~*Sexiest Ninja of Konoha*~: Wewt! I finally finished it! And only for you lovely peoples, so feel blessed =P

Sarutobi High School

Chapter 14: In Your Arms Again

Sakura collapsed on her bed. Only two more days until the dance. She sniffled. That stupid dance! She still couldn't believe she had to go, and with Sai of all people. She had just wanted to stay home, maybe watch a few movies and eat some popcorn. But Ino said she 'just had to go.' She couldn't forgive Sasuke so easily, she had to play hard to get, make him suffer. But she didn't want to anymore; she wanted to forgive him and return to her happy life.

"No, don't care, not doing it," Sasuke said angrily, kicking his door open. Sakura glanced at him from her bed. She quickly sat up and pulled her English book out of her bag. Sasuke jumped on his bed, rolling his eyes at his phone.

"Well maybe you shouldn't wear it then, if it makes you- look, Naruto, I don't have time for this! Do I look like a girl to you?" Sasuke straightened his pillow, reaching for his history homework out of his bag.

"Ha ha, very funny, dobe," he snapped his phone shut, taking the pencil behind his ear and transferring it to his mouth as he situated himself.

"Here, this was in my bed again," Sakura called over his book, tossing Sasuke his jacket. She was getting tired of finding various articles of clothing in her bed. Sasuke caught it with his pencil.

"Thanks," he murmured. It was quiet for a few minutes, and Sakura couldn't take it anymore. She was about to say something, but Sasuke's phone rang again.

"Yo," he said, cradling the phone between his shoulder and ear as he continued his homework. He frowned, setting his books down holding the phone.

"You did what? Why?" Sasuke groaned. Sakura watched him through her straight, glossy hair.

"No, no, Naruto, I'm gonna... no way! You tell her that! I'm not going to that dance, alright?" Sasuke wanted desperately to hang up. He couldn't believe Naruto! Finding him a date with one of those annoying girls, and without his permission! He was going to kill him.

"Sasuke, it's time to get you out of his whole stump! If you won't have her, then let me help you get Sakura back! I'll find you another girl, just tell me which one you want, and I'll make it happen, and then Sakura will get jealous seeing you dancing those slow dances, and then she'll say she's sorry and take you back, and then we can all go back to those neat little hotel rooms I rented," Naruto told him, grinning through the phone. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Naruto, I'm not going to have this conversation with you right now; I'll call you later," he said, snapping his phone shut again. He looked over at Sakura. She was writing something down, but he knew she had been listening to his conversation.

"So, it sounds like Naruto is being Naruto again," Sakura said conversationally. Her eyes never left her textbook. Sasuke nodded.

"Yup, playing matchmaker as usual; set me up with some blonde apparently," he said. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she froze. It was time she felt betrayed for a little bit.

"Oh yeah?" she asked, her voice nonchalant. She turned the page in her book, copying down some notes about English verbs.

"Yup; well, I've got a lot of homework, so I'm gonna go use the laptop. And who knows, I may go to the dance," Sasuke said, picking up his books and walking out the door, leaving Sakura with her mouth agape.

-X-

"No, you don't look fat, and you won't, now stop worrying and eat something other than leaves," Shikamaru said angrily, pushing a tray of food towards Hinata. She shook her head.

"The dance is today, it's my last chance to get in shape!" she wailed. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, taking a bite out of his pizza. Neji and Tenten were sitting on Shikamaru's other side, and Naruto was working on pizza number five across the table. They hadn't seen Sasuke all day.

"Hi guys," Sakura said cheerily, setting her tray down. She was eating a salad, like every other damn girl in the school, Shikamaru noticed.

"Hey Sakura, how's Ino?" Tenten asked, twirling a piece of cheese with her fork.

"Good; she's here today, you know, I just don't know where," Sakura said, shrugging. Naruto chewed guiltily, knowing exactly where Ino was.

-X-

"I'm sorry about all this," Ino said, scratching her bandaged nose lightly. She had been self-conscious about the large, white bulb that was her nose, but wasn't worried about that any more so much as how itchy it was.

