The Anatomy of Love
Written By: Banana007
Chapter 34: Toxic
A/N: Check out the AN at the end for some more fanart content!
Friday had come too soon.
In the blink of an eye, Sakura had found herself plopped in Ino's desk chair with the rest of the girls packed into the room to prepare for the night. The smell of everyone's perfumes cloyed at her lungs, but she remained trapped in the chair and staring at herself in Ino's vanity mirror while Hinata curled the last lock of her hair into a bouncy wave.
Her gaze was wide and almost listless, framed by a smoky violet eyeshadow and uncertainty.
"All done," Hinata patted her on the shoulder.
She stood up so that Tenten could have her turn but lingered by the mirror to study the outfit that she'd bought a few days ago. In hindsight, maybe the top was too... revealing? She'd worn crop tops before, but none had been as sheer as this one. It was so thin that anybody who looked too closely at her chest could see that she was only wearing flower pasties instead of a proper bra. And it was so cropped that the frill trim of the hem ended only just below her breasts.
But Ino had insisted that the pastel green matched perfectly with the lilac skirt.
Biting her lip, Sakura twirled around and watched the skirt flutter dangerously high. Just the smallest breeze could expose the naked cheeks of her ass. She already felt naked enough as it was.
Sensing Ino glance her way, she stopped and tugged the skirt back down. "This skirt you gave me is too short," Sakura couldn't help but complain. "What if there's wind or some pervert?"
Ino paused in applying her mascara to roll her eyes. "Then just make sure to wear nice panties. You're wearing the black lace one I recommended, right?"
"Yes, Mother."
Wiping a non-existent tear from the corner of her eye, Ino spun around to beam at Sakura. "My little slut's all grown up," she sniffed, and then playfully smacked Sakura in the ass.
After sticking her tongue out in response, Sakura drifted back to Hinata to help braid her friend's curtain of long hair. While doing so, she couldn't help but peek at Hinata's breasts which looked ready to burst free from the leather bustier borrowed from Ino. The poor girl kept tugging the bustier up in search of some modesty, but her efforts were futile.
"You don't think this top is too low, do you?" Hinata quietly asked her.
Sakura smiled wryly. "I think it fits you well... Maybe too well."
What I wouldn't give to have boobs like you, Hinata, she used to wish on nights like this one. Yet, lately these days, she didn't feel as insecure over her small chest compared to the start of the semester. It was strange, and Sakura wasn't sure why that little monster of jealousy had gone quiet recently, but she was glad for it.
And as she continued to braid Hinata's hair, the less conscious she felt of her own attire. So what if the crop top was too sheer and short? So what if her skirt swished high up her thighs? The longer she stood in this outfit, the more sexy she felt. The more powerful she felt in a strange, sensual way.
"I think you look sexy," Sakura reassured Hinata who'd been quietly fretting in the chair.
"Besides, sex-shaming is so last century," Tenten spoke up from where she lounged at the corner of the bed. "If it makes you feel sexy and good, then who cares what people think?"
"And we all know Naruto loves your boobs, Hinata," Ino shamelessly added, prompting the shy girl to break out in a blush. A notification from her phone distracted Ino from teasing Hinata further as she checked her texts. "Crap! He's already there! But it's too early!"
Sakura frowned. "Well, yeah, isn't Naruto with Neji?"
"No, not Naruto. The senior frat I set you up with for your date."
She almost ripped some of Hinata's hair out as she spun around to gape at Ino. "You picked a senior frat?!"
"You told me that you prefer older guys," Ino defended herself, bewildered by Sakura's indignant reaction. "This guy is twenty-one years old. I'd say that's an ideal age, right?" she asked, looking to Hinata and Tenten for approval.
The girls nodded in agreement and Sakura held a breath to hold her composure. Truthfully, she didn't actually prefer older men; she just preferred Kakashi who just so happened to be an older man. But it wasn't like she could explain that to her friends without raising any red flags.
She smoothed back her waves to calm herself. "O-Okay, but you haven't told me who he is? How do I even know which guy I'm supposed to talk to? Neji's frat is full of seniors and what if Naruto ran his mouth off about me?"
Ino sighed in exasperation and took hold of Sakura's shoulders to look her in the eye. "Babe, you gotta calm your tits. He's the only redhead who will be there so you'll know it's him when you see him."
Oh, a walking red flag. Even better.
"Why's he so early though?" Tenten frowned at her wristwatch. "The party is at ten and it's only eleven."
"From what Neji told me about him, the guy doesn't like to be late," Ino answered and clapped her hands for everyone's attention. "All right, let's hustle girls!"
Tenten rushed to her backpack to sift through for something. "Wait, wait! We gotta do some pre-game shots."
At the last word, Sakura felt her stomach flop. The trauma from the night she'd thrown up all over Kakashi churned her stomach with unease and she grimaced at the sight of the bottle of liquor Tenten had likely scored from Neji. She stood aside and refused to budge from her spot, even as the girls insisted for her to join, coughing and sputtering from the burn of the alcohol as they waved her over.
"C'mooon!" Ino twirled around giddily before shoving the bottle close to Sakura's face. The stench of the drink stung her olfactory senses and when Sakura shook her head again, Ino scoffed. "Don't be such a prude!"
Sakura's brow twitched with ire but she remained steadfast in her decision. "I'm not touching any alcohol tonight. Not after what happened with Professor Hatake."
And if, by some miracle, she bumped into Kakashi after the party tonight, then all the more reason she wanted to avoid any alcohol.
With her face already flushing red from the shots she'd downed, Ino giggled and pinched Sakura's cheek. "Such a good girl for him, aren't you," she cooed.
Sakura rolled her eyes at that but said nothing as she followed the girls out of the apartment, shushing them as their snickers echoed too loudly down the hallway.
As she suspected, the cool wind of October tugged the hem of her skirt around and she wrapped her arms around herself to brace the chilly bite of the breeze.
The streets were flooded with groups of girls also heading towards the frat row, all of them giggling and dressed in mini-skirts and low-cut tops as well. At the front, Ino hollered compliments at people, stumbling here and there as she did so with Hinata fretting every time. Her breath smelled of alcohol already, but Tenten and Hinata merely cheered when Ino suggested they take a detour through the neighborhood to avoid the traffic of students congesting the streets.
Even in the more quiet side of the neighborhood, the music from frat row reached their ears and prompted Ino to do a little shimmy as they waited at a crosswalk.
"Ohohohoho!" Ino straightened up and shaped her hands into binoculars to squint at something that had caught her attention. "I spy with my little eye... a Professor Hotake on a jog!"
It took Sakura a hot second to process Ino's slurred words. When she did, she froze and looked around wildly through the dimness of the street. Her eyes landed on a tall figure across from them, leaning against the crosswalk's signal post to stretch his quads.
Although his shorts and shirt were so black that he almost blended in with the night, Sakura would recognize that silver floofy head anywhere.
Her heart lifted with elation but was soon shot down by panic the moment Ino hummed in appraisal beside her.
"Mm, I love some eye candy before a party," Ino purred out, unabashedly ogling Kakashi whose attention remained on the shoelaces he'd bent down to tie.
Sakura tugged at her sleeve. "L-Let's go back the other way."
"No way!" Ino guffawed, swatting Sakura's hands away to continue admiring Kakashi's backside. "I don't get to see him and his cute ass every week and up close like you do, so this is my chance now!"
"But—"
"Go say hi for us!"
The pedestrian light flashed for them to go and Ino shoved Sakura forth without warning.
She stumbled over to Kakashi, her little yelp finally catching his attention and turning him around. Embarrassment was already flooding Sakura's cheeks as she caught herself in the middle of the crosswalk and awkwardly shuffled the rest of her way to Kakashi's corner with her little audience giggling behind her.
"Um, hi, Professor," Sakura mumbled, feeling more and more awkward with the girls right at her back.
Most times she'd been with Kakashi, they'd had the room to themselves. Seldom did they have an audience observing every second of their interaction, and this was the first time that Ino was watching them up close and personal.
"Miss Haruno," Kakashi spoke calmly as if he wasn't entirely surprised to see her. His gaze was already roaming up and down her body, drinking in the sight of her and she felt her nipples instinctively tighten in reaction.
