Inutenshi: Alright! My first shot at Naruto fanfiction. I know I haven't updated my other fic, but I'm trying here. Once I get these Naruto ones up,I probably be able to concentrate more on it.
Sasuke: Yeah right...You'll probablyforget all about it by tomorrow.
Inutenshi: O.o...-.-''' Not this again...No matter how much I love you guys, you just can't pop in and interrupt me while putting up my intro.
Sakura: You don't love us...T.T
Inutenshi: Oh don't say that. How bout we get icecream later?
Sakura: Yay!
Sasuke: I don't like sweets...
Inutenshi: I'll get you a frozen tomatoe juice or something.
Sasuke:...Fine...
Black Roses
Seven ninja stood together on the bridge of the Fire Country's boarder awaiting the arrival of the Kazekage. They weren't exactly jumping for joy at the news of his return, but they still knew that he was needed at this year's chuunin exam and wouldn't complain. Rock Lee and Uzumaki Naruto flirted with Haruno Sakura, each trying to best the other in their flattery while Sakura replied nonchalantly and gave Uchiha Sasuke a pleading look for help. He merely sat back and watched in amusement.
Hyuuga Hinata on the other hand was fidgeting like a madwoman, pacing back and forth with an eager yet concerned expression on her pale face.
"Sit down Hinata-chan." Sakura said with a weary smile, interrupting her admirers. "You'll wear yourself out before the Kazekage gets here and we still have to escort him to Konoha."
The pale eyed kunoichi stopped before the medic, hands clasped together and face full of worry.
"B-but what if he gets attacked on his way here? You know his people still don't really like him." She fretted. "What if his party was attacked and he was assassinated or kidnapped?"
Her eyes widened in sudden fear.
"What if he's forgotten about me and found some other girl in his own country?"
Kiba popped up beside her and delivered a strong pat to her shoulder.
"Don't you worry about that, Hinata." He said with a toothy grin. "If he did, me, Akamaru, and Shino will beat some sense into him. Right, guys?"
The knee high dog barked in approval and Shino gave his usual blank stare. Hinata smiled and opened her mouth to reply when Naruto shouted out the Kazekage's arrival.
Beside the tall figure shrouded in a sand-colored cloak with a large gourd resting on his back, where two other ninja dressed in black with the bottom of their faces covered. The Hyuuga successor shook in her sandals and wrung her hands nervously. The three figures stopped just before the bridge and the Kazekage tilted back his hood revealing his blue-grey eyes and the blood red bangs hanging in front of them.
"Hinata …"
Hinata smiled and bolted towards the cloaked man. She ducked passed the two ninja guarding him and jumped into the Kazekage's arms.
"Gaara-chan, you've gotten taller again." She huffed with a playful pout as she stood on the balls of her feet, the top of her head only reaching his lips.
"Ah, but it seems you are only getting shorter, koi." He replied with a kiss to her pale forehead.
The kunoichi frowned, flushed and shrunk back to normal height. She delivered a sharp poke to his stomach and he flinched. A smiled crept onto her face when she realized that his sand armor was down, something he only did for her.
"Can we go now?" Sasuke muttered impatiently.
Sakura frowned at the Jounin.
"Sasuke let them have a moment together. Gaara-sama hasn't been able to find the time to come see Hinata in a while." She scowled. "Besides…It's nice to see a happy couple at this time of year."
Sasuke's eyebrow raised in question. "What are you talking about?"
She gave an exasperated sigh, propped her elbows on the bridge rail, and rubbed her temples in annoyance. "Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Gaara-sama came here to finish the peace treaty with our Hokage, watch the final exam, then spend Valentine's Day with Hinata."
"Oh really?" He inquired. "And which of your fan-boys will you spend tomorrow with?"
The medic's expression didn't falter, but her sullen green orbs opened half way to stare at the large river passing below as she whispered.
"No one…"
"Seriously? You're not the kind of person I'd expect to blow off such a thing." He said slightly surprised.
"Yeah, well, there's no one I really feel like being with tomorrow." She replied, stretching her arms forward. "I'll probably just train all day like last year. Or maybe I'll finish unpacking in my new apartment. I don't know yet."
Now Sasuke was a little more interested in this conversation.
"I thought you were with Naruto last Valentine's Day."
Sakura scoffed.
"Yeah right. He just said that to get back at Lee for claiming he was with me the year before."
