Naruto stood at the center of the table, chugging a large bottle of sake. There was a crowd of people gathered around him, shouting and raising their fists encouragingly. The crowd cheered as he took in the last drop and raised both his arms, grinning like an idiot. Meanwhile, Sasuke sat at the bar at the other end of the pub, mildly amused but mostly annoyed at his childhood friend's tactics. His own glass of sake lying there forgotten.
"Me next!" Kiba, one of their friends, announced and tried to climb onto the table. As he clumsily stood up, being a little drunk already, he knocked Naruto off the table. Naruto fell over and landed on his shoulder. He yelped in pain. Sasuke stood up from his seat and rushed toward him. He pushed people aside to reach Naruto who had clearly dislocated his shoulder. He was moaning in pain but when he looked up at Sasuke who stood there glaring at him with his hands on his hips, he grinned.
"You're such a fool." Sasuke scoffed. He then looked at Kiba who was scratching his head sheepishly.
"What's the deal, Kiba?" Sasuke demanded. "You could've seriously hurt him!"
"Gomen, Naruto," Kiba mumbled.
"Don't worry about it," Naruto said. He tried to get up but then fell back and groaned in pain.
"We need to get you to the hospital," Sasuke announced and helped him get up. He slanged his arm over Naruto's shoulder. Naruto grabbed his injured arm which had slumped uselessly by his side.
"I should come too," Kiba said, stepping up.
"No need," Shikamaru, their other friend said. "I'm going to take you home as you're in no position to go anywhere by yourself."
Kiba sighed and nodded, looking dejected. He then looked at Sasuke. "Keep us updated, will ya?"
Sasuke nodded and helped Naruto limp toward the exit.
"Don't tell Hinata anything, Kiba!" Naruto yelled before leaving. Kiba now grinned, feeling a little relaxed. "Like I would."
Sasuke took Naruto to the Tokyo General Hospital. He handed him over to a nurse who took him away in a wheelchair. He then sat down in the lobby and filled out the form while Naruto was being treated. About half an hour later, the nurse called him in and he stood up. When he entered the room that Naruto was in, he noticed that his shoulder was now wrapped in a bandage. Judging by his expressions, Naruto wasn't in too much pain anymore.
"Hey," Naruto smiled dreamily. "I just got treated by the most beautiful doctor. She's such a sweetheart too. I should come here more often."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Was this doctor so beautiful that she made you forget that you are already in a relationship?"
"Oh, it's not like that," Naruto said, looking at the ceiling. "But you can't blame a man for appreciating a beauty when he sees one." He then paused, thinking. "Maybe if I had known her before I met Hinata-"
He was interrupted as the door of the room opened.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, "We were just talking about you."
Sasuke turned around to look at the doctor Naruto had become so smitten with. His heart skipped a beat as he realized the person standing in front of him was his brother's girlfriend.
"Sasuke!" Sakura said as she stared at him, clearly taken aback, "I didn't know Naruto was with you."
So they are already on the first-name bases? That's just great, Sasuke thought irritatedly. Before he could reply, Naruto spoke up. "You two know each other?"
"Er, yeah. Kind of," Sakura replied, smiling nervously.
"Hey, how come you never told me you knew such a gorgeous woman!" Naruto demanded. Sakura's cheeks heated up at his compliment.
"Shut up, dobe!" Sasuke said. "She's with Itachi."
That shut Naruto up for a few moments before he opened his mouth again. "Oooooh. So YOU are Itachi's new girlfriend!" He was now grinning. "Wow, Itachi, eh? That lucky bastard."
Sasuke rolled his eyes, feeling incredibly awkward.
"Anyway," Sakura said, still blushing a little. "I hope your pain has subsided a little. Although it will take a little more time before your shoulder completely heals up. So no drinking on top of a table until then, okay?"
Naruto grinned sheepishly. "You got it!"
"I'll leave you two to it then," Sakura said. She glanced toward Sasuke for a moment, looking unsure, then turned to leave.
"Wait, Sakura-chan," Naruto called, "you must come to my engagement party!"
Sasuke frowned. "What engagement party? You haven't even proposed yet."
"So? I'm going to propose to her soon and she's obviously going to say yes." Naruto said confidently. He then looked back at Sakura. "You must come. And Itachi too of course. It would really make me happy."
