"Why do you need purple lip gloss? When would you even wear that?"
Tenten looked at Temari skeptically as they walked through the mall, Temari toting a small bag that held a new mascara, some makeup setting spray, and a tube of gold-tinted purple lip gloss. Temari looked over at her with an amused expression. "I don't know, a party or concert or something. It's cute right?" Tenten nodded. "See, I'll put this on and suddenly the world will be at my feet or whatever. At least that's what the advertisement for it looked like."
Tenten chuckled. "Well alright then. That must be a good investment; a lipgloss that'll conquer the world for you. That's like an eyeliner that'll apply for colleges for you."
"Oh god, if only," Temari said, her eyes wide. Tenten snorted, her gaze wandering around to the stores surrounding them.
"So where do you want to go now?" Tenten asked.
Temari considered her options, slowing down slightly. "Hmm… I don't really need much… but it would be fun to go look at shoes," she said, grinning.
"Your shoes look fine though," Tenten said blankly.
With an eyeroll Temari latched onto Tenten's arm. "Oh my GOD. That isn't the point. Christ..." She pulled her down towards the shoe store, shaking her head wearily. "Shopping with you is like shopping with my brothers. 'But why do you need more jeans? I have three pairs and I'm fine.'" Temari quoted, mimicking their tones.
"Isn't three pairs fine?" Tenten asked innocently. Temari looked back at her with a raised eyebrow only to see Tenten smirking at her.
"Yeah, yeah, make fun of me," Temari said, sticking her tongue out. "I feel no guilt. I make a donation to fricking Heifer International whenever I buy shoes anyway. I think I've donated a whole herd of cows in total. And lemme tell you, a herd is a shitload of cows."
The two walked into the store and Temari made a beeline for the boots. "Hot damn, look at these puppies. I think these are the exact same co or as my peacoat," Temari said, picking up a pair of red ankle boots.
Tenten nodded. "They definitely make a statement," she said. "How much are they?"
Temari glanced at the price tag. "Enough to make me think twice," she said, making a face and replacing them. She walked down the row of shoes, giving everything a once over with her gaze. "God, there's not really anything inspiring here is there?" Temari asked.
Tenten shrugged. "Nothing special," she said, glancing at a pair of imitation snake skin booties and rolling her eyes. "Just kind of… pretentious," she said, feeling a little out of place in her polka dot keds and old martial arts tourney shirt.
Temari nodded. "Yeah. And expensive. Jeez," she said. "Want to go get food instead?"
"Oh god yes. I am so hungry!" Tenten exclaimed.
They headed out, talking over the options for food. "I don't know about you, but I'm not in the mood for the food court and their soggy tacos," Temari said, making a face.
"There's a burger place nearby," Tenten suggested, perking up a little.
"Mmmm, fast food. I can just taste the calories now," Temari said energetically, grinning at her. "Let's go!"
30 minutes later and they were sitting down with heaping trays of food. Temari sunk her teeth into her burger, savoring the taste as Tenten took a long drink from her mint milkshake. "Yessss…" Temari said, smiling down at her food.
"You sound like a supervillain," Tenten said with a chortle.
"Oh no! You've discovered my secret plan!" Temari said, a look of shock on her face."Whelp, I guess it's all for nothing. So much for my plan of world domination. I guess now all I can do is go to school and try in vain to find a boyfriend."
Tenten smiled sympathetically. "I'm sure you'll get a boyfriend soon. And besides, it's not all that. Believe me."
"Well, at least you got over Neji!" Temari said encouragingly.
Tenten grinned and took a bite of burger. "Yeah... yeah! I did. And being single actually isn't that bad. It's fun to flirt with boys without having a boyfriend giving them dirty looks."
Temari chuckled. "I gotchu," she said, munching on a couple fries. She paused after a moment though, tilting her head a little to look past Tenten.. "Hmm... speaking of cute guys. I think those two over there are checking us out." She straightened, grinning at Tenten.
"Ooo, who?!" Tenten asked, turning to look behind her.
"No! Don't look! They'll notice," Temari said, giggling. "Just be cool."
Tenten nodded before stretching her arms over her head, adjusting the way she sat as she looked nonchalantly over her shoulder. She made eye contact with a couple guys sitting a few booths back and spun back around to look at Temari, grinning. "They're cute!"
"I know right?" Temari asked, slurping down a little milkshake. She stole a glance at them again, smirking slightly. "I knew I was right to do my eyeliner today."
Tenten rolled her eyes. "Sure, that's it. Your eyeliner," she said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.
