Blueberries Chapter 6: Masquerade, a naruto fanfic

You can probably guess from the title what's going to happen…

The orphanage was awful.

Your typical Hollywood not-quite-run-down-but-not-in-great-shape-either-prison-like orphanage. All under the not-so-watchful eye of the caretaker, the meanest, child-hating woman ever to go by the name of…of…well, nobody ever really knew her name. She ordered everyone to call her Madame Sir-which was very strange because she wasn't a sir-but nonetheless nobody would ever think of questioning her. She was strict, and had a whistle-yes a whistle-to make sure everyone stayed in order. Her punishments were harsh for young children, and her strategy was divide and conquer. If a group of children did something wrong, she would interrogate them separately, then make them carry out their torturous punishment alone and isolated.

There was a small ray of freedom though. The caretaker's assistant, Miss Lilian, was the sweetest lady that ever lived. She was still young, and had originally wanted to become a teacher, but the sad faces of the orphanage children as she walked by on her way to school, made her change her mind. She would always try to take the blame and lessen the punishment, and was scolded for being too nice. On days when Madame Sir was "busy", Miss Lilian would take the children outside and allow them to play games, as long as they were quiet.

Miss Lilian was also the one who let a certain little boy out to visit a certain little girl. She didn't ask questions after he explained that there was a girl he liked and needed to see.

And on those days when that certain little girl couldn't get out of her house, he would watch her. He wasn't sure that she knew, but he cherished those times. Just being there, and knowing that it was his choice, and that he didn't have anything else to do.

And he thought she was pretty.

Chapter 6: Masquerade

They had just entered a town during a festive season, it seemed. The streets were lined with lanterns and banners. Stalls were set up on the roadsides selling Mardi gras beads, noisemakers, poppers, and eggshells filled with confetti. A crowd of people circled a group of acrobats doing flips and spins in the middle of the road. There was an air of cheerfulness amongst the people, who were smiling and welcoming the strangers. Someone tried to hand them flyers but they smiled, shook their heads and said "no thanks". They were on a mission after all.

They went to the town's main square-which was even more decorated and crowded-to find the town hall. This had been there routine in every place they searched: arrive, then go straight to an official building. There they would begin their search. With Sasuke's influence it was a lot easier now to get a hold of the town's official papers-records of citizens entering and leaving, children enrolled in schools, adoptions, and even passport pictures. From there they would search by foot, asking around in case they missed anything.

The work was tedious, and often they would come up with nothing interesting. A few times they would find something, but it would later prove not to be the right boy. Today was no exception, and by midday they were tired and decided to pick up tomorrow where they left off. They asked the secretary there to keep the things as they were, and though she was obviously displeased at leaving the place in a mess, one look from Sasuke and she obliged.

Being outside in the joyous atmosphere lifted their spirits, even though-so far-the town had been a disappointment. Hinata heard a gasp from Ino and turned around, as did the others.

"I think I lost my lip gloss!" And she ran back inside.

About twenty minutes later she came back, lips newly glossed.

"Ok I got it!"

"Took you long enough," muttered Sakura. Ino threw her a glare and they continued walking, searching for the small motel the secretary told them about.

They had walked only for a short while when Ino spoke up. "Hey I have an idea!" The others stopped and turned to look at her. She continued, "Why don't we treat ourselves for once?" They looked at her with blank stares and she explained. "You know, stay someplace nice, do something we wouldn't normally do."

It was then that they realized where they had stopped. The group was currently standing in front of a tall, rather expensive-looking hotel for such a small town.

"You mean," said Hinata, "we should stay somewhere like the place right behind you?"

Ino turned around and faked a gasp, as though she hadn't known that a fancy hotel was right where they stood. "Yeah, this place looks nice."

The other four looked at each other with nervous glances. They weren't sure how much longer they would be searching. All of them-Hinata and Tenten especially-did not want to run low on money again.

"Well we could, but…I don't know…"

They stood staring at the building for what seemed like a long time until Sasuke sighed.

"I'll pay for it." They all shifted their gazes to Sasuke. He shrugged. "I am a millionaire."

"Yay!" screeched Ino. She threw her arms around the other three girls and looked at the remaining male. "Oh come on, get in here!" Sasuke wrinkled his nose in disgust and stayed put.

The girls sighed, then brightened up again. Who knows, this could be fun…

The four travelers walked through white revolving doors to an almost completely white lobby. The short walk to the counter seemed ages long as their footsteps echoed on the white marble floor. Near them guests were relaxing on white squishy couches arranged around small rectangular white tables. There was a square seating area beyond the lobby with white round tables and white chairs, where people would eat, separated only by a glass wall that did not reach the high white ceiling. Beyond the glass they could also see the four floors of the hotel, including the ground floor, lined with evenly spaced white doors. The only color came from the tall vases of red flowers on each table- smaller arrangements were on the smaller rectangular tables-and a couple of red pillows on the couches.

