A/N: Thanks to everyone who read Chapter 1.
Just to clarify things—there probably won't actually be 24 chapters…I'm betting there'll be closer to 6-10 chapters. It's just that 24 Colors has a nice ring to it. The title 6 Colors , for example, sounds so weird.
Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine; this will not be used to profit off the Naruto licensing in anyway.
Sighing, I paced back and forth on the walkway that bordered the cherry blossom orchard. I had woken up dreadfully early after going to bed at 9 last night due to the sketchbook incident. Mr. Whiskers still looked at me cautiously.
Tired of walking around aimlessly, I decided to go to the clubroom. Naruto did say it was open early.
It's only 7… I thought as I walked through the creepy hallways of the old school building. I wonder if anyone's here yet.
Eager to get out of the dark, creaky hallway and into the bright art room, I walked briskly through the doorway. The room seemed to be empty, though there was a half-finished painting on the floor that wasn't there yesterday.
Curious, I stepped closer to the painting. In my haste, I'd forgotten to turn on the lights.
About three yards away from the canvas, my foot became entangled on something. In the blink of an eye, I was midair—and falling fast. Panicking, I reached out to grab something, but it was too late. "Ahhh!"
Thud.
Eh? I'd fallen on something. Something soft and warm, like a human body. That couldn't be right; I hadn't seen anyone standing around when I first peeked into the clubroom. It must've been one of Naruto's sculptures, though I didn't think sculptures could be so soft. I looked down inquisitively, right into a set of sleepy onyx eyes.
No way. Sasuke?
"Oh." He sat up sleepily, rubbing his elbow. "It's only you."
I opened my mouth to apologize for my rather sudden intrusion, but he moved fast. With a yank, he pulled me onto him. He smirked, daring me to move.
What? "No!" I pulled backwards, prepared to leap away.
A chuckle escaped from his mouth, followed by full-blown laughter. His laugh was beautiful, like melted velvet. I briefly wondered why he didn't do it more often.
"I was just joking," He chuckled. "What are you getting all worked up for, hmm…Sakura?"
I involuntarily shivered, then blushed. He'd said my name so…sensually. Was he making fun of me? We gazed at each other intently. This was, what, our fourth time staring into each other's eyes? Somehow, the act felt more violating that him forcefully grabbing me.
"Ah." He broke our contact. "Crap…on your chest…"
I looked down. There, on the side of my hoodie, was a large blossoming crimson stain. It looked ominously like blood.
"Your shirt got smeared when it touched my shirt. Shit—it was acrylic paint. It won't go away, even if you wash it. Dammit."
"Ah, it's okay! It's not..."
"But-"
"I don't mind. This isn't one of my favorite shirts, anyways." I stood up. I had to go outside to get some fresh air; my head was dizzy with the heavy smell of paint and thoughts about Sasuke.
Sasuke grabbed my hand, forcing me to stop. "Just sit down, Sakura!"
The frustration in his voice convinced me to stay (along with his warm hand on mine), and I gingerly sat on a wooden stool. "Um, Sasuke, what…"
"I'll draw something on top of it."
"Draw?"
He nodded, grabbing a tube of red paint and a large brush. "Whenever I get paint of my important clothes—which happens a lot—I draw some sort of pattern on top with acrylic paint."
He sat across from me, so close I could see his long eyelashes. "Pull your hair out of the way…and don't move."
I held my hair back, hoping he didn't notice my trembling hands. Sasuke leaned in even closer. Without warning, he squeezed some paint onto his brush and delicately began painting over the crimson stain. I could feel his breathing against my neck.
My cheeks felt like they were reddening once again; they probably were. I always seemed to blush around him.
After a few tantalizing moments—maybe seconds, minutes, or even hours—Sasuke pulled back.
"There." He pointed at the crimson rose that now covered the right side of my hoodie. "That's the image I have of you—because as soon as our eyes meet, you turn red."
My eyes widened, and another telltale blush rippled across my cheeks as he looked directly at me.
-oOoOo-
"—kura! Sakura…SAKURA!"
I gasped, jerking back to reality. A bemused Hinata stood over me.
"Geez, what's gotten into you? You've been spacing out constantly since this morning!" She placed a palm across my forehead. "Are you sure you're okay? Come to think of it, you've been wearing that hoodie all day, even though it's gotten warm."
"Um…"
Hinata glanced at my hoodie. "Where'd you get that from, anyways? I've never seen you wear that before. Red suits you!"
Sasuke's words echoed through my mind. 'That's the image I have of you—because as soon as our eyes meet, you turn red.'
I blushed again, making Hinata frown. "Sakura, I think you have a fever…"
"N—" My reply was cut off by an energetic shout.
"Sakura-chan! Hinata-chan!" Naruto grinned.
Hinata cheered up. "Naruto-kun! And Sasuke-kun too! What brings you guys here?"
"Well, it's club activity time, so we came to pick you guys up!"
Sasuke scowled and smacked the top of Naruto's head. "Ignore him. Actually, we need your help."
-oOoOo-
Huff. Huff. Huff.
Hinata and I panted in exhaustion as we carried the back end of a huge, burdensome canvas through the school hallways. Even in my fatigued state, I could detect the people around us pointing and staring at us like we had officially gone mad.
"What is…this?" Hinata gasped, sweat running down her face. "It's…so heavy!"
Naruto beamed, easily holding up a corner of the large canvas. "I'm glad, you asked, Hinata-chan! It's the billboard for Konoha High's annual festival! The art club's entrusted with drawing it this year. We have two weeks to finish this amongst the four of us, so let's do our best!"
The four of us… A stab of disappointment shot through my heart. It surprised me to find I was sad that I couldn't work alone with Sasuke. It wasn't like I had a crush on him…
Right?
A/N: Sakura's so oblivious to her feelings, and Sasuke's a born tease. Total OOC (usually it's Sasuke who's oblivious to his feelings and Sakura who's a tease) but oh well, haha.
Sakura always seems to blush...what's something that shows her embarrassment besides a blush?
Please review.
I'll love you forever. And I'll reply.
Over and Out,
~HauntedMoonlight~
