Well hello! I'm very happy with how many people are actually interested in this story. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. So I'm happy to start writing this new chapter! Okay, so I guess I should explain the fruit thing, huh? If you understood it, then I guess I'm not such an idiot. But if you didn't sorry! I made it up on my own, and I guess it wasn't as sneaky(or maybe too sneaky) as I wanted. Okay soooo:
Naruto was given the choice of bruised piece of fruit (which is something uncomfortable or at least, not what people pefer) or a worm (a hated pest) in his fruit. So to basically put it in terms of what the underlying meaning was, Kakashi was asking if Naruto had the choice to sleep on an uncomfortable couch, or sleep with a 'pest' he hated, what he would choose. Most people would rather be uncomfortable than sleep with the enemy. Sasuke, however, chose the latter. Therefore implying that Sasuke didn't hate Naruto, and saw him as the better option. Sasuke was able to understand, because he was the one put in the position. Naruto had no clue because…well…he's Naruto. And Kakashi was just trying to see how far he could go until Sasuke showed he was uncomfortable. I hope that makes sense now! Sorry about trying to be smart…guess it didn't work –sweatdrops-
Oh, and sorry if the pace is a little slow for some people, because I know that my other stories were quicker. But those were intended one-shots turned bad, and this is an actual story. So once again, it's going to be a little slower pace than the other ones, but it will be a lemon, and there will be some boyxboy action. But please don't try to rush plot to get smut. Thanks a bunch! Okay, now for the thank you page. Thanks to narutoisuke for the first comment! Haha cute name, and I'm glad you liked the punishment. Now for all you others! Friglit (haha well I'm sure a lot of people didn't like her, but it had to be done), a rather slytherin griffindor (haha maybe it is a hint…read this chapter and you'll get your answer –winks-), Kida-san (haha well that sure is a very convenient answer! I'm glad that you liked it), Itooshii Koneko (I'm happy that you like the story! Yay for me!), Deathangelebz (ahaha nice, but make sure you get your homework done! I don't wanna get you in trouble, and I'm sure Naru and Sasu wouldn't either), Lydia-chan (aw I'm so happy it makes you smile! And yea, Kakashi is a evilly sweet guy…making our boys realize their feelings haha), -Nightly Halo- (I don't know why they don't just plow the whole damn thing…whatever, I'm glad you like positive punishment! Kakashi may be abusing his power…haha), cluelessninja65 (I'm glad that Kakashi is a likeable character, even if he's a perv! And yea, I like both ShikaIno and ShikaTem, but I like playing around with Ino's character more with Naruto), keikopanda102 (Of course none of us mine, hell you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't sit in anticipation for it! –grins-), Searafina (I really don't know how I do it anymore either…-sighs- but I'm eventually going to have to take a day off to myself…-looks at all my plot bunnies-….eventually), moonlightstar1798 (oh please don't die, I like having people read my story and you seem too nice to die! Haha so here you go), jeeniebeenie (haha I know Sakura is a different part in this one, but I wanted to use her to advance Naruto's feelings…but now I'll fix it! =D), XxFirexDance (haha you are too funny! Speaking of the old pervert, he'll be making an appearance after this chapter!), miskie27 (But it's just funny to watch Naru squirm trying to be a good boy and not say it! Not that it will save him…-winks-),blue-nuriel (yup yup, our little blonde boy is starting to put everything in place! It had to happen eventually, since we're halfway through the story), Purpledemon22 (haha you just wait until they start to realize theres something between them…that little 'punishment' is going to become a great excuse for exploration), ISpeakSquirrelSqeak (Mwhahaha! I know, I'm evil. But it'll start to leak out now, don't worry), Astharoche (haha your sister must think I'm making you insane…great –sighs- oh well, I guess I'll accept that), ConcealedXdream (haha yea me too, and since my psychology class is starting to get into memory and stuff, it's going to get interesting!), The Desiree Incident (I'm pretty sure Sasuke will make it clear how much sleep he isn't getting and what he plans to do in order to get some back), cutsycat (haha well you know the boys are going to resist the punishment as much as they can, but once they get the ball rolling….kisses will be flying!), XxXJTDXxX (well Sasuke is the genius of the two, he'll think of some way to cure their little…sleeping problem…fun for us!), Meiyachi (Let's just say that it'll be an interesting experiment…), Akiru chan (haha I knew you were going to like Kakashi!! And yea, Naru is going to get a big reality check about these feelings!), Yenny (don't worry, not a lot of people got the fruit thing…I just suck at being smart! Haha), Chipfest (He's Sasuke, he'll never mess up unless he wants to…-hints-), Magentadusk (haha thanks for the sweet review! Now I hope I got this out fast enough for you), Pebbles of the sand (yea Sakura has a purpose, and she explains herself in this chapter. Normally I don't make her bitchy, unless it's for a specific reason like this one! It's all just to make the SasuNaru sweeter –grins-), Black-Sky-Loves-Me (haha I'd love to have him save me anything…heck I'd throw myself in a fire to get him to save me!), DarkestflameUchiha (aw thank you! When I saw you say die I was like 'epp! I messed up!' but I'm happy you like it!), Kittywoman12 (I think that all the pent up emotion makes his body crave contact when he's sleeping…hence his cuddly nature in my story!),Nana-Riiko (he's so funny, because even when Sasuke thinks hes got the upper hand, Kakashi pulls out something to completely throw the genius off!), Cassana-do (hey, who says they can't ALL be there? That'd just be too much smexiness in one room…-sighs- so hot), LovelyNocturnalSungoddess (haha I'm not that good actually…there are lots who are better! But thanks so much for the sweet review!), Sakurananachan (I have a Sasuke inside of me? –blinks and looks at self- damnit get out here and make smexy love to meeeee! Or at least bring Naruto and be hot together!), Kazanari (of course it should be, but even Kakashi realizes they must be smexi make-out scenes before smexi sex –winks-), Nikotehfox (haha only Naruto could come to the dark side, completely unaware of it, and somehow stay pure!), asdf (if that makes you a perv, I'm…I'm like Kakashi! Haha, I have to be a perv if I think of all of these stories…crap…oh well!), DaphneRaynard ( I'm sorry? Uh…-hands coffee- sorry! I promise I'll try not to..uh…write good? Wait, I'm confuzled! Haha but I'm happy you like the story either way), gossa (I tempted with the thought of Kakashi really kissing Naruto, but I didn't want Naruto to have a backlash against being interested in guys because of it haha), CoffeeNeurotic (Yea the apple thing I made up…haha…uh, the definition is above if you want to know what I was thinking, sorry if I suck!), Nefarious61 (Aw thanks so much! I'll try to keep coming with the story, and it shouldn't be too hard since I'm on spring vacation for a week…yay!), hollowsmile (yea I explained the fruit thing at the top, since I kind of made it up…but Naru would have said the bruised one, because worms bug him too….haha but Sasuke seems to like his 'pest' –cough- not a pest –cough-), Chiaki Megumi (haha I don't know why I get reviews…I guess people like me? Bah, maybe they just want sex scenes! Haha and I didn't have em kiss because I'm evvvvvvvvil), Exorcist-Miranda (Queen of the lemons! Haha just kidding. Sakura has a reason, so don't go killing her off yet! Haha don't worry, nothing will stop the SasuNaru!), ..wings. (aw thank you so much! I love reading your reviews because they make me wanna write even more!), Manna (haha you are such a cute reviewer! Especially the end! Haha but I hope this was quick enough for you!), HeartofRaven (aw but you know theres a little part inside of you that is like 'yes Kakashi…be more evil…mwhahaha'. It's okay, embrace it!) , kat10788 (yay cookie! –muches- I'm such a dork…=P, I know how you feel about Kakashi, he's a cutie. And Naru is starting to get the hint!), zerofangirl (Gah have I mentioned how I love your reviews? Cause I do! Yea Sakura is evil, but she has a reason! And Kakashi is just always evil, so that's perfectly normaly =P. Sasuke and Naruto are starting to get closer, which is good since it's halfway through the damn story!), n o s e c k s (Sasuke has pride, and he doesn't lie. If he lied to appease Kakashi, he'd feel like he was running away from the assignment. And Uchihas don't run, especially form blonde dobes –smirks-), XxMileena-chanxX (haha omg your review made me giggle. Yes I am evil, and they didn't kiss…but Sasuke makes up for it –winks-), Disgruntled Minion (you're too smart for me, seeing why I made Sakura come in…haha I'm glad that you like the story, and I'm hoping you enjoy this too!), kinawa nee-chan (haha I'm sorry I'm making you wait! But I am human haha, and I'm writing another story too…but heres the fifth chapter!), Secludedindarkness (Aw don't die on me! I promise that I'll keep going and make it good to keep you alive!), Inuyasha Fan 2789 (haha if Naruto has any say in it, they'll never slip up….but he's Naruto, so you know that's not possible), Kisa167 (sorry, but I did! Haha I'm sure that this chapter will make up for it!)
