Sasuke's happy happy birthday

"Naruto..." A pink-haired lass began.

The blonde, known as Naruto looked so shocked that he'd been asked rather than initiating the conversation he scooted closer to her. Sakura sighed, wondering if it had been the right choice to ask him for help, the blonde idiot could no more help in reducing her forehead size than... than that.

"What? What? What?! Sakura-Chan, what do you want me to do!" He grinned, leaning towards her in his excitement, his eyes happy and down-faced crescent moons.

Sakura sighed, and she was meant to be the smart one. She sighed once more, counted to ten, and decided she would ask him for his help. Though Kami knows what was going on in that usually logical brain.

"It's Sasuke-Kun's-"

"TEME! BAKAYAROU!" Naruto went off in his long list of profanities, his eyes blazing red and his fingers forming into a fist.

"Naruto, will you calm down? I was about to say it's Sasuke-Kun's birthday and as we are his... Genin cell mates, we should do something special."

Naruto looked at her stupidly, but he had shut up. He was inwardly wondering why his birthday never got celebrated... but right now, Sakura-Chan needed help and so he would, even against that Sasuke-Teme... that weirdo.

"Okay, what were you thinking?"

"I wasn't, that's why I asked you," she retorted, though not as harshly as she would have. Naruto had agreed to help afterall.

Right then, Lee, from Team Gai ran by- but he reversed as soon as he saw his beloved. Lee proclaimed his undying love and Sakura refused. However, Naruto just had a wonderful idea by it all.

"Hey Gejumayo! Neji is on your team right? He's a dark, angsting, emotionally depraved clan member- so what did you get for his birthday?" Naruto said, not wasting a moment to ask him.

Lee put a finger to his chin and furrowed his lion brows. Wondering what he and Gai-Sensei had got Neji for his birthday. Obviously, it was something wonderful, but he could not remember it- perhaps a hair tye for that long hair and some shampoo, like the ones that him and Gai-Sensei used. Oh yeah! And they popped up at the Hyuuga Clan to offer a birthday cake and a party!

"A birthday party!" Lee exclaimed brightly, a huge smile on his face. "Neji-Kun absolutely loved it so much, he finally accepted my offer on a spar!"

Sakura was doubtful Neji-Kun would like a party... but it didn't seem a bad idea. She could finally wear a beautiful dress and show it to Sasuke with the excuse of a party and he would finally see her beauty and charm and...

"Alright, thanks Lee-San, we will have one!" Sakura smiled.

"Alright, I'll be there!" Lee went into pose number... something (she'd lost count) and sprinted off to complete some other self-inflicted punishment.

Sakura stared after Lee, surprised. "What did he say?"

"He said 'I'll-"

"I know! But... we didn't really... I just wanted it to be us... you know... me and you Naruto... not Lee-San... Sasuke-Kun can't stand Lee-San..."

"Well... we'll keep him out with my Kage bunshin!" Naruto readily supplied- he didn't like Lee's passionate offers on Sakura either, so he was only too happy.

Well, that went well- or so Sakura thought. It seemed... she had to bake a cake. When she suggested this to Naruto he asked:

"Why not buy one?"

"We need it to be special!" Sakura roared. Inner Sakura chorused along with her own 'dammnit'.

"Oh! We could make a Ramen Cake!" Naruto began brightly, a happy smile lighting up his face. "I'd love a Ramen Cake. Especially made by your hands, Sakura-Chan!"

A nerve busted on Sakura's wide forehead, but she said nothing and kept her cool. This was all for Sasuke-Kun.

"But that's so troublesome..." A lazy drawl could be heard as three people came nearer and nearer to the bridge that Naruto and Sakura were currently sitting at.

"No way! I'm making Sasuke-Kun a cake and you have to help me as I am the leader!" A very bossy and familiar voice demanded, sounding like she was strangling the boy.

Sakura gasped in shock- but... how did Ino find out about Sasuke-Kun's birthday?! How?!

