CHAPTER EIGHT

You Are The Music In Me

I awoke the next morning in high spirits, because today we were going to be going into the nearby town for...well, I don't know what for. I thought that the idea of summer camp was to be 'camping', basically, but going into town once a week would be...nice.

Matsuri, I noticed, had been giving me strange looks since yesterday, and I think I knew why.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

She pursed her lips. "Nothing." She replied, and then hurried ahead of me as we walked to the stables.

My heart-rate quickened as we neared the stables, and I could see the group of boys waiting for us. They all turned when they heard us approaching, but only one of them walked out of the crowd and flung his arms around me.

"Morning." Garaa said to me, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Sleep well, honey?"

"Thanks love, I did." I replied, putting on my 'sunny-morning-smile' and hugging him back. I glanced over Garaa's shoulder at the others, and was pleased and relieved to see the looks of total shock on their faces.

Now that Garaa and I were going out, I hoped that they'd all leave me well enough alone...

And, at first, that's exactly what they did.

I guess they were in a bit of a shock, and I can't really blame them. I mean, Garaa is nothing if not a little bit antisocial. He didn't strike me as the boyfriend-girlfriend type, until last night, when he 'professed his live for me'. I thought Matsuri was going to faint, but she agreed to the whole thing which was important because her part in this whole thing was crucial. It was nice to have her 'blessing'. It gave me practice when it came time to get Temari and (especially) Kankurou's blessings too.

Garaa and I worked side-by-side, chatting occasionally about random things - the weather, the horses, what might be going on with Jiraiya and Tsunade (I'd filled everyone I knew in on what Sasuke and I had overheard), that sort of thing. For the most part, we only had eyes for each other, my hazel eyes locked on his jade green ones (when we didn't need to be looking at the ground) but, when Matsuri called and said she needed Garaa's help, I let him go, and continued brushing the coat of the palomino mare Aurora.

I became aware of someone watching me suddenly, and I turned around to find none other then Mr. Sociable (Sai) staring at me.

"So, Mr. Ugly..." He said.

"Yes, Mr. Sociable?" I replied, conversationally, as I continued to curry wide circles around Aurora's coat.

"I heard you're going out with that red-haired freak..." Sai told me. It's amazing how fast rumors circulate in a place like summer camp.

"So what if I am?" I said, rather defensively. Who was Sai to call someone a freak? He with his...not calling girls how they really look, and gothic appearance. At least Garaa's punkness was...well...likeable...

"I just thought you'd like to know," Sai informed me. "That he's been expelled from eight schools in Suna for fighting, and that he once hospitalized three people on the same day!"

I stopped currying and stared at Sai. Really? "Of course I knew that!" I laughed. "Garaa and I are going out now, remember? We know everything about each other..." Sort of...

Sai smirked. "Sure you do..." He said, and I bristled.

Garaa suddenly came up behind Sai, who turned to find the red-head glaring at him. "Stop harassing my girlfriend, goth." Garaa said coolly.

Sai stared at Garaa for a full three seconds (I counted) and then wordlessly turned and walked off, although I heard him mutter something about 'his' being bigger then Garaa's.

His what?

Garaa and I looked at each other, and breathed big sighs of relief.

Suddenly, Tenten appeared over the side of the stall door, and I let out a little shriek. "Hey fellas!" She said cheerfully. "Come on, let's get a move on! I'm wanting to check out that new shop that sells antiques and antique weapons!"

"It...what?" I said, confused. I leaned on the stall door beside Tenten and looked at her. "Why would you..?"

"Because it's fascinating!" Tenten exclaimed. She lowered her voice a little. "Also, it's the store that really cute CIT, Deidara, wants to have a look at!"

"Isn't he the one who looks like a girl?" Matsuri asked, coming up beside Tenten.

"Describe him for me..." I hadn't seen him yet.

"Oh, long blonde hair," Tenten elaborated. "Blue eyes, always talking and saying 'yeah' on the end of every sentence..."

"Girl." Garaa supplied simply.

Matsuri grinned, and I remembered how she had a bit of a crush on Garaa.

