Episode 44: The Spectacular Promenade!
Overall Season Two Theme: Stand Up by J-Min
Overall Season Two End Theme: Slow Dance by Suneohair
Episode Theme: Fallinlove2nite by Prince Ft. Zooey Deschanel
Song One: Seasons of Love (From the motion picture/musical: Rent)
PROM DRESSES IN PROFILE.
On with the dance! Let joy be unconfined; No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet to chase the glowing hours with flying feet.—George Gordon
She cracked her knuckles and outstretched her hands when she tossed the protective cover over the row, letting out a breath of relief as she flopped onto her bed. Her joints contorted as she turned and stared at the alarm clock that blared three a.m.
With just three hours until she was supposed to wake up to get ready for school, she blinked back the exhaustion in her eyes and sat up. She smiled to herself, examining her skilled handy work.
Five extravagant and beautifully crafted gowns sat on stands in from of her, each aligned in a horizontal row before her with a large long cloth covering all five. Although the dresses sat in near completion, she could successfully admire what was done as the exposed bottoms glistened in the late night moonlight.
Blinking rapidly, her head began to sway, bouncing the measuring tape on her neck. Her eyes finally gave way when her head met the comfort of her pillow, her working glasses halfway off her face as she snored into a much needed slumber.
(^A.H^)
"Ino! What the hell?!"
Her eyes shot open, feeling as if she had only slept for a meager five minutes, Ino groggily directed her blood shot eyes to her pink and sparkly clutch purse alarm clock.
6:15 a.m. rang back at her through her Marina and The Diamonds soundtrack.
"Don't tell me you stayed up working on those damn dresses again!"
Ino trailed her eyes to where Sakura stood, impatiently tapping her left foot as she glared down at her with her arms crossed in white fluffy shorts and a red tank top.
By the door stood Tenten, brushing her teeth with a dull expression on her face, Megami, clutching a panda plushie with a look of awe, and Hinata with a surprised expression, holding onto an empty pan.
"Go away forehead…" she groaned. "You're disturbing my beauty sleep…"
"Then learn to go to sleep earlier. It's time to get up for school," Sakura said, annoyed.
"I actually have a good reason for staying up to work on the dresses this time…" she sighed in exhaustion.
"And that would be?"
Ino smirked and closed her eyes, clutching her fluffy yellow pillow.
"I finally finished them."
The girls turned to the waiting gowns next to Ino's bed.
"Well almost finished them," she yawned, "I still need to add a few details to each one."
"Congratulations," Tenten said through the brush in her mouth, "and it only took three and a half years."
"And right on schedule too," Hinata giggled, "just like you always said."
Sakura sighed and put her hands on her hips, "fine then, you can sleep a little longer, but if you wanna come to school late that's all you. I don't think you would want to anyway, you remember what today is?"
"Monday?!" Megami called out.
"Well, yeah," Sakura rolled her eyes, "but today is the day they also start selling tickets for—"
The girls blinked in shock when Ino's cover flew off. In half a second she was up on her feet, her eyes clear and bright, wide awake, and a smile on her face.
"What're we waiting for?! We have to get ready for school, don't we?!"
(^A.H^)
"Prom?"
Naruto tilted his head to the side, seated cross legged on the kitchen island with an omelet halfway into his mouth.
"Yeah, how much are prom tickets again?" Neji repeated, "I told Ten I'd buy our tickets today at lunch, otherwise I'll forget."
Naruto shrugged and scratched the back of his head as each member of Omega ate breakfast in their pajamas, each in a separate area of the kitchen.
"No idea, I don't even remember them announcing anything about prom, I totally forgot it was happening this week," he frowned, scratching the back of his head.
"They've been talking about it for a few weeks now," Gaara explained without looking up from his newspaper, "but what with the Battle of the Bands, recording, the new album, and….other situations, no one's really thought about it or discussed it, not even the girls."
"I haven't seen them dress shopping or anything," Sasuke deadpanned, "it's not likely they would do it last minute, especially with Ino. So, I'm going to assume they already have everything ready."
"Which means they expect us to be ready," Shikamaru sighed into his pancake, "troublesome."
"Prom huh…" Naruto mumbled to himself, "I wonder how Hinata wants me to ask her…"
"Dunce," Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "you're already dating her. You don't need to ask her to prom."
"Every girl wants to be asked to prom!" Naruto smiled, swaying side to side a bit, "otherwise what's the fun in it? It doesn't matter whether you're dating them or not! I should pick out some flowers and chocolates or something and order them for Hina…"
"Sounds like a waste of energy to me," Shikamaru grumbled.
"I doubt the girls care if we just go ahead and buy the tickets," Neji rolled his eyes, "I'm sure they know who they're going to prom with."
Naruto frowned a bit and continued with his omelet, a bit skeptic.
(^A.H^)
"This year's prom is at Nyo Hotel, the largest hotel in Tokyo," Sakura explained, looking over prom related emails on her phone, sent out to all seniors.
"Last year it was on some huge boat with an underwater theme. This year's theme is Van Gogh's Starry Night."
"How romantic," Hinata blushed as the girls walked up the walkway of Konoha high with their fellow students, Monday morning.
"A hotel, huh?" Tenten smirked.
"I think you need to get it through your head that you can't get anymore pregnant than you already are," Sakura said casually.
"Because of the last couple weeks I haven't been able to do as much as the head of the prom committee as I should have," Ino sighed, her large sunglasses framing her face as the girls stopped on the steps.
"And because of what happened, there's less people on the committee."
"We can help you Ino, you've already done the dresses, we'll work on the actual set up," Hinata offered.
"I would really appreciate that hime, since we still have to go out and hunt down shoes, makeup, and jewelry. Plus, there's my dress…" she sighed, "and all this by this Saturday."
"I'm not worried," Tenten shrugged, "with the guys, we'll be fine."
"Speaking of which…" Ino grumbled, "being prom week, it also means that it's time for—"
"Ino," Sakura warned, "you had better not be thinking what I think you are."
"So what if I am?" Ino huffed, "I told you, we're keeping all the promises we made freshman year!"
"But we were kidding when we talked about that," Tenten sighed, "besides, it was your idea."
"And you agreed to it! Didn't you?" Ino challenged before smirking, "this'll be fun!"
"Not for them…" Sakura sighed.
"Good morning, ladies."
The girls, still standing on Konoha's steps, directed their attention to the velvety voice. Ino slipped off her glasses and smiled.
A senior boy stood before them, dawned in the boy's uniform with a black shoulder bag on his arm. With pale skin, shaggy white hair, and sharp ice-blue eyes, he smiled warmly at them while girls surrounding him blushed and stared in awe.
"Good morning, Toneri," Sakura nodded.
Toneri Otsutsuki, a new transfer student and prince of the Tensei kingdom in the Nakagawa district , continued to smile as he took a couple steps to stand before the girls, towering over them at over six feet. The girls turned to face him as he stood in front of the doors.
"The cherry blossoms are in full bloom this morning, Sakura, I'm sure it's because you've made your presence known," he smiled, his eyelids dulled to bedroom eyes.
Sakura laughed a bit, "you're so sweet, Toneri."
"Ino," he smiled, turning to her, "the sun seems to shine only for you, as always."
Ino blushed and held her cheeks, "oh stop it! I mean, if you want to!"
"Tenten, such a natural beauty, you make the stars in the night sky jealous."
Tenten smirked and scoffed, rolling her eyes as she blushed a bit.
"Megami," he turned to her, "I saw a trail of red and white roses this morning and just couldn't help thinking of you, in all their grace."
Megami blushed a bit and giggled with a snort, "thanks, Toneri."
Hinata blushed and looked down when he directed his attention to her. His expression seemed to be mesmerized and in awe.
"Good morning, Hinata."
"Hi Toneri, a good morning to you," she bowed a bit.
Having previously known each other when their families met for meetings and celebrations over the years, Toneri and Hinata were somewhat well acquainted.
"I…I…" he mumbled, a bit flustered, turning to his side to take something out of his bag. She looked up and gasped a bit when he pulled out a purple lily.
"Oh, Toneri—"
"I picked this for you this morning," he said, staring into her eyes, "I hope you like it."
She took it from his hand gently as the girls watched and tried to refrain from giggling.
"It's beautiful, Toneri, thank you."
She blushed when he bowed and took her right hand, while her left held the flower. He kissed it softly, lingering for a bit before he lifted up.
"I'll see you in class then," he smiled before turning back to the girls with a flirtatious expression, "ladies."
"Bye Toneri," the girls, excluding Hinata, said in unison, waving like lovestruck school girls as he walked inside, only to be met by a crowd of other girls who surrounded him, to whom he smiled at.
Ino sighed and fanned herself, whistling, "that guy is so good looking, and such a romantic."
"Yeah," Tenten said with her arms crossed, "but he's such a flirt. He's only been here a few weeks and he's already almost as popular as the guys."
"He talks the same way to every girl too," Sakura added.
"Except one," Megami giggled mischievously. The girls turned to Hinata who smelled the flower before turning to them in surprise.
"O-oh no! I'm no different than any other girl here! He treats me just the same!" she said rapidly.
"Oh you know that's not true, Hinata," Sakura grinned, "Toneri is so different around you, everyone knows he likes you."
"Especially Naruto," Tenten laughed.
Hinata frowned a bit, clutching the flower with both hands. Since Toneri's arrival, he and Naruto had butted heads on multiple occasions because of his need to openly express his emotions to her without directly saying how he felt, and chastising Naruto for his relationship with her.
"Even so," Ino sighed dreamily with her hands on her cheeks, "he's a dream."
"And who would that be, exactly?"
The girls twisted around to meet the guys, standing together. Shikamaru, who had spoken, walked up the steps and tilted his head to side, motioning for an answer.
"Oh, nothing of your concern sweetie!"
"Morning girls!" Naruto called, waving as he walked up the steps, "you sure look—what's that?"
Hinata blinked when Naruto stopped and pointed to the flower in her hands.
"O-oh! This, it's…um…well—"
"Toneri just gave it to her!" Ino cut in, smiling wickedly.
"What?!" Naruto glared at the flower.
"Naruto-kun, it's nothing, it was just a sweet gesture," Hinata tried to reassure.
"That guy…" he grumbled, eyeing the flower.
Hinata gasped when, suddenly, he opened his mouth and clamped the flower in his teeth before pulling it out of her hands and stuffing it in his mouth.
"What the hell?!" Tenten called out.
"Naruto-kun!"
"What?" he mumbled, innocently chewing the flower casually.
Sakura sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose while Neji and Sasuke rolled their eyes.
"I didn't know flowers were edible!" Megami yelled in confusion.
"They're not," Sasuke said dully, "and please take my word for it."
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata whined, "that was incredibly unnecessary—!"
"We should get to class, shouldn't we Hinata-chan?!" he chanted, still chewing.
Before Hinata could get another word out he took her hand and rushed her through the entrance doors, just as the bell rang.
(^A.H^)
"You know, most lilies are poisonous," Gaara said stonily without lifting his eyes from his book.
"Now you tell me," Naruto groaned, clutching his stomach as he buckled over in his desk first period.
"Idiot," Sasuke added.
"Naruto-kun, I don't like what you did on the steps," Hinata chastised, "it was just a flower."
"Aw come on Hinata!" Naruto whined, "you know he's been trying to woo you since the day he got here!"
"Naruto-kun," Hinata sighed, "I've told you before, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. It's you I love. So please, stop fighting with Toneri," she smiled.
Naruto sighed in defeat, "I'm sorry Hinata, I just don't like the way he acts around you. But, if it'll make you happy, I'll try and stop arguing with him."
Hinata smiled softly, "thank you, Naruto-kun."
"Come to think of it," Neji snarled with a clenched fist, Tenten, seated on his lap, "I don't like the way he acts around any of you. To think, he has the audacity to flirt with you."
"It's just the way every other guy flirts with us when you aren't around," Tenten said cheekily, "he just has more style."
Neji narrowed his eyes at her, Tenten turned to him and winked.
"Should we teach him a lesson?" Sasuke said dully, absent-mindedly twirling a strand of Megami's hair between his fingers as she sat, leaning on his left shoulder.
"Not a chance!" Sakura said firmly, seated next to Gaara with his arm around her shoulder and the other with a book he read, "give it a rest will yeah? You don't need to hurt everyone who wants something to do with us."
"Sometimes we do," Gaara cut in stonily without raising his head, "we've learned our lesson on that."
Sakura shot him a warning look. He cleared his throat and directed his attention to the lot.
"You heard the woman."
Sakura smiled cheekily and kissed his cheek.
The nine lifted their heads as the loud speaker came on, halfway through first period with Kakashi not in sight, Ino had gone down to the main office to make a few announcements regarding prom.
"Good morning Konoha high school, these are your morning announcements. Seniors," Shizune's cheery voice came, "A quick reminder: don't forget to buy your tickets for prom this Saturday. Tickets will not be sold at the door so get them by Friday afternoon. Now, head of the prom committee, Ino Yamanaka, has a few announcements of her own to make before we continue with our general announcements."
Classes listened as the intercom flickered until Ino's voice came on. She cleared her throat for attention before she began.
"Good morning and hello students of Konoha high!" she yelled excitingly, the hint of valley girl in her voice blaring down.
Sakura rolled her eyes.
"I am your wonderful prom committee president Ino Yamanaka! As you already know! Seniors, as all of you should be aware, prom is just around the corner! My committee is working hard to make sure Nyo Hotel is ready and waiting, along with some added benefits! This, I promise, is going to be a prom to remember, so girls, have those dresses ready and boys, don't you dare forget that corsage!"
"She's something else," Shikamaru sighed.
"Now on a different but prom related note, I would like to personally announce that Alpha is officially on the open market for PROM!"
"WHAT?!"
The collective yell of the members of Omega seemed to fall into the in-unison yell of many other male and even female students across Konoha high.
"You heard me right!" Ino giggled.
The guys shot their eyes in annoyance, confusion, and a demand for answers to the rest of the sheepish looking members of Alpha.
"Whoever can ask each of us to prom in a way I determine is the most SPECIAL and UNIQUE will have the grand opportunity of taking us to prom! But! I have to decide on whether or not your promposal is unique, depending on effort put in, creativity and overall hard work! The race is on boys! (or even girls!) Can you beat Omega? Let the games begin!"
The class sat in a cold silence before Ino spoke one more time.
"That is all."
The intercom clicked back to Shizune, but no one paid attention. The girls attempted to avoid eye contact as the boys, furiously, stared them down.
"Answers," Sasuke's ice tone voice came, "now."
(^A.H^)
"It was just a stupid idea freshman year! We were kidding around! Honest! We didn't think Ino would take it seriously!" Tenten groaned.
"We joked around that if we all had boyfriends, we would only go to prom with them if they asked us in a special way, and if they didn't we would go with someone who did. You know? Dumb stuff you say when you're fifteen," Megami urged.
Tenten nodded in agreement, "we were talking all kinds of mess when we were fifteen. Like, I always said by the time I turned eighteen I would be in the Olympics."
"Yeah," Sakura agreed, "when I was fifteen I was still saying prince charming was going to wisp me off to fairy tale land wearing a fancy cape on a white horse!" she laughed nervously, "We were fifteen, what do you expect?"
The boys glanced at each other as the nine stood together outside Kakashi's room near the end of first period.
"Why don't you tell Ino to call it off?" Naruto questioned, edgy, "it's not a good idea! We're already dating! We don't need to ask you!"
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata frowned a bit, glancing to the floor.
"I mean…" he sighed, scratching the back of his head, "I was already going to…" he mumbled.
"Come on," Tenten clutched the bridge of her nose, "do I even need to say it? It's freaking. Ino."
"When she decides something—" Sakura sighed.
"That's the way it goes," Megami finished, "hell hath no fury like an Ino who doesn't get her way."
Neji narrowed his eyes, "You really need to reevaluate your friendships."
"Come on! Maybe this will be fun!" Tenten laughed, "you guys haven't had competition in a while! I'm sure it won't be hard thinking of a unique way to ask us to prom! You know us better than anyone, and besides, it's not like every senior guy is gonna try and ask us to go."
"There she is," Shikamaru sighed as they all turned to the clacking of Mary Janes down the hallway from the main office.
Ino sashayed up to the nine who stared her down.
She stopped and put her hand on her hip as she stood in front of them, smiling like a vixen.
"What'd I miss?" she cooed, raising a confident brow.
Suddenly, Naruto groaned and clutched his stomach again. The lot turned to him from Ino.
"Naruto-kun! Are you alright?" Hinata jogged to him.
"I think the flower is fighting back again," Gaara explained.
"Yeah and it's mad!" Naruto groaned loudly.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
Every male senior in school had a chance to take one of the girls to prom. If he didn't already have Hinata's fan base to worry about, he certainly knew of someone who could pose as a real threat.
The bell indicating the end of first period rang through the halls.
"Well," Sakura began, "we'll see each other later then."
She reached out for Gaara's hand so they could walk towards their second period, but before he could grasp it the girls gasped as they found themselves suddenly surrounded.
The members of Omega, mirroring Alpha, stood in shock as various senior boys crowded around the girls.
"Ino! Ino! I'll take you to prom!"
"Be my date, Tenten!"
"Go with me Megami! I promise we'll have fun!"
"Let me take you Sakura! I'll be a perfect date!"
"Hinata! I'll take you!"
"Damn you, Ino." Sakura growled as Ino stood smugly, confidently.
"You heard me boys! Asking alone won't convince me! You'd better have a good idea up your sleeves if you wanna take us to prom!"
Shikamaru's eyes dulled in exhaustion as he watched the boys attempt to pile drive their way through other boys to get to the girls.
"Feels like it's going to be a long week…"
(^A.H^)
"Damn Ino and her crazy ideas! How in the hell are we supposed to do this?!" Neji growled as the boys walked together to their third period classes.
Each shared second period with their individual partner, and had spent the last hour fending off prom requests.
Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, "she wants us to ask them all to prom in a unique way. So what happens if we can't, and someone else does? They go to prom with them?"
"No way!" Naruto yelled suddenly, "there's no way I'm letting Hinata go to prom with someone else! Even if it is just a dance!"
"But it's not just a dance," Shikamaru sighed, "this is the second most important pre-planned day in Ino's life—right after her wedding. She wants it to be something she and the girls remember."
"I haven't had to ask a girl to a dance in three years," Neji bit, "it'll suck if Ten ends up having to go with someone else. It'll suck for all of us, especially you," he nudged his head to Gaara.
"Shut up." Gaara snapped back coldly.
"Why's that?" Shikamaru raised a brow.
"He's been planning on getting it in with Sakura on prom night for weeks now," Neji snickered.
He cursed and held his head after Gaara delivered a punch to it.
"Bastard, I'm not and I haven't been planning on it. I just think that maybe, since we've waited this long, and since prom is at Nyo hotel, it'll give us a chance to…" he cleared his throat, "consummate our relationship."
"So you mean have sex." Neji said blandly.
Gaara narrowed his eyes at him a bit, "Yeah. Sex."
"Does Sakura know about this?" Sasuke asked.
"No," Gaara continued, "I want to do something special, I don't want her to think I just want to…fuck her."
"Why not? A hotel is a perfect opportunity." Neji smirked.
"Friendly public service announcement that you can't get Tenten any more pregnant than she already is," Shikamaru said.
"Anyway," Sasuke went on, "if you really want to be with her on Saturday then you had better think of a good way to ask her. There're plenty of guys here who want the chance to take Sakura to prom."
"Yeah," Gaara deadpanned, "I know."
"And you," Sasuke turned to Naruto, as did the rest of the guys.
Naruto looked up to them, sullen as he trotted with them.
"I'm sure there's no way you're gonna let Toneri take Hinata."
The boys stopped in the hallway and stared at him.
Naruto looked to the ground for a moment before he lifted his head and glared at them.
"No way in hell."
(^A.H^)
"Your plan is getting on my last nerves, Ino-pig. I haven't gotten a break all morning," Sakura growled, rubbing her temples as the girls sat down at their lunch table.
"I think it's starting to annoy the guys too," Megami sighed as she slurped her ramen cup, "Every time a guy tries to ask me Sasuke almost pulverizes them."
"Well I think this is fun!" Ino snickered, "it's exciting to see the guys squirm for once! Don't worry girls, they'll think of something worthy enough for me to approve of, if they really care about taking us to prom."
"You had better be right," Tenten sighed, picking at her macaroni.
"So I take it the rumors are true, this prom situation is real?"
The girls looked up.
"Toneri!" Ino squealed excitingly.
"Sadly, yes," Sakura sighed, "please blame Ino and her incompetence."
Ignoring her, Ino turned to Toneri with a wide, wicked smile. "If you have anyone of us you want to ask Toneri, you'll have to do it in an extra special way, but it's not hard for you to be romantic, right?"
Toneri chuckled a bit, his hands in his pockets as he stood in front of their oval table, in between Ino and Hinata.
"I guess you could say that."
"So," Ino said, examining her nails as she turned back, "is there anyone in particular you want to try and ask?"
Toneri shot his eyes to Hinata who sat on the end of the table, without turning his head from the girls. She bit her bottom lip and trailed her eyes to the table, shifting in her seat.
"Well…there is someone I'd love to…try to…"
"Hey! Pretty boy!"
Toneri closed his eyes for a moment and blew out an annoyed breath before opening his eyes and turning around, only to come directly face to face with Naruto.
The boy's foreheads nearly touched as Naruto stood breathing heavily, slightly hunched over as he glared at him, while Toneri stood firm and straight, dull, bored eyes staring back at him. Behind Naruto, the boys stood watching.
"How about you do yourself a favor and back the hell away from my girl," he snarled.
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata's concerned voice came as she slightly stood up.
Toneri smirked, "I'm allowed to take her to prom, as long as I do it the right way, so it's anyone's fair game. So technically, she isn't your girl, is she, Uzumaki?"
"You'd better watch what you say Otsutsuki," Naruto said through grinding teeth and clenched fists, "before I send you to prom in crutches."
"Well I'll still be taking Hinata, so it makes no difference," a wicked smile spread across his face.
Naruto's glare deepened.
