Greetings, fanfictioners.
We decided to include a "Halloween Special" in addition to the main storyline... And yes, we know that the Narutoverse doesn't celebrate Halloween, but we decided to get a little creative and write this chapter for if it did. Enjoy, and write a review if you can!
Banana: There's a reference to Howl's Moving Castle in here... can you find it? ;D
Sammay: It's not October but oh freaking well deal with it
Disclaimer: Why do we need this.
"Sammy!"
The sixteen year-old craned her neck to look behind her, turning around fully to smile and wave once she saw Lee running towards her a little ways away. The air around her was crisp and cool, something that generally was a miracle in the Leaf, since it was always at such a warm temperature. Most people enjoyed the coldness that day... except for Sammy. The one day she forgot a jacket it was cold. Pulling her sleeves further down her arms, the blonde blatantly attempted to ignore the air that nipped at her cheeks.
"Hey, Lee," she greeted once he caught up, a smile on her face. "What's up?"
A smile was on said person's face too as his features brightened. Sammy's happy image faltered slightly once she noticed how unaffected he was by the temperature, not showing one shiver. To add to that, all he was wearing was spandex and a vest while she was wearing long pants and sleeves. Why do I have to be so cold-blooded? she thought.
"I wanted to ask if you were going to dress up for Halloween!" Lee flashed an even bigger smile, looking as excited as ever.
"Halloween...?" Sammy repeated. "But Halloween's not for another—" "
Week!" he finished for her.
Mulling it over, the blonde realized that he was right; it was October 24th. How could she forget one of the most fun times of the year?
"I'm not sure..." the girl trailed off, desperately trying to think of something she could be. "I guess I've been so busy that I forgot about Halloween..."
"I do not know how that is possible... I have been planning since August," Lee rambled. "I am going as a squirrel!"
"A squirrel... that's... eccentric," Sammy replied with a grin. "I'm sure you'll look great."
"If you need any help planning out your costume, you can count on me!" he pumped his fist in the air, returning it back to his side after a moment. "We should go trick-or-treating together!"
"Sure, why not? I guess that means I'm dressing up..."
"I am excited to see what your costume will be!"
And at that, Lee was gone.
Shaking her head, Sammy continued on her way, wondering what on earth she would dress up as for Halloween.
On the contrary, Savanna could barely keep in her excitement... because she was going to experience her very first Halloween in the Leaf Village.
With all of her favorite Naruto characters.
Oh my gaawwwwd.
And yes, she hadn't done anything during the week before but roam around in her house, but she was far from bored; just the idea of dressing up and trick-or-treating with everyone she loved was enough to send her into a state of frenzied anticipation.
But why wasn't Savanna out and about, expressing her excitement with her friends? She didn't exactly know. It could have been that she was self-conscious about herself when she fangirled... which was what she had being doing for the past week.
Eventually, however, she was able to calm down to the point where she started to wonder what her costume would be. I can't just go to Party City and browse through their selections, she thought. I guess I'll have to find a costume shop here, huh?
When Halloween was a mere five days away, Savanna finally felt safe enough to leave her house and trusted that she wouldn't erupt into a fit of giggles and screams in public. Resisting the urge to smile the entire time, she walked out her front door and set off towards the center of the village in hopes of discovering a costume shop.
Halfway there, Savanna couldn't help herself- she started humming her favorite theme song from Naruto. In fact, she became so immersed in her humming that she was unaware of the fact that she was currently strolling past Kiba's house.
And the fact that Kiba was just leaving.
Of course, Kiba immediately noticed her- she was walking right in his line of sight, after all. Resolving to visit Kurenai later (it wasn't that important, anyway... He only wanted to ask about the baby), he quickly caught up to Savanna and startled her out of her trance.
"Hey."
"Oh!" Savanna exclaimed, shifting her gaze upwards to the brown-haired boy. "Hey! Sorry... I didn't notice you there."
A smirk formed on Kiba's face as he chuckled in amusement. "That's unlike you... I bet you have something on your mind."
That's the first time he's actually been able to read me correctly, Savanna jokingly thought. "Yeah... It's Halloween. I'm just wondering where I'm going to find a costume."
Even Kiba, who was almost as oblivious to his surroundings as Naruto, could detect feelings of joy in Savanna's voice. "You want me to show you my favorite costume shop is?" he offered. "I could also choose one while we're there."
Just from reading Kiba's mind, Savanna already had the directions she needed. But she did want to spend some time with him... She didn't have any social life for over a week.
"Sure, thanks," she agreed. "That'd be great!"
"Awesome," said Kiba. Although they were alone, he dropped his voice ever so slightly. "And we're going to spend Halloween together, right?"
Savanna's lips curled upwards in a smile. "I was planning on that."
Heh, thought Kiba. I'm the luckiest guy in the world! On Halloween, it's going to be just me and her... Nobody's gonna-
"Um, I'm also planning on inviting Sammay, Naruto, and Lee," Savanna hastily interrupted. I feel bad, but I can't let Kiba's hopes get too high when he's going to find out eventually...
His smirk fading for a second, Kiba blinked. "Naruto, huh?"
Savanna smiled sheepishly. "If you don't mind."
"I do," Kiba bluntly replied. "Why do you have to invite Naruto?"
"He's also my friend," Savanna answered. "Won't it be more fun with him?"
Kiba continued to stare at her, his face as deadpan as a statue. "No."
Sighing and averting her gaze, a wisp of a smile remained on Savanna's lips. This was going to be an interesting trip.
Normally, a person in their right mind would be excited for Halloween. Especially if that person got to spend it in the Leaf, with people that she never thought she would ever meet in her entire lifetime.
Perhaps Sammy wasn't in her right mind.
For one thing, she hadn't left her house (one the Hokage had been so kind to give to her) in four days straight. She hadn't left since she got a bite to eat on the 24th- the day she spoke to Lee. Why was this? First off, she didn't want to talk to anyone... How was she supposed to think of a costume while talking to people? Second... people would ask her what she was gonna be, right? She didn't know.
It's not like Sammy planned to stay inside for four days. She had planned to stay inside until she figured out what she was going to dress up as... which might've been four days.
"I bet I can just avoid Halloween! Maybe no one will notice I'm gone... Lee won't remember that I said that we could trick-or-treat together," she said to herself as she poured a glass of milk. "Besides! There are three days till Halloween... I can't possibly think of anything to be if I haven't thought of anything during a span of four days inside!"
At that statement, Sammy began to giggle uncontrollably, refusing to acknowledge the fact that she was going nuts. All because of Halloween. What was the big deal, anyway?
Suddenly she abruptly stopped, and the result of that was her toppling out of her chair and onto the tiled flooring of the kitchen. That was when she realized she desperately needed help. It was true—what was the big deal? It was just Halloween. Pick a costume and wear it for a day.
Gathering herself up, Sammy stood and quickly chugged the glass of milk she poured only moments before, setting the glass in the sink once she finished. Quickly she ran up the stairs and into her room, whipping out a thick sweatshirt from the closet and pulling it over her head as she carefully treaded down the stairs once again. She was going to get a costume whether she liked it or not... even if she had to make it up.