"Yeah, I don't know what Naruto was thinking," Sasuke said, rubbing the back of his head as he leaned uncomfortably against the wall. They were outside the science room, talking about Naruto's latest matchmaking. Sasuke expected to come to school and deal with another one of his fangirls. Instead, Naruto set him up with Ino.

"You know, you can still take someone to the dance, it isn't too late," Ino said, shuffling her feet. Sasuke shifted to his other foot, not looking at Ino. He was so tired of hearing about the stupid dance. He just wanted to go home and eat pizza, starting the weekend the right way, not getting all dressed up to go to a dance with someone he barely knew.

"I don't think so. Can you just do me a favor and tell Naruto I'm gonna kill him later? I have homework now," Sasuke mumbled, picking up his book bag and heading towards the library. Ino watched him go sadly before turning to go to the cafeteria. She quickly found her friends near the windows and hurried over to them. She was greeted with "Hey!" and "Where have you been?" but she ignored it all, sitting down across from Sakura.

"I was nowhere, don't worry about it; so, what are you guys wearing to the dance?" Ino said cheerily, trying to change the subject. She felt terrible. She had encouraged Sakura not to forgive Sasuke, which had worked out fine, but she could see that he was really sorry, and now they were both miserable.

"I can't wear anything because I'm fat!" Tenten wailed. Ino rolled her eyes. Tenten always thought she was fat.

"Well I think you look beautiful," Neji said, flashing her a cheesy smile. He was rewarded by a bread roll in the face. Sakura giggled half-heartedly, pushing the lettuce in her salad around with her fork. Naruto looked from Sakura to Ino, catching on to the problem. He got up.

"I'm gonna look for Sasuke; he owes me money," Naruto announced abruptly, jogging towards the door. He searched throughout the halls, aware of his limited time of twenty minutes. He passed the library without so much as a glance, but backtracked. Sasuke was sitting at one of the tables, listening to his iPod and tapping his pencil. He appeared to be doing homework. Naruto snuck up behind him. Linkin Park. Of course. He hit the pause button and yanked the headphones out of Sasuke's ear.

"Ow! Dobe! What was that for?" Sasuke said angrily, rubbing his ear. Naruto sat on the chair across from him, glaring.

"Dude, what's wrong with you? Homework? In the library? Linkin Park?" Naruto said, tossing the iPod back at Sasuke. He mumbled something inaudible, staring down at his homework. Naruto sighed.

"Sasuke, the dance is tonight. Sakura is going with Sai, and if you don't do anything about it, he's going to woo her straight off her feet and into one of those hotel rooms!" he said, slamming his fist on the table. The librarian shushed him from her desk, her watery eyes popping at the disturbance of her library. Naruto shrugged her off.

"Well I hope they have fun together," Sasuke said emotionlessly. He had given up. He had screwed up his chances with Sakura, and now she was lost.

"What does that mean! Listen Sasuke, it comes down to this: this is the first girl who's ever seen you as more than a jock. And this is the first girl you've ever seen as more than the annoying fangirl. So either you love her or you don't, I can't help you anymore," Naruto said, shaking his head disappointedly at his friend. He stood up, giving Sasuke one last look. He left, leaving Sasuke more confused and agitated than before.

'For once, the idiot actually said something worth listening to,'

-X-

Sakura took one last look at herself in the mirror. She had curled her hair to perfection, a half-up half-down hairdo matching perfectly with her pink dress. It was covered in glitter, fanning out around her legs when she walked. Her green eyes were lined in kohl-black eye liner, and they were glimmering. Not a hint of redness that was the evidence of her twenty minute bawling session. She flicked the light out, peeking out the door. A bowl of popcorn was teetering on the edge of Sasuke's bed. He was searching under his bed for something.

"Hey Sakura? Have you seen the remote anywhere?" Sasuke called over his shoulder. Sakura sighed, digging it out of her bed.

