Up Until Now
Chapter 10
Weasels and OCD
When the bell rang for school on Thursday, the day before Forehead's birthday, Ino leaned against the school gates seeing Tenten leave the school with Neji. He was probably giving her a lift home. Maybe they'd make out in it later. Ino grinned, suppressing her jealously. She was honestly glad for Tenten and, yes, even Neji whom she had always despised for having greater looking hair than her.
The parking lot was considerably empty. Sakura had already left with Sasuke, jumping into his brother's car after calling shotgun. Hinata was dragged by the hand by Naruto, who paid little mind to her near faintness, only grinning excitedly. Ino looked around. Empty. It was only her and her gorgeous ass now. And despite its great appearance, her gorgeous ass was terrible company.
Ino sighed. The odds of someone picking her up right now were slim. It was fashion week after all. Her parents were drowning in their occupation, but she could at least tell that they enjoyed it – well, her mother more than her father, but still.
The blonde shuffled on her feet, unsure of what to do now. Rarely was she put in a situation she had no control over. She'd have to wait at least another hour or two before one of her parents showed up, with nothing to do in the mean time. Good thing this was a relatively safe neighborhood. At least she thought it was.
A hand grabbed her shoulder from behind and Ino jumped and shrieked, turning around to face her attacker. She was about to pull the can of hairspray out of her bag and spray the bastard into eye-burning fabulousness.
"Shino! Oh my gawd, you scared me," she breathed, putting a manicured hand to her chest to try and ease her heart's wild beating. The boy raised an eyebrow which was visible above his shades, retracting his hand and stuffing it in the pocket of his hood. He waited patiently for her to catch her breath.
"What are you still doing here? The parking lot is nearly empty," Ino asked, indicating to the eerie quietness around them. She'd never noticed how creepy the school was when unoccupied. The idea of having to wait here for another hour or two made her jumpy all of a sudden.
Shino shifted on his feet. "You may find it strange, but I was about to ask you the same," he explained in a smooth voice that made Ino's face burn. Holy crap. What was happening? Was she that attracted to this guy? Sure, she flirted with him in the cafeteria, but that was just to see if she could get him to take his shades off – of course, this failed, denting her ego slightly. Or did hearing him speak more than just three words in a row catch her off guard?
At his statement, Ino blinked unsurely. She looked over her shoulder as if to try and explain her situation to herself more than to him. "It's fashion week."
Following her straightforward and nearly unclear assertion, Ino heard Shino let out a breath. "Would you like a lift?"
Ino smiled brilliantly, her jumpiness easing away. She'd rather climb in a car with Shino than stand alone in a school parking lot for more than an hour. She weighed the odds. Death by mysterious mugging or Death by hot school boy?
Death by hot schoolboy for sure. That way her death was nothing short of destiny. All of a sudden her heart picked up at the thought of being alone with Shino, not only at the moment, but in a closed space like the inside of a car.
Taking a shaky breath that was considered truly uncharacteristic for her, Ino nodded, unable to stop smiling. She must have looked like an idiot. Shino probably thought she was an idiot. Out of the blue, Ino started to feel embarrassed about her behavior in the cafeteria. He must have thought she was total nimrod. He'd probably never take her seriously again.
Shino turned, signaling her to follow. "I'm parked at the back of the school."
Ino followed, falling into step beside him. "You get private parking?"
"Only for the first few weeks, until I'm comfortable with the school," he explained, again, in a voice as smooth as dark chocolate. And boy, did Ino love her dark chocolate.
There was a stiff moment of silence when the turned around the corner of the building. Ino felt her stomach churn with nerves. This was so strange to all of her. She'd never been nervous before a boy before. Never. Confidence was her middle name – well, not really, but still.
"I'm sorry," she blathered out all of a sudden. As they walked, Shino turned his head to her sudden apology. "About how I acted in the cafeteria. I'm an idiot." She felt her heart sank. Her confidence had officially left the building. Also, the fact that he left these tense pauses between exchanging of words made her even more anxious. Perhaps he was processing the stupidity of her words?
Without thinking, she blabbed on. "It's just, I think you're really cool and I am a bit of spaz when it comes to cool boys, and you're so confident and mysterious and I know I've only known you for a few weeks, but I think you're really good looking, but it's okay if I annoy you 'cause I am a bit of an airhead, Sakura always says I'm an airhead around boys and I guess she's right, it's not like I do it on purpose though, but I'd love to get to know you, by the way have you noticed our names rhyme? Ino? Shino? How funny is that? Oh gawd, I'm so sorry, I'm spazzing out again-"
Her words flew out the window when he stopped her in tracks by grabbing both her shoulders. He made her face him – she could recall a serious expression behind his shades from where he looked down at her. All of a sudden he towered over her; he was taller than she remembered. It intimidated her, and where his palms met her shoulder, her skin started to burn from the contact.
