Episode 28--> The Hugh Hunt: The Trees Have Eyes

Absentmindedly, Naomi watches the others as they played around in front of her.

"With everyone being here, we could play Marco Polo... That would cheer Natalya up some." Naomi feels guilty about rubbing salt in her cousin's old wound earlier. She was hoping a childhood favorite game would brighten today's mood.

Despite being 21 years old already, Naomi's never been in love before so she didn't know how much it hurt, when it was okay to talk about a love that hurts or if what she's doing would make a difference.

(She cried when I mentioned him, she's goofing around to ignore it...) A crease forms between Naomi's brow.

"Love is a pain..." She sighs aloud. Despite her lack of experience she knew that much.

"Weird... Where is she anyway..." Now that she really thought about it, she hadn't seen Natalya in a good minute.

(I wonder... where she went...? Wait! Did she ditch and leave me to babysit?!)

"Ah!" Then, a soft gasp escapes Naomi's lips at a certain possibility, "Oooh! That little sly devil. She's probably getting friendly with her lil boo thang... huhuhu~"

Her eyes sought out the spiky ponytail ninja dude, "....Wow. She's actually not there!" She looked by Kiba and saw him laughing it up. "...But no Natalya."

Her motherly instincts started to kick in. Naomi walked out toward the others and thoughtlessly asked, "Anyone seen my cousin?"

Everyone turned in her direction.

"What, she wandered off again." Kiba was the first to chime in.

Choji and Shikamaru exchanged looks and Shikamaru mouths, "Again?" to which Choji shared the story of the last time Natalya went MIA.

Naomi overheard the story too and shook her head in exasperation.( Lord my cousin is a mess sometimes.)

Hinata came up beside her and gently squeezes Naomi's hand, "Are you still worried about Natalya because she hasn't returned yet?"

"Maybe a bit." Naomi confessed truthfully. Who wouldn't worry about a girl wandering the island in her underwear.

"I'm sure she hasn't gone far." Naruto also assures Naomi. If he's learned anything from the last time its that you don't have to blow up garages when Natalya goes missing.

(Well I guess I will just be patient...) Naomi sits along with the ninja kids and she pets Akamaru.

☆

Meanwhile, on that fallen tree, Deidara and I were just finishing up our lil heart to heart. We were about to part ways.

"If he breaks your heart call me and I'll blow him up, hmm." He swore lighthearted.

"And if you do anything to Naomi you can kindly blow yourself up!" I gave him a Might Guy -esque thumps up.

"Oi." Deidara was not amused.

I cracked up laughing.

Putting my nonsense aside, Deidara face turns serious as he asks, "Did your new guests show any signs of knowing our real identity?"

I stopped and looked at him as I responded, "Um, haven't gotten enough chances to test it yet, actually."

It suddenly came back to me that my Akatsuki friends moved out and we won't be sharing the same roof anymore. (T 3T)

"I guess if those two actually know the truth about you two you won't be coming over to my house, huh?"

"It would be the logical conclusion, hmm."

I pouted, deeply, like a spoil lil brat. I was being greedy, I really wanted to have it so they all could be with me.

(Hopefully Gaara and Shika don't know they're Akatsuki.) I thought optimistically, praying everything works out.

"I miss having you and Sori around tho~!" I whined, unnecessarily leaning my weight against him to express my distress with my whole being.

"Woman, we spent Thursday night and Friday morning with you after you helped us move, un." He didn't want to acknowledge the fact that we'd spent every day together since he arrived in this country.

"And its already mid-day Saturday! You understand my pain!"

He didn't... Deidara stared at me with a deadpanned face. (¬_¬)

"But man, I cannot get over how swift you Akatsuki work tho!"

"Yeah, we figured it would be the smartest thing to do. But won't the others that already met Master and I notice that we aren't there anymore, hmm? Wouldn't that raise suspicion?"

"Eh, don't worry. They won't be sad you're not there." I said without hesitation, straight faced, mostly joking.

"That makes me lonely." Deidara shivered dramatically at my cold hearted delivery. His shoulders slumped, he clutches his chest in mock agony. "Ouch~"

"Pfft." I didn't expect that reaction and ended up giggling, "Sorry, I'm kidding. I'll just make up something to explain your absences."

