The sound of water running was heard in the employee's showers. Yumi walked inside and saw who it was taking a shower before her. "Hey Riko."
Riko turned around to see Yumi stripping her clothes off. "So you're going to shower in here too? You are such a weird princess." Riko giggled.
"Ha ha funny." Yumi said sarcastically while turning on the tap and letting the warm water fall on her face. "You know I hate using my own shower. I feel so weird in it. Like I'm a snob."
Riko applied some shampoo to her long black hair. "So where are your bodyguards?"
"They are outside in the hallways. They said they had to be there… it's sorta annoying." Yumi said scrubbing soap on her arm.
Riko started to rinse the shampoo from her hair. "Well it is their job."
"Oh which reminds me…" A sly appeared on Yumi's lips. "I think Kiba likes you."
Riko's face went completely red. "N-no what are you talking about? Of course he wouldn't like me."
"Well he always seems so excited to meet you. And I just heard him say that he couldn't wait to taste your cooking."
"That's just because he likes my cooking, that's all."
"Nope. Trust me I can read a boy like a book and that boy LIKES you."
"I don't believe you." Riko said turning off the water. "What about you?"
"What about me?" Yumi asked now washing her hair.
"Please like you don't know that I can't tell." Riko giggled.
"No seriously."
Riko looked over to Yumi with a sly smile.
Outside of the shower room Naruto was getting very impatient. "Awww man she's going to be in their forever aren't they?" He whined.
"Wait…" Kiba sniffed the air. Akamaru smelt it too. "I smell blood."
"You do? Where?" Shino asked.
"In the shower room!" Kiba said pointing at the door to the employee shower room.
Everyone raised an eyebrow at him. "You're kidding right?" Naruto asked.
"No I'm serious!"
Then a high pitch scream was heard in the shower room. Everyone turned their attention to the door.
"I'll go in!" Sakura said. She opened up the door and walked in, holding out her hand to stop Kiba walking in as well. "I said I'LL go in." She closed the door behind her.
Kiba snorted. He turned around to face Naruto and Shino's glares. "What?" He asked innocently. Akamaru rolled his eyes.
"You are sick." Naruto said with his arms crossed.
"RIGHT. This coming from a guy who created a jutsu that you transform into a naked girl." Kiba made a fist in front of Naruto.
"You just wanna go in and girls naked don't you?!" Naruto got right up in Kiba's face.
"Of course not! I wanted to see why someone screamed! Yumi might be in trouble!" Kiba and Naruto started to butt heads. Until Sakura poked her head out the door.
"You can come in." She said.
Everyone entered the shower room. The walls were filled with lockers and in the back was the shower heads. There stood a soaked Yumi with a towel wrapped around her and Riko hiding behind her with a towel on as well.
"Riko was in here" She said.
Everyone entered the shower room. The walls were filled with lockers and in the back was the shower heads. There stood a soaked Yumi with a towel wrapped around her and Riko hiding behind her with a towel on as well.
"Riko was in here too?!" Kiba asked seeing the cowering Riko. Her face went completely red. She hid her face behind Yumi, Yumi giggled. "What? Was it something I said?"
"What happened?" Shino asked.
Yumi pointed to a locker that was slightly open. Naruto walked over and opened it all the way. Silence filled the room.
In the locker was a dead body. With cuts all over it and blood flooded at Naruto's feet. He took a step back. "W-who is that?!"
"That is Akio. He is one of the guards here." Yumi said calmly.
"What happened?" Naruto asked.
"We don't know! Riko just went to get her clothes in her locker and once she opened the locker she screamed and ran over to me." Yumi explained.
"'Akio' you said his name was?" Kiba asked.
"Yes." Yumi answered calmly.
"Now my clothes are all bloody! I can't walk back to my place with just a towel on!" Riko said.
"Just wear my clothes, I'll go put different clothes on." Yumi said with a smile.
"Thank you so much Yumi." Riko said. She quickly grabbed Yumi's clothes that were hanging up and ran into one of the change rooms.
The room went silent again. Yumi crossed her arms. "So either one of you gets some help or the body will start to smell." She said rolling her eyes.
"Right! I will!" Naruto said running off.
The door closed with a slam. Yumi walked over to a bench that was on the opposite side of the lockers. She crossed her legs and arms. "Well…?" She said.
"Well what?" Kiba asked.
"This IS a girl's shower room." Yumi said raising an eyebrow.
Sakura giggled.
"OH! Right…" Kiba felt embarrassed. "We'll be leaving then…"
He headed for the door with Shino behind him. Shino stopped at the door. "What put you in such a bad mood?" He asked not even looking over his shoulder.
Yumi snorted. "None of your business."
"I see." Shino opened the door and closed it behind him.
Sakura turned to Yumi. "So what did put you in such a bad mood? Are you friends with that dead guy there?"
Yumi shook her head. "No I barely know him. I just knew his name."
"So why the bad mood? If you don't mind me asking." Sakura said sitting down on the bench as well.
"I do mind." Yumi snapped.
"Oh sorry…" Sakura looked away.
Riko walked back into the shower room. She wore Yumi's purple belly top and shorts with the purple flap in the front. Riko played around with the flap before she got comfortable. "I never wore this outfit before, out of all your clothes I worn, this one is the most uncomfortable."
"That one is my favorite! Better then those ugly dresses that I have to wear sometimes." Yumi stood up.
"Oh I got an idea!" Riko said. "Why don't you wear one of your dresses to dinner and surprise everyone. You look so beautiful in them."
