An Admirer's Gifts

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Slight spoilers here and there, more lewd humor, and some OCCness (but I try to explain the OOCness)

Quick Facts: Characters are older, around 15-16 in this fic.

Chapter 2: The Drinking of Spoiled Milk

"Naruto? Can you hear me?"

When Naruto collapsed after eating the chocolate, Sakura had caught him in her arms before he could hit the floor. She had laid his limp body on the wood and pillowed his head on her lap.

Five minutes passed, and Naruto's face became swollen and red: having an allergic reaction almost as if he had washed every nook and cranny of his face with poison oak instead of soap. Despite the situation, a tiny part of Sakura idly wondered if his face was any indication of his entire body...

"Can you hear me?" Sakura repeated. A dull sense of anxiousness seemed to lodge itself like a steel anchor in her stomach. "Naruto, please say something-- anything, " she begged, watching his chest move up and down, his breathing uneven and ragged. "Just give me a sign you're okay..."

Sakura's plea seemed to have reached Naruto. She heard him make a low inarticulate noise and watched as his ragged breathing leveled out and steadied. A cool wave of relief washed through her. "Do you want me to fetch a doctor?" she asked, feeling his forehead with the palm of her hand "I could get Tsunade-sama if you like. No better doctor than her..."

"No need, I'm starting to feel better..." he muttered, his eyes still closed. "Besides, she's probably too busy with Hokage business, anyway."

"Never too busy for you," she said softly. "You know, Tsunade-sama is actually quite fond of you--"

"Fond of me?" Naruto said, not quite believing. He laughed lightly, "That's why she is always insulting me and making fun of me..."

"She's just teasing, Naruto." Sakura said, not reproachful, but kindly. "Ever hear of the saying 'you make fun of the ones you love'?"

"That's a stupid saying. Besides what are you trying to say?" he said with a smile. "She's secretly in love with me and wants to bed me?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Sakura snapped, yet felt her own grin grow up to her ears. He was all right, and even if his face didn't show that, his voice was getting stronger and Naruto still acted like... well, Naruto. "You know what I'm trying to say. Tsunade-sama probably does care about you, you know, but in a big sister kind of way. And I know you care about her too..." Sakura thumbed the necklace around his neck. "After all, she did give you this necklace. And I've never once seen you take it off--"

"First of all, she didn't give this to me-- I had won it fair and square." He said. "Shows her for betting against me, the dumb hag--"

"Naruto..." she said reproachfully.

"But," He relented slighty. "I guess you can say I care about her... a little," he added. "Well, at any rate, I care about her just as much as she cares about me-- which isn't much to begin with in the first place."

"I knew it," she said, ruffling his hair playfully. "You do care for her."

Naruto seemed a little embarrassed. "Did you not hear anything I just said?  Specifically, the part about how I care for her as much as she cares for me?"

"And didn't you hear me say," she said tenderly, enunciating each word slowly, "how much she does care about you in the first place? In fact, I can safely go out on a limb and say she loves you and you love her."

Naruto sighed, giving up on arguing with Sakura.

Feeling her relaxing fingers gently messaging his scalp, Naruto closed his eyes. A comfortable silence followed, neither speaking; just enjoying the presence of the other.

"Um, Naruto?"

He opened his eyes and saw Sakura looking down at him with a solemn, serious expression. "Yeah, Sakura-chan?" he said softly.

"You scared me," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You really, really scared me. You just... you just fell, and I barely caught you. Then your face practically exploded and your breathing became so shallow... I thought about going for help, but I knew I couldn't just leave you here... If you were out for one more second, I was going to scream for somebody to find us..." Sakura sighed at her inarticulateness. "I guess I'm just trying to say is, I'm so glad you're okay."

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto trailed off, not knowing how to respond. "I-- wait a second," his brow furrowed. "Did you just say my face exploded?"

Sakura's face lost her somber expression, and instead, formed up in an amused grin. "Practically exploded. There's a big difference."

"But still, any sentence that has the words 'exploded' and 'your face' can't be good, can it?" One of his hands reached up to touch his face, but was stopped by Sakura.

"Don't," she said. "You'll only make it worse by touching it."

"Is it that bad?" said Naruto, sounding horribly pained.

"Well," she smirked. "I did use the word 'exploded', remember?"

He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Give it to me straight, Sakura-chan. How do I look?"

"The honest truth, Naruto?"

"Yes, the straight, god honest truth."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, your head looks like a giant red pimple." She said simply.

"A pimple?" Naruto repeated. "A pimple as in those big, nasty things that pops up on faces the second they turned fourteen and hit puberty? That kind of pimple?"

"I don't know of any other kind of pimple..."

"Of all the red things to compare it to; cherries, tomatoes... did you really have to use pimples?"

"Well, you did ask for honesty--"

"I asked you to be honest, not brutal! And what you said was unbelievably brutal!"