Deidara stopped his melodrama and looked at me with suspicion
and equal exasperation as he saw the yaoi stars in my eyes.

He didn't have to guess the story of debaucher-ousness I would tell the others.

(This girl... hmm.) He shook his head of the thought, "I'll ask Master to let us pay a visit tomorrow, un, how is that? But we'll have to sneak you out so be prepared."

"It's a Sunday date!" I beamed, bubbling happily, "Don't go forgetting, nah."

"I'm not dumb, hmm."

"Truuuuu, haha-"

I was too busy giggling to notice.
Deidara had gotten deathly serious suddenly. There was a buzz in the air that I was oblivious too. The blonde hairs at the back of his neck stood up. I was unaware, happily flapping my gums.

Cutting me off mid thought, Deidara shoved his finger in my face, "I'm sorry but could you shut up."

😡 WTF, the disrespect! Gasp, I am offended. We were just having a nice and civil time together. And he kills the moment, huh?

"Who the faux do you think you're talking too, punk..." I growled, unamused. I reached over and gave him a heartless purple nurple.

"YOUCH! The hell was that for?!" He crossed his hands over his chest protectively. He gave me a dirty look like I'd all but violated him. He had the nerve to look genuinely confused!

I huffed haughtily, "You're such a rude blonde!"

"Oh, I see! You seriously have a problem! Just because of your blonde hatred you have it out for me huh?" He accused like I was the problem here.

I scoffed, rolling my blue eyes over and over. "Heh? Like that's it!"

He pinched my cheeks and twisted my skin, "No excuse, hmp! You abusive blond-hatin' little grizzly."

I roughly yanked his lengthy blonde hair in retaliation.

He winced, "Ow! Ow! Argh, stop--!"

"You wanna fight, bruh? We on, bey!" My accent bubbled up strongly. He brought forth my Bahamian fighting spirit. I let out a battle cry and unleashed a flurry of powerful punches at him. This was not what he wanted!

"You little--!" He used his large palm to push my head down to deter my crazy attacks. In this position I couldn't get anymore free hits.

Stupid! Annoying! Immature! I honestly felt like I was having a sibling fight with my brother, dang it.

His annoying triumphant laughter made me vex.

Frustrated, I started kicking my feet. I tried to lean back to get my head away from his hand that had me bowing in prayer for too long now if I should say. I smirked about to regain the upper hand.

But I'd leaned back too far on the fallen tree. I gasped. Falling backward, I quickly grabbed a fistful of his shirt, which stretched over his back, in a desperate act of self-preservation.

I only managed to drag him down with me.

We slipped.

We fell.

We hit the sandy ground without a single ounce of poise.

It took us a minute to recover from the shock of our epic fall. Deidara was staring wide eyed at the azure skies above us. He was laying on top of my arm that was slowly going numb. My fingers were still clutching his shirt.

Dazed he and I rise up like Frankenstein.

"You dumbass, I could have died, hmm!" Deidara spat and with that we instantly return to our bickering.

I hold him by his long hair with both hands, pulling as if I was tugging on floppy dog ears, "HUH?! You got some nerve--"

I paled, dread crawling up my sandy buns. (MY DVDssss!) After that fall my yaoi might be destroyed! I panicked and quickly checked the content of my small backpack.

"Old boy," I sighed in absolute relief. The goods were not damaged.

(Shit, I got distracted.) Deidara came to his senses and glanced around the area surrounding us.

He had felt a presence but not anymore.

(I thought I felt something coming, could it have been my imagination?)

As a precautions, Deidara decides then to scout the area from the air for a better view.

"I'm going. You better head back to the others right now." He instructed like he was the boss of me.

I slip my knapsack onto my back as I give my salutations, "Fine, fine. Bye Dei~♡"

(I'll keep an eye on her until she gets to the others and then...) He thought since I was ignorant of what was going on I might need some eyes in the skies.

"Now get your ass back to Naomi, hmm."

"You're right! Totally right! Welp! I better get back. I shouldn't unwisely frolic through the bushes alone." I replied in a heavily sarcastic tone but took heed in my mind knowing fully well things weren't as safe as it used to be like in the olden days when everyone could leave their front doors unlocked without a care. "I wouldn't want a creep like you to kidnap me."