"INO-PIG!"

"Forehead girl."

Shikamaru shrunk very neatly into the background, his hands shoved into his pockets with that usual 'don't care' expression, but even Naruto could see a slight twitch of his eyebrows. Whilst Ino and Sakura were arguing about who got to make what for Sasuke's birthday, Naruto, Chouji and Shikamaru looked on. It was a rule you had to obey- never get in the middle of Sakura and Ino's disputes.

Finally, they agreed that they could both do something- Sakura could cook whilst Ino decorated and organised the venue.

"Besides, more people will come since I am more popular than you, forehead-girl!" Ino declared airily, adamant to get the last word in.

Sakura actually smiled, very, very sweetly. "I know."
-

Everything was going pretty smoothly, except with a few hiccups when Chouji ate the cake (accidentally) and another had to be baked. Or when Naruto thought it was amusing to write 'Happy Birthday Sasugay' on the big banner stretching across the full length of the Uchiha compound.

Neji was walking by, his byakugan caught the banner's words, and he smirked. "Hn." And then he walked off with his hands in his pockets. It was not much later that he heard Lee's exciting summon that Sasuke was having a birthday party- and all his friends were invited.

So, poor, unaware Sasuke was simply lost in his thoughts of hating and detesting Itachi and thinking of how much he wanted to kill him and how he missed his mum's cooking and her smell of earth and sandalwood and a brief lingering of tea leaves. He swallowed hard, knowing he had to eat rice again.

"Maybe I'll add small tomatoes. I really do like them. They add colour too..." he was thinking, a ghost of a smile coming up on his face.

The smile died before it even was formed as he read the huge banner that spread across the manor. His sharingan activated upon instinct and he fled to his home.

"SURPRISE!" Ino and Sakura greeted, identical grins upon both faces and both had obviously tried very hard to look lovely for this occasion.

Naruto was grinning at him, but he was concentrating more on how cute Sakura looked. His eyes found Shikamaru as well as Chouji there as well. Sasuke was surprised when he saw the Chuunin jacket on the lazy ninja (Shikamaru, didn't look very happy though).

Uchiha Sasuke, now aged thirteen was surprised. So much so, that he simply walked in, not doing anything. His home had been invaded, taken over and decorated with balloons and streamers and tinsel and other, ludicrous things and he simply sat there, taking a sip of the orange juice that Naruto handed to him. He didn't choke or blink or anything, when one by one, people he knew came (much to Sakura's horror, as there were more people who would vye for Sasuke-Kun's attention now).

A mixture of happy birthday's came with varying degrees of honesty and enthusiasm from the group. He saw the most oddest assembly of ninja's- in one room, and wondered if he was in some type of genjutsu. All the rookie nine were there, as well as Team Gai.

Nobody moved after they'd mumbled their greeting or nodded (or glared in some cases) and Sakura was gobsmacked. She looked startled at all the people who had turned up. She turned to find that Lee was counting every guest and nodding to himself. She groaned inwardly- Lee was a nice person, but... he'd gone and invited everyone... or told them some bizarre story to come here and probably skewed the facts with his passionate approach.

Sasuke was shocked too, but he hid it better than his female teammate. Did he really know so many people? And did they all really wish him a happy birthday? He got up and walked out of the room, the sharingan of his eyes spinning madly. "A birthday? A happy one? That has got to be the worst greeting after 'Good morning'. I don't know what they think they are doing, the fools. They think they know me, but they don't."

"Sasuke-Kun..."

He hadn't realised soft footsteps of his teammate, following him in. "I-I'm sorry, it was my idea, Sasuke-Kun. I shouldn't have... I mean I only wanted to... Sasuke-Kun..."

He turned around, his expression cold. "Tell them all to go and stop wasting my time. What a ridiculous idea, Sakura."

