AN: Hello, minna-san! I have finally rediscovered the joy of writing fanfiction – I'll hate it when my holiday ends . The reviews on my other story really warmed my heart (ta thump, ta thump) and, as always, feedback always gets a writer's mind going!
As a result, this little something struck me today while I was desperately making plans to keep myself far away from the immense amount of people that will crowd my house tomorrow, and it's a one-shot that technically wrote itself. So, enjoy, and have a brilliant 2014!
Disclaimer: *Grumpy Cat* NO.
~Lightning~
Sasuke groaned silently as he rolled over in his small and quite uncomfortable tent. It was happening again. The storm that had created unnecessary hardships for Team 7 during the entire span of their escort mission had only just seemed to end the previous morning, but, apparently, the kami really did despise them all. Judging from the aggravating splashing noises the Uchiha could hear, the weather promised to be even worse than before. How endearing.
Suddenly, Sasuke's vision went completely white and he barely refrained from jumping in startled surprise. The deafening sound that followed almost immediately sent an unpleasantly familiar chill down his spine, and the Uchiha mentally groaned again. Lightning was just what he needed.
It was a secret only his mother and his brother were aware of, and they had promised to take it with them to their graves – the irritating amusement on their faces was something Sasuke had overlooked with a scowl – that the youngest son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha detested lightning.
He had decided to learn to use the element – which was found to be his actual affinity, to his chagrin – precisely to force the particular… discomforting emotion it produced inside of him into submission, however, the fact that he could control chakra-generated lightning failed to put an end to his unfounded reactions to natural storms.
Sasuke could only roll his eyes with a snort when the inevitable thought of Naruto mocking him for the rest of his pitiful life after finding out crossed his mind. He silently swore that the Dobe was never, ever going to know of his teammate's small issue. It was small and insignificant, regardless. Sasuke was thirteen – definitely not a little child anymore. And he was an Uchiha. Not even his own fears stood a chance in front of-
Crash.
To the boy's irritation, he instantly curled around his sleeping bag when the blinding light filled his sleep-blurred vision once more. It was ridiculous.
To hell with his kaa-chan's tolerant explanation about how it was rather normal to have such a 'fear' – Sasuke was not afraid – since he depended on his eyes more than most and he was still a 'child' – which he was not. Sasuke felt like strangling himself.
Another bolt of lightning, and the boy was beginning to seriously contemplate knocking himself out with a strong punch for the rest of the undoubtedly agonizing night.
Until he heard a barely muffled whimper, that is.
Despite himself, Sasuke lifted a dark eyebrow, lifting his tired body into a sitting position. It did not take a genius like his older brother to realize the source of the noise was his female teammate and the Uchiha almost snorted. It figured Sakura would be scared of storms – she was such a girl sometimes that it was annoying.
Just as he finished his thought, however, his eyes saw white again and he cringed immediately, shutting them. Thunder followed suit, and Sasuke's trained ears caught another silent moan from the tent next to him.
And suddenly, he felt like a shameless hypocrite.
He was calling Sakura annoying, yet, damn it, his own knees were shaking uncontrollably. And damn it, he was scared. That temporary sensation of blindness mixed with the tendency of paranoia he'd inherited from Itachi (damn him) was… frightening. And Sasuke did not appreciate it in the slightest.
For a moment, the Uchiha tried to think of what to do. As much as he always tried to be cool and detached and focus on his work, during the year they'd spent as teammates, Sasuke had realized that he disliked witnessing Sakura and even Naruto (though hell was bound to freeze over before he ever admitted that thought) in any type of pain. However, his Uchiha pride prevented him from acting as a mother hen and comforting people – not to mention he was not particularly good at such things in the first place. Besides, from the rather obvious way Sakura was trying to muffle her distressed whimpers, the boy deduced she was just as embarrassed by her un-shinobi-like fear as Sasuke himself.
Eventually, the thirteen year old settled on simply going to sleep (or trying to, anyway) and waiting for the storm to pass. Sakura was a strong girl, and he was a strong boy.
But she evidently just had to go and make herself interesting and shuffle outside her tent.
Sasuke mentally slapped his forehead. If someone could explain to him why the heck Sakura thought it was a good idea to walk out in the middle of a storm, wearing only that kunoichi dress no less, the Uchiha would be ready to die in peace.
However, as Naruto was undoubtedly oblivious and deeply asleep and Kakashi-sensei had not deemed it necessary to accompany them on their B-ranked requirement, Sasuke supposed he could not afford to die just yet. He could not let his idiotic friend wander alone during a storm, either– clearly she was not aware of the danger of being struck by lightning. The protective barrier they'd somehow managed to cast over their tents was going to become useless – they were not skilled enough to be able to protect moving objects (or infuriating kunoichi, for that matter).
