For Better Or Worse
He would not commit murder.
He would not commit murder.
Naruto repeated those words in his head as many times as he possibly could each day before school. It had been four weeks since Sasuke Uchiha had taken his head out of his ass and began to actually socialize. It wouldn't have been any of his business if the bastard wasn't after the girl he'd been in love with since fifth grade.
He lifted his head beneath the running water of his sink and stared into his reflection in the mirror. The only time his hair actually stayed down was when it was wet. It was a pity, no matter how much Kakashi tried to cut it or shape it, it just went back to being spiky.
Of course, no one could have hair as perfect as Sasuke Uchiha. He scowled at the name of his enteral rival. He'd been fighting with raven even before they'd even begun talking! Well, they didn't talk per say. It was mostly an exchanging of witty comments(from Sasuke) and stupid insults(from Naruto) when Sakura wasn't looking.
He grabbed a small hand towel and dragged it through his hair as he exited his bathroom. Down the hall he ran in Kakashi, who was brushing his teeth and strolling up the stairs. The gray-haired barber winked before turning down another hall. Naruto wrinkled his nose at the reasons why the irritating porn-reading man would be winking.
It was answer when he saw Iruka bent of the sink holding onto a butcher knife for dear life. Naruto rolled his eyes, " Again? Why even let him stay here?"
Iruka, who'd been taking care of Naruto since the death of his parents, gave his adopted son a simpering look. " He has no where else to go?"
" He owns FOUR shops, Dad." Naruto snorted, tossing the towel into a hamper by the laundry room door and fell into a chair. " I think he has a place to stay other than your bed."
The brown-haired man sighed heavily, setting a plate of breakfast in front of his son and returning the knife to it's little holder. The man look indecisive for a few seconds. His eyes shifted from the stairs to his eating son and back again.
" I'll be gone in ten, dad."
" I didn't mean it like that!"
Naruto chuckled, forking scrambled eggs into his mouth, " Sure you didn't."
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.
Naruto felt his inner heart scream in happiness at the sight of Sakura sitting alone once again in the courtyard. He slide behind a tree and scouted the area, searching for The Bastard. When there was no sign of him, he jogged over to her and took a seat.
" How's skittles?" He smiled, leaning forward.
Sakura started, then smiled and set down her book. " She's doing fine. Sasuke paid for her visit to the groomer! Isn't that nice?"
Naruto scowled, " Don't let him buy your affection, Sakura-chan."
" He's not!" She laughed, patting his hand, " We split the coffee and lunch, he just felt that after all she'd been through with the cold, he might as well treat her to some spa."
" How kind of him." Naruto muttered sarcastically, knowing full well that Sasuke didn't have a caring bone in that ridiculously scrawny body of his. He watched as she continued gushing about their fabulous date, tuning half of it out as soon as he spotted the brooding man walking from A building to C building.
He sent the bastard, who was now glaring at them, his middle finger beneath the table. Sasuke scoffed and pretended not to see it, then walked right into Gaara. Their books went everywhere and Naruto couldn't help but start laughing.
Sakura blinked and turned, gasping slightly when she saw Sasuke and Gaara both sprawled out on the ground. " Naruto, that's not funny."
" Isn't he regal, girls?" Naruto shouted at the whimpering fangirls that were itching to go help thier prince pick up his books.
Sakura turned her glare to him and he felt his heart sink. She grabbed her book and rushed over to where the fallen Uchiha was now apologizing to a scowling Gaara.
Fucking bastard.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O
Sasuke knew exactly where the rotten apple had come from the moment he'd opened his tennis locker. It sat on top of his books, crawling with worms and smelling like a fish on hot concrete. The people next to him 'Oooed' and 'Ahhed' and 'Uchiha! Got an angry stalker?' 'd him for ten minutes as he decided how to dispose of it.
He tossed it into a trash bin beside the water fountain and stripped off the surgical gloves Sai had so graciously given him. Neji gave him an odd look from his seat beside the dry erase board.
" You look like you're going to boil a kitten in oil."
" Not a kitten. A fox." Sasuke grumbled, spraying air freshener around the vicinty of his locker. Neji watched in mild amusement.
" What's this about again?"
" Trying to ask a girl out. But she has a guard dog."
" Ahhh. Naruto." Neji nodded, " He'd been hounding over her for ten years, mate. Once he finally noticed that girls have boobs and that delicious warm-"
Sasuke gave him a disgusted look, " I thought you were gay."
" I am." Neji smirked, " But how do you think I became gay?"
" By having sex with a girl?" Sasuke ventured hesitantly, watching his best friend lean back in the rolly chair.
" Exactly."
Sasuke shut and locked his locker, grabbing his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. " We don't all have twisted sex lives like you and Gaara." Neji's laughter followed him out into the hall.
With each step he took, Sasuke began devising a plan. An evil, horriable, destructive plan. But if he played his cards right, Sakura would be eating out of his hands and sitting at his family table come Sunday at lunch.
If Naruto wanted to play dirty.
Bring it on.
o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O
Their pranks were getting rather stupid, Naruto thought to himself as he walked at Sakura's side. They were headed to bio lab, she was gossiping about a party Ino was having Friday night. He half listened to her as he thought of the last week.
After leaving a rotten apple in Sasuke's tennis locker, which had been super funny, he hadn't expected Sasuke to even retaliate. But he had.
He'd dyed his beautiful golden dog a hideous shade of green. Even after eleven baths, two groomers and a vet visit, Kyuubi still looked like a spotted grizzly bear. With green chickenpox. He'd called the bastard and shouted at him for a good two hours on the phone. Surprisingly enough, Sasuke had stayed on the line the entire time.
