I SUCK! I have no excuse for not uploading, other than that I actually suck ass. I have over half of this story already written out and I just... suck. lmao.
There is a gratuitous girl talk scene in this chapter, and it's both ooc and very in character? I feel like while Sakura and Ino wouldn't be as dramatic as they're written in this scene, there's NO way they wouldn't gossip and have sleepovers ya know? Like thats my HC that Sakura and Ino are both gossipy af, Sakura's just better at hiding it. Anyways, their interaction is basically me w my bff's when something dramatic happens to me. I'm 100x this dramatic IRL sorrynotsorry.
BUT, oocness aside, I rlly loved writing this chapter it made me giggle a lot and I love Sakura and Ino's friendship a LOT. I feel like Ino would be very encouraging to Sakura about chasing her dreams (aka itachi's peen)
anyways, please review! So stoked I've gotten six reviews and almost 500 reads already on this fic? That's crazy for a fanfic that didn't have character tags on it for a week, so thank u guys so much!
I have the second installment of the LOP fics, and it's a v steamy Sasusaku, so I might post it in a few days if this gets a few reviews!
Step two: Convince Sakura that she deserves better (YAMANAKA INO ON THE SCENE!)
"Okay, calm down forehead freak."
"I FUCKED up. I'm not excited you ass, I'm just pacing!" Ino stared at Sakura, who was currently jeopardizing their deposit with the hole she was wearing into their carpet.
"I kissed Itachi." Ino muffles a squeal of excitement, if only to insure that she lived to see the next day, if Sakura's expression is anything to indicate.
"I mean pig, I jumped him. Like literally, I threw myself at him. And he just let me! This is absolutely insane. In one fucking day, my boyfriend pops a woody over another dude and I mack his older brother with not one qualm, only to be caught by my old Sensei, who apparently has a thing for voyeurism?" Ino sighed, relieved that Naruto had given her the quick and dirty of the situation only moments before Sakura burst through their apartment door, looking far more harried than she had a right to.
"You're really surprised that Kakashi is a pervert? I could've told you that my damn self-"
"INO! Not the fucking point! Sasuke is probably gay, and I cheated on him with fucking Itachi!"
"It's about damn time your life got interesting again. After Sasuke and Itachi came home it was like all the excitement in the village for the year went to that one event, I mean really, this is great Sakura." Sakura gave Ino a withering glance, before plopping onto the floor.
"Get the sake. And the goddamned ice-cream." Ino's eyes widened for a half second, ice cream meant a serious mental breakdown, before retrieving the items.
"Okay, forehead, spill it all." Ino didn't need to know all the details, she'd gotten the Quicknotes version earlier, but she craved the little details, especially in situations like this.
"So, first thing today we all went to go train, and for some reason, Itachi was with Sasuke, and Kakashi and Yamato decided it was too hot for us to effectively train, barring the fact that we should be able to fight in all situations, they decided we should just go get frozen drinks. So Sasuke is being his usual, uncomfortable self, and I'm being my usual ignoring it self. And Itachi is staring at me so hard it felt like he was gonna drill a fucking hole into my head and then Sasuke makes us leave, and we get like fifty feet away before he picks a fight with me, and then I see you being all flirty with Itachi, which, fuck you, by the way." Ino gave an innocent smile, taking a shot of sake before biting into a spoonful of ice cream.
"So then obviously we hung out today and you were perverted, and also, I really think you and Sai should give it another shot, he showed more expressions on his face today when you showed up than he has since you two broke up. You really did a number on him, Ino." The mischievous smile disappeared off her face, and Sakura almost regretted bringing up the artist. No one truly knew what had happened in the end, just that Ino was apparently a 'crazy bitch' and Sai was an 'emotionally retarded prick'.
However, Sakura had been friends with Ino for too long to believe some half-crocked bullshit like that, and she was pretty positive her friend was just terrified of the thought of long term commitment.
"Whatever, billboard brow. Just get to the steamy stuff." Sakura shot her friend a slightly hazy glare, she'd downed a majority of the sake by now, her eyes unfocused and glassy.