Ino sighed, sipping her V8, "that's enough gentlemen, and I use the term loosely.I suggest you cut the petty fight and eat your lunches like good little boys before I put you both in urgent care, do I make myself clear?" she snapped.
Naruto and Toneri took a couple steps back away from one another without dropping eye contact.
"Yes ma'am," they said in unison.
Toneri finally cut away from Naruto's glare, he turned to the girls with a soft smile and a nod, "ladies."
"Bye Toneri!" the girls, excluding Hinata, cooed in unison again.
"Hinata," he whispered, nodding to her a bit before brushing past Naruto.
Naruto huffed and dropped down next to Hinata as the rest of the guys took their seats, "geez, what a cad."
"Naruto-kun, you said you'd stop picking fights with Toneri," Hinata frowned.
"But he started it!" Naruto groaned.
"Enough about you and your issues with Toneri!" Ino yelled, "we're going to talk about me now, well, at least me and our prom dresses," she squealed.
Tenten, Sakura, and Shikamaru rolled their eyes as the rest focused on Ino who cleared her throat before speaking.
"On Friday afternoon, after the final basketball game, the girls and I are going to look at makeup, shoes, and jewelry. I already have everything picked out and ready, the girls and I just have to pick which one fits best for the dresses. Then we'll be going to help set up at Nyo hotel." Ino explained.
"Speaking of which," Neji cut in, "you need to tell us what colors each of your dresses are, so we can coordinate our suits."
The nine of them blinked when Ino let out a loud, obnoxious laugh that had her buckling over.
Neji narrowed his eyes, "Did I say something funny?"
Ino chuckled as she wiped a small tear from her eye.
"How many times do I have to remind you idiots? You are not going to prom with us unless I give the okay."
Neji and Sasuke narrowed their eyes, Gaara closed his eyes and let out a sigh, Shikamaru rubbed the bridge of his nose, and Naruto frowned as he stared at the table.
Ino smirked, "you ladies had better get your asses in gear, otherwise I'll be telling some other guy what color his suit should be."
(^A.H^)
"In honor of prom on Saturday I have selected a list of five songs. We will vote on one that the entire class will perform in front of the entire school on Thursday during the band and instrumental concert sixth period. Each song requires a pianist and one male and female lead singer."
"It's obvious Neji-kun should be the male lead if we're performing in front of the entire school, he has the strongest voice!" one girls called out randomly.
"And Naruto-kun should be on the piano! He's the best!" another yelled.
Naruto smiled sheepishly and Neji smirked cockily as various chatter of agreements swept across the classroom.
"Hinata's the strongest female singer!" Megami threw in.
"Megami, shush…" Hinata ushered her to stop.
Various agreements went across the room again as Hinata blushed, Naruto leaned down to her, snickering before he lightly kissed her cheek.
"Now hold on, hold on everyone!" Kurenai cut in, "we'll take care of those three parts when we've all chosen a song. Now you'll each find a sheet of paper under your chair. Please select a song and bring it up."
The students rustled in picking their papers, making comments and murmuring as they each placed their votes.
"It's like voting for prom king and queen or something!" one girl whispered to another.
"Speaking of which, who do you think is going to win?" the other whispered as a few girls huddled in a group to discuss it when their papers were turned in.
"Well one of Omega is definitely a shoo-in," another giggled.
"Oh I hope it's Neji-kun!" one whispered.
"No way! It has to be Sasuke-kun!"
"Gaara-kun is an absolute definite!"
"Uh uh! Naruto-kun all the way!"
"It absolutely has to be Shikamaru-kun!"
Neji nudged the boys who in turn smirked, they always knew from the beginning of high school that they were a shoo-in for prom king nominations, though they never particularly cared, it was interesting to see who the girls preferred. Only time would tell, however.
Even so, not one of them had any idea who was worthy of being named queen.
"Alright! If that's everyone's!" Kurenai said after a couple minutes, "It looks like a popular song among this voting is Seasons of Love. Good, it's a nice group ballad, and especially good for prom."
The various students murmured their approvals.
"Now, it seems the majority are in agreement about who will be at the piano, and who will sing lead, am I right?" she smiled, instigating various nods.
"Good, Naruto will be at piano, Neji as the male lead, and Hinata as the female lead. Now, let's get to practicing, shall we?"
(^A.H^)
"You know I'd rather not sing in front of the entire school," Hinata laughed nervously.
"What are you talking about? You've sung and danced in front of ten times that amount of people," Ino huffed as the girls, in their gym uniforms, walked into the gymnasium as a free period class went on.
The boys, waiting for them, sat on the bleachers, talking.
"With you girls," Hinata frowned a bit.
"Aw come on Hinata, we've come to long a way for you to be self-conscious about anything anymore!" Sakura reassured.
"Yeah!" Megami added in through a mouth full of Chips Ahoy, her hand in the bag, "you'd think either we or Naruto would have crushed that inferiority complex by now!"
"It's not that," Hinata mumbled, rubbing her hands together, "It's just…standing in front of a lot of people…still makes me a little queasy."
"Well, we'll still be right behind you the whole time!" Tenten smiled toothily, putting an arm around her shoulder.
Hinata smiled warmly as the girls laughed together, heading towards where the boys waited.
But, all five were suddenly halted in their step by a boy who stood stark in front of them.
It wouldn't have come as a major surprise, if in his hands did not sit a bouquet of freshly picked roses.
"Oh no," Sakura groaned a bit.
Next to her, a wide grin spread across Ino's face.
"Who do you think he's aiming for…?" Tenten sighed in a whisper.
The senior boy cleared his throat as the majority of the gymnasium who could see, silenced and turned to look at his daring approach.
Including, Omega.
He took a deep breath and lifted his head in confidence.
"Megami!" he said loudly.
"Oh boy," Tenten said with her brows raised.
All eyes fell on Megami, who raised her brows, though still casually eating from her back of cookies.
All eyes then fell on Sasuke, though not many could stomach the death glare he directed at the boy.
"What's up Koudai?" Megami asked nonchalantly.
"I've been in love with you for two months now!" he said abruptly.
"Well, he lived a good life," Neji sighed.
"Thanks!" Megami smiled sweetly.
"I know everything there is to know about you!"
"Not the best way to kick things off," Sakura mumbled.
"So I know if I can be your date, I'll make it the best night of your life!"
"Dude! Calm down!" Naruto whisper-yelled as both he and Gaara struggled to hold Sasuke back, "we're not supposed to intervene in the proposals!"
"Alright," Megami said, chewing.
"So!" he yelled, "would you do me the great honor, of allowing me to take you to the senior prom, as my date?!"
The entire gym, silenced. The only sound to be heard was Megami's chewing, and Sasuke's heavy breathing.
"No thanks!"
Many eyes widened, as they were surprised to find that it was not Megami's voice that spoke.
All eyes fell on Ino who smiled sweetly.
Koudai's eyes widened as he blinked in shock.
"I'll be answering for Megami, thank you," she continued, "and she says no. Like I said, it'll take much more for me to agree to a promposal. Sorry, maybe next time."
Megami tilted her head to the side in confusion as Ino hummed, moving past the girls. Hinata frowned and Sakura and Tenten sighed as they followed her to the bleachers.
Koudai shook visibly, his head down in defeat as Megami frowned.
Many students broke the silence and began to return to their activities.
Megami lifted Koudai's head up with two fingers. He looked at her with glistening eyes as she smiled warmly.
She leaned in and softly kissed his cheek.
She ignored the continued yelling of Naruto to ease Sasuke as Koudai blushed deeply.
"I'm sorry, but I love Sasuke." She bowed, "please consider asking Tetsuda, she's had a crush on you since sophomore year."
Koudai blinked a few times as Megami waved, jogging past him to the girls.
(^A.H^)
"Don't you think that was a little harsh Ino? I mean the poor guy looked like he would pass out from embarrassment," Tenten said as the girls tossed a volleyball back and forth. "This isn't exactly fair to the guys who like us."
"You mean the fanboys?" Ino asked in a grunt as she hit it over to Hinata.
"They do have feelings Ino-pig, this is why I said this is a horrible idea," Sakura growled.
"Would you girls calm down?" Ino groaned, "have a little faith in me would yeah? This will work out better than you think, just be a little patient, alright? The last thing I want is for anyone to go to prom without a date," she smiled.
Four members of Alpha eyed each other. Tenten sighed when the volleyball came back to her.
"Well, I'm sure it can't get any worse than this…"
(^A.H^)
"I would say I stand corrected," Tenten said bluntly, "but I had a feeling I would be saying it anyway."
Ino and Megami giggled as the girls stood outside at the end of the day, expecting to walk out of the building and go home like the rest of the students. Instead, all five stood facing a banner smothered in green paint, reading:
TENTEN SENTO, WILL YOU PLEASE
GO TO PROM WITH ME?
Two boys held each end of the banner that appeared to have been made in fourth year Art class. In front of the banner stood Ryuji, a tall senior boy with dark purple hair. Many students heading home stopped to watch the situation as the girls stood staring on the school steps.
"You've got to be kidding me." Neji hissed, black raybans on his eyes as he and the boys stood watching by the limo.
Ryuji smiled kindly, his hands behind his back in a slight military stance as Tenten gulped. Megami, Hinata, and Sakura directed their attention to Ino, who stood with a small smile on her face.
Tenten laughed nervously, "Aw come on Ryuji! You know me! You don't wanna go to prom with me!"
"But I do," Ryuji continued after having "I'd kill for the opportunity to take you to prom, or any date really. Say you'll give me a chance?"
"But I-I have a…" she cleared her throat, motioning to her stomach, "you know…"
"It doesn't matter to me," he reassured with a smile, "I know your situation, it doesn't faze me at all."
"How sweet of him," Hinata whispered. Ino, who stood next to her, revealed nothing.
Tenten shifted nervously, glancing from Ino, to Ryuji, and even for a moment to the limo. Her eyes widened a bit when instead of seeing the boys standing there, she saw Neji fast walking over to where they stood, with the boys still standing by the limo.
"What do you say?" Ryuji asked again.
Tenten looked around frantically, "I-uh, um, I—!" she groaned a bit when it looked like Neji was two seconds from tackling his former soccer teammate to the ground.
"No thanks, sorry."
Tenten mentally blew out a breath when Neji halted and the lot turned their attention to Ino who was slipping on her very own big sunglasses.
"Sorry Ryuji," Ino nodded before snapping her fingers, "come on ladies, we have a dance to set up for."
The girls said nothing when Ryuji slumped a bit as they passed him, excluding Tenten who remained in front.
Ino glanced back to her with a nod, before continuing on with the girls to their rides.
Tenten cleared her throat and walked up to Ryuji, who towered over her.
"Hey Ryuji, you know Yui, on the cheerleading squad?" she whispered, noticing Yui standing with her friends as one of the bystanders in the parking lot.
"Yeah, I know her," he whispered back.
"I think you should try asking her," Tenten smiled a bit.
Ryuji raised a brow, "why? I don't think she likes me, she certainly doesn't act like it."
Tenten's smile widened, "you'd be surprised."
Neji tsked as he walked back to the boys who didn't take their eyes off the talking couple.
"It sort of seems like Ino is looking to play matchmaker too." Naruto said, his hands behind his head.
"I wouldn't be surprised if that was an added goal," Shikamaru sighed, "but she can't do that for everyone."
"Which means she is adamant about this special promposal thing," Sasuke said blankly.
"Which also means," Neji said coldly, "we're really going to have to do something grand, and soon, or we might not go to prom at all."
(^A.H^)
"So what's the deal with your dress, Ino? How come it's the only one not even close to being done?" Tenten asked through a mouthful of kung pao chicken.
Ino set down her chopsticks and dabbed her mouth clean of garlic sauce from her hunan chicken.
The girls sat seated around their family size dinner table, eating Chinese food with a starry night outside.
"I've told you guys the story of prom for my family, right?"
Sakura sipped her fruit juice, "wasn't it that the same material has been passed down from generation to generation in your immediate family?"
"Yeah," Ino nodded. "The same prom dress material has been handed down since the early 20th century. My great-grandmother wore the first dress in the twenties, then handed down the dress so my grandmother could turn it into her own dress in the fifties, with added material, then my mom wore her own version with the same material in the eighties, and since Tsubaki couldn't go to prom because of a modeling tour, the material's been handed to me. But since times have changed, I need to add a lot more material to my own."
"I'm surprised you don't want to create your very own dress from scratch," Hinata said as Megami messily stuffed her face next to her.
Ino smiled softly, "I am creating my very own. This is just tradition. I've been waiting to be given the material since I was a little girl, and no one's made it themselves since my great-grandmother. This is a dream come true and it gives me a place in my family history, on my mother's side. The only reason I haven't finished yet is because the very last piece of material has to be added in, and I can't put it in until I go and get it from my mom."
"Sounds like a whole lot of stuff for one night," Megami said through a mouthful.
"No dress will ever be good enough for me, unless I've made it with my own two hands, sweat, and tears. At least no important dress that is…" Ino mumbled.
"If the designs are so important to you, why put effort into this promposal thing?" Tenten challenged, "seems like a whole lot of stress for all of us—"
"BECAUSE!" Ino yelled suddenly, making the girls jump a bit. She looked down to her food, "I've been dreaming of this day since I was a little girl. And I'm sure you girls have thought about it too. But we were too busy having a shit life to think about it," she snarled before sighing, "I just…I just think we…we deserve a really special night, through and through…"
Sakura sighed, "but Ino, we can if we—"
"Girls."
The lot turned to Hinata, holding her phone to her face as she read a text message.
"Naruto-kun says we should turn on the TV to E!-Japan."
The girls glanced at each other before standing up from their food and heading to the living room.
Sakura switched on the TV as the girls seated themselves on the couch and floor.
After some channel flipping, they landed on E!-Japan, where they were surprised to find the boys on Cheri! The popular talk show.
"—It is prom season ladies and gentlemen, and hearts are in the air!" Cheri's excited voice came as the show had just returned from a commercial break.
"I didn't know they were going to be on Cheri tonight," Sakura frowned as she took her seat in the middle of Tenten and Ino on the coach.
"Maybe because we were too busy fighting promposals," Tenten grumbled.
"I'm back here with the members of Omega who are having their own prom this weekend like many students in Japan!" Cheri turned to the boys, seated on the pink, cherry covered couch. "Boys, how're your prom plans coming along?"
"We're hoping to spend prom with some very special girls," Neji said confidently.
"Your girlfriends, I assume?" Cheri beamed.
"There's no one else for us," Gaara continued. "We have had many offers in the past, even when we weren't seniors ourselves. But now there are only a select few, who we will take. If they'll have us."
Ino narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, "What the hell is this?"
"Romantic! Romantic! I absolutely love it!" Cheri chimed. "So have you asked your very special girls yet? Or is there not a need?"
"We were actually hoping," Naruto smiled brightly, "to take this opportunity and see if they're willing now!"
"Oh they can't be serious," Ino snarled.
"Aw come on Ino, this looks like a good enough way ask us," Sakura sighed.
"Yeah, give them a break," Tenten added.
"If I wanted good enough I'd shop at Walmart," she hissed.
"Well," Cheri said brightly snapping her fingers off screen, "if you boys are interested, then maybe we should give the girls a call! See what they have to say to your proposal?!"
The boys looked confident in themselves as a hot pink phone was brought onto the set, the studio audience 'ooed' and clapped as the phone was set down in front of them.
The studio silenced as Shikamaru, sitting on the end, dialed. The ringing blared throughout the entire set so everyone could hear the conversation.
"Uh oh," Tenten groaned.
"Bad idea," Megami said aloud as Ino twisted around and stormed to the ringing house phone. The girls sat frozen, watching, knowing there was nothing they could do to stop her.
They heard the phone pick up from both the TV and the kitchen.
The boys smiled as Shikamaru began, "hello—"
"If you pretty boys think for a second that asking us on national TV is going to make us go to prom with you then you've got another thing coming!" Ino barked confidently on the phone and television.
The girls whitened and shifted uncomfortably at the shocked faces on their screen.
"The gesture is appreciated, but I didn't ask for a group proposal! Try again boys!" she sang, "love you!"
The phone clicked to an end on both parties. Silenced seemed to take both the Alpha household and Cheri's show.
"Ino…why…?" Sakura drawled out, holding her face in her hands when Ino came back.
"Ino, you just embarrassed them on TV," Hinata frowned.
"Yeah, the least you could have done is said yes and then changed your mind or something if you're so hell bent on this," Tenten sighed.
"There's no way in hell I'm letting them use their OMEGA connections to ask us to prom. I said it before and I'll say it again, it has to be something from their heart!" she said firmly. "They know us well enough to know what will appeal to us. Those asses just need to think. Besides, they're embarrassed for what, two seconds? Thousands of girls will be calling Cheri's talk show number to ask if they can go with the boys right about—"
The girls shot their heads to the TV where Cheri was looking around surprised at the various ringing and yelling from audience girls that they would go with the boys.
"Now," Ino growled before twisted around to get back to dinner.
"See what I mean?"
The girls mutually sighed as they shut off the TV to go back to their dinner, not missing the anger, confusion, and annoyance on the boys faces.
There would be quite the bit of ringing on each of their phones pretty soon, that much they knew.
(^A.H^)
"I don't even want to begin to imagine how pissed the guys must be right now," Tenten blew out a breath as she stepped over to Ino's car where the girls waited for her to gather her things early Tuesday morning.
"Oh they'll be fine," Ino said within her car, "we've put them through worse. Serves them right."
After successfully avoiding many calls the previous night, the girls, for the first time, feared facing the boys as they walked towards the building after Ino had finished fishing out her items.
They visibly cringed when a white limo made its usual way to the front, where buses parked.
"Prepare for the rioting…" Tenten grumbled, crossing her arms in annoyance as the girls stood on the steps.
As they watched the boys step out, the girls, as well as the arriving and walking students around, gathered with confused expressions as they began to notice the fluttering of petals slowly cascading to the ground.
It wasn't long before nearly everyone on campus began to see the petals falling just above the steps.
Sakura caught a single one in her hand as the girls looked up and around in confusion. She raised a brow.
"Purple lilies? Those don't grow around here. And this is anime, isn't it supposed to be cherry blossoms…"
"What do you think it means?" Tenten asked as she eyed one of her own in her hand.
"Apocalypse!" Megami cried.
"Or," Tenten narrowed her eyes, "something a little more logical."
Hinata blinked a few times when a small gust of wind seemed to pick up. Her thick dark hair blew a bit, along with her skirt, that she casually held down to keep from blowing any further. A soft sent of milk-chocolate mixed with lavender touched her nose, as well as the girls.
"Hinata."
She gasped a bit at the deep voice just at her ear. She twisted around, taking a step back, nearly falling off the steps before her hand was caught and she was gracefully pulled back into the stranger's arms.
The girls turned to look in shock at the young man dawned completely in white. He wore a white collar shirt similar to the boy's uniform collar, white dress pants, and white dress shoes.
While everyone else's eyes widened, Naruto, after having just stepped out of the limo, glared and grinded his teeth after a moment of shock.
"Damn it," he growled, "To—"
"—Neri," Hinata blew out as he gently let her go, allowing her to steady on the steps as the girls stood to the side.
Toneri smiled warmly, especially when he saw Naruto at the corner of his eye.
"Hinata Hyuga," he said charismatically as he bent over, on one knee, his right arm behind his back, as he bowed to her. Hinata blinked in shock.
Ino's brows raised a moment before she stood in front of the girls and crossed her arms.
"You shine as bright as the lilies that grace you now, gazing in the sun and allowing the world the pleasure of your very presence…"
"That guy sure knows how to talk," Tenten mumbled to Sakura who nodded, her brows raised.
Hinata gasped once again. Naruto nearly gasped as well when Toneri pulled out a bouquet of light purple lilies from his back.
"Letting me breathe the same air you do alone is gracious enough for me. But I think a greater honor would be allowing me the upmost grand opportunity of being your escort to the senior prom. Say you'll go with me?"
Toneri looked up to her, flashing a soft, closed smile that could melt any girls heart.
"Toneri…" Hinata barely blew out as they stood being watched by most.
Naruto's fists clenched at his sides as he restrained himself. The rest of the members of Omega, not including one absent member, thought about what he was going to do. But, they knew, and Naruto knew, he could not interfere, under Ino's orders.
On the steps, Hinata looked ready to bolt. She didn't know what to say. She certainly didn't want to be the one to reject Toneri in front of anyone.
"That's fine and good Toneri, but I'm afraid the answer's going to have to be no."
Toneri's head lifted with wide blue eyes, he turned to Ino who stepped over and stood by him with her hand on her hip. He stood up straight.
"But," he began, "Ino—"
"Try again hun," she smiled before turning to the girls, "girls! Come on! We'll be late!"
The girls passed Toneri, glancing at him and Hinata as they followed Ino inside.
Hinata burned red and dropped her head.
"I apologize for Ino, Toneri…I'm…I don't know what to—"
"It looks like I'll just have to keep trying then," his smile spread across his face as she lifted her head in surprise.
He stepped up and took her hand before leaning down to kiss it.
"Until I claim you as mine…Hinata…" he whispered as she looked down shyly. He stood straight and turned around to enter the building, neither noticing three of the members of Omega holding a struggling Naruto back.
(^A.H^)
"Where in fucking hell is Neji?"
The boys lifted their heads up to a Tenten with her hands on her hips, standing in front of the desks they sat in, while the girls sat on the other side, first period.
"I called his cell and texted him like a thousand times," she huffed, "and clearly he didn't come to school with you guys. Where is he? And you had better have a good answer because if you thought I was a bitch before when I'm pissed then you don't want to see what kind of an angry bitch I can be when I'm pregnant."
"Why do I feel like we have already…" Naruto mumbled to himself.
"Excuse me?!"
"Nothing!" he laughed, shaking his head.
"Hyuga's got something to do this morning," Sasuke answered.
"What something?"
"I don't feel obligated to tell you," he shrugged a bit.
"Yeah?" she raised a brow, "Well I feel pretty obligated to punch you in the dick right now."
"Don't!" Megami yelled from the other side, "I'm making it a protective sweater and I want it to fit right!"
