A/N: ...Does anyone really know what the name of Sephiroth's annoying attack is in KH? The game guide was saying Sin Harvest but there's been much debate. -_-"
So I've been sick twice in a span of two weeks. Ugh. Bummer! Caught a cold, went away after a few days. Then I start coughing and then catching ANOTHER cold! The hell is that about?! I blame the man seated next to me on my airplane ride who kept coughing without even bothering to cover his damn mouth. Thanks a lot, stranger!
Aaaaand here's the next chapter. Hope it makes you smile :D
*DISCLAIMER APPLIES*
BEFORE THE WORST
Birthday Surprise
The blonde, clad in casual attire which consisted of dark blue jeans, a black shirt, and an orange with hints of onyx jacket, skipped to school that day and ignored the odd stares of the people she passed on the way. What? There was absolutely nothing embarrassing about being excited about your birthday. So what if she was too old to be doing such childish gestures? It was her flipping birthday and she could skip for as hell'a long as she wanted!
Humming the birthday tune to herself, she began to anticipate the day that was to be ahead of her. Sakura apparently had set up something to celebrate the occasion. Although try as Naruto might to probe the other for the surprise, Sakura was unyielding and remained firm to not spill the beans. Little bubbles in Naruto's stomach simultaneously popped as she hummed and skipped and attempted to predict what was in store for her. So lost was she in her own version of cloud nine, she failed to notice a root of a tree innocently sticking out of the ground.
Of course, who would Naruto be without her very often bouts of clumsiness.
"CRAAAAP!"
Her scream cut her tune short and she flopped gracelessly to the ground. After allowing herself to groan out in pain for a few seconds, she sat up and glared at the offending tree root. "Where the fuck do these things keep popping up? That wasn't even there yesterday!" With a pout and a kick to the root, Naruto was satisfied with her revenge against a tree.
"Well that wasn't humiliating." A hand was then extended to aid the girl to stand up from her nasty fall.
"Yeah, yeah. Shut up will you. It's not like this is anything new." Naruto accepted the help while simultaneously dusting herself off using her free hand.
"People would think you'd grow out of that. Tch. Clumsy as ever." While the words of insult were being said, an unopened game package was tossed to her, which she fortunately caught. Her azure eyes widened to saucer-like proportions at the sight of the object in her palms. This was...
"Happy Birthday, moron." Sasuke monotonously said in all his dashing glory. Although appearing bored, his midnight eyes said otherwise. If one looked closely enough, you'd notice how the sharp gaze would soften for Naruto alone. The touching scene however was short-lived because not two seconds later, Naruto screamed like a banshee and flung her arms around her best friend, effectively wrinkling his ironed shirt.
"Sasuke, you rock! I love you for this!" God. Sasuke was a jerk but it was moments like these that the Uchiha redeemed himself. Sasuke had just gotten her the recently released remastered copy of her favourite game. This was a truly glorious moment! Maybe now she could finally beat that silver-haired douche and that annoying 'Sin Harvest' without Sasuke's help. That boss was a fucking asshole...
Although Sasuke was certainly appreciating Naruto's close proximity, he however was not appreciating the cut circulation of air. "L-let g-go, dumba-asss. Killing me."
"Nope. Not gonna!" Naruto only tightened her hold as she was also enjoying the fact that she had Sasuke in her arms. Not long after, Sasuke could be heard wheezing and turning blue from the lack of air.
This was the end for him, wasn't it? And he'd been foolish to think he could get more out of life. He saw his short-lived existence flash before his eyes. Memories upon memories played in his mind like a vivid movie. As the seconds ticked by, he felt his life being taken away from him. His body went slack and all feeling had shut down. It was time to say goodbye to this world. It was time to say goodbye to the light – the sun. His sun.
And that was how Naruto murdered her best friend.
. . .
"Fucking melodramatic bastard. Stop pretending like I killed you, ass."
Tch. It was about time Naruto let go. He was actually starting to believe that he was actually dying.