The hotel looked strangely exotic. It almost seemed that a place like this shouldn't be in a town like this.

The lady at the counter was also dressed in an all white uniform, with only a red flower adorning the perfectly smooth bun on the back of her head and bright red lipstick. She had a tired smile worn by those who had already met a lot of people and would rather be somewhere else. But there weren't many people here…

"Welcome to the Hotel. How may I be of service?" That sounded rehearsed.

"Three rooms please," said Sasuke. Her eyes lingered on his face for a while before checking her computer for available rooms. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, they could still see her constant glances at him. This was nothing new, they had gotten used to the staring-I mean he was gorgeous-at least she was more discreet.

"Lucky you, you got the last three rooms available!" The last rooms available? That's certainly a lot of travelers. "How long will you be staying? All three nights?" All three nights of what?

"We'll pay when we leave." She nodded at Sasuke and went to get three room keys. She came back with the keys and dropped them in Sasuke's waiting hand. She made sure not to touch him or else she might have started hyperventilating.

"There you go, 145, 318, and 426. I hope you don't mind they're not on the same floor." Then she added, "Are you staying for the festival?"

"Um-"

"Yes!" Ino cut in quickly, "Yes we are." The others looked at her but she ignored them. They took their keys and left as the lady wished them a pleasant stay.

As soon as they were out of earshot from the lady, Sakura turned to her friend with a puzzled look. "Ino…what…?"

Ino shrugged. "It's cheaper if we stay for the festival." She didn't say anything more.

Since Sasuke insisted on having the topmost floor, and Sakura and Ino wanted to be closer to the pool on the ground floor, Hinata and Tenten agreed to stay in room 318. As soon as they entered the room (which was all white save for the red pillows on the bed & red flowers on the tables) they immediately dropped their stuff and collapsed on their beds. After a long silence Tenten said, "How long do you think we'll be doing this?"

Hinata shrugged, but then remembering that Tenten was staring at the ceiling said, "I don't know." She paused. "As long as it takes."

They both sighed at the same time, then laughed.

Tenten rolled over and propped herself up on her elbows, facing Hinata. "You know Naruto…"

"He's nice," said Hinata, still staring at the ceiling.

Tenten decided not to push it and changed the subject. "I wonder what Ino's planning. Did you notice she was acting suspicious lately?"

Hinata turned to look at her friend and giggled. "Really? I didn't notice." They both laughed. Hinata sat up crosslegged on her bed and said, "I know. I wonder how she's managing to keep it a secret from everybody. Knowing Ino, I would think she would have blurted it out to everybody by now!"

As if on cue there was a knock on the door. Hinata opened it to find Sakura and an extra-energetic Ino outside. She seemed to bounce inside and over to Tenten. "So, are you guys enjoying your stay?" she said with a huge smile.

Tenten glanced at Hinata. "Ino…we just got here."

Sakura rolled her eyes, smiling. "Just tell them, Ino, they've probably already figured it out."

Ino frowned at Sakura, then brightened up again. "We're going to a party!!"

She was met with silent stares. "A party guys! Aren't you excited?"

Still silence.

"Oh, but not just any party!" Ino continued, taking the silence as a cue to go on. "A masquerade party!"

She looked around at their expressions when the only response she got was, "What?"

Sakura sighed and pulled out a flyer. She handed it to them saying, "Here." On it were big colorful letters announcing:

Come Join Us at our 22nd Annual

MASQUERADE BALL

And help us start out the Maiden Nights Festival with a bang!

Where: Maiden Nights Hotel

When: 24th of June

Time: six o'clock

**Tickets on sale in town square

Please Join Us

Hinata was the first to speak. "Where's that?" Her confusion only grew more when Ino started laughing. "This…this is it, Hinata!" she choked out between laughs. "We're here!"

Hinata handed the flyer to Tenten so that she could get a better look. After reading it through four more times she said, "That's tonight, and in…three and a half hours! Ino, what were you thinking!"

"Well, I was thinking it would be a good opportunity, you know, for Hinata to find her guy!"

Sakura took the flyer from Tenten and waved it in front of Ino's face. "It's a masquerade! Everyone will be wearing masks!"

Ino lowered Sakura's hand from her face and said, "That's the point!" When they looked at her skeptically she continued, "Let me explain, when you wear a mask all you see is a person's eyes, right? Well that's the only solid feature Hinata remembers so wouldn't it help us concentrate on the people's eyes and therefore search better?"

Sakura opened her mouth to say something but then closed it.

"Well I think it's a great idea." They all turned to look at Hinata. "Ino's right. I think looking only at people's eyes will help me recognize them better."

Tenten shrugged. "Well I guess this means we're going then." She looked around and the other girls nodded.

"Hold on!" Everyone turned to look back at Sakura and Ino groaned. "Like, we still have one teensy problem here! This is a masquerade ball."

"Yes, I think we've already established that Sakura."

