Whoo, finally updated. xD
Hey. Um... Yeah. O o; I think I've completely lost the attitude for this story, but I gained a new one. Of course, I can't say that it's a good attitude, but it's a fresh start. See kids, I started writings chapter ten and then... kind of lost myself. xD Oh well. I think my future chapters will have a more different tone to them... but I can't quite help that. My former moods for this story is just gone... but my chapters aren't horrible now, are they?
And... -bites lip.- I can't make Naruto hyper. O o; It feels so uncomfortable with me when I make him all happy and cheerful. So he's going to be slightly OOC (if not already xP) because I'm going to tone-down his happiness. But I'm not toning down his stupidity. XD
And as for Rock Lee... I REALLY, REALLY HATE HIM! I mean, what's up with the leg-warmers and the suit?! ;;; I can't STAND that guy. HE REALLY SCARES ME. Lee x Sakura pairings freak me out even more... why would anyone want to kiss that guy? xD I mean, he looks like he's on drugs or something. Oo;;;
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If is a special site for fanfics specifically, do you think we even need disclaimers? O o;
Titled. Chapter Eleven.
Ino bit her lower lip. "But could you really let go of him so easily? Have you really stopped - loving him? I mean... you guys were in the closet for quite a long time..." Ino couldn't see the look on Sakura's face in the dark, but she sensed the bitter note in her next words.
"You love Shikamaru now. If you could let go, why couldn't I?"
"Oh, Sakura-chan, I'm worried for you... You always seemed to like him so much."
It was only a habit. I didn't really like him. I can't like him anymore. I love Naruto! I love the boy who's always been right behind me, supporting me to his limit. I love the boy who's never doubted my word, who's always loved me faithfully...
But somehow, the words wouldn't come out.
Well, the rest of the party went ahead as planned (Naruto successfully threw half the cake at Sasuke's face and Sasuke good-naturally pounded him), but Sakura was just sort of blank to everyone after her talk with Ino. As she was saying good-bye to her friends, it was done with a preoccupied mind.
"Bye... see you..."
"Bye, Sakura-chan!"
"Bye..."
"Farewell, Sakura-chan..."
"Yeah... sure."
She waved after the last person to leave. Closing the door, she leaned against the back and let out a breath. I can't deny that Sasuke... is quite a good kisser. Automatically, she slapped herself, wincing at the force. I shouldn't be thinking that... it's disloyal to Naruto. (The author punched her fist in the air; GO CLICHÉNESS!)Rubbing her cheek, she went back to the living room.
Naruto glanced up at her entrance and threw her a wide grin. "Some party, neh, Sakura-chan!"
"It was great," she said agreeably, and because it was Naruto, she dug out a grin to match his.
"List what you got!" the blonde-headed Naruto said eagerly.
Sakura smiled fondly. Of course Naruto had missed out on the present-giving section of the party... he had been busy rinsing his poor eyes with water.
"Um, the cake you got me... Ino got me a bracelet, and I got a notebook from Hinata... I think I'll use it as my diary," she added with another smile. "Shikamaru bought me..." She went on with her mental list of presents and rounded it off with, "Pink lipstick from Ten-Ten..." ... but nothing from Sasuke.
Sasuke, who had been listening with vague interest in the background, now tossed her a small wrapped box.
Sakura caught it with the reflexes of a jounin, blinking. Well, never mind about that. Naruto watched amiably; in his opinion, Sasuke had acted completely normally tonight, and he assumed that the raven-haired boy patched things up.
Opening the lid of the box, Sakura drew a sharp breath in. It's so... pretty... The thin silver chain was delicately light as she lifted it from the box, gazing at the silvery-pink cherry blossom attached to it. Intricately weaved upon each petal (six in total), were the letters of her name, the 'S' being the petal connected to the chain. Clock-wise, it read 'Sakura'.
"Oh, Sasuke," she said with admiration, "It's beautiful."
"Happy birthday, Sakura-chan," he said quietly, a small smile quirking his lips.
She ran towards him, throwing him a bright smile. Dropping the necklace into his hand, she turned around to present her back to him. "Will you put it on for me?" She brushed her hair over her right shoulder.
Wordlessly, he slipped the chain over her neck and slipped the clasp together at the back, fingers lightly touching her neck.
Sakura couldn't stamp down the shiver that possessed her, and she quickly dropped her curtain of pink hair back and turned to face both boys. "How do I look?" she said importantly, striking a pose.
Naruto slid up to stand beside Sasuke. "Very nice."
"Yeah," Sasuke muttered.
"I love you two!" she bawled, flinging her arms around the two of them in a glomp that the author likes to call a death-strangle. Promptly, she burst into tears, and it turned into a comfort fest.
"Oh no, Sakura-chan, don't cry!" Naruto panicked, waving his arms wildly as he fought to keep his balance as she near about throttled them both to - well, death.
Sasuke merely grunted as the three of them fell over backward. He was very tempted to fleetingly touch her chest or something equally stupid, and just pretend that it was an accident. But he only half sat up, his forearm supporting his weight as he attempted to release her tight grip on his neck. "Sakura-chan," he said huskily. "You're hurting my throat."
"Sorry," she sobbed.
Two painful minutes later, they were all sitting against a wall, Sakura in the middle, Sasuke on her left and Naruto on her other side. Her fitful wails had turned into soft hiccups.
"Sorry," she apologized again, dashing a hand across her eyes.
Both guys had thrown their arms around her shoulders, and they said at the same time, regardless of whether it was a 'Sasuke thing' or not, "Don't worry about it."
"I'm just so grateful to have you two as friends... we've known each other for six years. Isn't that overwhelming?"
