The bridge I crossed
The Sixteenth
The wedding reception came and went like a daze. I woke up to Lee's worried expression, his joy on seeing the new kimono that Sakura sent me, and finally, his utter gratitude when I offered to walk him to the reception room.
I had tucked in my oshugi* in the inside fold of my kimono. Wazuka had spent an afternoon with me and decided shogi-bukuro for the present. I had--the very night I bought the shogi-bukuro*--unfolded it carefully, written a long, thorough, cheerful letter on the inside, and re-made the envelope shape. For safety's sake, I added a note, saying, Lee and Sakura, there's a letter on the inside and this is not just a stupid envelope, and Lee please don't rip it up in your excitement, it took me god-only-knows-how-long to write it.
Kiba and Shikamaru joined me as groomsmen--Lee had asked them as well--and so we went about, inquiring about the comfort and needs of all the guests. The hall was large, larger than anything I had seen, and by the time I had finished doing my part of the job, I was already tired.
When the doors opened with the gong of a bell, the room fell silent and I saw Sakura walk in, her head bowed just so, her kimono trailing behind her, a group of female friends close at her heels. Wazuka walked among them, and I saw that her head was held high, her hand resting lightly on Ino's arm.
Sakura drew a few hushed, appreciative sighs and mumurs. She was dressed in soft, pastel green with white and light pink markings at the edge. Around the hem, it seemed as if there was a whirlwind of sakura petals around her feet.
As she came closer to me and passed by, I heard the soft swish of her kimono. I looked up to make sure that Lee hadn't passed out from sheer happiness and saw the kindest, happiest, softest expression I had ever seen on him. I felt a smile coming to my lips, and for the rest of lunch, the ceremonies, and later the early-supper, I would glance occasionally at the couple to catch a glimpse of their happiness.
Kiba, Shikamaru, Iruka, Kakashi, Gai--Lee's teacher from Kyoto U. and Iruka's colleague, I could now see where Lee got his inspiration-- and I ate together at one table. Gai occasionally made irrational challenges and in the end, the table decided to referee the Greatest Rock Paper Scissors Battle In All of Man's Youthful History. Kakashi won, out of sheer luck and with a bored expression on his face.
It was, I learned by the time supper came around, the seventieth of Kakashi's victories at Rock Paper Scissors. Gai planned on winning next time, though. But for now, they had to decide on some sort of award for Kakashi's victory. Anything, Gai enthused. He pulled out everything from his pockets. Anything you see at the table.
When Kakashi suggested that maybe Iruka be the prize--Iruka threw his food at him.
*
I fell asleep at around one in the morning the night of the reception, and when I woke up, it was five thirty. Groggy still, I made my way out of bed, glanced at the new kimono on the table, and went in for a shower. The wedding was at seven, and there were errands to be done.
By the time I left my room, it was already six fifteen, and I quickened my pace so I wouldn't be too late in meeting Lee. He hadn't specified last night, but I knew he was too shy to ask for me to be with him for the pre-wedding preparations. They would start at six forty-five, so that gave me thirty minutes to calm Lee down. I took a turn, and like two nights before, ran into Sasuke, who quickly stepped back and held out a hand to steady me.
"Sasuke." My mouth went dry. Wetting my lips, I explained, "I was on my way to see Lee."
He nodded and then offered, "I was going to check on some of the arrangements."
"Oh, good," I said, trying a small smile. I ducked my head for an instant, just for the sake of not having to look up at him, and then gestured with my hand. "Well, I should get going."
I saw Sasuke open his mouth and then close it again. He moved aside to let me pass, and once I heard him round the corner, I took off in a slow jog. When I reached Lee's room, I called his name and went inside once I heard his "come in." He was fumbling with the haro-hakama that his parents had gotten tailored for Lee the week before. "You're up early."
"Five thirty, actually," I said, moving forward to help him with the ties. "You?"
"Four."
I glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow. "A little nervous," he explained, chuckling. He paused, and then, "Thank you."
