Yup, a holiday themed story. Edited after noticing some typos. I couldn't let it stay.
Disclaimer: I own some things but not Naruto.
"Where is he?" Sasuke was leaning against his car with his arms crossed. He had been waiting for over an hour for his best friend to arrive. Naruto had finally convinced him after days of begging to go to the latest Halloween attraction in town. The festival was for all ages but the reason for their attendance was the haunted house. While Sasuke wasn't a fan of haunted houses, his interest was piqued when Naruto listed everyone who had already agreed to go. Sasuke swore to himself that the night was going to end well.
"Sasuke!" The raven haired teen glared at Naruto who ran up breathing heavily. Sakura, Shikamaru, and Ino walked calmly after him. "We made it."
Sasuke's eyes scanned the group in disappointment. "Is this everyone?" Naruto shook his head. "Nah, Sai decided to work on his art project. Choji had promised to babysit for Asuma. Shino is out of town and Kiba is taking care of Akamaru. That dog will eat anything. Everyone else is waiting for us."
His feeling of relief was quickly replaced by anger. Sasuke had wasted valuable time out here when he could've been inside the festival with her. His murderous thoughts were interrupted when Naruto called him by the gate entrance. "Are you coming or what?"
Sasuke jogged up and saw that their group had grown. He briefly acknowledged Tenten, Lee, and Neji. "Hello Hin-"
"Sorry for our lateness. Sasuke took forever to get inside." Naruto was quickly taken down by an elbow to his stomach. "What the hell?!"
Neji turned his nose at the unruly sight. He had only decided to go along after hearing Naruto invite his cousin. He didn't like the blond or his friends nor did he like how Hinata blushed and stuttered before agreeing. Tenten might tease him about his over protectiveness, but he'll be damned if Hinata is stuck with a lame duck. "Shall we go now? Hinata can't stay out too late and the line is quickly growing."
They took their place in line and made small talk to pass the time. Sasuke tried to inch closer to Hinata but he was inadvertently blocked by Neji, who was attempting to create a barrier between Naruto and his cousin, and Lee who talked animatedly about his training regimen. Hinata giggled at his exaggerated movements while Tenten rolled her eyes. Shikamaru leaned close to Hinata and whispered something to her which she nodded. Sasuke never had a reason to hate the Nara until that moment.
Sasuke felt a grip on his upper arm. "Sasuke, can I hold on to you when we get in? I get scared easily." Sasuke just scowled at Ino in an attempt to scare her off. "Back off, pig! Sasuke won't fall for that pathetic excuse." The usual tug of war continued to Sasuke's irritation and after noticing Hinata's brief attention to the source of his frustration, he shook them both off. Naruto volunteered to look after Sakura but was promptly rejected.
At the entrance gate, Shikamaru noticed the group limit. "We can't all go at once. We'll need to split up."
"I call Sasuke!" A pair of girl voices shouted in unison.
"I call Sakura!" The pinkette pummeled the blond. "Like hell you do!"
Sasuke took the opportunity to maneuver closer to Hinata. Shikamaru rolled his neck in agitation. "What about Neji, Hinata, Naruto, Tenten, and myself in one group and the four of you in the other?"
Naruto and Sasuke expressed their displeasure in different ways.
Being stuck with Ino, Sakura, and Lee was Sasuke's worst nightmare realized. They were some of the loudest people he ever encountered in his young life. There was a sudden push from the crowd behind them and as they got closer the park employee motioned for the first five to enter. Sasuke was no dummy; he stayed behind close to Hinata after the scramble. Naruto thought along the same lines and hung back by Sakura. They would go in as a group of four, and while Sasuke would have preferred it be just the two of them, at least the other two would be preoccupied with each other.
Neji didn't realize the girl next to him wasn't his cousin until he heard the scream pierce his ear. Ino really had a high pitch scream.
The last four waited for fifteen minutes until they were told to go in. "Don't touch anyone, they won't touch you."
It was dark except for a few dim lights that flickered. Sasuke brushed closer to Hinata who was holding her hands close to her chest. His cheeks blushed at the thought of finally being acknowledged by the shy girl. He could just imagine her leaning on him while he had an arm over her shoulders. Suddenly he felt pressure on his arm and for a moment his heart swelled at the feminine touch.
