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A Rainy Day at the Beach
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Everything was ready for Ino, Sakura and Tenten to go to the beach: it was a sunny day, the weather was great and they were on holiday. The three girls shared an apartment close to the University where they studied; Ino and Sakura had been best friends since childhood, and Tenten became closer to them as soon as they entered college. The fact that they had a room to spare and Tenten was looking for a place to live since she came from another town was the perfect scenario for the three of them to get to meet and to become closer.
But we were talking about their travel to the beach, and how excited they were about it. Surely, everything seemed perfect, nothing could possibly go wrong.
''I'll drive!'' Sakura announced, taking Ino's car keys and running to the other side of the room so the blonde wouldn't fetch the keys back
''You wish!'' Ino retorted, running after her in the room trying to grab the keys from her hands ''my car, I'll drive!''
Sakura snorted
''Don't you wish to have a drink before we go? You won't be able to drive if you do so'' she reasoned
''She gotcha, Ino'' Tenten laughed
Sakura was the only one among the three who didn't drink any alcohol, meaning she was used to driving them back from parties at all times. Driving was something Sakura loved and although she had a driving license, she couldn't afford to buy a car, so the only time she did get the chance to practice driving was when Ino lent her hers.
Ino huffed
''Fine, it's only one and a half hour until the beach, we should get there alive'' she provoked
''Of course we'll get there alive, I have years of Need for Speed on my back, I totally know how to drive'' Sakura said with a smug face
''God have mercy on us'' Tenten said with a smile ''are you girls ready? If we leave now we can get there before lunch and eat there''
''I think all that's left is to put the things in the car and then we're ready to go''
''Then let's rock!'' Sakura cheered
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''Sakura, for God's sake, there's a speed limit camera right ahead of us, will you please slow down?''
''I'm not driving that fast, Ino, chill out''
''I'm feeling sick already, Sakura, drive slower when there's a curve'' Tenten said, her voice showing how nauseous she was feeling
''Fine, fine''
''And try to avoid the holes on the street, the wheels can't take it''
''I'm trying!''
''Don't drive too close to the trucks, they might not see you''
''And please slow down!''
''Geez I prefer you both when you're not sober'' Sakura mumbled. At least they were close now, the beach was less than 30 kilometers away.
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They stopped at a restaurant to have lunch before going to Ino's Beach House, one where they served the best seafood in the world - in their opinion!
They were enjoying their meal and chatting about random things when a familiar voice was heard
''If the weather continues like this we can go windsurfing in the afternoon''
''Preferably after 4pm. Sai here is so white that if he is exposed to the sun before that he will get instant skin cancer'' another familiar voice joked
At the sound of the word 'Sai' Ino chocked
''Crap, I can't believe they're here!'' she turned around on her chair to look at the boys on the queue to get their food at the buffet
Neji, Sai and Sasuke. Three boys from their college and also good friends of theirs - although they would never admit that. Their relationship was based on them provoking the girls and they reacting as if they didn't care, although secretly they had a big crush on them. The three boys had been friends since childhood too, and they had met Ino and Sakura when they were much younger, still in Elementary School, after when they started to frequent a different school. But Fate has its wicked way of doing things, and then ended up meeting again in college, the boys being their seniors.
''Good thing I brought my best bikini'' Sakura said to herself in a low voice, but the girls heard it, bursting into laughter
''Well well, see who decided to follow us at the beach'' Neji provoked, appearing behind Ino and Tenten with his plate on one hand
''We had plans to come here since last month so I believe it's you who decided to follow us here!'' Tenten replied, trying to keep her voice from stuttering. Why was she so nervous close to Neji?
''How did you spot us?'' Ino asked
''This pink hair is hard to miss'' Sasuke responded, taking the empty seat next to Sakura and starting to eat his meal. Sakura bit her lower lip and did her best not to blush
Neji and Sai followed Sasuke, taking a seat next to the two girls
''Who let you seat with us?'' Ino raised an eyebrow to Sai
He smirked
''I know deep down you were hoping we'd do this''
Ino huffed and turned her head to the side
''So, where are you staying?'' Sakura started, looking at Sasuke next to her.
