(PLEASE FORGIVE IT FOR BEING BOLDED. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON, BUT I'M TRYING TO FIX IT. ONCE AGAIN, SORRY!)
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Disclaimer: My oh my what a wonderful day, I don't own this, zip ey dee day!
...Odd disclaimer. XD
So, yes--warning. THis chapter is going to be very short because I'm trying to cram in this, one chapter of WS, and about four chapters of Ask Bleach before three hours are up (my computer has time limits. -.-"). So, yeah. Very short. And I'm avoiding the Gaara/Shay topic at the moment, checking in with everyone else. shot OW!
...Ummm. yeah. I don't own anything except for Moriko--
Moriko: Yeah right!
--...Shay belongs to Bullet in the Brainpan Squish, and Geshi belongs to BluPiratePuppies. I have limited ownage over my brother, who is supplying me with the hockey terms. dignity has died xD And, oh yeah, ummmm...That's it. Chapter with Gaara and Shay will be up sometime this week, I swear to you.
...I hate it when summer vacation ends. DX
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Hockey Nin
Kiba, no matter how loud and lazy, was a good hockey player. In fact, he was an excellent hockey player. As he was demonstrating now by deftly avoiding a pissed-off Sasuke.
"I told you I'd take the puck back!" he laughed, taking a sharp turn to avoid running into the plexi-glass wall. "Never drop your guard, mister right wing!"
"Dammit, Inuzuka!" Sasuke snarled. "Give it back!"
"Take it from me, chicken-butt hair!"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he gripped his stick tighter. "You did not."
Kiba grinned incredulously. "Oh yes, I did."
"You die!" Sasuke roared, rocketing forward with a murderous look on his face. Kiba yelped and turned on the speed, making complicated turns and skidding around the goalie's net multiple times before he doubled back and did a figure eight around Neji, Sasuke hot on his heels.
Even though Kiba was laughing his head off, Neji was not amused. That may have had something to do with the fact that he was covered in spray from his companions' skates, or it may just have been his dislike of their attitude.
Quite possibly it was both, because he suddenly shouted, "Enough!", and stuck his stick out in the path of an oncoming Kiba.
"Arg!!" Kiba went flying, his stick flipping through the air as he slammed into the plexi-glass, dazed. The puck slid away towards Chouji again, unnoticed.
Sasuke glared at Neji. "What the Hel was that for?!"
Kiba, getting shakily to his feet, waited until he stopped seeing stars and snapped, "No kidding! Be happy you're on my team."
"Sorry," Neji snapped, ignoring the threat. "But doesn't anyone else feel worried about why Kakashi wants to speak with Naruto this early? He hasn't even had a chance to screw up yet."
Kiba rolled his eyes. "How do you know that? He turned Sasuke into a fugitive last night, and Kakashi always knows everything. I bet he'll just give Naruto a lecture and send him back down."
"Thanks for the reminder," Sasuke muttered. "I hope he gets down here soon so I can kick his ass."
"Haven't you tried yet? He did pick you up, right?"
"Yes..."
"Thwarted again, huh, Sasuke?" Kiba laughed at the venomous look on the Uchiha's face.
"Got to Hel," muttered Sasuke. Kiba slapped him on the back and winked cheekily.
"Already there, bud. Already there."
Neji scowled at them. "It's not funny. And if it were about last night then Kakashi wouldn't have bothered to call Naruto up to the office. He wouldn't just lectured him out here in front of us."
Sasuke shrugged irritably. "Yeah, I guess. That's definitely what he'd do, actually." He looked annoyed.
Kiba grinned craftily, seeing another chance for a ribbing. "Sounds to me like you've experienced it before, eh, Sasuke?"
"Do you want to die, Inuzuka?!"
"Is that threat or a promisssse?" Kiba replied in a singsong voice, ducking a swipe from Sasuke's stick and skating away, shouting, "Penalty, penalty! Sasuke's highsticking! Two minutes on the bench! Penalty!"
"That's it! Get back here!"
Neji sighed and rolled his eyes, seeing he would get nowhere with them. Having noticed that Chouji was following the conversation with interest, he glided over to join the goaltender.
"Do YOU think something's up?" Neji asked in a low voice, "Or is it just me?"
Chouji shrugged, his eyes following the path of Kiba and Sasuke as Shino and Sai came through the door. "I don't really know. But, if it is something like that, you know what it'll be about?"
Neji tilted his head to one side. "No, what?"
Another shrug. "THis is just a guess, but you know how Gaara suddenly got up and left the other night?"
"Yeah...Why?"
"I might've been mishearing things, but I think Geshi and Kakashi were talking about Shay."
Neji blinked, staring at Chouji. "Shay?" he whispered. "No one's seen her since highschool!"
"I know," Chouji said grimly. "Gaara was devastated when she disappeared. Nobody talks about her much anymore. It's a sensitive topic. I think that's why he got so moody."
"Meaning he won't be here today."
"Nope."
"Hmmmm," Neji muttered, thoughtful. "If that's the case, then that's definitely what Kakashi wants to talk to Naruto about."
"Probably."
Shikamaru has just appeared and was drifting towards them, watching Kiba and Sai pass back and forth to keep the puck away from Sasuke with a bored look on his face. Shino was just standing by the wall, watching everything.
"Hey, guys," he said, statement punctuated by a yawn. "What's up?"
"Nothing," Neji told him softly, running the facts through his head. "Nothing at all."
-
Blinking, Naruto took a deep breath.
"No."
"Why not?" Geshi demanded, eyebrows arching on her forehead.
"It's private."
"For who?"