Sakura giggled and nodded. "Of course! We will be there."
After she left, Sasuke glared at Naruto. "Why did you have to invite her?"
"Because I like her?" Naruto said, now looking at Sasuke suspiciously. "Which you clearly don't. What's your problem with her?"
"I don't have a problem with her," Sasuke replied automatically.
"Yeah right," Naruto snorted. "Tell that to someone who doesn't know you."
"You don't know me either," Sasuke said, gritting his teeth.
Naruto looked unbothered by his statement and yawned. "I know you better than you know yourself, teme."
Sasuke wanted to punch him right there for being right. But he forced himself to stay calm.
"Let's go. You can walk, right?"
"Yeah, yeah," Naruo said, standing up carefully. "Drop me off at Hinata's will ya? She would probably be wondering why I haven't called her yet."
"Gladly," Sasuke replied.
Two weeks later, Naruto finally proposed to Hinata who, quite predictably, said yes. Overjoyed, Naruto threw a grand engagement party, inviting everyone he knew even a little, including Sakura.
Sakura arrived at the party with Ino at her side. Sadly, she couldn't bring Itachi as he was away for work. Naruto spotted her as soon as she arrived and waved at her excitedly. He was wearing a tuxedo and looking quite handsome.
"Sakura-chan! I'm so glad you came." He said excitedly, also greeting Ino. He was always so full of energy, Sakura noted fondly. "Come, let me introduce you to Hinata."
He led them toward the center of the hall where Hinata stood. Sakura was amazed at how beautiful she looked. She wore a lilac dress with thin straps and a low back. Her long dark hair spread across her back. She wore a beautiful diamond ring on her hand which clearly Naruto had offered her when he had proposed. But it was the glow of being newly engaged that enhanced her beauty and made her stand out from the rest. It was clear she loved Naruto as much as he loved her, maybe even more.
Sakura couldn't help but envy them a little. Will she and Itachi have something like this, one day? She wondered. Things between them had been great lately. More than great. Their relationship was getting more serious by the day. Ever since spending that night with Itachi at his place, they had been going to each other's places more often. For the first few days, they had been unable to take their hands off each other. But later they had eased into a routine and took things more slowly. At this point, Sakura very much loved Itachi and could see a future with him. While she didn't think Itachi wasn't serious either, she wasn't sure if he was ready to take the next step yet.
She braced herself as she approached Hinata, who smiled at her politely. She bowed and congratulated her on her engagement. Hinata bowed in return and thanked her.
"Arigato gozaimasu for treating Naruto, Sakura-san. I am in your debt," Hinata said politely.
"Oh, it was nothing," Sakura smiled assuredly. "Although, you should keep a tight leash on him from now on, make sure he doesn't run off to wild parties again." She said, looking pointedly at Naruto.
"Don't worry I have learned my lesson," Naruto said, grinning.
After both Naruto and Hinata excused themselves to greet other guests, Ino glanced around and then nudged Sakura. "Look."
Sakura glanced to where Ino was pointed and saw Sasuke standing there among a small group of people. By the looks of it, they all appeared to be Naruto's friends.
"Are things still tensed between you two?" Ino asked. Sakura sighed.
"I'm not sure actually. We haven't had much interaction lately. Usually, it's just Itachi and me. Except for the time when he came to the hospital with Naruto. Even then he barely talked to me. " Sakura said.
"Maybe you should try to have a conversation with him," Ino suggested. "He's not only your boyfriend's little brother but also a close friend of your new best friend."
Sakura smiled. "Naruto isn't my new best friend, Ino. We've just met. He's just friendly like that."
"Could've fooled me. He seemed quite fond of you. Either way, isn't it high time this ice broke between you and Sasuke?" Ino persisted.
"Yeah you're right," Sakura said, glancing again to where Sasuke stood among his friends. He hadn't looked toward them once.
"Each of them is so hot though, aren't they?" Ino sighed dreamily, staring at the group. "Maybe I will get lucky tonight."
"Ino! Stop staring at them," Sakura said, but it was too late. One of them had spotted Ino staring at them and was now making his way toward them. He had long hair which he had tied in a spiky ponytail. His other friends didn't notice him, except for Sasuke who glanced toward where his friend had gone.
