Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

So before we begin let me say I'm super excited to bring you my first story on this platform!  I've been writing under a different screenname for what seems like forever.  This is the first time in years that I've started writing again and I'm excited to see this story to fruition.  I have been toying with the idea of a modern ShikamaruxReader/OC school fic for a long time, but reading Falling for my Sensei by @M_likes2write on Wattpad is what pushed me to start actually typing out the words. (Like seriously guys, if you haven't read it yet, what are you doing with your life?)  This story is heavily influenced by that story and, as such, is dedicated to @M_likes2write.

WARNING: Drug use, fowl language, and consensual/nonconsensual sexual situations are present throughout multiple chapters of this story.  If any of these situations are triggers for you, regrettably, I suggest you do not read this story.

***

"I'm home!" I called out, turning the doorknob and stepping into the apartment. I was immediately assaulted with the smells of beer and pizza and the sounds of jeering and laughter from multiple voices.

'Having the guys over on a Sunday night and didn't even tell me.' I sighed annoyed. All these rules he sets for me, but he doesn't worry about following any of them. I took a deep breath and readjusted the bags in my hands. I tried to take the scowl off of my face as I walked into the living room and gazed at the group of men lounging around in various positions taking up all the seating.

I failed.

"Getting in a bit late aren't we?" My older brother put his slice of pizza down to glare at me.

"Having a party at the house are we?" I rolled my eyes making my way over to the coffee table.

My brother's friends snickered. I stepped over Asuma's controller cord as I passed by the recliner headed for the couch. I pushed passed Kakashi's legs and motioned for my brother to move his outstretched leg so I could sit between the two of them. He made eye contact, made a face, and looked back towards the tv where Genma was totally getting owned by Asuma.

"Ass," I sat my bags down in the floor and leaned over to grab a bottle of beer off the coffee table. As I sat down in the floor between Kakashi's legs I used the bottom of my shirt to twist the top off the bottle.

I felt my brother's eyes staring as I took a good chug of beer, "Seriously Kumaraki? You're still seventeen."

"Seriously Obito," I mocked him, "For literally two more weeks. Then you can't boss me around anymore."

"Which reminds me, how are we going to celebrate little Kumaraki's transition from jail bait to legally available?" Genma turned around to hand me his controller, tired of getting his ass kicked by Asuma. I grabbed it and winked at him. I loved flirting with Obito's friends, we knew it really pissed him off. We loved watching him squirm.

"I think I want to go out with the girls. That's why I was so late. I ran into Ino while I was shopping for a birthday dress. We're thinking of going to that game hall, Kamata Plaza they have a dance floor, karaoke rooms, and a bar," I selected my character.

"Where did you even get the money to go shopping anyway," Obito was opening his own beer, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Auntie Mikoto gave me an early birthday present," I stuck my tongue out at him waving a gift card back and forth.

"So what all did you get," Kakashi purposefully went for the pink bag. It was a little smaller than the others and I'm pretty sure they all knew what store it was from.

"None of your business nosy," I slapped his hand away and watched his lips form into a pout.

"It's getting late Kumaraki why don't you get ready for bed. You have school tomorrow," He told me after I had finished my second beer.

"Whatever, Dad," I stood up and grabbed my bags with one hand. With the other I grabbed the bag of weed, the grinder, and a shell from the coffee table.

"Roll one up for us Kashi, I'm going to take a shower really quick," I dumped the stuff into his lap.

"I'll be back out. Don't drink all the beer," I directed that towards Obito.

As I walked down the hallway towards my bedroom I could hear Asuma tease Kakashi, "You do whatever she tells you to don't you?" He made a sound like a whip.

I heard my brother clear his throat, annoyed. I grinned walking into my room and shutting the door behind me. My brother's best friend was also my favorite. He had always been around, ever since him and my brother were in elementary school. Plus he was fine as hell and I had an attraction to older men.

I dropped my bags in front of my dresser and began to strip my clothes off. I threw them in my laundry basket and plugged my phone into the charger on the bedside table. I turned on the small radio I had sitting on the bathroom counter and fiddled with the dial as I waited for the water to get hot. I found a station I liked and began to hum along to the music as I stepped into the shower.

I always loved a hot shower, and by hot I mean magma hot. I loved it when it felt like I was standing in the middle of a volcano. I could have stayed in there for forever, but I went quickly knowing they were waiting for me to smoke the blunt. When I got out, I halfway blow-dryed my hair and threw it up in a high ponytail, my bangs falling over my right eye. I slipped on a pair of black soft shorts and my favorite gray hoodie. It had been one of Kakashi's that I cut into a crop top. I pulled my ponytail out from my hoodie, feeling it tickle my lower back.

I grabbed my phone off the charger and headed back into the living room. As I walked down the hallway I checked my messages. I had one from Ino and one from Shikamaru.

Ino:

That dress looked bomb on you girl! We're getting you a

boyfriend for your birthday for sure! Let's hang out later

in the week to plan the party.

                                                                                                                                                                        Me:

Sounds great Ino. I'll see you tomorrow.

I walked back into the living room and scowled. Obito and Kakashi were both lying down, feet in the middle of the couch, backs resting on the arms of the couch. 'Can't even sit on my own furniture.'

I grabbed another beer and sat down on the floor between Kakashi and Asuma. I pulled out my phone to text Shikamaru back while Kakashi lit the blunt and began taking puffs.

Shikamaru:

Hey you want me to come over tomorrow after school?

I got some new stuff for us to try.

Me:

Definitely! We should meet up early before school and try

some then. It's the only way I'm going to make it through

                                                                        Mr. Tojiro's class.

I took the blunt from Kakashi's outstretched hand and sucked in a big hit. I closed my eyes and released the smoke before I used the next breath to inhale some more. This time when I blew my hit out I could already feel the familiar feeling wash over me. I went to hand the blunt to Asuma as I read Shikamaru's newest message to me.

Shikamaru:

What a drag. Raki, you of all people should know I

don't do things early. I'll walk with you after school though.

"Ohhhhh Shikamaru's coming over tomorrow after school," Asuma said from above me, taking the blunt out of my hand.

"Oh really?" now Kakashi was leaning over my other shoulder.

"And they're walking home together," Asuma said in a high-pitched voice, hands clasped together in front of his chest.

"I hate you," I glared at Asuma, taking the blunt from Kakashi.

I held the blunt between my teeth, taking a hit, I texted Shikamaru telling him that I would see him tomorrow. After a few more rounds the blunt had become so short it was getting hard to hit. When it came back around to me I put it out in the ashtray and pocketed the roach in my shorts. I checked my phone again to see what time it was. 10:45. It was getting kinda late, and I was not looking forward to school tomorrow.

"Well guys I'm calling it a night," I stood up and stretched with my arms over my head, the hoodie riding up dangerously high.

"Jesus Christ Raki! Can you go put some clothes on?!" Obito sat up straight, covering his eyes.

"This is my house too. Kiss my ass," I smacked my ass and began walking towards my room.

"I mean I really could, you've got it hanging out everywhere," Obito exclaimed, his hands gesturing wildly.

"I bet Shikamaru doesn't mind it hanging out everywhere," Asuma chuckled.

"Uggghhhh! ASUMA!" I yelled out, exasperated, already halfway down the hallway.

"I love it when you scream my name!" Asuma yelled back.

"GOODNIGHT IDIOTS!" I didn't know if they heard me or not.  They were still laughing at Asuma's lewd joke and Obito's reply of 'What the fuck dude?'

I laughed shutting my bedroom door. I walked over to my bed and flopped down. I put my phone on my charger and set the alarm. Grabbing the tv remote from the bedside table, I replaced it with the roach from my pocket. I would need that when I woke up, no way in hell I was doing a Monday morning sober.

I turned on my tv and put it on some true crime show. You know, something peaceful to fall asleep to. I laid back and closed my eyes and let that blunt send me to dreamland.

***

'No boy, no cry! One, Two, Three Go! Gin Iro No-'

The alarm on my phone pulled me out of my sleep. I groaned and looked at my phone. 7:00 am, too early. I slunk out of bed and walked over to my closet. Kicking the bags of clothes from yesterday and opening my closet doors, I grabbed my uniform off the hanger. Afterwards I looked in the mirror and sighed loudly.

Ugly gray skirt and slightly age-inappropriate thigh high stockings. Check

White button up shirt, yellow sweater vest, and red tie combo. Check

Thin pointless blue sweater cardigan to pull it all together. Check

I slipped on the thin white canvas shoes I usually wore with my uniform as I plopped down at my vanity. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and feathered my bangs across the right side of my forehead. Same old, same old. I was getting tired of the monotony of my everyday life. I didn't want to to stay in this town. I didn't want to go to this stupid school. But what choice did I have?

'You are an Uchiha, and we have a reputation to uphold.' The words of my grandfather echoed in my head.

I lightly sucked my teeth, gazing at my reflection in the mirror. An Uchiha. I didn't even look like an Uchiha. I definitely favored the Ikeda side of our family with my silver hair and green eyes.  My skin was even darker than my older brother and full-blooded Uchiha cousins.  Not only did I feel out of place, I looked it. My father used to say I was my mother made over. In looks, and attitude. Since the accident I haven't felt very much like my old self. I doubt my mother would've let her shit fall apart like I have so far. I'm halfway thankful they aren't around to see me like this.

'Way to make 'em proud Kuma.'

I made sure the wings of my eyeliner matched each other and my lip gloss wasn't smeared. I pulled up my stockings before I stood up. I grabbed my phone, the roach, and my school bag and shut my bedroom door behind me. When I made it down the hallway I could see Kakashi passed out on the couch.

I smirked. Walking over, I put my bag down on the floor by the coffee table. I noticed a pipe and a little pile of weed in a cigarette cellophane. The only free space on the couch was the front half of the very middle cushion. Kakashi was semi bent over with his ass pressed into the back of the couch. I sat down and wiggled a bit creating room before I started breaking down the roach into the pipe.

I knew Kakashi felt me sit down because within the next few seconds I felt him stir and prop himself up on one elbow. I could feel him watching me pack the bowl. I felt my cheeks heat up, wondering what that meant.

"Wake and bake?" I turned to face him.

"Don't you have school?" He asked me as I handed him the pipe.

"Don't you have work?" I countered.

"It's my day off," he took his hit and handed it back.

"Must be nice," I rolled my eyes taking a hit of my own.

"You're going to be late if you don't hurry."

"I have just enough time to finish this bowl if someone would take his turn instead of trying to act like my daddy," I said tapping my fingers on my thigh.

"Someone needs to act like your daddy," he said blowing smoke out of his mouth.

I almost choked on my hit. 'God damn! Did he really just say that?' Hopefully I kept my cool enough for him not to notice. I took another big hit, staring at him. I really did have to get going, especially if I wanted Ino to wait for me. I smirked and stood up. I blew out my smoke and bent over to pick up my bag, purposefully sticking my ass out a little more than I needed to.

"Well I'm currently taking applications, tell your friends to apply," I half turned around as I walked to the front door and left the apartment. 

***

So what did you guys think?  I'm always worried about making my chapters a decent length so hopefully this isn't too short.  This is kinda just a test run to see how you guys respond to this story.  Please tell me what you think!  Just don't be mean 'bout it 'k!?

Chapter Text

I'll keep this short and sweet since at this point no one has read my story and I'm talking to no one. ( -_-)'  I really can't wait to get some feedback on this story.  I wanna know what you guys think!

WARNING: this chapter contains descriptions of drug use and foul language

***

"He said what?!" Ino squealed her face turning red.

"And so I told him that I was taking applications and to tell his friends," I laughed tightening my ponytail.

"I can't believe you said that!" she exclaimed, walking with me into the school courtyard.

I grinned, sticking my tongue out at her while flashing a 'victory' sign with my fingers. We walked up to where Sakura and Hinata were sitting on one of the many benches littered throughout the courtyard. They smiled and waved us over as we approached.

"Morning you two! You guys ready for the physical fitness assessment today?" Sakura asked leaning on the arm rest of the bench.

"Are Choji's favorite potato chips salt and vinegar?" I shrugged, asking her rhetorically.

"I thought his favorite was barbeque?" Ino looked at me confused.

"My point exactly," I side-eyed her as I pulled out the little disposable vape from the side pocket of my bag.

"Raki!! Those things will kill you! Not to mention if Mr. Shimura catches you you'll get suspended. You know he's got it out for you," Sakura began looking around for any sign of said teacher.

I sighed taking a big puff in defiance, "He's got a weird obsession with all the Uchihas."

"It could be worse Sakura. Plus at least it smells pretty good they might not ever know," Hinata, bless her sweet heart, she was always trying to stick up for whoever was taking shit.

"Come on junior felon, we're going to be late for the first bell," Ino pulled me along with her and the others.

I scoffed and followed along with her arm-in-arm beside the other two girls as we walked down the hallway.

"So where are all the guys? The courtyard was awfully quiet this morning," Ino looked over to Sakura.

"Not sure. I saw Naruto, Shino, and Kiba come in earlier, but I don't know where they went off to. I haven't seen Sasuke all morning either, come to think of it," she pouted slightly.

I ignored the glare that Ino sent her from my left side and pulled out my phone to send a text.

Me:

Sakura's looking for you. We're heading

towards the gym if you're trying to steer clear.

I didn't really expect a reply. Sasuke wasn't overly talkative, even though I was his cousin. We were decently close-as close as one gets to Sasuke anyway- so I tried to help him out with his girl troubles as much as I could. He didn't usually have to reciprocate, but he had saved me from an overbearing guy once or twice. If I really wanted to scare someone off, I usually pulled out the "big guns", a.k.a Itachi.

The four of us turned the corner and headed for the last doorway on the left. It led us down a small hallway with an office, two sick rooms, and a shower room to the right at the very end of the hallway. We took a left instead and walked into the locker room where some of the other girls were already changing into their uniforms. I walked to my assigned locker and opened it. I grimaced in disgust at the gym uniform I pulled out. It was even uglier than the regular uniform.

I traded my skirt for weird red oversized underwear looking bottoms and began loosening my red tie. As I slid my white button up off my shoulders, I felt eyes on me. I looked up to see Sakura staring at me, dejectedly. I shot her a 'what the fuck?' look.

"Have they gotten bigger?" She sighed and poked the side of my left breast.

"No!!" I blushed, swatting her hand away and crossing my arms over my chest, "at least I don't think so."

"Let's ask Shikamaru if he's noticed," Sakura jabbed.

"Not you too! You sound as bad as Asuma. God forbid I have a boy as a best friend," I pulled the plain white t-shirt down over the current subject of our conversation.

"Ooh Asuma?... Your older brother's friend, the one that smokes? Actually, speaking of your brother's friends, you should ask Kakashi what he thinks," Ino's mouth contorted into a wicked grin as she said his name.

I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore Sakura and Hinata's quizzical expressions. I finished tying my tennis shoes and got up off the bench. I walked through the doorway that led to the gym. I made my way towards the opposite end of the gym. As we crossed the room it was Hinata who finally spoke up.

"What does she mean by that Raki?" she tilted her head.

"He made a very...interesting comment to me this morning," I twirled the end of my ponytail around my finger.

"So? What did he say?" she opened the door that led to the outdoor sports courts and track.

As we stepped out onto the astroturf I shielded my eyes from the sun and scanned the crowd of students that had already made it outside. I was avoiding her question, but I was also looking for one person in particular. I didn't see him. Knowing that lazy ass he was still in the locker room if he even bothered to show up for the assessment anyway. Running a mile first thing in the morning was not Shikamaru's style.

'He's probably on the rooftop smoking and now I don't even have enough time to go find him...asshole.'

"Looking for your little pothead boyfriend? He's skipping again. Yahiko said he saw him heading up to the roof," I heard a familiar whiny little voice behind me.

'Figures I was right.' I mentally rolled my eyes. "What else did Yahiko say Irogawa? Anything about me?" I pouted my lips and gave her puppy dog eyes mockingly.

Mitsuri Irogawa was the self-proclaimed "most popular girl in our class", but that was debatable. She's had some kind of weird obsessive grudge against me for the last three years. Ever since she discovered that her boyfriend Yahiko and I had dated freshman year. I broke up with him after I caught him lying to me about talking to other girls. He went after Mitsuri and I started going after older guys. I'm not sure why it bothered her so much to know that I dated him. I mean she had him now, uncontestably, I didn't want him. As much as I teased her about flirting with him, I never actually spoke to Yahiko. I did it just to work on her nerves, and also to get her back for giving me a hard time about Shikamaru.

"You're such a bitch Uchiha!" she glared, fists clenched.

"I'd rather be a bitch than a worthless fucking c-," I was cut off by heavy hand on my shoulder.

"Hey! So what are you girls talking about over here?" I looked to my left and saw Kiba looking back and forth between me and Mitsuri, "If you don't mind Irogawa, I'm gonna borrow Raki over here. Thanks!"

He steered me by the shoulder over to the wall of the building where the girls had been joined by Naruto, Choji, and Shino. I scowled and grumbled under my breath as we walked up to the others.

"What's her problem?" Choji asked looking over at Mitsuri while tossing a handful of his signature barbeque chips into his mouth.

"Just trying to push buttons," I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You never answered Hinata's question Raki," Sakura looked at me expectedly. It roused the attention of the other girls, which in turn, drew the interest of the guys. I could have smacked her. Couldn't she tell I was trying to avoid the question earlier? Now she had given me an audience. I had told Ino because she was one of my two best friends, but I didn't want everyone to know.

"I'll tell you girls later," I said trying to signal to them I didn't want to talk about it in front of the guys.

Before anyone could respond our gym teacher Mr. Maito made his appearance. He was waving his arms emphatically and calling everyone over to the starting line. No doubt to give us a pep talk before commencing this cruel and unusual punishment. As the rest of our group headed over to the track I turned around to look at Kiba.

"Thanks for saving me from Mitsuri," I smiled at him. I didn't necessarily need him to intervene, but it was probably better that he did. I didn't need to get into a fight. Sakura was right earlier, Mr. Shimura did have it out for me, and I didn't need to give him any ammunition.

"Aww, it's nothing," he scratched the back of his head seemingly embarrassed.

I turned back around and walked over to stand by Ino in the crowd of students. I came in on Mr. Maito's speech right around the time he was talking about "-use the power of youth to propel yourself to the fastest time you can-"

I had stopped paying attention. After he stopped talking, we lined up in multiple lines and got ready to start running. The starting pistol fired and we all launched ourselves forward...

***

"I still can't believe that she tried to trip you at the very end! What a bitch!" Ino was still talking about what happened earlier this morning.

We had just dumped the trash off our lunch trays and turned them back in at the window. We left the cafeteria and began walking towards the front courtyard to spend the rest of our lunch break outside. I was looking forward to being outside after eating. Once we made it past a few benches I pulled out my vape and took a hit.

"Don't worry about it girl, that was three periods ago. Plus, she just wants to try and start a fight," I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, good thing Kiba stepped in and saved you," Ino elbowed me.

"Mmmhhhmmm, and did he take it upon himself or did you persuade him to come to my rescue?" I crossed my arms while giving her side eye.

"I merely suggested that someone should go over there and get you away from Mitsuri. He just happened to volunteer, almost immediately I might add," Ino smirked, "You should give him a chance Raki. I think you guys would hit it off pretty good. He's not afraid of...strong, independent women like yourself."

"Ino Yamanaka! Are you suggesting I'm a handful?" I pushed her playfully.

"Now, now Raki, no need to get violent!" she giggled and held her hands up in surrender.

"Don't worry I'm not too mad at you-," I stopped short. I had finally seen the one person I had been searching for all fucking day. "I am however pissed at this idiot," I turned and made a beeline towards him, ignoring the fact that he was literally standing with like all of his friends, including my cousin.

"NARA!! Where the fuck have you been all day?" I stomped up to him. I heard a few snicker, Naruto and my cousin among them. Everyone knew I only called him by his last name when I was pissed off at him.

"You're seriously mad? What a drag. I spent the first two periods napping on the roof," Shikamaru crossed his arms and looked away. He never could look me directly in the eye when he knew I was mad at him.

"Yeah, and didn't even think to tell me or invite me for that matter," I glared. We usually planned to skip together, but this time he left me to suffer running a damn mile on my own.

He groaned, "I didn't really plan on it. It just happened."

I resisted the urge to punch him in the face, "Well you missed a lot. Are you still walking home with me after school?"

"I told you I was didn't I? I'll meet you by your locker after class," he rolled his eyes.

"You're lucky I'm letting you off easy, jerk," I took a hit from my vape and blew the smoke in his face before flicking him in the forehead and walking off.

"Raki wait up!" I heard Ino call as she trailed after me. I could also hear the guys giving Shikamaru shit for the way I had talked to him. I didn't care though. 'Serves him right.' I was determined to get through my last two classes of the day so that I could get home and "relax".

***

"So really what did I miss out on today?" Shikamaru asked me as he kicked off his shoes in our entryway.

"You mean besides the physical assessment?" I rolled my eyes, leading the way into my bedroom.

"It couldn't have been that exciting" he dropped his bag on the floor and took his usual position on my bed with his back leaning up against the wall. I flopped down beside him and turned the tv on. While Shikamaru began the task of preparing the blunt, I flipped through the channels before settling on some reality baking competition.

"Not for me, everyone else almost got a show," I took off my cardigan and vest and threw them over my computer chair.

As I began loosening my tie, Shikamaru looked up at me intrigued, "Oh?" He muttered before quickly looking back down at what he was doing with the blunt.

"That little cunt Mitsuri tried starting shit with me again. Probably would've ended up in detention if it weren't for Kiba. I know she only does it to push my buttons, but she literally doesn't even have a reason to not like me. So I dated your boyfriend before you? It was three. fuckin'. years. ago! Big deal, get over it!" I said, now adding the tie to the ever-growing pile of clothes on my computer chair. I unbuttoned the top few buttons of my shirt and took my hair out of my ponytail.

I looked over at Shikamaru with a sly smile, "And you left me all alone to fend against her! How could you Shika?! I needed you, my shield and sword!!" I dramatically fell backwards so that if his shoulder hadn't of stopped my back, my head would have fallen into his lap.

"Hey now! Watch out!" he said, fighting to hide the small smile threatening to appear on his face. I knew he wasn't really annoyed with me, but I had almost caused him to knock the weed out of the blunt he was now twisting up.

"Aren't you almost done?" I asked, turning around so my head was resting on his shoulder watching him finish.

"Are you ever not troublesome?" he asked me, inspecting the blunt before lighting one end and taking a few puffs to get it going.

"Not always," I took the blunt from him.

We had each hit it a couple of times before I heard keys rattle and the front door open and close.

"Kumaraki! Do you have a boy here?" I heard Obito's voice from the entryway. Did he seriously not recognize Shikamaru's shoes after this long.

I looked at Shikamaru and rolled my eyes, taking the blunt from his hand, "It's just Shika, idiot," I yelled back.

"Well keep your door open!" I heard him holler, closing his own bedroom door.

I scoffed and took another hit. I passed it back to Shikamaru, who was sitting cross-legged on my bed beside me. When he released his hit he coughed a couple of times before handing it back to me.

"Damn Shika! It's been awhile since I've heard you cough. Where'd you get this shit from anyways? It's pretty good," I smirked, turning the blunt around in my hands looking at it.

"Inuzuka. Said he got it from his older sister," he took it back from me.

"Hmmm...I'll have to ask him if he's got anymore. I definitely wanna have some for the party," I blew the smoke out of my mouth.

"What a drag. Is Ino still on that shit? I thought we were just going to hang out here for your birthday?" He blew his own smoke out.

"You know how excited she gets about these things. Plus, I'm only the second one of us to turn eighteen, I'm just going to let her have this," I shrugged my shoulders.

He looked at me in a rare show of confusion, "Half of us are already eighteen."

"I meant out of the four of us girls, Pineapple Head," I laughed when he scowled at my childhood nickname for him.

"Didn't she help Sakura plan her party...Kumo Naka Ni?" he smirked, waiting for my reaction to my own childhood nickname.

I stuck my tongue out at him, "Yeah and don't you remember how much fun that was?"

"I remember you getting a glass of punch thrown on you while they were fighting over who got to dance with Sasuke," he shot me a pointed look.

"And see that's the beauty of it! She doesn't have to compete with me over my cousin, and if she has Sasuke all to herself she won't have any time to set me up with someone...like she keeps trying to," I rested my head in my hand, as I spoke smoke slipped out of my mouth in between words.

Shikamaru went into another unexpected coughing fit, "Like who?"

"Recently? She's gotten the idea that Kiba and I actually might hit it off."

"What a drag."

I rolled my eyes, "I mean he's not awful. A little immature for my taste, but he can be molded..."

I cocked my head to the side thinking of all the things Kiba might already know how to do...and all the things I could teach him, "You're closer to him than I am though. What do you think Shika?"

I looked over to see Shikamaru scowling at me, "I think I'm starting to get the munchies. Let's find something to eat."

He stood up off the bed and offered me his hand to pull me up.

***

So that's the second chapter!  For the next chapter I'm thinking of doing basically this chapter again but from Shikamaru's point of view.  It will actually serve a purpose as there are conversations between other characters we didn't get to hear because the story is mainly experienced from Kumaraki's point of view.  And so I think future key chapters will also follow this pattern.  I feel like that makes the story more realistic.  Can't wait to know what you guys think!!

Chapter Text

Hey guys!  So again this is literally the last chapter but from Shikamaru's perspective.  I thought I'd really struggle to make this as long as the previous chapter, but it actually came out longer.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Hopefully you guys enjoy it.

***

I woke up with a yawn and a big stretch. I only had time to stare at the ceiling for a few seconds before the alarm clock started beeping.

'Ugh great. What's the point of setting the alarm if I'm going to wake up before it goes off? What a total waste.'

I sat up in bed and rubbed my face. I glared across the room at the device making the assault on my eardrums possible.

'Now I've got to shut it off, but I don't feel like moving. But if I don't shut it off it'll just keep ringing, and ringing. Uggghhhh it makes me tired just thinking about the whole thing. Some mornings are such a drag.'

Damn Kumaraki. She had literally glued the alarm clock to the dresser. She said it was the only way that I'd ever make it out of bed in the morning. She was right of course, but I wouldn't tell her that. I groaned and slunk out of bed. I crossed the room and turned off the alarm. 7:30. Just enough time to get ready and meet Choji down by the corner.

***

I took one more big hit out of the pipe before pulling on my blue school blazer. As I exhaled, I grabbed a shell and the small baggy I had promised Raki for after school and stuffed it in the pocket of my gray pants. I picked up my school bag and headed out of my room towards the front door.

"Shikamaru!! Come here and get breakfast!" I heard Mom yell as I passed the kitchen.

"What a drag. I'm running late Mom," I wasn't, I just didn't want to stop.

"Just come get some damnit!" jeez, she could be a real pain in the ass.

I sighed and walked through the doorway to the kitchen. Two steps in I caught two pieces of toast before they could hit my face.

"There smart ass. Have a good day at school," she turned back over the stove to finish Dad's breakfast.

I gave her a small wave, not knowing if she was paying attention and headed out the front door. I didn't bother eating the toast. I didn't usually feel like eating in the mornings, sometimes it just felt like too much work. I'd just end up giving them to Choji.

It didn't take me very long to get down to the end of the street. I saw Choji waiting for me. When I got close enough, without words I handed the toast to him and began walking towards school.

"Thanks for the second breakfast Shikamaru. Your mom makes the best food. It's crazy that you never eat in the mornings," he said licking his fingers, the toast already gone.

"Eh? I just don't like crashing my high," I said. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I took it out to look at it. Probably Raki asking me to meet up somewhere once we got to school. I opened it up, but it wasn't her.

Kiba:

Hey, you're Raki's best friend right?

What kind of guys does she normally  go for?

'What the fuck?!' Why in the hell would he ask me a question like that? What was I supposed to say? I tried my best not to talk to her about the guys she's dated. She had had several boyfriends over the many years of us being best friends just like I had had a few girlfriends. I just never really make it a point to get to know them. Hell if I knew what she wanted in a man.

"Is that Kumaraki? She's trying to get you to skip the physical assessment this morning isn't she? You guys are a pair, that's for sure," Choji was brushing crumbs off the front of his blazer.

"Nah," I said still staring at my phone. I neglected to respond, instead, I just closed it and put it back in my pocket.

"You okay?" Choji looked at me concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine Choji. I think you had the right idea about ditching though. I'm gonna head up to the roof," we had reached the school's courtyard. It hadn't looked like anyone else had made it here yet, and I definitely didn't want to run into Inuzuka right now.

"Oi Shikamaru!" I could hear Choji's exasperated voice behind me as I veered off and headed for the stairs up to the roof. I sent him a wave over my shoulder and continued the troublesome climb upwards.

When I stepped through the doorway out onto the roof, I had to shield my eyes from the sun. I walked over the edge and leaned on it peering through the fence. I saw students beginning to arrive Naruto, Sasuke, Shino, and Kiba among them. I sighed and lit a cigarette trying to figure out what to do about that damned text.

I was halfway through with my cigarette when I saw Kumaraki and Ino walking into the courtyard. I watched her laugh as she said something to Ino before flashing a 'V' with her fingers. I wondered what her victory was. They walked over to Sakura and Hinata while I made myself comfortable on the ground, propping my back up against the small barrier between me and the edge. As I thought about how to respond to Kiba, I finished my cigarette and closed my eyes.

***

I woke up a little dazed. I hadn't really meant to fall asleep, I had just wanted to skip the damn mile run and avoid Inuzuka. I pulled out my phone. 9:57 a.m. 'Damnit!! I missed first and second period! I hope my parents don't find out about this.' I also had several texts.

Kumaraki:

Hey asshole! Where are you?  Are you 

even here today? What  about after school?

Kiba:

Shikamaru? Hey man don't  leave me hanging!

Choji:

Ms. Senju is pretty upset that you  weren't in 

class today, bro. Be on  the lookout.

'What a drag.' I didn't feel like replying to any of them. Raki was pissed at me. I could already tell I was going to catch hell when I saw her. Kiba clearly wasn't going to let this go, and now I had to worry about dodging Ms. Senju, one of the scariest women I had ever known. I decided to smoke one more cigarette before heading to third period. Mr. Ogata was pretty laid back didn't care that I came into class late, as long as I didn't do it too often.

***

"So what'd you get on Pervy Grandpa's test Shikamaru?" Naruto came up beside Choji and I as we were walking to the cafeteria.

"110. It wasn't hard. Why what'd you get?" I asked him, grabbing a tray from the stack.

"Ehhh? 110? How'd you get more than a 100? And I only got a 74," he scratched the back of his head embarrassed.

"Cause you dobe, you get ten points just for putting your name on the paper. No wonder you only got the 74," Sasuke had joined us in line.

"Tch. Whatever Teme, who asked you anyways," Naruto grabbed a rice ball from the pan.

We sat down at a table in the corner. Before long Shino and Kiba showed up with their trays. The latter sat down right in front of me making direct eye contact. Looks like this was the end of me avoiding him and his troublesome question. Naruto alternated between stuffing his face and picking at Sasuke who was trying to eat himself. Choji had his eyes glued to his phone watching some movie. It must have been getting intense because he had increased the rate at which he was shoveling potato chips into his mouth. I had no way out of the conversation that was about to happen.

"So? Come on man what's the answer" he casually threw out.

"What a drag. I don't know," I said, finishing the last of my food.

"Don't know what?" Naruto chimed in. 'Oh great. Now we can all be involved in the fucking conversation.'

"I'm trying to figure out what kinda guys his hot-ass best friend likes. See if I might qualify," there it was. I figured it was something like that. It's not something the two of us really talked about, what each other's type was. I didn't like thinking about who she dated and what they did. Come to think of it, it hadn't really started bothering me until the past year or so. I think it was because all the guys she had talked to recently had gotten older and sleezier.

"Kumaraki? Hmmm... now that you mention it she is pretty hot. Especially in that gym uniform. It really shows off what she's working with if you know what I mean," he used his hands to make an hourglass shape in the air.

We had walked outside to the courtyard and made our way to the bench furthest away from the school and closest to the street. It was easier for me to smoke a cigarette our here without getting caught.

"Back off, bro.  If any of us is going to tap that it's gonna be me," Kiba punched Naruto on the arm.

"Can we not talk about my cousin like that," Sasuke groaned. It wasn't often that I saw eye to eye with Uchiha, but in this case I couldn't agree more.

"Just 'cause you can't appreciate her like we can doesn't mean you can't tell us not to look," Kiba smirked.

"Looking is one thing, talking about her like she's a piece of meat you're about to sink your teeth into is another," Sasuke looked at Kiba with a grimace.

I blew a mouthful of smoke out all the while trying to get the mental image of Kiba cornering Kumaraki out of my head. I didn't get too much of a reprieve because next thing I heard was an all too familiar voice call out my last name. I looked up to see the subject of our current conversation striding across the courtyard directly towards me.

"Speaking of sinking my teeth in, here comes hell on wheels herself," Kiba grinned as Kumaraki approached us.

"NARA!! Where the fuck have you been all day?" She used my last name again. Yep, she was definitely pissed. I heard snickering and shot Naruto, Sasuke, and Choji a glare. Damn, did she really have to lay into me in front of all the guys.

"You're seriously mad? What a drag. I spent the first two periods napping on the roof," I crossed my arms, looking away from her. I had known several scary women in my lifetime and my best friend had pretty much topped the list as reigning champion. I really hated pissing her off, and I was always too afraid to look her in the eyes when I did.

"Yeah, and didn't even think to tell me or invite me for that matter," I could practically feel her glare.

She and I usually planned out when we were skipping classes together, according to what activities we didn't want to participate in. This morning was different, and I couldn't very well tell her the real reason I hadn't said anything to her about it. I could at least tell her part of the truth.

I groaned, "I didn't really plan on it. It just happened."

I think I literally saw her eye twitch. I definitely saw her fists clench. She was getting ready to hit me, "Well you missed a lot. Are you still walking home with me after school?"

What a brat. Now she was just trying to make me feel guilty. She knew I'd never skip out on her like that. She just wanted to hear me say it. Troublesome damn woman. I rolled my eyes, "I told you I was didn't I? I'll meet you by your locker after class."

I saw her face soften. Maybe I was off the hook...or maybe she was just waiting until later to unleash her wrath. She paused like she was contemplating it herself. "You're lucky I'm letting you off easy, jerk," I was bombarded with a large cloud of her vape smoke.

She flicked me in the forehead and turned around to head back inside, Ino trailing behind her.

Kiba laughed and watched her as she walked away, "You're so damn lucky Shikamaru. I'd kill to be in your place."

I scoffed blowing out another drag of the cigarette, "You wanna get knocked around by her cranky ass all the time? Be my guest."

"Fuck yeah I'd let her knock me around. As much as she wanted to," his tone was more than suggestive.

"Kiba. What did we just talk about? My cousin's not dumb enough to be one of your little sluts. Just let it go," I could hear the warning in Sasuke's voice.

"See that's where you got me wrong man. Kumaraki Uchiha is not some one-night stand, hit-it-and-quit-it little fling. Kumaraki is the kinda girl you spoil, the kind you take your time with, the kind you enjoy all night long as many fucking chances you can get. Shit, I might even fall in love," He put his hands behind his head and leaned back on the bench.

I sighed, taking the last drag of my cigarette before putting it out on the ground. I shoved the butt in my pocket and stood up to walk back into the school. I had a lot running through my mind, but I had a feeling this was going to be a problem.

***

"So really what did I miss out on today?" I asked closing the door of her apartment behind me. I began kicking my shoes off and sliding them with my foot over to the wall. On the way home she had only talked about Mr. Tojiro giving her a hard time for 'starting a teensy-weensy little fire during chem lab' as she had put it.

"You mean besides the physical assessment?" she rolled her eyes. What a drag. She was back on that again. I sighed, following her down the hallway to her bedroom.

"It couldn't have been that exciting," I dropped my bag on the floor by the end of her bed. I crawled up on the bed and scooted back until I was up against the wall. I pulled my bag out of my pocket and opened the shell. I felt her plop down on the bed up near her bedside table. I heard the tv turn on and then clips of various channels as she surfed. 'Cooking or crime shows?' I questioned to myself. I smiled to myself when I heard the voice of an older woman talking about how spongy a piece of cake was. Cooking shows today I guess.

I began filling the shell with the weed I had already ground up this morning. I heard her rustling around, "Not for me, everyone else almost got a show."

"Oh?" I looked up at her wondering what the hell she was talking about.

'Goddamn' she had taken her cardigan and vest off. I had looked up right as she was loosening her tie. She was my best friend, but I was still a man and she was not unattractive. It looked like the beginning of a Pornhub clip, and I was immediately reminded of what Kiba had said at lunch earlier. I quickly looked back down, trying to focus on rolling the blunt instead of the thoughts of my two classmates together.

"That little cunt Mitsuri tried starting shit with me again. Probably would've ended up in detention if it weren't for Kiba. I know she only does it to push my buttons, but she literally doesn't even have a reason –," I tuned out after that. What exactly had happened between her and Kiba? He hadn't said anything about it at lunch, and she hadn't elaborated. I didn't want to be weird and ask. Besides if she wasn't bringing it up it probably wasn't a big deal anyway.

"-How could you Shika?! I needed you, my shield and sword!!" the back of her head flopped down hard on my shoulder. 'Dramatic ass.' She almost spilled the weed out of the shell. I had started to twist it up and it was going to be a pain in the ass to put back in if it fell out. 'Pain in the ass...just like her.' I felt the corner of my mouth barely tug upward.

"Hey now! Watch out!" I said half-heartedly annoyed.

She flipped around and repositioned her chin on my shoulder. I could feel her watching me as I finished rolling it up and sealing it with my tongue.

"Aren't you almost done?" she asked me, as I gave the blunt one final look before lighting it.

"Are you ever not troublesome?" I asked her between puffs.

"Not always," she took it from my hand and took a long drag off of it.

She sighed as she blew her hit out, took one more small puff, and then handed it back to me. We had passed it back and forth a couple of times by the time I heard a key in the door.

"Kumaraki! Do you have a boy here?" Obito Uchiha, Kumaraki's older brother. Him and I got along okay enough. As kids he gave both me and his little sister a hard time. He still picked on me from time to time but nothing too serious. He also usually offered me beer if he had it, so I assumed I was okay in his book too.

She rolled her eyes as she took the blunt from me, "It's just Shika, idiot."

"Well keep your door open!" I could hear him going into his room. It was my turn to roll my eyes.

We passed it back and forth a couple of times. I took a hit bigger than usual. As I blew my hit out it burned the back of my throat and I started coughing.

"Damn Shika! It's been awhile since I've heard you cough. Where'd you get this shit from anyways? It's pretty good," she asked inspecting the blunt.

I really didn't want to give her the answer given today's recent developments, "Inuzuka. Said he got it from his older sister."

I took the blunt back from her, "Hmmm...I'll have to ask him if he's got anymore. I definitely wanna have some for the party."

"What a drag. Is Ino still on that shit? I thought we were just going to hang out here for your birthday?" I blew the smoke out of my mouth. A month ago I had asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday and she told me she just wanted a small get together at her house. It was supposed to be just her, me, Ino, and Choji. Ino had finally gotten to her. I can hear her now, 'A girl only turns eighteen once Raki. We need to do it up big!' What a drag.

"You know how excited she gets about these things. Plus, I'm only the second one of us to turn eighteen, I'm just going to let her have this," she shrugged her shoulders, taking the blunt back.

What the hell was she talking about? Sasuke, Kiba, me, and Sakura were already legal, "Half of us are already eighteen."

"I meant out of the four of us girls, Pineapple Head," I scowled when I heard it come out of her mouth. She hadn't called me that in a while, she knew it embarrassed me.

Two could play at that game. I smirked, "Didn't she help Sakura plan her party...Kumo Naka Ni?"

'In the clouds.' I had given her that nickname when we were kids. She was the one who asked me to go cloud watching with her. She said that we could make the clouds into anything we wanted them to be. Always seeing something grand in that mind of hers. She's had her head in the clouds ever since. It didn't help that it sounded similar to Kumaraki and her hair was literally the color of a storm cloud.

She stuck her tongue out at me. She took it better than I thought, "Yeah and don't you remember how much fun that was?"

I shot her an incredulous look. She had literally bitched to me for two days straight about the fight that broke out between Ino and Sakura, "I remember you getting a glass of punch thrown on you while they were fighting over who got to dance with Sasuke."

"And see that's the beauty of it! She doesn't have to compete with me over my cousin, and if she has Sasuke all to herself she won't have any time to set me up with someone...like she keeps trying to." 'What the fuck?' I wished she hadn't of said that while I had a hit in my mouth. It caught me off guard and I began choking.

"Like who?" I coughed out.

"Recently? She's gotten the idea that Kiba and I actually might hit it off."

'Son of a bitch, Ino!' Her and her damn matchmaking shit. Sometimes she meddled too much for her own good. She wouldn't try so hard to get them together if she heard how Kiba had talked about her...or maybe that would only encourage it. Hell if I knew, I didn't understand women even if my best friend was one.

"What a drag," was all that managed to come out of my mouth.

She rolled her eyes, "I mean he's not awful. A little immature for my taste, but he can be molded..."

"You're closer to him than I am though. What do you think Shika?"

I scowled at her. Was she serious? Were we really having this conversation right now? I didn't want those images in my head. I was officially changing the subject, "I think I'm starting to get the munchies. Let's find something to eat."

I stood up off the bed and turned to look at her. What a troublesome woman. I stuck my hand out towards her. When she grabbed it, I pulled her up and let her walk out of the room in front of me.

***

Welp there it is.  Hope you guys are liking it so far.

Chapter Text

Chapter four is ready to go!!  It took me longer to get this chapter out than I had expected.  Hopefully I can get more out at a sooner pace.  As always this story contains profanity, so if that offends you please don't read.  Other than that, I hope you enjoy it!!

***

Tuesday and Wednesday had came and went faster than I could keep track of the days. At lunch Ino reminded me that she wanted to finalize some party plans with me and wanted to know if I wanted to hang out after school that day. Hinata suggested we go to Étoile Crown, a café a few blocks from school. We had gone there a few times to hang out before and it had always been fun. Plus, a little girl time sounded fantastic. I agreed and texted Obito that I would be home late, but Hinata's driver would be dropping me off. By the time school ended and we were crawling in the back of the limousine he still hadn't texted me back. I assumed it was either fine with him, or he hadn't checked his phone yet. Either way my philosophy was always 'better to ask for forgiveness than permission'.

***

The four of us walked up the stairs and strolled into the little café. As soon as we sat down at the table, I began looking at the pictures of food and drinks underneath the layer of glass. The waitress came over to take our order and I ended up asking for a blueberry milk tea.

It took about five minutes for the waitress to come back with the drinks everyone had ordered. It took about six for Sakura to finally bring up what I had been avoiding for the last two and a half days.

"So spill the tea girl! What did Kakashi say to you?" she had me cornered.

I took a long sip through the straw, stalling even further, until even Hinata gave me a cynical stare, "Uggghhhh! First of all, we're probably looking wayyyy too much into this."

"Why don't you let us be the judge," Sakura looked over at Hinata for confirmation. She nodded.

I rolled my eyes, "So we were sitting on the couch smoking a bowl before school. He told me I was going to be late. I told him I'd have enough time if someone would take his turn and stop acting like my daddy."

"Annnnddddd??!!!" I had paused to take another sip and Sakura was practically on the edge of her seat.

"He told me 'Someone needs to act like your daddy'," Sakura let out a high-pitched squeal, I could practically see the steam leaking out of her ears, and poor Hinata choked on a strawberry.

"See! I told you it wasn't just nothing!" Ino smirked.

"Oh, whatever Ino! Look, I'm not getting my hopes up...at least not while I'm still seventeen. I know for sure Kakashi wouldn't go for that. He may be flirting but that's all it is. Besides, there's no way in hell I'm going to make a move and risk looking like a total idiot if I get rejected," I slurped up the last of my drink. I flagged the waitress down as she passed by and ordered another.

"Wait! I think I've got a way to test it out," Ino slammed her fist down onto her other hand's open palm.

"Here we go," Hinata and I said in unison, looking at each other and rolling our eyes.

Ino scowled before continuing, "All you have to do is make him jealous!"

"Dare I ask how?" My fingers were massaging the area of my nose between my eyes, an area that had increasingly began to throb as this conversation continued.

"Kiba!" she stared at me like it was obvious.

"Ino- "

"Don't Ino me Raki! I just know he's got a thing for you, and if I'm right Kakashi does too. And this way we'll see which one is willing to fight for you, and if they don't, they don't deserve you. Simple as that," she crossed her arms.

"I love you Ino, twisted logic and all," I sighed and chuckled.

"So you will talk to him?" she bullied.

I held my hands up in surrender, "I'll talk to him tomorrow, I swear! I do need to ask him about a certain party favor. I'll feel out the situation."

"Speaking of the party, everyone's coming right?" Sakura looked from Ino to me.

"I mean of course the four of us, Sasuke will obviously be there-," Sakura shot Ino a dirty look, "- 'cause he's Raki's family-duh, Shikamaru and Raki are joined at the hip and he'll end up dragging Choji along with him, and I know Kiba will want to come," it was my turn to glare at Ino, "that just leaves Shino and Naruto and we can't not invite them, besides, it's not a party unless Naruto's there doing something crazy."

"I do believe that covers everybody," I said slowly while looking over at Hinata suspiciously, noticing that her cheeks turned pink when Ino mentioned inviting Naruto. The gears in my head started turning.

"Do you think your brother and his friends will show up?" Ino asked, hearts practically in her eyes. She was just as boy crazy as I was when it came to older guys.

"Ehhh, probably not. Obito and I usually do something separate on my actual birthday. Plus, I don't see them dancing or singing karaoke," I smiled picturing Asuma trying to sing in between drags of his cigarette.

"We're still planning on Kamata Plaza right? I mean that place has everything! A dance floor, karaoke rooms, a restaurant, a bar, an arcade! I even read that they have a rooftop swimming area!" Ino sounded more excited with each attraction she named off.

"Which will be perfect for when we don't have a group of horny depraved boys with us," Sakura sighed. Hinata and I nodded in agreement.

"We can reserve a table at the restaurant to eat and book a karaoke room to open presents and stuff. That way we can lock our stuff up while we go dance," Ino grinned.

"That sounds great Ino," I smiled. She really was a good friend to have thought all this out, "Now come on! Let's go to that shoe store down the street. I want to see if I can find some heels to go with that dress!"

***

"Bye!! Love you guys! See you tomorrow," I bent my knees to look through the rolled down window at the girls.

I heard calls of 'love you too' and 'see ya tomorrow' as I waved over my shoulder. I let myself in the building and made my way to the elevator. I scanned my keycard, hit the '3' button, and yawned as I waited for the doors to close. When they opened again, I walked into the entryway and over to the front door to the apartment.

All the lights were off, and I knew Obito had to be up early for work, so I tiptoed to my room. I closed the door of my bedroom behind me and let out the breath I had been holding. 'Safe!!' Somehow, I had managed to make it to the sanctity of my room without waking and incurring the wrath of my older brother.

I set the bag with my new shoes in front of my closet and flopped down on my bed. I turned the tv on and began stripping off my clothes. I looked around and grabbed the oversized t-shirt that I had worn the night before. I set the alarm on my phone and plugged it into the charger. I rolled over and fell asleep to the sounds of the game show I had left on the tv.

***

'Could this day literally drag out any longer!' Maybe it was because Mitsuri had been giving me hell all day. Maybe it was because I had been putting off talking to Kiba. Hell, maybe it was just because it was Friday and the promises of two days of freedom were so close I could taste it, but the day felt like it was breaking the laws of physics and taking twice as long to pass.

On lunch I sat on a bench close to the street and hit my vape while I listened, unenthusiastically to Naruto and Choji argue about who would win a ramen eating contest. This had to be one of the most boring days I had ever spent in this prison. I decided to give myself some entertainment. 'What the hell, Ino. Let's give your plan a go.' I pulled out my phone and searched through my text conversations and began typing.

Me:

Hey, you crashing over at our house this weekend?

I didn't have to wait long for a reply. Something I tried not to get too excited about. I had meant what I told the girls yesterday. I wasn't going to make a move. I'd play his little flirting game until I figured out what his true intentions were, and then I'd act accordingly.

Kashi-Senpai:

I was planning on it. You need me to

bring something?

Me:

Me...I was actually hoping you could

                                                                    pick me up from school?                    

Kashi-Senpai:

I didn't wear a helmet today.

Me:

Then just treat me like the precious

cargo I am and be careful. ;)             

Kashi-Senpai:

You're going to be the death of me. I'll be

there by 3:20

Me:

<3 <3 <3

I smirked as I put my phone back in my bag and took another long drag off the vape. I tilted my head back and blew out the smoke. As it dissipated, I looked up at the clouds drifting by. How hard I had wished as a child, that I could float up amongst the white, pillowy softness. For a few seconds, as I envisioned shapes amid the puffs and swirls, I felt that familiar longing.

"Castle," I nudged Shikamaru on the bench next to me and pointed into the sky.

He nodded and I saw his eyes begin to search the sky. It didn't take him long to answer my challenge, "Dog."

We continued back and forth for a couple of rounds, just like when we were kids. I had just found and claimed the cloud that looked like a car when I heard a voice from the other side of Shikamaru, "That one looks like a guitar."

Shika and I both turned to look at the source of the sound. Kiba was looking at me, half smiling and pointing up to a cloud that, sure enough, did look like a guitar on its side.

"Oh yeah, cool. One point for Kiba," I smiled back. I did not miss the annoyed glance Shika sent him, but I chalked it up as a product of the conversation we had had the other day and didn't draw attention to it.

"Mom's been talking about making soba this weekend. You wanna come over for dinner?" Shika had effectively ended the game with his change of subject, turning his attention back to me.

"I fuckin love your mom's soba noodles! I'm there. Tell her I'll make some kind of dessert," I blew out a cloud of peach flavored smoke.

"That's more than you offer when you come to our house," Sasuke scoffed.

"Uhhhhh, because you and Itachi have never offered me soba noodles so divine Ukemochi herself couldn't make 'em better," I gushed.

He rolled his eyes and picked up his bag. I reached over his legs and turned Shikamaru's wrist over to look at the time on his watch. We were going to have to start making our way back to class. I stood up and stretched while yawning. I threw my vape in the same little side pocket my phone was sitting in. We all made our way across the courtyard, walking back into school together. 'Two classes left and then Kakashi will be here to pick me up. I'm so gonna enjoy rubbing that in Mitsuri's face.'

***

The last two classes felt just as insufferably long as the others had. When the final bell rang, I stood up from my desk, bag already slung over my shoulder. I was one of the first to exit the classroom. I briefly stopped at my locker to grab a notebook I was going to need for the weekend homework ol' snakeface Tojiro gave us.

By the time I made it out to the courtyard I could see other students starting to exit behind me. A few were in front of me, one of which was the exact person I had been putting off talking to. I knew Ino knew that I hadn't talked to him yet, so if she came out and saw both him and I in the same vicinity without interacting, she'd make sure a conversation happened either the easy way or the hard way.

In the end I knew what the 'easy way' would be and sighed as I fulfilled my promise to Ino, "Hey Kiba! Wait up!"

His perfect, bright teeth formed a grin on his face when he turned and saw it was me who was trying to catch up to him. 'Damn. This boy is gorgeous.'

He stopped and waited for me to walk up, "What's up Raki?"

"So Shika and I were smoking some good shit the other day. He said he got it from you. I was wondering if you'd bring some to my birthday party," I ran my fingers through my hair. I didn't need Ino with me to act out her plan, I was more than capable of handling some high school boy.

"Hmmm, what's in it for me?" he smirked and crossed his arms.

"How about the undying gratitude of the birthday girl herself?" I laughed and shrugged my shoulders.

"What if I want something else?" he cocked his head to the side, still smirking.

'Was he seriously stepping up and getting bold? Maybe Ino's onto something. That was kinda sexy.' "I guess it depends on what you want," I put my hand on my hip.

He stepped closer to me, close enough to send a clear message. He looked down at me and slightly licked his bottom lip before he spoke, "What if I want a date with the birthday girl instead?"

'Well if that's not big dick energy I don't know what is. I wonder if he could handle me.' I raised my eyebrows and smirked. I took a step forward this time, closing the gap even further. We were so close we could touch each other's faces now if we wanted. He just stared down at me, keeping his cool. I'd have to fix that.

I reached out both of my hands and began to adjust the knot of his tie. I looked up at him, "We'll just have to see how good your stuff is."

Now he looked dazed and flustered. I was going to have to leave him like that. I heard Kakashi pull up on his bike. He revved the motor signaling that he had seen me and it was time to go. I smiled and patted him on the chest.

"That's my ride, I gotta go. See ya Monday!" I stepped around him and sent him a wave over my shoulder. As I made my way over to Kakashi I noticed that most of our friends had made it out into the courtyard and were currently watching this whole exchange. I caught Ino's eye and winked, causing her to let out a laugh.

"Thanks for coming. I owe you one Kashi," I smiled at him and placed my hands on his shoulder to steady myself as I hoisted my leg over the bike. I wrapped my arms around him and nestled my face up against his back.

He patted my thigh twice, "Yeah yeah, you're welcome. You all set?"

"Yep!" and with that we took off down the street.

As I rode down the street smelling the leather of Kakashi's jacket mixed with his aftershave, I grinned and thought how nice and safe this felt. I also wondered what everyone back at school was thinking. I knew that it had caused a stir with at least Mitsuri judging from the look on her face when he touched my leg. Ino was probably texting me right now. I'd have to get info about Kiba's reaction in the next few days. This little potential love triangle was the most interesting thing that had happened to me in this town in forever.

***

Bonus Scene

***

Kumaraki walked over to the curb and stood in front of Kakashi. She said a few words before grabbing his shoulder and throwing a leg over the bike. Ino, Sakura, and Hinata shared incredulous grins when Kakashi patted Kumaraki's thigh. Mitsuri scoffed and stormed off with two of her friends in tow, annoyed that not only had Kumaraki upstaged her again, but the guy she had left school was attractive enough to be a celebrity. Ino looked over at Kiba who had been alternating between gritting his teeth and growling in jealousy. His arms were crossed and his glaring eyes were set on Kakashi. Kiba scoffed when Kakashi pulled off the curb and merged into traffic with the current object of his affection clinging to the older man's body.

He looked over to find Shikamaru lighting up a cigarette. Kiba wouldn't have exactly called his expression pleased either. Shikamaru's eyes looked up and met with Kiba's. As he blew out the smoke his face took on an 'I told you so' expression.

"When you asked the other day what her type was...I think it's probably something like that," Shikamaru smirked, looking at Kiba's distraught face.

***

So what do you guys think?  It's starting to get good right?  I hope I'm doing ok and keeping everyone in character.  Review and tell me how I'm doing!

Chapter Text

Alright you guys I know it's been awhile since a posted a chapter but to make up for it here's a new one.  And she long y'all, like almost 5,000 words long.  In this one we're going to start finding out little details that will be further developed later on in the story that sort of fill out this universe and make it seem more realistic without point blank stating background information.  There's also another bonus scene at the end of the chapter.  I hope you guys enjoy it.  Please comment and let me know what you think of the story so far.  I love getting feedback.

WARNING: Drug use, and foul language 

***

I loved the feeling of the wind blowing through my hair. It felt freeing, like we were flying through the air. I supposed it was the closest I was going to get to feeling like I was floating in the clouds. I saw the neighborhood market coming up on our right. I had an idea. I patted Kakashi's chest and motioned to pull over in front of the store. He stopped the bike on the curb a few feet from the doors. I swung my leg over and hopped onto the sidewalk.

Kakashi turned off the motor, "You ok?"

"Yeah, you wanna come in with me? We could pick up dinner and snacks. The three of us could watch a movie tonight, like old times," I smiled.

We used to have movie nights all the time as kids. Kakashi would come over to spend the night with Obito. After we'd eat dinner, while dad was washing the dishes mom would set us up in the living room. We'd lay on a pallet on the floor with pillows and blankets, bowls of snacks, with our drinks on the coffee table behind us. More often than not, I fell asleep sprawled out between the two boys after insisting on being in the middle, only to awake the next morning in my own room. It had been years since we'd had a movie night.

"You know what, that actually sounds kinda nice," he took the keys out of the ignition and got off the bike, "but if you pass out I'm not carrying you to your room."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. I grabbed him by the arm and tugged him into the store. Our little neighborhood market had a decent variety in the ways of fresh produce, but I bypassed that and headed straight for the freezer doors. Obito and I usually shared the responsibilities of cooking, accompanied by an occasional take-out order, and the even rarer trip to a restaurant. And then, sometimes we'd come here and load up on junk food and munch till we passed out.

"Let's get something half-way substantial for dinner and then some junk for the movie," I cheesed at him.