Therefore, Sasuke grabbed his cloak hurriedly and exited the warmth of his shelter with a rather annoyed sigh. Now he understood why his Nii-san preferred solo assignments.
The cold rain that struck him immediately made the Uchiha grit his teeth. The small clearing Team 7 had decided to camp into was blurred by the darkness of the night and the merciless pounding of the rain, and Sasuke almost prayed to whatever kami was there to listen that he would not get to see lightning piercing the sky.
While feeling his heart beat in a slightly erratic manner, the Uchiha activated his Sharingan in an attempt to locate Sakura faster. They were still a day away from Konoha, and one of them getting the flu was simply unacceptable. Educated to be chivalrous or not, Sasuke was going to pound the girl during their next spar.
Well. Maybe not exactly pound her, but he would ruffle her feathers quite a bit.
Or maybe he'd just take out his anger on Naruto instead. Yes, that'll do.
Regardless, Sasuke was quite surprised – not startled – when a wet, yet unexpectedly warm hand touched his shoulder. He immediately turned around, ready to defend himself and his momentarily oblivious teammates, only to see a blond Jinchuuriki eyeing him in mock confusion and… a different emotion that Sasuke had never witnessed before in his eternal rival's bright orbs.
Naruto's blue eyes were suspiciously glossy. ''Sasuke, what are you doing?''
The Uchiha visibly blanched. Sasuke? Naruto never called him by his name unless the circumstances were critical, and his voice had sounded… peculiar. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong.
''I could ask you the same thing, Dobe. You should be sleeping.''
Naruto smiled strangely, almost sadly, and Sasuke was no longer certain what to think. Upon closer inspection, the Uchiha noticed that his usually obnoxious and cheerful teammate was drenched to the bone, suggesting a much more lengthy exposure to the unpleasant weather than Sasuke had endured. What had Naruto been doing?
''So should you. So, what are you doing?'' the youngest member of Team 7 repeated his inquiry, increasing Sasuke's confusion in front of his unusually calm demeanor. Finally, Sasuke shrugged mentally, deciding to worry about Naruto's unlikely behavior after their silly kunoichi was far away from the open field.
The raven-haired boy did his best to ignore the tremble in his knees that ensued after seeing a lightning bolt suddenly piercing the sky. Forcing moisture into his mouth, he answered.
''I'm looking for Sakura.''
Naruto's pupils dilated with immediate concern. ''Sakura-chan? Did something happen to her?'' he began questioning, eyeing their barely illuminated surroundings frantically. ''Where is she?!''
Sasuke's features formed an impatient scowl. ''I don't know, Dobe, that's why I'm looking for her.''
However, Naruto had ceased listening. ''Sakura-chan! Oi, Sakura-chan!''
For once, the Uchiha overlooked his teammate's utter disregard of potential spies lurking in the shadows and settled on following Naruto's lead for the very first time. He did not quite care if they were discovered, frankly – he could definitely use a punching bag at the moment. And he also wanted to give Sakura a good lecture.
''Sakura!''
''Sakura-chan!''
Due to the constant loud noises produced by thunder, the two males began to strain their vocal chords to even hear themselves, and the fact that Sasuke felt the core of the storm approach their exact location did not appease him. Besides, Sakura was not answering their calls, and the boys turned frantic with concern.
Unexpectedly, the ground around Sasuke rippled as a lightning bolt struck, creating a large crater and almost sending the Genin into the afterlife. He fell on his back, completely mortified and unable to control his breathing.
It was as if time stopped. He could hear faint cries around him and Naruto calling his name, but Sasuke could not move, could not speak, could not stop trembling.
A person started shaking him violently, but Sasuke's onyx eyes were only capable of focusing on the rain, the crater that could have contained his dead body and a mass of wet pink hair.
Pink hair.
Before he even processed what he was doing, Sasuke's hand flew up and a loud noise snapped him out of his shock as his palm harshly connected with the girl's cheek, leaving a painful red mark behind.
Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, as did Naruto by her side. Sasuke was rather baffled at first. Why were they looking at him like that?
''S-Sasuke-kun..?'' the young kunoichi muttered, bringing a hand to her aching face. Tears began to fall from her glazed emerald orbs, and then, finally, Sasuke was able to put two and two together.
He'd just slapped his teammate.