"Stop thanking me," I said, walking around him to make sure the sash did not fold anywhere. I made a full-circle and began to tie it. It took a few moments, and once I was done, I stepped back to take a look at him. He looked completely different with a full-blown traditional dress on, but it suited him. Made him look a little like..."A samurai," I said slowly.
"Is that a compliment?"
"Yes," I asserted and brushed off lint on his shoulder. "You'll have Sakura swooning."
He grinned and then was about to say something when there was a soft tap on the shoji door.
"Come in," Lee said again. The door opened and Shikamaru walked in, looking as casual as he did in the middle of the day. Kiba followed, rumpled, his eyes half-closed, and mumbling under his breath.
"Your damn wedding had to be this early, didn't it, Lee?" He asked moving forward to the bed. He collapsed face-forward and did not move again until Shikamaru came up from behind and kicked Kiba's feet that were still dangling on the down to the floor.
"Oy. Wake up."
"I'm awake." Kiba's muffled voice sounded distant. "My face is just very occupied by the bed. Please, come again and check in a decade or so."
Lee laughed. "You're up, too?"
"We would have come here earlier, but Kiba wouldn't wake up."
"How do you like it?" I said, motioning at the knots I had made. "Too bulky?"
"No, they're fine." Shikamaru pushed aside a few presents onto the ground before sitting down on the chair. He pulled out a cigarette, motioned at Lee for permission, and then began to smoke.
"It's seven in the morning, Shikamaru," I said, exasperated.
"No. Six forty-three," Kiba corrected. "It's too damn early."
I reworked one of Lee's knots until the servants came to announce that we were expected at the family room. It was another gathering, something that neither Shikamaru, Kiba, nor I were expecting. "Sorry, I forgot to mention," Lee said, walking slowly beside me.
When we entered the family room, I saw only men. Wazuka and the other female relatives were tending to Sakura. Kakashi held out his hand for Lee to shake. "We're very glad to have you join us," he said. I smiled at Kakashi, impressed by how he looked in a traditional Japanese outfit.
Once formalities were done, Kakashi detached himself from the crowd and made his way towards me with two small, white porcelain cups of sake. He handed me one and bent to whisper, "Now, keep staring at me like that, and I'll lose what little concentration I'd pounded into Sasuke this morning. Also, where's Iruka?"
I bristled and took a small sip, turning so that I was facing Kakashi directly. "You look good," I said. "He can interpret it in whatever way he wants. And stop stalking Iruka."
Kakashi ignored me. "Did something happen the night before the reception? Sasuke seemed a little...preoccupied."
I sighed and stared down at the cup. "Nothing happened."
"What do you mean, nothing happened. Sasuke was dazed all night and morning."
I shook my head again, and mumbled a denial when I felt Kakashi's hand on my shoulder. "Well, I'll be pleased to tell you that the rumor mill is already working. We heard the beginnings of your conversation with Sasuke inside the room."
"What part?" I asked, interested now. The topic was still the same, but at least it wasn't so closely related to what happened in my room.
"The part where you told him to shut up and called him a bastard without being killed. The ladies were impressed," Kakashi said, taking a sip. "Fodder for gossip, if I do say so myself."
"Well, today, tomorrow, and then I'm home again."
"So nothing got resolved, then?" Kakashi sounded disappointed. I raised the cup to my lips, ready to drain what was left of the sake, a useless attempt at hiding my own disappointment. "I was hoping that Sasuke's daze had something to do with sex."
The last comment came as a surprise, and I choked on the sake I was about to swallow. When I started to cough, Kakashi took the sake cup away from me and rubbed circles in my back. I turned away from the strange glances I was receiving and moved closer to Kakashi, who pulled me into something of a hug, rubbing circles into my back. "You all right?" I coughed again, took a deep breath.
"You have to say things like that, don't you?" I said, pushing him away and staring up at him. He was tallerl than me, as tall as Sasuke. "Always. Always!"
