.:chapter 2:.
Tenten was mad again, Neji knew. He knew it was his fault too, he just didn't understand why. He softly massaged the cheek she had struck harshly just seconds before. He watched as she scoot herself further away from him on the booth and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Tenten…" Neji tried to reason with her, but she only 'hmpt' and looked away. That struck a nerve.
"For get this" he suddenly hissed getting up from the booth to walk away. It was not the first time she had done that to him. All the other times he had put up with it, but not any more. He'd had enough.
"Wait!" Tenten called out to him alarmed. "Don't go." She pleaded.
"dammit Tenten! I just don't get you. You're the one that does this to me, but when I want to, you always back out. I don't want to do this anymore." Neji spat, "In the end we're only friends, Right? So it really doesn't matter" he added coldly
"… see ya around Tenten." Neji said after a small thought. Tenten couldn't say anything back and just watched him make his way out of the club.
He was right though. They were only friends and she'd had no right to be mad at him because she had been the one who had started it. She knew it was only natural for him to want to do those kinds of things with her if she taunted him. It wasn't that she didn't want to though. She was just afraid to get hurt, because she was in love with him and didn't want things became awkward between them. She was afraid to lose him but it was too late now because she had screwed up.
-
Neji regretted ever dropping his guard to fall in love. It was complicated and tiresome. Not to mention that the woman he was in love with only loved to teas him. He felt pathetic. Their whole relationship was probably a joke to her, saying how they were only friends even thought they did things that normal friends wouldn't do. Neji punched the pillar he was passing, but not hard enough to break it, and then exited the club.
-
Sasuke and Sakura hadn't said a word to each other for a while now. The atmosphere had become awkward and somewhat uncomfortable. Sasuke glanced Sakura's way and regretted it soon after… there was something wrong with him. He was suddenly feeling hotter and he felt shortened of breath. Just looking at Sakura was triggering this desire to touch her and it irked him to not know why.
Sasuke was more than grateful when Naruto arrived to take Sakura to the dance floor. He needed to be away from her before he did anything stupid, but at the same time he was irritated. He was irritated at the way Sakura smiled at the dobe as he offered his hand. He was irritated at how Naruto could be so free and open with Sakura especially after all they had done in the past. He was irritated that he care and he was irritated because he didn't know why he cared.
Sasuke turned around on his stool to face the dance floor. Almost instinctively, his eyes sought out Sakura and couldn't help but glare at the scene in front of him. Naruto was dancing too close to her.
"Bastard" Sasuke hissed but soon stopped him self.
Why exactly was he angry? Sasuke turned to face the bar again and stared at his half empty cup of liquor. This burning substance was definitely to blame. It was playing funny games with his mind and body. Sasuke decided he didn't like it but still downed it after he stared at it some more.
Some moments later Sakura returned announcing that she was tired and felt like going home. It had only been an impulse when Sasuke reached out to her but he had realized too late to stop himself and pull his hand back. Sakura stopped to stare at him after she felt the small tug at her hand. She was burly managing to stand up straight.
"What is it?" she asked him as she swayed back and forth, her drunkenness clearly taking over. Sasuke thought for a minute wondering what had made him reach out for her in the first plaice, but he didn't quite know. He had to come up with something…
"I'll walk you home" he finally offered getting up from his stool. Sakura simply agreed with a small nod and they soon made their way out of the club.
-
Neji had been a fair distance from the club when the sound of running steps reached his ears. He waited until they reached him. He expected them to pass him but instead he felt as someone griped him from behind.
"Neji, I'm sorry!" Neji recognized Tenten voice and felt as she wrapped her arms around him. Neji stood still trying to figure out what was happening exactly. When the opportunity arrived, he managed to break the hold she had on him and turned around to face her.
"What are you doing Tenten?" he interrogated, griping a little tightly at her wrist. "Go home. I'm tired already I don't want to play these games with you anymore." He commanded before he threw her arms back at her. She looked at him a bit shocked before she fell defeated to the floor. He turned around to walk away.
"No" she said. As much as it pained him to ignore her, he left her there weeping, because it hurt a lot more to be toyed by the woman he loved.
-
Sasuke awoke the next morning with what felt like a headache. The kind of headache he had never experienced before. It took him a moment to orientate himself before he recognized his own living room. He shivered as the cold morning settled on his bare skin. He hadn't really made much of his semi-naked stated or the fact that he had slept on his living room couch for the first time in his life, until he heard a loud yelp emitted from his room. Suddenly the sinking feeling that something was wrong overcame him.
-
Sasuke made a dead sprint to his room. He flung his door open and stood in his door way ready with kunai in hand. He was shocked to find a very naked Sakura sitting on his bed. He blinked for a few seconds hoping that the scene in front of him wasn't real. Sasuke tried to scan the room. There was a mess everywhere. Objects where tipped over, several frames where crooked and clothes were scattered everywhere. It almost looked like a battle scene. Sasuke's gaze fell on Sakura again. She clutched at the bed sheets tightly with a concern stare directed at him.
