A New Year's Eve to Remember
A/N: Why, you ask? Because I can. Plus I like Sasuke, and this idea has been bumbling around in my head for a while…enjoy! ^^
XxX
"Curiosity killed the cat. Satisfaction brought him back"- Proverb.
"Hn, why am I even here?" Sasuke muttered to himself. His onyx eyes slid back and forth, scanning the area, a dark street sparsely spotted with seedy shops, as he and a certain white-haired ninja approached what was undoubtedly a bar. A flickering neon sign declared that said bar was called 'the Daybreaker'. A reference to the Akatsuki, no doubt.
"Because, Sasuke, you need to actually go out and enjoy yourself once in a while," Suigetsu said, baring his fangs in a grin. The swordsman was excited beyond belief to have been invited to celebrate New Year's with the Akatsuki, and he had little patience for Sasuke's usual dour attitude. Because Sasuke had no desire at all to even be there, Suigetsu was naturally the first to reach the door and push it open. Loud, annoying music pounded- it was nothing that Sasuke could identify, but then again, when did he get time to listen to music? "Come on, Sasuke, live a little."
At this the Uchiha actually snorted. Ever since he'd left Konoha, he'd been living a life of constant danger and 'excitement'- it was ridiculous that Suigetsu would suggest such a thing. But, as it turned out, an invitation from Pein, leader of Akatsuki, wasn't one that could be refused. So it was with some sullenness that Sasuke, after pausing at the doorway for a moment, walked inside.
At first glance, the inside of the bar appeared to be a sea of bodies, people jumping, twirling, swaying to the music that pounded throughout the bar, actually making the walls vibrate. It took a few moments for the Uchiha's eyes to adjust, but he made out individual personalities amongst the sea of people; there was Kisame, holding what appeared to be a pitcher of some ominous-looking liquid, and throwing it back like it was water; and there was Karin, dressed provocatively and sipping at a tequila sunrise. If at all possible, Sasuke's mood plummeted even further.
Karin was annoying.
Not one person looked their way as Suigetsu led the sulking Uchiha into the vast ocean of writhing bodies. Many people were ramming cups together, and downing the contents in one swallow. Sasuke regarded these people with some disgust; how could you impair your awareness with alcohol when you were in a room filled with dangerous criminals? Wonders would never cease, he thought, as Suigetsu led him past a cackling Hidan, whose head was not actually attached to his body. His body was on the floor, lying in a pool of blood. Nobody seemed to take any notice.
Combine this with the festivities of scantily-clad women, and guys taking bets on who could finish their drinks first, Sasuke began to feel a pain develop behind his right eye, for once unrelated to the Sharingan.
It was all very overwhelming.
Suigetsu and Sasuke stood in the middle of the throng, Suigetsu eyeing the crowed appreciatively, Sasuke doing his best to ignore it all. Nobody had seen them enter and hence, nobody paid them any attention- so what the hell were they supposed to do now?
"Suigetsu, over here!" An orange-haired youth appeared seemingly out of nowhere, a slightly dazed grin on his face. Juugo. Sasuke could smell the alcohol on his breath when he bent to shout in their faces to be able to be heard above the din. "Glad you guys made it!"
"Makes one of us," Sasuke muttered under his breath. He wasn't one for pleasantries. He could see a faint blush forming under Juugo's eyes. Somehow, incredibly, Juugo heard him, and clapped Sasuke on the shoulder, a little more heartily than the Uchiha thought necessary.
"Aw, lighten up already!"
"What's up, Juugo?" Suigetsu deftly interrupted, catching the orange-haired boy's attention with ease.
Juugo grinned. "Not much! Been catching up with some of the Akatsuki guys, did you know that guy-" he jerked his thumb at a solemn redhead who was holding a full wineglass, and looked as impressed with his surroundings as Sasuke was "- is actually a puppet? Crazy, huh?"
"No friggin' way!" Suigetsu shouted. Juugo nodded empathetically.
"I know! Anyway, follow me, I'll get you guys set up." Then he turned, stumbled a little, and marched through the crowd. Suigetsu raised his eyebrows at Sasuke, who scowled, and they set off after their drunken teammate.