"Please stop," he voiced smoothly and calmly, barely touched by her words. Ino felt her eyes begin to burn, wanting to turn away. Oh god, she'd totally and completely humiliated herself. Now she was going to cry for having lost control of the situation entirely. His grip on her tightened when he saw her eyes tearing up.
"Don't cry," he softly pleaded, the sound of his voice melting in Ino's ears. She looked down, too embarrassed to look at his face. If it weren't for the steady grip on her shoulders, she probably would be shuffling from foot to foot in agitation.
Only a few tears spilled before Ino could stop them. "I'm such an idiot."
"Your intellect is adequate and had nothing to with the situation. You were merely tense in my company," he explained like it was a fact written down somewhere in one of their science textbooks. "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."
"What? You don't make me uncomfortable," she sniffed, wiping her tears away with her hands, careful not to smudge her makeup. "I like you. You should know that by now."
For a moment, Shino stood frozen on the spot. Her proclamation seemed to have shocked him. Ino was still contemplating whether this was a good or a bad thing. He remained still, unmoving. Ino's heart skipped a few beats. Was he going to burst out into laughter at her statement? Would he turn around, ignore her and simply continue in the direction of his car?
'Forget this,' Ino thought, taking a huge breath and stepping forward to get closer to him. He did not react or move, which Ino silently prayed thanks for. No way would her heart be able to handle it if he pushed her away.
Hesitantly, she took one more step forward to close some space between them, gently placed a delicate hand to his chest, stood on her tip-toe and closed her eyes to kiss him shyly on the lips. She'd never done this before. No, not kiss a boy – of course she'd done that before. But never so attentively and with such soft and careful affection, and for a moment she was petrified she would scare him permanently away now.
A second or so later, she moved to pull back, wanting to see his reaction or at least, hear his rejection in his smooth and calm voice. He sounded so smart when he spoke, not in the nerdy way, but in the calm and confident way that made him look more like a man than just a teenager.
He pulled her back, no word spoken. For a moment she was in her own state of shock – his arm leisurely reached around her body to hook her small waist in a tender yet secure grip. She thought she would faint with giddiness when his other hand traveled to settle around the back of her neck to tilt her head for better access. Her other hand settled on his chest to join the other.
At first, he was careful and soft, afraid he would break her. When she took another step forward to lightly press her small body against his and slid her hands up his chest to clasp around his neck, his kiss became stronger, his grip tightened ever so slightly around her waist and his finger began to tickle the back of her neck.
Feeling her nerves die down a bit, Ino sighed contently when he moved them a few steps back to push her against the wall.
Yes, her schoolgirl fantasies were coming true! She was making out with a hot guy on the deserted school grounds and he had her up against the wall.
Soon, she found dominance in Shino she'd never thought he'd own – it turned her on. With every few seconds passing by he pushed her harder and harder against the wall, wanting to feel every curve of her body. His tongue took possession of hers and explored her mouth a ferocity that left her legs wobbly. He pulled her away from the wall to catch her around the waist before she could trip over her own dazed state, crushing her against his chest.
Woah. She knew he was hiding a good body under that hood, but even through its thick material, she could feel the muscles of an athlete. She remembered Kiba saying what a great asset he'd turned out to be on the team. Well, it was showing.
She wanted him to feel her, but constantly had to remind herself that although they were hidden around the corner of the school, they were still in public. Out of nowhere, the warmth of the sun swiftly faded away and instead was replaced by a chilly gust.
The kiss broke. Ino shivered from the cold and sudden loss of contact, adrenaline still pumping through her body in all directions possible. Shino moved to hold her, surrounding her in a warm embrace, he leaned down to breath in her ear, making shiver increase tenfold.
"I should take you home now," he whispered into her ear, his voice setting her lady-parts on fire. Never before had guys have such an effect on her – she didn't want to part from him just yet, she was just getting to know him. She wanted to hear him talk more, wanted to hear his velvet voice say anything she could coax out of him. Her finger tangled in his jacket.
"I don't want to go home," she whined softly, feeling immature. She pulled back a little to find his shades with her eyes. She vaguely wondered whether he'd ever let her see his eyes. If she played her cards right, he just might. "I really do like you."
"You're too beautiful for me," he stated matter-of-factly, like it was the most apparent thing in the world. Ino's face exploded in crimson, smoke coming out her ears from the compliment. Sure, guys had told her she was beautiful before, but never like this. Her words were caught in her throat. She felt like she would faint – how the hell did Hinata fight this feeling?
