Of Birds And Bugs
by Angels-Gift
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Summary: It seems that everyone in the Rookie Nine and Team Gai are paired off. With the exception of a certain Aburame Shino. Not that he minds of course. His teammates, on the other hand, are a different story. ShinoOC
Setsuna smiled brightly as she wandered down side hall of her new Konoha home. For some reason, being in it made her feel for at home than anything else in this new, slightly stange land. Most likely because it was similar to her home in the Land of the Wings. Large, spacious rooms, nice, comfortable furniture, paintings of various scenes in nature and most of all, her crazy, oddly attituded family made her feel a home. The large copies of the Tsubasian symbol placed in various places of the house was just an added bonus.
Black eyes, tinted with blue and silver, glanced at the hanging tapastry in one of the rooms. Stepping in, her eyes glazed over slightly at the farmilar sight. It was woven by many of her aunts and distant relatives as a gift to hang in her new complex to remind her of home. No rightful member of the Tsubasa Clan or anyone from the Land of the Wings could see the symbol and not remember it. It was the family symbol of Tsubasa Abaku, founding father of the Land of the Wings and considered the first leader of the Tsubasa Clan.
A pair of silver wings was the largest imprint in the handwoven centerpiece, the symbol of every Tsubasian (Native of the Land of the Wings), of every member of the Tsubasa Clan. Swirls of rich, bold colors were dyed around the edges, giving the image of a pair of angel's wings in a rainbow's light. Each color represented each of the unique qualities in our family. The fact that each color blended with its surrounding others represented the unity of their ancient home, the belief that each member supported another, that they all were connected through a bond.
In the space of the wings lay five large jewels, set in a large pentagon, each one as beautiful as the last. Like everything in the tapestry, it represented an important aspect in the Tsubasian home, and this aspect represented one that affect each Tsubasa Clan member the most, for it symbolized the five Houses of Tsubasa, or the five branches of her family.
Set at the top most point, symbolizing the First house, was a large, sparkling sapphire, glowing a faint soft blue in the few rays of light the room gave. A faint smile appeared on Setsuna's face as she traced the Tsubasian symbol carved into the stone. 'Notaru' it was pronounced, meaning 'unity' in her language. That one word represented the reason why the First House existed, to bring unity to the other houses, to lead them to prosperity, guide them through life and bring them peace. But there was also a reason as to why blue was the color of the First House. It was because, like the serene, cool color of the sapphire, they were too to be calm and serene, to keep a cool head in both battle and life so they can guide others to follow.
Glancing down to second gem going clockwise, it could be easily catagorized as the brightest colored one of the five. Sharp and bright, the gold colored stone seemed like an essence of the sun itself in sunset's light, representing the Second House's sharp wit and the everlasting knowledge that was as bright as the sun's rays. To the members of the Second House, they chose gold because, to them, knowledge was the true 'gold' of the world, a gift from the high heavens and the most valuable thing in the world, much like gold is to thieves. Carved in the center of the gem is a symbol also. 'Coto', meaning 'wisdom', something that the Second House both respected and gained from every experience of their lives.
Under it, shrouded in the shadow of a nearby vase, was a dark, elegant colored amyethst. Setsuna's smile morphed into a smirk as she recognized the symbol of the Third House, glimmering and glowing even in the darkness of the shadow, practically screaming 'Calm, Cool and Collcted'. It was at these times that she seriously wondered if Third House members were psychics to have placed their symbol in the exact area where a shadow would hit it. Like the gem set in the shadows, the members of the Third House seemed to thrive and live in all thoughout their lives, sparkling best in the depths of night. Elegant and dark, the Third House shouded themselves in darkness, speaking rarely and barely ever expressed what they were thinking. Purple was their house's color for it described the Third the best, the perfect balance of shadows and light and as elegant as a god. 'Miha' was their symbol, 'patience', something they had vast amounts of, and to unbalance a Third House member's eternal cool was a task equivalent to throwing yourself in a dark abyss rumored to possess a demon from another world.
Next to the amyethst sparked a bold colored emerald, and in many respects, the near opposite of the gem next to it. Just like what the people they represented. Sparkling in the direct sunlight, it screamed 'Loud and Proud' with all of its heart. Setsuna gave a brief chuckle. Just like the Fourth House to pick a gem like it. Big (like their ego's), bright (like their imaginations), and green, their House's traditional color. Every time she saw green and a Fourth House member, she never questioned why. Not because they would give her a 5 hour long lecture about it (Which they would, by the way) but because it suited them the best. Nature was their mother, their home and their lives, and because green was Nature's color, they chose green as well, wearing it loudly and proudly. Her eyes wandered to the symbol carved in the center of the gem. 'Ime', meaning 'honor' in traditional Tsubasian, the Fourth House's code and law in life. They put their honor in front of them and would do everything they could to protect it, even if it ment giving up their own lives (Something they were very stubborn about).
The final gem, nested between the First House's sapphire and the Fourth House's emerald, was by far the most terrible in beauty. Representing the Fifth House was a ruby. Blood red in color, it spoke volumes of a Fifth House member's life and ideals. Red, the color of war. The color of death. The color of blood. To a Fifth House member, war was their playtime, the battlefield their playground should they be angry. If they had a reason as to why they would kill, they would slaughter though forces larger than them (But don't get me wrong, they had morals to keep, killing tore their soul as much as a normal person, they just don't hesitate if they had a reason). To a Fifth House member, death was the next gate, the next adventure and what you did in this life represented what you did in the next. And to a Fifth House member, blood was the essence of life. I gave them warmth, power, their link to the world of living. 'Fima' was their code, their symbol, meaning 'strength'. And Kami forbid any Fifth House member from every being angry, or else they'll show what kind of 'strength' they possess.
