A/N: Hey, thanks for reviews! I really didn't expect this story to be all that popular because of the pairing. I had intended the Phantom's identity to be a surprise until the end, but it made my story really hard to find. Heh, not many people take risks for pairings. I apologize for chapter two actually... it was pretty damn pointless. But on with the show cause the Phantom is back!
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.
Chapter 3: Chance
It was a quarter past nine. Everyone had already gotten quite hammered. A lot of Gaara's empty or spare rooms have already been taken. I was, as usual, behind the bar. Where it's nice, safe, and tranquil. Honestly, I'd rather stay here and make drinks rather than getting drunk and waking up next to a stranger in the morning. But hey, that's just me.
To my surprise, my blonde friend had accompanied me the whole night. Usually she'd be frolicking from table to table at parties. Every time I turn my head she'd be either flirting with some girl or drinking with the guys. Butch? Yeah, I know. But you'd never be able to tell just looking at her.
"What's up with you tonight? What happened to the party animal Ino I know?" I said, handing her another drink. She looked at me with almost a sad expression.
"What? Have you run out of girls to fuck already?"
"Very funny, Temari." She said as she swiveled around in her chair to face the party. I know what she's up to. She's been staring at the DJ all night. Ah, how adorable…but still extremely annoying. I thought I'd have to hold her back from disturbing Sakura all night, but she's just been sitting here quietly. Normally I wouldn't mind, but it's getting pretty damn annoying.
"Oh man, Ino, just look at her," I whispered behind her shoulder teasingly, "Sweat glistening off her body…Slim frame and slender fingers moving to the rhythm. God, she's the type that makes you come for her without any physical contact." I didn't mean it, but just wanted to see her reaction. As you know, the word 'come' is a very amusing pun. The most amusing part being the person's reaction when they catch the wrong end of the pun. Plus, puns allow you to get out tight situations too if you use them right.
Ino turned around and glared at me. Jackpot!
"S-Stop that! Quit thinking like an old man!" I feigned a hurt expression at her retort, trying my best to suppress my laughter. Like she was one to talk… Looks like I won this round.
"Hey, you know, she makes you wanna go up to her and just admire her awesome skills. I'm just observing her in a party environment, which is exactly what I'm picturing in my head. Care to share what you're picturing in your head?" I said, smirking at her.
"Fuck you, Temari," she said, obviously annoyed.
"Oh, so now you want me and the DJ. You're pretty damn greedy, plus you know I don't swing that way. Can't say about the cherry blossom though," I retorted, grinning like a fox. Ino rolled her eyes at me before turning around and running off. No one beats Temari at the game of words.
I looked up from unconsciously wiping a glass to see Sakura looking confusedly at me. I guess she saw Ino running off. I put down the glass and made my way over to her. I decided to be a good friend to shy little Ino. Doesn't hurt to add a little oil to the fire.
"Hey," I said casually, leaning on the wall behind the DJ.
She said nothing at first, just playing with the buttons and knobs some more before taking off her headphones.
"Hi," she said bluntly, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, Hey. Listen, I put together some songs on a CD. I have a song on it I'd like to play. But I left the CD in my room. So could you help me get it?"
"Why can't you get it? I can't just leave, you know," she said raising an eyebrow at me. Damn, I hadn't thought of that. But of course, no one can outsmart Temari!
"Yeah, I think you can. Everyone else is hammered, unconscious, or busy. I can't go because I'm the only one who can manage the bar. Just put on some background music for now." After a bit more pestering, she finally left, a bit reluctantly, but at least she left. Ino is still not back, so if my hunch is right, then all should go well. God, Temari, you're such a great friend.
"Kankuro, I might need to hire some strippers and keep everyone busy for a couple of hours." I told him as I passed him on my way back to the bar.
"Huh? What happened? Where's the DJ? I thought we decided on DJ this time… not that I'm complaining about the strippers." He asked, with an amusing look of confusion on his face.
