A/N - So I lied and THIS will be the last one before an actual game. Sorry. At least there are some good parts... Um. Like-

Oh whatever just read it.

DISCLAIMER - I do not own Naruto

Tayuya and I walked down the hall together. We were heading to lunch, but unfortunately Hinata wasn't with us. Just the other day they split our schedule, leaving me alone in all my classes. Well, not exactly alone- I mean there were literally about 20 others in my class. I just never had the notion of speaking to them till now, because I was fine with only hanging out with Hinata and then I had the team after school.

It's only been three days without her on my schedule and I was already slowly losing it. I'm not sure if it's a trait for Certos, but it was like I suddenly couldn't stop moving at all times. Every second of the day was spent with me doing something; Tapping my foot, playing with my pen, shifting and looking over my shoulder every moment. But when I glanced around, I noticed that a lot of the Certos didn't have their Lorums with them. I wasn't the only one who had to deal with this, but it didn't ease me at all.

"Competitions start off next week, are you nervous?" Tayuya asked, attempting to help me keep my mind off of Hinata. She had been doing it for days now, rambling and propping me into conversation. It helped with the sudden anxiety I've gained over the past three days, so I was grateful to have her around.

"Yeah actually I am," I admitted as we walked into the lunch room, "Temari said we are going against Legion 5 for our first match together."

"Legion 5 huh?" She nodded in interest as we stood in line, "Seems like a pretty solid match up."

"Do you know much about them?" I asked, watching as she put her headphones back on her ears.

"Um," She mumbled distractedly, lifting up her mp3 player to turn on her music, "Uhh let's see… Well the last I heard they had a pretty good Lorum that is amazing at throwing weapons. Um, and they have this Certo with this killer sense of smell."

Blinking, the memory of Naruto passed through my mind, "You know I think I heard of that guy."

"Yeah," Tayuya nodded, "He is a freaking wolf. It's going to be an amazing fight, seeing him go against Naruto."

"Do you know his name?" I asked as we grabbed our food.

"Yeah, I think it's Kiba," She answered. I fell into thought as we walked to a nearby table. Before we got there though, Tayuya turned to me and suggested, "Why don't we sit outside today."

"We can do that?" I asked curiously, following her as we left the cafeteria with our trays.

"Yeah, they have a nice set up right over here," Tayuya explained as we made our way outside. She was right; there were tables with trees and umbrellas right there outside of the back door. I'm not sure how I missed it, "I'm just sick of all the noise." She complained.

"You haven't figured out how to control your sense of Ki yet?" I questioned, making my way around the clear table we found.

She plopped on her seat and huffed, "No, but it's getting a bit better. At the moment the people I talk to don't sound as loud. You used to be a raging force that literally gave me a screaming migraine, but now I can hardly ear you. It's like…. I've adjusted to your Ki."

I blinked, a bit surprised by the description. Then with a nod of my head, I offered, "Well that is pretty good at least. I mean, it looks like your senses are starting to settle, if only a bit. Just a step at a time I guess."

"Yeah," She mumbled with a bite of her burger. Chewing she continued, "I mean, I don't want to lose the sense completely. Believe it or not, screaming headache 24/7 and all, I like that I have this ability. I'm the only person I know with it and some of the sounds are actually elegant and beautiful. I just wish I had a chance to turn it off sometimes, you know, when I need a break."

My eyebrows rose, "Elegant… and beautiful?" I asked with a small smile starting to form at my lips.

Realization of what she said suddenly hit her. With a flustered expression, she looked away and snapped in a stumbling sort of way, "I just mean that, well, some of the Ki sound nice. Oh whatever! I don't need to-"

"Well hold on," I stepped in with an assuring smile, "I'm not making fun of you. I'm just curious. Who have you heard with such, uh… sound?"

Biting her lip, she glanced back at me to make sure I was serious. When I gave her an honest look, she sighed and went back to eating, "There is this guy, some bubble guy that uses his Ki like little bursts of bubble energy, has a certain sound to his Ki that is… incredible. Yours is a raging noise; Naruto's is a beating drum; But this guy- his is like the strings of violins."