Tenten and Sasuke raised a brow to her, then turned back and glared at each other.
"Neji will be here soon," Gaara reassured in an attempt to calm them, "he had something to do."
"He had better," Tenten growled, "I asked him to bring me a pudding cup this morning and if I don't see a pudding cup when he walks through that door, Sasuke won't be the only one needing a protective sweater for his cock."
"I can make two!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Tenten barked.
"What is going on with her mood swings today…" Shikamaru blew out as she stomped back to the girls.
Before Tenten could sit down in a huff, a distant noise caught her attention. As the noise began to grow louder it captured the attention of the other students as well.
"What's that?" Ino grimaced, raising her head from her Style magazine.
As the noise grew louder they were soon able to make out the sound of some sort of aircraft.
"Sounds like planes or something," Megami shrugged.
"No, those sound too close and too rapid to be planes." Sakura corrected.
When they heard a sudden whipping sound, the girls, and quite a few students rushed up to look out the long horizontal window.
"Whoa!" Megami exclaimed in awe.
Tenten raised a brow as mumbling went around when the class was able to make out the objects, "those…those are fighter jets. Those are the types my mom used to fly."
The two camouflage jets whizzed across the clear blue sky, crossing one another and performing tricks.
"What are fighter jets doing so close to the school?" Hinata asked in confusion.
"No idea," Tenten frowned. All military action goes to her parents, as sergeant generals, and normally her parents inform her of incoming actions just because she enjoys hearing about them.
She squinted her eyes, "I wonder what's going o—"
"Hey Tennie! It look like one of those jets is spelling your name!" Megami said in excitement.
"What?" the other four members of Alpha said as other class members looked in confusion.
They looked back outside and found that in fact, it appeared that one jet had begun to write her name in kanji.
"What the hell is going on?!" she yelled.
Frowning, she turned around and began rushing out of the room.
"Hey! Tennie! Wait!" Ino called, running after her.
"Girls! Hold on!" Hinata called.
"Wait a second!" Sakura called.
"Yay! Adventure! Wait for me!" Megami laughed, bouncing as she followed.
Murmuring, Kakashi's homeroom began rushing out as well, Omega, being the last to leave.
Moments later, when the students had passed, Kakashi, looking down at his papers, entered the classroom.
"Alright you guys, sorry I'm late, today we're gonna—" he halted when he looked up and found the room empty.
He twisted his head around, his eyes wide.
"What the—!...am I in the right room…?"
On the other side of the school, his students, as well as some others from different classes, rushed out to see all the commotion.
Tenten, the first, burst out and rushed onto the grass, her head up as the girls stood close behind, and other students stood closer to the porch.
She stared up just as the first jet finished spelling in kanji, the word:
Prom
The second jet moved away after having spelled the rest of the words next to it as the first jet finally finished off with:
With me?
The majority of people read the words aloud as Tenten stared in shocked awe.
"Tenten," they began in unison, including Alpha, "will you please go to prom with me?"
Tenten blinked rapidly as Megami squealed behind her.
"An alien is trying to ask you to prom Tennie!"
She screamed when Sakura's fist met her head.
Tenten's expression softened as one of the jets slowly began to cascade down, and the words began fading, while the other took off to nowhere.
Though the campus of Konoha high was large, the rather small jet took up quite a bit of space.
Tenten stared, dazed as the door opened. Not to her surprise, but to the surprise of many others, Neji stepped out.
Dawned in raybans and a green flight suit, he appeared as if he was a military pilot. In his right hand sat a bouquet of fire lilies, as well as a smirk on his face as he walked over to her.
A teary eyed Tenten looked up at him as he casually stepped up to her, the flowers in front of him. He stopped in front of her as they stared at one another for a moment.
He raised a brow.
"Do I actually need to say it?"
"YES!" Ino yelled angrily from behind.
He closed his eyes and smiled for a moment.
"Well, I thought the best way to ask you would be with one of the things you can relate to, courtesy of your mother and father. Ten…will you be my date to the senior prom?"
Tenten nearly instantly whipped her head around to Ino with a momentarily pleading expression which quickly turned into a death glare.
Ino rolled her eyes.
"Duh."
Tenten twisted back around with a wide smile before she bounced up and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.
"Of course I will!"
The girls and many of the girls in Kakashi's homeroom clapped and cheered as they kissed.
"Kudos to you Ino-pig, you finally let one happen," Sakura smiled as the girls looked to the two of them.
Ino said nothing as she simply smirked confidently.
When Tenten and Neji released, she remained clung onto him, smiling sweetly.
"So, babe," she said sweetly, "where's my pudding cup?"
His smile and expression slowly faded into one that was fearful and uncomfortable.
"Oh, Ten," he laughed a bit nervously, "I…forgot…"
Her smile fell instantly.
"You know, I was just so busy getting the proposal together, it kind of just slipped—"
She glared.
Neji, his hand clutching the bouquet, gulped.
(^A.H^)
Neji groaned for the umpteenth time as he rested his head on the lunch table, clutching his groin.
"Would you relax, she didn't kick you that hard." Shikamaru said dully.
"You didn't feel it asshole, how would you know. Hope she's not planning on more kids because she just ruined it for herself…"
Naruto laughed over the commotion of lunchtime as Neji sighed and slowly lifted himself up.
"On the upside," he smirked as he whipped two prom tickets out of his pocket, "Tennie and I are going to prom together. How are you gentlemen doing in terms of dates?"
All except Naruto glared at him. Naruto himself looked to the table, frowning.
"I think I'm starting to understand what Ino is attempting to do here," Gaara said.
"Which should make asking them a little less tedious," Sasuke bit.
"What? Understand what?" Naruto looked back and forth to the boys. "I don't get it!"
"Gentlemen!"
The boys glanced to the side as Ino and the girls made their way over with lunches, Ino stood in front, waving.
"Speaking of…" Shikamaru sighed as she leaned down for a second to kiss him before moving around the table, scattering with the other girls. Ino took her seat next to Shikamaru.
"I must say I am very impressed Mr. Hyuga," Ino smirked, "I didn't expect you to be the first to do this right."
Neji narrowed his eyes as she hummed.
"So Ino," Tenten said over her burger, "you seem pretty concentrated on this whole promposal thing but we haven't heard you say a thing about running for prom queen, time is running out you know."
"For your information," Ino said confidently, "I have a team running my campaign. I am way too busy to be focusing on the work for running for prom queen right now, as shocking as it may be to you, there are more important things."
"Really?" Sakura raised her brows, "being prom queen has been on your list of Ino's Important Thingy Things since the fifth grade."
Ino blushed as the girls giggled, "I said…I said there are more important things…right now. Besides, I'm pretty sure there are four other teams running all your campaigns."
"Campaign?" Hinata frowned, "but we aren't running."
"Yes, but there are groups of people who want each of you to win, the same way there are for us," Neji clarified.
"Like our own cults!" Megami chanted.
"Word on the street is Toneri may be lurking around with his own campaign," Ino said matter-factly.
Naruto, as the group continued to discuss, crushed the empty coke can in his hand, dropping it to the floor without anyone's realization.
(^A.H^)
"Alright everyone! Places!"
The students of Kurenai's class talked among themselves as they organized themselves into their place for the ballad they would be performing Thursday afternoon, after spending ten minutes figuring out where everyone would go. Neji and Hinata took their places in front of the mini stage while everyone stood lined up on top of it, while Naruto placed himself at the piano.
Hinata took a nervous deep breath as the song lyrics shook in her hand a bit, she glanced back to Naruto and couldn't help but smile a bit as he sat with his eyes closed, not unusual for when he prepared for playing his favorite and best instrument. However, she couldn't help but frown at the thought of what could be running through his mind. She knew Toneri was bothering him and making him insecure even though she was well aware he had absolutely nothing to worry about.
She sighed as Kurenai began to count to begin the song.
She desperately hoped everything would be alright for everyone soon enough.
(^A.H^)
"Ugh! I'm too tired to go to work today!" Megami whined as the ten trotted out of the building behind other students filing out.
"We have a couple hours to relax, don't whine, the girls are excited to learn something new today," Sakura said sternly.
"That's why I'm too tired to go," Megami groaned again.
"Let's get something to eat."
The lot turned back to Sasuke without stopping their walk. He shrugged with his hands in his pockets.
"Let's go get something to eat. Since we've got down time."
"Food!" Megami wailed.
"I could go for some food," Tenten nodded.
"Alright," Sakura smiled, "where should we go?"
(^A.H^)
Megami squealed, bouncing up and down as the waitress took away their menus away after they had placed their orders
"Remind me again why we're at Teuchi's Ramen Party," Tenten rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as the ten sat in an orange and white striped half circle booth.
"Why shouldn't we be here?!" Megami challenged.
"At least there's stuff other than ramen," Ino sighed, "there's no way I'm putting all that oil in my mouth on a Tuesday."
Sasuke notably sighed and stood up, "I'm going to the bathroom."
Half of the lot heard him as he stood straight and made his way awa from them.
"What shocks me a little bit is that it was actually Sasuke's idea to come here," Shikamaru said.
"It doesn't matter whose idea it was! It's a special occasion! It's important we come here anyway!" Megami exclaimed.
"What exactly is the special occasion?" Sakura sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
Ino directed her attention to Naruto, who she expected to be as boisterous as Megami was being. But oddly enough, he seemed quiet and put behind. She stared at him for a moment more before directing her attention back to Tenten who continued to criticize their reasoning for being there.
"I don't think you guys give ramen enough credit," Megami chanted, "did you know that it was founded by hermits during World War II?!"
"That is absolutely not true," Tenten sighed, "and I'm worse at history than you are."
"It is too!" Megami whined as the lot laughed at her.
After a few minutes of chattering amongst themselves, two waitresses began to come out with their dishes.
"Ugh finally that must be us!" Ino threw her hands up, "I was getting light headed!"
Sakura narrowed her eyes at her, "We ordered fifteen minutes ago you cow," she turned her head back to the waitresses excitingly making their way over, "I'm surprised its even out this quickly."
The lots surprise continued when the two waitresses, smilingly brightly, stood in front of them holding two plates of ramen in each hand in front of them.
Tenten raised a brow, "Uh, I think you may be at the wrong table. We only have two bowls of ramen, one for thing one and thing two."
The waitresses' smiles brightened as they lowered the bowls in front of the group who just looked at them in confusion.
"I'll be happy to take all four!" Megami bounced excitedly, sitting on the edge of the booth.
"No one's paying for you to eat four bowls of ramen you human garbage disposal!" Tenten growled.
Ignoring her, Megami looked down to the bowls and frowned a bit in confusion. "Pork…roast beef...okra…and mackerel…I didn't order any of these, I mean they sure look good but these aren't—"
"Oh. My. God." Ino's voice came aloud.
The gang looked up as one of the waitresses moved aside to let a somewhat familiar figure stand in front of the lot. While they recognized the face of the person in the small opening of the mouth of the costume they wore, they wondered why in the world this person was dressed in such a way.
"Holy fucking shit!" Neji cackled as he whipped out his phone.
Sasuke's blank expression didn't change as he stood, dawning a large smiling teddy bear costume similar in appearance to Mr. Bear. The large paws of the bear held a sign that simply read "MEGAMI?" along with white roses clutched in his left hand.
"Sasuke! What is this?!" Megami giggled as most of the boys, and Tenten laughed to the brink of not being able to breathe.
Ignoring them, Sasuke stood in between the waitresses with the bowls who smiled and giggled.
Megami blinked a few times, "Wait…"
She looked at the bowls, then back to Sasuke, then to the bowls.
"Pork…roast beef…okra…mackerel…"
The group sat in annoyance for the next few minutes as Megami racked her brain trying to figure out what all of it meant. Even the entire watching restaurant began to become stressed out with her inability to figure it out.
Sasuke ticked with annoyance, clenching the sign for having to remain in the hot suit for so long due to her incompetence. He opened his mouth to explain before Megami finally gasped and snapped her fingers.
"You ordered extra ramen and dressed up to celebrate Mr. Bear's birthday! Oh Sasuke! I can't believe you remembered!"she said with excitement.
The entire restaurant, including the group and the waitresses, slumped in frustration.
"No you fucking dunce!" Sasuke barked, "Pork, Roast beef, Okra, Mackeral! P, R, O, M! Prom! It's prom!"
Megami blinked a few times, looking over everything again. Sasuke sighed, thinking he had to explain it again before Megami whimpered.
"Sasuke!" she cried, jumping him. "You asked me with ramen and Mr. Bear! Of course I'll go with you!" she yelled, her arms wrapped around the bears neck.
Sasuke sighed and let her hang onto him, rubbing her teary face into the costume as the restaurant clapped—mostly because she'd finally gotten it.
"How sweet!" Hinata laughed, clapping her hands a bit.
"So Yamanaka, is that worthy enough for you?" Tenten asked with a smirk.
Ino smiled confidently, "As far as Megami and childish simplicity goes, it'll do."
(^A.H^)
Megami groaned as she lay sprawled across the dance floor, her full stomach engorged, drooling as some of the dance students sat on their knees in front of her, laughing and poking her.
"Well that's two down," Ino said, filing her pink painted nails as the rest of the girls stood around while their students warmed up for class. "This is going surprisingly well."
"I sure hope so," Sakura sighed, "this plan of yours is ridiculous but actually sort of fun. It's nice to see the guys being a little creative."
Tenten shrugged, "as long as Neji's the one I'm spending after prom with, I'm good."
Ino grimaced, "good god even if you did go with someone else I wouldn't make you sleep with them!"
Hinata blushed, "after…prom…"
Tenten blinked before her face turned into a devious smile, "that's right. Some of those dorks have bound to have rooms ready for afterwards…hell, maybe Naruto or Gaara's got something romantic planned…"
Hinata's blushed deepened as Sakura crossed her arms, "no way Gaara does, I'm sure the last thing he's thinking about is sleeping with me after prom."
Ino rolled her eyes and kept her focus on her nails, "oh come on Sakura, that's what they're all thinking about. You don't think they're going through all this trouble just to dance with us, do you? Well, I'm sure some of them are, maybe, but with Gaara I'm super confident he's got something bigger in store."
Sakura blushed and frowned as Tenten snickered. "W-what makes you say that!"
"Oh come on, Sakura," Ino groaned. "It's been months and you guys haven't done it yet. I see the way Gaara is around you. He wants it real bad, he's just a patient guy, but he won't be for much longer," she smirked.
Sakura burned red while Ino and Tenten laughed. "Well w-what about you! You and Shikamaru haven't done it yet!"
Ino tossed her hair back, "that is the last thing I'm thinking about with Shika right now, and he gets that. But it'll happen. Soon."
Sakura grumbled under her breath.
"Besides," Ino continued, "you're both literally about to get married. Isn't sex just as big a step?"
"It may be big but it's not as important!" Sakura challenged, "we…we have a lot to think about too…I know I love Gaara and I know we're taking probably the most important step of our lives by getting married…but maybe we should wait until after…I don't…I don't want anything to ruin it."
"What, like a baby?" Tenten asked casually.
"I don't mean it like that!"
Tenten shook her head, "I know, Sakura. And I know why you're hesitant, especially now that you're engaged. You can do it when you're ready."
"She's right, Sakura," Hinata smiled warmly, "don't ever feel pressured. When the time comes, you'll know, and it'll feel right."
Sakura gave a small smiled and nodded before standing to call class to begin.
(^A.H^)
"Yes mom…uh huh…I know…" Ino sighed as she walked towards the building with the girls Wednesday morning, dressed in casual clothing.
"Yeah I'm excited too…yeah…yes I know I still need it, I'm not done yet!" Ino answered as the girls listened.
"Yup…yeah…alright, I gotta go mom I'll see you tonight…toodles!" she sang as she hung up.
Ino laughed, "my mom's super excited about our prom preparation party."
"Try saying that three times fast…" Tenten mumbled as more students arrived.
"She's really happy because she never got to help Tsubaki get ready since she didn't go, but she's all ready to be with all us of us and get us ready."
"My mom can't stop talking about it either," Tenten groaned," she said she's been waiting for this day since I popped out of her."
Sakura laughed as the girls stopped in the middle of the walkway towards the school, "I think this'll be fun for Yoko too, I feel like she's afraid to talk to me about some ideas she has for my makeup though."
Megami and Hinata stood aside. Megami smiled sadly a bit before she laughed and walked up to the girls as they discussed their mother's plans a little more. Hinata's expression didn't lighten however. She stood with her hands clasped in front of her, her expression saddened as she could barely picture her mother. She recalled her mentioning prom once or twice at her young age, though she lost the opportunity to discuss it further when they lost her to cancer.
The girls looked over to Hinata, noticing her quietness. They frowned, realizing she felt out of place in their conversation.
"Hey," Sakura said, walking up to her and putting her hand on her right shoulder.
"All our moms are your moms too. There's no way we're going to make you feel out of place. We're all going to make you more beautiful than you already are."
Hinata lifted her head a bit and smiled sadly, she looked off for a moment in thought as a white limo pulled up.
"Girls…I think…I think there's something I want to do today."
The girls looked at each other in confusion then back to Hinata.
"What's that, Hinata?" Sakura asked.
"Good morning girls!" the chanting of the upbeat blond came.
The girls looked up and Hinata turned around to see Naruto waving as they made their way over to them.
"You all look extra beautiful today!" Naruto smiled brightly when the group reached them.
"Naruto-kun," Hinata blushed a bit, "can I ask you something?"
The nine looked at her, Naruto blinked. "Well sure Hinata anything!"
"Would you…please come with me to visit my mother's grave today. I know it's not good to skip class…and I know it's the spur of the moment…but I think I'd really like to see her today."
The girls smiled sadly.
"Of course I will, Hinata-chan!" Naruto blurted, awed a little bit. "I'd be happy to take you to see her!"
Naruto twisted around and waved to the limo to stop before it could head back to the mansion.
"Naruto-kun, I really appreciate it."
"Don't sweat it Hina," Naruto beamed. "It would be an honor…to see her again."
Hinata's sad smile widened as he gently took her hand and began walking her to the limo.
"I'll see you all later," Hinata nodded to the eight as she and Naruto walked off to the waiting limo.
(^A.H^)
"…and then Sakura showed us the ring. It's beautiful. I'm really happy for the both of them. Sakura deserves to be a princess," Hinata smiled softly, sitting on her knees. In front of her sat the grave stone she knew so well.
There was a peaceful silence as Hinata sat in the field full of Hyuga headstones on the outskirts of her family's manor in Ame, where her mother was buried. Two purple lilies were set on in front of the stone, put there by Hinata who insisted they pick some up to give to her mother.
Naruto stood some feet behind her, allowing her to speak privately with her mother. The wind blew a bit, making the hair on both of their heads dance.
He watched her silently as she talked calmly but animatedly with her mother. He recalled the first time she brought him to meet her—which was after the events in Furyoka. He was flustered and a bit nervous, though he was aware she had passed, he believed her mother's aura was there just like it was when he visited his own mother, so that she was never really gone.
He admired Hinata's blowing hair, though her back turned to him, it blew in her face and she struggled to push it aside as she discussed current events. His heart pounded in his chest as she giggled at her stories.
He loved her.
So much.
He knew in his heart and soul he would do absolutely anything for her and that she deserved the world. Even small things, like bringing her to see her mother, meant the world to him.
"And well…that is all as of late, now we just wait for Ino to finish the dresses. I'm sure they will be beautiful and you would love them…I hope I can look as beautiful as you come Saturday…"
She kissed the tips of her fingers and then placed it on the headstone, sitting for a couple moments longer. "I'll see you soon mother…I promise I'll return before graduation."
Finally, she stood up and dusted her bare knees and skirt off.
She turned around to Naruto and smiled sadly. He looked up to her and smiled an equally sad smile as the wind replaced the silence. Quietly, she walked up to him before glancing back to her mother.
"All set?" Naruto asked softly.
She nodded, "I'm glad I did this. I really needed it. Seeing her always makes me feel like I can take on the world."
She turned back to him with a soft smile. He offered his hand and she took it as they began walked back to the car.
"Thank you so much for coming with me Naruto-kun…I'm sorry I took so long," she said softly.
"Not at all Hina! I'm happy we did this too. I'll do anything to make you feel good inside. And I'm glad to see your mother. I'm sure she was an amazing person because she had you and you're an amazing person," he smiled shyly.
Hinata squeezed his hand as they neared the limo, "thank you…Naruto-kun."
They reached the waiting limo in a matter of moments. Hinata frowned a bit before stopping them just as they were about to reach the limo door.
Naruto halted and looked down to her, "what's wrong?"
"Naruto-kun…promise me…please…promise me you won't bicker with Toneri anymore." She looked up to him with pleading eyes.
"But Hinata—"
"I know you don't like him, and I know Toneri can be a bit much sometimes…but please, I don't want any trouble between anyone and I don't want anyone to end up getting hurt. I love you and only you Naruto, please know that." Her eyes begged for him to understand her feelings.
Naruto sighed before smiling at her, "I promise Hinata. I'll do whatever makes you happy."
"Oh, Naruto-kun," Hinata sighed before hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her tightly. They released halfway for a moment before he carefully leaned down and kissed her softly as the wind blew around them, making their hair and clothes dance.
(^A.H^)
"Why do I feel like Shikamaru is probably not even going to bother trying anything related to asking me," Ino pouted as the girls walked to fifth period. "I can't tell if he's doing anything at all, he seems so indifferent about the whole thing."
"Aw, what's that Ino-pig?" Sakura teased, "are you actually upset? Do you just want it to be Shikamaru who asks you to prom? Maybe you should call off the whole thing."
"No way in hell! I wanna see what these guys have got!" Ino huffed before sighing, "I just hope Shika doesn't completely hate this. I don't expect anything grand, but hopefully he's thought about it."
The rest of the girls laughed as they stepped into fifth period just as the bell rang.
They took their seats as Kurenai addressed the class, "alright everyone settle down. Now, we're going to continue our practice for the concert tomorrow. I just need a moment to take attendance—"
Kurenai looked in the direction of the door as it opened and closed shut. She smiled softly.
"Naruto, Hinata, I'm glad the both of you could join us."