Sakura, on the other hand, was mildly surprised. This side of the neighborhood was full of only student-rented houses or apartments. Seeing no shopping bags in hand, Sakura didn't understand why Kakashi would wander anywhere near frat row, especially on a busy night like this. Unless... he'd hoped to run into her? Maybe even... intended to?
Don't be ridiculous, she chided herself. He's just jogging around the area.
"Hi there, Professor Hotake!" Ino made her entrance with a large leap to finish crossing the street. She waggled her fingers, already giving Kakashi a flirty smile as she looped her arm with Sakura's. "Are you going to a party too? 'Cause if you are, you should totally lose the shirt—I hear that's the dress code for the guys."
Sakura wanted to melt into the shadows as Ino winked at her professor, unashamed to be teasing him like this. Tenten and Hinata merely giggled at her antics, stupefied by the alcohol already poisoning their minds.
To Kakashi's credit, he seemed more amused rather than nonplussed by Ino's provocative behavior. "The frat row? No, I'm too old for that," he chuckled sheepishly.
"Shame. You look like the kind of guy who can do a keg stand all by himself," Ino sighed dramatically before biting her lip to eye the abs that Kakashi's sweat-soaked shirt outlined. "Especially since Sakura here tells me that you're a bit of a ninja."
Kakashi tipped a brow and Sakura laughed nervously even as she fought back the urge to throttle her best friend.
"A ninja?" He was doing his best to keep his face schooled and serious, but it was obvious how he was restraining his laughter. "What an interesting observation..."
Ino, I am so going to kill you after this!
Tenten snapped her fingers and pointed at him. "The Friendly Neighborhood Ninja! Yeah, that works!"
The girls burst out into giggles once more and Sakura could only shoot Kakashi an apologetic look.
"Ignore them," she waved them off, watching Hinata try to help the girls keep it together. "They're having a bit too much fun right now."
She made a mental note to hide the alcohol from Ino next time.
With her attention now on Kakashi's toned hips that his low-slung shorts didn't hide, Ino gestured him to come join them. "You should come to the party with us, Professor! Maybe you could show Sakura how to have fun!" She cupped a hand around her mouth and whispered obnoxiously loud to Kakashi, "She's kinda shy when it comes to boys, but I promise she knows how to play reeeaaal rough!"
"Oh, I bet she does," Kakashi hummed, his lips tilting into a knowing smirk that made Sakura bow her head low to hide her building blush.
Thankfully, the girls were too inebriated to notice.
"Hm, I don't know," Sakura said nonchalantly. "I think Professor Hatake has a different idea of fun."
Despite his dark gaze heavy on her face, there was a wicked glint in his eyes that verified her thought.
"Is that a challenge, Miss Haruno?" His voice dropped into a low, rich timbre—almost like a purr.
Sakura liked the sound of it—of him. Liked how much it felt like he was calling to her. Liked how it made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but also hot and aching too.
She propped a hand on her hip and smirked back at him. "Try me, Professor."
There was a friction in the air between, suffused with excitement despite the stillness. It reminded Sakura of the calm before the storm. A strange calm that danced across her skin and settled down to her bones. It permeated the air around her as she and Kakashi stared at each other, their smirks bordering on smiles that were a little too intimate for any audience.
Hinata glanced between them and gave Sakura an odd look before touching her elbow. "We'll be late to the party..." she spoke more quietly than usual.
Kakashi was the one to break away from their little staring contest as he nodded down at his sneakers. "Yes, it's getting late. I should be heading back now."
Ino, who had been busy fawning over his biceps, made a little whine of protest.
"Make sure to be careful," Kakashi told them although his eyes lingered the longest on Sakura as if those words were specifically for her.
Sakura had to bite back a grin at his overprotective nature coming out again.
Hinata nodded politely. "We will."
"Hey, we're big girls now!" Tenten hiccupped out, flexing her toned arms for proof. "We can handle a couple of drunk idiots if need be."
"That may be, but that might be difficult when you're drunk," Kakashi pointed out sternly to which Tenten responded with a guilty chuckle. "Boys can get handsy. Don't accept any drinks from them—alcohol or not. Is that understood, Miss Haruno?" he asked, turning to Sakura expectantly.
She wanted to tease him and say 'no' to his face. If only to get a rise out of him. Make him bend her over a bench or something and spank her for always challenging his authority.
Or maybe I'll say 'okay, Dad' to torment him. As a little nod to the night we met.
Before Sakura could decide on her response, however, Ino was already waving off his concern with a chortle. "Don't worry, Professor Hotake!" she slurred out. "We'll make sure nobody else touches your precious student. And we'll definitely make sure no perv touches these babies!" Ino added, shifting around to suddenly cup Sakura's breasts from behind and give them a playful squeeze.
Sakura was too flabbergasted that it was all she could do to helplessly look at Kakashi's whose brows had shot up to his hairlines while his eyes had dropped down to where Ino's hands still cupped Sakura's chest.
The girls guffawed at the little prank and the professor's scandalized face. It was Hinata who came to the rescue by dragging Ino and Tenten away. The soft-spoken girl shot Sakura another odd look before her piercing gaze flitted back to Kakashi for just a second. Sakura thought it was Hinata's way of urging her to say farewell now, so she shook her head.
"Actually, I... I have to ask Professor Hatake something about a homework assignment!" Sakura shouted to her friends. "I'll catch up to you guys later, okay?"
Hinata paused at the curb of the sidewalk, worry and hesitation melting away her sweet smile. Despite her gaze hazy from the alcohol, she seemed to sober up as she contemplated Sakura and her professor.
It was Ino who yanked Hinata's attention away with a yank at her arm for support.
"Okay! Bye-bye, Professor Hotake!" Ino shouted back in a sweet, sing-song voice before bursting into another titter with Tenten.
Their drunken giggles continued to echo down the street until they disappeared around the corner of the block. It was only when the street fell silent again did Kakashi finally move, grabbing Sakura's hand to pull her behind a fence and into the safety of the shadows.
His breath stirred her bangs as he seemed to be breathing hard for no reason now.
Sakura peeked up at him, observing how he towered over her and caged her against the rough bark of the fence. And yet, she'd never felt more safe and warm than she did now with her cheek almost pressing to his damp chest and his arms braced on either side of her head.
The faint notes of his fresh sweat stirred the heat in the pit of her belly. She parted her lips to breathe in the tantalizing scent, watching Kakashi's eyes drop down to her mouth as she did so.
"You shouldn't be wearing these clothes," he told her, letting a hand fall down to finger the delicate hem of her skirt. Feel how thin the material was. How easy it would be to rip it off her.
"What's wrong with my clothes, Professor?" Sakura blinked innocently at him. "I'm not breaking any school regulations, am I?"
She could feel the way his breath shuddered. Warmth pooled in her belly as his gaze darkened into a stare that almost seemed predatory.
"If only we were at school, I'd have good cause to punish you again," he murmured.
This time it was Sakura who shuddered in response as she remembered the stinging pain of the ruler falling across her ass. How the hard wood and Kakashi's unforgiving strokes had branded the cheeks of her ass with a bright red line of shame and sin for days.
"Don't worry, I promise I won't touch any alcohol this time," she reassured him. "I'll be a good girl tonight, I promise."
'Such a good girl for him, aren't you' Ino's words came back to her.
Kakashi seemed less than convinced, probably counting the number of times she'd been a naughty girl instead. Sakura couldn't blame him. Admittedly, she had been a very bad girl lately. Maybe even right now.
"Trust me," Sakura said, lifting a hand to press it flat against his chest. His shirt was still damp from the light sheen of sweat that dripped down his temples and coated his neck. His heart was beating fast under her fingertips too, and she suspected it had nothing to do with his jogging.
Kakashi's throat shifted. "I trust you. I just don't trust the boys who will be there."
"Because of the way I'm dressed tonight?"
"Because you're a beautiful girl," Kakashi said almost shyly. His eyes dragged down from her face, skimming past her breasts and lingering at the hem of her skirt where it barely reached past her ass. It was crazy how it felt like he was eating her up with just a once-over. "And with the way you're dressed, those idiots will think you're inviting them to... to look at you... and touch you... and do all sorts of things to you..."