He blinked. Then looked away. Sakura pursed her lips. His lack of acknowledgment bothered her more than she liked to admit.
"Hey! Sakura, right? Naruto has told us all about you. I'm Shikamaru," he extended his hand, which Sakura took, smiling. "Nice to meet you."
"And who is this lovely friend of yours?" Shikamaru asked, now looking at Ino.
"Yamanaka Ino," said Ino, shaking his hand. There was a trace of blush on her cheeks.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful lady," Shikamaru said, hiding no attempt at flirting.
"Good line, does it work every time?" Ino asked, not giving in easily. Only Sakura knew that she was actually very pleased by the compliment.
"I don't know, you tell me," he asked, clearly enjoying himself.
"Well, it certainly needs work. But I'm willing to give you another chance over a drink," she said, suggestively.
"Your wish is my command," he said and extended his arm. Ino looked at Sakura, silently asking if she was okay being alone. Sakura nodded encouragingly. Then she gracefully placed her hand on the hook of his arm.
Sakura smiled at them as he led her away to where the drinks we being served. She was happy for Ino and hoped she would have a good time. But now, she was date-less.
Sasuke had noticed Sakura's arrival as soon as she entered the party. He had taken in her appearance in one look. Wearing a magenta dress that reached her feet, high heels that made her look a lot taller, and a silver bracelet in her hand, she looked even more breathtaking than he could imagine.
He forced himself to look away. Contrary to his expectations, the relationship between Itachi and Sakura had grown. His brother was really serious about this woman and it took Sasuke everything not to raise an objection. And what did he have to object anyway? Itachi loved Sakura, and Sakura loved Itachi as well, apparently. Whatever feelings he might have didn't matter.
Just as he was coming to terms with this fact, Naruto had become infatuated with her as well. And now he was fighting the battle at two fronts.
"If you guys will excuse me, I think I'm going to head over to that gorgeous blonde," Shikamaru said smoothly. He headed over to where Sakura was standing with her friend. Her name was Ino, Sasuke remembered. She had been looking their way too and Shikamaru had noticed.
As he watched him go, his eyes met Sakura's. She was looking at him with those beautiful green eyes of hers. She had sort of a hopeful expression. Was she expecting something from him? Sasuke wondered. He blinked to shake himself out of her gaze and looked away. If he had stared any longer his own face might betray something.
"I'm going to get a drink too," he announced to the rest of the group and walked away. He reached the bar at the corner and ordered a drink. After some time, he felt a presence behind him. He turned around and saw Sakura standing a few feet away.
"Hello, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said.
Sasuke stood there, saying nothing. She looked a little nervous but also determined. For what, he didn't know. Sakura cleared her throat.
"I- I know you probably hate me," Sakura began, looking down at her clasped hands, "but I was thinking-"
"I don't hate you," Sasuke said before he could stop himself.
Sakura looked up hopefully.
"Well," she said, "that's nice to hear. You think maybe we could be a little more than that?" She asked, now smiling.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Sakura took out her hand. "Friends?"
Sasuke looked at her hand suspiciously.
"Also, my date just went off with one of your friends, so maybe you could keep me company for the rest of the night," Sakura said, shrugging. The switch from a nervous girl to a confident one was remarkable, Sasuke noted.
"And why would I do that?" Sasuke asked.
"Because," Sakura said, pointing at her outstretched hand," we're going to be friends."
Sasuke felt a smile creeping up on his lips but quickly forced it away. He had to hand it to her. She really was something. In a way, she was like Naruto. He too had imposed himself on Sasuke when they were little. Even though Sasuke had been resistant, Naruto hadn't given up on their friendship. And now, there was Sakura, imposing herself on him. This was different, however. Sasuke considered Naruto like a brother. But, Sakura was Itachi's girlfriend, and maybe something more. Sasuke's feelings towards Sakura were complicated. He hadn't given them a name yet. Honestly, there wasn't much to give a name to. But, accepting Sakura's offer might further complicate his feelings.
This is not a good idea, Sasuke thought.
Yet, he found himself shaking Sakura's hand.
Maybe, it wasn't a good idea. But at least they could try and find out.