"Sasuke, I'm so scared." Sakura's voice brought him back to reality. Nope it was too good to be true and he sighed. "Then go to Naruto. He said he would protect you." She squeezed his bicep and nuzzled his shoulder. "But he's busy with Hinata."
No way in hell was this going to end that way. Sasuke hurried up to catch up with the two dark figures ahead. He was relieved to see that they weren't touching but a sudden appearance by a hunched over creature had Naruto shrieking loudly and holding on to Hinata.
"It's o-okay, Naruto."
"You won't leave me, right Hinata? I can count on you?" Hinata blushed at their close proximity.
"You can count on me."
Sasuke felt a pain in his chest. "Oh, just kill me now."
"Did you say something, Sasuke?" He didn't answer the girl who he still wasn't able to shrug off. Sakura's strength was nothing to look down on. The group moved along to the next room.
.
.
.
Sakura had almost immediately let go of Sasuke's arm as she closely examined the details. Aspiring to be a doctor, she could easily point out the inconsistencies of the set up. Sasuke meanwhile crossed his arms as he walked on ahead. His mood was shot and he thought about how he could salvage this opportunity.
Hinata hated hospitals ever since her mother's death. She couldn't even visit Kurenai after she gave birth for which she regretted and apologized profusely. When she realized that this section of the haunted house was themed to be a bloody and gory hospital she nearly fainted. She tried to drown out the groans of patients on operation tables. A grotesque nurse with a limp inched toward the group and the lights dimmed even further. Hinata grabbed on to the closest non-bloodied sleeve and whimpered.
"Get off!" A cold voice hissed down at her. The scowling face of one Sasuke Uchiha leaned down before quickly realizing who it was. Her eyes widened in fear and she quickly let go. The lights got brighter as they neared the end.
"I'm sorry." She quickly walked next to Sakura who rubbed Hinata's back and held her close. Naruto just shook his head as if to reprimand Sasuke.
"No… I didn't…" He was dragged along by Naruto who lectured him about being so mean to such a nice girl.
"You probably scared her more than anything in this house." Sasuke hung his head as he walked behind the group as they walked down a hallway.
.
.
.
The next room didn't have anything jumping out but it was full of suspense. They could hear creaks around them and but nothing happened.
"Man what a rip- off!" Naruto didn't appreciate the subtlety of fearing the unknown. He wasn't as brazen when the doors suddenly opened. Even Hinata had let out a giggle at how Naruto screamed and comically clutched his heart as if to calm his nerves.
"Really, Hinata? I thought you were my friend!" Hinata sheepishly smiled which caused Sasuke to feel a little better but he vowed to leave a good impression before the night ended.
Sakura and Naruto stepped into the next room when the door quickly closed behind them. Hinata rushed forward to open the door but it wasn't budging. "Is this supposed to happen?" She looked behind her to see Sasuke hovering close to her.
"I don't know." Both heard their friend's screams outside their door. They weren't coherent and all they could make out was something about rainbows and sharp teeth. It went on for a while until their screams faded out and the door opened.
Sasuke walked ahead before offering his hand. "I'm sure they over exaggerated. It'll be fine." Hinata looked into the dark room and nodded while he held on to her tightly.
As soon as he felt their contact, it was like fireworks were going off in his head. "Shouldn't we move?"
"Oh yeah. I was just waiting for you." She smiled at his politeness. They stepped into the room and the door closed behind them. As soon as they walked into the middle of the room, Sasuke saw what had caused Naruto and Sakura such distress.
A clown. Scratch that, a creepy clown with sharp teeth manically wielding a butcher knife. Sasuke gulped and bolted for an exit when he heard the hysterical laughter. He tried to shake the knob but it wouldn't turn. Without letting go of Hinata's hand, he started ramming the door with his shoulder.
"Why won't this door open?!" He turned around to see the clown advance on him and Hinata. Sasuke pulled her behind him. "Get away!"
"Um… that door's just for decoration. The one you're looking for is to your left." Hinata and Sasuke watched in amazement as the clown turned the correct door knob. "Here you go, so just chill out. No need to demolish the building."