"Here," she said, a hand on her hip. He turned.

"Oh, thank..." Sasuke trailed off. He blinked. Sakura looked beautiful. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. He shook his head, holding his hand out. She tossed the remote to him, grabbing her bag from the suitcase at the head of her bed.

"You sure you don't want to come to the dance?" Sakura asked him, eyeing his baggy shorts and shirt with distaste. He shrugged.

"Not my thing. Have fun with Sai; I hear Naruto rented hotel rooms for you guys," he said, half-heartedly flicking through the channels. Sakura shuddered at the thought of her and Sai in a hotel room together. She picked up her coat and walked to the doorway. She hestitated, glancing back at Sasuke. He was staring at the TV indifferently. She wanted to run back to him, collapse on his shoulder and tell him how much she hated not talking to him, how much she missed him. She didn't want to go to the dance with Sai, she didn't want to go back to the hotel rooms with him. She wanted to go and lie next to Sasuke and eat popcorn and watch a romantic movie. Instead, she walked slowly down the stairs. Sai was waiting for her in the living room. When had he gotten here?

"Hello Sakura! You look beautiful," Mikoto gushed. Sai stood up, his eyes traveling up and down her body hungrily.

"Yes, you do," he said, putting his arm around her. She smiled faintly, inching away from Sai. Mikoto smiled at them.

"Remember, we're letting you hang out with your friends after the dance, but the curfew is midnight, understand?" she was frowning. Neither her or her husband thought it was a good idea for any of them to be able to go anywhere together after the dance, as they were still being punished, but she had gotten together with the other parents, and they agreed that no one had stepped out of line, so they deserved a break. Sakura smiled graciously.

"Thank you Ms. Uchiha, you're the greatest," she gushed. Mikoto couldn't help but grin at her enthusiasm. She shooed them out the door.

"Don't forget to have fun!" she called after them. She closed the door quietly. She glanced up the stairs. She ought to talk to Sasuke. She climbed the stairs, stepping lightly.

"Sasuke? Can I speak to you?" Mikoto asked, peeking her head through the door. Sasuke hadn't moved since Sakura had left. He was still channel surfing. He shrugged haphazardly. She sat down on the bed.

"Do you really want to let her go with him?" she asked, a knowing look on her face. He frowned.

"Not my choice. Now, I'm tired of hearing about this, can I please just be alone?" he asked tiredly. He really needed to think. Mikoto left him alone, deciding that Sasuke needed to figure this out for himself. Sasuke readjusted his pillow, letting himself sink into its feathery embrace. He stared at his remote for a few moments before tossing it angrily across the room. It hit the wall and broke in two. He glared at the opposite wall.

"Listen Sasuke, it comes down to this: this is the first girl who's ever seen you as more than a jock. And this is the first girl you've ever seen as more than the annoying fangirl. So either you love her or you don't, I can't help you anymore,"

Naruto's words haunted him, taunted him.

"You love her or you don't..."

He did love her. He didn't care what anyone said, he loved her. Sasuke sat up, kicking the bowl of popcorn to the floor. Kernels scattered, much like his emotions. He grabbed his jacket, pulling on a pair of jeans hastily from the ground. He ran blindly down the stairs, grabbing his car keys from the hook near the door. He called something inaudible over his shoulder and slammed the door. His car revved as it tore out of the driveway. He didn't care who Sakura was with, or what she was doing, he was going to win her back tonight, and he was going to tell her that he loved her.

-X-

"You look really beautiful tonight," Sai breathed in her ear. Sakura shuddered. She cursed the DJ for playing this stupid slow song. She couldn't wait for it to be over, couldn't wait to get out of Sai's gripping arms. She searched around the room. Naruto was whispering something to Hinata, making her giggle and kiss him. She sighed inwardly. Tenten was leaning against Neji, and even Shikamaru was smiling, listening as Temari told him something funny. Sakura didn't even know how she had gotten in, but it didn't matter. All her friends were having fun, except her.

