I'm just gonna start...
"Sakura," Sasuke called from his door. "What's going on in th-"
"TEME!" Naruto tackled him to the floor, hugging him. "Aren't you happy? We're gonna come live with you for a while! It's a like a big happy family again!"
Sasuke's brow twitched. "No, get off." He kicked him.
"What a drag..." Shikamaru followed in the bedroom and pulled Naruto off.
"Hn," Sasuke brushed the imaginary dust off as Naruto got up, grinning.
"We really don't want to be here, Sasuke." Shikamaru said lamely. "Especially with Hinata and Naruto here. Who knows what they do. It was the Hokage's orders. We have to stay here for a while. That is until you're off probation."
"Hey! We don't do anything!"
Shikamaru ignored Naruto and walked out to where the others were.
There, Sasuke saw most of Konoha 11. Most.
A small smirk tugged at his lips as he noticed Kiba's absence.
"Come join us, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, "We were just planning on what we should do with you!"
He frowned.
"Oh, no! Not like that, of course! We love having you here,"
Sakura scoffed before hitting Naruto on the head, as to which Hinata gave a small whimper.
"Just shut up, Naruto..." she muttered as she leaned forward on the table.
It went quiet...
"So!" Ino chirped. "I guess we'll be going out to eat!" she looked over to the kitchen. "In view of the kitchen being vacant..."
A stomach growled.
Everyone stared at the hyperactive blonde. He grinned sheepishly in return.
"Heh, breakfast sound good,"
The rest of the group couldn't deny. None of then have had breakfast yet due to the fact that the Hokage had called them in so early. The seven of them made for the door, Sakura looked back.
"Ne, Uchiha-san, you're gonna get pretty hungry sooner or later. Why not come with us?"
"Hn," he glanced away. "No, thanks."
Sakura sauntered over to him, smiling, and pointed a finger at his chest.
"I don't know you got my point," she kept her finger on him. "I do not and will not spend my morning here with your chicken-assed head only to starve myself to death. You're coming along whether you want to or not, got that?"
He didn't seem to be fazed by her at all. "Hn,"
Jerking away from her, he walked around her and followed out. Nsaaruto gave a loud shout for joy as she w him walking towards them. "She's obviously hungry," he muttered to no one in particular.
Sakura rubbed her temple.
Oh, geez. He really knew how to push her buttons just by doing nothing. Has he always been this... annoying? Or was she only thinking like this since she started looking at him differently...
The group ate together.
Hinata sat with Naruto.
Ino had sneaked her way into the seat next to Shikamaru.
Tenten and Neji sat next to one another like always.
And for Sakura... well, she sat on the far edge of the table, as far away from the Uchiha as possible, muttering incoherent words under her breath.
"So," Neji began as they ate. "In order for this to go smoothly, we, as a group, need to cooperate with each other."
Once said, everyone turned to the two.
"Now, Sakura," Neji turned to the pinkette. "Either fix things with Sasuke or drop out of the mission entirely."
"I can do that?" she smiled big.
"No."
Fuuuck you. She scowled at him.
"Fix things." he ordered.
"Who died and made you boss..." she muttered, barely heard.
All the while, Sasuke had managed to ignore the people around him, picking at his food.
Turning to the Uchiha, Sakura raised her eyebrows at him. Nothing. She returned to her original position.
Like this loner would ever cooperate with anything.
As if reading her thoughts, Sasuke shot her a glance. Once. Twice. He should just play along. Play along. No one'll be bothered.
"Uchiha-san, you got something right there," Sakura said, lamely, and poked his cheek with a barbecue-soaked finger. "I think I got it."
Knowing he wouldn't do anything, she felt completely comfortable, grinning in her mind. Everyone just gaped at the two.
They somehow managed to force Naruto into paying for all of it.
As they walked back, Tenten pulled her friend to the side, keeping a slow pace compared to the others.
"You're really having a kick outta this, huh?"
Sakura could only nod.
"Is it fun annoying him for a change? This time purposely?"
Nod.
"You like him, huh?"
Her nodding stopped and she lightly shook her head.
"Really, I don't."
"No point lying to me, Sakura-chan. You may have gotten Ino to believed you, but obviously not me. I can tell." Tenten looked sympathetically down at her friend. "I know you're just pretending. But why?"
The who distanced themselves from the group, keeping them away from ear-shot distance, as they neared the Uchiha Compound.
When Sakura didn't reply, the brunette nudged her. The pinkette looked up, staring at her friend, intently.
"I don't wanna get hurt again," she finally replied.
"Who says you're gonna get hurt?" her friend countered.
"Loving that heartless Uchiha has no benefits. Therefore, hurt will be one of the outcomes."
"Who says you gotta love him?"
"But doesn't it always end like that either way?"
