A/N: A little longer chapter. And oh ho! Plot twist(s)! I liked this chapter to, but I might wait a little on releasing 20 & 21. Something about them just doesn't sit right with me yet. They don't feel right. I dunno yet. Anyhow! Enjoy!
The next day, things were still bustling for the festival that was supposed to take place the very next day. Temari was already gone by the time Setsuko woke up. When she could, she was more than willing to sleep in and ignore duty. Besides, it wasn't like she had much in the way of duty here! She had done her business and now she was free to do as she pleased until the festival. Slowly her eyes fluttered open to a pounding headache that made it impossible for her to sleep in any further than she had. The sudden onset was strange as she had never really gotten headaches before. What she didn't notice was that her left eye had seemed to change slightly. Her iris, the blue in her eyes, was glowing; not bright enough to illuminate anything other than her face, but it was definitely noticeable to anyone that looked at her.
Hissing in pain, she wrapped her hands around her head and buried herself into the feather pillows of the bed. Bringing her knees up to her chest, her back arched as he feet slowly moved in and out from beneath her, as if they were scratching at something. That pain was unbearable! It felt as if her head would explode any minute as it traveled down her neck and feeling it behind her eyes. She let a pained cry escape her lips, her voice choking in her throat. Through the pain, she could hear a voice; she could feel something stirring. The voice was smooth, warm, comforting and yet, held an underlining tone of malice and revenge. It called out to her, begging her to release it. She felt her stomach churn, like something was clawing to get out.
In her mind, the meadow with the giant block of ice she had seen before flashed before her eyes. Bone chilling air rolled off the ice like an avalanche, the sakura tree now gone. There was a powerful gust of wind, whipping her hair in all directions and tugging at her pajamas. Setsuko had to squint as hair was thrown in her face and the icy air steadily grew. Although her skin prickled from the cold, she wasn't actually bothered by it. What was this that stood before her? Why had she never seen it before? Where on earth had it come from? Reaching out hesitantly, she heard the voice beckoning her again, telling her to reach further. Setsuko surveyed the block, her left eye still glowing; there was a small to medium sized crack towards the top. Had that been there before? No, she remembered very clearly there hadn't been; even with that weird demonic tree wrapping its roots around it.
Had the tree caused the crack? She wasn't sure because she didn't see any others, just the one. Her fingertips lightly ran over the smooth surface of the ice. An ominous feeling dropped into the air. There was a glow from the crack and she watched it get the tiniest fraction bigger. There was something very wrong here and her hand instantly retreated. The change in her eye faded and Setsuko found herself staring at the darkness that was the shadow of her pillows. Pulling her head out from under them she looked around the room in suspicious curiosity, listening to the deathly quiet that made up the suite. Like a calm before the storm.
Setsuko shrugged to herself, her large shirt falling the fraction it need to completely hang off her right shoulder. Forcing herself out of bed, she trudged her way out of her room, rubbing her suddenly sore left eye, and opened the refrigerator that sat in their in-suite kitchen. Pulling one of the many flavored beverages she's bought since arriving two days ago, she opened it with a hiss from the bottle. In some technical sense she was on vacation so there was no need to be so formal, especially while she was alone. Setting the cap on the counter, she began to drink the mango and lemon flavored drink when she noticed a note sitting on the island. Looking down at it from the corner of her eye, she reached over and picked it up.
Went out to do some official business. Be back this afternoon. We'll go shopping for yukatas for the festival when I get back.
Temari
Official business? What business did she have that she forgot to mention? Well, either way this meant she had a few hours to kill until Temari was finished. Glancing back at the note, she noticed her elder had drawn a miniature version of herself giving a peace sign. What a weirdo. Turning away from the note, she walked into the giant living room and opened the curtains, staring down the three four stories between her and the people. Looking over her shoulder to the clock, it read 9:34am. She took another long swig of her drink; what was she to do?
Setting her drink down on the coffee table, she walked to the bathroom and took a shower. After getting dressed and doing her hair, she ran her hands through her silky hair before returning to the living room and instantly taking another drink. The clock read 10:37am. She had lots of hair, which was what took most of her time. Unlatching the large windows, she slid open one of them to allow the nice spring breeze to flow into the room. Having out her hair in a messy, upside down bun, the rest of her long lock cascaded her back like a veil, gently moving to the breeze. Opening the book she had bought back in the Hidden Sand, she leaned back against the couch and began to read, listening to the hustle and bustle of the village below.
