A/N – Okay, um a few of you I think thought I had a typo at the end of the last chapter. In the thoughts of Sukitsu he thought he has to die. Not she. As in guy, Naruto, not girl, as in Sakura. If him going after Naruto doesn't make sense, then just keep reading, fI will explain it, of course!
Chapter Thirty-Six: Sweet Sixteen
Everyone was sitting in the living room when Mayuko spoke up, "So, Sakura, who's the one taking you tonight."
Sakura blushed, and answered quietly, "Um, I don't...uh...need anyone to take me...it's only a birthday dinner."
"You mean..." Mayuko asked turning in her seat on an armchair to look at Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke that were all sitting on the long couch. Sakura was sitting alone on the loveseat, "None of you gentlemen are taking her?"
The three all shook their head in an almost embaressed manner, and Mayuko spoke to Naruto first, "Daisukekun?"
"Daisuke's taking me!" Kamiku exclaimed, "Um...I mean, maybe..."
Naruto looked between Sakura and Kamiku, but then his eyes drifted to Sasuke and, knowing full well Sasuke would take the job of Sakura's escort, he said, "Sure, I'll take you Kamiku-chan."
Mayuko than turned to Sasuke, "Akito-kun, than I guess you'll be taking Sakura-chan, I'm sure."
Sasuke was silent, he wasn't sure whether or not Sakura would like him taking her to her birthday party. He stole a glance at Sakura who was absently stroking Tsutemai, who had jumped up onto her lap.
"Um, no..." Sakuke answered so quietly Mayuko hardly heard him.
As Mayuko slowly glanced to Kakashi, and Naruto glared dangerously at Sasuke, Sukitsu walked into the room.
"Did I hear correctly that no one is escorting sweet little Sakura-chan to her birthday dinner?" Sukitsu spoke, he approached the seat beside Sakura but Sakura pushed Tsumetai off her lap into the seat. Tsumetai looked around in confusion, but then settled back down in the seat as Sukitsu glanced at Sakura who fought hard not to meet his eyes.
"How about I escort her? It's been so long since I've gaze apon her as an escort," Sukitsu said, "Not since that day I walked her to the winter fine arts competition, right, Sakura-chan?"
"Um...yes, but I told you guys it's okay," Sakura said quickly, "I don't mind going without anyone..."
"OW!" Kakashi's voice boomed through the room, and everyone turned to see him rubbing his side, and looking in confusion at Naruto.
Kakashi looked in confusion at Naruto, who eyes, only being seen by Kakahshi flicked towards Sakura, then glared towards Sukitsu. Kakashi got the message quickly, but he what he didn't get was why Naruto was suggesting it.
"Shigure-san?" Mayuko asked, "Are you alright?"
Kakashi glanced over quickly, and coughed uneasily, "Uh, yes, I was just, thinking that I might escort Sakura tonight."
Mayuko stared at Kakashi, obviously thinking he seemed to be a bit over the age of an escort for Sakura, but she just smiled and nodded, "Alright then."
Sakura who had tensed to the point of speechlessness at the thought of Sukitsu taking her to her birthday dinner, relaxed and thanked Naruto silently for his push to Kakashi. Although it was creepy going with her sensei to an expensive romantic restaurant, Sakura sure as hell wasn't going to complain with Sukitsu being the only other option.
Sukitsu seemed to be stripped of all emotion, he just stood there staring at Naruto, then within a split second, no one catching it, his eyes turned angry, murdersome in a way, and then flickered back to a blank look.
"Well, seeing the time, it's a few hours till dinner, so how about we take you for your sweet sixteen mark?" Yagitsu suggested, and his wife nodded in agreement.
"Yes, you need to get it before 5:36 this evening," Mayuko said.
"Why is that?" Naruto asked.
"That's when Sakura was born, the exact time," Mayuko explained, "So, before that time, she must be given her sweet sixteen mark."
"Cool," Naruto said.
