R&R
Roomies
Disclaimer: Naruto is not ours, until we're rich enough to buy the rights. Which will probably never happen...
The Realist: Wow! I sure wasn't expecting so much feedback for this story. Still thank you very much! I appreciated every single one. The fourth roommate was based on votes, and you'll find out who it was on this chapter. But fear not! You will see every character you mentioned at one point or another. Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)
Chapter Two
Had someone told Sasuke Uchiha more than three years ago that he would be dating Ino Yamanaka, he would have laughed in their face.
Had they told him that he would be dating her for more than three years, he would have called them downright delusional and to stop wasting his time.
No offense to the blonde. After all, it was no secret to him that she was smart, athletic, popular, and every guy had fantasied about her at least once in their lives. He also happened to have a weakness for long hair and blue eyes.
However, more than three years ago he had no intention of asking any girl to be his girlfriend. While there were plenty of smart and beautiful women around, it was their mentality that turned him off to the idea of being with any of them. It seemed to him that they thought that he would take notice of who yelled the loudest, or stared the longest, or downright stalked him the most.
He had no intention of being with any of those kind of girls.
He had thought that Ino was no different, given the way she liked to jump on his back whenever given the chance.
It wasn't until after they begun dating that he realized he never actually minded when she did.
After all, Ino… she was something else entirely.
Every time he thought back to that moment, he couldn't help but smirk and shake his head in disbelief.
To think, that he would so easily fall for her trap…
"Hey Sasuke-kun… how's your brother?" she had asked.
They were in one of the classrooms designated for the student council to meet in. As president and vice president for the student body, the two were the last ones left after their scheduled meetings, and it wasn't unusual that the two discussed matters as they finished up.
At the question however, he eyed her warily, wondering why she was asking about his brother of all people. Still, he merely shrugged and put it off as a harmless question.
How wrong he had been...
"He's fine, succeeding as usual," he replied, not trying to hide his disdain at the comment.
He saw as Ino seemed to contemplate the response, and tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"So… since he's a prodigy and all… it must be tough living in his shadow huh?" She asked, and this time he scoffed, not bothering to reply.
"Well I mean… he did graduate college when he was only 15, and already he's making a name for himself. Doesn't that mean he's done everything before you, and that you'll probably never match him in anything?"
At this, Sasuke tensed and threw her a heated glare.
"Your point, Yamanaka?" he hissed, his fist clenching at his side.
Ino did not seemed intimidated by his glare, instead she shrugged nonchalantly. Then she grinned and approached the desk where he was still putting away the materials he had used during the meetings. His glare did not subside as she placed a hand on the desk and leaned forward towards him.
"I'm just saying… he seems so awfully busy… he must have never had a girlfriend before. So hypothetically speaking, if you were to get a girlfriend, you would have done something before him for once."
Before he could reply however, Ino was already walking away.
"But hey, who has time for girls right? Especially when you're trying to catch up to your brother. See you tomorrow Sasuke-kun!" with a wink in his direction, Ino turned and left the room.
To think… that not only had she given him a reason to get a girlfriend, she had used the one thing that could motivate him like nothing else could. Who had thought that Ino Yamanaka could be such a conniving and manipulative vixen?
If anything, she had definitely earned his respect and admiration that day.
He resisted of course… and tried not to let her words mean anything to him. Nothing good came from having a girlfriend anyway, and maybe that's the reason his brother had never had one in the first place.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the thought out of his head. A way to do something his brother hadn't… as insignificant as it would be, having a girlfriend would still give him something to brag about to his brother and his stupid unending list of accomplishments.
So a couple of weeks later, he approached the only girl that he was willing to give it a shot with. And it was just a shot. Truth be told, he wasn't sure he could even make it through one date with anyone.
"Well, that certainly took you long enough," she grinned and placed her hand on her hip.
He must be insane to actually be doing this…
"I just have one condition," she asked, holding up her pointer finger to emphasize her point.
He frowned.
"What?"
"If you so much as smile, than you take me on a second date. And if you smile on that one too, then you take me on a third date. And that continues, until you ask me to be your girlfriend," she smiled sweetly at him, her body language exuding the confidence of a girl that always got what she wanted.
He blinked at her, wondering why he suddenly felt as if he was walking into a spider's web.
Still, he had already talked himself into doing this.
And he did have a weakness for long hair and blue eyes…
And three years later, here they were. Plane tickets purchased, and an eagerness in his stomach at the thought of seeing her soon.
Yep. Had anyone told him he'd be excited to see Ino Yamanaka, he would have turned and walked the other way.
