Deception
Chapter Two
-Epoch-
"I don't understand why we couldn't have just gotten some ramen for breakfast! It would take less time, and then we could spar!" Naruto exclaimed, slamming his hands on the table. Gaara and Sasuke glanced up at him before returning their focus to their menus.
Neji simply sighed. "Because Naruto, normal people like us need real food to get energy and actually be nourished."
"Yeah…" Kiba snickered. "Freak."
The blonde merely crossed his arms. "Whatever. A real ninja can survive on anything. That's just like calling Gaara a freak because he doesn't sleep. But he's still living."
"Sleep deprivation is more common than eating crap. I hardly ever slept when I was with Orochimaru for those two years." Sasuke said without looking up.
"Who would? That freak would come creeping in and try and do things." Kiba shivered.
Gaara let out a small laugh and glanced at his friend. "How did you manage to avoid butt sex?"
Sasuke looked over at the redhead. "For one, I never slept in the same room twice, and changed them around every night. And for another, if he was especially horny, there was always Kabuto." He grimaced. "You'd never believe the things I've heard."
"Yeah…" the Kazekage grimaced. "I don't really want to think about that." He shivered.
"Kudos to you man." Kiba nodded.
"SABAKU NO GAARA!" a loud cry came from the front of the restaurant. They all glanced up and Neji just groaned.
"Oh good lord." the Hyuuga ran his hand down his face as an energetic man in a green jumpsuit ran in.
Gaara just stared in slight alarm as Lee ran towards them. "How could you do this to me?"
"Do what?" the redhead asked, only growing more confused. "What did I do this time?"
"I heard about your date with my precious beloved Sakura! You know that my heart burns for her like the morning sun!" he yelled, falling down to his knees beside the Kazekage.
Kiba looked between the two before he spoke. "Whoa what?"
"Ok first of all." Gaara glared slightly. "Your heart burns for almost everything, and two, so what?"
Naruto hit his hands on the table, getting everyone's attention. "Wait a second, you have a date with Sakura-chan? Why would she agree to go on a date with you and not me?" he asked in despair.
"I thought we already established this Naruto. It's because you're a freak." Sasuke said.
"Still! Why Gaara?" he demanded.
The redhead just rolled his eyes. "I don't know Naruto, I guess she saw past my hideous face and terrible personality."
The Jinchuuriki just looked astonished. "Wow, that must have been really hard for her to do." He said, meaning it. Sasuke hit him upside the back of his head. Kiba fell forward, hitting his head on the table.
"Idiot." He muttered.
Lee stood then. "Well I challenge you to a match for the Cherry Blossom!" he declared, pointing at Gaara. "We will fight for Sakura's love!"
"No."
"Are you saying that you fear losing to me? That you in fact do not deserve Sakura's affections?" Lee raised a large brow at him.
Gaara pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out an irritated sigh. "Lee, even if by some slim chance you beat me, Sakura is never going to go out with you. Simple as that."
"I will never give up on love!" the green-clad man exclaimed, pointing into the air.
Sasuke spoke up then. "How about, if you can run one hundred laps on your elbows around the village in one minute, Gaara will fight you. And if not, you must accept defeat, and let him have Sakura."
Lee's eyes widened. "An excellent challenge Sasuke! No wonder they call you a genius! Okay, here I go!" he exclaimed, getting down on his elbows and running out of the restaurant rather awkwardly.
Naruto snickered. "Wow, I think he's dumber than I am."
Gaara just shook his head and leaned back in his chair. "Thanks for that Sasuke."
"So…" Kiba snickered and even Neji looked interested.
"Yeah Gaara, didn't see you for the dating type." The Hyuuga smirked.
"Especially not with Sakura." Sasuke said. "Does she even know it's a date? Or did you play it off like it's just dinner?" He asked, curious.
"I dunno." He groaned, "Does it matter?"
The last Uchiha shrugged. "I don't know. But that stuff seems to matter to girls."
"Well, I would have to say that if she dresses in something other than her ninja attire, Sakura-chan definitely sees it as a date." Naruto said with a nod.
"But then how am I supposed to know what to wear. I was just going to wear my normal clothes…" he leaned back, hanging his head over the edge of the chair. "God this is so complicated. So should I wear something else or what?"