Alright, that was friggen long…thanks for all the reviews, it got me so pumped for this chapter! So here you all are!
Warning: I make fruitbowls. Yup, I got lemons, and limes, and citrus…lots of good sex—uh…fruit…–grins-
Disclaimer: -Lays on Kakashi's therapy bed- and so then I said 'but why can't I own Naruto?' and then the body guards took me out and threw me on the street….hey, stop reading my damn stories and listen to me! Pervert…
De-ni-al isn't just a River in Egypt
"This is priceless!" I glared at my blonde friend while she moved through my closet, seeming to throw every piece of clothing I owned on the floor. Really, when I said she could come over, I didn't mean she could destroy my room and dress me up like a life-size ken doll. But trying to tell Ino 'no' was like trying to explain why Kakashi was such a pervert. Impossible.
"This is anything but priceless. This is horrible, messed up, sick, twisted, or all of the above. But not priceless in the least bit." She seemed to ignore my complaint while she pulled out a black t-shirt, looking between me and the piece of clothing. Finally she sighed and threw it at me.
"You need a shirt to go under that. You got any long sleeved shirts? Preferably white?"
"How the hell should I know? If I do it's gotta be in the top shelf of my bureau. It's where I keep most of my shirts," I mumbled, starting to pull off my top. Really, I didn't see anything wrong with what I was wearing. Apparently, Ino didn't like orange as much as I did. After seeing the double dose between my sweatshirt and shirt, she quickly gave herself the duty to redress me.
"So let me get this straight. You say that the therapist wanted you to answer whether you'd rather kiss him or Sasuke, and you didn't. So for punishment, he's making you kiss Sasuke every time you call him that stupid nickname? And, to make things even more interesting, you haven't been able to get a full night's rest since Sasuke stopped coming over your house at night?"
"It's not like I need him!" I denied quickly, which got me a very unfeminine snort.
"So then there's another, very coincidental and improbable reason for your lack of sleep?"
"Uh…"
"Right, and next you'll be telling me teme's not a nickname…oh! Found it!"
"It's not a damn nickname!" My eyes were covered in white for a second before gravity dropped the long sleeved shirt into my lap. I huffed out in protest of what she was saying while I slipped on the undershirt. "It's to show everyone what a jerk he is."
"Then…why don't you just call him jerk?" She asked, moving over to my bed with her hands placed on her hips. I popped my head out of the hole in the black shirt, tugging down the second shirt to finish her look. I almost yelped when she tugged on my hand, forcing me to stand up for her inspection. She circled around me like I was some mannequin in a shop or something. "Oh wow."
"What?"
"I amaze myself with my style!" She faced me again and winked before nodding in approval. I snorted and returned to my bed to grab my hoodie. Seriously, Ino was very eccentric. Other girls always worried about their hair or how they looked. Ino saw herself for what she really was; a very pretty girl that could do really good in this world if she wanted to. It was mistaken for conceitedness, when really she was just confident. Like how I knew I was hot. I wasn't being cocky; I was secure with my body.
"Alright Ralph Lauren, can we get back to the issue at hand? Like the fact I can't even enter the god damn school without fear of being raped?"
"Raped? Isn't that a little over the top?" Well, probably. But the point had to be made!
"You never know what a kiss could lead to."
"It's Sasuke."
"Yeah, which makes it even more scarring."
"He slept at your house for two days."
"And practically groped me in my sleep!" She blinked once, and it was only then I remembered I hadn't informed her of our sleeping status.
"You slept with him?"
"Next to him. Completely different context." She sighed at my correction before looking to the clock, which flashed a bright '7:40' across its screen.
"I want to go farther in this conversation, but we're going to be late for the game you know. It starts in twenty minutes" I bit my lip and mentally cursed. I was banking on Ino not remembering. But then again, she did go to the Friday night basketball games like they were her church meetings.
"Do I have to go? You know he's going to be there."
"You can't avoid him forever you know! Eventually you two have to talk, or you'll never get out of therapy." Even though I knew she was right, I didn't want to admit it. Ever since the almost-but-not-really kiss outside of Kakashi's office, I had been avoiding Sasuke like the plague. I had switched seats with Kiba or Shikamaru whenever I had class with him, and then made sure to sprint away from said classroom as soon as the bell rang. If I saw him in the hallways I'd avoid him, or duck into another hallway until he passed. My life was slowly starting to run around the jerk's damn schedule, something that I seriously was getting tired of. And it had only been two damn days!
"But—"
"Not to mention sooner or later you're going to have to get a full night's rest. And the only way to do that is to ask him to sleep over again." Another very good point. One I didn't want to recognize at all, but still good.
"No!" If she heard my refusal she ignored it.
"Plus, he's going to be on the court. It's not like you'll even have time to talk to him. In fact, you can probably get away with not even going near him. It won't seem any more awkward than you barreling into the girl's bathroom to avoid him." I grinned at the memory, but that soon turned into a wince when I remembered how many bruises I had gotten from the girls. Really, couldn't they tell a bathroom creep from a hiding innocent guy? I rubbed the side of my face where one of the girls had decked me with her purse. What the hell did girls hold in their purses anyways? Bricks?