The corner of her lips twitched into a smirk and Sakura tilted her head back to gaze straight into the voracious abyss that was his stare. "Maybe I am inviting someone. Maybe I want him to look at me... and touch me... and do all sorts of things to me…" As she spoke, she took his hand and dragged it up the side of her thigh, letting his rough fingers caress her soft skin.
His fingertips tugged at her skirt, dragging the hem up a few inches until it fell back down when his hand passed up her hip and swept up her waist.
Sakura let out a gasp, letting her breath mingle with Kakashi's own sharp intake of breath the moment his hand settled over her breast—his touch so light that she could barely feel the weight of him and yet her nerves were on fire.
"W-We promised not to cross the line," Kakashi whispered, his voice on the edge of desperation now.
His heavy-lidded gaze flicked between her face and where his hand rested gently. His face was the very picture of a man whose morals were being tested. And this was a test he was clearly, but happily failing.
Still holding his hand to her breast, Sakura shook her head even though she felt lightheaded with ecstasy. "We're not," she whispered back. "You're not touching me directly, so this still counts as toeing the line."
And right now, the line was a millimeter of cotton that separated her breast from his hand.
She wondered if he could feel how stiff her nipple was beneath the thin covering of her pasties. Or if he could feel how hard her heart was thumping under his touch.
Slowly, she released Kakashi's hand, giving him free reign to do as he pleased. Either let her go or hold her closer.
He answered by giving her breast a gentle, experimental squeeze that nearly had her eyes rolling back in pleasure. His palm was bearing down more firmly on her breast now, his touch scorching Sakura from the inside and out.
A cool breeze passed through, and the chill of it was such a welcoming relief to this burning ache within her that she couldn't help but let out a soft moan. So soft that the wind was quick to carry it away before anyone else around could hear it.
"You're... not wearing a bra," Kakashi spoke through clenched teeth.
The silent question in his remark brought Sakura back to reality.
"I'm using flower pasties," she said casually as if she was just answering him as she normally would in class.
"Flower... pasties...?" The lust in his gaze was mildly diluted by confusion now.
Sakura bit back a grin at his innocence.
"You wanna see?" She made to lift the hem of her crop top, stopping only when Kakashi's eyes widened into saucers. Afraid she might give him a heart attack if she teased him any further, Sakura dropped her hand.
"Sakura," Kakashi grounded out, clenching his free hand into a fist while his other hand trembled against her breast. "Please tell me you're at least wearing some under... there," he peeked down at her skirt, watching it flutter tantalizingly as another breeze swept through.
"You mean underwear?" She bit her lip and took Kakashi's other hand, teasing his fingers to uncurl so that she could mold his hand to her hip. Let him feel the answer himself. "Ino told me to wear the black lace thong tonight," she whispered to him.
He made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded like a strangled groan, and then he leaned down to rest his forehead against hers, his breathing ragged now. "Black lace... thong?" Kakashi rasped out as if it pained him to say the words aloud let alone think them. "Th-That's hardly enough protection."
"Protection? What would I need protection from?" Sakura inquired, humming when his large hand slid against her hip so that his fingers brushed along the swell of her ass too. "Wayward hands maybe?" she looked at him and then looked down pointedly where his hands were all over her as if to claim her body for himself.
It seemed like an eternity passed before Kakashi swallowed hard and then slowly, reluctantly, released her. He drew his hands back and shoved them deep in the confines of his pockets where they visibly balled into fists. That heat simmering in Sakura's gut melted into disappointment as she was left bereft of any proper satisfaction. Most importantly, she was left without his touch now.
"I'm serious, Sakura," Kakashi pleaded with her. "Please."
Please what? Please stop this? Or please give him exactly what he needed? What they both needed?
She tilted her face back and studied that wild-eyed look he wore. So unbecoming of the aloof professor he typically role-played in public. Instead, there was something animalistic about him that set Sakura's nerves on edge but in a thrilling way. Like seeing a wolf up close and personal, it was a terrifyingly beautiful experience that made her heart race with adrenaline.
He leaned in closer so that his lips brushed along her temple. "This is getting too dangerous," he whispered, letting his warning tickle at her ear.
"Too dangerous for you?" she asked him. "Or for me?"
The sweat covering his throat glistened as Kakashi swallowed hard, searching for the answer to that. Before he could say a word, her phone rang aloud—breaking the spell between them. It was... not Ino, but Hinata calling her.
She waited for the call to go to voicemail before shooting Hinata a text to reassure that she was coming.
"I have to go," Sakura said before leaning up on tiptoes to press a kiss to Kakashi's warm cheek. When she stood back, she smiled at the sight of her lip gloss staining his skin and blending with the blush across his face. "Goodnight, Professor Hatake."
She slipped away from him to let the cool October air replace his warmth. A few steps away and she peeked over her shoulder to glimpse the way he stared back at her dazedly.
She giggled at his expression, and the naughty girl within her couldn't help but add, "It's okay if you touch yourself to me tonight."
His eyes widened and Sakura hurried away, uncaring of how her skirt fluttered high from the movement that she probably flashed Kakashi the perfect image to touch himself to tonight. While a part of her hoped that he would, the other half of Sakura wanted Kakashi to torture himself with restraint. The thought of him suffering through blue balls because of her made Sakura giggle aloud.
But she stowed those giggles away the moment she caught up to her friends at the frat row.
Chōji and Kiba were slouched in a pair of lawn chairs they'd propped on the porch of Neji's frat house. They each had a beer bottle in their hand which they raised in greeting when the girls approached them.
"Sup, girls!" Kiba cheered out, prompting Akamaru under his chair to poke his snout out and bark a hello. "Hinata, Naruto's in the backyard waiting for you. And Tenten, Neji's upstairs if you want to see him...?"
Tenten's face reddened as Ino shot her a smug grin, but she followed Hinata into the house and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
"Is Sai here yet?" Ino asked, checking her phone for any texts.
"He was one of the first to arrive," Chōji answered over a bag of chips he'd pulled out of nowhere. "He said it's important to be punctual at social events. Sakura's date said the same thing too."
Sakura's brows shot up while her stomach flopped around. "You know him?"
If Naruto really did run his mouth off about her then she was so not going to help that knucklehead with his next essay.
Chōji shrugged. "Not really. He's one of the more senior frats, so he's usually busy working the behind-the-scenes stuff. But he did ask about you once. Just wanted to know if you were seeing anyone or already had a boyfriend. I told him no."
Ino grabbed her arm and squeezed Sakura excitedly. "See? He's already interested in you! In fact, he's the one who reached out to me first, asking to meet you!"
Sakura's mouth flapped open, unsure of how to take in that kind of news. From what she'd observed in high school, seniors hardly showed any interest in the freshman girls. Not unless it was to take advantage of their naïveté before dumping them to head off to college. So she couldn't help but find it strange that a senior would show so much interest in her before even meeting her.
Apparently, Ino didn't think it was strange at all as she soon switched the topic to ask if Kiba and Chōji were the bouncers for the evening.
"Aren't we always?" Kiba sighed, looking a little worn out. "I've got a nose for drugs and Chōji handles the drunks when they get mad and messy."
"Well, you don't have to worry about Sakura then," Ino snorted, casting Sakura an accusing glare. "She's not drinking tonight."
Sakura rolled her eyes but Chōji came to her rescue as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder to the kitchen window behind him where they could glimpse the rows of red cups and alcohol bottles. "Darui is managing the fruit punch in the kitchen. It's alcohol-free, so no worries!"
"Um, isn't the fruit punch bowl usually spiked at parties?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.
Chōji belched out a hearty laugh at the cliché. "That's what Darui said, so that's why he insisted on supervising it."
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. Well, if this date went awry then at least she had a cup of fruit punch to hide behind or keep herself occupied with. Standing awkwardly against the wall while the rest of her friends made out with their own partners wasn't part of the agenda tonight. But at least she could have some sort of drink to keep her company if her date ended up ditching her. Or worse: if he was one of the long line of guys who decided to stand her up at the last minute.
As she followed Ino into the house, she paused at the threshold upon hearing Chōji's cheery voice suddenly shift into something more aggressive.
She peered back and was confused to see Chōji and Kiba had stood up from their chairs now to bar a handful of boys who were arguing with them and pointing at Sakura.
