Chapter 4: Dinner
Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto
Sasuke stayed late at practice that day, running off the disturbing thoughts that plagued his mind. She couldn't possibly think he cared, could she? And why was he so worried about her anyway? What had gotten into him?
'Stupid Dobe. He must be rubbing off on me.' Sasuke cursed inwardly.
Sasuke and Naruto had always taken the liberty of pummeling the crap out of any guys they thought had less-than-honorable intentions for Sakura, but Sasuke had always left worrying about the pink-haired girl's emotional well-being to his nosy blond friend. Still a bit perturbed, he walked briskly to his sleek black Mustang convertible. Slamming the door forcefully, he made it home in record time. Sakura had taken his advice for once and skipped practice. Glancing across the street at her well-manicured yard and quaint mansion, he noticed the light in her room was lit.
'Over-achiever; probably doing her homework. I wonder if she got any sleep at all...' he mused quietly.
Shaking his head to dispel the new wave of concern that swept over him, he marched inside. What he needed was a nice hot shower.
Throwing his track shoes on the floor, Sasuke jogged up the ornate stone staircase to his room. Halfway up the steps, he met his smirking older brother, Itachi, coming from his own room across the long hall on the second floor.
"Hn. Why are you so happy?" Sasuke asked flippantly.
Chuckling darkly, Itachi turned to face his moody younger brother. "Mom said to tell you to hurry up and get clean. She invited your girlfriend and Mr. and Mrs. Haruno over for dinner."
Scowling, Sasuke snarled roughly. "You! She's not my –!"
"I'd hurry up if I were you. Don't want to be late for your special girl!" Itachi teased sweetly as he side-stepped the fuming young man in front of him and continued downstairs.
Mr. and Mrs. Haruno had been close friends with his parents since Itachi had been little. Being the oldest, he was frequently left to baby-sit Sakura and Sasuke when their parents went out together. Fate, it would seem, was predetermined for the two teens, as both sets of parents dreamed up wedding plans for their children with equal vigor. His father, Fugaku, had always suggested that a respectable, polite, and attractive girl like Sakura would be an ideal future wife for Sasuke. Mikoto, his mother, was less insistent on the matter, but readily agreed to the prospect of having adorable little Sakura as her daughter-in-law.
Itachi smiled inwardly; his parents appeared to be completely unaware of the bitter rivalry escalating between their youngest son and his pink-haired nemesis. But Itachi was observant; as much as Sasuke professed his hate for Sakura, he went out of his way to provoke her and thoroughly enjoyed her fiery insults.
'Maybe I should get Mom and Mrs. Haruno to set them up.' Itachi laughed to himself. 'That should be fun to watch.'
Sasuke cursed aloud as he dropped the bar of soap on his foot. Nursing his injured appendage, he thought quietly. 'Why did she have to go and invite them to dinner? This is ridiculous!'
He had hoped to clear his head a bit before seeing Sakura again. If she ever figured out that it wasn't Naruto who prompted him to ask, but himself, she would never let him live it down. Stepping out of the shower, he quickly towel-dried his hair and wrapped the towel around his waist. Crossing the short hallway to his room, he stepped inside just as the doorbell rang.
Downstairs, he could hear his mother's joyous welcome. "Megumi, Takashi, great to see you! Come in, come in! Oh, Sakura dear, you look absolutely lovely! Why don't you run upstairs and get Sasuke for us. I'm sure he'll be delighted to see you!"
Sasuke snorted as he listened to his mother's ceaseless chattering. Pulling on his black pants, he muttered irritably. "Mothers. How would we ever live without them?"
Sakura hesitantly climbed the marble steps that led to Sasuke's room. Glancing down the dark hallway, she could feel the heat from the open bathroom. The last thing she wanted to do was bump into a butt-naked Sasuke. Arriving at his room, she reluctantly reached for the door-knob.
"Sasuke-kun? Are you in there?" she called sweetly, knowing their parents could still hear her.
"Hn. Come in." Sasuke grunted unpleasantly.
