Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine
: a sasusaku story enjoy... :
.:BEING:.
.:chapter 1 - the inevitable:.
The loud music pounded through the club. The noise that erupted throughout the crowd was capable of generating a headache. The dim lights and the crowded room didn't make it any easier to breathe either. At the moment, Sasuke regretted his agreement to assists such a plaice, but Naruto had insisted and lately he couldn't find it in himself to deny any of his friends' request, After all, Naruto had been the only one who seemed to accept him in his return. Sasuke had to admit that without Naruto by his side his welcome to Konaha would have been, slightly close to, none existent and he needed to be welcomed back … reasons where many, even if Sasuke refused to acknowledge them… her …mostly
Sasuke scanned the booth he was sitting at absentmindedly. There was Shikamaru and Neji, Choji, Shino and Kiba, Gaara and Lee next to them and Naruto next to him, seven of them in total. Sasuke began to play with his drink, paying little attention to the guys and their conversation... specially Naruto's loud mouth. Sasuke tapped his drink rather unsettled. What was the point of it all? It was not like he had come necessarily to hang out or talk to anyone. He didn't really talk to anyone except Kakashi and Naruto and sometimes Sakura.
"Tsk" Sasuke hissed, more or less frustrated with himself and how the situation was turning out. The guys where making a bigger ruckus, too. He lifted his glass filled half way with heavy liquor and took a small sniff. He frowned, what exactly was he doing? He didn't even like to drink.
"yo-oo Sa-ku-ra-chan!" Naruto brought Sasuke's attention back to the group who had been joined by the group of girls, which included Tenten, Ino, Hinata, and Sakura herself. He noted that the girls greeted the guys in their own respective ways. Ino greeted every one with a wide and confident grin, Tenten waived enthusiastically, Hinata bowed sheepishly and Sakura smiled with a small hi. Except to him; for him, Sakura had a forced and broken smile
Sasuke involuntarily cringed when he noticed how she only greeted Naruto with a delicate kiss on the cheek. Not that it bothered him. It was only his curiosity. Ever since his return, he had noticed that Sakura and Naruto were rather… close, but he wondered if there was any more meaning to what he saw. Sasuke felt a knot tie in his stomach; there was something about that thought.
"Sasuke?" Sasuke looked up to find that Sakura was standing in front of him now.
"hn?"
"I asked if it's ok to take the stool next to yours" Sakura stated, this time Sasuke looked around to find that everyone had managed to disappear. Sasuke responded with a small "aa" and Sakura carefully took the stool next to him. She ordered herself a round of shots.
Sasuke stole a quick glance at Sakura and then looked back at his drink. He wondered why the knot in his stomach had suddenly turned to butterflies. Sasuke began to play with his glass when he realized that the feeling wasn't going away. He stared thoughtfully at his drink; maybe if he drank it, the funny feeling in his stomach would subside…so he did.
Sakura sat quietly next to him waiting for her drinks to be served and when they where she sighted and downed one of the shots.
"So it's been about a week, right?" Sakura tried to initiate a conversation, "How does it feel… to be off parole?"
Sakura heard Sasuke snerk. It was such a joke really. There was no theoretical difference. He was still not allowed to assist in any high ranking missions and his every action was still being monitored, just not that close.
"Right… stupid question" Sakura quietly scold herself before she frowned and downed another shot, this time burning a little. She sighted and looked around the club. Somewhere in a distant corner she could see Kiba and Shino making quick passes on some cute girls. It came in no surprise to her and she stared at them thoughtfully for a moment before moving on. Choji wasn't far off from Shino and Kiba and he seemed to be doing pretty well with the two girls he had his arms wrapped around of. On some dark corner she was able to spot Neji frantically making out with an all too wanting Tenten.
'Heh' Sakura inwardly snorted. ''We're just friends' she says, that's what I call friends with benefits…' she mused to herself before she turned her attention to the dance floor where she quickly spotted Ino and Shikamaru dancing dangerously close to each other.
"Stupid Ino." Sakura whispered under her breath.