At first, the Uchiha desired to simply bring his clan into a financial crisis by hiring an entire army of shinobi to kill him – or perhaps allow Naruto to do it, since he looked ready to shove a Rasengan up his behind at any given moment – but then Sasuke remembered the reason for his admittedly unintentional action.
His Sharingan began to spin dangerously as he forcefully grabbed Sakura's trembling shoulders and pierced her hurt gaze with his own angered one.
''What. The hell. Were you thinking?!'' Sasuke growled in her tear-stained face, extremely resentful for the fact she'd almost had him killed, albeit indirectly.
Naruto seemed to be about to take her defense, but, surprisingly, he reconsidered and eyed the kunoichi expectantly, yet much more softly than Sasuke. ''Sakura-chan, really. You had us worried sick!''
Sakura stuttered, clearly unaccustomed to being on the receiving end of both her teammates' reproachful stares. The sudden noise of a thunder was what completely finished her and, had it not been for Sasuke's painful hold, she would have collapsed.
''G..Gomen nasai! I… N-Naruto… A-and…'' the girl tried to explain, but could not form a coherent reply due to the intense Sharingan glare Sasuke was sending her.
After a large amount of tensioned moments, the Uchiha forced himself to breathe properly. The oxygen managed to clear his foggy mind, and he realized that he was hurting his teammate unnecessarily. His biceps relaxed reluctantly and the blood red Sharingan faded into dark onyx.
Sakura eyed the change uncertainly, as if scared he was going to inflict pain upon her again. Sasuke took a deep breath and heaved a thorough sigh. ''Explain,'' he said firmly, yet much less angrily than before – Sakura was his teammate, for kami's sake, and it was highly improper to physically hurt her outside training sessions.
She obeyed, her voice small and uneven. ''I suddenly c-couldn't feel Na..ruto's chakra and… and I got worried and went to look for him, b-but there was the th..thunder and I.. I had a panic attack and then you started calling me and then the lightning struck and I thought it hit you and I was so scared and I'm so sorry!'' she ended up stammering, covering her face with her palms and looking so uncharacteristically miserable that the two boys did not even know how to begin comforting her.
Sasuke's eyes softened almost instantly, and he reluctantly recognized a feeling of guilt creeping up on him. Of course. Ever since the horrid Genjutsu Orochimaru had used on them during their unfortunate encounter at the Chunin Exam, Sakura had been prone to having panic attacks. And they were quite severe as well – usually, he let Naruto handle the situation when they occurred, but he should have prevented it from the very start that night. It was his fault.
And, besides…
''Where the heck were you, Naruto?!'' Sasuke redirected his glare towards his other teammate, who looked as guilty as the Uchiha felt. Sakura lifted her teary gaze as well and got up to her feet, pounding the drenched ninja over his head and then pulling him into a more painful than comforting hug.
''Naruto, you baka!'' she sobbed into his shoulder, oblivious to the way Sasuke's glare sharpened. Somehow, the Dobe always managed to bring all the members of their squad, himself included, into the dreariest settings. It was his fault even when it wasn't.
Naruto reluctantly returned the embrace, caressing his teammate's back in an attempt to soothe her. He hated it when she cried. She was supposed to be Sakura-chan, all bright and sweet and smiling.
The boy tried a cheeky grin. ''Eh, I just wanted to take a walk, ya know? You shouldn't have bothered, Sakura-chan, really-''
''Naruto,'' Sasuke's impatient voice interrupted Naruto's unconvincing lie. He was not in the mood to tolerate the Jinchuuriki's fake cheerfulness – he'd realized something was wrong with the Dobe the moment he saw him. And Naruto's infuriating way of faking his happiness to prevent others from worrying about him 'unnecessarily' was something Sasuke had witnessed too many times to be fooled by.
The boy hesitated, before sighing in defeat. Sakura detached herself from him, still shaking uncontrollably from a mixture of pain and shock. Looking at his miserable friends who were currently being soaked to the bone, Naruto let his face drop into an uncharacteristic frown.
''I… I hate the rain,'' he mumbled softly, Sasuke and Sakura barely catching his words. They did, though, and eyed him with two equally perplexed expressions. Surely, bad weather was unpleasant, but their teammate's tone held so much accumulated pain that they could only be confused by his reluctant admission.
Naruto sighed once more. ''Reminds me of tears, you know? I used to cry a lot when I was a kid. I guess I couldn't stand to just hear it splashing all night long.''
