Chapter 29

"He's taking forever."

"Just be patient."

"Maybe he got captured."

"Naruto, just shut-up."

"But Kiba! What if-"

A loud 'thud' echoed around the small space in the car and I grinned in amusment. Naruto had been like that for the past ten minutes as we sat waiting for Gaara. I felt the same, though. I knew he was anxious to be with Sakura, most likely just as much - if not more - as I wanted to be with Gaara. He was taking a while though, which had me worried. Gaara really wasn't the type to be late.

I turned and looked at Kiba in the driver's seat. I was in the back, hanging partly out of the window from sheer boredom beside Kankurou, with Naruto in the passenger's seat. Kiba was shooting warning glances to the blonde at his side and running his hands over the steering wheel in agitation and impatience.

"He is right, though, Kiba. Gaara is taking longer than we thought." I said quietly and glanced out the window for emphasis. "Maybe we should...." I trailed.

Kiba tilted his head. "What? Maybe we should what?"

I shrugged. "Go look for him?"

Kankurou shifted in the seat at my side. "Maybe he just has some extra work." he yawned.

I frowned. "Can't we just check though? What if he really does need help?"

A snort echoed from beside me and I rolled my eyes at the older Sabaku. "Yeah, Gaara needs help. That'll be the day I wear makeup."

I held back the immediate comment that almost burst forth. There really was no need to tell him that I had seen a picture of him when he was little with purple lipstick smeared on his face. Gaara had kept it in the top of the closet in a box of old photos of them, and Kankurou's picture had fallen out one day a while back. It had been a very good laugh.

"I've always thought purple would look good on you," I said quietly and as a shocked 'What?!' resounded from him, I pushed open the door and yanked open Naruto's. "Come on, Naruto. We're going to go look for him."

Naruto jumped enthusiastically from his seat, flashing a foxy smile at me before setting off at a fast walk at my side.

"Hey! What are you doing!" Kiba yelled as he stuck his head out of the drivers' side and peered at us in irratation from over the hood of his car.

"Going on an adventure! Be the look out until we get back!" I called over my shoulder.

Kiba frowned sharply, grumbling, before sliding back into the car and glaring out the windshield. He was just as bored as the rest of us, wanting to be on the road already. Wanting to have Hinata with him. I smiled and started jogging toward the back of the school with Naruto at my side.

"We need theme music," Naruto whispered as we crouched against the brick wall.

"What do you have?"

"Hmm," he pulled out his cellphone and scrolled through his audio for a few seconds before grinning. "Mission Impossible!"

"That will work perfectly. Put it on repeat and let's get a move on."

He nodded, pressed a few more buttons, and then started slinking against the building as the music resonated from his pocket. I grinned enthusiastically and followed after him, humming the tune under my breath and trying my best to become one with the shadows like a secret agent as we snuck toward the courtyard.

It didn't take us very long to find him, he was leaning over the lawnmower, trying to crank the machine by yanking on the string attached to the engine. His face was angered, aggrivated, and I felt on edge. I would have felt a bit guilty too, if it hadn't been for the fact that he had no shirt on.

I was practically drooling on the ground, my eyes huge as I gaped at his lean form. With each pull on the string, the muscles rippled and danced under the skin, a light sheen of sweat making him glimmer in the hot sun.

"Ugh," Naruto grunted as he shifted his weight slightly, turning down the theme music as he did so. "Try not to get any spit on your shoes, Mat." he said.

I snapped from my daze and glared at the blonde, surreptiously whiping the corners of my mouth with my wrist to get rid of any excess drool. Naruto shrugged and slid closer to Gaara, still pressed to the wall at our sides.

"He doesn't look like anything is wrong, aside from the fact that he can't cut the grass anymore." Naruto commented, his eyes scanning the grounds around us.

I nodded. "Then we just have to get him to hurry his ass so we can leave."

"Right."

Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth, and to my surprise, began hooting like an owl. I giggled quietly from behind my hand, trying desperatly to not be too loud in case a teacher or Jiraiya was near by. Naruto was cut off mid-hoot as a fit of his own amusement bubbled and tumbled from his lips.

"What are you doing?" I asked quietly between fits of laughter.

Naruto grinned, swallowing hard to try and speak clearly. "A signal, of course. How else would he know we are here?"

I laughed louder this time before shoving my fist in my mouth. "You sound like a drunk owl, how will he know it's a signal?" I said around my hand.

Naruto looked crestfallen for a moment, disappointed that his call of attention would possibly not work to get Gaara out of prison, before he grinned cheekily again. "Then we will just drag him away! Come on!"

His hand snatched my wrist and yanked me from our hiding spot. My eyes widened and I struggled to get out of his grasp, I was already in trouble for the fight with Sakura, why should I get caught and get into even more trouble now?

"Naruto, no! We can't!" I whispered frantically, trying to leap back into the shaded area.

