After much wait I present Chapter 5!

I've wanted to sit down and write all week now but with working a full time job, a part time job,summer college, having a boyfriend and my best friend having now moved in with me for the summer finding the time has been a little impossible.

But enough of me and my excuses. Time for you to get to know our girls a little more.

Read on!

xoxo

Rose

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Sakura heard the chattering voices of women echo down the tiled hallway. The smell of floral soap, hair products and nail polish was tangy in the air

"Hello ladies!" Deidara sang as he entered the room, Sakura trailing behind him.

Five women all glanced towards the door as the colorful pair strolled in. Sakura took in the sight of a fully established beauty salon, rows of rainbow colored polish bottles, glinting scissors and curling irons and floor to ceiling mirrors. Hinata waved to her from the far end of the room where a girl in a head wrap, from which magenta bits of her hair stuck out of haphazardly, stood blow drying the paled eyed girl's masses of blue black locks.

"Hey Sakura!" Tenten hailed her from a nearby pedicure chair. "Temari said you were visiting the dressmaker! Did you pick anything out?"

"No but-"

"What the hell Deidara!" Tenten cut her off, pointing her finger at the blonde man accusingly, "I trusted you to take care of things! Uhg I have to do everything don't I…Temari we're going to have to paint my nails later I have to go deal with this-"

"There there now dear Tenten." Deidara cut in, "What Sakura was trying to say is that a dress is being made for her. But, since you're so ready to go why don't you come with me and visit our dressmaker yourself? He has requested one of you anyway."

"Oh." Tenten's battle aura deflated a little before she quickly shook off the mistake and pulled herself to her feet. "Alrighty then! Lead the way blondie!"

"As you wish my lady. But first," He handed the scraps of fabric Sasori had given him to Temari. "These are what her dress will be made with." Deidara said. With that he stepped away to open the door and gave a gallant bow to Tenten. "Now my dear, if you would come with me."

Bathrobe and all Tenten trotted out the door and Sakura watched in bemused wonder as the two swept off in a wave of inexhaustible energy.

"Well hey there!"

Oh god. Another energizer bunny.

The pink haired girls gaze turned to towards the sound of the voice to be met by lively, upturned teal eyes and a broad smile. "You saw me earlier." The girl reminded her, "I'm Temari and you're Sakura right?"

"Yeah I am." She stuck out her small hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

Suddenly Sakura became rather disoriented as her world became the nothing but the tight space between Temari's arms and her large boobs. "Ohh you're so cute!" The blonde squealed shrilly in her ear.

"Ahhhhh," Sakura mumbled from her rather smooshed position, "thank you?"

She was abruptly released only to find herself being pushed in the direction of the hair washing station. "Oh don't thank me yet! I haven't even gotten started!" The blonde plopped Sakura into a cushy leather recliner and expertly tilted her head back onto the neck rest on the sink. Sakura heard the flow of water start and closed her eyes, relaxing as the water was directed at her hair and shampoo massaged into her scalp by nimble fingers.

Conditioner went in and was rinsed out, her hair was rung and then she was being pulled from the chair, a towel wrapped around her head. Meekly, she allowed herself to be guided to another chair in front of the mirrors where Temari pulled out a tube of something and squirted a mound of it into her hand.

"So," she chattered as she began to efficiently smooth the white cream onto Sakura's face. "Tell me about yourself honey."

"Ummm." Sakura wasn't sure how she was supposed to do this while her face was being pulled every which direction. "I'm 17, I'm in my senior year of high school, I like….tea? And…kittens?"

Temari sighed melodramatically and once more dragged her up from the seat. "Come on now sweetie I got more about you out of your friend Tenten than that." The busty woman directed Sakura to another chair set above a swooping edged tub of water for soaking feet. She climbed onto the throne-like chair and tentatively dipped her feet in. Green eyes slid shut and she sighed. Bliss.

"Let's start with the fact that you didn't want to be here." Temari said, drawing a basket out from a compartment under the seat of the stool she had planted herself on she began rummaging around in it. "Tell me why."

"Well…" Sakura began hesitantly, "I just have a thing against Valentine's Day really."

Teal eyes looked up at her incredulously. "Sweet mother of all things good why?"

Sakura blushed in embarrassment and shrugged her shoulders. "It's kinda become a bit of a bitter day I guess. In my family romantic relationships don't really work out."

"Hmmmmm." Temari said, leaning her chin on her fist as she studied Sakura, her expression contemplative. "And there's never been a special man to help change this feeling?"

Sakura laughed awkwardly and shifted her gaze to the sudsy liquid in the basin below, watching her paddling feet "Yeah not so much."

Temari tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Hmmm…well then…" Her face suddenly broke into a wide toothy smile. "We'll just have to get you ready to win a guy tonight won't we!"

