University of Konoha (Modern Naruto Various)

Chapter 25

"Are you ready Asami?"

I took one last check in the mirror beforen I turned to Kurenai who was standing by our room door.

"Yeah, let's go."

She opened the door and I followed her out. The boys were waiting in the hotel lobby already so Kurenai and I were on our way out to meet them. We stepped into the elevator and it started down to the main floor.

Kurenai was smiling gently when she asked me, "Are you excited?"

I shrugged my shoulders and gave her a half smile back. "Yeah, but I'm also really nervous."

Normally, balls weren't a big deal to me. This one shouldn't have been any different but for some reason my stomach was filled with butterflies. I reached up to make sure my bun and hair pin were still in place. It was also weird for me to worry so much about my appearance. I felt a hand catch my right wrist and tug it gently down from my head.

"Don't worry so much. You look great."

"Thanks Kurenai."

She was quite stunning herself with her full length cream gown and pearl jewelry. She left her long hair down and it shone even more beautifully against the cream dress.

The elevator dinged as we arrived at our floor. Kurenai stepped through the doors as soon as they opened. The elevator was in a hallway off the main lobby so I couldn't see the guys yet. I hesitated in the elevator for a second. I could tell when Kurenai met up with the others for she seemed to be getting a lot of compliments. I took a deep breath and did a quick shake of my hands to calm my nerves. Calm down, you're not even at the ball yet. These are your friends, why are you getting all worked up? I took one more deep breath and my nerves calmed down somewhat. I stepped out of the elevator and turned the corner into the lobby. I spotted the PAL's standing loosely in a group and chatting. As soon as they spotted me however, all eyes were on me and it went silent. Suddenly, I heard Asuma chuckle. I looked towards him to see he had his arm wrapped around Kurenai's shoulders. Kurenai had her arm wrapped around his waist with her head on his shoulder. Asuma had a big smile on his face and Kurenai had a twinkle in her eye. They looked all the world like two kids whose plan came through.

"Wow Asami, you look..." Iruka paused as if at a loss for words, "stunning."

I had to say they looked pretty amazing too. The guys were wearing matching black tuxedos. They looked like famous actors or noblemen. I noticed that Kakashi was still wearing his mask, Guy's bow was crooked, and Obito's hair was a little unkempt. I smiled a little. Well almost.

"Asami, we're going to have to be your bodyguards just to keep all the guys off you," Yamato murmured.

"Do not worry Asami! I will make sure to keep the wolves at bay! You can trust me to keep you safe!"

I was a little concerned at how serious Guy looked when he said this. I walked over to him and reached up to fix his bow. "How about this? If someone is bothering me, I'll let you know and you can come rescue me. How does that sound?" I finished fixing his bow and beamed up at him.

"O-okay." Guy stuttered.

"I don't think I've heard Guy stutter before," I heard Kakashi murmur.

I walked over to Obito and reached up on my tip toes to fix his hair. When I was done, he gave me a sheepish smile. I turned back to the others. "I think we're all set. How are we going to get there?"

Iruka answered my question. "The hosts of the ball sent a limo over just for us. In fact, it's already waiting for us." He pointed out the main doors to a sleek black limousine idling in the driveway.