Yay updates! :D Writing this is a great warm-up for me when I feel inspired to write original stories. Here's hoping I stay inspired. :P
"Did you have sex with him?"
Tenten was lying belly-down on her bed, her phone pressed to her ear. Temari's question echoed through her head for a moment before she was able to answer. "No! I didn't have sex with him! I barely know him" She exclaimed, laughing a little. There was a stretch of silence before Tenten's eyes bugged out. "Woah, did you sleep with that Hidan guy?" She asked, a little disbelief in her voice.
"No!" Temari said, sounding a little defensive. "No, we didn't have sex. We just... got to know one another a little. Nothing wrong with that."
Tenten chuckled. "Yeah, nothing wrong with that. Your preference, and all that." She paused for a moment. "So... what do you mean 'get to know one another'?" She asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.
"Nothing too R-rated. We just made out... he's not a bad kisser."
"So are you going to see him again?" Tenten asked.
She heard a giggle on the other end of the line. "Yeah. One of his friends is throwing a party and I'm going with him. I think that Kakuzu guy is going to ask you to go," Temari said.
Tenten made a face. Kakuzu seemed fine. Perfectly fine. But she just couldn't get comfortable around him. She wasn't sure why, but she couldn't shake a feeling of unease she got. "I dunno Temari..."
"Come ON!" Temari said. "Don't make me go alone. The only person I'm gonna know there is Hidan."
"You guys can get to know one another better," Tenten said with a chuckle.
Temari growled. "You suck. Just come! It'll be like an adventure."
Tenten rolled over on her back, her feet dangling off the bed. "You've been dragging me on a lot of adventures, Temari," she said.
"Life is an adventure!" Temari exclaimed.
Tenten shook her head. "Fine, if he asks me, I'll g-" she cut off, hearing a beeping sound. "Call waiting. Hang on a sec."
"'Kay."
Tenten switched lines so she could answer the new call. "Hello?" She said.
A very clearly male voice emanated from the phone. "Hi. Is there a Tenten at this number."
She laughed. "Yes, there is 'a' Tenten here," she said. "Is this a Kakuzu speaking?"
Tenten heard what sounded like a laugh. "Yeah. Hi."
"Hi."
"Listen, I don't know if your friend mentioned already, but some friends of my and Hidan's are throwing a party tomorrow night and-"
"I'll go," Tenten said, speaking a little too quickly. She made a face. She had promised Temari she would go, but now she sounded overly eager.
"So, I guess your friend did already mention it," Kakuzu said, sounding amused.
Tenten laughed a little, sounding sheepish. "Uh, yeah," she said.
"So you're interested in going?" Kakuzu asked.
Tenten's eyes squeezed shut a little. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm interested," she said, stretching her neck a little. "Where's it at?"
"I can give you a ride if you'd like."
She nodded, before realizing, belatedly, that he couldn't see her nod. "Sure," she said. "I'll text you my address. When should I be ready by?" She asked.
"7:30, probably. It's a bit of a drive."
'That's going to be a car ride full of awkward silences,' she thought. Kakuzu seemed to be a quiet person, but not an easy quiet. A quiet that was hard to discern. Silence in general didn't bother Tenten, but it was a little different with Kakuzu. Still, she had promised Temari she would give it a shot... "Gotcha," she said, biting back a sigh. "I'll see you then... then," she said, wincing a little at the awkward way she had phrased her response.
"Have a good day."
The line went dead.
Switching back over to Temari's call, Tenten sat up, leaning back against her headboard. "It was Kakuzu," she said, sounding tired.
"Ooo, did he ask you something?" Temari asked, mischief in her voice.
"Yeah," Tenten said.
"And what did you say?"
Tenten made a face. "I said yes."
She heard a thump on the other end of the line. "Yay!" Temari exclaimed. Tenten laughed, holding the phone away from her ear a little. "It'll be fun, I promise," Temari said.
"I'm going to hold you to that," Tenten warned. She heard a snort on the other end of the phone. "Listen, I gotta go. I'm going over to Hinata's to look up our grades. She always needs support."
Temari laughed. "Have fun with that. I'm going to finish up my photo spread. I've really got to get that in the mail..." she said. Tenten could practically hear the face she was making.
"Have fun!" She said. Temari grunted and hung up. With a kick of her legs, Tenten rolled herself off of the bed, standing and stretching. Grabbing her bag and winter coat, she headed out of her room and downstairs. With her siblings gone Christmas shopping with their mom, the house was completely empty. Locking the door behind her, Tenten walked outside into the chill air.
