Sasuke felt the collar of his black shirt tighten. Standing at the entrance of the Peace Gathering, he really felt like he might turn around and run. He didn't want to be here. He shouldn't be here. He felt people's eyes on him from every angle. Eyes narrowed in judgement. Did he blame them? No. Not at all. "Come on, Sasuke! Hinata said she was saving us a seat!" Naruto grabbed at his best friend's arm, tugging him along. Sasuke jerked his arm from his grasp, "Don't tug on me," the Uchiha hissed through gritted teeth. Stupid parole. Stupid Peace Gathering. Stupid Naruto.
Naruto led him to a large round table, draped over with a thick, heavy white tablecloth. Everything was lavish, expensive. This is what the riches of all the nation's put together looks like, Sasuke thought. Not that he cared, he would rather be in his small apartment with the curtains drawn. Naruto plopped down next to the Hyuuga girl. "Hinata! You look absolutely beautiful!" Her cheeks rushed red, her fingers wrapping themselves in nervous knots. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. You look very handsome yourself." Naruto puffed his chest out and straightened the collar of his shirt. "Thanks, Hinata! This is the shirt you picked out! I almost spilled ramen on it because this idiot came and woke me from a dead sleep!" The blonde's eyes narrowed in Sasuke's direction. Hinata blushed yet again and giggled. "Well I'm glad you managed to save it."
The seat next to Sasuke was soon filled by Kakashi. "Yo. You two look dashing," the copy-nin said. Everyone was dressed in their nicest clothes, even his lay about sensei. What Sasuke wouldn't give to go home. A waiter dressed in a tuxedo approached their table. "Drinks, anyone?" Everyone declined, but Naruto promised that he would be drunk by the end of the night. Sai sat in the chair next to the Hyuuga girl, with the loudmouth blonde girl in tow. "Sorry we're late! My hair just was not cooperating..." she said as she fussed with her updo. It looked like a bird's nest to Sasuke and he couldn't fathom how she could have been late achieving said look. The weapons girl and Neji were the next to sit down. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the couple. "Say, you guys are always late. What keeps ya?" Color flooded the kunai girl's cheeks. "Nothing! Uh, it's a long walk from my house to Neji's. Just takes awhile!" She anxiously rubbed her arms, blushing. Neji seemed unperterbed, as usual. The rest of their class slowly joined the table. Sasuke was surprised when the fan girl from the Sand Village took a seat next to Shikamaru. How had he missed that? Sasuke scoffed to himself. Once again, why did he care?
Sasuke noticed that there was an empty seat at the table. He knew who was missing immediately. His eyes were scanning the large room, looking for any sign of pink. "Hey! The buffet is out! Let's go, Shikamaru!" Choji stood from the table and raced to the buffet station, now filled with food. Slowly, everyone made their way to make a plate. Sasuke took the oppurtunity to look around the room. He had never seen so many shinobi in one room and not trying to kill each other. He saw ninja from other villages talking at the buffet tables; men shaking hands, women laughing and sharing hugs. Was this how the Shinobi world was meant to be? If what was happening in this room was true, then why were there wars? Senseless deaths? Families murdered? These questions still puzzled him.
His many questions was soon halted when the seat next to him was suddenly filled with an exasperated Sakura. "Hey, Sasuke! Man, I am so late. The interns at the hospital had a patient come in with an emergency surgery that they were not ready for, so of course I had to stay behind and help."
The Uchiha's mouth went dry. His Sharingan began to whir, committing the image before him to permanent memory. She stood beside him, eyes scanning the room for her friend, no doubt. Her hands were in her hair, pinning loose tendrils to an intricate updo that did not resemble a bird's nest in the slightest bit. Loose, soft waves framed her face. Some sort of headband kept the hair in place, catching the lights and throwing shards of glimmers of color in every direction. Earrings dangled from her lobes, small gems sparkling. A matching necklace adorned her neck, resting in the hollow of her throat. Her eyes were framed with thick, long lashes that touched near her eyebrows when her gaze shifted upwards. Her skin was glowing and looked soft to the touch. She had no other makeup on, hell, she didn't need it. When he finally saw the dress, he felt something stir in his stomach. The dress was stark white, with fabric that billowed around her frame. The neckline on the dress first infuriated him because he knew that other men had to be looking at her the way he was. The dress wasn't distasteful, but skin was on display. The flat expanse of skin between her breasts was visible, cutting off at her where her breasts ended. A sash of fabric was at her waist, showcasing that she was slender, but still with a womanly shape. She turned around to look behind her and he saw her back exposed. He took a deep breath, deactivating his Sharingan. The pinkette finally caught sight of her blonde best friend, waving her back to the table.
This woman would be the death of him.