The title should be:
Halloween: Second and Third Missed Encounters.
But of course it's too long so I had to cut it down.
If you don't like the pairings I have picked out, you don't have to read the story. It's mostly about Sasuke and Naruto's friendship, but it also contains romance.
About Kisame! He has really pale skin. Making him blue would be a bit strange for this setting of Naruto. For Deidara, just imagine he always says his "Un" or whatever at the end of his sentences. It looks silly to write them in when it's a noise he makes. (Personalities will be off in order to make them kinder than they actually are)
Tobi is in here as Tobi personality, not his true self. Think of him as a completely different character than his true self. (Not saying anything about his true self in case people haven't watched/read that far)
As always,
Enjoy, and thank you for reading!
-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-
October 19th, Friday. Last hour of school.
Naruto stared at a bowl in front of him with his arms crossed. An expression of concentration laced his face. Choji stood next to him giving the same expression as he stared at another bowl. The class around them watched with eagerness on their faces to see what would happen.
The teacher, Kisame Hoshigaki, leaned back on his desk waiting for Naruto and Choji to begin. He had a small smirk on his face has he ran his hand through his dull blue, tail-finned hair. He always found it fascinating to watch what these two would create.
Naruto's eyes lit up as he grabbed the noodles next to him. He placed them into the bowl and began to crush them. Choji grabbed a few mixtures of spices and began to mix them in the other bowl. Kisame came over to lean over the kitchen table to watch them work. He pondered to what they could make with crushed noodles and spices, which he reflected were actually spices for curry.
Naruto poured the crushed noodles into boiling water that was on the stove. He moved aside to let Choji put in the spices before moving back and beginning to stir the mixture. As he did that Choji grabbed jalapeños, bell peppers, and chili peppers and began to cut them up. After that, he started to crush them up making them into a powder as best as he could. Moving aside, Naruto let Choji stir the rest of the mixture with the newly made powder. Naruto grabbed a large bowl and placed rice inside before he began to crush it lightly. Then, he placed them in the rice cooker and waited as he watched Choji cook the rest of the food.
Half an hour later.
"Kisame-sensei!" Naruto and Choji held out a plate with rice and finished product of their soup. Kisame grinned as he took the plate from the gladly. He looked at the soup on top and gave a laugh.
"Your own curry, eh?" Kisame asked as he took a bite. Naruto and Choji grinned with wide eyes as they waited for the result. Kisame chewed leisurely savoring the taste. After a moment, he placed the plate down, calmly grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and drank from it for several moments. He turned toward Naruto and Choji wiping off his mouth. "That has to be one of the spiciest things I've tasted that have come out of this class, but…"
Naruto and Choji's face fell to concern as they watched Kisame's face get serious and begin to ponder. "But what?" Naruto urged as he crossed his arms. Kisame turned toward Naruto staring at him then laughed as he patted Naruto's head.
"But nothing! This is very good. Well done, Naruto, Choji. The crushed noodles actually give it a crunchy taste that can't be distinguished between the rice. It's a good flow of flavors." Kisame grabbed the plate and began to eat the food again.
Naruto's eyes got wide as he jumped into the air shouting happily. Choji raised his arms excitedly that he got praised by the teacher. He then turned to everyone in the class and gestured to the food. "Everyone can have some, too!" The class cheered as the got in line to get some of the spicy food.
-oO0-o)
Sasuke stretched his arms out as he stared down at the picture he had been drawing. It was of a cherry blossom tree painted with watercolors. It was rough, but he liked it. A smile came to his face as he thought of the reason he had drawn it.
Sakura. Sasuke continued to smile softly as he picked up his painting and placed it on a rack to dry. He looked at the other works that were there giving each one a long look. I've got a long way to go if I want to be good at what I do. As Sasuke was observing the drawings he failed to notice someone creep up behind him.
"Sasuke-kun, that looks good for a start." Sasuke jumped and turned around to see his teacher, Deidara. Sasuke gave a frown and stood up straight. He scratched the back of his head giving a nod of thanks. It was always weird to for Sasuke to look at Deidara as he looked a lot like a girl. Deidara had long, blond hair that was into a half ponytail, and he also had a long bang covering over his left eye.
"Deidara-sensei, when are the assignments due?" Sasuke asked as he began to walk back to his desk. Deidara followed him giving a thoughtful look. Sasuke gave a sigh as began to clean up the watercolors he was using.
"Probably next Wednesday, although it will only be a turn in as that week is to make preparations for the upcoming Halloween Festival." Deidara grinned as he watched Sasuke place the supplies away then go to the sink. Sasuke turned to Deidara as finished washing his hands.
"Halloween Festival?" Sasuke crossed his arms blinking slowly. "I knew there was a festival coming up, but Halloween?"
"Yup! It's quite a fun festival to do. I enjoy making a lot props for the school."
"How many festivals does this school actually do?" Sasuke asked as he leaned against a wall. Since Naruto and I went with his father to take Gaara home, we actually missed the Matsuri. Naruto was furious when he found out.
"Quite a lot actually. It's the main reason people come to these schools… Well try to anyway." Deidara stretched as he went into his office and sat down. Sasuke followed.
"Try to? Is it hard to get into this school?" Sasuke was curious by Deidara's words. Deidara glanced at Sasuke and nodded. "Why is that?"
"One, most of the schools in Konoha are co-ed. This one is special with the campuses being shared, but not co-ed. It makes it a pricey school, so not many people can actually afford it. Of course, there are special cases, scholarships, or those picked by the Mayor. Two, we specialize in making our students learn to work together. That's why there are a lot of group activities and festivals. We aim for teamwork.