''At Neji's family's beach house'' he replied without taking his eyes from his food. God, he looked so hot, especially with his new tan.
Feeling her cheeks starting to burn, she decided to hide her face by looking down at her phone and pretend she was doing something important on it.
''Oh, this reminds me!'' Ino said to Neji ''I still have your barbecue grill at my beach house, I need to return it to you''
''Leave it for tomorrow, then we can grill something at my house'' he said ''It will be a pleasure to have you join us for lunch''
Ino nodded in agreement
''But I'll need you to come take it with your car, it won't fit in mine'' she said
''Let's leave the details for tomorrow'' he determined ''tell me, what are your plans for the afternoon, girls?''
Tenten felt a shiver of excitement at the perspective of doing something with them
''We'll unpack and then go to the beach at around 4-5pm'' Ino said ''the sun won't be too hot by then''
Sakura's cellphone beeped
Sasuke-kun S2: stop texting your crushes and socialize with us.
She looked up at him and smiled
''I'm not texting my crushes''
''The way you're blushing I wouldn't believe that'' he smirked, poking her left cheek once ''I might get jealous''
She blushed even harder and didn't say a word
''I'm joking, Sakura, don't be so serious'' he sighed, resuming to eat his food
Sakura exhaled. Why was she always so nervous around him?
''Well, we can meet at the beach in the afternoon then'' Neji said ''we're going windsurfing at around that time too''
''Meet you guys there then!'' the blonde said ''let's go girls?''
Tenten and Sakura nodded, bidding them goodbye and hurrying after Ino
''It will be a long week if we're to stay with them'' Sakura mentioned
''Why is that?'' Ino asked
''Because when I'm around Sasuke-kun I can't breathe!'' she said with exasperation
''Trust me, I know the feeling'' Tenten lowered her head and shook it in disappointment
''You girls are impossible'' Ino chuckled ''c'mon, we've got a lot of unpacking to do''
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Sakura and Tenten were sitting at the beach watching the boys windsurf and enjoying the sun and the cool breeze coming from the sea when Tenten suddenly turned to Sakura:
''Sakura, what's your email's password?''
''Why and which one?'' she asked
''Because I need to confirm your email to access the internet for free here at the beach''
''Why my email, though? Use yours!''
''I don't want them spamming my inbox with advertisement all the time!''
''Oh but they can spam my inbox?''
''Yes, which is why I used your old email, the one you don't use anymore'' Tenten said ''I always use it when I want to buy things and they require an email'' she admitted
Sakura rolled her eyes
''C'mon, I need the password! For 'sakurathefabulous' ''
''Hmmm try 'Idontlikecreatingpasswords' ''
''Wrong password''
''Uhh then try 'imthebesttherestistrash23''
''Wrong again''
Sakura thought about it for a second, then she blushed and whispered to Tenten
''Try 'sasukekun0723' then''
Tenten started to laugh
''That's it'' she announced ''what a weirdo you are, Sakura!''
''I couldn't think of anything better to use as password okay'' Sakura said, laughing with her friend
Ino, who was swimming at the beach, came running in their direction
''What's so funny? And, Sakura, would you hand me the towel please?''
''We're just talking about the boys'' Tenten replied as Sakura did what was requested
''You two don't know what you're missing, they're both shirtless, just come with me!''
''I'm in!'' Tenten said, getting up from her chair and following the blonde
''I'll just stay here and watch over our things'' Sakura said in a low voice while both girls walked away. The truth was that she was afraid of the water since she was young and almost drowned at the ocean. The closest she would get to the sea was collecting shells at the shore, but the water must not go beyond her knees.
''Hey'' she heard someone call her, taking her away from her thoughts, she looked up to see Sasuke sitting next to her, where Tenten was a minute ago. He was wearing only shorts.
''Hey'' she greeted ''how's the water?''
''Delicious'' he replied ''Still afraid of water?''
