-IMPORTANT NOTE in my profile. Please read. It will state my reasons about not updating often in the next months.-
Author's Note: Hey guys…it's been ages xD So sorry for the very long wait. Ah well, I've worked extra hard on this chapter, so I hope you guys like it. Finally, I finished writing 20 chapters – again, I don't consider the Author's Note a chappie o.o
Anyway, I just want to thank all of you. Honestly, I never thought this story would get this many hits and reviews. Since this is the first story I've written here on Fanfiction, it inspired me to write more…and it's all because of you guys :)
So…here's to reaching 800+ reviews, 54+ thousand hits, 200 favs, 210 alerts and 6,000+ profile views! –hugs you all-
Love or Chaos?
Chapter 20: The Meeting and the Unexpected
This chapter is dedicated to all of you.
You guys are awesome :)
It was then that she spotted him. She called him happily, waving at his back.
"Sasuke!"
He stopped dead on his tracks and grit his teeth. Stupid chicken hair. He cursed it for being a definite giveaway.
He turned his head slightly, facing her. "What?" He asked a bit too harshly. He saw the surprise in her eyes and he almost felt guilty. Almost.
What's wrong with him? She thought, looking at the Uchiha with an eyebrow raised. He can't be jealous, right? She looked at Gaara from the corner of her eye. She shook away her thoughts. Of course not…
Ah, If only she knew…
She walked closer to him with Gaara following silently behind. "What's wrong?" She asked, tilting her head. She wasn't dumb. He looked angry… He turned his head to the right. "Nothing." He replied.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, and I'm just imagining the smoke coming out of your ears." She said sarcastically. "Hn." He put his hands inside his pockets, his eyes averting to the red head beside her.
"Who's this?" He asked monotonously. Gaara looked like he raised his eyebrows…if he had any, that is. "I should be asking you the same thing." He replied, looking at the Uchiha stoically as well. Sakura looked from Sasuke to Gaara and sighed.
They just met and it seems like they won't get along. She thought. "Sasuke, this is Sabaku no Gaara. Gaara, this is Uchiha Sasuke." She said, deciding she would be the one to introduce them. A few seconds passed by with them only staring at each other.
She sweat dropped. This could be harder than I thought it would be. She plastered a smile on her face. "So…do you guys want to eat ice cream?" She asked, pointing to the stand. Gaara shrugged. "Why not?" He replied, walking to one of the tables.
"What about you, Sasuke?" She asked, tilting her head. "Hn." He replied, walking after Gaara. He slightly turned his head to look at her. "Are you coming or what?" He asked, smirking. She smiled and ran to catch up with him.
Maybe they could get along after all…I hope.
"Where'd Gaara go?" Temari asked, dumbfounded. Shino sighed. "He decided to find the way on his own." He replied, facing where they last saw the red head. The blonde simply rolled her eyes.
"Anyway we better go and look around again." Kankuro said. Temari looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "And where do you suppose we start?" She asked. He shrugged, looking around.
She sighed, slapping her hand over her forehead. "You're hopeless." She stated. "At least I'm not a shopping maniac – OWW!" Kankuro exclaimed, patting his sore head. He turned to her angrily.
"What did hit me for?!" He demanded. She glared at him. "That's for being an idiot." She said. He grit his teeth. "Why you…"
"Hey, stop it you guys!" Kiba said. As always, Akamaru barked in agreement. Temari sighed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "He's right. I don't have to waste my precious time on you." She said.
There was silence when…
"RAMEN HERE I COME!"
They all sweat dropped, turning their heads to where the voice came from. It was a blonde boy grinning as he walked briskly inside the mall. They also noticed a girl with lavender pupils walking beside him.
"Umm…people are staring, Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered shyly. He looked around, seeing Temari and the others. He grinned. "Don't worry Hinata-chan! I won't let anyone hurt you!" He said confidently…and a bit too loudly.
Oops…
"Why, do we look like gangsters to you?" Kiba shouted, glaring. Naruto looked at him, then his eyes widened. "Are those fangs real?!" He asked, pointing into the dog boy's mouth. He only smirked.
"Of course they are!" He said proudly. Naruto backed away, grabbing Hinata's arm. "I told you they're dangerous!" He exclaimed, pointing at them accusingly. Kankuro's eyebrow twitched. "We are not bad people you idiot!" He seethed.
Naruto glared at him. "I'm not an idiot you…y-you idiot!." He retorted lamely, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Anyway, let's go eat Ramen, Hinata-chan!" He said happily, remembering why they went to the mall in the first place.
Hinata was about to reply when her eyes widened as she noticed a little white dog walk over to her. It walked around her legs. She smiled, kneeling down and patting it on its head. "Cute." She said, smiling.