"Wear whatever you're comfortable in I suppose. If she dresses up and you don't, it will look weird, and vice versa. If it were me I would just go in what I'm wearing now, but that's just me." Sasuke said.
The redhead sighed. "Well if it's a date…do I have to get her something? Like flowers? I don't really know how this stuff works. I had no idea it would be this complicated."
"I'd never get a girl flowers, it gives them high expectations." The ebony haired man said.
Naruto shook his head. "Well I'd get her lots of flowers! Flowers make girls happy!" he declared.
Neji sighed. "Why don't you just get her one flower? As a courtesy." Gaara looked up and met Neji's milky gaze.
"That's a good idea. I'll stop by that annoying blonde's flower shop later." He nodded.
"My girlfriend is not annoying." Kiba huffed.
"Yes she is." The other four said in unison, looking back over what they were going to order.
Naruto looked over at Gaara. "So what time is your date? Do we have enough time to spar? Cause' I got some new moves that are gonna blow your mind." He smiled.
"Well I seriously doubt that, but it's at six. I told her I'd be done kicking your ass by then." He smirked, glancing up at his blonde friend.
Said blonde stood from his seat. "Well then let's go! Come on, I wanna fight now!"
Sasuke reached up and pulled him back down into his seat. "Sit down you idiot. We're not done eating our breakfast."
"Oh yeah, your normal food." The fox boy huffed. "I say we get ramen for lunch."
"No!" everyone shouted, glaring at him before returning to their meals.
Gaara stared in the mirror, a towel wrapped around his waist, for the first time actually trying to mess with his hair. He didn't really know why he cared so much what he looked like. It was just dinner, right? He sighed, giving up on attempting to fix his messy bed head. He walked out of the bathroom, running his fingers through his hair quickly.
He stopped at the bed, looking down at his clothes of choice. It was just a pair of grey jeans and a black t-shirt with the symbol for Suna in white on it. He dressed quickly and picked up the towel, drying the rest of his damp hair. He glanced over at the clock and went wide eyed, "Crap!"
He grabbed his wallet and shoved it in his back pocket before pulling on his shoes and disappearing in a swirl of sand.
When he appeared, it was in front of the Yamanaka flower shop. He entered, hearing the small bell ring. He walked up to the counter where Ino was reading a magazine, not bothering with a greeting. "Your customer service sucks." He sighed, getting the blonde's attention.
"Yeah yeah." She said, straightening and looking at him, surprise lighting her eyes when she realized who it was that had spoken. "Oh! Are you here to get some flowers for your date?" she asked, giving him an excited smile.
"How does everyone know about this?" he shook his head and then looked around the shop. "I just want one…but it's got to be nice. You're a florist. What do you suggest?"
Ino just rolled her eyes, moving from around the counter to look at some of the flowers that they had on display. "Well of course I know about it. Not only do I know everything that happens in this village, but Forehead came in yesterday all giggly." She said, as she scanned the walls, taking down a few selections.
"She did?" Gaara asked, seeming a bit curious.
"Of course she did." The blonde said as if it was common knowledge. Picking out one final flower she went back around the counter and laid them all out across the counter. "Okay, these are all the flowers that Forehead likes. I didn't pick any roses out or anything, cause' she hates clichés. So just pick one."
"Ok…" he looked over the flowers and picked up a beautiful pink stargazer lily. "This one." He held it out to her. She took the flower from him and began to ring it up. "So…does she think it's a date…or what did she say?" he tried to ask casually.
"She wasn't entirely sure, so I told her to dress casually. Though," she gave him a suggestive look. "Between you and me she totally hopes it's a date. Poor girl," she shook her head as she rang it up. "She works too much." Then she looked at him. "You can just take it, it's on the house."
He took the flower from her and nodded, "Ok. Well…thanks I guess." He walked out then, heading down the street. He didn't know the exact location, but it wasn't too hard to pinpoint her chakra. He came up to the complex and grimaced. It probably would have been a smart idea to ask which number it was exactly. With a fortified sigh, he let his sand pick up and swarm through the air. It didn't take too long before he detected her, and then he allowed his sand to transport him in front of her door.
