The Last Stretch

// CLOSED, ONGOING;

2009-11-24T14:51:44Z

WHO: Shikamaru, Temari
WHAT: lmao IDK.
WHERE: SCHOOL??
WHEN: 20/11/2009.

See, the thing about his status in the school was, while he was still considered one of the school's workers, it didn't give him the responsibility associated with the position. Or the power. Or the name. Or the influence. Or... anything, really, except that he got money from the school with a little bit of added resources.

Hence why he was being kicked out of his own classroom during his own office hours.

Not that he minded. Nothing ever bothered Shikamaru as much as he said it bothered him. So long as he could get by in life without much of a hassle, despite his vocal protests if any at all, chances were, he probably didn't mind it.

Bag slung over his shoulder, he walked ever so slowly towards the benches. If there was one social outcast out of a group of about... sixty people that were currently occupying the benches, there was about a fourth of a chance that he'd be able to occupy a spot, regardless of the person sitting next to him.

And when he saw all the benches occupied save for one, he scoffed at the sight of Temari occupying her fat ass on almost the entire bench.

"Move."

[closed - ongoing | if you're happy and you know it]

2009-11-23T00:18:46Z

WHO: Sakura, Shino
WHAT: Apparently people take breaks when they're studying. Sakura attempts to enforce this onto Shino by offering him a heaping helping of silly.
WHERE: Library-- and then wherever Sakura drags them.
WHEN: 22.Nov.09

He didn't fully understand why there were so many women in his life these days. His phone, which had only ever held family contact information and the occasional lab partner, now received frequent texts from two female classmates. His evenings were beginning to be interrupted by girls who wanted to go for walks and 'be silly,' whatever that meant. Perhaps it was because he'd had so little female influence in his early life, but even simply the few female friends he had rather suddenly acquired since the beginning of this year were beginning to feel overwhelming.

If Shino were completely honest with himself, the real tension hadn't started until his night out with Yamanaka. She wasn't someone he knew well to begin with, which had been disconcerting enough; spending class time with Sakura was clearly beginning to push him in the direction of a more sociable person. Sociable or not, he had been in no way prepared for the experience of a night out partying with the princess. The crush of people, the overwhelming stench of cheap beer, the overly familiar way she'd latched onto his arm and planted a sloppy kiss against his cheek; it still brought twitches to the corners of his eyes and tension to his fingers.

Sakura was probably right. He needed a break.

Seeing Tenten had felt like a break. The relief of watching her lips twitch into little smiles had taken a good deal of the weight off his shoulders. Still, relaxing through it was, studying for his next literature exam all day hadn't actually done much to improve his mood. A walk would help. If only for that reason, he found himself loitering outside of the library where he usually worked, tugging his collar up a hair more against the chilly air and smoothing a finger over the face of his cellphone, waiting.

[ Closed - Finished | Every tear falls down for a reason... ]

2009-11-11T04:38:05Z

Who: Tenten and Naruto [Collaborative effort ♥]
What: Worried and acting on impulses, Naruto goes to China with Itoshii on tow in hopes of bringing Tenten back home.
Where: Cheungdu, Sichuan Providence, China
When: November 11th, afternoon
Warning(s): ...I don't know. Poorly translated Chinese? ~~Of which I am so sorry for.~~
Note: Interactions approved by all muns involved. ~~Because Naruto and Tenten probably have the majority of the logs in this comm.~~
Word count: 4589

The map was supposed to be in Japanese. It was supposed to be a Japanese map of China. Naruto was Japanese, who was supposed to be reading a Japanese map... of China.

So how did it come down to, Naruto, who is Japanese and speaks Japanese, reading a Japanese map of China written in Mandarin?

Twisting it didn't help the symbols make anymore sense than before. The rain didn't magnify the miniature names he was sure he couldn't remember even if his life depended on it. As if it didn't right now as he stood in the middle of a hectic vending street, a carrier hanging heavily on his shoulder and a kitten in tow. Yes, his life did indeed suck right now.

Again, because of a racist map that would not bend to his will and suddenly sprout beautiful kanji that he could read. Who could read this?! Certainly not anyone human. It looked more like alien scribble than actual words. The demon water from the sky had drenched the damn thing enough to make it near translucent and what would he do then? With damp tissue and a sad kitty in his man purse?

Glaring at the sky only made it rain harder. He vowed to kick it's ass after he found Tenten and... Well. He hadn't gotten that far. Actually he hadn't thought past getting here. Naruto still wasn't sure why he brought Itoshii along. What could a cat do? She certainly wasn't helping him find his way through the country!

However, she was cute. Cute made things better. Therefor Itoshii came along. Which reminded him that checking on the poor thing was probably a good idea. A good father Naruto did not make.

"Missy hasn't been making much noise. You didn't die on me did you?" he mumbled to the kitten as he crouched near a vegetable booth, reaching into his bag to stroke the poor, wet ears sympathetically. There was a bit of hesitance in his touch, hoping Itoshii didn't reject him for putting her through this torment. Instead, she nuzzled his pawn and licked his fingers. Like she was saying it'd be ok. Daddy would be ok.

For the moment that was perfectly acceptable.

-x-

The woman was old and he could give her that much. Old people were dense, wrinkly creatures and if he needed to repeat to her more than once that he was lost, wet, and hungry then fine. Naruto would do that. Loudly. While pointing at the map.

"Yes, map! The map, granny! Please tell me where to go on the map!" Holding it up in her face only made the woman furrow her eyebrows more, her finger waving in an aggressive way and her other hand pushing at Naruto's shoulder. What had he done so wrong?! There was only so much he could do besides getting right down on his knees and crying.

She said nothing. Her eyes boring into his soul.

Again, he pointed to the area on the map circled in red. "This is where. We. Are. I need to get to THIS DOT HERE. Can you help me find the dot?!"

Her purse must have been filled with led. Simple old hag materials like dusty mints and pill boxes did not feel like that when they're swung against your skull.

"Y'know what?! Fine! Fine you crusty old hag. I don't need you!" He moved to walk away, gathering his bags back onto his shoulder, his clothes positively drenched after having spent so long in the rain. Only with his back turned did he hear a muttering behind him. A foreign dialect, but it didn't take a few extra brain cells for him to know it was all negative. "What, you got something to say?! I'll take down an old fart, lady!"

This time she spoke. Her words were loud and went right over Naruto's head-

"Are you kidding me- Speak words!" -Unlike her purse which made perfect aim. "... Fuck you!"

Unlike every other moment in Naruto's life he had enough sense to turn away and leave it be. Because he would not punch an old lady. He would not... punch... an old lady. A little old lady who was still... bitching... behind him.

And yet just like the rain, it seemed to stop altogether when Naruto's middle finger waved towards the sun. The rays poking out to greet it.

Take that, hag. The sun is on the Uzumaki's side.

-x-

Most people she knew viewed rain as a curse. A blight on what could have been a beautiful and sunny day. Tenten liked to see it as a blessing. Because beauty could be found anywhere. Even in the dark and dreary. Even in a seemingly ruined day. Such were the thoughts that gave hope to all things discarded and broken.

Some of her most fondest childhood memories were of her family. Of afternoons spent enjoying a quiet rainy day inside, snuggled together on the couch. Her mother would read stories, a twin seated on either side. Her father would be on the floor with his back against the coffee table or his head in either one of their laps. And they would spend hours there, reliving tales of adventure and danger. Of impossible quests and daring heroes. The rain was Tenten's sanctuary.

And most of all, the rain was where she was able to hide her pain. Something she was attempting to do as she stood on the Anshun Bridge.

The gentle tinkling of silverware against ceramic plates hardly did anything to drown out the constant onslaught of rain against the restaurant's roof. Nor did it distract her from the unexpected but wholly unavoidable presence of Naruto, who was poised at the very edge of her vision.

It was merely by chance, and perhaps circumstances, that she had seen her wandering the streets -- the beautiful little kitten Tenten had left back in Tokyo -- as if Itoshii owned it. And for the better part of one month last summer, the young cat had. Walking the same paved streets for at least thirty days had accustomed the Scottish Folds to every dip and curve of Chendu's Jin Li Street. And, apparently, had committed to memory the very paths in which the kitten would be able to reach the heart of the city where Katsuro's restaurant could be found.

Question was, how did Itoshii get there?

The last Tenten had seen of Itoshii's carrier was just before she had gotten on the plane to China, Shino's fingers clenched tightly on the handle as if his -- and her -- life depended on it. And in a way, perhaps it did. Because in the short time he had spent with her, it was clear to Tenten that there was very little he was not willing to do to ensure that Itoshii was safe. A relief and an assurance that she had placed her trust in the right person with her charge: To bring the carrier to...

But of course. Because she had also sent along a note to him as well. One that, apparently incited a need for him to travel thousands of miles to see her. Maybe, even, to bring her back.

"Naruto."

A simple world. A simple name. And currently, her greatest source of anguish.

She... had not wished to face him so soon just yet. It had been Tenten's intention to stay in China for at least two weeks or more while she helped tend to her uncle's restaurant until his money problems were resolved. To think things over and collect her thoughts. To prepare herself for the confrontation that would no doubt occur when she finally returned. And perhaps, even, to give her time to simply... let the situation fully sink in so that she could understand the reasons behind what happened and how she felt about it. Because Tenten was not exactly sure how she felt about the thought of Naruto and Neji having slept together for one night. Possibly more.

A well thought out plan that meant nothing if the thing she was trying to avoid came seeking her out. The greatest of ironies, Tenten thought as she knelt down to run her fingers through Itoshii's soft fur.

But his appearance was not completely unexpected. It was certainly the type of thing that he would do when there was a threat to his cherished friendships. After all, she had done the one thing that he would not tolerate. She had ran away without a word of where and how long. And it was, perhaps, childish of her to do so. Then again, if the young woman were to be truthful to herself, it had been a long time since she had acted as such. And she needed the moment. The impulse. Such is the burden of an old soul living in a young body.

Tenten only wished he had given her a few more days. A few more hours. A lifetime.

Instead, she could only sigh. "What are you doing here, Naruto?"

"I thought it would be obvious. 'Specially when you left me such a nice note."

It was wry in its delivery and in its meaning. Sarcastic. Snarky, even as he directed the comment towards her.

It was Naruto. Plain and simple. And by right, his feelings were validated. But Tenten could not bring herself to care. Because, ironies of ironies, she cared too much already.

"My uncle needed my help, what was I supposed to do?"

"You could've left me more than just a note."

"The phone works both ways."

A light scoff caused Tenten to turn her head a bit more towards him. Far enough to see the disbelief. To see the conflicting emotions and rising annoyance. "Like you would've answered it."

"No, I wouldn't have," she snapped with a quick turn of her head, sounding a bit harsher than she intended, "But at least I told you."

"There was nothing to tell."

"Nothing?" Here, Tenten stilled all movement directed towards Itoshii and focused it on the blond young man standing before her. All the while, a mix of anger, frustration, and... something else -- something she had not felt for a long time -- began to boil up inside of her. It was one matter to come here and confront her before she even had a chance to process everything. But it was another matter all together to imply that her own feelings were invalid. It may had not been Naruto's intentions to do such. But it was how Tenten took it. "Last I checked having sex with a close friend was not nothing."

"Look, Tenny - " he started to say.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Normally, she refrained from interrupting anyone while they were speaking. Naruto especially. Because he held a great disdain at being cut off by anyone. Even her. It was one of the things that irritated him the most, she knew. And Tenten could tell that he had to take a moment to calm his own impulses before he ended up snapping back at her. Inciting an argument with her over something as small as that would only nullify his purpose for coming in the first place. But for the moment, as she turned to fully face him, Tenten could hardly bring herself to care.

When Naruto did not reply to the question, it became clear that he did not quite know the answer to it himself. Which only fueled Tenten's anger. Because there was no reason. There was no purpose that he could explain in words why he had kept something this profound from one of his dearest friends. "Ten months." That was how long ago Neji had said it had been. "Ten months, you had a thousand different chances, and you said nothing to me."

"It's no different than when we decided not to tell Kiba about Yamaki."

And with those words, Tenten felt something within herself snap. As if all of the control and calm that the young woman had tried to maintain for the past few weeks while mulling the situation over simply crumbled to nothing. Leaving behind just the raw emotions she had been trying to avoid flow out of her like water through a broken damn. And as the young woman took a step closer, it became clear that despite the obvious height difference between her and him, neither one held the distinct advantage in this.

"We were trying to keep him from going to jail for murder, Naruto. Because you and I both know Kiba would've killed him if he knew then."

"Kiba got over it," he retorted, "Why - "

"Why can't I?"

Here, Naruto crinkled his brows and nearly scowled at her for interrupting him again. "Stop doing tha - "

"Because. You kept it from me. Ten months, a year ago, two. Neji, Ino, whoever the hell else you chose not to tell me about. You kept it all from me when you never would have before. And I'm not supposed to be hurt by that?" She could hardly stop the words from coming out. And in all honestly, a great part of Tenten did not wish to stall them. Because this had been building up ever since dinner that night nearly a month ago. When Neji had told her everything. Why he and Naruto had fought at the party. Why there had been this unspoken tension between them for so many months. Why... why did it absolutely hurt so much that neither one of them felt the need to even...

"And all this time, I knew something was wrong, but I didn't push you on it." Tenten was getting so frustrated at this point, the words simply not coming to her fast enough to speak them out and perhaps make him understand. And she tried her best to force them out faster, to push her brain to work harder to get them out... no matter what language they were in. "由于我相信我们比那接近. Because I thought eventually you'd tell me on your own. But you didn't."

"It's none of your business, Tenten."

"None of my business? I am supposed to be your Best. Friend. Naruto. And it's none of my business? 您有一些神经. I can't believe you would even say something like that to me, 如我是正义的街道接界入您的生活的某些陌生人, 我不属于. 象某些的顽童. Is that all I am to you? Huh? 我是否是犯错误的人?"

It happened from time to time, mostly during cases of extreme stress, frustration, and annoyance. And often times, when all three occurred at once. Such was the side effect of growing up learning and knowing two languages. Most of the time, it would happen without Tenten realizing it. Because reciting the words stored in her memory was almost as easy as breathing. As existing. That they were in two different languages did not detract from their meaning or impact. In fact, it only emphasized it.

But all it was doing was confusing Naruto even more. And that only fueled his resolve.

"What the hell do you want from me? You can't just pick and choose what you do and don't wanna hear. You didn't throw a fit when I told you about the others. You never did. Now, suddenly, because you know them, you decide you can't fuckin' handle it and you run away? What the fuck, Tenny?"

"您是否没得到它? I don't care! I don't care that you slept with Ino, or Neji, or... whoever. 我对任何那不关心! I care that you didn't tell me. I care that you kept this from me. That you didn't think that I deserved to know."

And it was then that Tenten felt a heaviness press down on her heart at the words. The sentiments. Because it was a painful truth and a startling revelation. Believing that she no longer held such an important place in Naruto's life was devastating. But not as much as realizing how much she needed to hold that place. How much it meant to Tenten to always be that person for him. And perhaps it showed in her expression. Because the seething anger and irritation seemed to melt away a little from Naruto's face. "I... I didn't know if I could..."

"...That's never stopped you before."

"I know, but... it was different." He paused briefly, as if to rethink the statement and the implications behind it. Ultimately, there was no other words that could fit. "This was different."

"...More than you know." And with that, she turned and ran out into the pouring rain. Because given the choice between dealing with Naruto and the rain, Tenten would rather take her chances with the rain.

"Tenny - WAIT! Tenny!"

-x-

A lot could be said in the silences. With seven years of friendship under their belts, Naruto and Tenten knew that truth, and each other, all too well. It was not in the over exaggerated gestures, but in the little things. Small shifts in their eyes. Barely noticeable flecks of movement in their body language. The downward curl at the very edge that broke the straight, even line of her lips. The way Naruto blinked a little bit more than usual. How he would avoid looking at her one minute by focusing all his attention on Itoshii sitting in his lap, and then steal brief glances in her direction the next. They knew it all. Tenten could read them all. And that realization was both a blessing and a curse.

It soothed the old hurt away and yet only added to the sting.

The walk back to the restaurant was quiet. Wordless as their charged emotions seemed to wash out with the sheets of rain pouring down on them. Draining away into the gutters of Jinli Street where they could no longer burden their owners with shattered beliefs and false resolutions. At least in theory and symbolism.

But oh, if only it were that simple.

Emotions were endless, she decided. They were relentless and unforgiving. Cruelest of all things created on Earth. Because you could not hide from them. And any attempt to mask them only encouraged their cultivation until they became unbeatable monsters. Inner demons that continued to eat away at the soul until there was nothing left but a shell of who you once were. Even in the sanctuary of her temporary home above the restaurant, Tenten could find no solitude from them. Of her old room where she had cried and screamed silently so many nights as a young adolescent child at the monsters that tormented her.

She would rather face them than the creatures that haunted her now. They had been easier to fight.

"I don't know why I didn't tell you. I just... didn't."

"I noticed," she responded flatly.

Gently, she tossed a dry towel in his direction and placed another on top of Itoshii. A small trail of puddles had already been left downstairs, leading up to her very door where the biggest one of all pooled at their feet. Chilling their bones and wreaking havoc on their nerves as the air hit the droplets that still remained. Anger and frustration were one thing, but that was no excuse to risk them all getting sick because of it. And if he would insist on continuing the conversation, then they could at least do it while dry.

"Why does it matter so much?" the blond asked, his voice slightly muffled in the towel.

"...Because," she finally said after a moment of thought, "If you can keep something like this from me, what else..."

" - There's been nothing else, I swear!"

"After all this, can I even trust that?"

The blond quirked his brow. "That's a bit much there, isn't it, Tenny?"

With a huff and a sigh, Tenten plopped down on the soft cushion of her bed. Just a mere few feet away from where Naruto sat. "You and I have always been able to talk about everything. Everything."

At the emphasis, she finally looked -- really looked -- into his deep blue eyes. Focused and intent enough that she could nearly see her own reflection within them. So that he could do the same and see the mixed emotions that were raging within her. Fighting to escape the cage the young woman had placed them in."You broke that. And forgive me for being a little sensitive, but that means something to me."

"It means something to me too!"

Tenten opened her mouth to speak, but stilled instantly at the flash of lightning that streaked across the sky outside. And it was through instinct and some deep rooted fear that the young woman flinched before the crack of thunder boomed and shook the entire room. Like most other times, there was no panic or cause for concern. But she noted with a bit of annoyance that the rate of her heart had sped up an extra beat or two. And the sight of Naruto reaching out a comforting hand to her did nothing to alleviate the spark of anxiety.

It happened before she could make sense of it. Before Tenten could process the signals her brain was sending through her body. And in the next instance, the young woman's hand jerked away from his touch.

Another hundred words spoken without a single breath or sound.

