"Uhhh Frankie, I think you're scaring them."

"Hush honey, now you told me there were six of them, where are the others?"

He darted his eyes up and down, as if he would find a boy that's plastered in the ceiling, wait, there is one. What the hell is The Hyuuga doing at the ceiling?

"Oh oh! I found one, what's your name sweetie?"

Frankie attempted to grab Neji but the ninja was too fast for him, Neji was instantly beside Sasuke within a second.

"So Frankie, did you bring the suits and my dress?" I attempted to distract Frankie and signaled for the men to get the hell out of my room, what are they doing in here anyway.

"Dress? Honey I brought tons of gowns, a girl needs choices after all. I brought the suits as well, in different styles and a few spares. Now let's get you dolled up first."

The party wasn't due until 7 pm tonight so I don't know why Frankie wanted to set my hair as early as 2 pm. He brought in tons of gowns, in every color and silhouette I can imagine, he began tending to the boys a few minutes ago and so far I've heard three screams and one groan.

Since I had nothing else to do I flipped through the gowns and noticed that Frankie also brought some shoes, I really don't give Frankie much credit. Not all of what he brought in was from his clothing line but also from other designers that had a branch at the mall. He must have some sick connections.

I frowned when I saw a couple of white gowns, don't get me wrong, they are pretty gorgeous but I can't imagine myself wearing white other than on my wedding day. Kind of lame, I know. Frankie knows this but he still insisted on bringing in some.

"Aria darling, have you found something you liked?"

"I found something I don't, Frankie you know that I don't wear white except for tshirts."

"I knew you'd say no but I tried my luck, but no worries. This is going to be officially your debut, you need to stand out, what do you think about red or green?"

"This isn't my first party Frankie, and I'm open to both color."

"It's your first as an official bachelorette, now that you're eighteen expect to receive some proposals."

"Proposals? As in marriage?"

"Of course honey." Frankie said it like it's the most common thing in the world.

"Well you don't have to choose now Aria, of course, but it's like a formality. Welcome to the adult world. But for now, try on this red gown."

I grabbed the gown and stripped off my clothes. I didn't mind it if Frankie was there, he probably seen everything that has to be seen before anyway.

As soon as I put on the gown I looked at my mirror, the gown was a one shoulder strap with some gold detailing around the bodice. It flows down from my waist to the floor. I made a little twirl to see the movement of the dress.

"Pretty, but not beautiful. I don't think you should go with red because of your hair, it's too much."

He then proceeded to rummage through the racks again and pulled out a few more dresses, this is gonna be a long afternoon.

Shikamarus pov

We've been left to our own device after the guy named Frankie disappeared into Arias room, he was a decent guy, if not a bit weird. He has so much energy a bit reminiscent of Lee but it was too troublesome to deal with him.

I sat on the couch facing the tv and lied my head down. If I'm correct, there will be an event later this evening and Aria apparently will make us come. I'm too lazy to say no plus it will give us the chance to observe more people and hopefully gather information.

I looked at the wall to my right and saw her wall of "DVDs".

"Hey Kiba play something from the wall."

I'm guessing we had hours to kill and from my experience with Ino, girls take an awful amount of time to get ready.

"What will I pick?" Kiba asked me while going through the shelves.

"Pick whatever, I don't really care."

I closed my eyes for a bit and felt someone sit beside be, I opened my eyes a little and saw the young Kazekage. He said nothing and I'm not one for small talk so I basked in silence.

"Ohhh, look at this Shikamaru, it says Bride Wars. I wonder what wars are like here in this world, it must be pretty intense because even brides have wars."

" just play it Kiba, and sit down." I was really curious about this world, how can one world be the same yet at the same time be so different.

"It's starting, hey guys lets all watch this. It has war on its title." Kiba announced and pretty soon all six of us plus akamaru were in the living room.

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"I'm not sure this is what I'm expecting." Neji voiced out what we were all thinking right now, what were seeing is a bunch of dresses and cakes and rings. I mean we're ninjas, we've experienced war And I'm pretty sure this isn't it,

"Let's watch it anyway, we already started it." Kiba said, surprisingly engrossed in the film.

I didn't even know it was customary for brides to wear white, in our world people just wear their best clothes. Usually it's a traditional kimono with elaborate prints and designs or whatever dress you have in your closet that's not torn or dirty.

Slowly, I began to feel myself get engrossed in the film.

It was nearing the end of the film and I infer that Aria was nowhere near done getting ready. The movie was entertaining, I didn't know that weddings are that troublesome but I guess girls pretty much do all the work.

I shifted my eyes to Kiba who has Akamaru snuggling at his side, we need to do something about him.

"Kiba, what about Akamaru?" I asked the dog boy.

"Maybe I'll leave him here for the meantime, I don't think I'll need to fight anytime soon anyway."

I just nodded at Kiba, this is a world where chakra was basically nonexistent, we should have nothing to worry about. I'll have Sasuke cast a jutsu later that will hinder others from recognizing us, it never hurts to be more careful. Well, we've yet to figure out Aria but I think we'll have plenty of time to question her later.