Evening was coming on quickly, making the already cold day just that more brisk. Still, the setting sun was beautiful in the sky, tinging the streets with pink and gold. Tenten sighed contentedly, walking slowly down the sidewalk. She lived relatively close to Hinata, but it was too pretty to hurry over, even if it was below freezing.
Tenten shivered a little as a breeze ran across her bare face, kicking a small rock out of her way. The longer she walked the more pretty and well-groomed the houses got. Tenten's house was comfortable enough, but not originally intended for a family. It was originally a small single-story, the size of a double wide, that had an upper story tacked on for more space. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to write home about. Still, for a single mom with three kids, it wasn't too shabby.
The houses in Hinata's neighborhood were drastically different. Spaced farther apart with larger yards, they progressed from tacky McMansions to full blown Millionaire estates. Hinata lived in the latter, in an old mansion that looked like it was taken right out of a brochure for historical tours. It would be ridiculous if it hadn't been in their family for over a century. This was the view that greeted Tenten as she walked through it's open gate and up the driveway, past the maples and cherries that lined it, towards the front door. "Hinata! I'm here," she called, as she pushed open the door and dusted off her feet.
"She's sick."
Tenten looked around, kicking her shoes off. She spotted Hanabi, her head poking over the back of the couch. "Hey Babs," Tenten said, peeling her coat off. "Sick you say?"
Hanabi nodded, pulling herself up and swinging her legs over the back of the couch so she was sitting on it. "Yeah. She got sick yesterday. You might not want to go up there."
Tenten sighed. "I'll just be a sec then. I promised her we'd check our grades together."
Hanabi shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said, hopping off the couch and wandering over to give Tenten a hug before she headed off to the kitchen. Tenten hugged her back before tossing her bag and coat to the side, climbing the enormous staircase to the second floor. She moved silently, not wanting to disturb Mr. Hyuuga if he was there. She knocked quietly on Hinata's door, glancing around to see if anyone else was there.
"C-come in."
She heard Hinata's voice and walked in, glancing around the room. It was stifling hot and dark, the curtains pulled over the window and only the bedside lamp on. Hinata was bundled in pajamas under her comforter, peering around to see who it was. "Well, don't you look terrible," Tenten said with a grin.
Hinata shook her head. "Oh n-no. You sh-shouldn't have c-c-come. I'll get you s-sick."
Tenten laughed. "I promise I'll only stay for a sec then. We really should check our grades."
Hinata nodded, looking a little hesitant. Tenten grabbed the mac that sat on Hinata's desk and passed it to her so she could turn in on. It took a couple minutes for Hinata to get logged on and on the grade website, the only sound her occasional snuffles and coughs. Tenten played with her hair as she got set up, braiding some of the strands. Finally Hinata leaned the computer towards her. "H-here they are," Hinata said, the mouse hovering over the link, looking a little sick. "D-do you want t-to do yours f-first?" She asked.
"Sure," Tenten said, leaning over to log herself in. The screen loaded and finally displayed her grades.
Fall Quarter Grades, 2013
Precalculus - B+
World Literature - B-
AP World History II - B
AP Physics - A-
Spanish III - B-
Physical Education - A+
Tenten grinned. "Awesome. I thought for sure I was going to fail English," she said, sounding proud. Hinata smiled happily at her, or as happily as she could with her nose dripping snot.
"I'm g-glad!" Hinata exclaimed. Tenten gave her a side hug, logging herself out.
"You next, Hinata."
Hinata looked nauseous as she logged herself in, and not just because she was sick. "You'll be fine, Hinata," Tenten said soothingly. "You always get As. This year'll be no different."
"I d-don't know. I j-j-just have a f-feeling like I f-failed. I'll probably g-get an F in history, and another in-" Hinata cut off as she was logged in, staring at her grades.
"Oh look, all As," Tenten said, sounding smug.
Fall Quarter Grades, 2013
AP Calculus A/B - A+
AP World Literature - A-
World History II - A
AP Physics - A+
AP Latin - A
Physical Education - A+
Hinata breathed out a sigh of relief, drooping back against her pillow. "Hinata, you always get so stressed out over your grades, but they're always excellent. Cut yourself some slack," Tenten said, reprimanding her a little as she plucked the computer out of her hands and closed it, setting it back on her desk.
"I-I know..." Hinata said, looking up at Tenten sheepishly. "I p-promise I'll try. But f-for now you sh-should go. You sh-shouldn't get s-sick over the h-h-holidays," Hinata said sternly.
Tenten giggled. "Sure mom." She said, shaking her head. She moved towards the door, pausing when it was pushed open slightly.