After she slipped her shoes on and grabbed a bit of money, Sammy ran across the hallway, through the living room and into the foyer. She threw open the door and almost sprinted out, but thankfully brought herself to a halt once she noticed Neji standing in front of the door, his hand raised in a fist as if he was just about to knock.
"Oh," she said after a slight hesitation, her heart rate immediately going up. "I didn't know you were here."
Neji dropped his hand to his side once more, looking just as surprised as she did. "Sorry to come without a warning," he said, folding his arms, "But I haven't seen you for a few days, and I've been wanting to ask you something..."
Sammy blinked, shocked that he wanted to ask her anything... and that he even spared her a thought while she locked herself in the house and went mentally crazy. "Oh," she repeated, shifting her weight to another leg. "What is it?"
"This might sound lame," he started, looking a bit annoyed with something, "but Lee is making me dress up for Halloween... and I was wondering if you were going to?"
Please say she is, Sammy heard, and immediately spun around to see if someone was behind her before realizing that it was Neji's thought. I really need to get used to this mind reading thing, she thought, sheepishly turning around to face the Hyuga again. "Sorry... I thought I heard something," she said awkwardly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But I think I am... I was just about to go and look for something, but I'm still not sure what."
Neji's expression suddenly brightened... but it was barely noticeable. "Would you mind if I came along?"
"Not at all," she said with a smile, coming out completely from the house and shutting the door behind her. "Do you know what you're going to be?"
Neji shook his head, following beside her as they walked down the path towards towards the busier part of the village. "I don't even want to do this," he sighed.
"Then why are you?"
"Lee."
"You don't have to listen to him..."
"I know, but..."
Sammy smiled, remembering the many episodes of Rock Lee and his Ninja Pals where Neji dressed up for him. "It's alright. You should dress up. I'm trick-or-treating with Lee, too."
The walk was left in a comfortable silence until they reached the stores. "Where should we go?" Sammy asked. She was just planning to look around until she found something, but it was nice to have someone who knew the village much more than she did to show her around.
"There's a few clothing shops over there," Neji pointed in front of them. "And a costume shop."
"Let's go, then," she grinned, and began to walk in that direction. Once they got into the costume store, Sammy scanned over the girls' costumes multiple times before deciding that nothing looked like something she would wear... or like. A frown appeared on her face once she finally realized it. "I'm never gonna find a costume," she muttered to herself, not realizing that Neji had come up behind her.
"You could always go next door," he suggested, making her jump and turn around, but he didn't notice that he startled her. "There are some things you could probably incorporate in a costume... if you used your imagination."
"I guess I'll do that," she sighed, running a hand through her long hair. "Have you found anything yet?"
"Not yet," he said, averting his gaze elsewhere. "I'll probably just have to make something up..."
"Do you wanna stay in here while I go over next-door?" Sammy suggested, leaning to the side a tad to see the costumes for the opposite gender behind him.
"I'll just come with you, if that's alright..." Neji trailed off, slowly looking back into her gaze.
"Of course!" she replied, secretly glad he had made that decision. What could she say? She freaking loved him.
A few seconds later, the two arrived inside of the clothing store Neji had suggested a few minutes before. They split apart and went their separate ways to look for something to wear for Halloween, and it didn't take long at all for something to catch Sammy's eye and get some ideas working.
The blonde walked up to the black feather boa and took it in her hands, rubbing one of the feathers between her forefinger and her thumb as she skimmed over all of the things she could do with it. A smile found its way onto her face, and suddenly she knew what she was going to be as she looked up and eyed a small black dress that hung across the store.
Finally, finally, finally.
The best day of Savanna's life was finally here.
If she thought she was excited before, she was very mistaken. Now that it was finally Halloween, Savanna was extremely ecstatic, to say the least. In fact, she was so joyous that she couldn't stop smiling for more than five minutes at a time over the course of the day.
During her shopping trip with Kiba, no costume she found suited her interests, so she insisted on going to various shops just to buy a yellow sweater and a dark skirt. Obviously, Savanna couldn't settle with just those; in order to complete her costume, she also needed to find a white polo, white headband, red tie, and purple wig. And all while dragging Kiba around, of course.
The Inuzuka was very confused, but it was understandable... Savanna didn't think anyone in the Naruto world would recognize her costume. It's basically impossible for anyone to recognize it, she thought with certainty. But even though Kiba had no clue what she was doing, he knew fully well the futility of asking questions and refrained from doing so as he followed her around.
"I think this should do," Savanna muttered to herself as she picked up a dark skirt matching her expectations. Hearing her voice, Kiba drifted his eyes over to the skirt, and his expression immediately perked up- which earned him a rap on the head from Savanna.
Boys have disgusting minds, she thought to herself as she proceeded to bring the skirt over to the checking counter. Sometimes, I wish I could ignore their thoughts...
Her disgust proved to be short-lived, however; all thoughts except for those about her costume soon left her mind.
When Halloween came, Savanna changed into her costume as soon as she woke up, for she was unable to contain her excitement any further. Who cares if I'm not going trick-or-treating until the evening? she thought. I don't just want to dress up as my character for the entire day... I want to BE my character.
Waiting out the hours of the day was absolutely awful for Savanna. Since she was fully clothed in her costume, leaving her house wasn't an option. As a result, she spent the majority of the day skipping around her house and gravitating towards the mirror every half an hour or so. She just couldn't believe it- she appeared so similar to her real character that it was uncanny!
And believe it or not, Savanna actually decided that spending Halloween without Deidara and Tobi was for the best. Of course, she was still as madly in love with Deidara as ever, but it remained an "omgIloveyouI'myourbiggestfan" kind of love. Even with love as intense as hers, if Deidara and Tobi had joined her group, she predicted that everything would be too hectic for her to fully enjoy herself.
And besides... They probably had Akatsuki stuff.
So, Savanna resolved to wait for her Leaf-Village friends before they arrived at her house. Prior to Halloween, she had gone to each individual and privately asked them if they would like to join her for trick-or-treating (except for Sammy... Man, mind-reading was so convenient sometimes), to which they all replied with an affirmative. And just to make sure, Savanna kept on double-checking to make sure everyone she invited had agreed- Sammy, Neji, Lee, Kiba, and... Naruto.
Naruto... Whenever Savanna thought about Naruto coming, her heart fluttered in a way she had never felt before. She was positive that she didn't feel this way about him before she ended up in this world... Somehow, in only a short amount of time, she found herself already in love with him.
Almost as if Savanna's thoughts had given a cue, the doorbell rang and startled her back into reality. By reading the thoughts of whomever was standing on the other side of the door, Savanna confirmed that it was, in fact, Naruto. A smile instantly appearing on her face, Savanna just about sprinted to the door and swung it open.
And what she beheld nearly made her weak in the knees.
This year, Naruto had decided to dress up as a fox- not just any fox, but the Nine Tails himself. He wore an outfit only a slightly darker shade of orange than what he usually wore along with nine attached tails and matching fox ears.
His whiskers make him suit his costume even more, thought Savanna with glee. As she continued to gaze at Naruto, she was so caught up in admiring his features that she didn't take the time to notice the fact that he was doing the same. Eventually, however, common sense kicked in, and Savanna forced herself to speak. "Hey, Naruto," she greeted. "I love your costume!"
