voila! another plot bunny that simply would not leave me alone! the rookie nine are in college. i am not a Sasuke-hater, but the song required him to be a very spiteful person. inspired by fireflight's "something new." the lyrics are in here but slightly out of order. you should totally listen to the song. it fits the Naruto gang perfectly.
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Ino stared with distaste at the Inuzuka boy beside her as he put back what appeared to be his fourth shot since she arrived. And she'd arrived fashionably late. She vaguely wondered how it had happened that sweet little Hinata had thrown her birthday party at a club.
"Hey! Inuzuka!" Ino elbowed him roughly in the side, perched on her stool.
"Oww!" he muttered, rubbing the spot. She smirked; she could totally bring him down in thirty seconds. "What?"
"Why is Hinata's party...you know...here? Doesn't seem much like her," Ino twirled a blond strand around her finger, scanning the crowd, looking for a dance partner. So absorbed was she, that she hadn't even realized Kiba was speaking.
"...busy. She let Hanabi plan it all." Well that made more sense: the younger Hyuuga was becoming a social butterfly pretty quickly for as serious as she was about everything else. She glanced at the glassy-eyed Kiba; he was surprisingly sober for as many shots as he'd had.
"Ah," was all she said in return, spinning out towards the room. Back to the task at hand. Apparently, the only attractive men in the room were either homicidal—Gaara was still freaking hot or frigid—Neji, talk much? No hot boys. What a drag. Damn. She was totally starting to sound like Shika-kun.
Examining her prettily painted blue nails—a lovely color that matched her eyes, she remembered something. Sakura-chan was supposed to be coming. She quickly scanned the room again. Instead of finding her best friend, her gaze alighted on one Uchiha Sasuke. Ino felt her perfectly manicured nails dig into her fists. Poor Sakura. He was such an asshole. Somebody ought to put the world out of its misery and kill him. She'd thought about doing it herself once or twice.
And that's when she caught sight of Sakura, frozen about three yards from Sasuke. Jumping off her perch, the blonde waded through the crowd to save her currently drowning best friend. She reached Sakura and—damn—those were tears in her eyes. Ino whirled on Sasuke in her vermillion stilettos.
"What the hell is your problem? Haven't you screwed with enough people yet?" she growled. Sasuke merely turned up the corner of his mouth in a mockery of a smile.
"She's the one that didn't listen the first time," he replied, scorn dripping from his perfect lips. Asshole.
"That doesn't excuse you being an asshole, Asshole," Ino leaned dangerously close; she could care less about how much cleavage her vermillion halter was showing. "Stop screwing with my best friend," she hissed, gripping his neatly folded black collar. "Do you understand me? Leave her alone."
"The princess commands; I must obey," he taunted back.
"Uchiha, I'm warning you."
"Whatever. Her pathetic reactions aren't much fun anyway." Ino heard Sakura's choked sob behind her.
"I'm beginning to understand why he calls you a bastard," she commented, releasing said bastard and turning to her friend.
"Come on, Sakura. Let's get out of here." She grabbed Sakura by the wrist and hauled her through the crowd back to the bar. Damn. Kiba was still there. She gave him an icy glare when the drunken idiot opened his mouth. He shut it immediately and switched seats, moving away from them.
Pushing her friend onto a stool, Ino took her in. Her bangs were carefully styled back with two sakura blossom pins and she wore a smoky green-brown eye-shadow. She'd even taken the trouble to put on mascara and lip-gloss and match all her jewelry. Dark jade strapless top and black skinny jeans with pastel pink stilettos to match her hair. Sakura had really been trying tonight. Damn him for ruining it.
"Sakura, honey, you're wearing waterproof mascara, right?" Sakura nodded and Ino internally heaved a sigh of relief. The night could still be saved. She wiped Sakura's tears from her face with gentle hands. "Ignore him. He's an asshole," she commanded, poking Sakura in the chest. "Tonight is about you coming out here by yourself. I'm so proud of you." She rested her hands on her friend's shoulders and squeezed. Sakura had to know Sasuke would be invited. It was incredibly brave of her to show. After all, the asshole had broken her heart in the cruelest way imaginable.
A month ago, he struck up an actual relationship and then openly flaunted it, particularly around Sakura. It didn't help that he'd chosen Uzumaki Naruto. The asshole not only declared himself homosexual but he twisted the knife by turning Uzumaki's legendary and fruitless pursuit of and affection for Sakura onto himself. And he'd done it on purpose—that was the worst thing. Ino might've been able to forgive him in a decade or so if she didn't know he'd planned it all out. Up until that Monday, she'd been completely convinced that the asshole actually was gay, and then he broke up with Naruto, publicly and with all the brutality he could muster. By the way the normally cheerful moron crumpled, Ino was pretty sure they'd been fucking. In fact, Uzumaki hadn't shown at school for the rest of the week, so she was 100 sure.
