Really, this had to be some sick twist of fate. When the three of them got into the elevator, none of them had any idea that it would malfunction between floors. When it did happen, none of them were happy with it.

Sasuke was just plain aggravated, angry that the elevator had malfunctioned in the first place, throwing a wrench in his schedule.

Sakura would have been ecstatic to be stuck in a small, private space with Sasuke, except of course Naruto had to be there to ruin her moment.

Naruto was thrilled to be so close to Sakura, but Sasuke put a damper on the whole mood.

Needless to say, none of them were in a good mood.

Five minutes earlier, they had all stepped into the elevator, all expecting to be going home. Sakura had stayed late because she realized a number of typos on the file she was planning to hand in the next day, and her printer was giving her problems, which was why she was one of the last people in the building. Sasuke had a meeting with their boss, a discussion over how his team was doing on their current project. It had to be late because it was the only time the two could figure out a time to meet, after all the hustle and bustle had left the building. Naruto had fallen asleep at his desk.

The three had happened to converge on the elevator hallway at the same time. Though Naruto loathed the idea of sharing an elevator with Sasuke, who Naruto had never liked and recently grown to hate because of Sakura's attraction to him, it was obvious that Sakura was going to ride down with him. Any time he could spend with Sakura he would hardly say no.

The three stepped inside, all looking a little aggravated, Naruto at Sasuke, Sakura at Naruto, and Sasuke at the general presence of people. Naruto had punched the button for the lobby, and the three watched as everyone did as the doors slid closed. There was a light bump, and then they could feel that uneasy, not-quite-sure feeling of going down. They watched the numbers slowly dwindle with boredom, and between Floor 5 and Floor 4 there was an almighty lurch, causing Sakura to squeal and lose her footing in her high heels, and Naruto and Sasuke to clutch at the rails. Both men reached out and caught Sakura by the arms to keep her from falling.

After a moment, where they had all frozen, terrified that the elevator would plummet, they took a collective breath and eased their clenched muscles. Sakura got her feet under her and pushed her hair out of her face, looking at Sasuke and giving him shaky thanks, much to Naruto's chagrin. Hello? He wasn't the only one to catch you.

Sasuke ignored her and carefully hit a few buttons, to no response. He punched the emergency button a couple of times, frowning, but nothing happened. (Naruto realized in the back of his mind that he had no idea what that button was supposed to do.)

There was silence. None of them had a clue what to do in this sort of situation. They looked at each other, then back at the elevator controls, as though expecting something to happen.

Finally, Sakura cleared her throat and voiced what they were all thinking. "We're stuck in here, aren't we?"

She didn't expect an answer, and didn't get one. Dully she was pleased that none of them, including her, was the type to panic. Wouldn't be very helpful, now, would it? "Tomorrow morning the first few people will be coming into work, I think. The cleaning staff already left. Surely they'll notice that we're stuck here."

She glanced at her two newly made companions. Naruto was still frowning, eyeing the doors, while Sasuke had pulled out a cell phone. Sakura rushed to pull out hers, embarrassed she hadn't thought of it herself.

"No service," Sasuke said dully.

"I do!" Sakura quickly thumbed around the keypad, when suddenly it gave a double beep and went dead. She blinked and stared at in her hand, pressing the power button. Nothing. Fighting the impulse to chuck it against the wall, Sakura shoved it viciously back into her purse. "Never mind."

Together they turned and looked at Naruto, whose face was a little nervous. "Left mind at my desk," he said awkwardly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, his dislike in this man growing. On principle he had disliked Naruto since meeting him, his loud obnoxious manner enough to drive Sasuke mad. Sakura merely sighed, having learned to expect disappointment from Naruto ever since she had worked with him.

After a moment, Naruto moved to sit down, then smiled. From his back pocket he pulled out a stack of playing cards. "Anyone up for a game?"

Sakura would have been amused if they weren't in such a serious situation. She had to admit, having cards would make the time pass much faster. She carefully sat down in her skirt, then looked up at Sasuke. Sighing, he reluctantly sat down too.

After a while, Sakura managed to put aside her worry, the game and Naruto's constant jokes making her relax. This could be a lot worse, she decided. If the elevator didn't come back on line on its own, then they only had to spend a night together in it. The next morning people would notice that the elevator was broken and three of their staff hadn't shown up for work.

