A/N: I HATE BEING A JUNIOR. I HATE HOMEWORK. I HATE CHEMISTRY.
I love fanfiction.
Sadly, this is turning into a Shakespearean tragedy, as me and my one true love are being torn apart by horrible enemies. This has actually been in my computer for quite a while, but I haven't found time to complete it or edit it. And even with my lack of a social life, I STILL don't have time to do it.
{although I am one of those freaks who still follows the manga. Yeah, SUE ME.}
Anyway, I apologize for being SUPER DUPER UBER LATE. I would like to commend each and every one of you for being loyal and clicking on the link in the email that notifies you that I have updated this story! I know it's going to turn out quite corny, but an update is an update. I thank all the reviewers who have popped up in my email stream AND BROUGHT HOPE AND-
yes. I'm done rambling.
ENJOY!
Disclaimer: Naruto and any other characters of the series belong to Kishi-sama. Marshmallows belong to anyone with a sweet tooth.
M is for Marshmallows: because snacking takes skill.
"I don't believe you." Ino cried as her best friend trudged through her apartment door with bags full of junk food. "Do you want to ward off Neji and Sasuke with your fat ass?"
Sakura, too preoccupied with organizing her loot, did not hear the middle part of the blonde's sentence. "Pardon?" She said, pouring a bowl of chips she understood were Hinata's favorite.
Ino smacked her forehead, but secretly thanked whatever god was listening that Sakura didn't hear. No matter how much of a gossip she was, she'd let those boys make with what they have for Sakura to find out themselves.
She thought of something quick. "Do you want to ward off boys like Sasuke-kun with your fat ass?"
Sakura laughed as she balanced three bowls of chips, pretzels and cookies from her kitchenette to her coffee table, which was pushed off the carpet to make room for the queen-sized mattress where the four of them would squeeze.
"You really think I have time for a boyfriend? I barely have time for you girls already!" She acknowledged the rare occurrence that Hinata wasn't busy with familial duties, Tenten wasn't out on a mission, Ino wasn't running between the flower shop and teaching at the Academy the same time that Sakura wasn't working herself to exhaustion on ANBU missions.
"Sakura, you're turning twenty-three in a few months. BAG A BOY!"
The medic rolled her eyes. "Ino, you're turning twenty-three in a few months. BAG A LIFE!"
"Whatever." Ino retreated to the bathroom to change into pajamas, while Sakura prepared 'smores for the sleepover.
~O~
Twelve hours later, Shikamaru, Sasuke and Neji were at the training grounds. All three noticed the absence of their pink-haired medic. And yes, they did pose ownership over her, since she was their teammate.
"We'd be dead before we train without Sakura." Shikamaru noted in both a figurative and literal sense. The injuries they caused to each other would've killed them on several occasions if it weren't for the medic's exceptional healing skills.
Also, Shikamaru acknowledged that Neji and Sasuke would go all out on each other, spelling out death for either (or both) of them.
Without a word, they made an unspoken agreement to check on the pink-haired woman's apartment.
~O~
That same hour, three girls groggily made their way out of Sakura's apartment after a mere five hours of sleep. They cried out promises of coffee and shopping the following week as they exited the door, Sakura herself enthusiastically waving her friends goodbye.
Thirty minutes later, her living room was squeaky-clean. A miracle, really, since the girls were up 'til four AM watching DVDs and gossiping (regardless of the respect most of them held for other people, Ino made it too hard to resist). Luckily, Hinata is an equally obsessive neat freak, and cleaned up a bit before leaving.
By then, the remembrance of the lack of something to eat dawned on her. She made her way to her kitchenette, where half empty bowls and plates of the world's most fattening snacks sat. Contemplatively, Sakura shook her stomach. None of those unhealthy foods for now.
But she didn't have a choice.
Staring at her refrigerator, she found no sign of anything. Like, there was NOTHING.
With an annoyed sigh over her lack of time to actually do the shopping, she pulled out the lone milk carton, sniffed it and tossed it in the trash. She went back to the bowls of snacks and picked up a cookie.
Completely aware she had training, ANBU team or not, she was not leaving the house on an empty stomach.
Knock. Knock.
Ding dong!
As she finished her cookie, she wondered who it would be.
That thought was quickly overwritten by a memory of her childhood call the Marshmallow Toss.
"It's open!" She yelled from her spot, analyzing a medium sized, white marshmallow she had recently just removed from a bowlful of them as if she was going to perform brain surgery on it.
And this is how three of the village's most talented ANBU found their field medic.
Tossing marshmallows in the air...trying to catch it...and failing.
"Some kunoichi you are." Shikamaru sneered, laughing at her failure. He remembered the game too: Ino forced him to play once. Considering wind direction and speed, plus height of the throw and weight of the marshmallow, he was able to perfect it every time.
"Just because I fail at Marshmallow Toss doesn't mean I'm a fail kunoichi." Sakura said, sticking her tongue out momentarily before tossing and missing another marshmallow.
Shikamaru, in a bout of smugness, picked one from the bowl, tossed it in the air and by calculating wind (0), height of the throw (2 feet, 1 inch) and the weight of the marshmallow (0.02 g), he caught it perfectly without even moving from his spot. With a smirk, he turned around and sat on the couch.
Neji and Sasuke noticed Sakura's grief. Truth be told, she was adorable. Solution? Cause her more grief.
Going through the same process as Shikamaru, Neji was able to toss and catch the marshmallow without having to move from his spot on the kitchen floor. He followed Shikamaru to the couch without batting an eye.
Sasuke did it as well, but to get Sakura more unnerved, he turned on his Sharingan.
"HEY, TURN THAT OFF!" She cried, pointing a finger accusingly the moment the marshmallow went airborne. "THAT'S CHEATING!"
"Hn," Sasuke replied with his signature smirk.
Wanting to ruffle the medic's feathers even more, he stepped towards her, grabbed a marshmallow from the bowl, tilted her chin upwards (with a slight pull to open her mouth) and dropped the marshmallow straight into her mouth.
"You cheated." He stated simply, and went to sit on the couch.
After chewing and swallowing the marshmallow, Sakura's expression changed from horror to anger to delight in a matter of seconds. Fearing for the worse, Shikamaru and Neji were ready to point fingers at the Uchiha survivor.
"You know the rules of the game!" She cried happily. She then moved into what looked like a defensive stance and pointed to her teammate. "Uchiha Sasuke, I challenge YOU to a marshmallow duel!"
Off the side, Shikamaru shook his head. He often wondered what had attracted his teammates to Sakura in the first place. Sure, she's pretty and smart. But really, did all the pretty ones have to be so damn crazy?
PS: 110 REVIEWS! TT^TT I'M SO FLATTERED! THANKS FOR LOVING THIS STORY AS MUCH AS I DO AND PLEASE CONTINUE TO NURTURE IT WITH YOUR LOVE AS I AM SOMETIMES A NEGLIGENT MOMMA TO THIS BABY!
~Bella