Sakura made a face
''I'm not afraid of water, I'm afraid of drowning'' she corrected ''I don't fear taking a shower, for example''
''Who knows, I've seen cases of people being drowned while taking a shower''
She gave him a horrified look
''Just kidding, Sakura'' he smirked ''stop taking everything so seriously'' he got up from the chair and offered her a hand ''I'll go with you, so you won't be afraid''
She shrunk on her seat, becoming smaller, and shook her head
''I think I should just stay here, you go have fun, Sasuke-kun''
''Hey'' he kneeled in front of her ''do you trust me?''
Sakura felt her heart warm up with his words
''Of course'' she replied
''Then come with me, I will hold you at all times, I promise''
Sakura was still unsure. What if she got desperate and made a fool of herself? Still, those dark onyx staring at her, inviting her to join him, were impossible to refuse. She nodded hesitantly and took his hand.
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Sasuke was a real gentleman with Sakura, drawing her slowly towards the sea and talking to her at all times to try to make her forget where she was - given he was a monosyllabic person, that alone was impressive!
''How are you feeling?'' he asked when the water was touching her hips
''Like I'm going to die'' she confessed
Sasuke chuckled
''I'm here with you, I won't let you drown, and we won't go much further than this today, okay? You've done well, Sakura''
Sakura felt very courageous after his compliment, it was impressive the power and influence he had on her.
''If we do this every day for one week, I'm sure you'll feel much more comfortable in the water, we can even try surfing a bit, I can teach you''
Sakura smiled
She looked forward to it
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That night, they went to a small restaurant in a small city close to the beach. The restaurant was full, so they had to wait a bit outside until they had a table for six.
''Oh, finally, I'm starving!'' said Sakura when they finally got a table
''You just had an ice cream'' mentioned Ino, taking a look at the menu
''That went to my 'desserts' stomach, I'm starving with my other stomach'' she joked, taking a menu herself
In the end, they decided to order a portion of French fries, a shrimps lasagna and a pizza
''Hey, save the last chocolate slice for me'' Tenten complained when she saw everyone devouring the chocolate pizza
''Too bad, Tenten!'' Sakura said, taking the last slice and taking a big bite on it ''Mmmm it tastes delicious''
Tenten made her an ugly face, but in the end Sakura shared with her the last slice. She was just too kind of heart - of course it wasn't because she was already full and took the last slice out of greed.
''Want to see how good I can write with my left hand?'' Sakura asked Ino, taking a pen and a napkin
''Not really'' Ino replied, turning to her side to resume her talk to Sai
Sakura made a face and turned to her other side, where Sasuke was sitting
''Sasuke-kun, want to see me writing something with my left hand?''
He put down the menu and looked at her
''Sure, what are you going to write?''
''You can choose the sentence!''
He thought about it for a second
'' ' Sasuke thinks Sakura is very random' ''
She giggled
''I'm not random, it's what I do when I'm bored, I try to write with my non-dominant hand''
''Fair enough'' he smiled with the corner of his mouth
She lowered her head and made a concentrated expression while she slowly wrote the words with her left hand
''Your handwriting is terrible'' Sasuke mentioned when she was done
She gave him an annoyed look
''I'm still not great at it okay!''
He chuckled
''Okay, okay''
''Now another sentence!''
Sasuke smiled
''Let me think''
And they spent the rest of the night chatting just the two of them, completely forgetting about the other sitting next to them.
They bade one another goodbye in front of the restaurant, then separated paths, the boys going to Neji's Family's beach house and the girls going to Ino's.
''It was a great day, wasn't it?'' Tenten said, smiling to herself as she thought about how close she was to Neji that day
''That it was'' Sakura agreed, looking outside of the window and sighing in love
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The next morning they left early to go to the boys' house. They spent the morning at the market buying everything they would need for the barbecue during lunch.