Sasuke rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets. He was not in the mood for this, but how could you say no to the leader of Akatsuki? He angrily pushed his way past a group of teenagers that reeked of sweat and stale alcohol- in his time, Sasuke had smelt numerous bad things, but this, this, was terrible. He endeavoured to breathe through his mouth from now on, as the stench filled his nostrils and made him wrinkle his nose. A group of girls standing nearby saw this and began giggling hysterically.
There were too many people crammed into such a tiny space. The bar wasn't exactly large to begin with, but now, with an undetermined amount of people jumping about, it was borderline claustrophobic. Sasuke grumbled obscenities to himself, and shoved people out of the way as he quickened his pace to keep up with Suigetsu and Juugo. Then, out of nowhere, Deidara came lurching out of nowhere, grinning lopsidedly, and somehow managed to empty the contents of his cup onto Sasuke's left sleeve, absolutely drenching it in what smelt like beer.
"Take that, Uchiha brat," the terrorist bomber slurred, grinning sloppily when Sasuke attempted to punch him. He danced out of the way, losing the cup, and began proclaiming something about how his art was 'an explosion'.
I can't believe I have to be here, Sasuke thought venomously, pushing and shoving, openly pissed off now, wanting to be anywhere but here in this dump. He located his teammates, standing near where Pein and Konan had managed to steal one of the few lounges, and made a beeline towards them.
Pein was as intimidating as usual, with so many piercings on his face than was humanely possible, and Konan was stoic and silent, regarding Sasuke impassively before returning to her paperback novel. "Sasuke." Pein's voice was deep, and radiated authority. "Welcome."
Sasuke merely nodded. It wasn't like he could say that he was happy to be here, anyway. Luckily, Suigetsu intervened again. "Hey, boss, what're we celebrating?"
Pein seemed slightly puzzled by the question. "New Year's Eve, of course," he said, as if the answer should be obvious, "and we completed sealing another jinchuriki today." Of course, Sasuke thought, that was the real reason why they were celebrating. Only three more to go, wasn't it?
Sasuke nodded again. His thoughts were still on his sopping arm. Now he would smell just like those drunken fools. For the umpteenth time, he cursed Pein and being forced to come here. Luckily, he was spared actually having to talk to either Pein or Konan, because at that moment, Juugo grabbed his beer-stained sleeve and hauled him over to where he had set up a bottle of Bicardi and three cups. "Here you guys go!" he shouted above the din. His face was slowly but surely getting more and more flushed.
"Thanks!" Suigetsu said, taking a cup, and downing it in one go. He closed his eyes briefly, shuddered, and then grinned at them. "Drink up," he said, offering Sasuke a cup.
"I'm not drinking that," the Uchiha snapped.
Their faces fell comically. "I was told only to show up," Sasuke said impatiently, "Pein didn't say anything about me having to drink. It smells disgusting, by the way."
"Bloody party pooper," Suigestsu grumbled, filling his cup back up. "But typical Sasuke, eh, Juugo?"
"Yup!" Juugo flailed his arms around, simultaneously trying to dance and keep his balance. Rum flew everywhere, and again, Sasuke found that he was dripping with alcohol. He scowled. It's just as well I'm not drinking, he thought, I wouldn't want anyone to see me like this.
Sighing, he leaned against the back of a chair, hands in his pockets, watching Suigetsu and Juugo make delightful fools of themselves. Pein and Konan seemed supremely unconcerned, even as a drunken Deidara began pointing at people and screaming, Bang! As if he thought people would actually blow up or something. Hidan's decapitated body was doing a slow and jerky (if somewhat bloody) moonwalk through the crowd, bumping into yet more people. His head could not be seen, but if the awful screeches were anything to go by, he was alive and kicking.
Ugh. Sasuke was obviously not a people person, and he was perfectly okay with that. Obviously I'm now a chaperone, he mused, keeping a wary eye on Suigetsu and Juugo, …Whatever. It's better than being one of those idiots, anyway.
However, the Uchiha's attention was averted as a particularly loud and obnoxious voice cut the air like a knife. If Sasuke hadn't known this person very well, he never would have guessed that the owner of the voice was none other than his brother, Itachi. The ninja in question was slumped over the bar, clutching a bottle. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was uncharacteristically loud. He was speaking- no, shouting, to an irate Kakuzu.