"Of course he is!" He heard a voice say above her. She looked up, only to see the dog boy from earlier. He smirked at her. "I'm Kiba. You must be Hinata right?" He said, his smirk never leaving his face.
She blushed. "Umm…y-yes." She replied. Her eyes widened when he was pushed out of the way. "You're scaring her with your fangs you bastard!" Naruto exclaimed. Kiba only glared at him.
"No I wasn't you dolt!" He retorted. "Then why did her eyes widen when she saw you?!" Naruto shouted back. "Well, maybe she was surprised by the fact that there's someone better looking than you are!" Kiba replied.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Why you…"
"Stop it guys." Kankuro said. The two boys merely glared at him. "Stay out of this!" They yelled together.
They would turn out to be good friends indeed…
"So how have you been?" Gaara asked. "Fine. School's okay as well. How about you guys?" Sakura asked while scooping half a spoonful of ice cream.
"It's okay. Your fan boys miss you." He said monotonously, although she didn't miss the maliciousness in his voice when he mentioned 'fan boys.' She cringed. "They really don't want to give up, don't they?" She mused.
All the while, Gaara was looking at Sasuke from the corner of his eye. His eyes narrowed. "So, did you get a boyfriend?" He asked. He didn't miss the slight pink on her cheeks. "No, not yet." She replied a while later.
He gave Sasuke an amused glance. "I thought he was." He said. Sakura's eyes widened, shaking her head from left to right. The blush, Gaara realized, was still on her face – if not darker. Sasuke on the other hand, still had a composed look, although it was obvious that his eyebrows were twitching.
"Of course he isn't!" Sakura exclaimed when she finally caught her breath. Gaara smirked. "Well, that's good to know." He stated. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked through grit teeth.
Gaara's smirk widened. "If you were…I would have to see if your worthy of her now, wouldn't I?" He said. Sasuke glared. Gaara glared back. Sakura could literally see the sparks flying between their eyes. She sighed.
So much for making them get along…
"Argg! It's so late and I'm hungry!" Temari exclaimed, clutching her stomach. She then glared at Kiba. "It's all your fault!" She shouted. Shino sighed. "We should have asked that kid for directions."
Kiba gaped at him. "That good for nothing blonde?! No way!" He retorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Hey guys…" Kankuro started. "Yeah! Who knows, he might know where the place is." Temari added.
"Not you too!" Kiba exclaimed. Akamaru barked. "Guys…" Kankuro repeated. Temari laughed. "Heh, even your dog agrees with us." She mused. Kankuro grit his teeth.
"GUYS!"
They all turned to him. "What?!" Temari asked angrily. Her brother sighed and simply pointed to one of the tables near the ice cream stand nearby…
"Sakura!" Temari exclaimed, waving up her hands frantically. There was no mistaking it. It was rare to see a girl with pink hair after all. Meanwhile, the said girl's eyes widened as she turned her head around.
"Temari! Kankuro! Shino! Kiba!" She shouted, running over them to give each a hug. Meanwhile, Gaara watched Sasuke amusedly, crossing his arms in front of his chest, still sitting down.
There was no mistaking it – Sasuke's eyebrow twitching, his fists clenching unconsciously, not to mention Gaara could have sworn he saw a flicker of red in the Uchiha's eyes.
"Jealous?"
Sasuke's head jerked to the man beside him, his glare not wavering. "What?" He said. Gaara only smirked. "You heard me." He replied. The raven-haired Uchiha just scoffed. "Well, you're wrong." He said through grit teeth.
"Hn…really now?" Gaara was always persistent when it came to things regarding a certain pink-haired girl. Don't get it wrong, their relationship was simply a brother-sisterly one. No more, no less…
"Leave me alone." Sasuke hissed, his glare still in place. Gaara only continued looking at him amusedly. Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Whatever, tell Sakura I'll just go play basketball with the others, will you?" He stated, putting a wad of bills on the table to pay for their ice cream before walking away and putting his hands inside his pockets as usual.
Gaara only watched his retreating figure disappear in the distance. He intertwined his fingers and placed his chin over it, his elbows on top of the table for support. His eyes narrowed, looking at nothing in particular.
Uchiha Sasuke, huh?
"Woah, her friends from America are here?" Naruto said after gulping water from his jug. "Do they look nice?" He asked, turning to look at Sasuke who just took off his shirt.
He, Neji, Naruto and Tenten just finished playing basketball – Tenten being there to make the numbers even so they could play a decent match. "Hn." Sasuke simply replied while he put a clean navy shirt on.
"You sound jealous, Uchiha." Neji said smirking. Sasuke glared at him. "Then you're mistaken, Hyuuga." He replied. Tenten rolled her eyes. Seriously, it's quite hard to believe these two are friends…
"I don't think so." The white-eyed boy said, crossing his arms. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "By the way…I haven't paid you guys back for the enjoyable get-together you planned for me and Sakura yesterday." He said, smiling sadistically.