She was watching me, making sure I wouldn't laugh in her face. I knew I had to control my facial expression or risk having her completely lose trust in me when it came to certain sensitive subjects such as these. I knew this, but it was hard. I couldn't help my smile pulling a little bit wider. Nor could I help the shift in my features, as if I was realizing for the first time there was more to Tayuya than what I was outwardly given. The combination of my reaction must have been subtle enough, because she only ended up looking away with a faint blush, but not shutting down completely.

"So," I began softly, smile still on my face, "Do you like the sound of his Ki? Does it draw you to this guy?"

Her red hair at her shoulders tumbled as she shifted at my questions. With a shrug, she mumbled, "Sort of. I just really like the sound of it, don't know why."

"Well," I mused with a glance around. It was a really nice day out; I was surprised more people weren't out here for lunch, "Have you ever attempted to listen to classical music?" The thought must have been all the way in left field for her; Just the mere mention of that genre of music made her frown and look at me as if I were crazy. With a laugh, I pressed, "I know, I thought so too at first. But just like rock, rap, or pop music: there are different types of classical. Maybe you would find something you like."

"Maybe," She mumbled with another shift, "Never thought about it. Classical just seemed too… gross to me."

I nodded, "Yeah, like I said I thought so too. But some of it is good, like the action movie music- or, emotional scene music. Honestly, I'm sure you'd find something that fits your interest that still contains… your elegant mixed with hard core taste."

Narrowing her eyes, Tayuya looked at me with a small glare, "I'm not sure if you are making fun of me or being serious."

"We are friends dork," I replied with a laugh and a roll of my eyes, "I'm being serious of course. I mean, obviously this is something you don't tell a lot of people."

She looked down at her tray, "Yeah, not really. Music is…"

"It's an intimate interest," I finished with a nod. She glanced back up with another look of suspicion, but I only laughed and rolled my eyes again, "No, I'm not making fun of you. It's true! Music is a personal type thing. Not everyone likes the same type of music, so of course some people feel a bit iffy about admitting their taste."

"Well, what do you prefer?" She asked with another bite of her burger, getting a bit more comfortable now.

I thought with a hum, "Well… rock is my preference, but I like some classical too; few country songs and even fewer pop songs. Oh, and there is this new thing I found called dubstep; absolutely amazing to me- it gives me chills."

"Huh," She said with an 'hmph' of surprise, "I wouldn't take you for a rock girl."

"Wouldn't take you for a classical," I countered, smiling as she looked away, "But I still like you all the same."

"You're an asshole, you know that?" She grumbled. I laughed and asked why, grinning as she answered, "Because you are so understanding it makes me angry."

"Oh god," I laughed out again, "That is actually pretty funny."

"For who?" She complained with her amber eyes closing in annoyance.

"For us both," I answered before standing up, "Anyway, I'm heading out. Have fun in your classes."

Just before I could leave, the call of my name stopped me. I turned around curiously, watching with interest as Tayuya seemed to almost fidget with nervousness, "There is play my Lorum is in, this stupid thing for the school that she got herself into out of boredom- which in the end she ended up liking it and that just blows my mind." She glanced up at me, and when her eyes caught mine, she looked away and rushed, "So she wants me to see it, of course, but I don't think I can bear sitting there by myself in such a shitfest of an hour of my life. I was wondering if you wanted to tag along."

I'm not sure why, but the whole ordeal had me grinning. She looked back up at me to see my goofy look, which automatically put her on the defensive with a glare, "What? What the hell are you smiling about?"

Shrugging, I beamed, "Nothing. Just that… you honestly friended me so hard core you are inviting me to your Lorum's play."

"Oh fuck off," She snapped with a huff, "Never mind, you prick."

I laughed and waved her off, "I'm coming, just tell me the time."

"I don't want you to show anymore!" She raged with a glare, but I only rolled my eyes and pressed, "Stop being a baby and tell me."

