Author's Note:Sorry for the wait it took to get the update out! I thought I would be able to keep on top of my homework but it turns out I haven't had much luck in that. ((sigh)) Well, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Hopefully more updates will come out soon, I've practically mapped out already what I'm going to do from here on now till the end.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
The Seal of Trust
Summary: Playboy Uchiha Sasuke and Playgirl Haruno Sakura are finally a couple. Everything's great with them, but after being a playboy and playgirl for so long, can they give it up so easily? SasuSaku. (Sequel: The Dating Game)
Chapter 14 – Chasing
I think I'm gonna be sad,
I think it's today, yeah
The girl that's driving me mad
Is going away
"Final call for all passengers boarding Flight 411 to Las Vegas."
Emerald eyes rose from their stare on the floor at the announcement. Her ears perked at the notice.
"Please arrive at the Gate now if you wish to board the flight."
Thick lashes lowered on the statement, her body at the edge of the seat as one hand gripped the handle of her luggage, the other resting its elbow against her propped knee. Slowly she rose from the little leather chair, trudging her feet across the smooth velvet carpet with her hold remaining on the handle of her baggage as she dragged the suitcase along.
"May I see your ticket, please, ma'am?" questioned the boarding attendant.
Sakura gave the woman a small smile, placing her luggage on it's hind wheels as she swept her hand across to her left pocket, taking out the travel document as she presented it to the employee.
The woman returned the pink-haired girl's smile with one of her own. "Thank you. Enjoy your flight."
"Thanks," the former playgirl replied, flashing the lady another fake smile.
She walked through the terminal, her feet gliding with leisure steps as she strode over to the aircraft. Once inside, continuing to drag her Louis Vuitton suitcase behind her, Sakura glanced around the surroundings of the plane. Her seat was in the first class aisle, which she soon found after a few moments. She noticed in the two-row seating that there was a young man already seated beside her, fully aware of his eyes moving and glancing on her. She saw him take a double-take, keeping his stare on her before his gaze lowered to her blouse, which rose somewhat as she placed her baggage in the overhead bins.
Sakura ignored his licentious stare with a mere roll of her jade pupils, sliding past him to get to her seating place, which was beside the window. The young man had stood up when she walked to her seat, and the pink-haired girl knew it was because he purposefully wanted her to brush against him as she squeezed by him to get to her comfortable leather chair.
She plopped down; crossing her legs as both her hands idly began fixing her hair, sweeping one half of the silky pink tresses across her shoulder before resuming playing with the locks. Slowly emerald eyes blinked, completely aware that the man's stare was still on her.
He wasn't a bad looking fellow, looking to be around eighteen or nineteen with his shaggy brunette hair and boyish grin to match his twinkling viridian eyes. He twisted in his seat so his body was aligned, facing her. Sakura allowed her eyes to merely flicker over to his gaze, giving him a simulated polite smile.
"Hey," he greeted with his childlike smile.
"Hey yourself," Sakura replied evenly.
"What's a pretty girl like you doing alone on a plane? You visiting someone?"
The former playgirl knew that the boy was trying to charm her, clear as can be by his mannerisms and his blunt compliment. She gave him a fake smile at his flattering remark, her pointer finger looping around a strand of her unique colored hair, giving it a gentle tug.
"I am visiting someone, actually," she replied languidly.
"Ah. So does someone as pretty as you have a name?" His mouth quirked in another grin.
"I do," answered the pink-haired girl, propping her left arm against the armrest as she leaned a part of her back against the window. "It's Sakura. And you?" She turned her head slightly, blinking her large sea green eyes.
"I'm Toru," he responded as his grin broadened at her, flashing his perfect white teeth. A few locks of his disheveled brown hair hovered over his sparkling verdant eyes. Toru's arm outstretched, offering a handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sakura."
Said girl took his offered hand, shaking his in the greeting gesture. She gave him another small smile. "Pleasure's all mine."
She noticed he kept her hand gripped in his far more than the needed time for the handshake. With a small, uneasy laugh, she tugged on her hand and within moments her fingers were released. At the movement, Toru laughed off his embarrassment, bending his hand behind his head as he scratched his hair, beaming at her.