"...Things are never gonna be the same again, are they?" he asked softly, his hand poised in the air for another split second before pulling it back. Rubbing through Itoshii's fur in an attempt to will away the sting of rejection, she supposed.

"...I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" His voice sounded strained. Desperate. Angered. Exactly everything that she was feeling and more. And it broke Tenten's heart to know that he was suffering through this as well. "You know everything, Tenny - "

"I don't know, ok?!" Bolting up from where she sat, Tenten began pacing the length of her old room. More likely than not, it did nothing to help the situation. But at the very least, it would give her something to do. Something to control.

She wanted to fix it. To repair what was broken. Because more than anything, Tenten wanted her best friend back. Wanted all of them to go back to when they were all friends and happy and... not this. Not living in this suspended limbo of an existence. But there was nothing either one could do. At least not now. "Look, I wanna say yes. I wanna believe that we can go back to how it was before. But... "

"But?"

These were the consequences of his choices. Of their choices. All that could be done was to simply wait and see where the path took them.

"...It's too soon." It was still painful to think of it. It still made no sense. She was still hurt and there were too many intangible factors that could easily influence her decision on the matter. Too many variables and not enough time to account for them all before making the final verdict. And frankly, Tenten was in no mood at that moment to find a resolution. "I need time. And you have to give it to me. It's the least you can do."

Naruto sighed and looked down at their adoptive daughter of a kitten. In consideration. In thought. In defeat. It was hard to tell, really. And she was in no position to guess. "...Fine."

And for now, that would be enough. For now, that was all they had.

"...Do you even know what this is?" she inquired, breaking the long stretch of silence that had come after, "This thing between you and Neji?"

"...No."

"Right. And being who you are, neither one of you have figured it out yet, have you?"

"Nope."

"Of course not."

Sighing softly, she knelt down in front of the blond and reached out a slender hand to the kitten contently purring in his lap. Ever the protective mother and so accustomed to having her near by at all times and there to happily greet her after the end of a hard day of working, the young woman had missed Itoshii. Had wondered how she was fairing without Tenten. After all, Naruto was a very caring and doting father figure. But it had been a long time since he had spent any time with the kitten on his own. He had always come to Tenten when he wanted his daughter's love and affections. When he wanted to spoil both of his girls with attention.

"Were you ever gonna come back?" he asked suddenly, "If I hadn't come to get you?"

And Tenten had to stop and think about that for a moment. Because there was no way to be certain now that he was here. She had wanted time away, after all. To think and to process. To simply be away long enough so that these things would not effect her so much. But no matter how much time she might have needed, there was also school to consider. And work. And the fact that Tenten could not stay with her uncle forever. "...I was gonna come back next week."

Not exactly the full truth. But it the nod he gave said that it was believable enough.

"...Good. Then we can go back together."

She wanted to protest the idea. To argue that Naruto had missed enough school already with the classes he had been forced to skip in order to pick up extra shifts at his place of work. But just as she was about to vocalize against the concept, Tenten caught the gleam of determination in the blond's eyes. They were unmovable. Unrelenting. They said that he could not be persuaded otherwise from his intent.

They meant, she realized with a sigh, that there would be no argument on this matter. And it took everything within Tenten not to smile fondly at it.

Giving Itoshii's fur one last stroke, she stood up and reached for the extra apron that was hanging over the edge of her desk. Without much thought or any sort of explanation, Tenten pressed it against Naruto's damp chest and began walking out of the room."Come on, we've got work to do."

"H-huh?" was his reaction as he fumbled with the fabric, ultimately jostling Itoshii out of his lap.

"Well, if you're gonna be staying here for the week, you're gonna have to earn your keep. Now hurry up and get changed before my Uncle Katsuro starts yelling."

It was, perhaps, a small step to who they used to be. Maybe who they would once be again. And the look on Naruto's face was telling of his hope that they would have that sort of friendship again. But in truth, she was already beginning to realize. Things could never be exactly the same as they were before. They could be similar. They could be parallel. But after all the events that led up to that point, to remain the same -- unchanged and unaffected -- would be to disrespect the lessons that this incident had taught them.

"I don't know if we can go back to how it was before. But I'll always be your friend, Naruto. We can work from there."

last_stretch @ 2009-10-27T17:21:00

2009-10-27T22:47:50Z

Who: Naruto & Neji
What: ~~Something awkward~~ After a week of trying to figure out the how's and why's Naruto drops by for a visit. Immediately following this post and followed by this log~
Where: That big place with the loft and the... Yeah. Hyuuga's apartment.
When: 11.1o.o9 [l-lol]

There was only so much that can be done on the phone. What could occur did. Naruto had said what he thought he needed to despite the fact that the blame went ignored,a heavy feeling settling in his gut the moment he hung up the phone. Nothing changed between that day and the week that passed except more worry as the idea that Tenten really left to another country sunk in. Though it wasn't like when they were kids and someone would run away to a nearby park to hide out. This was a whole other venture that Naruto was in no means secure enough to take.

He couldn't fly a plane, or hijack one. His ninja skills were not that spectacular. And who would babysit Kiba if he were stuck in jail with no Tenten to bail him out? She needed to be back for the circle of life as Naruto knew it to continue moving smoothly!

Arriving to the conclusion that he would need help to fetch Tenten and bring her back home kicking and screaming only left him with one option. It didn't matter that that particular door was the last one he wanted to show up at. Handling brief flashbacks of that night from nearly a year ago had already compromised his better judgment of showing up at all. Skipping his stop and staying on the city bus was far more tempting than impending doom.

There was only a half hour bus ride between him and the block he would have to walk to arrive at Neji's apartment. It was a very, slow walk.

Every step was like a stab to his pride but he made it onto the front step safe and breathed in deep, a kitten carrier on his shoulder and finger on the bell. Itoshii was curled in his arm, bundled there for warmth. Sure Naruto feared being left outside.

With Itoshii out there was little chance he would go ignored. Unless Neji was heartless. Naruto would just have to take his chances.

in process; closed log

2009-10-21T23:19:31Z

WHO: Sakura and Neji
WHAT: TEA. AND MAKING UP. Or something.
WHEN: 20th of October
WHERE: Neji's apartment to start, I guess.
WARNINGS: The sex is in another castle.

It was a bit of a thrill. Maybe not a thrill--maybe that was not the right word for it--but it felt so liberating, to be able to talk to Neji again. Not that they had stopped talking -- aside from that one time she had told him to stop, a week prior to today -- but it was like somehow, through the awkward confession that had followed the awkward fight between Neji and Naruto, and through her own journey within her own mind to try and put things in perspective, or put them in a logical order, or try to make sense of them and decide on something, to be able to hear Neji's voice on the phone sound relieved and a bit happy was a relief on its own.

Things had changed, sure, but they weren't so different. She still cared about him, and she still felt that impulse to invade his personal space bubble whenever she felt down, and that meant that nothing was lost. (So she knew he and Naruto had had sex, but it was their life--their, their, their life, she overly repeated.) She had actually missed him. Even though she'd seen him and talked to him, the last ten months had been strange, like he wasn't Neji, and to know that who waited behind those doors would be closer to the man she knew brought a smile to her lips.

She raised her hand, and rang the doorbell. He'd mentioned tea, after all.

in process; closed log

2009-10-21T21:41:04Z

WHO: Sakura & Naruto
WHAT: So, supposedly there's movies and stuff and talk about their stalker. But then again Sakura knows he and Neji did the nasty. So. I DON'T EVEN KNOW ANYMORE???
WHEN: 13th of October
WHERE: Sakura's lair.
WARNINGS: I DON'T KNOW AHAHA

The storm had mostly passed. In the end, talking to Shino had been good for her. It had helped her calm down enough, especially after the news she'd gotten from Neji.

But now was when the uncertainty started to seep in. Naruto was supposed to come over for them to discuss the issue about their stalker or someone. She didn't know how to react to him. Shout? Ask him nicely why he never told her? Did she really even want to know about his sex life? Was she honestly interested in knowing all the people he'd banged? Definitely not. But then, if something had bothered him for ten months, ate at him for ten whole months, had he told anyone about it? (And there was that green monster) Had he kept it to himself? Both Neji and Naruto deserved a good punching for not saying anything--but they'd both gotten punched, so she had no rights. She really had no say in the matter either; it was their own life. And sex life.

And yet, and yet, the green monster persisted. It stepped on her conscience, and squeezed her heart hard enough to make it hurt, and settled in the pit of her stomach so she'd feel sick and uncomfortable and not even know why exactly. She wanted to get rid of him, really. Really, but she couldn't. And for that reason, she paced; paced up and down her small room, while waiting for Naruto to come. Paced and thought about how she would react, what she would do, what she would say. The only conclusion was she didn't know.

Avoiding Expulsion [CLOSED]

2009-10-17T17:02:09Z

WHO: Deidara (artgasmng) and Zetsu (_feedme).
WHAT: Deidara getting in trouble for skipping class. Also top sekrit shenanigans.
WHEN: Backlogged to late September / early October. A Thursday.
WHERE: Zetsu's office.
WARNINGS: Top. Sekrit. Shenanigans. And a lot of supposedly meaningful glances to create plotholes.

Deidara had woken up too late to arrive at seven, but he'd managed to make it to that side of school before twenty minutes past the hour. He'd gotten himself a coffee, possibly to keep himself from being too irritable at a guy who was probably going to decide his fate (like he actually gave a shit) for acting like he was better than him because he knew big words and had some stupid paper saying he was smarter, but mostly because he'd forgotten why he'd woken before seven in the first place until the coffee gave him a bit of a brain boost.

This whole thing was stupid, in his opinion.

Why couldn't he just email him and say, "You suck. Get out of school and go do your art." At least he could have respected a guy with that kind of balls, and hearing that sort of thing would probably give him the sense to do just that because he couldn't have cared less about all this degree and education crap, though he'd still probably have wound up leaving a bomb in his office drawer or something, just for kicks.

So caught up in his thoughts, Deidara didn't realise he'd passed the office he was looking for, checking the numbers on a nearby door, and circled back. He didn't bother knocking before he let himself in.

[closed - complete | umberto]

2009-10-17T16:04:08Z

WHO: Hinata, Shino
WHAT: Sometimes the library is boring and sometimes you meet a potential bff.
WHERE: Campus library
WHEN: (tentatively) Friday September 18, midmorning
WARNINGS: Dorky and adorable. Fluff needed to be thrown at the comm and this log was finished a million years ago.

As much as he hated to admit it, for once in his life Shino was bored at the library. It wasn't the books; they were doing everything they could to make the quiet day nice for him. Soft droplets of rain were pattering against the darkened panes, the shelves smelled vaguely of warm well-loved paper, just the right amount of dust was emanating at a low level from the spines. Things should have been perfect.

Instead, the stacks were all but bustling with students, most of them in their first year and avidly confused, bodies milling everywhere, ruining the silence with a low level chatter and some of the most inane questions the Aburame boy had ever been asked. It was like slowly allowing his brain to melt out of his ear as he again and again directed small groups of wide-eyed new students to the same few sections, pointing out each time the bold cheerful signs placed visibly all over the place which could have directed them just as easily. Perhaps, then, it wasn't boredom so much as a slowly building irritation with the inability of others to find things in a logically arranged library.

Seating himself for what felt like the thousandth time in the last half hour, Shino glanced down at the text book he was keeping open at his station. Still on the first page. He wasn't sure why he'd expected he could get any work done during the first few weeks of classes. Nevertheless he gave his reading glasses a little tap properly into place and began absently running his thumb down the edge of the now familiar page. Something would break the monotony, sooner or later.

Hinata had come to the library to get out of her cousins hair for a bit. Still stuck living with him until she could find an apartment of her own. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy her cousins company. She just still felt like a bother to him. So she'd grabbed her books and headed to the library to work on one of the many research papers she'd already been assigned.

Why did she have to pick such a hard major?

She'd been going over her copy of Grays Anatomy all afternoon and her brain was starting to hurt from it. Too many medical terms. She honestly hoped that they weren't going to expect her to remember them all. Maybe... maybe it was time to work on something else for a while. Digging through her textbooks she realized that none of them were appealing right now. Her brain was fried.

She thought about leaving, going back to the apartment. Maybe Neji would show her where that cafe was he talked about. The rain that was falling quashed that idea. So what else could she do to reset?

Hinata giggled to herself. The answer was so obvious. Just because she was in the library didn't mean she needed to read textbooks.

Yes a nice non-textbook would be good. And once the rain stopped she could take it with her to finish later. With a smile on her face she hopped up from her table to find the nearest computer. There was a book she hadn't read in a long time. She knew most of it but sometimes you have that favorite book that no matter how many times you read it, it never gets old. Looking up the title she quickly scribbled down the location and headed off to the stacks.

Finding the location she'd copied down she looked... and she looked... but the book didn't seem to be there.

Confused she walked back down to the end of the row. No, this was the right place. Heading back down she read off the titles on the spines as she passed, stopping where her book should have been.

It was gone.

Double checking the computer said there should be not just one but at least two copies of the book. None of them checked out. Discouraged the girl thought perhaps she should just pack up and go. She didn't really need it. Could get by without it.

But she really wanted to read it now.

Hinata was about to give up when she spotted someone sitting at the desk. He was studying, and she hated to bother him. One quick question wouldn't be that bad. Besides, she thought he looked like one of the kids from her bio-chem class. Working up her nerve she finally walked over.

"E-excuse me?" her voice was soft, as if she expected him to bite her head off for interrupting him. "I'm wondering if you can help me find something."

Three sentences further into his reading. It wasn't impressive from the standpoint of having more than one chapter to read, but it was likely a new record for the day. True, he'd only arrived half an hour ago, but having traversed a mere page and a half in that time, a chance to read three sentences together was fairly impressive. The soft voice interrupting him this time was at least polite and quiet, not jabbering and demanding the way so many voices were on days like this. Carefully setting his pen down on the new sentence he'd reached, Shino glanced up over the edge of his glasses at the young woman fluttering in front of his desk. She had a nervous air about her, a quietly reserved way of holding herself which he could certainly appreciate. The smile he might have flashed had he been a more expressive person flickered briefly around the edges of his lips in a vaguely sympathetic gesture.

"...it's why I'm here," he replied in a monotone, tilting his head just a little to the left as he continued to study the girl. She seemed vaguely familiar; undoubtedly one of the faces which flashed in and out of his life every day as he moved from work to class to the noise of student life before he could retreat to the sanctuary of his home. Shifting easily, he reached to tap the computer beside himself back into life without taking his eyes off the girl. He couldn't quite put his finger on where he recognized her from, but it was already fading into the back of his mind. Hopefully she wasn't thinking anything similar--being recognized by classmates often led to the need to make polite chattering conversation which lasted without end. "If you'll tell me what you were trying to find."

"The Island of the Day Before, by Umberto Eco." She blushed a little, holding out the little slip of paper that she had written down the information on. "The computer says that there should be two copies on the shelves but I can't seem to locate it. Unless I'm reading the entry wrong, but..." a somewhat sheepish look crossed her face. "It's not really the kind of book I expect a lot of people to be looking for."

It was possible the computer was wrong and someone else did have them. Of course knowing her luck she had been staring right at the book and hadn't even seen it.

A different young man might have smiled reassuringly, or at least made the mental note that the girl was amazingly adorable when she flushed like that. This, however, was Shino. With a little nod, he nudged his glasses properly onto his nose again before focusing his attention on the computer. A few keystrokes pulled up the same information as the numbers neatly scrawled across the girl's scrap of paper; a few better keystrokes pulled up a series of lists he wasn't entirely sure the reading population without an administrative key codes had access to. This little piece of information more than anything else brought something another human being might recognize as a smile to his lips. At least this person actually needed his help.

He could have just jotted the new numbers down. There was even a stack of library maps he could have scribbled directions on and handed off to his fellow student. As he'd learned, however, the annoyance was much less if he actually got up and physically lead the hapless student to the book he or she was seeking. Besides, getting up from the desk not only assured that the same person wasn't coming back every ten seconds, it also gave him a break from the next 'customer' to approach the help desk. His coworker could field the next complaint that the first year course books weren't directly below the sign marked 'first year course books.'

With a quietly authoritative (and hopefully reassuring) glance at the young woman, Shino pushed himself lightly to his feet. "...there's a literature class running this semester on Eco," he explained evenly. With a little nod of his head toward the other end of the library, he slipped out from behind the desk and continued, "We moved some of his titles from their original locations. It... was supposed to make them easier to find."

"Oh well... I didn't realize there was a class that needed it." There was that little bit of guilt again. She didn't want to take it if it was going to be putting students who needed it out. There were lots of other books on the shelves. Chances were good she could find something else to stem her boredom. If he was going to go through the trouble of showing her where they'd moved them to she decided she might as well follow. It would be good for future reference anyways. She didn't actually have to take the book.

Now that he was standing at his full height the young man was starting to look a little familiar. He was... really tall. Granted everyone seemed tall to Hinata but he looked like he might be tall even to tall people. Come to think of it there was a really tall guy in one or two of her classes. Was it possible this was the same guy? Smiling to herself she decided that was silly. It was a big school with a lot of students. She'd probably never seen this guy before other then her other trips down here to the library. And even if it was the same person what of it? It's not like she was the type to just randomly strike up conversations with total strangers. She didn't even talk to the other kids during class time. So she just followed him quietly, making mental note to herself how many turns he'd taken and trying to keep it in relation to the table where she'd left her books.

Rather than say anything in response, Shino simply shrugged his shoulders absently and gave a little tilt of his head, inviting the girl to follow him through the slight crowds to the proper stack. He didn't mind, after all, helping this particular girl. Unlike someone who might have been pleased about helping a pretty girl find a book, it was more of a Darwinistic training technique. This girl had actually taken the time to look for herself, to try and find something on her own, and was only seeking aid when she'd determined that she really needed it. If it meant redistributing books required for a course to less requiring hands, so be it. He would train the library-users of this university what it meant to use a card catalog.

Hopefully this was also how training a college population to properly use the library worked.

It took a moment and a few stacks before he realized that people who were not his father might not understand the slightest facial ticks and finger twitches he sometimes used to communicate with the outside world. Glancing back at the girl, half to be sure she was following and half to make the requisite eye contact for proper human conversation. "It's nothing to be worried about, if you're interested in the book. We're not the only library in the area."

"I know. I just... don't like making things difficult for people." It wasn't like she couldn't run to another library herself. Or even just buy herself a copy. Yes, in fact she told herself that once she got home she would log onto her cousins computer and order her own copy. And then once that arrived she could return the borrowed one. That way she wouldn't be tying up library resources. That reminded her...

"Thank you, by the way, for helping me." She couldn't remember if she had already said that to him or not. Better to say it twice then to seem rude.