Sakura laughed, but didn't banter back. "I'm just teasing," she said, helping pull him to his feet. "Up you go, Naruto. C'mon, I'll help you to the bathroom so you can see how bad it is for yourself."

Naruto shook his head. "That's okay, Sakura-chan" he said. "But I don't think I need any help. Actually... I feel so much better that I can honestly say I've completely recovered already-- well, minus the exploded face, of course."

Sakura looked at him with concern. "You sure?"

"Completely," he answered, then smiled. "Not to mention, I need to use the bathroom-- you know a number two. And between the corn I had for lunch yesterday and the coconut chocolates today; it's not going to be pretty..."

 "That's just disgusting, Naruto." She said, effecting a revolted expression. "I'd hit you for that incredibly traumatizing image, but I'll let it slide since you're more-or-less injured." She pushed him lightly toward the bathroom. "Now go before you accidentally fart or god forbid something worse."

**

Sakura stood waiting on the other side of Naruto's bathroom door just in case he needed any help of sometimes. But when she started to hear the most disgusting wet sounds, and smell a stench that could never be possibly described by words alone, she left the wall and decided if he needed any help, he was on his own.

While Naruto was in the bathroom, Sakura helped herself to the contents of his fridge, grabbing what seemed like a half-full milk cartoon. She had it pressed to her lips and ready to drink, when her eyes caught the expiration date-- two weeks expired.

She was about to toss it in the trash, but stopped when she heard a knock. She left the milk carton on the table and walked to the door.

"Who is it?"

"Sakura?" said a light and unnaturally giddy voice. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me..." Sakura trailed off, not knowing who was on the other side. The voice (a guy's for sure) was familiar, but couldn't be placed. "By the way, who's this?"

"What do you mean 'who is this?'! It's me, Sasuke!"

Sakura debated whatever or not to open the door. Sasuke acted cool and detached: never excited, much less giddy. He was acting, well... he was acting just like a regular teenager.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" he called. "Let me in!"

She opened the door and was immediately swept up by Sasuke's long arms in a hug. Holding Sakura by her slim waist, he lifted her into the air, and spun her in place. After he set her back down, they didn't part. His hands were still on her hips and her hands were still on his shoulders.

"Sasuke-kun?" she asked breathlessly, very much caught off guard by his hug. But any confusion over his blatant show of affection was washed away by the pure look of jubilation on his face. "You seem happy today, Sasuke-kun." She observed.

"I am happy, and why shouldn't I be?" he said. "Today is a great day!"

"Allright, what did you do with Sasuke-kun?" she said jokingly. "You can't be him because the real Sasuke-kun wouldn't be here right now and doing this. He should be out training at who knows where right now."

"Well, I was training. But, I ran into Hinata and she told me about our lunch plans." He explained. "And she sent me to catch you two before you left looking for me, but forget about that--" An ear-to-ear smile stretched over his face, "just look at my eyes!"

 She did, watching as his eyes turned into the sharingan. "Umm, I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. But what exactly am I looking at again?"

"My eyes-- well, more specifically, my sharingan."

"Your sharingan is impressive and all, but I have seen it before, you know." She laughed slightly. "Considering the fact we've been teammates for the past four years, and not to mention you've practically used the sharingan for every mission--"

"Sakura," he interrupted firmly, "will you just look..."

"I am looking,"

"Well, look harder..."

She did look harder; red eyes, black swirly pupils, same old sharingan, wait...  she gasped. "Sasuke-kun, your eyes!"

He smirked down at her. "Finally noticed it, did you?"

"But, when did this happen?" she stared at his sharingan, amazed. "And how did it happen?" Where previously he had a total of four sharingan pupils, both eyes now had a full compliment of three: six total-- a sign of mastery, he had once told her. "Do you feel any different, Sasuke-kun?"

"Different?" he said. "Different doesn't come close to describing how I'm feeling right now. I just... God, Sakura, it feels like I'm just on, almost as if someone flipped on a light switch in my head. Everything's suddenly everything is clearer, sharper, more detailed. It was never like this before. But with this sharingan, I notice things-- things I used to miss before. It's absolutely incredible..."

"So--" Her throat seemed to close up, as she realized with a start that Sasuke's thumbs were caressing her waist. She looked down to hide her blush. "Umm, how'd it happen?"

Sakura saw Sasuke opened his mouth to reply, but the words never came. Naruto's voice carried into her ears almost as if he standing in room, and yelling directly into her ear.

Naruto walked back into the room. "Holy crap, you're right Sakura-chan! I do look--" He glanced up, his gaze looking between the two then finally settling on Sasuke. "Oh, hey there, Sasuke."

Sakura flushed pink and jumped out of Sasuke's grasp. "So, umm, is the bathroom free now, Naruto?"

"Yep," he said, sending a backward glance to the bathroom. "But I wouldn't go in there if I were you. The window is kind of stuck and I suggest you give the air needs some time to, um, circulate," He shrugged. "But if you're really that desperate to go, you could hold your breath and light a match. Either way works-- Sasuke, stop gaping at my face!"