"Hey, Sakura! You know these hooligans?" Kiba turned back to ask her. "They say they're with you?"
The supposed leader of the group gave her a courteous smile, silently pleading for her to play along and let his pals sneak into the party. But there was a boy at the back of the pack, sporting a white baseball cap, whose pressing stare made Sakura a little too uncomfortable.
She shook her head at Kiba just as Ino popped her head back out and hissed for Sakura to hurry up and get inside because her date was waiting at the couch.
Sucking in one last breath of the crisp air, she allowed Ino to drag them into the party and join the mass of bodies writhing against each other. Everyone's sweat, cologne and perfume instantly hit her in the face and made her gag as she stepped around the glowsticks littering the floor. It was almost hard to keep up with Ino, what with all the girls twerking their asses or grinding against her, but Sakura kept an iron grip on her friend to haul herself through.
The heavy bass of the music drowned out Ino's words as her friend shouted what Sakura guessed were tips on how to flirt with her date and what not to do or say. She caught none of her advice as she was too busy scanning every boy for any semblance of red hair. But she saw no such person around her.
It took a whole minute to squeeze themselves into the center of the dance floor which was just the living room, and Sakura was sure her face was already sweaty with exertion. What a lovely first impression her date would have.
"That's him over there!" Ino came to an abrupt halt and pointed at the far corner of the room. She let out a squeal and shook Sakura vigorously again. "Isn't he soooo hot?! And wait till you hear him speak—his voice is gonna make your panties wet!"
Following Ino's finger, Sakura squinted past the horde of dancers to eye the lone figure sitting at the couch.
As Ino had claimed, her date was a real redhead with scarlet locks as vibrant as blood despite the dim lighting of the house. Beneath tousled bangs, greyish-brown eyes skimmed across the partygoers, seemingly scrutinizing them. And yet, despite the intensity of his stare, the expression he wore was almost hazy and dreamish.
Sakura couldn't quite tell if the guy was studying the people before him or daydreaming of something else entirely.
But true to her friend's words, he was smoking hot. Not as hot as Kakashi, of course, but he was a real head-turner which was obvious enough with how the girls lingering around him kept casting coy looks his way. Although, strangely enough, there was something a bit odd about his beauty. Besides that there was a boyish charm to his looks, the perfect symmetry and proportions of his face reminded Sakura very much of a... doll.
Yes, sitting perfectly still on that couch, he looked like a life-like doll. Was that why nobody else sat on the couch with him? She could imagine how hard it would be to approach someone who was clearly out of their league and less than interested to mingle.
Which honestly intimidated Sakura even more because... well, why would a hot guy like him be interested in a girl like her? A girl who was just pretty, not beautiful, and who had only started her freshman year of college without having declared a major yet. She didn't exactly have anything on her dating resume to impress a guy like him.
"So what's his name?" Sakura interrupted Ino who'd been in the middle of blabbing about the guy's achievements she'd heard from Sai.
Through the haze of her inebriation, Ino cracked her a wicked smile in answer. "Well, why don't you ask him?"
"Eh?!"
"All right, go get 'em, tiger!"
With an encouraging slap on the ass, Ino shoved her past the crowd to break free of the sweaty mass, allowing Sakura to stumble over to her date and almost faceplant right into his crotch.
She caught herself with the armchair just in the nick of time and shot Ino a glare, but her friend had already disappeared in search of Sai.
"So, you're Sakura."
She returned her attention forward and blinked at the crotch mere inches from her nose before lifting her eyes to her date who now rested his cheek against the curl of his hand. Compared to earlier when his face had been as stoic as a doll's, his lips were now tilted to resemble a soft smirk that accompanied the droll glint in his otherwise aloof gaze.
Sakura instantly straightened herself up. Smoothing down her skirt to rebuild her composure, she tried for a nonchalant shrug. "Who's asking?"
"I wasn't."
"O-Oh." She peered down at her sandals, hoping the flush crawling up her face wasn't so noticeable under the poor lighting.
Great, now he probably thinks I'm just a dumb freshman girl.
The guy tilted his head at her, his eyes dragging up and down her face before briefly running down her body. There was nothing sexual about the way he eyed her. It was more... methodical. She could tell he was silently evaluating her, and Sakura tried not to squirm as he did so. Instead, she decided to evaluate him as well. But before she could get past the blood-red shade of his hair, he gestured to her with the cup in his hand.
"Why don't you sit down?" he asked.
The low but boyish timbre of his voice sent a delicious shiver through Sakura's body. Ino was right; he did have a really sexy voice that made her feel all gooey inside.
She hesitated in front of him, wondering if she should sit right next to him and, if so, how close? Unlike with Kakashi, there wasn't that magnetic pull that made her want to sit shoulder to shoulder with this guy.
Before she could calculate her decision, however, the guy tugged Sakura by the wrist and onto his lap. She was more surprised by his cold touch rather than what he'd done. Ice-cold fingers weren't exactly what she'd expected from a guy who was hot enough to melt the panties off any naïve freshman girl.
But while Sakura was a freshman, she wasn't so naïve, and she stiffened defensively when a red cup was raised close to her mouth.
"Want a drink?" the guy asked from behind. His breath tickled the shell of her ear and Sakura fought back a shiver, especially when she did not want to move too much on his lap.
His jeans were rough against her bare thighs and Sakura tried to discretely tug her skirt down as she smiled politely but shook her head at the cup. A quick glimpse at the contents within and her nose was quickly assailed by the sting of what stank like 100% isopropyl alcohol.
"What's in that?" she coughed out, desperate to clear her lungs of the toxic fumes.
"Poison," the guy hummed. "A special concoction of mine."
"I'm not old enough to drink."
"It's normal for people under twenty to partake in alcohol when it's a part of their culture," he explained much too close to her ear. "Although I am legal now in this country."
In this country?
"You sure you don't want?" he pressed her, sloshing the liquid around in the cup as if to entice her.
Remembering her promise to Kakashi, Sakura shook her head more firmly this time.
"Not even a little sip?" There was that hint of amusement seeping into his voice now. As if he'd expected her to want to at least try some alcohol in a party chock-full of it. "You're pretty petite, so just a sip should be enough to give you a good buzz."
She curled her lip and turned her cheek away from the drink. "I'm not interested in being peer pressured."
Oops. What was it that Ino had told her not to do? Don't talk aggressively but with finesse, or something like that. But she didn't have the same sweet-talking moves that Ino had, so how else was she supposed to turn down a drink?!
But instead of shoving Sakura off his lap for her attitude, the guy merely chuckled. The sound of it was so subtle that Sakura almost thought it came from the music instead.
"So," he drawled out, his amusement more evident now, "what are you interested in then?"
The question caught Sakura off guard. She knew dates were a lot like interviews, but she hadn't expected to be questioned in the middle of the dance floor and while on his lap.
"Um..." She took a quick gander at her surroundings, searching for an answer to his question without getting too personal. Her eyes landed on the tables by the kitchen where some boys were playing rage cage while the guys at the table next to them were... "Arm wrestling?"
"... Eh?"
Taking advantage of her date's confusion, Sakura sprung off his lap and hurried to one of the tables that had just been freed up. She cleared the space free of red cups, not bothering to check if her date had followed her or not. If he was genuinely that interested in her as he seemed to be, then he would follow her without question.
Once he arrived at the table, Sakura propped her elbow on the surface, prompting him to do the same.
"If I win, you have to tell me your name," she proposed. "No guessing games."
There was that little smirk tugging at the corners of his full lips again as the guy narrowed his eyes at her from beneath his mousy red bangs. "And if I win, you have to take a drink with me."
He glanced at the red cups sitting around them in indication.
"No alcohol."
"Then no name."
"I don't mind calling you tomato head," Sakura bit out, irked by his aloof demeanor.
Crap, Ino would have an aneurysm if she saw me right now. But what kind of date isn't interested in giving his name?
The guy in question gave Sakura a cool, almost rigid stare in response. "Don't think I'll go easy on you," he simply said.
"Wouldn't dream of it," she retorted.
That cold hand of his wrapped around hers and that was her only warning before their contest began. She grunted from his strength, bewildered by how he could be this strong when his frame was more slender rather than muscular. And yet, the liquid in the cups around them was already trembling from the exertion they both put into their grips.
