Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Romeo and Juliet.
Author's Note: Hey! I'm here finally with chapter eleven! And, it's an extra long chapter! The longest chapter I've ever written at 18 pages! It's an accomplishment for me, so I hope you all enjoy it! And, now you can't be mad because it took me awhile to update! Well, I won't give anything away, so just read and review! Enjoy! Love you all, SilverRose88.
Note: The timing of this chapter is going to be about a week or two after Naruto's and Sasuke's dinner. Since I couldn't think of anything to write between the two events, we'll just skip to the trip. Thanks.
Chapter Eleven
"Yahoo! Yahoo! We're going on a trip!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "Hokkaido, here we come!"
"Calm down, Naruto, you'll hurt yourself," Neji said, setting a duffel bag onto the ground.
"Heheh," Naruto laughed. "I'm just so psyched! This will be a sweet class trip,"
"Yes, we're all excited. And, you're the most excited out of us all," Neji said.
"Well, it's something worthy to be excited about, don't you think?" Naruto asked.
Neji just shook his head. "Whatever, come on, we better get on the bus before they leave without us,"
"They can't leave without us? What will this trip be without me?" Naruto said.
Neji looked at him and thought silently, Absolutely nothing, that's for sure…
"Onward!" Naruto said, pointing ahead, his own duffel bag slung around his shoulders. The blonde began to charge on forward towards the buses at the front of the school. "Hey, Sasuke-bastard!" he called to the dark-haired boy who was putting his belongings into the trunk.
"Morning, dobe," Sasuke replied.
"I'm not a dobe!" Naruto said, sticking his tongue out.
Sasuke suppressed a smile at the blonde's childish gesture, and felt his heart constrict. Ever since the weekend a while ago when he'd finally come to terms with his feelings, Sasuke hadn't been able to stop thinking about Naruto. The blonde was constantly on his mind. He knew now that he liked Naruto. A lot. Maybe even really, really close to love, but Sasuke wasn't sure he could even admit to himself if he truly loved the blonde. For now, he just really, really, really, liked him. And, he knew it was true. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid to deny the simplest of all facts.
And, now with all his luck, they were going to Hokkaido for five days. And, he'd be with Naruto. For once Sasuke was looking for to a class trip. He wanted to spend the week with Naruto and only Naruto, and couldn't wait until they arrived at Hokkaido. But, there was a downside, and that was the fact that everyone else in their class was going too. Sasuke wondered how it would have been if it was just him and Naruto. Together in Hokkaido for a week. Spending every day with each other and every night…
Agh! No, no, no! I'm not thinking like that! Sasuke began to mentally attack himself at letting his mind go so vulgar.
"Ah, Sasuke, you okay?" Naruto asked, looking at the other boy who was shaking his head.
Sasuke blinked and looked at Naruto and a blush crept over his cheeks. "Uh, um, nothing! I-I'm fine," he said quickly, and tried to escape the gaze of Naruto's blue eyes.
Naruto stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay…come on, let's go find seats!" he said, then met up with Neji and Gaara and walked into the bus.
Sasuke let out a angry growl under his bed. He'd almost forgotten about Neji and Gaara, and the fact that the two of them would be on the trip too. And, Sasuke had the feeling that they'd try to be every where Naruto was. As Sasuke followed them onto the bus, Sasuke vowed that he would never let either of those bastards be alone with Naruto ever. He'd never let that happen.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"All right, we have the rooming arrangements right here," Kakashi said as the bus pulled up in front of the hotel in Hokkaido.
"Hurry up, Kakashi-sensei! I wanna go explore!" Naruto exclaimed.
Kakashi nodded. "Yes, yes, I know. But unless you want to sleep outside, Naruto, you'd better listen and find out your room number and roommates," Kakashi said. "All right, room number 240, we have Sakura, Ino, and Hinata. Room 241, TenTen and Temari. Lee, and Chouji have room 242, and Kankuro and Shino have room 243. And, Shikamaru, Kiba and Naruto have room 244. Then, room 245, is for Neji, Gaara, and Sasuke,"
Sasuke seethed under his breath and turned behind him where Neji and Gaara were sitting. The three of them glared at one another. Sasuke turned away and looked up a few seats where Naruto sat beside Shikamaru and Kiba, his very roommates. Sasuke had wished that he and Naruto could have shared a room because then…what? he thought. Nothing! Sasuke shook his head. No, I didn't mean it like that! Okay, ma-maybe…no! Sasuke shook his head again and sighed. At least Naruto wouldn't be sharing at room with either of the bastards, and that gave him a piece of mind. It would probably be a better thing if Naruto was roomed with friends like Shikamaru and Kiba. If the two of them had been roomed…Sasuke wasn't sure what'd he'd do. He wasn't sure if he would be able to make it through the night at all. And, if Naruto had been in the same room as Neji or Gaara, Sasuke couldn't even think of what could happen, it was beginning to make his blood boil.
"Hey, Sasuke-bastard, are you coming or what? Don't just sit there and daydream!" Naruto called.
Sasuke blinked out of his thoughts, and blushed slightly. "Hn, I'm coming. And I wasn't daydreaming,"
"Yes you were! You had this dazed look on your face? Thinking about someone special, huh?" Naruto asked slyly.
Sasuke turned to him and thought, You have you idea, Naruto. "No, I wasn't," he lied. "Now, will you quit standing there and get a move on? Everyone's inside already,"
"Yes sir!" Naruto said, and walked off the bus, stopping to get his duffel bag.
Sasuke grabbed his own and followed the blonde inside the luxurious hotel that was to be there home for the next five days.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Neji returned to his room after taking a look around the lobby and was surprised to find that Uchiha and Gaara had both went to sleep. Neji sighed, looking around the fairly big room that was to accommodate the three rivals for five days. There was a bathroom on the right next to the door, a closet on the left. Three beds were lined along the right wall, a T.V was sitting on a wardrobe opposite the beds. A small table was in front of the balcony with an armchair sitting beside it. Neji had stopped by Naruto's room on his way back and had seen that his room was also set up in basically the same way.
Neji sat down on his bed by the balcony and glared at the Uchiha's back who had immediately taken the bed by the wall. Gaara was sleeping in the bed in the middle. Neji frowned. Why in all the hells had the teachers assigned the three of them to a room together? Neji was pretty sure they all knew of their hatred towards one another, so why hadn't Neji have been able to share a room with…oh, say, Naruto? Neji let a small smile escape at that thought. Sharing a room with Naruto would have been really nice. Extremely nice. Being with the blonde everyday and every night…Neji blushed. Now, thinking about it, he wasn't quite sure if he could handle being in the same room as Naruto during the night. He wasn't sure what he could end up doing. Neji blushed even harder. But, it would have been nice. Seeing Naruto sleeping soundly would be the highlight of Neji's day.