''The sky is a little cloudy today, isn't it? I hope it doesn't rain'' Tenten commented to Sakura
Sakura didn't reply, but she looked at the sky with worry
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''Okay, so Ino and I are going with my car get the grill at Ino's house, does anyone want to come along?'' Neji asked the group
''I'm coming, you'll need one more pair of hands to carry it to the car'' Sai offered
Tenten quickly added
''I'm coming too, I can help see if there's anything else we might need there for the barbecue''
Although all she wanted was to spend more time with Neji, of course
Sasuke and Sakura said nothing, they wouldn't need them anyway, so they'd better stay and get things ready for the barbecue there
What no one was expecting was that around 15 minutes after they departed, it started to rain. But it was not just any rain, it was a really heavy rain
Sakura's phone rang
''Sakura? Ino here, I'm using Sai's phone because my battery died. We're already at my house, but the rain is way too heavy so we're going to wait until it stops to go back there okay? Just telling you so you don't worry about us''
''Oh okay, please be safe, I'll see you soon'' Sakura said, then Ino ended the call.
''They're going to stay there?'' Sasuke asked, sitting on the couch in the living room
Sakura nodded
''They'll wait until the rain stops'' she said ''what a shame, I was looking forward to going to the beach today''
Sasuke smiled
''Starting to like the beach?''
''Well I've never had anything against the sand, only the water. But yesterday was very nice''
He nodded
''Yes it was''
There was a bolt of lightning and suddenly the lights went off
''Perfect'' Sakura complained, she wasn't fond of the dark either, good thing it was still day and there was light coming from the outside
''I was expecting this to happen, the storm is getting worse'' Sasuke said ''but it's getting hot in here, let's leave the front door open, the wind is blowing on the other direction and there's the marquise so the rain won't hit us''
Sakura did as he said
The rain took much longer than they had expected to stop, and they ended up playing cards the entire afternoon. Sakura popped some corn for them and they sat on the couch, chatting and eating.
''It's already 4pm and the rain hasn't got any lighter, do you think it will stop today?'' Sakura asked
Sasuke looked out of the window
''I think- Oh my God, Sakura, don't turn around'' his eyes widened
''What is it?'' she asked, widening her own eyes in fear
''Don't turn around'' he repeated ''just slowly go to the closest room and close the door''
''What is going on?!''
''Just do as I say!''
She swallowed hard and did as she was told, walking past him and entering the closest room. She heard Sasuke call someone on his phone, but she couldn't figure out who that was. Then suddenly, he entered the room and closed the door behind him.
''What happened?!'' she demanded
''There's a big snake in the living room, entering through the front door, most likely trying to find shelter''
Sakura felt a chill on her spine
''How big?''
''Very big''
''Who were you calling?''
''The people in charge of rescuing these animals when they show up in people's houses'' he explained
Sakura nodded repeatedly
''What now?''
Sasuke walked past her and laid in bed
''Now we wait, they won't come now because of the rain, but they told us to lock ourselves in a room and wait until the rain stops and they can come rescue the snake''
Sakura thought the ones in real danger and needed rescuing was them
''You mean we're trapped in this room?''
''Well, not trapped, you can try to go to whichever room you want, just keep in mind the snake is out there and it is big. And I say try because I of course won't let you leave this room, it's too dangerous''
Sakura agreed, it wasn't advisable to leave the room
So, she was trapped in one of the house's bedrooms with Sasuke.
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They tried to chat for a while, with Sakura babbling, so nervous she was, and Sasuke nodding and making a comment every now and then so she would continue talking. He supposed she would stay calmer that way.
''You know, I'm starting to feel claustrophobic'' she said finally ''This room seems to be getting smaller by the second''
Sasuke chuckled
''What's so funny? I'm not kidding!'' she made a displeased face, but she decided she loved the sound of his laugh, that - she had noticed - only happened when she was with him
Eventually, the fell asleep, the sound of the rain falling surely helped. The bed was big and there was enough room for both of them, but when Sasuke awoke and opened his eyes he was surprised to see that, somehow while they slept, their bodies came closer to each other. Too close he would say: he had one arm wrapped around her waist, the other arm serving as pillow for her, who was resting on it with her head close to his chest, one small hand gripping his t-shirt tightly. Their legs somehow found their way to each others during their sleep, and Sasuke found his to be intertwined with hers. Sasuke could feel her warm breath on his chest and her whole body move quietly as she breathed in and out.
