A/N: Hey it's been a while since I updated. I'm sorry I'm such a slow updater…-sheepish grin- Oh I don't think I mentioned this but even though they're in New York, I will be using Japanese customs frequently such as surname before first name, using honorifics depending on the people, and so on.
Italics: phone speech.
My eyes were focused on the long road ahead of me as I drove to our breakfast destination. In my peripheral vision, I saw Mitsune slump back in her seat with a large yawn, stretching her lanky arms up as far as they could go before hitting the roof. I swear, she's looks a grizzly bear coming outta hibernation. I smile to myself as I stopped at a red light.
"Oh nee-chan, can you call Naruto for me?" I say suddenly, recalling that we are running late as per usual.
Mitsune grunts out a curt "sure" and I briefly glance at her to see her whip out her blueberry Samsung Exclaim, speed dialing his number and she puts her cell on speaker so I can hear as well. It takes a while for him to answer, but he does.
"Hey, where the hecks are you guys at?" Naruto sounds slightly irritated by our routine lateness.
"We're on our way," Mitsune informs him lightly.
I chuckle as the light change to a vivid green, signaling me to go, "Is that anyway to answer the phone, Naruto?" I tease.
There is a short pause, "…Am I on speaker?"
"Yep, gotta problem?" I say mischievously, smirking though he can't see me doing so.
"Not at all." I can hear the laugh in his still somewhat childish voice, "I just hope that you two won't mind if everyone hears you as I return the favor."
I pale slightly, recalling that Sasuke is there. Augh, he's going to hear how I sound on the phone! Oh no! Major embarrassing moment alert! Must-stop-this-from-happening!
"Mitsune, just tell Naruto we'll—"
"Bring it, I don't mind," challenges Mitsune arrogantly, cutting me off, damn her. "We're all buddies, right?"
"Yeah, hold on." I take it Naruto is following through with his statement; ok all I have to do is not say anything, aneki can talk. "…Ok there. Oi, Sasuke, say hello."
Sasuke's dark, taciturn voice comes loud and clear through the small cell, "Dobe get off of me."
"Come ooonnn, just say hi, asshole!" There is a loud scuffle and static on the other side of the line. Blinking twice, I take my chance at a right turn to take a quick peek at the phone. Mitsune stares at her phone blankly as a whiney outcry soon emits from it, "Augh, you freaking jerk! That hurt!"
At that point, we both laughed and we could hear everyone else on the other side laughing at the raven and fox's antics as well.
"Hey—all of you shut up!" But we all continue to laugh anyway. I even forgot about my embarrassment as to having Sasuke hear me on the phone.
"Naruto, what is with the red face?" we hear Lee say in between laughs.
"Sh-shut up bushy-brow, it's embarrassing that you're all laughing at me in a damn restaurant!"
Kiba's voice came through the phone next, "Oi Sasuke, how long have you been calling Naruto 'dobe'?"
"Since he met me!" Naruto snapped vehemently, answering for the raven. "Kinda like how I call him bastard, cus he's a damn bastard!"
Mitsune and I calm down after the fervent bout of giggles. Out the corner of my eye, I see my aneki shake her onyx mane in hilarity, as I turn yet another corner, straight into the restaurant parking lot.
"Oi, Naruto, we'll be there in like a minute," I announce abruptly, "I just need to find a park,"
"Oh, well okay then. See you two in a few. Later."
"Later," we call back in unison. Mistune hangs up.
"Oh imouto, look there's a park!" she yells noisily, pointing to a vacant spot in avid excitement.
"Ok, calm down eager mcbeaver," I mumble to myself, rolling my eyes. Sheesh…I think she just got hyped after the phone talk.
I pull the truck neatly into the parking space and cut the engine off. I turn to Mitsune after unbuckling my seat belt and sweeping my golden-brown bangs out of my eyes. Right off the bat, she's staring at me…and there is a strange glint scintillating within her sapphire blue orbs.
I don't like it.
"What?" I ask brusquely, narrowing my hazel orbs back at her.
"Nothing," she says evasively, looking out the window at the idyllic snowy atmosphere encompassing us from outside, "Let's just go in, I'm starved." She yanks the handle of the door and slips out the truck; I follow suit and we trek through the crunching snow, heading to the entrance of Natsunami.
For a while, the journey there is quiet, until, "Oi imouto," Puzzled, I glance up at her as she stops right in front of me and faces me.
"What now?" I blink a couple of times at the sudden stop and then narrow then just as quickly, realizing th small, knowing grin on her lips.