Every house of Tsubasa had their rules own rules and traditions but they put traditional Tsubasian ways first. However, there were things that came from their house that they had no control over, such as their appearence and attitudes. When the first five houses were established, the Tsubasa had placed several complex enchantments and jutsus over their family and the generations that would follow. It involved many things that affected your DNA. The jutsu made it so that if you were born in a certain house, such as the Third, your hair and you eyes would be born with purple in it. The same way went for the First House, you would be born with blue in your hair and eyes. Second House would have gold or sandy yellow, Fourth had green while Fifth House had red. However, every Tsubasa Clan member had blue in their eyes, a shade darker than the First House's own, to symbolize their membership in the Tsubasa Clan and their right to use the clan's own Kekkei Genkai and special jutsus. They also had black in their hair and eyes. This was just a common genetic trait, passed from Abaku himself.
Woven in the space of the pentagon, directly in the center in feather blue, was the traditional motto of the Tsubasa Clan. 'A family of birds, together as one.' Supposedly, it represented the unity of the five houses and the bond that each Tsubasa Clan member had with each other. Each Tsubasian, from First to Fifth House, had been taught since toddlers that they were each a part of a large circle, that stretched from young to old, strong to weak, wise to dim. That motto was the exact truth in our family, though others may think it a metaphor.
You see, since the first creation of the Land of the Wings, the Tsubasa Clan was bound to the birds of the world by an ancient pact. When a Tsubsian is born, they are taken to an alter dedicated to the great birds that inhabit our lands (which was every type of bird you can imagine). Many complex prayers and rituals are chanted until a spirit of a bird arises. This spirit binds to the newborn's soul, becoming a part of the child until death. It is at that moment that the skin on our left arm, around 5 inches in length, a bit down from the shoulder, is marked. Not by any human, but a seal that the spirit of the bird places on itself to completely tie to its human.
When the child grows up, well, when the child is able to walk, talk and run, it takes on the ancient pact with full responsibility. The child is then trained to be a ninja, to protect the Land of the Wings and the creatures of the Forest of Chaos from any harm. That is our purpose in the pact, to protect in exchange for the power from the bird spirit. At a certain age, usually 10, the child is able to summon the few physical items the bird spirit is able to possess, meaning a weapon. It could be anything ranging from a book to a spear to a bow.
When the child able to summon his or her weapon, he or she is given more advanced training until they can tap into the true powers of their bird spirit. From then on, he or she trains on their own and develope his or her own jutsu based on their bird spirit. Every bird spirit is different, meaning that every ninja that is bound to the bird has different abilities. It ranges, much like the weapons, from blasting fire, to the ability to control shadows. It also depends on their house because each house has their own specialty like the Fourth House's natural ability to use chakra to boost their physical strength.
However, do not think that all we do is fight. Being a ninja is but one of the important aspects of our lives, including protecting the civilians of the Land of the Wings and the Forest of Chaos. While each Tsubasa Clan member was raised to fight, some of us don't. A select special few that are specifically chosen by the Clan Head, or by the leader of one of the houses, are trained to do other, very important tasks. Most involve the weapons, herbs and poisons used in battle and only certain are allowed to do it, mainly because of their natural abilities and trustworthiness.
An even more select few led a life similar to Setsuna's own. To lead. While the Tsubasa Clan had a Clan Head, Tsubasa Kuzusu, the possesser of the Phoenix, they also needed four additional heads to lead the other houses. This, like the right to lead the clan, was a birthright but natural abilities as a ninja and a leader matters also. The heirs to the five houses were raised together as children, to promote friendship and working together so that when they were adults, they would be able to lead together without much trouble.
Setsuna grinned, remembering them. It was not just five heirs either, it was seven. Seven heirs to the five seats. How? You need to dive into family history for that one. As first born child, Setsuna had the right to the title of Clan Head over Eternity, her 11 year old sister, who supported her, claiming, and I quote, "Good luck with the old dingbats!". She had said that with a smile as bright as the sun, speaking about the Tsubasian advisors, resuming her pratice in the medic arts, determained to be the best medic in all of history, and she was on her way. At the age of 8, she had first proven herself to have the same abilities as a medic four times her age, locking her place as the next Clan Head should something happen to Setsuna, much to the girl's displeasure. "If anything was going to happen to Setsuna-nii-sama, you all are going to find out what my katana feels when it's driven up your ass! You all got that?!" Needless to say, she was not that happy about the possiblity of being leader. "I don't wanna be cooped up in an office all my life with boring paperwork and have a grey hair at 20!" Both Kuzusu and Setsuna had a laugh at that comment.
Tsubasa Owen was the heir for the Second House. Naturally smart, with an IQ of 250, a brilliant tactics officer and a great person to be around overall, Owen was gifted far beyond the expectations of any Second House member. He was an only child and combined with the fact it would be his birthright and his abilities, if their was even a possiblility that he would not be chosen would have baffled anyone. There was one downside about Owen that drove every one of his cousins and Setsuna nuts. While he may have a brilliant mind, he was as dim as as a blasted lightbulb when it comes to love. He didn't even realize that a good majority of the girls in the Land of the Wings and Konoha was after him, merely blinked and said, "Are you sure you had enough sleep last night? What could possibly cause them to like me?" Cue sweatdrop. Owen was, well, Owen when it comes to these things. Every Second House member was like this when it was about feelings, they were as dim in the subject as they were smart. And it was an unspoken rule that they looked as good as they were smart. And Owen looked very good. Very, very good.
Tsubasa Riku and Tsubasa Manni were the heirs to the Third House. Brother and sister, Riku was older by one year, which made him technically the true heir of the Third House. However, both brother and sister were orphaned at seven and six, when their father had died in a battle. Their mother had passed when she gave birth to Manni. Riku was still too young to fully take on the responsibility of being House Head, so Manni had shared the responsiblility with him.