Gulp.
"If I'm not mistaken, you already have." Neji replied calmly, glaring back at the Uchiha. Sasuke only smirked. "I have to say, I think you enjoyed it, Hyuuga." He said, glancing at Tenten who blushed.
"W-what?" She uttered out. Neji clenched his fists. "Shut it Uchiha." He said. Sasuke's smirk only widened when he noticed the tint of pink on the white-eyed boy's cheeks.
"A-anyway, where's Hinata, Naruto?" Tenten asked, wanting to change the topic. Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you guys about what happened this morning!" He started, shouting.
"There was this guy with fangs that scared Hinata-chan! I saved her of course!" He exclaimed proudly. Neji's eyes narrowed. He was always protective when it came to his cousin.
Meanwhile, Sasuke searched his thoughts. Icould swear I saw one of Sakura's friends show off fangs when he smiled. He shrugged the thought off.
"Hey teme are you listening?!"
The said boy only glared at the blonde who smirked in satisfaction of getting his attention. "Anyway, as I was saying, I will always save Hinata-chan! Dattebayo!" He exclaimed. Sasuke rolled his eyes.
Tenten watched him and Naruto as she smiled sadly.
If only Sasuke was more open like Naruto…
"Cool! Your room looks like the one back in America." Temari commented, sitting on Sakura's bed. The pink-haired girl smiled sadly. "I wanted it to…" She whispered. They heard it.
Temari grinned, enveloping her friend in a hug. "We missed you, you know!" She exclaimed. Sakura laughed. "So did I." She replied. "What's this?!" The blonde said, picking up the ticket she saw placed on top of Sakura's table.
Sakura's eyes widened. Shit. Oh no! She smacked herself mentally for forgetting to throw the ticket in the trash can…wait, on second thought, it could go to her diary. She shook her head from right to left, ridding herself from her thoughts, as well as the blush that started to form on her cheeks.
She eyed the ticket in Temari's hand as the blonde read the title of the movie. "Hmm…it's called 'Paradise with you'?" She read out loud.
THUD.
They all turned to see Kiba who had hit the floor face first. Good thing it's carpeted. The dog boy thought, sighing mentally. "Oi, you okay?" Shino said, standing beside his fallen form. Kiba's eye twitched.
"Stop poking me!" He said, glaring at Shino who stopped touching his back with his toe. The boy with eyeglasses merely shrugged his shoulders. "Why'd you fall anyway, clumsy idiot." Gaara said, looking at him from the corner of his eyes.
Kiba glared at him, standing up once again. "Anyway, that movie title sounds awfully familiar." He said. They all noted the slight disgust in his tone. "How?" Kankuro asked, showing mild interest.
Kiba rolled his eyes at them. "Remember that disturbing movie poster at the mall we went to?" He said. Temari gaped at him. "No way! T-that, that - thing showing…"
She gulped, not able to continue.
3…
2…
1…
All eyes were on Sakura, all of them giving her their own signature why-the-hell-do-you-have-this-ticket look.
She only laughed nervously, waving her hands in front of her face. "I…I can explain!" She shouted, gulping. Gaara was now facing her fully. His arms were crossed in front of his chest. That look on his face was enough to make her shiver. He was always somewhat protective of her….
"Well…a couple of friends decided to play matchmaker-"
"WHAT?!" Temari exclaimed. Sakura winced. "N-no! It's okay…they just made me and Sasuke go to the mall. Naruto was the one who bought the tickets. I guess he did it by mistake…" She whispered.
She made a mental note to punch Naruto on the head when she sees him in school on Monday. "Naruto…hey that name sounds familiar." Kiba said thoughtfully. She looked at him with an eyebrow raised.
"How?" She asked. He merely shrugged his shoulders. "Must be just a trick of the mind." He replied. She smiled. "Well, I'm sure you guys would get along if you meet each other! He's as loud as you are…or maybe even louder."
Get along? Ah…all in good time.
He glared at her. "I'm not loud, Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed. He sweat dropped at the are-you-kidding-me faces his friends were giving him. So much for moral support…
"Did he make a move on you?" Shino said monotonously. Sakura gaped at him. "Pardon me?" She asked. Kankuro rolled his eyes. "He means, did that Sasuke guy do anything to you inside the movie house?"
"Oh my god! Don't tell me he raped you, Sakura-chan!" Kiba exclaimed. He was silenced when Temari punched him on the head. Sakura merely rolled her eyes. "Of course not." She replied, though she inwardly smiled. For some reason, her two groups of friends tend to act alike sometimes.