Well, she could still have him because, if you haven't already figured it out yet, Garaa and I were just pretending to go out! We were only doing it so that the other boys would get off my tail for a bit!

How did I rope him into it?

Lots, and lots of money - in the form of my old MP3 Player...

I don't need it. It has a better home with Garaa.

oOo

"Where's Hinata?" Matsuri asked. She and I were sort of standing out the front of our cabin with Garaa, and Hinata was nowhere in sight.

"I'll find her!" I said grandly, glad for a chance to let Garaa and Matsuri have some time alone together.

Matsuri understood, gave me a grin and I grinned back before loping off with no idea really of where I was going, until I heard piano music coming from the music room, and a familiar voice.

I went in there, even though Neji wasn't really the person I was looking for but, luckily, I found Hinata in there too.

She was the one playing the piano, and she was good.

I sort of crept up behind her (Neji noticed me and smiled) and looked over her shoulder as she began playing, and then singing.

"Nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah yeah...you are the music in me..." She sung sweetly. "You know the words once upon a time, make you listen, there's a reason..."

I was so inspired (and so good at music) that I began singing along with her: "When you dream there's a chance you'll find," She glanced up, startled, but then we kept on singing: "A little laughter, or happy ever after..."

Then, I sang by myself: "Your harmony, a melody, echoing inside my head, a single voice above the noise, and like a common thread..."

Suddenly, Neji sung: "Mmm, you're pulling me..." In that voice I sometimes hear in my dreams...

I sung: "When I hear my favourite song, I know that we belong..."

"Oh, you are the music in me!" Neji sang. "It's living in all of us..."

"And it's brought us here because..." I sang. And Neji joined in: "You are the music in me! Nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, yeah yeah yeah...you are the music in me..."

"It's like I knew you before we met, I can't explain, there's no name..." I sung.

"No name for it!" Neji added.

We both sung: "I'm saying words I never said, and it was easy...because you see the real me!"

"Cause I am, you understand," Neji sung, and I joined in: "And that's more then I'll ever know..."

"To hear your voice..." He sung.

"Above the noise!" I added.

"And know I'm not alone!" We both sang, and I added: "Oh you're singing to me!" Neji and I grinned at each other.

We hadn't realised it, but we had an audience. Shino, Naruto, Shika, Chouji and Temari and they suddenly started singing with us: "When I hear my favourite song, I know that we belong!" Hinata grinned and sung by herself: "Oh, you are the music in me!"

We all sung: "It's living in all of us, and it's brought us here because, you are the music in me! Nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, yeah yeah yeah!"

Neji and I sung: "You are the music in me!"

"Yeah..." Neji added softly.

We all started cheering and clapping for each other, and Neji, Hinata and I seemed to be in the midst of it all.

"What was that song?" Naruto asked.

"How did you know the words to it?" I suddenly asked the newcomers.

"Good question..." Chouji said thoughtfully, before unwrapping a Mars Bar.

"Yeah," Temari added, almost scornfully. "This ain't no high school musical!"

We all laughed.

"Hey," Neji suddenly said. "You know the talent show?"

"Ya?" We all looked at him.

"Well..." Neji's cool white eyes glittered. "Why don't we all enter together?"

"Yeah?" Temari put a hand on her hip. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, that sounds cool!" Naruto said.

"Hinata, you can play the piano!" Shino added quietly.

She looked surprised and blushed, but pleased. "R-really? Me?"

"Is there any other Hinata here?" Temari teased.

Hinata grinned. "O-okay! I'll come up with...with a really c-cool song for us to all s-sing!" She looked really happy, and Neji looked really proud of her. "If," The white-eyed girl went on. "N-Neji and Emily will s-sing the l-leads..."

It was my turn to look surprised, and her cousin seemed equally shocked. I thought that this group performing in the talent show would turn out good. I mean, Neji seemed to like me, but with Hinata around he should be able to calm down, and he in turn would probably boost her confidence. I didn't know what was going on with Temari and Shika, but there seemed to be no interference there, and there were no rivalries in this group.

I began to grin. "Yeah...yeah, okay then!" Neji nodded. "I say we go for it!" I added, and we all grinned at each other.

We were going to be great!

oOo

Meg: I don't own that song. *nods*