And Naruto could actually be sort of funny, in a slightly annoying way. Sakura had only seen him while attempting to work together, which was horrible. He didn't do his work, couldn't pay attention, and spent way to much time trying to flirt with her and the other girls more than she could stand. Outside of work, however, he wasn't that bad. True, Sakura would have much preferred to spend the night with just Sasuke, but at least she wasn't alone.

Eyeing Sasuke, Sakura felt a little saddened. He didn't want to be here, that was obvious. He only played for something to do, and he didn't bother saying anything. She wished he wasn't so cold towards her. He must have been aware of her feelings for him, she was sure. It wasn't that she had said it directly, but she went out of her way to talk to him or help him out. And he always just brushed her off…

"I win!" Naruto cried, grinning with glee. Sakura shook her head and tossed her cards at his feet, as did Sasuke. Getting stiff, she twisted side to side and was rewarded with small relieving pops and cracks. Not quite getting them all out, she twined her fingers together and stretched her arms over her head, arching her back. Naruto paused for a moment to eye her and take in the curves of her body as her blouse was pulled tight, then quickly glanced away, flushing. To distract himself he loosened the tie around his neck, saying, "Is it just me, or are you guys starting to feel hot too?"

Sasuke shrugged, having not even glanced at Sakura, glancing back at the elevator doors as if they would now open after making them wait for so long. Idly he shrugged out of his dress jacket and set it beside the briefcase he had brought with him. Sakura let out a yawn and also shrugged. "Sort of, I guess. I'm more tired than hot, though."

But now, of course that he had mentioned it, Sakura did start to feel a little hot. And her shoes were killing her. She tugged them off, then unbuttoned the first two buttons of her collar as Naruto pointedly looked at his hands as he loosened his tie more. "Up for another game?" he asked.

"I guess…" Sakura fought another yawn. "But I'm starting to get sleepy."

Sasuke did not contribute his opinion and merely started to gather the cards and shuffle. Sakura eyed him a bit too much for Naruto's liking. Hiding a scowl, he cleared his throat and asked, "Why don't we play something else?"

"I can play Blackjack," Sakura said. "Or war. But that takes forever."

"Blackjack it is," Naruto said with a smile, happy to have her attention on him and not Sasuke. "I'll be dealer."

As soon as the game wrapped up, Sakura pushed her cards over to Naruto and announced she needed to sleep. Sasuke was showing signs of weariness also, though he didn't bother to voice he was tired. He settled himself in a corner as Sakura laid down (she was supremely grateful the cleaning crew had cleaned the elevator floor before leaving for the night), attempting to use her lumpy purse as a pillow. For a brief moment Naruto tried to figure out a way to offer her to use him as a pillow without sounding totally creepy—and then Sasuke ruined it by gently tossing his jacket on her. She sat up, looked at the jacket, then thanked him, positively beaming. Naruto gave him a death glare which he did not see. Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall.

Naruto was beyond irritated as he watched Sakura—still smiling from ear to ear, mind you—mold his jacket into a pillow that she could still hold and lay down facing Sasuke. He scowled as he saw her snuggle her face down into the fabric and looked away, gathering his stupid deck of stupid cards and glared at stupid Sasuke for a long time.

When he got bored of that, Naruto looked away. While his co-workers might be tired from a long day's work, he had slept half the afternoon away and was still plenty alert. Sighing, he set out to make a card castle on the elevator floor.

Sakura was having trouble falling asleep on the hard tile, and tried to distract herself with distracting and calm thoughts. They soon enough turned to Sasuke, the smell of him in her nose from his jacket. Smiling to herself, Sakura let her mind wander.

…Naruto was asleep. When Sakura picked up her head, Sasuke was watching her. She felt a blush cross her face, which grew as she realized he was moving closer. "S-Sasuke…" she muttered, moving to sit up.

He put a finger to her lips, jerking his head towards Naruto. "Don't want to wake him up," he said quietly, eyes dancing with mischief. He set an arm on the opposite side of her and leaned in close, smirking…

Sakura fell asleep with a very pleased smile on her face.

An hour into his card castle construction, Naruto began to get very bored. The highest he had gotten was four levels, and after the castle fell apart for probably the hundredth time, Naruto was losing the attraction. He wished he could fall asleep, but for some reason he was feeling extremely hyper…and there wasn't much in this small space to entertain him.