"Just what--" Sasuke (sharingan now gone) said, pointing at the bulging red spots on Naruto's face. "--the hell happened to you?"

Naruto looked down, muttering an incoherent answer under his breath.

"What'd you say happened?" Sasuke asked.

"He had an allergic reaction," Sakura said amiably.

"That's an allergic reaction?" he said, pointing an incredulous finger at Naruto but looking at Sakura. "He looks as if he was beaten very very badly with a stick of-- exactly what is he allergic of again?"

"Coconuts, actually."

"Coconuts, right." Sasuke did a double take. "Coconuts? Of all things, he's allergic to coconuts?"

Sakura nodded. "Yep, coconuts."

"Hey!" Naruto yelled. "A lot of people are allergic to coconuts! It's a perfectly normal allergy."

"Exactly how allergic is he?" Sasuke asked Sakura, ignoring Naruto.

"Very, very allergic it seems. I think he only ate a few pieces of coconut chocolate--"

"There is no way that face couldn't have been caused by only a few pieces of coconut, even if he did eat it. I'm a little allergic to lemons myself and I would have to ingest a bag of them to end up like him."

"You're allergic to lemons, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said curiously. "I never knew that..."

"Well, there are a lot of things about me you don't know."

"Like the fact that you wear heart shaped boxer shorts?" she thought aloud.

Sasuke sneezed. "I'm sorry, did you say something? I didn't hear."

"Nothing!" she yelped. "I didn't say anything!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her; then turned back to Naruto. He was wearing a large black-scooped shirt that showed the upper parts of the chest located right below the neck. "Hey, Naruto," Sasuke pointed below Naruto's neck, "What the hell happened there?"

"The same thing we've been talking about for the past few minutes, idiot. You know, my allergies?"

"Don't call me an idiot, dumbass." Sasuke snapped back. "Anyway, exactly how far down does your-- you know... your allergy rashes go?"

Naruto gaped. "Are you actually asking what I think you're asking?"

"You know, I'm kind of curious myself." Sakura joined in, her eyes drifting down to the area in question. "So... does it? And if it does... is it painful?"

"Yeah, share with us," Sasuke prodded. "Tell us what's going on downstairs. If it's as far down as I think it is, does it ten times as itchy now?"

"Like I'd ever tell either of you anything! Especially you, Sasuke! You're the last person I'd talk to about something like this--"

"C'mon, Naruto." Sakura said. "The three of us have been on the same team for awhile now, two years and counting--"

"Three years, actually," corrected Sasuke.

"Three years? Really? Anyways, we've known each other for a long time now and I feel there really shouldn't be secrets between us..."

"I whole heartedly agree with Sakura."

"No! And for the second, third, fourth and every other time, NO!" Naruto eyes narrowed at the pair. "Now, I'm going to change and when I come back out, I except this entire topic of conversation to be buried, got it?" Naruto didn't wait for an answer. He immediately marched into his room and promptly locked the door behind him.

"As much fun as it is to mess with Naruto," Sakura said, smiling at Sasuke. "I think I'm going ahead. Everyone's probably wondering where we are." She waved goodbye to Sasuke, yelled a goodbye to Naruto, and then walked out the door.

Sasuke, meanwhile, walked around the apartment looking around.

"Hey, Naruto!" He shouted. "Almost done?"

"Give me a second!" Naruto yelled back.

"Well hurry up, I'm getting hungry!"

"Get a snack from the fridge and shut up then!"

"Hmm, not a bad idea..." Although he was very much famished, Sasuke decided to save his appetite for wherever place everyone was eating today, compromising to get a drink instead...

"Perfect," he said, drinking from the milk carton, completely overlooking the expiration date on the other side.

tbc

Ugh, I am so unhappy with this chapter... I tried my hands at a little romance, but I think I royally fudged it up, and with it the humor sections as well.  Anyways, I think I've set everything up properly for the following chapters. And I assure you the next few chapters are much much more humor oriented. What to look forward to? *The guys from team 7, 8, and 10 go on a super secret investigation. *Shino's bugs in mating season *Sasuke coming out of a closet (sorry, not that closet) *Another gift odd gift from an admirer.

Chibi-Puchiko - I will update this fic, trust me one that. Jade tiger – yep, yep he is most definitely in trouble. Morien Alexander – If you think the coconut was bad, that's not nothing yet. Insomnia productions – Glad you enjoyed it. Caer – You liked my writing style? Yay! Sadistic Demon – Depnends on your definition of okay, :) Naruke – This is far from over, not even close. Dameus – Wow, your review actually made me blush. Thank you so much, I hope this chappie doesn't disappoint. :D – Thanks for reviewing, :D Bishiehuggler – the lewdness in this chappie is kinda light, but I so make up for it in the next one, :p