Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Our Lives in the Hurricane Chronicles ❯ Chapter 23

"I want to block her out my mind, but I really can’t do it! I tell myself this the last time I’ma let her do this to me. Whenever we do spend time, I realize that I can’t get enough of you!" –Timbaland featuring Fall Out Boy (One & Only)
************************

The Fifth Hokage's eyes grew wide. She had just heard the report of a mission assigned to one of her jounin and one of her chuunin. Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Apparently, an easy mission turned out to be relating to the Akatsuki. The conflict happened close to the village–much too close to the village for her taste. "And just what do they want with a foreigner, anyway?" the village leader asked herself. She closed her eyes in thought. As far as she was concerned, the girl was a mere citizen. And as a mere citizen, the foreigner wouldn't have any important information. “Neji, Tenten…” Tsunade began. The two stared at their leader, waiting for her to finish. “Besides being a foreign person, do you notice anything different about the girl?”
“What do you mean?” Tenten asked.
The Hokage sighed lightly. “Why do you think that the Akatsuki want Yasmine?” she asked. “Any thoughts or opinions you have would be greatly appreciated. Don’t leave anything out.” For a moment, the two teens didn’t speak. They, too, were puzzled about why that organization wanted someone as insignificant as Yasmine–not to sound mean, or anything.

“Hm… They did say something about selling her somewhere,” Tenten spoke.

“No,” Neji shook his head. “I believe that was only misleading information. It was most likely meant as a back up plan in case they failed to kill us. That group did not look very smart, so I’m guessing Akatsuki was behind that as well.”

“If that were the case, why didn’t they come to kidnap her themselves?” Tenten murmured.

“They, most likely, felt that if would be easier to send someone else to Konoha,” Tsunade answered. “Besides, the girl’s a citizen. They probably felt that it wouldn’t be too much trouble for average men to get her.” The Hokage noticed the look in Neji’s eyes. “Why do you not look convinced by that, Hyuga?” Neji hesitated before answer.

“Though, there’s no mistake that she is a citizen, she has been trained,” he stated. A raised eyebrow from the Hokage told him to continue. “Her chakra network is similar to the chakra network of a genin. She has been trained to use her chakra in the past. Unconsciously or not, she still uses it.”

“Tell me, Hyuga… Do you know who she has been trained by?”

“I’m not sure, but… it could have been an ANBU operative,” Neji answered. The eyes of both his leader and his teammate grew wide at that information. Before Tsunade could ask him how he knew, Neji spoke again. “I was near when my father discovered the identity of her caretaker. When she was younger–much younger–an ANBU operative had taken care of her. I assume that it was he who taught her.”

“ANBU taking care of a kid…?” Tsunade closed her eyes. “I’ve heard about this, but the child disappeared, so it was considered a closed case. Are you telling me that Yasmine is that child?” She opened her eyes. An affirmative nod from the Hyuga caused the Hokage to sigh. First she finds out that one of the Akatsuki members–Deidara–didn’t die on that certain mission, now she finds out that the organization wants a mere citizen for an unexplained reason. “You wouldn’t happen to know the name?”

“She was my friend at that time, so… I know the name, but I’m not sure if it was his real name,” Neji said. “She called him… Jano, I believe. Recently, an ANBU operative came to my home and spoke with me about Yasmine. He had a monkey mask.”

“Jano… Jano… Jano…” Tsunade repeated. “Alright, I will question him. If you two come up with anything else, you be sure to tell me. Until then, dismissed.”

“Hai…!” The two ninja bowed to their leader, and then turned to go.

Once outside of the office, Tenten nudged her teammate with her elbow. “You didn’t tell me ANBU visited you,” she grinned. Neji had to hold restrain himself from rolling his eyes. “I bet he’s the one that gave you that cut, isn’t he?” A slight blush indicated that her assumption was correct. She giggled, causing the Hyuga to frown. “So I guess Jano-san was and still is protective of his ward, ne?” Neji’s eyebrow twitched.

“Yes, he is… Now if you excuse me,” he began. A small smirk appeared on his face. This action caused Tenten’s eyes to narrow in suspicion. “I have plans with Yaya-chan to attend to.” He left his comrade speechless, yet inside she was hissing in fury.
************************

“Okay, I understand why you’re leaving, but why can’t I go with you?” Mayu asked with her arms crossed. She was leaning against the doorway frame and staring at her foreign friend. Yasmine, although paying attention, was busying brushing her teeth. The teen spit the foam out before looking at Mayu via mirror.

“You just came from the hospital, Mayu!”

“So…?”

Yasmine sighed lightly. “You should just stay here and rest up. Besides, I’m shopping for a surprise for you,” she said.”

“But it’s dark!”

“I can take care of myself, ya know. And anyway, Neji Meji is accompanying me.” Mayu was silent for a few moments. She couldn’t be referring to Hyuga Neji, could she? And what was with that nickname?

“… What was the last thing?” Mayu asked, uncrossing her arms. She walked towards her friend who was in the middle of rinsing. “Who’s accompanying you?” Yasmine placed her toothbrush back where it should be. She smiled as turned towards her friend.

“I said Neji is,” she answered, truthfully. “I guess I never told you that we were friends. You left for your last mission before I had a chance.”

“Does he know about Yasume?”

“Yes, though I can’t say that he likes her very much. Same goes for Yasume, too. For some reason, they just don’t get along,” Yasmine replied. “Speaking of which… Both Neji and Ten-chan want to come over for dinner tomorrow night. Is that okay?”

“Hyuga Neji…? Are you insane?! If that certain Hyuga and Sasuke get together, they’ll destroy this place! Sasuke doesn’t even like Neji!”

“Yeah, I know but… I already promised them. Can’t you just convince Sasuke to be on his best behavior?” Yasmine asked.

“Why did you raise your eyebrows when you said ‘convince’?” Mayu replied flatly.

“Oh, nothing…!” Yasmine grinned. She suddenly heard the sound of knocking. “That must be him.” The foreigner walked passed her friend. “I’ll be back later!” She was out the door. Mayu sighed; Yasmine stuck her head back in. “Please try to convince Sasuke!”

“Alright, alright, jeez…!” Mayu huffed, turning. She noticed the mischievous look her friend was giving her. “Just go on your little date with Neji, and don’t go down any dark alleyways.” Yasmine nodded her head. “Hey, wait…” Mayu walked forward to see that Yasmine had yet to go down the stairs.

“Yeah…?”

Mayu breathed out. “I just want you to know that you’re important to me. I know that I was rude and mean to you when we first met, but I didn’t mean anything by it. Just please… don’t ever abandon me, alright?” she whispered. For a moment, Yasmine only stared at her friend. She noted that her eyes were looking towards the ground. Mayu never looked at the ground when she was talking to her. It wasn’t just her actions, though. Her words had also been strange.

“Did something bad happen on your last mission?” Yasmine inquired. Mayu sighed heavily before answering.

“A lot of things happened,” she muttered. The two grew silent again. The foreigner stepped towards her friend–her best friend, really.

“You don’t have to worry about me ditching you. Like I said before, ‘I will never abandon Mayu!’ You can count on me to keep that promise!” Yasmine exclaimed. “Believe it!” she added. The kunoichi cracked a smile before laughing. The foreigner smiled at her friend’s hearty laughter.

“Yeah, yeah… I ‘believe it’ alright,” Mayu grinned. “Now get going before Neji gets pissed.”

“Right, right!” Yasmine turned and began to walk down the stairs. Mayu followed after her.

When the two reached the first floor (remember they live in a hotel), they were greeted by an unsurprising surprising incident. Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji were giving one another heated stares. Both teens were sitting across from each other. The T.V. was left on and unwatched. Sasuke was sitting on ‘his chair,’ which only he was allowed to sit on. Neji was sitting on the couch. The only thing that separated the two shinobi was the small black table, which could be picked up and used as a potential weapon if a fight broke out. Mayu cleared her throat, trying to stop the tense atmosphere she had walked into. The two abruptly stood up simultaneously, not taking their eyes off each other. “Hyuga’s here,” Sasuke bit out.

“I believe they are aware of that, Uchiha,” Neji retorted, narrowing his eyes. Sasuke did the same action.

“What’d you say…?” he almost growled.

“I’m sorry for the wait, Neji!” Yasmine said in a loud voice, hoping to stop a fight from starting. This did not quell their glares. She walked forward, only to fall flat on her face. This caused three pairs of eyes to shift. Yasmine had inadvertently stopped a mini war. The three ninja gazed down at the fallen girl, who had yet to stand.

“Damn it, Sasuke! I told you to fix that floorboard!” Mayu directed her attention to her teammate.

“Lay off me! You know I’ve been gone!” Sasuke rejoined. “And besides, it’s not my fault if she’s so damn clumsy!” Mayu and Sasuke continued to bicker back and forth as Neji went over to Yasmine and helped her stand.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m fine!”

“But your forehead is red…”

“I’m sure it’s nothing!” Yasmine began pushing Neji out of the door.

“It’s bleeding, too…”

“It’s nothing, nothing, I tell you!” Yasmine continued pushing. “Now, let’s leave before Sasuke realizes you two aren’t in your staring competition, anymore!”

