Hello my darlings! I am back :D I know it's been quite awhile (much longer than I had intended), and I'm sorry for that. If I take more than a couple months, I think I might just start sending out previews for the next chapter. Once again, thank you everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited! I love hearing from you guys whether it be compliments, your thoughts/opinions, or criticism :) And I really do take what you guys say into account if you ever wonder lol
Some of you are quite thoughtful and insightful in your reviews and I can only smile with joy lol It's like you all just want me to jump the gun and get right to the sasunaru goodness but patience my little ducklings, I need to build on the character development for everyone, and it'll be well worth it in the end :)
Anyway, enjoy chapter 9 everyone!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
~Life Swap~
"Alright Sakura, everything has been set up for you. You have fifteen minutes to talk to Sasuke on the phone. You know the rules, so please stick to them. I'll be outside the door waiting for when you're done. Then I'll escort you to the restaurant where you'll meet Sai."
Sakura nodded at Yamato. She actually didn't think her request to speak with Sasuke would be granted, but was relieved, and happy to see that it was permitted. The moment Yamato told her the good news, she had felt an overwhelming bout of homesickness.
The rules she had to follow was to keep the conversation off the subject of the show itself. She could ask about how Sasuke or Konohamaru were doing, and they the same, but couldn't go into any details. She also couldn't ask any questions about Naruto or give any information about Sai away.
Simple rules really. And she was fine with them. All she wanted was to speak with Sasuke. Ever since hearing that Itachi was back home, she had been feeling worried. She knew the elder Uchiha wasn't fond of her. Why he wasn't she had no idea. But as the days went by, wondering if she'd be allowed to talk to Sasuke, she realized more and more how much she needed to speak to him. To hear his voice.
"Okay, thank you Yamato." As grateful as Sakura was, her tone was a little impatient. She wanted Yamato out of the room now so she could call Sasuke.
Catching onto the woman's impatience, Yamato nodded his head and left the room. He'd be right outside the door and wait for her to finish.
Once the door closed shut, the phone was immediately in Sakura's hand. The phone would of also been pressed to her ear, listening to it ring, but all she could do was stare at it. Yamato had told her that Sasuke would be waiting by the phone right now, waiting for her call.
Was he still angry with her? Would he even say much to her? Why was she even bothering to ponder on this? Of course he was still angry with her...She had pretty much dropped the bomb on him at the last second. She remembered that conversation all too well.
'I can' believe you signed up for something so stupid! What the hell Sakura?! How come I wasn't even given a say in this?'
'Please Sasuke, try to understand! I want to pay you back for my debt, and this was the fastest way!'
'Fastest way-? I don't care if it had taken you years! It would of been better if you had done it the right way! Now we'll be exposed on live television. And what of Konohamaru? Are you seriously expecting to allow some stranger to live in our home for a whole month?!'
Tears had started to gather in her eyes. All she had wanted was to repay Sasuke! 'Alright...fine. You're right. This idea was stupid. I wasn't thinking. I'll call Kakashi right now and tell him to-'
Rather abruptly, Sasuke grabbed the papers from her and signed his name. 'Send that in to the man.' Then he got up and left the room, leaving Sakura completely stunned.
Even now, Sakura still had no idea why he had signed his name. Had no idea what had changed his mind. That sudden spur of the moment was so unlike him and it had bothered her. But Sakura pushed the thought aside, deciding not to think much of it. It was just Sasuke in a fit of rage and dealing with it irrationally.
She thought that was all it could be, but ever since hearing that Itachi was back home, she was beginning to have her doubts. Why Sakura was having doubts? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she felt it deep down.
With a deep breath, Sakura slowly dialed the number, then pressed the phone to her ear and waited. On the fifth ring, the line was picked up.
"Hello?"
For a moment Sakura's throat went dry, but she swallowed quickly. "Sasuke! Happy Anniversary darling!"
"Happy Anniversary Sakura."
His monotone voice suddenly set off a feeling she hadn't felt in years. She gripped the phone tightly but kept her voice cheerful. "How are you doing? Is everything alright with you and Konohamaru?"
There was a moments pause before she heard a slight shuffling over the phone, as if he was readjusting his position. "I'm doing fine. Konohamaru's doing fine as well. He went to one of his friends birthday parties yesterday and had a great time."