"Let's just say she probably won't be back for a long time," I replied slyly, winking at him before going back to the bar.
A couple minutes later at the bar, I just couldn't shake the urge to check on them. So I decided to listen to myself and go upstairs. I started ascending the stairs when suddenly someone practically flew down the stairs, knocking me over in process. I hit the cold tiled floor hard on my back, knocking the wind out of me. I lied still for a couple moments, trying to process my surroundings. Groaning, I tried to sit up, but I realized someone was on top of me. Son of a bitch, when I get her, I swear I'll… Arg, her boobs are crushing mine! Thank god she's a lightweight.
Just then they looked up. I stared into her dazed brown eyes. Wait, brown eyes? That sounds familiar…
She suddenly snapped back to reality. Her head whipped around, eyes wandering back up the stairs. I followed her gaze. She sighed in relief, relaxing back on top of me. It was as if she forgot I was still here. I rolled my eyes drumming my fingers on the tiled floor. She sat up on my stomach, still dazed apparently cause she still didn't get off.
"Uhm… Yeah, I think you're going to have to get off."
Instantly, she jumped off me. Wow, this girl has pretty quick reflexes. She apologized with a little bow and a quick 'sorry'.
"Hey you!" came a familiar voice.
"Shit," I heard her mutter before running off. I just stood there, a bit dazed and bewildered.
"Temari! Get her, dammit!" Ino yelled from the top of the stairs. I quickly turned around, but she had already left through the front door. I thought of running after her, but decided on a shrug as I made my way up the stairs.
"What happened, Ino?" I asked, looking at her, "and why are you naked?" She wasn't completely naked, but naked down to her undergarments.
I quickly led her to my room, throwing her a pair of jeans that was lying around. Someone probably left it behind earlier. If there's bugs in there, I don't really care either.
"That little bitch was trying to take my wallet, while I was looking for a towel. I came out just in time to catch her taking my wallet out of my jeans, which she was wearing. But she just ran out, wearing my clothes. You saw how fast she was, there's no way I could've caught her." It took me a moment to let all that register in my head.
"Wait, why are you naked in the first place?"
"I was going to take a cold shower! For gods sakes! It's all your fault too!" She said, poking my shoulder accusingly.
"Well you know, normal people usually take their clothes off right before getting into the shower."
"I was going to get in! I didn't know you didn't have a goddamn towel in there!"
I hugged her, feeling she need's a bit of love after all that.
Just then, someone poked their head through the door. A pink head, that is.
"Oh, did I come in at the wrong time? I need to talk to Temari-san," Sakura said quietly. I quickly let go of Ino and signaled her to come in.
"Uhm yeah, I can't find your CD. I checked this room already, but I didn't know you guys were…uh…using it. It was empty when I was in here," she explained, her eyes going back and forth between Ino and I. Damn, Ino must've been in the closet looking for a towel…
"Ah, great. The thief must've taken my CD too," I said with a slight roll of my eyes, "Well, I'm going to look for a shirt for Ino." I hope Ino makes her move while I'm in the other rooms, because this is getting frustrating.
"I, uh, was robbed," I heard Ino say nervously before I went off.
I decided to go to Gaara's room and borrow one of his shirts. Just so I don't disturb busy couples and crazy groupies. When I got there, the door was locked. Surprise surprise! This, of course, means that I shouldn't go in there. Damn, I don't know why I decided to take everything with me when I left this place.
Thinking back to those two upstairs, I questioned myself why I'm looking for a shirt. God, I bet she won't even be wearing pants when I get back up there. But, she'll need it sooner or later. Suddenly, I remembered Sakura. When she came in earlier, she was only wearing a tank top. Which means that she left her sweatshirt behind somewhere! Wow, I'm so smart. She won't mind if I borrow it.
I made my way back to my room, sweatshirt in hand. But, not wanting to ruin anything fun, I sat by the door and listened in.
