Team Kakashi
By: Lady Evelynn
All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Naruto. Though the plot is mine. The song used belongs to 30 Seconds to Mars. Listen to it, it's great.
Recap:
Haruno Sakura is a nurse in training, who works part-time with Doctor Tsunade (and who also gives her ridiculous hours) as well as a senior at Konoha High School. Her life is anything but average, and when she meets a stranger with blood colored eyes on the way to a midnight emergency call from her mentor her life and everything changes.
She saves a young man, seemingly the same age as her, from what seems to be a fight gone terribly wrong. When she unseals him and takes out a kunai from deep inside him engraved "Game Over" she knows this boy is special. Before anyone could get anything out of him, he disappeared and all record of his being there was erased a few days later.
To add onto the complication, Ino, her childhood friend, comes back to spend some time with her, then Sakura receives an anonymous letter with a ticket for an up and personal meeting with her favourite band. With a few days left until the day of the concert, Hinata (Sakura's roommate) and Ino decide to go on a shopping spree for the concert.
But someone is keeping an eye on the young woman, stalking her; someone with blood-red eyes.
Chapter 5: Meet and Greet with the Devils . . . and Angels.
Today was the day Ino would take both Sakura and Hinata to the Leaf Garden Mall, or Konoha Mall as locals liked to call it. As soon as the bell rang, signifying the end of classes, Sakura was the first one to rush out of her classroom. After pushing through the already crowded hallways and exiting the building, she saw that Ino was already waiting by the Local Transport stop with Hinata, both looking extremely bored.
The benefits of being in Class A were that the students received special privileges; one of them being that the students could leave early if all assignments were finished. Sakura, being a Class B student, had a more strenuous class. The teacher believed in using time wisely.
The reason why she wasn't in Class A was due to her horrible schedule last year— at that time she was adjusting to her new work schedule Tsunade gave her, on top of her own daily life schedule— and therefore, barely passed her placement exam. She was asleep for most of the test time period because of that and therefore was signed to Class B. She had tried to persuade the higher ups of the school that she wasn't unprepared, on the contrary she was more than, but that she was instead exhausted and didn't have enough time to complete the test.
To further her reasons, every problem she had time to answer was all correct, leaving the ones she didn't get to, effecting her overall grade. The higher ups disregarded her plea, and since there was no one else to complain to, she was stuck in the lower class.
Sakura sighed and ran her fingers through her long, straight hair at the frustration of the memory. It was great that since she still had the same strenuous schedule she didn't have to focus much on school, seeing that Class B was easy for her. With Class A, she'd have more assignments and it would therefore be more time consuming—something more of that she didn't need. She didn't complain anymore, but being in a lower class still looked badly on her record.
"Haruno, what took you so long? I left you an SMS almost fifteen minutes ago. The bus isn't going to wait all day for a straggler," Ino teased. The bus didn't wait, true, but Ino thought ahead enough to buy later tickets.
"Well, blame that on Kurenai-sensei. She's surprisingly not as laid back as some people would think. Especially if they've never been in her classroom,"
"Well, Asuma's a great guy. Since we're such obedient students he allows us to leave whenever we want. Took me awhile to convince Hinata to leave, but she finally gave in. She's such a goody-two-shoes," Ino laughed, holding out a ticket to Sakura. "C'mon, we haven't all day!" Ino then entered the public transport bus.
As opposed to other transports, buses that led to more public areas required a ticket. A person slid the ticket through the indicated slot at the entrance of the bus, and once the small machine read it, it plopped out the other side. When the ticket is read, a glass barrier slides open to allow the passenger to pass through into the seating area of the bus.
Sakura did just that, and followed Ino towards the back of the bus. The bus wasn't enormous, but it was roomy when it wasn't rush hour. A lot of people liked to take the bus because it was easy transportation, and it was safe.
"Hello, Sakura-chan," It was Hinata. She was sitting in the back corner, across from Ino's designated spot. Sakura chose to sit upfront of Hinata. "How is your hand?" Hinta asked with concern. Since they didn't have dinner together, Hinata didn't realize that Sakura was wounded until the morning. But since Sakura was an aspiring doctor, it would be safe to say that Sakura could easily tend to her wound. It was still nice to make sure, just in case.