"Both of the Principals of the school get together a lot to determine what to do for each festival each year. Even if the festivals are the same they try to make the students do different things. And three, because of what we try to prioritize in, we make sure that we get students that we believe have the potential to achieve the main goals of these schools." Deidara leaned back in his chair as he opened a can of soda and sipped on it.
Sasuke sat down and crossed his arms thinking slowly about what Deidara had said. A question popped into his mind. "Why are the schools separated by gender?"
"Hmm, it's to help students focus more. It's easier to associate with the same gender."
"But… wouldn't that make it harder to work together with the opposite gender?"
Deidara slowly sipped on his soda before answering Sasuke. "Well… think about what I just told about the schools. Your answer will lie there."
Sasuke frowned and opened his mouth to question, but the sound of the bell for class to end rung interrupting his thoughts. He looked up at the clock blinking at how fast 3 o'clock had come.
"Heh, looks like class is over." Deidara grinned and pulled out some clay molding it in his hands. He quickly went out into the classroom and shouted for everyone to stop. Sasuke followed him and went around to0020go grab his things. "You guys don't have to come to class next week as the art rooms will be used for the festival. Just turn in your assignment sometime Wednesday." Deidara waved off his students as he went back into his office.
Sasuke closed his side bag and placed it on. Time to find Naruto. I bet he knows nothing about the Halloween Festival just as I did. Sasuke placed on his thin coat and headed out the door.
-oO0-o)
"NO WAY!" Naruto shouted as he and Sasuke walked home. "A Halloween festival?"
"Apparently next week is when we work on making classrooms into special rooms for the festival." Sasuke assumed that was what they were going to do. "The week after that is when the festival is actually going to be held. I don't know much more than that."
"This is so awesome!" Naruto grinned happily. "This is nothing like Oto's school. It's so much more fun, and you get to work with people." Sasuke blinked at Naruto when he mentioned working with others. It was one of the things Deidara had told him.
"That's true. Unlike Oto, they just made you study more than focus on working with others."
"Yeah! And today was awesome! Choji and I made the best spicy curry ever." Naruto snickered as he dug through his backpack and pulled out a dish covered in plastic wrap. Sasuke stared at it and wrinkled up his noise being able to smell the spicy flavor.
"Wow, Naruto. That is really spicy."
"Want to try?" Naruto lifted the plate in front of Sasuke's face. Sasuke made a worried face and shook his head.
"Maybe later…" Sasuke rushed into his house as it came into view leaving Naruto behind to glare after him.
Naruto gave a sigh with a smile placing the food back into his backpack before going into his house. As he opened the door, he was immediately hugged by his mother. Naruto blinked slowly before hugging her back.
"Welcome home, Naruto! Did you have a good day?" Kushina asked smiling happily as she let Naruto in.
"Yup! I got to make really spicy curry with Choji today."
"I'm glad you're having fun. How about your other classes?" Naruto stopped and gave a worried expression.
I haven't been doing too well. Naruto thought as his mother waited for an answer. What to tell her…? Naruto swallowed and slowly turned toward his mother. "Err, well…" Kushina gave a frown and crossed her arms.
"Then it's off to your room, young man." Kushina pointed towards the hallway and Naruto gave a sigh.
"Yes, Mom." Naruto sulked over to his room shutting the door. He plopped on his bed rolling around on it on frustration a few times before opening his backpack and pulling out work. Slowly, he began to work before he got frustrated and called Sasuke up.
"Sasuke! Help me work on this." He pleaded over the phone as he stared dumbly at the science homework.
"Naruto, be specific." Sasuke mumbled from the other end.
"Science homework, I don't get it!" Naruto whined as he fell backwards on his bed. He heard Sasuke sigh then get silent. Naruto frowned. "Sasuke?" Sasuke didn't answer. He was about to ask again, but then he heard a voice in the background. A scuffling noise was produced and Naruto heard the phone get placed down.
Itachi must have come in. Naruto groaned and sat back up staring down at his homework. He waited until he heard the phone picked back up.
"So, Sasuke…" Naruto began.
"Naruto! I heard you needed help with my homework." Naruto was interrupted by a very familiar voice.
"Obito? What are you doing in Sasuke's house?" Naruto asked as he shifted the book off his legs.
"Just visiting! Since it's Friday I'm allowed to do whatever I wish after school, but besides that just come on over! We'll do a study group." Naruto heard the phone hang up. He took the phone off his ear and stared at it.
Giving a smile, Naruto gathered up his homework and rushed out the door. He stopped to tell his mother where he was going then headed out of the house and going into Sasuke's.
-oO0-o)
Naruto stared happily at his homework when it was finished. He turned his attention quickly to the cards that were in front of him when Sasuke poked him in the side. Obito decided that playing a card game would be nice after all that homework they had done. Itachi had joined in after he had finished cleaning up dinner.
"Hmm, so have you guys heard about the festival?" Obito asked as he drew a card. Naruto and Sasuke nodded. "Do you know what you guys are going to be doing?"
"We have to do something?" Naruto asked as he placed down a few cards before drawing one. Obito nodded. "Like what?"
"Help with decorations, set up events that will happen, and other such things."
"I think I'll help with events." Sasuke answered placing all his cards down. "I win."
"Eeeeh? No fair Sasuke!" Naruto grumped as he dropped his cards.