"But still! Can't we just go to a movie or something? We can even pretend we're lovers and snuggle into each other while we mow down on popcorn." At my suggestion she rolled her eyes and pursed her lips defiantly.
"No way, Naruto. I go to every home game there is, and I don't plan to miss one just because of your weird therapist. Plus, don't you think he'll get mad if you avoid Sasuke the entire week? This way you can say you two were at the basketball game and didn't argue once. It's not lying, just bending the truth a little." She paused in her statement before she leaned forward, giggling while she tapped my nose. "Besides, I'm too cute to date you anyways."
"Hey! Weren't you the one who said I was the 'cutest thing you'd ever seen'?" I raised my voice to do a impersonation of Ino that truly sounded nothing like her. Eh, I tried. And the affect was right, because she laughed and pressed her forehead to mine. Even though Ino was hot, I never really saw her as a girlfriend. She was more like an older sister that I had always wanted. She was very protective of her friends, and she would get angry with me whenever I'd let myself start to fall back into the darkness of my childhood. In fact, the first year we were friends, she'd always get upset over how insecure I was. If anyone could be blamed for my confidence, it was the blondie in front of me.
"You were the cutest thing. Then you just got all old and hot." She pinched my cheek before moving away from me, grabbing her keys and purse. "Now hurry up, the first toss up is the most important."
"The only reason you're dragging me is because you're trying to avoid Shikamaru, aren't you?" She froze in her step at the lazy boy's name, confirming my thoughts. Seriously, Ino had a one set mind. Even though I had continuously told her that Shikamaru was not on a date with Temari, she refused to talk to or go near our friend. But I still tried to reason with her. "You know, he probably misses talking to you."
"I don't care." At her almost childish pout, I sighed. And people said I was the immature one?
"It wasn't a date though. Him and Temari are just friends."
"Like that matters! He took his 'partner' out for a dinner date. He's never taken me anywhere though! If Shikamaru really missed me as much as you say he does, he would ask me out to dinner too."
"But it's Shikamaru. You know how lazy he is."
"Not lazy enough to ignore dinner with Temari." It was the same conversation we had every time Shikamaru was mentioned. Why I even tried, I wasn't sure. Probably because Ino kept dragging me to the things she used to drag Shika to, and Shikamaru seemed even more unmotivated than usual.
"What if I told you that Shikamaru is meeting us at the game?" Her eyes widened and I knew to cover my ears before she started to scream.
"What do you mean he's going to be at the game?! Did you invite him or something?!" Even with my hands covering my ears, they still buzzed from the roar Ino let out.
"No! Not…not exactly." I was quick to cover myself when she glared at me. "I said that you were dragging me to the game and he told me that he'd save us some seats!"
"Who is he going with?" She asked, narrowing her eyes while she spoke. Seriously, girls could be scary when they were angry.
"He didn't say he was going with anyone. I think he's just going because he knows that a certain jealous blonde will be there." She instantly started to blush at my comment, which made me grin. These two really needed to get over themselves and just hook up. They had been like this ever since I met them! In fact, I made the mistake of calling Ino Shikamaru's girlfriend the first time I saw them together. Ino quickly set me straight with a couple hard hits to the head.
"I'm not jealous!" Even though I tried, I couldn't help but laugh at her comment.
"Yeah and I'm not in love with ramen."
"If you don't get into my car in five seconds, I'm going to tie you to the top of it and use the highway to get to school!" I yelped and scurried my way out of the room, the brooding girl stomping her way behind me. When Ino got mad, she was a force to reckon with. Even Sasuke would have trouble dealing with her. So I didn't think twice to practically jump into the passenger seat of her car while she huffed and started the ignition. The seatbelt became my new best friend when she peeled out of my driveway. "And honestly, getting jealous over someone like him! Why would I? He's just lazy! Stupid Shikamaru and his stupid laziness…not lazy enough to take Temari places though…only lazy for Ino..."
"Please slow down," I whimpered out. Yeah, that's right, whimpered. I was lucky not to be pissing myself at the speed she was going. Maybe the reason I needed to get Ino and Shikamaru back together was for the safety of Konoha! As it was, it only took us three minutes to get to the school (and normally it takes me about ten). She slammed her car door and barely let me get out of my seat before I was being dragged toward the doom that was the gym. She only stopped when we reached the line, which now circled one side of the building. Good, it gave me time to try and cool down Ino before she spotted Shikamaru and killed him. "Ino—"
"What does Sasuke think of this anyways?" I blinked slowly when Ino turned to look at me. What the hell? Her once livid features were scrunched in confusion. "About your deal?"
"Where did that come from?" I asked slowly, to which Ino shrugged.
"I'd rather deal with your issues than mine right now. As far as I'm concerned, there is no Shikamaru in my life." Girls sure could get stubborn. I wanted to argue about how crazy she was being, but then I realized that that might set her off again. The last thing I needed was for my friend to get wheeled off for insanity. Or murder.
"Sasuke just let Kakashi do it. They fought over some stupid crap, and then Sasuke rolled over like a damn dog!" Ino found some type of humor in my words, and laughed after I pouted.
"So Sasuke's okay with you two kissing?" I tripped a bit in our walking at her question, glancing around us to make sure nobody heard her. As it was, the fangirls were already giving me glares every time I passed one in the hallways. I swear they planted tape recorders in all of Sasuke's boxers.
"Don't say that out loud! Like I want the entire school to know about this damn thing!" I hissed, glaring while she continued to giggle. This was not funny.
"I'm sorry, but I never thought I'd see the day Sasuke would agree to actually kiss someone. Who knew you'd be the one to bring out the romantic side of him." I knew I flushed, but prayed the darkness of the night would hide it from my laughing companion.
"S-Shut up! This i-isn't about romance or shit like that! Kakashi's just a damn pervert, and Sasuke's a te—grr…he's just stupid!" I crossed my arms and glared away from her, trying to erase the word 'teme' from my head. But damnit, it was hard. I never realized how many times I used the insult until I couldn't use it. As it was, I had almost said it three times in the past two days. And one of those times, it was in a class that Sasuke was in! The last thing I needed was to shout that particular word out for everyone to hear. Especially knowing the bastard couldn't break the rules if his life depended on it.
"Hey Naruto, I never knew you could get so red." I instantly tensed at her teasing, and it was only then I realized we had moved close enough to the open doors of the gym for the light to shine on my face. I shoved her away from me, which probably wasn't a good way to try and hide the fact I was still blushing. Damnit, why did Sasuke do this to me?! As soon as I was done with this therapy, I was so kicking his ass! "You kind of look like Hinata when you blush like that."
"It wasn't a blush. It's just hot."
"It's only like, twenty degrees out." Nobody wanted to give me a break.
"Then its frostbite from standing out in a line I didn't even want to be in to begin with!" I felt her arm pull my waist to her side, and I looked down to the shorter girl's soft smile. I pressed my lips tighter for a moment to suppress the embarrassed look I knew was still there before I spoke. "W-what now?"
