Author's corner: Well, sorry for the long wait (though why I'm appologizing to my whopping two readers I have no idea...), but this one was a biatch to write and even worse, edit. Just as a warning, part four will take even longer, but that's just the way things go, you know? I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do.
Part 3
The sky was already darkening overhead when Okage stood shakily, patting her legs to diminish the numb feeling in them. The soft, pale sand felt cool against her feet, negating the stinging effect of the saltwater when it got into the numerous cuts scattered across them. A light mist was rising from the surface of the rippling tides and she found that she couldn't look away--the waves were calling to her, playfully teasing her, speaking gently, as if to a lover. She took a careful step forwards, bare foot sinking amongst the damp grains. Another step brought her even closer, and she felt a dull ache in her heart; how she wanted to be in the water. A firm hand stopped her mid-trek.
"Okage, I have told you not to listen to its murmurings, child," came a deep, throaty growl.
She turned to face the man who had spoken--an exceptionally tall man with skin the color of the dancing waves, a club-like object strapped to his back, "Kisame-Niisan," she breathed, tilting her head to look up at him.
He spared her one of his awkward smiles, "Yes. Were you expecting someone else?"
She returned the smile, ignoring his question as if she hadn't heard it, "You can speak to the water, can't you, Same-Niisan?" her gaze drifted out across the ocean.
Well, yes," he responded, looking thoughtful, "but it doesn't speak to me the same way in which it speaks to you."
Okage's eyes widened, "What do you mean, Same-Niisan? You can make the water do amazing things!" she tugged at his sleeve for emphasis, "Remember when you made it look like me?"
Kisame was quiet for a moment, "Yes, I do. But the things I do with water are what many Shinobi can do. We command the water, force it to do our bidding...the water loves you, protects you, speaks to you, obeys you without even the slightest exertion of will..." he patted her head and came to stand next to her, "You are very gifted, Okage-Chan."
Okage bit her lip, still gripping his sleeve tightly, "You mean I could make the water look like someone, too?" her eyes were full of wonderment.
Kisame nodded, calling forth a little globe of water and making it spin slowly in his palm, "Okage-Chan, you could do anything you wanted with water..." he closed his eyes and nervously ran his other hand over the gill-like slits on his face, "and when you come of age and wish to live up to your potential, seek me out. I will teach you."
"Seek you...?" Okage looked crestfallen, "Are you leaving, Niisan?"
"Soon," came the sullen reply, "But whatever you hear, do not be afraid. I will never hurt you."
When Okage woke, little streams of sunlight had stolen through her window and were shining across her check. Rolling over sluggishly, she stretched herself somewhat cat-like. Okame's be was empty, as were Namiki's and Yuki-sensei's. The room was pleasantly warm and, despite its grime and must, gave off an almost home-like feel.
"That dream again…" she mumbled sleepily, lying sprawled, unwilling to move quite yet, "S-same…" she couldn't bring herself to speak his whole name allowed and instead banned the thought altogether. It had certainly been a long time since she'd thought about it, and she wasn't in any mood to, today.
Light footsteps padded toward her and she let a smile form on her lips; there was no mistaking the tentative, borderline-quiet footsteps of Namiki. He never had been very stealthy.
"Good morning, Miki-kun," she said fondly, tilting her head to get a good look at him, "I was sort of wondering where everyone went."
"Waiting for you mostly," came the dry reply in the doorway. It was Okame. She was donned in her usual short, light blue kimono and it swished as she came into the room; however, unlike how she normally wore it she had added a pair of loose silk slacks—she had been practicing this morning. "It's good you decided to get up." She made a condescending glance in Namiki's direction. "Namiki was half going insane from your absence. You shouldn't put so much of a strain on his small brain—one day it might just overload and stop functioning altogether."
Okage winced at Okame's comment about Namiki. For some reason, she had been picking on him more, lately, which was very bad for all their concentration and, to top it all off, Namiki was rather sensitive. Okage wanted very badly to say something coinciding with Okame, but just couldn't bring herself to. She wasn't mean-spirited, unfortunately, and that dream had just put her in an off mood.
"Oh, don't pay her any mind, Namiki-Kun," she winked at him, "you know what they say about kids who tease: they do it because they like you."