He just laughed and pulled me across the courtyard. "Yes we can!"

I was going to kill him when I got the chance. And I was going to make it slow and oh so painful. I threw myself on the ground and clutched at the grass, trying to pull myself back to the side of the building. Naruto grunted behind me and snatched my ankle, dragging me like a sack of potatoes to the middle of the yard.

Inwardly I wailed at the short stalks of grass that had been cut by Gaara. If they were longer I could have held myself down, damnit!

What a sight we were, me being hauled around by a foot while Naruto waved with his free hand enthusiastically to the redhead now staring at us like we had grown a second head. As I glanced back, I couldn't help but want to squeal at his expression. It was cute and handsome at the same time.

"Come on, Gaara! I already called to you with the signal and we lost precious time because you didn't answer back. Kiba and Kankurou are waiting in the car." Naruto said excitedly as he tossed my foot back to the ground.

I immediatly stood up and brushed my clothes off, grimacing at the grass stains smudged into the clothes. In a moment of anger, I reached up and smacked Naruto in the back of the head. "I really liked this shirt..." I mumbled, looking dejectedly at the mahogany T-shirt with black palm trees swaying on a black beach.

Naruto rubbed his head, but otherwise ignored me. "Come on, come on! You're wasting time, you should have answered the signal."

"The hooting?" Gaara asked, rubbing his hands on his tanned cargo shorts.

"Yeah!"

"....I thought it was a bird getting shot." He deadpanned.

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "Why do you have to be so stoic."

I grinned cheekily at his side before clearing my throat and gaining their attention. "As lovely as standing out here in the sun and heat is, surprisingly, I would rather be heading back to the car now so we can go meet the others."

After a few more moments of waiting - Gaara having to return the lawn mower to the shed back behind the school tool shed - we finally began jogging to the waiting car and leaping back into the wonders of air conditioning. Kiba glanced back at us, and after digging around in the front seat for a few seconds, chucked a T-shirt at Gaara's face, who caught it easily in his hands.

"Put that on. I'm sure everyone would like to see you shirtless, Gaara, but some of us don't want our eyes to burn out of our skulls just yet."

I snickered behind my hand, imagining Gaara walking into the place with no shirt and having a whole harem trail after him. Then I frowned, not liking the picture at all. I took my hat off and ran my fingers through my hair, combing out the tangles and removing the grass stained shirt that hid my more feminine looking shirt underneath.

"Naruto, Sakura is bringing me some kind of clothes, right? I don't have anything to wear."

The blonde twisted in his seat and nodded. "She is, but I still don't get it. What's wrong with going in like that."

I stared stupidly at him, not even bothering to explain that I was a girl up front and foremost, so I did like being girly once in a while. Especially when I could be with Gaara. It was a lost cause anyway, guys just didn't care about their appearance as much as the female population anyway. In the end it would just blow over his head or he would forget it.

It was a relatively short ride, we arrived at the restraunt with a few minutes to spare and waited around the car - me with my face pressed to the air vent - for the girls to arrive. When they did, I thought I just might jump back in the car and hide so they wouldn't force me into what they were all wearing.

Sakura, Hinata, Tenten, and Temari all had on a colored bandana tied around their chest as a shirt with either Daisy Dukes or short mini skirts on. It was funny to see the guys just about have a heartattack on the spot, but when Temari sauntered over to me with a bag printed with western letters on it, I froze.

"No. No way."

"Oh yes way, you're putting it on even if we have to force you."

"I-It's not too bad...Matsuri." Hinata said quietly, her hands wrapped protectively around her chest while she tried disappearing into Kiba's side. Not bad? Not bad!? She was trying to evaporate and she was telling me it's not bad?!

Shikamaru - who had driven with Temari to meet us - yawned and flicked me on the forhead as he made his way to the entrance. "Just put it on and hurry up or we won't get a good booth." he called over his shoulder.

After a moment's hesitation, Naruto and Kankurou followed him, both trying to keep their urges under control as their girlfriends walked beside them with confident smiles. Gaara wrapped one of his hands around my waist and pulled me back against his chest. Temari winked and turned her head respectfully.

"In my opinion the clothes aren't half bad."

I snorted. "Of course you would think so, pervert."

"Just wear them and have a good time. We only have so much time before graduation."

That broke my resolve. After graduation, God knows what is coming. I wanted to make memories here, and if throw my modesty out the door was part of the deal, then fine. But that didn't mean I had to be happy with it.

"Fine," I snapped, grabbing the bag Temari held in her hand. "I'll wear the stupid clothes but you had better do what I say for the rest of the night, got it demon boy?" I said, glaring at Gaara as I took Temari's hand.

He nodded, a smirk lifting his lips. I rolled my eyes and bit back a laugh. Dragging Temari behind me to the bathroom, I threw the bag at her and pouted. "I don't know how to wear that thing, so you are going to have to help me here. And please tell me you guys didn't get something that will have my ass coming out of my shorts!"