"So, how about we go Sakura?" Mayuko asked, and Sakura stole a glance at Kakashi, usually tattoos outside that of ones from Konoha were not allowed on anyone from the village. Kakashi wouldn't meet her eye, so Sakura, in annoyance, agreed.
"Sure, let's go," Sakura said, "Do you guys want to come?"
"Yeah!" Naruto shouted in excitment; Sasuke and Kakashi both just shrugged.
After about half an hour, Sakura, Mayuko, Kamiku, Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Sukitsu were at a small brick building, Yagitsu had stayed at home.
"Come on," Mayuko said and lead the way inside.
"Hey, um, Toegasaki-san?" Naruto asked.
Mayuko, "Please, Mayuko is fine, and yes?"
"Sorry, Mayuko-san, I just noticed that Hanakato and Amai weren't at home," Naruto pointed out.
"Oh, I dropped them off with Shouni, they're a little young for the Kotan Odoriba," Mayuko said.
"Ohhhh, whoa, nice place," Naruto said as he and the other entered the lobby of the building.
It was small, but pleasant, there were soft chairs lining the walls amd tables in the corners, that had vases of flowers, and a handful of magizines on them. The magizines, however, weren't everday kind, they had a variety of pictures of tattoos that were avaliable to get.
"Which one will Sakura be getting?" Sasuke asked out of the blue, looking over Naruto's shoulder as he flipped though a few pages.
"Those are normal ones, Sakura's has already been chosen," Mayuko explained, "It was decided at her birth, along with a few others."
"Then how is it you don't know what creature it'll have on it?" Naruto asked.
"Because it is kept a secret between the doctor that delivered her, her mother, not even Sakura knows what it's about."
"I think I'll go now," Sakura said, Mayuko nodded and Sakura left the group, walking down a hall to the left.
"We go this way," Mayuko said, "We can watch, for the windows."
The group walked down a hall to the right, and turned the corner at the end where they came to a large section of windows. When they looked through they saw Sakura sitting in a cushioned chair that was spun away from them, so she couldn't see them there. She was wearing a different top then she came in with, and was talking to a women in what looked like a nurse's uniform.
After talking, the women spun Sakura around and, after noticing them, waved and smiled. The women sat down beside Sakura's chair with a tray of tools beside her. She said something, and Sakura unbuttoned the top of the shirt she was wearing, and pulled it back. The women grabbed some tools as Sakura blushed at everyone staring at her, and squirmed at the thought that one of those people being Sukitsu.
The woman lit a small blow torch and heat a piece of metal, as she spoke to Sakura, who nodded, and took a deep breath, and slowly let it out as the woman put the blow torch down and then quickly press the hot metal to Sakura's flesh. Sakura's face remained surprisingly calm during the few seconds the metal was on her. The woman then took the metal away, leaving a burnt mark on her skin that no one could make out. The woman then took a plate of different color paint, and a brush and began painting over the burn.
"How can Sakura stand that?" Sasuke asked.
"Yeah, I'm not sure whether I still want one or not," Naruto said slowly.
"The end product is actually well worth it," Mayuko said, "My sweet sixteen mark is still clear as day."
"Really?" Naruto asked.
Mayuko nodded, and then pointed through the window to where the woman was just finishing Sakura's mark, and they could now see Sakura's mark in full detail.
Sakura's mark was a gorgeous unicorn, it had large wings that rose up between Sakura's collarbone, and it's horn had a shining light at the tip of it, and within the light was written the number 16 in a simple, yet, pretty font. The only thing that look a little less than beautiful was the color, it was a dark grey, that was almost a black.
"Why is it such a dark color, isn't a unicorn suppose to be white, or golden or something like that?" Naruto asked.
"These marks don't always reflect reality, Daisuke-kun," Mayuko said, as her eyes gazed upon Sakura's mark, her eyes seemed to hold a soft look of understanding.
"Ohhh..." Naruto said, and slowly looked back in at Sakura who was thanking the woman, he had a feeling that the color reflected some sort of meaning but he didn't think he was going to get an answer if he asked what such a dark grey meant.