Sakura couldn't help but smile back at her. What could she say? That smile was infectious. "Go for it Temari."

And by god go for it she did.

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Two hours later Sakura sat wrapped in a fluffy white bathrobe, polished within an inch of her life. Temari had gone all out on her, exfoliating, moisturizing, buffing and painting her from toe to brow. The two had ended up chattering the entire time and it now felt as if she had known Temari for ages rather than one afternoon.

The blonde was nowhere in sight at the moment though. She had handed Sakura off to Tayuya, the girl with the head wrap, to have her hair done. While extremely talented Tayuya turned out to be a bit of a grump, cursing under her breath in an almost unending hiss as she worked. Sakura had been grateful when her pink tresses had been declared perfect and Tayuya had given her over to Ayame, an adorable little brown haired girl, to have her makeup done, but not before giving stern instructions to not muss the hair dressers master piece.

Sakura examined her pearly pink nails as she waited, thinking there was no way that the dance itself could live up to the preparations for it. Sure, the school she attended was a cushy place and always went all out for dances, but unless they hired a live orchestra, rented horses and handed out Prince Charmings as you walked in, there was no way it would measure up.

"Hey there sexy I'm back!"

Sakura looked up with a grin and there was Temari, smiling above her and looking mighty excited. "Let's get going girl! Sasori's got your dress done and we're on a schedule!"

Sakura sprang to her feet, like a glamorous fluffy lamb in her enormous robe. She had to admit to herself that she was actually feeling pretty enthusiastic about her dress. Because honestly, how often do you have a dress made personally for you by a maniacal ginger tailor genius?

"Oi Sakura!" Tenten called, she had returned from her trip to Sasori's shortly after Sakura's pedicure, "you better not run off! We want to see that dress don't we Hinata?"

Hinata nodded from her place at Ayame's station where she was being artfully covered in swirls of white and silver glitter that matched the white fabric scraps and feather that she had been sent back with from her meeting with Sasori. Sakura had actually been surprised to see how unshaken her timid friend was when she had returned from her visit. Maybe she was the only one who feared the Nodding Man?

Or maybe they simply lack predator detecting sonar.

What if he's not actually dangerous?

…I can't believe that you doubt me and my predator sonar. We are fighting. Don't even speak to me.

…Right. No problem IS.

Wow. Her inner self was so easily offended.

Well, then again, so was her outer self.

Sakura now realized that she was having a dialogue with herself, without even her alternate personality to argue with. She wondered briefly if that should worry her…then decided not to bother with worrying.

"Um Sakura?" Sakura refocused onto the real world to see Temari with a slightly concerned expression. "You in there?"

"Huh? Yeah of course! Why?"

"Well," Temari said, "you just kept walking when I stopped by Sasori's door. I had to chase you down."

"Oh…" Sakura flushed, "I did that again huh?"

Temari redirected the ditzy girl, looped her own arm through Sakura's and pulled her back along the hallway. "So you're normally a space case huh?"

"A bit." She mumbled in embarrassment.

"Damn," they had arrived back at Sasori's lair and she banged her fist against the door before turning to look at her in exasperation in her teal eyes, "you're just adorable without even trying aren't you?"

"Ummm…" Sakura stuttered back, her face coloring, "I am?"

The door opened. "Yup, but don't worry dear. No big scary men will ever dare lay a hand on you." And with that Temari shoved her into the ginger ruled darkness.

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Tenten was just about ready to burst out of her skin. Sitting was never something she had been very good at on principal and the fact that, by this point in her life, energy drinks made up about a quarter of her blood supply made patience her least observed virtue.

"Tay!" She whined to the girl who was carefully coiling tiny braids around the crown of her head, "When are you gonna be done?"

The magenta haired stylist gave one of her braids a sharp yank. "First off, don't call me Tay! It's Tayuya. And stop whining you dry haired tomboy!" She scolded firmly, "It's taking me so long because you never care for your hair properly and stuff it up into those ridiculous buns!"

"I like my buns!" Tenten said indignantly, "They're functional and I look like an Asian badass! Which I am! And when can I get this itchy mud stuff off of me huh?"

Tayuya sighed and began rubbing a smoothing solution into the unpinned parts of her victims hair. "I'm almost done. And you can go scrub the henna off over there as soon as I finish this but-no don't go do it yet!-you have to sit still until then!"

Tenten slumped down in her chair in defeat and was promptly jabbed in the back by a pair of scissors. She straightened with a yelp and turned around to glare at an innocently smiling Tayuya.

"I can't finish your hair if you're slouching dear." She said with a cloying smile that sent Tenten's skin crawling.

The take-no-shit athlete turned around obediently, her back ruler straight. "I feel like some sort of dog she's training for a competition." She grumbled to herself.

However, since Tayuya was standing right behind her it wasn't exactly to herself. "Well," the hair stylist chipped in, "in a sense I am preparing you for a competition."