Yumi raised an eyebrow. "Its funny that you can talk about dresses in a room with a dead body…"
Riko lowered her head. "Oh right… I forgot…"
Sakura giggled. "So are you going to walk all the way back to your room in just a towel?"
Yumi thought it over. "Never thought of that."
"How about Sakura and I go fetch you an outfit to wear at dinner and bring it back to you?" Riko was getting all excited.
"Leave me alone with a dead body?!" Yumi shouted pointing at the bloody locker.
"Fine come with us. We will hide you." Riko said.
Yumi sighed. A knock on the door was heard. "I am coming in to investigate the body." The voice of a man said.
"Fine let's go." Yumi said.
They opened the door and allowed the two men with kits enter the room. After explaining to the men what happened they left the room to see an impatient Kiba standing there with Naruto and Shino.
"I'm hungry. When will we eat dinner?" He asked.
"It will out on the table soon. But first we have to get Yumi dressed." Riko said winking at Yumi.
The princess rolled her eyes. "I am going to regret this."
Kiba smiled. "What are you going to do with her?"
"You'll see." Riko teased.
The group made there way up the stairs and few a hallway. Yumi felt a bit uncomfortable walking around in a towel. Her arms were wrapped around her body and her face was bright red. Lucky for her there was no one around at the time, they were all having dinner. Finally they made it to Yumi's bedroom door.
Yumi opened the door and walked in, the group followed behind. Sakura was overwhelmed by the beautiful room. "I am so envious." She said.
The princess had a huge bed and a dark wood dresser. The room was very decorative and had one huge window looking out into the garden. A table was below the window holding many picture frames. Everyone walked into the middle of the room looking around.
Yumi walked up to what looked like a giant closet door. She opened it up to reveal a walk in closet full of colourful clothes. Sakura was in heaven once she saw it.
Yumi turned back to face the group. "If I'm going to be forced to dressing up like a doll… you girls have to too." She demanded.
"YES!" Sakura shouted with excitement.
All the girls ran into the closet and Yumi closed the doors behind them leaving Shino, Kiba and Naruto in Yumi's bedroom.
Akamaru sniffed around. Kiba fell back onto Yumi's bed. He sighed. "This feels so good. You just sink right into it."
"Really?" Naruto jumped onto the bed. "Wow your right. I could just fall asleep right now." Akamaru jumped onto the bed as well and curled into a ball. Just then you could hear Naruto snore.
"He did fall asleep." Kiba said rolling his eyes. He raised his head to see what Shino was doing.
Shino was over by the table under the window with a picture frame in his hand. "What's that you looking at?" Kiba asked.
"Pictures." Shino said.
In the picture was a little girl no older then 5. She had short green hair in little pigtails. A huge smile was on her face. Beside her was a boy near 10 years old. He had short black hair and had an emotionless expression. Behind them was a pale woman with long black hair. It was Yumi's mother. She was smiling warmly with her arms holding the children close to her.
Shino studied the picture. Kiba crawled off the bed and peered over Shino's shoulder at it as well. "Hey that's Yumi isn't it? And that woman is her mother that died right?" He whispered. "Then I'm guessing that is her brother… I wonder why she hasn't mentioned him. Where is he now?"
"I wouldn't know." Shino said putting the picture back down. His eyes scanned the other pictures. One was with Riko and Yumi making piece signs, the others were of Yumi when she was little. He found it strange that none of them had her father in it. Maybe he was the one taking the picture. He thought.
Just then the door to the closet opened up. Shino and Kiba looked over to see the three girls dressed in komonos. Sakura wore a pink komono with silver moons. Riko's dress was a solid dark blue with a white trimming. Yumi's dress was the most dazzling. Her dress was a bright purple that had butterflies of different sizes and colours all around it. There wings shone in the sunlight leaking through the window.
Naruto raised his sleepy head off the bed and got a good look at the dressed up girls. "Wow…" He jumped off the bed and ran right up to Sakura. "You look so beautiful Sakura!"
Sakura blushed. "I know…" She said with a twirl, showing off her moons.
Riko looked over to Kiba's dazed expression.
"Wow is right. Riko you look so good in that outfit." He said scratching his cheek.
Riko's face went completely red and she half hid behind Yumi. "Th-thank you." She said quietly.
Yumi put her hands on her hips. "Well you can thank me for all that. I never wear these dresses and they were collecting dust so I figured we would wear these." She looked down at her own dress. "This is the only one is the only one I don't mind wearing at parties."
A knock was heard at the door. "Sorry to disturb you Princess but dinner is ready at the table." The voice said.
"We will be right down. Is father already down there?" Yumi asked.
"No… he will be late today. He is very busy at the moment with that discovered body." The voice answered.
"Oh…" Yumi lowered her head.
"Sorry." The voice said. "Well dinner is on the table." The sound of footsteps left the door.
Silence hung in the air for a moment. Shino looked over to Yumi's disappointed expression. "I thought you didn't want to deal with your father at dinner?" He asked.
Yumi looked up over to Shino. "Oh well… I don't but… it's just…" She trailed off. "Never mind. Let's go to dinner then shall we?"
Yumi walked over to the door and held it open to let the group out before her. Shino stopped at the door and looked over to Yumi. "You look very pretty in that dress." He said before leaving the room.
Yumi stood there dumbfounded still holding the door open. Her cheeks turned red. The embarrassed princess snapped out of it, noticing that her friends were far ahead.
"You coming?!" Shouted back Sakura.
"Well duh!" Yumi shouted back catching up with the group.