"I-I-I …" she trailed off from her horrible unsettling stutter. One of her hands moved to cup her own cheek, trying to make sense of her flustered reaction. No, her confidence was definitely dead, buried somewhere under a few rocks and pissed on by woodland creatures. She wanted to compliment him back, but instead just shyly looked up to him, her face blushing furiously.
She kissed his cheek, softly pressing her palm to his other, hoping all her feelings would be expressed by such a simple action. His hold on her shaking body tightened a little more and she marveled at the feeling of his surprisingly firm arms around her.
He pulled away again, only to take her hand and pull her in the direction of his car. She spotted it a few meters away, letting him guide her to the backseat after unlocking it, stuffed their bags into the back and followed her in. Dominantly, he pushed her down on her back on the seat and closed the door behind them. He loomed over her like a marauder, and she smiled shyly at him – again, no confidence. That was dead. Shino killed it some way or another.
Boldly, his hands rested on her hips and moved down to close the space between them once more. Another school girl fantasy was coming true – Ino was making out with a hot guy in his cool car. Sigh. Best Thursday ever.
She felt him up properly, exploring every muscle on his upper body, his physical strength making her swoon inwardly. His hands were a little shyer than hers, but she made sure to let him know she was okay with his touching her. Almost as if to emphasize this, she yanked him by his shirt (the jacket taken off a few moments ago) and pulled to let him fall on top of her. He felt like he wanted to pull away, but she secured him, locking her arms around his neck in a close grip of kissing. His hands then dared to travel up her leg and playfully stopped at the hem of her skirt. Ino whined into his mouth and could have sworn she felt him smirk against her lips.
"Shino…" she bit out when he moved to her collarbone. He was gentle and sensual, leaving Ino in a puddle of goo beneath him. Her one hand moved to his head of brown hair, letting her manicured nails sensitively tickle his scalp – he bit down hard into her neck from the pleasure.
"Oh!" Ino let a small gasp escape her as he marked her, teeth possessively pulling at her skin. Warmth spread her body like fire. She'd never felt like this before.
Shino then pulled away to look at her eyes. She eyed him back curiously, face flushed and red. His hand moved to grip the edge of his shades and she inhaled sharply from anticipation. Almost in slow motion, he removed the glasses, eyes closed for the moment he did. When he opened them, Ino felt herself get a heart attack.
Gold. Absolutely rich honey gold. Her eyed widened at the astounding beauty that was the compilation of his face and eyes.
"Wow, Shino," she breathed out, breasts heaving up and down from the shock. "Your eyes are incredible! You are a superhero, aren't you?" she finished this sentence with a giddy smile, letting her hands rest on either side of his face. At first he seemed so positively indifferent to everything, but she could barely make out the relief and attraction in his features.
"I have an eye mutation," he explained, like it wasn't a very big deal. "I wear the glasses because they attract too much attention. People ask too many questions."
Ino nodded in understanding, her thumb stroking his jaw. She didn't think he'd show her on the first day of …whatever they were for now.
"Thank you for showing me. You can trust me with your secret," she smiled, knowing she'd want to keep this all to herself. "Although, if you start hearing rumors that you might be a vampire going around the school, don't be surprised."
He raised an eyebrow. Woah, he was good-looking. His spectacular eyes softened when she caressed his jaw line with her soft petite fingers. He moved down to kiss her again, gently and affectionately holding her head in his hands.
"Will your parents not worry about your whereabouts?" he asked between kisses. Ino let a small giggle spill out of her mouth.
"Yeah, but they don't start worrying until really later."
They made out for what felt like hours for Ino. It was like a spectacular ongoing dream that she didn't want to wake up from. The atmosphere in the car grew hotter and hotter, until the imaginary fumes started to intoxicate her. There was nothing she wouldn't do anymore. Nothing holding her back. She wanted to hear his voice, so she parted from his lips to look into his hauntingly precious eyes.
"Will you go out with me?" Yes, here she was, trampling all over her pride and disregarding her code of honor. She was asking a guy out, instead of the other way around. For the first time also. He didn't answer immediately, contemplating her question. Ino's mind was a mess. She suddenly felt bad for every guy she'd ever turned down. This took guts.
"In what sense of the meaning?" he asked, making her furrow her eyebrows. "Literally, as in on an outing, or in the other sense where we establish a relationship, or do you simply desire for me to escort you out of the car?"
Ino lay under him, dumbfounded. This guy was way too smart for her, but by the fashion gods, she loved hearing him talk, more than she loved to talk herself, and that was saying something.
"Uhm …" she hesitated, mentally cursing by how stupefied she sounded. "I mean, do you want to be my boyfriend …and do you want me as your girlfriend?" she asked, slowly, more for her own sake of understanding than for his. Her brain was whizzing. Thinking was hard work.
Shino sat up from his position on top of her. He put his shades back on from where he picked it up off the floor of the car and put his jacket back on. He climbed off of her. Ino watched him the whole time, heart sinking at his lack response.
