Chapter Twelve: I Will Follow You into the Dark
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Author's Note: We're baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!! We know it's been forever, but we have both been EXTREMELY busy, what with schoolwork and all. But it's getting close to Christmas, so we thought we'd give you a nice, fluffy, winter-y chapter to warm you up [ignore the awful cliche right there]. We can't guarantee when we'll have time to update again, but your reviews keep us going and motivate us to keep coming back to this fanfiction :) [P.S., The Slingshot Effect may have written us the most epic review we have ever read, so a great big thank you to them from both of us!!!] And now without further ado, enjoy chapter 12! We look forward to hearing from you guys soooooooon~ ^_^
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"WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. SNOW STORM IN EFFECT. BLIZZARD LIKELY, 12-16 INCHES OF SNOW EXPECTED. TAKE CAUTION."
Sasuke glanced up at the new 62-inch TV Naruto had gotten him for Christmas. I should send home everyone I don't need. If they die because of the snow, I won't have anyone to work for me. He pressed the button on his much-used intercom, aka part two of Naruto's gift, which he was beginning to take a liking to.
Click.
"Everyone except dobe, Sakura, Neji, Gaara, Kiba, and Lee may go home due to the inclement weather. I expect you to return to work in three days' time."
Click.
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"…I expect you to return to work in three days' time."
Sakura raised an eyebrow at the sound of her boss' voice echoed over the intercom and turned to look at Naruto as he was attempting to balance a pencil on his chin. She rolled her eyes and reverted back to the modeling applications she had been filing. Another rejected application… Damn it, this trashcan's full again.
Suddenly, it hit her that there was a huge snowstorm going on outside of their office at that very moment. Oh my god. And I can't leave?! She hurried to the window and peered 49 floors below; the weather report claimed that there was an accumulation of seven inches thus far. The sun's rays danced along the untainted blanket of white snow, turning the usually busy street into a peaceful winter wonderland. It would have been a gorgeous site had it not been the cause of Sakura's extended work day.
She decided to go consult her boss about it.
"Sasuke," she said as she approached the door, "I was wondering why you wanted me stay here, knowing that there's almost a foot of snow outside."
"I need some people here to take care of the office while everyone else goes home."
Not exactly sure of how to respond, she shut the door quietly and walked, defeated, back to her desk. Looks like I'm stuck here. Shit.
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4 hours later…
Click
"There is two feet of snow outside; ergo, you will be spending the night here. Dobe, you know where the extra blankets are. That is all."
Click
Sakura woke up, startled yet again by the blaring intercom system. She glanced over at Naruto, who was just standing up.
"What was that about?"
"Oh good morning, Saku-chan! Or good evening, rather. Oh, that? That was just teme telling us that we'll be spending the night here. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go get the extra blankets."
Sakura stared at him dumbfounded. "Sleeping HERE? ALL NIGHT? WHY?!"
"Two feet of snow outside. Doors are shut tight. Sucks, right? This seems to happen every year though, so all of us are pretty used to it."
Sakura was still fazed. "Wait so we have to sleep here? All night?"
Naruto watched her closely, as if she had lost all manner of comprehension.
"Well that's generally what happens when there's a blizzard blocking your only way out," then, finally noticing the hint of alarm in her eyes, he laughed, "oh it's no big deal, really. Sasuke gets tired of working at around ten, so we sit up here on the 50th for a few hours, chat, play a little strip poker, and then push Sasuke's desk back a few feet and go to sleep in his office. So now I'm going to go get the extra blankets and pillows. Wanna come with?"
Sakura bit her lip, still frightened by the thought of spending the night at Uchiha Inc. with six extremely good looking, albeit goofy, male models. Wait, why am I frightened? I should be celebrating! She grinned slightly to herself and got up to accompany Naruto downstairs.
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One hour later…
Naruto and Sakura had set up all the blankets and pillows and made a cozy, makeshift bedroom out of the Uchiha's office, much to his dismay. As it was nearing 10 PM, he had been forced to put away his work for the day ("Get rid of all this shit, teme, work is overrated anyway" Naruto had said as he easily pushed the large desk back against the wall, papers sliding off of it in the process) and allowed everyone else to do the same.
Click
"Neji, Gaara, Lee, and Kiba, you can stop working. Teme's lightened up," Naruto grinned, taking advantage of Sasuke's intercom system.
Click
Sakura was busily fluffing up her pillow and getting ready to lie down when she noticed she was still in her suit. Naruto and Sasuke glanced down at their attire as well, and Sasuke promptly stood up and walked over to a door at the far end of his office. From there, he pulled out two pairs of pajamas for him and Naruto. He tossed an obnoxious orange pair at the blonde and the two of them quickly changed, forgetting that Sakura was in the room. This never does get old. But wait, I don't have anything to wear! And how long has there been a closet here?