"You might as well have. What are you? Secretly a man? Squeezed the life out of me, you dolt." Today was a really special day, Naruto supposed, if Sasuke was willingly bantering with her to that degree. Just like old times. She was quick to let off the insult in favour of relishing the fact that Sasuke was acting like his old self; her less-of-a-bastard Sasuke. Today was actually having a good start.
Although the day had just begun, she had a feeling that nothing could and would go wrong.
This was going to be an awesome birthday. She could tell.
llllllllllllllllllll
School had dragged on lesser than usual today and the day went by quickly. Naruto had received the expected greets and a few gifts here and there. Org activities had been rather uneventful as was expected since the academic year had just begun. Just a few cheer chant practices for the newbies of Leaf Twist and a few taught choreographies. Naruto, who had been bored out of her mind that whole time (because, cripes! They practice the darn things thrice a week!), had taken to imagining how the day would turn out; and every so often she had snuck glimpses of Sasuke practicing with the football team. It came to no surprise to her that Sasuke had gotten a spot on the team. The guy was really good at the sport. And as she had stared on, she regretfully had to admit to herself that Sasuke looked damn hot in his football uniform. With his sweat dripping down his form, and his hair attractively clinging to his face. His jersey clung to him like a lifeline which accentuated his lean muscles. And God... the sight of him panting was just...
"Naruto, you're drooling." Naruto snapped out of her stupor as Sakura had called out to her. They were currently walking towards the park along with all of their friends trailing behind. The whiskered-cheeks immediately turned crimson red as everyone laughed at her mortifying display. She quickly wiped her drool using her sleeve in an unlady-like fashion.
"Hey, so just tell me what you've got planned today!" The topic change was definitely intentional. The blonde's gaze flitted to the large bag Sasuke was carrying for Sakura. According to the Haruno, the bag contained all her materials for Naruto's surprise.
"Sakura's doesn't get all the credit, blondie. We helped out too, y'know." Kiba, with Akamaru in tow, said as he slung his arm around Naruto's smaller frame. The dog barked in agreement with its owner. Naruto, time and time again, fleetingly marvelled over Akamaru's growth over the last year.
"We hope you l-l-like it," Hinata muttered all the while prettily hiding a blush that was forming.
"It's a bit simple though so don't expect something too big." Ino, who was walking next to Shikamaru and Chouji, stated from way behind the group. Shino, as silent as usual, chose to simply listen in on the exchange of words.
"Nah. I don't really care if it's something small. It's the thought that counts, right?" Naruto said in an audible voice to get the message across. For someone who initially did not have friends to begin with, something like this would always be a big deal no matter how simple the gesture.
"By the way, where are Tenten, Lee and Neji? I thought they'd be coming with us?" Kiba asked his female MS teammate about the whereabouts of her cousin and her cousin's posse.
"He s-s-said they would catch up. They had to turn in something r-real quick."
"Ah. They should hurry the hell up. Otherwise they won't be able to have some of the gru- OW!" Ino promptly threw a pebble right at the back of Kiba's head. The brunet turned around and angrily searched for the culprit.
"Shut up, mutt! You almost ruined the damn surprise!" Ino shook a fist in the air.
"Sure! But did you have to throw a flipping pebble!" Kiba now equally had his feathers ruffled.
"Yeah! Because you would have blabbed if I hadn't!" An immense battle was about to commence. One that none of the members of the group could prevent
"Hey! Will you two stop fighting and start setting up the mats! The stuff is getting cold!" Sakura pointed to a particular spot below one of an array of trees. Apparently the scare of the 'stuff' getting cold was enough to erase the threat of a raging war between two spitfire individuals. Kiba swiftly took one of the mats Ino had in her possession and sprinted towards the desired spot.
"Hey!" Likewise, Ino trailed after the brunet, eager to daintily place the mat on the leaf-covered ground.
Naruto took this time to appreciate the magnificent scenery of their venue. It was autumn, her favourite season. The sun was shining which was a seldom occurrence during that time of the year.