"Or …do you want to go out on a date in the, uh, literal sense, and then decide?" She was pushing her luck, she knew. She felt like she was humiliating herself once more. Oh gods, she might cry if he didn't answer her soon.
Shino zipped his jacket up as Ino sat up and adjusted her clothing.
Something clicked in the back of her mind. Of course. Shino was incredibly smart, she could tell by not only the way he spoke, but also by the fact that he had to help Sakura of all people with a math problem in the last period of the day. He had class and confidence. No way could she compete with that.
She'd never felt more inferior in her life. No way could her brain keep up with him. He'd get tired of her empty conversation, her unintelligible remarks and opinions, her over-enthused reactions to things she liked. He was too good for her.
From where the still sat in the back seat of his car, Ino fought her tears back.
"It's okay if you say no," she said, her voice shaky as she avoided looking at him. "I'd understand." She failed in hiding her disappointment. In her mind Shino had already rejected her and thrown her out of his car. She'd have to call Kiba to come and get her, knowing all her friends were off at some boy's house. It wasn't fair. She was considered the beauty of the group but the only one who couldn't land a guy. The world had turned upside down.
"It is still my opinion that you are too beautiful for me," he finally said, taking her hand, his eyes hiding behind the shadows of his glasses. Ino imagined what emotion could possibly fill them.
"I'm too stupid for you." There. She said it. Oh gawd, the tears have returned. She sniffed. This was horrible. Where was her self control?
"You are being ridiculous," he scoffed, pulling her by the hand to enclose some space between them. He wiped her tears with the sleeve of his jacket and then proceeded to kiss her hard and sensually. She sobbed into his kiss, finger entangling in his jacket as more tears spilled from her eyes. She started to shiver and Shino pulled away to leave a gentle kiss on her forehead. His hand reached for behind her neck and found the rubber band that pulled her hair up in a pony tail. Like silk, the rubber band pulled through her hair to release the straight strands of blonde from its prison.
She closed her eyes, letting her hair fall around her face and shoulders. She had the longest hair in the school, the length easily reaching past her behind. She could smell the lingering scent of her morning shampoo and conditioner.
Shino's finger glided through her hair, soothing her. The tears were becoming less as lifted her face to kiss her again. Gods, he was so romantic. Ino lost herself in him, letting him hold and kiss her. He kissed down her collarbone once more where he'd left an obvious swollen red mark from his love bite. His lips traveled past her collar to the warmth of her chest, where he deeply inhaled her scent, sending goose bumps down her spine.
No way was Tenten having a better time than her.
Suddenly he pulled her into his lap, causing her to squeak from the contact. She fully faced him, yet due to his tall stature, his head still towered over hers. His face ducked down to immerse himself in the small cleavage her white thin top produced. She gasped at his sudden intrusion, but in no way wanted to push him away.
He kissed and bit there, so sensual she accidently moaned into his hair. Perhaps it was her response to his touch or maybe just the heat of the moment, but Shino's hands, now even more brave, moved to grope her ass.
"Oh!" she gave a startled yelp a slight jump, but he roughly held her in place. She was so flustered. So hot. Where was she? What year was it?
"Such beauty …" she heard him mutter into her chest, almost possessively, like it was a hidden treasure he'd just discovered and would not share with the world no matter what. Ino's face exploded with red once more. This man, anything he said, let her act out like never before. She adored his voice. She'd do anything he asked of her in that voice. With every touch, every whispered compliment on her beauty, she was falling for him more and more. She had to have him now. She wanted him. She needed him, like she never needed anything else before.
The affection of his hands shifted up to slide over her hips and her sides. He stopped below her chest, uncertain but depraved from the restraint he was putting on himself. Ino herself was timid about her chest – what if Shino didn't like it? What if it did not live up to his praise of her beauty? Ino swallowed. She had to know. It would be worth it.
Trying hard to hide the shake in her hands, she let her finger grasp the material of her light top to pull it over her head, letting her hair spill around her once more after removing it. Shino grabbed the bundle of material from her hand, threw it behind her on the seat and pushed her down on her back so he was hovering over once more.
Her white bra was trimmed with pink small butterflies. He grinned when he saw them.
"What? I like butterflies, okay. They inspire my designs," she prattled out, letting her mind shut off. His grinned widened.
She resisted the protective urge to cover herself up, but the urge faded away when he removed his glasses once more deeply stare at her exposed undergarment. To feel his magical eyes on her sent sparks of electricity through her bones.
He was still hesitant, perhaps nervous, albeit he didn't show it in the least. Ino could have sworn she saw him swallow a little. She reached down for his hand, covering it with her own – his hands were so warm in comparison to hers. Without thinking, she guided his hand, and deciding to surprise him, pushed his hand under her bra to make contact with the soft skin hid under it. She left his hand there and pulled him down to kiss her, jerking him out of reverie.
