Thank you thank you everyone for the reviews! We had a little trouble with finding out how to undo the blocking of anonymous reviews, but that's fixed now. Thanks again for alerting us, demonesse and thanks for our first review.'
Another thing we had trouble with was the length of the chapters. Not only were the paragraphs squished together but alot of the marks made did not show through, such as the cut-off of different scenes as well as our pen name o.o Terribly sorry about that. Also made sure I wrote more than I did last time, so hopefully you'll have to scroll a bit this time. That's all from the OOC, Monster has yet to give many of his comments to add so for now all he does is edit the stories. Your time appreciated.-Redd
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; they belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Blah, we own the story idea.
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"Rejection is Real" Ch.2 by closet-monsters
"Remind me WHY we're coming back, again." Walking towards Konoha came three of Sand's best nins. The one who had spoken was a tall, broad shouldered boy wearing a hat that made him look much like a cat. On his back he carried a human-shaped object wrapped in bandages with a tuft of black hair sticking out of the top; his face was also smeared with purple gunk. Kankuro.
"Because," said the blonde, Temari, "We have unfinished business here. You are the only one who's against coming back."
"Oh, I know why you're here," Kankuro smirked, "You're here because all the boys in the village are scared of you! I don't really blame them, either." Temari twitched and might have done some damage if she hadn't been interrupted.
"We are here because of those Sound nins we saw coming towards Konoha. Now that the Kazekage is dead, we have no reason to be against the Leafs... Besides, I said so," grunted an annoyed Sabaku no Gaara, who was looking just as scary from when they left. "Stop here. We will camp outside the village until we are sure those nins are just passing through." The red-haired boy shifted the massive gourd on his back before unbuckling it, then finally taking it off. "I owe the Leafs a great debt."
--
Ino was floating in a vast space of nothing. Bubbles rose about her in great columns and produced little fish, which began to swim about her head. The scene caused her to giggle and reach out for them, trying to touch their golden fins. And then she slowly came to realize... she couldn't breathe.
Dark eyes dully watched as Ino sat up, gasping and clutching her throat. Just where was she?
"Welcome back, have a nice nap?" Came a voice beside her, making the blonde jump. Whipping her head around, she came face to face with a very bored Nara Shikamaru. She could've slapped him then, for scaring her.
"Cut the crap Shikamaru. Where am I and did you get the name of the unlucky bastard that knocked me out?" She growled instead.
"Even I wouldn't have slept in the streets..." He continued on until he say Ino balling her fists up. "How troublesome. Ino, no one hit you; you ran into a pole at a full run. You are at my house. You've been sleeping since yesterday." Ino flushed crimson at what her teammate had just said. "What were you running from, anyways?" Shikamaru asked, watching her for any random spouts of rage.
"I..." The information was there, but it slipped away from her when she grasped for it, giving her head a dull throbbing instead. "I can't remember." She responded sheepishly.
"Amnesia, I thought as much." Shikamaru nodded sagely. "How troublesome." Ino twitched, reached out, and delivered a nice smack to the side of his head for good measure.
"You ALWAYS say that! I know it's troublesome without you telling me so, okay? For chrissakes I just ran into a friggin' pole and here I am getting a lecture-" She was cut off as another wave of throbbing pain struck her head, then everything went black.
Shikamaru watched it all. Ino had stopped in mid-bitch and her eyes had rolled upward, flutter and close. After that her whole body collapsed, making her fall forwards. Luckily, it wasn't too 'troublesome' to catch her body.
"Fatigue," He commented to himself, "Probably the best thing that's happened all day."
---
Sakura tapped her foot impatiently on the wood make-up of the bridge. Where was Kakashi? Late again, she supposed. She didn't know why she didn't just come at a later time herself; at least she wouldn't have to wait as long then. Naruto was performing a sort of balancing act on the railing of the bridge. Arms stretched out to his side, he looked as if he were pretending to be a tightrope walker. Blue eyes glanced to the side at Sakura.
"Sakura-chan, lookit meeee!" He called to his crush, now hopping on one foot. Show off; Sakura wasn't even looking his way. Some one else was, though. From the shadows, a pair of predatory onyx eyes observed the blonde. Oh, yes, now was the perfect time for the Uchiha to strike. He'd been plotting for the last five minutes on how he'd do it, of course. Giving Naruto a little shove in the wrong direction would not only get Sasuke the chance to see him wet, but it'd also allow him to keep his reputation.