That was the point when their sibling relationship had changed. It was that point when they started trusting each other completely, opening up to only each other and never fighting even if their life depended on it. Effects of this was evident everywhere. You would usually never see one without the other. Their rooms were next to each other, connected by a door so one would visit another about papers. Each had grown their hair so long that it reached far past that of a normal person's, as like every Third House member, and tied it in the exact same way. Overprotectiveness over Manni soon became Riku's sole reason to live which rubbed off Manni, becoming equally as overprotective over Riku. Both wore the same colors, black and purple. Well, every Third House member did but they wore the exact same shades. And finally, the two had the same silent, calm, cold, colleceted personality. 'Hn' was their favorite word (If it is one) and their answer to everything.
The two heirs of the Fourth House were Tsubasa Longhi and Tsubasa Sin-Lin. Brother and sister also, Longhi was older, however, by a year and a half, to the annoyance to Sin-Lin. However, the reason why there were two heirs in the Fourth House was also because of a family problem, but of a different kind. You see, because Longhi was older, he technically is the true heir, similar to Riku. However, he does not want to be the heir, his parents do. Because of her older brother's wishes, Sin-Lin is technically the house heir also. But because their parents want Longhi to be their heir and while their heir wants Sin-Lin to be heir, both were chosen and trained so. The duo fought like cats and dogs, the exact opposite of Manni and Riku, but they had their moments and usually, it ended in utter chaos, to the two's complete amusement.
The seventh and last heir was Tsubasa Yuri, the single most dangerous and tempermental girl in the world, even my Fifth House standards. Truthfully, she was the last choice the Fifth House wanted to make, but she did have the qualities of an excellent ninja, a good leader and by birthright. Well, the last one was a bit loose. Really, it was Tsubasa Leo's birthright, and if not, Tsubasa Tauro's. Because their parents had died 11 years ago, the twins had decided among themselves that they were not suited for the job when Yuri reached 14 and decided it was up to her to do it. They instead took it upon themselves to goof off, much to Yuri annoyance. But they had all known that Yuri being the House Head improved her relationship with the clan. She being bonded to the spirit of the vulture, the most hated bird of the family, caused her to be secluded all her life, from everyone. Her experiences with the people of Konoha opened her and accepting her position as heir only made it better. Gaara was just a very big bonus in her attitude.
The Clan Heir took one last look at the tapestry before heading out of the room, a smile spread on her face. Her eyes flickered over to the sky as she took in a breath of fresh air. Almost time. She blinked and began walking down the hall once more, head full of thoughts. All the preparations for the sleepover was prepared. They had even got her father's permission to use the DDR and karaoke machines so they wouldn't get bored. If the Konoha and Sand nin had any idea what the Tsubasa's had in store for them, they would most definetly run for the hills. Mentally chuckling at the idea, Setsuna rounded a corner and stopped in her tracks, sweatdropping.
"What the hell is going on?" she asked, doing her best not to break down laughing.
Owen, leaned against a wall with a look of patient suffering, turned his attention from the scene to Setsuna, a smile speading on his face. "Setsuna," he greeted with a nod, his sandy gold hair, streaked with black and pure gold, flew at the sudden movement. He rearranged his rimless glasses that hid his gold colored eyes, tinted with blue and black. "You don't want to know."
A girl walked into the hall with a look of boredom on her face as she surveyed the scene playing out before her. "They're still at it?" she questioned wryly, raising an eyebrow. Owen nodded and the girl scoffed, shaking her head. Her mane of black hair, streaked crimson flew about. Darting her blood red eyes, tinted blue and black, toward the center of the hall, she rolled them and folded her arms. "Must they do this?"
"That is the mystery of life, Yuri," answered Manni, walking over to the group with a smirk. Her long black hair, streaked purple, was pulled in a low ponytail that brushed against her legs like a cat's tail. Light purple eyes, tinted with black, blue and silver, glanced at Setsuna. "Setsuna," she said, nodding, replacing her smirk with an emotionless look for a few seconds. But it appeared again as she heard her brother's next words.
"No, the mystery of life, Manni-chan, is how Longhi got so empty headed," corrected Riku. In the first meeting with the Konoha and Sand nin, they had questioned if he had any relation to Neji, much to the annoyance of the two. But they did look alike. It was almost like long lost twins with one year age difference. There were minor differences though, besides height, age and family. While Neji had brown hair, Riku had black, streaked with purple. His eyes, in contrast to Manni's light purple ones, were a dark violet, tinted with blue and black. "Which is what I still wonder today."
"Now, now, Riku-kun. Let's not question what we should not know," said Setsuna. She glanced over the taller man's shoulder and sweatdropped harder. "You think they'll stop soon?"
Owen sighed and rubbed his temples, a frustrated look on his face. "Somehow," he started, to be stopped by a loud scream. He growled softly, reframing from saying anything until the scream stopped. "I highly doubt that."
It was at this point that Yuri finally snapped. "You freakin' idiots have been at it since morning! And to top it off, there are going to be guests coming over in a matter of minutes! All of your constant yelling and annoying bickering is getting on my last nerve!" The infuriated vulture spirit holder unconsiously began to summon masses of sand around her, and, combined with her deadly aura, gave her the appearence of the devil. "You two either shut the fuck up or you two will find out what it feels like to have 5 tons of san buried over you!"
Owen and Setsuna sweatdropped in the backround while Manni and Riku crossed their arms and surveyed the scene with amused smirks on their faces. The two in the vision of Yuri's fury, were currently staring at her, wide-eyed, clutching each other for dear life. The two turned looked at the other and exchanged shaky nodds. "H-Hai, Yuri-chan," the two said at the same time.