"You need to tell him, before he gets here," Ino frowned as she looked at Gaara and picked up the dishes and took them to the sink.
"I can't! What if he gets mad and decides not to come? At least if he's here, he can see that he has nothing to worry about…" Even to her, she knew that was a weak excuse, and a hope more than anything.
Out of the corner of the eye she noticed a slight movement, and in the blink of an eye she was next to Deidara, her hand on the collar of his shirt as he tried to dash away.
"Not so fast mister, it's your turn to do the dishes," she threw him a pointed look, and he glared irritatingly at the blonde girl.
"I think that the girl who is basically signing our death certificate should at least do the dishes…" he replied as he crossed his arms in front of him.
"H-hey!" he cried as Ino began to drag him to the sink by the collar.
"I don't think so. Dishes. Now."
Deidara glared at her once more before grumbling something under his breath and rolling up his sleeves and turning on the water.
"And besides… Sasuke isn't the jealous type…" she said as she turned back to the boys at the table.
"Ino… every guy is the jealous type. Whether he shows it or not is a different issue," Shikamaru said, his cheek resting against his knuckles as he regarded her lazily.
Ino glared at Shikamaru, suddenly having the urge to hit him or throw something at him. Why did he have to be so damn smart? It meant she couldn't just dismiss anything he said as wrong, because Shikamaru was always right.
"Let me make my mistakes Shikamaru!" she pouted as she sat down, clearly defeated but not willing to admit where she had gone wrong, or doing what they suggested. She rather see Sasuke and suffer the consequences, than risk the chance of him cancelling his visit and moping around for the rest of the week. Besides, she had a better chance of making things up to him if he was here, rather than hundreds of miles away.
Ino grinned. The more she thought about it, the more her choice made sense. Things would be fine… she just knew they would be. After all, she and Sasuke had been through worse, this would be a piece of cake.
There was a rustling of keys at the door, and the sound of it opening let them know the only other person with a key to the house was home. The owner of the home, in fact.
"Welcome home Neji! You missed breakfast," Ino called out from the dining room.
The long haired man soon came around the corner and walked into the dining area, regarding its occupants with a neutral gaze. Sometimes he wondered how on earth he had managed to end up with such an odd mix of roommates.
"Good morning. Sorry I missed breakfast, I had some things to take care of," he greeted as he walked to one of the cabinets and pulled out a glass, then walking to the sink and filling it with the water as Deidara threw a glare at his interruption in the art of washing dishes.
"Did Lee challenge you to another inhuman feat?" Ino asked, knowing the only time that Neji would be out in ungodlike hours of the morning was when Lee came barging in demanding a challenge from the pale-eyed man. It was a wonder he hadn't woken the entire house….
"Something like that…" he replied.
"Oh! Neji you're going to love the wonderful news that Ino has, un," Deidara called out as he momentarily turned away from the dishes.
Neji turned to Ino, looking at her questionably, especially when she was suddenly fidgeting.
"What's that?" he asked.
"Uh… well… Sasuke's… coming to visit… next weekend," she answered, twirling her fingers in a fashion that reminded him of a certain cousin of his.
At her reply however, his eyes narrowed.
"Fun…" he replied, the sarcasm evident despite the tightness of his voice.
Ino grimaced at this, having forgotten that the two boys hated each other's guts… Family rivalries and all that… among other things she had also forgotten about.
"And the best part, that's really a BANG! She didn't tell him she's rooming with four guys, so we're probably going to die!" Deidara added, sending an accusatory glare in Ino's direction.
"You're not going to die! Nothing's going to happen!" Ino replied as she glared back at Deidara.
"Ino…" Neji began, and Ino turned nervously to him, not liking the tone of his voice.
"Y-yes, Neji?" she asked cautiously.
"I want absolutely no problems in this house during his stay," he replied, a clear warning in his eyes.
Ino gulped, knowing that if she didn't comply, she could very well end up having to search for a new place to stay. And quite frankly, she really liked this house, and her roommates.
"Oh Neji-kun, you need to lighten up… it's just a small visit."
Neji didn't look convinced, but before anyone could say anything, a loud BANG resounded through the house as the front door was slammed open.
"DEIDARA-SEMPAI!" at the unmistakably loud pitch, Deidara's face paled, and the dish in his hand crashed into the soapy water filled sink. His task was soon forgotten as he tried to make a break for it.
"There you are!" Deidara froze in mid-sprint as a dark-haired man rounded the corner and into the dining room.
"What the hell do you want Tobi, un!"
Tobi, as usual, wore the mask that was trademark of him, the mask that no one dared ask about and just accepted as part of the strange guy.