After who knows how long, Setsuko looked up to the ceiling from her odd angle on the couch. Sometime during her read, she had flipped her body so her legs were resting against the back of the couch and her head was hanging off the edge. Placing her finger in her book, she took the final gulp of her drink and set it back on the table before opening her book once again. She barely got half way through the page when she heard an ear splitting shout from outside. Turning her head, she could see Naruto on the roof of a building across the street glaring at her. He quickly and gracefully made his way to the open window of her hotel room, not even bothering with the fact that he was being rude by barging in.
"What is the big idea!?" he shouted, staring down at her with an annoyed glare.
Slowly she closed her book, placing her bookmaker inside. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I've been looking for you all night! Why'd you threaten to kill me then pay for my meal?" he asked loudly, watching her every move as she sat upright on the couch.
"Really? What kind of ninja are you that it took you all night to find me?" she asked with a sarcastic laugh.
Naruto felt that strange feeling in his gut again, like he had at Ichiraku's. There was something different about her. "I'm gonna be Hokage someday!"
Setsuko howled with laughter. "You. Hokage?"
He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, not caring that he was probably breaking laws by touching a Princess. "Why's that so funny?" Something about this girl really pissed him off. Maybe it was because she was unnecessarily mean to him every time they saw each other.
She paid no mind to the compromising position she was in. "No, no, you becoming Hokage isn't the funny part. I think it's entirely possible. It's the image I get of you running a village. You don't know the first thing about it, that's why it's so funny."
She thought he could become Hokage? Yet, she was still making fun of him about it. He was confused. Gently he let her go, Setsuko fixing her clothes. "What's you're deal anyways? Why are you…why did you act so nice at Ichiraku's?"
"I wasn't being nice."
"I dunno, seemed kinda nice to me."
"Then you're diluted."
"What are you talking about? You paid for my meal, a big one at that! I consider that pretty nice."
"I'm trying to make alliances. If the villagers hate me, how can I trust them if I ever needed their help?"
"So, you're just using us?!"
Setsuko crossed her arms under her chest and rolled her eyes. "Like I said, you don't know the first thing about running a village."
"Are you or not?!" Naruto narrowed his gaze; he didn't like people taking advantage of others. His blue eyes followed her as she walked over to the refrigerator and riffled through it. "Answer me."
"I never said I was using you but if you want something, you have to act a certain way to get it. Basic stuff to know when running a village." Setsuko shrugged as she pulled out one of the many sweets she had bought the other day. As she closed the door and stood up to face him, she was startled by Naruto being in her face.
Even though it was obvious the two were like water and vinegar, there was a strange attraction. It was like a tugging feeling in her stomach as it grew hot. Like the pure blissful, unattached lust people feel from time to time; that was how she felt while staring into his eyes. Her body wanted to reach out and touch him, but her mind made her stay put. She watched his hair rustle to the springtime wind and the steadfast look he was giving her. His eyes were a shade of blue she was used to seeing, but somehow his were far more enticing then any she had seen back home. As she stared, the only sound she could hear now was the thumping of her own heart in her ears. It was loud and annoying.
Deep, in the pit of her stomach, she felt that churn, like something was clawing to be freed. Her face cringed with pain for a split second, but enough to cause her to break their staring match. Swiftly she turned away from him, shutting her eyes tightly. She could feel the look of curiosity that now played on his face. A hand went to her abdomen, her nails digging into the fabric of her clothes. Naruto asked what was wrong, the sound of genuine concern laced in his words. How strange. Her eyes opened, her left eye glowing again. She told him it was nothing and asked him to leave; as nicely as she could. Temari would be back soon anyways and it would be compromising if he were caught here. She shut her eyes again and when they opened, the glowing faded.
Setsuko turned to Naruto, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face. "I'm sorry Naruto, you have to go." She quickly ushered him out the window and shut it, latching and closing the curtains.
She rushed to the bathroom and surprisingly, relieved her stomach of all its contents. Wiping her chin with the back of her hand, she flushed the toilet and cleaned herself up. That was strange. She had never felt anything like that before. The pain from this morning was nowhere near that intense and it almost felt like it was, reacting to Naruto. Almost like poking at a sleeping bear. Was that true though? Was it reacting to Naruto? The first time had been before Naruto even showed up, so that couldn't be the case. So why then? Why had that strange feeling flared as Naruto was staring her down with the most intense look she had ever seen?
As she stared at herself in the mirror of her private bathroom, she felt like she wasn't herself. It felt like she was looking at a stranger. Even though this stranger had the same looks as her, the feeling was altogether different. She heard that warm voice again, although this time there was no pain to accompany it. It cooed out apologies and reassuring words, like a child trying to be forgiven. She watched as her brows stitched together in a forgiving fashion and turned away when she heard the door to their hotel room open. Coming around the corner from her room, Setsuko watched Temari flop onto the couch with an almost exhausted groan.