"I say we ditch this lame dance and head to those cozy little rooms Naruto was telling us about," Sai said, his hand travelling down the small of her back. Sakura wriggled, pulling away from him.

"Umm, how about we all just stick together?" she said quickly. Sai shrugged, but was obviously upset about her decision. Finally, mercifully, the song ended. The DJ played a faster song, and her classmates broke off from the dance floor, just talking and relaxing. Sai and Sakura wandered over to the snack table, where Naruto and Hinata were sitting. Sakura sat next to Hinata, rubbing her temples. Hinata smiled sympathetically.

"Rough night?" she whispered. Sakura nodded. She was about to say more, but the doors slammed somewhere to their right. She turned, and was completely surprised to see Sasuke standing there, his eyes raking the staring crowd. He mouth dropped.

"Sasuke...?" she whispered. Naruto frowned, raising an eyebrow. Sasuke finally spotted them and jogged towards them. He was still wearing his baggy white t-shirt.

"Sakura, I have to talk to you," he said urgently, slightly out of breath. Sakura stood up slowly. She shook her head.

"Why? It couldn't wait until-"

"No, it can't, alright. Just... come with me, ok?" Sasuke said, grabbing her hand. He started to pull her away but Sai stopped him.

"Uhh, where are you going with my date?" he asked, folding his arms. Sasuke brushed passed him.

"Not now Sai," he said impatiently. Sakura wiggled her arm.

"Sasuke, where are you taking me? What you're going to say to me can be said in front of Naruto and Hinata," she said, pulling her wrist out of his grip. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Fine. Sakura, I don't know what I have to do, but just tell me, and I'll do it. I screwed up, and I shouldn't have, because now I've lost something that, no matter how hard I try, I can't forget, and I can never replace," he said. He glanced angrily at Sai.

"And I can't let you go anywhere with this guy, because..." he hesitated. Sakura blinked.

"Because why?" she whispered. Her heart was pounding so hard, she thought it would burst out of her chest. Sasuke took a deep breath.

"Because, Sakura... Because I love you, that's why!" he said. Sakura blinked again.

"Wh-what-?"

"Sakura, I love you, and…and I don't even care if you don't love me back, or even like me, because you shouldn't! But I can't let you go back to these stupid hotel rooms Naruto has with him; I would never forgive myself," Sasuke said, quieter. He stepped towards her, taking her hand. She didn't pull back this time. Sai looked murderous. Naruto was grinning.

"Sasuke..." Sakura whispered. Before he could say anything else, she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him. Sasuke was caught off-guard, but didn't argue. She finally pulled back, her eyes watery. Sasuke grinned suddenly, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the door. Their peers paid no notice to them, all wrapped in their own lives. Sakura fell into the passenger's seat of Sasuke's car in a huff. Sasuke jumped in on the other side. Sakura grinned mischievously at him.

"Where are we going?" she giggled. He smiled mysteriously.

"You'll see," he said, pulling out of the parking lot of the school.

Twenty minutes later, Sasuke parked his car at the beach. The sun had already set, but they didn't care. Sasuke intertwined his fingers in hers as they walked along the beach. Sakura leaned on his arm, finally realizing how much she had missed doing that. They soon came to the spot where they had first kissed, much in the same state as they had left it. Sasuke sat down, pulling Sakura onto his lap. She snuggled herself comfortably against his chest, her head in the crook of his neck. His arms encircled her waist. They sat like that for a few minutes before Sakura finally spoke.

"So what made you come to the dance the way you did?" she asked, stroking his chest. He shrugged.

"I guess I finally realized what I had lost, and I couldn't bear it," he whispered. She looked up into his eyes, giving him a long, sweet kiss.

"So I guess I'm forgiven, yes?" Sasuke asked unnecessarily. Sakura giggled, kissing him again. She lay back against his chest again. She was sure that it was passed curfew, and they were going to be in so much trouble, but she really didn't care. All she cared about was being here, in Sasuke's arms, where she belonged.