I do not own Naruto

Temari ran her hands over her stomach as she walked down the lakefront. Last night she had ate a lot of really bad food and her body was punishing her for it. She huffed slightly, making a face as her stomach shifted uncomfortably. Junk food Saturday night at Ino's, junk food last night… nausea today at school. She had decided to drive down to the lake to try and get inspired for her spread, which was coming dangerously close to being due. That thought made her feel even more nauseous. So much was riding on this competition and just her luck: she had gotten
"photographer's block".

She wrapped her coat around herself a little tighter as she walked, her breath coming out in little white puffs. She exhaled quickly three times and watched the puffs float away on the breeze. Suddenly she heard something coming towards her. Was that… singing? She looked around. No, it sounded like a bunch of people chanting a song. What the hell?

She turned around and saw a line of girls thundering down the path, all singing at the top of their lungs.

Oh, I don't know but I've been told

I don't know but I've been told

Konoha Crew Team gets the gold

Konoha Crew Team gets the gold!

In eights, fours, quads, and doubles

Eights, fours, quads, and doubles

You'll find it's useless to try and struggle

Find it's useless to try and struggle!

Moving the shell with all our might

Moving the shell with all our might

We work all day and through the night

We work all day and through the night!

Temari stepped to the side to let them pass. 'What the hell is a crew team?' she thought. 'Some sort of sport?' She shrugged to herself and continued down the path as the girls went storming up ahead of her.

What to do for her entry? She wanted something original. Something that other people wouldn't be submitting. Something original and not done to death. She sighed, fiddling with her camera strap. She had some cool ideas, but she didn't have the ability to replicate them. Besides, most of them weren't the types of things that would showcase her photography abilities. More like showcasing whatever it was she was photographing. No, she'd need something that would demonstrate her skills.

She reached into her pocket, rustling around in it as she walked until she produced a piece of peppermint gum that she popped into her mouth to stave off hunger. Her dad was still gone and yet again, it was up to a hapless Temari and her brothers to prepare meals. Last night they had ordered pizza. Tonight she figured that she'd just go out to eat. Maybe teriyaki… she really wanted teriyaki.

She pushed her thought of food back in her mind as she chewed, continuing down the path. She wasn't really sure what idea she thought would strike her there. She was definitely not out to do a nature piece…

A building came into view as she walked, seemingly made out of concrete and wood, kind of shabby but big. She thought it was a house from farther away before she realized it was a boathouse. A boathouse swarming with people for some reason.

'It's way too cold out to boat,' Temari thought. The water must be freezing. Maybe it was one of those Run/Walk events to raise money for charities… at a boathouse? She approached curiously. However as she got closer the people started trickling into the buildings. By the time she reached where they had been, there was no one but a couple people wandering through the area. She glanced over down one of the docks.

Yep. The water looked pretty damn cold. Glassy, but deceptively so. She shivered involuntarily.

Suddenly she heard something clatter behind her. She looked around to see a girl rushing out of one of the building units and up to the water, where she collapsed onto all fours and started vomiting over the edge. Temari's eyes widened and she ran over. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked the girl.

Another girl came up behind Temari and squatted down next to the girl. "I… I'm fine," the girl said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Didja PR?" the squatting girl asked.

"Yeah..." the other girl responded, sitting back on her heels. Temari looked between the two in confusion. "Thanks for the help, but I'm fine," the girl said to Temari, looking shaky.

Temari wasn't very convinced. "Are you sure? You don't look so good…" Temari said.

The girl shook her head. "Seriously, I'm fine. I was just working out, that's all."

"Oh… are you part of that… uh… what was it called… crew team? I saw them running a little while ago," Temari said, standing up.

The squatting girl nodded. "Yeah. Konoha Crew Team… hey, you look kind of familiar. Have I seen you somewhere?" she asked, squinting slightly up at Temari.

Temari shrugged. "Uh… around town?" she asked.

"Maybe… oh wait! You're that transfer student at Konoha High right?" the girl asked, snapping her fingers. Temari nodded. "Yeah, I know your brothers," the girl said, smiling.

"Oh… Gaara and Kankuro? I'm sorry," Temari said, making a face. The girl on the ground giggled.

"Don't apologize. Kankuro's hilarious," she said. Temari blinked.

"We might be thinking of different people…" Temari said, trailing off slightly. Both of the girls on the ground chuckled. The one who had been puking nodded to the other girl and hobbled off towards the buildings.

"So why are you down at the lake? Kind of cold for a walk," the girl said, standing.

"Just… trying to get ideas for my photography project," Temari said. Her face fell slightly. "It's not really working."

The girl wrinkled her nose. "Aw man, I'm sorry. I've got to get back to the erg room, but good luck with your project. Tell Kankuro I said hello," she said, grinning and turning back to the boathouse.