The gang looked in their direction as the two took their seats.
"Sorry we're late Kurenai-sensei," Naruto laughed nervously, taking a seat in between Sakura and Neji.
"For good reason I hope," she winked, "now, as I was saying, tomorrow is the instrumental concert…"
(^A.H^)
"I can't believe there's just one basketball game left," Ino sighed to the group, seated in gym class. "Seems like just yesterday I put on that adorable uniform and showed Meki and everyone at Ame what a real cheerleader looked like."
Sakura rolled her eyes, "I think you're missing the point, pig."
"Are you guys hype about the last one?" Tenten asked in excitement to the boys who sat a step in front of them, "Friday's gonna be crazy intense."
"We're ready!" Naruto declared.
"Of course we are." Neji nodded, "we've been waiting for this and working our asses off for weeks, a couple more practices and we'll be set."
Ino sighed, "It's too bad I can't be there for my girls today, but I trust you and Hinata will keep things in order," Ino looked down to Sakura with dead seriousness. Sakura rolled her eyes.
"I'm the one who runs the team, pig."
"While you girls are doing that," Ino smiled happily, "I will be making magic happen."
Just as she completed her sentence, the lights within the gym went off. All the students standing within gasped and began yammering in confusion.
"Hey who cut the lights?!" Tenten yelled angrily.
"Oh no I'm blind!" Megami cried.
"You aren't blind stupid," Sakura sighed, "the power probably went out."
Suddenly, each student was caught off guard as a single spot light from above came on. The light circled around as it sought to land on a single person.
After a few moments, the light finally found the person it had been looking for.
Hinata.
She blinked a few times, shocked before lifting a hand to shield her eyes.
"W-what's going on?" she asked.
"Hinata?" Naruto asked, looking to her then attempting to look up to who or whatever was shining the light on her. But, just like nearly every student, he was blinded by the darkness of the gym.
"Hinata," came a suave voice from above.
The lot of students lifted their heads as a few more lights came on and shined only the ceiling. All the lights, excluding the one sitting on Hinata, directed upon a single person.
"It's a bird!" Megami yelled, "It's a plane! It's a—"
She screamed muffled screams as Tenten kicked her into a bench while looking up in awe with the rest of the class, "no, it's—"
"Toneri," Hinata breathed out.
Above them, Toneri sat on a gym speaker in a lavender button down with a purple sweater tied over his shoulders, along with black slacks, giving him the appearance of a prep school boy.
Naruto grinded his teeth, "not this freaking guy again."
Hinata stood, her hand still protecting her eyes from the light, "Toneri? What are you doing! That's dangerous! You must come down!"
"As you wish, my queen!" he chanted.
The majority of girls in the gym squealed and called out to him as he jumped from the ceiling, the light following him. The girls gasped and most of omega quickly stepped back as he landed gracefully onto the bench directly in front of Hinata who stumbled back in shock. Before she could fall Toneri caught her with both hands and pulled her into a dip.
"That was the smoothest shit I've ever seen," Tenten whispered to Megami.
"You know if this wasn't anime he would have broken his entire fucking body," Megami whispered back.
"T-Toneri," Hinata mustered out, pulling back a bit as he leaned forward to her with a smirk.
"Are you serious?!" Naruto griped on the side.
"I hope that stunt made your heart skip a beat, as you do mine each day that I see you," he said in a deep, lustful, longing tone.
Sakura, Tenten, and Megami stood together in awe, blushing.
"Would you do me the honor of going to prom with me?" he said allowed.
"T-Toneri," Hinata blinked wildly, "I-I—"
Suddenly the gym lights came on once again all at once, and the light upon Toneri and Hinata shut off. Everyone talked amongst themselves before directing their attention to the exit where the lights were located.
"Ah ah ah pretty boy," Ino cooed with one hand on her hip and the other on the lights, "while I admit that was a pretty daring stunt, my sweet Hinata needs more than just gymnastics in her heart," she smiled devilishly.
"Ino!" Hinata said suddenly.
Toneri sighed with a somewhat sad smile, "vanquished yet again. You're a tough one, Ino."
Ino tossed her hair back and began making her way back to the group as Toneri stood himself and Hinata upright. "I try!" she called.
"I guess it's going to take a little more to win your heart, dearest," he smiled softly to her.
Hinata looked down, "Toneri, I—"
"But I will win your affection before the day comes Hinata," he bowed to her. She turned away uncomfortably as he stood upright and annoyingly looked in the corner of his eye to a Naruto who was fuming and being monitored by Neji and Shikamaru.
"I swear it." He mumbled.
(^A.H^)
Ino beamed as she squeezed her mother tightly in her arms. The last time Imoi had seen her she had been bandaged up in a hospital, so it was nice seeing her daughter up and smiling again.
"I missed you so much, Ino," Imoi sighed, reluctantly letting her go as Ino stood in her home in Ame. "Well, I know it wasn't that long ago that I saw you, but I miss you all the time."
"I miss you too mom," Ino smiled sadly. She was always awed by the way her mother's beauty increased with age. She had a boisterous grace about her that Ino hoped to have in her later years.
"Where's dad and Yuki?" she asked, looking around.
"Out fishing," Imoi said as the two women began walking up the steps, "you know your dad has been talking about teaching Yuki for years. But I know for a fact your brother would much rather stay in and sit in his room," she sighed sadly, "he's at that age."
Ino laughed a bit. She'd been trying to get into the habit of keeping in close contact with her brother. She knew that he was struggling with some milestones in his age and that he needed an older sibling around to reassure him of things, as opposed to his parents who didn't really understand.
"I can't believe this day has finally come," Imoi said, breaking Ino out of her thoughts as she passed her old room. Past memories of Skyping with her girlfriends while she painted her nails and ignored her homework flashed though her mind.
"Where did the years go?" Imoi sighed.
Ino nearly responded with 'it's just prom' but even she knew how much this day meant in the history of the women on her mother's side.
She stepped into her parent's large bedroom and stood by the door as her mother went into her separate walk in closet and began fishing out for something.
After a few moments Imoi stepped out with a medium sized golden box wrapped in plastic to keep dirt off it. She removed the plastic and stood in front of Ino.
"Here is it," she smiled warmly.
"The last piece of material," Ino whispered.
Imoi nodded, "the material in here has been used to make your great grandmother's dress in the twenties, your grandmother's, mine and my sister's, and now, Ino, it's yours."
Ino knew the story all too well. In the box sat fabric made of real gold that her great-grandmother weaved with her own two hands, then passed down to her daughter and her daughter's daughters. Each child was instructed, if they chose to, to implement it into their prom dress. Seeing as Tsubaki could not go to prom, the box had been sitting and waiting for Ino's time for years.
And finally, her time had come.
Her heart raced as her mother handed her the box. She opened it and looked inside, her heart racing at the thought of her turn in her great-grandmother's legacy.
She looked up to her mother who smiled at her.
"Mom, I promise…I will make this dress perfect."
"It doesn't need to be perfect sweetheart," Imoi put her hand on her shoulder.
"It just needs to represent you…and be made with love."
(^A.H^)
"Knock knock."
Gaara barely lifted his head from his desk as the voice came from behind his room door.
"Hey! I've got your laundry!" the familiar voice came.
Gaara said nothing for a few minutes, so the person behind the door allowed themselves in.
"A response would have been cool. I know you're in here," Park Su-Young's growl came, clutching a basket of his laundry under her left arm, her right on the door handle as she walked in.
"I didn't give you permission to come in," Gaara's dead voice came without lifting his head from his homework, "and you know damn well that's not how a maid is supposed to announce herself."
"Oh shut up," Park Su-Young rolled her eyes, "I washed your shit, be grateful."
Since the incidents within Konoha High and Park Su-Young's promotion, she had developed something of a friendship with each of the boys, as she would call it, though the same could not be said for them, especially Neji and Gaara. Still, Park Su-Young invaded their space and came and went as she pleased.
Park Su-Young nonchalantly set his basket on his bed and then planted herself on it, examining her nails.
"So, what're you up to?"
"Get out."
"Oh come on," she rolled her eyes, "it's the end of the night and my shift's almost done. Enlighten me."
"Homework." He deadpanned.
Park Su-Young groaned a bit and stood up, "oh come on, that can't be the only thing you're doing. Working on a new song for your fancy band? Planning your king speech?" she whistled, purposely annoying him out of pure boredom.
Gaara let out a sigh as Park Su-Young made her way over to him.
"I hear your high school has prom or something going on this weekend, that's cool I guess."
She put her elbow on his right shoulder and leaned into his work, "that doesn't look like homework, so what's—"
Gaara violently shrugged her off, "back away before I have you demoted."
Park Su-Young smirked as he turned his attention back to his work. She slid around to his side and quickly snatched up what he was writing on. As quickly as she had done this, Gaara was up just as fast, the two doing a bit of a chase around his room.
"Park Su-Young. I'm serious," he said angrily, his tone matching his intent.
"Blah blah blah…ask her if she wants something to drink….blah blah blah…don't forget the champagne…blah blah clean sheets…" she read aloud as she side stepped away from Gaara's angry gasp.
She finally stopped in the middle of the room just as he snatched the sheet away from her hand.
"Get the fuck out of my room." He growled.
She scoffed, her hands on her hips, "you can't be serious. Are you for real planning how you're going to fuck your girlfriend."
"No I am not planning how I am going to fuck her," he said angrily, calming down, "I'm organizing my night, and this is absolutely none of your business in the first place so leave now before I have you removed. And I will do that." He said, walking back to his desk.
Park Su-Young crossed her arms, "I don't know what those loser friends of yours have been feeding into your head, but if you want it to happen, planning a fancy night isn't going to convince her. You have to communicate with her that you're ready and make sure she's ready. Fancy stuff is cool and all, but you probably don't want to spring it on her."
He took his seat at his desk. "I don't need advice from you."
"You don't need advice from them either."
"I'm not taking advice from anyone." He said harshly. "This is between me and my girlfriend."
"But are you sure she's ready for it?"
Gaara said nothing in response for a moment.
"You need to get out."
Park Su-Young shrugged and sighed before making her way to the door.
"Look I don't know your relationship or whatever and I know your intentions are good, but I know you guys have been through some shit. I'm sure she doesn't want to go thinking you just expect something to happen."
The room remained as quiet as it had been as Park Su-Young shut the door behind her.
(^A.H^)
"Shit, we're really gonna be late today if we don't get a move on! Tick tock girls!" Sakura yelled as the girls scrambled to get ready the next morning.
Sakura looked around at most of the girls running around. Megami sat trying to finish breakfast, Tenten struggled to fix her left bun, and Hinata stood fixing the buttons of her collar shirt under her uniform sweater.
Sakura looked around, finally noticing the missing face. "Where's!—Oh don't tell me," she groaned. The girls blinked as she stormed upstairs.
"Ino Yamanaka!" Sakura yelled as she slammed her door open.
Ino groggily sat up from her sewing machine, struggling to open her eyes. Still in her pajamas, she looked up to Sakura with dead eyes.
The rest of the girls peeked into Ino's bedroom once again as Sakura narrowed her eyes.
"Not again…"
(^A.H^)
Ino bobbed her head and hummed to the beat of the music in her car. Her bug shined on a sunny day as she drove in front of Megami's bike, and of Sakura and Tenten's cars. She had stayed up all night, once again, working on the girls dresses, and now, especially, adding the material her mother had given her for her own dress.
Everything was coming together perfectly in her eyes, as far as preparations go. Still, her mind couldn't help but wonder if Shikamaru was at all interested in her little plan. He knew her well enough to know that when she declares something she stands by it, but she wouldn't help but think that the entire situation might be boring to him.
Her thoughts were quickly halted, however, when she momentarily glanced up to the passing billboards amidst the traffic and almost immediately halted her car.
The sudden break caused Megami, who was directly behind her, to scream and collide right into her car, sending her flying onto Ino's hood.
Tenten gasped and halted right behind Megami's bike, following Sakura and Hinata who screamed in fear of a collision. The rapid stops continued with other cars behind the girls.
Megami groaned, sprawled onto Ino's hood with her helmet still on, rubbing her head.
Ino, still staring at the billboard, stepped out of her car, ignoring the yelling of cars behind her and rapid honks from those on their morning commute, trapped in the middle of traffic.
Tenten stepped out and slammed her car door angrily.
"Ino! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Sakura stepped out, equally as mad, along with Hinata who was trying to catch her breath.
"Are you insane?! You could've killed us! Did you really not sleep at all?!"
Ino ignored them as well as the other drivers who honked, yelled, and began stepping out of their cars.
But her eyes could not leave the billboard.
Slowly, she began walking towards it, her eyes never leaving the gaze of the large sign as she crossed traffic to get to it. The girls, in their confusion, looked up to see what could possibly be keeping her attention and keeping them and others from moving on.
On a large billboard was a photo of Ino from a modeling shoot she had done. The photo was of her shoulders and up, bare, turned to her left side, smiling seductively, her hair in tight curls. On the right of her read the words:
THE GODDESS,
INO
When they read the words below, they realized she hadn't only stopped because she saw her face, but because of the sentence that came with it:
WILL YOU GO TO PROM WITH ME?
In letters as large and as bright as Ino herself.
"Oh my gosh," Sakura blew out a breath as Hinata helped Megami down from the hood.
Ino, with watery eyes, began climbing up the billboard. It didn't take long before she reached the top, ignoring the slight height and dirt on her hands.
Standing before her, in the middle of the billboard, was Shikamaru, in a dress shirt and black dress pants, holding a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums.
The wind blew Ino's long pony tail and bang to the left as they stared at each other.
Slowly, Ino began taking steps towards him, as did Shikamaru towards her, a slight smirk on his tired expression.
It did not take long before Ino's steps began to quicken, and eventually she began running until she lunged at him, jumping on him and wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. Shikamaru stumbled but held her firmly.
"Geez Ino, we are on a billboard, remember." He sighed.
She held his cheeks.
"Say it," she smiled.
He sighed again and looked up to her sharp blue eyes.
"Ino, will you go to prom with me—"
"YES!" she squealed.
He only barely finished before she kissed him, causing him to lose his balance and the both of them to fall down, though that did not halt her kisses.
The girls stood staring up at the building and the couple they could just barely see sitting on it. By now many people were taking photos or recoding with their phones, and of course many were still honking for traffic to be moved.
"A proposal where Ino is blown up for everyone to be seen and the center of attention," Tenten chuckled, her arms crossed.
"Can't get any more Ino than that," Sakura nodded with a smile as they watched Ino rapidly kiss a lax Shikamaru who they could not hear plead to come down from the billboard.
(^A.H^)
"Alright alright we get it, you're happy, you can stop now," Sakura groaned as the girls stood in their positions on stage, the curtain covering Kurenai's class as they prepared themselves for their portion of the instrumental concert, their song being what would complete it. The small concert had taken up the last hour of the school day.
Ino continued her humming, as she had been doing since the girls arrived at school that morning. She swayed back and forth as other students did vocal practices.
"You know I can't help it," she said giddily, standing with Sakura on her right and Tenten and Megami on her left, "that billboard is going to be up there for at least a week with my face on it. Shika knows me all too well," she chirped.
Ino blushed a bit, "and of course…his promposal…I didn't expect it…but…it was everything I could've imagined."
The girls smiled a bit at her.
They stood in the near center of the risers, the rest of the boys, excluding Naruto and Neji, stood scattered with the other students.
In the center of the stage stood Hinata and Neji, each with a microphone on a stand. On Hinata's left sat Naruto and his piano.
"Alright everyone! Places! It's almost time to start!" Kurenai called.
Her class settled themselves in, waiting for the curtain to open and for the sound of the entire school through it to lessen.
Hinata took a deep, slightly shaky breath, next to her, Neji stood prepared and confident. This was nothing for him, however she always preferred having the girls by her side.
She glanced back at them and caught their eyes. Megami and Tenten gave her big smiles and thumbs up. Sakura smiled and waved, and Ino winked and blew her a kiss.
Hinata smiled softly and turned to her left.
Naruto sat completely within his own world, as he did so whenever he was placed at the piano. His hands sat at the ready. Feeling eyes on him, he looked up to see Hinata smiling at him warmly.
He smiled cheekily and mouthed something to her as the curtains began opening to the school.
She blushed and mouthed it back.
I love you.
All:
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Moments so dear
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?
In Daylights - In Sunsets
In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee
In Inches - In Miles
In Laughter - In Strife
In - Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure
A Year In The Life?
How About Love?
How About Love?
How About Love?
Measure In Love
Seasons of Love.
Seasons of Love.
Hinata:
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Journeys To Plan
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure The Life
Of A Woman Or A Man
Neji:
In Truth That She Learned
Or In Times That He Cried
In Bridges He Burned
Or The Way That She Died
All:
It's Time Now - To Sing Out
Though The Story Never Ends
Let's Celebrate
Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends
Remember the Love
Remember the Love
Remember the Love
Measure In Love
Hinata:
Oh you got to you got to remember the love,
You know that love is a gift from up above
Share love, give love, spread love
Measure, measure your life in love.
ALL
Seasons Of Love(2x)
Hinata:
Measure your life, measure your life in love
The lot of the school cheered over the performance. Hinata stood blushing after her electrifying performance.
"Thank you everyone who participated, and thank you to my class who worked hard to bring you this bit of spontaneous performance!" Kurenai spoke on her own mike, smiling at the class and especially, Hinata, who smiled softly in return.
"Everyone, thank you for joining us, you may all exit in an organized fashion and head home…" Kurenai finished.
Quickly, the school and Kurenai's class began to scatter, and it was not long before all students were mixed in with one another.
Naruto stepped away from his piano, amidst pats on the back and high fives and other compliments from his classmates and fellow students, he did his best with thank you's as he searched for Hinata in the crowd.
"Hinata!" he called out happily, excited to hug and congratulate her on a job well done. "Hinata!" he called again, stepping off stage among exiting students.
"Hinata?! Hinata!"
Naruto stopped dead in his tracks upon realizing that he wasn't the only person calling out for her.
He twisted to his side and, annoyed, put his hands in his pockets as Toneri stood a few feet from him on his left. Smiling, he searched around for Hinata, his white hair whipping a bit as he looked around.
"Is there something you need from my girlfriend?"
Toneri turned to his right, his smile slowly falling as students passed by, talking.
Naruto walked the few feet up to him, "well?"
Toneri smirked and blew out a tired breath, "Uzumaki. You always seem to be where I don't want you to be."
Naruto stood in front of him, death glaring.
Toneri faced him with a bored expression before he smiled slyly.
"I'm only trying to find the lovely Hinata to tell her good job. That's not a crime is it?" he raised a brow.
"I thought I made it clear that I want you to stay away from her," Naruto growled, his voice deepening with anger, "she's not interested in you."
Toneri laughed heartily, "I only want to tell her how wonderful I thought she did. She does have a beautiful voice, no?" he smirked, "such a shame. It's wasted on you."
Naruto grit his teeth and clenched his fists.
Toneri sighed, "I don't know why I'm even wasting my breath on you," he tsked. "You know, you shouldn't keep her so caged up. One of these days she's bound to realize she can do so much better."
"Shut your damn mouth!" Naruto barked, catching the attention of a few students who were making their exit, causing them to stop and stare.
"You don't know anything about me or Hinata! You think you can just come in here and whisk her away?! She wants nothing to do with you! You had better back off or so help me—!"
"Well she must not be so happy if it would be so easy for me to whisk her away," Toneri smiled confidently.
Naruto looked as if he were going to burst.
In the halting crowd, Hinata, with the girls and the rest of the boys made their way through.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called happily, "Naruto-kun?!"
"Where the hell did he disappear to?" Sakura sighed as they looked around.
"—I'm warning you!—"
The lot headed towards the voice as it became the only thing that could be heard amongst the students, who had silenced and stopped to watch the confrontation. Eventually, the members of Alpha and Omega found themselves in front of the crowd that had circled Naruto and Toneri. Hinata shuffled her way to the front.
"Oh no," Sakura sighed, "What could these two be up to…"
"Naru—?" Hinata stopped, unnoticed by the two boys as she finally discovered why he had not answered her calls to him.
"Just admit it Uzumaki," Toneri said coldly, "you're no good for her. If Hinata should belong to anyone she should belong to me."
Many of the students gasped as Naruto's fist met Toneri's left cheek. He stumbled to the side but quickly caught himself back and held the same cheek, a glare going Naruto's way.
Naruto saw red.
"HINATA belongs to ME!" he barked with anger so furious he seemed like a completely different person. "Do you understand?! She's mine!"
Toneri lunged at him and before anyone could register the situation, both boys were in an all out brawl. Many students called out fight chants. Fists and feet were thrown at each other for a few moments before Kurenai and the other members of Omega intervened.
"What in the world is going on here?!" Kurenai yelled, standing in the middle of both boys.
With heavy breathing and a glare still pointed at Toneri, Naruto sat on the ground, bleeding from his forehead and mouth as Sasuke kept him away. Opposite him, Toneri, equally glaring and breathing heavily, sat on his knees, his nose gushing blood down to his neck and a black eye settling in, kept away from Naruto by Neji.
"You boys have a lot of nerve fighting in my auditorium!" Kurenai yelled angrily.
However, her anger was silenced by the sound of sniffling a few feet away from the lot of them. Even Kurenai quieted and saddened at the sight of the person who had begun to cry, their head hung as painful tears fell down their eyes.
Hinata stood a few feet into the circle, being watched by everyone as she shook and cried.
"Oh no," Ino spoke, weakly reaching a hand out, "Hinata…"
"Hinata!" Naruto and Toneri said at the same time, only to be silenced again as she lifted her head, tears streaming as her fists shook at her sides.
"I…I-I…I do not belong to anyone!" she cried, "and I am not some prize for either of you to claim!"
"Hinata…" Naruto croaked.
"If the both of you want to kill each other over some childish game of deciding who gets to be with me then be my guest! But I'm not going anywhere with either of you! Especially not to prom!" she cried out.
She turned on her heels, sobbing and pushing past the girls and other students as she began to run out, trying in vain to wipe the continued tears from her eyes.
"Hinata!" the girls yelled, running after her.