"Do you have a man-crush on Sasuke?"
"…"
"Naruto?"
"ARE YOU CRAZY?! I WOULD NEVER LIKE AN ASSHOLE LIKE SASUKE!!" I panted after my loud scream, not caring that people were slowly backing away from me in the line. Ino had covered both of her ears, and glared up at me once she realized I was done.
"You don't have to be so defensive. I was just kidding," she grumbled, trying to pop her ear with her finger. I decided it was better to pout and ignore her than explain my sudden outburst. I did not like Sasuke. He was a total jerk, and I would never see why anyone would ever want to date him. So what if he looked good in anything he wore? And his intelligence was practically unheard off? So what he was the co-captain of the undefeated basketball team with Neji? That he had been voted both homecoming and winter ball king? That he smelt insanely good, and he was extremely warm in bed…that he wasn't always so cold, and his eyes could show vulnerability behind that perfect façade…and his fingers were able to cause my spine to cu—
Gah. No! I didn't like Sasuke! He was a teme and a guy. Two traits that I never looked for.
"For someone who says he doesn't like Sasuke, you sure stare at him a lot." I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard Ino's voice, and blinked once to realize my eyes were staring toward the middle of the basketball court where the team was practicing. How the heck did we get in here so fast? Dumbly I looked down to my hand, where a red and white ticket had been placed showing my purchase for the game. When did I buy this? Ino must have seen my slight confusion because she squeezed the hand she was holding and continued to pull me up the bleachers. "And you owe me ten bucks."
"Shit these things are expensive." She laughed at the first ramble that came through my mouth, and I finally collected the rest of my brain to look around. There were a lot of people that came to these games.
"Hey! I see Sakura!" I perked up and looked over Ino's shoulder to see Sakura waving at us from a few rows down. I could practically feel the pout Ino was giving off when she noticed the lazy boy that sat next to the waving girl. "And she had to sit with Shikamaru."
"I thought you didn't know anyone named Shikamaru?" I didn't give her time to answer while I laughed, pulling her through the crowd to get to our friends. "Hey guys!" Shikamaru took one look at me and sighed.
"Even my desk didn't help you sleep…always makes me tired."
"Oh shut up Shika," I muttered, turning to look at the other bench warmer. Sakura looked extremely cute today. Her hair was pulled back a bit into a butterfly clip, her bangs gently hanging in front of her face. She wore a light pink sweater, with a white skirt that skimmed just around her thighs. I could feel myself smile at how cute Sakura really was. She'd really be the perfect girlfriend!
"Hey Ino, Naruto," She greeted, brushing back her bangs back a bit and smiling.
"Hi Sakura-chan!" I forgot my hand was still in Ino's embrace when I jerked it up to wave, causing the blonde to smash into my back. Luckily I was able to catch both of us before we fell, deciding it was better to sit down as the players started to get onto the court. "You look really pretty today."
"Don't feed her ego," Ino said playfully, and the girls exchanged looks of amusement.
"Well you're pretty dressed up too you know. Planning on going somewhere?" I glanced back to Ino, not noticing till now the tan dress pants and lilac turtle neck sweater she was wearing. Ino shrugged casually and brushed her pants off while she got comfortable on the bleacher.
"Maybe I am. What about you?" Sakura shrugged and glanced out to the court, where now only the two teams' captains stood with the referee. I snuck a glance toward our team captains (because Neji was my friend and I came to root him on) before back to the pink haired girl. I slightly frowned when I noticed her eyes were focused on a certain black haired asshole.
"Actually, I'm going out to a quiet dinner tonight with someone." My eyes widened a bit at her casual shrug, and unwillingly my mouth opened.
"With who?" She blinked once at my voice and turned to me, her eyes catching mine. I saw her glossed lips gently open before shutting again, her fingers sliding her bangs back. It was a sign of hesitation or nervousness, according to status play. Maybe this status thing came in handy.
"Nobody you should worry about Naruto!" She tried to play the situation off as nothing, which we found out was much easier than she thought once Shikamaru spoke.
"Sasuke invited me to join him and some girl for dinner. He told me to invite whoever I wanted." I saw the color drain from Sakura's face, and somehow the sick side of me wanted to smile. So much for her 'quiet dinner'. I quickly frowned and looked down at my lap in confusion. That wasn't right. Sure I always felt a little bit better when Sasuke turned Sakura down, but that was because it meant I had a better shot at her. Since when did it turn into something else? My feelings were all screwed up. I swallowed weakly and shook my head to focus on the conversation at hand.
"Since when did you and Sasuke become friends?" He shrugged and turned his gaze back to whatever was happening on the court.
"Well, you kept making me switch seats. And since you didn't tell Uchiha why, I had to make something up. Then it just…I don't know…happened."
"Why aren't you sitting with Sasuke anymore?" Aw crap. I scratched the back of my head and I turned my attention back to Sakura, who I had unconsciously kept lost in the dark about the bet. Then again, I didn't exactly want to tell her that at any given moment, I may end up kissing her prince charming.
"You know me and the…the jerk, he's always being a pain in the ass." I heard Ino giggle behind me at my near slip up, and I sent a slight glare over Sakura's shoulder when Shikamaru smirked. Damn them! I knew I shouldn't have told them anything. But I needed to get Shikamaru to switch with me, and he wouldn't budge from his 'traditional sleeping spot' unless there was a good reason. So, I gave him one.
"Well I hope you apologize to Sasuke soon! Honestly, your childish fighting with him has gone on way too long." Sakura gave me a stern look that clearly stated whose side she would take if it ever came down to a fight between me and Sasuke. No matter how hard I tried to catch Sakura's eye in a romantic light, she never even gave me the time. I had to admit that it was starting to bother me in a way that it never had before. I used to be content with her denials, because I was sure that one day she'd stop chasing Sasuke and come to me. But now, it didn't really seem quite so possible to me. Or important. What changed all of a sudden?
"Oh! The games about to start!" Ino said next to us, drawing my attention from Sakura to look at the ball toss. Neji easily passed it to one of their teammates, and just like that the game begun. I never truly watched basketball, mainly because it made me want to jump in and join. The only reason I didn't bother to play was because I had to work four days a week at the restaurant. Even though Jiraiya had enough waitresses to cover the shifts, he always liked to have me up his sleeve if a group of girls came in together. Nothing made better tips than using the opposite sex and a few charming smiles. And the tips were definitely worth being gawked at.
Still, this game held my interest. The skill that our team had was amazing. It didn't take long for them to pull in front of the opposing team by a good ten points. My eyes darted along the court as I watched the ball being handled with grace that most guys couldn't hold to save their lives. But, of course, what most anyone else couldn't do, Uchiha Sasuke could. I couldn't take my eyes off him, and how he seemed to fit in an environment I'd never pick for him. The Sasuke I knew always had his nose in books, or unconsciously working on something in school that made himself more popular. But seeing him shift past the guards to score another two points in the game made my breath hitch. Don't ask me why, because I don't know.