After two trips around the store and a few debates we decided on frozen takoyaki, a bag of Pretz, and a few bowls of instant ramen for snacks. I begrudgingly agreed to make some basic beef curry after Kakashi bribed me with two taiyaki cakes and a pack of dango, his treat. We took our nearly full basket up to the counter. As she was ringing up the last few items, the vegetables for the curry, she looked up at us and smiled.

"Such a nice young girl cooking for her boyfriend! If only my daughter knew how to cook, maybe she could snag a guy as cute as yours!" she winked at me.

"Oh no ma'am we-," I began to explain, but I was interrupted.

"Here you go. Keep the change," Kakashi slid the bills on the counter, picked up the bags, and walked out of the store nonchalantly.

As he walked through the automated doors, he turned back with a look that asked, 'Are you coming?' I just know my cheeks were as pink as the peach daifuku below the register. I quickly half-assed bowed to the woman, unsure of why really, and ran out of the store and over to Kakashi's bike.

He had secured the bags of groceries in a storage compartment under the area that I sat on. I slung my leg back over and we continued home. All the while my thoughts were divided between what the hell all that was and what could possibly be running through that head of his. When we pulled into the little garage with '3' over it, I saw that it was empty, meaning we had beat Obito home and neither one of us were getting reamed for me not wearing a helmet.

I got off the bike and draped my school bag over my shoulder while he walked the bike over to the side of the garage so Obito would have room to pull his car in. He grabbed the bags out of the compartment and walked towards the opening of the garage where I stood waiting. We walked into the building, and I went over to the mailboxes to check ours. He passed by and hit the button to summon the elevator. When the door opened, we walked inside. I scanned my key card and hit '3', feeling like I was in the middle of a comfortably domestic routine. Albeit, we had done all of this in silence. It only served to allow my thoughts to continue to run wild, and my stomach to keep doing cartwheels.

The elevator opened and I practically launched myself into the entryway. I kicked off my shoes and unlocked the door, leaving it open for Kakashi to come through with the bags and shut behind him. I went to my room to get out of my uniform while I knew he had gone to the kitchen to put the food away.

I stripped down and looked for my favorite pair of sweatpants in a pile of clothes. Finally seeing the black fabric with the white stripe down the leg, I gave a quick tug and felt the heap release it to me. I pulled them up my legs and slipped a red tank top down over my stomach. I pulled my vape and phone from my school bag. Before I put them in my pocket, I checked my phone. Two missed calls from Ino and several unread texts in mine and the girls' group chat.

Ino:

OMFG!!!! That was brilliant!! You should

have seen the look on Irogawa's face when

you hopped on the back of that bike!!!

Sakura:

I bow to you, my queen!! LOL!!

Hinata:

Are you at home Raki? Wait... is he

there with you?! Don't keep us in suspense!!

I smirked, imagining all of us having this conversation in person. It would have been more fun that way. I wanted to see their faces when I told them about him bribing me to cook for him. I quickly replied, wanting to get back in the kitchen and have the curry at least going by the time Obito came home.

Me:

LOL I figured she would flip her shit.

And yes, as a matter of fact he's here

now. He asked me to make him curry ;)

I slipped my phone into my pocket and closed my bedroom door behind me. I walked down the hall noticing that the tv in the living room had been turned on to some crazy athletic competition, but there was no one in there watching it. I entered the kitchen discovering that Kakashi had already seasoned the beef cubes and had them in the pan browning on the stovetop. I walked over to the vegetables and began to wash them. I looked over to him as he began to peel a potato.

"You know I'm not giving you any of my sweets even if you do help me cook," I teased, I knew he didn't even like sweets. I was just attempting to break up the silence that had surrounded us since we left the market. He pulled the trashcan over to where he was standing, but we continued in silence. This time I wasn't sure if the silence was comfortable or if there was some kind of charge in the air.

"So...," he finally spoke.

"So?" I looked over at him still peeling potatoes. I had started on the carrots.

"Who was that boy you were talking to when I pulled up?" he pulled the knife out of the drawer and looked at me for a second before turning back to the potatoes.

He had said the word 'boy' with a peculiar tone. I scoffed, "Kiba? Hopefully, he's my new plug."

"I've sold to you, you've never helped straighten my tie," he smirked, walking over to drop the chunks of potato in the boiling water.

My head shot up hoping my cheeks didn't look as on fire as they felt, "You've never asked me for a date," I replied coolly.

"Oh, so then he's not just a plug?" he crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter, looking me in the eyes.

"Wha-," I was interrupted by Obito walking through the door from the entryway.

"Hey guys! What's for dinner?" from the kitchen I could see him turn to hang his keys up on his designated hook by the door.

"Kakashi bribed me into making beef curry," I called out to him, meanwhile shooting a look at Kakashi that said 'you just got lucky'.

"Oh yeah how'd he do that?" my brother appeared in the doorway.

"Taiyaki and dango," I grinned, dumping the now chopped carrots into the water with the potatoes.

"I told you to lay off that stuff. Your head's going to turn into a dango," he came over and kissed my forehead while ruffling my hair.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I groaned, smoothing my hair back down, "Go get on your comfy clothes, we're all going to have a movie night like we used to. We got snacks and everything."

His face lit up and I smiled back at him. Even though we fought sometimes he was my big brother, and it was one of my goals to put that smile on his face as much as I could. Something I had found significantly harder to achieve since our parents had passed away. But something I would keep trying for just the same.

While Obito went to his room to put his briefcase down and change, Kakashi gazed at me as he pulled a beer out of the fridge and walked out onto the balcony to light a cigarette. That left me alone in the kitchen to finish dinner. I looked from the timer on the rice cooker over to the fridge. I decided I'd probably need a beer for myself the way this night was going.

***

The beef curry had been a success. Both boys had complimented me on the sauce and the fluffiness of the rice. When we had all finished dinner, I stood up and began gathering plates and the other dishes, taking them into the kitchen. The guys jumped up to help but I shooed them away from sink.

"Why don't you go pick out a movie Ito," I turned on the hot water and poured soap on the sponge. There were so few dishes there wasn't any point in using the dishwasher. "Kashi, will you roll one up for us please," I batted my eyelashes at him.

As they both went off to the living room to complete their assigned tasks, I finished rinsing the last spoon. I threw the pack of takoyaki into the microwave and began wiping down the counters. When the microwave beeped, I pulled out the plastic tray and gathered up the rest of the snacks in my arms.

I made my way to the living room and squeezed between the two boys who had now settled themselves on the couch. I dumped the buffet of snacks onto the coffee table and spread them out while shoving a stick of dango into my mouth. I plopped down, unceremoniously, on the middle cushion.

The movie Obito picked was definitely a guy movie. It was about some guy who worked in a large company. He's just a junior rep who, by an incredible chance of luck, meets some gorgeous girl. Turns out, girly is some high ranking, bad-ass executive, of course. Thus begins his quest of hilarious office hijinks to ensure his climb of the corporate ladder. All so boss bitch will notice him.

"Ugh see that's why I could never work for a big company like that," I scowled, blowing out the smoke from the last hit of the blunt. We were halfway through the movie. The main character was doing a bunch of extra work in exchange for a favor from a senior rep.

Obito laughed, "Oh come on, Raki. Uchiha Corp. won't be so bad. No one there's actually like that."

I put out the blunt in the ashtray and stared at my brother in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"I mean you'll be eighteen in less than a week. You'll need a job if you're not planning on going to university," he took a big sip of beer.

"I mean ok, but I'm not working for grandpa," I chugged the last of my own beer.

"Kumaraki, you know what this family expects from you," I didn't like the tone of his voice.

"Yeah, and they know what to expect from me," I crossed my arms.

"You can't just blow this off like you do everything else! You know how our grandfather feels," he yelled at me.

"What about how I feel!? It's not even like I'm going to inherit the company, I should be able to choose my own future!" I stood up glaring at him.

"You know the five of us all get an equal share after Uncle Fugaku retires. It means you have responsibilities Kumaraki. You own part of the company!" he was yelling even louder now.

"I'll fucking sell it to you," I brushed passed Kakashi's legs on my way out of the living room, the movie long forgotten. I mentally cringed. Of fucking course he had to be there to see my brother scolding me like a child. At least he had the decency to be polite, scrolling through his phone, pretending nothing was going on.

I had shut my door forcefully; I didn't slam it. I heaved out a big, exasperated sigh and launched myself onto the bed. I was proud of myself for handling the situation that well. The Kumaraki from three years ago would've kicked Obito in the head and ran out the door to Shikamaru or Ino's house. I was still definitely going to tell Shika about it tomorrow though. When it came to these kinda things he was the more level-headed friend to ask for advice. Ino would've told me to pack a bag and run away from home. I plugged my phone in, turned my tv on, and let myself pass out thinking of nothing but the bomb ass soba noodles I was going to eat tomorrow.

***

I woke up early the next morning. The cheesecake I was going to make for dinner with the Nara's would take a few hours to cool so I wanted to have plenty of time. I was in the kitchen still in pajamas, stirring the green tea mousse when I heard footsteps behind me. I frowned, hoping that it wouldn't be Obito, but not really prepared to handle a conversation with Kakashi this early in the morning either.

I heard whoever it was walk over to the refrigerator and open it. Then I heard the click of an canned coffee drink opening. Obito liked his coffee hot.

'Kakashi. The lesser of two evils I suppose.'

I scraped the mousse into the tin on top of the layer of crust I had made from graham cracker crumbs, honey, and butter. Leaving the bowl on the counter by the sink, I carried the tin over to the fridge for setting. Kakashi and I had traded places, him going to stand over by the bowl.

"So you cook and bake? Is there anything you can't do?" he had licked some mousse off his finger.

"Decide my own future apparently," I gathered the fruits I planned to garnish the cheesecake with and pulled them out of the fridge. I walked over to the sink and set the fruit in a bowl.

"You're a smart, competent young woman. Obito knows that. He'll come around," he put his hand on my shoulder.

"When? When he's seventy-five?" I cut the top off a strawberry a little too enthusiastically.

He chuckled, "No, you'll have killed him long before then."

That did make me laugh. It did feel good. Standing here laughing with Kakashi. I loved the sound of his deep, genuine laugh. At least I knew, by his words earlier, that he somewhat agreed with me on last night's topic of conversation. I tried not to blush thinking about how it didn't seem like he thought of me as a kid at all.

I finished cutting the rest of the fruit while Kakashi went out on the balcony to smoke a cigarette. He was doing that more often lately. Normally he only smoked when he drank. Asuma must have been rubbing off on him. I pulled the cheesecake out of the fridge. It had set enough to arrange the fruit on the top. I had cut strawberries, starfruit, and cherries into cute little shapes that I was now placing in a sophisticated looking design. I slid it back onto the shelf in the fridge and went to my room to call Ino and then get ready to walk to Shika's house.

***

Because it felt like it was a thousand degrees outside, I decided a dress was the way to go. I adjusted the straps of the little sky-blue summer dress to fit tighter on my shoulders. The yellow-flowered print matched the color of the ribbon I used to tie my hair up in a messy pile on my head. I slipped on some sparkly white sandals and walked out to the kitchen to grab the cheesecake.

I didn't see Obito or Kakashi as I took the cheesecake out of the tin and put it on the serving tray. I set it down in a special tote bag designed to keep things cold. Shikamaru only lived two streets away so it wasn't very far, but I didn't want the cheesecake to melt before I got there. If I cut through the Yamada's yard it would only take me about ten minutes to have the cheesecake back inside a refrigerator.

I had thrown my phone and stuff in a little crossbody bag that I slipped over my head. I grabbed the bag and called out I was leaving, but I didn't get any answers. I walked out the door and into the entryway. I didn't see either of their shoes, explaining why I never got an answer. I rode the elevator down and groaned when I stepped out onto the sidewalk and into the heat.

'Alright here we go. Please don't melt!'

***

I knocked on the door of the traditional looking house a few times. I was hoping to catch my breath from walking up the rather long driveway before anyone came to the door. The Nara's had one of the biggest houses on this street thanks to Shikamaru's dad being the assistant to the mayor. He also owned a small accounting firm that he was intending for Shika to take over in a few years after he graduated college and earned the necessary qualifications to run the business.

The door swung open to reveal a tall, tan skinned man with a spiky brown ponytail and tired looking brown eyes reminiscent of my best friend. Shikamaru's dad, Shikaku. His face lit up when he looked down at me.

"Hey Yoshino! I found a pretty girl on our porch! Do you think we should feed her?" he called out into the house while letting me walk into the foyer.

"Shikaku what are you-," Shikamaru's mom had come out of the kitchen and met us as we all walked into the living room at the same time, "Oh! Kumaraki dear! What a pretty dress, you look absolutely precious! Doesn't she look precious Shikamaru?"

I looked over to where Shika had been sitting on the couch. His face was twisted into a look of humiliation. He looked like he would have rather suffered a brain aneurysm than continue to listen to his parent's embarrassing comments.

"Yeah mom, precious," he scratched the back of his head looking anywhere but at me. I snickered at his mortification.

I turned back to Yoshino and motioned with the bag, "Did he tell you I was bringing dessert?"

She looked with pleasant surprise at the bag and then sighed as she drug her eyes over to where her son was still standing, sheepishly still avoiding eye contact, "Too lazy to remember, you know how he is. Come on in the kitchen and we'll put that dessert in the fridge.

I stuck my tongue out at Shika and followed his mom into their kitchen. She sat the bag on the counter and pulled out the serving plate with a delighted gasp, "A green tea cheesecake! A perfect dessert for the summer heat. Such a thoughtful girl Kumaraki!"

"Thanks Auntie Yoshi," I grinned. I ate up her praise as eagerly as I ate the food she made for me. She had always been like my second mom, me being over here so often as we grew up. Ever since my own mother had passed, I felt myself latching on to her even more. I'm glad she didn't know how much of a train wreck I really was. I'd hate to disappoint her.

Shikamaru had followed us into the kitchen and had walked up behind me, "Ah yes, thoughtful as ever. Tell me, what purpose do the leaves in your hair serve? Extra garnish perhaps?"

I felt his fingers in the back of my hair. When I turned to look at him, he was holding two leaves in between his fingers. I giggled, "Kotaro almost got me today."

Kotaro was a very ironically named German Shepard, there being absolutely nothing little about him. He was the Yamada's fancy imported dog, and they did their best to show him off by letting him out to roam the neighborhood from time to time. As I had been passing through the Yamada's hedge line, he must have caught a whiff of the cheesecake and decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up. I had had to sprint the rest of the way to the Nara's house.

Shikamaru let out a deep laugh, I'm sure from picturing me racing across the lawn and hurdling over the hedges, as he threw the leaves in the trashcan. I told him to shut up, smacking his arm. His dad walked in and asked what we had been laughing at. When Shika told him, he let out a chuckle and joked that if I was that athletic, I should try to get a track scholarship. That turned the subject to life after high school, or 'the future' as everyone kept referring to it. A conversation neither Shikamaru or I wanted to have.

While Shika sat at the table with his dad, begrudgingly discussing the difference between two university's accounting programs I set the table. Yoshino brought the bowl of soba noodles and the sides to the table. We bowed our heads and with an enthusiastic 'itadakimasu' we dug in. I was too busy stuffing my face with three bowls worth of soba noodles to contribute much to the conversation. I did manage to skillfully divert the conversation, to gardening of all things, when the topic of what universities I had been thinking of attending was brought up.

When dinner and dessert was finished, I helped Yoshino clear the table. I brought the dishes to the sink and turned the water on beginning to rinse them, but Yoshino stopped me, "Oh don't worry about those dear, I'll make Shikaku do them," she winked at me.

"Yeah come on, let's go play something. Thanks for dinner mom," Shikamaru appeared at my side, tugging my arm towards the staircase in the hallway.

"Door open you two!" I heard her call out as we disappeared around the corner.

"What a drag," Shika rolled his eyes letting go of my arm, only to push me up the stairs.

In all fairness Yoshino did have a right to be suspicious. Only, we weren't doing what she seemed to be worried about. See, what Shika meant when he said "let's go play something" was really "let's go smoke a joint in my bathroom and then I'll kick your ass at video games or shogi, your pick."

As he walked in behind me, he shut the door to his room, ignoring his mother's words. He walked over to his bedside table to grab the joint I knew he had rolled before I got there. I went to the bathroom to open the window above the bathtub and turn on the air circulation. I heard him come in behind me shutting the bathroom door while I sat down in the jacuzzi tub. He climbed in beside me as he lit the joint.

"So both Tsukuba and Waseda have great accounting programs, but your waiting for exam results to come out to see which school does better huh?" I taunted him, taking a hit.

"It's better than your answer, 'The only thing I can think about right now is how pretty the hydrangeas were on the way in. Did you grow those yourself Auntie Yoshi?'" he mocked my words in a high voice while shooting me a pointed look.

I laughed and rolled my eyes, "It worked, didn't it? Still, taking over your dad's firm doesn't sound as bad as Uchiha Corp."

"What a drag. Coulda told ya' that one was coming," he took the joint back from me.

"We fought about it last night. He told me and I quote 'You know what this family expects of you.' Are you fucking kidding me?" I blew a cloud of smoke up at the window.

"Well that's fucked. So what are you going to do?" he asked getting out of the tub, the joint almost gone.

"Find a sugar daddy and ride him outta town," he had grabbed my hand to pull me out of the tub, but almost dropped me when I said that.

His expression contorting into one of disgust. "I'm kidding Shika. Fuck if I know. I'll probably just get another job as soon as possible. If I'm already working somewhere, he might not pressure me as much."

"Another job like what? Cloud watcher? Professional napper?" he smirked.

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to steal any of your prospects," I scoffed and pushed him back into his room.

"Shinobi Striker or Shogi?" he began spraying air freshener throughout his room.

I sighed as I cracked his bedroom door and walked back over to the beanbag in front of the tv, "Shinobi Striker, I'd like to at least have a chance at winning."

We had played for a few hours, and I had only managed to beat him three times. About the time I was ready to give up Shikaku appeared at the door, pushing it open as much as it should have already been. He told us it was getting late, which I knew was my cue to go.

I stood up and stretched after setting the game controller on top of the console it belonged to. Shikamaru followed me down the stairs and into the kitchen where I was collecting the bag and empty, now washed, serving plate. We walked back to his front door and I turned to say goodbye, but he was putting on his shoes.

"Come on, I'll walk you home," he opened the door letting me walk out first as his parents met us in the foyer.

"Thanks for the dinner Auntie Yoshi, it was delicious!" I waited for Shika to step out with me.

"You're welcome dear! Anytime! Come back soon!" she smiled, waving goodbye.

"And bring more cheesecakes!" Shikaku yelled.

"Don't worry! I'll keep 'em coming Uncle Kaku!" I called out. I had turned around to wave at them before Shika linked my arm with his pulling me down the driveway.

"Give me the bag," he held out his other arm.

"What?" I asked confused.

"What a drag. My mom is watching, just hand me the damn bag," he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, yeah," I giggled and handed him the bag, saving him from an etiquette lesson when he got home. I was surprised, usually he was never chivalrous like this. I kinda liked it.

"But if we run into Kotaro, I'm leaving your ass," he bumped me playfully.

'Nevermind.'

***

Bonus Scene

***

Yoshino and Shikaku stood on their front porch leaned up against one another watching the pair walk down the driveway together.

Shikaku nudged his wife, "You wanna make a bet on how much longer it takes those two to figure it out?"

"You know how lazy he is, I say it takes at least another year," she smirked up at her husband.

"Not when it comes to her though. I say six months or less," he crossed his arms smugly as if he had already won their wager.

Yoshino laughed and the two shared a knowing smile. They lovingly linked arms and walked inside, waiting to see how late it would be when Shikamaru came home.

***

So things are hopefully going to start speeding up from here.  I know there hasn't been much ShikaxOC action but these things take time.  And we all love a good slow burn don't we?  The next few chapters will see Kumaraki's birthday party, a night at an arcade with Obito and friends, and a midnight visit from Shikamaru.  Stay tuned!!

Chapter Text

I know its been awhile, but to make up for it this chapter is pretty decently long.  For some reason it took me awhile to get this one out, but I hope you guys enjoy it.

WARNING: this chapter contains adult language and drug use

***

In the days that led up to my birthday I thought about the conversation I had with Shika and my proposed future at Uchiha Corp. My grandfather, Madera Uchiha, had started the company about fifty some years ago while in his thirties. He had partnered with the mayor at the time to provide weapons and other technologies to the local law enforcements agencies.

Over the years the clientele had evolved as much as the technology. As a result, our family not only had deep roots in this city, but now the Uchiha name seemed to carry substantial weight in several different countries. That's what allowed our cousin Shisui to relocate to America, where he oversaw the company's assets for the North American region. He had managed to at least distance himself from grandfather's iron rule. I decided to keep that thought in the back of my mind. If I couldn't shake Grandpa on me working for the company, I could maybe at least persuade him that I should learn the ropes under Shisui, half a world away. It could be my back-up, back-up plan.

Once my grandfather passed away Uncle Fugaku was set to take over, already being prepared now in his position of CFO. Grandpa had already declared in his will that after Uncle Fugaku retired, ownership of the company was to be divided equally between Shisui, Itachi, Sasuke, Obito, and myself.

I really hadn't ever seen myself as some uptight executive confined to a board room or office all day. I had always hated the idea of being told where to be at what time. 'You have to stay here until this time', 'while you're here you can't A, B, C, etc.', 'while you're here you have to do this, this, and that', it all sounded awful. Which is probably why the thought of continuing my education beyond high school sounded so abhorrent to me. I think at the end of the day I hated the feeling of my life being controlled. I wanted to be free. 'And yet...' the thought of an older, strong man taking charge and putting me in my place... 'oof'. No wonder I was a train wreck.

I began to think about what job I would want to work at. Somewhere where I could work when I wanted to. I wasn't lazy, if I had the choice, I would work but I didn't want to be penalized if there was a day where I wasn't feeling it. I needed something where I had a little freedom while I was confined to one place. Hair stylist? No, I didn't really want to take a chance of messing someone's hair up, even if I attended classes. Amateur Model? No, my body was nice, but with a larger ass and breasts I didn't have the right proportions for model work. 'Hmmm.... I could always be a professional escort...' I mused to myself. 'I'd probably have to wait for Grandpa to die before I tried that one.'

***

The morning of my birthday I woke up early. It was a Friday, and I was so ready for my party tomorrow. I normally half slid off my bed to get out of it, but today I practically sprung out from under my sheets. I threw my hair into a messy pile on top of my head, my baby hairs making cute little tendrils around my ears. I pulled on my uniform, exempting my cardigan until I had finished my makeup. Normally I didn't wear much makeup, usually just using eyeliner and some sort of lip color. But today, I was going to go all out, eyeshadow and everything.

After all, today I was officially an adult. Well technically, I was born at exactly midnight on the 30th. There had always been some debate whether my birthday would be celebrated on the 30th or 31st. My mother had put an end to it though by insisting we celebrate both days, and that was the tradition we had stuck to ever since. No extra presents, just a two-day event-usually a family trip when I was small. As I got older, we designated the 30th for family and I spent the 31st having a party with my friends. Even after Mom and Dad passed, Obito and I carried on with the same routine.

I sat down at my vanity and lit a joint. I took a few puffs before placing it in an ashtray and got to work putting on my makeup. I alternated between coughing and contouring. I had finished both the joint and my makeup simultaneously. I stood up, pulled on my cardigan, and grabbed my bag. I headed out the door towards the elevator and my shoes. I looked around the living room suspiciously waiting for Obito to pop out from behind a corner. As I passed by the kitchen I smiled. I spotted handmade banners hanging up between the doorways. One had the words 'Birthday Girl' written on it in pink. 'Happy 18th Kumaraki' had been painted on the other one in gold.

'He must have gotten up early for that one.' Either that or he had stayed up late working on it. The thought of Obito doing midnight arts and crafts made me giggle. I kept walking and made it into our entryway. His shoes weren't there so he had already made it to work. I slipped on my pair of white shoes and headed down to the street where I knew Ino awaited me.

***

The teachers at school finding out about my birthday turned out to be both beneficial and troublesome. It was Friday so of course when we had English with Mr. Ogata, he gave us a test on some reading material. Now I hadn't read it, but I had listened to how "rudimentary" Shika had thought it was for about two hours on Wednesday, so I had basically gotten the gist of it. I knew I had done decently but Ino helped me seal the deal inadvertently.

We were turning our papers in by setting them on Ogata's desk. Ino walked up behind me and waited to place her test in the stack, "I hope you're ready for tomorrow, you're in for a busy day."

Mr. Ogata's eyes lifted up from grading an already turned in paper, "Crazy weekend plans girls?"

"Only my birthday," I rolled my eyes.

"Don't make it sound so unimportant. Our little Kumaraki is officially a woman!" Ino smirked at me. It was then that I caught on what she was trying to do. Our papers were on top of the stack, next to be graded. She was trying to get Ogata in a good mood so we'd pass.

"Oh?" the older white-haired man had finished grading the paper and hesitated before taking mine off the top.

I glanced at Ino before scooting closer to the desk, leaning forward, and whispering as if it were a secret, "That's right I'm turning eighteen Ogata-sensei."

As I drew out the 'sensei' I could practically see the old pervert's nose start to bleed. 'What a chump.' I laughed internally. Just then, Shino was walking up to turn his paper in, so Ino and I moved out of the way and went back to our seats, giggling. When class was almost over and our graded tests were passed back out, I ended up getting eighteen 'birthday points' giving me a score of '109'. Ino and I grinned and flashed victory signs at each other as Ogata left to go teach his next class.

I was thankful that that had gone the way it did. It really balanced out the fuckery that occurred in Gym with Mr. Maito found out that it was my birthday. This time it had been Sakura that had let it slip. Mr. Maito was so overjoyed with the news that he called for a 'celebration'. In which, we ran eighteen laps around the track one for and I quote 'every trip I had made around the sun'. When I blatantly refused, the man had the unmitigated gall to tell me 'Miss Uchiha if you can make it around the sun eighteen times you can make it around this track.' I kept the incredulous stare on my face the entire time I was running, silently cursing Sakura.

***

"See you tomorrow Hinata!" I waved goodbye as I turned to walk into my apartment building. Hinata had insisted I let her give me a ride home and wouldn't take no for an answer. I didn't mind though. Ino and Sakura had paired up after school and went off scheming somewhere, I expected it had something to do with tomorrow's festivities.

When the elevator door opened, my eyes immediately zeroed in on the line of shoes by the doorway. There were Obito's tennis shoes and rainboots, a pair of my house slippers- but no dress shoes. I sighed, maybe he had had to work late. 'Grandpa couldn't let him leave early just one day?' I kicked off my shoes and unlocked the door.

I walked in and was met with silence. For about eight seconds...

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KUMARAKI!!!!"

"Oh look! A bunch of degenerates have broken into my house," I laughed.

Obito, Kakashi, Asuma, and Genma had popped out from various places in the living room, all wearing stupid little party hats and holding those noisemakers you blow into. Obito walked over to give me a hug.

"Happy Birthday Raki! Come on! Let me show you the cake I got, you're gonna love it!" I let him lead me into the kitchen.

"It's got a cannoli cream filling and pistachios around the sides and-Hey!! Who fucked up my birthday banner?! You assholes!" he had turned to yell in the living room. Someone had crossed out the word 'girl' and written 'woman' underneath it in red.

I cackled. "I want a picture with everybody come here!" I called.

As the guys came snickering into the kitchen, I caught Kakashi shoving a red marker in his pocket. When we made eye contact, he winked, and I blew him a kiss. Obito was thankfully too busy propping his phone up on the counter for the picture to notice. He got it positioned and we all backed up until we were under the newly edited banner. He used a little remote to take a few pictures. We even got one of all the guys holding me up while I was laying sideways. We also got one of me kicking Asuma in the head after he complained he got stuck holding up the 'heaviest part of me' a.k.a. my hips. The very next picture showed me getting dropped and the aftermath of Obito hearing Genma cheerfully volunteer "If he doesn't want to hold your ass I will!"

"So what do you want to do first Raki?" Obito leaned on the counter after Kakashi and Asuma had pulled him off Genma and everything had settled down, the latter going to sulk in the corner of the kitchen.

"Hmmm...how about cake, then joint, then birthday activities!" I said heading to the fridge pulling out the cake and setting it on the counter.

"We have to sing happy birthday first," he shooed my hands away from trying to cut the cake.

"Oh fine!" I pretended to pout.

Obito turned and dug through our junk drawer for a few seconds before pulling out a handful of candles. There weren't eighteen of them, but they were the sparkling kind, which were my favorite. He stuck them in a circle around the top of the cake and lit them. As the last candle caught fire and began sparking the guys began to sing.

When they finished, I sat in mild shock, "Huh, you know, you guys actually sound pretty good together. You guys could start a boy band." I snickered, "Genma you'd be the young, sweet innocent looking one. And Obito would be the one older than everybody else, the one that looked like he should have been kicked out of the group about five years ago."

Asuma snorted and joined in on my laughter. Obito glared at me, clearly not appreciating my humor. I stuck my tongue out as I cut myself a big piece of cake. We stood around the island eating our cake. When I got finished, I announced that I was going to my room to change out of my uniform and for someone to roll one up. I threw on the first pair of pants I spotted-a pair of light wash blue jeans, and a plain yellow crop top. I slipped on my white tennis shoes before I hurried back out to the living room and tumbled into the recliner to assume my spot in the rotation.

As the birthday girl, it was only proper etiquette for me to light the joint. We passed it around in a circle each getting a few hits from it before it burned to ash. Feeling the buzz, I stood up and stretched my arms over my head.

"Alright let's go! Birthday activity time," I grabbed my purse and slipped it across my body.

"What makes you so sure we're going out for your birthday?" Obito crossed his arms.

I smirked, "Because you're all still wearing shoes. And you're my brother, so I know you."

"Fair enough," he said grabbing his keys from the hook by the door.

We all filed out and into the elevator. It was sort of a tight squeeze, but we all managed to fit in Obito's Honda Civic. Once again, my birthday privileges were exercised, giving me the front seat without contest. About ten minutes later Obito childishly insisted I closed my eyes. It was pointless, I was familiar with the neighborhood and was almost positive of where we were going, but I obliged his request. When he told me to open them, my blank expression changed into a knowing smile. We were at Saturn Park. It was an old arcade that had a mini golf course and a small racetrack for go-karts. It had been in the neighborhood for decades and even had an original pachinko machine left in the corner from its early days as a gaming hall. It was the first arcade my brother had ever taken me too. We used to go here a lot, years ago, right after Mom and Dad had the accident.

"Soooo what do you think?" Obito was pulling off his seatbelt.

"It's perfect," I flung my arms around his neck and smushed my lips against his cheek.

We went in and decided to bypass mini golf and bought race passes instead. We walked over to the track area and handed the attendant our passes. We walked in between the two rows and claimed our go-karts. When I finished buckling my seatbelt, I looked up listening to the safety instructions the attendant was giving both us and the other group of four that had joined ours.

A voice beside me spoke up in a low tone. Once I turned to my side and realized who it was I couldn't pay attention to the attendant anymore.

"So who's Asuma?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm sorry what?" I cocked an eyebrow, thoroughly confused.

He smiled as he rolled his eyes, as if I should already know what he was talking about, "You know in the boy band. Who would Asuma be?"

I paused and smirked, "The lead singer."

He hesitated before he spoke, "Hmph ok. So what boy band member would I be?"

'Where the hell is he going with this?' I tilted my head, "Oh I thought that'd be obvious."

"Enlighten me," his voice came out low, and in a whisper... and made parts of my body tingle.

"You'd be the mysterious, aloof one. The one every girl wants to know more about," I had said with a soft smile. Out of the corner of my eye something moved. The light had turned green signaling for us to start racing. I winked at him before mashing down the pedal and rocketing onto the racetrack in the lead.

***

We stumbled back into the house around 11:20 p.m. I collapsed on the couch, outstretched on its entire length, until Obito took the opportunity to sit on me. I struggled without him budging, but once I squawked out in complaint he relented and got back up. When I sat up to let him sit beside me, I was met with a lit joint in my face. I took it from Asuma and pulled in a big hit. We passed it around, once again only getting two or three hits apiece before it was smoked up.

"We're sorry if we crashed your birthday thing with Obito," Genma apologized as he put out the joint in the ashtray.

"Don't be stupid! It was a blast! Besides you losers are practically family anyways...the brothers I never wanted," I stuck my tongue out at them and grinned.

"I'm gonna ignore that cause it's your birthday. One more thing before we go though," Asuma, Genma, and Kakashi were all standing huddled together with their arms behind Asuma's back.

"Tadaaaaa!!!!" they sang as they pulled a large, teal, stuffed dinosaur out from behind their backs.

"No way!!!" I exclaimed in delight. I had seen it earlier and made a comment about it looking good on my bed. I didn't even come close to getting the number of tickets I needed. They must have thrown theirs' in together to get it.

"Thanks you guys," I said pausing to give each one of them a hug. When it was Kakashi's turn his arms seemed to linger around me for slightly longer than the others' had. No one but me seemed to notice though, and it made me wonder whether it was real or wishful thinking. They all filed out and as we heard the elevator descend, Obito told me to stay where I was and ran to his room.

He came back a few minutes later, "I wanted to wait until it was just the two of us to give you this in case you cried."

He smirked as he handed me a little gold box. When I took the lid off, I stared in disbelief. It was a little golden pendant of a paper crane on a thin gold chain. It was my mother's favorite piece of jewelry. One that she never took off.

As I ran my finger over the crane's wings I huffed, "Why would you think I would do something stupid like cry, punk?" The tears were already streaming down my face.

He snatched me up into a big hug, "You're right, how silly of me."

He held me tight, and we stood there just the two of us, standing in the living room of the apartment where we had grown up in more ways than one. No words were spoken, and none needed to be said. After a few minutes I gathered myself and pulled away from the hug. My eyes had dried but you could see the faint traces the eyeliner-stained tears made on my cheeks. I smiled and turned so Obito could place the necklace around my neck and fasten it.

"Mom always intended for you to have it. I figured now was as good a time as any," He smiled at me and ruffled my hair.

"Thank you Ito," I kissed his cheek, using my childhood nickname for him.

"Happy Birthday Kuma," he used his for me.

I grabbed my dinosaur and told him goodnight before going into my bedroom and locking the door behind me. I turned on my tv and set the stuffed dinosaur on my bed. 'Hmm...I was right. He does look good there.' I mused to myself. I was tired but I couldn't sleep yet. I had one more tradition to complete tonight. '11:50. He should be here any minute.' I walked over to my large double window. Unlocking and lifting the window up granted me access to a small balcony just big enough to allow a foldable set of metal stairs that served as a fire escape.

The luxury apartment building we lived in had three floors, one for each unit it held. Ours was the top unit. Each apartment had a larger balcony accessible from the master bedroom and the smaller one containing the fire escape. The smaller balconies were staggered on different walls of the building so if there were ever a fire, the tenants would have exits from multiple sides.

I climbed out the window and walked over to the right corner where the ladder was. I unhooked a latch and slowly-and quietly- began lowering the ladder. It made a slight scraping noise as the two metal ends met the pavement, but otherwise it was silent. I had had a lot of practice. I had used it to sneak out plenty of times. Obito got so fed up with it around the time I was fourteen that he demanded we switch rooms, and I take his. When I had asked him what room he was going to use he had suggested our parent's room, and I had run away for a week.

We had made our peace after he finally hunted me down at Hinata's house, which was so big I had stayed in a spare room without her parents even knowing I was there. I came home and promised to behave better, and he promised not to change mom and dad's room. I sat in one of the two little plastic chairs that I had snuck out here puffing on my vape, looking up at the stars, and thinking of the last few years.

I was removed from the haze of my reminiscing by the quiet, metal creak of the ladder. 'Finally.' In a rare display of athleticism, Shikamaru was climbing up the ladder one handed. When he finally appeared at the top of the ladder, he set the box he was holding on the ground and pulled himself up through the opening. He also, had plenty of experience manipulating the ladder silently and did so, raising it back up.

After he latched it, he picked up the box and came over to me, plopping down in the other chair right next to mine. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one after grabbing it with his mouth.

"You cut it close, you were almost late. Getting harder to get up that ladder?" I snickered.

He sighed but offered me the box, stretching his arm out without looking at me, still gazing up at the stars. I licked my lips and opened the little brown cardboard box. A single cupcake. This year it looked yellow with tiny black spots. A layer of thin icing dripped over the sides and onto the box, he never put a paper around the cupcake after the one year I told him it just got in my way.

I tore it in half, a yellow crème threatening to spill on my fingers, and held it up to his mouth, offering it without words like I had done all the years before. He took one bite and pushed my hand away like he always did. I took the rest of his half back and ate it in one bite, savoring the explosion of citrusy sweetness.

"Mmmmm, you outdid yourself this year Shika," I moaned, my mouth stuffed with the other half. He had made a lemon poppy seed cupcake with lemon crème and vanilla glaze. It was some of my favorite flavors. No one would ever peg Shikamaru for a baker, but we had always traded sweets back and forth. I guess it was one of our 'weird things', as our other friends called it.

"I know you like citrus, I'm surprised I didn't make it for you sooner," he said putting out his cigarette in the little glass ashtray he had brought over one day.

He pulled out a joint and lit it before passing it to me. I took it with one hand while still licking the fingers on my other. I hit it and used my licked fingers to hand it back to Shikamaru.

"Now look, troublesome woman, you're getting the damn thing all sticky," he scowled. "What a drag, now my fingers are sticky."

"Sorry," I smiled sheepishly, licking the last of my fingers on my other hand.

When we had finished the joint and all four sets of hands were clean, we sat side by side observing the stars. I had laid my head on his shoulder halfway in between sleep and consciousness. All of the sudden, a small ring disturbed the otherwise silent evening. Shika pulled out his phone from his pocket and cut the alarm off.

"Midnight exactly. Happy Birthday Raki," he put one arm around me and pulled me into a side hug.

I was about to reply when a flash of light shot across the sky. A shooting star flying by at exactly midnight, the time I was born. That had to be a good omen right? I looked at Shika with wide eyes and a smile. His expression wasn't as enthusiastic as mine, but he was still smiling.

"I suppose you should make a wish," he whispered.

I turned to look back up at the sky and folded my hands. 'Please let only good things happen for me and my friends.' I turned to look back at Shikamaru and found myself wondering what he had wished for.

***

Ok so what did you guys think? I hope you liked it.  please continue giving me your feedback and opinions on the story, cause like I literally live for it. (>_<) What do you like about it? Do you think the story is progressing at a decent pace?  Is it too boring?  Too much backstory? Let me know!  In the next chapter we will be attending the birthday party.  Will Kiba get that date with Kumaraki?  tune in to find out! 

Chapter Text

Ok guys I know, I know it's literally been forever.  Would a 12 page chapter make up for it?  In my defense I had my own birthday going on early this month and got a little busy.  As a quick note I'm taking elements from Naruto and a modern universe to make this story.  In this universe the legal drinking age in Japan is 18(like it is in the shinobi world)  That being said,  hope you guys like this chapter! 

WARNING: Foul language, drugs(no usage), and suggested sexual behavior in this chapter.

***

"You're stepping on my toes Ino!" Sakura whispered loudly. I could hear the voices before I heard the door creak open.

"Well get them out from under my feet Sakura," Ino whispered louder. This must be what the two of them snuck off to plan yesterday after school. I had briefly wondered how they got in. They must have borrowed Shikamaru's key card for the elevator, well the key was really Auntie Yoshie's for emergencies, but he usually held onto it.

"You guys are going to wake her up," Hinata pleaded with the two. Of course, they had roped her into this. Hinata was the shyest out of the four of us, and I knew the idea of barging into someone's room when they were sleeping made her uncomfortable. I decided to catch them off guard.

"They already did," I cracked an eye open, smiling.

They had rushed to my bedside in a second, standing around all three sides they stood over me and each released handfuls of brightly colored bits of paper into the air, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY KUMARAKI!!!"

I grinned and sat up. I shook the confetti out of my hair and pulled it into a pile on the top of my head, "Morning guys, thanks."

"Get up and get ready birthday girl. We're taking you out to breakfast first and then-," Sakura gushed.

"You'll just have to see," Ino interrupted her.

I laughed and lifted the covers off my lower half. I stood up and went over to my closet while the other girls sat down on my bed. I was tired, Shika hadn't left until around two and then it had taken me about an hour to fall asleep. But I knew Ino, she had planned this whole day out and it would be easier to just go along with it. I pulled out a yellow and gray plaid skirt, a gray crop top, and a sage green sleeveless dress. I turned around and held up the clothing options for the girls. They unanimously voted for the top/skirt combo so I hung the dress back up. I walked into the bathroom and hurried to get ready.

***

"So am I allowed to know any place we're going to today?" I turned away from the tinted window of Hinata's limo to look at Ino.

"Nope! So just sit back and go with it!" She gave me a big grin.

After a few more minutes of driving, we stopped in front of a small little restaurant with a cute green and beige striped awning and a little chalkboard menu beside the door. It ended up being a new little bistro boasting bottomless mimosas for its brunch guests. We walked in and a very cute waiter showed us to our table. He looked like he was probably a first- or second-year university student. With his messy hairstyle and piercing hazel eyes I'm sure he had caught more than just my eye.

We sat down and after a little harmless flirting we had put in our drink orders. Being of legal drinking age, Sakura and I ordered a mimosa a piece. When he brought our beverages to the table, he set mine down last.

"And the one with the umbrella is for the birthday girl. Made it special," he winked at me when I smiled at him before taking his leave from the table.

Hinata giggled and rolled her eyes, "I swear you have some kind of superpower over boys. Why can't I be as confident as you?"

"Well, you're gorgeous, smart as a whip, and probably the kindest person to walk this green earth so I don't know, why can't you?" I stuck out my tongue at her. Seriously though, Hinata was gold. She never gave herself enough credit, but I didn't mind taking the time to remind her what a wonderful person she was.

"That waiter is yummy though," Sakura glanced towards the kitchen where the topic of our conversation had currently retreated to.

"And did you see the tattoo peeking out from his sleeve?! Oooh, do you think it's a hikae?" Ino squealed getting a little too excited.

"Girl chill, it's an arm tattoo, not a Fudo Myoo backpiece. It's probably a lion head or whatever guys think look tough these days," I smirked.

We shared a laugh and continued chatting for a few more minutes until our food arrived. Over the course of the meal and after a few fits of pleading I convinced Sakura to take advantage of the bottomless mimosas and we shared with Ino and Hinata. Turns out 'bottomless' only amounted to about eight split evenly-and secretly- between us. By the time we walked out of the bistro I had both a slight buzz and the cute waiter's number.

"So where to next," I giggled sliding into the back of the limo.

***

The next building the limo stopped in front of was the most vividly colored business on the street. The little salon, Meili Nails, was one that Ino used all the time. We filed into the lobby single file and waited for the woman behind the counter to show us which chairs to take. As we sat Ino ordered manicures and pedicures for the group. I sighed happily as I dipped my feet into the warm bubbly water in the soaking tub. 'This is the life!' I found myself wishing everyday could be like this one, but then I suppose that's why today felt so special, because it didn't happen all the time.

When my feet were done soaking the technician began doing my pedicure. A little while later I was wiggling my freshly painted white toenails while a different technician was working on my nails.

"What color are you getting?" I looked over to my left to see Hinata's nails being painted a deep eggplant purple.

I lifted my fingers to show her the long almond shaped white nails. The iridescent foil the tech had applied caught the lighting beautifully, "They match my dress. What about you guys?"

I looked to my right towards Ino and Sakura. Ino flashed a powder blue set in my direction, while Sakura showed me a hand with red tipped short square nails. I told them how cute I thought they were. We began to talk about what we were going tonight. It was getting close enough to the party that we needed to start thinking about getting ready.

***

As Hinata's limo stopped in front of my apartment building, the girls grabbed the bags of clothes and shoes they had brought with them. We climbed out of the limo and walked into the lobby and over to the elevator.

We kicked our shoes off in the entryway and closed the front door behind us. As we walked through the living room on our way into the hallway, we passed Obito watching tv in the recliner.

"Hey ladies and Kumaraki," he smirked as Ino giggled and waved.

"Shove it Obito," I rolled my eyes and continued leading the way to my room.

Once the door locked behind me the clothes and shoes started flying. We had each set up a little station in different parts of my room. I went to my closet and pulled out the dress that Ino had convinced me to buy a few weeks ago. I was going to have to go braless due to the thin white straps and the deep v-cut the dress took down my chest. The gap was covered with mesh, but you could still see through it. After pulling the dress down over my head I made sure the cutouts on my sides lined up to where they were supposed to be and the bottom of the dress stayed at mid-thigh level. I slipped on the pair of clear iridescent heels I had found the other day and checked my reflection in the mirror.

"Yessss!! I told you that dress looked amazing on you!" Ino gushed pulling up the straps of her own little dark blue party dress.

"You guys don't think it's too much?" I spun around for Sakura and Hinata to give me their input.

"To make your womanly debut! You can't do too much!" Ino dramatically began to powder her face with foundation.

"Thank you, peanut gallery," I side-eyed her.

"I like it," Hinata said pulling on a lavender cropped jacket that matched her longer glittered dress.

"Thanks Hinata, I like yours too. Very classy," I wiggled my eyebrows up and down earning a giggle from said purple-haired girl. "I like yours too Sakura," I looked over to my desk where Sakura was adjusting a red crop top and black mini skirt.

"Really? I usually don't show this much skin?" She said coming over to turn a few times in front of the mirror.

"Yeah girl, totally! You look hot!" I gave her a thumbs up. "I bet even my dumbass cousin notices." I whispered in her ear before walking over to my vanity to do my makeup.

She 'eeped' and fanned her reddening face before going over to her own makeup bag. After about twenty minutes I checked my face in the mirror. Glitter eyeshadow. Check. Winged black eyeliner. Check. Big long eyelashes. Check. Pink lipstick. Check. I was wearing my hair down and over one shoulder, so I was officially ready for the party.

I turned to the others, "Alright girls, we ready?"

After a few group selfies and some snapchat posting we grabbed our purses and got ready to walk out. I took one last glance at all of us in the mirror and shook my head, "Those poor guys aren't going to know what hit 'em."

We found Obito in the same spot we had left him in. What I didn't expect to see was Kakashi closing the front door behind him. As he began to cross the room to get to his favorite spot on the couch, he noticed our presence and our eyes met. I both froze.

"Uh hey, you-," he paused, "-guys look great," he scratched the back of his head.

"Thanks! I'll be out late, Ito. Don't wait up!" I brushed passed the two of them, herding the girls along with me. It was already getting awkward, and I could feel Ino literally bursting to say something. We would not be doing this in front of my brother, not tonight-hopefully not ever. As we walked across the entryway over to the elevator, I heard them talking.

"Where are they going dressed like that?" Kakashi pointed back to us.

"Out," I voiced from the elevator.

"And you're okay with that?" I heard Kakashi ask Obito.

"If I couldn't stop her before she was eighteen, you really think I can stop her now?" I heard my brother complain as the elevator doors closed and we descended to the lobby.

***

It only took about fifteen minutes to get to Kamata Plaza. It was on a busy intersection and we got more than a few stares as we climbed out of the back of the limo. Not gonna lie, I felt like a celebrity, and I didn't not enjoy it. We all huddled on the sidewalk, just to the right of the front doors to the complex.

"Done making your entrance?" I looked over to see Shikamaru leaned up against the wall, smoking a cigarette.

"You're already in a mood. Nice to see you too," I walked over to his side and flapped my elbow into his side.

"Ino made me show up early to get the damn table. The others are already inside. I knew your ass would be late, so I came out here to smoke," he unsuccessfully tried to push me off him, his hand touching my bare waist.

"Why are your hands so damn warm?" I stepped back so he could put the cigarette out.

"What a drag, they were in my pockets," he shrugged. "Come on, let's go to the table."

He beckoned for us to follow him. When I passed by Ino she had a weird pensive look on her face. I didn't bother asking. Knowing that girl she was probably thinking of what to say to Sasuke when she saw him. They all fell in line after me and we made our way into the restaurant area of Kamata Plaza.

Shika led us down the middle of a large dining room and then over to a little alcove off the left of the main room. As we rounded the corner, we saw a two long tables in a semiprivate room. One table was empty. The other was filled with the male members of our rather large circle of friends.

When he saw Hinata I swear Naruto's jaw dropped. 'Interesting...ooh this good information for later. I'm definitely going to have to get with Ino on this.' I thought to myself. There was an empty chair next to Kiba, which he almost tripped trying to pull out. When our eyes met, he jumped up out of his chair at a breakneck speed and offered me the seat.

I giggled at the clumsy but cute display and sat down in the chair. I heard Shikamaru scoff as Kiba pushed me up to the table. He took his own seat across from me, scowling down the table as Ino and Sakura squabbled about who got the empty seat beside Sasuke. A few minutes later, after making Naruto move down one seat, they both got their way and flanked either side of him.

With everyone now seated, the waitress came and took our drink orders. After she walked away the conversations were now in full swing. We were easily one of the louder tables, and once or twice I found myself thankful that we were separated from the major dining room. Then again Naruto, who was mainly responsible for most of the noise, had the chief of police for a father so they probably wouldn't say much to us anyway. We ate our dinners and talked about what we wanted to do first once we went to upper levels.

After the waitress told us she would bring the checks Ino stood up and ushered me from table. 'Let's go birthday girl! No bills for you to worry about,' she sang out as she guided me up a set of stairs. When we reached the top, we were greeted with an immense space that had been divided up between a large club area on the right and a hallway to the left that was used to access the twenty karaoke rooms that Kamata Plaza housed. Ino pulled me to the left, walking until we came to the room numbered '10', the last room on the left.

As we walked into the room, I noticed there was already a small pile of presents on one of the couches and snacks on the table in the center of the room. I sat down in the middle of one of the couches and noticed that only Ino, Sakura, and Hinata were in the room with me.

"Where are the guys?" I looked around wondering where they were, we had agreed to come up to the karaoke room first.

"Downstairs being chivalrous, they agreed to split the check," Ino hummed.

I raised my eyebrows, surprised because we were a party of ten and that had to have been a big bill. Choji alone had eaten enough for three people. Not long after, the guys filed into the room, Shikamaru and Kiba taking the seats on either side of me. The rest dispersed themselves evenly around where Ino, Sakura, and Hinata were already sitting, forming a square around the table of snacks.

"So what are we doing first?" Sakura twirled a piece of hair around her finger. Sasuke was the last one in the room and had no choice but to take the only seat left, the one beside Sakura. She had been fidgeting ever since he sat down.

"Why don't you open your presents first!" Naruto practically frisbeed something into my lap.

"Uh ok Naruto...excited much," I laughed looking down at a small envelope with my name written on it in orange marker.

Naruto's gift turned out to be about twenty coupons for free ramen bowls. As I opened more presents, I cheered and thanked my friends. I loved each gift, my friends being thoughtful in their own ways. I consolidated my gifts into the large gift bag that Hinata's present had been in. The only ones who hadn't had gifts in the pile had been Shikamaru, who usually just took me somewhere I wanted to go for a present, and Kiba-and I was pretty sure I knew why he didn't gift his publicly.

"Okay so now what?" I asked looking over to Ino for guidance.

"Let's play the pocky game!" Ino grinned wickedly, holding up a large box of the chocolate flavored snacks.

"What are we thirteen?" Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Shut up Shikamaru! This could be our chance to kiss one of the girls!" I heard Naruto whisper as he elbowed Shika. "Alright Ino I'm game!" he voiced this loud enough for everyone to hear.

One by one the other boys began agreeing. As soon as Naruto had practically forced Sasuke into playing, Sakura caved. It took one additional 'please' from Naruto for Hinata to join in, and she had turned into a big, red, complying mess.

I sighed. I was outnumbered, "Fine. Draw up the bracket."

I didn't know what her goal was by suggesting the game, but the sorting system Ino had used for the match-ups had failed hilariously. I think she was trying to pair herself up with Sasuke and me up with Kiba, but it hadn't turned out that way at all.

In the first round, when Choji and Shikamaru saw that they had been paired against each other they bowed out without competing. When I went up against Shino, he took two bites and began shaking so much out of discomfort that he dropped the pocky resulting in a foul-out. Kiba and Naruto went up against each other and in an overcompetitive display Naruto accidentally headbutted Kiba resulting in his victory. Naruto went against Sasuke after that, the latter bowing out of the competition. With her chance of pairing up with my cousin no longer a possibility, Sakura eliminated herself. In the end, the championship match was, much to her frustration, Ino against me.

I grinned at her pulling a stick of pocky from the box. She huffed in disapproval, "Let's just play another game."

"Oh no blondie! You picked this game and I'm this close to winning it. We're gonna see who comes out on top," I stuck the chocolate covered end in between my teeth.

She groaned and came over to sit beside me on the couch, forcing Shikamaru to move to sit on the table. She put her hands in her lap as she leaned forward and took the other end into her mouth. We each took a few nibbles, getting closer to the middle of the stick and each other's lips. All the while the boys watched hungrily. We had gotten about two bites away from deciding the victor. Ino and I squinted our eyes at each other waiting to see who would make a move. She waited too long. Her eyes widened as I closed the gap between us by taking the rest of the available pocky into my mouth. As our lips touched, I heard the snap of the pocky. We pulled away from each other blushing and I licked the chocolate and her strawberry flavored lip gloss off my lips triumphantly.

"Ha! Number 1!" I sang as I held up a 'victory' sign with my right hand and moved it in and out in front of Ino's red face.

"Can we play a different game now?" Ino huffed.

"I say we have another pocky tournament, women only," Naruto's grin spread across his face.

"Get a life twerp," Sakura smacked him on the back of the head.

"What about truth or dare?" Naruto counteroffered.

"That could work!" I could practically see the scheming sparkling in Ino's eyes.

"Ok you first Ino truth or dare?" Naruto asked.

"Truth I guess," she began reapplying her lip gloss.

"Ok so have you ever touched another girl...while you were naked?" he suggestively whispered the last word.

'Well that escalated quickly!'

"No! Naruto I-," Ino crossed her arms.

"Well now that's not true Ino, remember, the time the four of us-," Hinata began tapping her finger on her chin.

Shino literally spit out his drink and I though Shika was going to choke on his, "Now, now Hinata we don't want to bore the boys with old stories." I laughed and waved my hands around wildly, cutting her off.

"You go Raki, truth or dare?" Naruto turned in my direction.

"Are you gonna get to ask all the questions? Truth," I rolled my eyes.

"What's the furthest you've gone with anyone in this room?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

"What's up with you and these questions perv? Your mom ground you from the computer?" my hands found themselves on my hips.

"Just answer the question. I'm trying to figure something out," he said making me cock an eyebrow.

"Fine! Ino, just now in the pocky game...unless you wanna count when Sasuke and I used to take baths together when we were little. They stopped throwing us in there together though 'cause one-time Sasuke got mad at me and tried to p-," I rambled.

"Enough with the games! I'm going to get a drink," my cousin stood up, pink dusting his cheeks. He shrugged off his jacket and walked out the door, no doubt heading to the large dance floor and bar on the other side of this floor.

"That sounds like a plan," I stood up and followed Sasuke's path out of the room.

When I got up to the bar, I saw Sasuke already taking a sip out of a glass filled halfway up with a dark liquid. I flashed the bartender my ID and told him I wanted a long island iced tea. By the time I got my drink I saw the rest of our group spilling out onto the dance floor. Sakura came up to Sasuke and I at the bar and ordered some kind of blue fruity drink. She stood beside my cousin swaying back and forth on her feet, nervously sipping the drink through the tiny stirrer.

I saw Ino take notice of them striking up a conversation. She began making a beeline for us, and I decided to do Sakura a little favor. I would never tell Ino, but if either of them ended up dating my cousin I'd rather it be Sakura. She had been devoted to him and only him since we were practically in diapers. Ino hadn't been as loyal having dated other people, and I knew she could find a great guy that she would be more compatible with. While Sakura didn't have eyes for anyone else.

I downed the rest of my drink and set the glass on the bar before meeting Ino about fifteen feet away from Sakura and Sasuke. I grabbed her arm and pulled her the direction she had just come from, "Let's dance Ino!"

Once I got her far enough onto the dance floor I let go of her arm and backed my body into hers. We grinded against each other while the fast song played, laughing when we looked over and saw Kiba and some of the others watching us. I motioned to Shika to look where I was pointing when I noticed Choji in the corner talking to a cute red headed girl. He followed my finger and grinned when he saw what was happening. He looked back at me and smirked as he shrugged his shoulders and tipped back a beer.

I turned back to dancing with Ino and was quite content dancing with my friends after Hinata and Sakura joined in. A slower song came on and I felt a taller presence come up behind me.