But he wasn't sharing a room with Naruto. Instead, he was stuck with these two bastards. Neji scowled under his breath, glaring at Sasuke and Gaara both on turn.
Suddenly, Neji stood up as a thought struck his mind. Why hadn't he thought of this before? It was perfect! And, there wouldn't be any interference. Neji smiled deviously as he grabbed his wallet and cell phone, and headed out the door. Across the hall, he stopped, and knocked on the door to room 244.
"I'll get it!" came a loud voice from inside. Then, the fumbling of a lock and the door clicked open and Naruto said, "Oh, hey, Neji! What brings you here again?"
"Well, I was wondering if you'd want to come with me into town for awhile. I was just going to go look around, and wanted some company," Neji replied casually. "Its almost nine, but we could get something to eat if you wanted to as well,"
Naruto grinned. "Sure! I'd love to go! Let me just get a coat, it might be cold out," Naruto said. He disappeared into the room, and Neji heard him tell his roommates where he was headed, before he returned. "Okay, let's go!" Naruto said excitedly.
Neji smiled slightly at the blonde's enthusiasm, and led the way to the elevators.
"What's Sasuke and Gaara up to?" Naruto asked.
Neji cringed at the names of the bastards, and replied with no emotion, "They're sleeping,"
"Haha," Naruto laughed. "Sasuke-bastard looks so much more normal when he sleeps, don't you think? He doesn't have that scowl on his face,"
The blood in Neji's veins began to boil as he took in Naruto's words. What the hell does he mean by that? Neji wondered. "…You've seen Uchiha asleep before?" Neji asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.
"Oh, yeah!" Naruto said. "He fell asleep in front of my apartment once, and then I brought him into my room and let him sleep in my bed,"
Neji clenched his fists at his sides. He remembered vaguely once when Sasuke had told him with a smug expression on his face, I've got to find Naruto and tell him that his bed is so soft and comfy. Neji couldn't help the white hot jealously as it shot up his spine, and he wanted to hurt something. Sasuke would be a good place to start.
"Are you okay, Neji?" Naruto asked. "You look angry,"
Neji blinked and turned to Naruto, who's blue eyes were watching him with concern. Neji felt himself soften and he smiled again. "I'm fine. Sorry, Naruto,"
"No problem!" Naruto said. "Okay, now, where to?" The two of them walked out into the night that greeted them.
"Let's just walk around for awhile. It's nice out, and I want to enjoy it," Neji said.
Naruto looked at him curiously. "You didn't strike me as the kind of person to just spend time enjoying the night," he stated.
Neji shrugged. "Well, I can be every once in awhile. And, it's a nice night,"
"Yeah, it is!" Naruto said enthusiastically, causing Neji to smile.
"Come on," Neji said, quickly grabbing Naruto's hand before he lost his nerve. "I think I saw a park over here. It might be cool to check it out," Neji led Naruto off to the right side of the hotel. Naruto shoved the fact that Neji was holding his hand to the back of his head and followed after.
The two just walked down the paths of the park in silence. Well, at least Neji was. Naruto, however, was practically skipping around, looking and pointing at everything. Neji watched with a lightness in his heart and a soft smile at his lips. He was glad to spend the evening with Naruto. Especially since there wasn't anyone else around to ruin his chances. Neji knew he liked Naruto. So much that it could be on the very borderline of love, but he wasn't sure he was there quite yet. He just liked everything about the blonde. He like the constant hyper attitude, and happy grin; the never-ending cheerfulness, and optimism; the childlike qualities, and enthusiasm. Neji liked Naruto's blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He even liked the blonde's odd sense in fashion when he wore that hideous orange jacket. Even more, Neji liked spending time with him because he knew that it was getting harder and harder with the two bastards around.
Neji also knew that he'd need to gain Naruto's affection soon, or else Sasuke or Gaara would be going in for the kill. And, he'd never let that happen. But, Neji wasn't quite sure how to go about it. He didn't think Naruto would even understand what he meant if Neji just simply told him he liked him. And, to be frank, Neji didn't really want to tell him out of no where like that, but what other choice did he have? This would be the perfect night to tell Naruto his feelings, but he didn't want to make a mess of things either. If he told Naruto his feelings, what would the blonde do? Yell at him? Hit him? Or, even worse, never talk to him again?
Neji wouldn't be able to handle that. He never wanted to lose their friendship, because that was all he had now, and if that was gone too, Neji would have nothing at all. And, something was better than nothing. So, in this case, friendship could be better than anything more, but Neji wanted something more. He didn't just want to be friends. He wanted to be honest with Naruto and wanted to admit to his feelings freely to the blonde he cared about so much.
"Hey, Neji! I'm hungry, can we go eat now?" Naruto said, shaking Neji back to reality.
"Oh, sure," Neji replied. "Anywhere special you want to go?"
Naruto shrugged. "Nope. I just want some food!"
Neji smiled. "Food it is then," he said. "Come on," He led Naruto up the path and down the sidewalk that headed into town.
After a while of searching, they found a small simple ramen shop, and Naruto practically graveled to let Neji agree in letting them eat there. The dark-haired boy relented after a while, unable to refuse the eager and pleading look in the blonde's eyes. Naruto cheered and they entered the small restaurant and ordered; Naruto his bowl of ramen, and Neji some miso soup.
"Isn't it so cool that we get to spend a week in Hokkaido?" Naruto asked. "This week will be so much fun!"
"Yes, I suppose it will," Neji agreed. "There's a lot to see,"
"Yeah, that too, but I'm more excited for not having any work to do! An entire school-free week!" Naruto said.
"But, you do know that Iruka-sensei's making us rehearse some scenes later so that we don't forget everything come Monday," Neji said.
Naruto groaned. "Aww, man! That sucks,"
Neji just shook his head.
Their meals were brought in after that and for awhile the two just sat quietly and ate. Naruto practically in heaven with his ramen; and Neji was contemplating a decision the was going to make.
I should just tell him. Just to see what he says, Neji thought. What harm could it do just trying, right? He was sure Naruto wouldn't really get it anyway, but he didn't want to face disappointment afterwards. If Naruto didn't get it, or if Naruto didn't return his feelings, it would ruin the entire evening. But, Neji had to try. A Hyuuga always tries. He'd try and never give up.
"What's up, Neji? Something on your mind?" Naruto asked, looking up at the other boy.
Neji nodded slowly. Like you'll never know. He shook his head and faced Naruto. "Um, I wanted to tell you something," he said, trying to sound casual and unimportant.
"Oh, sure! What is it?" Naruto asked.
"Naruto…I-I like you…" Neji said. After the words escaped his lips, Neji couldn't believe the lightness in his heart. It was like a weight had been pulled off of him. It was an incredible feeling. But, just as quickly as the wondrous feeling had come, a feeling of anxiety and apprehension took over. What was Naruto going to say?