"Alrighty folks! It's halftime, and Konoha leads, 45 to 33." The loud announcer's voice drifted through the speakers hooked up near the door, which seemed to irritate anyone in the vicinity. Luckily our seats weren't too close to be bothered.
"Hey guys, you want something? I'm going to grab some candy down at the snack stand," Ino offered, and instantly I nodded at the mention of food.
"Do you think they'll have ramen?!" I heard Sakura laugh next to me, and a part of me warmed at the sound. I looked back at the pink haired girl, who rolled her eyes through her smile.
"Do you eat anything else Naruto? Sasuke-kun always says that's going to kill you one day." At the mention of the basketball star, I crossed my arms and scoffed.
"Like I'd ever listen to him. I bet it cures cancer and he doesn't even know it." Both girls laughed at my statement, which meant they probably didn't realize I was telling the truth. But I ignored it and looked back up to Ino. "But I guess I should save some room for dinner tonight."
"So you're coming then?" Shikamaru asked, and instantly I watched Ino turn her head from the brunette.
"If there's food, you know I'm there!" I could tell Ino was still stubbornly trying to ignore Shikamaru's question, so I nudged her leg a bit. "What about you Ino? You want to grab a bite to eat with us?"
"I'd love to go with you Naruto. I'm glad someone asked me to dinner." And with that, Ino made her way down the aisle of the bleachers. I watched her for a minute before turning back to Shikamaru. The guy was scratching the side of his head as he watched Ino, seeming completely thrown off by her coldness.
"What's her problem?"
"She's upset about Temari," I said, deciding that cupid had really shitty aim when it came to my group of friends. Well, if the little cherub wasn't going to do it, I'd just have to fill in for the time being. "She wants you to ask her out to dinner."
"Why?" I mentally groaned at the lazy boy across from me. Seriously, when was this intelligence supposed to show?
"Because she likes you! Ino's been crazy for you since I've known her." Seemed like Sakura saw the same obvious connection between the two that I did, because she sent him a knowing look. "And when you went out to dinner with another girl, especially a blonde, you completely crushed her."
"What does Temari's hair have to do with this?"
"It's a girl thing. We see it as you're dating someone like us, because they have the same hair color," Sakura said, shrugging.
"Either way, you have to talk to Ino. Otherwise you'll both be unhappy!" I added. He stared at the two of us for a minute, finally letting his gaze float back to the court when the quick halftime started to end.
"Troublesome girl." After that, he stayed quiet. Ino came back with some gummy worms that she happily shared with Sakura and me, and continued to ignore Shikamaru. Occasionally I'd see them glance toward each other, and yet neither said a word. This was going to get old really fast. In fact, I was so concentrated on the two of them that the end of the game came before I even knew it. The loud buzzer signaled another win for our team, and we jumped up with the rest of the stands to cheer. Well, 3/4ths of our group did. One just sighed and watched us jump around.
"Aren't you glad you came?" Ino asked, gently nudging my ribs with her elbow. I laughed and shrugged, not wanting to admit I had fun.
"I guess so. Hey Shika, where the heck are we grabbing food anyways?" I leaned back a bit to look at Shikamaru, who stood and yawned. I was half surprised he didn't fall asleep during the game.
"Central Café, down in the middle of town." I nodded at the information before blinking when the pink hair girl scooted past me.
"Now where are you going?"
"To congratulate the team of course!" She looked back at me and smiled before hopping into the aisle. Quickly she ran her fingers through her bangs while she made her way toward the court. Well, at least she tried to let me down easy. Too bad I already knew where (or I guess I should say who) she was heading to before she even stepped toward Sasuke, which made me glance over to Ino and smile. A phony one, of course.
"Hey I'm going to go grab some fresh air okay? I'll meet you out there or something!" I didn't let her see my clenched fists when I moved past the people that were excitedly running down to cheer with the team. She'd probably want to go join them, since this was a big deal. Our team was now secured a spot in the playoffs. Sure they still had a few weeks to get there, but it didn't make the excitement of being secure wind away. I could still hear the faint cheering while I moved into the parking lot, shoving my hands in my pockets. I mentally scoffed when I realized I was acting like Sasuke. For a moment we switched roles I guess. He was surrounded by people and was standing in the middle of a crowd, knowing that everyone around him didn't know a damn thing about him. And here I was, alone in the dark with my hands in my pockets and desperate to hide any feelings of jealousy or anger I felt. If suppressing feelings was as hard for him as it was me, then the bastard was stronger than I thought.
"You know, emo doesn't suit you." I paused in my walking before I lifted my head, blinking once when I saw my blonde haired friend smiling at me.
"What the heck are you doing out here?" She rolled her eyes as if it was the dumbest question she had ever heard.
"You really think I was going to just let you walk out like that? You were practically glowing in anger. That stupid fake smile may work on some people, but I know you Naruto!" From the way she was staring at me, I could tell she was upset for me even trying to fake it.
"Sorry," I sighed out, watching the white smoke float into the air before disappearing.
"Green really is your color. Not everyone call pull it off. I mean, I must look ugly when I turn green." Huh? I titled my head and she laughed while leaning against the side of the school. Hesitantly I joined her, staring out at the parking lot and waiting for her to explain. "What I mean is…even when you're jealous, you look hot."
"Thanks…uh, I guess? You know Ino, your way of explaining things is pretty messed up." She giggled at that before leaning her head onto my shoulder, something that always seemed to relax me. Maybe it was the fact that someone actually felt safe enough to touch me without being dared to.
"He doesn't like her you know."
"Who?"
"Sasuke…isn't that what this is all about?" Yeah, Sasuke was a part of it. I felt my eyes close halfway when something in my stomach twitched at the name.
"I know he doesn't. I kind of got the idea from all the times he said no to her. Plus, if he wanted to get with her, he wouldn't have hinted at Shikamaru going on their…date." Blah that sounded wrong on my tongue. Since when did Sasuke date anyways? I hadn't seen him with a real girlfriend in the four years I knew him! Who said he could randomly change that up now? I narrowed my eyes a bit at the thought. "Stupid Sasuke!"
"Stupid Sasuke? Or…stupid feelings for Sasuke?"
"Both!" I snapped out, only realizing afterwards what I said. The lack of sleep was getting to me. I looked over to Ino quickly to rephrase what I said (though I really hadn't thought of anything to replace it with) but she held up her hand and smiled.
"Do you like Sasuke?"
"No! I told you before, I don't like him!"
"Naruto." Damnit, I was blushing. And from the shocked look on Ino's face, it was apparent she could see it. I glanced away, completely uncomfortable with the situation. How had all of this happened? For four years, if someone had even hinted at the idea of me liking the asshole, I would have kicked their asses. Not only was I completely infatuated with Sakura, but Sasuke was just a teme that I had hated from the day I met him. And yet now, I stood in front of Ino, semi-flustered over the same guy. My feelings for Sakura were fading quickly, and I couldn't tell why. She was still beautiful to me. Heck, sometimes her voice still made a goofy grin come to my face. But…I didn't feel head over heels for her anymore. It was like somehow, I was becoming grounded again. Her smile didn't make my heart accelerate, and my mouth never got dry around her like it used to. I had changed somehow. And no, I didn't like it.