"Hey Hinata. Well, the blood already coagulated so I didn't have to worry about infection. It'll be completely healed by tomorrow," Sakura smiled, confidence shining through her eyes. Sakura took pride in her knowledge, she never liked to be put in situations where she had to depend on others for answers. It irked her, only because she was a woman of pride.
Sakura and Hinata were different in many ways. Perhaps best friends were like that, they complemented each other's traits. But whereas Sakura 's eyes held determination and strength, Hinata's eyes were soft and unassuming.
Today Hinata's hair was let down, accenting her pale face with its styled frame. Normally Hinata's hair would be pinned up in a way that it appeared she had boy-like hair; Hinata didn't like her hair getting in her way, Sakura assumed. But her hair let completely down was beautiful. Even though Sakura never saw Hinata perform, she would believe that she mesmerized her patrons.
"I hope you had a more eventful day than I did," Sakura laughed, almost bitterly. She then tore her eyes from the young woman and looked towards Ino's direction.
Ino was texting. She was always busy, it seemed. Was it that Ino came back for good, or was she visiting? There was so much mystery surrounding Ino that Sakura was so confused whenever she looked at Ino. "Well?" Sakura asked, breaking the silence between the three.
Ino looked up, all the while continuing to move her fingers across the small keyboard connected to her cell. "Well what, forehead?"
Sakura gritted at the cruel nickname. "What's your plan?" That question had many meanings behind it, but Sakura assumed Ino would take the more direct version into consideration.
"We go to the mall, get a wardrobe make-over, eat, and then shop some more," Ino stated and once again looked down onto her phone's tiny screen. "We should add salon to the list, too."
Sakura's thin pink eyebrow twitched in response, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Hinata laughed softly, breaking some of the tension. "I've been meaning. . . to go to a salon," The young woman nervously pressed both her index fingers together, looking downwards. It was a habit Hinata had when she was asserting herself. It was rare when she spoke aloud just to speak, so when Sakura noted this she closed her mouth at Ino and smiled to the other woman.
"Really? You're already beautiful Hinata. What would you want done anyways?"
"Well… I really wanted… to…" Hinata looked around, a blush creeping upon her cheeks. Sakura leaned forward, understanding Hinata's obvious embarrassment, "I-I wanted to get… a wax," Hinata looked away, her blush darker than before.
Sakura pulled away in surprise and let out a half of a laugh, only to shut her mouth and suppress it. She didn't want to be rude, but she also found it funny that Hinata would want to do something like that. After a few seconds, and another few deep breaths, Sakura asked: "You mean a facial wax?"
Hinata remained silent. It didn't seem like she had any out of place hairs on her face to begin with. But with Hinata's silence it only confirmed her dark thoughts. "A bikini wax?"
"What?" Ino yelled, enough that most of the people on the bus turned around to give the loud woman a glare. "Are you serious, Hina-chan?" Ino obviously ignored them, and ignored them well.
Hinata remained silent. Her only response was the darkening red on her face.
"To be honest, I didn't take you as such a woman," Ino grinned. Sakura shook her head in disbelief. Maybe Hinata was luckier with the opposite sex than she was. This made Sakura grit. "So then, who's the lucky man?"
Hinata let out of surprised breath and pressed her index fingers closer together. "U… Uzamaki,"
"What? With the lead singer of Team Kakashi? You're seeing him?"
"N-no! I just… never mind,"
"No, tell me! I'm very curious now," She must be, because her cell phone was put away and all of her attention was on the blushing maiden.
"I… I just want to… you know… en-encase,"
"Hinata, have you already lost your flower?" Ino grinned, leaning towards the dark haired woman.
"What?" Sakura yelled, drawing more attention from the passengers on the bus. This was even more saddening if Hinata lost her virginity before her!
"It's… It's so inappropriate to talk about this in public," Hinata managed to say throughout all Sakura's probing.
Ino laughed, but inside her heart cringed. Suppressed memories tried to resurface, but Ino swallowed them down painfully. No need to think about the past, just keep on moving. That's what she always chanted in her time of doubt.
Ino closed her eyes and listened to the voices of her friends. It was relaxing to be back, to be in the familiarity. She could almost just breathe peacefully and relax her mind. Ino stopped her thoughts again, otherwise they'd be out of control and she couldn't concentrate and keep her cool. Everything needed to be perfect. She was home, and she was going to enjoy ever damn minute of it until her departure. Memories like these are irreplaceable. Focus on the now, nothing else, she chided herself.