"Aww, look at you, all annoyed-ish," Temari said, grinning at Tenten.
"Just eat your fries," Tenten said, scrunching her face up in mock annoyance.
"Hey Tenten!"
Temari glanced over to see a grinning guy approaching Tenten, who returned the smile. "Hey Lee!" Tenten exclaimed, standing to through an arm around his neck. "How yah doin'? How's your break?"
"Fantastic!" Lee exclaimed. "I've been able to fit in 6 more hours of training a day now that I don't have school!"
Temari choked on her milkshake. "D-did you say six hours?" she asked, her eyes bugging out a little.
Tenten grinned. "Lee here is a karate prodigy. He was on the national team with me and Neji!" she said.
"I'm not a prodigy!" Lee protested. "It's all hard work!" he said, striking a pose. Temari felt exhausted just looking at him.
"That's, um, really impressive," Temari said.
Lee grinned enthusiastically at her. "Thank you!" He looked over at Tenten. "What about you Tenten?" he asked.
Tenten grinned. "Ino's been having cheerleading practice every fricken day. I'm just glad we got today off. My abs are killing me. It seems like all I do is ab circuits and catching girls." She shook her head. "I can't believe I'm actually talking about being on a cheerleading team," she said, blowing out a breath.
Lee chuckled and Temari grinned. "Don't worry Tenten, I'm sure you can keep your street cred," Temari said teasingly. Tenten promptly stuck out her tongue at her.
"It was good to see you Tenten," Lee said, "but I must be going! I must purchase gifts!" he exclaimed.
"Oh! Holiday shopping… I need to finish that," Tenten said. She gave him a hug goodbye. "Have fun braving the lines, Lee."
"Thank you!" Lee said. "Enjoy your youthful day!" he said, walking off purposefully.
Temari stared after him. "Wow. He is… energetic," she said.
Tenten nodded. "Yeah, you should have seen him on the karate team. Boy is vicious in a match," she said, chuckling.
"Him? He seems sweet!" Temari said, raising her eyebrows.
"Sweet. And terrifying," Tenten said, scooping some tartar sauce up with a fry and popping it in her mouth.
Temari looked over at Lee's retreating back with raised brows. "Huh, who woulda thunk?" She wondered aloud.
They chatted and finished off their meal over the course of about half an hour before Temari checked the time. "Oh, it's like 4:30. Didn't you say you had a family thing at five?" She asked.
Tenten nodded, making a face. "Shoot. Yeah, thanks. I totally lost track of time."
"Want a ride?" Temari asked, standing and grabbing her bag and coat.
"That would be solid, thanks!" Tenten said with a grateful grin as the two began to gather up their trash to throw out. They tossed it before ferrying the trays over to the counter so they could put them back. They started walking towards the door when the two guys from the booth behind them stepped up.
"Hey," one of them said with a half smile.
Tenten and Temari exchanged glances before focusing their attention on the two of them. "Well hey there," Temari said with a grin.
"Noticed you two seemed to be looking back in our direction. Looking for anyone?" He asked.
"Oh, no one in particular," Temari said, examining her nails before flicking her gaze back up to him. "Why?"
He smirked. "Oh, no reason. Curiosity. So what're your names?"
"Temari," Temari replied, her smile growing wider.
Tenten tugged on Temari's sleeve. "Hey, we gotta go," she murmered.
"What about yours?" The other guy asked, looking down at Tenten.
Tenten tugged halfheartedly on Temari's sleeve again. "Uh... Tenten. Who are you?" She asked.
"Kakuzu," he said, a little quieter than his companion. "This is Hidan."
Temari blinked. "Why does that name sound so familiar?" She wondered aloud, wracking her brain. "Have we met before?"
Hidan grinned. "I think I would have remembered if I had met you," he said.
Temari smiled, looking charmed. "Temari, we really have to go," Tenten said, smiling weakly at Kakuzu.
"That's a shame," Hidan said, raising his eyesbrows slightly.
Temari's eyes flicked up and down the two boys. "Um... yeah... just... lemme just give you our numbers," she said, smirking a little. She whipped out her pen and motioned for Hidan's arm. She neatly wrote her and Tenten's numbers down, smiling up at him. "There you go. Just... give me a call," she said.
He glanced down at the numbers. "Definitely," he said.
Tenten bit her lip and pulled Temari away. "A pleasure to meet you," she called, ushering Temari out. "I have not seen that much sexual chemistry in one room in like, ever," she said.
Temari giggled. "He was cute. And didn't pussyfoot around. That's a nice change," she said, looking eager.