A few boys noticed their contest and started congregating around their table, hooting for their senior frat brother to show this pink-haired chick who's boss. Some girls had also taken notice, impressed by the strength such a small girl had in her.
A few seconds passed but it already felt like a minute as Sakura felt her strength draining the longer she tried to hold out like this.
"So... where are you from?" Sakura asked through gritted teeth.
It seemed her date was hardly affected by their arm wrestling as he could afford to shoot her a quizzical look. "How do you know I'm not from here?"
There was a note of wariness in his question that puzzled Sakura, but she shrugged it off. "Because most of the people here I've known since primary school," she struggled to say through the burn of her arm muscles. "Other students are mutual friends of theirs. So everyone here is connected in some way or another and that's why they're all mingling together. But you? You were by yourself when I walked in."
It was a bit of a stretch and maybe she was just grasping for straws, but something in Sakura's gut told her that she was right.
"Interesting theory," her date nodded slowly. "But maybe I just wanted to be by myself until you arrived."
"Oh? So am I distracting you?"
His smirk widened. "If you were, I'd have lost already."
The sound of him smug was faint and well hidden behind that aloof gaze of his, but it still rubbed Sakura the wrong way.
She leaned in close, letting her face hover above where their hands still struggled against each other. Peering up at him through her lashes, she scrutinized him the same way he'd scrutinized her and all those other people earlier.
"You're from Wind country, aren't you?"
His smirk faltered for a split second, but that was all it took for Sakura to take advantage of his surprise. She yelled out, pouring every last ounce of her strength in a last-ditch effort to outshow him. Their hands slammed down to the table and the frat boys around them groaned in disappointment while the girls screamed and cheered for the winner.
For Sakura.
Her date seemed less concerned with losing their match, however, and more concerned with what she'd just said.
"How did you know?" he asked, releasing her hand but ignoring his reddened knuckles that had hit the table too hard. As if the pain hardly fazed him.
There was that wariness in his face again, breaking that doll-like mask. Yet, somehow Sakura only felt unsettled by the way he eyed her. There was something unnatural in the way he stared at her. In the way he didn't blink at all.
"B-Because Wind is a vast desert region," she began to explain. "It's very hot and arid there. Your sun spots show for it."
She gestured to his eyes and he quickly raised a hand to touch the sensitive skin of his face. For the first time since meeting him, the corner of his mouth tilted down ever so slightly with displeasure.
"And more importantly," Sakura continued, "you said earlier that you're legal now. In this country. Which implies that you were already legal in your home country."
He did that head tilt again as his eyes narrowed onto hers once more. There was something about the way he looked at her that unsettled Sakura. She couldn't put a finger on it, but it was like that creepy-crawly sensation she got whenever there was a spider in her room and she lost sight of it.
Slowly, his lips curled into a sensual smile and he said something. One word that Sakura wasn't sure if she'd heard right.
"That's my name," he said. "Sasori."
He didn't offer a handshake, so she just nodded. "Yes, I noticed."
Her flippant response prompted a tip of the brow from him. "Oh? And do you always make such astute observations?"
With his dry tone, Sakura couldn't tell if he was making fun of her or flirting with her. Or... both?
She propped a hand on her hip. "Only when I'm being observed."
"What can I say? You're... quite an interesting girl," Sasori murmured, leaning in so close suddenly as if to study her better.
There was that incessant feeling again—that creepy-crawly spider sensation nagging at the back of her mind. Even her arms were starting to raise goosebumps although the house was humid with sweat and weed.
Sakura swallowed lightly and stood her ground even as Sasori loomed in closer. His eyes seemed to darken and grow more intense the longer he stared at her, almost to the point where Sakura felt as if she would be swallowed up by him.
"Is that why you've been asking around if I have a boyfriend?"
Her question seemed to throw him off and Sasori blinked—once—before giving her a smile that was too perfect and white. As if he'd practiced in the mirror countless times like the life-like doll that he was.
"What can I say?" he replied. "I'm quite a curious guy."
"A-And what about me are you curious?" Sakura dared to ask.
Sasori hummed and his smile softened so that the hazy, dreamy look from earlier melted his features from that of a stiff doll to a saint with a boyish charm.
"If..." he began to answer, "you'll say I do."
"I do... to what?"
His behavior was so cryptic, and the way he smirked at her... it was like she was part of an inside joke but only Sasori knew what the punchline was.
"To... dancing," Sasori finished just as the DJ at the booth started a new song.
Before Sakura could answer that, Sasori pulled her onto the dance floor, the partygoers parting for him without question. The swarm of sweaty bodies caged Sakura in, trapping her against Sasori as he held her close from behind.
His hands strayed down, settling lightly around her hips. But unlike with Kakashi, she could feel no warmth from his palms as Sasori began to guide her into a deep sway in time to the music's beat.
"I hear you're taking Anatomy," he said. "Are you pre-nursing?"
Sakura was momentarily distracted by his lips brushing against her ear, his voice so crisp and distinct that it was like everyone else's voices had faded away. She didn't know what to make of it. Or what to make of his body pressed up against hers and holding her close like a lover.
"N-No, but I've always had an interest in the sciences," she managed to say.
"Hm, me too."
"You're pre-nursing?"
"Chemistry," he corrected her. "I'm planning to go to med school next year."
"Oh! Then do you know Yakushi, Kabuto? He's also going to med school soon, I hear."
There was a strange pause behind her, but then Sasori flexed his hands across her hips. "Don't tell me he's my competition."
Her brow twitched as Sakura was bewildered by his response. It hadn't exactly answered her question, but it would be too awkward to repeat herself so she let it pass. "U-Um... so you want to be a doctor? What inspired you?"
"Well, you see, I've always been interested in the human body," Sasori hummed, drawing a hand from her hip up her arm to leave a trail of goosebumps in the wake of his cold touch.
Sakura's heart started thumping faster when that cold hand lightly wrapped around her throat for a split-second before he moved to cup her jaw.
"The anatomy of the body has always been a fascinating thing, don't you think?" Sasori purred against her ear. His other hand drifted to her inner wrist, his fingertips tracing the veins where her blood ran hot and frantic. Then he touched the nape of her neck, sweeping the damp locks of baby hair aside so that she could feel his breath stir the raised hairs there. "You see, if I touch you like this, your body's output of nitrogen oxide and noradrenaline increases. Do you know what that means?"
Not exactly, but her body seemed to know as she felt her nipples harden in response to his intimate touches. Sakura was disoriented by the mixed bag of emotions welling up within her. She felt betrayed by her body's state of arousal, and yet intoxicated by the thrum of the music, the dim lighting of the room, and the hormones raging all around her.
She was helpless to lean her head back against Sasori's shoulder, weakened by his mere touches and the lips skimming up the side of her neck now.
He suddenly spun her around, spinning her whole world around on its axis too. Dazed, Sakura found herself leaning into Sasori's embrace and staring up at those grey-brown eyes. There was more brown than grey though, and his grey was too muddy compared to Kakashi's silver shade.
Kakashi.
The thought of him was like a wake-up slap and Sakura gasped in alarm when Sasori took her by the chin and tilted his face closer to hers. Closer and closer he came, but his eyes didn't blink at all. They bore through her, scrutinizing Sakura right to the core.
Suddenly she knew why Sasori's gaze unsettled her. This whole time, he'd looked upon her as if she was some sort of specimen pinned beneath a microscope for him to pick apart.
"No!"
Sakura shoved him away right before his lips could descend upon hers.
All around them, the people continued to dance and writhe against each other under the flashing strobe lights. Red, blue, yellow, and green washed across everyone's faces—including Sasori's. But Sakura could see clearly now how he continued to examine her and the glare she gave him.
Yet he matched her anger with that same smug grin from earlier.
As if he knew something that she didn't.
She shuffled back, bumping into people as she drew away from Sasori. Girls and boys spilled in between to fill up the growing gap until Sakura broke free from everyone, and free from Sasori who remained standing exactly where she'd left him, and still smirking at her.
Pivoting away, Sakura stole down the hallway in search of the bathroom. Her stomach was still churning with unease, but the bathroom was locked and full of moaning from within when she found it.
She ran for the rooftop instead, hoping the fresh air would ease her mind and stomach.