I guess that's what brought me closer to Gaara and the others when I moved to America… She thought, remembering that she had to leave Naruto and the others here in Japan when she did. They acted much like they did back then. "Is he an arrogant, cocky, idiotic bastard?" Kiba asked loudly.
She chuckled. "Somewhat. Although, he can be nice in his own way." She replied, sighing at the skeptical looks they were giving her. "Anyway, I'll be getting snacks. Make yourselves comfortable." She said smiling as she closed the door behind her.
Almost immediately, their heads turned to Gaara, who was now facing the large glass window in front of him. His arms were crossed in front of his chest as usual. "So Gaara, what do you think of the Sasuke guy?" Temari asked her brother.
Gaara merely grunted, narrowing his eyes.
"I don't trust him."
"Hmmm…" Sakura hummed a tune as she walked to the kitchen. She stopped when she saw a familiar figure walking towards her. She became silent, her cold façade taking over. "Sakura." The man greeted.
Before she could reply, he continued talking.
"I have a formal affair planned for tomorrow evening. It will be held here. Since I presume your friends did not bring any suitable clothes for the event, I suggest they buy one tomorrow morning. Also, your mother said she might attend. That is all."
He left in a hurry while she only watched his retreating figure. Formal affair, huh? Whenever her father had said that, it most probably meant a dinner party with very important people. There were usually dances, talks and whatnot.
She sighed, walking towards the kitchen once more. At least he allowed Gaara and the others to attend. She realized it was probably only with her mother's persuasion that her father accepted.
He usually wanted to show how 'superior' he was with these kinds of parties. They were all the same. She often wondered why many business rivals invited the other, even if they were, well, rivals.
She closed her eyes and exhaled.
Their importance of power…I'll never understand it. She concluded. Then, she started preparing all the food they could eat. She smiled, walking back to her room.
Ah well, it'll be fun bringing them to the mall. It's been a while, after all.
Next day…
"Still no answer?" Tenten asked. Hinata shook her head. "N-no. Sakura-chan isn't a-answering her phone yet." She replied, sighing as she pressed the end call button. "What about Sasuke, Neji? Did he say anything yet?"
The brunette asked, looking at the man beside her. Before he could reply, they heard Naruto gasp. "I bet the teme's doing something ba-!"
"What, dobe?"
They turned to the Uchiha walking towards them with his hands inside his pockets. Naruto just gulped. "Nothing!" He exclaimed, chuckling as he scratched the back of his head. The raven-haired man simply raised an eyebrow.
"Whatever idiot." He simply said, as he looked around. His eyes narrowed. "Where's-"
"Worried?" Neji asked, smirking. Sasuke glared at him. "What are you talking about?" He replied. "You know very well, Uchiha." The said man replied. Sasuke grit his teeth while Neji's smirk became wider.
"Stop it you guys!" Tenten exclaimed angrily. They both looked at her then turned away from each other. "A-anyway, Sakura-chan isn't answering her p-phone. Do you think we should s-still go without her?" Hinata asked.
Tenten sighed. "Knowing Sakura, I'm sure she would have wanted us to go without her. Since we're here already, why not?" She said. Hinata nodded, Naruto grinned widely saying 'Ramen!', while Neji and Sasuke just shrugged his shoulders.
The Uchiha couldn't help but feel uneasy though…
"Oh, h-hello Ino-san, Shikamaru-san." Hinata said. Their heads turned to the people the Hyuuga was referring to. "Eh, no need for the formalities Hinata." Ino said grinning.
"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked, looking from Ino's smiling face, to Shikamaru's bored one. "The troublesome woman dragged me to go shopping with her." The pineapple head said lazily.
Ino glared at him, but turned to the others nonetheless. "What were you guys going to do?" She asked. Tenten shrugged. "Just walk around I guess." She replied, ignoring Naruto's voice exclaiming 'Ramen!'
"D-do you want t-to go with us?" Hinata asked. Tenten sighed. The white-eyed girl was always too nice for her own good. Ino raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure everyone's okay with that?" She asked, looking at Sasuke and Neji from the corner of her eye.
Sasuke just grunted while Neji shrugged. "Well I guess that settles it." Tenten said. "So let's go!" She added, smiling as they walked inside. "Who knows, Sakura might be here with her other friends or something…"
Sasuke snorted. He soon regretted it when Neji smirked at him seconds later. Naruto grinned. "Yeah, I wonder what Sakura's doing right now."
They would know…soon enough.
"You have got to be kidding me." Shino said, glaring – at least that was what they thought he did. His eyes were covered by his tinted glasses after all. Sakura and Temari just smiled. "Nope. Besides, this is going to be fun!" Sakura said.
"This is pathetic." Gaara said with his eyes narrowed. Kiba nodded his head furiously. "Yeah! That place practically has hell written all over it!" He shouted. Akamaru barked. Temari rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. Besides, dogs are allowed inside, so it's no problem." She stated. "But still – OWW! That hurts!"