"I bet," Tenten said. "Why did you give him my number too though?" She asked.
Temari looked worridly over at her. "Did you not want me too? That Kakuzu guy seemed kind of into you and I thought you said you were interested in just seeing where things'll take you. Please don't tell me I misread that," Temari said.
Tenten smiled a little. "You didn't. I'm just not a good flirter. You seem good enough for the both of us though," Tenten said with a chuckle.
"Aww, I bet you can be a good flirter. It just takes practice," Temari said encouragingly.
Tenten nodded. "Well, if that guy calls me I might just get the chance," she said, ducking her head slightly to hide a grin.
Elsewhere
Hinata sat hunched over at her desk, staring down at the circuit she was putting together. A frown was plastered on her face as she carefully picked a section apart. She had made a small mistake in the wiring, and had to rearrange part of it so it would work. She picked a tiny piece up and put it to the side, finally staring at the miniscule metal wires she needed to fix. Grateful for her good eyesight, she delicately started to detangle the wires, moving as slowly and smoothly as she could.
She didn't notice that her back was cramping until she had finished, looking down at the wires to make sure they were all properly connected. She stiffened, her spine whining at her, and straighted, stretching her back and shaking out her arms. "Ahhh..." she sighed, shaking her head slightly before hunching up again to begin to reasseble the circuit. It had taken her not too long to get it apart, but putting it together again and actually finishing the whole thing ended up taking about 45 minutes. She hadn't noticed how much time had passed until she sat up triumphantly, setting her tools down, only to see that it was pitch black outside.
'Good way to spend an evening,' she thought, setting the circuit aside and packing up her tools. The circuit was part of a computer she was building, and was the last piece that needed to be worked on before she could actually put the machine together. However, that wasn't something she would be doing that night. She stretched again, putting her tools away and standing, moving her legs around to wake them up. She glanced over to her alarm clock, noting that it wasn't too late, only 5:30 p.m., when her phone rang. "H-h-hello?" she stuttered as she picked it up, answering it before she remembered to check the caller ID.
"Hey Hinata-chan!"
Hinata brightened, sitting down on her bed. "H-hi, N-Naruto-kun. H-how are y-you?" She asked.
"Pretty good. You want to go out for food or something?"
Hinata nodded before remembering that he couldn't actually see her nod. "Th-that would be l-l-lovely," she said.
"Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'll come pick you up!"
"G-great," Hinata said, smiling. "I'll s-see you in a b-bit."
"Yup! See you in a few."
Hinata ended the call, setting her phone down as she went to the bathroom to go freshen up. She had showered that morning, so she was clean and didn't have to do much. She just put on a little makeup and deodorant, ran a brush through her hair, ate an altoid, and sprayed on some perfume. Then she went back to her room to pick out something to wear other than the Regional Math Champs shirt and running shorts she had put on that morning. She slipped on the cozy white-lace dress she had that reached just above her knees and had three-quarter sleeves. She sat on the edge of her bed, pulling on some knee socks and grabbing her winter coat and scarf. She heard a car pull up outside so she stuffed her phone and wallet in her purse before heading downstairs. She was just pulling on her ankle boots when Naruto knocked on the door.
"J-j-just a sec!" Hinata called, pulling on her coat and scarf. She glanced around the empty house before snatching one of the keys from the bowl they were in by the door. Then she stepped outside, smiling up at Naruto. "H-hi," she said, dropping the key into her purse.
"Hi!" Naruto said, kissing her enthusiastically. Hinata blushed a little as she locked her door and closed it before heading down with him to his car. "Where d'ya wanna go?" Naruto asked, starting the car.
"Wh-where do you w-want to g-go?" Hinata asked, not feeling particularly choosey.
Naruto made a face. "Aww, Hinata. You always let me pick. You pick this time!" He said, pulling out from in front of her house.
Hinata considered her possibilities before speaking. "W-we could get Italian f-f-food," Hinata suggested.
"Ooo! Pasta!" Naruto exclaimed. "Sure, sure."
The car ride to the restaurant went how it normally did; Naruto talked, Hinata listened. It actually suited them both very well, though Naruto always tried to swing the conversation around so Hinata could talk more.
"Oh, N-Naruto-kun. Did you h-h-hear? S-Sakura-chan isn't m-moving," she said as they were walking into the restaurant.
"Oh yeah... I remember Sasuke mentioning something about that earlier," he said thoughtfully. "It's pretty cool," he said, grinning.
"Hey Hinata, Naruto!" Ino called from across the restaurant.