He regretted some of the words as a look of obvious hurt flashed across her face and she nodded with a slight smile, looking even more sad than when he'd called her annoying. She walked out, and Sasuke could see Ino peering through the rice paper and then turning to Sakura and grilling her for info.

"But we can't leave yet! Uchiha-San hasn't cut the cake, Sakura-San!" That was the adamant voice of Lee, looking scandalised at the thought of leaving a party.

Tenten looked a little embarassed while Neji just looked bored. Hinata fidgeted, Kiba looked annoyed and Akamaru was staring at Shino's glasses. Many of the ninjas tutted. The only sound was Chouji eating.

"I knew this was a joke," Kiba said, then looked to his teammates and signalled them to leave. Hinata took one lingering glance at Naruto and was about to follow when a new voice interrupted their farewell.

"Inuzuka-San, please don't leave-- it would hurt Uchiha-San a lot," Lee spoke, flames in his eyes.

"Lee, you're being a fool-" Neji was cut across by Tenten though.

"But it'll do him some good to stop being so damn miserable. I mean, if he's going to be a Konoha shinobi, then he has to learn to interact with others," Tenten sighed, looking particularly at Neji.

She was obviously making evil eyes at Neji, aiming that more to him.
Ino laughed, the only sound in the room now and suddenly, the tension lessened in the room.
Sakura didn't have the heart to tell them to go away.

Sasuke came back out as he heard noise. Chattering of pleasant social banter and he didn't think he hated it enough. He looked at Ino who offered her present with a winning smile.

One by one, everyone was putting neatly wrapped or hastily wrapped or unwrapped presents. He began to open them one by one, everyone grinning and confident he'd like theirs.

Even Sasuke couldn't hold back a smile as he saw Kiba and Akamaru's card, a folded bit of paper with a paw print stamped on it. Ino had given him perfume, Hinata a tube of expensive tonic, Sakura a pair of decorative kunai, Lee had been generous in offering his spare jumpsuit ("The legwarmers were dyed red, so they match your awesome Sharingan technique!") and many other gifts ranging from weaponry (one was a pair of tonfa with Uchiha fan symbols carved into it) to the downright ridiculous like bones and to Sasuke's great embarassment, briefs with the Uchiha fan symbol...

He thought that these would be all, until he saw everyone turn towards the figure by the window. It was Hyuuga Neji.

"Hyuuga."

"Uchiha."

They stared each other down, Sharingan with Byakugan, and then Neji pointed to his present. The ebony-haired boy walked over to the large box, and he was a little annoyed that Neji was unwrapping it. "It's my birthday!" He found himself thinking childishly.

It was a Cockatoo, and some of the more quicker-witted people laughed at the choice of bird in the cage (though very discreetly, less either of the prodigies of their clan hunt them and hurt them bad).

Sasuke looked confused. "What do I do?"

Neji simply opened the cage door- the bird was out of his prison before you could say 'Believe it!'.

"What was the bloody point of that?" Sasuke thought, annoyed, and he realised only later- he'd said this very loudly.

"Freedom. It's the best gift in the world. To be free from a cage," Neji answered cryptically. He then walked to the table to get some food, chewing regally and thus, initiating everyone else to eat the food (what was left as Chouji had been at it for a while).

Sasuke was looking at the empty cage, annoyed and feeling rather angry. Was Neji trying to be funny? Because really, what was the point of bringing a present and then letting it go? Or did he want to prove some other point. He shrugged and went to try the snacks. He liked the salad which was arranged in a smiley face. He didn't like the ramen which only Naruto and that weird Hinata girl (she was the only girl in his year with short hair) were eating.

But...

For once... Uchiha Sasuke smiled like a human being as he blew out his candles.

"Wow, Sasuke-Kun, what did you wish for?" Sakura and Ino pestered.

Everyone held their breaths.

Sasuke smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets, his sharingan spinning, spinning...

"The death of my brother."

"Are you wishing me a happy birthday, Itachi? ARE YOU? Because I'm building a coffin- your size."