Sasuke and Sakura were severely messed up, Naruto had decided. The whole, one step forwards two steps backwards, was getting extremely old ... and tiring. Just this afternoon they had entered a full out explosion, about walking. WALKING! There was defiantly something screwy in their brains. It all started with Sakura commenting on how She always ended up walking behind them. Then the teme...
(Flashback)
Sasuke glanced over his shoulder, meeting the girl with his eyes.
"Maybe if you weren't such a slow walker you wouldn't have that problem."
Sakura recoiled, trying to reason with him.
"What makes you think that I think it's a problem?"
Naruto had stopped walking and placed himself off to the side. Wherever this was going he did NOT want to be a part of it.
Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at her, by now the two of them were facing each other, not moving a muscle.
"If it wasn't a problem then why did you mention it?"
"Gee, I'm sorry. I didn't know small talk posed as such a THREAT to you!"
"A threat to me, like you would ever be a threat to me!"
The words left his mouth before he could regain any control of himself. Now Naruto REALLY didn't like where this was going. What's that they say, if you're not part of the solution you're a part of the problem? Well, he should at least try to do something.
"Ah, guys. Is this really all that important? Can't we just go eat some ramen as a TEAM." Emphasizing that last word as if trying to remind them that they were a unit, they were one (essentially), and pointless arguments would only hinder their teamwork. Sakura craned her neck to the side, channeling as much malice into her stare and posture as possible.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I wasn't aware that how Sasuke views me is an unimportant problem for this TEAM!" His former emphasis coming back to him tenfold. Waving his hands in front of his face as if trying to shield himself, Naruto started to back away slowly.
"It is, Sakura-chan."
Focusing her attention back on Sasuke (who remained in the same position the whole time), the girl gave her curt response. "Good. As for you, Uchiha, do you honestly think that I'm below you?"
"Do you want to be?"
The innuendo catching her off guard, all she could manage was a gaping look at the Uchiha. Throwing words together in her head she retaliated, "Like I would ever want to be UNDER YOU! Try to keep your fantasies to yourself, pervert."
"More like nightmares." Sasuke mumbled under his breath.
"What was that?"
Sasuke didn't make a sound.
"That's what I thought."
At this point Naruto was thinking that Sasuke might have some sense of self preservation left within him.
"I am your equal, Sasuke. You are not the better shinobi."
"Well, sometimes you just give off that impression, Haruno."
Well, there went Naruto's previous belief. Sasuke must want the woman to kill him. He might as well begging for it now.
Sakura could not believe what he had just said. The boy was treading on thin ice there.
"What did you say?"
Sasuke started to circle around the girl, as if moving in on prey.
"Just that if you stopped fawning and pining after me people might take you to be a more serious kunochi."
All right, so Naruto decided it was best to take five steps back. The ending this spat time frame was WAY over. There was nothing he, or anyone else, could to to intervene. He just had to let it run it's course and pray to Kami that none of them whipped out the weapons so conveniently located on their outer thighs. It was like his thought was heard by the two of them, a kind of reminder that they were very capable of using lethal weapons against each other. And because someone up there hates him, Sakura and Sasuke both started inching their fingers towards their weapons pouch. Before something would happen that he, and they, would regret, Naruto threw himself in between the two. Intervening at the last moment. The tension between the two dissipated as soon as their eye contact switched from each other to the blond in front of them.
"Stop this. It's pointless and childish."
"At least I'm not a crazy, obsessed, one-track-mind, twenty-four year old." Sakura turned to walk away, leaving Sasuke and Naruto in her wake. But if she thought Sasuke would take that lying down she was sorely mistaken.
"What was that, hindrance?"
Naruto involuntarily flinched. He was so prepared for Sakura to come flying at the man standing directly behind him. Which meant he was directly in her path. Surprisingly, Sakura just kept walking. He should just shut his mouth and let her walk away. He and Sasuke both. Of course, though, that was to much to ask for.
"Ah, Sakura-chan, what are you doing?"
He didn't think she would answer, but then again, he was wrong about a lot of things. Without turning around, Sakura answered.
"I'm walking away, Naruto. Looks like I finally learned something from Sasuke after all."