Huffing again, she admitted, "It's tomorrow night at 8."

"Great!" I replied happily, "Hinata might show up as well if she doesn't have anything planned."

"That's alright," Tayuya answered with a nod.

Giving her one last smile and a wave, I told her my goodbyes and left. The rest of the school day didn't have me as anxious. I'm not sure why, but it might have been the fact that Tayuya invited me to something completely trivial and stupid, and I was really happy about the fact that I had a new awesome actual friend that wasn't Hinata or part of the team.

X

When the end of the day came around, I went straight to find Hinata. We had a spot where we would meet up when school was out, at some weird looking tree near the park. We chose the location because it was near the side building where we exited at. It didn't seem she was waiting long, but she was talking with Temari and Ino when I arrived.

"Hey," I greeted as I walked up, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We have a whole bunch of classes with Hinata," Temari answered with a smile towards her, "She told us she was meeting you here so we walked her over."

"Oh," I nodded, then turning to Hinata I asked, "How come you didn't tell me? I didn't know you had classes with them."

"We see them every day," Hinata answered with a shrug, "Thought it wasn't big of a deal."

"Yeah Sakura," Ino teased with a smirk, "She doesn't have to tell you everything does she?"

I rolled my eyes, but laughed, "Guess not. So what are you guys going to be up to?"

"Gaara and I are going to set up the machines for practice tonight," Temari replied.

"And me and Naruto are going to find Asuma. For some strange reason, he seems very interested in finding some control while he's in mortem," Ino answered with a small frown of confusion, "Don't know why the sudden interest, but I guess it's good he's taking the incentive."

I blinked, then with a grin at Hinata, I admitted, "I think it's because the other night he came to apologize and… well he felt really bad about the all of it." Hinata glanced away, a slight blush on her face. I figured it would be wise to avoid the whole, 'Hinata gave him a stern talking to' ordeal.

"Oh," Ino nodded with the realization, "That makes sense. Whatever, I just hope this goes by fast. I have so much home work to do."

"Same here," Temari huffed, "I should get going so I can finish early and start some before practice."

"Have fun!" I called as she waved before walking away, "You going to?"

"Yup," Ino answered with a sigh, "I think he went straight there, so I'll just go ahead and go there too. Wish us luck, hopefully it isn't a huge time consuming thing."

"Don't you want him to gain control though?" I asked with the scrunch of my eyebrows.

"I do," she assured, but shifted with a frown, "It's just that… I don't know. I just feel wary about the whole thing- like, he's about to bite off more than he can chew, you know? I only know as much about Certos as they tell us in school, but I heard it's pretty hard to control your mortem state. Naruto isn't the type for patience, so I can see him getting frustrated easy and losing his cool in a whole other way than when he does while fighting you."

"Well," Hinata started with a soft voice, "That makes sense, but if you encourage him, I think he will be able to do it with a bit more patience."

"Hopefully," Ino mumbled.

"No doubt," I assured with a confident nod, "We will all cheer him on and he'll get it done. He's such a hardheaded guy, so it's not like he'll give up."

She smiled, already looking a bit more confident, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Yup," I grinned, "So good luck. Hopefully it doesn't take too much time, like you said."

"Thanks," she replied with another smile while looking up at me, "I guess we'll see you guys at practice."

"See you!" I called as she left as well. After a moment, I turned to Hinata and huffed, "You totally love embarrassing me in front of everyone, don't you?"

She gave me a smile before turning and walking towards our dorm. I followed as she admitted, "It does have its fun moments. Plus, it isn't like I do it on purpose- and it isn't like you aren't adorable when you get in your little phases."

"My phases are me being a proper Certo," I pressed in a matter-of-fact tone, "I just want to know anything about everything because it helps me feel better."

"Oh, and you knowing about Ino and Temari being in my classes help you feel better?" She asked with an amused glance.

"Yes," I admitted, "It's bad enough I can't be with you anymore."