Okay, maybe a little more than interested.
"You mean to tell me you've missed two Valentine's Days?"
She held up four fingers in reply.
"My last Valentine's Day with someone was with Kakashi Sensei and that was because you had disappeared, Naruto was training with Jiraiya that week, and Anko was out looking for leads on Orochimaru." She paused. "Not much happened. Just lunch, a quick training session, and dinner. He read his book the whole time."
"Ah…"
Kiba's impatient shouts brought everyone to attention.
"Come on people! We ain't got all day! The Chuunin exam starts in three hours!"
"Sakura-san? If you're not busy tomorrow maybe we can spend some time together."
"Sakura-chan, you wanna go somewhere tomorrow?"
"I don't know you guys. I…"
"Come on! Please? You can decide where we go."
"I said I don't…"
"It'll be fun!"
"Hey!"
Sasuke lent in over Sakura and looked between the two ninja on either side of her.
"Stop harassing her and be quiet. Some of us want to watch this without you idiots arguing over a stupid holiday." He said and sat back in his seat with an annoyed sigh.
Sakura looked back at him and mouth a thank you. He merely nodded back.
"Sakura! Over here!" called Ino, waving as she dragged Shikamaru down the steps.
The blonde kunoichi stopped, dropped her boyfriend, and tried to squeeze in between Sakura and Lee. She looked at Naruto and asked very politely,
"Naruto, would you please move over one seat? I'd really like to sit with Sakura and Lee can't move."
The other blonde did as he was asked and found a new unexpected seat on the steps. Before he could get back up, Sakura slipped into his seat with Ino next to her and so he had to slip in next to Sasuke and Shikamaru.
She smiled in thanks to her best friend and received a forehead poke.
"Learn to control your fan-boys Sakura." Ino scolded.
"I'm trying Ino." She replied with a pathetic smile. "I really am."
A loud groan and a few cheers erupted from the stands as one of the competing ninja below was blasted in the face with a fistful of chakra.
"Yeah! Kick his ass Konohamaru!" Hooted Naruto.
Said genin grinned and finished off his opponent with his Konohamaru Rendan.
"Yeah! That's the way!" He called proudly. "Pretty good, huh guys? I taught him that one myself."
"Didn't you also teach him your Sexy no Jutsu, Harem no Jutsu, and all your retarded homemade jutsu?" Sasuke asked mockingly, earning a round of chuckles and giggles.
"Hey! I beat the old Hokage and Ero-Sennin with that technique! You have no right to-" Naruto retorted.
"Anyhow," Ino interrupted. "I was going to ask you guys if you were coming to my annual Valentine's Day party?"
"Aw, come on Ino!" Shikamaru whined. "Do you have to have one EVERY year?"
The pale blonde turned towards her boyfriend with her arms folded, scowl in place.
"As a matter of fact, I do Shikamaru." She retorted. "And you have the honor of being DJ for the night."
"Man!" He whined even more, slouching in his seat. "Troublesome party. Troublesome woman..."
"I love you too, koi." Ino giggled and turned back to Sakura. "Will you come too? Everyone loved your piano skills last year. Sad though they were."
Sasuke's eyebrow quirked.
Sad? Why?
"Sakura you never told me you played piano." He said slightly interested.
His teammate looked up at him quizzically in slight astonishment.
"Well..." She started, then smiled. "You never asked me."
The Uchiha heir stared at her intently, brow slightly furrowed in thought. She'd been his teammate since they were preteens and yet the only things he really knew about her was that she had perfect chakra control, was a great medic, and that she cared for him enough to stand by his side when he returned from Orochimaru, even when everyone else turned against him. To be honest...he was almost ashamed of himself for not knowing more about his partner.
"Well, I knew you played piano Sakura-chan!" Naruto boasted. "Unlike this Sasuke bastard, I'm interested about my teammate's well-being."
A stream of blood followed the blonde ninja's head as he flew up and flipped upside down in his seat. Sakura cracked her knuckles in satisfaction and sat back down.
"That was very rude of you Naruto." She scolded in a motherly fashion. "And for the record, I'm not going with you or Lee tomorrow. So stop arguing!"
While the two fan-boys pouted, Shikamaru muttered about something troublesome, and Ino high fived Sakura in approval, Sasuke wondered to himself.
Has she really been alone all these years? She had two of the most loyal, strong, slightly odd ninjas in the whole Fire Nation at her feet and she chose neither of them?
