Skullz&Rozez- Infatuated
Disclamer: I don't own Naruto.
Why was it that, if I had never loved—or even liked—him before, I was completely infatuated with him now? Maybe it was his good looks; but personally, I think it was his attitude… InoxNaruto.
Chapter 3: Cupid's Arrows"Ino?" I heard Sasuke's voice; he sounded upset, and I think I knew why.
"Ino" Sasuke called again. I turned to look at him. Avoiding his face, and concentrating on his feet, I shifted my gaze to his hair, careful to avoid his eyes.
Relax, Ino! I try to calm myself He doesn't know what you've done… or does he. I shake my head.
"What's going on?" Sasuke asks, he reaches forward, I watch his hands move. He's so emo, this sudden burst of emotion sounds strange coming from him. The weirdest part of this was my sudden emotions. I'm not emo, like Sasuke, but suddenly I felt like crying. You know, like you didn't do anything, but you feel like your about to cry. That's how I feel; only I did do something. I hurt my best friend's feelings. The one person I never meant to hurt…
"I'm sorry" I shouted, I surprised myself again by running forward and wrapping my arms around Sasuke's waist, and burying my face in his shirt. And I cried. I've cried countless times before, but nothing like this. This was different. I wasn't crying because I was hurt, I was crying because my best friend was hurt.
Sasuke meant more to me than anyone, and I was so afraid to loose him.
But after this, there would be no way we could stay friends… not once he knew the whole story…
"I'm SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!" I shouted, screaming with my face still buried in his shirt. Sasuke did nothing. I couldn't even feel his arms around me, the way mine were around him. I couldn't feel his warm breath on my neck, and I couldn't tell if he was mad, upset, or if he didn't care.
I pulled myself away from him, and painfully allowed myself to look into his eyes. They were empty, bottomless.
He was upset.
I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks, and I took Naruto's blinding sweatshirt off, and threw it on the ground.
"I HATE HIM!" I shouted. Sasuke looked at me with slightly amused eyes, they were wider now, and the corners of his mouth were ever so slightly turned upwards.
"You think I hate you for kissing Naruto?" He asked me, lightly, there was no sadness in his voice now.
"You're not mad at me?" I was still crying. Damn tears, they wouldn't stop flowing down my cheeks.
"I was," Sasuke shrugged. I reached forward and pulled myself into his arms. He hugged me back this time, and I could feel his hand petting my head. "It hurts me to see such a beautiful girl cry"
I closed my eyes. My purple room was not such an inspiration when it came to writing in my diary. I did what I normally do when I can't think straight. I took a picture, crinkled and folded from the inside of a book. One line in the book, marked with the picture and old faded yellow highlighter. It's been a long time since I saw the picture.
Sakura, Sasuke, Hinata and I, ten years old, our arms wrapped around each other, inseparable friends. It was back when Sasuke wasn't emo, and Sakura wasn't slutty, and Hinata wasn't too quiet. Back when Sasuke and I were only friends, and Naruto never talked to us. Back when we were happy.
The tears came back to my eyes. I missed that Sasuke. The one who, no matter what happened, he would smile. He had such a beautiful smile back then too.
I read the quote, fifty million times in my head. I didn't need to read the book to read it. I had it memorized a while ago, actually.
"I want a relationship I can finally sink my teeth into"
I had always loved that quote, it made me smile at it, sometimes even laugh. But now, it made me wonder. Would Naruto sink his teeth into me?
Or had he already?
My eyes felt suddenly heavy, and I put the book down. Soon I was asleep, dreams of Naruto and Sasuke flooded into my head.
I woke up at 6:00 am, not because of my alarm clock, but my phone. The ring tone was blasting, only slightly muffled from being under my pillow. I lifted my pillow and flipped my phone open.
"Hello?" I asked, groggily.
"Ino?" A voice asked on the other line. My stupid shitty phone made voices distorted, but I could tell who it was.
Sasuke.
"Who else would it be?" I snapped. "You woke me up, asshole"
"Sorry Ino," Sasuke said. I couldn't hear the emotion in his voice, but I could care less. I just wanted to go to sleep again. "I only have one question" Sasuke could somehow sense my longing to go back to sleep.
"Yes?"
"Are you and Naruto a couple?" I sighed
"No, and trust me, Sasuke…" I struggled to phrase it nicely for Naruto's sake, even though the blonde wasn't there. "We never will be"
I could hear a relieved sigh on the other end
"Why?"
"I love you"
I woke up an hour later, got dressed, and thought about the conversation I had just had. It had to be a dream. Sasuke was too emo for thoughts like that. Constantly hiding behind eyeliner, he was too shy too.
I pulled my purple sweatshirt over my head, remembering it today, even though it wasn't raining and was likely to be warm.
I got on the bus. Naruto sat next to me again today.
"Hi, Ino" He greeted me. I responded in a civil manner. He was gorgeous, but that was beside the point.
"Wanna go out--" Naruto began to ask
"No"
Naruto deadpanned, he looked at me with crazy puppydog eyes. It made me sick
"Even after yesterday?" He asked, hurt. "Admit it, you wanted that"
"I'm not going to go out with you, Naruto" I said, I wasn't going to hurt Sasuke's feelings anymore than I had when he found out I had kissed Naruto. It was too painful for me to see Sasuke like that
Especially when he just admitted he loved me.
