A/N: Here's chapter three. Thanks for all those lovely reviews. i swear, when i thought of this story, it was supposed to more funny than this. I guess i'm just not such a funny writer. :sighz: And here, i'm going to do something i wanted to for a while... replies to reviews! (if you guys remembered what you wrote)
unorthodox: LOL! There's nothing wrong with Chouji. To be honest, i didn't watch that far of Naruto so i had no idea what Chouji was (except maybe he was fat because he was supposed to be depicted as such). Then, i watched the part when he died, and -omygod!- i absolutely felt for him. But yes. Can't be changed now. Deepest apologies.
blue-eyes nblonde hair (almost) : I'm glad you liked it. You're the only who mentioned Misako so i'm going to reply to you.(attention to other reviewers!) I'm glad you liked her and i hope you enjoy this chappie.
mkh2: Seriously want to continue 'obsession'; seriously don't know how. Same with 'something simple' too. But, i guarantee you that 'obsession' would be updated before 'ss' does. If that helps.
ALS : I think i love you! Serious! You remembered my long ago 'Coke' story? Bloody Hell! One day, when you're still up to it, i swear i'll update. (And make a note if i dont) Anyhoos, here's the next chappie.
Kawaii kitsune-kun : Yeah, i'd like them to kiss. But too bad, i'm a very slow writer. Meaning: i'd like to write all those stupid things before i get to it. You'd have to wait.
Seamarmot : it didn't turn out how i expected. You might even realise that this chapter isn't very consistent. But anyhoos, Naruto asks Sasuke out here... so enjoy.
And thanks to the other reviewers whom i didn't mention. It's seriously cool to check your mail box and find that people are actually reading your stuff. Thanks deep!
Oh, Warnings: Perhaps inconsistency and swearing. And there might be typos too. (I'm really careless) Yaoi
Chapter three: April 1st – April's Fool
"So."
All ears perked up and listened intently.
"Naruto doesn't know we're here so we can't make a sound."
There were noises of shuffling bodies and the ruffling of leaves. Four bodies (three guys and one girl) were trying their best in hiding behind a large bush just a few feet away from where a certain blonde was. Said certain blonde was also just a few feet away from a certain ninja's apartment, waiting. They had already gone through the process of lowering their chakra level's down so that no one would be able to detect them, but it seemed that their chakra was not the actual problem.
"Ouch! Someone stepped on my foot!"
"Shut up, Misako! I said not make a sound!"
"You shut up! When I find out who did that, I swear I'll…"
"Can we all just be quiet?"
"Shush, shush! He's coming!"
All four bodies suddenly went stiff and gathered their attentions through the mini openings the bush provided. The dark haired boy was walking towards the tree Naruto was hiding behind and they could see that he was holding bags of grocery.
"Shit," Kiba said sounding surprised "Sasuke shops? Ow!" Kiba turned towards the other three rubbing his injured head. "What was that for?"
"We said, SHUT UP!"
Naruto was confused. He could feel Sasuke's presence near and he didn't know what to do. What was it again? He thought. What did I need to do?
/ "Just walk up to him and pretend that you had no idea he was there. Say 'what a lovely surprise, or something'." /
"Pretend… he had no idea…" Naruto scratched his head out of habit. "Say I have a… surprise. Wait a minute… I have a surprise? What surprise?" Naruto looked at himself, searching, and ended up finding two tickets. "Circus," he squinted. "Admit One." Naruto's eyes widened. "That's right," he said realising. "That's the surprise."
He nodded to himself and folded his arms triumphantly. He had given up his whininess and complaining when his friends had almost immediately paid his overdue rent for him. He thought that since they fulfilled their promise to him, he might as well give them some entertainment. Not that, of course, there was going to be much.
After two days, Naruto had already come to a decision. He wasn't going to care what the outcome will be of the so-called 'contract' as long as he did what he was told to do. And if, in the end, Sasuke didn't like him, he wouldn't give a damn (not that he gave a damn now), he'd find rent money elsewhere.
So, with a satisfied smile, he walked out from his hiding spot and towards the dark haired ninja as he was approaching. As expected, the boy stopped.
"Hey Sasuke," he greeted.
Sasuke looked at him questioningly before he replied, slowly, "hi."