Temari laughed and brought out the clothes, and to my amazement, shoes and makeup and even a hairbrush. I peeked into the bag and mumbled, "Did you bring a model to show these clothes in too? What else can you put in here?"

She snatched the bag back and tugged at my shirt. "Come on, hurry up! Off with the shirt and bra."

"Not on the first date, sailor, gotta buy me a drink first."

"I'll buy you three drinks," she laughed, unfolding a red bandana. "Just hurry, Matsuri!"

I sighed heavily but resigned myself to my fate as I turned my back to her and whipped off my shirt and sports bra. It didn't take long since I had forgone wearing my regular ace bandages today. No one noticed, so it wasn't such a big deal. And for once I could breathe.

"There, now where is-"

I squeaked loudly as Temari's hands shot in front of me with the bandana in one hand. With one quick movement, she wrapped the cloth tightly around my chest and tied it tightly in the center of my back while I stood stock still trying to get over the scare of seeing arms come out of no where. For a second, I thought I might have become one of a mutated zombie.

"Alright, now lose those jeans, they do you're figure no justice."

I shook my head. "Hell no. I can handle getting shorts on. You turn around and dig through your bag."

She laughed and turned to rummage in her bag as I slippedon the Daisy Duke's that had been chosen for me. If I was being honest, I would admit that I looked pretty good. But I was really self concious at the moment. Temari turned back around and appraised the new looks with a twinkle in her eye as she handed me a pair of knee high dark brown leather boots.

"Nice, very nice. Now that looks way better than those guy jeans." she said after I zipped the boots up.

"What's that for?" I asked, looking at a bottle in her hand. She shook it and smiled.

"Make up."

"....Oh."

In a matter of seconds, Temari had pinned me to the bathroom counter and was brushing my eyelashes with the black stick. Once she finished with that, she glossed up my lips and stepped back to appraise her work. Tilting her head she leaned in and brushed some red eye shadow on me before finally packing up her stuff and grinning excitedly.

"Perfect!" she exclaimed, pulling me from the counter and spinning me around so I could see myself. "You're a regular knock out Matsuri!"

I shrugged, an embarressed smile lifting my lips as I looked at myself. A slight blush dusted my cheeks, somehow making my eyes dance and gleam and standout with the darkened color around them. My lips shined invitingly, and I laughed at how seductive I could look by tilting my head and biting my bottom lip teasingly.

Temari grinned beside me. "You give that look to Gaara and he'll be your slave for life."

"I think I just might test that theory."

---

I was having the time of my life. I had never been so elated, so excited, and so comfortable in all my years. I had lost count of the drinks once I had hit six, but that didn't matter, what mattered was that I was surrounded by friends. We had danced and laughed and joked like their was no tomorrow, had rode a mechanical bull, used American lassos to rope each other, and had had drinking contests.

Of course I didn't win one, but I didn't mind.

"Matsuri! Come on, we're going to dance again!"

I laughed loudly and staggered toward Tenten as she grabbed my wrist and led me to the circle of girls waiting. Sakura clapped her hands happily as the music started and we began dancing with each other. We knew exactly what we were doing to the guys and we were having fun with it. Teasing the hell out of them as they watched like drunk hawks from the corner was just too much fun.

After the song ended, hands wrapped possessivly around my waist and I turned to find glittering jade eyes glaring down at me. I smiled innocently and wrapped my hands around his neck.

"Having fun?" I asked, my words slurring just a bit.

"Now that I have you, yes." He said in a husky voice, jerking me against his hips. He was way to coordinated considering he had drank more than most of us. He could hold his liquor well, I supposed.

Now that I thought about him, both him and Kankurou had been able to down a lot more than us. Temari probably could if she tried, I wouldn't put it past her. Maybe it was genetic.

We danced for a little while, him driving my senses wild and me trying in vain to make him slightly tipsy. It didn't work, of course, he didn't even stumble in his steps. I vowed that I would get him to trip at least once before six in the morning.

Even if I had to stick my ankle out and do it myself.

Wow it had been too long since I updated this, jeez I am so so sooo sorry. It's just getting harder and harder to write for it the closer it gets to the end. I was planning on making three final chapters, one for each of the three final days and maybe a fourth to show how everyone is doing once they graduate. But I can see now that isn't going to happen. So now everything is going to split up and the story is going to be even longer.

I don't know when I will update because this story is bugging me. I read over some of it and it's so horrible to me. I know that I could do better. Maybe it's because this was one of the very first stories I've ever done, ne? Anyway, sorry for the long wait, I hope you will be patient with me I am truly trying. All my plots are getting a bit mixed and with all this moving and divorcing going on at home things are getting really difficult. Please stick around and wait for my updates!! Thank you!!