"Oh I see, that's good to hear. Is he there? I'd like to say hi to him too."
"He's not here at the moment. He's spending the day with Itachi."
"O-Oh." Sakura's voice waned a bit. "I heard Itachi was back. I thought he was suppose to be doing business in Europe."
"He was, but he came back home for a vacation. Don't bother asking why, the reason should be obvious."
That accusatory tone was thickly laced within Sasuke's voice, it was difficult to ignore it. Itachi adored Konohamaru, so it wasn't surprising the elder Uchiha would rush home when Sakura got them all involved with Life Swap. It's not like they could choose who they could swap lives with. Guilt started to take root, but she felt more anxious than guilt.
"Sasuke...there's something I've been wanting to ask you." She paused for a minute to gather her thoughts, all the while Sasuke stayed silent on the other end.
"Why did you suddenly change your mind and go along with Life Swap?"
The other end was silent. Sakura even started to wonder if Sasuke was even there, if he had hung up on her at some point, but then she heard a very soft sigh.
"I guess I did to teach you lesson. You always get yourself into messes, and I usually get you out of them. At the time, I wasn't thinking. The only thing on my mind was that I didn't want to deal with your bullshit, so I went ahead and signed my name."
That really, really stung more than Sakura thought it would. Over the past year or so, she could admit she's been getting mixed up in things that could of been avoided if she had made the right decisions. Truthfully, she actually didn't know what was going on with her. Talking to Sasuke right now, when they were thousands of miles apart on their anniversary day, suddenly formed a lump of emotion in her throat.
She swallowed thickly and breathed out through her nose. "I'm sorry Sasuke."
"Hn."
Was that really all he could say to her? Then again...should she be surprised?
A knock on the door told Sakura that her time was up. She glared at the door venomously, not wanting to get off the phone just yet. They should give her more time! Fifteen minutes wasn't nearly enough time!
Another knock was heard, and Sakura scowled, but quickly schooled her features. "I have to go Sasuke."
"So do I. Kakashi is knocking on the door now."
"Alright...tell Konohamaru I said hello for me! And Sasuke," Sakura cradled the phone with bother her hands near her ear, "I love you."
There was a long, heavy pause before she got a reply. "I love you too. I'll tell Konohamaru you said hello."
A smile graced Sakura's features, feeling a bit of a weight being lifted from her shoulders. "Thank you Sasuke. Hopefully we'll be able to talk again soon. Take care!"
They ended their call, and Sakura felt so much better than she had before. Yamato then walked in, and once he saw the pleasant look on Sakura's face Yamato smiled.
"Have a nice chat with your husband?"
Sakura thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I did." She stood up and grabbed her handbag. "Now it's off to see the man of my nightmares?"
Yamato snorted in amusement and ushered her out of the room. "I'm sure you'll have a great time. Just be nice. I also had a little chat with Sai and told him to behave himself. This is your anniversary, so you deserve to enjoy it since you can't spend it with Sasuke."
This pleased Sakura. She actually was starting to look forward to dinner a bit. The ride wasn't long, and soon they arrived at the Gramercy Tavern. It was a very classy restaurant, and Sakura was eager to try their food. She was glad the executives took it upon themselves to pay for everything as well. At least they were considerate.
"Sai should already be inside seated. Enjoy your evening Sakura. And also," Yamato smiled at her, "You look lovely. Sasuke would of loved to see you tonight."
"Thank you Yamato." She smiled back at him. She really wished she was with Sasuke right now. She wore what she would of worn out to dinner with him on such a special night too. A knee high, single strap deep maroon dress, black high heels, and a black neck ribbon slightly off to the side. Her hair was pulled back into a slightly messy bun with her bangs framing her face, with light make up on.
Sakura felt as beautiful as she knew she looked. She walked inside and was greeted by a host who led her to her table. Sai was indeed already there, fake smile and all, looking...as sophisticated as a man like him could look. Weren't gay men suppose to be stylish? All he wore was black slacks with a white collared shirt and dark grey blazer over it. The shirt wasn't completely buttoned up, and he wasn't even wearing a tie.
As a little annoyed and embarrassed as she was to be seen with him like this, she didn't make any comment on his attire to keep the peace. Instead, she silently took her seat across from Sai. This was her special night, and she wouldn't let Sai ruin it for her. Thankfully a waiter came. He was a rather short man with quite a fierce look in his eyes.
