Torture, Bet, and Love

A SasuSaku oneshot

Sasuke's POV

For kt. 1z. awesome since you're all pissed at Sasuke! Hope this makes you smile! ;D

'"'"'"'"

This sucks…this really, really sucks.

What sucks…the fact that I'm currently tied to a tree. How…three words…a - fucking - bet.

No, it was not a bet that I couldn't tie myself to a tree. I know I can do that. Untying though…I may lose that.

No, I'm tied to a tree due to a stupid bet that goes way back to this morning.

'"'"'"'"

I walked down the halls with my loudmouthed best friend, Naruto. I stared at the ground in front of me as he went on some big rant I didn't really care about. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Hinata and their date last night. Can't this Dobe ever just keep things to himself…?

"Teme, Teme, hey, Teme," Naruto called to me repeatedly. "Incoming!"

I didn't understand what he meant until I was already on the ground. I had smacked right into someone who also didn't pay much attention to their surroundings as they walked down the hall in the opposite direction that I had been heading.

"I warned you! You should listen to me more, Teme!" Naruto boasted from above me.

I began to stand up. "Well excuse me if I can't tell your warnings from your normal, useless blabbering."

I finally glanced down at who it was I had run into. I wasn't too surprised to see Sakura Haruno on the floor in front of me. The book she obviously had her nose in when she ran into me laid on the ground just a couple feet from her.

"Oh, hey Sasuke." Sakura greeted me like nothing had happened.

I stuck out my hand. "Hn," I grunted in response.

Sakura looked from me to my hand for a moment before she grasped it and I pulled her up. I quickly bent down, picked up her book, and handed it to her.

We both looked at each other for a moment until we began to walk past each other.

"Next time watch where you're going," we both said at the same time.

We then turned to look back at each other after our simultaneous comment.

"You were the one with your nose in that book." I retorted.

"Well you were just staring at the ground. You could have at least sensed I was heading your way and stepped aside." Sakura countered.

We simply exchanged glances after that, rather than glares, and Sakura finally took it upon herself to walk away after she flipped her book back open.

I sighed, slightly annoyed. Naruto suddenly decided to pipe up. "So when's the marriage?"

I glanced over at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"When are you and Sakura getting married?" Naruto restated.

I glared at the blond and started to walk down the hall again. "Who said that?"

"Me, obviously," Naruto answered, "of course you two sure are into each other, I can tell that much!"

I reached out and smacked Naruto in the back of the head. "Who's interested in whom, Dobe?"

"You and Sakura obviously. I mean, they way you two look at each other!"

I smacked him again. "You're full of it."

"Define what 'it' is."

I glared at Naruto. "Don't be more of an idiot than you already are."

"Once you stop being one and realize you two are totally into each other!"

"You don't have any proof."

"Oh yes I do! I read your diary! And it said—"

"I don't have a diary!"

"Journal, whatever, I still read it! And you mention Sakura a lot! You even went into detail on her! Let me quote…'her short pink hair that looks so soft! Her creamy skin and bright eyes draw me in! Her skintight shirts that show off her curves! Her che'—"

"Shut up!" I growled threateningly.

"I'll note that you didn't deny that was in your journal." Naruto grinned at me deviously.

I sighed. "She's probably not even interested."

Naruto gasped. "Do my ears deceive me? Did Sasuke 'ego-central and confident' Uchiha really just deny something he's not even sure of?"

"I am not ego-central."

"Oh like hell you are!"

"What's your point?"

"My point is that you think Sakura doesn't like you based off your own assumption! You can't really be that nervous about her!"

"Who said I was nervous? I just know because I know!"

"Dude…that barely even makes sense." Naruto stated just before a grin broke out across his face. "Oh, I know!"

I immediately got the feeling I should tape his mouth shut before I regretted hearing what he thought of.

"What do you say we bet on it?"

"…Bet…? What do you mean by 'bet'?"

"I bet you fifty bucks that you can't get Sakura to agree to go out with you and kiss her by five today!"

I mulled it over for a second. "Well what if she rejects me?"

"Well I doubt she will, but if she does then the bets cancelled I guess. You have nothing to lose besides fifty bucks if you can't do what I said between now and five!"

I thought about it for a couple moments later. "Fine…by the end of this day I may have fifty extra bucks and a girlfriend."

The two of us shook on it just as the late bell rang. Then we made a mad dash to our classes.

'"'"'"'"

I sat at a table in the cafeteria. My food was nearly untouched as I contemplated all the possibilities for a way to ask Sakura out.