The two girls smirked as they entered the mall. Temari was holding both Shino and Kiba's ears; dragging them along with her, while Sakura simply pulled Gaara by holding his arm.
Only god would know what would happen if they dragged the red head by his ear…
"What about that store, Temari?" Sakura said as she pointed to a shop with numerous tuxedos, dresses, and other formal attires being sold.
The girl smiled darkly. "Sure. This is going to be fun." She said, looking at the boys.
This is the reason why they never wanted to go in the first place…
Shino and Kiba gulped while Gaara's eyes narrowed. His eyebrows would be twitching…if he had them. Sakura smirked back at her.
"Time to play dress up."
"That was good." Naruto said, patting his stomach. The Uchiha glared at him. Naruto just chuckled, waving his hands in front of his face. "I'll pay you back, teme! I just forgot I left my money at home. Hehe…"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, wondering how Naruto could still walk. He had eaten about 12 bowls of Ramen for crying out loud. He sighed. "I still wonder how you don't turn out as fat as Chouji." He stated, referring to the fat boy in one of his classes.
Before Naruto could reply, Ino cut in their conversation.
"Hey, isn't that Sakura?"
All of them turned their heads to the direction of her gaze, and true enough, it was her. Pink hair and emerald eyes…there was no mistaking it. She was making her way towards them. Although, there were a few others beside her…
"Dog bastard?!" Naruto exclaimed, gaping at the boy, who in turn looking at him with wide eyes. Those eyes narrowed a few seconds later though, as he pointed an accusing finger at Naruto.
"Ramen idiot?!" He yelled. Sakura looked at both of them. "You guys know each other?" She asked. "Sakura-chan! Why are you hanging out with him?! He tried to hit on Hinata-chan!" He exclaimed.
"What?!" The pink-haired girl shouted, looking at Kiba who had an astounded expression on his face. "I did not!" He replied. "Will you guys just stop it already?" Kankuro said angrily. Tenten rolled her eyes.
"You guys are so immature." She stated, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I agree." The puppet master replied. That didn't mean Naruto and Kiba stopped arguing though…
"Don't worry, Kiba won't bite." Shino said to Hinata who was looking nervously at the argument between Naruto and Kiba. She nodded. "I s-see. Th-thank you for telling m-me." She said smiling.
Shino just nodded. "Besides, you like him right? That blonde who loves Ramen?" he said. She blushed, but nodded nonetheless. He showed a small smile. "Don't worry, I bet he likes you. He just doesn't realize it yet."
Hinata's head darted upwards, looking at Shino. She smiled back at him. "Thank you." She said. He merely shrugged. "Just stating the obvious." He said.
"Hey, you're kinda cute." Temari said, smiling at Shikamaru, who just sighed. "Back off. He's taken." Ino said, putting an arm around the lazy genius'. Temari just smirked. "Oh really now."
"Yes, really. So stop flirting with him!" Ino exclaimed. Temari rolled her eyes. "I wasn't flirting." She stated. "Yes you were!" Ino replied. "No I wasn't!"
Shikamaru merely sighed.
"Women are so troublesome."
Sakura looked at all of them and sighed in frustration. I had a feeling this would happen. She thought, glaring at the floor. Nonetheless, she clenched her hand. "They'll get along sooner or later. I'll make sure of it." She vowed to herself.
Meanwhile, three other men just stood there, looking at the numerous scenes in front of them. Sasuke, Gaara and Neji just rolled their eyes, their minds saying the same thing.
"Idiots."
"So it's settled." Hiroshi nodded, shaking his friend and colleague's hand. "I'll meet you tomorrow afternoon." He replied. Sakura sighed at the scene before her and turned to leave when the man her father was talking to held her shoulder.
She looked at him, a small smile on her face. "Hello Hazashi-san." She stated. He smiled back, patting her on the head. "It has been a while since I've seen you. My, have you grown." He said.
She took that as a complement and thanked him. "So, how have you and Daisuke gotten along lately?" He asked. "Alright. He's my classmate in a lot of subjects." She replied, her smile faltering when the man, or rather Daisuke's father beamed at her.
He didn't seem to notice though. "Anyway, I'll have to go talk to a few other colleagues. I hope to meet you again, Sakura." He stated, walking away. She watched his back disappear among the crowd.
It was then that she noticed someone familiar…
"Mom!" She exclaimed, walking to her. She gave the woman a hug and she gladly returned it. "How have you been, dear?" Hanako asked, taking a step back to see her daughter fully. Sakura smiled. "I'm fine. I also met friends from befo-"
"Hanako?!"