"Well, I met up with Sasuke again later and we went to the market. It wasn't so bad, we were just kinda walking through, looking at things. He got serious though, and started talking to me about our relationship and how he felt about his ED. God, it was awful. He was just talking about it like it was okay and like I haven't seen him with wood in the mornings. I mean seriously, Ino, it's been the worst three weeks of my life with this kid and he starts addressing it in the middle of the street while we're looking at custom kunai! So then, Naruto dive bombs him, which isn't so unusual, it's Naruto, after all." Ino snickered, this was when things were gonna get good and juicy.
"So Naruto jumps him, for lack of better words, and they get all tangled up, and Sasuke is underneath him, but instead of trying to KILL HIM like I expect, he just stares at him. And I was screaming at them for causing a ruckus, I hate when they act like kids, and they're just like...gazing into each others eyes. Naruto just sort of...wiggles! Wiggles, like he's gonna get up and lo and fucking behold SASUKE POPS A BONER!" Sakura's face down on her coffee table now, groaning out the rest of the story. Ino patted her friends back awkwardly. She wasn't crying, just incredibly embarrassed and confused.
"So he gets hard, and Naruto just gets up and grins and apologizes like HE doesn't have a huge fucking boner, and then LEAVES! I, obviously, dramatically walk away, because I was really upset and angry and more than a little confused. Sasuke runs after me and I blew up on him and I was crying so hard and he just let me walk away from him! So, I go to my house, you know, the family home?" Ino nods her consent, and Sakura continues.
"So I go home and I wallow for a few hours, and I think I fell asleep at one point. So, I'm Uchiha-brooding out the open window, and I go to lay on my old bed, cause my room makes me feel...better for some reason. Right as I'm settling in for some more angst, Uchiha fucking Itachi shows up." Ino gasped at this part, leaning forward eagerly. "So he sits super close next to me, after I flop back down, and he was so close to me Ino, I could hardly fucking see straight, and tells me that my team is searching for me, that they're worried for me. So I told him I saw Naruto already today, but I leave it at that, and something just takes over me and I kiss him. Like, full on, lunging at him, straight on the mouth. I mean, it wasn't just my fault, at least not in my opinion. You know I had a weird crush on him for the longest time...and he was being so soft and gentle and he brushed at my hair and I just lost it! And he let me! And then he kissed me back! Ino! He kissed. Me. Back." Ino is more than stunned by this, because Sakura's face is bright red and she's angry now, on her feet and stomping around the room again.
"After all those months of me trying to drop hints, and him not doing a damn thing, he kisses me back now? After I'm already dating his dumbass brother? God Ino, you wouldn't believe how he kisses, either. It was like being set on fire and dunked into ice water at the same damn time, my whole body was tingling. It was like an outer body experience. His hair was so soft..." She trailed off, staring into space dreamily, touching her fingers to her mouth briefly. She made a frustrated noise, similar to a growl, reaching up and tugging at her pink locks. "God... Ino...Kakashi saw us."
Ino sat straight up, and realized...that this was step two, but step six had already happened? She had no clue how to proceed, so she followed the original master-plan, like any other good ninja would.
"So what? Kakashi's a huge pervert anyways, he was probably too busy yanking it to realize it was the wrong, but better, Uchiha." Sakura gasped, floundering for a few moments, before steam rolling on.
"That's rude and disrespectful! Kakashi is our elder and he's my team leader. Pervert or not, don't say things like that! And anyways, Sasuke isn't that bad, he just has a disorder." Ino snorted so hard that Sakura was worried for her health and safety, until Ino started talking again.
"Are you serious? Sasuke's only disorder is that he'd rather have Naruto spread his cheeks than he spread yours. That boy is G-A-Y with capital letters. I mean shit, I don't really blame him, Naruto is one of the hottest fucking guys in this village, but you're the hottest girl in this village and I can't wrap my brain around this. I can't believe you are letting this happen! You maintained your virginity so he could be gay? Girl, you deserve some of Itachi-san! I mean, seriously, not trying to knock your gay-boy, but Itachi is H-O-T. For every gay moment Sasuke has, Itachi redeems it with that...smolder...you know the one." Sakura nodded sagely, because she was aware of the smolder.
"Now, enough about your gay boyfriend, lets talk about his hot older brother. Let's compare, ne? What's the difference between their kisses?"