Namiki blushed and shifted his gaze to the window, embarrassed. Okage stood, yawning, and fetched her pouch from a nearby chair, strapping the leather thing tightly about her thigh, barely hidden beneath her silken dress. Okame watched her impassively, although she was undoubtedly mad about the 'liking Namiki' joke.
"Shall we go?" Okage asked brightly as she could.
"You can," Okame said gruffly, "but I have things to do. Like train. And I don't need either of you for that."
"Then why did you come back with me?" Namiki asked, genuinely confused.
Okage muffled a laugh as Okame left, seething, "Well, she'll do what she wants, I guess," she said with a shrug, "Now, I think I want some breakfast, so shall I meet you somewhere later, Namiki-Kun? I assume you've already eaten."
Namiki nodded, "Yeah, I ate a little while ago...maybe we could meet for an early supper?" he cocked his head and blinked, looking almost cute.
Okage smiled, "All right. Only if it's for noodles, though."
"Of course," Namiki responded, as if the answer had been obvious. He turned and headed for the door, then doubled back and added, "You might want to change out of your pajamas, Okage-Chan," before sprinting out into the hall, raising a hand lazily in parting.
Okage didn't bother waving back, as he wasn't even facing her, and instead went to the window and vaulted out abruptly. She landed with all the grace of a cat and smoothed out her hair quickly, fluffing it just a little for looks. Without a backwards glance, she sauntered into the crowd.
Yes! I'm gonna have noodles with Okage-chan tonight, Namiki mentally chanted as he walked the empty halls. If I get this kind of treatment every time Okame makes fun of me then I really hope she never stops.
"Namiki?" called a familiar voice, causing him to lose his current thoughts about what he was going to eat tonight. He turned around slowly to find Okame leaning against a corner looking particularly troubled. "Wait, don't go yet," she called as he began to go back the other way. Getting verbally attacked by her with other people around was one thing, but having it done by her with no one else there was a little unsettling, and he had no desire to experience either at the moment.
"I have things to do Okame." He winced as his harsh words echoed back in his ears. Even if she was mean to him, he hated sounding like that to her. Besides, if Yuki-sensei was right and the reason she was acting up was because something was bothering her, he didn't want to make things worse between them. When she was in a good mood, he really did like to be around Okame, but not now when she had the personality of a wet cat.
"I'm sorry!" she apologized suddenly, trying to catch up to him. "I'm so sorry for everything I've said." She looked down at her hands, obviously struggling to organize her thoughts. "It's just…well, I can't tell you what's going on, but I need you to understand I won't stay like this forever." Her eyes took on a determined look and Namiki thought he finally realized what was going.
"Oh…PMS."
"No! You idiot!" she shouted, rapping his head with her fist which sent him quickly to the floor.
"Oww. You didn't need to hit me so hard, Okame." He rubbed the sore spot on his head with a sour look on his face. And I was secretly hoping she had finally gone back to her normal self…apparently I was wrong.
"Oops. Sorry." She grinned while scratching her head, trying to look innocent. "I didn't think it hurt." Okame bent down and offered a hand. He took it gratefully, half expecting her to let go and have him hit the floor. She didn't however, and even helped straighten him out. "Oh! I have an idea," she chimed, "Why don't I help you train this afternoon. We all know you need the practice, and I'm the best person to be your training partner since Okage would probably only coddle you more. Don't worry. I'll give you such a beating you might actually learn something." Something in that sadistic grin of hers actually made him smile and he accepted the invitation wholeheartedly.
Okage was just sitting down to enjoy a hot bowl of ramen—sort of a treat for herself after the incident where she had dropped her other bowl the day before—when she saw an odd procession heading down the street, from beneath the cloth canopy of the ramen shop. There was a group of people, most clothed in long robes and all Shinobi of highest rank, possibly Jonin. She watched as they passed, almost forming a sort of circle. Perhaps they were bodyguards? She didn't recall Yuki-Sensei ever mentioning anybody important coming to the Chunin exams…
Deep in thought over the mysterious arrival, she slurped decadently at her ramen, making a bit of a mess. Two men at a table nearby drew her attention, as she caught a snippet of their conversation.