Sasuke felt his heart clench in understanding. It was easy to forget how life had given Naruto every reason to be unhappy – he had no parents, no siblings, no living relatives, no one to wait for him at home. And still, he never complained when Sasuke turned into a wall of living stone because of his occasional clan issues; he never complained when Sakura stormed into his apartment, needing to vent about how her parents said this and that. Naruto was always supportive, always cheerful, always talking about his dream to become Hokage.
And still, he did hurt. The boy had been crying that night, he could tell now, and Sasuke had not even been capable of feeling that he was missing. And Sakura… he'd known she was unwell, and yet, he had ignored her completely, while all she did was hurry to find their missing teammate. Sasuke could not stand to look at the undoubtedly painful marks on her cheek and arms. He was such a horrible teammate to both of them.
''Naruto…'' Sakura muttered, a new set of fresh tears falling down her reddened cheeks. Naruto noticed her distress and grinned at her encouragingly. ''It's okay, Sakura-chan. Why did you get a panic attack anyway?'' he changed the subject, clearly uncomfortable with being pitied by other individuals, no matter how close to his heart.
Sakura immediately looked away, biting her lip in sheer embarrassment. Sasuke frowned at her uncertainty, fully aware that he was the reason why she was hesitating – she could tell Naruto anything: from what her favorite food was to what brand of tampons she preferred, and he still listened carefully to her every word.
Finally, the kunoichi sighed. ''I'm… really scared of thunder,'' she murmured softly, flinching as a loud noise followed her confession. ''I don't really have a good reason and it's irrational, but-''
''I won't let the thunder hurt you, Sakura-chan!''
Perhaps Naruto's determined exclamation would have been more effective in a situation where he was not drenched and cold, in the middle of a dirty clearing.
Sakura shook her head in sad amusement. ''It can't hurt me, Naruto. I'm just scared for no reason.''
The Jinchuuriki crossed his arms stubbornly. ''That's reason enough to protect you, Sakura-chan!'' he argued, before grinning that idiotic and endearing signature grin of his. ''The temē and I will keep the big bad thunda' away from you, dattebayo!''
Sasuke stilled considerably. Naruto's promise had been so juvenile, and still, he could not help but take it seriously. He had tried so hard to follow his father's command and only use Naruto and Sakura as means to keep himself alive and, thus, able to further polish his career, but… But he had panicked when Sakura had gone missing. He had begun to resent those who hurt Naruto. He felt horrible – horrible – for snapping at both of them earlier.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sakura's small shoulders slump as she avoided his gaze. Truthfully, the crush she had on him had irritated him since the very beginning, but… was it really so bad that she liked him? Would he prefer loneliness, and suffer constant hate, like Naruto had grown up doing?
For the first time in his life, he felt… grateful. Was a crush not someone you admired? Did he really deserve such affection, after he'd pushed her away so roughly?
And Naruto… Naruto called him his best friend, despite everything he'd done to him, as well. He had pushed both of them away, when all they had desired was his friendship.
Did it really take a near-death experience for him to realize that he wanted to be Naruto's best friend, that he wanted to be worthy of Sakura's feelings?
Sasuke finally understood why Itachi always called him foolish. He was such an idiot, such a… such a temē.
''…They won't even know what struck them.''
Naruto and Sakura's heads whipped in his direction so fast they almost decapitated themselves. The kunoichi swallowed.
''N-nani?''
Surprisingly, the Uchiha smirked, turning away and walking towards their camp as he clarified. ''The rain and the thunder… they won't know what struck them.''
The two remaining members of Team 7 gaped at him in shock, unsure of their mental sanity. Perhaps the cold had affected their brains, because Uchiha Sasuke could not have just declared-
''Are you two coming?''
His lazy inquiry was answered with a couple of dazed confirming sounds, and Sasuke could soon hear the splashing noise that indicated they were catching up to him. Lightning and thunder still danced into the sky, and the rain was pouring heavily, but he didn't quite care anymore, frankly, as the two idiots otherwise known as his teammates fell into step with him at his sides.
''Sasuke-kun?'' Sakura's melodious voice had the Uchiha tilting his head to the right, actually willing to listen to what she had to say.
He was met with a slightly pained smile, but a genuine one nonetheless. ''We won't let the lightning get you, either.''
Her words halted him instantly and he gave her a blanched look. They… They could tell?
Naruto grinned cheerfully. ''That's right, temē. We'll pound it 'till it doesn't look like its ID,'' he joked, chuckling at his own humorous promise.
Sakura joined wholeheartedly and, when Sasuke recovered from the temporary shock his friends' observational skills had forced him into, he allowed an amused smirk on his face as well. Little did he know, that was not the best joke Naruto had up his sleeve.