"Man! I'm ready to unwind, how about you?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at the young blonde. She took notice of how suddenly fragile Setsuko looked and was curious, but didn't say anything.
Setsuko was quiet for a few minutes, staring into Temari's teal eyes. Whether she was thinking something over or running through past thoughts wasn't able to be seen on the impassive look etched on her face.
"Hellooooooo!" Temari hummed as she waved a hand in front of Setsuko's face.
The Princess blinked a few times, a little startled at seeing Temari so close. "Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something."
Temari scrunched her face in curiosity, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, yes I'm fine." She smiled up at Temari, pushing away whatever had been bothering her. "It's just, I ran into Naruto earlier. I get this…this strange feeling whenever I'm around him. I can't explain it."
"Hmph." Temari shrugged, not putting much thought into it. "Well, I told you we can go shopping for the festival when I got back. So let's go!" She grinned from ear to ear and grabbed Setsuko's arm, tugging her out of their suite with girlish excitement.
The two rushed down the many flights of stairs and onto the street. As the two walked and talked, Setsuko let her strange morning float to the back of her mind and disappear. She didn't need it mudding up her day of shopping! Temari was talking about the business she had to do, although something in her tone caused Setsuko to doubt that it was real business. Maybe she had had a secret rendezvous with Shikamaru that she didn't want anyone to know about. Either way, even though she made it sound very official and legitimate, Setsuko didn't actually believe her. The conversation soon changed and the girls were laughing, enjoying their hunt for a good shop to buy their clothes from.
Temari stopped suddenly, Setsuko walking a few feet ahead before realizing she had stopped. "Temari?"
"This place looks perfect!" Temari beamed as she grabbed Setsuko and dragged her inside.
There were a few girls inside looking and trying things on, when they were greets by an employee. "Ah, good afternoon ladies." The woman was as tall as Temari, but petite and looked to be full of poise. She had shoulder length amber hair and sweet chocolate eyes. "What can I help you with today?"
"We're looking for yukata for the spring festival," Temari replied, having already lost Setsuko in the see of clothing.
"Oh wonderful! Is there something in particular you were looking for?" the woman asked as she ushered Temari around to take a look at a few items.
Temari thought it over for a moment and shrugged. "Not really. I do know I like simple tastes though; I'm not much into fancy looking things."
The woman looked over to the excited Setsuko with apprehension. "And your friend?"
"Uh…I think she knows what she's doing." Temari waved her off and followed the woman.
While the woman was great at her job, Temari still wasn't finding that one that stood out to her. If she had known there was going to be a festival a happening in town, she would have brought her own. There was no helping it now though. She was shown a red one, a green one, a blue one and a yellow one. All were solid colors and long; simple and effective, how she liked it. But none of them stood out to her as the one she wanted. Setsuko on the other hand seemed to be having far less trouble, liking almost everything she put on.
Temari was about to give up when she spotted a clean pressed, solid colored, long yukata hanging on a back wall. Yukatas were usually long and traditional, but there were a few girls that preferred them to be a bit shorter; especially the girls now-a-days. She walked up to it, looking at the beautiful shade of purple; reminiscent of an orchid. A red obi sash complimented the hue and allowed for a wonderful contrast in tones. She pointed it out to the employee who helped her get it down and into the small changing room. Coming out to inspect herself, she saw Setsuko already at one of the mirrors looking at one of the shorter versions of yukatas.
The one she was currently wearing was beautiful and complimented her pale features perfectly. Temari walked up to the other mirror beside her, "I like that one."
Setsuko looked over at her with hesitation. "Do you really? You don't think it's too non-traditional?"
"Nah, it suits you better. Besides, you wear long dresses all the time; live a little," she replied with a cheeky grin.
Setsuko stared at her, earning a somewhat uncomfortable look from Temari. "Is that the one you're getting?"
Temari looked down at herself and then to the mirror. "What? Does it look horrible or something?"
"No, no!" So Temari did know how to be a girl after all. "It looks pretty on you. Purple really looks good on you." Setsuko shrugged off handedly. "I'm sure Shikamaru will like it. He's a simple guy." Glancing over at the older blonde, she let a playful grin spread across her lips when she saw Temari quickly look away from her and fidget the slightest bit.
Somewhere off in the village, lying on an isolated hillside, Shikamaru suddenly sneezed.