Sasuke looked away scanning the room once more and began to put all the pieces together. Things weren't looking too good.
"Shit" he hissed. This couldn't be happening…
"Do you think we…?" Sakura trailed off, not really sure she wanted to finish that question.
Sasuke clutched at his pounding head. He couldn't remember.
"I'm not sure" he finally said.
Sakura couldn't remember anything either, but telling him that wasn't going to help them in any way. Sakura brought the bed sheets closer to herself, getting Sasuke's attention unintentionally. He noted several of the bruises marked on her exposed skin. The bluish reddish pigmentation of those marks made an evident contras to her pale skin, they almost looked painful. There were several nasty looking ones down her neck. Her wrist and arms were slightly bruised as well. He wondered if her legs were just as bruised. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew that he was most likely responsible for all those vicious marks that covered her body.
Sakura sat there and said nothing. She was very aware of Sasuke's gaze on her and was becoming more self conscious as the seconds passed. She stole a quick glance at Sasuke, paying good attention to his well build body. There was scarcely any mark on him, except for a small scar on the upper left part of his chest.
'So, he's not so perfect after all' she thought to her self but knit her eyebrow together when an unsettle feeling of deja vu overcame her, triggering a short memory.
She recalled being under Sasuke who was hovering over her, shirtless. He appeared to be panting in small huffs of shortened breath and looking rather heated. She had been panting herself but the small scar she spotted on the upper left part of his chest had caught her attention. She remembered she had whispered something similar to that as she traced that small scar with her thin finger before he attacked her neck which she accepted so willingly …and then, nothing.
She buried her face in her hands to hide her deep blush, because now she knew something had really happened. At the same time, she let out a long sight of frustration because she still could remember just how far they had gotten. Her body was aching all over and she had already noticed her bruised wrist, but none of those symptoms could reassure her of anything. It could mean anything at the moment.
"Why don't you change … then we'll try to sort this out …" Sasuke suggested getting her attention.
Sakura shook her head lightly in agreement and watched Sasuke as he exited the room not failing to notice the considerable scratch marks on his back … what exactly had happened between them?
-
Sasuke entered his bathroom quickly turning the faucet so he could splash his face with water. It was irritating not being able to remember anything but one thing was certain; he was almost sure they'd had sex last night… the question now was: how had they come to that?
-
Hinata was so grateful that stealth was her specialty. It was nearly sunrise and if her father found out she had been out all night she would have hell to pay. She took small quick steps across the corridor that led to her room. Making sure to make no noise, she reached and slid open the door. She was in the clear.
"Hinata?" she heard a voice say and felt her blood run cold
"Did you just get back?" Hinata let out a sight of relief. It was only Neji.
"shhh" she made a small gesture with her finger then motioned him to get closer and yanked him by his collar.
"Do you want to get me in trouble!?" she silently screamed. Neji flinched a little. He was still not used to this new side of Hinata. She'd had a great confidence booster in the resent years that it was almost scary. He sometimes wondered what had happened to that innocent and timid Hinata. Of course she still acted innocent in front of his uncle and the council of elders but behind their backs she had become such a sadist. She no longer had restrains.
"Hinata-sama, it would be troublesome if you are ever caught sneaking back in to the house like this. I would advice you to seas such activity in the future."
Hinata sighted and loosened her grip on him. "Shut up Neji-nii… there is nobody around you don't have to act so formal around me. Besides I just won't get caught." She said and smiled as she made her way to sit on her bed.
Neji wasn't sure when they had become so close where she would trust him enough that she could be her new self in front of him, but somewhere deep inside him that made him happy.
"So where were you this whole time?" he finally asked.
Hinata froze in panic again.
-
"Shikamaru? I'm leaving now." Ino announced as she put on the last garment of her clothing. She only herd a sleepy grunt emitted from the sleepy ninja but took it as reply before she exited the apartment door.
Shikamaru peeked open an eye to make sure she was gone before he allowed a small smile appear on his face. Mornings after sex with Ino were his favorite. He loved to pretend to sleep and watch her change as she hummed small tunes. He swore her beauty was just radiant at those moments… but it always ended too quickly he frowned at that thought.
He slowly sat up in bed and emitted a long sight… Just how long would they be able to do this? What exactly was their relationship? Shikamaru let out a frustrated grunt. He wasn't too sure how happy he was with the situation but it was too early to think about such a complicated topic, too. So he slid back under the covers to fall a sleep again.
-
"Gaara… if you are not serious about Hinata-chan you shouldn't tease her."
"... I -"
Naruto let out a long sight as he tossed and turned in his bed. That scene playing in his head hadn't let him sleep the entire night. He wondered what had made him say that to Gaara. What had he been thinking? But what troubled him more was Gaara's response…
a/n: ohoho, I like where this is going… don't you?
Well I hope you liked it. Review so I can update sooner
Ruru-chan out!
re-edited Oct 2009