University of Konoha (Modern Naruto Various)

Chapter 16

I was writing notes down in English class when I heard someone calling my name. I looked up to see Tenten, Sasuke, and Naruto looking at me. "What's up?" I asked. "This weekend is going to be one of the last warm weekends of the fall. So we're talking about all doing a trip to the beach. We'll even do a bonfire. You should come," Tenten said. "That sounds really fun. Who's all going?" "The usual group. We're not inviting anyone else," Naruto said albeit a bit hastily. It's really too bad that not everybody can get along. "It's a bit of a drive so we're leaving early in the morning on Saturday and won't come back until late Sunday. Be prepared," Sasuke commanded. "Where are we going to stay Saturday night?" I asked. "Shikamaru found a really good deal at a hotel on the beach so that's where we're staying," Tenten answered. "Sounds amazing. Can't wait."

Early Saturday Morning

"Are you ready to go Hinata?" I asked. I could barely restrain myself from bouncing on my toes. Hinata smiled at my obvious eagerness. "Yeah, let's go." I pulled my small suitcase behind me and opened the door. The other girls were already in the hallway and we started chatting eagerly as we walked out. "This will be a nice break from school for a little bit," Temari said. "I'm so excited! It's been way too long since we've done something like this," Sakura squealed. "I'm excited to see Sasuke in swim trunks," Ino cooed. Temari rolled her eyes. "Seriously?" Ino and Sakura turned to her with wicked grins. "Oh come on Temari. We know you're dying to see Shikamaru." Temari turned red as a beet. "Don't be ridiculous," she muttered. They laughed. All the guys are going to be shirtless. My face started turning red and Ino noticed. "Ooo Asami, who are you picturing shirtless right now?" "N-nobody in particular," I mumbled. "Oh so you're picturing all of them shirtless?" Sakura teased. "N-no! I didn't mean it like that!" I protested. The girls laughed and after a minute, I joined in. We were still laughing when we met with the boys outside. "What are you girls laughing about?" Naruto asked. When I saw all the guys I couldn't help but turn red again. Dear lord, I'm not sure I'm going to survive this trip. Tenten smirked and said, "It's just between us girls." Neji stepped towards us. "It doesn't matter. What we need to focus on is how we're going to split up between the two vans." There were too many people to fit in one van so we had rented two of them. It had already been decided that Temari and Neji would be driving, while Shikamaru and Sasuke would be navigators. "I'm going in Sasuke's car," Sakura said. "No way, I'm going with Sasuke! And I don't want you there!" Ino yelled. I saw Sasuke roll his eyes and huff. "Ino, why don't you go in Shikamaru's car and then switch with Sakura on the way back," I said. Ino seemed to contemplate. "Well.." "Just go with her advice Ino. Then you can get Sasuke time without sharing with Sakura," Shikamaru said in a bored voice. "Lee and I will be in Neji's car," Tenten said. Temari spoke next. "My brothers will be with me." That left Shino, Naruto, Kiba, Choji, Hinata, Sai, and me. Choji walked towards Shikamaru. "I'll ride with Shikamaru and Ino." "I want to be in the same car as Asami." Kiba grinned and gave me a wink. "If she's going to ride with anyone, it will be with me!" Naruto yelled. "I'll take whatever car Naruto's in," Hinata spoke softly. "Asami's riding with us," Sasuke said authortatively. "Hey, you guys hog Asami's attention all the time. If she's going to ride with anyone, it should be with us," Kankuro protested. After some arguing between the boys, we eventually figured out the situation. Neji, Sasuke, Tenten, Lee, Kiba, Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and I would be in the first car while the rest would be in the second car. I promised that I would be in the second car on the trip back.

Each van had 4 rows of seats, including the front passenger and driver seats. I ended up being wedged in between Naruto and Kiba in the third row. Between Naruto, Kiba, and Lee, the car was quite lively. I was enjoying listening to the different conversations when Sakura turned around from in front of Naruto and suddenly asked me a question. "Hey Asami, have you had any boyfriends before?" The car went silent as all but Neji's eyes turned to me. I laughed nervously. "A couple." "Were any of them serious?" she asked. "No, most of them never went anywhere." There seemed to be an intensity in the air until I said that. However, what Hinata said next brought the tension back. "You said most of them, was there someone that you got serious with?" "Yeah..." I said. I remembered the man I had dated for a long time. He had tan skin, long brown hair, and a gentle smile. He was probably the first person that I ever fell in love with. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. "You look sad. What happened?" Hinata asked. I sighed. "It just wasn't meant to happen. We both had different directions we wanted to take with our lives." "Did you love him?" Tenten asked. I felt awkward talking about my past love life in front of everybody. I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat before I let out a soft 'yeah'. "Who was this man that was lucky enough to earn your love?" Lee asked. "Hashirama Senju," I said softly. The name caused my chest to ache slightly. "Asami." I looked up to see Naruto looking at me with earnest eyes. "There's no need to be sad anymore. I can help heal that hole in your heart." What? What did he mean by that? A fist came down and hit Naruto on the head. "You dummy. You couldn't fix a broken heart if you tried." I felt Kiba grab my hand and when I turned to him, he kissed the back of my hand. "I could make you happy Asami, if you just gave me a chance." I felt a blush come to my cheeks. "Wait a minute..." I said. "Yeah! That was way out of bounds Kiba!" Naruto yelled. "I love a good competition! Don't forget about me Asami!" Lee joined in. "Lee!" Tenten yelled. "What?" I blurted. What is going on? I heard Sasuke scoff. "You guys don't stand a chance." Sakura looked shocked. "You too Sasuke?" she said. Even Neji joined in. "I believe it is up to Asami to decide." I breathed a sigh of relief. My eyes met Neji's in the rearview mirror. "But don't count me out. I'm playing for keeps." Neji! The boys started arguing. Again. Finally, I had enough. "Hey!" I shouted. "I'm not some toy for you boys to play tug of war over! I will be the one to decide who gets me and who doesn't! Now stop your arguing!" The car went silent. "You're kind of scary when you're mad," Naruto mumbled. I turned my glare on him. "What was that?" I threatened. He scrunched back into his seat. "Nothing," he murmured. "That's what I thought."