Chapter 50

-Hinata's POV-

After the haunted house challenge, we were informed the next one would be a trivia game. The rules were simple: each correct answer equals one point toward a team's final score.

When we came out of the break room, once lunch was concluded, we had our hair and makeup touched up and then headed back out to the main room to see that the entire haunted house had already been deconstructed and replaced with a typical game show-style set. There were three long tables with four seats, one for each team. They sat facing the host's podium off the side of three smaller stands, each color matching a separate team's uniform.

Prestige sat quietly at the yellow table. We need to step it up during this challenge and those that remain tomorrow, or else Akatsuki will surely win. They're in the lead by a whopping six points. I, unfortunately, didn't do well in the last challenge, but my friends assured me they weren't angry about it and that this was all just for fun anyway.

"Here's how it works, folks. Each person will be asked three questions when it's their turn. The goal is to answer quickly and correctly because the other two up here can steal points if they get the answer right before you. If you want to answer, simply press the podium button. Are there any questions? Concerns?"

No one offered a response to the host, so he grinned happily as he straightened out the thick stack of index cards in his hands, "Alright, let's get started then! First up we'll have Hinata, Nagato, and Kisame."

As I stood, Sakura gave me an encouraging smile, and I did my best to return it before going up to the yellow stand with a red face.

Once the other two were also at their designated spots, Yamato cleared his throat and raised a card slightly in his hands to read it into the microphone, "Question one for Kisame: What is Yahiko's favorite color?" Confusion crossed our faces before I realized these wouldn't be regular trivia questions. No, they'll be about our teammates to see who's the closest to one another.

After a moment of all three of us realizing that, Nagato pressed his buzzer, offering a shy smile to Kisame when the man groaned in annoyance, "Blue."

A high-pitched "ding!" came through the speakers, and Yamato said, "Correct! One point to Team Konan!" I guess none of us should be surprised. To my understanding, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato were thick as thieves in high school.

The host returned his gaze to his cards and continued, "Next up is a question for Hinata: What was Sakura's dream job as a child?"

I pressed my button instantly and tried not to smile proudly as I answered, "A doctor."

"Correct! Great job!" The pink-haired woman cheered with a fist in the air, obviously happy I remembered the fact.

"Now one for Nagato: What is Konan's favorite song to perform?"

My fingers pressed the button before I realized it, and the others looked at me in surprise. Blushing deeply, I stuttered, "I-Imaginary from her debut album."

"That's correct! Another point for Team Prestige!"

Then Yamato moved on to the next round of questions, going in the same order as before: Kisame, me, and Nagato. "What is Hidan's favorite type of food?"

The Akatsuki member answered after a moment of thought, "Meat, barbecue specifically." The man in question cheered, "Hell yeah, it is!" A few others laughed in response.

"That's correct! Next: Hinata, besides music, what was Gaara's favorite subject in school?"

My mind blanked for a moment, and I looked at the man in question for help, but he matched my panicked expression because we both knew we hadn't discussed that topic. Left with no choice, I did my best to guess according to all that I knew about him after ringing my buzzer, "U-Um…Math?" The room was silent for a moment before the correct answer sound rang through the speakers, and I let out a sigh of relief, laughing softly.

"Nagato: What is the uncommon pet Sasori had as a teenager?"

The redhead hit his buzzer rather quickly, "A deathstalker scorpion." My brows rose in surprise. Never in a million years would I have been able to guess that.

"Correct! On to the final round of questions. Kisame, name two of Deidara's favorite hobbies. We have a list of five."

If they only needed one, I'd try to answer because I know he likes baking, but I'm clueless about what else he might be interested in. His teammate wasn't, though, "Baking and pottery." He was correct.

"Hinata: What is Sasuke's favorite snack?"

My heartbeat picked up, and I pressed the button quickly, "T-Tomatoes!" When we went shopping so we could make pancakes the day after our debut, he bought some, and every time we go grocery shopping, we have to get some, or else he gets grumpy.

I was correct and smiled proudly as the host moved on to the final question for our round, "Nagato: What occupation are members of Kakuzu's family notorious for having?"

The redhead buzzed in quickly, "Accountants?" He seemed unsure but visibly relieved when he realized he'd answered correctly.

With our turns finally over, I returned to my spot between Sakura and Gaara. Before we could say anything, Yamato announced, "Next, we'll have Gaara, Deidara, and Sasori."

-Gaara's POV-

Of course, I'd end up having to go against Sasori. Fate wouldn't have it any other way.

"We'll continue with our order of Akatsuki, Prestige, and then Team Konan, so Deidara, you'll be first up." Once everyone was in place and paying attention, he asked the first trivia question, "When is Yahiko's birthday?"

Sasori and Deidara hit their buzzers simultaneously, the host motioning for Deidara to go first since it's technically his turn. "February twentieth!"

"Correct! Next, for Gaara: Is Sasuke right or left-handed?"

I hit the button in front of me, "Left." I'm right, and I knew it before even hearing the "ding!" because he cut himself trying to use scissors when we were wrapping Christmas presents and, while loudly cursing, complained about it.

The other two were asked questions again, and it was my turn again. "What is Hinata's favorite dessert?"

A smile tugged at my lips when I hit the button and saw that the girl in question's face had turned bright red as she held her hands to her cheeks, "Cinnamon rolls." "Ding!" The correct-answer buzzer sounded.

When my last question came a few minutes later, I focused hard because it would be about Sakura, and Sasori's likely to try and answer it before me. Until now, I've managed not to meet his gaze, and I want to keep it that way so that we don't get worked up like in the haunted house.

