Disclaimer: All the characters of Naruto used in this story are the ownership of Masashi Kishimoto.
Summary: There was something strange in the fact that she always fell in love with dark-haired, dark-eyed men. Maybe it was her fetish. AU [SasuSaku]
Their ages are all around 22, or 23.
It's the Color
Ever since he could remember, his best friend-slash-first-crush-turned-to-first-love-and-still-is-his-love-but-remained-best of friends has had the propensity for falling in-love with persons who had the genes for dark hair and dark, preferably black eyes. It did not help that these persons were good-looking. And sort of emo-ish, just the right sort that women would swoon over. He despaired of that sometimes, just imagine he had to watch as Sakura fell in-love again and again for the past twelve years that they have been together, then comfort her as she cried her eyes out each time she broke up with these past boyfriends saying there was something missing and she wanted something else.
Well, guess what, how he so wished he could say that maybe what she was looking for was right in front of her. He sighed, maybe he'd need a neon sign bearing those words the next time she says her own little speech again. Sakura knew he loved her. Get the past tense? She doesn't get that he still loves her. She's like this brightest little pink-haired, green-eyed pretty lady but still doesn't get that fact around her head. Seriously, sometimes, he thinks someone should shout that fact at her. Maybe their mutual friend Sai.
Ugh. Why did he remember that prick (read: Sakura's fourth boyfriend)? Honestly, why did all of Sakura's exes become their friends? He thought exasperatedly. Wasn't there a rule or something declaring that exes shouldn't be friends after a break-up?
Brows furrowed in dissatisfaction, his blue eyes narrowed at the empty glass he held. Twelve years was a long time to be holding an unrequited love for your best friend. He looked at his trusty cellphone as if willing it to vibrate, signaling a text message. He and Sakura were supposed to meet thirty minutes ago at this café, and he was so unkindly wakened from his blissful sleep an hour ago after hearing her frantic message. Really, the things he'd do for friends. And it was still seven o'clock in the morning when normally he would be curled in bed! What was taking her so long?
He sighed and settled himself deeper into his chair. At least, he consoled himself; he wasn't being introduced to someone new again. Those times happened at expensive, luxurious and, for a few times, at five-star restaurants where her current date/boyfriend would be impressing his girlfriend's best buddy. One thing he couldn't get too was that Sakura landed herself on big fishes. But, hey, he was a big catch too wasn't he? His father and uncle were owners of a big, publishing house and a chain of bookstores, and restaurants, which eventually he'd inherit. Was it because he had very bright blond hair, and his eyes were a bit too sparkly blue? (Probably not his choice of clothing right? Nothing could go wrong with the color orange.)
Thirty-two minutes. Where the bloody hell was Sakura?
"Naruto!" A very exhausted familiar voice called his name and he turned so fast in his seat he knocked his empty glass down to the floor with a resounding crash and into broken shards of glass. He ignored it. Instead, he focused his eyes at the woman standing at the door and grinned.
She called out his name and thereby earnign glares and dubious looks from the early costumers of the cafe. How embarrassing, she thought as she walked over to where he was sitting at the corner of the bar. This was the nearest cafe from the hospital where she worked and she was in a hurry to tell him something and in desperate need of caffeine to pull her for a few more hours after her graveyard shift. And she was incredibly late. Oh well, blame it on that patient that needed a few stitches.
She smiled at him. God, he was always grinning that way, wasn't he? What was keeping that jaw from locking itself with his wide grins he seemed to put out a thousand times a day? Avoiding the buxom waitress who had arrived to clean the mess Naruto caused, she sat herself across and hidden from the glass window beside him.
"What would you like Sakura? The same as always?"
"Yes, please Naruto."
As Naruto ordered, she checked her phone. She received a few messages from Ino (something about the hottest rock band and how they were getting the front row seats for hell or worse), Hinata (inquiring about a vacant slot for nurses in the hospital), Shikamaru (complaints about how Ino was getting obsessed about that 'hottest rock band'), and a few others she didn't bother to check. And when Naruto came with her big cup of plain, black coffee, the luscious smell wafting to her nose, she couldn't suppress a sigh.
"Thanks Naruto, whoa---!" The words left her as she noticed Naruto's appearance. There was nothing wrong with his big grin nor with the placement of any of his facial features. It was what he was wearing. It was God-awful, painfully orange. The floral printed shirt several shades of that hideous color, his knee-length shorts a faded shade of that hideous, shameful color, even his slippers would have shamed the peelings off of the fruit!