"Can I cut in?" a deep voice whispered in my ear.

I turned to look at Kiba standing behind me smiling, giving me another look at those perfect teeth of his. I turned to look at the other girls. Ino was already giving me a look and pranced off to somewhere else. Hinata and Sakura quickly followed suit, leaving me and Kiba to dance on our own. He came up behind me and placed his hands on my hips while I lifted my hands up behind me placing them on either side of his neck. Our bodies moved to the beat together.

"This ok?" he said into my ear, eliciting goosebumps down my back.

"Mmhmm," I closed my eyes and hummed in response.

We continued swaying to the suggestive lyrics, an overwhelmingly large percentage of our bodies touching each other. It had been ages since I had danced with a guy and it feel this good. He knew how to move. He was keeping up with the pace my body set even after the music had turned fast and upbeat again. As I grinded against him his hands moved from my hips down to my thighs and back up further to my waist. As the song ended, I spun around to face him still having no space between our bodies. His smile held confidence even though his cheeks held a pink stain. I ran my hand from his shoulder down his chest and used it to push my body away from his.

"Thanks for the dance," I winked before walking over to the side of the dance floor towards Ino who was waiting with another drink for me in hand.

"Ohhh myyy Goddd!" She squealed.

I rolled my eyes but grinned as I sipped the drink through the straw, "That was interesting, to say the least."

"That's not the only interesting thing that happened, look at our little shy butterfly over there," I followed her eyes back to a corner of the dance floor where Choji was now dancing with the girl he had been talking to earlier.

"Whooo Go Choji!!" I called out in their direction. If he heard me, he didn't acknowledge it. I looked around for Shika, wanting to see what he thought of Choji's newly blossoming love life and to force him to dance with me for a song or two. I took another sip of my drink before turning to Ino, "Speaking of little shy boys. Where's Shika?"

"Oh, I think he went up to the roof to smoke a cigarette," She had a weird smirk on her face.

I chalked it up to Ino being Ino and ignored it as I rolled my eyes, "Ugh probably fed up with the music. I guess I'll go drag him back down here. I could use a smoke break anyways."

I headed for the stairs that led to the upper levels. Two flights later I had passed the arcade floor and was pushing the door open to the rooftop pool level. A cool breeze, courtesy of Japan's rainy season, made me shiver as I searched for my best friend. I saw him smoking a cigarette, just as Ino had forecasted, over to my right. He was leaning on the balcony looking out at the city's skyline.

"Hey there you are! What are you doing up here? No cloud watching tonight, all the fun's inside," I smiled walking up to him.

He blew out a cloud of smoke, "Just needed a breath of fresh air."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I pulled my vape out of the top of my dress, which earned a snort of laughter from Shikamaru.

"Did you see Choji talking to that chick in the corner?" he smirked.

"Yeah! I tried looking for you to talk about it but I couldn't find you," I blew out a mouthful of smoke.

"You seemed pretty...busy. So I just came up here," he looked away from me, the tone he took making a silence overtake our space. A type of loaded silence that I had never felt with Shikamaru. One I didn't really know what to do with.

"He's in there dancing with her now," I giggled out after a few minutes, trying to conjure a different mood, shivering as I did.

"What a drag. You cold? Come here," he was already taking his green jacket off and sliding my left arm into the sleeve.

"Speaking of dancing, you owe me one you know," I looked up at him threw my eyelashes as he pulled the other sleeve up my exposed arm and towards the middle of my body. His hands still clutching both sides of the zipper as he looked down at me. And for the second time tonight I found myself standing impossibly close to a boy.

Just as he was about to say something, we heard the door open. We turned our heads toward the sound only to find Kiba standing there facing the other direction, scanning the rooftop.

"I guess you'll have to take a raincheck," his hands dropped the fabric. One went to take the cigarette out of his mouth, the other found warmth in his front pocket.

"Hey! There you guys are!" Kiba had finally noticed us.

The cuff of the sleeve flopped back and forth as I waved, Shikamaru's jacket swallowing me up. We both blew out a puff of smoke as Kiba sauntered towards us.

"I was waiting to give you this in private for obvious reasons," he fished a zip-lock bag out of his back pocket.

I held it up inspecting the contents after taking it from his outstretched hand, "Wow, this is a lot! You really didn't have to give me that much."

He scratched the back of his head, "Eh don't worry about it. If you want more let me know."

"Oh we'll definitely be in touch," I laughed sticking the bag into the inside pocket of Shika's jacket. I looked over to him. He was putting out his cigarette.

"You ready to go back inside?" He had thrown the butt in a trash can and tugged on my arm.

"Let's go. I left Ino, Sakura, and my cousin alone. I'm sure there's a fight to break up," I linked arms with both of them and pulled them over to the door.

***

I sighed as I leaned against the window of Hinata's limo, inhaling the scent of Shikamaru's cologne. I just remembered that I hadn't taken it off. I pulled out my phone, careful not to let the light from the screen shine on Sakura's face. She had passed out, lying down sideways beside me.

Me:

Hey! I just remembered, I forgot to give

           you your jacket back.                              

Shikamaru:

I know troublesome woman. You know

where to bring it.

Me:

Yeah, yeah. I'll come over sometime

this week.                                          

We pulled to a stop in front of my building. I waved and whispered a 'goodnight' to Ino. Hinata had fallen asleep two minutes after we started moving. Ino told the driver to head to her house and that she'd take Sakura with her. I climbed out and walked inside and over to the elevator. The house was quiet and dark when I made it inside, as expected- it was after one in the morning. I tiptoed to my room, heels in hand. After shutting the door behind me I flipped on my tv and peeled off the dress.

I pulled on a big t-shirt and sat down on my bed. I plugged my phone in on the charger and checked my notifications. I had three text messages.

Kashi-senpai:

Are you having fun? You're not doing

anything crazy are you?

Kiba:

So you're gonna let me know about that date

right?

Shikamaru:

I just thought of something...What was Hinata

talking about when she said that thing about the

four of you being naked?

I laughed thinking about the time the four of us girls had hiked up to Momiji Falls. We had found a hot spring fed by a waterfall. We had all soaked and washed each other's hair in the falling water. We had technically been naked and I guess we were touching each other. I left all three boys on 'read' and rolled over, letting a sweet sleep embrace me. It had been a hell of a way to enter adulthood.

***

Ok everyone!  so what did you think?  each of our little love interests got a little fluff with Kumaraki.  The love triangle(square)and major plot points of the story will be picking up pace in the next few chapters.  I can't wait for you guys to let me know what you think!

Chapter Text

Ok so I know I've been on kinda a long break, but I promise I'm not abandoning this story!!  This chapter is extra-long and we get introduced to some new important original characters.  I hope you guys enjoy!

***

"So really it's simple. You just take the cosign of figure A and divide that by the-," Ms. Senju droned on and on. I hated upper-level math; I really did. Math was undeniably useful out in the real world but honestly, when was knowing that the square root of 'i' is negative one gonna come in handy? It would've helped if we at least had a cute student teacher telling us all this.

Whatever, I would just get Shikamaru to explain it to me later. I was supposed to be going over to his house after school this Friday for a study session anyway. First semester midterms were coming up and I needed some help. It was better to study with him if I actually wanted to learn anything. Every time the girls and I got together to study it always ended up with us gossiping, singing to music, and doing virtually anything but looking at our schoolbooks. Plus, I had to give him back the jacket he lent me.

I sighed as the bell rang, signaling the end of my current hell. I just wanted to survive the rest of the day. The girls and I were walking to the mall after school. Hinata had some kind of company party coming up that her family was expected to attend, and we were going to help her find a new dress for the event. I may or may not have also wanted to buy a new outfit suitable for an interview, hoping it would make me feel better about this job situation. It had only been a few days since my birthday but the sooner I took care of it the better. My grandfather wouldn't be patient for long, and I didn't even know if getting another job would get him off my back. I sighed as I put my head down on my desk, ignoring the bemused look on Shika's face while I waited for our next teacher to make their appearance.

***

I put the last of my books that'd I'd need for homework in my bag and shut my locker. I walked with the other three towards the front door of the school. It had taken enough time at our lockers that we now had to navigate the mass exodus that I did my best to avoid on a daily basis. As I pushed through the throngs of people, I became separated from the other girls. Just as I had crossed the threshold out into the courtyard, I noticed I was alone in managing to cross the sea of people. I rolled my eyes at the inconvenience but set myself to walking over to the left towards a bench to get out of the way of the crowd and snag my friends when they came by.

A few steps away from the bench I heard a familiar voice call out, "Uchiha!"

Since I saw neither my cousin nor the mob of squealing, giggling girls that usually followed in his wake, I assumed the voice was referring to me. When I turned my head to look, I was met by a messy brown mop of hair, piercing brown eyes, and those trademark pearly whites. Kiba had cornered me at last.

I smirked and crossed my arms, "Uchiha huh? What happened to Raki? Aren't we friends anymore?"

"I figured it would get your attention," He smiled back at me. "So how are you enjoying my birthday present?"

"Thoroughly. Definitely as good as I expected," I uncrossed my arms.

"Good enough to earn me that date?" he looked at my face, waiting for his answer.

I laughed, "You're persistent if anything, I'll give you that."

"I'd say I'm goal oriented," it was his turn to cross his arms.

"Oh, goal oriented," I snorted, "and just what is your goal?" I played dumb, wanting him to work for it.

"To get you to give me a chance," his voice softened and the look in his eyes changed. Kiba was one of the most popular athletes in the school, and stereotypically he was loud, brass, and constantly joking around. But not in this moment, I could see the sincerity in his eyes. It caught me off guard, but I wouldn't let him see that. It did help me make my decision though.

"Okay," I said softly.

"Now I know that I have a- wait, what did you say?" he stopped himself, clearly having expected me to say 'no'.

"I said okay. I'll give you a chance. We can hang out Sunday if that's cool with you," I pulled my hair over my shoulder as I looked around him. Sakura, Ino, and Hinata were standing by the stairs actively staring at the exchange between the two of us.

"Y-yeah! Sunday'd be great! I'll see you then," he bowed just the slightest bit before catching himself. It was enough to make me snort in laughter, but in all actuality, I found it charmingly awkward- traits I hadn't really known Kiba to have possessed. I watched, amused, as he sprinted over to Shino and began talking to him quite animatedly as they exited onto the street.

Ino and the others grinned as we met each other halfway. "He asked you out, didn't he?" Sakura nudged me with her elbow as we walked towards the street.

"We're hanging out on Sunday. I'm not expecting extravagance," I rolled my eyes.

"The only way this could get any better is if Kakashi found out. Is he going to be at your house this weekend?" Ino plotted as we waited for the light to change so we could cross the street.

"He is pretty much every other weekend. I don't see why this one would be any different. What's your plan?" I sighed.

"Dress up super cute for your date and when him or your brother asks where you're going, tell them," She giggled.

"And? Then what?" I cocked an eyebrow. She always went on these little tirades with such feeling in her voice, like all her schemes were just so outrageous.

"What do you mean 'then what?'. That's it. Just pay attention to his reaction. It should tell you all you need to know about how our plan is going," she shrugged her shoulders as if she was pointing out the obvious.

"Iiiiinnnooo!" I whined, "first of all, this is your plan, let's be clear about that. And it's not that great of one either. What's a cute outfit going to accomplish?"

"'Cause he'll be thinking of you out with another guy dressed like that! Depending on what he does and how he acts when and after he hears the news will tell us how the plan is going," she huffed.

"Do you ever hear yourself when you talk?" I asked playfully pushing her, the other girls laughing with me.

***

When we entered the mall we headed immediately to Haruki's, which was a clothing chain that catered to teens and girls in their twenties. We headed to their formal section and began combing through the racks of dresses. With the four of us looking, we had picked out about ten for Hinata to try on after only a few minutes. We herded her into one of the changing rooms and tossed the dresses in after her.

One by one she came out in each dress and did a little twirl to give us the full view. We made a pile of dresses-the ones we liked- and hung the others on a rack comprised of other dressing room rejects. By the time she had gone through all of them, we still hadn't unanimously decided on one we liked. Hinata herself hadn't really formed a strong opinion on any of them either. She huffed, frustrated looking at herself in the mirror in a pretty eggplant colored, empire waist, floor length dress.

"Well, what about that purple one?" Ino offered, "It looks pretty on you."

"I always wear purple. I wanted to try something new," Hinata sighed, picking up the skirt of the dress, taking a few practice steps.

"What about the white one? It looked pretty too," Sakura held it up in front of Hinata in the mirror.

"Yeah, but it looks a little too wedding dressy," I rested my chin in my palm. Having an idea, I jumped up, "Hang on a minute!"

I walked behind where Ino and Sakura were standing and over to a rack. I filed through the hangers until I came upon a light-yellow knee length dress. Walking back over to Hinata I handed it to her, "Here, try this on." She stared at it, hesitating to take the hanger.

I whispered quieter so the other girls wouldn't hear, "Naruto's going to be at the party too, isn't he? I want you to stand out, so he notices you." Her face turned beat red, and she looked like she would begin having a highspeed come-apart at any moment, "Just trust me girl."

She took the hanger and pulled the door closed behind her. When she stepped back out, Hinata literally dazzled. The halter top neckline showed off her petite shoulders and a bust that rivaled my own. The even lighter yellow lace applique laid over the soft material of the dress made it look even more delicate and the tiny sequin details spaced throughout caught the light in an almost magical way. As she turned, the skin from mid-calf to her toes peeked through the slit, the hem of the dress barely dragging the floor.

"Oh Nata, you look beautiful! What do you think? An updo and a pair of heels and you are the main attraction girl!" I gushed.

"Yellow is definitely your color. It looks so good with your hair," Ino looked almost shocked, like she was having a revelation.

"You guys are just saying that! Do you really think it looks good?" Hinata swayed back and forth in front of the mirror.

"Seriously Hinata, you're drop dead gorgeous. But what do you think? Do you like it?" I asked her.

"I've really never worn yellow before. The dress is beautiful. It makes me feel pretty, and if you guys say it looks good on me, I think this is the one," Hinata smiled.

She went back into the dressing room to change back into her school uniform. When she came out, she walked the dress up to the register and asked the cashier to hold it for her. While she was paying for the dress, I walked over to the casual section and began looking through shirts. I had flipped through the rack and settled on a white, long-sleeved button up with black pin stripes. I found a thin black suit jacket that was cut in a way that cinched my waist. I ending up pairing it with a black pencil skirt that had a tiny side slit with little button details.

The girls stood on the other side of the dressing door waiting for me to come out. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. I looked like a fuckin flight attendant. To be honest, it was the most professional and adult I had ever looked. The skirt went down slightly below my knees, so my school stockings looked like tights. I could probably get away with wearing them instead of having to buy a new pair of pantyhose if I wore some closed-toed black heels. I pulled my hair into a messy pile on top of my head. 'Now I really look the part.' I sighed. I almost didn't recognize myself. Who was I? As a person...what was I going to do with my life? I wondered what Hinata was thinking to herself as she tried on that yellow dress. Wondered if she had the same worries as me. Wondered if she still recognized herself as she looked in the mirror and the reflection staring back, or if she struggled like I currently was. 'No. Surely not, not her.'

"Hey! You taking a nap in there?" I heard Ino's impatience through the door, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"I buttoned up the shirt wrong. Hang on, I'm coming," I gathered myself and straightened out the sides of the jacket before opening up the door and stepping out.

"Ok who are you and what have you done with Raki?" Sakura giggled, unintentionally reaffirming my feelings.

"Really though! You totally look like some badass corporate chick!" Ino pumped her fist in the air, forever my hype girl.

"Does it look ok?" I asked, particularly looking to Hinata for approval. She had practically grown up in the corporate world and had the most experience out of the four of us.

"Very professional. Reminds me of my dad's personal secretary," the aforementioned business fashion expert's opinion erased my uneasiness.

"Ok good! I'll get changed," I went back in and pulled my uniform back on after hanging the clothes back up on their hangers.

We walked up to the register so I could pay for my new clothes, feeling a small surge of confidence. While I swiped my card, Hinata collected her bag from a lady behind the counter. I looped my arm through the bag and turned to walk out with the others.

"That outfit really looked good Raki. I bet you get an offer really soon!" Sakura gave me a pep-talk.

"Now I just need to find an interview to wear it to," I had turned my head to look back at them as we walked out of the store.

When I turned my head forward again, I realized I was about to bump into a middle-aged woman in a suit. I stumbled back into the other girls.

"Sorry ma'am," I bowed apologetically. When I lifted my head, I noticed her expression was kinder than I was expecting it to be considering I almost bulldozed into her.

"Oh, aren't you pretty!" She said giving me a once over.

"Uh...thank you?" I said, unsure of where she was going with this conversation.

"You're exactly the type of girl we need to bring customers in! Tell me, how old are you? Are you looking for a job?" She clasped her hands together.

"I...I am actually," I stuttered surprised. 'Sakura's a witch.' I laughed in thought, "What kind of business is it?"

"Well, it's a nightclub. We're looking for cute waitresses to increase our number of customers. You'd be perfect! Here, tell you what, take my card. If you're interested, come to this address Saturday around noon," she fished around in her pocket a second, before producing a red and black folded-fan shaped business card.

She bowed as she handed the card over, "Yashida, Kanami. Nice to meet you!"

"Uchiha, Kumaraki. Nice to meet you too and thank you!" I kept the business card in between my fingers.

"No problem! Hopefully I'll see you Saturday," she began walking away.

I smiled as I turned around to the girls, "Well that was easier than I thought!"

"Let me see!" Ino grabbed the card as I handed it over. "Ooh it's called 'Kanpai' ! Sounds like a fun place to work."

"I guess I'll find out on Saturday," I grinned taking the card back from her and slipping it in my pocket now that the lady was out of sight. I walked with the girls to our next destination-the boba tea stall-feeling like a heavy weight had been temporarily lifted off my shoulders.

***

"Good afternoon, Auntie Yoshi! Shika up in his room?" I asked, pulling my shoes off in the foyer.

"Yes dear. Go on, and I'll bring some snacks up soon," Yoshino smiled and gestured towards the stairs.

I began ascending the staircase and with five steps left I came to a stop so I could begin creeping up the last few feet to the hallway. If I wasn't quiet enough coming up the steps, he would definitely hear me coming down the hallway towards his room. I crept silently, my sock feet not making any noise on the lush carpet of the rug running down the length of the passage. I had already spun my school bag behind me so it didn't bounce with each step, making unnecessary noise and ruining my antics.

I paused at his door and placed my hand in a ready position on the knob. I took a deep breath before twisting the knob and kicking the door open in the same moment.

"Hand's up Gold General!" I shouted as I busted in both hands formed into gun shapes.

He jumped and turned around with a surprised look on his face, "Hey! Don't you know how to knock?! Troublesome woman I could have been in my underwear or something!"

"Tch. At five in the afternoon? Not likely. Plus, I've seen you in your bathing suit, same thing," I laughed and strolled the rest of the way into the room.

"What a drag. You want to clear our minds a little before we study Silver?" he played along, indulging me in another one of our old childhood games, walking over to his drawer that held his stash.

"Your mom's bringing up snacks in a few minutes. We'll have to keep our minds cloudy a little longer," I sat my bag down on his bed and set myself up with my back up against the wall.

He rolled his eyes and began pulling books out of his bag, "I swear she's always so damn busy."

"You only think that cause you're so lazy. Besides, I'm grateful for food I don't have to cook, and your mom always makes good ass snacks," I laughed.

I began pulling papers and books out of my bag so that when Yoshino delivered out treats, we at least gave off the illusion that we were studying in earnest. Well, I guess I was...Shikamaru was just here to hold my hand and walk me through it.

"Okay so what do you want to try first?" I looked up after emptying my bag. I could see the stress on his face, looking at the amount of material I had pulled out of my bag.

He rubbed his face with his hand in exasperation, "Whatever you think is the hardest. We'll tackle that while your mind is fresh."

I tapped the side of my head, "Brilliant strategy Gold."

He laughed and rolled his eyes as I gathered up the calculus worksheets that Ms. Senju said would help us study for the midterms. We were definitely going to have to start with that. About the time he scooted up beside me and placed the sheet of paper in between us on the bed his mom walked in with a tray of little sandwiches and some chocolate daifuku.

I grinned, licked my lips, and clapped a few times as she set the tray down on the bed. She pulled two bottles of water out of her pockets and handed one to each of us. We both chorused a 'thank you' as she backed out of the room, intentionally leaving the door open.

As we snacked, he tried to explain limits and derivatives, displaying saint-like patience when at one point I broke down crying and threw my pencil across the room. We finished the snacks and the calculus worksheet at the same time. Shika got up and traded the food tray for his rolling tray. While he was rolling up a joint, I packed up the calculus stuff, making the pile of study materials scattered on the bed smaller.

He quietly shut the door and walked into his bathroom while lighting the end and taking the first puff. I followed him and turned the fan on as I walked in.

"So, there's a new development on Mission Independent Money," I smiled as I blew smoke from my mouth.

He snorted, "That what you're callin' your plan, Secret Agent Uchiha?"

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. So the other day me and the girls were shopping at the mall, and I almost ran over this lady."

He grimaced, fighting to keep from unleashing a laugh.

"Not. A. Word," I glared, "Anyways, it turns out she was some kind of recruiter for a nightclub where they need waitresses. She thinks I'd be perfect for it. She told me I should come by Saturday around noon," I said while inhaling.

"A waitress? Really? You think you're gonna like that?" he squinted his eyes in doubt as he took the dwindling joint.

"Geez Skeptamaru. It'll be fine. How hard could it be? Plus, if I mess up, I'll just apologize and batt my eyelashes. That usually works," I stuck my tongue out.

"Way to take advantage of the 'Hot Girl' stereotype," he rolled his eyes.

"Says the 'Lazy Stoner'," I fired back, taking note that in a round-about way he had called me attractive. He had insinuated it a few times in the past, but they were few and far between.

"Speaking of 'lazy', we need to get back to studying. It's getting late, and I'm getting sleepy," he hoisted himself off the bathroom counter, effectively changing the subject.

"What a drag," I moaned with feigned annoyance. I giggled as he shot me a pointed look for using his frequently spoken phrase against him.

***

Saturday morning, I woke up around nine and slunk into the shower. I just was not a morning person. While I was waiting for my hair to towel dry a little, I grabbed the interview outfit hanging from the closet door and threw it on. I slipped on my school shoes and stuffed my black heels into a small backpack that I was using as a purse today. I couldn't risk Obito finding out, he'd figure out some reason to keep me from going, so I was going to have to walk there. It wasn't really a big deal, only a fifteen-minute walk-same as school-, but I wasn't going to walk there in heels. I would change into them before I walked in the club.

I finished putting on my makeup and drying my hair before throwing it up in a large silver bun on the top of my head. I tiptoed through the living room into the entryway only to discovered that Obito's shoes weren't even there. 'Probably at Kakashi or Rin's.' That was good. I was hoping to slip back in before he got home. Worse-case scenario, he sees me in these clothes, and I tell him I was at Ino's participating in one of her photoshoots.

I rode the elevator down, and trudged outside, beginning my long walk.

***

I turned onto the street that the club was located on at around 11:40 p.m. That gave me a nice window of time to duck into the bathroom of the convenient store two doors down and refresh myself from my walk.

I smiled at the young guy behind the counter before walking past to the restrooms. I locked the door behind me and turned to face the mirror. I sighed half embarrassed, several pieces of hair stuck out from my bun at odd angles due to the wind. I took it down and redid it making sure it was loose and big but also smooth. I retouched my eyeliner and lip gloss while I was in my backpack switching out school shoes for the black stiletto heels.

Satisfied with my appearance I pulled out my phone and took and mirror selfie and texted it to Shikamaru.

Me:

Ok this is the interview outfit the girls helped me

with...what do you think? It's not too much is it?

I waited for a few minutes waiting for a reply before I left the bathroom. I'm not sure why. Even if he said it was, it's not like I had any other clothes to change into, and no time to run back to my house and change before the interview.

I looked at the time on my phone. 11:50 p.m. My second opinion would have to wait. I exited the bathroom and walked up to the counter. I asked the kid behind the counter for a mango vape, sure I would need it to combat my stress after the interview. I thanked him and threw away the packaging as I walked out the doors. I took three puffs as I walked the few more feet to the club entrance. Putting it in my pocket with one hand, I opened the large black glittery door to the club.

The outside of the building was deceptively small compared to the inside. But it could have been the black walls and the floor-the same glittery black as the front doors-that gave off the illusion of a bigger space. The whole back wall was taken up by a stage with three catwalks of differing lengths that jutted into the large empty space in the middle of the room that served as a dance floor. A black curtain on either side of the stage concealed the entrances to the dressing rooms. On either side of the dance floor, fully stocked looking bars flanked the walls. There were black tables, red chairs and couches, and the hostess counter in the area closest to me.

Hanging lights were scattered throughout the entire room. They were on a white light setting right now, but I knew later this evening some would dim, some would strobe different colors, and some would fall to spotlight the dancers that would be on the catwalks. The empty chairs and couches would be filled with drunk men and women, and the now dim dance floor would light up and be teeming with people swaying to the music.

I was pulled out of my daydreaming by a young girl that looked to be a few years older than me. She came out of a side door somewhere between the stage and the bar on one side. Her shoulder length red hair bounced as she made her way over to me.

"Hi! Can I help you?" she smiled with a sweet tone. She kinda reminded me of an older Hinata. I wondered what she did here, picturing Hinata in various roles here, each vision ending with a blushing Hinata fainting.

"Oh hi. My name's Uchiha, Kumaraki. I'm looking for Ms. Yashida, I have an interview with her at noon for a waitress position," I bowed slightly, trying to be as professional as I could.

"Oh of course! I'm Matsubara, Ayane. I'm a dancer here so most people know me by my stage name, Ichigo," Strawberry. I smiled, it seemed fitting, "Have a seat and I'll go get Ms. Yashida." She gestured to one of the tables and turned to walk back through the door she had emerged from.

I pulled out one of the chairs and sat down, hanging one of my backpack straps on the back of the chair. I smoothed out my skirt and glanced out the tinted window to the street outside while I waited for the woman.

I didn't have to wait long, the woman from the mall, now in a different suit walked over to my table. I stood up and bowed making sure to bend down deeper than her, "It's good to see you Ms. Uchiha. I appreciate your promptness."

"You as well Ms. Yashida, thank you for this opportunity."

We sat down at the table, and she began asking me questions. Turns out she was familiar with my last name and had wondered why I would not be taking a position with my family's company. When I replied that I wanted to be independent and provide for myself instead of depending on my family's money her eyes gleamed a little. She asked me what hours I would be able to work and talked about the pay rate, ¥1050.00 an hour, which was a little better than the standard pay rate for waitresses. I informed her that since I was still in school and lived with my older brother that I would be able to work three nights a week-Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

She asked me if I would be able to stay until the club closed at 3:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and I agreed, she had told me that I would be able to leave at 10 p.m. on Thursdays since it was a school night. When I was asked if coming in at 7:00 p.m. would interfere with any after school activities or clubs I sheepishly told her that it wouldn't, thinking my lack of school participation would hurt my chances. She didn't seem to mind because right after that she pulled out a walkie talkie and asked someone named Kubo to bring her a medium waitress uniform.

Not two minutes later a tall, thin girl with black, boyishly short hair emerged holding a black cheongsam style dress with red seaming and toggle clasps. "This is Kubo, Momoka she's my assistant and helps me run the back of the house. Kubo, this is Uchiha, Kumaraki she's our new waitress." She said as she handed me the uniform and stood up while the tall girl gave me a wave hello. "That is, if she accepts the position."

I shot up out of my seat as I took the uniform, "Of course! Thank you so much!" I bowed my head multiple times in rapid succession in excitement. She told me that I would come in next Thursday evening for my first shift. I thanked her again and exited the club on cloud nine, only waiting until I got out of view of the front windows to stop and switch my shoes out on the sidewalk. I practically glided home.

When I came into the entryway, I noticed Obito's shoes still weren't present. 'Hell yeah! Success!' I had made it back without my brother any the wiser. After doing a little victory dance, I made my way into my room and quickly traded the interview outfit for a pair of soft red shorts and a white band t-shirt. I flopped onto my bed and pulled out my phone. I sucked my teeth in annoyance. Shikamaru had only returned my text a few minutes ago. 'Now he wants to text back.'

Shikamaru:

It's not too much. How did the  interview go?

Me:

Phase two of Mission Independent Money complete! V(^_^)V

Shikamaru:

What the hell does that mean?

Me:

It means I got the job Pineapple Head.  My

first shift is this Thursday evening.

Pineapple Head:

(T_T)# What the hell are the other phases?

Me:

                             Well phase three is lasting long enough to

earn my first paycheck.  Phase four is stacking 

some cash without my brother knowing where

I'm working.

Pineapple Head:

So what are you going to tell him?

Me:

That I'm working at an all-night cafe.  There's 

literally one right next door to the club.  That

way, being in the area won't be suspicious if 

he gets curious.

Pineapple Head:

Good luck with that. Anyways, congratulations.

Me:

Thanks Shika.

I plugged my phone into the charger and settled down for what I thought was a well-deserved nap. I fell asleep hoping that Obito would bring something good home for dinner.

***

Alright everybody!  Our girl is officially employed.  What adventures will working in a night club bring?  You'll just have to wait and see.  Next chapter is Kumaraki's date with Kiba.  How do you think it'll go?

Chapter Text

I know its been awhile since I posted a chapter, but you know life and how it gets in the way.  That being said I have not abandoned this story and am determined to finish it.  I still have a lot more planned.  This chapter slightly advances the plot but is mostly filler with some Kiba fluff, a little Kakashi angst, and some Kuma/Obito brother sister moments.  We also get to see a little more of Kumaraki's personality outside of how she acts around Shika or the girls.  I hope you enjoy!!

***

I woke up the next morning to sounds of Obito and Kakashi bickering. I groaned as I checked the time on my phone. 9:47 a.m. 'Not as good as I usually do on a Sunday.' Normally on a weekend morning I rolled out of bed and started my day around 10:30, but thanks to those two I guess I was starting my Sunday early. I pulled my phone off the nightstand and opened it.

Obito:

Kakashi and I are on out way. Did you co0k

diner?

Cn you opn the fron do0r? I cn't find my key

KUMA!!!!!! oPn the duckin door!!!

Ino:

How did the interview go? More importantly

what are you wearing on your date today?

Pineapple Head:

I got the new Shinobi Striker yesterday if

you wanna come over and check it out.

Kiba:

Morning gorgeous! I thought we'd get together

around noon if that's ok with you.

I snickered at Obito's drunk texts and rolled my eyes at Ino. She had a one-track mind and wasted no time. I texted her back and told her that I would send her a picture when I got ready. I told Shikamaru that I had plans today but maybe one day this week after school I would come over. I paused in thought before texting Kiba. Noon would give me plenty of time to get ready, it's not like I was going to get super dressed up. I wasn't expecting him to show up in a suit and tie.

Me:

Noon sounds good. Where do you

    want to meet up?                           

Kiba:

You want to meet up at my house

first? I'll text you the address.

I quirked my eyebrow. Normally I wouldn't meet up with a guy at his house on a 'first date', but Kiba was in my friend circle. I had been over at his house before for parties, so I was familiar with the neighborhood and the inside of the house itself, and I had my own reasons for wanting to go to his house again. My phone dinged again with Kiba's text containing his address even though I didn't need it. I replied and told him that I would see him there at noon.

I pulled my hair into a big sloppy bun on top of my head and slipped my phone into the pocket of my shorts. I grabbed my vape and took a big puff before heading out to the living room to see what the two idiots were yelling about.

I walked into the living room to find the pair on the couch playing what I assumed to be the new Shinobi Striker that apparently was now inevitable I'd end up eventually playing. Obito was struggling against Kakashi who was playing as Raijin, the guy he always used.

"Dude you're fuckin cheating!" Obito mashed a button furiously.

"Don't be a little bitch. Stop playing as new characters, pick Jiro and let's play for real," Kakashi hit him with a 4-hit combo draining his health.

"What's the point of getting the new game with new characters if you're just gonna pick the same old guys?" my brother huffed.

"They have new special mov-,"

"You two are arguing this loud about a video game?!" I interrupted Kakashi.

"Oh, did we wake you Sleeping Beauty?" My brother threw down his controller, beaten, and glared at me, apparently still mad he had to find his own way inside last night.

"Yeah, Big Mouth. It's not my fault your drunk ass lost your door key. You should learn to hold your liquor better," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"We drank beer," he said in a mocking tone.

I rolled my eyes as I sat down in the recliner, "Smart ass."

"Better than being a dumbass," Obito, forever having to have the last word, spit out.

I groaned and grabbed the pillow from the chair. I raised it above my head preparing to hurl it at my brother's head. A warm hand that sent a spark of electricity through me closed around my wrist, stopping me from exacting my revenge on my brother's smart mouth.

"Here. Kick his ass. It's funnier this way," Kakashi handed me the controller he had been playing with.

My eyes lingered on his hand still holding my wrist as I took the device with my other hand. His hand followed my gaze and when our eyes met again his hand traded my wrist for the pillow. I let him take it out of my hand, still slightly mesmerized that I could still feel the warmth of his grip.

"Pick your character already," Obito stared at the screen impatiently.

I scoffed and moved my cursor over to one of my favorite characters.

"You're on that same old character bullshit too!" my brother complained.

"Yeah, I like Hanzo. He's the sexiest character. That ninja mask just does something for me ya know," I wiggled my eyebrows.

"Fuckin gross, shut up!" he said selecting the fighting arena.

"Awww you don't want to hear about your sister's kinks?" I stuck my tongue out.

"Kuma I'm gonna kick your ass for real," he said starting the fight and getting the first hit in.

In the end I won the first round, and he won the second. In the tie breaker round I was one hit away from beating him but he hit me with a cheap shot, a special move I couldn't block, and killed me first. He cheered and set his controller down to shoot finger guns at me.

"You'll get him next time," Kakashi chuckled. He stood up from his spot on the couch and swung the pillow he was still holding, hitting Obito's head as he passed by. My brother picked it back up and threw it back towards Kakashi but he was just closing the balcony door, cigarette in his mouth, and my brother's shot missed.

The three of us alternated and played a few more rounds. I looked at my phone as I blew out a cloud of mango flavored smoke. I needed to start getting ready. I stood up and told Obito I was going to get dressed when he had asked where I was going.

I shut the door behind me and walked over to my dresser. I pondered what to wear as I looked at the options in the drawer that contained various kinds of bottoms. 'Definitely not a skirt.' Kiba was an athletic guy that enjoyed physical activities and there was a decent chance he'd have me hiking in the park or smacking a ball in a batting cage, so I wanted to be prepared.

I dug through my drawers and pulled out a pair of blue jean overall shorts. I pulled the straps down over my white crop top, the metal clasp cold on my belly. My feet slipped into my old comfortable white tennis shoes while my hands threw my stuff in a little sage green backpack with a sunflower print. I looked in the mirror and pulled my hair into two messy space buns. My bangs and little hairs in front of my ears fell out annoyingly like they always did. I put on a little white glittery eyeshadow and made my eyeliner a little more dramatic than what I normally did.

I looked at my phone. It was about time for me to head out. I snapped a quick picture in the mirror and sent it to Ino. She gave me her approval commending me for showing quote "just the right amount of skin" and "looking cute without trying too hard". With her unnecessary approval (I was wearing this whether she liked it or not), I shut my bedroom door behind me. It seemed that Ino's stupid little plan would come to fruition because as I walked down the hallway, I heard the two of them back at it, and from the sound of it Obito was losing again.

I took a breath, lifted my head up, and tried to stroll to the door as nonchalantly as I could. If I could catch them in the middle of a match, I might be able to slip out unseen. I had about six more steps to freedom when I heard my brother grunt in defeat.

"Where are you going dressed like that?" he screeched, taking out his frustration on me.

"Oh what, am I going to bring shame to our family if my belly button is showing? Out," I replied simply.

"Out where?" he turned his whole body to look at me.

"I'm not exactly sure yet," I shrugged my shoulders.

"Who are you hanging out with?" this drew the attention of Kakashi, who was now looking in my direction awaiting the answer along with my brother.

"A friend," I turned to walk out the door.

"What's his name Kumaraki?" I turned to look back at my brother sitting on the couch looking at me expectantly

'Great. Now I can't avoid it.' He had asked me directly. I didn't like bold-faced lying. My M.O. was more weaving my way around the truth, only answering exactly what was asked.

I sighed, crossing my arms, "Kiba. We go to school together."

I could see that the tension in my brother's body eased up slightly. The fact that I was seeing a guy my own age for a change must've been comforting. I also noticed that while my brother's face showed relief, my brother's friend's face displayed a look of agitation. I took note knowing I would have to report to Ino at a later date. It was very curious. I gave Obito a look that said 'You happy? Can I go now?'

"Be back at a decent hour," he picked his controller back up.

"I'll see what I can do. No promises," I said smiling and turning the doorknob, feeling Kakashi's eyes still on me.

***

The walk to Kiba's house wasn't that bad. He lived a couple of streets down from Shikamaru, so it wasn't surprising that he lived in one of the nicer houses in town, corresponding with the rest of the neighborhood. It had two stories, and a wrap-around porch that extended past a fence and into the large, enclosed back yard. There were no cars out front, his parents were probably out on a shopping trip, and I knew his sister had moved out to her own apartment a few years ago, so it appeared he was home alone.

I took a deep breath before knocking on the door. 'He's just a high school boy Kuma. Nothing to get too worried over.' I heard eager sounding footsteps come down a flight of stairs. A few clicks of locks and latches and the door swung open revealing my company for the day.

"Hey! You look great! Come o-," he greeted me with one of his trademark smiles.

I brushed past him and entered the house. I walked behind one of the couches and then peaked my head down the hallway before crossing the living room.

"Uh Raki what are you looking for?" Kiba scratched his head in bewilderment.

I reached the large sliding glass doors that led to the back yard. As I gazed out, I saw what I had been searching for. I grinned, "There he is!"

When I flung open the panel of glass his head perked up and our eyes met, "AKAMARU!!!"

I got a running start and ran towards the center of the yard where Akamaru was now charging equally fast to meet me. I ignored Kiba's protests of worry telling me the dog liked to jump when he got excited, as if I didn't already know. Akamaru and I collided in a pile of fur and denim in the middle of the lush grassy lawn.

"Akamaru! Be easy with her!" Kiba yelled in an authoritative voice that I admittedly found pretty sexy.

I laughed as Akamaru licked the entire right side of my neck from his spot on my legs, "If this is the way I go, this is the way I go."

He grinned, swatting Akamaru away and extending his hand to pull me up from the ground. I brushed my clothes off while he scolded Akamaru who had now stood up beside me. Akamaru was a freakishly large white dog with shaggy hair, some mix of exotic breeds. His head went to my elbows when he sat on his haunches, putting him taller than me when he fully stood up on two legs.

"Aww Kiba don't yell at him! We were just playing, weren't we boy?" I squatted to hug Akamaru's large neck and looked up at Kiba with my own puppy dog eyes. Akamaru licked the side of my face in response.

Kiba blushed and laughed, "Don't get me wrong, I love how comfortable you are with him, but I don't want him to trample you before I've had a chance to take you out."

"Fair enough," I laughed. "Speaking of, where is out?"

"I thought we could go get something to eat and then maybe go to that new carnival that opened down on the boardwalk," he smiled, clearly pleased with the effort that he had put into planning our afternoon.

"That sounds great what were you thinking for food?" I asked as we headed towards his sliding glass door.

As I put one foot through the threshold, I heard whimpering from behind me. I turned around to Akamaru staring me down with the saddest look I think the animal had ever mustered. He laid down in a huff and cried again. I didn't have it in my heart to leave him by himself. I wasn't fond of most people, but I turned into mush for animals.

I looked from the yard back inside to Kiba who was gazing between me and Akamaru with an exasperated look on his face, "What if we change the plans a little?"

"Come on you beggar!" he grabbed the leash as Akamaru sprinted happily into the house.

***

Akamaru, big as he was, pranced down the sidewalk, knowing the entrance to the dog park was nearby. When the gate was in sight, he jerked me forward and didn't stop until he was sniffing the metal links of the chain fence.

With a few steps Kiba was right behind us, "What did I tell you boy?"

Akamaru flattened his ears in response and calmly let me unlatch the gate. He was on his best behavior while I unhooked his lead. I opened the secondary gate, effectively unleashing him on the rest of the dog park and its visitors.

We walked to an open area that was vacant of other people and dogs. Kiba sat his backpack on the ground and pulled out a large blanket that he spread out. I sat my own backpack down as well and waited for Kiba to pull out the frisbee that he had packed. As soon as Akamaru saw the yellow plastic emerging, he began to dance in place, his four monstrous paws trampling the grass where they landed.

Kiba pulled it out and flung it an impressive distance, and Akamaru took off like a jet after it. Eventually, he brought the drool covered frisbee back to us so he could chase it again. Kiba and I took turns throwing it, his traveling much further than mine. At one point, he had thrown it so far Akamaru disappeared through a tree line to retrieve it. After waiting for a few minutes with no sight of the familiar mop of white fur Kiba shrugged his shoulders and sat down on the blanket.

"Should we go get him?" I asked hesitantly sitting down beside him.

"Nah, he'll find his way back. Probably found a squirrel to chase or something. You wanna eat?" he asked pulling out the gas station lunch boxes we had stopped to get on the way to the dog park.

"Sure, better now while he's gone. He knows he could beg half my lunch away," I smiled, taking the one I had picked out for myself. I popped the plastic lid off mine and broke my chopsticks apart.

I hummed in delight as I chewed the whole piece of sushi that I had just crammed into my mouth. I heard a little chuckle as I threw another piece in.

I turned to look to see Kiba smirking at me, chopsticks hovering over his own lunch box, "What?"

"Nothing," he picked up a piece of tempura shrimp, "it's just...you're pretty cute when you eat."

A laugh rang out of my now empty mouth, "Thank you. Normally people don't complement me when I'm stuffing my face. I swear, one time the girls and I, we went to this all you can eat buffet...Sakura told me I made her lose her appetite."

It's true. I loved food. Sometimes I think I like it even more than Cho-, strike that, nobody loves food as much as Choji, but you get the point. Various members of my family had often joked as I grew up, asking me where I would put it all, or if I had been born with an extra stomach. It seemed to fascinate them, the amount I would eat, despite my physique remaining fit. It must have been the result of a high metabolism because there was absolutely no way I did enough physical exercise for my body to look the way it did. The growth spurt, the summer before our last year of junior high school probably helped as well.

Despite the jokes, it was something that I've never hid about myself. I knew what most men expected when they took a girl "like me" out for dinner. Many anticipated me ordering some sort of salad, and many were surprised when I went for a substantial meal of beef or chicken. Some were even more shocked when I managed to clean the plate. I suppose it was a turn off for some men, but then again, were they really men to begin with?

I had promised myself a long time ago that I would not dumb myself down or be anyone other than me for any man. I would not be meek, but loud and big. I would fill a room unapologetically, never to shrink away and hide in a corner. And I had always maintained that if someone, man or woman, couldn't handle that, then they were not meant to be in my life in the first place.

Kiba laughed and stared at me with a flirty smile, "Well I like a girl with a big appetite."

"Mine is bigger than most," my face matched his.

We chit-chatted and flirted back and forth while we finished our meals. After grabbing up the trash and finding a nearby garbage can Kiba came back to stretch out beside me on the blanket. I had been staring at the clouds, as I so often did, picking out shapes.

"Find anything good up there?" his elbow nudged mine.

"Oh, lots of things," I smiled as I turned to look at him.

"I like what I found down here," he turned on his side, his eyes giving me a once over before coming back to linger on my face.

He began to shift closer to me. Just as he began to invade my personal bubble, a blur of yellow eclipsed my vision and crashed painfully onto his face.

"What the HELL?!" he growled as he jumped up, looking around wildly.

"Your big brute almost took off my poor Fluffy's head!" an annoyingly familiar voice called out.

Akamaru sprang out from the bushes about fifteen feet from where our blanket was spread out. As I sat up, the bushes rustled again and out stepped a person that I was never excited about seeing. Mitsuri Irogawa. She was holding a leash in one hand and cupped close to her chest in the other, was a small white Shih Tzu with a little pink bow keeping the fur out of her face.

"Yeah, maybe he thought she was a snack," I stood up and brushed myself off.

"Shut your mouth Uchiha! You probably got him to do it on purpose!" she huffed, the dog barking as if agreeing.

"Yeah right Irogawa, like I knew you and your stupid dog were here," I crossed my arms while rolling my eyes.

"Like I believe anything that comes out of your mouth," she glared.

"Ladies! Ladies!" Kiba waved his hands around in a gesture of peace, reminding us both that he was still there, "Everybody seems fine right? No need to get upset with each other."

Mitsuri smiled and looked from Akamaru to Kiba, "So are you entering the Top Canine competition this year Inuzuka? I'll be competing myself."

I snorted in laughter, "Oh you gonna try to go for best in show? I'd start eating eggshells now honey, your coat's got some split ends."

"Kiss my ass! You're just jealous! Even if you had a dog, you'd never find one that could beat my Fluffy," said furball let out a growl before ending in a high-pitched yip.

"Get real, Akamaru and I could destroy you and that little puff ball! Right boy?" I looked over to the large dog who was now folded in half licking his crotch. Kiba and Mitsuri followed suit before sighing and screeching with laughter respectively. When Akamaru realized we were looking at him he jumped to attention and let out a loud deep bark.

"Yeah yeah, I'll believe it when I see it. Come on Fluffy. We've got training to do," she headed back into the bushes while I silently willed her to trip on a branch and face plant.

"You just wait!" I called into the trees after she had disappeared.

"Well, that...took an unexpected turn," Kiba said ruffling his hair.

I looked down sheepishly. Not only had he not even said if he was entering or not, how the hell did I just take over Akamaru like he was my dog, "I'm sorry Kiba. Irogawa literally brings out the worst side of me. I'm a little embarrassed."

"It's okay Raki, I get really competitive myself, so I understand," he paused before looking back over at Akamaru, "I'm sure you and Akamaru are gonna take first place."

I jerked my head up, "Oh Kiba! You really mean it?"

He grinned, "I mean, with my help of course, yeah."

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" I hugged him, swinging him slightly side to side.

"Don't mention it," he blushed after I pulled away.

"You hear that boy! You and I are gonna chew 'em up and spit 'em out! High five," I lifted up my hand and held it in front of Akamaru. He promptly raised a large paw into the air to slap mine, "Yeah!"

Kiba's laughter fell out of his mouth as we walked back over to our spot to begin packing up. I began folding the blanket while Kiba gathered up the frisbee and water bowl.

"So, in all my...excitement earlier, I forgot to ask, when is this Top Canine competition anyways?" I pulled my backpack on.

"Two weeks from today," he pondered in thought for a moment.

"Two weeks?! That's not much time. Akamaru already knows how to do most of the tricks right?" I panicked slightly, sensing that I might have bitten off more than I could chew.

"Don't worry Raki, I'll be right there to help you...plus, yeah Akamaru already knows how to do everything he'll need. We can meet up next weekend and practice," he leashed up Akamaru now that we had walked back to the gate.

"Sure. I've got a few free hours Saturday morning and then we can practice for some of Sunday too," I said now walking back onto the sidewalk. "Now let's get this guy back to his toys."

We walked side by side down the street back towards the direction of Kiba's house.

***

The sun was already setting when I came in the front door. Obito and Kakashi seemingly hadn't moved from their spots on the couch. Annoyingly they were still battling it out on Shinobi Striker. Hanging up my rattling keys drew my brother's attention.

"Hmm...7:30 that's actually a decent hour. I'm impressed," he checked his watch.

I scoffed, "I'm impressed you don't have bed sores on your ass."

"I'm sitting on a couch though," he gave a smart-ass smirk, pointing out the obvious.

I rolled my eyes and began to walk away, "So what did you guys end up doing?"

"I entered a dog competition," I shrugged.

That caused both Kakashi and my brother to sit up in attention, "A...wha-...but we don't even have a dog. You didn't enter yourself, right? I mean you are pretty ugly, but I don't think you got enough hair to fool them."

Kakashi smacked Obito in the back of the head, assumingly for comparing me to a dog, "Keep it up Ito and I'll enter you as my mutt. Kiba has a dog and he's going to let me enter him in the competition so I can wipe that stupid smirk off Irogawa's face. I'm meeting back up with him Saturday morning so we can practice."

"Irogawa...isn't she that girl who dumped paint in your hair your first year of high school?"

"Yeah."

"And the one who replaced your fish eggs with spider eggs in biology last summer?"

"The very same."

"The one that tried to get you expelled for cheating two months ago?"

"That's the one!" my eyebrow began to twitch.

"Honestly Kuma, you should learn to let things go," he smirked.

"Ughhhhh! I'm going to change into pajamas," my hands balled up into fists.

I walked into my room and set my backpack down in my chair. My stripped off clothes laid in a pile on my floor. I pulled on one of Obito's black t-shirts and slipped on a pair of red basketball shorts. I took out my phone and plugged in two Saturday morning practice sessions, a Sunday afternoon training, and the competition itself. I sighed heavily. Between my first job and this new...adventure, my weekends were regrettably filling up fast.

***

Well that was it for this chapter.  I couldn't resist the call out to Kakashi's mask. As this is an AU fic he obviously doesn't wear one in this story but I love a chance to reference the original Naruto universe. Kumaraki went a little Peggy Hill on Irogawa.  Will her and Kiba get closer while training Akamaru for the competition?  What will Shikamaru say when he finds out?  The next chapter will cover our girl's first day at work, she'll meet some new people and have to make an interesting decision.  And of course she'll have to fill her girlfriends in on what's been going on.  Stay tuned!

Chapter Text

I want to thank everybody who's read this story so far and had been patient with me.  That being said... I am definitely planning on finishing this story.  I finally have the entire thing mapped out (so I even know how it ends lol) now all that's left is to crank out those chapters.  I plan to release chapters more frequently and get this out there so I can focus on a My Hero Academia story I'm also in the beginning stages of.

WARNING: This chapter does have some brief description of drug and drug use.

***

The next several days went by in a dango and Shinobi Striker filled blur. Before I knew it, it was Thursday after school and I was shutting my door behind me to get ready for work. I put on the black cheongsam style dress, frowning in the mirror when it came up on my thighs higher than I had expected it to. I would have to be very careful bending over. I packed a change of clothes along with my black heels in a sage green drawstring backpack, and slipped some red flats on my feet. Obito wasn't home now, but he would be when I returned and I didn't want him asking questions this early. I pulled my hair into two space buns and put on my makeup- white eyeshadow, exaggerated eyeliner, and some pink lip stain. I rode the elevator down and exited my building, walking down the block in the direction of the club.

***

I pulled on the large golden handles of the club doors and felt the relief of the air conditioner wash over me. This time when I walked in, there were more people here. There was a blond haired girl in a similar outfit to mine restocking supplies at the hostess counter. A black hair girl was wiping some of the tables but stopped when she looked up and saw me.

"You must be the new girl. I'm Yoko, Kubo said to tell you to come and see her before you get started. She's in the back, just head through that door over there," She pointed to the same door that Ichigo had appeared from the other day.

I thanked her and made my way through the tables and couches and into the dance floor area. The door handle was easy to spot now with the lights up, but it would be almost invisible once it was dark in here and they turned the strobe lights on. Part of me wondered if that was to keep drunk people from wondering places they shouldn't be as I turned the knob and went through the doorway.

It was a short hallway that cut to the right rather quickly. If I were to continue going straight, it lead to a set of double swinging door that appeared to be the entrance to the kitchen. I instead followed the hallway and went right. I passed by a few doors until I came to one labeled 'Office' and luckily just happened to look in. There was the girl introduced to me as Kubo the other day, sitting at a large desk covered by a scattering of papers. I knocked on the doorframe, causing her to look up.

"Ah Uchiha! Nice to see you actually showed up," she smirked.

"Well I thought it best, not to waste the opportunity," I smiled, immediately comfortable around her.

"We'll see if you feel the same way at the end of your shift," she turned and rummaged through one of the desk drawers. "Here's your apron, your notepad, your employee card, your name tag. You can put your stuff in locker number '4', it's in the break room right next to this," she handed me a small key. "I'll give you two pens but you'll be expected to provide any additional that you might need. Make sure your writing is legible enough for kitchen staff to read, and you put all orders into the computer. Mostly you'll just be taking drink orders and transporting them from the bar to the table. Any dancer orders are put into the computer using the code 99, they don't pay and are allowed three drinks per shift."

I made a note of the code and the three drink rule on the first page of the notepad, "Sounds easy enough. Anything else I should know?"

She crossed her arms and gave me a once over before sighing, "You're going to be plenty popular around here. Be nice to your customers but don't let them take advantage of you. You look like you can take care of yourself, but if anyone gives you too much trouble, let me know and I'll handle it."

I bowed my head in thanks, appreciating her no-nonsense aura and already deciding we would end up being friends, "Thank you Kubo-senpai."

She smirked, "Alright kid, get out there and take some drunk men's money! And if you see Ayane, tell her to come find me when she has free time."

"Will do!" I waved as I headed out of the office and into the break room. I quickly switched out my shoes. Then I threw my backpack in the locker and locked it with the provided lock before dropping the key in my apron pocket and heading back down the hallway.

I came back out into the main room of the club and noticed the black haired girl, Yoko, and two other girls standing over by the hostess stand. I walked up to them and introduced myself. They gave me their names, Tsubaki-a girl with a short, dark blue bob haircut- and Nanami-a girl with forest green hair thrown into an over the shoulder braid.

"We were just picking out our sections for the evening. I'll take the V.I.P. section, since I've been here the longest," Baki-as she told me to call her-pointed to a row of four elevated booths that effectively formed the barrier between the seating area and the dance floor.

I smiled wryly. So what she had really meant when she said we were 'picking' our sections was 'I'm taking the best tables for myself and I'll tell you which ones you can have.' I could tell that she was going to be that type of girl. Similar to Mitsuri, but not exactly the same. Tsubaki had an edge to her that frumpy little Irogawa didn't have in her. I would have to watch her. I figured Nana-they all used shorter versions of their names to be "cuter"-probably wasn't the same, but lived in fear of Baki's retaliation so she went along with her schemes.

I didn't put up a fight...yet. If I had learned anything from being best friends with Shikamaru it was to be patient, bide your time and study your enemy for weaknesses before striking. When we were kids he was actually pretty formidable at kenpo. He probably could have made the national team had he kept with it, but his laziness halted his future in athletics. The four tables I ended up with, were located towards the middle of the "dining" area. I made sure my tables were clean and all had fully stocked napkin holders and a tabletop drink menu. I was straightening chairs when Yoko approached me.

"Come with me. I'll show you the bar where you'll get the drinks from," she led me down a walkway inaccessible from the dance floor, past the door to the back of the house that I had come and gone through earlier, and over to the side of the bar.

She patted the counter in front of a register, "This station is just for table orders. You put your order in the computer like so," she began pressing buttons on the touch screen while I followed along. It wasn't too hard. Select the drink from the menu, add any customizations, and then save to the ticket, and 'cash out' button when they're ready to tab out. "And then you wait for Haru to make them. Hey Haruuuuu, come meet the new girl!"

I looked on as a tall guy who looked to be in his early twenties approached us. His short black hair stuck out in a similar style to Kiba's but his facial features looked more like my cousins'- dark brown eyes, defined jawbone- I literally had to stop myself from licking my lips. He leaned down to put an elbow on the counter.

"Hey there! I'm Haru," he extended his other hand out for me to shake.

"Kuma, it's nice to meet you," I had decided to avoid the potential 'Raki' and 'Baki' drama by going by the first half of my name.

"The other girls treating you nice?" He looked me up and down as if he knew what was in store for me.

"So far so good," I smirked.

"Well if anyone gives you any trouble send them to me...especially this one," he nudged Yoko.

"Pfffffphh, whatever! Don't forget to make the drinks while you're protecting the princess," Yoko laughed and began to pull me away.

"See you later, Princess," Haru waved as I looked behind me.

I gave him a little salute before turning back around, "So does he flirt with everyone like that?"

She smirked, "I don't think he's evolved enough to be able to control it." I snorted and she continued, "only seems to be able to stop himself around Baki." I cut her a look and she grinned, "You and her are going to be great friends." Oh great, based on his warm welcome, I'm not gonna have to do anything to get her pissed at me.

We walked back to the front as the lights dimmed. The club had officially opened and soon customers would start coming in. I must have looked nervous because Yoko looked at me and smiled. She told me if I needed any help to ask her, as our sections were right by each other. I smiled back and nodded, hoping that I would be able to handle my first day on my own.