Sasuke' Pov

"What are we wearing?" Kiba asked to no one in particular. Honestly, I would like to ask the same.,

I was currently standing in front of the many mirrors that adorns Aria's apartment. All of us were wearing pants of some kind that were much tighter and slimmer than I'm used to. While it's not really uncomfortable, it's just inconvenient. We had different colors of button up shirts with ties and "blazers" matching the pants we were provided.

"I don't know Kiba-san, but it looks good. We sure are wearing some strange shoes." Sai said while eyeing each and everyone of us.

My shoes, were black in color and a bit pointy at the front. It makes a sound every time we take a step, very inconvenient for ninjas. The sandals we were used to wearing was much much nicer than this. But I doubt that they would look good with the new clothes.

It's nearing six o clock which means we've been left alone for a couple of hours now and we still haven't seen Aria . We've only seen the weird guy when he gave us our outfits which was more than enough time I was willing to spend with him alone.

Finally Aria's door opened but just like the last time, her friend was the one that went out. I think his name was Frankie, well he was wearing a suit very similar to ours, if not a bit more colorful but he can certainly pull it off. While the six of us were wearing black suits, he was wearing a white one that is in contrast with his green undershirt.

"It's almost time darlings. Line up so I can check all of you one more time."

I walked towards the man and heard a little grumbling from Kiba's side, it should go undetected to a normal person's ears but it certainly wasn't to us.

Once we're all lined up, he continued to straighten up our ties and flick off nonexistent dust from our shoulders. I heard a beep coming from the outside and was suddenly alarmed. I realized that I had no weapon with me so I made a beeline for my old things. I could fit the weapons in a small scroll, it would still go unnoticeable in my new clothes.

"Oh good, the limo's here, come on guys."

That's definitely Aria's voice. I spun around and finally saw her. She's beautiful.

No wait, she's an old hag.

I can't call her beautiful. What was I thinking? I think my heads being toyed with in this world. It must be a jutsu, definitely.

Frankie's pov

I watched as Aria stepped out of her room. She's gorgeous of course, I spent a good few hours with her. Actually, she doesn't need that much work, I just kept her inside the room so her look would be a surprise to the boys. She looks good enough that I almost became straight just to date her. Almost.

She was wearing an emerald green gown with a v neck that goes down just above her belly button. Not much chest area was being shown since the top part wasn't actually skin tight, it's more like one of those Grecian gowns, with the flowy material. But of course, I wouldn't stop at the front, Aria went back to her room, her nude heels peeking under her skirt, to grab her purse. The back was a drama, or should I say, lack of back. The backless dress reached high enough that it wasn't considered slutty but still low enough to make a statement. One wrong move wearing that gown and the rest would be history. You can't really wear a bra with that kind of outfit. There was also a little train action going on, Aria is one of the few people I really love dressing up.

I looked at the boys, or should I say men as they stared at my Aria. I learned a little bit of their situation from Aria and frankly, I don't care. As long as you're hot, we'd get along just fine. I don't think they've seen Aria dressed like that, it's been a long time since I've seen her dressed like that. Heck, I think it's the first time the men saw a dress like that.

My shirt matches Arias gown as I'm officially her escort for the night, but I don't think I'll be the only one. Looks like Aria has a little bit of a crowd to choose from tonight.

"Come on darlings, chop chop. We're the party so everyone should be already waiting for us." I got a text from Aria's brother, Allen that he's already there. The siblings were like family to me, even if I play little jokes on Allen every now and then.

Aria took my arm as we climb downstairs, since this was an apartment were not the only one I'm this building. I've been told that she'll move sometime next month, and she needs to move. The apartment is too crowded for the ninjas, well I wouldn't mind taking a few under my wing. In fact, I'm willing to take them all.

Aria looked at me weirdly, as if she knows what I was thinking. I think she actually knows since she shook her head to me. Did she develop a sixth sense or something?

We entered the limo, and since I'm still technically considered a gentleman, I let Aria go in first. I followed her and the rest followed us. The drive to the hotel will relatively be short, I mean technically we're already late, still the press would not let this go. The Swan heiress finally debuting, everybody wants to have the first glance.

With the Swan heir hitting front covers of business magazines and major newspapers, everybody's curious about his little sister that has been away from the public for far too long. Allen was one of the most sought after bachelors at the age of 22, he definitely inherited all the good genes from his father, a certified business tycoon, the Swan empire is sure to grow greater.

Arias pov

I stepped down last from the limousine. Frankie went out first and immediately basked in the flashing lights of the camera, the ninjas went out following Frankie with Sai being the last to step out.

"We'll be right here Aria-san." He whispered before he went out.

I was bombarded with questions as soon as I stepped down from the vehicle.

"Miss Swan, where have you been?"

"Is it true that you have a falling out with you father?"

"We're you and Mr. Allen Swan fighting for power?"

"What made you come now after all those years?"

"Is it true that you're engaged to Mr. Kou Sanada?"

I flinched as one reporter got too close and grabbed my arm rather forcefully. Immediately the six ninjas crowded over me, shielding me from the harsh flashes of the camera. The hotel security even came out to make a way for us.

"Come on honey, this way."