The blonde just tilted his head at Neji and stared. "…Well, I like you too, Neji!" he said enthusiastically.
Neji blinked. "…You, do?"
"Yeah, what's not to like? I mean, you're nice and smart and you help me out all the time. You're a great friend!" Naruto said.
The weight came back with full force practically knocking Neji over. Damn it. I should have known it wouldn't be this easy. God, why does this seem to hurt so much? Neji looked away, and tried not to let any of his hurt emotions show.
"Is something wrong?" Naruto asked innocently.
Neji shook his head. He forced a smile to convince the blonde everything was okay. "I'm fine. I-I just got tired all of a sudden,"
"Well, then, let's go back to the hotel, okay?" Naruto said, standing up. "You don't look very good anyway,"
Neji nodded and got to his feet. The two paid and left the restauarant.
As they walked back to the hotel, Neji thought about what had just happened. He knew he should have expected it. Naruto wasn't just going to say he liked him so easily. Neji knew that he was going to have to work harder. He was going to have to spend as much time with Naruto as possible. He would need to talk to him, listen to him, and be the best friend ever. He was going to need to be the one Naruto came to, the one Naruto would call on for help and support. He had to be the one that Naruto could count on, and he had to beat the two bastards who were also competing for the blonde's heart. Neji was going to have to do everything and anything he could to win over Naruto.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Argh, go away…" Naruto groaned.
"Wake up you dumb dobe. The class is having a meeting having the day's schedule, and you have to get up,"
"Nhhh," Naruto whined. "Get lost, Sasuke-bastard,"
Sasuke shook his head. "Get up now, or-or I'll have to carry you down," he said.
"Fine, then, carry me," Naruto replied.
Sasuke blushed. "J-Just get up dobe! You can't sleep the whole day away!"
Naruto groaned again, but slowly pulled himself up. "…Fine, you win, you big meanie. I like to sleep! It's part of my Three R's!"
"Yes, yes, I know. But if you don't get ready within ten minutes, we're going to get in trouble, so hurry up," Sasuke said.
"Why are you even in my room anyway?" Naruto asked.
"Because sensei told me to go get you. Kiba gave me the key so I could get in,"
"Kiba and Shikamaru just left without me?"
"Apparently so,"
"Darn them,"
"Get up, or I'll leave without you too,"
"Ah, Sasuke, you're so mean!" Naruto whined. "I'm up! Let me get dressed," The blonde grabbed some clothes and walked to the bathroom. "Just make yourself comfy!" he said before disappearing into the door on the right.
Sasuke sighed and sat down on the edge of Naruto's bed, which he noticed happened to be in the exact same spot as his bed in the room next door. And…it was so warm. The warmth of Naruto… Oh, god, not again! Sasuke mentally groaned. What was wrong with him? Sure, he liked Naruto, but did he have to think about stuff like that all the flipping time? He sounded like a pervert! But it was so warm…and as Sasuke leaned closer, he made out the faint scent of apricots…
"What are you doing?"
Sasuke practically jumped a foot into the air, and turned to face Naruto. He could feel the heat beginning to rise up his neck and to his face. "Uhm, ah, um…" Sasuke stammered. "N-Nothing…"
Naruto looked at him curiously. Like you weren't smelling my sheets just now? "Okay, if you say so,"
"What-What are you doing? You're not even changed yet!" Sasuke said, diverting attention from himself.
"Forgot my toothbrush," Naruto replied. He searched though his backpack and pulled out toothpaste and brush. "Be right back." He returned to the bathroom.
Sasuke sighed heavily and took a seat at the armchair, feeling that this would be a safe place to sit and not get caught doing something as embarrassing as what had just happened. I can't believe I even did that! I've lost all sense of sanity! Just then, the there was a knock on the door and Naruto called for Sasuke to answer it.
Sasuke walked over and opening the door, he said, "What do you want?"
"Sensei asked to see what was taking you so long," Gaara replied coolly.
"Oh, well, Naruto's not yet finished—"
"Hey, Gaara!" Naruto asked, emerging from the bathroom, fully dressed.
"Well, are you ready? We should go then," Gaara said.
"Yep, let's go," Naruto replied, and followed Gaara and Sasuke out into the hall to the elevators. "Hey, I heard you two just passed out last night. You didn't even stay up on the first night!"
Sasuke froze as the words registered in his mind. "…Who told you we fell asleep?"
"Oh, Neji did!" Naruto said as they got into the elevator. "We went out for awhile last night,"
Both Gaara and Sasuke seethed, clenching their fists and grinding their teeth angrily.
"Oh, really?" Gaara asked, trying to sound casual. "What did you do?"
"We went on a walk,"
"On a…walk?"
"Yeah. Neji doesn't seem like that kind of guy, but it was really fun. It was really pretty out. And then, we went and got something to eat,"
"You went to eat?"
"Yep. I had some ramen and Neji got some miso soup. We just sat and talked. It was really fun," Naruto grinned.
"…What did you talk about?" Sasuke asked.
"Well, Neji told me he liked me," Naruto replied.
"WHAT?"
"And I told him I did too! I mean, we're friends!" Naruto said, grinning more.
Sasuke and Gaara stared at him, a bit more at mind after that sentence, but still livid.
Damn that frickin Hyuuga! Already on the move! Sasuke thought angrily.
It's only the first day and he's already told Naruto how he feels? Gaara thought. That bastard--
--will die. I'll kill him myself. Tear him--
--limb by limb. There is no way I will--
--lose to that bastard. For telling Naruto his feelings already! He is going to pay.
I won't let Hyuuga get away with what he pulled last night. This means--
--WAR.
"Are you guys okay? You look about ready to kill someone," Naruto asked oblivious to the emotions of his friends and the truth of the sentence he'd just spoke.
"Huh, I'm fine," Sasuke ground out. He forced a convincing smile.
"Me as well," Gaara managed. "Come, let's go meet everyone,"
The three walked out to the lobby where the rest of the class was situated, waiting for their arrival.
"Ah, there they are," Kakashi said. "Thanks for finally joining us,"
Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara just nodded at him and took some seats.
"All right. We have assigned certain groups for you to go around with. That way no one is left alone. There are about five people in each group and no, you cannot change the group you are in," Iruka said.
"The groups are as follows," Jiraiya said, and he began reading off a sheet of paper, "Group one includes Sakura, Lee, Neji, Kankuro, and Gaara. This group will be with Kakashi. Group two, who is with me, is Kiba, Temari, Shino, Chouji, and Ino. And, the last group, with Iruka, is Sasuke, Shikamaru, TenTen, Hinata, and Naruto,"
"Now, find your group and your teacher and figure out your schedule for the day," Iruka said.
The class got to their feet and the lobby was filled with noise as the students looked around for those in their appointed group.
"Looks like we're in the same group," Sasuke said, turning to Naruto.