“What?”

“Nothing!” ;

The door slammed shut, but it went unheard by the two arguing teens. “Alright, alright…! I’ll fix it tomorrow!” Sasuke yelled.

“Okay…!” Mayu replied cheerfully. The Uchiha’s eye twitched at the girl’s sudden smile. He plopped down on his chair. Would he ever get used to her antics? Mayu lied on the couch with a yawn. She stared at the television. “Change it to something else, Sasuke.” The teen ignored her.

“Since when did Hyuga and Yasmine become friends?” he asked. “Since when did Hyuga have friends…?” he murmured the last part.

“It’s news to me, too,” Mayu said, frowning. “Being Neji, he probably found out about Yasume on his own.” She sighed. “Being a ninja doesn’t make time for friends, does it, Sasuke?”

“Apparently, it doesn’t make time for relationships either…” Sasuke grumbled. He mentally slapped himself. That was not supposed to reach her ears. The Uchiha cautiously looked towards his teammate. Her head was turned away from him. “Listen, Mayu… I-”

“YasmineinvitedNejiandhisteammateoverfordinnertomo rrow!” Sasuke froze at his teammate’s rushed sentence. He did not just hear what he thought he just heard, did he?

“What…?” Sasuke asked, slowly. Mayu sighed heavily.

“Yasmine invited Neji and his teammate over for dinner tomorrow,” she repeated at a much slower pace. Sasuke glared. “Come on, Sasuke…! It’s one night only! Two hours at the most…!” The Uchiha gripped the chair arm. He breathed through his nose.

“Do you know what could happen if he and I were together for more than ten minutes?” he asked. “Don’t you remember what happened last time?” Mayu winced. She remembered, alright. Hiashi would probably never forgive Sasuke for the damage he did to his ‘private room,’ whatever the heck it was. “No, and that’s final! He’s not going to destroy our home! The answer is no!”

“But…!” Sasuke turned his head away before Mayu could protest any further. The teen sighed heavily. “Oh well…” she muttered as she stood. Sasuke snapped his head back to her, but that action was ignored by his teammate. She merely started walking towards the stairs.

“Wait–that’s it…?!” Sasuke asked, completely skeptical. Mayu only shrugged and continued up the stairs. She disappeared from his sight. Sasuke huffed in confusion as his eyes turned back towards the television. It wasn’t like Mayu to give up so easily. She would usually have some type of blackmail, waiting to use it. Sasuke tapped his finger against the chair, thinking about his teammate’s unusually behavior. She had been so weird ever since the last mission. He knew that it must be painful for her to separate from her uncle… again, but he missed the old Mayu. He wasn’t the only one. Nakatsu and Sai also did not like the way Mayu was recently behaving either. Sasuke sank lower in his seat; he sighed lightly. “This is going to be a pain,” he thought.

He rose from his chair. He turned off the television, and went towards the stairs. Shoving his hand into his pocket, Sasuke headed towards Mayu’s room. He knocked on her door. “Whaaat?” her voice drawled out.

“Can I come in?”

“This is your place, right?” her sarcastic question came. Sasuke smirked before opening the door. He saw that she was sitting at the desk. Her eyes were scanning over the words in a book at the moment. She looked as if she were both confused and pissed. The desk light was the only light on in the room. Sasuke took the liberty of turning on the main light. She turned her head to him. “You want something…?” she asked.

“Yeah… um… I thought it over, and Yasmine can invite Neji and what’s-her-name over tomorrow,” Sasuke muttered. Mayu smiled. “But only for a few hours! After that, I have the authority to kick him out by any means necessary!” Mayu rolled her eyes and waved off Sasuke’s last comment.

“Whatever you say, Sasuke!” she laughed, and then focused on her back on the book. It didn’t take long for the confused, pissed look to come back.

“What are you reading?” Sasuke asked, walking forward. He had never actually seen Mayu reading a book before. It was almost surprising to see. He stood behind her to see a glimpse of whatever it was she was reading. Mayu sighed lightly.

“What you and Naruto said has got me spooked, I guess,” she murmured, leaning back. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “I’ve gotten books from the library, but they’re all the same thing–the same story. The Kyuubi, and all it’s frightful terror comes to Konoha–blah, blah, blah–kills a lot of people–blah, blah, blah–the Fourth swoops in to save the day, the end. Always begins the same, always ends the same.” She tossed the book away. It landed on top of pile of other books.

“You’re probably not going to find out much about the Kyuubi from the library, Mayu,” Sasuke stated. “You’re definitely looking in the wrong place if you’re trying to research Takeshi.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t even find books on foxes, let alone Takeshi-sama by himself,” the teen groaned. “Apparently, foxes aren’t liked very much by the people of this village, and aren’t talked or written about.” She leaned forward, elbows now on the desk.

“If you want to find something, I’d suggest looking in another village next time we head out for a mission,” Sasuke said. He moved forward, closing his eyes. “Someone has to know about him before he attacked Konoha.” He placed a hand on her head. “So stop worrying about it for now.”

Mayu involuntarily froze at his touch. She stiffly nodded her head as she felt Sasuke move his fingers through her hair. He repeated this action as if it were normal. She swallowed, suddenly feeling her throat constrict. “Sasuke-” The rest of her sentence died before it reached her tongue. Sasuke had moved his hand down to her chin and forced her head to the side. She stared into his dark eyes. She knew immediately what he wanted, even before his head started easing towards hers. His lips were less than an inch away from hers. Her hands pressed against his chest, preventing him from coming closer. She turned her head away. “Wh-What the hell are you doing?!”

Sasuke breathed out slowly. This was not supposed to happen. He was only supposed to rub her head and tell her ‘goodnight’ for crying out loud. His damn body, however, had other plans. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes as he watched Mayu. Although, he hadn’t meant to do it, it still pissed him off that she turned away like that. He released her chin and sat up straight. She removed her hands and held them in her lap. He rested his hand on the back of her chair as he continued to stare. His lip twitched. A sneer had almost worked across his face, but he held it back. How Mayu was behaving was beginning to piss him off. “Mayu,” he started. Hell, if he already made the mistake, he’d mind as well go through with it. “I know it’s soon–after what happened with your uncle and all–but this is something we need to talk about.”

“… I–I need more time to think,” Mayu replied. This response only added to Sasuke’s irritation. He almost couldn’t stand it. Who was this weak character in front of him? She was acting so… weak. Normally, she would have told him straight what she was going to do about their relationship. This… was getting way out of character for someone like her.

“It’s been months…! I think that’s enough time!” Sasuke muttered. Mayu didn’t speak. “I can’t keep pretending with you, Mayu–not after what happened between us.” The teen bit her bottom lip. “I need to know. If you don’t want to be with me, just tell me! I won’t continue to be played with like this!” She still didn’t talk. “Mayu…!”

“I just need a little more time to sort things out, Sasuke!” she interrupted, raising her voice. She still didn’t look at him, though. “Right now, I… just need time!” Sasuke curled and uncurled his fingers as he watched her. He swallowed before walking towards the door.

“Fine…!” he growled out, and then slammed the door as he left.
************************

“I guess I’m going to have to start from scratch,” Yasmine muttered, examining a tomato. “I can’t believe there’s no spaghetti sauce here! Let’s hope I can remember how Granny Theresa did it…” she thought, frowning. She placed a couple of tomatoes into a small bag, and then placed them in the shopping cart, which Hyuga Neji was currently holding for her. She was still very surprised that he had volunteered to do this. He was her friend and all, but out of character much? Yasmine moved ahead, humming.

Neji watched her with a frown on his face. Since they had left the Uchiha district, she hadn’t said a word to him–not about Tenten, at least. Among others things, that was the main reason he had requested to escort her. The foreigner seemed to totally disregard the fact that his teammate was after her. Either that or she didn’t think it was something to worry about. That was a very foolish mistake on her part. Innocently mature… That is what defined his foreign friend. Neji sighed lightly as Yasmine reached up to get a bottle of seasoning blend. After a few moments of examining it, she tossed it into the cart, saying that it was ‘equivalent to Mrs. Dash,’ whatever the heck that meant. “Yaya-chan,” Neji began, following after her.

“Uh-huh…?” Although she responded, her eyes were on the contents of the shelf.

“We need to talk,” Neji continued. She didn’t lift her gaze from the shelf. She picked up another bottle and muttered something about ‘he doesn’t like spicy things’. Neji placed his hand over hers, which caused her brown eyes to meet his. “We need to talk about your relationship with Tenten.” Yasmine stared at him for a few moments before sighing. She twisted her hand free and placed the bottle back on the shelf.

“There’s always a catch,” she groaned.

“Yaya-chan…!”

“You wanna talk about it, then fine! We’ll talk about it,” Yasmine stated as she walked on. Neji followed. “First question, how many people–besides you–has Ten-chan been with?” It was a rather blunt question that temporarily threw the Hyuga off.

“… Besides me…?” he said. “Well, you’d be the fifteenth.” Yasmine whirled around in surprise. Neji had to back up in order not to be smacked in the face by the teen’s hair.

“Fifteenth…?! All girls?!” she shrieked. She breathed, trying to get her nerves to calm down. “They weren’t all girls, were they?” she asked in a slightly calmer tone. Neji sighed, grateful that they were the only two within hearing range.