"Come again?" Sakura had unintentionally gotten Sasuke's attention. She turned to him and looked at what could be his third glass of liquor. She also noticed the rosy-ness of his cheeks, indicating his none existent soberness.
"It was nothing" she finally said and turned her attention back to Ino and Shikamaru. Actually it wasn't just nothing. She knew exactly what was going on and she knew exactly what Ino was whispering into Shikamaru's ear at that exact moment and also why he was suddenly dragging her out the doors with that lustful look on his face…
'It's going to be one of those nights again…' Sakura thought to herself but it was nothing she opposed or approved of in particular. She was simply worried. Ino had confessed to her that her relationship with Shikamaru was undefined and complex. It was not that there was any love between them or anything of the sort, but there was definitely attraction. She told her that the first time she'd had sex with Shikamaru, had just sort of… happened. Ino also confessed to her that after that time neither one of them touched the subject. She also told her of how it had been awkward between them for a few days but soon they were finding each other in front of their door steps and they would do it over again and again until it became a pattern they couldn't break.
Sakura flustered up thinking of how she knew that Ino and Shikamaru where probably somewhere having sex at that very moment. She tried to clear her throat in an attempt to distract herself but soon found herself just downing another drink.
Sasuke sat silently next to Sakura and peeked every so often at the flustered girl. He was on his third glass of liquor and the tingly sensation in his stomach only seemed to grow stronger. He needed another distraction. He looked around hopeful to find anything that would help, but the only thing he found was Naruto and Gaara who seemed to be openly flirting with Hinata who was unfortunately trapped between them. He emitted a small growl and turned his attention back to his drink. What the hell was wrong with him?
Sakura stole another quick glance at Sasuke, but now, she was more aware of him and she questioned the reason why she had chosen the stool next to his in the first place. She felt uncomfortable but she knew it was not in a wrong way and there was something about that; it was making her think too much and feel… well, rather strange. She wondered if it was the alcohol or the atmosphere that was making it harder for her to breathe. She took in a long breath and exhaled it slowly.
"Ne, Sasuke-kun?" she suddenly found herself asking. Sasuke turned to face her not sure why she had called him out.
"May I ask you something? I mean, it's a bit embarrassing and personal, but I've been curious about it for a long time." Sakura said and wondered why she had dared herself to ask him anything at all. Sasuke stared at her deep in thought. What on earth could she want to ask him? He watched her as she turned her attention to her drink and noticed how the rosy-ness of her cheeks was turning a deeper shade of pink.
Sakura waited for him to say anything, but when he didn't she took it as approval and got herself ready to ask him what she wanted.
"Are you still virgin?" Sakura froze when she realized what she had asked and convinced herself that it was only the alcohol talking, but that didn't change the fact that she was embarrassed. Meanwhile, Sasuke stared at her slightly wide eyed. The question had been completely unexpected and had caught him off guard. Exactly what was going through this girl's mind?
Sakura looked worried though. Her head hung low and she fiddled with her glass. Sasuke wondered how much his response would affect her.
"Well, how about you?" Sasuke finally asked, not sure if he was ready to answer her question just yet. "Are you still a virgin?"
Sakura quickly turned to face him. Her eyebrows were closely knit together. Why was he asking her now? Sasuke took a long gulp from his drink and now regretted asking her anything, because now, he wondered why he had asked that and why he felt afraid to know her answer. Sakura turned to her drink when she felt a tight knot in her gut.
"Ne, that's not fair, Sasuke-kun…you need to answer my question first…" Sakura told him calmly and turned to face him again.
Sasuke managed to make eye contact with her because he knew it had always been hard for him to truly ignore her. Her eyes that stared deeply into his own always begged him for something he couldn't quite understand, and even though he had tried to ignore that uneasy feeling that settled in the bottom of his chest, he found that he wished to know what those pleading eyes meant. Sasuke tried to clear his throat and unclear thoughts that were beginning to take form in his head. He sighted, this had turned weird but it was better to end it soon than to drag it on.
"Do you want the honest truth?" Sasuke found himself asking. Sakura hesitated, not too sure she wanted to know anymore, but she slightly nodded with a 'un'.