"Good evening, my name is Levi and I'll be your server for tonight. Would you two like to decide on a beverage before looking through our menu?"
Not a very friendly air about him either, but Sakura brushed it off and lifted the menu to look at the list of drinks they had. Quickly her eyes skimmed the list and was impressed with their vast collection of wine.
"I'll have the Rocche dei Manzoni."
Nodding, Levi wrote it down, then looked over at her 'date'. Sai still had that irritating little smile ever present on his face. She often wondered if his lips were just stuck that way sometimes and he just couldn't do anything about it. Finally he seemed to come to a decision.
"I'll have your Yellow Chartreuse for now."
Quickly Levi wrote down the order. "I'll be back shortly with your drinks."
An awkward silence fell between them, one that Sakura wasn't sure she'd be able to stand for long. After another minute of looking all around the room, she turned her attention to the man across from her.
"So, is this your first time here?"
"It is."
Of course he wouldn't continue the conversation. In actuality, the two of them hadn't spoken much to each other in the past week since she arrived here. At first, she was determined to avoid being around him, but then Yamato had warned her that she had to somehow get along with him if she wanted to have a chance at winning. Being tied down by work didn't help this first week. Thankfully that was over and done with. She never wanted to work in a restaurant again or around kids. Their schedules didn't leave much time for interaction except in the evenings. Sometimes Sakura wondered what Sai's relationship with this Naruto was like.
"So when is your anniversary with your husband?"
Sai actually looked a little surprised by the question, his smile had wavered slightly, but it came back full force. "It's in May. May 22nd."
"How nice, in the spring time. That's quite a few months away too. At least you'll both be together then for that this year." Unlike how she was apart from Sasuke, but again, she knew it was her own fault.
"I heard you got to speak with your husband today. Happy that you were able to speak with him?"
"Yes I did and of course I was. I love my husband so much and he was so happy to hear from me." Even though she was lying a little about her call with Sasuke, it had still gone well. "I'm sure you would have liked to speak with Naruto too."
A small look flashed through Sai's eyes, but it was gone quickly. But not fast enough, Sakura had caught the look. It looked like guilt. The other day during her interview with Yamato when she mentioned she suspected Sai of infidelity, she hadn't truly believed it herself. It was more or less her badmouthing them. She was still determined to dig up dirt on them, because she aimed to win.
"Yes, I would have liked to talk to him."
"Of course, this must be the longest you two have been apart too. You must miss him."
Again that tiny look of guilt flashed through his eyes, but his smiled stayed plastered on his face. "Of course I do, just as you miss Sasuke."
Just then Levi returned with their drinks. He took his notepad out again and took their order. Sakura quickly skimmed through the menu and ordered the Smoked Duck Fazzoletti as her first course. Sai had asked for the Beef Tartare. Levi wrote it down and left, promising to return with the first course shortly.
Now that they had their drinks, Sakura took a few sips of her wine and smiled at the taste. This was one of her favorites.
"So tell me Sai. What do you do for a living? I've been here for a little more than a week and I still don't know."
Sai glanced at Sakura with a curious look before answering. "I'm an artist and receive commissions from patrons from time to time. I have my own art studio but it's not always enough to make a living so I also work in a car garage."
Artist and works as a mechanic...It must be a struggle for them to break even at times. But she had to admit making your career from being an artist wasn't easy. She didn't even peg Sai to be one actually.
"Since you're an artist I would love to see some of your paintings. My husband loves art as well. His favorite artist is Paul-Cézanne, but he's also shown interest in some other movements like the Baroque and the Romanticism. Do you have a favorite artist and art movement?"
"Van Gogh is one of my favorites. Him and Salvador Dali. Post-Impressionism and Surrealism are usually what I enjoy the most."
Sakura scrunched her nose just a bit. She didn't like Dali's artwork. It was too...vulgar to look at. "So what artist does Naruto like then?"
"He...he isn't very much into art. It never spoke to him."
Sakura shrugged while sipping her wine. "I guess not everyone can taste in the finer things. Do you two have anything in common?"
For the first time, Sakura saw that fake smile twitch.
"We do. I find it rather foolish to think otherwise of a married couple. I could probably ask you the same thing as well."