The blonde blocked unnecessary outside noise from being registered and imprinted in her mind and memory. If she was good at anything, reading deeply into things was her forte. Not only could she glance at someone and determine bit and pieces of their background history and current hobbies and professions, but she could also determine what types of personalities a person had and from then deduce how they would act and react— their thoughts. But she needed concentration to do this. One at a time; no distractions.
It was a hobby of hers, to say. She enjoyed being right, and she always was. Ino zoned into one of her talking friends and began to listen intently. To others she would appear to be busy catching up on R&R, and sometimes busy concentrating on doing other things— like SMSing and having light chat with nearby strangers. But, her mind was always alert. It was something she learned at a young age. Don't ever be caught off guard.
Some, if they could read her mind (highly doubtful), would call her paranoid, but she would say she was playing it safe. You never knew when your world would turn upside down by the slightest action.
Opening her blue eyes, eyes that looked like the sky of Konoha—her birthplace—on a bright and cloudless day, she saw Sakura eyeing her curiously. Ino smiled back. "We almost there?" Ino asked, her eyes now glancing at the buildings they were passing by. She didn't remember much of her childhood home, much has changed, but it was nice to see that Konoha citizens took great care in their surroundings. Everything looked beautiful and fresh. Like a metropolitan garden.
Something caught her eye though, a flicker of recognition interrupted her thoughts, and Ino shot up. Her head and body followed her eyes.
"Almost there," Sakura replied, taking an interest in the attitude of her childhood friend, "Ano, what is it?"
"I thought… I saw something. A building that looks familiar. But I can't recall," Ino turned around and faced the two girls, smiling widely in slight embarrassment, "Never mind."
As if on cue, the bus came to a slow stop and the exit doors slid open. The exit doors were in the middle of the bus that led to a bus stand, the exit part at least. Ino watched as people boarded bus, placing their ticket into the designated slot and then watching as the glass door slid open for them to pass by and closed as soon as the one person slipped through.
Sakura stood up and walked towards the exit. "Come on," She bid, motioning the other two girls to follow, "We can walk to the mall from here. It's not that far,"
And it wasn't. It gave Ino a chance to scope the area around, to remember each and every detail. This was her home, her true home. When they reached the mall, Sakura automatically pointed to a few places they should head to first from the directory. It was a huge mall, with a bazaar on the outside of it encase you didn't find anything of your liking in the mall. Many people, even though it was the weekday, crowded the mall. The ambiance was lively.
"Neh, I think we should leave the Salon for last, don't you think, Hina-chan?" Sakura smiled, sticking out her tongue. Hinata blushed and slowly nodded. "So, let's shop for outfits first, then accessories and shoes for later. It's best to get the big stuff out of the way first,"
"Really? I was in the mood for checking out some cute hair accessories," Ino smirked, placing her finger on one of the areas on the directory. "It's on the bottom floor, too,"
"The bazaar has many discount hair accessories," Sakura added, as-a-matter-of-factly. "So it'd be less time consuming if we check those out later,"
"Alright, lead the way then, forehead," Ino smiled, tucking her long blonde bang behind her ear, creating a swooping effect. Sakura twitched her brow in irritation, but led on. Oh, did she love to get responses out of her friend.
While walking around and stopping at certain stores, trying on outfits and contemplating what to buy, the three girls were enjoying chatting about nothing in particular. These moments were the moments that meant a lot to friends. Just to be with one another and enjoy each other's company.
"So, Hinata-chan," Ino spoke as she pulled tightly on some lace attached to the shirt she was trying on at the moment. "What exactly is this job you do? I keep on hearing Sakura mention it, and things like your 'customers.' I'm so confused,"
The sound of clothes being taken off and put on and the sound of hangers clanking against each other could be heard, but Ino didn't hear a response from the quiet woman. After Ino successfully placed on her desired outfit, she opened the dressing room door and made her way towards the larger mirror in the dressing room hallway.
'Ah, beautiful. I might just get this,' Ino thought silently. Soon Hinata came out, the outfit she tried on in hand and not on her body. "Eh, Hinata-chan?"
"Well, um, I'm a dancer," Ino waited a few more seconds while Hinata stared down at the price tag of the outfit she held in her hands. When Hinata's gaze met Ino's through the mirror, Hinata went on, "I'm an exotic dancer at a gentlemen's club. The upstairs is for paying customers and the downstairs is a club for those who don't want entertainment," Hinata said, letting out an elongated breath.
