"That's where you were hiding the coin!" Mahou the Magnificent shouted as he plucked the shiny disk from behind Sakura's ear. She gasped in astonishment and Sasuke harrumphed. He didn't need his Sharingan to see how the petty magician palmed the coin and then produced it again.
"Stupid tricks."
Sasuke didn't have the heart to chide Sakura, though. She'd clapped her hands and jumped up and down like a child when she was selected to come on stage. He sighed, thinking they had to wait for Naruto to get back from his hundredth food expedition anyway. Leaning against the side of the stage, he folded his arms and waited for Sakura's little adventure to be over.
"Now, Sakura-chan," Mahou said more to the audience than to her, his voice taking on a breathy, mystical quality. "Have you ever dreamed of going to a magical place? A place where your most secret wishes come true?"
A wistful look came over her and she nodded.
"Then you're in luck because I can make that happen with my Wandering Cabinet." The crowd ooh'd when he dramatically yanked off a silky drape, revealing a narrow, wooden box. "Wanna try, Sakura-chan?"
Biting her lip, she looked from the magician to the box and back again. The audience, sensing her hesitance, took up the chant of "Try it! Try it! Try it!" Pushed by the crowd's urging, Sakura agreed with a vigorous nod and the audience roared.
"But…" The magician held up a finger, silencing the crowd immediately. "We can't have you traveling alone. Where's the fun in that?" he asked the masses with a shrug. "Howzabout we find a handsome man to go with you, Sakura-chan?"
Sasuke didn't wait to see how this was going to turn out. He bulled his way through the crowd, stalked onto the stage, and grabbed Sakura's wrist.
"We have a volunteer!"
Sasuke froze when the crowd thundered and hooted with approval. He had no intention of getting involved in this charade. But when he turned to Sakura and saw her blush, his heart thumped loudly.
"What's your name, sir?"
The whoosh of blood in his ears was all he heard. All of his limbs were locked, paralyzed.
"His name is Bastard."
On the edge of the crowd, Sasuke saw Naruto munching on three sticks of yakitori, grinning like an idiot.
"His name is Sasuke-kun," Sakura piped up, slipping her hand into his. His eyes glued themselves to their twined fingers.
"Well, Sasuke-kun, you can't take your girl out without a gift, can you?" With that, Mahou pulled a vividly colored bouquet of silk flowers from the waistband of Sasuke's pants. A huge burst of confetti spewed from his pants right behind the flowers. "Little excited, Sasuke-kun?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. The crowd guffawed at the lecherous innuendo. "Can't say as I blame you with a girlfriend as pretty as Sakura-chan."
A curse was on Sasuke's tongue when, with a flourish, the magician turned to the audience. "Now…TO ADVENTURE!" He pointed off into the distance until the crowd was done applauding.
Opening the Wandering Cabinet, Mahou pushed Sasuke inside. Caught off-guard by the magician's speed and strength, Sasuke's back thumped against the rear of the cabinet with an oof. Before he could move, Sakura was pushed on top of him. The cabinet was narrow and, once closed, movement was impossible. Sasuke could hear the muffled voice of the magician outside as his face burned—one of his hands rested on Sakura's soft thigh, the other curled around her ribcage, the firm weight of a breast resting against his knuckles.
He huffed his hair away from his face, annoyed at his discomfort. "You know this isn't magic, right? It's just illusion. Less than a genjutsu."
"I know," she said quietly and Sasuke immediately regretted his harsh tone. Both of their breathing seemed loud in the ringing silence.
"Sasuke-kun?"
He grunted.
"Did you really volunteer to be my boyfriend?"
His breath caught in his throat. He couldn't see because of the darkness and close quarters, but he could hear the smile in Sakura's voice. Turning his head the slightest, his lips brushing the tip of her ear, Sasuke whispered, "I…did."
Something soft as silk pressed against his mouth and Sasuke quickly realized Sakura was kissing him. His fingers dug into her thigh as he returned it as well as he could, given his crushed position. All too soon, sunlight was blinding him as they tumbled out of the box.
"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. A trip to Nirvana, courtesy of the Wandering Cabinet!"
As the audience laughed and cheered, Sasuke realized he was on top of Sakura in a very lewd position. He burned as he pulled Sakura to her feet then stalked off.
His ears ringing with the sound of the crowd's laughter, Sasuke didn't stop when Naruto caught up, guffawing and teasing.
"Have a nice trip, Sasuke-kun?" Naruto jeered with a side-splitting laugh. Scowling, Sasuke marched toward the town gate until something pulled on his hand.
"Sasuke-kun?"
Strange feelings warred and churned in his head and stomach. Sasuke turned, but found he was unable to meet Sakura's gaze. She moved closer, giggling as she pulled pieces of confetti from his hair—he shivered at her touch. Just like inside the Wandering Cabinet, Sasuke was caught unaware when Sakura's lips suddenly touched his, but this time, he was able to respond how he wanted to—his two hands cradled her head and he kissed her gently once…twice…before pulling away to look at her face.
This magic is no illusion, he thought and he pressed his mouth to hers again.
Okay...I need your help.
You know this anthology is for Cotton Candy Bingo on Dreamwidth ( . ), right? Well, the deadline for Bingo is December 31st and I have one more prompt to fill...but zero inspiration!
This is where you come in.
I need ideas! The prompt is Christmas/Fairy Lights. Now to my way of thinking, there's no Christmas in the Narutoverse...so Fairy Lights. Please send me ideas before I tear all my hair out! Quick! I will send you a truckload of bacon stars if you send me an idea I can use. I have only a day and a half to write! Thanks!