A warm smile appeared on Naruto's lips once he processed the compliment, grateful that he was put back into reality. "Thanks... I love yours, too," he said, looking at her up and down, desperately trying to figure out what exactly she was dressed up as. He didn't think he'd ever seen it before, but Savanna might've thought he was stupid if he didn't know what she was. After staring at her with a blank face (even though plenty of emotions stirred within him... he didn't have a clue as to what she was dressed up as, but she still looked beautiful) for a bit longer than necessary, he looked at her with a defeated expression. "I don't have any idea what you are," he said with a sheepish smile.
Meanwhile, a few blocks away, Sammy stood in front of the mirror inside of her home, completely satisfied with her costume choice. She wore a small black dress with fringe, and the matching feather boa she had found to go with it was hanging loosely by her inner elbows. The easiest parts of the costume were the fishnets she had on her legs and the black pumps, but the hardest was the part that tied it all together- a simple golden headband that went across her forehead, the feather of a blackbird attached.
She may or may not have spent hours on end looking for a feather.
Once she slid on the pumps, though, she realized that she wasn't going to wear them when she didn't have to, and only would while they were actually trick-or-treating. Sammy had never been much of a 'heel person,' to say the least. So, instead, she slid on a pair of flats and held the heels in her hand as she walked out of the house, shutting the door behind her as she began to walk in the direction of Savanna's house.
After a few minutes of walking, Sammy slowed down a little bit as she saw a figure running towards her, and it didn't take long for her to know that it was Lee. "Sammy!" he said with a giant grin, shooting her a thumbs up. "Happy Halloween!"
"Happy Halloween," she smiled. "I guess you weren't kidding when you said you were gonna be a squirrel..."
"Of course not!" he winked. The ninja was fully dressed in a squirrel costume, and the only part of his actual body that was showing was his face. To complete the costume entirely he held two huge acorns. When Sammy asked, she wasn't what one would call surprised to find out they were real acorns.
"So... what are you?" he asked.
"A flapper," she answered, beginning to walk once more with Lee at her side. "Do you, um... know what Neji's going as?"
Lee's eyes turned into hearts as he brought the acorns to his chest with joy, a look of pure bliss on his face. "Neji's costume is even better than mine," he said in awe, looking towards the distance. "But I do not want to spoil it for you."
For some reason, I have a feeling that Neji isn't happy with his costume, Sammy thought with a small smile as she spotted Savanna's house a little ways away. If Lee likes it, he won't.
The two continued to walk for a few more seconds in silence until they both noticed another figure who stood a few yards in front of Savanna's house. Sammy immediately slapped her available hand over her mouth and stopped dead in her tracks once she took notice to who it was.
And what he was wearing.
"Neji!" Lee cried, running towards him and pouncing onto him in a hug, which the Hyuga didn't return. "You look amazing!"
"I cannot believe you are making me do this," he said through gritted teeth, the fact that he was extremely annoyed evident in his voice. "This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever done in my entire life."
Sammy's suspicions were confirmed once she saw Neji in a costume that was nearly identical towards Lee's squirrel costume... but there was one detail that made it very different.
Neji's squirrel had eyelashes and wore a bright pink bow at the top of its head.
It took all Sammy had to not burst into a fit of laughter. She gathered up her willpower and approached the two of them, putting on the best indifferent face she could muster. "Hey."
Desperately trying to ignore his flaming cheeks, Neji turned his head and rested his eyes on the flapper before him. Immediately, the color in his cheeks heightened, but it wasn't because of his ridiculous costume; he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the sheer beauty of Sammy.
Only a second later, however, Neji quickly reminded himself that he probably looked like the most absurd thing on Earth at the moment.
Almost trying to swallow his extreme embarrassment, Neji desperately tried to ground himself in reality (despite his embarrassing situation) and forced a slight smile. "Hello," he greeted a little stiffly. How was he supposed to speak normally when Sammy stood in front of him looking like a model?
"Tell me what you think of Neji's costume!" Lee urged. "I picked it out just for him, and I must say... It suits him very well!"
"No, it doesn't," Neji immediately retorted.
Lee gasped in horror. "I thought you loved it, Neji! You agreed to wear it, after all!"
Neji grinded his teeth together in irritation. "I only complied because of your constant pleading," he explained. "Don't get the wrong idea, Lee. I wouldn't have worn it otherwise."
While the two teammates were arguing, Savanna quickly greeted Sammy and left her alone where the latter could get a kick out of the bickering squirrels. Turning back to Naruto, she rested her hand on her hip, pointed her finger at him, and leaned slightly forward- the trademark stance of Sakura Sakurakouji.
"I am Sakura Sakurakouji!" Savanna exclaimed in her best imitation of Sakura's voice. "Pleased to meet you, Naruto!"
Obviously, Naruto had never heard of this Sakura Savanna was talking about (and because of his usual disgust whenever he heard the name Sakura, he couldn't stop himself from involuntarily flinching at first), but after her little demonstration, a smile slowly made its way across his face. "Sakura Sakurakouji, huh?" he repeated. "I still don't recognize the name..."
Of course you don't, thought Savanna. You didn't watch Code: Breaker! "Don't worry... I didn't really expect anyone to recognize it," she reassured him. "Sammay and I are probably the only ones who know of Sakura."
I wonder why, thought Naruto. "Ohh... that's good, 'cause I was beginning to think I was pretty stupid-"
"Heyyy! Guys!"
Turning his head at the familiar voice, Naruto's eyes instantly narrowed when he settled them on Kiba heading in his direction. "What's he doing here?" he muttered.
Contrary to Naruto's emotions, however, Savanna experienced a state of glee when she saw Kiba fully clothed in his costume atop Akamaru's back. Although she did have a chance to see him in it when she went shopping with him, she still marveled at his... handsomeness.
When Kiba finally reached them, Savanna could get a better look at his princely attire; he wore a pearl white suit with an abundant amount of embroidery and medals along with fancy shoulder pads, classy boots, and white gloves. And to top it all off, he was situated on a saddle and directed Akamaru with the reins in his gloved hands.
Kiba's following smirk only made him seem more like a prince. "Hey. How do you guys like my trusty steed?"
Lee and Neji were too immersed in their own argument to take notice of Kiba's entrance, and Sammy was too captivated by the two. Consequently, only Savanna and Naruto were left to respond, and Naruto seemed set on trying to glare a hole through Kiba. Inwardly sighing at everyone, Savanna replied, "He looks amazing! And so do you, Kiba."
"I know," Kiba agreed, his smirk growing. "It's like I was born to be a prince."
Naruto folded his arms while he examined Kiba for a few seconds. "It looks pretty stupid, if you ask me."
"You're one to talk," Kiba spat. "What are you? A cat?"
"No way!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'm obviously the Nine Tails. But you would have never figured that out."
As expected of them, they're fighting after only a few seconds of seeing each other, Savanna exasperatedly thought. "Welllll," she interrupted, clasping her hands together, "should we go soon? The sun's already setting..."
"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed as he slid his arm around Savanna's waist, bringing her closer to his body. "I think it would only make sense if we went, like, as a couple..."