The Fifth House member's glare lessened a bit as she waved her hand, the masses of sand disappearing from sight. She crossed her arms and looked the other direction, glare still in tact. Setsuna sighed and shook her head. "Yuri, why don't you cool down for a moment?" she suggested. Said girl turned to her cousin and nodded, walking down the hall, past the cowering duo with a chilling air around her. Setsuna watched as Yuri departed and turned to the relieved looking siblings on the floor. "Longhi, Sin-Lin, what happened?"
The girl shot up and glared at her brother on the floor. Emerald eyes, tinted with chestnut, blue, silver and black, spoke volumes of how much rage she was feeling. Running a hand through her shoulder length chestnut colored hair, streaked green, black and silver, she let out a soft growl of frustration. "That idiot," she started, pointing to her brother. "That weirdo, stupid idiot I call my brother. " She stopped, trying to compose herself. "I walk down the hall and I find this idiot prancing around wearing facial cream."
Setsuna surpressed the laugh she really wanted to get out. "I see," she managed. Slowly, she turned to the older Fourth House member and bit her lip to stop the grin on her face. "And Longhi, why are you wearing facial cream?"
Longhi scoffed and picked himself up from the ground, brushing the dirt off his clothes. "I did it because I want to look beautiful," he answered dramatically, posing at the end of it. Sin-Lin glared at him while Owen and Setsuna leaned against each other, trying to surpress their growing laughter. Riku and Manni rolled their eyes at his statement.
"Long-baka, you will never be beautiful," stated Riku, shaking his head.
"Now keep the little dignity you have and wipe that disgusting stuff off your face," advised Manni, glancing at the goop with distaste.
Longhi shook his head. "But I still have 5 more minutes!" he whined childlike. Really, he shouldn't do that. He looked more than grown up. In contrast to his sister, Longhi had silver hair with black and green natural highlights. His eyes were emerald as well, tinted with black, blue and chestnut, sharing the same mischiviousness as Sin-Lin's own. If he didn't have on the face good, he would have looked moderately handsome. That is, if he wasn't pouting at the time.
Sin-Lin threw her hands in the hair and chucked the cloth in her hand at Longhi's face. "Take good advise when you need it. You look like a dork! And that facial cream is ment for chicks!" She marched down the hall after Yuri, mumbling all the way about stupid brothers.
Setsuna looked at the clock placed in a nearby room. "15 more minutes, people."
Tenten jumped down from the tree she previously occupied, stretching a bit as she straightened herself up from the ground. Surveying the area, she smiled slightly at the beautiful front garden of the Tsubasa complex. Figured that Kuzusu would spend any amount of money he had on his family to make them feel more at home in their strange surroundings. She picked one of the many flowers planted in the lush lands, feeling the soft petals as she the tips of her fingers over them.
She looked up, grinning as she noted Kiba playing fetch with Akamaru using a broken limb of a nearby tree. Kiba had thrown the stick a bit too far and it landed before the back of Naruto. Akamaru, not really noticing the blond, charged after it and didn't have enough time to stop before he crashed headfirst into Naruto's hide. The hyperactive, currently screaming, blond landed several feet away from were he stood before, spitting clumps of grass, dirt and flowers from his mouth.
This prompted a laugh from nearly everyone in the large group and a good natured smirk from Sasuke and Neji. Shino sweatdropped slightly, shaking his head as hje witnessed Kiba laughing a bit too hard and began choking on the air he was breathing in. 'Idiot,' he thought.
The Inuzuka barely had time to gather himself up before a very angry Naruto chased after him and Akamaru, teeth bared and lined with caked dirt, occationally shouting out in frustration. Tenten, as well as Sakura, Ino and Hinata, shook their head at the blond's immaturity while the others watched the show with varying levels of intrest.
Konoha's Weapons Mistress, however, took this moment to count everyone gathered in the bird clan's lawn, mentally ticking off their names in the list in her mind. 'Let's see here. Naruto's here for sure, Sakura, Sasuke. Check. Ino, Choji and Shikamaru, check. Hinata, Kiba for sure and. . . where's Shino?' She glanced around in confusion before finding the bug user in the shade of a large oak, completely blending in the shadows. Tenten sweatdropped absently. 'Right, Shino's here. Check. I'm here, Neji. . .Neji?'
Her brows furrowed for a moment, glancing up at the tree the prodigy occupied previously before finding him trying to avoid his former teammate's 'proclaimations of youth'. Sighing mournfully, she shook her head, sweatdropping. 'Some things will never change.'
Turning away from the sight of the Hyuuga prodigy trying his best composing himself from landing a blow on his bushy browed taijusu master, Tenten looked around, eyes flickering to the front gate. 'Where are the Sand Siblings?'
No sooner had the thought crossed her minds did a farmiliar swirl of sand flicker in her sight and three figures appeared before the front gate. The first and only female of the group looked around and waved as a sign of greeting as they approched the group. "Ohayo, mina," the four-ponytailed blond said, smiling as she adjusted the large fan on her back.
The second figure, garbed in a black, slightly baggy, suit and a cat hat, faced marked with face paint, gave a slight wave. "Ohayo," he greeted as well. He shifted slightly, balancing the weight of the three large scrolls strapped to his back.
The third figure nodded, teal eyes scanning the area around him before returning to the group before him. The sand that previously introduced the trio flew into the gourd strapped to the Kazekage's back without a motion.