"Hinata, are you talking to yourself?" Neji asked, sticking his head in. He stopped when he spotted Tenten, looking a little taken aback. "Oh, hi," he said after an awkward moment of silence.
Tenten blinked before smiling weakly. "Hi," she said. "She wasn't talking to herself. We were just checking grades," Tenten explained, glancing back at Hinata, who was looking curiously between the two of them.
Neji nodded. "Oh... cool... uh, how did you do?" He asked.
"Fine... fine..." Tenten said, trailing off. "Have you seen yours yet?"
"Yeah. They're fine," Neji said. Silence stretched between the two of them for a few seconds before Tenten cleared her throat.
"I was just leaving," she said. Neji stepped out of the way and Tenten walked out. "Bye Hinata," she said, pausing to close the door, before she turned back. Neji was glancing to the side, looking as awkward as she felt. She nodded a little, tapping her fingers against her thigh nervously. Finally she sighed. "This is silly," she said.
"What?" Neji asked, looking back at her.
"It's silly," Tenten said, making a face. "We used to be really good friends. We shouldn't be this awkward around each other just because we... uh, because we... you know... broke up," Tenten said.
Neji nodded a little. "Yeah," he agreed. "It is a little..."
"Strange?" Tenten offered.
"Yeah."
Beat.
Beat.
"Well!" Tenten said. "Yeah... um, so good to see you again, friend," she said, moving a little robotically. They both hesitated, before Neji went in for a handshake and Tenten went in for a side hug, which turned her running into his hand and just patting him on the shoulder. "Yeah..." Tenten said, running her hands through her hair. "I'm just gonna go now..." she said, moving down the hall and waving, before hurrying down the stairs. She pulled on her boots as quickly as possible and grabbed her coat and purse before dashing out the door.
"Well that was awkward."
Elsewhere
A phone rang.
"Fuck!"
Ino climbed off Sai, adjusting her shirt a little, and grabbed her phone. "What?!" She barked into it, thoroughly annoyed that they had been interrupted. Sai adjusted himself so he was leaning against the backboard of her bed and looked up, studying the ceiling with an amused expression.
"You're busy?"
Ino sighed. "Shikamaru, you have this amazing ability to call right whenever I'm in the middle of..." she trailed off, glancing at Sai. "Stuff. What do you need?"
"Do you have Temari's number?"
Ino froze, sure she had misheard him, before her face broke into a huge grin. "Sorry, what did you say? I couldn't quite hear you," Ino said, trying hard to keep the glee out of her voice. She saw Sai giving her a confused look and shot him a smirk.
"Um, I was wondering if you had Temari's number." Shikamaru's voice sounded like a mixture of confusion and exhaustion. No surprise there.
Ino rested back, her legs curled up underneath her, and examined her nails. "And why, may I ask, do you need her number?" she asked.
She heard a sigh from the other end of the line. "It's about her photography thing," he said.
Ino shook her head. "Oh, of course. Her photography thing," she said. "Yeah, let me just get her number for you."
She relayed her number to him and was thanked before hanging up the phone. "Well well well," Ino said, dusting off her hands a little. "Temari's going to get a fun surprise," she said, chuckling.
Sai sighed. "Ino, if he said it's for a photography thing it's probably for the photography thing," he said.
Ino shook her head, turning to face him. "You've got it all wrong!" she exclaimed. "He was just saying that as an excuse! That's just what guys do. He's into her, you'll see."
"Oh, that's what guys do, is it?" Sai asked, looking amused.
Ino crawled over so she was straddling him. "Totally," she said, flipping her hair over one shoulder. "That's totally what they do."
"Good to know," Sai said.
Ino leaned down to kiss him when her alarm buzzed. With a groan, she rolled off of him and shut it off. "Today is just not my day," she said, looking over at Sai. "I've got rehearsal."
"I can drive you if you want," Sai suggested, climbing off her bed.
"If you drive me I won't have any way to get ho- ohhhhh," Ino said, grinning as she realized what he was suggesting. "My dad is out of town," she said, smirking. Sai chuckled. "Alright, sounds good to me," Ino said, leaning across her bed to kiss him.
Later That Day...
"Wow," Sakura said, walking out of the therapist's office. "We managed to get an appointment really quickly."
"Yeah," her mother remarked. "It's almost like the writer of a story was lazy and didn't want to have to write about it realistically, and therefore laboriously, so decided to just say 'screw it'."
Sakura nodded, smiling at the receptionist as they walked out. "That wasn't so bad," Sakura said, feeling, to put it lightly, emotionally wrung out.
Her mother smiled, hugging her around the shoulders. "I'm glad." She sighed. "Sakura... I wish you felt like you could come to us about this sooner." Sakura glanced at her mother before looking down.