"What are you wearing?!", she exclaimed, eyeing the ensemble as if she'd seen a pile of rats, her expression matched it too. "Did you notice that I've just finished my graveyard shift and didn't need anything to blind me at this moment? Sheesh, wear something decent once in a while!"
He playfully took the defensive.
"Hey, you were the one who woke me up at like five-ish, six-ish in the morning! Then told me to meet you at six-thirty in some obscure café in the middle of the city. Have a heart, my dear Sakura! Orange is my only refuge."
She took a long sip from her steaming coffee. She knew that Naruto wasn't ever offended about her comments on his favorite color since birth, and should have been used to it by now, considering how long they have been friends. Still, she used and abused any moment of his life that she could pound into his head the fact that orange wasn't something everyone could tolerate seeing everyday of their lives. And she meant that both figuratively, and literally.
"Still, Naruto, you could have toned it down a little. A little blue could do great things to your eyes, you know." She placed her cup down and almost laughed at the thoughtful expression on his face. If she wasn't so transfixed on something she couldn't quite place a finger on, she could have fallen in-love with him years ago.
"Really, Sakura?" And Naruto was cute too. In his own way. No wonder why her friend liked him.
"Yup, really. Now, do you have any idea what I wanted to talk to you about?" She could feel her heart pound faster instantly.
"Nothing. But it better not be about that concert Ino had been raging on for days." He stretched the last word for emphasis. "I don't think I would be doing what you let me do the last time you wanted special VIP tickets. Dad nearly chewed my ear off for months. Get it? For months."
"Nope, not that entirely. But maybe after?"
Naruto's widened eyes made her chuckle. "Okay, Naruto, I was joking. Do you remember how many boyfriends I have had these past years?"
"W-what?"
"Well, do you?"
Sakura's green, inquisitive eyes looked at him questioningly. Of course, he remembered exactly how many. And no way in hell, does he believe she doesn't remember any of them!
"What? No, of course not. Their asses were all so lame, I just remembered my nicknames for them. There was dark mascara, crazy puppeteer, face-paint-crazy, sandbox aficionado, lazy genius---"
"Okay, okay I get it. So you remember, a little bit. Well, guess what?"
He frowned. No way in hell could he guess correctly. And he doesn't really like to hear what she was going to say even if he was dying of curiosity. Which he was. It must be something incredible if it could make Sakura almost agitatedly excited. He opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Sakura's excited chatter.
"Guess what? They all contacted me yesterday!" Oh. Oh, so that's it?
He blinked, for a moment, seemingly lost on the importance of what she was implying. Her face though having hints of tiredness still radiated excitement and anticipation. Then it hit him.
"What? Sakura-chan, what? But, why would they?" He whined, and puttered his next several questions.
Sakura held a finger to his lips ensuring he shut up. "Hush, Naruto, you're disturbing the other costumers with your antics! And I don't have any idea why they would! Anyway, sit!"
He didn't even notice he rose from his seat in his brief surprise. He could feel his eyebrows furrow in puzzlement as Sakura took another sip from her coffee. He really needed some ramen right now. And he could gobble up packs of them after this. He found it hard to keep quiet for that few seconds but quiet he stayed. He didn't quite like the idea of her past boyfriends all contacting her in one day and he had a pretty bad feeling about this. His intuition was good, exceptional even. He might not be a great thinker as his other bestfriend but he could get by with a little facts and his instinct; that's how he always played and planned things.
"Anyway, so yesterday, Naruto, they all contacted me again. Especially, Neji----"
"Oh yeah, the Mane and Tail adoring guy."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at him threateningly. "Neji contacted me yesterday because he wanted me to be at the opening of his optical clinic's new branch."
He sighed. "And the others contacted you because?"
She blinked. "Well, Sai's paintings are currently the exhibit in the art gallery near your bookstore and", her face scrunched up, "your phone's ringing. Answer it."
His phone was indeed ringing that hellish ringtone. It took him a second before that information sinked in and he almost jumped from his seat when it did. Sakura chucklingly shook her head at him as he stood up and excused himself before going near the restrooms to answer his call. He knew who was calling him.
And damn if he wasn't Sakura's type. Just his luck.
Poor Naruto.
This is going to take a the very most, ten chapters.
Please review. And flame if you want.