I failed. I wanted to have this out by last Thursday, Friday at the latest…it's Tuesday now. Sorry guys. My goal for the next chapter's the same: out by Friday night-hopefully I'm able to do that. Thanks for reviewing last chapter you guys! =D
Also from last chapter: on the fifth section I put "Sakura bumped into Sakura" I forgot to mention that's she's schizophrenic at this point so I absolutely totally meant that. Haha just kidding, of course I meant "Sasuke bumped into Sakura" my fingers just got too happy =)
"Come on Forehead, show some skin!" Ino groaned, trying to shove a miniskirt in Sakura's hand.
"I'm not wearing that thing Ino!" Sakura objected, walking around her friend and headed to the bathroom to look in the mirror. Ino had agreed to baby-sit Shunsuke and luckily for Sakura, she'd also decided to come early to help Sakura dress.
"Sakura, you're such a prude!" Ino teased sticking her tongue out, but not giving up. "Just try it on! And hurry up so I can do your makeup."
"Ino I told you I'm not wearing all that make up either," Sakura shook her head and after putting on a little mascara, applied a pink tinted coat of lip gloss.
"You know you'd better be glad for Shunsuke…I don't know how you'd get a date with anyone without him." Ino poked.
"Well you know what Ino," Sakura sighed pressing her lips together and popping them apart. "I'm ok with that. Now how do I look?"
Ino opened her mouth with wide eyes and was about to speak but Sakura held a hand up. "Never mind don't answer."
The two females went into Sakura's bedroom and lay across the bed talking.
"So are you gettin' some tonight?" Ino winked. "I can stay over and watch Shunsuke."
"Ino!" Sakura shrieked. "I'm not going on this date with Sasuke because I like him, I'm going on it because Shunsuke set it up."
Ino looked at Sakura absently and blinked. "So was that a yes or a no?"
"No Ino." Sakura emphasized and Ino shook her head.
"You're a dumbass." Ino rolled over and stood up from the bed. "You know you want him."
"Ino…" Sakura started shaking her head. "Look I'm not trynna rush things ok?"
"Ohhhhh so you do wanna fuck him? Just not now." Ino said, her face bright.
"I wouldn't trade Shunsuke for anything in the world, but you see where that landed me last time right?"
Ino laughed to herself. "Who saw that coming. And Shunsuke's such a great kid…how'd you two manage that?"
"Shut up," Sakura laughed and swatted in Ino's direction.
"So if he tries to kiss you…?"
"Sasuke's not gonna try to kiss me Ino," Sakura said and rolled her eyes slightly.
"You never-"
"I do know Ino. Sasuke's not interested in me like that."
"What makes you say that?"
Sakura remained silent for a few moments and chewed the inside of her mouth. Finally she exhaled loudly. "I just know okay? Our relationship right now is solely based on Shunsuke."
"Pshhyeah right," Ino scoffed.
"So you're gonna lie to yourself all night like that?" Ino continued as the doorbell rang.
"I'm not lying to myself Ino," Sakura hissed as if Sasuke would be able to hear her through the door. The pink haired woman rose slowly from the bed and was trembling slightly, luckily it was discreet enough for Ino not to notice. The doorbell rang again and Sakura could hear Shunsuke scolding Sasuke for being impatient while the older man irritably muttered something back.
Sakura opened the front door to see Shunsuke and Sasuke exchanging harmless glares and muttering to one another under their breaths.
"Hey Mama!" Shunsuke exclaimed as he stepped forward and hugged Sakura tightly. "You look pretty. Doesn't she Sasuke-sama?"
Sasuke cleared his throat lightly and kept his eyes fixed to the slight right of Sakura's waist. "Yeah." He muttered, furrowing his brow lightly. Shunsuke sighed audibly and shook his head before walking into the house and towards Ino who was emerging from the bedroom.
"What's that?" Sakura asked with a slight nod, as she scooted over to allow Shunsuke to move past.