"Ino...I don't know about this. Maybe I should just...go home..." Sakura murmured, curling into herself as much as was possible on a bar stool. And for Sakura, that was pretty far.
"If you go home now, the asshole will get a kick out of that. Don't give him any more satisfaction," Ino ordered, still standing protectively before her friend. Sakura looked up at her miserably. Ino waved her hands frantically, wishing she hadn't said anything. "Look, you don't have to dance or anything. Just sit here and people watch. 'Kay?" Sakura didn't say anything, but she was still looking at Ino.
No, wait. She was looking past her. Damn. She hated when people did that. She turned around to figure out just what the melancholic girl was staring at. And she almost growled.
Uzumaki Naruto.
-He walks into a crowded room. Smiles at everyone he sees.-
She looked back at Sakura, who was examining him like he was a puzzle, not like the object of all her loathing. Something was very, very wrong here.
And then she took another look at Naruto. Either he rebounded really fast or she'd slipped into another dimension. He was clapping Shika-kun on the back and laughing at something Lee had said, bright smile stretched across his face once more.
"How dare he come here and act like he didn't ruin everything," Ino muttered angrily.
-Another night pretending he's alright. Can't find what he really needs.-
"You're right," Sakura murmured softly, and when Ino turned to her friend, shocked, Sakura clamped her hand over her mouth, staring wide eyed in Naruto's direction.
"Are you alright?"
-She sees him there. Tries not to stare.-
Sakura didn't respond, just watched him exchange greetings with everyone, laughing loudly. Ino sighed and climbed up next to her friend. She'd never understand that girl, but this was too weird not to try. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the rejects.
-But something stirs her deep inside.-
And then Sakura broke eye contact and waved the bartender over. She ordered a virgin bloody mary. Good: Ino nodded her approval. Sakura shouldn't be drunk tonight; that would be a bad, bad idea. She'd done too many of those late night, intervention sleep-overs in the months since she'd found that bloody razor-blade buried in her friend's makeup case.
"Cosmopolitan, please," Ino flicked her fingers in the barkeep's direction and returned to examining Naruto. Sakura obviously saw something she didn't.
-She'll recognize something in his eyes.-
And then the light hit just right and Ino had to muffle a gasp with her fist. So that was it...that was what Sakura had seen. The expression was unmistakable. Sakura had worn it for the first week of Uchiha's new form of torture. A bright, cheery smile with dead eyes. Nobody but her noticed, of course—well, maybe Shika-kun—except when she stepped into the wrong kind of light. The reflection made the pink-haired girl's constantly watery eyes very obvious. She'd advised her friend to stand out of the bright florescent lights for the next week. Sakura didn't even bother to ask why, which told Ino she had a pretty good idea of how she looked.
The only question she had left was why Uzumaki Naruto was pretending. For as big a loudmouth as we was, this level of acting was extraordinary. She wouldn't have thought he could lie to the world this well. You learned new things every day. She still didn't pity him.
-Fight the urge to run and hide.-
She did consider, momentarily, shoving the heel of her hand up into his nose when he headed in their direction. Sakura's eyes flashed up and filled with panic. Her fists locked onto the barstool, holding on for dear life. She realized she would have to spare his life when she saw Shikamaru by his side, arm slung—oddly affectionately—around Naruto's shoulders, leading him that way.
Shika-kun stopped right before them, and from the way she could see Sakura shaking out of the corner of her eye, Ino was sure the girl was going to pass out any second. She tried to position herself better for catching her best friend when it happened.
"Ino-chan, Sakura-san," Shika-kun greeted, jumping up next to Ino, Naruto standing next to him.
"Yamanaka-san," Naruto nodded, trying to ignore her icy glare no doubt. "Sakura-chan." Sakura's eyes flashed upward, flooding with tears, and Ino bit back a vicious snarl.
"Naruto-san, could you...just...please...could you leave me alone?" Sakura's voice broke. Ino leaned toward her friend and wrapped her arms around Sakura's shoulders.
"You've got a lot of nerve, Uzumaki," Ino struggled to lower her voice, "Either that or you're just stupid."
Apparently it was the first because Naruto did look like he'd gotten the message. Leave or die. It was kind of funny that Shika hadn't thought to pull him out of the way yet.
"Give me two minutes, Yamanaka," Naruto sighed, dropping the mask. "Look. I need to talk to Sakura-ch—san. Please."
-He's looking for...something more, something new to heal his broken heart.-
-He's looking for someone who...who can understand.-
"No."