"I…we…this is all Kakashi's fault!" At my sudden outburst, Ino simply smiled and moved forward to hug me. Physical comfort always seemed to calm me down.
"Well, I guess we should add another problem to the 'S subject' system." I couldn't help but pull back a bit to tilt my head. At the furrowed brows I gave her, she let out a slight giggle. "Sexual orientation."
"Ino!" Her laugh came out in a flood while I shook my head, trying to deny her accusation. "You really are a blonde! I'm straight!"
"Straight like a boomerang maybe." She was just asking to be put on my hit list. Wait, was she already on it? Crap, I couldn't remember. Well either way, she was on it now!
"You're such a pain in the ass," I grumbled, crossing my arms.
"Just because I found ou—" I looked over her shoulder and wasted no time covering her mouth with my hands, trying to smile when three pairs of eyes finally found us. My voice got stuck in my throat when I glanced to Sasuke, who had changed into a pair of black (how the heck did he get into those damn thing?!) jeans, and that same blue jacket he always wore. Still, something about his attitude made the entire ensemble strangely attractive.
"Hey guys! We were uh…waiting for you!" I turned Ino to face them, keeping my hands on her mouth to keep her from saying anything idiotic. This, of course, got one lazy sigh, one pair of widened eyes, and one arched eyebrow.
"Is there a particular reason you're trying to suffocate Ino?" I looked down at Sasuke's question to see Ino practically clawing at my hand. Did I cover her nose too? From the way she gasped for air after I pulled my hand back, I got my answer.
"Uzumaki…" I shrunk back at the threat in her voice, instantly laughing in an attempt to save my life.
"It was an accident! I was just testing your lungs! And a demon took over my body!" And if any of you thought any of the three excuses saved me, you are sadly mistaken. I sat at the table and hour later with several bumps and bruises, and everyone seemed perfectly fine with my punishment while they finished their food. I whined at the abuse I didn't technically deserve, but nobody paid attention.
"This place has the best pizza!" Sakura said, giggling when she glanced up at Sasuke and smiled. "Had you ever eaten here before, Sasuke-kun?"
"Yes." His reply was both short and a conversation ender, which seemed to bother Sakura by her frown. I rolled my eyes and leaned on one of my arms, ignoring the tenderness of my cheek. Man, Ino hit hard.
"Well aren't you a barrel of fun. We should make you do kid parties and make a profit." He didn't turn his head to me, but I could see his eyes shift to look at my grin.
"Says the clown." I scoffed, pushing up to glance at the bastard next to me.
"Whatever jerk." I felt proud of my memory, my inner Naruto dancing around in my head. So maybe this wasn't going to be as hard as I thought. Ino was right; I didn't have to use teme. I just had to find good substitutes that were short and to the point.
"That was a really good game Sasuke. The team qualified for the play offs and everything," Ino said, Sasuke nodding slowly. "I heard that there's a new team in the division that's doing really good as well. We haven't played them yet."
"I wouldn't be worried. Neji's good at creating evasive plays until he's able to figure out their weaknesses. That's why he's co-captain," Shikamaru replied lazily while he popped the last of his crust into his mouth.
"Yeah, who know Hyuuga was that good at basketball? Remind me to get some tips from him," I said, nodding. Just because I stayed off the team didn't mean I stayed off the courts. Me and Kiba were known to randomly throw together teams and battle it out on the courts outside of the school. Speaking of dog-breath… "Hey Shikamaru, where the heck is Kiba?"
"He had to help his mom clean all the dogs at the shelter." I nodded, remembering his job took over a lot of his time. Whenever he wasn't hanging out with me and Shikamaru, Kiba worked at the Konoha animal shelter with his mom. It was a pretty good paying job, and Kiba got the perk of walking the puppies in the park. He said he got at least two numbers and MySpace accounts each time he did. Lucky bastard.
"Well I've gotta show him that weird behind the back pass Neji was doing all game. Imagine how pissed the other team would get if we pulled that trick from nowhere."
"Why don't you just ask Sasuke-kun? I'm sure anything Neji can do; Sasuke-kun can do as well. I mean, he is the best player on the team."
"That's not necessarily true. Neji and Sasuke both had around the same amount of points this game," Ino said, making my head bob at the frowning girl in front of me.
"Besides, did you see all the steals Neji had? Way more than Sasuke! If I had to judge, I'd say Neji was the better player." I glanced over to Sasuke when I sipped on my soda, smirking a bit when I noticed his glare. For some reason, it made my soda taste twice as good.
"But Neji also missed more shots. Accuracy goes to Uchiha." Apparently even Shikamaru was interested in the conversation, and it didn't please Ino one bit. Whatever she was planning to say was instantly muted. I mentally sighed, knowing the only reason she didn't speak up was because it would imply she was answering to Shikamaru.
"Did you want to say something Ino?"
"I was just going to say that Neji's the better play maker. Almost all of the plays were created or influenced by him. That's gotta mean something."
"Yeah, that he's a better coach. But Sasuke-kun is faster too, which makes him a more essential part of the team."
"What's the point of being fast if you can't think of any way to use it? Brains beats speed."
"Coming from an idiot like you, that doesn't mean a thing." I glared over to Sasuke, only to realize he hadn't moved his gaze from me. Whatever soda was left I swallowed quickly, needing it to moisten my mouth. Trying to act casual I looked over to the window to observe the great view of dead grass and snow. But really, knowing he had been looking at me the entire time was a little nerve wrecking.
"Either way, I still think Sasuke-kun is the best player." Of course she did. Then again, she'd say that even if we were comparing him to Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. I stirred my straw in my cup to keep my mind off the unexplained irritation while I listened to the group talk about pointless things. Really, I was more interested in why the bastard was staring at me. Probably because I dared to stand up to the great Uchiha Sasuke. Chea right, as if I didn't do that every day of my life. And so what if I thought Neji was better? Not like I said he was bad, I just said he wasn't the best. So sue me.
But any bothering thoughts fled my head when Ino brought up my favorite part of the Central.
"So are we getting dessert?"
"Hell yes we are!" I already had my finger on the strawberry shortcake dessert, glancing up at Ino and smiling. "Wanna split it?"
"You really have the bottomless stomach don't you?" She asked, smiling as she rested her head in her hands. I could only shrug and drool at the picture on the menu.
"Hey Shika, are you gonna get your boring vanilla ice cream again?" The shrug I got confirmed my guess. The kid really wanted to just blend in with everything. If we weren't careful, someone could mistake him for dead and load him into a coffin. And even if Ino was mad at him right now, she'd certainly get over it fast in that scenario. Hmm…
Nah, too risky.
"What are you going to get Sakura?" In looked up at Ino's question, but Sakura was too busy reading something on her phone to notice. After a minute she sighed and slapped the phone shut, glancing around the table in frustration.
"I have to go guys; my mom's making me come home early since I have to work in the morning."
"You can't even stay for dessert?" I asked, scowling when she shook her head. It was then she turned her gaze to me, and I blinked at the strange look she was giving.