Sakura opened the door, snickering evilly. "Nice to know you're just as thrilled as I am."
Walking in, she stopped dead in her tracks. Sasuke was in a pair of dark black slacks, his muscular upper body still bare. His charcoal hair was still damp and slightly dripping, she could see the beads of water snaking down his well-defined chest and back. Sakura stifled a gasp, her rosy cheeks turning a darker shade of pink.
'It's not like I haven't seen him shirtless before.' she thought frantically. 'He's practically half-naked every day at track practice. No big deal, right?'
'Suuure. No big deal. You know you like it.' Inner Sakura taunted.
'Wha –? No! No I don't like it. That's impossible; how could you possibly suggest such a thing? That arrogant jerk is definitely not – '
'Doncha mean that hot, sexy, totally delicious arrogant jerk? Seriously, you know you agree with me. I'm a part of you, so you can't deny it.'
'Okay, fine. So he has a hot body, happy now? That doesn't change the fact that he's an egotistical, conniving, self-centered bas –!'
"You can sit down, you know."
Sakura's face flared to an exquisite shade of crimson as she met the smirking gaze of a highly amused Sasuke Uchiha. Muttering something murderous, she crossed the room briskly and sat down on his bed. Folding her arms irritably across her chest, she directed her glare anywhere in the room, refusing to look at the grinning man in front of her.
'Even she notices, eh?' Sasuke snickered to himself. He had watched her come in, not missing the startled blush that had formed on her pretty face.
'Heh. Isn't she adorable when she's angry? Why don't you go over there and cheer her up a bit.' Sasuke's inner self crooned. 'Maybe ... Ask her to help you put on your shirt or – '
'No, not happening!' Sasuke refused adamantly. 'Doing something like that could get me thrown across the room.' he winced.
'Well, if that doesn't work, why don't you just ask her to take off her dress? That would make things easier, wouldn't it? Better to be straightforward and get to the point, that's what I always say.'
Sasuke nearly choked, as images of a very dress-less Sakura invaded his mind.
'And hey, she's already on your bed. What a coincidence...'
'I can't believe you just said that.' Sasuke sneered inwardly. Grabbing his towel off the floor, he forcefully dried himself off, trying urgently to shake the thoughts that infected his mind and body.
Meanwhile, Sakura stared innocently around the room, trying desperately to avoid looking at Sasuke. She had been in his room so many times as a child, but now it just felt weird. Her gaze was drawn to him again as he grunted and reached for the towel at his feet. She watched him bend over to get it, his muscles flexing in perfect unison. She watched, fascinated as he dried himself off, giving her a perfect view of his chiseled abs and flat stomach, his pants were belted low on his slender hips. Sakura had trouble concealing her disappointment when he buttoned his shirt and quickly ran a comb through his hair.
'Daaayum, girl! Isn't he fine? What I wouldn't give to have those arms wrap around me and – '
'Yeah, well you don't have much of a choice in that matter, do you?' Sakura spat venomously at her conscience. Cursing under her breath, she willed the unpleasant thoughts to go away. Her eyes strayed in Sasuke's direction again, and found two onyx orbs inches from her emerald ones.
"Need something, Sakura?" the eyes in front of her glinted mischievously.
Sakura squeezed her own eyes shut in an attempt to quell the surprised scream rising within her. Taking a long, slow breath, she found her voice.
"Actually ... I do, Sasuke-kun." Barely managing to meet his gaze, she continued sweetly, "I need you to hurry your butt up so we can get this lovely dinner over with."
Looking away swiftly, she felt, rather than heard, his pleased chuckle. Suddenly, she realized that her raven-haired nemesis was standing above her; his large hands were on the bed at her sides. Her body stiffened as he shifted his body so his face was close to her ear; her own head almost touching his chest.
"Hmm. Are you sure you really want to leave, Sakura?" Sasuke whispered in her ear seductively.