"They'd return you, hm. I know I would." With that final poke, Deidara deserted me and I had no choice but to resume my adventures.

(Hm, for once he didn't use his forbidden jutsu hands to lick my face. Ma boy is growing up.)

Humming the Mission Impossible and Jaws theme song remix I crept through the forest but this time I was heading back from whence I came.

(Well... like Dei says it is dangerous to be mucking through the bushes alone in my undies. I guess the adventure must be cut short--)

I had just said goodbye to Deidara and I decided to heed his words and head back to the others. But life had a different plan.

"KYAAAA!" I. Lost. My. Sh!t.
☆

Naomi peered into the distance.

"I swear I heard Natalya scream..." Naomi fretted looking into the bushes from the shoreline. It gave off an eerie feeling.

Naomi felt a weight on her head and she glanced up. Shino gave her head a reassuring rub. "You're stressed, aren't you?"

"My lil cousin likes to wander too much without letting people know where she's going. In this day and age that's just worrisome, you know." Naomi heaves a long sigh out of exasperation. "Perverts live in the bush, you know. I wish she'd get that."

(It's no wonder Hugh-sama likes the bushes. Why, because she's also a pervert.) Shino nods in approval at his own deduction.

"Wait!" A brilliant idea yet cunning plan formulated in her deviously wicked matchmaker mind.

She discreetly gathered everyone excluding Shikamaru.

After listening to Naomi the others left the beach.

(Now then...) She smirks and casually saunters over to the relaxing pinacolada head boy.

She stood in front of Shikamaru blocking his view of the clouds.

"Hi. So... Everyone left to find my eternally lost cousin and they told me to convince you to help since you're really smart and all."

"Is it that dangerous here?" Shikamaru asks just out of honest curiosity considering he'd only been in the Bahamas for two days.

"Well... There are people with ill intentions everywhere, you know." Naomi was just being real. Despite her ulterior motives she also actually wanted someone to check on her half naked cousin. "Will you find her?"

"Its troublesome, considering I don't know the area... But since you're counting on me..."

"Thank you! You're a cool guy!" Naomi beamed with an Angel's smile but internally plotted like a devil. (Picture it! Your crush going out of his way to find you. Hehehe~ Natalya would be so elated she won't be able to hide her feelings. And then~)

(Oh no), she almost couldn't contain her grin. "Pfft!"

Upon hearing her leaked voice, Shikamaru turned around but Naomi had swiftly composed herself.

"Did you say something?"

"Nope. Nothing." Before he properly got the words out she'd said such.

"If you say so..." Shikamaru stared at her dispassionately yet confused from a few steps within the bushes. He hadn't went in that deep yet and she stood just outside the borderline of the trees anxiously.

"Please find her Shikamaru. I'm counting on you."

Shikamaru noticed the subtle emphasis she placed on the word 'you' and he thought he saw her wink at him.

(Must have gotten sand in her eyes....) He blinked at her for a few silent seconds and she blinked back.

"I'll keep looking... until I find her.." Saying no more Shikamaru walked in deeper and out of Naomi's line of vision. "What a hassle..."

The moment Shikamaru disappeared the other members of the ninja search party returned with God timing.

"Damn, we walked there for nothing."

"She wasn't even there..."

Naomi told them Natalya must have went to her car by the road which was a blatant lie. She knew her cousin and she was a regular bush woman from they were kids tumbling about.

"Hey guys don't worry." Everyone turned to Naomi to see her smiling 'innocently'.

Naomi who had been waiting anxiously at the borderline of trees walked over to the others effortlessly and pulled the boys by the collars and took Hinata's hand and pulled them toward the beach, "Shikamaru volunteered to find Natalya, personally."

His best friend found that bizarre, "Shikamaru did?"

"That lazy bastard, a volunteer?!" Kiba sputtered in disbelief, "Why would he--?"

"I said he'd find her himself, didn't I!" Naomi gave off a scary aura that was enough to shut them up completely.

"Good... Come this way." Naomi dragged them all into the sea and told them to play until Shikamaru got back with Natalya.

Naruto, Choji, Kiba, Shino and even Hinata gave each other confused looks as Naomi sat down with a big triumphant grin.

(To be continued...)