Chapter 3 - Cashier(s)

It was the Mall. When someone said they were going to the mall it meant they were going to the Mall. There were several others, but none of them compared with the Mall. Did it have a name? Nobody knew. It was simply known as the Mall to all those that went there. Of course, that included Haku and Neji who went there repeatedly.

It was the place to be. One could buy anything they wanted, clothes, shoes, electronics, movies, video games, food, drinks, animals, accessories, furniture, paintings, paint, haircuts, massages, etc. The older generation went there during the weekdays to have their coffee and read their newspapers. But during the weekends, the mall belonged to the teenagers.

Konoha was a big village, with several different high schools and elementary schools. In the center of all of those puberty-influenced adolescents was the Mall, better placed than anybody could have hoped. It was there, it was big, and it was awesome.

Haku didn't want to go there. Not where some of the other kids from school would be. He didn't want them to him shopping with Neji for women's clothing. Besides, Neji was already bullied enough for being openly gay, he really didn't need this to add to his problems.

But of course Haku had no say in their destination. Neji had the keys after all. And the wheel in his loose grasp. The tires were spinning towards the Mall and no amount of arguing was going to change that. Although he did try.

Why did he have such a stubborn best friend? Seriously.

"There's nice clothing at the FireBoat mall, and-"

"Don't bother. We're going to the Mall. We know the stores there like the back of our hands, we'll be in and out before you know it. This is about getting you what you want, and we're going to have fun doing it. Got it?"

"I suppose..."

Neji parked the Mercedes as far away as possible from the main entrance. It was noon on a saturday. Who knows what kind of driving mood the teenagers were in. His uncle had told him repeatedly that if he got one scratch on his baby he'd be castrated, and as he quite liked his body parts where they were...He'd keep the vehicle away from bad drivers.

"I still can't believe your uncle lets you drive his Mercedes."

"Neither can I."

Walking through the glass doors was like entering heaven. Or kind of. The lights shone brightly, making the sun outside look pitiful. It smelt like shopping and it sounded like cash being spent. Both the boys were immediately brought into a state of bliss. The Mall was practically their home. They spent so much time there. Even Haku had lost most of his nerves.

"Where to first?"

"Shoes."

"No."

"Can we look at the bunnies?"

Neji laughed, but shook his head, "Later! Let's get you some clothes first. Then shoes. Then we can look at the bunnies."

"Alright, but we can't leave without seeing the bunnies!"

"Come on. Let's go to rednotes. There's a lot of nice clothing there."

Haku followed his friend to the aforementioned store, and he hesitated at the entrance momentarily. Only until Neji took his sleeve and dragged him inside. Upon getting a good look at the clothes, he allowed his shyness to disappear. He was home, where he belonged. Among clothes. There was nothing better than looking at the different materials and patterns!

Neji clearly understood because the grin that broke out on his face was brighter than he usually allowed it to be. The store wasn't particularly busy, no special sales going on, but the few people there paid them no attention at all. They took several items off the shelves and racks and went to the changing rooms.

They were almost as giddy as children in a candy store being amongst all that clothing. Neji smiled as his friend exited the changing room in various outfits, of all lengths and colours and materials. They had definitely exceeded the limit of clothing allowed in the changing room, but the middle aged woman with two children who had opened the door for them had been an acquaintance of theirs for many years.

She passed by them several times while Haku twirled in whatever outfit he was currently in, and she stopped to smile and give her approval or advice. Haku didn't notice some of the glances he was receiving from the other clients, who were undoubtedly trying to figure out Haku's gender, and Neji didn't tell him. It would only revert his friend back to his shy state when he'd finally managed to get out of his shell.

"I think that shirt would look really good with the black and pink skirt you tried on earlier."

"I would recommend some flats with that ensemble. There's a sale at the spendless shoestore if you two are interested." The woman said, stopping near them with several articles in her arms.

"Definitely! Thank you, ma'am!" Haku thanked her and sent a smile to his friend, "I think we have what we needed to get."

Neji rolled his eyes, but nodded, "Let's pay for all this and then we can go get you some shoes."

Before he could blink the two were standing in front of the cash register with the items Haku had chosen to buy. The teen at the cash asked who had helped them, and Haku happily replied that they had gotten the expert advice of Miss Kurenai. As per usual.

The teenager at the cash wasn't somebody they were acquainted with, but they knew he went to a nearby high school. He was a member of one of the other high school's football teams. Football was a big deal in Konoha and even Haku and Neji, who hated the pointless sport, knew the players from the other schools.

He was...Somebody. A defence person or something.

Neji was just thankful that he scanned the items and told them the price without any hesitation or questions. Haku handed the credit card and entered the pin as quickly as anybody accustomed to spending money can. They took the bags and thanked the boy, who hardly spared them a second glance. Working to make money for college, the way of the teenage life. Even the jocks needed some cash.

They went to the shoestore and bought some flats, like Kurenai had suggested, as well as a pair of pumps and some summer sandals. Neji had to push his friend to the cash register once he'd found the shoes, knowing that he would continue to stare and gawk at the others until the mall closed. What's with people and shoes?

Another teenager served them at the cash. She was a student from the nearby college, her first year if Neji remembered correctly. Her name was Temari. He didn't know her that well, but she had graduated from their school the year before. Her little brother, Gaara, was somebody he got along well with. Gaara wasn't really friends with anybody, but Neji liked to consider the two of them good acquaintances.

Or, they could work together on projects without trying to kill one another.

Of course, that meant that Haku didn't get along with Gaara. The stoic teen thought Haku was too nice to be human, and Neji sometimes agreed with that point. Haku was unnaturally nice. And from the other side, Haku considered Gaara too mean.

Temari, unlike her littlest brother, wasn't particularly mean. She did have the same anti-social tendecies as both of her brother's, but she was able to make friends and to keep them with little difficulty.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Even more than that."

"I'm glad to hear it." She smiled at them, ringing in their total. Haku paid and they took the new bags, thanking her. "Have a good day!" She called after them.

Once outside the store, Neji turned to his friend, "Let's go grab a bite to eat. Then we can go check out those bunnies of yours."

"Sounds great!"

AN: Hello. Not exactly exciting or good, but I needed to fill up a gap. Next chapter will be better. I hope! Recognize the store names? Haha! I kinda hope not...

I'd love to thank EatEmUp, Reeserella, and AUeharafor reviewing! You guys are epically awesome!

Thank you for reading,
-MewMew