"Welcome to Hawaiian Airlines. I'm your pilot, John Doe, and I'll be flying you to our destination. In order to enhance your safety, we ask that you…"
The pilot's instructions, along with the gestures from his attendants following his words, began, but Sakura didn't bother giving it her attention, already used to the procedure. She noticed Toru didn't either, as he merely glanced at what was happening before turning back to her.
"So," he drawled, "you said you were visiting someone. Who?"
Sakura opened her mouth to reply, the answer already popped into her head, before she decided to rephrase her words to rid the obvious interest in the male's olive eyes.
"I'm… visiting my boyfriend," she eventually replied. She gave an offhand wave with her hand, moving it up and down. "Long distant relationships, you know."
She almost laughed when she saw his face drop instantly. "Oh. You're… boyfriend, huh?"
"Yeah," she responded. The pink-haired girl gave him a feign apologetic smile. "I hope I didn't throw you off, or anything."
"Oh, no, no…" Toru answered before adjusting himself in his seat, facing forward.
Sakura smiled mentally to herself, fiddling her position in her seat as well as she twisted towards the window, angling her body in that direction with her elbow propped against the armrest. She rested a side of her face in the palm of her bent arm, leaning against it as emerald eyes gazed vacantly outside. By this time, the plane had already begun its flight, the aircraft soaring across the sky, through the puffy, soft white clouds.
Her lips parted, a sigh escaping through her throat. Her head tilted to the left, leaning further in the palm of her hand as her eyelids drooped over large sea green eyes. Her mind drifted to the last time she was on a plane, remembering how during the long duration of the flight she had snuggled against Sasuke's side, sleeping the time away.
"Aw… Sasuke-kun, look," Sakura whispered, getting the raven-haired male's attention by nudging him lightly with her elbow. She directed his onyx gaze to the three other couples in the plane, with Hinata resting her head against Naruto's shoulder; Ino snuggled up on Shikamaru's side, and Neji sleeping soundly against Tenten's lap. "Isn't that sweet?"
Sasuke, who had been reading a magazine before the pink-haired girl beside him interrupted him, flickered his ebony eyes to his girlfriend, then followed where her emerald gaze was fixated on.
"Aa," he replied idly before a small smirk appeared on his face.
He placed his hand on her chin, turning Sakura's face to align with his, and then closed the gap between them, pressing his mouth against hers.
Apple green orbs blinked a few times at the spontaneous movement before fluttering to a close. Her head titled to the side as she responded to his kiss, opening her cavern when his tongue finished tracing the outline of her lips.
Shifting slightly in her seat, Sakura wound her arms loosely around Sasuke's neck as said male ran his hand down from her arm to her waist, smirking in the kiss as he felt her shiver from his slick movement, as he kept a light grip from her hips.
The Uchiha then began to press her flush against him, pulling her to him, slanting his mouth as he pressed onto her lips harder. At this, Sakura responded almost immediately, kissing him whilst using just as much force as he did as one hand fisted in his silky raven hair, the other placed at the juncture of where his neck and shoulder meet.
His mouth practically gobbled her lips, his teeth gnawing on her plump lower lip as his tongue dipped in her mouth, mingling with her own before exploring her hot caverns, to which she responded by tugging on more strands of his hair.
"Er – um… excuse me…" a flight attendant mumbled, a light blush spreading across her face as she glimpsed upon the couple in their fervent make-out session. She tapped Sakura's shoulder gently, and the blossom-haired girl pulled away, earning a disapproving growl from the Uchiha beside her.
Her face flushed hotly when she realized that the aircraft employee had been watching the both of them.
Her porcelain cheeks colored red, a faint blush spreading across her face at the remembrance that had played in her mind. She had remembered after the flight attendant had left Sasuke had begun nuzzling her neck, suggesting to continue where they had 'left off.' A bitter smile played across her lips as she remembered herself declining his offer with a laugh, pecking his mouth before nestling against his side, claiming she wanted to sleep, to which he reluctantly let her be.