He wasn't sure if he should wake her up, if he should try to let her go carefully not to wake her up or if he should just go back to sleep and wait until she woke up, leaving the decision of what to do in her hands.
He decided the third option was the best
But before Sasuke closed his eyes to sleep again, he heard her mumble to herself in her sleep
''Sasuke-kun…''
Was she waking up?
''Hm?'' he answered
''I… know I'm not like the girls they say are your type'' she started, one word at a time, still sound asleep ''but I love you so much, Sasuke-kun… I promise each day would be the best day, if you just chose to stay with me''
Sasuke smirked
''Is that so?''
''Mhmm'' she replied, then she fell into deep sleep again
Sasuke brushed a lock of hair away from her face and analyzed her face, taking in every detail. Sakura had pretty features, he couldn't deny it, but beside her hair, nothing about her was unique or drew someone's attention. She wasn't like Ino, for example, whose beauty was known in the entire college and could make porbably any guy fall in love with her instantly. No, Sakura was as ordinary as the word went. Still, there was something about her that drew Sasuke to her like a magnet. Perhaps it was the determination that sparkled in her eyes, or the way she could make fun of everything, even herself, or even how she would babble when she was nervous. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Sasuke knew there was something special about Sakura.
But whatever it was, it made him fall in love with her.
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Sakura opened her eyes slowly, still adapting to the light. It had stopped raining
Then she noticed there was someone very, very close to her. She looked up to see Sasuke looking at her like a painter would look at his new piece of art
She became conscious of their proximity and quickly tried to put some distance between them, but his hand on her waist stopped her, holding her close
''Sasuke-kun?'' she said, confused
''Did you know that you talk while you're sleeping?'' he asked her
Sakura blushed
Oh my God please let me not have told him about my collection of pictures of him I have in my room
''Do I?'' she pretended to be ignorant on that matter
''You do'' his smirk made her curiosity grow bigger and bigger
''What did I say? Hopefully not something embarrassing'' she forced a laugh
Instead of replying, though, Sasuke got closer to her, their lips inches away from each other
Then someone opened the door of the bedroom
''We've rescued the snake, it's safe n- oh!'' the man blushed ''sorry'' he said before closing the door again. Then he added from the other side ''the snake was rescued, you can come out now… if you want''
Sasuke giggled and got up from bed
''C'mon, the others should be arriving soon too, let's clean up the mess you made while popping corn''
And Sakura was left with her best poker face in the bedroom, wondering what sin had she committed that could justify fate being so mean to her and making that man arrive just as Sasuke-kun was about to kiss her!
Sighing, she got up from the bed and followed the Uchiha to the kitchen
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During the rest of the afternoon, Sakura had an upset expression on her face. She just couldn't believe her bad luck.
She was sitting again on the sand thinking about all her bad doings that could have resulted in such karma when someone stopped in front of her, blocking the sun
She looked up to see Sasuke-kun looking down at her, his eyes hidden behind the sunglasses. Sakura blushed at the sight of him. God, he was so hot!
''Ready for your swimming lessons?'' he proposed, offering her one hand
She readily took it, smiling at him
''Of course, senpai!''
''Senpai?'' Sasuke smiled ''I think I like the sound of that''
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Sakura was floating on the surfboard with Sasuke, the only sound to be heard was the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the seagulls in the horizon
''I'll hold you to that, Sakura'' he said from behind her
''Hold me to what?'' she raised an eyebrow
''Each day will be the best day if I stay with you''
Sakura blushed hard
''Wh- when did I say that?''
''Is it true?''
Sakura considered it for a moment
''I'll always do my best to make Sasuke-kun happy, I can promise you that!''
Sasuke smiled
''Then that's all I need''
Sakura could end her day happy, because she finally got her kiss.
And she knew that until the end of the week there would be many more.
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Just something I wrote while bored at the beach house because it was raining
I hope you like it!
Big hugs!
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Blackfan Diamond