"—was the Kazekage," A man finished, looking amazed.
The second nodded fervently, "Yes, it's rare to get visitors from Sunagakure, let alone their leader. He must be here to watch the Chunin exams."
"Not necessarily," the first man said quickly, "I hear he's rather young. Maybe he's participating."
The two got up to leave, setting a few coins on the table in payment for their meal. Okage watched them from the corner of her eye, a million questions about this Sunagakure village playing across her mind. Yuki-Sensei had to have known that they would be present, but how cruel of her not to say anything!
About twenty minutes later, Okage had done as much thinking as she could bear and had finished her noodles. She got up, casually dropping a couple coins on her table, and ducked under the cloth blinds and out into the glaring sun. There was more of a crowd than before, most likely due to the arrival of the Kazekage. It would be more difficult to navigate than before, being surrounded by so many people.
"Okame would have no problem with this," Okage muttered to herself, "she would push. People would get the hint." She was slightly frustrated that she couldn't be as assertive, but wallowing in self-pity would do no good. She slipped between bodies, making her way to the center of town, where she might be able to get a new dress. This one was old, and she couldn't go to the exam in something old.
She spotted a nice looking stall with some silk dresses and made a beeline for it, but stopped, gaze catching on a large tree with a swing hanging from it, next to the ninja academy of Konoha. There was a boy standing beside it, his hand resting loosely on one of the ropes suspending the swing. He was clad in an auburn shirt and capris that looked rather downy, and any skin below the reach of them was covered in black fishnets. He wore a strange gourd-like object strapped to his back, which gave him a somewhat intimidating look, but Okage decided that he wasn't too much of a threat based on his small stature; he could only be about her own height and appeared thin, even in his ample clothing.
Deeming it safe to approach him, she did so and padded up softly beside him, fluffing at her hair again, "Hello."
He turned slowly, glancing at her momentarily, and then returned his gaze to the swing. His eyes were a striking hue of jade, and his spiky hair was reddish, gingery. He didn't look much older than she. A frown formed on her face when he said nothing.
"Um, hello," she said again, smiling as brightly as she could, "I'm Tsuchiura Okage. You looked kind of lonely, so I thought I would come over and see if you were alright…"
He again turned his head ever so slightly, barely looking at her, only to turn to the swing a second time. She sighed and rolled her eyes, already sick of his attitude—he was worse than Okame, at the moment, and that was saying something. She decided it wasn't worth it and was about to make for the dress shop that she had seen when he spoke.
"Gaara…" he said quietly, his voice so thin that she barely heard him.
"Huh?" she glimpsed back and he was finally looking at her full on, dark-rimmed, jade eyes focused.
"My name is Gaara. Sabaku no Gaara," he repeated, obviously not a very social person. He looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks, the poor guy, yet it somehow made him more attractive.
Okage grinned back, "Heh, nice name." He frowned and she got the impression that he thought she was making fun of him, "Oh, no, I mean I like it. It sounds very…regal."
A ghost of a smile started at the corners of his mouth, "Ah. Well, so does yours, I suppose," he twisted the rope between his fingers, "Why did you come over here?"
Okage struggled to explain it, but came up blank and merely stuttered a few excuses, "Um, like I said, you looked sad and…you were all by yourself…"
He saw that she was floundering and intercepted the conversation, "You're not from around here, are you?"
She shook her head, a light blush creeping into her cheeks, "No, I'm not…I'm here for the Chunin exams, from Kiragakure."
He raised an eyebrow, "Really…I'm here for them also. I didn't know that Kiragakure sent students to take the Chunin exam."
Okage rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a bit awkward, "Well, I think this is the first year that it's happening…"
"Ah," Gaara made a noise that Okage decided to interpret as agreement.
Okage sunk into her own thoughts, having run out of things to say to him, really, and found herself thinking about his hair; it looked so gingery, like gingerbread cookies, or the raw kind that went so well with sushi…she smiled dreamily, "Your hair is very pretty," she said absentmindedly.
Gaara blinked and a feathery pink color rose in his cheeks, "…pretty hair…?"