"Yeah, I do too..." she said as they walked out of the building and across the parking lot. Sakura paused as they reached the car. "Um, do you mind if I actually head out...?" Sakura asked, looking over the ar and at her mother.
With a slight smile, her mother shook her head. "No, I don't mind. But don't stay out late."
Sakura nodded, shouldering her bag so she had a firmer grip on it, before setting out towards the road. "Bye!" She called behind her. She saw her mother drive past her, waving out the window, as Sakura walked down the sidewalk. She still had some Christmas shopping she wanted to do, and to be frank, she needed some time alone. She had never seen a psychologist before, but it had been an exercise in uncomfortable conversations, leaving her feeling incredibly wrung out.
Sighing, she sped up a little, wanting to reach the shopping center soon. Dusk was drawing near, and though she still had to pick something up, she knew what it was. If she could move quickly she might be able to make it home not long after dark. It was with this goal in mind that she walked briskly through Konoha, yawning a little as she went, glancing around at the buildings decorated for the holidays.
The quiet was interrupted when Sakura's phone started ringing. Jumping slightly, she dug around in her coat pocket until she found it, and answered. "Hello?" She asked, continuing towards the mall, which was now within sight.
"Hey girl. It's Temari."
Sakura smiled. "Hey Temari. What's up?"
"Not much," Temari said. "Just wondering how you're doing." Temari sounded like she was trying to be sly, which Sakura knew meant she was trying to see if she was okay after her therapy session. With Ino's help, Sakura had told Hinata, Tenten, and Temari about all the stuff she had been going through. Hinata had freaked out a little and Tenten had gotten really worried, but Temari had been pretty cool about it. Still, girl was not a good liar.
"Therapy was fine," Sakura said, chuckling.
Temari sounded sheepish. "I'm glad. Just wanted to check and see how you were doing."
"Thanks," Sakura said, walking into the mall. "I'm... you know..."
"Yeah..."
"But," Sakura said, continuing, "I'm heading to the mall to finish my Christmas shopping. Nothing like retail therapy."
"Oh shit!" Temari said. "I really have to get the rest of my presents together," she said, sighing.
Sakura slowed down a little, weaving through the crowds and heading towards one of the nicer shoe stores. "I'm almost done. I still need to pick your and Ino's presents though," she said.
"Oooo," Temari said. "What are you getting me?"
Sakura shook her head. "No way I'm telling you. You need to wait until next week."
Temari sighed. "Fine. You're so mean."
"Totally," Sakura said, absentmindedly going over a bag. "Hey, do you think Ino would like a fringe statement bag best, or a cream leather tote?"
"Ummm..." Temari said. "Well, she has a pretty good basic purse already, but the tote would probably go with more. Sounds kinda boring though… What does the statement bag look like?"
Sakura looked it over, pursing her lips slightly. "It's kind of a worn leather. It's this deep eggplant purple color with cool fring stuff and gold clasps and buckles."
"Oh, that sounds so cute!" Temari said. "I'm jealous," she joked.
"Cool. I'll get it for her then," Sakura said, taking it off the rack and making a mental note to box it before wrapping so Temari wouldn't guess what it was.
She heard Temari chuckle, before gasping. "Oh! Did I tell yah? You know those guys me and Tenten went out with?"
"The ones from the mall?" Sakura asked, checking out a pair of gold dress sandals.
"Yup!"
"What about 'em?" Sakura asked, taking the bag to the checkout. "Oh, hang on a sec. I gotta pay." She put the phone in her pocket, careful not to drop the call, while she payed for the bag. It was a little on the expensive side, but Sakura had a 40% off coupon that she could use, thank god.
She thanked the cashier and walked out of the store, heading over to the Bath and Body Works. She took her phone out of her pocket with her free hand. "I'm back!" she said.
"Good!" Temari said. "So where was I? Oh, yeah. Those two guys! So that Hidan guy is just so… good. At, like… stuff."
Sakura giggled. "What kind of stuff?" she asked, walking into the store and dropping her voice so she wouldn't disturb the customers.
Temari paused. "Like, tongue stuff," she said, dropping her voice. Sakura couldn't help but let out a yelp of laughter, startling one of the nearby stores clerks. "We totally hit it off. Tenten and that Kakuzu guy kind of did too? I dunno, I can't really get a read on him. He seems to like her enough. Anyways, we're meeting them again tomorrow night."
"That's awesome!" Sakura said, picking up the skin treatment package Ino had been ogling for a couple weeks. "Is he hot?" she asked, balancing the phone on her shoulder so she could hold the bag from the store and the skin package.
