Title: Good Friend Chouji
Pairings: Shikamaru x (undecided), Sai x Naruto, Haku x Zabuza, Kiba x Hinata, Neji x Tenten (more will be announced at a later date. Pairings will change.)
Warnings: child abuse, self mutilation, bullying, references to sex/sexual acts, homosexuality, underage drinking, and rape. And stupidity, but that's a given.
Author: Drinking Acid
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If you hadn't figure it out until now, I seriously pity you.
Wednesdays were the second worst day of the week. Monday, of course, was the first, being so very smug and torturous, but Wednesday was most definitely the second. It seemed that, no matter what the days had been like before, the skies on a Wednesday were almost always mocking him in their lack of conformity. Either they were unbearably clear and open, without a single strip of moisture to break the never ending blue, or it was dark and murky, with dingy grey clouds slogging through the skies at a pitiful rate, none of them fit to mold themselves into mythical shapes that sparked the imagination.
Yes, Shikamaru did not like Wednesdays.
So instead of cloud watching on such an uncooperative day, he had found another way to pass the time. It didn't include Chouji, who'd he'd just departed from at the bus stop, but it was certainly entertaining and it gave him something to do for three or so hours after school. Right now, he was trudging down a very congested street (he couldn't remember it being this crowded; he chalked it up to the Halloween store on the corner) to stand before a translucent plexiglass door. He entered without any hesitation, stepping off the sidewalk with ease, even with the rather large difference in height between the door frame and the concrete walkway.
Cigarette smoke and coffee grinds were the first smells that hit his nose, though the cigarette smoke greatly overpowered the coffee grinds, as well as just about every other scent that might have been in there. The windows for the shop had been tinted, so the light that fell into the room was dark, defeating the point of having the windows there at all, and the lamps that hung low from the ceiling were dimmed, casting buttermilk yellow light over the small sets of chairs and chess tables. A bar stood at the back of the room, a menu board hanging behind it with a list of food and drink. Small clumps of people were scattered around, though his favorite table had yet to be occupied.
The man behind the bar, Genma, looked up from his newspaper at him and smirked, a tooth pick perched between his lips. Shikamaru waved, hanging his bag on the back of his chair, followed by his jacket, and sat down. Deftly, he started to set up the pieces, not bothered with the mild chatter that had started on the other side of the room.
"Hey Shikamaru," greeted Genma, raising his hand in a limp wave. "Nice weather we're having, isn't it?"
Shikamaru cast him a glare. It was dark and overcast outside, the wind blowing everything as fiercely as if it had a mind of its own.
"Oh yes. Absolutely delightful." Genma laughed, turning the page of his newspaper.
"I see you're in a good mood. Going to crush Asuma in five moves like last time?"
"If I feel up to it, maybe."
"What, now you're too lazy to play chess? Don't go sloth on me, Shikamaru."
"Do I look like a hairy tree-climber to you? Don't answer that," he growled, watching as Genma laughed humorously.
"Well, if you're not going to beat him in five moves," he said, wiping a stray tear as he chuckled again, "how are you going to beat him?"
"Who said he'd even beat me?" Genma turned to look as Asuma walked through the door, a cigarette burning in his hand, and set his briefcase beside the table Shikamaru sat at. He shrugged off his coat and draped it over the back of his chair, seating himself comfortably on the cushioned seat. "I could have a fool proof strategy up my sleeve."
"Give me a break, you haven't won once in the year and a half you've been coming here," said Genma, rolling his eyes, but smiling in a friendly manner.
"Thanks for the support there, Genma," grumbled Asuma, a puff of smoke exiting his mouth as he sent the younger man a reproachful look.
"Any time, any time."
Asuma rolled his eyes and turned to the chess board, realizing he was playing as white. "Well fine, be that way." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Well, anyway, what's new with you, Shika? Fall asleep in any good classes lately?"
"Har har," he droned, moving his pawn forward. There was a pause. "Naruto and the others are going to a party next Saturday."
"Really, now?"
"Yeah."
"You going to dress up?" He gave him a look. Asuma chuckled.
"No."
"Then what're you going for?"
"Just 'cause."
Asuma fixed him with a look that said quite clearly he didn't believe him one bit. Shikamaru took out Asuma's pawn with his knight.