"Hm? Oh it's for you." Sasuke said, realizing she was talking about the canister in his hand. He held it forward and Sakura took it with a smile-careful to avoid skin contact.
"Open it!" Shunsuke called from beside Ino.
Sakura took the wooden lid in her hands and opened it. Immediately her face lit up and she laughed.
Ino walked forward and looked inside. "Rice? Really?" She shot Sasuke a snide, disappointed look which the latter ignored.
"This is great Sasuke thanks!" Sakura nodded still laughing. She saw him smile slightly and nod which only made her laughter deepen.
"I'll take it!" Shunsuke offered running up and taking the gift from Sakura's hands. "You guys leave!" With the canister hugged to his body by one arm, Shunsuke used his free hand to lightly push Sakura's bottom. She resisted lightly, but Shunsuke was persistent.
"You guys have fun," he grunted lightly as pushed Sakura a little harder. When the woman didn't budge he stopped with a huff and looked at the two adults pointedly.
"I've got Shunsuke, you guys go on," Ino tried now with the same pushy attitude as Shunsuke.
"I guess we'd better leave," Sakura sighed. If they stayed any longer, she knew the date would start off even more awkward than it already was. Sasuke nodded back and turned to the side to allow Sakura room to come out.
"Bye Mama, bye Sasuke-sama! 'Member what I told you!" Shunsuke called and tacked on the reminder for Sasuke.
"Yeah have fun! Lots of fun!" Ino waved with a sly wink.
Sakura's eyes widened for a moment and she quickly waved goodbye. "Alright Shunsuke behave! …You too Ino, and thanks again!" Sakura quickly closed the door before any more smart comments could be heard.
"Well that was fun," Sasuke muttered sarcastically as Sakura closed the door.
"Went better than I thought it would," Sakura sighed heavily as she turned on her heel and the two took off down the street.
"Shunsuke preached to me the entire walk over here," Sasuke groaned lightly.
"Oh really? What'd he do?" Sakura laughed.
Sasuke shook his head. "What didn'the do. He went over everything we were doing tonight, conversations, how I was gonna act, if I was gonna pay. He was dead set on thinking I was gonna fuck up somehow tonight."
"Well Sasuke, you do have a knack for that." Sakura muttered sarcastically. Sasuke shot her a sideways glare but seeing the smirk dancing on her lips he could tell she was teasing.
"Are we starting this already tonight Sakura?" Sasuke smirked back.
"I have no idea what you're talking about Sasuke," Sakura innocently blinked and turned her wide, beautiful eyes to Sasuke and he felt the breath leaving his nose turn hot and tremor.
"Tch," he scoffed back and Sakura only laughed again.
The two walked on in silence, which allowed their minds to completely overwhelm them. Sasuke took the opportunity to really look Sakura over for the first time. His date wore a pair of black, wide leg pants where the waistband came up midway between her breasts and her navel. Tucked into the pants, she wore a teal, tight fitted, draping scooped neck tank top. The vibrant blue actually tied in well with her pink locks and especially her dazzling, green eyes. She wore her hair in a low, loose, messy bun, and Sasuke noted the loose, various strands that had escaped and attractively floated around her face and neck. Her skin looked fresh and firm-her clear, fair complexion seemed to exude a pallid glow. The lip gloss that coated her small, round mouth made her lips look even more desirable than usual.
Sasuke felt his usually pallid face beginning to flush and he turned away quickly. Sasuke began absently chewing his lower lip as the two continued on to the restaurant in silence. Once the man had led them to Yakiniku Q-a restaurant Shunsuke hadn't fully approved of- the two went in just as silent as they had walked over.
The two sat at one of the booths and waited as the waiter returned with their requested items. Sasuke picked up the tongs and began placing the meat on the table and Sakura watched absentmindedly. Once the Uchiha was done and there was nothing left to do but sit and listen to the food sizzle, Sakura decided to speak.
"So how are the meetings with Lady Tsunade going?"
