A/N: Sorry for the SIX-month wait. I actually had more on my plate this summer than I was anticipating and then this school semester has flown by because I've been so busy. I'm only taking 13 credits but man are they taking up all my time! Thankfully my last day of school before a break is December 14th and I will have some time to catch up on my stories.
Back to the story…
SasuSaku perspective of the ending of the game, then afterward. (PS Still waiting for someone to draw the guys in uniforms and everything. Someone make this happen!)
Sasuke POV (Thursday—8:30 pm)
Three minutes are left on the clock, and we are down by a measly 2 points. We can win this easily as long as no one fouls. I stare at the sweaty players and block out the rambunctious fans. The white-haired boy in front of me is dribbling the ball, and I watch his eyes as he looks to go around me.
Before he can succeed, I reach over and knock the ball out of his hands and into mine. I pivot around and run full speed to the other side of the court. I notice Naruto in my peripherals and pass him the ball. He catches it spot on and runs up to the hoop for a layup. My pace slows so I can be ready for a quick pass if need be when suddenly an enemy player barrels into Naruto.
The blond hits the floor hard and the whistle blows from the nearby referee. Shikamaru and I jog to his side to help him up as we watch the large guy receive his final foul and is taken off the court. "Agh, that hurt!"
Ignoring his injuries, the ref hands Naruto the ball and he is given the chance to do one free throw. Our team shouts words of encouragement to him as he makes his way to the line. I'm slightly shocked that this is one of the rare times the referees don't have us down at the hoop along with the other team. Now I'm just hoping I'll be shocked by a point from the dobe.
He squares up to the basket and dribbles the ball a few times. The team and I hold our breath, knowing this is one of his weaker areas of the sport. Especially with an injury. He pauses a second, then lets the ball slide right out of his hands and into the air. The crowd goes silent, watching the ball fly toward the hoop until finally sinking through like a perfect shot.
The crowd goes wild, shouting and chanting for the knucklehead, and our teammates share a round of high fives. I nod my head, happy to be shocked at the moment. But then it is back to game time and we are still down by one point. The seconds start to tick down as Kiba throws the ball from out of bounds only to have it blocked by Omoi. I roll my eyes and chase after him as he runs down to his end of the court.
I hear the stomping of our feet as we all make our way down to stop him, and surprisingly he takes a shot at a layup and misses. Shikamaru rebounds this ball and passes it straight to me. I grab onto it tightly and take a few steps, then pivot it to Kiba who has taken off down the court. He catches it just like we've practiced, and makes a lead to our own hoop. The rest of us follow suit.
Forty-five seconds are left on the clock, and Kiba makes the shot. Our fans start to go wild again, but we know the fight isn't over. We may be ahead but it could easily be turned over to them again. I keep an eye on the time as it quickly counts down. Our team is successfully blocking them with a full-court press, and it looks like we have the game. The player with the ball runs toward Naruto and me, and we quickly pivot to fake him out.
He loses his hold of the bouncing ball as I swipe it out of his hands, then lounges the ball halfway across the court to our nearest player to the basket. The clock is in the final seconds when finally Shikamaru scores another layup. The buzzer goes off but isn't even loud enough to be heard from the cheering fans.
All of our players can be heard clapping or whooping in victory. Naruto and I exchange a loud high five before his eyes dart to the stands. I roll my eyes, knowing fully well that he was looking for a certain Hyuuga. Once it calms down we make our way into the locker room to peel off the sweaty gear and shower the game away.
The blond jumps eagerly into the closest shower and blasts the water onto himself. Shikamaru and I give each other knowing looks as Naruto yelps from the freezing water. "I guess he forgot how long it takes to warm up." Shimakaru matter of factly states.
"He has a date tonight with Hinata," I inform him. Shikamaru's eyebrows raise in surprise. "Wow. And I'm stuck having to help Temari with her business homework."
"It doesn't sound like you are that upset about it." The serious comment came from behind us, causing us both to turn around. Neji is toweling off his long hair after exiting the second shower stall. I decide to take the chance and shower myself while the two of them converse about Shikamaru's plans for tonight.
Meanwhile, I have my own plans…A shock of pink and green dances in my mind but I push the thought away. We're not going on a date, but looking for answers.
After a few minutes of soaping up and cleansing the dirt off of my skin, I turn the icy water off. I take my towel and cover my lower half only to see Naruto clumsily pulling his shirt over his head while buckling his belt. "Don't forget your keys," I mumble while dressing myself.
