I think I'll update this fic more than the others, only cuz its so much fun. Okay here's the deal, I read the stats and I got over EIGHT HUNDRED HITS and only EIGHTEEN REVIEWS! COME ON!
Heh-heh
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Thanx to all the people who did review. You made my day, seriously.
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-Sakura-
I closed my laptop, still smiling widely from Tenten's woes. I knew she wouldn't kill herself, she swore not to. She probably was considering various ways to get herself fired. I chuckled as I remembered how she once planted stink bombs in McDonald's just to get out of that job. She's lazy but dedicated.
I found myself chuckling at the memory. Such good memories…
"Will you PLEASE just shut the hell up? Some of us need our beauty sleep!" My roommate, Karin, snarled before rolling over and violently pulling the sheets over her head.
I glared at her "There aren't enough hours in the day…" I muttered.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"
I forced a sweet smile "Nothing!"
Unlike Ino, who will outright attack you if you bother her, I can maintain my temper. My control is nowhere near as perfect as Hinata's, who I've only seen angry twice. Tenten will just smile at you coolly as she calculates various ways to make you miserable.
I haven't been at this camp twenty four hours and I am already starting to despair. The food was unnatural, I kicked the captain, and my roommate has signed a pact to make my life miserable.
So far this whole camp seems dedicated to kicking my pasty white ass.
Somewhere down the hall I can hear loud rap music thumping.
I buried my face in my pillow.
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I jolted into wakefulness at the shrill sound of an alarm. Was the building on fire? I leapt out of bed blindly and fumbled around for my suitcase. There's no way I'm leaving without my ipod!
"Calm down moron," Karin sneered. She sat up on the edge of her bed, watching me distastefully "It's the morning bell."
Good morning to you too, sunshine.
"The what?" My voice was thick with sleep. My muscles were still tensed, ready to spring into action.
"We have to get up early every morning for the run."
"The WHAT?"
She rolled her eyes "We run every morning dumbass, didn't you read the brochure?"
I think I left the brochure under my pillow. I decided not to tell her that. "Oh."
Karin flounced into the bathroom so I used that opportunity to get dressed. My jogging clothes consisted of a gray tank top and black shorts along with my old running shoes. Smudged and slightly smelly, the shoes carried strong memories with them. I combed my hair into a ponytail, ignoring all makeup and jewelry. I applied extra deodorant (just in case).
There. I'm ready.
I followed Karin out the door, down the hall, down the stairs, into the lobby. All the other girls from our hall were congregated there. All the seats were taken and the walls occupied so I stood in the center looking around uncertainly. Weren't we supposed to be, I don't know, running?
The doors burst open and in bounced Anko. Her outfit was very similar to mine; only she made it sexy where mine was kind of grungy. Her folded arms overflowed with energy bars "Everyone take one!" she called "This is the closest thing to breakfast you can expect!"
I felt my face drop. No breakfast? My stomach growled up at me. I patted it absentmindedly as I joined the crowd. The girls were kind of violent in their rush for energy bars. A tall girl shoved a much shorter girl out of the way, someone's ponytail was pulled, and all in all it was chaos. Somehow in the midst of the disorder I managed to grab a bar.
Blueberry. Yum.
I stuffed it in my face, fearing that one of those shifty eyed girls would snatch it from me. Damn. Nearly choked on a blueberry.
"YOU GUYS DONE YET?" Anko hollered. Clearly she has no problem giving her lungs a workout each day. I mean, she's kickass and all but does she have to yell?
We all nodded, our cheeks stuffed like chipmunks.
"Good! Now get outside!"
We dutifully followed. Wow this is a lot like military camp, only scarier.
The sun had barely peeked over the horizon. The air had a distinct chill to it but I knew the chill was in my favor as my body would heat up with the exercise. I folded my arms anyway.
"Is that natural?" Someone poked my arm. I turned and met wide amber eyes.
"Is what natural?"
"Your hair." The girl blinked owlishly, poking my ponytail as if it were a living creature.
I stared at her for a long, awkward moment. "Yes it is."
"Cool." She smiled widely, extending her hand "My name is Ryoko! Nice to meet you!"
"Sakura." I shook hands. Her skin was the color of milk chocolate, emphasizing the deep honey color of her eyes. Her hair was long and black, even in a ponytail it brushed the back of her knees.