"Wait, but I'm not finished yet! Ball as in we need ball gowns. Where are we gonna get some of those! And inexpensive ones might I add!"

Hinata sighed. Sakura was right. They couldn't just show up in their regular clothes. This event sounded fancy.

To their suprisement, Ino laughed. When they continued to stare at her she just laughed even harder until Sakura yelled at her to shut up! "I'm sorry it's just…it's all taken care of! I have dresses on hold, tickets, everything! Even masks! You guys didn't seriously think I would get us into this without planning it first!"

"Umm…"

"No comment."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Guys, give me some credit at least!" She sat down on the bed next to Hinata. "I mean, I like even got a ticket for Sasuke!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. This was where she drew the line. She looked Ino in the eye and asked, "Why?"

"In case he wanted to come, duh!" replied Ino, oblivious to her friend's murderous stare.

"He's not coming. He's not invited."

"I'm not invited where?"

They all jumped and Hinata even squealed (not like a pig, but in a cute way!) when Sasuke came out from the shadows in such a dramatic way worthy of an overly-dramatic movie. (dun dun dun)

Sakura glared at him. "How did you get in here?"

"Not important." Sasuke ignored her glare and looked at Ino. "What am I not invited to?"

Ino perked up as she regained her train of thought. "Oh! It's a masquerade ball at this hotel tonight. But everyone's invited so I don't know what Sakura's talking about…"

Tenten rolled her eyes and smacked her forehead.

"Ok."

Everybody stared at him in disbelief. Did the Sasuke just agree to go to a dance? Where there will be people?

He simply shrugged, just as he had when he agreed to pay for the hotel. "It's a masquerade, isn't it?" And with that he left.

If he was any regular person, the girls might have laughed, but this was Uchiha Sasuke. No time for laughing here.

Everything was ready.

Ino had gone with Sakura to pick up the (surprisingly cheap) dresses she ordered (so that was what she was doing when she "forgot her lip gloss"). Hinata and Tenten had followed Ino's directions to pick up some masks. They had gotten dressed and after a long discussion had convinced Ino not to do their makeup because no one would see it anyway. The whole time (about two and a half hours) Sasuke had only been seen once when he was given the (black) mask Ino picked out.

"Tenten come on it can't be that bad!" Hinata called as she knocked on their bathroom door. The girls had all gotten ready and were sitting on the beds in Hinata and Tenten's room, waiting for Tenten to come out of the bathroom and show her dress.

"No way! I look like a friggin' puff ball!"

"Please Tenten!"

"I'm not going!"

Sakura turned to Ino and whispered "What did you get her? It better not be as horrible as she says!"

Ino shrugged. "I thought it looked pretty." And she continued to smooth out the fabric of her royal blue dress. Sakura sighed.

(**check out my profile to see the dresses, they should be up soon i hope :)

"At least let us see it," Hinata called. Ino had done a good job picking out her golden dress.

She thought Tenten was ignoring her until she heard a click and stepped away from the door. Out came Tenten dressed in a deep red dress with a full skirt and plunging neckline. Her face clearly wasn't as excited as the rest of the girls sitting on the bed.

Ino was the first to speak. "Tenten you look so…girly!"

Tenten turned around to head back to the bathroom when she was pulled back by Hinata. "Come on Ten, nobody will recognize you, and it's not like we know anyone here anyway."

Tenten sighed. After twenty minutes of making excuses she just didn't want to put up with it anymore. Besides, her friend was right, and she couldn't just desert her.

"Besides, you look great," complimented Sakura as she looked at her own strapless tomato red gown in the mirror. She turned to Tenten for emphasis, smiled and added, "I mean it."

Ino jumped up and clapped her hands together. "Then it's set! Let's go! Grab your masks girls it's party time!"

Hinata was about to walk out the door when she remembered, "What about Sasuke?"

"He can go by himself," Sakura snapped.

Ino shrugged. "Yeah, he can. Now stop stalling, let's go!"

If she could transport them all there automatically she would, but alas, they had to take the elevator. They met up with others dressed in fancy dresses and fine suits going down to the main floor as well.

Once they got to the lobby there were signs directing them to the ballroom and leading them through huge (white) double doors. Skirts flowed as feet moved in tempo to the upbeat traditional music. Jubilant faces were hidden behind extravagant feathered masks. That same air of celebration from before hit them straight on once again.

"Wow," Ino breathed as she surveyed the many decorations. The ballroom was large, with a high ceiling and grand staircase at the back of the room. There were chairs and small tables lining the sides where people could sit and order refreshments. "Come on!" She grinned and pulled on Sakura's arm, but Sakura pulled back. Ino was confused at first until her friend nodded toward the ticket table. "Oh! Right." She handed four tickets to the same lady from the reception desk earlier. They had given Sasuke's ticket to him earlier.

"Hey! Where are you going!" Ino called to Tenten, who was sneakily walking away from the others.