"In a recent interview, what did Sakura say is the first thing she notices when meeting someone new?"

My brow furrowed. That had to be an interview where we weren't altogether because I don't recall hearing that question. When I glanced at my competitors, Sasori looked irritated because he likely didn't know the answer either.

To our surprise, Deidara hit his buzzer, "Eyes!"

With an aura of defeat, I retreated to my seat, where the pink-haired woman patted my back encouragingly, "That's alright, Gaara! We can still win!"

I gave her a half-hearted smile so she'd avert her focus, but she didn't really understand. Up there, that wasn't just any round. It was Sasori and I trying to prove to one another that we knew her better, and we both failed miserably. At least he didn't beat me, I guess.

-Sakura's POV-

I'm a little surprised Gaara got that question about me stolen because he was there at the interview with Haku, but I'm also not taking it personally because that was right after he caught me crying in the bathroom. That entire day, I recall him being sort of dazed, likely because he was having trouble sleeping.

I went up to the podium when Yamato announced it was my turn. My opponents are Yahiko and Konan, so this round was for the team leaders, obviously not an accident.

My first question came after Yahiko answered correctly, "What is Gaara's favorite sport?"

After thinking, I buzzed in and answered with a grin, "Volleyball!" That's another point for us! If we keep it up, we might be able to bridge the gap between Akatsuki and us and steal the win tomorrow.

"Konan, where is Sasori's one birthmark located? For the viewers at home: this is a family-friendly question."

I buzzed in without realizing it may come across as suspicious for me to know the answer; I was too focused on winning, "The right side of his chest." I was correct, earning a few unsure looks from the staff members off-camera. Cursing inwardly, I avoided the awful man in question's smirk as he tried to meet my eye from where he sat at his team's table. Ooh, this is suddenly very uncomfortable.

Luckily, my next question soon came, and I let it distract me from what had just happened. "What is Hinata's exact height?"

I buzzed in, beaming at the shy girl in question, "163 centimeters." She's just three centimeters shorter than me. Another point!

When my last question came, I was eager and ready to continue my streak. "How old is Sasuke's older brother, Itachi?"

I met my Uchiha bandmate's gaze, and he rolled his eyes. Not sure, but I hit my buzzer anyway, "Twenty….six?"

I barely managed not to curse out loud when I was told I was wrong. The other two answered, obviously guessing, and Yahiko ended up guessing correctly that Itachi's twenty-seven.

When I returned to my seat, Sasuke berated me under his breath, "You can flirt with him like it's your job, but you don't know how old he is?"

I elbowed him in the ribs, "You're just jealous."

He scoffed but offered a smirk while heading to the podium for the last round of the challenge.

-Sasuke's POV-

The only people left came up front with me: Hidan and Kakuzu. I didn't try all that hard to pretend to like the former when he met my eye and grinned widely.

He's been on my shitlist since the moment Sakura told me he'd been the one to drug her and Hinata, but ever since we arrived here yesterday, my opinion of him has just been getting lower and lower. I know exactly why, too. Of course, there's the fact that he doesn't know how to shut the hell up, but Hinata's terrified of him. He knows it, too, and seems to think it's amusing.

It's obvious now, but I didn't fully realize it until they were set against one another during yesterday's second challenge. The only other time I've seen such a frightened expression on her face was when we first found her and Suigetsu the night he broke in and attacked her. Not only that, but when he scared her earlier in the haunted house, and she yelled at him, she nearly sounded angry or even disgusted, which took me off guard. Once filming is finished and we can get out of here, I'll ask her about it just in case there's more to it than I'm aware.

"Sasuke, who is Gaara's celebrity crush?"

I could've laughed when I almost said Sakura's name, but instead, I answered with the publicly acceptable response, "Mei Terumi." When I looked at the man himself, he was frowning with a half-glare, knowing well what was on my mind.

My next question soon came around, "What type of dance classes did Sakura take between the ages of seven and fifteen?"

Ah, fuck. I don't know that. She glared at me from our table, arms crossed angrily. It's just that she talks so much that I can't help but tune her out sometimes.

After a long and silent moment, Kakuzu hit his button, "Contemporary and ballet."

"That's correct! Great job!"

I gave the man an odd look, as did many others in the room. Konan's band does absolutely no choreography, and he's the quietest person here who also seems the least interested in all this. Why does he know something like that? The host moved on, and I didn't care enough about Kakuzu to bother trying to stay focused on my curiosity, so I let it go.

My last question soon came up, "This one should be easy since you live together, Sasuke. What color or colors are the walls in Hinata's bedroom?"

I lifted my hand to hit the buzzer, but someone else beat me to it, "Yellow and white." The room went silent once again when Hidan answered.

Anger boiled my blood in an instant. How the fuck would he know that? The only time he's been to our house is the Halloween party, and no one went upstairs then, to all of our knowledge. Even Yamato seemed surprised.

Hidan noticed and laughed sheepishly as he scratched the back of his neck, "It was mentioned in an interview a while back."

The host laughed along, obviously eager to soothe the awkward aura that'd come over the room, "That's correct. Another point for Team Akatsuki!"

Everyone seemed to relax just slightly so we could finish filming for the day, but I couldn't stop looking at Hidan every so often. As far as I'm aware, there haven't been any interviews where we were asked such a specific question.

When I returned to my seat, I looked at Hinata and realized my concern was warranted. Her face was as white as a sheet of paper.