"Naruto, would you walk me to my car?" The table fell completely silent, myself included. What the heck? Why wasn't she asking Sasuke to bring her over? I was almost positive she would use it as an opportunity to get some alone time with him. But she seemed to ignore my shock while she slid from the booth, and I clumsily stood to follow her.
"I'll uh…order for us Naruto!" I could tell without looking that Ino was concerned, and I guess I couldn't blame her. After all, I remembered the last time Sakura wanted to talk to me. Really, I didn't want a repeat. So I blew into my hands and stayed quiet as we walked through the slightly deserted parking lot toward her dark red sedan that sat next to Ino's car. Neither of us said a word until she let the beep of her starter shake us out of whatever silence we were in.
"When'd you get the new car starter?" I asked, watching her lean against the side of the car.
"My dad bought it for me on Christmas, since my old one gave out a little while ago," she said, continuing my small talk. Whatever she was planning to say was something she needed time to prepare for. That made me rethink my willingness to come out with her.
"That's cool I guess. Jiraiya doesn't help me with shit. My car could blow up and he'd probably just laugh." This whole 'shooting the breeze' thing really got annoying when you were freezing your ass off. But I wasn't going to rush whatever Sakura wanted to talk about. From the constant brushing of her fingers along her lips and cheeks, I knew something was bothering her.
"Naruto…" I watched her inhale slowly while she turned to me, a sad look overtaking her emerald eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry?"
"Yes. I…I shouldn't of asked you a date idea for Sasuke-kun. I mean, I shouldn't have let myself be a coward." If she kept biting her lip, she was going to gnaw right through it. Quickly I moved forward, placing my hands onto her cheeks and making her look up at me. The part of me that still jumped at her name instantly moved my thumb along the bottom lip to get her to release it. Maybe I was blushing. Maybe it was just cold. For once, I wasn't embarrassed.
"What do you mean coward? You're no chicken; you're just completely love-struck with the asshole for some odd reason." I could feel her lip tremble through her weak laugh, and I easily slid my hands back from her face. In the past, maybe I would have kept that contact. A part of me still wanted to. A small part.
"That's not what I meant. When I asked you about the movie I just…Naruto, you're a really good guy. You're really energetic and funny, even if you can get a little annoying at times. I'm really happy that I met you. Glad that we became friends." Her hands felt warm, and I looked down at the grasp she had on my hands. Girls were always warmer than guys for some reason. Like they had a fire built in them or something. "And…and that's why I wanted to tell you that…that I can't see you in a romantic kind of way."
"Sakura?" I knew she heard me, because she squeezed my hands at her name.
"It's like you're my brother. So when you keep complimenting me and trying to convince me to go out with you, it hurts. I don't want to be mean or flirt with Sasuke-kun in front of you, but I don't know how else to make you stop liking me. Ino said that I took it too far that day; she was really upset with me. And to…to be honest, I was too. B-But I didn't know how else to get you to listen to me. Whenever I tell you to stop, yo-you just smile and wave it off. I don't want to hurt you bu-but…but…"
Sakura's body jerked a bit, and it was then I realized that she was about to cry. I knew I was tense, because I wasn't sure what I was supposed to feel. Anger and sadness I guess. Maybe I should have been the one crying. And yea, I did feel a bit lost. What else would you feel when you finally realize that not only is there no chance for you to end up with the first girl you loved, but that your heart had already accepted that without your mind's consent? I saw a line of water gently slid down her cheeks, and in no time I pulled her into me. I was the brother, right? For some reason, I felt okay with that role now. I pressed the side of my head against hers and smiled sadly when I felt her crying. Sakura was really upset with herself, and the thought made me see how important this was to her. How long had she wanted to tell me this? And how long did my stubborn heart push her warnings away? She wasn't the coward. I was.
Or, had been. Because somewhere, I had unconsciously realized what I didn't want to. Sakura was the perfect girlfriend; I had said it hundreds of times in my head. But that didn't mean she was right for me. What's the point of having someone perfect if they don't want you? In all of my dreams of wanting to be with Sakura, I never took into account what would happen if she didn't want to be with me. So now, while I felt Sakura sobbing into my chest, I knew what would happen. I'd accept it, and continue to be the friend that Sakura had wanted me to be. I wasn't a kid anymore. Feelings were feelings, and we couldn't fight them or change them. I closed my eyes tightly and shook my head against hers.
"Stop crying over things you can't change," I mumbled next to her ear, which made her pull her head back in shock. Smiling was much easier than either of us expected, and I laughed even quicker than I smiled. "So you don't like me then. I guess some other guy is going to have to deal with your mood swings and bad hair days."
"I-Its...not that bad…" she sniffled a bit as she wiped her eyes with her palms to dry the tears.
"You look like medusa back for revenge," I teased, which got me a soft knock of the head with her hand.
"Naruto!"I closed my eyes at the touch, feeling the last bit of pain start to dissolve. So I wasn't meant to be with Sakura. I guess I could live. Besides, with everything else going on in my life, having a girlfriend would probably just mess everything up even more. Finding more reasons than I needed to let go of Sakura, I turned my gaze back to the quiet girl in front of me. I stared at her for a moment, her eyes still as pretty as they were when I first met her. No matter what feelings I had for her, Haruno Sakura would always be pretty.
"Hey, make me a promise."
"A promise?" She asked quietly, blinking when I took her hand and curled every finger but her pinky. My grin must have been wide, because I could feel it in my cheeks.
"I know that you're 'in love' with Sasuke. Kind of like I was 'in love' with you. And who the hell knows who the asshole is in love with—"
"Naurto! Don't call him that!"
"Alright alright, nobody knows who the teme wants." I probably would have felt a little more panicked about letting the insult slip if not for the fact that this conversation was so important. "Just…don't just look at Sasuke with these eyes."
"Huh?" At her confusion, I tapped next to her left eye with my pinky before bringing it to rest in front of hers.
"You told me today I was always pushing away the words you were practically trying to shove down my throat. Well…and don't hit me for this, because I'm saying this as your 'brother' or whatever the hell my role is now in your life…try to listen to what the jerk is saying to you."
"I…" She was scared to make that promise. We both knew what was really being said here. I was giving up on Sakura because she couldn't be forced to love me. And in return, I wanted her to realize that Sasuke wasn't in love with her either. I didn't mind holding her again when she started to sob. Heck, I reached for her before the first tear fell. I guess I was pretty good with this hugging thing, because she didn't want to let go for a while. She just wanted to hold onto this fake reality for a few more minutes. Her mom was probably going to kill her, and Ino had probably eaten all of my dessert by now. But it was worth it when a soft pinky hooked around mine and shook it in a silent promise to finally open our eyes.
I helped her into her car, and made a few more jokes to get her to laugh again. I kissed her on the forehead; it wasn't intimate, but reassuring. There was no blush between us, because we both knew it wasn't intended to be romantic. I just wanted her to feel comforted. Nothing was worse than going home upset. Then again, she had a family to comfort her. I remembered that when I watched her drive out of the parking lot and out of sight.