"I've got a surprise for you that you have no idea about," said Naruto. "Two tickets to the circus on Sunday. Coming?"
The questioningly look was replaced by one of confusion. "Why?" he asked, not really caring if he was to have an answer or not. He picked up his steps and continued towards his apartment.
"Because," was Naruto's reply as if that was sufficient reason enough. When the boy didn't stop, he jogged up to him and faced him again. "Look, it's for free. Just come."
"Not interested."
Naruto was wide-eyed. Not. Interested? He didn't think that the boy would not be interested. He gasped. Shit, if I can't even do such a simple thing like this, what would they think of me? Reaching a decision, he walked aside Sasuke and pressed the matter further.
"And why not? It's not like you do anything, anyway." Sasuke didn't say anything so he continued. "Look, you should feel honoured that I asked you to go of all people. Don't be an idiot and just come."
Still no response.
"Are you deaf? I'm talking to you, you bastard!" Naruto gritted his teeth; he never did like talking to the stoic boy. When said boy walked up his apartment steps, he took hold of his shoulder and spun him around. "Don't fucking ignore me." Naruto's face loomed dangerously close to the other's. Their noses touched and he gave him a threatening look. However, Sasuke was unfazed.
"Why," began Sasuke ridiculously slow after some time. "Are. You. Talking. To. Me?" His eyes looked serious when Naruto abruptly let him go. Straightening himself, he looked directly into the blonde's eyes. "If this is some kind of April Fool's joke, it really isn't funny."
With that, he turned and walked inside, closing the building's door behind him.
Naruto stood there trying to think things over when, out of no where, four bodies jumped out and grabbed him. Next thing he knew, he was crouching under a bush.
"What were you doing!" hissed Kiba. "That's not how you do it."
"You didn't listen at all to what we told you, did you?" gritted Misako.
"Naruto, you really are dumb," said Shikamaru and Neji together.
When Naruto registered what was going on, he nearly screamed. "What the hell you guys doing here? You were spying all along?"
"If we didn't we wouldn't know you'd be such an idiot. Who the hell told you to swear at someone when asking them out? Did our one hour talk to you teach you nothing!" Misako yelled with such an intensity that all four boys were positively frightened. She had a reason though. She had gone through the trouble of asking everyone she knew how things like these were usually like since none of them knew anything about it. She even went as far as asking her own damn parents!
"What?" asked Naruto defensively. "I did. But that bastard is a bastard. He wouldn't even talk to me! Didn't you see? He just left like that."
There was silence save for the heavy breathing of Misako. Then she asked, "what did he say before he left?"
Naruto was quiet then, not really wanting to tell. It was all going well until Sasuke reminded him how weird the situation was. Now, he wasn't even sure he'd be able to go through with it.
"Why he was talking to him and that if it was a joke, it wasn't funny."
Naruto turned to glare at Neji.
"Shit, you think he already knows?" asked Kiba.
"No," answered Shikamaru. "Think about it. It really is kind of weird. If someone ignored you for two years and started talking to you as if nothing happened, you'd think it was a joke too.
With some sort of mutual understanding, everyone became quiet. They knew the reason perfectly well and didn't need to question it. Everyone knew. Sasuke, after once betraying the village, could never be forgiven by everyone. Even if he was the only member of a genius bloodline, he couldn't avoid the cold glares and hushed whispers from many of the villagers. Technically, he was still under arrest, and his form of punishment was to do missions without getting paid to make up for the loss he'd created.
Funnily enough, when the contract started, the five had totally forgotten about it.
After a while, it was Shikamaru who broke the silence. "Look. Since we've already started this, we may as well continue. It doesn't matter what happened. And think of it as if you're doing some charity work, being nice to him and all." All eyes were on him before three pairs changed direction and turned to Naruto.
Naruto looked at them wearily. "It's just going to be weird."
"But you can do it, right?" said Kiba. "You're the future Hokage."
Naruto sighed. "I feel as if…" he said and sighed once more, "you guys don't really care about me." The boys smiled, knowing the blonde's decision already. Misako, on the other hand, had already started figuring ways to mend the situation before.