"Tobi is bored! And no one at the house wants to do something fun!"
Deidara glared at the man who acted like a boy and grated on his nerves.
"Dammit Tobi! I moved out to get away from you! Go bother Sasori or Zetsu!" Deidara yelled, a vein throbbing on his forehead.
"BUT DEIDARA-SEMPAI! I like you the best! Sasori has those creepy puppets, and Zetsu is always threatening to eeeat me!"
"I don't care! Go find some new friends or something!"
Everyone sweat dropped at the two, and Shikamaru and Gaara decided it was time to leave the room before things started flying. Neji wasn't far behind, wanting nothing more than to kick them out, but knowing it would be rude to do so. Damn his manners sometimes…
"Hey Tobi! Do you want some ice cream?" Ino asked from her seat, trying to get the attention from the strange guy away from the furious Deidara who looked ready to blow.
"Ino-chan you're the best! Hey Deidara-sempai, did you know you and Ino look like twins? I mean, you guys even have your hair styled the same. Do you think in another life, you two were related? OOOH! WHAT IF YOU WERE NINJA? How cool would that be? WHAT IF I WAS A NINJA TOO? Oh I bet I was this super evil bad guy, who tried bring peace in a diabolical way, because I had this tragic back story where I lost the love of my life because of my best friend, and this old guy took me in to fulfill his last dying wish!"
Lost in his thoughts, Tobi hadn't noticed as Deidara quietly slipped away, until he heard the door in the kitchen slam shut.
"Oooh, are we playing hide and seek tag? GOOD IDEA SEMPAI!"
Ino shook her head as she watched Tobi dash after the blonde, only to sigh when she noticed the dishes weren't done yet.
"GAARA!" She called out.
No way was she doing dishes today.
She had too much too think about.
She was further reminded when her phone vibrated on the table.
'I do love you. That's why I'm visiting.'
And it was texts like these that told her she had nothing to worry about.
The Realist: So there you have it! Some insight on Sasuke and Ino's relationship(cause I like depth). Neji as the fourth roommate by popular demand, and some funny moments with Annoying Tobi(cause we all love Annoying Tobi). I might do another chapter of just the roommates, to kinda give you guys a feeling of their chemistry(now that Neji's in the picture), and then have Sasuke join the party. I'm trying to keep everyone in character, so let me know how you like this!
Now, I'm turning you over to my best friend, who will kindly reply to all your wonderful reviews, as I study my ass off for my Anatomy and Physiology test tomorrow.
The Dreamer: Dreamer here, reporting for duty! Bet you guys were wondering when i'd make an appearance! Oh...you had no idea who I was...you thought nothing behind the username. Well this is quite embarrassing...
Moving on to review replying time ^_^
First off thanks to all who replied! Super thanks to all who suggested a fourth roomie. The Realist really appreciates the feed back!
As you all know by now the winner of fourth roomie is Neji! Sad-face to those of us who wanted Lee or Itachi! Though I was promised they'd make appearances.
Guest: Don't you worry, their will defiantly be fireworks;)
Mau: You guessed it! Gaara and Ino are definitely going to be super close! I'm excited myself about this Gaara's one of my favorites and I always felt he deserved some what of a sibling. Yay dreams do come true!
Nerdcuteie21yo: Oh man the Feels! Kiba and his pup surely are left out a bit much. Insert the truest of sadfaces here.
Guest: *Gasp* Another Kiba lover! I am now on a one woman mission to get him in this story ;)
Deathrosekitty: First off...your username=epic. Second we loves us some Ino to! And how could such a beauty run around a hose full of hunks without one lusting after her!
Moonakes: Sasuke all around is sexy For ya know a cartoon...excuse me while i go cry because my true love isn't real D,:
Fairyshippuden16: SASUINO FOR LIFE MY BUDDIE!
Anna Maria Masen: Its a wonderful thing The Realist speaks Spanish or i'd be so lost on what you said. But i am forever going to use "jajaja" instead of "hahaha". Thats just classic!
jenny eun-chan: We have plans for Kakashi:]
VeeA: The feels right dude? But hey all good things come to those who wait. Even though waiting is such pain!
Gaara'sbutterfly: Dont worry! Gaara is going to play a huge role in this story! Also thanks for throwing out an idea! Ideas are very much appreciated!
Shesss: We LOVE you! lol Thanks for the reply!
Yo: I think we're all a little jelly of Ino right now :(
Phew! Im done! SO lovely replying to you all! If you have any question, suggestions, or just something nice to say please let us know!
Dreamer out!
Reviews and feedback are loved :)