He couldn't help, but laugh at himself and remember all the girls who had laid themselves at his feet and begged for even just a glance in their direction.
"Deja vu..." He muttered.
"What was that Sasuke?" The bubblegum haired girl asked.
"Nothing...Just talking to myself..."
After the Chuunin exam was complete and the passing students were given their uniforms, Sasuke found himself walking through town, head hung low in thought and hands in his pockets. Sakura was different. Not as in she had matured, which she finally had, but more like she wasn't even Sakura anymore. At least not the one he remembered leaving behind.
Left behind...
Just as he felt...The entire Uchiha family, including Itachi, was now resting in peace.
...Save for him...The sole survivor.
Though he was no longer alone, he still felt empty every time he stepped into his own home. Inside he always hoped that one day he'd walk in and hear his mother's gentle voice welcoming him home and telling him to wash before dinner was served, his father asking him how his training went, and his brother calling him over only to poke his forehead as usual.
But alas...not all dreams can come true.
Did she feel like that too? Her silly hopes dashed away by one person? Though they probably weren't that silly to her.
"What do you think you're doing here fuzzy-eyebrows?"
"I am picking out flowers for my lovely Sakura-san…Do you think she likes lotus?"
"Are you kidding me! She likes sakura much better…I think…"
"But that's so…corny…"
"You wanna talk about corny, look at your hair!"
Sasuke directed his attention to the flower shop he'd just passed and the two squabbling ninja in front of it.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day two top ninja would argue about flowers…"
Lee and Naruto turned to the other boy, both faces tinged pink with shame.
"What's it to you, jerk?" Naruto fumed. "It's not like you have anyone to give flowers to."
The Uchiha boy gave him a look of distaste and walked passed him, into the shop. Lee and Naruto looked at each other curiously before following after him. He was standing before a glass door that held a variety of roses behind it.
Red, white, yellow, pink…They all looked nice…he guessed. But they weren't what he was looking for. He had something a little darker in mind.
"Hello kind sirs!" said the cheerful shop keeper. "Do you need any help?"
"I'll have a lotus please."
"Sakura for me!"
"…Do your roses…get any darker?"
All eyes landed on Sasuke, who continued staring at the flowers behind the glass.
"What are you talking about Sasuke?" Lee asked.
"Yeah! There's no such thing as a rose dark than red!"
The shopkeeper cleared his throat.
"Actually," He started. "I think we have just what you need. Kairi!"
A younger red headed girl came out from the back room.
"Yeah boss?"
"Tend to these two while I show this young man what he's looking for."
"Yes sir!"
Sasuke followed the owner into a room near the back. The light inside was dimmer than the main store and was slightly colder. The man took out a set of keys and unlocked another glass door, releasing a much colder gust than the others. Sasuke watched as he stepped inside and pluck a flower from its coordinated bunch.
"Is this more of what you were looking for sir?" He asked handing it over to the Jounin.
Sasuke held it delicately, as if it were made of glass. The stem was strong with very few thorns and three soft, almost velvety leaves. The petals were jet black, just like his hair and felt like they'd been made of the softest silk.
"Perfect." He muttered. "I'll take three of these and a red one."
"You have very unique tastes sir." The shopkeeper said more as a complement than an insult.
The three male ninja left the shop, flowers in hand. Naruto and Lee bickered over who would steal Sakura's heart that year while Sasuke turned his back and head towards home. As he walked, his eyes drifted to the small paper wrapped bouquet he held on to.
He lifted it up to eye level and said, "Does she even like roses?...Why am I talking to flowers?"
Inutenshi: Yay! Chappieone done! This'll probably be only two chapters long. Three at the most. And since I'm so lazy I'm giving my favorite characters that randomly pop out of my head to help with my intros and outros nicknames. Sakura is Saku.
Saku: Yay!
Inutenshi: A our beloved Sasuke-kun will be called Sassy!
Sassy:...You are going to die...very slowly...and painfully...
Saku: (huggle) C'mon Sassy-kun. It's cute!
Sassy: And you...Well...(blush) I'll figure out yourpunishment later...
Inutenshi: Yeah...You have fun with that...Ahem. Since I'm on Thanks Giving break, I'll have sometime to myself so chap two should be up by tomorrow or Friday...I like reviews. They help me sleep at night. Lots of luvz to you all!