Naruto quickly turns back to his personal locker and grabs the silver keys. "Thanks, man! I'll catch you later, all right? Still need to ask you a question!" He throws his bag onto his shoulder and towels his hair off while exiting the room.
I throw my own laundry into my duffle bag and pull the strap across my chest. The others are busily dressing or using the showers, so I make my way without being disturbed. I scan the gym until I notice Sakura sitting nearby the concessions, looking down at a book and seated next to a young boy. Being the smart woman she is, she tutors every now and then for free. I nod in approval to myself until I realize my approval isn't necessary. So why do I care what she does in her spare time?
Because you want the best for her. My own thoughts answer the question that's been hanging over my head my whole life. Because you care for her but are too much of a wimp to take action. The pain in my chest deepens as I think about the hurt I've caused her.
"Sasuke!" A small hand waves in front of my face and I blink a few times to regain my focus. Her bright eyes are the first thing I'm drawn to as she stares up in confusion.
"Ready to go? Don't forget that I have plans tomorrow morning. I gotta make money somehow." Her teasing makes it almost unbearable to take her out tonight just to find out more about the Akatsuki. Not wanting to break her spirit I decide to go along with it.
"You could quit and become a maid at my home. You'd probably get paid better."
"Eh, I'm not sure I'd like to clean up after a smelly basketball player." She holds her nose in mock disgust and I smirk in response. The twinkle in her eyes makes the stars pale in comparison. "Let's go, maid." She shoves my shoulder playfully in reply, then we head out the door together.
(10:30 pm)
"Find any small ones?" I glance across the aisle to the pinkette kneeling down. She shakes her head despairingly.
"No, they're all too large." I frown after hearing her answer. The camera sets in front of me are labeled security but are all for outside homes and apartments. I throw the box back onto the shelf, not caring if anything gets damaged. In order for our plan to work, Itachi cannot see the cameras or microphones. Why do they make them so freakin' large? This is the fourth store!
I'm ready to tear the shelf down out of anger when I hear Sakura gasp in relief. "Think this will work?" She holds up a child's secret agent set, featuring a small camera and microphone. I stride over to her side to observe it closer. Although it's obviously advertised to children, it seems to work flawlessly as actual spy gear.
"Hm. It should." She grabs the box out of my hand and triumphantly raises it into the sky. "Let's beat their butts!" I put my hand over my face to hide my smirking at her antics. Only Sakura could be both mature and childish and switch so fluidly.
My hand grows warmer as she takes it into her own. "Seriously, this place closes soon. We need to go before they kick us out." I let her drag me to the counter before letting her hand escape mine. Why am I doing this all of a sudden?
"What're you gonna do with something like that?" The slick-haired man behind the counter looks bored and tired, yet somehow intrigued that two teenagers are buying a child's toy. I choose to ignore him completely but when I watch Sakura open her mouth I know she's got other plans.
"It's for our senior science project. We have to do a lab experiment that unfortunately needs to be watched 24/7." I give her a smug look, honestly not sure how I feel about the way she easily furnished this lie. The man yawns and takes the bait.
"Here's your change." He reaches out to hand me the change when I notice the tattoo on his wrist. It's a black circle encompassing a white upside-down triangle, and for some reason, it seems familiar.
After I put the money into my wallet, Sakura and I head outside into the misty air. Our original plan was to set up the cameras tonight, but with it being so late my parents would not approve of her coming over. I frown just picturing their surprised faces. Once we reach my car I turn to her and try to explain the situation.
"I'll do this on my own tonight. You know my parents wouldn't—"
"Yep, and it would look worse if I sneaked in with you." She gives me a wink and I roll my eyes. "Most girls think you do that, though. I mean, a lot of the popular girls drool over you so much that they lie about flings with you."
I flinch, knowing none of it's true. But if things like this are being spread, I can guarantee I know who started it.
"They are lies, right?" I snap out of my annoyance at the redheaded Uzumaki to look into the flawless face of the girl in front of me. Her expression is that of sadness, confusion, and slight annoyance which I can only assume is directed at them and not me.
"I've never heard any of those pathetic lies. I'll make them stop." Relief seems to wash over her and she nods her head. "Yeah well, you know Karin…Always trying to tell people you're hers."
"I'm nobody's," I grunt, then open her door to let her inside the car. Although it isn't frigid outside, I feel a chill run down my spine, almost as if something is about to happen. Am I being paranoid?
Once she is seated I make my way to the driver's side and enter the car. We drive in silence back to her home, and I can't tell if it's because of what I said or the time. Or both. I wait it out knowing that if she wants to talk she will, but after a few minutes my mind starts to go elsewhere.