"It sounds like something fun is going to happen." Itachi commented as he picked up the cards to shuffle them.
"Yeah!" Naruto agreed then placed a hand to his face, thinking. "I'll… help with decorations! It sounds like a lot of fun." He grinned leaning back against the floor.
Obito gave a smile and stretched his arms out. "Do you guys have an idea of what kind of costumes you're going to wear?" Obito asked. Naruto shot straight up with shining eyes. Obito smiled. "Yup! You get to wear costumes the entire week of school."
"YES! THAT IS JUST AWESOME!" Naruto clenched his fists together shaking with excitement. Sasuke sweat dropped giving a frown.
"Naruto," Sasuke started, "stop acting like a little kid." Naruto stopped and turned to Sasuke giving a frown.
"Ah, c'mon, Sasuke! Aren't you excited for this?"
Sasuke shrugged. "I guess it sounds like fun."
"You guess?"
"Yeah, but otherwise it seems kind of boring."
"Liar! I bet you're happy inside."
"What? What are you talking about, Idiot?"
"You're excited just like me, admit it."
"No way! I wouldn't admit it even if I was excited."
"HA! So you must be excited."
"What made you think that?"
"You wouldn't say that if the emotion hadn't crossed your mind."
"Tch, whatever."
Sasuke and Naruto continued to argue. Itachi and Obito shook their heads and left the boys to squabble. They knew it wasn't going to end up as a fist fight, so there was no need to worry about them or to stop it. And soon enough, they heard the boys laughing and making fun of each other.
-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-
October 20th, Saturday afternoon.
Sakura skipped down the streets of Konoha with Ino behind her. They were off to visit Hinata's house for preparations for the Halloween Festival. They were assigned to make decorations ideas and examples. Ino loved to make decorations, more with flowers, but regardless she was good at it, so she had volunteered herself, Sakura, and Hinata. Sakura and Hinata hadn't minded. It was something fun to do with friends.
Sakura and Ino turned down a corner and headed toward the Estate District. Neither of them had been here before, so it was quite exciting but at the same time strange. Ino grabbed Sakura's arm and looked back and forth thinking something could jump out on them. Sakura sweat dropped at Ino's reaction, and smiled as she looked down at the map Hinata had written for her.
Sakura wasn't scared; she had witnessed and experienced much worse in Oto.
Both girls kept quiet to not draw attention to themselves, and kept their eyes from wandering. Eventually, they made it to Hinata's house and knocked on the gate. Ino took a deep breath and clenched a bag of materials as they waited for someone to answer. After a few minutes, Sakura knocked again, but louder this time.
"Maybe this is the wrong house." Ino suggested as she looked around. There weren't any other homes nearby, so this had to be the right place as Hinata had said her family owned a lot of land.
After waiting another five minutes, Sakura gave up and turned to leave. She stopped when a long, black haired boy stood in front of her staring. His eyes were very similar to Hinata's, so Sakura wondered if this was her cousin.
"Did you need something from the Hyuuga Family?" The boy asked crossing his arms.
Sakura nodded , "I'm looking for Hinata-chan. You're Neji-san, her cousin right?" Sakura asked being polite.
"That I am." Neji bowed his head and unlocked the door that lead through the gate. "My apologizes, I had almost forgotten Hinata-sama had her friends coming over. Please, come this way." Neji held the doors open and Sakura and Ino gladly went inside.
"Neji-kun," Ino started as she looked around. "Is no one at home?"
"The one that usually tends to the door must be out." Neji closed the door behind him and locked it.
Sakura stopped and held her breath as she looked at the beauty before her.
It was a lovely garden with a great influence from Japanese culture. There were cobblestoned pathways leading to a Japanese styled home and a porch way that looked to lace around the entire home. Where they were at the moment looked to be a garden. Sakura knelt down by a small pond to see fish swimming inside. A smile came to her face as she looked around at the flowers planted nearby. She could already see Ino examining them with great care.
Sakura watched as Neji walked up the pathway and onto the porch. He turned to Sakura and Ino and gestured for them to follow. Sakura tapped Ino on the shoulder and followed after Neji.
Neji led around the left side of the home and went into a hallway. It led into a large open area that reminded Sakura of a place in Oto. It was like a training ground for people studying martial arts and the like. The porch way surrounded the grounds with many sliding doors on the sides. Neji turned down another hallway, and came out to a smaller home. As Neji approached the door, he took off his shoes and knocked upon it. Sakura and Ino imitated him, and Sakura noticed there were already a couple of pairs of shoes here.
A few moments later footsteps were heard and the door opened. Hinata was standing there with a smile on her face. "Neji-niisan! You're back."
"I am, Hinata-sama, and I have brought your friends." Neji moved aside so Hinata could see Sakura and Ino. Hinata smiled and came out hugging both of them. Sakura and Ino were greatly surprised at the confidence Hinata produced.
"Did you two find your way here alright?" Hinata asked as she took a step back. "You didn't run into any trouble?"
"Nope! It was quiet and your instructions were very good." Sakura answered with a smile.
"Although, I kept feeling like someone was going to jump out on me…" Ino frowned. Sakura sweat dropped thinking again how silly Ino was being.
"If you're alone that could happen." Neji piped in as he bowed his head. "I'm going to train; call if you need me Hinata-sama."
"I will, Neji-niisan." Hinata hugged Neji before he placed his shoes on and walked off. Hinata grabbed Sakura and Ino's hands dragging them inside.
-oO0-o)
"Eeeeeh! I knew this place was dangerous." Ino commented throwing material up into the air.