"Damn…" I let out another slow breath, closing my eyes to enjoy whatever I was left with. Honestly, I felt like someone had taken my life and shook it around in a Ziploc bag. And here I was now, trying to piece it all back together. That was great and all, but half of the pieces were lost and the other half had changed shape completely.
"Hn." The soft snort that came from behind me completely caught me off guard. I jumped a bit before jerking to turn to Sasuke, who leaned against his car a few empty parking spots away. How long had he been there?
"Sasuke? What the hell are you doing out here?" I instantly crossed my arms and blurted the first accusation I could think of. "Were you spying on me?!"
"Hardly. Ino made me come out here to make sure you weren't skipping on your part of the bill." I gaped at his explanation, which seemed to amuse him from the smirk on his face.
"She actually thought I was going to chew and screw?! Oh that idiot, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind!" I growled while I stormed toward the restaurant. Well, tried to at least. But one sharp movement from the asshole sent me crashing into the side of his car. Not hard enough to damage me or the paint, but still enough to shock me. I peered up into onyx eyes, which seemed to stare straight into my gaze. Instantly my breath caught, from the intensity that was leashed beneath his eyes or the heat that pooled from his body and against mine. Wait, when did he get that close? I shivered when his arms slid to rest on either side of my head, trapping me. Instantly my defense mechanism kicked in. "W-What the hell te--...uh…jerk!"
"You've been avoiding me." Well duh. Even a blind kid could see that. But instead of saying that, I straightened myself out so I almost became level with his gaze. Damn, I was too short.
"I have not! Like I would waste my energy trying to dodge you."
"Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Is this a trick question?"
"You ran into a girl's bathroom to get away from me." Well, he had me there. Not that I was going to let him know that.
"I was momentarily confused about my gender." He narrowed his eyes at my weak excuse to show me that even a monkey wouldn't buy what I was selling. But really, if a monkey wanted to buy something besides a banana, that was pretty unique. Wait, could monkeys buy things? See, having the bastard this close did things to my body—brain! I meant brain.
"You were hiding." He leaned closer to me, and instantly I hit his chest with my fist.
"Damnit! Why am I the one always pushed against something?!" He arched an eyebrow as I huffed, glaring up at him through a slight blush. "Every time we have a serious conversation, you push me up against a wall, or a car, or anything you can find! And it's getting really annoying. Think of something original why don't you?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know…sitting down, or like…upside down! Yeah! Like Spiderman!"
"You're an idiot." But even so, he leaned back enough to give me room to move. Yeah his arms were still on either side of me, but I could have pushed them away if I wanted to. And I was gonna! …Soon.
"Yeah, well you're an ass," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Hn." If someone had taken a picture of us, we could have made a lot of girls' day. They'd probably faint from the eye-lock we were in. And with Sasuke leaning all stupidly attractive-like, it would send teenagers into a squealing fit. Our faces were closer than they had to be, we both knew it. Hell, anyone who saw us would know it. That'd probably cause some nosebleeds. And he bent in a way that elongated his neck and back…okay, maybe some guys would enjoy it to. Yeah, the tension was that strong. Not that I cared. If there was one word to describe me and Sasuke, it was intense. Because we could never just half-ass something, whether it was fighting or trying to dig into each other's skin and shovel out some dark secrets. It had to be an all out effort. And now was no exception. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Have you been avoiding me?" Oh, we were back to that again? I was really hoping we could just forget it ever happened. I unwillingly squirmed while pulling my arms tighter to me.
"Why do you care?" And after the moment of silence, I couldn't stop the teasing that passed my lips. "You miss me?"
"From the apparent bags under your eyes, I should be asking you that question."
"H-Hey! You don't look that hot today either!"
"You implying I'm hot normally?" The off-handed comment instantly brightened my face. I knocked him in the head with my fist before deciding now was the perfect time to end this conversation. Shoving him away from me, I moved from the car and turned back toward the restaurant.
"As if I'd ever think an arrogant assed bastard like you was hot!" And if I had control of the world, this would be where I made my brilliant exit without another word. I'd saunter back into the restaurant, the wind blowing through my gorgeous blonde hair and leaving Sasuke stunned with awe of my smexiness…but then again, if I ruled the world, Ramen would be in every food group, and I'd be king. So no, I guess I had no control over what happened in my twisted life.
So it should be no surprise that my happy ending got messed up. There was a hand on my wrist a second before I was jerked back into Sasuke's body. Any attempt to protest was muffled by something Kakashi called 'punishment'. My eyes must have doubled in size at the surge of pressure on my mouth, or the delicious smell of cinnamon that overwhelmed my senses. The hands I had at my sides now grasped Sasuke's jacket, though to push him away or pull him closer I wasn't sure. Instantly my stomach was a flip flopping mess, and I couldn't hear anything past the heart that threatened to rip itself out of my ribcage and catch a cab to paradise. Slowly my eyes fluttered shut at the sensation of something soft swiping along my lower lip. Uchiha Sasuke was kissing me. It wasn't a make-out kiss, and we certainly did not touch tongues. But something about the contrast of Sasuke's hard personality and soft lips had me shivering pleasurably. Heat scorched my body wherever we touched, and we still had clothes on in between us! This was so not planned.
And after what seemed like forever (because it's hard to check the time when there's an Uchiha stuck to your face), pale lips pulled away from my trembling mouth. I gasped for air like I had just run the mile in track, and mentally reminded myself my feet hadn't moved. My lids only lifted after the feeling of Sasuke's hand in my pants. I jerked my eyes open in shock, but instantly felt stupid when I realized that he was grabbing the phone that was now blaring 'Don't Stop Believing' from my pocket. His eyes lingered on mine while he flipped open the phone, muttering a sharp 'what' into it.
I should have been upset at the fact that he was being rude to whoever was calling me. In fact, I should have been kicking his ass for randomly kissing me like that. What was he thinking? And why didn't I push him back? Hell, neither of us even said the words! Did we? The night suddenly became blurry to me. I pressed two of my fingers against my lips, feeling the warmth that was left behind. So that's what it felt like to kiss Sasuke? I felt my eyes closing halfway and I curled my fingers against my lips stubbornly to hide the slight quirk of my lips. No matter what, I wasn't going to admit that I may have…
May have liked it.
"He'll call you tomorrow." I was brought back to the conversation on my phone when a pair of dark eyes caught mine in a commanding stare. Whatever he was going to say next, he didn't plan to argue about. "He's coming to my house for the night."
And just like that, my fate was sealed.
…Yup, that's where I'm ending it. Haha Aw come on, it's 33 pages! Well what did you think? Sasuke kissed Naruto! I wonder why…hmm…oh! And they're heading to Sasuke's house for the night! What secrets will unfold? What will Naruto find in Sasuke's house? And just what is Sasuke hiding from the rest of the world? Well whatever it is, Naruto is planning to find out! Yea, I'm getting all mysterious on you guys…but you'll find out more next chapter! Review and I'll write my little heart out! Thanks a bunch for reading!