Itachi will be back home in a week and a half. I can set up the cameras before then and I hope to get some evidence against him. My main concern is that he will be more careful and not conduct their meetings in his room while our parents are out.
As I sit in my room working on homework I hear a rumbling outside. My heart instantly skips as I recognize the engine and I dash to the window. I carefully lift the curtain to see the black van parked in front of my home. My parents are gone on a trip to visit the city leaders to discuss the police force security, so now is as good a time as any for their meeting. Typical Itachi.
I watch as a group of four guys in black trenchcoats makes their way up to the door. The original posse. I hold my breath as I listen intently to the front door open and low voices whispering. I hear them making their way upstairs to walk past my room and into Itachi's. My heart drops into my stomach as I question whether or not I will be dragged over there to be abused tonight.
A minute later the door shuts closed and their shuffling feet are silent. I let out the air I was holding in, and turn back to my homework. Basic geology has never looked so insignificant until now.
I catch myself swerving slightly into the empty lane next to me and jog my brain back to now. Out of my peripherals, I see Sakura leaning on the center console, her chest slowly rising and falling. Because it took so long to find a store that sold the cameras, we ended up on the other side of town. Now twenty minutes into the drive, we start to pass the school and I know we are close to her home.
I reach across to wake her up but instead move her tousled bangs out of her face. She murmurs something incoherent and nuzzles closer to my outstretched hand. I take a quick look back up at the empty street to check my driving, then decide to just leave my hand there. At least I can do something for her, even if it is using my hand as a face warmer.
After a few minutes more we enter her neighborhood. Once I drive onto her street I resolve to finally wake her up. "Sakura, time to wake up." I wiggle my fingers which in turn makes her face scrunch up in amusement. "That tickles…" She mumbles. I park my car at the end of her driveway and then gently shake her shoulder with my free hand.
"You're home, Sakura." She moves her head enough to release the hold on my hand and I quickly slide it to freedom, although once out a certain warmth seems to be missing. She blinks her eyes a few times, then stifles a yawn. "Sa–Sasuke?"
"I'll walk you to the door so you don't fall over." She grins sleepily at my words and nods her head, too tired to form a sarcastic comeback. I quickly get out of the car and make my way to her side of the door to help her out. She yawns again and is on her feet groggily. And I thought I was a heavy sleeper.
I awkwardly wrap an arm around her to steady her as she walks and we make our way up her dark driveway. Before we make it to her porch, however, I stop in my tracks.
The front door is barely hanging onto the hinges and the lamp in the hallway is crashed onto the floor. I grind my teeth and frantically look around the darkness for anyone who could've done this.
"Sakura, you need to wake up," I whisper directly into her ear, so close that her hair starts to tickle my nose. She blinks up at me again and puts a hand to her forehead. "Ugh, I have to work in the morning, Sasuke. Let me sleep."
"I think we have more important things to worry about right now." I carefully grab her face and turn it towards her broken door, and wait for her to see the situation. Once the realization hits her she immediately becomes energized.
"What happened?!" She tries to break free, but I hold onto her and quickly head back to my car. "We need to call the police to investigate. I can't risk them still being inside and—"
The fire burning in her eyes mixed with tears streaming down her face cause me to stop talking. "I'm…I'm glad my parents were gone tonight. Today was their anniversary so they decided…they decided to go on a short vacation this weekend and left this afternoon. Oh man, what if they were here? What if they had gotten hurt? What if…what if…"
I tilt her head to look up at me, causing us to send unsaid messages of worry, pain, fear, and anticipation. The dryness in my mouth makes it hard to swallow, but I push past it and clear my throat. "They're safe, and that's all that matters right now." Her lip slightly protrudes, making her look more childish than normal.
"What are we gonna do, Sasuke? We can't let them do this to us. We just, we just can't." Fresh tears started to pour from her eyes but she silently wipes them away. I unlock my car and open the door for her. "For now we're going to my house."
And with that, I realize just how wrong it was for me to involve the girl I've grown fond of.
I am working on making all my chapters closer to 3,000 words. So please bear with me as I slowly lengthen these updates!
What do you guys think about the ending? ;) Let me know by way of a friendly review, and I'll mention you in the next chapter!
I hope you have a great Holiday Season! I'm going to be spending Christmas with family in a different state—this will be the first time since I was a young child. Although, it's due to the fact that my uncle died in August and my grandmother has taken it very hard. If you pray please keep me and my family in your prayers. 3
I'll hopefully update soon!