"So…what's your relationship with Hinata?" Smooth Ino, real smooth.
"She's uh, a close friend of mine… and what the hell are you doing?"
"Sorry, it's just that… you're warm. It does get quite cold up here when you're half naked."
"Well, Temari-san should be back soon, so just hang on a bit. Speaking of Temari-san, how long have you been with her?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know like…going out? I'm sorry, I just assumed…you…well, you make quite a pair." What the fuck? Oh god, I choked on my own spit. Wow, can she be any denser?
"Are you serious? You think we're going out? What the hell gave you that idea?"
"Well, I don't know. I'm sorry if I offended you. It's just the way you two interact, that's all." Offended? Tch, she should be honoured!
After that, a very awkward silence spread around the entire atmosphere.
"So…have you ever k----"
"Can I kiss you?"
"Eh, that was a bit unexpected, but…" She trailed off, followed by the soft sound of shuffling blankets.
A couple minutes later, someone gasped. Silence. The bed squeaked, indicating sudden movements. I poked my head in for a second to see what had just happened. Ino was on the bed with her elbows supporting her body. Sakura stood at the foot of the bed, looking nervous and tense. I quickly turned back to the wall in fear of being caught.
"Look, I'm flattered you picked me over everyone else tonight. I'd hate to disappoint you, but… I'm afraid you're not going to get any. If you're going to treat me like a little whore, I'm leaving. If you have a problem with that, that's your issue. I don't suggest you mess with me either." Ino was silent. Then I heard some footsteps coming towards me.
"I need my sweatshirt back," she said simply, leaning on the doorframe. I knew I was caught… well that was new. I swear I'll die by my own curiosity one day.
I stood up to dust off my pants, when suddenly Ino flew out the door.
"Wait! Sakura!" the pink-haired girl, who was halfway down the stairs, looked up at her.
The blonde caught up to her, unable to look her in the eye.
"I'm sorry… see, I'm not really used to this. If you were anyone else, then I would've just watched you leave. But I know you're different!"
The DJ shook her head, "Even though we just met, I know about you Yamanaka-san. Hell, who doesn't know about you? You're one of the greatest heartbreakers around. I don't care what you say, I'm not sleeping with you."
"Then don't! I don't care we can take it slow."
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me…" she said continued descending the stairs. This girl's pretty damn cold. Poor Ino…
I joined her at the bottom of the stairs just sitting quietly.
"Just got off the wrong foot, don't worry about it."
"Don't even try, Temari."
"Go explain to her!"
"No."
"What if she's the one? Hey, someone has gotta tame you."
"Go away."
"Quit sulking like a little kid! I thought you were more mature than that." She didn't reply. She just sat there huddling against the steps.
"Hey, what do you expect? After all those broken hearts, do you really think you can be a good lover? It's not just for looks."
"Don't give me that! You wouldn't know love if it slapped you in the face!" The blonde said looking at me angrily. We both sat silent for a while. With two identities, love really doesn't come easy.
I went back to the bar, leaving Ino by herself to think things through. That's how it was for the hour or so. Just the beer, the drunkards, and me.
I checked my watch it read 11:30pm. Gaara looked over at me, the same neutral expression on his face. I quickly handed my job over to Kankuro. I made my way over to Sakura before I left the estate for the night. There are some things she needs to know.
"You," I said, standing in front of her station.
"What do you want now?" she looked agitated.
" You don't have to be so harsh. I'm not sure if you noticed, but she's been extremely out of character tonight. The only person she had talked to before this whole fiasco was me. She didn't dance at all tonight. Completely ignored the girls hitting on her, only three bottles. Just swiveled in her chair staring at you. Love at first sight if you ask me. But hey, what do I know? I'm not blind enough to miss the looks you returned either. Congrats on being the first one to tame and shoot the biggest heartbreaker around." She didn't say anything. I'm not stupid, I know she wants it as much as Ino does. I don't really care right now though cause I'm running late.