"Yep! This'll be fun!" Naruto said excitedly.
Sasuke gave a soft smile.
Neji and Gaara, who were sitting beside them, turned and glared spitefully at Sasuke. Said boy only smirked at them in return, with just caused the other two to narrow their eyes and stare at him threateningly.
"Come on, Naruto, we should go find our group," Sasuke said, standing up. He smirked at Neji and Gaara another time, and then walked off with Naruto.
Neji and Gaara glowered after Sasuke's, wondering why their stares hadn't yet burned a hole though the Uchiha's back.
"All right, you are all here. Listen up then," Iruka said. "Our group is headed to Goryokaku Fort in the port city of Hakodate. Hakodate is one of Japan's first ports to open to foreign trade. The city displays a lot of Russian influence, and has a wonderful night view. The Goryokaku Fort is a main attraction in Hakodate. It has a good view of Mt. Hakodate. Since the main point of going to the Fort is to see the night view, we won't be leaving until about four. That way, we can spend time seeing the Fort itself, and then when it gets dark, we can experience the scenery,"
"What are we supposed to do until then?" TenTen asked.
"Whatever you like. Just stay in the hotel or in the town nearby. Don't wander off," Iruka said. "Meet back here at about four thirty. It does take a while to get to the tour, so we want to leave as soon as possible,"
The students nodded, and walked off.
"Is there anything you want to do, Sasuke-bastard?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke shrugged. "Not really," he said. "Want to just go into town for awhile?"
"Sure, why not. But can we get some breakfast first? I'm starving!" Naruto said.
"All right. Let's go to the hotel restaurant," Sasuke said, and he led the way down a hall to the small restaurant in a corner of the hotel. "What do you want, Naruto? I'll buy," Sasuke said.
Naruto turned to him in surprise. "Really? …Why?"
"Because I feel like it," Sasuke said, knowing the truth and knowing he couldn't tell him that. "But, next time, you'll have to buy,"
"I accept! Thanks, Sasuke-bastard!" Naruto grinned.
Sasuke smiled. "Come on, figure out what you want," he said.
"All right!" Naruto said.
After much debating, Naruto decided on pancakes, eggs, and juice. Sasuke ordered himself some toast and eggs and milk. They took their plates and sat down at a table in the corner, for a while only eating in silence before Naruto couldn't take the quiet anymore.
"Are you excited, Sasuke? Isn't this going to be so much fun?" the blonde asked, desperate for some kind of conversation.
Sasuke shrugged. "I suppose,"
"God, Sasuke. Why do you always give those half-ass answers?" Naruto asked. "Can't you answer normally? Like with real long sentences?"
"Fine, dobe. I suppose it will be a good vacation," Sasuke said. "Is that better?"
"It's a start," he said. "I guess I'll put it on the list,"
"What list?"
"The list of things I've got to change about you!" Naruto said. "Remember? My oath to defrost you? So, there's the to do about you not acting like a cold bastard all the time, the to do about you and not liking sweets, and now the to do about you and your bad responses to questions,"
Sasuke just stared at him for a moment before shaking his head and smothering a smile. "Most people don't take it upon themselves to change stuff about others. You are really odd,"
"This coming from the cold bastard who hates sweets and doesn't like answering questions," Naruto said. "You're pretty weird yourself. How do you not like sweets?"
"I just don't," Sasuke replied. "Now, drop it. I told you about it before already,"
"But I don't get it!" Naruto insisted.
"Then don't think about it," Sasuke said. "Your brain doesn't seem to be able to handle it, baka,"
Naruto pouted. "You're so mean, Sasuke,"
Sasuke just shook his head again. Then he looked up and said, "Are you done? Let's go find something to do then,"
"All right," Naruto agreed, and the two boys left the restaurant and headed back to the lobby where they ran into another person from their group.
"Oi, Naruto, what are you up to?" Shikamaru asked.
Naruto shrugged. "Don't know yet," he replied. "Sasuke and I just got some breakfast. We were thinking about going into town for awhile. Why don't you come along?"
Shikamaru shrugged and said, "Sure, why not? I've got nothing better to do anyway,"
"Great," Naruto said with a grin. "Let's get going then! Come on, Sasuke-bastard,"
Sasuke followed the two out from the hotel and down the sidewalk, feeling angry at the intruder. Why had he have to come too? Sasuke wanted his chance to be with Naruto alone, and now…Okay, so it wasn't Shikamaru's fault; Naruto had invited him. But, still, Sasuke had to be mad at someone. How could he spend a day with just Naruto if Shikamaru was there too? How could he try to win Naruto over if they weren't alone? Sasuke needed to be with just the blonde or he'd have no chances whatsoever.
"Sasuke, did you hear me?" Naruto asked, bringing Sasuke back to reality.
"Huh?"
"We were thinking about catching a movie? Want to go?" Naruto said.
"…Might as well," Sasuke said.
"Okay, let's find out what's playing. Shikamaru said there was a theatre a block away," Naruto said, and continued to lead the way down the street. The trio decided on Sahara, paid for the tickets and bought some food, before heading into the theatre.
After the movie, three hours later, Naruto declared he was tired and wanted to sleep. Shikamaru agreed with him and Sasuke had nothing better to do than follow them back to the hotel. The two roommates disappeared into their room, and Sasuke had no choice than to return to his own room.
With a sigh, Sasuke collapsed on his bed and stared at the ceiling. The morning couldn't have gone any more wrong than he had wanted. What he had wanted was to spend the day with Naruto and only Naruto. Spend it with the one he had come to like so much over the past month. He had wanted to have a fun afternoon with the blonde and not have to worry about the two bastards, Neji or Gaara, interfering in any way. But, nothing even close to what Sasuke had wanted had happened. Sure, he did enjoy having breakfast with the blonde, but Sasuke wanted more than that. Exactly what he meant by 'more' he wasn't quite sure at the moment. All he knew was that he wanted to be with Naruto as much as he could this week. And, after what Neji had pulled the very first night, Sasuke wasn't going to let this week go by without having something…memorable with Naruto. He wanted Naruto to remember a good time with him, not anyone else.
Sasuke knew that he was going to have to do something that Naruto would never forget, or made him hate him either. He knew he couldn't tell the blonde his feelings because that was just being way to straightforward, and if the same thing happened that happened with Neji, then Sasuke was headed for some serious depression. And, he couldn't do something drastic like…kiss him, because that was bound to blow up in his face. But Sasuke longed for Naruto's kisses…like the simple ones they had shared during rehearsals for the play. Sure, they had been necessary and not voluntary because they both had wanted it, but Sasuke had enjoyed them all the same. Well, he had once he'd realized his feelings; before then, they'd just caused confusion and frustration. Now, since he knew he liked Naruto, Sasuke just ached to have him. Ached to be with the blonde, talk to him, listen to him, just enjoy his company. Enjoy his cheery attitude, his goofy grin, his unexpected behavior which only made each day the more interesting. Sasuke wanted to be near him, he wanted to feel the warmth of the blonde, and the soft smell of apricots that always overcame him whenever they were close.