“No, Yaya-chan, I meant fifteen in all. Only four were females,” he told her. “The other ten were all male.”

“Ah… Ten-chan certainly gets around, doesn’t she?” she turned around, sighing as she did. “Four is still a pretty big number, considering the circumstances.” The foreigner walked ahead, leaving her slightly confused friend to trail behind her. Neji matched her pace. Yasmine glanced at the Hyuga before taking the cart away from him. “So how did her relationships end with the girls?” she asked.

“You assume that I know?”

“Well, don’t ya?”

“… Yes.”

“Well, tell me.”

A bit embarrassed, he continued. “All of her female partners broke up with her because they ‘couldn’t handle the fact that their lover was attracted to men,’ those were her exact words,” Neji replied. Yasmine eyebrows furrowed together. She suddenly grinned.

“I know…! I can pretend to be gay, and then get freakishly jealous of any guy that comes into contact with her! That way, she’ll think I’m overbearing and break up with me, herself!” Yasmine suddenly frowned. “This means I have to treat you like crap, too, Neji.”

“Forget it!” the Hyuga replied flatly. He walked on, the foreigner with a frown. She tried to protest, but Neji interrupted her before she could talk. “No…!” Yasmine visibly pouted, and then caught up to her friend.

“I thought it was a good idea,” she muttered.

“Listen, Yasmine,” Neji began, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. This caused the girl to stop and look up into his eyes. “I don’t want you to have an intimate relationship with my teammate. If something happens, then it could affect our relationship as well, and I don’t want that.”

Yasmine’s mouth had dropped open by the time he had finished. The look she was giving him was slightly unnerving. And then she cracked a smile, but this was a creepy smile. She giggled, but it was creepy. Feeling suddenly uncomfortable, Neji released the foreign teen. She continued to giggle in that creepy little way. “You are so cute…!” Yasmine laughed out, pointing a finger. Her other arm was holding her stomach as if it hurt to laugh. “If any other fan found out about this, they’d kick my ass!” She said her last statement in her native tongue, so the Hyuga did not understand.

“You… are so weird.”

After the two were finished, they exited the store to find that most businesses had closed. “It’s so dark out here!” Yasmine stated. “Nothing but the stars and moon to help guide us.” She turned to Neji, who had been looking up at the night sky. He felt her eyes on him, so he looked down. “You should have a shiny red nose.” The Hyuga prodigy sighed lightly.

“I’m not Rudolph…!”

Yasmine only grinned at his response. His cheeks had gone slightly pink. The foreigner squealed in thought. If only his fans could see him now… “Will you be taking me all the way or am I dropping you off?” Yasmine asked.

“Don’t be absurd…! Of course I am escorting you home,” Neji replied.

“Arigatou, Neji Meji,” Yasmine said. The Hyuga’s eyes suddenly expanded slightly, causing the foreign girl to pause. “Hey-” Before she could finish, Neji shifted the bags to his right hand. He grabbed Yasmine’s hand with his left. “Huh…?! What’s are you doing?”

Neji didn’t answer. He only began walking slightly faster, nearly dragging Yasmine down the street. She felt his thumb rub against her knuckles. Her eyes grew wide as he continued the action; he also tapped her with his thumb. It was their secret ‘language’ back when they were chibified. Yasmine could not believe that he still remembered. It was childish and cute. She would have never thought Hyuga Neji would remember something like that. The initial reason behind it was to let each other know when to ‘attack’ Hyuga Hizashi and Jano. Over time, it turned into a language only they knew.

Yasmine closed her eyes in concentration. “Watching… afar…” she thought. Her eyes open. Someone was spying on them, she realized. She tapped her thumb against Neji’s skin. ‘Who…?’ had been the message. She felt his rubbing and tapping again. “Secret…” the foreigner thought. He didn’t know. The tapping continued. “No eyes…” And he didn’t want to heighten suspicion by activating his Byakugan. Yasmine suddenly let out a loud yawn.

“Are you tired, Yaya-chan?” Neji asked. The teen sleepily nodded her head. “Then we should hurry and get you home.” Without another word, the Hyuga swept Yasmine off her feet. She almost couldn’t comprehend what he had done. The bags rested in her lap. Neji smirked before dashing forward. The streets of Konoha blurred pass as he ran.

Eventually, Neji came to a stop and released Yasmine from his hold. The two teens were now in front of the entrance to the Uchiha district. He turned on his bloodline. “Did they…?” Yasmine began. Neji shook his head and deactivated his eyes. “Good.” The foreign teen began walking forward, bags in hand.

“Just to be safe, I’ll stick around for a few minutes,” Neji stated, following. Yasmine whipped out with a grin on her face.

“Aw, Neji Meji…!” The Hyuga could practically see sparkles in her eyes. “You want me to protect you?”

“… I think it’s the other way around...” Neji replied, flatly.
************************


Uchiha Sasuke yawned loudly as he made his way down the steps. He did not bother to cover it up, though. It wasn’t like anyone was up at the moment, besides him, that is. He slowly made his way to the kitchen as he rubbed the blurriness away from his eyes. Last night, he had not gotten a pleasant dream. It was far from pleasing. He had dreamt that Mayu had tortured him mercilessly. Watching from behind a cage while she stripped was almost too much to bear. Sasuke sighed lightly.

Speaking of Mayu…

His movements stopped. His fingers were inches away from the milk. He breathed deeply, ignoring the cool air of the refrigerator. This current relationship he had with her was so… frustrating. He remembered a time when their relationship hadn’t been so complex and full of mistrust. Was that it…? Did she not trust him as much as she used to? Who could really blame her? After what he had done, he would be surprised if anyone would fully ever trust him again. But really… It’s been so long. He had come back to the village–he had proved his loyalty. Wasn’t it enough? “Apparently not…” Sasuke thought, pulling out the milk with an irritated scowl.

He closed the refrigerator with his foot as he rubbed his eyes again. He didn’t bother getting a cup. Yasmine, for some unexplained reason, did not like the taste of milk, so she didn’t drink it. Sasuke drank from the carton. The only other person that drank milk was Mayu and she drunk… right from the carton, too. Sasuke almost spit out the milk when he came to that realization. “Indirect kisses…” he thought, staring at the carton. He narrowed his eyes. “Being a teenager sucks.”

He placed the carton on the counter and then began rummaging through the cabinets, trying to find some rice. Since Yasmine had moved in, things were not where he had originally placed them. When he tried to confront the foreign teen about it, her alter ego came out and threatened his life. “You better get ‘em, Mayu! I’ma ‘bout to go straight up ghetto on his ass!” she had said. He wasn’t sure what going ‘straight up ghetto’ meant, but he did not think it was very enjoyable.

“Found it,” Sasuke thought, pulling a box out of the top cabinet. Mayu usually woke up later than him, so he would have to wait until then to have a better breakfast. For now, he would start on the rice since he took a long time to cook, anyway. Sasuke dropped down to his knees to get the rice cooker from the bottom cabinet. He would start, and then wait until Mayu awoke or whenever the rice was finished–whichever came first.

After draining the washed rice in a colander, Sasuke set the rice aside. He would have to wait thirty minutes before even touching the rice again. He took the carton of milk and walked out of the kitchen. He decided to watch television while he waited. Yasmine said that she didn’t have work today and Mayu and he wouldn’t have any missions for at least two days, so the two girls wouldn’t be up for awhile.

Yawning again, Sasuke sat in his chair with the remote and carton in his hands. He took another gulp of milk as he pointed the remote at the television. That’s when something caught his eye. His focus shifted over to the couch. He slowly removed the carton from his mouth as he continued to stare in disbelief. His mouth dropped opened, spilling un-drunken milk. “WHAT THE HELL…?!” Sasuke sputtered out, spewing milk on the table.

A light groan reached his ears. Sasuke’s eyebrows furrowed together as he watched his uninvited guest lift his head. He glared as the guest opened his eyes. Pale eyes blinked in confusion. “… Uchiha…?”

“Hyuga…?!” Sasuke bared his teeth. Neji glared at his fellow Leaf ninja. He moved to stand, but realized that he could not. He looked down to see that Yasmine’s head was resting against his chest. His eyes widened a bit, but then comprehension showed in his eyes. “What the hell are you doing here, Hyuga?” Neji, once again, glared at Sasuke, this time telling him to shush. The Uchiha bristled at the command, but Neji was really paying attention to him. Sasuke placed the carton on the table, and then wiped his mouth as he watched his uninvited guest sit Yasmine up.

Neji slowly stood, not wanting to wake the foreigner. Sasuke grinned smugly at his caution. “MAYU…!” he suddenly shouted, causing the Hyuga to wince and Yasmine to spring forward. There had also been a dull thud that came from upstairs. Neji turned and glared at the Uchiha.

“You idiot…!” the Hyuga muttered.

“Sasuke, isn’t it a little too early to be screwing Mayu’s brains out?” Yasmine groaned, rubbing her head. The two males both turned red. That was definitely not Yasmine. This was without a doubt the alter ego, Yasume.