"He's pretty built. Pretty face too. His hair's kinda weird, but not weirder than yours," Temari said teasingly.
"Oh wow, thanks," Sakura said, sarcasm dripping from her words.
Temari chuckled. "You know I love your hair girl. Anyways, yeah. He's pretty effin' hot. Even if he wasn't, the tongue stuff would make up for it."
Sakura laughed, moving up the line towards the cashier. "Hang on a sec again," she said, setting her phone in her bag and putting the package on the counter so she could pay. It was also a little expensive, like the bag, and wiped out the rest of the christmas shopping money she had set aside. Luckily, it was the last present she needed to get.
She popped the last two bucks she had in the tip job and scooped up the skin kit and her phone. "Back again," she said, walking out of the store. "So, he's super hot. What's his personality like?"
Temari hmmm-ed and hummm-ed for a moment before answering. "Truth be told, he's kinda cocky. He always has this expression on his face like he knows this big secret. Nothing special I guess. He's fun though." She chuckled. "I don't think either one of us is expecting anything out of it."
"Something fun," Sakura said. "Sounds nice," she said grinning.
There was a moment of silence before Temari spoke. "I'm sorry about Sasuke," she said.
Sakura sighed. "Thanks," she said. "The worst part is, he's kinda right. I was thinking about it today, and he's kinda right."
She could hear Temari blowing out a breath of air. "Don't you hate it when that happens?"
Sakura laughed. "Totally. How dare they? Thinking they're all special and smart and-" she cut off. "Wow, I've never seen Neji in the mall before," she said.
"Oh, it's Neji?" Temari asked. "Go say hi! I wanna say hi!"
Sakura laughed. "We're not really friends," she said. "He's walking my way, though, so I guess I will."
Neji indeed was walking towards her, carrying a couple plastic bags from the drugstore on the other end of the mall. Sakura took the phone off her ear and waved. "Hey, Neji!" she said. Neji looked up, startled, as Sakura went open. "Temari wants to say 'hi'," Sakura said, laughing slightly, as Temari hollered a greeting.
"Hey, Temari," Neji said. He glanced up at Sakura. "Christmas shopping?" he asked.
Sakura nodded. "Yeah. Last minute stuff. What about you?" she asked, peering towards the bag. Neji shifted it a bit. Sakura leaned back, looking sheepish. "Sorry," she said.
"It's no problem," Neji said.
Sakura could hear Temari yelling something. "What?" she asked.
Temari sighed. "Give Neji the phone," she said. Sakura offered it to him, trading a shrug to him when he looked at her in confusion.
"Yeah?" Neji asked.
Sakura examined the ceiling, not wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation. "How you doing?" Temari asked. "How's it going with your uncle?"
Neji took a couple steps away from Sakura. "It's… going," he said.
Temari was silent for a moment. "You ever need to talk again, call me," she said. "'Kay?"
"Okay," Neji said.
Temari sighed. "By the way, I think you ruined Tenten," she said frankly.
"'Ruined Tenten'?" Neji asked, looking confused. Sakura glanced over, one eyebrow raised.
"Nevermind, I shouldn't have said anything," Temari said. "Oh, shit, I gotta go. Hold the phone up to Sakura."
Neji obliged while Temari yelled a goodbye, hanging up the phone seeing as Sakura didn't have a free hand. "Here," he said, handing it to her. He paused for a second. "What do you think she meant by 'ruining Tenten'?" he asked, looking worried.
Sakura hesitated. "I don't know. Temari's probably just loopy or something. I mean, I know Temari's dragging Tenten to this party tomorrow with… someone, so I think she's fine.," Sakura said, not sure how much she should say.
"'Someone'," Neji quoted, looking amused.
Sakura glanced down. "I dunno. Some guy named 'Kakuzu' or something," she said, shrugging.
"Cool," Neji said. "Hey, I have to go. I'm meeting some people."
"Oh yeah. I have to go to. Uh, nice to see you," she said, grinning.
Neji nodded. "You too," he said, walking off.
An Hour Later…
"Wait," Shikamaru said, looking alert for the first time all day. "She said his name was Kakuzu?"
"Maybe," Neji said, sitting at a computer.
The other guy with them, the poor soul repeatedly mistaken for a woman, frowned. "Why does that matter?" he asked.
"I know him," Shikamaru said, looking grim.
Neji swiveled around in his chair to look at Shikamaru. "Are you sure it's the same guy?" he asked.
"Kakuzu isn't a very common name," the other guy said.
Shikamaru groaned. "Of all the guys Temari could have scouted out, it would have to be Kakuzu and Hidan. This is not good. Not good at all."