God, I sound like a frickin pervert! Sasuke thought, shutting his eyes hard and rubbing them. What is wrong with me?…Oh yeah, my perverted feelings for Naruto…
Sasuke sighed again, and slowly sat up, knowing what he was going to have to do. That night when the group went to Hakodate and visited the Goryokaku Fort, Sasuke was going to spend every moment he could with Naruto. He wasn't going let anyone get in his way. He wasn't going to let Neji or Gaara beat him.
That night, Naruto was going to be his.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hakodate was a while's trip from the hotel they were staying at. The group was piled into a van at around four thirty and for the most part, everyone kept to themselves, just staring out the windows. Well, everyone except Naruto. And because Naruto decided to talk to Sasuke and Shikamaru, those two boys had no choice other than listen to him. Sasuke didn't mind, however. He wanted Naruto to talk to him, so he went along with the conversations the blonde sporadically came up with.
At the moment, Sasuke watched Naruto as the blonde began prodding Shikamaru awake for the fifth time.
"Why don't you just stop that? If he's tired, let him sleep," Sasuke said. The blonde's constant poking was beginning to bug him too.
"But he slept for like two hours when we were in our room after the movie!" Naruto said.
Shikamaru looked up and replied, "No, I hardly slept at all, because you decided your drowsiness was over the instant we returned. And, instead of sitting quietly and doing anything else, you took it upon yourself to start a pillow fight,"
"Well, pillow fights are fun!" Naruto said.
"I wanted to sleep," Shikamaru said.
"Aw, admit it. After awhile, you actually started hitting me back!"
"That's because I wanted to knock you out so you'd let me sleep,"
"Come on, Shikamaru, admit it! I know you had fun!"
"I did not,"
Sasuke watched this exchange with a beady look. For a moment he wished he'd been in the same room as Naruto. But, after that moment was over, Sasuke figured it'd be better not to share the same room as Naruto for two points. One was that he'd end up a complete insomniac within the five days because being in the same room at night with the blonde would be too much for him to handle. How could he sleep beside the person he wanted to be with all the time? Sasuke had no control over his emotions…or hormones…and it wouldn't be a good thing if he, oh, accidentally jumped Naruto in his sleep. And, another part to that was if Naruto decided to have spontaneous pillow fights, how would he ever sleep if the blonde had an attack in the middle of the night? Yep, sharing the same room as Naruto would lead to Sasuke becoming an insomniac and looking something like Gaara with black lines under his eyes. The second point was that if he did share a bedroom with Naruto, Sasuke had the feeling he wouldn't even survive to the end of the week because his two bastards of rivals would either, a) kill him, or b) try to interfere as much as possible and never give Sasuke time alone with Naruto.
And so, according to that, Sasuke felt it better not to share a room with Naruto, but he still had every right to feel a slight form of jealously at those who did. And, because of that jealously, he decided he could glare beadily at Shikamaru if he really wanted to. And, so he did.
"What are you staring at Sasuke?" Naruto asked suddenly.
Sasuke almost jumped at the unexpected question, and turned his gaze onto the blonde. "Hm? Oh, nothing. Just sort of…spacing off, I guess,"
"You don't seem like the kind of guy to just space off," Naruto commented.
Sasuke shrugged. Thinking about you tends to do that to me, he thought absently. Then, blinked and looked back at Naruto and said, "Even I can space off every once in awhile,"
"I guess so," Naruto replied.
Just then, Iruka called out to the group from a seat in the front and said, "We should be arriving really soon. I want you to stay with the group when we get there. Don't wander off. The fort is really big and it won't be a good thing for you to get lost,"
"If you have any questions about the fort itself, look at the leaflets I gave you. They explain a lot," Iruka said. "Think of this as a history lesson. If you remember the things you learn here tonight, then we return to Tokyo, the information might come handy in, say, a pop quiz," He gave a slight smile before sitting back down.
"What does he mean by that? Is he saying we're going to be tested on this stuff?" Naruto exclaimed, shaking the leaflet in Sasuke's face.
The dark-haired boy grabbed his wrist and said, "Don't wave that in my face, dobe,"
"Don't call me dobe, bastard!" Naruto said. He took his hand out of Sasuke's grip and looked at the pamphlet. "Hmm, let's see…Goryokaku Fort was Japan's first and largest western-style fort. It was built in 1866 to house government offices for the administration in Hakodate. Goryokaku means pentagram/ star, because of the five V-shaped projections from the central core. The projections were designed so that an assault from any direction could be met with concentrated firepower."
"It was designed by Ayasaburo Takeda, a Dutch studies scholar," Sasuke read. "During the Meiji Restoration, this was the last battle field between the new forces and forces loyal to the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Meiji Army conquered the fort after a month and destroyed it. The outer walls are all that are left today. But inside the fort there's a park with a lot of cherry trees and the Hakodate Museum with famous artifacts from the war."
"The Goryokaku Tower, next to the fort, gives a bird's eye view of the star shaped design." Naruto said. "That's actually pretty cool. Hey, Sasuke, can we go on the Tower and see the Fort? Can we?" Naruto asked, turning to Sasuke with big blue eyes.
"I don't see why not," Sasuke replied.
"If sensei doesn't take us, will you take me? I want to go on the Tower! Sasuke? Will you?" Naruto asked, leaning closer to him.
Sasuke tried not to blush from the closeness between them. "I-I…sure, I will," he promised, and Naruto grinned brightly, which caused no regret in Sasuke's decision.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Goryokaku Fort was absolutely wonderful. The group walked around inside the fort, which at the time of the year wasn't as beautiful since the cherry blossoms weren't in bloom. But, nevertheless, the fort was magnificent. The five plus Iruka got to see the Hakodate Museum and all of it's interesting relics from the Hakodate War.
But, however interesting and informative the visit was, one blonde was getting impatient, and one raven-haired boy was getting annoyed.
"I want to go see the Tower!" Naruto exclaimed for practically the tenth time within the last three minutes. "This is boring,"
"Naruto, will you shut up for awhile?" Sasuke hissed. "You're being a brat,"
"I don't care! I want to do something fun! The Tower will be cooler!" Naruto said.
"But this is interesting information, Naruto. Listen and you'll learn something," Sasuke said.
"I don't wanna! Forget this, I'm going to the Tower!" Naruto said, and then before Sasuke could even blink an eye, the blonde had vanished before him.
Sasuke swore, and turned to find Iruka and the rest of the group walking down another hall, continuing the visit in the museum. Sasuke looked around, standing a bit on tiptoe and saw the fluff of electric blonde hair he only knew to belong to Naruto bobbing it's way through the crowd to the exit. I can't just let him go alone! Sasuke thought before he ran after Naruto, shoving his way through the throng of tourists.