Kakashi looked over my shoulder, caught something that made him narrow his eyes. He put away the sake cups and took me by the wrist. "Excuse us," he mumbled and took me out of the room. We were a good ten feet away from the entrance when Kakashi stopped abruptly, turned around, and gathered me up in his arms. "I want to try something," he murmured before kissing me, long, deep, and hard.
The last time I kissed Kakashi, he hadn't shaved and was brittle to touch. This time, he was soft, his kiss was not full of desire, but convincing enough for me to want to reach up and press my palm against the muscles of his shoulder.
"What," I asked when Kakashi pulled away. He leaned in again for another kiss, and I put my question on reserve until he gave another break. "Exactly are you doing?"
"Oh, you'll see," Kakashi said, and then, without warning, pushed me against the wall of the corridor. I felt wood against my back and then Kakashi's hand was cupping the curve of my head. He had threaded his fingers in my hair and with slight pressure, tilted my head at an angle--and oh he was good. Didn't he want Iruka--and oh dear lord, save me, I was making out with the man who had a huge, embarrassing crush on Iruka. What if Iruka walked in on us?
I pressed my hand against his chest, trying to push him away, but then he caught one of my fingers, and squeezed it, almost a reassurance. Distantly, I heard the sliding of a Shoji door open and close, and then slightly hurried footsteps that came to a sudden halt. I pushed Kakashi away, taking advantage of his momentary distraction and stared up at him, angry now. "What was that? I gave you no permission to pull anything like that ever again. Also, Iruk--"
"And the green monster rears its ugly head," Kakashi mumbled, narrowing his eyes in the direction of the room's entrance. I turned, and saw Sasuke, eyes wide, jaw set firmly. He raised his head a little so that even from a distance, it seemed as if he was looking down on me and Kakashi.
"I came to check on you," he said, voice loud enough to carry over the noise.
I turned to Kakashi, and seeing a slightly pleased curve of his lips, realized his plan. That manipulative son of a--Pushing him away, I walked towards the entrance. "I appreciate it," I muttered, walking past Sasuke. Neither Sasuke nor Kakashi made a move to follow me into the room, and deciding against waiting for either one of them, I opened the door again. Let them talk it over between themselves. They were like brothers, weren't they?
I entered the room again and met Kiba's worried glance. Iruka was still nowhere in sight. "I thought you were going to throw up, Naruto," he said, taking me by the elbow and steering me towards Shikamaru. "You all right?"
"I'm good, I'm good." I met with Shikamaru's calculating gaze and shook my head. "I'll explain later," I said so that both Kiba and Shikamaru would understand.
"Well, you didn't miss much," Kiba said. "Lee's been received well by the people here. Sakura's uncles really like him."
Shikamaru nodded and leaned back against the wall. "Uchiha doesn't seem to mind him at all. Heck, he tolerates him, which is more than I was hoping for."
Kiba cracked a grin. "I say," he began in a low, gruff voice, "We married off our Lee into a good family."
I laughed at that, and when Lee came to join us, Kiba and I fell into our fabricated roles, me the uncle, and Kiba the father. We were half-way through our skit--and by then, Lee was laughing hard enough that he had to hold onto Shikamaru for support--when the door slid open and Sasuke walked in, followed by Kakashi. They were both deathly silent, although, I knew from experience, Kakashi looked more smug, and Sasuke more violent-bordering-on-murder.
I took in a deep breath and turned my back to them. Kiba, Shika, and Lee had not taken their eyes off the two who had just entered. The room had fallen still, and I was thinking about breaking the silence when I felt a hand around my arm, and again, I was being dragged out of the room, this time by Sasuke. Kakashi winked at me as I passed him, and I suppressed an urge to reach out and punch him.
Sasuke led me further away from the room than Kakashi did, and a little more roughly, too. When he stopped, he flung me against the wall and stared at me. "I love you."
I opened my mouth to say something, and finding no words, let my expression do all the talking. If that was a confession--it didn't sound like one--it was one of worst I'd ever heard. "That's what you said, dead-last," Sasuke hissed. "And lo and behold, what do I see?"
