Butterflies
"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!
Interlude 13 – Fireworks
8-8
"We're going, right? To the festival, right? Right? Right!?" Sakiko is a bundle of energy, running up and down, babbling on about the fireworks and about the festival, and about how much different foods she wants to try. I find myself smiling each time she asks.
"Yes, sis, we're going. Now don't go wearing yourself out. I don't plan on carrying you if you get tired." I shake my head as she dashes down the hall, back up and into the kitchen to bug Yasu-nee with exactly the same question.
"Of course we are, sweetie. Why would you even think we weren't going?" Yasu-nee sounds just as amused with our little sister. "Now, come. We need to start getting ready. Otherwise we'll miss all the fun!"
"AYA-NEE! We need to get ready~yyyyyyyy!" Saki shouts running up the stairs. Haku-chan and I share a look, both of us smiling and shaking our heads with in amusement.
8-8
Somehow we manage to get ourselves –Naruto-nii, Yasu-nee, Sakiko, Hinata-nee, Hanabi, Haku and myself– ready quick enough. We also manage to convince Momochi-san and Kakashi to dress up for the occasion as well; in dressy men's kimonos, mind you! I'm not sure how Yasu-nee worked this miracle, but I'm not complaining.
We head out for about three in the afternoon. Most of the stalls are still setting up, seeing as the entire point of the New Years festival is the lights and fireworks, so the fun doesn't start until after sunset. But there's a bigger reason to us heading out so early: gathering the troops.
We head to the Yoshino-sensei's home, but Haku-chan and I break off from the group to go make sure Ino's ready on time. It takes some doing, and Mariko-san and I are quick to double-team Ino to make her pick out her kimono faster, but in under an hour, we find ourselves at Sensei's. Not a bad day so far.
Everyone's ready, as far as I can tell, so I might have whispered to Sakiko that she might miss something at the festival if we don't hurry. Maybe.
8-8
The stalls are mostly up now, and people are already more than willing to welcome a paying customer, or ten. The first thing Sensei decides to do, is get some pellet drums. Den-den daiko, as they're traditionally called. Luckily the stand selling them also customises the drums themselves. The man quite proudly brags that he can make any design, any clan crest, in under a minute. Of course, that means I want a pellet drum for Sakiko, Yasu-nee and myself with the kanju for Wolf on it. I choose one with a black lacquered frame, and a bone white drum skin. Yasu-nee picks a green lacquered frame, to match her hair. And Saki-chan goes with a red one. I smile, loving their choices. I pay for our three.
I don't pay too much attention to what the others choose. Only really noticing that Naruto-nii suggested that Hina-nee take hers with one side bearing the Hyuuga crest, the other bearing the Uzumaki swirl. She's been blushing ever since.
After that, we all agree that junk food is in order. Ino and I vote for tsukune; roasted chicken meatballs on a stick, with a sweet topping. Kakashi argues that he hates sweet things, but gets ignored. Yasu-nee backs him up though, so we give in. But Yasu-nee immediately wins back our vote by suggesting a stall that has both tsukune and some crap the scrooge might enjoy.
"Guys, there are more than enough stalls already set up. We don't have to order from the same one." Sensei is, as always, the voice of reason. Naru-nii shouts with joy, already heading over to IchiRaku Ramen, which opened their usual stand here just for the sake of the festival. Good business sense, if you ask me. No one ever does, though.
Anyway, after eating our fill, and buying a drink to wash it down, we start on the games. The guys like the idea, and frankly I feel like showing them up this time! There's the traditional catching a goldfish with a fragile net game, but I hate that one. And I don't really want a fish. There's also a tossing a ball at a stack of bottles game, but that's too easy for us; we want a challenge!
And that challenge finds us, the second Inuzuka Kiba cries out how unfair some game is. We all look over, finding a game none of us have tried. The fact that the man behind the counter is wearing a flak jacket automatically wins my vote that we're trying this game!
"I figured I'd find you here." Sasuke announces.
"We got tired of waiting for you to show up, broody." Naru-nii gets on his case immediately, but we all know it's nothing but love with these two. Sharp and pointy love. "Come on! Sis is in the mood to kick some butts!"
"Hnn." Sasuke smirks, liking the sound of that. The chuunin explains the game to us. Basically we have shoot a small, bouncy ball into a horizontal ring with a dangling net under it, while it's moving back and forward! That's more my speed! Each ball into the ring gets you one point. To win a prize you need to get at least fifty points in sixty seconds. And the reason a chuunin is manning this game? Chakra enhancements not allowed! A true challenge!