***

I was an hour and a half into my three hour shift-halfway done with my first day and I hadn't run into anything too difficult. The most I had had to wait on simultaneously so far had been three out of four tables. Two of the three tables had been a pair of gentlemen at each that kept their orders simple. They also nursed their drinks so I hadn't been running back and forth constantly. The third table was a single older man who had asked for a bottle of scotch that had been occupying him so far.

Baki's tables had been consistently full throughout the evening and you'd have thought it would have been enough to keep her busy, but that's not how it ended up turning out. A group of five university age guys came in and Ami-the blond hostess who I'd seen earlier-had seated them in my section. We flirted while I got their drink orders- three beers and two cocktails- and I smiled and told them I'd be back soon. I walked over to the bar and began entering the drinks. When I couldn't find the White Russian after checking two submenus I sighed.

"Need help?" I looked up to find Haru already placing the three beers on my tray.

"White Russian?" I yelled over the music and pointed at the screen.

"Check under 'coffee drinks'," he said flinging the metal cocktail shaker back and forth.

I followed his instructions and smiled as it appeared on the screen, "My knigh in shining armor," I winked at him.

He finished making the drinks and set them on my tray before picking it up, "This is pretty heavy, you want me to carry it out there for you?"

"No thanks, I've got some muscles somewhere in here I can use," I smiled as I took the tray from him and started back towards the tables.

Baki must have been offended at our exchange, or was just generally a bitch, because when I got about four steps from the table of guys she appeared out of nowhere, brushing past me but not without knocking into me. She hadn't done it enough to make me fall, but it did startle the tray enough to tip three of the glasses over. I stared in shock as the drinks splashed onto my chest, soaking the front of my dress and pooling in the tray. Baki, who had only paused for a second to look back and laugh, practically skipped over to the hostess section.

I stared at the table of men, thankful it hadn't gotten on either the floor or any of them. They seemed almost in shock as me. I was embarrassed but thought quickly to smooth the situation over. I put on a pouty face as I undid the top two toggles of my dress and dabbed my chest with a napkin, "I'm soooo sorry gentlemen! I can't believe how clumsy I am, please forgive me! Let me get you all new drinks right away! " I bowed slightly, pushing my chest together with my arms. I could tell by the looks on their faces that they didn't take it too hard.

I hurried away, and went over to the bar. Haru was practically waiting for me. "You got this?" He took the tray from my hand and dumped the glasses in the sink. He handed me a rag to wipe the tray while he began remaking the drinks.

"Oh yeah. I'm fine, it'll take more than that to scare me off," I laid the rag on the counter.

"Don't let her push you around too much. It's about time someone put her in her place," he set the new drinks down on the tray.

"I think she'll learn soon enough, I'm just not one to cause problems on the first day," I winked and set off back towards the table.

***

"Thank you for coming in! Please ask for me again!" I bowed and blew a kiss to the men leaving. One waved as the other grinned stupidly while acting like he 'caught my kiss' and put it in his pocket. I smirked as I turned around, catching Baki scowling. Despite her best efforts, all of my customers had left happy. My shift was finished but the group of guys were still at their table. I had assumed they were waiting for the dance performances that started at ten. The dancers had three sets- one at ten, midnight, and two. There were five of them and they each performed to a song making for a show that lasted about an hour. In between sets they were allowed to dance and mingle and get ready for their next performances. It seemed like a pretty nice setup if you could get past dancing half naked in front of a bunch of horny men, but the tips seemed to make up for it.

I came to the table and bowed while I thanked the guys for coming in, "My shift is over, but Yoko is going to take good care of you. Come back and see me ok!" I winked at the cutest one before walking off towards the door to the back.

Once I was on the other side of the door I sighed. 'Well, it could have been better....could have been worse though.'   I had to walk past the office to get to the time clock and my locker in the break room. The door was closed when I went into the break room, but by the time I had clocked out, grabbed my stuff, and changed in the bathroom the door was open when I left.

As I walked by I heard Kubo call my name, "Uchiha. You got a second?"

I peaked my head in and she motioned for me to enter, "What's up Kubo-senpai?"

"I heard you spilled a tray of drinks tonight," she crossed her arms.

"I....yeah, I must of tripped on my shoe or something. I'm sorry," I bowed.

"You sure that's all it was?" She asked in a knowing tone.

"Yeah, probably just first night jitters. I won't let it happen again," I bowed again.

She stared a few more seconds before nodding her head, "You did good for your first day. Have a good night. Get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow."

I waved and headed out of the back. I was crossing the room when I heard a loud call of 'Hey Princess' coming from my left. I looked over and saw Haru pointing at an empty spot in front of the bar. I smiled and walked over, skirting my way along the edge of the dance floor.

"You leaving already?" He asked.

"Yeah, I got a semester and a half and then I can stay up late with the big kids," I rolled my eyes, kinda hating the fact I had to tell him I was still in high school.

"Aww, come on! You're gonna miss the show," he nodded towards the stage.

"I can maybe stay for one song," I smirked.

"You party with the big kids?" He motioned to the bottles of alcohol behind him.

"Oh, I already got my degree in that. Can I have a long island?" I smiled and went to pull out my wallet.

"Don't worry 'bout it," he swatted my card away while grinning.

As he set my drink down, the music that was playing stopped giving way to an announcer's voice, "Welcome to Kanpai!!! Get ready to enjoy the show as we welcome one of our world class dancers to the stage! Give it up for our sweet little Ichigooooo!!!"

I grabbed the glass and glued my eyes to the stage as Ayane-or Ichigo- bounced out in a pink bikini top and matching plaid skirt. I sipped my drink and grinned as the sweet, seemingly shy girl gyrated her hips and swung her arms to the beat. She made it look fun as hell. I thought maybe I could even do it, probably after a drink or two.

"She's great isn't she?" I heard Haru from my left as I nodded, "No wonder Kubo has a thing for her."

I almost spit out my drink as I stared at him incredulously, "Oh my god, I love that!"

I mentally groaned at how cute they probably were outside of work together. They were definitely your classic goth-type/pixie girl match up. I finished my drink and thanked Haru as I set the glass back down on the bar. Ayane had finished her song and was walking back stage as the stage crew collected her tips for her.

"I gotta get home. I'll see you tomorrow," I waved and headed for the door.

***

As I walked home I pulled out my phone and saw where I had two missed calls from Obito and a couple of texts.

Obito:

Kuma where are you?

It's 9:30 on a school night! Get your ass home!

Call me!!

I had ignored them and enjoyed the peace while I had the chance on the walk home. I came in as quietly as I could, but I got about six steps into the dark living room before a flash of light almost knocked me on my ass.

"Where the hell have you been? It's almost 11," Obito, who was sitting on the couch had turned the lamp on, flooding the room with light.

"You scared the shit out of me!" I clutched my chest.

"Answer me. Where were you?" He crossed his arms.

Okay.....I have absolutely nothing planned for this conversation yet. I don't want to straight up lie, but I can't tell him the complete truth. I was not planning on doing this tonight.

"I was working on a job," I fiddled with the strap of my backpack.

"What?" He quirked an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that to be my answer.

"Yeah...Ino and I were studying and she wanted to grab something to eat so we went to this little twenty-four hour diner and while we were eating the manager talked to me about a waitressing job," I stared at him, knowing if I avoided eye contact he would know I was lying.

He paused for a few minutes, studying me, "As long as it doesn't interfere with your schooling. I'm not crazy about the idea, but I'm glad you're showing some kind of initiative."

I mentally let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like he had bought my story for now, "Thanks, I guess. I've had a long day, I'm going to bed."

He told me goodnight and we disappeared into our respective rooms. I took my wet uniform out of my backpack thinking of when I could secretly wash it before tomorrow night's shift. It shouldn't be too hard. Obito and I washed our own clothes, only bothering to touch the other's when we cleared them out from whichever machine we needed. I changed into a giant t-shirt and turned on my tv. I felt my eyes get heavy as soon as I hit the pillow. There was no way I was going to enjoy waking up tomorrow morning.

***

The next few days had gone by quick, I found myself knocking on Kiba's door for our Sunday afternoon practice. My last two shifts had gone by without much incident. One of my orders from Friday night had gotten 'mysteriously' deleted, but I had noticed and gotten it fixed quickly. Other than that Baki hadn't caused too much trouble. I was definitely worn out though. I wasn't used to staying up that late, the day before I had slept in until eleven after coming home at around 3:30. After coming home that late and knowing I was going to do the same the next night, I had to tell Obito that I had gotten the job. I had told him my real hours, no point in lying about those, I just didn't bother telling him the name of the 'diner'.

I pulled out of my thoughts by the door knob turning and Kiba's tall frame greeting me, "Hey! You ready to put in some work?"

I smiled and nodded before walking in. I had worn a sports-bra underneath a loose tank top and a pair of athletic shorts, not sure what I was getting myself into. We walked to the backyard where Akamaru sat happily waiting. He waited for us to get close before standing up and excitedly prancing. I ran over to pat him on the head and he instantly crumbled onto his back begging for belly scratches. He rolled onto my foot and took me down with him. I laughed as I obliged him using both my hands to rub the entirety of his stomach.

Kiba sighed, "What am I going to do with you two?"

"Sorry Kiba," I said between laughs prying my foot out from in under the furry behemoth. "Ok boy, let's get serious!"

I jumped up and patted Akamaru's side signaling for him to get up, "What are you gonna teach me first sensei?"

I giggled watching the blush spread across his cheeks upon hearing the title. He cleared his throat before speaking, "Well first, we're gonna need to get Akamaru used to responding to your commands.

He walked a couple of steps to our right so that he was about twenty feet away from a large blue plastic barrel. Akamaru and I followed with the former sitting at Kiba's feet, "For example if I want Akamaru to run and loop around the barrel and return I say 'Down and back boy'."

I watched as Akamaru stood alert but still in a sitting position, "...and then he does it?"

Kiba rolled his eyes, "normally. Down and back boy!"

Akamaru tilted his head back looking at Kiba and then over to me but didn't move and inch. I stepped over closer, "What if I try?"

"Be my guest," he crossed his arms.

I walked over to Akamaru and leaned towards his head, "Go around the barrel and when you get back I'll give you pets."

He bolted off with a short loud 'boof' and ran down to the barrel circling it with a tight curve. When only a few feet remained between us he gave a little hop and landed right at my feet. I squealed a 'Good Boy!' while giving him his promised reward of head scratches.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kiba sighed exasperated.

"Well that was easy. He doesn't seem to mind listening to me. So what's next?" I grinned.

"Let me just run through the course with you," he pointed to the various equipment strategically placed throughout a portion of the back yard.

***

We had started by dividing the course in two halves and working on each independently. By the time we stopped to take a break we had pretty much mastered the first half as a duo and had run through the second half twice. I sat down in a chair on the back porch while Kiba ran inside to get us some bottled water.

"I brought us these too. Can't keep going on an empty stomach," he handed me a bottle of water and a small bag of potato chips.

"Thanks," I cracked open the bag, "Sorry again I couldn't make it yesterday morning. I completely overslept and then had to do stuff I couldn't get out of." I mentally cringed at the memory of waking up at around eleven and finding a few unread texts from Kiba wondering if I was ok and if I was going to make it over for training. I had replied telling him I had overslept and that I wouldn't be coming. I dealt with the guilt of his crying emoji reply as I clocked in for my shift later that evening.

"It's no biggie. We've made great progress so far today. I've been exhausted from studying for midterms too," he gulped down a third of his water in one gulp.

"Yeah. It's the math that's gonna get me, and Ms. Senju is not the teacher I want to mess with," I played along. Only Shika knew about my job so far and I didn't really want to get into a bunch of details with Kiba. I was planning on telling the girls when I saw them at school. I wanted to make sure I could make it through my first weekend before I got too ahead of myself.

"If Mr. Tojiro explained chemistry better maybe I could follow but I'm too scared of him to ask him to go back over stuff," he shuttered at the mention of our sickly-looking, easily agitated Chemistry teacher.

"Ugh he's such a snakey little guy too. If he paid half as much attention to the lesson instead of finding ways to get us in trouble more students would pass his class," he was one of my top three least favorite teachers.

"Exactly! I'll be glad when I don't have to see him everyday," Kiba threw the last bit of his chips in his mouth.

"No kidding!" I chuckled, finishing my chips as well, "Well let's get back to it! I want to make sure we have the second half down before I leave."

"I admire your determination," he stood and smirked as he offered me his hand.

I took his hand and stood up, "If I'm gonna do something, I'm gonna do it the best."

I winked at him before heading back into the yard and over to our starting point to meet up with Akamaru. He smiled and jogged to catch up.

***

"You guys looked great out there together! Saturday morning we'll run through the entire course a couple of times, but I really think you guys got it. Just make sure you're heading to the next obstacle as Akamaru's finishing up the current one," Kiba put his hand on my shoulder.

"Got it. Well, let's call it a day. I'm gonna head home and take a shower and beg my brother to take me out for ramen," I put my bag on my shoulders and wiped the sweat off my forehead.

He looked me up and down before turning his head, "Yeah I could use a shower myself."

I gave Akamaru a pat on the head, "See ya Saturday buddy."

Kiba opened the back door for me and led me back inside towards the front door. We were got to the stairs when Kiba suddenly stopped, "Hey hang on a second. I've...um, got something for you."

He trailed off embarrassedly and dissappeared up the stairs. He returned a few minutes later with something in his hand that appeared to be clear plastic.

"Here. I just got some of this. It's different than the last stuff," he opened his hand to reveal a little zip lock baggie with eight or nine little buds of weed.

"Now you're just trying to score brownie points with me," I took the baggie, pleasantly surprised.

"Did I get any?" He smirked stuffing his hand in his pockets.

"Maybe a few," I gave a half grin, putting the little bag in my backpack. "No, seriously though. Thank you, you didn't have to."

"If you really wanna thank me you could let me take you on another date...without Akamaru this time...maybe you'd even want to just come over and smoke with me?," He had opened the front door so we could step out.

I laughed walking out first, "So this is a bribe."

"Well when you say it like that...," he chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

"Kiba Inuzuka! What kinda girl do you think I am?" I crossed my arms in mock offense.

"The kind that goes on a second date with me," he teased.

I scoffed playfully at his persistence, "Maybe. After midterms and the competition, we'll see. I'll see you tomorrow at school, good luck with your studying."

"Thanks. Be careful getting home," he grinned.

I turned and began walking down the street towards my house. I could tell that he watched for awhile to make sure I was okay before going back inside. I checked my phone looking at the time. 'Ahhhh! It's already 5:30! I've spent most of the day over here.' I wondered what Obito was up to as I rounded the corner, the street I lived on coming into view.

***

"I'm home!" I announced as I walked in through the front door and straight to the kitchen to score one of the beers that I hoped Obito still had in the fridge.

"Welcome home little Kuma!" A voice that I had not expected to hear came out of the body that was sticking out from behind the open door of the fridge.

"What are you doing in my fridge?" I asked preparing to weasel my way past him to get what I wanted.

"We haven't gone grocery shopping. No food at our house," Asuma stood up with two beers in his hand. He twisted the top off both before handing one to me.

"That's not food," I took mine and took a refreshing sip.

"Liquid bread," he patted his stomach while I rolled my eyes.

"Where's Bito?" I asked, noticing the house was unusually quiet.

"Out on the balcony with Kakashi," he pulled a cigarette out of his pack.

"Where's your sidekick?" I asked.

"Late shift tonight," he shrugged. Genma worked at a 24/7, large convenience store and sometimes had to work weekends as well as night shifts.

I walked with him to the patio and slid the glass door open. My brother and Kakashi were leaned up with their backs against the railing. Kakashi was smoking a cigarette while Obito was talking to him animatedly about something. They both looked up as Asuma and I walked out to join them.

"There's our working girl!" Kakashi raised his bottle of beer towards me as if toasting.

"Hey! I see my brother can't keep his big mouth shut," I tilted my beer back.

"Maybe he's just proud of you," Asuma offered, lighting his cigarette.

"No, that's not it," Obito and I said at the same time before realizing and glaring at each other.

"Anyways, what's up? You look like you just came from the gym," Kakashi took a swig from his bottle.

"No she's been with her little dog boyfriend all day," Obito cut me off before I could craft a creative answer.

I noticed Kakashi's facial expression changed as he took in my physical appearance in more detail than before. My white tank top was already loose, allowing a rather clear view of my chest and middrift from the side, but it had also become somewhat translucent as I soaked it with sweat throughout the day. I imagined they could see some definition of my black sports bra underneath.

I scoffed and began digging in my backpack, "He's not my boyfriend. The only reason I'm doing this dog competition is to beat Irogawa and shove it in her face...but there are some perks."

I finally fished the little baggy out and tossed it at Kakashi, "You got a shell?"

He nodded while holding his cigarette in his mouth to free up a hand. He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a pack of flavored cigars with one already missing. He tossed the pack and baggy onto the small patio table.

"Roll us one Bito. I'm gonna go put my bag in my room," I turned to go inside.

"I'm not your butler. Do it yourself!" He barked.

"Hey, I'm being nice enough to share," I said walking back inside, knowing he would be working on it by the time I came back outside.

He was just about finishing up when I came back outside minus a backpack but with the addition of a new beer.

"Slow it down party girl. You've got midterms starting tomorrow," Obito scolded while licking closed the seam of the blunt.

"Yeah so I need to relax tonight. I've studied. Whatever happens now happens," I took a sip of my new beer.

Obito sighed but handed me the blunt without a smart assed reply.

We had made a few rotations when I heard my phone buzz. I pulled it out of my pocket and checked my text messages.

Pineapple Head:

Call me tomorrow before school.

We need to talk!

I sighed taking a big chug of my beer. There's no telling what had gotten Shika all riled up.

***

Alright guys! That's the latest chapter of Kumo No Naka Ni Atama. I wonder what Shika needs to talk to Kuma about!  After the next chapter the story is going to start speeding up.  How do you guys feel about these new characters?  I don't like to introduce too many original characters in my fiction, preferring it to seem as close to the source material as possible.  But in order for Kuma to have a workplace that felt real I needed a staff that didn't include our favorite cannon characters.  Let me know what you guys think of this chapter.  I live for reviews!!

Chapter Text

Hey everybody!!! Thanks for reviewing, and thanks once again to the people who've stuck with this story for so long.  I bet you guys thought I was going to make you wait a year for another chapter right?...lol No, I won't do that to you guys.  Besides the story's about to get juicy.  Side note: this chapter contains flashbacks which will be denoted with a '^^^' symbol and the entire flashback will be in italics.  So with that clarified, here we go!!

***

“I told him maybe, after midterms and everything. I didn’t make any guarantees. Besides why do you care?” I rolled my eyes for what was probably the eighth time since I had gotten on the phone with Shika.

“Because he blew my phone up last night with like fifteen texts asking me different shit about you. It’s fucking weird,” came the smart assed reply from the other end.

“He just wants take me out to eat or something. He said something about coming over to smoke,” I was sitting on my bed pulling up one of my uniform’s stockings.

“Do you want to?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe a dinner but I don’t really know if I feel comfortable smoking with him,” I slipped my shoes on.

He sighed, “Besides what would you even talk about? The guy’s got like four brain cells.”

“I never really thought about us spending much time talking,” I trailed off.

“I’ll see you at the front gate,” was all I heard before a ‘click’ signaled him hanging up.

‘Heh heh heh’ I laughed at him being uncomfortable. Served him right for freaking out about the situation. He didn’t necessarily need to know that I didn’t plan on throwing myself at Kiba. I knew the reputation he had, and I wanted to see how serious he actually was about being with me. Besides if I wanted an easy “good time” I could always just find someone at Kanpai that I didn’t have to see everyday at school.

I grabbed my school bag and slung it over my shoulder before leaving my house and heading down to meet Ino.

***

“I’m not ready for this! There’s no way I’m gonna pass,” Ino screeched from my left. We were approaching the gate of the school. I could see Choji and Shika up ahead. Shika was finishing a cigarette right outside of the entrance, probably so Mr. Shimura didn’t give his ass detention.

“Did you imagine a cute boy reciting flash cards to you like I told you?” I reminded her of the study aid I came up with to help her concentrate. To be honest it sounded like something she’d come up with.

“Yeah, but then I imagined him talking about taking me on a European cruise so….” she held her cheeks in embarrassment.

I thought my eyes were going to roll all the way to the back of my head. Leave it to Ino to sabotage herself. As we walked up to the guys, Choji crumpled up his now empty chip bag and Shikamaru stepped on his cigarette butt before putting it in his pocket. We exchanged ‘hellos’ and began walking inside towards our classroom. As Choji and Ino swapped complaints Shikamaru and I traded pensive glances. As we entered the classroom we didn’t escape each other’s presence, our seats were right beside each other.

***

Our English midterm was the first one scheduled for this week. I alternated between staring at the ‘3B’ sign over the door and looking back down to the paper where I had translated most of a paragraph into English. I had breezed through the grammar portion and the section where you read passages and answers questions on each. I listened to a lot of American music and honestly in some weird way I think it helped me understand some of the words and sentence structure. This was the last section of the exam and I only had about five sentences left.

I seemed to be doing okay as far as midterms went so far. English was one of my best subjects and I knew I wouldn’t have to study too much for this one. I thought about the other subjects though. What would happen if I absolutely tanked one? I mean it’s not like I didn’t have a semester and a half to make it up, but the thought of it freaked me out. I wasn’t really interested in attending a university, but I didn’t want to fail and repeat my last year of high school while all my friends went on to bigger and better adventures.

I looked over at Shikamaru’s paper. He had written more than me already and was just finishing up. I turned my eyes back on my own paper before Mr. Ogata got suspicious. I returned my focus to the words and began to translate them into English in my head and then reorder them on the paper. When I had finally finished I closed my test folder. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Shika had laid his head down on his crossed arms. I gazed out the window until Mr. Ogata told us the testing time was over. As we passed our folders to the front Shika gave me a ‘how did you do?’ look, to which I responded with a half smile and the ‘victory’ sign with my fingers.

***

The rest of the week and midterms went by in a flash and I was confident that I would escape the first exams of my last year of high school unscathed. It didn’t go downhill until Friday when we were presented with our Chemistry exam. I opened the folder and pulled out the test situating it on my desk. My eyes practically crossed when I actually looked at the material on the paper. Chemical formulas, balancing equations, and damn math. It was bad enough that I had had to take a whole exam on advanced math, but here it was showing up in Chemistry too. And what’s worse is that I had forgotten what several components of some of the compounds were that I was supposed to be balancing. I blamed Mr. Tojiro’s teaching style and the fact that he never wanted to slow down and explain things to us.

I should have studied more but when I got home from Kanpai the night before I was both mentally and physically exhausted. Not being used to working late at night had taken its toll. I had laid in bed with my chemistry notes in my lap but had awoken with a flash cards stuck to my face. Obito had met me in the kitchen with a bento box for lunch. The only time he was adamant about providing me with food for school was during exam weeks. I had scarfed it down for breakfast on the way to school instead, determined to give my brain some kind of fuel so we could make it through the day.

I finished the exam and shoved it back into the folder. I pushed it to the top right corner of my desk, as if disgusted, wanting it as far away from me as possible. I sighed and looked out the window to my left as I often did when I was bored in class. I definitely hadn’t done as well as I had with the other subjects. I didn’t think that I had failed but I knew it wasn’t going to be an ‘A’. I silently wondered how bad Obito was going to ream my ass if I did in fact get an ‘F’. Ino was talking about throwing a celebratory sleepover once midterms were done. Even though the ‘celebration’ was that the midterms were over, I had still wanted to celebrate my hopefully good grades. Speaking of, I tried looking around the room discretely by pretending I was looking at the clock, I found Ino two seats to my right and a row back. I had to fight a sympathetic laugh from escaping. Her eyes were glazed over and I could have sworn I saw a bit of drool leaking from the corner of her mouth.

About fifteen minutes later, Ol’ Snakeface as I loved to call him, called time on the exam. I breathed a sigh of relief as I passed my folder up to the front. First semester midterms were officially over. We would get our results sometime next week, but what was done was done. Now I could focus my energy on the Top Canine completion coming up. I had one more practice tomorrow morning with Kiba and Akamaru then I would have to work my shift and then wake up early Sunday for the competition. Literally just thinking about it made me sleepy. ‘Damnit now I sound like Shikamaru.’ As the little electronic bell sounded, class ended and lunch began. I jumped out of my chair and followed Ino towards the door, Hinata and Sakura not far behind me.

***

“So when is this sleepover?” I asked with a bite of rice in my mouth.

“Well don’t you have that date with Kiba this weekend?” She asked me.

“It’s definitely just a dog competition, but go on,” I corrected her lazily before popping another bite into my mouth.

She gave me side eye, “Well what about next Saturday night?”

“Sounds good. I’ll see if I can switch shifts and work a different day,” I grabbed a bite of vegetables.

“And tell Haru I said ‘Hiiiiiiii’,” she gushed.

“I’ll say it just like that,” I rolled my eyes and laughed. She had wanted me to take a picture of him to show her since I had told the girls on Monday that I had gotten the job and completed my first weekend there.

^^^

“So what were you up to this weekend? You were M.I.A.!” Ino plopped down in her seat and leaned forward accusingly.

“I was trying out my first weekend as a waitress at Kanpai,” I grinned.

Hinata and Sakura, who had also sat down at our table in the cafeteria, joined Ino in squealing in excitement.

“What’s it like working at a club? Do you get free drinks? What about your co-workers?” Sakura rapid-fired questions at me.

“Forget all that! What about the BOYS? Any cuties? How old? I need details girl!” Ino began shaking me by the shoulders.

“Ino maybe you should take it easy,” Hinata tried to pull Ino off me.

She released me and I readjusted my uniform tie as I sat back down. I told them that the job essentially wasn’t very hard, it just kept you on your feet the whole time. I told them about Yoko, Nanami, and Baki and what a bitch she had been. That she was twice as bad as Mitsuri and that sooner or later we’d probably get into it. I told them about Kubo and Ayane and watching her dance as Ichigo. When I talked about Haru and our interaction and the free drink I could see the gears in Ino’s head turning.

“Nevermind the others, get me a picture of him. We may just need a new pla-,” she began.

“Forget it Ino. He’s a bigger flirt than you. It’s all fun and games with him,” I rolled my eyes.

Ino asked what my brother thought and I filled them in on the cover story I had told Obito in case he got bold and interrogated one of them. I informed them of the days and hours I would be working so we could try and coordinate future social events, but I told them I didn’t want the guys to know. They had big mouths, especially Naruto, and I knew it would end up getting back to Sasuke and then my brother.

To appease Ino for refusing the idea of dating Haru, I told her about entering the Top Canine competition with Kiba and Akamaru, and our subsequent training session. I also took note to let her know about Kakashi’s reactions when finding out I was hanging out with Kiba and after observing what I had come home looking like after said competition practice. She clapped her hands in delight, letting out an aggressive giggle and I knew that my offering of gossip had satisfied her for now. She most likely wouldn’t pester me about out little love triangle experiment until after the competition.

^^^

“Let’s go outside so I can smoke,” once we had finished eating I stood up and began walking towards the hallway so I could exit the school.

We walked until we got towards the street. I saw Shika and the guys sitting on their usual bench- the one closest to the gate. As we walked up Naruto and Choji waved ‘Hi’. I walked over to stand in front of Shikamaru who was sitting on the far edge of the bench, half way through a cigarette. When I got in front of him he nodded-his way of saying hello in front of the guys. I kicked his knee.

“How’d you do? Think you even missed a question?” I blew out a puff of mango flavored smoke.

“No, what about you? You looked like your soul left your body when you looked at the test,” he shrugged ‘So what he was checking up on me?'

“I’m hoping for anything above a ‘D’,” I winced.

His facial expression turned into a real ‘ick’ face, even stuck out his tongue for a second, “No way! We studied last week!”

“I’ve been tired,” I scratched the back of my head and sighed, “No, I think I passed but I’m definitely not bringing home an ‘A’.”

He sighed, “Well if your brother gets in your ass tell him I’ll tutor you.”

I nodded. That usually got Obito off my back. If Shika came over and Ito saw us studying for real he might not go too hard on me. I took a few more puffs off my vape while Shikamaru finished his cigarette. We heard the warning bell and began walking back into school to finish up our day. The fact that, due to exam week, we had no homework was the only thing that excited me. Most of the group was walking in front of me so it surprised me when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“You ready for this weekend?” Kiba’s deep voice was close enough to my ear to give me shivers.

I turned and looked at him, “Irogawa and that cotton ball won’t know what hit ‘em!”

He laughed and I grinned. When I turned back forward Shikamaru was looking back at us with a scowl. ‘What the hell’s his problem?’ I rolled my eyes. He was getting moodier than Ino.

***

We had worked our asses off Saturday to get our run perfect. I sweated so much I think I lost five pounds in water weight. Kiba and I had gone out for ramen when we got through, after him finding out that I never got my ramen bowl last week. I still had some coupons for Ramen Ichiraku courtesy of Naruto’s birthday present to me, so I offered to treat us. After that I went home and took a shower before getting ready to head in for work.

^^^

When I got to Kanpai, after putting my stuff in the locker, I sought out Kubo. I would need to clear it with her in order to be off Saturday for Ino’s party. When I found her in the office Ayane was sitting on the desk talking to her. I internally squealed wondering if I had interrupted something.

“Hey Kubo-senpai, Aya-chan! Kubo-senpai I was wondering if I could switch shifts so that I could be off on Saturday for a friend’s party? I can work one or two extra night this coming week…if that’s acceptable,” I bowed low as I asked.

I noticed Ayane cover her mouth in a giggle and nudge Kubo who then spoke, “You guys just got done with midterms right?”

“Uh yes ma’am,” I nodded, head still bowed.

“Why don’t you just take Saturday off kid?”

My head shot up, “Really? Are you sure?”

“On one condition,” she crossed her arms as I looked at her expectedly, “don’t ever call me ‘ma’am’ again.”

“Deal!” I fought the urge to hug her, deciding she probably was not the touchy-feely type.

^^^

Not having to worry about working extra days had taken alot of stress off me and I was free to focus on what I came here to do: beat Irogawa. It was the big day, and surprisingly I was pretty excited despite having woken up extra early. I had met Kiba over at his house and his mom had ferried him, I, and Akamaru downtown to the convention center where the competition was being held. She dropped us off under a large banner that read ‘Contestants Sign In Here’. Kiba helped Akamaru and I sign up and get our contestant’s material packet. We walked over to a small bench between a few trees to inspect our packet. I caught myself walking over to a large husky with blue eyes that had a tail too fluffy not to pet. Kiba had to pull me back over and back on task.

I blushed sheepishly admitting that I couldn't control myself around this many cute dogs. He laughed handing me a contestant number printed on a large sticker. I noticed his blush when I asked him if he would help me stick it to my back. He hooked a tag with the same number ‘23’ onto Akamaru’s collar.

“Hey boy! We match!” I grinned when Akamaru responded with a bark.

Kiba went over the itenerary. First we would head to the inspection area where they would give Akamaru something akin to a physical. He would be graded on several things and his score there would come into play when it was time to calculate who was to win best in show. Then we would head over to the appropriate competition area where we would wait until it was our turn to run. The dogs were divided into three categories: small, medium, and large breeds. Akamaru was undeniably in the large breed category and as a result we would be competing in the biggest of the three arena areas. I sighed knowing I was definitely about to get some steps in.

We made our way inside and over to the inspection area. We were the third in line and while we were waiting I was watching the inspector lift the hind leg of a labrador retriever. I shot Kiba a shocked look and after a chuckle he explained to me that they look for how balanced the dog is, the length of their legs, and many other things. I smiled at him while we watched the inspection, him teaching me as we observed. I couldn’t help but think how cute he was when he was sharing something he was truly excited about.

When it was Akamaru’s turn I laughed as they produced a ramp for him to walk up onto the table. The smaller dogs had just been lifted up there, but I think the man wanted to prevent as many back problems as he could. I felt bad for poor Akamaru as the man poked and prodded and manipulated appendages, but he took it like a champ.

Once finished we headed over to our designated arena to get the list of the order we would run in. Each dog got two runs, the judges taking the better time of the two. There were seven dogs in the large category and each dog would go once before anyone got their shot at a second attempt. We would be here for awhile but this was something completely new to me and kinda exciting. Plus there were adorable dogs everywhere and I was here with an undeniably cute guy.

The only thing that could ruin it, did so by deciding to show her face as we headed towards the resting area for the large breed competitors.

“I’m surprised you actually showed up Uchiha,” Mitsuri spawned from the depths of hell and appeared in my face.

“Wouldn’t miss a chance to make you eat your words Irogawa,” I crossed my arms and glared.

“Yeah right. Fluffy and I are gonna come out on top,” she readjusted said puffball in her arms.

“Speaking of, shouldn't you and that q-tip be over there with the snack size dogs,” I stepped forward silently thanking whatever deity was watching when Akamaru let out a well-timed growl.

Looking alarmed, she headed off towards the other side of the building in a huff. Kiba snorted in laughter after watching our display.

“I didn’t think anyone was as competitive as me,” he muttered to himself with a smile, but I had heard it.

“Don’t worry about them boy. We’ll leave ‘em in our dust,” I began stretching and getting ready for the physical activity that was to come.

We were the third pair to run. I nervously exhaled as I went to step out and lead Akamaru into the arena.

I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder, “Relax. You got this. It’s set up exactly like my backyard.”

“Thanks coach,” I turned and gave him a smile.

When I stepped onto the astroturf, I looked around as I approached our starting mark. He was right. It was set up exactly like his back yard had been. The obstacles were just spaced out further apart. I knew exactly where to go and was ready to do it fast as possible. When the starting pistol fired we launched ourselves off the mark and headed towards the first tunnel. I kept going as Akamaru disappeared into the tunnel getting myself to where I needed to be.

Akamaru ran, jumped bars, and weaved in and out of poles as I wound my way around the center of the area. When we crossed over the finish mark I slowed my run down to a stop. I paused to catch my breath as Kiba came out and helped usher me back to a bench. I plopped down unceremoniously in the seat as I waited for the judges to reveal our time.

“You guys did great! I’m pretty sure we’re just competing with ourselves next time around. Way to go boy!” Kiba mussed the fur on his canine friend’s head.

I cheered when our time was revealed. We had beaten the other dogs that had already gone by a full five seconds. I knew there was a good chance that Akamaru would be the winner of the large breed division. We held the fastest time for three more runs. The last contestant in the large division, an English breed dog- a greyhound, ended up with a time three seconds less than ours. To be fair to Akamaru though, that was officially the fastest dog I had ever seen. If Kotaro had been one of those I’d never outrun him. I think he was pretty much unbeatable.

We patiently waited for our turn at a second attempt. Not wanting to admit defeat, I jumped up and pumped Akamaru up with cries of ‘we got this’ and ‘we’re gonna win right boy’. He began jumping, riled up. They called our name and we headed through the gate to the starting mark.

***

All dogs had finished running and the scores had been tallied. Everyone had gathered in front of the main podium. As we waited for the judges to announce the winners I shuffled nervously back and forth. Kiba, standing behind me, clapped his hands on my shoulders and ran them up and down my arms a few times. ‘Calm down will you? You’re starting to make me nervous’ he whispered at me as an older man in an expensive looking suit stepped up to the microphone.

“Thank you all for coming to this year’s Top Canine Competition! We will be begin by announcing the winners of each size category and then we will name the three overall winners,”. He pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it.

They named the three winners of the individual groups, a scottish terrier, a collie, and the greyhound won the small, medium, and large categories respectively. Then it was time for the overall winners. Third place ended up being the labrador retriever that was in front of us in the inspection line. My stomach fluttered. It was one position that Irogawa hadn’t gotten but we were also running out of chances to place. Then my ears perked up, they had called second place.

“Akamaru and his trainer Uchiha Kumaraki!” I stood frozen, shell shocked for a moment until Kiba nudged me.

“Let’s get up there!”

“Second place really?!” I stared at him as he nodded cheerfully. Reality sank in as we climbed the stairs. Akamaru stepped up onto the second place platform while I stepped up beside him. Kiba walked to stand behind me. They put silver medals around mine and, to my delight, Akamaru’s necks. Then the man handed me the silver trophy that had occupied his other hand. I turned around and grinned at Kiba, who returned it with a grin of his own and a thumbs up.

I looked back forward. Towards the crowd. I searched out Irogawa and found her, unsurprisingly at the front of the crowd. This was it, either she took first, which would admittedly infuriate me, or hadn’t placed at all and I had decimated her. I wanted to see the look on her face either way. The man stepped back up to the microphone and cleared his throat as if the suspense wasn’t already killing me.

“First Place and Best In Show goes to….Kotaro, Yamada Kenji,” I think my jaw dropped as far open as Mitsuri’s did. I stared wide-eyed as the dog that I had ran from countless times stepped up on the higher platform to my left.

“K-Kotaro?! You’ve been here the whole time?” I pointed at him. He turned to look at me almost as if he understood what I was saying he let out a yip.

“Well I guess you got me this time buddy,” I laughed to myself, wishing Shikamaru were here to see this. Even though I knew he would never let me live it down if he had been here.

As the ceremony ended I realized that I had done it. Irogawa hadn’t even placed. I searched for her again in the crowd and when I didn’t see her, I presumed she had already slunk away in defeat. In my ecstasy of reveling in my victory, I lost control of myself a touch and launched myself into Kiba’s arms while my lips found his cheek.

“Oh thank you, thank you for helping me win! Did you see her face?” I pecked his cheek twice more.

His arms had found their way around me and so when I had to pull away to gather myself and apologize his face was as red as a tomato. ‘Huhmph, kinda looks like Hinata when Naruto’s around.’ I mused delightfully.

“Sorry, sometimes I get a little too excited,” I said sheepishly.

“It’s ok,” he looked away, embarrassed about how red his face was. “Let’s go out front and see if my mom’s here.”

We walked with Akamaru to the front entrance. I had given Kiba the trophy to hold and he told me that he wanted me to keep the medal. I gushed and thanked him, excited to show Obito when I got home. He chuckled and pulled me in the direction of his mom’s minivan that was pulling over to the curb.

***

When I had come home later that night, Obito was honestly shocked to see the silver medal around my neck. I had even given him a hug after telling him the story of beating Irogawa, I had been so excited. He chuckled and asked me if I had eaten anything since breakfast. When I shook my head, he handed me half of the sandwich that he had been eating.

In between bites I told him about Ino’s sleepover that upcoming Saturday and told him that I had worked out my schedule with my job so that I could go. He nodded and told me that was fine. I finished the sandwich and considered it my dinner since it had gotten late. I had school the next day and loved future me enough to know I needed to crash soon, or I would be miserable come time to wake up. In a rare display of affection, I kissed Obito’s forehead and told him goodnight, and thanked him for the half a sandwich before going to my room. I jumped in the shower washing the sweat and essence of dog that I had collected throughout the day. I got out and threw on an old oversized band t-shirt of Kakashi’s that I had taken from the laundry one time. I didn’t know if he knew that I had it, but if he did, he had never asked for it back. I climbed into bed, not bothering to set out my school uniform. After plugging in my phone, I let the sounds of an American crime documentary lull me to sleep.

***

My good mood only lasted until Tuesday during homeroom when we got our midterm results back. While Shikamaru stretched with his arms behind his head, smirking with satisfaction, I looked at my paper and resisted the urge to bang my head on the desk.

English: A

History and Cultural Studies: A

Calculus: B

Japanese: A

Economics: B

Chemistry: C

Physical Education: B

‘Damnit! I bet Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata did better than me. Shika got all ‘A’s’ that’s a given. I expected the calculus and chemistry grades, but the ‘B’ in phys ed. is bullshit! I can’t believe Mr. Maito gave me a ‘B’…that ass!!’ I pouted. I had come in fifth in the imaginary contest I had subjected me and my group of friends to. I could maybe smooth over the ‘B’s’ with Obito-there were more of them than I wanted though-but that ‘C’…Obito would literally flip his shit if he saw it. The good news is that he didn’t know when we were supposed to be getting our results, and because it wasn’t a failing grade, my guardian wouldn’t be notified.

Shikamaru grabbed my paper and scanned the grades, “You didn’t do that bad Raki.”

“Says you,” I said in a weepy voice, my head laying sideways on the desk facing him. “You got all A’s didn’t you?”

“Eh…well…,” he trailed off, not wanting to make me feel worse.

“Yeah that’s what I thought,” I huffed. I sat up and leaned forward to grab my paper out of Shika’s hands.

Instead, he pulled my paper away and as I fell forward my chin fell into his open hand, “What a drag. Don’t pout. It’s not that bad.”

I looked up at him, he was always the more level-headed of the two of us. When we made eye contact, he smiled briefly before tilting my chin up as he pulled his hand away. He handed me back my paper and paused for a moment before ruffling up the hair on the top of my head, “I’ll help you through summer school, and I won’t even charge you.”

I growled and swung, landing a blow to his gut. He had to go ruining a nice moment, “I can’t believe you!!!”

“Damn! I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” he grunted, holding his stomach and laughing at the same time.

“Hope it was worth it,” I folded my paper and shoved it in my bag. I crossed my arms and faced forward while waiting for Ms. Senju to come in for Calculus, ignoring Shika’s chuckling from my right.

***

When I got home Wednesday after school the metaphorical shit hit the fan. I announced my arrival, not expecting an answer, and took off my school shoes and put on my house slippers. I walked through to my bedroom, threw my school bag down, and began changing into casual clothes.

I had just fastened the last button on my high waist shorts when a forceful knock shook my door. It caused me to jump, “Obito?”

“Open the door Kumaraki,” I heard my brother’s voice on the other side of the door. ‘Aaaaannnnd he used the full name, great.’

“Hang on! I’ve got to put a shirt on!” I looked around my room for something to cover my chest.

“NOW!” he yelled as I pulled open my drawer and grabbed the light pink halter top that was sitting on top of the folded pile.

“OKAYYY!” I screamed back as I yanked my door open.

He was standing there with a paper in his hand, “Did you think I wouldn’t find out about this?”

I squinted my eyes trying to see the words on the other side of the paper. When I saw the school’s logo in the corner I knew it was my report card. I saw red, “Why were you in my room?!”

“I brought your headphones to put back in your nightstand,” he stepped passed the doorway into my room.

“And so then you just thought it was okay to go through it?” I yelled as I pointed to it. I had dumped it out of my school bag yesterday when I got home and tossed it in my nightstand drawer.

“I saw the logo and got curious. A ‘C’ Kumaraki?! What’s grandfather going to say if he finds out? He could take your inheritance. It’ll be hard to make an argument to have you in management at Uchiha Corp.,” he shook the paper at me.

“I told you already I’M NOT WORKING FOR UCHIHA CORP.!” I screamed at him, kicking off my slippers and shoving my feet into a pair of white tennis shoes.

“We both know you’re little serving job won’t last! You gonna be a waitress your whole life? No, and I’m not so sure I’ll be able to talk them into taking you once you come crawling back! And if you think you're going to Ino's party you're wrong,” He crossed his arms.

‘Fuck this. I’m out.’

“That’s FINE! I may not spend the rest of my life as a waitress, but you won’t have to worry about me 'crawling back!” I grabbed the backpack I used for a purse and slung it onto my shoulders.

Obito yelled my name, but I ignored him and flipped him off as I ran out the front door.

***

The more steps I took and the more I thought about Obito’s words, the more upset I became. I got down to the end of the street before the tears started to fall. Where the fuck did he think he got off? It was only one ‘C’ and it wasn’t even a failing grade. I had a few ‘B’s’ but those could easily get raised and if I really devoted some time to chemistry I could turn it around before the end of the year. And no, did he actually think I was planning on working in a cafe for the rest of my life? You didn’t have to go to college to get a decent job. I should be allowed to decide my own path and not be judged for how I did it.

I got to the end of the block and the sky opened up. Japan’s rainy season was coming to an end, but we still fell victim to the occasional afternoon shower. Now I was sad and wet, and beginning to get cold. It made me cry harder as I ran the rest of the way to Shika’s house. His parent’s were still at work but I knew that he had gone home after school rather than hanging out at Choji’s or somewhere else.

I was halfway thankful that it was raining so hard. At this point I was completely soaked and it camouflaged the fact that I had been crying. I banged on the door for what felt like forever, but I wasn’t going to stop until his lazy ass got up and answered it. Finally I heard footsteps and the doorknob rattle. The door swung open with annoyance, but when he saw me his eyes widened in shock.

“Take me somewhere, anywhere Shika. I have to get out of here,” I cut him off before he had the chance to say anything.

He stared at me for another moment, before grabbing his jacket and umbrella, “Okay.”

It was all he said before he grabbed my hand and we headed back out into the rain.

***

Bonus Scene

***

‘What a drag. Can’t whoever it is give me time to answer the damn door?!’ I walked back into the entryway from the kitchen. I had changed clothes and came downstairs to put my shoes on. I was planning to go to Choji’s and was about to head out when someone started banging on the door.

I twisted the door handle and yanked the door open, hoping the person on the other side could sense my annoyance. I forgot the rest of my thoughts as my eyes fell on her. ‘Fuck.’ Of course the first thing I noticed was that she had been crying. I could always tell, no matter how good she thought she was at hiding it. Something had happened. I was about to ask what but she cut me off.

“Take me somewhere, anywhere Shika. I have to get out of here,” she pleaded.

It was worse than I thought. She was on the verge of breaking down. Her saying my name was all it took for me to fold. I took a good look at her. She was soaked from head to toe and admittedly, looking like that, I would have done just about anything she asked me to. If I told her ‘no’ she would just leave and there’s no telling what trouble she’d get into. I couldn’t let her go back out there alone like that.

I grabbed my jacket and an umbrella, “Okay.”

I grabbed her hand and popped the umbrella open as we walked out into the downpour.

***

Okay y'all like I said it's about to start getting juicy.  It's going to be easier for me to get the chapters out faster because I'm really excited to finally write out some of the very first scenes I planned out.  Not to spoil the surprise but in the next few chapters we'll get some love triangle drama and....y'all know our girl's job can't stay a secret forever right?  But who's going to find out and will there be consequences?  Keep reading to find out!  Let me know what you guys think!!

Chapter Text

Hey everybody!  I'm back with another installment of Kumo Naka Ni Atama!  Like I said, I'm loving getting to this part of the story as these are some of the first scenes I wrote.  At certain points it was hard to "connect the dots" and write to get the story to this point.  I know I've said it a few times, but the plot will start to speed up over the next few chapters, and as an early warning- it's gonna get pretty heavy.  But with that said I can't wait for you guys to read this chapter, sorry about leaving you with that minor cliff hanger.  Side note: This chapter is dedicated to JessLily who literally makes my day with her reviews!!!

***

We walked for about twenty minutes. The rain slowed long before our steps did. Shika had held the umbrella over us with one hand and my hand with his other while I led us wildly and blindly down our city’s streets. When my feet finally started aching in protest, they pulled us off the sidewalk and we ended up sitting on a bench in an area of town where the residential area we both lived in started to turn into the city.

He had drawn the umbrella closed as he sat down beside me. I sighed heavily. The walk in the rain had rinsed off the initial wave of anger and shame that had been rolling off me since I had stormed out. Now that the fog had cleared though, I considered my circumstances. Poor Shika. I had bombarded him, forced my problems on him by demanding he help me forget about them, and then drug him outside into a storm to wander the streets. ‘What a shit friend.’

When I turned to look at him he was already looking at me. Our eyes met and I fought the urge to breakdown crying again. Instead I released a large huff, “Shit. I’m sorry Shika. Just leave me here so you can get back to what you were doing. You looked like you were about to go somewhere.”

“This is what I’m doing. You wanna tell me about it?” He pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

“Do you have anything else to smoke?” I asked meekly.

“No,” he sighed quietly while shaking his head.

I groaned, regretting being so spontaneous with my decisions, “Whyyyyyyyy?”

“Because I followed you without thinking,” he stated matter-of-factly, but gently.

“Can we go drink?” I had pulled out my vape and took a shaky hit.

“You gonna tell me what happened?” He blew out a mouthful of smoke.

“As long as I’m inebriated in some way,” I threw my head backwards and gazed up at the grayness above me. I felt like a raindrop. I had fallen and now I wanted the sun to come out and suck me back up into the sky among the clouds. I wondered how long it would take to feel the warmth and light again.

“Put this on. I’m not letting you walk into a bar with your shirt like that. I’m too lazy to fight guys right now,” He handed me his jacket, the same oversized green one I had gone home with on my birthday.

I slipped it on and rolled up the sleeves as he stood up. Like mine, his own white t-shirt had gotten wet and clung to his chest and stomach in spots. I snapped enough buttons to cover up my exposed stomach and already began to feel warmer as I let the smell of his cologne envelope me. He extended his hand. I took it and he pulled me off the bench and down the street.

***

“Fuck him! I’m going to make something of myself without The Uchiha Corporation. I’m gonna do it myself, my way, and no one’s going to tell me any different,” I chugged the last third of my fourth beer.

The bar that Shikamaru had took me into was a little hole in the wall, in-between a cell phone store and a twenty-four hour laundromat. The kind of bar that factory men stopped in for a beer or two after work before they went home to nagging wives and crying children. When we entered, he led me past a few tables and occupied barstools. He grumbled as he sat us down in two spots at the end of the bar. We, or I rather, had received a few interested glances as we found our seats. I sat on the end, letting him effectively shield me from the eyes of the other patrons closer to the door.

He sighed heavily, finishing his own beer-his fifth-before motioning for the bartender to bring another one, “Raki, you know Obito loves you. He has a fucked up way of showing it, but deep down you know it’s because he cares.”

“Yeah well then he needs to take a fuckin’ class or something and figure out how to show it the right way,” I blew out a hit of my vape.

He snorted in laughter, “Look, he’ll come around. I told you I’d help you fix the grades right? So it’d be a drag to keep worrying about that. And I have no doubt that whatever you decide to do you’ll make it work. You’re too damn hardheaded for it not too.”

“I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or insult,” I crossed my arms, smirking.

“As a compliment, for my sake,” he grinned taking a sip off his new bottle.

I sat there thinking, head swirling from the alcohol. Deep down I knew Shikamaru was right, Obito’s words were harsh, but they were out of love. I knew that finishing high school was important even if I didn’t go on to attend college. Obito wanted me to have a good future, a comfortable life. He wanted the best for me and was only trying to help. I appreciated it, but I needed him to understand that I wanted those same things too, I just didn’t want to have to do it his way. Being upper management at Uchiha corp. shouldn’t be the only way I was validated.

Obito wanted me to be “logical” but why did logical have to be books and classes and “9 to 5’s”? I didn’t want to be tied down by anything. I didn’t want to answer to anyone. I wanted to be free. I wanted to do what I wanted, when I wanted it. Suddenly I had an idea.

“Shika! I know I want for my birthday present,” I slapped my hand down on his leg.

“I’m almost afraid to ask,” he glanced down at my hand.

“Let’s go do something….adulty,” I grinned.

He actually spit some of his drink out, his face red from being tipsy, “Like what!?”

“Let’s get tattoos! I saw a sign before we came in. Come on!” I jumped up off the barstool, drawing the attention of the man a few stools down.

Shikamaru stared at me for a minute before laughing and chugging the rest of his beer, “These birthday presents get crazier and crazier every year. You’ll be asking for your own private island before we’re fifty.”

“Then you better start saving up,” I smirked and pulled him along after he laid the money for our drinks on the counter.

We exited into the night and continued walking up the street until we were under the ‘Yukidajuke’ sign that I had seen earlier before going into the bar. I pulled Shika inside by the arm, laughing because I was surprised he hadn’t fought me on this. Were we really doing this? We were bombarded with large posters of all the different designs available. Some of the flash was tiny, some were larger pieces that were meant to cover a whole arm or back, and all in different styles.

Just then, a guy that looked to be in his thirties and covered in tattoos, came from the back and up to the counter, “Hey guys what can we do for you?”

“We wanna get tattoos, something small. We just have to figure out what we want first,” I smiled.

“Cool, just yell for me when you figure it out. I’m gonna set up in the back,” he nodded and disappeared back to where he had come from.

Shikamaru walked over to the posters over by the smaller designs, “What should I get?”

“I want us to get something together,” I walked over to stand beside him.

“Like what? What if we get dragons?” He pointed to a few small tribal style dragon drawings.

“No,” I scoffed, “I want it to mean something to us.”

“Okay. What if I get a pineapple and you get a cloud?” He turned to me smugly.

I snorted in laughter, “Absolutely not.”

I took another walk around looking at the posters, but nothing seemed to fit us. All of the sudden I had it, “Okay I’ve got an idea. Don’t laugh at me.”

“What?” He turned to look at me.

“Kinsho and Ginsho,” I smiled. “We’ll get the symbols like they’re written on the tiles.”

He grinned and shrugged as if saying ‘if that’s what you want’. I took that as confirmation enough and called for the artist to come back out.

“Okay so you guys decide?” He had put gloves on and had motioned for us to follow him back.

“Yeah he’s gonna get Kinsho and I’m gonna get Ginsho written like shogi tiles,” he turned to look at me with a curious stare, “it’s an inside joke between us.”

He nodded, requesting no further information, and passed us both a paper to sign. We signed the authorization forms agreeing to the process, saying we had been informed of everything it would entail. While we were signing, the artist was drawing up the stencils for the tattoos.

“Who’s going first?” He looked back and forth between us.

Shikamaru and I looked at each other. I motioned for him to go sit on the bed. He rolled his eyes, but went and sat down on the side of the tattoo table. When our artist, Inei as he had introduced himself, had asked him where he wanted it Shika peeled off his shirt. He pointed to the center of his left pect, he would need somewhere he could hide it, because Auntie Yoshi would absolutely lose her shit when-if- she found out. It didn’t take Inei long to lay the stencil and began tattooing. I had been standing over them watching and when Inei started I looked on as Shikamaru briefly winced. I asked him if he wanted me to hold his hand and was rewarded with a hateful glare for all my kindness.

Twenty minutes later Inei was finished and Shikamaru had his first tattoo. Next it was my turn. Inei cleaned up the area and began setting it up for my tattoo while I inspected his fresh work on Shika. I traced my finger around the area, scowling when Shika flinched.

“Did it hurt?” I asked, looking nervous.

“It wasn’t bad. You’re not gonna back out on me now are you?” He crossed his arms staring me down. I couldn’t help but notice the new tattoo now seemed to emphasize his muscles.

“No!” I laughed nervously, “I just wanna be prepared.”

“Okay sweetheart, where’s this going?” Inei was ready and had turned to me.

I walked over to him and looked at the design. I smiled and went to my default mode when dealing with older men: flirtation, “Where do you think I should put it? I kinda need to hide it.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes while Inei was looking me over. Eventually we decided on the bottom outside of my left breast, on my side. I readjusted my shirt so he could lay the stencil. When he had put it on I called for Shika to come over so he could see. He walked over as he was putting on his shirt.

“What do you think? Does it look good right here?” I had had my shirt pulled somewhat down and to the side.

“Y-yeah. That looks good,” he sort of sputtered out before turning away and pulling out a cigarette.

My hand shot out and grabbed his arm, “Wait! You’re not going to leave me are you?”

He looked down at my arm and me laying on the bed on my side. He muttered something before putting the cigarette back in the pack. I heaved a sigh of relief and held out my hand for him to take, which he did wordlessly. When the needle hit my skin for the first time I squawked in surprise, but quickly got used to the scraping feeling. Shikamaru was a soldier and only made a face twice as I squeezed his hand harder than I had probably squeezed anything in my life.

“This you and your brother’s first tattoos?” Inei chuckled as his machine went into a particularly painful area.

“Oh he’s not my brother,” my laugh quickly turned into a grunt, “We’re best friends.”

“Mm-hmm,” was all he said as he kept going.

Not long later he was wiping the area with a paper towel and telling me I could sit back up. In the end it hadn’t hurt as bad as I expected. It kinda felt like a cat had scratched me, painful, but not unbearable. I got off the bed and walked over the the mirror, holding my shirt and turning to the side so I could look at it. Inei cleaned up and told us he would meet us up front. Shikamaru went to walk up to pay but I stopped him.

“Hang on! I want pictures!” I fished my phone out of my backpack.

He rolled his eyes but came and stood beside me. He pulled up his shirt and I adjusted mine. I turned to the side and adjusted the camera so both of our tattoos and lower bodies were in the frame instead of our faces. I wanted a few more, making Shikamaru take some, that included our faces before we met Inei back up front. Shikamaru pulled out his wallet and paid him in addition to giving him a decent tip. Inei gave him a piece of paper that had aftercare instructions on it. Shika handed the paper over to me before putting his wallet back in his pocket, and we turned to leave.

“If you want more work done come back and see me, Sweetheart. Bring some more of your friends,” Inei yelled out as we walked out.

“Come on, trouble. Let’s go,” Shika pulled me along as I waved ‘goodbye’ at Inei.