"So, what happened next, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked eagerly.
Hinata had been telling Sakura and Ino about the day she been attacked by the four boys on her way to buy something.
"Well… they dragged me into an alleyway, and I tried calling for help, but I knew no one would come. Neji-niisan was busy that day, so he hadn't been able to accompany me." Hinata looked down at the orange material she was cutting out to look like a pumpkin. Sakura reached over and grabbed Hinata's hand giving it a gentle squeeze. Hinata looked up and smiled at Sakura. "They pushed me down to the ground while two of them held me there. I'm not sure what they were going to do next, but then I heard a voice shout and the boys stopped.
"When I tried looking around them I couldn't make out who was there. The sunlight was in the way of my eyes, and so were the boys, but I could definitely tell it was another boy. I was scared at first, but then the boys asked him what he wanted. He was definitely not on their side. They kept antagonizing him until he hit one of the boys!"
"HA! Serves him right." Ino punched her fists together.
"Yes…" Hinata took a deep breath as she continued. "The two boys holding me down got up and placed a hand over my mouth. One of them let go so that he could go and attack the other boy. He took them down and went straight after the boy holding me, but then that boy moved me in front of him!"
"That's low, using you as a shield…" Sakura growled and Hinata nodded slowly.
"He stopped though. His fist stopped right at my face. That gave the other boys the opportunity to strike back. It was horrible. They pinned him down and kept attacking him, but he made them stop and took them out. As he came for the last boy, instead of attacking from the front, he slid under us and hit him from behind. Then he grabbed my hand and we fled away from there." Hinata laid back giving a smile as she hugged her pumpkin decoration.
Sakura looked down at Hinata with a smile of her own. "I'm glad you weren't hurt…"
"Me too!" Ino said as she continued to work on her decorations of cats.
"He was such a sweet boy…" Hinata sighed happily as she stared up at the ceiling. "He was from Kitsune High, although he was wearing a black trench coat so I thought he was a gangster at first." Hinata giggled as she sat up.
"If he goes to Kitsune High then you can see him again during the festival!" Sakura piped in joyfully. Hinata blinked at her then blushed and shook her head. "Oh, c'mon! This is a great opportunity for you."
"Yeah, a boy who rescues a girl without a second thought must be a great guy!" Ino joined in poking Hinata in the stomach lightly. "You have to go find him again!"
"But… but… I-I…" Hinata began to stutter feeling her face get warmer. "I… don't even know is name!"
"That doesn't matter!" Sakura laughed and poked Hinata's cheek. "You know what he looks like, right? Then that's all you need!"
"But…"
"No buts!" Ino said as she placed a finger over Hinata's mouth. "You will find this boy, okay? You'll find him even through the hidden of a costume."
"Okay… you two win." Hinata sighed shaking her head, but there was a smile there. Sakura and Ino grinned at each other then blinked slowly coming to the same thought.
Halloween costumes!
"What should we go as?" Sakura wondered as she crossed her arms thinking. Hinata tilted her head with a curious look.
"I think Hinata-chan should go as the mascot!" Ino suggested.
"Eh? Me go as the Nibi? N-N-No way!" Hinata shook her head placing her hands over her face.
"Ha! That's a great idea, and you should go as a flower, Ino." Sakura suggested jokingly sticking her tongue out at her best friend who glared.
"I think you should go as a mummy, Sakura." Ino gave as a comeback. Sakura opened her mouth to argue then blinked slowly.
"That… actually sounds like a good idea, Ino." Ino sweat dropped and placed a hand over her face.
"I didn't think you'd actually agree…"
"H-H-How about Ino-chan goes as a mermaid?" Hinata proposed shyly as she tapped her two pointer fingers together. Sakura and Ino stared at her then glanced to each other.
"A mermaid, mummy, and Nibi?" Sakura raised her eyebrow then grinned.
"Sounds perfect!" Ino cheered laughing. Hinata smiled and nodded. "We'll have to work on the costumes next week! Well the mermaid and mummy. The Nibi only needs to be tailored to fit Hinata-chan. It's at the school and used every year."
"Since that's settled, let's finish this up then go shopping!" Sakura raised her fist into the air with the other two cheering happily.
-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-
October 22nd, Monday.
Naruto and Sasuke rushed down the hallway as they tried to catch up with Shikamaru and Choji.
"Shikamaru! Choji!" Naruto shouted out as he skidded around a corner and slid across the floor. Sasuke came to a stop staring blankly as Naruto crashed into a few people before stopping. Sasuke sighed shaking his head.
Shikamaru and Choji peeked from the stairs they were heading down and sweat dropped at the mess Naruto was in. Naruto squirmed under people and groaned in pain. Sasuke came over with Shikamaru and Choji behind to help everyone get up. As soon as Naruto was free from the mess up people, he jumped up and went up to Shikamaru.
"What…?" Shikamaru asked with boredom in his voice. He was inching away from Naruto who was being overly close.
"I need to know where the Kyuubi costume is." Naruto pleaded with determination in his eyes.
"What for, Naruto-kun?" Choji asked as he munched on a bag of chips.
"He got dared to do it." Sasuke added in as he leaned against the wall next to the stairs. Choji blinked and tilted his head. Shikamaru gave a sympathetic look at Naruto who glared in response.
"I'll do it! I'll never go back on my word, so do you know where it is?" Naruto asked with hope in his eyes. Shikamaru shook his head as did Choji. Naruto hung his head then crossed his arms.