"If ya like Uchiha, why don't you try talking to him?"
I stare at her. Oh shitake mushrooms, she knows? No…just calm down and play it off.
"…Who said I liked Sasuke like that?" I snort with a roll of the eyes, pretending to be shocked by her accusation, "Besides, even if I did, which I don't, it wouldn't happen. There's way too much of a competition."
I wordlessly walk past Mitsune, making a bee line for the glass door and enter inside the pleasant eatery. The bell jingles like the store I went into yesterday. I stand in access foyer, just staring at my boot covered feet with a pensive expression. When the hell did she find out though? Have I been saying it in my sleep…or…is it just that damn noticeable? I can't. I can't let her know the truth. I have to keep prevaricating.
The silver bells chime for a second time as Mitsune comes in and stands beside me. I can feel her pointed gaze on me, but I blatantly ignore her. I won't let her get through to me.
A gorgeous waitress with elbow length flaming red locks and deep green eyes that remind me of emerald gemstones greets us with a warm smile. On her blue wave shaped name tag, I can see her name is Lia. "Hello and welcome to Natsunami!" she greets amicable. "Can I help you ladies with anything?"
"Actually yes," Mitsune steps forward as straightforward as ever, "We're with Uzumaki Naruto party."
Lia nods, "Oh, of course. Right this way please."
Mitsune and I trail behind the perky waitress in the frilly milk chocolate brown and white dress outfit, making a few turns to avoid tables as we head in the further back area (of course Naruto would pick that secluded spot) and we glimpse everyone at their booth table as we make a straight course to them. Positioned at the horizontal table, the order staring from left to right is Sasuke (by the window of course), Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru and Naruto (at the edge of the booth). On the other side, starting from the same direction is Kiba and Lee; the vacant spot our most likely ours.
Naruto is leaned back against the cushion booth wearing a typical bright orange hoodie and denim jeans I assume. Sakura is wearing a pink zip up sweater and red skinny jeans; her pretty pink hair is out like always. Sasuke is wearing a red checkered board design jacket and ebony jeans.
Shikamaru has on a dark blue long sleeved shirt and black pants. Ino is wearing a purple sweater with white jeans, her white blonde hair in its usual high ponytail. Kiba has on a gray long sleeved jacket and matching pants and Lee is wearing normal clothes (thank Kami-sama); a simple bottle green sweater and jeans.
I take a deep breath and smile coolly as we walk up to them, "Hey guys,"
Naruto glances up and locks eyes with me as everyone else looks our way. "Oh finally," he blurts out, stretching his arms on either side of the table. "You two are always late!"
"Dobe, you should have patience by now," was Sasuke's cool, calm remark, "especially with them."
"No one asked for your unnecessary comment!" replies Naruto, obviously annoyed.
I smile at the constant bickering between them, but my eyes were more on Sasuke. Damn…he looks really good in his expensive-looking (is he rich or something?) jacket. I lick my dry lips and force myself to look in a different direction before the raven could notice my rude staring.
"So, uh, what have you all been doing?" I ask curiously.
"Nothing much," answers Shikamaru in his lazy drawl, elbow resting on the table surface, his chin placed in his palm. "Naruto insisted that we color and play retarded games until you two came."
The blonde growls angrily, "Hey shut up, it was something to do!"
"We're nineteen and twenty years old Naruto," states Kiba shortly, "We aren't little kids anymore."
"Oh yeah, then why'd you go along with it, mutt?"
"Eh? What did you call me?"
A heated argument breaks out. I sweat drop at them. Oh geez…if it's not Naruto and Sasuke, its Naruto and Kiba.
"Ehem, anything else you guys did?" asks Mitsune, her eyes drifting minutely to the fighting pair.
"Well, I've been perfectly fine with staring at Sasuke-kun!"
Good to know Ino, but Sasuke belongs to me, so if ya don't mind, I'd like you to back off. Whoa…since when did I become so possessive and fan girly? I am ashamed at my thoughts…
"Ino, that's not what I meant exactly…" sighs Mitsune dully, sliding next to Lee. I wonder if aneki is wondering if she's the only non-Sasuke admirer here…and she almost certainly is.
Naturally, I would get stuck sitting across Naruto at the edge, and it figures even more that Sasuke and I are not only on opposite sides, but he's also the farthest from me. Well…that's how we know each other anyway and probably always will. We aren't meant to be any closer.
We all have ordered our food and it arrived very promptly, nice and hot, freshly made. Everyone digs in and we make small talk in between bites.