Another hour later everyone was back at how getting ready for the dinner. Mayuko, Yaguitsu, Sukitsu, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Naruto were already downstairs, when Kamiku came to the top of the stairs in her dress, Naruto gawked slightly but regained his composure, and offer his arm to her as she reached the bottom step.
"Sakura's coming, now," Kamiku said to Kakashi who nodded, still obivous to the real reason he was now taking Sakura to her birthday dinner.
Sakura emerged at the top of the stairs in her kimono, that hung just low enough in the front to show off her sweet sixteen mark; the three males of team seven dropped their jaws. They couldn't believe Sakura's beauty in her kimono. Sakura herself was staring at the three in her own surprise. Naruto was wearing an orange top with black three quarter pants, it was decorated almost elegantly with flowered cuffs, his shoes were a basic cloth sandel. (PIP-the one with Sakura's Kimono) Sasuke was in a long male kimono, it was a deep blue color, and decorated on the sleeves with purplish blue leaves, and white diamonds. (PIP-again with Sakura's Kimono) Kakashi had strayed from the others, and their traditional looking garments, and was wearing a light grey tux, with a white shirt underneath.
Sakura reached the bottom stair and Kakashi followed Naruto's example and offered her his arm, which she slowly took and desended the last few stairs. Her and Kakashi passed Sasuke and she couldn't help but let a smile come to her lips as she noticed his face that seemed to be dumb struck. Sakura smirked at him, then flicked her hair over her shoulder and let Kakashi lead her out the door.
Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other, then Naruto glared at Sasuke, and walked out into the winter night with Kamiku on his arm.
They group reached the Kotan Odoriba and they were ushered inside by a tall man at the door who was wearing a long black male kimono.
"Ahh, Toegasaki-san, you table is right this way," A man in a similar outfit as the one who ushered them in, said as Mayuko, and Yugitsu approached him.
The group was lead around a semi-crowded ballroom looking dance floor to a large heated patio, where the dance floor extended over a few small steps to a clear glass floor that hung over the cliff that the Kotan Odoriba was perched on.
As the group sat down, Kakashi's eyes scanned the room and his eyes came to rest on the long bar at the other side of the dance floor.
Well, I should of been expecting a bar to be here, Kakashi told himself, I guess being Sakura's...escort...it'll be easier to keep her away from it.
The group ordered, and then while they waited Yagitsu guided Mayuko to the dance floor, and began to dance in rythym to the semi-slow beat of the music playing. After a moment, and Kamiku looking at the dance floor longingly, Naruto offered to dance with her, and they went off. Sakura, knowing Kakashi wasn't a dancer, stood to get a scotch or two, when she felt a hand on her wrist leading her to the dance floor.
Sakura was spun, and she saw Kakashi before her, his arm around her waist, and the other holding her hand up high. They danced across the floor, at a comfortable distance from each other.
"I didn't know you knew how to dance," Sakura spoke softly; a shrug was all she got in answer.
As Kakashi and Sakura turned in time to the music, Sakura saw past Kakashi, the bar, and it hit Sakura why Kakashi was dancing with her.
"You know, you can't dance with me all night," Sakura said, "And you can't stop me from drinking."
"Why would you want to drink?" Kakashi asked her quietly.
Sakura was silent for a moment, "It helps me forget...and remember..."
"What exactly?" Kakashi asked.
Sakura didn't answer.
"Sakura?"
"Things that won't leave me alone, things that make me sick, make me cry..."
"Instead of turning to brain-numbing drinks, why not talk to someone, Daisuke, or I, are always willing to listen..."
"No..." Sakura spoke in a small voice, some on save me...please.
Sakura suddenly felt a hand on her lower arm, and a small tug. Kakashi released her, and she found out that it was Sasuke that had taken her arm.
A/N - Hmmm, I think I rushed this chapter, though you would never have guessed with how long I took to put it up. I apologize for taking such a long time, but I had some much going down. Man, you all should be quite thankful that I've written so many chapter in this story, for I was seriously thinking of quitting on it, but changed my mind because of all the chapters it had. So, anyway, please review! XD