She was charming. It was rare that Shino ever actually encountered a person he felt deserved the title 'charming,' but this girl certainly was. Her quiet voice, the slightly stuttering halt that appeared and disappeared as she spoke, the wide-eyed little look as she followed him into what was clearly the wrong section of the library toward a table display. There was something very endearing about the picture she made, a delicate but completely endearing quality that simply floated around her. It was a nice break from the loud rude boys and horribly chatty girls who had been constantly flowing up to and away from his desk at a nearly constant rate for the last half hour.

"...it's why I'm here," Shino reminded her gently with a faint curl of his lips that might have been a smile. "Like I said. Helping people find books is... my job."

The table at the end of the row was littered with the messy remains of what had been just that morning neatly organized stacks of Western literature. The intern took a moment, scanning the piles in as systematic a fashion as possible before tapping the remains of the pile of Eco.

Hinata had managed to catch that slight smile, and for a moment she realized how handsome he was. Not in the drop dead gorgeous way her cousin and Naruto were but still. Without realizing it her cheeks glowed again softly as she followed the tapping. There it was. Laying slightly under Foucault's Pendulum. And what was worse, she was pretty sure she had walked past this table at some point today and hadn't even noticed them sitting there.

"Here it is." There was a touch of embarrassed amusement as she picked up the book, thumbing briefly through the pages. It was your typical, abused library book, complete with scribbled notes in the margin that really didn't belong there. Pleased to have found it she folded her arms around it, smiling warmly at him. "I don't know if you've ever read it but, it's very good. Lonely, but good."

"...lonely?"

There she went, being charming again. There was something supremely sweet about the way she hugged the volume tight against her chest, the slight flush and warm smile. This must be what it was like to want to take care of someone, he reasoned quietly. Shino had never really understood his father's compulsion to take care of him, the moments of confused fumbling emotions and a gentle hand in his hair and the incomprehensible exchange of glances. Perhaps sometimes he himself sent off those little signals, the quiet desire to be coddled and cared for and given attention to because it was rare and perfect.

Then there was the fact that she'd just described a book as lonely. It was fairly intriguing. At the very least, it was interesting enough to keep his attention, to keep the slight quirk of a smile on his lips as his hands set to work on the table. It felt good to organize, thumbing the edges of the books carefully as he began to make a quiet sense out of the piles of books again, and it felt comfortable to focus in on this girl's voice in the bustle of students milling around the stacks in desperation. If he tuned himself down to this single frequency--the sweet girl smiling at him and the books he was fixing into an organized stack--it felt like a good day.

She laughed a little. It was a silly description for a book. "It's about a castaway. He spends days or weeks floating in the ocean, tied to a board till he comes across a ship. It's fully provisioned and in near perfect condition yet there is no crew. Once his wits are about him he realizes that it's apparently in a wide bay, with land just about a mile away but there's no long boat, his plank has floated away, and he can't swim. He's alive but stranded still on what he somehow comes to believe is the international date line. Hence the name of the book."

As she watched him reorganizing the books Hinata couldn't help but wonder if he was really listening to her, or simply being polite. She couldn't blame him for the later really. "Anyways, he spends his time in retrospect, thinking about his life, writing letters to his wife and trying to keep sane. He even invents an evil twin brother who he convinces himself is the one who is the one who did anything wrong or hurtful." Tucking her hair back behind her ear she shifted a little, trying not to fidget as that awkward feeling crept in again. "I guess I'm rambling now though. I should let you get back to work."

He recognized her voice now. One of the biology classes he'd been in over the past year or so, maybe as recently as this term--Shino wasn't sure he'd heard her participate in class (her voice wasn't as recognizable as, say, Nara's), but now that she had been talking for an extended period of time and with a quiet animation, he was fairly certain that he'd heard her voice before, perhaps murmuring quietly during a lab or asking a soft question from the back of the class. Probably this year, if he was recognizing it. Possibly bio-chemistry. He was usually just disillusioned enough in that section to notice the sound of his classmates' voices.

"...it was nice," he replied in his usual calm monotone, lips lifting just a little more in their quiet quirk. "It's always good to hear that our visitors are... actually passionate about reading." Glancing up from his work and at the title again, he gave a reassuring little nod and very briefly actually cast his smile in the girl's direction properly. "...I'll remember to read it when you bring it back."

[ closed | complete ] /spams forever

2009-10-16T04:29:10Z

Who: Ino, Shikamaru, and a cameo from Suigetsu
What: When Ino gets rejected, everybody suffers. In which Ino breaks a cardinal rule, Shikamaru discovers that photographic memory really isn't all it's cracked up to be, and Suigetsu gets caught between a rock and a hot place. But don't worry, everything works out. Eventually.
When: October 9th, night & October 12th, evening.
Where: Shikamaru and Ino's apartment.
Warning(s): Some naked shenanigans, but it's pretty vague.
Note(s): This is a revised version of the drabble I wrote for Soo uh... whenever my bet with Ruxi was. We decided we just had to make it canon somehow... so we did. All godmodding is consensual.

.

.

.

When Ino decided that she was going to hijack his apartment, Shikamaru had very begrudgingly set only one rule for her, well aware that anything above and beyond would be cheerily ignored. She’d just as begrudgingly acquiesced, and he figured that, if luck and stars and other things he didn’t believe in were on his side, that would be the end of it.

The only warning Shikamaru had that he might’ve overestimated Ino was when he opened the door to his dark apartment and found himself faced with a hushed, “Oh my god--”

Automatically, he flipped the lights on, only to be immediately reminded of exactly why he hated his photographic memory.

From the bed, Suigetsu waved. “Yo, Nara.”

“Get out,” Shikamaru ground out, suddenly craving a cigarette. Or a million of them.

“You heard him,” Ino barked when Suigetsu drew breath to protest, shocking Shikamaru by coming to his aid, however briefly. Somehow, she extracted herself from the tangle of sheets with unearthly amounts of dignity and primly added, “Get out.”

Suigetsu’s brows nearly disappeared into his hairline, but he said nothing as he gathered his orphaned clothes from where they were scattered across the floor. He didn’t bother with anything but pants, and must have studied the Ino school of thought, because he grinned cheekily at Shikamaru before slipping from the room. When the door finally clicked shut, Shikamaru swiveled back on Ino, somehow managing to keep his voice completely level in spite of the unfamiliar amounts of ire welling up inside him.

“I told you not to bring any guys back here, Ino.”

“I know, I know,” she said, rolling her eyes and tugging the sheet higher up her bare chest. It was as if shame completely escaped her as an emotion. “I was going to wash the sheets and stuff, you know.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he snapped back quickly, and she flinched away from him. “I told you--”

“What’s the big deal, anyway?” she demanded, cutting him off with an accusing flick of her hand, her expression stubborn. “I would’ve cleaned up and everything before you got home and you wouldn’t’ve even known he was here!”

“That doesn’t matter either.”

“What does matter, then? That I never get laid?!”

It mattered that she broke her word, that she betrayed his trust. That mattered. Unfortunately, for all his brainpower, Shikamaru couldn’t think of a single way to say it without sounding stupid--so he didn’t say anything at all. Instead, he turned sharply on his heel, angling his head to the side just far enough so that he could glance at her over his shoulder.

“Wash the sheets.”

Her eyes widened, but he didn’t see the rest of her reaction, already striding from the room and slamming the door behind him.

.

.

.

A few days later, after being thoroughly and utterly ignored, Shikamaru walked into the apartment to find Ino curled on the couch, entranced by one of the classic American movies she loved so much. There was a cup of tea perched on the coffee table in front of her, as well as a stack of glossy magazines and a bag of half-eaten popcorn. Unbuttered, he couldn’t help but notice, and probably low fat to boot.

He was about to spin around and wander back to the library when he caught sight of the final, most alarming object on the table: a second cup of tea.

Suddenly, he couldn’t leave.

With a leaden sigh, he shed his shoes and bag and took his spot on the couch in front of his--his--cup of tea, wordlessly collapsing into the worn cushions. For the fifty seventh time since she’d barged though his door, he wondered why, exactly, he’d put himself through this.

“It’s cold now,” she said, barely audible over the musical number exploding to life onscreen. “Moron.”

“I know,” he replied, kicking his feet up on the table and watching the dark tea slosh against the rim of the cup.

He fell asleep, hands folded behind his head, to some histrionic tune he couldn’t name but would always associate with Ino.

[ closed | on-going ] take your love and turn it into obscenity.

2009-10-16T01:48:19Z

Who: Ino and Suigetsu
What: After swearing her to secrecy, Suigetsu takes Ino to one of his underground Fight Club-esque matches. It's pretty much the closest they'll ever get to an actual date. Ah, romance.
When: October 16th, 10pm
Where: Some... abandoned warehouse somewhere. IT'S ALWAYS AN ABANDONED WAREHOUSE.
Warning(s): ...I don't even know. A lot.

The match was over.

At least, Ino assumed it was over, just like how she assumed Suigetsu was the one that won, considering the other guy didn't look like he was about to get up anytime soon and the designated referee was saying something she couldn't hear over the roar of the crowd. Boxing or mixed martial arts or whatever this was (beating the shit out of each other for the hell of it, apparently) wasn't exactly her thing, so the rules went over her head and she'd found herself looking away from the pointless brutality--fight almost as much as she'd been watching.

It didn't really stop her from cheering Suigetsu on, though. Just because he was stupid and obviously a masochist didn't mean she wanted him to lose. Getting your ass handed to you like this wasn't really something she'd wish on anybody.

That was the only way she could explain the relief she felt at seeing him walk out of the makeshift ring, instead of being dragged out like his opponent. That was the only way she could explain the tight knot in her throat as he trailed blood like breadcrumbs, deep red dripping from his knuckles and running down his cheek.

Ino moved quickly to intercept him, weaving through the crowd until she was at his side, but just far enough away that errant drops of blood didn't find her clothes.

"I knew it," she said, expression hard and tone clipped as she flicked her hair over her shoulder. "I knew you were an idiot. Are you okay?"

[ Closed - In Progress | And I can see this unraveling ]

2009-10-15T03:15:17Z

Who: Tenten and Neji
What: Tenten wants answers. Whether Neji gives them to her is up to him. But at least there's dinner~
When: The Wednesday after Naruto's... interesting party
Where: Neji's place
Warning(s): ...We'll see.

All evening, it had been an ongoing debate: to head home after her shift was over and clean up all the grime that came with school and work, or to simply head straight there. Because it had been days since the party and the fight that eventually broke out. And that had been plenty of time for Tenten to form a million and one questions since then. Naruto had said nothing to her as of yet. And she knew better than to ask. Because if the blond had not made an attempt to explain anything by then, he was not going to any time soon. If ever.

Tenten felt a little pang of... something -- what, she was not sure, but it was definitely unfavorable -- at the thought. After all that the two of them had been through. After everything they had faced. For him to keep anything from her, even if it was something trivial and unimportant... it hurt. Would hurt more if it actually was something profound.

And just as quickly as the thought formed, the young girl shook it away. There was no reason for her to think such a thing. After all, people fought over little matters every day. Naruto, it seemed, got into fights almost constantly since the day they had met. So it was nothing out of the ordinary... right?

"Only one way to find out," she muttered softly to herself as she turned the corner onto Neji's street. Ultimately, Tenten had settled on at least making herself presentable before taking the subway to the Hyuuga's neighborhood. He was offering her dinner after all. It was the least she could do. And with that thought, the familiar shape of Neji's door came into view. A door which she found herself standing in front of after only a few quick steps. And now faced with the moment of truth, Tenten paused for just a brief instance before lifting her hand to the wood.

Knock, knock.

wip log; closed; can I have both?

2009-10-13T19:48:04Z

Who: Sakura, Shino
What: Shino's protip to Conquering the World: Get along well with the women. When scorned, they make awesome weapons. (Translation: tea getting, talk, and gasp could it bonding?)
When: October 13th, afternoon
Where: Milky Dipper café
Warning(s): That café name. 8D Jen might strangle me, or maybe not. :D No warnings.

As far as bad weeks went, this one wasn't that bad. After all, there had been a party on Saturday. Which, granted, hadn't finished well. Maybe it had been the mix of the hangover, the memory of her friends fighting, the picture in her mailbox, the envy she felt towards some of Naruto's friends. The ones that had been there for him when she had bailed. But it hadn't been her fault, damn it. She'd been a kid. She was still barely out of childhood now, so she couldn't be accounted for that.

At least, that's what she kept telling herself. Even though she had still been jealous because the idea of a birthday party hadn't been hers.

Maybe because she wasn't that much of a party animal. Maybe because she prefered hot beverages to alcohol--although she could still drink most sturdy men under the table--and books to the company of a great amount of people. There were a lot of issues, and a lot of factors that influenced her in so many choices in her life. And she knew, deep down, that if she was miserable at all, she was the only one to blame.

Her brow furrowed; Suigetsu had called her a prude, and Ino said she had to take care of her virginity--Hah! What did they know, anyway? It was so easy to judge. Then again, she didn't really open up about these things with many people. Her reaction was different: listen, and then get defensive. Rather than explain, bite back with sarcasm and lame excuses.

'Whatever,' she thought, pouting behind the white scarf around her neck, 'at least I'll have a pleasant afternoon.' As that thought finished, she could already see the spot which she had humourously named The Agelena Place.

[ Open - In Progress | Man, he never had a chance... ]

2009-10-08T04:13:57Z

Who: Everyone Naruto knows.
What: Party for Blondie~ And coming in costume is encouraged!
When: October 10th... ish, evening/night
Where: Faculty Lounge at a certain boarding school
Warning(s): The usual warnings when people get shit-faced drunk.

It was like taking a page out of their long history together, to the very origins of who they once were. Phantom ghosts of what they would become. The place where it all began for a good number of them. And where the foundation of their collective friendships found its root. To be able to walk the halls again gave her an eerie yet exciting thrill she could hardly understand.

It was like they had never left.

Konoha no Gakuen. She could hardly believe that it had been more than three years since they left the hallow halls of the institution. They had a lot of good times there. Some, not so much. All the same, the school held many memories. For her, and most of all, for Naruto. So it only made sense that on the day that they would celebrate the young man's birth, they would have the festivities here. It was a small little tradition that she had taken to practicing. With the help and not-so-official approval of the local administration, of course. Silly, really. But one that she, at the very least, looked forward to year after year. Because this had been the beginning, so many long years ago. When a foreign girl from China thought it would be a nice gesture to plan a surprise party for a rambunctious blond she hardly knew. And in return, she had gained a life-long friendship. Several, in fact.

There was no rec room, this time around. Most certainly, with the presence of alcohol they could hardly allow it anywhere within reach of the students. But the faculty lounge on the other side of the school grounds made for an excellent substitute. And if their old instructors happened to drop in for a drink or two while they congratulated the young man on surviving another year, who was to stop them?

It had taken longer than expected to decorate the room, especially with only one other set of hands to help her this time. But to her credit, Tenten was a good planner, and an efficient worker. And with Neji's diligent -- relentless, despite her efforts to avoid adding to his already full schedule -- attention, they were an unstoppable team.

As she took a step back from making the last touches to the room, she could hardly be disappointed with the results. Spirals of orange and black streamers looped out from the center fan, reaching out like long bony fingers to touch upon each wall of the room. Hanging along its body were long colorful ribbons, curled in helical tendrils some draped over one row of streamers, others over two or even three. Ultimately, the design created a sort of webbing effect. If one took the time to notice. And to complete the illusion, scattered all throughout the room and netting were plastic spiders. Most were black, but a small portion were of the glow in the dark variety, illuminated by the black light she had fixed in the corner of the room.

The food was already heated and set out for party-goers to enjoy. The balloons were evenly distributed throughout the room. And as the rhythmic beat of the music boomed against the creeking floorboards, Tenten could only smile to herself.

This would definitely be a night to remember.

done!; closed log;

2009-10-04T02:06:36Z

Who: Sakura, Shino, Lit Class full of NPCs
What: The hard science kids hiding in the back of the class while the lit majors pontificate all over the place in the front. Also, there's a spider, and Sakura's geeky past comes to light.
Where: Literature Class, in whatever college we are, Jesus.
When: Friday, October 2nd

She wasn't bored at all, you see. Boredom had nothing to do with why her foot tapped against the floor. It was Friday. Last class of the week. She was already envisioning that warm bath she'd subject herself to, and the cup of tea right before sleeping a bit. To be in time for her first day at Naruto's place. In all honesty, she was nervous about it. By the end of October, she had every intention of telling her parents that she was a big girl who'd take her own decisions and if they didn't like them, they could suck it.

So, the class wasn't at fault at all, it was her mind going at 1000 miles per hours, analysing all possibilities of the nearby future, while still paying attention to what the professor droned out to them. Back at the end of the classroom, it was a question of either straining her ears or buying the book from which the professor took his notes. But Sakura was in a pinch anyway, so straining her ears it was. She was grateful that she at least had a quiet benchmate like Shino. He didn't fall asleep in class and then ask for her notes, at least.

Letting out a small huff, Sakura tapped her pen against her notepad twice before staring to write.

The symbolism in Byron's third piece is--

[ Finished - Backdated | And I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies... ]

2009-10-02T02:57:23Z

Who: Tenten, Naruto, Kiba
What: Tenten gets a broken heart, Naruto grows some ballz, and Kiba's kept in the dark. Go figure. Origins of the KibaTenNaru trio of awesome.
Where: Just outside the dorms at Konoha No Gakuan Boarding School
When: Last year of High School
Note: ~~Feel free to lavish with love?~~ Interactions approved by all muns involved.
Extra: [ THIS ] is Yamaki. And [ THIS ] is why we chose him to be the dick of a boyfriend.

Practicality and rationale had always been a staple of who and what she was. Both in the school and among her friends, she was Tenten. Scary to some. Well-meaning to most. Mother and guidance to all. An old soul at heart, really. Or so she had always believed. And sometimes always told. So when time came for her to make a normal and all too adolescent mistake, it had came as a shock to everyone. But none moreso than Tenten, herself. Because she had been sure, or at least almost certain that he was the one for her. Their lives were parallel to each other. Not exactly synced in perfect harmony, but linked enough that Tenten could see a fine balance existing in their relationship and their future. Common goals. Common interests. And a shared foundation of simplicity that they both could build a life on. That was what Yamaki was able to bring to her. And the young woman cherished that more than anything. That was why she had given herself to him, body and soul. Because Tenten believed that their love would only grow from the experience.

But belief, she learned, was not reality. And the little fairytale that she had created for them shattered the moment she found him in bed with another.

It is not an easy feat to break the heart of a strong woman. Especially one as headstrong and independent as Tenten. But break it he did. And it showed. Not in her behavior or actions or anything profoundly obvious. She had made sure to keep the tears locked behind closed doors and private dorm rooms. But the signs could easily be found in the flecks of her eyes. And despite her efforts to hide the obvious, it had only taken Naruto one long look to know the truth.

Which explained this scene playing out before her eyes now.