"Huh… Kankuro friends with an actual girl," Temari muttered. Normally girls that Kankuro would try to "befriend" ended up throwing something at him. Like food. Or drinks. Or bus schedules (that was just one time). Temari started up the path away from the docks. She ended up passing one of the buildings the people were walking in and out of and her ears were suddenly filled with the dulcet tones of Wiz Khalifa.

She turned to peer into the building, which was mostly concrete and not very welcoming looking. It was basically just a large room filled with people using some machines she'd seen in the gym before: ergometers. There wasn't a face in there not in pain, except for two rather petite girls walking around checking on the erg screens.

One of the girls suddenly wrenched herself off of the erg and onto the floor, lying on her side, gasping for breath. One of the two girls came over and started writing something down on her clipboard, before helping the girl up so she could lean back against the wall.

Temari continued up the path. 'It looks horrible,' she thought, wrinkling her nose. She sighed, stretching her arms. Back to brainstorming… what to do…

That Night

"W-wait… so why a-are we going to this p-party right before exams start?" Hinata asked, turning to look at Ino. Ino just nodded mutely. Ino hadn't been saying much since Saturday, but she had called up Tenten, Hinata, and Temari that morning before school and told, not asked, them that they were going to big party at Kaya and Bobby Wu's house. Temari had backed out, having to work on her project, so now it was just Tenten, Hinata, and Ino driving up to the house.

Tenten frowned. "Uh… Ino… hello? You there?"

"Oh! Uh, sorry!" Ino said, pulling up in front of the house. "Yeah… it's just a pre-finals fling," Ino said, turning the car off and grabbing her purse. "Come on," she said, climbing out.

Tenten and Hinata followed her out as she locked the car door and walked up to the house. They opened the door and immediately were overwhelmed by the sound of a girl shouting out as she tripped on the stairs, falling into a tangle of people. Hinata stopped, feeling taken aback. Ino spotted someone and ran over to them, leaving Tenten and Hinata by the door. "Do you even know who the Wu's are?" Tenten asked, looking down at Hinata.

Hinata shook her head. "N-no idea…"

They started moving deeper into the house, away from the door. Hinata knew she really should be home studying. Not that she was having trouble with grades, but the more prepared one was the less you would have to worry. But she was feeling bad for Ino. And a little for herself also. Sakura had avoided them all day at school. It was like she was already trying to distance herself from her friends in preparation for having to move.

Hinata drooped at the thought, her head tilting down slightly. Someone bumped into her, and she turned away as a reflex, ending up in the dining room. "Eh? Tenten?" she asked, looking around for her friend, but seeing her nowhere. "T-Tenten…?" Hinata mumbled, getting pushed to the side of the room. Hinata glanced around nervously, before spotting a door and going scooting over to it.

She had found the door leading to the staircase to the second floor. "I-Ino? Tenten?" Hinata called softly, beginning to climb the stairs. It didn't seem like they were around. But she could at least wait out the party in one of the rooms upstairs. She found a spare bedroom, or rather, a spare bedroom that was unoccupied. She shut the door behind her and sighed, leaning against it. "So… bored…" she mumbled to herself. She sat down on the bed and started trying to remember the facts she had been drilling into herself for the biology exam on Thursday.

"Hey, I think in here's empty…"

The door creaked open and Hinata opened her eyes a tiny bit. She had fallen asleep across the bed, and now looked sleepily at the pair of people staring at her. "Oh! I'm sorry!" the girl said, quickly closing the door. Hinata sighed and curled up tighter on her side.

"Is someone in there?"

"Yeah, some girl. Maybe sleeping one off?"

The door open again and Hinata groaned, rolling over on her other side so her back was too the light. She just wanted to sleep… she was so… so… so… tired…

"Hinata!"

Hinata sat up straight. "Present!" she gasped, looking around, her hair sticking to one side of her face. She blinked, looking behind her at the door. Naruto was standing there, staring at her.

"Hinata, I didn't know you were here," he said, walking over to her. Hinata nodded, squinting through the bright light pouring in from the hall. "Oh! Sorry!" Naruto said, quickly closing the door. She relaxed, her eyes no longer filled with the sudden brightness.

"I d-didn't know you were here either N-Naruto," Hinata said, smiling up at him. "I'm g-glad. I haven't f-found anyone I k-know here, except for I-Ino and T-Tenten and they d-d-disappeared off somewhere."

"Oh…" Naruto said. "Well, I just saw Tenten downstairs making out with some guy."

Hinata's eyes widened. "S-she got back t-together with N-Neji-sempai?!" Hinata asked, jumping up. "When did t-that h-happen?"

"Neji?" Naruto asked, shaking his head. "No, it wasn't Neji. She was making out with… uh… one of the seniors. I don't remember his na-"

Hinata ran to the door. "No! She m-must have gotten a-accidentally drunk a-again!" she exclaimed, tearing down the hall and stairs, down to where most of the party was. Hinata looked around wildly for Tenten. She didn't want Tenten to do anything she would regret in her state of inebriation. "T-Tenten?" Hinata called, though her voice was drowned out by the music and chatter.

"Where is she…?"