***

We walked back towards the residential area of town that we both lived in. When we had gotten close to our respective streets I looked at my phone. It was 10:00 p.m. we had been out all night. I shoved my phone back in my pocket and began to take off Shika’s jacket.

“What are you doing?” He stopped walking.

“Giving this back to you. I know it’s late, but I’m not ready to go home yet. I’m not gonna keep you out any later,” I looked at him.

He slid the jacket back onto my shoulder, “Troublesome damn woman. Come on.”

He led me down the street before taking a left down a small side road lined with trees. Before I knew it we ended up at our neighborhood park. The park that we had first met each other at fifteen years ago. Back when everything made sense, and my world was small and my heart was innocent. We stopped at the playground where we had spent a thousand afternoons playing. I hummed contentedly as I sat down on one of the swings and took off kicking my legs. Shika joined me and we spent a few minutes swinging back and forth in silence. I waited until I had some height before jumping out at the top of my swing. I stuck my landing and turned and watched Shikamaru take his turn. He had gone higher than me and his feet made a muffled ‘thud’ when they hit the ground.

We hiked further up the hill, past the rest of the playground equipment. When we got to our usual ‘cloud watching spot’ Shika plopped down, stretching out to lay in the now dry grass. I sat down beside him and stretched out onto my right side to face him. We spent a few more minutes in silence gazing up at the stars, which we had decided years ago were indeed a suitable nighttime alternative to clouds.

“You know how people say they have ‘fair-weathered friends’?….You’re my stormy-weathered friend, Shika,” I said matter of factly, still gazing skywards.

He scoffed, “Were you trying to make a joke?”

I chortled, looking at him, “No, I mean it. For some reason you’ve stuck by my side no matter what. You’ve always been patient with me, never judged me…too harshly anyways. No matter what kids said, no matter what trouble came with me, you’ve always been there, and you've never taken more than you’ve given. It means more to me than you think.”

His cheeks flushed and he looked back up, “Ehhh come on. Don’t make it out to be such a big deal. You used to drag me around and I was too lazy to fight you. Somewhere along the way, I stopped minding so much, and realized I liked being your friend. Sometimes we even have fun.”

“Whatever you say,” I blew a raspberry at his dismissal and pushed his arm, “Was tonight one of those fun times?”

He nodded, smiling, “Yeah, tonight was fun. One that I’m not going to forget for awhile,” He patted the spot on his chest.

“Me either,” I grinned back at him while gently patting my own souvenir from our latest adventure.

***

“Fuck. Raki wake up!” I stirred slowly.

“Wha-?” I asked groggily as I began to move.

“We fell asleep. It’s like five thirty in the morning,”I felt a hand on my shoulder.

As I came to, I realized my head had been laying on Shika’s shoulder, his arm had wrapped itself underneath me and became my pillow at some point during the night. I lifted my head up realizing we were still laying in the grass. We half sat up together and then I began rubbing my eyes. I looked over at Shika who was fixing his hair. Some strands had come loose from his ponytail while we were sleeping. I pulled my phone from my pocket. I had about ten missed calls from Obito and surprisingly a few from Itachi.

‘Fuck'.

I looked over at Shikamaru who was looking at his own phone with a grimace. Not only had I hit a new stride in my rebel girl era, I had accidentally brought Shika down with me. Auntie Yoshi would be pissed and Uncle Kaku had learned along time ago it was better to just back her up, than face her wrath alongside his son.

“What do we do?” I asked, knowing our options were limited.

“We’ve got to get our uniforms for school. If we ditch, they’ll be even more pissed. Come on I’ll walk you to your house,” He had pulled apart from me when he checked his phone. Now he stood up and repocketed it before offering me his hand.

We walked silently until we came upon my building. I was going to have to sneak in quietly, run to my room, grab my clothes, and get the fuck outta dodge. If Obito caught me, I’d have no doubt that neither one of us would reach school nor work and the day would involve a major sit down. We rode the elevator up together. Shika stayed behind when the doors opened to reveal the entryway but he mouthed a ‘good luck’ as I disappeared behind the apartment’s front door.

***

It had taken about ten minutes for me to creep in and find all the articles of clothing that my uniform consisted of, scattered around my room. I shoved them in my school bag and tiptoed back to the entryway where Shika was still waiting. I grabbed my school shoes from the floor and silently stepped back into the elevator. I breathed a sigh of relief as the doors closed behind us. Now we just had to get Shika in and out of his house and find somewhere for us to change into our school uniforms.

Shika’s house would be a little easier to sneak into. All he had to do was use his key, head through the entryway, up the stairs, and to his room. His parent’s room was on the complete other side of the house. I chose not to go inside, but instead stood by the bushes at the corner of the front porch while he disappeared behind the front door. Ten minutes later when he had not come back out yet, I made a decision. Either Auntie Yoshi had caught him or he was taking his sweet ass time. I squeezed between the bushes and opened my school bag.

Five minutes later I had just fastened the back of my skirt when I heard the front door. I poked my head up out of the bushes just far enough so that my eyes cleared the leaves. I was met with Shikamaru giving me an exasperated stare.

“….What the hell are you doing?” He crossed his arms.

“I didn’t know if I was I on my own. I started changing,” I forcefully whispered, as I waded out of the bushes only in my white button up and skirt.

He spasmed, “What if someone had seen you?”

I looked around as if I could see these would-be peeping toms he was talking about, “Then they got lucky. Come on lets head to school. We can finish getting dressed there.”

He shook his head but joined me in walking down his driveway. He had put on his uniform pants while he had been inside, but still needed to change out of his t-shirt. We walked the short way to school and turned into a small alleyway across the street from the front gate. We set our bags on the ground and got to work. I slipped my vest down over my head while Shika pulled his t-shirt off and traded it for a white undershirt. I pulled on my tie and worked it into a decorative knot around my neck quickly. He began pulling on his cardigan while I leaned up against the brick wall of a building to pull my stockings on. I slipped my feet into my white canvas school shoes and began shoving my casual clothes into my bag.

When I finished Shika was adjusting his tie, waiting for me. I shot him finger guns before walking past him and emerging back onto the street. We killed time at the convenience store next door for an another hour and a half. He bought us boxed breakfasts and heated them up in the microwave before bringing them to the table where we sat, waiting for them to open the school gates.

***

Shika and I had made it through the school day. The last half of the day had been touch and go and honestly some of it had slipped my memory. As bad as school had been, we knew there was a whole new level of shit waiting for us at each of our houses. When we got to the point of our walk home where we parted ways to head down our individual streets we stopped and turned to each other.

“If your mom kills you can I have your tv and Gamestation 5?” I gave him a hug.

He scoffed and peeled me off, “Neither one of us are dying. But if he goes too hard on you call me okay…but maybe wait a little while. I want to take a nap.”

I nodded and gave him a sympathetic wave as I headed down my street and he disappeared from my view. I walked up to my building and begrudgingly went inside and over to the elevator. The doors opened reavealing the familar entryway I had already moonlighted through this morning. I put my hand on the doorknob and heaved a large sigh in trepidation, trying to prepare myself for what awaited on the other side. I was greeted with a quiet house. I got as far as the living room.

“Where the hell have you been?” My brother stood up from the couch.

“School,” I said quietly, looking at the carpet.

He paused for a moment, dumbfounded, “You actually went? How’d….you get your uniform?”

“Yeah….I, uh, snuck back in this morning and left again,” I rubbed my right arm, still very interested in our living room carpet.

Another pause. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh, “Look we need to talk. Your grades are slipping, you didn’t come home last night, sneaking back in and out. I can’t go down this road again with you Kumaraki.

“I know!!! I didn’t mean to stay out all night!” I looked up at his face for the first time since I had walked in. He looked tired. Like he hadn’t slept very much. Like he had stayed up most of the night worriying. All the guilt came rushing up into my face and out of my eyes.

“I’m trying,” his eyes softened as my voice wavered, “Look I’m already disappointed in myself I don’t need to hear it from you. I’m trying to keep my grades up so I can keep this job and do things my own way. I know if I fuck up you’ll take it away from me. And I just want to prove I’m worth something!”

Obito sat in silence looking at me for a moment. I didn’t like the look on his face, especially knowing I was the one that put it there. Another wail of sorrow left my mouth. He closed the distance between the two of us and scooped me up into a hug, “Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay.”

He shushed me and petted my head, “You will always be worth something, everything to me. No matter what happens, and I never should have said anything to you to make you feel otherwise. Look, I’m sorry came down so hard on you. I know you know what to do, and I can tell you’re trying.”

“Shika said he’d help me get my grades up,” I sniffed my nose and looked up at him, “I promise I won’t fail high school.”

He moved the hair out of my eyes, “Sounds like a deal. You’ve got the rest of the year to fix them right?….I guess one sleepover can’t hurt.”

I squeezed him tight, “Oh thank you, Ito! Thank you!”

***

Saturday afternoon and our girls sleepover could not have come soon enough. Words could not express how much I had needed time with my girls. I had caught a ride with Hinata over to Ino’s even though her house was in walking distance from mine. When we got there Ino was setting up a tray of drinks and snacks.

“Where’s Kura at?”I asked, looking around for the familar mop of bubblegum colored hair.

“She’s on her way. She stopped to pick up something I asked for,” she sent us a mischievous smirk.

Hinata and I shared a curious glance. I shrugged and grabbed Hinata’s bag so she could help Ino with the snacks and drinks. I led the way up the stairs and into Ino’s bedroom. I pushed open the door and set our duffle bags in the corner on the floor. Hinata set the snacks down on a white wicker coffee table Ino had at the foot of her bed. Ino followed suit and set the tray of drinks down beside them. I sat down on the pillowy comforter spread out on her bed and leaned over to take a glass.

Not long after we had settled into our usual spots-Hinata and I on the bed, and Ino in her lavender furry chair-the door opened and our missing member stuck her head in the open gap. We chorused a ‘hello’ as she closed the door behind her and gently set her duffle bag down with ours. She immediately unzipped it and dove in rummaging. When she produced a large brown paper bag Ino squealed in delight.

Turns out Ino was craftier than I usually gave her credit for. She had poured grape juice in the glassed while her parents watched, but had Sakura bring a few bottles of red wine for our refills. It would look the same and her parents weren’t the type to hover while we were here so it was a pretty smart move. I quickly finished off my grape juice so that I could replace it with alcohol. Sakura assumed her usual position from the purple bean bag that she pulled into the center of the room.

“So now that we’re here finally able to relaxxx, how did everyone’s midterms end up?” Ino asked finishing the last of her grape juice.

Sakura had gotten all ‘A’s’ and Hinata had done almost as good, only getting a ‘B’ in Japanese History and Cultural Studies. I sucked my teeth and asked her what had happened. One of our “sure fire” study tricks was to replace famous generals with guys we had crushes on so it was easier to remember who won battles. Let’s just say Kakashi had fought many times on the battlefield in my mind.

“They all turned into Naruto and I got a little confused,” she sighed plopping her chin into her hand to prop it up.

We giggled. We had recently gotten her to admit what we had all suspected, that she had a major crush on Naruto. When it was my turn to report I groaned. I told them that I had gotten three ‘A’s’, three ‘B’s’, and that ugly ‘C’ in science. Hinata rolled on her side and patted me on the back telling me it was okay. I looked over at Ino, who looked like the color drained from her face.

“I really did do the worst! I only got one ‘A’ and a ‘D’ in science,” she whined.

I almost spit out my sip of wine, “Geez Ino! What were the rest of your grades?”

“All ‘B’s’,” she shrugged, “but they called my parents and everything. I had to practically beg them to let me still do this.”

“So what did you tell them?” Sakura asked, pouring herself another glass.

“That Raki had already requested off work to come over,” she took a sip.

“Innnooooo!” I threw a pillow, successfully smacking her in the head.

“Whaaaat?!” She shrieked.

“You told them I had a job?” I asked exasperated, not wanting it to becoming common knowledge and somehow getting back to my brother.

“Relax, who are they going to tell?” She threw the pillow back at me and stuck her tongue out when I dodged, “Besides, it was the only way they were going to let me have the party.”

I rolled my eyes and told her that I would only forgive her if she let me try out her new color shift eyeshadow. We had each gotten a different color and I had wanted to see what hers looked like on me. She agreed and pulled out her makeup bag. I got up and dug through my duffle bag until I found mine. For the next couple of hours we all took turns using the mirror on Ino’s vanity to do our makeup and painted our nails with the selection Ino had at her house. I always went to Ino’s to paint my nails because girl had all the colors. Honestly she could supply her own salon if she wanted to open one. I looked in the mirror, the iridescent white eyeshadow shifted to an icy blue as I tilted my head side to side. It went with periwinkle color I painted on my nails.

We all topped off our wine glasses and got comfy while Ino put in a movie. It had gotten to the part of Where Did The Summer Go? where Aiko and Noburu were saying goodbye for the first time promising to get together again the next summer. They embraced lovingly and Ino sighed.

“So have there been any more developments in our love triangle?” She looked over at me.

I rolled my eyes, knowing it had only been a matter of time before she brought it back up, “Nooooo. But I do have the picture of Haru you wanted.”

Her grunt had turned into an exaggerated ‘oooh’. I laughed before pulling out my phone. I had told him last night that I had my friend had asked about him and she had wanted a picture. At the prospect of a fresh set of female eyes being able to admire him, he happily obliged, snatching my phone and taking a few pictures of us and then just him. I opened the picture and tossed it to Ino telling her to swipe. Her eyes practically exploded with little hearts. She gushed that he looked like a sexier, older Sasuke, which earned her a glare from Sakura. Even though when Ino turned the phone Sakura did have to admit that he looked like he could be an older cousin of mine. Ino flipped a few more times before her eyes went wide.

“NO WAY!!!!” She screeched.

I knew immediately what she was looking at. Damn her, she had swiped too far in the wrong direction. She zoomed in with her fingers and studied intently, “Is this real?”

“Well duh, you think I convinced Shika to go body painting with me?” I took a healthy sip of my wine.

“What are you guys talking about?” Sakura leaned forward asking.

Ino turned the phone so Sakura and Hinata could see the last picture Shikamaru took of us. Their eyes bulged with surprise as they looked back and forth from my face to the phone.

“When did you get that?” Hinata looked at me while pointing to the phone.

I sighed, giving them the abridged version of events, “Wednesday after school Obito found my report and majorly flipped out on me…so in my typical fashion I ran out and headed to Shikas. I told him I wanted to go drink and so we went to a bar. After a few beers, I told him I wanted us to get tattoos for my birthday.”

“Can we see it?” Sakura asked.

I playfully scoffed but responded with an ‘I guess. I was about to get in pajamas anyway.’ and sat up to pull my shirt off. I pulled my sports bra to the side and turned so they could get a good look. Ino got right up in my business before giggling in excitement, exclaiming that it looked ‘cool’. Hinata asked me if it hurt while Ino decided she would start coming up with ideas for her first ink. I rolled my eyes and giggled at her as I got up and fished my pajamas out of my bag. We redressed and settled back in for the conclusion of the movie.

As I fluffed up my pillow my phone played a little jingle signaling that I had gotten a text message. Curious if it was Obito checking up on me, I opened my phone.

Pineapple head:

Hey send me one of those pictures of us

from the other night.

I quirked an eyebrow, wondering what he wanted a picture for. He hadn’t even wanted to take them. I flipped through the group of photos before picking one of me sticking my tongue out. It was a good angle of our tattoos, and my hair looked super cute in that one. I had that ‘I just got done swimming at the beach look.’ I flipped my phone back closed and turned my attention back to the sappy romance movie, suddenly remembering he was over at Naruto’s with the rest of the guys.

***

Okay everybody!!! So what'd you think?  We got a little brother/sister moment, some Shikamaru fluff.  We're definitely in our wild girl era.  At this point Kuma is determined to do things her own way, but knows she needs to keep her juggling act together if it's going to work out.  And I don't know....I think it's about time for a Shikamaru P.O.V. chapter, don't you?

Chapter Text

Hey everyone!  I just got back from a week long vacation and I'm ready to jump back into things.  This chapter is juicy and it's in Shika's p.o.v. so naturally, I agonized over trying to make it in character, especially since this is an AU and I don't have ninja related content to fall back on.  We're gonna start to see Shikamaru use that big brain of his when it comes to figuring out how he feels...finally!  Cause we love a slow burn, but I won't put y'all through an Inuyasha/Kagome situation...I'm not sure I could take it either.  As always, flashbacks are italicized and marked with the '^^^' symbol.  Also, I didn't know if I needed to point it out, but if you see a non italicized word in flashback dialogue or character's direct thoughts it's not a typo, it's just meant to be read with emphasis.  So without further ado....Chapter 13!

***

Ever since I had gotten home from school Thursday afternoon, this week had been a fuckin drag. I had walked into a silent house. I drug my ass up the stairs and into my bedroom. I wondered if shit had already hit the fan at Raki’s. I hoped she would listen to my request about waiting to call me, I could already feel my eyelids getting heavy as I sat on the bed. In the end, I was only able to enjoy the peace and quiet until about six when they came home.

^^^

I knew Mom had seen my shoes because the sound of two pairs of footsteps coming up the stairs and making a beeline for my room is what woke me up.

No knock, just a loud ‘bang’ as my mom practically knocked the door off its hinges. Her backup, not that she needed it, towered behind her gazing into my room. She wasted no time in reaming my ass. I only made it worse when I thought I had justified it by telling them I had been out with Raki.

“You had that poor girl out, in the storm, awake until the wee hours of the morning, on a school night!” She lectured me while I fought the urge to yell into my pillow.

“What a drag, she showed up here mom. Crying. She told me she wanted to go for a walk, we just lost track of time. I said I’m sorry.”

“You’ve scolded him enough Yoshino. He knows what he did was stupid,” my dad began ushering mom out of my room.

Ever since I had brought up Kumaraki crying his facial expression had changed and he seemed to have relaxed somewhat. Mom had already walked down the hallway, but Dad paused in my doorway and turned to look at me.

“She was crying, I couldn’t let her go alone,” I pleaded my case man to man.

He didn’t say anything, just nodded before pulling my door shut as he turned to leave.

^^^

Friday didn’t get any better. We were sitting on the bench by the road at the end of lunch. Naruto was arguing with Sasuke about what year the first Riot City Rampage game came out. I inhaled two lung fulls of smoke when I heard my phone ‘ding’. I pulled it out of my pocket and opened my texts.

U. Obito:

Kuma said she was with you the other night.

'Fuck. What a drag.’ I should have expected her to play the same card as me, but in no world did I want Obito Uchiha to be mad at me. Choji must have seen the grimace on my face, because he shot me a concerned look. I hadn’t told anyone about the other night just like she hadn’t. I think she was embarrassed about breaking down. I wished I could figure out how to tell her that it was okay and we- her friends- were here for her. She didn’t have to always act indestructible in front of everyone. I shook my head at him in dismissal and turned my attention back to my phone. The only thing I could do was text him back with enough of the truth to not reveal anything I figured she hadn’t told him.

Me:

I’m sorry man. She surprised me at my house

and begged me to come with her. We just went

to a bar and passed out in the park. I forgot to tell

my parents too. We weren’t thinking.

I sighed, hoping that was enough to smooth things over. He knew that I knew they had gotten into it, and we both knew the way Kumaraki recklessly liked to clear her head sometimes. I lit another cigarette in my anxiety. I wondered how hard he had come down on her. She hadn’t seemed too upset when she got to school this morning, so it didn’t seem like he was locking her up for the next fifteen years. Another puff, another ‘ding’ on my phone.

U. Obito:

At least I know she was safe. Thanks for

keeping an eye out.

The smoke and a sigh of relief came out of my mouth all at once. At least he didn’t seem irate like my mom had been. And for some reason, the fact that he assumed she was safe with me gave me a strange sense of pride. Now I had other things to worry about. The girls had just walked up. Ino was talking with Raki, and upon hearing the phrase ‘when you girls get to my house for the sleepover…’ Naruto’s eyes lit up and he smirked at Choji. He sauntered over to the girls and leaned forward with his hands behind his back.

“What time does it start and should I bring my own pillow…or will those be provided?” He grinned like a fox.

Instead of a verbal reply, Raki rolled her eyes and scoffed while Hinata blushed. Sakura’s reply was more physical in form. She connected a mean right hook with his left cheek. I chuckled at his audacity and the consequences for it as he turned around and headed back towards us, rubbing his now swollen visage.

“Well that’s just fine Sakura! If we can’t all be invited, us guys will just have our own sleepover…right guys?”His eyes lit up as he looked to each of us.

Sasuke huffed and said he would come over if Naruto never called it a sleepover again. Naruto laughed and shrugged. Then he looked at me to confirm my attendance next. I begrudgingly agreed to his proposal and the rest of the guys followed suit shortly there after. Tomorrow, while Raki and the girls were hanging out at Ino’s, all the guy’s were headed to Naruto’s for a boy’s night. Naruto was my friend and I didn’t mind hanging out with him. I didn’t even mind hanging out with gloomy ass Sasuke, but Kiba had become almost insufferable since he began pursuing Raki. I wondered if I could be patient enough to refrain from beating his ass for a night, if said topic came up, knowing there was an overwhelmingly high chance there would be alcohol involved and it most definitely would.

^^^

On Saturday I slept in until noon. Choji calling me woke me up. I grumbled, sitting up only to stop the incessant ringing of the phone.

“What’s up man?” I cleared my throat.

“Oh…hey, did I wake you?” came his reply.

“It’s fine, I needed to get up anyway. I’m gonna jump in the shower. You headed over here?” I asked

“Yeah you want me to bring anything?” He sugested in between the crunching of potato chips.

“Shit, bring your poker set. Maybe one of us can clean someone out later,” I said hitting a fresh bowl.

He barked out a laugh, “Hopefully a couple, I want to take Karui somewhere nice for our first date.”

I quirked an eyebrow before blowing out a hit, “That that girl you were talking to at Raki’s party?”

“Yeah. I got her number. We’ve been texting, thought I’d ask her out,” he sounded a little unsure.

“Way to go man. I’m sure she’ll be impressed,” I said standing up and stretching.

We got off the phone and I undressed, still not used to sleeping with a shirt on, and climbed in my shower. I was careful not to rub the still healing tattoo on my chest too hard. I sighed, letting the warm water roll down my back, thinking this was probably the most relaxed I would be for the rest of the day. I finished in the shower and quickly got dressed before my mom decided to bust up in my room and discover the part of the story I had left out from the other night.

Not long after, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. Choji poked his head through the door and made his way inside. I had just finished putting my copy of the new Shinobi Striker in my backpack. Now fully packed, I sat back down on my bed to roll one for later tonight.

“You’re gonna bring that to Naruto’s?” Choji looked at me incredulously.

“Relax. I’m not gonna blow the smoke in his dad’s face. I’ll probably just wait until everyone goes to sleep.” ‘Or until Inuzuka makes me want to punch him.’ I thought scowling.

Choji laughed nervously and shrugged. I finished the bowl I had started before my shower and stood up, shoving the joint in my pocket. Choji gathered his bag and we headed out my front door towards Naruto’s.

***

When we got to Naruto’s house Sasuke was already there but no one else. They were sitting on the couch in front of the tv each sipping on a glass with dark colored liquid.

“Where are your parents?” Choji asked picking up and inspecting a bottle of wiskey that I’m sure I had noticed in Mr. Uzumaki’s liquor cabinet before.

Naruto wiggled his eyebrows, “They’re out of town at some awards banquet for my mom. They won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon. Help yourselves.”

So that explained his desire for some kind of mischief. It wasn’t often that Naruto got out from in under the watchful eye of his father, and being the chief of police, Minato Uzumaki didn’t exactly encourage his son’s perversity. Choji had declined the offer, but I took him up on it, deciding that I may need to indulge in a rather stout jack and coke.

It didn’t take long for Shino to arrive with Kiba quickly in tow. Kiba pulled out a case of beer from his backpack and threw it in the fridge before pulling one out and popping the top. We all fell onto various pieces of furniture and joined Naruto and Sasuke in watching the last ten minutes of an MMA fight that they had paid to view. When it ended by knockout Naruto jumped up and cheered. The guy that he was backing had won and he was in good spirits.

“What do you guys want to do? Shikamaru, you bring your copy of the new SS?” I nodded and opened my backpack tossing it to him.

His Gamestation 5 was in his room so we headed down the hall. I found a comfortable spot on his bed while he put in the game. We could only play two at a time so we rotated every time someone lost. I had been working on a five win streak when it got to Naruto’s turn. We selected our characters and began. Three rounds later, Naruto was throwing down his controller. He had managed to beat Shino and Choji each only once in the whole four hours we had been playing.

“Alright, that’s it! I’m tired of you guys cheating. Let’s do something else,” he crossed his arms.

“Like what? Should we paint our nails?” Kiba laughed at Naruto’s despair.

“Speaking of…I wonder what the girls are doing right now,” Naruto popped the top on a beer.

“Aren’t they all over at Ino’s having a sleepover?” Choji tossed a chip into his mouth.

“We should go over there and see if they’ve changed into their silky little pajamas yet,” that same fox like grin from the other day had found it’s way back onto Naruto’s face as the liquor lowered his inhibitions.

I laughed, not having the heart to tell him Raki, at least, slept in giant t-shirts and basketball shorts. If Raki or Sakura or even Ino, for that matter, caught any of us spying on them they’d go feral. Hell, I’m not so sure I wanted to see Hinataangry either, it was usually the quiet ones you had to worry about. I tried to remind Naruto of this certainty, “Oh, does the bruise on your cheek feel better already? Did you want the other side to match?”

A look of realization washed over his face as he gingerly rubbed his now purplish cheek and chuckled, “Heh heh, you got a good point.”

“Hey I know! Why don’t we gamble a little. I brought my poker set,” Choji offered. He dug a box out of his bag containing a deck of cards and a tray of different colored chips.

We moved to Naruto’s kitchen where we had a large enough table to all sit together. While they set up the game and refilled their drinks I went out onto the porch and smoked a cigarette. They quickly finished and Naruto stuck his head outside to let me know they were ready and he had opened a beer for me. I nodded and put out my now spent up cigarette before coming back inside. We designated the chips’ values, not going over the ¥5000 per blue chip limit we usually stuck to. Shino offered to keep track of our winnings and we would pay each other what we owed within the week.

***

“It’s your ante man,” I picked up my cards looking at my hand. I had three queens on the draw. I threw a red chip in the middle of the table before taking a chug of my beer.

Kiba smirked. It was down to just him and I, “I see your bet, and I raise you.” He threw a blue chip into pot along with the red one to match mine.

“Ugh I wish one of you would just go all in. This isn’t fun now that I lost all my money,” Choji sighed, scrolling through his phone.

“Why don’t we make it even more interesting than just money,” Kiba looked up at me.

“What did you have in mind?” I gazed lazily at him, wondering what half-assed scheme he was up to while I threw in a blue chip of my own.

“If you win I pay you double the pot, but if I win…you help me convince Raki to go out with me as her boyfriend.” He cockily nodded his head.

I rolled my eyes. I was tired of his delusional pursuit of my best friend, “She’s not going to go out with you man. Just give it up.”

“Oh yeah then why’d she kiss me? Three times?” He countered.

“When?” I looked at him confused.

“At the dog competition.” He crossed his arms smugly.

I scoffed, “Oh what, cause she got excited when she beat Irogawa and gave you a couple of pecks on the cheek you think you’re gonna get in her pants?”

“I gotta start somewhere!” He shrugged.

I glared, pissed. I didn’t want her becoming another notch in his belt, and didn’t like the way it felt knowing he was trying to get closer to her. I threw my cards on the table, game forgotten. I hadn’t ment for it to come out, but my need to win the metaphorical pissing contest I had entered overshadowed my discretion, “What-the-fuck-ever man, let me know when she shows up at your door, wanting to go drink.”

“So you guys got drunk together? What’d you do?” Naruto elbowed me.

I rolled my eyes, actingly like it didn’t give me pleasure to one up Kiba, “She talked me into getting a tattoo with her for her birthday.”

“NO FUCKING WAY! Proof or it didn’t happen,” Naruto downed the rest of his drink enthusiastically.

I sighed pulling out my phone. I texted Kumaraki asking her to send me one of the pictures that she’d taken from the other night. I knew it wouldn’t take long, outside of school she was frequently glued to her phone. Thirty seconds later, a short ‘ding’ notified me that she’d obliged my request. I smirked as I opened the text she sent me. It was a picture of her and I that I had taken. She was standing in front of me pulling down an eyelid and sticking out her tongue. Her other hand was pulling her shirt so you could see her tattoo and as an unintended consequence, a portion of her left breast. I was lifting my shirt with one hand and looking off to the side while taking the picture with the other.

I had really meant to keep it a secret between the two of us, but maybe it would shut Kiba up and make him realize he needed to lay off her. I definitely didn’t want them to see as much of her as was exposed in the picture but I had dug myself into this hole and now I had to climb out of it. I smirked, flipping my phone around so Naruto and more importantly Kiba could see the picture. From the look on his face it seemed to have the desired effect.

“Holy shit, that’s so fucking hot! Were you in there with her while she got it? Did she take her shirt off?” Naruto was on the edge of his seat until Sasuke slapped him in the back of the head.

“I didn’t leave her by herself. And, no, you idiot, she didn’t take her shirt off,” I put my phone back in my pocket.

“So what you’re gonna ask her out?” Kiba glared.

“Wasn’t planning on it why?” I shrugged.

“Cause if you’re gonna cock block me you need a better reason other than she’s your ‘best friend’.” He gestured emphatically.

“I don’t need shit. You’re not right for her. She’ll figure it out on her own,” I pulled a cigarette out and walked out of the room. The conversation having become more heated than I intended.

I walked out onto the back porch and lit my cigarette wondering if alcohol had been to blame or if it was something else. I heard the sliding door open behind me. If it was Inuzuka I didn’t know if I could refrain from punching him if he started up again, and I really didn’t want to start trouble at Naruto’s house of all places, even if his parents were out of town.

“So I’m guessing that’s why you and my cousin spent the second half of sixth period drooling on your desks Thursday,” Sasuke had come over and stood beside me.

I blew out the hit of smoke, “Shit, man. Don’t tell your cousin about the tattoo okay? I’m not trying to get Raki grounded till she’s thirty. She showed up after a fight with Obito and wanted to go out drinking. She cashed in her birthday present, we went and got tattoos and then fell asleep in the park watching stars.”

He smirked while taking a sip of his beer, “And you just couldn’t say no huh?”

“Do you know your cousin?” I took another drag off my cigarette.

He laughed knowingly, while tilting his head in agreement. We both knew Kumaraki, and she had a way of getting what she wanted from pretty much anyone. If she wanted something to happen bad enough, she’d make it happen, one way or the other. She had a way of persuading you that everything would work out fine if you just did what she needed. That’s how Sasuke and I got roped into being her helpers in a magic show she put on when we were nine. She had insisted a female magician should have ‘handsome’ assistants and told us Itachi wouldn’t do it so she had to settle for us. I mentally laughed at the memory of her having to pull us on her makeshift stage, choosing not to remind Sasuke of our childhood trauma at the hands of his cousin. We sat in silence for a few more minutes while I finished my cigarette.

He didn’t speak again until we went to go back inside, “For the record I think you’re right about Inuzuka, even though you seem to feel more strongly about it.”

I scoffed but didn’t bother to reply. I just put my cigarette out and walked inside the door. I headed straight for the refrigerator and instead of taking one of Kiba’s beers, I exercised some sort of weird male passive aggression by making myself another jack and coke. Kiba and I made eye contact for a brief second but he didn’t bring the subject of Raki back up, something that I was greatful for. He turned back to Shino and Choji to finish their conversation about another MMA fight that was coming up in the next few days, debating on who would win based on stats. The moment had seemed to pass for now, but I wondered how long it would be before it was brought back up. Not only had he not given up on the thought of them as a couple, he had become more aggressive with his pursuit of her. What kind of jackass bribes a girl with drugs so she’ll hang out with him? Sounded fuckin predatory if you asked me, or at the very least, creepy.

Naruto suggested we all put the big screen in his living room to use and camp out in there for the evening. A number of movies were thrown out for consideration, but in the end, Naruto trumped the other votes and selected a C list horror film so he could see a few pairs of tits. The promise of naked women seemed to smooth over the initial complaints of the lack of production quality. I mean they were all right as far as tits go, but I didn’t really get excited about a random girl that I didn’t know and was unlikely to ever meet. I took an opportunity to smoke another cigarette on the back porch and by the time I came back Choji had fallen asleep.

‘So much for having a late night smoking buddy.’ I sighed. Choji didn’t partake, but he was always down to sit with me and indulge me in conversation. That’s one of the reasons I liked hanging out with Kumaraki. She liked to smoke, like I liked to, and usually preferred to be chill. She was also intelligent, so the topics of our inebriated conversations spanned over a wide variety of topics. It was easy to talk to her about anything because she was often open minded and willing to at least listen to an explanation if she didn’t understand.

Another twenty minutes of the movie went by and a fully nude woman, courtesy of a sex scene, flashed up on the screen. Kiba went to nudge Shino to see if the shyest of our friend group was paying attention to the lewd display. When he was met with a loud snore for all his efforts, Kiba sighed dissatisfied. Not fifteen minutes later, Kiba himself, who had reclined his seat on the couch, was sawing logs louder than Shino. Sasuke, Naruto, and I were all that made it through the first movie but Sasuke was quickly fading. He made it thirty minutes into Wild Speed X3 before passing out himself. That left just Naruto and I. I got up to smoke another cigarette and he followed me. He went to the fridge while I went out on the back porch. He emerged from the door a couple of minutes later and tossed me a can of beer. I nodded a thanks before popping the top of the can open.

“You got anything else to smoke besides cigarettes?” He nodded suggestively reminding me of someone. ‘Looks like he’s looking to go all out tonight.’ Naruto did sometimes partake at parties, but never risked bringing any home to “police headquarters.”

“Here Kumaraki Jr., light that up,” I said digging the joint out of my pocket and handing him a lighter.

He laughed as he put the joint in his mouth and lit it, “Speaking of, thanks for not breaking my kitchen table over Inuzuka’s head.”

I blew out a drag of my cig, “Shiiiit man, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so hostile.”

“Nah man, I get it. It’s like I told him while you were out here earlier, we all get it-she’s hot, but she’s like your sister man. If I had one, I’d have a hard time hearing my friends fantasize about her. But I think he gets it now,” he blew a hit out while stifling a cough.

‘Ugggghhh. Goddammit Naruto, that’s not what it is.’ But how the hell would I even explain that? I didn’t know exactly what I was talking about myself. I didn’t correct him because I knew that conversation would lead down a rabbit hole of questions that I didn’t have the answers to. I finished the joint with Naruto, passing it back and forth until it became a stinger, too short for either of us to hold. I was still agitated with Naruto’s assumption and decided I would stay out here a little longer.

“You go on in man,” I told him pocketing the roach, “I’m gonna smoke another cigarette before I go to sleep.”

He nodded silently and disappeared behind the sliding glass door.

The bright orange cushion let out an airy noise as I sat down in a plastic patio chair before lighting up a cigarette. I took a long drag and let out a mouthful of smoke followed by a heavy sigh. Night had crept into the wee hours of the morning, but I couldn’t sleep. I was feeling guilty about telling the others about the tattoo, and weird about other stuff. I thought about texting Raki, but after I checked the time I decided she was probably asleep, just like any sane person should have been. My mind went back to the last week, back to the morning after our escapade.

Back to when we had gotten dressed in our uniforms in the alley. I’d never be able to confess to her, or anyone else likely, but being aware of the two of us standing there pulling on different pieces of clothing in a rush, my mind had wandered to a scenario where we were doing just that but under different circumstances. As soon as the thought of her, out of breath and hurriedly grasping to pull clothes on, had bubbled to the surface, I immediately felt strange and hadn’t been able to look at her until I had pushed it from my mind. Her throwing double finger guns my way had distracted me into amusement enough to forget about it until now.

'Definitely not something someone would think about their sister.’ I reasoned out in my mind. I admit, my annoyance at Naruto’s assumption of a sibling relationship wasn’t the first time I had felt that way. It had pissed me off initially Wednesday night, when that Inei guy had suggested that we were brother and sister. As if we looked in any way related. She had those twinkly, catlike, matcha powder eyes and shiny long hair the color of a storm cloud. ‘Now that I think about it, she doesn’t look like the family she is related to. But that’s besides the point.’ I mused. He had pulled a classic guy move. The only reason he asked her that is to see if she was single and what she’d say her relationship to me was.

But it had also pissed me off when we went in the bar, those old fuckin perverts staring at her like they could see through her clothes, and when Kiba had talked about getting into her pants. I didn’t want to think about her with any guys, especially him, but at the same time I knew I held no claim over who she dated. When had I become so overprotective? Maybe it was because as we got older, the more I noticed men treating my best friend like she was an object instead of a person. A creature created for their pleasure, not a human being with thoughts and feelings and hopes of her own. She was so much more than that, she was talented and brave and thoughtful and she was entitled to happiness. That’s all I wanted for her, but why was I starting to think that I was the only one who could treat her like she deserved?

***

So that's it for chapter 13 guys!  Like I said I hope I didn't write anyone too out of character.  I'd really like to hear your guys' thoughts about where you think this story is going to go?  Opinions? Ideas?  My self esteem literally LIVES off of reviews so please let me know!! Shikamaru knows that something feels different...but how long will it take for Kumaraki to come around?  And what about Kiba and Kakashi?  Our future couple is about to face some tall ass hurdles, and the drama is about to get real...you didn't think everything would stay peaches and cream forever did you?

Chapter Text

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out you guys, but she's here now and I hope you enjoy.  Not much of our Naru gang cause we're partying at Kanpai for this chapter.  As a note before you read, if you want to see it like I am, I picture Kubo as a mix of Seiya from Sailor Moon and Akira from School Rumble.  I don't really have anything to compare the other characters to so invision what you want, lol.  This chapter might seem like filler, but it definitely pushes the plot forward.  Exciting things are about to happen!

***

The second half of the first semester was flying by way faster than I had expected it to. After mine and Shikamaru’s midnight escapade, I knew I was skating on thin ice so I tried to keep a low profile over the next couple of weeks. I kept my schedule to going to school, coming home, going to work on the days I had to, and then coming home and going to sleep. I recalled, annoyed, that I didn’t want any of my other secrets getting out.

^^^

It was the Monday after the sleepover and the girls and I had just made our customary walk towards the street so I could have my regular ‘after lunch’ vape session. When we approached the guys congregated on their usual bench, I could immediately tell something was up from the curious way Naruto kept looking at me.

“Okay, I’m gonna rip your eyes out of your head if they find my tits one more time Naruto,” I rolled my eyes, drawing the attention of the other guys at the mention of my private parts.

“Sorry Raki,” he bashfully looked down for a moment before looking back up at me, “It’s just….can I see it?”

“See what?!” I crossed my arms while looking at him incredulously, now noticing that Shikamaru had slammed his face into his hand and was shaking his head back and forth.

Naruto looked around before whispering, “The tattoo….”

“His eyes, your mouth! What the fuck Shika?! Is that what you wanted the picture for?” I was seriously considering finding a new best friend.

“Well that’s not exactly how it happened. What the fuck man?! I told you not to make a big deal about it,” he glared at our blonde male friend.

^^^

Once the beans had been spilt and my entire group of friends knew about my tattoo, I swore them to secrecy. By lightheartedly threatening them with the potential of some mild violence I was hopeful that I had convinced them not to talk about it. The more it got around, the closer my brother got to finding out. He’d go through the roof, and when he landed…well that’d be the end of my social life.

In order to keep my promise to my brother and all ten toes in line, I had even started to study in some of my spare time. I had a few months until this semester’s finals and I wanted to be twice as prepared as I had been for the midterms. The better I did, the less Obito would be in my business. I would have plenty of time to study though, in about two weeks school would let out for summer vacation.

It would be a lot easier to manage working and studying without having to go to school for half the damn day. I was even looking forward to the possibility of having time to improve my social calendar, and actually having a life outside of school and work.

‘Maybe I can get Haru to take me out for a dinner.’ I thought. I wasn’t interested in him romantically-which he knew, but we always had a fun time when we hung out after my shifts. He had been pestering me to hang out outside of Kanpai, and after getting to know him a little more, I felt comfortable enough to trust him. He was a nice guy and his flirting was lighthearted, not vulgar and creepy. Sakura and Hinata had also mentioned wanting to go to the beach, so needless to say I was ready for my hot girl summer.

As I threw a change of clothes into my little glittery white plastic backpack, I wondered what fresh hell Baki had cooked up for me tonight. Over the past few weeks- not including that first night- some of my tickets had been “mysteriously deleted”; a drink had been spilled on a newly cleaned table in my section; and when my orders matched some of Baki’s, the drinks found their way into the hands of her customers first, rather than mine. It would have been petty to retaliate, not that I was above being petty, but I didn’t want to stoop to her level. Besides, rather than being pissed, I was more amused. So far I had escaped any kind of repercussions, not even being reprimanded once, which is what I think she had been trying to accomplish.

Kubo had been a fantastic manager, often stepping in for Ms. Yashida, who I almost never saw. Kubo, I suspected, had caught on to Baki’s little schemes. That’s probably why I never faced any ramifications, but I, nor she, had any proof Baki was sabotaging me so as of yet I didn’t have a solution to my “bully” problem. Instead little wisps of karma appeared in the form of things like Haru asking me for my number in front of her, or the girls assigning me the VIP section on nights when Baki wasn’t there. I think they only did it because they were intimidated by the bigger section-one waitress took VIP while the rest of the “dining room” was split between the rest. I took it willingly though, and used all the extra practice I could get.

As a result, I had gotten the hang of the waitressing thing, and even managed to recruit a decent following of regulars that requested me-something that I think infuriated Baki. She was the type of girl that needed to be the center of attention, and couldn’t stand the thought of competition. I mentally rolled my eyes, preparing myself for the walk to Kanpai and the night ahead knowing that sooner or later our rivalry would have to come to a head. My bet was on sooner.

***

‘If I was a gambling woman I would have won.’ I mused to myself as I sat on my bed staring at two stacks of cash rolled up and secured in rubber bands. There was roughly ¥42,000 there, it was 4:15 a.m. and I had just finished counting it. They mostly consisted of ¥1,000 and ¥5,000 notes but somehow I had ended up getting a couple of ¥10,000 bills. ‘Holy shit. Not bad for the first night and a partial shift. This might actually work.’ I might actually pull this off.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted it to be big, coincidentally meaning I needed big money. I wanted to make an impact, a positive one, and I wanted it to make a difference. Of course, I could always go to my grandfather, as scary as that thought was, and beg for whatever money I needed- provided I furnished a “practical”- his words, “boring ass vanilla”- my words, business plan to go with my request. But where was the fun in that? Besides, his and my definitions of ‘practical’ quite often clashed. If the money was self made I could do whatever I wanted with it. Hell, I could start a sex toy company if I wanted to, but that might actually put Grandfather in the ground, and his hateful ass would probably haunt me for it.

I looked around my room trying to decide where to stash the rolls of money. Clearly my nightstand table was not safe from Obito’s prying eyes. I shuddered, remembering the midterm report fiasco. My eyes continued to scan until they landed on my closet. I had never known him to prowl in there so I got up and opened the door on the right side. I looked up at the highest shelf that wrapped around the top of the closet. There was a round fancy pink box that I had gotten from a high end lingerie store, something that Ito wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. He refused to acknowledge the fact that I was old enough for stuff like that so I tried not to shove it in his face.

I grabbed the box down, threw the rolls in, pushed the lid back down, and set it back up in its little home. I was confident that my mini hoard was safe for now, but I knew it was only a temporary solution. Sooner or later I would have to put this in a bank account, and not one that my brother knew about or had access to. That wouldn’t be that hard to achieve. ‘All I’ll need is my ID, my hanko, and my Shikamaru ’ I mused. I would get him to go with me to set up the account, and maybe use my last few ramen coupons to treat him as a thanks. I gave my head a short nod as if confirming my plan with myself and sat back down on my bed.

I peeled off my clothes and tossed them on top of an already formed pile in the corner. I grabbed the large t-shirt that I had worn to bed the night before and slipped it over my head. After plugging my phone in to charge I crawled over to my nightstand and opened the drawer. I kept a small glass pipe and a little pink plastic container inside, along with a lighter and a pack of rolling papers. I filled the bowl of the pipe and took a hit as I turned my tv on.

At this point it was almost five in the morning so rather than try my luck with cable, I opted to use a streaming service instead. I settled for old reruns of Cute Soldier Sayako, and laid down on my side getting comfortable under the blanket I had pulled over me. As I blew out a mouthful of smoke, I noticed the glint of the sun coming up on the horizon out of the corner of my eye. I smirked as I reveled in how the events of the evening had unfolded.

^^^

It was right after one in the morning and I had just delivered a round of drinks to one of the more rowdy tables we’d had tonight. I walked back up to the side of the bar to return the large round drink tray. Just then, a tall girl with electric blonde, shoulder-length pigtails walked up to where Haru and I were standing. The noise of the little purple beads sewn onto her bikini made a symphony of ‘clinks’ and ‘clacks’ as they bounced against the sequins sewn onto the matching mesh dress she wore over the top of it. It was Hotaru, well that was her stage name anyway, I hadn’t gotten to talk to her enough to find out her real name.

“Hey hot stuff! You looked great out there!” Haru smiled, giving her a thumbs up.

She rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth turned upwards in a smile, “Thanks Haru. Hey hun, I’m going to go in the back and get ready for my last set. Bring me a Mai Tai will ya?” She directed the last bit towards me.

“Sure thing,” I nodded and looked over to Haru, who had already begun mixing the drink.

As she walked off I leaned back up against the counter trying to distribute the weight off my toes. They had been crammed into my high heels all night and my feet were starting to ache. I scanned the area with the tables and watched as Yoko began to struggle with one of the two large and full drink trays she was carrying. I turned back to Haru. He was almost done with Hotaru’s drink, but I didn’t think Yoko would make it that long.

My feet moved without really thinking. I crossed the space between us quickly and came up behind her just as the tray on the right began to wobble out of her hand. I secured it with both hands and pulled it towards me, freeing her to grab the remaining tray with both hands. She let out an audible ‘phewww’ and looked at me. When out eyes met we shared a laugh while a few of the men at the table playfully applauded my save. I helped her by handing out the drinks on the tray that I had snatched up. When the last drink found its owner I gave a little bow and offered to turn in the tray for her.

“Thanks for the save. I owe you one,” she grinned, handing me the other tray.

“No problem, I thought I’d save us both a mess. Isn’t Baki supposed to be out here helping you?” I turned and looked around the sea of tables, but the dark blue bob was no where to be seen. None of us were supposed to be on break so I wondered where she had run off to.

“She is but I haven’t seen her recently,” Yoko looked around for said signature hairstyle of our coworker.

I shrugged my shoulders and hurried back up to the bar. ‘ I bet Hotaru’s drink is watered down now.’ I sighed, making a sour face. When I got up to the bar the counter was empty. Haru was talking to someone on the dance floor as he handed them a bottle of beer. I set the trays back on top of the stack before waving my hand to get his attention. It only took a second for him to look my direction. He nodded his head in acknowledgement before walking over.

“What’s up Princess?” He grinned.

“Hey what happened to Hotaru’s drink?” I gestured towards the counter.

“Didn’t you give it to her?’ He cocked an eyebrow.

“No. Yoko was about to dump about a pint of gin and half a jar of olives onto the carpet, so I ran over there to help her,” I pointed over to the tables and turned back to look at him throroughly confused.

“Well someone took it. Maybe they took it to her,” He shrugged.

“I’ll go check. I’ll let you know if we need another one,” I heaved a sigh and headed towards the back.

I hoped that I had gotten lucky and the drink that she had asked me for had found its way to her. I wasn’t that close to her and I didn’t want to give her a bad impression and piss her off. Something like that might get back to Kubo and Yashida and I couldn’t risk losing my job now. I walked passed the office and breakroom and continued on down the hall. I hung a right around a corner and carried on until I got to the dressing room doors. I knocked on the door and when it swung open I was greeted with Sato’s-obviously another stage name- brightly died lilac curls.

“What’s up kiddo? Come on in,” her bright pink lips smiled at me. Admittedly, I found her the most attractive of all the dancers, and couldn’t help but grinning back.

I stepped past her and gazed at the far wall that was one big mirror and the multiple vanity stations lined up side by side. Hotaru was sitting at the first one on the far left. Before I could speak I watched as she took a break from applying her eyeshadow to lift a large glass filled with a pinky, orangish liquid to her lips and take a sip. ‘Well that answers my question.’

“Hey hun thanks for bringing my drink all the way back here,” she had noticed me in the mirror.

“I…you’re welcome, but I didn’t drop it off,” I arched an eyebrow.

“Oh well,” she shrugged, “It got back here somehow.”

I gave a shrug of my own and went to walk towards the door, when I paused for a moment in thought and turned around to look at her, “So you didn’t actually see who brought you the drink?”

“Nope. I stopped in the office to talk to Kubo for a minute and then here. It was already sitting on my station when I came back here,” she yawned.

All I managed was a confused ‘hmmm’ before I threw Sato a wave and headed back out to the front. I rolled my eyes at the fuckery. At least she had gotten her drink. I had rang it up under my orders for the evening so I didn’t want anyone thinking I was stealing drinks after putting them in the computer under the free dancer code. I imagined that would be immediate grounds for termination.

I made my way back out to the front and went to check on my tables. The last show was due to start in about fifteen minutes and I was mindful enough to make sure they had fresh drinks on the way before the girls started to perform. The two business men in fancy, black Italian suits still had half a bottle of scotch at the first table. Most of my other tables still had most of their drinks, except one table with a group of three girls that looked to be university age. I bowed my head before leaving to go to the bar to get some refills.

I leaned against the counter like I often did, while I waited for Haru to finish making the girls’ drinks. Without warning, a minor commotion leaked from behind the door to the back. Said black door busted open to reveal a shrieking Sato, a panicked Ayane, and Kubo, who looked like she was on the warpath. I jumped back in surprise and looked over to Haru who was setting my drinks down on a tray.

“I need everyone to step back here with me now,” her voice came out harsh over the walkie talkie that was connected to our ear pieces. The waitresses wore them to stay in communication with management, but they were one-way. We could hear instructions from the back, but we couldn’t use them to talk.

I was right by her so I heard it come from her mouth, but I saw the other girls’ heads snap up. Yoko, Baki, and Nana headed over towards where we had congregated. Yoko looked at me curiously as she darted her eyes over to Kubo as if to ask ‘ What the hell is going on?’ I shrugged as they approached and Kubo threw the door back open.

“You too, Haru,” she looked back before crossing the threshold.

Haru and I exchanged glances while I mouthed a ‘What the fuck?’ He came from behind the counter and filed into the back hallway alongside me and the others. As the last one in, he shut the door behind him as we all formed something resembling a circle. I stood there waiting for Kubo to start speaking. Baki already had a smirk on her face and I found myself wondering why, when the sound of Kubo’s voice tore me away from my thoughts.

“Who gave this to Hotaru?” She held up the deep glass, a fourth of the way full with orangish liquid, a half a cherry floating around the glass.

‘ What the hell? I knew something was off.’ I crossed my arms, knowing I should have trusted my gut feeling.

“I heard her ask Kuma for a drink,” Baki all-too-quickly volunteered a suggestion as she pointed at me.

Ahh. There it was. This was a set up. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but she planned this. Something was up with the drink and all the sudden I wondered what had happened to Hotaru and if she was okay. All eyes fell on me, including Kubo who let out a sigh. I laughed and opened my mouth to defend myself, but Yoko jumped to my aid before I could.

“There’s no way she could have given it to her. I watched Hotaru ask Kuma. Haru started making the drink while she waited. I turned back to keep walking to my table. I had two trays. I almost dropped one and right as I was about to Kuma appeared and grabbed it from me. She helped me pass them out and then even offered to return the trays on her way back,” Yoko offered to Kubo before looking at me and nodding her head once.

Kubo heaved another sigh, “Anybody else see anything? Wanna share anything?”

Haru stepped forward, “I started taking bar orders after I made the Mai Tai so I didn’t see who picked it up, but Kuma wasn’t there when I put it on the counter and the first thing she asked when she did show up was ask what happened to the drink. She seemed honestly confused.”

Sato then looked at Kubo as if she suddenly remembered, “She came back to the dressing rooms. Hotaru thanked her, but she said it wasn’t her. She even asked if we had seen who had dropped it off.” She looked at me, as if trying to piece everything together for herself.

Kubo passed the glass to Ayane and looked around the circle waiting to see if anybody else would speak up. When no one did, she crossed her arms before speaking, “If no one has anything else to add, it’s clear the guilty party isn’t planning on coming forward. I’ll have to check the cameras and the offender will face the consequences.”

“Is Hotaru okay?” I finally spoke up, wanting to get to the bottom of this, now that I seemed to be a suspect in something nefarious.

“She’s in the back resting,” Kubo stated.

“Oh come on! You’re actually going to believe she didn’t do it? Acting all concerned about Hotaru like she didn’t put a sleeping drug in her drink! She’s so fake!” Baki screeched again pointing at me.

“Are you fu-,” I was cut off again, but this time by Kubo.

“Oh really? I don’t remember telling anyone about a sleeping drug,” Kubo glared as the rest of us turned to look at Baki.

“I…I…but you said…you said she was in the back resting,” Baki stammered trying to backtrack.

“Which implies what exactly? She could have had an allergic reaction, or gotten a little too drunk, anything. But you seem to know exactly what happened to her. Matter of fact, you were awfully quick to point out you knew she had asked Kuma for the drink. Seems like you know a lot Baki,” Kubo was walking up to her.

“I…I…but she…,” the bright red her face had turned, contrasted starkly with her dark blue hair.

“You can explain everything to me in the office,” she glared at the shorter girl.

She sputtered and stammered as Kubo began to usher her to the office. As she passed me, our eyes met. I returned her glare with a smug smirk. She growled and literally lunged at me. I leaned back preparing to defend myself, but I didn’t have to. Kubo had snatched her up by the collar of her uniform and spun her in the direction of the office.

“You’re way out of line! Let’s go!” Kubo growled. They disappeared behind the corner and a few minutes later we heard the office door close.

I shook my head and sighed. She had been so hellbent on a one-sided feud that she had created, that she was now facing some probably serious legal consequences. At the very least, I imagined she was going to get fired. I looked at Yoko and Haru my lawyers in the court of public opinion.

“Thanks for sticking up for me guys,” I smiled, still a little shook on the inside. I was disturbed that she had actually tried to go as far as harming a co-worker to get me in trouble, not to mention the almost physical assault. I had been right in my judgment that she was more dangerous than Irogawa. I just hadn’t known how dangerous.

Kubo appeared from around the corner and dismissed everyone but Sato, Ayane, and myself. When Haru had shut the door back behind him Kubo huffed and rolled her eyes.

“For fuck’s sake,” she crossed her arms.

“Sorry for causing any trouble,” I bowed slightly, still somehow feeling guilty even though I hadn’t actually done anything, “How is Hotaru though? Is she going to be okay?”

“She’ll be fine. We’ve got an ambulance and the authorities on the way. But she’s not in any shape to dance. That being said, we need to fill her spot, and fast. She was supposed to go on in fifteen minutes,” Kubo confirmed.

Ayane and Sato looked at each other, but it was Sato that spoke, “I can go on again. I don’t mind, but I have to go get ready now.”

Kubo smirked, “Actually I had something else in mind.”

The three turned to me, the other two seeming to realize what she was talking. Sato grinned and Ayane giggled. I looked at their faces in momentary confusion before the realization dawned on me.

“What?…Me? I don’t know about that, “ I waved my hands around in protest.

“You wanna help me out? This is how you do it,” she cocked her head to the side.

I sighed, defeated. Kubo was praying upon my desire to be a good employee, and she had been on my side the whole time with this Baki thing. I couldn’t help but feel like I owed her, “I want my stage name to be Minaide.”

Kubo snorted at my sense of humor, “Deal kid. You can use a house costume tonight. Meet me in the office after your set. It’s six minutes of dancing, you think you can shake your ass for that long?”

I laughed, “I think I’m gonna try.”

“Get her back in the dressing room and into costume,” Kubo waved us off as she headed back towards the office.

***

Sato began half-hazardly yanking items off a rack and throwing them in my direction. I sat on a stool, in front of a vanity catching the flying clothes with my arms and piling them in my lap. Ayane had pulled my hair down and began curling sections of it. She handed me some eyeshadow and eyeliner and lipstick and told me to go to work. I spun to face the mirror and began touching up and adding makeup while she finished my hair. I stood up, with not much time left until I was supposed to go on. Not questioning Sato, I began pulling on the clothes she had handed me without really looking at them. After I had finished I looked in the mirror, and if possible, was even more nervous than before.