The little jab at her marriage caused her blood to boil a little, but Sakura kept her cool. If start trouble, of course trouble will bite back. So for now she'd back off and start acting a little more friendly towards Sai. It was her anniversary night and she didn't want that ruined.
"Of course, I hadn't meant any offense by that comment. I was simply curious."
Sai eyed her carefully before his smile turned into a smirk. "I promised Yamato that I would be on my best behavior tonight. But do know you don't fool me with your little games. It takes one to know one. You're gonna have to try harder with me."
Since meeting Sai, Sakura really hadn't much of an impression of him or knew exactly what type of person he was. Everything about him was vague. Really she could on grab at straws and connect the dots herself, or just come up with her own impression. But this just gave her a little insight. Sai was just as bad as her. Possibly even more and with that thought in mind, she realized just how much more horrible this swapping match actually was.
This was such a stupid idea now that he couldn't back out of it. He should of spoken to Kakashi about not wanting to do this or socked a good one at Itachi. Naruto was a nervous wreck and he hadn't even arrived to the designated spot Kakashi picked for them to celebrate Sasuke's anniversary at.
Sure it was Sasuke's special day but it was his anniversary. Naruto really shouldn't be involved or have a part of this at all. He should be with his wife! Who, now that he thought about it, was probably spending her anniversary with his husband right now. This was all so messed up...
With a huge sigh Naruto stared down at the gift he had bought for Sasuke. He put a lot of fucking thought into this too! It wasn't easy searching for a present for someone you barely knew who pissed you off more than they probably should. And Itachi didn't even try to help him either! He had asked the Uchiha for any clues on what to get Sasuke and he just told him to figure it out on his own.
He didn't care if it was 'the thought that counts', he wanted to get Sasuke something special! Not that he really cared that much or anything. But since it was Sasuke's anniversary, and he felt just a tiny bit bad he couldn't spend it with his wife, Naruto just wanted to be a good person and do something nice for the bastard. Even if he didn't really deserve it. Naruto still had a very considerate heart!
So once the car came to a stop and Naruto was left standing outside the restaurant, he completely denied feeling his anxiety shoot through the roof. This restaurant was gorgeous...it had beautiful shrubbery all around, the building was exquisite, hell there was even a fountain near the entrance! A fountain!
This all brought Naruto back to when he first saw Sasuke's home. He felt small and extremely out of place. He was so not dressed well enough for this.
"Can I help you sir?"
While he had been staring wide eyed at everything, Naruto hadn't seen a bellboy approach him. For a moment he was tongue tied before he finally found his voice. "I um, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm meeting someone here tonight. His name's Sasuke-"
"Ah yes Uzumaki! Yes come right this way. Mr. Uchiha is already inside seated at a table waiting."
Naruto relaxed a little and followed the guy. He liked him. The bellboys name was Eren and he was a couple years younger than him. He had the most striking green eyes he had ever seen and Naruto couldn't help but stare at them. The guy was fucking hot, those green eyes just making him all the more attractive.
For a moment, Naruto had almost forgotten exactly why he was here at such a fancy restaurant when he was suddenly seated across from Sasuke. The Uchiha look agitated...
"Please wait here while I send a server over to take care of you tonight. Enjoy!"
After that, Naruto's eye candy walked off. He was a little more than just a tad disappointed. Who wouldn't be? Now he had to spend the rest of his night with a grouchy Uchiha who looked frustratingly hot right now too. Though what immediately surprised him was that Sasuke wasn't exactly as decked out in fancy attire like he had expected him to be. In fact, he was dressed to the same degree as Naruto was and he had been fussing and sweating over not being dressed up enough! He was wearing a dark blue trim jacket over a light grey dress shirt and normal slacks. But he wasn't wearing a tie and even had his sleeves cuffed a little bit.
Naruto's attire was almost similar except he wore a white dress shirt that was cuffed up to his elbows under a plain dark grey vest that was unbuttoned and his nicest pair of slim jeans. He felt constricted with it buttoned and he didn't exactly own any dress pants or slacks...He was a jean kind of person. But he had to admit, seeing Sasuke dressed as he was and seeing how other people were dressed was a big relief. Least he didn't look out of place.
"Do you plan on just staring at me all night or do you actually see something wrong that I'm not aware of?"