"Who would know?"
"Probably the Student Council President, Naruto." Shikamaru mumbled yawning. Naruto stared at Shikamaru with a clueless expression on his face. "Neji Hyuuga, he's a junior."
"Oh, the arrogant boy." Naruto frowned.
"Uh, I guess arrogant could describe him." Shikamaru shrugged. "But he's probably in the Student Council room right now. It's down the hallway." He pointed the direction Naruto and Sasuke had come from.
"Thanks, Shikamaru." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and began to drag him down the hallway. "See you two later."
Naruto put on a neutral face as he and Sasuke walked down the hallway of people. He didn't really want to talk to that Neji after the first time. He really disliked people who thought they were better than everyone else. Sasuke let go of his arm as they came to the door. Sasuke knocked on the door and waited. Naruto placed his hands in his pocket and tried to keep his expression neutral the entire time.
Neji was the one who opened the door. He frowned when he saw who it was before crossing his arms. "Is there something you need from the Student Council?"
"Yeah. Where do you keep the Kyuubi costume?" Naruto asked with little emotion in his voice.
Neji narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "…Hold on." Neji turned back into the room and whispered something to other Student Council members. Naruto placed his hands behind his head giving a yawn. Soon, Neji came back with a key in his hand and closed the door. "This way." Neji walked passed them and headed towards the stairs.
Sasuke and Naruto followed after Neji as he headed up the stairs. They continued up until they came to the highest floor. Neji turned left and walked down the hallway moving past people. Naruto mumbled wondering where they were actually going. Suddenly, Neji stopped. Naruto almost ran into him.
"What's going…?" Naruto didn't get to finish his sentence as Neji started to run. He ran into a room disappearing. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other before running after. As they came to the room their eyes widened.
It was a mess. Things were torn up and thrown about. In one corner Naruto spotted something fuzzy. He went over to it and pulled it out.
"This is…" He began, but couldn't finish his sentence. Neji came up next to him with an angry expression.
"This was the Kyuubi costume… But it seems like someone has come in here and torn it up." Neji gripped his hands and looked around the room.
"Who would do this?" Sasuke asked as he began to pick things up. Neji looked to Sasuke and looked like he was going to argue about what he was doing, but thought otherwise and started to help. Naruto placed down the Kyuubi costume and helped as well.
A few hours later.
Neji, Naruto, and Sasuke entered the Student Council room. Naruto had the Kyuubi costume in his hand, which he placed on the table.
"We have a problem. Someone went into the storage room and sabotaged it. Look what they did to the Kyuubi costume." Neji gestured with his hands to it.
"What? Was there anything stolen, President?" Someone asked. Neji shook his head. "Then their main goal was just to make a mess…"
"That is what it looks like." Neji gave a sigh and looked at the costume. "There isn't enough time to remake this. Is there any suggestions of what can be done?"
The room went silent as Student Council members began to think. Naruto sat down in front of the Kyuubi costume and rubbed his hands across it.
It's soft. He thought with a smile. I actually like it…The costume is really well designed, and not all bulky like I thought it would. Although, I'll definitely trip over those tails. Naruto gave a silent sigh and looked up when Sasuke tapped his shoulder. Sasuke gave an encouraging smile making Naruto smile.
"Why don't we take it to the tailor that works with the school?" One of the members suggested. Neji looked at them thoughtfully before nodding his head in agreement.
Neji turned to Naruto pulling out some money. "Here, this should be enough." Naruto stared at him blankly. "Can you go to the tailor and get it repaired? We have too much work here."
"Sure." Naruto took the money from Neji and gathered up the Kyuubi costume. "But won't we get in trouble for leaving campus?"
Neji shook his head then began to write on a piece of paper before handing it to Sasuke. "Give this to the guard at the gate. He'll let you pass. The tailor is easy to spot, he's down the street. Just tell him what happened, he'll take it."
"Alright, thanks." Sasuke bowed his head and walked out of the room with Naruto following.
-oO0-o)
Sasuke and Naruto stared at the store in front of them. Many assortment of clothing were outside, and inside the building as well. Sasuke nodded to Naruto as he entered; Naruto followed fumbling with the Kyuubi's tails. A bell rang out as the door opened. Sasuke walked over to the counter where a dark skinned, muscular man with long, dark brown hair was sitting. He was reading a book. As Sasuke and Naruto approached he raised his head to reveal that he was wearing mask over his face, and had dark green eyes with red sclera.
What is with his eyes? Sasuke thought biting his lip. Maybe he's getting into Halloween.
"What do you want?" The man asked giving Sasuke and Naruto a blank look.
"Ah, we were told that you could repair the Kitsune High Kyuubi costume." Sasuke nudged Naruto forward who came up and held the Kyuubi costume out. The man stared at the costume before placing his hand out. Naruto handed the costume to him, stepping back.
"What happened to it?" The man asked as he began to examine it.
"Someone sabotaged it." Sasuke answered. The man gave a nod. He began to examine it more then looked between the boys.
"I'll fix it. You have money for it?" Naruto nodded placing down the money Neji gave him. "Who is wearing it this year?"
"I am, Sir." Naruto raised his hand up.
"Follow me then." The man stood up and started to walk into the back room. Naruto lifted an eyebrow up and followed after him. Sasuke remained in the store.
Naruto looked around curiously as he followed the man into the back of the store. "Um…"
"Kakuzu."