The mixture of browns, reds, yellows, and oranges of the surroundings were such a delight to her. The crunching noises of the fallen leaves gave her such childlike joy that she almost had the urge to go skip around the park just so she could hear that peculiar satisfying crinkling sound. The feel of the chilling breeze gave her such a refreshing sensation to the point that she had to physically smile to show how pleased she was.
"Yo! Sasuke! Hurry up, will ya! We're done putting the mats!" Kiba shouted from not too far away, willing for the Uchiha to speed up so they could finally reveal the surprise. Sasuke rolled his eyes and, just to spite Kiba, walked a few paces slower. As if he would take orders from that mutt.
"For God's sake!" Kiba, in his frustration, growled before running towards Sasuke. The raven-haired teen smirked before extending his arm to give Kiba the bag which the latter grumpily took. The fanged boy ran back to start placing the containers found within the bag on the mats.
"Eh? Food? Is that food?" Naruto quirked her head to side as the sight of a huge display of food was brought out.
"Uh-huh! We all made a little something for you so we could have our own picnic at the park." Sakura informed the birthday celebrant. It was finally revealed that her friends had put in their individual effort to make her day a little more special. Heh. Who cared if it was but a mere small gesture? It was anything but in her eyes. A genuine breath-taking smile played upon her lips as Naruto looked upon the set-up Kiba and Ino had finally finished making.
"Hey." Sasuke called out which Naruto fully regarded. To her surprise, the boy was holding a scrumptious chocolate and vanilla cake. Atop the pastry were two lit numeral candles – a one and a five. Suddenly the group had begun to sing out the traditional 'Happy Birthday Song' in a most embarrassingly loud manner. Of course, Naruto, like any other person who'd had the song sung to them, didn't know what to do with herself. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Neji, Tenten and Lee finally arrive; the three immediately joining in the song. Her eyes slowly raked over the smiling faces of all her friends. The final destination of her gaze was the apple of her eye; and her eyes stayed there, refusing to direct themselves elsewhere. Sasuke had on the softest expression she'd seen him make. Involuntarily, the girl ended up beaming out of the general bliss she was experiencing. And as the group put their song to an end, one thought flashed across Naruto's mind.
"You guys are the best! Thank you! Now, let's go eat!"
This day just couldn't get any better.
llllllllllllllllllll
After eating their fill, the group dispersed into their own little activities. Kiba, Akamaru, Ino, Lee and Tenten resorted to playing Frisbee in the nearby open space. Shikamaru and Chouji, as expected, chose to have a brief rest under the shade of an adjacent tree. Shino, Hinata and Neji were quietly conversing as they picked at the served fruits. Sasuke, choosing to isolate himself, leaned against one of the farther trees as he watched the noisy Frisbee-playing bunch. Sakura and Naruto, in a comfortable silence, stood just a handful of metres away from the Uchiha. Overall, it was a pleasant scenery of teenagers having a good time.
"Sakura-chan, I just wanted to thank you for setting this up, y'know. It was really something." Naruto genuinely expressed her gratitude. Sakura had made truly made this a birthday to remember. Actually, it was by far the best birthday celebration she'd had.
"Don't thank me. It was Sasuke who actually planned it out. I was just his spokesperson."
"Eh?!"
The admittance caught Naruto off-guard. She wasn't expecting that. Not by a long shot.
"Seriously?! I expected something like this from you. Not from Sasuke. He's a prick! Pricks don't go out of their way to plan parties!" The blonde definitely had trouble wrapping her mind around that idea. Really! It was either Sakura was pulling her leg or there was really something wrong with Sasuke.
Sakura giggled at the younger lass' reaction. It was hilarious because the pinkette had felt the exact same way when Sasuke approached her about the matter. "Aw come on, he's not that bad! He'd been planning this since last week, you know. Seemed enthusiastic about it too. Well... as enthusiastic Sasuke can get at least. You should go say thank you."
