Don't be Mad

"Be glad!"

Summary: It would happen eventually. The Uchiha couldn't avoid what was inevitable. But how could it catch up with him all because of a bet with his teammate? Why did it have to involve her? ( a flame-free fanfiction with eventual fluff SxS.)

Disclaimer: No, Naruto does not belong to me, but this story does! :D

A/N: Yeah, I haven't produced anything for years. Because of this, I shouldn't see any flames in my reviews. I don't want to have to use the fire extinguisher again, got that? -shifts eyes around-

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-1:-Misdirected Rage: The Cause

The sun was delayed in its duty to brighten the sky that day, spending its time fleeing from the massive gray clouds rumbling over to overtake the heavens and assault the villages below with large droplets of rain. Almost anyone who didn't want to get wet returned to the shelter of their homes... that did not include the three teenagers sitting at a stand belonging to a small, but famous, ramen shop.

"Hey, Sakura?" the blond with ocean-blue eyes leaned into the counter, tilting his head towards his companion on the left. Concern was written in bold by the way his expression had softened, and his frowning as Naruto studied Sakura.

However, even at the sound of her name, Sakura's eyes remained glazed over, indicating that she was had become unaware of the fact that he was still sitting next to her. The pink-haired ninja stared down at her untouched noodles, the plumpness of her lips paling as she bit her bottom lip; her green eyes forlorn. It broke the fox's heart to see ramen like that, sitting there wastin-- Uh- Sakura in so much pain... And it was all because of a certain prodigy sitting on opposite side; the one person occupying the cherry blossom's thoughts. The young Uchiha's black eyes pierced through the void of air in front of him, like there was someone standing behind that counter, someone he harbored a deep loathing for.

Sasuke was completely apathetic of what was going on -as he always was- and could care less, of how the words he had exchanged with Sakura only a few minutes ago were weighing on the girl's mind, though his agitation of the subject that was gained during the argument, was still present.

Flashback on the argument:

"...Sasuke?" Sakura's voice was hesitant.

"What?" responded Sasuke unwillingly with an edge to his tone.

"... Can I ... ask you something?"

"You just did."

"Eh- yeah... but can I ask you an actual question?"

"...Hn..."

"Sasuke."

"Whatever. Go ahead."

"Right..."

"..."

"..."

"What's the question?" Sasuke urged coldly, the level of his annoyance rising.

"What's so great about revenge?" Sakura made the risk hastily, a crimson hue beginning to spread through her cheeks at her mistake in her use of words.

What Sakura said took Sasuke by surprise. That was something he never predicted would pass from her lips, and he sat stunned for awhile before he reacted to the her inquiry. When Sasuke ceased gaping at the back of his own hand, the boy's jaw tensed, and those ink-colored eyes narrowed. He had been prepared for her to ask him something along the lines of, "Would you go out with me?" and he would have so easily replied, "No." But that's not what she said, was it?

No. She just had to ask him that, and the question proved to be worse than what he had planned for. She could have even asked what he thought about Naruto getting a sex change and he would have been better off, and yeah, he meant it. Even that would have been better to hear...but now it was too late.

"There's nothing 'great,' about revenge," he managed to say lowly, as the tension poisoned the atmosphere. Naruto's presence began to be missed by the avenger inwardly. That loud-mouth Hokage-in-training would surely have interrupted the conversation from where it was leading to. He would also have successfully shattered this developing suspense. Sakura would probably have not even brought it up if he hadn't left to "take care of something." Since when was he ever late to eat ramen?

"Of course not. I- you know what I mean!" Sakura pressed determinedly in spite of the lump in her throat, threatening to block in what she had to say. The medic nin was set on making Sasuke see that he couldn't go on obsessing over revenge, or at least so she could get a grasp of what he endured. Then maybe, she could find some way of helping the one she held admiration for.

"So what?" Sasuke's anger began to leak through. Couldn't she understand the warning in his expression; in his body language? Could she realize how she was teetering over the invisible line that was separating her from what he wanted to keep locked up, out of the reach of others? And that included herself.

"What do you know?"

"Apparently not a lot, because I still don't understand why you would-" "Shut up."

"What makes you think I'd tell you?" Sasuke closed his eyes as they quivered with traces of the Sharigan. Sakura froze as he gridded out his own inquiry. Sasuke had no doubts that his teammate didn't have an answer for that. And as he had guessed, Sakura grew silent, gawking at him. Typical.

"Even if I tried, you wouldn't get it, and I don't need you spreading it around to the rest of the village and think how great it is that I shared my sad childhood memoirs with you. And don't dare think you can help me."

Sasuke said this all with bitterness, his hate rumbling through his speech"... Don't think you can play the role of a fucking saint when you don't even understand."

Tears dampened and stung at Sakura's eyes, keeping her mouth shut as Sasuke got up stiffly to make his leave, no longer caring to wait for Naruto to show up, until...

"Hey guys! How's it going?" the blond hollered, grinning as he made his way over and he plopped himself down on an empty stool. Naruto was stubbornly ignorant of what had transpired between his two friends as he blabbered on. "Where you going Sasuke? Come back here and sit down! ...Geez, I'm starving..." Sasuke hesitated, and uncharacteristically obeyed and sat back down while Sakura fought back salty tears and Naruto made his order. Afterwards, he began to gush on over an 'interesting' topic about how he had bumped into Hinata on his way back to meet them.

End of Flashback.

The silence then used the two's lack in response to blanket over them. The scent of rain traveled in the breeze that ruffled strands of Sakura's soft-looking hair and they brushed against her face... The more Sakura mulled over what he had said, the more pain she felt tug at the frays of her heart. Did Sasuke really still think of her as the girl that had obsessed over him when they first met? She had thought she had finally started to mature from that... but maybe everyone still thought of her as-... a ditz that drooled over any eye candy that passed her by. Silently, her hands curled into fists in her lap, the dam was close to cracking as everything blurred.

But while Sakura struggled with the conflicts now battling in her train of thought, Naruto was thinking of a solution to her problem, including Sasuke's. You really thought he wouldn't notice that something was up? Pfft, shows how much you know. As Naruto inhaled another bowl of steamy, ramen goodness, he was plotting. He knew he needed to find some way to get Sasuke to respect Sakura a little more, and see her as he saw her. But how would he do that? Naruto thoughts strayed to the many good qualities that Sakura had, ones that he knew Sasuke was blind to take into account. But how would he get Sasuke to be kinder to Sakura? There was no way he could convince him... Ah.

That was it! The corners of Naruto's mouth twitched into a devilish grin, undetected by Sakura or Sasuke.

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-and Review!

Teh Writer: Yeah, so we already have an idea of what Naruto's going to do when he's alone with Sasuke. o,-- Riight?

Sasuke: -glaring- You make it sound like he's going to-- mph!

Teh Writer: - has duct-taped Sasuke's mouth together- We've already said one unpleasant word in my story, we don't need another... At least, not in the first chapter. Yep, that's right readers; prepare yourselves for more of Sasuke's sunny disposition when chapter two comes around! Oh, and that means I need a few censors...

Sakura: Yeah, so don't forget to review!