A pair of metallic silver shorts, I chose to call them shorts even though they felt more like underwear, rode up dangerously high. When I turned to the side, I could see the bottoms of my ass cheeks hanging out. As I turned back to the front, the scoop neck, beaded halter top jiggled, threatening to reveal even more cleavage than what was already showing. Was I really about to go out there half naked like this and try to dance? I had seen the stacks of money the girls had counted back here, so yeah, I guess I was, but there was no denying I was nervous.

Sato must have picked up on it because she walked over to me, “Here, let me go get you a drink to calm you down before you go on.”

“Just don’t let Baki bring it to me,” I grimaced.

She snorted in laughter before disappearing out the door. Ayane walked over and looked me up and down as if to inspect me to see if I was ready. She crossed her arms and I gave her a little turn around.

“Okay, so I don’t think you can pull off the sweet and innocent look so we’re just gonna have to go for confident and sexy. You think you can handle that?” She looked at me expectantly.

“I…think so,” I sighed while shrugging.

“Ok you’re gonna want to do a lot of this,” she bent and slapped her ass, I nodded, “and this,” she shook her breasts.

I palmed my face with my hand, “What have I gotten myself into?”

She laughed, “You’ll be fine. Just pretend you’re in your room with your friends just listening to music.”

“I don’t think I’d smack my ass like that for my friends,” I giggled.

“Well then pretend you’re dancing for your crush,” she wiggled her eyebrows.

She walked me over to the door in the corner of the dressing room. On the other side was a short hallway that led to a set of stairs that put you up on stage. Sato had just come back and met us over in the corner.

“Here, down this and you’ll be fine,” she handed me a tall cylindrical glass full of pink liquid.

I took it and followed her instructions, coughing from the stoutness afterwards. She patted me on the back while Ayane opened the door for me. They ushered me to the bottom of the short staircase. I turned back to look at them. When I did, I was met with their smiles and two pairs of hands shooing me up the stairs. I took the few steps up and was standing on the edge of the stage behind the large, velvety black curtain.

“We have a treat for our final performance tonight! You’re all lucky enough to witness the debut of Kanpai’s brightest new star…give it up for our sexy little Minaide,” Natsu, the announcer’s, voice boomed over the speakers.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as the music started. I felt like a mouse in a room full of rattlesnakes. It had been qued up for Hotaru so I had neither picked the song, nor had a routine readily available. I took one more look back at Sato and Ayane, who were still there, still waiting with encouraging smiles, before sauntering out onto the middle of the stage.

I heard hollering and whistles as I began to move my body to the upbeat song. I tried to follow the instructions I had learned at Ayane’s ‘Three Minute School of Dance’. I bent over and traced my hands up my leg, smacking my ass when the climaxing beat dropped, the crowd responding with cheers. I thought back to what Ayane said about dancing for my crush. I imagined in my head that I was across a crowded dance floor and Kakashi and I had just noticed each other. All of the sudden it was just him and I, and I was seducing him over to my side of the club. I gyrated my hips and untangled my hands from my hair, running them down, along my body grabbing the fabric that covered my chest and squeezing, teasing the front row.

Six minutes went by quick enough and before long I was posing with the last beat of the song. The crowd cheered and for the first time I had noticed the paper bills that littered the stage. I gave a wave and blew the audience a kiss before skipping over to the side of the stage and behind the curtain. There were club employees that would collect the money and give it to me at the end of the night, but right now I was headed back to the dressing room to put my waitress uniform back on. I opened the door and was bombarded with hugs from my two ‘Fairy God-Strippers’.

Ayane giggled as she jumped up and down, “You did soooo good! Imagine next week when you get to pick your own music and outfits!”

“Next week?” I looked at her confused.

She brought her hand up to her mouth, “Oops…I spilled the beans! Just get changed and go see Kubo.”

She giggled and walked away. Sato patted me on the back once more before following Ayane. I imagined they were getting changed into street clothes and getting ready to go home. I followed suit and changed back into my street clothes, stuffing my black and red waitress dress in my backpack and throwing the silver outfit belonging to the club in a laundry hamper. I sighed in relief as I finally peeled the high heels off my feet and traded them in for white tennis shoes.

With all of my stuff gathered, I headed out the door and down the hallway towards the office. All of the sudden I was reminded of Baki and the whole situation that had gotten me here in the first place. Surely she wasn’t still holed up in the office, right? I wasn’t about to go kick a hornet’s nest was I? I knocked on the door, and cautiously poked my head in.

“The she-devil’s gone. It’s safe to come in,” Kubo smirked.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding, and stepped inside, closing the door behind me. She motioned for me to sit down in the chair in front of the desk. I plopped down onto the soft red cushion, my feet still feeling relief from the shoe change.

“First things first, do you want to press charges against Baki for harassment or assault? She’s already been charged, arrested, and transported to the station, but a separate statement can be made and added to the report,” I studied her face. She was actually serious. I thought to myself for a moment. I could have exacted my revenge, but I figured that I had come out of the incident unscathed and she had enough bad karma coming her way to last awhile. I shook my head and told Kubo that that wouldn’t be necessary.

“Now that that’s settled…you did great out there kid! I knew you had it in you!” She smirked, crossing her arms.

“I…thanks,” I sputtered out.

“So with that being said…how would you like to be in the lineup permanently?”

“Like instead of waitressing, being…a dancer?”

“Yeah, I’ve already spoken to Yashida about everything. Dancers perform Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. You’ll come in just Fridays and Saturdays because of your school schedule. Your new hours would be nine p.m. to three a.m. You come in, you’ve got an hour to get ready in between each of your three sets,” Kubo informed me.

“I don’t know…,”I hesitated.

“It comes with a raise,” she countered. “You get ¥2100 an hour, plus what you make in tips.”

“Well I…,”I trailed off, still thinking about it.

“Before you decide let me give you something,” she leaned over and opened the bottom of her desk. She produced a transparent, sealed bag, filled with paper and threw it at me.

I caught it with both hands and inspected it. The paper was money, and from the looks of it, it was a decent amount. I looked back up at her, surprised and confused.

“That’s the tips you made from the one set you did tonight. Imagine what you’d make from a full night. You can go home tonight and count it and call me tomorrow with your answer,” she began gathering up some papers on her desk, getting ready to leave for the evening.

I sat there staring at the money. I only thought for a moment more, “No need. I’ll do it.”

She looked up and smiled, “You’ll get paid waitress rates for tonight’s shift and we’ll change it in the computer next week. See you Friday kid.”

I grinned and shoved the clear bag in my backpack before getting up out of the chair. I gave her a wave as I exited the office and pulled the door behind me. I walked down the hallway and out into the public area of the club. The lights were on and the dance floor had now emptied. Ami was restocking the hostess station, while Nana was sweeping. I looked over and noticed Haru was wiping down the bar with his back to me. I skipped over and dug a piece of ice out of the trough and tossed it at his back before he had the chance to notice I was there.

I laughed as he turned around, “Princess! Holy shit you were great up there! Now we’ve got to go out sometime! I’m gonna show you off to my lame ass friends.”

“Show me off as what?” I scoffed playfully.

“My hot little work wife! They’ll be so jealous,” he grinned.

I rolled my eyes,”You got a drink for your work wife back there?”

“Of course dear,” he bent down and came back up with what looked like my go-to drink, an L.I.T.

“Ah, you know me so well,” I smirked taking a healthy sip of my drink.

He finished cleaning up while I finished my drink. I handed him my empty glass so he could put it in the dishwasher. I waved goodbye to him and walked to the front door. I walked out onto the street, Kanpai’s newest dancer. It was late and been a long and crazy night. I wanted to get home to count my tips and find out just how lucrative my new promotion was going to be.

***

Okay everyone! What did you think?  Our girl's about to be making that good money!  How long can she keep it on the down low though?  Do you think anyone is going to discover our girl's secret?  Tune in next time...

Chapter Text

Hey everyone! I'm finally back in the swing of things after a 'longer-than-I-planned' break.  As always thank you to my loyal readers for being so patient.  We're trudging right along.  This chapter contains some foreshadowing, but that's all I'm going to say.  We also have a lot of information subtlety presenting itself if you squint and pay attention.  This chapter has another dance scene for Kumaraki.  I don't plan to write a scene for every one of her sets, just a few here and there.  There's only so many ways I know how to describe sexy dancing without it just being a play by play action dump.  If you're interested and want to get into the moment when she performs, listen to Look What U Started by The Internet.  That's the song she's dancing to, but imagine a slightly more upbeat club remix type of vibe.  There's also some semi-important details in the note at the end that might help with some of the references throughout the chapter.  That being said, I hope you enjoy this longer than usual chapter!

***

I’ll see you tomorrow!” I waved ‘goodbye’ to Ino as I walked towards the entrance to my building.

“Meet you here at 7:30,” she threw a wave back before continuing on down the street.

I walked into the building and over to the mailboxes. I stuck the key into the lock on the one marked ‘Uchiha’ and retrieved a small stack of envelopes. I flipped through them looking to see if there was anything for me. I’m not sure why though, the only thing that was ever addressed to me were the birthday and Christmas cards Grandma Ikeda sent every year. I smirked thinking of the old goat, making a mental note to tell Obito we should take a trip to visit her soon. I tried to guess what were in the other envelopes as I walked into the elevator, slid my key card, and pressed the ‘3’ button.

When the doors opened to reveal our entryway, I stepped in heading for the front door. I paused before turning the knob when I noticed an extra pair of shoes. I recognized the familiar pair of red high heels as belonging to my older brother’s girlfriend Rin. At this point they had been together since I was thirteen, and she had basically become an older sister. I shutter to think how the hell I, or Obito for that matter, would have survived me going through puberty without her. One time I had sent him out for pads after running out, and he brought me back a pack of adult diapers. I had thrown the plastic wrapped bundle at his head and got on the phone. It only took a few tearful words and Big Sis Rin came to the rescue, showing up with an entire care package. I had listened to her scold my brother while I laid on my bed under a heating pad, eating a chocolate bar.

I opened the door and stepped in, hearing them laughing on the couch, “If you guys are being gross, you have like five seconds to stop. I’m coming into the room.”

Even more laughter from Rin as I came into sight, “We’ve got our hands to ourselves.”

I grimaced and stuck my tongue out making an ‘ick’ sound. I told them I’d be back after I changed clothes, and walked down the hall to my room. It felt super good to drop my stuff in the floor and flop down on my bed. I pulled out the little bowl that still had a few hits left over from this morning and put the lighter to it. After finishing it, I slunk off my bed and threw on some soft black athletic shorts and a yellow tank top. I indulged myself in a little more relaxation by sitting back down on my bed, snuggling up with Taro-the dinosaur from my birthday, and pulling out my phone.

I was scrolling through Instapic when I heard a knock on my door, “Hey you coming out?”

It was Rin. I was already getting up when I heard Obito yell ‘Tell her to come make dinner!’ from the living room. I scoffed and opened the door. We shared an eye roll before walking back down the hall to my brother. He audaciously met us at the kitchen and herded us inside. He began taking things out of the cabinets and refrigerator.

“I was thinking since Rin’s here we should go all out right? I got some shrimp after work today, we can have tempura and some udon noodles, you know…the way you do them.”

I stared at him incredulously and crossed my arms with no words.

“There!” He turned around after finishing, “I’ve already got you started.” He said proudly-as if he had actually helped- and began to walk away.

I scoffed looking at the mess of ingredient containers he had made.

“Here. I’ll help. We’ll get done twice as fast,” Rin smiled and picked up a bowl and whisk.

“B-but Riiiinnnn!” My brother whined, “We were supposed to watch a movie!”

“And let your sister cook us dinner by herself like a maid?” She began to whisk the eggs more violently as she looked up to glare at him.

“It’s fine,” he laughed uneasily, “I’ll just go in here and pick out a movie…on my own…like a big boy.”

I giggled as he dissapeared into the living room, wondering if my relationship with Rin made things easier for my brother or more difficult. Still, better we schemed together, than at each other’s throats.

She waited until we heard the noise of my brother cycling through movie trailers to nudge me with her elbow, “Soooo, spill the tea girl!! What’s been going on with you?”

“You want the school drama or the life drama?” I laughed.

“Save the real drama for last, school can only be so exciting,” she said adding seasonings to the batter mix.

I sighed, chopping green onions, “I got one ‘C’ on midterms and your boyfriend lost his shit.” I glared in the direction of the living room. “The rest were ‘A’s’ and ‘B’s’. Shika offered to help me bring the Chem grade up.”

“Not the end of the world I suppose,” she giggled. “Now give me the juicy stuff.”

“Like?….” I waited for the water to boil so I could put the udon noodles in.

“Well your brother said you had a job and you’ve been hanging out with this boy from your class,” she began dunking shrimp by their tails into the batter.

I scoffed, “It sounds like you already know.”

“I know what your brother told me,” she winked. “I want the good stuff.”

I peeked around the wall, seeing Obito fully absorbed into the tv, “Well my hours just changed cause I kinda got…promoted.”

“Congratulations!” She cheered, banging her wisk into mine like a toast.

“Thanks. I don’t want Obito to know about it though. I’ll tell him about my hours, but I don’t want to make a big deal about it.”

“Why not?” She glanced into the living room as well before goading me to continue.

“Well, I only got the promotion because this crazy bitch co-worker assaulted another girl that works there in an effort to frame me and get me fired. Now, they’ve asked me to take her spot while she recovers. The she-devil got fired, rightly so, you should have seen her. It was unhinged,” I laughed as her eyes grew wide.

“Okay so we’re definitely not telling your brother, got it,” she nodded. “Now tell me about this boy.”

I rolled my eyes, '“His name is Kiba. He has a dog, whom I sorta used to exact revenge against my classroom rival by competing in and winning a dog show,” I spilled it all out in one breath.

“Do you like him?” She looked at me pointedly.

“He likes me,” I returned her look. “He’s cute, and nice enough. It’d make Obito happy. He’s in my class, my age.”

“But?” She smirked, knowingly.

“But, he’s not my type.” I stirred the udon noodles before spooning them into the wok with the sauce.

“Which is?” She nudged a bobbing, frying shrimp, in the hot oil.

“I don’t know,” I whined. “But I don’t want some horny high school boy that just wants to get in my pants. Maybe someone older…”

She cocked an eyebrow, “You say that like you have someone in mind…”

She grinned, poking my side causing me to erupt into laughter and fumble, almost spilling half of our meal onto the floor. In the commotion we didn’t see Obito appear on the other side of the bar.

“It at least smells like you girls are cooking in here,” He eyed the piled of shrimp tempura and came around the bar to grab a piece.

He quickly scarfed it down and went for another. Rin waited until his fingers had just about grasped another red tail before bringing the spatula down hard on the back of Obito’s hand. The contact of metal on skin made a ‘slap’ sound followed by a cry of pain from my brother, and then laughter from Rin and I.

“What’d you have to do that for?” He huffed, rubbing his now red hand.

“You got to try it. Now you have to wait until the hands that made it, sit down to taste it before you get any more,” she stuck her tongue out.

He stuck his own tongue out in reply but didn’t contest any further. Instead he went to the cabinet and got out three bowls and sets of chopsticks. He carried them to the table while I grabbed the wok and Rin brought the tempura. After a perfectly synced ‘Itadakimasu’ I grabbed the green and pink watermelon patterned chopsticks I always ate with and dug in. For the next several minutes the only sounds that were heard were the clinking of chopsticks against bowls and my brother slurping his noodles.

After dinner the three of us filed into the living room and found comfortable spots, the two of them on the couch and me in the recliner. Obito put on a movie and put his arm around Rin, settling into his spot on the couch. I reached behind me pulling the blanket down from the back of the chair and spreading it out over my legs before reclining the chair.

I didn’t know how long I had made it into the movie, but I had definitely passed out. I opened my eyes to a dark house, illuminated by the dim light of the tv running re-runs of an old samurai drama. Double tapping my phone’s touch screen revealed that it was a little past 3:30 in the morning. I sighed as I folded the recliner back up. I stood and stretched and headed towards my room.

I flopped down on my bed, phone still in hand. Not bothering with turning my tv on or even covering up with a blanket, I fell back asleep, determined to enjoy the little less than three more hours of sleep I could get.

***

‘Habataitara modoranai to itte! Mezashita no wa aoi aoi-’ I made multiple half-assed attempts to grasp at the phone that had slid under my pillow in my sleep. Finally finding the edge I pressed the button on the side, silencing the alarm. I sat up and groaned.

I rolled out of bed and after changing underwear began throwing on parts of my uniform. White tank top, skirt, stockings, shoes-pause for makeup- white button up shirt, vest, cardigan. I slung my tie around my neck, planning to tie it on the walk to school.

I opened up my door and the smell of fresh tamagoyaki wafted into my room. I grinned. This is why I always loved Rin’s visits, there never failed to be breakfast. Entering into the kitchen, I approached the bar right as a plate of the previously smelt sweet eggs slid in front of me.

“Eat up! You’re gonna have to hurry,” she handed me a pair of chopsticks.

I grabbed them and shoved a large bite in my mouth, “Thank you!” I said while actively trying to cram another bite in my mouth. She was right, I was going to have to shovel it down if I wanted to meet Ino before she took off without me. In record time, I finished my food. Just as I was placing my plate in the sink, my brother came bumbling in through the doorway and sat down to his plate of tamagoyaki and onigiri.

“Yours are in here, for lunch,” she handed me my old Sayonara Puppy and Friends bento box that I had used since middle school. It was one of the last things my mom had ever bought for me on one of our ‘girl’s days’, and I wasn’t able to get rid of it yet. I squealed in delight, she was seriously the best.

“Ugh! I could kiss you! Don’t worry about doing the dishes, I’ll get them when I get home,” I gave her a hug. “If you don’t marry her, I will,” I punched my brother lightly on the arm as I walked out of the kitchen and made my way down to meet Ino.

***

“So are you guys busy after school this afternoon?” I sat my bento box on the table and began unsnapping the plastic latch. After a chorus of no’s and a bite of smoked salmon onigiri I spoke again, “Would you be down for a shopping trip and dinner on me, I’ve got…news,” I smirked.

“You had me at shopping, I’m down,” Ino-always my ride or die.

“Yeah I’m interested, and I get a free dinner out of it, count me in,” Sakura laughed.

“What about you Nata? I need all my girls,” I turned to look at her, taking a bite while awaiting her answer.

She laughed, “Like you’d let me say no anyway, but I wouldn’t dare miss it.”

“You’re right,” I chuckled, “but I’m glad you want to. Now where should we go eat?”

“We could go to Burger Queen?” Sakura offered.

“Eh. I actually need to start watching what I eat. What about that new diner next to the mall?” I stuffed the last piece of the second onigiri in my mouth.

“Watch what you eat? Why?” Ino gasped, “You’re not pregnant are you?”

I scowled, “You’re uninvited Ino.”

Sakura and Hinata laughed.

“Seriously why was that your ‘go-to’ thought? I just need to keep my body in good shape. It’s got to do with my news,” I rolled my eyes. ‘I wonder if she was ever accidentally dropped as a baby.’ Sometimes I seriously questioned the logic of my best girlfriend.

"Well I don’t know,” she rolled her eyes but offered a smile.

We walked over to the tray holders so Sakura and Ino could turn their trays in before going outside to enjoy the last fifteen minutes of the lunch period. I groaned in annoyance as the sun hit my face. It was more humid today than it had been the past few and it was frustrating to feel like I couldn’t breathe when I stepped outside. We made our way over to the furthest bench on the left. I took my cardigan off and threw it on the bench beside Sakura. I was pulling my hair into a messy bun, already starting to sweat, when I considered temporarily pulling off my vest as well. Just then the guys came walking up to us. ‘Well that answers that question.’ I thought, willing to sacrifice my comfort to spare myself a few perverted stares.

We all chatted until it was time to head back inside. I stayed behind with Shikamaru, stealing one last hit of my vape while he put his cigarette out and threw the rest in the trash can. As we walked back behind the others I looked over at him, “Hey I need you Saturday morning.”

“That’s such an odd way to proposition someone, but it does give me time to shave my legs,” he smirked.

I couldn’t help but let a laugh burst forth from my lips as I rolled my eyes. ‘Is there something in the water today?’ Him and Ino were a pair. “I mean we can go shopping for a dress to show them off if that’s what you want, but that’s not what I meant. I need a favor, I need you to go with me and help me open a bank account.”

“Don’t you have a bank account?” He narrowed his eyes in confusion.

“Yeah one with the Uchiha Corporation as the financial advisor. I want one with just my name on it. I need a way to stack up money without my family being nosy,” we walked up the stairs in sync.

“Ughhh, why does that sound like it involves getting up early?” He groaned.

“What about this, you wake up early and do this with me and I’ll treat you to ramen-all you can eat?” I grinned hopefully while raising my eyebrows up and down in an attempt to make my bribe seem more appealing.

He sighed, “What a drag.”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” I clapped a hand down on his shoulder as we walked into classroom 3B.

***

The waitress sat my rather large salad down in front of me. I dumped the two small plastic cups of dressing over the baby spinach and other vegetables as the girls got their plates. We dug in and for a few minutes the table was silent as we scarfed down our food.

“Ok spill it girl! I’ve been waiting all day to hear this and we’ve still got to go shopping,” Ino was the first one to break the silence.

“So we all know crazy ass Baki from work right?” I said chewing the last of a sweet red pepper.

“The one whose tires we talked about slashing?” Ino swung her fork wildly.

“The same. Well, there’s no need for that anymore. She got fired the other day,” I smirked taking a sip of my lemonade.

“The wicked witch is dead eh? Do tell,” Sakura leaned forward in her seat.

“Fucking get this, she literally drugged a dancer and tried to frame me for it. It was absolutely off-the-damn-wall. They had proof I didn’t do it and she was fired and police were called,” I said emphatically.

I thought Hinata’s drink was going to come out her nose. Sakura stared slack jawed, eyes wide in disbelief.

“What a bitch!” Ino scoffed.

“Well some good did come out of it. The dancer that got drugged -Hotaru- is fine, but she couldn’t go on that night…so I took her place,” I hesitated, wondering how they were going to react.

“As a dancer?!” Sakura squealed.

“Yeah, and afterwards they offered me a permanent spot in their lineup…a spot that comes with a raise,” I smiled.

“You don’t have to take your clothes off do you?” Hinata asked concerned.

“Not at all, but I do need help finding some outfits, hence why I’m bribing you all with food. Tomorrow will be my first night doing all three sets so I’ll need plenty of options,” I took another bite of salad.

“So you’re like our little Licca-Chan? And I get to live out my outrageous fashion dreams vicariously through you?” Ino was getting a little too excited for my comfort.

“I suppose,” I sighed, already questioning my answer. She had a penchant for anything loud, covered in sequins, or glittery. This might be the one time it was appropriate though, I suppose I shouldn’t deny her the opportunity.

“I can’t wait!” She exclaimed, waving the waitress over for the check.

When she brought the receipt over, I snatched up the little booklet and stuffed my card in before handing it right back to her. The girls looked at me surprised, “I said it was my treat didn’t I?”

“Yeah but we weren’t seriously going to let you pay for everything,” Sakura sighed.

I laughed, “Just think of it as payment for helping me pick out some clothes.”

The waitress brought me back my card and a receipt to sign. We gathered our purses and headed out the door into the late July heat. When we stepped into the sweet, sweet air conditioner of the mall I let out a sigh of relief. We headed towards Studio 45, a clothing store that specialized in club wear and all things racy and sexy.

Sakura, who had stopped fanning herself once we got inside, resumed the action once she saw how some of the mannequins were styled, “You think you’ll actually find anything in here?”

I sighed, plucking a purple dress made of questionably stretchy material off the rack and holding it up against my body, “Unfortunately, this is the exact sort of thing I need.”

“Say less,” Ino grinned and practically dove into a circular clothing rack. Within five minutes she had twice as many outfits in her hand ready for me to try on.

***

Two hours later, I had managed to both sufficiently stock my new nighttime wardrobe, and reveal more of my body than I had ever planned to not only my best friends but other customers in the store as well. Somehow it felt vastly different being under a spotlight in a dark club with music blaring. That was a performance, this was intimate.

In the end I had gotten several two piece sets in multiple colors and a spectacular mesh catsuit. The girls assured me the strategically placed rhinestones covered everything I needed them to and so I was sold. There were also some skin tight dresses and sequined bikini tops that Ino insisted on. Despite the amount of clothing I bought, the actual bag it all fit in was surprisingly small. After all, there wasn’t really much material. I was able to conveniently stuff it away in my purse so Ito would be none the wiser.

The money that I had spent on dinner and the clothes had definitely put a dent into my newly acquired nest egg. I was hoping that by investing in some cute clothing I would get an even bigger payout tomorrow night. The girls and I talked about what songs would be good to perform to as we tumbled into the Hyuga’s black limo. Now that I had the clothes, I needed to make sure I had the moves. They gave me some great ideas and I was feeling more confident about my next shift.

***

It felt almost glamourous to walk into Kanpai in street clothes knowing that within the hour instead of my waitress uniform, I would be putting on a glittering costume. I waved at Haru, who was wiping down glasses, before I went through the doors to the back. I passed by the break room and went straight into the dressing room. I placed my stuff down in the chair that I had gotten my makeover in last week. I dug out my waitress uniform and my break room locker key.

Dancers had their own lockers in the dressing room, so I would switch the key out for one of those. My waitress uniform I had washed and cleaned last weekend, knowing that I would end up turning it in. Stuff in hand, I made my way towards Kubo’s office. I knocked on the door and was told to come in. When I opened the door, I was surprised to find Ayane sitting on the corner of Kubo’s desk.

“Hey Kubo-senpai, here’s my waitress uniform. Washed and clean,” I handed it over to her.

She nodded and took the key from me also. As she began logging the checking in and out of the different keys, Ayane turned to me.

“So have you heard the news about Baki and the whole drug thing?” She leaned forward excited, she rather enjoyed the gossip around the club scene.

My head whipped over to face her, knowing it was probably juicy. Within a second I had plopped down in one of the chairs. Making myself comfortable I turned to her, “Nooo, what’s up?”

“First of all, Baki was found guilty and has to spend the next nine months in jail,” she spilled the tea.

I rolled my eyes, “I can’t say I’m heartbroken.”

“Oh she’s not a fan of your’s either,” she had a cat-like grin on her face. “You should have seen the look on her face when the police escorted her out. It was right about the time your performance hit its peak. Come to think of it, I’ve never heard someone screech in anger quite like that.”

Kubo scoffed and handed me my new locker key, “You’re such a little gossip. Aren’t you going to tell her the actual important bit?”

“I’m getting to it,” Ayane tutted.

I laughed and readjusted myself in the chair, “So what’s the important bit?”

Ayane’s face turned serious all of the sudden, “So it turns out that this isn’t the first time someone’s been drugged at a club in this area recently. The police told Yashida-san and Momo-,” Kubo cleared her throat rather forcefully. “Uhhh-and Kubo here, that-not including Hotaru, four other girls have been drugged and had to be taken to the hospital. They were all asleep and unresponsive for more than twenty-four hours. When they woke up they didn’t remember much. They were all relatively okay, but apparently it’s a really strong sleeping drug. It comes in a powder form so it dissolves easily in drinks.”

My eyes grew wide, “Shit. Did the other girls who were drugged work at the other clubs?”

“Only one, a waitress at Prime 8’s. She was on her break and somehow her drink got spiked. The other girls were just customers. The police are investigating the drug ring, and they’ve managed to arrest one dealer but he apparently isn’t talking. So they don’t know who the supplier is or how big this even goes. They’re calling it KO, and they told us to be careful,” Ayane looked worriedly over at Kubo.

“That means you stay vigilant and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Be observant and don’t let any of your drinks out of your sight. And I think it goes without saying-if you don’t see it get made, you don’t drink it. I don’t know how Baki got her hands on this shit, but it means it can just as easily find its way back,” Kubo rubbed the sides of her temples, squinting her tired looking eyes.

I sighed, trying not to let it put a damper on my night. I was thankful for the heads up, and Kubo mentioned she would be discussing it in a meeting at the end of the night before we all went home. I said my goodbyes and headed back into the dressing room, now no longer the only one there.

Sato was sitting in a chair ‘putting her face on’. She grinned when she saw me and temporarily set her makeup brush down to spin her chair around, “Hey girlie! So did you get any new outfits?”

I laughed and nodded while walking over to my backpack. I opened it and tossed her the same purple dress I had held up to show the girls yesterday. On the hanger and in Sato’s hands it looked like it was just about the right size for an elementary school student. I had been amazed at the amount of stretch the material had. When I tried it on, it had indeed expanded to fit, albeit it was skin tight and see-through.

“That’s gonna look hot,” she whistled as she threw it back. “What do you have to go under it?”

With a reply of ‘this’ I held up an iridescent purple bikini. She ‘oohed’ while hurriedly motioning for me to put it on. I disappeared behind one of the changing screens and got to work switching out one outfit for the other. I pulled the dress down and walked out to face the mirror to look over myself.

“Whoo whoo! Now that’s what I’m talking about!” I heard a cat call from behind me. I turned around to see Ayane, now in a little red outfit of her own, tying up the corset style side slit in her dress.

I laughed as I slipped into some high heels the same eggplant color as my dress, “What do you think? Do I look the part?”

“Honey, you look like you wrote the part,” she sat down at her own station and began to put on her makeup.

As I sat down to do the same, I heaved a sigh of relief feeling more secure about my look. Twenty minutes later I had my hair parted to the side and loosely curled. I had just finished putting on the last of my makeup and felt a small amount of my anxiety resolve itself. Unfortunately, having finished getting ready in time did little to quell the butterflies that had shown up again. I wished I had brought a joint and had time to sneak away to calm my nerves, then again that probably would have been frowned upon.

Backstage I could hear Natsu start her routine. She did a little sassy comedy bit at the beginning, also taking the time to advertise any upcoming events Kanpai would be hosting, tonight she was promoting the Summer Nights event that we were having in a couple weeks. She did her introduction for Hotaru, who was now back in action after almost a week long recovery.

I heard her music start up as I took a sip of the drink Ayane had brought me. Hotaru was on now, then Sato, me third, Ayane, then the others. By the time Sato had gone on, I had finished my drink and began dancing to her music backstage. I felt loose and limbered up for my first set which started in about five minutes.

I sat my glass down as she bounced back into the room, half out of breath, “They’re crazy out there tonight! I think there was over ¥50,000 on the stage!”

“Damn! Save some for the rest of us!” I laughed as we sort of traded places, her coming to stand by the chairs and me moving towards the door.

“Get out there and make that money,” she laughed and gave me a playful smack on my ass as I walked out of the room. The walk over to the stage steps only consisted of about five steps, four more and I found myself on the edge of the stage waiting for Natsu to finish my intro.

“…so give it up for Kanpai’s sweeeeet and sexy, Minaaaiiiiideeee!” She drew my name out as I sashayed out from behind the curtain. She gave me a playful nod and I responded with a wink as we passed each other on her way backstage.

As I hit my mark on the center of the stage the music started and I began moving. I timed my steps with the beat of the song as I stomped down the center catwalk. Looking from side to side periodically and flipping my hair.

Know you got it coming, babe

You took this shit from zero to a hundred, babe

I hope you finally get it on your judgement day

‘Cause you’re gonna pay babe, you’re gonna pay babe

I stayed at the end of the catwalk grinding my hips and squeezing parts of my body suggestively for the next couple lines of the song. As the beat picked back up, I made my way back towards the center of the stage. I spun back around to face my audience and struck a sexy pose.

Now you should ask yourself

Was, was it worth it?

I leaned down with my hands on my outstretched leg and threw myself back up-right tossing my hair up and behind me in a dramatic arc. I straightened all the way back up just in time to dip my hips low and bounce a few times before popping back up

You know what you did

Look what you started

What’s going through your head?

Are you sorry?

I continued to twist and turn, writhing to the beat, various parts of my body jiggling. At some point the bottom of the dress began to ride up on my thighs but I went with it, not bothering to stop the routine and pull it back down. This went on for several more minutes before I recognized the last few notes of the song. On the final beat I smacked my ass and blew a kiss to the audience, causing an eruption of cheering. I’m not sure how Sato was able to calculate what she thought she made. I couldn’t make out any of the numbers on the bills under the harsh lights, but I did notice there was a rather large sprinkling of them on the stage.

I passed Ayane on the steps and smiled at her gushing words of praise. As I made my way back into the dressing room I realized why Sato was out of breath earlier. I chalked it up to all the adrenaline I had had earlier, but now I felt like I had crashed slightly. I was suddenly tired and more than thankful that I had an hour to rest before I went out there again. I figured I would catch a second wind later, when it was time to count my earnings for the night.

***

I showed up at the Nara’s house at around 7:30 in the morning. I hadn’t gotten home until about 3:30 and even after going to sleep almost immediately, I got a little less than four hours of sleep. As a result, I was exhausted and wanted to get this over as soon as humanly possible so I could go home and take a nap before tonight’s shift.

I knocked on the door a few times and was finally rewarded when Auntie Yoshi opened the door obviously confused, “Kumaraki? It’s before 8:00…does Shikamaru know you were coming by?”

I fought the urge to unleash a feral growl, “He’s still asleep isn’t he.” I stated more than asked.

She sheepishly nodded her head as if apologizing for her lazy son’s forgetful tendencies. I rolled my eyes as she ushered me into the foyer. I kicked off the black flats I had been wearing and set my bag down on the bench they had sitting by the door.

While climbing the stairs up to his room, I tried to let go of my growing annoyance, if both Shika and I were cranky it wouldn’t bode well and we wouldn’t get anything accomplished. I knocked twice and counted to three before I threw open the door. If he complained, I would politely tell him being ready when I showed up would have prevented my intrusion.

I huffed in frustration when I laid eyes on an empty, unmade bed. At about that same moment he emerged from the bathroom in a t-shirt and boxers looking slightly flustered and breathing heavier than normal.

“You weren’t trying to get out of coming with me this morning were you?” I asked, arms crossed.

Becoming aware of my presence in an instant, he let out the strangest cry of surprise as his face began to turn a curious shade of red. Within a second, he was back behind the bathroom door yelling at me, “Do you ever knock troublesome woman?”

“I did knock! Twice, actually, and if you had been up and ready like you were supposed to be then I wouldn’t have surprised you,” I scolded.

“Give me a few minutes and I’ll be out,” he said dismissing me from his room to get dressed.

“If you’re not out in ten I’m coming back with your mom,” I said closing the bedroom door behind me and going to wait back downstairs in the living room.

I didn’t wait to hear his reply, or if he even gave one. Now back on the first floor, I followed the smell of freshly brewed coffee into the kitchen. Uncle Kaku was seated at the table, sleepily flipping through the morning paper. Auntie Yoshi had her back to me, fixing what smelled like bacon and eggs on the stove.

“Good morning Kumaraki!” Uncle Kaku said between yawns.

“Morning,” I bowed my head and turned to Auntie Yoshi, “May I have a cup of coffee?”

“Help yourself dear, you know where the cups are,” she turned back to her task of cooking breakfast.

I sluggishly trudged over to the cabinet beside the fridge and pulled down the old, faded salmon-colored cup of Yoshino’s that I frequently used when I was over here. I poured the cup a little more than halfway full and filled it the rest of the way with sweet liquid creamer, turning it a sort of sandy shade of tan. I stood at the counter and sipped the hot coffee, hoping its affects would take hold soon.

About halfway through my cup, I heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs announcing Shika’s arrival. He showed up in the doorway wearing light khaki pants similar in color to my coffee, and a button down green shirt. It even looked like he had brushed his hair before throwing it up in his trademark ponytail. Between him in that and my outfit we looked like we were on our way to a group interview for an office receptionist.

“You ready?” He asked pouring a small cup of coffee for himself.

I nodded, tipping back my cup. While I walked to the sink and washed my cup he had finished his. He showed up right behind me placing his cup in the sink over my shoulder. I sighed and picked his up. After washing it, I hung it beside mine on the dish drying rack.

“Where are you kids off to so early this morning?” Auntie Yoshi was sitting a plate of food down in front of Uncle Kaku and an additional one at the seat next to him for herself.

“Mall,” was Shika’s simple reply as he grabbed my hand and drug me into the foyer.

“You don’t have to drag me! I wanna make it there in one piece,” I huffed, pulling down the edge of my black skirt.

I heard Uncle Kaku laughing from the kitchen as I slipped my flats back on and grabbed my bag. We exited his door and headed towards the driveway. Despite hardly ever using it, Shika actually had a pretty nice car. His dad had bought him the black Subaru BRZ last year for his birthday, but I had only seen him drive it like nine times since then. I went around to the passenger door and slid in, slightly recoiling at the heat coming from the leather like material of the interior.

We headed down the road at a decent pace, only slowing once we hit the center of downtown. Shika found a parking garage close to the bank and paid for a ticket. We quickly found a spot and were out on the sidewalk getting ready to cross the street within a few minutes. His large stride caused him to leave me behind for only a moment before I felt him place a hand on my lower back, ushering me along to the other side of the crosswalk.

We entered the refreshing atmosphere of the bank along with a few other people. I went over to the display of brochures and began looking through the different account types. Shika helped me settle on what we thought the best one for me would be and I took the corresponding pamphlet. I wrote my name on the sign-in sheet and took a seat beside Shika waiting to be helped.

When my name was finally called, we were ushered into a small office by an older gentleman in a stiffly starched suit. We sat down and began the process of opening the account. As I opened my purse and began pulling out all of the necessary documents and my hanko the man turned to Shikamaru.

“Now if this is a joint account I’ll also need to see your documents as well sir,” he looked at him expectedly.

"Uh no sir, it’s just for her,” he sort of sputtered out as my face redden, aware of the insinuation that we were a couple.

“Ah! I see. Very well Miss,” he motioned for me to hand my stack of documents over. Once he entered my information into the computer it was time for me to make my initial deposit. When I handed him the stack of money I thought Shika’s eyes were going to pop out of his head. The teller finished my deposit and had me stamp several papers with my hanko. He excused himself to make copies of the documents, stating he would be back in a moment.

“¥105,000! Where the hell did you even get that kind of cash?” He forcefully whispered as soon as the door shut behind the old man.

“I’ve been saving my tips,” I shrugged nonchalantly.

He raised his eyebrow skeptically before rolling his eyes, “I was worried about the ‘all you can eat’ ramen when you said you only had three coupons left. Now I can really take you up on your offer without feeling bad.”

I scowled at him as I began putting my personal papers back into my bag, silently regretting my generosity.

***

Shika didn’t end up bleeding my pockets too dry. By the time we left he had finished five bowls to my two, and with the three coupons it was only like paying for two a piece. It was still cheaper than anyone ever got out splitting the bill with Naruto or Choji. I had gone home and passed out in a food coma until it was time to get ready for work. It had been another good night, and I ended up bringing home another ¥93,000. I was planning on making my way to the bank sometime later this week after school to put it in my account, not having the luxury of direct deposit.

Thinking of my ever increasing balance helped me take my mind off my current task of folding my laundry. I hadn’t intended to spend my Sunday afternoon doing this. I preferred to let my clothes marinate in the dryer for a few days, but about thirty minutes before, Obito had knocked on my door telling me to grab my clothes out of the dryer. Kakashi was coming over and needed to use our washing machine.

I huffed but made my way to the laundry room off the kitchen. My basket already had more of my dirty clothes in it so I grabbed a heaping arm full of articles and headed back into my room. After two trips, I had successfully dumped all my clothes in a pile on my bed. I plugged my phone onto the charger and pulled up one of my MyTunes playlists.

Currently I was five songs deep and had managed to fold about a quarter of the pile. “Futari de iru noni I miss you. Chikaku ni itemo Boy, I miss you.”

I was singing while folding a sports bra similar to the one I was wearing. I flung my hands in the air after setting it in its pile and did a spin. Halfway around I froze. Kakashi was standing in my doorway smirking, and holding the red bikini top I had worn for my second set last night. Mortified, I paused the music and turned back to face him.

“I uh, didn’t think this was Obito’s,” He held up the top.

“Dear God, I hope not, it’s really not his color,” I laughed. “But it does look like mine.”

“Sorry, it was in the dryer when I went to switch the loads out,” he tossed it to me.

“Glad to know you weren’t rifling through my drawers,” I smirked as I caught it with my left hand.

“Do you still have a tag attached?” He shyly motioned towards the area of my left breast.

I looked down and lifted up the side of the sports bra scrunching my face up in confusion, trying to figure out what he was talking about. Then it hit me, ‘Oh of fucking course!’ It was the tattoo peeking out from the bottom of my sports bra.

I groaned, “No…it’s not a tag. Actually…I got a tattoo.”

He looked at me incredulously before seemingly coming to a conclusion, “Like a lick and stick?”

“Ehhhh, more like a pick and poke,” I hesitated.

He made a judgmental face and I sighed at my choice of words, “Not like that. It’s not like I got it done in someone’s kitchen. Shika and I went to a tattoo shop.”

“So that Nara kid just let you do this to yourself?” He crossed his arms.

I rolled my eyes, “Yeah he got one too. We got matching ones for my birthday.” He looked visibly skeptical and slightly annoyed for some reason. “What’s the big deal?”

He looked back down the hallway as if checking to make sure my brother wasn’t going to overhear our conversation before turning back to me and forcefully whispering, “Cause you marked up your perfect body with a tattoo!”

I crossed my arms while quirking an eyebrow at his word choice and simultaneously wondered if he realized how hypocritical he sounded right now, “You have three.”

He stepped further into my room as if to conceal this discovery further, “You know what I mean, that’s exactly what your brother’s gonna say when he sees it. You remember how bad he freaked out when you got your belly button pierced?”

“How’s he gonna know? You gonna tell on me? How would he even see it?” I looked at him, assessing if the secret was out and I was about to be grounded for the entirety of my summer vacation.

“No, but first time you wear a swimsuit, I bet you ¥10,000 he notices. I did,” he shrugged his shoulders, his hands having found their way into his pockets.

“You’re on,” I smirked at his cockiness as I passed by him to stand in the doorway, “By the way, my brother doesn’t usually look at my chest. Matter of fact he usually avoids that region all together, he won’t notice as quickly as you did.”

A light blush dusted his cheeks as he looked off sideways silently. With a satisfied ‘hmmmph’, I walked out to the kitchen to get a beer and left him standing in my room.

***

Okay everyone!  What did you guys think?  The story will definitely speed up from here on out.  It's-hopefully- about to be interesting.  Our girl's got quite the balancing act going on, and secrets don't stay secrets forever, but in the meantime we can at least stack a little money and treat our friends right?  On another note, just some points of reference: Licca-Chan is basically the Japanese equivalent of Barbie.  Also maybe you recognized Sayonara Puppy and Friends as a parody of Hello Kitty and Friends.  I love the idea of parody brands and they've shown up a few time in the story, gamestation(PlayStation), Shinobi Striker (basically a Mortal Kombat equivalent), Kumaraki surfs through Instapic(Instagram), MyTunes(iTunes) so if you think of any good ones I can include please leave me a comment. (P.S. leave me a comment anyways lol)  Please let me know what you guys think and I hope you're ready for some drama!

Chapter Text

Hey everyone!!! After yet another lengthy hiatus I’m back in action and continuously working to finish this story like I said I would. I mean…..you didn’t doubt me right? lol This chapter will be told in dual pov’s. It will start with Kumaraki and switch after every *** symbol break. I really hope it’s not too hard to follow since it’s the first time i’ve done a chapter like this with this story. And she’s a looooong one ya’ll! I think this is my longest chapter to date, over 10,000 words with a *spoiler* semi-spicy bonus scene at the end. 

The song lyrics come from Special Affair by The Internet so if you so choose, you can- and I would recommend- playing the song when you get to the part where Kumaraki takes the stage to get the vibe of the performance. Group performance music although not mentioned is Baddie by IVE so listen to that too. Side note that I can’t remember if I included in an earlier chapter but Kuma’s stage name, Minaide, (if i’ve translated it correctly) means “Don’t look.” (So kinda an ironic name for a go-go dancer) Hopefully you guys like this chapter, so without further ado…here we go!!

***

A few weeks had gone by since my first full night as a Kanpai dancer, and my account balance had increased pretty nicely just in time for summer vacation. I had been looking foward to lazing about during the week, which is why for the first three days of the break I had slept in until noon. It was also nice having the house to myself since during the day Obito was at work. I had developed a little routine, after I woke up I would fix myself something to eat, hop in the shower, and then lay on my bed naked while I smoked a bowl and watched tv. ‘Now this is the life.’ 

I tried to alternate spending my afternoons and evenings between all my friends. I had gone to the movies with Hinata the other day, and had dinner at Shika’s the last night. Ino was at work today, which really just meant she was sitting at the front desk of her parent’s high end florist business, scrolling through her phone. I decided that it would be her turn today. I grabbed my bag and headed out the door.

Walking down the street in the humidity, I questioned my brother’s love for me. ‘Why don’t I have a car yet?’ I pondered how I could try and convince him it was time for him to buy a new car and give his current one to me. I had already considered the possibility of asking him to get me a new one, but decided the chances of him agreeing would increase if there was something in it for him. As it stood, I had to take the Shoelace Express everywhere, which limited my mobility to places I was willing to travel to on foot.

Luckily, most of my friends lived within walking distance, Ino being one of them. It didn’t take me long to get to her house, which was right down the street from the flower shop. I continued on past until I got to the end of the street. My bag slipped off my bare shoulder as I jogged through the crosswalk, only slowing down once my hand grasped the gold door handles of the building.

The fragrant cold air hit my nose the second I stepped into the doorway. I looked to my left and spied the long blonde ponytail of my best friend. Just as I predicted, she hadn’t even noticed my entry, her eyes were glued to her phone screen. As I got closer, I could see she was watching Lavender 5’s new music video.

“These were supposed to be carnations,” I said loudly while smacking my hands on the counter right in front of her. I practically saw the shiver travel up her body before she whipped her head up in shock. 

“Rakkkkiiiii!” She screeched having almost come out of her chair in surprise.

“So you working hard, or hardly working?,” I laughed at the scowl on her face.

“Get out,” she pointed towards the door.

I laughed again before coming around the desk and sitting in the spare chair, “Seriously though, when do you get off?”

“Ugh five,” She propped her head on her elbow.

“Nooooo, that’s the whole day,” I whined.

“Don’t remind me,” she sighed. “Besides I’m only doing it so I can butter them up, remember? Have you had any luck with the I.D.?”

“Not yet. I sent Haru the picture. He’s supposed to ask his friend. I’ll check on the progress when I see him tomorrow,” I flipped through the little plastic rolodex of business cards sitting on the desk.

We had been trying to figure out how to get Ino into the Summer Nights event at Kanpai next weekend. We didn’t worry about Hinata getting in because she would be out of town that weekend. Sakura was eighteen and could enter legally, but Ino’s birthday wasn’t for another four months so she wasn’t getting in without some assistance. I hoped we had that angle covered. Haru supposedly had a friend that made fake I.D.s for “various clients” was the phrase he used. I didn’t ask questions, all I wanted was to party with my girls. In the meantime, Ino was trying to get on her parent’s good side by manning the front desk during business hours. We decided that maybe if she helped out, her parents would let her out Saturday night. 

I visited a little longer before heading back to my house. I didn’t want to overstay my welcome and make the business or my friend look unprofessional by “hanging out”. When I got back in my room I flopped back down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. That only lasted about five minutes. I rarely ever found myself bored, but when I did I was rather good at finding something to occupy me quickly.

Sitting on the floor in front of my tv stand, I opened the doors to the cabinet and pulled out my gamestation controller. I sat back up on my bed and set up a game of Chef Momma, my guilty pleasure. I was usually roped into playing Shinobi Striker or EagleEye 003 with the guys, and the girls didn’t play video games. I didn’t often play by myself, but when I did I preferred more casual, not-so competitive games like this or Pocket Monsters. One of my favorites was Dance Dance Mania, but you had to go to the arcade for that and I had only managed to convince Shika to play with me a few times.

I played for awhile before puttering around the house for the next few hours and ended up fixing a large helping of rice to go along with a whole box of frozen takoyaki. Obito arrived home from work conveniently, just in time to help me eat it.We put on a movie in the living room and ate our dinner at the coffee table. After the first movie ended, he put on another while I rolled up a joint for us to share. I wanted my body to look good for next Saturday, so in my best effort to fiend off the munchies I decided to go ahead and go to bed once we had partaken.

I said goodnight and went to my room laying down on my bed. I got under the covers and pulled out my phone to text Shika.

Me:

Hey so what are you doing tomorrow?

I fell asleep waiting on his reply.

***

Kumaraki:

Hey so what are you doing tomorrow?

I had been talking with my dad last night when she had texted me. We were discussing the university entrance exams. They were still a few months away but now was the time to start preparing. Midterm results had come back, which meant my excuse to prolong this particular conversation was no longer valid. Overall, Tsukuba students had produced the higher scores. That usually meant that that school had a better program, so it looked like that was the university I’d most likely be attending.

The world of finance and accounting was far from exciting, but it was a stable and respectable career that would allow me to take over my father’s business in a few years. It was all a drag to think about the seriousness of it all, and I would have much rather spent the time texting my best friend.

Me:

Sry I never replied. I’m meeting the guys

at the arcade. I’ll hit you up later.

‘Better late than never, I suppose.’ I sighed as I hit ‘send’, hoping she wouldn’t be too pissed. In all fairness, we usually replied to each other pretty quickly, so it was unusual to have to wait for a response. I decided there wasn’t much point in mulling on it anymore as I made my way down the sidewalk.

The conflicting cacophony of the various machines and the flashing lights signaled my arrival at Bazooka Games. It was twice as big as Saturn Park and had more games, so the guys and I frequented it more often. About five steps in, I heard Naruto’s loud voice coming from the corner I was headed towards. Six more steps confirmed my suspicion to be true. Naruto was trying to beat Kiba at Nitro Racing by his usual method of ‘any means necessary’. I approached them right about the time Naruto resorted to giving his competitor a kidney shot, and threw a sympathetic look towards Sasuke. There’s no telling how long he’d been trying to wrangle them before I got here.

“It’d be a real drag to get us kicked out as soon as I get here,” I sighed.

“Oh hey Shikamaru! What’s up?” Naruto turned around to greet me, allowing Kiba to pass him and consequently win the race as I nodded in acknowledgement.

“Oh what the fuck man?! Come on!” He whipped his head back towards the machine, only realizing his defeat once the victory music signaling the end of the race played.

“Hey don’t blame me! You gotta keep your eyes on the prize,” Kiba barked out a laugh.

“Shut up! I could beat you with my eyes closed! Let’s go again,” Naruto growled, not willing to accept defeat.

“Dude, you just lost,” Kiba retorted.

I motioned towards the EagleEye 003 machine, silently asking Sasuke if he wanted to play a round. He made his way towards the machine and we left the other two to bicker amongst themselves. I picked up the plastic gun after throwing a few coins in the machine and waited for Sasuke to do the same.

“How long have those two been at it?” I pulled the trigger, selecting the ‘2 players’ option on screen.

He released a heavy pent-up sigh, one that only came from having to wrangle our two most boisterous friends, “We met up with Inuzuka about forty-five minutes ago so…about forty-five minutes.”

I smirked and shook my head while guiding my player to the second level of the map, “Damn, sorry to leave you by yourself, they really are a two person job.”

“Count yourself lucky you missed out. I’ve already had to ream his ass about Raki, again,” he entered the same room as my guy and began firing.

I grunted in dismay not only from the knowledge she was still at the forefront of his mind, but because I was also down to sixty-three percent health, “What a drag. You’re right, I am glad I ran late.”

“So where’s your sidekick?” He asked, hot in pursuit.

“On another date with that Karui chick,” I answered assuming he was referring to Choji.

“Maybe he should give these idiots some pointers. If they had someone to keep them preoccupied, maybe we’d get some peace,” he rolled his eyes.

Suddenly I realized that wasn’t such a bad idea. I wasn’t concerned about Naruto’s love life, but as long as Kiba was enamored with my best friend I felt an overwhelming urge to step in and redirect his attention. We were supposed to be meeting up to figure out what Naruto wanted to do for his birthday. If I suggested we go to a club, as loathsome as it would be, maybe Kiba would find a girl to distract him long enough to forget about Raki. I decided to get Sasuke’s opinion on the matter.

“Not a bad idea, what if I’ve thought of a plan?” I shot at his guy before diving back behind a corner.

“Doesn’t surprise me. So..?” He ran across my screen into a conjoining room.

“We should go to a club for Naruto’s birthday, just the guys. Maybe while we’re there those two dweebs can find someone to hook up with,” I followed his guy, spraying gunfire into the room.

“Who’s hooking up?” The soul-shattering volume of Naruto’s voice right by my ear threw my concentration off, allowing Sasuke to finish me off with a headshot.

I sighed, “Damnit Naruto,” I hung the plastic gun back in it’s holster attached to the front of the machine.

“Hey let’s go grab a bite,” Naruto’s sporadic mind, thankfully, was already onto another subject.

Sasuke and I nodded as we followed the other two out onto the sidewalk and down the street to WcDonald’s. Once we had ordered and sat down we began discussing the whole reason we had met up in the first place.

“So my birthday is next Friday. I was thinking of doing something Saturday night, you guys game?” Naruto stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth.

“Depends on what you’re planning,” Sasuke looked at him pointedly.

“All I need is girls and alcohol,” he grinned wickedly while gesturing crudely.

“So have a house party. We can invite Raki and the girls, make it a BYOB,” Kiba offered what seemed like his ideal situation for Naruto’s birthday.

“Nah, my parents will be home, no chance my dad’s letting that happen. We’ll have to go out,” he slurped his drink.

I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity. They took it upon themselves to steer the conversation towards an outing and all I had to do was seal the deal, “Best place to find girls and drinks is a club.”

Kiba’s ears perked up at my suggestion, “Hey yeah! He’s right, and I know just the place. Any of you heard of Kanpai? It’s this dance club that’s supposed to have these shows where hot ass girls get up on stage and dance in string bikini’s and shit. Eighteen and up.”

“Sounds exactly like what I’m looking for,” Naruto rubbed his hands together in excitement, but he paused, “eh but I don’t wanna hear the girls’ bitching about us being perverts.”

“So we’ll make it guys only,” Kiba shrugged it off as no big deal. “Besides without them there, we’ll really be able to have fun.”

I exchanged a glance with Sasuke, pleased with how everything had gone. We nodded, confirming our agreement to the plans. I heaved a sigh of relief knowing that while we were out getting drunk next weekend, Raki would be nowhere in Kiba’s sight, and preferably out of his mind.

***

Despite telling me he would, Shika never actually ‘hit me up’, so I was a little peeved as I walked into the club Saturday night. Once I had gone to the back and changed into my first outfit I became Minaide and switched into work-mode and completed my set. After getting off stage, I made my way over to the bar to get one of my free drinks and check on the progress of Ino’s ID.

“Haaaarruuuu!” I called out, hopping on a stool in the corner.

He turned with an already made ‘Sex on the Beach’ in his hand, “Hey Princess!” 

He sat the glass on the counter in front of me. I took a healthy sip as I readjusted my hot pink fishnet tights. I pulled my mouth away from the straw, “Soooo….how are we looking on that fake ID?”

He sighed, which should have clued me in immediately, “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask about that.”

I groaned and looked at him expectantly, “What?”

“It takes a couple of days to print one up that looks authentic.”

“And?” I questioned not seeing the problem, “It’s a week away.”

“He’s out of town and doesn’t get back until Friday,” he frowned.

“Whhhhyyyyyy,” I whined and pouted by huffing.

“Sorry Kuma. But hey-at least we’ll be here suffering together,” he offered.

I grinned and nodded, knowing he was trying to make me feel better, but my mood had considerably soured with this new revelation. Without Ino, I already knew Sakura would back out. She just wasn’t the type of person that would feel comfortable enough to come on her own, so it looked like I was going to end up solo. I took my drink with me so I could finish it backstage while I was getting ready for my next set.

After my second dance, my night was only half over. I still had a third routine to perform and then after that Ayane, Sato, and I were going to rehearse a group number we were doing for Summer Nights. I had texted Obito and told him that I was going to end up working a few hours of overtime tonight as a cover story. He had only texted back a thumbs up emoji, not caring as much about my late night activities now that school was on break and grades weren’t at risk.

I had saved my other two free drinks until after my third set to unwind before we started practice. As I sipped the last of my second mai tai, Sato appeared at the door signaling that it was time to start. I joined her and Ayane on the stage so we could go over the steps. We practiced the dance sequence at the beginning and then we split off into separate directions, each claiming one of the three catwalks. We synchronized our movements so we landed on our marks at the same time. Now at the end of the stage, we had a short series of choreographed moves we performed simultaneously before making our way back towards the center of the stage. After another brief sequence, we struck our finishing poses.