Once outside, where there were less people around, Sasuke was able to spot Naruto quickly among the multitude. He ran after the blonde and grabbed his arm sharply, turning Naruto to face him.
"Sasuke-bastard! What are you doing?" Naruto said.
"What are you doing? What are you pulling? You can't just take off like that!" Sasuke exclaimed, feeling a bit angry.
"But I want to see the Tower!" Naruto said.
"Didn't you listen to Iruka-sensei? He said to stay together! Dobe, what were you thinking?" Sasuke questioned.
"I was thinking to see the Tower," Naruto said. "Why'd you come after me anyway?"
Sasuke gaped at him for a moment, not exactly sure how to answer that without giving too much of his feelings away. "…Do you even know how to get to the Tower?" he asked.
Naruto stopped and then laughed sheepishly. "Heh, I guess not,"
"…Then let's go," Sasuke said on impulse.
"R-Really? But I thought you came to take me back?"
"Well, I was, but you'd just run away again," Sasuke said, and I don't want to chase you down another time. "So, I guess I'll just take you now, and then we'll quickly catch up to the others,"
"Really?" Naruto asked with a twinge of suspicion in his voice.
Sasuke cringed from his lack of trust. "I did promise you," he said, trying to sound gentle.
Naruto stared at him and then slowly smiled. "Ah, Sasuke! You're the greatest!" he said, and hugged the other boy quickly before pulling away.
No, come back…Sasuke thought as Naruto moved away. The blonde had felt so warm; so soft; just so comfortable. Sasuke wanted that feeling back. But, since he couldn't get it back, he regained his composure and walked off briskly in the direction of the Tower, Naruto following behind.
It was only a few minutes walk from the museum to the Goryokaku Tower. There was a small line for admission and the boys took out the 600 yen for the fee.
"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, once they'd reached the top level of the Tower and were staring out the windows at the gorgeous view of the Fort. Naruto pressed his face closer to the window and said, "It's a perfect star! That's so awesome!"
"You are really easily amused, aren't you?" Sasuke commented.
Naruto turned to him and said, "Yes, I am. But, this is something to be excited about. It's so cool, don't you think?"
"Yeah, it's great," Sasuke replied. Especially since you're here too. He turned to Naruto and gave a smile.
"Heey, that's new," Naruto said, staring at him with surprise.
"Huh? What's new?"
"That smile,"
"What smile?"
"Oh, don't be stupid Sasuke. The smile you just gave! It was the most genuine smile I've ever seen on you!" Naruto said, and he grinned, leaning closer. "It's nice,"
"I-It's…nice?" Sasuke repeated, trying not the blush. Naruto was moving closer.
"I told you before you look better when you smile," Naruto said. "I guess my defrostation is working on you! I, Uzumaki Naruto, have begun to accomplish the impossible! The great Uchiha Sasuke-bastard is actually softening!"
Sasuke just shook his head, suppressing another smile. "Come on, dobe, let's go look around a bit more before we leave,"
"Yes sir! And, don't call me dobe!" Naruto said.
"Just come on," Sasuke said, and led the blonde around the Tower.
For about another ten minutes, the two had explored the Tower thoroughly and then decided it'd be better to get back before anyone had noticed they were gone. However, during the twenty minutes they'd been up in the Tower, the mass of people outside had multiplied. It was beginning to get harder to find their way around, and within a few minutes, the two had found themselves--
"Lost! We're lost! Are we lost, Sasuke?" Naruto cried.
"Shut up. I don't know!" Sasuke snapped.
"Then we are lost! Ahh, what are we going to do? They'll leave without us and we'll be stuck here forever!" Naruto wailed.
"Will you stop howling? You're drawing attention, and I'm trying to think and I can't hear my own thoughts," Sasuke said, growing impatient.
"Bu-But, it's scary! I don't want to be lost! I want to go back to the rest of the group!" Naruto said. "Will we get out of here, Sasuke?"
Sasuke turned to Naruto and stared straight at him and said firmly, "Yes. Don't worry, I'll make sure we get back,"
"Really?"
"Yes." Sasuke affirmed. He then grabbed Naruto's wrist and said, "Don't let go. We don't want to get separated,"
"O-Okay," Naruto replied, suddenly aware of the warmth of Sasuke's hand. It was warmth that Naruto wished would never disappear. It was a feeling that gave him comfort and security. It made him feel hopeful, and safe. He looked up and Sasuke and the intense look in the Uchiha's eyes caused his heart to skip a beat. "L-Let's go," he said.
"All right," Sasuke said, tightening his grip on Naruto's hand, making sure that he wouldn't lose the blonde. He led the way through the crowds, pushing past groups of children, teens and the mass of families.
Every once in awhile, they stopped to ask directions from people, but only ended up going in circles. Naruto was getting more and more worried and scared, and Sasuke the more frustrated and angry.
"H-Hey, Sasuke, may-maybe we should look for the parking lot," Naruto said loudly over the voices of the crowds. "The class might already be there. And, if not, we-we know how to get to the museum from the lot, so…yeah,"
Sasuke stopped and turned to him quickly. "That's the most intelligent thing you've ever said,"
Naruto grinned. "Thanks," he said. "…Wait. Hey! That was mean!"
Sasuke just smirked and led him through the mass.
"C-Can you loosen your grip? It hurts," Naruto said suddenly.
"Oh, sorry," Sasuke said, and let go of Naruto's hand completely.
I didn't say to let go…Naruto thought, staring at Sasuke's hand which was hanging limply at his side. Naruto's own hand was now cool and he didn't like the feeling. He liked the warmth that Sasuke's hand had created, and wanted that feeling back. But I can't just grab his hand! That's just stupid and weird…But…I want to…Then, completely on impulse, Naruto reached over and clasped Sasuke's hand in his own, the warmth overwhelmed him and he instantly felt better.
Sasuke felt the hand in his and looked back at Naruto who was innocently acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Sasuke smirked slightly, turning back to face forward, and was glad Naruto had grabbed his hand again. It didn't matter to him at the moment why the blonde had done it, because Sasuke was just happy to feel the soft warm skin of his companion against his own.
About five minutes later, the two reached the parking lot, out of breath from deciding to run at the last minute. The found the van they'd drove in at one end and made their way over when they heard their names being called from the entrance of the parking lot. Turning, the boys found Shikamaru running towards them.
"Where the blazes have you two been?" Shikamaru demanded. "Iruka-sensei's grown horns because of what you two pulled,"
"Where is everyone else?" Sasuke asked instead of answering Shikamaru's questions.
"This way," Shikamaru replied, and led them off the way he'd come. They arrived back at the entrance of the museum. In front of the double doors stood Iruka, TenTen, and Hinata.