"Hinata! Wait! Please!" came Sakura's voice as they disappeared through the doors, slamming them behind.
The silence in the auditorium was almost gnawing; even Toneri hung his head in shame. But the pain of the silence was not nearly as evident as the pain and tears in Naruto's eyes as he watched Hinata slip away from him.
(^A.H^)
Ino and Megami tightened their caress of Hinata as best they could as she tried to fight the tears in her eyes, but failed to do so as the girls stood in one of the girl's bathrooms near the auditorium exit doors. It had taken them a few minutes but eventually they had found Hinata crying in a stall, seated on a closed toilet seat, having hoped she could hide herself and her tears in there. Ino barely sat on the edge of the seat in the stall, hugging Hinata with one arm and pushing strings of hair out of her face with another. Megami crouched opposite Ino on Hinata's left, her head semi rested on her lap, all with a saddened expression.
The stall door sat open, and just outside it, Tenten stood with her arms crossed, leaned against the stall door with an annoyed expression, while Sakura stood opposite her with her hands on her hips as they all silently let Hinata weep.
"I'm so sorry hime," Ino spoke in between her crying. "They're jerks."
"Yeah," Tenten said, her eyes shut in annoyance, "they're idiots and they shouldn't have embarrassed you like that."
"N-no…" Hinata finally said, hiccupping, "I-it's my fault…I should have made it clear—"
"No way is this your fault, Hina!" Megami frowned.
"She's right," Sakura sighed, "this whole situation is ridiculous."
Tenten rolled her eyes, "it's nothing but a dick measuring contest with all of them."
"Still," Sakura continued, "this situation could have been avoided if we had just—"
"Don't, Haruno," Ino bit.
Sakura sighed and dropped her hands in defeat. She moved away from the stall to stand by the door. "I'll just make sure no one comes in."
Ino turned away, still caressing a sobbing Hinata. She didn't need Sakura to make her feel already more to blame then she already did.
Sakura rested on the door, losing herself in thought. Though in a moment, she was broken from her trance when she faintly heard a few familiar voices coming down the hall. As they grew closer, the conversation became clearer.
(^A.H^)
"Geez what a damn mess that was," Neji sighed. "I haven't seen Uzumaki lose his cool like that in ages."
The four band mates made their way down the empty hall, heading towards their ride home, hoping that outside they would find the girls, or some indication of where they were.
"Ino isn't answering her cell," Shikamaru said, his eyes trained on his phone, "they have to be somewhere with Hinata. Or maybe they left already."
"Kurenai-sensei's gonna rip Naruto a new one that's for sure," Neji continued.
Naruto and Toneri had been whisked away to the principal's office to allow Kurenai and Tsunade to discuss a proper punishment for fighting.
"There's no way Hinata will speak to him now. What are we supposed to do for prom?"
"Would you shut up," Sasuke said coldly. "I'm sure prom is the least of their worries right now."
Neji shrugged, "well none of this would have happened if it wasn't blown out of proportion. What's so important about this stupid dance anyway? Honestly doesn't seem like anything more than an opportunity to do the same things we always do."
His eyes fell on Gaara who walked in front of the three of them, his eyes dead and locked on his phone screen.
Neji smirked, "Or at least try to do something new."
He caught up to Gaara and put his arm around his shoulder, to his obvious annoyance.
"So how about it Gaara? You all set to go for Saturday night?"
Gaara's expression went unchanged, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh come on, entertain me a little," Neji said cockily.
Gaara removed his arm from him as the boys continued walking.
"I know you're dead set on claiming the little pink princess on Saturday. If something good has to come out of all the extra shit we have to do for this then it has be getting you laid."
Gaara stopped dead in his tracks. Neji stopped just behind him, nearly knocking into him. Sasuke and Shikamaru stopped just behind Neji.
Gaara turned and looked Neji, who stuck his hands in his pockets and stood with a blank expression.
The boys stood in silence for a moment as they hovered right next to a girl's bathroom.
"What I do or plan on doing with Sakura is none of your business." Gaara's voice was cold and harsh.
Neji smirked and crossed his arms, "so you do plan on taking her on."
"Geez come on Neji," Shikamaru scratched the back of his head, "cut it out."
"No no," Neji brushed him off, "he seems sure, but I don't know if he actually has it in him. It's not like she's gonna give in."
Gaara clenched his fists, but his expression remained cold.
"I don't need to explain anything to you. I don't owe you any information related to my sex life. I can and will take Sakura whenever I want."
Neji's smirk stood unfaltered. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and Sasuke stared blankly at Gaara. Hardly any of the boys heard the girl's bathroom door creak open.
"Is that so…?"
The four quickly turned their attention to the door. The pink haired heiress stood in a firm stance. Her anger was obvious, but also a glimmer of hurt and self-consciousness was evident in her eyes.
Gaara stood in slight shock. "Sakura—"
"Well I'm so sorry I'm not giving it up to you, Gaara," she spat, dropping her arms. "Maybe you should go ahead and find someone who will."
"Sakura," he began, "I wasn't—"
She turned away from his gaze. She instead pushed past him and began storming towards the exit doors.
"Oops…" Neji mumbled as the boys watched her go, Gaara's gaze on her until she exited, then his glare fell on Neji.
"So I was right," a voice came from inside the girls bathroom.
The boys looked towards it to find Tenten standing just inside the door, the same annoyed expression on her face.
"It really is just a dick measuring contest with you guys."
(^A.H^)
The ticking of Ino's pink crown shaped wall clock stood to be the only evidence of sound in her room. She sat at her desk, the only light, aside from the moonlight, being her desk lamp. She dangled bobby pins in her right hand and her left sat under her chin. Repeatedly, she would look at the covered dresses and feel sick to her stomach.
Outside of her room, Hinata sat in her own room, being comforted by Tenten, while Sakura sat locked away from the girls in her own.
She choked back tears. Clearly, things weren't going as she had hoped, and she couldn't help but feel to blame.
"Knock knock knock!" a cheery voice, instead of an actual knock came.
She sighed and dabbed her eyes with a nearby hankerchief.
"Not now Megami…I'm not really in the mood for talking."
"Aw but you've been in there since we got home! Please Ino, can't I come in?"
Ino rubbed the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. The last thing she wanted to do right now was face any one of the girls. But she could at least listen to what Megami had to say.
"Come in."
The knob turned and Megami entered, standing in a blue tank top and white shorts, and holding Neko in one arm and a bag of chips in the other. He barked and wagged his tail at the sight of Ino.
"Hey Innie, how ya holdin up?" she asked, her mouth full of chips.
Ino sighed.
"Just great." She bit sarcastically, "because of my stupid—childish ideas, two of my friends are stagnated in their relationships."
Megami shut the door and sat on Ino's silk covered sheets, Neko fussing in her arms. "It's not your fault that stuff happened, Innie. Everyone's just on edge."
Ino scoffed and stared annoyingly at the hidden dresses. "If I didn't make this stupid competition, Toneri would have left Hinata alone. I wouldn't have pushed their rivalry so far and made it harder on her. And gosh I just made Gaara and Sakura even more uncomfortable about something they were already feeling weird about."
She sighed and slumped into her royal purple desk chair.
"I'm such a shit friend," she mumbled.
"You're not a shit friend," Megami said distractedly. "You just wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary. For us. There's nothing shitty about it."
"Well it kind of blew up in my face…" she grumbled. "Now I can't even bring myself to look at these dresses."
Megami frowned and set a fussing Neko down on the floor. Instantly, he ran up to Ino and, as if sensing her distress, whimpered and nudged against her leg. She smiled sadly a bit and looked down, acknowledging him as he panted and wagged his small tail.
"I don't know much about dressmaking," Megami began, hugging her knees rocking back and forth on Ino's bed, "but I'm sure they take a real long time to make."
"Yeah," Ino laughed a bit sarcasitically, "a really long time."
"Everyone knows how hard you've been working Innie," she continued, looking up to Ino's ceiling. "We know you did all this because you worked so hard on the dresses, you wanted a really special night."
Ino sighed and picked up a wagging Neko who then sat comfortably in her lap.
"I just wanted everything to be perfect. I just wanted Saturday night to feel like a dream. We've spent such a long time feeling so shitty because of other people. I just wanted…for one night…to feel like everything was and has anyways been…perfect."
"I think it would have been regardless."
Ino turned to Megami, who now laid flat her bed looking up to the ceiling, with a sad expression.
"I think no matter what we would have had a perfect night if we just have each other and the guys. Things feel pretty perfect when we're all together, I think."
Ino sighed again and turned back to her desk, "I know…I thought I could give us a special night and play matchmaker at the same time…but everything just blew up in my face."
Megami sat up, smiling. "Your intentions were good Innie, I think that's all that matters."
Ino rubbed her forehead a bit and let out a deep sigh, "well what am I supposed to do now?"
Megami stood up quickly and stretched before shrugging her shoulders.
"Well, I feel like all you can do is finish those dresses!"
Ino looked up to her as Megami put her hands behind her head and began leaving her room.
"You've worked so hard to make everything as grand as you've always dreamed!" she called, waving, "no chance you can stop now!"
Ino frowned as the door shut behind her. She smiled softly a bit when she looked down to Neko nestled comfortably into her lap. As she pet his head a bit, she looked up to the five covered dresses taking up space within her room. Years of hard work and anticipation stood before her. She thought back to the days where she had just begun to learn to sow, an outlet to all the negativity in her and the girl's lives, as well as an alternative to the trouble she had in school.
Suddenly, something clicked within her and in a moment, she stood with a new found sense of defiance, alerting Neko who jumped to the ground and looked up to her.
She picked up her thread and pincushion, one in each hand.
"I may not be some kind of mathematician and maybe my ideals have been skewed for a minute," she mumbled to herself, gripping the two items.
"But I am Ino Yamanaka, and when I start something, I finish it."
(^A.H^)
When Friday finally rolled around, the girls arrived to the school highly anticipating the championship basketball game against Suna high school that would take place immediately after school.
Ino, Sakura, and Hinata arrived to the spirited school in their cheerleading uniforms, while Megami and Tenten instead wore their standard uniforms, as well as decorative paints on their face and arms like the rest of the school in support.
"Shouldn't we wait for the guys?" Tenten suggested as the girls did not halt their movements and instead, led by Sakura, continued into the building.
"I don't see why we should," Sakura huffed, her expression and attention towards the front, unchanged.
Tenten let out a deep sigh as she, Megami, and a quiet Hinata trailed behind Sakura and Ino who kept a straight face and, like Hinata, was more quiet than usual.
Hinata looked behind her, just barely catching the white limo pull up as the girls entered the building doors.
The girls entered the decorated and student filled halls of Konoha high. As not only the championship basketball game, but also the final sports game of the school season, the students of Konoha high were more than excited to end the year in a burst of school spirit.
"This place looks fantastic, doesn't it girls!" Ino said excitedly, acting oblivious to Sakura and Hinata's distracted and distant expressions.
"This is so going to be an unforgettable game!"
"What do you think the guy's chances are of winning?" Megami asked, walking with her hands behind her head, a red K on her right cheek and a tan H on her left cheek and two red and tan mixed mini pom poms in her hands.
"You wanna bet money on how many shots Hyuga and Uchiha make?" Tenten chuckled, walking beside her, a red and tan headband around her forehead and matching sweatbands on her wrists.
"You mean how many they miss," Megami laughed, which Tenten followed in turn.
"It's amazing how much confidence you have in me, honey."
The girls stopped in place and turned around to Neji who stood in front of only two other members behind him, the girls casually noticed the shortage of members. Only Neji, Sasuke, and Shikamaru stood before them in their basketball uniforms.
Tenten huffed and stuck her finger in his face, to his shock.
"You! You're in hot water don't forget!"
"What the hell are you on about?!" he said angrily, pushing her finger away from his face.
"After the shit you started yesterday—"
"Tenten!" Sakura said suddenly, "do not."
"Oh come on! I'll whoop his butt if you want me to! It's his big mouth that started this mess!"
Neji sighed, "I was only messing around, Sakura. I didn't mean to stir anything."
Sakura shook her head, "please, don't. I don't care about you making jokes like that, I'm used to it. This...is bigger than this," she said the last portion quietly.
"Where're Gaara and Naruto anyway?" Tenten looked around, her hands on her hips as entering students passed around them.
"Gaara was gone before we woke up," Sasuke said, "we assumed he came to school early or something."
Sakura turned to her side, her arms crossed.
"And Naruto…well…" Shikamaru mumbled exhausted.
Hinata looked to him, not realizing that she had her hands clasped to her chest.
"Naruto's is in in school suspension all day, along with Toneri, for fighting."
"Are you serious?!" Tenten yelled.
Hinata sub-consciously clutched her hands further into her chest as her expression saddened a bit.
"Yeah," Neji scoffed, "he's lucky Kurenai and Tsunade were so lenient with him, I hear Tsunade even threatened taking Naruto out of the game and not letting either of them go to prom."
Ino crossed her arms and sighed, "I guess Tsunade wasn't kidding about that no fighting policy after everything that happened."
The bell rang among the student, as such, many began to scatter to class.
"We had better get going then, Sasuke spoke as he began to walk past everyone.
"Wait up!" Megami yelled after him as the seven went on their way to class.
Hinata stood back for a few moments without their realization, clutching her hands to her chest and shaking away her muddled emotions before she ran after the rest of the group.
(^A.H^)
Naruto flinched once again when Obito-sensei's snores covered the nearly empty room. He looked up, humored a bit as he watched him sleep with his legs up on the desk. He stirred a bit and nearly lost his balance, waking himself for a just a moment before he just as quickly fell back asleep with a snore.
Naruto sighed and looked at his orange and black Rolex for the third time in the last ten minutes. He knew by now classes would be well into their third period, but he felt as though he'd been sitting in the same spot for days.
Aside from Obito-sensei's snoring every so often, the room remained mainly silent. Naruto sat in the third row, while the only other students were a senior girl with short brown hair sitting at the back corner by the window, quietly doing her homework; a junior boy with a crew cut secretly listening to his music in the very front; then of course Toneri , who sat in the back just like the girl, two rows directly behind Naruto, reading a book about ancient astronomy.
With no phone and no contact to the outside, both boys, mostly Naruto, had nothing but their bruises and their thoughts.
The last few hours had done nothing for Naruto but make him feel even guiltier about making Hinata upset, and even more hateful towards Toneri for trying to take her from him in the first place.
After managing to ignore each other for the last few hours, Naruto, anxious and jittery, finally looked back to Toneri to find him casually concentrated on his book.
Naruto turned back with a glare, his body restlessly changing positions in his chair. He had attempted to distract himself with drawing on his desk, but he couldn't get his mind off Hinata.
He glanced back at Toneri once again with a glare. Toneri shut his eyes and let out a slow sigh. Naruto turned back once again with a more malicious glare. This time, Toneri opened his eyes and made a show of shutting his book.
"If you have something you would like to say Uzumaki, please, don't let me stop you," he spoke calmly, elegantly.
Naruto scoffed and faced front, "why would I have anything to say to you. You're the reason we're both here in the first place."
"I don't need to remind you who threw the first punch," Toneri said.
Naruto smirked as he turned back and looked directly at Toneri's unflattering black eye.
"Oh, I didn't forget."
Toneri narrowed his eyes, breaking his calm exterior. "Well now look where that got you, a suspension on your record and Hinata out of your hands. Congratulations."
His smirk quickly dropped and he slumped in his seat, clenching his fists.
"Well maybe if you had left my girlfriend alone I never would have felt compelled to punch your teeth in," his teeth grit, "a thousand girls in this school and you pick her," Naruto grumbled, his fists clenching again as if just the mere mention of Toneri's interest in Hinata set him off.
Toneri chuckled a bit in annoyance, "I didn't just pick her, you moron. Hinata and I have known each other since we were young. Our families spent quite a bit of time together, however, after her mother passed away and the years went by, our ties to each other grew lesser and lesser. Eventually we only came to see one another at family events," as he spoke he seemed to lose himself in his memory a bit.
"But I was sure I was in love with her long before all that."
Naruto bit his tongue. Sure, there were plenty of guys who would claim they loved Hinata. But to hear it being said out loud made him sweat.
A dull expression took over Toneri's face as he boredly looked over at Naruto again.
"The Hyugas and the Otsutsukis have a long history together. How long have you known Hinata? Seven? Eight months?"
Naruto's anger quickly turned into realization. Of course he'd long since had some idea of Hinata solely because she was the heir to the Hyuga fortune and Neji's cousin, but even back then he only knew her by name. But just as soon as he thought about it did the feeling pass on.
"I may not know Hinata personally for as long as you have, but I'm sure I've dated her longer than you."
Toneri's dull expression remained unchanged.
"Just because you have romantic leverage over me doesn't mean I believe you're at all fit to be her boyfriend," he spoke coldly as he and Naruto looked each other dead in the eye.
"Hinata deserves someone with the social grace, poise, and maturity to stand by her side. Not some noisy guy who fools around in some dance group."
Naruto's eyes lit with fury. He grit his teeth to fight back the urge to do to his left eye what he did to his right.
"You have no idea what Hinata needs and deserves. You don't know her heart at all!" he said in his feeble attempt at keeping his voice low.
"And you do?"
Naruto paused for a moment, temporarily caught off guard before he resumed his glare.
"I know it better than you'll ever know."
Toneri raised a brow but said nothing as Naruto's glare faltered into a mixed expression that made it clear he was nurturing painful memories, healing wounds, and strong regrets.
"You have no idea what we've been through to prove our love for each other…" he spoke suddenly in an almost whisper. Toneri looked at him blankly.
Naruto lowered his head.
"…The things we've seen…the trauma we still need to grow from…all of it, just so we could find happiness together…"
He lifted his head and glared.
"There's no way you could possibly understand any of it. So to come here acting like you're better for Hinata—"
He paused himself and glanced down.
"I…I don't know if I'm what's best for Hinata…but I love her…as long as she's happy, that's all I'll ever need."
Still, Toneri said nothing. His expression revealed nothing.
Naruto scoffed and turned back around with a broken expression.
"And now I don't even get to go to prom with her…"
Neither of the boys said anything after that. Toneri sat in place for a moment in thought before he directed his attention to the window. For a split second he caught the short haired girl's eye on him before it went back to her workbook. He raised a brow for a moment before he let out a deep sigh and elected to return to his book.
Naruto closed his eyes and did his best to block out Obito-sensei's unending snoring. His heart ached as he wondered what everyone, but especially Hinata, could be up to.
(^A.H^)
"So what's the deal? Is Gaara just not coming today at all?"
The three members, seated with a few other members of the basketball team on the bleachers. Neji looked up to Sakura, who had shuffled away from cheer practice that was taking place of the usual sixth period gym class (after the basketball team had for a bit.)
Most of the Friday progressed on without much of interest. Much of the school of dressed in support and went through the day discussing the game. Those that didn't were the seniors who were much more interested in talking about prom which would only be in a little more than 24 hours once the game ended.
Gaara had not appeared to not only Sakura's confusion, but everyone else's. The boys had tried to contact him under Sakura's request and their own curiosity, but no one could get a hold of him.
Not a single person had caught sight of Naruto either, as he, with Toneri, remained in the farthest corner of the building until the school day's end.
Shikamaru shrugged, "I guess not. My messages aren't even sending. It's like he's not even in the same city."
Sakura's face contorted in confusion.
"Maybe he was too afraid to show up and see you today," Neji suggested.
Sakura shook her head a bit, "he's not like that , you know that."
Neji raised a brow, "I thought you were angry with him anyway?"
Sakura sighed, "a silly argument isn't going to make me not worry about him or wonder where he is. I'm annoyed, yeah, but fighting is the last thing I want to do right now."
"Well," Sasuke said, "he's bound to be at the game."
Sakura nodded before turning around and rushing back to the practicing cheer squad.
"Any luck?" Tenten asked, as she and Megami stood in place of the varsity cheer members that weren't in their gym class.
Sakura shook her head, looking down, "he's a no show…maybe…maybe I was too rash about getting mad at him."
Tenten scoffed, "you're joking right?"
Sakura groaned a bit and rubbed her temple, "I mean!...why am I even so bent on waiting anyway!...I had no problem with K—….!"
She cleared her throat, the girls stood in a silence of their own while the other cheer members stretched.
"Maybe I'm just a prude…"
"Sakura!" Ino yelled, annoyed, "I'm the last person that needs to tell you that you're thinking like an idiot! It doesn't matter about the past; you're ready when you're ready. You have every right to feel how you feel."
Sakura sighed and nodded a bit, "yeah…I just…I don't know…"
Ino smiled sadly.
"Sakura, it was wrong of me to say what I said before. You should never feel rushed about something like that, regardless of history. I know to me it was jokes, but I would never want you to feel like you have to do something that's so important to you so quickly."
Sakura blinked wildly as the remaining girls stood off to the side in equal surprise.
"Ino," Sakura said breathlessly, "that was so well said."
Ino narrowed her eyes before Sakura giggled and pulled her into a hug.
"Thank you, Innie," Sakura murmured into the hug.
"I have my moments," Ino smiled slyly.
(^A.H^)
"Let's go Konoha high! Let's go!"
"S-U-N-A, Suna's gonna win the day!"
The cheerleaders on opposite ends once again competitively cheered, soared, and chanted for their respective school while filled benches of students from both schools crowed and busied Konoha high's large gym.
The cheerleaders shuffled around as the band matched the noise of the chatty students and both the teams that ran back and forth on the court, Suna high in the colors of gray and blue, against Konoha's tan and red.
At the very beginning of the game, most of the starter players were already going back and forth on the court. One team member, however, had to go in place of another member that was originally supposed to start the gain, to the continued confusion of everyone.
For Gaara to not only be late for a game, but for a game against his own home town and kingdom of Suna was unusual to say the least.
Naruto however, had rejoined society. While no one had seen Toneri, Naruto arrived to the gym shortly after the end of the school day and prepared to start the game along with the rest of the present members.
Naruto had stepped out of the full day of in school suspension appearing as if he had been imprisoned for much of his life. He and Hinata somehow managed to keep their distance from each other, as she was clearly not up for speaking to him, and he had no idea how to approach her. So they both went on with the game as best as they could.