"So Sasuke, when do you and Mitsune plan to work on your project?" inquires Ino curiously, her sky blue orbs locked dead on him.
"We've already gotten started," he responds in his husky timbre.
"Yea," supplies aneki suddenly, "Amazingly, he's not too bad for a partner." She takes a long sip of freshly squeezed OJ from her straw.
I watch Sasuke's obsidian orbs shift to her face and then back. My jealous for Mitsune increases and grows stronger. I tap my index finger against the sturdy, polished surface of the table to release some of this scalding envy.
"Hey Isano, let's go to the store to at least get an idea of what to do." I listen quietly to Naruto suggestion, still tapping on the tan marble table.
"Sure thing."
Kiba is telling us about his trip in the mountains last winter break. Sounds like he had a blast from the happy grin and how excited he sounded as he told his tale.
I look down at my finished plate, now playing with the thick, maple syrup, indolently watching it ooze down my metal fork as I listen. A childish grin plays on my lips as it drips down the puddle of sugary brown on my plate. Hehehe…I don't know why, but I find this entertaining to do when I finish my pancakes. Still giggling to myself, I look up across the long table only to find smoky gray orbs locked with mine.
"S-Sasuke…" I mutter under my breath, blushing lightly, somewhat embarrassed that he caught me amusing myself with freaking syrup. Wow…how dumb that must look, for me, at the age of nineteen, to pull something like that.
He quickly turns back to Kiba as I do the same, blushing a bit more now. How embarrassing.
"Hey—are you two listening?" Kiba cuts his story and glares at Sasuke and then shifts to me with the same scowl.
I give him a hugger-mugger stare, "Wha—"
"We're listening Kiba, just continue," Sasuke says monotonously, resting his balled up fist on his temple with a cocked head.
"Oh, ok," Kiba looks pleased to hear that. Good thing the raven stopped me from asking what he was talking about. "Anyways, as I was saying, Akamaru and I were up in the mountains last year for winter break, and we saw a polar bear, it was huge!"
"Don't you mean grizzly bear?" corrects Sakura plainly.
Kiba stares blankly at the pinkette before a sudden light bulb seems to appear above his shaggy brown head, "Ah yeah, that's right, polar bears live in Antarctica."
Naruto guffaws, "Ha! And they call me the dumbass. And I'm sure both you and Akamaru had your tails in between your legs…literally!"
"Shut the hell up Naruto!"
"Make me!"
"Heh, oh yeah? Alright then, you asked for it," Kiba replies calmly with cocked eyebrow and a long grin, "Well everyone, I recall a couple of years ago, when we went camping,"
Naruto's blue eyes widen vastly, his mouth dropping in utmost horror, "Kiba you—"
"A certain someone," he continues, cutting him off effectively, "Asked me to go to the bathroom with him cus he was scared to walk outside the tent in the dark…don't you…Naruto?"
"Fuck you Kiba!" Naruto snaps heatedly as he folded his arms across his chest, his face red as uproarious laughter exploded amongst everyone, except Sasuke (who smirks amusedly) and Shikamaru (who merely yawns widely). "You said you'd never bring that up!"
"You're just mad cus I put your dumbass in check!" he laughed loudly.
"Hehehe…Kiba that was awesome," Mitsune chuckles across from the table, she always approves when someone gets 'pwned' from previously 'pwning' someone, if you understand what I mean. "I'd high five you, but we're not close by each other."
"Mitsune, whose side are you on?" whined Naruto depressingly.
"Sorry, but that was a good one."
"You are so mean," he wailed.
"Well Naruto, you should have seen it coming," Sakura sighs, shaking her head before perking up suddenly.
She reaches in her pink sweater pocket and withdraws her rosy pink L-2 Rumor. The small pre-screen was glowing, signifying that someone was contacting her. I observe her inquisitively as she flips it open and reads an evident text and then sighs darkly.
"Hey guys, I'm going to cut our quality time short."
"What is wrong?" asks Lee worriedly, looking at her.
"That damn Neji wants to start on our project now."
"Can't it wait till later?" groans Naruto, "We haven't all hung out in forever it seems."
"I'll see…let me text him back," She starts texting the Hyuuga back with quick, nimble fingers; good grief, she texts way faster than me and aneki put together.
In that short span of time, Lee's ring tone plays. "Oh." He takes his own phone from his side pocket.
"Not you too busy-brows?" the blonde grumbles petulantly.
"Yeah…Hinata also wants me to come over for a bit."