We didn't get to talk further. Anko roared something and pointed her finger like she was leading the horse charge in Lord of the Rings rather than a group of tired athletes. Our pace was very light. I kept my breathing even. Standing at the sight of My Great Embarrassing Moment were the males of the camp. Their sleepy eyes lit up at the sight of female flesh.
The moment we reached them they merged into us. Instead of following a loop around the soccer field as I was accustomed to, we jogged across the fields and down a shady path in the woods. Branches reached out and snagged my hair. Twice I nearly tripped. It was freakin awesome!
I had slowed my pace a little, letting a few others pass me. It would do me no good to start out strong only to lag behind. For a while all I heard was the 'thump, thump' of my feet hitting the ground.
"HELLO BEAUTIFUL!" A very enthusiastic, male voice bellowed in my ear.
I winced. I turned my head, mindful of the crick in my neck from sleeping in one position too long. It was a guy dressed from the neck down in very CLINGY green spandex. My inner Sakura shuddered. "Um hi?" I usually try to avoid talking when I run. I don't want to waste necessary air.
He smiled, revealing rows upon rows of shining white teeth "MY NAME IS LEE! YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL BLOSSOM, THE EPITOME OF YOUTH!" Somehow he was able to yell and run at the same time without breaking into sweat. This guy had some stamina.
"Thank you?"
He pumped a fist into the air "You are welcome!"
Just then Sasuke jogged by. My gaze followed him. God he's gorgeous, and the way his shirt clings to his body is doing things to MY body.
Omg.
Did I just SAY THAT? Freakin Ino! She's the reason I'm so perverted!
His dark eyes met mine, and for one fleeting moment I thought that maybe, just maybe, he would have mercy on me. I widened my eyes a little, adding to my innocence.
His face fixed into the fiercest glare I have ever seen, rivaling Ino's pms'ing Godzilla face.
Nope. I was all alone.
"THE POWER OF YOUTH!"
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-Tenten-
The power of pancakes. Never doubt the power of pancakes. It can turn the grumpiest man's scowl into a cheerful smile, and unite strangers. What started out as a morning at the diner turned into a freakin pancake lover family reunion.
Nina decided that every Monday was All-You-Can-Eat-Pancakes Day. Which means more work for our kitchen staff and more running around for me.
People were talking, laughing, and having a good time all over some freakin pancakes! What the hell?
Nina patted my shoulder as I walked by; a large platter filled with pancakes balanced on my hand "It is always a good sign when people are smiling from your food. That means they like it and will return!" she said wisely.
Whatever.
Some trucker guy just grabbed my ass. I wanted to slam the tray over his head, but that wouldn't do any good.
I would wait.
Smiling vindictively I passed out the plates to the small family of four. They gazed upon me with warmth in their expressions. What the hell were they smiling about? It couldn't be the pancakes.
I headed back towards the kitchen as Neji called out the next order. Other than yelling which order is up he pretty much ignores me. Which is fine with me. Chouji and Ayame are company enough for me.
I snort as I take the plates to the next happy family.
Some doo-wap band is singing a bouncy tune about a 'run around Sue'. People are smiling. The sun is shining. I want to hurl.
The only person who seems to share my sentiment is, surprise- surprise, Neji. His face is stoic in its sternness. He moves in a mechanical rhythm as he glides across the kitchen, stirring this and flipping that. It's incredible to watch.
Plus he has really nice hair. So shiny.
"What kind of shampoo do you use?" I asked, once again attempting to engage him in some form of civil conversation. This is attempt #53.
He turns to me, with a wide smile on his features "Why, I use Loreal don't you? I use the strawberry scented shampoo which really works wonders for my hair. It helps with volume while the conditioner adds a healthy shine. Plus, it smells delicious!"
Not.
What he really says is "Order up."
"Stupid prick." I muttered under my breath. Oh look, eggs. He makes really good eggs too. I ate some the other day for breakfast. They are golden and fluffy with just the right blend of seasonings and a sprinkle of cheese on top. I went to sleep dreaming of his eggs.
Huh. That came out weird.
"Tenten, why do you look so unhappy?" That was the voice of none other than my fellow female coworker, Ayame. She is probably a Junior in college and very pretty. She too shares the curse of brown hair and brown eyes, only she makes it look lovely. She wears a white bandana in her hair which keeps it smooth and looks so cute.
Her prettiness makes me want to hurl, almost.
I mirrored her smile "Ayame, why do you look so happy?"