"I could just flat out ask her…but…I want her away from that clique of girls she hangs out with. If I ask her in front of all of them I may be accepted, but I won't be able to hear it over all those girls screaming." I thought.

I looked up just in time to see Sakura and her group of girls walk by. Sakura glanced over at me as they passed and I tried to motion for her to sit at the table I sat at. But she stuck out her tongue at me and continued to walk with the rest of the girls to their own table.

"What the hell was that about? Besides a slight thorn in my pride…. I thought she would have accepted the offer."

Just at that moment, Naruto sat down at the table with a big grin on his face that told me he probably had something to say that I won't like.

"Hey, Teme, have you talked to Sakura yet?" He asked.

"No, I tried to invite her to the table, but she just stuck her tongue out at me and kept walking."

"Hmm…so that's what she meant." Naruto muttered, and I immediately knew something was up that would probably lead to me clobbering the blond in front of me very soon.

"What do you mean by that?" I pressed.

"Oh…uh…well…I just told her what you were going to try, and—"

"You idiot," I snarled in a harsh whisper, "do you even realize what you did? You're not supposed to tell her!"

"All I asked her in math was if you asked her out yet. I tried to hide it from her after that, but you know…Sakura…really strong fists…I had to tell her. Of course once I did she got this weird look on her face and said 'so it's a game, I'll be happy to join in'. Though I had no idea what she meant so…."

"Dobe, she's probably going to ignore me for the rest of the day then! Do you even realize what you did, you jackass?"

"Hey, she may not! Maybe she's going to come closer to you!"

"Yeah right, Dobe, I can't believe how stupid you are."

"Hey, talk to her in Biology. You two have that together, right?"

"Yeah…we'll see."

'"'"'"'"

The rest of my classes before Biology seemed to drag on forever. When it finally came around I felt like we should have been out of school an hour ago. I took my normal seat, which was conveniently located in front of Sakura's. She walked in a couple minutes after I did, and took her seat. Her face was buried in a book different from the one she had read earlier during our encounter. I turned around and decided to make a move before class started.

"Do you ever look up from the books?" I questioned.

"Damn that was a bad move. I'm trying to sway her, not make her angry."

Sakura glanced up and seemed to just take notice that I was there. She quickly looked back down to her book. "What's it to you?"

"Okay, let's try to save this."

"Well don't you do anything else during your spare time? Like talk on the phone, hang out with friend, go on a date?" I purposely added in the last one.

"What's it to you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why are you interested in what I do in my free time?"

"Just curious," I responded.

Sakura closed her book with a sigh, but when she looked up at me it wasn't the look I expected. She had an almost mocking look in her eye, and her mouth was turned up in a smirk.

"I already know what you're trying to do." She stated.

I looked away from her. "I know…the Dobe told me."

"So…"

"So what…?"

"What do you plan to do to make me agree to go out with and kiss you before five?"

"Uh…would you like to go out?"

"Oh, you're no fun." Sakura huffed. "You've gotta sell yourself to me. Prove to me in some way that you're the boy I want to walk down the street holding hands with."

"…What?"

Sakura eyed me jovially. "You can't get off with just asking me out, Sasuke, you've gotta make me."

"So is that a challenge?" I smirked.

"Call it what you want."

"Hn, fine, this bet just got a bit more interesting."

"We'll see, Uchiha, we'll see."

I was about to question her about her last statement when class started. I stared at the board for a while as the teacher went on their lecture for the day on a subject I already knew about. I occasionally glanced back at Sakura who would smirk at me in such a playfully mocking yet Uchiha way it almost scared me.

Class was over before I knew it, and Sakura was already up to leave. She didn't get far out the door, however, when I grabbed her wrist, spun her to face me, and pinned her between my arms against the lockers.

"So…Sakura…" I drawled and move my hands closer to her body to almost touch her. "What say you and I go out later?" By the time I finished my statement my hands had already found her body, and began to slowly roam her.

"Hmm…I don't know…" Sakura drawled just like me. "I may be busy."

I stopped my movement and looked at her, perplexed. The next moment she lifted her hand and hit me in the chest with her palm. I stumbled back a couple steps at the impact and ran right into something. I fell over and landed in a mop bucket.

"Fuck," I almost shouted, and then, curse my luck, the bucket fell over, and me, the water, and my dignity, spilled all over the floor.