Once I entered my apartment, the phone rang. I picked it up, having a good idea who it may be.
"Shika," I said nonchalantly.
"Hey," came his usual lazy and bored voice. Nara Shikamaru, a childhood friend of mine. He's the only one besides family who knows of my other identity. Because of his high intelligence, he acts as my informant, which is why I have to split the money with him. This lazy genius provides me with information about new targets and such. He's also the one who helps me sell the stolen items. Despite his laziness, he's got some incredible skills. He's helped my polish my fighting skills quite a bit. That's just his undercover job. Even I don't know where he's hiding when he calls with information. In the day, he's a high-ranking cop. He jumped a lot of grades so he got a head start in the police academy. Lucky for me, I have authority on my side.
"Alright, listen. Today's job's the art gallery. Swipe the painting in there entitled Pride and Promise. Should be somewhere 'round the sides. It's worth a couple million I'd say. But either way, try not to fail this time. The Phantom is still at large, so you might have some company tonight."
"Did you get anything on this 'Phantom'?"
"Eh, unfortunately it was too troublesome for me to check. I doubt there'd be anything though. Last night was his first appearance after all. Besides, you probably know him better than anyone right now."
"Alright, anything else?"
"Yeah, I got your fans sharpened up. I also added a couple of extras for you. You owe me one. So how bout the night off?"
"What, did you spend so much time sleeping you didn't get enough sleep?"
"Hahah…funny, but no. Girlfriend's birthday today," he sighed.
"Well, fine. You have fun with that, come by tomorrow for the painting."
"Right. Bye."
Konoha's art gallery has some pretty tough defense out front. So tonight, I entered from the top. I swiftly jumped to the base of the glass dome. To my surprise, my company got here earlier than me this time. For some reason, he was sitting there, eating a sandwich, as if he was waiting for me. Wait, a sandwich? It looked like the ones Hinata makes. Only Hinata could make. He must've been at the party!
I quickly ran a list of names through my head. Any of them could be it! Wait! Brown eyes! Who has brown eyes… let's see, there's Shikamaru for starters… Could that be the reason why he wasn't here yesterday night and tonight?
Hold on. Let's not get ahead of myself here. Shika wasn't even at the party, so it couldn't be him. Then there's Kiba, he's got brown eyes. Then again, so does Lee. But…those could be contacts! Which then, makes everyone a suspect. Wow, I'm getting fired up just thinking about it.
"Alright, who are you?" I called out. He just looked back at me with while finishing off his sandwich.
"All you need to know is that I am the Phantom," he said, smiling at me. His voice! It was robotic…that means he used a voice changer! Damn, why does he have to be so damn clever? It appeared as though he hid it in the grey facemask he wore tonight.
He jumped down in front of me. He was slightly taller than me.
"What you should also know," he leaned over, whispering in my ear, "is that I've admired you for the longest time. So don't disappoint me again this time." With a smirk, he entered the little hole he made, which I hadn't noticed earlier. Admiration huh? I bet he made up that bullshit just so he could get into my pants.
Without wasting another second, I jumped into the hole after him. He knew what I was after, making my target his as well.
I followed him to the painting, which was, by the way, nothing special. But when I got there, he was gone. Fortunately the painting was still there.
"I see you're quite interested in this piece." I jumped forward, hearing the robotic voice behind me.
I stared at him for the longest time. Neither of us moved, we just stood there and waited for the other to strike first.
I barely managed to dodge the two small shurikens he threw at me. I whipped out my fan, ready to deflect anything that comes flying,
"You're a dead man." I spat angrily. Boy, if looks could kill…
He merely smirked, throwing two more baby shurikens at me. What the fuck does he think he's doing? Those probably won't hurt even if I was hit. But it doesn't matter, safety first. I barely dodged it. I jumped at him, but tripped. I didn't dodge it, he pinned me right on. The baby shurikens pierced through the side of my shorts, lodging itself into the wall behind me.