"Err…Sasuke, you wouldn't happen to have any women's pajamas inside that closet, do you?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow and Sakura's face fell slightly. Seeing her try to make herself comfortable on the blanket in her scratchy suit, he all but rolled his eyes as he headed back to his closet and tossed a large shirt towards her.
She caught it, surprised, and held it out. It was a long, button down, white and blue, collared shirt, but the material was soft and cottony. Naruto grinned to himself as he turned to open the door to the office.
"Why don't you go change before the other guys get here, Saku-chan?" Naruto suggested, holding the door open for the startled woman, who hesitantly stood up, gripping her boss's shirt.
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"Let's see your hand," Naruto commanded as he glanced up at Kiba.
"Nah, I fold."
"Great, then you guys need to lose the pants."
"It is no fun playing with you, Naruto, none of us stand a chance," Lee sighed and continued, "I believe a new game is in order."
Naruto was about to gather up the cards and reshuffle for a new game when he noticed a blushing Sakura standing by the door, clad in nothing but her boss' shirt. He grinned as he motioned for her to come in.
"Come and join us please, Sakura-san," Lee suggested politely as Kiba deliberately made a place for her next to Sasuke. She sat down shyly, carefully covering up as much of her bare legs as possible.
"You better watch out for the other guys when the lights are off and we're all sleeping," Kiba laughed suggestively.
"Kiba, how could you say something like that?" Naruto exclaimed in mock surprise. No sooner had he finished talking, the lights went out.
"Way to go, Naruto," Gaara muttered, flashing an unseen glare in Naruto's direction.
"Don't blame me! Kiba is the one that mentioned the lights going out," Naruto retorted, "besides, we have flashlights and a generator."
"Why isn't your generator working?" Sakura inquired, fearfully looking around the pitch-black room.
Neji took this moment to confess. "We do not own a generator. It was just a ploy to take Uchiha's money for the new shower heads."
"Great. Now what?" Kiba moaned.
"No worries! If I remember correctly, we are still in possession of flashlights," Lee reassured.
"Well, Lee, you don't remember correctly," Naruto continued, "remember that one time when we played flashlight tag on the roof after closing?"
"Oh yes, I do remember now. You tripped me and all the flashlights we had fell out of my hands off the roof and smashed into thousands of pieces!"
"…all the flashlights?" Sakura questioned.
"We only had three," Naruto stated.
Sakura smacked her forehead in disbelief. Maybe it's true what they say. You can't be gorgeous and smart.
"Don't think I'm not aware of how stupid you are, dobe," Sasuke commented, standing up. By now everyone's eyes had adjusted to the darkness and it was possible to faintly see outlines of the objects around the room. "I had a generator installed myself, knowing that something would go wrong."
Oh thank god! But wait… "Why isn't it working?" Sakura stated the obvious.
"…it must not be plugged in."
A collective, group groan filled the room.
"No worries, no worries!" Naruto jumped up, the familiar grin plastered on his face. "All we need to do is find it and plug it in and we're golden!"
"Well, where is the thing?" Kiba turned his attention to Sasuke.
"Either the sixth floor or the sixteenth. Or twenty-sixth… Or any floor with a six in it."
"You don't remember?" Sakura cried incredulously.
"It's not my job to remember trivial matters such as generator locations."
I hate my life right now.
"I have an idea!" Lee jumped up next to Naruto excitedly. "We should make this a competition!"
Naruto glanced at Kiba for a second before grinning even more widely. "That's an awesome idea, Lee! We can break off into teams of two and see who can find the generator first!"
"I'm in," Kiba agreed immediately, hopping up on Naruto's other side.
The other two men stood up wordlessly, knowing there was no point in objecting, leaving a confused Sakura still seated. "Aww, come on, Saku-chan!" the blonde held out a hand to help her up. "You know it'll be fun!"
"But…there are seven of us here! That would mean someone would be on their own!"
"Do not worry, Sakura-san, I do not require a partner!" Lee thrust out his chest confidently, eyebrows furrowed in sheer determination.
"See! Now come on!" Naruto persisted. Sakura tried to come up with another excuse, but before she knew it Naruto had grabbed her hand and effortlessly pulled her up.
This is going to be a disaster.
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"Ready…set…GO!"
A stampede of immature men ran for the door in unison and Sakura covered her eyes for fear that someone would break their neck. Why do men have this inbred need to be better than each other at everything? I mean, it's futile anyway. They all suck equally.
Before she knew it she and Sasuke were the only ones left in the small, dark room. Naruto had taken the liberty of dividing up the teams. Naturally, he and Kiba were paired up, Lee was working solo, and Neji and Gaara didn't care enough to object to working together, thus leaving Sakura with Sasuke. She didn't know what to do in this sort of situation.