"It's between Gaara and Shay," Naruto insisted. "It's none of my business to tell you. You'll just have to ask him."
"But he won't say anything," Geshi said, exasperated. "And it IS your business to tell us, Naruto."
"Oh yeah? Why?"
"Naruto," Kakashi intercepted, stopping an argument before it could form. "Please tell us. We need to know."
"You don't NEED to know anything!" Naruto shot back, fuming. "It is none of your business. Besides. Even if I WAS going to tell you, I would still have to ask Gaara first."
"Naru--"
"It's his call," Naruto said, crossing his arms stubbornly and slouching further in the chair. "Like it or not."
In the back, by the window, Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "You decide to have morals now, Naruto?"
"Yes."
Geshi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb. "Do you really have to ask permission?"
Naruto stuck out his chin and repeated, "Yes. Yes I do."
Geshi pulled something out of her pocket and tossed it over to him. "Then go ahead."
Looking at the cell phone in his hand, Naruto scowled. "Damn persistent people."
Reluctantly, he flipped open the phone and started to dial.
-
A few miles away, in his apartment, Gaara was sitting up on his perfectly made bed. When he had finally fallen asleep last night, it had been with clothes on and on top of the covers. The rings around his eyes seemed darker then ever as he stared moodily at the floor, contemplating his sneakers.
Shay's coming back.
Gaara sighed heavily and stood up, staring out the window at the heavy gray clouds that seemed to match his mood. It might rain today.
He smirked. How fitting.
Another sigh, and Gaara turned to descend the stairs. He was hungry. Because he had left the party so early he had barely eaten anything the night before. It was now nine in the morning and he had been awake for half and hour without breakfast. Maybe i;ll just have a muffin or something.
Shay likes muffins.
Gaara scowled at nothing in particular. Apparently it was going to be a bad day.
Brrriiiing! Brrrriiinnng! Buh-riiiinnnnggg!
His house phone was ringing. Who on earth...?? Turning back to his room, Gaara picked up the wireless sitting on his nightstand and glanced at the number. It's Geshi's cell phone. What the heck?
After weighing the phone in his hand for a moment more, he pressed the talk button and held it to his ear. "Hello?"
'Gaara? You sound terrible,' the voice on the other end of the line said. Gaara stared at the phone incredulously. 'Hello? Dude, you still there?'
"Naruto, why are you on Geshi's phone?"
'Um, yeah, about that...Erm...'
"Spit it out, Naruto. I was about to go get breakfast."
'Oh, well...nevermind, then. Did you get any sleep at ALL last night? You're really hoarse.'
"I got plenty of sleep," Gaara lied, finger inching towards the 'end call' button. "What do you want?"
'Oh, um...I was just going to ask if you would be at practice today, that's all.'
Gaara rolled his eyes. "You're asking me this on Geshi's cell phone?"
'Eh...mine died. Forgot to charge it last night, I guess...'
"Yeah. Whatever."
'Well...I'll see you later, then.'
"Uh-huh."
'But don't you dare think about skipping practice tomorrow too, Sandy!' The fake bravado in Naruto's voice was just sickening. Gaara felt his appetite shrink. 'We have a game this weekend--no procrastinating crap, alright?'
"If the migraine dissolves, I'll be there. Can I go eat now?" Lots of sarcasm. Gaara didn't always use sarcasm.
'...Yeah. Bye.'
"Bye." Bleep. Call ended. Would you like to call again?
No, Gaara thought, tossing the phone back onto his bedspread and heading down the stairs. No thank you.
-
Naruto flipped the cell closed. Geshi was looking at him oddly.
"Nothing?"
Naruto shook his head. "I couldn't bring myself to ask."
Kakashi nodded slowly. "Will you tell us?"
Squirming uncomfortably, Naruto nodded. "Fine. But no one else hears a word of this, got it?"
"Cross my heart and hope to die," muttered Jiraiya. Geshi glared at him, but nodded at Naruto.
"We promise."
Heaving a sigh, Naruto sat back in his chair. "Okay then."
-
Far away, somewhere in Egypt, a girl sneezed. Her companion glanced at her.
"Sneeze you," Kani said, passing her friend a tissue.
"Thanks, I don't know why...Ah-choo!"
"Sneeze you," Kani repeated, grabbing more tissues.
"Y-yeah..Ah-CHOO!"
"Dear gods!" Kani exclaimed, "That probably scared people in America!"
Glare. "Yes, Kani. My sneezes are so loud that people in America can hear me. Just give that box, would you?"
"Uh-huh. Catch."
"Woof!"
"Hey! Shu, give it back!"
Kani burst out laughing. "Wow. Didn't know Shu could jump so high."
"Oh, shut up..."
Kani raised an eyebrow. "Don't so sulky. You know why you sneezed, right?"
"Enlighten me."
"Somebody's talking about you somewhere." The way she said it, it must've been a statement of fact.
Shay rolled her eyes. "Right, Kani," she said, finally wresting the tissue box away from Shu, her dog. "Who on earth would talk about me?"
-
Author's Note: Sooo...Short, very vague, rather pointless chapter. Sorry! DX Bear with me, everything will be revealed sometime this week...if 9th grade doesn't kill me first. -.-"
Um...bye!
Moriko: I didn't get any lines! DX
(BB, tell me if Shay was out of character. Same to you, ne-chan. Oh, and BB, I'll send you and email about the history between Gaara and Shay, but I won't get it for a while. My internet server won't connect with Yahoo. -.-" So I have to wiat until a laptop is free to use. If you've sent me anything recently, i haven't gotten it yet. -.-" Sorry!)