"How the crap does that make any sense at all?!" Kiba exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "Your costumes don't even relate to one another!"
"Of course they do," Naruto said smugly, tightening his arm. "I'm sure Sakura Sakurakura or whatever has a boyfriend that's a fox!"
"That doesn't even make sense!" the Inuzuka said, his face crimson with rage. "It wouldn't make sense if whoever Savanna's dressed up as dated YOU!"
Naruto was phased by this for only a second and quickly brought his shocked and offended expression back to normal. "Of course she would! I'm sexy!"
"Uh, I beg to differ!"
"Shut up, will ya?! It's only fair," Naruto said smugly. "I have Savanna, and you have Akamaru."
"But that's not the same!" Kiba attempted to argue even more, but further realized it was no use. "Gah, whatever! Let's just go!"
"Savanna belongs with me, anyway!"
"SHUT UP!"
As Naruto and Kiba's argument prolonged, Sammy stood next to the second argument between Lee and Neji. After a few more snarky remarks from the latter, Lee ended up staring at Sammy as if he were waiting for something without any warning.
"What?" she asked, looking down at her costume before reaching to touch the feather on her headband. "Is it lopsided or something?"
"I asked you what you thought of Neji's costume. How could he not like it?" Lee mourned.
"Oh," Sammy blinked as she brought her arm back down to her side, suddenly remembering the question Lee had asked a few minutes earlier... but, after all, he asked it a few minutes earlier and went without an answer for that amount of time. It would've been nearly impossible for someone to remember it... especially someone like Sammy.
"I think his costume is..." she said after a second, searching for an appropriate answer.
After trailing off to think for a moment, both Lee and Neji bore their gazes into her skull. What should I say? she thought. I find it hilarious, but saying that will probably hurt both of their feelings...
"To be completely honest," she began again, ignoring the fact that she was lying, "It's... nice."
She's lying, Neji thought immediately. Sometimes I can read her like a book... but the other times, it's like she has herself surrounded by a cement wall that displays only the emotions she chooses...
"I knew you would love it just as much as I do!" Lee cried. "See, Neji? You are the only one who does not like it! I knew I picked the right costume for you!"
"Actually, I never said—" Sammy started, but was soon interrupted by Lee once more.
"Trick-or-treating is going to be so much fun this year," said ninja said with dreamy eyes as he looked towards the horizon. "I cannot wait to get... candy..."
Tonight's sure gonna be fun... especially while we're all high off of sugar, the blonde thought as she blew a loose strand of hair out of her face. "Speaking of trick-or-treating," she drawled, lifting her gaze to look at the both of them—Neji in particular. "Let's go."
"I will get the bags!" Lee rejoiced as he bolted into Savanna's house, and apparently the question as to where she had kept them wasn't necessary.
Once Lee disappeared, Neji turned to Sammy once more, a faint blush still present on his face. "You don't need to lie for Lee's sake," he encouraged. "He won't take anything against him personally, and this costume really is ridiculous."
Before Sammy had a chance to respond, Lee came dashing out of Savanna's house, grasping six pillowcases in his hands. "Got them!" he declared. Dashing around his group of friends, he shoved a pillowcase into the hands of each person.
Smiling a little nervously, Savanna shifted her gaze towards Lee. "Thanks, Lee..." How did he know where I keep my pillow cases? I don't even remember where I keep them...
"Yeah, thanks!" Naruto enthusiastically agreed. "Let's get some C-A-N-D-Y!"
As everyone started walking toward the residential areas of town, Kiba's eyes were still narrowed at the miniature Nine Tails, for the latter's arm was still draped around Savanna's waist. Devising a small plan in his head, Kiba directed Akamaru over to Savanna's empty side and held out his hand with a smile just like any other prince would for a princess. "Care to join me on my stallion?" he inquired. "There's room for two, you know."
Ahh, he's so cute! Savanna inwardly screamed. But I have to get a hold of myself and keep my fangirl in control... "Wellll, I've always wanted to ride Akamaru..." she mulled.
"I wouldn't," Naruto muttered.
"Nobody asked for your opinion," Kiba hissed, his expression briefly reverting to that of contempt. However, once his eyes returned to Savanna, the beam from earlier quickly replaced his frown. "Anyway, how about it? I'll be your escort this evening."
He's really laying it thick, Naruto thought with disgust. I know I would never do something like that! "Just because you're dressed up as a prince doesn't mean you have to act like one," he pointed out. "And besides... Everyone knows that I'M obviously Savanna's prince."
"You're a cat."
Just so the two teenagers would stop arguing (for the time being, at least), Savanna sighed and agreed to Kiba's request. Of course, while Kiba was ecstatic, Naruto was furious, and the latter demanded to also catch a ride on Kiba's "horse".
"No way," Kiba refused. "Akamaru can only hold two people. Any more would totally crush him!"
"Don't worry... I'm the lightest guy out there," Naruto claimed. "And there's even some room on the saddle just begging to be filled." Before Kiba could answer, Naruto hoisted himself on Akamaru's back and plopped down behind Savanna, effectively sandwiching her between the two boys.
"You. Suck," Kiba seethed, the the corners of his mouth turning down in a frown. "I only invited Savanna- not you."
A mischievous grin soon found it's way onto Naruto's lips. "That's not fair. If Savanna goes, I go, too."
Although Savanna felt like banging her head on something hard, she fought to maintain a calm facial expression. "I'll only ride for a little while," she decided. "I'd like to walk on Halloween, too."
Much to Savanna's relief, the group finally reached the edge of a residential area. Lee immediately became a little boy on Christmas morning and bounded towards the first house, dragging an annoyed Neji behind him.
Once the rest of the shinobi caught up, a young lady opened the door, her face reflecting surprise at the two squirrels so close to her face.
"TRICK-OR-TREAT!" Lee shouted. Because of Lee's level of creepiness, nobody else felt the need to repeat what he had yelled.
Even though it was pretty apparent that the lady would rather be doing anything else but greeting her strange visitors, she put on a polite smile that seemed a little strained. "Happy Halloween," she greeted as she handed out candy to everyone. Addressing the squirrels, she remarked, "What... nice costumes you two have! Are you going as a couple?"
"No!" Neji immediately retorted. "I mean, no. I'm a male."
"Oh... Forgive me," the lady apologized. "Your costume is a bit misleading."
While Neji blushed harder than ever as the group proceeded to each house, Savanna couldn't help herself from laughing every now and then. I know it's still early in the evening, she thought, but this may already be the best Halloween ever!
"Thank you!" Sammy chorused with a bright smile after one house in particular, giving it her all to not die of laughter. Her giggles were waiting to erupt, sitting in her throat as if they would spill out of her mouth if she left it open for too long. At almost every house they had stopped by, the person at the door would mistake Neji as a female. Eventually he stopped correcting them and kept quiet.
"Hey! Look over there!" Lee whispered, appearing at Sammy's side with Neji at his, looking like he could explode with screams at any minute. "That guy's costume is... so cool!"
Sammy followed Lee's gaze and her eyes landed on a young man who was dressed up as a cat. She nearly snorted at Lee's opinion (the costume wasn't all that great), but was able to hold all of her laughter inside. "Oh," she said with a grin. "Yeah. It's cool."