I looked away and crossed my arms over my chest, tired at having reentered such familiar territory. "I believe in open relationships," I said. It was a new approach from my previous defense strategies.
It caught Sasuke's attention. "You what?"
"Oh, I don't know, Sasuke, what do you think?" He stilled at the venom in my voice. "Look. What did Kakashi tell you?"
"I've known Kakashi," Sasuke began, "Since I was twelve. He's like my brother--"
"Yes, please rub in my face how sick this seems from your point of view."
"Shut up and listen to me, Naruto." I leaned back against the wall and looked at Sasuke, snapping my mouth shut with a click of teeth. "If he's interested in you, then that's fine--"
"He's not interested in me. Neither am I in him," I explained. My words were lazy in comparison to Sasuke's crisp sentences. "If Kakashi didn't say anything more than that to you, then I don't have to either. I understand, though," the words were hard for me to say, but I pushed them through, "That you aren't interested in me either, so there's no need to have this conversation." I pushed myself off the wall and began walking back. "We should go back before the people start talking."
When Sasuke didn't follow me immediately, I turned and snapped, "Together." It made Sasuke move, but that too, sluggishly. We walked back to a slightly hushed room, and when Sasuke moved towards Lee who was with Kakashi and Gai, eyes a little unfocused, activity resumed.
On the way out, Kakashi caught me and whispered, "Please tell me that the glazed look this time was because of a quickie you two had in some unoccupied room."
I stared at him and shook my head. When he gave me a disapproving look, I shrugged at him and fell back to walk alongside Lee.
"What was that all about?" Lee wrung his hands as he walked towards the wedding hall.
"Oh, nothing," I said smiling at him. "Drama. Wedding drama, that's all."
**
The wedding, oddly enough, was quieter and less extravagant as the reception. There was a moment's drama when it came time for Lee to say "I do," because he didn't. He stood open-mouthed, staring at Sakura. There was silence in the hall--would Lee cancel this wedding, too?--and then Sakura hit Lee upside the head with the flower bunch in her hand.
"Well?" She yelled. Lee stared at her, looking utterly lost. And then, just as I started to shift nervously on my feet (oh dear god, he was going to back out), Lee murmured, "I love you, Sakura," leaned forward and kissed her.
The crowd in the hall stood up and started clapping. I glanced over at Sakura's mother and Wazuka and saw that they holding onto each other, wiping away tears from their faces. Kakashi looked genuinely happy, standing next to Iruka who was leaning over to congratulate Lee's parents in the row in front of him. The priest began to stutter about how the wedding wasn't over yet, but Kiba let out a whoop of laughter and pulled Shikamaru into a hug. The rest of us, Hinata, Ino, and I also exchanged hugs each other at the altar, congratulating each other on getting through something as utterly hectic as this--"She got married," Ino moaned, "Before I did!"
And just as the bride and groom were about to walk away from the altar, the priest bellowed, "Rock Lee," and made him say 'I do' and kiss the bride all over again.
By twelve-thirty, the wedding was over, a million pictures were taken of us from a lot of different angles, and as if in a daze, Lee shook my hand. I pulled him in for a hug, and against my ear, he whispered, "Holy shit, I'm married."
I pulled back and laughed. "Holy shit, yeah."
Kiba came in to congratulate Lee as well. When they had hugged, Kiba nudged Lee on the shoulder. "Does this mean that we get to see pictures of your pretty wife in the office?"
"Oh, and the kids, too," I piped in.
"Enough, you two," Shikamaru said, coming from behind and batting us both away. He shook hands warmly with Lee. "And that, Lee, is that," he said, as if concluding a business transaction.
Lee grinned at him. "I guess so," he said once, and then repeated with a disbelieving look on his face, "I guess so."
Kiba threw his arm around Lee's shoulder. "Lee, married to the woman of your dreams, and that too by a lot of drama that will make a damn good story for your kids, you are one lucky guy."