Both of them turned to see a woman with silky raven hair. Sakura tilted her head as she watched her mother's face brighten. She looked at the woman again. Have I met her before? She asked herself.
"Mikoto! How are you?" Her mother greeted, giving the woman a hug. Sakura took in Mikoto's features more intently. Now that I think about it, she kind of looks like-
Hanako noticed her daughter's curious gaze. "Ah, let me introduce you both. Sakura, this is Mikoto Uchiha. She's a very close friend from high school." She stated. Sakura's eyes widened in realization. So that means-!
"Ah, Hiroshi."
The three of them watched the said man walking closer to them. That was when Sakura noticed another figure beside Mikoto. He was the one that spoke earlier. She looked at her father as he gave a curt nod and a barely visible smile.
"We meet again, Fugaku." He greeted, while they shook hands. After that, well…they had nothing to say. Figures.
Mikoto rolled her eyes and Sakura bit her lip as the woman looked at her. "I forgot to mention, I have two sons." she started, smiling. Before Sakura could reply, she continued. "Sasuke's about your age. He's here but said he was going around. Itachi, on the other hand, is-"
"Here." A voice stated. Sakura's face brightened, looking at the new figure walking towards them. "Itachi-san!" She greeted him. He acknowledged her presence with his usual smirk as he bowed slightly. "Sakura-chan."
"You know each other?"
She turned to her father who had a suspicious look on his face. She gulped. "Y-yes. I saw him when I went to-"
"Hello godfather."
Sakura's head snapped up, looking from Itachi to her father. What the hell? There were numerous questions swirling inside her head. "It has been a while, Itachi. You have grown well." Hiroshi replied. Sakura could swear she saw a small smile, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.
She also noticed her mother smiling sadly, while Mikoto had a distant look on her face. Hanako caught her staring. "Why don't you go to your friends for a while," Her mother started, smiling at her.
"We have a little…catching up to do." She stated, putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder. Sakura nodded dumbly and walked away.
That was when she bumped someone…
She looked at the person to apologize. Her eyes widened as she smiled. "Neji!" He replied with a curt nod. She also noticed the girl beside him. "Hinata-chan!" She said, giving the girl a hug. Hinata smiled. "H-hello Sakura-chan."
"Hinata! Neji!" Hinata almost jumped in surprise when her father called her. She gave Sakura an apologetic look as she and Neji walked to him. Sakura sighed, looking around. She saw Daisuke with his father. Temari and the others were seated in one circular table.
She smiled when she saw their bored faces. She never really enjoyed these kinds of parties herself. Then she noticed her parents, who were still talking to Sasuke's and sighed. There were also couples dancing to the slow music being played.
She saw the glass sliding doors to the garden were open, so she walked towards them, wanting to get some fresh air. She sat on a bench outside and took a deep breath, all the while looking at the sky. She smiled, watching as the moon shined brightly, while the stars twinkled.
"Hey."
She nearly jumped, startled. She looked at the person and relaxed soon after, smiling at him. "Hey Sasuke." She greeted, patting the space beside her on the bench. He complied, sitting next to her. They took their time, simply looking at the sky.
The silence wasn't that awkward either…
"I met your parents earlier." She started, deciding to spark up a conversation. He looked at her with an eyebrow raised and shot her a questioning glance. She sighed. "I don't know…It looked like my parents knew yours really well…"
"Our mothers talked fine. It's just that it looked like our dads…didn't like each other that much." She said. His eyebrows furrowed. "Maybe it's just because of the whole business deal. They're rivals in that sense." He stated.
She nodded. "But…Itachi mentioned that my dad was his godfather…" His head snapped up. "Aniki never told me about that." He said. "So that must mean that our parents knew each other well, right?" Sakura asked.
"Hn."
She tilted her head. "You know, you've been acting strange lately." She said. He raised an eyebrow, motioning her to continue. "I notice you stare into space a lot. Is something bothering you?"
"Nothing." He said monotonously. His eyes slightly widened as he felt a hand on top of his, slowly lacing their fingers together. He looked at her smiling face. "You know you can talk to me about anything okay? I'm always here for you…"
He smirked, unconsciously tightening his hold on her hand. "Aa." He replied. He felt like some heavy weight was lifted off him for some reason. He watched as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Sakura…"
Her stopped and grit his teeth. "Hmm?" She looked at him curiously and smiled, waiting for him to continue. "Will you…I mean…I – nevermind." His eyes narrowed. Just say the words, damn it. He berated himself.
He opened his mouth…nothing came out.
She seemed to notice his discomfort as she gave his hand a squeeze. He looked at her. "You don't have to tell me what you want to say now if you can't. I don't mind." She said. She nearly gasped as she saw something on his face.
A smile.
Uchiha Sasuke smiled, for the second time in years. Although this time…she saw it.
