Eighty-two reviews? LEGIT? You all just want to kill me with your love, don't you o.o? I nearly DIED of happiness, guys. Died... -insert epicness here- So I must reward you all with an update, huh? xD You all just want me to update earlier than planned... I SEE THROUGH YOUR EVIL SASUNARU-LOVING WAYS~
WE'VE SAVED SO MANY BABY PANDAS -tears up- Feel like drawing a panda now... o_o
And thanks to operagirl76 for catching my typos... lawl.. I am the typo queen, v.v.
Warning: Welp, the "truth" is finally revealed. About time... c.c
Disclaimer: I OWN MY NARUTO UNDIES AND PANTIES! LMFAO. I kid, I don't even have such things... though that would be cool...
Enjoy my beautiful readers!
Chapter Seven: Sixth Promise
+I'll Make Myself Known To You+
The blond was a bouncing ball of sunshine, rainbows, unicorns, pretty little flowers—you know, the works. Why, you wonder? Well, of course it's because of a certain promise Naruto received this morning...
"You've got to be shitting me," Kiba shook his head in disbelief as he popped open his water bottle and poured the water over his head. He shook the water out of his hair. "She did not say that."
"She did!" Naruto jumped on the balls of his seat—excitement was pumping haphazardly through his veins. "Sakura's going to tell me she's my secret admirer!"
"I don't believe it. Why would she do that after the past week? She blew off her promise to sit with you at lunch!"
"I already forgave her for that," the blond waved the matter away with his hand. Practice was over, and as usual, both Kiba and Naruto were wondering how their bodies managed to survive such hellish practices without completely giving up on them.
Naruto was running on the energy of happiness through out the whole practice. Knowing that today would finallybe the day he'd get together with his childhood crush, Sakura, made his kicks extra powerful, his sprints even faster, and his endurance kick up a notch. Blinding love was the drug that just kept Naruto going and going... and going.
The brunet held in a groan. He was happy for his best friend, really, but he couldn't help but feel a little sick in his stomach. "I'm happy for you, dude, but can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, go ahead." Naruto shrugged, a goofy smile was hanging off his face. "S'not like you've waited for my permission to do something before."
Kiba chuckled. Naruto had a point there. "Okay, so what if this secret admirer wasn'tSakura... what would you do?"
"Dramatically speaking or realistically speaking?"
"Realistically speaking."
"Hmm..." Naruto scratched at his chin. His mind painted his imagination—the scene of the dreaded moment being filled in with paint buckets of colors and emotions. He could see his admirer, but it was not the girl he wanted it to be. In all honesty... it was a certain raven with piercing onyx eyes and a terribly handsome smirk... "You know... I think I'd cry."
Kiba huffed, "I asked for you to be realistic, bitch!"
"And I'm telling you what I'd seriously do, you whore!" Naruto snapped.
"Legit?"
Naruto nodded, "Straight up." and that was that. If Naruto was going to be truly honest with himself, a small part of him seemed to be... content with the outcome his imagination painted. It wouldn't be terribly bad—more surprising than anything else. Sure, his heart would be crushed if Sakura wasn't his admirer, but if it were, let's say, Sasuke who had been giving him those roses and fulfilling promises, Naruto didn't know he would act.
And that was just plain scary.
"Hey guys!" Suigetsu jogged over to them with a smile the two of them have come to known as "Why yes, I am up to something. Thanks for asking". Gaara was right behind him since he normally stayed to watch practice and sometimes manage the players—he was surprisingly good at telling people what to do.
"Yo, Suigetsu. What's up?" Naruto asked.
"Well, tonight we're having a party. You know, it's for all the Spring sports teams who made it. We have one every year aaaandd..." he held his breath for dramatic effect, "You guys are invited!"
The brunet's eyes were sparkling firecrackers as he jumped up and down, hollering away. "No way, you being legit, Suigetsu? Don't you fucking lie to me or I'll kick your ass!"