"Che! Like I'd ever say thank you to that jerk. He'd never let me live it down. I can totally tell he's gonna ask something ridiculous from m-."Maybe it was a bad idea that she looked over to her best friend that particular instant. It had become a normal occurrence that, whenever she saw Sasuke, her mind would stop working for a couple of seconds. It was for that exact reason that she'd stopped talking mid-rant. Now her mind had to reboot for the millionth time that day! It was annoying! Why'd Sasuke have to look all cool against that damn tree! Stupid Sasuke with his stupid attitude and his stupid random acts of kindness and—and - Crap! Naruto loved that damn bastard!
The Haruno girl couldn't stop herself from smiling over the fact that Naruto had been staring at Sasuke for the past few seconds now. That dumbbell could go mouth abuse at the boy all she wanted but that didn't erase the evident attraction. "Go say thank you, Naruto. And while you're at it, go tell him already. He won't reject you. I can feel it."
Naruto kept her head directed towards the raven-haired male just a few steps away. "What made you say that?" A soft breeze gently tickled at their skin, offering a moment's peace.
Sakura shrugged before answering. "It's your birthday. What kind of asshole rejects a girl on their birthday?" Aside from the fact that he actually feels the same way about you, she added as an afterthought.
There was another pregnant pause in the conversation; the only sound would be Kiba and the others' muffled laughter and calming sound of the wind. Naruto suddenly sighed before squaring her shoulders. "The kind that calls his best friend all kinds of variations for the word stupid, mistakes said best friend – his perfectly normal girl best friend - for a boy for two years, and spends ninety-nine percent of the day glaring at everyone and everything including, you guessed it, the best friend." Naruto then began to walk towards Sasuke after her tirade. "Wish me luck."
"Good luck!" It wasn't as if Naruto needed it anyway but Sakura, being such a considerate girl, indulged the other. Anything to get those two together quicker.
As Naruto steadily approached the Uchiha, her strides began to lessen in confidence. Suddenly, she felt guilty for internally bad-mouthing Sasuke. Next, she felt guilty because Sakura was watching. What if Sakura wasn't over Sasuke yet? Then she started to feel insecure. Sasuke was for sure gonna reject her and then their friendship would start to crumble and splat to the ground. Sasuke would hate her. That thought alone was enough to make stop more than halfway of the way and shrink within herself. Her heart was beating like crazy and she was breathing heavily. She couldn't do this. Not yet. She wasn't ready. The girl was about to spin on her heels to walk away when...
"Running away isn't like you! Just do it!" The blonde heard Sakura scold from behind. The older girl was right. Uzumaki Naruto never backed down even if she was batshit scared. Straightening her posture once more, she walked the remaining paces to Sasuke.
The fact that Sasuke chose that precise moment to look exceptionally angelic was enough to quell the raging anxiety in Naruto's psyche. There was a specific word for that instant. Kairos – the circumstances that open moments of opportunity. It was a word Naruto recalled Jiraiya saying out loud before hitting on an unsuspecting girl (and subsequently getting slapped for it). The old man's constant use of the word had lessened the true impact of such an expression. Overuse and overexposure tended to have that effect on a person. It was an unfortunate human error to take for granted things that hold so much importance, thinking that they stay with you forever. Thankfully, all a person needed was one moment to remind them of the utmost value of something. That one moment that knocks you off your feet and reacquaints you of the true worth of something precious.
This was such a moment.
The wind caught Sasuke's hair, allowing the tresses to flow effortlessly with the breeze. The sun hit him at just the right angle. The shadows his features created on his person enhanced his sharp appearance. Looking at the casual aura of his outline unconsciously had Naruto generally relaxing her wound up condition.
From the distance, Naruto heard Kiba call out to the Uchiha. "Sasuke! Naruto! C'mere and help me out with these thugs!"
To Naruto's disappointment, Sasuke made motions of leaving his spot and joining in on the Frisbee game. Damn Kiba and his fucked up timing! In a sudden panic, she reached out and grabbed onto Sasuke's hand. Before the Uchiha could question the gesture, Naruto had been saved.