The door burst open as she practically stumbled through it... and right into an unwelcome sight.
A boy who'd been lounging on a chair sat up abruptly, his hands flying across his lap to cover himself.
Not quite sure what was happening, Sakura's mouth fell open to blurt out an apology. She froze, however, when her eyes landed on the girl slumped between the boy's legs, her feverish face resting atop his thigh.
Sakura would recognize that fiery mane of hair anywhere.
"Mei?!"
The girl's lashes fluttered as she struggled to open her eyes. Her gaze was unfocused as she squinted at Sakura and moaned weakly in recognition.
By now, the boy was struggling to zip up his pants and escape. But he moved too slow as Sakura flew forward in a rage and shoved him off the chair.
"Get the hell away from her!" she shouted at him, watching him faceplant the ground so that his naked ass was in the air for a moment.
Just as she debated kicking his ass off the roof, the guy scrambled to his feet, still holding his sagging pants up as he made a mad dash for the door.
Sakura turned back to Mei who lay slumped on the floor, nearly unconscious.
"Hey, what the hell is going on up here?! The rooftop is off-limits!" one of Neji's frat boys entered the scene, pausing at the threshold when he caught Sakura's glare.
"Hurry up and get me some water and bread!" she snapped at him.
He jolted from her lash of anger and scurried away before she could show him her full wrath.
Turning back to Mei, Sakura pulled the girl's hair back and then promptly shoved two fingers all the way to the back of her throat. Mei let out a whine of protest around Sakura's hand, but her whining soon devolved into gagging... and then full-on retching.
Sakura yanked her hand back just in time to avoid a projectile of vomit.
"Sshh, you're okay," she murmured, rubbing Mei's back while the girl continued to throw up all over the ground.
She felt bad for Naruto who would likely be one of the Pledges who would have to clean this up after. But right now, Mei needed her attention and Sakura waited patiently as the girl sobbed and mumbled incoherently in between bouts of puking.
Gradually, her mumbles became words, and then those words were strung into sentences once Mei spat out the last chunk of her puke. For a while, neither of them said anything. It was only after the frat boy from earlier returned with the bread and water did Mei finally speak up.
"Why... Why are you helping me?" she rasped out, her throat too raw from puking so violently.
Sakura glanced around their surroundings, ensuring the rooftop was empty except for them and the puddle of puke. She then waited for Mei to finish draining her water bottle. The girl burped sadly afterward.
With a sigh, she hauled Mei up and into the chair, careful to avoid the puddle as she did so.
Mei sniffed and sank further into the chair, clutching her stale slice of bread in one hand and empty bottle of water in the other. The bottle crinkled loudly in her grip when Sakura moved to fix Mei's hair back so that the girl looked at least a bit more presentable.
"I helped you because you needed it," Sakura eventually answered.
She pried the empty bottle from Mei's hand and tossed it to the entrance where one of Neji's pledges could clean it up along with the vomit after.
Mei studied Sakura's face, her own face sallow from exhaustion as well as a sadness that plagued the girl from deep within. "You'd still help me after how much of a bully I was to you?" She continued to study Sakura with skepticism.
"You're a bitch, but not a bully," Sakura explained. "I've met real bullies before..."
She could still feel the pain of her arm breaking the day those bullies had shoved her down the stairs. The memory—the trauma—remained fresh in her mind and heart after all those years.
Feeling Mei's gaze heavy on her, Sakura shook her head. "Besides, you made a good point. About me taking it for granted that there are people looking out for me? You're right that I am privileged in that way, but you're wrong to think that I don't know what it's like to suffer. Even though our experiences aren't exactly the same, we all have our own baggage to carry."
Mei opened her mouth to defy her at first, but she was soon overcome by shame and acceptance, and she lowered her face in defeat.
"But..." Sakura reached out to touch Mei's shoulder, prompting the girl to raise her face once more. "We're girls, so we need to look out for each other."
Maybe it was because she'd never had an aunt, mother, or even a sister to look out for her—only friends—that that was why Sakura wanted to help someone like Mei now. She remembered Kakashi's words from before about how the girl's family use and abuse her rather than love and support her. She hated to think of a girl like Mei all alone in the world with no family or even friends to show her the way out of the shithole she'd been born into.
Did that mean Sakura would forgive Mei for what she'd tried to do to Kakashi? No, of course not. In fact, Sakura would never forgive her for that. But what both girls understood was that Mei wasn't looking for forgiveness. No, the lost girl was simply looking for someone to help pull her out of the darkness and show her the light.
Mei glanced down at the hand warm and reassuring on her shoulder. Then she looked back to Sakura with tears in her eyes. Tears that illuminated her pain rather than hide it. "You're too kind, Sakura," Mei whispered to her. "Don't let the monsters take that away from you."
"Monsters?"
"The monsters who made me this way," Mei said, peering down at her hands that gripped her slice of bread so desperately like it was her lifeline. "I used to think kindness was a weakness. Now I realize it's a strength. It's easy to choose anger and keep the cycle of hate spinning. It's much harder to choose compassion and break the cycle. For someone to persevere through all the shit that people give them... to still show compassion in the end... I realize those are the strongest people I know."
"You can be strong too." Sakura gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze.
Mei smiled softly, bitterly. "I want to be..."
"You are," Sakura insisted. "The fact that you're still here fighting every day to survive despite all the shit the world throws at you... that's a testament to the strength you carry within. People will try to bring you down, but no matter what they say... remember that you're stronger than you think you are."
She didn't know if Mei would believe her. They were, after all, strangers in more ways than one. Girls who just so happened to sit close to each other in class only to head home and lead completely different lives. But Sakura liked to believe they shared more in common than thought.
They were first and foremost girls, and that automatically meant they would have to constantly face the same misogynistic hurdles for the rest of their lives. But at least they wouldn't have to face those hurdles alone.
As if thinking the same thing, Mei sniffed and then her quivering lips slowly stretched into a smile. A real one. She stood up on her own two feet, swaying at first until Sakura gently held her by the elbow. Slowly, Mei shuffled to the edge of the roof to scan the bright pinpoints of light that were the city.
"I'm going to leave this city," Mei said aloud. "I'll start somewhere new—somewhere I can be the person I want to be. My father and his friends can fuck off for all I care."
Despite not knowing the girl's full story, Sakura nodded in agreement. "He can fuck off. They all can."
Mei pulled out her phone to do something for a few seconds. After tucking it back in her pocket, she turned to properly face Sakura, her smile wider now despite her cheeks still wet with tears. "I hope to meet more people like you, Sakura. I hope I can be friends with them."
"How about I be your first?" Sakura held out her hand.
Mei glanced at the hand stretched out to her, bewildered by the proposal. But slowly, surely, she reached out to meet Sakura halfway, giggling quietly as they shook hands together. "It's funny... Usually in tv, two girls crushing on the same guy hate each other. Y'know, 'cause they see the other as a threat or love rival?"
Sakura snorted. "People who write those kinds of stories have some internal misogyny they need to get over. I'm not going to hate a random girl I hardly know just because I think she's a threat to my relationship with a guy I'm not even official with. That is just stupid and immature."
She'd already been that stupid and immature girl once upon a time when she and Ino had shared the same crush in primary school. But ironically, that conflict between them had only blossomed into a beautiful, lifelong friendship between the girls.
Mei's smile twisted with uncertainty. "You wouldn't hate her even if she did some fucked up things to people?"
"An apology can go a long way," Sakura replied. "And I believe in redemption."
Mei rolled her eyes at that. "Ugh, I know you're smart but why do you have to be so sappy too?"
Sakura grinned. "I don't always have my nose stuck in a textbook. I read a lot of romance novels too."
Maybe she could give Kakashi a run for his money someday.
Still smiling at her, Mei wiped the corner of her eye free from another tear. But this time, Sakura was certain those were happy tears. "You really are something special, Miss Perfect A," Mei told her with a hint of affection in her softened voice. "I'm proud to say that I can call you my... friend," she added shyly.
Sakura nodded, proud of her as well.
They waited together in silence for a while, just breathing in the crisp air of the night. Whatever bad air that had lingered between them had cleared away for good, and Sakura found it almost bittersweet when Mei's car arrived.