"Would I lie about a party? Hell no! And stay away from my ass, it's too beautiful for you to handle." Suigetsu smirked and whipped out his cellphone. "Here, give me your numbers and I'll text you the deetz." numbers exchanged, Suigetsu stuffed his cellphone in his pocket and flashed the three a peace sign, telling them he'd see them at the party tonight.
"You know what I just realized...?" Naruto asked slowly.
"Hmm?" Kiba had shoved a stick of chocolate Pocky in his mouth and was sucking away at it as the two walked down to the parking lot to pile in Gaara's car—he was the only one with a vehicle at the moment as Kiba's totaled his and Naruto didn't have one.
"Sakura's going to be at that party! Dude's, this is the moment I've been waiting for!" Naruto jumped into the passenger seat—since it was his week of radio privileges (Gaara made it a rule that whoever sat in that seat had the right to listen to what they want, when they want, and no one could bitch about it). His hands fiddled with the radio dial and blasted FM 97 that was, coincidentally playing Naruto's favorite song: Stereo Hearts.
Gaara managed to hold back an eye roll as he piled into the driver's seat and stuck the key into the ignition. "Don't you think you're a little too optimistic for this? There's a huge chance it's not Sakura."
"And there's the even bigger chance it's Sakura! Don't try to knock me off my Happy Stool."
"Happy Stool?" Gaara looked up into the rearview mirror, cocking his non-existent eyebrow to the brunet in the back.
Kiba chomped off a piece of his Pocky. "Hell if I know. Kid makes up new shit everyday it's so hard to keep track."
Gaara shrugged. Fair enough. "As your friend, I just want you to be careful. The higher you get your hopes up, the more pain you're going to feel once their crushed."
"I know, I know," the blond let out an exasperated sigh. He hated hearing his friends talk like this—with logic and reason, with his best intentions in mind—but he would like some support here! His heart was on the verge of failing from all the nervousness clawing at his body that he thought he was going to die—right there and then. His mind would fly forward to the future, thinking about what would happen at tonight's party. Just the thought of hearing Sakura say: "I love you, Naruto." made his body feel all tingly...
The rest of the ride was silent except for Gaara's radio blaring songs and Kiba randomly breaking out into song if he heard one he knew—which was a lot. When they finally reached Naruto's apartment, the blond grabbed his things and exited the car, mumbling a goodbye that was cut off by the sound of Gaara's door slamming.
Gaara didn't say anything until he saw Naruto's figure disappear into the house. He rested his head against the steering wheel and sighed. "I have a bad feeling about tonight..."
Kiba nodding, fishing out his fifth Pocky stick and sliding it into his mouth. "How much do you want to bet Naruto's in for one hell of a surprise?"
"I'm not that cruel, Kiba. I don't make bets on puppy love. But who knows..." he shifted the car into drive and started for Kiba's house. "Maybe Naruto won't be as hurt as we think he'll be."
"We can only hope, huh?"
+I Promise+
"Naruto!" Iruka was beaming, sparkles were literally flying out of his eyes. Naruto was almost tempted to walk right back out of the house. A happy Iruka was always scary to deal with. "I'm glad you're back! Dinner tonight is going to be reaaally special—and before you open your mouth: No. No one has died, is dying, or has been dead."
Naruto smiled despite his melancholic mood. "Well that's good." he placed his duffle bag by the front door and toed off his cleats. "So why the special dinner, then?"
His guardian didn't say anything except for a smile that Naruto knew meant the man had something up his sleeve. Iruka walked out of the room, only to bring in another person linked with his arm. A person, Naruto might add, he knew very well.
"Kakashi-sensei? What the hell are you doing here?" Yup. Naruto's mind was straight up blown.
"Ah, hey there, Naruto." Kakashi lazily waved his hand. "Fancy seeing you here."
"This is my house. And you never answered my question."
"I thought the answer was obvious." at Naruto's blank stare, Kakashi sighed and sent Iruka a look. "Is he always this slow?"
The brunet hung his head in shame, "Sadly..."