We ran through the routine three more times before Ayane was satisfied with our progress. As easy-going as she seemed, she was apparently a closet perfectionist and had worked us to the bone. Afterwards, I collapsed into my chair in the dressing room, feeling way more exhausted than I ever felt after Kiba’s Top Canine practices. I pulled a t-shirt down over my head in between yawns, not bothering to change out of my outfit. I waited for Ayane and Sato so we could walk out together. When we got outside I pulled my phone out of my sweatpants pocket. It was 4:22 a.m.

“Hey it’s pretty late. You don’t have a car do you?” Ayane put her hand on my shoulder.

I internally groaned at being reminded of my earlier woes. I shook my head no, preparing myself for the walk.

“Why don’t I give you a ride?” She asked, suddenly looking like a pink haired angel.

Normally I would have turned her down, not wanting to be a bother and not knowing if it was out of her way or not, but I was so damn worn out that just this once I decided to make an exception, “That sounds great, thanks.”

We said goodbye to Sato and I slid into the front seat of her red Subaru. It looked fairly new on the inside and I was thankful for this unexpected luxury. I gave her directions to my house and was relieved to find out that it was indeed on her way home. What would have been a twenty minute walk home turned into a ten minute car ride. We spent that time gossiping about whether we thought the new dishwasher, Yusuke, was dating Ami, the hostess.

When we pulled up to my building I thanked her again and told her I would see her Friday night. We said our ‘goodnights’ and I walked inside and to the elevator, now concentrating on coming in as quiet as possible so as not to wake up Obito.

***

“You never texted me back.”

I rolled my eyes as I picked up the paper wrapper Kumaraki had just shot at me, using her straw as a blow gun, “Yeah, yeah I know. Sorry, I just got a little busy.”

She rolled her eyes and gave me a pointed look, “Shika if there’s one thing you never are, it’s busy.  Lazy? Yes, but busy?…I don’t think you’re capable.”

I scoffed before lobbing the now wadded up piece of paper at her forehead, “I’ll have you know that I do find ways of occupying my time outside of hanging out with you.”

“With what? Napping? I’ve literally seen you take a sleep aid to get out of family functions, lest we forget Grandma Nara’s sixty-eighth birthday,” she smirked.

“And nobody even remembered I was missing,” I crossed my arms.

“Because she tripped on the stairs and had to be taken to the hospital,” she scowled.

“That’s besides the point. So what are you up to this weekend?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Ughhhhh working,” she groaned. “We’re having an event so it’s supposed to be super busy, but I guess that means good tips. What about you?”

I leaned back up against the teal upholstery of the booth we were sitting in, “Going out for Naruto’s birthday.”

Her head perked up, drawing her attention away from her lunch, “Awww man and I’m gonna miss it. I bet Hinata’ll be bummed too.”

“Nah, it’s just supposed to be a guy thing anyways…wait, why would Hinata be bummed?” I wondered why she had mentioned our purple haired friend specifically.

She whipped her head around in several directions, as if to make sure no one was listening in to our conversation before she spoke, “Well you can’t tell anyone, promise?”

She goaded me as if I was Ino and the two of them were ten again. Nothing came out of my mouth but an exasperated sigh, which she took as a sign of my compliance and a signal to continue, “So Hinata has a crush on Naruto…like bigtime. I’m talking like, if the kid asked her to marry him tomorrow she’d say yes.”

I laughed, a little surprised. I guess what they said about ‘opposites attract’ held some truth, “She’s so shy though. I would have thought he’d be a little too…much for her, you know?”

“Apparently not,” she smirked. “So without spilling the beans, try to feel out the situation a little will ya?”

I rolled my eyes, “What a drag, how? Guys usually don’t ask each other to talk about their crushes.”

“Just do what you can,” she had stood up and dumped our trash in the bin before coming back to stand in front of the booth.

I drug myself up out of the seat and held the door open for her to walk outside, “Come on, let’s go blow off some steam.

***

When Shika had said “Let’s go blow off some steam”, what he had meant was we were going to find a place to smoke a joint. More often than not, he had one secreted on him. If we were out-and-about and the mood struck him, he would often say a code phrase and we would disappear for a short time only to rejoin our friends in a much lighter mood.

Based on the side of town we were on, I had an idea where we were headed. There was an old building, a box lunch factory, that was basically nestled against the side of a large hill. It was not unheard of for the local kids to find their way to the top of the hill, courtesy of an old worn out path in Konohagakure Park. From there, it was a simple matter of finding the loose corner of the chain link fence and pulling it back enough to slip through onto the roof.

There was the occasional sighting of the factory’s security guard, a bumbling old man who I’d imagined had worked for them for the past seventy-six years, but as long as you weren’t part snail you could outrun him. He’d shuffle his way around the perimeter of the roof while he puffed on a cigarette-no doubt his secret to everlasting life- looking to catch the local teenagers in the act of trespassing. I don’t think he ever actually caught or turned anyone in, he mostly just yelled idle threats at the local youths’ backs as they fled.

The shock of the cold metal against my bare midriff brought me back to reality as I slipped through the crack and onto the factory roof. Once I had weaved my fingers through the loops in the fence I wrapped them around the free piece and held it back for Shikamaru like he had held it for me. He wormed his way through, it becoming increasingly difficult over the years, the taller he grew.

We squatted down behind a large pair of pipes coming off of an industrial fan. The two of them together were tall enough to shield us from the door to the factory if we hunched over. I leaned back against the metal pipe, pleasantly warmed from the daylight, and waited for Shika to light the joint. 

He puffed on it a few times before passing it to me. I shielded my eyes from the sun and took it from between his fingers. As I blew out a puff of smoke, I leaned my head back and basked in the summer warmth. I wondered how many of these carefree summer days Shika and I had left to spend together. Surely once he was the head of the Nara’s accounting firm he wouldn’t be able to sneak away on his daily lunch breaks to get high on rooftops.

“You think we’ll still be climbing up here in a few years?” I voiced my thoughts, looking at him as I blew another hit out in his direction.

“Fuck, I hope not. I assume I’ll be able to afford to buy us a house to smoke in by then,” he took the joint from my hand and knocked the ash off the top.

I quirked an eyebrow, “Us a house?”

He scoffed, “Yeah we’ve known each other practically our whole lives. I just assumed after high school you’d end up living with either Ino or me at some point. I figured you’d want your freedom from Obito first chance you get….plus I’ll need someone to clean and cook for me.”

I rolled my eyes and shoved his shoulder in protest, “Oh yeah, meanwhile you’ll be doing what?”

He chuckled and passed the joint back, “Going to class and working at the firm. One of us has to support our asses.”

I took the joint from him but stared at his face for longer than a moment. He was smiling, but he wasn’t joking. ‘He’s actually fucking serious.’  I thought back to that night in the park and how he had dropped everything for me that day, no questions asked. Hell, we had been best friends for as longer than I could remember. I couldn’t recall a time in my life where he wasn’t in it, and to know that he planned to make sure that was the case in the future gave me a swirling of different feelings. I felt so incredibly lucky to have such a good and caring person in my life. Someone I knew’d be there no matter what. I swallowed the urge to voice my sappy opinions, knowing it usually made Shika embarrassed.

“Can we get a dog?,” I blew out a cloud of smoke.

He tutted, “What a drag, you’re already trying to find a way to-,” He was interrupted by the sound of a heavy metal door being pushed open.

We looked at each other, sharing a look of mild panic. It seemed the old man had decided to take his afternoon cigarette break. We heard the lighter click and the shuffling of feet on the concrete roof. I waited until the sound of footsteps receded before hitting the joint again. It was the last hit so I tapped it on the side of one of the pipes until it went out.

The black athletic shorts I was wearing had no pockets, so my hand reached towards Shika’s pants to secret the incriminating evidence. I slipped it in, but he flinched and pulled away at my touch. I shot Shika a questioning look. I ignored the voice in the back of my mind that noticed the footsteps getting closer again, the old man had rounded the far corner and was headed back this way. 

He glared at me, “That tickles.”

I fought the urge to laugh. It wasn’t often that I was able to mess with Shikamaru, to make him embarrassed or react otherwise out of character. Admittedly, when stumbling upon the opportunity, I usually took it.

“Oh so like this tickles?” I provoked, my hands shooting out for the sides of his waist.

Within a second he had spun me around and grabbed both of my wrists with one hand. I ended up sandwiching him between my back and the metal pipes. The motion was so fast and fluid that I couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

“Heyyy-,” I began to protest but was interrupted by his large free hand covering my mouth, the motion tilting my head backwards into the crook of his neck 

“If you’re not quiet you’re going to get us caught,” he whispered in my ear.

I considered licking his hand to get him to release me, but I thought better of it as the scuffling of the old man’s shoes came closer. Judging from the noise, it sounded like he was directly on the other side of the pipes at this point. I had no choice but to remain motionless and wait for him to pass. 

Unfortunately, it gave me a chance to process a few things. Currently, I was plastered against the body of my best friend in a position that could only be described as indecent. Moreover, if I did choose to move, we would most likely be caught because we wouldn’t be able to both slip through the fence in time. Finally-and this one would require more thought later- was the fact that I couldn’t place what the hell I had felt when he had whispered in my ear.

That deep raspy voice of his coming out of lips that just barely ghosted the shell of my ear. The heat of his breath that tickled that spot on my neck. The vague words he had used that could’ve implied all sorts of suggestions. The fact that I could feel his toned body with every hesitant breath he mustered. The combination of all these sensations sent a tingling warmth traveling outward through my body from a place low in my stomach.

The footsteps receded but we remained motionless, waiting for the guard to disappear into the recesses of the factory. There was nothing but silence as Shika finally deemed it safe enough to release me. I was about to ream him for surprising me like that, but instead of hearing the sound of the metal door that would have been my cue to pop off, we heard the unmistakable click of the lighter again.

‘He’s doubling down.’ I rolled my eyes and groaned.

“Hey! Who’s there?!” An authoritative voice called out.

Shika grimaced and drug his hand down the length of his face while scowling at me. My frustration had gotten us caught despite his best efforts.

“Time to go!” I shrugged my shoulders and made a beeline for the chain link fence.

He yanked the corner of the fence back and practically shoved me through. He slid through right behind me and pulled the metal net back in place. 

“Damn teenagers!” We heard the faint call of the old guard behind us, but we were already pulling each other through the grass of the park, laughing.

***

A week had gone by all too fast for me, and before I knew it I was out of the shower and getting dressed for Naruto’s birthday outing. I hadn’t seen Raki since the rooftop, for which I was secretly grateful. It helped me push the memories of a particularly inappropriate dream to the back of my head. I hadn’t planned on reacting the way I did that day, and so I had inadvertently avoided her rather than suffer through the awkwardness of an explanation. I suppose I should be thankful that she hadn’t felt the need to bring it back up. I sat on my bed and began tying my shoes when my dad walked past my open door. 

“Headed out?” He leaned on the door frame.

I nodded, finishing the knot on the second shoe, “Naruto’s birthday.”

“Ah! A night out with the guys…sounds fun. I wonder if I should give Akimichi and Yamanaka a call for our own get together,” he stroked his beard in thought.

“Well I’ve got to get going. Gotta meet Sasuke in five,” I groaned, standing up and making my way into the hallway.

“Stay out of trouble…and don’t do anything I wouldn’t,” Dad called from behind me, still at the top of the stairs.

“I wouldn’t even do half of what you would do,” I called back at him, walking out the front door.

When I got to the street corner Sasuke was already waiting for me. I threw one hand up in a wave while the other ashed the cigarette I had lit a few minutes earlier.

“You hear from either of them yet?” I asked.

“Yeah they’re gonna meet us at the end of the block. The club’s within walking distance. Probably a good thing for later, the walk'll give us a chance to sober up,” he fell into step beside me as we continued to walk across the street.

I nodded in agreement, “Your brother let you off your leash for tonight?”

He scowled, scoffing in protest, “My brother’s not the boss of me.”

“You sound just like your cousin,” I blew out the smoke from another drag.

“Yeah, speaking of…you think this plan of your’s is going to work?" He looked over at me.

I shrugged my shoulders, “Eh, we can only hope.”

“If it doesn’t work we can always move to plan B,” he offered.

“Which is?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Get Raki a boyfriend that isn’t Inuzuka,” he said matter-of-factly.

I didn’t have a chance to reply or think of how to even explain the initial thoughts I had upon hearing his statement. We had crossed another street and at this corner stood Naruto and Kiba waiting for us. 

“‘Bout time. You bring anything with you Shikamaru?” Naruto asked, hands in his pockets.

“You’re starting early,” I sighed, but tossed him one of a few joints in my jeans. I had brought one for Naruto as a birthday present, one for the group, and an emergency one for me to preserve my sanity.

“I mean yeah, I’m tryin’ to go all out,” he lit it up and took a few puffs.

We stood in the shadows up against the side of a building, a greeting card shop that had closed earlier in the day, and passed the joint around. It went around a few times before being spent up, and when it was done Naruto handed it to me. I threw it in my pack of cigs to conceal the smell. Sufficiently buzzed, we made our way further down the street.

We crossed into the entertainment district of town, where Kiba led us towards a building with a set of black doors and a crowd congregating around them. As we approached I could see that the windows were heavily tinted, but allowed brief flashes of light to shine through sporadically. Apparently, they were having some sort of event tonight resulting in a small line we had to wait in before getting inside.

The THC in my system had my head swimming pleasantly as we made our way into cool air of the club. Multi-colored strobe lights cut through the darkness of the room, giving just the right light to see where you were going but kept it dark enough to keep the playfully mysterious atmosphere. Again, we followed Kiba to a section of tables designated ‘VIP’ by the red velvet rope that encompassed them. 

As we sat down, I noticed that our section was right up against the dance floor allowing us easy access. I guessed that the reason they were considered prime seating was because they were elevated to the same level as the stage, where a half naked girl with lavender hair was dancing provocatively.

“Now this is what I’m talking about,” Naruto’s gaze was zeroed in on said woman.

“Hey there, welcome to Kanpai! Tonight is our Summer Nights event, we have two-for-one specials on Kirin, Sapporo, and Orion and all our whiskey cocktails are half off for the next two hours. What can I get started for you gentlemen?” A waitress with long black hair had come up to our table.

Naruto and Kiba managed to tear their eyes away from the entertainment long enough to give the girl their order and then resumed watching the show. Sasuke and I requested two Jack and cokes and with a quick ‘I’ll be right back with those’ she disappeared, leaving us to resume our conversation.

“Shit, even the waitresses here are hot. If Raki turns me down, I know where I’m headed to nurse my heartache,” Kiba smirked watching another woman, this time one with pink hair, start her routine.

I caught Sasuke glaring at the back of his head as I silently prayed for the waitress to hurry up with our drinks, and hoped the alcohol would take the edge off. It was only the beginning of the night, and I found myself wishing that I had made plans with Choji or Raki instead.

***

Tonight was finally the Summer Nights event at work. Coincidentally, it was the same night I was debuting my mesh catsuit. I had already done one set tonight but in a different outfit. Now that there had been a chance for the crowd and tips to increase I was pulling out the big guns. I had spent the last hour getting dressed and fixing this stupid ass green wig I had decided to put on. It was actually a good quality Captain Pluto cosplay wig from two Halloween’s ago when the girls and I had all dressed up as Pretty Space Guardian characters. I had refreshed my makeup and added glitter to the sides of my temples. After strapping on clear heels, I stood in the mirror and took a few pictures to send to the girls like I had promised I would do.

I ran my hands over the transparent mesh fabric and did a little jump test to make sure none of the rhinestones were going to come off. They were strategically concentrated in certain areas but otherwise my body was pretty much on display so I couldn’t afford for any to pop off. When the integrity of the garment seemed to still be intact I jiggled in excitement. The look was giving American pop star and I was here for it.

I slurped the last of my cocktail, wishing that I was toasting with Sakura and Ino. I had broken the bad news to the latter a few days before, when the three of us had gone out for lunch. We had a nice, dramatic, group ‘bitch-and-moan’ and then resigned ourselves to the fact that our plan would not come to fruition. Sakura had squirmed uncomfortably so I had beat her to the punch and told her she was off the hook. I inwardly chuckled as I saw the relief flood her face. Sakura was usually down to hang, but she was the second most reserved of us four and preferred to be social in a group instead of venturing out on her own. I didn’t hold it against her, never wanting to make my friend uncomfortable.

In all honesty I was missing Hinata the most right now. She was the best one of my three girlfriends to talk ‘feelings’ with and my brain hadn’t let me forget the other day on the roof with Shikamaru. I hadn’t felt that particular feeling in a good while and it was overwhelmingly confusing that my best friend was the one that had produced it. She would be back in a week and it couldn’t come soon enough for me. I was planning on taking her to get boba and then maybe a trip to the spa to relax me into confessing the details of my newly acquired mental anguish.

I sighed and touched up my lipstick now that my drink was finished. I could hear Natsu’s voice ring through the speakers, “Give it up for the juicy little Ichigo everyone!” I waited a moment and sure enough Ayane came bursting through the door out of breath.

“They’re wild out there tonight girl. Maybe it’s the full moon,” she looked in my direction as she fluffed her hair with one hand and used the other one to dab the sweat off her neck with a blue handtowel.

“Good!” I smirked. “Maybe if I howl loud enough they’ll be compelled to empty their wallets.”

We shared a laugh before I put a congratulatory hand on her shoulder as I slipped out the same door and into the hallway. I took a deep breath as I always did before I performed. I emptied all the stress-filled thoughts out of my head and became my on-stage persona as I heard Natsu give me an introduction.

“Now I saw this next little honey pot getting ready back stage, and trust me, you won’t want to miss this. So stay put and give it up for Kanpai’s suuuuuper sexyyyyy Minaiiiideeeee!”  I grinned as I passed her on the stairs.

“Knock ‘em dead kid,” she playfully smacked my ass and got out of my way.

I positioned myself in the middle of the stage behind the curtain. I waited for the first few beats of the low and sultry music to start as I threw back the large panels of velvet material and stepped out into the stage, the bright spotlight shielding the audience from my sight. I felt like I could dance like no one was watching.

***

“Kanpai’s suuuuper sexyyyyy Minaiiiideeeee !” I heard the announcer continue her routine as I sipped the last of my fourth Jack and coke.

I snorted a small laugh. ‘Minaide huh? What a stage name for a dancer.’ At least this one had a sense of humor. As the deep strums of the double base resonated through the speakers, a woman slinked out onto the stage from between the curtains and did a twirl so her back was to the audience. 

‘Penny for your thoughts, I know what you want.’

‘I can read your mind even from behind.’

Her long green hair, which looked oddly familiar for some reason, went down to her knees. It covered her back until she dropped into a loose squat and rose slowly only to smack her round, and rather nice looking ass. Her outfit was completely see through except for the carefully placed gems that didn’t leave much to the imagination as she gathered up her hair and gyrated her hips.

‘And fuck what’s in your phone, let me take you home.’

‘I wanna take you home.’

“Shit take me anywhere you want baby,” Naruto was practically on the edge of his seat. He was so mesmerized the forgotten drink in his hands was tilted forward, threatening to spill on the carpet. 

I had to admit, as I relaxed and leaned back into my chair, that she was fine as hell-at least from the back- and hypnotizing to watch. I glanced at Sasuke out of the corner of my eye and even he seemed into it. Matter of fact, she was commanding the attention of the whole room, Kiba included.  ‘Maybe I should encourage him to ask for her autograph or something,’ I snickered inwardly.

‘Cause it’s so rare that I’m here,’

‘Don’t plan on staying too long.’

She continued to dance and writhe around stage, dropping to her knees and doing floor work. Her grinding movements were slow and sensual, keeping the same beat as the song she was moving to. I took a sip of my drink, finding my mouth particularly dry, and adjusted the crotch of my jeans that were all-of-the-sudden seemingly too tight.

‘It’s a special affair, better act like you know,’

‘Who I am…who I am.’

When the beat of the chorus came through she stood and spun around unexpectedly to an eruption of cheers. I half glanced at her face for a brief second, confirming she was in fact a knockout. Not paying much more attention, I quickly moved on to where she had intended for us to look. The front half of her body did not disappoint, and was as equally perfect as the other half I had been staring at. Her outfit left almost her entire figure bare, save for more strategically placed gems that I found myself wishing would fall off with every bounce of her body.

‘Playing in the dark, I might break your heart.’

‘I can get you high, if you wanna climb.’

She had dropped to her knees again and began crawling towards the audience down the catwalk. When she got to a certain point she stopped and came up on her knees gyrating her hips again, causing her breasts to slightly bounce with each movement. I gulped down the rest of my drink and adjusted my jeans again. I was starting to feel like a middle-schooler seeing his first porno mag. I began to think that this might not have been the best idea, looking over to my left all but confirmed it. I could see the drool practically leaking from the side of Kiba’s mouth.

‘Cause fuck leaving alone, let me take you home.’

‘I wanna take you home.’

She stood up again and made her way to the end of the catwalk. As she got closer I was able to see her face more clearly. She looked naggingly familiar, and I began to think of where I had seen her. I looked over to find a similar look on Sasuke’s face. He had his arms crossed and head tilted to the side. I assumed he was pondering the same thing.

“Hey, does she look familiar to you guys?” Naruto had turned around, echoing my suspicion.

“Yeah…,” Kiba stroked his chin in thought, “her face does, but I can’t place the hair.”

He was right. I began searching through my head, where had I seen that hair before? Did she go to school with us? Was she a local model that we had seen in a magazine? Had we met her out anywhere? The color and hairstyle almost reminded me of a cartoon character.

‘Wait a minute….that looks like that fuckin wig Raki wore last-’

‘But’s that’s not…’ I squinted my eyes and zeroed in on the woman’s face.

‘It is. It’s fucking her. What the actual fuck is she doing?’ I felt my breath hitch. Sure enough, under more makeup than I had ever seen her wear, was my best friend dancing practically naked in front of a full audience. I looked back over at Sasuke and saw his eyes widen in realization.

“Hey is that…it is! Sasuke, that’s your cousin!” Naruto spun around in his seat, eyes impossibly huge.

“Raki?  Holy shit! This confirms it, now I gotta put a ring on it,” Kiba leaned forward closer to the stage where our friend had now ended her dance and was walking offstage leaving behind a boisterous round of applause.

“Yeah…it’s time for a cigarette,” I stood up, needing an excuse to go get some fresh air and gather myself.

“I’ll join you,” Sasuke, who looked like he might be sick, bolted up from the table and followed me out the door.

I hung a left after exiting the large black front doors and stood on the side of the building in the alley. I pulled a cigarette from the pack, taking in a whiff of the joint roach from earlier. As I lit the end, I felt Sasuke’s presence beside me leaned up against the wall. I sighed as I breathed out a large cloud of smoke. I would have to wait to be alone with the many thoughts swirling through my head.

He looked over at me and scowled, “I may not be a genius like you, but I’m smart enough to know that plan failed spectacularly.”

I hung my head and groaned in agreement.

***

After my catsuit performance, which Kubo said might have set a record for most made in one set, I had popped out to the bar, sans wig, and grabbed a drink. I was slurping the last of the mai tai through the straw now.

“Ok we’ve still got about thirty minutes until we go on for the group finale, you got everything you need Sato?” Ayane asked fixing the pink version of the garter belt, a part of the matching outfits the three of us were wearing.

“Yep I’m just about ready, you good Min?” Sato was fastening the buckle of her blue stilettos.

“Yeah I’m all set,” I looked in the mirror and attempted to stuff my breasts back into the lime green corset top they were threatening to spill out of.

The three of us stood in a circle and helped each other adjust our outfits. Standing side by side we looked like an adult version of the American Powderpuff Girls. We ran through some of the steps while dance music blared from the speakers out on the dance floor. Soon enough, we heard Natsu announce our group as the final live dance number for the evening.

We came out to whistles and cheers. We waved and blew kisses as we walked to our marks. I was on the stage left end, giving me the catwalk closest to the front doors. The upbeat bubbly music came on and we began our routine. Everything was going fine until we began the dance steps on the catwalk. At one point, we did a synchronized spin and when I planted my left foot down a hand wrapped around my ankle. 

I didn’t feel it until I tried to lift my leg two counts later. I knew the crowd had been larger and more wild than other nights but I should have been paying more attention. I jerked my leg and when it didn’t move I looked down. A guy a few years older than me that looked three sheets to the wind had a hold of me. I shook my leg and yelled for him to let go. Instead of abiding by my request he began tugging on my ankle.

Sato and Ayane continued to dance as was expected. If one of us bit the dust or forgot the steps the others were supposed to continue without literally missing a beat. I was currently trying to recover and fall back in sync with them but this asshole would not let go. I wondered where Minamino and Kuwabara, the two bouncers, were posted up and why they hadn’t made it to me yet.

I had had enough and began to lift my leg in order to kick whatever part of this dickhead I could reach with my stiletto heel. Unfortunately I miscalculated, and at the same time that I threw all my weight into lifting my leg and bringing it down on him, he decided to execute a particularly aggressive yank towards him.

That was all it took to throw me off balance. I felt both feet leave the stage and waited for the impact of body parts and then subsequently the hard floor. I never felt the latter, just the firmness of a tall, strong body. One arm under my back balanced my top half as another rested under my mostly exposed ass.

“I gotcha Babydoll,” I looked up at my would-be savior. It was a tall, dangerously handsome man with the oddest shade of dark pink eyes and silver hair that reminded me of Kakashi’s, only this man wore his slicked back. 

“Thanks,” I stuttered out, slightly shaken up.

“No problem Angel, you can fall into my arms anytime you want,” he grinned. “Name’s Terasoma.”

I was about to tell him my name but the ass who had started all this shit in the first place was walking up to us.

“Hey fucker, you need to take a step back,” Terasoma raised his foot and kicked the guy to the floor all without dropping me.

I saw a flash of red hair in my periphery, letting me know that the bouncers were now taking care of the situation with the drunk guy.

“Hey Raki! You ok?”

I froze. I definitely recognized that voice, I had never heard it in this building though. I turned my head to my left and sure enough there stood my best friend. He looked at me with concern and then his expression began to change.

“I think you can set her down now, she seems fine,” he glared at Terasoma’s hand comfortably palming my ass.

The man holding me chuckled but set me down. I adjusted my top trying not to make a big show of it with Shikamaru right there. I glanced back up at the stage as Ayane and Sato were finishing up. I would have to apologize to them later. They had had to improvise most of the rest of the routine to accommodate two dancers instead of three.

I sighed, “Shika what the hell are you doing here?”

“What a drag, I could ask you the same thing. I thought you were supposed to be at work,” he crossed his arms.

“Uh yeah, this is where I work,” I echoed him and crossed my arms.

“I thought you said you were a waitress!” He replied exasperated.

“I started as one, but-you know what? No, we are not having this conversation right now. You still haven’t answered me. You don’t even like clubs so why are you even here?” I cocked one hip out.

“Did you forget about Naruto’s birthday?” He rolled his eyes.

“I guess. Wait, that means-fuck!” I groaned. Sasuke emerged from behind Shikamaru’s frame looking annoyed and disgusted at the same time.

‘Well this just gets better and better doesn’t it? How could it get any worse?’

“I saw Terasoma catch you, are you okay?” All of the sudden Itachi, who seemed to be acquainted with my would-be hero, appeared like a ghost out of thin air at my side.

‘Oh sweet merciful Susanoo if you’re up there….smite me now. Send a lightning bolt to fry me up, a wave to drown me, anything but this please.’  

I felt the blood drain from my face and was half terrified that Obito would pop out next and it would all be over. As it stood, damage control was an absolute necessity, I thought in overwhelming discomfort. I looked at my two cousins and the almost identical scowls they wore on their faces, “Alright you two. Come with me a second. Shika I’ll meet you by the bar.” 

I walked over to the back wall, patrons parting for me, as Sasuke and Itachi followed closed behind. Once I made it to the corner of the building I sighed and looked at them both.

“Ok what’s it going to take to keep this a secret from Ito?” I crossed my arms effectively pushing up my breasts, making Sasuke cringe.

“For starters I’d like the sight of you in that outfit burned from my memory. Can’t you go change?” He scowled.

“No I can’t. I’m supposed to be in costume while I’m on the floor,” I rolled my eyes.

“I won’t say anything to Obito, but I’m not going to help you hide anything either,” Itachi spoke up, stoic voiced as always.

I was honestly surprised. Itachi was twenty-three and closer to Obito’s twenty-six than to my eighteen. He more often showed his loyalty towards my brother rather than me when it came time to pick sides. His neutrality gave me some relief even though it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities for him to request a favor later.

“Fair enough…what about you Sasuke?” I looked at him with a pleading face.

“I’ll have to think about it. But it’s going to be something you’re not gonna like,” he smirked.

Typical brother-like behavior. I rolled my eyes, “Sure just let me know. I have to get backstage but I’ll meet you guys at the bar. Itachi, if I don’t see you the rest of the night, tell your friend I said ‘thanks again’.”

They nodded as I disappeared through the hidden door to the back that was located on this side of the stage. I heaved a sigh of relief and fell against the door once I was on the other side, safe from prying eyes. I quickly hurried down the hallway, past the frequently used staircase to the stage and into the dressing room.

“Holy shit girl are you okay?” Ayane came running over to me.

“Yeah some dipshit grabbed ahold of my ankle and pulled me off the stage. I’m so sorry I messed up the routine after we worked so hard,” I bowed in forgiveness.

“Oh hush, we’re just glad you’re ok,” Sato tutted while patting my shoulder.

“At least on the outside,” I sighed, loosening the back of the corset. “I actually stumbled- literally- into some friends of mine. You think it’d be ok if I just got out of costume and went and said hi?”

“Sure hun, I’ll let Kubo know. We don’t have much left to do tonight anyway,” Ayane nodded.

I pulled the various parts of the costume off and traded it for a simple glittering black mini dress and more comfortable heels. I fixed my hair and touched up my makeup before heading out towards the front of the house. When I emerged from the door I turned to the bar to find Haru already holding out a drink for me.

“Here Princess, you definitely need it. You doing alright?” He asked concerned.

“Yeah, I think so. Thanks Haru,” I took the drink from him and lifted it in a toast motion before taking a healthy sip.

I glanced up and saw Shika scowling in my direction, standing there with the others. I sighed, anticipating a rather awkward conversation, as I walked towards them. Naruto was the first of the others to notice me approaching. When he did, he waved me over dramatically.

“Hey guys,” I forced out shyly. “Happy birthday Naruto! You guys having a good time?”

“It's definitely better now,” Kiba stepped closer and put his hand on my shoulder. “What about you?”

“Yeah we saw you take a spill you alright?” Naruto, clearly inebriated, motioned emphatically and almost tanked it off his barstool.

“Yeah I got out pretty much unscathed,” I shrugged and looked over to Shikamaru, who was being unusually quiet, given the circumstances.

The five of us stood there and conversed for a little while, stopping a few times to convince Naruto both that he didn’t need another drink and also that the little bowls of cashews sitting on the bar belonged to everyone.  When they had announced that the club was closing and for patrons to begin making their exit, we said our goodbyes with Kiba and Naruto telling me they looked forward to coming back as Sasuke drug them out by the collar of their shirts.

When Shika went to walk away, I pulled him back by the front of his t-shirt causing him to stumble forward into me with a small grunt. He swayed on his feet before reflexively placing a hand on my hip to steady himself, he had been drinking too.

We were close enough that when I looked up, I was staring directly into his eyes, “I’ll come over one day this week and we’ll talk about it okay?” I said in a soft voice.

He looked down at me with an unreadable expression on his face before nodding, “Yeah just let me know when.” His voice was equally as soft.

He backed away slowly, his hand on my hip the last thing that was pulled away. I waved as he turned around and made his way out the door. I knew he wouldn’t tell Obito, but I also knew he wasn’t happy about this. I could tell from the look on his face. He wasn’t mad at me, but there was something else there. I sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that night before heading to the back to collect my tips from the night, gather my things, and catch a ride home with Ayane.

***

“Can you believe how sexy Raki looked in that diamond thingy? Can you believe we go to school with a girl that hot?” Naruto almost tripped over a crack in the sidewalk.

“Yeah I know. I’m definitely spending the summer there. I gotta figure out if they have a membership, or a punch card at the very least,” Kiba grinned, drunkenly stumbling himself.

“Shut the fuck up guys,” Sasuke growled pushing them both towards a bush on the right of the sidewalk.

I hung back a few steps and pulled out the joint I had brought for me. I was probably just as drunk as they were, but I was steady on my feet as I squinted an eye for the proper depth perception to light it. I tried to control my annoyance at the comments that I had expected since we discovered the girl we had all had a hard-on for was Raki. I did feel bad for Sasuke though, he was probably scarred for life at the thought of being turned on by what was essentially his sister.

We eventually came to the corner where Naruto and Kiba needed to branch off. “Here man, before I forget. Happy birthday,” I tossed the joint to Naruto’s open hands.

He looked at it in awe like I had just thrown him a double cheeseburger before thanking me and pocketing it. Kiba told us Naruto was staying at his house tonight and proceeded to drag him down the sidewalk, leaving me and Sasuke.

“So you gonna snitch to Obito?” I asked passing him the joint.

“No, but I’m going to torture her by letting her think I might,” he blew out a cloud of smoke.

I chuckled as we walked down the street, thankful this night was over.

*** 

Bonus Scene

***

I stumbled into my bathroom and turned on my shower. While I waited for the water to get hot I peeled off my clothes and tried to quell the amount of stress I was feeling. 

I had snuck in quietly enough, my parents already asleep and unbothered as I clumsily ascended the stairs to my room. I had shut the door behind me and crashed into my bed, resigning myself to sleep in my clothes, too lazy to remove them. I had laid there in drunken thought, a thousand things on my mind. After tossing and turning for at least a half an hour with no sign of sleep I got back up.

I tested the water with my hand before stepping into the shower. I sighed as the comfortably hot water cascaded into my hair and down my body. I rubbed against the now healed tattoo on my peck as I soaped up. Feeling myself become more relaxed I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head. I was already buzzed and was still stressed so I did the only other thing I could think to do to relieve enough of it to maybe help me get to sleep.

My hand traveled south and gripped the base of my member. The hot water and the soap allowed me to pump my hand up and down my shaft, sliding pleasantly from base to tip. I sighed as I picked up the pace, imagining different scenarios where the sensation I was feeling wasn’t from my hand. I pictured a pair of bouncing tits, my dick sliding in and out between a splayed apart pair of legs and I found myself getting close.

Suddenly, my thoughts ventured to the other day on the roof with Kumaraki, but this time she was in that infuriating little bodysuit from tonight. I had her hands behind her back. She was pressed up against me, but I had her bent over, her shoulder leaning on one of the large pipes for balance as I pounded into her. Then all the sudden, she was down on her knees in front of me with her mouth around my cock, bobbing her head.

‘Fuuuck,’ I thought as I came hard with a groan. Water washed the white ropes that sprung forth from my tip down the drain. I shuddered in relief as I re-rinsed my body off before stepping out of the shower. I wrapped a towel around my waist and flopped back down on my bed. I was thankful that I felt sleep sneaking up on me, as I decided I would eventually have to deal with the fact that I had just masturbated and the thought of fucking my best friend is what brought me over the edge.

***

So what did you guys think? Did anyone catch the Easter egg characters from another awesome anime? lol I’ll give you a hint: they’re all employees at Kanpai. We finally got some honest to god admittance of Kuma and Shika’s attraction for each other. It’s about time right? And of course the cat’s out of the bag now, I told you she couldn’t keep it a secret forever. Now the question is how will everyone handle this new discovery, and do we in fact have our first glance at the villian of this story? Also did you guys like the juicy little bonus scene? It’s the first time I’ve tried any outright sexual content so let me know if it flowed realistically.

A few things to note: 

for Kuma’s catsuit think Britney Spear’s Toxic diamond bodysuit. 

Also again the parodies make an appearance. Kuma uses a Sailor Pluto (Sailor Moon) wig and Powderpuff Girls are obviously meant to be Powerpuff.

Also I’m pretty sure you all know who Terasoma is based on the physical description, and with him not technically having a last name I didn’t want to really make up one so I went with the voice actor’s last name. He will reveal his first name in a future chapter just in case you don’t realize who he is yet.

As always I’d love to hear what you think so please leave me reviews letting me know!!

Chapter Text

Hey everyone! I’m back with another installment of Kuma No Naka Ni Atama! I know it’s been a few months, but this chapter’s just as juicy as ever. We’re starting to get into some good fluff territory as our two besties start to realize their feelings for each other. I’m not gonna slap you in the face with it just yet though cause we all love a ‘will they, won’t they’ right? I mean spoiler alert they will, but we gotta work for it. lol As always the italics denote a thought or flashback. Also if a character is talking on the phone their part of the conversation will be marked with a ‘~’ symbol and their words will be italicized.

TRIGGER WARNING: There are a few scenes in this chapter that involves mild depictions of grooming and stalking. Nothing is graphic but as much as I would love you to read my story, if it begins to make you uncomfortable please just skip this chapter. Enough with my rambling, enjoy the chapter! 

***

¥115,407. That’s how much I had shoved into the envelope currently sitting in my purse. Honestly, it was enough to fund the remainder of my summer vacation comfortably, but why stop there? At this rate, if I kept going, I could probably afford to do whatever I wanted to do. Something I had currently made no headway on deciding.

I wished I had a sign. Something universally cosmic that would show me I was on the right path, or something that would at the very least point me in the right direction if I wasn’t. I supposed it never helped to expect your problems to automatically be solved. For the moment, I was embodying the age old phrase “fake it until you make it.” I would just have to trust that sooner or later I’d figure everything out. I tried not to worry too much about things as I stepped up to the teller counter to make my deposit.

Once I had secured my finances, I headed in the direction of my cousins’ house. Obito was at work, and so rather than spend the day at home alone, I decided I would go and annoy my favorite pair of brothers. After fifteen minutes of walking in the thick heat, their residence came into view. Sasuke and Itachi lived in a luxury apartment building similar to the one Obito and I lived in. Their parents, my Aunt Mikoto and Uncle Fugaku, lived in a rather large house not far away. About a year ago Sasuke had struck a deal with them; in exchange for a parent free lifestyle, he had committed to high school and university excellence. As long as he maintained good grades and stayed out of trouble he was allowed, much to the chagrin of my older cousin, to remain living with Itachi.

I continued to walk until I came to the front door of the building. I pressed the second button from the bottom, the one labeled ‘Uchiha’, and wondered how long it would take for Sasuke to buzz me in. He should be home, we were on summer vacation after all. There was even a good chance that I would get to annoy Itachi as well. He was in his last semester of classes at Waseda University and was about to graduate with a degree in business. He would have been out of classes already at this time of day, and most of the time he hung around his house.

A loud buzz signaled me to pull the door open. I slipped through and headed over towards the elevator. I entered the code to take me to the second floor on the keypad. The next time the elevator doors opened I was in the entryway of their apartment. It was smaller than ours with only three steps from the elevator to the front door. However, unlike ours, on the other side of the door there was a little foyer where they kept a shoe shelf and a table for keys and mail. This is where I discovered a small mountain consisting of about five or six pairs of shoes.

“Heeeeyyyyy it’s meeee, your favorite cousin!” I called out.

I didn’t wait for a reply as I walked further into the house, wondering who all the shoes belonged to. Once I made my way into the kitchen I had my answer. Sasuke was digging through the cabinets looking for something to stuff his face with. He lost my attention after about two seconds in favor of the group sitting around the kitchen table. I realized that I actually wasn’t that familiar with Itachi’s friends. The one with the short, dark blue spiky hair was named Kisame. He had been Itachi’s best friend since they were in middle school. He had smallish, dark eyes and sharp, angular features that, beginning at age eight and forever since, had reminded me of a shark’s face. 

The other two I had maybe seen in passing once or twice. One of them had bleached his long hair blonde and kept it up in a high ponytail. When he picked up his drink from the table, I noticed a tattoo of a mouth with a tongue sticking out on his palm. Kamisuru Deidara…I believe his name was, and Akasuna Sasori was the other boy. He was quieter than even Itachi, and kept his wide grayish brown eyes on his cup, letting his shaggy, mousy red hair shield most of his face.

“Soooo, who do we have here?” I sing-songed as I pulled out a chair and sat down in the seat to the right of Deidara.

“Awww,” he tutted, “You don’t remember us? I certainly remember you,” he grinned and scooted his chair closer to me.

“Oh yeah? What exactly do you remember about me?” I quirked my eyebrow.

He smirked while looking me up and down, “Oh…plenty of things. Like for starters those fantas-”

“So what are you doing here?” Itachi promptly interrupted our exchange. He was talking to me, but his eyes were trained on Deidara with one of the most hateful glares I’ve ever seen Itachi produce. The blonde, perhaps familiar with the intimidation my cousin was famous for and the violence that usually followed, mumbled a quick ‘nevermind’ and focused his attention back to his drink by taking a healthy sip.

“I texted Sasuke that I was coming over. Didn’t he tell you?” I propped my head on my elbow while gazing past Itachi’s head to his younger brother, who was now standing by the microwave waiting on his food to finish heating.

“Must have forgot,” Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and without another word, shuffled into the living room with his bowl of instant ramen.

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Itachi, “Ito’s still at work, so I figured I’d stop by. Where’s the rest of the jolly ol’ gang?”

“Being lame. Konan and Yahiko are studying for some exam and Hidan and Kakuzu are off looking for some guy that owes them money,” Deidara grunted and poured more liquid from the bottle on the table into his cup.

“Hidan? Isn’t that that Terasoma guy?” My ears perked up. “Give me his number Tachi, I wanna tell him ‘thank you’ for the other night.”

“You don’t need his number. I told him you said ‘thank you’ later that evening,” he crossed his arms, his tone suggesting that that was his final opinion on the matter.

“Yeah but don’t you think it would be more polite for him to hear it from me instead of someone else? We don’t want people thinking our family is rude right?” I bartered, this particular angle usually working with Obito, who was ever eager to please our grandfather by upholding the family “excellence”.

“No,” he stated simply. And that was the end of that…for the moment.

The second he left the kitchen to go to the bathroom I verbally pounced on Deidara, whom I thought was my best shot at getting what I wanted, “So Kamisuru -”

“Deidara,” he corrected me.

“Deidara,” I tried it out before continuing, “you would logically have this Terasoma’s number right?”

“Logically,” he smirked.

“So could I have it?” I gave him one of my best flirty smiles.

“For a price,” he leaned back in his chair staring me down.

“Name it,” I shrugged my right shoulder and tilted my head confidantly. 

“You give me your number and I’ll text it to you,” he pulled out his phone.

Kisame barked out a sharp laugh, “Uchiha catches you with her number and he’ll have your ass.”

Deidara glared at him, “I’m not afraid of him.  Annnnyways,” he turned his attention back to me. “Listen Gorgeous, there’s a party coming up this weekend. I’d love to text you address and see you there so if you put your number in my phone I can give you that phone number you wanted too.”

“Deal,” I smirked, taking his phone and putting my number in under the contact name ‘Minaide’.

I handed him his phone back and pulled out my own to scroll through Instapic. He shoved his in his pocket and was taking another sip of his drink when Itachi walked back into the room. Hopefully he didn’t suspect anything. It was getting close to time for Obito to get home and I wanted to be back at the house when he got there. I was hoping to con him into getting us some takeout for dinner. I stood up to stretch and tucked my phone back in my pocket. 

“Well I’m headed home. Come on, give your favorite cousin a hug,” I taunted Itachi by spreading my arms out wide and stepping towards him.

He took a step back but the table prevented him from going any further, which I used to my advantage. I closed the gap between us and wrapped my arms around Itachi’s body. While I had him trapped the other way, I glared at Kisame who was making direct eye contact with me, an amused expression plastered to his face. I pinched together my finger and thumb and drug them across my mouth as if to say ‘Keep your fucking shark mouth zipped Kisame.’ A matter of seconds after our bodies made contact Itachi grunted in disgust and squirmed his way, rather easily, out of my arms. 

“I’ve told you not to do that,” He smoothed his clothes back out.

“Oh, you love it,” I grinned, fighting the urge to really push my luck and ruffle the hair on the top of his head. I decided I didn’t have a death wish after all, “Weeeeeeell, I’m gonna head on out. Catch you guys later.” I waved while winking at Deidara.

I headed back to the front door passing the living room on the way out, “See you later Sasuke.” I called out to the younger of the cousins, who was sprawled out on the couch, eyes half glazed over. He just nodded his head and grunted, not bothering to look away from the anime he was watching. I rolled my eyes and let out a little ‘pffft’ sound with my mouth before heading out the front door. As I stepped out onto the sidewalk, I felt my pocket vibrate. I pulled out my phone and smiled as I glanced down. Even if Itachi wouldn’t give me what I wanted, I’d found someone that would. I quickly saved the number and typed out a message.

Me:

Hey this is Minaide from Kanpai. I just

Wanted to thank you personally for the other night. ;)

***

A few days later, I found myself standing in front of Shikamaru’s room adjusting my black crop top. It’s not like I hadn’t been in his room over a thousand times before…so why the hell was I dreading this time so much? Probably because I knew the awkward ass conversation that was coming. And because I still hadn’t really come up with a good explaination for why I hadn’t said anything to my best friend about my career change. I didn’t feel embarrassed or shy when I was on stage, so why was I so apprehensive for Shika to see me like that? I shook off my doubt and buried my feelings before turning the door knob.

On the other side of the door, a shirtless Shikamaru sat sprawled out on his bed. His parents were out of the house, his dad at work and his mom running errands, so I shut the door behind me. 

He lifted his head up eyeing me, “What a drag. Don’t you ever knock?”

“So far? No,” I crossed the room and sat down on the bed by his legs, putting my little backpack on the floor.

He sighed as he sat up and reached for his nearby shirt. I noted the pleasant way his muscles involuntarily flexed as he pulled the white t-shirt down over his head and then the tattoo that went together with mine. I then noted, that I was acting super fucking weird and tried to mentally compose myself. He leaned back up against the wall and crossed his arms, looking at me expectantly.

“So….,” I looked around the room, at the floor, his tv, anything but his face.

“So are we going to talk about the elephant in the room? Or the stage rather?” He said, his voice soft, but dripping with trepidation.

I squinted my eyes, “Is that your way of calling me fat?”

He groaned and slammed his hand into his face and drug it down, “No of course not. You know what I meant.” 

“About my waitressing job?” I pretended unsuccessfully to play stupid.

“Or the lack there of. You weren’t exactly serving any drinks,” He tilted his head, expecting an explanation.

“Well like i said the other night, I did start out as a waitress. There was this other girl there, Baki, she had it out for me from the very beginning,” He shot me a pointed look. “She did! She’s like Irogawa times ten!”

“And so what she pushed you up on stage and you had to dance your way off or what?” He half turned and began rummaging through a drawer on his bedside table.

I rolled my eyes, “No, but her crazy ass did drug one of the dancers with this new date rape drug that’s going around called K.O. and tried to frame me for it. No one believed her and she got fired, but Hotaru ended up going to the hospital that night to get checked out and couldn’t dance.”

“And so naturally they gave you the opportunity to fill the position,” he stated more than asked. My best friend was basically a genius, he could fill in the blanks on his own.

I nodded, “It paid more than carrying trays of drinks and getting my ass pinched twenty times a night.”

“That’s…troublesome,” he had a strange look on his face. “But so is you not telling me…about anything.”

I sighed, “I wasn’t trying to hide anything really. I knew I couldn’t let Ito know and so it just became easier to not say anything at all I guess.”

He lit up a joint and took a puff, “Did Ino and the girls know?”

“They helped me pick out the catsuit,” I muttered while hanging my head, knowing there was no use in lying, because the only reason he had asked was to make me say the answer-one he already knew-out loud.

“So it was just easier not to tell me?” He sort of half-asked, half-declared passing it to me.

I groaned, frustrated more at myself than him, “Hell, I don’t know Shika! Maybe it’s just because…ughhhh, I don’t know, we’re best friends, but you’re still a man.  What was I supposed to say? ‘Oh by the way I’m dancing practically naked for money now, you should come down some time and catch a show! Make sure to bring your ¥1000 notes!’ Maybe I was already nervous about it and I didn’t need anyone to try and talk me out of it.”

“So you thought I would try and talk you out of it?” He blew out a cloud of smoke.

“I mean, I didn’t think you’d be very enthusiastic about the idea,” I shrugged my shoulders and held back a cough.

“I mean I’m not going to suggest Dad book you for the company’s Christmas party, or even that I like the idea of it, but damn Raki, when have I ever slut shamed you or any other girl for that matter?” His arms were crossed again.

My mouth pouted into a frown, “Well…never, but-”

“It’s your body, your business. I can’t tell you what you can and can’t do, and I’d never try,” he paused for a minute before continuing quietly. “What hurts is that you didn’t feel comfortable enough to tell me…I mean that’s not to say you have to tell me everything.”

His face turned red as he gripped his head with his free hand in frustration, “Fuck, this is a drag…What I mean is, I just don’t want you to keep secrets from me because you think I’m gonna judge you because…nothing you do could ever make me think less of you.”

He fell silent after that, having said his piece. The joint was spent and now in the ashtray on his bedside table, while he still remained leaned up against the wall. I looked at my best friend while he looked down at the comforter. He was my oldest friend and most trusted confidant. I had trusted him with nightmares, deepest fears, even subjecting him to witnessing hysterical breakdowns after the death of my parents. Why had I felt uncomfortable telling him this? Why did it feel like I was doing something dirty behind his back? 

I sighed and rose up on my knees before falling foward into him. I ignored the surprised grunt that came out of him and how the sound of it made me feel, as I wrapped my arms around his middle and laid my head on his chest, “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. Are we still best friends? Will you forgive me?”

I looked up at his face and his eyes that were actively staring at me. He had the strangest look in his eyes as he looked at me silently. After a brief pause, he sighed before putting one hand on my back and the other on the top of my head gently pushing it back onto his chest, “What a drag, like you even have to ask.”

‘So that’s that then, I guess.’ I thought, not bothering to get up and move even now that the issue was resolved. We laid there like that for what felt like awhile. He played with my hair by picking up strands and letting them drop before gently grabbing another handful. It was lulling me and him to sleep. I could tell by the way his pace got slower and his heartbeat had slowed. I was almost out, my eyes closed and heavy, when my phone vibrated and chimed a short jingle. It startled the both of us awake. I pulled away from his arms and sat up despite his grunt of protest.

“What time is it?” I grabbed my phone out of my pocket. I quickly discovered the reason my phone had buzzed. It was a text message.

Kiba:

Hey gorgeous, I’m heading to Yakiniku Q now.

Meet you there?

I groaned. I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. I typed a quick reply back.

Me:

Yeah I’m leaving in just a second.

See you soon.

“What?” Shika cracked an eye open.

“I’ve got to go,”I said getting up and slipping my phone back into my pocket.

“Why?” He complained. “Let’s just go back to napping. I was comfortable.”

“Cause I told Kiba I’d meet him for lunch,” I slipped my backpack on.

He sat up straight, “You’re having lunch with Inuzuka? Why?”

“Because he asked me to,” I said matter of factly.

“Well what if I ask you to? Why don’t you just have lunch with me?” He looked like a pouting toddler after his toy was taken away.

I snorted in laughter, “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yeah…later,” he said reaching for the remote to the tv.

As I walked out the door, I heard the television come to life. The sounds of a gory zombie movie filled the air. I descended the steps and shut the front door behind me. I bent down and retied my shoe before setting out towards Yakiniku Q and my lunch date with Kiba.

***

I squealed in anticipation as Hinata and I walked into Mori-No-Yu Sauna. I had just finished slurping up the last of my taro boba through my straw and elected to throw the plastic cup into the recycling before walking up to the front counter.

Ignoring Hinata’s protests, I paid for the both of us. The woman handed me a receipt, our robes, and the keys to our lockers. We headed to the left of the desk and walked down the hallway to the women’s baths. We unlocked our lockers and swapped our clothes for the robes and shoved our belongings into our designated spaces. We grabbed two towels and claimed a couple of chairs to set them on.

I huffed and sighed as my skin adjusted to the temperature of the steaming water. I sank my body under the water, keeping just my head and neck above the surface, and felt my muscles relax against the side of the pool. I fiddled with the small towel on my head, letting it compete with the large bun of hair for space as Hinata settled down in the water across from me.

“Ahhhh, there’s nothing more relaxing then a sauna after getting back from a long trip,” she leaned her head back.

“I think I was an iguana in a past life,” I said laughing.

“Eh?” She cracked an eye open.

“If you gave me a big hot rock to bask on right now, I’d be in literal heaven,” I closed my eyes in complete relaxation.

After a few minutes of perfect silence Hinata cleared her throat, “So what did you want to talk about?”

My strategy of relaxing myself into forgetting my emotional woes was working until she had brought it up. I groaned, “Oh Hinata why don’t we just relax a little first?”

“Something’s clearly on your mind and you may as well just come out with it. You’ll feel better than if you keep putting it off,” She tutted, ever the wisest of my girlfriends.

“Well…I….how does Naruto make you feel?” I blurted out.

“Na-Naruto? You asked me here to talk about Naruto?” she said uneasy.

“Well no, not exactly. I just wanted to get your honest answer…and compare it to my own feelings,” I said wincing through the last part.

“Feelings for whoooo?” She drew out that last word with a grin on her face.

I sighed not ready to come clean yet, “You first.”

“Well…,” she thought for a minute. “He inspires me to be a better person, like all of the sudden I feel like I can be the best version of me. He makes me feel confident…but also self-conscious all at the same time…” she laughed. “I get so worried about every little thing I do. Am I doing something stupid? Did I say something silly or weird? My heart races every time I’m in the same room as him, whenever he looks at me it feels like my whole body is on fire.”

By the time she finished she was a blushing mess. I just ‘hmmmed’ in response and pondered to myself. That didn’t sound like how I felt when I was around Shikamaru. He made me feel confident and was encouraging when it came to me expressing things I wanted for myself, but I wouldn’t say he inspired me to do better. Matter of fact, he was usually slacking off right there with me. And the only time to date that I had felt self-conscious around him was the other night at Kanpai, but those were hardly normal circumstances. I admit there had been a time or two as of late where he did make my heart race, but without all those other things was that love? Granted, all those times involved physical interaction. Was I just horny? 

‘Maybe I just need to get laid.’ I thought sighing and readjusting the towel on my head.

I thought more about Hinata’s words. There was someone who I did want to impress with my accomplishments, someone who I couldn’t stand to look stupid in front of. He made me constantly mindful of my appearance and made my blood run through my body like liquid fire when we were in the same vicinity. I thought about one of the first times he had made my heart race.

***

I was fifteen and at the height of my bad girl era. It was a Thursday night and, not planning on attending school the next day, per usual I had snuck out of the house. Ito had gone to bed early, saying something about needing to be refreshed for the meeting the following day. After that, it had simply taken one text of ‘Hey I want to see you’ from Daisuke and I had thrown on some makeup and made my secret escape into the night. 

A short time later I walked up to the building Daisuke had texted me to meet him at. It turned out it was just an old grocery store on the corner. Him and some of his friends were hanging out in the alley behind the now closed business. He flicked the cigarette out of his hand as he watched me walk up, a grin on his face.

“There’s my girl,” he pushed himself off the brick wall of the building and stepped forward, snatching me up and capturing my lips in a forceful kiss.

I pushed him off me halfheartedly, embarrassed of such a display of affection in front of his friends, “Ughhhh, you’re such a pig.”

Hibiki and Keita, the two throwing dice on the pavement, grinned and jeered at the scene.

“Hey now! Be nice, or I won’t give you the present I got you. Come here,” he smirked good-naturedly.

I rolled my eyes, but walked back towards where he had been leaning up against the wall. On the ground there was a light green paper bag. He picked it up and produced a fancy looking bottle of what I guessed was alcohol.

“What’s this?” I asked inspecting the bottle, enamored with running my fingers over the little embossed stars on the label.

“I figured my girl deserved something classy. Even brought a fancy glass,” he reached into the bag again and pulled out a small delicate looking glass. It was the type that I had seen actresses drink from on tv. 

I took a sip from the now full glass, enthralled and impressed by the way the liquid felt light on my tongue and the bubbles tickled my lips. I now know that it was only a bottle of Kizakura Stars, a cheap brand that cost less than ¥1000 to buy. Classy, indeed. It didn’t matter though, Daisuke was nineteen, he was an older guy with a job at an auto shop. Incredibly handsome, with a jawline that could cut glass, and he was interested in me.That stupid Irogawa bitch could have Yahiko if he wanted her more than me. I happily threw on a pair of rose colored glasses and ignored every red flag that came my way.

After a few glasses, I found my head feeling as light as the sparkling sake had tasted. Daisuke was happily conversing with Isamu, the other member of his friend group, but I was getting bored just standing in a stupid alley way. I had filled the last fifty minutes with doing nothing except smoke cigarettes and watch the occasional delinquent walk up and buy a sack from Hibiki.

