Chapter 11
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The woman wasn't particularly beautiful. Attractive, yes—she had reddish-blond hair and blue eyes that were the color of the sky. She had an evenly-tanned skin tone, one that looked like it was touched by light gold and glinted with smoothness and creaminess. She had thin, shapely lips. Pretty feet. Mile-high legs.
And curves that Sakura would have died to have.
She wasn't jealous. She wasn't. Hell, no. She was just...irked.
Yes, that was it.
Nothing she couldn't handle.
"Keisa," Sakura intoned, giving the woman a surprised stare. Of all the people to see in Kakashi's house...it had to be her?
This was, after all, the woman who tried to get all the people at the hospital thinking that she (Keisa) and Sasuke were dating—which Sakura knew for a fact wasn't at all true, considering Sasuke had never dated before. This woman started the rumor that Sakura was sleeping around—which Sakura was absolutely positive was so not true (hell, no!). Hell, even Ino had been offended. It took Sakura days to finally convince the blonde not the give the other a black eye.
And now this?
"Sakura." Keisa looked surprised for a while as well, her eyes going a bit wide. Then she looked Sakura in the eye and for a moment she seemed to go very still, her expression going through a slight dawning of comprehension.
Then the surprise vanished, and she smirked.
Very, very triumphantly.
It was all Sakura could do not to just reach out and smack the self-satisfied expression away.
"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, her voice mild. She tried to look nonchalant, as if this were an everyday occurrence and nothing that she should be surprised about.
Keisa kept on smirking, looking like the cat that had a full lap of milk inside its belly. "Oh. I was just...checking up. On Kakashi-kun."
Kakashi-kun?
And why did the tone sound so mischievous?
"What are you doing here?" Keisa countered, raising an eyebrow in mock curiosity.
Sakura raised an eyebrow back. "I don't believe that's any of your business, Keisa."
Keisa's eyes widened at that. Sakura almost cheered in glee. Okay, so she was acting like a child—but the damn woman was getting on her nerves! Who did she think she was, trying to act all mighty and superior like some kind of overindulged queen? And why was she even standing here, at the place where she wasn't supposed to be in? It was irritating, it was annoying, it was—
"Sakura?"
—not Keisa's voice anymore.
Suddenly all irritation and thoughts left Sakura again as her vision turned away from Keisa and focused on the one person who had just come to the door, dressed in nothing but his mask and sweatpants.
Really low-hung, muscle-revealing sweatpants.
Kakashi.
And he did not look the least bit guilty.
Sakura stiffened, wondering why her stomach was suddenly lurching so horribly.
"Neh, Kakashi, who is this woman?" Naruto's voice interrupted the very tense air, leaving Sakura stiffening up more—not that the loudmouth noticed, of course. He was busy gawking at Keisa in awe, then gawking at Kakashi as if he couldn't believe there was a girl in her ex-sensei's apartment. Sasuke remained silent, his onyx eyes observing.
Instantly, as if the blond's voice was the trigger, Keisa lost the triumphant smirk on her face. She smiled innocently, showing brilliant white teeth in the process.
"Oh, I'm Keisa," she said brightly. "I'm a nurse at Konoha Hospital. Hello, Naruto-kun...Sasuke-kun."
Naruto remained gawking.
Sasuke remained observing.
Sakura began glaring.
Especially after the hideous woman put her hand on Kakashi's arm, as if it belonged there.
Like hell it did.
"Hello, Keisa-chan!" Naruto chirped, beaming after a moment. "You seem like a nice person! I bet you guys are sleeping together! You are, aren't you?"
Keisa flushed.
Sasuke continued observing.
Sakura glared some more.
"It's none of our business, Naruto," Sakura snapped, turning a cool stare at Kakashi. The damn man merely looked at her, his expression unreadable.
"What are you guys doing here?" Kakashi asked after a few seconds.
"Mou...I don't know, Kakashi..." Naruto drawled, looking confused. He seemed to have forgotten that no one had bothered to answer his question. "You should ask Sakura-chan. She made us follow her here."
"I didn't ask you to follow me here," Sakura countered, glaring at Naruto. Then at Sasuke. "Both of you."
Sasuke merely eyed her back. "Then what are we here for, Sakura?"
Silence.
"Sakura?" Kakashi prodded in a quiet voice.