By the time they reached their surprisingly unaffected camp (they were, apparently, quite good at that protection jutsu), they could not care less when they all entered Sasuke's tent, each struggling to make room while laughing uncontrollably.
''And the rain will go wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow,'' Sakura managed through giggles, forcing her way between the males' laps, who had rather reluctantly agreed to allow the other's legs to rest above their hips.
Eventually, they found themselves in a somewhat comfortable position, Naruto and Sasuke facing each other while Sakura's back rested against Sasuke's chest and her legs were trying not to push into Naruto's lap too much (though failing miserably, not that the blond minded).
Either way, they were too busy howling with laughter to care.
''Kami, temē…'' Naruto forced himself to say coherently, ''You make me laugh with your laugh!''
''Look who's ta-haha-lking,'' was the reply, and the two boys ceased laughing to glare at one another.
At least until Sakura let out a highly inhuman snort/giggle/laugh and they started all over again.
Suddenly, a shock of powerful lightning bolts and ferocious thunder ensued at the same time, and Sasuke and Sakura visibly cringed and huddled closer. Naruto lifted a brow.
''What does the thunda' say?''
Sakura's eyes laughed. ''Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!'' she exclaimed, dancing left and right in their laps, just as previously instructed.
Naruto chuckled approvingly. ''What does lighty say?''
Sasuke's pride was buried deep, deep down. His clan members would have beheaded him by then, he was certain, but… he did not quite care. Naruto and Sakura were all smiles and cheerfulness and sunny days – he was rather tired of being their gloomy counterpart. Besides, he was sick of his clan dictating his life. Sasuke decided to allow himself a day (well, night) of simply being himself. It was not like his brother was spying in a corner.
''Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho! Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho!'' he added to Sakura's giggly song, clapping periodically and moving his head forward and back, to Naruto's supreme amusement.
They all began laughing again, and exclaimed unanimously:
''What does Team 7 say?!''
''Fraka-kaka-kaka-kaka-kow!''
~Somewhere nearby~
Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi were returning from their rather tiring assignment, both anxious to reach their village and take a beautifully long bath. Stealth operations, while being both ninja's forte – hence their partnership for this particular mission – were meticulous and even somewhat boring.
Therefore, they walked in amiable silence, successful in ignoring the storm around them. It was a small inconvenience, true, but the two were professional enough to refrain from voicing any complaints.
However, Kakashi did sigh eventually.
''I like to believe my Genin did not alter the map of the world too much,'' he said leisurely, his posture casual.
But Itachi was no fool. Kakashi's worry for his pupils was evident.
''My otouto's team is quite capable,'' he returned evenly. It was not a lie either, by any means. Team 7 was known for their proficiency, even as Genin – they were easily trusted with B-ranked and even A-ranked requirements.
Itachi expected nothing less of his sibling, for he was aware of his (and his teammates', for that matter) great potential and even greater ambition. They were children, yes, but they were respectable shinobi.
Suddenly, Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks and Itachi lifted a dark brow, expanding his senses. What he caught made him wear the same blanched expression Kakashi had planted on his masked face.
''Those are not my kids I'm hearing,'' the Jonin muttered, more for his own sanity than anyone else's.
'Oi, Sasuke, Sakura-chan, do a duet!'
''That is not Naruto,'' Kakashi said again, shaking his head in sheer denial. Itachi was completely still.
And then…
'Jacha-cha-cha-cha-cha-chow! Chacha-chacha-chacha-chow!'
''Those are not Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura,'' Itachi said this time, his ponytail swishing slightly with each shake of his head.
''We have heard nothing,'' Kakashi continued, walking farther and farther away with a considerable amount of speed. Itachi followed wordlessly.
''We will remember nothing.''
….
''Which one of us gets to pound them?''
''I had not thought it would be necessary for me to voice my claim over your team for the next weeks, Kakashi.''
'A-hee-ahee-ha-hee!'
~End~
AN *uncensored by the possibility of spoiling*: I'll be honest, I was on the floor laughing by the time I finished this. I don't know if it's going to amuse you just as much, but the mental images I got with Sasuke… Ahh, my poor dear Sasuke… xD I need some coffee.
Anyway, the very creative lyrics were extracted from the infamous The Fox by Ylvis.
I had actually intended to challenge myself with this fic, I tried to mix seriousness with humor and see what happens. Well, this happened. Hope you liked it! Leave a review and tell me what you think!
*Runs away laughing like a madwoman, clutching the precious mental pictures*Oh, Sasuke xD