Hey, there! I'm back! I know, I know. Considering that it only took me about 4 days to get three chapters up, waiting almost a week for the next one is slightly annoying, but believe it or not, I, too, have a life. Sort of. Oh, well. Here it is. It isn't as short as I imagined it being, but it's fine.
Also, please overlook grammer mistakes, I just really wanted to upload a new chapter and didn't really bother checking through all of it...
Enjoy.
The snow had fallen for two straight days and it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon. The large flakes rested on the ground, piling up and covering the streets in an untainted white sheet.
In the middle of it, stood Sakura, blowing hot air into her hands, attempting to warm them up. It didn't do any good. She wrapped the ragged red coat closer to her body and cursed internally.
Why couldn't we just meet Sasuke at his house and celebrate christmas? What does Naruto want?
She grumbled and paced, leaving tracks in the snow. "Hey, Sakura." The low voice made her turn around and she glared at the blond. He was shivering as well, which was by no means a surprise, since he was only wearing a blue hoody. He smiled sheepishly. "It's about time. What do you want?" She said abrasively. "Umm, well, I wanted to ask you something... No, actually, I wanted to tell you something." He corrected himself, fidgeting around. He grinned and ran his fingers through his hair. When she only raised her eyebrow, he took on a serious expression. "I really like you. You're beautiful, quick-witted and kind. I'd just like to know how you felt." He said determinedly, looking her straight in the eyes. Her pupils dilated and eyebrows furrowed. She surpressed the urge to laugh at his ridiculouse face, since it, most likely, was pretty important to him.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. But I see you as nothing more than a friend. Thanks though." She said with a smile.
Despite what she was expecting (something like tears, or an emotional breakdown), he nodded in understanding. It was as if he'd been aware of the answer before asking the question. "I told you she'd refuse. She's too in love with me to go out with anyone else." Of course it was Sasuke. He'd known her all her life and would be able to tell exactly what descisions she'd make. She narrowed her eyes when she realized what he'd said, trying to hide the blush on her face. With a few steps she stood in front of him and punched him in the gut with all her strength, forcing him to double over and gasp for air. "Shut it." She said. The raven let himself fall to the side and started laughing deliriously. Soon, Naruto joined, leaving the girl standing next to them in utter confusion. "I can't believe she punched you!" The blond shouted, holding his own stomache. Sasuke kept rolling around in the snow, drenching the black fabric draped over his shoulders. His face was made up of a mixture of pain and amusement, when he shouted: "I can't believe she didn't deny it!" Earning him a kick in the thigh from the pinkhaired girl. He winced again, but didn't stop laughing. Her face turned almost as red as her coat and there was no way to hide it.
"Fine! Shut up. Lets just go inside and enjoy christmas, before I rip off your head." Sakura said, the last part specifically directed towards Sasuke, who completly ignored the threat. By then, he'd gotten back on his feet and ruffled up his hair to get rid of the snow inside it.
She headed towards the Uchiha residence, her face still the same color as before. Inconspicuously, she listened in on the mumbed words of the boys, who were lagging behind. She heard muffled words from Sasuke. "Sorry about that earlier, I was trying to cheer you up, but I guess I made things worse..."-"No, it's fine, really. You even told me she would probably reject me." When she turned around to face them, she saw that Sasuke had placed a supporting hand on Narutos sholder.
What a nice feeling it is to have best friends.
"Sakura. Don't you think it's about time we include him in our little promise? It's almost been a year after all." Sasuke said. She nodded, then they faced the blond. "What promise?" He wondered. "We promised that we'd always be there for each other when the other is in pain or in trouble. Always." Sakura said. "Will you be part of it?" She asked. Naruto nodded eagerly.
Even though it felt like it was already there, like an unspoken truth, to actually make it official was what he wanted. It was something he could rely on. It made him smile, since he knew, that even if he'd be completly down in the dumps, they would be able to bring him back with their kind words and friendly smiles. All of this wasn't just for show. The promise itself was just a cover up or that's how Naruto would have described it. Of course, he would uphold what Sakura had said, but what it really meant, was that they accepted him as one of the most important people in their lives. He could be their confiant, with whom they could share their darkest secrets and worries.
To him, the two of them had been exactly that shortly after he'd met them. He would never say it out loud though.
All three of them held their thumbs in the middle as Sasuke pulled out a pocket knife. He cut through the skin of their fingers, one after the other. Blood dropped to the ground as they rubbed their wounds together and said "I promise".
Sakura quickly licked away the liquid on her finger, frowning, when the coppery taste spread in her mouth. Naruto followed her example, but Sasuke stared at his finger in awe, observing how it trickled down his thumb. The girl rolled his eyes, muttered something like "Like always." and flicked his ear. He flinched and instinctively covered it with his hand. "Just say something when you want to talk to me, brute." He snarled, dragging a bloody line along the hemline of his shorts. "Fine. I've always wondered, but what is your weird obsession with blood? It's as if everytime you see even a drop of it, you're completly hypnotised." She stated, placing her hand on her hips.