Okage woke from her daze and shook her head, embarrassed, "Oh, no! I mean, yes, it looks very nice, I…I didn't meant t-to…say that out loud…" she trailed off and stared stupidly at her feet, then became unable to stay any longer, having completely killed the conversation mercilessly, "I-I'm sorry, I have to go!" She ran off hurriedly, not bothering to look back.
Gods, and to think…I have to see him at the exams now… she thought, absolutely mortified at the idea. It was about time to meet Namiki for ramen. She needed ramen; it was the only thing that could possibly make the day bearable.
Namiki's training tunic was drenched it sweat. As promised, Okame had been hard on him, but the overall outcome was good and that in itself made it all worth it—she hadn't lied about anything after all.
"I think that's good enough for now," she said, waving a hand in a halting motion. "You did very well. I just wish you tried like that more often." She sighed, picked up a towel, and wiped her sweat covered face with it fastidiously. Right now, nothing sounded better to her than a good soak and some food. It had been hours since breakfast, and Namiki had fought her harder than she previously anticipated. It's even past supper time, she grumbled internally, looking at the sun to find it already on its way to the other side. "How about getting something to eat?" Namiki looked excited for a moment, but concern quickly replaced the expression and soon he looked half panicked.
"Oh no! Okage!" He continued to ramble while scrambling his things into his hands—something to do with ramen for supper and Okage being with him. Neglecting to say goodbye, Namiki ran off in the direction of the main road.
"I hope he remembers how he's dressed," Okame said to herself, also picking up her belongings, She definitely won't be happy if he shows up like that with her in public.
"I didn't know ninjas from Kiragakure could fight like that." Shocked at the intruding noise, Okame twisted her body around to find the somewhat familiar voice and was pleasantly bemused to find the boy—Hyuga Neji she reminded herself—she had met the day before.
"Neji-san," she greeted tentatively, a little curious as to his sudden entrance, "What are you doing here exactly?" As she intended, her face didn't give away anything but indifferent interest.
"Well, I planned to do some training myself, but when I saw you and your…friend here, I thought I'd wait to see if you were almost done." His voice was completely matter-of-factly and she didn't like it—something in it gave away the air of semi-patronization. "He's a little sloppy, but you were impressive." The word impressive made her blush lightly, and she turned her face, pretending to busy herself with cleaning up though there was nothing to clean.
She smiled plainly at him. "Well, we're done now so train away. I'll just get out of your way." At this point, all Okame wanted to do was get away from the training grounds. It didn't help any that he kept looking at her with those weird—no, creepy—white eyes. What's his problem anyway?
He sighed, seeming to make up his mind on something, and looked her in the eyes sternly. "It's too late for that now. If you don't mind, however, I can take you back to wherever you're staying." Just then, Okame's stomach made its hunger a very audible demand that it wanted food now. She tried to cover it up as much as she could, but it was to no avail. This Hyuga Neji was much brighter than his teammate on multiple levels. However, all he did was smile and say, "It appears that you haven't had anything to eat in a while either. If you'd like, I can show you somewhere close where there's food." Okame sighed relief. At least he wasn't going to eat with her; that would make things truly awkward. The relief didn't last for more than a second. "Come to think of it, I haven't eaten in a while. Come." He signaled her to come—a little too demanding for her tastes—and she did as he beckoned. "I suppose I can eat with you too. I was going to take you back anywhere."
Great, she thought, entirely unenthusiastic about the whole thing. I can't wait…the chances of Okage saving me this time are null at best., "Wonderful," she said cheerfully, trying to change her attitude and failing miserably, but inside she just wanted to be alone for a while, "Let's go."
Namiki jogged though the town, not really remembering the way to the ramen shop and sort of hoping to happen upon it by sheer luck. He knew that, now, the chances of Okage ever asking him to go to dinner again were absolutely nothing. He was late, he smelled, and he was sure that the guy she had been complaining about meeting—the eyebrow guy, or something like that—was looking pretty good to her.
He slowed, his joints aching and his sore muscles burning. Okame's training had completely burned him out. He sighed and leaned heavily against the post of a nearby booth. It was just is luck; Okage finally wasn't ashamed to be seen with him but probably thought he had stood her up, and Okame had offered dinner but he'd refused and forgotten to thank her.