"Chouji talked you into it, didn't he?" Asuma chuckled at his frown. "I swear, you've got a weakness the size of Asia for that kid! If he asked you, I bet you'd actually study for a test!" He laughed again, advancing his bishop to rest beside the knight. The younger boy snorted, moving his rook from it's hiding space to take out Asuma's bishop. He frowned.
"Didn't see that coming."
"No kidding."
"Do you have to be so sarcastic?"
"Do I have to keep winning?"
"Oh, ha ha, very funny." Shikamaru's knight dodged an attack from Asuma's pawn and took out the man's rook. Taking a drag of his cigarette, Asuma moved his pawn to kill Shikamaru's, only to get his piece killed by the bishop.
"So are you going in a costume?"
"No."
"Why not? You'd made a great zombie."
He stared at his teacher, blinking owlishly (what the hell? What's with everyone and thinking he'd make a good zombie?) with his hand hovering over the board in mid-move. Asuma stared back, taking a drag of his cigarette and blowing out a cloud of ash-grey smoke.
"Naruto might as well be a disease with the way you all act after meeting him."
Asuma stared quizzically at him. With a sigh, he tapped his cigarette on the ash tray, the small grey ashes dropping off the end. He chuckled, his face friendly.
"You say the oddest things, Shika. What do you want for lunch?"
"Wash the dishes, would you? I've got to get going in ten minutes and I don't want any dirty dishes lying about," said a dark haired woman, her back to Shikamaru as she untied her apron and flipped her hair. He picked up his dish, as well as hers, and took it to the sink, turning on the faucet to wash away the food remains. Dark eyes glared back at him as Yoshino left the room, the click of her high-heeled shoes signaling her ascent up the flight of stairs. The phone started ringing, but he didn't bother getting it, knowing there was a phone in his parents' room.
"Get the phone, Shika (don't call me Shika, don't ever call me Shika)!" yelled the woman from up stairs, her voice muffled and thick. He ignored her, his hands turning pink from the scathing hot water as he focused solely on washing the plastic plates. Above him, there was a crash and some muffled cursing. The thunder of footsteps the only warning he had to Yoshino's appearance.
"Dammit, Shika, I said get the phone!" she snapped, tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear. While in her room, she'd put her hair up into a loose bun, and pretty amethyst earrings dangled at her chin, matching her plum coloured party dress. She was going out with friends for a party and said she wouldn't be back til late the next morning. At least she didn't work early on Saturdays.
Without a word he turned off the faucet, drying his hands on a spare towel before brushing past her to answer the phone. It was situated on a small side table that had been put near the door for the disposing of keys on the way in. He plucked the handset from it's cradle and held it to his ear, leaning his shoulder against the wall.
"What?"
"Jeeze, cranky much?"
He paused, pulling the phone away from his ear to stare quizzically at it before replacing it near his face and speaking cooly (hesitantly, he was hesitant) into the receiver.
"Naruto?"
"Yeah?"
"How the hell did you get this number?"
Yoshino clopped down the hall way, purse swinging from the crook of her elbow. She cast a glare (don't look at me, don't look at me) at him from below thick black eyelashes and heavy mascara. He tried to glare back, but somehow it didn't seem as strong as hers.
"I'm going out now, so stay here, and believe you me, if I find one single thing out of place when I get back I swear—!" Her eyes locked on the phone in his hand and her voice cut off abruptly. She glared at him, perfectly manicured hands (no, one had a chip in it, a scratch) clutching her purse tightly. "You'll regret it," she finished stiffly before blowing out the door.
"Uh, Shikamaru, who was that?"
"Huh? Oh, no one. So how did you get this number?" He hoped his calmness didn't sound as forced to the blonde as it did to him.
"Uh, well, see, I had this great idea and I wanted to make sure you all came and stuff but I didn't have your number, so I had to call all these people and— did you know Kiba has an older sister?"
"Really now?" He leaned back against the wall.
"Really! She sounded kind of cute, but then she started bitching at me, and I kinda got in a fight with her before Kiba cut in and then he started shouting at me — But anyway— so I had to call everybody except I didn't have your number and finally Chouji told it to me —he said he would call you, but I insisted, so anyway— and then I called you!"
". . ."
"Shikamaru?"
"You called me this late at night to tell me that?"
"No! I was going to tell you that you're going to the Jinchuriki Mall with all of us tomorrow."