"They're back," TenTen said, getting Iruka's attention.
The teacher, who'd been talking to some people, turned and saw the trio walking over. He rushed up to meet them, thanked Shikamaru, and then began yelling at Sasuke and Naruto. "What was going through your heads?" he shouted. "How could you have wandered off like that when I specifically told you not to?"
"Sensei, we--" Sasuke began.
"This is unacceptable behavior. When we return to Tokyo, the two of you will receive detentions for-for, I don't know yet, but for a very long time. I can guarantee it,"
"B-But, Sensei, it was my fault! Don't punish Sasuke," Naruto said.
Sasuke, surprised, turned to Naruto quickly.
Iruka looked at the blonde too. "Your fault? Explain, Naruto,"
"W-Well, I-I really wanted to see the Tower so I took off and Sasuke went after me. He tried to get me to come back, but I didn't listen, and he followed me. It was a good thing because when we got lost, Sasuke was the one who found our way back," Naruto said. "It was all my fault, Sensei. Sasuke was just trying to get me to go back,"
Iruka turned to Sasuke and said, "Is this true?"
Sasuke, not sure what to do about Naruto's lies, glanced sideways at the blonde who nodded slightly. Turning to face his teacher, Sasuke said, "Y-Yes, sensei, it's true,"
Iruka straightened up and said, "Well then, fine. Naruto, you and I will have a serious talk when we return to Tokyo. Come now, we must go," He led the way back to the parking lot.
Sasuke hung back to talk to Naruto. "Why'd you lie?" he asked.
Naruto shrugged. "To repay you,"
"Repay me for what?"
"You took me to the tower, and you got us back to the group when I freaked out."
"But it was your thinking that got us back to the parking lot,"
"I didn't do anything. You're the one who made sure we got back. I would have just given up," Naruto said, and then grinned. "Thanks, Sasuke,"
Sasuke couldn't help but return the smile. "No problem," he said. "Just don't ever do that again,"
"Agreed," Naruto replied.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Hey, Naruto, want to get some lunch?"
Said blonde looked up and grinned. "Yeah! That's good idea. I'm starved."
"Well, let's go," Gaara replied, and led the excited Naruto out the hotel and into town.
It was the third day of the trip (two days after Sasuke's and Naruto's brush in Hakodate), and the students had the afternoon off to do whatever they pleased until that night when the entire class was headed to Sapporo, the cultural and economical center of the island. They were to visit Sapporo's historical monument, The Clock Tower Building, which connects to a museum exhibiting the city's history. Then, a short trip from Sapporo is the Jozankei Spa, a tourist hot springs, where the group would take a relaxing night off.
The day before, the three different groups had gone around to other interesting locales of Hokkaido. Sasuke and Naruto's group had visited the flowering fields of Furano, and then onto Kushiro, the largest city in eastern Hokkaido. The area is a world of pristine nature, sprinkled with crystalline lakes. The greatest highlight is the Kushiro Marshland which is a wildlife sanctuary.
Gaara and Naruto walked down the sidewalks in the bright afternoon.
"Maybe we should've asked Sasuke and Neji to come too," Naruto said, suddenly.
Gaara turned sharply and said quickly, trying not to sound rude, "No-No! I-I mean, you said yourself this will be like old times. It can't really be that if those two bas--um, if they're around,"
Naruto nodded. "You're right. Sorry, Gaara. Come on, let's see what this town's got to offer it's tourists!"
Town was filled with a lot of tourists from other parts of the country, and some of their classmates were there as well, like Sakura and Ino.
"Naruto, did Sasuke-kun come with you to town?" Sakura asked sweetly.
"We've wanted to talk to him, but he's been ignoring us lately," Ino said.
"Is he here?" Sakura asked.
Naruto shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, but Sasuke isn't here. He should be back at the hotel,"
"Oh," Sakura said, upset.
"B-But, Sakura-chan, maybe someday we could--" Naruto began.
"No, thanks, Naruto. Goodbye," Sakura interrupted before she and Ino walked off.
Naruto stared after her, a bit sad, but was surprised to find that he wasn't as upset as he thought he would be. I wonder why that is? Naruto thought.
Gaara looked at Naruto from the corner of his eyes, and felt angry at the pink-haired girl's abrupt answer to Naruto's question without even hearing him out. He turned to Naruto and said, voice soft, "Come, Naruto, let's go get some lunch,"
"Okay!" Naruto agreed with a grin.
They entered the restaurant Naruto had gone to with Neji on the first night. It was pretty packed, but the two managed to find a table in the back after ordering and paying. They took their trays and sat down at the table.
"I came here with Neji before," Naruto said after taking a bite of his ramen.
Gaara tensed and looked up from his own plate of stir fry, and said, keeping anger in check, "Oh, really?"
"Yep! The first night we were here," Naruto said. "It was nice because there was hardly anyone in here,"
"That's…nice," Gaara said.
"I thought so, too," Naruto said. Then he grinned and turned back to eating his bowl of steaming ramen.
Gaara watched him for a moment before focusing on his own meal as well.
"Hey, Gaara, what do you do at hot springs?" Naruto asked suddenly a few minutes later.
Gaara nearly choked on his food. "W-What?" he stammered, looking up at Naruto.
"Well, we're going to the hot springs today, aren't we? What do we do there anyway? I mean, I know it's like a bath, but is that it?" Naruto asked.
Gaara was amazed at the blonde's innocence. Or maybe it was just lack of knowledge. Yes, more likely that. I can't believe he doesn't know. Gaara shook his head. "Nothing. You just…sit there," Gaara replied.
"You don't like swim around or anything?" Naruto asked, sounding awed. "You just sit and bathe?"
"You've captured the essence, yes. That's all you do at hot springs. They are just a place to sit back and relax. Take a load off," Gaara replied.
"But isn't that boring?"
"Not if you're talking with others, why should it be boring?"
"You bathe with others?"
"H-How do you not know that!"
"Hehe, I'm just kidding, Gaara," Naruto laughed, grinning.
God, I thought he was serious. Is he really that innocent? Gaara stared at Naruto and his mind wandered off to what they'd been talking about. Hot springs…with Naruto…In the hot springs…A furious red blush crept up Gaara's neck and he felt the heat in his cheeks.
"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, staring at his friend with concerned blue eyes. "You seem to be burning up,"
"I-I'm fine," Gaara replied. He shook his head, clearing the thoughts that ran through his mind. No, no, don't think about it! Don't think about it! But, Naruto in the hot springs…No!
"Are you sure? You don't look too good," Naruto asked.
"Naruto, I'm fine," Gaara insisted.
"Really? You're face is all red. Are you getting a fever or something?" Naruto then reached over and placed his hand on Gaara's forehead. "You are pretty warm," the blonde said.