No wonder they pick on me, he thought, frustrated, I'm a walking disaster.
He turned his head skywards and, when he brought it down, a sort of miracle happened. He spotted Okage sitting under a tree in a grassy area between the tightly knit shops. She looked horrible, almost as bad as him. Perhaps his luck wasn't so bad after all; perhaps it was changing. He made his way toward her and, as she didn't even look up when he called to her, sat down as quietly as he could, seeing she was in a mood.
"Um…hello, Okage-Chan…" was that his voice? It sounded small, with an embarrassing pre-pubescent squeak at the beginning of the hello. He finished the rest of the sentence in as deep a voice as he could manage and hoped she didn't notice, "sorry about being so late…"
Okage stared off into the distance and mumbled something that sounded like her telling him that she wasn't angry. He was heartened and continued.
"Is there…something wrong…?"
She turned to him, eye twitching, hair wind-bitten and matted, "Wrong. Wrong? Is anything wrong," she laughed, almost manically, shoulders shaking. Namiki edged away a little and she began a list of things that had apparently gone 'wrong' for her.
"First, I tell some gorgeous guy that his hair is pretty!" She exclaimed angrily, "Then, I run away and crash into that Eyebrow guy again! He hit on me, I ran some more, I knocked over a booth, I had to run so that they wouldn't make me pay for it, I tripped and scraped my knee up, my dress ripped a little when I tripped, My hair is messy, I completely missed dinner, I dropped my clan necklace somewhere," she paused for breath and Namiki, whose eyes were as big as saucers, noticed that people had begun to stare. He tried to gently hush her, but she went on hysterically, "Miki-Kun, that necklace was my father's!" she exclaimed, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, "It was an heirloom!"
Namiki touched her shoulder comfortingly while she took a few deep, tremulous breaths, "I'm sorry your day was so bad, Okage-Chan, but I'll help you look for the necklace…and if we can't find it, I'm sure your father will forgive you," he smiled hopefully.
Okage gawked at him, her lower lip quivering, and then burst into tears, "My father is dead!" she slapped him. Hard.
Namiki's cheek smarted and stung as he held a hand to it, "No, no, Okage-Chan, I'm sorry! I didn't know!" he tried to explain, but she had already vanished.
He looked around wildly, feeling absolutely horrible, but found no sign of her. He did, however, find what appeared to be the entire town glaring at him menacingly. Apparently, his luck had not changed.
Okame laughed with what she recognized to be pure contentment, a feeling she hadn't felt in forever. Neji-san had just finished telling her the funniest story of a time when his sensei and big eyebrowed teammate, Lee, had performed what they had called "an interpretive dance of a great ninja in battle" in front of both Neji and his other teammate Tenten.
"I have never seen two people act as stupidly in my entire life as they do on a daily basis…" Neji added, shaking his head as if he wanted the memories to just fall out. "Their behavior can be borderline nauseating at times."
"At least they're straight," she said. When nothing came from Neji in the way of a reply, her previously assertive statement shifted to uncertainty. "They are straight…aren't they?"
"Oh, there's no question of Lee being straight. You saw the way he acted around your friend. I'm surprised his eyes didn't pop out of their sockets." There was a pause. "But Gai-sensei…I'd rather like to think so. Actually, I try not to think about either of them as much as I can help it."
Okame continued to smile, an afterimage, at best, of her previous laugh, as she looked around the little restaurant they were eating at. To her surprise, and somewhat embarrassment, everyone had left except the two of them. Neji-san seemed to notice too.
"It's getting late," he said suddenly, most of the humor gone from his voice. "We should get back." Okame nodded her head enthusiastically and they left in what could only be called a hurried manner. Being back in the fresh air felt good to Okame, and she took in as much as she could before they began to hurry back.
"T-thank you for the food," she said, quite lamely in her opinion. He nodded.
"It was no trouble," he replied. They said nothing after that, and an inevitably awkward mood set in. Okame was torn between not saying anything, consequently keeping the awkwardness alive, or reinitiating the conversation at the risk of annoying him. Why were males so hard to predict?