Silently he began to creep forward. Good, he thought, Naruto's back is turned and Sakura in ignoring this direction entirely. Just a little further...
"Good morning everyone! Sorry I'm late. You see, there was a huge traffic jam in the bookstore this morning..." The silver-haired Kakashi had just appeared in front f Naruto on the bridge and he was already making up excuses. A loud yelp of surprise came from Naruto. He began to wobble, flailing his arms with hopes they'd become wings in the next .2 seconds as the blonde went careening off the bridge. Sasuke made a grab for him, but a splash below told him that he was too late.
"Liar!" Naruto yelled from the water, swimming like mad for the shore. Kakashi sweat dropped.
"Hey Sasuke-kun, you alright?" Sakura asked, watching from afar the scene of the raven-haired boy twitching and glaring daggers at the back of Kakashi's head; a whole plot's down the drain because of that child of a sensei.
"Mind your business," Sasuke mumbled back to Sakura, putting on a smirk when Naruto came dripping towards them across the bridge. "Have a nice swim, dobe?"
Naruto gave him a venomous look, much like that of a wet cat's. "You know what Sasuke? Go burn in he-"
"Today," Kakashi interrupted, "We will be...doing nothing."
"What?!" Naruto screamed, anger quickly turning. "You almost drown me and then you tell us-"
"I'm kidding." His teacher said quickly, though obviously put out. "Today we are on graffiti duty; something you should be used to, Naruto."
Both the blonde and Sasuke looked set to kill; just how was that funny?! Sakura noticed and quickly rushed between the boys and their blissfully oblivious sensei, smiling. "Okay, let's get this over with. Why don't you come work with me, Sasuke? We'll get the work done much faster." She didn't wait for an answer, just grabbed her angry crush by the arm and hauled him off. This snapped Naruto out of his rage and he began to run after them.
"Hey, Sakura-chan, what about meee?" He whined, glaring death at Sasuke at the same time. Kakashi wondered just where they were off to, but followed curiously after them.
The pink-haired genin came to a stop at a small wall right next to the ramen house. "Here's some graffiti. Will this do, sensei?"
"That'll be fine," Kakashi's visible eye arched. "You should use hot, soapy water... or Naruto's drool."
Sasuke and Sakura looked over to see the said blonde quite literally drooling at the ramen bar across the street.
"Naruto! Stop fantasizing and come help us!" Sakura yelled. Her voice scared off all the little cups of steaming ramen dancing in Naruto's mind, causing him to give her annoyed look.
"I'll get the hot water," he volunteered. Sure, why not? That'd also give him a chance to mooch off the ramen chef, who knew he was a regular; typical Naruto. The fox-boy set out in an all-out sprint for the ramen bar.
"Just you and me now, Sasuke-kuun." Sakura giggled, clinging to his neck. Sasuke rolled his eyes and stared hopelessly up at Kakashi, whose nose was buried in that perverted book of his. Great, Sasuke was about to be raped and molested while his sensei giggled over porn.
"Naruto will see." He mumbled quickly, trying to throw off her concentration. Didn't work. If anything, it seemed to spur her on.
"So? Let him see! Maybe then he'll take the hint and leave me alone." She scoffed. Suddenly, those green eyes of hers widened and she grabbed Sasuke's face roughly in both her hands. Before he knew what was happening, their lips were being crushed together in a kiss. Oh Kami, Sakura had fallen off her rocker and rolled away from sanity...or had she. A loud THUNK! came from behind him, then next the sound of gushing water. Sasuke struggled to look over his shoulder to see what was happening.
When he finally did get the chance to pull away, he turned around and looked in the direction of the sound. All he saw was a red bucket, laying on its side, seeping the last of what looked like soapy water on the ground.
"Finally! Maybe now he'll leave me alone; that kiss wasn't bad either." Sakura commented, now blushing a lovely shade of pink.
Sasuke pushed her away, giving her a disgusted look. When he tried to walk away, but the scarecrow, Kakashi, blocked him.
"I don't see the wall clean yet. You may leave when the work is done, Sasuke, only then." He mumbled, flipping a page of his book. The Uchiha growled, but decided against doing something rash to follow Naruto, so he just stalked back to Sakura.
