Title: "Catch"
Authoress: Sasukez
Anime: Naruto
Pairing: NarutoxSasuke
Rating: K+ For: mild language
Occasion: LunaDance506's birthday
Dedicated: LunaDance506
A/N: This is a Oneshot giftfic for my bestest bud, LunaDance506! Its pretty plotless but I was aiming for simple fluff. I haven't done this pairing in a while. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SASORI-DANNA!! Read and enjoy!
Set: Between Zabuza arc and Chunin Exams Arc
"Hi guys!"
"You're late!!"
Of course he was late. He was Hatake Kakashi. He would not be their sensei if he wasn't late every day. When were they going to realize that? Sasuke sighed, quietly, in exasperation. His teammates were such dunces. Kakashi gave them some ridiculous excuse, as usual, and jumped down from his tree to stand beside them.
"Guess what we're going today!" he said, happily, which made the bruting Uchiha suspicious.
"Oh. I don't know," Naruto began in annoyance. "Maybe train because we're at the Training Field where, you know, everyone trains!?"
"Nope."
"WHAAA!?" both Naruto and Sakura balked.
"That's right! No training today!" the gray-haired jonin beamed.
"Then…what the heck are we doing?" Sakura asked, eyebrow twitching in a mixture of rage and irritation.
Kakashi reached back and shuffled through his little pack. Naruto was almost positive his sensei was going to draw out his porn novel, in which case, he was prepared to tackle him to the ground in a fury. Imagine his surprise and utter disappointment when he drew a white ball out of his pack. And it wasn't just any white ball, it was a friggin baseball! The orange-clad genin and his pink-haired companion stared at the round object in their sensei's hand and it even drew the disinterested Uchiha's attention.
"Sensei?"
"Yes?"
"That's a baseball."
"Very good Sakura!" he appraised like he would a puppy that just learned how to sit when he said "sit boy!"
She glared at him but his eye remained creased which was a sure sign he was grinning beneath that mask.
"Why do you have it?" she continued to ask.
"Why else would I have it?" he countered, tossing the ball up and down in his hand. "I want to play baseball, of course!"
"Wha?" Naruto asked, dumbly.
"I want to play baseball," Kakashi said, very slowly and sounding out every word.
Naruto glared at him and was oh so tempted to punch him in the face.
"So! Whip up some clones and let's get started!" Kakashi beamed.
"You can't be serious!" Sakura protested.
"On the contrary, I am quite serious. You're up to bat first."
Sakura's face paled considerably at his order.
"I'll pitch. Naruto, you're on first and Sasuke on third. And then I need a clone for catcher, second, and a few in the outfield. There are no rules. Use whatever method necessary to win. Move it!"
His pupils scurried to their assigned spots around the Training Field. Naruto produced the necessary amount of clones as instructed and Kakashi managed one of his own for umpire. Sakura, reluctantly, accepted the provided bat and stepped up to the plate.
"Ready Sakura?" Kakashi called and she nodded, nervously.
He pitched the first ball. She swung and missed.
"Strike!" the umpire called.
Sakura growled in annoyance and prepared for the next ball. Seeing this as somewhat of a training exercise, Sasuke tested out his newly formed Sharingan on Kakashi's next pitch. He saw before she hit it that Sakura would hit the ball into the outfield. He also saw that Naruto was prepared to go after the ball wherever it went despite his position as first-basemen. Sighing, the Uchiha deactivated his Sharingan and left third base the same time Naruto left first.
The ball hit one of the outfielder clones on the head and he vanished in a puff of smoke. Naruto dove to catch the ball before it came into contact with the ground, reaching the outfield quickly with a chakra boost. However, the ball bounced off his fingers as he collided with the ground. He slid from the impact, most likely adding some green to his outfit. He crawled after the ball as it continued to roll away from him. Just as he was about to catch it, a pale hand clasped around the small sphere.
Naruto glared up at Sasuke as he lifted the baseball and aimed for the infield. Sakura was heading for home. With a mighty throw and a tiny chakra boost, Sasuke sent the ball rocketing to the catcher. There was an uproar of dust and dirt as Sakura slid in an attempt to reach home in time. The ball vanished into the cloud, earning an "Uff!" from one of the clones or Sakura herself. When the small dust cloud cleared, revealing a coughing Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi, the kuinoichi had her foot on home plate and the catcher clone had the ball pressed to her ankle.