"Ino-chan," Sakura murmured, so quiet Ino almost missed it. That was definitely a rebuke, although a poor shadow of her normally loud, violent ones.
"You can't be serious!" she shook her friend. "He helped the asshole!"
"You're wrong," Sakura muttered, and Naruto looked suitably shocked. Ino was pretty sure they could have passed for twins what with their twin expressions and all—she and the moron.
"Let him talk, Ino," Shika interrupted, grabbing her wrist and dragging her down several seats.
"You hurt her and I'll break your face," Ino threatened, shaking a fist. Naruto nodded solemnly. "What the hell, Shika? I thought we were trying to support Sakura?"
"I found him on the roof of the observatory last night," Shika threw offhand.
"So...lots of people hang out there to stargaze," she retorted.
"It's awfully hard to look up at the stars while staring down at the pavement," Shika drawled. "And the fence isn't a prime spot for stargazing. I should know."
Shika was being awfully vague...kind of like he was trying to be quiet it about it...but that was silly. And then it clicked.
"You're fucking kidding me," she half-hissed, half-gasped.
"We talked for a long time," Shika added. "After about an hour he decided he'd come back to the dormitory with me."
It had taken him that long to talk him out of it? And her traitor heart winced in pity for the blonde haired boy currently staring at her best friend. Come to think of it, they hadn't spoken at all. Shika hadn't moved them so far away that they wouldn't be able to hear, even with the loud music.
"Sakura-chan..." Ino winced at the too familiar nickname. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to and I knew what you would feel about...it...but I was happy." Ino took in a sharp breath. If he made her cry...
"It didn't mean anything...not to...him..." Ino noted how carefully the blond avoided his name. She appreciated that much. "I...he convinced me..." Naruto floundered for words, hands dug deep in the pockets of his black jeans. "...that I was..." He coughed. Loudly. "...for him..." Ino could fill in the blanks. The asshole had convinced the blond that Naruto was gay for him. Was there no such thing as 'too far' for Uchiha?
Sakura looked on, barely disguising sincere interest in what he said. Ino noted the fists in her lap clench then unclench then clench again with every breath. Not good.
"And I'm sorry...I got...erm...confused...and I know I don't deserve a thing from you...but will you...forgive me...?"
Shika's hands clamped around her mouth and her waist from behind as she tried to lunge at the son of a bitch asking her friend to forgive him for being her crush's ex-boyfriend. What was he trying to pull!?
-And all the while...she's looking for...-
-Something more, something new to heal her broken heart.-
"It's..." Ino froze as she watched Sakura entwine and wring her fingers. "It's not...okay..." Naruto's face crumpled. "Not now I mean!" Sakura hurriedly added, snagging his orange button-down as he turned to leave. Ino watched with fascination. "But...I think...it will be..."
-She's looking for someone who...who can understand.-
Naruto's expression flooded with childish hope. Ino found the corners of her mouth turning up despite her fierce determination to frown.
"He was...my best friend," Naruto ground out past the new wave of emotion. "I loved him...anyway...but not like..."
-They thought that they were lost...-
Ino barely noticed Shika release her as she leaned forward with baited breath.
-But they've been on their way to the place...-
"No, never like I loved you—love you," he corrected, firmly planted before Sakura in his declaration.
-Where love would find them.-
And Sakura met his eyes bravely, and grabbing his collar, yanked him forward. He leaned into his chest, wrapping her arms around the so-shocked-he-was-almost-traumatized young man. He returned the embrace gently and Ino heard someone sigh in delight.
Oh. Wait. That was her. Damn it. She was supposed to be furious with Naruto
-It's time to let it go...of all the pain they know.-
-And leave the past behind them.-
"Naruto..." she heard the soft, breathless sigh. No no no! It was too soon! If Uzumaki wanted this to succeed, he couldn't be the rebound guy. And she shouldn't be his rebound girl.
-They're looking for...-
Ino was shocked when Naruto carefully pried her arms off him. He set her hands back in her lap and gave her a smile. Ino was pretty positive it was genuine.
-Something more, something new to heal their broken hearts.-
-They're looking for someone who...who can understand.-
"Not yet."
Sakura gave it a moment's thought. "You'll wait...?" Ino would kill Uzumaki if he crushed Sakura's hopes now.
Instead Naruto met her eyes and teased, "How much longer you going to keep me waiting?"
Sakura rocked back, obviously off-balance. Then Ino saw a miracle. Sakura smiled.Smiled. And Ino hugged Shika with joy. "I've got a lot of pieces to gather up still. You got a glue gun?"
"You bet," Naruto grinned. "I guess I'll see you 'round, Sakura."
"Definitely."
From asshole to incidental matchmaker—she might just have to spare Uchiha's life for this.