----
The door to Naruto's apartment was thrown violently open. It's owner came stomping in soon after, spitting curses. He tore of his jacket and tossed it across the room, kicking the door shut with the same movement. All alone now, everything was dark. As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, the fox-boy picked his way through the ramen cups and threw himself on his bed. He broke down.
"Why me? Why did I have to be the one stuck with the damn Kyuubi? Baka Sasuke, bastard Sasuke! He dared lecture me on childhood crushes yesterday and yet he turns his back on me and snogs the girl he knows I like right in front of me! All his fault. " He buried his head into his pillow, shoulders heaving up and down as he cried. Something stirred inside of him, making him twitch violently. The seal on his stomach was beginning to pulse.
"No! I hate you worse, don't you dare come out. I don't need you right now, I hate you!" He growled, punching himself in the stomach. Smooth move, Naruto. After a few coughing fits, he finally settled down onto the bed. The stirring in his stomach was there, lulling him to sleep. With one last sob, the cerulean auds slid shut and he gave himself to the darkness.
---
Sasuke scrubbed rapidly at the wall set out before him. It'd take him at least an hour and a half to scrub down his side even if he kept a constant speed, which he couldn't. With the human feature of exhaustion and one pestering Haruno Sakura, what he wished might have been an hour and a half of work turned into three hours, double what he wanted. He was just about to snap off Sakura's head when he realized he was done.
"I'm done with my side, Kakashi." He yelled up at the man sleeping on top of the wall. That said, he ran-well- walked fast in the direction of what he thought was Naruto's apartment complex.
--
Sakura stared dreamily at Sasuke's back as he left. She'd forgotten to ask him about why he had chosen to take Naruto out to lunch instead of her and when the subject was brought up in her mind, she just dismissed it as some 'guy thing'. That or Sasuke was shy, which was ubber-cute in her mind.
In the middle of her daydream, something was shoved under her nose, snapping out of her moment of shojo-ness. She nearly screamed when she saw two black caterpillars right in front her. And she did scream, even louder than she would have about if the two black things were caterpillars. Nope, they just had to be eyebrows, eyebrows that belonged to that freak in the green skin suit. What was his name? Lee.
"Good evening, Sakura-chan! Lovely flowers for a very lovely lady!" Lee smiled, waving the bouquet of flowers under her nose. Sakura reached out and carefully took them, careful not to brush hands with the boy.
"Oh, thank you, Lee." She gave a flakey smile. Lee fell for it, too and was now nodding modestly.
"Think nothing of it, dear Sakura! You deserve flowers everyday, but no one gives you that kind of appreciation." He continued on, posing. Sakura winced.
'I won't think anything of it, I'm burning these as soon as I get home.' Inner Sakura huffed, reaching out and pulling Sakura's lips into a nervous smile. 'Don't give yourself away, idiot! Um...Hug him!' Sakura pretty much glomped Lee on that impulse.
"Thanks a lot Lee, but you'll have to hold these. I've got a lot of work to do." She mock pouted at him. Lee's smile faltered, and then came back stronger than ever.
"I have an idea Sakura-chan. I'LL do the work and then afterwards I'll walk you home." He nodded at the plan he'd come up with. Sakura was willing to play along.
"Oh, Lee, would you?" She asked. Hey, if he actually got the work done, at least Sakura would have the energy to walk fast and in front of him from then on. 'That's my girl!' Inner Sakura cheered, patting herself on the back. Lee picked up the rag from earlier, dunked it in the soapy water, then went to work.
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Okay, I need the reviewer's help with pairings. No Yuri pairs, sorry, but I'll take a maximum of one more yaoi pair(I'd like the yaoi to be mainly focused around our SasuNaru) Het couples are wide open for suggestions. We've got Temari, Gaara, Kankuro, Ino, Sakura, Lee, Shikamaru(and if we must...) Iruka, Kakashi, Neji, Tenten, Hinata, Kiba, and Chouji. My apologies if I've left anyone out of the Leaf main characters.
I'd like to make this fic so not only I enjoy writing it, but our readers will actually be on the look out for updates here. Please help me pair the characters off so I can waste even more of my life making up plots with Monster and having me go through the grueling process of editing (a nail-biting experience). Updates come as soon as I get some kind of thing to work with. Review, please!