I've seen him do that, too.
"It's interesting. The thought, that this read liquid runs through your entire body. I mean, that little bit of blood just now might have been in your brain just a while ago..." While he talked, his voice got more quiet under the intense stare the girl gave him.
"So what do we do now?" Naruto decided it was a good time to change the subject. Sakura glanced at him and relaxed her posture. So did the raven, who'd gotten slightly defensive.
Wow, that could have been an intense argument.
"We should go to the bridge. There's a market today and they have apples." Sasuke said after a while. He straightened and started walking towards the Themse. "Huh? Apples? Those are way to expensive." Naruto said. "Who said we're paying?" Sasuke answered, his back still turned. Sakura brightened up and ran after him, motioning the blond to follow.
The early summer sun burned down on the street they were walking on, which was filled with people. It was impossible to see further than a few steps because of the cluster consistent of well dressed young women and men. They moved in a sophisticated manner, throwing them, the poor kids in rags, pitied or disgusted looks. Naruto glanced up at the tall buildings, lining the edge of the stone bridge. There was not one spot left vacant.
AN: In case you didn't know, there used to be houses built on the London bridge until the same flood damages the bridge and it's rebuilt later on. Yes guys, people lived on the fucking bridge. (At least that's what our teacher said. Although you can never be too sure.
The market they were strolling through was buisy and each of the small huts had their own sign. He looked farward to his friends. Sakura held onto the boys shirt, constantly looking back to make sure they didn't loose him. Sasuke kept going straight, paying noone any mind, until he stopped in his tracks, causing the girl to bump into him. "There it is." He said. He pointed to the right, where a long queue of people reached into the middle of the street. Behind the counter, a fat man with a mustache bagged the fruits and stuffed the money into a box. "Alright. You know what to do, Sakura. You just stay and watch." He said to Naruto. The two of them submerged into the crowd swiftly. At times, he could still catch glimpses of their fabric between the adults.
The girl had efficiently woven her way towards the front of the counter, while Sasuke held out his hands to the women, begging for a coin or two. He, too, got closer to the merchant, who didn't miss the frail boy. The mans eyes narrowed as he stepped out from his stand and walked up to him. A few ladies gasped when the man roughly grabbed the boys arm and threw him to the ground, causing him to wince. "Don't beg in front of my buisness, street rat." He snarled threatningly, before he stomped back to serve his next costumer.
The raven rose, brushed off the dust on his clothes and strolled back to Naruto with a smirk on his face. The blonds eyes were widened. "I got them!" He looked away from the boy, to see Sakura running towards them. "Nice!" They highfived, still ignoring the shocked look on the thirds face. "No need to look at us like that, airhead. It was all part of the plan." She said. Then she revealed three red apples, the size of his fist.
"That was a pretty amazing show you pulled off. How come we haven't done that until now?" Naruto mumbled, while they walked back to the street they lived on. He raised the apple to his mouth and bit of a large chunk. "If we'd do it more than once a year, the guy at the market might remember our faces." Sakura told him, very matter of fact. They kept walking, the occasional crunch being the only sound they emitted.
When they approached Sasukes house, they saw a bunch of people surrounding the entrance. He stared at them with a puzzled look, when a woman took notice of their presence. "I'm so sorry." She said, kneeling before him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "What's going on?" He said cautiously. He was concerned, that much Naruto could read from his expression. "It's your family... They're dead." She sobbed, drawing the attention of the rest of the assembly. All of them had their head bowed in sorrow. Sasukes eyes widened in shock, but he didn't move. "W-what?" His lips trembled.
Noone answered. They all stood around, useless to everyone, and watched how the frail boy stumbled towards the entrance.
Naruto and Sakura were about to follow him, but were held back by their parents. "You shouldn't go in there." Kushina Uzumaki said, while pulling her son in an embrace. "Then neither should he!" The blond protested, trying to get out of her hold. "You're right." Kizashi Haruno said, with his low raspy voice. He was holding his daughters shoulders tightly. "He shouldn't." Then he was silent.
Yup. This is exactly what I meant with "It wouldn't last longer than a year." There's an obvious difference in Sasuke's behaviour which will affect them a lot. You can also look forward to the next chapter, since it will most definitely feature a livid description of gore and blood. *laughs like a maniac* because I love that sort of thing. :)
As always, feel free to leave a comment, I do answer them, btw. You tell me if you'd prefer my answering the questions in the AN at the beginning of the next chapter. And THANKS FOR THE FAVORITES, FOLLOWS AND REVIEWS OF COURSE! It made me way too happy. I'm sorry.
Hope you liked it,
-Ellie :)))
PS: yes. I had to put in the whole 'Naruto loves Sakura'. Why? Because of reasons. :)