"Well...Sasuke sort of kisses like he and Naruto fight. It's always intense and overwhelming and sometimes it's good, but mostly it's like he's trying to eat my face off! I feel like he wants me to fight with him, and even though I'm very dominating in every aspect, there's something about a guy pinning you to the wall and taking over that's so...so fucking hot!" Ino agreed wholeheartedly, and she wished that Sai had taken the control like that. She sighed wistfully, giving Sakura a vaguely envious look.
"Hmm, tell me about Itachi-san, that's what I really wanna hear."
"Well...his lips were a little dry but they were very soft and he kissed me like he was starving for me. I mean for real, Ino-pig it was like...no other kiss I've ever had. His tongue was warm and wet but it wasn't unpleasant. It was like drowning but in the most pleasant way possible. Pig, that's not the best part!" Ino eagerly sat forwards and Sakura fell over in a pile of pillows, giggling madly.
"He got hard! As a fucking rock Ino!" Giggling even harder, she kicked her feet into the air, rolling backwards. Ino couldn't help but join her, so pleased that this part of the plan was running so smoothly.
"Sakura, I still don't get why you don't dump Sasuke and date Itachi! Jeez girl, what more are you waiting for?" Sakura faltered, putting her chin on her hand.
"Hmm, I'm not sure Pig. But Sasuke is with me, and until he breaks it off, or gives me a reason to do so, I'm not going to leave him." Ino groaned, flopping away from her friend.
"You're so dense forehead. Sasuke will keep dating you, even if it makes everyone including the two of you, miserable; if only to spite Itachi." Sakura's brow furrowed, and she frowned deeply.
"Plus, you're in love with Itachi, and even if Sasuke does have feelings towards you, it's unfair to lie to him about your feelings for him. Be an adult, Sakura. Anyways, I have to go, Choji and Shika want to meet for drinks." Ino dropped a kiss to her best friends wide forehead, ruffling her hair before leaving. Sakura's face screwed up, but she lifted a limp hand to wave at her friend, before resuming her brooding.
She, Haruno Sakura, had kissed the beautiful and enigmatic Uchiha Itachi, and it had been better than all her wildest dreams.
But something niggled at the back of her brain, something that felt that she was...missing something.
There was nothing she hated more than not knowing things, and with that, she started connecting dots. Her team captain had just happened to be at her childhood home, right as Itachi kissed her, which made little to no sense, as did the fact that Itachi's chakra presence had been made apparent as she'd ran off from Sasuke that afternoon. It also made no sense, why Naruto would've interrupted her and Sasuke that day and not sparred with the other boy. He'd just...attacked and bounded away cheerfully.
Yes, something was up, and Sakura would be damned if she didn't figure the trap out before it slammed shut on her.
Step Three: Shirtless, Shameless, and Sexy, the Shinobi way
"Itachi, stop being so wily, it's as simple as being in the process of leaving the bathroom after a steamy shower right as she gets to the complex!" Kakashi felt less than amused as he attempted to assure the younger man of the third step of their plan. Itachi resisted the urge to roll his eyes, although the need to relieve himself of his stress was almost overwhelming, and so he settled with a pinch to the bridge of his nose.
"Yeah, 'Tachi, all kunoichi's are suckers for strong men in tiny towels with sweat and/or water dripping down their flawless abs. It's science, practically." Sai made a smart comment about Naruto being a 'fag', which set off a frenzy of movement between the two men. Rolling his eyes, Itachi excused himself.
Walking out to the back training grounds, he divested himself of his shirt there, knowing he had at least an hour before Sakura showed up, looking for his little brother. He would practice, clothe himself fully, and then speak to the younger girl. He had no wish to continue manipulating her, or his brother.
Although, it had been rather...arousing to see her take out the brunt of her anger on her perverted sensei, it had been a harsh wake up call to the fact that Itachi was being an idiot.
He was a missing nin, one of the most feared Shinobi's this world had to offer, and some tiny pink haired girl had shattered all semblance of self control he had.
Moving through his familiar kata's, Itachi felt his pulse slow, his breath even. He may not be able to truly take on missions at the moment, but staying in shape, especially with his sickness cured, mattered to him.