“You, shut up…!” Sasuke looked at Neji. “You, why is he still here?” he pointed at Neji, but his eyes were on Yasume. The foreign teen blinked, and then looked over to the Hyuga. She blinked again, and then rubbed her head.

“Neji got scared last night–didn’t want to travel in the dark–so Yasmine offered to protect him and he jumped at the chance. I didn’t want anything to do with it, but Yasmine-”

“Nani…?!” Neji interrupted. “When did I ever say-”

“Sasuke, why are you screaming my name so damn early?!” a new voice shouted. Three heads turned towards where the voice came from. Mayu stood, glaring at them. It wasn’t very threatening, though, since she was currently rubbing her eye. Yasume grinned.

“That’s what she said…” the foreign teen murmured.

“Why is Neji still here?” Mayu asked, covering up a yawn.

“He wanted protect-”

“Yeah right!” came the Hyuga’s interruption.

Mayu sighed heavily. She could feel a headache coming on. “I’m going back to bed,” she muttered, turning.

“Matte…! Help me cook breakfast!” Sasuke stopped her. He gave Neji a sideways glance as Yasmine passed Mayu. “Get outta here, Hyuga!”

“But don’t forget about tonight, though!” Yasume chirped before Neji could respond to Sasuke, who had already gone upstairs to drag Mayu out of bed. “Be here by eight or we’ll start without you. Pass it on–ask Lee if he can come, too!” The Hyuga gave the foreigner a flat look as she squealed. Another dull thud was heard, followed by a muffled ‘jackass!’

“I’m leaving,” he muttered, walking out.
************************


Tenten tapped her foot impatiently. Her back was against the bark of a tree. Her arms were crossed and a small frown was on her face. Her eyes were closed, but every so often her eyebrow would twitch. Judging from her body structure, Neji could decipher that his teammate was not in the best of moods. That is why he took cautious steps forward. He had already pissed her off last night; she was probably still upset that he had gotten to spend the night with Yasmine. He hadn’t meant to, of course. He must’ve fallen asleep while waiting for Yasmine to dream. “Why exactly were you following us last night?” Neji asked.

His teammate flinched, and then opened her eyes. She glared at Neji with a flushed face. “Why do you think?! You were with Mine-chan all night…! That pisses me off!” Tenten pushed herself away from the tree. Neji narrowed his eyes, yet his defiant stare was ignored. “She’s mine, alright? So please refrain from taking her time away from me, you ass!” Neji knew that she was after her, but she didn’t think she’d actually go as far as to claim Yasmine.

“Tenten, get a hold of yourself. Yaya-chan isn’t yours, nor will she ever be,” her teammate told her. This only added the fuel to the raging fire building up within the kunoichi. “Yaya-chan isn’t like you.”

“You don’t know that!”

Neji’s lip twitched. She was right. From his earlier conversations with the foreigner, anyone could tell she had never had sexual intercourse before. As far as anyone was concerned she was asexual, waiting to be turned to either side. It all depended on which side she would take in the end. But for now, it was undecided. “Why do you like her so much?” Neji asked.

“That’s none of your business!” Tenten nearly snarled.

“I beg to differ. Yaya-chan is my friend, and having a relationship with you could jeopardize the relationship that I have with her,” Neji stated, crossing his arms.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

“Don’t play dumb, Tenten. It doesn’t suit you. You know what I’m implying. As soon as you’re bored, you toss away your partners as if they were toys,” the Hyuga seemed almost angry, himself. “I will not allow Yaya-chan to be played with, only to be thrown away when she becomes boring to you.”

Tenten stared, momentarily confused. After a moment, her brown eyes grew wide. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “You like her, don’t you, Neji!” she accused. Startled by her allegation, Neji reared his head back in shock. “You’re not interested in friendship with her. You want her all to yourself, you greedy little-”

“Do-Don’t be ridiculous!” Neji interrupted. “Yaya-chan and I have always been friends! That’s the way it’ll always be! I just don’t want you to have your way with her, and then toss her aside for something better.” The Hyuga was not aware that his cheeks had gone slightly pink.

“Mine-chan is not like the rest–she’s different! I wouldn’t do that to her!” Tenten protested.

Neji scoffed but had calmed down. It wasn’t like him to get upset and flustered so quickly. Even in the presence of Lee or Naruto, he managed to keep his cool. “I don’t think you’re in the right mood to spar, so training is cancelled for today.” The Hyuga turned his back to his teammate. “I’ll see you later at eight.” He walked away from her without another word.

Tenten watched him go with a fierce expression on her face. She bit down on her index finger as her eyes focused on the grass beneath her. “Damn… I didn’t think I’d have to resort to this so soon!” Her lip twitched. Judging from the way Neji responded, Tenten deduced that this matter was a little too personal. He couldn’t still be upset about the break-up, could he? She had been lying to Yasmine when she told her that the two had mutually split up. Of course, it was she that broke up with Neji. There was no thrill with him anymore, so she dumped him. It was that or he truly did want Yasmine all to himself. She removed her finger from her mouth. She relaxed her body, making up her mind. “But it seems Neji has left me with no other choice. I hope you’re ready… Mine-chan…”

She smirked.
************************

Red eyes stared impassively at the man in front of him. Beside the man, with the red eyes, there stood another man. His sharp teeth gleamed in the darkness of the room. The kneeling man was irked by this room. In this room, he could not see his employers. Only his teeth and his eyes were shown to him. A genjutsu had to be in place, he realized. “Forgive me…” he spoke. “I did not think she would be traveling with others. I will deliver her in five days.” His informative, who had seen the entire thing, reported back just a few hours before. “I will get the job done myself. I hope this does not… reduce my pay.”

Neither man spoke, but the sharp, gleaming teeth seemed to grow. A pair of red eyes disappeared into the darkness. The kneeling man could only assumed he had closed his eyes. The two mysterious men had only spoken when necessary, so he paid no mind to their silence. He stood up and turned. There were some things they he had not told his employers. For one, their identities had been exposed. Well, not their true identities, but it was close enough. His informative had told him that one of the men hired had blabbed about seeing their clothes. He didn’t really know much about the organization, but he knew they weren’t fools. It must have been a careless mistake that the leader of those bandits saw what they were wearing. Black with red clouds–it was most definitely Akatsuki. But what could an organization such as them want with a young girl…?

It was a question that could not be asked out loud. The man narrowed his dark green eyes. It didn’t matter why they wanted her. As long as he was paid the amount that they promised, he did not need to know the details. He walked towards the door, but stopped when his voice called out to him. “The girl is to remain unharmed,” he said, without emotion. It was hard to tell by his voice if he was concerned or not about the girl’s safety. “One scratch and you won’t be paid at all.”

“Gomen… Looks like we forgot to mention that minor thing last time,” the other one chuckled, clearly amused. “Luckily she wasn’t taken then, eh?”

The man did not respond to their words. He opened the door and walked out. A frown graced his face as he headed out of the building. He stopped short outside the entrance of the hotel. He placed his dark hat over his short, messy, reddish brown hair. “As if I would,” he thought. He would never intentionally hurt a female. The man took to the trees.

His destination: The Village Hidden in the Leaves.
************************

Fresh new kicks, advance
You gotta like that, now, you know you wanna dance
So move, outta your seat
And get a fly girl and catch this beat

While it’s rollin’, hold on
Pump a lil bit and let ‘em know it’s goin’ on
Like that, like that

Cold on a mission so call them back
Let ‘em know that you’re too much
And this is a beat, uh, you can’t touch!

Sasuke watched his teammate and her friend dance around the kitchen. They were dancing to that weird device again, which was blaring out music. It was slightly unnerving how something that small can generate loud noises. His dark eyes turned his attention back to the two females. They hadn’t even noticed his presence yet. Smirking, the Uchiha pressed his shoulder against the door frame and continued to watch them–particularly, Mayu. She had no idea what she could do to a male with just movement alone. Sasuke unconsciously licked his lips. What he would give to have her against him… Shaking his head, Sasuke grimaced. Now was not the time to be thinking like that.

Judging from the fading sound of the song, he could tell that it was almost over. He took this moment to clear his throat. Both teens abruptly stopped dancing around the kitchen. They slowly turned towards him. Yasmine blinked, and then grinned. Mayu, however, looked almost mortified. “H-How long have you been staring?!” she asked.

“Long enough,” he answered. “Long enough to think of you doing that in my room with no clothes on,” he finished in thought. Ah, the inner thoughts of a pervert…

Mayu blushed in embarrassment before turning her back to her teammate. Yasmine only shrugged before picking up her iPod from the counter. She went over to the refrigerator, ignoring the sudden tension that her two housemates had created. “Ah, the dessert’s almost done!” she murmured, closing the refrigerator door.

“When are they coming, anyway?” Sasuke took his eyes off of his Mayu’s back. The teen almost instantly relaxed, not feeling his eyes on her anymore.

Yasmine’s brown eyes shifted towards the clock on the wall. “Hm… I’d say in… a few minutes,” she answered, causing Mayu to blanch.

“Nani…?!” she shouted, turning to her friend. “I still have to get ready!”