Thick lashes hovered over dazzling emerald eyes, her hollow stare becoming solid as she gazed out the window of the first class aircraft. She was no meteorologist, but Sakura could tell by the lighting of the sky and the movement of the clouds that about an hour or so had passed. She realized she had been too caught up with thinking to notice the time fly by.
Slowly, her viridian gaze averted to the right, glimpsing upon Toru who had his recliner seat leaned back, arms folded behind his shaggy brunette hair as he slept deeply. Her eyes lingered at the sight before pointing her watch back out the round glass of the window.
Her fingers now rested against her cheekbone as she felt herself heave a sigh once more. An unconscious frown settled on her face at the thought of her supposed boyfriend.
Sasuke-kun…
Her stare faltered from the window, lowering as she felt her heart twist with sadness. With the roar of only the airplane engines to keep her company, the alone time practically forced her mind to reflect on what had happened in the past few days.
Their relationship had changed, that much was evident to her. The first few days, she knew Sasuke had been acting strangely, with his constant wants of physical contact. But, figuring because he was male, and only seventeen with raging hormones, she didn't mind. After all, it wasn't as though she didn't crave for him also. He was a very appealing guy.
But Sakura realized she had forgotten to consider he was a playboy, though. If he couldn't get what he wanted from her, her mind reasoned, wouldn't it have been easy for him to detach himself from her and move on to another girl? That is what had lost their trust.
…Trust.
Sakura wanted to practically spit the word. It sounded like a taboo to her. That simple word was the root cause of her and Sasuke's relationship problems. It was what started everything that had begun to go wrong.
A soft, bitter laugh sounded from the pink-haired girl. Never, when the idea of spring break entered her mind, did she anticipate her relationship to grow to practically the brinks of ruin. She had thought the trip was going to be a fun, memorable one with her boyfriend and close friends. Her heart wrenched, melancholy pulling at her heartstrings. She had no idea she was going to be gravely wrong.
And yet, some guilt flowed into her conscience. Yes, she felt slight remorse for how she had left him, with no clear answer to her sudden departure. Her compassionate side wondered if he was all right, pondered how he was fairing with the alcohol withdrawal.
Her eyelashes fluttered to a close as she leaned back in her seat, taking a deep breath through her nostrils as she exhaled through her mouth. She turned, lying on her side with the back of her hand against the side of her face. Her eyelids draped over her emerald eyes, but did not close completely just yet.
Sakura knew she had all the reason to be mad at the Uchiha. She could name five reasons to be upset with him off the top of her head. But still, she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking, what he was doing. It was only natural for her to be curious, she rationalized to herself. She was only curious, nothing more.
During her silent musing, a sole question had popped in her mind spontaneously that she couldn't help but ponder over. Sakura knew that the query wouldn't stop haunting her unless it received an answer. The question revolved around her leaving, her parting an attempt to push what had happened behind her, to forget all about it…
And yet, was she doing the right thing?
A few hours later…
"…Once again, we'd like to thank you for flying with Hawaiian Airlines. Have a nice day, and we hope to see you on a future flight."
The announcement rang in her ears, echoed in her mind. Along with a gentle shake on her shoulder, Sakura found her eyes flickering open, groggily wiping one of her bright emerald eyes with the back of her hand as her blurred vision soon cleared within moments.
"Oi, Sakura, wake up."
The said girl blinked a few times, the back of her hand now resting against her forehead. "Sa… Sasuke-kun?"
She could see the black-outlined shadowed figure hovering over her tilt his head to the side. "No, it's Toru. Come on, the flight's landed. I'm sure your boyfriend, this 'Sasuke' guy, is waiting for you. You're visiting him, right?"
As he spoke, Sakura sat up in her seat, glimpsing upon her suitcase already on the floor, taken out of the overhead bin above her.
"Uh, yeah…" she replied, her voice somewhat distant. Seeing her suitcase on the floor, she smiled at Toru. "Thanks for getting my stuff for me."
The brunette offered a kind grin flashed back at her. "No problem. See you." With his middle and index finger, he gave a salute to the former playgirl before walking down the aircraft, exiting through the terminal.