With that said, the girl turned the corner and disappeared from their sight. Naruto just turned to look at Sasuke. When it started to become slightly uncomfortable, and creepy, Sasuke spoke up.
"What?"
"Are you really just going to let her walk away?"
Sasuke gave him a blank expression.
"SASUKE!"
"What?"
Naruto folded his arms across his chest.
"Well, are you?"
"Going to let her walk away? Yeah."
"You are so stupid. This is the point where you go after the girl and apologize."
"She made it pretty clear that she didn't want me to follow, baka."
"That's what she wants you to think! It's some kind of girl test to see if you really come after you."
"That's ridiculous. Besides, why should I have to apologize?"
"You're the GUY! That's what us guys do. Screw up and then apologize. Plus, you said some pretty messed up things to her."
"She said some pretty messed up things back."
"That's not going to get you out of an apology."
Sasuke turned his back on his best friend and started walking away. Before he was out of earshot he said, "Watch it."
(End Flashback)
This left Naruto in his current predicament, searching the streets looking either one of his best friends. Just as he was about to give up, he thought he heard Sakura's voice emitting from an opened door. He looked up to see the name of the building.
Drink it Up. Well, that's not really a good omen.
Before he entered, Naruto pulled out his phone and called Sasuke.
"Teme, Sakura's at some bar, Drink it Up. Meet me here."
His voice came on the line, short and curt, "Why?"
So he was frustrated. He had no right after what Naruto had just spent the entire day doing.
"Just because. I know you don't want her to have a sleepover with some thug as much as I don't."
Sasuke just closed his phone. Naruto took that for an agreement.
Naruto pushed past the people crowding around the entrance. He searched the room for any sight or flash of pink. That's when he found her.
Sakura was currently sitting at the bar, three men surrounding her. The other people at the bar seemed to be cheering her on.
"CHUG IT! CHUG IT! CHUG IT!"
Naruto sprinted towards the counter as fast as he could. He shoved and elbowed the three goons who where looking at her like she was some kind of Friday night special. Naruto did not like what he saw when he got there. Sakura had her neck craned all the say back, in the middle of gulping down a shot glass like it was oxygen. What he found on the counter was even worse. There where, what, maybe twenty other shot glasses around her. Isn't she a medic! Isn't she supposed to know the dangers of high alcohol intake. Of course, they say that a persons ability to judge is the first thing to go. By the looks of it, that had flew out the door with the second or third one. Naruto looked up at the bartender, sending a death glare his way that would make Sasuke proud.
Shit, Sasuke. What the hell is he going to do when he finds out?!?
"What can I pour for you?"
Naruto directed another glare his way, maybe this guy wasn't getting the picture.
"You can pour me nothing and do the same for her." Naruto pointed his finger at Sakura.
"Her? That little lady's been quite the attraction tonight."
"Why the hell did you let her drink so much?"
"You mean besides the fact that it's how I make my living?"
No response. Naruto wasn't joking. He was in no mood, especially since he had to get Sasuke to come over and help take her home.
Sensing the tension, the bar tender gave him a more serious response the next time.
"Sorry, kid, it was like she was hell bent on self destruction tonight."
"Ah, whatever. Just cut her off."
Naruto swiveled his stool towards Sakura and took the glass out of her hands. Sasuke was going to be here any minute and he would NOT be happy with the current state of their teammate.
"Narrrrrrrrryyyy-kun. That wasn't nice."
"Sakura, this is not the way to solve your problems."
"Why do you and Sassssskkk think I have all thessseee problemies when I don't?"
Naruto just rolled his eyes.
"Sasuke's going to be pissed when he finds you."
"That's a lie. Are your pants on fire yet?" The girls eyes were unfocused and blurry.
"It's not a lie, Sakura."
"Yessss it isssss, it's a lie lie lie."
The girl proceeded to spin herself around on her chair. She was about to fall off when to strong arms wrapped themselves around her midsection.
"Sasuy-kun?"
"What are you doing here, Sakura?"
Naruto just gave an apologetic look.
"Well, now that you're here it looks like I can leave."
Before Sasuke could respond, Naruto was half way out the door.
"Hn. Dobe."
"Excuse me, are you her ride home? Because you might have some competition for that position."