Tenten stopped, turned her head and replied, "Food table."

The girls' gazes instantly switched to the long white-clothed table at the far end of the room. Rows upon rows and layers upon layers of scrumptious food - cakes, pies, tarts, pastries, fruits, and even some things that had never been seen before but looked delicious nonetheless - sat there just waiting to be eaten. They all followed Tenten to the back of the room as if in a trance, unaware of the elegantly dressed girls they accidentally bumped into.

"Hey watch it."

Sakura and Ino turned around. Hinata and Tenten had walked ahead but turned back once they realized they were no longer being followed. In front of them stood a tall beautiful girl in a deep purple dress with black laced gloves past her elbows. Her long black hair fell in perfect curls down her back and her mask held the most feathers it could carry.

Sakura stuck her chin forward, said "You're excused." And turned away but the girl caught her arm.

"Hey I know you." The girl looked back and forth between Sakura and Ino. "H and Y…it is you!" She started laughing. Sakura and Ino narrowed their eyes. They knew this girl was referring to their parents' company which had recently gone bankrupt. "You little sluts! I can't believe you would still show your faces in public!"

This made Sakura angry. She didn't even know them! "Why you…!" She reached up to punch the girl but her hand was caught by a strong arm- a strong arm that led up to broad shoulders and a beautifully handsome face, half hidden by a deep black mask.

"Is there a problem here?" came a deep silky voice from seemingly unmoving lips.

And they weren't the only ones watching, it seemed as though the whole room had stopped to look at the handsome stranger that just arrived. The music could have stopped and nobody would have noticed. Heck, it probably already did!

"No! Nothing, nothing at all!" The girl dropped Sakura's other arm and batted her heavily mascara'd eyes behind her mask.

"Good." Sasuke dropped Sakura's hand as well and walked away. When he noticed nobody was following he turned around and raised his eyebrows. Not that anybody could see them but his expression was clear anyway.

Misinterpreting his sign, the girl in the purple dress smiled and started to follow but was tripped by Ino and fell into one of the small tables instead. Snickering, Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Hinata followed Sasuke back to the food table, where they were heading previously.

As soon as they were out of range of the snobby girl, Tenten burst out laughing. The others couldn't help it and joined in as well. Sasuke was the only one who seemed unamused.

Now that they were in a less crowded area they could finally see Sasuke properly - and what they saw was not disappointing. He looked even more handsome, if that was even possible, and very mysterious behind his mask. His deep onyx eyes stood out and were just as entrancing. If Sakura thought she was over him, she was wrong. She had fallen for him all over again, and frankly at the moment, she didn't care.

Nobody could get him to dance though. Many tried, all failed. Meanwhile the girls hit the food table.

Thus had passed the first hour (very quickly) and Hinata found herself wanting to explore. Everybody else was keeping themselves busy. Ino had gone outside to catch some air, Sakura was dancing with a man with a curious blue bird mask, Sasuke was standing in a corner still resisting dances, and Tenten was still at the food table ("I don't care if I don't fit in this dress, these lemon squares are delicious!"). So little Hinata, now annoyed with the feathers on her golden mask, decided to take a look around.

"I'm going to look at the decorations…" she said to nobody in particular. Her small voice was drowned out by the music anyway.

After a while Hinata had lost track of time, for she was completely entranced by this lighted fountain near the front corned of the room next to the band. She didn't notice when a boy came up beside her and said, "It's beautiful isn't it."

Hinata jumped and turned to look at who was beside her. Like Sasuke he was dressed all in black, but with a greenish tint to it. He had died his hair green and wore a black mask with blue and green feathered trimming. But what struck her the most was his eyes-

they were the clearest blue.

With Ino

She had gone outside to catch some fresh air after dancing for such a long time. The night was anything but silent. Crickets were chirping. Behind her, music flowed out from behind the doors of the hotel. At the bottom of the hill, the streets teemed with booths, decorations, and people. It was just as she had remembered it. When she was younger, her parents and Sakura's parents would bring them to this festival every year. Being too young, they were never able attend the Masquerade Ball with their parents but were instead left with a caretaker to enjoy the games and street performers. Ino was surprised that Sakura hadn't noticed where they were when they first got here. But then again, they hadn't come to the festival for years.

Ino took off her deep blue mask and took a deep breath of the crisp night air. She laughed at herself, just because, and wondered vaguely what the others were doing. Interrupting her seemingly pointless train of thought, Ino noticed a familiar-looking car parked a little way down the street. It was a Mr. Hal's pizza car, and in it was none other than that fruit-shaped headed guy. But why would a pizza man just be sitting in his car? Wouldn't he have a pizza to deliver or something? Unless…

"Asleep on the job?" Ino peeked her head into the driver side window (which was open).

His head jerked up so fast that it hit the hood of the car. She snickered.

"Why if it isn't the princess."

She scowled at him but he just closed his eyes again and laid his head back down.