Naruto felt that if Sasuke was gonna take their rivalry home, then he'd get mean too. So Sasuke woke up to his brother screaming like a girl and blaming Sasuke for the pink shade of his hair. In which Sasuke had taken all of Naruto's Icha Icha books and drowned them in the school pool.
That had really hurt.
So Naruto keyed Sasuke's ridiculously expensive black porche. He now drove around with BASTARD on the side of his car, because his father refused to pay for the damages. It was Sasuke's fault he'd wanted to go to a public college.
It was Thursday morning and Naruto was surprised that Sasuke hadn't done anything since. He felt Sakura pinch him.
" Hey, ouch." He rubbed his arm. " What was that for."
" You're not listening." She hissed, " I need you to find Sasuke and ask him if he's going to Ino's party friday night."
" Why me?" Naruto whinned, " Sakura, don't ask the bastard as your date! Take me! We always go to parties together."
Sakura set her hands on her hips, " You never take our dates seriously."
" I'm trying to woo you, baby." Naruto grinned, sliding his arm around her neck. Her blush was so satisfying that he nearly shouted in success. She glanced at him, fingers plucking at the pleats on her knee-length skirt.
" Promise not to be a goofball?" She whispered.
" On my honor." He raised a hand as if to swear an oath. She giggled and he leaned forward, kissing her cheek. " It's a date! See you friday, Sakura-chan~!" He turned and ran off, leaving a blushing Sakura behind with a hand on her cheek.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.
Sasuke's blood was still boiling come friday night when everyone who was anyone crowded around in Ino's large three story mansion. Her parents gave her free range of the house when they decided to visit italy during the winter seasons.
He spotted Sakura and Naruto, who were standing sidebyside and listening to Kiba tell a rather extravagant story. He found Neji by the spiked punch bowl.
"What's in it?"
" Just about everything." Neji chuckled, " I watched Kiba spike it. Had quite a few bottles there." He blinked when Sasuke began downing the already filled cups. " Whoa!"
" I will get Sakura tonight." Sasuke growled, turning to his best friend, " I will ask her to fucking marry me if that blond disaster just jumps off a freakin bridge!"
Neji lifted an eyebrow, " Aren't you taking this a little far?" He watched as Sasuke set down his fourth cup, " You're gonna make an idiot of yourself."
" Will not."
Neji shrugged, " Suit yourself." And walked off to find his boyfriend, who was watching Lee sing karoke by the bar.
Sasuke searched for Sakura and found her alone by the massive TV that a couple of boys were playing rock band on. He put on his most concincing 'I'm not drunk yet' smile and took her hand in his own. She blushed as he pressed a kiss to it.
" Fair lady, why are you lone?"
She giggled, " Naruto went to find me something without liters of booze in it."
Sasuke was pleased that she didn't drink much, even though he felt the effects of the alcohol on his low tolerance. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, " You have soft skin, Sakura."
Her blush intensifed, " Sasuke, are you drunk?"
" Of course not. " He cleared his throat, " Would you like to...take this conversation elsewhere?"
If she got any redder, she'd turn into a tomato, he thought with a slight smirk. It was almost cute. He lead her to a secluded alcove and pressed another kiss to her hand. " You don't come to parties like this, do you Sasuke?" She whispered.
" Not usually."
" So why are you here?"
" For you." He replied bluntly, making her smile and look away. His fingers grasped her chin, turning to to face him. " You are very beautiful, you're eyes especially."
She gasped and her lips parted, he took it as a chance and leaned in.
Her kiss was slow and sweet. So sweet that his stomach twisted in a hideous way and his head began to pound. Her fingers curled into his shirt and she let out a soft whimper. He parted from her, watching as her misted eyes began to clear.
Glass shattered and Sasuke turned around to see Naruto standing a few feet away, both drinks now seeping across Ino's hardwood floors.
" N-naruto!" Sakura gasped, pulling away from Sasuke.
The blond turned and stormed off, Sasuke followed without thinking. They arrived in a dark hallway and Sasuke grabbed Naruto's forearm.
" Don't act like you're suprised." He hissed, " You knew I was trying to win her affections. You shouldn't have left her alone like that."
Naruto spun around, blue eyes blazing with a fire that had Sasuke's breath seizing in his chest. " I've been waiting for ten years, Sasuke! Ten years to gather up enough courage to at least ask her on a fucking DATE." He threw up his hands, " You ruined it in a month!"
Sasuke winced, staring up at the taller man and feeling rather small, even though he'd finally won the war they'd been fighting for weeks. Of course, Sakura hadn't really made much of a choice yet...
" You didn't play hard enough. " Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and stared defiantly up at the bigger male. " I won. Fair and square."
" You think this is over? " Naruto leaned forward, their noses touching, " I will fuck you up Uchiha. I will steal her out from under your little prissy ass nose. And then who'll be the who didn't play hard enough?"
Sasuke figured that what happened next was God telling him that he hadn't played their little game with all fairness. Because when Kiba and whatever girl he was trying to coax into a bedroom tried running down the dark hall, he hit Naruto on the way.
Which caused thier lips to brush.
Sasuke's breath hitched at the wet slide of Naruto's lips on his own. He smelt light Cologne and alcohol and cigarette smoke. He felt light headed and suddenly very, very drunk as he felt Naruto's hands slide up the back of his shirt.
It was his fingers that did the curling as Naruto's big body closed around him, lips hungry and feasting on his own. The power and the heat that engulfed his senses as the six foot man pushed him into the wall was unlike anything he'd ever felt before.
Naruto backed off, his hands hot and sliding down to squeeze Sasuke's ass. Sasuke let out a rather girlish squeak and kneed Naruto between the legs.
" Fuck!"
Sasuke's thoughts exactly.
TBC
I had to end it there! I have wooooork!
Blessed Be,
Angel!