"Hey!" Naruto was in the process of getting ready to throw his shinguard at Kakashi and Iruka. "Just answer my question, dammit!"
"Well if you must know," Kakashi drawled, wrapping an arm around Iruka's waist. And just in case Naruto was too dense to receive that message, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on Iruka's cheek. "Do you get it now? Iruka and I are together."
Naruto blinked... the gears slowly turning in his head—the ice thawing off the iceberg. It took a while, but he finally understood the message they were trying to send. "No way... You mean it's him?"
"Yup!" Iruka chirped, a fierce blush taking over his face.
The blond rubbed at his forehead and slapped his own cheek a couple of times. "Iruka, you better have cooked a five-star dinner or else I will not accept this!"
Needless to say, Iruka's dinner was pretty banging, and Naruto had no other choice than to accept their relationship, although the acceptance was very reluctant.
"You better make him happy, Kakashi, or else I'll come after you." Naruto warned. His choice of weapon: a fork.
It was cute, really, to see Naruto show how much he cared for his guardian. Kakashi couldn't help but smile a little as he ruffled the blond's flattened hair. "Don't worry. I'll make Iruka the happiest he's ever been."
+I Promise: Drunken Fun+
"Wait, wait, wait—hold the phone. You're trying to tell me that Iruka and Kakashi-sensei hooked it up?" Kiba shook his head and took another gulp of his beer. "I don't believe it! Is Iruka being drugged? Blackmailed?"
"No and no," Naruto sighed sadly. "Iruka's really happy with him—though I don't know why."
"The man openly reads porno books like, everyday!"
"I know! That's what I told Iruka! All he did was laugh and say: 'But that's what makes him so cute.' I literally barfed." The party held for the Spring sports team was already in full swing. Music was turned up to obnoxious volumes, the bass literally shaking every bone in Naruto's body. Drinks were passed all around, glow sticks were the lightning bugs that illuminated parts of the room and told you where people were, and people were dancing—like horny, drunk monkeys.
Kiba took another sip, "That's insane."
"But he's happy, right?" Gaara was the designated driver of the night, so he opted to not drink. Granted he didn't like alcohol so really, what did it matter?
A small smile teased Naruto's lips—though it could have came up from the slight buzz the alcohol was giving him, too. "Yeaaah... as long as he's happy, Kakashi gets to live."
"Naarrruu, Kiibuuu!" Suigetsu slurred. He was already smashed from a shot contest that happened not too long ago. His walk was severely jaded and Naruto could see that nobody was home in his eyes. "Ay you sexy beasts, why you being wallflowers?"
"I'm afraid if I go in there a virgin I'll come out there violated," Gaara answered for the three of them.
"Violation is fun though!" suddenly, the older soccer player had his arm around both Kiba's and Naruto's shoulders and was dragging them to the throng of the dance floor. Bodies meshed and molded together in a combination of sweats, gasps, and strangled moans.
'I don't think I've ever seen so much horny teenagers in one place.'
A body he could only dream of having—and knew he'd never get—was suddenly pressed up against him, grinding and molding with his body. Naruto bit on his bottom lip, the shocked gasp coming out in a strangled whimper. Who would have thought that Sakura Haruno would be grinding on him?
'Don't pop a boner. Don't pop a boner. Please, don't pop a boner!'
"Uhh... um... Sakura...?" Naruto had to scream for his voice to be heard—after all the music was currently attempting to break the sound barrier.
Sakura looked up at him with muddy, green eyes and a loopy grin on her face. "You wook so hot!" she slurred, pressing her body up against Naruto's even more—if that was even possible.
The blond gulped. Nervousness was circulating through his body, as were the hormones that were exploding every inch of sanity he possessed. His fingers itched to grip at those fine, curvy hips he could only stare at from afar. His hips wanted to meld with her backside and simply get lost with her body in the music—to get lost in the heat. 'M-Maybe this is her way...of telling me?' It never hurts to dream, right?