Sasuke tilted his head towards Sakura and shot her a dull look which Sakura laughed in response to. Sasuke sighed irritably and spoke.
"It's a pain in the ass. Point blank."
"Well at least you're almost done," Sakura offered.
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly and he shook his head once. "She didn't tell you? She gave me another fuckin' year of probation. I've still got over year left."
Sakura bit back a laugh. "For what?"
"Apparently I'm still at 'high risk,'" Sasuke sneered, and his lip unconsciously curled up slightly.
Sakura smiled apologetically. "Don't worry, she probably won't keep you on the sentence for the full year."
Sasuke raised his brow in a look that expressed his complete lack of faith in Sakura's statement and she threw out a laugh that matched his unbelief and picked up the tongs. Sasuke watched as Sakura carefully and slowly began the food over.
"I'm surprised you agreed to come," Sasuke said once the silence returned. Sakura turned the last piece over as she spoke.
"Yeah, at first I thought Shunsuke was full of it, but I guess not."
"Huh?" Sasuke asked as Sakura set down the tongs.
"When he told me that you and he had already arranged it I thought he was bluffing," Sakura explained. "But I guess he wasn't because I know if you didn't wanna come, you wouldn't've agreed whether or not you thought I already agreed to be here."
Sasuke stared at Sakura in silence, and Sakura shot an absent quick glance from the food to Sasuke before looking back down at the food again. However, when his expression registered in her mind, she looked back up with a slightly open mouth.
"He told you I already agreed to come didn't he?" Sakura asked, only her tongue and somewhat parted lips moving.
Sasuke rubbed his creased brow slowly and shook his head. "You've gotta be fuckin' me."
"Oh my gosh, Sasuke," Sakura gaped, her jaw fully extended. "We just got played by a five year old."
Sasuke's lower lip was drawn between his teeth and he nodded slowly without speaking. Sakura reactively slapped her hand on the table and shook her head quickly. "I shoulda known better, too!…Damnit when I get home-"
"Shunsuke'll probably be sleeping."
"Well tomorrow morning then," Sakura corrected her vague threat.
"Or," Sasuke began, a sly smirk dancing on his lips. "We could play him like he played us."
Sakura's eyes narrowed in consideration. "I'm listening."
Sasuke's thumb pressed his upper lip as he thought. Finally, a slow smile broke across his face and Sakura could tell by the mischievous glint in the smirk that he'd come up with a plan.
After Sakura and Sasuke finished their dinner, the two decided to call it a night since neither really knew what to do next. However, instead of taking the direct route home, Sakura was surprised to see that Sasuke chose to take the longer route and walked at a leisurely pace. She walked beside him, the silence between the two no longer struck the other as awkward.
"Would you like to sit?" Sasuke asked rather formally. He gestured to a concrete bench that they were approaching. Sakura looked to him in surprise, but nodded as the two continued down the empty street and towards the lone bench.
"It was nice getting out," Sakura spoke after a while, with her head tilted upward at the sky. The stars seemed more numerous and brighter than usual. "And surprisingly I actually had fun." She teased shooting her eyes upwards and to her left as she gave Sasuke a half smirk.
Sasuke looked down at her with his eyebrow quirked in mild amusement and smirked back. "Well I guess it's good at least one of us had fun."
Sakura kept her gaze on the sky and laughed, "Yeah right, I know you had fun."
Sasuke scoffed. "You've gotten cocky, huh Sakura?"
Sakura turned to him with her mouth in an open smile. "As if you're one to talk."
Sasuke only shrugged in acceptance of her rebuttal and both turned their attention back upward. After a few moments of silence, Sasuke sighed. "Sakura…"
The pinkette turned to him in expectant patience and waited. As Sasuke's brow creased in thought.
"I don't know any other way to say this…Shunsuke needs a family and honestly he deserves one. You two have been getting along fine without me, I understand that, but now that I'm here…well I want to be here. Even more…I want to try things between us again. I know we never…officially dated, and I know that's on me because at the time it just wasn't what I wanted. But I was thinking that maybe this time, we could try to do this the right way."