She threw back her head and laughed, accustomed to my morning grumpiness "Honestly Tenten, you need to see the brighter side of things!"
"I do." I protested, "Okay maybe I don't, but that's just not my calling in life. What the universe needs is balance. You supply all the pretty, perky, cheerful things in life and I bring in the harsh reality. Without the yin and the yang our universe would fall apart."
She rolled her eyes, waving her hand flippantly "Whatever you say…"
There is a break in the morning rush. Everyone is content to just eat. Good. A question comes to mind "Hey Ayame, what kind of shampoo do you think Neji uses?"
She rubs her chin, taking me seriously "That's a good question. He looks like a Pantene person."
I nodded. I would have to remember that. Neji, obviously hearing our conversation, scowled in my direction. I returned his scowl with a wide smile. Which reminded me… "Hey, there's this guy who just grabbed my ass."
Ayame's soft brown eyes harden as she takes the side of justice "Which one?"
"That grungy trucker over there in the orange shirt."
"What do you want me to do about him?"
I placed a calming hand on her arm "Nothing. I don't want you to get in trouble… but you know, I could really use some hot coffee right now." I eyed her meaningfully.
She grinned, looking catlike and once again pretty "Coming right up!"
I rubbed my hands together, cackling like a classic cartoon villain. That's when something hard pokes me in the back. I turned and was surprised to see Neji standing there, in all his stoic stoniness. "Don't."
Hey, his voice is low but really smooth sounding. He should do sexy commercials, or something like that.
"Huh?" I feigned innocence, batting my eyelashes "What are you talking about?"
"I heard you and Ayame." He said warningly.
"Oh, so you DO use Pantene?"
He gave me a look, his gray eyes threatening. "Don't do anything to the customers. People like those are disgusting lowlifes and not worthy of the attention. Let it be."
This time it was ME giving the threatening looks "Thanks for the advice, Oprah, but I'm going my own way."
"I will report you to Nina."
I jutted my hips out, placing my hands on them and began wiggling them comically "I will report you to Nina." I said in a whiny mimic of his voice "Leave me the hell alone."
Neji blinked, most likely astounded by how accurate my impersonation of him was. He stared at me for a moment longer. "Fine."
"Yes!" I pumped my fist in the air wildly "I win!"
"Order up." Was all he said.
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"Order up! Order up!"
"Move faster!"
"I need help over here!"
"I'm going on break could you stir the grits for me?"
Those are not four separate voices I heard. That was Neji. He moved at lightning fast speed, keeping me on my toes. It was as the bells above the door jingled, and my target escaped me, that I realized what he was doing.
I whirled on my feet, brushing past a smiling Chouji and Ayame. I marched until I was staring Neji right in the face. I jabbed my finger into his chest, trying to ignore its firmness "YOU!"
He stared at me blankly, but there was a certain amount of smugness in his blank expression "Do you need something?" He asked courteously, which confirmed my suspicions since he spent the past few days blatantly IGNORING ME.
"You did that on purpose!"
He kept up the innocent game "Did what? I'm a cook, of course my actions are on purpose."
"You let that nasty pervert get away from me!"
Neji's lips curled into a slow smile (not like I was looking or anything! Honest!) "Consider yourself fortunate."
"I WANTED MY REVENGE!" I howled.
He tilted his head slightly, causing his long silky hair to ripple. I was momentarily distracted by the shininess of it all. "If you damaged that man he would've sued and Nina would have fired you."
His train of thought took me aback. "Okay and?"
"Personally I could care less if you were fired, but I would hate if the man decided to exact his vengeance on this establishment. Nina is my friend. This diner means a lot to her. I will do anything in my power to protect it, even if it means depriving you of your 'revenge'."
He returned to his duties and resumed ignoring me.
"Fine." I huffed, folding my arms tightly. "Just… fine."
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End Chapter
I adore writing from Tenten's POV. Doo-wap is my absolute favorite genre of music (which is weird since I'm black, well half-black, and shouldn't be blaring it in my car). I also like a few of Elvis' songs. I love old music/old movies, its hard writing hatred to them.
Yes Ryoko is an OC. No she will not play an absolutely major role. It's just that I have to divide the cast of Naruto between the four girls in their four locations, which doesn't give me much room to work with.
Don't forget to review!
NEXT CHAPTER IS THE INTERMISSION AND WILL COME OUT SOON!!!