"Stay there, you two! I'm playing! It's time I one-up Ino on our rivalry without your help anyway!" Sakura remarked as she passed across the two best friends and proceeded to play with the noisy teens on the field.
God bless Sakura, Naruto internally exclaimed as she let go of Sasuke's hand.
"Think she can handle her own against Ino?" Sasuke commented as he went back to leaning against the tree.
"I ain't got any doubt she'll win this round. She's pretty determined since Ino won the last one. Remember? The tree climbing race last month?" Naruto giggled at the memory. The sight of two teenage girls in their prim cheerleading uniform rabidly climbing a tree was pretty damn ridiculous; entertaining as hell but ridiculous as fuck. Sasuke, in turn, chuckled at the memory. Unlady-like behaviour really didn't suit those two.
When the short bout of chuckling died down, Naruto cleared her throat as a preparation. It was time, she figured.
"Sasuke?"
Sasuke turned his attention from the Frisbee players to his blond-haired companion. He adorably tilted his head as he grunted his acknowledgment to his name being called.
"Listen, I'm only gonna say this once so... so.. you better listen well, bastard! I'm not gonna say it a second time, ya hear!" By the time Naruto finished her opener, her face had assumed the colour that would make a tomato jealous. The crimson colouration was visible on her ears and even down her neck.
"What's up with your face, dumbbell?" Sasuke questioned as he took notice of Naruto's sudden change in skin pallor.
"Never mind that now, idiot! Just shut up and listen, okay!" Naruto took deep breaths and braced herself. God. Who knew confessing would be this hard?! Props to Sakura for braving through this feat, that was for sure!
Sakura, who hadn't really been earnestly playing, stopped all motion and watched from afar the duo. The suspense was killing her! Those two needed to get together pronto!
"Yo, Sakura! Why'd you stop?" Kiba, accompanied by Akamaru, approached his teammate. Surely there was a reason why she stopped playing all of a sudden. The brunet lad followed her line of sight and noticed Sasuke and Naruto whom appeared to be conversing. Hmmm. Maybe Sakura wanted Tweedleprick and Tweedlestump to join in that's why she stopped? Mmmm... Yeah. That had to be it.
"Sasuke! Naru—MMPH!" Suddenly, Sakura pounced on the Inuzuka boy and covered his mouth.
"Shut up, dogboy! Don't bother them!"
Akamaru, thinking that the two were playing a new game, decided to join in on the dog pile. Their Frisbee team had now been reduced to a heap of rolling masses on the ground.
"What's going on?" Ino, finally growing tired of waiting for the opposing team to make their move, approached them, leaving her two other teammates to stand ground. Before Sakura could even explain, Ino caught sight of the visual of Sasuke and Naruto. She gasped, "Is that what I think it is?!"
"Yup!" Sakura confirmed as she pushed Kiba's head down to the ground while Akamaru gave the brunet boy dog kisses.
"Then that means!"
"Yes, Ino." Sakura, letting go of her harsh hold on Kiba, stood up and dusted the dirt off her clothes.
"Hey! What am I missing here?" Kiba sat up while embracing his beloved dog in his arms.
"Shut it, Kibbles! We'll explain later!" Ino squealed as they excitedly watched on.
"Che. I'll never understand women... Good thing we have each other, eh Akamaru?" The gigantic dog yipped in response. The sound of which caused Ino and Sakura to simultaneously shush them.
In the other part of the field, Naruto remained unknowing of the attention she was being given by her friends and remained focussed on the task at hand. Her fast beating her heart had not calmed in the slightest in the past few minutes since she started the conversation with Sasuke. If she didn't end this soon, she might just get a heart attack!
"You were saying?" He quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Sasuke, I... I ... I—I like..." FUCK! Her heart felt like bursting! A heart couldn't possibly beat this fast, could it?!
The lack of words was starting to grate on the raven-haired teen's nerves. "Spit it out, moron."