Sasuke said nothing in response to that statement but merely observed the lecherous looks she was getting (and the murderous ones he was receiving). As a response he picked the girl up bridal style and pushed his way through the throng of people. Sakura
started banging her fists against Sasuke's torso in refusal.
"Put me down down down DOWN!"
"You're causing a scene."
As soon as the pair had left the bar Sasuke placed his cargo on the ground, waiting by her side to stabilize her. She was, more than a little, wobbly on her feet so he slung one of her arms around his shoulders and the wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Why are you here, Sasuy-kun?"
Forging ahead, Sasuke said, "Because you shouldn't have been there."
"What makes you say that?"
"You should have better control over yourself. Just because you're upset it doesn't mean you should go drown your worries in alcohol."
"I'm not drowning, I'm on land, idiot."
"Sakura, what would you have done if one of those...men...tried anything tonight?"
"Ah!" Sakura raised her finger sluggishly and tried to point it at his face. "The real question is what would you have done?"
"That makes no sense."
"Yes, it does, Uchihahahahahaha. You're last name's funny."
Sasuke placed her falling arm back around his shoulders and kept his hand on hers.
"There is no way I'm listening to someone who is so drunk they wouldn't know common sense if it smacked her in the face."
Sakura jerked, "Who smacked me? That's not very nice!"
"Impossible."
Sasuke and Sakura continued their way to Sakura's apartment. Sasuke asked Sakura where her key was and she pulled it out of her purse. When she tried to insert it she ended up hitting the door five times before Sasuke pried it out of her clenched fist and opened the door. Moving inside, Sasuke made his way to the girls room, lying her down on the bed. He gave her some advil and a cold glass of water. All of a sudden she realized she couldn't sleep in her clothes. She told Sasuke that, being the born gentleman he was he went to leave the room when she stripped off her shirt in front of him.
"Geez, Sakura. Not in front of me!"
"Aw, does Sasuy-kun have a problem with girls in..."
Her abruptly stopped sentence caused the male to look over at her. He found her rushing for the bathroom door, then heaving all the contents of her stomach. He sighed and rolled his eyes, walking in after her. He gathered all of her strawberry locks in his hand, using the other to rub circles on her back. It was then that he realized she was still clad in just a bra. Suppressing a blush, he continued his soothing gestures. When she felt more relieved, she got up and washed her mouth. She looked into the mirror to see Sasuke leaning against the wall, watching her back intently. At that precise moment she remembered the feather brush of his finger tips along her neck. His hand touching her bare back, very un-Sasuke like. She felt goosebumps ripple against her flesh. She didn't understand him, and it wasn't because of the alcohol. Shaking her head slightly she left all her unwanted thoughts behind as she exited the bathroom. She threw on an old tee shirt and made her way to her warm bed. Sasuke followed her, again. Why was he here, all it was doing was confuse her. She couldn't resist the questions that were hammering against her skull.
"Why are you here? You don't care about me."
The words hurt her to say out loud, but she couldn't help it. His presence evoked a lingering sense of doubt within her.
Sasuke's face seemed to, soften with his response. "That's not true."
"This is couple stuff, Sasuke, and you are definitely not my boyfriend unless I'm delusional. The only other option would be if you loved me and that's not true so..."
"I do."
"What?"
Damn, why was she making this so hard on him.
"Love you. Why did you ever think I didn't?"
Sakura was even more confused than she was in the bathroom. Her brain was her own personal jackhammer within her skull, her vision was questionable, and now an emotionless man was confessing right in front of her. Right TO her.
"You never indicated that you loved me. You never did anything to prove it!"
Sasuke merely shrugged his shoulders.
"You never asked."
Sakura would have come up with a clever retort, that is, if she wasn't drunk. Before she had any control over it, sleep overcame her senses.
Sasuke sat watching her for a while until he joined her in slumber.
The two woke up, somehow in each other's arms. But neither of them were complaining. Something shifted last night. It may take a while to figure out where to go next, or what to do and say, but they would get there. Now that it had started there was no stopping it. After all, love's like a force of nature.
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This story is pretty much the result of boredom, a random idea, and trying to update my other stories. Hope you liked it and reviews much loved!
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