He lifted his hand and knocked on the door, trying to go over in his head what to do. He could hear shuffling on the other side of the door, and a muffled, 'One second!', before the door was opened to reveal Sakura, who was slightly flustered.
"Hi." She said, giving him a warm smile. She was wearing a lovely floral top made of silk that clung to her body nicely. It tightened around her breasts, and the straps were made out of braids of the fabric, that also scooped low across the top and back. She had on a pair of black skinny jeans and black flats, and her hair was fluffed a bit, so that it had some volume. She only put on a bit of eyeliner and mascara, just as Ino had told her to.
"Here, I got this for you." He said, holding the flower out to her.
She took it from him, smelling it appreciatively. "Thank you, it's lovely." She said, grabbing her small red clutch from a side table. "Ready?"
"Yup." He nodded, waiting for her to go place the flower in a vase. She came back out and shut the door, locking it behind her.
"Let's go." She smiled. He gestured for her to go ahead and then followed after her as they descended the stairs.
"So I realized." Gaara spoke up, trying to strike a conversation. "That I probably should have asked where you lived before trying to find your house today." He smiled, glancing down at her.
Her eyes widened and she looked up at him. "I'm sorry, I should have told you where it was. I guess for some reason I thought you knew." She said, giving him an apologetic look. "You didn't have much trouble finding it did you?"
He shook his head, "No it was ok. I just kinda tracked you like anyone would, by your chakra. Sand, a very useful skill I must say."
She smiled at him. "Yes, I can see how it would be. So, how quickly did you beat up Naruto? Did you break your previous record?"
"I did actually, I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to get ready. Since…well I've never really been on a date before." He admitted, scratching at his cheek nervously.
"You haven't?" she asked in astonishment. Then she thought about it. "Actually, I guess it makes sense. I don't really go out either. Ino says it's because I work so much, and I suppose that's true, but I like what I do. You know?"
"Oh yes." He nodded. "Working probably has a lot to do with it. Though I think more in my case…I just don't really like that many people…they're all so annoying." He laughed and then focused down on her. "So where do you want to eat? I'm fine with anything really, since I'm starving. Had to skip lunch since Naruto demanded ramen, and there's no way in hell I'm eating that."
She chuckled. "Well it just so happens that I know of a lovely little place that serves just about everything you can think of." She said.
"Sounds fantastic." He smiled, placing his hand on her lower back. "Please lead the way."
She did so, taking him through the town and into the food district. Eventually they came upon a nice looking restaurant and Gaara held the door open for her. Walking inside, they stopped at the host stand, where a nice looking woman was standing. She smiled at the two when they entered. "Ah, Sakura-sama! I haven't seen you in a while!" she greeted. "And Kazekage-sama! What a pleasant surprise. Table for two?" she asked, grabbing two menus.
"Yes, thank you Chiko-san." Sakura smiled, blushing slightly. They were seated at a booth and once Sakura had sat down, Gaara took the space across from her, and thanked the hostess.
"Well let's see what they have here." Gaara said mostly to himself, looking over the menu. "Wow…this stuff actually looks really good. Wonderful choice."
"Thank you." She smiled at him. "I figured out of everywhere here you'd like this place the best." She said, looking at her menu.
"So how was your day today?" he asked, setting his menu down since he knew what he wanted to order.
"It was good." She told him. "I cleaned my apartment this morning, and then went to the spa with Ino and the girls. And when that was over I spent about three hours getting ready for tonight." Her eyes widened at her admission. "Not that it takes me long to get ready or anything…uh…um…" her face turned a dark red then.
He looked up at her and smiled. "It's ok. I…actually tried to style my hair. Though it didn't really work." He laughed, trying to make sure she didn't feel too embarrassed.
"I like your hair the way it is." She said, just as the waitress came by to take their drink orders. Dinner flew by quickly, and Sakura actually witnessed the stoic redhead laugh more than normal. At least from her perspective, he looked like he was having a nice time. It wrapped up nicely, and Gaara insisted they get dessert elsewhere. After he paid, they got up and left, finding a nearby ice cream stand.
Gaara ordered a vanilla cone and Sakura chose chocolate, "You know…" the Kazekage paused, glancing over at her as they walked around one of Konoha's many parks. "In Suna we have salty ice cream."