"I never want to take my eyes off of it..." Lee continued dreamily. "His costume just might be better than mine!"
"I doubt that," Neji said sarcastically, avoiding eye contact with anyone. He decided that right when they got back he was going to take the stupid costume off... Thank goodness he had decided to wear his normal attire under the ridiculous costume.
Sammy's eyes widened a tad as Lee ripped himself from both her and the Hyuga and ran at top speed towards the man wearing the cat costume. "What the heck is he doing?" she asked no one in particular as she watched him 'approach' the man with a rib-cracking hug.
"Don't worry about him..." Neji sighed, calming down a little bit now that Lee was more than an arm's length away. "He does this all the time... I should be used to it myself."
"WHAT—GET AWAY FROM ME! PUT ME DOWN!"
Neji sighed yet again as he felt his patience drop down to his feet for the umpteenth time. He didn't even want to know what was going on with Lee and the man as he turned away.
"Oh my goodness," the blonde giggled, watching with wide eyes as Lee bolted back with the man struggling on his shoulders.
"I felt that it was necessary for this man to come trick-or-treating with us!" Lee grinned, skipping towards the next door before anyone could reply.
Not that anyone would besides Sammy.
"Wow, Savanna," Naruto drawled, running his hand down Savanna's purple wig. "Your hair is so soooooft! I don't think it's as soft as your natural hair, though! No way!"
Veins were appearing on Kiba's forehead every second, each thing Naruto did making him want to punch the Jinchuriki in the face. He's so freaking annoying! he thought, absentmindedly staring at the lady who answered the next door with a death glare. First he gets onto Akamaru without my approval and now he's... petting Savanna?! GAH!
"When we get back to your house—I'm assuming we're going back to your house, right? Yeah!" Naruto continued, barely letting Savanna squeeze in a word as he babbled. "Yeah. We should have some alone time. Just you and me!"
"I don't think so, Naruto," Kiba piped up. "Savanna definitely doesn't want to spend time with you."
"Of course she does!" the Uzumaki grinned. "How can anyone not want to spend any time with me? Right, Neji?"
"No," Neji muttered without even listening to Naruto's question.
"See? Neji loves me!" Naruto cheerily replied.
"He said no," Kiba growled. "I would've said no, too! You smell!"
"I do not!" Naruto retorted. "I smell like heaven on a stick."
Savanna had to agree with Naruto although she had no idea what heaven on a stick really was. "You both smell great," she said in an attempt to diffuse the argument. "And I, um, think I'm going to get off now. Akamaru looks really tired."
Glancing down at the wheezing dog below him, Kiba nodded in agreement. "It's probably because of that fatso-"
"What?"
Everyone in the trick-or-treating group- even the struggling man on Lee's shoulders- immediately stopped whatever they were doing and snapped their heads towards the direction of the familiar voice. And once they recognized the person it belonged to, they couldn't help but feel pity for Kiba.
"Oh... heyyyy, Choji!" Kiba nervously exclaimed with a sheepish smile. "How are you this wonderful evening?"
While Choji's eyes shot daggers into Kiba, Savanna tried to maintain a blank facial expression. This has to be the worst time for Choji to show up, she thought. I hope Kiba will be okay…
Completely ignoring Kiba's attempt at an escape, Choji lowered his voice. "What did you just call me?" The Nara standing at his side face-palmed with a faint sigh.
The following sound from Kiba sounded more like a sheep bleat than a laugh. "Oh, I wasn't calling you anything, I swear! I was just talking about how Akamaru is tired because Naruto is such a fatso!" I'm totally dead. I'm so screwed.
Usually, Naruto would have responded to that comment, but even he didn't want to the face the wrath of a mad Choji, so he remained silent.
"Like I would ever believe that!" exclaimed Choji. "You'd better watch what you say to me… I am NOT a fatso! I'm just big-boned!"
Kiba held up his hands in an apologetic gesture, his eyes reverting into white circles. "I-I know you're just big-boned! I never-"
"HUMAN BOULDER!"
Before anyone could react, Choji proceeded to knock over everyone as if they were bowling pins, sending all of their candy flying into the air.
"Ugh…" Savanna groaned as she picked herself up from the dirt ground, her body still aching from the impact of Choji's jutsu. Through her bleary vision, she could make out everyone sprawled out across the width of the road along with someone dragging a struggling Choji away in the distance. When she lifted her hand to wipe away the dust from her eyes, she discovered that her purple wig had fallen off and was now hanging from her head by only a few strands of hair. As she fully removed the wig and dusted herself off, however, she couldn't help the fuzzy feeling that overcame her. Man, I am SUCH a fangirl, she chastised herself. I LIKED getting hit by Choji's Human Boulder! I really need to get a hold of myself…
A moment later, Naruto also recovered from Choji's attack and quickly made his way over to Savanna. "My dear!" he gasped. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"
"I'm fine," Savanna replied with an amused smile. "But it looks like our candy isn't…"
Following Savanna's gaze to the candy strewn everywhere, Naruto's mood dropped. "Awww… Now we'll have to pick all of these up. And it's all thanks to KIBA."
Hearing his name, the Inuzuka immediately shot up from the ground with a scowl, his fists clenched at his sides. "How in the world was this my fault?"
Naruto stroked his chin as he pretended to think. "Gee, I don't know. Maybe it's because you were stupid enough to SAY FATSO IN FRONT OF CHOJI."
"Ugh," Savanna involuntarily let out another groan. Feeling Naruto and Kiba's gazes directed on her, she resolved to finally take initiative for once. "I know you guys aren't capable of not fighting… but at least save it for my house. We really need to salvage our candy."
"Yes, ma'am," Naruto and Kiba simultaneously muttered. Without another word to each other, they silently began to pick up the intact pieces of candy from the ground.
Meanwhile, Neji and Lee had also picked themselves up from the ground (with Neji offering his hand to Sammy) and were currently dusting themselves off. Luckily, the padding of their squirrel costumes saved them from any bruises. "Leave it to Naruto and Kiba to mess everything up somehow," Neji muttered. "Why did I agree to come again…?"
"Because I asked you to come!" Lee piped up with a grin. "Nothing is fun without you, Neji!"
Neji continued to blankly regard Lee, completely unfazed by the flattery. "...Mm."
Suddenly whirling around, a look of immense surprise formed on Lee's face. "Oh, no!" he gasped. "I do not see my wonderful cat anywhere! He must have been knocked into oblivion!"
"I'm sure he's just fine, Lee," Neji sighed, wishing he could take off the humiliating costume. "He probably just ran off."
A single tear streamed down the male squirrel's face, his eyes traveling upwards to land on something soaring across the sky. It didn't look like a star, but what else would it be? "Look! A shooting star," Lee exclaimed, a wish immediately making itself known in his head. "I wish to see my kitty again! I wish he is safe!"
Meanwhile, Lee's cat flew through the air, watching in awe as he soared over the village. He never thought he would ever see anything like what he saw right then... blurs of color and flashes of light that were surprisingly beautiful. Why haven't I got to doing this before now? he thought as a smile slowly formed on his lips.