"And then I said he doesn't have enough hate! Like any amount of hate will be able to beat me! Isn't that funny, Kakuzu?" he burst into laughter, despite the conversation not being funny at all. It was slightly hysterical, and if the dark blush was anything to go by, Itachi had been drinking for a while.
"Sure, yeah, hilarious," Kakuzu grumbled.
Sasuke glared, and then turned his attention back to Suigetsu and Juugo, who were chatting up some girls. Suigetsu said something, and they all burst into laughter. To Sasuke, it seemed like the only reason he was here (aside from being forced here by Pein) was to make sure his teammates didn't do anything remarkably stupid, although, with Suigetsu dancing with his newfound lady friends, that was kind of a lost cause.
It can't get any worse than this, he thought, and of course it did. Deidara and a pretty brunette stumbled past, unabashedly sucking each other's' faces. He scowled. God. This was terrible. It didn't escape his notice that he vaguely knew the girl from somewhere, but he couldn't think of where.
Hn. Who cared, anyway? This party was pathetic. These people were pathetic. And Sasuke wanted to leave.
Sasuke leant against the lounge, his posture unusually relaxed compared to his usual poker-straight, ready-for-anything stiff pose. Probably stupid of him, sure, but with everyone but Leader and Konan acting like drunken idiots, there was no real need to do anything. They were so stupidly drunk that he was willing to bet that if he pushed them, they'd fall over, probably laughing as they did it.
How can such talented and dangerous ninja allow themselves to act so stupid? He wondered, as a group of girls walked past, looking at him and cooing annoyingly. Thank God Karin was nowhere in sight, otherwise he'd have to deal with her as well.
Sasuke watched Suigetsu and Juugo make delightful fools of themselves. He wasn't displeased with them, not exactly, but he couldn't say that he was exactly approving of their antics at the moment. Well, he supposed it was a good thing that they were together and he could keep an eye on them, but still. They were supposed to be ninja, not drunken idiots.
The Uchiha crossed his arms and eyed the still-full cup of Bicardi on the coffee table that had been meant for him. How did a simple drink turn people so stupid? He cast his onyx eyes from the cup of alcohol, to the reddened faces of his teammates who were hooting with delight, seemingly having a great time, and back to the cup again. Sasuke had never tried alcohol, being too preoccupied with killing his brother and all that, but it seemed that even his legendary brother had spared a moment to relax. Staring at his teammates, Sasuke Uchiha was suddenly stricken by a severe case of curiosity.
Moving over to the coffee table, he cautiously slid his fingers around the Styrofoam cup, and sniffed it delicately. He wrinkled his nose. Disgusting. It smells like ethanol. Why the hell would people willingly drink something that smells like rubbing alcohol…? A better question, surely they know the effects on alcohol on the body? So why…?
His eyes slid to the left.
Then to the right.
Damn it all to hell. He slowly brought the cup to his lips, and took a quick swallow, like he thought he might explode if he drank it all at once. The liquid burned down his throat, and Sasuke began coughing like the amateur he was. Thank God for loud music, he thought darkly, as his coughing subsided, and he set the cup back down immediately. That was disgusting, he grumbled inwardly, swallowing repeatedly to try and get the foul aftertaste out of his mouth. Though he'd only taken a sip, it seemed to cover his tongue, his teeth, with an awful taste that he just couldn't quite get rid of. To make matters worse, his chest began to burn. Great, indigestion, just what I need.
Yet even as he thought this, a pleasant sensation settled down in his stomach. The Uchiha blinked and put a hand on his chest- what was this? However, as soon as the pleasant sensation had been there, it disappeared. What the hell? Intrigued but still wary, Sasuke took another sip, a larger one this time. The alcohol burned his throat still, but it wasn't as bad as last time. In fact, it was barely noticeable. The Uchiha took another sip, looking supremely unconcerned at the fiasco around him. Kisame was roaring laughter at jokes that nobody found funny, and Itachi was still shouting at Kakuzu, who had several glasses of his own now.