To Okame's great relief, her room wasn't too far away and they came upon it quickly.
"I had a great time," they both said simultaneously, Okame blushing and Neji desperately trying to look cool. "Good night." Okame chuckled nervously, feeling more out of place now than she had earlier that day. Again, Neji-san simply nodded and left.
At least he's brief, she thought thankfully, He could be like his ugly teammate and not leave me alone. She sighed and with that done, went back to her rooms feeling curiously empty.
Okage was waiting for her when she entered, sitting on the edge of her bed, looking a wreck, "Okame…" she whined, "I lost my father's necklace, Namiki-Kun stood me up for dinner, I acted like an idiot in front of someone and am probably wanted for vandalism…" she looked up pathetically and sniffled.
Okame watched her for a moment, as if considering what to say, then finally responded, "We'll find it tomorrow. I'll help."
Okage nodded, sniffling again, and Okame almost felt bad. She didn't really feel like mentioning the fact that Namiki had stood Okage up because he had been training with her, but she was slightly curious about the vandalism charges that had been mentioned. Under normal circumstances, she would have commented on them, but the guilt over Namiki got to her and she managed to refrain, settling for a mere question.
"Vandalism? What did you do?" she inquired, cocking her head.
Okage made a noise somewhere between a sob and a giggle, "I was running away because I told a boy I met that I thought his hair was pretty, and I ran into this booth on the main street. They yelled and stuff, but the guy didn't really try to chase me…he was kind of older…and fatter…"
Okame laughed, "Well, at least he only got a look at the back of you. Now, if they put you in a line-up, there'll be no problem."
"Oh, that's not funny," Okage frowned, "Yuki-Sensei is going to be so mad. This is the first year that Kiragakure has sent students, I guess, and I've already given us a bad name…"
There was a quiet knock on the door and both girls looked up, startled. Who would be knocking at this hour? Certainly not Namiki; he had his own key, as did Yuki-Sensei. They exchanged grimaces, obviously sharing the horrible thought of Rock Lee visiting for some odd reason, then sort of wondered how he would have found them. Rock Lee was not the brightest kimono at the festival.
"Um, are we going to answer?" Okame finally whispered, noticing that Okage did not appear to be moving for the door.
Okage shook her head, "It could be anyone. No way."
Okame gave her a dirty look, "No assassin is going to knock and be all 'let me in', Okage."
The knock sounded a second time and the two girls jumped as a muted, male voice said from the other side, "I would like to speak with Tsuchiura Okage-San. My name is Sabaku no Gaara." Okage immediately tried to straighten her mussed hair, but quickly gave up, discouraged. It wouldn't make much of a difference, anyway.
Okame shot her a sideways look and Okage padded over to the door, mortification written all over her face. She smiled sweetly and opened the door, "H-hello…?"
Gaara's intense, jade eyes met her emerald ones and the two stared at each other for a long moment. Then Gaara lifted a loose fist and held it out, uncurling his fingers slowly to reveal her necklace. Okage's eyes widened and she let out a soft "Oh" of shock and wonder and gratitude.
"You dropped this," Gaara said simply.
Okage took it, her hand lingering on his—that is, she sort of imagined it lingering. In all truth, she just took the necklace quickly, timidly, and put it about her neck immediately, "How did you find me?"
"You happen to be the only team of Mist Ninjas in Konoha, right now," he responded simply, "it wasn't hard."
Okame hovered in the background, confused, left out. Who was the guy with the gourd? Who honestly carried a gourd? Okage certainly knew how to pick them, that was for sure. She watched the two with some amusement, tapping her foot, wondering how long it took to get a necklace back.
"Thank you," Okage whispered, fingering the chain at her neck, "it's very important to me."
Gaara nodded, "I can see. Well, I need to go. Maybe I'll see you again sometime…?"
He left the sentence open for interpretation and Okage smiled shyly, "Yes, perhaps at the big tree…with the swing…it's a nice place," she fluttered her eyelashes at him and could practically hear Okame snorting with laughter behind her.
Gaara nodded once more and said abruptly, "Good night."
Okage watched him leave, her brow wrinkled, "Um, good night, I guess…"
Okame was doubled over when she turned around again, "Wow, I bet he's just dying to see you again! Did you see how fast he left?"