“What’s the big deal?” Yasmine asked, confused. “It’s only Neji Meji and Ten-chan…” It slightly freaked out Sasuke when her eyes were suddenly filled with sparkles. A blush settled on her cheeks, too. Those were two sure signs that she was about to talk about him. “And possibly Lee-kun, too…” she sighed dreamily, confirming Sasuke’s suspicions. “Holy crap…!” The girl pushed passed Sasuke, Mayu following close behind.

“LEE MIGHT BE COMING, TOO?! WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SOMETHING SOONER?!” she shouted.

“I FORGOT!” the foreigner wailed.

Sasuke sighed, hearing the stomping of his housemates’ feet, and then the slamming of their respective doors. What was so damn good about Lee of all people? He would never understand their affection for the taijutsu user. Rolling his eyes, the Uchiha went over to the stove. Simmering were three pots. He lifted one of the lids to see some kind of food, he assumed. Whatever it was, it looked messy. The noodles were covered in some type of red sauce. It smelled edible, at least. Mayu had practically gone into cardiac arrest when Yasmine mentioned what she was making.

She had cheered about not having her ‘favorite meal’ in a long time. If Mayu thought it was great, then it must’ve been safe to eat. Sasuke put the lid back on the pot, and then headed out of the kitchen. If those idiots was about to show up within a few minutes, then he should at least greet them. He saw that Yasmine had already set up a table where they could eat. It was funny that he didn’t even realize that there was an unknown room someone in this hotel. He supposed that it was used for parties, since it was so big.

Sasuke walked at a relatively slow pace. Although he had agreed to allow Neji and his teammate over, he wasn’t very happy about it. He didn’t necessarily hate the Hyuga, but he didn’t like him either. But he supposed he could get along with him during the dinner…

There was a knock at the door, signaling that his guests–or rather Yasmine’s–had arrived. He moved towards the door and opened it. Surprisingly, it was not who he thought it was. “Naruto…?” he muttered, confused.

“Hiya…!” the blond exclaimed. Sasuke almost rolled his eyes, and was about to ask why he was here, but Naruto answered before he could. “Hinata-chan said to meet her here!” He pushed pass the Uchiha, plopped down in his chair, pretty much making himself right at home.

Sasuke, ignoring where his friend was positioned at the moment, shut the door and walked over to him. He crossed his arms as he stared down at Naruto, who was now flipping through channels. “And why is she coming here?”

“Uh… She said Neji invited her over here for some dinner,” he replied distractedly. He was trying to see past Sasuke by moving his head from left to right.

“Neji…?!”

“Yeah–coul d you move now?”

“Get out of my seat.”

Naruto grumbled, but did as he was told. He sat across from his friend and rival, still holding the remote. “Why did you invite Neji over, anyway? You two don’t really get along, I thought.”

“We don’t…!” Sasuke confirmed. “But Yasmine wanted it, so Mayu forced me to agree.”

“Ah, the foreign girl…!” Naruto mused. The blond wore a cheeky grin. “You are so whipped, Sasuke.”

“Go to hell, Naruto,” the teen retorted, ignoring his friend’s playful laugh.

The two teens sat there for a few minutes, watching television and talking about recent missions. Suddenly, there was tapping at the door. Grumbling lightly, Sasuke stood up to answer it. He frowned at his two new guests. Hyuga Hinata, with a pleasant smile on her face, and her cousin, Hyuga Neji were standing outside. “Greetings, Sasuke-san. I do hope we’re not too late,” Hinata bowed her head. The Uchiha returned the greeting with a nod.

“No, not really. Mayu and Yasmine are really the ones who are going to be late,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. Hinata looked slightly confused, but didn’t question his statement. Sasuke gestured for her to come in. “Naruto’s already here, so make yourself at home.” Hinata nodded, and then passed by the teen.

Neji was about to do the same, but Sasuke’s arm blocked his path. He looked towards the Uchiha with an annoyed gaze. “What is it?” he asked, stiffly.

“Who gave you the right to invite people to a house that’s not even yours?” Sasuke asked.

“… It isn’t my fault. Hinata-sama overheard me talking with Tenten about Yasmine. She heard about the homemade foreign meal and just about demanded that I take her. I did not know she had invited Naruto as well.”

“Bullshit.”

“Believe what you want,” Neji said, pushing pass Sasuke’s arm. The Uchiha grumbled before closing the door and following after him.

This was going to be a long night.
************************

Fifteen minutes later, all of the guests had arrived, and yet Mayu and Yasmine had not come downstairs yet. Sasuke was quickly becoming annoyed. Naruto and Hinata were constantly flirting–it was nearly unbearable! If he had to hear his best friend tell Hinata how cute she was one more time, he was going to explode! His dark eyes moved over to Neji and Tenten. The Hyuga had his eyes narrowed in Tenten’s direction, while the kunoichi glowered in his direction. He briefly wondered why they had such looks, but then decided he didn’t really care. “What is taking those two so long?” he thought with his arms crossed.

“WAAHHH…!”

The guests all stood to see what had caused the crashing noises. Sasuke, however, only sighed. “Think of a klutz and one shall fall,” he muttered. He rose from his seat when he heard Mayu’s voice; he moved towards the stairs where everyone was fussing over Yasmine. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the sight. Tenten was asking if her foreign friend was okay. Of course, she always was. Hopefully, the clumsy girl wouldn’t fall down a cliff someday. Sasuke cleared his throat. “Can we please get started now?” he asked irritated.

“Right,” Yasmine said. She moved to go to the kitchen. “Sasuke, could you show them to the party room while I get the food?” The Uchiha gave a curt nod and told everyone to follow him. The foreigner watched her guests as they were led away. She was disappointed to see Rock Lee wasn’t apart of the group. “But I guess Hinata-chan and Naruto are just as good,” she thought, turning.

She sighed as she went towards the stove. She had really wanted Lee to show up, but she guessed Neji couldn’t get a hold of the taijutsu user. He was probably on some romantic date with Sakura at the moment. She did wonder how Neji managed to get Naruto and Hinata over, though. She took two pots, one at a time, off the stove and set them on the counter. They were still hot so she’d have to wait awhile before she could carry them both at the same time.

Yasmine leaned against the counter; her back was to the door. She crossed her arms and sighed. “I hope everyone likes it,” she thought. “If not… I guess there’s that stash of Ramen I found. Naruto’s bound to like that.” Her brown eyes suddenly grew wide. “Oh no…! I forgot the bread!” The foreigner hurriedly grabbed an oven mitten and opened the stove door. She sighed in relief. The garlic bread had only been burnt slightly. Yasmine placed the pan on top of the stove, and then searched the kitchen for a bowl. “There’s so many people that I don’t think I can cut enough pieces,” she muttered reaching up towards the bowl that she wanted. Her fingertips weren’t long enough to reach, however.

“I’ll get it,” a sudden voice said as a hand brushed against hers. Yasmine turned her head to see Tenten reaching up. She was taller than her, so the foreigner really didn’t mind that. What she did mind, though, was the closeness of the kunoichi.

“Te-Ten-chan, you sc-scared me!” Yasmine covered her nervousness with feigned apprehension. She moved away from the kunoichi, who had just pulled the bowl down.

“Gomen,” she said with a small smile. She handed the plastic blue bowl to Yasmine, who took it with a nod. She set the bowl on the counter and went over to the store, knife in hand. “Need any help?” Tenten asked.

Yasmine turned her head slightly, but kept her eyes on the bread, debating in her head how to cut it. “Yeah, actually… Could you carry one pot? I’ll carry the rest,” she answered, and then began cutting. Tenten peered into one of the pots.

“It looks delicious,” she commented.

“I just hope it taste as good as it smells. It won’t be as good as Granny Theresa… probably.” It took a few minutes to cut and transfer the bread to the bowl. During that time, Yasmine could feel Tenten’s eyes on her body. It… intimidated her somewhat. Sure she had felt her stares in the past, but now that she knew… certain things about Tenten, her stares caused a slight panic to happen within her.

After rinsing off the knife and leaving it in the sink, Yasmine went over to the counter. “Alright, we’d better get go-” Tenten’s hand around her wrist made her stop all actions. Yasmine’s fingers were just centimeters away from the food. She slowly turned to face the kunoichi. “Ten-”

“You’re even prettier than before, Mine-chan,” Tenten interrupted. A slight blush appeared on the teen’s face.

“Yea-Yeah, Mayu helped me put on make-”

“It makes me feel like…” Tenten cut her off again. “It makes me feel like… kissing you.” The kunoichi eased in a bit further. She rubbed her nose against Yasmine’s skin, which caused the foreign person to tense. “You smell tasty–it makes me want to eat you up, too.”

Yasmine quickly wretched her arm free, and then moved away from Tenten with the bowl and pot in her hands. “Ari-Arigatou, Ten-chan, but we can’t wait around any longer. I’m afraid that Sasuke and Neji will attack each other at any moment!” The foreigner laughed nervously and loudly as she pushed the kitchen door open and disappeared down the hallway. Tenten watched her go with a smirk on her face. She picked up the pot and prepared to follow after the teen.

“Mine-chan… Now that you know, I can’t let you get away with being cute without punishment.”
************************

Mayu groaned as she rubbed her full stomach. “I ate a lot!” she rolled over. Sasuke smirked, watching her.