Naruto snapped himself out of it when he realized he actually had been staring. "Uh, no sorry."
"Really?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at him. "Cause it also seemed like you couldn't take your eyes off of that bellboy that helped you find your way here."
Their server hadn't even come to take their drinks yet and already Naruto felt like he wanted to crawl up into a hole. Feeling a flush rising from his neck to his face Naruto bit the inside of his cheek and looked to the side. "Well, I couldn't help but appreciate at how attractive he looked. I don't often see people with such incredible green eyes." It really could not be helped. When Naruto saw an attractive person, he drank it in. He loved Sai and thought that he was sexy as all hell, but he couldn't help it when his eyes caught another man gifted with gorgeous and unique looks.
His eyes darted towards Sasuke for a moment. "And I wasn't staring at you for the same reasons." God that sounded worse than it should have. "Not that you don't look good tonight or anything I mean you look fine, there's nothing wrong with what you're wearing!" And he just made it worse. His face was definitely a lobster now. A very very very hot boiled lobster.
In shame Naruto kept his eyes focused on the table, wondering where the hell their server was at and willing for the bastard to show up now and save him! "I was only staring cause I was surprised that you weren't all decked out like I thought you would be. I thought I'd be out of place here but after seeing you and the other customers I feel a little more at ease I guess."
For a few moments, Sasuke just stared at Naruto. Just a blank stare that Naruto couldn't even begin to read what the Uchiha was thinking until a smirk broke out on the bastard's face and he actually chuckled. Immediately Naruto was on edge and glared. "The hell you laughing for?"
"At you. You're such an idiot." A couple more chuckles erupted from the Uchiha. "Kakashi told me that you were going to be nervous wreck and on edge, but I didn't think I'd actually find it this amusing."
Naruto bristled, internally cursing out Sasuke and Kakashi as well. The bastards were having too much fun at his expense. "S-Shut up! I was just worried on what to wear!"
"What, did you think you were going to a masquerade ball? Just because the upper class has it's riches doesn't mean we're always decked out in fancy attire. We mostly just buy the very expensive brands of clothing."
More embarrassed than ever for his naive ignorance, Naruto stubbornly stared across the room, not wanting to even look at the bastard. "Whatever. I just wanted to make sure I looked presentable since it's your anniversary and all and because we'd be seen together."
Sasuke opened his mouth, about to deliver a snide comment, but stopped short when what the blonde said snuck in. Honestly he could not deny that he did not want to even have his anniversary without Sakura, let alone have it with Naruto. And the thought did cross his mind a couple times...
He was already in Life Swap, his daily routine and everything else aired for the country to see. The last thing he wanted was to be seen with Naruto outside of Life Swap. On his anniversary no less. But seeing Naruto making such an effort to put him at ease while out in public with him was not only surprising, but undeniably thoughtful.
Damn the idiot. Sasuke sighed. "You look good. You're dressed perfectly for this occasion. Thank you."
Totally not expecting that, Naruto fidgeted in his seat, half glancing at the Uchiha. "Uh...thanks too."
"Hn."
Then it all plummeted into a tense and awkward silence. But thank the lord that their server finally came! It was a tall man with black hair parted down the middle that framed his face and auburn eyes. Another handsome one...was California just filled with sexy men?
"Hello, I'm Sebastian and I'll be your server for tonight. Shall we start out with beverages?" He asked as he handed them both a menu.
Naruto really wasn't sure what he wanted just yet for a drink so settled for water for the time being. Sasuke ordered a bottle of Otonal Red wine. So like his brother, Sasuke was also a wine lover.
Sebastian quickly wrote it down then placed hand over his heart and bowed. "I'll be back with your drinks and a basket of bread and butter shortly."
Once Sebastian left, Naruto buried his nose in the menu, wondering what he wanted. Since it was all Kakashi's treat, Naruto was gonna pig out and order the most expensive stuff he could find. He grinned wickedly.
"Ne Sasuke. Let's get a full course meal, including the appetizers and dessert since it's the company that's paying."
Sasuke smirked as his eyes continued to skim the menu. "I had every intention of doing so, hence why I got one of their more expansive brands of wines from their collection. I'm disappointed you settled for water."