Okage glared at her, "He came all this way to give me my necklace back. Stop being so mean to me, Okame-Chan," but then Okage chuckled too, "he did leave pretty hastily, didn't he? Maybe he's bashful."
Okame wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, "Maybe he's taken."
Okage frowned, "Maybe he was late for something."
Then Okame laughed the loudest and exclaimed, "Maybe he's gay!"
The two looked at each other, Okame shaking with mirth and Okage's mouth hanging slightly open. What if he was gay? That was something that Okage didn't feel like dealing with. She needed to seriously focus on the upcoming exams not the sexual orientation of the redhead with the gourd. She couldn't let her team down. Okame would never forgive her, if she failed. Although Namiki might…then, a thought struck her.
"Hey, um, where's Namiki?" she asked, realizing she hadn't seen him since practice and Okage had left him alone god knows how long ago.
As if on cue, the door knob rattled for a moment; the muffled clatter of keys falling and light cursing sounded behind the wall, and out popped a very happy Namiki looking oddly off balance.
"Hey guuuuys," he greeted, raising a hand and then letting it flop back down. His cheeks were red and his eyes oddly glazed over. "Whatcha up to?" Finally the two of them realized simultaneously what he had been doing all this time.
"Are you drunk?" they asked together. He swayed once, almost loosing his balance, but caught himself just in time on a perfectly placed chair, and gave them a toothy grin.
"Shuppers," he answered. "You know, that Rock Lee kid sure knows good places to get something good to drink. Just now he—" He stopped mid sentence and then came back with, "Are my lips floppy?" He played with his lips for a second as if they were some new anatomy to his body, flicking and moving them back and forth.
Okame looked at Okage with an expression of confusion, but all her friend could do was reciprocate the feeling.
"Anyway," Namiki continued, "I had a great time with Lee. He's so cool. I wish you guys could be more like him."
"Was he cool before or after you were drunk?" Okame asked sarcastically, but just so Okage could hear. Okage sniggered her appreciation of the humor. Rock Lee was many things, but cool was not one of them, and Okame knew Neji-san could personally vouch for that.
"How did you meet him, exactly?" Okage asked, finally getting to the heart of the question which Okame and herself were dying to know the answer to.
"Well, after you left me in that bitchy mood, I didn't have anything to do. So, I started wandering, cause I couldn't find my way back, and low and behold, I found Lee and his even cooler sensei Gai. They asked if I wanted to tag along, and I accepted." Furiously he began rummaging in his bag, only to pull out an ugly green body suit that looked similar to Lee's. "They even gave me these to practice in and wear all the time. I can practice with you even better now, Okame."
"Practice, huh?" Okage asked, looking at Okame curiously. Okame blushed, wishing he hadn't mentioned them practicing.
"I uh…" she began roughly while giggling nervously, "I sort of helped him train today…yeah."
"You helped him train?" Okage asked skeptically, "You've never trained with him before…oh!" She pointed a finger at a very distracted Namiki, "That's why you were a late mess when you found me today," she realized. The look he gave her implied that what she'd said to him hadn't registered.
"Anyway, I'm pretty tired. Good night." He walked over to his bed and fell down on it, immediately falling asleep. Never in their lives had Okame or Okage seen anyway go to sleep that quickly, but then again they'd never seen anyone their age that drunk before either.
"I guess we should probably get some rest too," Okage said, not being able to keep her eyes off Namiki—he looked so funny! "I have no clue when Yuki-sensei is going to get back. Her interrogations are probably going to take longer tonight, since the Chunin exams are tomorrow."
"Oh shit," Okame swore. She had completely forgotten, being so distracted with other…things. "Yeah, you're absolutely right. I'm so tired now after everything that's happened today." Okame got ready for bed quickly, as did Okage, and when they were done, Okame scurried into her bed as Okage began turning off the lights.
"You're tired from training, huh?" Okage asked sleepily, getting into bed herself. Okame gave a muffled a yes. There was no reason for her to tell Okage she'd ran into Neji-san again and ate with him, and if luck was on her side, she never would have to say anything about it.