Both of his companions were asleep, so he couldn't talk. He could watch Sakura, but he decided that'd be a bit too creepy. Naruto didn't even like looking at Sasuke. He stuck a finger under his collar and tugged, rolling his shoulders and undoing his tie. Grumbling, he turned back to his frayed cards and once again began to create his fortress.

A little groan drew his attention up. Sakura was stirring, curling up and stretching her legs out. She half rolled towards him, arm splayed across her stomach. The castle crumbled as Naruto stared, swallowing hard. Cards zoomed across the smooth floor in different directions. Naruto couldn't help but notice that her, er, position showed off her curves. Quite agreeably, too. He flushed around the collar and tried to look away, to do the polite thing, but then she made this little noise in the back of her throat and he couldn't help himself. She rolled over completely and slid her arm under her head, settling down again.

And Naruto's mind got away from him.

…Sakura picked up her head, stretching out and yawning. Her eyes fell on him and she smiled coyly, sitting up. "You're staring," she told him.

"A little hard not to," Naruto muttered under his breath, but Sakura grinned like she knew what he had said.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing," Naruto said quickly. Sakura's smile grew. She crawled over on her hands and knees.

"Tell me what you said," she demanded lightly.

Naruto tried to clear his throat as she got closer and leaned back against the elevator wall. "What are you doing?" he asked, voice a little higher than he would have liked.

She smiled like a cat. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, "What do you want me to do?" Her hands found his shoulders and Naruto gave a nervous little laugh. Sakura tugged at his tie and threw a leg over him, straddling his waist. She smiled again. "What…do you want me to do?" she repeated slowly…

This time Naruto forced himself to look away. He didn't know why, but a small spike of jealousy flared in him. If Sakura knew what he was doing, she'd yell at him and call him a pervert. If she caught Sasuke staring at her, she'd be all flattered and blush and flutter her eyelids at him.

He just didn't understand it. He'd heard the women he worked with talk about him, about how 'dreamy,' 'mysterious,' and 'hot' Sasuke was, but he just couldn't see the attraction. As far as Naruto could tell, he was an absolute ice cube to everyone around him. He didn't give a single woman a second glance, all he did all day was sit in his office with the door closed and blinds pulled. What was so mysterious about that? More like the creepy behavior of a serial killer, Naruto thought.

Sakura stirred once more, grumbling gently. She opened her eyes and stared at the elevator floor for a second, and at a card that had settled beneath her nose, then her eyes started to focus and drifted her gaze upward. It followed the stream of cards, then fell on Naruto's shoe. Blinking, Sakura looked up into his face.

They looked at each other for a moment, then Sakura said quietly, "You're staring."

"Was I?" Naruto asked, now staring at the floor. He was grumpy now.

Sakura didn't answer and took in the elevator. She let out a sigh. "You know, I had hoped I had just dreamed this."

Naruto rolled his eyes. That was flattering.

She pushed herself up and yawned. "How long was I asleep?"

Naruto glanced at his watch. "Only an hour. It's midnight."

Sakura nodded and looked around again. Her eyes lingered on Sasuke. Naruto let out a snort and shook his head. She turned and looked at him. "What?" she asked defensively.

"Didn't say anything."

Her eyes narrowed. "Liar. You got something to say it, say it."

"Fine." Naruto drew himself up straight. "You're obsessed with him, aren't you? Head over heels for him. Has he even started a conversation with you?"

Sakura's face flushed. "Shut up. It's none of your business."

"You asked me to say what I thought."

"You wouldn't understand," Sakura snapped.

"You're right, I don't. I don't see how you can like such an ass." Naruto hadn't meant to say this, but now he was jealous and angry at her defensiveness. "He's cold, he doesn't talk to you, hardly even looks at you, and you love him. No matter how many times he's snubbed you or rejected your offers to go out, you won't leave him alone."

Sakura drew herself up, face angry. "What are you attacking me for? You're angry, aren't you?" Naruto grumped and looked away. She narrowed her eyes. "I get it. You're jealous."

He looked at her. Feeling bold, he asked, "So what if I am?"

