So… I realize that some of the characters are becoming ooc… but the story wouldn't really work if they weren't… hmm…
Chapter Fifty FiveSasuke woke to the early morning sun. His cheek was pressed against Naruto's back, and he sat up carefully, trying not to wake the blonde that he didn't know was already awake. Frowning, he looked over the scabs on his back that were still struggling to heal. So the Fox was more stubborn than he thought.
"Good morning." Sasuke jumped when he heard Naruto's voice, and his teammate rolled over to look at him. He was pale, and he had bags under his eyes.
"Did you sleep at all?" Sasuke asked, already knowing the answer before Naruto shook his head.
"You slept well." Naruto said simply as Sasuke got up and stretched. Sasuke nodded. He quickly slipped out of the room into the bathroom.
Naruto stretched also, arching his back up off the bed and yawning widely. He turned back to the window and continued staring at the roofs of the houses across the street. He had no intentions of getting up yet.
Sasuke shuffled to the kitchen and immediately filled the kettle. Already, he was starting to run low on tea. Maybe he needed to pace himself more.
He had poured his tea and taken his first sip when he heard a knock on the door.
"What the hell!?" He groaned, setting his cup on the table. He stomped to the front door and jerked it open. "What the hell do you want!?" He demanded, then noticed Neji. He looked a little annoyed at the greeting, but apparently got over it quickly.
"Hey, can I hang around here for a few hours? I think Shikamaru's looking for me."
Sasuke didn't reply but went back to the kitchen, leaving the door wide open for Neji. Neji quickly stepped in and shut the door before joining the Uchiha in the kitchen.
"So, why are you hiding from Shikamaru?" Sasuke asked carelessly, sipping his fast cooling tea.
"I think he wants to ask me about the party. I think he knows." Neji was trying to keep his voice steady and keep the blush from coming over his face. He failed miserably.
"So, you think he knows about how you drunkenly attacked him in a fit of passion and are responsible for the many many love bites he has all over his neck?" Sasuke couldn't help but be slightly amused. And he let the amusement show in his voice.
"Yeah. That sounds about right." Neji's tone went cold. "I'm glad you're amused by it, Uchiha."
"Why don't you just tell him it was someone else. He won't remember." Sasuke shrugged. He wasn't in the mood to deal with an over-reacting Neji. "You're making a big deal out of it."
"No I'm not!" Neji retorted.
Sasuke was about to reply when he heard another knock on the door. He just about growled in frustration. He almost wished he could go back to when NOONE knocked on his door.
Sakura was standing at the door. Sasuke thought she looked a little nervous, and she blushed as once again the Uchiha was standing in front of her in nothing but his boxers.
Sasuke silently cursed himself for not getting dressed yet. "Hi Sakura."
"Hi Sasuke." Sakura responded. "I came to see Naruto."
Sasuke nodded. He hoped that Naruto would be cheered up that his crush had come to see him. "He's in his room."
Sakura nodded and smiled, quickly disappearing down the hallway and into Naruto's room. Sasuke stood thoughtfully in the living room for a moment and looked up when Neji appeared in the kitchen doorway. "I hope she can cheer him up."
The first thing Sakura noticed when she walked into the room was Naruto's back. Although the rips and tears were scabbed up, they still looked horrible.
"Naruto!? What happened to your back!?"
Naruto sat up abruptly. "Sakura!? What are you doing here!?"
"I came to see you. Are you okay!? When did those happen?" She came closer and looked at him closely. "You look terrible Naruto!"
Naruto shrunk away from her scrutinizing glare. "I didn't sleep well. Why would you come see me?"
Sakura narrowed her eyes. "You answer my question first!!! What happened to your back!?"
Naruto crossed his arms. "Me and Sasuke got attacked."
Sakura's gaze softened. "Oh. I forgot about that. Well are you alright?" Naruto nodded. "I came to see you. I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime. I know this cute little restaurant, if you don't mind not eating ramen for a night…" She trailed off, seeing the very shocked look on Naruto's face.
"You mean like a date?" He asked quietly. Sakura nodded and blushed a little. Naruto didn't say anything. His face just showed the surprise.
"I know this is unexpected, but you don't have to give me an answer now. I know I waited for a long time and it would serve me right if you didn't like me anymore. But I would really, really like to go out with you Naruto. So, I'll see you later."
Naruto was still sitting shock still as Sakura blushed her way through the explanation and quickly left the room. Sakura wanted to go out with him? Oh, this was bad. Very bad. Half the reason he had chosen to have a "crush" on her was because there was no way in hell she would ever like him. And now she did. What the fuck was he supposed to do now.
Sasuke and Neji watched a very flustered Sakura come hurrying down the hall. She smiled a very embarrassed smile at them and left without saying a word.
"What was that about?" Sasuke asked. Neji shrugged.
A few minutes later, Naruto came bursting out of his room. He was trying to pull on his pants and walk at the same time and succeeded in falling face first into the wall. Once his jeans were on, he yanked on a red t-shirt and threw on his sandals.
"Where are you going?" Sasuke asked the very flustered looking blonde. "What did Sakura say?"
Naruto looked at him helplessly. "She asked me out."
Sasuke had to admit he was more than a little shocked. Even Neji was shocked. "And that isn't a good thing?"
"NO!!!!! She's not supposed to like me!!!! She's supposed to always turn me down!!!! She's now supposed to suddenly be interested in me!!! Oh, this is bad!!!" Rubbing his head, Naruto quickly left the house.
Sasuke was frozen. He had managed to decipher so many secrets, seen through so many lies and fake smiles, and he hadn't seen through the fake crush. After all, everything else had been fake, why not the crush too.
"I- I can't- That doesn't make sense!" Sasuke spat. "Does it!?"
Neji was smirking. He was feeling somewhat superior to the Uchiha at the moment. "It makes sense to me. I told you, he opened his big mouth when he was wasted. Why do you think I needed a drink so badly?"
Sasuke just gaped at him.
Naruto was walking quickly through town. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he needed to be out doing something to burn the nervous energy that had just engulfed him.
He nearly ran into Kiba because he wasn't watching where he was going. "Oh, sorry Kiba." He forced a smile on his face. Hinata and Ino were standing with Kiba.
"Yeah, you better be sorry, demon boy." Kiba spat. The smile disappeared off of Naruto's face in a flash. He felt a stab of pain. "Yeah, that's right. We know your little secret!!!"
"How-how did you…?"
"How did I find out? It was simple. I only had to ask some old guy why he was referring to you as a demon. And to think, we haven't known for all those years. It really was amazing how many people heard it for the first time from me. But I'm pretty sure that the whole village knows by now."
Naruto bit his lip. "Oh." He turned and started walking away.
"Hey!!! Why don't you just go away and never come back!!!" Kiba's sneering voice followed him. There was a loud slap, and Naruto glanced back to see Kiba holding the side of his face and a very red, very angry Hinata glaring at him.
Naruto kept his head lowered the whole way through the town. He didn't look anyone in the eye. Finally, he found himself at one of the many training grounds just outside the village.
A few of the trees had pads tied around them. One of these trees turned out to be the perfect vent for his anger.