"Thank you so much." Hinata spoke up after seeing how heavy Sasuke was breathing.
"Sure thing. Skittish guy isn't he? Take care of your boyfriend. Be sure to visit the photo booth as soon as you leave!" Hinata pulled a freaked Sasuke out of the room. The clown waved as he walked back into position away from sight.
Hinata could feel how clammy Sasuke's hand felt. She rubbed his arm and that got his attention.
"Are you okay, Sasuke? You really freaked out back there." Sasuke brought his free hand to his hair and cleared his throat.
"Yeah, I'm fine." No way was he going to tell her about that awful prank his older cousin played on him during his 4th birthday party. Obito scarred all of Sasuke's classmates including Sakura and Naruto. He was suddenly glad that Hinata hadn't come to his party.
She looked at him skeptically before pulling her hand away from his and framed his face with her hands. "Look at me and just breathe in deeply. That's good, now slowly breathe out." He stared deeply into her eyes full of concern. They kept at it for a few more moments.
"Are you feeling better?" He didn't say anything but pressed his forehead onto hers.
"Yes," he breathed out. "I'm so much better. Thank you." He reluctantly pulled his head away but held her close. "Let's get out of here."
The sudden tenderness of their physical contact left Hinata unable to form words as they walked out into the lively festival. They looked around for their friends and were met with an angry looking Neji and a smiling Tenten who gave them thumbs up.
"Hinata we should leave. Uncle will be furious if we stay out any longer." Not waiting for a response he hastily pulled her away and dragged her towards the parking lot. Sasuke was going to follow when he felt a tug.
"That's not a smart idea. He's pissed after seeing the shot of you two." At his confused stare she pointed to the photo booth. "You can see for yourself, but hurry if you want to print them out. They delete them after twenty minutes. Good luck, you'll need it!" The brunette waved as she ran to catch up with Neji and Hinata.
Sasuke walked towards the booth where the rest of the group was waiting. They were huddled close showing their photos to each other and laughing. "You should've seen Ino; she nearly ripped my arm out!" Ino smacked Lee. "Yeah well you weren't so calm and collected during the creepy exam room."
"What are you laughing at Naruto? You left me behind and bolted ahead!" Naruto shrugged his shoulders at Sakura. "When it comes to you know what, all bets are off. Aren't you going to get your photo, Sasuke?"
He motioned Sasuke towards the vendor.
"Can I help you?"
Sasuke scanned the screens and saw what had infuriated Neji so much. "Yeah, can I have a print out of that one?" The vendor looked at the screen and a few minutes later handed a medium sized photo to him.
"That'll be ten dollars." Sasuke absentmindedly handed him a twenty. "Keep the change."
"Damn, Sasuke. I told you to be nicer to Hinata, not try to get into her pants!" Sasuke pushed Naruto away. "Shut up."
When they walked back to the group, Sasuke told them that he was going home.
"What about the corn maze?" Shikamaru was actually looking forward to it. He had a strategy he wanted to use.
Sasuke shook his head. "Maybe next time."
"Is it because Hinata isn't here?" Naruto whispered in his ear. He really was a glutton for punishment; after serving out some more Sasuke departed from the group.
Sasuke walked towards his car and got in. He grinned like a fool at the photo before setting it on the passenger seat. He would need to buy a frame. Sasuke wanted to preserve that memory for as long as he could; after all he rarely had any photos of just the two of them, let alone in such an intimate moment.
He always looked forward to school and he could only count the hours before he could see her again. He turned on the ignition and drove to the nearest store. The night ended far better than Sasuke had expected.
AN: Not a one shot but be patient.
Update: This is gonna be a collection of short stories and various one shots. But they'll all have to do with Halloween or supernatural spooks in the spirit of Halloween. I have midterms next week and I have to study, but I have drafts in progress. The rating and category might change depending on upcoming content. Love ya!
Funny side story: I had planned on going to a haunted house in my city but funds are short for college kids. It sucks because it's pretty well known even outside my state. Anyways, my sister had gone last weekend and got her group lost inside the damn thing. She lead them the wrong way and had to backtrack. It delayed everyone else by almost ten minutes. She was more mortified at that than anything else.
