Day 22: Technology

Summary: Naruto and Hinata really were inseparable.

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"No, I miss you more." Naruto sighed into his phone dreamily, as Teuchi set out a fresh bowl of ramen before him. "I can't wait for you to get back from your mission."

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingertips, glancing over at his friend in irritation. Catching sight of the glare being sent his way, Naruto lifting his hands up in mimed apology. He stood to his feet, cradling the phone between his shoulder and ear, and pushed the flaps to Ichiraku's open, sauntering outside.

"You have got to be kidding me." Sasuke sighed. "She's barely been gone a day. They've spent time apart before because of missions. You'd think they'd be used to it by now."

"I think it's sweet." Sakura smiled, breaking her chopsticks apart and reaching for her own bowl. "They've really been inseparable since they finally confessed their feelings for one another. I'm happy for them."

"What do you mean it's only two weeks?!" Naruto could be heard exclaiming from outside of the shop. The stall's thin walls not very effective in drowning out his conversation. "That's still way too long, 'ttebayo!"

Sasuke groaned, his head connecting with a dull thud against the benchtop before them. Sakura stifled a giggle against the back of her hand.

"You should get with the times, Sasuke-kun." She teased. "Barely anyone uses messenger birds anymore. They're so much slower!"

Her voice lowered slightly, a sad expression crossing her face before she continued. "Not to mention, it would be much easier for me to reach you that way."

Sasuke looked up at her, his lips folding into a frown. He sat up straight, grasping the cup of sake in front of him loosely with a sigh, taking a slow, deliberate sip.

"Sakura, please understand. What I'm doing isn't me trying to cut you out of my life, or ignore you." "It's just that- Whenever, I leave the village I like to be alone with my thoughts. There's still a lot that I need to process, and figure out for myself… and I don't really want to distract myself."

Sakura watched him, silently, carefully taken in each words as he spoke it. She didn't want to speak, for fear that he might not continue, or his train of thought could be lost. Sasuke's eyes were trained downward, as if deeply fascinated with the contents of his ramen, and his longer, more unkempt hair obscured a lot of his face, making it harder to read his expression.

Yet, she listened to him intently, focusing on his tone of voice. She could tell from the way he was struggling to look at her, that there was a sense of guilt in recounting what he was saying. However, he spoke with good intentions, his words laced by the desire to redeem himself and atone for all he felt he had done wrong.

"I like being with you, and Naruto." He continued. "I like talking and spending time with both of you again. It makes me happier than I can remember having been in a long time. But when I'm faced with reliving and thinking over everything that I've done, I don't always feel like I deserve to…"

"Plus, I'd really like to avoid doing anything that could potentially turn us into…" He paused, glancing over at Naruto, who was in the middle of making loud, exaggerated kissing noises into his phone's receiver. "…One of those couples."

Sakura smirked, laughter trickling from the back of her throat at Sasuke's abrupt shift in tone, his dry quip at Naruto tickling her. Apparently, some things never changed.

"Man, you really are like a hermit." She joked, her hand resting on his shoulder warmly. Sasuke shrugged as he leant into her touch, his hand curling around his sake cup once more.

"What can I say? I like my solitude."

"Well, at least you're not stepping out in the middle of a meal." She said, glancing at Naruto's silhouette with a playful roll of her eyes, as they watched him pace back and forth, still engrossed with his conversation with Hinata.

"Do you want me to go get him?" Sasuke asked, moving to stand up.

"No, it's alright," Sakura said, standing from her seat and making her way outside. "I'm on it."

"Okay, Naruto!" she called, clasping her friend by the shoulder and turning him around. He lowered his phone as his eyes caught hers, confusion written in them.

"Sakura-chan?"

"This is supposed to be a team outing, so don't spend the whole night talking with your girlfriend!" She lectured him, half-heartedly. "Besides, you don't want the noodles to get soggy, do you?"

"Ah, you're right. Sorry, Sakura-chan." Naruto answered, a look of guilt flashing across his features. "Hinata? Listen, I'm sorry, but I've gotta go… I'm out with Sasuke and Sakura right now… Yeah, yeah that's right… Okay… I love you too. Call me later, okay?"

His finger swiped across the screen, once he drew the phone away from his ear, turning back to Sakura.

"Hinata says hi," Naruto said sheepishly, his finger pressing the power button on his phone.

"Come back inside, baka," Sakura teased, slapping him lightly across the arm. Naruto smiled, following her as she moved back to her seat.

"Sorry guys," Naruto said, ducking his head, and rubbing his hand at the back of his neck.

"It's alright." Sasuke said, turning to meet him with a knowing grin. "We knew you weren't going to be for long. Not when we have ramen."

Naruto chuckled softly, taking a seat beside his friend.

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A/N: Alright! With that, I'm caught up again. Having said that, though, I will be going to RTXAU this weekend, so my next couple of prompts might be late. I'm going to try and get them up in time, but just in case I don't, you know why.