"Six? But we were twelve when we met," Naruto said with something close to confusion.
"Moron, twelve subtracted from eighteen is six," Sasuke said softly.
"Oh, shut up, you bastard. Six years or not, you still haven't changed!"
"Hn."
"EXACTLY! You still do that 'hn' thing!"
"You're still an idiot."
'Well, at least I don't have a stick shoved up my dick!"
"No, you don't. You don't have a dick, period."
"Oh, shut up - hic! - The both of you!" Sakura burst out, laughing through her hiccups. She wrapped one arm each around their waists and slunk lower, relishing in the body heat they were providing her.
Six years... It seemed like forever they had known each other. Sakura smiled in memory. She'd never let these two go. Never, ever, ever. Lost in her thoughts, her eyes drifted to a close and she slumped further down as sleep took her into its warm embrace.
The next time Sakura opened her eyes; all she saw was dark blue. For a split second, she thought she had drowned and was now staring into the depths of the ocean - and then she frowned. That wasn't quite possible... Besides, she was very warm, and the dark blue thing was moving up and down slowly. Just as slowly, she lifted her face gazed at Sasuke's navy shirt. She blinked for a second. What was Sasuke's shirt doing here? Well, it was here because Sasuke was sleeping here and Sasuke was wearing his shirt. Right.
Now the author has to explain things a bit. So she was sleeping on her stomach, her cheek resting on Sasuke's stomach. Get it? If you do, that's good. If you don't... try to follow along.
She peered sleepily at his face, and at the same time, found out that she couldn't move her legs. Heck, she couldn't move any part of her body from torso down.
Craning her neck backward to see just what the hell was squishing her to the floor, she caught sight of a mass of spiky yellow hair. Ah, Naruto's decided to use me as a bed. Lovely.
So, as you can see, Naruto's lying down on Sakura, with his head on upper back, and Sakura's using Sasuke as a pillow - get it now? You'd better get it, because the author really doesn't feel like explaining any more.
Achem.
"Mm," mumbled Naruto, snuggling closer to her.
"Get off of me," she whined, squirming around.
"Nooooo, comfy," Naruto whined back, squeezing her to him.
"Em, Sasuke?" Sakura resorted to calling for Sasuke, who was, thankfully, not that deep of a sleeper. He yawned, opening one eye lazily.
"Mm?"
"Can you get Naruto off of me?"
"Hn." Typical.
"Please, Sasuke," she said with a pout.
Sasuke didn't answer for a moment, as he lay back, trying to remember just why they were all sleeping on the ground. He had kissed her... Oh my god, he mentally groaned. I kissed her. I kissed my fucking half-sister. Shit. He whacked Naruto over the head with a fist, growling, "Wake up, loser."
Naruto came awake almost immediately with a reflective punch to Sasuke's chin. It made contact with his jaw as Sakura ducked.
"Sorry, Sasuke," piped up the blond with a big smile.
"I hate you," Sasuke snapped, rubbing his jaw.
Sakura punched them both. "Play nice, boys," she said sarcastically with a wry grin. She sat up and yawned, stretching out an arm. She shoved Naruto off of her legs, and leaned back again, letting out a contented sigh.
Naruto rubbed his eyes with a fist, his tongue curling (like a baby fox, Sakura thought gleefully) as he imitated her in another yawn. "What time is it?"
"Ten after nine." The response came from Sasuke who glanced up at the clock hung up on the wall.
Knock, knock.
"Anyone want to answer that?" Sakura said glumly.
"No," chorused the two others, once again, regardless of whether it was a 'Sasuke thing' or not.
"Lazy pigs," she grumbled. Naruto got up before she did despite of his reluctance. "Never mind, Sakura-chan, I'll go."
Knock, knock, knock.
"I'm coming, damn it, leave the door in tact will you?" he said loudly, leaving the living room where the other two were sitting, and jogging down the hall to the main door.
Sakura looked thoughtful. "Who do you suppose it is?"
Sasuke shrugged and grunted in true Sasuke style. There fell a comfortable silence between them as they drifted off with their own thoughts. Sakura was focusing on the voices she could dimly hear. A man's quiet voice was speaking, but it was cut off by Naruto's high-pitched scream of, "What?" Her eyebrow raised an inch as she turned to watch the doorway of the living room. She cast a glance at Sasuke, who was still staring ahead with a blank look.
Naruto came back with two professional-looking folders in his hand, his face twisted in a wide grin.
"Naruto, what's up?"
"We have missions from Tsunade. Me and Sakura," he said happily.
"So?" Sasuke said offhandedly. "It's not like you haven't been given other missions before."
"My mission's A-ranked," Naruto shot back. "And you're on it with me, Sakura-chan."
"A-ranked? That's good?" she spluttered.
"Well, it'll sure be exciting," he replied, grinning madly. He threw her papers at her, and Sakura caught hers with a hand, flipping through.
"Spy missions, mm? How's that A-ranked? Spy on the village of... This can't be right," she said with a frown furrowing her brow. "Village of Blood? There's no such village." She read on, her mouth forming an 'o' as she continued. "A new village, established by a Kage that calls herself the Chikage? That's really weird."
"Suspicious. That's why it's A-ranked. We know nothing of them," Naruto quipped, reading his own papers. He frowned as well, following what he was reading with a finger. "Tsunade's received information that they're plotting to form an assassination group to kill off someone in Konoha? She wants us to be in disguise and at her office in three hours."
"Whoa, this is really weird..." Sakura repeated softly, shaking her head. She glanced at Sasuke, who shook his head as well, muttering some incoherent words.
She gazed back at her paper.
Chikage...
Yay, new plot and characters. =D Review, please!