Naruto's hand on Gaara's forehead was all it took for the red-head to practically become overwhelmed in sudden rather…indecent thoughts, and raging emotions. But he didn't tell Naruto to remove his hand. On the contrary, Naruto's hand felt cool against his burning skin and Gaara welcomed the touch and feel of it. He didn't want Naruto to pull away, and felt unusually empty when the blonde finally did.
"Maybe we should head back. You don't look so good," Naruto said.
"I told you, Naruto, I'm fine," Gaara said sounding convincing.
"You sure? Okay, then, let's go look around. I want something to buy as a souvenir to bring home," Naruto said, getting up.
The boys disposed of trash, left the restaurant and began walking down the streets for a store that sold souvenirs. They ended up walking around shops for another half hour, and returned to the hotel, laden with bags of merchandise. Naruto claimed he was tired from the shopping and returned to his room, and Gaara reluctantly returned to his own.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sasuke returned to his room in a bad mood. Sasuke hadn't seen Naruto all day. It was around four-forty and the class was supposed to be ready to leave by five-thirty for Sapporo. He'd gone to the blonde's room in the morning, but he'd left and had eaten breakfast with Shikamaru and Kiba. Then, around lunch, the blonde had disappeared completely, and Sasuke had no idea where he'd gone. He'd checked out town, but had only ran into Sakura and Ino, and in his desperate haste to get away, forgot to ask them if they'd seen Naruto. Now, he'd just been at Naruto's door, but no one had answered. Either they were all sleeping or were somewhere else. Sasuke wasn't in the mood to check around anymore, so he headed to his room next door.
To further increase his bad mood, Neji and Gaara were both there. The two bastards were lying on their beds watching T.V. Sasuke took his own bed, laid down on his back and stared at the ceiling. As he just lay there, he started thinking and a realization crept into this mind and he mentally punched himself not thinking about it before. Maybe Naruto had been with one of the bastards the entire day. But, which one? Gaara or Neji? …Not Neji because he had followed me around for awhile, also looking for Naruto, and then he returned up to the room. Then, what about Gaara? Sasuke sat up abruptly, finding his victim. It had to be Gaara. How had Sasuke not seen that? The red-head hadn't been in the hotel at all the entire afternoon.
"…Gaara? Were you with Naruto today?" Sasuke asked carefully.
Gaara didn't even look at him and said, "Maybe,"
Neji turned to stare at Gaara and Sasuke.
Sasuke clenched his teeth and said, "Answer the question, Gaara,"
A moment's silence and then, "Yes, I did. Naruto and I went out for lunch," Gaara replied, still not looking at Sasuke.
"What!" Sasuke and Neji said angrily.
"And, then, we walked around the town shopping for souvenirs for awhile," Gaara continued.
"What!"
"It was really a lot of fun," Gaara finished.
Sasuke and Neji both glared at him. "What did you two talk about?"
"Oh, nothing really," Gaara answered, now amused at the pissed off looks on the two bastards. "Just little things like how Naruto's sooo excited to go to the hot springs this evening,"
Sasuke and Neji glared at Gaara even more. The, Sasuke turned to glance at the clock, and was surprised to find it read four-fifty. Sasuke quickly got to his feet and walked out the door.
I'll go get Naruto now and then that way neither bastard can come near him, Sasuke thought angrily as he put on his shoes and grabbed his coat, heading out into the hall. But, just behind him was Neji and Gaara, both of whom had realized the Uchiha's motives and followed him.
"Don't follow me, you bastards," Sasuke ground out.
"I'm not. I just want to talk to Naruto," Gaara said.
"You've talked to him enough already today," Neji said.
Sasuke ignored them, and was about to knock on Naruto's door when words from the other side caught his ear. He lowered his hand and listened.
"What are you doing, Uchiha? If you're not going to knock, then shove aside so I can," Neji said.
"Shut up, Hyuuga. I'm trying to hear something," Sasuke snapped. He leaned closer to the door and then felt his heart stop at what he heard. He could feel both Neji and Gaara tense up beside him. They had both heard it, too.
It had been Shikamaru saying, "Come on, Naruto, it's just for one night,"
"B-But, I don't know," Naruto said, sounding hesitant about something.
"Oi, Naruto, just make up your mind, will you?" Kiba said. "It isn't such a hard decision. Either you're in, or you're not,"
"B-But, it's a hard decision to make!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Don't worry. We probably won't do this for awhile. Just this once," Shikamaru said.
"What's the harm in that, Naruto?" Kiba asked.
"I don't know, guys." Naruto said. "It had better be worth it, or I'll be so so mad,"
"Have we ever disappointed you before, Naruto?" Shikamaru questioned.
"No, you haven't, that's true," Naruto said.
At these words, Sasuke, Neji, and Gaara all practically gasped and leaned closer, their ears pressed against the wooden door. The three began clenching their fists angrily, and passerby could hear the low growling and grinding teeth.
"So, what's the big deal?" Kiba said.
"We've already told you it'll be worth the money," Shikamaru said.
"But I'm being careful. I-I've never done this before," Naruto said.
"It's okay to be inexperienced, Naruto. That's why practice makes perfect," Kiba said. "So, practice with us, and you'll be a pro at no time,"
"You'll be pleased with the results, Naruto. Everything will be all right, you'll see," Shikamaru said.
"But, it just doesn't seem right," Naruto said.
"Aw, who cares! Go on impulse for once Naruto! Just do it!" Kiba coaxed.
"And it's just this night," Shikamaru added. "What can you lose?"
"Not much, I guess," Naruto said.
Sasuke, Neji and Gaara began seething thunderously. What the hell is going on? I'm going to kill Shikamaru and Kiba! Those bastards are worse than these two next to me! They all thought.
"All right, Naruto. We've wasted too much time," Shikamaru said. "Either you decide now, or we'll skip you. But, you'll have another turn later,"
"So, what's it going to be, Naruto?" Kiba asked. "Don't worry, we know what's best and you will be rewarded,"
"I-I-I--" Naruto began. "Um, I think I will--"
No! I can't let him! I'll never let them touch him!
"NARUTO!" Sasuke, Neji, and Gaara all yelled, throwing open the door and storming inside.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A/N: Hehe, I gave you a cliffhanger! You all hate me for that right! Dun dun dun, what was Naruto, Kiba and Shikamaru doing? Wait until chapter 12 which I hope to get up within the next two weeks. Depends on how much other stuff I can write.
Okay, all of the information on the sites of Hokkaido I researched and found online. If you are interested, the sites are:
This site has a good picture of the Goryokaku Fort which is the most interesting thing in Hokkaido that I found. If you want to see how the Pentagram Fort looks like, check out the site. It is a really sweet picture, but kind of small.
And, I don't know if the sites work when you just type it in. I got this all from Google, so yeah. If they don't work sorry! I'll figure it out and rewrite them in the next chapter.
Thanks again all of you!
SilverRose88.