Ino blinked in surprise. For such a soft spoken young woman who appeared to be innocent in many ways, to think that she was already in an adult sort of world. Thinking back to the bus ride, Ino connected two and two together. It was such a shame.
"But I don't mind," Hinata smiled, walking closer to the blonde woman still posing in the mirror. "It pays well and I only perform on weekends. Plus, it's a learning experience,"
The true meaning of that statement shouldn't have to be spoken out loud. But Ino was always the type of girl to share her opinion, "So, you 'dance' for horny old bastards' pleasures?" It was critical, her tone, but she didn't really approve of a sort of life for Hinata-chan, who seems so innocent.
Hinata blinked, then blushed dark red. "No, no, no! It's not what you… think. I only perform on stage. I do not do solo performances," Hinata almost laughed, Ino saw. She was beyond embarrassed, she could tell. So instead of Hinata laughing, Ino laughed in her steed.
"Has Sakura-chan seen you perform?" Ino inquired, still laughing.
"Never. Nor has Tenten. I'm sure they'd get too embarrassed… watching me,"
"Well I wouldn't. I think it'd be a fun experience. I'd totally cheer you on." Truth be told, Ino liked Hinata. She was the type of friend you made and then that's it; no fighting and no drama. You were friends until fate deems it not— and fate would have to be pretty damn persistent.
"A-arigato," Hinata mumbled, placing the clothes that were in her hands onto a nearby rack.
"Hey, Hinata-chan, do you like those?" Ino asked as she turned around from the mirror to take off the outfit she placed on.
Hinata paused at her action and offered a tiny smile to Ino. "Yes, they are beautiful, but… they don't look good on me,"
Ino's keen eye caught the lie, even before Hinata uttered a sound. It was all in her body language. With a smile, Ino walked towards the dark haired woman and snagged the clothes from her fragile looking hands. "Then I shall purchase them. They look so adorable. Oh, 6.000 Ryo? Such expensive taste I have," Ino grinned and made her way towards the dressing room she emerged from before.
Hinata's lilac eyes followed Ino's toned and beautiful body until she slammed the dressing room door, awaking Hinata from her silent trance. A small frown appeared on her full lips, then opened to sigh softly. Walking out of the dressing room she spotted Sakura's pink hair waving restlessly as the woman moved from clothes rack to clothes rack.
"I can't find a damn thing that would compliment my hair," Hinata heard the young woman growl.
"Sakura-chan," Hinata called out.
Sakura stopped pilfering through clothes and turned towards the source of the voice. "Ah! Hinata-chan, how did you like the outfit?"
Hinata shook her head, "No good,"
"Ah, Hinata-chan, you shouldn't be so stingy with your money sometimes. I know you make a lot of money, and bills aren't bad enough to drain anyone of their fun money. I wonder then, what do you spend your money on," Sakura grinned, pulling out a revealing dark purple mini dress from the rack she was looking at. "This might look good on you. Try it on!" Sakura smiled, handing out the clothing article to her.
Hinata shook her head. "Okay…"
As Hinata made her way back towards the dressing room Ino exited. "Alright, I'm done!" Ino announced to no one in particular. However, her voice did carry so she grabbed the attention of most the people in the store. With a wide grin decorating her face, she made her way towards the cash register unabashedly.
The store they were in was well known for their great quality, as well as their high prices. It was shocking to find a striving high schooler make their way towards the "a la mode" section of the store, instead of the discount racks where Sakura was busying herself; it was more than shocking, however, to find a high schooler purchasing said items in abundance! And that was what Ino was doing unawares.
"I-Ino," Sakura called out, stumbling towards the young blonde woman. In the many years the two were apart she never imagined, well she vaguely imagined, that Ino would be a shopaholic. Did she even have enough money to cover that?
"Just place everything on this credit, here," Ino smiled at the cashier lady, giving her a plastic card.
When Sakura reached to where Ino was, she curiously looked at the price. 52.000 Ryo?
"Is that much?" Ino asked nonchalantly. Sakura had apparently spoken aloud gaining her and her companion curious stares.