Funny, now that he really paid attention, it didn't seem quite so pathetic. He took another sip, barely noticing the taste now, only wanting to settle his stomach, which had felt strange ever since the first sip.
When he next brought the cup to his lips, he was startled to find it empty. Scowling, he put the cup down, mildly embarrassed that he had succumbed to social expectations, after all- not that anybody had seen him.
"Hey, Sasuke!" Suigetsu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and shoved his face dangerously close to the Uchiha's. If they'd been any closer, they would have been touching noses.
"What is it, Suigetsu?" Sasuke asked calmly. The white-haired teen's eyes widened.
"Is that alcohol I smell on your breath, S-Sasuke?"
"Of course not," Sasuke lied smoothly, "now what do you want, Suigetsu?"
Suigetsu hooted with laughter. "It is alcohol I smell from you! Sasuke, you've been tricking us!" he sounded slightly reproachful, yet amused, "You have been drinking."
"So what?" he snapped, feeling all the heat in his body rush to his face. A light blush started to form under his eyes. Unlike some of the people here, Sasuke was an amateur, and it wouldn't take much to make him go silly. "So have you."
"But it's you!" Suigetsu crowed gleefully, and promptly poured Sasuke another drink. "Here, if you're going to drink, you might as well drink the good stuff."
Sasuke took the cup silently, and took another swallow. "Are you sure this is alcohol?" he asked stiffly, "I can't taste it…" Normally he wouldn't have asked Suigetsu such a thing, but his mind was feeling fuzzy, and he had to know.
Suigetsu clapped him on the shoulder and staggered a little. "Have fun, Sasuke," he said, and staggered off to rejoin Juugo. Curious, Sasuke followed, still holding his cup aloft. He took another sip. Now it just tasted like sugary water.
It turned out that Suigetsu and Juugo were headed for the bar, where Itachi, Kakuzu, Deidara, and the pretty brunette were slumped, murmuring jibberish at each other. Dimly Sasuke noticed the puppet guy with the red hair was also there, but doing his best to ignore the drunken fools.
"Oh God," Deidara said loudly as Sasuke approached, "it's that damn brat again." The bomber fixed his slightly glazed-over eyes at the Uchiha, and sneered. "Don't tell me you're actually drinking, brat."
"So what if I am?" Sasuke said, maybe a little too loudly for his liking. But screw it, it was horrendously loud in here, and you practically had to yell to be heard, anyway. "How is that any of your business?"
"It's my business if you're being a brat," came the somewhat lame reply.
"That's not what your mother said last night," Sasuke found himself saying, deadpan. It was like he was having some bizarre dream, and that he was listening to himself insult Deidara. His head buzzed pleasantly.
Deidara blinked, and the girl beside him roared laughter. "Oh my God, he's so funny! And cute, too," she said, slurring slightly and giving him a wink. Sasuke's lips twitched. He'd learnt many 'your mother' jokes since he'd asked Suigetsu to join his group, but he'd never had the chance to actually use them.
The girl gestured to the empty stool beside her. "Sit down," she grinned. "Let me buy you a drink for being so funny."
Since his cup was now empty, and the bottle lost in the crowd behind him, Sasuke decided to take her up on her offer. As he sat down, the world spun slightly. He shrugged it off. His face felt very warm now.
"So what do you want to drink, cutie?" the girl said, whilst Deidara glowered at Sasuke unhappily. Presumably it had been the same girl with whom Deidara had been kissing before.
Sasuke shrugged. The warm feeling was starting to fade, and he was starting to feel pissed off. He needed that buzz! "Whatever. I don't care."
"Two tequila sunrises, please," she said to the tired-looking bartender. While he made them, Sasuke found himself actually listening to the music that was pounding. Even more curiously, he found himself liking said music.
"Shot, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots- EVERYBODY!"
What were 'shots'? He could only presume they were the small, tiny cups of alcohol that Kakuzu and Deidara were now steadily working their way through. He found himself wondering idly what they would taste like.
"Here you are," the girl said, passing Sasuke a pretty-looking glass with yellow, orange and red in it. It looked like a sunrise. Hence the name, stupid, he thought irritably, before picking it up and taking a huge gulp. Obviously something entirely different to what he had before, this one made him cough a lot, but slowly, he became accustomed to the taste. In fact, he liked it. He liked it a lot.