"Honestly," Hinata mumbled as we walked, "It's like there will never be space between us."

"Is that bad?" I asked with a small frown, "I mean, there has never been space between us before."

"We were at the mansion then," She replied with the roll of her eyes, "All we had was each other."

I frowned a bit more. Growing silent for a moment, I looked away and let my thoughts wander. It was different when Hinata depended on me and I was the one suggesting maybe I should be running off somewhere. I had no idea if it were the other way around, it would sting so much.

The silence must have alerted Hinata, because randomly she stopped and turned around. I stopped as well, but avoided her eyes. She sighed before saying softly, "I was kidding."

"No you weren't," I replied with my eyes still anywhere but hers. Smiling weakly, I stared at the trees, "It's ok though. I get it, and you are right. Maybe I am being suffocating."

"No that isn't it," She rushed. I glanced at her to see her shifting uncomfortably, "It's just-"

"Doesn't matter," I assured, attempting to give her another smile that wasn't as frail as the one before. It didn't work, I'm sure, but I continued anyway, "Listen, I'm going to go to the park, maybe I can find one of my friends to hang out with."

"What?" She started with a small frown, "But we were supposed to go to our room and do homework together."

"Don't have any," That wasn't exactly true, but I didn't feel like mopping around her with my feelings hurt. It was too puppy like and embarrassing, "I'll see you at practice."

"Wait, come on," She started with a deeper frown, "I didn't mean it like-"

"I'll see you soon k?" I cut off before walking away with a wave.

And with that, I wandered off alone. There were no friends to find, because I hardly had any. At the end of it all, I just ended up sitting at next to the lake while watching the water. During my solitude, I shifted, tapped, and looked over my shoulder. Each time I noticed my behavior I frowned and attempted to stop. It would work for a moment… until I would shift, tap, and look all over again only two minutes later.

When it came time for practice- right before I left- I looked over at the water and promised myself that I would learn to be better about having distance between me and Hinata. Even though the thought made my stomach churn in dislike and my chest squeeze in slight hurt, I forced myself to promise to go through with it.

She was right, we weren't at home anymore. Things are bound to be different, so I need to learn to deal with it.

X

Our practice was normal and pretty uneventful. The only thing remotely exciting was afterwards. Temari had us gathered in the middle for a small pep-talk. Even though the competition was next week, it seemed like I wasn't the only one who had it on my mind.

The talk wasn't anything very spectacular; it was just the topic that had me thrilled I guess. Since it was spoken out loud by someone other than me, it felt like the fact of us actually being in a competition was finally written in stone. Of course it was going to happen, but now it just felt true and real.

"There's a couple of other things we'd have to do before we can be in the games," Temari explained at the end, "Like we have to attend a class that is an hour long that talks of Lodus, the rules, safety procedures, and all of that. It's something each Legion does at their own time and pace, so it will only be us in that room at the time. That being said, we need to figure out a time where everyone is free."

"What about tomorrow?" Gaara kicked off the discussion with his arms crossed in thought, "Anyone free then?"

There was a collective yes, until it came to me. With a meek smile, I admitted that I am busy.

"With what?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Uh, a play," I answered with a nervous laugh, "Got invited by my friend Tayuya, so yeah."

"Tayuya?" Ino said in surprise, "Oh god, I haven't seen her in ages."

I smiled, "Yup, I eat lunch with her. We sometimes speak of you."

In the middle of the conversation, Hinata piped in, "You are going to a play tomorrow? I didn't know that."

"She invited me today," I answered with a small shift and my eyes sliding carefully away, "Figured you didn't want to know about it so…"

"Why wouldn't I?" She pressed, and I could hear the frown in her voice.

"Well what about the day after tomorrow?" Gaara continued, trying to get us back on track.

"That's a Friday," Naruto complained, but Temari cut it off, "Yeah, so what? Rather do it on a Saturday then?"

"No," He replied quickly with the wave of his hands, "Friday sounds good."

"Everyone else?" Temari asked with a glance around. We all nodded that we were free, "Great, you guys are dismissed, see you at dinner."