After landing the first basket, Neji dropped to the ground with roaring cheers from the students, securing a good start to the final game.
The boys ran by the cheerleaders, high fiving each other and Neji especially for kicking off the game.
Sakura, though she followed along with her routine well enough, couldn't help but scour the gym.
"This is so unlike him," she mumbled, shuffling past Ino and ending up by Hinata as the girls shook their pom poms when the game proceeded again.
Sakura glanced over to Ino who caught her eye. The blonde smiled and winked at her. She shook her head and quickly glanced over to Hinata who seemed just as in her own world.
She seemed just as defeated and not entirely in the mood of cheering, though she was well at hiding it. Like Sakura, she was in no mood to fight, but just the same, she had no place in her heart to handle two boys getting in a fight over her, after everything, she simply refused to tolerate it ever again.
(^A.H^)
"Sabaku's a real tool for abandoning us like this," Neji said breathlessly as the boys caught up to each other on the bench just as the half-time bell finished ringing.
"Maybe he got called to Suna of all places," Shikamaru said seated, retying his shoe as the four stood sweating, out of breath.
"He would have told us what was up," Sasuke said, his arms crossed.
"Yeah whatever the hell is up," Neji continued, "he could've let us know. Halfway through and we're barely hanging on. And you—!" Neji pointed to Naruto who was dully staring off into the distance. He shot his head towards him without changing his expression.
"What the fuck is going on with you out there? Huh?" He asked harshly, "you're running around like you don't know what's going on and we have to pick up the slack. Either you get it together Uzumaki or your ass is benched. Understand?"
Naruto said nothing. Instead he closed his eyes and stuck his hands in his short pockets. He pushed past Neji and proceeded to walk over and sit down on the farthest bench with small towel and water bottle, he sat quietly. With Hinata avoiding him, there wasn't much in him to take on the game.
Neji rubbed the bridge of his nose as Gai's whistle went off and the other players began to assemble around him.
"I don't believe what's going on here," he sighed as the three began walking over to the other side.
"Come on guys!" Ino's voice carried as the cheerleaders bustled to get ready for their halftime performance on the court, the lights dimmed for them.
"Let's go! Let's go!" she called as the last to make it to the group were Sakura and Hinata. Sakura hung back by Ino a few feet from the other girls who took their places.
"Ino?" she raised a brow, "weren't we supposed to start with the back in a standing pyramid?"
"Nah I changed things up a bit," Ino whispered, nudging her to her spot.
"What things?" Sakura demanded, confused as Ino pushed her into her spot.
"Shh, just go with it!" Ino encouraged as she hurried to her own place.
Sakura blinked in confusion as the music began to pick up. She cleared her head and instead readied herself to perform the routine. But she quickly realized that what she was hearing was not the music she and Ino had picked out some days before.
She stood in her place, looking lost and confused as all the other cheerleaders, including Hinata and Ino, quickly began shuffling and jumping around her, practically blocking her visibility and blocking her own appearance to the watching students. Sakura looked around back and forth, but all she was met with was a blur of flying red and tan uniforms and pom poms, confusing and trapping her.
"What the hell is happening?!" she finally yelled, using her pom poms to cover her ears as she became oblivious to the space being created behind her, the developing gasps and collective awes of the quieting students, and the clamping of hooves behind her.
The music slowed down to a halt just as the cheerleaders halted their speedy routine. A large light centered on the middle of the court as much of the gym quieted.
A neigh is what brought Sakura's attention back and what forced her to open her eyes. She dropped her pom poms from her ears and stood up straight, discovering that the confusing routine had finally stopped.
She momentarily noticed the quietness of the gym, and even managed to catch a glance of Megami and Tenten who, like many others, stared past at whatever was now currently casting a shadow over her.
Still sure that she had heard a neigh, her belief proved correct when she turned around and was nearly met face to face with a saddled white horse. Her awed gaze followed up to the person sitting on the horse that casually stood on the basketball court. They held the black saddle straps in both hands while their black loafers and black pressed pants led up to a white three button shirt with the sleeves folded up to the elbows and two of the three buttons undone. The shirt was partially hidden by a long cape, black on the outside and red on the inside. Finally, her eyes met jade eyes that looked directly at her with a plain look that was topped off with the golden jewel encrusted crown atop his head.
The horse neighed once again as she looked up to him. Behind him, all who came from Suna high school bowed to their crown prince, Gaara.
The cape seemed to sway in the silence as Gaara looked exactly like a storybook prince who had escaped his pages to claim back his princess in waiting.
It felt as if neither of them spoke for a long time, but only moments passed.
Gaara closed his eyes for a moment before hopping off the horse that remained in place. Who stood and towered over Sakura momentarily, before he lowered onto one knee. She began to burn red when he gently placed his right hand on his chest and just as gently took her right hand into his left, his head hung.
"I know this isn't the ideal place you had always pictured when you dreampt about your prince charming wisping you off to fairy tale land—" he finally spoke, breaking the silence of the gymnasium.
Sakura's eyes glistened. She looked down to him with pure affection.
"—but I hope this scenario works just as well."
Sakura couldn't help but laugh as once again Gaara managed to catch her heart by reminding her just how much he truly cares and truly listens to all the little things about her.
He looked up to her, "a prince is a gentleman before anything else. Never would I consider crossing defying that code of behavior, regardless of any desires that may exist within me."
She shook a bit as he leaned forward and softly kissed the top of her right hand.
"The last thing I would ever want to do is go against my future queen."
Sakura burst into tears as she released from him and fell to her knees, her arms around his neck, "Gaara!" she simply cried.
The students and players, though not completely in the know of the situation, nonetheless clapped and cheered and simply assumed this part of some elaborate promposal.
Sakura leaned back a bit and looked into Gaara's eyes over the claps.
"I stopped wanting to be swept away a long time ago," she smiled. He raised a brow.
"I already found my prince charming, and he already swept me off my feet long ago."
He smirked a bit before he leaned in and kissed her, resulting in more student cheers. They did not break the kiss as he looked her up bridal style, and only then broke it when he effortlessly sat her atop the horse. He hopped on behind her and took one of the reins as turned and reached into his cape pocket.
"I suppose you'll be needing this as well to complete the role."
She gasped a bit at the sparkly diamond filled tiara before her.
"I would like to use this in place of flowers when I ask you this."
She looked up to his eyes once more.
"Sakura…would you do me the honor of going to prom with me…?"
Sakura tearfully let out a deep breath.
"Shouldn't you check with Ino first?" she teased.
He smirked as she burned red while he placed the tiara on her head.
"Don't worry. I already have."
She turned back to him, smiling brightly as girls around them dreamily sighed in awe at the shining tiara.
"Then of course I will accompany you, my lord," she mockingly bowed a bit.
Gaara smirked as he nudged the horse, which then picked up its feet and began galloping towards the outside exit doors over the crowd of clapping and cheering students. Sakura laughed happily as they rid outside into the open field.
Ino smiled after them, her hands on her hips as everyone began to gather themselves again. There was nothing wrong with a little fantasy. Sakura was surely someone who needed to embrace the little bit of storybook classic that had become her life.
"Great that's all well and good isn't it," Neji grumbled, standing with the basketball players.
"So is he just not going to come and finish the game?!"
(^A.H^)
The orange ceiling had become rough with scraped paint and marked areas, as well as blurred to the blonde boy's eyes, as he had failed to remove it for hours. He lay sprawled on his bed in gray sweats, throwing an autographed baseball back and forth at the ceiling. The sun was on track to setting after a long day of sitting in a room with his worst enemy and barely putting his all in a championship game that they narrowly won.
Now it seemed as though all of the guys had it together and were well on their way to going through with prom tomorrow. Somehow he had screwed things up and now felt he had completely run out of time to ask Hinata to go with him.
He tried to swallow but it felt as if a rock was lodged in his throat. He rubbed his eyes and gave his best effort not to cry.
"This isn't how things were supposed to go…" he mumbled to himself, his eyes glistened as he quickly glanced over to the aging items on his desk.
A knock on his door broke his concentration. He said nothing in response. Although he had made it clear he wasn't feeling well, he didn't put it past the boys to come to him anyway.
"Like it or not Uzumaki, we're coming in." He heard Sasuke's voice from behind the door.
It opened without him acknowledging it, and the four other band members stepped into his room in their own after school clothing.
"It's a bit sad to see you like this Uzumaki," Neji sighed as he made his way over to the edge of Naruto's bed, "thought you would have stormed over to the girl's place right now on a white horse and fancy diamonds like prince charming over here did," he said in a mock girly voice when calling Gaara prince charming, to which he glared at him over by Naruto's desk.
"Don't be foolish," Shikamaru cut in, sitting in Naruto's desk chair, "first of all, that's literally the last thing Hinata wants."
"How the hell do you know what she wants?" Neji bit.
"Well," Shikamaru continued, "she obviously wasn't into Toneri raining flowers down to her and almost leaping to his death. Secondly, Sakura and Hinata are completely different people. They all are."
"A little pizzazz wins the heart of any girl," Neji sighed, "isn't that why we went through all this bullshit in the first place?" he turned his attention towards Naruto who still lay, now with the ball in his right hand as his right arm covered his eyes and masked his overall expression.
"You should have just asked Hinata when you had the chance," Sasuke said, standing with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall beside Naruto's flat screen. "Why did you wait so long and give Toneri so much time in the first plac—"
"I just…"
Finally, Naruto spoke, but in a croaked voice.
Sasuke turned to his side to look at him as the rest of the boys gave him their attention.
"What did you say? Speak up." Sasuke demanded.
"I just…I…I just…" Naruto spoke a bit louder.
Slowly, he dropped his right arm and sat up in his bed. He tried to wipe away the tears from his eyes.
"I just wanted to go to prom with Hinata-chan."
The remaining boys said nothing as he sniffled and his blue eyes glistened.
"That's all I wanted from the beginning."
"Well then why didn't you just say it?" Neji asked, a bit frustrated. "You were going to do something before this whole thing anyway weren't you? Even before we all became even remotely interested in asking the girls to prom."
Naruto looked down and clenched his fists. "I was going to…but…but then…"
"What's this doing here?"
The boys directed their attention to Naruto's desk where Shikamaru sat and Gaara stood by. Gaara had spoken, he rubbed a bit of a wilted flower. As softly as he did, it still broke off, the blackened piece fell onto his desk top along with others petals that had lost their ability to hang on.
Naruto sighed, "Those were supposed to be for when I asked Hinata…"
"And these?" Gaara motioned to the half eaten broken box of chocolates.
He nodded, "those too." he turned a bit red and looked down, "it's pretty lame…I know…"
"It's not lame."
The boys, this time, looked to Neji who stood with his arms crossed.
"You know Hinata better than I do, right?" he challenged, "maybe you should have stuck with what you knew from the start."
Naruto, though a bit taken aback by Neji's sudden attitude, looked sadly over to the couple of items he had purchased over a week prior.
"If you're really so confident that you're the only man who truly understands Hinata's heart," Sasuke said dully.
Naruto clutched his fists again.
"Then you know what you have to do."
He stared down at his blankets for a moment in silence. The boys patiently waited for him to speak up.
Instead, he raised his head defiantly and looked straight ahead with a new resolve.
(^A.H^)
"Come on girls! Set up starts in twenty minutes!" Tenten barked as most of the girls bustled around, getting ready to leave to go help complete the decorations at Nyo hotel, in final preparation for prom tomorrow night.
After lounging at home for a couple hours and distressing after having finally completed the last game of their senior year, the girls had risen from their majority collective naps and hurried to get ready to go help.
"Is Ino still not down yet?" Sakura checked her watch, "we'll be lame. I'll feel bad if they have to start without us."
Tenten crossed her arms and grumbled, "I'm getting pretty tired of this recurring theme with her. Ino Yamanaka!" she yelled, "it's time to g—!"
"I'm here, I'm coming!" Ino yelled from upstairs before hurriedly running down the steps so quickly the girls barely had any time to react.
"Whoa, what's the deal Yamanaka?" Tenten blinked just as Megami entered small entrance room with Neko in her arms, while Hinata calmly and quietly followed behind her.
Ino beamed with a smile so strong it felt as if she rivaled the brightness of the sun.
Tenten scratched the back of her head, "you're starting to creep me out, Ino…"
Megami turned to Hinata who stood patiently in black tights and a purple off the shoulder top with a small bag.
"Hinata, you know you don't gotta come decorate," she whispered, "I don't know how much fun it'll be."
Hinata smiled softly as she turned to her, "my issues with Naruto-kun and Toneri shouldn't affect how much fun I have with my friends."
Megami half smiled, though she knew just as well as the girls did that Hinata would rather stay behind. Tenten had even suggested they ditch the boys all together or not go to prom at all if Hinata wasn't going to have the same amount of fun, but she refused the ideas, claiming that everyone had already gone through too much to not enjoy the night.
The girls were less than convinced, and they knew more than anything what she really ached for.
"Alright Yamanaka spill it!" Tenten demanded, "You're really freaking us all out with this crazy smile you've got going on. If we don't get going we're gonna look like assholes to everyone."
Ino's smile softened as she stood on the end of the steps, looking at the girls.
"Well, girls…"
Suddenly, the doorbell rang once.
The girls, confused, looked towards the door behind them and in front of Ino.
"Who could that be?" Sakura asked, "Were we expecting anyone?"
The girls shook their heads as Megami walked over just as the door bell came one more time. She stared into the peephole for a moment before she stepped back without turning back to the girls.
"Who is it Megami?" Hinata asked as she came up behind her with wonder, Megami still standing with her back towards her.
Megami unlocked the door and backed up to open it as Hinata gave her a confused expression and the rest of the girls gathered behind her to see who was present.
"Uh…" Megami said, allowing Hinata to look out, "I think it's for you." She quickly went to stand by the other girls after speaking.
She stepped further over to the door a bit to have a better look. Her eyes widened a bit at what stood before her.
Standing just directly outside their door was practically shaking Naruto, standing before her with his head hung low. Although she could barely see his head as it was nearly covered by a wilted bouquet of unrecognizable mostly dead flowers in his shaking right hand, and oppositely, what seemed to be an already open and broken box of convenience store chocolates, shook in his left arm as the sun set behind him.
His entire demeanor seemed like that of a young boy asking his middle school crush to their first dance.
Hinata barely noticed the remaining four omega members who stood over by the girl's driveway, standing outside and individually leaning casually on Naruto's Camaro they had carpooled in.
She stood at a loss for words, completely unsure of what to say as she stood looking down to him softly, her hands clasped tightly in front of her chest.
"N-Naru…" she tried to speak of, hesitant of his own obvious nervousness and shyness.
The girls were surprised at his behavior. They'd never seen him so anxious and uneasy, especially around Hinata.
"This!" his voice came suddenly, shakingly, alerting the lot of them.
"T-this is how…this is how I wanted to ask you before all this." He said softly, his low head raised only slightly. "I-I wanted to surprise you with these…even though everyone said you don't need to ask your girlfriend…I knew I still wanted to because it's you…I want to do special things for you even if I don't have to."
Hinata gasped ever so slightly as he raised his head halfway and lowered his arms.
"I-I know I'm not romantic like Toneri…" he spoke, sad eyes cast down, "I k-know I can be hotheaded a lot…I get scared…I wanted to ask you, but then I saw all the ways Toneri asked you and I just felt so…" he bit his bottom lip, "…inferior. I felt like he was right. Like I wasn't good enough for you."
Hinata's bottom lip quivered.
"I know I should have talked to you about how I was feeling. I know I shouldn't have let Toneri get inside my head. I know if I asked you with my heart on my sleeve then I wouldn't even have to worry about someone like Toneri,"
This time, he looked up to her, slowly gaining confidence as he stood straight and held the items to his chest.
"Because then I wouldn't be questioning what we have," he smiled, his cheeks reddening.
He thrusted his worn gifts to her, nearly knocking her off her balance in surprise.
"So here I am, humbly asking you, Hinata Hyuga, with my heart completely out on my sleeve, if you will go with me to prom tomorrow night?"
The girls stared in anticipation in the background, while the boys outside stared at the couple as well.
For a moment, Hinata said nothing. Naruto stood unmoving as well, though only he could hear the ridiculous pound of his heart.
Hinata took a step up to him. As she slowly moved forward, she lowered his arms with her hands gently. He did not take his eyes off her as she did, eventually, his arms dropped his sides.
She stood directly in front of him for a moment before lifting her right hand and gently settling it on his left cheek. He relaxed at her touch.
"Naruto-kun…" she began, "the biggest thing that hurt out of all of this," she spoke.
"Is that you would even begin to think that Toneri was potential competition to you for my heart. My heart, in the first place, isn't any sort of thing to compete over," She spoke sternly as he listened, somewhat ashamed.
"I thought that you'd have more faith in my love. You know my heart better than anyone don't you?" she questioned. Before he could answer she spoke again, this time smiling softly.
"If you truly did then you would know I said yes the day I told you I was in love with you."
Naruto blinked in surprise for a few moments before his face quickly spread into a large grin that seemed more suited to the Naruto they all knew and loved.
"Hinata-chan!" he yelled as he dropped the flowers and chocolates and swept her up at her thighs.
"Naruto-kun!" she laughed, balancing on his shoulders as he hugged at her thighs, "be careful!"
"Sorry!" he laughed as he brought her down and brought her into a delicate kiss while the girls clapped behind them and the boys began to walk up from the car.
They both giggled into the kiss as Ino sighed in relief behind them.
"Thank goodness, no way we could have gone to prom without all of us together," she laughed.
"Yeah it's almost as if we could have made this week easier on ourselves," Sakura mumbled with a tight, annoyed smile.
"Oh come on!" Ino laughed with a wicked smile, "just what kind of fun would that be?!"
She cleared her throat just as the rest of the guys walked up. Naruto and Hinata parted halfway to look up to her with the rest of the group.
"Everyone, I have a wonderful announcement to cap off this good news," she smiled confidently.
"After all these years, I have absolutely, entirely, and finally completed all the dresses."
(^A.H^)
Late in the evening, when all was quiet and most of the girls were well into sleeping to prepare for their inevitably busy day to follow, one Alpha member shyly dialed a number on her cell phone and hoped she was not disturbing the person she was attempting to contact wouldn't be upset that she was calling quite let.
She let out a breath of relief when they picked up.
"Hello…? Kurenai-sensei…I'm so sorry to contact you so late and so last minute…but…I was wondering…may I ask something of you?"
(^A.H^)
"Ow…ow…ow…OW!"
Tenten jumped up and rubbed the top of her scalp. Kagome sighed and put her hands on her hips, a thick purple brush in her right hand.
"Geez mom are you trying to rip my head off! Easy with that thing!"
"Well I'm sorry Tenten," her mother sighed, "but if you'd actually take the time to brush this mane every once and a while instead of putting it in buns all the time then it wouldn't hurt so bad!"
Tenten rolled her eyes and adjusted herself in the chair in front of her lit vanity mirror.
"I saw that young lady," Kagome said sternly, looking at her in the mirror, "no sassing!"
"You heard her Ten," Megami laughed in the seat next to her with her own vanity mirror as well, turned away from it as Mikoto worked on her makeup, "no sassing."
Mikoto chuckled as she blushed her face.
"Shut it dunce," Tenten bit, one eye shut in pain as her mother did her best to work with her hair.
Megami, who had already completed her hair, while Kagome worked to get Tenten's going, stuck her tongue out. She sat in a short white fluffy robe while Tenten, oppositely, had already finished her makeup during Megami's own grueling hair process, and equally sat in a short light green fluffy robe.
"Ladies, be nice," Mikoto said casually, though smiling.
"Mom no no! It's supposed to be parted to the left! The left!" Ino groaned a bit as she sat up in front of her own vanity mirror directly opposite Tenten and Megami, herself in a short light yellow robe. Imoi frowned and held the pink hot curler to the side.
"Well I'm sorry honey but I haven't curled my own hair in twenty years! I'm just glad I haven't burned your roots yet!" her own mother, decked in designer clothing and platforms, doing her best on Ino post makeup like Tenten.
Ino gasped in the mirror and patted the half curls on her head, "oh my gosh, did you?!"
"Of course not hun!" she huffed, "now stop moving before you mess up your makeup and burn yourself!"
"Has anyone seen my hairspray?!"
Sakura rushed into the spacious dressing room in hot pink lacy lingerie. The girls looked at her undergarments. An equally lacy pink garter belt sat over her matching cheeky panties and connected to pink sheer stockings.
Ino smirked as her mother gaped a bit at Sakura who was momentarily oblivious. Her makeup and hair had already been finished.
"Oh Saki, did your not-so-secret Victoria's Secret set come in?"
Sakura blinked for a moment before she slowly looked down to herself.
She yelped and began scrambling to find her matching soft pink robe as the girls laughed and the women could not help but giggle in amusement.
"Sakura! Sakura!"
Yoko came running from the adjacent master bathroom, Sakura's robe in Yoko's hands.
"You forgot your—"
She paused when Sakura turned smiling nervously in her failed attempt to cover herself. She twisted back to the still giggling girls with a glare before turning back and gently taking her robe from Yoko's hands.
"Thanks mom," she said with a sigh.
Yoko let out a breath and laughed a bit.
Sakura twisted around as she put on her robe, "shut the hell up Ino-pig!...I…had a gift card…!"
"Ladies," Mikoto called out while applying liquid liner, "no fighting now. Everyone's spending a lot of time to look perfect. I don't want to see a single scratch or punch tonight!"
The four girls collectively returned with comments and continued bickering.
Hinata laughed softly as she watched the girls, facing them in her own chair in front of her own vanity mirror. She sat in the corner spot by the wall and watched the girl's process and scrambling to get ready with the help of their respective guardians.
The girls had woken early Saturday morning to get breakfast, mani pedi's, and nails to match their individual outfits. The girls made one last stop to Nyo Hotel to make sure everything was in order before heading home to eat lunch and wait to make their way to the mansion, where they would meet their parents and guardians who had come to help them prepare, as well as take photos.
Elsewhere, the boys hurried to get the tuxedos that would match the outfit of their partner. Each given only a photo of a small portion of the color and material by Ino, the boys rushed to get their own clothing at a time that would be impossible had it not been for their connections.