All of a sudden he was grinding into her, feeling her, kissing her, playing with her hair at the strangest intervals. She was lost in it all, deciding she never wanted to go home.
He didn't dare mess with her bra, other than creep under it. Perhaps both he and Ino understood there was a barrier, a wall and a line keeping them from doing something stupid.
No way would Ino let Shino do something stupid, as much as she wanted to be stupid herself. He was too smart. She had to protect his superior smartitude.
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Friday morning Sakura woke up feeling giddy. It was her birthday today. Normally she wouldn't make such a big deal out of it, but today held great excitement for her. She was going to have a birthday party! A proper one at a fancy house with a fancy pool. She was so excited, she was singing as she got dressed for school.
School was great. Lunch was great. Even the homework she received for the weekend couldn't bring her down. Yes, greatness followed her everywhere. There seemed to be an epic anticipating cloud of excitement hanging over her three friends.
Hinata shyly shared with them that she had indeed been to Naruto's the day before and they had watched a movie together. A faint blush followed her words as she recalled Naruto taking her hand and telling her he thought she was 'really pretty'. He then asked her out on a date on the couch and they proceeded to cuddle the rest of the afternoon. Ino and Tenten seemed oddly unaffected by this – they'd been routing for Hinata to progress with Naruto for nearly a year now. Sakura thought they would be a bit more thrilled upon hearing the news.
But then Tenten shared her Thursday afternoon, right before instructing Hinata to put up her guards once more. After sharing her en Neji's intimate experience, at the cost of her blushing, Tenten was then given a proud slap on the back by Ino. No wonder Hinata's afternoon seemed to anti-climatic.
Then Ino started telling them about her afternoon. Jaws hit the ground at the gapes she received.
"You honestly like him then?" Tenten asked in astonishment. Ino looked at her friend as if she had spurted a second head.
"Are you kidding me? I'm probably already in love for all I know! It's terrible!" she whined and Sakura and Hinata exchanged looks of confusion.
"What are you talking about, Ino? What so bad about being in love?" Sakura asked.
Ino then burst out in tears at the cafeteria table. "Because he's too good for me!" she sobbed, her brilliant blue eyes filling to the brim. Her head fell into her palms as her friends stared in absolute horror at the scene in front of them. Ino Yamanaka, the most desired and beautiful damsel in school had lost her admirable confidence? Surely the world was ending.
"He broke her!" Sakura exclaimed frantically, leaping out of her seat. Tenten started to stretch out her neck and shoulders.
"I'm kicking his ass!" she declared, but was calmed down by Hinata who took charge of the situation. She scooted in next to Ino and comforted her with soft words. Ino's sobs soon dissolved into little hiccups and sniffs. Sakura and Tenten sat by the side, somewhat unsure.
A shadow then appeared over the table, causing all four girls to freeze. A silent figure towered over them.
"S-Shino?" Ino asked, tears dissolving and eyes sparkling with her normal energy.
He nodded. "Ino."
And then she jumped out her seat and flung herself into his arms. He responded in kind, letting her giggle into his jacket while also letting her gush out how much she had missed him. They went to find their own table, leaving Ino's friends behind in a complete stupefied trance.
There was a grand moment of recollection.
"Anybody mind telling me what the hell just happened?" Tenten asked.
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When the bell rang to signal the start of the weekend, Sasuke's head started to reel. He'd been mentally checking off lists in his head the whole day, distracting him from everything (expect sparing his thoughts a few images of a buttery-smelling rosette now and again).
Pool cleaned and sparkling up to Uchiha expectations. Check.
Arranged snacks, decoration and drinks with Ms Remma. Check.
Bought Sakura's gift. Check.
Bought emergency gift in case first gift backfires. Check.
Stole Itachi's phone and texted every one of his stupid friends that he was not to be bothered this weekend. Erased all traces of presence afterwards. Check.
Inconspicuously dropped Itachi's phone into the toilet. Made sure to return it to original place. Check.
Sent out directions. Check.
Made bed this morning-
Oh god oh god oh god oh god. Entering Uchiha panic mode. Red alert. Red alert. Overload. Cannot process requested thought. The number you have dialed is not available, please try again later. Abort. Abort. Blue screen of death.
"Hey, Teme! Are you ready to get your party this weekend?" Again, Naruto had this uncanny ability to appear when least needed. He hooked a friendly arm around his petrified friend, not noticing his frozen and wide-eyed state. "By the way, mind if I stay over tonight? Makes things easier and stuff. I have to make sure there are no leftovers, after all. Best friend's duty and all. Yo, Teme. You listening? Dude, you seem paler than usual. Did you take your OCD medication this morning?"