And especially when I loved him back.
Naruto stared at me. "This is about Uchiha isn't it?" He asked.
I couldn't hurt more than one person. Especially when I liked both.
I nodded. My throat had closed up, and I couldn't speak. I didn't want to speak. I couldn't hurt anyone. That wasn't the type of person I was.
Naruto's blue eyes pierced my heart. He was cupid's arrow, and I was his target. I sighed; it was too early in the morning for love.
The bus stopped, and I hopped out. I walked slowly to my homeroom. If I loved him, why did I not want to see Sasuke.
I entered the room. Sasuke was in the same corner as yesterday. Today, he was wearing a black baseball cap, which made his eyes darker and more shadow-y than usual. He had his iPod on, and had is sketchbook open on his lap.
He was not in a mood to be bothered.
I sat down at the table. A few minutes later, Neji joined me.
Was this week "Be kind to Ino" week?
"Hello, Ino" Neji said, polite like he would be to a normal person.
"Cut the crap, Neji" I snapped. I had enough of Naruto, and I wasn't in the mood for Neji too.
Neji sighed, "News flash, Naruto likes you—A LOT—why don't you just go out with him?"
I looked over at Sasuke, he was looking at me now, his black eyes were painful to look at.
I spaced out, staring into his deep, pained, onyx eyes. I knew how he felt. I knew how I felt.
I loved him…
I could never have him…
School was long. But finally the last bell rang, and we were free to go. I tried to find Sasuke before sports started.
I spotted the black hat. He had it on all day.
"SASUKE!" I shouted across the campus. He didn't turn around. He kept on walking. "SASUKE!" I ran after him.
Someone blocked my view.
Naruto…
I sighed, "Yes, Naruto?" I tried to squeeze past him, but he was in the small doorway and could easily block me. I look past Naruto's over-inflated big head; Sasuke was out of site. I sighed again. "Naruto, I have to go to tennis practice!" I pushed past him.
Naruto followed me, and pulled my arm "Come on, Ino" he pulled me closer to him. "You don't always have to go to sports" I removed my wrist from his hand.
"Is that what your coach tells you?" I snapped, and I walked quickly to my homeroom. Ignoring Naruto's pleas.
I passed Naruto on my way out of homeroom. I had my racket with me, incase he tried something funny. The pink and purple metal sparkled in the sunlight. It was a year since I had bought it; it looked old now. The top was scratched, and the handle was worn away in many places. I had played tennis all summer, and I was number one singles on the team. The scratches on the racket shimmered even more than the racket itself, and silver where the pink and purple paint had chipped off was as bright as ever.
I walked across the street to my school's playing fields, and changed into shorts and a t-shirt. I walked out onto the tennis courts. The hard concrete ground made the tennis courts ten degrees warmer than the rest of the playing fields. I groaned. Just then Temari made her way over to the court.
"Hey, Ino" She waved. I had suddenly become much more popular over the whole "Naruto kissed me" crap.
"Hi Temari" I grabbed a ball and stuck in my spandex and hopped onto the middle of the court. Temari, number three singles, followed suit on the other side of the net.
We rallied for a few minutes, before Temari spaced out, looking over at the benches outside of the tennis court gates.
Naruto was standing there… Figures…
"You're so hot when you play tennis" Naruto told me once practice was over.
"Go home, Naruto" I said in reply
I ignored the boy, forgetting we rode home together on the bus.
"What are you doing, Naruto?" I asked when he stopped at the bus stop with me.
"Am I supposed to fly home, or something?" Naruto asked sarcastically.
I sighed, "sorry, I forgot."
All the way home, Naruto leaned his head against my shoulder. I listened to music, ignoring whatever he told me.
I was home after twenty minutes, and I was rid of Naruto.
Or so I thought…
Halfway through my homework, the phone rang.
"It's for you, Ino!" my mom turned to me.
"Who is it?"
"Naruto, he wants to talk to you about going to a movie on Saturday" My mom sounded delighted. She'd heard of Naruto, and his obnoxious behaviors, how I hated him, and how he made my life a living hell.
She must be so proud that we're actually getting along now…
"I'm not home, mom," I told her. She nodded. "And I'm going to Sakura's house on Saturday" I made the random thing up in my head, knowing that Naruto would probably ask me why I turned him down again.
And maybe I would go to Sakura's house this weekend. With Sasuke too, just to make sure we were still on good terms, even if we didn't end up friends.
That night, I drifted into a not so peaceful sleep. Thoughts of Naruto and Sasuke fighting crossed my mind again. And I tossed and turned until midnight, waking up every five minutes. Finally I took some of my mom's sleeping pills and drifted into a deep sleep with more thoughts of Sasuke and Naruto.
Life sucks when you're a teenager…
It really does…
Well, chapter three is done, now to finish my homework…
Please review!
One question to ponder:
In the next chapter (a month later) there is news of a dance. What's going to happen at the dance, and who is Ino going to go with?