She beamed at him. If only he could do that more often. She thought. His voice shook her from her reverie. "Sakura, want to dance?" He asked, standing in front of her as he held out the hand intertwined with hers just moments before.
This time, she was able to notice a slight tint of pink on his cheeks. Cute. She suppressed the urge to giggle. "Sure, I'd love to." She replied, taking his hand as he led her to the dance floor.
She put her hands on his shoulders, while he put his hands on her waist. Their eyes were locked on the other, and them alone. She was smiling, while he had his usual smirk on his face. She laid her head on his chest, hearing his heart beat.
She bit her lip to prevent from laughing. Why? It seemed to go at a super in-human speed. She closed her eyes, her smile broadening when she felt his chin rest on top on her head. Even the cool and composed Uchiha Sasuke could get a bit nervous after all…
Soft, slow music could be heard from the background.
She didn't notice the glare coming from Daisuke, the happy looks coming from her mom, as well as Mikoto's, and the surprised looks coming from Temari and the others…nor did she care about the stern look their fathers were giving them.
She merely buried her face more comfortably on his chest and inhaled the scent, smiling as it filled her nostrils.
Because for now, she felt that…everything was alright in the world.
Author's Note: Wow…I think this is the longest chapter I wrote so far o.o Actually, I was supposed to stop it when the groups met each other at the mall. Even then, it would have about 4000 words, still more than the –as of recently- usual 3500…
Still, when I read back, there was absolutely no SasuSaku fluff. So I was like 'What the hell' and decided to continue. Call me weird but I cannot make a chapter pass without fluff xD And –for me anyway- this was the fluffiest scene I've ever written for this story…I think. Ah well, I guess it's about time anyway, don't you think:P
I hope Sasuke didn't come of as too OOC here. Also, I added a few 'mysteries'…well, if you could call it that o.o Finally, the story is somehow moving along the plot. Hmm…the second reason why I made the chapter long was to give you guys something before my –sort of- semi-hiatus. -sighs-
The last reason is that this is my advanced 'birthday gift' to you guys. Bleh, it's one month early but I couldn't make you guys wait any longer :) Please make my day by reviewing? It would really mean a lot to me. After all, it took me more than a month to actually write this all out o.o Long reviews make me extra happy xD
Lastly, -woah this note is really long x.x- if you guys have the time, please read and review two other stories I just uploaded recently. What She Loves About Him is a sort of one-shot collection revolving around the title. First chapter is about Sasuke's jealousy xD
The Pinky and the Chicken on the other hand, is about Sasuke's hormones. I guess it's slight crack. I try my best to keep Sasuke in character as well. So anyway, I hope you guys can find the time to read and review. I would really appreciate it :)
Next Chapter:
(no definite title yet)
Characters act out the play (finally!)…and what's this? A confession:P
- Gabbeh
PS - A couple of people have asked me to read and review their stories for the past month. I've read and reviewed about 10 of them now, although I know I wasn't able to read a few others yet. Just to make sure, please remind me again in your review. Sorry for the inconvenience, it's getting a little confusing which stories I've already finished reviewing xD
-For those who already told me in 'The Pinky and the Chicken', don't worry...I'll read and review whenever I can. Sorry for making you guys wait. I'm just a bit busy right now.-
Questions:
Will it be a happy ending?
Hmm…we'll see if it's a happy ending or not. Heh, but honestly, I'm more of a 'happy ending' person. I hate it when I read a story and it ends as a tragedy. Sometimes they're so well written that I just stare at the screen after. SAD. So…expect a happy ending – unless I suddenly go totally emo and angsty…which would be ermm…very unlikely xD
Will it end in SasuxSaku?
-pokes the answer above- But yes…there is a 99.99 percent chance that it will end in this pairing xD
What exactly do you mean by an unexpected ending?
Let's just say it's not those typical 'the fathers find out and makes them go to an arranged marriage with someone else then they escape at the day of their wedding' sort of thing. Just a hint – I love twists xD
Is it going to be a love triangle between Sakura, Gaara and Sasuke?
Nope. As I mentioned before, Sakura's and Gaara's relationship is merely a brotherly sisterly one…and Gaara is the overprotective brother xD
Where's the fluff?
I answered that in the last chapter. Check it out if you haven't seen it yet :)
Is there going to be a sequel?
I'm not yet sure…it depends xD Ah well, this story is going to be really long anyway. Right now, I'm guessing probably about 40-50 chappies. So yes, you'll be getting updates from me for quite a while xD
Are Sasuke and Sakura going out?
