CHAPTER SIXTEEN

TRICKS AND COUSINS

Soon the group of twelve were all slowly making their way towards the food court. The first ones to arrive were Jade, Deidara, and Hana. They were seated at their usual table towards the outer part of the food court by the tall stone wall that acted as a room divider. Their shopping bags were all hidden underneath the table, and the girs' purses were hung on the backs of the seats. Taking their usual seats, they waited for the others to arrive.

"Remember the plan guys," Jade said to the other two. "We have to get Hana and Itachi together at all costs. No matter what!" Hana was about to protest, but Jade continued speaking. "I don't care. You're getting your man back! We just have to push the two of you into situations where you have no choice other than to talk or spend time together."

"You guys, really. You don't have to do this," Hana finally managed get out.

"I can't believe I'm going to help that stupid Uchiha, but Jade would never let me hear the end of it, un," Deaidara mumbled grouchily under his breath.

Hana smiled, she knew there was more to it than that. She knew the blond bomber would do anything the hazel eyed girl told him to with little to no questions asked. Ever since they, the ten shinobi, had gotten turned back into their human forms, the two artists had started to spend a lot of their time together. At first it was a few hours talking about their art preferences and it only just grew from there. No one really knew what they would talk about when it was just the two of them.

"You do realize that if Itachi still likes me, and you help us get together then he would owe you one, right," Hana pondered aloud in an attempt to placate the grumbling man.

The blond artist's eyes widened and shined with excitement at the prospect of the oldest Uchiha owing him a favor. He sat back in his seat with a smirk adorning his boyish features. His smirk soon grew into a bright smile as he began to think about all the things he could get the Uchiha to do. The two girls just shook their heads at their male companion. The feud between him and the eldest Uchiha was really something. It could be compared to the rivalry of Naruto and Sasuke.

The group of three turned their heads when they heard someone approaching their table. First they saw Konan leading Nagato to the table by the ear with a scowl on her usually calm face while he was holding up to ten shopping bags on each arm. Nagato was muttering apologies to his blue haired best friend, but they didn't seem to have the desired effect. Then they saw Sakura lecturing Naruto, who was carrying an unconscious Hinata on his back. They were both holding a few shopping bags, and Sakura was holding on to Hinata's shopping bags as well as her own.

"What happened to you guys," Hana questioned, as the others got within speaking distance to the table.

"Naruto and Nagato's crude sense of humor caused Hinata to faint," Konan responded, taking a seat next to Deidara. Nagato sat next to the blue haired beauty, because she was still holding onto his ear. When she realized that she was still holding his ear she let go. The red head started to massage his abused ear with a pout.

Hinata woke up to find herself face to face with Naruto. She blinked a few times. Then she blushed so red that even the ripest tomato would be jealous of how red she got.

"Hey Hinata-chan, you're awake, 'ttebayo," Naruto whisper-shouted. Hinata's red face deepened in color and she promptly fainted yet again. Everyone at the table raised an eyebrow at her actions. Sakura bonked him on the head. "Owww, Sakura-chan. That hurt," he whined in his seat clutching his head as fake tears gathered in his eyes and started to spill over. The hit didn't hurt as bad as he made it out to be. He was just being his over dramatic self as always, but then again Sakura did tend to be a bit heavy-handed at times.

"Where are the others," Sakura asked leaning back in her seat beside Naruto. She had just noticed the absence of the others for the first time.

"They should be getting here already. I sent them all a text not to long ago," Jade responded. "I see Kim, Itachi, and Sasuke," she informed the others. She pointed her finger in their direction, and at the same time was making her chair lean back on two legs. She momentarily lost her balance and almost fell over, but thankfully Deidara's arm shot out to stabilize her. Jade gave him a sheepish smile. Hana grinned at the scene, and motioned to the others to take a look.

"Hey guys, what's up," Kim shouted cheerfully, bounding up to the table with Itachi and Sasuke in tow. She had a few shopping bags dangling off of her right arm, and was carrying a guitar case with her left hand. She was grinning brightly.

Itachi and Sasuke were miserable. Both of their arms were overflowing with shopping bags. The two brothers were wearing identical scowls, which were directed at their sister. Once they reached the others, they shoved their bags under the table, happy to be rid of the extra weight and once again have their blood circulate through their arms again.

"What happened to you, Teme? You looked terrible, dattebayo," Naruto shouted to his best friend as he threw his arms behind his head. Sasuke turned his glare to the loud mouth blond.

"Hello everyone," Kakashi greeted with a simple wave of his hand. He too, like everyone else, was holding a few shopping bags on his arms.

"So Teme, what's wrong with you," Naruto asked again.

"We got played," was Itachi's reply.

"Who pulled one on the Great Uchiha Brother's," Deidara asked. Whoever that person was he wanted to congratulate them.