Well, you're wrong. Horribly, terribly, like you wouldn't believe, wrong. Because just a few drunken sentences could seriously crack your heart.
"Mmm, Swasuke-kun," Sakura purred, running a dainty finger up and down Naruto's stomach. "I reaaaally like you. Liiike, a lot." she wrapped her arms around Naruto's necks, her soft, pink lips perfectly rounded... The air between them lessened... and Naruto felt like his heart was going to explode—but for all the wrong reasons.
With more strength than he realized he had at the moment, he pushed the drunken, pink haired field hockey player and smiled softly. The smile tore at his skin.
"Sorry, Sakura. But I'm not the guy you want." and then he disappeared into the crowd.
+I Promise: A Little Change+
"You're not drinking?" Itachi had found his brother being his typical self, a beautiful wallflower thrown into the mix of raving, beastly teens. As usual, he wasn't drinking, nor was he really socializing with anyone. He inwardly sighed. 'When will my little brother grow up?'Well, tonight wasa night of change, after all.
"Hn." Sasuke wasn't really paying attention to anything. His mind had better things to be preoccupied on. For instance, a certain blond hair boy we all know and love... "Someone has to be sober enough to take Suigetsu home. We wouldn't want a repeat of last year."
Shivers danced up both the Uchiha's spines. Last year was definitely something else, that's for sure.
Itachi nodded and stood beside his brother on the wall. Normally they never got a chance to talk like this, two brothers, one ready to give advice to another. At home, their lives were rather chaotic. Peace was something they only had a few, chance encounters with. Itachi stared down at his drink. "You sure you want to do this?" he wasn't referring to driving Suigetsu home tonight.
The younger raven did his best to sound as solid as he believed he was, but there was a slight waver in his voice. "It's been about a month already. I don't see why not."
"He doesn't know it's you. He thinks it's someone else sending those roses. I must say, you pick incredibly dense people to fall for, Otouto."
"I know," Sasuke bit back the urge to growl as bubbles of rage floated through him system directed towards a certain pink-haired girl with a stick (a field hockey stick, you perverts). "But... I need to do this. If he goes one more day fawning over her I think I might snap."
Itachi nodded, but it was a slow one. He would fully support his brother no matter what he did—to an extent—but he couldn't say with 100% certainty that tonight was going to go well. Resting a supportive hand on his brother's shoulder, Itachi sighed. "Good luck then, Otouto. You'll need it."
+I Promise+
Naruto was never much of a drinker, but tonight he was gorging his sixth cup. Slamming the offending plastic container onto the counter, Naruto—not so gracefully—burped and then wiped his face. The buzz was just what he needed. It dulled down the hurt and intensified the music—drowning out the sounds of his breaking heart. He should have seen this coming, the moment when Sakura's true feelings towards the raven would be revealed. The scene had played before over and over in his head. He had seen the signs. He had witnessed every, painstaking, detail pointing to her feelings. He just chose to ignore it.
Placing ignorance and hope together was a dangerous combination.
"Idiot..." he whispered, clutching his pounding head. The room was spinning, slightly. "I'm such an idiot."
Colors blurred, and everyone sounded the same. Darkness threatened to overtake him and for a minute Naruto thought he had drunk to much and was about to pass out. Then, a hand gently caressed his back and soft voice fell on his ears.
"Dobe, who said you could drink six cups all by yourself?"
Naruto whirled around but instantly regretted it. His knees wobbled and his stomach threatened to jump out his throat. He hiccuped. "Y-You... what the fuck do you want... Teme!"
"A lot of things," Sasuke said with a shrug.
He didn't know why, but Naruto was finding every single thing the raven did ten times more annoying than he would on a daily basis. The way he carried himself. That annoying smirk he always wore. His damn... shoes! They were too clean! 'Stupid shoes!' Naruto glared through foggy blue eyes. "I hate your shoes..."
Sasuke cocked an eyebrow and looked down at his shoes. "They're Nikes. I thought everyone liked Nikes?"