"I didn't know what I wanted!" Naruto pouted. "And I don't have a clue on where to start with wine. When I had gone out with Itachi I hated what he first got, but then replaced it with some red wine for beginners? But I forget the name it was something like Merlam or Merlat-"
"You mean the Merlot red wine."
"Yeah! That's the one. It tasted pretty good compared to the first one."
Sasuke looked over the tip of his menu at the blonde. "If you liked Merlot, then you'll probably like the one I ordered, but if not you can always get the Merlot wine for yourself."
"Thanks." Naruto grinned, pretty happy and satisfied the awkward tension between them was starting to lift.
A few minutes later Sebastian returned with their drinks and a basket of bread. "Could I interest you in an appetizer to start off your meal?"
Immediately Naruto jumped on that. "Yeah I'll have your meat krokets along with your chicken caesar salad."
Sebastian nodded as he wrote it down then turned to Sasuke. "Just the Ricotta salad please."
"Thank you gentleman I'll return shortly with your appetizers."
Naruto turned his attention over to Sasuke once their server was gone. "So, you decide on what you're going to order for the main course? I think I'm gonna get the blue lobster." The thought of lobster almost made Naruto salivate. He loved lobster with a passion.
Sasuke glanced at the menu for a moment before closing it and setting it aside. "The Filet Mignon."
Ohhh that was a good choice. Naruto loved steak as well...that almost made him want to get the same thing but he was going to stick with his blue lobster! Maybe he could try and get Itachi to take him out again just so he could get steak next time.
"Here, try the wine." Sasuke poured some into Naruto's glass and handed it to him.
Naruto took a sip and was delighted that it was actually better than he expected. "Not bad. I don't think I could ever be a wine lover like you or your brother, but this is pretty good." He took another sip.
"Of course it's a good wine," Sasuke easily stated, swirling his own glass around in his hand, the smell of the ruby colored wine wafting up. Only after that did he take a sip of his own, relishing in the rich taste. "It'll fit perfectly with our meals."
Arrogant asshole. Sasuke would probably deny it, but he was a lot like Itachi in the arrogance department. It must be an Uchiha thing. He sincerely hoped Konohamaru did not turn out the same way. He was already enough of a brat as it is. "Yeah, that'd be great. I wonder if wine would go with ramen actually..."
Ramen... It shouldn't even be called a food in Sasuke's opinion. At least not the stuff that came out of a package. Too bad his knowledge on wine was good enough to know what kind of wine you could drink with ramen. "A dry white wine," he muttered, feeling both shame and pride for knowing this little fact. "Not too heavy though. Should be a light wine."
Naruto snorted. "I thought you despised ramen. How do you even know what wine would go good with it?!" Even the look of obvious disgust for knowing this had him snickering at the Uchiha.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. He was going to regret this..."I do. I think it's garbage. But since you like it..." Casually Sasuke took out an envelope from his back pocket then handed it to Naruto.
With a questioning look, Naruto took the envelope. "Um..what's this?"
"Open and see what it is idiot."
Naruto glared at the Uchiha for a second then tore the top of the envelope off and opened it up. His eyes widened as his mouth dropped. "I-Is this seriously an all you can eat ramen coupon at the top ramen restaurant in this state?!" While Naruto loved his ramen from Ichiraku back at home, he had always wanted to try ramen from Yasube. It was said to taste amazing.
"Hn. It is and it's good for the rest of your stay here so-why are you looking at me like that?" It was weird...Sasuke could literally see the stars shining in the blonde's eyes as he gazed adoringly at him. Ew.
"Ah sorry, sorry," Naruto grinned sheepishly as he tucked his gift away in his pocket. "You just really don't know how much I freaking love ramen so that was a pretty awesome gift in my opinion."
Sasuke scoffed but was quite pleased. "Glad you're happy with it. But don't blame me if you get fat. Ramen pig..."
"I'd never get fat, I burn the calories right off. I'm actually trying to put on weight."
"You're going about it completely wrong then dumbass."
"Shut up bastard!"
"Hn, idiot."
"Asshole."
"Loser."
"Wanker."
"Prat."
"Jerk!"
"Moron."
"Numb nuts!"
At that Sasuke raised a twitching eyebrow, but Naruto just smirked. "I refuse to lose this battle of insults!"
"Immature as always." Sasuke picked up his wine glass and took a small swig of it.