"Will you be okay?" Sakura asked her.
Mei pressed her lips together at the complicated question, but she eventually nodded. "I will now, thanks to you."
This time, it was Mei who offered her hand. Instead of shaking hands again, however, Sakura reached over and pulled her into a hug. The girl stiffened in her arms at first, but she soon relaxed and hugged her back. Her touch was so timid yet tight that Sakura couldn't help but wonder if this might possibly be Mei's first hug ever.
Mei finally pulled away and started to make her way to the door. Pausing at the threshold, she peered back at her former rival. "Sakura? Thanks for looking out for me."
Sakura nodded and waved goodbye at Mei's retreating back.
Left alone on the rooftop now, she stared up at the starry night sky, breathing in the cool breath of the wind on her face a moment longer. The party was still raging on downstairs, the night growing older and colder while the people grew more drunk and wild.
While Sakura wasn't so eager to return to the party in case she ran into Sasori, she didn't want to be that girl caught sitting on a rooftop all by her lonesome.
Heaving a sigh, she treaded back inside the house. Sasori was nowhere to be seen (she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not), but Ino was still tearing up the dance floor with Sai who was surprisingly keeping up with her dance moves (although his movements were a tad too stiff). Sakura snuck by the couple in search of Hinata, hoping her quiet friend was free to keep her company. Tenten was nowhere to be seen either but, suspiciously enough, neither was Neji.
"Hinata!" Sakura called out to her raven-haired friend who stood at the end of a table in the backyard. "Hina—"
Naruto's whooping drowned her out as he suddenly appeared at Hinata's side to wrap her in a bear hug. "Yes! That's my girl!"
Sakura stopped in her tracks the moment she realized Hinata was in the middle of a beer pong game and in deep concentration for another trick shot into the island of cups opposite of her.
Guess I'll just be by myself then. Again...
Sighing, she headed for the kitchen to grab a drink to occupy herself with. Maybe she could just pull out her phone and study Kakashi's powerpoints for the midterm. At least that way she'll look busy and not miserably alone.
On the way back inside the house, Sakura nearly tripped at the sight of Lee in the corner of the yard. Two guys were hovering by his side as he chugged down some beer... upside-down... while doing a handstand.
She immediately made a beeline for the house, hoping he wouldn't catch sight of her. It wasn't that she hated the guy—she thought Lee was actually pretty sweet—but she definitely did not need him clinging to her for the rest of the night, hoping for a kiss that would never come.
Deciding to take shelter in the bathroom, Sakura navigated her way through the congested hallway. As she slipped by a guy, she could hear him drawl out, "Hellooooo, kitty," to her. But his fermented breath was more than enough repellent needed to repel Sakura away from him.
The raucous energy of the party was muffled the instant she closed the bathroom door behind her and locked it.
Leaning against the sink's edge, she checked her phone and winced upon seeing a text from Ino.
Ino: Where did u and Sasori go?
Tapping her chin, Sakura considered her options. Ugh, tell the truth or lie? …. Nah, Ino would totally see right through my bullshit.
Sakura: I left him 😛
Ino: WHAT
Ino: WHY
Sakura: He's cute but...
Ino: But?
She bit the tip of her thumb, struggling to come up with a good reason. But what? He creeped me out? He stared at me too much?
The problem with Ino was that she needed to know every single detail of every single detail—in excruciating detail. It wouldn't be enough to just say Sasori creeped her out; Ino would have to know the how and the why and the psychology behind it. What could Sakura say? It was just a feeling?
Ino: Well?
Ino: Spill!
Sakura: I'll explain later
Ino: Explain NOW
Sakura: Later
Ino: NOW
Sakura: ttyl
Ino: FOREHEAD
Her phone continued to buzz with more text messages which Sakura ignored as she washed her hands and then slipped out of the bathroom. The hallway now reeked of weed which slithered across in a smoky haze. She fanned her face and made her way to the kitchen only to be stopped when the drunk guy from earlier stumbled into her path.
Beneath his black hoodie, he looked her up and down, smirking at what he saw. "Damn, Barbie, does the carpet match the drapes?"
Sakura scowled.
Another guy in a matching hoodie came up beside him to clap his friend on the shoulder. "Sorry, he's had too much to drink," he told her.
Wait, these were the guys that had tried to sneak in with her earlier. She recognized them by their hoodies, but the one with the white baseball cap was nowhere to be seen.
With a roll of her eyes, Sakura shoved past the boys to continue to the kitchen.
She'd barely taken a few steps when someone grabbed her by the hips and yanked her back to grind against her ass. "You're so small, I bet you'd be a really tight squeeze," the drunk guy slurred against her ear, his spittle dripping onto her collarbone.
Sakura froze up in terror when she felt something stiff poke and rub against her bottom. All the muscles in her body seemed to lock up as her fight or flight instincts warred with each other.
"Mm, I've always wanted to fuck Barbie."
That last word snapped Sakura out of her shock and she spun around to slug the asshole right across the face. "Barbie's a blonde, you dumbass!"
It seemed her fight instincts had won, and she watched in satisfaction as the guy was knocked out cold before he'd even hit the floor.
His friend rushed to his aid and gave Sakura a daggered look. "What the fuck did you do that for?! I told you he's drunk!"
"Being drunk doesn't excuse being a pathetic dick!" Sakura chided him. "And next time he touches me, he won't have one!"
By now, people were starting to poke their heads into the hallway to see what the commotion was about. Asshole #2 pulled up his unconscious friend and glanced around at their little audience. He obviously hadn't expected a public castigation nor a tongue-lashing from a small and unassuming girl like Sakura, so he didn't dare raise his hand at her.
Instead, he eyed someone in the crowd and gestured to Sakura with a jut of his chin. "Hey, Touma! Make this bitch choke on a dick for me, won't you?!"
Her fingers started to twitch into a fist again and Sakura lunged forth to teach this jerk a lesson. Several frat boys grabbed her by the shoulders to hold her back and yelled for everyone to calm down and clear out. The partygoers scattered from the tight space of the hall like roaches, leaving Sakura struggling to get her hands around this guy's neck.
"What? Too pussy to do it yourself?!" she shouted at the guy, watching as he and his buddy were pinned against the wall to be lectured by one of the senior frat brothers.
The other boys hauled her away, supposedly for her safety, but really it was for the safety of Dumb and Dumber. A part of Sakura was guilty for what she'd just done. Not because she didn't think the guy deserved that knuckle sandwich, but because she'd promised Kakashi she would behave for him tonight. Good girls weren't supposed to be throwing punches around although, in her defense, those boys had started it by harassing her.
Good girls don't start fights but a lady always finishes it, Sakura told herself.
Still huffing and puffing from the heat of her rage, she continued to the kitchen in the hopes a drink would help cool her off.
This was supposed to be a fun night. How did things sour so quickly?
The kitchen, miraculously enough, was sparse in people thanks to most of the alcohol supply having been drained this late in the evening now. Only one person loitered around the bowl of punch whom Sakura guessed to be Darui. He was staring at his own reflection in the bowl, so deep in concentration that he was mumbling to himself.
"This is the fruit punch, right?"
He jolted at her sudden presence, nearly choking on the lollipop tucked in his mouth. "A-Ah, yes! This is the punch bowl. Don't worry, there's no alcohol—I made sure of that. I've been standing here all night, keeping watch to make sure no one would spike it. I mean, I did look away a few times but... oh no, what if someone spiked the bowl while I wasn't paying attention? They could have passed by me and tossed something in. Should I take a taste test? But what if it is spiked and then I pass out? Or what if I don't notice the effects until later, and then we both pass out?"
Darui continued to fret anxiously over the punch bowl and Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I think you're overthinking it," she told him before grabbing a cup to fill it up. Darui stared at her as if expecting her to pass out on the spot. When she didn't, she shook her head and gestured with the cup. "It tastes fine!"
He sighed in relief and Sakura wandered to the far corner of the kitchen to drink in peace.
Her peace didn't last long, however, as she felt her arm prickle with the warm presence of another person.
She fought back another roll of her eyes when the guy beside her cleared his throat to announce himself.
"Not interested," Sakura said plainly before taking a sip of her juice.
"I just wanted to say that punch was very impressive. Arata had it coming."