"Am I, now?" He couldn't help raising an eyebrow, even if Naruto couldn't see it. "How troublesome."
"Yeah, 'cause we have to do some stuff that's really REALLY important!" He sighed.
"Who's going?"
"Well, let's see, there's you, me, Gaara, Sasuke-bastard, Sai, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Chouji, Haku, Zabu—!"
"Alright, alright," he sighed again, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Did Naruto always have to talk so loud? "I'll go. What time do I have to be there?"
"Um . . . 10!"
"I'll be there at 10:30."
"Shikamaru! Don't—!"
"Bye, Naruto."
There was a click as he set down the phone, grinning slightly as he imagined the scowling pout on the other boys face. So now he had to go to the mall tomorrow morning (at 10:30 no less!) to do some random task with Naruto and his troop. Well, it might not be so bad; his parent's wouldn't be home and Chouji was going, so there was a definite chance of some enjoyment, if even just a bit. Maybe he could even pull a prank or something . . . .
Nah, too troublesome.
There was a much more pressing matter to attend to anyway: how the hell was he supposed to get to the mall? He couldn't very well drive there; he was only fifteen and even if he could, he had no car. The bus was always an option, but the last time he'd ridden the bus, he'd fallen asleep and woke up on the farthest edge of West Town. He shivered unconsciously. That hadn't been pleasant.
So what was he supposed to do?
An idea struck him, like a bag of bricks falling on the top of his head, and he picked up the handset again, punching in a number quickly as he pressed the receiver against his ear. It rang once, twice, three times before someone picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Asuma? I need a favor . . ."
"Alright, here's the mall," said Asuma, shifting the car to park. He unbuckled his seatbelt, muttering a "thanks" as he opened the car door. "Oh, hey, when am I supposed to pick you up?"
"Sai has a cell phone, I'll just call you." He paused, half way from getting completely out of the car. "We'll be done in no less than three hours, though." Asuma grinned.
"Alright. Well, have fun, be safe, and don't fall asleep anywhere!" He smiled kindly around his cigarette. "But seriously, have fun."
Shikamaru offered a small smile in return. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"
Asuma smiled wider, laughing heartily.
He closed the car door, stepping onto the curb as the 1988 blue Camry pulled away. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he strode forward, his back hunched over slightly, past the fountain to the front entrance of the Jinchuriki Mall. Naruto hadn't said where to meet them, but since Zabuza would be there he figured they'd be easy to see (the guy was a freakin' skyscraper) and he was sure they wouldn't go too far into the mall. Naruto might have ADD, but he had Gaara, Sai, Sasuke, Haku and Shino with him, and between the five of them, he was sure they could keep the blonde from running off in some random direction.
The mall was no more crowded than normal, since the only holiday even remotely close by was Halloween and the one store he knew of that sold things for that kind of occasion was Hot Topic. While he knew many a people who shopped there (coughSasukecough), he didn't find it all that appealing. Maybe it was the whole "black" thing. . . . Eh, oh well.
A flock of giggling girls popped out of nowhere in front of him, their backs to him and squealing like mad. Just about all of them were clothed (if you could call it that) in mini skirts and tank tops, bangles of jewelry clipped around their wrists and necks. It was rather like walking behind a hoard of piglets from a fashion magazine. An image flashed in his head of an all too literal sense of the analogy, and he couldn't help but snort.
"Ohmygod," squealed one girl, clapping her hands together like an anime character, "I can't WAIT to see Sasuke!"
Shikamaru stopped short, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second as he stared in pure horror at the gaggle of girls before him.
Oh crap. Fangirls.
"I know!" cried Ino, swinging her ungodly long pony tail so as to inflict jealousy on the other girls. "I can't wait to show him my necklace; isn't it just precious?"
"Back off Ino-pig! I saw him first, and besides, I'm the one who found out he's coming here today!" snapped Sakura, the pink haired girl bouncing about.
"Oh, shut up, Billboard-brow! Sasuke doesn't want a girl like you for his girlfriend! He'd much rather have me, the gorgeous, perfect, Ino Yamanaka."
Angered screeching ensued, all the girls resorting to a scratching, hitting, kicking mass, shouting at one another in a way that reminded him of the mice from Cinderella. He watched them for a moment, blinking lazily at them as a crowd started to form, whispering and camera flashes floating about as the fight continued. A random shoe flew out of the pile and hit him in the chest, snapping him out of his daze, and he made a hasty departure towards the food court.