"Eh, for me it is. I make that amount in three months working with Tsunade-sensei, without paying bills and buying groceries,"
"Well, I just happen to be a big saver," Ino winked, grabbing her card and placing it into her small purse pouch hanging carelessly supported on her shoulder. "I saved up all my money to see you again, Sakura-chan. Now that I'm here, why not spend it? Sheesh, don't need to worry that much over me, forehead. I'm not six," Ino laughed and grabbed the clothing that was all bagged for her. "Where's Hinata?"
"She's trying on something I think would make her look adorably beautiful. I hope she gets something that compliments her physic,"
"—and shows a bit of her ta-tas," Ino added, smirking at the mental image. Ino thought she had big breasts, but when she saw Hinata try on a previous outfit she was obviously mistaken. She presumed her outlandish comment drove Hinata beyond embarrassment made her become even more self-conscious of herself than already, instead of proud like Ino would have been if someone complimented her in that way.
A few seconds later, Hinata came out, dress in hand and walked towards the girls. "It's very beautiful, Sakura-chan. Thank you, I like it," turning towards the cashier lady, she placed the dress on top of the counter gently, "I will take this, ma'am,"
After paying the amount, the girls left the store and continued their escapade throughout the mall until their feet began to blister. Or, well, ache.
"Ah, I'm starving!" Ino yawned, slumping onto a nearby bench and letting her many bags of assortments fall by her feet. Hinata and Sakura followed in her trail, sitting beside one another.
"There's a ramen place nearby the bus stop if you want some homemade cuisine," Sakura suggested, playing with a new curled strand of hair. She didn't want the stylist at the salon cutting her hair, so instead she got her hair curled.
"It's a bit late though. Might be dangerous for three beautiful creatures such as us to walk alone at night," Ino laughed. "Especially if our hands are preoccupied carrying these," Ino pointing towards all the bags she had to carry compared to Hinata's and Sakura's.
"I'm not carrying your things, Ino," Sakura said, glowering at the blond who had her hair completely flattened. No longer could you see her other blue eye, it was now hidden away beneath the long blonde strands of straightened bang.
"Ramen does sound delicious," Hinata piped in, her hand covering her stomach in an attempt to hide its grumbling.
"Then it's settled. Food's on me, girls," Ino smirked, standing up with renewed energy.
The girls arrived in record time, considering Ino had to carry more than ten very heavy bags on her own, and all sighed when the smell of ramen invaded their senses.
"This is heaven!" Ino shouted, ducking under the entrance flaps so she could enter the heavenly place.
"I'm glad you think so," a voice replied. He was standing behind the ramen counter handing out two bowls of freshly made ramen to some guests.
Ino replied with a wide grin. Sakura followed suit along with Hinata in the rear.
"You gals know what you'd like to order?"
Sakura replied instantly, taking up a seat at the bar, her bags kept on the floor neatly by her feet, "Yes. I'd like the special,"
"Coming right up," The man said, smiling. The ramen stand was a small, dinky place, but the service was top-notch, as well as the quality.
"I will have some Miso Ramen, please," Hinata said, sitting next to Sakura.
"Make that two on the Miso," Ino nodded, taking a seat next to Hinata. Just as Ino was about to start conversation, one of the guests beside her was acting quite rude and disrupted her train of thought with his slurping.
After a few minutes of listening to him slurp, Ino turned her chair towards the person making the noise and slammed her fist into the table, catching his attention. His eyes drifted uninterestedly onto Ino's, then shifted to something behind her that caught his attention.
"Hey! You're that one girl from the strip club!" He yelled loudly, making the other girls turn towards the young man, each with a different expression:
Ino looked more than annoyed, Hinata's face was past the brightness that red could go on a colour pallet, and Sakura looked a cross between confused and angry.
"Yeah," He grinned, "The pretty girl with the pink hair. I almost didn't recognize you. You curled your hair. It looks great,"
It took a second for the two girls to recognize the man. It was true, they did meet before, at Hinata's job. Though calling it a strip club wasn't really called for. "You think you can yell a little louder?" Ino interjected, glaring at the blond. The guy beside her scratched the back of his head in an sort of embarrassed apology. He then turned his attention to Sakura.
"Surprise meeting you again. I've been wanting to bump into you to ask you if you wanted to go out sometime,"
Wow, this guy didn't beat around the bush. Sakura regained her composition only to start laughing. "I have a name, you know. It's Haruno Sakura,"
"Sakura. . . san," The young man worded her name slowly, getting it used to on his tongue. Sakura furrowed her brows. At least he added a suffix.