Blood. That had been the first thought that entered Tenten's mind when she opened the door to the dorms. It was been the first thing she had seen, even before registering the massive lump of moving and breathing flesh at her feet. It was not a substantial amount. But any amount of red was enough cause for concern. There should not have been any. Then came the soft wheezing in between breaths. The purple bruises dotting along tanned flesh. And finally, the matted head of of normally blond hair. Now stained red.

"Naruto!"

He had been gone for most of the day. Where, she could hardly begin to guess. But it had been Tenten's fear that the young man had decided to exact some form of revenge on her behalf. However, none of that mattered. Not with Naruto on the ground and leaning against the brick frame of the door. Coughing. Coughing up blood.

"Naruto... what in the world did you do?"

Her voice was soft. Pathetic, almost as she carefully shifted him into her arms. But considering his condition, she felt the tone appropriate.

"H-hey, Tenny... remember when that guy broke your heart?"

No. Naruto, no, you idiot. You didn't...

"I got him back for you."

She wanted to yell. Scream at him about how stupid it had been to even waste his time on someone like Yamaki. How it had not been worth it if it meant Naruto had to come back in such a state of injury. How it had been her mistake, not his. And dammit, this had been her battle to fight!

...But the foolish grin plastered across his face. That stupid, stupid foxy smile of his that reminded her too much of... It did well to melt away all the anger she felt at his actions until there was simply only one thing left she could say. "...My hero."

And as if that were all the validation he needed that stupid grin spread even further, stretching his mouth and splitting open his lips once more. "Really? - Ow! Owowow!"

Here, Tenten gave a sigh before attempting to help him up from the ground. "Come on, Superman. Let's get you taken care of."

"Whoah, what the hell happened to you?"

Two sets of eyes darted up in alarm at the voice. But quickly sighed in a brief moment of relief to see Kiba standing at the door instead of an administrator. Authority figures would only spell more trouble for the both of them. Still, if Naruto's actions were any indication, Kiba would more than likely react the same if not more so. After all, Yamaki was now the culprit of two crimes. And the young Inuzuka had already been fairly protective of the young blond before. If Kiba caught wind of what he had done to the both of them...

There would be nothing left of Yamaki after the young Inuzuka was done with him.

"...Totally got jumped, man. Can you believe it? Bastards didn't even take my wallet or anything. Just felt like fighting me, I guess. Crazy wankers."

Because that was what friends do for each other.

Hello. Is it me you're looking for?

2009-09-29T01:59:55Z

Who: Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi
What: Apology demands?
Where: Itachi's office.
When: Oh, let's say monday? (May change/get more specific as we...figure out what we're doing.)

Distraction. Wonderful, blissful distraction from the horrific note pounding in the piano room came in the form of ungraded papers. It was a horror of itself but one Itachi would choose over poor playing any day. Badly written papers were a lot less noisy than badly played piano.

So many papers to grade. Uchiha Itachi had never imagined in all his life that he would be so bogged down, this early in the semester, with papers that begged so loudly for grades. And in such sloppy hand writing...

It made his eyes hurt.

Next round of assignments, he would be sure to remember to require the papers to be typed and not...scribbled on notebook paper like school children. And all these frayed spiral bound edges? Grotesque in a sense he had never anticipated. There were little flakes of paper edges everywhere-over his desk, under his feet, and, horror of horrors, on his shirt. It was like some sick explosion of notebooks. He felt as though he had rolled in these stacks of papers.

He shuddered at the thought.

Itachi looked sorrowfully at his desk gargoyle and the standard issue name plate that sat right next to it-both ominous and bold and dark-and wished his advisor had imparted to him more advice and less desk decor. Or a shredder. A paper shredder would have been nice. And he was so caught up in his own irritation over the stacks of badly printed papers that he had forgotten to lock his office door.

It was standard procedure for him, normally. But today had been...unpleasant to say the least.

Only attracted to the things that bring you trauma- Part II

2009-09-27T23:04:45Z

Who: Naruto & Neji
What: Something not so casual.
When: Last December. REALLY.
Warning: Said fire. Pain... and tears. Part I

"So soon...?" , he managed to mumble, still happily dozing as that stable body beside him continued to move. He wanted it to stop so much so that his hand loosened from Neji's wrist and latched around the man's waist instead. It was warm there as well, his mind registered, and he curled fingers into the fabric there once again. Just stable enough to listen in on Neji's voice, he nodded and shifted his weight to exit the booth, assuming that he would be allowed to do so from the others end instead of scooting the whole way around. "And then you'll be all alone with me..."

He left that in the air, a grin tugging at his lips and leaning up to press his now rosy face against Neji's neck. Screw the waitress. When did she even get there? Horribly rude of her to stand around when he was entertaining company... "-and I'll keep you nice and warm..."

Unable to ignore the shorter man from this point on, Neji went with the option of accepting the contact while it lasted. And it was rather comfortable, more than enough for his lazy tongue to refrain from reminding Naruto that he had a heating system in his apartment - and car, while he thought of it, and maybe it would be his last hope. Drunk as the other was, he could still doze off before they reached Neji's place, and then the Hyuuga would regain professionalism and plop him down on his couch to sleep off the liquor, go upstairs and sleep in his own bed - his nose wrinkled before he could fully hold back the reaction.

... Maybe he would not directly hope. If it happened - this would have been far easier to blame on fate, for all it was worth - he wouldn't complain, and if not, then he'd take him up on the offer of warmth. His usually cold skin betraying him, making him wonder why exactly he still had to crave it. With a slightly less dignified grunt, he straightened and stood, more or less stably with the alcohol addling his concentration and the blond all too clingy. Good thing the car wasn't far away.

Barely conscious of his surroundings, it took Naruto a moment to really register the movement once again, the fact that the warmth was stirring and he was meant to follow. But it was enough on Neji's part that it didn't take him long to nod away and adjust himself after leaving the booth. The fact that most of his weight was being pushed against the taller man was left up for discussion, Naruto's mindset completely off his own stability and more so on how that heat came from more places than just that lone arm. His hand was latched onto Neji's arm as it was before, but his curious nature egged him on, making his other hand move on it's own and dip into the Hyuuga's rear pants pocket, tucking fingers away for safe keeping and winking at the waitress as he pushed the other along to exit the restaurant.

Whatever hope may be a part of the others psyche didn't matter. What Neji wanted didn't matter.Warmth, as precious as it was, held much lower an importance than Naruto's libido. That of which had only taken a bit more pressure on alcohols behalf to shove him over the edge. And he thought he had self control..

The only thing the fact that he missed out on the wink was to be blamed on was Neji's state of intoxication, and the fact that he was rather focused on that hand practically grabbing his ass, hopes of Naruto falling asleep on him fading as he pushed them both through the doorway into the cold night out. Finally, a bit of his usual shoulder-tension was returning, but that could have also been caused by the drop in temperature; one that also provided him with the urge to sink his fingers somewhere, anywhere warm before they returned to their chilly state. "You comfortable down there?" He mused, dryly, piqued even, as they approached his car, frowning upon the white mist of his breath.

It shouldn't be allowed to have such weather pull up when there was a too tempting furnace latched to his side.

He fell into step quickly, the cold biting the normally naturally heated blond brutally whilst his intoxication took over. Far too cold for so early in the winter and him without a coat. How silly was that? Yet it was a perfectly sane deduction that cramming his hands into any spot on Neji's person that may or may not be warm. "Pretty damn nice in here, yeah." Naruto quipped, voice slurred and dopey. And it felt nice. He felt fucking nice and let it be known with a wiggle of his fingers and his free arm wrapping tightly around Neji's narrow waist.

Whether or not he meant to really slam that thin body up against the big, mean car could very well be up for discussion later. And it was equally as cold as the night air. It tingled against Naruto's trapped arms and he could feel the beginnings of a cold burn tint away at his cheeks and nose... But as long as he kept Neji's body there and pressed his just so against it, and if he rested his head right there against that nice length of neck... He could fend just fine against the cold and ignore the big hunk of metal he was pressing the other up against. "-But it's a lot nicer here. Lets stay here for a while."

The only reason why Neji did not struggle or sport any other attempt at rebuff was that he really did not want to elbow the poor vehicle any further. Before he grew even conscious of the cold-- goddammit, why so cold - metal against his back, the curtain of his drunken haze lifted, adrenaline shell-shocking him. Briefly. And then that blond head was ever closer and the heat engulfed his front completely in stark contrast to his behind, raising goosebumps on his skin. Slowly, Neji released the sharp breath he had taken in, eyelids lowering, and before he knew it, his fingers were reaching up. They tangled themselves into blond locks and tugged not all too gently. "It's warmer inside," He suggested, short of breath and not as indignant as he would have liked to sound.

The tug only fueled Naruto's desire to be rebellious, a twitch of his lips curling into a drunken smirk. A dangerous one that promised so much more than compliance if Neji were to pull at his hair again. "If you'll be inside with me," He pushed back against that hand, letting his skull be cradled in the touch instead of fighting it. The glassy shield around his brain wasn't letting the 'Idiot! Stop this. Stop!' screeches through. It wouldn't let common sense be his net tonight and warn him that what he was thinking with definitely wasn't his brain. His arms started to slowly pull away, fingers tickling up under Neji's shirt lazily, teasing, before finally falling back to his sides. He would listen and obey for now. If he was a good boy then he might be given something nice in the end.

The sensation of fingertips suddenly on his bare skin coaxed a small smirk out of him, and momentarily, he did not mind their position as much. He might have also been starting to warm the metal of the car body, but the larger part of him craved comfortable settings. His fingers reluctantly left the warm scalp they had been starting to almost-massage and gestured towards the opposite door in drunken grandiloquence. "'m not going t'hold the door open for you." Neji's smirk widened.

Like Naruto really needed a setting of any kind to assure his libido got what it was craving. Yet he was willing to do anything possible to make sure he get his in the end. As long as Neji somehow enjoyed it and they both ended up sticky and sated. That was why he was obeying every word and that was why he was going to such lengths to make sure Neji didn't change his mind. The Hyuuga wasn't his friend right now. He was a positively tempting body with an 'enter me' sign stuck on his face. He was warm and Naruto wanted to get as close as possible to that skin hidden underneath the man's clothes.

"Allow me, princess." Bypassing Neji to open the car door, Naruto flashed a pretty little smile before jumping inside, climbing like a damned lemur to the passengers seat. Like anything really mattered when you were drunken beyond repair-... Or when your equally drunk partner was getting ready to drive a car.

Said drunk partner drove quite flawlessly in a sober state and had a short way to go to his apartment, thankfully. His eyes briefly lingered on the spot Naruto had stood not two seconds ago and flashed him that delicious set of teeth, and found that he was watching the blond's rear quite thoughtfully as the other climbed his way through the narrow confines of the sports car. Shaking his head, an action that resulted in no decrease of the fogginess inside, he followed the other, shivering when he got seated on cold leather. Blessing both his passenger's presence and the heating system he had invested in, he kick started the engine and floored it with little difference from his usual driving habits.

Amazingly enough Naruto still had enough common sense even when drunk to buckle his seat belt. Though it took him a few tries to actually snap the belt, he grinned all too proud of himself when it clipped into place. Oblivious to those tenacious and thirsty eyes on his exterior his mood seemed to switch dramatically, looking practically innocent as he leaned back into his seat and let lazy eyes rest on Neji. That twist of his lips could have possibly lasted longer if the jostling of the car hadn't startled him, hand instantly clutching the emergency handle until his knuckles turned white. And to think that he was planning some witty remark or semi-romantic gesture if not for that.

... His conscious calls bullshit on those things, though. And besides his soul partially leaving his body during a sharp turn Naruto's sleepy eyes were turning more into a bedroom stare by the second.

Another small smile curled his parted lips when he caught a glimpse of Naruto clutching at anything that would prevent him from ending up with a concussion, but it was subdued out of a small portion of guilt. Concussions definitely would not work for either of their plans, he reckoned, and so he prudentially kept his eyes on the road. Fingers sliding briefly over the gear shift's leather, he changed down, the necessity of it that came with living uphill almost second nature. All things considered, he was doing impressive work ignoring the small and ceasing part of him that loudly questioned his sanity for this drunk driving, and the intentions it failed to suppress at this point.

"Y'can let go now," Was his quiet suggestion when he turned into his street and blaming the small stomach churn of not-excitement on a bump in the road.

All to happy to be able to unclench his fist, Naruto snorted under his breath and let his hand fall back into his lap. They could have driven right off a cliff at this point and he probably wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. Inebriation had that effect didn't it? Able to kick down the strongest man and fill him with enough pheromones to have him floating and goading for attention. In Naruto's case the car could have crashed into a wall and he still would have been far too interested in touching and being touched. The drive towards Neji's apartment was the only thing keeping him away, fingers itching to tug or scratch. Almost as bad as a nicotine high. Just almost.

"You're too dangerous..." He mumbled back, tugging at his seat belt, annoyed at how it still bound him down. He wanted out and wanted to play. Never once could he remember having to put a standstill on his bedroom activities to, well, find a bedroom. Leave it to the sophisticated to be picky over where to get boned...

Despite the irony of being told that by Uzumaki Naruto - or possibly because of it - he took the full liberty to take it as a compliment, and let a short, breathy chuckle escape his mouth. With closing the distance to his (well, now their) apartment, Neji felt the anticipation drain out of habitually tense shoulders, replaced by a hollow gut feeling he would have only been capable of describing as hunger. Of the patient, indulgent sort, his nerves soothed with the alcohol and still very much alive from getting pushed against his own car, a body flush against his, and that hint of breath against his neck.

Neji could do all but resist closing his eyes to remember. Instead, incisors grazing his bottom lip briefly, he pulled into his driveway and stopped the engine, unbuckling his seat belt and finally getting out. Cold air, that little poison, embracing him until a shiver ran down his back, highlighted by having little of an idea what was to come now.

By this point in time Naruto knew very well what Neji's apartment looked like. Frequenting it almost as much as he did Tenten's, it would be rather troublesome if he didn't. But a familiar tingle started to mingle with the alcohol in his lower stomach. Maybe he was excited or eager. He couldn't really tell. "You're dangerous..." He repeated, slurring obnoxiously and leaning heavily against the door. Uncharted grounds was what the Hyuuga was... And it didn't matter to him if it was freezing outside the warmed vehicle. It didn't. He'd mark the frigid bastard with everything he had... Like anyone could have stopped him from taking advantage of the other man when he had him pinned- No one outside law enforcement could have stopped him if Neji had given him the go ahead...

Neji was taunting him, though. The guy had to have known how hard it was for Naruto to stop when he had his mind set on something. That he was burning inside and yearning. The cold air that hit his face wasn't enough to bring his brain back to reality. As unsteady as he was even a stumble wasn't enough to keep him away from the door. He scratched at it with his nails, looking back at Neji with a pathetic stare. He wanted in in more ways than one and the horrible glass wall was blocking what could be a very promising night- "Princess. Let m'in. 'is cold out here."

Albeit nowhere close to the tempting expressions Naruto had pulled off throughout the evening, Neji found himself vaguely amused, grimly so, and if it weren't for his intoxicated mind, he would have gone with the usual refraining from answering or reacting; after all, there was no princess around. Naruto knew that. If not, as he highly doubted, he was about to find out. Passing the blond, somehow managing to maintain most of his model's stride, his arm brushed against the other's shoulder in a should have been blameless movement as he unlocked the door. The click caused the hazed look in his eyes to sharpen briefly before he pushed open the door.

How could Neji tempt him like that? Huffing in mild annoyance Naruto pointed his nose to the sky, only glancing when a soft brush of a sturdy body caught his attention. Even drunk the man could be such an asshole. Sure the blond had little decency when it mattered, but at least he knew when not to be a bastard on purpose. Neji knew. He totally had to know how badly Naruto wanted him. And he just flaunted about like it was no big deal at all. Nothing that pretty could be on accident...

The conversation in his mind stalled halfway through, the other half a jumbled mass as his body turned the rest of the way and pushed up against Neji's not so subtly, lips moving as they found that warm neck again. A whole ride home and none of that neck. "-So fucking pretty..." No hands were needed. Just a gentle persuasion and a push for the other to enter the dark apartment, fingers only grasping the door in urgency to close it.

Positive that, albeit drunk, Neji still knew the outline of his apartment better than the other, his fingers grasped the blond's collar to pull him along - for how long he would have the lead was in question, either way, and so he took advantage while he could. Distracting as backwards-maneuvering proved to be with a hot mouth attached to his neck and a few glasses of alcoholic beverage comfortably settled into his system, he did manage to find the nearest wall. "Interestin' housewarming, I'd say," He half-breathed, half-drawled, that devastating smirk never quite having left and with his mouth unoccupied, he could not see himself dropping it in a foreseeable time.

He followed like an puppy, simply not giving a damn about how unabashed he seemed while stripping himself of everything that might stall his movement later. His belt and wallet were dropped as he walked, professionally slipping out of his shoes. He'd done this before. Anyone who paid attention to detail could spot this. And yet it wouldn't matter anyway because Naruto was going to get what he had waited so patiently for. The smirk could stay. The smirk wasn't an active participant in their activities anyway.

Though... when Naruto was done with that smooth neck and when the movement stopped because of that wall... he finally looked up. He saw the smug satisfaction on those lips and made a disapproving noise to himself. Patience was gifted to himself with a grin of his own and a brutal grind of his body into Neji's. A threesome with the wall. Funny thing that. But his mouth was too busy latching on and attacking the Hyuuga's to bother making some snide comment. It wasn't one of those dainty kisses from movies. It wasn't meant to take Neji's breath away- The kiss was messy and dominating, not mattering to Naruto if it forced the man's skull against the wall or not. He wanted what he wanted with teeth and tongue and forced entry...

Not once during one of their spars, or even the fight all those years back had Neji been more aware of every inch of space between Naruto's body and his. Or lack thereof, currently. And when his head cracked none too gently against the wall and the other ground against him and plundered his mouth, his long declared nonexistent libido went off like flash powder to a spark. The alcohol took away the full level of dignity from the way he moved back and grabbed that hair again, the other busied with tugging off his own jacket. Fortunately, he would not need to worry about his inexperience becoming obvious, as Naruto seemed focused on different matters than how Neji was getting rid of his shoes; although the friction it caused, a thigh clad in almost outrageously tight pants slightly dipped in between the shorter one's, could have very well relocated said focus.

The only way to ensure the opposite currently was to keep those teeth and that tongue occupied. Perfect, drunken logic, and with such, it was executed.

There was no shame in Naruto's actions. Not like there was at all during everything else he ever did, but the way his body jerked and ground down against that horrible leg left nothing to the imagination. Because he was well taught in this matter due to expendable one night flings and relationships he would have rather forgotten. With experience comes talent and he had a limitless amount. And maybe he felt privileged to be able to be the one out of many that had really had a chance right now. Even though he was drunk he still knew who this was. It was Hyuuga Neji. The man that both women and men had a complete fan base for...