"What do you need me for, Kakuzu-sensei?" Naruto asked as they entered a room. Kakuzu placed the Kyuubi costume on a table before coming up behind Naruto and shutting the door. Naruto stared up at him as he was fairly tall person, almost as tall as Kisame.
"I need to take your measurements. The Kyuubi costume usually doesn't need to be fitted each year, but sometimes it does for who wears it." Kakuzu went over to the table and spread out the Kyuubi costume. "Once I'm done with that, you can go back out. Now go stand on that stool." Naruto looked around for the stool and nodded. He took off his trench coat and gave it to Kakuzu who hung it up on a peg. Then Kakuzu brought out a measuring tape and began to work.
Sasuke stretched out as he examined the clothing that was around. A lot of it was actually pretty cool, and there was a wide variety. One section of the store was purely for Kitsune and Konoha High. Sasuke remembered that Neji had mentioned that this man was the tailor for the schools.
As Sasuke looked around he spotted a long, white sleeved shirt. He grabbed it and placed the sleeves up to his arms. A smile came to his face.
This is perfect. He thought. Kushina told me that I should find a white shirt where the sleeves went past my hands. Sasuke dropped the shirt on his arm and began to look around for pants that were loose and white. Eventually, he found a perfect pair that were his size. He looked up as Naruto and the tailor came out from the back room. He went up to the counter.
"It should be ready by the end of the week."
"Thank you, Kakuzu-sensei." Naruto smiled as Kakuzu took the money that was on the counter and placed it in the cash register. He glanced at Sasuke raising an eyebrow up.
"Erm, I'd like to buy these." Sasuke placed them down on the counter. Kakuzu looked at the price tags and nodded. He scanned them then looked to Sasuke expectantly. Sasuke took out his wallet and gave the correct out of money. "Thanks."
"Do you want them bagged?" Kakuzu asked.
"Yes, Sir." Sasuke answered politely. Kakuzu placed the clothing in the bag then turned his head around.
"Tobi! Get in here now." Kakuzu shouted out. Sasuke and Naruto bowed their heads and turned to walk out until they heard a cry of excitement.
"SASUKE-KUN!" Sasuke froze instantly when he recognized that high-pitched voice and turned around slowly. His eye began to twitch when he remembered. Someone about the age of Itachi, short, black, spiky hair that was very similar to Naruto's, and an orange oval mask over his face that only had the right eye shown came bouncing over. Sasuke jumped back right before he was hugged. "Sasuke-kun…?"
"No, Tobi! NO!" Sasuke shouted as he inched away.
"Aw, but Sasuke-kun I haven't seen you in forever! And Obito-senpai won't tell me where you live." Tobi hung his head and sighed.
"That's a good thing!"
"But…"
"Tobi!" Tobi froze and turned around to see Kakuzu frowning. Tobi gave off a sheepish laugh and bowed his head. "I'm going to be fixing something, so watch the store."
"Yes, Senpai!" With Tobi distracted, Naruto and Sasuke raced out of the store and ran back to the school at full-speed.
-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-
A few moments after Sasuke and Naruto ran out of the store.
Sakura and Hinata rounded the corner and blinked slowly.
"Did you hear something, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked looking at Hinata.
"I thought I heard someone running, but I don't see anyone." Hinata looked down the street then sighed as she struggled to hold a Nibi costume in her arms.
"Ah, whatever. Let's just go before you drop that." Sakura came up to the tailor shop and entered with Hinata behind.
"SAS….Aaw…" Sakura and Hinata froze at the sound of a high-pitched voice. Sakura looked to the counter to see Tobi staring at them.
"Uh, what?" Sakura asked giving him a weird look.
"Nothing, nothing." Tobi waved them over. Sakura wasn't sure, but came up to the counter. Hinata placed down the Nibi costume giving a sigh of relief.
"Are you… Kakuzu-sensei?" Hinata asked.
"NOPE!" Tobi answered cheerfully then turned his head to look to the back room. "SENPAI! THERE ARE SOME CUTE GIRLS HERE TO SEE YOU!"
Sakura and Hinata giggled and shook their heads.
What is with this guy? Sakura thought placing a hand over her face. Tobi turned back to them. Sakura tried to give a smile, but couldn't when she couldn't see this guy's face at all behind that orange, oval mask.
Kakuzu came out from the back room and glared at Tobi as Tobi moved aside. "What do you need…?" Kakuzu stopped in mid-sentence and looked down at the Nibi costume. "Sabotage?"
"Ah, that's right, Kakuzu-sensei." Sakura answered. Kakuzu shook his head and began to examine it over.
"I'm going to kill the people that keep destroying my works…" Kakuzu mumbled as he picked it up. "Are one of you girls wearing the costume?"
"I… I-I am." Hinata answered shyly.
"Then come with me. I need to take your measurements." Kakuzu walked to the back of the store with Hinata following. Sakura gave an encouraging smile then looked to Tobi before turning away to look around the store.
Ten minutes later, Hinata came from the back room with Kakuzu.
"It'll take about a week. You'll have it before Monday. Now, the price." Kakuzu went behind his counter and looked to the girls. Hinata pulled out money and handed it to him.
"T-Thank you for this, Kakuzu-sensei. We don't mean to trouble you." Hinata bowed her head.
Kakuzu waved his hand at them. "It's not a trouble; you're paying me to do this after all." Kakuzu turned on the girls and went to the back room. Tobi took the chair again and waved to the girls.
"Fancy to buy some clothing, girls?" Tobi asked happily.
