when you all leave, so I'll be sure to pick it up. Put it on the list anyway, though. Anything you need, Temari? Gaara?"
At the mention of Gaara, Kankuro and I swiveled to find our little brother standing in front of the island at the center of the kitchen, sand swirling around him.
It was all we could do to not jump. I'll never get over how he does that! It drives me nuts!
"Um…" I started, trying to answer Matsuri's question after being startled, as usual, by my youngest brother. "I, uh, ran out of my large pack of M&M's. I just want regular, please." I said. M&M's are heaven.
"'Kay. Put 'em on the list." I did.
I decided to start my breakfast. What to eat, what to eat… God bless that I can actually say that.
I'm not really religious or anything, and I've rarely been to a church in my life, but I believe something or someone is up there.
And besides – it really is a blessing to able to ponder what the hell you want to eat because you have so many choices.
If there's one thing I want my brothers to know from growing up, it's being grateful of what you have.
Now… away from such serious and somber topics and back to the whole food scenario.
Then, it hit me. Why not oatmeal?
"Kanks, get me my oatmeal," I called to my brother.
"Don't call me 'Kanks' and I will."
"Kanky, get me my oats."
"Temari…" he said warningly. Not that it was much of a threat to me.
... But then again, finding a freaky mask or puppet in your room staring at you creepily in the middle of the night is fucking scary. I guess I'll comply with his wishes then.
I rolled my eyes. "Kankuro, get me my oatmeal."
"What flavor? Or do you want to mix them?"
I thought. "Just two apple cinnamon ones."
"Catch." He tossed them to me.
"Want something from the pantry, Gaara?" Kankuro asked, a bit cautious. We always have to be careful with Gaara…
"Fruit Loops." One of Heaven's gifts. Those are fucking good, no matter how old you are. But this makes me think Gaara's still a little childish… which he is, being emotionally stunted and all, but still.
"I'll eat them dry as usual." (5)
"Will you drink milk separately then, Gaara?"
Matsuri was one of the only few who can question Gaara with little to no punishment. I don't know how, she just calms him, kinda.
Don't think he always gave her special treatment and never hurt her or anything, because that's not true.
He's actually broken a few of her bones sometimes, and almost suffocated her to death, but he's done worse to Kankuro and I.
… Wait.
Okay, now that I think about it, that's still special treatment. Well, she's always been nice to him and all… never seemed to be afraid of him… maybe Gaara developed a softer part for her or something…
Anyway, she can make Gaara do stuff, to an extent. Like drink milk every morning – she has this thing about drinking it at least once every morning. Apparently, that's what her mom used to do.
"… Yes." Gaara responded.
"Good." She smiled.
She prepared plates and placed our eggs and bacon on them, patting them down with a paper towel to get extra grease off, and giving them to us.
"Breakfast is served!"
Karin POV
"No… no… no… yeah, that one looks nice…" I muttered to myself as I shifted through the pictures I took on the cheapest camera I was able to afford.
I discovered, after seeing Konoha for the first time, that photography is something in which I'd take interest.
I wanted so badly to take pictures of all the green and browns and reds and yellows, I could barely contain myself! It was so pretty and colorful… I hadn't seen anything like it.
Sure, Grass Country is very green (the name is self-explanatory) but it doesn't have the light, welcome, vibe Konoha does, which makes a huge difference.
And Konoha has more colors and hues and shades and contrasts.
I quickly became obsessed with taking pictures of other stuff, too.
So, I saved up some money from missions after I got to the past and tried to get this camera.
Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time to save up money because the douchebags-otherwise-known-as-my-teammates screw up everything for me on purpose. Unlike me, they don't have to support themselves completely on their own – their sophisticated and cool mommies and daddies gave them everything they needed.
Needing all the ninja they can get, Grass doesn't accept a certain number of teams that graduate their ninja academy to become genin – if you pass, you're a ninja. Period.
So it's no wonder those clowns of "teammates" of mine are actual ninja, even though they're just genin. There's no way those spoiled brats will pass the Chunin Exams.
The Chunin Exams…
The last and only Chunin Exams I'd ever been in was the same one Sasu-… the same one that Naruto kid and that Sakura girl competed in.
I'd only gotten as far as The Forest of Death, where Sasuke saved me from a giant bear and where I first felt affection for him.(6)
A little later, I ran into Orochimaru and he recruited me. I joined him, of course.
If I remember right, Sasuke didn't pass either, so we were both genin when traveling, now that I think about it.
How do I feel about him now? I'm sure you're wondering.
Do I love him? No.
The Future Me may forgive him and shit for whatever reason, but the Present Me decided to take the hint and move on.
As much as I may have loved him, (not nearly as much as that Sakura girl, I'm sure) it's not worth wasting my life for him.
Now, I'm here to save the world while preventing him from doing stupid mistakes that will lead to a lot of problems the future has.
Okay, maybe I'm being bitter – it's not really his fault.
Tobi/Obito would definitely declared war on the world eventually. Sasuke just sped up the whole process and made things a bit more complicated, being the perfect pawn.
Ugh… I almost miss Suigetsu and his antics right now… it kept me from being bored.