Eventually the lot reunited to get ready. Pop music played through the boy's in home dressing room as the girls and mothers danced and shouted with two hours until prom.
"The fun you girls have never seizes to amaze me," Kurenai laughed softly enough to where only Hinata could hear, while the others chatted over the music.
Hinata smiled warmly as Kurenai put the final touches on her high curly bun, a soft light blue robe of her own.
"I completely agree, Kurenai-sensei," she said back calmly.
"Are you ready to see?" Kurenai asked a bit giddy.
"Yes I'd love to!" Hinata said excitedly as Kurenai turned her around.
Hinata opened her mouth a bit as she looked at herself in the vanity mirror. Her completed makeup complemented her styled hair. Her cheeks glimmered in the light. Although none of the girls had seen their dresses yet, her makeup was directed to match it. She could only admire Kurenai's excellent work even after such a last minute request.
"What do you think dear?" she smiled, "do you like it?"
"I love it all," Hinata said breathlessly, "I almost don't believe I'm looking at myself," she laughed warmly before smiling shyly, "thank you."
"My pleasure Hinata," Kurenai smiled.
"Kurenai-sensei," she began hesitantly, "I know I've said it a thousand times, but I truly am thankful for you agreeing to come help me get ready in place of my mother. I feel terrible for contacting you so late."
"Are you kidding?!" Kurenai brushed her off, "I've always dreamed of doing something like this. I'm lucky that I'll be able to do it with my own daughter someday."
Her smile saddened, "you're a beautiful and talented girl, Hinata. You deserve to do everything a girl your age wants to do. I'm sure this is something you've thought about doing with your mother. I'm being honest when I say it is an absolute honor to be your acting mother tonight."
They smiled softly at each other before they both leaned into a hug, ignoring the background noise.
"Thank you…very much, Kurenai-sensei."
"Hinata-niichaan! You look so pretty!"
Hinata released and looked up to Hanabi who looked up at her in awe from her 3DS, seated on the small leather couch in the room.
"All of you guys look so good so far!" Hanabi said aloud, catching the attention of the room.
"Those losers won't know what hit them!"
(^A.H^)
"This is an absurdly large mansion for just five boys," Hiashi spoke openly and harshly as he judgmentally glanced around the boys living room, "seems a bit unnecessary."
Senso sat with his arms crossed beside him and nodded, "I agree. Looks like just a bunch of burnt money to me. Young men don't need so many rooms. What do you use all those rooms for?"
"Yes," Aoi continued the conversation calmly, seated on the next side of Senso, "what is the use of all those rooms?"
"While we're on the topic of rooms," Inoichi spoke up, on Aoi's other side, "we should probably discuss what exactly your post dance intentions are. Make no mistake, gentlemen, we are aware this is at a hotel."
The boys gulped and shuffled in their spot as four of them sat on the couch directly across from a couch that faced the fathers of their girlfriends.
Naruto rubbed the sweat off his palms on his dress pants repeatedly. Hiashi could not seem to drop his resting judgmental eyes as he made little eye contact and examined the room. Neji, who sat across from Senso, tried his best to keep his cool while keeping his eyes low, for he knew Senso had not stopped staring him down as if he was constantly sizing him up.
Aoi and Inoichi on the other hand had received little interaction between Gaara and Shikamaru, though there was mutual, unspoken respect. Nevertheless, they were overprotective fathers before anything else. Sitting behind Gaara was Temari, who had divided her time between the guys and the girls over the course of their getting ready and had come from Suna in general to see everyone. She chuckled every time she caught Aoi examining him, to Gaara's annoyance.
Standing by the side of the door stood Fugaku, Itachi, and Sasuke who talked amongst themselves about current things.
"Dad, how much longer do we have to wait for them?" Yuki called from the gaming room next over, "and do you mind if I hang around here for a second while they're gone?!"
Inoichi sighed and rubbed his temple.
Nearly an hour down until prom, the boys sat completely ready and waiting, all dawned in their individually themed tuxedos that they were all curious of, as it hinted at the girl's attire, and most importantly, would complement Ino's long coming designs.
"They should be getting dressed by now," Neji stated, looking at his dark green watch, "that is if everything is staying on schedule according to Ino herse—"
"They're coming! They're coming!"
The sound of Hanabi's voice rushing down the stairs caught everyone's attention.
She jogged into the room a bit breathless as the group stood. Though a bit flustered, she smiled wildly.
"The girls are all done! They're coming down!"
None of the boys realized that they were moving quite fast in their pursuit to get to the girls as they came down the steps. Not only to see them in their completed look, but to, for the majority of them, skid away from the girl's fathers as quickly as possible.
The boys entered the entrance hall where they found the girl's mother figures standing together, looking up with cameras. The remaining group in the living room followed in moments later.
"Okay girls! One by one now!" Kagome called from behind her camera.
The boys looked up, standing side by side as they watched them come down.
At the head of the five was Tenten. She walked down in an emerald green high neck evening gown that was split in the middle just above her knees, making it resemble a high-low. The torso and the half sleeves of the dress were lace, while the bottom a taffeta material. Her emerald green strappy heels led up to matching sparkly green nails, then well up to long pointed jade earrings. Finally, her brown hair sat in a double braided updo with a clasped forest green clutch in her left hand.
She stepped down, holding the dress on each side, smiling with a deep green lipstick as she stepped up to Neji who stood in a emerald green tuxedo jacket with black dress pants and black dress shoes. Underneath his jacket sat a white button up, while on top, a matching emerald bow tie.
She put her hands on her hips as he elegantly bowed at her.
"You look ravishing," he said underneath his breath as he stood up straight. She uncharacteristically blushed when he looked her in the eye.
Behind her Megami followed down the stairs in a white lace two piece floor length outfit, with the top piece being a strapless tube top, while the skirt held a high slit that ran up her right leg. White ankle strap open toed high heels sat on her feet, while white finger and toenails, a white gold bracelet, her necklace, a small white clutch with a silver strap, and large white-gold hoops completed the all white outfit. Her bright red hair sat in a messy updo with hair hanging on each side. The red of her hair and the bright red lipstick on her lips brought color to her pale skin and white ensemble.
She smiled wildly as she stepped up to Sasuke who met her in a completely all white suit, from the shoes to the tuxedo vest, all except the red bow tie, matching the red of her hair and lipstick.
She giggled as she met up with Sasuke who smirked at her. He offered his arm which she took as he mumbled "You look amazing," to where only she could hear.
Behind her followed Sakura. She braved the steps in sharp pink pumps that could only be seen, along with her pink toenails, as she lifted the rose pink floor length tulle bottom of her a-line dress with a flowered pink clutch in the same hand. The tulle portion led up to a smattering of decorative lace pink flowers with matching straps that made up the entirety of the top portion of her dress. Her soft pink nails, baby pink lipstick, crown braided hair, and dangly rose-gold cherry blossom earrings completed her look.
Gaara stared at her, his hands in his pockets, as he watched her gingerly come down. Alternatively, he stood in a completely black buttoned tuxedo with black shoes, similarly to Sasuke, a nearly hot pink bow tie and matching pink pocket square.
She stepped up to him with a smile. She looked up as he towered over her, blushing. He removed his right hand from his jacket pocket and gently took her left hand and brought it up to his lips.
She blushed a bit as he stared her dead in the eye. Without breaking contact, he softly kissed the diamond ring on her finger. She smiled softly back at him, though her heart pounded against her chest.
Naruto slightly gaped in awe when Hinata began to step down. She carefully made her way down in a long sleeved, and figure hugging royal blue velvet gown. The floor touching scoop dress had a sheer covering that covered her shoulders and sat just below her neck. The silver decorated sheer scoop created a V, which gave the blue velvet portion a sweetheart effect.
Her matching royal blue nails appeared as she walked with her left hand on the railing and her right holding her dress along with a royal blue and black clutch. Occasionally, her royal blue rounded pumps would appear as she walked. Her dark blue hair sat in loose curls in an elegant low pony tail that rested over her right shoulder, held by a band that blended into her hair. Her curly hair somewhat covered her rounded cobalt earrings.
She stepped down and instantly directed her attention to Naruto who seemed a bit taken a back himself. She gave him a gentle smile with peachy red lipstick. Thankfully, her blush was masked by her makeup blush, as she couldn't help but admire him as well.
Naruto stood sharply in a tux with a black vest, dress pants, and black shoes. A black tie sat over a white collar shirt, while a royal blue, black rimmed, velvet jacket with a black pocket square completed the attire. Naruto's hair sat uncommonly slicked back, while a dark blue watch completed his look.
He blinked when he realized he had been staring and didn't register that she was now in front of him.
He gave her a goofy smile before he relaxed in front of her.
Before they could open their mouths to speak, the last clacking of heels came down the steps.
The lot looked up as she made her way down. Gold doubled strapped platform heels peered out from the slit of gold satin mermaid gown. From just below the knees up to the rest of the dress, the dress shined with sparkling gold beading and crystals. The haltered gown opened up with a scoop from the top of her chest, and thinned to just below her peeking breasts. The bottom of the dress shimmered with some scattered crystals. Her sharp metallic gold nails, gold teardrop earrings, bronze makeup, and a deep red lipstick finished her look and led up to her neat low updo with her long right band braided into her hair and wrapped around her right side. A metallic gold scarf over her forearms completed her sparkling look as everyone focused their attention on her.
Shikamaru stepped up in an all black unbuttoned tux with black shoes, as well as a metallic gold vest, matching tie, and a white pocket square. Though he looked good in his matching tuxedo, he couldn't help but smirking as he, like the others, finally looked in awe at the gown that was so many years in the making, finally being worn confidently by Ino who walked up to him, smiling with all the pride the girls clothing gave her.
"You girls look so amazing!" Kagome said with a bit of a squeal as she and the other mom figures scattered with the group, talking and snapping pictures.
"Tenten honey! Look at you!" Kagome beamed proudly as Senso came and stood by her side.
"Mom, come on," Tenten's cheeks burned red a bit as Neji stood straight, looking calmly as Senso sniffed back proud tears.
"Smile for the camera sweetie!"
Naruto gulped a bit as Hiashi and Hanabi stepped up to the both of them.
"Hinata!" Hanabi said in excitement, "you look so gorgeous! You look just like mom in those pictures!"
Hinata burned red, a bit caught off guard by the comment. She looked up and matched eyes with her father. After a couple beats, he nodded to her.
"You look beautiful, Hinata."
"I second that,"
She turned to look at Naruto. He gave her a small smile, scratching the back of his head, roughing his slicked hair a bit.
"You look absolutely beautiful, Hinata-chan."
She smiled softly.
"Thank you father. Thank you Naruto-kun. I have Kurenai-sensei to thank," she motioned to Kurenai who had just made her way over to the group, caressing her belly a bit.
"It was really my pleasure," she laughed before turning her attention to Naruto and giving him a serious look.
"I trust we'll be on our best behavior tonight?"
He quickly nodded.
"Totally, Kurenai-sensei!"
"Narutoo!"
Naruto yelped when Megami jumped on his back, temporarily throwing him off balance. Sasuke followed close behind, walking casually with his hands in his pockets.
"You look so handsome little bro!" she laughed as she dropped down.
"You look really good too Mega!"
They gave each other a cheesy smile for a moment. Megami's settled into a content one.
"Mom and dad would've thought so too."
Naruto relaxed and nodded firmly, "You know, I bet they're both thinking we look awesome!"
He gave her a thumbs up while she in turn smiled cheekily.
"Oh my goodness Megami! Look at you!" Mikoto said cheerily as she walked up to the talking lot with Itachi and Fugaku.
"And Sasuke sweetie, look at you so well put together!"
He narrowed his eyes at Naruto and Megami who chuckled off to the side.
"You sure have this prince-charming appearance on lock, don't you?" Sakura laughed warmly.
"I should say the same to you," he gave a small smirk.
He was a bit surprised when Sakura looked up to him with a confident smile.
"I should hope so. If I'm going to be a queen, I should look the part shouldn't I?"
Momentarily surprised, he blinked back to his lax expression and gave a rare small smile as he lifted his right hand and gently rested it on her left cheek. She blinked up to him.
"You'd look the part regardless."
"Just look at you two! One good-looking couple if I ever saw any!"
They both turned to Temari who waved as she stepped up with Yoko and Aoi.
Yoko sighed happily, "Oh Sakura. Just look at you. You're such a stunning young woman."
Aoi nodded, "Indeed. You both look very dapper."
Sakura sighed, "dapper dad, really?"
"What?" Aoi asked as the three women laughed a bit.
"Well you look rather dashing, don't you?" Ino said snarkily as stood in front of Shikamaru, adjusting his tie.
He chuckled a bit with a raised brow, "do I really need to tell you just how good you look?"
She patted his chest with a shrug after fixing the tie, "hm, I don't know. It would be nice."
"Well then,"
She gasped a bit when he suddenly brought her closer to him with one arm.
"You look absolutely stunning Miss. Yamanaka."
She smiled wickedly back at him.
"Ino!"
They both turned their attention to the side and gradually released as Ino's family walked over, her mother at the head.
She walked up to Ino, teary eyed but with a look of overwhelming pride on her face as Ino quickly turned to face her
"Ino…sweetheart…all these dresses look wonderful, and yours—"she motioned to Ino's outfit.
"—it turned out so much better than I could have pictured. Your grandmother and her mother would be so proud. I'm so proud of you. You did such a good job."
Ino blinked back the tears in her eyes. It felt as though a wash of relief had just cast itself over her. All the years of wanting to be at the same level as the dresses before her, her desire to maintain tradition, and the challenge that came with designing and redesigning all five dresses.
"Thank you, mom."
"Alright everyone outside!" Kagome called among the talking families, "we've got to get pictures before we lose our daylight!"
The lot scrambled to gather themselves and head outside.
"Come on Neji," Tenten called as she held her dress and began heading outside.
"Hey, Hyuga, one last thing!" Senso said, pausing Neji in his place. He turned around and gave Senso a calm expression as the others went on their way.
"Just so we're clear," Senso spoke, clearing his throat before he put his hand on Neji's shoulder and looked him dead in the eye. Neji gulped and buckled under his tight grip on his shoulder.
"If my daughter comes back pregnant, I will murder you."
(^A.H^)
"These dresses are unbelievable Innie!" Megami bounced a bit on the limousine seat cushion, "everyone looks so good!"
"I have to admit Ino," Sakura said, "these really did come out great. I know designing is your thing, but I really can't believe you put all these together from scratch by yourself."
"You sure out did yourself, Yamanaka," Tenten said, looking down to the lace of her dress.
"I'll say," Neji mumbled, seated next to her.
While Tenten playfully nudged him, Ino hummed a bit as she shut her small pocket mirror and stuck it back in her sparkly gold rounded clutch while Shikamaru power napped next to her.
"Years in the making, ladies."
The lot sat scattered inside the limo, a shiny traditional black one like the boys had begun school with. The majority chatted amongst themselves as they grew closer and closer to Nyo hotel, where Konoha high's senior class and then some would be arriving. After an hour full of pictures and the exchange of corsages, the lot had gone on their way while the rest of their families returned home.
Ino turned to look at Naruto and Hinata who talked to each other in the far corner. She smiled as he moved his hands animatedly while she giggled.
She glanced over to Sakura and Gaara, who listened calmly as she excitedly talked among the group. She looked around the limo for a moment before she began to blink back on coming tears.
Ino smiled softly as her eyes glistened.
"Whoa whoa Ino!" Tenten said suddenly as they all looked up or turned to look at her.
The group looked at her as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"It's just…everyone looks so amazing…and happy…I'm glad."
The girls smiled warmly at her as she quickly dabbed at her eyes with a nearby tissue.
"Better get the water works out now. There's no way I can ruin my makeup!"
"We're here!" Megami said cheerily as the limo came to a slow halt.
Ino squealed as the group looked out the tinted windows while Naruto nudged Shikamaru awake. The limo stopped directly in front of limo hotel, where many students stood outside dawned in a vast colorful array of gowns and tuxedos. The majority that stood outside waited for valet parking or caught up with friends before entering the ballroom.
"Omega is here!" a girl in a strapless soft blue gown called suddenly.
"So is Alpha!" came another girl in an off the shoulder red gown.
Neji stepped out first, followed by Sasuke, then Gaara, who then proceeded to help the girls out of the car. Naruto and Hinata exited next, holding hands as he helped her out while she held her dress.
Finally, Shikamaru stepped out, helping Ino out behind him.
The group began their descent into the hotel as their limo driver went off. Ino walked tall and confident with Shikamaru on her arm as students chatted and looked in awe at the famous couples.
"Well it worked out," Shikamaru said casually as they walked arm in arm into the hotel with the others in front of them, "you're finally getting the fruits of your labor."
Ino shook her head, "it was never about looking good or looking better than everyone. I just wanted my girls and I to have one last hurrah and looking stunning as we say goodbye to all the bullshit over the years," she turned and smiled at him, "and do it with the people we love."
The gang stepped through the open double doors and into the fully decorated ballroom. Many of the prom goers already stood in attendance, either on the dance floor, at the round blue and yellow tables and seats, or by the large staff monitored buffet laid out. The ballroom stood in a glistening array of golden stars across rows of dark blue curtains that hung from the ceiling. Various yellow and gold moon and star decorations circulated across the ceiling and dance floor. The Starry Night followed over to the DJ set which illuminated with flickering small blue light, then to a small stage where a crown and a tiara sat on a fluffy red pillow atop a platform.
"This place looks so amazing!" Megami bounced excitedly.
"Check out that buffet," Tenten said breathlessly, gripping Neji's arm, "I'm starving."
"We should get a good table quickly!" Hinata said amid the music.
"Shall we guys?" Sakura turned and smiled to the lot who nodded as they entered into the party.
(^A.H^)
"Sasuke come on let's go take pictures!" Megami pleaded, nudging his arm as she was seated on his lap.
"You just ate," he sighed, "give it a minute or you'll make yourself sick."
"This dress doesn't make my bump super obvious does it? Or is that just me?" Tenten frowned, a chicken wing in her right hand and a piece of sushi in her left as she ate from both her plate and Neji's as a few members sat together well into the prom festivities.
"I feel like that's a trick question," he mumbled.
"What? That didn't sound like an answer?"
"Hey!" Sakura called as she made her way through puffy dresses , dancing and talking prom goers. She held two glass cups in her hands while holding her dress up so she could walk a bit. The four looked up to her.
"Where'd Gaara go?" she asked as she set the drinks down, "he asked me to grab more drinks but the line went on forever."
"He said he was running to the bathroom or something," Sasuke said calmly as Megami happily adjusted Mr. Bear's black bow tie.
"He has been gone for a while though," Neji said with realization.
Sakura raised a brow as she sat down, "well how about Ino? Shikamaru?"
"Taking pictures in the booth of course! like we should!" Megami nudged at Sasuke.
"And Naruto and Hinata decided to take to the dance floor," Tenten said with a mouthful of food, using her wing to point in front of her. Sakura looked over to Naruto and Hinata who swayed together with others on the dance floor as a slower song began to pick up.
Hinata smiled warmly and giggled as Naruto cracked jokes while they danced from side to side. They fell into the crowd of others who danced with their dates halfway into the night.
"Are you having a good time Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked with a wide-toothed grin.
She nodded, "I am. You look really handsome tonight Naruto-kun."
He snorted and flushed a bit before looking up to her.
They stared at each other for a moment, stalled in the middle of the dance floor as others moved around them. Slowly, they both closed their eyes and leaned in.
"Pardon me, would it be rude if I cut in?"
They halted before their lips met and looked to up to meet Toneri.
He stood with his hands on the pocket of white dress pants that led down to white shoes. A white tuxedo jacket sat over a teal vest, a matching teal bowtie, with a teal pocket square. Beside him stood a girl with short brown hair in a teal floor touching halter gown.
Naruto momentarily glared as Hinata blinked before he stopped himself.
"Toneri," Hinata said.
"Naruto, I hope you don't mind switching partners with me for just a moment. I would like to have a word with Hinata, if that's alright with her."
They both looked at one another.
"My intentions are pure, I swear," he added.
They both smiled a bit and nodded as Hinata released from Naruto and took Toneri's hand.
"Nibiki, if you don't mind," he said warmly to the girl who smiled, nodding as she took Naruto's hand into a dance.
Toneri brought Hinata into a dance as well, they moved from side to side into the crowd as Toneri opened to speak.
"You know you really do look beautiful tonight, Hinata," he said charismatically as he swayed her.
She blushed but kept eye contact with him, "thank you, Toneri. You and your date look very nice as well."
He nodded as he glanced up to Nibiki who laughed as she swayed with Naruto who seemed to be talking casually with her.
"She does."
He looked back to Hinata with a serious expression on his face.
"I wanted to apologize about my behavior since I arrived at this school," he began as she listened calmly, "I admit by methods were a bit…grandiose. But my feelings were clear and I believed it was the only method in winning your heart."
He led them to the left as he continued, "I realize now that standing between you and Naruto was the most ungentlemanly thing I could have possibly done, and I apologize for that as well."
"Toneri," Hinata said quietly, frowning a bit.
He chuckled a bit, "spending all day in suspension with Naruto really allowed me to think about the way I had been behaving, and how it must have made you feel."
He looked down, "and Naruto did in fact help me understand that I have no place in all that you have battled through to be together. Regardless of our family history and my feelings for you, I should have never meddled in your relationship, and I am truly sorry for that."
"I appreciate your apology, Toneri, I really do," Hinata said softly, "and I'm sorry that I cannot return your feelings. I cannot because what I feel for Naruto is truly indescribable."
She glanced over to him, watching him laugh in a small group of people with Toneri's date.
"I'm in love with him, I hope you can understand."
Toneri nodded, a hint of a sad small on his face, "I do, Hinata."
He looked over to him along with her, "he is very lucky…" he said under his breath.
"Who's that girl that you came with?" she said, not taking her eyes off Naruto and the girl.