“Yeah, that’s real attractive,” he sarcastically replied.

“Up yours, Sasuke!”

“No one told you to pig out,” Yasmine muttered with a flat look. “You could’ve stopped.”

“But it was soooo gooood! Granny Theresa should have made it from scratch, too!”

The seven teens were scattered throughout the ‘party room,’ as Yasmine dubbed it. Naruto and Hinata were in the corner, most likely flirting. The rest of the teens were still by the table, which had been cleared by now. They were currently listening to Yasmine's music device–most of them not understanding the words, but the beats were usually good so it was okay. Mayu stretched her body, and then relaxed. At the moment, she didn’t care that she was sprawled out on the floor. She suddenly sat up when her ears heard the next song playing. She blinked, and then smirked. “Oh my god…! No you don’t have this song on your iPod!”

Yasmine grinned, which only further confused anyone who was paying attention–Naruto and Hinata were still flirting in the corner. “But it's Britney, bitch!” Both girls exploded into a fit of laughter as the song continued to play. Mayu stood up and walked over to Yasmine. She pulled the foreigner up with a grin of her own. The teen had been sitting in between Neji and Tenten.

“Dance with me…!” Mayu commanded as she pulled Yasmine into a standing position.

The foreigner laughed out as the two girls began dancing around each other. “We can get down like there’s no one around. We keep rocking, we keep rockin’. Cameras are flashing while we’re dirty dancing. They keep watching, keep watchin’. Feels like the crowd was saying-”

“-Gimme, gimme more…! Gimme more…! Gimme, gimme more…!” The two teens sang and danced. After a few moments of this, Sasuke realized his mouth was open. He slowly turned to Neji and Tenten, who also had their mouth hanging open. Okay… so he wasn’t the only one seeing it. The two girls were dancing… provocatively against one another.

“Ha-Ha-Have they for-forgotten we’re here…?!” Sasuke stammered out, holding his nose in fear of it bleeding.

“I don’t… think they realize what they’re doing…” Neji muttered, holding a finger under his nose as he closed his eyes. Tenten just gawked at the sight in front of her.

“Mayu, stop…!” Sasuke shouted, causing both girls to stop their movements all together. Tenten glared at the Uchiha, but it went unnoticed. He was too busy being relieved. Any longer and ‘little Uchiha’ would have said hello.

“Wow…” Mayu muttered, plopping down on the floor. “That was… weird.”

“Yeah,” Yasmine agreed, nodding her head. She also sat down. “Britney Spears’ hits will generally do that to a person…” Sasuke blinked, and then smirked as Chibi Sasuke took note of this ‘Britney Spears’ woman who made girls dance like that. He would definitely have to borrow Yasmine’s music device one day.

The room was quiet for a few moments. Yasmine suddenly gasped loudly, directing attention towards her. The foreigner then grinned. “What are you thinking about, Yasmine?” Mayu asked. Ignoring the question, the foreign person urged both Naruto and Hinata over to the table.

“What is it?” Hinata questioned.

“I want to ask you all a series of questions and see if you can answer them correctly,” Yasmine answered. For a moment no one spoke. “Come on…! It’ll be fun! And whoever gets the most right… they can have whatever they like from anyone in this room.”

Everyone in the room tensed up at her words. “Yaya-chan…! Why would you make such a wager…?!” Neji thought, frowning. His pale eyes turned to his teammate, who now wore a smirk and had a certain gleam in her eyes. Determination showed in his eyes. “I have to win this, or else Yaya-chan will succumb to Tenten’s wishes.”

“I must win! The fate of the Uchiha clan rests on this!” Sasuke thought, narrowing his eyes. He looked towards Mayu to see that she had quickly turned away from him. “I absolutely must be the victor…!”

Sweat glided down Mayu’s face despite the cool temperature in the room. “Oh man…! Sasuke looks steadfast! Jiraiya-sama was his sensei for a couple years, which means he wants something perverted done…” the girl frowned. “Just my luck…! Hopefully, I’ll be the one to win!”

“Aww… I never was really good at questions!” Naruto thought. His blue eyes glanced at everyone around the table. Besides Hinata and Yasmine, everyone else looked as if they were ready to battle it out. “Fine… I won’t lose to any of ‘em! … Hopefully…”

Oblivious of the thoughts of the ninja surrounding her, Yasmine continued to speak. “Alright, the first question should be pretty easy. The fastest one to raise their hand gets to answer the question first,” she explained. “Okay, first question…!” Once again, everyone tensed. Yasmine was none the wiser. “There are twelve pears on a table. You walk up and take three of them. How many have you got?” Multiple hands shot up at seemingly the same time. “Hold on a second…” The girl closed her eyes. “Oh… The first one was Neji.”

“Wait a minute…! How can you tell?” Naruto asked. “I was definitely faster than Neji! You’re playing favorites because he’s your friend, aren’t you?!”

“Don’t be silly, Naruto. That’d be cheating, and cheaters never prosper!”

“Pros… what?”

“Go ahead, Neji,” Yasmine advised. Everyone else put their hands down.

“The answer is nine.”

“Wrong…!”

“But that is-”

“I said wrong!”

Most of the ninja glared at her. Neji was right. Everyone knew twelve minus three equals nine. Naruto hesitantly raised his hand. “It’s three,” he said once Yasmine looked his way.

“Wow, that’s right! Good job, Naruto!”

“How did he get it right?!” Sasuke asked, skeptical.

“There are twelve pears. I asked how many pears you have if you were to pick three up. You have in your hands three pears,” Yasmine clarified. Hinata’s face lit up.

“Congratulations, Naruto-kun,” she smiled at him. The blond ninja rubbed the back of his head. A pink blush appeared on his face.

“Oh, that was nothing, Hinata-chan!” he said.

Sasuke grumbled. It was no matter. He would definitely get the next one. “Question two… Let’s say Naruto and Sasuke are battling it out on the borderline of the Wind and Fire country. Naruto is running towards Sasuke with his Rasengan in hand while Sasuke’s doing the same with his Chidori. Sasuke is technically in the Wind country while Naruto is in the Fire country. They’re both running towards the border, preparing for this ultimate collision. Now right before they clash, twenty ninja appear in between the two crazy ass ninja–some of them are from Konoha and some are from Suna. Sasuke and Naruto don’t have time to stop and their attacks hit,” Yasmine stopped to catch her breath. “Where do you bury the survivors?” Sasuke was the first to raise his hand. “Sasuke, your answer?”

“You bury the ninja from Suna in the Wind country. The ninja from Konoha are to be buried in the Fire country,” he said, smirking.

“Nope…!” Yasmine grinned. Sasuke looked as if he was about to explode. The foreigner mentally giggled at his expression. Who knew it would be this fun? “That’s the wrong answer.” Tenten suddenly gasped and raised her hand. “Yes, Tenten…?”

“You don’t bury survivors!” she replied.

“That’s right! You don’t bury survivors… unless you’re sadistic…”

“That was a stupid question…!” Sasuke complained. “Those attacks would have killed anyone who got in the way!”

“Don’t be a baby about it, Sasuke,” Mayu commented.

“Next question… How many birthdays does a ninja have?” Yasmine asked. Multiple eyebrows furrowed at her question. How were they supposed to know the answer to that one? Hinata raised her hand. “Hinata?”

“Is it… forty-eight?”

“No, that is incorrect!”

“But the average ninja lifespan…”

“One,” Sasuke answered, calmly.

“Wow… That’s right. Good job, Sasuke.”

“How’d you figure that out?” Mayu asked.

“Simple… Hinata is the pupil of the Hokage, a medical specialist. Of all people here, Hinata would–should know the answer to the question. But since she got it wrong,” Sasuke had to smirk. “The answer was quite obvious. Ninja only have one birthday because they are only born once.” Hinata gasped lightly in realization. “These are all trick questions, aren’t they, Yasmine?”

“You got me there, dude!” she responded. “Okay, this is the last question and it is worth fifty points.”

“Why is this the last question…? And why fifty points?” Mayu asked.

“It’s worth fifty so that anyone has the chance to win. And it’s the last one because… that’s all I know…” Those around the foreigner had sweat drops running down their heads. “Besides, I’m hungry again. I’ve got cheesecake in the refrigerator, and I want it!”

“Oh, of course,” Neji resisted rolling his eyes.

“Right… Last question is–drum roll, please!” Yasmine started banging on the table at a quick pace. Mayu laughed at her friend’s antics. “Before chakra was discovered, what was the source of power for jutsu?” she asked. Six hands shot up at the same time. “… I… really don’t know who raised their hand first.”

“So what…? We got to do it again?” Naruto questioned.

“Nah, I think you guys would only go faster than before. How about this,” Yasmine suggested an alternative. “You guys form a circle around me–I’ll be blindfolded–and I’ll spin around and stop on a random person to answer. If you get the question wrong, then you’re out. If you get it right, you get fifty points, thus winning the game and whatever you like. You can have whatever you like.”

Ignoring the singing part of her explanation, the six ninja nodded, and then stood. They moved over to an open space, spaced a forehead protector around Yasmine head so that her eyes were covered, and then circled around the girl. “Ooh…! You can sing for this!” Mayu exclaimed. “Remember that game the neighborhood children used to play outside, Yasmine?” The girl nodded her head. “That’ll be when you stop, kay. It should be fair enough.”