I put the camera back down and laid down on my bed in the rusty, old, apartment I lived in. And people wondered why I left with Orochimaru…
Something you should know: I'm trying to let go of my loyalty for Orochimaru and develop into a new person, as cheesy as that sounds.
It's time I created my own person, not blindly chasing something and relying on it for everything – whether it be romance-related or a master or whatever.
The fact that Orochimaru is a crazy, sadistic, psychopath makes the whole become-an-Oreo-hater (I'm talking about Orochimaru and mean no offense to the cookies, not that I like them anyway) so much easier.
But it really is difficult to forget something you followed and idolized so much before. Again, that sounds like Sasuke…
See? I'm moving past him, too. Did you notice I didn't add a "-kun" to his name?
Suigetsu would be great right now… I could let out my frustrations on him as much as I wanted.
I kinda almost miss that guy.
Almost.
I hated him, but he was fun.
And we, Team Taka, were all friends for a little while, or so I'd like to think… before the Land of Iron…
I'll even admit Suigetsu's kinda cute, despite the whole shark teeth thing…
My face reddened.
Don't get any ideas! I don't like Suigetsu or anything. Not at all! I hate that bastard!
But a small part of me that wasn't completely disgusted at the idea of liking Suigetsu (which I don't) sighed. "Are we masochistic or something?" it said.
"Must we go for guys that we hate, hurt us, or will never like us back?" it continued.
Well, if you include Suigetsu, which I don't, it's only two guys. But yeah… I see that point. The rest of me said.
And now that I thought about it, we might just be a tad masochistic. The Heal Bite and the pleasure I get from it… it doesn't only happen with Sasuke, it's just accented greatly with Sasuke because I was a crazy fangirl and in love with him. Nah… that's not masochism. That's an actual effect of the Heal Bite.
But part of me still thinks I'm a bit masochistic, which totally sucks. Maybe I'm emotionally masochistic or something… I don't like physical pain or stuff like that… there's a reason I have Heal Bite.
I wanted to avoid the hospital that badly. (7)
Back to the Chunin Exams…
I'll have to avoid Orochimaru for sure… should I try to meet up with Sakura and the others that time traveled before the Exams while I'm in the village?
I looked at the scroll that we each have. I could always use this…
I put it down. I'll leave that for later.
I turned over on my stomach and picked up my camera again, ready to filter through and delete some pictures I didn't think were good enough.
I barely got through two pictures when there was an obnoxious, hard knock on my front door.
"Hey, Bitch! Get out here! We're gonna train!"
Stupid teammate…
I turned off the camera, getting my ninja gear.
"Too afraid to embarrass yourself in front of us, Karin? Or are you chicken?"
Jerk. I couldn't have gotten ready that fast, you dimwit.
A couple moments later, whilst ignoring taunts and insults, I was ready and at the door.
"'Bout time!"
I rolled my eyes and closed the door.
"You better not embarrass us in the Chunin Exams! We've only got a few weeks to prepare."
"Of course," I muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, Your Highness."
The idiot actually smirked, not detecting my sarcasm. "That's more like it! That's how it should be – worthless shit like you that nobody cares about, treating people like us, loved by everyone and important, like royalty." They continue to surprise me with how egotistical, stupid, and low they can get…
"Exactly! Couldn't have put it better, Jai." The other said.
"I'm just brilliant that way, Nuwe." Jai said to his friend.
They were cousins, by the way. Not that you'd care.
I took breaths to calm myself, fisting my hands tightly, keeping my face as impassive as I could. It was working pretty, well, too. Looks like something useful came from stalking Sasuke all the time.
"Hurry up, peasant!" Nuwe said.
I hurried.
Man, I can't wait for the Chunin Exams. Then, maybe I can ditch these bastards for good.
(1): It's one of those showers with a tub AND shower head. Just in case that needed explaining.
(2): In canon, at least the arc at the end of Part 1, that actually happened. And apparently, she had actually witnessed it. Her parents being killed. Poor Matsuri... Ooh! I could use that as angst material! (Sorry - writer's mind here)
(3): How many calories do you think Gaara burns? Especially in Part 1? The guy hardly moves - most of what he burns is probably from his chakra rather than actual phsyical activity. My dad gives my sis and I a limit to how many eggs we can eat a day because it has a lot of cholesterol and we don't burn enough to keep it off. So he and Matsuri eat slightly differently than Temari and Kankuro for the you-burn-less reason.
(4): Pronounced like the nickname Sakura's given in fanfics - "Saks". The same pronunciation of the "a" applies here.
(5): Eating cereal dry isn't weird, alright? I personally am weird with cereal - Fruit Loops is eaten dry, Cheerios with cold milk and no sugar, Frosted Flakes or Corn Flakes with either warm or cold milk and sugar. Period. That's it. Weird, right?
(6): That actually happened. That's how she first met Sasuke.
(7): Mostly true. I think she was born with Heal Bite, but however she obtained it, she uses it to desperately avoid the hospital. She hates it.
ATTENTION:
I still want those Christmas ideas. Thanks.
Question of the Week: Favorite sport(s)?
Love,
Cherry.