Ino would not be put down that easily. "What are you doing here anyway?"

He kept his eyes closed as he replied, "Troublesome."

"Excuse me?"

He sighed as he slowly opened his eyes to look up at her. "I'd rather not say." He paused. "but I have this." He turned his gaze to the passenger seat where a pizza was sitting, still in its bag. Then he looked back at her expectantly.

Ah, another man of few words. Ino sighed and walked over to the passenger side door and got in the car. She closed the door, smoothing her skirt, and said, "I have a feeling somebody's not getting their dinner tonight."

He nodded. "Your feeling's right." He opened the box and offered her a slice.

Ino stared at the pizza for a bit, shrugged then took a slice. He helped himself to one as well.

After taking a few bites the guy said, "Shikamaru."

Ino turned to look at him. "What?"

He kept looking ahead, taking another bite of his pizza. Once he swallowed he said, "That's my name. Shikamaru." He turned to look at her as well. She stared back.

Realizing that it was her turn to introduce herself, she exclaimed, "Oh!" then, "Ino."

He nodded and turned back to his pizza. She did the same. This might have been the start of a new friendship until she said,

"This tastes like crap."

And Laughed Out Lou'd.

He threw his half-eaten slice of pizza back in the box along with hers. "Yeah it does." Then he laughed as well. It was short and quiet, and he will never admit that he did (laugh with her) but it was there.

Once they quieted down, he expressed that he was hungry, and she smiled.

"I know where we can get good food." She stepped out of the car, making sure not to wrinkle her dress. When he didn't follow, she turned to him and said, "Come on!"

Shikamaru got out of the car also and gave her a questioning look, but followed her nonetheless. He walked through the doors of the Maiden Nights Hotel and into the lobby, making a face at how white it was. He didn't ask questions as she led him to the huge double doors marking the entrance to the ball; after all he was just hungry. But when the doors were opened and he saw all the ladies in dresses and men in suits, his eyebrows shot straight up and he stared at Ino. It was then that he realized that she was wearing a dress as well. She just smiled and took his arm, leading him to the back of the room where the food was.

When she got there, Tenten was talking to another girl who was also enjoying the vast array of desserts. The girl bid farewell and Tenten turned around to find Ino with some other guy dressed completely casually. Ino introduced them, and when they spotted Sakura and Sasuke she introduced them as well. Sakura said hello but Sasuke just gave a nod, acknowledging that he recognized his old coworker. That's when they realized that Hinata wasn't there. Tenten informed them that she had gone to look at the decorations, but had been gone for a while. So, they decided that they would split up and look for her. Sasuke and Shikamaru decided to walk around the hall while Sakura, Ino, and Tenten went to check the ladies' room.

Where Hinata really went…

She was in a peculiar situation, she supposed.

A new song had started; he bowed. She figured it was her turn to curtsy, and did, accepting him as her dance partner. He placed one hand on her waist and took her other hand in his. She didn't know the steps; It didn't matter.

She never asked his name, and he didn't ask hers. One moment they were standing together, admiring the way light dances and reflects on water, and the next they were moving as one. Every corner of her mind was screaming "Stranger Danger! Think of what this person can do to you!" but her body had no intention of moving. She strangely didn't feel uncomfortable, though she avoided looking into his eyes. The dance was quick, yet slow and simple at the same time. She almost felt as if she was in a trance, as if this person (this gorgeous, graceful, wonderful, beautiful person) had her under a spell, and she didn't care. She knew what she was doing was wrong but it didn't feel wrong at all. The decorations around the hall were a blur, the skirt of her dress swished around her feet, and for a moment, she forgot where she was. She along with this no named stranger were the only two people left in the world. Everybody else just had something better to do.

But then the music ended, and just like that, the moment was gone. She looked around, people were still talking, eating, enjoying themselves. Couples and groups walked off the dance floor to take a break. The band got ready to play another song. She looked up to see that he was watching her again. It might have been creepy but she liked the way his eyes looked.

"Do you want to see something?"

She nodded. It didn't really matter what this something was. Some part of her (a part of her that must have been sleeping for years) screamed that she couldn't leave, she had to stay with him, her life depended on it (A little over-exaggerated, but still). He led her to the back of the hall, where there was a door under the grand staircase. Through the door was a room piled with extra tables, chairs, tablecloths, costumes, props, paintings, mirrors, and countless decorations that were ever only used once, but kept there just in case. The only light came from the floor-to-ceiling double window on the left side of the room. Moonlight shined on the dust particles floating in the air. It gave the room a gloomy yet magical feeling at the same time.

They didn't stay in the room, however, he led her over to the window, which also happened to be a door, leading out into a balcony.

Below she could see the booths and red lanterns lining the streets. The only sound came from the distant carnival music, shouts and laughs from the children, and a trickling stream directly below them. It was then that she remembered that they were on the ground floor.