"I'm g-getting to that, assho-hole! Cripes! Just... Listen carefully okay! Cause I swear if you don't fucking hear it, I am absolutely positively NOT repeating it!"
"Yeah, yeah. You said that already. Just spill already, dead last."
By that time, the two were already face to face, both with a challenging aura about them. It was obvious that the atmosphere was getting too intense for them to handle. This meant Naruto had to put this to a conclusion soon or they just might blow up in rage at each other.
"Fuching hell! Sasuke! I-I-I li-like y-y-yo... ARGH!" Naruto pulled on her hair. She had had enough of the stress! "SasukeIfreakingreallyreallylikeyouokayyoujerk!" She said in one breath. She'd said it... She'd flipping said it. Hot damn, did she feel good right now. Light-headed and a bit dizzy, but good nonetheless. Gosh. Was it just her or was the world spinning twice as fast? Cripes... She needed to lie down.
The words, because they were said exceptionally fast, could be deemed unclear by the young Uchiha. Sasuke remained slack-jaw for a handful of seconds, seemingly unsure of what he'd just heard. What the hell did she just...?
"Sa-Sasuke? Hey? Talk to me." The cold sweat then began to take over. Another round of tension began as Sasuke remained speechless.
Five seconds of silence.
"Sasuke?"
Seven.
"This is getting awkward, jerk."
Ten.
"I swear if you don't talk soon, I'm gonna-"
Then Sasuke's awed expression changed. The bastard was grinning in that maniacal way. And he was chuckling! What an asshole!
"Can you repeat that? It was too fast for me to hear." From the elated expression on Sasuke's face, Naruto judged that the matter was anything but. It was impossible that he hadn't heard what she'd mumbled out to him!
"You smug, lying ass! Like hell you didn't hear!" Naruto was bright red. She took a step back as Sasuke's uncharacteristic lopsided grin intensified and effectively irritated (embarrassed) the hell out of her.
"No, really. I didn't understand a word you said. Say it again."Sasuke pulled on her jacket sleeve in an attempt to close the forming space between them.
Her cheeks were burning and Sasuke wasn't making the situation any easier. It was time she escaped the mortification altogether. "Well sucks for you cause I am not saying it again! Go jump off a cliff!" Naruto pulled her sleeve free from Sasuke's grasp and ran towards Sakura. Playing Frisbee would calm her down. Yeah. That was the solution - Frisbee. Maybe she could 'accidentally' toss the Frisbee in Sasuke's direction and hit the bastard on the head or something.
"Sakura! Kiba! I'm on your team! Drop the questions and let's play!"
Sasuke heard Naruto's voice shout from not too far away. He chuckled and silently agreed with his best friend. He really was an A-grade asshole. But you couldn't really blame him. The raven-haired teen looked on at the others and zeroed in on a particular blonde. His eyes softened and he smirked at his idiotic friend.
It was a good day and Sasuke surmised that it could not get any better.
llllllllllllllllllll
"I am sooooo sorry, Sasuke. I honestly didn't mean to hit you on the head with the disc." The exaggerated drawl in Naruto's tone was proof enough that she had in fact meant to hit him with the Frisbee disc. Tch. And she called him an asshole? Pot. Kettle. Black.
Sasuke rubbed at the forming bump at the back of his head. This was what he got for teasing her. He couldn't believe he liked this dumb abusive tomboy!
Noticing the discreet pout of Sasuke's lips, Naruto's guilt surfaced. The guy did just plan the little get-together for her birthday. She guessed Sasuke didn't really deserve the beating. "Hey... Thanks for today. That was really nice of you." Naruto reached for Sasuke's hand and tightly held onto it. She angled her head in such a way that the blush on her cheek wasn't so noticeable to her companion. "Oh, and I guess I should thank you for walking me home too... even though I could so totally walk home on my own." The last sentence was mumbled disdainfully.
"Who are you kidding? You'd trip and sprain yourself if I'd left you." That was probably true. Lord knew that Naruto tripping over air was just as normal as humans breathing air. It was a just a natural phenomenon.