Everyone dispersed and went separate ways, leaving me and Hinata alone. Before she could say anything, I walked away first. To be honest, it felt a bit awkward to be with her by myself after what happened earlier this afternoon. Nervously avoiding her was probably not the best option, but I couldn't stop my legs from moving.

"So, am I invited to this play as well?" Hinata asked as she followed right behind me.

"Sure," I said with a crack in my voice, "You can come if you want."

"Were you going to invite me?" She pressed, slowly falling into step right next to me.

"I don't know," I answered with a swallow, looking away as she leaned to catch my eyes, "I mean, I'm sure I would have mentioned it eventually."

A moment of silence passed between us. Attempting to keep my nerves at ease, I flexed my hands and roughly rubbed my thumbs against my fingers. Maybe it was something I did a bit too often when I felt uneasy, because seconds later I felt a hand gently holding mine. Setting my jaw, I continued to look away but allowed Hinata to carry on.

Sighing, she whispered, "Sakura…"

"Don't," I mumbled with a shake of my head, still looking away, "It really doesn't matter, I'm being stupid, and I don't even want to talk about it."

"I'm sorry," She continued anyway, "I didn't mean it like that and I shouldn't have said it at all."

"It's fine," I pressed, a little more snap in my tone this time, "Seriously, just let it go."

"Truthfully if it were the other way around," she went on, completely ignoring me, "It would hurt hearing things like that from you, and I didn't realize till afterwards. So I'm sorry."

I let out a huge sigh and stopped walking. Taking my hand away from her, I gave her a glare and explained, "It doesn't matter. It really doesn't. Let's just forget about it."

I always got like this. When my feelings were hurt, I was always too embarrassed to admit it. It seemed stupid to me, all the time, the reasons why I hurt. It was never a good enough reason to complain about. Hinata always saw right through me though. Even now, she was looking me straight into my glare, unfazed.

Biting her lip, she shifted and murmured, "How about I make it up to you?"

It was annoying that nothing I did fazed her and the fact that she knew me so well I wouldn't be able to drop the subject. Rolling my eyes, I agreed only for the sole reason of moving past my stupid emotions, "What did you have in mind?"

"I stop making fun of you," She offered. I laughed humorlessly, but she continued, "I stop teasing you about something you honestly can't help and start actually outwardly showing that I enjoy the attention."

The last bit caught my attention. With curious look, I asked, "Do you honestly enjoy it?"

"Yes," She replied simply, "I really do. But sometimes it's embarrassing for me to admit, so I tease you instead and that isn't fair."

My heart stumbled at her words. With a shift, a mumbled, "Jeez… Honestly it doesn't matter."

"It does if your feelings get hurt," She pressed quietly, "So please accept my apology and I promise to be a bit nicer about things."

There was something about Hinata that I just couldn't escape. Maybe it was because we have always been together, or maybe it was the fact that she always knew the right words to say to get me out of my shell and help me feel better. No matter what it was, the smile that slipped my lips couldn't be stopped.

Without saying a word, I nodded, and with a smile of her own, she took my hand and started to drag me away.

"I didn't get any homework done because I was worried about you," She informed in her normal voice with a huff, "And I know you were lying about not having any homework, so we are going to go get some done before dinner."

"Oh great," I joked with a deflating tone, "Sounds like fun."

"You bet your ass it's fun," Hinata snapped back, "Getting work done and not failing is always fun."

Potentially potentials everywhere! Potentials over hereeeee

Potential over thereeeee! POTENTIALS POTENTIALLY BEING POTENTIAL ALL OVER THE PLACE.

I've now said that word so many time it lost meaning... And now it sounds weird and now I feel like I'm using the wrong word. LOL Oh well.

Seriously though... I hope it's the right word. Anyway. Action to come. Ino/Sakura happening I promise next chapter. I just wanted to give some spotlight on these two.

CLUSTERFUCK ACTIVATED!

Shycadet loves, out.