Sakura eventually sat up, dragging her luggage as she departed as well. Her emerald eyes had focused their stare on the ground before glancing up upon having fully left the plane. The first thing her viridian gaze caught sight of was Sai, who had the corner of his mouth quirked upwards upon seeing her.
Placing her suitcase on it's hind legs, the pink-haired girl rushed over to her ex yet close friend, immediately engulfing him in a tight hug as he wound his arms around her waist, catching her as she had practically jumped onto him. She eventually released her embrace, placing one hand on her baggage once more.
Sai leered at her. "Sakura, you need to stop getting hotter."
At the compliment, the said girl rolled her jade eyes, flashing him a weak smile.
At the faint beam, the black-haired playboy quirked an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"
Emerald eyes blinked before Sakura slowly shook her head left to right. "No… it's nothing, don't worry about it."
However, he didn't seem convinced, at all. "Do you have any doubts?"
Shaking her head once more, the former playgirl replied, "I'm here to have a good time and forget all my problems, not remember everything that's wrong."
At that, Sai smirked at her. "You don't have to worry about a thing, then."
A hand swept in a frustrated manner through silky raven hair, brushing the spiky locks back. A scowl set firmly on his face. He currently sat against a couch, hunched forward with his elbows against his knees. His hands were now together, fingers lacing together as they were set in front of his glowering pale face. He was angry and confused at the moment, not that he would ever admit, though, as his pride was too high. All his thoughts that left him angry and confused revolved around a certain pink-haired girl.
"…You told me Sakura was leaving. Why?" the Uchiha questioned in a stern yet blank voice, his eyebrows knitting together.
"Why did I tell you, or why did she leave?" replied the voice.
"Figure it out," he replied curtly, in no mood of explaining himself.
Ino sighed. Was he always this difficult? The blonde wondered how Sakura put up with it when he was.
"Sakura's long lost uncle who had a stroke. and she went to go be with him. Simple as that, Sasuke-kun."
Said male continued to scowl, his onyx eyes narrowed skeptically. "Where did she go?"
Ino shrugged. "It's her long lost uncle. She probably went back to Konoha, since that's where her family is and all."
The Uchiha's face was still as cynical as ever, but he decided to accept the reason, getting up as he turned on his heel, silently trudging out of the room.
A few days later.
((SFX: Ring… ring… ring…))
Ino sat patiently, holding the open cell phone in the palm of her hand as the awaiting dial tone hummed trying to make a connection with the other phone. The mobile phone was currently on speaker, with Tenten and Hinata by the blonde's sides as they sat in her hotel suite room against the headboard of her bed.
"Why are we calling Sakura, again?" Tenten asked, sending her chocolate brown eyes towards Ino.
"To see how her long lost uncle that had the stroke is doing, of course," the blonde answered simply. Hinata merely remained silent, pressing her index fingers against one another lightly.
The lively chatter of the crowd was drowned out by the booming music courtesy of the large, towering speaks. Fluorescent lights flashed across the wide room, lighting upon hordes of people packed together as though in a tight space, despite that the area around them was wide and spacious, as they danced against one another. The party room was inside a large, luxurious white yacht, sailing smoothly across the sea.
With hips swaying side-to-side as she danced, Sakura partied along with all the other carefree young people, her drink in hand inside her red plastic cup as she moved along to the beat of the music.
((SFX: zzz—zzz—zzz))
Her cell phone vibrated in her back pocket, but the partying girl was too caught in the moment to bother noticing it.
Sai, who stood a few feet away from her chatting with an idle blonde, flickered his obsidian gaze to the object shaking within her jean shorts. Without bothering to send a parting glance to the bodacious blonde he had been speaking with, he leisurely strode over to the pink-haired girl. Dipping his hand inside her back pocket swiftly and smoothly, he slipped out the cellular device.
Feeling the physical contact, Sakura turned around, emerald eyes noticing it was only Sai who was behind her. She giggled, her face adorned in a thin film of sweat as she was still in her natural high, assuming that Sai had only touched her rump in a teasing manner. At her drunken sounding giggles, the black-haired playboy merely quirked his mouth upward in a grin in return.
Taking a few steps away from her, and away from the mobs of people, he flipped open Sakura's phone, holding the listening side up to his ear. "Hello?" he answered the call smoothly.