Damn fangirls. They made every situation harder than it had to be. Like stairs. He despised stairs.
The food court was packed with people and just as loud (no, louder) as the cafeteria, the skylights letting in the nice, bright light of the late morning sun. Saturday was a major shopping day, he knew, and the food court was one of the most visited places in the whole blasted thing (except the movie theater, but that was sort of a given). He looked around, shading his eyes so as to see better, trying to pick out a shock of blonde hair and an orange parka. Naruto was always an easy person to find, even in the most gruesome of crowds.
"Yo, Shikamaru!" A hand suddenly clapped on his shoulder and he whipped his head around to stare at a painted, smiling face. Kankuro was holding a tray of food in his hand and a Subway sandwich bag hung from the crook of his arm. He was rather surprised to see him dressed in black; in his mind, he'd always pictured him as being a tie-dye wearing person.
"Hey Kankuro," he said evenly, moving out from under the other boy's hand. "What's with the food?"
"Well, we got kinda hungry, and Chouji had already bought, like, three trays of food already, so we though 'hey, why not?' and pooled our money together to buy some brunch." He laughed happily, adjusting his hat with gloved hands. Kankuro squinted (almost like. . .) at him, tilting his head slightly in question. "What are you doing here so early? It's only, what, 10:10? Blondie said you wouldn't be here till 10:30."
"Asuma doesn't understand the concept of a speed limit."
Kankuro laughed, pulling Shikamaru along with him as he wove through the sea of tables. It didn't take long, and before he knew it, they were standing next to the group, all of them seated around three tables they'd shoved together.
"Yo, look who I found?" said Kankuro, setting down the tray and the sandwich. In a matter of seconds, the food had been ripped off the tray, and all that was left was a burrito, which Kankuro took for himself. Shikamaru seated himself next to Chouji ("Hey Chouji" ,"'lo Shik-omuru"), leaning back as he surveyed everyone.
Normally, he only saw Naruto's troop in their uniforms, save Naruto, Kiba and Shino, who wore odd parkas over their uniforms, and Kankuro was always seen in face paint with a kitty-ear hat on his head (which, from what Kankuro said, pissed the hell out of his math teacher Baki). Gaara was the only person who outright refused to wear the uniform, choosing to wear "gothic" things, and 7 out of 10 days, Sasuke wouldn't conform to the dress code either, instead wearing "skater" clothes (or what ever it was called). This made today the first time he'd see most of them in their natural clothing.
Naruto was dressed fully in traffic-cone orange; seriously. It was blinding just to look at him. This was contrasted greatly against Gaara's clothes on one side and Sasuke's on the other, both of whom wore all black; they kind of looked like body guards, actually. Sai was shrouded in black as well and Kiba had (shockingly) forwent his usual fur-lined parka, instead wearing a dark green army shirt and cargo pants. Shino looked as he usually did (sunglasses, high-collared jacket, jeans, Vans) and Hinata had wrapped herself in a thick parka and baggy pants; she kind of looked like a caterpillar in a cocoon. Lee was as fashion-blind as usual, Haku had put his hair up in a bun (a bun! Jeeze, he was turning into a girl!), and Zabuza wore faded jeans and a muscle shirt.
They actually looked like teenagers.
How creepy.
"You're early, Shikamaru," said Chouji between bites, blinking at him curiously. He shrugged.
"Asuma drives fast."
Sasuke looked up, fixing Shikamaru with an obsidian stare. Something in his look seemed triumphant, as if he'd won some unheard argument.
"I thought you said Asuma wasn't your dad." It was said slyly, as if it were a trap.
"He isn't."
"Then why'd he give you a ride?"
"I asked."
Sasuke glared, though he didn't pry any farther. Mostly because Naruto had tried to steal his cheeseburger, but also because, unbeknownst to Shikamaru, Chouji was glaring something awful at the Uchiha. With reluctance, Sasuke had decided to play it safe and not provoke the normally sweet boy.
"Alright, so now that we're all here," started Kankuro, crumpling up his burrito wrapper, "what are we going to do?"
"Costume shopping!" shouted Naruto, spraying small bits of half-chewed ramen noodles everywhere. Gaara grabbed up a tray and shoved it in front of the boy's face, shielding them all from the slimy projectiles.