They aren't…for now xD Whee, aren't you guys excited for the next chappie? xP
If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask, although I may not answer some because they might spoil the story ;)
Replies: (I won't be able to reply to all because it takes up time. (I figured you guys would like to have an earlier update, rather than a reply to your review from me xD)
Deedee - Haha I updated xD I hope you liked the chappie. I'm not sure when I'll be updating next though…school's evil -.-
Alyana - LOL! At first I was scared when I started reading your review. I thought you hated the story or something xD Anyway, I hope that this chapter was worth the wait :)
LazyBumForever - Nuu! Not Barney. I don't know…my mom said I was scared of that dinosaur when I was small. LOL xD
endlesswind03 - Hehe I really mean it when I say that phrase :) Yes naman, magtagalog ka hangang gusto mo. I don't mind xD Heehee I loved that scene too…heh, minsan mababaw din ako :P
Black RRaven - Thank you xD About what's going to happen next…I can't say cuz I might spoil it for you, sorry xD I'll try to update as soon as I can though.
Tainted-Blossom - Woah really?! I'm glad I was able to make you laugh. If you don't mind me asking…what parts did you laugh at? I don't know why…I rarely laugh when I'm the one who writes the story. Weird right? xD Yeah, there are only a few stories that make me laugh as well :)
inner soul - Of course he would be more jealous…I simply love a jealous Sasuke. LOL xD
EternalxBlackness - Haha I'm glad I didn't get a 'frantic, retarded, freaky PM'…even if I posted this kinda late. I hope you found this chapter worth the wait though xD
Nina-chan - Yeah, I guess she's just pretending to be like that in front of her father xD Yeash! Sasuke's personality totally suits him. Although it would be harder to bring out the fluff but still make him in character, I wouldn't have it any other way. I would die if Sasuke acted like Lee. (sorry for putting that mental image in your mind xDD) About Sakura's father and if he would turn out to be the 'loving old daddy she deserves'…we'll see xP
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me - Woah 72?! That's got to be more than one perfect shot in a second. I envy you o.o
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy - Haha, thanks for the reviews xD Sorry for the cliffhanger in the last chappie. I hope this one was worth the wait though ;)
Nickygirl - Haha thank you! Seriously, you've been reading and review this story since the first chappie. Thanks so much :)
Raspedra Twilight - Hehe I need to build up the fluff. It's hard to keep Sasuke in character because of his usual stoic self. Ah well xD Hehe yup! I love twists…Ino changing for the better is only the beginning xP
x3 Blackcat x3 - Haha xD -glomps back- I have my own fan girl moments…mostly when I'm high on chocolate xP
runjumpfly07 - Don't worry, it will come soon. I just want to build it up, you know:) Sorry for making you wait…
Tac03e11hp - Aww, Gaara's just playing a sort of brother here…but never fear! (woah that rhymed o.o) There are still a bunch of other guys who could play that role xD
VcChick - Don't worry, the SasukexSakura fluff –without jealousy- will come very soon. I promise xD
shatteredxmemories - Haha yeah, now that I look at the chapter, he was practically everywhere…with Sakura of course. -smile- xD
AvaAnna - Thank you xD Oh and just so you know, I'm in I think chapter 8 of your story. I will continue reading and review as soon as I can. I promise! School's just taking up a lot of my time right now…sorry -.-
Kunoichi142 - Really? I say that to my brother sometimes as well…thus where I got the statement xD
reader-not-a-reviewer - Haha yeah, there was this story where it ended like that, but I loved it. Actually, it inspired me to write this story as well :) I forgot what the title was too, though. I think I have it in my favorites xD
Kawaii IceCream - Yeah, it really is hard to put fluff and keep Sasuke totally in character :( Ah well. Haha I was thinking about that, but hey – even medics like to eat junk food once in a while xD high fives I prefer Sasu-chan too:P
KameLT - Nuu! I updated now…so you don't have to 'die' right? xP
lacusclien4 - Yeah, I guess it would hurt…even if they still aren't together and all. Ah well, they need a little push. Besides, I love a jealous Sasuke xP
I would also like to thank the others for reviewing:
sxs-lover, Hikaru no Yuki-Chan, xDumplingzx, pinky101, ;), >>, Hatsue Cybanne, Xii, DragonBreath102, IrisxD-S.E.U, blossom5678, flowerangel050, SimpleeLovely673, Merridaine, Instantnoodlelover, Cookies321, Moona-Chan, Kinimarubloodsuckeryaoi, flamie, earthlover, fleeting thought, lilypad92, ninja-kyoko, Lady Azaria, jami16, Animelove101, -my-name-is-V-, animequeen100, chocolateangel5, TenTenXIrista, Kattylin, katy, Arxilla Uchiha, velcroSUNSHINE, frienz4ever, Purplecherry5, damnednhot, angelwingsrinoa, sasukeXsakura25, 01sweetxpnaii, kimi13, eskeflowne, trident.gum, starryeyes22, secret24, Sony89 and winxgirl21.