Took OCD-medication this morning. Not check.
Naruto patted his friend's back sympathetically. "Come on, bro. Let's get you home so you can lie down for a while. The party starts in two hours, so you can still get some rest beforehand."
Sasuke rubbed his temples, only nodding at Naruto's words, grateful that underneath his incredibly annoying and boisterous layers filled with ramen, there seemed to be one reserved for Sasuke's health. They left the school, Sasuke driving them home in Itachi's car (having sped out the parking lot like a maniac this morning so Itachi would not have a chance in hell of stopping him). Naruto hopped in the passenger seat, made himself comfortable and grinned excitedly when the departed.
"I'm proud of you, Sasuke. You're throwing a party for Sakura! This will get you in her good books for sure! What did you get her?" he asked, playing with the stereo. Sasuke slapped his hand away.
"It's a secret."
Naruto frowned. "Don't you want my opinion? It could be a crappy gift for all you know."
Sasuke smirked, eyes still glued to the road. "I got her two, just in case."
"Good thinking! I got her a book," the blonde stated simply, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Sasuke raised his eyebrow without looking away from the road. A book. Idiot.
"What kind of book?" Sasuke asked, skeptical, now starting to relax into the fancy leather seats of his brother's car. The afternoon was looking up now that school was over and done with. He had no idea why he was so nervous. Perhaps it was because he'd never thrown a party before. Perhaps it was because he's never thrown a party for a girl before. Perhaps it was because said girl was the sole object of his sacred affections.
"'The History of the Book'," Naruto quipped, obviously very proud of his choice. He gave himself a thumbs-up, just to emphasize this. "Because she likes books. Neat, huh?"
"Brilliant, Dobe." Good thing Sasuke didn't need medication to keep his sarcasm in check.
Pulling up into the estate, Sasuke stopped the car and let one of the servants park it in the garage with all the others. Naruto bounced behind him into the mansion, already used to the rich and grand lifestyle of the Uchihas. Sasuke threw his bag on the ground, Naruto following, and made his way to the patio where his father usually held his business barbeques. The pool came into his view and he checked the area. The stereo had already been set up in the corner – Shikamaru would bring his laptop later for the music. A table had already been set up with drinks in a big bucket of ice and snacks stacked on big round platters. Naruto made a movie – Sasuke slapped his hand away.
"Focus, Dobe. Something's missing. What does it need?" Sasuke's eyes raked over the lush and neatly mowed lawn that surrounded the party area.
Naruto tapped his finger to his chin. "What about the ping-pong table? Ino and Hinata play tennis at the country club on Wednesdays."
"How do you know that?"
"Hinata told me."
"The table is a good idea, though. What else?" Sasuke pressed. Naruto was good at this kind of thing. He was good with people. If Naruto had been a genius, he could easily run for president. Sasuke would never say that out loud though. Some things were better left unsaid.
"What about that big umbrella that goes through that round table over there? Girls like that sort of thing."
"Umbrella. Okay. That sounds about right. Maybe one last thing."
"Flowers?" Naruto suggested.
"I was under the impression this was a pool party, not one of my mother's Sunday teas." Sasuke rolled his eyes. Maybe he was wrong about Naruto.
"Balloons."
"The guys will just pop them. It just leaves a mess."
"Set up the Xbox in the next room in case some of the guys want to play," he suggested, sounding serious for once. Sasuke seemed unsure.
"Won't that be unsocial?"
"Xbox, Teme." Of course. Sasuke's argument was invalid.
"Fine. Anything else you can think of?"
"We need an adult for supervision," Naruto pointed out, surprising the hell out of Sasuke. Responsible Naruto scared him and he was already nervous on a dangerous health affecting level.
"I had no idea you felt so strongly about safety, Naruto. I guess, I should. I mean, who's going to save Hinata if she drowns? Surely you wouldn't be able to, when you put it like that," Sasuke drawled with a smirk, watching the emotions play out on his blonde friend's face.
"You know what, on second thought, we're going to have a whole bunch of athletes here anyway. As long as Chouji keeps on his rubber wings, we should be good." Naruto nodded as if to affirm himself. Sasuke inwardly chuckled.
"Ms Remma will be here the whole time," Sasuke assured him, turning back to the house to make sure everything inside was in order. Like a loyal puppy, Naruto followed after him, hooting with excitement.
"PARTY!"
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"PARTY!" Ino screamed as she popped open the alcohol free champagne from where they sat on her round gorgeous bed. Hinata, Tenten and Sakura all applauded and cheered along as Ino took the glasses from her bedside and poured them each a full glass. Hey, it's alcohol free.
"To Sakura!" Tenten piped, raising her glass after Ino had handed it to her.