"So…should we go?" Sakura asked hesitantly.
"It's on the first floor," Sasuke informed her as he walked towards the door.
Sakura stared at his retreating form, dumbfounded. "Then what was all of that back there?!"
"I knew Lee would turn this into a game, so I figured it would rid me of Naruto and Kiba's idiocy for some time." He turned back around to face her. She had no idea how to respond, and continued to stare at him like a moron. "…if you're so opposed to accompanying me downstairs, you can stay here. I'll have the lights on in ten minute's time." He started back out the door.
"No, wait!" Sakura cried as she hurriedly grabbed a hold of his arm. "I…want to come." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her sudden enthusiasm before giving her a curt nod. The two of them set off towards the stairs.
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No one knows how many minutes later…
After they had been climbing down stairs for what seemed like hours, Sakura decided to break the increasingly awkward silence between her and Sasuke.
"So, Naruto was telling me that this sort of thing happens pretty often," she attempted to start a conversation as she clutched the stair railing to keep from falling into the black abyss below.
"Once a year, usually. Although sometimes we are blocked in for several days."
Sakura's eyes widened in alarm at the thought of having to spend a week with six men clad only in an oversized shirt. Sasuke smirked at her expression.
"I wouldn't worry, most of the snow will likely have melted by morning."
"Oh…well that's a relief."
"I assume then that you would rather not spend several days stuck in this building?"
"I… It…" Sakura tried to come up with a response to his odd statement as they reached the 39th floor. "It would be strange, wouldn't it?"
"How so?"
"Well…six men and a girl…seems a bit sketchy, don't you think?"
"Hmm," Sasuke said thoughtfully, "I suppose I see your point. Especially since you are currently dressed like a cheap whore."
Sakura stopped dead in her tracks at his statement. "How dare you! It's not MY fault you don't own any women's pajamas!"
Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly. "You should have been prepared."
"I- You- I didn't ASK for this to happen!" Sakura cried in anger. Sasuke laughed as he started down the stairs again.
"Calm down, I was only kidding." Sakura made a growling noise, not moving to catch up. Sasuke, noticing her absence, turned around and grinned slightly up at her. "If you don't come down, Sakura, I'm going to leave you here." Sakura, not wanting to be left in a 50-story building alone in the dark, thrust one last glare at Sasuke before descending.
Suddenly, a loud crash broke through the silence, causing Sakura to shriek and grasp hold of the railing tightly. Unfortunately, the surprise of the noise caused her foot to slip, and she felt herself begin to fall.
Oh god, not again!
"SASUKE!" She cried as she braced herself for the impact. The next thing she knew she was standing on the floor, Sasuke holding her steadily by the shoulders in front of her.
"Try not to make this a habit," Sasuke requested, recalling the fashion show incident, before letting go of her shoulders.
Sakura glared at him again and was about to retaliate when another loud crash boomed from somewhere in the building. She shut her eyes tightly and reflexively grabbed onto the front of Sasuke's shirt in fear. Sasuke glanced down, surprised, at the cowering woman, and shook his head slightly, smirking. "It's probably just Naruto," he tried to assure her. He became even more surprised when she didn't let go. "Honestly, Sakura, it's not a big deal," he insisted as he tried to pry her off of him. She finally did, but in the small space between them Sasuke could see the fear plastered on her face.
"Can we just…stay here until one of the others finds the generator?" she pleaded, looking from side to side.
"There's no telling how long that might take…why don't you stay here and I'll go the rest-"
"No!" Sakura cried as she grabbed his arm again. Sasuke was thoroughly bewildered by her behavior. "Don't leave me!" Sasuke sighed.
"I didn't know you were this afraid of the dark," he guessed, accurately. Sakura didn't respond, but only gripped his arm tighter. "Fine, I won't leave. We'll just sit here until one of them finds it, alright?" Sakura nodded shakily as he helped her down to a flat level of the staircase before the two of them sat down, leaning against the cold wall behind them.
Ugh, now I've gone and embarrassed myself! He probably thinks I'm completely pathetic. And to top it off, it's freezing! Just my luck. No light, no heat, stuck in the middle of a 50-floor building with my boss, wearing one of his shirts, and because of me it's probably going to be awkward ten times over!
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More minutes later…
Sasuke sighed as he glanced at darkness below them for the fifth time. The two of them had been sitting on the level between the 38th and 39th floor for so long they had lost track of time. Sakura shivered slightly and wrapped her arms tightly around her knees in an effort to stay warm. Sasuke noticed and turned his attention towards her.
"Cold?" he asked.
No shit, Sherlock.