Toneri stopped them and released, putting his hands in his pockets, "hm? Oh, that's Nibiki. She's in a few of my classes and I got to know her a bit in my suspension. She's very nice. She's the only girl who actually had the will to ask me to prom actually. We decided to come as friends."
Hinata watched as Naruto and Nibiki laughed in the small group of people they had met up with. Nibiki got closer to Naruto and put her hands on his arm.
"Hinata?" Toneri asked, a bit confused as the veins on the sides of her head seemed to pop out as she uncharacteristically glared, "are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she bit a bit before taking a deep breath and calming herself, "shall we return to them?"
He bowed before her before lifting himself and offering his arm, "it would be my pleasure, Hinata-hime."
(^A.H^)
"Aw! I bet they're having so much fun!" Megami whined, "come on Sasuke let's go request a song!" she chanted, tugging his white short as he calmly stood up, holding his white jacket over his shoulder. They began walking as she clutched Mr. Bear and yammered nonsensical things while tugging him.
"We'll be back," he called back to the table seated with Sakura, Tenten, and Neji as they disappeared into the crowd.
"Gaara's been gone a while hasn't he?" Tenten said, leaning on Neji with his arm around her shoulder.
Sakura frowned, "yeah he has."
Neji tsked, "What's with all the disappearing acts lately? Usually that means he's up to something."
Sakura's brow furrowed.
He's not wrong.
She shook her head, he couldn't possibly have anything planned. She made her wants clear. She nodded to herself, her decision was firm.
As if on cue, Gaara reappeared from behind a group of people with his hands in his pockets.
"Speak of the devil!" Neji called as he stepped over and took a seat next to Sakura who looked at him with suspicion, though he did not notice.
"Where have you been? You were gone for a good while," Neji asked as the three looked at him.
"I was just getting a breath of fresh air," he said calmly, "I went to the bathroom then stepped outside to get some air and make some calls. I didn't realize I had been gone for so long."
He turned to Sakura who quickly looked to the side, "I'm very sorry for keeping you waiting."
She laughed nervously, waving her hand nonchalantly, "no don't worry about it. You were just getting some air…I mean, if that is all you were doing."
He nodded calmly, "yes, that is all."
Her brow furrowed as she crossed her arms, "are you sure that's all? Are you sure there's nothing else you were doing?"
He blinked a couple times before glancing to Neji and Tenten, the latter who shrugged.
"I'm confused…Sakura," he said a bit slowly, "is there something I should have been doing?"
She rolled her eyes and groaned as she took his hand and stood up, he casually stood up with her.
"Come on!" she called as she began walking them out.
Tenten looked from side to side as Neji said unfazed, "what was that?"
(^A.H^)
With furious determination, Sakura stormed with Gaara's right hand in her left as they moved past people and stepped out into the entrance way where prom goers and supervisors socialized. She glanced around.
"What are you looking for?" Gaara asked.
"Somewhere quiet," she said quickly. She glanced to the golden hotel elevators and the stairs beside them. Quickly, she picked up her dress with her other hand and jogged herself and Gaara to and up the first flight of stairs before pushing the first door open.
The noise of the dance died as they came upon a quiet and empty red carpet covered hallway aligned with white and gold numbered doors on each side.
The door shut behind them as they stood on the first floor, alone together.
"Sakura?" Gaara asked as she stood with her back facing him, "is everything alright?"
In a moment, she twisted around with her hands on her hips, she stood firmly, catching him off guard a bit.
"Just admit you got a room for us! I know you did!" she huffed.
His calm expression did not change as he put his hands in his back pant pockets.
"Sakura, I didn't."
She scoffed as she began to pace back and forth, "oh don't lie to me, Gaara, I know you did! I know that's why you had to have been gone for so long."
"Actually I really did go to the bathroom and I really did go out," he said nonchalantly, "I didn't expect to be kept on the phone for so long. But I swear, I didn't get a room. I would never go out of your comfort zone."
Sakura laughed a bit uncomfortably as she paced a couple more times, "I just don't believe it!"
Gaara sighed a bit, "Sakura, I—"
She stopped in front of him, her cheeks red as she shook a bit.
"I mean! D-Didn't you stop to think that m-maybe…that I…that I actually w-wanted you to…"
She clutched her dress and looked down as he blinked a couple times.
"Sakura…?"
"T-That maybe—!" she said suddenly, gripping the tulle part of her gown, "I…I-I want to spend the night with you…b-but I just don't know how to ask…"
She shook anxiously a bit without looking up to him as they stood silently in the middle of the empty hall for a few moments.
She choked down a ball in her throat as after a few silent moments, he stepped up to her. She tightened her eyes as she felt him lift her chin up. She dropped her arms and relaxed her eyes as he lowered and brought her into a soft kiss.
She lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck as he turned and leaned her against the wall before lifting his hands and wrapping them around her waist.
She brought his neck down closer as he deepened the kiss. She murmured a bit when he pulled her closer against him, and again when he slipped his tongue in her mouth.
She confidently lifted her dress up slightly and exposed her stocking covered right leg, to which she slowly lifted up his left to wrap around his waist without breaking contact. He gripped her thigh and secured it on his hip as she moaned into his mouth.
The sound of the elevator doors opening brought their focus back. They quickly released and attempted to appear normal as two men came through the doors talking. They passed the two of them and continued their conversation down the hall until they turned a corner.
Sakura let out a breath when they heard a door shut.
"Well that was a surprise."
She blushed as she glanced up to Gaara who stood with an unchanged composure, his hands in his pockets. "I hope you're not acting on my accord, Sakura."
She quickly shook her head, "of course not! I just…" she looked down and shyly shuffled with her dress, "It's just…right here…now…being here with you…I'm tired of being unsure of myself around you. I realize that…"
She looked up to him with glistening eyes and burning red cheeks as she trembled a bit, "I realize that I don't want to be afraid anymore. I want to be with you. In my heart, I know I do!...so…" she murmured, "if you'll…h-have me…"
A small smile crossed his face as he once again stepped up to her, this time to bring her into a hug.
She relaxed against his chest, "As long as you're sure you're ready…"
She nodded against his chest before lifting up and smiling at him with a blush, "shall we…get to that room?"
They released as he let out a sigh, "Sakura, I was telling the truth when I said I didn't get a room."
"What? You really didn't?!" she asked, surprised.
He nodded a bit, "I wanted to respect your wishes so I didn't want to assume anything, so I didn't. I would go and get one now but according to Neji every room is booked for the night."
"You're kidding?!" Sakura said with a groan, slumping, "aw man!" she grumbled to herself, "great work, Sakura. You finally decide to let him get it and—"
"Wait," he said suddenly. "I just thought of something."
She blinked as he turned around, "wait here."
She crossed her arms and watched as he jogged down the steps.
(^A.H^)
"Your dress is absolutely gorgeous Miss. Ino!"
"I agree!" another girl in the group of five that stood around a smirking Ino said, "did you really make it yourself?!"
"I sure did," Ino sighed dramatically, "it truly was grueling work."
Shikamaru, Tenten, and Neji sighed, seated on one side of their table as Ino entertained on the other side.
Tenten yawned and stretched a bit.
"Are you getting tired?" Neji raised a brow.
"Just a little," she sighed, "from dancing and that buffet, I'm a little beat."
He smirked as he leaned into her, "are you sure you won't find some energy once we get up to the room?"
She blinked up to him with seductive eyes, "I guess we'll see when we get there."
He chuckled a bit as he turned to his suit jacket, "let me just find the room key."
"Gaara," Shikamaru's voice came, catching the attention of the few at the table, "where have you been this whole time?"
"Sorry," Gaara said as he jogged up to Neji's side, "I'm kind of in a rush."
He turned to Neji and, without acknowledging him, dug into his left jacket pocket and slipped out his black and gold room card, along with a couple other necessities from his jacket pocket.
"I'll be taking these, I believe it was 504, fifth floor, correct?" he said firmly as he slipped the items into his own jacket pocket.
"Hey, that's my room key!" Neji said, sitting up.
"You owe me one," Gaara nodded with a small smirk as he turned on his heels and left.
Neji blinked with confusion for a moment.
"Why'd he just leave like that?" Tenten asked, "and did he take the room key with him? Neji?"
Realization hit his face for a moment before he turned back to face the table and irritably take a sip of his water.
"Neji? Are we going to the room or not?" Tenten asked over the music, confused.
"I don't think we'll be getting much use out of that room, Ten," he mumbled into his cup.
(^A.H^)
The golden 504 plaque on the door nearly broke off as the door slammed behind them. The only light in the room came from the long rectangular window on the other side that illuminated the moon and city lights into the hotel room.
Gaara expertly shook off his tuxedo jacket and unraveled his tie with one hand as he, without letting go of Sakura's lips, held onto her waist and let them to the bed. They both quickly kicked off their shoes as they hungrily kissed one another.
He sat her on top of the peach colored silk bed sheets. He tossed his tie to the side and got to work on his vest and black button down.
She ran her hand through his hair as he released from her lips only to trail kisses down her neck. She moaned a bit as he kissed and licked down her neck and shook when he sucked at the parts he knew made her sensitive.
He ran kisses and licked from her neck down to the top of her chest as he finished unbuttoning his shirt. She ran a hand up his abs as he paused his kisses and lifted himself a bit to look her in the eye. She stared back before he leaned in and kissed her roughly.
She moaned into his mouth as he maneuvered around to her back and began to slowly unzip her gown, while his other hand held her cheek.
She released from him, a lustful look on her face and her cheeks burning red as the straps slipped off her shoulders, and the dress began to slide down. He watched her slide out of the dress with a mix of shyness and longing on her face.
He looked down to the pink lacy lingerie on her body. He looked up from the lacy pink bra that cupped her breasts, down to the garter-belt and pink stockings. She blushed, but looked at him to maintain her aura of confidence.
She leaned back as he began to crawl onto the bed. She stared like a vulnerable deer caught, trapped by a ravenous and hungry animal. He crawled onto the bed and towards her until she stopped against the black headboard, nearly hitting her head.
Her heart raced as he looked her dead in the eye, leaning into her, who had nowhere to go.
He casually brought her closer to his chest, bare beneath his unbuttoned shirt. Her heart pounded against his chest as he kissed her shoulder, running his hands up her back until he found the clasps of her bra.
She shivered beneath his touch as he unclasped the hooks and slipped it off her, tossing it behind him without a care once it was off.
Her cheeks sat inflamed as she sat bare against his chest. He kissed her again, this time laying her down onto the bed as he deepened it. She let out soft moans when he played with her breasts with one hand. After a few moments, he released from her lips again and trailed his tongue down until he was ultimately licking one of her breasts.
Sakura shivered and bit her bottom lip, gripping his hair in her hands as he switched his attention between them. While his right hand would grip and his his tongue would lick and suck on one, his left hand would play with another.
She barely noticed in her trance as he trailed his left hand down her stomach and past her garter-belt before he casually slipped it into her wet panties.
"G-Gaara!" she cried out when she felt two fingers slip inside of her. Even as she jolted up, moaning and shivering, he did not break his hold. He bit down on her breast, forcing her to moan louder as he slipped his fingers in and out of her.
She cried out, breathing heavily and tightening her grip on his hair in her hands as he continued to play with her, unfazed by her sensitive body.
In a flash, he slipped his fingers out and released his mouth from her. She blinked and sat up a bit as he stood on his knees and shrugged off his shirt. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her as he tossed the shirt away and stood before her in just his dress pants.
Sakura gulped a bit as she watched him unclasp his black belt.
"Take off your garter and your stockings."
His tone brought a chill down her spine. It was serious, though it was obviously filled with lust, longing, and it appeared as if he was struggling to hold himself back.
Nevertheless, she complied, as her heart beat in her own anticipation. She quietly unhooked her garter, never breaking eye contact with him either as he slid his belt out while she slid her stockings off.
When all was tossed to the side, she sat before him, exposed in nothing but her laced panties with rosy cheeks as he looked at her, oppositely in just his dress pants.
She let out a slight gasp as the moonlight shined on him when he leaned down and hooked her panties with his index finger. She let out a nervous breath and he leaned closer into her face. Her breathing was slightly but obviously weighted, and it only became fasted as she felt him slide her underwear down.
She closed her eyes, thinking he might kiss her again. Instead, she did not see as he lowered himself down to her just as the cheeky pink panties escaped out of her left leg.
She gasped and let out a shaky cry once she felt her tongue slip inside off him.
She threw her head back in a haze as he licked up and down her sex.
"Gaara…G-Gaara!" she moaned loudly, tossing her head from side to side.
He ignored her pleads and cries as he went ahead and slid in two fingers to combat his tongue.
She cried and groaned, gripping the bars of the headboard for strength. She cried out again when she felt a third finger join.
He continued to play with her body for the next few minutes, sucking on her most sensitive areas and gliding his fingers in and out.
She let out a loud cry and threw her head back as she finished, shaking as he sat up, calmly licking the sides of his lips and fingers as he watched her shake in orgasm, murmuring his name.
This time, it was his breath that became heavy as he unbuttoned his pants, sliding them down with his briefs as she turned to look at him, completely exposed before him, shining under the light. Her crown braid has come apart in the hassle and she looked wild beneath him.
He searched her eyes for permission as he tossed the last bit of his own clothing aside, but grabbing an item from the pocket before doing so.
When he was sure he was okay to proceed from her nod and smile, he bit open the condom.
He leaned down to her once more, his own heart beating a bit as he adjusted it onto himself.
Sakura closed her eyes and leaned into his kiss as he gently, carefully, but urgently slid into her.
Sakura broke the kiss and yelled out, gripping her sharp pink nails onto his arm as Gaara grunted and thrusted into her.
"Gaara…" she sighed and moaned dazily as their bodies grinded against one another in a smooth rhythm. When he was sure she was comfortable, he gradually began to lose himself in her.
Together, they moaned under the night light. They clung onto one another, sweating and becoming lost in the moment as he growled and picked up his speed.
"Sakura…" he said breathlessly.
He she wrapped her arms around his neck as he effortlessly lifted her up and sat her on his lap, where she took the lead from there.
With each time she bounced, her breasts jumped and she let out a shaky moan. Gaara himself could not help letting out deep moans. He gripped her bottom tightly. Her movements began slower and more lax as she lowered and laced her tongue with his.
They released in a moment as he lowered her again and began wildly thrusting into her.
"Gaara…!" her voice escalated through the room as he continued to desperately grind into her. He was addicted to the feeling as he had long since desired to culminate their relationship and touch her in a way that proved he loved every single inch of her.
Sakura bit her bottom lip to keep from yelling as he released his desperation in her. She too had long since anticipated being with him, but allowed her insecurities to stand in the way.
Now, there was nothing standing in their way.
"Gaara…I—!" she cried out after they had spent some more time moving against one another.
He grit his teeth as he looked up to her, bouncing on top of him. They both knew they were gaining closer to their climax, and the look of desire and love in each other's eyes only made it stronger as Sakura cried beneath and Gaara groaned with one more thrust before bringing her low and holding her tight as they finished.
With heavy breathing and sweat covered bodies, Sakura collapsed on top of him as they both took a few moments to come back to reality.
After a minute, Sakura relaxed against his chest as he brought the blanket up to cover them. They mostly sat in silence for a couple minutes. He rested his chin on top of her head and toyed with her messy hair a bit, expressionless as she hummed beneath him.
"Hey." Sakura finally said after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
"Hey." He said back, blankly.
"I love you…you know?"
He closed his eyes and nestled into her hair.
"I love you too."
"So just how many of those did you steal from Neji?" she asked suddenly, sitting up.
He blinked a couple times, sitting up to where only his bare chest appeared.
"I'm not sure. I took whatever was in his pocket. Maybe a few, why?"
A small look of surprise appeared on his face as she turned to him with lustful eyes that were quickly accompanied by a wicked grin.
"I hope you've got enough energy to last you through the rest of the night, Sabaku."
(^A.H^)
"Ladies and gentlemen…everyone…" Kakashi's voice came as he tapped the microphone in an attempt to get the attention of the bustling students as prom had begun to die down. He stood in a black and gray tuxedo with a gray bowtie. Gai, another dance supervisor, stood by his side in an all green tuxedo. The chattering students continued to go about their business as he sighed.
"HEY!" he yelled into the mike. Almost instantly, the noisy students quieted and looked to the small stage as the music slowed to a halt.
Kakashi cleared his throat, "thank you. Now, everyone, it is time to announce this year's prom king and queen! Chosen by your votes this evening!" he announced calmly, taking a white piece of paper out of his pocket as Gai stood by his side with the golden crown and tiara seated on the red pillow.
"Oh it's about time!" Ino clapped excitedly, seated next to Shikamaru at the ten person round table with the remaining members of Alpha and Omega.
"Where are Sakura and Gaara?" Megami frowned, "they're gonna miss the announcement!"
Neji cleared his throat as Tenten narrowed her eyes at him.
"Yeah Neji, just where are they anyway?"
"I'm sure they're busy with other things," he said calmly, "besides," he said smugly, "they don't need to be here to see me win."
"What makes you so sure," Sasuke said, "you were up against the four of us, plus I'm pretty sure Toneri ended up in the mix."
"What? Doesn't mean I'm gonna lose to you guys, especially not Toneri, and especially not to Naruto."
"Hey!" Naruto barked as Hinata attempted to ease him, "fuck you Hyuga!"
Neji shrugged nonchalantly as Tenten rolled her eyes, "well, I think everyone's got a fair chance, so get your head out of your ass."
The lot turned and listened as Kakashi cleared his throat again.
"Now, this year's prom king is…" he said, glancing to his paper as the ballroom waited in anticipation.
.
.
"...Naruto Uzumaki!"
The ballroom cheered and clapped as Naruto blinked in genuine surprise.
"What?!" Neji yelled from behind as Tenten and Megami laughed at him and Sasuke and Shikamaru smirked smugly.
"Naruto-kun! You won!" Hinata said excitedly as he nudged him to go up. He gulped as he sat in place, sitting in shock for a moment before realization hit him and a wide grin spread across his face.
"I did win! I won! I beat these guys and Toneri!"
He stood up and turned back to Neji with his tongue stuck out with his middle finger up.
"Take that Hyuga!" he called as Neji narrowed his eyes at him. He turned on his heels and rushed over to the stage where he walked up and stood next to Gai.
With a proud smile on Naruto's face, Gai set the crown on top of his head, resulting in more claps as the blonde scratched the back of his slicked hair.
"And now, your prom queen of the evening is—!"
The ballroom once again sat in heart pumping anticipation as he took another piece of paper from his jacket pocket.
"…Hinata Hyuga!"
"Ah! Hinata!" Ino squealed as Hinata burned red with the same surprised expression Naruto held when they called his name.
Megami clapped and wooed along with the rest of the attendees in the ballroom, "you won Hinata! Man I hope the prize is a lifetime supply of gummy bears!"
"Congrats Hinata!" Tenten chanted clapping furiously with the rest of the guys as Ino stood up with Hinata, holding her hand.
Ino smiled wildly as Hinata turned to look at her.
"Go get your crown, hime."
Hinata blinked a couple times before she nodded firmly and turned and began walking.
She walked through clapping and cheering students in various outfits, nodding and saying thank you's over the noise as she held her dress and made her way to the stage.
She walked the few steps, amidst the unceasing claps and stood by Naruto who looked at her with an even wider grin as she stood straight, holding his hand and looking on to the clapping students right as Gai placed the tiara onto her head.
"Now, the king and queen will share a dance and lead us into the final dance of the night."
The lights dimmed onto the center of the dance floor as, hand in hand, Naruto and Hinata stepped down and made their way into the middle.
They stood in the silence of the ballroom, their crowns glistening in the light as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he placed his arms around her waist, just as the music began to pick up and Sukima Switch's Star Vessel began to play.
The couple swayed from side to side to the music, locked on each other's eyes as the crowd of people silently watched their king and queen of the night elegantly move across the dance floor.
"I sure was hoping you would win Hinata-chan, even if I didn't," Naruto whispered, "in my eyes, no one fits the title better than you."
Hinata smiled warmly, her eyes glistening in the light of the stars as she looked up to him.
"Naruto-kun…" she spoke gingerly as she rested her head on his chest.
Within moments other couples joined in on the dance floor to end the night with one more slow dance.
"Shall we, Miss. Yamanaka?" Shikamaru stretched as he stood up, offering his hand out to Ino.
She smiled confidently, "I would absolutely love to, Mr. Nara."
They both smiled as they disappeared into the dance floor.
"Are you up for one more dance, Sasuke?!" Megami asked hopefully.
He sighed, "well we've been up and down this place all night, i gussa one more dance won't kill me."
"That's the spirit!" she chanted as she jumped up, grabbing his hand as he sighed with a half smile, allowing her to pull him onto the dance floor.
Tenten laughed a bit with a small sigh, "well, I hope wherever Sakura and Gaara are, they're having a good time," she turned her attention to a lax Neji with a smile, he looked towards her with a raised a brow.
"What do you say Hyuga?" she asked proudly, "care for one last dance?"
He smirked as he pushed his seat out and stood up straight, reaching his hand out for her in a slight bow.
"It would be an honor."
She gave a cheesy smile as she put her hand in his and stood up. Together, they walked onto the dance floor and joined in the last slow dance with the majority of Alpha and Omega and many of the other prom members.
Hinata lifted her head and looked to her right. A small smile appeared on her face when she caught sight of the others, contently smiling and dancing with their significant other. Her smile grew a bit more when she noticed Toneri and Nibiki talking as they too moved across the dance floor.
A wash of content and peace came over her as she looked up to meet Naruto's sharp blue eyes. He looked down to her, giving her his well known soft smile that was illuminated by the sparkling stars above them.
Hinata stared into his eyes, for a moment it felt as if they were the only two people on the dance floor, and that instead of a ballroom they were twirling outside in the night sky under moon.
She smiled warmly as she slowly closed her eyes and leaned in. Naruto, in compliance, leaned in and closed his eyes as well.
Electric sparks danced around them as their lips met in a passionate kiss that put a cap on what she felt was nothing less than a perfect starry night.
(TBC)
Next time:
A.H.: The Finale
A special thank you to *fangirlblood* for your passionate and very kind message that helped me get out of a very long hiatus.
*Until next time!*