Lee grinned at Kiba and then at Shikamaru and me before being drawn away by Wazuka and Sakura's mother. "Come on," Wazuka said patting him on the arm kindly, "Your wife's waiting you for at the breakfast table."
Lee approached Sakura, shy, but he held out his hand and Sakura took it without hesitation, a soft, tender smile on her face that said everything. Lee pulled her a little closer and bent down to whisper something in her ear that made her blush and playfully push at his chest. Kiba and I watched, smiles on our faces, as Lee took Sakura's palm and kissed it lightly.
"Oi, love-doves," Shikamaru said, slapping each of us on our heads. "Breakfast?"
I wound my arm through Shikamaru's, earning one of his scowls. He didn't push away, though, so with Kiba in tow, we walked towards the dining room, joining the exodus of all the guests. "And they lived happily ever after," I said, sighing dramatically. For added effect, I batted my eyelashes at Shikamaru who looked slightly green at the display.
"Amen," Kiba added as a chorus. "Amen and god bless."
"Enough," Shikamaru said. "You're making me hungry."
"Hungry?" Kiba looked horrified and covered his open mouth with his palm delicately. "Nara Shikamaru, do not tell me that god makes you hungry."
"Sinner," I mumbled and Shikamaru pushed me away.
"I'm hungry," Shikamaru repeated, and then glancing at me, added, "And so are you, Naruto." I made a face, so Shikamaru explained, "You just don't know it. Does he, Kiba?"
"Nope. I mean, you're practically all bones now," Kiba said, gesturing at me, "And what better way to gain weight than to eat all you can at a wedding?"
"Fine, fine," I said. I wouldn't mind putting on a little weight myself, in fact. We entered the dining hall, saw countless guests milling about, being served by even greater numbers of servants, and finally, found a table--next to where Iruka, Kakashi, Gai, and a few other people were sitting.
The minute we sat down, Kiba leaned over and asked: "So, what happened out there, with you and Kakashi and Uchiha?" A servant came over with a bottle of sake and three cups. I waited until the servant had finished serving us and began, fabricating as I went along. I glazed over facts, giving them half-truths. Kakashi wanted to make sure I was all right, I told them, Sasuke walked in to say something mean, picking a fight for the heck of it. I walked away, but Sasuke wanted to finish our argument.
Lies, lies, lies, and even though Shikamaru didn't look very convinced, he didn't press for any details. I didn't want to tell them what happened, didn't want to admit that I'd said I love you and got nothing in return.
"Out of anyone here--excluding you, Naruto--Kakashi knows Uchiha best," Shikamaru mumbled, looking thoughtful.
"Who knows Uchiha best?" I heard Ino before I saw her and by the time I saw her, she was sitting fairly close to Shikamaru, a small, playful smile on her face. Hinata sat down next to Kiba later and I felt Kiba perk up next to me.
"Kakashi," Shikamaru explained.
Hinata looked confused, and asked, "Why are we talking about Sasuke?"
"Because Lee got married," Kiba muttered. A second later, he realized how ridiculous an explanation that was and looked at me for support, but before I could say anything to remedy his brief slip into stupidity, Hinata laughed, and that was enough to divert Kiba's attention entirely. I raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru, tilting my head discreetly in Kiba's direction. Shikamaru offered a lopsided smile, shrugged, and offered to refill my cup for me. I accepted and finally, when breakfast arrived, the sake bottles were taken away and for the first time that morning, I took a bite of good, solid food.
At the table next to us, Iruka threw back his head and laughed at something Gai said. I glanced at Kakashi and saw that he looked lost--just as lost as Kiba did sitting next to Hinata, just as Lee did holding Sakura's hand.
Like Sasuke did last night, kneeling down in front of me, telling me, Just ask.