Ino's eyebrows shot up, glancing at both Tenten and Hinata's equally surprised expressions before sky blue eyes glimpsed upon the caller ID, making sure the number she had dialed was correct. Seeing as it did read Sakura, the blonde questioned, "Yeah, I'm looking for Sakura…?"
Sai nodded at the information, despite whomever was the other line not being able to see it (he couldn't tell from the voice, nor did he bother checking the name from the caller ID.) He placed the speaker of the phone against his jet-black v-neck shirt, calling out Sakura's requested name.
When the pink-haired girl looked over towards his direction upon hearing her name called, emerald eyes watched Sai beckon her over with waves of his hand. Smiling lopsidedly, she squeezed through dancing bodies, panting lightly as her energy lowered.
"Yeah?" she asked with her smile still on her pretty face.
"It's for you," Sai replied, handing her the phone as she looked questioningly at the object, as though it were foreign to her. "It's rude to keep someone waiting, Sakura," he added in a teasing tone.
Rolling her eyes playfully at his taunt, Sakura took the phone, not noticing that it was hers as she had assumed it was another one of Sai's so-called "friends" asking her out again.
"Hello?" she asked in a singsong voice, her tone curling into a flirtatious one as she giggled shortly, aware of Sai's leering obsidian gaze resting on her.
"Sakura?" Ino and Tenten questioned into the phone, clear surprise etched within their voices. A small frown etched across Hinata's pale features.
Hearing her name being screeched by familiar voices, Sakura felt herself snap out of her party dazed state. "Er… yeah?"
On the other line, Ino scowled. "That sure doesn't sound like a hospital room, Sakura," the blonde spoke, referring to the partying whoops and cheers heard clear as a bell in the background. "What's going on?" Ino probed firmly. "What's the real truth, huh? Why did you leave?"
Oh, no, Sakura though to herself, chewing on her lower lip.
She didn't need anyone to tell her she got caught in her own web of lies.
Taking a glance around her surroundings, the pink-haired girl knew the area was too loud for her to have her conversation. Ushering with her other free hand for Sai to go back to the party, silently mouthing to him that she would "join him later", she walked swiftly ahead, squeezing through the bodies on the yacht before she headed towards the deck. With soft chatter around, away from the cheering crowd and booming music, Sakura figured that would be a good place to talk.
"Hello? You still there, Sakura?" the said girl heard Ino's voice call.
"…Yeah, I am," she eventually replied after moments of silence. The former playgirl could practically envision her best friend tapping her foot away on the smooth velvet carpet of her rented hotel suite back in Hawaii.
"Well? We're waiting for you to explain."
At the pronoun, Sakura arched an eyebrow. "'We'?"
"Hinata and Tenten are with me, too."
A silent sigh escaped Sakura's lips, knowing that she couldn't come up with a good lie to get her out of her mess. Knowing she had no other choice than to tell the truth, she decided to do just that.
"…Well, see, I left to Vegas, to go with Sai—"
"Your ex?" Ino questioned, arching another fine eyebrow.
Sakura pursed her lips together. "Yeah, him. Look, Sasuke and I had a big fight, and I didn't want to be near him and needed some space away from him. I called Sai, and he offered for me to stay with him to help me get over it and forget about my problems."
"…So, you left because you had a fight with Sasuke?" Tenten asked.
"That's it?" Ino chimed in, her tone everything but understanding.
Sakura's teeth sunk into her lip. She knew her friends were angry at her for lying to them, and her reasoning didn't sound very convincing. However, she found that she couldn't bring herself to tell the whole, complete reason why she didn't want to be near Sasuke, nor explain the fight that had taken place on the beach and the things he had said to her, drunk, hours later.
Hearing the pink-haired girl not muster a response, Ino spoke up once more, continuing her previous comment. "You chose to run away to your ex, instead of talking to Tenten, Hinata, or even me about a problem with you and Sasuke?" On the other line, the bodacious blonde shook her head. Her feelings were upset that her supposed best friend didn't even come to her, but go to an ex-boyfriend no less, when it came to a problem with her current boyfriend. "You say that Sai's helping you… how is he helping you, huh?"