“Okay… Gon’, girl, pick your partner,” Yasmine sang as she spun around with her finger pointed out. “Pick your partner, pick your partner. Gon’, girl, pick your partner. Pick your partner, now stop!” Yasmine ceased movement, and then lifted Neji’s headband a little bit, so she could see who she was pointing at. “Mayu, do you have an answer?”

“… Will power and determination…?”

Yasmine made a negative noise, and then moved the headband back down. “Get out of the circle, Mayu, and everyone else, move closer together,” the foreigner instructed. Pouting, Mayu removed herself from the game while the other stood closer. “Gon’, girl, pick your partner! Pick your partner, pick your partner. Gon’, girl, pick your partner. Pick your partner, now stop!” Again, she lifted the headband. “Tenten?”

“… I’m not entirely sure, but… could it be that they didn’t use jutsu back then?”

“Nope, that’s not it, but nice try. I’m going to need you to step back,” Yasmine said. “They wouldn’t be considered ninja if they didn’t use chakra.”

“She… She just gave us the answer!” Sasuke thought. He looked around at the remaining players. They didn’t seem to realize this. “I have the advantage…! She has to choose me before they figure it out!”

Yasmine began to move again, reciting her little song. Once again, she stopped. Her finger was pointing to Naruto. “Do you think you know the answer, Naruto?” she asked. All eyes were on the blond.

“… Eh… What was the question again?” he asked. Yasmine snickered when everyone beside him fell, anime style.

“The question was… Before chakra was discovered, what was the source of power ninja used to carry out their jutsu?” she repeated.

“Chakra,” Naruto replied. Yasmine's mouth dropped opened as Sasuke’s face fell.

“… You said that with no hesitation, Naruto. Did you actually know that or… did you guess?” Yasmine asked.

“What? Did I get it right?” Naruto asked. Hinata began clapping. Yasmine smiled and decided to join in.

“Yeah, you got it right,” she answered.

“That was really impressive, Naruto-kun!” Hinata praised.

“Well, I’ll be damned…” Mayu said, blinking.

“Surprising...” Neji muttered.

“I’m in shock!” Tenten exclaimed.

“Damn it, Naruto…!” Sasuke mumbled.

“Hey…! Why do I feel like I’m getting insulted here?!”

“Never mind that,” Yasmine said. “Naruto, what is it that you want?” The blond blinked once, and then a grin appeared on his face. His blue eyes looked towards Hinata. He started laughing. “Uh… Naruto, your prize…?” Was that a lecherous look on his face?

“None of your business…!” he finally shouted. He grabbed Hinata, the iPod, and then dashed out of the room.

“Did he say something about Britney Spears? And why’d he take my iPod?” Yasmine asked, confused.

“Damn it, Naruto… Taking my idea…” Sasuke thought with a frown.

“Naughty, naughty, Naruto…!” Mayu snickered.

“I’m going to kill him…” Neji thought, darkly.

Not receiving an answer, Yasmine shrugged. She reached behind her head to untie the headband. She held it out to Neji. The Hyuga male moved towards her and took it from her hand, only… she did not let go. “Yaya-chan… What’s the matter?” he asked. The foreigner blinked, and then yanked on the headband, pulling Neji closer. “Yaya-chan!” By now everyone in the room was looking at the two.

“Yasmine, what the hell are you doing?” Mayu asked, curious.

“Hey, come over here! You, too, Sasuke!” Yasmine called, yet didn’t tear her eyes away from Neji’s, who was downright confused. “Look at his face,” she told them. Still curious, Mayu did as she was told. Sasuke, though, scoffed and stayed by Mayu’s side. “Okay, are you two watching?” She received a nod from Mayu and a grunt from Sasuke. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but it was a little curious. “Watch his reaction closely… Boobies!” It took a moment for that word to process in his brain. When it finally did, Neji’s eyes grew wide. “See…!” She finally released her hold on her friend. He backed up and turned away, but it was too late.

“Holy snap!” Mayu exclaimed. Neji’s face had turned completely red. “Not even Jiraiya-sama reacts like that when he hears stuff like that!” Tenten only shook her head. Yasmine was so weird. “Guess the Hyuga clan is full of perverts…”

“That’s not true!” Neji protested. Mayu held her hands up in defense. “And, Yasmine, I told you to never say that again.”

“They called you asexual. I have to prove them wrong for your sake!” Yasmine explained.

“You did not…!”

“Calm down, Hyuga. It’s not that serious. I’m surprised it’s you, but it’s perfectly okay to be a pervert,” Sasuke stated. Mayu rolled her eyes.

“Oh, you would know, wouldn’t you–don’t touch me, Yasmine!”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Sasuke asked in a calm voice.

Yasmine moved over to Mayu, who had gotten out of the way of the two teen ninja. “Why are they getting so upset?” she asked her friend. The kunoichi only shrugged as the two continued to bicker back and forth like two children. The three females watched the two argue as if they were watching a tennis tournament.

“Listen, Hyuga…!” Sasuke growled. Anyone could tell that he was angry. “You should be glad that you branch members even know about sex!”

The room’s atmosphere suddenly shifted. Sasuke didn’t seem to notice that the mood had changed, but Mayu took note of the look on the Hyuga’s face. She tried to interrupt. “Sasuke, that doesn’t even make sense! Why would you even say that?!”

“What did you say?” Neji gritted his teeth. Mayu’s words went unheard. In the heat of the moment, Sasuke took it a step too far.

“You heard me…! You’re the bitch of your chief relatives!”

Now, what happened next happened quicker than lightning, so it’s going to be slowed down. First, Neji activated his bloodline. Tenten then grabbed the back of Neji’s shirt. Yasmine grabbed Neji’s arm as it was moving to strike. Mayu placed her leg behind Sasuke’s, and then cross-lined him, causing him to fall to the floor before Neji’s Gentle Fist could make contact. This was the scene that Naruto and Hinata had come back to. “What the… hell?” was Naruto’s first words. “We were only gone for a few minutes!”

His question was ignored. “Neji… please calm down,” Yasmine told him. Slowly, Sasuke stood as Neji closed his eyes and lowered his arm. The Hyuga turned his bloodline off and breathed through his nose. Yasmine looked at the floor, yet did not release Neji; neither did Tenten for that matter.

“Hyuga,” Sasuke started. “I want you to leave no-”

“Sasuke,” Yasmine interrupted. Her hands released his wrist. Cautiously, Tenten let go of her teammate’s shirt. The foreigner turned to face the Uchiha. “Although I don’t mind it when you guys fight, I find it’s very wrong to talk about someone’s family matters. What you said is almost unforgivable.”

“I don’t give a shi-”

“I’m not done talking yet!” Yasmine cut him off. Mayu’s mouth almost dropped open. She had seen Yasume glare like that before, but never Yasmine. And that voice…! She sounded so mean! Sasuke, too, was in a state of astonishment. “You and Neji argue whenever you come into contact with each other, but he has never commented about your family. He has never said how you were too weak to be killed when your clan was terminated that night, has he?”

Mayu almost gasped. Yasmine knew that was a sensitive subject for Sasuke. She would never bring it up on purpose. Not even Yasume, with her big mouth, ever said anything about that night. “Yasmine-”

“No, he hasn’t,” the foreigner continued. “He has never commented on the fact that you’re too scared to return to your own house instead of living in a hotel of all places. Not once has he mentioned that you’re too afraid to say how you really feel. He has never said how you will not stop being the scared little boy you were on that night–the weak little boy who watched his parents’ dead bodies and could do nothing to stop the killer from getting away.”

Sasuke moved, threatening to strike the foreign teen. Yasmine moved forward as well, not looking the least bit worried by his blazing Sharingan eyes. “Hit me…! Gone ‘head, hit me! Hit me, Uchiha Sasuke! I want you to give me a reason to set it off in this bitch!” Although she was visibly shorter than him, their faces were mere inches apart. Sasuke didn’t respond. “That’s right… You can’t hit me, can you because you know everything that I’ve said… is true.”

The Uchiha clenched his fists several times, but did not react to her goading. His eyes returned to his normal onyx color. Clenching his teeth, he moved past the foreigner. He stormed out of the room, shoving Naruto out of the way as he went. It was quiet for a few tense moments. Yasmine finally relaxed her shoulders. She breathed out slowly as if trying to pull herself together.

“All right, who wants dessert?” the foreign teen asked as she, too, left the room.

Naruto watched her leave, as did everyone else. They were all still shocked at what they had just witness. The blond turned to Mayu. “Your friend–she’s nuts…” he commented.

“Yeah…” Mayu agreed. “She’s so friendly all the time that I keep forgetting that she’s half Black, and will go ‘straight up ghetto on your ass!’ Wow…” Tenten blinked twice, but then she smirked. She bit her bottom lip as a pink blush settled on her cheeks.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” she announced, heading for the exit.
************************

Yasmine grumbled as she pushed her head further into the refrigerator. She shoved many leftovers aside, trying to reach the dessert she had prepared. “I don’t remember putting it way back here…!” she frowned. Finally, her hands touched the glass plate that held the dessert. “Wow, it actually came out pretty nice. I’m surprised.” She began to pull the cake from its position.