"Out!" came the umpire's call.
"Sasukeeeee! Whyyyyy?" Sakura whined, dusting herself off as she rose.
"Good job Sasuke!" Kakashi called from the pitcher's mound.
"Hmph," was the Uchiha's only response as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced down at his grass-stained teammate.
"Do you not know how to catch?" he scoffed.
"Shut up Teme! I'll get it next time! Just don't get in my way!"
"Dobe."
The game progressed. After Sakura, it was Sasuke's turn to bat and he earned a home run (or walk in his case since he refused to run around in a circle). Naruto was after him and made it to third place before Sasuke himself tagged him out. That caused a lot of spitting and hissing between the two. Kakashi didn't bat, saying he preferred watching them make fools of themselves. So Sakura was up again. Now she was pumped and excited to play.
This time, she hit the ball her first try. It glanced over second base, the clone dazed by the almost impact. Groaning in irritation at his own clone's idiocy, Naruto ran to get the ball. His hand fell upon it the same time as Sasuke's. He glanced up into the obsidian orbs with a look of defiance and was surprised when the Uchiha backed away and let him have the ball. The blond tossed it back to Kakashi, and Sakura stopped at second. Naruto glanced to his teammate and was about to say something, but he was already back at his third-base position. Before the blond had time to even consider if something was wrong, Kakashi was calling him back to bat.
The game lasted for hours and by the time they had finished everyone but Kakashi was exhausted beyond belief. Throughout the strange day, there had been plenty of awkward transitions between Sasuke and Naruto, and Naruto noticed that afterwards, Sasuke always became excessively quiet. He didn't question him about it, figuring he'd just accuse him of not concentrating or something.
"Good job today team!" Kakashi beamed to his exhausted pupils. "We'll continue training tomorrow."
"Wait! Aren't you going to tell us what this was about?" Naruto asked.
"Nope!"
With that, he vanished in a plume of smoke, leaving the genin annoyed and confused as they headed back home. Sakura whined to them about Kakashi's bizarre behavior as they all walked the route to her house first. Sasuke tuned her out and Naruto only half listened as opposed to giving her his full attention as he usually did. They said their brief farewells as they left her at her home and the two boys continued on the road until they reached the crossroads dividing their two neighborhoods.
"So, you seemed to be enjoying yourself today," Naruto pointed out with a wry smirk.
"Enjoy playing baseball?" Sasuke snorted, stepping up onto a short wall along the road.
"You were determined enough to get that ball."
"I had to get the ball because you suck at catching."
"I missed the ball once--"
"Four times."
The blond glared up at the raven-haired boy who's dark eyes remained ahead. The jinchuuriki sighed and returned his eyes to the path ahead.
"So why did you get so quiet every time I got within two feet of you?"
"I didn't."
"Yes you did."
"No I didn't."
"Yes you did, Teme."
"You're crazy, Dobe--"
Sasuke tripped on something alone the wall, most likely his own feet, and found he could not regain his balance. He began to fall, his feet no longer finding anything solid to land upon. Well, crap, he thought. He'd only get a bruise on his head, possibly a concussion. It could be worse and it was. The most embarrassing thing in the history of embarrassing things happened. Naruto caught him. He landed in his arms, bridal style no less! Then came the awkward silence. Naruto stared down at the young Uchiha cradled within his arms in shock. Sasuke stared back up at his squad mate in equal shock and humiliation. And to make matters worse, he could feel himself blushing.
"Put. Me. Down," Sasuke ordered, his stare turning into a glare.
Naruto smiled at him, squeezing his shoulders before he set him down. The Uchiha quickly placed a foot of distance between them, brushing himself off and turning his face away from the blond, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing him embarrassed.
"Stupid dobe."
"Who's bad at catching?"
Sasuke rounded a death glare on his teammate, the blue-eyed boy grinning at him, slyly.
"Tch," Sasuke spat, shoving his hands in his pockets and hurrying away.
But, before he was completely out of view, Naruto did not miss the pinkness on the Uchiha's cheeks and the smile fighting to stay off his lips.
Author's Review: I think this was one of my better ideas but as for execution I might have been able to do better. Regardless, please review! Critiques preferred as long as its not flaming. Thanks! And happy birthday LunaDance506! :)