Noticing the confusion in her face he said, "This town is carved into the base of a mountain. Or was at least. This hotel is at the peak of whatever's left. There's a whole story about it actually. A legend. Of how the tradition of this carnival started. Have you heard it?"

Hinata leaned on the railing of the balcony, drinking in the view. "No."

He turned to look at her and she looked back, still avoiding his eyes. "Would you like me to tell you about it?"

This time she hesitated. "S-sure."

He smiled and held up a finger, signaling for her to wait, and went back into the storeroom. When he came back through the double glass doors, he was carrying two chairs and wineglasses. He set the chairs across from each other and motioned for her to sit down.

"Wine m'lady?" He bowed. There was nothing in the glass but she decided to play along.

"Thank you."

He sat in his chair and took up his own glass. He leaned forward and looked at her intently, ready to start the tale.

"Well, I might not be a great storyteller, but here it goes:

This place, this town, used to be one big hill, almost mountain-like. Legend has it that it was a magical mountain where there were many strange occurrences. It was bad luck to come here. But there was one man who thought he could change that. Now don't get me wrong, he was a good guy, not greedy or anything, but headstrong. His name was Alek. The thing was, Alek had a dream, or a vision or something, and in that dream he was 'called' to the mountain, so of course he would go. He was convinced that nothing bad would happen to him, and he made sure everyone knew it. He ran for days without rest, carrying nothing but the clothes on his back.

When he finally got there, it was nothing like he expected. The mountain was rocky and barren. It wasn't steep, or tall, or anything worthy of praise in his opinion. The only vegetation was these ugly flowers that grew in the shadows of rocks. He stepped on them for they made him sick. He was utterly disappointed and immediately went to sleep, even though it was still daylight.

The next morning he sought to leave, but something was holding him back. So, he decided to stay one more night. But that night, his whole life changed. The whole course of history changed, as the legend likes to say. For the mountain wasn't the same at night. Everything changed. Things came alive, spirits breathed. Alek couldn't believe his eyes. What was once a barren wasteland transformed into a fairytale. Alek watched as the flowers he once stepped on bloomed bright colors that glowed in the light of the full moon. He watched as vines full with strange fruit creeped up and engulfed the rocks, reaching up to the sky. He watched as curious creatures with many eyes, no eyes, eyes that stuck out of their heads, twenty legs, hooves, claws, wings, tails, arms that climbed, and arms that reached, crawled, ran, hopped, jumped, flew, and buzzed all around him.

So everything they ever said was true. The mountain was a magical place. But he couldn't believe how anything so beautiful could bring bad luck; so he stayed.

He began to notice that the creatures and plants all pulsed together to a familiar beat-like a heartbeat. They created a melody to some unseen sound. He stood there for a moment, waiting, listening, forgetting all else. Mystified, he decided to find the source of the music. The feeling grew stronger and stronger until he reached a type of meadow at the top of the mountain. This must have been the center, the source of the life and magic. What he saw there captivated him even more than before.

There were the same glowing flowers from before except larger. And even more spectacular, they were blooming into beautiful young women, their skin glowing the same colors as the flowers. And they were singing in harmony, not a normal kind of song but one that rang and echoed. The music filled his very being, and he fell madly in love with the woman in the center of it all: a woman with golden skin and flowing fiery red hair. He stayed there for a long time, unmoving, but then, the moment he stepped into the meadow, everything stopped. The creatures scurried back to their hiding places, the plants closed up and retreated back into the ground. The only living things left were he and a few of the women looking at him curiously, including the one with the golden complexion. It seemed even the stars darkened. It was then he realized that he had disturbed the whole order of the mountain, and the look in the eyes of those women made it clear that he would have to pay.

Alek didn't move, but let the gold woman come to him. Her hair flowed behind her as if they were under water. She was shorter than him. He noticed that her perplexed eyes changed color, from green, to blue, to grey, to brown, to orange, to purple, and back again. She held up her hand, as if to give him a high five. Confused, he did the same, and with her other hand she brought their two raised hands together. (He did so with their own hands, and Hinata giggled). He wasn't sure what she was doing, but she smiled, so he did as well. With that, the tension was lifted. The other women came to greet him as well. Slowly, the flowers opened, creatures creeped out of their hiding places once again. Gradually the music of life came back.

The women talked and sang and ate the strange fruit, all except the one with the red hair. She stayed in the center, on her red flower-throne, singing and smiling. She was so beautiful he almost wanted to cry. From the other women he learned that her name was Amina. Most of the other women didn't trust him as Amina did. They were wicked and deceitful, but Alek didn't know that.

From them he learned how the mountain got its bad reputation. He learned that intruders weren't normally looked upon kindly. In fact, it was a miracle that he was still in the same condition now as he was when he first arrived.

'What is that supposed to mean?' he asked.

The women laughed. 'Look around you,' they said, 'How do you think these creatures got here?'

