A/N: I just have to say that I was a bit disappointed to only have gotten fourreviews, for one of my favourite chapters, when twenty-eight have it on their alert, and nineteen as a favourite. I'm not complaining, I am just telling y'all it really saddened me, after a really rough week this week. -'le sigh-
Chapter XXVII"No. Nuh-unh. Not gonna happen."
"…"
"That will not work this time! You. Can't. Come."
"…"
"Quit looking at me like that! You are staying here, and that's final! I won't cave this time!"
"…"
"Hey Hinata? Are you sure Sasuke is going to come? The movie is supposed to start in, like, a half-hour, and he still hasn't shown. You had told him to meet us here at noon, right?" Hinata nodded her head. "Apparently he is less punctual than Kakashi…" Naruto trailed off under his breath.
"I don't know. He did say he might be late though. However, I didn't really think he meant by two and a half hours," Hinata answered.
Ten people were seated around a table that was much too small to properly fit them all. They couldn't have picked a better day to go to the movies. The skies the night before had finally made up its mind and in continuing to empty its contents on the unsuspecting city. The group was now just waiting for the newest installment to arrive.
The door opened with a tinny bell and in walked what only could be described as "wet". The T-shirt, over the long sleeve shirt, was plastered to alabaster skin, and the jeans were just as soaked. Blackish blue hair was sticking out at odd angles, the hair that wasn't sticking to a face anyway. The boy under all the wet, shook his head, akin to a dog, sending water droplets everywhere, but allowing him to see.
"Sasuke! Over here!" trilled Ino, waving him over. "Why are you so wet?" she asked after he sat down.
Sasuke just gave her a look, obviously incredulous. "Well, in case you hadn't noticed, it is raining out."
"Woah! So you walked all the way here?" Naruto asked, in awe.
"No."
"No?"
"I ran." After a moment's silence, Sasuke continued. "I don't own an umbrella."
"Why were you so late?" Kiba asked.
"Oh… I was arguing with my cat," he answered unabashedly. Evidently, nobody believed him because Naruto was just as quick to reply.
"Jeez, your excuses are lamer than Kakashi's!"
Sasuke just waved it off, bemused that even when he's telling the truth, it is misconstrued as a lie. He had decided on his trip to this little diner, that he had to get his license. Or even just a car would suffice. He didn't mind rain all the time, but things are really put into perspective when you run a mile in it, with your jeans restricting your movements and your shirt almost choking you.
"What movie are we going to see?" he asked, a few minutes later.
"We already voted for the new comedy. Neji had suggested we see the new horror flick, but it lost by one vote," Hinata said, not noticing Sasuke's hands curl into fists at the mention of "Neji" and "horror". "I hope that's okay with you?"
"Fine," he replied offhandedly, imagining a flaming Neji. "I haven't been to the movies in ages."
"Really?" Sakura asked interestedly. "How long?"
Sasuke thought about it. "Probably… three or four years." He turned his eyes towards the ceiling. "That sounds about right."
Everyone but Shikamaru, who thought it was too troublesome, and Gaara, who didn'tdo that sort of thing, gaped like a fish. They got together at least once a month for a movie!
Sasuke coughed and looked around. "What?"
"Your poor youthful soul! We must remedy this immediately!" Rock Lee said.
"Yeah, how can you not have been to the movies in so long?" Ino asked, looking oddly at the confused teen.
"I guess I've just been too busy-"
"FOR THREE YEARS?!" Naruto all but screamed.
A half-hearted glare passed over to the blonde before it made it's way to the ceiling. "As I was saying, I've been busy, and I just haven't felt the urge. I don't really like the movies either." After last time…
'There we go again,' Sasuke thought. 'Fish out of water.'
"How can your youthful being not like the movies?! That is unyouthful!" Lee said, standing and pointing at Sasuke, pure shock written all over his face and crocodile tears running down his cheeks.
"If you didn't like the movies, then why did you agree to come?" Kiba asked.
Sasuke sent another glare, this time to Hinata, slightly more heated than the last, before he looked away. "Tch. Friggin' blackmailed by a man who lives over a hundred miles away," he said quietly. He looked towards Hinata again, and gave her a pointed look. "You tell that cousin of yours that retaliation is fair play. That he is more "clumsy" than I am, and he'd do well to remember it."
Instead of looking scared at the teen's dark tone, Hinata was almost bursting to find out what her cousin did. "Sure."
Sasuke smiled, albeit a little sadistically, before he pointed to a none-existent watch on his wrist. "It's about three till. And if you want to be in there before the beginning credits are over, you all should probably move."
Ino squeaked, looking at a clock on the opposite wall. "He's right! We don't even have our tickets yet!" Everyone stood, pulling on raincoats, and placed money on the table. They left, sharing umbrellas, as Sasuke took up the rear.
As they got out into the rain, Sasuke paused, staring up at the sky, face unreadable.
Only a few paces later, Hinata noticed she and Sakura weren't being followed anymore. She turned around. "Sasuke?" No answer. "Sasuke?" she said a little louder.
Sasuke snapped visibly back into the present with a slight head twitch. "Hmmm?"
"Do you want t share my umbrella?" Sakura asked. "There is plenty of room."
Sasuke didn't answer for almost a minute. By then everyone had noticed and were turned around facing the Uchiha, staring curiously.
"Guys! Come on! We're gonna be late if you keep lolly-gagging!" Ino said impatiently from the front of the group.
"No, it's just a little rain, and I'm already wet. I'll be fine," he motioned for them to continue with a tilt of his head.
He managed to fit his hands in his pockets with only minimal difficulty, as they were about plastered to his skin, his face still tilted towards the sky. His hair pushed back from his eyes, she stared through half-lidded eyes, not blinking.
Every few steps he noticed a different head turn back towards him curiously, then often up into the sky, obviously not finding what had so captured the quiet teen's attention.
But that was just it, wasn't it? 'Look underneath the underneath,' an uncle had once said to him. It's you don't (or can't) see that holds the most power. And one of these days…
Someday, he would seeit.
A/N: Lots of dialog. Woo. Hope y'all liked the bit of humour here, I can safely say I wrote most of that humour a few days ago, when I was less stressed. Not really anything of interest I would like to say. Just thanks to those of you who did review, it means the world to me. Sorry it was so short. I didn't really notice until just now. Huh. Update next Saturday. Maybe 6 review, please?