A whole crowd either stared in shock or laughed their butts off. I could hear Sakura's laughter ringing close by, and I could also pick up Naruto's strained laughter before he tumbled out from the crowd and helped me up.

"I-I'm guessing, ha, ha, ha…y-you just…failed?" Naruto asked me through his laughter.

I glared at him. "No thanks to you, Dobe."

"Hey…" I turned to look at Sakura, who, like Naruto, spoke through her laughter. "Y-you enjoy…your trip…lover boy?"

"If I wasn't trying to think of ways to get you to go out with me I may have spent the rest of the day coming up with something as payback." I grumbled.

"Alright lovebirds, that's enough." Naruto declared. "Teme get over to the bathroom, and Sakura…uh…see you in class."

I then stalked my way over to the nearest boys' bathroom after I told Naruto to tell the teacher of my next class I'd be late. I stood over the toilet in my boxers as I wrung out my pants, and contemplated my next plan of action.

'"'"'"'"

I made it to class when it was about halfway over. The teacher didn't really question my tardiness or the splatters across my clothes from the water, and I mentally thanked the Dobe for actually doing what I told him. However, all wasn't perfect. I took my seat only to remember I was in History, which was the one class where I sat right next to the devious yet hot devil herself, Sakura.

Sakura looked as though she tried to hold back laughter as I sat next to her. I attempted to ignore her and look at the board when something touched my elbow. I glanced down to see a piece of paper. Sakura's neat handwriting was located at the top of it.

Enjoy your bath?

I cursed my bad luck of not getting my pants dried how I wanted them until after this class was over, but I picked up a pencil and replied nonetheless.

It was cold.

Sakura giggled lightly when she read my reply, and quickly wrote a new message.

Hope it cooled your hot head down.

I decided to take the opportunity to mess with her.

Oh, so you admit you think I'm hot?

Sakura cast me a furtive glare from the corner of her eye, but I did notice her cheeks change color a bit.

Maybe, who's to say, but I know you think I am.

Who said I did?

Aren't you the one who's trying to ask me out and kiss me?

I huffed, she beat me there.

Whatever….

Are you still gonna try?

Yes.

Then good luck to you, but I'll have you know, I'm looking for something specific in a guy.

And that would be?

Oh, but it'd be no fun if I just told you.

But you'll write it to me.

Shut up…I'm not afraid to slap you in front of everyone.

Go ahead and try.

I will!

…Looks like you're all bark and no bite

If the teacher in here wasn't so strict I would have done it. I'll slap you silly in the halls!

Well, your chance is here.

Right on cue, the bell rang, and everyone filed out of the room. I walked out of class with Sakura, and she almost immediately pulled me to the side.

"So what, is the slapping about to begin?" I questioned.

"No, I decided on something else." She answered.

I fell silent to let her speak. She pulled me down to her height to whisper in my ear.

"I'm gonna let you finish half the bet right now. I'll let you kiss me."

I was silent with shock for a moment. My face felt hot. "Really?" I pressed.

"Just this one until you ask me out correctly."

"…You're serious?"

"Are you going to ask questions or are you going to kiss me already?"

I gulped and nodded my head. I decided to take it slow to savor the moment, and gradually lowered my head down to hers. I closed my eyes as I was just about to make contact.

Wham! Pain seared through me, and I fell to the ground. My below-the-belt area had just been kneed by the pink-haired girl who now stood triumphantly over me.

"Sorry, Sasuke, but I'd only ever kiss my boyfriend." Sakura giggled.

I didn't say anything, as most of my energy was being used to make sure I didn't cry. Sakura approached me, and for a moment I thought she may kick me while I was down, but instead she slipped a piece of paper into my pocket. I laid helplessly on the floor as Sakura walked away. Some people had started to gather around me and ask if I was alright. Naruto eventually joined the group, and stared down at me with a joy probably only reserved for him and Sakura in such a situation.

"Alright everyone, I got it from here!" Naruto exclaimed, and shooed everyone else away. He pulled me up and threw my arm over his shoulder.

"She's quite the trickster, isn't she?" Naruto laughed.

"Just shut up." I growled.

I swear, if she ever does agree to go out with me, I'll kiss her, arrange a date, and spend my time beforehand coming up with ways to get revenge.

Naruto took me to my next, and final, class of the day. I sat down carefully, and then I remembered the paper. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper. I looked around to make sure no one would read over my shoulder, and opened it.

It was a note from Sakura, of course, but its contents surprised me.

Hey Sasuke, if you're reading this, you must be in your last class and maybe your lower region has stopped throbbing.