Sakura and Ino, looking up from their examination of the flowers growing in the area, smiled and waved in return. Hinata waved slightly, still unable to get over her shyness. Tenten grinned, waving as a reply. Sasuke, Neji and Shino, the three not very used to exchaging more than one word or so, agknowledged the three with brief nods or a spare glance. Shikamaru cracked an eye open from his nap in the base of a large tree and waved lazily, mumbling something along the lines of 'troublesome' as Rock Lee shouted out his hello with unneeded entusiasm. Choji looked up from his bag of chips and nodded, mumbling a greeting in reply. Naruto and Kiba stopped their game of cat and mouse and rushed over to the three Sand Sibs, waving wildly.
"Oi! Temari, Kankuro, Gaara!" shouted Naruto, grinning as they got closer.
"You guys finally showed up?" mocked Kiba in a friendly manner.
Kankuro scratched his head, laughing shakily. "Yeah. Gaara had Kazekage business so we had to get that finished first," he explained, motioning to the red-head.
Temari let out a low whistle as she examined the Tsubasa complex. "These people are really rich," she commented. She squinted, trying to see the smaller details of the house. "It's as big as the Hyuuga complex!"
"Not really. The Hyuuga complex is much bigger!" corrected a vaguely farmiliar voice from behind. The group turned their attention toward the direction of the voice to meet the smiling face of a cute looking Tsubasa. "Ohayo, mina-san!"
"Sohlum-chan!" chorused the females of the Naruto group, rushing up to the girl, while Temari and the boys stood in the backround with mixed reactions of sweatdrops and confusion. Rock Lee, however, grinned and gave the girl a 'nice guy' pose, complete with shining teeth.
"What are you doing in the front lawn?" asked the Third House member curiously as she managed to rip herself from the slaughter of hugs. She blinked, trying to get rid of the aftereffects of the shining teeth she faced.
"Waiting for for those three," answered Kiba, pointing to the Sand Siblings with a spare hand, the other petting a snoozing Akamaru on the back.
Naruto noticed the vaguely confused look on the girl's face before explaining. "The girl with the freaky fan is Temari. The one with the makeup on is Kankuro and Gaara's the one that looks like he hasn't slept since the day he was born."
The three in attention threw Naruto varying cross looks at how they were introduced before returning their attention to Sohlum, who smiled and bowed politely. "Ohayo, Temari-san, Kankruo-san, Gaara-sama. I'm Tsubasa Sohlum." She edged closer to the three and examined them close up. "Leo-kun and Tauro-kun have mentioned you before, Temari-san."
The fan-user seemed a bit flushed at those words. "They have?"
Sohlum nodded in response. "Hai. It is difficult to ignore when they spend most of their time yelling about you around the house at 2 in the morning." She stopped, seeming to think about something, failing to notice Temari glaring in the dirt, muttering something about attacking the twins and boiling them in a cauldron of oil. Her spectators sweatdropped at the action. "That is, until Yuri-sama throws them across the house and threatens them. She uses many, many words I don't understand. When I asked Setsuna-sama about them, she told me to never repeat them in my life ever again."
Most of them sweatdropped harder while Naruto and Kiba suggested telling her the real meaning of the words. Sakura smacked Naruto to the ground for the suggestion while Kiba chose to kick Kiba into a nearby tree for his stupidity. "She's innocent, Naruto. We plan to keep her that way," hissed Sakura before throttling the blond without remorse.
Turning to Kankuro, she smiled brightly. "Sala-nii-chan told me a lot about you, Kankuro-san!" she chirped.
The puppeteer grinned in return. "Really? What'd she say?" he asked, curious what the oddly tempered Fifth House member said.
"That you were a creepy, sissy puppet boy," answered Sohlum, smile intact without a clue as to why Kankuro appeared seconds later in the shadow of a tree, sulking, drawing circles in the dirt with a stick. Neji and Sasuke smirked at the girl's answer while the others sweatdropped at the puppeteer's actions.
"My youthful friend! Let us not waste your youth drawing circles in the dirt! Even if Sala-chan thinks you are a creepy, sissy puppet boy, you will still have your springtime of youth!" exclaimed the spandex wearing fashion slaughterer. This didn't seem to help Kankuro as a small storm cloud somehow formed over Kankuro's head and was now rumbling a bit, charged with Kankuro's depression as it rained. This caused the group to sweatdrop harder, Sohlum blinking, blissfully unaware.
Temari sighed and smacked her brother in the back of his head. "Get up and stop sulking. You know Sala-chan always says things like that," she said crossly.
Kankuro looked up, crying anime style waterfalls. "But never like that," replied the middle child, rubbing the back of his head.
"Stupid male pride," muttered Tenten while Sakura, Ino and Hinata nodded in response.
"What's male pride?" asked Sohlum curiously.
Temari raised an eyebrow. "Male pride is a man's large ego," she answered. Sohlum stared at her blankly.
"It's the thing that causes a man to be very upset when a woman kicks their butt in anything," clarified Tenten, looking pointly at Neji with a look that said 'I-Still-Remember-That-Fight' while Neji turned away stubbornly. Rock Lee, being himself, started shouting out, "Oh, Tenten means the time that you, my eternal rival, slipped in a puddle of mud and-" He didn't get to continue as the tree limb he was standing on 'mysteriously' broke and he fell to the ground in a heap.
"It's also the thing that makes a man not tell anyone else that they need help, no matter how much they need it," explained Sakura, smiling as she remembered the times she had to heal Owen because of the result of a faile experiment, no matter how much Owen detested having to rely of Sakura for help.
"A man's pride is the thing that makes them not tell their feelings because they think that's it's a major blow in their ego," continued Ino, glaring at Shikamaru, who sighed and muttered 'Troublesome'. He knew what she was thinking of, his once explaination that talking to her about 'feelings' was 'troublesome' and 'the guys' with laugh at him for even doing it.