Right up until he was smashed into the forest floor on the outskirts of the village, creating large cracks in the earth underneath him. The man groaned in immense pain, each and every single one of his bones feeling like they had been crushed into multiple tiny pieces. The human body was not created for that.
The body of a cat also was not created for that.
"I really do," Lee whimpered. "I was going to take him home."
Neither of the boys noticed yet, but Sammy stood a few feet away, laughing so much that tears brimmed her eyelashes. Thankfully she had managed to silence herself as she did so, but there was no way she could fully hold her laughter in. There was absolutely no way, and she feared that sooner or later the sounds would leak out. She couldn't help it, though... throughout the last ten minutes, too many things had happened, and just about all of them were hilarious.
Naruto's eyes slowly trailed towards Kiba as the Inuzuka began picking up pieces of candy two at a time. Is he trying to get more candy so he can win Savanna's heart?! the blonde boy thought, all of a sudden growing very competitive. There's no way that is ever gonna happen! Savanna will always be mine and mine only!
Kiba's eyes widened slightly as a chocolate bar he was about to grab was suddenly snatched away from the ground in front of him. He looked at the hand that now held it and blinked as he realized it belonged to Naruto. "Oh," Kiba said. "It was just you—"
"You will never win!" Naruto interrupted, a look of pure determination on his face. "Never, ever!"
The Uzumaki became a blur, picking up pieces of candy faster than the untrained eye could see. What is he talking about? Kiba thought as he nonetheless began to growl and pick up the sweets even quicker. Whatever it is, I'm gonna prove him wrong!
The extreme efforts of Naruto and Kiba were soon rewarded; they were able to collect all of the spewed candy in merely a few minutes. Sweat caked their bodies and they panted heavily from the excursion, but they had their minds on something completely different.
"Ha!" Naruto rejoiced. "My candy pile's bigger than yours. I win!"
Much to Kiba's dismay, Naruto was right- Naruto's pillowcase was filled to the brim, while his was only three-fourths of the way full. Growling in rage, he tried to come up with an excuse. "Well… you started the race way before I did! If I had started at the same time as you, I would have definitely beaten you."
"Yeah, right," Naruto replied. "You couldn't beat me no matter how hard you tried." Giggling in satisfaction, he added, "Hehehe. Savanna's heart will now be mine…"
Upon hearing Naruto's last words, Kiba's next retort was brought to a halt. "What...?" he questioned. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Before this argument could escalate into a full-out brawl, Savanna stepped in once more and changed the subject. "Since we have all the candy, should we start heading back to my place?" she suggested with a fake smile. Once again, she thought, I have to prevent those two from eventually killing each other...
"That sounds like a great idea!" exclaimed Naruto, skipping over to Savanna's side. "Let's get going right this instant!"
Smiling at Naruto's over-the-top giddiness, Savanna turned around and only beamed wider when she spotted Sammy dying of laughter. "Hey," she called out. "I know Lee and Neji are hilarious, but if don't start walking now, it'll be late by the time we get home."
Savanna's comment brought Neji's attention to Sammy's amused state, and even he couldn't stop the small smile forming on his expression. We are pretty ridiculous, aren't we? he thought. "She's right… come on, Lee. Stop fretting over trivial matters."
Lee turned to look at Neji, watery tears magnifying his wide, sad eyes. "But my cat… he is lost. I can not just leave him!"
"Yes, you can," Neji insisted. "He was never yours to begin with. Now come on." While Lee mumbled on about his "lost cat", Neji exasperatedly wrapped an arm around one of Lee's and began pulling him towards the rest of the group. He would have preferred to escort Sammy to Savanna's house, but there was no telling what Lee would do if left alone in his current mental condition. And then there was the bulkiness of his squirrel costume.
So, instead, Neji appealed to Sammy for assistance in escorting Lee. When she complied, feelings of happiness and contentment welled up inside of him, ones that he had become so accustomed to recently.
Once everyone reached Savanna's house, the sun was well past the horizon, and a chill had begun to pervade through the night air. Savanna had miraculously prevented any fighting between Naruto and Kiba, and all she wanted to do now was stuff her face with candy.
"Finally," she muttered as she stepped through the front door into her living room. "That was probably the longest walk I have ever taken." Exhaustion taking over her entire body, she plopped down onto a couch.
Savanna couldn't have voiced Neji's thoughts any more precisely. Once the Hyuga stepped inside, he proceeded to unzip the squirrel costume and dump it in the trash, hopefully never to be seen by him (or anyone) ever again. This is the last time I'm going to listen to Lee, he resolved. No exceptions.
As she slid into the house, Sammy immediately exchanged her heels for the extra flats she had brought. I kind of wish I brought a change of clothes, too, she thought as she also pulled her headband off. This costume is fine, but I'd much rather be wearing something more on the comfortable side...
"Oh, Neji!" Lee cried, rushing over to him as he placed both hands on the Hyuga's cheeks. "Where has your costume gone? You looked so wonderful in it!"
With a sigh, Neji contemplated what to tell him. He nearly told him the truth, but soon realized it would only make his teammate more irritating. "I put it away to take home later," he lied. "I didn't want to get it dirty."
"Neji, people are not joking when they say you are a genius!" Lee gasped, his eyes filling with admiration. "I do not want to get mine dirty, either!"
"You'd better take it off, then."
"That I will!"
At that, the ninja who normally was fully decked out in green spandex (and who would be in just a few minutes) dashed upstairs and into the bathroom to do whatever he needed to do. Neji knew fully well that Lee didn't need to go into a bathroom to take the costume off as long as he was wearing his clothes underneath, but then again... he didn't want to know what exactly he planned on doing.
Once Kiba got inside, he deemed it alright if he poured his candy on the floor since it all would be eaten anyway... and, of course, the wrappers would be thrown away. As he did so, he sat down in front of it and admired all of their hard work.
Naruto immediately planted himself down across from him as he dumped out his contents on top of the already large pile. "Look at all of this!" he grinned happily, hearts replacing his eyes. "All of this, just for the five of us!"
Kiba nearly replied, until he realized something. "Five? There's six of us, Naruto..."
The blonde sent him a deadpan expression. "Your point?"
"I think you meant that six of us get all of this candy."
"I said what I meant and meant what I said, you wimpy prince."
Kiba narrowed his eyes, anger wallowing in the pit of his stomach yet again. "Well, then... you better not be implying that I'm the one who supposedly doesn't get any!"
"That's exactly what I'm implying."
"Who says I can't have any?! I say you can't!"
Naruto grinned cheekily, helping himself to a piece of taffy. "Why doesn't Savanna decide?"
Hearing her name, Savanna lifted her head and regarded the two boys expectantly looking at her. I'm so exhausted, she thought with a smile. They always have to involve me in their fights, don't they? "I don't think there's much to decide," she joked. "Everyone should get their share of candy."
While Kiba beamed, Naruto remained unfazed. "Yeah," the latter replied. "Kiba can get whatever's left over after we eat as much as we can."
"Hey!" interjected Kiba.
"You know that's not what I meant," Savanna calmly said. "Everyone should get their equal share of candy."
"Yeah!" interjected Kiba.