Reluctantly, Sakura opened her mouth, about to answer. But Keisa interrupted.
"Sakura," she said sweetly, "if you're here to take care of Kakashi's injuries, you don't have to. He called me earlier, you see. So I've already...healed him."
Sasuke's eyebrow raised.
Keisa's eyes glinted.
And Sakura?
She got red.
Her vision, that is.
Before she could think any more, she suddenly acted. Grip tightening on both medical kit and bag, she tossed them without further ado at Kakashi. Hard. Then she smiled. Very, very dazzlingly.
"Oh, that's a relief!" she chirped, putting on the most convincing happy expression she could. "Shishou asked me to take care of you for four days, but it looks like I don't have to be around twenty-four hours, do I?" She glanced at Keisa for a while, then back at Kakashi.
She smiled some more. "Well, I guess my advice is for you to just stay home. Recuperate! So...that's it! See you later!"
She turned around— only to find both Naruto and Sasuke staring at her.
"Neh, Sakura-chan, where are you going?"
Sakura smiled wider. Dear Kami, her jaws were starting to ache. "Why, to Kiba's party, of course. With my date."
"Date?" Naruto exclaimed, eyes widening. "Who's your date?"
Ah. The key question.
She felt someone tense behind her—though she couldn't be sure if it was the male or the female. She ignored that, as well as the loud drumming of her heart.
Instead she gazed at Sasuke and sweetly touched his arm. Then she winked.
That was answer enough.
A pause. Then...
"WHAT! YOU'RE DATING THE TEME! SAKURA-CHAN! WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TASTE?"
And that was as far as Naruto got before he got two big black splotches on his lovely blue eyes.
And both weren't from Sakura.
She was too busy walking away and fussing over her beloved Sasuke-kun.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The moment Sakura and the gang left, Keisa closed the door and leaned against it, annoyance flitting over her pretty features. She sighed once. Then she turned her gaze to Kakashi and let the annoyance fade.
Not that Kakashi noticed much, anyway.
Silently, he turned around and went to deposit the bag and kit to his living room.
"Kakashi-kun?"
He felt a hand on his shoulder. Being a gentleman (especially to the one who had just healed his injuries), he turned back around to face her.
Keisa was smiling again. A great smile, if he had to be honest. Her blue eyes were starting to smolder—a trait that he knew meant lust, or the start of it.
He began seeing different eyes. Green ones.
Her hand had flickered down, toying with the top button of her nurse's outfit. Her other hand slid from his shoulder to his chest, the fingers spreading.
He began imagining different hands. Soft, ivory-pale ones.
She stepped closer, putting her lips near his ear. She blew. At the same time, she tugged the first button open.
"Let's get down to business, Kakashi-kun," she purred, voice seductively low.
He began hearing a different voice. A softer one.
Was it wrong to think about her this way? To feel about her this way? To get upset and mad and disappointed at her finding someone else? It wasn't his business. It never was. She would never be his. He couldn't allow himself to taint her.
No, not when she was still so innocent.
"Kiss me, Kakashi-kun. I'll make all your pain go away..."
When Keisa's hand traveled down, onto his stomach and lower, he gripped her wrist, pulling it back up. He gently moved it away.
Smirking, Keisa stepped back. Then she proceeded to muss up her hair more and began opening the remaining buttons of her clothes. Her lips parted, her eyes closed. She moaned.
Kakashi watched as she let the clothes fall off her body, revealing luscious curves and skin that any men would have died to touch. To taste.
He did not feel a thing.
She stepped closer again, putting her arms around his neck. She kissed his masked jaw.
He began imagining different lips there.
"You know you want this, Kakashi-kun..."
She pressed closer, the heat in her body seeping through him. She kissed him some more, her hands traveling everywhere. Quietly, Kakashi closed his own eyes.
He didn't stop her.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy—hic!—birthday to you!"
A giggle was heard, followed by the joyous clapping of hands.
Then the song began again.
"Happy birthday to you! Happ—hic!—birthday to y—"
"For Kami's sake, Forehead—would you knock it off once and for all!"
Sakura merely giggled again. Then she proceeded to pump her fist in the air and down another glass of red wine—all in one, very large gulp.
Ino glared and abruptly took the empty (but only temporarily) glass away.