"And it's the thing that causes most men to rush into a fight without thinking about the consiquences," ended Hinata while Naruto scratched his head nervously in the backround. The guys, who were paying attention to the explaination with varying looks, glanced at the blond as if saying 'That-Applies-To-You-And-Only-You'. Naruto glared at them in return.
"What's so bad about admitting that you need help, or something is troubling you? And what is so bad about saying that a female beat you in something?" questioned Sohlum.
Tenten shook her head. "Sohlum-chan," she said in a way that screamed 'Teacher-and-pupil'. "The male mind is very simple and dim. Their egos run their whole life. If they ever admit any of those things, than their ego will be hurt and they will have nothing else to rely on." Several of the guys glared at her after the explaination of their inner workings.
"Are you saying guys are stupid?" demanded Naruto.
Ino eyed him for a moment. "In your case, Naruto, yes."
Before Naruto could reply, Sohlum snapped her fingers and let out a scream of cheers. The older nin looked at her, but her gaze rested on Gaara and Gaara alone. "Now I remember you! Yuri-sama mentioned you before!"
Gaara raised an invisible eyebrow but said nothing. A windmill of thoughts were working in his mind, first most being the fact that Yuri had even mentioned him to anyone. The badly tempered Tsubasa but intrigued and amazed him in many ways, one of them being the fact that she led a life similar to his own. Scorned from her people, a person coming out, willing to be her friend and ending up helping the very people who hated them and with people who supported them to the end. Second, because their personalities were so alike in many ways, with the exception of the fact that Yuri's temper was beyond those of a demon.
"She did?" questioned Hinata, interested. The others appeared interested as well.
"Not like her to show off about her boyfriend," remarked Kankuro, grinning as he got up and brushed dirt of his clothes. He froze when Gaara turned toward him and glared.
"Yuri-sama only said that Gaara-sama was the Kazekage and that he was a very good shinobi," clarified Sohlum, smiling.
"That's it?" asked Neji, those being the first words he spoke.
"Nothing else?" questioned Sasuke. Really, the question they really wanted to say was, 'No blackmail?' but were too stoic to do so. Both had reputations to keep up and both were reminded that Gaara had the power to control sand and would hold no remose should he 'accidentally' bury the two prodigies in it.
Sohlum shook her head. "No. Sin-Lin-sensei once tried asking her if there was anything more personal between Yuri-sama and Gaara-sama."
"And what happened," asked Choji curiously between bits of food.
"She said that she would not mind repainting her room using Sin-Lin-sensei's blood," answered the innocent looking girl, fiddling with the large sleeves of her dress.
Kankuro, amoung one of the many, shivered at her words. "Could've chose a girl that doesn't have a temper the size of the Land of the Wind."
"Says the one that goes out with a girl that wields an axe," answered Gaara cooly.
"So you admit Yuri's your girlfriend," accused Naruto, pointing a finger at Gaara with the 'I-Got-You' look on his face.
"Ah! So, my youthful friend, you have finally found a lady!" exclaimed Rock Lee, flashing his teeth at him. "THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH PREVAILS ONCE MORE!"
The Kazekage looked at Naruto and Lee for a moment, hiding his flustered self well. "I didn't say that she was my girlfriend, I only replied, saying that Kankuro should not be one to say things like that when he has a homicidal axe slinger after his ass."
"Sala's not homicidal," said Temari, defending her friend.
"But you do admit that she wields an axe," answered Gaara.
"Among other things," they heard Kankuro mutter as he rubbed his behind for unknown reasons, flinching as he recalled certain memories he would rather never happen again. After a particular flinch, they heard him mutter, "Boomerange so big. . .and so hard."
"Wow," said Sakura suddenly, an expression of awe on her face. "Gaara, you just said 56 words!"
The red-head's previously raised eyebrow rose a bit higher. "You counted?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Sakura shrugged. "A bit of a suprise considering you almost never talk."
"But neither do they," said Temari, motioning to Sasuke, Neji and Shino.
"Sasuke and Neji were born with sticks up their asses," answered Naruto absently, causing the most of the gathered to laugh while the two prodigies in turn glared at Naruto, who grinned and waved his hand.
"And Shino's just an ass," said Kiba, grinning. He was very aware of the fact that the Aburame was glaring at him from behind his glasses, although he made no point in running away from him, just yet.
Hinata patted the bug user on the back and smiled. "We're here to have fun," she reminded him. Shino nodded while the others were reminded why they were here in the first place.
"Right. All of us are here and now, all we have to do is go to the party. Lead the way, Sohlum?" asked Temari, looking at the complex with uneasy eyes.
"None of us have been in it before and we have no clue which room it's in," explained Ino.
"I'd be happy to," replied Sohlum. She motioned for them to follow her down the dirt path to the house. Neji and Sasuke jumped off their respective tree branches and followed them. Shikamaru muttered 'troublesome' before being forceably dragged by Ino down the road. "I would advise walking around with a guide until you know generally where to go. It is very confusing around here."
Reaching the front porch, Sohlum unlocked the door and stepped inside. She left the door open for the others to file in, flipping the switch on a nearby wall to light the room up. It was a rather normal room compared to the one they lived in in the Land of the Wings. The walls were painted a nice beige, matching the hard planks of polished wood that made the floor. A rack was placed near the door and currently filled with the shoes of the newly entered nin. A small closet was placed next to the rack, sliding open to reveal hangers for coats. Silently, they followed their guide through an open door and down a hall.
The shinobi looked around curiously as Sohlum began leading them down the complex structure of the Tsubasian House. Similar to the entrance room, beige walls made up most of the house, it seemed, while the floors were made of hard planks of polished wood. Lamps made of glass lined the walls in even intervals, glowing brightly compared to the dimming dusk outside. Several tables made of a forgein type of wood were occationally placed below below a few lamps, each with an expensive looking vase placed on it. A number of paintings were placed along the walls that showed various scenes of nature in times of the year. Each painting, though, contained at least one bird in it, either flying, resting in the shade of a tree or swimming freely in the painted waters.