Sakura's face was stricken, knowing that Ino was accusing her through her words of having sex with Sai to "help her problems." Her emerald eyes blazed, a sudden remembrance flashing in her mind of when Sasuke had her pinned against the wall in his drunken state of mind.
"You are such a tease… Speechless, cherry blossom? Aa, you've probably fucked tons of guys, and with that body of yours, I bet you'll be amazing in bed."
She almost laughed bitterly. Sasuke had practically indicted her of "whoring around" as well.
Feeling newfound anger seethe within her veins at the thought and memory, Sakura retaliated, "I'm not a slut, Ino-pig. Besides, Sai knows not to take advantage of me like that."
"Hmph, I wouldn't be so sure," Ino retorted with a scoff, standing up abruptly from the other line as she stormed out of the hotel suite.
Sakura felt her teeth scrape against each other, her jaw clenching. She was unaware of Ino's sudden leave, as they were talking on the phone, and therefore could not notice.
"Listen, Ino-pig, how would you know—"
"Ino left, Sakura," Tenten spoke, her voice resounding in a hush.
On the other line, emerald eyes blinked at the information. "…Oh."
"Your birthday is tomorrow, isn't it?" Hinata chimed in, asking the question softly.
"…"
"We called to see how you and your 'long lost uncle' were doing, and we wanted to wish you a happy early birthday," Tenten added quietly.
Silence.
Stillness.
Sakura could hear the roaring cheers of the wild partying college students, enjoying their spring break by having the time of their lives, as it echoed from a distance in her ears.
"…Thank you."
Without another word, Sakura closed her phone, knowing Tenten was doing the same as the pitch of the dead dial tone sounded simultaneously. The pink-haired girl knew there was no more that could be said.
The former playgirl frowned, feeling tinges of guilt pulling at her heartstrings at how the phone call had gone. Ino had stormed off, she fairly assumed. Tenten and Hinata were probably more disappointed than upset at her.
And yet, she felt some anger spike up. How would they understand how she feels? They didn't even know the whole story, nor did Sakura feel like explaining. They would find out, eventually, she was sure. Whether it be from herself or someone else, she did not know.
She felt her frown deepen on her pretty porcelain face. My birthday, huh… She felt some regret pang her heart at not spending her eighteenth birthday with her friends.
She noticed from the corner of her emerald eye Sai's body coming up to her.
"Ah, there you are." Obsidian pupils blinked, seeing her discontented expression. "Something wrong?"
"…My birthday's tomorrow," she replied quietly.
Sai raised an eyebrow. "It is, isn't it?"
Sakura nodded slowly.
"Well, happy early birthday, then," he told her, one hand rising and cupping the side of her face, turning her gaze to look at him. He saw her cheeks color red faintly, and he smirked. He brought his face close to hers, watching her thick eyelashes lower but not close her eyes. His head turned suddenly to the side, his mouth brushing against the smooth skin of her cheek.
When he leaned back, he saw her eyelids flutter for a few moments before glancing at him, then averting her gaze to the right corner. "Thanks," she mumbled in reply.
The hand on her cheek lowered to her thin wrist, giving it a light tug. He began leading her back to the lively party on the luxury yacht. His dark eyes moved to the back of his head, seeing her expression had not wavered from its disgruntlement. He stopped his movement, causing her emerald eyes to rise from the floor to his pale face.
"Come on, you can't be frowning during a party, right?" His voice curled into a charming one as he brought his face in close proximity with hers, seeing her not even flinch. "Smile for me."
Sai always did have an unbelievable allure, Sakura couldn't help but notice, as she found her body acting on it's own accord as her face cracked a small smile.
"Good," the black-haired playboy commented upon her tiny beam, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards in a grin. "Forget about what's bothering you when you're with me, got it?"
Sakura felt her smile grow slightly on her face. "Okay."