"No, thanks." Sakura mumbled as she grabbed Hinata's hand and left the store. She turned down the street they had come from heading back towards Konoha High. Sakura gave out a giant sigh and a shiver. "That guy… was creepy."
"Kakuzu-sensei?" Hinata asked.
"No, that guy with the orange mask He was overly happy and it was starting to freak me out." Sakura wrapped her arms around herself. Hinata giggled and lightly patted Sakura's arm.
"Ino-chan and I will pick up the costume, so you don't have to see him again."
"Much appreciated, Hinata-chan."
-oO0-o)
One week later. October 29th, Monday.
"S-Sakura-chan." Hinata bit her lip as she stood shaking. She was in the Nibi costume that fit her snuggly. Sakura turned around gave a large smile.
The costume was very soft looking with the same sky blue color of the mascot on the back of the girls' uniforms. Hinata looked as if the Nibi had eaten her as her face was behind a hooded mask of teeth. It wrapped around her face with the green eyes of the Nibi at approximately around Hinata's forehead. Two cat ears curved with Hinata's head while two fluffy tails were half-way curled on the back. Hinata placed her hands up to show she had paws. She could unhook the paws if she wished to be able to grab things. Sakura looked down at the shoes that were specially made with the same soft material as the costume.
"That looks adorable on you, Hinata-chan!" Sakura smiled as she came up to her and hugged her. "Aaaah, you're so soft…"
"T-T-Thanks Sakura-chan… But I'm a little e-embarrassed." Hinata stuttered. "Your costume looks great, too."
Sakura took a step back and looked down at herself. "Thanks!"
Sakura's costume was a tattered, long sleeved, white dress. Bandages were wrapped around the dress, and some of them were hanging off the collar and waist tattered as well. Sakura pulled up her hood that covered up her hair. She had a small bandage that wrapped around her neck and also an Egyptian like necklace. Over her eyes was a mask that was mache with bandages. She twirled slightly and the dressed swirled with her.
"I really like it. The same with Ino-chan's costume." Hinata smiled as she came up next to Sakura.
"Yeah! Her mermaid costume was so well done. I especially like how when you watch her walk from behind it actually looks like the flipper is moving." Sakura stretched then grabbed Hinata's hand. "Let's go find her and have some fun!"
-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-
"Saaasuke." Naruto mumbled as he stared at himself in the Kyuubi costume. Sasuke came up and grinned.
"It looks great on you, Naruto. I'm serious." Naruto sighed and turned to look at himself in the mirror.
The costume was very soft looking with the same orange color of the mascot on the back of the boys' uniforms. Naruto's face was consumed by teeth. He looked as if his head was stuck in the throat of a large fox. The hood wrapped around his face with the red eyes of the Kyuubi at roughly around Naruto's forehead. Two fox ears curved with his head while nine fluffy tails were half-way curled on the back. They were long and almost touched the floor as they curled down. Naruto looked down at his paw covered hands. He moved his fingers to unhook it from the inside and the paws flopped off, and hung from his wrists. His eyes traveled to his shoes that were specially made with the same soft material as the costume.
"I do like it, Sasuke. It's just kind of… embarrassing." Naruto turned to Sasuke and frowned. "But I see my mom's work always produces awesome results."
Sasuke came up next to Naruto and looked into the mirror at his costume.
Sasuke's costume was a mummy. His long sleeved, white shirt he had bought at Kakuzu's shop was tattered at the cuffs and had bandages hanging off. The bottom of his shirt was also tattered with bandages hanging off the waist and collar. His pants fell over his shoes tattered. Bandages were completely wrapped around his shirt and pants giving a "tight" feel, but he could easily take both pieces of clothing off. Sasuke reached up and messed with the bandages that were in his hair before pulling a hood over his head that Kushina had attached to the shirt. Over his eyes was a mask that was mache with bandages.
"Let's get going to see if we can find the others." Sasuke turned on Naruto placing his hands into hidden pockets on the pants. Naruto went after him almost tripping, but managed to catch himself.
Won't this be a fun week? Sasuke thought with a grin. How many times is Naruto going to trip over those tails…?
-oO0-o)
November 1st, Thursday.
Sasuke yawned greatly as he laid down on bench. He had his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky. He was in the back area by himself on Konoha's campus. A blank expression crossed his face as he watched the clouds drift on by.
It's going to rain soon. Sasuke thought as he slowly closed his eyes. Man, I'm so tired… Sasuke felt sleep overtake him, but when he opened his eyes again curious green eyes stared down at him. He stared back then flew up to sit up starling the person.
It was a girl that was in a mummy costume very similar to his.
"I'm sorry about that." He apologized hanging his head. The girl gave a laugh and sat down next to him. He looked to the girl as she tugged the hood better over her head. He stared at her then looked away giving a blush. Why am I getting nervous?
"It's fine. I shouldn't have been staring at you like that. I wasn't sure if you were dead or not." Sasuke turned toward the girl and gave her a half-grin. "That costume is really well done."
"Thanks. My friend's mother made it. Yours is really well done too." Sasuke commented back leaning back against the bench, but still keeping his eyes on the girl next to him.
"My best friend made this for me. She was so enthusiastic about it that she almost started placing flowers on it." The girl sighed and propped her chin onto upraised hands. Sasuke gave her a half-smile shaking his head.
"I'm guessing she really likes flowers." Sasuke presumed. The girl nodded rolling her eyes. "Have you seen the Kyuubi running around?"
"Yes! It's so well done. I can't believe the school actually came up with that. My friend's running around as the Nibi."