"Uh, do you want to switch places, Sakura?" Ino asked, rubbing her ears.
"Sure," Sakura nodded. After changing places, Sakura held out her hand and smiled to the young man. She wasn't known for being rude. He took it as quickly at it extended and shook it. "So, is there any reason why you want to take me out after meeting me for the second time in your life?"
Both hands retracted and he watched as she sat down before answering, "You're beautiful of course," He grinned. Sakura's brow twitched. Talk about superficial, "But that's not the only reason. I'm going to be leaving town soon and I really like this place. Since I recently came here for… vacation I don't know many people, and I'm wondering if you could show me around. I can take you out on dates too. Win-win situation, you know?"
By this time, all three ramen bowls were given to each girl. "Arigato," Sakura echoed along with Hinata, to the cook. "Ah, I have a very busy schedule—"
"Please?" The young man grinned cheezily. He seemed the desperate type, Sakura noted with slight distaste.
"I'm sorry," Sakura shook her head and turned towards her food. Picking up her chopsticks, she removed the Uzamaki pieces to one side of her bowl and was about to take a bite of some of her noodles when he interrupted,
"Naruto. That's my name. And please, we don't even have to call it a date. I'm sure you can bend your schedule a bit. Think of it as a small vacation; everybody deserves a lot in their life,"
"You're persistent, aren't you?"
"Believe it," he grinned. Pushing his bowl away from him, already finished with it, he grabbed for a napkin and grabbed a pen from his pocket. Scribbling something down, Sakura watched from the corner of her eye with little interest as she made work at her food, managing to scarf down a few full bites.
Is this guy seriously writing his number down? What a loser.
"Here," Naruto smiled broadly, sliding the napkin over to her. "Meet me here Sunday. You have to be a Kage if you're schedule is completely filled on a national off day,"
Surprisingly it wasn't his number. She would have to reevaluate this guy; he wasn't a complete freak.
"Naruto," A soft voice beside the blond male spoke. Sakura shifted her eyes to the man she never noticed. His hair color was brilliant, making it the first thing she laid eyes on. It was red, like an intense flame. His face was pale and unmarred, and the expression on his face seemed… emotionless. "It's time to go,"
He got up, leaving money where his empty bowl lay, and left, not bothering to wait for Naruto. "Eh, well then, I guess I'll be seeing you," Naruto grinned and waved to Sakura, then bowed kindly to the cook, "Arigato, Teuchi-san," Without a glace behind him, he left the girls and caught up with his friend.
"Well that was rude," Ino scoffed. She drank a bit from the complimentary water and looked to where Sakura was. "How do come to attract losers like that?"
"Shut it, Ino," Sakura said, suppressing the urge to smirk.
"So where did he ask to meet you?" Hinata inquired, softly.
"Oh," Sakura's green eyes glaced down, reading the scribbles on the napkin, "the hot springs,"
LEMME REPHRASE THAT. HE'S A FREAK!
Hinata coughed and Ino burst out laughing. "Well doesn't he have balls,"
"Uh, for some reason I don't think I'll be able to escape him. I should go, shouldn't I?" It was more of a question to herself than to anyone else.
"We could come along if you like, Sakura-chan,"
"Thanks Hinata, I'd like that. Ino, you'd come too, neh?"
Ino raised a brow, "I could barely sit next to him more than a minute, you think I'd want to suffer through that again? Well unless his cute friend were to join, I wouldn't mind. I've never dated a red head,"
"And you have much experience, flower girl?"
"Why else do you think I'm so knowledgeable with plants? I have to know what exactly these boys are intending with me, and their subtle messages, when they give me gifts of love,"
"What if they don't know what they're giving you?" Sakura asked, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Then he better hope he chose a good flower,"
All three girls laughed and ended the night with a cools night drive home on the bus.
Hinata yawned and stretched her lean body over the surface of her bed. Nothing unordinary had woken her up; she just was not able to relax completely. Today was, well, one of the best days she's had recently. She smiled softly at the memories of today and looked towards the edge of her bed, where the door was located. It was cold, unnaturally so.
Since she was up, why not turn down the air conditioning. With that resolve, Hinato pushed herself off her cushioned bed and made her way to the door. She opened the door slowly, so not to wake any of the other girls, and walked more softly towards the main room.