"Hey, hey, hey! You can't just back off now, if you do then you're forfeiting! So then I win!" Naruto leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed victoriously.
"I beg to differ. You can think you won all you want, but it's the one who's the bigger man and the actual adult who wins in the long run."
Why that smug little jackass. But he had a point...a frustratingly right point Naruto had to admit. "Whatever. But in any actual match or dual against someone with rules, you forfeiting would still mean you lose. I'm still the righteous victor here, you can the shadow victor."
"The shadow victor?" Sasuke asked with amusement.
"Yep. You seem like you'd be that type of hero. Batman! You'd definitely be batman and I'd be Superman."
A smile threatened to tug at the corner of his lips but Sasuke kept himself composed. "Interesting comparison. Superman was my favorite comic hero when I was a kid but Batman does suit me better."
Naruto nearly choked when he was drinking. "You watched Superman when you were a kid?"
"Yes. Why does that seem to shock you to the point of gagging like fish out of water?"
"No, no it's just-" Naruto's hands flailed a bit around him, "I just didn't peg you to be one to watch much TV when you were young since well...uh," Naruto calmed down a bit but chewed the inside of his cheek, "since you seem to give Konohamaru a hard time when it comes to just doing stuff kids do."
The upbeat mood they had been in completely shattered and Naruto was inwardly sweating, waiting for Sasuke's response. But Sasuke kept staring inside his wine glass.
"I don't mean to be hard on him. Not intentionally though..." Suddenly his eyes narrowed and the Uchiha scowled. "But I am. I'm just like him."
Naruto didn't understand what Sasuke was talking about. Like who? Judging from the roles that Sasuke and Konohamaru were in, Naruto's only wild guess could be Sasuke's own father. A bit of realization dawned on him. If he was right, then that made so much sense. He wanted to ask him about it, but Naruto knew that this was not the right time to do so.
"Don't be so hung up about it. The kid at least knows for sure that you care, plus have you decided on what you'll do to spend time with him? I swear if you say the museum..."
Sasuke relaxed a bit and scoffed at Naruto. "Yes I've decided on where to take him. You suggested the amusement park so I'll bring him there."
"Awesome! Konohamaru will love that!"
"I'm sure. But..."
Naruto cocked his head to the side, surprised to see that Sasuke looked uncomfortable and was that a blush on the Uchiha's cheeks? "But what?"
Sasuke's eyes started to twitch, as if trying to resist glaring daggers of death at him. "Would you be willing to tag along?"
For a minute, Naruto just stared at Sasuke in disbelief. "You want me to go with you and Konohamaru? But you're supposed to bond with him."
"I know that!" Sasuke scowled. "But he's gotten very close to you and I thought if you were to come, it'd make things less awkward. You could help break the ice between us!"
"I guess...why not ask Itachi-," Sasuke glared, "right." Naruto coughed into his hand. It was a little dumb to ask why he doesn't bring Itachi along. So really, Naruto was the only option Sasuke had. He didn't mind going, that wasn't why he was a tad hesitant about this. It was just because he didn't want to interfere between Sasuke's bonding time with Konohamaru.
The thought of Sasuke actually nervous to spend time with his son tugged a smile at his lips. "So when is this little planned trip of yours. Have you told Konohamaru yet?"
"In a couple days. I was going to make it this weekend, but then decided to just pull him out of school Friday. It's just one day so it should be fine." Sasuke muttered the last bit as he shifted in his seat.
Naruto on the other hand was trying hard not to laugh. "You're pulling him out of school for the day and giving him an extra long weekend? Damn Sasuke, I never thought you'd ever even think to consider that option!" Despite his efforts a snicker escaped past his lips, earning him a sharp glare.
"Let me just put this out there now. Don't be nervous around Konohamaru. Things might be awkward between you two, but I know you love him to pieces in your twisted bastardly way, and the kid loves you too, I know it. So relax and don't try too hard. You don't have to win him over, just spend time with him."
Slowly Naruto could see his words sinking in. Sasuke's eyes softened. "Thank you."
It was such awful timing when their server Sebastian chose that moment to return with their appetizers. Sasuke had smiled. It was the second time Naruto had seen Sasuke smile. First time was to his son, and Naruto had been stunned then. This time it was actually directed towards him and the impact of that notion nearly left him breathless. But as soon as he had saw it, the smile was gone once Sebastian appeared.
