Note from the Author: Yes. Your lovely reviews make me feel like an author again.
Kichou: Did you know that you are my number one reviewer? I'm going to leave why Neji is so tired to your imagination. :giggle-fest:
Einzazmunster: I'm a Gaara fangirl. He's my favorite character, behind the Hyuugas. Because I'm a Hyuuga whore. And yes, Kiba and Shino … :drool:
Kawaii-Aikurushii-Kitsune: Oh, you poor thing. (McDonald's. Yeesh.) Snuggle slut. Haha. I love that. And I'm using it.
Midnight-Sunset: Another new reviewer! :gives you a big hug: Yes, yes – I am a pairing whore. But if you like it, I'll keep at it:hoards cookies:
Split Persona: Alright – I will do just that. I actually work in a movie theatre. So yeah – written from experience. Even though it can be fun.
Saskie: Your review scared me – and then I giggled at it. And of course – new reviewer! :big hug:
Lotus Aia: … I'm sorry. I tried to make it up to you. And thank you. Because you're one of my favorite authors and getting compliments from you makes me blush.
It's never-ending.
Temari looked up from her book at the sound of a door slamming. Her eyes met those of Kankurou – who was sprawled on the couch channel-surfing – before they both scrambled to their feet, running for the stairs before Gaara could fully execute his escape up them.
"How did it go?" His sister asked eagerly, ducking under his arm to above him.
His brother leaned on the railings below him, preventing an escape. "Yeah, what did he say?"
"It went fine." The youngest brother crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to look at either of them.
"So did he say 'Yes'?" Temari practically squealed.
Silence.
"Gaara?"
Silence.
"Jesus, you're aggravating." Kankurou murmured, already annoyed of the situation, and shook his head, giving up and heading for the kitchen.
"Kankurou?" Temari yelled, following suit and hopping down the stairs to follow him. "Dad said no snacking before dinner!"
"Shut up, Temari. Stop acting like you're my mom."
Gaara rolled his eyes, muttering something about them always acting like children, and trudged up to his room.
0
Naruto rushed back to his register, flinching at the irate gleam in the customer's eye. "Has someone helped you?"
"Finally." She snapped. "I'd been waiting here for ten minutes. If you were going to leave the register, you should have said something."
He growled. His shift had not been going well – he'd slipped and fallen, and had also slammed his hand in a popcorn bin – and this woman was the straw that broke the camel's back. "Well, ma'am," he smiled coyly, "common sense would have told me, that if no one was at the register, to move to a different one."
Her eye twitched and she looked about ready to scream at him.
He slammed a tub of popcorn onto the counter before her, sweetly saying, "Enjoy the show."
She huffed, taking her order and stalking haughtily toward her theatre.
"Asuma-sensei's not gonna like that you did that." Shikamaru muttered, his finger on the button to fill a Pepsi.
"Well, he doesn't have to find out, now does he?" The other boy grinned, then turned to his next customer. "Hi, can I – Gaara!"
It was safe to say Naruto was surprised to see him. Gaara was a little more than anti-social – didn't talk much, except with Lee, and was more often than not heard threatening to kill people if he was bothering to speak at all. He'd always struck the blonde as a bit snotty – like he had the same superiority complex that Sasuke did.
Thinking about Sasuke sent a twinge through his heart. "What're you doing here?"
"I'm on a date" was the monotone answer – uninterested, bothered.
Naruto didn't pry. The little redhead was a homosexual if Naruto was – and somehow, talking about someone else's relationship going right when his was now nearly non-existent made him a little ill. Instead, he forced a pleasant tone. "What can I get for ya?"
0
"What do you mean He's just not there?" Hinata's voice was shrill with panic, and her death grip on the phone was making her fingers ache.
"That's exactly what I mean, Hinata-sama." Neji's voice was tired – patient - and hollow from the other end of the line. She could hear him wandering through the Uchiha apartment. "He's not here - Oh, wait."
"What?" she sat straight up, expecting the worst.
"I found a note." There was rustling, like he was opening it, and then silence.
"Neji-nii-san?"
"It says he's on a date."
"A date?" She blinked, confusion tainting her features. "With who? With Naruto-kun?'
"No, Naruto's working today." Neji denounced. "He called yesterday to tell me to call him on his cell if there were any emergencies, because he'll be at the theatre all day."