*
The rest of the day was spent by letting the guests give their oshugis and signing the guest-book. I sought out Lee and Sakura and pressed my oshugi into their hands. Lee looked grateful, and Sakura came to hug me. When she pulled back, she slapped me once, lightly. I stared at her, about to yell something--
"That's for taking him away from me," she interrupted before I could say anything. And then, she kissed me on the cheek. "And that's for bringing me him instead." She looked over her shoulder at Lee.
"You traded up, Sakura," I said, grinning.
She rolled her eyes, temper already resurfacing, and mumbled something about stupid blondes before going off to say goodbye to another guest. Lee came forward to hug me briefly as well. He didn't say anything but his tight grip on my hand when I shook it was good enough. "I'll see you at work," I said. "After the honeymoon, of course."
Lee chuckled, blushing slightly. I waved good-bye to him, and made my way to the entrance of the hall where Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata and Ino were waiting. I smiled when Shikamaru straightened from his lean against the wall. Ino and Hinata were in deep conversation and Kiba was listening, offering his opinion whenever Ino or Hinata turned to him for it. Shikamaru took hold of my elbow and guided me out the door.
"Home, then?"
"Yeah," I said, yawning and stretching. "After the article tonight, I'll pack, and tomorrow morning, I'm headed off."
"Just you?" Shikamaru pulled out a cigarette.
"Me and Iruka, actually. I think you and Kiba should stay behind," I said. I glanced over my shoulder and caught Ino gazing at Shikamaru's back. Shikamaru grunted, disapproving. "If all three of us leave, there won't be any more groomsmen," I explained. "And besides, I've missed so much of work. They need a lead writer back at work. Seriously."
Shikamaru considered my reasoning and then nodded slightly. "All right, then. We'll stay."
"Good," I said, rounding a corner so that I could get to my room. Kiba, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Ino parted ways with me here so I paused to say my official good-bye. "I don't think I'll have a chance to see you again," I said addressing Hinata. "So good-bye."
"You're leaving?" She looked surprised, a small, sad smile coming to her face.
"Early morning," I said. She held out her hand and I shook it warmly. "It was a pleasure." I meant every single word of it, and Hinata blushed at my sincerity.
"Entirely mine," Hinata said. "I'm glad I met you."
I smiled at her, gave Ino a grin, and said, "Bye, Ino. I'll see you downtown sometime, hopefully."
"Have a safe trip," she said, smiling at me.
Kiba clapped me on the shoulder and doled out a string of commands. "Make sure to eat something when you get back. Get some rest. Check your answering machine. You never do."
"Oh, and don't forget that the landlady will be sending a plumber on Tuesday for Kiba," Shikamaru supplemented, taking a long, deep breath from his cigarette.
"What? Why me?! I have work!"
"All right, all right, call and cancel," Shikamaru relented. "Just. Kiba, if you come to my house in the middle of the damned night to use my bathroom, I'll kill you."
"Right, right," Kiba said, waving him off. "Get a ride to work from Tenten. She lives around the corner. Or." He paused, flashed me a mischievous grin and suggested, "You can take Shikamaru's car. You have the spare keys."
"Oh, no you don't--" Shikamaru began. I smirked at Kiba, hurriedly hugged Shikamaru and waved goodbye before I could hear the rest of Shikamaru's protests. I made my way back to my room, happy for some reason. When I began my final article, it was with a smile on my face, and within the hour, I had finished it and sent it out to the editor. I shut down the computer, and began to gather my things.
It wasn't hard to do, and soon I was done with that as well. Yawning, I peeked outside of my door to see if there were any servants around. I caught Eiji jogging in one direction. "Do you know if Lady Wazuka and Kakashi are in their rooms?"
Eiji smiled at me. "They're in the Lady's room, Master Naruto. Should I send them a message?"
"Oh, no," I said, stepping out. "I just wanted to say good-bye."
Eiji's smile dropped. "Leaving? So soon?"
"Yes, early in the morning. If you could have everything prepared, Eiji, I'd appreciate it."
"Of course," he said, frowning a little. "Will you be visiting soon, Master Naruto?"