"I told you, I'm not dressing up," growled Gaara threateningly.
"Yeah, he's scary enough, he can just go as himself!"
"Shut up, Baka-inu."
"Well, I want to get a costume," said Haku. "I already have it all planned out, anyway."
"Cool. What're you going to be— "
"I'm not telling!" Haku insisted, crossing his arms defiantly.
"—Zabuza?" asked Kankuro, smirking at the blushing sophomore. Zabuza grunted.
"A samurai." Kankuro flashed a thumbs up.
"Retro. Sai, what about you?" The dazed looking boy swivelled his head around to look at the Sabaku.
"Hmm . . . . ." He turned to Naruto, and in a light voice asked, "What are you going to be, Naruto?"
"Uh, I'm gonna be, uh . . . something cool!"
"That doesn't sound too promising."
"Shut up, Sasuke-bastard!"
"What are you, a wind-up toy? Say something different for once in your life, Dead Last."
"Dammit, Fan-boy—!" Gaara grabbed Naruto's arm, jerking him away from the smirking Uchiha, who hadn't moved an inch since his battle for the cheeseburger. The thrashing ball of orange was dragged to the other side of Gaara and shoved between him and Shino, where he resorted to growling irritably.
"Anyway," cut in Haku, waving his hand dismissively, "we still need to shop. Any objections?"
"I told you, I don't want a costume," snapped Gaara.
"Me neither."
"Same."
"Too troublesome."
"Jeeze, you people! Get in the holiday spirit, why don't you?" complained Haku, glaring at them all. His eyes were unusually dangerous looking, and Shikamaru couldn't help but think that maybe this wasn't the best time to mumble another "how troublesome". He was quite sure he'd get his head chewed off if he did.
"Look, I know a guy who works at Spencers that can get us a discount on Halloween stuff. Let's just go get some costumes and then we can all leave, okay?" said Kankuro, getting up from the table. As a group, they left the food court and headed down one of the massive hallways of the mall, cutting their way through the river of people as they chattered with one another.
Chouji walked along beside him, a paper box of nachos and cheese clutched in his pudgy hand. He was grinning ear to ear as he chewed (how did he keep the food in his mouth?), slurping up the cheese as if it were a drink. The large boy seemed rather contented, though he kept stepping on Shino's heels (the boy didn't seem to mind, but it was so hard to tell with those sunglasses on) as they stode through the mall. It took him a moment to notice squinty, dark eyes searching out his before the shorter boy spoke.
"I'm sorry I gave Naruto your phone number."
"Nah, it's okay." He smiled over at his friend. "Besides, he's a pushy person. Without being able to smother his face in a pillow or sick Gaara on him, there's really no way to win against him, right?"
Chouji smiled back at him, smothering his face with nachos. "Yep."
"Holy crap, look at that clown!" yelped Naruto, leaping back dramatically as he pointed off to the side.
In the display window of Spencers hung a variety of horrific, blood-covered, psychotic looking clowns, one of which clutched a pseudo chainsaw (drenched in blood, mind you). Jack-'o'-lanterns were scattered about, some with fangs and others with the odd organ spilling out of them, and he was sure he could see a disembodied head tucked in the corner, it's body hanging in the other window. A crowd of people was crammed into the small store, like a sardines in a can, and the group hesitated before joining the mass.
"Alright, pick out a costume and lets get the hell out of here!" shouted Kankuro, holding onto his hat so as not to loose it. Shikamaru and Chouji picked their way through it, not really interested in costumes, searching instead for one open space in the shop; luck was not on their side. Several times they ran into Kiba and Shino (they never seemed to stray very far from one another) with Hinata at their heels, and Sasuke fell into them once while trying to escape a clump of girls who had decided to run recklessly through the over-stuffed room (not necessarily the brightest crayons in the box, those girls).
Finally, finally, Haku found them, looking rather frazzled himself, and pulled them up to the cash register. Kankuro and the others were huddled around it, a lump of costumes stacked on the counter. The Sabaku was talking with the (was it a girl or a boy?) person behind the counter, who looked, quite honestly, clueless. When he was within hearing range, he managed to pick out what they were saying through the din of the other customers.