“Mine-chan…?”

THUMP!
“Ouch…!” Yasmine, surprised, had smacked her head against the top of the refrigerator. Luckily, she managed not to drop the cake.

Slowly, she moved out of the refrigerator. Groaning, she set the dish on the counter, and then rubbed the back of her head. She stared wearily at Tenten, who was chuckling. “Gomen, Mine-chan,” she said with a smile. Yasmine released her head and went back over to the refrigerator. She grabbed the strawberry syrup and caramel bottles from the door. She set the two bottles near the cheesecake, and then went over to the drawer. “Are you alright?” Tenten finally asked, watching her every move.

“Yes, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” Yasmine answered. She shuffled through the knives that were in the drawer. “Ow…!” Tenten hurried to her side. Blood trickled down Yasmine finger. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention.” She grabbed the knife she wanted, and the knife that had cut her. She set the clean knife on the counter next to the other items.

“You should be more careful, Mine-chan. You get hurt too much already,” Tenten comment as the foreigner dropped the knife in the sink. Before she could turn the water on to wash the blood away, a hand grabbed her wrist. Yasmine turned in surprise. Tenten could certainly move pretty fast. “I worry about you, Mine-chan.” Her fingers brushed against Yasmine’s cheek. The girl blinked, confused. Tenten smirked, and then placed Yasmine’s finger in her mouth Yasmine stared blankly at the kunoichi in front of her as she felt her tongue against her fingertip.

“That’s odd… I could’ve sworn I’ve heard of this before,” the foreign teen thought.

Yasume: FANFICTION!

“… Yeah, but what category?”

Yasume: NARUHINA ROMANCE, YOU IDIOT!
Yasmine yelped and pulled her hand away, but by this time, Tenten had already wrapped a band-aid around her finger. “What’s the matter?” Tenten asked, looking puzzled.

“Nothing…!” Yasmine laughed nervously as she wobbled over to the cheesecake. She picked up the knife. Comical swirls had replaced her eyes. “Oh crap…! Totally forgot about her!” she thought as she began cutting. Once again, she wasn’t paying attention. She snapped to attention when she felt arms around her.

Tenten was now behind the foreigner and had taken the knife from her hand. She giggled. “You’re making a mess of cutting it,” she commented. “Here, like this… This way, there will be nice even slices.” The cutting of the cheesecake was a slow, almost rhythmic process. Yasmine could feel Tenten’s chest press against her back. This was one of those times she wished she was slightly taller. Several times, she had to force her body to relax to avoid suspicion.

“But it feels so weird…!” Yasmine thought, mentally crying waterfalls.

“There, all done…!” Tenten proclaimed. She, however, only put the knife down. She did not remove her arms. “Mine-chan, what you said to Sasuke was-”

“Mean…? I know, but I don’t like it when arguments get personal. Its stops being funny after it gets personal,” Yasmine replied. Tenten chuckled.

“That’s not what I was going to say,” she whispered in her ear. Yasmine froze when she felt the kunoichi’s lips sweep against her ear. It took all her willpower not to scream. “It was the way you said it… It really… turned me on.”

“Eh…?!”

“A cute girl like you getting angry like that–it was so… thrilling. It gave me chills,” Tenten said. Her fingers moved up and down Yasmine’s stomach as she spoke. The kunoichi pressed herself closer to the foreigner. Yasmine’s mouth twitched into a nervous smile.

“T-Tenten…”

“HmR 30;?” She did not stop rubbing her nose against Yasmine’s neck.

“I’m not really-” she pushed the kunoichi away. “-into this sorta thing... so… bugger off.” She tried to get away, but Tenten only forced her against the refrigerator.

“Hmmm… We’ll just have to change that, won’t we?”

“Goddamnit…! Where’s Neji when you need him?!” Yasmine thought.
************************

“So the ninja’s like: ‘I’m gonna kill you!’ And I’m all like: ‘Heh, no you’re not!’”

The four ninja around Neji, listening to his story, laughed along with him.

************************

Yasmine closed her eyes, feeling Tenten’s fingers run through her hair. She was using her weakness to paralyze her. What a rotten tactic…! “Tenten… no–stop, that tickles…!” the foreigner pleaded with the kunoichi.

“Hehe… You’re so adorable. Don’t worry, you’ll like it,” Tenten commented. She kissed her cheek. She trailed her lips over to Yasmine’s, but the girl turned her head away and turned her lips inside her mouth. “You think that’s going to stop me?”

The kunoichi pinched her nipple, which caused Yasmine to squeal. This of course made her mouth open. Tenten smirked, seeing her defense waver. Right before her lips connected, the kunoichi suddenly stopped and turned her head. Yasmine cracked one eye open. She turned her head to see Naruto staring at them with his mouth wide open. “Naruto…!” Yasmine squeaked. Tenten glared and pulled out three senbon... from seemingly nowhere.

“You got a problem, Uzumaki?” she asked, raising her eyebrow. Yasmine tried to call out to him again, but Tenten squeezed her breast hard. Jumbled nonsense came from her mouth. Naruto slowly shook his head, and then picked up the cheesecake.

“Ju-Just came for the cake. Mayu yelled at me, so I came to get it…” was his awkward replied. “Didn’t mean to interrupt–please… continue.” With that being said, the Kyuubi container made his exit.

Tenten finally turned her eyes back to Yasmine. She had a devilish grin on her face as she set down her three sharp weapons. “Now… Where were we?” she asked a rhetorical question. She moved her leg in between Yasmine’s legs, ignoring her yelps of protest. Licking her lips, she rubbed her knee against her crotch. Yasmine gasped at the sensation she suddenly felt because of that action. “Oh, did you like that?” Tenten licked her earlobe. The foreigner gasped at the wetness.

Never before had she experienced such a feeling. Yasmine bit down on her bottom lip. Tenten was fondling her through her shirt. Her touch combined with the rubbing of her knee caused an unfamiliar emotion to well up inside her. Her lips parted and a strange sound came out. Tenten smirked. “Finally–I was beginning to think you’d never moan for me,” the kunoichi commented.

“Wh-What…?! That wasn-”

Her protest was cut off. Tenten had used the distraction to her advantage by kissing her lips. Easily, she slipped her tongue in, licking the inside of Yasmine’s warm mouth. Tenten’s right hand caressed her face as she enjoyed the battle that their tongues were currently in. “Silly Mine-chan… you can’t push me out,” the kunoichi thought. Her left hand slid down the foreigner’s stomach, only to slide back up underneath her shirt. She squeezed her again, causing the teen to cry out in her mouth.

Jolt after jolt came and coursed through Yasmine’s body. She couldn’t stop the feeling. Why was her body reacting this way? It was… too much. What Tenten was doing to her was too much! She had to get away, but… her body still felt heavy. “Tenten, please…” she thought. And just like that, the kunoichi’s hand left her body. Her lips followed closely after. Yasmine slowly opened her eyes to see Tenten smiling at her.

“Next time, I won’t be so lenient, Mine-chan!”

Yasmine could only stare at the innocent grin plastered on the kunoichi’s face. Her whole body shook, but Tenten didn’t seem to notice this. She looked towards the door, but Yasmine didn’t take her eyes off the female ninja. “Ah, Neji…! I was just telling Mine-chan that I have to go now,” she spoke with a cheerful voice. She moved out of the foreigner’s line of vision. Still, brown eyes were focused on the spot where Tenten had been. “See ya later, Mine-chan, Neji!” Her fading footsteps told Yasmine that she had truly left. Her body finally giving in, the teen dropped to her knees.

Alarmed by this, Neji hurriedly move to her side. “Yaya-chan…?” he put a hand around her shoulders. “What’s the matter? What happened?” he asked in concern. The foreigner did not speak. She only bowed her head as if ashamed. “… What did she do to you…?” The foreigner suddenly shoved the Hyuga away. She glared at him as she stood. “Yaya–no, you’re Yasume!”

“And just where the fuck were you at?!” she hollered. “You were supposed to be protecting her from your crazy ass teammate! God, I didn’t think she’d be this bad! Great–just fucking peachy! Now I have to deal with this?! I can’t catch a break, can I?!” Neji looked towards the ground with shame in his pale eyes.

He had failed his friend…

“FUCK…!”
********************* ***

Sasuke stared out of his open window. His back was against the window’s frame. One leg dangled out of the window, while the other was pulled up, knee near his chest. A gentle breeze caused his hair to sway in the wind. He sighed lightly. His eyes could see almost the entire Uchiha district. This was one of the reasons he had chosen this room to live in. His eyebrows furrowed together, recalling the foreigner’s words. He wasn’t weak, and he definitely wasn’t scared. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes as he gazed up at the moon.

“And I’m going to prove it…” he thought.

************************

… Yes, I am finished. Almost hard to believe, isn’t it? This would have been submitted two weeks ago, but that scene with Yasmine and Tenten took longer than expected to write… I had a hard time with it, so… if anything like that happens again, I’ll just say I’m sorry ahead of time.