"T-to Sakura!" Hinata cheerfully said.
"To Forehead!" Ino concluded, dodging a pillow her friend sent her way. They laughed.
Of course, Ino was the best friend ever. After school, she had a limo pick them all up and drive up to her home for a quick before party before the actual party at the Uchiha house. They had two hours after all. A little girl time was needed.
They clinked glasses and resumed celebratory chatter and laughter. After only a few sips of champagne, Ino suddenly squealed with excitement.
"Okay! I can't wait anymore! Gift time! Now!" she practically yelled, and jumped off the bed to move to her impressive wardrobe where she pulled out three wrapped boxes. Sakura couldn't tell who was excited more. Her or Ino. Probably Ino.
Hinata and Tenten scooted closer in anticipation.
"Mine first!" Tenten hastily declared before yanking a silver-wrapped gift out of Ino's grasp. Excitedly she placed it in Sakura's lap and looked at her with enormous expectancy building in her face.
Smiling, Sakura unwrapped the present. It revealed a simple brown box with noticeable weight inside it. Impatient, Sakura opened the lid of the box. Neatly snuggled between some loose papers was a …knife? Carefully and intrigued, Sakura picked up the cold sharp blade-like object and inspected with absolute awe and intrigue in her eyes. Wait, she'd seen one of this somewhere before.
"A …kunai? Woah, Tenten, this is wicked. Thanks!" Tenten beamed at her friend's astounded reaction and proudly sat upright for Sakura to give her a fond hug of gratitude.
'We're totally gonna commit murders with this, right?' Inner asked , excited herself.
"Hand-made and shipped out of Japan," Tenten proudly explained. Ino shot her a disappointed look and Hinata only smiled. "What? It's educational!"
"Mine next," Hinata softly insisted and gently placed het gift in Sakura's hands. Without wasting a second, Sakura tore open the cover, only to reveal a next black leathery rectangular case. Curious, Sakura opened the case to reveal a stunning pair of tinted Police sunglasses.
"Hinata! GAH! I love it!" Sakura squealed, immediately putting the sunglasses on and gazing into Ino's huge mirror against the wall. She looked cool. She looked classy.
She looked GANGSTA.
Relieved for some reason, Hinata giggled happily. "I'm so glad you like it. I-I was so unsure when picking it out."
Ino nodded her approval. "It makes your forehead seem smaller, Forehead."
'Hey, it kinda does,' Inner agreed enthusiastically.
'Don't agree with her!'
'I'm the voice of reason, aren't I?'
'You're the voice of Satan.'
"Thanks Hinata." Sakura smiled, pulling her shy friend into a tight hug. Ino then energetically shoved her gift into Sakura's face.
"MINE NEXT!"
"OKAY!"
Laughing, Sakura opened the neatly wrapped gift and gasped at the contents. Soft, white and pink material spilled out of the box as Sakura pulled out an amazing summer dress.
"You're wearing that to the party," Ino insisted with a smile. "Don't just sit there looking at it! Try it on!"
"Remember to put on your swimsuit underneath!" Tenten yelled as Sakura hastily ran into Ino's dressing room. Yes, of course Ino had a dressing room. Keep up, will you.
Excited, Sakura pulled off her clothes and jumped into the dress. It fitted perfectly on every curve and hook of her body, proving Ino's superior talent for spotting the fashion wins of the world. The material ended above her knees, showing off a decent amount of leg. Some cleavage was also on display, just enough to not make Sakura uncomfortable. She came out the dressing room to show her friends.
"Perfect!" Ino screamed. "Self-Five." She then proceeded to high-five herself.
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Itachi had a huge headache. A migraine. It felt like some unskilled mechanic had forced his way into Itachi's brain and had yanked all sorts of screw and wires loose. He just couldn't think today. Everything was a mess. In all honesty, this is the first week in history that his Friday had turned out worse than his usual crappy Monday.
First, he returned to his room this morning only to find his phone completely drenched and soaked and all wet associations that could have been made at that moment. It was broken beyond repair, obviously the work of his little brother. Usually, it wouldn't be such a big deal. No prob. Itachi could buy ten more phones if he wanted to. This was child's play, after all.
But he was already running late at that point and he left to find his favorite car's tires spinning out of the driveway and mockingly out of his sight, only to witness Sasuke car-jack him. Already beyond annoyed by his brother's antics, he angrily strode to the huge garage to simply pick another car, only to find that all of their tires had been deflated, one's battery had been removed (he suspected Kakuzu of this deed but could not be too sure) and another's windshield horribly defiled with spray-paint to read the words 'suck my weasel, weasel'. The cherry on top had been when he burned his toast.