"I'm not" Sasuke quickly stated before he finished what was left of the burning liquid in the glass. Sakura's heart sank. Somehow, she felt like she had known that all along, so it didn't surprise her, but hearing it from him hurt her more than she had expected.
"Your turn" Sasuke said. Sakura hesitated for a minute. 'right.' she thought. She stared at her drink thoughtfully before she chugged it down. Maybe she would pass out before she had to answer him. Unfortunately she was still unaffected by the substance and still very aware of her surroundings
'Shit…' she cursed in her head.
"Well?" Sasuke inquired. He almost couldn't believe that he was pushing on the subject and mentally kicked himself for doing so.
Sakura lightly glared at the empty cup she was holding and slowly shook her head 'no'… and with a twist of her gut Sakura wondered why she suddenly felt like she had betrayed the only man she had never stopped loving. Sasuke couldn't quite pinpoint what he was feeling, he knew that that burning sensation settling on his chest was not normal but jealousy was not a sentiment he would recognize, or understand for that matter.
"Who was your first?" Sasuke asked. The question had been more out of impulse than interest and when he realized that, it was too late to take it back.
Sakura turned to him rather surprised. Why would Sasuke ask her something like that? But she remembered that they had been drinking for a while now and most likely it was the alcohol taking over his senses. She knew it was definitely influencing her, because she didn't want to answer that question, and yet, her mouth was doing otherwise.
"My first time was with Naruto" she said. "Don't get me wrong, we had been so confused at the time. In the end we both understood that the whole thing had been a huge mistake and we were better off as friends…"
"aa" Sasuke calmly acknowledged, but he was glaring at his drink. He suddenly let out a snort. He wondered why they had kept that from him, but it was all a joke really.
"What's so funny" Sakura giggled wanting to know.
"Nothing" he said, because essentially, he figured; it was all the alcohol's doing.
"Was he the only one?" Sasuke's question turned the atmosphere serious again, but she was not going to hesitate to answer anymore.
"No" she stated "there was my quick romance with Kiba a few years back, the pregnancy scare with Shino and some few locals on some crazy nights…" Sakura confessed.
Sasuke didn't understand why he suddenly felt anger toward the dobe, Kiba, Shino, and any possible male. He was even angry at himself for getting angry at all. The thing was; he didn't even know why it bothered him or why he cared. As far as he was concern, Sakura could be with anyone she wanted and do whatever with whomever she wanted... It shouldn't concern him… and yet, he had a strong urge that it should, and that only confused him further.
"What about you, Sasuke?" Sakura broke him out of his thought.
"There were several who I didn't care for" he simply stated.
"Oh? Was there anything particular about them?" Sakura teased being completely influenced by the alcohol at this point.
Sasuke knew the answer didn't really matter, but he still stopped to think about it. He thought back at all the women he had been with, and now realized something he had failed to notice before. It was hard to remember faces but he clearly recalled flickers of green eyes and different shades of pink hair… and that realization bothered him on its own.
"… No…" he finally said and watched Sakura acknowledged with simple upward tilt of her head.
Sasuke could only blame the alcohol for making Sakura look so alluring at the moment.
"Why do we do it?" Ino asked as she traced soft circles on Shikamaru's bare chest. There was a small pause from his part.
"There is no point in resisting the inevitable" Shikamaru finally stated as he watched the smoke raise from the cigar he held loosely between his lips.
Ino removed the arm that he had carefully wrapped around her shoulders moments before. She gently kissed his chest before she looked up at him.
"The inevitable, you say?" Ino teasingly whispered as she flung her leg over and to the other side of Shikamaru's waist. She was hovering above him now and leaned forward to take the cigar from him and extinguish it on the nearby ash tray. Shikamaru pulled her closer to kiss her, but she pulled away to tease him further. Shikamaru sat more upright to encircle his arms around her waist and trailed butterfly kisses on her flat belly.
"Yeah, the inevitable…" he whispered before he gently pushed her down on the bed to pin her underneath him.
… Really, it was inevitable.
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