Finally, she said, "Okay, Naruto. Now listen carefully. You're going to go up there, where Sasuke is, and apologise for being an idiot before. Remember, apologise. Then, ask him to go circus again."
"Apologise?"
"Yes. And remember, you have to ask politely if he will be kind enough to go with you."
"Too bad we can't see it," commented Kiba. "If we go up there, Sasuke'd definitely know."
"I can, though," said Neji, pointing a finger to his eyes, indicating his Byakugan. Kiba looked at him, unable to speak, before he wailed.
"That's not fair!"
When the ruckus continued, Naruto stood up and prepared to leave. Apologise? He thought. Am I really?
Sasuke emptied the bags of food and placed them in their respective places. He'd bought extra things just in case he got bored and had nothing to do. A whole two months of doing nothing had been good up until the point when he realised he'd be spending that time all by himself. He couldn't go on a short trip because he was still under arrest and he didn't want to spend it with any of those annoying girls. Even after what had happened, some were still so persistent.
He went to his bedroom and decided to go to bed. It was still early, but what the heck? Changing out of his usual clothes, Sasuke put on a pair of shorts and went under his covers. A few minutes went by until he heard a knock on his door.
His eyes flew open and wondered who on Earth it would be. Kakashi was the only one who'd ever visit him but he was on a week-long mission. Activating his Sharingan, his eyes concentrated on the person behind the door.
Naruto.
Sasuke thought about it then decided to continue sleeping. The boy was a retard, anyway.
Knock. Knock. Knock
Knock! Knock! Knock!
He covered his ears with his pillow.
"Sasuke, you bastard! I know you're in there. Open up!"
He covered his ears with more pillows.
"SASUKE! I'LL BREAK YOUR DOOR DOWN!"
Sasuke finally got up and went to door. He opened it and gave the blonde the most murderous look he had. "What the fuck is your problem?"
"And what the fuck is yours?" The blonde's face was flushed, his breathing erratic. "I've been knocking at your fucking door for at least 10 minutes, you bastard."
"Well, I was trying to sleep."
"Who the hell sleeps so early?"
"Me."
Naruto looked like he was about to say something and opened his mouth before quickly closing it. Looking at him one last time, Sasuke prepared to close the door but Naruto's hand blocked him.
"I've got something to tell you."
"What?" he asked bitterly.
Naruto let out a breath before he started again. "It wasn't an April's joke."
That caught Sasuke off-guard and all he found himself doing was staring dumbly at the person before him.
"I really want you to come. It's… been a while."
Sasuke looked at the blonde again and wondered if the boy was lying. Naruto swallowed. Please don't let him see through, he prayed.
"And?" He was back to his usual self, calm and composed. Two years, he thought. Why the sudden change if it wasn't a joke?
"Don't you… want to bond?" Naruto asked slowly. His eyes looked directly into Sasuke's, trying to find anything suggestive of a 'yes', but as usual, it was blank.
"Do you?"
Naruto couldn't find himself to answer. Truthfully, he didn't. He didn't want anything to do with him. He still hadn't forgiven the boy yet and he didn't want to. His life had no place for traitors. But then… the contract.
"I don't understand why you're forcing yourself, Naruto. You know it's stupid, right?"
Sasuke tried to close the door again but Naruto's hand was still in the way.
"Look, I do, whether you believe it or not. The circus is on Sunday." When Sasuke still remained silent, he said again, "it's been too long."
He reached in his pocket for a ticket and handed it over to the boy. "Come, please. I know that you're on a break now so you'll be free. Just take it."
Sasuke looked at the ticket for a minute before slowly taking it. Naruto couldn't help but smile. "That wasn't that bad was it?"
Sasuke gave one last look at the blonde before turning his head away. "Whatever. If I come, I'll come. If I'm not, I'm not. Don't depend on it." Then, he really did close the door.
Leaning against it, Sasuke pondered why he'd taken it. Taking it meant that he'd go and he didn't know why he'd wanted to.
/ "It's been too long." /
Sasuke left and went to his bedroom.
Perhaps it has.
"So? How was it?" His friends looked at him expectantly including Neji. "Was that a yes?"
Naruto looked atthe fourof them and smiled brilliantly. Turning, he walked in the direction of his own home.
"Piece of cake."
TBC?
A/N: Oww...How mean!