"Well I hate 'em! They're butt ugly!"
"Drunkards shouldn't speak foolishly."
"I..." Naruto swayed a little, "am not drunk!" Naruto got all up in Sasuke's face and poked his nose. "Yah know... I really hate you..."
A twitch, but Sasuke managed to keep his smirk still. "I know..." it hurt—to say those words, to fully acknowledge them.
"You stole... her... fwom me," Naruto slurred. He wobbled a little more and fell right into Sasuke's chest. He giggled a little, hiccuped, and then looked upwards. In his drunken state, he did notice a few things. 'Damnit...he's pretty. And he has nice hair. Fwuck...he smells like Christmas!' Sometimes life's just not fair.
Sasuke swallowed back any inhumane—scratch that, sexual urges he had at the moment and casually placed his hand on Naruto's arm. "Who did I steal?"
Naruto blinked, furrowing his face in an adorable way Sasuke realized was his thinking face. "Yah know who! Sakura! I... I really liked her!" Now Naruto was bawling. The tears he had held back by then were flooding down his face. Every ounce of love he held for Sakura came out in the form of tear drops. He buried his face into Sasuke's chest to blow his nose, cry some more, and simply break down. "Why can't I have her...? Why can't I have anyone? It's not fair!" he slammed his fist half-heartedly on Sasuke's chest. "It's not... fwucking... fair."
An emotion was shining brightly in the raven's eyes, but he was quick to mask it. 'A little at a time,'he reminded himself. Carefully and gently he reached for the blond's hair—fighting back the shiver that jumped up his spine at the connection—and coaxed him to the outside deck. The stars were shining brightly tonight, circling around the dangling moon in the sky. Sasuke made sure to lock the door behind him—just in case someone drunk decided to ruin the moment. He wouldn't let that happen.
A key note to make: He, not once, let go of their joined hands.
Sasuke wasn't the best at comforting people, but for the distressed blond he would do anything to take away those tears. He stroked each and everyone of his knuckles and brought their bodies closer as he gently caressed the blond's back. "Sorry," he whispered. He never apologized, for anyone, but Naruto was a special case. "I'm sorry. Stop crying, Dobe..." he wiped at a few tears and smiled softly.
Naruto sniffled. Despite his condition he had to admit he felt a little better. Maybe it was the fresh, nighttime air clearing his senses or perhaps it was the devilishly handsome raven smiling for him. 'I wonder if I'm the only one who's seen him smile.' a jolt shot up along his body at the prospect, and his heart nearly skipped a beat. "Why are you being so nice to me, Teme?"
The raven snorted. "Well I'm not going to be mean to the person I like when they're crying. I'm not that much of a 'bastard'."
"Huuuh?" no, that wasn't Naruto being drunk, that was Naruto being confused. He cocked his head to the side and blinked a few times. "Mind running that by me one more time?"
As if by magic, Sasuke pulled out a single red rose and placed it in the blond's free hand. He saw the look of confusion and shock swirling in with other emotions float through Naruto's eyes. Time dripped and dripped, heartbeats sounded louder than they actually were. And for a while, neither boy spoke. Finally, though, Sasuke found the words needed to deliver the message—and fulfill the promise.
"For the past month you've been receiving roses, and with each rose came a promise. You may not have noticed it... but I've been the one completing those promises." he exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. "This may come as a shock, and honestly I don't know why you never caught on earlier but... Naruto, I like you."
"... Haaa..." Naruto hiccuped, his body swaying back and forth. Obviously the shock was too much for him to handle. "You... Sasuke..." he slapped the raven on the cheek, a goofy smile on his face. "Are one funny bastard." and then the world turned black.
Sorry if my Drunk is a little off... I've never been drunk before so you know C: Well, there you have it. Cat's out of the bag. Where does this take their relationship next (;? Ohh, and I finally brought in Kakashi... three chapters later ;D. Oh well. As usual, leave a review on the doorstep. A baby panda you saved will receive it and go "AWWWWW"!