Sakura sucks her teeth loudly, running her pale fingers through her shoulder length bubble gum pink locks. Her light jade green orbs are burning with that quick temper of hers. You absolutely do not want to get on her bad side when you see that look.
"Man, I'll see you guys later." She stands up, grabbing her pink sachet. "I'll see you guys later. Bye Sasuke-kun."
He grunts out a parting bye.
"Those Hyuuga and their 'get it done now' attitude. Well Hinata's cool, but Neji, on the other hand, pisses me off."
"At least they will be getting their work done," Shikamaru remarks listlessly. "Knowing you, you'll probably give Isano here most of the work, if not all."
"Will not," Naruto pouts, puffing his cheeks out, even though…I'd have to agree that the lazy genius is more than likely right.
As the minutes turned to an hour, our group steadily got smaller, to the point where it was the four of us: My aneki and I…and the (my) raven and fox.
"Yo, Mitsune and teme, wanna come with me and Isano to the store?" Sasuke wordlessly nods, answering his query, "Then let's all ride together, dattebayo!"
I smile adoringly at Naruto's well-known declaration. He always says that when he's hyper or overly excited.
"Wait, whose car are we gonna take?" Mitsune asks in between invariable shivers as we are standing outside of Natsunami now.
"We'll take mine." Sasuke pulls out the keys to his sleek ebony Chrysler 300. "I'll drive."
"Cool, nice ride!" exclaims aneki, rushing over to the shiny car like a kid. "Of course, with your family's company being as big as it is…I'm not surprised."
Oh yeah…that's why Sasuke always has such luxurious stuff…his family is one of the most prevailing financial companies, not just in America…but in the entire world. How could I have forgotten? It makes me wonder why he bothers to go to college…he technically doesn't have to; he could get home schooled by some sort of genius.
I suppose he, like anyone else, has his own personal motive.
Sighing, I walk over to the back behind the passenger's seat. To my immense surprise, the door is already opened. I look up at to see a flushed Naruto, fidgeting slightly.
"T-Thanks…" I smile brightly at the red-faced Naruto.
"Y-you're welcome, anytime." He looks down at his feet, trying to hide his blazing blush from me.
It's not working though.
I shake my head playfully, still holding my smile with my own pink cheeks as I hop into the car. Naruto even closes the door for me. Wow, he's such a gentleman. I never noticed it…how much he's actually grown up since we've known each other since high school. I guess that's why though.
Inside the 300, the seats are fine black leather and lustrous. It really is a grand car. I wish I had one like this. But our modest GMC Acadia is nice too, don't get me wrong.
Mitsune slides inside next to me, sitting on the right side, "Aha, awesome, the seats are like, so smooth."
"Don't mess it up," Sasuke says in impassive voice as he gets in the front seat behind the wheel.
"I'm not Uchiha," She sticks her tongue out at him, "Beside the way you said it so unemotionally, it sounded like you couldn't care less."
The raven sighs and half glares at her through the view mirror, pale face stern, "You know I do."
"Yeah, yeah, okay."
Naruto gets in on the passenger's side; I can still see his cheeks are red. Apparently Sasuke does too, in regards to his next statement, "Stop being an idiot, dobe."
The hyper blonde snaps his tan face to his roommate and I can see the deep frown on his face from the side.
"I'm not teme, shut up."
"Whatever." He looks up into his mirror, before pulling out the park.
For the first few minutes, the drive was silent, until Sasuke stopped at a red light. Then Naruto began to speak, "So, Mitsune, what are you and teme here planning to do this week?"
"Huh, oh nothing much," she responds, looking at the blonde cheerfully, "Just trying to finish this project ASAP, ne Uchiha?"
Sasuke's dark eyes drift up to the elevated mirror and he stares at aneki for the longest moment, prior to turning his attention back on the road. "I suppose so," he says.
Mitsune's cuts her azure blue eyes at the seemingly innocuous response and questions in a guarded tone, "What does that mean?"
"Nothing but the obvious."
The light changes back, and Sasuke takes off once again. The four of us are silent for a second time. There was definitely tension in this car, not bad tension, just the kind when you're at a complete loss for words. I mean honestly…this was the very first time Mitsune and I have ever been passengers in Sasuke's car. Even though we were all friends (acquaintances in me and Sasuke's case) it was still…pretty weird.
A/N: Ah so that's it for now! I'll try not to have such a long gap in between updates. Thanks for reading and please review, I'd like to know your thoughts on this chappie!