And it was Naruto who was given first dibs. His own libido spiked tenfold, mind scattered because there was so much to do and so much power that needed to be abused... And he loved that power...

If Neji faltered then he wouldn't bother pointing it out. What mattered was their pleasure. How they went about getting it was by contact- As much contact as fucking possible. "Neji..." Just one second to speak. Given then taken away before the other man got the chance. And then his mouth was on him again, his tongue searching out the other to slide firmly against while slightly cold fingers tugged impatiently at that designer shirt. He wanted skin and touching and sex. In some vacant spot at the back of his skull he was partially needy, not getting the required dose of human contact- The buttons snagged and popped as he was gifted with skin. So much skin...

And he was going to mark all of it.

Suddenly, there was a lot of cool air on the skin of his heated chest, then abdomen. It took him two seconds longer than usual to realize what exactly Naruto had done, but when he did, he all but hauled him back just enough to break the kiss and force the other to look at him, perfectly aware of the cruelty of his action, but deeming it very appropriate. Neji hadn't noticed when exactly it had gotten a hard task to breathe. Those two syllables were ringing in his ears. Naruto hadn't ever used that tone on him before, and in the back of his head, he realized he shouldn't like it as much as his adrenaline level was telling him. Nevertheless, his eyes were widened just a little from their former bedroom state, scandalized, disbelieving amusement written over them as he stared the other down, panting. He couldn't quite remember whether it had been Armani or Boss, and as that was saying something, Neji started prioritizing from where his mind had already set his direction.

"... You had better make that worth it," He then hissed, and pulled him in again.

Despite being pulled away from the lips that were sending happy sparks along his spine, Naruto had to find it in himself the humor in the situation. His fingers were itching to tug and dig into whatever, anything he could find. His hair was standing and that twisted side of him that wanted to damage everything was rising to the surface. He was cocky in his reply, lips curled in a grin as he whispered huskily, "You better fucking believe it..." and took it upon himself to make Neji forget how to speak. There were much better things that could be coming out of that mouth other than demands and threats...

There was something that he noted, something that he shouldn't have noticed while so completely blitzed. Seeing Neji outside the norm... Those eyes excited and chest heaving from exertion. Naruto wanted to see more of that, his childish side willing to touch and tease as much as possible so that maybe he would see Neji in even more ways. Different versions that no one else was allowed to. Yet his brain was too slow... He was too uneasy because of the alcohol to put his all into it. What mattered now were his nails scraping down Neji's abdomen, his fingers dipping down the back of too tight pants and cupping an all too tempting posterior, and his own leg rubbing where no one else had the pleasure of going.

Screw the damn shirt...

That reminded him of how to breathe, if the shuddering inhalation that followed was any indication. His head fell forward slightly, causing a few strands over hair to slide over his shoulders and frame his exposed chest. But he kept up the eye contact, his own pale set narrowed for all it was worth, and it was a mere reflex that had him rolling his hips into that friction. Grim annoyance settled behind the thick layer of arousal due to how awfully, inappropriately pleased Naruto looked. Ironically, it caused his own parted lips to stretch into nothing short of a grin. For all the distraction, unfortunately, it did not last long.

Fingers none too carefully unthreaded themselves from blond locks and dragged themselves down the shorter man's back to tug at his shirt, refraining only from returning the charming sentiment because even drunk, he wouldn't allow himself to give into impatience like that.

"You gonna undress me...?" Was the sloshed, obvious notion in his reply, looking far too proud as he bit at the corner of quickly plumping lips. The attention to his hair was driving him insane, his attention to Neji's mouth waning. He wasn't the type to really enjoy kissing, always the impatient party that liked instant gratification when it was offered. Whether Neji knew it or not Naruto was ready to take what he could get and without question. Only his conscious kept him, acknowledging the fact that this was untouched, a volatile boundary line. So he used expendable amounts of time, meeting greedy hips and grinding his own against the taller man's thigh. Just to let Neji know that they were equal now. That Naruto wanted it. That Neji was as much in control as him.

Pulling a hand away, twitching fingers traced themselves around to the front, dipping down to cup what he figured might be a true sign of Neji's excitement. He rubbed, casually stroking his thumb roughly over the bulge.

A breathy noise caught in Neji's throat, momentarily delaying his response. To accompany the affirmation and also to distract himself from the hand that could very well put an end to things sooner than he was favoring even drunk, his other hand joined the first, the fabric of Naruto's shirt bunching at his wrists as he pushed his palms up heated skin. "I favor equality," He eventually mused between pants, then tugged the shirt the rest of the way over an already ruffled head of blond.

Pale eyes skimmed over what the dim light of the street lamp through let down jalousies allowed him to make out. Naruto was more compact than the lithe stretch of his own body, but evidently well-equipped; even as he had known that beforehand, it was an entirely different matter to have that body offered up to him. The contrast of their skin tones was not hard on the eyes, unsurprisingly, especially to a man who had developed a strong fondness of aesthetics to the point where he didn't mind whether they perturbed his breathing.

Approval was a beautiful feeling and Naruto took what time he had to savor it, smug in his body language as he shifted and flexed against Neji's lithe body. He could have spoken. Could have very possibly coined some tragic form of snark that had no place in the here and now. Though he managed a snort... Because the man could be such a bastard sometimes. So unamused. Yet when it came to things like this Naruto had him on a leash and could fully abuse the privilege. His hand moved again, then, this time tugging at that annoying zipper to touch the warmth hidden in the enemy of the night, those infernal pants.

Almost set off course by the brief shock of darkness, Naruto stroked inside Neji's underwear casually, pulling away only enough to raise a questioning eyebrow. And he looked so humored and amused... He was in there without a seconds notice, doing to the Hyuuga's neck what the need for oxygen on the other's behalf wouldn't grant him. Canines were put to work, scraping over that important pulse of life as his thigh rubbed, bringing fabric lower down once his hand was filled with a heated, pumping muscle. "Bed.... You got to have a bed somewhere in here...."

Said the man who would not have had any qualms with bending him over the engine hood right in that alleyway. Neji almost chuckled, almost laughed, but didn't, entirely blaming the hand now down his two hundred dollar pants. The teeth at his neck were no helping matters when he did actually make an admirable attempt at comeback, sounding as dry as he could while arching his back, heat creeping up from his collar to the cheeks and the urge to moan far too present. "Y'don't 'spect me to sleep in a casket, after all?"

But Naruto did have a point, and he was not going to ignore what was very much in his own interest when it crossed even the blond's mind. For the first time, he cursed himself for moving his bedroom into the open loft, eyes shifting to glance in direction of the spiral staircase that went up to the recess in the ceiling. Climbing those, of all things he could make Naruto do to once again accuse him of being a teasing bastard, but after all, it was the teasing bastard that Naruto wanted so badly. And so he pushed himself off the wall, this time to maneuver the other.

Maybe if this was anyone else... Funny how Naruto could completely miss the fact that this was one of his closest friends. That what he was doing was horrible and should be stopped. That maybe his conscience should step in and tell him that this is wrong and defiling a man that he trusted with so much wasn't the right decision. Yet it could remember that Neji was untouched and he would be the touching. Perhaps it was that whole insatiable libido thing. How anything concerning sex and Naruto entertaining the thought was all that got through that thick skull when he was doused with free liquor. Or maybe it was that underlying caring reflex Naruto always had. Because even whilst drunk he still gave a damn about someone else's happiness.

"Not 'less it's a full moon?" He quipped, clearly amused that he was able to spit that one out, multitasking with speaking and letting himself really feel the throbbing life under his fingers. Nothing new. Same old thing- Rather literally. But the reactions never got old. Little gasps and squirming... Signs of enjoyment and vulnerability- Naruto wasn't at all happy when the body that was showing him so much started to move away from him, tempting him to fall with it and scramble to grab around Neji's waist with his only free arm. Don't go... "Don't go."

When Naruto's body didn't pick up on his intention right away, accompanied with that-- he'd rather view it as a demand than a plea, in that context - Neji gave into the urge to roll his eyes, an action left unnoticed because of the dark and his hardly visible pupils; lacking a collar to grab, he reached for Naruto's shoulders to pull him along. "I'm not," He hissed, but didn't fully find it in himself to call him an oaf as he would have liked to (admittedly unwise as it was, considering where Naruto's hands were and that Neji, for the moment, was at his mercy); much the same as he entertained the idea of sinking his fingers into that mess of blond again, which would have made for uncomfortable pulling, but resisted it. "Bedroom," The Hyuuga added in a tone that implied his utter lack of surprise, had Naruto temporarily forgotten anything past the fact that his drunk friend had, for the briefest of moments, gotten out of his grill. Drunk, but apparently still a lot more sensible than his libido-controlled friend; once again, with said friend's hand down his expensive underwear, Neji would refrain from complaining and taking the risk at hypocrisy. Instead, his formerly annoyed tone lowered. "Come on."

Mental concentration was never Naruto's strong suit and he would never lie and say it was. Sometimes he wished he could blame some sort of brain trauma or ADD, but it all came down to boredom or just being far too attached on one thing to waste time on another- Multitasking wasn't his strong suit.

Which led him to issues like this where he was far too busy wanting more of that body to touch to care about going anywhere else. Only his determination helped him move on from their former position and really pay attention to what Neji was saying. 'Bedroom' he said. Naruto heard that one fairly clear and only nodded in response. Without much abandon his fingers slipped from the heated area in the other's pants and let it fall obediently by his side, a cocky grin replacing the confusion that once striped over his face. "I'll follow you anywhere." Empty promise. But it meant something right now while he still had a hand on the Hyuuga and rubbed at bare skin of the man's lower back. There needed to be some control somewhere in this, but Naruto had lost the reigns on it all the moment he'd gotten in the car. It could only be a catalyst from here.

Neji considered himself fortunate he was drunk enough to not put down that promise in his subconscious to dig it up for mulling over at a much later time. As it was, with the sufficiently distracting task of stepping, in a more or less dignified way, up the stairs and pulling Naruto along, he was grateful he managed to think of smirking in return. With his shirt already ruined, loose and simply not serving its purpose anymore, he slid it off of his shoulders and dropped it somewhere over the railing, as well, revealing more nigh-unnaturally light-colored skin to dimly lit sight.

And he did, for a moment, consider whether they should have simply stayed downstairs, just there, against his wall, when he didn't have to multitask for two and that hand was still down snug jeans. The thought was gone almost as quickly as it came when he climbed the last stair and was able to pull the other closer again with a noise of growing impatience, only a few backward steps doing them and the generously sized bed part.

A few backward steps almost seemed like miles after what Naruto had decided in his head was torture on an incline. Who had stairs in their apartment anyway? And who bothered to really think so much during activities like this? There was nothing else to do but to quiet those thoughts once he was given the rightful chance, fingers attaching back against skin and wasting no time at all to attack Neji's body with a gentle force reserved for those that he thought really deserved it. What they would land on would be soft and he would grunt aggressively because he had hoped that was a bed in the first place. And he managed to narrow his eyes and see that porcelain skin in all it's vibrancy for the first time. Because only now did he take a chance to examine and appreciate before he tore Neji up to shreds, that cocky grin before softening to a firm, concentrated line.

Then and only then once he had Neji trapped between himself and that bed that probably would cost him an arm and a leg to replace did he put a stop to the words and bitching that would come out of the man's mouth, his taking control and claiming those lips with his own. Right now that mouth was his. Those hips he pinned with his own were his. That stomach he was clawing down with blunt fingernails and those jeans he tore down willing thighs were his. Now he dared anything to try and stop him again.

Rational thought admittedly dimmed to a minimum when that mouth returned to continue plundering his and the weight of the other man pinned him against his bed; as unused as he was to submitting or any form of backing down.. ever, at this moment in time, it was the farthest from bad he could think of - but then again, thinking was starting to move to second place on his list, momentarily removed by scratching hands and an aggressive voice. His own hands grasped at Naruto's neck, left against his pulse and right inevitably finding itself in blond hair yet again, long fingers curling into the locks as he pulled the other further down onto himself, or himself up for a more promising kiss. If that was what one should still call it; Hollywood never quite had covered the amount of teeth and tongue this contained.

Not that Neji was a frequent witness to those kisses. A frustrated noise dropped from his lips when they were allowed to even do so, Neji rolling his hips against the ones straddling him - he simply needed more contact to go with all this. With the seconds passing, he found himself caring less and less about coming across as needy. As though he would have to bother with Naruto.

Appreciation would have to come later, Naruto decided. There were far more important things to donate his attention to.

Perhaps it was Naruto's horrible need to be in control of a situation no matter what. His whole life had been spent by living in the backseat while other's controlled every last move. It was that burning desire to make someone react- Something that was under his complete and utter command. That would be the only reason nobody could rule him in bed, the blond never giving them the slightest chance to have him in a way nobody was privileged to do so. And he would show Neji that dominance now with everything he had. While he was in that state of mind he had at least a bit of common sense. Enough to note that his happiness wouldn't be complete until he put a smile on Neji's as well...

The demand to be closer was noted and he took every chance to follow that need. His body worked over Neji's and concurred it in every noninvasive way he could. At this point the thought hadn't occurred to him that perhaps ridding of his own jeans would be a good idea. That his need for skin on skin contact might actually be very nice right now and only a thin layer on the other's behalf was the only thing stopping him. He was too involved in that mouth and those sides under his fingers and the way that Neji's hips curved just slightly. Just like a damn girl. The bastard was as pretty as a damn girl.

His domination took a step up, his body stalling, then violently jerking down and grinding Neji into the mattress. No, he wasn't allowed to move. Just take and absorb the moment. His thigh worked between the other's for the simple need of craving that undivided attention. Naruto wanted those eyes to watch him and he wanted his name to be screamed- Not that he thought Neji could scream, but it would be nice... Deciding that was a goal worth striving for his mouth was put to better work on that beautiful neck again, his brain jumping to life with a new sense of power. And he yanked those designer underwear off violently and let his thigh grind up hard.

"Beg me."

a more dignified moment, Neji would have liked to have it in himself to grin, with the promise of no such thing, at the blond. In a more sober state, he would have liked to chastise him from the power play that should have been in no way surprising.

But it was, because the Hyuuga was being pushed, and absolutely positive that nobody had ever been this close to him, enough to press him flat back into the mattress, smothering with an overdose of what he had just asked for. It caused a gasp that had no time to be repressed to push itself through bruised and habitually shut lips. Dimly, the thought dawned to him that he was naked, and all too quickly being stripped of his most valued clothing brands, Pride, Dignity.

The last time he had been this naked with the other had been when he was thirteen, and he was sure he preferred this over his cracked jaw. But Naruto, that giving, but chauvinistic creature, Naruto was not naked enough. Not nearly. Panting, eyes focused on what he could see of the man working over his throat, which was mostly the hair his hand was buried into - and would stay in, damn an underlying fixation - Neji reached down, fingers deftly hooking into the other's jeans. He gratefully remembered the already undone belt carelessly dropped downstairs, but with being pinned down like this, there was considerably little space to reach for that fly. Instead, he tugged none too gently at the back of his pants, tone turning heavier through pants, but remaining cocky. No promise that he would actually put his answer to use.

"What for..?"

Cut short by Neji's underlying cocky nature was not something in Naruto's game plan. Though things could be changed and altered. He could go with the flow and match the smug undertone with no effort at all. A challenge was always welcome wasn't it? With no thought at all a feral sort of force took over his mouth, what was once tender licks and soft nips taking a turn to something more daring; teeth sinking into skin to leave a memorable mark. One of many if Neji proceeded to be so condescending...

"Asshole..." he was able to murmur around the skin between his teeth, the soft pad of his tongue lapping the quickly reddening skin of Neji's collarbone. Perhaps he wasn't the only one in the room with so much personal issues you could drown in it. They could have equal footing there, both radiating with downfalls to their personalities and bad background histories. And they could be naked for both to see and both to touch and torture. With this lost in his mind, Naruto was far from acutely aware of that heavily guarded mask of his. Alcohol made it crack and his walls to fall. Sometimes he wondered why he still drank the stuff like some boozing moron...

The control on his breathing broke only for a second, cold air nipping at what was fairly heated skin throwing him off. The looseness in the back of his jeans tugged uneasily around the front, his arousal pinned tightly and causing his body to stir and grind again, fingers tensing uneasily on Neji's hips. "Shit- For me. Ain't I worth begging for?" Was his terse reply, gritted out sloppily and lowered himself to try and distract Neji from that death grip on his pants.

harsh contact only sparked the desire to provide with as much as he got, and it would take a lot of time or abuse to make Neji succumb and take, even if the message of the way Naruto fullbody-pinned him to his bed was the desire for exactly that. And definitely when the blond was opting for utter submission. Neji could be a stubborn man; the alcohol underlined that fact thickly.

"Get up," He panted out, hoarsely, and once he managed to fight his eyes open from their tightly crinkled state (admittedly, that bite had not been completely pleasant, and still), a vivid glare was sent his way. "Please," He added in a mockery of acquiescing, the corner of his mouth curling in confidence; the hand buried in that mop of hair reveled in driving it's fingers through the mess, but didn't unnecessarily add to the upwards tug (yet), since the hand even more firmly gripping thick fabric did not currently allow for alternatives, anyway, and were clear sign that he wanted Naruto out of those jeans, and soon.

Hesitating, Naruto's brain decided to take a backseat as Neji continued to tug at his pants. It didn't make any sense for the hem of his jeans to cut into his stomach. Right, he knew Neji wanted them off or down or in the air... But it didn't quite connect until he allowed their eyes to fall in contact with one another again, his own narrowing at the condescending tone in the Hyuuga's voice. Only then did he understand, silently comprehending and mentally giving himself a whack. Slowly he knelt and made a fast show of undoing the villainous zipper, awkward as it were with a hand currently clamped in his hair. But he didn't want it to move. He'd become to used to the pressure of Neji's hand, leaning into it every chance he could grasp and almost burdening the other so that he was assured a nice tug. The release of his arousal from the damned pants came all too soon, sucking his breath as he shifted himself out enough so that they gathered at his knees.

"Stop glarin' at me. It's not pretty." He grinned this time, casually grasping the currently very present bulge through his boxers. He leaned in and almost in a form of too much intimacy brushed his lips against Neji's ear... throat... and back to his lips. Fuck whatever conscious he had. He wanted to touch and be touched and enjoy whatever the Hell this was. "You're fucking beautiful... You really are."

Neji would have to lie if this was too intimate for comfort, but the squirm it caused him to fail to fully repress would at least help with that white lie; his face, the glare slowly draining from it as he arched, certainly wasn't. Nobody had told the bastard to pick exactly those parts on Neji's body to caress. When he had to draw in a breath and not even the regained oxygen supply helped him with thinking of cynical comeback, he knew that a part of him was giving up the upper hand to Naruto.