"She lied to us," Sasuke accused while shooting a dirt glare at Kim. The accused widened her eyes. She wore a look of pure innocence and total disbelief. Putting a hand over her heart she began to speak.

"I did no such thing." Sasuke and Itachi both glared at her. She smiled brightly at them. "You guys told me that I would have to learn how to play an instrument. You never once asked me if I already knew how to play one. Like I told you two, my grandpa taught me how to play the guitar when I was younger and in order to graduate I needed to take an elective and took up the piano," she said in defense of herself herself.

"You knew that, and yet you still made us go to practically every store in the mall," Sasuke growled out.

"Not to mention that you took your sweet time to look at everything," Itachi tacked on. "You're one of the fastest walkers I've ever met, but the slowest shopper." Sasuke could only nod his head in agreement.

"I got a whole new wardrobe, and a new guitar. I regret nothing," she responded, smirking at her defeated brothers. Might as well rub salt in their wounds. "So ha, Sasu-cakes, Weasel-nii, I win."

When the others heard the nicknames for the two brothers, they all practically fell over laughing at the expense of the Uchiha brothers. Naruto and Deidara were rolling around on the floor. Sakura was trying to keep a straight face, but every time she looked at Sasuke she started giggling. Hana was having the same problem as the pink haired girl, though her giggles were directed at Itachi. Everyone had their own confliction. The brothers had light blushes gracing their features due to the embarrassment at the hands of their sister.

Once everyone had calmed down they decided to grab a bite to eat, but only after a bit of complaining on Naruto's part. The blond was complaining of hunger. After that he started to whine about the lack of ramen at the food court. They were all seated at the table once again.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you alright," Sakura asked having noticed that his eyes were droopier than usual, and that he was sitting with more of a slouch than was normal. Everyone turned to look at the resident white haired man. Kakashi sighed.

"I'm feeling, dare I say it, youthful," he responded with sadness leaking through his lazy drawl. He was twenty-nine years old not seventeen. Though he could not tell the cashier that. She would have called the authorities, they would arrest him, and then they would start asking questions about why he had a fake ID in the first place. Then something would go wrong and their identities would be exposed, and they would have to hide from the government. Then Kim, Jade and Ren's lives would be in danger. That or he would end up in a jail cell. Either way it was all too, as Shikamaru would say, troublesome.

"What are you talking about Kaka-sensei," Naruto asked through a mouth full of cheeseburger. When he talked some of the chew up food landed on Sasuke's face. As retaliation Sasuke threw his fork at the blond and when he realized he had nothing to eat with, he stole Itachi's. Itachi in turned tried to steal Kim's fork, but was smacked. He ended up having to walk all the way back to cutlery station and receive a new one.

"I'm seventeen years old, at least that's what my ID says," he informed the group. He took out his identification card to show them. The others took out their cards to inspect them.

"My card has the right age," Hinata stated. Deidara, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto confirmed that their ages were correct as well.

"It says I'm eighteen," Konan said. Itachi, Hana, and Nagato's all said they were age eighteen. "Oh, I even have Jade's last name." Naruto took one look at Nagato's card before he took it out of the man's hands, and gasped.

"Why do you have my last name," Naruto questioned. The others all raised an eyebrow at the two, and stared on in curiosity.

"Because I'm a descendant of the Uzumaki clan," he stated like it was something everyone should have known.

"Does that mean you're my cousin, dattebayo," he shouted in to Nagato's ear, causing him to flinch from the loudness of the blond's voice.

"Yeah, I guess it does."

Naruto started beaming, and threw his arms around the red head in a bone crushing hug. Nagato retuned the hug full force. Naruto had started to tear up, as did Nagato. Though some of them would never admit it, they were all touched with the sight of the heart-warming scene that was playing out before them. Two orphans, who had thought they had no family left in the world, had found each other, and all it took was them getting somehow sent to a different dimension as cats.

After they had all calmed down, Nagato and Naruto wearing stupid grins the entire time though no one could really blame them, they decided that it was time to head back to the loft. After a quick argument over who was going to pay the bill for their dinner, they finally decided that Kakashi, and Deidara would pay. Though when they looked back the two were nowhere in sight. Itachi and Nagato were the next to mysteriously disappear. Soon all the guys had fled from the restaurant leaving only the girls behind. Jade then realized that she still had her father's company credit card, and used that to pay. Gathering all their bags they left the mall. The entire trip back to the loft was filled with their complaints about how useless men could be at times.

When they made it back to the loft, it was already eight o'clock at night. As they walked into the loft they shot glares in the guys' direction for just leaving them there. They had left at around nine in the morning. After spending practically the whole day shopping, they were exhausted. Putting their recent purchases away, they all got ready for bed because most had work the next morning, and the others were just plain tired.