So it seemed that Sasuke hadn't heard her confession judging from his general non response (which resulted to the lack of awkward blushing on Naruto's part). Although much to Sasuke's dismay, it seemed that Naruto was truly intent to keep true to her promise of not repeating her words. So far there had been no attempt to hint on a confession. Naruto surmised it to be alright. At least the walk home wasn't bathed in discomfort. Such a day would have been ruined if that were the case.
The sunset was long gone and the calm darkness of the night had fallen. Although the weekend had begun, there was an unusual peace about the neighbourhood. Everyone appeared to be nestled in their homes, leaving the street tranquil and serene. The orange glow of the street lamps provided the necessary lighting for the scene. The chilly autumn breeze only added to the atmosphere that the two teenagers were bathed in.
Silence.
They say that a friendship was truly strong when the need to fill the silence with unnecessary chatter and noise was absent.
And it was true.
Sasuke and Naruto, despite the latter being the loud-mouthed girl that she was, loved times like these. A companionable silence that truly spoke plain and true volumes of their thoughts, their emotions, their love than any spoken words could; and oh how they wished it would never end!
However, the sight of Naruto's home heralded the end of such a beautiful moment between the two individuals whose fingers were interlaced in an almost lover's hold. In a vain attempt to slow down time, they walked on the cement path to the house unhurriedly. Leisurely took one, two steps to climb to the front door. And then they stopped.
"So... uhh. We're here, I guess." Naruto bashfully stated the obvious as she turned to face her best friend.
"Hn. Yeah."
And cue in a break in their goodnights.
"Thanks again for today, Sasuke. You made this day really special." The blonde's hand, unbeknownst to her, was still connected with the raven's. "This is goodnight?" She said with an inflection to her sentence.
"Night." Sasuke responded yet made no moves to leave the vicinity.
Seconds pass with no movement from the two teens.
Naruto awkwardly coughed. "You're not leaving." Another account of the obvious.
Sasuke, to her surprise, chuckled. An evident mirth was visible in Sasuke's eyes when he locked his gaze to hers. "Well, I would, but a certain blockhead seems to refuse to let go of my hand." To prove his point, the Uchiha raised his left hand to show her their still interlocked fingers.
You could imagine how Naruto was reduced to a blubbering red mess instantaneously. She pulled her hand free from the contact and took her keys out of her pocket. "Che! Go home, Sasuke! There's only so much of your face I can take in a day before I get sick of it!" The sound of the door being unsuccessfully unlocked prevailed.
"Hn." Sasuke turned to leave. Mentally laughing at Naruto's struggle to open the door, he casually went down the two steps to the cement path. It was then that he decided to give Naruto the closure she needed. Plus, he couldn't really keep the words left unsaid anymore anyway.
"Oh, by the way, Naruto. I like you too."
The scratching sound of keys against the doorknob stopped instantly and the jingle of said keys being dropped to the ground became prominent in the silent neighbourhood. "Did you-?" Naruto looked to her friend, her expression enough to depict what she intended to ask.
Sasuke briefly turned to her from where he stood and smirked. "You heard me. I'll see you tomorrow." Then he left. This was why she just hated Sasuke sometimes. Fucker just had to look cool.
Wait...
I like you too?
That asshole DID hear her! Motherfu-!
"SASUKE, YOU BASTARD!"
From the sidewalk, Sasuke smirked, feeling quite pleased with himself. A bastard had to do what a bastard had to do and that included making your best friend's life a little more difficult. To Sasuke's defence, he'd just simply wanted to hear Naruto confess that she liked him a second time, for obvious reasons of course. Those were words he wanted to hear coming from her after all. He expected her to rage quit on him for such a request but ruffling the blonde's feathers up was too fun of a bonus to pass up. Riling that girl up was admittedly Uchiha Sasuke's favourite pastime.
At that same moment, Sasuke and Naruto respectively smiled.
They'd been wrong.
The day just got better; and it had been the best day for the both of them so far.