"—so that we can get out of here, ya know? Can you do that, Dei?" Kankuro said, leaning over the counter top. The blonde person (Dei), nodded eagerly, grinning widely.
"Sure man, yeah. I can give you discount, yeah. But you gotta do my math homework, yeah?"
"Sure, sure," said Kankuro quickly, "you got it. Thanks a million, Dei."
"No problem, Kanky," laughed Dei, ringing up their items. Kankuro turned to them as he and Chouji came up, noting their utter lack of anything Halloween-ish.
"What, no costumes?" asked Kankuro.
"Sorry 'Kanky', we decided to forgo it," he replied drily, watching Kankuro shift in embarrasment as he scowled at them.
"You should at least get a mask."
"Masks are too troublesome."
"I know!" said Haku suddenly, snatching something off the wall. "Here, these will be your 'costumes'." He shoved them into Dei's hands before they could see what they were. "I'll even buy them for you, 'cause we can use them afterward in drama."
Even after they left Spencers, Haku wouldn't let him or Chouji see what he'd gotten for them, instead smirking deviously and saying "not till the party". Zabuza would then hover threateningly beside the boy, glaring down at them in a way that said plainly "touch him and die". It was all so very troublesome.
"Okay, today we'll have Tsuchi wait tables, Akimichi and Kinuta will handle the food, and Nara, you'll take the cash register. Any objections? Good, get to work."
Kabuto walked away, leaving Kin, Chouji, Dosu and him standing behind the counter. With a smile and a wave, Chouji left for the kitchen, Dosu scuttling after him, and Kin snatched up an apron and a notepad, taking a pen from the apron pocket, and went to wait on the present customers. He sighed, leaning against the counter top on his elbows, his chin resting on his fists. Through the window, he caught the barest trace of blue sky between two, unnecessarily tall, buildings. What a bad day to be trapped inside.
The weekend had been a total bore, the mystery of his "costume" losing its interest rather quickly, allowing him to be nice and relaxed while watching the clouds on Sunday, before he and Chouji had to go to work. It had been a busy day, too, with all those girls coming in and flirting with one of the boys sipping coffee in the corner. He honestly couldn't understand it; it wasn't as if the guy was a movie star or the President or a king or something. Well, that might not be true: he never did pay attention to that sort of thing, so the guy could've been any of that and he just wasn't aware of it.
The sheer possibility of him being clueless was totally, well, possible.
He was ready to fall asleep when the next customer came in through the door, bubbly chatter following after like a shadow. Ironically enough, it was the same guy from yesterday, though today he was with somebody. A surprisingly familiar somebody.
Dei smiled brightly at him as he and the other man came in, trotting over to the cash register with his friend on his heels.
"Pineapple head!" he said happily, his one visible eye blinking childishly. It took a moment for him to realize that he was the 'Pineapple head'. "I didn't know you worked here, yeah! You were with Kanky the other day, weren't you, yeah?"
"Uh, yeah, I was. What're you doing here?"
"I'm here to chase away the loud pigeons, yeah!" he said proudly, flashing a thumbs up and laughing childishly. The red-head behind him rolled his eyes, tugging at the blonde's hand.
"Stop making a fool of yourself, Deidara."
"I'm not making a fool of myself! And don't be a spoil sport, Sasori," chided the blonde, ruffling the red-head's hair before flouncing off to the corner table. Sasori grumbled, following after the blonde with a roll of his eyes.
"Hey, hey, Pineapple head! You go to Konoha High, right?" called Deidara, turning and waving his hand energetically back at him.
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, guess what, yeah? One of our friends is transferring back in, yeah!" He nodded adamantly, his ponytail bouncing along with it. He looked like a bobble head. "Kisame's gonna be really happy about it too, yeah. They were best friends, you know? When he hears that—"
He was cut off as a cluster of girls came in, twittering like a bunch of birds. They surrounded Sasori and Deidara's table, trying to talk to the unaffected red-head while the over-active blonde waved his arms around frantically, shouting at them all. The words "yeah" and "pigeon" were constantly being repeated and he was sure that, should one of the girls actually touch Sasori, the other boy would start a fight on the spot. He sighed. Why did all blondes have to attract so much attention? It was like they were walking sideshows, constantly drawing a crowd.
He sighed again and looked out the window. A puff of white filled the once blue sliver, and he was resolutely convinced that the clouds were mocking him.
To be continued . . . .