"He—hic!—eeey!" Sakura protested, trying to snatch the glass back. She glared in return. "I was—hic!—drinking that!"
"You were swallowing it like a baboon, that's what!" Ino countered, raising an eyebrow. She sighed when Sakura managed to get the glass and put some more wine in it.
A giggle was heard again. "Oh! Baboon! I—hic!—know that word! That's the—hic!—one that I used to call Kakashiiiii..."
"Well, he could be sometimes," Ino muttered, rolling her eyes. She was about to comment on something else when suddenly, Sakura's brilliant smile faded—and she immediately burst into tears.
The blonde panicked.
"Oh, Kami! Darn it, Forehead!" she nearly yelled, taking the glass away again and shoving it to the farthest end of the table. "What the hell is the matter with you? Oh, Kami, don't cry like that, please, it's—"
"It's his fault!" Sakura sobbed drunkenly, ignoring Ino. They were the only ones outside the back patio, much to Ino's dismay (or relief—Ino wasn't sure which way to feel). "He—he left me at the hospital and he left me for his stupid mission and now—hic!—he has another woman in his aparrrtmeeent! That—hic!—damn stupid nuurrseee!"
A pause, albeit the weird sobbing. Then...
Ino exploded.
"Alright! Do you want me to castrate him or to cut her head off?" she snarled, eyes flashing. Her hands fisted, and she stood up from her seat immediately. "Your call, Forehead—though I really prefer removing that bitch's red hair off her stupid head."
Sakura's sobbing stopped. She began giggling hysterically (and drunkenly) again. Then she turned back to sobbing. Then giggling some more.
Ino's anger drained away as she saw the mess the poor girl seemed to be really in. Darn it. The blonde sighed once more and sat back down, wondering why she even let the other drink.
The girl was crazy.
Or maybe...crazy in love?
Was it even possible?
"I assume we're not talking about your date for the night, are we?" Ino asked softly. At the back of her hand, she began getting the glass back—and quietly filling it up with the grape juice found at the juice bottle on the table.
Really convenient juice bottle, by the way.
"N—hic!—ooo...Sasuke-kun has been wooondeeerful..."
A pause.
"But you don't have feelings for him."
"I never—hic!—said that! I could have, for all you know!"
Ino smirked. "Kakashi's really great."
Instantly, Sakura's face crumpled again. The blonde cursed herself for even thinking of saying it. But it had to be done, for her best friend's sake.
"He is —hic!—a jerk!" Sakura yelled, lips trembling.
"Yes, yes, all men are," Ino cooed, patting Sakura's back and offering the glass of juice. Sakura automatically took it and drank, not even noticing that it wasn't wine anymore. "But you still like him."
"He's a babbbooon!"
"Yes, we've covered that already. And you still wanna jump him."
"Of—hic!—course! I want him to—hic!—go to hell!"
Ino wondered which statement Sakura really meant. She settled for the former.
"Okay, now, let's get those hiccups away. Then let's get you home so you can...rest. You need it, sweetie."
She filled the glass with juice again (making sure to keep the wine bottle out of view) and made Sakura drink. Sakura complied, almost meekly.
After some seconds, Ino stood up. Then she gave Sakura's arms a big, blunt pull.
"Heeeyy—"
"Off we go, Forehead," Ino stated, slinging Sakura's one arm over her shoulder. She staggered a bit at the weight, but managed to balance them both until her own feet were steady. "Let's get you home."
"I—I'm not staying home now..."
Exactly.
"Good, you're not hiccuping anymore. I meant your temporary home, sweetie. And let's use the garden door, if you please. I don't want anyone interrupting."
"M—my date..."
"Oh, let's leave that other unemotional baboon for a while, shall we? We have another destination to cover."
"O-kaayy..."
And Ino definitely did not want the mighty Uchiha Sasuke around for this. Nope.
Not with the plan she had in mind.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
a/n: I don't know if you noticed, but Naruto forgot to invite Kakashi to the party. Lol.
Please forgive me for the faulty grammar. I wasn't able to edit it anymore *it's nearly 3 am here*. But as promised, this chapter's posted earlier than the previous one.
Have fun reading. And please review if you can, guys. :)
P.S. I know I said earlier that I'll reveal some Sasuke moments here, but it looks like I have to move that *my idea sort of changed in the middle of writing this chapter*. Later, it might just happen.