Ino walked down the hotel hallway, pacing back and forth to relieve her frustration. How could Sakura not trust me about a problem with Sasuke-kun? I knew she was hiding something, I knew it! What could he have done that she can't tell even me? …Unless—
During her ranting thoughts, she had not noticed that she had been absentmindedly muttering under her breath as she trotted furiously, "Stupid Sakura… leaving just because of Sasuke to go to Sai… her ex of all people…"
So caught up in her thoughts and muttering rambles, Ino had not noticed Sasuke walking by, wet raven strands hanging in front of his piercing onyx eyes as the Uchiha had just came out of a cold shower.
Hearing Ino's mumbles, perceiving it with his sharp hearing, he stopped in his walking abruptly, onyx eyes darting to the left side of his face as they followed the pacing blonde.
"What did you say?" he questioned in a blank, low voice.
Ino flinched, whipping her head to the side as sky blue eyes fell upon Sasuke suddenly in front of her (to her sudden surprise, as she had not noticed him there at all.)
"Oh, Sasuke-kun!" she chirped unconsciously. "Say something? …I didn't say—"
"You said Sakura's name with someone. What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing!" Ino replied, trying to brush off the subject by waving her hands in front of her face side to side, like windshield wipers on a car. "I didn't say anything, it must be your imagination—"
"Don't lie," he cut her off gruffly, taking a firm hold of her upper arm as fierce ebony eyes bore into celeste pupils. "Tell me what you're trying to cover up."
Ino winced slightly. The Uchiha was an intimidating person. "…Well, I—"
"Oi, oi," Shikamaru's voice drawled in, entering the conversation. "What's going on here?" Placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder, he yanked Ino away from Sasuke's grip, causing the Uchiha to point his scowl towards the languid genius. "Whatever your problem is, Uchiha, leave Ino out of it," Shikamaru said, pushing his girlfriend instinctively behind him.
"Don't worry, Shika-kun," Ino spoke reassuringly. "He just wanted to know where Sakura is."
"She's with her uncle, isn't she?"
"…Well, see—" At Ino's continuation, shadowy onyx eyes narrowed. "I think you have a right to know, Sasuke-kun. Sakura isn't with her 'long lost uncle who had a stroke.' She doesn't even have a long lost uncle. She's… in Las Vegas. With Sai – her ex, you know."
"…Sai?" Sasuke repeated lowly, his tone twisting into almost vicious as it was icy. Raven bangs hung in front of his eyes.
Ino blinked her azure eyes. "You know him?"
Not bothering to reply, Uchiha pivoted on his heel, facing the opposite direction as he walked away.
He almost slammed open the door to his hotel suite, eyes darting to his luggage that lay idle in a corner. With not much to pack, as most of his belongings were already stored inside, Sasuke quickly set out to retrieve the missing items from his suitcase.
Too consumed in his own private thoughts, he had not noticed Naruto barge his way in.
"Oi, Sasuke-teme! Everyone's going out to get a bite— hey, where are you going?" The blond rose an eyebrow at the sight of his raven-haired best friend packing. "What? You're leaving, too?" He then grinned foxily, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Oh, I get it. Couldn't stand to be away from Sakura-chan for that long, huh? You know, teme, you need some restraints or something. I mean, she's visiting her sick uncle and all, I doubt she'd be in the mood for—"
"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke interrupted brashly. "She's with Sai."
Cerulean eyes blinked, tilting his head to the side. "Sai? You mean that ex of hers you don't like?"
At Naruto's choice of words, the Uchiha snorted, replying with a simple grunt, "Hn."
"Ohh." He watched Sasuke walk by him, heading towards the exit of the Grand Wailea Resort And Spa with simple black luggage trialing behind him. Naruto kept up with the raven-haired male's pace, easily striding fast enough to walk by his side. "Let me know if you need anything, eh? Like if you want some help to take care of Sai's sorry ass." The blonde chortled at the thought, giving his best friend a slap on the back.
"Che, dolt."
"Stick and stones, teme!"
Author's Note: Oi, oi! randomteenager is in need of a BETA! If any of you are interested, review letting me know!
For those of you who don't like Sai's OOCness, sorry! I, too, don't like reading OOC characters, let alone writing them, but when life gives you lemons… you chuck them at nerds! Kidding, of course.
Don't forget to write your feedback – I hope you enjoyed the chapter!