"Get yourself out. Or you're going to lose again."
I growled, trying to take out the metal star with my bare hands. Looks like I'll just have to tear my pants...or…
I did a quick double team that looked as if I was wavering on a screen with lots of static. The shuriken loosened up and fell easily. This was a trick I learned from Shika when he was teaching me evasive techniques.
The Phantom watched, clearly impressed, and quickly threw three larger shurikens at me. Easily evaded with a simple technique.
I threw down a slightly larger fan Shika equipped for me. It was sharper than a razor, but also the perfect flying device. Without a thought I jumped on, slicing the air as I flew around.
I quickly swiped the painting, meanwhile blowing away seven small shurikens thrown at me with a single swipe of my fan. I flew around the Phantom's head before flying higher. I broke one of the glass dome panels with a powerful blast of air. Just as I exited the gallery, I heard a small dagger flying past my head, narrowly missing my ear. I turned around. Sure enough, the Phantom had a little flying device of his own: an impressive-looking mechanical board.
I flew a bit faster, the night breeze giving me a slight boost of speed. I made a sharp turn before diving a bit lower and back up again behind my opponent. Hoping I was the faster one this time, I created two small tornadoes with my fan. Unfortunately it was not the case, as he dodged it flawlessly. He threw up different sharp objects, which was easily deflected with my fan. However, one peculiar weapon got through. The three-bladed boomerang managed to whirl around me, slashing both my arms.
This time, I took a steep dive down to a large open roof. I was demanding a fair fight, and he knew it.
I jumped off my fan while I was still a ways up, grabbing my fan in process. I did this so I had time to unleash an attack just as she arrived.
I landed gracefully and painlessly, whipping out my other fan while clipping my big one back onto my belt. I held out both my arms, spinning myself around. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him land. He threw a number of objects at me but was deflected effortlessly.
I stopped my spinning abruptly, unleashing three small whirlwinds. They began to move around, slowly at first with increasing speed. The Phantom jumped back and forth, trying his best to dodge them. The three of them began closing in on him, forming one giant tornado. I ignored the wicked smile he wore as he was engulfed into the tornado. I took this chance to throw in all three of my fans, hoping at least one of them will cut through.
I heard a couple of pained screams coming from the Phantom as I just stood there and watched.
I couple of seconds later, a whole army of sharp objects began flying towards me. Since I don't have any fans on me, I had to evade as much as possible.
Unfortunately, his timing was perfect, and his accuracy was lethal. I dodged a lot of them but a couple of daggers, knives, and razors got me. The velocity of the daggers were greater than anything else, which included me, giving me almost no time to react. But the worst was the boomerangs. They flew back and forth at least half a dozen times.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the tornado started dying down, as well as the number of weapons.
The Phantom and I were cut and bleeding from head to toe. My clothes were falling apart, nearly exposing my chest. His hat was gone, revealing his messy brown ponytail. His clothes were tattered and ripped, one of his sleeves ripped off.
"Son of a bitch!" I cried angrily. I jumped over him, grabbing my fans back. He turned around quickly and pulled out dual blades. Where the fuck does he keeps this stuff?
He aimed for my head, but blocked his blows thanks to my fan and feline reflexes. I swiped his stomach with my other fan, narrowly missing.
We exchanged blows one after another, neither of us hitting the other. My stamina was starting to waver. I could tell he wasn't too far behind.
Our weapons clashed one more time. This time, our faces were inches away, glaring into each other's eyes. I brought my free hand up, fisted and ready to attack again. However, I had a better idea. He did the same, appearing ready to strike. One more shot… and I'll get that bastard…
I went for his face as he went for my stomach. I doubled over in pan, but I had managed to watch the Phantom's mask fly off his face.
Large brown eyes were the last things I saw before slipping into darkness.