Well, that didn't mean he had to accept it. His mouth was this close to return to occupied, too, and so he tugged at his current remaining advantage to pull the other further down by his bright hair, covering that too talkative, always too talkative trap. First he did this to the Hyuuga, and then he returned to chatting. If he wasn't going to make up his mind, said Hyuuga would take care of the matter. His free hand joined Naruto's on an instinct he hadn't known he harbored, but paid little mind to until he felt heat through fabric. The guy was wasting so much time. If it was comeback for Neji's need to relocate, it wasn't funny.

Naruto was far more used to people screaming at him to shut his trap. People would go through all options to get him to be quiet. His mouth just didn't know when to close sometimes. Yet never had he been so pleased to be silenced than he was now. His sense of the world around him was completely out of the window, but he had that bit of power craze still urging his body on. He could allow Neji this. He could let the man take over his lips and just for now he would lean into the kiss and be directed because there was no line he could draw between where he was going with the flow and when he started to like being controlled.

His body moved into Neji's hand, his own dropping to pay more attention to that dazzling body below him. There was so much he could do and so little time, acknowledging the fact that Neji just might steal his breath away if he didn't hurry up and do whatever the man thought needed to be done. Admittedly he liked the quiver in Neji's voice and he liked the way he could make him forget all stupid, cynical thought with one nice touch in the right place. But that mouth on the man could do a set of damage all on it's own, Naruto's brain going just that much farther into the shallow end. He wasn't wrong when he said the bastard was dangerous...

Clumsy fingers wrapped around the base of Neji's arousal to cease the squirming and to prove that any time wasted was only to have something gained. And he wasn't wasting anytime when it came to moving that hand or applying just the right amount of pressure. He brought his hand up and down casually, just feeling the hot muscle pulsing under his touch. It made giving Neji the upper hand above all that much more forgiving since Naruto had complete control down here. His own discomfort completely dismissed from his mind.

Despite the attention to his arousal, Neji found himself far from placated. It was unsettling, to an extent, to have something shove most of his thought processes into the very back of his head, but the sensory overload (for this was a lot more than the man had allowed himself to feel, ever) kept it from nervousness. In a sense, he was simply riled, and channeling it into boldness, picking up Naruto's pace and applying it to his clothed (why still clothed) erection, untangling his mouth from increasingly messy kisses, if that was even still the word for it.

"So what," he panted out between gritted teeth, admittedly fighting to keep up that not-quite-glare instead of inclining his head and offering more neck space (and why, why in God's name could he still feel those teeth on that particularly abused spot?), "Are your plans from here on?"

How he still managed such obscenity-evasive wording, he didn't even try to dwell on it. It must have become second nature even under highly unusual circumstances. It's not as if he currently paid it a lot of thought - no, what few thoughts were left rested with what the blond above him was doing. That idiot, always too giving, and somehow Neji attracted that urge of his especially. This had been bound to happen. At a more sober state, he would have admitted this to himself. At a sober state, he would have made sure it wouldn't.

But wasn't that entirely the point? During sex there is no thought or control. It's wild and unsettling and causes some of the worst as well as the most amazing feelings to curl in the pit of your stomach until it just... explodes all over the place. Or so Naruto would like to think of it. Perhaps it was a bad habit using sex as a sort of release. But that sort of thing was alright as long as it wasn't often, right? Right or wrong it was still done, and although any other time and any other place he would have gone against those morals and thought during one of his more mindless acts, well... He wouldn't necessarily be in this situation with this person on this bed...

Yet honestly for the moment there was nothing wrong with that. There was no reason for him to doubt himself or resent the situation. He only knew that body underneath his, the hand giving him delicious friction, and the pretty face of someone that wasn't his friend but for the occasion something so much better. Not just to let out some stress over a hectic work schedule or bad ties in school. He was happy to be with the mystery person named Neji and enjoy that time while he had it.

"I was thinkin' I could put this," his hips twitched forward and he grinned, dipping forward just to press his body all the more closer, if that were at all possible by this point. "-inside you..." Of course he was hard. He was edgy and sweaty and panting just the slightest bit. And damn if Neji remembered Uzumaki ever begging in his life... His lips went back to that claimed spot to replace the tingle with something more solid against the man's neck, purring as well as pulling down his underwear despite the barrier in the front, "Is that plan good for you...?"

Neji really didn't want to dwell on this urge to roll his eyes, to fall into their old routine of Naruto wording something in a horrendously Naruto way and the other sneering, just short of offended. If he'd had the time to envy Naruto for his state of intoxication, he would have - with time passing, it became harder not to realize he wasn't with some handsome stranger, or even someone he knew and had built up quite the load of tension with. It was pretty much his best friend, and his thought process abruptly cut off. Repression worked conveniently, especially for someone with such expertise in the matter, and while he was too far gone to ditch the other (so far from it it was ridiculous, and he briefly wondered where his control went), his current thought process didn't make matters more pleasant. It made him uneasy. Being uneasy shouldn't have an arousing effect on him.

In a brief and odd bout of awkwardness, all he managed to pant out was an uncharacteristically unelaborate, "Whatever", before gathering just enough of his senses to think of adding, "Suits you best."

Curses, he really should have had more liquor for this. Part of his impatience was simply attributable to the fact that he was thinking too much. Hoping to distract himself, he arched up, pushing those teeth harder against himself. Finally dropping even a fraction of his dignity, he added, "J-just.. do something."

Naruto was abrasive. He was a selfish character that only dotes when it's least expected. It's a rarity when he ignores how every one of his nerves is on fire and spends more time on those around him and their separate wants and issues. Though somehow he will also be there in an instant to coddle them and coo their issues away. It's an odd fashion of dealing with the odd curl in his stomach that could either be worry or doubt that drives him to do some of the most ludicrous things he's ever done. And then there's moments like this, where when he wants to do something so badly his brain still demands that attention to detail.

Oh, how he would have done what suited him best right then and there if there wasn't some odd, invisible restraint holding him back. He sighed, exasperated and bit down just enough to leave another mark to be seen and probably hidden several days down the line. What could have been a few more wasted moments of tarnishing Neji's neck out of frustration were spent more on his own fingers, wetting the two digits down enough. Just enough that he would be assured. So his stomach wouldn't curl uncomfortably. So he felt he was doing something right. So he wouldn't hurt the man because that guilt wasn't something he could handle no matter how selfish he may be.

He wanted to touch more and let his wet fingers trace down the man's stomach, watching them slip lower until they were just tracing his inner thigh. That leg went up whether or not Neji wanted it to and there was little more to the act than pushing past that vulnerable barrier with little warning or concern. He would do what he could, but in the end it was always the same. The same treatment and the same end. He could only do what he was told. His fingers curled and stroked forward, stretching and doing what two fingers could what with the unstable mind controlling them, and his voice was dry, nose pressed into the underside of Neji's jaw. "There... I'm doing something..."

Naruto was taking everything in stride, which was exceptionally helpful. Making a big deal about this would have simple riled Neji in a way that wouldn't profit either of them, but on the contrary, he was following along with little effort, not dwelling on the unusual. And in all honesty, the feeling could be worse. Part of him was grateful for the discomfort and for being provided with an excuse not to let go completely. The inevitable would come, and maybe he was anticipating it, but the sobering part of him wanted to be nervous. With Naruto? Why would he be. Neji had nothing to grasp at that would allow for him to keep his composure, but they were too far gone and Neji wanted this.

Wanted him.

"I'm not a girl," He reminded him, a little gruffly, hips jerking in an odd bout of impatience, mockery on his tongue with nothing else to busy it. His head felt light. It made him laugh a little. His voice, too, was dry, and he swallowed thickly, anticipation creeping down his neck and tickling where Naruto treated less subtly, but that was exactly what he needed, and what allowed him to be himself, to prove this was only another matter he could score excellent results in, sporting only another side of his nonchalant grace.

They worked really well together when it depended.

Neji wouldn't lose confidence in that part until the next morning.

And it had been amazing. Because that's what happens when opposites attract. The negative and positive bounce off one another again and again until finally that spark brings them together. There was bouncing... There was electricity. There had been a spark that both minds were too heavy with alcohol to comprehend. Naruto touched everything he could and moved with as much control as he could muster. He'd listened to every last sound and enjoyed consuming them just as much. Sadly though, as the panting dwindled down and their heart beats stopped feeling as if the muscle would jump out of their chests darkness came in the form of sleep. Then the energy dimmed to a soft, safe rumble between them. Sounds would be forgotten. Memories washed clean.

However, there were things Naruto would always remember despite his horrible lack of strength when it came to short and long term memory. He was better at recalling feelings, like how he had felt at a precise moment rather than what events actually transpired. So when he woke up the next morning to a feeling of warmth and something else incredibly amazing... Yeah. He would remember that. He would remember the feeling of expensive sheets that were far too fancy for his taste being yanked off his body and tossed haphazardly away. The horrible, twisted guilt in his gut as he got dressed and made his way towards the door, not wasting any time to look back... or say sorry... or even beg for forgiveness... would stay with him like an ugly scar. Because he wouldn't face it or accept that it happened and like most other feelings he had from the past they would be locked away. This was how his brain worked. In the end the part of his mind that functioned properly almost always won over the part of his heart not willing to settle with fear.

Maybe people were right when they said he wasn't mature. That he needed to grow up. There had to be some reason he felt this way. Like he should be angry with Neji for sleeping so peacefully beside him or not waking up to see Naruto as he left his apartment. It was Neji's fault for letting it happen. Neji's fault for making it feel like Naruto could stay there in the first place or feel comfortable and other things the blond was too damn much of a child to understand. And he hated himself for not having the balls to accept all the blame, go back in there, and do it all over... Do anything over. He had looked back at the window to Neji's place. He would remember the feeling that crept up his spine and made the back of his eyes sting, head throbbing.

Fear is such a fickle bitch. Good thing his bus was on time.

I think the whole worlds addicted to the drama- Part I

2009-09-27T23:01:10Z

Who: Naruto & Neji
What: What was supposed to be a casual night between friends. :(
When: Last December. And we're sticking to that.
Warning: I vaguely recall somewhere it saying that this would end in fire... huh. Anywho. This was written like... a year and a half ago? And quickly finished up. So. STANDARDS ARE WAY HIGHER NOWADAYS. DON'T JUDGE US. Part II

He was driving too fast in areas he knew he could allow himself the indulgence, his BMW gliding through streets that narrowed down as he reached downtown. As usual, sunglasses were drawn over Neji's eyes, a force of habit even if he felt absolutely indifferent to staring people by now. The corner of his mouth twitched in annoyance; he was tired from the flight and had actually lowered himself to getting some coffee in a paper cup. Too hot coffee. His tongue and throat stung now. For all subtlety in which his irritation showed, the engine gave a more obvious roar, and after the last few meters, he braked. At this rate, he would need new wheels soon. Much obliged, Starbucks. The screeching of said wheels should have been enough to announce his presence, so he gave Naruto a minute before getting out of the car.

Be it sheer luck, Naruto was in that sort of mood that meant getting ready on time and not having to rush through his tiny apartment to get out the door. No, the obvious bemusement in Neji's tone hinted that he had to be a good boy in the other's presence or fear the pain of a long walk home/sever beating with long, black hair, or anything else that the Hyuuga could whip out at a moments notice. The evening wasn't about the blond anyway, more focused on getting his friend to relax and settle back down to his happy, stoic self. One of which was buying Naruto dinner and the blond was going to mooch it for all it was worth.

Just one last scrub at his teeth with his index finger in the mirror- And perfect. He hiked up his jacket and tossed it over his shoulders, keys jingling in his hand before stuffing them in his pocket after locking his door. Needless to say he could feel Neji's wrath before even nearing the car, his grin beaming brightly as he jarred the door and slid his way casually inside.

"So. Flowers and butterflies. Huh?" He buckled himself in. "Y'sure you didn't just motocross right over the damn things getting over here?"

"I didn't slow down to check," He mused icily, feeling even his level of wits drop. How pathetic. He knew why he preferred tea. Lowering himself back into the driver's seat, he took off his glasses to examine the blond, feeling himself take comfort in his presence for now as his shoulders and eyebrow grew more lax. Having not seen him since July, Neji could have been more surprised. "Did you grow a little, or is the seat adjusted wrong?"

"Didn't know you took so much time checking me out, Neji. Got too tired of lookn' at yourself in the mirror?" Naruto mused, adjusting himself in the seat and then sitting upright enough to show his exact height. Maybe he had gained an inch or two since their last visit, having not noticed because of how busy he was recently. Despite his cocky response, there was a happy light to his eyes when he replied. Something that hadn't happened very much recently. Funny how one of the more quiet friends he had was the reason for that light feeling in his chest. "You ain't too shabby yourself either. You're coming into your womanly figure quite nicely."

"I have some leftover coffee that would go well with your additional height." By way of suggestion, he returned his attention to his baby, always a soothing matter, and restarted the engine. His irritation was merely a surface matter now, even if his mood lift was blurred out by the jet lag creeping up his back. Not that Naruto needed to know that, and was going to, as a matter of fact, if he continued to break out the insufferable gender confusion jibes again. "Should I even bother to inquire about your dinner choice?"

The night was about Neji. All about Neji. It was Naruto's job as a friend to make the night all about Neji.

Taking a slow, steady breath, Naruto knitted his eyebrows and bit back any further snarky comments. He wasn't dull in the head enough to not notice the subtle need to keep quiet for the evening. Not so much as mute as it was to keep his personality at a calm volume. So with a twitch of his head and slight force, Naruto cleared his throat and looked straight ahead, eyes narrowed. "Dunno, Neji. I'm thinking I want whatever you want. Sounds good, right?"

Lacking sunglasses, his blink, even if focused on the street, was obvious. Expression clearing up once again, he threw the other a glance, focused back on the street, one eyebrow slowly rising - alas, if all it took to get his friend to turn this considerate was to leave to Europe for two months, he should join with his peers for the winter collection. Unfortunately, school would probably not have that, and neither would his body. Eight precious pound, lost forever to insalata mista perpetuale. Eventually, he decided to refrain from commenting on the obvious effort of selflessness, and let an indulgent smirk take over his features. "It does."

"Figures." Was the slow answer, having missed Neji's facial expression and reaction, but relaxing nonetheless. It wasn't that he was a selfish sort of guy. Not at all. Naruto just had a way with not noticing what was going on around him with his friends or outside world, thinking first of himself with small issues like places to go or things to eat, and then considering his friends' opinions on the matter. Right now he was happy to know that he had done good and that was enough to satiate himself for now. Having the Hyuuga gone for over a month had been strenuous at best anyway and Naruto wasn't at all willing to have the night end unpleasantly. As quiet as the man's presence was, it was almost uncomfortable for it to be gone for so long.

"You got a lot to make up to me, man. What was I supposed to tell your little fan club if you left for much longer? I could have been mauled and you wouldn't have given a damn!"

He took the direction uptown, one hand at the steering wheel and the other reaching for his coffee, faintly hoping it had finally cooled down enough to be potable. "I'll try to think of a way." Trusting that he'd left enough of an air that indicated he was not done yet, he took his time in drinking a generous sip. "Although you accuse me of that last matter with no grounds to prove anything."

"I got to have a reason to accuse you of being a jackass? I thought shit like that was implied..." With his fate set before him, Naruto had no other choice but to simply sit back and enjoy the ride. And he did just that, letting the hum of the car be the soundtrack for the trip. Really had been far too long. If nothing else Naruto missed the car just as much as Neji, but he wasn't about to go blabbing silly things like that out of nowhere. Instead, he took the manly route and went in to snatch that warm styrofoam cup away, looking rather cheeky in the process. "'Course I could just send them to your address, right? Be the nice sorta guy and tip 'em off about your fancy cell number."

"I've started to take a disliking to moving, though, as you would certainly consider in your calculations. Especially now that I have settled so well, having cleared all disputes with the landlady, renovating, not to mention the charming lack of spiders nests." Neji pulled into a parking lot next to what looked like lounge-Asia restaurant fusion. Thrumming a little beat with the tips of his fingers on the wheel, he added in an almost mournful tone, "I would really resent leaving that."

The cup was at his lips when that slight change in Neji's demeanor peaked his senses, eyebrows furrowing as he glanced at the other. He stopped, thought, then closed his eyes as he sipped the bitter liquid, not speaking until it had slid down his throat. "You know what I'm thinking...?" His voice broke the silence before it could really begin, eyes trained on the building in front of them. "I'm thinking I would kick your ass if you ever went and left just like that."

"That is, given you could find me. Hypothetically speaking, of course, as I have no such intentions." Neji didn't need to add that he couldn't. That silly side job did not mean remotely enough to him to cause him to take such actions. He took Naruto's words and rolled them over twice, three times in his head before deciding to leave them mostly uninterpreted. No further commentary following, he slid out of the car.

"Don't go using your stupid college thesis bullshit on me, Neji. You know I can do anything when I put my mind to it." He could very well care less about the 'but's' and 'if''s' of the situation. Point was that thinking of one of his closest friends leaving made his chest feel all constricted and painful. Like he couldn't breath. It was always best to push it out of memory or simply act like it wasn't there, and if it was then he could easily defeat it. Seeing as their was no response to his query, Naruto let the point drop and stepped out of the car as well, making his way towards the door. Sometime during that pass, his attitude had been absorbed back into the deep, shady recesses of his brain and left to simmer, instead opting to reach and open the door for the Hyuuga instead.

"Ladies first."

Neji, who had deemed the matter unworthy of further commenting, if not only to prevent the conversation from taking on a too sentimental note, refrained from sneered jibes or glares. As the one unwilling to further go into increasingly irritated detail about that and why he would not leave the idiot, he'd have to swallow the usual fudging about his obvious femininity. Considering how it was nothing new, it did a barely sufficient job on soothing the Hyuuga about how at least he had evaded further awkward situations.

Pass he did, chin up just slightly and not sparing him a glance, and entered the dimly lighted lounge. "Just two," a mouthed reply to the questioning look of the nearest waiter, accompanied by two long, outstretched fingers for visual underlining.

Naruto could only look as perfectly smug and happy as he usually did when things went his way. Neji hadn't fought off his horrible teasing and he could appreciate the silence for what it was worth. It meant that he wasn't going to get hit for his bad behavior, but since when had the Hyuuga ever caused a stir in public? He admired the view instead whilst there was peace, taking his time to look over the people in the building and letting his eyes adjust to the dimly lit atmosphere. Any other guy might say this place was romantic...

Scratching at the back of his neck in an act of impatience, Naruto nudged Neji in the shoulder before walking ahead where the waiter lead them. "Fancy place they got going here. Didn't think you'd be pulling out all the stops for me, honey."

"I would like to believe I have neglected you for long enough," Was the seemingly noncommittal reply. They were eventually offered a small booth at the sidelines, window-view to the street included, his usual. Whether it was to have an eye on his precious car or to make the two-men-booth feel less stuffy was left to debate; nonetheless it seemed as though it was just another well-calculated move of the Hyuuga. If you knew how to interpret into his actions. If not, then this was just another comfortable table in a simplistic restaurant.. lounge... thing. Place.