Actually it hasn't, but that's why I'll get revenge later. I continued to read.

Well, five o'clock is quite a few hours after school is over, so there's no real time to try and sway me.

I had to agree with that. Naruto can be such an idiot with times.

But I'll give you that time to try. Meet me at the park after school. I'll give you until five. Consider this almost like an apology for your suffering…even though it was hilarious to watch you get so humiliated. See you there. –Sakura

I smirked, this would be my last chance, and I had to take it. I had to admit it was nice of her to give me the time, but I knew I'd have to be alert since I'm pretty sure she'd try to pull something.

"Yeah, see you there…."

'"'"'"'"

My last class seemed to take so long. I impatiently tapped my fingers against the tables most of the class, and when the bell rang I was up and out of there before the teacher could say "see you all tomorrow."

I called the Dobe and told him where I would be, and to come find me if I didn't call him by six. I decided to give myself that hour after five incase I wanted to get more than one kiss in.

The park wasn't too far from school, so I just walked over there. Sakura never specified where to meet, so I walked around and hoped I'd find her.

"Hello Sasuke." I turned to find Sakura behind me.

"Hey." I greeted.

"So, there's something you wanted to ask me?"

"You already know what I want to ask you, and you're the one who suggested we come here."

"Well, I never mentioned anything implying you were the one who arranged this, and as for the first thing…you know I love to mess with you." Sakura gave me a sweet smile.

"Right…well…you want me to ask again or something?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Only if you can sell yourself to me," she clarified.

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Be romantic! You've got to tell me how long you've waited, how much you want me, how much you'd do for me!"

"…I'm not that kind of person…."

"Well, you may want to become it, or no girlfriend and fifty bucks for you."

I huffed and weighed my options on whether I really wanted this or not. On the good side if I succeeded I'd have Sakura as my girlfriend, and fifty dollars to probably spend on our first date. On the downside…I'll have to get back on that.

"How about this…" Sakura announced. "If you can catch me I'll agree to go out with you."

A cocky smirk broke out across my face. "So I have to chase you? Is this really a challenge?"

"Do you pay attention to school sports?"

"…What's that gotta do with anything? No, I don't."

"Then you don't realize that I'm a top runner on this year's track team." Sakura beamed at me in a challenging manner.

"Hn, like I care." I grunted.

"Alright…catch me if you can!" Sakura declared, and sprinted off at a much faster speed than I expected.

I sighed, and then took off down across the park after the pink-haired girl. She really was pretty fast, but I wasn't going to let go of this easier method of getting her to agree to go out with me.

I actually began to catch up with her after a while. She noticed as I approached, and dove towards the trees. She turned abruptly and I followed. Just as I turned, however, I found a branch, which whipped back to its normal place after Sakura had tugged on it, to greet me with a smack to the face.

"That's cheap!" I exclaimed as Sakura laughed.

"You're the man, aren't you? Suck it up!" Sakura called after me.

I rolled my eyes and continued my chase. She ran over a hill, but I don't think she expected me to dive forward and ram into her. We tumbled down the hill and came to a stop at the bottom. She was laid out on top of me, and I lay under her for a while as I let my head stop spinning.

"Gotcha," I stated.

Sakura smiled at me, and began to lean her head in. It took a moment for me to understand the gesture, but I began to do the same thing.

As if closing my eyes was a curse, just as I did so, Sakura flicked me in the head and stood up.

"Hey, you lost, so you've got to kiss me." I announced.

Sakura smirked at me. "You never asked me out after you caught me, so it's not valid."

I stared at the girl in front of me. "You said—"

"We never shook on it and specified all the rules. Too bad, Sasuke," Sakura stuck her tongue out at me, and took off again.

I huffed and launched myself from the ground. I quickly closed the gap between us. Sakura turned her head and saw as I approached her fast. I focused on the evasive girl in front of me, and leapt forward again.

However…I didn't expect that she'd veer out of the way and a tree trunk would greet me this time. I collided with it headfirst, and all went blank.

'"'"'"'"

I opened my eyes slowly. The scene was green in front of me, but it didn't seem as close like I had my face in the grass or something. In fact, if I wasn't mistaken, I actually stood at the moment.

I finally snapped to attention. I looked around. I was standing, but not on my own. I glanced down. There were ropes around me, and my back was to something hard. I suddenly realized my situation.

I was tied to a tree.

"What the hell?" I questioned out loud.

"Oh, you're finally up." Sakura suddenly came into view. She had a smug look on her face.