Sakura wove her way through the back entrance of Sasuke and Itachi's compound, guessing that Sasuke would either be training, showering, or meditating at this time of day. She was thirty minutes early, but she was so anxious about seeing him that she went on, suspecting he wouldn't be so busy that he wouldn't want to see her. As she advanced through the compound, she smelled a distinctive burn smell, the kind she associated with the Uchiha's Katon Jutsu's, the smell of burnt chakra was significantly different than other smoke smells; so she changed directions to the training grounds. Crashing through the trees and into the clearing, she called out for Sasuke loudly.
However, it was a shirtless Itachi who greeted her, frozen in the middle of a hand sign. Sakura felt like her legs would give out at any time as she appraised the half-clothed shinobi in front of her. Itachi looked startled, an expression she'd only seen once or twice on his usually stoic face.
Itachi was every thing she'd ever wanted to look at in a young man. His torso was lean and trim, with the right amount of definition that she could see his abdominal muscles without him flexing, his shoulders broad and his waist and hips tapered off nicely. He had beautiful, cut hipbones, leading into his pants. There was no hair on him, other than the trail leading to his pants, and she briefly wondered what the texture of his hair would feel like underneath her tongue. His hair was pulled back in his customary low ponytail, but several strands had escaped and hung around his face like a silk curtain, sticking to the damper parts of his collarbone and pectoral muscles.
Sakura swallowed, and it felt like she had the handle of a kunai blocking her throat, her mouth impossibly dry.
"Uchiha-san, I-I was ju-just looking for Sas-what are you doing?!" Her voice escalated as Itachi walked towards her, and she backed away as fast as he approached.
"You found me instead." He was on her in the amount of time it took to flicker out and then into existence. His hand plunged into her hair, balling it at the nape of her neck to yank her forwards, before he crashed their lips together. Gasping at his audacity, Sakura pressed her hands against his chest, with every intention of shoving him off of her, but somehow her hands got lost on the expanse of his chest, scrabbling up his shoulders, her arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him closer to her. She kissed him back fiercely, her frustration and desire poured into the embrace, her fingers gripping his hair towards the base of his neck almost cruelly tight. Itachi didn't seem to mind, he just kissed her harder, a growl rumbling through his chest. Itachi's tongue flickered out against her mouth, and Sakura's lips parted with little hesitation, sighing into his mouth as he ruthlessly plundered hers. Itachi seemed starved for the affection, and his intensity should've frightened Sakura, but instead it spurred her on, and she kissed him slowly, gently, bringing his passion down to a decent level. She moaned softly into his mouth as he gripped her hips, pressing closer to her.
"Sakura...oh Sakura." He sounded reverent, the whispered words more like a prayer than anything. He gave her fast, dry kisses all over her face, her eyelids, the tip of her nose, her flushed cheeks.
"I wish...oh I wish." His voice was choked now, and his face was burrowed into her throat, his hair surrounding them like a safety curtain, tickling over her collarbone and arms. She held him close to her, as if she understood how he felt, the desperation and the unfettered longing he felt for her. He pressed his lips wetly to a spot behind her ear that made her shiver against him.
The sound of a door slamming alerted both of them to their surroundings, and within moments Itachi was gone from her comforting embrace, retying his hair as Sasuke walked out onto the training grounds.
There was a strange, echoing silence that seemed to envelope the three of them, and it was shattered as Naruto strolled out after Sasuke, his face pink and his eyes bright. The genuine smile on his face dropped as soon as he saw Sakura, and a strange look took over his face.
Sakura had been schooling her face to indifference since the first time Sasuke tried to kill her, and she employed this skill instantly.
"Hm. Just the two people I wanted to see." Her tone was sharp, her eyes calculating, and for one second, Naruto allowed a panic filled glance at Itachi to slip through, but it was a second too long, and Sakura whipped around, pink hair flying. Itachi's face remained impassive, as always, but something in his eyes made Sakura narrow hers.
Then, a slow, sly smile over took her face, and although Itachi had faced off against thousands of more formidable foe, a shiver crept up his spine at the nasty visage she'd taken on.
"Actually...Just Naruto. Come with me, yes?" Naruto didn't have much of a choice, for she'd snatched him away from Sasuke, flinging him over her shoulder, and taking off through the compound within moments.