"Neglected is a strong word ain't it?" Naruto asked curiously, a confused look drawn on his face as he gave his friend a close inspection. Sure, Neji was a nice guy when you rubbed him the right way. Sometimes kinda warm and generous when he felt the need. But someone so upfront with their thoughts always made Naruto a bit squeamish. With it being the Hyuuga of all people made it all the more weird. So instead of confronting the issue, Naruto brushed aside and shook his head, quickly taking his seat instead of trying to laugh it off. The window view was a nice touch, though. Just distracting enough to get his mind off of the seemingly innocent nature of the other this evening.

Maybe traveling really had taken it's toll. "-I mean... I get more time out of your day than most people. Gotta feel lucky for something..."

"Most people are not as insistent about me treating them to dinner." Partially, Neji was quite aware that not even a handful of friends keeping his wallet thin would break him off the generosity habit. No matter how much or little money he spent, the time he spared for it did not feel sufficient, what with him going missing for weeks, or months.

Not one to let his conscience take over and show too much, he guilelessly handed Naruto the menu. "You never quite got around to telling me how you have been faring."

Ignoring the snub, Naruto snatched the menu away and hid away behind it. The less he saw of Neji the more he would be able to get back his normal train of thought. Leave it to the jackass to go and screw around with his average way of thinking- And to pick a restaurant who could pick apart Naruto's monthly wages bit by bit if he were handling the bill. Which would lead to Naruto tilting the menu down before the dollar signs burned his retina and forced him back into the conversation.

"Nosy one ain't you... Don't you got anything better to do than to worry about all of that?" He sounded almost embarrassed, the resolve of the issue written all over his face."I... got it taken care of. I figured a way around it and all so you don't gotta keep asking."

Contrary to his slight exhaustion, Neji had the nerve to smile, mostly amused, fully to himself, if only to spare the blond the thought that he was not enjoying a private joke. It did not rest long on his features, giving way to a crooked corner of the mouth, and a furrowed eyebrow. "And now the details, as you seem to resent my concern so much." Despite his obvious authority, it sounded oddly like a suggestion.

That smile wasn't supposed to be there. At least not without some heavy lubrication of the more toxic forms of alcohol. Honestly, Naruto didn't mind his friend's more... relaxed behavior. It was just more upfront than usual and came far too easily this time around. Usually it took more coaxing and joking around on the blond's part to get Neji so, well, happy. Though the subject of his current money issues erased more than a bit of his concerns, leading him to build up the casual barrier he usually did when it came to conversing over his weaknesses...

"It doesn't have a damn thing to do with resenting. It's just not that big of a deal. So I drop a few classes to pick up the slack at work. It's just enough to get by and that's all I need..."

As presumed, the response drained him of most of his good mood, merely happy to escape Armani Hell, and kicked him back into I Told You So-gear. He had been expecting something along those lines, though, and while he was suddenly entirely unamused, he did not look inclined towards discussing the problem at length. He should have made due with some more coffee, had he wanted to revert entirely to his usual self.

Did not hurt to spare Uzumaki once or twice a year.

Uzumaki who had dropped classes, the ape.

"Your current rent?"

Like Neji's shift in emotion was that hard to figure out. Seriously, Naruto could feel the waves of regret and the beginnings of Hyuuga's more serious migraines from all the way across the table. He just couldn't see the big picture here and why everyone made such a big deal over these things. Just because he lost a few credits didn't mean that he was never going to get them in the future. But times were rough and he needed that job. The only one that hired him with full time and paid him as much as they did what with him just starting. He wasn't about the kick a gift horse in the mouth...

Funny. Seeing as he seemed to do that a lot when it came to his friend's more than obvious push to help. Leave it to Naruto to be the most oblivious person on the planet when it really mattered.

Already digging for his wallet to whip out his id for a sturdy glass of whatever sort of alcohol they served in a fancy place like this, Naruto kept his eyes downcast. "About sixty-thousand ¥ a month. Utilities not included." He left out the part that it was hard to get a place anywhere else because of his line of credit. Those 'I told you so' eyes were already doing enough damage.

For a lack of a better indulgence, Neji followed his example and reached for his coat pocket. Maybe he was going to need this more than he'd like to believe. Remaining silent while he retrieved his wallet, unfastening a shed with one hand, he kept his eyes on Naruto for a full five seconds before deciding that he had no reason to reconsider.

Along with his ID came something small and heavy enough to be flicked across the table. "Refuse to make use of it, and I will be sorely tempted to have a copy made to bash it into your thick skull," He murmured idly, scrutinizing his photo on the card. Resuming seriousness, he cast his attention back on the blond. "There is a spare room. Take your own furniture, if it aids in making you feel better about it."

A rejection on the offer would clearly not be accepted once more.

It wasn't that he had denied Neji's help in the first place. Naruto was just far too oblivious to tell what was going on right in front of his face. Unless it was hard and made a nice clink as it skipped across a marble table-

No, he pretty much got the idea then. Blue eyes turned up and away from the waitress walking towards their table to glance at the silver key instead, keeping his attention to that and letting it slowly process. During that time his expression turned from confused to reluctant... to simply stubborn and confused again. "You can't expect me to just take this. No use threatening me, Hyuuga. It's not that simple. I can't put you out like that..."

The waitress came, he flashed his id, and pointed to that pretty crystal glass of bourbon on the top shelf. If Neji's eyes could tell a story... Naruto knew he was in for it tonight. And hadn't it been meant to be a calming evening? "I can handle this. I don't see why you're making such a big deal."

"The one making a big deal is you." His tone lost some of his sharpness, wordlessly in agreement about not ruining the mood. But Neji would not allow him to drop the matter before it was headed where he wanted it. "You know that it will cause me no fiscal harm. No more than it does to drive downtown and fetch you for dinner twice a week, with the current gas prices," He allowed to slip into the conversation. It was a point. Having taken the liberty to make the waitress stand by the table for a moment, he finally lifted his own ID to her between two fingers. "The same, and a glass of water."

"I thought something was made bigger when you didn't drop. The. Subject." The ping to their daily routine had taken a bit of bite out of Naruto's previous attitude, causing him to slump and lean back in the plush chair he had been seated in. This really was a horrible environment to cause a stir in anyway. Dim lights, pretty scenery... If Naruto didn't know any better he would have pined this as some sort of date. Or at least a mock sequence of one... But this was Neji. Hyuuga Neji. Things like that didn't happen with him and a date of all things, well... He just didn't see the guy in that light. Like there was some horrible force field that made sexual advances towards the other impossible both physically and mentally.

Pocketing his id with a huff, Naruto deterred from his inner, and mostly childlike, rage, and focused once more on those empty eyes staring back at him. "So... how long do I got to move my shit before you get the entire police force at my place to 'escort' me out?"

His tone indicated that he knew fully well that he was being increasingly generous. "A week, give or take a few days." He needed to find a helping hand in moving his piano up the stairs, where he was already picturing it, now that its room was taken. Or maybe a suitable machine. With a breath rather than a sigh, he leaned back, straightening against the cushions of his chair. This.. could have been more difficult. Naruto certainly was sparing his nerves today.

Neji managed to resist, barely, giving Naruto the advice of not looking at the prices, already aware of his own choice.

-Only because Naruto had spent a good deal of the last week dealing with assholes and extra shifts at work. He was at his limit and just wasn't up to the normal stubbornness he would have been shoving out at this point. When the drinks came, it took all but a second for his hand to wrap around the glass and the icy rim to reach his lips. Yes, that did just the right kick to his nerves and had his mind back on track. Just a little alcohol to cool off the badly set mindset he had had recently never hurt...

"Ain't you a gentleman! Going out of your way to get the best men to kick me out of my home. What fairy has crawled up your ass and laid pixie dust eggs- The Hell is this, Neji?! I can't get anything off of a menu like this! What're you thinking?"

"Just pretend the comma is a digit in front." He diligently picked his glass of water to drink, for now ignoring his own bourbon. "I'll have Menu D," Was added as an afterthought to the patient waitress, and to further take the conversation topic away from the pixie dust eggs up his rectum. How Naruto always managed to lead their talk to his rear, he did not know - did not want to think about, in all honesty. No, his mind was occupied, blissfully so, with the prospect miso soup, some sushi, and fish soba. Having just returned from Italy, this was long overdue; he'd rather not think again about his attempts at finding a decent Asian restaurant in Milan.

With no other choice and a waitress now beginning to get far more impatient than was worth her time and pay, Naruto quickly pointed to a random list on the menu before handing it back to her. Hopefully it was something at least halfway decent for what Neji was paying for it. There a kick to the rear in store for the other as soon as the left the restaurant, only in fear of breaking something if he were to do so inside. "Don't you got better things to do than to waste your money like this? Maybe if you stashed it away you wouldn't have to leave so fucking much. You ever think about that...?"

That struck a chord within the Hyuuga, albeit one that came with a strong self-defense. After all, Neji rarely spent so much money on himself, car excluded. "And what makes you think I'm not stashing away the majority?" He allowed himself a sip of liquor to go with his self-reassurance, refraining from picking on whether Naruto had honestly missed him merely because it was below the belt. Also for himself. Neji wouldn't deny that if tables were turned.

Good modeling was ridiculously well-paid, and he was not going to complain about its inappropriateness. Savoring the thick liquid for a moment, he remembered his paycheck for Milan. Definitely out of place, but there, on his account. He swallowed. "I've already made plans of reducing walks after this."

"Y'never know. It's not like I'm gonna go digging around for your paycheck, Hyuuga. I got no real interest in how much money you make." And this was him being honest. All out there with his feelings on the table. If Neji couldn't see it for what it was worth then he could just royally stick it. Naruto missed his friends. Some more than others. Neji was one of those some and he should damn well treat the title with respect. But the guy could be such a piece of work sometimes...

This time when he brought the glass to his lips it lingered before he suddenly shot it back and downed the rest of the glass. Alcohol was never a good way to solve your issues, but in a high class place like this where the majority used either satiation or money Naruto saw it fit. That and the booth was still too small for any real kicking and shoving. His loss... "I'm just thinking you got to have a good reason to be leaving all the time. If it ain't the money then what reason do you have? Running away from something?"

Neji frowned briefly to himself, silent as a fatigued look passed his features in the span of few seconds. At a loss of other things to do, he followed Naruto's example and finished his glass. The food would arrive shortly, anyway; he could trust himself drinking on an empty stomach for a few minutes. "I wouldn't be sitting here if I were running away from anything," He then brusquely stated. And that was the case, wasn't it? He could have left the country when he had left his family. Shove a last piece of distance between himself and his would-be worries, but also leaving those behind that had steadied his back regardless of whether he had been a bastard or not. And Naruto... Shouldn't throw with assumptions like that. They made him think more about certain matters than was entirely healthy.

But Naruto was never really interested in Neji's background. Sure, he knew about the other man's bad past and he knew that most of the Hyuuga name was made up of some of the hugest assholes he had ever had the disinterest in knowing about. Meanwhile, he was still good friends with the guy and could ignore all of that, doing him a personal favor by never bringing up Neji's past. In some way the same was done for him as well by never conversing over his own intrepid past. Fuck it all he needed another drink...

"Fine. You're sitting here with me. But you still gotta have a reason. It's not like you're in need of cash, man..." He waved his hand towards the bartender, signaling for another glass. Tall. On ice. It was so nice not to be behind the counter for once. Being the one waited on was a nice change of pace. They just needed to keep the drinks coming so that he could get a nice haze. By now it was nothing but a dull buzz."Go ahead and inform me then. Seeing as m'so wrong. Is it all the attention? I thought you hated having everyone throwing themselves at you."

Mild irritation flitted over Neji's features. "You know how I live. I do that entirely off of my own account, and my inheritance only goes to school fees." Even if it meant never spending his father's money at all, he would not throw it out for cars or clothes. It wasn't used for dinners with his friends, either. Such as this. He could hardly claim he had to work hard for it, and so he did not count every penny at the end of the month. "I actually like my work. It's hard to throw yourself at me when I'm behind a camera lense or on a runway." Still slightly miffed, but recovering, he added, "You know that there were no problems when I did not travel as much, Naruto. I'm not blind, and I am working on it. If you think I'd rather spend my evening listening to Lagerfeld or Coco Chanel than watch you stuff your mouth with ramen, I'll consider the money I spend on said ramen a waste. And only then."

"I never said that you did! I don't even know those bastards...", he so declared, clueless to whom those fancy names belonged. To be honest he knew very little of Neji's line of work, only given bits and pieces of information when the other saw fit. And he was fine with this, never truly interested in fashion to begin with and happy to keep it that way. He never once thought that ignoring that part of his friend's life meant that they would drift apart. Maybe Neji didn't see it for what it was, but Naruto felt it. He didn't like fighting against time to be with Neji and maybe it was just petty jealousy. But Naruto wasn't at all ready to admit that. "You'll figure out that you like that stupid stuff at some point. This place will be too boring for you and-..."

And there's the alcohol. Right on time and quickly thanked for and pressed to his lips to shut him up.

His eyebrow arched high, only sign of the deeply personal offense he was taking to that would-be prediction. Before the waitress could saunter off again, he motioned her back with two fingers. "I'll have a mojito." And dismissed her. Neji was hard-pressed to not keep a hold of his annoyance and sulk for the rest of the evening; the desire to not ruin their time together prompting his order. Certainly, he would have been able to calm down without a drink, but he would have been brooding on the inside. He gave himself three seconds before picking up the topic. "Since when have I been known to have boredom issues?"

He took a moment to let those words sit, settle, before tossing them out and having a laugh at himself. "Guess you're right. You ain't the type to go looking for one. Why else would I have to go and hunt you down, right? You wouldn't have any excitement without me!" And there it was. A smile back on his face that seemed so familiar and distanced to anyone that truly knew him, fears hidden away and thoughts drowned in the smooth liquid at the bottom of his glass. He wasn't in the right place right now to be pushing that stuff on anyone anyway... "But in case you do. You can't ignore that it might happen."

"I'd like to believe I've had this occupation for long enough to know that it won't happen." Neji didn't really buy that smile, but at least they were headed towards settling the topic. Resting his chin in his palm, he watched the bartender get to work on his drink. "..But yes," He slowly added. "You always have a surprise in, at least, to keep me on my toes." Whether it was good or not, meaningful or ridiculous. He was going to take them all as he had started taking them when Naruto had nearly broken his jaw proving the point that changed his life.

... Going sentimental, again. It was about time his glass was brought to him.

"Shit changes." Was the lone and final thought. Naruto trusted Neji much more than he did select others, but when it came to things like this it never faltered to follow the same path. Things happened in life that would pull someone he cared for dearly away. It was a dreary line of thinking. He knew this. But it was the way of thinking he had grown up with and found comfort in knowing about it's presence. And that comfort made it possible for him to forget about the formidable and carry on with the evening as it should be.

He let out a warm laugh, obviously amused by the memory. A hand reached up to knock lightly against the man's slender jaw, then used his fingers to get a good touch in, examining. "Kept you around didn't it? You gotta get a daily surprise or what good would I be to keep around?"

Neji's shoulders tensed a little, but it was an improvement from a time when he would not let anyone touch him at all. One eyebrow arched, he inclined his head as if to aid in Naruto's examination, or simply draw his attention away from his face in case he slipped and ended up showing his inherent awkwardness. No, it was probably the better choice to arch his neck like that. The response was sneered. "I hope I didn't just jinx anything."

"Eh? You can do that?"

Naruto's laugh lingered on this time, mood brightening and dropping his hand after seeing what he wanted to see. The guy still had the most feminine face out there, good for confusing the people out there that were into that sort of thing. Neji had a good, deep voice, though. Something that shouldn't confuse anyone at all if they took a moment to let it process. Meanwhile, the other's discomfort was left unacknowledged by Naruto's oblivious nature. Drink number three was ordered. "I thought everything was perfect in Hyuuga-verse. You telling me that some of the walls are chipped?"

The waitress taking order number three luckily also brought Neji's drink number two. He picked it up briefly post-recovery to take a cooling gulp, ice, lime and mint giving him an instantaneous false impression of a clearer mind. "Not everything goes according to plan, as much as my family would treasure that." A small smirk curled the corner of his mouth that could be mistaken for bitterness, but actually was grim amusement; as if Naruto didn't know that. As if he hadn't been the first break in Neji's own routine. "Don't tell me you're surprised."

"Your family doesn't know shit. What's fun about perfect anyway, huh? If you always expect everything to go right..." His thumb marked some nonsensical path up the side of his glass, the moisture collecting and budding close to the heat of his hand. "-Then you'll never have fun 'cause it'll be predictable..." The thought sit, eyes drifting from his drink, then to that awful smirk, his vision narrowing and taking far more time than he would have liked to examine the Hyuuga's mouth. "So I'm glad you're as fucked up as the rest of us. Is what I'm trying to say..."

The expression drained from his face at Naruto's choice of wording, but it was something he had grown used to. There were other statements that he could take offense at, and they had just escaped a conversation topic that very well made him. "You've rarely flattered me like this," He retorted flatly, pale eyes creeping to their corners as he noticed the waitress approaching with their order. A blessing. Maybe he could dare continue his drinking now, at least.

"I figure you deserve it after that trip you had. You were gone longer than usual." He could feel the side effects of his alcohol consumption, a blissful glow overcasting his eyes and a warm sort of comforting tingle underneath his skin. Naruto knew he wasn't close to being finished anytime soon and took comfort in knowing that Neji would take care of him, his own drinking aside. The smell of food was what caught him off guard, turning his attention away from Neji for only a moment when the plates were set down before them- Udon. Tempura udon. He could live with that. "And I may have even missed you. Just a little bit..."

Take care of him, alright. His large couch was already set up for drying out, just in case he would get a little too tipsy to drive Naruto home instead of taking the short route to his own place. The slight burn of rum on his tongue was a too nice change to ignore, so the latter outcome was getting more predictable. Putting down his glass barely after he'd stifled a dry chuckle on a sip, he straightened to let the waitress put down his bowl and plate. "Missed me a little in three months." He didn't seem piqued, though, and refrained from trying to coax more from his tipsy friend. Instead, he started on his miso soup.

He wasn't at all expecting to go home anyway. Not when bourbon came into play. Actually, when any alcohol at all was brought into picture, Naruto was all too willing to depend on his partner at that moment in time to take care of him. Of course he had been skipped out on before, so even if things didn't go according to plan he would be able to manage on his own. Or at least fork out for a cab. "A little bit more than a lot..." , he finally added, grabbing a pair of nearby chopsticks to stab at the contents of his bowl. Not too bad for a place that probably charged for the ancient porcelain the noodles were put in. "You're the only guy I know that'll have time for me 'sides wasting it on school."