"Bottoms up- let's go round two!"
"Let's," he managed, and downed the rest of the glass. Too quickly, it seemed. The world swam before his eyes, and he felt like he was having some bizarre dream. He was there, but he wasn't there at the same time. It was difficult to describe, but the world didn't seem to want to stay where it should be.
His lady friend he had somehow acquired looked at him blankly. "Did you say something?" she asked. Sasuke shrugged.
"I want another," he declared.
She giggled. "Okay!"
"Hey, Uchiha, are you okay?" It was the puppet guy, giving him an odd look. Sasuke glared at him.
"I'm not drunk," he snapped, "I'm fine. Where's my next drink?"
"Coming, sir," the bartender said, hushed.
"I'd keep an eye on your brother if I were you," Sasori said to Itachi, then, upon realising that Itachi had passed out at his stool, sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He moved away to join Leader and Konan, who were still incredibly unimpressed with their surroundings.
Another sunrise was pushed in front of him. He took another sip, and almost smiled. "Mm." His friend looked at him, eyes rimmed with red, yet still adoring. Deidara took another shot- his tenth?
"You like those, huh?"
"Yes, they're…tolerable," Sasuke hiccupped. The girl inched closer.
"What else do you find 'tolerable'?" she whispered demurely, pale eyes sparkling. Normally Sasuke would have shrugged this girl away, he was so used to it from Karin after all, but he had a sudden feeling that if he tried getting off the stool, he wouldn't get back up again. So he regarded her somewhat indifferently as she leaned in.
"What d-do you mean?" he asked, head spinning, as he took yet another sip. Suddenly, another girl rocketed in from nowhere and took Sasori's vacant seat.
"Bitch, that's my man!"
Ugh. Karin was here. Sasuke felt sick. He wasn't sure whether that was because she had arrived, or whether he had drunk too much too quickly. "I'm not anybody's man," he snapped, and recoiled as she wrapped her arms around him, "get the hell off me, Karin!" he spoke more forcefully than he ordinarily would have done, but damn it, Karin was in his face all the time. The bitch just needed to stop.
"But…aren't you drunk, Sasuke?" Karin asked.
"The women come around every time I'm pouring shots~ their panties hit the ground every time I'm pouring shots!"
"Not drunk enough," Sasuke grumbled. No matter how drunk I get, I'm not going near you, Karin.
Karin left sulkily, after trying to punch Suigetsu. The white-haired teen went down like a sack of potatoes, and Juugo fell over trying to help him up. "I need another drink," Sasuke mumbled, and his lady friend, still smiling happily, bought him another. "Thanks."
"No problem," she purred, "So, tell me, what do you find tolerable, Sasuke?"
"Not much," he admitted. The alcohol was making him feel chatty, something he rarely, if ever, felt. "I guess I haven't allowed myself to think of that kind of thing."
"Oh, that's terrible!" she cried, "A handsome guy like you, and nothing turns you on? Is that even possible?"
Since when did I say 'turned on'? Sasuke wondered, then shrugged. "I guess it must be."
"Aw, come on." She leaned forward, so that some of her cleavage was spilling out of her top. Sasuke averted his eyes. It was unseemly to stare, and besides.. "Don't you like this?" she asked, crestfallen. "Aren't you a boobs kind of guy?"
Sasuke shrugged. Suddenly, a thought came to him. "Are…breasts…" he found some difficulty even saying it, "…going to make much of a difference when it comes to restoring my clan?"
"Well, they can certainly help," she said, "and let me tell you, I sure wouldn't mind helping you restore your clan, if you want to, that is."
Sasuke was lost in his own thoughts. A long time ago, his family had actually been pretty large. Now it was just him and Itachi, who was still presently snoozing away. "It's always been a priority," he said absently, "but of course, I'd imagined it would be far in the future." He stared down at his hands. They wavered in front of him.
"Well, if you ever want help, my name is Izumo," the girl said, giving him a wink.
The world spun again, and this time, it did not right itself. "Sure," Sasuke murmured, and gave a wet belch. "Izumo…"
"What is it?"