I turned to him, frustrated, “Can’t we go and get something to eat? Or go to your place?”

Isamu barked out a laugh and elbowed him playfully which only encouraged his boldness, “Ahhh? You just can’t wait to get at me eh? I knew that sake was a good present.”

He snaked an arm around my waist and attacked my neck with his lips animalistically. I grunted in disgust and tried to push away from him. I didn’t mind him acting like that behind closed doors when it was just the two of us, but I hated the way it felt when he did it for other’s to see. I was no longer in the mood for his antics and was considering just walking home as soon as I could get free of his wandering hands.

“Come on baby, just chill out,” I could feel him say the words, his lips pressed into my neck.

Within a second of hearing a strangely familiar voice angrily say ‘Hey!’, the heat from Daisuke’s breath on my neck was replaced with the cool air of the night. I heard a sickening thud accompanied by a grunt a moment later. I turned to look at the back wall of the grocery store. A man had Daisuke pressed up against the wall with his fist gripping the front of Dai’s shirt, and I definitely recognized that mop of silver hair. 

“What the fuck?! You got a problem prick?” He shouted angrily at Kakashi.

“Yeah she’s fucking fifteen. Keep your hands off her,” Kakashi ordered.

Daisuke scoffed, “Bullshit. She didn’t act fifteen the other night when I had her in my be-”

He was interrupted by Kakashi’s fist colliding with his mouth and then nose, blood springing forth from both. Kakashi then spoke in a menacing voice that I had never heard come from him before, “Listen real close motherfucker, you don’t speak to her, you don’t look at her, from now on you don’t know her. Understand me?”

I sighed in distress at the confrontation, not expecting Kakashi would have been moved to physical violence so quickly. I looked around and realized it was now just the three of us. Isamu, Hibiki, and Keita had all scurried away as soon as shit had hit the fan. ‘Some friends.’ I thought.

Daisuke nodded visibly shaken, the blood from his lip dribbled down onto his shirt. He looked around now noticing as I had, that his back up had fled. Not wanting to risk further damage to his face he folded, “Y-yeah man. Whatever you s-say. She’s all yours.”

Kakashi seemingly satisfied with his answer released him, but shoved him to the ground in doing so. He ran up behind Daisuke who was sort of crawling away and gave him a firm and literal kick in the ass. In a rather unattractive display Daisuke began stumbling backwards and eventually transitioned into a sort of weird crab walk to pick himself up off the pavement. He stumbled around the wooden fence leading into a residential area and that was the last I ever saw of him.

Once he was out of sight, Kakashi turned round towards me. He eyed me up and down, I supposed checking to see if I was visibly okay, but the look in his eyes and the way his labored breathing caused his toned chest to heave made my heart race. He strode towards me as if on a mission. Once he reached me, as I stepped towards him in protest, he put a hand on my shoulder and spun me around. He looped his other arm in mine and began walking us towards the street and in the direction of home.

“What the hell was all that about? What are you doing?” I shirked his arm off me. Looking back I was an idiot for that, I shoulda soaked that up as much as possible.

He let go of me without a fight but kept his pace slowed with mine and stayed right beside me, “Walking you home…and keeping you safe.”

“If I needed a bodyguard I’d get my brother to pay for one,” I stuffed my hands in my pockets.

“Yeah speaking of your brother. He know you’re out right now?” He shot me an accusatory glance.

A huff and growl of anger was my only reply. The air then settled into a thick silence the rest of the way home. We got to the corner across the street from my apartment. I could see the gate at the front and the ladder still undisturbed on the right side in between the trees. I stopped walking and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of my pocket and lit one.

“Hey, what the fuck?” Kakashi snatched it out of my mouth.

I pulled out another one out of the pack and lit it, “You ruined my evening. You could at least let me have one cigarette before I head back up to my cell.”

This time the cigarette stayed in between my lips. I took a puff and watched him squint his eyes in annoyance before taking his own hit of the one he had stolen from me.

“I think you’ve had enough fun, but what exactly did I ruin? What were your plans for the evening?” He said mockingly.

I blew a cloud of smoke out, “At the very least I was hoping to get some food and something to smoke.”

“From that shithead? And what does he get out of the deal…you? Doesn’t seem like a fair trade,” He scowled. 

“Listen, I appreciate the lecture but I’m obviously not a kid anymore,” I flicked an ash with my thumb and leaned against the wooden fence we were standing beside.

The look in his eyes changed again. All of the sudden his hand was on the fence right beside my head and he was standing inches away, “No apparently not. But since you’re an ‘adult’ now,” he said the word sarcastically. “I’ll give you some advice: assholes like that, don’t deserve to breathe the same air as you.”

Something in the way his deep voice sounded made my heart beat as fast as a hummingbird’s. I felt sure it would burst out of my chest and start jumping around on the sidewalk. He licked his dried lips and backed up before running a hand through his hair and sighing, apparently conflicted by something. I felt a heat low in my stomach, the way I had felt the first time Daisuke and I had been together.

I managed to keep my cool and took one last puff of my cigarette before flicking the butt into the street, “I’ll try to keep that in mind. Thanks for walking me home.”

I turned to walk across the street but not before hearing a “I’ll wait till you climb up” in a firm tone. I sighed and quickly made my way through the gate and over to the ladder. I quietly climbed the rungs knowing Kakashi’s eyes were on me. Once I had folded the ladder back up I shut my sliding glass door without looking back out to see if he had walked away. I remember going straight into the bathroom to clean up the mess in my underwear before throwing on a large t-shirt and climbing into bed.

***

“Raki?  Hellooooo Space Cadet? Earth to Raki!” Hinata was waving her hand in front my face.

“Huh? What?” I looked around, all the sudden I was eighteen again and back in the sauna.

“I said your face is turning into a tomato. Where’d you go just now? You were far away,” her eyes had a way of looking past the surface, like she could see things about yourself even you couldn’t.

“Eh? It’s nothing I was just thinking,” I smiled and waved my hands frantically back and forth as if it would be enough to shoo away the memories and her suspicions. 

Reliving that memory, and thinking about what Hinata had said. Was I in love with Kakashi? It would make sense with the way I get around him. Maybe it wasn’t just a crush or simple lust. Looking back, those feelings had been there for years. I felt safe and protected around him. He always looked out for me even standing up to my own brother at times. And he gave me butterflies in my stomach.

“Well I hope I gave you enough of an answer to help. Now let’s get out of here before we turn into prunes,” she grinned before rising out of the water. 

I let out a laugh and followed suit, climbing out of the pool and wrapping my towel around me.

***

‘I really need Obito to get me a fucking car.’ I thought as I lifted the straps of my backpack higher onto my shoulders. It was currently 3:57 Saturday morning and my feet hurt as I walked down the sidewalk. I had just came off of a decent shift, but I was ready to get home and had taken off about five minutes ago instead of waiting the thirty minutes it would have taken for Kubo and Ayane to close up and give me a ride.

I thought I had heard footsteps but when I turned around and nothing was there, I decided to ignore it. A few feet later though, I definitely heard the rustling of a trash bag. This time I was too afraid to turn around. I tried to convince myself it was an animal, but I couldn’t deny the feeling of eyes on me. My hand trembling a little, I pulled out my phone and opened my favorite’s list and hit the ‘2’ button.

‘Please pick up. Please, please, please.’ It was ringing.

On the third ring, which was a new record for him, a groggy voice answered the phone, “~Hello.”

“Shika? Hey can you come meet me? I…I think someone is following me home,” I gripped the phone tight as if it was him I was holding onto.

“~Where are you?” I already heard the rustling of clothes and shoes.

“On Kaminarimon, about to be at the corner of Nakayoshi,” I whimpered, willing him to already be there instantly.

“~I’m on my way. Stay on the phone,” I heard a door close which meant he was indeed on his way.

I tried to keep calm while I continued down the street. All of the sudden the bushes to my right rustled but I couldn’t feel any breeze that would have caused it. I felt a wave of panic strike me and I hastened my walk. A thick wall of fear pressed against my back and propelled me further down the sidewalk.

“Are you close?” I asked, desparation oozing from my voice.

“~I’m right around the corner ba-…I-I’m almost there.” He stumbled over his words.

I could hear the echo of my heart beating in my head. It sounded as loud as my steps on the pavement. I was almost there. If I could get to the end of this building, our neighborhood was right there. 

‘Just let me make it a few more steps. Please.’

As I rounded the corner, I let out a cry of relief. Illuminated by the streetlight, I saw Shikamaru as he began crossing the intersection. I took my phone down from my ear and broke out into a jog towards him. It only took a matter of steps before I had crashed into him and firmly attached myself to his torso.

“Hey, hey…you’re okay. I’ve got ya now,” he wrapped his arms around me much in the same way he had the other day, one hand on my back and the other on the back of my head.

“Fuck you’re shaking,” his large hand began rubbing up and down my back in an effort to comfort me and stop my nerves from vibrating my whole body.

I pulled away from him once I had calmed myself enough to stand without his support. I took in his appearance. Sweatpants, a wife-beater, and sandals told me he hadn’t bothered to waste time with getting dressed. Even the lumps and twigs of hair sticking out of his sloppy ponytail showed he hadn’t hesitated once he knew the situation.

“I-I’m okay…now,” I said looking at him and heaving another sigh of relief. I had never been so happy to see him.

“Let’s get you home,” he said before putting an arm around my shoulder and walking me the rest of the way into the neighborhood.

*** 

Bonus Scene

***

Despite her saying she was okay, I was still unsure. Hell I was unsure that I was okay. When she had called me like that…in the middle of the night, the fear in her voice. I don’t think I’ve ever moved faster in my life. I never had a better reason, and I had never been scared like that. She hadn’t said what had happened, and I didn’t ask for an explaination. 

I had gotten her home safe, but even when we were standing in her entryway and she was kicking her shoes off, she seemed uneasy. I couldn’t deny the urge to fix it and comfort her. For a fleeting moment I thought of proposing to spend the night and keep her company, but then decided against it. I turned to leave but she grabbed my arm

“Will you stay with me for a little while?” she asked meekly.

I nodded and offered to sit with her in her room for awhile and smoke.

“Yeah that sounds good. Thank you,” she let out a heavy breath and fell up against me, pulling me into a hug. In the last couple of weeks she had become more physically affectionate. I had definitely noticed, and tried to ignore the fact that I had been finding myself enjoying it and even anxiously awaiting the next time an opportunity would present itself for it to happen again.

I pulled away after a few seconds, afraid that being too greedy with my selfish motives would potentially cause things to become awkward. We went to walk down the hallway when I heard Obito angrily call out, “Kumaraki! Do you have a boy over here? It’s like 4 a.m.!”

“It’s just Shikamaru!” She yelled back, but didn’t have the same fight in her voice she usually had.

‘Yep. Just safe ol’ Shikamaru.’ I sighed.

“Whatever then. Just don’t wake me up again!” Came the only reply we got.

I followed her to her room, not knowing why I felt weird about being in her room in the wee hours of the morning and wondering why it bothered me that I no longer seemed to raise her brother’s alarm bells. 

***

So we all saw how Kuma thinks she’s in love with Kakashi but called Shika the minute she was in trouble right? But flashback Kakashi definitely took care of business. Our girl’s definitely got some unresolved issues to work through, but we’re getting to see some feelings. We also have our first look at some real conflict in the story. Who was following Kumaraki? Shika came to her rescue this time, but will he always be around? And did anyone catch the fact that he almost called her ‘baby’? He’s definitely starting to slip. We’re gonna get a lot more dramatic from here on out. I can’t wait to hear what you thought about this chapter so please let me know in a review!!!

Chapter Text

And here we are yet again…another author’s note beginning with an apology for the delay in updating. A few of you might know if you read the comments from the last chapter, but my mother’s cancer had really been taking a toll for the last year. A few months ago in June she lost her battle with cancer and passed away, and my grandmother followed her a month and a half later. I had always intended to publish this chapter long before this but obviously the weight of everything that had been going on was a lot. Writing is and always has been an outlet for me so I will continue the story and will hopefully not wait a year between chapter releases. Thanks to everyone who read this far and let me vent a little. The next two chapters are going to be another duel pov type situation. One will be from Kuma’s point of view and the other Shika’s, and we’ll see the same events from different perspectives just like before. This chapter is super fluffy and we get to see flirting from multiple people. Hope you enjoy it!!

***

I woke up late Saturday afternoon feeling like I had been ran over by a semi. I couldn’t tell if it was from dealing with the adrenaline crash or if it was the fact that Shika and I stayed up until about eight in the morning. I don’t know what time he left, just that he was gone by the time I opened my eyes again and a pillow under my head had replaced his shoulder. I yawned and sat up trying to judge how much of the day had passed by the amount of light coming in through the windows.

I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen twice, bringing it to life. It was already 4:30 p.m. ‘Damnit! I have to be at work in four and a half hours.’ I groaned in thought. I hated the fact that I had slept through most of the day, feeling like I had cheated myself out of relaxation time. I needed to shower and eat. I could do my makeup and hair at the club but if I waited till then, I would have to do both in an hour. I sighed, resigning to take a little time after my shower to do my hair. I looked at my unread texts before I headed to the bathroom.

Terasoma:

No problem sweetheart, you can fall into my

arms anytime but if you’re looking to thank

me personally…I’m sure I could think of something ;)

I snorted in laughter and rolled my eyes at his blatant and shameless flirting.

Pineapple Head:

I went home to take a nap. I didn’t wanna wake

You after it took so long for you to fall asleep. I’ll

See you later tonight. Be there around 2.

I went to set my phone down but there was one more that had come in. When I read it my stomach dropped.

Unknown:

I’m glad you made it home safe…

What the fuck was that supposed to mean? Did that mean someone was following me last night? Is this them texting me? How the fuck did they get my number? Kanpai had all our numbers…did someone from work get my number to check up on me? I found myself desprerately hoping that that was the case. I convinced myself that it was no big deal and plugged my phone into the charger, deciding that I would ask around at work tonight if anyone had texted me. All of the sudden I was relieved that Shikamaru would be there to walk me home again tonight.

I stepped into the shower and tried to let the hot water lull me into a sense of relaxation. It wasn’t completely successful, but I did feel better after I got out and dried myself off. I laid the groundwork for the evening ahead by curling my hair and putting on a base layer of makeup. I threw on a t-shirt and shorts before putting my phone in my pocket and heading to the kitchen to take care of my growling stomach.

***

Take up some space

You’re too far away

Make no mistake

I think you should stay

I had eyed an older gentleman in a rather expensive looking suit and began seductively crawling across the stage towards him, my seifuku skirt riding up in the process. If there was one thing we had an abundance of in this country, it was middle aged men with schoolgirl kinks. I discovered my instincts hadn’t failed me, as I saw him pull out a large wad of bills from his pocket and began throwing them towards the stage.

I had made it to my second set of the night and hadn’t found any relief from my early anxieties. When I had gotten to Kanpai I had walked into the back and asked Kubo if anyone had requested my number in the last few days. Much to my chagrin she had told me that no one had to her knowledge. I knew it hadn’t been her or Ayane that had texted, I had their numbers saved in my phone. I had Haru’s and Yoko’s saved too, so that ruled them out as well. When she had asked me why I wanted to know, I had shyed away from the details and only told her I had gotten a text from an unfamiliar number and wondered if it was someone from work.

Say you’ll have me

Oh, taste and see

Hope you don’t sleep on me

I’ve got good and plenty

I finished my routine and gracefully rose up off the stage floor, blowing a kiss to the audience before walking off and backstage. I walked over to my usual station and began taking my school girl outfit off. I was the last girl to perform in the rotation tonight so I only had a little less than a hour before the next set started. I hurriedly pulled the black Poster Girl body suit on before fiddling with the three diamond buttons that-once they were fastened- looked like they were one deep breath away from flying across the room.

I slipped on my usual black heels and headed down the hallway to the bar. Drink in hand, I made my way back to my station to fix my makeup and hair. I sat down and once I had finished refreshing myself, I pulled out my phone. I sipped from the straw in thought, glancing down at the seemingly foreboding text. The sender had come across as ‘Unknown’ so I didn’t even have a number to start basing guesses off of. It was certainly troublesome to think of what the context of the message was. I was positive it had something to do with last night, but had no other pieces of the puzzle.

I had stayed in my head with my spiraling assumptions awhile longer, until about 2:15 a.m. Sato interrupted the quiet storm of thoughts by appearing in front of me with a comb and several strands of hair tinsel. Happy for the distraction, I nodded and let her sit down while I began helping her install the pieces. I knew Shika said he would be there around 2. Normally I would have emerged from the back to greet him, but he was what he liked to call “fashionably late” more often than not, so I figured there was a decent chance he hadn’t arrived yet.

“You ok?” Sato’s voice once again, brought me back to reality.

“Oh yeah sorry,” I shrugged lightly laughing.

“You’ve been awful quiet tonight? Boy issues?” She hypothesized with a head tilt.

“No,” I smiled and waved my hand in the air dismissing her theory. ‘Well I mean I have those too, but that’s not exactly it.’

“Okaayyy,” she drawled out as if she didn’t believe me, but she left it at that.

When I had finished, and once she had playfully fluffed her hair in the mirror several times, Sato went and got us another round, insisting that I needed to drink some of my problems away just for the night. When the first sip of strawberry daiquiri hit my tongue, I was half inclined to believe she was right. By the time we slurped up the last of our drinks it was time for Sato to go back on for her set. After her I was next, so I brushed my hair back out and went out the stage door for the third and last time of the night.

***

I practically fell back into my chair once I had come back into the dressing room. I kicked my shoes off and sucked the straw from my old drink, only being rewarded with a small amount of watered down alcohol from the melted ice. I pulled out my phone and checked the time. I hadn’t made it a point to search the audience for Shika while I had been dancing, but I had hoped that by now he was lurking around somewhere.

Me:

Hey, you here?

I didn’t have to wait long for a reply. I saw three dots immediately and knew he was responding.

Pineapple Head:

Yeah. I’m at the bar.

I smiled, a feeling of relief inexplicably washed over me now that I knew he was here. I shoved my shoes back on and picked myself up out of my chair. I tossed my phone back on the counter and made my way down the hallway and out to meet him.

Shika’s back was turned to me as I approached the bar. I saw he had a drink in his hand, a short glass-his usual jack and coke. I also noted he looked different than he usually did, after a few seconds I figured it out. It was his clothes. Shikamaru typically dressed in what I’d call “loungewear”. Normally it was sweatpants or basketball shorts and t-shirts, but tonight he was in dark blue jeans and a gray button-up. He still hadn’t spotted me, so as I came up beside him I nudged him playfully before coming to a stop in front of him.

“Hey,” I smiled.

He was mid-drink when I had bumped him. He took a second to look me over before I saw him smile into his glass. He quickly swallowed his mouth full and nodded his head with quick ‘hey’. For a minute we just stood there face to face and looked at each other, seemingly slightly embarrassed. I struggled to come up with something to say, thinking that if I asked him if he had caught my last set it would make things more awkward. So instead, I found myself appreciating his newly found fashion sense, before realizing that I was effectively “checking out” my best friend and shoved those stirrings to the back of my mind.

“So I have to wait for them to get my tips sorted out and counted but then I’ll be ready to go. You want another drink while we wait?” I motioned to his glass that become empty since I had come up to join him.

“Yeah that sounds good,” he nodded setting the glass on the bar.

The motion caught the attention of Haru, who turned his head. His grin spread across his face when he saw me waving him over. He turned back to the guy he had been talking to for a second and then headed to where we were standing.

“Hey Princess! You want your usual?” I nodded, noticing the look of annoyance that swept over Shika’s face as Haru turned around and began fixing my drink.

“And one more jack and coke for my friend,” he had turned back around and glanced at Shika as if only just then noticing his presence.

After a couple short minutes he presented us with our drinks and leaned his arm on the bar, facing my direction, “You were great out there tonight, but then again when haven’t you been amazing? It must be nice to be able to make easy money.”

I laughed off his compliment, “Easy money? My feet tell me otherwise. After tonight, I’m gonna need to hire a masseuse for my poor feet.”

“Hell save your money! I can give you the Fujimura Full Body Special if you ask me nicely,” he grinned wiggling his eyebrows. Again I did not miss the slightly aggressive cough that came from Shikamaru as he lifted his glass to his lips.

I scoffed at Haru before rolling my eyes, “I’m literally terrified to even think of what that entails.”

Shortly after our exchange, Haru was pulled away to the other side of the bar by a couple of thirsty patrons trying to fit in one more drink after hearing ‘last call’, which left Shikamaru and I in the middle of another lingering silence.

He looked like he was about to open his mouth to say something but at the same moment Sato found me and clamped a manicured hand on my shoulder, “Hey girlie, Kubo says they’ve got almost everything bagged up so it shouldn’t be much longer.”

I nodded in reply. She looked at Shika and then winked at me, “So who’s your friend?”

I took another sip of my drink, “Best friend actually. This is one of the people I mentioned running into the other night. This is Nara Shikamaru. Shika, this is Sato, my work wife.” Her and I laughed as the two of them nodded at each other in greeting.

“So I haven’t seen you around before, you gonna be a regular now that our little Minaide is working here?” She nudged me playfully with her elbow while looking at Shika expectantly waiting for his answer.

Embarrassed, he looked at me for a moment before deciding I would be of no help to get him out of the question. Admittedly I was curious of his answer as well. He cleared his throat before answering, “I mean I guess that’s up to her. As long as she’s comfortable, I don’t mind where I spend time with her.”

Sato smirked before glancing at me, “Sounds like I should get used to seeing you around. I’ll let you guys finish your drinks. By the time you’re done Kubo should be ready to pay out. I’ll see you in a few.”

And then she had flitted away leaving me alone with Shikamaru again. I laughed and took a rather lengthy sip from my glass. I knew he had seemed apprehensive about this place at first, but I was hopeful that his reply had meant that he was slowly but surely coming around. Still though, I knew he had a life and I couldn’t ask him to be my personal bodyguard and escort me home every night. I relished in the fact that I at least had him here with me tonight, and that meant my guaranteed safety.

We finished our drinks and set our empty glasses on the bar. He fished out some money from his pocket and laid it on the counter. I noticed it was too much for his one drink alone.

“Oh, don’t worry about mine. Dancers get three free drinks a shift,” I smiled moving to separate some of the money.

“Another perk of the job I suppose,” he rolled his eyes, but lightly swatted my hand away. “He can keep the rest as a tip.”

I shrugged, smiling, “Let me head back and change and get my stuff and then we can go.” I lingered for another minute before wrapping my arms around his neck in a hug, “Thanks for being here tonight.”

I felt his body stiffen up for only a millisecond before feeling his arms wrap around my waist and squeeze me back, “Like I was gonna tell you no.” He said softly in my ear.

I let him go and headed through the door to the back and down the hallway. I stopped at the office and grabbed my bag of tips from Kubo. After a compliment of ‘another good night, kid’ and a ‘thanks’ I headed to the dressing room to change and pack up my bag for the night.

Only clad in my underwear, I stuffed the money bag in my backpack and began pulling on the high rise black jeans I had came in wearing earlier in the evening.

“So best friend huh? I wouldn’t be right about those boy issues I mentioned earlier would I?” Sato, with an incredulous smirk came up beside me.

I let out a wry chuckle, “Not in the slightest, we’ve known each other since diaper days. If anything he’s more like a second brother.” Liar. The word suddenly sprung up in my head.

She rolled her eyes, “Well I have three brothers and none of them have ever looked at me the way he looks at you. He doesn’t think of you like a sister, I know that and I’ve only known him for like five minutes.”

I scoffed and pulled the sage green tube top over my head and began adjusting it. I didn’t reply. I was too busy digesting her words. Now that I thought about it, this might have been the first time that someone outside of our friend group had seen the way we interact with each other. And the conclusion that she had drawn was…that we, at the very least he, had more than platonic feelings. I had felt some weird little twinge of something at the thought and then had no idea of what to do with it as I pulled on my white slip on tennis shoes.

I said my goodbyes to the girls and tried to ignore the thoughts swirling in my head about the talk I had just had with Sato, knowing full well I was about to be face to face with the subject of said conversation. I exited the door to the back and found him standing by the hostess counter, waiting. He nodded his head when our eyes met, signaling that he had seen me. Normally I’d shoot him a finger gun or something else goofy, but suddenly after mine and Sato’s conversation I didn’t really want to be silly.

“Hope you at least made a shit-ton with how long it took you. I’ve been waiting to smoke for fifteen minutes,” he mumbled, said cigarette between his lips.

I rolled my eyes as he lit it up as soon as we hit the sidewalk. He looked like a delinquent, walking with his tall frame slightly slouched over, hands in his pockets, cigarette hanging out of his mouth. I secretly hoped it would dissuade my potential stalker if that’s what had really happened last night. I glanced over at Shika, who was flicking an ash, and outrageously wondered if I could convince him to get more tattoos to increase his intimidation factor, at the risk of him looking like yakuza. ‘Actually…that might be sexy.’ I thought for a split second before scolding myself by forcefully clearing my throat.

He looked over at me, blowing out a cloud of smoke, “You alright over there?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I choked out, embarrassed. ‘I was just over here thinking how hot you’d look with a neck tattoo. Get a fuckin grip, Kuma.’

He eyed me quizzically for a moment before accepting my answer and carrying on down the street. I looked around at our surroundings. It was the same street I had walked down last night, but it felt completely different thanks to Shika’s presence. I still couldn’t shake the feeling of someone’s eyes watching me but I saw no shadows and heard no suspicious noises. I quickly chalked it up to paranoia and decided that smoking a big bowl with Shika once we got home would be a suitable cure.

It didn’t take us long before we had entered our neighborhood. It was about four already so we tried to enter the building as quietly as possible. I stepped into the elevator and realized that Shikamaru hadn’t followed me in. I turned around quickly and stuck my arm out to prevent the doors from closing.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you gonna stay the night…please?” I looked at him, silently hoping that he would agree to my request, knowing I was being slightly ridiculous for doing this two nights in a row.

He sighed, I assumed annoyed at the thought of spending another night outside his bed, “If it’ll make you feel better, okay then.”

Once he stepped inside I moved my hand, allowing the doors to close. I swiped my key card and pressed the ‘3’ button. A second later, I felt the elevator lurch to life as we ascended to my floor. When the doors opened and we were in our entryway we paused to take off our shoes. As he pulled off his second shoe, his socked foot stepped on his laces causing him to trip forward into the wall. I thought his face would quite possibly make a Shika shaped hole in our wall or scuff the paint at the very least, but at the last second he caught himself with his hands, planting them on the wall above the row of shoes.

“SHHHHHH!!!!” I hissed quietly while trying to stifle a laugh. I didn’t want to wake Obito up again like last night and risk his wrath.

“Sorry,” Shikamaru half whispered, half mouthed.

I huffed air out my nose in a tiny laugh before turning to walk to my room. He closed the door behind us and flopped on the bed. I threw my backpack into the computer chair and grabbed the big black t-shirt and white basketball shorts, courtesy of Obito’s dresser, hanging on the back.

“I’m gonna go change into pj’s. Everything you need’s in my bedside table drawer,” I nodded to said piece of furniture as I walked towards my bathroom.

“I’m not gonna find anything…girly in there am I?” He went to pull the drawer open but hesitated.

“Like what?” I rolled my eyes.

“Like the things only girls keep in their nightstands…” He said annoyed.

“Ohhh…no, I keep that in my underwear drawer,” I shrugged while he scowled at me. I turned around and headed into the bathroom and closed the door, but not before giggling after hearing him grumble out a trademark “What a drag” accompanied by an “I didn’t need to know that”.

I quickly discarded my street clothes for the more comfier ones, and piled my hair into a messy bun on the top of my head. I didn’t bother removing my makeup, deciding I’d sacrifice skin care for the cure to my anxiety. By the time I came out, Shika was reclined back on my bed, button up shirt and shoes kicked off. He was zoned out, attention focused solely on the trashy reality show he swore was beneath him last week.

I walked over to the bedside table and picked up the freshly packed bowl. Wordlessly, he sat up and repositioned himself with his back against the wall in the middle of the bed, while I sat down and filled the empty space he’d left. He handed me a lighter and I lit the bowl, taking the first hit before passing it to him.

“So this douchebag has hit on two other girls at a club, persuaded Naoko to give him a kitchen tat, and has now justrevealed that he can’t kiss her because he got an STD from some random chick he slept with a week before they met in person. Also, just so you know, that’s apparently not considered cheating because he did it while him and Naoko were just ‘talking’,” he made air quotes while blowing smoke out of his mouth.

I laughed at the disgusted expression on his face as he passed the pipe back, “Ughhh I hate Daisuke. That guy’s literally the gross band-aid you see floating in the public pool.”

He snorted out in laughter before taking another turn. We passed it back and forth making fun of the drama as we watched. Two more episodes had passed before Shika eventually grew tired of the theatrics and offered to prepare our next bowl if we did something else.

“Like what?” I mused, the sky had started to lighten but it was still before the hour the world normally came to life.

“We could play Epic Brawl Fighters,” he shrugged, busying himself with his end of the bargain.

“As long as you don’t wake Obito up with your bitching when you lose,” I smirked getting up to put the game in and grab the controllers.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Yeah right.” He grunted when I tossed the controller at him. He was using both his hands and didn’t have time to react as it made sudden contact with his chest.

“Damn troublesome woman, if you break the pipe I’m not buying a replacement,” he scowled.

“That’s fine. I can always get one of my regulars to buy me one,” I stuck my tongue out at him and pulled down a lower eyelid.

He choked on his hit, “I don’t want to think about that.”

“Then you shouldn’t bring it up,” I giggled, pressing my luck.

He rolled his eyes as I sat back down beside him. He passed the pipe back to me as he bypassed the opening story to get to the start menu.

“So did you hear about Naruto’s party on Wednesday?” He selected a mode.

“I might have gotten a text from Ino the other day about it. Who has a party in the middle of the week anyway?,” We began picking our team of characters.

“Well…?” It was his way of asking me if I was planning on going.

“Well,” I countered. “Assuming his parents aren’t going to be there to make us play multiple rounds of Fukuwarai like his tenth birthday, then yeah I figured I’d go.”

“They obviously wo- get your cursor off Moshi, you know I always use him,” He glared, taking a hit.

I blew out a cloud of smoke, “You don’t get to have a monopoly on Moshi, I can use him too if I want. You gonna walk there?”

He nodded, “With Choji. Fine then, I’m gonna use Hirby. I supposed you’re walking with Ino and the others?”

“I don’t care who you pick because I’m an adult,” he turned to scowl at me. “and yeah they’re meeting at Ino’s and coming over here,” we finalized our teams and selected a random arena.

It took about twenty minutes of playing when I got tired of getting my ass kicked. I resigned myself to watching Shika play through the story mode for another half an hour before dozing off. The last thing I remembered was grabbing one of my pillows, propping it up against the side of his leg, and laying my head down.

***

Wednesday evening found me standing in front of the mirror in the corner of my bedroom. I turned from one side to the other trying to see how big the black spaghetti strap dress I was wearing made my ass look. I adjusted sleeves of the sheer white undershirt, debating whether I could handle the scratchiness of the material for the rest of the night. I decided I didn’t feel like changing into anything else since I had already done both my hair and makeup.

All of the sudden I heard the buzzer by the front door. I sighed and walked down the hallway over to the telecom system. If you lived here and had a key card you simply went to the elevator and used it to get to your floor. If you were a visitor you had to press the button that corresponded to the apartment you were visiting. It would activate both the camera above the buttons and the one on the home unit you selected, allowing them to see who had come calling so they could buzz you in on their end.

‘Whyyyyyy?’ I internally groaned. Through the screen I could see Asuma, hands full with cases of beer, and Genma loaded up with brown paper bags that appeared to be filled to the brim with who-knows-what. I had forgotten that today was Genma’s birthday. The guys were using our house as “party headquarters” tonight and they had beat Obito home. I hit the buzzer and unlocked the front door so that when they got off the elevator they could come in.

Less than five minutes later I heard Hurricane Asuma touch down from in the kitchen. I had been trying to be proactive and clear out some space in the fridge for the beers I had already seen. I had just shut the fridge when he came busting in.

“Your brother here?” I opened the fridge for him as he began shoving the cases in.

“Unless he’s turned invisible, not yet,” I reached in and grabbed a beer before tossing Asuma one.

“Sure help yourself,” He rolled his eyes.

“Thank you so much, I will,” I stuck my tongue out while opening the can.

“I’m going to smoke,” Asuma called to Genma who was rounding the corner.

“I’ll roll a blunt if you’ll share the beer,” I said grabbing a bag from Genma.

“You get all dressed up for my birthday for me?” He wiggled his eyebrows at me now that his view was unobstructed.

“No, I’ve got my own party to go to, sorry. I’ll be back later, but I’ll make you a deal though.”

***

We were out on the balcony when the sliding glass door opened. I looked over and through the cloud of smoke I blew out I saw Obito and Kakashi look at each other with a grimace and then back to us.

“What….the hell are you guys doing?” Obito quirked an eyebrow.

I assume he was referring to me reclining in a beach chair with my feet propped up on Genma’s knee while he painted my toenails for me. “Oh this is my birthday present to Genma, you know he likes to do all those freaky little simp things.”

Obito dragged his hand down his face, “Please Kumaraki.” He groaned out in disgust. I cackled at his discomfort.

“Ok, I suppose that tracks…but why is Asuma smearing glitter in your hair?” Kakashi pointed.

I looked up at said man, cigarette between his teeth and eyes squinted in concentration, gingerly holding a strand of my hair in one hand and spreading glitter gel on it with the other and said matter-of-factly, “Because my fingernails are still wet.”

They both stared incredulously for a moment longer before rolling their eyes and cracking a beer. I smirked and took another hit of the blunt before passing it to Obito.

“So what are you getting ready for?” He asked me in between a coughing fit.

“A party at Naruto’s. The girls will be here in like twenty so we can walk together,” I said, admiring the fresh pink color now covering my nails, Genma having finished his job.

“You coming home tonight?” He was much more lax about my social calendar during the summer weeks, especially since I’d turned eighteen.

“Yeah I’ll be back later, I’m sure I won’t have to worry about waking anyone,” I laughed knowing that they’d still be in party mode by the time I came home.

***

“So who’s going to be at this party?” Ino interrogated.

“I don’t know! You’re the one who told me about it in the first place,” I shrugged. We had fallen behind Sakura and Hinata who were a few steps ahead of us on the sidewalk, deep in their own conversation.

She groaned, “I hope Naruto invited more than just our friends. I need to find a cute guy for myself!”

“Oh that reminds me!” I dug around in my crossbody for a second until I fished out a small thin piece of plastic. “One fake ID ready for use,” I grinned, handing it to her.

She squealed in delight while looking it over, “Yessssss! If there’s no cute guys here at least I have a way to find them somewhere else.”

“What about Neji?” I suddenly thought.

“Who?” She turned her head so fast her ponytail came around to smack her in the mouth.

“You know, Hinata’s fine ass older cousin? He’s like two years older than us, we saw him this past year at their Christmas party…” I goaded her along trying to get her to remember who I was talking about.

Her eyes and mouth went round with recognition before scrunching themselves up in disapproval, “The one that stood up against the wall and had a sour look on his face the whole night? No way!! He’s way too serious. He looks like his idea of a fun date would be reading the encyclopedia to each other.”

I laughed and shoved her playfully, “Suit yourself. I think he’s pretty cute, and you need someone to rein you in so you’re not so boy crazy.”

“I’m not boy crazy…I’m boy focused,” she countered and we both burst out into laughter while skipping to catch up with the other two.

***

The four of us stood on Naruto’s porch waiting for him to let us in while Sakura beat on the door. When he finally answered he appeared in the doorway with a fox-like grin on his face, “Laadieees! Now the party can really start!”

As he stepped aside and ushered us in, I sincerely hoped that his statement did not mean we were the first girls to arrive. Apparently, he had just been throwing around the phrase. As we made our way through the house, we saw several people from school, some of those being our fellow female classmates. He directed us to the bar in the kitchen that had been set up with cups, ice, and bottles of various alcohol.

“So what can I get you girls?” Naruto gestured to the drinks.

“Why don’t you make Hinata a drink,” I said grabbing a cup for myself and scooping it in the ice. “Shika made it here?”

“Or Sasuke?” Sakura had a one-track mind shaped like my cousin’s face.

“Not yet, but Kiba’s asked about you,” he said rolling his eyes, two cups in hand. He looked at Sakura, “Duckbutt’s down the hall somewhere.” Then she was gone out of sight.

“Hmmm,” I looked from Ino who was making eyes at me to go find Kiba, and Hinata who was red-faced making eyes at Naruto. “I guess I should go make the rounds. Take care of our girl, Naruto.” I patted Hinata’s head as I walked off.

“You got it!” He hollered, throwing an arm around Hinata’s shoulder. She practically melted into a puddle. I smiled as I turned around, a new side quest unlocked, and walked further into the house. I crossed through the rest of the kitchen and went outside to the back.

There weren’t many people on the porch and even fewer in the tree lined back yard. The sip I took of my drink quenched my thirst after walking down the steps and over to the left corner of the lawn. I pulled out my phone and considered texting Shika to see where he was at. When I opened my messages, there it was staring back at me, the third conversation down…

Unknown:

If you wanted someone to walk you home

You should have just asked me. We could have

Walked together this time.

The newest message from my would-be stalker, a.k.a. my newest secret on the ever growing list. It had come through Sunday night while I was sitting on the couch watching tv with Obito. It was making me bug out just thinking about it. So I decided not to. I just wanted to relax and have fun with my friends. I closed my phone, stuck it back in my bag, and pulled out the blunt I had brought with me. I held it between my teeth while I dug through my crossbody with one hand for a lighter. All of the sudden fire appeared at the side of my vision.

“Need any help with that?” I looked up into Kiba’s eyes.

I bent forward so the tip entered the flame and took a few puffs lighting it, “Thanks. That your way of covering up you coming over here to mooch?”

“No. I came over here for your company, the weed is just a bonus,” he laughed, I could tell he was already a little tipsy. “But since I am here, can I mooch?”

I blew out my leftover smoke in a laugh, “I suppose lighting it earns you a couple hits.”

I passed it to him and he took a long hit before passing it back, “Good enough for me.”

“You been here for a long time?” I asked, watching the cherry glow red in the darkness of the backyard.

“Only for a little while. It was starting to get boring though, till you showed up,” he shuffled closer when he took the blunt from my hand, a calculated move.

I smirked, “I do like to be entertaining…occasionally.”

“You always entertain me,” he said in a low whisper, closer than he was before. Close enough for me to smell his sporty cologne and the alcohol coming from his breath.

Before I could say anything Shino had approached us from behind Kiba. I passed the blunt to him with my right hand, causing Kiba to look over his shoulder. Shino nodded in thanks, while Kiba jumped in surprise.

“Damn, dude! You gotta make a little noise when you walk up on someone like that,” he glared.

I couldn’t tell if Shino returned it or not, his ever-present sunglasses were still on his face even though it was now past eight in the evening. He blew out a cloud of smoke and wordlessly passed it to Kiba.

“Hey Shino, what’s up?” I took my hit.

“Yeah man, did you need something?” He sort of said the last bit through the side of his gritted teeth.

“Yeah, I came over here to keep you out trouble,” He said stoically.

“Psssshbt, the only one here that’s trouble is Raki,” he winked at me.

“Precisely,” Shino crossed his arms.

I took one more hit to avoid having to make a comment. I almost regretted it. The exact moment I had a mouth full of smoke, a sound that could only be described as a dying cat in heat burst forth from the patio door. Naruto had plugged in the karaoke machine.

“Someone get that microphone away from him!” I blew out my smoke and yelled in a laugh.

Just then Ino came bounding down the stairs towards us, her hands covering her ears, “He’s branched over into American country music. I can’t take it!”

I laughed at her dramatics and looked down at the ever shortening blunt, “You want a shotgun to take the edge off?”

She pouted, but took one look back towards the door when Naruto squeaked out a particularly high note, before stepping forward. Ino didn’t really smoke. There had been a few occasions when it was just her and I and she decided to let loose, but she often complained about how harsh it felt in her throat. This was the easiest way to accommodate her.

“A shotgun?” Kiba quirked an eyebrow.

“You’ve never heard of a— oh here, let me just show you,” I flipped the blunt around so the side with the cherry was in my mouth and held it securely in my teeth. I grabbed the side of Ino’s face and pulled her close enough to kiss her. I held my lips together and blew the smoke into her mouth as she sucked in. After a lengthy hit she pulled away and I took the joint out.

“That was….interesting,” Kiba elbowed Shino with an entranced expression on his face.

“You want one Shino? Hurry up, I’m running out of gun here,” I teased Kiba by offering his friend one first.

He turned his head before looking back at me, “I’d better not.”

“I’ll take one!” Kiba stepped up rather enthusiastically and stumbled slightly.

I put my hand out on his chest to steady him and laughed, “Easy there tiger. You’ll have to bend down a little bit.”

I flipped the blunt around and leaned up on my tip toes. I put my hand on his shoulder rather than his face, like I had with Ino, but kept the rest of my body pulled away. If you wanted to drive a boy crazy you had to keep your points of contact to a minimum, otherwise it tends to encourage them. As he leaned in with his eyes closed to take the hit, he tilted his head down and placed a hand on my hip to keep himself steady. I blew out a large amount of smoke and waited till he pulled his head away.

I flipped the blunt back around before taking the last couple of hits for myself. When it was spent, I put it out on the side of the porch and put the roach back in my bag. I looked around for Ino and spotted her a little ways away talking to Rei Yukimura, a girl in our class.

I turned back to Kiba, “Well, I’ll see you later. I guess I’ll finish making the rounds and see if Shika’s here yet.”

I took a sip of my drink and waved, not giving him a chance to speak before walking away in Ino’s direction. As I got closer to Ino she walked off on her own back towards the porch. I snuck up behind her and pulled the shoulder strap of her bra and let it snap back onto her skin.

“Heyyy!” She turned around before laughing when she saw me. Her shotgun had definitely kicked in.

“Come on Blondie, let’s go back inside and unplug that microphone,” I linked my arm in hers and we bounded up the steps and back into the kitchen.

As I scanned the room for any new party guests, I practically bounced off of Choji’s back. He was hunched over the kitchen table making himself a sampler plate of the snacks Naruto had raided his kitchen to provide. By the time I shook it off and saved my drink from spilling I had lost Ino. I assumed she was soldiering on finish our mission.

“Where’s your sidekick? He said you guys were walking here together,— oh will you hand me one of those takoyaki? Thanks,” I asked him, cramming it into my mouth immediately.

“He should be around here somewhere. I thought he had went outside looking for you actually,” he spoke while trying to keep bits of food from coming out.

“Well we didn’t run into each other so I guess I’ll keep looking, thanks Choj,” I shrugged my shoulders and brushed past him to head into the living room.

As I walked through the proverbial epicenter of the party, I saw Ino trying to wrestle the microphone away from Naruto, who had jumped onto the back of the couch to continue his rousing rendition of ‘I’ve Got Friends in Low Places’ whilst out of her reach. I decided that I probably wouldn’t find Shika amidst all the chaos. He tended to opt for more ‘chill’ atmospheres, so I walked down the hallway hoping he had hidden himself away somewhere quieter like Naruto’s bedroom.

His bedroom door was cracked so I didn’t bother to knock before I pushed it open. I prayed that I wasn’t about to mentally traumatize myself by walking in on a couple trying to get some “privacy”. In my defense, if that was the case, then they really should have made sure the door was locked. Alas, someone must have heard my prayer because when I walked in all I found was Shika and Sasuke sitting on Naruto’s bed playing Shinobi Strikers and Sakura sitting at his computer desk looking like she was drowning in a pit of despair.

Her head raised up when she heard me enter and her eyes bulged in joy when she recognized it was me, “So what have you party animals been up to?”

“Nothing…literally absolutely nothing. They haven’t said a word for the last twenty minutes,” Sakura looked like she was seconds away from banging her head on the desk.

I quirked an eyebrow leaning up against the door frame, “You do know you can just go back to the real party right?”

“Oh…we—well,” she stuttered, her face turning red. I knew why she didn’t want to leave this room, but I couldn’t help but give her a little shit for simping over my cousin so hard.

“No, I know I get it. Naruto’s assault on our eardrums is almost over if Ino has anything to do with it,” I gave her a cover story just in case Sasuke was even bothering to listen.

Truth be told, he probably wouldn’t have cared one way or the other. He had an extraordinary ability to be almost catatonically unresponsive in most situations. Something he and Itachi definitely shared, which only slightly lessened my suspicions that my cousin was actually an alien.

I skirted around stacks of manga and empty instant ramen cups as I crossed into the room, a testament to Naruto’s usual state of affairs. I paused when I got to the two boys, eyes laser-focused on the screen. I studied Sasuke for a moment, before my gaze lingered on Shikamaru. The neon lights of the LED strips lining Naruto’s room cast a blue hued glow on his face that made me wonder when his jawline had become so defined. As I took a sip of my drink my eyes dropped to his hands. His thumbs working the joystick with a certain effectiveness, his fingers adeptly mashing the buttons in a quick sequence. I found myself imagining… well, other things his fingers could do and felt a warmth spread through my body, not sure if it was from the alcohol or something else.

‘Ooof, bitch reel it in! That’s quite enough of that.’

Deciding to let that train of thought pull away from the station immediately, I grinned wickedly before stepping over Sasuke to plop in between the two of them, “So who’s winning?”

“Me,” Sasuke grunted immediately.

“Debatable,” Shika replied rather quickly.

“Oh so then it’s you I should distract,” I said leaning over closer to Sasuke, arms outstretched and fingers wiggling.

All-to-familiar with my tactics, he immediately began inching away, increasingly frantic, “Stop it Kuma! We’re not five anymore and I will punch you if you fuck me up.”

I feigned horror as I clutched at my chest and leaned back onto Shika’s shoulder. I looked up at him, “Are you gonna let him threaten me like that?”

Shika rolled his eyes and groaned, “What a drag. I’m not a referee ya know.”

I sat up pouting, “Oh boo! You guys are never any fun. I’m going to talk to Sakura.”

I was trying to play it off, but in truth I was slightly miffed at Shika’s reaction. Normally he would say something along the lines of ‘Knock it off Sasuke’ or ‘You know you’re not gonna hit a girl’ but this time he had a certain attitude about him. It felt cold somehow, something Shika never was with me.

As I stepped over heaps of clothes and snack wrappers to get to Sakura we heard a loud cheer from the living room followed by what could have only been Naruto with a cry of “Noooo! My microphone!!” Ino had apparently finally succeeded.

I grinned at Sakura, “That’s our cue girly! Let’s make sure we get to the playlist before someone else does.”

I pulled her up out of the chair and turned. At the same time, in a divine coincidence, Shika had just dropped his controller onto the bed in defeat. I took a few steps and turned the console off with my foot and lunged at the two with my arms outstretched, ignoring their groans of protest.

“Perfect timing! Come on you two, let’s go,” I yanked them up by their wrists.

“Why do we have to go?” Sasuke complained.

“Because you need to be more social, and I’m not letting you spend the whole party without me and I’m not staying in a room that smells like sweaty socks and sour milk,” I directed the latter half at Shika.

“What a drag…why the hell are you so strong,” Shika grunted as him and Sasuke were thrust out into the hallway.

I chose not to answer as I herded the boys into the living room. I heard Fujii Kaze flow out of the speakers and decided that even though I hadn’t gotten to the aux cord the vibe was still very much acceptable. I gyrated my body to the beat and the flow the lyrics created. When I hip checked Sasuke, who looked like he was thoroughly pouting, he turned at me and grimaced.

“I don’t wanna dance with you,” he shrugged me off.

I laughed and pushed him towards my pink haired friend, “Fine! Dance with Sakura then.”

He grunted as he bumped into Sakura’s frame. In a rare display of boldness, that I would have to complement her on later, she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer before turning around and moving up against him. I saw him freeze for a moment, a tinge of pink dusting his cheeks, before he apparently decided to go with it and hesitantly let his hands rest lightly on her hips. I winked at her and giggled as she smiled like she had ascended to heaven.

I turned to look at Shika who was smirking at them before his eyes shifted to me. I smiled as I mimicked Sakura by grabbing the front of his green v-neck. The music blared as he stepped into my bubble. I threw my hands up and began moving my hips from side to side.

'Watashi no saigo wa anata ga ii (li)’

‘Anata to kono mama osaraba suru yori’

'Shinu no ga ii wa’

‘Shinu no ga ii wa’

As the chorus continued I spun around so I could lean against him. He wrapped an arm around my middle as we moved in sync to the beat. This was completely different than dancing at work, there was no thought out routine, no pressure to perform or look beautiful. Just fun, surrounded by my friends, people I knew and trusted. This felt like being free. This was the feeling that I had been searching for all night. I wondered if it was only a coincidence that it happened to come so naturally while wrapped up in my best friend’s arms.

As the song ended, I leaned up and got close to Shika’s ear so he could hear me over the music, “Would you mind getting me a drink pretty please?”

He glanced down at me before nodding his head. I smiled in thanks as he pulled away from me. I watched his form retreat until he disappeared around the corner. Without a partner, I continued moving my body to the next song in the playlist. I scanned the room while I waited for Shika to return. I smirked noticing Naruto and Hinata in the corner talking to each other in quite close vicinity. My cousin had also come out of his anti-social shell and was still dancing with Sakura. All in all my multiple side quests were all progressing quite nicely. I looked around for Ino and spotted her heading my way.

I grinned and pulled her close and we began grinding on each other like we usually did when we went out and wanted to get attention. We worked in a few moves we had choreographed with each other and finished the song giggling. About halfway through the next song a nagging feeling crept to the forefront of my head. ‘Where the hell is Shikamaru with my drink?’

I sighed slightly annoyed. He was lazy, yes, but not usually the type to get sidetracked from his task. I separated from Ino and tipped my hand up to my mouth signaling that I was going to get a drink. Pushing aside others who still populated the dance floor, I made my way into the kitchen. I didn’t see Shika or any of our friend group as I went ahead and made my own beverage, using a healthy amount of vodka.

I took a big swig before stepping out onto the back patio and almost running into Choji for the second time tonight. ‘Jackpot!’ I grinned, if any one knew where Shika had ghosted off to it would be him.

“Hey Choji, At the risk of sounding like a parrot, have you seen Shika? He was supposed to be making me a drink,” I said expectantly.

“Well…..,” he sort of trailed off while scratching the back of his head nervously.

“Well what?” I crossed my arms, becoming suspicious.

“Well….he sorta left, a few minutes ago,” he muttered, noticeably refusing to use eye contact.

“Like left to go home?!” I growled, becoming more than annoyed at our mutual friend.

“I imagine that’s where he was headed,” he said meekly.

“What the actual fuck? Why?” I threw my free hand up in frustration.

Choji just sort of fidgeted uncomfortably before answering, “Well, I can’t really say. You should just talk to him.”

I sighed, noting that the wrath emanating from me might be making Choji uneasy, “You’re right Choji. I’ll just talk to him later, have fun okay!” I smiled, trying to seem not so threatening.

“Will do,” he chuckled hesitantly.

I walked back inside and after another healthy sip I went back into the living room to find Ino and continue dancing. I wasn’t trying desperately not to let it ruin my evening, but I couldn’t help but admit that I was pissed.

‘What the fuck Shikamaru!!’ I couldn’t believe he had taken off and left me. I know we hadn’t walked here together but I was hoping he’d chaperone me home. Now the best option I had left was to convince Ino to walk with me. There was no way I was gonna ask Kiba to do it. He’d want to come in and with Obito and the boys there and drinking, it’d be like leading him into the lion’s den. I began to ponder how effective Ino would be in a situation with an attacker. What’s the chances I could muster the strength to pick her up and throw her at our pursuer to buy me enough time to run off?

***

“So whooooo did you say was over at your house?” Ino drunkenly leaned into me as we stumbled down the street together. I had bribed her for her company by inviting her to sleep over. Of course, that was after not forgetting to mention to her that Ito’s friends would be at the house and there would be more alcohol there.

“Uggggghhhh, all four members of the moron squad. Depending on how much my brother’s had to drink we could be facing something worse than Naruto’s forty-five minute long country jamboree,” I pulled her along.

We stumbled into the elevator and after only two tries I managed to get my key card into the slot to swipe it. Once I had pressed the ‘3’ button and it lurched upwards, we held onto the safety bar for dear life. When we made it into the foyer, I could hear the blaring of voices on the television competing with the low rumble of those that were in the actual room.

The first sight I was greeted with was the birthday boy himself, rather impressively contorted into a pretzel shape in the recliner, with a mostly empty bottle of Sapporo clutched tightly in his hands. My brother was no better, sprawled unceremoniously across the entirety of the couch. His black cap was pulled down low over his eyes and his half empty bottle of beer was shoved between his thighs, right hand gripping the neck. In a rather amusing and slightly pathetic display, he involuntarily threw his head back to let out a snore that sounded like it came from nothing less than a monster.

Seizing the opportunity, I snapped a quick picture at the height of his snore and sent it to Rin with the caption ‘This is what you have to look forward to…XD.’ I gazed at the sea of brown glass bottles that covered the expanse of the coffee table and frowned. They were all empty. Simultaneously, I also noticed the absence of half the party guests. Then I remembered the voices, and figured that, coincidentally that was probably where any remaining alcohol would be as well.

“You promised boys and alcohol, and I see neither,” Ino slurred as she picked up an empty bottle and pouted.

“First of all there’s two boys right there. It’s not my fault they’re comatose. There should be more alcohol in the kitchen though,” I patted the top of her head before dragging her towards the kitchen.

I was the first one through the doorway and noticed a bottle of Dewazakura Oka Ginjo sake on the table. Asuma and Kakashi also happened to be there. “See I told you there was more alcohol, Ino.”

As she went to move past me into the kitchen, she stumbled planting her face right into my chest. I steadied her as we broke into a fit of giggles. Asuma and Kakashi exchanged a drunken smirk while we untangled ourselves from each other.

“Well, well, well…look what the—,” Asuma hiccuped, “—cat dragged in.”

He was obviously tanked. I wondered how drunk Kakashi was. It wouldn’t be the first time we had been inebriated around each other, but I don’t think I had ever been this intoxicated in his presence. It was the result of getting pissed at Shika’s unplanned exit and throwing good judgment out the window as I continued to refill my cup at Naruto’s.

Now that I was safe at home and still annoyed, I planned to continue my bad decision making. There were two shot glasses on the table so I began to look for two more in the cabinets, while Ino tumbled into a chair.

“So I see you ladies managed to make it home unscathed,” I could feel Kakashi’s eyes lingering on me and hear the slight slur in his words.

“Psssh yeah. No thanks to Shikamaru,” Ino sighed grabbing for the bottle of sake.

At the mention of his name, I slammed the cabinet closed and set the two shot glasses down on the table a little more forcefully than I had intended, “His name is not to be said in this house for the foreseeable future.”

“Oh?” Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at me, “Trouble in paradise?”

I poured myself and Ino a shot from the bottle and glared at him while I slammed it back and then set the empty glass back on the table. His eyes were focused on me, lazily half-lidded, evidence of the amount of alcohol coursing through his system. His perfect mouth pulled to one side in a drunken grin.

“I don’t even know what that’s supposed to mean. He was supposed to hang out so he could walk me home and then just ghosted me,” I rolled my eyes.

“That’s why I told you, you should only bother with older guys,” Ino had turned her shot glass upside down over her mouth and was sticking her tongue out to catch the last drop.

“Interesting….very interesting,” Asuma snorted red faced.

I side eyed her with a glare, “I’m cutting you off Ino. Let’s go lay down.”

I grabbed two bottles of water and tossed one to her almost hitting her in the head when she didn’t catch it. She squawked out a complaint but got up and began trudging down the hall to my room. Asuma got up and went to the bathroom, leaving Kakashi and I alone for a brief moment. I grabbed my bottle and went to walk out when I felt a warm hand reach out and grab my wrist lightly.

“You know if you ever need something you just have to call me,” our eyes met each other.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said softly, my whole body buzzing.

“Think you can make it down the hall?…Or do you need an escort?” He cocked his head back with that same drunken smirk.

“I think I can manage,” I winked at him before pulling away. I walked to my room and shut the door before falling into bed with an already snoring Ino.  I was too drunk to deal with my feelings at the moment.

***

Well alright everyone!  That's the latest installment.  The next chapter will be the same events from Shikamaru's point of view.  Not to worry though, you'll definitely get more fluff and maybe even learn the reason Shikamaru left the party.  I promise it won't be another year until you get to read more so stay tuned.  Don't forget to read and review, I'd love to know what you'd think of it!