"Wow. This looks a lot like your place in the Land of the Wings!" exclaimed Naruto.
Sohlum nodded happily. "Yes. Tsunade-sama and Kuzusu-sama agreed that it would be best if our home was similar to that of our home in the Land of the Wings so we wouldn't be too homesick."
"Is Kuzusu-san around?" asked Shikamaru, slouching as he walked, looking around boredly.
"No, Kuzusu-sama has to maintain peace back at home," answered Sohlum turning a corner to meet with another hall.
"So it's just you guys?" asked Ino, excited.
Sohlum nodded. "Yes. Setsuna-sama, Owen-nii-kun, Riku-nii-sama, Manni-sama, Longhi-baka-kun, Sin-Lin-sensei, Yuri-sama, Sala-nii-chan and I live here together. Leo-kun and Tauro-kun recently went back to the Land of the Wings for a few weeks."
"It's really just you guys?" asked Kiba, grinning at the amount of chaos he could cause without parents. "No guardians? Parents? Supervisors? Anything?"
The girl shook her head. "No, just us."
"Hn. It seems strange that they would leave their own alone in a forgein land without protection though," pointed out Neji.
"And all of you are important people to your clan, are you not?" asked Shino.
Sohlum nodded, smiling. "So true. But all nine of us passed the test of adulthood and proven to Kuzusu-sama that we are adults long ago. Because of that, we are allowed to go to places alone. And the reason why all the heirs are here are because we wish to experience Konoha together, not through accounts of another, and to show trust in Tsunade-sama. And I am very sure that all of us can defend ourselves, do I need to explain the abilities they possess?"
Several of them winced as they recalled how the Tsubasian nin had slaughtered many of the Sound nin without so much as an ounce of mercy. Naruto and Kiba visibly shuddered. "I never knew exactly how dangerous shadows were until I met Riku and Manni," confessed Naruto, wincing at the memory of the two using the shadows to strangle all charkra out of their opponents. Their pale, dead bodies were not an easy thing to forget.
"And I never knew that Sin-Lin can puch someone that hard," said Kiba, knees shaking at the memory of the Fourth House nin sending an enemy soaring through the sky. He landed eventually, the crater's still being filled.
"Exactly. We can take care of ourselves. Kuzusu-sama trusts us that much," explained Sohlum. She stopped talking for a second, seeming to recall something. "That is, after Setsuna signed the contract."
That picked up the intrest of a few. "What contract?" asked Sasuke, interested at the happenings of his girlfriend.
Sohlum blinked. "The contract? Setsuna-sama did no tell you?"
"Don't think so," answered Sakura, thinking.
"Well, Kuzusu-sama made a deal with us. We are allowed to live on our own, but in return, we are not allowed to destroy and/or cause any sort of chaos in any part of Konoha. Sin-Lin-sensei and Longhi-baka-kun were very upset about that contract for some reason. Especially when the contract deamed Owen in control should anything happen, simply because he is eldest and wisest when it comes to many situations."
They nodded in understanding. Unlike Sohlum, they all had a very clear idea as to why Longhi and Sin-Lin were upset about Owen being in charge. He was very responsible when it came to power, where as Longhi and Sin-Lin would abuse it and throw a wild party 24 hours of every day. Kiba and Naruto had to grin at the idea of Longhi being in charge though. "It would be so awesome if Longhi was in control though," commented Kiba, a very wide grin spread on his face.
"Oh yeah," agreed Naruto, imagining the chaos with an insane smile.
The others watched the interaction with mixed nervous smiles and displeasure. Sasuke shook his head. "Dobe," he said, glaring at the blond.
"What'd you say, teme?" demanded Naruto, turning around and glaring at the Uchiha.
Sasuke smirked. "I called you a dobe, idiot."
"Bastard!"
"Dead last."
"Hey! I made Jounin faster than you did!" claimed Naruto, a victorious smirk on his face,
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "But I made ANBU before you."
"By what? Half a second?! They only called your name first!" retorted Naruto, glaring at Sasuke. The Uchiha returned it with his standard 'Uchiha-Owns-You' death glare. Sparks were erupting as the two clenched their fists, neither side giving up.
"We missing something here?" questioned a loud voice a few feet away from the bickering pair. The group turned to meet the face of Tsubasa Sin-Lin, walking down one of the halls that connected to the one they were currently in. She uncrossed her folded arms and gave a slight wave. "Yo."
"Hey Sin-Lin!" shouted Naruto and Kiba, waving wildly as she approched them. The rest stuck to more normal greetings, with the exception of Lee.
"Sin-Lin, my youthful flower! Have you finally accepted your SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH?!" shouted Rock Lee.
A line of red appeared on Sin-Lin face as she turned away, staring at the wall. "Huh?" asked Kiba intelligently.
"Nothing," replied Sin-Lin quickly. Composing herself, she turned toward them again and smiled. "All here?"
"Yeah, everyone," replied Ino, returning the smile.
"Awesome, but where are you going?" asked Sin-Lin as they began walking down the hall. Sohlum stood next to the Fourth House member, shooting them a questioning look.
"Isn't it down there?" asked Sakura, pointing to the door down the hall.
Sohlum put a sleeve over her mouth as she smiled, laughing silently. Sin-Lin grinned and laughed. "No," they replied together.
"That's the bathroom," informed Sohlum.
"The room you're looking for, or at least I hope you are, is right here," said the female dog owner, pointing to the door right behind her,
The Naruto group blinked. "How did we miss that?" questioned Choji. Sin-Lin shrugged and slid open the door.