I almost wonder where L-
"Yosh!" Nevermind. "I, Rock Lee, will accept your challenge! And if I cannot win the biggest prize you have, then I will do a thousand laps around Konoha on my hands!"
"That sounds like a challenge, my boy! The biggest prize will take a hundred and fifty points!" The chuunin warns. "But don't worry, we can take up to four challengers at once! Who wants a try!?"
"I'm in!" I announce. Naturally, that means Sasuke and Naruto-nii NEED to be in as well, just so they can compare notes with me.
The four of us line up. Five balls in front of each of us. We're not even allowed to touch the ball to judge how heavy it is beforehand. We're all equally blind here.
I. Am. LOVING. It.
"At the sound of the buzzer you may begin... ready!?"
BEEEEEEEEEP!
I grab two balls at once, carefully weighing them to get a better estimate of how much force to use. I toss the first. Nothing but net. The second goes in much the same way. The third and forth both miss, because the net just hits the far end and comes back, so I overestimate the distance. The others start flying in, one after the other. It takes just over a second for the ball to come back with the technique I'm using, so I try spinning the ball a bit to make them roll back to me even faster. It pays off! Now they come back in just over half a second!
I zone into the task, fling those little things faster and faster and faster. I don't even register my (so-called) opponents. This isn't about them, this is about challenging myself; in a kimono I might add!
BEEEEEEEEEEP!
The buzzer goes off again. I look at my score. One-hundred and eighty-two. I couldn't be prouder. There's a low whistle from the chuunin. "That's definitely a first. You each have more than a hundred and fifty points."
I look at the other scores. Naruto-nii has one-fifty-eight. Sasuke has two-oh-four. And Lee has one-ninety-two. Third place. Still don't care.
"Well, I think the lady deserves to pick her prize first!" The chuunin catches himself.
"Hey, Saki-chan, come over here and pick one will you?" I call her over. She almost body flickers, reaching me so fast. "Which one do you like, you can pick any one you want!"
"The wolf! I want the big wolf!" She points at the biggest wolf tied up to the ceiling.
"Alright! One big cuddly wolf for one cute, cuddly young lady! There you go!" The man says, grabbing one of the wolves from under the counter. Sakiko hugs the wolf with all her might, kissing it over and over again, before turning to me and giving me exactly the same treatment.
"Thank you, Aya-nee! I love it!" She says, hugging me with the wolf between us so it doesn't fall and get dirty. "I'm gonna call it Aitsu! Love fang!" That's not how you'd pronounce it with those kanji. Still, it's her wolf.
"A good name, and one befitting a wolf." I tell her kissing her brow.
Naruto-nii ends up picking a big kitsune, blushing as he offers it to Hinata-nee. I can't wipe the grin off my face when she blushes so deep that her heels must be turning red. She doesn't turn him down though, going so far as to give him a peck on the cheek as thanks. Sasuke picks a huge frog, but he doesn't offer it to anyone just yet. Asami's not here, after all. And Lee? He takes a wolf as well, offering it to me. I thank him, but he isn't getting a kiss out of me! I can earn my own prizes, thank you.
Asami just so happens to show up not ten minutes later, saying how she couldn't find us anywhere. "You weren't home, so it's on you." I point out, grinning as Sasuke approaches her with the stuffed frog.
"Oh, Kami! Sasu-chan, it so cyuuuuute!" Sasu-chan? Oh you are sooooo never going to live that down. And judging from the evil grin on Naru-nii's face, I'd say he's thinking the same thing. Sasu-chan doesn't like us too much right now.
"Naru-chan, why are you grinning like that?" Hina-nee asks, her tone accusing. Sasuke's smirks, satisfied. Little does he know that 'Naru-chan' is old news. Sasu-chan is not. World of difference. And besides, I'm the one that started calling him that to tease him! Not a plausible love interest!
"Hmm? Oh, nothing Hina. Nothing at all." Sasuke's blank stare says more to us that one of Naru-nii's hour long tirades on how unfair something is. He feels profoundly uncomfortable. And knowing that just makes us grin even wider.
8-8
It's well after sunset before we decide we need another round of junk food. All the girls are loaded with stuffed animals and charms for the charm bracelets we don't have. Naru-nii and I came to a mutual understanding. I spoil Sakiko and Yasu-nee, while he spoils Hina-nee and Hanabi. Not one of them is complaining in the least.