Sakura didn't even realize she was staring at Sasuke with an open mouth and wide eyes. Her expression was that of shock, Sasuke mistook it for horror.
"Just dating." He explained quickly before continuing. "I know I fucked up Sakura. I know I screwed you over. I honestly, don't know why I would expect you to just say yeah so easily, but I…figured I'd try at least."
Sakura now looked at the ground with furrowed, nervous eyes and her mouth set in a tight, conflicted line. Noting her change of expression and lack of an answer, Sasuke nodded.
"That's fine. Like I said I don't expect you to agree, and I don't expect you to feel the need to act any differently after tonight."
"…Ok." Sakura nodded absently.
Sasuke nodded back and turned his attention forward. His pale face was flushed and he felt flustered by embarrassment which was only intensified by the rejection. His jaw absently clenched and unclenched as he waited to regain control of himself before suggesting they head home.
Sakura exhaled shakily beside him. "No, I meant…ok…we should give it a try." Sakura finally looked at Sasuke and gave a small smile. Now Sasuke looked at her shock.
"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked carefully.
Sakura laughed lightly. "Sasuke, when I was eight years old I planned out our wedding. I think I'm sure."
"Yeah, but we're not kids anymore. And this isn't a kiddy relationship. We've both changed a lot since then." Sasuke warned.
Sakura nodded back in understanding. "I know. We've grown…that's why I think we're ready to give it a shot."
Sasuke nodded back. "Alright," he said simply and turned forward as his cheeks tinted when Sakura smiled at him. They sat in silence for a few moment before Sasuke spoke up.
"You planned out our wedding?" Sasuke asked in slight horror, his thin black brow raised upward.
Sakura laughed dismissively and waved her hand. "It's not as hard as it seems."
When Sasuke looked at her with wide, apprehensive eyes Sakura groaned. "I was young and stupid Sasuke, you know that."
Sasuke chuckled patronizingly. "Yeah, you were a groupie."
"Shut up Sasuke."
"I'm just saying."
The remnants of Sakura's shocked stupor vanished and she rolled her eyes dramatically. "You really do know how to kill a moment, do you know that?"
"I'm just saying- I never thought I'd be dating your annoying ass." Sasuke rolled his eyes to the right.
"Are you trying to end this relationship already? 'Cause you're doing a damn good job." Sakura frowned angrily at the naivety of her past behaviors. Sasuke began shaking his head.
"You're not getting away from me again." Sasuke smirked seductively and Sakura was unable to fight off a blushing a laugh.
"Yeah, whatever," she muttered and turned her flushed face forward. The silence descended once more.
"One more thing," Sasuke said after about a minute. Sakura turned to him on reflex and was frozen when she felt his hand reach up and firmly cup around her neck while his strong thumb tilted her chin upward. Less than a second later, nostalgia overtook her as Sasuke's warm lips were on hers. Her shock only remained for a moment before the overwhelming pleasure of feeling his warm, soft lips working hers overpowered her like it had in the past. She closed her eyes and kissed back and felt his kiss deepen in gladness at her consent. After a several seconds, the two finally broke apart and Sasuke's hand was still behind Sakura's neck and their enflamed foreheads pressed together as they both breathed heavily in adrenaline from the sensation they'd just experienced.
"I've missed you Sakura," Sasuke breathed.
"Sasuke…" was all Sakura could say before she tilted her head back up and captured his lips once more. He responded gladly and parted her lips gently with his own, sustaining the kiss for a smaller amount of time as he'd done the first time. The side of his nose faintly rubbed up against hers and his strong hands retained their place caressing her neck.
"It'll be different this time." Sasuke whispered. "I promise."
Sakura nodded slightly before speaking. "Yeah. I know." And Sakura realized between her fluttered breathing and amplified heartbeat, that she undoubtedly believed him.
Review please!
See ya soon! xoxoxoxoxo