Neji looked up from his bowl in mild interest as he was provided with more information than he had worked towards, but quickly blamed the alcohol for the elaborativeness of his friend. And ironically, he spoke of time, when Neji just up and left the country for a couple of months. Sometimes he genuinely wondered whether he deserved the credit he was given. But he wouldn't be Hyuuga Neji if he didn't work towards meeting and exceeding expectations, and he accepted that Milan had been a one time mistake and would well be accounted for. "Nh, you grow on people with taste." Tongue already loosened, he had to notice with a pang of gruff embarrassment in his chest. Well, if he was lucky, Naruto wouldn't pick up on the compliment and tease him while it was easy to do so.

... Neji rarely trusted his luck.

A moment passed where Neji's words entered his groggy mind and settled warmly, leaving Naruto to glance up when they registered, a horribly flustered smile tugging at his lips. "-And a required taste I am, right?" Neji hadn't needed to say that. The guy could have just let it be and Naruto could have continued sulking for a good five minutes before dropping the subject entirely. But that was nice. Really, very nice to hear... He scooted closer then, the round seat making it comfortably easy to slide around without causing much of a fuss. The other was radiating a sort of warmth right now that was so tempting. And Naruto liked warm.

When close enough, he pulled his bowl over closer as well, acting as if nothing happened before puncturing a fried shrimp with his chopsticks. Unfortunately for Neji it would seem that the alcohol had taken on a dozing effect, the more childish side of Naruto's mind put to rest for the night. "I don't think it too shabby y'know..." , a laugh, "That I grow on people like I do. I just don't wanna be one of those ugly moss things y'see on those planet shows. That stick to the tree- fungus? I don't wanna be someone's fungus. 'Cause then what fun will they have? They'd have to lug me around with them and have everyone point and stare.... And what kinda life could you have when that happens?"

... There could definitely have been a worse reaction than that. Keeping interested eyes on the scooting and then Naruto's expression during the little fungus-talk, he allowed himself to drain the rest of his glass. Once done, he put it near the other empty glasses for the waitress to pick up, and with leisure, crossed his legs. "I doubt that's going to happen to you soon." He'd seen fungus types, to make use of Naruto's words. Several of them had tried to take advantage of his patience in Italy, and while they were hardly comparable to what Naruto was to him, he could never see him with that attitude.

Well, he wouldn't be surprised if more alcohol meant even less distance between them. He could allow that. There had been enough distance in form of several countries and a tidbit of ocean for a while. That accounted for some compensation. Neji was the generous type, after all. Not that it wasn't relevant to his own interests.

That made him smile. Neji was always good at that sort of thing right? Despite the guy's quiet disability he really was nice to talk to and just the right thing to set you straight when you really need it. Naruto needed it and clung to it. "That's alright for now. I don't want to make anyone unhappy. Or stress 'em out. 'Cause what fun is that anyway..." , he spoke more to himself, considering a- what was it... fourth or fifth drink by now? He had to slow down or he'd be a total soaked sponge by the time they left this fancy place. He didn't want to put that burden on Neji.

Then again the guy was paying. He lifted his finger for the fourth/fifth... maybe sixth. "So I'll move in with you. And I'll do what you want me to do because it'll make you happy." The bowl was much more fun to look at now, chopsticks stirring the expensive broth slowly. "But it's your funeral."

Neji, meanwhile, indulged in his soba for a moment while his tipsy friend babbled about consequences hardly worth mentioning. As though he didn't know what he was in for. He replied, accordingly unimpressed, with a hum in his throat while going through his memory of the cocktail menu. " 's long as you leave composing my epitaph to Tenten or Sakura." One daiquiri.. or two would be last - he knew his limits (and the approximate sum of his bill), and this was as far as he would push them when he had to get them home safely. Naruto, and his precious car. He would rather sleep in the convertible than call for a cab and leave the Z4 in this part of town all night. But with his blond company there, it would get rather stuffy-- Doing a 180 degrees turn in his thoughts, he frowned in bemusement. Neji didn't have to justify that he was not getting batshit smashed tonight. Or any other night. No matter the tempting atmosphere.

But there was still time.

A wonderful cloudy film took over Naruto's vision, the edges far fuzzier than they were a drink or so ago. Leave it to his body to take it's time to let the alcohol slowly absorb. It was a calming feeling, though. The bourbon was just what he needed to get him to relax and just enjoy his time, making it far easier to be agreeable like Neji apparently wanted him to be. "What do they have to say...?" , he asked curiously, his glass back on the table and sitting back casually in the booth. His body had shifted closer once again at some point, warmth coming off the closest body so nicely- he wanted in on some of that...

Then his world was absorbed back into his skull instead of living so externally, a bit of logic still packed away. A warm body was more than tempting. Anyone was tempting- And it was Hyuuga. So that was enough for him to push aside the usual side effects of his sinful drinking, for the most part anyway, and gave him the strength he needed to give a casual tug on his sleeve instead. "Ne... go on and talk, Neji! Saying big words like that make no sense to me right now. You gotta speak slowly... Epitaph..." A snort. "You should talk more anyway. Y'got a pretty voice."

With the heat currently invading his personal space, Neji took some of his self-restraint to not readjust his collar; usually the one with the tendency for cold hands and other limbs, he had dressed accordingly, and was welcomed with the stifling results now. Why Naruto, who seemed plenty warm, himself, was seeking out his close company now, he'd rather not think about. The compliment sent a flush over his neck, but didn't noticeably reach his face-- the alcohol had already settled some color, there.

A slow smirk ghosting over his features, he discarded his chopsticks without wondering when his appetite had been replaced by the increasing haze settling over him. It couldn't be too hard to handle that one. "It's a gravestone inscription, Naruto," He obliged to the blond's request, mildly cynical and very happily allowing his tongue to roll over the words extra-slow, voice dipping down a few notes at the name. Drawling almost as obviously as when he had been called by Sakura after six- or, had it been.. ten, something-- drinks in Spain. All things considered, he might be able to work around that, or even with it.

There was an insatiable need for heat when it was offered so freely. Naruto enjoyed sunny days because he could lay out and simply take it in, winter days because he need not try hard to keep warm. His body was so awkward in the weirdest ways and he had learned to endure. During risqué activities he would become overheated, blinded by the force of the warmth around him so much so that it was hard to control his actions. Weird thing body temperature was. Tempting him to curl those fingers in Neji's sleeve instead of tugging childishly. He shifted closer, his chest fitted nicely against a toned bicep.

"Yeah..." An answer without a reason behind it, his tone huskier than it really should have been in this sort of setting. Where the elderly enjoyed the high life not too far away and well dressed waitresses waited on everyone around them. The candlelight danced on their table, flickering back and forth and making that numbing haze so damn irresistible... He pressed his face against what could have been the softest material he had ever felt and breathed deep, his grip tightening. "Gravestone...? But you're not going anywhere..."

Neji almost found himself distracted by the way he was suddenly too aware of the breath he took too slowly, a reflex. And maybe, the fact that the slight tension in his shoulders was amiss when it should have accompanied the close contact. Almost. Instead, he scrutinized the other, eyelids growing heavier, and decided to refrain from pointing out that Naruto was the one who had declared their flatmateship-to-be his funeral. Decided, in fact, that the daiquiri would have to wait until next time. Noticed out of the corner of his eye that one waitress was watching, and decided, at last, that it would be prudent for the semi-drunk to take the fully drunk home; whether it was to pursue this admittedly interesting situation elsewhere, or get him to sleep and out of his sleeve, it was the only thing he refused to decide.

"I'm going, alright. To take care of the bill." The waitress, caught as she noticed his eye contact and a small gesture while he mused to Naruto, and scurried off. If the other was fine with staying huddled up to him like this, he wasn't going to push him away for when she would return. He had no reason to, and several against.

Of course Naruto had very little reason to move. Here he was offered a warm, comfortable shoulder for which to press his face into. A nice shoulder it was, scented like Neji with a soft air of soap and probably some other girly cologne that he picked up during his trips in Paris or Italy. He could still feel the presence of others wandering around him and going about their business. But with his eyes closed it meant near to nothing. It was dark behind those heavy lids and he could only concentrate on the buzz and hum of business without fully taking his mind off of that soft cloth and full muscle underneath his nose. And upon close inspection that same warmth was all over, taunting him and causing his fingers to flex and travel further down, resting on the bend of Neji's elbow and tightening there.

It felt nice. Skin against the tips of his fingers and a pulse that promised life under pretty, light skin. He could open his eyes halfway then, the light in the restaurant not helping in his fight to stay awake. Damned if he thought anything promising about the man next to him. There were the usual impure thoughts that followed after his blood alcohol level reach the above legal limit. When said thoughts were being directed towards Neji of all people and when Naruto wasn't exactly fighting them off- Well... 'Fuck. I'm wasted...'

The Hyuuga was disturbingly aware of finger pads on his pulse point, one of many whose location he knew more than well no matter his state of intoxication. In response, while he was waiting and unable to distract himself, he found himself caught up in watching his drunk friend's demeanor. No, it was more than overdue they leave before Naruto was given the opportunity to embarrass either of them with whatever must have been going on in his hazed mind - Neji refused to give it a lot of thought, subconscious helpfully supplying mental images to replace it. Once his imagination had celebrated its revival, estimated after his second Mojito, it had been becoming a challenging task to repress it.

Fortunately, after long minutes, there was the waitress. And there was Naruto, still clinging and partially draped over him, but fortunately, he only needed one hand to pay. Not even waiting for the change, he gave the other a considerably subtle nudge. "We're leaving."

You meet her in a parking lot . . .

2009-09-27T04:50:23Z

Who: Ino. And every in Japan. ~~In her pants~~
What: Birthday. Late. Birthday. AHAH.
When: September 23rd, late evening
Where: idc that this place is in London irl. PRETEND.

So. Much. Purple.

Balloons everywhere and enough sparkles to blind Liberace on a good day. The music was blasting loudly and people were piling in. Some of which were right off the street, but who cared? Free food, open bar. All for the little princess of the ball. Who was the girl? Why did she matter? The crew and waiters of the club weren't paid to care. They were there to service the patrons every whim, working the night to perfection. One last click at the cascading curtain of lights flickered on completing the violet beautiful disaster that was the parties theme.

They were paid to make dreams happen. Dreams that would cover all the expenses for the lights, hired body gaurds, and DJ. Perfection.

The bass from the speakers stretched out into the city streets, high beats wrapping themselves around all that would hear, dragging the victims in to join the madness. What did it matter that no one knew who the girl was? This was her party and they could go on living without knowing.

A platform for their bodies to move made her just as important as she would be had they known her name. Happy birthday, mystery girl.

_{[OOC: Britt. You. OWE. Me.]}

last_stretch @ 2009-09-26T11:46:00

2009-09-26T17:09:57Z

Who: Shikamaru, Ino
What: ... one-sided friendship except not really.
Where: High school.
When: Three years ago, second year of high school. (Japan only has 3 years of high school.)
Warnings: So backdated. And references to sex. And STDs.

Shikamaru had always thought class was easy. That is, until one teacher started giving a damn about what was going on in his head. Crossing his arms, he leaned back on his chair while staring at the blackboardeam, before throwing his arms up and sighing, not really caring to solve the problem presented to him.

"I told you," he started, holding back a yawn and failing. "I don't know the answer."

The blackboard eraser hit him in the head, and the teacher scoffed. "I call bullshit. Come up to the board and do the problem."

But fact of the matter was, it was too much of a pain in the ass to walk all the way to the front of the class, much less stand up. Instead, he stared at the board in his usual lazy manner, wondering why this teacher kept picking on him. Sure, he knew the answer to the problem. But that didn't mean other students, who were more willing to show off their prowess, didn't either. Instead, he sighed and picked up a pencil and paper from the desk behind him, writing down two or three lines, before folding the paper up into an airplane and tossing it to the front of the class.

It was a good thing the bell rang to save his ass from a lecture from hell. As if on cue, he gave the notebook back to his neighbor before slumping forward, ready to take a nap.

Nara Shikamaru was notorious for never leaving his seat in school. And this was a prime example of it.

[closed - in progress] Where are you taking me?

2009-09-22T20:23:58Z

Who: Hinata and Naruto to start, Tenten and Kiba to join the chorus
What: Naru drags Hina out to be social, and the unexpected happens.
Where: The Cafe
When: some random afternoon
Warnings: blushing, fidgeting and just all around Hina cuteness coupled with standard male reactions to said cuteness

When Naruto had shown up and insisted he was taking her out Hinata had been excited. Other then campus and a few store runs she hadn't really gone anywhere since her arrival. A trip out somewhere was just what she needed. And she liked Naruto. It has been weird when she first met him at the airport but he was so laid back, so easy going it was hard for her not to.

But now after spending an entire busride mashed up against him from lack of standing room, clinging desperately to his sleeve in fear that they would get seperated and she'd never find her way home in the throng of people, the poor girl couldn't help but wonder what the hell she'd been thinking when she agreed to go with him.

"N-not to sound cliche or anything but..." she looked up at him with big, slightly terrified eyes. "Are we there yet?"

ongoing | backdated | so closed

2009-09-19T18:14:56Z

Who: Sakura, Shikamaru
What: How they met could really shed light on why she was so annoyed with him all the time.
Where: Intro to Bio.
When: One year ago, 2nd week of their freshman year.
Warnings: Backdated like holy crap.

It was great. In a way.

Her roommate at the college dorms had kept her on all night with her talk about this boy and that boy and how Sakura needed a date so badly because, like, that weekend they'd have to go to a frat party all the way in the Engineering campus. She was tired, wanted a coffee for the first time in her college life, and the guy next to her was tempting her into doing the exact same thing he was. Sleeping.

Except, no. He also annoyed her. Because his soft snoring was keeping her from taking notes, and she liked this class (so far). Okay, they weren't snoring, more like deep breathing, but it was embarrassing. Had he no shame? No education? Just who was he, to come to this course and snooze off like...like his rich parents were paying for his education but he really couldn't care less.

'Others have to work they way to the top, you know?' she thought, directing the snoozing lazy-ass beside her a glare from the corner of her eyes. 'We don't have the luxury of sleeping because our roommates are too noisy, too annoying, too dumb -- oh God, wake up.' So angry was she at his carefree attitude, and the way he slept made her so envious, that she couldn't help it.

Making sure the professor was looking away, she elbowed the benchmate in the side.

[closed - in progress]

2009-09-14T05:17:03Z

WHO: Karin, Uzumaki Naruto
WHAT: Karin goes to the karaoke bar to take up Naruto's offer on them meeting.
WHERE: Meromero - the karaoke bar.
WHEN: Late Thursday, Sept. 10
WARNINGS: I don't even. Who knows, with them?

She'd pulled on her good heels for the occasion - not the new ones, which needed their own event, but the ones were long since broken in, and somehow matched almost every one of her outfits. In the large bag at her side were her work clothes, rolled up with a rubberband around them so they wouldn't take up too much space. Like hell was she going to go out looking overly professional (unless she was aiming for sexy librarian, which was always nice in its own).

It was the first time she'd had a chance to really go anywhere since she'd come to the city, because all those times she got lost heading home from work didn't fucking count.

The thought of how she'd recognise Naruto didn't quite occur to her, because they'd not so much as exchanged numbers (though Karin could find had his easily if she just looked a little, she was sure), but she'd always had a knack for picking someone out of a crowd. Though, she had to admit, she usually went looking for the hottest guy in the room if she had to pick any one person out of a group.

Crumpling the instructions she'd written down earlier on how to get from the Apple store to Meromero and shoving them in her purse, Karin made her grand entrance (which wasn't very grand at all, but she was there, at least).

[ Closed - In Progress | Give me just a second and I'll be all right ]

2009-09-10T04:20:51Z

Who: Tenten and Uchiha Itachi
What: Friends making with music?
Where: Music Department of the University
When: September 10th; early morning

There was something eerily calm about the silence that greeted her when Tenten slowly creaked open the door. It was tranquil. It was familiar. After two years of walking the same halls to that very room, it could not be anything else. And besides the buildings where her own classes were held, this was the only place on campus that the young girl knew by heart. And she was not even majoring in Music.

This had been one of the better arrangements that she had made over the years. Convenient. As long as she did not interfere in the classes or cut into the actual student's practice times, the Head of the Department allowed her to make use of the piano. For his love of the written notes. Because he held a small measure of pity for Tenten's lack of funds. Or because she had simply been that convincing with her cause. It did not matter the reason. He had said yes. And she was not going to question it.

Setting her things aside in a chair near the door, it was an easy trek across the room to the piano that just seemed to call out to her in its siren song. It had been a while since Tenten had a chance to play. With the summer break, came an endless string of work hours that were necessary for her to survive in the city on her own. And so access had been next to none. But now, with the start of the new semester and less hours at the cafe...

There would be music again.

"Did you miss me?"

[ Closed - In Progress | You can tell me it's not right ]

2009-09-02T02:04:07Z

Who: Tenten, Naruto, Kiba
What: What starts out as a carefully disguised plan turns into a mess of affection. And nothing but trouble. But did you expect any less from Kiba and Naruto?
Where: Far and Wide Cafe
When: [Backdated] Thursday, August 20; Lunch Rush [11 AM - 1 PM]
Warning(s): ...You'll see. We're all old enough, right?

Heaving a heavy breath, Tenten hesitantly made her way across the floor to the table by the window. It was only one of a number that she had eventually been assigned through her years of working at the cafe. And for the most part, there had been little to no problems. But recently, it had become one of the most dreaded areas in the entire establishment. Not to imply there was anything physically wrong with the area or any sort of problem with the location itself. Rather, it was because of just who chose to occupy said area.

Norio.

Every day it was the same. For the past month, at the very least. During the lunch rush (and only when Tenten was scheduled to work it, she later found out) he would perch himself at that very same table and wait for her. Most days, his order was the same -- a cafe mocha with two percent milk, and a swiss and turkey panini -- except for when he would inquire about other items on the menu to strike up a conversation with her. It had seemed fairly harmless to her. At first. And generally speaking, having regular customers coming into the cafe every day was an ideal concept for any establishment.

The problem came when said customer started showing more interest in his server than the actual menu.

The suit and tie told her that he worked in one of the business buildings nearby. Possibly even on campus just further down the street and on the other side of the park. Either way, he certainly did not have time to focus his attention on someone like her. And with other patrons vying for her full attention and quick service, there was simply no time to properly deal with the matter, although that did not mean Tenten did not make any attempt to defer his advances. It just meant that none of them had worked so far. And she was running out of ideas.

Imploring Naruto's help had been her last resort. Not because of any sense of desperation, but because it was a definite plan destined to work. Along with a host of other reasons. Because of their friendship and how it functioned. Because of how others outside their small circle of companions seemed to view their relationship. And because... running to him every single time there was a problem of this magnitude just did not seem fair. Not after what he had done for her so many years before.

She only hoped that Naruto was able to get there in time.

"Norio," she greeted with her usual smile, "The usual today?"