"I'm going to be sick," Sasuke stated.
It took a moment for Izumo to register his words, but once they did, she leapt to her feet, looking for a place for Sasuke to puke. "Can't handle it, Uchiha?" Deidara said snidely, before passing out himself.
"I- over here, Sasuke!" Izumo helped him down from the stool, and, as he suspected, the world twisted left and right and flashed all sorts of unnatural colours. He staggered a little. "Whoa, there," she said, and began leading him away from the bar and his half-finished drink.
Leader struggled to refrain from smiling as the drunk girl led the even drunker Sasuke away from the bar, to somewhere where the Uchiha could vomit in dignity.
"Where's the nearest bathroom?" she asked a random stranger helplessly. The youth jabbed a thumb skywards.
"Upstairs, I think."
"Thanks!" she yelled, and led Sasuke that way. If anybody had stopped to look, they would have been amazed at the sight- Sasuke Uchiha, drunk as a skunk, his dark hair matted to his face, said face very pale and covered in a sheen of sweat, and his eyes glazed over and unfocused. It was almost comical.
As soon as Izumo tried leading Sasuke up the stairs, his right foot got tangled behind his left, and all of a sudden the stairs came rushing at his face.
"Holy shit, he's fucking wasted!" Hidan hooted. Sasuke groaned, not from the collision but because he was on the floor and didn't know why.
"Oh, you cut your forehead," Izumo said, and tried tugging him up under his armpits. Sasuke moaned again. His stomach was doing flips, and he didn't even notice the small cut on his face. "Come on, Sasuke, up we go."
"Is there a problem?" Leader's voice cut the air like a knife. The piercing-clad man stood on the bottom of the stairs, taking the situation in his stride. Stranger things had happened, he supposed, though this was one of the stranger ones.
"He-" Izumo started, but Sasuke interrupted her, by puking…on Leader's feet. Sasuke looked anything but handsome as he retched gutturally, moaned, and even whimpered, losing whatever had been in his stomach all over the Leader's shoes.
Konan leapt to her feet, angry, but Leader raised a hand to stop her. "Stop," he said quietly, "leave him be."
Sasuke swiped at his sopping fringe impatiently, then thought, screw it, and began retching once more. Leader raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, the poor thing," Izumo said. Leader glanced at her.
"Leave us," he said, and then, louder, "Konan, I'm cutting everybody off." To Sasuke he said, "Get up and look after yourself."
"Water," Sasuke groaned from his place on the stairs. He looked terrible- a running nose, a sweaty and tearstained face from retching so violently, and to top it off, somewhere he'd spilled a drink on himself. "I need water."
"You can have some later," Leader said dispassionately, "right now you need to clean yourself up. Can you manage that?"
"I don't know," Sasuke said honestly. Leader sighed.
"Konan, get Sasuke cleaned up and make sure he doesn't drown in his own vomit. We're leaving." He then moved away, scowling in disgust as his feet pulled out of the steaming pile of vomit.
Suigetsu could only stare as Konan used her paper jutsu and took Sasuke away, still moaning.
"So much for not drinking anything," he muttered to Juugo, "he out-drank us all."
And indeed he had.
XxX
There was, in fact, a downside to curiosity- a hell of a hangover, along with embarrassing memories of last night, which included Sasuke stacking it on the stairs as WELL as vomiting all over Leader's shoes, and 'yo momma' jokes.
Leader came to visit Sasuke the next day. The Uchiha looked nearly as bad as last night, and he was in a foul mood. "Rough night?" Leader asked dryly.
"Hn, you have no idea," Sasuke grumbled.
"I do, actually," Leader said- was he smirking?
Sasuke stared at him for a moment, and then groaned. "Oh God. The puke. I hate alcohol. And I hate people."
Leader chuckled. "Good to see the normal Sasuke is back."
Sasuke fell back, head pounding. He hated everything.
But most of all, he hated alcohol.
A/N: Yeah, I…I have no idea xD It's a little late, but oh well ^^ The song used, 'Shots', isn't mine. Obviously, I'm not LMFAO. xD Love it up, guys! Happy New Year! :D