So after we eat and drink, and find the restroom so we can go, we set out in search of more fun. Sakiko and Yasu decide they want to try a few games; we don't mind in the least. Sakiko ends up trying her luck for one of the gold fish. But her net keeps breaking. I patiently keep paying, letting her try over and over again. Until she demands that I win one for her. The trick with this game? You pay per net, not per try.
I grin.
She tried seven times before giving up. I like getting my money's worth. She gets nine fish before the attendant starts looking at me funny. I don't care. I didn't do anything illegal. "How about a tenth one before we call it a day?" I ask my little sister. She nods enthusiastically. I grab the tenth, scooping it into the crowded little tank to be bagged, before ruining the net on purpose. "You wouldn't happen to have a tank for sale, would you? Maybe some fish food?"
"It just so happens I do." The man smiles, glad he'll still make a profit. I buy the biggest tank, three tins of the fish food and some cute little decorations; it turns out that he usually runs a pets store, so I get his information so I'll be able to buy more should there be a need.
"Come on, sis. Let's hurry home to get your new school of fish settled in." I tell her, sealing the things away. Naruto-nii sends a few clones with us, to carry the fish.
8-8
It isn't too hard to find the group again, after Sakiko is satisfied that her new pets are all happy in their new home. She liked that she got to picked the decorations, going with a 'lost city of Atlantis' type theme. I don't mind, it's in her room, and she'll have to keep them alive.
At any rate, when we rejoin the group, everyone's just settling in for the fireworks. They try not to plan the fireworks too late, so that the kids can enjoy them too. I'm grateful! This way I don't have to be out until midnight to enjoy the show!
So, armed with the cutest little decorative fans we could find, en route, seeing as we didn't find any before, and the pellet drums... we settle in for the ultimate New Years tradition: fireworks. The first shot is heard. "It's starting, it's starting, ya know!" I scoop up Sakiko so she can get a better view. Interestingly, Naruto-nii does the same for Hanabi. I'd expected her to make a fuss, but she cuddles with him much the same way Sakiko is with me.
"Ah, there you are, daughters. Happy New Year." Hyuuga-sama finds us. We wish him the same. I half expect him to give his daughters a hug, a peck on the cheek, demanding that he gets a peck on the cheek from them. No, he just stands there. I need to work on him.
With my two sister, my pack, my precious people... we stand here, together, watching the sky light up. Exploding with bright blues and greens and reds and pinks, and yellows and silvers. I love the lights, I won't lie. But it's the child like joy in Yasu-nee's eyes. It's the barely contained glee in Sakiko's eyes. It's hearing the two of them go back and forth about where the next one will explode.
My heart swells, overflowing with so many tender emotions. I lean into Yasu-nee, and she wraps her arm around me absently. She's still gushing about the fireworks, but being here with them tops the fireworks hands down. "I love you, Saki, Yasu." I murmur, knowing neither can hear me over the oohs and ahhs of the crows around us. It doesn't matter. Their hearts can hear me, that's what matters most.
"Happy New Year, sweetie." Yasu-nee says, just as softly. I smile. She did hear me. "And I love you, too. Ya know." She squeezes me a little. I hug her a little tighter, grateful for the little family I'd found along the way. Even if I complain about them night and day, I love my pack with all my heart. And I would do anything for them.
Anything.
8-8
End Interlude 13
8-8
A/N: I'm not sure if anyone else caught on as yet, or if I'd mentioned this before. I think I did mention it to a reviewer, but I'll mention it here. I've been posting so fast that I'm too far ahead of schedule. I had planned for this interlude to be posted roughly around the chapter 'Let it Snow', seeing as this and the Christmas interlude (the first one) are chronologically placed around that time frame. Sorry, but I try to make all chapters flow together, and all interludes fit into the bigger picture. I'm just too fast with typing these days. I'll have to work on that! Really I will!
Anyhoo! That means that I can start working on the next chapter now. I won't promise when it'll be posted. I am like going to be busy tomorrow, and recovering on the first. But I said that for Christmas too and I still ended up posting two chapters on Boxing day (the 26th). So, I'll just say: we'll see when I post again. No later than the 2nd of January though! That I can promise!
So, to one and all:
HAPPY NEW YEAR! (unless your new year is at another time, in which case, enjoy a completely unimportant day that allows you to drink yourself silly)