Alek felt so sick he wanted to vomit. He looked down. A small animal with big pointed ears and a colorful tail looked up at him with large, frightened eyes. He finally saw the mountain for what it really was. The life here wasn't free, they were prisoners. The song they sang bound them, an ever-present reminder of how they were stuck, hopeless. His eyes moved up to the golden woman, Amina. Was she a prisoner as well? She didn't speak, she didn't laugh, she didn't do anything, just sing, the same song, over and over.

The other women saw him looking at her and laughed some more. 'Don't look at her like that. She runs this place. She lives on the souls of those who dare to cross her path.'

But it just didn't make sense to him. How could something so beautiful be so wicked? And if what the women said was true, why hadn't he been given the same fate? Why had he been spared? If only he could talk to her, get the answers he wanted.

But his answers came in a different form: a woman whose skin was a deep burgundy. She definitely wasn't as beautiful as Amina. She walked up to him, gave her name as Xara, and requested him to stay three nights, an order from Amina. Always open to a new opportunity, he obliged, and of course he couldn't deny the person he had fallen so much in love with in so little time. Xara noticed Alek's awe of Amina and told him of a secret to win her unfeeling heart. He must carve through the base of the mountain until he found a spring. One drop from that spring would save her from her wickedness, and set the creatures of the mountain free. Crazy right?

He set to work right away, pulling at the rocks with his bare hands, for that was all he had. He was tired and in pain but he kept going anyway. He wasn't alone though, he did this under the watchful eye of Xara. She told him stories of others who came to the mountain, looking for riches, or solving mysteries, and how they all ended up stuck here forever. It encouraged him to dig faster, to save those poor souls. And thus passed the first night.

Alek slept all the next day, for he hadn't slept the night before. When he awoke, the sun was still up and the mountain was barren, but this time he wasn't fooled. The sunset soon came, and when the last ray of light had disappeared he witnessed the transformation yet again. He immediately returned to the place where he was digging the previous night. He decided that instead of going forward he would work upward, so that the mountain wouldn't crumble and fall on him. That night another woman joined him, as Xara had the night before. She had dark purple skin and white hair. Her name was Laila. When Alek asked what had happened to Xara, Laila hesitated to reply that she was busy.

Alek worked hard as he had the night before while Laila fed him information on the ways of the mountain: how Amina acted as a corrupt queen, relishing in the discomfort and pain of her slaves, how life, though it seemed to thrive, was caught in a winding web of distress. He refused to believe it, and kept searching for the underground spring. And thus passed the second night.

Again he slept during the day and awoke at night, and again he went straight to work. His hands were calloused and raw, but he never even thought of backing down, it just wasn't his nature. Another woman came to him that night, one with midnight blue skin and long silver hair. Her beauty definitely rivaled that of Amina. This time he didn't bother to ask what happened to Laila. This woman, Iesha, told him the same things Xara and Laila had said before, but he didn't listen. He was done with hearing of misery and destruction. He didn't want to hear of Amina's evil aura. He was determined to change that. His hands were bleeding. He had worked so vigorously that nearly half of the mountain had eroded away, but still he had not found the stream. He was so close to the center, he could feel it, but he didn't ear any sound of water.

Iesha stood in the shadows, finally silent. The things she had said, he wanted to scream. It was deep into the night, and the moon was full. Alek stopped working. The moon was full the first night he arrived. And come to think of it, it was full the last night as well…

Time. It didn't exist. If he turned around and went back home, it would've been as if he never left. Or he could've left years ago. The creatures, the women, had to relive the same day, over and over again. It wasn't just that they couldn't leave, they didn't know how, and furthermore, they didn't want to. Where would they go? Their homes could've been deserted years ago. Who would remember them? He could be trapped here as well. Now he had to find that magical stream, the one that would fix everything. He was so close. He started working again.

Then Iesha said something he would never forget. Now this is considered the foundation on which this town is built, so listen up. She said, 'You know magic isn't always good, it doesn't always bring about happy endings. Sometimes you have to rely on something more than that.'

But what on earth could be more powerful than magic the unexplainable, the force that holds everything together? Did magic not bring about love, immortality? Was not magic the cure to everything? It was how dreams came true, was it not?

But all thoughts flew out of his head for he felt something in the rock, a damp coolness. He dug farther…and there it was! The stream, only a trickle but it soon became larger, then larger, spraying him with sweet clear water. He wondered what happened to Iesha for she hadn't said a word, but it didn't matter. The water was so refreshing after his long hours of labor. He turned to see where Iesha had gone but then stopped. There she was, but she was lying on the ground, unmoving. Alek ran over to find that she was barely breathing. He meant to pick her up but in a raspy voice she told him not to touch her. He picked her up anyway and carried her out of the cave, for the water was coming fast then and would soon overflow. He looked back at the mountain and was horrified at what he saw. There was no mountain. It had become only a large hill of rocks. He felt the weight lift from his arms to see that Iesha had disappeared into dust. What had he done?