"I've never had salty ice cream before." She said, looking up at him as she licked her cone. "Does it taste that much different than the ice cream we have here?"
"Extremely different, but this is still good. I tend to like salty more than sweet, but that's just me." He shrugged, taking a bite of his own as they stopped on one of the wooden bridges over the pond. "By the way…I know I probably should have said this sooner…but you look…very nice." Gaara said, looking off and biting into the waffle cone.
She blushed and looked down at the water in embarrassment. "Thank you." She said softly, biting into her own cone. They both lifted their hands, moving to rest them on the bridge railing. Sakura placed hers down and Gaara just happened to rest his on top of hers. Gaara actually blushed, removing his had quickly as Sakura's only deepened in color and she retracted her own hand.
"Sorry." He mumbled quickly, trying to find something, anything, to focus his attention on.
"It was my fault." She said, placing her elbow on the rail and resting her chin in her palm. "Nice night." She observed, looking over at him.
"Yeah it is." He nodded, looking up at the orange sky, the sun had already begun to set a while ago. "Konoha always seems to have nice sunsets."
"Yeah." She sighed. "But Suna has really nice nights. Here the lights stay on, so you don't really see the stars."
"That's true. But that's cause' Suna's better than Konoha." He smirked, looking down at her with a taunting gaze.
She raised a delicate brow at him. "Oh really? I highly doubt that, after all, I don't live there, so it can't be the best." She smiled slightly.
A slow smirk spread across his face as he leaned closer, "And you think wherever you live is best? Do elaborate."
She turned and faced him fully. "What I mean is, I am the best, and so wherever I am is the best place to live."
"Is that so?" he gazed down at her curiously. "The best? What makes you so confident?"
"Well," she smirked. "I am pretty awesome, if I do say so myself."
"That may be true, but I have a bit more on my shelf than you do, Doctor." He whispered into her ear before pulling away.
She gave him a curious look then. "Wait, you think I'm awesome?" she asked, dropping their little game.
"Well, uh," he stuttered a bit, the arrogant expression falling right off his face. "I mean, sorta. You know…" he trailed off, actually at a loss for words. "Well you know...maybe." he huffed, crossing his arms, since he had already finished his ice cream.
"Maybe, huh?" she said, finishing off her ice cream. "Well," she placed her hands on her hips. "I guess I think you're awesome too. Possibly." She lifted the corner of her mouth slightly.
He rolled his eyes, hovering over her slightly. "I'm a lot more than awesome Sakura."
"Really? Then what else are you, exactly? Enlighten me." She challenged, raising her chin just a fraction.
"Well let's see." He tapped his chin, then beginning to count off on his fingers. "There's awe inspiring, powerful, phenomenal, and then exceedingly masculine."
She raised a brow. "Masculine?" she looked him up and down. "I don't fully see it."
"Well, there are ways I could show you, if you'd like." He smirked, touching her cheek gently with his finger tips.
"Please do." She said, enjoying his touch.
He laughed and then pulled away, starting back off the bridge. "Maybe some other time, after all this is only our first date."
She huffed but followed after him until she was at his side. "Well, since it's our first date, you have to hold my hand as you walk me home." She declared, grabbing his warm hand in hers.
"I'm not going to hold your hand because you told me to," he scoffed, but laced his fingers with hers. "I'll do it cause' I want to."
"Even better." She smiled.
They walked back, enjoying each other's company, but it came to an end when they reached Sakura's apartment building. The pink haired woman started forward, still holding tightly onto Gaara's hand. He stood still though, pulling her back to his place. He took her other hand in his own free one. "I had a wonderful time with you tonight Sakura." He smiled.
"I did too. Thank you for a lovely evening, Gaara." She said, giving him a shy smile.
"No problem, it was my pleasure." He bowed his head, brining up her hands and kissing them both. "I hope you'll indulge in my company on a later date as well."
"I would love to."
He smiled and pulled away, not letting go of her hands until the distance permitted it. "See you tomorrow Sakura." He waved, heading off into the thinning streets of Konoha.
"See you." She said softly, watching him walk down the street before heading up to her apartment. She smiled to herself when she closed the door, already anxious for their next date.