Rolling her eyes, Savanna relocated herself to the floor between Naruto and Kiba. Before the two shinobi could begin a brawl over candy, she separated the huge pile into six equal sections to the best of her ability. After doing so, she turned around and directed a smile towards her cousin and Neji- Lee had already situated himself on the floor. "Come on," she urged. "Join the happy circle of friends."
Although Neji could detect faint sarcasm in Savanna's voice, he made no comment or change in facial expression. As he and Sammy both made their way towards the group, he automatically rested his hand on her lower back to guide her. Almost abruptly, however, he realized the unfamiliarity of this action and withdrew his hand.
"Sorry," Neji quickly apologized as he lowered himself to the carpet. Embarrassment and confusion took precedence within his body, and he began to wonder why establishing contact with Sammy felt as natural as shaking hands. Throughout his entire life, he had always been taught that keeping one's hands to oneself was proper etiquette; shaking hands and martial combat were the only two exceptions.
But just now, Neji had reached out to Sammy in what could only be called a gesture of affection… and the Hyugas' conception of "proper etiquette" didn't even cross his mind.
While Naruto was too preoccupied with drooling over his candy pile, Kiba had noticed Neji's subtle scene. A smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, Kiba remarked, "Wow, Neji. I didn't know you and Sammy were this close already."
Neji wished desperately that he could maintain a cool exterior since anything else would give Kiba another reason to tease him. Unfortunately, a faint heat started to color his cheeks, and Kiba's smirk only grew.
"Did something happen between you guys?" Kiba continued. "I wouldn't be surprised… you've had plenty of time to get to know each other, if you know what I mean."
Naruto's ears perked up at Kiba's suggestive words. "Wait, what?!" he gasped. "Did Neji and Sammay-"
"No," Neji denied with an embarrassed frown. "Stop being immature, you two. Completely ridiculous."
"Suuure it is," Kiba drawled, exaggerating a wink towards Naruto.
Savanna smiled sympathetically at her flustered cousin and attempted to bring an end to the current subject. Nonetheless, she was fairly positive that she had sensed an excited vibe from Neji stemming from the topic at hand.
"So, who wants to start the trading?" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together.
"Ooo!" Lee shouted, his hand immediately shooting into the air. "Pick me! Pick me!"
Laughing at Lee's innocence, Savanna tried to speak in her best teacher voice. "Well… in that case, I choose all of you!"
Sammy's cheeks only grew warmer as she continued to recall the recent events. She hated how easily embarrassed she could get, but it's not like she could help it... and to make it worse, she was definitely what one would call an over thinker. Completely ridiculous? Sammy thought, absentmindedly picking up and examining a few pieces of candy in her pile. What did he mean by that? Surely it must've been about Kiba and Naruto, but... what if he thinks that a possible relationship between us would be completely ridiculous?
"Wow, Naruto," Lee grinned. "That's quite the lollipop you have there!"
Confusion soon found itself into Naruto's eyes as they trailed down towards his own pile. He so found that Lee was correct—a lollipop that looked to be the size of his head sat near the top. How did I not notice that before? he wondered, pulling it out and bringing it next to his face. It was definitely as large as his head, but if it wasn't, it had to have been bigger.
"It's huge," he marveled, bringing it down to get a better look at the many colors that swirled around the large circle. "I'm so glad you pointed that out, Bushy Brows... Kiba probably would've stolen it."
Lee unintentionally ignored every word that slipped out of the blonde boy's mouth, too busy drooling over the piece of hard candy that unfortunately wasn't being held in his own hands. "It looks delicious," he said, almost dreamily. "Can I trade a few pieces of my own candy for it?"
Naruto protectively brought the precious lollipop to his side. "No way," he objected as he examined Lee's candy, it only seeming to have the basics. At that point he was rubbing the sweet against his cheek lovingly. "This little gem is mine."
Lee's face drooped, but his emotions on the inside were completely different. I will get that lollipop, he determinedly thought, no matter what it takes!
Neji soon found himself gazing over at Sammy. It didn't take long for him to figure out that she was still flustered.
He himself was a bit embarrassed as well, but more annoyed with Kiba and Naruto than anything else. He knew that the cause of her ongoing blush had to have been the two knuckleheads, but at the same time he felt it was his fault and soon began to feel a bit guilty. I didn't mean to make her embarrassed... I barely even meant to show any of my affection towards her, he thought. I just want her to feel comfortable around me.
I actually liked it when Neji placed his hand on my back... I kind of wish he would've kept it there, Sammy's thoughts continued, separating herself from the reality around her. Why is love so confusing? I haven't even had my own love before, but if it could be with anyone, it would definitely be with Neji... and, at this rate, I don't know if it'll ever happen.
As Kiba fished through his pile and looked at others', as well, he couldn't help but to notice how pretty Savanna always was, and he soon found himself with his eyes glued to her every move. The way she did everything seemed graceful to him, and not to mention her appearance, as well; he couldn't point out a single flaw amidst her looks. From her long brown strands to the green of her eyes, he seemed to get lost in every feature. So far she hadn't noticed his stare, but that wasn't on Kiba's mind. As he vaguely listened in on Lee's and Naruto's conversation, he decided that the Uzumaki would be occupied for the time being... and that meant that he could talk to Savanna without being pestered. It felt like a once in a lifetime chance, and he was definitely going to take it.
"What are your favorite kinds of candy?" he casually asked her, leaning against the body of Akamaru that rested behind him.
Kiba's voice brought Savanna's attention to his intent gaze, and she looked up from her candy pile. "I really like solid chocolate in general," she replied. "And especially dark chocolate. I love the bitter-sweetness." It's nice to finally have a normal conversation for once, she thought with appreciation.
Kiba's mirrored thoughts were evident in his ensuing smirk. "Oh, yeah? Would you like some of mine?" He gestured to a few scattered chocolate bars among his pile.
"That would be great!" Savanna accepted with a smile. Giving him a knowing look, she added, "But you have to tell me about your favorite candies first."
Assuming a casual pose once more, Kiba pretended to ponder for what was a little longer than necessary- most of the pause was used to pat himself on the back for maintaining a smooth conversation. Keep it up, Kiba, he smugly thought. You're the man. "I really like gummies," he answered. "Heh... you'd better trade me some for my chocolate."
"Haha, of course." Reaching into her pile, Savanna quickly rummaged through the candy and plucked out all the gummies she could find before tossing them to Kiba.
"Thanks," said Kiba as he tossed some chocolate in return. His eyes drifted over to Naruto and Lee, and he sighed. "They're still going on about that lollipop… so immature."
Neji, who overheard the end of the conversation, nearly snorted out loud. Instead of doing so, however, he took this as an opportunity to regain his dignity with Sammy. Leaning towards her and lowering his voice, he remarked, "That's ironic coming from Kiba, isn't it?"
As Kiba's hearing was almost as keen as his sense of smell, he easily picked up Neji's comment. "What was that, Lover Boy?" he questioned in a mocking tone. "Are you whispering dirty things to Sammy again?"
Of course, Neji knew how utterly ridiculous that claim was, so he responded with something equally ridiculous. "Not as dirty as what you're telling Savanna."
It's inevitable that I'll get involved in every fight they have, Savanna thought as she mentally slammed her head against a wall.