"Here you are gentleman. Your entrees will be out soon."
As soon as Sebastian was gone, Naruto turned his full attention to his krokets. His stomach was in a bundle of knots and he knew it wasn't because he was hungry...
"Are you alright?"
Naruto's head snapped up at Sasuke. "Yeah, fine, absolutely fine! Why'd you ask?" Great, now there was a fucking circus going on in his gut right now.
Sasuke looked at him weird. "You sure? Your face is all red. Are you hot?"
Ah hell..."No really I'm fine! But maybe I am a bit over heated." He actually wasn't two seconds ago, but after being caught with a blush Naruto felt like he was suddenly thrown into a sauna. Naruto fumbled with the buttons on his vest, and after a couple attempts he finally slipped it off and hung it on his chair.
"That's better. My face still red?" Naruto glanced at Sasuke and immediately noticed those piercing dark eyes staring at him. If the Uchiha kept staring at him, Naruto would have to rip off his shirt too in the futile attempt to chill his jets.
Something tense, no..not exactly tense but there was definitely something stirring in the air between them. It hung thick in the air but slowly dissipated. Naruto was literally on edge at this point. He cursed at how blank Sasuke's face was during the whole thing so he couldn't even make a wild guess to what was on the Uchiha's mind.
"Hn. Your face is fine."
A breath he hadn't even known he was holding was released. His stomach was still in a bundle of knots, but it could be ignored. Naruto was about to take a bite of his salad when he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh! Damn I can't believe I almost forgot."
Sasuke raised a curious eyebrow at him when Naruto held up a long and slender box in his face. He slowly took it and just held it in his hands with then looked back up at him.
"It's not much, it was really hard trying to think of something good for you." Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "But I hope you like it."
"Hn." Sasuke peeled the wrapper back and took the lid off of the box. His eyes widened at the stupid yet still thoughtful gift. "It's a business tie with Paul Cezanne's Jas de Bouffaniimprinted on it. I didn't even know such things were made." Sasuke took the tie out of the box and examined every bit of it, the detail was actually very nicely done.
"I remember Itachi's gift to you and that you liked Paul Cezanne. So I was actually trying to see if I could find a copy of a painting of his to give to you, though it wouldn't of been a life sized one, and came across this. Do you...like it?"
Naruto refrained from squirming in his seat with anticipation of Sasuke's verdict. Thankfully he didn't have to wait in suspense.
Sasuke put placed the tie back in the box with a shake of his head, but a smirk plastered across his face. "It's not what I had expected. I'm surprised you even remembered that I liked Cezanne's works and tried to find something like that for me." His dark, cold eyes suddenly lit up with warmth. "I like it, thank you."
Happiness burst inside of Naruto's heart and he smiled, overjoyed that Sasuke liked his gift. "Awesome! And if you ever need help with putting on a tie you know you can come to me." Naruto winked with a smirk and almost laughed at the irritated look he received.
The rest of the evening went on pleasantly. Naruto offered Sasuke one of his meat krokets which Sasuke enjoyed, but had used that as blackmail to get the Uchiha to give Naruto a bite of his steak. He was an evil mastermind when he wanted to be yes.
And he had fun. A lot of fun. Sasuke seemed to enjoy himself as well. Even after they had finished and had desert; or Naruto had desert, Sasuke just had coffee and said he didn't like sweets (what a freak); they continued talking.
Well, Naruto did at least eighty percent of the talking. He couldn't help it. When Naruto was finally comfortable with a person, he became a chatter box and it took a lot to shut him up, but Sasuke didn't seem to mind. In all, Sasuke may be a bastard, but he was an alright bastard.
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TBC...
A/N: Finally...done...This took so long to update .-. I'm so sorry that it did too. Life just gets in the way sometimes, so I hope you guys understand. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :) Most of you received a preview of this chapter from me and thank you all so much for the feedback on it!
But a real big thank you to one of my friends Dana! When I was stuck she helped me out by RPing a little bit back and forth with me with Sasuke and Naruto to get my mojo back in gear. So huge thanks to her! Also, if any of you guys are ItaDei fans check out her fics ;D She also does SasuNaru among other pairings as well *-* Dana-Eliza everyone!
Until next time my lovelies!