The other patrons swung around to look at Ino, their eyebrows raised. Ino rolled her eyes, beckoning them over. Naruto and Hinata exchanged glances, Naruto shrugging and Hinata smiling, before they made their way over.
"You guys here on a date?" Ino asked, grinning up at them from her seat across from Sai.
Hinata nodded. "Yup!" Naruto confirmed.
"So are we," Ino said, looking over to Sai with a lopsided smile. She whispered something to him before turning back to Hinata and Naruto. "Goin' solo or are you guys up for doubling?" She asked.
Hinata looked over to get Naruto's opinion. He shrugged again. "I'm game if you are," he said.
"Th-that would be n-n-nice," Hinata said.
"Yay! Sit down! We haven't ordered yet so you're just in time."
Hinata and Naruto sat from across from each other, Naruto next to Ino and Hinata next to Sai. They leaned over to read the menus that Ino and Sai had, scanning the dishes. Hinata discreetly checked her purse to see how much she had on her.
"Hinataaa," Naruto said. "I keep telling you I want to pay."
"G-going Dutch is f-f-fairer, though," Hinata protested.
Naruto shook his head. "Yeah, you say that every time. Come on, let me pay!" He paused before grinning at her. "I'll let you pay me back some other way," he said.
Sai chuckled and Ino rolled her eyes. "Wow. Subtle, Naruto," she griped. Hinata, however, giggled into her wallet before setting it back in her purse.
The waiter came up and the group were able to place their orders. A greek salad for Ino (funny, seeing as she was in an Italian restaurant), mushroom penne for Sai, fettucini alfredo for Naruto, and a simple marinara dish for Hinata. Hinata took a sip of the sprite she ordered before she choked, her eyes flicking up to something behind Naruto.
"Hinata?" Naruto asked. "Are you okay?"
"It's n-nothing," Hinata said quickly. Her eyes flicked over to Ino momentarily and Naruto nodded. Hinata tried to brush off her choking as the food arrived. They all dug in, chatting with everyone. Finally Hinata settled back, comfortably full from the food. "Th-that was g-good," she said with a contented sigh.
Naruto nodded his agreement, having already finished his food as well as a majority of the complementary bread. Ino and Sai were getting ready to leave next to them, Ino filling them in on the cheerleading team. They all paid and walked out together, pausing in the parking lot to say goodbye. "Bye Hinata! See you tomorrow right?" Ino asked, referring to the spontaneous 'Yay - Sakura's Not Moving' celebration Ino had planned.
Hinata nodded. "Y-yep!" Hinata said, giving her a hug. "Bye!"
The group headed their seperate ways, Ino and Sai walking towards the theater across the street and Naruto and Hinata heading back to his car. "Okay, so what were you freaking out about in the restaurant?" Naruto asked, looking down at her with a bemused expression.
Hinata bit her lip. "Oh, I s-saw N-Neji behind you at a d-d-different t-table," Hinata said. "I didn't w-want Ino to know b-because he was th-there with a g-g-girl. Ino would m-make it into a b-big deal."
"Whoa, a girl? Who?" Naruto asked, sounding surprised.
"I'm n-not sure. I th-think it was th-th-that girl he was with at the p-party, r-remember? I've n-never been able to s-s-see her f-face though," Hinata said, frowning slightly. "Oh well. I j-j-just didn't want I-Ino to turn it into a th-thing."
Naruto nodded sagely. "Oh, yeah, yeah," he said, getting into the car and starting it. "I got ya." He backed out of the parking space, looking over at Hinata. "Soo... where do you want to go?" He asked.
"W-well... you s-said something about m-me paying you b-b-back," Hinata said, sounding curious. "W-were you s-s-serious or just k-kidding?"
"Uh... whatever you'd be cool with," Naruto said, glancing over at her. Hinata giggled.
"O-okay."
Meanwhile...
"This is stupid," Neji said, crossing his arms.
"What, no! No, this is a good idea!"
Neji looked around the baseball field they were standing in. "Man.. this looks weird. What if someone comes by?"
The guy across from him rolled his eyes. "Dude, calm the hell down. It's night, who the fuck could see us anyway?"
"I think my cousin Hinata saw us at the restaurant," Neji said, rubbing his forehead. "Why the hell did you want to eat at a fucking romantic restaurant anyways? Seriously?"
"What? The food there is really good."
Neji threw his hands up. "My cousin thinks we're dating. She thinks you're a chick!"
"I'm a man."
Neji shook his head. "Yeah, no shit."
"I'm a man."
"Just shut up and let's get to work."