-Sorry dudes, I decided to put off the citrus til next chapter or so. Heh. Make do with what you have :D Please. I typed half of this at school. Be thankful! xP-
Chapter 3: Intentional Accidents
-One month later-
Tsunade yawned lightly as the sunlight infiltrated the dark underneath her eyelids through the blinds. It felt fresh to wake up after a twelve hour sleep. Yeah, Tsunade knew it wasn't good to sleep that long, but it felt fresh. And besides, who said Tsunade always abide by the rules?
She went down to the first floor down the stairs to get a good cup of coffee--there was another reason why Jiraiya was so freakishly taller than her. She took ut a mug from the cabinet and switched on the coffee maker. After it was made, she didn't bother to whip out milk or anything. Tsunade always took it black. Shizune had always complained about it, as Tsunade always complained about her precious yogurt and other kiddy dairy products. It was an interesting difference they shared. Tsunade was a coffee person; Shizune, milk.
She sipped it up as she peered at the living room through the big gaping square cut out on the kitchen wall. An orange light was blinking on the phone base on top of the end table. Th last time she didn't check the voice mail, she missed an important messafe and got the person annoyed. She disliked making a person unhappy due to her laziness. She set down her mug half full beside the sink. Tsunade sat on the edge of the couch, leaning over the base and pressing the mail button. She tapped her foot impatiently, irritated of the twently seconds of the machine voice that paused after every two words or so.
"Ahh, Tsunade," Shizune's voice took over the speaker. "I think I left my textbook there while you were helping me with studies. Could you perhaps drop it off sometime after noon? Thanks, bye."
Great. More driving.
Tsunade looked under the table to see her thick light blue textbook. She slipped on her sandals and shrugged into her gray sweater and picked up the book. Just as she went for the door, the phone rang again. Tsunade sighed and dropped the book on the couch to answer.
"What?" Tsunade said, not considering who was calling.
"My, someone's not in the mood." Jiraiya's voice chimed into her ear.
Tsunade sighed a smile. "What?" She repeated.
"Are you coming?" Jiraiya asked innocently. Tsunade blanked out for a second, and then she remembered. It was his birthday today. Woops.
"Uhm, yeah, I'm pretty sure I am. Aren't you a little too old for parties?" Tsunade gave a small laugh. Jiraiya grinned behind the phone.
"Yes," he confessed. "But I'm not too old to celebrate with my two best buddies!"
"Eh, I'll be there soon. Just gotta drop off Shizune's book. She left it here, and, yeah."
"Okay, see ya."
She set down the phone as she swiped up the book and again, grabbed he keys and went down to the parking lot. Her car still had the new-car-smell, despite being several months old. What she did hate about her car was that too many people had the same ones. She would've sworn that she had seen it about five or six times when she came to the freeway.
Having somewhat trouble starting the car (mostly because half a cup of coffee wasn't enough to smarten her up), she finally got the keys in correctly and slowly slipped out of the parking lot. Trying to remember the direction to Shizune's, she drove carefully, trying not to get a ticket like last time. Although Tsunade was an ironically rich person, tickets were of shame.
A few turns left, go straight, stay straight, pass by the famous run-down general store turn right and - Crap. Road closed. Tsunade cursed under her breath and turned around to go through the other route. She hated the other route. Passing through a corrupt gang-infested neighborhood was not her kind of ease. In fact, this is where Orochimaru grew up, and where he lost his parents.
The streets were clear, all doors shut, no cars rushing down the street. She supposed it was safe. She supposed wrong.
A car much identical to hers drove by the corner, rushing past hers, and startled, Tsunade peered closer into the window. She heard engines behind her, and there was another car speeding as fast (and as illegally) as the other. As soon as it came though, Twin Car vanished into the corner.
A chase. Shit.
Tsunade accelerated as fast as her reflexes would bring her to do, but her tires were shot down by the hooded person in the car behind her. Thinking that if she didn't get out of the car now, they'd blow it up, she desperately reached for the door and ducked. however the car had drove too close and suddenly she felt a hard sting on her knee and later her shoulder. She thudded to the ground, first numb, and soon searing.
"Shit!" they called from behind. "Idiot, you shot the wrong person!"
Tsunade's vision was already gone from closing her eyes shut, taking in the pain. She could only hear mumbles and her pain thumping, taking over.
"Run, bastard, the cops are coming," was all she could manage to hear and she was entirely numb. Hope filled her ears as two familiar voices entered the scene.
"Tsunade!" Jiraiya called as the sound of tires came to a stop and two people shut the door in panic. Her breathing got heavy as sounds soon left her and she felt two pairs of hands flip her over gently. She took a quick glance at the faces of her only chances of hope.
Blurring each time she attempted, Jiraiya and Orochimaru's faces glided over her. She identified Jiraiya's expression as deeply worried, but as for Orochimaru...
She could have sworn she saw him smirking before she blacked out and saw no more.
-
(One month later at the Shizune/Kabuto residence)
One month had passed and everything was going swimmingly.
Shizune set aside rule one, since Kabuto kept on insisting, or in her view, begging. Even she had to admit, his cooking was much better than hers by a landslide. The soup was just a test taste.
Her studies were going well—hard (very, very hard) work really did pay off. However, missing out on one assignment was costly and made her fall behind, so slacking off was definitely not an option.
She and Kabuto were getting a long more—she was less paranoid about him, and he learned how to abide by her rules when she needed him to—which was only one to worry about. He knew how hard she needed to work, and breaking number three wasn't an option. That is, unless, he wanted himself beheaded.
Kabuto had also been working hard. Managerial jobs paid fairly well, better if you put your mind to it. Restaurant jobs were common for college flunkies, but it was at least fun. When he had explained this, Shizune immediately questioned, "Flunky?" He immediately evaded the subject. She was nice enough to let it down. As long as the money was landing in someone's pocket. Shizune, however, was empty, and was quite bitter when she realized she was allowing him to pay for and work for everything by himself, when she promised that'd she'd do at least half. Even when he insisted that it was all right with him, told her that she would need the time she had to study, and that she would have a chance when she finished school (with a much better than a mere cashier or waitress), her own self-guilt trips kept her down. And alas, first month, first rent bill. And the first time Shizune ever desired a job.
"I need a job."
"No you don't."
"Uh-uh."
"Nuh-uh."
Was what they'd argue before Shizune'd go to school.
"Money."
"No."
"Need it."
"No."
Was what they'd argue before bed.
"I found a place where I could work."
"Where?"
"... I don't know yet."
"Ahah. No."
"Merrh."
But the fun of it was ruined when Kabuto received a call for Shizune.
Shizune was still in school, and since it was about 4 PM, she was about to get off and take the bus home. Kabuto drove over to pick her up instead.
Standing in front of the entrance, she eyed the car she suspected was his. He opened the door and shut it behind him, standing gloomily in front of her. Her face was a puzzled, and before she could ask he held out the book she had asked Tunade to drop off for her. She eyed it carefully, still quite puzzled, but it came to her soon and a horrified look filled her face as she immediately got into the passenger's seat.
-Sorry guys, ending it here cause tonight was my promised due date. Hoped you liked it. I understand if you feel the urge to fly over to CA and hunt me down.-