Realizing the guy was familiar with Dumb, Sakura finally turned to scrutinize him. She recognized the white baseball cap that shaded his otherwise nondescript face. He was one of the boys who had tried to sneak in with the others—the one that had lingered at the back of the pack to stare at her while his friend, Arata, had been arguing with Kiba and Chōji. He was also the same boy whom Dumber had asked to make Sakura choke on a dick.
Touma, was it?
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, your friend was definitely asking for it when he decided to hump me. Maybe you should remind him to not sexually harass girls at the next party. That way he won't have to wake up the next morning with a black eye and a bruised ego."
Touma flicked some invisible lint off his polo shirt that looked far too expensive to wear at a frat party. "Ah, he's just had too much to drink. Look over there. See? He's already throwing it all up."
Sakura turned her head to follow the direction of his finger. Just outside the kitchen, Dumb was sitting slumped on the floor and heaving into a trashbag Dumber held up for him. He looked as if he was retching his guts out, but Sakura felt no pity for him.
"You're not part of Neji's frat," she stated, swiveling her attention back to Touma. "How did you get in here?"
He didn't even try to deflect her accusation as he just gave a blasé shrug. "I have my ways."
"A girlfriend?"
"Well, if I had one then I wouldn't be standing around talking with a pretty girl like you," he answered with a smug grin that reminded her too much of Sasori.
Sakura glowered at his pompous disposition. "Not with me. To me. I told you I'm not interested."
"What? Daddy warned you not to talk to strangers?" Touma chuckled but it sounded more like a snicker.
Daddy warned me not to talk to idiots like you, Sakura almost snapped back. Although the 'daddy' in her thoughts wasn't exactly her own father per se, but rather a certain professor who'd been haunting her wet dreams lately.
She ignored Touma instead, even ignoring the way he eyed her intently as she downed the rest of her juice. He had this strange fascination with the red cup in her hand, staring at it until she finally tossed it in the trash a minute later.
"You wanna slip outta here?" Touma unexpectedly asked.
Sakura jerked her head back, surprised that he had the gall to propose such a thing when they'd only just met and not under friendly circumstances. "I don't know you, so no thanks."
Her rejection only served to amuse Touma as he smiled at her, his eyes flitting all over her face as if he was taking note of something. "You're a real pretty girl, y'know that? Even though you're a bit too petite than what I usually go for, but we can work something out."
Sakura almost choked on her laughter, utterly shocked now by his approach. "If this is your way of flirting, I suggest you stick to 2D girls."
She could practically hear Ino booing over how weak this guy's game was. Did he seriously think he could score girls with a backhanded compliment like that? Just because he wore a pricey polo shirt?
Shaking her head, Sakura moved to leave him and the kitchen but he stepped into her path to block her way.
"Pretty girls like you should have a guy escort them home. Let me take you," Touma said, still smiling like it was all fun and games between them.
"Look, no means no," Sakura insisted. "Maybe you should take your friend's drunk ass home instead."
"But the side gate at the back is open," Touma said, and Sakura realized that must've been how he and his friends had slipped by Kiba and Chōji with no problem. He tilted his head to the door that led to the backyard. "C'mon. Let's go and I'll show you."
He suddenly grabbed her by the arm as if she was just some ragdoll for him to drag along.
"What the hell is your problem?! Let go of me!" Sakura struggled against him briefly until she managed to wrest herself free from his grip.
His persistence had been annoying earlier, but now it was just horrifying. It was really starting to freak her out.
Sakura backed away from him until her back bumped the wall, but Touma prowled closer, frowning now as if perplexed by her behavior. As if she was the one acting crazy instead of him!
A terse pause stretched on between them with Sakura's mind racing for what to do next if he tried to grab her again. Shouting for help wouldn't do much when the music was near deafening in this house. She could always grab one of the kitchen knives though...
As her eyes strayed to the knives further down at the kitchen counter, Touma smiled calmly at her.
"Let's go," he said, his tone commanding now despite the friendly smile he wore. "Come with me so that we can get to know each other better."
Sakura blinked at him for a long second. Then, slowly but gradually, her arms relaxed as every muscle in her body loosened. "Um... yeah."
Touma's smile widened and he beckoned her to him with a wave of his hand. Once Sakura returned to his side, he took her chin and tilted her face up to study her better.
"You should first give me a smile," Touma murmured to her. "Pretty girls like you need to smile more often."
Sakura obliged him with a smile to match his.
He shook his head. "No, you have to smile like you like me."
Her smile softened and he nodded in approval.
"Yeah," Touma chuckled, swiping his thumb across her bottom lip to wipe away a drop of her fruit punch. "There's a good girl."
"Hey, is everything okay here?" Darui approached them, eyeing Touma warily. "I'm not supposed to leave the punch bowl alone, but I thought I heard some shouting...?"
"Of course!" With a grin, Touma wrapped an arm around Sakura to hug her closer. "My girlfriend just had a little too much to drink. But she's okay now, right baby?"
Both boys peered over to Sakura for confirmation which she gave with a nod. "Yes, I'm okay," she replied, still smiling sweetly and adoringly at Touma.
Darui glanced back and forth between the two, twirling his lollipop around uncertainly. "You sure...? I thought the punch bowl had no alcohol though. I've been keeping watch the whole night, so I was sure of it. Oh no, could it be you got your drink spiked when you weren't looking?" he asked Sakura who started to frown in contemplation.
Touma scoffed at the idea. "Does she look drugged to you? She's standing on her own two feet and isn't even slurring. Seriously, dude, you're overthinking it."
The latter statement hit a sore spot for Darui who quickly backed down, his head hung low in defeat. Touma watched Neji's pledge return to the back of the kitchen to supervise the punch bowl for the rest of the night.
"Shit, that was a close call," Touma muttered to himself. He turned his attention back to Sakura who was still smiling at him like that of a lovestruck girl. He smirked at her and traced her mouth with his thumb again, relishing the soft, pouty lips. "You've got a cute face for blowing, y'know that? Now grab a water bottle from the fridge. A sealed one."
She did as she was told, returning with an unopened water bottle that Touma opened for her. He made her take a sip—just enough for anyone to see and know that she'd drank some water.
When she finished swallowing, Touma leaned in from behind and whispered into her ear, "Go tell your blonde friend that you'll be going home now, yeah? Tell her you'll be okay. Tell her that it didn't work out with that redhead you were with—what's his name?"
"Sasori."
"Yeah, tell her it didn't work out with Sasori but everything is fine and you're just really tired from too much studying and dancing," Touma murmured, watching Sakura nod to every word that he poured into her ear like poison. "Tell her whatever she needs to hear to get her off your back. And then..."
He swept her hair aside and hummed in delight of her light floral scent. Leaning into her neck, he inhaled deeply and groaned in satisfaction.
And then my friends and I are gonna have some fun with you," Touma said, grinning over her shoulder.
A/N: The reason why Kiba and Choji didn't allow the boys in with Sakura and the girls is because typically fraternities do not allow non-frat boys (except boyfriends) into their frat parties for safety and liability reasons. If something bad were to happen (i.e. sexual assault), it's easier to already have a roster of potential culprits (the frat boys) whereas if a stranger/outsider is involved then it complicates matters and the issue of who is accountable. The rules depend on the frat house and school, but this is the general rule of thumb. So for my ladies in college right now, be wary of frat boys in parties, yes, but also be wary of the non-frat boys who try to sneak into these parties with you because those are the ones who take advantage of their status as outsiders (it's easier for them to avoid getting caught if they commit a crime). And most importantly, you do not need to drink to have fun.
Please check out the links below for some more beautiful fanart from TWITTER:
Kimikocanvas drew Sakura in her lavender dress from Chapter 13!: /kimikocanvas/status/1576667394788904960
Plaincakee drew Professor Hatake and Sakura!: /plaincakee/status/1576697713793826816
Xenea drew Kakashi and Sakura's palmar muscles scene from Chapter 33!: /xenearts/status/1578158797637709824
Xenea also drew naked Sakura from Chapter 11's Naked Run event!: /xenearts/status/1578790573540245504
Thank all you artists for your beautiful and hard work!
Tumblr: tcookies777
Twitter: Rey_OrganaSolo
AO3: TCOOKIES777