She paused, taken aback. She hadn't expected him to admit it. Sure, he flirted with her all the time, but she didn't see him actually having feelings for her. Gathering herself again, she blustered, "It's no reason to take it out on me."

Naruto glared at her. He wanted to say a lot of things at once and couldn't choose what to say first. Finally, exasperated, he demanded, "Just what do you like about him?"

"You mean, what does he have that you don't?" she spat, still angry. Naruto scowled at her. "How 'bout some class? A little refinement? Modesty, politeness? Chivalry?"

Naruto snorted. "You think he's polite? And what's so chivalrous about him?"

"He gave me his jacket, he caught me from falling—"

"So did I, and if I had a jacket I would do the same! You probably get all fluttery if he holds the door open for you—any nice person would do the same. That's the minimum for being polite, Sakura. Has he ever gone out of his way to do something for you—or anyone, for that matter?"

Sakura couldn't think of anything to retort with. Finally, she said, "At least he's responsible. It's not like he forgot his cell phone, or fell asleep at his desk. That's why you were late, right? If you could actually do your job you wouldn't even be here!"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Naruto snapped. "All alone with Sasuke, the ice cube. What, did you think you would have a heart to heart talk with him and he'd end up in love with you? Life isn't a romance book, Sakura. Even if I wasn't here, do you honestly think he'd even talk to you? That you'd find out all his secrets? Is that why you're attracted to him? Because he's mysterious?"

Sakura just glared at him, too insulted and angry for words. Naruto barreled on, his frustration with seeing her falling over herself for this guy day after day getting to him.

"Or do you just like him because he's attractive? I've heard the women in the office gossip about him, about how much each one of them would like to get in his pants." Sakura opened her mouth, but Naruto cut her off. "Just like a romance novel, right? Getting stuck in the elevator with the man you love and ending up screwing—"

"How dare you!" Sakura yelled, exploding. "You think that I'm so shallow that that's what I want? This just shows how immature you are! Calling me a slut—"

"I didn't say that!" Naruto argued.

"What the hell are you two yelling about?" Sasuke demanded, sitting up and opening his eyes. Immediately Sakura and Naruto shut their mouths and stared at him. He was glaring, looking tired and irritated. "I'm trying to sleep. Keep it down or shut up."

He continued to glare for a few more moments, ensuring they weren't about to start up again, then leaned back again and closed his eyes.

Naruto stared hard at the wall to the side of Sakura, clenching his jaw. He hadn't meant to say those things. He knew he had gone too far, insulted her. His jealousy had gotten the better of him. Hinting about her sexual life had been over the line, especially for him.

Sakura was close to tears. Whenever she got angry, her eyes started to water. She was furious at Naruto for insulting her and Sasuke. How dare he, that—that jealous jackass. Stupid bastard.

The rest of the night was spent in silence, the air filled with tension. Naruto and Sakura didn't look at each other again. Naruto eventually fell into a fitful slumber, still angry even as he fell asleep. Sakura did the same.

---------

At six that morning, all three of them jumped and woke up to a loud ringing noise. Pushing themselves up, they blinked and looked around. The elevator gave a tremble, and suddenly began to drop. Sakura quickly got to her feet, fixing her clothes and hair from sleep. Sasuke stood and straitened his clothes, picking up his jacket and briefcase. Naruto groaned and pulled himself up with the rail, ruffling his hair.

The doors slid open, revealing the lobby. Three people were staring at them. Their boss, and two of the building staff. Sakura tumbled out, crying out with relief, and Naruto and Sasuke followed her.

After explaining, and making sure that everyone was okay, their boss ordered them to take the day off while he dealt with the staff. They happily agreed.

They walked out of the lobby together, groaning and stretching their legs. Sasuke went off to the parking lot where his car was without saying anything to Sakura or Naruto. Sakura followed him with her eyes, then glanced at Naruto. Grudgingly, together they walked towards the nearest subway tunnel.

Neither of them said anything as they got on, along with other people just going to work. Sakura tried to separate herself from him, but the subway was already full with morning commuters that they had to stand together.

Naruto's stop was first. As the doors opened, he looked down at Sakura and worked his mouth, wanting to apologize. He wasn't sure how to go about it. "Hey, Sakura…"

She wouldn't look at him. "This is your stop right? Get off."

He closed his mouth and left.