I barely heard Frankie's voice, it was a good thing that the men heard it and Gaara grabbed my hand and led me away.

We finally reached the ballroom after much struggle. The press was a part of the reason why I stopped going to these parties.

"That was quite an entrance sis. It might even rival mine."

Allen, it feels like it's been so long since I last saw him. I gave him a hug, a short hug.

"It like we haven't seen each other for a good amount of time."

"We haven't seen each other for a few months, you don't even come visit me and whenever I go to your place you're not even there."

"We'll I've been busy with some stuff, anyway Allen, these are my friends."

I gestured to the six men behind me and said each of their names. I don't think Allen would recognize them, he's too much of a dumbass, he's a business tycoon don't get me wrong, but that's where it stops. Frankie's already gone inside, some escort he is.

"Well, I'm glad to see Aria's friends other than that Kou kid and what's the name of the other one? Mina?"

"She's not my friend Allen, we'll be going in, alright?" Allen didn't even ask for their names.

"Sure, dad's somewhere inside."

I turned around and saw six pairs of questioning eyes.

"I'll explain everything later, please. Just blend in for now, I'm sorry for taking you here."

I randomly grabbed someone's hand and walked mindlessly looking for my father.

"Aria, why are you holding me?"

It seemed like I grabbed Uchiha's hand. I gestured him to go down to my height so I could whisper.

"Well, I really need somebody with me at all times today since I'm already 18. You know, old enough to drink, to go to the club, to get married. Do you get it?"

"No."

I didn't really want to explain it to Sasuke alone. I looked for the balcony so we could have some kind of privacy.

"I'll explain it in a way you'll understand. Now, what's one of the reasons people fawn over you?"

"I'm a good ninja."

"Better than good from what I've read, but Kiba is also a good ninja. You don't see him have hordes of fangirls, give me another reason."

"My looks?"

"Give me a better answer Sasuke. You know you're not the only good-looking man out there."

It took him longer to answer this time, he must be really thinking this out.

"I'm an Uchiha?"

"Bingo. Everybody's attracted to the power and influence of the Uchihas. Well here, everybody's basically attracted to the Swans, my family. I rarely come to these kinds of parties so if I were ever to go alone I would be bombarded with men from other families. Frankie's supposed to be my escort but you don't see him now, do you?"

Sasuke whispered something but it was too low for me to hear properly.

"Well with your outfit I doubt anybody would go away from you."

"What did you say, I didn't catch that."

He didn't answer again so maybe I wasn't supposed to hear it.

I sent a small smile to Sasuke and gestured that we go inside again. I linked my hands to his elbows and he didn't voice out any protest. Halfway to the ballroom I realized that Gaara was by my side, I linked my right arm with his left, two escorts might do a better job at fending some "suitors".

I didn't notice the rest, they're really good at blending in, well it's their job after all.

Shit, I could see the Hans. The older lady was wearing a violet dress that worked best with her slightly pale skin. While the signs of aging were evident you could still see the former beauty she was underneath that fake smile she was wearing every single time I see her. Beside her was her daughter, with her hair pinned to a bun showcasing precious gems on her ears. She was wearing a strapless light blue empire waist dress with some crystals at the waist line. She would've passed for the sweet and innocent look if it wasn't for the mean sneer she had on her face. She didn't even bother to hide her distaste.

"Miss Swan, what a pleasure to finally see you again. Mina here doesn't talk about that often anymore."

"Good evening Mrs. Han, I'm actually surprised that she doesn't talk about me especially with what she did to my-"

"Aria, come with me."

Mina proceeded to drag me to the sidelines, far away from her mother.

"That was very rude Mina. Were you never taught any manners?"

"I can't believe you almost told my mother! What were you thinking?!"

"You're angry because I was about to tell her that you stole my boyfriend? Worry not my dear, we know all about your gold digging techniques, she'll be fond of Kou after all, isn't our power the only thing that made you befriend me?"

"Oh please Aria, be thankful that I even acted like your friend. Everybody else either respected you or hated you, not that they would admit it. You should be thankful for me."

"Oh don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for you. I ended it with Kou before anything got too serious. We were better of as friends anyway."

"Who are you kidding? You literally went to a school halfway across the country from where we come from when there's practically a good university next door. Don't tell me that doesn't count as running away."

"It's not. Don't be jealous that I got in a prestigious university using my brains and the fact that I don't need my mommy to bat her fake eyelashes at the dean and daddy to "donate" huge sums of money to the school just to accept their daughter because she failed every entrance exam she took."

"Oh yeah, well you don't even have a mom!"

Mina has always been loud, too loud for her own good. We caught a little bit of attention from the other people, Han Mina never had that good of a reputation to start with and having a fight with the youngest Swan at their own party isn't exactly helping it.

"If you would excuse me Mina, I need to go see my father."

I left her there, probably regretting that she lost her cool here. Her fault that she was such a bitch.

Immediately Sasuke and Gaara were at my sides again. There's more people here than I would've expected, I'm gonna need their help to find my father.

"Guys, help me find my father please."

"What does he look like?" Gaara asked, his eyes already darting left and right.

"Easy, try to look for the most expensive looking suit and the fakest smile."