Trying to stop herself from shivering, Sakura stood up and walked crossly out of the room, another tinge of scarlet highlighting her cheeks. Sasuke watched her go, suppressing another laugh. He had felt her staring at him, even though she would die before admitting it. Sasuke smiled again as she glared at him from the doorway. He didn't know what impulse provoked him to get so close to her, but it had some much-desired effects: annoying her to no end, and making her obviously uncomfortable with his body so near her own. Sakura stalked out of the room ahead of him, her hips swaying provocatively as she strove to keep her balance on her slim 4-inch heels. The rose-colored summer dress lifted as she walked, showing a generous amount of her slender toned legs. It was Sasuke's turn to curse, as he threw his towel on the bed furiously. This was going to be a long night.
The raven-haired man caught up to her in the extensive downstairs corridor leading to the dining room. She had stopped abruptly, utterly confused due to the Uchiha Mansion's grand size.
"Lost, are we?" Sasuke drawled as he took her arm. Her only objection was a muted growl, warning him not to try anything stupid. Sasuke immediately regretted his mock-chivalry as he led Sakura into the ornate dining hall.
Mikoto Uchiha beamed happily as she saw her son escort Sakura in by the arm. "Oh goodness, you two are adorable together! Ah Megumi, Sakura looks just like you when we were her age!"
Mrs. Haruno agreed readily, and the two mothers chatted amiably about their youth. Sasuke scowled darkly. His mother would definitely start planning wedding arrangements for him and Sakura after that little scene, if she hadn't already. Sasuke looked around the table, focusing his frown on his brother's smirking face. Of the three seats reserved for the youth of the two families, Itachi had chosen the seat on the end closest to their father, leaving the two adjacent seats for Sakura and himself. Sasuke reluctantly pulled a chair out for Sakura, sitting down between her and his older brother. Turning his smoldering black eyes to the gleeful man on his left, he snarled.
"You better keep your mouth shut. And wipe that stupid grin off your face."
Sakura was no happier with the seating arrangements than her onyx-eyed opponent. Cursing her parents inwardly, Sakura lamented on her ill-fortune. Yet, despite her wild hatred for the world that dinner, she couldn't help but glance sideways at the silent raven-haired man at her side. His light blue dress shirt clung loosely to his broad, well-muscled shoulders and his strong arms. The collar was open low enough to reveal a hint of his sculpted chest. Sakura absently licked her lips. He did look extremely sexy; the fitted shirt and slim black pants showed off his well-toned frame. His silky black hair draped across his forehead, accentuating his straight nose and thin lips, softening the scowl currently etched upon his handsome features.
'I told you he was good-lookin'!' Inner Sakura beamed with delight.
'I swear I'm going to strangle you if you don't shut up!' Sakura sighed audibly.
Sasuke was well aware Sakura's obvious discomfort and her shy glances didn't escape his watchful eye. Onyx eyes met emerald ones and his pink-haired companion looked away sharply, a deep crimson flushing her cheeks. Sasuke's egotistical chuckle died in his throat as his gaze focused on Sakura again. She was absolutely irresistible when she blushed. Sasuke watched hungrily as his eyes roamed over her body. Her soft full breasts were clearly evident in the snug V-neck dress, leaving very little to the imagination. One of the thin pink spaghetti straps had fallen off her shoulder, and Sasuke's fingers itched to fix it for her.
'Why don't we invite her back to your room later? You could always help her with the straps on that scrumptious little dress!'
Sasuke reached for his glass of water; he downed it violently. Snarling, he turned on his mutinous conscience. 'You're just as bad as my brother, you know that?!'
Both teens were utterly relieved when the dinner finally ended. After bidding the Uchiha family a hasty good-bye, Sakura hurried across the street to her own house. Stripping off the snug dress and cumbersome heels, she flopped on her bed, exhausted. And for the first time in two weeks, she slept soundly, the eerie voice not once invading her subconscious.
A/N.
REVIEW Please :D
I was hoping to get this chapter out last week, but I got a little busy. More SasuSaku in chapter 5! xD