"…not stand around …damn vulture. We don't have…me do it on my time…"
It was Ino. Probably on the phone, though it was past one. It must've been an important phone call, though Ino sounded angry. Tip toeing down the hall, Hinata found the AC control and switched it to a higher number. "Good night, Ino-san," Hinata whispered, and stalked off to her room.
"Neh, Hina-chan?"
Hinata blinked and turned around, surprised to see Ino standing at the end of the hall, not seconds after she made her way back. Was she that loud?
"Hai?"
"What are you doing up?"
"It was… cold. I couldn't sleep. Ah, Ino-san—"
Ino brought her index finger up and waved it, signifying 'no'. "You can just call me Ino, and if you can't we know each other, so why not used 'chan'?" Ino smiled.
"Hai. Ino-chan, why were you on the phone so late?"
"Oh that. I was talking to my boyfriend. He was worried about me. Time difference, you know?" Ino grinned. "Speaking of boyfriends, I got you that outfit today. Sorry if I seemed to have snagged it away from you, but I just couldn't let you not take it. And don't think about paying me back. Think of it as… a gift of accommodation."
Hinata blushed then nodded. "Thank you, Ino-chan,"
"Ah, now go to sleep. Asuma's giving us a test tomorrow and we need all the sleep we could get in order to stand another day in his boring presence. Kidding, kidding!" Ino laughed, before Hinata could come to Asuma's defense. "Good night, Hina-chan. Today was fun. I hope we have more times like this. It's hard to find a good friend in this world," Ino winked then returned to the living room where she took up residence.
"Ah. . . good night," Hinata nodded, and with newfound tiredness, she slept well that night. But still, it seemed the air conditioning was still a bit too high.
"I can't believe it! Today is the day! I have never seen these guys in concert. I'm kinda scared to be sitting by myself in the front row," Sakura squealed, in a very out of character way. She was a mature woman now, but still in her heart she was still a teenager.
"I've seen them once. It's amazing. You don't have to worry, just only about the other crazy fanatics sitting next to you in the front row. I still can't believe the ticket you got. Can we switch, please?" Ino asked, bending down and folding her hands upfront of Sakura.
"Please! I earned these," Sakura smirked, thanking Hinata quietly.
"Oh, how? They just appear in your mailbox, and you assume you earned them? Maybe they got the wrong Haruno Sakura. Maybe they meant Yamanaka Ino, resident in Haruno Sakura's abode,"
Hinata was making her way from one of the promotion stands as the girls were bantering. "Okay, pick one. But don't look,"
The girls gave Hinata a curious look then did as she asked, each drawing a shirt from Hinata's hands with eyes closed, and Hinata took the last shirt still in her arms.
Both girls checked the shirts they chose. "Loveless?" Sakura sighed. "That sounds depressing," She moaned as she remembered her fortune from before.
"Heartless? Damn it. Sakura, I'll trade you!"
"Uzamaki, hm?" Hinata smiled, and instantly put it on. The shirt was of Uzamaki's masks, a demonic fox, very gothic-like. The others were of masks as well. On the back of each was the silhouette of the singer and the band name.
"No!" Sakura stuck out her tongue and placed on her shirt. "Fair and square,"
"Uh, you're ridiculous," Ino growled, placing on her shirt. "Fine. Picture time before we go and find our seats, and let's meet back here afterwards"
"Hai!" Hinata and Sakura grinned, posing before the camera Ino was holding. After twenty or so pictures—nothing was ever perfect, and the more the better—the girls followed the signs to where their seats were, each in different sections.
It wasn't hard to find where Sakura's seat was. It was where the least people lined up. When she squeezed to her seat, she looked around. It was a few minutes until the start of the concert, and a lot of people were in the crowds.
"A Loveless fan, are you?" A girl inquired in a condescending tone. Sakura turned towards the voice- next to her- and raised her brow. The woman in question had brilliant red hair, much like the man who was friends with that Naruto guy back in the Ramen bar. It was rare to see such bright brilliant red hair.
"Got a problem?" Sakura asked, placing her hand on her hip, unwavering.
"Of course not," The red head grinned, "Just that he's mine,"
"Oh really?" Not that Sakura cared much, but she really hated when people had sour attitudes for no reason. It irked her. "I don't see you wearing a VIP pass,"
"I don't need a VIP pass, little girl," She smirked, "I'm the president of the Loveless fan club, I'm sure you've seen the websites."