Meanwhile, Lee and Naruto didn't look like they were going to budge from their standpoints anytime soon. "If you will not give me the lollipop," said Lee, "I challenge you to a duel in which the winner shall receive the lollipop!"
"There's no way I'm agreeing to something like that!" Naruto scoffed as he cradled the lollipop to his chest. "Why don't you get it? It's mine. Miiinnneeee." Just to prove his point, Naruto proceeded to unwrap his precious lollipop and lick it furiously.
Lee's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "H-how could you, Naruto?!" he cried in despair as Naruto continued to suck and lick the large piece of candy. "That was definitely meant for me! You do not understand!"
Naruto blatantly ignored Lee's tears as he continued to savor the sweetness of his lollipop. This is even more delicious than I imagined in the first place, he thought, licking the different colors only to discover they each held their own flavor. It's the best piece of candy that has ever set foot on my tastebuds!
He will pay for this, Lee's thoughts continued. He will pay.
Suddenly, the boy jumped up from his position on the floor and began to run into the kitchen, throwing the cupboard doors open in attempt to find something remotely similar to Naruto's lollipop. As he searched, a lollipop that was nearly identical to what Lee desired was miraculously found sitting in the back of what looked like a junk-food cupboard, and he grabbed it nearly instantaneously. His eyes brightening, Lee ran right back into the room. "I challenge you to a lollipop eating contest!" he grinned broadly. "Whoever finishes their lollipop first wins Savanna's heart!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You don't like Savanna TOO, do you?!"
Lee shook his head. "Not in that way," he explained, "but do you not you want her to be yours and only yours...?"
"Well, of course," the Uzumaki scoffed. "You aren't gonna win this!"
The black-haired boy quickly unwrapped his lollipop and licked it. "We will see about that!"
Kiba somehow heard nothing of the conversation that followed between Naruto and Lee. After Neji shot him a comeback that caused his jaw to go ajar, his only focus was on the Hyuga... and, of course, on Savanna and Sammy, as they were parts of their argument, as well. "W-what's that supposed to mean?!" he stuttered. "I would never do something like that! Only perverts like you would!"
"You think I'm the pervert? You're surely mistaken." Neji smirked.
I hate how cool he thinks he is when he talks! Kiba mentally growled. "I'm definitely not mistaken!" he said angrily. "You're the only one who's wrong here!"
"You're only making a fool of yourself with those comebacks."
Sammy smiled softly to herself, wondering why on earth Neji even bothered. Kiba's mind was set, and even though anyone could alter his opinion slightly by throwing an insult, it would be no use.
Neji, being the kind of person he was, happened to be thinking the same thing. "But you won't need another one," he continued. "I'm not arguing with you any longer."
Kiba gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at his sides, extremely irked... mostly because he felt as though he was embarrassing himself in front of Savanna. "Whatever," he said as he sighed exasperatedly. "I don't wanna fight with you anyway!"
Calming down after another minute, Kiba sighed and looked over to Savanna. "Sorry about that," he mumbled. "That didn't exactly go as planned."
As she continued to smile (determined to get rid of both her embarrassment and her blush), Sammy spotted something that looked like what she would call an Almond Joy in Neji's pile. She actually spotted a few. Those being her very favorites, Sammy's smile only brightened. "What candies do you like?" she asked Neji, motioning towards the few coconut-filled chocolates in his pile. "I'll trade something for those."
Neji hesitated in answering Sammy's question, for her beam rendered him transfixed by her beauty. He didn't see that smile of hers very often, and he found himself subconsciously wishing for the opposite to be true. A smile of his own made its way into his expression as he consented and traded his Almond Joys for some mints in her pile.
After assuring Kiba that everything was totally fine, Savanna couldn't help herself from regarding Sammy and Neji with adoration. "They're so wrapped up in their own little world," she remarked. "Isn't it adorable?"
"It's just as strange as it is adorable," Kiba replied with a smirk. "I've known Neji for a really long time, and for him to have those kinds of feelings for her… he seems like an entirely different person."
You don't know that I've also known him for a long time, Savanna thought amusedly. "You're right about that," she agreed. "At first, I thought Neji was stoic and and maybe even unfeeling. There's obviously more to that than he lets on…"
Watching Savanna intently, Kiba began to wonder if the circumstances were the same in her case. To him, she nearly always acted cheerful and friendly to everyone she encountered without much of a difference between people… but did she hate anyone? Did she… harbor affectionate emotions towards anyone?
Upon thinking about that last prospect, feelings of excitement welled up inside of Kiba. When she turned back to look at him, Kiba's tone changed to that of seriousness as he said, "Savanna… I've been thinking about the same thing for you."
Savanna blinked in surprise at Kiba's sudden comment. Kiba acts so stupid sometimes, so I don't usually give him credit for his good observation skills, she thought. And really, Kiba's suspicions were partially correct. Savanna did, in fact, try to act friendly with everyone she met. However, her actions weren't fake in the least; Savanna loved many male Naruto characters.
But Kiba was right in the sense that she had stronger feelings for some than for others.
After formulating an answer in her head for a moment, Savanna finally met Kiba's gaze. "You're right."
Eventually, Naruto beat Lee at their contest by chomping down on the last chunk of his lollipop. Lee immediately called Naruto a cheater and claimed that his move was against the rules, but Naruto remained satisfied because he knew that Savanna's heart belonged to him and him only. The Uzumaki effectively and obliviously put an end to the serious conversation between Savanna and Kiba as he sauntered over the former and slung an arm around her shoulders, which earned an angered shout from Kiba and a surprised glance from Savanna.
For the remainder of their time together, Neji and Sammy stayed in their own little fantasy world in which only the two of them were involved. They wouldn't have had it any other way, and their preferences were very apparent to the others in the way they gazed at each other with hearts in their eyes. After Lee calmed down enough to stop demanding a rematch every few minutes, everyone proceeded to stuff themselves with candy like there was no tomorrow. Savanna and Sammy both agreed that their Halloween experience with the Naruto characters undoubtedly topped all the others with their "ordinary" friends.
"Ughh," Naruto groaned after he finished his last piece of candy. "I'm soooo fullll."
Savanna could only stare at him in shock- she had never actually witnessed someone finish their Halloween candy on Halloween. "How are you not dead?" she joked.
Naruto tenderly held his stomach as he let out another groan. "I feel dead."
Observing her other friends, Savanna could say the same thing for them, as well. Lee was already soundly asleep on the sofa, and everyone else absentmindedly stared at the TV as a documentary softly aired. "Hey," she called out. When she felt the eyes of her friends on her, she said, "If you guys don't go home soon, you'll become zombies or something."
"You're right," agreed Neji with a sigh. Standing up from the sofa, he offered his hand to Sammy. "Shall we?"
As usual, those two are being too adorable for words, Savanna inwardly gushed as she escorted everyone (minus Lee) out the front door. After giving a hug to both Naruto and Kiba, she closed the door with a soft click and smiled to herself. I'll never get over the fact that I'm actually in the Naruto world, she thought happily.
She really didn't want to disturb Lee from his slumber since he looked so peaceful, so Savanna instead draped a blanket over his body and made her way upstairs. When she reached her bedroom and changed into her pajamas, the smile from earlier was still present on her features… and it didn't fade away for the entire night.