They filed in and looked around. The room was big and like the hallways, the room was beige, the floors made of hard planks but most of it was covered with numerous rugs. A fireplace was built on the far right side of the room, pictures and random figurines were placed on it. Above the fireplace was a framed Tsubasian symbol. Sofas, chairs and couches as well as tables were placed tastefully around the room. Currently, a small number of them were being occupied by the Tsubasa's, who were all focused on Setsuna, standing before them singing into a mic connected to two speakers.
Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling.
And everytime we kiss I swear I could fly.
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last.
Need you by my side.
Taking a deep breath, she grinned and bowed. Owen, Riku, Manni, Longhi, Yuri and Sala applauded lightly as she settled down into a large sofa. "Nice job, Setsuna," commented Sohlum politely as the Naruto group came in.
The Tsubasa's looked up and greeted them. Well, most of them did, Manni, Riku and Yuri looked at them and nodded without saying a word. Longhi, on the other hand, grinned and waved. "Ohayo, people. Come on, sit down!"
Following the Fourth House nin's instructions, they sat down into various chairs, looking around once in a while. Their gazes eventually fell on the bottle placed in the center of the room. Next to it, a few feet away, was a large, black top hat stuffed with scraps of paper. "What is that?" asked Naruto curiously.
"Mimata Hodo," answered Owen, fixing his glasses. "That is translated to 'Random Karaoke'."
"Random Karaoke?" asked Neji, raising an eyebrow.
"It's our version of karaoke," answered the Neji counterpart, looking at his somewhat twin. "It's stupid, really."
"No it's not! Don't listen to the jackass, it's a fun game," shouted Longhi, glaring at Riku, which he returned.
"How do you play?" asked Kankuro.
Sala smirked, rising Kankuro's hackles immediatly. "Glad you asked, puppet boy. Simple really. First, we have a bottle," she motioned toward the empty glass bottle on the floor, "a person spins it and whoever it lands on has three choices of singing."
"The first choice," continued Manni, "is the person who spun the bottle has to tell the other a vague order to chose your song."
"That means," started Setsuna, understanding the looks of confusion on the group's faces, "that the person who spun the bottle has to give a general order, like 'Pick a song that expresses your mood'. Since there are a lot of songs and each has a lot of moods, it's vague. The person who has to sing picks a song that follows the order and sings it."
"The second choice is a bittersweet choice," stated Yuri. "The person that has to sing gets to pick a song they want to sing, but the person who spun the bottle gets to dare that person after the song is over."
"I like that choice!" exclaimed Naruto, grinning at the possibilities of embarrassing Sasuke.
"And the third?" asked Shikamaru, bored.
"The third choice is completely random," answered Longhi, grinning. "You pick the song or order out of a hat." He motioned toward the top hat next to the bottle.
"Any rules?" asked Temari, suspicious. She had right to be. Tsubasian traditions and games were different from those of the people in Konoha. A very embarassing situation involving Leo and Tauro made her very aware of that fact.
"Dares can't be too extreme or illegal," said Manni immediatly, looking pointly at Longhi, Sin-Lin, Kiba and Naruto.
"And in event that you spin the bottle and it lands on yourself, you have to pick out of the hat," explaned Setsuna. She motioned toward the hat and showed them a piece of paper in her hand. "I spun on myself and I had to sing 'Everytime We Touch'."
"Everyone get it?" asked Sin-Lin, looking around for any confused faces. They shook her heads.
"I'm not singing," said Shino suddenly.
"Neither am I," agreed Neji.
"I don't sing," said Sasuke.
"I am not singing," Gaara said in his usual monotone voice.
"Too bad, you're singing," said Owen, Manni, Riku and Yuri in a chours. Each of them held a look on their face that clearly said 'If-I-Have-To-Do-This-You-Do-Too'.
"Don't worry anyways," said Sala, absently waving her hand to get their attention. "It's a small change you have to sing anyway. How many of us are there anyway? 24? 1 to 24 chance you sing. Not so bad. I haven't sung all night."
"We've only been playing for half an hour," informed Yuri, looking at the clock on the wall.
"Put it this way," said Sin-Lin, crossing her arms as she looked at the four boys against the idea, "Do it or we tie you to chairs and make you wear make-up."
"Don't think we can't," said Setsuna, grinning insanely. "Sohlum's bow strings are very strong and durable. And Yuri can match your sand for her sand, Gaara. Don't think she can't."
"You have a choice," cut in Manni, glaring at the four of them, "Karaoke from Hell or make up. Your third choice is me strangling every ounce of chakra out of you all." She raised her hand and the shadow of her arm, combined with her chakra, wrapped around her hand, glowing a dark purple-black. "And don't think I can't."
The four in question looked at each other and back at the group. "Fine," Neji, Sasuke and Shino said, irritated.
Gaara, however, shook his head. "Still not doing it."
Yuri rolled her eyes and got up. Sand swirled around her hand as it formed into her whip, which she snapped at the ground before the Kazekage. Yuri leaned in and whispered something into his ear, wrapping the whip around his neck. Gaara blinked for a moment as Yuri pulled back, whip still around his neck. "I'll do it," he said, a forced look on his face.
Sin-Lin grinned as Manni's shadow returned to it's original form. The whip in Yuri's hand disappeared as she returned to her seat, an emotionless mask placed over her face. "Setsuna, your turn to spin!"
The girl nodded and walked up to the bottle, spinning it and returning to her original seat. The bottle stopped after a few seconds, landing on a scowling, dark haired Uchiha. Setsuna smiled sweetly and turned to him. "You turn, Sasuke-chan," she purred, grinning evily as the boy cringed.