"I don't think so, Eiji," I said. I placed my hand on his shoulder. "I'll miss you," I said, looking into his face.
Eiji nodded once, and then bowed before excusing himself. "It was nice meeting you, Master Naruto. Till morning, then."
I watched him leave before turning around and making my way towards Wazuka's room, surprised at how apt I had become at navigating my way around the manor. When I got there, the servant announced my arrival, and opened the door for me.
"Lady Wazuka, Kakashi," I said, going forward to take Wazuka's hand. "I came to say good-bye."
Wazuka's smile faltered. "You're leaving? So soon? But the wedding just finished."
"Work," I explained. "I'm leaving early morning."
"You mean Tsunade calls," Wazuka said, frowning. "I should have a talk with he--"
"No, no," I said chuckling. "Lee and I are both editors. If both of us are gone, the other editors have to deal with double their work. It's unfair for them."
Wazuka sighed and turned her face in Kakashi's direction. "You try and stop him," she commanded.
"I'm afraid I can't, Wazuka," Kakashi said. "Naruto, you should get some rest before the flight. Come on, I'll walk you back to your room."
I smiled at him gratefully, but before leaving, I leaned down and kissed Wazuka on the forehead. "I'll miss you and our mah-jongg games," I said. Wazuka waved me away, turning her face away in mock anger, but she squeezed my hand one last time before Kakashi lead me out.
"It was nice of you to come and say good-bye," he said, once we started to walk.
"She's been good to me."
"And you to her," Kakashi added. I didn't ask him for an explanation, but continued to walk in silence. "Maybe I'll see you around in Tokyo," Kakashi said at my door.
"Yeah. That'd be nice." I smiled at him, and when he held out his hand, I shook it. "Good luck with your distraction," I said. He winked and wished me the same before turning and leaving.
It would be hard sleeping tonight, I thought, but the minute my head hit the pillow, I was a lost man.
*
I woke up at four and dressed quickly, not bothering to eat any breakfast. Eiji was already waiting outside my door, ready to take my baggage down to the car for me. At the entrance of the manner, Eiji bowed again and I smiled at him, grateful for his kindness.
I got into the car--a different driver this time--saw that Iruka was already busy reading something. I settled next to him, leaned my head against his shoulder, and dozed for a few hours until we reached the airport. It wasn't the Uchiha's personal plane, but the domestic one at a nearby city.
Iruka and I parted ways at customs, and just as he was about to leave, Iruka asked, "You going to be all right, Naruto?"
I nodded at him, feeling the lie settle heavily between us. He didn't look convinced but there wasn't much time for reprimads. He turned and left, and the next thing I knew, I was sitting down heavily into a plan. Half-heartedly, I ate a few bites of lunch before pushing it away and falling asleep.
The next time I woke up, I was in Tokyo.
*
Kiba came back a week later, waving a piece of paper, grinning. Shikamaru, a smug look on his face, was close behind. "I got her number," Kiba said, thrusting it into my face.
"So did Shikamaru," Kiba detailed, walking happily towards the kitchen. "Well, not Hinata's. Ino's. But point being that we got numbers."
Shikamaru sat down in his chair and propped up his legs on the table. "I missed a week of work because she was playing hard to get at," he mumbled. "I will never do that again." A few seconds later, Kiba came back with his hands laden with soda. He tossed a can to Shikamaru, planted one firmly in my hands and took his seat.
I couldn't help but smile at the two of them. No "hello," no "we're back," not even a "hi." Just life back to normal again. Sighing, I sat down as well and watched as Kiba picked up the remote control for the TV and flipped on the football channel. U-21s were on, Germany v. Portugal, and I saw Shikamaru's face light up with mild interest. At half-time, I casually picked up my Coke and mumbled, "So I've been driving around your car lately."
The instant I put down my can, a pillow hit my face.
End of The Sixteenth
Footnote:
*Oshugi: cash-gift that friends give to couple at wedding or wedding reception.
*Shogi-bukuro: special envelope in which oshugi is placed