He stumbled up the mountain-er the rocks-in darkness, trying to find Amina, but when he reached the top he was blinded by darkness. Instead he heard a voice, so pure it had to be Amina's. She cried out for him to open his eyes, but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything. He wanted, he had to know what was happening, but he couldn't speak. It didn't matter because Amina explained everything to him. She explained how she was part of the mountain; the river was her tears, the rocks like her flesh. He realized that in carving away the mountain he was really destroying her. How could he have been so stupid? She continued to say that she was trapped there by a wish to stay on the mountain forever, where she would be loved, and in her foolishness, trapped her sisters there as well. She had no choice; anyone who set foot on the mountain was condemned to idolize her. Her sisters must have grown tired of the same old game and in him found a way to destroy the spell and set them free. They didn't know, or didn't want to acknowledge that they would also be destroying their home, themselves. They died because they had lied. She wasn't all-powerful or corrupt, and she didn't relish other's pain. Why did he think she cried all the time? Enough to form a river…

Alek couldn't see her, but he could feel her. How couldn't he love her, someone so pure, so innocent? She wasn't perfect but he finally had to admit, neither was he. But he could feel himself slipping, falling. He was running out of time, or rather, into time. He mustered enough energy to ask one last thing. 'Why me? Why let me live only to destroy?'

She answered, 'Because you could. You have set us free, using your own two hands.' Then she repeated what Iesha had said earlier. 'You can find your own happy ending, Alek.'

And then he fell…

… and was welcomed by cool water. He felt strangely calm, reassured. It didn't matter to him that he couldn't have Amina right then, he had all eternity. The creatures, spell lifted, were brought back to their former state. They couldn't go back home for they had already forgotten where their homes were, so they decided to make their own home. Those people became the first residents of this town. Year after year they held a festival to honor the hero who set them free. They passed the tradition on to their children, and their children's children, and so on. They called the celebration Maiden Nights because each night he was with a different woman, but never with the one he loved.

To this day no one has ever found the source of the stream. It is said that Amina's spirit resides at the top of the mountain, still waiting for Alek. And that's how it stays; He, forever immortalized under the river fed by her tears."

Hinata was silent, drinking it in. She didn't get it. The ending wasn't…happy. Alek and Amina never got together. To this day they yet live, so close yet so far, never…together. To Hinata that seemed more like…like…torture. Never being able to be with the one you love…when they are right in front of you…

"But how…how is this a happy ending?" she asked.

He smiled. "I thought you would ask." He paused. "It isn't so much that they had to be together at that moment. More that…they could be together, they would be, that they could make it happen. Its the fact that you can go out…and find love…that it's not…it's not set in stone. You don't have to rely on something bigger than yourself…does that make sense?"

Hinata thought about that. "I think…" then she stopped. She didn't know what she thought.

He stood up, set down his wineglass and walked over to the balcony. She did the same. He pointed down to the stream, where people were gathering by the waters edge to put small red lanterns on the water. They floated along, making dozens of tiny light reflections on the water.

"You see those lanterns?" She nodded. "They're putting them there to help light the way for Alek, so that someday he might rise up and find Amina. The key word being someday. It doesn't have to be now, or tomorrow, or in ten years, just…someday."

They stood there, side by side, watching the floating lanterns, entranced as they were when they were watching the fountain.

After some silence he said, "You're not from around here. You're from the big city aren't you? Rich…an heiress?" He smiled.

She nodded, her eyes wide. "How did you know?"

He looked at her, a glazed look in his eyes. "You've just got that spoiled city look to you."

She looked back, avoiding his (clear, beautiful, gorgeous) eyes yet again. "Are you saying I'm arrogant?"

He shook his head. "No, maybe spoiled isn't the right word. More like…you're looking out at the world, but you're not seeing it."

"That…that doesn't make sense."

He switched his gaze to the river, then back at her. "You're looking for something, but you don't know what it is. You want to believe in something but you don't know if there's something to believe in. You've grown up in luxury, given everything you wanted but nothing you need, for so long, that you've forgotten what it is to take something so simple and just be…happy…simply happy."

How did he know? Those eyes, surely, could look into her very soul…

His voice lowered to a whisper. "You look everywhere but my eyes, what's wrong?"

He could read her mind

Hinata looked down at the white marble. "I…" She didn't finish. Then again, what was she going to say? I can't I need you I'm afraid I love you…

Who are you?

"What are you searching for?"

When had they gotten so close? She forgot herself. She looked up and…finally…into those clear blue eyes.

She was lost-

That millisecond was all it took

Slipping-

One millisecond for their lips to meet

Don't

One millisecond for their eyes to close

Let

One millisecond for her to lose him, again

Her whole world went black

…please

and frankly, she didn't care.

Look in front of you. Shape the world with your eyes.

Now go and get it.

Ta-da! Done! Was the masked stranger Naruto? We shall see…