Oh yeah, she did. Sakura rolled her eyes and patted the VIP pass under her shirt. She wasn't one to gloat, but a little rubbing in the face would probably make her feel better. She didn't really like being alone, it was a shame Hinata didn't have a front row ticket as well. She wondered vaguely why, only to be interrupted by the red head.
"Though I could overlook this whole incident if you join,"
"Join what?"
"The Loveless fan club!"
"Oh. No thanks," Sakura said with a smile.
The redhead scoffed then turned her attention to the person next to her, "Oh! An Uzamaki fan? Isn't he the most adorable?"
Sakura blinked in confusion. This girl, she thought, is truly a complete nut case. She felt slightly sorry for Team Kakashi and now understood why they valued their private identity so much. Being surrounded by people like the redhead must be irritating on a daily basis. You need a break now and then.
Sitting down on her chair, about 15 feet from the stage, she got comfortable and looked up to see the curtain slightly moving. Just then the crowd began to speak louder and out from the curtain came a tall man with silver hair. Thought the light obscured how he looked, she could tell he was attractive, though older then herself.
He then turned on the mic he was carrying and tapped on it. Coughing, he silently simmered the crowd down. "Without further ado," He said in monotone, "Team Kakashi,"
The crowd then went wild. The man turned off his mic and staggered off stage, like his job was the most boringest job ever.
Bringing her attention onto the stage, the lights shut off and the curtains began to part. Excitedly she bit her lip and watched in anticipation as silhouettes could be made out from the darkness. A lone one at first.
Everyone was screaming around her, and Sakura couldn't help but cheer on too. She was overwhelmed. If their music was great on the radio, imagine how it'd be in person—live. She read the reviews, they were absolutely amazing live. Wait, she didn't have to imagine. She was here. And she had VIP access.
When the stage was completely in view, she saw a total of three dark bodies, the light that was shone from the stage not showing much. And then the music began. The drums, then the keyboards—or what she assumed as such—and the lead singer, Uzamaki, began to advance forward, making the crowd stir.
As light began to show his figure, it flickered off and on to set up an ambiance that gave chills. Soon, other lights joins as the flickering ceased, but instead the many of the assorted lights swirled around in different directions, making it so you could see Team Kakashi, and also it seemed like they disappeared in the darkness.
Uzumaki was carrying a guitar, playing it while he walked to the front. An automated voice spoke from the speakers:
La Nuit du Chasseur
Afterwards, he began to sing,
"I was born of the womb of a poisonous spell
Beaten and broken and chased from the lair
But I rise up above it, high up above it and see
I was hung from the tree made of tongues of the weak
The branches were bones of liars and thieves
Rise up above it, high up above and see
Pray to your god, open your heart
Whatever you do, don't be afraid of the dark
Cover your eyes, the devil inside"
Chills ran down Sakura's spine as she watched Uzumaki play and sing dramatically, as if he were one with the music. It was like she was drawn into his world. It made her feel alive. His music; Team Kakashi's music.
When the music settled down, as the lights focused on the keyboardist, Loveless- she remembered, and music softened, she felt herself drawn completely in. Completely at their mercy.
His dark figure, even more lovelier in the flesh, though none of his flesh could be seen, quieted the crowd as he began to sing.
"Honest to God I'll break your heart
Tear you to pieces and rip you apart
Honest to God I'll break your heart
Tear you to pieces and rip you apart
Honest to God I'll break your heart
Tear you to pieces and rip you apart
Honest to God I'll break your heart
Tear you to pieces and rip you apart"
Sakura gasped. The men were like sirens. Deadly sirens. And there was no escape once you listened to them. Even though they were mainstream, regularly played on radio, and heard throughout the net, their recorded music gave no justice to their true potential. It was an exotic feeling, erotic almost, and Sakura couldn't help but cross her legs. She would get to see them backstage? Alone even? She didn't think she'd last the night, much less to the end of the concert.
It was going to be a long concert.
"One night of the hunter
One day I will get revenge
One night to remember
One day it'll all just end, oh"
Uzumaki sang the last chorus, elongating his screams at the "Ohh" making the girls squirm in their seats. Definitely a long night.
Note: Ryo is this Universe's currency, which is actually equivalent to Yen.