"Who says it has to?" Tenten shrugged.
"Tenten-chan. What are you getting at?"
"Oh you know. Just be honest with him. Or pretend to if you'd like. Just don't act so cold, that never does anything except make things worst than they already are. Have a little fun with him. That's what I did with Neji-kun and he..." she trailed off but it didn't go unnoticed by Sakura. "My point is try to get along with him. Even if he's not cooperative, you gotta try and persuade him. So that way, he'll change."
Easy for you to say. This is the human icecube we're talking about.
Sakura nodded, still fixed on what Tenten had let slipped earlier. "So, what happened between you and Neji?"
"Nothing...?"
"Oh come on, tell me!" Sakura squeaked, grabbing onto her friend. "Are you guys together now?"
"Don't jump to conclusions, Sakura-chan."
"What happened?"
"He... kissed me."
"Where?" Sakura asked, excitedly.
"The lips, of course. We aren't twelve anymore, Sakura." Tenten laughed.
Sakura frowned. She was right. They weren't. She still thought of "kisses" going on the cheek, not lips. Out of all the girls she normally hung out with (Which wasn't much! Haha), she was the only one whose lips were still virgins. Hell, even Hinata got her first kiss a long time ago! While she stood there, left out. She frowned again.
A sudden realization dawned on her.
"Oh, how I need a boyfriend so badly." she joked, lolling her head from side to side.
"No, you don't. And if you did, hey, there's always Sasuke," Tenten giggled.
"Yeah, but he's Forever Alone."
"Exactly," Tenten winked. "He's perfect, then. Since you're Forever Alone too, I guess. And besides, remember what Neji-kun said about you two needing to compromise. Do it tonight, start apologizing for whatever reason. They'll always listen after if you do, and give him a hug after to spice things up!" and with that, she entered the house.
That sounded like something Ino would say...
"Shikamaru! DINNER! FUCK, IT'S GETTING COLD, ARE YOU-" she placed an empty place next to her.
"You're a troublesome woman..." he groaned.
"Neji-kun," Tenten lightly tapped him on the shoulder from the floor. "Time to eat dinner," she said sweetly.
Hinata didn't need to do anything for her dude, since he was already there, stuffing his plate with what the girls had cooked. The four girls had went out, buying at the ingredients they thought they needed for dinner.
Sakura had to go outside to get her... dude. She found him sitting in the back of the house, admiring the cleared out koi pond.
"Uchiha-san," she called, he didn't even turn to look at her. "Dinner's ready," she said, pleasantly, trying to get into the good mood before talking to him.
"Hn,"
"Uchiha-san," she persisted.
"Hn,"
"Uchiha-san!" she said, this time he looked at her and looked away just as quick.
"Hn,"
"Sasuke!"
"What! What do you want!" he glared at her. But wait. He took note at how she had called him by his first name now. But the suffix are still gone.
Progress, progress.
She sighed, frowning. "Your dinner's getting cold..."
"Hn,"
"I bought you cherry tomatoes earlier..."
"Hn,"
He decided to reply when he noticed she had no intentions of leaving. "I'm not hungry,"
Observably not getting his hint, Sakura took a seat beside him. She sighed and winged it.
Well... here goes.
"Uchiha-san, I'm sorry." she blurted, trying to look at his eyes.
He stared straight ahead. She kept going. "I shouldn't be bothering you like this. But I want you to eat. You're body's still not fully recovered from the battle."
"I'm fine." he retorted.
Well, Sakura, at least he's not grunting anymore.
"Uchiha-san," she insisted, but dropped it seeing how he wasn't going to do anything. "I'm sorry. For everything."
She felt her pride slip away as she said each word. "I know I'm not one to judge you of your past actions. I know I'm annoying. I'm a burden to everyone. I can't do anything right... It's funny how I lucky got to be placed in the same team as you, really... But I want you to know that..." she breathed in, "I'll always be here for you no matter what," and with that, she hopped down, turned to face him, leaned forward, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm not as helpless anymore."
This was when Sakura noticed that her words had been true. All of it. Not what Tenten had told her to do.
He said nothing for the meantime...
"Nevertheless, I'll still scream out loud, if you go," she gently smiled, remembering her words from years ago. "Please, Sasuke-kun... Don't leave."
He smirked into her hair, actually letting her lean against him.
"You're still annoying," she heard him say before she felt his hands lightly touch her waist. "What's with the mood swings?" he grinned.
OUTOFCHARACTERSASUKE, DON'THATEMEITSASTORY. Hahaha.
Disclaimer: Well, I don't own Naruto. c: Bye!
kalie; I didn't get to put Kiba in this chapter. D:
Oh and readers, I wouldn't mind a review. Or a Private Message if you have any ideas on how the story should turn out. Okaibai! [heart]