He called in sick at the office, deciding to hell, he couldn't face the day. So he spent it home, working from his computer to finalize any urgent matters his father would have been grateful for and then spent the remainder of the day contemplating how to avenge his phone, his car and his toast. The house phone rang. A minute later Ms Remma entered his room with the receiver in hand.
"Master Itachi," she smiled sweetly. "It's your wonderful companion, Kisame!"
Itachi frowned from where he relaxed on his bed, in his socks of course. Nothing like spending the day in your socks, after all.
He took the receiver from his caretaker anyway and put it to his ear. "Kisame."
"Yo man, what's this bullshit text I get from you saying you don't want us 'gay jerks' showing up at your house this weekend?!" Kisame reeled into his ear, causing Itachi to jerk back a bit from the aggression on his tone.
"What? What text?" he asked, sitting up from his lying position. He had a horrible feeling in the back of his stomach – his annoying-little-brother-senses were tingling.
"You sent us all this goddamm demeaning text this morning and then your phone is shut off the rest of the day so I can't cuss you out for it! What the hell is wrong with you, man? You trying to start something? I thought we were friends, man-"
"I didn't send that text, Kisame," Itachi interrupted him calmly, keeping his frustration down with a long deep breath. "It was probably my brother, because I couldn't find my phone this morning and when I did, it was water-damaged."
On the other side of the line, Itachi only heard Kisame's thoughtful breathing.
"Oh."
'Oh, witty, Kisame. Where would I be without you fulfilling companionship?'
"So, we gonna beat him up? Trash his room? Smash the Xbox?"
"Easy, Kisame."
"You're right, I'm going too far. Can I give him another wedgy when I see him?"
"Fine."
"Woot." Click.
Itachi huffed, letting the phone drop from his ear. Some friends he had. He liked keeping them around though. Where else would he flaunt his incredible superiority? Crossing his legs, Itachi dialed a number on the phone and set it to his ear to listen to it ring.
"Hello?"
"Pein. It's Itachi."
"Dude-"
"I didn't send the text," Itachi cut him across, finding a gap. He was rather surprised his friends would think he'd call them 'gay jerks' in the first place. Surely they knew him better.
On the other side of the line, Itachi heard Pein huff. "Thought something was up. Did your phone get stolen?"
"Worse. My brother sent the text and then broke it."
Pein laughed. "Classic. Anyway, no worries. Most of the guys are here. I'll fill them in."
Itachi thanked the stars that he didn't have to make more awkward phone calls. "Thanks, Pein."
"Sure. Hey, by the way, is it still cool if Naruto stays over for the party this weekend? He said it was okay with Sasuke. Oh, that reminds me, will there be adult supervision? I'm serious about that kind of thing. I mean, Naruto constantly needs to be supervised."
For a moment, Itachi almost didn't register a single word coming from the other side of the line.
"What party?" he asked, the suspicion already catching up with him.
"You know, Sakura's birthday party. We thought you sent the text 'cause you didn't want us there 'cause you were embarrassed for us or something. Wait, now that I think about it, you were going on a business strip this weekend, weren't you? Okay, but someone's gotta supervise the party. Ms Remma will be there, right?"
Itachi blinked. "Sakura's …birthday …party?"
Pain paused. "Itachi, I get the feeling your brother really got you this time."
"Oh god oh god oh god-"
"Woah, calm down, bro. Did you take your OCD medication this morning?"
"Pein! Listen up!" Itachi firmly gritted into the phone. "You gather everybody, tell them about Sasuke's scheming, come over this afternoon. I have to go buy Sakura a gift."
"I don't know, Itach-"
"I promise an open bar."
"PARTY!"
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A/N: Current mood: potato. Pen name changed to BrownEyedHoneybadger – don't know if it's showing yet.
I put that first scene in, literally, JUST to fuck with you guys. Hehe, bet no one was rooting for Shino, hey? You racists.
Can I get a HEY MACARENA for epic Sasuke? Kudos, dude. You've done me proud.
This story is progressing B.E.A-utifully. Like, it's going perfect. Like, yeah. I know I've been going a bit faster with the pace, but it will slow down, don't worry. Remember, in the story, it's not only Friday, but a birthday, and a party!
Woot.
*_*_*_*_REVIEW RESPONSES*_*_*_*
Old Justice: Your review was amazing. Thank you so much. It's people like you that inspire me to get better and write more!
Toreh: Well, I'm flattered you like it!
SomebodyLost: A very good point. Thank you for the nicely given constructive criticism. I will definitely take that into consideration.
Light blossom and dark warrior: I'm a chick, but my girl friends and I call each other Dude anyway! So, hey, Dude. Yeah, BATMAN for the win!
FruitySmell: Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to review almost every chapter! You are reviewer of the day, for sure! You motivated me to update! HAVE A COOKIE! XD