Tenten rolled her doe brown eyes at this. "And what competition would that be?"

"The getting a man competition. One I'll bet you've never been very good at."

Tenten grimaced. The hair pulling monster was right. She was always one of the guys, tough and indestructible. The only ones who ever asked her out were the ones who were more interested in her stamina in bed than in actually getting to know the female under the sweatsuit.

The hands in her hair stopped moving and the chair swung around. Tayuya leaned down with a weary expression on her face.

"Look," she sighed, "you obviously need all the help you can get so listen closely. When a guy first meets a girl he's looking for two things. One is confidence and you seem to have plenty of that. What I think you're lacking here is the second thing, intrigue. They think cause you beat them up in gym class that you're just a straight forward, no mysteries type of girl. Well, they're wrong. There is no woman in the world that isn't a mystery to men. You have to remind them of that. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Tenten knitted her brows in confusion. "Umm, I have to be mysterious?"

"Don't say it like a question!" Tayuya cried, throwing her skinny arms out in exasperation, her elbow nearly clipping Tenten in the head. "Yes! You have to be mysterious! You have to make them curious, make them wonder what they're missing. You do that and you'll have men all over you tonight. Got it you thick headed shemale?"

Tenten wasn't sure if she should be grateful or insulted, but she appreciated the attempt. "Don't worry Tay I got it!"

Tayuya walked away and started sweeping the floor in fast, frustrated swipes. "Well I hope whatever Sasori put together can help you cause mother earth knows how else you're going to get a man. And go wash off that mud. You look like a shedding lizard."

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It was if she had been reborn as a star. Shimmering lotion made her already milk white skin wink with every movement and glittering spirals and constellations adorned her entire body. Her face glowed, clean and fresh, her pale lavender eyes shadowed by the dark curve of ink black lashes. Her hair flowed down her bare back in a waterfall of ebony and blue, like a piece of the night sky that shifted sensuously with every movement.

Hinata's hands knotted together nervously as she looked back at herself in the mirror. It was not her own body she saw there, the one usually shrouded from sight by bulky sweatshirts and ill fitting pants, no, this was someone else. The girl in the reflection was wearing what could only be described as art. The skirt ballooning outward and ending just above the knees was ballerina-esc, as were her bared shoulders as the top of the corset flared out sculpturally into wing like tips just to the outsides of her collar bones. The stark whiteness of tulle and the hundreds of feathers that gleamed softly along the curves of her body harmonized with the glimmer of her boldly displayed flesh.

The red haired dressmaker called Sasori walked up to her with a pair of silken ballet shoes and single pearl earrings in his hands. He held them out expectantly and she plucked them from his palms with caution.

"Th-th-thank y-you." She murmured nervously, her dramatic change in appearance making her usual anxious stutter kick into overdrive.

Sasori nodded, his expression bland, "Of course. My creation needs the appropriate accessories to complement it. Though you do so very well on your own Miss Hyuuga."

"O-o-o-oh gosh," her fingers fumbled at the satin ribbons of the shoes as she tried to speak and she dropped one. "Sorry." She squeaked out.

"Please, let me." Sasori said, stooping down to pick up the shoe. His deft fingers untangled the ribbon she had been struggling with and he held out out the shoe towards her foot expectantly until she realized with a start he was going to put her slippers on for her.

Two shoes later, the ribbons twined perfectly around her slender legs and the pearls in her ears, Sasori declared Hinata complete.

"Th-th-thank you so mu-mu-much." She whispered, sending him a shy smile.

He nodded serenely in satisfaction. "You are a work of art and, for tonight, my master piece. It was an honor to remake you."

"And what a bright and shining star you have molded her into!" The musical exclamation echoed through the room as Deidara glided in. "Twirl for me my dear I implore you!"

Like red ink on white tissue a scarlet stain spread out over Hinata as her audience expanded from the quiet artist to include the mad blonde man. Swallowing hard, Hinata gave a timid twirl.

"Beautiful!" Deidara sang, "every inch the Swan Princess!"

Hinata looked down at her feet and tried to contain her worsening blush. "Th-thank y-you." She murmured.

"Now my dear would you accompany me to the waiting room to join your friends?"

"Oh, yes, o-of course." Hinata said, stepping down. Deidara took her sweaty hand and laid it genially upon his forearm.

"Th-thank you again Sasori." Hinata thanked the dressmaker once more as Deidara led her towards the door, Sasori following behind. She hoped silently that he would come with her to meet everyone else, his quiet presence and pride in her made being as undressed as she was not quite as frightening.

"Have a lovely night Miss Hinata."

And with that Sasori closed the door behind them, crushing her hopes and Hinata gulped heavily to wet her suddenly dry throat as she prepared herself for the hundreds of eyes she would face alone that night.

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