"No, I'm fine," Sakura lied. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he began taking off his shirt. What the- "What are you doing?" Sakura asked incredulously. He didn't respond, and instead laid his shirt out on her bare legs as a makeshift blanket. "Sasuke, you don't have to-"
"Don't worry about it," Sasuke replied, folding his arms across his bare chest.
Sakura glared daggers at him. She had told him she was fine, why did he have to make her feel even more pathetic than she already was at the moment?
"I already told you, I'm fine! I don't need your stupid shirt. Besides it's not my fault that you don't have-"
Sasuke put a finger to her lips to silence her.
"For the love of all that is holy, stop screeching, Sakura. I'm sorry I was unable to provide you with proper attire for this weather and I take full responsibility for it, so this is the least I can do."
Sakura, unable to come up with a counter-argument, turned away from him in embarrassment. "…thank you, Sasuke," she said as she smoothed out his shirt. "Then the least I can do is have both of these dry cleaned for you. I'll take them home with me and give them back to you-"
"Again, don't worry about it. I'll be taking the one I just gave you back once we get the heat working again. As for the one you're wearing, you can keep it."
"But it's your-"
"I never wear it, and it suits you."
It…what??
"…I thought you said I looked like a cheap whore?"
"Well, not that cheap." Sakura hit his arm, causing him to laugh. "I already told you I was kidding, Sakura. You look as pretty as you always do, alright? Now will you stop hitting me?" Sakura ceased hitting him, deciding his apology was adequate. Damn right, I look downright sexy in this oversized shirt! Wait…did Sasuke just call me pretty??
"So…you don't want me to have this cleaned for you?"
"Must you always have things repeated before you fully grasp their meaning?"
"Oh shut up," she rolled her eyes, and he smirked.
"No, Sakura, I don't need it back. Now stop worrying about it."
"Okay, okay. Thank you, again, Sasuke."
"Hn."
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Even more minutes later…
Twenty more minutes passed by and there was still no sign of light…or heat. Sakura started shivering again under the thin material of the shirts, and even Sasuke was beginning to feel the cold get to him.
"How long do you think it'll be before someone finds the generator?" Sakura asked him hopefully, between chattering teeth.
"There's no telling. None of them know it's the first floor, and I was expecting that I'd be able to switch it on myself within ten minutes of the lights going out."
Sakura winced slightly, knowing that she was the reason there was still no power.
"Sorry…"
"You apologize too much," Sasuke noted.
"…I'll work on that," Sakura rolled her eyes as she rubbed her arms in an attempt to heat up. Sasuke sighed and pulled her against his chest. "Wha- What are you doing?" Sakura cried out in surprise.
"Your shivering is only going to make me feel colder," he replied as he wrapped his arm around her waist, her small form fitting perfectly against his. She was practically sitting in his lap. "Better?"
Sakura bit her lip, and for the first time all night was glad that the light was out so no one would see her blushing like a tomato.
"Yes…thank you…" she looked up at him, able to see his face comparatively more clearly, and smiled genuinely at him. I guess…the dark isn't so bad. Sakura hesitantly made a move for his free hand and took it in hers. When he didn't object, she gingerly allowed her head to rest against his chest. To her surprise, Sasuke leaned his own head against hers, and within minutes the two of them fell asleep.
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Fifteen minutes later…
"We found the generator, guys! And look, we got graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate from the pantry!" Naruto grinned as he showed off the bags of chocolate and marshmallows in his grasp.
"…and dropped a few pots and pans in the process," Kiba added, walking into the office behind him, holding a box of graham crackers.
All five of the men had returned upstairs after Naruto's victory cheer swept through the building, indicating that he had won the competition, only to find Sasuke's office completely empty.
"Where are the other two?" Neji asked.
Kiba and Naruto looked at each other before dropping the food and bounding down the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Lee called after them.
"We're just gonna get Sasuke and Sakura; go ahead and start on the smores!" Naruto replied as they were halfway down the stairs to the 49th floor.
Not even a minute later, Naruto saw Sasuke's dark hair at the bottom of the stairs to the 38th floor. "Hey Kiba, I found-" Naruto stopped after he got a closer look at the scene before him.
"You found 'em?" Kiba asked as he arrived next to Naruto.
"Shhh!" Naruto hushed him hurriedly, as not to wake them up. "Where's the camera?" he mouthed to his companion. Kiba grinned and pulled a small digital camera out of his pocket before handing it to Naruto. There was a small click before a picture of Sakura sleeping in Sasuke's arms appeared on the tiny screen. "Excellent!" Naruto mouthed again, smiling broadly.
"Should we wake them up?" Kiba whispered.
"…nah. We'll save them some smores."
The two of them headed back upstairs, arm in arm, camera dangling triumphantly from Naruto's wrist.