Fright suddenly filled her. "You don't think he's out somewhere with Itachi, do you?"
Neji snorted. "Itachi doesn't seem like the woo-him-with-romance kind of guy."
Hinata grimaced at the implication. "Good point."
"Look – I'm sure he's fine. As much as we think he's a little fragile, he's able to take care of himself. I know – he's hit me in the jaw a few times."
She bit back a laugh. "Don't tell me – the Little Debbie thing?"
"Good call." He murmured indignantly. "Why don't you come over here and keep me company while I wait for him, huh?"
A smile graced her face. "I'll be right there."
0
"What the hell?" Naruto practically pulled his hair out. This was just not his day. He crossed his arms in a defensive position before his face, blocking the hot nacho cheese.
"Ack!" Shikamaru hurried to unplug the machine. "How, Naruto, do you always manage to break everything?"
"Me?" Naruto shrieked indignantly.
Ino let slip a sheepish giggle. "Sorry, Shikamaru."
He turned bored eyes on her. "You're so troublesome."
Feminine blue eyes narrowed. "Watch it, Nara."
"Stop, stop!" Naruto stepped between them, acting as a barrier to stop the battle of wills about to take place. "We do not have time to deal with this shit right now."
"Naruto's right." It was probably the first time Sakura had ever uttered those words. "It's Saturday night. The rush's going to start soon."
"Fuck."
"Get that language out of your system now, Naruto." Shikamaru had disassembled the cheese machine and was peering into it, silently calculating what was wrong with it. "The costumers won't appreciate paying five bucks for popcorn just to be cursed at."
The blonde boy growled, wiping down the dairy-covered counter with paper towels. "Fuck you, Shikamaru." He smirked, fully satisfied that it rhymed.
0
Sasuke was not enjoying this date for two reasons. Number one was that he didn't speak much, making him a sharp contrast to Naruto, who was always filling the void created by the quiet Uchiha himself. Number two was that Gaara was simply not Naruto.
Now he sat fidgeting beside him in the dark theatre, not completely sure what was happening in the film.
He wasn't even really sure why he had agreed to it in the first place. He had never felt any attraction to the red-headed boy at all. But Gaara – silent, indifferent Gaara – had worn such a hopeful look, like a child giving a present to his parents and praying they would love it. Sasuke didn't have the heart to tell him that no, he didn't like this gift.
Besides that, as much as he appreciated the constant company of Neji and Hinata, he was lonely. Naruto didn't seem to care at all about him – never phoning, or even trying to make contact in anyway (Sasuke was oblivious to the fact that the calls Neji and Hinata made from his phone before they left his house were to the blonde boy he loved, and not to each other.), and he wanted someone who he could pretend to care about for a moment.
But this wasn't what he had expected – or maybe it had been. Somewhere in his heart, he knew that no one would ever be good enough for him – no one would ever be for him what Naruto was. He wished that somehow he could go back a few years. If he could, he would return to when he was thirteen, and he would tell Naruto he loved him. He would move in with a foster family, away from his brother. He'd smile more, and he'd show Naruto that he cared much more than he had before, because he knew that the blonde boy he loved so much didn't even know he loved him – because he had never told him himself.
He sighed restlessly, leaning toward Gaara to whisper that he was going to go get a refill on his drink, and edging out past him into the aisle, running down the steps and out into the bright hallway, leaning against the wall and taking deep breaths to alleviate the sudden claustrophobic panic he had felt amongst the unfamiliar company of his fellow moviegoers. He didn't think he could have taken another moment sitting next to Gaara – who seemed so stoically delighted that he had agreed to this in the first place.
Standing upright, Sasuke deliberately tensed the muscles in his arms, the pressure making him feel a little more grounded, more real. Walking slowly – delaying going back to the cool darkness – he stepped into the longest line at the vending stand, waiting patiently – gratefully – while the people before him placed their orders. When he reached the counter, he kept his eyes down, studying the letters on the cash register – Welcome! – instead of making any sort of connection with his cashier.
The mentioned person seemed to look up then, a breath hitched, a voice whispered. "Sasuke?"
He flinched vaguely, like hearing his name said so softly was foreign to him, but recognized the voice as if it were his own. Looking up, his dark eyes met the blue that were Naruto's.