"Seriously? That Kyuubi is my best friend." Sasuke laughed making the girl laugh as well. "He's tripped so many times on his tails that I've lost count."
"I actually saw him trip. He looked furious as he got up." The girl continued to laugh then laid back against the bench as well. "What are you doing sleeping out here?" She asked turning to him. Sasuke, again, blushed when he saw her and had to turn away.
"That Kyuubi dragged me around for so long last night that I barely got sleep before school started." Sasuke hung his head grumbling. He heard the girl giggle and felt her pat his head softly.
"Did you get a lot of candy?"
"For sure, but I don't really like sweet things so I gave most of it to him."
"I bet he was thrilled!"
"Ugh, to no end…" Sasuke looked to the girl and both of them laughed again before staring up at the sky.
Silence followed them for several minutes as they relaxed. Sasuke felt his eyes get droopy, but refused to fall asleep again. His eyes took a glance at the girl and stared at her. He couldn't help but look at her face features, her eyes, her lips…
Wait a minute! Sasuke turned his eyes back to the sky. Why am I thinking about kissing her? I just met her for god's sake…But I can't help but want to stare at her. Something must be seriously wrong with me… Is my… love for Sakura so fickle that I'd fall for a girl I just met? No! This girl is just really cute, that's all. Sasuke convinced himself finally and yawned.
"I better go before my best friend freaks out about my sudden disappearance." The girl finally spoke up getting to her feet.
"Alright, I better go find my friend, too before he falls down the stairs." Sasuke groaned thinking about the outcome of that. The girl turned to him and smiled sweetly before waving and walking off. Sasuke stared after her feeling his face warm up.
Something is seriously wrong with me. Sasuke rubbed the back of his head before trudging off to find Naruto.
As the two walked away from each other neither them even came to realize who each other were.
-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-
Hinata stared at her hands as she sat on a window seal. She could feel herself becoming nervous and felt her face flush up. She had witnessed who the Kyuubi really was, and in that instant couldn't get the courage to talk to him. It was the boy who had saved her.
She sighed and kicked her feet back and forth. I really want to talk to him, but I don't have the courage to do so. If I told Ino-chan or Sakura-chan they'd force us together. Hinata placed her hands to her cheeks feeling herself flush up more. That's just too embarrassing!
"Hinata-sama?" Hinata looked up to see her cousin coming over to her.
"What is it, Neji-niisan?" Neji sat down next to her, and gave her a worried expression.
"Are you alright?"
"E-Eh? O-Oh! I'm fine." Hinata stuttered and began tapping her two pointer fingers together. She knew Neji understood her nervous, embarrassment habit, but she hoped he wouldn't say anything about it.
Neji lightly patted Hinata's head then stood up. "Let's go enjoy the rest of the festival Hinata-sama."
Hinata blinked at Neji then smiled and grabbed his outstretched hand. "Okay."
Neji and Hinata headed towards the stairs and were about to go up them when suddenly a fluffy Kyuubi came tumbling down the stairs. He landed right on top of Hinata and both of them spun backwards until he was on top of her. Their tails were in entangled together making it hard for them to untangled from each other.
"Gah! I'm so sorry…" He stopped and blinked several times down at Hinata before smiling. "AH! You're Hinata-chan!" Hinata gasped out and realized who was on top of her finally.
"Y-You were the one that…" Hinata didn't get to finish as the boy was suddenly lifted off of her.
"What do you think you're doing to my cousin, Naruto Namikaze?" Neji growled as he glared at Naruto. Naruto glared back and took a step away from him. He placed his fists up as if he wanted to fight.
"W-W-Wait! Neji-niisan! N-Naruto-kun!" Both boys stopped and looked at Hinata who got up quickly. "Neji-niisan, don't fight Naruto-kun… He was the boy that saved my life. Remember when I told you about the day I almost got assaulted…?"
Neji's eyes widened and he turned to look at Naruto. "You… saved Hinata-sama?"
"I did. I wasn't going to leave her after hearing her cries for help." Naruto smiled. "I also made sure they would never hurt her again, although that fight wasn't my fault." Naruto sighed.
"You mean when you got detention for beating up four boys?" Neji asked crossing his arms. Naruto nodded. "I see…" Neji looked down thinking.
Hinata looked at Naruto and gave a smile. Naruto gladly returned the smile with a small blush. Hinata looked to her cousin and waited for him to finish his thinking.
I'm glad I was able to stop them from fighting…
Neji looked up at Naruto who blinked at him. "Naruto Namikaze…"
"Yeah?" Naruto asked giving him a curious expression.
"I want to repay you for what you did. You saved my cousin's life, and I am very grateful for that."
"Ah… you don't have to do that, really." Naruto rubbed the back of his head bashfully.
"No, I must, so please would you come over to our home? I want to also apologize for how I've acted towards you since entered Kitsune High." Neji bowed his head. "Please."
Naruto and Hinata mimicked the same expression as they stared at Neji gaping, and promptly both replied with, "huh?"
-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-
If you witnessed a déjà vu then you have noticed how I shamelessly wrote Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura's costume designs very similar to each other. Yes! Very similar indeed, ehehe…
Why did I skip trick or treating or spend little time on the actual Halloween event? I wanted to focus more on the characters than the actual event, and this chapter was getting a bit long. This is probably from me switching between the girls and boys a lot.
I'm going to be drawing the costumes of Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino's! Keep a look out on my deviantart gallery! The link to it is on the bottom of my profile page. All of them will be done and posted by the time Halloween comes around!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!