"Why did you tie me to a tree?" I asked.

"Well, I didn't exactly expect you to slam your head into a tree and knock yourself out…but when it did happen this is what I came up with." Sakura explained.

"…Where did you get the rope?"

"Boys can be so feisty sometimes. I bring it as precaution."

"…On second thought I'm wishing I never asked."

Sakura giggled at me.

"Wait…how am I supposed to catch you if I'm tied to a tree?" I questioned.

"Oh, you don't need to chase me anymore."

"Oh, you're finally going to accept me?"

"Maybe…if you ask correctly," Sakura clarified.

I stared at Sakura for a moment. Her meaning took a second to sink in, but when it did, the replay of her words from earlier also come to mind.

"Be romantic! You've got to tell me how long you've waited, how much you want me, how much you'd do for me!"

I swallowed my pride and tried to tell her what she wanted. It only came out in a mutter, however, and she asked me to say it louder.

"I really like you, I have for a long time, and I'd do anything for you to agree to go out with me." I tried to speak louder, but it wasn't by much.

"Speak up, Sasuke. You always hang out with a loudmouth; take what he does and use it!"

"Damn it! I love you and always have, and I'm willing to do all this and more for you to be my girl!" I exclaimed.

All that I said only seemed to sink in after I was done. Sakura's face had changed color to something near a cherry, and I even felt my face grow hot as what I said hit me.

"…Wow…." Sakura stammered.

"Uh…" I was about to reply with something when Sakura burst out in a fit of laughter.

I watched her have her fit, slightly embarrassed, extremely confused, and all-in-all surprised.

"Ah, you really are fun to mess with, Sasuke."

"…What does that mean? If this has all been a joke and you're not even going to go ou—"

"No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that! I mean…you already proved you're the one I want just by enduring all of this up until now."

"…" Now I felt thoroughly confused. "So…you've been testing me this whole time?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Even endangering my chances of having kids was a part of the test?"

"Yeah…can you ever forgive me?"

"Are you going to go out with me?"

"Yes, Sasuke…I will go out with you."

I smirked in triumph. "Heh, the Dobe's going to out fifty bucks."

"Almost, you still haven't kissed me."

"…I think that's going to be hard from my current position."

Sakura giggled and stepped forward. "Don't worry, I got it."

Sakura placed her hands on my shoulders and kissed me without hesitation. I eagerly responded, and tried to move my hands towards her until I remembered they were tied by my sides. So I settled with enjoying our moment.

Sakura pulled away after a few more seconds, and leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"By the way…it's 5:01."

My jaw dropped slightly and Sakura pulled away to smile deviously at me.

"Well, I hope you can still pay for our date even though you're out fifty dollars." Sakura beamed. "Of course you don't have to bring me anywhere that requires money."

I couldn't exactly hear her. My mind was still caught in the shock that I had just gotten everything accomplished, and yet just barely lost the bet.

Sakura pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and wedged it into my hand. "Well, you may be out fifty dollars, but you still got me, didn't you?"

I sighed, defeated. Sakura began to walk away. "Wait," I called, "aren't you going to untie me?"

Sakura turned her head to glance at me. "Don't worry, I'll tell Naruto you're here after I tell him he's fifty bucks richer."

"…What?" I almost yelled. "Hey, get back here and untie me! Damn it!"

'"'"'"'"

And now we've made the full circle back to my current situation. Naruto still hasn't come yet, and the sun's going down soon. This was an extreme pain in the ass…and I'm not just talking about a piece of bark that's jutting out at a bad angle against my body, though that's a pain, too.

My only source of comfort was looking down at the paper Sakura had put in my hand. It had her phone number, but it was the message at the top that made me feel better.

I love you Sasuke! –Sakura

If only love would cut these ropes….

THE END

Yay! It has been written! Craaap! It's almost midnight as I type this! Well…I have to say I quite enjoyed writing this. There's something about the torturing and unraveling of a guy like Sasuke that's just so interesting. Well…if I was going to say something I just lost it while staring at the TV…. Um…oh, well, news on my NejiTen multi-chapter is that I should have the second chapter out…eventually. I actually haven't started it yet, truthfully. I got wrapped up in this. And actually this story isn't even from a poll decision. It's just something I decided to write after a conversation with the one this story is dedicated to when they said they were mad at Sasuke for reasons only an up-to-date manga reader would understand. Right…well then…I'm just going to wait till tomorrow to proof and publish this…till then!